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@@5071641 <p> John Waddell 's works have been exhibited extensively throughout the U.S. and around the world , and can be viewed across Arizona and the Valley , many in public areas of downtown Phoenix . Exhibits in Arizona included the Desert Botanical , Arizona Civic Center , The Herberger Theatre , The Sedona Cultural Park , Arizona &; Carver Museum , Universalist Church - Paradise Valley , and more .. <p> Dance <p> Dance , a major work created in the early 1970 's , and displayed in front of the Herberger Theater , is a representation of John 's unique ability to give bronze motion . He offers us a glimpse into the inner beauty in each of the grouped figures , and brings to life a feeling of gentle grace and energy . Each dancer has a " portrait- like " quality that is unique to the model while adding to the overall dimension of the piece as a whole . <p> Dance <p> The same series as above , as exhibited at the original site , Civic Center and Pheonix Civic Plaza Symphony Hall - Phoenix , Arizona -1970 to 1974 . <p> That Which Might @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , located at the Unitarian Universalist Church , Paradise Valley , Arizona &; Carver Museum Phoenix , Arizona - 1963 . In 1963 , Waddell received national recognition for his work titled , That Which Might Have Been , Birmingham , 1963 , which was created in reaction to the bombing of a Sunday school in Birmingham , Alabama , that resulted in the deaths of four young girls . This group of sculptures , which is on permanent display at the Unitarian Universalist Church in Phoenix , exemplifies the humanistic approach this figurative master applies to each work . In the process of creating these sculptures Waddell began to shape the principle that would set the direction for his future works , that of " the beauty of individual differences " . <p> Circle of Womanhood was originally part of the larger grouping entitled " Generations " ( above ) <p> Desert Botanical Gardens In Arizona from Jan 18 - June 27th , 2004 . <p> Waddell 's bronze figures brought a new level of artistic achievement to the Garden . The sculptures , which emanate grace and beauty @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dance and movement and the human spirit . More than 20 sculptures were tucked among the plants along the Garden paths , and John 's seldom-exhibited two-dimensional works in pastel and paint were on display in Ottosen Gallery . Each of the sculptures brought a new presence to the Garden and offered a glimpse into the human spirit . <p> Family Group <p> Maricopa County Complex - Phoenix , Arizona -1967 <p> . <p> Apogee <p> The USTA National Tennis Center is now the largest public tennis facility in the world . Probably best known as the home of the US Open , the USTA National Tennis Center operates primarily as a community tennis facility , hosting a number of events throughout the year and providing programs for all players . 117 " x 60 " x 37 " ,

@@5071741 <h> Thom Hartmann : " Justice Antonin Scalia Needs To Be Impeached " <p> Thom Hartmann : On Tuesday - in his dissenting opinion to the Arizona immigration case - Justice Scalia lashed out at President Obama - for not doing enough to enforce immigration laws . With his blatant impartiality and total disregard for the institution of the Supreme Court - is n't it time Justice Scalia was impeached ? <p> Thom Hartmann is a progressive syndicated radio talk show host

@@5071841 <p> World Of Color -- Disney 's World of Color nighttime water spectacular combines fountains , light , fire and images projected onto the world 's

@@5071941 <h> What is the difference between ' there is ' and ' it is ' ? <p> We use IT to refer to time , distance , weather , and the " general environment " : It gets noisy in the cafeteria ; It is never crowded at that hotel . We use THERE in three basic ways : ( a ) location : There are several books on the table ; ( b ) existence : There is a Santa Claus ; There are many problems ; ( c ) events : There have been two world

@@5072041 <h> Lawyer : Fla. teen slain while talking on phone to girlfriend <h> By Larry Copeland , Yamiche Alcindor and Marisol Bello , USA TODAY <p> SANFORD , Fla. -- A capacity crowd packed into a church here Tuesday night as NAACP president Benjamin Todd Jealous and others pushed for the arrest of a neighborhood watch volunteer who shot and killed an unarmed black teen in late February . <p> Martin family photo <p> A Florida grand jury will investigate the controversial shooting of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin by a neighborhood watch volunteer in Sanford , Fla . <p> A Florida grand jury will investigate the controversial shooting of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin by a neighborhood watch volunteer in Sanford , Fla . <h> Sponsored Links <p> The fatal shooting of Trayvon Martin , 17 , was " a senseless murder as far as we are concerned here in the community , " Seminole County NAACP President Clayton Turner told the crowd at the start of the town hall meeting at Allen Chapel AME Church . Turner said the meeting 's purpose was to insure alleged shooter George Zimmerman is " brought to justice , " to win the dismissal or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Department of Justice comes to investigate and " takes over " the Sanford Police Department . <p> Said Jealous , " Any police chief who has so mishandled a situation like this has to go . We will stand our ground as our ancestors did ... We will insure that justice is carried out here in Sanford . " <p> The NAACP president urged residents to return to the church at noon Wednesday to share their personal experiences of potential police mistreatment and to tell others who 've been mistreated to bring their stories . <p> Turner said City Manager Norton Bonaparte Jr . and Mayor Jeff Triplett had been unable to attend because they had been summoned to Washington by Attorney General Eric Holder . <p> George Zimmerman : Neighborhood watch captain involved in shooting death of Trayvon Martin <p> Orange County Jail via Miami Herald via AP <p> The heated meeting came hours after details emerged about Trayvon 's final minutes of life . <p> The teen was talking to his girlfriend on his cellphone when he was shot dead , and a log of that conversation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of his race , his family 's lawyer said earlier Tuesday . <p> Attorney Benjamin Crump released phone records that show Trayvon was on the phone Feb. 26 at 7:12 p.m. for four minutes , moments before he was shot . At a news conference , Crump played a recording of the 16-year-old girl who was in Miami talking to Trayvon and heard most of the confrontation between the teen and George Zimmerman , the neighborhood watch volunteer who claims he killed him in self-defense . <p> " This claim that Trayvon Martin was the aggressor is preposterous , " he said . " What Zimmerman said is completely contradicted by the phone log . " <p> " The dots have all been connected , arrest George Zimmerman for the killing of Trayvon Martin in cold blood today , " Crump said . <p> Top officials in Sanford said Tuesday that the decision not to arrest Zimmerman was made by the responding officer alone , who released Zimmerman after he claimed to have acted in self defense . <p> It was only after a growing public outcry expressing a lack @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Martin 's death that city leaders called on the Justice Department to review the deadly shooting , City Manager Bonaparte Mayor Triplett said . <p> Following a meeting with Justice officials in Washington , Bonaparte and Triplett said they would await the findings of a wide-ranging Justice review , announced late Monday , before concluding whether the city acted appropriately in its initial decision not to arrest Zimmerman in the deadly February shooting . <p> " We have a lot of strife in our community right now , ' ' Triplett said at a Capitol Hill briefing where he and Bonaparte appeared with Rep. Corrine Brown , D-Fla . " If we 've made an error , I want someone to tell me . There will be no stone that wo n't be overturned . ' ' <p> Zimmerman , 28 , claims he shot Trayvon last month in self-defense during a confrontation in a gated community in Sanford , Fla . Police have described Zimmerman as white ; his family says he is Hispanic and not racist . <p> Zimmerman spotted Trayvon as he was patrolling his neighborhood on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ person . <p> Crump said Tuesday that Trayvon had walked to a nearby 7-Eleven to get skittles and a drink for his stepbrother , and other snacks to watch the NBA All Star game on TV . <p> The lawyer , who took an affidavit from the girl , quotes the girl on the cellphone as saying that Trayvon was walking home from the store and had temporarily taken refuge from the rain . He then began walking again , when he tells her , according to Crump , " I think this dude is following me . " <p> " She tells him , ' baby , be careful , just run home , ' " Crump said . <p> According to the girl , Trayvon says , " I think I lost him " then moments later says , " He is right behind me again . I 'm not going to run , I 'm going to walk fast . " <p> Crump said " she hears another voice , ' What are you doing around here ? ' Trayvon says , ' Why are you following @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the girl , Travyon is pushed and his voice changes . <p> " She hears the altercation , suddenly , someone just hit the phone , because that 's the last she hears , " Crump said . She did not hear the shooting . <p> Phone logs show the conversation occurred five minutes before police first arrived on scene . The young woman 's parents asked that the 16-year-old girl 's name not be used . <p> " She is traumatized beyond anything that you can imagine , " Crump said . <p> The case has garnered national attention as details of the shooting have leaked out . <p> The U.S. Justice Department and the FBI have stepped in to investigate . <p> Florida State Attorney Norm Wolfinger on Tuesday released a prepared statement saying he would have a county grand jury hear evidence on the case on April 10 . <p> " I respectfully request that the public remain patient as this process moves forward , " said his statement . <p> Representatives from the Justice department 's community relations service " will be in Sanford this week @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ local law enforcement to address tension in the community , " a statement said . <p> " We are looking at a real blatant miscarriage of justice , " Sharpton said Tuesday . " The DOJ raises a level of objectivity and takes away from the local politics that may be at play with the police and prosecutors . " <p> He added that Trayvon 's case is part of long narrative of racially charged incidents . <p> Earlier Monday , students held rallies on the campus of Florida A &M; University in Tallahassee and outside the Seminole County Criminal Justice Center . <p> An online petition urging local authorities to prosecute Zimmerman has drawn more than 500,000 signatures at website Change.org . <p> On Friday , officials released the 911 call that Zimmerman made to report a suspicious person . Against the advice of the 911 dispatcher , Zimmerman then followed Trayvon . <p> " These a**holes always get away , " Zimmerman says in a call to a non-emergency number . <p> Dispatcher : " Are you following him ? " <p> Zimmerman : " Yeah . " @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ do that . " <p> Crump said Tuesday that voice experts are running through the 911 tapes to see who was yelling for help . <p> He said people should ask themselves why they did n't run a blood alcohol test or a background check on Zimmerman . He said they ran both tests on Trayvon . <p> Tracy Martin said Tuesday that he had warned his son that being a black man in America could be dangerous . <p> " I 've always let him know we as African Americans get stereotyped , " Tracy Martin told USA TODAY . " I told him that society is cruel . " <p> Zimmerman 's father , Robert Zimmerman , released a statement last week to The Orlando Sentinel that said the media 's portrayal of George Zimmerman and the series of events that led to the shooting " are false and extremely misleading . " <p> He said " George is a Spanish speaking minority with many black family members and friends . He would be the last to discriminate for any reason whatsoever . " <p> " Our entire @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ " Robert Zimmerman said in the statement . " We pray for the Martin family daily . We also pray that the community will grieve together and not be divided by more unwarranted hate . " <p> Florida 's " Stand Your Ground " law is getting new attention in the wake of the Trayvon Martin case . <p> The state passed the law in 2005 that stated " a person being attacked has no duty to retreat , they may return force with force , and are protected from criminal prosecution for using force through immunity , " according to National Conference of State Legislatures . <p> Recently , several " stand your ground " or " shoot first " laws have emerged . At least 30 states explicitly state there is no duty to retreat , according to the organization . <p> State Rep. Dennis Baxley , who sponsored Florida 's law , told the Associated Press it was n't written to give people the power to pursue and confront others . <p> " That 's not what this legislation does , " Baxley said . " Unfortunately @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ firearm , they think it 's about this law , and it 's not . " <p> Fla . State Sen. Oscar Braynon , who represents Miami Gardens where Trayvon Martin lived with his mother , said he is calling for hearings or a select committee to take a fresh look at the law . <p> He said since the law was enacted the number of justified homicides in the state have skyrocketed . He said in 2005 the state had 43 cases of justified homicides . In 2009 , the last complete year available , there were 105 . <p> " I think there is vigilante justice happening and I think people are getting shot , " he said . " This is an unintended consequence of the law . " <p> The federal investigation into Martin 's death is expected to be a wide-ranging inquiry that will review law enforcement 's response to the shooting , as well as whether Trayvon was targeted because of his race , said a federal official , who declined to be identified because the official is not authorized to comment on aspects @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ investigation in the wake of calls for federal action by numerous civil rights advocates and the Congressional Black Caucus . <p> " This case compromises the integrity of our legal system and set a horrific precedent of vigilante justice , ' ' Cleaver said . <p> Local community members and Florida NAACP officials have been working to bring attention and justice in the Trayvon Martin case for weeks , NAACP President Benjamin Jealous said Tuesday . <p> " This is at least the third instance in the last several years where a black man has been assaulted or killed and justice has not been delivered , " Jealous said of Sanford 's history . " There is a context ... that really screams for the DOJ ( Department of Justice ) to look at this case and the police department . " <p> He added that Trayvon 's story is " part of a pattern of the local police department letting people get away with assaulting and even killing black men and boys . " <p> In 2006 , two security guards -- the son of a Sanford police officer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and killed a black man after saying they got into an altercation with him , according to the Sentinel . Officials later learned the black man had been shot in the back and that the guards had not identified themselves . Both men were never charged in the death , the paper reported . <p> In 2010 , a Sanford police officer 's son , Justin Collison , was accused of punching a homeless black man and officers on the scene let Collison go , according to the Orlando Sentinel . After a YouTube video surfaced of the incident , Collison was charged and then Sanford Police Chief Brian Tooley was forced into retirement , the paper reported . <p> At the Capitol Hill briefing , the Sanford city manger said Zimmerman was initially detained for questioning and asked to re-enact the events surrounding the shooting before he was released by the responding officer . <p> " He was questioned , ' ' Bonaparte said . " He re-enacted the incident in which he claimed self-defense and the Police Department did not detain him any longer . ' ' <p> @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ part of a network of local neighborhood watch groups that are trained by the Sanford Police Department and urged " not to engage ' ' with possible suspects or people they encounter . <p> But Brown said she was " not satisfied ' ' with the initial handling of the case , adding that the shooter was not tested for possible substance abuse immediately after the incident and that proper steps were not taken to preserve possible evidence at the scene of the shooting . <p> " People need to feel that the system is fair , ' ' Brown said . " It just was n't handled right . ' ' <p> Cleaver , the Congressional Black Caucus chairman , said the local criminal justice system in Florida " did not work the way ( it ) should have worked . ' ' <p> " I will not ever listen to the ( 911 ) tapes again , ' ' he said . " It 's too heartbreaking . This 17-year-old bundle of hope and potential is shot phone number , city and state for verification . To view @

@@5072141 <p> SlightlyBaffled : It 's slick , and the lyrics were improvised every night . So considering he came up with them on the fly , give him a little credit . It will be better and set in stone

@@5072241 <p> A plane from the U.S. Coast Guard flies near an oil platform which exploded early in the morning in the Gulf of Mexico , off the coast of Louisiana . An oil platform in the Gulf of Mexico operated by Houston-based Black Elk Energy burst into flames on Friday , leaving at least two people missing and badly injuring several others , U.S. and Louisiana officials said . -- Sean Gardner , Reuters , Nov. 16 , 2012 <p> Fishermen haul in a marlin at a local dock in Havana , Cuba . Despite Cuba 's fisheries being at critically low levels according to the United Nations , fishermen are still catching enough to make a living . -- Greg Kahn , Getty Images , Nov. 16 , 2012 <p> Kathy Lewis , a junior from City University of New York ( CUNY ) , carries a vase of flowers salvaged from a home destroyed by Hurricane Sandy flooding . Lewis and other student volunteers clear damaged homes that were nearly completely submerged by the storm , in the Father Capodanno neighborhood of Staten Island . -- Mike Segar , Reuters , Nov. 16 , 2012 <p> Relatives @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ killed on Thursday after a rocket fired from Gaza landed in the southern town of Kiryat Malachi . The latest upsurge in a long-running conflict was triggered on November 14 when Israel killed Hamas 's military mastermind , Ahmed Al-Jaabari , in a precision air strike on his car . Israel then began shelling the enclave from land , air and sea . -- Nir Elias , Reuters , Nov. 16 , 2012 <p> Israelis take cover in a bomb shelter in central Tel Aviv as sirens wail . A rocket fired from the Gaza Strip crashed into the sea off Tel Aviv in the second incident in as many days , police and an eyewitness told AFP , shortly after sirens wailed across the city . -- Daniel Bar-On , AFP/Getty Images , Nov. 16 , 2012 <p> Representative Charles William " Bill " Young of Florida speaks to reporters after the House Intelligence Committee conducted a hearing on Benghazi with testimony by former U.S. General David Petraeus on Capitol Hill in Washington , DC . Petraeus began his testimony before lawmakers Friday about the September 11 assault on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ appearance since resigning suddenly a week ago . Packs of reporters and camera crews were on hand at the Capitol , hoping to catch Petraeus entering the highly-anticipated , closed-door hearing of the House Intelligence Committee . They were left disappointed . -- Mladen Antonov , AFP/Getty Images , Nov. 16 , 2012 <p> A TV camerman looks through a crack in a door to a hallway leading to a secure briefing room during a closed hearing Senate Select Committee on Intelligence briefing on Capitol Hill in Washington , DC . Former Director of the Central Intelligence Agency and retired U.S. Army General David Petraeus , who resigned after an affair with his biographer Paula Broadwell was uncovered , appeared before the committee to testify about the attack on a U.S. consulate in Benghazi , Libya in 2011. -- Brendan Smialowski , AFP/Getty Images , Nov. 16 , 2012 <p> Israeli soldiers prepare armored personnel carriers ( APC ) at an area near the border with the Gaza Strip . Israel has started drafting 16,000 reserve troops , the military said on Friday , in a sign that violence could @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ -- Ronen Zvulun , Reuters , Nov. 16 , 2012 <p> Palestinian firefighters try to extinguish fire at a factory , which according to locals was hit by an Israeli air strike in Beit Lahia , northern Gaza Strip . Egypt 's premier vowed to intensify Cairo 's efforts to secure a truce and urged world leaders to end Israel 's " aggression " in Gaza , as he visited the Hamas-run enclave . -- Mohammed Abed , AFP/Getty Images , Nov. 16 , 2012 <p> Japan 's Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda , center , and his party 's lawmakers raise their fists as they pledge to win in the upcoming election at their party 's meeting after the dissolution of the lower house in Tokyo -- Kim Kyung-Hoon , Reuters , Nov. 16 , 2012 <p> Britain 's Prince Charles dances with Lisa Shannon during a rock ' n roll dance display in Christchurch . Britain 's Prince Charles and his wife Camilla are on the last leg of a tour to mark Queen Elizabeth II 's diamond jubilee which has also included Papua New Guinea and Australia and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Nov. 16 , 2012 <p> Demonstrators from India 's main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party ( BJP ) shout slogans against the Irish government for the death of Indian national Savita Halappanavar , who died in Ireland after doctors allegedly refused her an abortion , in front of the Embassy of Ireland in New Delhi . New Delhi on November 16 demanded a " transparent " probe into the death of an Indian woman in Ireland after doctors there allegedly refused to terminate her pregnancy even though she was miscarrying. -- Raveendran , AFP/Getty Images , Nov. 16 , 2012 <p> Female Tour De Takong ( Stiletto Race ) participants run along the 500 m stretch of Shoe Avenue in Marikina City , east of Manila , November 16 , 2012 . The race , which is annual event , requires participants to wear high heels that measure a minimum of 3 inches and a 1.5 centimeters tip diameter . The Tour De Takong is part of the Shoes Festival -- Romeo Ranoco , Reuters , Nov. 16 , 2012 <p> Riot police stand behind their shields as hundreds of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Cambodia 's National Assembly building , before the ASEAN summit in Phnom Penh . U.S. President Barack Obama will be among the heads of state visiting Cambodia , as the country hosts the 21st ASEAN ( Association of Southeast Asian Nations ) and East Asia summits . -- Damir Sagolj , Reuters , Nov. 16 , 2012 <p> A part of more than 500 pieces of ivory tusks seized sits in front of Hong Kong 's Customs and Excise Department Ports and Maritime Command Group Head Vincent Wong , center , and Divisional Commander Clare Kwan , right , during a news conference in Hong Kong . Customs officers have seized more than HK$10 million ( $1.25 million ) worth of elephant tusks - the second such major haul in a month , with than 1,300 kg of ivory found hidden in a shipping container that arrived from Tanzania , government radio reported on Friday . -- Bobbt Yip , Reuyters , Nov. 16 , 2012 <p> Palestinian firefighters try to extinguish a fire after an Israeli air strike on the building of Hamas ' Ministry of Interior in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ peace diplomacy in Gaza on Friday , but hopes for even a brief ceasefire while its prime minister was inside the bombarded enclave to talk to leaders of the Islamist Hamas movement were immediately dashed . -- Mohammed Salem , Reuters , Nov. 16 , 2012 <p> An ultra-Orthodox Jewish man is seen through a damaged car window after a rocket fired from Gaza landed in the southern city of Ashdod . Israel has started drafting 16,000 reserve troops , the military said on Friday , in a sign that violence could escalate further with Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip . -- Amir Cohen , Reuters , Nov. 16 , 2012 <p> This photograph shows FBI Special Agent Frederick W. Humphries posing with target dummies following a SWAT practice . This is the shirtless imag that has been alluded to in the investigation into emails that led to the resignation of CIA Director David Petraeus . Humphries sent the 2010 photograph to many people , including Tampa socialite Jill Kelley and a reporter at The Seattle Times . -- Seattle Times , Nov. 15 , 2012 <p> Israelis take @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ shelter after a rocket was launched from the Gaza Strip on November 15 , 2012 in Kiryat Malachi , Israel . The rocket attack happened some 24 hours after the IDF targeted nearly 200 sites in the Gaza Strip , killing Ahmed Jabari , a top military commander of Hamas , in the process . -- Uriel Sinai , Getty Images , Nov. 15 , 2012 <p> Robert Zink , left , and Amanda Zink , center , start to clean up their store , The Salty Paw , which was completely flooded in the South Street Seaport area of lower Manhattan , New York . The tape on the windows was no match for the strength of Superstorm Sandy . -- Carolyn Cole , Los Angeles Times , Oct. 29 , 2012 <p> People wait during a briefing of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence briefing on Capitol Hill in Washington , DC . Officials attended closed door briefings before members of House and Senate intelligence committees to speak about the attack on a US consulate in Benghazi. -- Brendan Smialwoski , Getty Images , Nov. 15 , 2012 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the Columbine doll , dances a scene from the Nutcracker at the Salvation Army 's 30th annual tree of lights ceremony to kick off the Red Kettle Christmas Campaign . The event took place inside Union Station 's Great Hall . -- Chris Sweda , Chicago Tribune , Nov. 15 , 2012 <p> Police and investigators inspect the scene outside Bob Grandt 's home on the 700 block of S. Grove , in Oak Park . A motorist drove her car into the house , but no one was injured . -- John J. Kim , Chicago Tribune , Nov. 15 , 2012 <p> A firefighter carries out a hose after extinguishing a fire in the back of a multi-unit apartment complex in the 100 block of N. Parkside Ave. , in Chicago . -- John J. Kim , Chicago Tribune , Nov. 15 , 2012 <p> Participants of a masque workshop practice during the International Pantomime Festival in Dresden , eastern Germany . The 31th edition of the festival with 40 artists from nine countries is running from November 8 to 18. -- Matthias Hiekel , AFP/Getty Images @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a policeman during an anti-austerity rally in Thessaloniki , northern Greece . Greek workers stormed a meeting of Greek and German officials in Thessaloniki on Thursday and tried to attack a German diplomat in a protest over austerity measures . Riot police formed a shield around German Consul Wolfgang Hoelscher-Obermaier and fought off protesters who tried to attack him as he entered the building . Some demonstrators tried to pelt him with water bottles . -- Alexandros Avramidis , Reuters , Nov. 15 , 2012 <p> Rescue workers and police officers search debris from an aircraft that crashed in Hoengseong , east of Seoul . The T-50 aircraft from the South Korea Air Force aerobatic team " Black Eagles " crashed on a mountain in Hoengseong on Thursday during a training session , killing the pilot , according to Air Force officials . -- Yonhap , AFP/Getty Images , Nov. 15 , 2012 <p> Israelis take cover as a siren sounds warning of incoming rockets in the southern town of Kiryat Malachi . A Hamas rocket killed three Israelis north of the Gaza Strip on Thursday , drawing first blood @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and the military showdown lurched closer to all-out war . -- Nir Elias , Reuters , Nov. 15 , 2012 <p> A Palestinian man calls for help as he and others try to save a man trapped under his car just after an Israeli air raid on the area of Twaam in the northern Gaza town of Beit Lahia . Israeli air strikes have killed more than ten Gazans , including top Hamas commander Ahmed Jaabari , aand three Israelis died when a rocket struck a house , in the latest flareup of tit-for-tat fighting . -- Marco Longari , AFP/Getty Images , Nov. 15 , 2012 <p> An Israeli missile is launched from the Iron Dome missile system in the southern Israeli city of Beer Sheva in response to a rocket launch from the nearby Palestinian Gaza Strip . Israel yesterday killed a top Hamas military commander in a targeted strike in Gaza on Wednesday , prompting outrage from militants who said the Jewish state had opened the gates of hell . -- Menahem Kahana , AFP/Getty Images , Nov. 15 , 2012 <p> Rescue workers evacuate one of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an apartment building in Kiryat Malachi , Israel . The rocket attack happened some 24 hours after the IDF targeted nearly 200 sites in the Gaza Strip , killing Ahmed Jabari , a top military commander of Hamas , in the process . -- Uriel Sinai , Getty Images , Nov. 15 , 2012 <p> US Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta reviews an honor guard during an arrival ceremony prior to meetings with Thai Minister of Defense Sukampol Suwannathat at the Ministry of Defense in Bangkok , Thailand . The US Secretary of Defense is touring Asia ahead of US President Barack Obama 's impending visit to the region . -- Saul Loeb , Getty Images , Nov. 15 , 2012 <p> More than two thousand women make Kimchi to be given to the poor in preparation for winter in front of City Hall in Seoul , South Korea . Kimchi is a traditional Korean dish of fermented vegetables usually mixed with chili and eaten with rice or served as a side dish to a main meal . -- Chung Sung-Jun , Getty Images , Nov. 15 , 2012 <p> @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the railway tracks after an avalanche in Gurtnellen , Uri . Switzerland 's main north-south railway connection through the Alps will be closed until the rock is removed and track safety is confirmed . -- Romina Amato , Reuters , Nov. 15 , 2012 <p> Children make faces at shoppers in Corporation Street in Corby , central England . Britain 's ruling Conservatives are expected to lose the bellwether seat of Corby to Labour in a parliamentary by-election on Thursday as voters register a protest against austerity and economic malaise . -- Eddie Keogh , Reuters , Nov. 15 , 2012 <p> A demonstrator shows his hands to riot policemen blocking the road to the Spanish parliament during a demonstration in Madrid , Spain . A coordinated general strike by unions in Spain and Portugal has paralyzed public transport in the two countries with further strikes planned across Europe . The strike against the governments ' austerity measures have force hundreds of flights to be canceled and factories and ports to come to a standstill . -- Jasper Juinen , Getty Images , Nov. 15 , 2012 <p> An employee @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fruit packing store in Wolesley , about 120Km North of Cape Town , South Africa . The fire , which burned more than 15,000 wooden bins , is thought to be connected to the farm workers strike . South African police on Wednesday said one person was killed and five others injured as protests by farm workers demanding higher pay descended into violence , prompting calls for the military to be deployed . -- Rodger Bosch , Getty Images , Nov. 14 , 2012 <p> Belarus Emergencies Ministry employees carry new plastic barrels containing pesticides in a forest near the village of Novaya Strazha , some 200 km southwest of Minsk . In order to prevent spread environmental pollution the Emergencies Ministry employees excavated today old metal barrels containing hundreds of tons of pesticides , including DDT , at a waste burial place in southwestern Belarus and then reloaded the pesticides into new plastic barrels for their storage and transportation to Germany for recycling . -- Viktor Drachev , Getty Images , Nov. 14 , 2012 <p> A man and a child ride a motorcycle on a street in Sanaa @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ public transportation has remarkably increased in Yemen this year contributing to an increase of traffic deaths in cities . Since the beginning of 2012 , traffic accidents involving motorcycles have killed more than 200 people and injured around 1200 others , according to state media

