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[Standards] IDN Names and NodePrep chris.mullins at coversant.net Sat Jun 30 16:57:53 CDT 2007 This is probably a silly question, but it's been giving me a hard time for a bit now. Is "!.com" (without the quotes) a valid JID? The definition of a JID is: A domain identifier MUST be an "internationalized domain name" as defined in [IDNA], to which the Nameprep [NAMEPREP] profile of stringprep [STRINGPREP] can be applied >From this definition, "!.com" passes all the rules. None of the prohibited tables list "!" in them anywhere (or " " <space>) as far as I can tell. IDNA does talks about LDH characters (which would means a "!" is invalid), and it talks about them in the context of having a UseSTD3ASCIIRules flag. I can't determine if I should be using this or Common sense says "yes" we should require this flag, but the more I read the spec, the more I think, "no". Specifically the phrase (from RFC An "internationalized label" is a label to which the ToASCII operation (see section 4) can be applied without failing (with the UseSTD3ASCIIRules flag unset). Can any of the IDNA / Unicode guru's on this list help me answer this? More information about the Standards

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Oscar wide has been depicted as having been one of the most successful, poet/playwright of the late Victorian era England. The Victorian era was a period in time of the height of the industrial revolution as well as being the climax of the British Empire. During this time, the works of Oscar Wilde were very popular and every one always wanted to know what was in the stores. THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST:Importance of being earnest is a play by playwright Oscar Wilde. The plays’ setting is Victorian England. It was first performed in 1895 in London at the ST James theatre. It is a comedy and much of the humor arising from the main characters’ younger brother Ernest. The play revolves around the theme of earnest. The plot sees Algernon a young Londoner. This young man pretends to have a friend in the country that is often sick called Bunbury. As a result, the young man finds excuses to go and see his friend occasionally whenever he wants to run away from his social obligations. Interestingly this act of running away from his responsibilities Algernon has called it Bunburrying. In real live, the young Algernon’s’ real friend is called Ernest who happens to make frequent visits to London. Without the knowledge of Algernon Ernest whose real name is jack is also unburying. On the other side jack is also Bunburrying to try to escape the 18-year-old heiress, Cecily since he is interested in marrying Gwendolen, Algernon’s cousin. The problem is that Gwendolen loves jack because she believes his name is Ernest. In addition, lady Bracknell, Gwendolen’s mother is not in favor of the relationship. In the ensuing drama, Algernon feels so much for Cecily that he wishes to meet her against jack’s opposition. The meeting is later arranged. Algernon visits jack upcountry as the little brother Ernest. However, jack having given up his Bunburrying announces to Cecily’s governess that his younger brother is dead. By this, time Cecily who had all along imagined being in love with Ernest is all over him with love. By the time the two brothers meet is dressed in black as he mourns the other. Before the confusion could settle down Gwendolen arrives wishing to be with her love. A tussle ensues as the two ladies fight out for Ernest. Shortly after Gwendolen’s mother arrives in pursuit of her daughter only to find the confusion. As these people argue out Cecily’s governess prim and her secret lover arrive with her secret lover chasuble. Surprisingly Bracknell and prism recognize each other and they both remember that prism had lost a child in a handbag while working as a maid for Cracknel’s sister. After this is revealed, jack produces the identical bag and thus it is realized that indeed he is Algernon’s elder brother. Once this is resolved, there is still the problem of jack’s real name. His mother tells him that she cannot remember but it was the name of his father who was a military general. Jack researches for his fathers name only to be relieved when he realizes that it is indeed Ernest. Ernest is filled with joy as he can now claim his love. As the happy couple embraces, Bracknell turns to her nephew and says, “My nephew, you seem to be displaying signs of triviality.” Wilde(1990) only for Algernon to turn and replies “On the contrary, Aunt Augusta,” Ernest replies, “I’ve now realized for the first time in my life the vital Importance of Being Earnest.” Wilde (1990) Oscar, Wilde. The Importance of Being Earnest, England: Courier Dover Publications, 1990

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This portrait of toilers in late-nineteenth-century London's literary world depicts abject professional, personal, and marital disappointment -- and the rise of one man who maneuvers to snatch the glittering prizes. Absorbing, ironic, and often extremely (if darkly) funny. l hair of russet tinge; hers was not a face that readily smiled. Their mother had the look and manners of an invalid, though she sat at table in the ordinary way. All were dressed as ladies, though very simply. The room, which looked upon a small patch of garden, was furnished with old-fashioned comfort, only one or two objects suggesting the decorative spirit of 1882. 'A man who comes to be hanged,' pursued Jasper, impartially, 'has the satisfaction of knowing that he has brought society to its last resource. He is a man of such fatal importance that nothing will serve against him but the supreme effort of law. In a way, you know, that is success.' 'In a way,' repeated Maud, scornfully. 'Suppose we talk of something else,' suggested Dora, who seemed to fear a conflict between her sister and Jasper. Almost at the same moment a diversion was afforded by the arrival of the post. There was a letter for Mrs Milvain, a letter and newspaper for her son. Whilst the girls and their mother talked of unimpo When the economic downturn ends Matty Cruz’s co... Read more "Loose Ends was a great read, if you're looking... Read more Who Murdered Mr. Malone? Book 1 of the Garden G... Read more After finding the body of a dragon in a metalli... Read more *This is a stand-alone book in the Fearsome Ser... Read more See it as donating a moment of your social media time, every little thing helps us improve and stay online. The list of books below is based on the weekly downloads by our users regardless of eReader device or file format. See more popular titles from this genre.

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His droll voice mail for those Spanish Carmelites got all the ink, but Papa Francesco’s most important New Year’s message for nuns is to be found in La Civiltà Cattolica’s report on what he told the male heads of religious orders at their annual meeting in late November. According to editor Antonio Spadaro (who conducted the big Jesuit interview with His Holiness back in August), the pope was asked to comment on “the activities of religious communities in the context of local Churches and about their relationship with bishops.” His answer was to say that bishops need a better appreciation of the specific “charisms” of the various orders and to call for a revision of Mutuae Relationes, the document that has governed relations between bishops and religious orders since 1978. It was, he said “useful at the time but is now outdated.” We bishops need to understand that consecrated persons are not functionaries but gifts that enrich dioceses. The involvement of religious communities in dioceses is important. Dialog between the bishop and religious must be rescued so that, due to a lack of understanding of their charisms, bishops do not view religious simply as useful instruments.” These words recall the famous conflict between the nuns of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, who staffed Los Angeles’ parochial schools, and the city’s archbishop, Cardinal James Francis McIntyre. As pointed out by Boston College’s Mark Massa in The American Catholic Revolution, the IMHs were inspired by the Second Vatican Council to recover the inspiration of their 19th-century Spanish founder, who established the order for women to live a life of service to the poor. McIntyre wanted fully habited diocesan functionaries. He appointed a commission to scrutinize the IMHs and in 1968 kicked them out of his schools. Promulgated a decade later, Mutuae Relationes represents one of the John Paul II era’s efforts to restore hierarchical control in the wake of Vatican II. It made clear that religious orders were part of the local church — “the diocesan family” — and that their “right to autonomy” was subordinate to it. “Great harm is done to the faithful by the fact that too much tolerance is granted to certain unsound initiatives or to certain accomplished facts which are ambiguous,” the document warned. It’s no stretch to relate Pope Francis’ comments to the investigation of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR) ginned up by the Catholic right four years ago and currently in the hands of the Vatican’s doctrinal office. Now again there are hierarchs who want nuns simply to be obedient to diocesan authority and who are hot and bothered by “unsound initiatives” and “ambiguous” facts. In the spirit of Vatican II, which is very much his own, Francis is telling the bishops to give greater deference to the religious orders and what inspires them. The LCWR ought to be breathing a little easier.

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For questions about vector spaces and their properties. More general questions about linear algebra belong under the [tag:linear-algebra] tag. A vector space is a space which consists of elements called "vectors", which can be added and multiplied by scalars. In other words, these are the spaces ... I solved a linear mapping problem recently and it turns out no to be correct, although i thought it was a simple problem. The problem asks me to find real parameters $a,b,c$ such that linear mapping ...

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Hosted by The Math Forum Problem of the Week 1080 Sums of Cubes Express each integer between 1 and 1000 as a sum of four cubes of integers (which can be positive, negative, or zero). Note: Sierpinski conjectured a long time ago that every integer can be expressed as a sum of four cubes. This has been verified up to about 107 (Richard Lukes). It has also been conjectured that every integer has the form Of course, this problem requires computer assistance. And the integers being cubed can be negative or zero. In case you are wondering, the problem number is a sum of three positive cubes: Suggested by Larry Carter (Univ. of Calif., San Diego), with additional comments by Richard Guy (Univ. of Calgary). © Copyright 2007 Stan Wagon. Reproduced with permission. Home || The Math Library || Quick Reference || Search || Help

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hope it helps I am a hack trying to get a grip on the inverse hyperbolic functions. I am a little confused because some descriptions say that the inverse hyperbolic functions are the function that gives the area under a segment of hyperbola x^2-y^2=1. While others say that they are the function that gives the area of a sector of two lines drawn from the origin to the hyperbola y=1/x. If someone could just explain the relation between the areas of the two hyperbolae x^2-y^2=1 and y=1/x, that would be great.

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Disaster preparedness, for the purposes of this article, means short to long term preparation for a disaster, whether natural or man made. It does not mean preparing for doomsday. Being a disaster prepper encompasses all religions, all nationalities, all political persuasions, all races. No one demographic is immune to disasters and the goal of a prepper is to not only minimize the impact of a disaster on your and your loved ones, but to also have as good quality of life before, during, and after a disaster as possible. Disaster preparedness is not just stocking up on food and water. Granted a clean source of food and water are a primary need during a disaster, but there are other needs as well to consider if you want to be truly prepared for the worst. In addition to having a stockpile of supplies, you will also need to know how to purify water, long term food storage, administer medical care, gardening, hunt and fish, find or create a shelter, and so much more. Many of the disasters that cause so much destruction and wreak so much havoc in peoples’ lives are natural disasters caused by extreme weather conditions. Floods, hurricanes, blizzards, tornadoes, earthquakes, tsunamis, typhoons and solar flares are some of the more common natural disasters that you need to be aware of and prepared for, especially if you live in an area prone to any one of these. Be aware of the weather and what’s in the forecast. When extreme weather conditions are predicted, don’t be complacent. Make your emergency plan and make sure you have all of your emergency supplies that you will need if a disastrous weather event should hit your area. Know what to expect for each type of disaster that you may face in your area. You may experience loss of power, contamination of the water supply, inability to get out and if you did get out, no stores to buy supplies from, inability to communicate via telephone or the Internet to call for help, inability to get needed prescriptions or medication from stores. Based on the hardships that you’re likely to be confronted with during a disaster, make a disaster plan. Maintain a stock of long term food supplies, clean water and a water purifier, candles, diapers if you have a baby, pet food, flashlights, batteries, fuel for a generator if you have one, over the counter medications and medical supplies, and dry clothing and bedding. If you take prescriptions regularly, get refills if the weather reports an impending hurricane or other predictable disaster. You should have a 30-day supply of necessary medications on hand. Learn basic first aid. Store a disaster kit in your car as well. Have an evacuation plan. Know where you will go and how you will get there. Map out alternate routes in case roads of one route are impassable. Have your supplies ready and packed in your car. In cold weather, have a backup heating system in place, such as a fireplace or wood stove and a wood supply, a generator, a propane stove, a gas grill or a kerosene heater. Just be aware that the use of gas-powered appliances, such as generators, and charcoal or gas grills, increases the number of carbon monoxide poisoning cases and fatalities due to improper use of this equipment. Carbon monoxide is known as a “silent killer.” It is an invisible, odorless, tasteless gas and is highly poisonous. A wood stove is by far the best option. We have one and it is not our backup heat supply. It is our only heat supply and warms the entire house all winter long. We gather wood during the summer and have plenty on hand to get through the entire winter by the time the weather turns cold. If you don’t have the wood, paper or magazines can even be used. Roll the paper up tightly into log size bundles. When stacking in the fireplace, stack them in such a way as to allow proper air circulation. In an emergency you can burn other wood such as lumber or furniture. A grill is a great option for cooking your food during a power outage, however, you cannot use a grill in an enclosed area unless it is an indoor grill with a vent and fan due to the danger of carbon monoxide poisoning. A gas grill is also more prone to starting fires, according to the National Fire Prevention Association. Another way to use an outdoor gas grill to warm your house is to use it to warm up bricks or rocks. They hold heat for a good amount of time. If you’re familiar with sweat lodges, that’s exactly the way they heat up a sweat lodge. If you use a gas or kerosene heater or grill, make sure to use it with plenty of ventilation to avoid carbon monoxide poisoning. If you have a generator, do not store the fuel in heated area. Gasoline and kerosene are highly combustible. Generators need to be run outdoors with the cables running in to the house. Running a generator in the house is a sure way to die of carbon monoxide poisoning. A very creative way of generating heat in an emergency is to take leaves and table scraps from the kitchen and put them in a double layer trash bag. Dampen the leaves and scraps slightly with water and then tie the bag closed. Place this bag in a trash can and put the lid on. The compost in the can will build up heat and within a day you can feel the heat and it will last for several days. You can also use Compost Starter to speed up the composting process. Having some hand pocket warmers that hunters often use around is a good idea also. They can help to warm up cold hands and feet quickly. You can also fill up your bathtub with hot water for a short term heat source. With several layers of blankets, beds are the warmest spot in the house and can be used by several people to conserve and share body heat. Careful planning before disasters can go a long way. Make sure your house is well insulated. You can seal your windows and doors with blankets or towels or you can buy window sealing tape at Home Depot that seals very well to keep the heat in and cold out. When you’ve lost your heating source and are looking for a warmer place in your home, smaller areas such as bathrooms and closets have less heat loss than larger rooms or rooms with poor insulation and large windows. In addition to flashlights and candles, kerosene lamps are a great source of light when the power is out. Make sure you have a supply of kerosene (kept outside) and wicks on hand for emergencies. For a comprehensive survival plan, you must be able to meet these basic needs: shelter, food and water, air, sleep, light, heating/cooling, and hygiene/sanitation. Without these needs being met for a sustained period of time, you most likely will die. In addition to the above, to maintain a better quality of life during an emergency, you need an electrical power source, first aid/medication, transportation, protection, communication and financial security. If you take care of the above needs when making a preparedness plan, you’ll fare far better than most during a disaster.

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Businesses need to advertise their products and services. Media offer a vehicle that can display the ads. Either they offer mass-market reach or niche reach (local or specialized). Advertisers buy eye-balls hoping that some of them will be customers. Media, using polls, study their customers and build their sales pitch around it. They offer a limited amount of space (time or number of pages) and sell this scarcity to the advertisers. Digitalization is fundamentally changing the game. - Media no longer have the monopoly of offering a platform to display ads. Any website can display ads. Why promote the release of a new DVD on a newspaper site and not on the Target site? - Scarcity does not exist anymore. There are no limits to inventory space. The limit is on the advertising side. There are just not enough ads to finance everybody. When scarcity does not exist anymore, prices (CPM) go down. - Data collection is the name of the game. Before, it was difficult to collect information about customers. It is why we were using a lot of tools based on polls. Today, polls are in competition with real data collection. Why use polls when you can track the habits of each customer one by one, compile and analyze them? Today's data are much more precise than yesterday's polling data. Pages are talking to pages. Data are being linked. Devices are starting to talk to each other. The Internet is becoming this huge machine, as Kevin Kelly is explaining at this Ted conference in December 2007, full of information about each one of us. Question : how much data are we willing to give away? The privacy limits are probably going to be decided by the legislators. When you are losing, step by step, your monopoly of serving ads... When the price to advertise is going down... What do you need to offer to stay the best advertising vehicle? You need to offer the best ROI. In other words, you need to move from an eye-ball logic to a transaction logic. And you'll get your dollars if you are able to prove that your vehicle helps to increase sales. I know ! It is tough because all of a sudden you become somewhere responsible for the quality of the advertising and the quality of the product/service. It is a total paradigm shift. The total nightmare for the media and advertising business. But, Google, with CPC and CPA based ads, has already been changing the game. A few words online (ad-word campaign) can have better ROI than a very sophisticated and expensive ad on TV. Tough times. Not only does the media need to display ads, but also they need to show to the right person. And on top of that, the right person for a business is a person that buys the product or service advertised. Bottom line is that businesses need customers. The winners will be -- are -- the ones providing the best engine to get those customers. So, if news organizations still want to finance their operations with advertising dollars, they need to ask themselves : "Are we in the data collection business?" If the answer is no, your chance to survive, with an advertising model, in the medium-to-long term is close to zero. And if advertising revenue dries up, who is going to subsidize the information? Example of what you can do: Geo Segmentation: Add ZIP To Your Email

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When it comes to outsourcing medical transcription needs, there are many factors to be considered. A healthcare facility needs to analyze what it exactly hopes to gain from outsourcing and then has to evaluate a medical transcription service provider on the basis of these criteria. But one of the most important and often ignored factors is the billing method used by the medical transcription service provider. On the face of it, this could seem trivial, but it is really important to study this to ensure that the partnership with the service provider works in the long run. Comparing quotes by different providers could be like comparing apples to oranges. One needs to understand the variables in the billing methods used to make an equitable evaluation. There are different methods of billing; some of the methods are as follows: Page: Under this method the client will be charged on the number of pages transcribed. This seems like a fair and verifiable method unless one looks at it in depth. The disparity arises because of differences in the contents of a page. A page could have as many as 46 lines or have a low as 10 lines. However the amount charged would remain the same regardless of the contents of the page. Report: Under this method the client will be charged a flat rate on each report transcribed. Again this is not a fair method of calculating rates for transcription as the number of pages and lines in a report could vary vastly. Minute: Under this method the client would be charged on the number of minutes transcribed. This would mean that a slow talker would be charged more than a fast talker. This method would also include interruptions and any other intrusions that occur while a healthcare professional is dictating. Factors like accent, specialty of the healthcare professional could affect the cost of transcription. Gross lines: Under this method a client would be charged on a visual count of lines. Many healthcare professionals do prefer this method given the ease of calculation. However what they do not realize is that under this method the bill could be beefed up by double spacing and other formatting tricks. Visible black character: Under this method the client would be charged on the characters that are visible. This method does not provide for equitable charges for the efforts put in by the medical transcriptionists for spacing, formatting, bolding, italicizing, underlining, tab sets etc. Normally the charges under this method are inflated taking into consideration these factors, making this method unattractive. Character line: Under this method the total number of characters transcribed including space and returns are added and the total is divided by a predefined number like 50, 60, 65 characters to arrive at the total number of lines transcribed. The character line method of billing has the advantage of meeting all the criteria of “ Billing method principles” as recommended by the MTIA. According to the billing method principles advocated by the MTIA a billing method has to be: - Fair and honest TransDyne has adopted the character line method of billing, charging 10 cents for a 65-character line. This ensures that the client is charged a price, which is fair and easy to understand. Care is taken to make sure that the healthcare facility has no doubts about the method about the line count methodology and the billing method. TransDyne offers quality medical transcription at reasonable prices, executed by experienced and qualified medical transcriptionists with a very quick turnaround time executed through secure HIPAA and HITECH compliant channels, with very high levels of accuracy and all this with technology that is advanced but easy to use! To avail low cost medical transcription services from TransDyne, click here.

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Adult ADD is much more complex than ADD in children. Young children may not be expected to have a sense of time and organization, but adults need goal-directed behavior. The exact cause of the condition is unknown, but most scientists agree that it is a biologically based disorder of the nervous system. Treatment for adult ADD often involves medications and therapy. ADHD stands for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. ADHD used to be known as attention deficit disorder, or ADD. In 1994, it was renamed. However, in today's society, ADD, ADHD, and AD/HD are all used interchangeably to mean the same condition. For this article, we will use the terms interchangeably. Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder is a highly publicized childhood disorder that affects approximately 3 to 5 percent of all children. The number of people with adult ADD is unknown, and medical experts continue to debate whether children can expect to outgrow the symptoms of ADD by the time they reach adulthood. Some studies have shown a significant decline in symptoms as a person ages. Others estimate that between 30 and 70 percent of children with ADD will continue to have symptoms into adulthood. Adult ADD is a much more elaborate disorder than in children. It's more than simply paying attention and controlling impulses; the problem is developing self-regulation. This self-control affects an adult's ability not just to do tasks, but also to determine when they need to be done. You don't expect four- or five-year-olds to have a sense of time and organization, but adults need goal-directed behavior; they need help in planning for the future and remembering things that have to get done.

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World War I Centennial: Montenegro Pledges War The First World War was an unprecedented catastrophe that killed millions and set the continent of Europe on the path to further calamity two decades later. But it didn’t come out of nowhere. With the centennial of the outbreak of hostilities coming up in 2014, Erik Sass will be looking back at the lead-up to the war, when seemingly minor moments of friction accumulated until the situation was ready to explode. He'll be covering those events 100 years after they occurred. This is the 36th installment in the series. (See all entries here.) September 16, 1912: Montenegro Pledges War In 1912, Bulgaria, Serbia, Montenegro and Greece conspired to attack the Ottoman Empire and divide its European territories; the Balkan League, as their loose alliance was known, came together through a series of secret meetings between the ambassadors, foreign ministers, prime ministers and monarchs of all four countries continuing into the late summer of 1912. Bulgaria and Serbia signed a military convention on June 19, 1912, where both countries promised to provide at least 200,000 soldiers to attack the Ottoman Empire, and on July 2, 1912, they agreed on a plan of attack. Meanwhile Bulgaria and Greece had signed a treaty of alliance on May 16, 1912. And on September 16, 1912, one of the last pieces fell into place when the general staffs of Bulgaria and Montenegro agreed on the terms of a military convention. Although Bulgaria was the ringleader of the Balkan League, their military convention gave Montenegro – a small, warlike kingdom – the opening role in the attack on the Ottoman Empire, for reasons of prestige as well as practical purposes. In the warrior tradition (the Balkan monarchs liked to imagine themselves as the heirs of medieval chivalry), it was considered an honor for King Nikola of Montenegro (pictured) to lead the attack against the hated Turks. Of course, the Bulgarians realized this might also help deflect any international disapproval on to Montenegro; while sympathetic to the Slavic kingdoms, Europe’s Great Powers weren’t keen to upset the regional balance of power, and volatile Montenegro (only a kingdom since 1910) could catch the blame for starting the war. The military convention pledged Montenegro to immediate action: Montenegrin forces would attack the Ottoman Empire no later than September 28, and Bulgaria promised to join the attack within a month. Of course, in a manner of speaking, war had already broken out, as the Albanian rebellion which began in May 1912 triggered wider ethnic unrest in the Ottoman Empire’s European territories, with militias representing the various Balkan nationalities battling each other in Macedonia and Albania. But intervention by the Balkan League would constitute a huge escalation. The Turks couldn’t fail to notice the Balkan League’s preparations for war, and on September 24, 1912, they put their beleaguered European forces, fresh from trying to suppress the Albanian rebellion, on alert against yet another impending attack. In the end the Montenegrins, eager for glory, beat the deadline by two days: on September 26, 1912, Montenegrin forces skirmished with Turkish troops in the Sanjak of Novibazar, the narrow strip of Ottoman territory separating Montenegro from Serbia (even managing to attack before the military convention with Bulgaria was formally signed on September 27, 1912 – but by this time events were moving so quickly no one cared much about formalities). The Russian Response One crucial source of support for the Balkan adventure was lacking, however: as rumors of the impending attack spread, Russia, the main backer of the Slavic kingdoms among the European Great Powers, came under pressure from the other Great Powers to use its influence to avert war in the Balkans, by warning the members of the Balkan League that they would be on their own in a war with the Ottoman Empire. On September 16, 1912, foreign minister Sergei Sazonov also warned the Bulgarian General Stephen Paprikov that Russia would not back the Balkan League if the war with Turkey went badly. This was the first sign of growing Russian skepticism about the war, which could only grow when Bulgarian troops came close to seizing Constantinople – a prize Russia wanted for itself.

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The 2009 Color of the Year While we're not sure what other colors were nominated, we do have a winner. The envelope please"¦ "¦ and the award goes to 14-0848 Mimosa! (rejoicing, cheering, fist pumping!) Well, at least according to Pantone, the creators of the famous Pantone Matching System, or PMS for those in the know. The standard little book in "˜fan' format was developed in 1963 by Lawrence Herbert, Pantone's founder, as a way of matching and communicating colors accurately, something very important in the graphic arts arena. The Color of the Year award was first given out in 1999, when Pantone announced cerulean blue as the Color of the Millennium. Then, in 2007, they turned it into a regular feature, naming chili pepper the winner, and in 2008, blue iris. As for this year's winner, here's the reasoning behind the choice, taken straight from Pantone's Web site: Mimosa, a warm, engaging yellow, [is] the color of the year for 2009. In a time of economic uncertainty and political change, optimism is paramount and no other color expresses hope and reassurance more than yellow. "The color yellow exemplifies the warmth and nurturing quality of the sun, properties we as humans are naturally drawn to for reassurance," explains Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute®. "Mimosa also speaks to enlightenment, as it is a hue that sparks imagination and innovation." Best illustrated by the abundant flowers of the Mimosa tree and the sparkle of the brilliantly hued cocktail, the 2009 color of the year represents the hopeful and radiant characteristics associated with the color yellow. Mimosa is a versatile shade that coordinates with any other color, has appeal for men and women, and translates to both fashion and interiors. Look for women's accessories, home furnishings, active sportswear and men's ties and shirts in this vibrant hue.

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Report: Millions Could Be Forced To Change Health Insurance Plans WASHINGTON (CBSMiami) – When the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, was signed into law, one of the pitches was “If you like your doctor or health care plan, you can keep it.” That statement could come back to haunt the White House because while it’s partially correct; the reality is much more nuanced and those nuances could be what causes headaches for millions of individual insurance customers. CBS News reported Tuesday that more than two million Americans have been told they cannot renew their current insurance policies. The forced cancellations are due to the fact that the policies held by millions of Americans don’t meet the 10 minimum requirements under the health care law. There is a grandfathered clause that allowed health insurance plans in existence before March 23, 2010 to be exempted from some of the rules. But, if the companies make major changes to the policies, which would run afoul of consumer protections under Obamacare, many will see coverage cancellation letters. For those that receive the coverage cancellation letters, they will have to turn to the individual market to shop for new coverage. Many of the policies will be more expensive, but once tax subsidies are factored in, some may pay less for better coverage. In addition, in states that choose to expand Medicaid coverage under the Affordable Care Act, many young adults would qualify for the government-run health care program under the revised income levels for Medicaid. Florida, and much of the deep south where many uninsured Americans live, did not expand its Medicaid coverage. Compounding the problem for the customers who receive the cancellation notices is that they can’t find out exactly how much they will have to pay or save due to the ongoing issues at the federal level. “The winners (those who will pay less) outnumber the losers here, but because of all the website problems, it’s hard to find out who the winners are because they don’t even know it themselves,” Larry Levitt of the Kaiser Family Foundation said. Republicans have seized on the news saying the president lied about the ACA and that HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and others involved in the production of the ACA website that’s been plague with problems should resign or be fired. To date, no administration official has been fired or resigned for the numerous problems with the ACA website. The White House has said the website will be fixed by the end of November.

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Archive for July, 2009: Many Iranians will now start to see their nation’s nuclear programme as a tool of the regime’s leadership, not of the people. The piece below analyzes the main goals of Rafsanjani’s speech today. The second article looks at how US and Israel are becoming closer on the issue of Iran, and why. This week I published three articles. The first looks at the first foreign policy set back suffered by Iran after the reelection of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. This could be a sign of things of to come. The article looks at the impact of the demonstrations on Iran’s negotiation position vis a vi the US. The second article is entitled “Iran will never be the same again”. It looks at the long term structural changes made and what the US should do in light of the new developments. The third article looks at the consequences of Hamas and Hezbollah’s welcoming of Ahmadinejad’s reelection and its impact in Iran. I also analyze Israel’s reaction to the elections. Much has been said about Rafsanjani´s power, and that he may be the only person who could depose Khamenei. Can he? The piece below explores:

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Minn. Health Officials Investigate Infant Measles ST. PAUL, Minn. (WCCO/AP) — The Minnesota Department of Health is investigating a case of measles in an infant who lives in Minneapolis. Officials say the child was too young to be vaccinated for measles. The infant became ill in late February and was likely infectious from Feb. 22 through March 2. The child was hospitalized and is recovering. Because the child’s family recently moved from Chicago and spent time in Indiana, health officials say the child could have been exposed to measles in Illinois, Indiana or Minnesota. “We do know Illinois did have a case of the measles since January, so there is a possibility there may have been something there, but at this point, we don’t know what the source of the case is,” said Kris Ehresmann, director of infectious diseases for the Minnesota Department of Health. Officials say the risk to the public from infection in this case is low, because of high vaccination rates for measles in Minnesota. Right now, an estimated 98 percent of school age children in Minnesota have the vaccine. “But if those rates drop, measles could regain its foothold and we can see many more diseases,” said Ehresmann. She warns of the importance of vaccinations because the disease is highly contagious and possibly deadly, spread through the air. “I could be in an examination room and then leave the room, you could come in 10 minutes later, and breathe that air and develop measles,” said Ehresmann. Symptoms of measles include fever, runny nose, cough, loss of appetite, watery eyes and a rash. The Department of Health says there have been six cases of measles in Minnesota in the past 5 years, and approximately 20 cases since 1997, according to department records. It says the Measles Mumps Rubella or MMR vaccine should be given in two stages, with the first dose at 15 months, and the second between four to six years of age. (TM and © Copyright 2011 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2011 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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Signal Processing is the science that deals with extraction of information from signals of various kinds. This has two distinct aspects -- characterization and categorization. Traditionally, signal characterization has been performed with mathematically-driven transforms, while categorization and classification are achieved using statistical tools Machine learning aims to design algorithms that learn about the state of the world directly from data. A increasingly popular trend has been to develop and apply machine learning techniques to both aspects of signal processing, often blurring the distinction between the two. This course discusses the use of machine learning techniques to process signals. We cover a variety of topics, from data driven approaches for characterization of signals such as audio including speech, images and video, and machine learning methods for a variety of speech and image processing problems. A list of potential projects for the fall 2011 edition of the course may be found here. The planned course schedule will appear here shortly. There will be several guest lectures. These will be announced as dates are finalized. Grading will be based on performance in course assignments and a final project. Mandatory: Linear Algebra,Basic Probability Theory.Recommended: Signal Processing, Machine Learning Tuesdays and Thursdays, 4:30-5:50pm at Porter Hall A18B.

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Adam Kirsch, a literary critic who is also published in the New York Review of Books and Tablet, has a semi-whitewash review in the current TNR on the history of neoconservatism in foreign policy. The good old polemical word "cabal," going back to 17th c. England, is once again said to be essentially anti-Semitic. The word Israel appears briefly, and in a parenthesis. Kirsch is honest that neoconservatism comes out of the Jewish community, and he says that neoconservatives have sometimes gone too far, they were wrong about how the Iraq war would go. But people of good will must "sympathize with neoconservative aspirations and anxieties." They care more than most about freedom, and why not? The freer the society, the more Jews thrive. It is now pretty widely agreed that the invasion of Iraq was a failure, and that this failure discredited the neoconservatives…. This is one reason why American Jews tend to be patriotic: America has the most durable and deep-rooted liberalism of any country in the world. The desire to defend and to extend American freedoms is what leads many Jews to be left-liberals; but it is only a different interpretation of what that same defense requires, and who freedom’s enemies really are, that leads some Jews to be neoconservatives. This is an expression of Jewish selfishness. Michael Otterman tells me that there are 5 million refugees in Iraq, 2.7 internally, 2.5 outside the country. So an Arab society is demolished, 20 percent of its population is uprooted, surely including the educated/privileged; imagine such a thing happening in the U.S.– 60 million people? But Kirsch can dispose of this rapidly as a "failure" of liberalism. It’s not liberalism. It’s an ideology informed by militant Zionism, and therefore indifferent to Arab refugees, Arab souls. I notice in Robert Kaplan’s tricky/snarky book The Arabists that he repeatedly ignores the Palestinian refugees and describes Israel’s creation as a triumph of American liberalism. Well I am a liberal Jewish American, and I sympathize with Arab "anxieties" in the face of unending violence.

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Want more sex in your games? More violence? What's culturally acceptable here might not be kosher somewhere else. But that pendulum swings both ways. I recently spoke with CD Projekt, the folks behind "The Witcher" about sex in their PC game. As a follow-up, I've been talking to more game developers about their reasons for pushing for more extreme content or holding back. Gearbox Software's Randy Pitchford proved the most outspoken of the bunch, and suggested a bigger issue was at play: territorial differences in their reactions to sex, violence and language. This presents an interesting challenge to developers interested in having their games appreciated on a world stage, and one not very different from the obstacles CD Projekt faced in bringing their adult-targeted RPG to the United States. "My experience has been that different audiences and territories seem to have very different tolerances for content that tests their standards of decency," Pitchford told me in an e-mail exchange covering everything from sex and violence to "Samba De Amigo" and monks playing "Counter-Strike." Pitchford's company has been best known for the "Brothers in Arms" series of World War II-based shooters. While they don't feature much sexual content, there's violence and colorful language abound. That may fly in the US, but that doesn't mean the rest of the world necessarily comes running with open arms. Every country has its own idea of what's acceptable, said Pitchford. "Most of the differences are cultural," he continued. "As I’ve traveled the world and visited with different kinds of people living under different culturally guided moral compasses." The easiest way to sidestep these issues is to avoid building the content in the first place, but as Gearbox tries to avoid self-censorship, it forces Pitchford to "think about the consequences of our position there and budget for it." With development budgets spiraling higher and higher every year, the cost of building every bit of content has to be taken into account. Gearbox's greatest successes so far have come from mining World War II, but ironically, that's also proved a problem for them. Germany's notoriously strict anti-violence laws force publishers to modify content or their games are banned. "Dead Rising," for example, can't be released in Germany; in "Half-Life," marines near the game's end had to become robots. "We want to do things a certain way in the portrayal of horrific violence in war (heads breaking apart, bodies literally being torn in half by machineguns, limbs getting separated from bodies by explosives, etc)," Pitchford explained to me. "We’re making creative decisions that are not acceptable by law in any form in Germany (and a few other smaller markets). So, we then have to either accept that we’ll make no real money in Germany *or* plan to do special versions for Germany that conform to their local laws." These rule sets are in constant flux, however. "Half-Life 2," for example, didn't have to swap humans for robots for German approval. As gamers and developers become more and more connected worldwide, this issue is bound to come up again and again. Game designers Peter Molyneux and Chris Taylor -- developers from the UK and US respectively -- both jokingly hoped some worldly perceptions would change during a Game Developers Conference panel this year. They both pointed a finger at the US. "The Witcher" developers would probably approve. "This is probably a little outrageous to say in this western civilization," said Taylor. "but I kinda wish we could do more with sex and less with violence. Sex is really great. We need to really get over that thing that we seem to be more hung up on [and] get more European." Taylor admitted he might not be the developer who ends up tackling the very thing he was taking issue with, but the crowd didn't care; his comments were greeted to a thunderous amount of applause, cheers and laughs. Molyneux agreed. "It is an amazing thing," he smiled. "It really is! It really bugs me how America is so prudish. It's incredible. You go to Germany and if you don't talk about or show a part of your body every hour, people think you're a bit strange!" Engaging with these cultural variations seems to be an accepted reality, a necessary bump in the road developing for a global audience. "I’ve come to realize that most folks feel fairly comfortable with the rules of their society," said Pitchford. "They tend to believe that their way is the *right* way and that other ways are strange, unfamiliar and probably not welcome." Cultural norms vary from city to city, nation to nation; there are almost no hard and fast rules for this phenomenon. Readers, how does your own community react to games?

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The other day my 13-month-old daughter taught me something. She taught me that we're wrong about smartphones and technology. It's not the new way of life. It never will be. Staring at a screen all day is just not natural. I've always been divided on this issue, as a child of the tech-boom, but Elliette, my daughter, set me straight. She and I were sitting in a lounge area the other day, and to my right was a mom and her two teen kids. There was an eerie silence. Not only were the two teens engrossed in their smartphones, but mom was too. Elliette is at a stage where she tries desperately to get a stranger's attention and make them laugh with a silly face. It normally works, but this time it didn't because the strangers were staring at a phone screen. In that moment, the joy of human interaction was gone. It was stolen by Candy Crush. I'm not offended that they didn't pay attention to my daughter. I'm offended that a human moment was stolen. It's the first time I've seen this in such an extreme way. Like any new parent, I began to panic and racked my brain for ideas to prevent my daughter from turning into a phone zombie, no offense to that family. Luckily, Dr. Megan Moreno at Seattle Children's Hospital is looking into this very thing - and holding a conference on it right now. "We hear stories in clinic of teenagers who describe going to parties and no one at the party is even talking, they're just all in their own bubbles of looking at their phones," says Moreno. "Sometimes they're even texting each other, which is just a very different type of social interaction than what we're all used to." The conference combines the forces of pediatricians, lawyers, teachers and leaders in the business, technology and journalism communities. Everyone's looking at the healthiest way to use smartphones and social media. They say parents are the first defense, and when kids start asking for a smartphone it can put parents in a tough situation. "I think one thing we often see in clinic is that there is this feeling that parents need to get their kid a phone for safety," says Moreno. "That is a reasonable argument, especially for some families where that child has to commute a long way. I don't know if that's an argument to get a smartphone. "The other thing that we hear is that there is this feeling that you need to have this type of phone to keep up, and sort of keep up appearances." Many parents can relate to that feeling. And Moreno says sometimes parents that are less tech savvy than their kids hesitate to make rules about technology for their kids. "I think that's one thing that we try to really consistently emphasize is that parents don't have to be technology experts. They don't have to know Angry Birds to say, in this house at 7 p.m. all the phones go in this drawer and that is that." Moreno says that technology use can also help parents. Before, parents were relegated to snooping through diaries. Now, if a parent is concerned about their child, a quick scan through a Twitter or Facebook feed could reveal what they're struggling with. "We've learned a lot about the way adolescents talk about various health behaviors on sites such as Facebook and Twitter," says Moreno. "For example, we've done some studies related to alcohol displays on Twitter, and we've learned some ways parents can use that information to have really fruitful discussions with their teens about alcohol use as well as about privacy online." So looking through the eyes of a child too young to play with a smartphone can be very telling. There can be too much of a good thing. Although, my daughter, at 13 months, already knows how to unlock my iPhone.

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|| Indias diversity, poverty set Jesuit By JANINA GOMES It was in January 2000, or close to it, that the number of Jesuits in India surpassed for the first time the number of Jesuits in the United States. At that time -- at the dawn of the new century -- the Jesuits of the South Asia Assistancy became the largest assistancy in the world. In 2001, there were 3,973 Jesuits in South Asia: 2,211 priests, 1,455 scholastics (students), and 307 brothers. Among them, 269 are novices filling out the assistancy, which covers India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. While there were no official celebrations, the new tallies have brought noticeable new pride in this part of the world. When one talks about the shift, leading Jesuits here often see significance in these new trends that go beyond the numbers. As elsewhere, Indias Jesuits are still best known for their educational apostolate, with 181 primary and secondary schools, 18 technical institutions, 32 universities and 8 seminaries. Loyola College in Chennai is perhaps the best science college in India; St. Xaviers College in Mumbai is known throughout India for its arts and science programs. But increasingly, the Jesuits of India are getting into radically new social apostolates, working with and helping to empower the untouchables, or dalits, as well as impoverished women and children. Following the lead of the 34th Congregation of the Jesuit order, they are increasingly becoming active in social justice-related activities, including environmental causes, throughout India and elsewhere. They have a friends of the trees program in Bihar, are involved in watershed development activities in Maharashtra, Orissa and Madhya Pradesh, and are working to solve ground water problems in West Bengal. At the South Asian Assistancy Assembly in October 2001, the Jesuit leadership identified specific goals for their mission, including solidarity with the poorest of the poor -- the dalits, tribals and women. To gain greater leverage, they agreed to network with like-minded agencies, promoting a culture of dialogue to participate in community life that went beyond traditional ministries. Being first or largest brings its own sense of satisfaction, and the Jesuits of South Asia are not immune to it, Fr. Lisbert DSouza, president of the Jesuit Conference of South Asia, said recently. Nevertheless, with this feeling of contentment, there is also a heightened sense of responsibility for the universal society and its mission. Traditionally, India has seen an influx of foreign Jesuits, mostly from Europe and North America. Today, that is changing. There is now a realization and an acceptance of the fact that we must now be contributors in a big way to the mission of the church beyond our countries, said DSouza. When the major Jesuit superiors gathered in September 2000, many were quick to seek personnel for short- or long-term service from the Jesuits of South Asia. In the past two years South Asian Jesuits have gone to work in Africa, Cambodia, Guyana, Russia and Japan. These new responsibilities come at a time when the demographics of the local provinces are shifting. While there is no dearth of numbers seeking admission to the society in South Asia, questions need to be asked about the capacity of recruits for some of the specialized services that have been the hallmark of the Jesuits down through the centuries, DSouza said. He noted a shift among those entering the society from the middle class to the socially, economically and academically less advantaged tribal and dalits who now jointly constitute nearly 60 percent of the new candidates. DSouza said the society needs to evolve patterns and strategies that will prepare these young men for the distinguished service Ignatius requires of Jesuits -- and this not only for South Asia but for the whole world. Fr. Cedric Prakash is the director of Prashant, a center for human rights, justice and peace in the state of Gujarat in western India. He expressed both clear purpose and pride in his work and the place of the India Jesuits in the world today. He said India is blessed with a rich diversity in cultures, languages, backgrounds and religions, and the Jesuits are constantly involved with these cultures, especially with the poor and the marginalized. It is Indias diversity and poverty that is setting the societys course today. In a couple minutes, Prakash rattled off names and places where Jesuits in Gujarat are working to empower the poor and bring greater dignity to their lives. One cannot work with the dispossessed, he said, without standing up for human rights and social justice. Fr. Joe Antony, editor of the Jesuit South Asian magazine, Jivan, as well as the Catholic newspaper, The New Leader, said, One realizes the importance of respecting and learning from other faiths. Dialogue is the pathway to counter sectarian politics and religious fundamentalism, he said. If the work of the Jesuits here is increasingly measured by their commitment to the poor, the heart of what they are telling the world has to do with lifestyle and spirituality. Fr. Francis de Melo, provincial of the Jesuits Bombay province, speaks about India and Asias rich spiritual heritage. He noted that even as the West becomes postmodern, it is also entering an age that longs for the deepest experiences of life and the powers of the universe. De Melo said that the eastern way of thought matches many of Ignatius insights. Where the West plans and strives to get what one wants when one wants it, the Eastern way is to flow with life and the unexpected that life continuously brings, he said. He finds this notion very close to the Ignatian idea of indifference and obedience, he said, that of flowing wholeheartedly with Gods Providence. Where the West sets a high goal and struggles to reach it fast, there is the Eastern way of kaizen, the continuous, natural growth that doesnt struggle to a target, but enjoys the process of allowing life to expand, naturally like a tree, always putting little shoots at the tips of each of its thousand branches -- no stressful grabbing at a pre-fixed target, just natural growth, not slow, not fast, leading to results that usually exceed planned targets, de Melo said. He likened this to the continuous reaching out for Gods greater glory. De Melo said the Jesuits of India could contribute through their own mission and lifestyle this vision of the East to the world. He said they are now challenged to be Asian Jesuits rather that simply Jesuits in Asia. Janina Gomes is communications manager at the Indo-Italian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Mumbai, India. She contributes regularly to the Speaking Tree column of the Times of India, a column devoted to philosophy and religion. Related Web site National Catholic Reporter, November 01, 2002

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This book is a treat. A psychologist (Hurlburt) and a philosopher (Schwitzgebel) join forces to interview a young college graduate (Melanie). They ask Melanie what she experiences at randomly selected times. They debate what Melanie reports and what can be learned from it. They often disagree -- but in a candid, humble, and open-minded way. Their imaginative and insightful dialogue, lightly edited, is transcribed in this book. It is an invigorating challenge to philosophers and psychologists alike. Background: Experimental psychology began using introspection in the 19th Century: psychologists trained subjects to privately "observe" and report on the contents of their conscious minds. But psychologists could not resolve their disputes using this method. Later generations abandoned introspection in favor of other methods. As much as they could, they avoided asking subjects what they were experiencing. Some psychologists, such as Hurlburt, were unsatisfied with this state of affairs. Instead of ignoring what subjects have to say about their minds, he set to improve on the old introspectionist methods. Over 30 years, Hurlburt -- with help from some colleagues -- developed a technique called "descriptive experience sampling" (DES). DES works roughly as follows. Hurlburt gives a subject a random beeper. As the subject hears a beep, she writes down what she was experiencing just before the beep. The next day, Hurlburt interviews the subject, asking for more details and correcting mistakes. The outcome is a way to investigate subjective experience that is both more rigorous and more powerful than old-fashioned introspection. Or so he believes. Schwitzgebel is as rare a philosopher as Hurlburt is a psychologist. Most philosophers believe that if people know anything, they know at least the current content of their experience. Schwitzgebel maintains just the opposite. In recent years, he has established himself as perhaps the most imaginative and systematic critic of introspection. His doubts, as it happens, apply to Hurlburt's DES. Undeterred, Hurlburt invited Schwitzgebel to scrutinize DES with him. They enlisted Melanie, gave her a beeper, and interviewed her on six separate days. During each interview, Hurlburt derives conclusions about Melanie's experiences; Schwitzgebel challenges them. But the scope of the debate extends well beyond Melanie's conscious life. While discussing the details of specific experiences, they shed light on a wide range of topics. These include inner speech, mental imagery, emotions, and memory, to name a few. Try to answer this question honestly, if you can: what does your current thought feel like? Is it like an image? It is like language? If you resemble me, you believe some thoughts feel like images, while others feel like language. At any rate, mental images and inner language are, historically, the popular ways of thinking about conscious thinking. According to Hurlburt, this dichotomy between images and language is a false one -- a prejudice due to armchair introspection and faulty assumptions. (Armchair introspection, the common but fallacious attempt to rely on introspection without serious methodological checks, is a favorite target of Hurlburt's polemic -- and rightly so, given its poor track record.) Among Hurlburt's empirical findings, the most surprising is what he calls "unsymbolized thoughts" -- thoughts without an experienced vehicle. Many mental contents are experienced as being carried by a vehicle, which may be either a mental image or an inner linguistic episode. By contrast, unsymbolized thoughts have definite propositional contents, such as "the cat is chasing the dog", but they are experienced without experiencing either images or inner speech. Unsymbolized thinking flies in the face of the conventional wisdom. How can there be content without a vehicle? Hurlburt does not say that unsymbolized thinking actually occurs without a vehicle. All he says is that unsymbolized thinking is experienced by subjects without experiencing a vehicle for it. Still, the notion of unsymbolized thinking is provocative. As Hurlburt points out, people often resist it. For the conventional wisdom is not only that thinking requires a vehicle, which is true enough; it's also that mental contents are always experienced as being the contents of either an image or a linguistic vehicle. If Hurlburt is right, this is radically false. Initially, when I read about unsymbolized thinking, I was not persuaded. As I kept reading, though, I remembered times when my thoughts felt almost instantaneous, without anything like an inner sentence or image accompanying them. I did my own sloppy version of DES on myself and I changed my mind. Thanks to Hurlburt, I now believe I have unsymbolized thoughts. All of this would be more convincing if DES were a good scientific method. Well, is it? This is the core question of the book. It is also an instance of a more general question: Are methods that rely on subjects' reports about their minds legitimate science? With the rise of consciousness studies in the last couple of decades, the legitimacy and reliability of "introspective" methods have been heavily debated. Some people argue that introspection is reliable and hence legitimate. Others doubt it. At the heart of this disagreement lies the assumption that introspection involves private, inner "observation". If introspection is private, says the skeptic, it is unverifiable. Thus, we can't take it at face value. Perhaps we should treat its output as a work of fiction (Dennett 1991). The believer retorts that introspection is too useful to discard, so we should trust it even if it's private (Goldman 1997, Chalmers 2004). The problem with this is that the believer has no means of validating introspection -- he has to trust it on faith. The way out of this impasse is to reject the mistaken notion that the (rigorous) production and use of introspective data requires a kind of private observation. If we construe introspection as a process that yields public data, which is up to psychologists to validate (using public procedures), we avoid the whole conundrum of private-hence-untestable introspection (Piccinini 2003a). The crux lies in finding ways of validating data from introspective reports. Within this broader debate, DES fits as follows: Does DES involve private observations, or are there public ways of validating its results? Surprisingly, Hurlburt and Schwitzgebel say they don't care much about private ("first-person") vs. public ("third-person") methods (217). They seem to think it doesn't matter for establishing what may be learned from DES reports. But it does matter. If DES reports were descriptions of private observations, they couldn't be independently validated. If so, they wouldn't belong in a genuine science of the mind. For science is based on public methods (Piccinini 2003b). Occasionally, Hurlburt and Schwitzgebel's words suggest DES does involve a private component. For instance, they introduce introspective data as the outcome of a subject's "observation" (5). Thinking of it as observation is conducive to the methodological nightmares of "first-person science", because such private observations are unverifiable. But most of what Hurlburt and Schwitzgebel say and do in the book shows DES to be a public method. For one thing, they explicitly say that DES reports can be independently tested and validated. Even Schwitzgebel -- the putative skeptic -- does not accuse DES reports of being untestable. On the contrary, he says they can be checked, although it may be difficult (54, 223). If, in fact, data from DES reports can be validated by independent methods, then DES is scientifically legitimate. The question is, can they be validated? As a preliminary step, we should avoid the temptation -- to which philosophers are especially prone -- to attempt to validate DES as a whole, perhaps on the grounds of some a priori consideration. To be sure, Hurlburt begins his defense of DES with ten "plausibility arguments" (27-31). Some are question-begging (e.g., DES is "sophisticated"; subjects say their reports are accurate). But others are helpful, because they give evidence that certain confounding factors are absent from DES (e.g., reports are consistent with independently established constraints on cognition; Hulrburt is good at maintaining theoretical neutrality while interviewing subjects, as Schwitzgebel acknowledges). This makes sense within a third-person methodology, whereas it wouldn't within a first-person methodology. But none of the plausibility arguments are sufficient to validate DES, nor does Hurlburt maintain that they are. Rather than validating DES reports globally, Hurlburt argues that we should do it locally, one subject at a time. Instead of asking, "Does DES-apprehended inner experience faithfully mirror inner experience?", we should ask, "Does the DES-apprehended inner experience of Allen [or Melanie, or whomever else] faithfully mirror her inner experience?" (32). Hurlburt proceeds to describe the case of Fran. Fran's reports led Hurlburt to hypothesize that she could experience several mental images at the same time and, more generally, maintain several conscious mental processes simultaneously. This hypothesis generated testable predictions, which were confirmed. In addition, some of Fran's strange behaviors (watching three TVs at the same time, counting money while having an unrelated conversation), discovered by Hurlburt after forming his hypothesis, were readily explainable by his hypothesis. This is convincing evidence that Fran's DES reports led to fertile conclusions. Even Schwitzgebel seems to agree (224). In the case of Melanie, Hurlburt and Schwitzgebel do not uncover anything as striking as Fran's experiences, nor do they test her reports by independent methods. Instead, they discuss what may be learned from her reports in light of her other reports, Hurlburt's findings from other subjects, experimental results from psychology, and more or less plausible assumptions about mental processes. Hurlburt is inclined to believe most of what Melanie says (though not all) and to defend its plausibility, while Schwitzgebel is more inclined to criticize what Melanie says (though not all). Their exchange is sensible and fruitful, based as it is on public evidence and explicit assumptions. Sometimes, Hurlburt and Schwitzgebel seem to underestimate the extent to which there already is independent evidence supporting DES. They barely mention the painstaking experimental work in the Ericsson and Simon tradition (Ericsson and Simon 1993). Ericsson and Simon showed that several types of "introspective" reports yield valid data under many circumstances. Although the methods of Ericsson and Simon are somewhat different from DES, some of their findings are relevant. For example, Schwitzgebel suggests that many details reported by DES subjects may be made up, because the interviews occur up to 24 hours after the experiences. Subjects may have forgotten their experiences, leading them to insert fictitious information in their reports. But Ericsson and Simon showed that retrospective reports (i.e., reports produced after some time) are generally consistent with concurrent reports (i.e., reports made while a task is performed), although retrospective reports tend to contain fewer details. Furthermore, Ericsson and Simon provided independent evidence that many kinds of concurrent reports are valid. In the absence of more specific studies, Ericsson and Simon's findings don't eliminate Schwitzgebel's concern. But they at least diminish its force. In the end, Hurlburt and Schwitzgebel converge more substantially than they diverge. Their message is true and important: DES is a valuable research technique from which much can be learned; its results can be, and deserve to be, refined and validated. Their book contains a detailed and nuanced discussion of how to generate and validate data from first-person reports. It offers a new model of productive interdisciplinary cooperation. And reading it is a pleasure. It deserves a wide audience among both psychologists and philosophers. Chalmers, D. (2004). "How Can We Construct a Science of Consciousness?" The Cognitive Neurosciences III. M. S. Gazzaniga, ed. Cambridge, MA, MIT Press. Dennett, D. C. (1991). Consciousness Explained. Boston, Little, Brown & Co. Ericsson, K. A. and Simon, H. A. (1993). Protocol Analysis: Verbal Reports as Data. Cambridge, MA, MIT Press. Goldman, A. (1997). "Science, Publicity, and Consciousness." Philosophy of Science 64: 525-545. Piccinini, G. (2003a). "Data from Introspective Reports: Upgrading from Commonsense to Science." Journal of Consciousness Studies 10(9-10): 141-156. Piccinini, G. (2003b). "Epistemic Divergence and the Publicity of Scientific Methods." Studies in the History and Philosophy of Science 34(3): 597-612. Thanks to Anna Alexandrova, Carl Craver, and Lori Lea Shelley-Piccinini for feedback on a previous draft.

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US Reiterates 'Full Agreement' With Netanyahu on Iran Following up on weeks of pressuring US officials, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has decided to lay out the “red line” on Iran himself, saying that Iran cannot be allowed to have 240 kg of 20 percent enriched uranium, which he claimed was “enough for one bomb.” Absent in all of this is that one cannot make a nuclear weapon out of 20 percent enriched uranium in the first place. The figure seems to be an estimate of the amount of such uranium that, if further enriched to weapons-grade (over 90 percent) might conceivably be enough for one bomb. Iran has been producing 20 percent enriched uranium for over a year now, as this is the level of enrichment needed to fuel the US-built Tehran Research Reactor (TRR), which produces medical isotopes for the country. The IAEA put their stock of the uranium at 189 kg. Which would mean the red line would automatically start a war in the spring, something Netanyahu conceded in today’s interview, though he insisted if the US endorsed his red line Iran would probably stop producing the fuel. The US did nothing to contest the Netanyahu statement, and instead continued to insist that they are in “full agreement” with whatever fool statements the Israeli leader is making at any given time. Last 5 posts by Jason Ditz - Putin: Syria's Assad Ready for 'Snap Elections,' Power-Sharing - September 4th, 2015 - 45 UAE Troops, Five Bahrainis Killed in Yemen War - September 4th, 2015 - Canadian ISIS Airstrike May Have Killed 27 Civilians - September 3rd, 2015 - Is Saudi War Just Accelerating Yemen's Split? - September 3rd, 2015 - Iran Deal Shored Up as More Senate Dems Endorse It - September 3rd, 2015

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Few artists create masterpieces when invading armies are sweeping through their homelands. The creative process of nature is slowed by invasion as well. When species arrive in a new environment where no natural predators can limit their population size, they disrupt the native ecosystem. While problems affiliated with invasive species are common today as a result of modern transportation making it easy for organisms to hitchhike around the globe, invasive species have also wreaked havoc on the planet in the past. During one of Earth's major extinction events in the late Devonian period, invasive species played a major role according to research by Alycia Stigall at Ohio University. Invasive species slow the divergence of new species from larger populations. Species spreading and out-competing native species reduced the rate of new species appearance in the fossil record of the Devonian period, according to the research, which was published in the journal PloS ONE. "We refer to the late Devonian as a mass extinction, but it was actually a biodiversity crisis," said Stigall in a National Science Foundation press release. The number of species lost during the late Devonian, starting around 364 million years ago, wasn't actually higher than the average background rate of extinction. But, there were few species developing. On a long time scale, this meant that new species did not emerge to replace those that went extinct. Instead the Earth's oceans were dominated by a only a few species with large ranges. What this means for the modern world is that the spread of invasive species, like zebra mussels, cane toads and kudzu, could slow the development of biodiversity. Coupled with a rapid extinction rate, habitat loss, and numerous other factors, invasive species could have a serious impact on the resiliency of Earth's ecosystem. The rich diversity of life our ancestors knew is no more, and it may take a very long time for the Earth to recover from the current crises. "Even if you can stop habitat loss, the fact that we've moved all these invasive species around the planet will take a long time to recover from because the high level of invasions has suppressed the speciation rate substantially," Stigall said. To conduct her research, Stigall looked at the mussel-like bivalve Leiopteria; two brachiopods, Floweria and Schizophoria; and the predatory crustacean Archaeostraca. Stigall compared the rate of evolution of new species before the event known as the Devonian extinction, with rates during and after the event. Most of the species Stigall studied lost biodiversity. Floweria even went extinct. Geological events in the late Devonian had allowed species access to new regions. The hardiest of these species out competed locally adapted animals and squeezed them out. The invadors were so prolific and successful that new species did not get a chance to develop. The lessons of this research should hit home with modern nations dealing with invasive species, which cause billions of dollars of damage to infrastructure, agriculture and other industries around the world. What's more, invasive species can reduce once vibrant ecosystems to nothing but kudzu and feral hogs. IMAGE: (top) Artistic interpretation of a Devonian forest, by Eduard Riou, 1872: Wikimedia commons

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Lorlene Hoyt has still not made up her mind about downtown management organizations. An assistant professor in urban studies and planning, Hoyt spent much of her career studying these controversial entities. She knows them well enough to call them by nickname--"BIDs," for "business improvement districts." Still, she says, "It's tough for me to say fundamentally whether they're good or bad. That's what's so fascinating about the New Orleans project." She's referring to this semester's class project: Her students are creating a plan for a BID for the French Quarter in New Orleans, to be presented Dec. 15. The idea is that the French Quarter is the greatest economic asset of the storm-ravaged city and the best place for investment that will generate growth and renewal that will spill over to the surrounding area. Of her students in Course 11.422 (Downtown Management Organizations), she says, "We're looking to extract lessons learned and apply them in an effort to jump-start the French Quarter." BIDs are separate units of governance layered over a municipal or other local government. A BID is set up with defined geographic limits and taxing authority within those limits. As the name suggests, business interests are often the driving force within a BID. Its goals are typically to provide enhanced public services such as security and sanitation to make an area safer for tourists, shoppers, employers and others. BIDs have been instrumental to the revitalization of big cities, notably New York. But they have also drawn fire for privatizing security in public spaces and for helping city halls escape accountability for delivery of public services. Hoyt acknowledges that in an ideal world, service delivery wouldn't even be an issue. But she says pragmatically, "This is where we are." At their best, she says, BIDs can help "raise the bar" for official accountability. Hoyt notes that in South Africa, BIDs enter into performance agreements with municipal governments to ensure adequate police patrols, for instance. And service to private interests isn't necessarily at the expense of public interests, she suggests. "If there's a private security patrol that makes me feel safer as a pedestrian tourist in Capetown, that's a good thing." And although BIDs may function largely as cheerleaders and focus largely on perceptions, she adds, "they're removing real trash and real crime from the streets." For the New Orleans project, Hoyt's students, along with those in Professor Karl Seidman's Course 11.437 (Financing Economic Development), have been working with Virginia Boulet, chair of the Retail Development Task Force appointed by New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin. They have traveled to New Orleans to meet with all stakeholders in the French Quarter. "They've got a lot of divergent perspectives," Hoyt says with a chuckle that suggests diplomatic understatement. The good news is that however divergent the views, everyone understands that New Orleans' infrastructure is in bad shape and that the city needs help with things like public safety and code enforcement. "And they know they aren't going to get it from general revenues," Hoyt says. At the beginning of the course, Hoyt's students had to digest a lot of "heavy academic readings," she says. Now theory is being put into practice. "Now they're grappling with a really tough situation. I love it that way. It makes the work I do a bridge between theory and practice," she says.

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BEIJING, April 17 (Xinhua) -- China's top economic planning body on Thursday said that it has started to formulate the 13th Five-Year Plan covering 2016 to 2020, with deepening reforms and shifting the country's economic growth model at the forefront. "China's development has entered a new phase and is facing both unprecedented opportunities as well as risks and challenges," said Xu Shaoshi, head of National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), on Thursday at a work conference, marking the start of the drafting of the plan. The global economic growth patten, division of labor in different industries internationally, global investment and trade rules, and geopolitical environment are undergoing fundamental shifts, Xu said at the conference attended by officials from other departments of the State Council, China's cabinet, and local provinces. In the 13th Five-Year Plan period, China must achieve the lofty goal of building a moderately prosperous society and substantial progress of deepening its reform in a comprehensive manner and shifting its economic development model, said Xu. Drafting a long-term development plan is an important tool to improve the government's macro-management and governance capabilities. The plan should advance with the times and reflect people's wishes, Xu added. Xu did not specify when the draft of the plan will be completed. China's five-year plan sets out a broad economic and social policy framework for the country, and needs to be approved by the National People's Congress, China's top legislature. The country's 12th Five-Year Plan period covers 2011 to 2015.

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Beyonce performs at the U.N. for World Humanitarian Day. (Cliff Watts) Sunday is World Humanitarian Day--a day people around the world are asked to perform a humanitarian action--however big or small--in the spirit of people helping others--"doing something good, somewhere, for someone else." And with a little help from Beyoncé, organizers of the global event say they made some social media history, too, inspiring more than 1 billion messages on Twitter, Facebook and other platforms. "This could arguably be the largest mobilization of good intention in Web history, an amazing coming together of celebrity, brands and NGOs," Andrew Essex--chief executive of Droga5, which helped organize the event--told Yahoo News on Sunday. "Think of it as 'We Are the World' for the social media generation." Droga said the campaign reached its billion-message goal--1,029,763,492 to be exact--with 20 minutes to spare. The campaign's website launched earlier this month, collecting pledges and messages from would-be do-gooders, soliciting ideas ("Make a homeless person a sandwich") and encouraging visitors to spread the word using the #IWasHere hashtag. And Beyoncé, who shot a new music video at the United Nations specifically for the campaign, told Anderson Cooper her goal was to encourage the spread of "positivity no matter how big or how small." The music video--for Beyoncé's "I Was Here"--was released on Saturday. (It didn't hurt that Beyoncé tweeted about the initiative to her 5 million followers, changing her Twitter avatar to promote the event.) World Humanitarian Day was designated by the U.N. General Assembly in 2009 to coincide with the anniversary of the 2003 bombing of the United Nations headquarters in Baghdad, which killed 22 U.N. staffers. - Arts & Entertainment - social media

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Healthy Habits Could Help Kids Steer Clear Of Colds NEW YORK (CBS 2) — Do you ever feel like your kids are always sick? If so, you’re just like most other parents. But you can help keep them healthy by teaching them a few simply tricks. Upper East Side pediatrician Melissa Goldstein said the best way to stop the cycle of children constantly getting sick is to teach kids healthy habits — and good hand washing tops the list. “Kids should be washing their hands when they come in the house, they should be washing their hands before the sit down to the table, they certainly should be washing their hands after they use the bathroom,” Goldstein said. CBS 2’s Dr. Holly Phillips tells us more.

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Stranded polar bear Photo and caption by Will Rose and Kajsa Sjolander Stranded polar bears on Barter Island, Kaktovik, Alaska. As the Arctic sea ice retreats over 700 miles from the shore in the autumn, bears must either head north or swim south to land as the ice breaks up. Scientists anticipate that the number of bears on shore will increase as sea ice loss continues. While onshore, every autumn the bears feed on the remains of bowhead whales from the traditional Inupiat harvest. Scientists are using DNA from to understand how the animals are faring as climate change reduces the amount of time they can spend on the sea ice hunting their preferred prey, seals. Location: Kaktovik, Alaska

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I'm actually using a very cool software called tftpd32 as DHCP server on my desktop computer, to assign IP address to my embedded board, when I am working out of the office. This software developed by Ph. Jounin (link) is a tftpd client/server, dhcp server and sntp server. By default that new version enable an automatic ping request before assigning an IP address to make sure that IP is not currently used. The problem is when KITL starts VMINI interface, it asks by default for an IP address using a DHCP request again. As the board already ask for an IP address during the boot process of the bootloader, an IP address is already assign to the MAC address of the board. So TFTPD32 send a ping request to the board IP address with the board MAC address (see TCP/IP protocol specification). As the network interface of the board is not completely initialized (remember KITL is currently in the initialization process), but receives a ping request and it locks the KITL VMINI initialization. So to avoid that misunderstood between the device and TFTPD32 you have to disable that functionality.

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Copyright © University of Cambridge. All rights reserved. Andrew from Quarry Bay School sent us an image to show which numbers had come from each spinner: Jake from Seaford Primary described how he tackled this problem:First I wrote down all the numbers from the red list starting with the smallest. All the numbers were in the $2$ times table so I wrote the list again with the missing numbers in. Ellie did a similar thing:First of all I wrote down all the numbers you knew were on the red, yellow and blue spinners, as in the tables. Well done also to Jonathan from New Ford Primary, children from Stourport Primary and pupils from Dr Challenor's Grammar School who all sent very clear explanations of the ways they solved this problem.

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[ODE] Boolean operation on collision geometry Adam D. Moss adam at gimp.org Thu Apr 7 09:46:59 MST 2005 Gao Yang wrote: > dGeomTransform is able to composite multiple collision geometry into > one. Here's my question: If the composition in creating dGeomTransform > we call it an addition operation, is there any way to apply subtraction > operation on collision geometry in forming a composite geom? Very difficult - check the list archives (keyword probably 'CSG'). Not impossible, but (I think the conclusion was) it would require being able to derive the intersection surface patches for all of the supported ODE primitive collision combinations, and inside/outside CSG between the resulting solids formed by those patches too. No quick Adam D. Moss - adam at gimp.org More information about the ODE

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Superior Concrete Company (SCC) was established in 1946 producing burial vaults for caskets. The process involved delivering a vault the morning of a burial, set the base in the excavation before friends and family arrived and then the truck with the vault top was moved to a location where they could not be seen. After the people left and casket lowered into the vault, the top was set and sealed. Burial vaults were the only product offered by SCC until a second building was constructed in 1959. After completion of the second building, which included a 10,125 sq ft. production area, the product line expanded to include structures such as residential septic tanks, well tile, distribution boxes and patio blocks. Both the new building and the original had their own cement, sand and aggregate silos and operated independently. All six employees at that time were experienced with mixing concrete to driving a boom truck for delivery. During the late 1960s, SCC acquired a concrete building product line called Uniframe. It is similar to the pre-engineered steel building products available today. Thinking the concrete building concept was about to explode, SCC constructed their third production building to support the Uniframe product line exclusively. It was a 13,500 sq ft. production area. As a marketing tool, it was built with the Uniframe concept and had its own silos and concrete mixer as well. However, after the fourth Uniframe building project, there was not enough volume to support the newly constructed facility and the product line was discontinued. In its place, SCC began producing sewer manholes, catch basins and some agricultural products such as the agg wall for manure pits. In the early 1980s with residential sales booming, the product line again expanded to include commercial and residential pump stations, generator buildings, water meter pits and larger septic tanks. To accommodate larger and taller structures, SCC added a fourth production building totaling 22,275 sq ft. With the thought of commercial pump stations potentially 30 feet tall, a 15 foot deep pit was included in the construction. Throughout the 1980s, pump station sales increased substantially, forcing SCC to hire multiple electrical crews. Vans were purchased which were equipped with tools and electrical supplies. Also in the early 1980s, SCC stopped producing burial vaults and sold the product line to American Concrete, a company who shares a property line with SCC. With four production buildings, it was decided they each had to get a name for ease of knowing who was where. The original building was called the “Kitchen” since all products were small in size and mimicked pots and pans. The second building constructed in 1959 was named the “Tank Shop.” This area produced all residential septic tanks of various sizes. The Uniframe building constructed in the late 1960s was fittingly called the “Uniframe.” Lastly, the fourth building, being known as the “Big Top,” inherited its name for its length and height. In 1998, Oldcastle Precast acquired SCC. At the time of the acquisition, the average employee tenure was 13 years, with several approaching or above 40 years. With four production areas spread throughout the property, Oldcastle decided it would be more efficient to consolidate the production facility and office staff. A 20,100 sq ft. addition to the Big Top was constructed with a state of the art batch plant. Since all existing buildings had a name, the new facility would be called the “Universe.” All production would take place between the Universe and the Big Top. The Kitchen is now occupied for cold storage, all rebar and wire mesh is bent and cut in the Tank Shop and the Uniframe consist of the stock room, mechanics shop and a steel fabrication area. Attached to the Universe, an 8,250 sq ft. building was added for the office staff, employee lunch and locker room and a quality control lab. The original office in the front of the property was then demolished. Today, Oldcastle Precast Maine has approximately 40 employees with a fleet of delivery trucks servicing customers from Maine to New Jersey. The product line has since expanded to include three-sided bridges, utility products, substation foundations and box culvert to go along with the original products offered in the 1960s.