@@5072341 <h> Navigation <p> A method of detecting an end point of surface treatment of a wafer includes the steps of : projecting coherent light onto an upper surface of the wafer provided with a layer to be treated ; receiving superposed light caused by interference of light reflected on a surface of the layer to be treated and on the other surface thereof and converting it to a photoelectric signal ; sampling the photoelectric signal ; detecting a first point where a variation range caused by the interference in the sampled data becomes smaller than a predetermined value ; detecting a second point where an extreme value of the variation of the photoelectric signal caused by the interference occurs prior to the first point ; and determining the end point of treatment by prescribed calculation using the second point as a reference point . The detection of the first point may be incorrect depending on the detection conditions . However , the second point prior to the first point is detected in a relatively stable manner irrespective of the detecting conditions . Thus , since the end point of treatment is determined by the prescribed calculation using the second @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ treatment is detected correctly and with good repeatability . <p> 1 . A method of accurately determining an end point of treatment , comprising the steps of : <p> ( A ) holding a wafer , said wafer having a main surface and a layer to be treated , said lever being formed in advance on said main surface ; <p> ( B ) supplying treatment solution on said layer and thereby decreasing the thickness of said layer ; <p> ( C ) projecting coherent light on said lever , a part of said coherent light being reflected on a surface of said layer , another part of said coherent light being reflected on said main surface , and said parts of said coherent light interfering with each other to form superposed light , the intensity of said superposed light having a variation which is cyclical between extreme values as the thickness of said lever decreases and which then becomes smaller than a certain value ; <p> ( D ) receiving said superposed light and outputting a photoelectric signal , the photoelectric signal being representative of the intensity of said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which is cyclical between extreme values and which then becomes smaller than a predetermined value ; <p> ( F ) detecting a first point of time at which the variation of said photoelectric signal becomes smaller than said predetermined value ; <p> ( G ) thereafter determining a second point of time corresponding to the occurrence of the last of said extreme values of said photoelectric signal ; and <p> ( H ) determining said end point of treatment by prescribed calculation using said second point as a reference point . <p> 2 . A method of determining an end point of treatment in accordance with claim 1 , wherein <p> said last extreme value is a maximum value . <p> 3 . A method of determining an end point of treatment in accordance with claim 1 , wherein <p> said step ( H ) includes the step of <p> ( I ) determining said end point of treatment by multiplying time from a start of treatment to said second point by a predetermined number . <p> 4 . A method of determining an end point of treatment in accordance @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) further includes the step of <p> ( J ) determining a new end point of treatment by changing said determined end point of treatment forward or backward by a predetermined period . <p> 5 . A method of determining an end point of treatment in accordance with claim 1 , wherein <p> said last extreme value is a minimal value . <p> 6 . A method of determining an end point of treatment in accordance with claim 1 , further comprising the step of <p> smoothing said sampled data . <p> 7 . A method of determining an end point of treatment in accordance with claim 6 , further comprising the step of <p> calculating a primary difference for each predetermined unit time with respect to said smoothed data . <p> 8 . A method of determining an end point of treatment in accordance with claim 7 , further comprising the step of <p> calculating a secondary difference for each said unit time with respect to said smoothed data . <p> 9 . A method of determining an end point of treatment in accordance with claim 8 , wherein @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of <p> detecting a point prior to said first point , where the sign of said primary difference changes for the last time from a first sign to a second sign different from said first sign and an absolute value of said secondary difference becomes a predetermined value or more . <p> 10 . A method of determining an end point of treatment in accordance with claim 9 , wherein <p> said first sign is minus and said second sign is plus . <p> 11 . A method of determining an end point of treatment in accordance with claim 10 , wherein <p> said said secondary difference is a positive value . <p> 12 . A method of determining an end point of treatment in accordance with claim 9 , wherein <p> said first sign is plus and said second sign is minus . <p> 13 . A method of determining an end point of treatment in accordance with claim 12 , wherein <p> said second difference is a negative value . <p> 14 . A method of determining an end point of treatment in accordance with claim 1 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ layer . <p> 15 . A method of determining an end point of treatment in accordance with claim 14 , wherein <p> said treatment solution is for developing said photoresist layer . <p> Description : <p> BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION <p> 1 . Field of the Invention <p> The present invention relates generally to methods of manufacturing miniaturized devices such as semiconductor wafers ( referred to hereinafter as wafers ) and , particularly , it relates to a method for detecting optically an end point of treatment of a layer formed on a surface of a wafer when the layer is treated while being supplied with a treatment solution . <p> 2 . Description of the Related Art <p> An example of the art of this type is disclosed in Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 62-63431 , which is a method of optically detecting an end point of developing a photoresist film . This method utilizes interference of light . <p> Referring to FIG. 1 , the conventional end point detecting method will be described . A photoresist film 2 having a thickness d is applied to a wafer 1 . @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pattern . Coherent light ( generally , laser light ) L falls substantially vertically on a surface of the photoresist film 2 from above . A part of the light L is reflected on the surface of the photoresist film 2 . Another part of the light L passes through the photoresist film 2 , reaches the interface of the photoresist film 2 and the wafer 1 and is reflected thereon . <p> The light reflected on the surface of the photoresist film 2 is represented as light La . The light reflected on the interface of the photoresist film 2 and the substrate 1 is represented as light Lb . The light La and the light Lb are originally parts of the same light . Accordingly , the light La and the light Lb are able to interfere with each other and the interference wave changes dependent on the optical path difference ? l of the lights La and Lb . The optical path difference ? l changes when a developing solution is supplied to the photoresist film 2 . This is because the thickness d of the photoresist @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ proceeds . <p> When observed at a fixed point P on the optical paths of the reflected lights La and Lb , the intensity of the superposed light varies cyclically as a function of the film thickness . Consequently , the change of the thickness d of the photoresist film 2 can be detected by the variation of the intensity of the superposed light at the point P. <p> As the development proceeds , the thickness d of the photoresist film 2 decreases in pattern openings of the film 2 ( where the photoresist is to be removed by the development ) . The intensity of the superposed light at the point P varies as the film thickness d decreases . When the photoresist film 2 is substantially removed to cause the openings to be penetrated , the intensity of the superposed light due to the decrease of the film thickness does not vary . <p> It is to be noted that even if the intensity of the superposed light due to the decrease of the film thickness ceases to vary , the intensity change of the superposed light at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ because the measured value does not precisely represent the intensity of the superposed light only , due to various factors such as external disturbances received by the means for measuring the intensity of the superposed light . FIG. 2 shows such variations of the intensity of the superposed light at the point P. <p> Even after the decrease of the film thickness is ended , additional development is carried out for a prescribed amount of time in order to completely carry out the development . The period for the additional development needs to be accurately defined in order to carry out the development with good repeatability and with high efficiency . More specifically , if this period is too short , the development is insufficiently done . On the other hand , if this period is too long , excess development occurs and the efficiency of work is lowered . <p> Referring to FIG. 2 , according to the conventional method , the point F where the variation of the light intensity becomes small ( this point being hereinafter referred to as the variation decrease point ) is used as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ development . The point D where a preset time T 0 of additional development has passed from the variation decrease point F is defined as the end point of development . <p> The method of detection of the variation decrease point F will be briefly described in the following . The intensity of the superposed light is measured every small unit of time . The difference between the presently measured and the previous values is obtained . Absolute values of the differences for 50 measurements for example are accumulated . The accumulated value is considered to represent the variation range of the intensity of the superposed light during the 50 measurements . The point where the result of the accumulation is smaller than a prescribed value is determined to be the variation decrease point F. Since this method is the same as a method of detection of a variation decrease point F used in an embodiment of the present invention , a detailed description thereof is set forth below . <p> The time t 0 of additional development is determined for example in the following manner . A plurality of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wafer subjected to an actual development treatment ( a wafer to be treated ) are prepared . A photoresist film is formed on each simulation wafer under the same conditions as those for the wafer to be actually treated , and exposure according to a circuit pattern as well as other treatment is effected . The development treatment is applied to the respective simulation wafers for different periods of time with other conditions being the same . <p> Data on the intensity change of superposed light due to interference in each simulation wafer is obtained . Developed patterns of the respective simulation wafers are observed and compared with each other , and the simulation substrate having the best result of the development is selected . The end point of development of the selected simulation wafer is assumed to be D ' . An end point F ' of change of the superposed light is evaluated from the data on the intensity of the superposed light due to interference in the selected wafer . Based on the equation of F ' +t 0 ' =D ' , the time t 0 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 0 ' of additional development thus determined is also adopted in the actual development of a wafer to be treated . <p> However , the conventional method has the following problems . In determining the variation decrease point F , the degree of decrease in the variation of the intensity of the superposed light is empirically defined . Depending on the adapted value of the variation range for defining this point , the detection point of the variation decrease point F varies easily . In addition , the detected variation decrease point F is unstable due to errors in measurement . The variation decrease point F does not always accurately represent the point where the intensity of the superposed light ceases to vary due to the decrease of the film thickness . <p> Further , the superposed light behaves unstably when the photoresist is substantially removed in the pattern openings and the photoresist film 2 is penetrated . It is fundamentally difficult to correctly detect the end point of the development treatment based on decrease of the intensity variation of the superposed light . Consequently , according to conventional methods @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ incorrectly detected . This results in deterioration of the repeatability of the development treatment and lowering of the efficiency of work . <p> SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION <p> The present invention has been accomplished to solve the above-described problems and it is an object of the present invention to provide a method of detecting an end point of treatment , in which the end point of treatment can be detected with good repeatability . <p> Another object of the present invention is to provide a method of detecting an end point of treatment in which the end point of treatment can be detected with good repeatability and accuracy . <p> According to the present invention , a method of detecting an end point of treatment includes the steps of : applying coherent light to a main surface to a wafer having a layer to be treated formed in advance on the main surface , parts of the coherent light being reflected on the surface of the layer to be treated and on other surface nearer to the main surface of the wafer than the layer to be treated , interfering @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ superposed light by the light receiving means and converting it to a photoelectric signal ; sampling the photoelectric signal ; detecting a first point where a variation range due to the interference of the sampled data becomes smaller than a predetermined value ; detecting a second point where an extreme value of the variation takes place , prior to the first point ; and determining an end point of treatment by using the second point as a reference point . <p> The first point may vary depending on the predetermined value , or an error in measurement . However , the second point exists during a period where a variation of the intensity of the superposed light due to interference of the light is stably observed . Consequently , it is easy to detect the second point and there is little error in the measurement . In addition , the film thickness at the second point is considered to be substantially the same in various treatment processes and the required time from the second point to the end point of treatment bringing about desired results of treatment is substantially constant @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the end point of treatment is determined based on the detected second point , the treatment can be terminated at a suitable point and , thus , the surface treatment of the wafer can be carried out with good repeatability . <p> Thus , the present invention makes it possible to detect an end point of treatment with good repeatability . <p> According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention , the second point is the latest point prior to the first point where an extreme value of the change occurs . The film thickness of the layer to be treated at the second point is smaller than that in any other point where an extreme value takes place . Accordingly , the required time from the second point to a desired end point of treatment is shorter than the time from any other point where an extreme value takes place . The treatment rate during the above mentioned time changes little . If an end point of treatment is determined using the second point as a reference point , the treatment can be terminated with little error with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , according to the present invention , the end point of treatment can be detected correctly . <p> According to another preferred embodiment of the invention , the step of determining the end point of treatment by using the second point as a reference point includes the step of determining the end point of treatment by multiplying the elapsed time from the start of treatment to the second point by a predetermined number . <p> The predetermined number is set to a number enabling the treatment to be carried out most suitably . Consequently , it becomes possible not only to carry out the treatment with good repeatability but also to detect the end point of treatment easily and correctly . <p> The foregoing and other objects , features , aspects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the present invention when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings . <p> BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS <p> FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a wafer and a photoresist layer for explaining a principle of light interference . <p> FIG. 2 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ light according to a conventional method . <p> FIG. 3 is a block diagram of an apparatus for applying a method of detecting an end point of treatment according to the present invention . <p> FIG. 4 is a flow chart of a program executed in a data processing portion . <p> FIG. 5 is a graph showing variations in intensity of superposed light according to a method of detecting an end point of treatment according to the present invention . <p> DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS <p> An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings . The present invention is applicable for example to development of a photoresist film or an etching process of a thin film . The following embodiment relates to an example of a method of detecting an end point of treatment in the case of developing a photoresist film . <p> Referring to FIG. 3 , an apparatus used for applying the method according to the present invention comprises : a developing unit 3 for developing a wafer 1 having a photoresist film 2 subjected to exposure ; a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for detection of an end point of treatment ; a photoelectric conversion portion 9 for receiving the laser light applied to the wafer 1 and reflected thereon and outputting a photoelectric signal ; and a data processing portion 10 for sampling and processing the photoelectric signal and determining an end point of treatment . <p> The developing unit 3 comprises : a spin chuck 4 for contact-supporting , for example , suction-holding the lower surface of the wafer 1 in contact ; an optical fiber probe 5 located over the upper surface of the substrate 1 with a suitable spacing therefrom and connected to the laser light oscillation portion 6 through a projection fiber cord 7 and to the photoelectric conversion portion 9 through a light receiving fiber cord 8 ; and a nozzle , not shown , for supplying a developing solution to the upper surface . The optical fiber probe 5 emits laser light L substantially at right angles with the upper surface of the substrate 1 . <p> Referring to FIG. 3 , a method of detecting an end point of surface treatment of a wafer according @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 1 is subjected to preliminary treatment such as coating of a photoresist film 2 and an exposure process . The substrate 1 is contact-held , for example , suction-held by the spin chuck 4 . The wafer 1 receives drops of the developing solution from a nozzle ( not shown ) and is developed , while being horizontally rotated by the spin chuck 4 . The portions not exposed ( or the exposed portions ) of the photoresist film 2 are processed by the developing solution and the thickness thereof is gradually decreased . <p> The laser light oscillation portion 6 emits laser light for detecting an end point of treatment . The laser light is transmitted from the laser light oscillation portion 6 to the optical fiber probe 5 through the projection fiber cord 7 . The optical fiber probe 5 projects the laser light L to a portion of the photoresist film 2 , to be removed by the development , on the wafer 1 . The laser light L is projected substantially vertically to the upper surface of the wafer 1 . <p> Referring again to FIG. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the surface of the photoresist film 2 and on the interface between the wafer 1 and the photoresist film 2 , as described previously . The reflected laser lights interfere with each other . The superposed light due to the interference enters the optical fiber probe 5 . The superposed light is transmitted to the photoelectric conversion portion 9 through the light receiving fiber cord 8 . <p> The superposed photoelectric is converted to a light signal in the photoelectric conversion portion 9 . The photoelectric signal is applied to the data processing portion 10 . The data processing portion 10 comprises a microcomputer and so on . The data processing portion 10 processes the inputted electric signal and determines an end point of development according to a program for executing the following procedures . <p> Referring to FIGS. 4 and 5 , the data processing portion 10 performs the below described processing . The data processing portion 10 starts operation simultaneously with a start of a development process in step S1 . In step S2 , a value of intensity of the superposed light is measured for each small @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) . The data is successively stored in a memory ( not shown ) in the data processing portion 10 . <p> In step S3 , the measured data are smoothed so that the dispersion thereof may be corrected . The smoothing is a process for offsetting the dispersion caused by errors and it is carried out according to an equation as indicated below . ##EQU1## where S(t) represents smoothed data at time t and D(t) represents a value measured at time t . As a result of the processing according to the equation ( 1 ) , a simple mean of data in a prescribed time ( 10 ? t 1 ) is obtained . Needless to say , the prescribed time is not limited to 10 ? t 1 ; it may be any number insofar as the errors can be corrected sufficiently . The equation for the smoothing is not limited to the equation ( 1 ) , and the coefficients of the respective terms in the equation ( 1 ) may be binomial distribution coefficients for example . <p> In step S3 , calculation is also @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ smoothed data S and a secondary difference S " at intervals of small unit times ? t 2 ( e.g. , 0.1 sec ) . <p> In step S4 , calculation is performed to obtain an absolute value ? S-S ? of a difference between the smoothed data S at an actual measurement point and the smoothed data S two seconds before it , for example . <p> In step S5 , 50 such absolute values ? S-S ? of the differences are accumulated . In step S6 , it is determined whether the result of the accumulation is a predetermined value or less . If YES , the point is defined as the variation decrease point F ( refer to FIG. 5 ) . If NO , the processing flow returns to step S2 . <p> In step S7 , the data S ' and S " stored in the memory are retrieved in a direction opposite to the proceeding of the time from the variation decrease point F which is assumed as the start point . A point is obtained which appears first when the condition is satisfied @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from plus to minus and that the value of S " at the change point becomes greater than zero . The above mentioned point thus obtained is defined as a point C of occurrence of a minimal value immediately before the variation decrease point F ( refer to FIG. 4 ) . <p> Although the measured data are discrete data , real light intensity is considered to be continuous data . The continuous data is considered to be represented by one function . The above-described processing can be regarded as an operation for detecting the minimal value immediately before the variation decrease point F of the curve represented by this function . More specifically , at this point C , a derivative of first order of this function is O and derivative of second order of this function is positive . The condition that the secondary difference S " is a predetermined value or more is set for the purpose of excluding a trivial minimal point caused by noise . <p> In step S8 , the elapsed time Tc from the start of development to the point C is determined @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ? Tc+b ( 2 ) <p> From the equation ( 2 ) , the end point D of development is determined . <p> In the equation ( 2 ) , the constants a and b are preset in the following manner . A plurality of simulation wafers of the same specification as that of a wafer subjected to actual development treatment ( i.e. , a wafer to be treated ) are prepared . A photoresist film is formed on each of the simulation wafers under the same conditions as those for the wafer to be treated , and exposure for circuit patterning and other processes are effected . Development treatment is applied to the respective simulation wafers for different amounts of time . The other conditions are the same for all the simulation wafers . <p> On this occasion , superposed light caused by the interference is observed in the same manner as described above . Data are obtained for the respective simulation wafers on the intensity variation of the superposed light with time . The pattern after the development are observed and compared with each other and the simulation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ . A stop point of development of the selected simulation wafer is defined as D " . Based on the data on the intensity variation of the superposed light of that wafer , the latest point C " where a minimal value takes place is evaluated . The constant a is calculated based on the following equation ( 3 ) . D " =a ? Tc " ( 3 ) <p> The equation ( 3 ) is obtained by substituting b=0 in equation ( 1 ) . <p> The constant b is added to slightly change the end point of development forward or backward . At the time of normal development , b=0 is set . If conditions of various processes such as formation of a photoresist film of a wafer to be treated , exposure and development are slightly changed , b ? 0 is applied . Thus , it becomes unnecessary to obtain again the constant a using a new simulation wafer . <p> For reference , specific values at respective points in the case of treating a UV positive-type resist by an alkaline developing solution are shown @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the elapsed time from the start of development to the respective points , unless otherwise indicated . <p> It is to be added that the exposed portions , in the case of positive-type resist , become soluble in alkali . Accordingly , only the exposed portions are removed from the wafer by using an alkaline developing solution containing as a main constituent an organic alkali compound such as tetramethylammonium hydroxide or choline . <p> In step S9 , it is determined whether or not the process has reached the point D from the start of development . This step is repeated until YES . When the condition is met ( YES ) , the development is stopped . <p> The end point of development is thus determined , which brings about meritorious effects as described below . The results of detection of the variation decrease point F unavoidably vary depending on a reference value as in the conventional method . On the other hand , according to the method of the present invention , even if the variation decrease point F changes to some extent , the point C obtained @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ development still proceeds at the point C. Since the value of the signal at the point C is a minimal value , the thickness of the photoresist film at this time is a substantially constant thickness defined by the wavelength of the laser light . In addition , the thickness is sufficiently small , which makes it unnecessary to consider a possibility of large change in the treatment rate thereafter . <p> Accordingly , the succeeding development treatment rate after the point C is always substantially the same throughout a plurality of treatment processes , and the required periods until the completion of the development re considered to be equal to each other . As a result , a point after a predetermined time from the point C is defined as an end point of treatment , whereby development can be terminated with high precision and with good repeatability in a plurality of treatment processes . <p> In the above described embodiment , the point C ( used as a reference point for calculation of the end point D ) of development is defined as a point of occurrence of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ However , the present invention is not limited thereto and the point C can be used as a point of occurrence of the maximal value immediately before the variation decrease point F. However , in this case , it is necessary to modify the processing in step S7 in the following manner . <p> In the modified step S7 , the primary difference S ' and the secondary difference S " are retrieved in the direction opposite to the proceeding of the time using the variation decrease point F as a start point . The point where the following condition is satisfied is detected as the point C , the condition being that the sign of the primary difference S ' changes from minus to plus and that the secondary difference S " at that point becomes or or less than zero . Thus , the maximal value immediately before the variation decrease point F is detected . <p> However , in general , if there is no light transmitting layer under the layer to be treated , it is practical to detect the minimal value immediately before the variation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reasons for these are as follows . <p> Although a specified explanation is not given , if there is no light transmitting layer under the layer to be treated as described above , the extreme value of the data of the superposed light appearing immediately before the layer to be treated is penetrated is always the minimal value . In any preceding point where an extreme value occurs , the thickness of the film to be treated is larger than that at the point of the latest minimal value . Accordingly , using the point of the latest minimal value as a reference , there is the least error compared with the cases where any other point of an extreme value is adopted as a reference point and the end point of treatment can be determined more accurately . <p> However , if there is a second layer which transmits light under the layer to be treated , the above-described reasoning does not always apply . This is because the extreme value appearing latest in such a case may be the maximal value depending on various factors such as film @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ layer to be treated . In that case , it is necessary to determine which is to be adopted , the maximal value or the minimal value by simulation or preliminary calculation . <p> Needless to say , the point where an extreme value occurs other than the point immediately before the variation decrease point F can be used as a reference point as described above . However , in such cases , a slightly larger error might occur compared with the case of using the point immediately before the point F. <p> The calculation equation for obtaining the end point D of development from the point C is not limited to the above-described equation ( 2 ) . It goes without saying that any suitably set equation can be used . However , the equation ( 2 ) is practical since the calculation is simple and the number of parameters to be set is small . <p> In the above-described embodiment , the wafer 1 is supplied with a developing solution while being held and horizontally rotated by the spin chuck 4 , and an end point of treatment @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the supply of the developing solution and the rotation of the wafer , in putting the present invention into practice , is not limited to that in the above-described embodiment . For example , a developing solution may be supplied when the rotation of the wafer is stopped , and thereafter the wafer may be spun to be dry of the developing solution . <p> In addition , the relation in time between the detection of the end point of development of the photoresist and the rotation of the wafer is not limited to that in the above-described embodiment . More specifically , although the detection of the end point of development according to the above described embodiment is carried out during the rotation of the wafer , it may be carried out when the rotation of the wafer is stopped . <p> Further , as described previously , the techniques according to the present invention are widely applicable to surface treatment of miniaturized devices and so on , such as etching of thin films , in addition to the above-described development work of photoresist . <p> Although the present @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is clearly understood that the same is by way of illustration and example only and is not to be taken by way of limitation . The spirit and scope of the present invention should

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@@5072541 <h> Education Center <p> LRADAC 's Community Resource Centers ( CRC ) , located in both Lexington and Richland Counties , are lending libraries providing free resources , current statistical data , up-to-date publications and research on a variety of important community topics including : <p> Alcohol <p> Other Drugs <p> Teen Pregnancy <p> Mental Health <p> Media Literacy <p> Tobacco <p> HIV/AIDS <p> Violence Prevention <p> General Health <p> Women 's Issues <h> Two Locations : <p> Richland 2711 Colonial Drive Columbia , SC 29203 <p> Lexington 1068 South Lake Drive Lexington , SC 29072 <h> CAST DUI Coalition <p> Read about how

@@5072641 <p> Jesus later appeared to his disciples along the shore of Lake Tiberias . Simon Peter , Thomas the Twin , Nathanael from Cana in Galilee , and the brothers James and John , were there , together with two other disciples . Simon Peter said , " I 'm going fishing ! " <p> The others said , " We will go with you . " They went out in their boat . But they did n't catch a thing that night . <p> Early the next morning Jesus stood on the shore , but the disciples did not realize who he was . Jesus shouted , " Friends , have you caught anything ? " <p> " No ! " they answered . <p> So he told them , " Let your net down on the right side of your boat , and you will catch some fish . " <p> They did , and the net was so full of fish that they could not drag it up into the boat . <p> Jesus ' favorite disciple told Peter , " It 's the Lord ! " When Simon heard that it was the Lord , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ while he was working . Then he jumped into the water . The boat was only about a hundred yards from shore . So the other disciples stayed in the boat and dragged in the net full of fish . <p> When the disciples got out of the boat , they saw some bread and a charcoal fire with fish on it . Jesus told his disciples , " Bring some of the fish you just caught . " Simon Peter got back into the boat and dragged the net to shore . In it were one hundred fifty-three large fish , but still the net did not rip . <p> Jesus said , " Come and eat ! " But none of the disciples dared ask who he was . They knew he was the Lord . Jesus took the bread in his hands and gave some of it to his disciples . He did the same with the fish . This was the third time that Jesus appeared to his disciples after he was raised from death . <p> When Jesus and his disciples had finished eating , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you love me more than the others do ? " <p> Simon Peter answered , " Yes , Lord , you know I do ! " <p> " Then feed my lambs , " Jesus said . <p> Jesus asked a second time , " Simon son of John , do you love me ? " <p> Peter answered , " Yes , Lord , you know I love you ! " <p> " Then take care of my sheep , " Jesus told him . <p> Jesus asked a third time , " Simon son of John , do you love me ? " <p> Peter was hurt because Jesus had asked him three times if he loved him . So he told Jesus , " Lord , you know everything . You know I love you . " <p> Jesus replied , " Feed my sheep . I tell you for certain that when you were a young man , you dressed yourself and went wherever you wanted to go . But when you are old , you will hold out your hands . Then others will wrap @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ n't want to go . " <p> Jesus said this to tell how Peter would die and bring honor to God

@@5072741 <h> Darrell Royal honored at memorial <p> AUSTIN , Texas -- Former Texas coach Darrell Royal was remembered Tuesday as a humble champion who built a powerhouse football program and a Longhorn brand known around the world . <p> About 1,500 people attended a campus memorial service for the coach who led Texas to national championships in 1963 and 1969 and a share of a third in 1970 . Royal also revolutionized college football when he introduced the wishbone offense in 1968 . <p> Royal died in Austin on Nov. 7 at the age of 88 . He was buried at the Texas State Cemetery in a private service on Monday . <p> Royal grew up chopping cotton in Dust Bowl-era Oklahoma and was a standout player for the Sooners in the 1940s . It was Royal who determined Texas would wear not " just orange " but burnt orange , and put the Longhorn logo on the players ' helmets , Texas President Bill Powers said . <p> " The rarest of creatures : an Oklahoma Sooner who brought glory and unprecedented success to the University of Texas , " Powers said . " He was the real @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the world today . " <p> Royal was just 32 when Texas hired him before the 1957 season . Over the next 20 years , Texas won 167 games and 11 Southwest Conference titles and played in 16 bowl games . Royal , who never had a losing season , retired in 1976 . <p> The 90-minute service drew dozens of Royal 's former players and coaching friends and rivals , including former Arkansas coach Frank Broyles , a close friend , and former Oklahoma coach Barry Switzer , a fierce rival toward the end of Royal 's career . Former Heisman Trophy running back Earl Campbell , who Royal recruited to Texas , former Texas A &M; Heisman winner John David Crow and former Texas A &M; coach R.C. Slocum also attended . <p> " It did n't matter if you were a starter or on the fifth team , he loved you , " said James Street , quarterback of Texas ' 1969 national championship team . <p> Willie Nelson , a longtime friend of Royal 's sang " Healing Hands of Time . " Nelson sang the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ home after their daughter Marian died in 1973 . <p> Texas coach Mack Brown , who became very close to Royal since taking over the Longhorns program in late 1997 , recounted the lessons Royal taught . The first came when Brown was coaching at Tulane and Royal was among a group of advisers brought in to evaluate the program . <p> The others told him everything would be fine . Royal told him " Boy , get out of here as fast as you can . " Brown listened and soon bolted for North Carolina . <p> When Brown took the Texas job , Royal told Brown he had to repair a fractured support base , develop new ties with Texas high school coaches and learn to shrug off criticism . <p> " One other thing , " Brown said Royal told him . " You 've got to win all the damn games . " <p> Brown led Texas to the 2005 national championship , its first since Royal retired . <p> Broyles , whose top-ranked team lost to No. 2 Texas in the " Game of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ . The coaches both announced their retirement after facing each other in the 1976 season finale , a Texas win . Broyles said the families often vacationed in Mexico together . <p> " We never talked football . It was always golf and family , " Broyles said . " He was one of the greatest coaches of all time . " <p> Switzer , who had a bitter rivalry with Royal in the final seasons before Royal retired , attended the service with current Oklahoma athletic director Joe Castiglione . <p> Switzer recalled how Royal had Texas assistant Emory Ballard call him in 1970 to help the Sooners install the wishbone offense . <p> " Darrell did something for us no other coach had ever have done and I do n't think I would have done , " Switzer said . " I was surprised at the time that he did it ... I was an assistant coach at that time and I had n't ( made him mad ) yet . That goes back to what kind of guy he was and person he was . " <p> @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and his widow was presented with a U.S. flag by the University of Texas Army ROTC . When the Longhorn band struck up " The Eyes of Texas " for Royal for the final time , Edith Royal stood clutching the flag with her right

@@5072841 <p> As the Martin Luther King , Jr . holiday approaches , Diane and her guests discuss the most pressing civil rights issues in America today . A look at what has been achieved and new challenges ahead . <p> At the recent dedication of the Martin Luther King , Jr . memorial in Washington , D.C. , President Obama said the slain civil rights leader would recognize many challenges our nation faces today , including neighborhoods with underfunded schools and inadequate health care . But since Dr. King 's time , much has changed . Not only African-Americans , but women , Hispanics , and homosexuals have -- and still are -- waging civil rights campaigns . And while some problems persist , great strides have been made toward equal rights , including passage of the Americans with Disabilites Act and the ability of gays to serve openly in the military . Diane and her guests discuss civil rights in America today . <h> Related Links <h> Program Highlights <p> Forty-six years after its passage , the Voting Rights Act is still in the news . South Carolina plans to sue the Department of Justice over its recent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and guests talked about the legacy of the civil rights movement and the most pressing civil rights issues today in the U.S. <p> What Does The Civil Rights Movement Look Like Today ? <p> Michelle Bernard points out that Martin Luther King , Jr. , spoke often about economic freedom and poverty during the civil rights movement . But Bernard points out that today , we hear very little public discussion about the poor . " From my perspective today , if you look at Dr. King 's message of economic inequality , and you ask yourself what is the most important civil rights issue of today , my personal opinion is that it is education inequality , " she said . <p> Education Inequality <p> Han Van Spakovsky agrees that education inequality is a serious civil rights issue . Hispanics and African Americans often get poor educational opportunities at the elementary and middle school levels , Spakovsky said . Voucher programs have been tried in several urban areas to try to expand school choice for poor and minority families , but they are not available everywhere and can generally @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ID Laws <p> Another serious civil rights issue today has to do with voting . According to Wade Henderson , at least 14 states have adopted laws making it more difficult for people who would otherwise have been eligible to vote and who have voted in the past to vote again . Some have enacted stricter voter ID laws , some have made it more difficult for those providing assistance to voters at polling places to do so , and some have challenged third party registrations . Diane asked why it would be difficult for someone to present ID at a polling place , and Henderson said that about 25 percent of the African-American population does not have any photo ID . In some cases , Henderson said , people who had been able to vote for decades were denied the right to vote because they lacked a driver 's license or other photo ID . <p> Equal Rights for Homosexuals <p> " Given what we saw in New York last year , we have come far , but we have not come far enough , " Bernard said . @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the state 's business and people should be free to marry , " she said . " You measure these things by a yardstick and if civil and human rights have meaning for anyone , surely they must have meaning for the gay and lesbian community , as well , " Henderson added . <h> Comments <p> Strides are being made in nearly every area of Civil Rights at present , all minorities are experiencing advancement ..... except where it concerns women . There is a challenge ! <p> January 11 , 2012 - 2:37 pm <p> Pancake Rankin wrote : <p> Dominionism is killing the planet , starting with the women . <p> January 12 , 2012 - 9:25 am <p> Kurt huhtanen wrote : <p> Dear Dian , I am a white individual who has had experience in helping a black individual defend himself in the courts of North Carolina . My impression was that railroading of blacks in these courts is common . Public defenders with little desire to defend seem to be common . What is the present attorney general doing to change these violations @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ United States . <p> January 12 , 2012 - 10:50 am <p> kathleen wrote : <p> As Dr. Cornell West and Tavis Smiley have been persistently pointing out poverty has not been mentioned in the latest Republican debates by the candidates or the moderators . That poverty in the US is barely ever mentioned by President Obama . Former Senator Edwards was the last candidate to really try to zero on in on poverty the last four or five years . <p> 46.2 percent of the American population finds themselves in poverty ... the new poor are often former middle class . Poverty knows no race boundaries . Is this the new civil rights issue ? I think so <p> Dr. West and Tavis Smiley , Micheal Moore tonight at George Washington University discussing poverty tonight ... <p> Princeton University professor Cornel West . ( Amanda Lucier - AP ) After traveling to 18 cities in nine states for the ' The Poverty Tour ' in August 2011 , media personality Tavis Smiley and Princeton University professor Cornel West will speak at the " Remaking America : From Poverty to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ <p> Smiley will moderate the nationally televised event and West is a panelist along with financial advisor Suze Orman , filmmaker Michael Moore , activist Majora Carter , author Barbara Ehrenreich and others . The speakers will discuss solutions to nation 's poverty crisis . <p> January 12 , 2012 - 11:08 am <p> kathleen wrote : <p> Clearly there have been improvements . We really need improvement with host on MSM outlets when it comes to Hispanics , Asians , Native Americans as host of these shows . <p> Please talk about the numbers of young Hispanic and African American students who do not graduate from high school . I know Colin Powell has been focusing on this <p> January 12 , 2012 - 11:16 am <p> kathleen wrote : <p> Michelle on education please discuss the way some states such as the way Ohio distributes education funds Ohio Supreme Court ruled the system unconstitutional four times ... yet nothing has changed and certainly will not change with Republican Governor Kasich who slashed education funding by 780 million <p> January 12 , 2012 - 11:25 am <p> jpatperdue wrote @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with your guest more regarding the affirmative action efforts in higher education . As an African American , I have come to realize that " equality " in this context is not " sameness . " If there has been a concerted systematic effort over several generations to exclude , exploit , and subjugate my race , then what is wrong with taking steps to remedy the situation ? This is one of the points that leads to a disconnect between many African Americans/ethnic minorities from white liberals . <p> January 12 , 2012 - 11:25 am <p> Dosha wrote : <p> Why would we be trying to move any children , poor or rich , to a " better " school ? I ca n't believe that every child does n't want to better him or herself , given the opportunity and encouragement . We should be trying to improve the schools and the system from the bottom up instead of moving kids around based on our perceptions of who is more motivated , needy or deserving . <p> January 12 , 2012 - 11:26 am <p> Mel Wright @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Americans and Civil Rights . This particular population is almost always ignored in this kind of discussion . <p> January 12 , 2012 - 11:30 am <p> pallasathena wrote : <p> The fact that there was no decrease in the number of minority or black voters between the 2004 election and the 2008 election may not be evidence that there was no voter suppression . It might be evidence that the attempt at voter suppression did n't make a difference because there was a black man running for president so more minorities than usual turned out to vote ! <p> January 12 , 2012 - 11:35 am <p> Robin Shoulders wrote : <p> It 's very sad to see the U.S. moving back to the dark ages , as a Canadian to hear the GOP talk about liberty and freedom and then suppress certain people from voting is hypocritical . Whether it 's voting machines or intimidation the GOP will do anything to win . Your politics is already corrupt enough is n't it ? . <p> January 12 , 2012 - 11:35 am <p> bkarl wrote : <p> Unfortunately @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ think we need an ammendment guaranteeing this . <p> January 12 , 2012 - 11:40 am <p> Alexander DeJarnett wrote : <p> You must recall that the roots of discrimination in this country are economic . The labor of Africans in America was appropriated for the benefits of slave holders in exchange for subsistence nutrition and shelter . The lands of native Americans and Hawaiians were taken repeatedly for the economic use of whites . Over time , laws were passed to codify these advantages to whites and , most importantly , a set of beliefs was promulgated that those being discriminated against actually deserved it . It is this belief system that is still largely in place , though the expression of it has evolved to fit the socially acceptable norms of the times . However , the enormous economic disadvantage of African Americans , Hispanics and Native Americans is largely unchanged and we have a new and updated American rationale for why that 's " right " . The focus on " civil rights " has only helped to conceal the great disparities in equal rights . <p> @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wrote : <p> Diane , please ask your panel -- By how much does the number of suspected illegal votes exceed the number of probable legal votes among previous voters likely to decline ? <p> Wade Black Executive Director The Birmingham Pledge Foundation <p> January 12 , 2012 - 11:45 am <p> Sheri Neuss wrote : <p> Question for today 's panel : I live in Ohio . How do we change how we vote in Ohio primaries . Ohio states that one must declare a party before we are allowed to vote in a primary election . This must be changed but what is the process ? <p> January 12 , 2012 - 11:54 am <p> kateward850166 wrote : <p> There is evidence of Racial Profiling in Arizona . I had an Iraqi student with papers held for 15 hours . The police insulted him and refused to listen to him . I have another friend who is an advertising executive who was stopped because he was dark . <p> As to voter fraud I met two students who worked the Ohio polls during 2004 . They both said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ these issues were never investigated . <p> January 12 , 2012 - 11:56 am <p> thanks35 wrote : <p> There was a successful effort to restrict blacks from voting in Florida in November , 2000 . Not only was the effort successful , because the success was not reported on Fox News , many believe it never happened . When the documentary on the subject " Unprecedented " was shown and advertised in my local newspaper , I was the only person in the city to attend . While efforts to block blacks from voting have been less overt since 2000 , one would be foolish to believe that the success in 2000 would not be followed by more efforts in this direction . <p> January 12 , 2012 - 11:58 am <p> bkarl wrote : <p> While race and gender are still the basis for much obvious discrimination , I think the today 's greatest civil rights challenge is poverty . Apartheid exists in America ; it is economic . I think it was the TV character George Jefferson who spoke of " having enough green to cover my @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will expereince much more discrimination than a well-dressed and successful-looking black man . Most of the challenges of the poor and working class ( the vast majority of Americans ) are race-neutral . Yet we allow those in power to continue to use race to keep us divided , lest we organize and hold them accountable . I wonder whether or not a program such as this is inadvertenly being used as a pawn in this effort ? <p> January 12 , 2012 - 1:22 pm <p> pallasathena wrote : <p> I 'm dismayed by Ms Murgia 's last comment on the changes to cocaine &; crack sentencing . No one is telling families or communities to recommend cocaine over crack because you get a lesser sentence with cocaine . Of course we should tell our youngsters to not do drugs . The problem is that for whatever reason ( cheaper ? ) , crack is used more by the drug users from the minority population and cocaine is used more by the white drug users from the white/majority population . The two drugs are comparable in their effects and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in sentencing , but in the case with the longer sentences , most defendants are black . The goal is to punish black &; white drug users of cocaine fairly &; equally ! <p> January 12 , 2012 - 12:05 pm <p> retired in 09 wrote : <p> My dad is in a retirement home and only leaves for family celebrations and to vote . Unfortunately they do n't give you a state I.D when you give up the privilege to drive and he does n't have a photo I.D . Dad fought in WW2 and said that we fought to preserve our freedom-including the right to vote . He wonders why an obstacle is being placed in front of his rights . Jefferson County is in bankruptcy and it is impossible to get a photo I.D . without standing in long long lines and this is not possible for this citizen . <p> January 12 , 2012 - 12:07 pm <p> Lee Black wrote : <p> Republicans think that Democrats ' stuff ' ballot boxes ; Democrats think Republicans want to keep legitimate voters from voting . The stuffing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Rove and his ilk do want to keep the workers ( and out-of-work ) people from voting . But the real problem in the next election will be the voting machines which can be manipulated . <p> The caller who mentioned birth certificates , etc. had some valid points . It took me 9 months to get a copy of my birth certificate last year . <p> January 12 , 2012 - 12:12 pm <p> bkarl wrote : <p> I think it 's time for a consititutional ammendment to guarantee the right to vote . ( If you think you already have a consitutional right to vote you 'd better read it again . ) <p> January 12 , 2012 - 1:27 pm <p> MaineCoon wrote : <p> Unbelievable ! Guest Michelle Bernard in one and the same sentence said , " it 's none of the state 's business , and people should be free to marry . " <p> If you want to call yourself " married " on a private , informal basis , fine , go ahead . But if you want legal status and recognition @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ -- then you 'd better believe it is the state 's business whether or not your arrangement legally qualifies as a marriage ! <p> I 've had it with this kind of tortuous illogic on the part of SSM advocates . <p> January 12 , 2012 - 3:36 pm <p> johnandere wrote : <p> Well , I did n't read every comment all the way through , but most of them . The funniest , once again goes to Teece Bowman who said , " Strides are being made in nearly every area of Civil Rights at present , all minorities are experiencing advancement ..... except where it concerns women " . Earth to Teece . Women are NOT a minority . In fact , in most countries , due to life expectancy , women are the majority . http : **33;2841;TOOLONG . ... Are they unfairly descriminated against ? A different discussion . But it is NOT because they are a " minority " . <p> January 12 , 2012 - 3:46 pm <p> Randall Amberson wrote : <p> Your decision to have Hans von Spakowsky as a guest @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ elections commission and opposition to minority voting rights generally is worth a story all its own . Not knowing von Spakowsky 's history of efforts to repress minority voting rights ( which is ongoing via his championing of voter ID laws ) is just embarrassing . <p> As for comments against affirmative action , they seem laughable when even in some blue states , a majority of black males never even graduate from high school in the first place . Everybody else who graduates at normal rates is already getting unfairly advantaged in the competition for jobs and college slots by not having to compete against black men who never got a chance . And anybody who wants to blame black boys themselves for their own failure to graduate from high school is seriously overlooking the fact that children ARE NEVER responsible for the circumstances into which they are born . <p> January 12 , 2012 - 5:03 pm <p> Lana wrote : <p> RE : the trend toward the abrogation of our civil rights : <p> The threat of " terrorism " has been inappropriately expanded to the point @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ For example , the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act essentially protects corporations , drug companies , factory farms etc. from the lawful scrutiny and protests about their inhumane treatment of animals . This act , vaguely written , labels animal activists as terrorists , can charge them with a felony , fine them and/or give them jail time if they engage in lawful protests . This is a clear violation of American citizens ' civil rights . As a response , the Center for Constitutional Rights has filed a law suit . Blum VS . Holder was filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts on December 15 , 2011 . <p> This law , in conjunction with the recent law passed that takes away American citizens ' rights to a lawyer if charged with terrorism , is very troublesome from the perspective of the chilling effect it is having our civil liberties . Heads up America ! <p> January 12 , 2012 - 8:00 pm <p> oldtreker wrote : <p> Robin , where is your proof that the GOP is intimating voters ? You ca n't buy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in stores without a picture ID with proof of age . I had to show my drivers license to renew my library card . I find it hard to believe that they ca n't obtain a state ID , unless they are not making a concerted effort to get one . In my state a non driver ID is $19 for seven years , half price for seniors . Many states will give poor folks one for free . Perhaps if the people that purport to really care about this issue would devote more time to help and not just be there during election years more would get done . <p> As for intimidation , our current attorney general declined to investigate older white voters in Philadelphia who were harassed at polling locations by black panthers . <p> PS The majority of locations where these poor less educated people live are controlled by Democrats who only go to these places during elections . Can some one tell me the last time they saw John Kerry in a inner city area ? <p> January 13 , 2012 - 8:00 pm <p> @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ children want to better themselves should have my job ( substitute teacher ) for a month . Not a day , a month , so that you can see 20 different classrooms , so you can get a broad enough perspective to be entitled to an opinion . Obviously , who you go to school with DOES matter -- OBVIOUSLY . I ca n't understand why the person who said this thinks it would have been better for HIM to go to school with people who were going to be bullying him or encouraging him NOT to study . And that is indeed what the school culture will impose , in some schools . <p> I do n't know if the writer of this HAS children , but I do know that if he does , he wants them to go to a better school and not a worse one . Usually , people presenting the writer 's view are people who live geographically near a better school and are trying to shout down all attempts by people who can not afford to live in a neighborhood near such a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ <p> What does the writer even mean by " improve the system from the bottom up " ? " Improving " a classroom where the overwhelming culture values fighting and texting over studying is not something that the writer or anyone else knows how to do . <p> January 15 , 2012 - 6:24 pm <p> Dave Holzman wrote : <p> The commentary on immigration is , uh ... underwhelming . The reason why Arizona and Alabama are passing laws that largely mirror federal laws , is ***because the Feds have n't been enforcing federal laws*** ! <p> The reason a lot of people are so angry about immigration is because they are losing their jobs to mass immigration , as that wonderful liberal NYT columnist Nicholas Kristof so eloquently described in his column , " Compassion that Hurts , " which you can google , or find here : **40;2876;TOOLONG ... <p> If the numbers of immigrants were n't so extreme , it would n't be an issue . Immigrants added the equivalent of three New Jerseys to the population in the ' 90s , and that pace kept @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the economy tanked . <p> You can enforce the immigration laws or you can aid and abet illegal immigration . Our country has been doing the latter because Republicans like the cheap labor , and Democrats think that when they legalize the illegal immigrants , they will have a whole bunch of new Democratic voters . <p> La Raza has an open borders agenda , and really does n't deserve to have a representative on your usually wonderful program . <p> January 16 , 2012 - 10:56 am <p> Barbara Stewart wrote : <p> Listened to the rebroadcast of the show which had for the most part a good discussion . But one of the parting comments from the guest about drug use was about as stupid a remark as I have ever heard . All she thought was necessary was to tell our children not to use drugs and that would solve any issues with respect to discrepancies between penalties for use of crack versus cocaine . Like all of the teenagers out there that experiment and use drugs and alcohol just lacked a parent to tell them

@@5072941 <h> Women 's Olympic Rise Has Been a Long Time Coming <p> The news that the United States will send more women than men to compete on its Olympic team in London reflects a turnaround in women 's participation in the modern Games that 's evolved over the past century . <p> In 2008 , the U.S. sent 306 men and 282 women to Beijing ( 588 total ) and 279 men and 254 women ( 533 total ) went to Athens , according to the International Society of Olympic Historians . In 2000 , 332 men went to Sydney and 253 women for a total of 586 athletes . <p> Women also represent both ends of the age spectrum of the U.S. 2012 team . Karen O'Connor , a 54-year-old equestrian , will be the oldest member of the team , and swimmer Katie Ledecky , 15 , is the youngest . ( The average age for the team is 27 , according to the U.S.O.C. ) There are 54 dads and 13 moms on the team . At Olympics in the past , the ratio of women has been lower . At the 2008 Beijing Games , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a record 42 percent , according to the International Olympic Committee . At the 1960 Games in Rome , only 611 women competed , representing just 11.5 percent of the athletes . This year , Saudi Arabia is including women on its Olympic team for the first time , one of only a handful of delegations that has resisted sending females . <p> The presence of women at the elite international level is certainly a departure from the ancient Olympic Games , which were reserved entirely for men . Women first competed at the Olympics at the 1900 Paris Games in lawn tennis and golf . In 1928 , gymnastics and track were added , expanding opportunities for women , but distance running events over 200 meters were eliminated in 1960 , due to unconfirmed reports that women collapsed after running a longer race , according to Olympic historian Bill Mallon . <p> " They simply looked tired , " Mallon said . " But in that era , that was unacceptable to the I.O.C. honchos . " <p> The women runners who remained often bore the brunt of budget @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a deficit and " ruthlessly slashed " the women 's track team from 17 to four athletes , according to The Times on July 6 , 1936 . <p> " It all resolved down to the point where many athletes will have to pay their own way , in part or in full , if they expect to compete in the Olympics . " <p> Five days later , The Times reported that " some of the girls who qualified for the team are virtually stranded in

@@5073041 in such form , as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness . ( Declaration of Independence , 1776 ) <p> We affirm these self-evident truths , and declare that it is time to abolish our form of government , not by armed revolution , but by the election of representatives who will change it . <p> The Constitution of the United States allows for the people to elect their representatives every two years , and to elect every senator every six , and to elect the president every four . Each state constitution allows the citizens of that state a similar power to choose their government . Through electing representatives that represent our desire to preserve our government solely to protect the individual rights of everyone , we propose the following changes be made . <p> Limited government . Our governments are limited by the constitutions that form them . We need to enact a common understanding among the people of what those limits are and impose them on our governments . We need also to strengthen the already existing limits , overturning bad interpretations by our courts , legislators , and executives @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which will forever ensure our individual liberty . <p> Dramatic cuts to spending . Our governments should spend our money procuring only those goods and services that will protect our rights . <p> An end to government charity . It is the role of our churches and the individual to supply charity to the poor , not the state . If the individual and churches can not supply the charity , government could only do worse . Having government provide charity absolved the conscience and duty of the people from their proper role to love their neighbor . <p> An end to unfunded legislation . Any program that congress enacts must be completely and fully funded at the time of its creation . We will not enslave future generations to programs that we create but do not fully fund . Existing programs that are unfunded should be canceled or modified until they can be funded . <p> Dramatic cuts to taxation . Our governments should collect far less taxes than the people can bear . The people should be free to pursue whatever economic matter they wish without burden or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ used to punish the rich or to mold society 's behavior . They should only be used to raise the necessary money to meet the spending requirements of a government that protects the rights of the individual . Any surpluses should be immediately refunded to the people in proportion to taxes paid , or used to pay off debts . Taxes should never be raised to meet spending ; rather , spending should be cut to meet tax revenue . <p> An end to government debt . Our people have become more prosperous than any other people in the world . We do not need to borrow money anymore to provide for the needs of government . Paying interest on our government debts is slavery , not freedom . We are not free until we have paid off all of our debts . Any debt that we must incur should be paid off within a very short time frame , so that our debts are not repaid by our children . <p> An end to bureaucratic regulation . Any kind of regulation must be debated and passed by the legislatures @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ public official should be allowed to set policy that governs the life of anyone but their own employees . No court should dictate legislation . No executive should issue orders except to his troops and employees . Anyone exceeding these limits should immediately be removed from office by impeachment because they are a threat to our liberty . <p> An end to over-litigation . The laws of our country are unjust , in that they are used to punish those who have done no wrong with tort laws and allow the criminal to go free . Let our laws be simple and just so that we no longer have need of lawyers . Do not allow our constitution to be interpreted as giving shelter to the guilty or limiting the freedoms of the individual . <p> We boldly declare that freedom and liberty are dramatically different than tyranny and slavery . In a free society , government works differently than in an enslaved society . Our governments should be eternally fearful of the will of the people , forever locked in by the limits of the constitution which creates them @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ individual and as a whole . <p> We emphatically reject the tenets of communism , socialism , fascism , totalitarianism , colonialism , and every other form of government or political idea that sets one person above another , that limits the freedom of the individual for the " greater good " , or attempts to convince any individual that they have no rights or fewer rights than the rights man is endowed with by their Creator . <p> We boldly declare that in our society , the checks and balances in our government includes the individual , private organizations such as businesses or churches or political groups , and federated governments such as the local , state , and federal governments . By distributing the power to govern among these people , organizations , and governments , no one person or group of people is able to obtain much power over the rest . <p> We also declare that there is enough in this world , and to spare , if the individual is freed from the constraints of government to seek his own fortune in life . We @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ capable of providing charity to the poor , jobs to those who want them , and also to pursue the critical role of participating in politics to keep government constrained . We encourage all men , everywhere , to embrace their freedom , seek their own fortunes , and once having obtained it , spend their time and resources as they see fit in service to their fellowman , without the entanglement of government . <p> The Government , in my mind , is the most fearsome monster ever imagined . <p> To understand why , you need to understand why we have government at all , and why government should instead be called " Community Violence . " <p> Governments form to fight wars and rid the world of evil . We count on our government to blow up the bad guys before they blow us up . We count on them to find and catch and prosecute the criminals . <p> When governments turn to do harm to the people , where are the people supposed to turn for protection ? <p> Our country started with the idea @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the people , when they begin to infringe on those very rights , it should be altered or abolished . That 's what compelled the Founding Fathers to rebel against England . <p> Most rebellions end up with a worse government than the one they started with . France 's rebellion of the same time period is certainly a case . So our Founding Fathers thought long and hard about what kind of government would not only preserve our freedom , but be superior to the system that the English had set up . <p> They settled on a government with strict limitations . Community violence could be used , they wrote and explained , but only in certain cases . <p> Our governments of today have exceeded all reasonable bounds . We are no longer free , not when you compare our freedom with that of our ancestors . Government controls every aspect of our lives . It controls what we are free to eat or do , what kind of businesses we can run and what kinds of things we can talk about . It has been a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tyranny we are experience , but we can not deny it any longer . <p> What would freedom look like ? Quite different than what we have . <p> Rather than turning to gangs , poor minorities would be starting businesses doing all sorts of things . From the minority who wants to braid hair , to the kid who wants to shine shoes , to any number of menial businesses that require no education at all to run successfully , the poor minorities could be active participants in our economy . Instead , there are roadblocks from every government agency . You 'd need an advanced college degree even to start your business . Trust me , I know , I tried . I was unable to navigate the mountains of regulations . Not for lack of trying , of course . <p> Police forces would disappear . People would be called upon to defend their own property and lives , and each others . Gangs would n't be a problem . You see , if a gangmember threatened your business , you would form an ad hoc militia @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of your guns . Despite all the movies to the contrary , life in the " Wild West " was really quite peaceful . Crime was rare . <p> The laws would be much different . Even schoolchildren would be able to figure out what is and is not legal . You would n't need a lawyer to go to trial , except in rare cases . In fact , most issues would be settled outside of court . Our litigious society would quickly turn to self-reconciliation . <p> Elections would be different . Anyone could say or do anything they wanted , with any funds they wanted to use . There would n't need to be any reporting of any kind , since there is no legal requirement to report the exercise of your free speech rights . <p> The medical system would be different . Employers probably would n't offer health insurance , since you probably would n't want health insurance . The costs of health care would be so low , thanks to the elimination of all regulations and taxes , that you would be able to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , expensive treatment would , of course , be only available to the richest among us . But as with everything in a free economy , it is n't long before costs drop and supply increases . After all , if I were a drug company , I would rather sell a drug that $10 million people would use for $100 than 100 people would use for a $1 million . <p> What about crime , fraud , corruption ? A free society protects itself against these things rather easily . Normally , these types of people aggregate to institutions of power . Case in point , the global warming movement . There is absolutely no weight behind any of their absurd claims , and yet here we are . Why ? Because they are working through government . If they had to instead compete in the free market of ideas , we would 've recognized and rejected their baseless allegations immediately . <p> When we turn to Community Violence to provide social services , we are asking the fox to guard the henhouse . Government tends to attract people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ taking our money , spending it on the poor , and then claiming credit for it . The only way to eliminate this kind of abuse is to stop the practice altogether . Government should be for those people who want to hurt and kill bad guys who threaten our freedoms . Let the churches and societies care about the poor . <p> It seems odd that my first post about explaining conservative principles targets the libertarian viewpoint rather than the liberal one . But this is the core critical principle behind everything else we believe . <p> Conservatives and Libertarians agree that men are free to choose . To the conservative , this is God 's ultimate gift to mankind . To the libertarian , this is a fact of nature . <p> The conservative believes one thing that is in conflict with the libertarian : We believe we are free to do good . Namely , that our freedom expands when we do right , and contracts when we do wrong . <p> If I choose to eat healthy , exercise , and not do things like drink @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as healthy as it could be . I will be able to work long hours . I will be able to play and recreate outdoors . I will be able to wrestle with my kids . My mind will be as clear as I can expect it to ever be . My economic contributions will help other people improve their economic situation . My contributions to family life will help build a stronger society . There is a lot of good that will come of it . <p> If I choose to eat junk food , slob around , drink heavily and smoke , then my physical body will not be as healthy as it could be . I will not be as great a benefit for society as I otherwise could be . There is an opportunity cost to myself and society by doing this , meaning good things that would have otherwise happened will not happen . <p> Now , I 'm not saying that government should regulate what we eat and how we spend our time . We 'll talk about what the government should do or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that conservatives do not think the freedom to do what we like includes the freedom to eat junk food , slob around , drink heavily and smoke . That is , if we choose to do those things , we 're doing wrong , and we know it even though many do it . <p> The libertarian might believe that it really does n't matter what I do with myself , as long as I do n't hurt others . They often forget that by reducing your economic ability , you are hurting others . Even private actions , such as engaging in extra-marital relations or smoking a joint have long-term and expensive costs to society . <p> Thus , when God gave man freedom , it came with strings attached . If we choose to do good , then our freedom expands . We can choose to do more things . If we choose to do evil , then our freedom contracts . We will have fewer choices later on . <p> This core principle , the strings that are attached to our freedom , is our moral duty @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are free , we say that you are NOT free to do everything . There is a sort of contract between you and God and society , and it reads something like this : <p> God gives you freedom and life <p> Society promises to not interfere with most things <p> You promise to use your freedoms wisely , for the benefit of yourself and mankind . <p> Now , let 's talk about where our liberties end . <p> Libertarians are right : actions which directly harm people are prohibited . Mostly . The basic rule is found in the Mosaic Law : eye for an eye , tooth for a tooth . If you hurt your neighbor 's eye , you must restore that eye or you must pay a penalty of the eye , etc ... This is the basic idea behind our tort laws , which can be traced back to the Bible . This is also why it makes a whole lot of sense to charge polluters for the cost of cleanup , and then allow them to pollute anyway . <p> Libertarians forget that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ <p> We have a duty to protect ourselves , our family , and each other from those who would violate our liberties . <p> We have a duty to use our liberties for our benefit and the benefit of others . <p> We have a duty to provide for our own food and shelter and wants , rather than relying on others to do so . <p> We ALSO have a duty to help others provide for themselves , not to make them dependent or lazy , but to help them obtain the means to obtain their own support ( more on this in a later post ) . <p> Conservatives understand where the freedom to do as we please ends and where we are " enslaved " to our liberties through out duties . We cheerfully and happily accept our duties as a small price to pay for our liberties . Some examples include : <p> Soldiers who volunteer to fight so others do n't have to . People who pay their taxes knowing it is used to support those soldiers . <p> Business owners who pay their taxes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for themselves , their business partners , their customers and competitors . <p> Individuals who pay their taxes , knowing it funds the legal system which protects their individual rights . <p> Individuals who give away their time , talents , and resources without expectation of remuneration , so that others can enjoy a better life . <p> Churches which stand up for moral issues , such as the sanctity of marriage and the protection of unborn life . <p> Organizations formed , without expectation of profit , so that people can learn or develop talents of their own . <p> Unfortunately , liberties and duties are not simple . It takes careful study and thought to understand how and why charity is a critical component of capitalism , pacificism requires a military , etc ... We could spend our entire lives studying our rights and duties and never come to a complete understanding of them . <p> Nevertheless , we ALL have a duty to understand our rights and duties for ourselves . If we do not understand them , we will fail in our duties and lose our @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to run a campaign against the conservative . Case in point , never once did Obama take on Romney 's conservatism . Why ? He knew it would make him lose . Instead , he attacked Big Bird , " binders full of women " and " vote for your lady parts . " Oh , and " Romney 's a liar " . Never once did Obama try to show how conservatism was wrong . Why ? It ca n't be done . You sound stupid when you try to do it in America . " You did n't build that . " <p> Second , all those people who say the Republican Party should move left are full of stupidity . We did n't lose because we did n't get enough moderate or liberal votes . We lost because 100,000 republicans in swing states decided they did not want to vote this time around . Had we encouraged them to vote , they would have , and probably a lot more than 100,000 . There is no reason why we could n't have the numbers Bush had in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2008 , we would have won . <p> Third , the left is utterly powerless . What I mean by this is that they must run a particular campaign if they expect to get any votes at all . Obama 's campaign was about as pathetic as you can get , and yet , he still earned 10 million fewer votes than he got last time around . It 's laughable , really . They have worked themselves into an ever-shrinking box . Our friends keep getting richer and smarter and have more kids . Their supporters get drugged up , die young , and do n't have kids . We have the demographic advantage . They 've already slaughtered millions of potential voters , and as time goes on , that gap , the abortion gap , is growing , because those aborted babies will never have children of their own . That 's what happens when you embrace the ideology of death rather than life . Your people end up dead . <p> This homosexual marriage thing : I have half a mind to let them try it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ depressed , end up committing suicide or killing each other or getting some awful disease and dying . Their values will die out in 1 or 2 generations , tops . Meanwhile , us who believe in and practice traditional marriage will raise bright , happy minds who will raise bright happy minds etc ... If you really disagree with homosexual marriage , you will be the best parent possible and have as many kids as you can to put your money where your mouth is . <p> And the entitlement mentality ! They have hit a point where too many people ask for too much for government . Medicare is bankrupt . So is social security . So are the welfare programs . If your political power depends on giving people free stuff , and you run out of free stuff , you lose your political power . <p> Fourth , whatever we do , we must NEVER compromise our core values of conservatism . We must NEVER give an inch , NEVER agree with any statist ideas , NEVER fear the outcome . When they mock and insult @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ believe , and why you believe it . You do n't have to become little and tiny like they are . You can still use logic and reason and point out their logical fallacies and contradictions and remain civil . <p> Fifth , there are more than enough republicans and conservatives to win any national election handily . How do I know this ? Because conservatives across the country got elected to the House , while Romney did not . This means the conservative banner marched forward , over the liberal banner , even though we lost the big race . Think about what that means for a moment . <p> I 'm going to be talking more about conservative values and why they are the only values you can have if you care about people . I 'll be explaining why statism kills , the murder kind of kill , not the executing criminals or fighting a war kind of killing . You 're going to see people 's lives ruined thanks to the statist policies of the Obama administration over the next four years . <p> By the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ me to elect the most conservative person we can find as presidential nominee . If we ca n't get the Republican Party nomination , then we 're going to start a third party . Why ? Because we WILL NOT win if we get behind a moderately conservative candidate . That argument simply can not be made any more . If we split the vote three ways , so be it . That 's how Lincoln won . Remember , it was the Whigs ( ending slavery is too risky and makes people unhappy ) , the Democrats ( slavery or bust ! ) and the Republicans ( we 're not going to tolerate slavery for 1 more second ) . Except now we have our moderate republicans ( oh , we need to get the moderates to vote for us ) , the democrats ( statism or bust ! ) and the conservatives ( end statism right now ! ) . <p> Our job is not to convince the left or the moderate to vote for us . We honestly do n't need their vote . They are too @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and if we earned their vote , it would mean we 're pretty stupid too . We could spend all our time explaining to them what needs to be done , but they are not going to listen to us anyway . I mean , these people are beyond logic and reason . So let 's forget about them , because they are a minority anyway . Let 's focus on getting conservatives to vote enthusiastically for conservatives . Those people in our country who know how to think will find us eventually , and then recognize the truth for what it is . We do n't need to work on people who are n't looking for truth anyway . <p> Atheists are launching a new media campaign against Mormons . This time , they are supposing we practice some bizarre form of segregation based on one 's sexual orientation or skin color . ( link ) <p> As I posted earlier , if there is a faith that is chock full of contradiction and misinformation , it is the Atheist one . Here they are showing their ignorance , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ two simple observations : The Mormon Church has always welcomed blacks , and the Mormon church has always welcomed homosexuals . <p> For the record , we accept anyone from any background into our faith . It is contrary to our doctrine to deny anyone access to the Lord 's blessings based on anything but their worthiness . For the dead , we do n't even care about their worthiness . <p> On the history of black relations with our church , I propose two points . One , that we never taught that blacks would not receive the highest levels of salvation . In fact , our religion was the first in modern history to point out that all the blacks who died without knowing Christ would have an opportunity to join all the faithful Saints in heaven . Two , Joseph Smith 's Nauvoo city was part of the underground railroad , helping runaway slaves in material ways . It does n't take much effort to find stories of Joseph Smith offering his own bed , his money , his property , to help black people in Nauvoo @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , that they were no different from whites , was truly radical in his time . It is still a truly radical concept for many . <p> As for the ban on the priesthood , when it was instituted , it was understood to be temporary , and at the same time , it would not limit any black person 's ability to progress and receive the saving ordinances and be exalted along with the whites . Similar bans on the priesthood are recorded in the Bible , such as limiting who is allowed to officiate in the temple , etc ... <p> On the topic of homosexuality , we do not discriminate . Sexual relations outside of marriage is a sin , no matter the sexes of those involved . To those who have proclivities to violate themselves in such a way , they must follow God 's counsel to cross themselves , to learn to tame their flesh . We believe that Jesus Christ can help people overcome their sins , not just by paying the price for their sins so they need not suffer the consequences , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ want to sin . Given that fact , we do not consider homosexuals to be any different from us . We are a all sinners , and all of us need that change of heart to turn us into new people , reborn through Christ , whose hearts have no desire to sin but to do what God wants all the time . In fact , we teach that the smallest sin will keep one out of heaven , along with the greatest sin . Murderers and paperclip thieves are grouped together , along with liars and adulterers and every other form of sinner . <p> It is apparent that this ad campaign is intended to deceive people into believing that which is not true . Is it any wonder that this deception comes from the Atheists ? Here we have a " religion " whose primary deception is found in their first article of faith : God does not exist . How can they know it ? The simple fact is that it is impossible to disprove the existence of something , let alone the existence of a supernatural @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for they assume , illogically , that the absence of evidence is evidence of absence . When confronted with this fact , they squirm and suppose a different idea altogether : That those who have personally come to know God and Christ are liars or mentally sick , even though both are easily verifiable and provably false in many cases . ( Yes , some Christians are liars , and others are mentally ill . But that is certainly not true for all of them . ) <p> This charge of discriminatory practices is hardly comparable to the charges that we have horns in our head , that we steal babies , that we steal young women , that we eat human flesh , or that we are plotting to overthrow the world 's governments . We are well familiar with blood libel , as well as the effects of it , which occasionally results in murder . We watched people come into our communities , rape and murder us , steal our property , throw us off of our land , deny us the right to vote or a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or do all manner of vicious things , often in the name of righteousness or justice . Let the Atheists cast their lots with the mobs that tried to destroy our religion from the beginning . At least we know the end of their efforts , because we have seen it time and again . <p> The way we counter these charges is to live our lives honestly and without fear . Let 's tell people what we really believe . Let 's let them see into our homes and personal lives . Let 's be a light to this world as we always have been . <p> Now that Romney is just about to be elected president , several anti-Mormon videos are sweeping the internets . Among them are likely videos that reveal what happens in our most sacred temple ordinances . <p> Feel free to watch them . Understand the level of dishonesty that was required to obtain them , however . Someone must have been a member of the church in good standing for at least a year . They must have made sacred covenants with God @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ several people about their intentions . They must have violated basic rules to not film or reveal key portions of the ceremony . Finally , during the ceremony , they swore an oath to God that they would not reveal certain tokens or signs . And yet , here we are . <p> If you want to trust such a person to accurately portray mormonism , then you are free to do so . However , to me , such a dishonest person has no reason to be trusted at all . Why would anyone trust someone who takes oaths before God so lightly , or who is willing to deceive so many people ? <p> Regardless , I am going to share with you the " gory " details about what goes on in Mormon temples . I feel now is just as an appropriate time as any . <p> To put things in perspective , you have to understand how Mormons view the universe . <p> First , there is a God . He is our loving Father in Heaven . His primary purpose is to prepare us @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ him . <p> He provided for us a Savior , Jesus Christ . Under the direction of Jesus Christ , the world was created , and man was place on it . Adam and Eve ate the fruit , and brought sin and death into the world . <p> However , this was anticipated from the beginning . The very purpose of life is to experience sin and death in this mortal realm . Having experienced that , we are to repent and obey Jesus Christ , who will show us how to get out of the mess we have created for ourselves . Our obedience to Jesus Christ is that we sacrifice ourselves to show love to each other . It is that we feed the hungry , clothe the naked , shelter the homeless , tend to the sick , and help the sinner and comfort those who stand in need of comfort . This is pretty much the entirety of what we are asked to do , in addition to inward actions such as trusting Jesus and repenting of our sins . <p> As tokens or signs @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ordinance of baptism . This symbolically washes us from our sins , and symbolically represents a rebirth in God 's kingdom . Then we receive the ordinance of the laying on of hands for the Gift of the Holy Ghost . The Holy Ghost can be our constant companion , helping us know what we should do to follow Jesus 's example on the earth . These are two saving ordinances , meaning , we can not return to Heavenly Father without receiving them . <p> The problem is that so many people lived on earth but never received baptism . Many of them never even had a chance to receive baptism . So Jesus provided a way for all those hosts of the dead to be on equal footing with the most righteous of saints . We can be baptized in their behalf in our temples . We can offer them the ordinance of baptism and the Gift of the Holy Ghost , which they are free to receive if they so desire . <p> Since we believe that free will pre-dates our mortality and exists in eternal realms @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ after death . Even the most hard-hearted and wicked people on the earth can come to accept Jesus Christ as their savior and desire to enter the Kingdom of Heaven . Our job is not to try and figure out who was righteous enough or not , but to see to it that everyone has an equal chance to get to heaven . <p> These are the first of the saving ordinances . There are more . The temple ordinance of the initiatory includes a symbolic washing and anointing of the body . This is to sanctify our bodies and set them apart for the work of salvation . It is a symbolic preparation for our future roles as kings , queens , priests , and priestesses . <p> Then there is the endowment , the film you have likely seen . Here , we are taught what we already have been taught , the gospel plan . We are reminded where we came from , why we are here , and what we are to do . The sacred oaths we take are promises to obey the Law of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Chastity , and the Law of Consecration . In exchange for our individual willingness to obey these commandments , we are given tokens that we can use to show Jesus that we have done what we were required to do . We are not to share these tokens with others : They must produce the faith necessary to obey these covenants on their own . <p> Having the tokens , we are then able to symbolically enter the Lord 's presence in the Celestial Room . This is a symbol for what we can have if we decide to keep the covenants we have just made . <p> There is also the ceremony of the sealing . This ceremony serves one purpose : To bind families together eternally . Man and woman are joined into married couples , and children are sealed to their parents . Were it not so , we are told , the whole earth would be smitten with a curse . This ceremony reminds us that while we can individually keep the law of the gospel , it is pointless to be saved alone . @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ measure of eternal happiness . <p> There are rumored to be other ceremonies , each another symbol . I do not know much about them at this time . I am told that one symbolically represents our unity with Christ , another symbolically represents that we have proven ourselves completely worthy of exaltation . That is all I have heard . <p> Now , some people see members of the LDS church making covenants and think we are doing something wrong . Let me ask you what you think . <p> The Law of Sacrifice teaches us that if we want something , we have to pay for it . It teaches us that Christ paid the ultimate price , and if we are willing to receive him into our lives , we can have our sins paid for . <p> The Law of the Gospel teaches us not to take important things lightly , to treat people with respect , etc ... <p> The Law of Chastity teaches us to be faithful to our spouses , to direct our lusts to building up families . <p> The Law of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ up the kingdom of God . What is the kingdom of God ? That 's the things that God does . What does he do ? He does everything he can to elevate people . That 's what we should be doing . The purpose of the church is not church , after all . It is to bring people to Christ , to help them experience the joy and lasting happiness that only Christ can bring us . <p> I do not see any evil here . I do not know why people try to pretend we are part of some grand conspiracy . If it helps you understand , then yes , I am a part of that conspiracy too . I want nothing more than to absolve you of all guilt and shame , to bring you the same happiness I have . The worst part ? I plan on bringing you these things without violating one iota of your free will , or using any compulsion whatsoever . I know , evil , right ? <p> The church has been targeted since day one . We @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we are in . When you make it your life 's mission to overthrow the kingdom of the devil , the devil does n't go on vacation . <p> I feel sorry for people who , seeing something of such immense good in the world , decide the best course of action is to exaggerate and misrepresent our church . I feel especially sorry when people listen to them . Nevertheless , I have trusted the church to the Lord . I do n't intend to lift one finger to hurt these people , except to tell them they are wrong and help bring more truth in the world . <p> The sad part is that the Lord pays attention to these people , and it never ends well for them . When his patience runs out , or rather , when it becomes clear that they will not repent , he tends to clean up the mess they made and move on with the world . To understand what I mean , name one person who lifted their hand against our church and prospered for it . It simply @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ single time our church has had a trial in the court of public opinion , our church has eventually won the day . <p> Anyway , if you want to learn what our church really believes , we send out 50,000+ missionaries every two years to knock on your door and tell you about it . I want nothing more than for you to experience the temple ordinances for yourself , in the proper state of mind , so you can see and hear and feel what I have seen and heard and felt . <p> If the presidential debate was a boxing match , then Romney landed quite a few knock-out punches . Obama seemed to put up his guard , and even tried to throw a few punches of his own , but he could n't stop the devastating force of Romney 's fury . <p> The most memorable is Romney 's closing statement . He believes in God . He believes we are all children of that God , and that everyone has a solemn duty to care for one another . After that , he described @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ how he cared for and helped the people that he came in contact with in ever walk of life . The message was not so important as the delivery . Here was a sincere man sharing his sincerely held beliefs and his compassion and understanding for every American . <p> The second most terrible punch was when Romney laid out every failure of the Obama administration . It was n't in the spirit of trying to hurt Obama , but in trying to help him understand what has happened to the American people under his presidency . Romney did n't blame Obama 's motives . He did n't even blame his competency . He simply said that what he did did n't work , and it 's time to give something else a try , for the sake of the American people . Every American who has suffered under the Obama presidency felt something , I believe , in that moment . The fact that Candy Crowley did n't allow Obama to reply probably saved Obama from putting his foot in his mouth . It did n't matter . There @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 'm sorry , I 'll do better next time , if you trust me , which you ca n't . " <p> The third most terrible punch was on Obama 's energy policy . When Romney challenged Obama 's rebuttal that what Romney said was a lie , Obama faltered . He could n't answer the question , so he filibustered . Romney gave Obama as much rope as he wanted . When Obama finally realized what had happened , and turned Romney 's time back to Romney , the deed was done . <p> The question about equality in the workplace for women should have been a gim me for Obama . Instead , Romney got to answer first , and completely obliterated any liberal idea on the topic . One , as governor , he sought out for and hired and accommodated women in the workplace . He remarked that he gave his chief of staff the time she needed to be with her children spoke to the millions of single and married moms in the workplace . Work is not the goal for them : the family @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which is why women do n't want to work even if they should . His second point , that a robust economy , where workers are in high demand , does not care about the gender of their employees , and would bend over backwards to make room for women was also heard and understood . Obama 's returning blow was wonkish and weak . Romney 's counter punch was a solid punch landing on a fighter crumpling at the knees . <p> The first question to Romney gave Romney a chance to unload a series of devastating blows on Obama , one after the other . Obama came out of his corner strong , but from the very beginning , his face was bruised and he was faltering . The mid-way comment about Obama 's economic failure was the point where Obama should 've turned around , and instead , he feel even further behind . <p> The question about gas prices and energy policy gave Romney a chance to land several devastating , crushing blows to Obama . The closing remark , asking people whether they are paying @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , more for energy in general , and whether they could afford four more years of that , sealed the deal . <p> The one faltering blow , Romney 's accusation that Obama did n't identify the Benghazi terrorist attack as a terrorist attack , did n't land cleanly at the debate . It even looked like Obama blocked it and countered with a nice sucker punch . While the impression of this to those who watched seemed to be reality , what really happened is now we are going to have a debate about how Obama handled the terrorist attacks under his watch for the next few weeks . Now Obama is going to have to fight the message sweeping America that he is weak and incompetent when it comes to the terror issue . Of course , Romney was right . It took two weeks for Obama to say the attacks were terrorist attacks and not protest rallies about some obscure YouTube video . But that 's going to come out over the next few weeks , and the Americans who plan to vote this year are going @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for Obama . He is tired . He is repetitive . He has nothing interesting to say . His attacks on Romney were weak and easily defended . At times , he seemed even to parrot Romney . His closing statement was weak . In no case did he try to defend his record . His defenses were either " I did n't do it , Bush did " , " It 's hard being president " , or " You ca n't do any better . " That 's not what Americans want to hear , not now , not ever . <p> Edit : In terms of devastation to words , this was the phrase that was the most powerful : When talking about how he would be different than President Bush , Romney pointed out that Obama condemned Bush for spending half a trillion dollars over budget . But then Obama doubled it . The audience gasped . <p> Also , the smoothest counter-punch came when the moderator attacked Romney for flip-flopping on guns while he was governor . Romney 's smooth deflection , that he brought @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they both agreed to , was brilliant . The counter-punch , that Obama was incapable of doing anything like this , and Romney would resolve the division in DC , was marvelous . It was like watching a master at work . Lots of minds were changed at that moment , I believe . <p> Where do they find these women ? She is n't ugly , she 's scary looking . She need to put on some weight . Why does her face look like that ? She has that accent that drives me up the wall . Do the liberals know that they 've built up this image that inspires disgust in others when they hear their accent and see their sunken faces ? <p> Joe Biden makes the first promise they did not keep : protect the American people . We are in more danger today , thanks to Obama 's failed policies , than we were in 2008 . <p> Wherever the facts lead you ? It 's too bad the president does n't care about the facts , blaming the deaths on free speech rather @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ shallow promise and threat . <p> It 's too bad Barack Obama does n't agree with Joe Biden . His priority has been to fundamentally transform America , not protect us . Biden then contradicts himself , putting priority on revenge , not security . If the last thing we need is another war , why did Obama entangle us in several new ones , without even consulting congress ? <p> Ryan nails it : It 's a terrorist attack . Why was n't there a marine detachment protecting our ambassador -- France has one ! Ryan calls out Biden for FAILING to get an agreement . It was his job . " Let 's not lose the things we fought so hard to get . " " Let 's not project weakness abroad . " Benghazi is indicative of a larger problem , the unraveling of the Obama policy . <p> The moderator inserts herself in the first question , wondering whether it was appropriate for Romney to talk about Obama 's failures . Was it appropriate ? Why does she think the American people even care about the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Obama administration did the same thing ( they did . ) Biden laughs . Is he nervous ? Did he just get called out ? " We should 've spoken right away when the Green Revolution started , when the Mullahs were attacking their people . " WOW ! We should not impose the devastating defense cuts . <p> Biden interrupts , not even 10 minutes into the debate . Cuts off Ryan . <p> Calls Ryan 's observations " Malarkey " . Did n't he just say , moments ago , he wants to get to the bottom of the truth ? Says EVERYTHING Ryan said was inaccurate . Blames Ryan for cutting embassy security . Blames Gov . Romney for making a political statement before the ambassador was known to be dead . Does n't understand why we look weak . Says Obama repaired alliances . Says Obama brought China and Russia together to pressure Iran . Says Ryan bets against America all the time . <p> Moderator interrupts to change the subject to Libya . What was Biden first told about the attack ? Biden blames @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ignorance about Libyan ambassador wanting more security . Says he was n't told , blaming his underlings . Blames their entire answer on the intelligence community . Blames Romney for dividing the country . <p> Ryan , should the US apologize for burning Korans , urinating on corpses ? Ryan says yes . Says we should NOT apologize for standing up for values . We Should NOT say that dictators who hurt their people are good guys . When the commander on the ground says we need more security , we should send more security . This was 9/11 anniversary , we knew Al Qaeda was rising , and we did n't even think to give our Benghazi security ? Moderator interrupts Ryan again . <p> Iran : Ryan says Iran had the material for four years , we had four different sanctions , 3 by Bush , 1 by Obama , watered down by Russia . Mitt Romney wanted sanctions since 2007 . Only because we had bi-partisan support we could get sanctions . Iran is stepping up , attacking people throughout the world . Obama is sending out @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with unified , tough stance . Obama waters it down , is not unified . Biden laughs again . Romney will have credibility . <p> Biden : Could the Republican Congress do sanctions and get the world on board ? What you want to go to war ( Ryan : Prevent war . ) I wo n't talk about classified info . Toughest sanctions in history of the world . We know how close the Iranians are to nuclear weapon , we are on the same page as Israel , and they are far away . Talked about fissile material . They need a launch mechanism . What are they talking about ? What more can Obama do ? <p> Ryan : Let 's look through the eyes of the Ayatollahs . They see Obama watering down sanctions . They speed up refinement , and Obama does n't do anything . They see Obama going on a talk show rather than meeting with Israel . They see the secretary of defense walk back . <p> Moderator interrupts again : How do you change their mind ? Can you solve this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Interrupted could n't even answer the question . Points out that we need credibility . <p> Biden : Ayatollahs see their economy crippled , exports crippled , world united against them . The idea that we do n't talk with Bibi is insane . He talks to Bibi all the time . He knows exactly what is going on . Bunch of " stuff " . Sec . Defense did n't walk anything back . They do n't have a weapon to put it into ! Iran is more isolated today than when we took office . Totally isolated . <p> Biden : Facts matter . Loose talk . Not true they can get a weapon . The world is behind us . <p> Ryan : When the Sec . Def. says we ca n't go to war , then the administration loses credibility . When they saw the Green Revolution , Obama was silent for 9 days . When they see daulight between Israel and US , they are encouraged . <p> Mod : Another war in the Middle East ? <p> Ryan : Worst is a nuclear Iran @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , they call us the Great Satan , Wipe Israel off the Map . We ca n't live with nuclear Iran . <p> Biden : War is the last option . Crippling sanctions . Calls Romney a flip-flopper . Iran is being crippled . Obama does n't bluff . <p> Economy <p> Unfortunately , the &lt; 8% unemployment was a lie . <p> Can you get to under 6% ? How long . <p> Biden : I do n't know how long . Can and will . Facts : Economy was in free fall . Great Recession hit . Lots of bad stuff . Rescued GM . Cut taxes for middle class . Romney said let Detroit go bankrupt . Romney said let foreclosures happen . Says 47% are unwilling to take responsibility for their lives . Ryan said 30% are takers . These people are my mom and dad and neighbors , pay more in income tax than Romney . They are elderly who live in SS . They are veterans and warriors who do n't pay taxes . It 's about time THEY take responsibility . They should @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ give the poor a fair shot again , not have different set of rules , not to hemorrhage tax cuts , $5 billion to a bunch of families . Take responsibility . <p> Ryan : We 're from similar towns . Joe 's town has 10% unemployment . 8.5% when he came in . ( Biden interrupts . ) Yes , they inherited a tought situation . ( Biden laughs. ) 1.3% growth , slower than last year , getting slower . " We 're heading in the wrong direction . " 23 million Americans struggling or work . 15% are in poverty . This is not what a real recovery looks like . <p> Mitt Romney is a car guy . This is a guy who helped a family he did n't know who suffered a terrible car accident . Took care of college . Mitt does n't tell these stories . It was n't cash help . It 's his time . Gave 30% to charity , more than the two of us combined . Mitt gives his time . <p> About that quote " I think the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of your mouth the right way . " ( Audience laughs ) <p> Biden : " I always say what I mean . " Laughs . The crowd laughs at him . <p> Ryan : We want to get people out of poverty , help everyone succeed . Self-sufficiency . Opportunity . <p> Biden : If you think 47% is a mistake , I 've got a bridge to sell you . Appreciate ROmnay 's service , I know what it 's like . I sat in the homes of people who go through what I went through . People want to know you 've been through it . I do n't doubt Romney 's committment to people . <p> He had no commitment to the auto industry . I 've never met two guys more down on America than these two guys . If they 'd get out of the way and let us pass the tax cut , make it permanent , if they get out of the way , let us keep people in their homes . Stop talking about how you care , show me a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ . <p> They talk about the recession where did it come from ? Blames the wars , blames the tax cuts . Biden voted against that stuff . Now they care about the debt ... <p> Ryan : Let 's not forget that they came in with one-party control . They had the ability to do eeverything of their choosing . : ool at where we are now . THey passed the stimulus , borrowed all that money , spent it , said unemployment would not be above 8% , 4% growth , it 's never been there . Mod interrupts . That 's what our plan is . VP was supposed to oversee the stimulus spending , it 's been wasted . 100 criminal invstigations . Wasted on green energy , . <p> Biden interrupts , no evidence of croniness . Love our friend -- asked for money for companies in Wisconsin . <p> Ryan defends : Advocating for 2 people asking for grants . <p> Biden : He said it would create growth and jobs . Congress said it was a model , less than 4/10 of % @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and corruption . <p> Ryan " Was it a good idea to buy windmills from China ? Was i a good idea to spend China 's money ? <p> Bide : Moody 's said it was the best thing to do . We 've got a better track record than investment banks . <p> Ryan : Where are the 5 million green jobs ? <p> Moderator moves on to medicare . Will programs have to change for medicare to survive ? <p> Ryan : Absolutely . These programs are going bankrupt . They have to change . I know what these programs did for my family . Helped me go to college . Helped mom go to college , start a small business . She paid her taxes on the promise that these programs would be there . <p> You can change the program for 54 and younger , guaranteeing it , without changing for 55 and older . Chief actuary of medicare said Obama double-spent $700 billion . 15-person board , making decisions for our medical care . Social security 25% cut kicks in when it goes bankrupt . @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on the table . Guarantee younger people coverage . More coverage for poor and middle class . Les for rich . We want people to decide , rather than 15 person . <p> CBO siad it would more for every senior when they got to retirement , but he got all the republicans to vote for it , ROmney would sign it . Believe who ? AMA ? Me ? Or Ryan , who added $6,400 more to medicare ? <p> Now they have a new plan : folks trust us ! they say . Their ideas old and bad and eliminate the guarantee of medicare . <p> Ryan : They got caught hand in cookie jar of Medicare . Their own actuary came to congress say : 1 in 6 will go out of business . 7.4 million Seniors will lose their coverage of $3,200 benefit . Biden interrupts . <p> Ryan turns to Biden . " Mr. Vice President , I know you 're under a lot of duress ... " Biden laughs " Hahahaha . " " I think the people will be better served if we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ n't take all the 4 minutes then ! " <p> Ruan : We 're saying Do n't change benefits for 55 and above ! <p> Mod interrupts : What about those who ca n't make up the difference ? Voucher ? <p> Ryan : We put it together with former Clinton budget director . Biden : disavows it . Ryan : From the Clinton commision to save medicare . <p> Ryan : If we do n't if this problem soon , current seniors will get cut ! <p> Biden : If they allowed medicare to bargain for cost of drugs like medicaid , that would save money . Ryan : Deny them choices . Biden : They are not denied ! They are not denied ! Have you been denied choices ? Ryan : Because it 's working right now . <p> Mod : Why not very slowly raise the retirement age ? <p> Biden : WE did that with SS in 1983 . Tip O'Neill , Reagan . If everyone makes a sacrifice , we can make it solvent to 2033 . We will NOT be part of any @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ It will not keep pace ! If it did keep pace , no savings . We will not privatize social security . <p> Ryan : Nobody is proposing a voucher . Barack Obama said , " If you do n't have any fresh ideas , if you do n't have anything to run on , paint your enemy with a broad brush . " Let younger Americans have a voluntary choice . That 's not what Romney 's proposing : old people keep their benefits . For younger people : Do n't give rich benefits , raise retirement age slowly . <p> Biden : Romney plan , many studies say , is you 'd get less money . Cutting benefits without taking other actions is absolutely wrong idea . These guys have not been with Medicare , social security from the beginning . Who do you trust ? Them who wanted to increase $6,400 , or us ? <p> Ryan : That was completely misleading . Biden : That 's a fact ! Ryan : This is what people do when they do n't have a record to run on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ so much for my family we are not going to change it . <p> Ryan : Our entire premise of tax cuts is to grow economy and create jobs . We think government taking 28% is enough . Obama wants 44% of small business income . If you taxed every successful person and small business over $250k at 100% , we 'd run government for a few days . Their are n't enough rich people to tax to sustain the spending . When they say they will tax the rich , the tax bill ends up as middle lass . Canadians dropped tax rates to 15% , average is 20% , president wants 40% ! This tax would tax 53% of small business income , 700,000 jobs . It does n't even pay for deficit . <p> We say lower taxes across the board , close off loopholes to rich , lower spending . <p> This $5 trillion plan I propose ? Discredited in multiple studies , even their own campaign manager admits it 's not correct . <p> Moderator : How will you pay for 20% cut ? Specifics @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Look at what Reagan and Tip O'Neill did . We want to work across the aisle , so we only have a framework . Deny the loopholes to rich , lower taxes across the board . ( Biden laughs ) We want to work with congress . Six studies guarantees the math adds up . <p> Biden : Let me translate . Reagan gave specifics . 97% of small businesses make less than $250k . What are the others Hedge funds . How sincere are they ? Gov . Romney , you pay 14% on $20 million is that fair ? Yes , he said . Those guys will cut loopholes ? The carried interest loophole , the capital gains loophole . The reason all these studies say they will tax the middle class is to cut the mortgage reduction , college deduction . <p> Ryan : He is wrong about that . You can cut tax rates by 20% and still preserve the cuts for middle class . Biden : It 's never been done before . Ryan : Jack Kennedy did it . Biden : Oh , now @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Ryan : You work with congress , you fill in the details , that 's how you get thing done ? Biden : The republican congress ? You 're going to work with them ? Ryan : Romney worked across the aisle , and it worked . Biden : If he was so good , why is MA even contested ? <p> Biden : Let tax cuts expires on the millionaires ! They do not need the money ! Middle class people need the help ! Why does he cut the tuition tax credits ! <p> Ryan : Close loopholes on high income people . <p> Biden : Can you guarantee that you wo n't close mortgage deduction ? 97% of small businesses make less than $250k ! <p> Ryan : The tax taxes a million small businesses who are our greatest job creators . <p> Mod : Defense budget ? <p> Ryan : We 're saying do n't cut defense . They propose a $478 billion cut to defense . There is another cut on the horizon . Moderator interrupts . <p> Biden : We do n't cut it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for . HE said " We 've been looking for this moment for a long time . " Ryan : We 've been looking for bipartisanship for a long time . Biden : Military does n't need this stuff . They want a smaller military . Joint chiefs of staff . They made the recommendation first . <p> Moderator : Afghanistan . <p> At this point , I am losing interest . It looks like the rest of the country has as well . <p> Biden goes from laughing to angry . He ca n't wait his turn . He invents his own strawman , even though his opponent is sitting right there . He lies . I ca n't stand it anymore . <p> Ryan has run circles around Biden intellectually . I do n't know what he could 've done differently to keep Biden in his place . <p> Update : The internet is making fun of Joe Biden . The one redeeming political factor in his favor was that he was a sincere , nice guy . Now that 's gone . He 's just a drunk @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The political system that the Anglo-Saxons lived under worked in protecting the people 's freedom to live their lives as they saw fit . However , the invading Vikings meant that they had to , of necessity , from time to time , join together , put on their armor and bear weapons , and kill as many of the enemy as they could . We do n't talk about much what the Anglo-Saxons did with the Vikings who survived and did not make it back on the boat . They were killed . They were killed to send a message to the Vikings that they would not be forgiven . They were killed to ensure the next invasion had that many fewer enemy . <p> Ultimately , the system fell apart , not because of the kings that organized the armies , but the apathy of the people in forming an army and working together . <p> This pattern has been repeated countless times , in countless ways , in countless cultures . When the people bind together to fight invasions for the common good , they enjoy that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , allowing petty politics to get in the way , means that the necessary military force is not assembled in a timely manner , leaving the country to be enslaved . <p> The United States won independence from the king because he failed to protect the people . The king became the invader . So they rebelled , and decided to try their own hand at protecting themselves . They were inspired because they had already done so successfully , fighting the French and Indians in a previous war . <p> The United States government was reformed in 1786 not because of petty political reasons , but because it was the only way they could see to create an entity that could adequately provide for the common defense . Taxes were no longer optional . A single man was the commander in chief . A body of delegates had the power to appropriate funds to wage war . That was the real reason why we had to form the United States under the new constitution . The additional benefits , of domestic tranquility , of unifying the states into one @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was an added benefit , a benefit believed to be necessary to make the first condition exist . <p> Our federal government is , fundamentally , a war machine . That is why it exists . That 's why we tolerate it . When push comes to shove , we 're going to push harder , and we 're going to make sure the pushers stay down . Our federal government has been tremendously successful in that regard . There is no credible threat to our security and freedom on the planet . The next largest militaries could be wiped out in a matter of minutes or days , if we decide to do it . <p> We do n't have perfect security . We never will . Non-state actors can still harm us , as we saw on 9/11 . So we decided to do things a little differently . No longer could we ignore the petty warlords and terrorists in God-forsaken lands . We had to use our military capabilities to " bring them to justice " , meaning , killing them . <p> That was the purpose @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ them to come here , we were going to hunt them down in their own countries , and kill them , before they could step foot in our country . That way , we do n't have to watch for terrorists at home . You do n't have to watch people coming and going through the airports , and scan them for bombs . You find the threats , root them out , and eliminate them . You make THEM live in terror , rather than the other way around . <p> The Obama Administration started off by declaring the War on Terror over , in not so few words . Now terrorist attacks were considered " man-caused disasters " . Now we were going to try and be buddy-buddy with the terrorists . " Oh , sorry for flushing your Koran down the toilet ! We wo n't do it again ! We swear ! " The intended effect was to melt the hearts of our enemies , so that they would be our friends , and we can drink beer together in the White House garden to resolve @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a colossal failure . The bad guys did n't appreciate our signs of weakness . They decided to take it to the next level . They would overthrow their governments . They would threaten our allies . <p> Now , and ambassador is dead . His name does n't matter , because he is an ambassador . It was n't an attack on him personally , it was an attack on me , you , all of us . It was n't him alone that died , it was us . Our power has been challenged . <p> What does our president do ? He apologized . He blames us for the attacks . He says , " You guys have to tone down that freedom thing you got going there . " <p> You know what , Mr. President ? You have completely forgotten what the federal government is for . You have sought an office of an organization you can not even comprehend the purpose of . It 's like you 've become the CEO of GM and decided it was now your mission to save the world @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ did that ! ) <p> The federal government is a war machine . It exists to keep the bad guys away from our people , so that we can live and work and love and die in peace . It 's there , chained by the constraints of the constitution , and by the power of the people , hanging in the shadows with weapons of unimaginable fury . When one of us is threatened , it steps forward and lays the hurt down . When a lot of us are threatened , we unleash it to break things and smash stuff and make people very unhappy with their decision to fight us . <p> Mr. President , you have the presidency . Use it for its purpose ! Tell these people they are going to die a most horrible death ! Tell them they are not worthy to run their own country , and that you plan to establish a government friendly to us , and you 're willing to kill anyone who thinks that 's a bad idea . Tell them ! <p> Why God , or rather @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a God of law and order . He is the one who stretched out the heavens . He is the one who gives law to all matter within the universe . There is no randomness where God 's laws apply . The apply fully and completely in every moment of time and in every corner of the universe . <p> This alone is not enough . Even if animals believed in such a God , they would not develop science because they can not think like God . Only man is set a little lower than the angels . We are created in the image of God . We are promised that we can become like God if we adhere to the doctrines that God teaches . This potential to become like God includes the potential to understand the laws that govern the universe . It is the Christian faith that teaches us to reach up and pluck the fruit of understanding from the tree of life , rather than accept life as an animal , without understanding . <p> This still , is not enough . One more core @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ two qualities , a sort of science can emerge , but it would be a science of revelation , dependent solely upon man 's ability to understand God 's revelation . There is no judge except God , and he has only promised to judge mankind in the final judgment . <p> The last and final critical ingredient is the experiment . In the experiment , we try out our ideas against the universe itself . Since we believe that God ordered the universe , since we believe Man is capable of understanding those laws , and since we believe that God is no deceiver of men , then when we interrogate reality itself , we expect to get solid , reproducible answers that do not contradict what God has done . <p> This is , in short , the principle of faith that Christ and the prophets taught . Take what little understanding you have , and try it out . If it is good , then it will produce good . If it is not , then it will not . <p> Modern science simply can not exist @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Bill Nye would have you believe that starting with those three assumptions makes one stupid or uneducated . I do n't know why they have this idea , except to blame it on the great deceiver of all mankind who would sift us and bring us down to his level . <p> Without God , what foundation of science could there be ? Why should simply staring at the heavens be enough to drive someone to begin experiments with the idea that they will be reproducible , or to apply logic and reason to the universe with the idea that it should apply ? Whatever reason you come up with should explain why , in all of recorded history , modern science was not invented until Christians who had rediscovered the sacred volumes of literature we call the Bible took the reigns of scientific thought in the world . <p> If you do n't want to watch it , I do n't blame you . It 's a completely vacuous argument against creationism . His arguments are roughly : <p> There 's too much evidence for evolution . <p> We @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a retort to him that would look the same , using the same words , but substituting Creationism for evolution . <p> Let me reiterate why a God-less universe is not only illogical , but impossible . <p> First , you can not disprove the existence of anything without examining all of the universe . Since we do n't have space ships or sensor arrays that can peer around corners of the galaxy and universe , we can no more disprove God than we can disprove that someone named Schmortz lives on the planet Fooble . <p> Second , supposing the technology , time , and energy exist , and someone actually does survey the universe . Not only can they disprove that Schmortz lives on Fooble , they could disprove that there is a God in this universe -- but only a God who is confined to natural laws . We do n't believe in such a God , so such a survey would be pointless . <p> You can , however , prove a positive . If you sincerely want to know whether God exists , and what @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wants you to do with your life , you can find out for yourself through sincere prayer and devotion to his commandments as found in scripture . <p> Which religion is true ? You can investigate the claims of each until you find one that actually preaches a consistent and verifiable religion . I believe the LDS religion is such a religion , . No , I know it is . I have long ago left the realm of belief because what I have seen is enough to prove to anyone that what I know is true . <p> Now , the second point I want to talk about is how the universe can not exist without God . See , God is the one that orders the elements , IE , provides the framework for the natural laws . Without him , the natural laws do n't exist . Everything is chaos and nothing would make sense . We know this because for the many millenia that man believed that God or the gods acted arbitrarily , rather than acting in accordance to universal laws that do not vary @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ concept of the marriage of religion and logic and the universe around us ( accepting things as they are rather than as they ought to be ) that lead to the foundations of modern science . Our universe simply would n't be the way it is without those laws in place from the sub-atomic level to the inter-galactic level . <p> Some would argue the anthropic principle here . The universe exists , we exist , and therefore , the universe must be governed by laws and parameters that allow us to exist . The weakness of this argument is that it can be used to justify any explanation for the universe , if the explanation allows for the possibility of it at all . It is sort of the opposite to Occam 's Razor , a favorite theory that is often abused . <p> I , instead , argue that the laws must come from somewhere . There must be a reason that this universe exists of all universes , despite the improbability of it all . And that reason , that organizing and stabilizing force , is God @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can not explain it , or rather , if we relied on luck or chance to explain it we would be in a sorry state . IE , we would be forced to accept the anthropic principle and all the lunacy attendant to that . Instead , if we accept that there is a God that orders the universe , modern science survives intact . <p> This might seem like odd reasoning to many who are n't used to reasoning . Without X , things do n't make sense . With X , things do make sense . Therefore , to preserve sense , we must assume X. Physicists have been doing this all along . Somehow , it 's acceptable to use things like Electrodynamics for X , or the General Theory of Relativity , or the Standard Model , but God ? Without God , the universe does n't make sense . With God , it does . <p> Bill Nye 's final appeal is for us to sacrifice our children to meet his desires . This is a thought process that bewilders me . Why should I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ am as offended as he should be if I demanded he teach his children according to what I thought was best , so that I could benefit the most . <p> Logic and reasoning are not the strong points in the Atheist world view . To be an Atheist , you must be what you claim your enemies are : ignorant of the universe around us . <p> Let me help you understand why , using evolution . In no case have I seen such a relationship between science as in geology and evolution . Geology assumes an ancient earth , not because there is evidence that supports this ( which there is n't , unless you assume all geological processes occur at a constant rate , which is absurd ) , but because they find so-called ancient animals in the strata they observe . On the other hand , evolutionists claim as evidence that their fossils are old that they are discovered in ancient rocks . One relies on the other , and the other on the one . Why does no one talk about this ? <p> Bill @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ how firm a foundation carbon dating was , and yet , how absurd a concept it was when you examined it in any detail . It assumes things we can not assume . One , that at the time the animal or plant was covered , the ratio of carbon isotopes was similar as it is today . Two , that carbon , like all elements , decay at a constant rate , that is , no outside influence can change the decay rate of any substance . The former has been thoroughly debunked , so much so that carbon dating is only accurate within timescales of written human history , and that only because we have documents with dates on them . The latter is being questioned today , as two independent physicists have discovered that decay rates seem to change over time . What conclusions this has , no one knows exactly , except to say our assumptions were worth as much as the paper they were written on . <p> Any historical science suffers from the same critical flaw : We can not rewind the clock to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of time " obscure the past so thoroughly and so quickly we have a hard time figuring out when , exactly , a body was killed , and what exactly killed it , unless we have a fresh corpse . As time marches on and the 2nd Law of Thermodynamics imposes its toll , we know less and less about what happened , until we can known nothing at all , even if there was a body to begin with . There simply is n't enough data and there is n't enough certainty to rewind the clock more than a few years in the past , at best . Those who claim they know what happened thousands , millions , and billions of years ago are lunatic . At best , we can guess , and even then , it is likely wrong . <p> Bill Nye is a prophet of the pseudo-scientists Atheists wish was taught in our schools . I say , good luck imposing that religion via the power of the state on the rest of us . I would rather live in a world where people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wrong , rather than a