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Recurring Nightmare: Barriers to Effective Treatment of Hiv in the United States and Internationally John G. Culhane Widener University - Delaware Law School John Marshall Law Review, Vol. 35, 2002 Developing nations face many of the same barriers to the effective prevention and treatment of HIV/AIDS as the developed nations. The article examines successful and unsuccessful approaches to prevention in the United States, and compares these to the obstacles faced by those attempting to deal with the HIV/AIDS pandemic in other nations. It suggests ways of addressing deeply rooted obstacles such as the treatment of women and racial and sexual minorities. A complex web of approaches that draws on international, national, and local laws and government, as well as the participation of community groups, stands the only chance of substantially addressing the myriad problems HIV/AIDS presents. The article also addresses the assumption that treatment of most of the world's HIV-infected population is an impossibility, and draws on two existing studies to suggest that the barriers are not as insurmountable as is sometimes thought. Substantial global commitment to funding, however, is necessary for both prevention and treatment. Number of Pages in PDF File: 7 Keywords: HIV, AIDS, barriers, treatment, prevention, discrimination, sexual orientation, women, stigma, United States, Brazil, Kenya, Uganda, Haiti, CDC, Satcher, Cambodia, Baltimore JEL Classification: H4, H5, I1 Date posted: April 16, 2003 ; Last revised: February 23, 2010 © 2015 Social Science Electronic Publishing, Inc. All Rights Reserved. This page was processed by apollo8 in 1.218 seconds

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Joseph Alexiou brings his enormously popular Brooklyn Brainery lecture to BHS! The smells, the pollution, the local mafia lore... he will give you the history behind the truths and the myths. As New York's most infamous toxic waste site becomes a hip neighborhood with great restaurants and art galleries, who doesn't want to know the truth behind the canal legends? And did you know that much of the building materials that made Brownstone Brooklyn came through the canal's waters, or that it used to be home to delicious foot-long oysters? After this course, you'll never stroll across Carroll Street Bridge the same way again! A History of Brooklyn's Gowanus Canal Wednesday, March 19th, 7pm The lecture is $8/ $5 for BHS Members Get tickets here.

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Innisfree is an actual island in Lough Gill, County Sligo, Ireland The next time you need to develop a new algorithm, ask Ruby for what you want, don’t tell it what to do. Don’t think of your code as a series of instructions for the computer to follow. Instead, ask Ruby for what you need: Your code should state the solution to your problem, even if you’re not sure what that solution is yet! Then dive into more and more detail, filling in your solution’s gaps as you do. This can lead to a more expressive, functional solution that you might not find otherwise. Too often over the years I’ve written code that consists of instructions for the computer to follow. Do this, do that, and then finish by doing this third thing. As I write code I imagine I am the computer, in a way, asking myself: What do I need to do first to solve this problem? When I decide, this becomes the first line of code in my program. Then I continue, writing each line of code as another instruction for the computer to follow. But what does “Ask, Don’t Tell” mean exactly? And how could Ruby possibly know the answer when I ask it something? An example will help you understand what I mean. Parsing a Yeats Poem Last week I needed to parse a text file to obtain the lines of text that appeared after a certain word. My actual task was very boring (separating blog articles from their metadata), so instead let’s work with something more beautiful, The Lake Isle Of Innisfree: I will arise and go now, and go to Innisfree, And a small cabin build there, of clay and wattles made: Nine bean-rows will I have there, a hive for the honeybee, And live alone in the bee-loud glade. And I shall have some peace there, for peace comes dropping slow, Dropping from the veils of the morning to where the cricket sings; There midnight's all a glimmer, and noon a purple glow, And evening full of the linnet's wings. I will arise and go now, for always night and day I hear lake water lapping with low sounds by the shore; While I stand on the roadway, or on the pavements grey, I hear it in the deep heart's core. My task is to write a Ruby script to return the line that contains a given word, along with the following lines: Telling Ruby What To Do When I first wrote this script, I put myself in the computer’s shoes: What do I need to do to find the target word? I started writing instructions for Ruby to follow. First I need to open the file and read in the poem: Here File#readlines saves all the lines of text into an array, which the parse method will process, returning the result in another array. Later I join the result lines together and print them out. How do I implement parse? Again, I imagine that I am the computer, that I am Ruby. How do I find the lines that follow glimmer? Well, obviously I need to loop through the array looking for the target word. Once I find the word, I’ll start saving the lines into a new array called result. Since I want to save all the following lines and not just the matching line, I’ll also use a boolean flag to keep track of whether I’ve already seen the target. What’s wrong with this code? Nothing really. It works just fine, and it’s even somewhat idiomatic Ruby. In the past, I would have probably considered this done and moved on. However, I can do better than this. I can ask Ruby for what I want, instead of telling Ruby what to do. Ask Ruby For What You Want Don’t imagine you are the computer. Don’t think about how to solve a problem by figuring out what Ruby should do and then writing down instructions for it to follow. Instead, start by asking Ruby for the answer. What should my method return? An array of the lines that appear after the target word. To reflect this, I’ll rename my method from parse (telling Ruby what to do) to lines_after (asking Ruby for what I want). This might seem like an unimportant detail, but naming methods is one of the most difficult and important things a programmer does. Picking a name for a method gives the reader a hint about what the method does, about what your intentions were when you wrote it. Think of writing code the same way you would think of writing an essay or story. You want your readers to understand what you are saying, and to be able to follow along. (You also want them to enjoy reading enough that they consider the code to be their own someday.) To get started I’ll write the new method to return an empty array. Notice on the left I changed the label from “Instructions:” to “What do I want?” This reflects my new way of thinking about the problem. Now, what does “appear after the target word” mean exactly? It means the lines that appear in the array after (and including) the line containing the target. Ah… in other words, the lines_after method should return a subset or slice of the array. Rewriting the problem in a different way lead me towards a solution I hadn’t thought of before. Now I can rewrite the “What do I want?” text like this: I rewrote what I want from Ruby to be more specific: I want a “portion of the array” and I want the portion “including and following the line containing the target.” I haven’t written much code yet, but I’ve taken a big step forward in how I think about the problem. On the right, I’ve written code to return a subset of the array, lines[target_index..-1]. But my solution is still incomplete; what should target_index be? Thinking about this a bit, it’s easy to see how to find the line containing the target string: I can use detect to find the line that includes the target word. But I’m still not done. I need the index of the line containing the target, not the line itself. How can I find target_index? Again, I shouldn’t tell Ruby what to do (maybe create a local variable and loop through the lines checking each one). Instead, I should ask Ruby for what I need. What do I need? I need the index which corresponds to the line containing the target. In other words, I need to find (to detect) the target index, not the target line. Here’s how to do it: Here I use Ruby’s detect method to search a range of index values, not lines. Inside the block I check whether the line corresponding to each index (lines[i]) contains the target. At the bottom I return the correct slice of the array if I found the target, or an empty array if I didn’t. Learning From Functional Languages In my opinion this code is better than what I showed earlier. Why? They both work equally well. What’s the difference? Let’s take a look at them side-by-side. First of all, I have simpler, more terse code. Less code is better. The lines_after method contains just 4 lines of code while the parse method contains 9. Of course, I could find ways to rewrite parse to use fewer lines, but any way you look at it lines_after is simpler than parse. The parse method contains two local variables which are changed, or mutated, by code inside the loop. This makes the method harder to understand. What is the value of flag? What about result? To really understand how parse works you almost need to simulate the loop inside your head, thinking about how the flag and result values change over time. The lines_after method also contains two local variables. However, they aren’t used in the same way – they aren’t changed as the program runs. The block parameter, i, while different each time the block is called, doesn’t change inside the block. It’s meaning is clear and unambiguous while that block is running. Similarly, the target_index variable is set once to an intermediate value, not changed once each time around a loop. Terse, simple code that doesn’t change values while it is running is the hallmark of functional programming languages like Haskell or Clojure. While these languages allow you to write concurrent code without using locks, their chief benefit is that they encourage (Clojure) or even force you (Haskell) to write simple, terse code. Code that asks the computer for what you need, not code that tells the computer what to do. But, as we’ve seen, you don’t need to abandon Ruby to write functional code. Update: Simon Kröger and Josh Cheek both suggested using drop_while, which gives us an even more readable, functional solution: I also decided to rename the after method to lines_after, based on the comments from TenderGlove and John Kary. I agree with them after would make more sense if I called it as a method on an object containing the lines (e.g. lines.after). But as a simple function like in this example lines_after is more expressive. Learning From Sandi Metz In her famous book, Practical Object-Oriented Design in Ruby, Sandi Metz mentions the Ask, Don’t Tell policy also, but using slightly different words. With her brilliant bicycle examples, Sandy shows us in Chapter 4 of POODR why we should be Asking for “What” Instead of Telling “How”. When you send a message to an object, you should ask it for what you want, not tell it what to do or make assumptions about how it works internally. Sandi shows us how this policy – along with other important design principles – helps us write classes that are more independent and decoupled one from the other. The Ask, Don’t Tell policy applies equally well to functional programming and object oriented programming. At a lower level, it helps us write more terse, functional Ruby methods. Stepping back, it can also help us design object oriented applications that are easier to maintain and extend. Update #2: Apparently I’ve (unknowingly) conflated “Ask, Don’t Tell” with the “Tell, Don’t Ask,” advice Dave Thomas has been giving us for years to make a different but related point about object oriented design. Dave explains here: Telling, Asking, and the Power of Jargon. He also disagrees with my opinion that the parse_lines example was written in a functional style.

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Of Two Minds has just put up the 63rd edition of Encephalon. A nice round-up as usual, with congratulations of course going to Omnibrain on his good fortune... :-p My three highlights as usual: - Brain Blogger brings us a short piece on serotonin: specifically, how the genetic basis of the serotonin system, and the natural variation in the system as a result of individual genetic differences, results in different susceptibilities to anxiety, depression etc. Possibly also responsible for certain differences in personalities (seems sensible to me, but then I imagine that there are many drivers for ones personality). The interesting question then arises though of whether medicine should be used to make up for some of these individual differences. A fascinating question, whose answer has wide ranging consequences. - Are birth defects the result of traumas that the mother has been subject to? This question with a seemingly obvious negatory answer is tackled by Vaughan over at Mind Hacks. The theory known as 'maternal impression' was well known in the 19th century, but passed out of use in the late 19th century. However, in the second half of the 20th century, a number of studies showed that severe maternal stress did have an effect on the children's brain development. Vaughans article is well worth the read. - And finally, the question of Free-Will! PsyBlog reviews three fascinating studies on how manipulating people's views on free-will (by getting them to read statements either for or against the concept of free-will) led to their behaviours being modified. A decreased belief in free will led to people being less helpful towards others, and even increased agression! Which leads to a view that a belief in free will is beneficial to society. The concepts free-will and determinism (as promoted by science) must however be reconciled since our society is fundamentally based on the former, and increasingl on the latter.

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For DME, the situation is slightly different than for Pelagios' other data partners: First, our existing data model is already based on OAC - which does probably make our transition somewhat easier. Second, instead of owning an extensive existing data set, our "asset" is an end-user toolkit for manual annotation and semantic tagging of multimedia content (affectionately referred to as YUMA - the YUMA Universal Multimedia Annotator). Tagging Maps with Pleiades References This has turned out to be quite straightforward: The simplest way by which users can add semantic tags to their annotations in YUMA is through an auto-completion textbox: As the user starts typing, available tags will appear in a drop-down box underneath the typed text. (The screenshot above shows this for the 'Corsica' example mentioned in an earlier post by Mathieu.) Making Pleiades place references available as tags in YUMA involved two steps: - First, we needed to incorporate a list of Pleiades place names (and their URIs) into our Tag Server. The Tag Server is the component which hosts tag vocabularies and provides the tag suggestions for the auto-completion hints. We got a Pleiades CSV data dump, from which we built an index using Apache Lucene, and set up the index as an additional tag source. - Second, we needed to provide a 'Pelagios' view on our internal data to the outside world. The reason for this is that our existing RDF representation (although based on OAC) is close, but not identical to the Pelagios model. We therefore set up an alternative RDF output channel, mapped to a .pelagios suffix. Appending this suffix to the annotation URI will return Pelagios-compatible annotations, in either RDF/XML, N3 or Turtle notation based on content negotiation. It will resolve to the following RDF (abbreviated for better readability, key parts red): @prefix oac: <http://www.openannotation.org/ns/> . <http://dme.ait.ac.at/samples/maps/oenb/AC04248667.tif> a oac:Target . <http://dme.ait.ac.at/yuma-server/api/annotation/618> a oac:Annotation ; <http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/creator> "rsimon" ; <http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/title> "Corsica" ; <http://purl.org/dc/terms/created> "2011-04-11 11:12:34.295" ; <http://purl.org/dc/terms/modified> "2011-04-11 11:12:55.747" ; oac:hasBody <http://pleiades.stoa.org/places/991339> ; oac:hasTarget <http://dme.ait.ac.at/yuma-server/api/annotation/618#target> . <http://dme.ait.ac.at/yuma-server/api/annotation/618#target> a oac:ConstrainedTarget ; oac:constrainedBy <http://dme.ait.ac.at/yuma-server/api/annotation/618#ct> ; oac:constrains <http://dme.ait.ac.at/samples/maps/oenb/AC04248667.tif> . Two concluding remarks: first, I would eventually like to see our 'YUMA OAC representation' unified with the Pelagios one. This is currently hindered a bit by the way the OAC model is organized (i.e. with only one body per annotation allowed, and no official specification on structured bodies). Right now, the difference is therefore that our oac:Body is a separate node that includes all elements that comprise the user's annotation (title, text body, multiple tags, etc.), whereas in Pelagios we consider the Pleiades reference to be the oac:Body directly. (For comparison, the YUMA OAC representation of the example above is here.) Second, one of the benefits that we gain for YUMA from linking annotations to Linked Data resources is that we can get extra context information by dereferencing them. For example: if we link to DBpedia we can get things such as labels in different languages or alternative spellings for person names. This, in turn, provides us with a very lightweight mechanism for including (at least limited) multilingual and synonym search functionality in our system. (There's a video screencast demonstrating this here.) With our Pleiades integration, we don't quite get this yet: What's still missing is a mapping between Pleiades URIs and matching resources from e.g. Geonames or DBpedia where possible. (However, Pleiades+ might be just the way to address this I guess!)

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When I first came to Loyola Press, someone asked me to do my best to sum up Ignatian Spirituality in as easily-understandable way as I could. I came up with a list of ten characteristics and I will now share them with you, David Letterman-style, from #10 to #1 (although I’m not confident that there is a “correct” order). Astute readers (!) will notice that I have covered several of these characteristics in individual posts and I plan to write on them all as we go along. 10. Union of minds and hearts – as brothers and sisters, we listen for the God who is present among us, admitting no division based on ethnicity, nationality, background, age or gender. 9. Flexibility and adaptability – (e.g.,16th Century Jesuits wearing Chinese robes and generally adapting to various cultures; respecting people’s lived experience.) 8. Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam (For the greater glory of God) – praising God and dedicating oneself to participate in God’s healing work in the world. 7. “The World is charged with the grandeur of God” – the positive, energetic and engaged vision of God’s constant interaction with creation. 6. Faith that does justice – the realization that there can be no true expression of faith where concerns for justice and human dignity are missing. 5. Inner Freedom (the result of self-awareness and discernment.) 4. Contemplation in action – not a monastic existence, but an active one that is, at the same time, infused with prayer. 3. Reflection (Self-awareness/Discernment) leading to Gratitude which leads to Service (linked to becoming a “man or woman for others” – big Ignatian buzzwords.) 2. Personal relationship with Christ and love for the Church (bruised and broken as it often is.) 1. Finding God in all things

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The strength of spice in a chili is measured with a scale known as the Scoville scale, which represents the quantity of the chemical, Capsaicin in a chili, as units of heat. This chemical is what creates the spiciness of the pepper by affecting the ends of the nerves in the skin. Like other scales, the Scoville scale was named after its founder. Wilbur Scoville created the test to gauge the amount of Capsaicin in peppers. Scoville organoleptic test The process of Scoville’s test involves an amount of capsaicin oil to sugar water. This is done periodically until the spice can only just be tasted by a panel of tasters. How diluted the oil is when it is tasted it represented on the scale in units. The higher the number of units, the spicier the pepper. A chili could be shown as having up to 200, 000 units of heat. The number of units shows how many times the capsaicin must be diluted until it can no longer be tasted. As the testing relies on an individual’s sense of taste, the test is subjective. If the test is subjective, it cannot be shown to be scientifically precise. High-performance liquid chromatography Chromatography is an alternative method of measuring the heat of a pepper. An empirical measurement is taken through a calculation of the weight of the item and its ability to create a sense of heat. The result is shown in terms of parts, so the greater number of parts of capsaicin per million, the hotter the pepper. This method generally gives a lower reading of spiciness compared to Scoville’s method of testing. The hottest chili pepper could be represented on Scoville’s scale as exceeding a million units. How hot the pepper will be shown to be depends on where it was cultivated, but also how it is tested. List of Scoville ratings How strong a pepper is to taste will vary according to how it is cultivated, the climate in which it was grown, the soil it was grown in and how it is tested. Although it is a given that a pepper will naturally vary in taste according to environmental factors, the extent to which it will vary cannot be accurate gauged because of unreliable methods. Although the methods described are used to measure the content of capsaicin, Scoville’s scale has been used to rate the pungency of the ‘hotter’ substance, ‘resiniferatoxin’. Resiniferatoxin is shown at 16 billion units.

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Catholic student ejected for answering question in officially unapproved way: Federal District Judge Patrick J. Duggan of the Eastern District of Michigan declared the teacher’s actions in punishing Daniel Glowacki violated his First Amendment Rights. "While the Court certainly recognizes that schools are empowered to regulate speech to prevent students from invading the rights of other students, people do not have a legal right to prevent criticism of their beliefs or for that matter their way of life," Judge Duggan stated in his decision. "Simply put, the law does not establish a generalized hurt feelings defense to a high school’s violation of the First Amendment rights of its students." The incident that led to the lawsuit occurred on October 20, 2010. That day during Daniel’s economics class, teacher Johnson McDowell wore a purple “Tyler’s Army” t-shirt, as part of a national campaign promoted by the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation to highlight “bullying” of homosexuals. In testimony at the trial, the court heard that McDowell initiated a discussion about homosexuality when, after telling a female student he was offended by her confederate flag belt buckle and ordering her to remove it, he went on to explain the purple “Tyler’s army” shirt he was wearing was meant to promote tolerance of homosexuality. The court heard that the teacher specifically asked Daniel about his feelings on homosexuals. When the boy responded that as a Catholic he was offended by the gay and lesbian lifestyle, Daniel was ordered to leave the classroom under threat of suspension. In an interview with Damian Goddard of the National Organization for Marriage’s Marriage Anti-Defamation Alliance, Daniel recounted what happened: “I raised my hand and I asked him what the difference was between him wearing a purple shirt and explaining that to us, but Danielle (another classmate) couldn’t wear her rebel flag belt buckle,” Daniel said. “He asked me if I was really against the homosexual lifestyle and I told him that the homosexual lifestyle was against my Catholic religion.” An altercation ensued, and Daniel said he quietly left the classroom after McDowell told him “we lost our right to free speech once we stepped inside his classroom.”

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While I’ve never been one to put much stock into the “made in” stamp on so many of the products we use everyday, it does say something about a company wanting to bypass (often cheaper) overseas manufacturing to ensure their products are built to perfection. It seems Google will be doing the same with Google Glass, at least in the first consumer production run of the smart glasses. Financial Times is reporting that the Mountain View company will send its first batch of orders off to the Santa Clara, CA Foxconn plant. With a delicate product like this — both in form and in it being one of the first of its kind — Google likely wanted to keep a close eye on it to make sure things are being built to near perfection. It’s easier to do that when production is being carried out in your backyard than across the Pacific Ocean. According to the report, Google may decide to shift production to overseas plants following successful runs at the Santa Clara one, though nothing is certain at this time. We’re told to expect a smaller initial order for now as Google Glass probably won’t be in as high demand as its Nexus line of smartphones and tablets. This could be due to high price, a much more niche product, or a combination of both. Whatever the case, though, we just hope they make enough to avoid the Nexus 4 debacle of 2012.

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http://phandroid.com/2013/03/27/google-glass-manufacturing/

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en

Display responsiveness is one of those “little” areas many of us forget to mention when drafting up 5,000 word reviews on mobile devices. Whether this was always due to there being no real way to measure display responsiveness, or because it might sound too nit-picky to even mention. In any case, it really is a key component to the user experience on mobile devices. I’ve seen it mentioned numerous times in my dealings with iPhone users. One of the things they love most about their phone is how “sensitive” the display is to their touch. More than often, they don’t even know how to define it and in some cases it’s simply attributed to Apple’s “magic” sprinkled atop every iPhone and sealed with a kiss from Jony Ive. Up until now there was nobody was crazy enough to actually attempt to measure this often overlooked feature. But someone finally has. The folks at Agawi — a game and app streaming firm that provides services for Android, iOS, and Windows Phone devices — has put together a benchmark they call TouchMark. This benchmark measures touchscreen latency on a variety of mobile devices and you might be surprised to see the results. According to their tests, the iPhone 5 performed nearly 2.5 times better than some of the top Android devices on the market at registering onscreen touches, only 50 milliseconds to be exact. Even the highest rated Android device of the bunch, the Samsung Galaxy S4, took an average of 114 milliseconds to respond to touches. Compared to the much slower iPhone 4 with 85 milliseconds and we’re starting to see why iPhone users always felt the quality of the iPhone display trumped the competition. What does this mean to you? Well, it depends on you expect from a high-end Android device. Have you ever quickly tapped your display and noticed it didn’t register your touch? Perhaps you were jamming at the virtual keys in a heated Hangout conversation and missed a few letters. It’s the little things like this that can make a big impression on the overall quality the end user feels they’re getting from their mobile device. Now that Project Butter finally brought Android’s animations up to speed with iOS, I think it’s time OEMs start focusing on responsiveness.

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CC-MAIN-2015-35

http://phandroid.com/2013/09/24/iphone-5-display-is-nearly-2-5-times-more-responsive-than-android-devices-according-to-new-benchmark/

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en

Have you ever felt passionate about research? Now I know that sounds odd to some but for most of us genealogists and family historians we can relate with feeling passion for our family history research. We understand the feeling of really liking to research an ancestor who we never met. Now that idea of research being fun and making you feel like you want to know more isn't something everybody can relate to. I can tell you personally that I have felt passionate not only about researching my own family history but researching other "dead people" including those whose names are on the signature quilts I own and the community cookbooks I research. But I also am passionate about a recent Kickstarter project that I am not involved with any way except supporting the project and really feeling excited about the research another group has done. Be Natural is a documentary about the first female director Alice Guy-Blache. Alice did so many remarkable things for her time but, like many women pioneers, she was almost completely forgotten by the film industry. This is a woman whose films were loved by directors like Alfred Hitchcock. She was a ground breaker and led the way for women in the film industry today. When I watch the clip uploaded to Kickstarter and read the information on Alice I get really excited. I want to know her story. I want to go see the documentary that helps tell her story. Heck, I even want to help research her life. But there's a problem. While we often think that people in the entertainment industry have access to great gobs of money, that is not always true. People aren't breaking down doors to fund documentaries or documentaries telling the story of early 20th century female directors that no one has heard of. That's where we can make a difference. Please check out Alice's story on Kickstarter. Then make a decision to help. Even if it's $1.00 that can make the difference. As genealogists we know the feeling of helping to tell the story of someone whose life was lost to current generations. Let's help to tell Alice's story so she won't be lost to the future.

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CC-MAIN-2015-35

http://philibertfamily.blogspot.com/2013/08/brother-can-you-spare-dollar-please.html

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en

Metal-based chemical catalysts have excellent green chemistry credentialsin principle at least. In theory, catalysts are reusable because they drive chemical reactions without being consumed. In reality, however, recovering all of a catalyst at the end of a reaction is difficult, so it is gradually lost. Now, chemists can retain, retrieve and reuse metal catalysts by trapping them with a polymer matrix, thanks to recent work by Yoichi Yamada at the RIKEN Advanced Science Institute, Wako, Yasuhiro Uozumi at RIKEN and Japans Institute for Molecular Science and Shaheen Sarkar, also at RIKEN. Attaching metal catalysts to an insoluble polymer support, which is recoverable at the end of a reaction by simple filtration, is far from a new idea. Traditionally, chemists attached their metal catalyst to an insoluble polymer resin. However, the metal invariably leached out of the polymer over time so the catalysts were still slowly lost. Yamada and his colleagues approach, in contrast, integrated the metal into the polymer matrix, which trapped it much more effectively. The researchers achieved this level of integration by starting with a soluble polymer precursor instead of an insoluble resin. This material contains imidazole units, a chemical structure known to bind strongly to metals such as palladium (Fig. 1). An insoluble composite material formed only after the researchers added palladium to the mixture because it causes the imidazole units to self-assemble around atoms of the metala process that they call molecular convolution. Scanning electron microscopy revealed that the resulting polymerpalladium globules ranged from 100 to 1,000 nanometers in diameter, which aggregated into a highly porous structure reminiscent of a tiny bathroom sponge. This sponge-like insoluble material can easily capture substrates and reactants from the solution, which readily react with metal species embedded in the sponge, says Yamada. The researchers showed that the catalyst is highly active as well as reusable; it is the most active catalyst yet reported for a carboncarbon bond-forming reaction known as an allylic arylation. They also reused the catalyst multiple times with no apparent loss of activity, and detected no leaching of palladium from the polymer into the reaction mixture. Yamada and colleagues are now developing a range of composite catalysts incorporating different metals that can catalyze many other kinds of reactions. These extremely highly active and reusable catalysts will provide a safe and highly efficient chemical process, which we hope will be adopted for industrial chemical process, Yamada says. Explore further: UCR chemists prepare molecules that accelerate chemical reactions for manufacturing drugs Sarkar, S.M., et al. A highly active and reusable self-assembled poly(imidazole/palladium) catalyst: allylic arylation/alkenylation. Angewandte Chemie International Edition 50, 94379441 (2011) DOI: 10.1002/anie.201103799

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CC-MAIN-2015-35

http://phys.org/news/2012-01-longer-lasting-chemical-catalysts.html

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en

When he looks back on campaign 2008, what will Obama most regret? I suspect it will the same thing John McCain most appreciated: the now-famous off-hand comment to Joe the Plumber. It’s not, said Obama, that I want to punish success. I merely want to “spread the wealth around.” That was indeed a revelatory statement. I think it was the second most alarming thing he said in the entire campaign (more on the most alarming thing in a moment). Taken together with other observations by Obama–his almost equally infamous lament in a 2001 interview that the Supreme Court had not ventured into “issues of the redistribution of wealth,” for example–it gave the electorate a rare glimpse behind the carefully constructed “yes-we-can” façade of Obama the messianic healer into the grim “no-you-can’t” engine room of his leveling political philosophy. Let’s say that Obama was successful in overcoming what he disparaged as “essential constraints that were placed by the Founding Fathers and the Constitution” on what government should be required to do to, or for, citizens; let’s say that he succeeded in transforming the Constitution from a “charter of negative liberties” into a menu of positive prescriptions: what then? It’s my sense that more and more people are asking themselves that question. What, when you come right down to it, would an Obama administration mean for me and my family? What would it mean for the United States? What would happen after all the Greek columns were retired and Obama stepped from the hustings into the Oval Office? Political campaigns thrive on the intoxication of possibility. They end with the sobering strictures of the indicative. Compromise. Trade-offs. Competing interest groups. It’s easy to see why Obama was (as Colin Powell put it) an “electrifying” figure. Leave aside the $650 million he raised (you can buy a lot of “electricity” for $650 million). Obama was young. He was suave. He exuded energy and confidence. He was the anti-Bush: a first-term Senator who had already distinguished himself as the most left-wing inhabitant of that august chamber. Above all, he was (at least in part) black. What better receptacle for the hopes and dreams of liberal, guilt-infatuated America? What prodigies of expiation might be accomplished were this young, charismatic, half-black apostle of egalitarian change elected President of the United States? His comment to Joe the Plumber gave us some indication: he would set about trying to “spread the wealth around.” But redistributionist initatives do not take place in a vacuum. They unfold in a context of moral expectation. And this brings me to what may be the most alarming thing Obama let slip in the course of his campaign. I mean his suggestion, uttered in the final few days of the race, that those who do not favor higher taxes are guilty of “selfishness.” (In criticizing his tax and welfare plan, Obama said, McCain and Palin “wanted to make a virtue out of selfishness.”) I know, I know: nannies through the ages have upbraided their charges with complaints about “selfishness,” an unwillingness to “share,” etc., etc. Such moralism might even be an admirable trait in a nanny. The question voters are beginning to ask themselves in earnest is whether they want a President who regards himself as a sort of super-nanny, supervising the behavior of his charges, i.e., U.S. citizens. We know what a President as nanny-in-chief looks like, because we had one in Jimmy Carter. In 1979, Carter took to the airwaves to berate the American people for their lack of moral fiber and profligate appetite for energy. Obama echoed that rhetoric when he said, in the course of his campaign, that “We can’t drive our SUVs and eat as much as we want and keep our homes on 72 degrees at all times . . . and then just expect that other countries are going to say OK.” People sat up when they heard that: We can’t drive the sort of car we want, eh? We can’t eat as much as we like, or keep our houses at a temperature we find comfortable? We should alter our behavior to court the approval of “the rest of the world”? That Carter-moment was soon buried in the progress of the campaign. It deserved more than the flurry of concern it elicited. It showed, just as Obama’s call for the redistribution of wealth shows, the sort of thing he intends to do to address the “selfishness” he perceives in the American people. Remember his call for “a civilian national security force that’s just as powerful, just as strong, just as well-funded” as the military”? Remember his suggesting the creation of “national service” programs” that high-school and college students would be required to participate in? Those, too, were initiatives meant to combat our “selfishness.” As I observed in this space a few weeks ago, Obama espouses a form of what James Piereson has called “punitive liberalism.” Because he regards the American people as essentially selfish (a sentiment memorably reinforced by Michelle Obama when she described the America was “just downright mean“), Obama cannot help regarding success as a form of failure. That side of Obama’s program does not play well outside his inner circle, so he has been careful to overlay it with seductive talk about “tax cuts for 95 percent of taxpayers”–an absurdity on the face of it since 43 percent of those who file do not pay any income tax at all. (Meanwhile, it is worth remembering that those reporting the top 1 percent of adjusted gross income pay nearly 40 percent of all income taxes collected, while the top 5 percent pay more than 60 percent. To use another word Obama likes, is that “fair”? How much more does want?) “Selfishness” can be a vice. It can also be another name for that “well-ordered self-love” that Thomas Aquinas extolled as “right and natural.” (I have more to say about selfishness and altruism here.) But the important issue facing the American people at the moment is whether they wish to elect a commander-in-chief or a nanny-in-chief. Obama’s seductive rhetoric and and emollient promises have not been able to conceal his ambitions to become America’s protector and nanny-in-chief. He wants you to be happy–but on his terms. He wants to tell you what to drive, what temperature to keep your house, how much to eat. He wants to conscript your children in “voluntary” national service programs that are all-but-mandatory. He wants to determine how prosperous you will be allowed to be–and then to tax you back to a pre-determined level if you make too much. He has similar plans on the international front. He craves approval for America from the “international community, which means he will do everything he can to accommodate that community. He dislikes criticism so much, he is willing to call upon his supporters to silence journalists and besmirch the character of Joe the Plumber, using supposedly protected state information to do it. In short, it’s your life and Obama wants to run it for you. On Tuesday, Americans will have the choice between electing a leader and a chaperone. Obama has vastly out-spent and–it saddens me to say–out-campaigned McCain. But that doesn’t mean he is better suited to lead America in this difficult time. I suspect that, in their heart of hearts, most Americans know that.