@@5073141 <h> Minnesota High School Cracks Down on Leggings , Yoga Pants <p> One high school is cracking down on the High school girls in Minnesota have been asked to dress a little more modestly after one principal noted that tight leggings and yoga pants are leaving too little to the imagination . <p> Minnetonka High School Principal David Adney emailed parents on Monday , asking them to talk to their daughters about wearing sheer leggings and curve-hugging yoga pants to school . In an interview with Yahoo ! Shine , he was quick to say that his email was a request , not an ultimatum . <p> " This is not a ban on anything , " he told Yahoo ! Shine . " We 're just trying to guide them to make better decisions for themselves . " <p> " We want them to strive for modesty , " he added . " We ca n't define modesty for every family , but we can ask them to make good decisions that reflect well on their families . " <p> Girls have been wearing yoga pants and leggings to school for years , Adney acknowledges , but in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , jerseys , or long sweaters . " It 's a fashion trend that has existed for a while , but has accelerated , " he said . Now they 've been coming into school wearing shorter shirts , exposing their legs , backsides , and more . <p> " Not all leggings are created equal , " Adney pointed out , choosing his words carefully . " With Lyrca and Spandex , the definition can be severe , front and back . " <p> Complaints about the overexposure came from female staffers , volunteers , and even other students , Adney says , prompting him send out the email request . <p> " On things that are going on in school , we try to address the kids directly , to be proactive , " Adney said . " But with this , we did n't want to embarrass any girls , so we emailed the parents . " <p> While some students are upset about the issue -- " As long as they 're not see-through , they should be allowed , " freshman Carine Colwell told the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ thanked him for intervening . <p> " I 've received about 100 messages in 24 hours , and only two of them were negative , " he told Yahoo ! Shine . " And those two said that it was highly sexist . " ( Boys at the school have also had their fashion choices scrutinized , he points out . Last spring , Adney put out an alert about revealing muscle shirts ; this fall , he had to enforce a no-baseball-hat policy , and in years past baggy jeans have been a big issue -- just as they were when he became the principal more than 10 years ago . ) <p> This is n't Adney 's first trend-related clash . In 2006 , he gained national attention for cracking down on " grinding " -- ultra-dirty dirty dancing -- at Minnetonka High School , telling students that they should " dance like Grandma 's watching " instead . Even then , rather than preaching to the kids or forcing them to sign pledges , he collaborated with them to create a series of hilarious videos about " @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to clothes , the Minnetonka High School handbook simply asks that clothing not be disruptive , offensive , or inappropriate . The goal is to instill in kids a set of high expectations , not to hound them with a set of fixed rules , Adney explained . <p> " It 's about creating a culture , " he said . If you build an environment where you outline expectations and encourage discussion , kids feel heard and respected . " It 's not a freakish control thing . " <p> The father of three grown daughters , Adney says he gets the girls ' desire to be fashionable . " We do n't want to be the clothes police , walking around with measuring devices , " he said . " But it 's not too much to ask you to keep your butts covered . " <p> When the camel toe is visible , it is time ... long past time ... to get more clothing on . There is NO FASHION that says leggings with nothing over the butt is attractive , sorry . What these girls @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ police . <p> Kudos to him ! Would have loved to have had him as a principal growing up . We had actual rules that were kept ( i.e. , we could n't wear shirts with less than 3 inches of material covering your shoulders if you were a female ) . This right here is an intelligent man who is simply ASKING for some modesty . I 'm sorry chitlins , but he 's right , not covering your a** while wearing leggings is just trashy . I do n't care if you have Miranda Kerr 's body ; it 's plain inappropriate . <p> I think what he 's asking is fair . He 's not asking them to stop wearing their leggings and yoga pants , just to wear them more modestly for the comfort of everyone in the school . If any of the students object then they 're probably being brought up as entitled dbags at home anyway . <p> MOST if not all of the females that I ahve seen in the ultra tight leggings with the camel-toe and the " horserear " look @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it is ugly ladies ! cover your junk ! , the legging fashion calls for a longer tunic , sweather or shirt --- get with the program ! <p> Have to agree with other posters , why are the parents of these girls letting them out of the house with such outfits ? Too , as others have noted , leggings are meant to be worn with long sweaters , blouses , etc. , NOT short tops . When you wear them with a short top you 're not making a fashion statement , you look like you forgot part of your clothing when you got dressed that day . Think " Wal Mart fashion photos ! " <p> I do n't see anything wrong with what he asked . A lot of leggings are see through ! So , it makes sense to wear something that covers the bottom region . I personally never wear leggings without a dress over ... <p> More principals need to be like this guy ! I 'm not a mom but I 'm an older sister and I hated dropping her off and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they bend over to pick something up and show more then what needs to be shown . <p> Teens need guidence , where are the parents , are you afraid to talk to you young adults about ANYTHING ? ? ? Pants hanging down , leggings , a whole lot of cleavage showing on teen girls , fake nails , weaves , texting while driving . Parents you 've sold your

@@5073241 <h> ' Bundle ' turns out to be body ; boyfriend charged <h> By Robert Stanton September 24 , 2012 Updated : September 25 , 2012 7:38am <p> A maintenance worker at a southwest Houston apartment complex got an unusual request from a tenant who needed help to move a " bundle " from his apartment to a truck parked outside . <p> The bundle , investigators said , turned out to be a human corpse , and the tenant is now in the Harris County Jail charged with murder . <p> Omar Ibrahim , 21 , is also charged with tampering with evidence , a human corpse , court records show . A judge set $200,000 bail for Ibrahim , who was arrested in Idaho on Friday by the U.S. Marshals Service , according to police . <p> He is accused of killing 46-year-old Adrian Castro-Villasenor , who authorities said was strangled . The body had fingernail marks on the throat and lacerations above an eye , police said . <p> ' Bundle ' was heavy <p> The maintenance worker , Sergio Peria-Mejia , told police he arrived at the Plaza on West- heimer apartments , 2757 Briar @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that had been reported a week earlier , according to an arrest warrant filed last week . A man in his 20s answered the door and asked the maintenance worker to come back later . <p> When Peria-Mejia stopped by later that day , the same man requested his help to carry a large object from the apartment to his vehicle , police said . The maintenance worker complied . <p> The tenant picked up one end of the " bundle , " which was wrapped in three layers of rugs and bedding and tied with 20 belts and cords , and the maintenance man grabbed the other end . <p> Blood leaking out <p> The two carried the bundle out of the apartment for about 20 feet toward a beige Toyota 4 Runner that was backed up close to the apartment door , according to the arrest warrant . <p> Peria-Mejia saw what he believed to be blood leaking out of the blankets and set the bundle down . <p> The maintenance man told Ibrahim that he could n't help him , despite his pleas , according to investigators @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ friends that could help him to move the bundle , " according to the complaint . Peria-Mejia told him no and returned to the apartment to complete the repair job . <p> " Peria-Mejia then heard a thud , walked back into the living room and observed the ' bundle ' back in the living room and the suspect gone from the apartment , " police said . The maintenance worker went to the apartment office to report the incident . <p> Castro-Villasenor 's sister told investigators that he had been in a relationship with " Omar , " whom she described as a " jealous person who fought with ( the victim ) about socializing with other people , " the arrest warrant states . <h> Updated 7:38 a.m. , Tuesday , September 25 , 2012 <p> A maintenance worker at a southwest Houston apartment complex got an unusual request from a tenant who needed help to move a " bundle " from his apartment to a truck parked outside . The maintenance worker , Sergio Peria-Mejia , told police he arrived the Plaza on West-

@@5073341 <h> Share <h> Join the Effort <h> Are We Missing the Opportunity to Ensure America 's Economic Future ? <p> Wed , 09/05/2012 - 13:15 -- admin <p> Forbes September 4 , 2012 <p> As the election draws near , the platforms of the major parties and the positions of their candidates are beginning to come into focus . As I observe this evolving political landscape , I ca n't help thinking that this is a pivotal time in U.S. history . During the election process , political candidates from both parties are likely to lament a sagging educational system where too many of our children are under-served , too many of our college graduates under-employed , and too many of our citizens do n't have the skills needed for new and emerging technologies . I do not disagree with these sentiments . However , will the candidates address the other human capital crisis in our country ? <p> In my opinion , the success of future generations depends on our ability to remain competitive in a truly global economy . Despite discouraging current economic circumstances , I am still confident that by fostering innovation and creativity the U.S. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ always been our country 's greatest resource . Yet , I wonder if we are really making the most of this incredibly valuable asset . <p> Each year a growing number of the best and brightest students from all over the world come to the U.S. to enroll in higher education institutions . Many of these international students come to our country in search of not only a world-class education , but also to find a career where they can apply their skills and experiences within the U.S. Many firms are in need of the skills and talents these international students possess . However , they are frustrated by current policies that prevent them from adding the talent they need to grow their businesses and stimulate the economy . There is not a week that goes by that I do n't hear from business and non-business leaders who are discouraged because they have found a highly qualified candidate for a job they desperately need to fill ,

@@5073441 <h> NEW YORK ENVIRONMENTAL TICKER <p> It did n't take long after Hurricane Sandy hit the East Coast for EarthShare member groups to get back on their feet and see how they can help . EarthShare New York would like to acknowledge the great effort by our local ... more <p> MTA Photos Flickr In the wake of Hurricane Sandy many people in the New York and New Jersey are left shocked at the damange . People have lost homes , cars , businesses , and many even their lives . It is apparent the Northeast ... more <p> American Consumers Want Clean Energy According to research done by Yale and Harvard , " The average U.S. citizen is willing to pay 13 percent more for electricity in support of a national clean-energy standard ( NCES )

@@5073541 <p> WASHINGTON , Oct. 1 , 2011 -- The new chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff outlined key themes for the military in a letter to the force released today . In his letter , Army Gen. Martin Dempsey said service members are America 's " decisive advantage . " Story Blog <p> WASHINGTON , Sept. 30 , 2011 -- President Barack Obama today lauded Navy Adm . Mike Mullen during a hail and farewell ceremony here that featured the transfer of responsibilities as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from Mullen to Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey . Story <p> JOINT BASE MYER-HENDERSON HALL , Va. , Sept. 8 , 2011 -- As a new chief of staff of the Army prepares to run the largest of the services , the outgoing Gen. Martin E. Dempsey now prepares for his new role

@@5073641 <h> Q &A:; Andre Berto <p> By Jeff Reiners Photo : Gene Blevins -- Hoganphotos/Golden Boy <p> Two-Time Welterweight World Champion Andre Berto ( 28-1 , 22 KOs ) is eager to mix it up as he concludes preparation for his first bout in 14 months . Berto faces Four-Division titlist Robert Guerrero 's ( 30-1-1 , 18 KOs ) Saturday night on HBO . At stake is Guerrero 's WBC Interim Welterweight World Championship . <p> After a workout at the Westside Boxing Club in Los Angles , Berto spoke to Fightnews.com about his signature punch , his NFL look-a-like and Emanuel Steward . <p> Everything going as planned in Los Angeles ? <p> Yeah , yeah everything 's good . <p> Looking back a couple fights , a lot of boxing types will talk about how a war like the Ortiz fight will take something physically from a fighter . How do you recover and bounce back from a fight like that ? <p> A fight like that was a dog fight . I just took a lot of rest , a lot of time off . You could see that it did n't affect me at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ back in there and grabbed another title . I 've had a lot of time since the Ortiz fight so definitely had enough time to rest up . <p> Having watched you for several years now I notice the right uppercut every time I see you fight . Is the right uppercut a special punch for you and how will you use it against a southpaw ? <p> That 's a punch I 've always loved . I was a Mike Tyson fan growing up . In the pro 's you do n't see many people trying to execute it as much . It 's a punch I always loved as a young amateur and brought it to the pros . It 's almost become my staple punch . It 's going to be a good punch to use against a southpaw as well . <p> Regarding Guerrero , given that he 's moving up to welterweight , where you 're solid and that he 's a former featherweight champion , how much of an advantage is that going to be or will it even matter Saturday ? <p> He @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ . He 's had a fight at 147 , he fought a tough guy from Turkey ( Selcuk Aydin ) . Guerrero does n't fight like me at all , but I think he 's had plenty of time to settle in at 147 . <p> I get that a lot man , it 's just basically the fast hands and fast combination punching . ( Taylor ) was always one of my favorite fighters growing up as well . So you know , it 's a fair comparison . <p> I read a piece that you wrote for the New York Times a few years back where you wrote people always mistake you for Reggie Bush . When 's the last time that happened ? <p> ( Laughter ) You know what , it was recently man . Probably like a month ago I was down in Miami and people swore I was him . I had to tell them sorry . ( Laughter ) That 's my man though , he 's a good guy . <p> I understand you sparred at Kronk before the 2004 Olympics , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ some time up in Detroit with Emanuel . I 've known Emanuel for years . He 's a good friend of mine . Ever since I heard the news I just could n't believe . I definitely reach out and extend my blessings to the family . This fight is going to be dedicated to Emanuel and his family . <p> Did Emanuel Steward have any special impact on your career ? <p> Manny used to always call me " Mr. Excitement " or " Mr. Explosive . " He watched me in the amateurs . He saw me fight some classic amateur fights and I brought that style to the pros . Emanuel always called me that since the amateurs , saying I 'm " Mr. Excitement " and " Mr. Explosive

@@5073741 <p> 14:32-42 They came to a place which was named Gethsemane . See notes on Mt 26:36-46 , where the fullest account of the agony is given . Compare Lu 22:40-46 . Luke only speaks of the sweat , as it were drops of blood ( Lu 22:44 ) . <p> 14:32-42 Christ 's sufferings began with the sorest of all , those in his soul . He began to be sorely amazed ; words not used in St. Matthew , but very full of meaning . The terrors of God set themselves in array against him , and he allowed him to contemplate them . Never was sorrow like unto his at this time . Now he was made a curse for us ; the curses of the law were laid upon him as our Surety . He now tasted death , in all the bitterness of it . This was that fear of which the apostle speaks , the natural fear of pain and death , at which human nature startles . Can we ever entertain favourable , or even slight thoughts of sin , when we see the painful sufferings which sin , though but reckoned @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that sit light upon our souls , which sat so heavy upon his ? Was Christ in such agony for our sins , and shall we never be in agony about them ? How should we look upon Him whom we have pierced , and mourn ! It becomes us to be exceedingly sorrowful for sin , because He was so , and never to mock at it . Christ , as Man , pleaded , that , if it were possible , his sufferings might pass from him . As Mediator , he submitted to the will of God , saying , Nevertheless , not what I will , but what thou wilt ; I bid it welcome . See how the sinful weakness of Christ 's disciples returns , and overpowers them . What heavy clogs these bodies of ours are to our souls ! But when we see trouble at the door , we should get ready for it . Alas , even believers often look at the Redeemer 's sufferings in a drowsy manner , and instead of being ready to die with Christ , they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ . <p> Matthew 26:38 Then he said to them , " My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death . Stay here and keep watch with me . " John 12:27 " Now my heart is troubled , and what shall I say ? ' Father , save me from this hour ' ? No , it

@@5073841 <p> Setting the CEO 's salary is one of the most important duties of a public company 's board . So CBS ( CBS ) directors decided to give Chief Executive Officer Leslie Moonves a $69.9 million pay package last year only after assessing the competitive market for senior executive talent . The board of directors , however , looked at companies that are , on average , more than twice as large as CBS and included many in businesses far afield from media . <p> Illustration by 731 <p> Such lopsided comparisons are n't unusual at U.S. corporations . To justify how much they offer CEOs , board compensation committees typically measure against the pay of CEOs at other companies . But they routinely pick larger companies , often outside their industry , that pay more and are n't rivals for the same executive talent . " There is pretty straightforward evidence of cherry-picking , and it 's pervasive , " says Thomas DiPrete , a Columbia University sociologist who has studied the use of board-selected peers to set CEO pay . <p> In the 1980s and ' 90s , when executive compensation rose dramatically and often angered @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of benchmarking against peers . The idea was to compare compensation with that of similar-size companies in similar industries to determine a fair compensation level . The problem is that the choice of peer groups can itself seem arbitrary . Four separate groups of academic researchers have found what they consider to be evidence of bias in the peer groups that U.S. boards use to set pay . Another found no bias . None of the studies identify companies using skewed peer groups by name . <p> Illustration by 731 <p> Intentionally picking better-paid peers " has been a big part of the ratcheting up of executive pay , " says Bill George , a Harvard Business School governance professor who 's a director at ExxonMobil ( XOM ) and Goldman Sachs ( GS ) and a former CEO of Medtronic ( MOT ) . The adjusted average compensation of CEOs in the Standard &; Poor 's 500-stock index rose to $12.9 million in 2011 , or 380 times the average worker 's pay . That 's up from $625,000 , or 42 times average worker pay in 1980 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ <p> Many directors " have incentives to make compensation decisions that are more favorable to executives " than to shareholders , says Lucian Bebchuk , a Harvard Law School professor who has researched CEO pay . One reason : Directors may not want to risk upsetting their board position or their relationship with a CEO , he says . Companies that use peer groups to help set compensation -- one study found that 89 percent do -- have been required to disclose them by the Securities and Exchange Commission since 2006 . <p> Most companies vary pay based on performance , yet still use competitive peer data to determine the size of a CEO 's target compensation , set at the beginning of a company 's fiscal year . This includes salary , a bonus target whose final amount varies based on annual performance , and an award of stock or options . Directors at CBS measured pay for Moonves against that of CEOs at five other media companies , all of them larger by market value and all but one larger by sales . Directors also look at a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ such as IBM ( IBM ) and General Electric ( GE ) . The median company on both lists is more than twice the size of CBS by both sales and market value . <p> GE had 11 times CBS 's sales , based on the latest figures available when CBS determined pay , while IBM had 14 times CBS 's market capitalization . Neither company compares itself with CBS in setting its pay . GE CEO Jeffrey Immelt had total compensation of $21.6 million last year , and former IBM CEO Sam Palmisano , who stepped down in December , had compensation of $31.8 million for 2011 . CBS in a statement said benchmarking is " just one data point " it uses when setting CEO pay , which varies based on performance . <p> CBS 's corporate sibling Viacom ( VIA ) , from which it was separated in 2005 , uses almost the same groups of outsize peers . The median company on Viacom 's media-industry peer group is 56 percent bigger by market cap and more than twice as big by sales ; the median company @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Viacom 's sales and market value . Viacom said in a statement that it does n't set pay directly based on its chosen peers but " uses this information to get a broader perspective of overall compensation practices . " Sumner Redstone , who is executive chairman of both companies and controls them through a special class of stock , made a combined $41 million in pay last year . Viacom CEO Philippe Dauman collected $43 million . <p> Some companies measure CEO pay against executives in completely different industries -- even as they gauge their corporate financial performance by looking within their own sector . Monsanto ( MON ) , the world 's largest seed company and the maker of Roundup herbicide , compares its financial performance with DuPont , Dow Chemical ( DOW ) , and other chemicals and seed-producing rivals . Its board also used to focus on these companies when they set executive compensation . <p> But since at least 2006 , Monsanto 's board stacks up CEO Hugh Grant 's pay mostly against leaders at health-care companies such as Abbott Laboratories ( ABT ) and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ best-paid on Monsanto 's list , including $24 million for Abbott 's Miles White and $16.4 million for Lilly 's John Lechleiter in 2011 . Grant 's pay has risen from about $2.7 million in 2004 , his first year as CEO , to $11.6 million in 2011 . None of the 14 health-care companies Monsanto cites compares its CEO pay with the seed company . Monsanto in a statement said it 's at least as big or bigger than its median peer , that the group is diversified across nine industries , and most " are science-based and research-focused like Monsanto . " <p> Illustration by 731 <p> Boards sometimes justify pay increases for CEOs simply by adjusting their peer groups . Northern Trust 's ( NTRS ) board added six companies to the list of businesses it deemed CEO-talent rivals in 2009 . There were n't enough asset managers on the old list , the Chicago bank and wealth manager said in explaining the decision to investors . " Only a small number of the current peer companies have a directly comparable business profile , " the bank @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ restrictions had on banks that accepted bailout funds during the financial crisis : Median pay among Northern Trust 's old peer group dropped from $9.2 million to $6.8 milion in 2008 . None of the companies added to the list -- five asset-management companies and a brokerage firm -- were subject to government pay restrictions . Among them was BlackRock ( BLK ) , the largest money manager in the world , which had just had the second most profitable year in its 21-year history . After the shift , CEO Frederick Waddell received a compensation increase to $11.9 million , from about $8 million the year before . The bank declined to comment about whether peer comparisons played a role in its pay decisions . <p> Illustration by 731 <p> Two years later , 31 percent of shareholders voted against Northern Trust 's compensation program at its April 2011 annual meeting . The bank responded by increasing Waddell 's salary to $956,250 , from $900,000 , cutting his cash bonus to $1.6 million from $2 million , and long-term awards to $7 million from $8 million . Directors also @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ list , calling it a " more targeted " group . <p> That 's not necessarily bad news for Waddell . By 2011 , most banks , including Northern Trust , had repaid their bailouts . Median CEO pay on the old list of rival banks for 2010 had risen to $12.9 million . Northern Trust said it believes the current peer list is " appropriate . " It declined to comment on the pay differences between the two lists . Since Waddell , a lifer at Northern Trust , became CEO in 2008 , the bank 's shares lost 33 percent after dividends through April 25 , compared with a 40 percent drop for the KBW Bank Index . <p> Four groups of researchers , including Columbia 's DiPrete , who looked at several years ' performance at 1,183 companies for a study published in 2011 , found evidence that companies were probably cherry-picking better-paid peers intentionally , with three of them concluding that boards had no legitimate justification for doing so . <p> One group , led by John Bizjak of Texas Christian University , that looked at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tapered off since the companies had to disclose their choices in 2006 . But another group , including Michael Faulkender at the University of Maryland and Jun Yang of Indiana University , finds the opposite in a working paper . It says that cherry-picking has gotten more pronounced since the SEC demanded disclosure . " Observing opportunistic peer benchmarking at other firms , " wrote the researchers , who looked at 763 companies , " those firms that did not engage in such practices may have begun to do so . " <p> The bottom line : Board compensation committees routinely set CEO pay based on comparisons to CEOs at companies that are larger or pay more . <p> Mider is a reporter for Bloomberg

@@5073941 <p> hi friends ! i 'm in tech-land again . and this time , i 'm sequestered in waterbury , CT . because the show takes so long to tech and the venues are so expensive , the producers have shipped us to one of the most terrifying cities i 've ever been in. there have already been a few " incidents " since we 've been here . it 's a vey sad little town with a lot of desperate people . we are not to even walk to the theatre ( 4 min away ) without a buddy ... yay ! <p> it really puts a damper on my little free spirit . no car . no food options ( except subway and dunkin donuts ) . no fridge in my hotel room . woof. even when i was on tour , i 'd generally rent a car in every city so i felt like an actual human . i loOove exploring new places and i 'm sure there are lovely sections of waterbury , but ..... i 'll never see them . here are a few of my rehearsal shots .... my costumes are totally gorgeous @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ n't wait to show the completed look . <p> my rendering <p> lunch at brgr always includes a 3 oz shake shot . the perfect dessert ! <p> tinsel tinsel all around ... <p> we wear " rehearsal pods " so we can become accustomed to our " who walk " and spacing restrictions .... it gets pretty hot in there ..... <p> rehearsal shoes ... i think these belonged to a " mama " from past years ... one of her feet was a size and a half bigger than the other .... they drove me nuts . thankfully , my new shoes came in yesterday and i 'm taking my sweet time breaking them in . <p> my NYU graduation was at madison square garden and i 've always wanted to play there ! <p> *** i am ONLY performing in t he GRINCH in NEW YORK and BOSTON . there are 2 companies of the GRINCH this year ..... a non-equity tour will do more cities and the equity tour ( starring Jeff McCarthy as the grinch and ME ) will only perform in those two cities @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ really great number called " whatchamawho. " it is LOUD and incredibly cardio-heavy. i 'm so happy i 'm not in it ..... just watching it makes my joints hurt . these people are so talented . <p> we all deal with things in our own way ..... this was a convo i had with J before our first run-thru in the rehearsal studio . hilarious . <p> one of the littles who plays " annie who " is the most adorable little southern creature with a long thick mane of hair .... you ca n't tell , but this fishtail ( that i made- i 'm such a good " mama " ) is about a foot and a half long ... and fastened with mistletoe , naturally .... <h> Friday , November 9 , 2012 <p> i think i may have told you this before , but i was once courted by a man ( with great musical taste ) who created 48 mix CDs for me. he introduced me to eva cassidy , david wilcox , iron and wine , and a lot of other late 90 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to my life for well over a decade .... i knew the days of receiving my weekly mix CD were quickly coming to an end when i started receiving tracks like bonnie raitt 's " i ca n't make you love me " and david wilcox 's " language of the heart . " <p> i think that 's around the time i was dubbed a " runaway bride . " i was 19 . <p> needless to say , i 've heard that nickname a few times since ( though , to my credit , i cut it off before a proposal is involved- just the discussion makes me run ) . <p> however , inspired by the power of the mix , i 've made a few for very special people . nothing , to me , is a more intimate gift than a song dedicated to you . remember how much i loved my " ebony eyes " gift ? i can always gauge my interest level by whether or not i start a mix playlist for the man . if he inspires music i know that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ beautiful place . and since people in my world generally " own " the songs i 've given to them ( or they to me ) , my pool of love songs gets smaller and smaller ... i would never re-gift the same song ! good thing so many tunes are left to be sung . <h> Thursday , November 8 , 2012 <p> i had to leave miss stella in utah because i shot back to nyc by way of disneyland and she was n't invited . i also knew i 'd be in intense rehearsals and tech and she 'd be much happier snuggling with dad and harassing the water dogs and bunny instead of being stuck in our apartment . <p> but it feels so strange to be without her . i miss that little nugget . L sent 4 fabulous costumes for halloween so she naturally wore them all that night . she 's a true nyc diva . <h> Monday , November 5 , 2012 <p> i was lucky enough to have my favorite man in town this weekend . sadly , i was in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) so my time was limited . we had a lovely time and i was grateful for the amazing meals and long conversations . he is great . <p> nyc is slowly getting back to " normal . " but we grieve for our friends in jersey and staten island who have lost so much . i 'm so heartened by all of the volunteer efforts and money donated to the sandy relief fund . thank you for supporting us ! <p> it is an unwritten rule that the second you publicly declare that you are again attached , every single former boyfriend , almost-someone , or random man on the street ( that you 'd at one time , desperately pined for ) will find you magnetically attractive and will at once proclaim all the things you 'd ever hope you 'd hear from him . <p> it does n't happen when you " try " to move on . or when you " hope " you 've moved on . <p> we do a lot of " pretending " when we want to get over someone , do @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ truly let those someones go and really , truly , honestly make space for another . <p> the city is strange right now . uptown , we have food , water , heat , electricity and life has resumed very close to normal . we went back to who-ville after 2 days off and many people in my cast and community have lost so much . i have friends who WALKED for 3 hours just to make it to their shows . just a block away from our rehearsal space , the power is out . the lower part of manhattan is without streetlights and my friends say it 's so dark at night that you ca n't see your hand in front of your face . looting has begun , it 's incredibly dangerous , the gas shortage has turned my street into a parking lot of cars hoping to wait hours to get gas , and i ca n't imagine how people are weathering this bitter cold spell . <p> it 's hard not to feel guilty that i was and continue to be so protected . i @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been remarkable . at least 5 people have checked on me throughout this ordeal and we have thorough head counts of all people in need . they have also organized major service opportunities for members to help the community and we have opened our homes to people in need of lodging , a shower , or a cell phone charge . i 'm proud of my mormons and my new yorkers . <h> Monday , October 29 , 2012 <p> all is well here .... so far . the wind is crazy and we have bursts of angry rain . i hear there is at least 3 ft of flooding just 2 blocks away . meg and i are stir crazy so i made her do a physique dvd with me and she snapped this ridiculous photo of me having a party for my thighs doing " thigh dancing . " <p> i made pumpkin bread , pumpkin chocolate chip cookies , and pasta ... so ... with all this carb loading , i 'm gon na be all set to run a marathon in the am . <p> please @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ i 'm off to get into the ice cream ( you know , in case we lose power ) . <p> wahooooo ! my dear lala has released her first CD ! i 'm so thrilled that she released the live recording of what was an incredibly special night .... i was SO proud to see her shine at the cafe carlyle . what an intimate and sparkling night ! <p> this room is iconically beautiful <p> as is my friend , la. please remind me never to wear a smokey eye to one of her performances .... i sob myself silly every single time . <p> here i am with my girl , kirsten copley , who is a mad famous harpist ( she 's tight with beyonce , jay , kanye .... you name it .. she 's played with them .. ) and wife to awesome marc copley who played with me in wonderland and was in la 's incredible band . as was larry lelli. wait till you hear this album ! <p> our dear laura has decided to give one MiM reader an autographed copy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this . it 's just so good . <p> my bestie , LP , is responsible for most of my new fabulous product finds . she always knows the best of the best and recommended colgate optic white . i 'm totally obsessed ! after one week , my teeth were visibly whiter . i love it . y'welcome . <p> i spent the weekend at disneyland with HD , his favorite people ( and now mine ) , &; sussy and her family . it was magic to see the sweet tiny people 's excited faces . we had such a wonderful time and now that i 'm back in nyc , i miss them all more than ever . <p> but being smitten blue is much more manageable than heartbroken blue . <p> we 're finding ways to see each other as much as possible during my 2 month GRINCH lockdown ( our show schedule is 10 shows/5 days ... oy . a 4 show saturday ? ! ) . wish us luck . <p> ok .. so ... <p> who is HD ? <p> he is my @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ very smart . he is stupid funny . he is incredibly handsome . <p> hi friends . i 'm in utah today .. i WAS in nyc for a strong 4 days but now i 'm in utah for a hot second . my very generous man flew me back for a little r &; r / vacation before i start the grinch and lose my life for the holidays . <h> Sunday , October 7 , 2012 <p> -especially since i harped on good jeans in my KSL interview . would n't you know , i found them thru my mom who was getting regular compliments ( at the grocery store , no less ... ) on her pair . paige skyline skinny jeans are grrrreat for girls with a booty and muscular thighs .... i love this wash- the color is slimming and the stretch makes them more comfortable . i 've also found a few pair at the RACK ( for half price ) .... they generally have a good paige selection . <p> strangely ( well ... not strangely , there is n't a " normal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had a conversation on a first date which led to me expressing my disinterest in falling in love again ( sexy and romantic , i know ... it was where i was ! ) .... because for me , love = pain . heartbreak is impressionable that way , i suppose . i was more interested in apathy . if i never care , i never hurt . seemed sound to me. i was comfortable with apathy . in my date 's wisdom ( and you should know , we never saw each other after this- maybe because i told him i did n't want to fall in love with him ? i du n no ... just put 2 and 2 together ... ) he shared this beautiful excerpt from THE PROPHET by Kahlil Gibran which really moved me. i had been hoping only to live in " love 's peace and love 's pleasure . " and because of that , i would never feel love fully . ugh . it also moved me to open my heart , get ready for the threshing , and well ... @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ..... hopefully , it will make me " know the secrets of my heart , and in that knowledge become a fragment of Life 's heart . " because , " love crowns you so shall he crucify you for even as he is for your growth so is he for your pruning . " being open after intense hurt is hard ... and it does n't happen all at once , but growth and love does n't come from apathy .... so here 's to love ! enjoy ! Then said Almitra , " Speak to us of Love . " And he raised his head and looked upon the people , and there fell a stillness upon them . And with a great voice he said : When love beckons to you follow him , Though his ways are hard and steep . And when his wings enfold you yield to him , Though the sword hidden among his pinions may wound you . And when he speaks to you believe in him , Though his voice may shatter your dreams as the north wind lays waste the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he crucify you . Even as he is for your growth so is he for your pruning . Even as he ascends to your height and caresses your tenderest branches that quiver in the sun , So shall he descend to your roots and shake them in their clinging to the earth . Like sheaves of corn he gathers you unto himself . He threshes you to make you naked . He sifts you to free you from your husks . He grinds you to whiteness . He kneads you until you are pliant ; And then he assigns you to his sacred fire , that you may become sacred bread for God 's sacred feast . All these things shall love do unto you that you may know the secrets of your heart , and in that knowledge become a fragment of Life 's heart . But if in your fear you would seek only love 's peace and love 's pleasure , Then it is better for you that you cover your nakedness and pass out of love 's threshing-floor , Into the seasonless world where you shall @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ weep , but not all of your tears . Love gives naught but itself and takes naught but from itself . Love possesses not nor would it be possessed ; For love is sufficient unto love . When you love you should not say , " God is in my heart , " but rather , I am in the heart of God . " And think not you can direct the course of love , if it finds you worthy , directs your course . Love has no other desire but to fulfil itself . But if you love and must needs have desires , let these be your desires : To melt and be like a running brook that sings its melody to the night . To know the pain of too much tenderness . To be wounded by your own understanding of love ; And to bleed willingly and joyfully . To wake at dawn with a winged heart and give thanks for another day of loving ; To rest at the noon hour and meditate love 's ecstasy ; To return home at eventide with gratitude @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ beloved in your heart and a song of praise upon your lips . <h> Saturday , October 6 , 2012 <p> the one thing ( along with stella , my computer , and iphone ) that i 'd save in the event of a fire . <p> my well loved scriptures . <p> my friends , i wanted this post to come when i was quiet . i took the Book of Mormon challenge in july ( this time it took 24 days as opposed to last year 's 20-slacker ) and have been with family/friends/cast mates 24/7 since then . i have n't stopped . now that i 'm back in nyc ( for a hot second ) , and alone , and full from a saturday general conference feast , i 'm ready to write about this year 's experience and i 'm eager to hear from those of you who took the challenge . how did it go ? <p> this year , my impressions were simple and repetitive . as i wrote about it in my challenge post , i just wanted to reconnect. i did @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ i wanted to explore but a word kept coming to my mind thru my reading : <p> timing . <p> timing ..... hmmmm ..... i know i write about it a lot , but i 'm not remotely patient . i want to devour life in one bite . i want it all and i want it now ( not unlike willy wonka 's charming veruca ) . i often think the timing of my expectations is perfect and when life does n't deliver in that way , i am generally discouraged . <p> in the fall of 1998 , i wrote the following quote from General Conference in my scriptures : <p> indeed , when we are unduly impatient with an omniscient God 's timing , we really are suggesting that we know what is best . strange , is n't it-- we who wear wristwatches seek to counsel him who oversees cosmic clocks and calendars . elder neal a. maxwell may i just geek out for a second and comment on that brilliant alliteration ? ! elder maxwell is my literary favorite . ok , ok. here 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ i read this round , but by a quiet , confident , confirmation repeated in my mind and heart ; i do not know where my life will lead . i do not know when or who i 'll marry . i do not know whether or not i will achieve the goals i have set for my career on broadway or on television . i do not know if i will always live in nyc . <p> but i do know this ; <p> i know that if i am sensitive to the spirit while making every decision in my life , i will be happier than i could ever anticipate . i know that i will be blessed with a choice son to be my partner and i will love him deeply and fully . i know that my life may go in a completely different direction than i have expected and planned for but if it 's the Lord 's will and in the Lord 's timing , i will become the best version of me and will be fulfilled by my experiences . <p> but all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ . He loves me . He guides me. <h> who am i ? <p> a diaphanous mercurial mormon 's take on dating , culture , and her love affair with the big city . names have been changed to protect the innocent ( or not-so-innocent , whatever the case may be ) and truthful stories are shared in good fun and hope of betterment of both species . <p> M/A - Model/Actor- definitely has more products , drama , dietary restrictions , clothes than you do and probably wo n't pay for dessert . it 's easy to feel self conscious around a M/A because people are looking at him and not you .... <p> BHH or BYH- Bless Her Heart-- if you say bless her heart after you say something mean ,

@@5074041 <p> When revolution first came to Syria , Loubna Mrie decided she would break new ground to help it succeed . Deeply affected by the images of dead protesters across the country , the 21-year-old Alawite -- the daughter of a leader of the regime 's thuggish Shabiha militia and member of Syria 's most privileged minority -- left her home in the regime heartland of Latakia and travelled to parts of Syria where death tolls were mounting . She soon became a feature at demonstrations and even ventured near the frontlines of the regime 's fight with an armed opposition , delivering medicines to wounded rebels and finding homes for fleeing families . In August , Mrie appeared in a web video , her face wrapped in the independence flag adopted by the opposition . She was injured at a demonstration in which nine fellow protesters were killed . Every step she took to support those fighting four decades of state control earned the increasing wrath of close relatives . Every move made her more vulnerable . Last week the revolution took a toll that not even 19 months of exile and enmity had prepared her for . @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ she said . " And it was my father that killed her . " Alone in a house in Turkey , Mrie now feels racked with guilt . " My mother was kidnapped immediately after I made the video with the rebels on August 11 , " she said . " I waited for 10 days . I begged my father to tell me what he knew about it , to let me know . He used to curse me and hang up the phone . Some of my dad 's friends told me that she was dead . " Last Friday 2 November one of my friends , someone that I trust , told me that the dead body had been seen . I called my father and told him that he killed her . He said OK . He told me that he wished he could do the same to me . " The Guardian was unable to independently verify Mrie 's claim that her mother had been killed . Mrie has been told to stay well away from her home village of Jableh and can not verify @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ needs no more convincing . " People I trust are telling me that she 's gone , " she said . Early last week , she posted on Facebook a lament to her late mother and to the father that she believes has killed her . The post has drawn widespread sympathy among opposition circles , where Alawite supporters are extremely rare and almost always silent . " They hit her because of me . Was it by electricity or a single bullet in her head ? " the post asked . " Was she upset at me when they were humiliating her ? Did her old age stop them from hurting her ? " Abu Muntazer her father went to his brothers , cheered them up and told them that he washed the shame that his daughter brought to Jebel al-Akrud the mountains near Latakia where the video was filmed ... " I hate my identity and my passport . I hate your name which will accompany mine . What should I say to my future kids about why I do n't have a family ? Why is n't @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ punishment ? Why the injustice ? " <p> Photo : Ben Solomon <p> Yet even in the face of grief that seems impossible to fathom and guilt that has at times been overwhelming , Mrie retains a streak of defiance . She has continued her work in a small unit that acts as a clearing house for mobile phone videos smuggled out of Syria . The sense of necessary sacrifice that led her to join the opposition in the early days continues to drive both Mrie and a small number of other Alawite members of the opposition , who fear that their sect has been co-opted by a regime that wants to retain power by instilling fear in them . " On the first day of the revolution , I cried like it was one of my family members . And from that day I decided that we can not go on like that . My people are not really living . The government does not respect us . The mukhabarat secret police has taken over our lives . We ca n't open our mouths . " Latakia is a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ its support from communities there , which have long been prime recruitment grounds for Shabiha members . The Shabiha is a loyalist militia that fiercely defends regime interests and has been in the vanguard of the regime crackdown . " All the Shabiha in Jableh were boys I had grown up with . At the time they were trying to convince me that this was a war against us as minorities and that we had to stop talking to the Sunnis . " Syria 's Sunni majority dominates the opposition . The regime is supported by most of the Alawite sect , who make up the vast majority of Syria 's military leadership and establishment but only account for around 12% of the population . Alawites have loose links to Shia Islam , a fact that inspires some extremist groups on the fringes of the opposition to frame the revolution as an existential battle along the ancient faultline between Shias and Sunnis . A majority of Christians also appear to support the regime , along with a sizeable number of the Sunni population , including much of the merchant class @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ . " I started to go to the houses of the dead people , " Mrie said . " At the time there was a huge gap between them and the Alawites . Both were convinced that each side was fighting the other . " For six months I tried my best to raise awareness that this revolution is not against us . We were fighting for dignity and democracy . " In January I went to Hama and spoke in the name of my sect . I wanted to tell them that my blood is theirs . My father used to tell me that I was a criminal and that he was ashamed of me and that he did n't see me as his daughter . " The stupid thing about this government is its claim that it is trying to protect the people , that it is protecting the Alawites . Assad does n't care if you are Alawite , Christian or Shia .

@@5074141 <p> BRAITHWAITE , La. -- Rescue workers and public citizens rescued 75 people from flooded homes and rooftops from the town of Braithwaite after it was inundated with 10-12 feet of water , Parish President Billy Nungesser said Wednesday morning . <p> Eyewitness News ' Maya Rodriguez said 25 people were still reportedly awaiting rescue on the parish 's east bank on rooftops and in attics . <p> The lower part of the parish was taking the brunt of the storm after landfall was made there Tuesday night around 6:45 p.m. and rains continued to lash the area as the storm stalled . <p> The unexpected strength of the storm and the fact that it was stubbornly refusing to move on caused those that stayed behind to rush to their attics and rooftops seeking high ground as they scrambled to get to safety . <p> Nungesser said it is unclear if a back levee was overtopped or if it was breached . " This is not a category-1 ( storm ) , I do n't care what anybody says , " he said . " This rain , this driving wind . I got more damage to my house @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from Braithwaite to White Ditch was swamped with floodwaters after Hurricane Isaac came roaring ashore . <p> Seather conditions made it difficult to coordinate the rescues . Shrimp boats were used to rescue

@@5074241 <p> Tommy Birch is a sports reporter that covers high school sports , the Iowa Barnstormers , and Drake and small college football for the Des Moines Register . Tommy

@@5074341 <h> Our Mission <h> California Budget <p> Through a year-long process , the Department of Finance prepares , explains and administers California 's annual financial plan , the California Budget . The Governor submits the Governor 's Budget to the Legislature in January , it is revised

@@5074441 <p> On Wednesday , May 27 , 2009 the United States Supreme Court will hold a hearing in Louisville , Kentucky in order to decide whether cases filed in federal court for those homeowners affected by defective Chinese Drywall across the country should be consolidated in one court with one judge . A panel of federal judges appointed by the United States Supreme Court will conduct the hearing . <p> Over 150 suits have been filed in Florida alone , representing 15,000 Florida homeowners who have damage and health problems as a result of the defective drywall . Hundreds of suits have been filed across the country , but attorneys who have filed cases on behalf of homeowners believe the cases will most likely be consolidated in New Orleans , Louisiana , Miami , Florida or Fort Myers , Florida . <p> If you suspect your home may be built with defective Chinese drywall , contact us here for a free no obligation case review . <p> February 9 , 2012 11:48 AM Buyer Beware of Defects in New Construction Gene Markin , member of Stark &; Stark 's Construction Litigation Group , authored the article , Buyer Beware @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , 2012 edition of the New Jersey Law Journal . The article discusses why the remedy under the homeowner warranty program , may not be a remedy at all . <p> February 1 , 2012 8:08 AM Trespass Actions Under the Tort Claims Act An action for trespass arises upon the unauthorized entry onto another 's property , real or personal . A trespass on property , whether real or personal , is actionable , irrespective of any appreciable injury . Under a trespass theory , a plaintiff may " assert a claim for whatever damages the facts may lawfully warrant . " Thus , a plaintiff may claim damages from the loss in value to the land trespassed upon , as well as consequential damages such as property taxes and loss of profits . <p> January 20 , 2012 8:25 AM When Can Individual Association Board Members Be Held Personally Liable For Actions of the Collective Board ? Part 4 When liability for any of these breaches is imposed on an individual director or trustee , the issue of indemnification arises . In New Jersey , because condominium associations @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Act , indemnification may be available to an officer of an entity organized under this Act provided that the officer ( 1 ) " acted in good faith and in a manner which the officer reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the corporation , " and ( 2 ) " with respect to an criminal proceeding , the officer had no reasonable cause to believe the conduct was unlawful . " <p> January 18 , 2012 8:09 AM Design and Plan Immunity The immunity principle espoused by the Barney 's Furniture court ( concluding that the city could not be held liable in damages for floods resulting from a gradually increasing functional incapacity of the sewer system ) is codified as the planning and design immunity provision of the TCA . See N.J.S.A. 59:4-6 . <p> January 13 , 2012 8:58 AM When Can Individual Association Board Members Be Held Personally Liable For Actions of the Collective Board ? Part 3 New Jersey courts that have considered the application of the business judgment rule have concluded that the scope of judicial review of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ( 1 ) whether an association 's action was authorized by statute or its own bylaws and , if so , ( 2 ) whether the action was fraudulent , self-dealing or unconscionable . Thanasoulis , supra , 110 N.J. at 655 ; see also Chin v. Coventry Square Condo , 270 N.J. Super . 323 , 328-29 , ( App . Div. 1994 ) ; Siller , supra , 93 N.J. at 382 ; Papalexiou v. Tower West Condo , 167 N.J. Super . 516 , 527 ( Ch . Div. 1979 ) . <p> January 11 , 2012 8:01 AM Discretionary Immunity and Negligent Operation Subsection ( a ) concerns the " exercise of judgment or discretion " in making basic policy -- the type made at the planning , rather than the operational level of decision-making . Moreover , immunity is contingent upon proof that discretion was actually exercised at that level by an official who , faced with alternative approaches ,

@@5074541 <p> Rick Santorum is a dangerous man , but not many people actually believed he could do so well in Iowa . Santorum nearly captured a victory in the Iowa caucus on Tuesday , finishing second by only eight votes to Mitt Romney . Now that Rick Santorum is a serious threat to be the possible Republican nominee that faces President Obama , it 's time to parade the many things that he has said over the years . Here are 31 quotes that prove how ignorant , fanatical , heartless , and dangerous Rick Santorum is . <p> 1 . " If the Supreme Court says that you have the right to consensual gay sex within your home , then you have the right to bigamy , you have the right to polygamy , you have the right to incest , you have the right to adultery . You have the right to anything . Does that undermine the fabric of our society ? I would argue yes , it does . It all comes from , I would argue , this right to privacy that does n't exist in my opinion in the United States Constitution . @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ever to my knowledge included homosexuality . That 's not to pick on homosexuality . It 's not , you know , man on child , man on dog , or whatever the case may be . It is one thing . " Rick Santorum , comparing homosexuality to bestiality , and saying that we do n't have the right to have consensual sex . He 's also saying we do n't have the right to privacy . <p> 2 . " There are people who were gay and lived the gay lifestyle and are n't anymore . I do n't know if that 's the similar situation or that 's the case for anyone that 's black . It 's a behavioral issue as opposed to a color of the skin issue , and that 's the diff for serving in the military . " Rick Santorum , comparing homosexuality to being black . <p> 3 . " The left , unfortunately , participates in bullying more than the right does . They say they 're tolerant , and they 're anything but tolerant of people who disagree with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ accusing the left of being bullies despite the fact that he agrees with those who want to execute gays and women who have abortions . <p> 4 . " There are no Palestinians . All the people who live in the West Bank are Israelis . There are no Palestinians . This is Israeli land . " Rick Santorum , falsely claiming that there are no Palestinians living on the West Bank . <p> 5 . " We executed a policy that I think was detrimental to everyone , including them , in my opinion , because sex and sexual preference should not be an issue in the military , period . " Rick Santorum , criticizing the repeal of DADT . <p> 6 . " I believe the earth gets warmer and I also believe the earth gets cooler . And I think history points out that it does that and that the idea that man , through the production of CO2 -- which is a trace gas in the atmosphere , and the man-made part of that trace gas is itself a trace gas -- is somehow responsible @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ absurd when you consider all the other factors . " Rick Santorum , claiming that man-made CO2 is not responsible for climate change despite the fact that CO2 levels have doubled since the start of the Industrial Revolution . <p> 7 . " One of the things I will talk about , that no president has talked about before , is I think the dangers of contraception in this country . It 's not okay . a license to do things in a sexual realm that is counter to how things are supposed to be . Sex is supposed to be within marriage . It 's supposed to be for purposes that are yes , conjugal ... but also procreative . That 's the perfect way that a sexual union should happen ... This is special and it needs to be seen as special . " Rick Santorum , opposing contraception and frighteningly suggesting that he would make pre-marital sex illegal . <p> 8 . " Certainly from the ? ? ? ? standpoint of a Republican , it 's a winner . Republicans will come out ahead in Pennsylvania @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have two big cities with huge concentrations of voters -- and then overwhelm the rest of the state . All of a sudden , a Republican can win -- and would probably routinely win -- all but three or four congressional districts in Pennsylvania . It would turn it from a state Democrats rely on , as part of the base , to a state that they 're gon na lose under almost any scenario . " Rick Santorum , supporting the Pennsylvania GOP plan to change the way electoral votes are awarded to rig the election for Republicans . <p> 9 . " You can say I 'm a hater . But I would argue I 'm a lover . I 'm a lover of traditional families and of the right of children to have a mother and father . I would argue that the future of America hangs in the balance , because the future of the family hangs in the balance . Is n't that the ultimate homeland security , standing up and defending marriage ? " Rick Santorum , comparing his fight against homosexuality to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has a right to do that , I have never questioned that the state has a right to do that . It is not a constitutional right , the state has the right to pass whatever statutes they have . That is the thing I have said about the activism of the Supreme Court , they are creating right , and they should be left up to the people to decide . " Rick Santorum , declaring that states have the right to outlaw all forms of birth control . <p> 11 . " I do n't want to make black people 's lives better by giving them other people 's money . I want to give them the opportunity to go out and earn their money and provide for themselves and their families . The best way to do that is to get the manufacturing sector of the economy rolling . " Rick Santorum , saying that he has no interest in helping the African-American community . <p> 12 . " This is an issue just like 9-11 . We did n't decide we wanted to fight the war @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to us . And if not now , when ? When the supreme courts in all the other states have succumbed to the Massachusetts version of the law ? " Rick Santorum , comparing legalizing same-sex marriage to the September 11th terrorist attacks . <p> 13 . " Let 's look at what 's going to be taught in our schools because now we have same sex couples being the same and their sexual activity being seen as equal and being affirmed by society as heterosexual couples and their activity . So what is going to be taught to our people in health class in our schools ? What is going to be taught to our children about who in our stories , even to little children -- what are married couples ? What families look like in America ? So , you are going to have in our curriculum spread throughout our curriculum worldview that is fundamentally different than what is taught in schools today ? Is that not a consequence of gay marriage ? " Rick Santorum , warning that homosexuality will indoctrinate our children in schools . @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who do n't heed those warnings and then put people at risk as a result of not heeding those warnings . There may be a need to look at tougher penalties on those who decide to ride it out and understand that there are consequences to not leaving . " Rick Santorum , suggesting we punish people who do n't evacuate their homes during a natural disaster shortly after Hurricane Katrina despite the fact that the evacuation of the coast was not properly executed . <p> 15 . " The idea is that the state does n't have rights to limit individuals ' wants and passions . I disagree with that . I think we absolutely have rights because there are consequences to letting people live out whatever wants or passions they desire . " Rick Santorum , declaring that government has the right to limit people from pursuing their dreams . <p> 16 . " Watching President Obama apologize last week for America 's arrogance -- before a French audience that owes its freedom to the sacrifices of Americans -- helped convince me that he has a deep-seated antipathy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ criticizing President Obama for repairing US relations with France . And being ignorant of the fact that without the French , America would n't be a free nation today . <p> 17 . " What we should be teaching are the problems and holes and I think there are legitimate problems and holes in the theory of evolution . And what we need to do is to present those fairly from a scientific point of view . And we should lay out areas in which the evidence supports evolution and the areas in the evidence that does not . " Rick Santorum , claiming that evolution theory is n't accurate . <p> 18 . " Suffering , if you 're a Christian , suffering is a part of life . And it 's not a bad thing , it is an essential thing in life ... There are all different ways to suffer . One way to suffer is through lack of food and shelter and there 's another way to suffer which is lack of dignity and hope and there 's all sorts of ways that people suffer and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and we have to consider both . " Rick Santorum , saying that Americans should suffer because suffering is good . <p> 19 . " I believe that any doctor that performs an abortion , I would advocate that any doctor that performs an abortion , should be criminally charged for doing so . " Rick Santorum , advocating for arresting doctors that provide crucial medical services to women . <p> 20 . " I support the Ryan budget plan . I think it 's the right direction on the major points . I ca n't say I 've read all of it , but on the major thrust of what he 's doing , I support what he wants to do with Medicare , Medicaid . The only thing I would do , frankly , as I 've said publicly many times , I think we should implement a lot of these things sooner than what he 's suggesting . " Rick Santorum , supporting the Paul Ryan plan to kill Medicare and Medicaid , and stating that he would end both programs right now . <p> 21 . @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ welfare -- I mean , excuse me , poverty among African Americans and among single unmarried women , poverty was at the lowest rate ever in the history of this country . So Obama 's policies are not working , Bush polices worked ! For long a time as a matter of fact . " Rick Santorum , falsely claiming that poverty was the lowest in history because of the Bush policies . In fact , poverty only increased . <p> 22. " 9/11 families and everybody else in America should be furious at this president that he 's walking abound taking credit for , you know , getting Osama bin Laden . He did n't get Osama bin Laden ! ... The president of the United States simply said -- courageous act , give him credit for saying yes -- but that 's all he did , is say yes . He did n't do the hard work . The people he 's going after did the hard work . And that is an outrage . " Rick Santorum , claiming that President Obama deserves no credit for the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be angry because he order him killed . I 'm assuming that Santorum credits Bush which is laughable . <p> President Obama made killing bin Laden the priority and got the job done . <p> 23 . " We 've seen with this president , experience matters . When that phone call comes at three o'clock in the morning , I will be up and ready for the call because I will know what 's going on in the world around us . " Rick Santorum , claiming that he has the experience necessary to be President and that Obama does n't . Need we remind him that Obama ordered bin Laden killed , helped Libya gain freedom , urged Mubarak to step down in Egypt , and gave the order for Navy snipers to fire on Somali pirates , thus freeing a captive American . Not to mention the emergencies President Obama has brilliantly handled at home , such as Hurricane Irene , the east coast earthquake , and the economy . <p> 24 . " The American Left hates Christendom . They hate Western civilization . " Rick @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that Republicans have been tearing it apart for decades . <p> 25 . " The idea that the Crusades and the fight of Christendom against Islam is somehow an aggression on our part is absolutely anti-historical . " Rick Santorum , claiming Christians played no role in starting the Crusades. 26 . " The most dangerous place for an African-American in this country is in the womb . " Rick Santorum , claiming that blacks are more threatened by abortion than they are by GOP economic policies that discriminate against them . <p> 27 . " The Social Security system , in my opinion , is a flawed design , period . But having said that , the design would work a lot better if we had stable demographic trends . We do n't have enough workers to support the retirees . . . A third of the young people in America are not in America today because of abortion . " Rick Santorum , blaming abortion for future Social Security shortfalls when in fact , it 's Republican anti-job policies that are to blame . <p> 28 . " @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , I want to beat China . I want to go to war with China and make America the most attractive place in the world to do business . " Rick Santorum , stating that he wants a war with China . <p> 29 . " I think we should send a very clear message that if you are scientist from Russia or North Korea or from Iran , and you are going to work on a nuclear program to develop a nuclear bomb for Iran , you are not safe . " Rick Santorum , stating his intentions to kill Russian , North Korean , and Iranian citizens which would be an act of war . <p> 30 . " I would be saying to the Iranians , you either open those facilities , begin to dismantle them and make them available to inspectors or we will degrade those facilities though air strikes . And make it very public that we are doing that . Iran would not get a nuclear weapon under my watch . " Rick Santorum , threatening war with Iran . <p> 31 . " @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and charge those beaches on Normandy , to drop out of airplanes who knows where , and take on the battle for freedom . Average Americans , the very Americans that our government now , and this president , does not trust to make a decision on your health care plan . Those Americans risked everything so they could make that decision on their health care plan . " Rick Santorum , falsely claiming that WW2 veterans fought for the privatization of health care on D-Day , apparently oblivious to the fact that military health care is government run and a majority of WW2 veterans are currently using and enjoying Medicare . <p> From these quotes , we can tell that Rick Santorum is a Christian Right Wing zealot who is obsessed with violating our personal lives and privacy . He would restrict women , outlaw homosexuality , ban birth control , tell unmarried couples what they can and can not do , would throw senior citizens into poverty , thinks Americans should suffer , and he would enter America into even more wars . He is a Bible obsessed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Bush policies are worth continuing , and to top it all off , he 's a hypocrite . Rick Santorum is a frothy mixture of hate , bigotry , stupidity , insanity , and danger that America does n't ever need . <p> Yes , some of these statements were taken out of context , but when one examines the full context they sound worse . How can anyone seriously defend this jackass ? Are there really people in this country who believe that birth control is a bad idea and should be outlawed ? Whether you have some misguided religious motive for not using birth control , how can any interpretation of the constitution support laws to make it illegal ? This homophobic , misogynist , moron has views that are so dangerous that the fact that there are enough republicans who would vote for him to help him win any primary indicates just how extreme and out of touch the republican party has become . <p> If Rick Santorum even BECOME a selected candidate for this election , not only the United States , but the world @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the sudden these elections become unprofessional and trash-campaigning ? I thought electing for president was suppose to be referenced on BENEFITING the U.S. and the world , not throwing your ( Santorum 's ) opinion on television . That 's not doing anything but making him look even dumber and futile than what he 's trying to make African-Americans and homosexuals " seem " . <p> This just in : Rick Santorum 's sweater vest closet just announced that he is a self-loathing homosexual ; and he 's about 10 minutes away from pulling a Mark Foley . <p> On a serious note : IF ELECTED , THIS GUY WILL END AMERICA AS WE KNOW IT ! The freedoms that our forefathers and soldiers fought for and sacrificed for will be eroded in large swaths . Electing him will lead us down the path of becoming a theocracy . If you love your country , he is NOT the answer ! <p> Has anyone asked Santorum why he calls the Pope a liar on climate change ? Evidently this supposed loyal Catholic is willing to dissent from the papal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The Pope has called for urgent international action on climate change . Santorum says it does n't exist ! Evidently it 's the Tea Party that really calls the shots . <p> Can this article be reposted WITHOUT the biased commentary and with some references to where/when the quotes were made ? I 'd like to think I 'm smart enough to interpret his quotes accurately , which I 'd like to add I do n't think the author has done adequately . Yes , he 's biased . So is " Second Amendment Democrat " here . For that matter , I am biased . I just do n't like someone else 's bias to be shoved in my face . Then again , I am on the internet ... <p> Stephen D. Foster Jr . blew his hatchet piece with his obtuse comments . For example : " Rick Santorum , claiming that he has the experience necessary to be President and that Obama does n't . Need we remind him that Obama ordered bin Laden killed , helped Libya gain freedom , urged Mubarak to step down @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to fire on Somali pirates , thus freeing a captive American . Not to mention the emergencies President Obama has brilliantly handled at home , such as Hurricane Irene , the east coast earthquake , and the economy . " Did everyone forget how Hillary and her people finessed the Bin Laden operation while he was playing golf . She and Susan Rice finessed him into starting the Libya incursion . Obama did leave open the use of force on the pirates but was very tentative . He told Mubarak to step down , but not before weeks had evolved and many deaths had occurred . But the most OBTUSE assertion is " the emergencies President Obama has BRILLIANTLY handled at home " -- I do n't think Obama was BRILLIANT with Irene or the earthquake and especially the Joplin Tornado . He has n't done one single positive thing for the economy except talk . <p> By now we should all know by now that , when referring to any president , the administration as a whole is being credited when using the president 's name . While I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to find ways to make these comments fit his agenda , I 'm puzzled by your use of the word ' Obtuse ' . He was certainly clear about how he wanted us to view his selections . You perhaps meant his objective relativism ? ! <p> The Supreme Court of Canada say 's no to polygamy and incest because they are harmful to children and yes to gay marriage . As much as people who think like Santorum would like to believe differently , gay people get married in Canada and society there has n't disintegrated yet . Since he said , " In every society , the definition of marriage has not ever to my knowledge included homosexuality . " I guess he is unaware of Canada where , by the way , he could never get taken seriously never mind elected . <p> The fact that a person like this has as much support as he does says a lot about the state of the right wing base . I do n't know who 's worse , Santorum , or the people who ridiculously call themselves " @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ party a revolt against a corporation that had too much control over the government ? See even the name of their movement is false . How appropriate . <p> Obama does n't have to beat Santorum . Santorum and his supporters beat him to it . <p> I agree with most of what he has said but before we can beleive any of it we need to remember that some crack head only put parts of the conversation as a statement so it sounds like he is worse than what he is . If only we could see the whole statement not just part . Either way I still think he has sound and correct views <p> Are you kidding me ? Sound views ? He literally makes a case for ending ALL contraception . How is that remotely sound ? He talks about climate change and evolution like they are crackpot theories despite both having tons of scientific evidence behind them . This guy is a complete lunatic and idiot . He is a danger to America if he gets elected . <p> Santorum is an extremely dangerous -- @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ terms of biblical law vs. humanity . There is no room for compassion or compromise in his little world , where women are chattel , sex is only for reproduction and anyone who does not believe like this is a terrorist . And he is so afraid of homosexuality , he MUST be fighting it ( or secretly succumbing ... ) NOBODY can be that anti-gay and actually be comfortably straight . <p> The greatest problem looming on the planet , the elephant in the room that no one ( except the Chinese ) will talk about or try to correct , is overpopulation . It seems almost trivial if you 're not paying attention , but do the math . Each time we add more people to the total , we need resources -- food , water , housing , job , education , health services , etc. -- that we are rapidly running our of . Statistics prove that our population is growing , no one denies that . And with no attempt to curb the rise ( the GOP will cite their wars as the great equalizer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nonrenewable resources -- for guns , ammo and bombs ) we MUST eventually overwhelm the planet 's capability to support us . And to the idiots who try to point to states like Arizona and all the empty space -- go like on a square mile of desert and support yourself and a family of four ... <p> And Santorum wants to prevent us from preventing overpopulation , because his tired old mis-translated bible told him so . <p> Sociopaths are dangerous , and should be institutionalized where they can do no further damage to society . And this is the ultimate pathology , the death of the species thanks to Rick Santorum . Would n't he just LOVE it ? What a great bullet point on your resume -- I was responsible for the birth of an additional 10 billion unwanted humans which overran the planet and left it barren ... <p> Yeah , it 's a bit of hyperbole , but only in the ' exaggeration for emphasis ' part , the basic scenario is ( must be , there is no other option ) mathematically accurate , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ecology . 1+1+1+1 eventually reaches a large enough number we call it infinity . ( Mathematicians wo n't call it that , but for all practical purposes , once you overwhelm the support infrastructure , the rest is irrelevant . ) <p> And one more point -- HEY , RIKKI-TIKKI ! Homosexuality is Nature 's birth control ... Suck on THAT simple fact and go get laid -- by some 19-year-old twink . You KNOW you want to ... <p> Yesterday , I saw a video clip of Santorum saying the reason ( or at least one of them ) he wants to do away with birth control is that abortion being legal has caused too much loss of population growth , thereby not sending enough funds into the social security fund . So we must end abortion , have millions more babies , so they can fund SS .............. yes , I saw it with my own eyes . <p> Seriously , this guy is psychiatric and needs to be put away . Very dangerous theocrat-wannabe . Look at history : rule by religion has never worked out well @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ president who filters his every decision through the Bible . <p> Scientifically speaking , the biggest threat to human survival is the demographic winter , that is , not enough population growth to continue to sustain the developed nations . Check into this ! There is plenty of provision for everyone , but