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CC-MAIN-2015-35

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en

Fuel and Fiber Nearly 50% of our electricity is generated by coal, a critical fuel that will prevent collective bankruptcy until cleaner sources become economical. Obama once promised to “bankrupt” the coal industry. Joe Biden said there would be no more coal plants. The rather strange buffoonish Van (“change the whole system”) Jones, the environmental czar of some sort, has declared clean coal impossible (and in addition slurred American agriculture, which according to the Energy Secretary Chu will blow away in California [not an unreasonable musing given the Delta smelt]). No need to mention that Obama’s campaign deference to offshore drilling, natural gas, and nuclear power were just sops of the moment, quickly to be forgotten once elected. Energy taxes will mean sky-high prices and shortages. Again that is the point: the rambunctious ignorant American should put away his energy-stealing boat, SUV, and snowmobile, and instead live in accordance to the green dictates of an Al Gore, John Kerry, Tom Friedman and others, all once again, properly exempt from the effects of their own ‘small earth’ advocacies. “Oooh. Van Jones, alright! So, Van Jones.” Well, the post-racial candidate had given us a 95% black monolithic voting pattern in the primaries against a fellow liberal candidate. Add up Rev. Wright, Father Pfleger, the clingers speech, an exasperated Bill Clinton’s assessment of “playing the race card on me”, “typical white person”, ‘wise Latina’, the Skip Gates mess, the Van Jones’ white polluters, the satraps like Gov. Patterson and Reps. Rangel and Watson reverting to blatantly racist scapegoating, and so on. I fear that this is the most polarizing administration we have seen in matters of race since the 1920s. If those around Obama, and his supporters in Congress, had just substituted the word “black” each time they have angrily invoked the word “white”, they would have been branded abject racists. How strange that we now learn of Van Jones’s long record of venom, but are told that he did not really mean it, and that the White House was unaware of these statements. Yet we know that Jones was selected because of, not despite, his provocations. Cf. Obama honcho Valerie Jarrett’s ecstasy: “Oooh. Van Jones, alright! So, Van Jones. We were so delighted to be able to recruit him into the White House. We were watching him, uh, really, he’s not that old, for as long as he’s been active out in Oakland. And all the creative ideas he has. And so now, we have captured that. And we have all that energy in the White House.[emphasis added]” Your America then, mine now? Then we have the Al Arabiya interview, the Cairo speech, and the “I’m sorry” to everyone from the Europeans to Turks to South Americans. The common denominator has been agreement that the United States has been racist, oppressive, and exploitive rather than far less so than the alternative, given these transgressions of the past are the sins of mankind not those of Americans per se. When I heard Obama in the campaign promise reparations (quickly retracted), and more victimization studies, I knew where we were headed: namely, that we have someone like the Chairman of the Ethnic Studies Department or the Head of the Sociology Department now running the country. In America of 2009 the following are “true”: The Arabs invented the printing press, and spurred us on to the Enlightenment and Renaissance. Muslims in Cordoba advised the brutal Christians to show tolerance during the Inquisition. Slavery ended in America without violence. The Berlin Airlift was a worldwide effort. The Americans liberated Auschwitz. There are 57 states. FDR was President in 1929 and gave television addresses. We can either drill offshore or inflate our tires properly. There are no terrorists or a war on same, but only overseas contingency operations and man-made catastrophes. Those who object to health care are ungodly, and the nation’s children must go to school and see the messiah address them en masse on state-run television screens. Nazis, brown shirts, a mob, insurance lackeys, Brooks brothers elites, etc. all go to Town Halls. Doctors chop off limbs and gleefully take out tonsils for profit. George Bush is our Emmanuel Goldstein whom we must hate collectively each morning for a couple of minutes. Rather Angry People, Given their Middle-Class backgrounds and Past entitlements Our environmentally-correct czar believes that we were behind 9/11, that whites pollute poor neighborhoods on purpose, that American agriculture is pathological, that Republicans are “assholes” and so on. He is the ideological version of the buffoonish Robert Gibbs. What do they teach at Yale (and Harvard) law school? Is admission there synonymous with graduation? The new Supreme Court Justice thinks that some judges are better than others based on their gender and race. The Attorney General (we are “cowards” afraid to talk about race) wants to try agents of the CIA, not hunt down terrorists that plotted to destroy America. No wonder, in a past incarnation he helped to pardon terrorists from Puerto Rico for similarly careerist purposes. The Government, all the time, everywhere, all of us… In short, we are now in theory to be governed by enlightened despots and philosopher kings who have never run a business, never understood private enterprise, and never been off the government payroll, but always hypercritical of their opposites. We have suddenly dozens of czars—how better to avoid Senate confirmation? To sidestep existing checks and balances? To substitute administrative fiat for majority- vote ratifications? To enact hope and change without messy Town Hall-like recriminations against elected officials? Given all this, an unhinged activist like a Van Jones is not the exception, but emblematic of the new frontier. All the old wisdom, the old reverence are going by the wayside, replaced by a brave new world in which we will be the same in spirit and outlook, committed to replace truth with orthodoxy, roughly equal in ability, neither successful nor failures, neither rich nor poor, nothing “exceptional” at all, mere happy cogs in the brotherly redistributive wheel—mouthing platitudes about diversity and being green, clueless as to their meaning, but clued in to the necessity of chanting such mantras. And given the President’s rhetoric, and the media as our new ministry of truth— we will be more or less happy idiots, as the old fades and the new absorbs us. All I can say is non hic porcus, not yet, not by a long shot.

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CC-MAIN-2015-35

http://pjmedia.com/victordavishanson/not-this-pig/2/

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en

An anonymous reader writes, "The United States is one of the few countries in the world whose currency isn't distinguishable by blind people. Most other nations use raised text, different-sized bills, or other methods to assist blind people in spending their money. If a recent decision by a federal court in D.C. survives appeal, however, that will soon change. Under Sec. 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, federal programs cannot deny 'meaningful access' to people with disabilities. Because blind people are unable to distinguish U.S. currency without assistance, the court held that they are denied meaningful access to their own money. U.S. District Judge James Robertson ordered the Treasury Department to come up with ways for the blind to tell bills apart. He said he wouldn't tell officials how to fix the problem, but he ordered them to begin working on it." How Appealing notes that Judge Robertson opened the door to a speedy appeal of his ruling.

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CC-MAIN-2015-35

http://politics.slashdot.org/story/06/11/29/0146257/judge-says-us-money-violates-rights-of-the-blind

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en

Among the 335 primary school students who participated in the Assault Prevention workshop in September-December last year and asked for professional consultation, 41 or 12.2 percent had experienced intense violence at school, said officials. Thirty five cases involved bullying and six sexual assaults.It's hard not to read that and remember the Daegu Elementary gang-rape scandal from 2008 (which was never fully investigated), or some of the stories related here. A grade six elementary school student told me last year that she wasn't looking forward to the next day because she and nine of her friends had to meet a group of middle school girls after school and give one of them 40,000 won in total, or 4,000 won each, because it was one of the bullies' birthday. In another story, a girl in either grade six or middle school grade one was out with friends at a Pizza restaurant in Myeongdong and they were confronted by older middle school girls in the bathroom who took their money - not the way my student planned to spend her birthday. Also, a friend told me last week his elementary school had a meeting with parents of young children angry about the abuse they were receiving from older students - not the best way to start the school year. Also, the survey conducted on the 1,609 workshop participants showed that some 30 students or 1.9 percent had experienced sexual abuse, said officials. A large number of violence cases were committed by peers or slightly elder students. "Most involve senior students bullying the juniors," said a ChildFund official. Many cases of sexual abuse against children tend to be committed by adults acquainted with the child, such as family members or neighbors, said the official. In some cases, the sexual harasser turns out to be a teenager, only slightly older than the victim. As the article nears its end, it notes that, Last year's workshop was held amid the scandal of a brutal child rape incident, known as the Cho Doo-soon case, involving an ex-convict raping and disabling an 8-year-old girl.The Joongang Ilbo had an article about the girl's family last week: The father of an 8-year-old rape victim testified in court on Monday that prosecutors forced him not to copy the records of their investigation into Cho Du-sun, who brutally assaulted the girl known as Na-young in 2008. The family of the girl, who has been identified only through that alias, filed suit against the Korean government seeking 30 million won ($26,400) in compensation for the prosecutors’ actions, and trial began Monday at the Seoul Central District Court.The article notes that Cho Du-sun attacked Na-young on Dec. 11, 2008. It was in late September 2009 that this KBS show which brought the case to public attention, and this was followed by the government lashing out in every direction to try to appease public anger over the lenient punishment her attacker received, including declaring foreign English teachers to be "especially potential child molesters" (among other things), and declaring that immigration would ban all foreign sex criminals from coming (or returning), a policy that came into effect recently, even though the foreign sex-crime rate is five times less than the Korean crime rate and foreigners had nothing to do with the Na-young case. Two weeks ago justice minister Kim Kwi-nam visited Cheongsong Prison in Gyeongsangnam-do, where Jo Du-sun is being held (video here). Returning to the violence youth inflict on each other, the first-mentioned article ends, Also, the nation was shaken last month over the violent graduation ceremonies in some middle schools, where seniors inflicted serious physical violence or sexual harassment, claiming it to be a school tradition.While I'd heard of graduates running amok naked before, it seems it may be a little darker than first imagined, as many of these kids - at least ones in the photos I've come across [some of the ones below may be NSFW], have been forced to strip, had clothes ripped or cut off, and been photographed, such as in Ilsan last month: Photos from previous years show there to be some pretty disgusting hazing practices included: The girl in the third photo appears to be covered in ketchup, while the boys in the last photos are being pelted with hundreds of eggs and being urinated on. I was reminded of this article in the Hankyoreh years ago, which ended by saying: Violence is just violence. This is a truth no one can deny. There are many factors to prevent people from seeing this simple fact. The most insidious of this kind of block is when violence wears the clothing of "custom." This being the case, before blaming individuals, we should crush the oppressive things that have made violence customary.Well, okay, the system is the problem, but overlooking punishing individuals in order to go after the system isn't helpful either. As for systems, looking at the violent discipline inherent in the military system, which influenced the school system (going back to the colonial era), and seeing how the ritualized violence meted out by bullies (in videos associated with this case, just to name one) seems like a twisted parody of the discipline students receive at school, one imagines "the oppressive things that have made violence customary" will not disappear any time soon, and their manifestations - involving individuals - will linger further.

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CC-MAIN-2015-35

http://populargusts.blogspot.com/2010_03_01_archive.html

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en

In honor of Memorial Day this week, it is fitting to review a shining example of historic preservation that holds both US government and military importance. The Cape Canaveral Lighthouse is a well-restored beacon that has served seafarers and astronauts alike for over 140 years. Located presently on the property of the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Brevard County, Florida the Cape Canaveral Lighthouse is a beautiful symbol of our nation’s proud history. The lighthouse itself has witnessed American history unfold as it has endured Seminole Indian threats, impending Yankee invasion during the US Civil War and viewed pivotal rocket launches during the genesis of the US space program. The original Canaveral Lighthouse was built in 1848 and was a brick structure only 65 feet tall seen in this image to the left of the newer and much taller lighthouse(2). Its light was produced by a set of fifteen lamps backed by 21-inch reflectors. Nathanial Scobie was the light’s first keeper, but he soon abandoned his position due to the threat of a Seminole Indian attack (1). The first lighthouse was built to warn mariners of shoals, or dangerous rocks extending eastward from the cape, but soon garnered criticism from sailors. Its diminutive size may have played a part in its inefficiency but whatever the cause, one sea captain remarked that “the lights on Hatteras, Lookout, Canaveral and Cape Florida, if not improved, had better be dispensed with, as the navigator is apt to run ashore looking for them (1).” Contending with growing concerns of mariners, the US government approved construction of a new tower in 1860, but plans were delayed with the outbreak of the US Civil War the following year. After the Civil War ended the construction began on the second Cape Canaveral Lighthouse only 80-90 feet from the first brick tower and was completed in 1868 (2). The new lighthouse seen in this image to the right of the old tower is 151 feet tall and its beam shines 22 nautical miles (3). The first three levels of the new tower were designed as living quarters and consisted of a kitchen, living room, and bedrooms. The exterior staircase at the base of the tower allowed a keeper, or person assigned to maintain and operate the lighthouse, to access the top of the tower without having to go through the living area. Today there is a door at the ground level facing the oil house, which is a small brick building used to store kerosene used in lighting the beacon. This door was not original and was added in the 1930’s for the keepers’ convenience. Originally painted white, the Cape Canaveral Lighthouse didn’t receive the distinctive black bands that are seen today until 1873. Image provided courtesy of the Florida Historical Society. Aerial photo of relocated lighthouse and keeper dwellings. On May 10, 1868, the first-order Fresnel lens, which filled the lantern room atop the 160-foot tower, was lit for the first time (1). French physicist Augustin Fresnel developed the Fresnel lens used in the Cape Canaveral lighthouse in 1822. The beautifully complex invention is a built-up annular lens made up of a central spherical lens surrounded by rings of glass prisms. The central portions of these prisms refract and the outer portions reflect and refract the light. A canvas drape was used inside the gallery windows during the daytime to protect the fragile lens from the strong Floridian sun cracking the prisms. Just before dusk the drape was brought down and the light was lit (3). In the 1890’s threatening beach erosion required that the lighthouse be torn down and moved to its current location, about a mile inland (2). The cast iron structure with a brick lining disassembled and over a period of ten months, the tower was transported inland using a rail cart pulled by mules and roman numerals were used on the interior of the structure to help in putting the iron pieces back together (3). The light was relit at its new location on July 25, 1894. The smaller, original lighthouse was blown up and used as fill material at the new site. The place where the two lighthouses stood incidentally was never lost to the sea and still stands about 400 feet from the ocean (1). In 1939 the Coast Guard took over the operation of the lighthouse, which was automated in 1967 and continues to serve as an active lighthouse. In 1993, the first-order Fresnel lens was removed from the tower. The strong vibrations from the frequent launches that began in the 1950’s were starting to destroy the exquisite lens. Several prisms had in fact fallen out of the supporting brass framework by the time the priceless lens was restored in 1995. It is now on display at the Ayres Davies Lens Exhibit Building at the Ponce de Leon Inlet Lighthouse in Ponce Inlet, FL (1). Although the Cape Canaveral Lighthouse was originally designed to house its attendants, living inside the metal tower during the hot and humid summer Floridian months without air conditioning must have been similar to living in an oven. The keepers soon abandoned the tower’s living area in favor of their own dwellings outside the tower and in 1876, $12,000 was given by the US government for the construction of white washed Florida vernacular dwellings for the keepers and their families (1). These dwellings housed keepers that included the Burnham, Wilson and Honeywell families and were eventually demolished in 1967 (1). Above photos provided courtesy of the Florida Historical Society. Top image: Keeper dwelling, middle left: Robert Burns Honeywell at center, middle right: Assistant Keeper George and Anna Quarterman, lower image: Keepers Floyd Quarterman, Clinton Honeywell. Renovations to the Cape Canaveral lighthouse are ongoing. The Coast Guard started to conduct a thorough restoration of the lighthouse in late 1995. A canvas shroud was placed over a network of nylon lines strung from the lighthouse to protect the surrounding area while the lead-based paint was removed from the tower. As part of the restoration, a new lantern room was placed atop the lighthouse and the original was placed on display at the Air Force Space and Missile Museum (1). Images provided courtesy of he Cape Canaveral Lighthouse Foundation. Left: Paint restoration, middle: oil house restoration, right: re-installation of lantern room. The lighthouse became property of the U.S. Air Force in December of 2000. The oil house, which lost its roof in a violent windstorm in the 1970s, was restored in 2003. The re-installation of the lantern room in February of 2007, capped off a nearly million-dollar, yearlong renovation of the lighthouse, and the beacon in the lantern room was relit on Sunday, 29 April 2007. The beacon is supported by the Cape Canaveral Lighthouse Foundation, which hosts public events on the grounds each year. Recent grants awarded to the Cape Canaveral Lighthouse Foundation include a grant from the Florida Lighthouse Association in October 2011. This award will fund a shell and river rock walkway from the parking lot to the oil storage facility and the lighthouse. The use of crushed shell and river rocks are indigenous to the Cape and were used during the lighthouse keeper’s era. The 45th Space Wing through the Public Affairs office provides weekly tours. The three-hour tour includes a visit to the Air Force Space and Missile Museum, active and retired launch pads, and the historic Cape Canaveral Lighthouse. Information on tour schedules is available on the Patrick AFB website with the current planned tour dates and instructions for taking a tour. Links to this information are located in the lower left corner of the Patrick AFB home page. A video tour of the Cape Canaveral Lighthouse conducted by Dr. Sonny Witt can be viewed on YouTube. View the Lighthouse tour. - Field, A. Clyde, Harrell, George Leland, Parrish, Ada Edmiston. Images of America Central Brevard County Florida. Arcadia Publishing. Great Britain, 2004.

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Free Printable Grinch Mask RH.Grinch.ActivityBrochure (Page 1) RH.Grinch.ActivityBrochure (Page 1) Color the face, then cut out the mask. (Remember to cut out the eyes.) Tie a ribbon or string to the holes on both sides of the mask so that it fits around your head. Mask Template: Print, laminate and cut out the Grinch mask (including eye holes). Glue a stick to one side for a student to hold. The Story: A very simple version of 'How the Grinch Stole Christmas'. Charlie told Leroy Herdman that they could get free food if they showed up at Sunday school - never thinking they would come. But they did, ... Other sites you could try: Find videos related to Free Printable Grinch Mask

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Men Spend More When Women are in Demand The results of new study suggests men become less frugal and more impulsive when they perceive a scarcity of females. It’s a behavior that is not unique to humans, researchers said. “What we see in other animals is that when females are scarce, males become more competitive. They compete more for access to mates,” said Vladas Griskevicius, Ph.D., an assistant professor of marketing at the University of Minnesota and lead author of the study. “How do humans compete for access to mates? What you find across cultures is that men often do it through money, through status and through products.” Researchers tested the theory that the sex ratio affects economic decisions, by having participants read news articles that described their local population as having more men or more women. They were then asked to indicate how much money they would save each month from a paycheck, as well as how much they would borrow with credit cards for immediate expenditures. When men were led to believe women were scarce, the savings rates for men decreased by 42 percent. Men were also willing to borrow 84 percent more money each month. In another study, participants saw photo rolls of men and women that had more men, more women, or were neutral. After looking at the photographs, participants were asked to choose between receiving some money tomorrow or a larger amount in a month. When women were scarce in the photos, men were much more likely to take an immediate $20 rather than wait for $30 in a month. Researchers said such behavior occurs subconsciously — that participants were unaware that sex ratios were having any effect on their behavior. Merely seeing more men than women automatically led men to simply be more impulsive and want to save less while borrowing more to spend on immediate purchases. “Economics tells us that humans make decisions by carefully thinking through our choices; that we’re not like animals,” said Griskevicius. “It turns out we have a lot in common with other animals. Some of our behaviors are much more reflexive and subconscious. We see that there are more men than women in our environment and it automatically changes our desires, our behaviors, and our entire psychology.” Researchers then flipped roles in the study to see if sex ratios would influence the financial choices of women. They learned that although ratios did not influence how women spent their money, they do shape women’s expectations of how men should spend their money when courting. For example, when women learned that males were in the majority, the women expected men to spend more on dinner dates, Valentine’s gifts, and engagement rings. “When there’s a scarcity of women, women felt men should go out of their way to court them,” said Griskevicius. In a male-biased environment, men also expected they would need to spend more in their mating efforts. Researchers next decided to test their hypothesis with a review of real world data. To do this, they calculated the sex ratios of more than 120 U.S. cities and discovered that in communities with an abundance of single men, men showed greater ownership of credit cards and had higher debt levels. One striking example was found in two communities located less than 100 miles apart. In Columbus, Ga., where there are 1.18 single men for every single woman, the average consumer debt was $3,479 higher than it was in Macon, Ga., where there were 0.78 single men for every woman. Griskevicius said the effects of sex ratios go beyond marketing and influence all sorts of behavior. He cites other studies showing the strong correlation between male-biased sex ratios and aggressive behavior. “We’re just scratching the tip of the iceberg when it comes to financial behavior,” said Griskevicius. “One of the troubling implications of sex ratios for the world in general is that it’s about more than just money. It’s about violence and survival.” Source: University of Minnesota Nauert PhD, R. (2012). Men Spend More When Women are in Demand. Psych Central. Retrieved on September 4, 2015, from http://psychcentral.com/news/2012/01/13/men-spend-more-when-women-are-in-demand/33637.html

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It looks like North Carolina is headed for a pretty competitive election year in 2010. PPP's newest round of generic ballot polling for legislative and Congressional races in the state finds tight margins on both fronts. By a 45-44 spread voters say they plan to vote Republican for the legislature and by a nearly identical 45-43 margin they say they'll vote for GOP Congressional candidates. Republicans are polling closely in a state with a heavy Democratic registration advantage for two key reasons. The first is support from independents. They say they'll vote Republican for the legislature by a 48-27 margin and for Congress by a 48-29 margin. The second is that GOP voters are more unified than Democrats are. While 88% of Republicans commit to voting for their party's legislative candidates only 79% of Democrats do. On the federal level 90% of Republicans are on board with the party compared to 77% of Democrats. Conservative Democrats often swing close elections in North Carolina by whether they stick with their party or stray, and their current choices provide a prism into why the state looks so competitive right now. They're only committing to voting Democratic by a 48-42 margin for Congress and a 46-42 one for the Legislature. When you combine that kind of crossover support for Republicans with their current advantage with independents you have the right conditions for the GOP to have its best election cycle in the state in quite a long time. We'll see whether they can take advantage of it or not. Full results here

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Sunday, November 13, 2011 Bronx estate to be developed From the Wall Street Journal: Back in 1980, a plan to develop a wooded estate property in the Bronx seemed like a brilliant compromise for both environmentalists trying to preserve a natural area and real-estate interests looking to put up houses there. A 10.4-acre Delafield Estates in Riverdale that once belonged to Edward C. Delafield, an early president of the Bank of America, was to be the site of a gated community of 33 compact houses, clustered together in small groups, while the rest of the property would be turned into a shared woodland. The Georgian-style Delafield Mansion would become a home for three families. But more than 30 years later, only nine of the clustered houses are occupied. The 19th-century mansion is gone, destroyed by fire, and the woodland is pockmarked with old foundations overgrown with small trees and weeds. A pond at the property entrance is mostly swamp. Three teams of developers have tried and failed to finish the project. Now Delafield Estates is getting a fourth chance. A bankruptcy trustee is scheduled to auction off two partly finished houses on Dec. 1. The trustee is working on plans to auction off the remaining 22 development lots early next year.

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This month architecture segment will cover the second landmark in Kuala Lumpur, the Masjid Jamek Kuala Lumpur. The masjid is also one of the oldest mosque in the Malaysian Capital. It is also the center of Islam in the city before the function been shifted to the new National Mosque. The mosque were also known as Masjid Sultan Abdul Samad, named after the Sultan of Selangor, His Highness the Sultan Abdul Samad. British administration at this period of time adapting the use of Islamic architecture as the official design in developing public building in Kuala Lumpur, as can be seen from the mosque's design. Adapting the Mughal and Moor design, the wall's red and white stripes also greatly resembles the architectural design of mosque in Cordova, Spain. There are two major and several other minarets and mughal's design dome in the center. The mosque construction was commissioned in 1909, where the British Administration at that time wants to provide a place of worship for the muslims civil servants. Thus, a mosque was built on the site of the first Muslim cemetery in Kuala Lumpur. The mosque was design by Author Benison Hubback, the acting Architect of Kuala Lumpur. He previously served in public work department in India. The mosque location is at the bank of Sungai Gombak and really near to the New Government Office (currently known as Sultan Abdul Samad Building). The foundation stone was put by His Highness the Sultan of Selangor at that time, Sultan Sir Alaeddin Suleiman Shah on 23rd March 1909. The estimated cost for the construction was $32,615 where $20,000 of it were funded by the government. The rest is the collection from the people. It takes 9 months to complete. The opening ceremony were officiated on 23rd December 1909. Earlier, the jamaah will perform their ablution in the river nearby, as several steps of stair was also constructed into the river. It has been demolished nowadays due to the heavy pollution of the river. The masjid which among the oldest in Kuala Lumpur served as the center of Islamic activities in Kuala Lumpur until it was shifted to the new constructed National Mosque in 1967. 1. Trapped by two rivers The location of the mosque which is at the confluence of Gombak and Klang rivers make it impossible for the government to expand the mosque to make it larger, especially to accommodate the rising size of congregation using the mosque. Even though renovation and expansion has been made several times in 1983-1984. The rapid development of Kuala Lumpur also taking its toll to the masjid as the mosque becomes trapped with no more room to spare and thus, makes the expansion of the mosque were no longer an option. The name 'Kuala Lumpur' which literally means a muddy confluence is not just for show. The two rivers brought itself a heavy size of mud especially during the rainy season, and its become worse during flood. The mosque suffers from three major floods in 1926, 1971 and the latest in 2003. The mosque were covered with mud and the mosque's right side wall were also collapsed due to the cascade of water in the flood.

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The following are the well-recognized instances where searches and seizures are allowed even without a valid warrant: (1) Warrantless search incidental to a lawful arrest: (2) [Seizure] of evidence in "plain view." The elements are: a) a prior valid intrusion based on the valid warrantless arrest in which the police are legally present in the pursuit of their official duties; b) the evidence was inadvertently discovered by the police who have the right to be where they are; c) the evidence must be immediately apparent; and d) "plain view" justified mere seizure of evidence without further search; (3) Search of a moving vehicle. Highly regulated by the government, the vehicle’s inherent mobility reduces expectation of privacy especially when its transit in public thoroughfares furnishes a highly reasonable suspicion amounting to probable cause that the occupant committed a criminal activity; (4) Consented warrantless search; (5) Customs search; (6) Stop and Frisk; (7) Exigent and emergency circumstances; (8) Search of vessels and aircraft; [and] (9) Inspection of buildings and other premises for the enforcement of fire, sanitary and building regulations. x x x In the exceptional instances where a warrant is not necessary to effect a valid search or seizure, what constitutes a reasonable or unreasonable search or seizure is purely a judicial question, determinable from the uniqueness of the circumstances involved, including the purpose of the search or seizure, the presence or absence of probable cause, the manner in which the search and seizure was made, the place or thing searched, and the character of the articles procured (VALEROSO vs. COURT OF APPEALS, G.R. No. 164815, September 3, 2009, 3rd Div, Nachura, J.).

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Have you ever wondered if you’re taking the right supplements for you? Is your integrative or holistic doctor really targeting nutrients in an orthomolecular manner so they interact in positive ways with your cells? Are the products you’re taking from online sources really helping you? Or are you simply taking too many? What if you have really big goals, like living forever? In his book, Transcend, Ray Kurzweil and co-author Terry Grossman, M.D., offer detailed instructions on “living long enough to live forever.” This is like saying the key to longevity is not getting old, which is true, but cryptic, while being essentially useless. Yet Kurzweil thinks he’s found the answer: Take 250 supplements a day. Kurzweil achieved celebrity status for his bold theories about the “Singularity,” a point in time when man and machine will converge, creating super-intelligent, immortal beings. Ironically, such techno-beings probably won’t need supplements, or likely even food. That might be a good thing, because we’ll have ruined our planet by then. Forget back to the future. What about now? Is 250 too much, or too little? Too Much, Too Little Nature works towards balance. The ancient Chinese Taoists and Tibetan Buddhists, shamans and medicine men, and wise people worldwide tell us to live a life of moderation. Very likely even your grandmother told you to take it easy, and keep things in balance. Even a few scientists and medical doctors are discovering that biology is ecological, and that interconnectivity and balance are intimately linked to how the universe functions. We hear it more and more. Improving wellness stays disease. Prevention is the best medicine. Moderation is the key. Caution to the wind, you say! But hold on: mega-nutrition is not always good. Take a lesson from nature. Nitrogen makes up about 78% of the earth’s atmosphere. Scientists have found that it is also common in the universe, making supernovas and living in the atmosphere of other planets. It’s also the key nutrient that fills our stomachs. Without nitrogen, photosynthesis cannot happen, and plants can’t grow. No plants, no food. When modern chemistry discovered how to capture and synthesize this gas into nitrogen-rich fertilizer, the green agriculture revolution was born. Within decades, countries like China pulled away from famine and starvation, and ran headlong into overpopulation. Spread on fields by hand or machine, excess nitrogen cascades into the environment, altering ecosystems along the way. Once clear rivers full of fish become choked with green phytoplankton. Red Tide, an over bloom of algae and the bane of the Gulf of Mexico, is blamed on nitrogen run-off from fertilizing home lawns and gulf courses. Fish and other sea life can’t breath, and die. I’m an avid gardener. I have three varieties of mango trees, several lychees, macadamia nuts, avocados, star fruit, pomegranate, papaya, and others. Plants need the right location for their needs with just the right amount of sun or shade. They need regular watering. From time to time, they need pruning. They also require nutrients, especially natural organic fertilizer like compost. And, sometimes they need minerals. They also need lots of nitrogen. But if you overdo nitrogen, even by a little—some plants, like people, are very sensitive—they turn brown. Fertilizer burn, or leaf scorch, is caused by over-fertilization from excess nitrogen salts. Burn from too much chemical fertilizer comes on within days. Concentrated organic fertilizer can also cause leaf burn or slow growth, but the effect takes a lot longer and appears slowly. What does this have to do with living forever and the supplements you take to stay well? I often equate practicing medicine to gardening. A good doctor is one whose plants are healthy and alive, and whose patients thrive. Our bodies are a sensitive ecosystem just like the ocean and agricultural lands. Wild nature provides the right balance for life. We can deviate a little, or even a lot for a short period of time. But, too much or too little, of any thing, including nutrients, tips the balance. Nature gets sick. We get diseases. We can’t live a long time. Vitamin supplements are divided into two major groups: water-soluble and fat-soluble nutrients. Fat-soluble vitamins like A, D, E and K are stored within the body, and taking too much can lead to build up. Too much vitamin A, for example, leads to liver damage and causes changes in vision and hair and skin. Toxic levels of vitamin D may occur from high dosages leading to soft-tissue calcification. Vitamin E intakes greater than 800 IU daily may lead adverse effects such as headache, fatigue, nausea and vomiting. Water-soluble vitamins such as Vitamin C, B3 and B6 have reported several side effects with over consumption, but little toxicity. Vitamin C intake may lead to diarrhea. Niacin (vitamin B3) is associated with vasodilation and gastric upset at intakes greater than 3,000 mg. Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) intakes of more than 200 mg a day may lead to sensory neuropathy. Too much selenium, zinc, and chromium—essential trace minerals but needed in small amounts—are be very toxic. The ever-popular colloidal silver has been linked to kidney damage and brain problems. And, too much silver, when taken too long, turns the body blue. When Is Enough Sufficient? The earth needs phytoplankton. It serves as nutrients for small fish and helps make oxygen, but too much damages ecosystems. Plants need nitrogen, but too much causes leaf burn. We need nutrients, but too many may have negative effects that we are not yet aware of. When in doubt, keep the dosage low until you have more information. Changing your lifestyle from a lifetime of commercial, packaged, and refined foods to live organic, fresh foods can be hard on the body. Shedding dependence on chemical drugs to using natural medicines takes some doing. It’s as complex as a farmer converting to organic agriculture from chemical fertilizer. It takes a lot of work and equal amounts of patience. A good doctor should be more like a farmer then an engineer. The patient should take gardening lessons from their doctor on how to tend the soil of the body’s ecosystem. You require good natural food and will need supplements, but just the right amount, not too much or too little. It has to be done just right. Here’s a starting point for low-dose daily supplementation. General Wellness Supplements - Multivitamin and mineral with cofactor nutrients and polyphenols - Extra vitamin C with bioflavonoids - Extra calcium, especially for women and vegans - Extra vitamin E as all natural, complex tocopherols - Omega-3 fatty acids, preferably from fish oil but microalgae sources are acceptable to vegans I agree that supplementation with massive amounts of nutrients is not the same as overuse of nitrogen fertilizer. But, we don’t have enough information, study, research, or trial and error experience in mega-dosing. Still, people do it. I’m not sure this is wise. Even Kurzweil, when asked what really are the most important nutrients, narrows it down to three: Coenzyme Q10, Phosphatidylcholine, and Vitamin D3. In my book, Prolonging Health, I discuss about every known supplement, but narrow it down to the seven most important for health and longevity. Note that the dosages are low to moderate. Never too high, but just right. The Seven Longevity Nutraceuticals - L-alpha glycerylophosphorylcholine (GPC) - Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH) - S-adenosyl-methionine (SAMe) Remember, when in doubt, keep it simple.

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Access Control Lists (ACLs) are one of the most used tools by network engineers. It is used to protect both the data and control plane and has many other applications like VPNs, policy routing, redistributing routes, NAT and Quality of Service (QoS). After reading this article you will know the different types of ACLs, where to implement them and how to calculate the Wild Card mask (WC). If you are preparing for the CCNA or CCNA security test, this is knowledge that is integral to your overall proficiency at the CCNA level. What is an access-list? The access-list is a packet filter that matches on different fields in a packet. Most commonly, ACLs will match on layer 3 and layer 4 in the OSI model, which is IP and TCP/UDP. Access lists consists of permit and deny statements and are always processed in a top down order. As soon as there is a match, the action is taken and the ACL stops looking for a match. Until the access list has been applied to an interface, there is no filtering taking place. Access lists can be applied inbound or outbound on an interface. There can only be one ACL per direction per interface. Many CCNA candidates will be confused on how to decide the direction of the ACL. To do this correctly, imagine that you are sitting inside the router and watching the packets flow through it. This picture describes packet flow when host A is sending traffic to host B and while transiting two routers. Host A sends traffic to its gateway which is then received inbound. As the packet leaves the router, it leaves outbound on the interface leading to the second router. The second router receives the packet inbound and then delivers it outbound on the interface connected to Host B. Types of ACLs Cisco devices support two types of ACLs: standard access lists and extended access lists. The standard ACLs can only filter based on the source IP of the packet, but an extended ACL can match on both source and destination IP. Access lists are configured with a number or a name, but configuring it with a name is the newer way of doing it and it supports more features. Both ways will be shown here as you might still see both syntaxes used. As mentioned above, the standard ACL can only match on the source IP. It also can’t filter based on port numbers so it is quite a blunt tool, but still, it has its uses. The standard ACL should be placed as close to the destination as possible because if traffic is filtered close to the source, then traffic to all destinations could potentially be filtered. To show how to use the standard ACL, take a look at the topology below. There is a HR server in the 10.10.10.0/24 subnet and only employees in the HR department should be able to access it. The employees in the sales department must not be able to reach it. We create a standard ACL that will permit the 10.0.1.0/27 network and deny everything else. Routing has already been set up so we start by confirming reachability. When working with access lists, something called wildcards are used. The wildcard is sometimes called an inverse mask. The wildcard is similar to a network mask but without the requirement to be contiguous. The wildcard checks the bits in the IP address and if the wildcard is set to 0 it means “check.” If it is set to 1, it means “don’t care.” So to calculate the wildcard, we start by converting 10.0.1.0 to binary. 0000 1010 0000 00000000 0001 00000000 Because we have a /27 network mask, it means that 27 bits are used for the network and 5 bits are used for the host. We want to match this with the wildcard so the first 27 bits are set to 0 and the last 5 bits are set to 1. 0000 00000000000000000000 0001 1111 Then this is converted back to dotted decimal which gives us 0.0.0.31. As we get more comfortable with wildcards, there are shortcuts we can use. If we take 255 and subtract the value in the fourth octet (224), we get the value 31 which we calculated above. Where should we apply the ACL? We should place it close to the destination, so the best place for it is inbound F1/0 on the HR server. Standard ACLs are numbered from 1 to 99. The only options we have are permit, deny and remark. The remark is used to make a comment about an access list rule. Now we create the ACL and apply it. Access lists are applied with the IP access-group command. If the ACL is working, then pings from HR should go through but the ones from Sales should now be blocked. As expected, the ping from HR succeeded but the one from Sales did not go through. The U in the output means that ICMP unreachables were received. These can be seen if we enable debug ipicmp on the Sales router. Another way of verifying is using the show ip access-lists command which shows the counters for the ACL. There should be hits on the permit statement. There are hits both on the permit and the deny statement, which is expected. Before taking a look at extended ACLs, the syntax with named ACLs is shown. The advantage of using a named ACL is that we can easily recognize what the function of an ACL is by its name. It also supports sequence numbers so that it’s easy to insert statements later if we need to. The extended ACL is far more usable in most cases as it can filter based on source and destination IP, ports, and even options in the IP header. Extended access-lists use the numbers 100-199 and also the named syntax. Go for the named ACL whenever you can because it’s the newer syntax and most features now support named ACLs. The basic syntax of an extended ACL is like this: ip access-list extended HR permit<PROTOCOL><SOURCE NETWORK><WILDCARD><PORT><DESTINATION NETWORK><WILDCARD><PORT> Matching on the ports is optional. Usually, matching on ports will be done to destination or source only. Generally we won’t know which port the client connects from because these ports are ephemeral and selected by the operating system. The extended access list can also match a range of ports, or ports that are greater than or less than a port number. Now it’s time to create an extended ACL. The topology is still the same. With extended ACLs we can be much more granular. We will create an ACL based on the following requirements: - Only HR may access the HR server (10.10.10.10) at port 80 (HTTP). - ICMP to 10.10.10.10 is not allowed. - Only Sales are allowed to access HR server at port 443 (HTTPS). Something I didn’t mention earlier is that at the end of every access list there is an implicit deny. As soon as a permit statement has been entered into an ACL, there is an “invisible” deny at the end that will block everything not previously permitted. What happens if we apply an empty ACL to an interface? Then everything is permitted. The easiest way to create this ACL is to put the permit statements first and then leave the filtering to the implicit deny. In some cases we might have to mix permits and denies depending on what kind of filtering the ACL has to do. As you can see, we can filter based on protocols like ICMP, TCP, UDP and OSPF. When we configure extended ACLs, the first part is which source is allowed. The first line allows traffic from 10.0.1.0/27. Extended ACLs can match on both source and destination ports. We don’t know what the source port will be from the client side since it is chosen by the operating system; we only know that the destination port will be port 80. Always verify that the ACL is working as expected. How can we see if an ACL is applied to an interface? Show ip interface will show us that: We start testing from the HR router. ICMP should not be allowed, and traffic to 443 should also be blocked but traffic to port 80 should go through. Sending traffic from a router is a good way of testing ACLs. This is how you do it: This is the expected result. With the telnet command from the router, we can simulate sending traffic to port 80 although the payload is still Telnet. We must test from the Sales router as well. ICMP should be blocked and traffic to port 80 should not go through but connecting to port 443 should be working. This is also working as expected. The extended ACL is very powerful compared to the standard one. In the next section, we look at how we can edit ACLs. Editing access lists Sometimes we need to edit access lists that are already in place. How do we do that? Every access-list has sequence numbers that can be seen with show ip access-lists. Remember that access lists are always processed in a top down order according to the sequence numbers. Using the same ACL as in the previous example, we will insert a statement at the top to allow ICMP from the HR router. First we must check what the current sequence numbers are: The current sequence numbers are 10 and 20 and there is an implicit deny at the end that can’t be seen. We will insert a statement at sequence number 5 that allows ICMP from the HR network. The syntax is simple. Just enter the ACL by typing ip access-list extended HR, then enter a number before the permit or deny statement. This number must be unique because duplicate entries are not allowed. Now we confirm that the ACL has been edited, but remember that any changes will have effect immediately after entering the commands. The ping is now going through. What can we do if we run out of sequence numbers? There could be a case where you have sequence number 1, 2 , 3 , 4, 5 and you want to put something at sequence number 3. In this case, we can re-sequence the ACL and put more space between the sequence numbers. We currently have statements 5, 10 and 20. Let’s make it so that the first statement is 10 and then there is a gap of 20 between every sequence number. The syntax is ip access-list re-sequence <ACL_NAME><STARTING_NR><STEP>. As you can see, the ACL now starts at sequence 10 and then increments by 20. Access-lists are good for filtering and they also have a logging function. This can be useful if you want to see which traffic is getting blocked. Care must be taken though because enabling logging could affect the performance of the CPU depending on which router model it’s applied to. To enable logging, add the log keyword to the end of an ACL statement: These logging messages can then be sent to a syslog server by configuring logging trap. Protecting terminal lines Cisco routers and switches have something called Virtual Teletype (VTY). The device can be accessed remotely via VTY through the use of Telnet or SSH. It is important to protect the VTY so that that only users coming from approved subnets may login. Let’s create a standard ACL allowing only the Sales network to login to the HRserv router: Now remote login to the device should only be allowed from the Sales router. As always, we verify: Now the telnet from the HR router should fail. The VTY is now protected from non-approved subnets. This article has shown how to use access lists. Access lists are widely used in networking and has many applications. After reading this, you should be able to configure standard and extended access lists and protect the VTY from non-approved subnets. Understanding access-lists is an important part of the CCNA and CCNA security curriculum.

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Tuesday, March 22, 2011 Licenses Required for a Restaurant Business One area everyone is really worried about is the various licenses/government approvals required for running a restaurant. These are not as complicated as you think or as consultants make them out to be: Here are the licenses you need to get in Bangalore - other locations will be similar. 1) Trade License for running a restaurant - from the BBMP (Municipal Corporation) office for your location. 2) Health Certificate - again from the health department of BBMP (Municipal Corporation). For these 2, just ask a restaurant/fast food joint near where you are planning to start and they will give you a contact at BBMP to help you - depending on the size of your project, these 2 will cost you between 10K and 1L (fine dining) with the unofficial fees being the big component - actual license fee is 5K-8K for a small restaurant/fast food joint. You do not need to hire consultants for this. I would strongly recommend that you befriend a fast food/restaurant owner in your area, ask him how much he paid and then request him to help you out with the licneses. 3) VAT registration - your accountant can help you with this. The actual terms vary by state. You have 2 options in Karnataka - composite where you pay 4% of the sale value as VAT - no input credit adjustments need to be made. The other option is to charge the customer 13.5% VAT and then pay the VAT after adjusting for input credit. For a new business, I would recommend the Composite option as no documentation needs to be maintained - so it will be easier to manage when you start afresh. You can always move to the other model later. 4) Shops & Establishment License - your accountant can get you this. 5) Labour License - again your accountant can help you with this. 4 & 5 comes from the Labour department for your area. These are the 5 licenses you would need to get started. Once you identify the premises, you can work on these licenses (should not take you more than a month to get all these in place).

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WWF does not consider nuclear power as a viable policy option, due to its costs, radiotoxic emissions, safety and proliferation impacts. In this report focusing on climate policies, a policy approach that favors the use of nuclear power is hence adjusted. The indicators emissions per capita, emissions per GDP and CO2/kWh are adjusted as if the generation of electricity from nuclear power had produced 350 gCO2/kWh (emission factor for natural gas). A country using nuclear energy is therefore rated as a country using gas, the most efficient fossil fuel.What did I learn from this report? Not much, other than the fact that anyone doing business with Allianz had better read the fine print.

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SANATOGA PA – If you’ve been driving on U.S. Route 422 near Sanatoga during the past week, flashing electronic signs posted there have been difficult to ignore. Their message: prepare for some consistent traffic disruption, beginning Monday (Sept. 24, 2012). And lasting for six years. Work gets started Monday night, according to the King of Prussia office of the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, on a six-year-long project “to rebuild and improve” 1.6 miles of 422, from about a mile west of the Armand Hammer Boulevard Interchange to the Route 724 Interchange. The $73.3 million project includes replacing worn pavement and two structurally deficient bridges. The cost is being financed with 80-percent federal and 20-percent state funds. The reconstruction will start simply enough. Drivers on 422 West in Lower Pottsgrove Township will find its right lane closed nightly through Saturday (Sept. 29) from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. between the Sanatoga and 724 exits for “shoulder work,” PennDOT said. However, that’s just a sliver of the efforts planned by the agency’s contractor, J.D. Eckman Inc. of Atglen PA in Chester County. In the bigger picture, through October 2018, its crews will: - Replace bridges over the Schuylkill River, Norfolk Southern railroad spur and Norfolk Southern mainline tracks; - Replace the Armand Hammer Boulevard Bridge over Route 422; - Improve and realign the ramps at the Armand Hammer Boulevard Interchange; and - Reconstruct the Route 724 ramp to eastbound Route 422. They will also install: - Three new overhead sign structures; - Conduit for future Intelligent Transportation System equipment; - Two new traffic signals; - A wetland mitigation site; - Storm water management improvements; - New median barrier and glare screen; - New guide rails and signs; and - A multi-use trail on the bridge over the Schuylkill River. Two travel lanes will remain open in each direction on Route 422 during peak travel times when the highway is under construction, PennDOT said. There’s also more ahead, it warned. This project is the first of six to rebuild and improve seven miles of Route 422 between the Berks County line and the Sanatoga interchange over the next eight to 10 years. In a related matter, PennDOT also warned motorists on 422 East and West that, again beginning Monday and continuing through Saturday, a different contractor – Independence Constructors – will conduct bridge cleaning between the Royersford and Stowe interchanges across Limerick and Lower Pottsgrove townships and the borough of Pottstown. That work will be done during daylight hours from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Related (to U.S. Route 422 reconstruction at Armand Hammer Boulevard): - Six Years Of Route 422 Disruption Gets Started Tonight - Red Tape Stalls Repairs At 422 And Armand Hammer - State Condemning, Taking Land To Rebuild 422 Bridges - Five Township Corners Due For Curb, Signal Changes - Township Sells PennDOT Some Asphalt, Makes $20K - Report: Six Bridges In Township ‘Structurally Deficient’

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What is Mine, by Anne Holt (Original title: Det som er mitt. Published in England as Punishment .) Bibliography, Anne Holt The Hanne Wilhelmsen series - 1993 Blind gudinne - 1994 Salige er de som tørster - 1995 Demonens død - 1997 Løvens gap - 1999 Død joker - 2000 Uten ekko - 2003 Sannheten bortenfor - 2007 1222 UK: 1222 (2010) The Vik/Stubø series - 2001 Det som er mitt (What is Mine) - 2004 Det som aldri skjer (What never happens) - 2006 Presidentens valg (Madam President/Death in Oslo) - 2009 Pengemannen (Fear Not) - 1997 Mea culpa - 1998 I hjertet av VM. En fotballreise - 1999 Bernhard Pinkertons store oppdrag - 2010 Flimmer (with Even Holt) Emilie, nine years old, disappears on the way home from her school. After a search, her father finds her backpack in a deserted alley. Six days later, a little boy disappears, the five year old Kim. Then, while more children disappear, the bodies of the missing children start appearing in their family's homes with notes that say “You got what you deserved.” Only nine-year-old Emilie remains at large. There is no word of her at all, nor a returned dead body. What is Mine is the first book in Anne Holt’s series featuring a former FBI profiler - now working as an academic psychologist - Johanne Vik, and Detective Inspector Adam Stubo of the Oslo police. A serial child murderer is on the loose and Adam Stubo is in charge of the case. He has personal reasons for wanting to solve the case of the missing children: not long ago he lost his wife and only daughter in a terrible accident, and now all he has left is his young grandson. Viewing a television panel discussion of the child kidnappings, Stubo’s attention is caught by Johanne Vik. Vik's thinking differs considerably from that of the other participants, and in the middle of the discussion she walks off the set, outraged by the assumptions made by the other panelists. Adam Stubo is impressed, and decides she is the perfect foil to counterbalance the police procedures. Thus he turns to Johanne Vik for a profile of the killer. Together they race against the clock to find the kidnapper before another child turns up dead. And while the Norwegian media drum up a nation-wide witch hunt for pedophiles, Stubo and Johanna gradually uncover a quite different story – one where revenge rather than lust is the basic ingredient. What is Mine is a nicely paced crime fiction with a solid and twisting plot and interesting, well developed and well-rounded characters living complicated and demanding lives. It is very suspenseful. Adam has scars in his soul from his losses, and Johanne attempts to parent a mentally handicapped child while building a career. Vik and Stubo are a very interesting pair, coming at the problems from different angles but managing to benefit from the differences. What is Mine is a tad slow in the beginning, but quickly picks up pace. It is a very clever crime story and an interesting tale of crime and punishment. Praise for Anne Holt: “Anne Holt is the latest crime writer to reveal how truly dark it gets in Scandinavia” -- Val McDermid 1222, by Anne Holt Norwegian crime fiction writer Anne Holt has written two series of crime fiction books, one featuring Hanne Wilhelmsen, and one with psychologist and profiler Johanne Vik and her husband, Detective Inspector Adam Stubo of the Oslo police, as the main protagonists. I have always liked the Hanne Wilhelmsen series much better than the Vik/Stubo series. 1222 is the latest in the series about Hanne Wilhelmsen. Hanne is now confined to a wheel chair after being shot and paralyzed, and is even less interested in normal social interaction than before, but still sharp as a razor. She has quit her job in the Oslo police, even though she was offered a position that would accommodate her severe handicap. And now, en route to Bergen by train, she gets involved in a murder case literally by accident. A passenger train with Hanne on board crashes high up in the wintery Norwegian mountains during a terrible snow storm. It has 269 people on board. Only one is killed. The rest are successfully evacuated to a nearby hotel, Finse 1222. That is – 1222 meters above sea level – thus the title 1222. As the storm continues, the stranded passengers become totally isolated in the hotel. "1222 meters above sea level, train 601 from Oslo to Bergen careens off iced rails as the worst snowstorm in Norwegian history gathers force around it. Marooned in the high mountains with night falling and the temperature plummeting, its 269 passengers are forced to abandon their snowbound train and decamp to a centuries-old mountain hotel. They ought to be safe from the storm here, but as dawn breaks one of them will be found dead, murdered." This icy, cold setting with a raging storm is cleverly used by Anne Holt to create a kind of “closed room” murder mystery. And when people start dying – as they do – all the people in the hotel, including the staff, know that the murderer is among them. And in this special and intense situation, Hanne Wilhelmsen, who really does not want to be involved in anything outside the quiet little world she has created for herself and would prefer to wait and leave the case to the police when the storm clears, increasingly feels that she has to do something. She starts to classify the people there, to group them, and so obtain information about their movements and who they associate with. And, of course, to theorize over the possibilities – motives, opportunities, and so on. But being more or less on her own, with only a few other people to help her, and without access to modern police tools and forensic expertise, she finds it very difficult to unravel the mystery. And while she thinks, more people die. Having read all the previous Hanne Wilhelmsen novels, I enjoyed the book a lot. I think the book probably will be a little less interesting to readers who encounter Hanne for the first time in this book. As usual, the unfortunate practice of many English language publishers – to publish foreign book series completely out of order – annoys me a lot. This is actually the eighth Hanne Wilhelmsen novel, and the first to be translated into English. However, 1222 is well written, Hanne Wilhelmsen is a very interesting and intriguing character, the plot is interesting – a kind of Agatha Christie with a twist – and I feel that the book is well worth a read even by those who are new to Anne Holt and her Hanne Wilhelmsen. It is entertaining and smart – you should give this icy version of a locked-room murder mystery a try! Death in Oslo, by Anne Holt Death in Oslo is a special and very interesting crime fiction novel by Norwegian writer Anne Holt. It is a book where the author lets the first female US president, Helen Lardahl Bentley – a woman with Norwegian ancestors – be kidnapped by terrorists in Oslo. Washington D. C., January 2005, Helen Lardahl Bentley takes the oath of office as the first female president of the United States. As the crowd cheers, President Bentley is thinking, "I got away with it ... " In Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, businessman Abdallah al-Rahman is watching the inaugural event on television from his soundproof exercise room. To no one he says, "She actually thinks she got away with it!" And in Oslo, Norway, watching the televised event, Hanne Wilhemsen speculates about the new president's spotless past to her friend, former FBI profiler Johanne Vik, and muses, "But there's always something . . . some little secret . . . ." This is how Death in Oslo begins. Helen Lardahl Bentley beat George W. Bush. And she wants Norway to be the first country visits as President. Moreover, she wants to be there on the 17th of May – on the day when Norway celebrates its independence and first constitution. Both she and her advisors consider Norway to be one of the safest countries for her to visit. But soon after she arrives, she disappears – is kidnapped – in the early hours of the morning of May 17th. This has never happened before – no American President has ever been kidnapped. Death in Oslo is interesting for another reason as well. Followers of Anne Holt will know that she has written two series of crime fiction books. One of the series features the Norwegian police detective Hanne Wilhelmsen (this is the series I favor), and the other featuring the couple Johanne Vik (a profiler trained by the FBI) and her husband Adam Stubo, a detective in the Oslo police. However, in this book Anne Holt puts all her heroes in play! So, in a sense, this is a book where the two separate series intersect. The disappearance of the President forces the Norwegian police, Secret Service and FBI to work together – not, of course, without friction and differences of opinion. Can the US President really just disappear into thin air? And it soon becomes clear that the Secret Service this time has overlooked several important factors while preparing the President’s stay. And far away, in a Middle Eastern country, a man knowing about a dark secret President Bentley has been protecting for decades, has been able to successfully exploit a weakness and carry out an unprecedented act of terrorism. Working on several fronts and with huge resources, the progress in the investigation is very fast. Multiple leads are pursued. However, the leads go nowhere. The huge forces trying to locate her are left in total ignorance of the President’s whereabouts, as well as how and why she was kidnapped. And then she is found, by an ex-prostitute now working as a governess in a posh house in Oslo hearing faint cries from a closed room in a dark basement. And this is where Holt’s two heroines enter the stage – the crippled, discrete and very smart Hanne Wilhelmsen and the well-trained Johanne Vik. Two women with secrets of their own trying as hard as they can to help another woman with a secret. I enjoyed reading Death in Oslo. It is an interesting and in some ways remarkable book. The crime fiction plot rests on a couple of coincidences, but is actually quite good even so. And the writing is good, the story-telling very taut and quite convincing. Death in Oslo is a great read!

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Current Bud Damage by Carl Phetteplace, M.D., Eugene, Ore. Possibly we in the Eugene area may experience some disappointment at next year's rhododendron blooming season. There seems to be a great abundance of buds on most plants. But on picking some off and cutting them open we found what appeared to be a surprising amount of damage, evidently due to cold. Some varieties, as would be expected, show much greater damage than others. It consists of marked browning of the rachis or of a few or all of the pips, and in some instances branches and pips both are brown. Many griersonianum and all elliottii hybrids seem damaged, although 'Azor' and 'Vulcan' seem unharmed. There is little damage to Fortunei series hybrids, even including the Loderis, 'Loder's White' and the Naomi group. Most Dutch hybrids are unharmed, although I found a few damaged pips on 'Earl of Athlone'. 'Crest' and 'Jervis Bay' escaped, but a little damage was found on both 'Prelude' and 'Carita'. Externally there is nothing abnormal or unhealthy in appearance in any way. There is no foliage damage at all. This has not been an especially cold year so far, but the cold has come much earlier than usual. And it was preceded by one of the most warm and beautiful autumns, through all of October and beginning November, seen here in a great many years. It was almost the only "summer" we had in 1964. About mid-November there were some frosts, down to about 28° F. here, with some snow. About Thanksgiving there were more similar frosts. About December 20th began a series of cold days and nights with temperatures finally reaching 15° or 16° F. in my garden. None of this would ordinarily have caused bud damage. But probably many plants had not attained dormancy by mid-November following the mild fall. It is not unlikely that this damage occurred not from the colder weather in December but rather from the earlier milder November frosts. On examining these buds the damage looks older than what would have occurred only a week before from the December cold. Of course this is only an impression. It would be interesting if others, in different areas, would now examine buds in their gardens. It is possible that we may have even colder weather ahead, and yet later observations may show no additional damage has been done. If so, it will emphasize what we already know, that the circumstances preceding and attending a given degree of cold are important factors in the amount of damage (at least to buds); also that a plant of proven hardiness may for some reason be slow in becoming dormant in the fall and sustain more damage than one rated more tender but "smart" enough to become dormant in time.

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Type of Document Dissertation Author Alderman, Duane Thomas URN etd-04162000-20010029 Title A Comparison Study of the Relationships of 4/4 Block Scheduled Schools and 7-Period Traditional Scheduled Schools on the Standards of Learning Tests for Virginia Public Secondary Schools Degree Doctor of Education Department Educational Leadership and Policy Studies Advisory Committee Advisor Name Title Dawson, Christina M. Committee Co-Chair Parson, Stephen R. Committee Co-Chair Arnold, Douglas E. Committee Member Crockett, Jean B. Committee Member Cutlip, Bobbi J. Committee Member Keywords - 7-Period Traditional Scheduled Schools - Block Schedules - Standards of Learning Tests for Virginia Public - Time and Learning Date of Defense 2000-04-04 Availability unrestricted Abstract Learning in America has been restrained by time. Educators have developed a time-bound mentality and deceived themselves into believing that schools can educate all students at the same pace. Across the nation there is a growing trend toward restructuring as educators seek smaller class enrollment with more flexible use of time. Block scheduling utilizes classes organized into longer blocks of time and may be an element that meets these demands for restructuring. In Virginia, 4/4 block scheduling is the most popular (31.6%) arrangement of the school day. Advocates of 4/4 block scheduling are convinced this schedule meets students' needs. With the adoption of the new Standards of Learning Tests for Virginia Public Schools it is important for educators to determine which schedule will help students improve their test scores. There are no empirical studies on the effect of 4/4 block scheduling on these Standards of Learning Tests. This study will attempt to determine if there is a meaningful relationship between two types of schedules, the 4/4 block and 7-period traditional schedules, and student achievement on the Standards of Learning Tests for Virginia Public Schools. Filename Size Approximate Download Time (Hours:Minutes:Seconds) 28.8 Modem 56K Modem ISDN (64 Kb) ISDN (128 Kb) Higher-speed Access Document.pdf 505.39 Kb 00:02:20 00:01:12 00:01:03 00:00:31 00:00:02 If you have questions or technical problems, please Contact DLA.

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Space may be the final frontier, but human biology is the original unknown, challenging us to discover who we are and where we came from. DNA, the building block of life, contains the genetic code that informs so much of who we are. This code is written with four letters, each representing a different base. The four bases are adenine (A), which pairs with thymine (T), and cytosine (C), which pairs with guanine (G). Scientists have long known that these four letters provide the recipes for proteins, which carry out numerous bodily functions. But there are still questions to be answered, including how the 3.2 billion base pairs contained in the human genome are ordered. (The human genome is a person's entire bundle of DNA divided unevenly among 23 pairs of chromosomes.) To that end, the Human Genome Project (HGP) was launched in 1990. Some of the project's ambitious goals included: - Sequencing the entire human genome - Identifying human genes - Charting variations across human genomes - Sequencing genomes of the mouse and four other "model organisms" Run by the National Institutes of Health and the U.S. Department of Energy, the project was completed ahead of schedule in 2003. A "final" batch of results was published in 2006, but data produced by the HGP are continually examined, analyzed and occasionally revised. Theoretically, with the main goals achieved, the project is finished. Let's look at some of what we learned. Only a few years before the completion of the HGP, popular predictions stated that humans had up to 100,000 genes. But recent HGP estimates lowered that number to a more modest range of 20,000 to 25,000 [source: Human Genome Project Information]. In addition, the HGP has helped to narrow the range of possible genes and to isolate certain candidates as contributing to specific diseases. Scientists have also reassessed previous assumptions, such as the idea that genes are self-contained, discrete pieces of DNA with defined roles. That's not always the case. We now know that some multitasking genes make more than one protein; in fact, the average gene may make three proteins [source: Genome.gov]. Also, genes appear to grab genetic code from other DNA segments. Before we look closely at heredity and genes, let's stop to consider what scientists have learned about animal and other genomes. Some of these projects, such as mapping the mouse genome, were included in the original Human Genome Project and can tell us about our evolution and DNA.

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Federal employees in San Diego and Imperial counties collectively contribute more than $6 million per year to nonprofits through the Combined Federal Campaign (CFC), the nations largest workplace charity drive. The CFC, as its explained in the official video (an eight-minute Schoolhouse Rock rip-off featuring Dollar Bill and his friend Pledge Form), allows public employees to set aside money, either in donations or through payroll deductions, for a long list of preapproved nonprofit organizations. Established in 1961, its the only program authorized to solicit charitable donations in federal workplaces. Each jurisdiction appoints campaign coordinators—in Southern California, Rear Admiral Dixon Smith of the Navy and Brigadier General Vincent Coglianese of the Marines—and sets a campaign goal. This year, federal employees in the region hope to raise $6.15 million, a 2-percent uptick from last years total. More than 4,000 charities are eligible. In 2011, top organizations supported by local employees included St. Jude Childrens Research Hospital, Wounded Warrior Project, American Red Cross, American Cancer Society and American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. The campaign also includes smaller charities; of the $3.17 million in online pledges recorded so far this year, money is set aside for groups such as U.S. Chess Trust, Gluten Intolerance Group of North America and Israel Guide Dog Center for the Blind. Federal employees have also pledged money to religious causes including Christian Comics, Catholics United for Life and Mustard Seed African School Ministries. The bulk of the money comes from military personnel ($4.2 million in 2011), followed by Department of Homeland Security employees ($971,000), including Customs and Border Patrol, and U.S. Postal Service workers ($318,000). Not all departments are as generous. Of the next 25 largest local offices, the U.S. District Court, which includes judges and magistrates, had the lowest participation rate. Seven of 225 court employees contributed a combined $5,842 in 2010. No one from the court participated in 2011. The U.S. Attorneys office wasnt far behind; only 12 of 250 employees participated in 2010, contributing $5,600, and eight participated in 2011, donating $3,700. (Meanwhile, more than a hundred other local Department of Justice employees donated tens of thousands; In 2011, FBI personnel donated $21,000, DEA personnel donated $26,000 and U.S. Marshalls personnel donated $13,000.) So far this year, only five court and two U.S. Attorney employees have registered pledges online. U.S. Attorney spokesperson Kelly Thornton says many employees choose to donate their time and dollars to charitable organizations separate from the CFC opportunity. This is a highly personal decision that is entirely up to each individual employee.

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PUBLISHER : Merrill & Baker, New York, 1893-1906 Daniel David Merrill (born St. Paul October 8, 1863) with his father D. D. Merrill published textbooks for the state of Minnesota under a 17 year contract. Father entered general publishing, and in 1890 Daniel went to New York City to represent father’s firm, which failed. In 1893 he founded Merrill & Baker with brother (L. K. Merrill) and Francis E. Baker, later a U.S. Circuit Court Judge in Chicago. One of the largest subscription publishers, the firm published Ridpath's History of the United States from New York even after bankruptcy in December 1904 when the remainder of the house moved to Chicago – where Merrill died in 1906. (Tebel II, 382-3). LUCILE’s ISSUED BY Merrill & Baker: 1894 PTLA: The Lotus Classics. A Reissue in a new and attractive style of the Lotus Series. Good paper, good printing and beautiful binding in satin cloth with flat backs, gilt tops and uncut edges. / Stamped on back and side in gold and colors. 18mos. Price, 75 Cents. Known Merrill & Baker Editions: Last revised: 7 May 2015

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Patching Windows operating systems and applications is a monumental undertaking. More than 100 new vulnerabilities... By submitting your email address, you agree to receive emails regarding relevant topic offers from TechTarget and its partners. You can withdraw your consent at any time. Contact TechTarget at 275 Grove Street, Newton, MA. were recorded on average each day in 2004, making the task of acquiring, testing and deploying patches virtually a full-time job. The patch management process has to account for how and when patches will be obtained and what sort of testing will be done prior to implementing them in your Windows environment. Once that bridge has been crossed, you have to determine how to most effectively and efficiently deploy and install the patches. You have basically two choices for automating patch deployment. The patches can either be pushed from a central server out to the various client systems, or the client systems can contact the central server and pull the patches down. Which is better? Is pulling more efficient than pushing or vice versa? The answer depends on your environment. You can benefit from the advantages of pushing patches depending on how your network is configured and the robustness of your patching server and network infrastructure. Pros: Pushing patches from a central server provides more control in terms of scheduling the deployment. This way deployment won't impact the network during production hours or your ability to deploy the patch in segments or phases to different groups of machines or portions of the network, so the network bandwidth or server processor will not become saturated. Cons: In order to push the patches out to client machines, the patch server must have an up-to-date inventory or client listing. Devices that are new or may be missing from the inventory listing will be skipped and remain vulnerable even after the patch deployment is completed. In order to effectively use a push deployment system like this, some process or procedure would need to be in place to ensure devices are added to the inventory as they are deployed to the network or to perform frequent periodic updates of the inventory listing. For distributed environments, where the patch server may have to communicate across subnets and through firewalls to reach all of the client machines, establishing a deployment methodology where the clients pull from the server may be more effective. The patch server can be placed in a central location, possibly even in a DMZ where all of the client machines can reach it freely, and the clients can contact the patch server to get the patches they need. Pros: Patch management software or a logon script can be used to initiate the communication from the client machines to the patch server. Registry entries or other keys can be used to identify the clients that need patching and those that don't. Configuring the network so clients automatically connect with the patch server to determine their need for patches -- and install the necessary ones -- can be more efficient and may provide a higher deployment success rate than pushing. Cons: The down side is that using a logon script means somehow ensuring that users actually reboot or login on a regular basis to get new patches, and if all users login at the same time, the network bandwidth could be maxed out with patch installations. Push and pull tools Some patch management applications rely on one method or the other, while the better solutions, such as St. Bernard's UpdateExpert or Shavlik Technologies' HFNetChk are capable of doing either or both. You have to examine the patch deployment issue from the viewpoint of your unique network and assess the pros and cons of each deployment method to determine which one, or which combination of the two, will be most effective for your network. Networks with a lot of roaming users or computers that may be turned off may benefit more from a pull solution to ensure clients get the updates they need. About the author: Tony Bradley is a consultant and writer with a focus on network security, antivirus and incident response. He is the About.com Guide for Internet / Network Security, providing a broad range of information security tips, advice, reviews and information. Tony also contributes frequently to other industry publications. For a complete list of his freelance contributions you can visit Essential Computer Security. More information from SearchWindowsSecurity.com - Webcast: Testing patches for a speedy rollout - Tip: Teach users how to patch their own systems - Step-by-Step Guide: Patch management must-do list

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Alternative messaging evangelist and visionary Julie Hanna Farris is gung-ho about messaging on Linux and about Mozilla's Firefox browser. That doesn't mean that the Scalix founder is telling every company to dump Microsoft's messaging systems and browsers right away, but she thinks that moving in that direction is often a good idea. As she says in this interview, about 50% of Scalix's customers are dumping Exchange for Linux-based e-mail servers. In previous interviews, we've talked about companies that have moved off of Exchange on the server but keep Outlook on the client. We had quite a bit of feedback saying that companies that keep Outlook are misguided. Do you agree? Julie Hanna Farris: Changing both the desktop and server at the same time is a complex undertaking that not all customers will want to embark on. Changing a desktop platform or an e-mail client has major implications from a technology and training standpoint. Organizations have learned that they have to be thoughtful about any change that they make to the desktop, even software upgrades. For example, customers going from Outlook 2000 to Outlook 2003 face a significant user interface change and have really had to think through how they pace the upgrade, the retraining issues and the cost of that retraining. When you change the user interface for the user on the mail client you have to do that with a lot of thought and care. As a result, most customers say they want to migrate the e-mail server to Linux first. This reduces the number of independently moving parts. Scalix lets customers migrate their e-mail server to Linux, with the flexibility to migrate the client separately, if they choose. It's all about choice. For customers that want to make a wholesale move to Linux on the server and desktop, we say, 'Great!' They can do that with Novell Evolution, Mozilla Thunderbird or the POP/IMAP client of their choice. The thing that gets overlooked when people say that [dumping Exchange and keeping Outlook] is misguided, is that almost 75% of the corporate market today runs Outlook on the desktop. It's important that this doesn't become a religious debate or that adopting Linux becomes an all-or-nothing proposition. The practical reality is that most organizations will have a combination of open and closed source software, Linux, Windows and Unix, making co-existence and interoperability between these worlds critical. Speaking of choice, Scalix chose to add support of Mozilla and Mozilla Firefox to the Scalix messaging line. Why? Farris: We've continued to execute on what we call Scalix Clients of Choice, the goal of which is to offer maximum choice and flexibility; that includes choice of browser and desktop platform. As we have seen increasing customer demand for Mozilla and Firefox over the past year, we made this a focus. Interest in Mozilla and Firefox has been driven by security concerns in IE [Microsoft Internet Explorer]. Firefox is also considered to be a more user-centric in its design, with features like pop-up blocking contributing to its popularity. One of the challenges or issues you have today with a Mozilla port is that you get a degradation in functionality, in comparison with Internet Explorer, which has relegated it to 'second class citizen' status. Ensuring that Mozilla had equal footing with IE was a key design goal for Scalix. This meant delivering the same desktop-grade functionality we now provide with IE. As a result, we believe we have the most robust and richly featured Web client application running on Mozilla and Firefox today. Could you say more about that increased functionality in terms of the features that you are adding? What have you seen happening lately in terms of businesses adopting alternative messaging systems? Farris: I can speak of our experience at Scalix. Roughly 50% of our customers are migrating from Exchange. The other 50% are migrating from a variety of other systems. Many are looking to enhance basic POP/IMAP e-mail with advanced messaging, and calendaring functionality. On the client side, we are seeing a growing trend, with the majority of our customers expressing interest in deploying our Webmail client as the only client deployed for certain employees. We have been somewhat surprised by this because Webmail is typically considered a secondary, not primary, means of access. Customers are increasingly saying, 'Scalix Web Access has enough functionality that I can use it instead of my desktop mail client.' This is a growing trend because customers see Web client access as less complex and costly than maintaining desktop applications. This trend is also a testament to the desktop-grade capabilities we've developed in our Web client. All that said, it's important to keep in mind that this holds true for a segment of the user population. There are many power users that require desktop mail clients and we expect this to be the case for the foreseeable future. What are the challenges facing people who are dropping a desktop mail client? Farris: For a company considering doing that, it is important to understand the usability requirements of the employees that they are looking to move to a Web client. While the functionality in Webmail continues to increase, desktop e-mail clients still provide more features. The most significant missing functionality in Web clients today is the ability to use them in an offline mode. That's an issue for the road warrior or anyone who wants to be able to use e-mail when they're not on the network. This gap is continuing to close, however. For example, we have plans to provide offline capabilities for Scalix Web Access and expect that other e-mail vendors will be looking to do the same. In working with customers, we work hard to ensure that they are very clear about their requirements and that a Web client-only approach will meet their needs. The benefits they gain are simplification, reduced costs and greater security. For more information:

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Vulnerability Risk Assessment - June 05, 2015 A new study claims social media may be a useful indicator of vulnerability risk and lead to more accurate CVSS scores and prioritization. - May 21, 2015 A new study shows enterprises with security analytics are confident in their threat detection capabilities, while those without are overwhelmed by copious false positives and alerts. - April 28, 2015 An open source threat model is aiming to be a repository for risk assessment with the aim of allowing enterprise to focus on creating the right security controls for each business. - April 13, 2015 Experts have split opinions regarding the correct methodology for counting vulnerabilities, but all agree that focusing on numbers can mask real cybersecurity risks. - March 27, 2015 News roundup: The ban of "booth babes" at RSA Conference 2015 has been met with praise; does it equal an increase of women in infosec? Plus: Cyberthreat data-sharing bill advances; Flash flaw exploited days after patching; new twist on Google Play ... - March 23, 2015 As more devices become Internet-enabled, experts fear an embedded systems security worst-case scenario for enterprises, many of which are unaware of the risks or unable to mitigate them. - July 17, 2014 New Ponemon Institute data shows enterprise executives rarely if ever talk with their security teams, and that threat modeling may be underused. - September 03, 2013 Analysts expect security concerns to drive global risk management, but executives may need convincing. - July 19, 2013 A study by Bit9 explains just how bad the Java problem really is: The most popular version has 96 severe vulnerabilities. - March 04, 2013 At RSA 2013, experts Ed Skoudis and Johannes Ullrich explained how the SANS CyberCity supports offensive forensics and helps prevent kinetic attacks. - November 14, 2012 Red teaming assesses the security of an organization and can be a more effective way to assess the organization's security posture. - November 12, 2012 Study from vulnerability management firm Positive Technologies Security contends that 39% of systems in the U.S. and Europe are vulnerable to attack. - October 17, 2012 Zero-day exploits are typically used in targeted attacks, but public disclosure of unpatched flaws significantly increases the use of the exploits. - October 11, 2012 The Black Hole attack toolkit is fueling many of the exploits targeting the vulnerabilities, according to Microsoft. - October 10, 2012 Mobile risk management vendor Mobilisafe assesses employee smartphones and tablets for platform vulnerabilities.