@@5074641 <h> A Diva 's Star Never Sets , or at Least Not for These Two <p> The term " diva " comes from the Italian for goddess or female deity , and was historically used as a phrase to emulate that of " prima donna . " As the English language has adopted it , the word " diva " refers to female singers whose stardom has exceeded that of just being deemed famous . <p> But more importantly , and relevantly , to this article , the word diva in the Broadway and camp cultures comes along with an obsession with strong , passionate , and over-the-top leading women who appear time and time again in musicals . <p> The list of divas runs long and I can only keep your attention for so little time , so I 'd like to focus on two of my personal favorite divas : Audra McDonald and Sutton Foster . These two dynamic , superbly talented stage ( and TV ) actresses titillate , inspire , and rope rapturous audiences across the nation into the songs and characters they perform in profoundly different ways . <p> Let 's take Audra McDonald @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ affectionately call her , studied classical voice at Juilliard before going on to have a fabulous Broadway career . At age 42 she has won 5 Tony Awards ( the most in history , along with Lansbury and Harris ) in both musicals and straight plays for her performances in Carousel , Ragtime , Master Class , A Raisin in the Sun , and most recently and most famously , for Diane Paulus 's revival of Porgy and Bess . <p> Audra , a classically trained dramatic coloratura , can do ANYTHING . Her drama is always on point , and her voice is smoother than butter as she moves from chest- to mixed- to head-voice effortlessly . To see this woman create art on stage is a gift that the theater has n't experienced in too long a time . From Ragtime to Porgy and Bess , Audra breathes life , energy , and heart into each moment , not letting the smallest detail slip her purview . <p> Now for Ms. Foster . Sutton Foster 's story is one of Broadway legend that has only happened a few @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one of her first musicals in the chorus , the lead actress Kristin Chenoweth ( another diva for another time ) had to step out to pursue other career opportunities . The director handpicked Ms. Foster from the chorus to fill in for Chenoweth . Can you name the show ? <p> This musical was Thoroughly Modern Millie and Foster went on to win the Tony for Best Leading Actress in a Musical in 2001 . <p> Since her jump to stardom , Sutton has appeared in five more musicals , four of which garnered her Tony nominations and the most recent of which , Anything Goes won her another Tony . <p> What 's miraculous about Sutton Foster is her attention to precision and her phenomenal belt that is truly unmatched in contemporary Broadway . Her keen eye for comedic moments sets her apart from other leading ladies and enables her to appreciate the slapstick in musicals , and allow the audience to enjoy the comedy along with her . <p> Be on the lookout for more musical theater posts , brought to

@@5074741 <h> Q : What should I do to make sure my pets are taken care of if I die ? " <p> September 30th , 2012 by cathay <p> Q : " Please tell me the process and documents required to leave instructions as to what is to happen to my animals should I pass away before them . " <p> Consideration for our pets ' well-being while we are their caregivers may very well extend into a time when we are gone and they are still living . Here are some resources to help with planning for this possible situation . <p> Although this article is dated 2010 , the information it gives is pertinent today . The document linked in that article offers ideas for notifying emergency personnel , and for giving specific information about your pets to family , neighbors and friends . <p> Information about leaving a trust fund can start with a site devoted to laws and animals , called " Animal Law : Animal Legal and Historical Center " from Michigan State University 's College of Law . As the site states , " A pet trust allows a person to set aside @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ " I limited my search on this site to Delaware and Trusts/Wills and came to a page that describes how to get started by Rebecca F. Wisch . <p> An article posted in the Seattle Times by Neena Pelligrini called " Legal Q &A:; Pets , wills and animal trusts ( July 16 , 2012 ) , describes what commonly happens to pets when no will or legal arrangements have been made ; that " generally will treat the animal companions as estate property , passing to heirs per the state 's intestacy laws " . The article gives guidelines for how to leave enough provisions for each pet , to help ensure they are taken care of for their normal lifespans . For example , a rule of thumb for determining a well funded trust is to calculate an average expense of $1,000 per year . <p> The American Association of Retired Persons ( AARP ) also offers tips for caring for pets when they outlive their owners with an article called " In Pets We Trust " by Laura Daily ( 2008 ) . The article mentions a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ accordance with the state in which you live . They also suggest to " name someone other than the caregiver as trustee to dole out the cash . This reduces the risk of someone taking the money , but selling or destroying your pet . " <p> These resources should give you enough information to be able to make informed decisions for establishing a plan for your pets ' care if you happen to outlive them , whether you have parrots , horses , dogs , cats , turtles or other common animal companions . Thank you again for asking ! <p> Feel free to come back to your Delaware Library if you have more questions , anytime ! We appreciate your service in person and online through

@@5074841 Kings 7:14 <p> Viewing the King James Version . Click to switch to 1611 King James Version of 1 Kings 7:14 . <h> He was a widow 's son of the tribe of Naphtali , and his father was a man of Tyre , a worker in brass : and he was filled with wisdom , and understanding , and cunning to work all works in brass . And he came to king Solomon , and wrought all his work . <h> Other Translations of 1 Kings 7:14 <p> Hee was a widowes sonne of the tribe of Naphtali , and his father was a man of Tyre , a worker in brasse , and he was filled with wisedome , and vnderstanding , and cunning to worke all workes in brasse : and hee came Solomon , and wrought all his worke. - King James Version ( 1611 ) - Compare to scan of original 1 Kings chapter 7 <p> He was a widow 's son from the tribe of Naphtali , and his father was a man of Tyre , a worker in bronze ; and he was filled with wisdom and understanding and skill for doing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Solomon and performed all his work . - New American Standard Version ( 1995 ) <p> He was the son of a widow of the tribe of Naphtali , and his father was a man of Tyre , a worker in brass ; and he was filled with wisdom and understanding and skill , to work all works in brass . And he came to king Solomon , and wrought all his work . - American Standard Version ( 1901 ) <p> He was the son of a widow of the tribe of Naphtali , and his father was a man of Tyre , a worker in brass ; he was full of wisdom and knowledge and an expert worker in brass . He came to King Solomon and did all his work for him . - Basic English Bible <p> He was a widow 's son of the tribe of Naphtali , and his father was a man of Tyre , a worker in brass ; and he was full of wisdom and understanding and knowledge , to do all kinds of works in brass . And he came @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ - Darby Bible <p> The son of a widow woman of the tribe of Nephtali , whose father was a Tyrian , an artificer in brass , and full of wisdom , and understanding , and skill to work all work in brass . And when he was come to king Solomon , he wrought all his work . - Douay Rheims Bible <p> He was a widow 's son of the tribe of Naphtali , and his father was a man of Tyre , a worker in brass : and he was filled with wisdom , and understanding , and ingenious to work all works in brass . And he came to king Solomon , and wrought all his work . - Webster 's Bible <p> He was the son of a widow of the tribe of Naphtali , and his father was a man of Tyre , a worker in brass ; and he was filled with wisdom and understanding and skill , to work all works in brass . He came to king Solomon , and performed all his work . - World English Bible <p> he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the tribe of Naphtali , and his father a man of Tyre , a worker in brass , and he is filled with the wisdom and the understanding , and the knowledge to do all work in brass -- and he cometh unto king Solomon , and doth all his work . - Youngs Literal Bible <p> He was the son of a widow of the tribe of Naphtali , and his father was a man of Tyre , a worker in brass ; and he was filled with wisdom and understanding and skill , to work all works in brass . And he came to

@@5074941 your membership will automatically upgrade to a full year for $79 . <h> Formats <h> Book Description <p> A London Times bestseller , this rousing historical debut rescues one of England 's forgotten heroes from the mists of medieval history and brings him to brutal and bloody life . <p> 1062 , a time many fear is the End of Days . With the English King Edward heirless and ailing , across the grey seas in Normandy the brutal William the Bastard waits for the moment when he can drown England in a tide of blood . The ravens of war are gathering . But as the king 's closest advisors scheme and squabble amongst themselves , hopes of resisting the naked ambition of the Norman duke come to rest with just one man : Hereward . <p> To some a ruthless warrior and master tactician , to others a devil in human form , Hereward is as adept in the art of warfare as the foes that gather to claim England 's throne . But in his country 's hour of greatest need , his enemies at court have made him an outlaw . To stay alive -- @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ swathe from the frozen lands outside the court , in this evocative tale of a man whose deeds will become the stuff of legend . <p> A London Times bestseller , this rousing historical debut rescues one of England 's forgotten heroes from the mists of medieval history and brings him to brutal and bloody life . <p> 1062 , a time many fear is the End of Days . With the English King Edward heirless and ailing , across the grey seas in Normandy the brutal William the Bastard waits for the moment when he can drown England in a tide of blood . The ravens of war are gathering . But as the king 's closest advisors scheme and squabble amongst themselves , hopes of resisting the naked ambition of the Norman duke come to rest with just one man : Hereward . <p> To some a ruthless warrior and master tactician , to others a devil in human form , Hereward is as adept in the art of warfare as the foes that gather to claim England 's throne . But in his country 's hour of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an outlaw . To stay alive -- and a free man -- he must carve a bloody swathe from the frozen lands outside the court , in this evocative tale of a man whose deeds will become the stuff of legend . <h> Editorial Reviews <h> Review <p> " James Wilde 's dbut novel is fantastically realized . There are strong , believable characters , which is matched by excellent intrigue and betrayal . This novel is a great example of the historical fiction genre . " ( theeloquentpage.co.uk ) <h> About the Author <p> James Wilde , the pseudonym of Mark Chadbourn , a two-time winner of the prestigious British Fantasy Award , has written a number of widely praised modern fantasy novels . Wilde lives in the heart of a Mercian forest in England . <h> More About the Author <p> Raised in a world of books , James Wilde studied economic history at university before travelling the world in search of adventure . Unable to forget a childhood encounter - in the pages of a comic - with the great English warrior , Hereward , Wilde returned @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ancestral home , where he became convinced that this legendary hero should be the subject of his first novel . Wilde now indulges his love of history and the high life in the home his family have owned for several generations in the heart of a forest . <p> Stonking debut novel that starts at full pelt and never really slows down . I wanted to read this book as it is a time in history I studied so I was intrigued to see how well it would be portrayed . James Wilde brings the hardship , horror and violence of the time to life with bloody realism . It 's a grim time where life is easily and torturously forfeit . Hereward is possibly one of England 's forgotten heroes and this interpretation of his troubled life is well worth the read . <p> Hereward has been wrongly outlawed by his own father , England is in turmoil , under threat from invasion and mercenaries are everywhere . Amongst a slaughtered village he finds Alric , a monk with his own guilty secret . Alric becomes the balancing and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ takes them abroad where Hereward develops into a far superior warrior and leader . I would have liked some more on Alric , the book does focus almost completely with Hereward and the other characters are very definitely secondary . However that really is only a very minor gripe on what was a fast paced , bloody , violent and well written historically accurate novel . All the battle scenes are well choreographed and I physically flinched reading some parts . Not for the faint hearted but if you like your early history , your vikings big and your heroes flawed and fierce this is for you . <p> I did really want the story to carry on , it ends at the start of a very interesting time

@@5075041 <h> Find Your Legislator <h> Tips &; Tools For Activists <h> How to Have a Productive Phone Call With Your Legislator 's Office <p> Telephoning your legislator 's office is a useful way to communicate your opinions , especially on issues where an action is pending , such as a vote . You will not speak to the legislator directly . As with letters , legislative staff track the number of calls they receive on various topics . Just a couple phone calls into an office over a short period of time can bring an issue to the attention of your legislator and have a big impact . Here are some tips to help you make that call : <p> Call congressional offices directly or through the switchboard . If you do not have the direct number , you can reach U.S. representatives by calling 202-225-3121 , and U.S. senators by calling 202-224-3121 . Ask the operator to connect you to the individual office . If you do not know the names of your members of Congress or want the direct line to their office , visit the UCS action center . <p> Ask to speak to the aide @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Your call will be more influential if you speak to the correct aide . However , Congressional aides are very busy and this is not always possible . If you can not speak directly with the aide , leave a message with the receptionist stating your views . <p> Let them know that you are a constituent . Elected officials are most interested in your opinions if you are their constituent , so be sure to say the city and state you are from . <p> Know your facts . Be sure you have the basic information about your topic in front of you when you call . You should be able to specifically describe the topic about which you are calling and state your opinion on what your legislator should do . <p> Note your expertise . If you have professional experience on the issue on which you are calling , be sure to mention it . It will help to establish your credibility on the issue and may event prompt the aide to ask you for some guidance on the issue . <p> Be timely . Timeliness is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on your issue is imminent , the aide is much more likely to pay attention to what you say . <p> Consider calling the local office . Calling the office in your district or state , rather than the Washington office , can sometimes be very effective . If you are calling about a vote or other timely issues , always call the Washington office . But , if you are calling generally about an issue that affects your district or community , calling the local office can be a good way to make them aware of an issue . <p> Let us know how it went . Be sure to let us know the results of your call . The more details you can provide us with the better . <h> Demand Science-based Solutions to Global Warming <p> We can no longer afford to ignore the overwhelming scientific evidence that our climate is changing . Urge President Obama to better prepare and protect our communities from global warming . <p> Your financial support allows the Union of Concerned Scientists to be an independent voice for policy change and to @ @ @

@@5075141 <h> Unreliable or Improper Forensic Science <p> Since the late 1980s , DNA analysis has helped identify the guilty and exonerate the innocent nationwide . While DNA testing was developed through extensive scientific research at top academic centers , many other forensic techniques ? such as hair microscopy , bite mark comparisons , firearm tool mark analysis and shoe print comparisons ? have never been subjected to rigorous scientific evaluation . Meanwhile , forensics techniques that have been properly validated ? such as serology , commonly known as blood typing ? are sometimes improperly conducted or inaccurately conveyed in trial testimony . In some cases , forensic analysts have fabricated results or engaged in other misconduct . <h> Forensic Science Misconduct <p> Because forensic science results can mean the difference between life and death in many cases , fraud and other types of misconduct in the field are particularly troubling . False testimony , exaggerated statistics and laboratory fraud have led to wrongful conviction in several states . <p> Since forensic evidence is offered by " experts , " jurors routinely give it much more weight than other evidence . But when misconduct occurs , the weight is misplaced @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ allied themselves with police and prosecutors , rather than prioritizing the search for truth . Other times , criminalists lacking the requisite knowledge have embellished findings and eluded detection because judges and juries lacked background in the relevant sciences , themselves . <p> In some cases , critical evidence has been consumed or destroyed , so that re-testing to uncover misconduct has proven impossible . Evidence in these cases can never be tested again , preventing the truth from being revealed . <p> One weak link The identification , collection , testing , storage , handling and reporting of any piece of forensic evidence involves a number of people . Evidence can be deliberately or accidentally mishandled at any stage of this process . <p> The risk of misconduct starts at the crime scene , where evidence can be planted , destroyed or mishandled . Evidence is later sent to a forensic lab or independent contractor , where it can be contaminated , poorly tested , consumed unnecessarily or mislabeled . Then , in the reporting of test results , technicians and their superiors sometimes have misrepresented their findings . @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ evidence -- reporting results when no test was actually performed . <p> All over the map The Innocence Project has seen forensic misconduct by scientists , experts and prosecutors lead to wrongful conviction in many states . The following are among the more notorious : <p> A former director of the West Virginia state crime lab , Fred Zain , testified for the prosecution in 12 states over his career , including dozens of cases in West Virginia and Texas . DNA exonerations and new evidence in other cases have shown that Zain fabricated results , lied on the stand about results and willfully omitted evidence from his reports . <p> Pamela Fish , a Chicago lab technician , testified for the prosecution about false matches and suspicious results in the trials of at least eight defendants who were convicted , then proven innocent years later by DNA testing . <p> A two-year investigation of the Houston crime lab , completed in 2007 , showed that evidence in that lab was mishandled and results were misreported . <p> Ending forensic fraud The Innocence Project has uncovered these abuses since 1992 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ agencies and courts to ensure that forensic science misconduct is prevented whenever possible . The Innocence Project calls for states to impose standards on the preservation and handling of evidence . When exonerations suggest that an analyst engaged in misconduct or that a facility lacked proper procedures or oversight , the Innocence Project advocates for independent audits of their work in other cases that may have also resulted in wrongful convictions . <p> George Rodriguez was exonerated in 2005 after serving 17 years for a sexual assault he did n't commit . Rodriguez 's case helped to reveal a pattern of error and fraud in the Houston Police Department Crime Lab that is still being investigated and corrected today . In Rodriguez 's case , lab director Jim Bolding testified that a hair found in the victim 's underwear could have belonged to Rodriguez . He also testified that blood type evidence showed that Rodriguez -- and not a co-defendant -- could have deposited biological fluids . This was false -- later tests showed that the co-defendant could have been a contributor . DNA testing also showed that the hair @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the Houston lab since Rodriguez

@@5075241 <h> Text Size <p> MORNING MINDMELD : If you 're a political junkie , enjoy it , soak it in : In our lifetimes , there may never be another race that looks this close for the final two weekends . Yesterday , two of the most widely followed polling analysts drew opposite conclusions about who has Big Mo : <p> --Nate Silver , who gives Obama a 73% chance of winning , argued in the morning that the move to Romney had " stopped " : " What is n't very likely ... is for one candidate to lose ground in five of six polls if the race is still moving toward him . ... We can debate whether Mr. Obama has a pinch of momentum or whether the race is instead flat , but it 's improbable that Mr. Romney would have a day like Wednesday if he still had momentum . " http : //nyti.ms/Y2zNij <p> --Six and half hours later , ABC 's Gary Langer popped his analysis of the latest ABC-WP tracking poll , which had : " The momentum on underlying issues and attributes is Romney 's . Romney 's gains are clear @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ //abcn.ws/ROKMZa <p> ROMNEY POLITICAL DIRECTOR RICH BEESON , in a phone interview with Playbook from Boston HQ on Wednesday : " Florida is like an aircraft carrier : Once you start turning it , it 's hard to stop , and it 's been turning now for about the last 10 days . ... The Dems are talking about how they 've closed the gap on absentee , but since the early vote window 's gone from two weeks to one week , all that they 're doing is taking their early vote and voting them absentee . ... We 're ahead of where we were in ' 08 , and ... our Election Day turnout is going to be very strong . ... Every day , Florida gets better , and as Haley Barbour says , ' Good gets better and bad gets worse . ' ... I think at the end of the day , North Carolina is probably a 53-47 state . ... <p> " Virginia is a lot like Florida : It 's starting to head the right direction . They tried to cut us with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ serve : We 're holding our numbers in Fairfax , Loudoun , and Prince William . We will win Loudoun and Prince William counties . Then , as you go down to Hampton Roads and Virginia Beach , those Obama defense cuts are really starting to undermine him . ... And then , in Henrico County ... and those collar counties around Richmond -- including Chesterfield -- we 're going to ratchet it up to Bush turnout numbers in there . Then , from Danville on down to Bluefield and Tri-Cities , anybody down there who 's voting for Obama is like a chicken voting for Colonel Sanders because of coal . And so , we 're going to have historic margins out of those . ... We 're talking 70-80 percent ... <p> " New Hampshire , ... we were tied there before we went and bought the TV , and are going up with a heavy , heavy radio buy . ... Wisconsin is a tie . There 's no two ways about it , and the good news for us there is where we have room to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you go , those places where we cut up Santorum in the primary , we can still get some Republicans to come home . We 're going to run better in Madison , Milwaukee , and Green Bay than Republicans normally run . ... In the primary , we were called the ' Massachusetts moderate . ' That 's helpful in Wisconsin 's urban and even close-in suburban areas ... Same thing in Madison , Green Bay , and Milwaukee . Those were the only three DMAs we went to in Wisconsin in the primary , and that 's where we won the Wisconsin primary ... Romney runs better in those urban areas than the Republican presidential candidates have for the last two cycles . ... Paul Ryan being able to peel off blue-collar Democratic votes , ... that 's just going to be icing on the cake . <p> " Iowa is one of my favorite states because it 's obviously the state that launched Barack Obama in the caucuses ... Now , he is locked in a tie race . ... In another week or so , I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ column . They have to go into Election Day with a 15 percent partisan advantage on absentee ballots . ... Anything over it they 'll win ; anything under it , we 've got a shot at winning , because on Election Day turnout , Republicans in Iowa vote on Election Day ; Democrats like to vote absentee . This is the first time we 've ever had a registration advantage in Iowa ... In Colorado , which is my home state , there 's a number of factors there that are working against the President . ... Again , it gets back to that candidate who runs better in urban areas than we 've seen in the past . ... <p> " Nevada has been the toughest nut for us to crack , but having said all of that , we 're still within a couple of points in Nevada . ... We never won early voting in Washoe County one day in 2008 ; we 've now won it two days in a row . ... The other thing about Nevada to keep in mind is that the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on Election Day . So , you 've got 11 percent of the vote that 's just going to sit there until Election Day , and we 're going to win those rurals by big margins . There 's a lot of LDS out there , very conservative voters ... I saw somebody move Nevada into the Obama column the other day and I found that sort of interesting , especially since they 've done the same with Iowa and Ohio and add all those back . <p> " I think it was two weeks ago that people were asking if we were going to have to pull out of Ohio , and now ... it is a tie in Ohio ... They 're counting party registration as a vote for them . So , for a Democrat early vote or a Democrat absentee ballot , they 're saying : It 's ours . But you look at the Mahoning Valley from Youngstown , down to the Charleston and Huntington media market , the further south you go , the more coal there is ... We are peeling off an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The fight in Ohio is going to be Franklin County and then what margin we can come out of Cuyahoga with . ... They 've dropped the auto bailout on us , but ... there 's only so long you can ride that one-trick pony , and they just kept pounding away at it , and so that 's baked in right now and we 're tied . " <p> OBAMA CAMPAIGN MANAGER JIM MESSINA , on a press conference call Tuesday : " We are outperforming our early vote margins in key states , compared to 2008 . We 're ahead of where we were against McCain , and more importantly , we 're ahead of Mitt Romney . Romney may be winning more raw votes than McCain did at this point , but ... the numbers tell a very clear story . The electorate is bigger this year , and our vote margins are , too . In every presidential election since 1984 , the turnout in a presidential year has eclipsed turnout in midterm elections , and in every presidential election since ' 96 , the voter @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fact , more people are going to vote early this cycle than in 2008 . And more of them will vote for President Obama in the states that will decide this election . Every single day now is Election Day , and voters in Iowa and Nevada and Wisconsin and Ohio are voting ... <p> " We are not leaving anywhere we are tied or ahead . Romney has n't been unable to knock us out of a single battleground , but we 've forced him to continue to spend significant resources in states like North Carolina that the Romney campaign said they wanted locked up a long time ago . By contrast , we 've gotten him to pull resources out of states like Michigan , Pennsylvania ... and New Mexico . ... The Romney campaign has bet that young people and minorities wo n't turn out . The early vote numbers are already proving the folly of that gamble , and the wisdom of our plan . ... Early vote is not taking a final universe of voters and only changing the day they vote . ... What @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ -- voters called ' sporadic ' voters -- which broadens are universe and freezes up more get out the vote resources later and especially on Election Day . ... Public polls show we are winning early votes in Iowa , Ohio and Wisconsin . President is winning overall by 15 to 35 points among those who have already voted , and we are winning in-person early vote everywhere they have it . In Ohio , early vote turn-out is higher in counties that voted for Obama in 2008 than Republican counties . ... <p> " Republicans traditionally mail in ballots , especially in states like Florida and North Carolina , but Democrats are performing better than we did in 2008 . ... In Florida in 2008 right now we were behind in vote-by-mail by almost a quarter a million of votes -- that margin is now 38,000 ... We 've dramatically reduced the Republican advantage . And what all that means , is the math for Republicans , and what they have to beat us by on Election Day , gets harder and harder , especially in states like Nevada @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ minority turnout will drop off , but we already know that 's not the case , and that 's important as you look at some polls here . The electorate has been increasingly and consistently more diverse . <p> " Minority voting is going to reach an all-time high this year , projected as high as 28% of all voters in the ' 12 Election . Most new registrants over the past three months are under 30 , and nearly all -- four in five -- are youth , women , African American or Latino . ... These are all groups that strongly support the President 's re-election . Voter registration has increased most among Latinos and African Americans , and two-thirds of those who have already voted are women , youth , African Americans or Latinos . In-person , early vote is especially popular among African American voters , and early voting among African Americans has increased since 2008 in North Carolina and Virginia . In-person to early voting has only just begun in Colorado , North Carolina , Nevada and Wisconsin -- has not yet begun in Florida @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ . ... <p> " We continue to think it 's going to be a higher percentage of minorities and young people than some are forecasting . If you look at the past , you continue to see an increase in numbers who voted . 1996 , 96 million people voted , then 105 , then 122 in the Bush/Kerry election , then 131 in 2008 . We are n't looking at national numbers . We 're going by state , and how we get to 50.1 in all these battleground states . And we continue to think that the math has changed . Florida 's a good example of that . There are 250,000 more registered African American and Latino voters than there were four years ago when the President won Florida . ... In North Carolina , in the first five days of early vote , 50% more African Americans voted than in 2008 . ... That shows enthusiasm , it shows organization , but I think it also says it 's going to be a different total electorate that votes in 2012 than people are expecting . ... @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bright spot for the campaign : 67% of all early voters are women , youth , African American and Latino , groups that favor the President strongly . ... We have the added advantage in Wisconsin : It 's a same-day registration state , so we can help ourselves on the ground on Election Day as well , so we expect a higher turnout there . Look , we understand Wisconsin is a battleground state ... The math is just getting harder and harder for Governor Romney in some of these states , to what he would have to get on Election Day to come back in states like Wisconsin . " <p> ** A message from NEI : ZERO . That 's the amount of greenhouse gases that are emitted from nuclear energy facilities . Our electricity needs are expected to grow 22% by 2035 , advanced nuclear energy plants must be built to help meet this rising demand . Nuclear : Clean Air Energy . Visit http : //NEI.org/cleanair to learn more . ** <p> TOP TALKER -- " Super Storm : East Coast braces for monster ' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : " The pre-Halloween hybrid weather monster that federal forecasters call ' Frankenstorm ' is looking more ominous by the hour for the East Coast , and utilities and local governments are getting ready . Meteorologists expect a natural horror show of high wind , heavy rain , extreme tides and maybe snow to the west beginning early Sunday , peaking with the arrival of Hurricane Sandy on Tuesday and lingering past Halloween on Wednesday . With a rare mix of three big merging weather systems over a densely populated region , experts predict at least $1 billion in damage . <p> " The stage is set as Hurricane Sandy , having blown through Haiti and Cuba , continues to barrel north . A wintry storm is chugging across the country from the west . And frigid air is streaming south from Canada . And if they meet Tuesday morning around New York or New Jersey , as forecasters predict , they could create a big , wet mess that settles over the nation 's most heavily populated corridor and reaches as far west as OHIO . " <p> MEDIAWATCH @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ compared with every other Capitol Hill publication , according to the just released 2012 Erdos &; Morgan Opinion Leader survey . POLITICO leads National Journal , Roll Call , The Hill and Congressional Quarterly with opinion leaders in the congressional branch , executive branch , inside the Beltway and in D.C. It also swept the poll of opinion leaders in health care , energy , technology , national security/defense , economy/finance and business . <p> --STEVEN SPIELBERG , to Rick Stengel , on Lincoln 's leadership : " There was Lincoln 's timetable and there was everybody else 's . And it was almost as if Lincoln had a crystal ball and he saw to the horizon , and he saw what he needed to accomplish , and then he had a really innate sense of timing that to get to the horizon he would have to take a path that was n't a straight line . That frustrated a lot of people who were both opposed and supporting him . From inside his family , to the House of Representatives to his own cabinet , it was almost as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he had to do it and he was just accused of so many things . <p> FISCAL CLIFF NOTES -- The National Association of Manufacturers ( NAM ) is out today with a dire report ( cover art of night lightning over a lonely highway ) , " Fiscal Shock : America 's Economic Crisis " : " Absent legislative action , large spending cuts and large tax increases will hit the economy at the same time , causing a total fiscal contraction of $500 billion ... Washington 's failure to address the pending fiscal cliff is already having an impact , cutting 0.6 percentage points from GDP growth for 2012 . ... If the fiscal contraction happens , the economy will almost certainly experience a recession in 2013 and significantly slower growth through 2014 . ... By 2014 , the fiscal contraction will result in almost 6 million jobs lost , and the unemployment rate could reach more than 11 percent . ... It will take most of the decade for economic activity and employment levels to recover . " http : //www.nam.org <p> PUNDIT PREP -- L.A. Times @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ voters , buoyed by a big outreach effort , overcome concerns about his faith , " by Mitchell Landsberg in Colorado Springs : " ' It 's our belief that the great irony of this election will be that you 'll have the first ticket without a Protestant on it , and that ticket will get the highest support by evangelical voters of any ticket in history , ' said Gary Marx , executive director of the conservative Faith and Freedom Coalition . ' That 's going to be the great irony -- supporting a Mormon-Catholic ticket at record levels ' ... As of early October , Romney was ahead of President Obama among white evangelical Protestants , 73% to 21% , according to the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life . That is the same percentage that Republican John McCain captured among white evangelicals in 2008 , but below the 79% that President George W. Bush , a self-described born-again Christian , received in 2004. " http : //lat.ms/Y2r7sr <p> ARTICLE OF THE DAY -- N.Y . Times 3-col. lead , " Billions Amassed in the Shadows By @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pages ; 4,600 words ) , by David Barboza in Beijing : " Many relatives of outgoing Prime Minister Wen Jiabao the country 's top economic official , including his son , daughter , younger brother and brother-in-law , have become extraordinarily wealthy during his leadership , an investigation by The New York Times shows . A review of corporate and regulatory records indicates that the prime minister 's relatives , some of whom have a knack for aggressive deal-making , including his wife , have controlled assets worth at least $2.7 billion . In many cases , the names of the relatives have been hidden behind layers of partnerships and investment vehicles involving friends , work colleagues and business partners . ... The family 's ventures sometimes received financial backing from state-owned companies ... As prime minister in an economy that remains heavily state-driven , Mr. Wen ... has broad authority over the major industries where his relatives have made their fortunes . ... <p> " Their ownership stakes are often veiled by an intricate web of holdings as many as five steps removed ... In the case of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Ping An Insurance ... by examining public records and government-issued identity cards , and by following the ownership trail to three Chinese investment entities . ... The apparent efforts to conceal the wealth reflect the highly charged politics surrounding the country 's ruling elite , many of whom are also enormously wealthy but reluctant to draw attention to their riches . When Bloomberg News reported in June that the extended family of Vice President Xi Jinping , set to become China 's next president , had amassed hundreds of millions of dollars in assets , the Chinese government blocked access inside the country to the Bloomberg Web site . ... <p> " The review of the corporate and regulatory records , which covers 1992 to 2012 , found no holdings in Mr. Wen 's name . ... For much of his tenure , Wen Jiabao has been at the center of rumors and conjecture about efforts by his relatives to profit from his position . Yet until the review by The Times , there has been no detailed accounting of the family 's riches . ... As prime minister @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ populist and a reformer , someone whom the state-run media has nicknamed ' the People 's Premier ' and ' Grandpa Wen ' because of his frequent outings to meet ordinary people , especially in moments of crisis like natural disasters . ... ' Wen is disgusted with his family 's activities , but is either unable or unwilling to curtail them , ' a Chinese-born executive working at an American company in Shanghai told American diplomats , according to a 2007 cable disclosed by Wikileaks. " http : //nyti.ms/PU58E1 <p> --THE CONTEXT -- Financial Times : " Although Wen is set to retire after next month 's congress , he has been one of the most important proponents of political reform in the party and is likely to seek to retain influence in driving that agenda after he steps down . " <p> --THE FALLOUT -- NYT A12 , " China Blocks Web Access To Times After Article , " by Keith Bradsher in Hong Kong : " The Chinese government swiftly blocked access ... to the English-language and Chinese-language Web sites of The New York Times from computers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to mention The Times or the prime minister , Wen Jiabao , in postings on Sina Weibo , an extremely popular mini-blogging service in China that resembles Twitter . ... By 7 a.m . Friday in China , access to both the English- and Chinese-language Web sites of The Times was blocked from all 31 cities in mainland China tested . The Times had posted the article in English at 4:34 p.m. on Thursday in New York ( 4:34 a.m . Friday in Beijing ) , and finished posting the article in Chinese three hours later after the translation of final edits to the English-language version . " http : //nyti.ms/XrWLA7 <p> --In his lead from Beijing , WashPost 's William Wan calls it an " explosive " article : " The scandal ... complicates the apparent intention of Chinese leaders to tackle corruption as a main issue at the Nov. 8 party congress , a move they have been signaling in the wake of other scandals that had dramatically shaken the party 's core leadership . ... The blocking of the New York Times Web site sets back an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ . This summer , it launched a new Chinese-language Web site , which had the potential of drawing especially on China 's booming luxury industry for revenue . ... The Times took the unusual step of making available a downloadable Chinese PDF version of the story on its website , which could make it easier to circulate by email in the face of censorship . " http : //wapo.st/Y2omXS <p> SENATE SCRAMBLE -- Kerrey struggling in Nebraska Senate race , " by Henry C. Jackson and Margery A. Beck in Omaha : " Democrats hoped Nebraska 's Senate race would be the story of Bob Kerrey 's political revival . Instead , the emergence of Republican Deb Fischer , a previously little-known state senator , has given Republicans their clearest shot at taking a U.S. Senate seat away from Democrats . ... Kerrey ... was lured by national Democrats out of retirement in New York City , where he was president of The New School university ... <p> " The race has ... bucked a trend of Democratic over-performance in red states : ... Romney is expected to win handily @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Senate race in each of those states is considered close or favors a Democrat . ... Kerrey ... has continued to advertise heavily in the state , released a quirky video with comedian Steve Martin to support his campaign and portrayed Fischer as a rubber stamp for conservative Republicans . ... Kerrey ... admits he has struggled with being labeled as a carpetbagger from New York in ads made by outside spending from groups like ... Crossroads GPS. " http : //yhoo.it/UL5z4u <p> " The poll found independents make up more than a third of people casting ballots in the new district , which takes in northwest suburban Cook and eastern DuPage counties . Duckworth , a disabled Iraq War veteran making her second try for Congress , holds a 48 percent to 37 percent advantage over Walsh among independent voters . ... Among women , Duckworth scored 54 percent support to Walsh 's 34 percent . " http : //trib.in/Sc141a <p> -- " Obama 's bad October hurts House Dems , " by Alex Isenstad t : " Democrats say their congressional candidates have seen a downturn over @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has tightened . Whether Obama 's widely-panned performance in the first debate is the culprit or if the shift was the result of inevitable tightening in the final weeks of the election is a topic of debate among party strategists . What 's not in dispute is the downtick 's correlation to Obama 's drop in polls . ... Some Democratic pollsters say they began noticing a slip in congressional numbers right after Obama 's debate debacle . " http : //politi.co/TjRBoe <p> SPORTS BLINK -- " Stout pitching carries Giants to 2-0 Series lead , " by MLB.com 's Chris Haft in S.F. : " Thursday night at AT &T; Park had a 2010 feel , and not just because ex-Journey crooner Steve Perry appeared live on the scoreboard while ' Lights ' played during the middle of the eighth inning . The Giants ' starting pitching is again muting opposing offenses , just as it did two years ago when the club won its first World Series since the franchise moved to San Francisco in 1958 . Madison Bumgarner continued this re-enactment , yielding two hits in seven @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Series with a 2-0 decision over the Detroit Tigers . Having scored 28 runs in their previous four games , the Giants resorted to small ball this time . " http : //atmlb.com/VsCZAM <p> --GIANTS ' GOOD-LUCK CHARM ? Nick Butterfield 's new hipster glasses <p> --ALL POLITICS IS LOCAL -- L.A. Times columnist Bill Plaschke , " The Giants leave the Dodgers in their wake ... San Francisco becomes the better franchise in a longtime rivalry , its presence in the World Series a clinching piece of evidence ... The Giants have now appeared in 19 World Series , one more than the Dodgers . If the Giants win , they will have seven world titles , one more than the Dodgers. " http : //lat.ms/XsdoeU <p> --COLLEGE FOOTBALL USA Today 1A cover story , " Believe it : The Irish are back -- Notre Dame has found its footing with a 7-0 start , hoping to leave football mediocrity in the dust . " http : //usat.ly/TjVfyB <p> ** A message from NEI : ZERO . That 's the amount of greenhouse gases that are emitted from nuclear @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ all sources of low-carbon electricity , and nuclear energy is chief among them . Nuclear energy produces electricity for one out of every five homes and businesses , and accounts for nearly two-thirds of our nation 's greenhouse gas-free electricity production . With our electricity needs expected to grow 22% by 2035 , advanced nuclear energy plants must be built to help meet this rising demand . Nuclear : Clean Air Energy . Visit http : //NEI.org/cleanair to learn more . ** <p> Let 's see . I normally do n't try to prognosticate , ...... but just this once ... I will . Suppose there 's a Romney victory . How long will it be before folks like Chris Mathews and other media types that nobody watches blame it on the weather ? I mean .... kinda like The Fellowship of the Ring being turned around by Saruman on Carhadras ( Yeah ... if you 're a geek ... you 'll get that reference ) . I 'd say it 's a hard point to make though . Similar to the Dark Lord , the Prez has everything going @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that do n't burn him in effigy ) , 45% of the country loves him , the media loves him ( Minus Fox of course ) , ... and most importantly ... he loves himself . How can the higher power ( .. no ... not Michelle or her Husband ) turn the weather against him ? In the movies , the bad guy had everything going for him . That 's just how it works . Otherwise , it 's boring . So how 'd the underdog get the weather break ? I 'm sure there will be some contortion worthy of Houdini will manifest themselves if/when Romney pulls out a victory . I ca n't wait to find out ? . <p> Too bad Politico started with a big lie . I heard Politico 's introduction into the scene on the Hugh Hewitt radio show . Mike promised how he 'd be fair and balanced and would n't be an MSNBC arm of the lying left . Here they are showing near everything they put out are full of lies at hate Bush levels . <p> I heard @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ . It just seems he leaps at people 's throats when they display a bit of conservative biase . I

@@5075341 from across the nation . For more U.S. news , follow us on Twitter and Facebook . <h> Drew Peterson fires one of his defense attorneys <p> Getty Images <p> Ousted defense attorney for Drew Peterson , Steve Greenberg , speaks to the media outside the Will County courthouse July 31 , 2012 in Joliet , Ill . <p> By NBC News staff <p> Drew Peterson has fired one of the member of his defense team who argued against calling Kathleen Savio 's divorce lawyer as a defense witness , testimony that jurors later said convinced them to render a guilty verdict . <p> Peterson notified attorney Steve Greenberg of his firing Tuesday . Greenberg told NBCChicago.com he was shocked to learn he 'd been fired days after jurors disclosed that divorce lawyer Harry Smith 's testimony tipped the scales in the prosecution 's favor . <p> Despite Greenberg 's and the rest of the defense team 's objections , it was Peterson 's lead attorney ,

@@5075441 <p> JSTOR JAOS Vols. 1-127 ( 1843-2007 ) is now available through JSTOR . In effect is a 3-year " moving wall " , by which another three-year old volume becomes available each year . Note : The Supplements to JAOS are not available through JSTOR . <p> The complete contents of the Journal is fully searchable and displays or downloads in Adobe PDF format . Access to JAOS is limited to JSTOR subscribers only . AOS members might well have access to JSTOR through a university library subscription , and no authentication , aside from whatever your library requires , is necessary to view , browse , or search . <p> Recent back issues of the Journal in print ( 2000+ ) are available for purchase ( $35 per issue , North America postage included ; international $10.00 postage ) from the AOS Office in Ann Arbor . Please the AOS Office to inquire about availablility . <p> Older back runs ( 1843+ ) of the Journal can be purchase on microfilm/fiche from NA Publishing , Inc . <p> Membership dues are $80 ( +$5.00 for postage out the US ) per calendar year , payable by December @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ students , professors emeriti , and members in the armed forces are $40 per calendar year . There is a surcharge of $10 on all dues paid after the beginning of the year . $20 of the dues assessment is applied to the publication of the Journal . Institutional subscriptions are $125 . ( Vendors receive a $10 discount per subscription . ) Single numbers are $35.00 . Orders should be sent to the American Oriental Society , Harlan Hatcher Graduate Library , University of Michigan , Ann Arbor , MI 48109-1205 . <p> The Journal of the American Oriental Society , ISSN 0003-0279 , is published quarterly in March , June , September and December by the American Oriental Society , Ann Arbor , Michigan . Second class postage paid at Ann Arbor and additional mailing offices , USPO ID 283620 . Postmaster : Send address changes to Journal of the American Oriental Society , Harlan Hatcher Graduate Library , University of Michigan , Ann Arbor , MI 48109-1205 . <p> The Society and the Editors assume no responsibility for the views expressed by authors in the Society 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ copy of all manuscripts must be double spaced ( including block quotations ) , and with margins of at least 1 inches on all sides . Font-size should be 10-point or larger . Footnotes must be double spaced , placed on separate pages at the end of the manuscript , and be of the same size type as the main text . Words and phrases intended for italic output should in the manuscript either be underlined or represented in a scaled italic font . <p> Bibliographies and citations must conform to the Journal 's style sheet , copies of which are also available from any of the editors or from the Society 's office . On questions of italicization , punctuation , capitalization , etc. , the Journal follows in general the Chicago Manual of Style . <p> Manuscripts should normally be no more than 40 pages in length , including footnotes ( ca. 15,000 words ) . While longer manuscripts may be accepted , they may be subject to delay in publication . The Journal follows standard peer-review practices . Prior to submitting a manuscript , please contact the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is preferred . This preference varies according to the editor . <p> The Journal is able , at the present time , to print Chinese and Japanese characters , and Greek , Cyrillic , Arabic , Hebrew , and Syriac scripts in their standard orthographies . Transliteration is also acceptable . Other scripts must be transliterated in a standard and consistent way . Artwork can , under certain circumstances , be accommodated . <p> 25 offprints will be sent to authors of articles , review articles , and brief communications ; 6 offprints to authors of book reviews , and 2 offprints to authors of brief reviews . It

@@5075541 <h> Our View : Minnesotans need to plan for their long-term care <p> The Post-Bulletin editorial board interviewed 29 candidates for the Minnesota Legislature in August and September , and we asked every one of them a question about what the state needs to do to prepare for " the silver tsunami . " Minnesota 's population of senior citizens is about to skyrocket , and we were eager to hear candidates ' ideas on how the state can help make sure its oldest citizens receive the care and assistance they need to live out their lives in dignity and comfort . <p> Frankly , we did n't get many good answers . Everyone agreed that this is a big problem , a potentially budget-busting financial iceberg that 's been drifting toward us for years , but ideas for solutions were scarce indeed . <p> As it turns out , we might have been asking the impossible -- or at least we were looking for solutions in the wrong place . <p> In early October , Gov . Mark Dayton and Lt. Gov . Yvonne Prettner Solon mailed a letter to 1 million Minnesotans between the ages of 40 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , it was an invitation to visit the state 's new " Own Your Future " website , mn.gov/ownyourfuture . <p> The purpose of the website is simple : To get people to start thinking about how they 'll pay for long-term care in their later years , whether they end up needing some assistance with cleaning , shopping and meal preparation , or require full-time care in a nursing home . <p> What 's at stake ? Solon visited Rochester last week , and she bluntly told us if people do n't take ownership of their futures , we 'll soon reach the point where the state and federal governments simply wo n't be able bail them out . <p> " The state 's resources are drying up , " Solon said . " We are simply not going to be able to provide for people as well as could be done if people would plan for themselves . People who are very poor are eligible for Medicaid , and people who are wealthy can reach into their own pockets , but most of us will be in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for this care out-of-pocket , so we need to start planning at an early age . " <p> The numbers are startling . During the next two decades , Minnesota 's 65-and-older population is expected to grow by 107 percent , while the rest of our population will grow by just 6 percent . And for those people who see their 65th birthday , 70 percent eventually will require some type of long-term care . Because the average size of a family is continuing to shrink , far fewer of us will receive that care from our children . <p> Once Minnesotans start using the website and are more aware of the need to take action , the next two steps for the state -- which will likely be more challenging -- are : <p> Development of more affordable long-term care products for use by individuals who do not qualify for public programs but are not wealthy enough to self-fund their long-term care . <p> Evaluation of possible changes to Medicaid to better align with and encourage private payment for long-term care . <p> The goal , according to Solon @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ care insurance . Other states such as Texas and California have done that -- and for some people , such policies are a good option -- but Minnesota is taking a more generalized approach , hoping to give people multiple options that offer peace of mind and security at a reasonable price . <p> Even if you 're not in that target audience of 40-65 , we urge you to check out the " Own Your Future " website and to have serious family conversations about long-term care . We owe it to ourselves , our children and our fellow citizens to do our homework and be financially responsible , because as Solon put it , " One way or another , the cost of long-term care is going to come out of our pockets , whether directly or in the form of taxes . If people want to preserve choices

@@5075641 <p> On May 12 , 1998 , Nike 's CEO and founder Mr. Phillip Knight spoke at the National Press Club in Washington , DC and made what were , in his words , " some fairly significant announcements " regarding Nike 's policies on working conditions in its supplier factories . <p> The announcements received favorable treatment from the press , with a New York Times editorial suggesting that Nike 's new reforms " set a standard that other companies should match . " <p> Nike 's critics were more cautious , expressing concern that Knight 's promises represented an attempt to sideline their demands for decent wages and rigorous factory monitoring and replace them with a significantly weaker reform agenda . <p> This report represents a comprehensive examination of Nike 's labor performance in the three years since that speech was made . That performance is first assessed against the commitments Knight announced and is then compared with the human rights standards and independent monitoring practices labor rights organizations have demanded of the company . <p> Nike was the subject of considerable scandal in 1997 when it was revealed that workers in one of its contract factories @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ times the Vietnamese legal limit . Although Nike claims that its factories now meet OSHA standards , it gives factory managers advance notice of testing , giving them considerable scope to change chemical use to minimize emissions on the day the test is conducted . Nike is also not yet willing to regularly make the results of those tests available to the interested public . Rights groups have challenged Nike to put in place a transparent system of monitoring factory safety standards involving unannounced monitoring visits by trained industrial hygienists . <p> 2nd Promise : The minimum age for Nike factory workers will be raised to 18 for footwear factories and 16 for apparel factories . <p> Nike was severely embarrassed on the child labor issue in 1996 when a major story in Life magazine featured a photograph of a very young Pakistani boy sewing a Nike soccer ball . Evidence continues to emerge of young persons under the age of 16 employed in Nike contract factories . In the absence of economic development in their communities , however , excluding children from factories may force them into even more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of a living wage to adult workers would be by far the most effective means of benefiting children in areas in which Nike 's goods are made . <p> 3rd Promise : Nike will include non-government organizations in its factory monitoring , with summaries of that monitoring released to the public . <p> As far as rights groups are concerned , this was the most important of Knight 's promises . Three years after it was made , Nike has contracted one non-profit organization to conduct one audit of one factory and is able to list a number of other NGOs with which it has held discussions which it claims will improve its monitoring program . What the company is still unable to say is which NGOs , if any , will be allowed to regularly monitor factory conditions and when summary statements of that monitoring will be released . <p> 4th Promise : Nike will expand its worker education program , making free high school equivalency courses available to all workers in Nike footwear factories . <p> The education program has expanded , but wages paid in Nike factories @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not afford to give up overtime income in order to take one of the courses . Payment of a living wage would give Nike workers with an interest in achieving a high school education the time and the means to do so . <p> 5th Promise : Nike will expand its micro-enterprise loan program to benefit four thousand families in Vietnam , Indonesia , Pakistan , and Thailand . <p> It is much cheaper for Nike to give micro-loans to several thousand individuals outside Nike factories than to ensure that the 530,000 workers producing the company 's product are paid a wage that would allow them to live with dignity . Nike 's first responsibility is to the workers in its production chain . The company should commit to a living wage before it seeks public relations kudos by funding charitable programs like this . <p> 6th Promise : Funding university research and open forums on responsible business practices , including programs at four universities in the 1998-99 academic year . <p> The company has refused reputable academics access to Nike factories to conduct research , and that research it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rather than stimulating academic debate and increasing knowledge . If Nike is genuinely interested in investing in credible academic research into responsible business practices , the company should establish an independent committee made up of reputable and independent academics to determine which research should be funded . <p> Nike 's track record in protecting workers who blow the whistle on sweatshop conditions is very poor . The company has turned its back on individual workers who have been victimized for speaking to journalists , and has cut and run from other factories after labor abuses have been publicized . Until this changes , Nike workers will have good reason to keep silent about factory conditions for fear that speaking honestly may result in them and their fellow workers losing their jobs . <p> Activists have repeatedly asked Nike to allow rights groups to educate workers about their rights and to ensure workers can make confidential complaints to independent monitors when those rights are infringed . <p> Instead , Nike has made it the responsibility of each factory to educate workers about Nike 's code of conduct and to establish a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have in keeping workers ignorant of their rights . All independent research indicates that the overwhelming majority of Nike workers do not understand their rights under Nike 's code and do not believe factory owners can be trusted to resolve worker grievances . <p> Rights groups have also called for a factory monitoring program which is independent and rigorous . In response Nike has set up an elaborate array of different schemes for monitoring and factory assessment . While this variety of programs looks impressive in a public relations sense , Nike has deliberately set up each of these programs so that they fail two or more of the key tests of effective monitoring : independence , transparency , regularity and a relationship of trust with workers . <p> The quarterly program of S.A.F.E . ( Safety , Health , Attitude , People , Environment ) assessments , conducted by Nike staff , is obviously the least independent . There is no evidence that Nike staff actually interview workers as part of these assessments let alone attempts to establish a relationship of trust with them . <p> Nike 's program @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ PwC was selected by Nike , reports to Nike and conducts a monitoring program designed by Nike . To the extent that independent observation of PwC 's monitoring practice has been allowed , it indicates that PwC auditors fail to establish a relationship of trust with workers and that the quality of their monitoring can be extremely poor . Dara O'Rourke ( an assistant professor at MIT ) recently observed several PwC factory audits first hand and concluded that they had " significant and seemingly systematic biases " in favor of factory owners and against the interests of workers ( O'Rourke 2000 ) . <p> While there are elements of the Fair Labor Association 's ( FLA ) proposed monitoring program that represent important improvements on Nike 's current very poor system , the Association 's ability to ensure that workers ' rights are respected will be significantly undermined both by the questionable independence of its external monitors and by the long delays between factory monitoring visits--which will on average occur in each factory only once every ten years . The Global Alliance for Workers and Communities is an attempt @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ agenda promoted by the company 's critics . The Alliance deliberately avoids investigating key human rights issues and its research methodology does not allow time for researchers to create a relationship of trust with workers . <p> Nike has vigorously opposed the Workers ' Rights Consortium , a factory monitoring program that is independent , transparent and makes it a priority to build relationships of trust with workers . In contrast , Nike 's monitoring and factory assessment programs are not independent , lack full transparency and have so far made very little effort to win workers ' trust so that they can speak honestly about factory conditions without fear of reprisal . <p> 3rd Demand : Decent Wages <p> Nike has rejected demands that it ensures that Nike workers are paid a living wage--that is , a full time wage that would provide a small family with an adequate diet and housing and other basic necessities . Instead , the company has used statistics selectively and in a misleading fashion to give the false impression that wages currently paid to Nike workers are fair and adequate . Meanwhile those @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to cover their individual needs , let alone those of their children . <p> 4th Demand : Reasonable Working Hours <p> Independent research indicates that in many factories Nike workers are still being coerced into working up to 70 hours per week and are being humiliated in front of other workers or threatened with dismissal if they refuse . Nike workers also frequently report that it is extremely difficult to obtain sick leave and that the annual leave to which they are legally entitled is often refused , reduced or replaced with cash without the worker having any choice in the matter . <p> 5th Demand : Safe and Healthy Workplaces <p> Nike has made important progress in reducing the use of toxic chemicals in sportshoe production . Unfortunately , on the few occasions in recent years that genuinely independent health and safety experts have been allowed access to Nike contract factories , they have found serious hazards including still dangerously high levels of exposure to toxic chemicals , inadequate personal protective equipment , and lack of appropriate guards to protect workers from dangerous machinery . There is also considerable @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ time in high pressure and frequently abusive work environments . <p> 6th Demand : Respect for Workers ' Right to Freedom of Association <p> So far Nike 's promise to protect this right has been largely empty . A considerable proportion of Nike 's goods are made in countries like China where independent unions are illegal . Nike has refused to call on the Chinese government to allow workers to organize and has actively opposed calls for trade pressure to be put on the Chinese government to encourage it to improve its record in this area . <p> Nike has abjectly failed to prevent the suppression of unions in a number of its contract factories , including the PT Nikomas Gemilang and PT ADF factories in Indonesia , the Sewon and Wei Li Textile factories in China , the Formosa factory in El Salvador , the Natural Garment factory in Cambodia , the Savina factory in Bulgaria and factories owned by the Saha Union group and the Bangkok Rubber group as well as the Nice Apparel , De-Luxe , Lian Thai and Par Garment factories in Thailand . <p> On @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ advance this right in specific factories , it has done so grudgingly and after considerable public pressure . While elements of Nike 's eventual response to the current dispute in the Kuk Dong factory in Mexico have been positive , Nike 's actions on the issue been characterized by unnecessary delays , lack of follow through and failure to actively promote the urgent need for a free and fair union election . <p> Thus far Nike has treated sweatshop allegations as an issue of public relations rather than human rights . The promises made by Phillip Knight in his May 1998 speech were an attempt by the company to switch the media focus to issues it was willing to address while avoiding the key problems of subsistence wages , forced overtime and suppression of workers ' right to freedom of association . <p> The projects Knight announced have been of little benefit to Nike workers . Some have helped only a tiny minority , or else have no relevance to Nike factories at all . The most significant promise , to allow NGOs to monitor its factories and release summary @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ . <p> Health and safety is the one area where some improvement has occurred . But even here the company is not willing to put in place a transparent monitoring system involving unannounced factory visits . On the few occasions when independent safety experts have been allowed to visit Nike factories , they invariably have found very serious hazards . <p> The inaction of the last three years shows that rights groups are justified in treating the company with suspicion and demanding that factory monitoring be both genuinely independent from Nike 's control and publicly reported in full . While Nike touts itself as an " industry leader " in corporate responsibility , Nike workers are still forced to work excessive hours in high pressure work environments , are not paid enough to meet the most basic needs of their children , and are subject to harassment , dismissal and violent intimidation if they try to form unions or tell journalists about labor abuses in their factories . The time has come for the company to adopt the reforms which rights groups have advocated . It is indefensible that activists @ @ @ @

@@5075741 <p> 5 . Be ready , willing , &; able to deep dive multiple levels at any time . You must know what 's going on under the hood . There is a strong correlation between " number of levels of deepness understood " and " programming prowess " . <p> 6 . Use your imagination . Always be asking , " Is there a better way ? " Think outside the quadralateral . The best solution may be one that 's never been taken . <p> 9 . Name things properly . Use " Verb-Adjective-Noun " for routines and functions . Variables should be long enough , short enough , and meaningful . If another programmer can not understand your code , you have n't made it clear enough . In most cases , coding for the next programmer is more important than coding for the environment . <p> 10 . Decouple analysis from programming . They are not the same thing , require different personal resources , and should be done at different times and places . If you do both at the same time , you do neither well . ( I like to conduct analysis @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the next morning programming . ) <p> 11 . Never use early exits . Never deploy the same code twice . Never name a variable a subset of another variable . You may not understand these rules and you may even want to debate them . But once you start doing them , it will force you to properly structure your code . These things are all crutches whose use causes junior programmers to remain junior . <p> 12 . Learn how to benchmark . Amazing what else you 'll learn . <p> 13 . Learn the difference between a detail ( does n't really make that much difference ) and an issue ( can end the world ) . Focus only on issues . <p> 14 . Engage your user/customer/managers . Help them identify their " what " . Their " how " is not nearly as important . <p> 15 . Write a framework , whether you ever plan to use it or not . You 'll learn things you 'll never learn any other way . <p> 16 . Teach others what you know , either in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ teaching yourself , too . <p> 17 . Always tell your customer/user " yes " , even if you 're not sure . 90% of the time , you 'll find a way to do it . 10% of the time , you 'll go back and apologize . Small price to pay for major personal growth . <p> 18 . Find someone else 's code that does amazing things but is unintelligible . Refactor it . Then throw it away and promise yourself to never make the same mistakes they made . ( You 'll find plenty . ) <p> 19 . Data always &gt; theory or opinions . Learn the data by building stuff . <p> 20 . At some point , run your own business ( service or product ) . You will learn things about programming that you 'll never learn as an employee . <p> " Never use early exits " is tantamount to saying " never study programming languages deeply enough to understand control-flow graphs " . That 's not simply a good rule of thumb , it 's a terrifying omission . I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ taste and never using them is the crutch that keeps junior developers junior . <p> Data are on my side here : a quick perusal of the Quake 3 , the Linux kernel , the Clojure runtime , and LevelDB show that Carmack , Torvalds , Hickey , and Dean all use them where appropriate . <p> Agreed . A lot of the time , early exits just make sense . Instead of holding a variable called " succeeded " and doing a bunch of if elses , why not just continue on every failure ? You 're only testing for half a dozen side-cases and just exit out early when you encounter any one . No need to wrap all of your actual work in 5 levels of if elses . <p> " Never use early exits " is exceedingly bad advice , in my experience . What has led up to your claim that early exits are bad ? As I 've gained experience , I find myself writing code like this more and more : <p> and so on . Serial code like that is trivially easy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ later , it 's far more explicit and easier to comprehend than the comparable single-exit version . <p> The alternative to early exits is nesting , and nesting is the readability killer . My experience has apparently been just the opposite of yours : that avoiding early exits is a sign of a junior programmer , and returning early whenever possible is a sign of an experienced programmer who knows that understands code maintenance . <p> I agree . The alternative as you state is nested conditionals . Yuck ! An alternative construct I have seen and used is to wrap code in a do unless(0) block and break to a single failure return or complete the block to a single success return . <p> There 's clearly a middle position to be had here . By saying NO if you 're not completely confident you can do something , you miss out on the best learning opportunities . That said , if you suspect something can not work , or is n't the right way of doing something for another possibly non-technical reason , being prepared to say NO @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you always say NO , you never learn anything . If you always say YES , you never deliver anything . <p> It 's important to also put either answer in the context of how it will affect the Time , Cost and Quality Triangle of program management . The customer loves to hear ' yes ' but sometimes do n't realize that that ' yes ' is going to typically mean more time and/or money . <p> Learning to say no is the biggest challenge and virtue of the best developers out there . It 's not a " no I ca n't do it " it 's more of a " no I ca n't do it in that time " or " no I do n't think it 's the right way to go , here is how I think we should do it " . Saying NO can make a difference between a successful project and a nightmare . <p> As a general piece of advice , this is flat out wrong . Or , to put it more correctly , this is only valid advice @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Just because it is sound advice in languages with C/C++ derived syntax does n't mean it should be presented as good advice in general . <p> Also , for example , when you have lots of " if " clauses , those languages force us to use mutable state ( and a variable initialized as null ) just to avoid early exits . But we can avoid both by treating the " if " as an expression , as in Ruby , Lisp , etc , or with the ternary conditional operator ... <p> Plus , IMO , there are some situations where early exits are a good idea even in languages derived from C , such as with guard clauses/preconditions . <p> ( EDIT : I edited a lot but still could n't make it clear that I agree with you , but I still ended up making points about completely different things , sorry about that , my english skills are lacking sometimes ) <p> Even less bad in C++ where destructors can automatically handle any cleanup ( exactly that is also common practice in C++ ; making @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ high level languages with GC and/or automatic refcounting or so . <p> In rare cases , it might be more complicated , though . <p> But you seem to have some languages in mind where it really does n't matter ? What languages ? <p> Well , most early returns are avoided mostly because it makes it harder to understand the code . But when you use guard clauses , like on your Linux Kernel example , you actually improve the code , because you reduce cyclomatic complexity ( everything is now a linear path : a -&gt; b -&gt; c ) , you can reduce nesting , you can avoid unnecessary mutable state ... so it 's a win . The problem with early returns is when you use them in non-obvious places . <p> I believe that the majority of programmers agrees that using early returns for guard clauses is an okay exception . <p> If we are in a situation where we are unable to collect the data in the first place and you propose that theories or opinions are better , from what place did these @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ clearly are n't coming from data . <p> If we are in a situation where we are unable to collect the data in the first place <p> that 's mischaracterising my point . I did n't say anything about having no data . I talked about when the data you 're able to get is unrepresentative . <p> from what place did these putatively superior data or opinions come from ? Because they clearly are n't coming from data . <p> i think that 's just playing word games with " data " . We 're talking about data concerning the problem at hand . Theories may come from data , but they do n't come from data you obtain about the problem at hand . And knowledge can come from experience , which again is a form of data , but clearly not the sort the person was talking about . You can reason based on knowledge and principles . <p> Sure , it 'd be better if you had good data , but when you ca n't have that sometimes the best you can do is to reason @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ many ? I wa n't my website to be fast . I do n't have deep understanding on web optimization and do n't have yet enough data or time to build my own solution . I search around in the web , and go to http : **35;4949;TOOLONG ... . I trust them ( yahoo ) because them are probably more competent and have MORE DATA than me . I implement some of the ideas , get some results ( and if I 'm smart , get a clue on why are good ideas and how it affect the performance ) . <p> Acting in data IMHO is only if have LOT of data . If not , acting in expertise of others look best to me .. <p> About #17 , one of my clients once told me he hired and kept me because I never outright , or in the beginning said no , and instead said ' let me think about it ' , or ' anything is possible relative to time and money ' . <p> As guides to implementing technology , I think this is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ difference between a detail ( does n't really make that much difference ) and an issue ( can end the world ) . Focus only on issues . <p> Good advice . So why do you give the same amount of attention to variable naming and early exits as to much higher level issues ? I do n't think the difference between Carmack and a random developer has much to do with adherence to coding standards . <p> Variable naming and early exits are not details . They are fundamental issues , two of the most common causes of shitty code . Most programmers do n't understand how important they are and relegate them to the pile of " coding standards " or just want to debate their theroetical pros and cons . Just look at what 's happened to this thread . <p> I think you should heed your own ( quite excellent ) advice . In this case the real issue is how to best structure code for readability , maintainability , and fewer errors . Things like naming conventions and module structure are the details by which @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hung up on doing things one way or the other -- focus on what you 're trying to achieve . <p> Excellent question that is difficult to answer . I 'll give you a short response here and then write a blog post with example code when I have time . Put your email in your profile and I 'll make sure to let you know when that 's ready . <p> A little background : I have gotten many calls when legacy code has a bug or needs a critical enhancement and no one in-house is willing or able to figure it out . I 'm no smarter than anyone else , but because I 'm stupid and fearless , I often do something that few others attempt : I rewrite or refactor the code first , then work on the bug/enhancement . And the first thing I always do is look for early exits . This has always given me the most bang for my buck in making unintelligible code understandable . The only entry to any function or subroutine should be on the first line and the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ This is never about what runs fastest or produces less lines of code . It 's strictly about making life easier for the next programmer . <p> Early exits can make things really easy ( I 'll just get out now. ) 20 lines of clean code . No problem . Until years later , when that function is 300 lines long , and the next programmer ca n't figure out what you 're doing . Much of the maintenance had been done in emergency mode , each programmer just trying to get in and out as fast as they could . <p> He also said his statement " This is never about what runs fastest ... " . Kernel code needs to run fast and take advantage of shortcuts . <p> IME , the jobs most programmers are doing do n't need to try to accomplish maximum speed or need to wring a few bytes out of RAM . Certainly we do n't want to be wasteful , but long-term maintainability is more important , again IME , than absolute speed or minimising memory footprint by a few ( @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ days when I was writing programs to run on mainframes , yeah , we did need to fight for every byte . A $5 million machine back then had less RAM and less raw CPU power than a tablet does today . We do n't live in that world now . <p> &gt; He also said his statement " This is never about what runs fastest ... " . <p> This style has nothing to do with running fast , it has to do with lowering the cognitive load of the rest of the function . A branch means you have two states to keep in mind ( the state where the branch is taken , and the state where the branch is not taken ) . Without early exit , you have to keep both states in mind until the end of the function just in case . <p> With guard clauses , you can discard on of the states ( the one which matched the clause ) entirely . <p> Computers can do that repeatedly and reliably with even ( hundreds of ) thousands of discarded states . @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in play at line umptyfratz of function iGottaGetThisFixedNow() , not so much . <p> In the end , I 'm not disagreeing with early exits per se , just that over time they can make it more difficult to understand function because assumptions about state have to adjust as a maintainer goes through the code . Those assumptions may have been crystal-clear to the writer originally but how many times is the original writer the only maintainer ? <p> &gt; And the first thing I always do is look for early exits . This has always given me the most bang for my buck in making unintelligible code understandable . <p> Ouch . It will be kind of amusing if we ever work on the same code - I frequently start a bug fix by refactoring to introduce as many early exits as possible . I find guard clauses so much easier to understand than nested conditionals that sometimes refactoring it like this is the only way I can understand the code at all . I would love to see a blog post where you compare different styles . <p> @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ guard clauses then I think we might have a much more similar viewpoint . <p> But , a computer scientist once argued , multiple returns are structured : they return to the same point . Knuth wrote an article on structured programming with GOTOs , and pointed out that this can save memory . <p> What if you fail on line 20 ? Carrying on may cause cascading errors , what alternatives are there to return an error code directly apart from storing a return value in a variable , use a goto to the end and return once ? ( assuming this is C ) <p> I think you misunderstand why goto 's are frowned upon . Goto 's are bad because they allows you to jump to anywhere in the code , regardless of structure , which undermines all assumptions you can make about control flow . <p> Function calls and return are like goto that obeys structure , and therefore do n't have the same problems . <p> Goto 's are bad because they allows you to jump to anywhere in the code , regardless of structure @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ flow . <p> Knowing where you are jumping does n't help you to make assumptions about the control flow . <p> Goto 's are bad because they allows you to jump . The jump in itself is the problem because it breaks the instruction flow arbitrarily - without explicitly expressing the boolean condition for it . Early exits are of the same kind : they do n't express explicitly the boolean condition of the jump . We know where we are jumping . Not why . With time , the boolean equation of the code which determines the instruction flow is unmaintainable . And then you end up not understand where your flow is going through , not because you do n't know where a jump is going , but because you have lost why . <p> Most gotos , early returns , breaks and continues ( C speaking ) are considered to be bad habits for this reason . <p> return only goal is to return values to the function caller . Not to jump . <p> Function calls jump back to whatever call them so it 's like @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ instruction flow - you basically can continue to read the code assuming some code has been executed behind the function name . <p> A loop is based on a conditional jump ( aka. a flow control statement in imperative langs ) which makes all the difference . The problem with jumps ( is usually called a jump , purely arbitrary jump ) is that they are arbitrary : http : **27;4986;TOOLONG ? id=4627 ... <p> How do know what happens at an end-brace ? Have to go look at the matching start-brace to see if it is a while or for or if . Madness ! Can I assume the code above even executed once ? No ! What of I check the guard clause first ? It has variables ! Oh heavens , control flow depends on arbitrary RUNTIME data ! ? <p> I believe early exit is strictly better than goto end . There 's no language enforcement requiring the " end " label to be at the end of the function . If there was , I would n't mind the use of goto end . I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ does n't already agree with you . <p> I think the biggest problem is that early exits make you forget you have to clean things up before returning ( a bigger problem in C and sometimes Java , than it is in modern dynamic languages ) . There are certainly other reasons , but I 'll leave them to others that are more experienced ! <p> Oh , now I get it . When reading #7 I got the impression that you were dismissing the so called micro-optimization - something along the lines of " ship early , fix things later . Do n't get stuck over-engineering and delaying writing code " . <p> When you advise against naming a variable a subset of another variable , are you talking about confusing names , or practices like breaking off a chunk of array to process instead of finding a smarter way

@@5075841 <h> A California girl in the kitchen , garden and City of Angels . <h> I Love That This Is My Pizza Situation <p> These superb takeout pizzas are from Mozza2Go . White anchovies and Fresno chiles . Coach Farm goat cheese , leeks , and smoky bacon . Thank you , Nancy Silverton and Mario Batali , for making this happen , in my living room . <p> It is an occasional indulgence . Nothing you see here costs $5 or comes with a free 2-liter bottle of soda . Two pizzas and tip cost a pretty penny . But , when I crack open a bottle of reasonably priced wine and kick off my shoes for dinner , it seems like the deal of the century . <p> They mean it , about the microwave . I am unfamiliar in the ways of the zap-o-matic oven , but when I tried quickly warming a

@@5075941 <h> Lonely bench <p> As a child , I used to wait impatiently for my grandfather to come home from work . Despite my parents ' displeasure , I would hang onto the rails of the garden fence and stare across the pasture in anticipation of his arrival . After hearing the sound of a taxi coming to a stop , I would jump over the fence and excitedly run across the field . My grandfather would look up and smile as he saw me sprint through the grass . As I neared , he would set his suitcase aside , crouch down and extend his arms so that he could catch me and throw me up into the air repetitively . It was customary . My grandfather would put me down , tussle my hair and hold my hand as we walked back to the backyard . <p> Years later when I was in the fifth grade , I realized my immaturity . After coming home from work one day , my grandfather sat down on the bench next to the fragrant lemon tree , kicked back and motioned for me to sit next to him . He @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ closely to what he was about to say . Unaccustomed to serious conversations at such a young age , I prevented myself from smiling and put my head onto my grandfather 's shoulder . <p> " As you grow older , you will learn to be patient . Despite the troubles you will endure , you must understand that not every solution is within your reach . During these times , you 'll realize that everything you need will be in your heart and your mind . Everything you need to remain strong is right here . " <p> My grandfather tapped his right index finger on my chest and then on my head as a tear streamed down his face . I did n't know why he was crying , but I assumed that it was because our plane was leaving the next day , and that the next time I would see him would probably be in another four years . I pondered his words for a while and looked up at my grandfather . He looked back at me and smiled at my confused expression . I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ manage but was n't able to shed one tear in response . Perhaps it was because I was still pondering what he had just told me . Perhaps it was because I did n't know what my grandfather was going through . I was too young to understand . <p> I sat quietly during our eight-hour commute back home . Sometime during the flight , I wrote down a rough translation of what my grandfather had told me on a napkin that was given to me by the flight attendant . I never told anyone of our discussion the day before , nor did I ask anyone what his words meant . <p> I never knew that a few days before we left , my grandfather had been diagnosed with prostate cancer . He refused to tell anyone , even my grandmother , until he started feeling very sick a few months later . <p> One year after we had left , my grandfather passed away . The last time I saw him , the last time I ever spoke to him , was that day when we both sat @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , I would understand what my grandfather had been trying to tell me . It all makes sense now . Despite the diagnosis , my grandfather never let the illness affect his life . He remained strong and presided over family matters regardless of what would happen a year later . He laughed , told jokes and went about his life in a way no different than he had done so in the past , all the while refusing to let the cancer impact his attitude , personality or commitment to family . He remained faithful , blamed no one and taught many to remain thankful despite the incomparable difficulty he was facing . <p> When I look back at that moment and remember what my grandfather had told me , I realize that I have n't been living by his advice . I have n't remained strong , nor have I been thankful for my blessings . Who the hell am I to complain about my life ? I would never be able to compare the insubstantial worries that trouble me now to those that affected my grandfather . @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ grandfather would go to work , ride the taxi back , walk through the field and sit on that same bench every day since I had left -- something that he had never done before our conversation . In the midst of the incomparable struggles that I face , I strive to remember the wisdom that my grandfather aimed to instill in me . <p> On this day , I regret that I was not able to sit next to him on the days when he sat alone . <p> Happy birthday , Grandpa . <p> Mousa Alshanteer is a Trinity freshman . His column runs every other

@@5076041 <p> FBI agents are making their way to Tunisia to interview a suspect detained there in the Libya consulate attack , sources tell Fox News , after Tunisian officials initially refused to grant the U.S. investigators access to the man . <p> Tunisian authorities agreed to let the FBI question Ali Ani al Harzi only if it is done " under Tunisian sovereignty , " a condition apparently being cited in recognition of domestic pressure in the North African country . <p> The latest development comes after an intervention by Sen. Lindsey Graham , R-S.C. , who wrote to the Tunisian authorities about the lack of access . It is n't clear what pressure the Obama administration had been applying . <p> U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans were killed in the Sept. 11 attack on the consulate in Benghazi , Libya . The local Libyan extremist group Ansar al-Sharia has been blamed for the strike , which has become a top Republican criticism of the Obama administration in final weeks of the presidential race . <p> Harzi was arrested at an airport in Turkey in the days after the attack and transferred to Tunisian custody , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to him . Even so , U.S. intelligence agencies have confirmed through facial recognition technology that the Tunisian was present the night of the consulate attack . <p> " We are very pleased the Tunisian government is working with American investigators to allow in person access to Ali Ani al Harzi , " Graham said Friday . " Under this arrangement the interviews will be under Tunisian supervision and consistent with their sovereignty and meets the needs of our investigative team . " <p> Graham expressed optimism that this " welcome breakthrough " will help the investigation advance . <p> " It is unfortunate it has taken this long to get an in-person interview , as time is of the essence in cases like this , " he said . " We hope our interview of Ali Ani al Harzi will bear fruit and we can bring to justice