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What Will the Windows 7 Logo Mean? - Mar 12, 2009 2:32 PM EST - [num] Comments Microsoft has had a series of logo programs over the years for hardware and software products to use to display compatibility and other requirements for Microsoft platforms. Recently Microsoft released a document detailing the requirements for the Windows 7 Client Software Logo (see below). Many of the requirements are security-oriented, but in general they should help a program provide a good experience. Here are some of them: - Applications must conform to the guidelines of the Anti-Spyware Coalition, an industry coalition with broad membership. "Any application found to be malware or spyware as defined by the Anti-Spyware Coalition will lose its logo eligibility and any related benefits. " - Clean, reversible installation. "A clean, reversible, installation allows users to successfully manage (deploy and remove) applications on their systems." - Digitally sign files and drivers. "All executable files must be signed with an Authenticode certificate. All kernel mode drivers installed by the application must have a Microsoft signature obtained through the WHQL (Windows Hardware Quality Labs) or DRS [I have no idea what this is] program." - Support x64 versions of Windows . "To maintain compatibility with 64-bit versions of Windows, applications must natively support 64-bit or, at a minimum, 32-bit Windows-based applications must run seamlessly on 64-bit systems." - Follow User Account Control (UAC) Guidelines. "Most applications do not require administrator privileges at run time, and should be just fine running as a standard-user." This is perhaps the most important of the guidelines. - Support Multiuser Sessions. "Application settings and data files should not persist across users. A user's privacy and preferences should be isolated to the user's session. " - Applications should take full advantage of defense mechanisms for them built into the operating system, including: - /GS Stack buffer overrun detection - /SafeSEH exception handling protection - No eXecute (NX) / Data Execution Prevention (DEP) / eXecute Disable (XD) - Address space layout randomization (ASLR) - Heap randomization - Stack randomization - Heap corruption detection If only all programs followed these guidelines! I wonder how well Microsoft's own hold up to them. The logo programs have probably lost some of their prominence in recent years and it's a shame, because these are good rules. If you restrict your system to programs like these you could feel pretty safe.

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We believe that the founder and Chairman of SOUFUN HOLDINGS LTD. ("SFUN", "SouFun" or the "Company"), which owns and operates a real estate website in China, has diverted resources from the Company for personal use through a series of questionable transactions involving high-priced New York real estate and charities of dubious authenticity. SouFun's VIE structure demands that shareholders have full faith in the integrity of the Chairman because it is he, ultimately, who owns and controls the operating business in China. We believe that SouFun's Chairman has irrevocably broken the trust of shareholders, rendering, in our view, the Company's shares only as valuable as the Chairman's apparent respect for his fiduciary duties. Please view our full report, available here. I. The Arden House - An Iconic American Mansion On November 18, 2011, the New York real estate market was abuzz over the $6.5 million sale of an iconic gilded age mansion, the Arden House, a 100,000 square foot palace with 97 guest rooms built by railroad tycoon E.H. Harriman in 1909. The Arden House is an American icon, located 40 miles from Manhattan and donated by the Harriman family to Columbia University in 1950 to serve as the home of a prestigious foreign policy study group. The Arden House's buyer of record was a New York based not-for-profit named the Research Center on Natural Conservation, Inc. ("RCNC"). According to public records, available by application to the Secretary of State of the State of New York, RCNC is controlled by SouFun's founder and Chairman, Vincent Tianquan Mo ("Chairman Mo") and his wife Jing Cao (an excerpt of the certificate of incorporation is included below). The couple formed the charity four weeks before the purchase of the landmark property. There is evidence to suggest that Company resources are used to operate (and possibly were used to purchase) the Arden House, even though the not-for-profit is ostensibly privately owned and controlled by the Chairman and his wife. Sellers Claim that the Arden House was Sold to SouFun In an article published at the time of the transaction, the real estate brokers for the sellers, Colliers International, told reporters that in the process of marketing the property they approached SouFun because the Company had recently purchased the AIG building at 72 Wall Street. "I thought this would be a perfect adjunct, as this property has 97 guest rooms and various amenities on it," said Richard Warshauer of Colliers International. The article then states that "SouFun first toyed with the idea of buying the land through an established non-profit. The company ultimately started the Research Center on Natural Conservation as its own non-profit." Another media account of the transaction states that "Richard Warshauer, senior managing director of Colliers International, who helped OSI broker the deal, said the Research Institute is part of SouFun Holdings Inc., a large China-based real estate company." There is certainly corroborating evidence to support this narrative that the Company formed RCNC to purchase the gilded age mansion with Company money. Property Registered to SouFun's US Headquarters Most notably, the deed to the Arden House, a copy of which is included on the next page, states that the registered address of the property's owner is none other than the 16th floor of the AIG building at 72 Wall Street, the building that SouFun purchased in 2011. Below is a screen shot from a property report, available on a website administered by the county of Orange in New York (click here), in which the Arden House is located. The property report, like the deed, clearly states that the owner of Arden House is located at SouFun's New York headquarters and not the registered address of RCNC (which, according to public records available by searching here is 260 Middle Neck Road in Great Neck, NY). The above property report, like the deed, clearly states that the registered owner of the Arden House abides at SouFun's New York headquarters and not the registered address of the charity. SouFun Employee Administers the Property Multiple data points show that Company resources are used in the operation and administration of the property. First, the contact email on the Arden House website is the Company email address for SouFun's employee and authorized representative in the United States, Yukui Hou: email@example.com. Company filings (excerpted below) list Yukui Hou as SouFun's authorized representative in the United States and lists him as holding power of attorney for the Company's US subsidiary, Best Work Holdings (New York) LLC. Note that the SouFun employee lists his Company email address on the Arden House website. Our investigator visited the property. At the house, our investigator encountered SouFun employee Yukui Hou, the same person who is listed on the contact page of the property website. Yukui Hou gave our investigator his SouFun email address. Where is the Charity? The Arden House is listed on the national register of historic landmarks and a deed restriction limited the sale of the property to a not-for-profit organization. Yet records indicate that RCNC has not been granted tax-exempt status by the IRS, it was set up immediately before the purchase of the Arden House and we found no evidence of any bona fide charitable (or other) operations. The IRS database of tax exempt organizations, which permits potential donors to verify whether a purported charity has been granted tax-exempt status, does not list RCNC on any of the following lists: - Organizations eligible to receive tax-deductible contributions (Pub. 78 data). - Organizations whose federal tax exemption was automatically revoked for not filing a Form 990-series return or notice for three consecutive years. - Form 990-N (e-Postcard) filers and filings. The IRS makes its list of tax-exempt organizations available to the public, so that taxpayers may "rely on this list in determining deductibility of contributions." The database is updated monthly, so if RCNC, which was formed in September 2011, was eligible to receive tax-exempt donations, it should appear on the list. [Note: The application for tax-exempt status may be delayed pending approval by the IRS. RCNC may also still be preparing to file for tax-exempt status.] Moreover, we could find no evidence that RCNC is an operating charity. It has no website (which we could find) and no records exist online (to our knowledge) of any charitable work, conferences, seminars or other activities. RCNC's Articles of Incorporation state that the purpose of the non-profit is to: "create, form and establish an organization to research innovative natural conservation methods; to hold, conduct and organize meetings, discussions and forums to consider community opinion or contemporary issues pertaining to the preservation of the environment…[and] to study the effects of global warming on the environment in the future." We can find no evidence that RCNC has conducted, since inception, any of the activities mandated by its charter. We expect serious repercussions and public outcry if (as it appears) the Chairman established a sham charity to circumvent a conservation easement protecting the land, the house and its surrounding trees. Off-Balance Sheet Purchase? We believe that the evidence supports a simple narrative: sellers approached SouFun to buy the Arden House, so management set up a cosmetic charity to purchase the property, which is registered to SouFun's NY offices and administered by the Company's US employee through his Company email address. To boot, the charity appears to be a façade as it does not appear to be currently eligible to receive tax-exempt donations. Nor is there any evidence of bona fide charitable operations. If Company funds were used to purchase and operate the Arden House, the $6.5 million purchase should appear on the Company's books in Q4 of 2011. SouFun's balance sheet reflects prior purchases such as the AIG and Hainan purchases (both discussed below). Yet looking at changes in PP&E in the 20-F filings for 2011 and 2012, there does not appear to be any room to account for the $6.5 million cash purchase of a house. This would imply that if SouFun funds were used to purchase the Arden House, the asset is being kept off the books. But even if SouFun can prove that RCNC purchased the Arden House with charitable donations from wealthy individuals (and no Company funds were misappropriated to buy the mansion), there is ample evidence to support the notion that Company resources are being used to operate the property, despite the fact that the Arden House is privately owned and controlled by the Chairman and his wife. This is a clear violation of Chairman Mo's fiduciary duties. II. No Training at 72 Wall Street? In 2011, the Company purchased another New York landmark, the AIG building at 72 Wall Street, for $60.7 million. According to the Company, it bought the building to serve as a training facility. Yet almost two years after the purchase, the building appears dilapidated and empty and according to on-site interviews, is barely in use. Missing Charitable Donations In conjunction with the purchase of the property, the Chairman established a New York based not-for-profit in May 2011, Wall Street Global Training Center ("WSGTC"), to run high-priced training courses at 72 Wall St. for Company-employees visiting from China. Publicly available IRS records suggest that either Chairman Mo made false statements to the IRS about funds received by WSGTC or that the Company made false statements in its SEC filings about the amount donated to WSGTC by SouFun. Chairman Mo can pick his poison: the IRS or SEC, but we believe that either he or the Company made false statements to a government agency. SouFun's 2011 Annual Report states that: Wall Street Global Training Center, Inc., a New York not-for-profit corporation, provided training services to us in 2011. Mr. Mo, Shan Li and Quan Zhou are directors of Wall Street Global Training Center, Inc. ...In 2011, we paid Wall Street Global Training Center, Inc. training service fees of approximately US$0.5 million. In addition, we also prepaid service fees of US$1.6 million for future services. Even though SouFun claims to have paid over $2 million to WSGTC in 2011, the following IRS record, which any investor or regulator can access through the IRS website, states unequivocally that WSGTC received less than $50,000 in 2011. The IRS defines 'gross receipts' as "the total amounts the organization received from all sources during its annual accounting period, without subtracting any costs or expenses." SouFun claims to have contributed over $2 million to WSGTC in 2011. Yet Chairman Mo's charity reported to the IRS that its gross receipts were less than $50,000 in 2011. Tax returns are filed with the IRS under penalty of perjury, and tax fraud is a felony punishable by incarceration, but Chairman Mo might find such penalties preferable to the consequences if it is shown that he is involved in diverting public-Company funds (which were ear marked for charity no less) for personal use. Empty Chairs at Empty Tables In an effort to corroborate whether the Company was running a training program at its 72 Wall Street offices, as it claims in its filings, we had consultants visit the property on two separate occasions and ask for Wall Street Global Training Center by name. On both occasions, doormen at 72 Wall St. told such consultants that they had never heard of Wall Street Global Training Center and that we must have the wrong address. The doorman also said that he was not aware of any training facility or training center in the building. According to the Company's SEC filings, SouFun prepaid $1.6 million to WSGTC so that at least 300 employees could attend training sessions (of at least one week in duration) at 72 Wall St. in 2012. Yet according to our conversations with a doorman at 72 Wall St., the building was barely in use, he had not seen anywhere close to that number of people, and there was no training facility on the premises. The doorman told our consultant that 72 Wall St was in such disrepair (elevators were broken) that it could not possibly host a training program. We encourage any investor or regulator to visit the building. The property appears empty and a big 'AIG' sign still remains prominently displayed over the front desk. When our consultants visited the site, they saw what appeared to be construction materials strewn throughout the lobby. We believe that these accounts corroborate WSGTC's IRS records and indicate that SouFun did not donate $2 million to WSGTC to conduct training courses at 72 Wall St. So where did the money go? We will leave it up to regulators with full investigative powers to find out, but we believe that the evidence points to a simple narrative: the funds were misappropriated by Chairman Mo. Wasteful or Corrupt? Ultimately, the purchase of 72 Wall St. is inherently suspicious. Why does SouFun, which operates exclusively in China, need 325,000 square feet of New York's priciest real estate to train employees who live 7,000 miles from the training facility? SEC filings state that SouFun's US subsidiaries "do not conduct any substantive operations of their own. No provision for United States income tax has been made in the financial statements as the subsidiaries in the United States have no assessable income for the three years ended December 31, 2012." If the Company does not have any meaningful US operations, why would it need a training center in the US? Moreover, if the Company wanted to set up a training center for Chinese employees, why would it need to purchase some of the most expensive real estate in the world? The AIG building at 72 Wall St. is located next to the New York headquarters of Deutsche Bank (60 Wall St.) in the heart of downtown Manhattan. AIG used 72 Wall St. as a training center. AIG at its height was the 29th largest public company in the world with 116,000 employees (an estimated half of which were located in the US). By comparison, SouFun has only 7,700 employees, all of whom are located in China. Why would it need the same amount of space to train employees as a company with 15 times as many people? So why would the Company purchase some of the world's most expensive real estate and then let the building sit idle more than 20 months after its acquisition in July 2011? At best, it looks like a giant waste of shareholder capital. At worst, the training center is simply a fig leaf disguising the fact that public funds were used to purchase expensive real estate which is now being used for some other nefarious purpose. III. The Vulnerable VIE In our full report, available here, we have uncovered what we believe to be multiple examples in which SouFun's Chairman Mo has either diverted Company resources for personal use or presided over wasteful spending that is ultimately destructive of shareholder value and not germane to SouFun's core business. In our view, regulators will likely take such claims very seriously, particularly to determine whether Company resources were diverted to purchase or operate the Arden House and to determine why Chairman Mo's Wall Street Global Training Center reported less than $50,000 in gross receipts when the Company claims it paid the not-for-profit $2 million in 2011. China bars foreigners from owning companies operating in sectors such as defense or technology, which the government deems sensitive. In order to attract foreign capital, companies such as SouFun have adopted a Variable Interest Entity (a "VIE") structure in which an offshore holding company (owned by foreign investors) forms a new subsidiary in China (a "WFOE") which has a contractual right to the economic benefits of the PRC-based operating entity (the VIE). The VIE is owned by PRC individuals, in SouFun's case, 80% by Chairman Mo and 20% by his nephew, Richard Jiangong Dai. Chairman Mo and his nephew are the authorized signatories for the operating business in China. The key risk in a VIE structure is that shareholders do not have any ownership interest in the operating business - rather they have a call option to transfer control of the operating business to its foreign owners in the event of a dispute with the Chairman - a contractual right which may be unenforceable given that Chinese law does not permit foreign entities to own PRC-based Internet companies. Even if, in a perfect world, such a right was enforceable under Chinese law, shareholders can only enforce it by prevailing in a Chinese court against rich and powerful Chinese citizens who own the operating business - which seems highly unlikely. SouFun's VIE structure therefore demands that shareholders have full faith in the integrity of the Chairman because it is he, ultimately, who controls the assets and the business. We are not aware of any foreign shareholder successfully exercising such an option to take control over an operating PRC business. By comparison, the capital markets are littered with cautionary tales of investors burned by unethical leadership in China: after management is caught breaking rules, they simply abscond with the operating business, leaving US investors with few viable remedies. Investors must therefore trust leadership completely. We believe that SouFun's Chairman has irrevocably broken the trust of shareholders, rendering, in our view, the Company's shares as valuable as the Chairman's apparent respect for his fiduciary duties. Per the Company's FY 2012 20-F, the Company booked $1.6 million in payments to WSGTC as expenses in 2012. But we know from the Company's FY 2011 20-F that it prepaid the $1.6 million in FY 2011, meaning that it should appear on the charity's gross receipts in its FY 2011 IRS tax returns. We are short SFUN. THIS RESEARCH REPORT EXPRESSES OUR OPINIONS. Use Glaucus Research Group California, LLC's research opinions at your own risk. You should do your own research and due diligence before making any investment decision with respect to the securities covered herein. This is not investment advice nor should it be construed as such. We are short SFUN and therefore stand to realize significant gains in the event that the price of the stock declines. Please refer to our full disclaimer in our report, available here. Disclosure: I am short SFUN. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it. I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article. Additional disclosure: We are short SFUN. THIS RESEARCH REPORT EXPRESSES OUR OPINIONS. Use Glaucus Research Group California, LLC’s research opinions at your own risk. You should do your own research and due diligence before making any investment decision with respect to the securities covered herein. This is not investment advice nor should it be construed as such. We are short SFUN and therefore stand to realize significant gains in the event that the price of the stock declines. Please refer to our full disclaimer in our report at glaucusresearch.com.

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One of my biggest lessons in life was when I was sitting at the black jack table in Las Vegas. It was 1988 and I was just out of college and I had around $500 in cash (or chips). I was new to blackjack and I knew enough about gambling to be dangerous. I had been sitting at the table around an hour and I was starting to lose, fast. The dealer was keeping all of the face cards and I was looking long in the face. Then I got a break - two eights - and the dealer had a ten and a five. I knew it was my turn; the book says split 'em. However, I only had around two hundred dollars left in chips. I had fifty dollar riding leaving me only one hundred and fifty dollars of cushion. I started sweating…then I heard a voice from afar say: Boy, scared money never wins. I thought to myself, "what the heck is he talking about?" I know money has no emotion, let alone the greenbacks couldn't help me win the bet. But then it hit me - The old dude was not talking about money, he was talking about me. He was suggesting that I need to trust my instinct and forget about the potential loss…just take the emotion out of the bet. So I did. I placed fifty dollars beside the eight's and the dealer split the cards. Then, the dealer tossed the next card. It was a two of spades. Then I thought, "I'm not backing down" and I doubled down. I placed two-twenty five dollar chips beside the two and waited for my card. The dealer looked at me and smiled while he tossed the card. The Queen of Hearts saved me - I was in good shape with twenty. Then the dealer threw out a nine to compliment the other eight, that's seventeen. Now, I'll admit, I was scared. I mean, I was trying to trust myself but I also knew that this could wipe me out and I would have to spend two days at the pool if I lost the bet. We all know the feeling of loss and I could not resist the thoughts of panic thinking that the dealer could draw a six (or twenty one total) and send me packing. OK, without reliving one of the biggest lessons in life, I'll tell you what happened. A King of Hearts flew from the shoe. In other words, the dealer busted. Anxiety turned to excitement. Fear turned to Fortune. I learned a valuable lesson that day - Trust yourself and nobody else. Ignore Mr. Market - Scared Money Never Wins First, let me assure you, I'm not a gambler. I like to occasionally look at a card when I'm in Las Vegas but with five kids in or preparing for college, all I can do is to "protect my principal at all costs." In fact - and we can save this for another day - I have already witnessed enough failure in life to gamble and now my DNA is wired such that my appreciation for value is hard to convey to those who have not experienced failure or who can't fully understand the reasons I no longer follow the speculative crowd. Needless to say, the scared money concept was one of the most valuable lessons in my life. There's definitely a correlation between "scared money" and Mr. Market - or commonly referred to as the "crowd." Much of what set the legendary Ben Graham apart from others was his strong conviction that just because "the crowd" was pursuing a risky strategy, it should not suggest that such a strategy was less speculative than the facts indicate. Graham explained (in The Intelligent Investor): You are neither right nor wrong because the crowd disagrees with you. You are right because the data and reasoning are right. It all boils down to trusting yourself and arriving at your conclusions based on thorough analysis of the facts. Warren Buffett described his teacher and friend, Ben Graham as follows: He was not swayed by what other people thought or how the world was feeling that day or anything of the sort. Ignore the Crowd, Focus on Fundamentals As I said, I'm not a gambler and I don't believe in market timing. As Graham said, "If an investor places his emphasis on timing, in the sense of forecasting, that person will end up as a speculator and with a speculator's financial results." Realty Income (NYSE:O) is one of my favorite REITs. I have written quite a few articles on "The Monthly Dividend Company®" and over the course of the last few years the price of the shares has gone up and down. Here's what I mean: A few months back I started a position in Realty Income and although I was looking for an attractive entry price, I was also beginning to accumulate high-quality dividend stocks that I could own for the long term. I was not interested in scooping up shares on the cheap because I was ready to put money to work and begin building a nest egg for my family. Needless to say, price is important, however, I was looking to grow a sound portfolio of reliable income. My primary objective was to make sure that Realty Income was a reliable REIT that would not let me down in good times or bad. This chart (FASTGraph) below helped me determine that: For those who use FASTGraphs, you will notice that I left the price line (the black line) off of the above chart. By doing so, I simply ignore Mr. Market and focus on earnings trends. I know that the price of the share are relevant; however, it's important to shut out "the crowd" first and build an intelligent analysis on fundamentals. Then I can decide… Most know the history of Realty Income, but for those of you new to this stock, I will provide you with a brief summary: Founded in 1969 and listed in the NYSE in 1994, today the Triple Net REIT (owns single tenant assets) has 3,866 properties in 49 states and Puerto Rico. Here's a snapshot illustrating the broad diversification: In addition to geographic diversification, Realty Income has a diverse property type allocation that includes retail (77.6%), Industrial & Distribution (11%), Office (6.3%), Agriculture (2.6%), and Manufacturing (2.5%). As of Q3-13 Realty Income has 47 Industries: Here is snapshot of Realty Income's Largest Tenants: Excluding the acquisition in January (2013) of American Realty Capital Trust (NASDAQ:ARCT), Realty Income closed around $1.37 billion year-to-date (Q3-13) that consists of 404 properties. As noted, Realty Income acquired ARCT in January at a cost of $3.2 billion. Realty Income's balance sheet is in excellent shape. The company has $4.15 billion in debt, $629 million in Preferred stock, and $8.9 billion in Common Stock. Debt metrics are solid: Debt Service Coverage is 3.5x. Fixed Charge Coverage is 2.9x. Dividend Payout Ratio is 89%. The company also has an investment grade balance sheet (BBB+ S&P). Realty Income's debt maturities are well-laddered: The company's occupancy rate has never dropped below 96% and the current occupancy is 98.1% (the highest since 2006). Realty Income generates around $805 million of recurring rental revenue and $50 million (a year) in free cash flow. As mentioned above, my decision to buy shares in Realty Income was primarily attributed to the sound fundamentals where the stalwart REIT has weathered multiple recessions and never cut a dividend. In fact, Realty Income has increased its dividend 73 times since 1994 - and every single year. The company has declared 519 consecutive monthly dividends. What Does Mr. Market Say? Much like the phrase "scared money never wins," it's now time to take the emotion out of the investment decision. In other words, we have to rely first on the fundamentals and making our selection on sound valuation methodology. As Ben Graham explained, "You are neither right nor wrong because the crowd disagrees with you. You are right because the data and reasoning are right." Realty Income should generate Funds from Operations (or FFO) of between $2.38 and $2.42 a share in 2013 - or 18% to 20%. In addition, the company has guided FFO per share of $2.53 to $2.58 per share in 2014 (5% to 8% growth). Before discussing value, let me remind you of an article that I wrote back in April. Just a few weeks before Mr. Market delivered a low blow to Realty Income shares (on May 22nd), I wrote: Realty Income's P/FFO multiple is 21.3x making the shares moderately expensive based upon the value of the company's cash distributions - or Funds from Operations - the standard metric for distributing to shareholders. It's clear that Realty Income delivers highly attractive earnings in the form of solid and consistent Funds from Operations (or FFO) and based on the highly predictable and consistent FFO growth, Mr. Market has placed a rather high multiple on the shares. So as investors were backing up the truck for income, Realty Income was "soaring to climb to such a high altitude (in price) that it may need to catch its breath." Guess what, Realty Income had the wind knocked out of its sails, literally. This chart below sums up the beating: Now let's take a look at the FASTGraph that includes the price line (in black). As you can see that the shares have returned to fair value. Zooming in, we can see that Realty Income is trading at $38.90 a share with a P/FFO multiple of 16.3x, giving investors an opportunity to "make hay while the sun is shining." I'm continuing to dollar cost average my shares. This concept of making equal purchases spread out over a longer period should prevent me from overpaying and help bring my investment to actual market levels. Arguably, Realty Income is not a "blue ship on sale"; however, I'm not going to be swayed what by Mr. Market is telling me. In fact, it only stands to reason that Mr. Market is somewhat confused in labeling Realty Income as a bond when in fact the company is growing at a steady 5% annual clip. In other words, I like the cards he is dealing me and hope they keep coming my way. As we all know, the Graham disciple waits patiently for the storm to subside, knowing that a sunnier and more plentiful time is bound, as a law of nature, to resume in due course. It's time to ignore the threat of storms (rising interest rates) and focus on the sunny day. At $38.90 a share, Realty Income brings a warm feeling - a margin of safety - that enables me to "sleep well at night" and wake up each and every day knowing that I'm building a large pile of free chips. You see, the most powerful force on the planet is called compounding and unlike the casinos in Vegas that give you free drinks, I have a more powerful potion - better than "scared many never wins" - that's called a "free share machine." I let my shares go to work each and every day and I sit back and watch the chips pile up…no fear here because scared money never wins. Check out my monthly newsletter, The Intelligent REIT Investor and my NEW 3D portfolio (coming in December). Source: SNL Financial, FAST Graphs, and Realty Income November 2013 Investor Presentation. Disclaimer: This article is intended to provide information to interested parties. As I have no knowledge of individual investor circumstances, goals, and/or portfolio concentration or diversification, readers are expected to complete their own due diligence before purchasing any stocks mentioned or recommended. Disclosure: I am long O, ARCP, GPT, CSG, ROIC, STAG, CBL, VTR, HTA, UMH, DLR. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article.

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Director’s column: 2012 in review We have learned over the years that the genetic landscape of autism is complex. The enormous diversity of RNA and protein modifications will certainly add to that complexity, as will environmental influences. But as the notable papers from 2012 show, we are, at long last, on the way. Several papers this year clarified the genetic landscape of autism. The four papers I discuss below all searched for highly penetrant de novo, or spontaneous, mutations in simplex families. Three of the four studies are based on families in the Simons Simplex Collection (SSC), funded by the Simons Foundation, SFARI.org’s parent organization. The quad structure — with samples from two unaffected parents, one child with autism and an unaffected sibling — added statistical power to the findings. Although they are individually rare, current estimates are that more than 400 ‘killer’ nonsense mutations will be found, and may account for a large fraction of all idiopathic cases of autism — those with an unknown cause. A key criterion is recurrence. The studies have identified a number of variants in multiple individuals, and the number will surely rise as researchers complete the SSC analyses and screen other cohorts for likely candidates. The first analyses of gene and protein networks point strongly to structural proteins at excitatory and inhibitory connections between neurons, to the immune system, and to chromatin structure. About 30 percent of individuals with fragile X syndrome have traits of autism. The discovery that there is a significant overlap between de novo autism risk factors and a subset of proteins that interact with FMRP — the protein missing in fragile X syndrome — is of great importance. Rare de novo variants are not the only source of genetic variation that enhances the risk of autism. In their paper, Klei et al. provided evidence that common variants that have small or negligible effect on their own may contribute to autism in 40 percent of simplex cases and more than 60 percent of multiplex families — those that have more one child with autism. The emphasis on genetics certainly does not rule out roles for environmental influences. Several observations point to an altered immune response, for example. Animal models of autism and postmortem brains of children and adults diagnosed with the disorder have been shown to have more activated astrocytes and microglia than controls do. Studies have also found altered cytokine levels in postmortem brains, cerebrospinal fluid and plasma from people with autism. In the Rett mice, the transplant improves respiratory and other symptoms, and normalizes various markers of the immune response. The treated mice also become more active and live longer than untreated mice. But how microglia — which the researchers reported as being crucial in the treatment — do their job remains unclear. In the area of therapeutics, drugs that mimic the action of gamma-aminobutyric acid, or GABA, the neurotransmitter that mediates inhibitory signaling, held center stage. It has become accepted that one correlate of autism is an imbalance between excitation and inhibition (E/I) in critical regions of the brain. Although one cannot be more precise at present, attempts are under way to manipulate this balance with drugs that enhance signaling through GABA and dampen signaling through the excitatory neurotransmitter glutamate. Arbaclofen, a GABA-B agonist, proved somewhat effective in two trials of fragile X syndrome. In the first, a double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover study of 65 individuals with the full fragile X mutation, the researchers observed “positive trends” in “multiple global measures.” Another group studied arbaclofen in mice lacking FMR1, the fragile X gene. The researchers found that arbaclofen restores protein synthesis in the mouse brains to normal levels. Most significantly, chronic administration of arbaclofen decreases the density of dendritic spines — the signal-receiving branches of neurons — in the mutant mice, but not in controls. In another elegant paper, researchers described how eliminating a gene called TAOK2 changes the shape of dendrites. This gene is present in the chromosomal region 16p11.2, which is strongly linked to autism. TAOK2 interacts with three signaling proteins, NRP1, SEMA3A and JNK. These interactions may be a major factor in setting E/I balance. Some of the first studies of mouse models and human autopsy material found evidence for altered cerebellar function in autism. A paper published this year demonstrated that the number of Purkinje cells drops by 60 percent after two months and 80 percent after four months in mouse models of tuberous sclerosis complex. The mice also show drastic alterations in the shape of the hallmark Purkinje cell dendritic tree, with reduced spine density. They have several autism-like behaviors, including lack of interest in another mouse, repetitive grooming, and more vocalizations compared with controls. Interestingly, the loss in Purkinje cells occurs long after the altered behaviors are first observed. It is encouraging that all of these symptoms can be prevented and reversed by treatment with rapamycin. Despite the marked heterogeneity of autism in the human population and in animal models, most investigators focus on mean responses. The range of responses is large, so many animals are needed. In particular, electrophysiological or functional magnetic resonance imaging recordings from the cerebral cortex are particularly variable. One important paper called attention to the possibility that the variation between cortical responses may contain significant information. By examining several sensory modalities, the researchers found that the mean responses are no different in high-functioning individuals with autism and neurotypical controls, but the variability of responses is different between the two groups. They ruled out motion artifacts with clever experiments using global responses recorded in the same regions of interest. This introduces a new, unexpected concept of an inherently ‘noisy brain’ in people with autism that must be explained and might possibly serve as a biomarker for the disorder. Assays of gene function in mouse models should perhaps examine individual variability as well as changes in mean response. The challenge for 2013 is to bring these findings in genetics, neural circuits and behaviors one step closer together, and to use all of the information to think of new approaches to therapeutics.

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K-Gr 2--Sharp color photographs and simple sentences teach children colors and some basic vocabulary from different languages. The titles all follow the same structure and use the same photographs for each object. Because an English book is also included, children can compare languages and translate with ease. Students can come to this set with no prior knowledge and interact with the texts with or without an adult. The versatility of this series makes it stand out; it's a strong fit for multi-lingual classrooms or communities. Since the main sentences are only in the title language for every volume, learners are asked to totally immerse themselves in the new vocabulary. An extensive dictionary with rough pronunciation is at the back of each foreign language book as is a note to parents and teachers that briefly explains how each language uses articles.[Page 53]. (c) Copyright 2012. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

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Ever seen your webcam light turn green for no known reason…..? The New York Times published an article recently about personal internet security, and amongst other things mentioned was putting a bit of tape over your laptop webcam in case malware switches it on, and someone spies on you. Put your hand up if you are feeling a bit nervous? I asked on Twitter the other night if anyone did this and freaked a few people out. I also did a bit of Google research when writing this blog and started feeling very uneasy. There is even a Wikipedia entry for it – called camfecting. It would appear that there are some real risks that your webcam could get hacked or some malware is activated and you may end up with someone spying on you when you have your laptop or computer on. Here are a few tips: Keep your antivirus updated Be safe on the web, especially when it comes to opening email attachments or spam Twitter DMs which say ‘OMG I just read this blog about you’ etc. Turn off your computer or shut the laptop when you are dancing naked round the lounge Always wear mascara – just in case (guys: up to you whether you want to follow this one) Watch that little green light on your laptop. Tape it up if it turns on unexpectedly. It’s the one thing hackers haven’t managed to circumvent yet.

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New skatepark planning and construction guide details every step. If you’ve been looking for detailed help on transforming an idea for a public skatepark into a finished, skateable product, a new skatepark-builders’ guide might be just the blueprint you’re looking for. Written by sculptor and skatepark designer Tony Gembeck of the a. Gembeck Studio in Minneapolis, Minnesota, The Complete Step-By-Step Guide To Concrete Skatepark Construction is an articulate 150-page volume containing detailed instructions on how to organize community members, plan a PR campaign, fund-raise, design, and construct a skatepark. It also includes sample forms and a CD ROM containing photographs of the tools and techniques described in the text. A sculptor by trade, in 1998 Gembeck volunteered to design a public skatepark in St. Helens, Oregon. Once the design was completed, he stayed on to help the park project win approval from the city government. When the city was unable to find a suitable contractor for the 12,000-square-foot facility, Gembeck was asked if he could also build the park. His crew approached the park as they would a huge outdoor sculpture: dividing it into several pieces, or phases, and built it section by section. After studying many of the standard techniques used in concrete construction, Gembeck developed many new procedures for creating elements specific to skateparks. As a result of his start-to-finish participation in the St. Helens Skatepark project, Gembeck has become an expert in all phases of skatepark development and construction. The processes and techniques he uses are detailed in his book. Gembeck’s philosophy embraces a collaborative, community approach to skatepark building, from planning through design. He believes that all the elements and ideas needed to design a great skatepark exist in every community of skaters, and that his plan can help organize and bring these ideas together. The construction section of the book then describes some of the difficulties specific to skatepark building, and Gembeck’s highly specialized system for the placement of poured concrete. The Complete Guide To Concrete Skatepark Construction was written for city planning departments, parks and recreation districts, and nonprofit organizations involved in skatepark projects. It’s also useful for contractors unfamiliar with the peculiarities of skatepark design, and individuals who wish to build a park but have no formal contractor experience. The book and CD ROM are available directly from a. Gembeck Studio for 65 dollars. Registered owners of the book are eligible for free periodic updates. Gembeck also offers seminars to skatepark groups, city officials, and contractors, as well as consulting, design, and construction services. Contact a. Gembeck Studio: P.O. Box 13149, Minneapolis, MN 55414; (612) 706-6127 ph; www.skateparkguide.com.

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Via OpenWeatherMap I learned about the OpenMeteoData.org, that has the aim to make meteorological data available for everyone. From the website: " What is OpenMeteoData? - OpenMeteoData is an non-profit organization. We aim to make meteorological data available for everyone. We are now building our own supercomputer to calculate open weather forecasts. We run the Weather Research and Forecast (WRF) model. This is state of the art numerical weather prediction tool, developed by several major universities and US governmental agencies. - In most Europeans countries, weather data is not freely available. You have to pay hundreds of thousand euros to get access to raw model outputs. Who can use the data? - Everyone. It's free. That's just like Wikipedia or OpenStreetMap. […] We plan to release all of the data under Open Database Licence (ODbL). That means the data is free, and it can be used for both personal and commercial projects. When will it be available? - If everything goes right, a first preview is expected for March 2013."

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Given the economic albatross that is flopping limply on Barack Obama's chest, I honestly do not know what a smart and effect reelection campaign would look like. I don't have to wonder what a lousy one looks like. The Administration has been trying out one theme after another. Each one seems to whimper out with Jay Carney trying to find the right words to defend it. The latest weapon to be deployed by the campaign is the "during Romney's tenure, Massachusetts ranked 47th out of all states in job creation," as Media Matters puts it. That's fair enough. One has to wonder, however, whether it occurred to someone in the campaign that this would invite the Romney campaign to compare the unemployment rate in Massachusetts during his tenure (4.7% was his best number) with the national unemployment rate now (8.2%). From U.S. News: "Only President Obama, who has failed to meet his own goal of 6 percent unemployment, would have the audacity to attack Mitt Romney's record of creating jobs," Romney spokeswoman Andrea Saul said Thursday morning. "We're happy to compare the 4.7 percent unemployment rate Mitt Romney achieved in Massachusetts to President Obama's weak record any day." The Romney campaign says his state's jobless rate fell from 5.6 percent to 4.7 percent during his governorship. The national unemployment is about 8 percent, according to the government. Who wins that one? Presidents are always hostage to events and forces beyond their control. President Reagan might deserve some credit for the booming economy in 1984, but he was lucky regarding the timing. President Bush (41) might have sailed to reelection, sparing all of us the ordeal of a stained dress, had the early nineties economic recovery come a few months earlier. It's not easy to say whether the U.S. economy would have done better if President Obama had managed to spend trillions more or (as Paul Krugman has suggested) if the Martians had invaded. If the business cycle were cycling, he ought to be in pretty good shape. A deep recession ought to be followed by a robust recovery. This one wasn't. This last week's economic reports were nothing short of dreadful. GDP growth has all but stalled. The gross domestic product for the first quarter of 2012 was revised down to 1.9 percent from the original 2.2 percent. The previous quarter saw a respectable growth rate of 3 percent; the revision means an already worrisome slowdown just worsened by about 14 percent. The anemic nature of the economic recovery, as the American Enterprise Institute's James Pethokoukis notes, can be measured by the fact that GDP growth in the past five quarters has been 0.4 percent, 1.3 percent, 1.8 percent, 3 percent and now 1.9 percent. What everyone has been focusing on is the employment picture. It isn't improving. The United States gained a net 69,000 jobs in May, for an average of 96,000 over each of the last three months. That is down from a 245,000 gain on average from December through February. The unemployment rate rose to 8.2 percent in May from 8.1 in April, though largely because more people began looking for work. And there was more bad news: job gains that had been reported in March and April were revised downward. Any hope that economic recovery would life Obama's sails is pretty much gone. It's hardly all the President's fault. He cannot fix what is wrong with Europe nor remedy the depressing news from China. He might bring the leaders of Congress together and try to hammer out some package of emergency measures. It would help if he had established strong relationships with a number of major committee chairs, but that just isn't our man. Even if he did this, it would be unlikely to help much. But at least it would look like he was attending to the public business. Instead, as the depressing jobs report hit the presses, Obama was off for six major fundraising events. Therein lies the problem. Barack Obama is superb when it comes to selling himself. It is not easy to see that he has ever been good at anything else. If he has any proposals for solving our economic and fiscal problems, he is keeping them in reserve. So here's a good joke that I saw on some web site and lost track of: What is a recession? When your neighbor loses his job. What is a depression? When you lose your job. What is a recovery? When Obama loses his job.

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Australia's political parties, with the notable exception of the Australian Democrats are famously closed institutions with most powers exercised by the party leader or (occasionally) the caucus. Our political parties are also suffering dramatic declines in membership and participation. Opening them up with a system of primaries would do a lot to cure that problem. Canadians take the principle of party democracy so seriously that there are proposals to enshrine it in law. For instance in New Brunswick, the Commission on Legislative Democracy recommended this amendment to the province's electoral act. 2.1 All of a party’s general election candidates must be endorsed by a vote of eligible party members, in a vote that is open to all eligible party members. 2.2 To be eligible for party membership, a person must meet the same eligibility requirements to vote in a provincial election. 2.3 To be eligible to vote in a leadership or nomination contest, a person must belong to the political party at least seven days prior to the nomination contest and be a member of the party at the time of the vote. 2.4 If fixed election dates are adopted, riding associations must hold a vote of their members for the purpose of choosing their general election candidate no more than 120 days prior to the date of the general election. 2.5 Parties must advertise the date, time and location of a leadership or nomination contest at least seven days prior to the closing date for eligible membership. 2.6 Parties shall not charge a membership fee greater than $5 annually. I have problems with both conventions and exhaustive ballots. In Australia, if we ever got this far, I suspect we'd go for a direct vote and use preferential voting. The electoral commission runs union elections. There's no obvious reason they cannot run party elections just as well.

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Search this site: The Readiness Project First to Finish College ALL IN for Opportunity Presidential Youth Council Top 24 Under 24 Drug Mythbusters Top 24 Under 24 Youth Changemakers KIDS COUNT Info Challenge Spark Opportunity Challenge Ask Arne, Secretary of Education Features & Blogs Fund Your Work Evaluate Your Work Find Local Media Who We Are From the Field - Early Care & Learning August 17, 2012 Grant Alert:Ronald McDonald House Children's Health Initatives Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC) supports nonprofit organizations whose programs help improve the health and well-being of children throughout the world. Grants ... August 9, 2012 Home Visiting Evidence of Effectiveness The Department of Health and Human Services launched Home Visiting Evidence of Effectiveness to conduct a thorough and transparent review of the home visiting ... August 9, 2012 Lactation Consultants Need to Diversify One obvious solution to closing the breastfeeding gap is getting more African American faces in the room who can relate to black moms, says Kimberly Seals Allers. ... August 8, 2012 National Breastfeeding Month 2012 - 20 Actions in 20 Days Campaign August is National Breast Feeding Month. August 8, 2012 Videos: Babies and the Budget In these videos, policy experts from ZERO TO THREE explore the federal budget process and cuts and what they could mean for babies. August 2, 2012 Victory! FDA Bans BPA in Baby Bottles, Sippy Cups On July 18, the US Food and Drug Administration voted to ban bisphenol A, or BPA, from baby bottles and children's sippy cups after acknowledging that it might ... August 1, 2012 Early Education for Success: Early Childhood Education's Impact on the Economy Politicians from both sides of the aisle agree: early childhood education plays a crucial role in ensuring America’s global competitiveness. Even amid ... July 20, 2012 Grant Alert: Community Grants from Build-A-Bear The Build-A-Bear Workshop Bear Hugs Foundation grant program provides direct support for children in the areas of Health and Wellness such as childhood disease ... July 17, 2012 Interactive Map of Preterm Births Born Too Soon provides comparable country-level estimates for preterm birth in 184 countries (the U.S. ranks sixth). The report shows that preterm birth rates are on ... July 16, 2012 America's Children in Brief: Key National Indicators of Well-Being 2012 The infant mortality rate, the preterm birth rate, and the adolescent birth rate all continued to decline, average mathematics scores increased for 4th and 8th ... July 9, 2012 Harnessing Technology to Support Young Families: What States Can Do A red-hot ed-tech marketplace is creating a feeling of urgency among decision makers in state agencies and local school districts – and early education is no ... July 3, 2012 Tips 4 Moms & Moms 2 Be Whether you’re an expectant parent, a health care provider, or just a friend or family member, you can sign up for accurate, timely health information for ... June 17, 2012 Alliance for a Healthier Generation The Alliance for a Healthier Generation works to address one of the nation’s leading public health threats—childhood obesity. The goal of the Alliance is ... June 14, 2012 Staffed Family Child Care Networks: A Strategy to Enhance Quality Care for Infants and Toddlers This latest resource from the ZERO TO THREE Policy Center examines how staffed family child care (FCC) networks are positioned to improve the quality of care that ... June 14, 2012 Examining How Place-Based Strategies Can Bridge Gaps in Services for Families So-called “place-based strategies” have been gaining attention for their cross-cutting approaches to delivering housing, education and health care in a ... June 1, 2012 Bilingual Stories for Young Learners: Podcast & more Grounded in research and collaboration with early childhood centers, IDRA has developed a set of supplementary curricula and illustrated bilingual big books and small ... May 30, 2012 A Developmental Approach to Child Welfare Services for Infants, Toddlers, & Their Families (Toolkit) This self-assessment tool stems from the collective vision of leading child welfare and early childhood development organizations. May 17, 2012 Strategies for Feeding Your Baby The Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institutes of Child Health and Development provides the best strategies for feeding your baby. May 16, 2012 KaBOOM!: Playgrounds that Build Communities While the nonprofit KaBOOM! helps communities build playgrounds in a matter of weeks, the impact goes beyond a healthy play space for kids. This new report finds that ... May 13, 2012 Reducing Achievement Gaps by 4th Grade: The PreK-3rd Approach in Action (Webinar Series) Privacy & Legal For the Media For children. For youth. For change. ©2015 SparkAction unless otherwise noted. SparkAction™ and "For children. For youth. For change.™" are trademarks of the Forum for Youth Investment.

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Genealogy is not a boring word anymore that’s appropriate only to your grandparents. Quite opposite of what many people might think, an interest in genealogy has not only penetrated mainstream America, but it has spread around the world. East of access is the key and organizations like Ancestry.com, FindMyPast.com and FamilySearch.org have successfully advanced research and access to online information. The North Carolina Department of Cultural Research has added their contribution to the mix by publishing some interesting hints on how to “Make History This Holiday”. “Use holiday time together to record family stories, recipes and other memories, as well as plan for summer family reunions. If there is a veteran in the family, the State Archives has a list of questions that can help the guide the interview. For more information, contact Military Archivist Sion Harrington at (919) 807-7314, or Sion.Harrington@ncdcr.gov.” If you live near Raleigh the “Government & Heritage Library at the State Library of North Carolina has an extensive Genealogy Collection. The collection contains family histories, published abstracts, periodicals, county histories and reference materials, as well as census records, an assortment of electronic databases, and vast microfilm collections. The collection is located in Archives & History/State Library building at 109 East Jones St, in downtown Raleigh. For information, call (919) 807-7430.” Additionally, some of the following online collections showcasing the history and culture of North Carolina will be of interest to everyone. They have unique and valuable holdings that are easily accessible at the North Carolina Digital Repository The collection includes: - Views from Variety Vacationland: - An Era of Progress and Promise, 1863-1910 - N.C. Census Data: 1960-1980 - N.C. Family Records Online - N.C. Government Web Site Archives - N.C. Historic Health Collections - N.C. MOSAIC - North Carolina Awards - Transforming the Tar Heel State - The Legacy of N.C. Public Libraries Definitely worth a look and an interesting site for everyone to visit. Certainly a great site for people with ancestors in North Carolina who’d like to learn something about how they lived and the social history of the state. Click on the link view all the online collections. The N.C. Museum of History, in downtown Raleigh is a great place to visit and will continue its exhibit “Discover the Real George Washington: New Views From Mount Vernon,” which is part of a three-year national tour. Approximately 100 objects associated with Washington are featured in this exhibition on view through Jan. 21, 2011. The N.C. Museum of History is the only venue in the Southeast on the exhibition’s tour. If you’d like to visit the museum online click on North Carolina Museum of History.

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Apparently, this user prefers to keep an air of mystery about them. 103 Ruby on Rails: Where to define global constants? nov 5 '10 6 MATLAB Environment Tweaks oct 15 '08 5 CSS: Make one central div's height expand to fill what's left in a FIXED-HEIGHT container jan 10 '11 5 rake assets:precompile:nodigest in Rails 4 sep 25 '14 3 I created a scaffold in rails called Cove. In the controller, the instance variable is automatically named @cofe. Why is that happening? jan 21 '11 2 Problem in SQLite3 installation sep 23 '10

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Tuesday, March 18, 2008 Skin Deep Art When I was a teenager, we used to write things on our skin with tape and then lie in the sun so that the taped area would remain lighter than the surrounding suntan. What a great way to protest war or advertise our favorite musicians ...or boyfriends. ;-) Along those lines, Ariana Page Russell does her own method of skin art. She suffers from a condition known as dermatographia. When her skin is lightly scratched welts appear. She draws various patterns on her body and then takes pictures of herself, thus works of art are born. She said that she was inspired by her skin condition and the fact that she had no control over her body’s reaction to scratching. Rather than feel sorry for her sensitive skin, Ms. Russell has taken control and used her liability to create an asset. This, and similar photos, have been selling around the country recently for upwards of $4,500. Tattoo artists use the skin as a canvas, but their artwork is permanent. Scarification is another form of skin art that requires no ink but is also permanent. Perhaps the best part of Ariana Page Russell’s artwork is that the effect on her body is temporary and the photographs beyond the duration of the welts. "Each body becomes an index of passing time. Bones shift, muscles loosen, freckles and wrinkles form, bruises appear; skin is the forum for these transitions. It may also evidence sensitivity, embarrassment, discomfort, fear, excitement, infection, health, attraction, and energy expended—reflecting vulnerability and conditions we’ve inhabited." "My own skin frequently blushes and swells. I have dermatographia, a condition in which one’s immune system exhibits hypersensitivity, via skin, that releases excessive amounts of histamine, causing capillaries to dilate and welts to appear (lasting about thirty minutes) when the skin’s surface is lightly scratched. This allows me to painlessly draw patterns and words on my skin, which I then photograph." "I also make wallpaper with photographs of my skin cut into various designs. The patterns I use range from adaptations of Greek and Etruscan vases, Medieval wall coverings, and Renaissance pottery to contemporary clothing and wallpaper found in domestic spaces. Cut c-prints (of skin) mounted to wall Attached to the wall or onto board, these skin designs form shifting crimson patterns embellishing the surfaces. Recently I’ve turned some of the patterns made from photographs of skin into temporary tattoos, adorning my skin with the translucent designs. C-prints, temporary tattoos, skin These tattoo designs cover me like clothing, an intimate fashion. They also go on the wall or window after they’ve made contact with my skin, leaving traces of cells and hair, and holding a record of skin’s map. I share these designs with my surroundings." "I am investigating where one surface ends and another begins, the bloom of adornment, and how shifting exteriors reveal as they conceal." About her exhibition entitled, "Leather and Lace", Ariana writes: "Leather and Lace is a collaboration with my studio mate Allison Manch. Allison embroiders music and pop culture references on vintage handkerchiefs, and I work with photographs of skin. Temporary tattoos became the intersection of our work. Utilizing embroidered images and text, along with my photographed skin wallpaper designs, we printed our own temporary tattoos. Our mutual admiration for Siouxsie Sioux, Kate Bush, Debbie Harry, and Stevie Nicks inspired us to use imagery and lyrics referencing the singers’ styles. Assuming the style and dress of these icons, we turned the resulting photographs into temporary tattoos as well. This series is an exploration of surface—skin, fabric, and image." - ► 2010 (21) - ► 2009 (56) - Magic with a Flatbed Scanner - and winner of FREE ... - FOOOOOOD ART!!!! - Stephanie Metz – Never Felt Better! - Carol Hummel – Embellishing Nature - Tracy Broback - Many Irons in an Artful Fire - Mars Tokyo -A Universe of Fantastic Art - Jacqueline Iskander - Mosaics with Meaning - Organizing Your Art Space by Stacy Alexander - Goldsworthy - Rock of Ages...and eggs. - Len Cowgill - Containment Beyond Assemblage - Look at that Art Car go! - Got art? Look no further....than your coffee cup!... - Vincent Floderer - King of Crimp - Skin Deep Art - I'm your Steampunk, baby! - Christine Brallier - Mosaic Life Force - Elayne Goodman - Trash to Treasure - Tutorial - Record Bowl & Handy Screen Printing - Arlene Elizabeth - Peace maker - Dorothy "Dot" Edwards - SPARKLES! - Lynn Leahy - Reverse Glass Painting - Tiona Marco - What Color Crayon Are You? - How do you spell Graffiti? A-R-T-C-R-I-M-E - Laurie Mika - Expressive Mosaics...and everything ... - Madeleine Boulesteix - Just my cup of tea! - Berta Sergeant - Northwest Mosaics - Delaine Hackney - Mosaic Artist - Star Fishing - ▼ March (29)

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On 06 Jun 1683, Jean Baptiste Gamache, son of Nicolas Gamache and Élisabeth Ursule Gamache, was born. He was baptized in the Parish of Cap St. Ignace, New France on 24 Jun 1682. The Birth and Baptismal Record of Jean Baptiste Gamache – 1682 SOURCE: Gabriel Drouin, comp. Drouin Collection. Montréal, Québec, Canada: Institut Généalogique Drouin. Parish of Cap St. Ignace, New France, 1682. Birth and Baptismal Record of Jean Baptiste Gamache, Back of Folio 3, Bat. Click on the image above to enlarge it. Click on the link for a PDF copy of the Birth and Baptismal Record of Jean Baptiste Gamache – 1682. Translated from the French the record reads: Bap[tism] of Jean Baptiste Gamache 1682 On the twenty fourth day of the month of June in the year one thousand six hundred eighty two was baptized in the Seigneury of Vincelotte by me, Morel, missionary priest of the Seminary in Québec, serving the function of pastor of this place and others surrounding. Jean Baptiste, son of Nicolas Gamache and Ursule Cloutier his wife, born on the sixth of the same month and year. The Godfather was Louis Gagnier and the Godmother was Antionette Grenier, wife of Jacques Bernier, who have declared that they are not able to sign as required by law. [signed] Thomas Morel, priest This record can be found as image 4/948 in the Québec Vital Records (Drouin Collection), 1621-1967 on Ancestry.com in the records for Cap St. Ignace 1679-1808. The record appears on the back of folio 3. This child was not baptized until more than two weeks had passed since his birth. Since it appears that the Seigneurie de Vincelotte did not have its own pastor at the time, perhaps the family simply had to wait until the priest returned to their location. Indeed, from the entries in the parish register, it appears that the priest was absent from the Seigneurie de Vincelotte between 07 Jun and 23 Jun 1682, since no baptisms, marriages, or deaths were recorded there during that period of time. UPDATE 08 Mar 2008: Gilles, The Nomadic Researcher has come to my aid once again. I had trouble with a passage in this record that described the priest who baptized Jean Baptiste Gamache. Gilles wrote to say that the phrase, in French, is “aux dits lieux et autres circonvoisins”, translated as “of this place and others surrounding”. Thanks, Gilles! Copyright © 2008 by Stephen J. Danko

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The Oxford English Dictionary defines courage as: The ability to do something that frightens one; bravery; strength in the face of pain or grief. I define bravery as this girl: About six months ago, Libby started having daily migraines. She's had migraines for years and years - she was diagnosed with them at the same time she was diagnosed with epilepsy - right before she started kindergarten. But suddenly, they were daily and she was miserable, plus missing a lot of school. We have always shied away from giving her prescription migraine meds because it's very tricky to manage other meds on top of the daily anticonvulsants that she takes. But we had to do something. So we tried two different migraine prescriptions over the next couple of months. But they either made her very dizzy or increased the severity of her headaches. So much so that she couldn't go to school for more than half a day at a time or not at all. So we stopped taking both of those meds and were back to square one. And then about three months ago, on top of the migraines, she started having severe side effects to her epilepsy meds. So then the goal changed all together. Her body was no longer coping with the med that has been a life-saver for the past 4 1/2 years and we had to find a new one. The new goal was to find an anticonvsulant that would help with the migraines as well as eliminating the side effects of the one she had been on for nearly five years. But she couldn't just stop taking anticonvulsants and switch to a new med. Anticonvulsants have to be titrated over a six-week schedule so that she wouldn't have break-through seizures. So the first step was to start adding low doses of the new med to the current med. And it was a disaster. We never got past that first step because her side effects intensified tremendously and it became an emergency situation that required us to get her off of all meds as fast as it was safe to do so. Which brought a lot more problems - more migraines, dizziness, and a lot of general weakness. And through it all, we held our breath waiting to see if she was going to start having seizures. And she didn't. For close to a month. She wasn't at school every day but she was keeping up with her school work and managing the headaches and weakness. Until a month ago when I got a call from her school saying that the right side of her face was drooping. I raced to school and we ended up calling 911 as the numbness extended down her entire right side. After recovering and then having it happen again while still in the ER, she was admitted to the hospital for two days. The good news is that the MRI, EEG, and CT scan were all normal. The bad news is that we weren't any closer to figuring out what had caused the entire right side of her body to become numb and weak. At this point, we were guessing that she was having partial seizures or complex migraines and decided to increase her meds slowly. We were hoping to find a sweet spot - that perfect dosage of meds that would stop the seizures and migraines but not cause side effects. And that's where we're still at today - looking for that sweet spot. It's been a month and she's experiencing loss of feeling and numbness on her right side 2 - 4 times a day, sometimes so much so that she can't walk well because she can't feel her right leg. Her right eyelid and the right side of her mouth droop at times. The current theory is that these are simple partial seizures. She's also had two grand mal seizures and I know it seems crazy, but we're used to those and can handle them. But these partial seizures every single day are rendering her incapable of getting through school and are stopping her from doing many things that she'd like to do and going many places that she'd like to go. We don't have any answers yet but we at least have a plan. She's currently in the middle of a 24-hour EEG in hopes that we'll catch some of the seizures and determine whether they really are simple partial seizures or whether they are a type of migraine. And then this summer, we'll head down to Indianapolis to the children's hospital to meet with pediatric neurologists who will work with her regular neurologist to find a way to treat her. I wrote all of this out today partially to update all the family members and friends who have emailed and sent messages and I haven't replied to. It's overwhelming to talk about. And I hate talking about it in front of her all the time. Plus, writing it all out helps me remember it all. So much has happened that my memory and the order of events becomes hazier each day. But the real reason that I decided to write it all out is because I am awed by Libby's strength. If courage is really defined as "the ability to do something that frightens one; bravery; strength in the face of pain or grief," then Libby is the poster child of courage. She never tries to get out of going to school. She gets up every morning and gets ready to go. Some days she makes it and some days she doesn't. But she tries to go to school every single day knowing that she'll have seizures, knowing that she'll endure the funny looks and the questions from catty middle-school girls, and knowing that she may have to physically hold her face up in class through weakness and migraine pain. She just keeps going. I can't imagine the kind of strength she has that allows her to do that. She humbles me every single day. She is the definition of courage.

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Dubbed Pokedan Monsters (yes, really), the social game features over 1,000 monsters, monster rearing, and monster battles. Sound familiar? If the title was not enough, the art style and monsters resemble Pokémon. Pocket Monsters has inspired many games, anime, and manga, but Pokedan is so blunt about where it's drawing from, leading many online in Japan to wonder if this mobile phone game wasn't crossing the line? Starting this week, Pokedan Monsters is available via Gree in Japan. And next week? Well, I guess that's up to the Pokémon attorneys. よくわかる 『ソウルキャリバー』 ４ → ５ への進化 [オレ的ゲーム速報] There are 64 volumes of popular Japanese manga One Piece. Each copy is about half an inch thick and weighs 5.30 ounces. All 64 volumes stacked are over three feet high and weigh nearly 22 pounds. You'd be insane to try to steal all 64 volumes at once. But that's exactly what one man did. One evening on Dec. 23 last year, a 26-year-old man entered a Shizuoka Prefecture bookstore, carrying a large travel bag over his shoulder, reported the Yomiuri Shimbun. The two clerks working at the time thought he seemed suspicious, but, being a national holiday, the store was busy and packed with shoppers. It was until the next morning that the staff noticed the damage: One Piece vol. 1 to vol. 64 were systematically swiped from the shelves. The staff checked the security camera, discovering the 26-year-old man filling his bag with the One Piece manga ten volumes at a time. The footage then showed him leaving the shop in a hurry, comics in tow. The police were able to track the man down. On Jan. 17, he was arrested for shoplifting. "I was planning to re-sell them", the young man apparently told the police. According to authorities, the value of all 64 volumes is the equivalent of ¥26,000 (US$340) retail. Used book stores would pay around ¥23,000 (US$300) for them. "Even at a used bookstore, these could be sold quickly," explained a book retailer in Shizuoka City. "They're good as new, and even if the used book shop paid nearly full price, it would still turn a profit." Moreover, One Piece is the biggest manga in Japan at the moment, which not only makes it an easy sell, but an easy target. At this same bookshop, copies of Hunter x Hunter as well as other comics were stolen during mid-December. Police are investigating whether this 26-year-old is behind those incidents. While many items at "recycle shops" are sold by individuals who purchased them legally, it's not uncommon for stolen comic books an video games often end up on shelves—much like stolen items end up at pawn shops in the West. But here, the heist wasn't diamonds or stereo equipment, but comic books. As has been expected for a while now, Sir Howard Stringer's replacement as President and CEO of Sony Corporation when he steps down in June will be Kaz Hirai, a long-time champion of the company's PlayStation brand. Sony officially announced the move tonight, with Hirai's promotion to come in April (Stringer will remain as executive chairman until his departure in June) . The former head of Sony's PlayStation division, Hirai has been credited with running one of Sony's few profitable operations, the PlayStation brand having clawed its way back into the console market (both in terms of market share and profitability) following a disastrous launch. Stringer, and Sony's shareholders, will be hoping he can do the same for the company at large, which has struggled in recent years thanks to a lack of innovation and the punishing strength of the Yen relative to the US Dollar. Sony Promotes Hirai to President [Wall Street Journal] If you're wondering what the text says, it's "Super Mario". スーパーマリオ [Olly Moss] Remember Pokémon: Type Wild, the fan-made fighting game that took Pocket Monsters and made a 2D fighter for them? Here's some more gameplay footage. This looks...well, it looks amazing. I would not expect an actual Nintendo product to look this slick. The game isn't quite finished, but it is playable, so if you want to give it a try, check out the instructions here. Peter König is a concept art legend. Over the past quarter of a century his creature designs, sculptures and animation work have been featured in blockbuster hits like Jurassic Park, Starship Troopers and Cloverfield. Which is all well and good, but he's also spent the last four years working as a concept artist, modeller and texture artist at Valve, where he's lent his talents to the Left 4 Dead series, Portal 2 and DOTA 2. While there sadly aren't any images from Portal, and only one from DOTA 2, König's Left 4 Dead stuff is a treasure trove of the walking dead, rotting flesh and rejected designs for special infected that involved shooting rats out of a zombie's stomach. You can see a nice collection of König's body of work, both in games and cinema, at his personal site. Which is good news, because $15 for three slices would be a rip-off if they were new. GameStop selling used... WHAT? [Reddit]

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El Fideo is a character shown in the Street Fighter Animated Series. He appears in the episode "Getting to Guile", where he made a deal with Chun-Li to give her information in exchange for beating his best men in a street fight. He also had Ryu and Ken sent to get him a map to the pharaoh's tomb for money, but the deal likely didn't go through, since Ryu and Ken were sent with the rest of the Street Fighters to save Guile. - Scott McNeil (cartoon) (English) - He is possibly Mexican since his name has El in the beginning. - El Fideo means "The noodle" in Spanish.

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Image above: Denarau, Nadi. This area hosts the most upscale hotels on a single beach front (Upper left:Regent of Fiji, On the point: Sheraton Fiji, Far right: Soffitel Fiji). For certain these businesses will be affected by the proposed Qoliqoli legislations. Above image: Soffitel Resort, Denarau, Nadi. Interesting perspective from the Fiji Hotel Association C.E.O, an indigenous woman in her own right and wife of Fiji's Ministry of Home Affairs C.E.O, Lesi Korovavala. Defining the ‘Vanua’ Fiji Daily Post 6-Sep-2006 Closing remarks of Fiji Islands Hotel and Tourism Association CEO, Mereani Korovavala to the Joint Sector Standing Committee on Natural Resources and Economic Services on the Qoliqoli Bill. The Fijian definition of the vanua is that it is the combination of the people and the land. Land includes qoliqoli. The people derive their identity and spirit from the vanua and vice versa. The level of interaction between and within each strata of the social structure, through the use of the land expresses the individual and tribes’ sense of affinity, communication and relations. Removing the vanua from the people and vice versa, or splitting the vanua from established roles of each clan, and their role to the Chieftain household, strips both from their sense of being and identity. The qoliqoli as treated in this bill has been removed from this definition of vanua, as a separate base with its own raison d’eter and source of power. This is a serious caving in and/or splitting of the foundation of the identity and spirit of the Fijian people. Accordingly the gonedau or fisher clan has been treated as a separate vanua. The according of a separate lease for the qoliqoli demonstrates this separation. Ownership and Stability It is assumed that when legal authority is added to the base of Fijian legitimacy, ownership is both clarified and strengthened. This is a myth. For a chieftain system that is maintained through a combination of primogeniture and consensus, the introduction of the legal dimension correspondingly introduces a component that is foreign to the established chieftain succession formula. The bill is relatively straightforward and easily managed when tenants are non-Fijians. When Fijians become tenants, and more importantly when individuals from the same vanua are lessees, the situation is significantly different from what is at present. The bill proposes the addition of the Fisheries Commission to the decision making machinery of so-called owners. Instead of the ownership being clarified, it is instead complicated further into a triumvirate. This is a construction that retards efficient decision making, let alone confusing the idea of Fijian ownership. From this complexity, it is clear that the majority of ruling (adjudication) will become the sole prerogative of the Courts. The consequential question therefore is ‘who is the owner?’ It therefore becomes a question of who affords the best lawyers available. The outcome of that path is tacitly understood. There will be a temptation, particularly from the NLTB standpoint, that qoliqoli be treated in the same way as land. Where the qoliqoli will be treated as kovukovu or sub-divided into mataqali and even tokatoka lots. This is even more precarious for the basis of Fijian traditional power structure as the qoliqoli is the remaining vestige of communal ownership where the chieftain and the yavusa, mataqali and tokatoka conjointly share ownership, under the paramount chief of the vanua. Kovukovu will erode whatever is left of the Fijian chieftain authority in a real and practical sense. When the chieftain authority is neutralised in a structural sense as this, the connectivity of the different clans in the Fijian social structure is lost, as they are only connected at the top. The kovukovu formula will replicate the same problems we are facing to date in the leasing arrangement, through the NLTB. Kovukovu will split the Fijian social structure, erode further chieftain authority and compound the same difficulties that current lessees are facing with new ones. The revenue derived from this sub-division cannot be equated with the cost to the Fijians as a race, in the long term. The failure of the proper management of the proceeds from the leases of these resources by those responsible has been a cause of consistent tension. Using the NLTB formula of kovukovu under the Native Reserve Commission compounds existing difficulties. The Government can extend ownership in the manner of the Qoliqoli Bill to underground and air space resources, but if the management of proceeds is not reviewed no amount of revenue will please the resource owners. The manner, with which proceeds are managed on their behalf, either promotes or ridicules their integrity and dignity as owners. To turn these resources into money making endeavours per se without meaningful participation in development and active involvement in business reduces Fijian ownership and mana to timidity. When these happen the owners turn on the tenants. Mobilising support and unity is usually forthcoming in a situation of vagueness and confusion. The moment clarity is achieved, the sense of unity and solidarity that had existed during the search for that clarity and perceived status, disappears almost instantly. Again, the sanctioning provisions of the bill will neutralise the very same idea of ownership and control that the bill had intended to realise for the Fijians. By implication, the Courts have become the new owner. Control and Stewardship The bill as Fijians interpret is supposed to enhance their control over their resources. As has been indicated, that status of ownership is a shared one, where the ultimate decision making rests with the Courts. There is a fundamental responsibility of stewardship inherent in the status of the owner. The fact that ownership is unclear, or at best, a shared one with the Courts as the final decision maker, renders the responsibility of stewardship as was supposed to be the expression of status and authority is under serious threat. The Government’s 2020 Vision document for Fijians and Rotumans has a number of objectives. The sum total of these objectives is to raise the level of participation of Fijians and Rotumans, in economic activities of the country to a level that corresponds with their ownership of resources. The vigorous pursuing of those objectives means, that we should expect an unprecedented level of tensions among Fijians in particular, from promulgation date. In sum the bill in its current form, is likely to neutralise the very same objectives it had set out to promote. Instead the bill should endeavour to achieve a state of balance (equilibrium) where absolute ideas that aggravates gulfs and frictions between groups, sectors and even intra-communities should be re-tuned, to one that embraces complimentarity. Fijians and Rotumans cannot achieve the objectives of the 2020 Vision on their own. They need investors and others in a complimentary setting. The application of the idea of substitution in this case, has not catered for the misfit between the scenarios explained earlier. There is the false assumption that the Qoliqoli Bill will strengthen, or even replace, lost status and authority of the owners. On the one hand, we are talking about strengthening the status and authority of the Fijians and Rotumans, on the other, legislating it in this manner, splits and reduces that authority from the paramount chiefs to the mataqali and tokatoka. Vanua Chieftains are therefore mere figure heads. The dilution of the Bose Vanua illustrates this, in the current set up. The bill is therefore desiring one thing and moving in the opposite direction. As can be seen, this cannot and will not, give certainty to the desired goals of the Fijians and Rotumans in eternity. It is apparent that the Qoliqoli Bill in its current form needs to be re-worked in a lot of ways to avoid the outcomes stated in this paper. Ultimately, the base ideas that caused the creation of this bill are thin. I now leave these thoughts with you for your consideration. As a joint team of the Fiji Islands Hotel & Tourism Association, Tourism Resource Owners Association and Retailers Association - promoting the best interests of Fiji through tourism with you, our ruling Government, we find ourselves ‘between a rock and a hard place’. However, to ignore them, is to approach the future at our own, but known costs. Fiji Indigenous Owners Rights Association has vowed to seek legal redress on the matter. Here is the interview(WAX). Club Em Designs

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en

The Argentine currency is the peso ($). There are $ 100, $ 50, $ 20, $ 10, $ 5 and $ 2 notes, varying in color, and 1, 0.50, 0.25, 0.10 and 0.05 cent coins. ATM machines are plentiful in Buenos Aires and using your ATM card will generally give you the best exchange rate available. Check with your bank beforehand to find out how much you will be charged each time you make a withdrawal. In addition to bringing an ATM card to obtain cash, it is smart to bring a credit card as well. Hospitals often require a credit card number to treat students. In addition, many hotels will require a credit card number in order to make a reservation. For this reason, ISA highly recommends that you be sure to bring a credit card for medical emergencies. What is the Argentine peso worth compared to the dollar? With the peso in constant flux, please see www.oanda.com for up-to-date exchange rates. While traveling, it may be helpful to carry a portable currency converter, which can be purchased at most travel stores. Cost of Living The cost of living in Buenos Aires, in general, is comparable to the cost of living the a metropolitan city in the United States. This can seem expensive in comparison to other Latin American countries; however there are many ways to live comfortably on a budget if you pay attention to what you spend and look out for the countless deals and events offered throughout the city. Please keep in mind that some students spend less and others more. On Thursdays or Fridays make sure that you have enough cash to get you through the weekend, and always go to the bank at least one day before going on an excursion. When budgeting, keep in mind that it is always better to overestimate than to underestimate. To give you an idea of common approximate expenses and commodities a typical student will incur, please see the brief list below (all costs are in US dollars): Additional Estimated Expenses The ISA program cost includes items such as tuition and fees, housing, insurance, and more. To view what is included in your program price, please visit the What's Included section of the ISA Buenos Aires program page. The Additional Estimated Expenses sheet in the Accepted Students section of the ISA website has the following estimated expenses listed: The ISIC card is an internationally recognized student ID card that gives students thousands of discounts worldwide from travel to cinema, meals and more. ISA students traveling to any region worldwide, who purchases a flight through STA, are eligible to receive an ISIC card.

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en

Is global warming the knockout punch? FRISCO — After watching Amazon forests change for decades, a team of researchers say the region is under the gun from multiple threats that threaten to deliver a knockout punch. The 35-year study focused on how diverse communities of trees and vines respond when the Amazonian rainforest is fragmented by cattle ranching. “Lots of trees have died while vines, which favour disturbed forests, proliferate rapidly,” said Jose Luis Camargo of Brazil’s National Institute for Amazonian Research, explaining how the team documented the rapid changes. But the biggest surprise is that nearby undisturbed forests, which were also being carefully studied, changed as well. Trees there grew and died faster, and the vines also multiplied. “These changes might be driven by increasing carbon dioxide in the atmosphere,” said Thomas Lovejoy of George Mason University in Virginia, USA, who initiated the long-term study. “Plants use carbon dioxide for photosynthesis and when it increases, the forest evidently becomes more unstable and dynamic, as long as the soils have enough nutrients.” The investigators say a key implication is that many forests are being affected not only by land-use changes such as habitat fragmentation, but also by global-scale changes such as rising carbon dioxide and climate change. In some cases different drivers reinforce one another, increasing their impacts on forests. “A big implication is that it’s going to be harder to predict future changes to ecosystems if they’re being affected by several environmental drivers,” said Lovejoy. The researchers expect such changes to increase in the future. “Humans continue to dump billions of tons of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere every year, and it’s evidently affecting even the remotest forests on Earth,” said lead author William Laurance of James Cook University in Cairns, Australia.

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http://summitcountyvoice.com/2014/06/06/study-shows-flurry-of-threats-to-rainforests/

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en

The way wireless carriers handle data traffic in the future may change with a device Alcatel-Lucent announced yesterday. (Bell labs is owned by the French company). The 9900 Wireless Network Guardian measures how different kinds of traffic tax a wireless network. This may lead to new price structures for the various types of data that travel over networks in the future, or how that traffic is directed. Currently, carriers focus on the amount of data their subscribers download and price plans accordingly. Most providers charge by the kilobyte or allow subscribers to download a certain number of gigabytes a month. Certain data-intensive applications may be banned altogether. “These pricing plans are a reflection of the fact that they don’t have an insight into what’s happening on the network,” said Michael Schabel, general manager at Alcatel-Lucent Ventures in Murray Hill, N.J. That’s because the strains data subscribers place on the wireless network don’t match the amount of data they download, Schabel said. This new technology will tell carriers that some types of traffic, like e-mail or instant messaging, take up to 1,000 times more air time as file downloads do. “If I look at mobile e-mail, one megabyte takes two hours of air time,” he said, because the mobile network needs to repeatedly set up and tear down the connection. In comparison, Schabel estimates a 1-megabyte file from peer-to-peer file-sharing takes about 30 seconds to download. Employees who connect to their company intranets via virtual private networking (VPN) consume large amounts of air time, even if they aren’t sending or receiving any data. This is because VPN software maintains a “heartbeat” that keeps the connection open. Alcatel-Lucent’s new device isn’t set up to connect to billing systems. It will primarily be used as a tool to help carriers figure out how to deal with data usage, and to build on existing systems that prioritize data traffic to avoid congestion.

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http://techcrunch.com/2008/03/11/bell-labs-device-to-help-analyze-cell-data-traffic/

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en

Every year the World Economic Forum picks a number of up-and-coming technology startups from around the world and dubs them Technology Pioneers. Past members of this club include Google, Mozilla, Mint, Etsy, Twitter, Amiando, Playfish, Obopay, CloudFlare, Palantir, Kickstarter and Brightcove. Today, The World Economic Forum announced 23 new members of the 2013 class of Technology Pioneers, who will be honored at a conference in China in September. This year’s group includes, AlienVault, Anhui LIGOO New Energy Technology, Azuri Technologies, Coulomb Technologies, Enphase Energy, Ingenuity Systems, LanzaTech, Liquid Robotics, Lookout Mobile Security, MC10, Mind Candy, PassivSystems, Practice Fusion, PrimeSense, Promethean Power Systems, RightScale, shopkick, SoundCloud, Tobii Technology, Transphorm, va-Q-tec, Vidyo and Voltea. According to the organization, Technology Pioneers are chosen on the basis how innovative a company is, the potential impact on society, growth and sustainability, proof of concept, leadership and more. Since the World Economic Forum launched the program in 2000, there have been 500 selected as Technology Pioneers. Among them, about 75% are still independent and 25% have been acquired by industry leaders.

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en

If there’s one thing that’s for certain, it’s that the Japanese love their wacky vending machines. Whether they’re doling out bananas, crabs or making ice cream sundaes, they always seem to have a trick up their sleeves. But this machine just makes hot beverages like tea and coffee. So what’s the big deal? Well, like a fine barista, this one can make a little design in the foamy top of your cappuccino. This special vending machine uses drips of coffee poured carefully through milk to form a face on the top of your hot beverage. In this particular case, it makes the face of a woman, floating in your foamy cuppa cappu. Apparently, that’s a pattern that Yojiya Cafe teaches its human baristas to make too. Here’s a video clip of the machine working it’s magic. Trust me when I say that since it does all of its tricks behind closed doors, it’s not very thrilling though. Heck, there could be a little tiny barista in there doing that for all I know. From what I can tell, the face is the only pattern this machine makes, but it would be cool if you could pick from others. I’m sure they’ll eventually figure that out if they haven’t already. This particular machine is located at the Yojiya Cafe in Haneda Airport if you happen to be in Tokyo and want to check it out for yourself.

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en

A new permit by rule recently approved by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality could lead more commercial and industrial facilities to use combined heat and power (CHP) technologies for their power needs. Existing permitting regulations state that a CHP system – regardless of building site or its megawatt capacity – falls under the strict rules for electric generating units, requiring a permit that critics say is very restrictive on emissions. “So even if you were putting in a small one or two megawatt facility on your site, you had to follow the permitting rules that were set up for huge power plants, and it’s become problematic as they required a lot of pollution control devices which can be cost prohibitive for small systems,” says Paul Cauduro, executive director of the Texas Combined Heat & Power Initiative. This latest move by the TCEQ could usher in greater use of smaller CHP facilities. Texas already has one of the largest CHP capacities in the United States, and is home to 137 CHP sites with a combined installed capacity of nearly 17,000 MW, the U.S. Department of Energy’s Gulf Coast Clean Energy Application Center reports. That’s compared to 59 CHP sites with a combined installed capacity of nearly 6,000MW in neighboring Louisiana, for example. “If you look out at the existing fleet of CHP [in Texas] today, the average size of those units is probably larger than 100MW; so they’re very large,” says Dan Bullock, director of the GCCEA. “Those big projects are not going to be impacted by this PBR, so the new rule only pertains to projects that are less than 15MW.” The new PBR makes for a much faster way of attaining air permit compliance for smaller CHP facilities, and reduce regulatory delays, being attainable within ten days, Cauduro says. More specifically, the PBR states that it allows permitting of natural gas-fired CHP units up to a capacity of 8MW without additional controls and up to 15MW with additional controls, without the expansive emission control requirements that large power plants must meet. Instead, “the PBR includes emission limits for pollutants of concern, and appropriate monitoring, testing, and recordkeeping requirements to allow TCEQ to verify compliance,” the rulemaking states. The PBR is also expected to eliminate some equipment cost associated with CHP systems, according to the TXCHPI. That includes expensive pollution control systems required under the past, expansive CHP regulations. Bullock says the PBR will open up some new market areas for smaller projects, which may not have been pursued in the past for a variety of reasons, such as economy of scale, limited staff and skill sets to evaluate such projects at smaller installations and lack of capital.

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en

Cigarette smoking is certainly a major risk factor for lung cancer. But, it is not the only factor. Although black men smoke less than white men, they are almost 40 percent more likely to develop the disease and more likely to die from it. Even among non-smokers with lung cancer, the rate of death among African-Americans is much higher. Without clear understanding as to why, lung cancer remains one of the top killers in the black community nationwide. African-Americans are more affected by environmental causes of lung cancer. More live near highways or other high pollution areas which increases the risk. Black men are exposed more often to occupational hazards, like diesel fumes from transportation jobs. Air pollution from asbestos, second-hand smoke and radon inside homes are just as dangerous. Radon — a gas that seeps out of soil into homes through the water supply and cracks in the foundation — is responsible for as many as 30,000 lung cancer deaths per year among both smokers and non-smokers. It is found to be more prevalent in minority communities, particularly low-income or government housing. One in every 15 American homes have detectable levels of radon. HOW IT KILLS Lung cancer develops when cells in the lung grow out of control and, as it continues to spread, makes breathing more difficult. Exposure to cigarette smoke and other pollutants damage the lung and increase the likelihood for those cells to change and grow abnormally. The more exposure, the greater the risk. Early in the disease, a person with lung cancer may show no symptoms. As it worsens, the person may develop pain, shortness of breath, or coughing up blood. The cancer can also spread to other parts of the body. Only 1 out of 7 Americans with lung cancer survives more than five years past diagnosis. Black men are dying at the highest rate of all groups, with black women dying at rates closer to that of white women. But, across all groups, the survival rate improves if lung cancer is found early. HOW THINGS HAVE CHANGED The incidence and rate of death have gone down for all men in recent years, yet black men still comprise most of the cases. The rates have held steady among U.S. women. The CDC recently applauded the push for tobacco control the last 10 years. In 2000, no states had smoke-free laws. Now, 26 states do. Federal and state excise taxes on cigarettes have increased on average by $1.45 per pack since 2000 in an effort to deter smokers from purchasing cigarettes. The FDA’s ban on flavored cigarettes was aimed at preventing youth smoking.Potentially related to those changes, cigarette sales dropped by 22 percent from 2000 to 2005. What did not drop were sales of menthol flavored cigarettes — the type that 80 percent of Africans-Americans smoke. Some studies argue that menthols are more addictive than other types. HOW WE CAN OVERCOME IT Choosing not to smoke is the best way to prevent lung cancer. Even cutting down on the number of cigarettes per day can significantly decrease the risk. There needs to be a stronger push for early detection and more aggressive treatment. African-Americans are typically diagnosed later in the disease, after it has already progressed. They also wait longer to begin treatment or refuse it all together. Direct community outreach can focus not only on prevention, but also on educating people about lung cancer, discussing treatments and dispelling myths. Some African-Americans avoid lung cancer operations due to the false belief that exposing cancer to air during surgery will make it spread faster. In such cases, one myth can keep people from choosing potentially life-saving surgery. More African-Americans are needed for medical research overall. Treatments that are known to work effectively on whites may or not work in all populations. Researchers recently found this true with one treatment for lung cancer — African-Americans in the study did not have the special characteristic that the drug targeted. Thus, they are less likely to benefit from that treatment. Avoiding exposure to air pollution is just as important as not smoking. Radon test kits are readily available and easy to use. Lastly, adding fruits and vegetables as part of a regular diet may help. A few studies show that among smokers or ex-smokers, eating large amounts of flavonoids — found in fruits, vegetables and teas — reduced the risk of lung cancer. WHAT OTHERS ARE DOING TO KEEP US HEALTHY Major health organizations announced this month that banning menthol cigarettes in particular could save 600,000 lives — one-third of whom are African-American. The FDA releases its decision mid-June. Several states offer smoking cessation aids such as nicotine patches and nicotine gum at no cost. To access these resources or other support in quitting, call 1-800-QUITNOW or visit www.smokefree.gov.

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CC-MAIN-2015-35

http://thegrio.com/2011/05/22/lung-cancer-not-just-a-smokers-disease/

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en

When disasters strike — and after they pass — poor communities and communities of color usually suffer the most. They are typically underserved, and often located in areas that expose them to the most risks, such as in low-lying land in active flood areas, industrial zones that often store toxic and hazardous materials or in poorly maintained structures that cannot withstand the high winds, buffeting rain and other dangerous conditions that disasters can produce. As we saw six years ago when hurricane Katrina ripped through New Orleans and the Gulf-Coast, the price for being unprepared for disasters is too great. This is why we must begin to prepare ourselves for not only Hurricane Irene as it approaches, but future disasters that may equal or even eclipse the damage that Irene could potentially produce. You can begin by having special equipment in your home that can help you to prepare for the disaster before it arrives, respond to it, and when it is over recover rapidly. Outside of the most common items that most folk already own, like hammers, rain gear, and other similar tools and equipment, I’m going to give you a list of the top 10 items for your home that I recommend we own to help us survive Irene and future emergencies. 1. Emergency water An emergency water supply is one of the most important things you can have in your home during and after a disaster. Oftentimes, blackouts prevent water treatment facilities from operating properly and having an emergency clean drinking water supply can help you stay-put and ride out a disaster at your home without worrying about where your next drink will come from. Dehydration is common during disasters and having a supply of emergency water can prevent this from occurring. This is especially important for those of us who have medical conditions such as diabetes and hypertension. Keep a supply of emergency water in your home, and your car. One gallon of water per person per day is best, but in a pinch, a five to seven gallon container can usually get you by until you find a clean water source. Use clean water bottles and containers. If you must, clean out your bathtub and fill it up with water! 2. Emergency water filter Mini water filtration/purification units are now available at low cost, and some are small enough to be carried in your personal toolkit. You never know where you might wind up after a disaster and the safety of your source of water may be questionable. A small water filter/purifier can solve this problem by allowing you to always have safe drinking water. The following links describe some of the best portable filters available: - SteriPEN Adventurer Opti Handheld UV Water Purifier - SteriPEN Prefilter, - Katadyn Hiker PRO Water Microfilter, - MSR SweetWater Microfilter Water Filter - MSR Miniworks EX Water Filter, If you don’t have the cash for a filter, always remember to boil all questionable water before drinking. 3. Emergency food You need to have at least a week of emergency food to ride out a large scale disaster. 72 hours is NOT enough. Most of the Katrina survivors I encountered in 2005 needed emergency food rations nearly two weeks AFTER the event. Buy non-perishable canned items, preferably food you don’t need to cook but is high in nutritional content. Freeze dried hikers meals are a bit on the expensive side but delicious and easy to prepare. Military Meals Ready To Eat (MRE’s) are also another option. You can also learn how to dehydrate and can your own food too. A first-aid kit is another essential item. It should contain band-aids, antibacterial cream, antiseptic /disinfectant wipes, Tylenol, Motrin, Asprin, tweezers, a small roll of medical tape, small dental emergency kit, gauze and other items that can help you to treat scrapes, insect stings, splinters, small eye injuries and a number of other minor injuries. If you are allergic to insect stings, your first-aid kit should also include an Epi-pen Auto-Injector (epinephrine) to avoid anaphylaxis. Adventure Medical Kits makes some of the best available. If you need prescription medication, you should keep extra refills in your kit. A good multi-tool is an item that you should “never leave home without! Most models contain a strong pliers, folding knife, small saw, metal file, hole punch, Phillips and flat head screwdriver, wood saw, wire cutter – and for some scissors. They range in price from $10 dollars (less in some $.99 cet stores) to $120. Whatever you pay, recognize that it is worth the price. During disasters, a good multi-tool is an indispensable item that cannot be undervalued. 6. LED Flashlights (preferably hand crank, solar or shakelight) You should own one or several LED flashlights. I say several because they are now so inexpensive and readily available that there is no reason to only own one. Make sure you purchase lots of extra batteries when you buy them. It should be durable, and non-incendive meaning simply that it cannot spark an explosion. Non-incendive flashlights are typically waterproof and they are typically rubberized and sealed with “O” rings to prevent the accidental ignition of flammable gases and vapors by static charges or electrical sparks generated on the outside or, inside of the flashlight. Some of the best L.E.D. lights available are manufactured by BoGoLight favorite), Inova, Fenix, and Streamlight. Even better are the hand crank models. They don’t need batteries & only a few winds on the crank will power them up to operate. They are easily recharged by winding the crank. The only drawback is that the hand crank models are not waterproof or, non-incendiary. They are also more delicate because of their mechanics. The magnetic shake lights are great, but must be kept isolated from credit cards, I-pods & computers due to their strong magnetic fields. The easiest way to balance this is to carry both types! Their compact size low price and light weight makes it possible. I carry two at all times with no problem. 7. Personal hygiene kit Personal hygiene is one of the first things to go in a large disaster, and maintaining YOUR personal hygiene during disasters and emergencies is of the highest order. You CAN survive without it but … why try if you don’t have to? Toothbrushes, travel-sized tubes of toothpaste, deodorant bottles or, cans along with hand sanitizer and wipes can all be carried in small pouch. In addition, you should have a generous supply of wipes on hand, feminine products and whatever else you need to keep yourself fresh and clean. You never know when you’ll need to light a fire for warmth, to cook, boil water, or even sterilize medical equipment. You should also carry some extra “fuel” for your fire in the form of what is called “tinder” and a sparking device (magnesium) just in case your lighter malfunctions & your matches don’t work. Cotton balls dipped in petroleum jelly work great! place them in a small plastic bag, squeeze out the air, roll or flatten them up and you are good to go. I carry a small “tea” candle and special trick birthday candles that can’t be blown out. 9. Emergency hand crank radio When disasters strike, you will need to stay informed. Your cellular phone may not work due to downed towers or high levels of traffic but a radio will. Hand crank multi-band radios are best. 9. Duct tape You may laugh if you recall some of the crazy things people did with duct tape after the anthrax attacks of 2001, but it is truly one of the most useful items in your kit. 550-pound test paracord is a must own item. It allows you to have the ability to tie down or hang items with high strength line that won’t break. Grab and go In addition to the above items, you should also own a “Grab & Go” bag. In many cases, emergencies and disasters produce extreme conditions that may require a rapid evacuation of your home, and if you are at work, your office. When this occurs, you will need more equipment and material that can be carried in an E-kit. This additional gear must be stored in a large backpack called a Grab & Go or, G&G bag for short. What a G&G bag should contain: A G&G-bag contains all of the items (food, shelter, first-aid etc.) that you and your family would need to survive a disaster for a basic minimum of seven days (hence 72 hour kit). Many emergencies extend well beyond seven days. This is why we suggest that you pack enough supplies to last for a longer time period (one to two weeks). This will increase the weight & size of your bag – but, the extra food & other items will more than make up for the added size & weight. Also, as time passes, the weight of the bag will reduce with the consumption of the food and other perishable items in the bag. You will also need to include duplicates (or originals) of all your most important records (insurance, will etc.) and even valued pictures. NEVER BUY PRE-ASSEMBLED G&G BAGS -They should ALWAYS be assembled by the user. Pre-packaged bags are designed for people that are too lazy to take the time to learn how to construct their own personalized pack. Most of the time, they are usually stuffed with low-end equipment and useless filler items like flimsy, faux Swiss Army knives and flashlights that are designed to trick the consumers into believing that they have actually purchased something of value. Do yourself a favor – take the time to design and pack your own. THE BEST TYPES OF G&G BAGS – Without question, backpacks are the best type of bags for 72-hour kits. You must choose a high quality bag to secure your survival materials. They should be selected for strength & durability, storage capacity, weight, function and, water resistance. A rain cover can be purchased to protect your gear. A good strong large trash bag can also do the trick in a pinch. For an additional edge of protection against moisture, waterproof bags used by white water rafters and special ops in the military called dry bags such as the Armor Bags dry backpack shown at screen left can also be purchased. They are completely waterproof. The downside is that they are usually either very expensive or, they are constructed from vinyl and sacrifice strength for waterproofing. G&G Bags for the physically challenged or, injured – Your choice of backpack or bag for your G&G bag is determined by your specific needs. If you are physically challenged or injured, you will not be able to use a backpack. If this is the case, there are a number of alternative ways to carry your gear. You will need to use a combination of different types of bag to substitute for a larger backpack. With the right mix, you will be able to haul quite a bit of gear and supplies. Not as much as a backpack, because of weight limitations, but more than enough to help you in an extended crisis. Your first bag should be a large messenger bag. They can be slung over the shoulder and placed on the lap for easy access to your essential items such as flashlights, tools, water or medicine. The next bag should be a wheelchair bag. These bags have straps that can be slung around wheelchair seat posts. Adaptable designs Inc. sells a great model called “Jazz” It has deep multi-pockets and room for more important gear. These are the things we must begin to collect to help make our households and community safe and prepared for any emergency. There is no longer any time to wait.

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CC-MAIN-2015-35

http://thegrio.com/2011/08/27/top-ten-disaster-preparedness-supplies-for-every-household/

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en

In case you’ve forgotten, slavery continues to thrive throughout the world- mainly in the form of human trafficking. It’s a pervasive epidemic that few really know much about. That’s why the United Nations set December 2 as the International Day for the Abolition of Slavery. While most Americans are at least somewhat knowledgeable about the Trans-Atlantic Slave trade that disbursed millions of Africans to Europe, the Caribbean and the Americas, the awareness of modern-day slavery has not seemed to reach the masses. Frederick Douglass, the well-known writer and adviser to President Abraham Lincoln delivered considerable contributions to the abolitionist movement in his time before he died in 1895 around the age of 77. But his death has not erased his legacy. Under the Frederick Douglass Family Foundation (FDFF), the Nettie Washington Douglass (great-great granddaughter of Frederick Douglass) and Kenneth Morris, Jr. (great-great grandson of Frederick Douglass) have continued the fight against slavery, especially in it’s modern form. The Foundation joins the United Nations in commemorating the International Day for the Abolition of Slavery. “4,000,000 people in this country were freed from slavery with the Emancipation Proclamation and the ensuing Civil War,” stated Morris, FDFF’s president. “Hundreds of thousands sacrificed their lives for freedom during that war and still many are not free.” The international trade of human trafficking has become the fastest growing crime in the world. The UN reports that the global enterprise has an estimated total market value of almost 12.3 million people are forced into servitude, as sex slaves and workers, and most of them are women and girls, according to the International Labor Organization. Recently, a Nigerian immigrant living in Atlanta was sentenced to 140 months in prison after abusing two teenage girls she had brought to the United States from Nigeria. The Frederick Douglass Foundation approved of the sentencing as Morris described the case as evidence “that slavery still thrives in our midst.” Though slavery is one of the world’s oldest institutions, many experts and activists say it can be drastically reduced with greater awareness, more international dialogue and effective legal actions.

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CC-MAIN-2015-35

http://thegrio.com/2011/12/02/international-abolition-of-slavery-day/

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en

This month’s theme was “Got Brown?” and is meant to be an exploration of the politics of representation. Some of these posts have been linked to before — however, these issues are part of an ongoing conversation, so please, share your thoughts in the comments. I thought of doing this theme while re-reading the X-men series Age of Apocalypse, where we learn a little more about Blink. Her real name’s Clarice… and she’s from the Caribbean. I was really struck by this – was she secretly a character of color? I avidly re-read the rest of the series, and started the first part of Exiles, hoping to find out if someone would actually mention that if she weren’t purple, she might could be brown. That never really happened. Blink’s a question mark of a character – why have her exist, and be from the Bahamas if it’s just window-trapping? What does it mean to have the characters of color be ultimately other, whether through origin (THEY’RE JUST NOT HUMAN!!!) or shade (we don’t have to talk about racism because we’re actually talking about mutantism!!!) or plot (where we’re not gonna talk about race at all – all we need is some naked tai chi)? I’m gonna turn this over to the wonderful world of the internets in an attempt to answer this question. I began with Google. The first issue I had is that I realized that I wasn’t exactly sure what I was looking for. I mean, seriously, if canon is declaring you non-human, how on earth does one categorize you for the purposes of anti-racist analytical work? While the non-human/ultimate alien trope isn’t mentioned in their entry on race and fandom, that entry does provide some interesting alternative questions… like, about the issue of absence and the WTFery of Firefly. ABW also talks about SG:A here, breaking down the CoC timeline in Stargate Atlantis. Surprisingly, About.com also weighed in, pointing out the crucial difference between Star Trek, where the PoC are crew member, and SG, where the PoC are aliens. I think there’s a subtle, but important, distinction to be made in sci-fi between humans of color and aliens of color, because the message being sent is subtly different. Consider Star Trek. The mixed crew of humans on the bridge says: We worked together as a planet to make this future happen. Now consider, say, Stargate Atlantis. The humans in the expedition are overwhelmingly white; the two regulars that provide diversity are aliens. The message here is: We white people went out into space; there, we met people unlike us. Moving on. What do you do with the character who’s a member of a marginalized racial group who is then the one spouting off about their funny religious beliefs? Battlestar Galactica is one of my favorite shows, but the lack of black characters, and the fact that many of the characters of color are Cylons is so majorly squick. Plus, I’m still squicked out about the 8s (a model line played by Asian actress Grace Parks) and their naked tai chi – it was totally a moment of raced and gendered fan service. This picks up on some of the issues ABW talks about she is asking why the universe is filled with white people – you’d think that in the BSG world, there’d be more characters of color who are, say, human. Plus, Dualla’s role in the plot is suspiciously BFF — even her death is more about the responses of the (white) characters around her than her own emotional turmoil. Changed the search terms up. Found out that, um, some comic writers think they already ARE writing about minority characters. AWKWARD. Other commentators also focus on metatextual issues and don’t necessarily offer a solution, though the interactions between that metatext and fanon response appear all over the fandom wank about Blaise Zabini being black. The comments to this post on rape in BSG pick up on that text/text reception issue. Changed the terms again… and found this stunning write-up by Avalon’s Willow, the founder of the POC Carnival! This right here pulls up some of the issues I’m getting so confused about – what does it do for a story when a brown body – an exotic body – is just window-trapping? Especially when the appearance of that body, isn’t, like crucial? Merlin Missy calls out fandom for consuming these kinds of problematic images. Nalo Hopkinson talks [post removed] about the utility of subverting some of these tropes. She writes: Why would I like to see SF&F as it currently exists subverted? Why would I like to see more writers of color and writers from other than the wealthiest nations of the world? Can you see where it might be valuable to get more worldviews on the map? What does a fiction about mastery of self and others through technology become in the hands of writers who have cause to be wary of that mastery? What does a fiction which talks about colonizing other races and spaces become when written by people who’ve recently-as the history of the world goes-experienced that colonization? What does a cautionary fiction become when you expand the zones of experience from which those cautions are coming? What might a visionary fiction become when there are visions of the best possible worlds coming from a world of cultures, rather than coming as it does now from a minority of them? Naamen Gobert Tilahun poignantly reflects on the shifting connotations of Teyla’s labor scenes in SG Atlantis, when situated in the context of African American history in the US. Heliothaumic, in its various incarnations, has always talked about the intersections between species (elf, human, dwarf, etc) and race. Unlike Dragonlance, not all the elves and human are white! Skyward Prodigal recommends Joseph Marshall’s The Archer, which is a post-apocalyptic world of hotness. It’s got Lakota and other First Peoples presented, as, uh, alive. Nice change from the general sweep of things in SF, huh? The online novel is available in the sidebar of Marshall’s site. Anti-Racist Parent Deesha Philyaw recommends Hyperion’s Jump at the Sun imprint. The publisher’s link includes an inspiring interview with the authors and illustrators associated with that line. Christina Springer also talks about why this is so important in children’s lit here. This right here is a reading list waiting to happen! It’s a listing of SF books with WOC protagonist. A quick glance through suggests that many of the women featured are >gasp!< human! Thank you for reading my first POC Carnival! 😀

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Despite the absence of media coverage on Latinos and marriage equality, numerous surveys tell us that Latinos are by and large supportive of laws that extend the rights and responsibilities of marriage to same-sex couples. A 2011 survey of Latinos found that even then 54 percent supported full marriage equality, compared to about 53 percent of the general public at the time. This same survey found that Latinos who identify as Catholic support marriage equality at a slightly higher rate of 57 percent. Like the rest of the U.S. population, support for marriage equality was higher among Hispanic women than Hispanic men, and was lower for those Latinos who identified as members of the Republican Party. Further, a 2010 survey by the Associated Press and Univision found stark generational divides among Latinos, just as in the general population. Specifically, younger-generation Latinos voice much higher support for marriage equality than older Latinos do. But overall Latino support for equality extends far beyond marriage. One case in point: Latinos are very supportive of laws that protect against other forms of antigay* discrimination (note that these surveys didn’t ask questions specific to transgender rights). The aforementioned 2011 survey found that: • Eighty-six percent of Latinos support workplace discrimination laws that protect gay people • Eighty-six percent support housing discrimination laws that protect gay people • Eighty-three percent support hate crimes laws that protect gay people • Eighty-three percent support equal health care and pension benefits for same-sex couples • Seventy-eight percent support open military service Further, the survey found that 67 percent of Latinos believe that gay people face either some or a lot of discrimination in the United States. At the same time, 65 percent of Latinos said that Hispanics themselves face similar rates of discrimination; 55 percent said the same for African Americans; and 47 percent for women. Also, 65 percent of Latinos said that gay people face some or a lot of discrimination from the Hispanic population itself—52 percent said that African Americans face similar levels of discrimination from the Latino population, and 48 percent said women did as well. In addition to obscuring Latino support for marriage equality, the recent media focus on African Americans and marriage equality also ignores the fact that African Americans believe gay people face high rates of discrimination overall in America. In fact, African Americans largely understand that gay Americans face pervasive discrimination and are strongly supportive of laws and policies to end that discrimination—and they were supportive even when their opposition to marriage equality was significantly high. A 2009 report and related polling from the Arcus Foundation, for example, found that 67 percent of African Americans opposed marriage equality at that time. But the same survey and polls found that 76 percent of African Americans thought that gay people overall face either a lot or some discrimination in America. Further: • Eighty-five percent of African Americans polled said that hate crimes are a problem for gay people • Eighty-three percent said school bullying is a problem for gay youth • Seventy-four percent said access to health care and pension benefits is a problem for same-sex couples • Seventy-four percent said job discrimination is a problem for gay employees and job seekers • Sixty-nine percent said housing discrimination is a problem for the gay population It’s not surprising then that most African Americans surveyed in the Arcus report and polls supported laws that protect gay people from a wide range of discrimination. Indeed, 80 percent favored hate crimes laws, 77 percent favored workplace laws, 74 percent favored housing laws, and 60 percent favored health care and pension benefits for same-sex couples. Since this survey is nearly three years old, these numbers have undoubtedly increased in favor of gay equality as they have by other demographic groups. President Obama’s support for marriage equality support and the consequences of his decision on national polling—especially among African Americans—is certainly great news for the gay equality movement and for all those who support progressive social change in our country. At the same time, however, the media is only telling part of the story about where different races and ethnicities stand on both marriage equality and other equal rights issues for gay people. The movement for equality certainly extends beyond marriage, and it is important for the public conversation to acknowledge that fact. Krehely is the Vice President of LGBT Research and Communications Project at American Progress. *In this column, the term “gay” is used as an umbrella term to describe people who identify as gay, lesbian, or bisexual. Cross posted from the Center for American Progress

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CC-MAIN-2015-35

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