@@5076141 <p> We all know Tom Cruise has ruined Jack Reacher for fans of the Lee Child 's novels . Why was he cast when there are so many better choices out there ? Not all of these guys would have been perfect in the role but any one of them would have been a far sight better than Tom Cruise . <p> Some of these choices have been added via this facebook page . Thank you to the pages creator for posting here so I could add more people to this list . <p> Jack Reacher is a former United States Army Military Police Major . He was born on a military base in Berlin in 1960 . A graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point , he served 13 years in the Military Police , during which time he became part of a fictional military police unit , the 110th Special Investigations Unit , formed to handle exceptionally tough cases , especially those involving members of the United States Army Special Forces . Though he was demoted from Major to Captain in the prequel novel The Enemy , he regained the rank of Major by the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ military awards during his career , including the Silver Star , the Defense Superior Service Medal , the Legion of Merit , the Soldier 's Medal , the Bronze Star , and a Purple Heart for wounds sustained in the bombing of the US Marine barracks in Beirut in 1983 . Since leaving the Army , Reacher has been a drifter . He wanders throughout the United States because he felt he never got to know his own country , having spent his youth living overseas on military bases . He usually travels by hitchhiking or bus . As a drifter , the only possessions he carries are money , a foldable toothbrush and , after 9/11 , an expired passport . He wears his clothing for 2 -- 3 days before discarding it , usually purchasing new clothing cheaply from chain outlets . He has no steady income and lives on savings in his bank account and part-time jobs . At various points during the series , his bank account is supplemented by taking money from his enemies . Reacher knows how to drive although he is admittedly not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ driver 's license . <p> Physical appearance <p> Reacher is a giant , standing at 6 ' 5 " tall ( 1.96m ) with a 50-inch chest , and weighing between 210 and 250 pounds ( 100 -- 115 kg ) . He has ice-blue eyes and dirty blond hair . He has very little body fat , and his muscular physique is completely natural ( he reveals in Persuader , he has never been an exercise enthusiast . ) He is exceptionally strong but is not a good runner . Reacher is strong enough to break a man 's neck with one hand ( Bad Luck and Trouble ) and kill a villain with a single punch to the head ( Running Blind and 61 Hours ) or chest ( Worth Dying For ) . In a fight against a 7 foot , 400 lb steroid-using thug ( Persuader ) , Reacher was able to lift his opponent into the air and drop him on his head . Reacher has various scars , most notably a scar on his abdomen caused by a bombing in Lebanon . He also @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ shrapnel scar that he received during a knife fight with Al-Qaeda operative Lila Hoth . Reacher mentions how the rough stitch work from his existing scar helped decrease the severity of his most recent attack . However , the cut did produce a deep , serious gash that led to Reacher passing out from blood loss.He also has a scar on his chest from a .38 bullet , a tear drop burn scar from close range gunshot that crossed his chest at point blank range , and one on his arm where his brother struck him with a chisel in his youth . <p> Alexander Julian Rhodes was born and raised in Pittsburgh , Pennsylvania , to parents Althea Azeff and Phillip Rhodes . He has two siblings , Axel and Claire , along with a cat named Huckle . He is three classes away from graduating with a B.S. in Biology ( minors in Chemistry and Theater Performance ) from the University of Pittsburgh ; however one of his primary passions has always been acting ... <p> English actor Warwick Davis is the son of an insurance broker and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dysplasia congenital ( SED ) , which caused his dwarfism . He was educated at City of London Freemen 's School . When he was 11 years old , his grandmother heard a radio appeal for people under four feet tall to appear in Star Wars : Episode VI - Return of the Jedi ... <p> Neil Richard Flynn is an American actor and comedian , known for his role as Janitor in the medical comedy-drama Scrubs . He currently portrays Mike Heck in the ABC sitcom The Middle . Neil was born in the south side of Chicago . He is of Irish descent and was raised Catholic . He moved to Waukegan , Illinois at an early age ... <p> " If I could transplant Aaron Eckharts head on to Joe Manganiello 's below body I think we 'd have a winner . Unfortunately , frankensteining an actor to play a movie role is not a viable option . Yet . Moohahahaha ! " - minisara <p> Joe Manganiello is an American born actor . His parents are Charles and Susan , and he has a younger brother @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ attended Mount Lebanon high school . During school , he was good at sports and was captain of the football , basketball and volleyball teams . He went on to play varsity level in all three ... <p> Robert Leeshock was born in Clifton , New Jersey . He attended Cornell University in 1980 as an Arts and Science major , then graduated in 1984 with a degree in Materials Science Engineering . He trained as an actor with Wynn Handman , director of the American Place Theater . He has penned the screenplay Yo Yo Boy as well as characters for stand up venues in New York and Los Angeles ... <p> Born on June 7 , 1952 in Ballymena , Northern Ireland , UK , Liam Neeson worked as a forklift operator for Guinness , truck driver , assistant architect and an amateur boxer . He had originally sought a career as a teacher by attending St. Mary 's Teaching College in Belfast . However , in 1976 , Neeson joined ... <p> James Patrick Caviezel was born on September 26 , 1968 in Mount Vernon , Washington @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Maggie Caviezel . The Caviezels are an closely-knit Catholic family . As a youngster , Jim was described as being " very intense . " His two main interests growing up were sports and religion ... <p> Co-Creator and Star of Sony TV 's successful Web Series/Feature Film " The Bannen Way " on Crackle.com . Most recently , Mark Guest-Stared on Showtime 's " Dexter " , Felicia Day 's " The Guild " , Mystery Guitar Man 's " Once Upon " and CJP 's " Leap Year . " As a director he recently directed short film " Donor " with Trevor Algatt and Alexis Boozer as well as two episodes of " Suite 7 " with Shannen Doherty ( 90210 ) ... <p> Though born in Melbourne , Australia , Chris Hemsworth saw quite a bit of the country in his youth when his family moved first to the Northern Territory before finally settling on Phillip Island to the south of Melbourne . He is brother to actors Liam Hemsworth and Luke Hemsworth . In 2004 , he unsuccessfully ... <p> Ron Perlman , a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , feature films and television productions . He was born Ronald Francis Perlman on April 13 , 1950 in Washington Heights , Manhattan , New York . His mother , Dorothy , still lives there and is retired from the City Clerk 's Office ... <p> Born in Sydney of English parentage , and the youngest of five children , Jackman has a communications degree with a journalism major from the University of Technology Sydney . After graduating , he pursued drama at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts , immediately after which he was offered a starring role in the ABC-TV prison drama Correlli ... <p> David was born in Buffalo , New York and grew up in Philadelphia , Pennsylvania . At the young age of seven he decide to be an actor , which eventually led him to study cinema and photography at Ithaca College in New York . After graduating from college , David moved to Los Angeles in order to pursue a career in the movies ... <p> The youngest of seven children , Matthew Avery Modine was born in Loma Linda , California @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ movie theaters . After graduating high school in Imperial Beach , California , Modine moved to New York City ( 1979 ) . While still a student at Stella Adler 's Conservatory of Acting ... <p> British actor Clive Owen is one of a handful of stars who handles artistically challenging roles and as well as tough guys in big-budget shoot ' em ups - including , appropriately , the campy , trigger-happy Shoot ' Em Up - with equal measures of grace and skill . Owen typically is cast as characters whose primary traits are a balance of physical strength ... <p> John Felix Anthony Cena or better known as John Cena , the WWE superstar was born on April 23rd , 1977 in West Newbury , Massachusetts . When he was in college , he played football . He then continued on to be a bodybuilder and a limousine driver . The 6-foot-1 tall star weighs exactly at 240 pounds and is a very successful superstar in the WWE ... <p> Ryan is the youngest of four children . His father , Jim , was a Vancouver food @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ saleswoman . Between 1991-93 , Ryan appeared in Fifteen ( aka " Fifteen " ) , a Nickleodeon series taped in Florida with many other Canadian actors . After the series ended ... <p> Paul William Walker IV was born in Glendale , California . Paul grew up together with his brothers , Caleb and Cody and sisters , Ashlie and Amie . Their parents Paul William Walker III and Cheryl Walker separated around September 2004 . His grandfather , William Walker was a Pearl Harbor survivor and a Navy middleweight boxing champion ... <p> Matthew 's parents raised longhorn cattle and horses and grew barley for Coors beer . He entered the Deerfield Academy in Massachusetts for a post-grad year after high school , and then matriculated at Columbia University where he played football and majored in Economics with the intent to end up on Wall Street ... <p> Armie was born in Los Angeles , California . His father is chairman and CEO of the Armand Hammer Foundation and his mother is a board member of the foundation . His parents also serve together as board members of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in New York . In addition , his father is a member of the board of trustees for Oral Roberts University ... <p> Christopher Ashton Kutcher was born on February 7 , 1978 in Cedar Rapids , Iowa . He has a fraternal twin brother , Michael , and a sister , Tausha . He grew up in rural Homestead , Iowa , graduating from Clear Creek-Amana High School in Tiffin , Iowa . In 1997 , Kutcher was a biochemical engineering student at the University of Iowa and was discovered by a local talent scout ... <p> Eric Bana was born Eric Banadinovich on August 9 , 1968 , in Melbourne , Victoria , Australia . He is the younger of two brothers . His father , named Ivan Banadinovich , came from Zagreb , Croatia , and worked as a manager for Caterpillar Inc . His mother , named Eleanor Banadinovich , came from a German family and was a hairdresser ... <p> From Timothy Olyphant 's first screen appearances , such as his two minute bit in First Wives Club , to Nicko , whose presence at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been a force to be reckoned with . Born in Hawaii , Timothy was raised in Modesto California

@@5076241 <p> What ravages of spirit Conjured this tempestuous rage Created you a monster Broken by the rules of love And fate has lead you through it You do what you have to do And fate has led you through it You do what you have to do And I have the sense to recognize that I do n't know how to let you go Every moment marked With apparitions of your soul I 'm ever swiftly moving Trying to escape this desire The yearning to be near you I do what I have to do The yearning to be near you I do what I have to do But I have the sense to recognize That I do n't know how To let you go I do n't know how To let you go A glowing ember Burning hot Burning slow Deep within I 'm shaken by the violence Of existing for only you I know I ca n't be with you I do what I have to do I know I ca n't be with you I do what I have to do And I have sense to recognize but I do n't know how to let you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I do n't know how to let you go <h> 51 Comments <p> General Comment : This song is so profound and so beautifully written and sung by Sara one of my favorite singer/song writers . I can relate to this song because I had an experience of forbidden love . I had to do what I had to do and leave this person and his friendship . It was the most difficult thing to get over . It took a long time to get over this person but time does heal . Unfortunately I thought I was over this person after not seeing him for more than 10 years and we recently saw each other at a sort of reunion . My forbidden love was so happy to see me and hugged me with so much sentiment . Since that day I can not get over him and the feelings I had for this person resurfaced . Now I must try and get over him once more . It 's a very painful process and her lyrics describe this so succinctly . I can not stop crying it hurts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the words in songs . If i like the voice and music , I like the song . Sooo that brought me to this website . Which I think is great . Anywho ! ... When I heard this song , my Father was in the hospital with terminal cancer , and I was there with him daily . I lost my mother when I was 6 so my dad was my world , when I heard ' ' AND I DO NT KNOW HOW TO LET YOU GO ' ' i knew I loved this song . It applied to me at the time . But I now see how it can also be about an violent relationship . But it still takes me back to the day my dad wrote a letter to me and my family asking for us to let him go . : ( <p> My Interpretation : This might sound like a long shot and I understand how people could be skeptics ... <p> So from what I got from this song ... by the way this song is a defining moment of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ melodic lullaby . <p> But I have the strongest feeling this song has a major drug addiction connection . I know I know , but if you listen and read into the words I pieced this song together in such a sense that its uncanny to not think of this . When someone becomes addicted they found a new love ... This becomes their relationship ... They have to support it , feed into it , and in a sense nurture it . Drugs become all they know . The reference to " created you a monster " meaning it went from a friendly party favor to something ever so worse . With her lyrics I can see this being about someone attempting to get a grasp on reality , attempting to give it up but realizing the bondage drugs has placed on them . It goes from love , and straight to rage . Because how could something you love hurt you so much . and with the subjects fate ... they realize they will do what ever they have to to get through this battle . **40;8631;TOOLONG ... @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 'm ever swiftly moving trying to escape this desire the yearning to be near you I do what I have to do " <p> This speaks of the emotional battle of trying hard to get away from the lifestyle , but knowing the clutch that drugs has on her emotionally ... **40;8673;TOOLONG ... A glowing ember burning hot burning slow deep within I 'm shaken by the violence of existing for only you <p> With her realizing how disastrous this relationship has become she is contemplating going back to what she knows , rather then fighting even more . She realizes that her inner turmoil and self control is weakening . <p> Again I know this is a long shot , I personally do n't have a drug addiction , I do know many who do ... I also am in school right now for psychology and I am going through my clinicals now . maybe I am reading too much into it , but the interpretations are right there <p> My Interpretation : I have read several comments and respect them . I think this song is about lost @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one that there has been a betrayal of neglect , which hurts so much , because it is foreign to the essence of pure love . Sarah is singing about the travails of recognizing that the loved one has neglected and harmed the subject , and does n't seem to care . However , it 's important for the subject to communicate the depth of the damage . The subject is ambushed by the neglect , and does n't know how to cope with it , yet feels it 's important to convey the pain . Moving on is not ideal , but also a recognition that the love interest of the subject has already done so , but failed to consider the feelings or damage of the subject , by neglecting to share . <p> This is a very sad song , brilliantly written and sung to express the heartbreak that is the theme . <p> General Comment : i think this song is about loss , specifically , love lost . it can be a physical loss as gekopmuziek suggests , a purely emotional loss as many theorize @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ . <p> the beauty of the lyrics is that it can mean so many different things to so many people , which the best art does . but i believe at its core it 's about love lost . for me , it 's the torment of a physical loss , and is heart-rending in its portrayal . <p> General Comment : I interpret this song to be about someone who is in love with another who does , and for various possible reasons can not , love them back . I feel as if this person is fully aware that they have to move on because they 're hoping for a relationship that is very unlikely , but they just ca n't make themselves let go . <p> My Interpretation : I havent read everyones yet but so far my opinion is different . I believe she is speaking FROM a person that has done wrong and is consumed with guilt and regret . " Created " YOU " a monster broken by the rule of love " . Shes saying shes become this " monster " to him @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of love . " Shes saying that she understands he has to do what he has to do which is move on because he has no chioce . " FATE has led you through it " . Therefore , in response she understands that , " I know I cant be with you Ill do what I have to do . " She simply has no control over the situation anymore , but " has the sense to reconize. " she knows she has to just walk away . Shes leaving the decision in the others hands , but simply she will do what shes asked to do . Which is what ever is told to her . In all reality , everybody knows that its the most painful position when there isnt a way out , or a way to repair what you have damaged . This makes it even harder to let him go . But she loves him so much she understands she must let him go . This is why she has the sense to reconize . <p> General Comment : this song is beautiful but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be applied to a few different situations i believe . " the yearning to be near you , i do what i have to do . " it 's about that uncontrollable desire you can feel for someone that scares the shit out of you . <p> General Comment : to me , this song is about 2 lovers , one wronged the other ... hurt them beyond repair and is left behind . it is the heart and the mind coming together to say " i do nt know how to let you go . " a conversation the one left behind would have with themselves ... " the yearning to be near you , i do what i have to do . " like they werent given the opportunity to fall out of love ... " deep within , im shaken with the violence of existing for only you ... " because

@@5076341 <h> What Kinds of People Take Care of Themselves ? <p> A recent walk that I took through the streets of Austin was a lesson in the diversity of orientations that people take toward the future . Passing by Lady Bird Lake downtown , there were a number of joggers , bikers , and walkers on the trail getting in their exercise . On top of the Congress Avenue bridge , a few smokers were enjoying a cigarette and the view of the lake . Nearby , a heavyset couple prepared to dig in to a large meal while seated in the outdoor patio of a steakhouse . <p> Just on this brief walk , there was a clear cross-section of people who took different approaches to their long-term health . The people exercising on the trail around the lake were engaged in activities that would benefit their long-term health . In contrast , the smokers and people have a large meal were doing something that felt good in the short-term , even if it had potential negative consequences in the long-run . <h> Find Local : <p> All else being equal , people typically prefer things that are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the long-term , but are less pleasant in the short-term . That is why people continue to overeat and drink to excess even though it can be harmful in the long-run . It is also why people may opt against healthy foods in the short-term and may opt out of regular exercise . <p> The large number of people who were exercising around the lake does suggest that a number of people are willing to engage in healthy behaviors . One thing that needs to be explained is why some people are willing to do what is best for them in the long-run while others are not . <p> Personality psychologists have found that there is a stable tendency for some people to be more concerned with the future consequences of their actions than others . Indeed , there are two kinds of questions that you can ask people to assess their concern for the future . One focuses on how much people care about what is going to happen to them in the future . The other is the degree to which they are focused on the benefit they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ course , the fact that these questions predict how likely it is that someone will exercise or eat healthy food does not explain much by itself . It just says that people who are generally concerned about the consequences of their actions for the future seem to share that concern across many aspects of their life . <p> A paper in the October , 2012 issue of Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin by Jeff Joireman , Monte Shaffer , Daniel Balliet , and Alan Strathman explored why this concern for the future influences people 's actions . <p> They found that questions about people 's concern for the future predict people 's motivational outlook . Specifically , Tory Higgins and his colleagues have distinguished between two broad motivational orientations . A promotion focus leads people to concentrate on potential positive things in the world and on the person they would ideally like to be . A prevention focus leads people to concentrate on potential negative things in the world and on their responsibilities . <p> The researchers suggested that a focus on who people would like to be ideally might @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ effectively than a focus on their responsibilities . Thus , they proposed that people who express a concern for the future consequences of their actions might have a stronger promotion focus than those who tend not to be concerned about the future consequences of their actions . These researchers also suggested that the degree to which people are focused on the present benefits of their actions should have no reliable relationship to people 's overall motivational orientation . <p> In two studies , groups of people filled out a scale designed to assess their concern for the future consequences of their actions . They also measured the strength of people 's promotion and prevention focus . Finally , they examined their attitude toward and intention to perform a healthy behavior . In one study , that behavior was eating healthy foods , while in the other study it was exercising . <p> In both studies , the more that people were concerned with the consequences of their future actions , the more they tended to have a promotion focus . This promotion focus then predicted their positive attitude toward the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ perform that behavior . It would have been valuable to have some measure of whether people actually performed the healthy behavior , but that issue was not addressed in these studies . <p> Overall , these results suggest that there are people who tend to take care of themselves . Those people are concerned about the future consequences of their actions . That concern influences their motivational state . <p> There are still a number of factors that need to be explored , though , before it is clear how this research can help us take care of ourselves . First , we need to know the true relationship between motivational state and concern for the future . Does concern for the future cause people to take a promotion focus , or does it work the other way around ? Does viewing the world in terms of potential gains make you more concerned about the future ? Second , if you manipulate someone 's motivational state , will that really change how much they pursue activities with long-term rewards ? There are many ways to affect whether someone adopts a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to take better care of themselves ? <p> Right now , these

@@5076441 <h> The Next Day <h> Quick Overview <p> The Next Day is a ground-breaking graphic novel , constructed of near-fatal suicide attempts . <p> Double click on above image to view full picture <h> More Views <h> Details <p> In this poetic and profound philosophical exploration , illustrated by acclaimed small-press legend John Porcellino ( " A master at miniature poignance , " Entertainment Weekly ) , four diverse participants each answer the same key questions about life ,

@@5076541 <h> The Edge Of Forever Lyrics <p> When you were young , Did you ever love somebody ? Like I love , I love you now . <p> Cos now that your 's older , I see you do n't mind , Letting go of my hand in a crowd , You do n't wan na ho-old tight . <p> And when we kissed one night , There 's a million hearts , Beating in a row , I wish they go away , I 'll say it again ( say it again ) There 's a million hearts , It 's the break to see , Every time you go away . <p> When you were young , Did you ever fall down , ( Wo n't let you go , wo n't let you go ) Graze your knee , Want to run to someone . ( Wo n't let you go , wo n't let you go ) <p> Cos now that older , I 've been falling down , I want to run to someone , But there 's nobody around . <p> I can feel the sign , There 's a million hearts , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ away , I 'll say it again ( say it again ) There 's a million hearts , It 's the break to see , Every time you go away . <p> Every time you go away , Think about the things I say , Think about it twice as long , Tell me what 's going wrong . <p> In the southern sky , The breeze is so wild , The bridge is so lonely , The reasons that life , Feeling so afraid , Talking about a , two hearts , Beating as one , Now heeeyyy No <p> I 'll say it again ( say it again ) There 's a million hearts , Beating in a row , I wish they would go away , I 'll say it again ( say it again ) , There 's a million hearts , It 's

@@5076641 <h> Jim Fletcher and his wife MaryAnn <p> MaryAnn and Jim Fletcher at their junior prom in 1978 . Photo courtesy of the Fletchers . <h> Jim Fletcher and his wife MaryAnn <p> Interview transcript <p> James Fletcher ( JF ) : It was the first day of first grade . And there was this kid who said to me , that 's MaryAnn Lando , she can read . <p> MaryAnn Fletcher ( MF ) : Laughs <p> JF : And I just fell in love with her right there . <p> MF : Nine years later when we went to the new high school we started dating . And then we went through college and I think we were trying hard to grow up and mature in different ways . And so we decided that it was time to try out life apart . <p> JF : Yes I asked you to please not get in touch with me , because I knew if I saw you again I could n't help myself . <p> MF : That was the hardest thing I ever did . And so we went our separate ways for 22 years , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ there was a message from Facebook and it said Jim Fletcher has sent you a message . And my heart stopped . We exchanged one message each and then I said , this is crazy , there 's no reason we should n't talk . <p> JF : I knew five minutes after we talked the first time that I was still in love with you . And we decided that we should meet . So I got to O'Hare , and you know , I 've not seen you for years , I 'm seeing people of the same hair color , maybe that 's her , maybe that 's her ... <p> MF : I heard somebody call my name , and I turned around and you were there and you dropped everything -- you dropped your coat , you dropped your suitcase -- everything to the ground , and just enfolded me in the biggest bear hug and you looked at me and you said , " You are every bit as beautiful now as you were when I first fell in love with you . " @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to let you go again . <p> JF : And we 've been together ever since . And every morning I wake up , and I know that I 'm with the woman I was

@@5076741 <p> Here are some photos of the iPad before it was actually the iPad . They are a prototype from the early 2000s . It 's amazing to see how long ago the iPad was an idea . It 's also crazy to see how much the design was changed over time . <p> It looks a lot like the iPods , iBooks and iMacs of the time . It 's white with what looks to be a grey Apple logo ( the images are black and white , so it 's a bit hard to tell ) . It 's also a much thicker iPad , we figure it 's also rather heavy . Perhaps it just was n't ready for primetime ( even though back then it would have been something to behold ) . Either way , you may remember that a couple years back Steve Jobs spoke at D8 saying that the iPad was an idea before the iPhone . However , he liked the UI so much that he told himself it would be great for a phone . Development on the tablet was held over

@@5076841 <p> " I want to scream from the rooftops ' I 'm ready to take action ! ' " - Kimanzi Constable SYMPHONY is a manifesto of purpose . It highlights how we all want to make an impact in the world and change it . Join the movement and act on your dreams now ! <h> That Moment When You Decide to Do Something Awesome <p> It 's hard to believe that I 've already been at this blogging thing for 4 months ... but sometimes hard to believe it 's only been that long . <p> Writing just feels right . It works for me and it allows me to share ideas I 've had cooped up for years . Pretty incredible that there 's actually people who choose to listen too . <p> And , in order to insure that I 'm doing this for the right reasons and for the right WHY , I 've decided to join Jim Woods on his quest for WritersUnite . <p> This will take place during the whole month of October and will allow us to focus on what really matters when it comes to writing . For me @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : <p> Write a manifesto ( that will be my new free download ) <p> Hone my writing theme and topics <p> Seek out guest post opportunities to connect with other writers <p> So with that , you will see a lot less of me here for this month . I will continue to communicate via email and want you to communicate any needs with me , as always . <p> My major goal with this is to remember my WHY . I started this for a reason and it seems to have gotten a bit lost in the process . By the end of this month ( and into next ) , you will have a much better understanding of what I 'm about , why I do what I do , and how you can get involved with the movement . <p> If you 're a writer or blogger and are interested in joining , I encourage you to do so . Visit **25;12520;TOOLONG for details . <p> I think #2 is essential for any writer/blogger to know and remember . When it comes to blogging being more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Keep at it bro , your doing a great job ! <p> http : //JaredLatigo.com/ Jared Latigo <p> Definitely so . Thanks for the encouragement ! <p> http : **29;12547;TOOLONG Juan Cruz Jr <p> Jared , I 've been meaning to write a Manifesto myself . I started one but I have to finish . I plan to finish by the end of the year . . I myself have been blogging for over a year now , and I 've made some strides . It 's

@@5076941 <p> Col. Douglas Mortimer : discussing strategy to defeat Indio When two hunters go after the same prey , they usually end up shooting each other in the back . And we do n't want to shoot each other in the back . Monco : amused And the Colonel dies ... Share this quote <p> first title card Title card : Where life had no value , death , sometimes , had its price . That is why the bounty killers appeared . Share this quote <p> after Mortimer opens safe , Indio declares a cooling off time for the loot El Indio : to Mortimer And you will wait a month to get your share . Col. Douglas Mortimer : Naturally ! ... I 'll be in the tavern . Share this quote <p> Monco : Tell me , is n't sheriff supposed to be courageous , loyal and , above all , honest ? Sherrif of White Rocks : Yeah , that he is . Monco takes badge off of the sheriff 's vest , and gives it to some town folks Monco : Think you people need a new sheriff . Share this quote <p> Tomaso @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ innocent , I was the one you know that . El Indio : two shots ring out I know . I 'm sure you hate me just enough . Share this quote <p> Mortimer has just recovered the watch from Indio , which contains a picture of the woman that Indio raped Monco : There seems to be a family resemblance . Col. Douglas Mortimer : Naturally , between brother and sister . Share this quote <p> Monco : Why this hotel and not some other ? Fernando : You probably would n't that other place as much , signor . At that place you 'd stay up half the night shooting cockroaches . At this hotel , the rooms will cost you so much less . And there 's a landlady at this one , signor ! Monco : Married ? Fernando : Yes , but she does n't care ! Share this quote <p> Sherrif of White Rocks : Hands Monco the reward money for Red Cavanaugh Two thousand dollars . It 's a lot of money . Takes me three years to earn it ! Monco : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ courageous , loyal , and above all , honest ? Sherrif of White Rocks : Yeah . That he is . Monco : Pulls off his sheriff 's star and walks out I think you people need a new sheriff . Share this quote <p> Old Prophet : I do n't know him , I do n't know him , I do n't know him ! Monco : Come on now , you know everybody . Old Prophet : Do n't know anybody anymore ! I 'm dead ! Understand ? Lifts his head from under the covers Old Prophet : Well , there was a time when I knew everybody . That was a long time ago , when all this was prairie . But lately everybody 's in a hurry , with your damned good-for-nothing trains ! Mocks a train 's wheels moving Old Prophet : Two two two *three* ! Spits Old Prophet : Disgusting ! Looks back at Monco Old Prophet : One day someone from the railroad comes here to see me and he says , ' Prophet , the railway 's gon na go @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that so ? ' I said . ' Mm-hm , yup that 's right he says , ' All those trains gon na go right past here , and the best thing for you , Prophet , is to sell your land to the company or else we 'll buy Baker 's . He lives next to your place , and I 'll put the tracks there , and that 'll make you go crazy . What do you say , will you sell out to our company , Prophet ? ' " Oh , is that so ? ' says I. Grins and chuckles Old Prophet : He was *very* anxious for me to sell out . You know what I told him about the railroad ? You know what I told him he could do with his railroad ? laughs crazily as a train shoots by Old Prophet : after the train passes You know what my decision about selling was ? Monco : Well , you said no . Old Prophet : You 're right about that ! No to him and his damn trains ! I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ enough Look , listen to me , you old man ! You 're supposed to be a prophet , and I did n't come here to listen to you rattle on about trains ! I want to find out about this man , it 's obvious you do n't know anything . Old Prophet : Angry No need to be insulting ! If that 's all you came here to do , you can clear out of my house fast , before I lose my temper , understand ? Monco shrugs and gets up to the door Old Prophet : *Hey* ! Where you going , hm ? Monco : Turns around and smirks I guess I better leave before you go and lose your temper ! Share this quote <p> Monco : You mind telling me how you got here ? Col. Douglas Mortimer : I just reasoned it out . I figured you 'd tell Indio to do just exactly the opposite of what we agreed , and he 's suspicious enough to figure out something else . Since El Paso was out of the question , well @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Indio : Talking about Agua Caliente Yes , I have many friends here . It looks just like a morgue . But look out . It could be one so easily . Looks at Groggy El Indio : They do n't like strangers , huh ? Groggy : No . They do n't like anybody ! Share this quote <p> Train Conductor : Hey , Mister , you just ca n't pull the emergency cord and jump off ! Tell me , why did you stop that train ? If you wan na get off , you 're ... looks at Mortimer 's gun Train Conductor : Well , the railroad company would might be pleased to make any arrangements for any passenger , if you wan na get off , Dear Sir . Col.

@@5077041 <h> share this story <p> Tuesday night 's debate has again brought women 's issues to the fore of the presidential race , as an audience member 's question about gender inequality in the workplace drew an unusually clear line in the sand between the two candidates . President Obama emphasized his commitment to progressive legislation , and explained how the very first law he signed in office , the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act , helps women fight income inequality through the court system . Meanwhile , Governor Romney 's " binders full of women " anecdote suggested that such policies should exist at the discretion of employers . <p> Behind the candidates ' remarks , a central and uniquely divisive women 's issue loomed unspoken . With regards to abortion , it is Romney who is proposing the radical legislation -- legislation that would turn back the clock on women 's equality , health , dignity , and economic vitality . <p> Governor Romney 's plan would eviscerate the right to abortion enjoyed by American women since 1973 , barring access to abortion except in the instances of rape , incest , or a threat to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ among the 25 percent of the global population facing the most restrictive abortion laws in the world , alongside women in Libya , Afghanistan , and Iran . It would raise the specter of back-alley abortions , which first prompted abortion law reforms in America , and which today account for 13 percent of maternal deaths worldwide . <p> To understand exactly how extreme the Romney abortion plan is , it helps to look at it alongside the abortion law regimes around the world . Statistics published by the Center on Reproductive Rights are revealing . Right now , the U.S. is among 56 countries , containing 40% of the world 's population , which do not restrict access to abortion with regard to the woman 's reason for requesting the procedure . Under Romney 's plan , this picture would change . Radically . <p> This is not to say that U.S. law does not already limit women 's abortion right . In 1992 , the Supreme Court , in Planned Parenthood v. Casey , set up today 's current regulatory framework , referred to as a " periodic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the state can restrict abortion access heavily , even banning certain procedures , as long as it leaves an exception for women 's health . In the period before fetal viability , the state can also regulate abortion access so long as it does not impose an " undue burden on the woman 's decision . " This undue burden framework has maintained the abortion right originally declared in Roe v. Wade but also allowed it to narrow over time . As of 2011 , for instance , 32 U.S. states have counseling and mandatory delay laws , 43 have parent-notice or consent laws , and 21 prohibit organizations receiving state funds from providing abortion-related counseling or referrals . <p> So where does the Romney-Ryan platform sit and what makes it so extreme ? Romney has offered what 's called an " indications model " of abortion regulation , and a narrow one at that . Most countries with indications models permit much broader rationales than Romney proposes -- 36 countries allow abortion to preserve a woman 's physical health , 23 countries add preservation of mental health as an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ offer a socioeconomic reason . Since 1995 , according to a report by the Guttmacher Institute , 26 countries have liberalized their abortion laws , many of them recognizing that requiring women to prove conditions like rape and threat to life is simply untenable . <p> In 2006 , the Constitutional Court of Colombia , a strongly Catholic country , declared a replica of the Romney indications model unconstitutional . It called the lack of a health-based indication an assault to the dignity , liberty , and equality of women . Unless Romney were to change its composition , the U.S. Supreme Court would almost certainly find his plan unconstitutional as well . <p> In Roe v. Wade , the Supreme Court recognized that abortion access is essential not only for women 's liberty and privacy , but also for their health . When countries restrict abortion access , they do n't stop women from seeking them . They only lead them to perform abortions themselves or seek them out in unsafe and unsanitary conditions . A recent study in the Lancet found that highly restrictive laws of the type @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ abortion . In fact , highly restrictive abortion laws are associated with the highest rates of abortion -- 32 per 1000 women of child-bearing age in Latin America as opposed to 12 per 1,000 in Western Europe . The death rate from clandestine abortions worldwide is 350 times higher than from legal abortions in the United States . <p> What all of these numbers amount to is a dramatic threat to the dignity and equality of American women , to their leadership in society , and to the integrity of the U.S. on the international stage . Erosion of the abortion right threatens women 's health . It threatens their ability to find work , to bring home enough pay to support their families , and to play prominent roles not only in cabinet positions , but across all sectors of the economy . <p> What our country needs is not a return to the dangerous policies undone generations ago . We need to continue attacking systematic failures to bring more women into the workforce -- and into running the show . We need laws that promote women 's dignity @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ forcing women into the back-alleys , the next president should begin by bringing women into the spotlight . <p> Tuesday night 's debate has again brought women 's issues to the fore of the presidential race , as an audience member 's question about gender inequality in the workplace drew an unusually clear line in ... <p> Tuesday night 's debate has again brought women 's issues to the fore of the presidential race , as an audience member 's question about gender inequality in the workplace drew an unusually clear line in ... <p> My generation of men is responsible for the Republican Party 's disconnect from women . Their attitudes are driving the women of my generation away from the party , and justifiably will hand the Democrats the White House again . <p> A nurse in a low-income neighborhood of Nairobi told me he once gave an abortion to a Catholic nun . When I told this story to another nurse in Nakuru , he scoffed : " I 've given abortions to many nuns , too many to remember us to keep this a safe and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ <p> I was raped and became pregnant just 3 months after I turned 16 . It was difficult for me to believe that a precious child 's life was created from such a violent act in such a cruel inhumane way that violated me to the very core , but I knew then , that GOD is always Perfect and I then and I know always , that GOD knew why my child was created .... it was for GOD 's reasons . I accepted GOD knows better and I refused to have an abortion . I do not regret giving my child the opportunity to have his life . He was and is GOD 's creation . Thru GOD 's mercy in an act of violence .. GOD formed a life to overcome an Evil act ! So I have and always will be PRO-LIFE . I am a survivor of rape and also a survivor of childhood sexual abuse , and a recent survivor of violent abuse and robbery after I became disabled and unable to defend myself . I believe in Women 's Rights as long as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Life ! Rape is the crime , then rapist deserves the punishment , NOT the unborn child/fetus ! I know what I am talking about because I am a survivor of RAPE ! Life is valuable and important to everyone , even to the unborn child created from an act of violence like rape or incest . The unborn child should not be punished for the Rapist 's actions ! <h> Loading comments ... <p> WOW all you can focus on is Binders and Big Bird - While people are out of work - the economy is in the Tank and we now learn that ONE TRILLION Dollars is being spent on Welfare ( a 32% increase in just four years )

@@5077141 <p> At some pointA between now and Christmas , A you will have a chance to see an oldA movie . <p> If you have toddlers , it will likely be Grinch related.A Adolescents and tweensA will get A Christmas Story . Teenagers ? You probably do n't want to know . <p> But as for those of us who are single , or older , or just pain sentimental , A thisA holidayA movie classicA will likely feature two towns that symbolize AmericanA community . <p> Bedford Falls and Potterville . <p> Every town has a little bit of each , and everyA one of usA hasA aA little bit ofA George Bailey and Mr. Potter . <p> We want everyone to live happily after . At least everyone with a good heart and healthy intentions . <p> But we also have to be an SOB at times . There are folks out there who may seeA us as a revenue source , or as a tool to manipulate for their own ends . These people hopefully come and go . OrA change their ways . <p> In due time we 're hopefully left with those who haveA @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ often have a unique opportunity to helpA many of these folksA whoA may beA clueless when it comes to cars . <p> Helping others is alwaysA a cool thing to do . So what have you done ? What good deed this year or in times past will get you a nice visit from Ye Olde Saint Nicholas , or Hannukah Harry , or maybe even Agnostic Agatha . <p> I watched a woman almost flip her car one day when she ran off the edge of the road and over-corrected . She ended up almost backwards in the grass median of a 4-lane highway . I stopped , checked on her , and waved traffic by for a few minutes until she had calmed down enough to get going again . <p> Back in my younger , richer ( pre-kids ) days , I bought my sister a car , a brand new 2000 Subaru Impreza wagon . She was struggling through a divorce with a young son , and her car was a thoroughly clapped out Mazda Protege that was unreliable and unsafe , a true sh*tcan . @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ while mine was in the shop , went to the local Subaru store , got $500 for the trade and drove the new car to her apartment . It was a highlight of my life to see the look on her face when I surprised her with the car . She 's a fiercely proud and independent woman , so the element of surprise was absolutely necessary , otherwise she never would have let me do it ! <p> As a postscript , she is happily married today with two sons and she just sold the Impreza with 145,000 miles to a struggling friend who needed a car . <p> Gave my low mileage ' 03 Cobra convertible to my daughter and her husband . They were just getting started and only had a POS Grand Am to get around in . They used the Cobra as trade-in on a new Ford Edge . Got them into a better safer car they could n't afford on their own that is now being used to cart my new granddaughter around . <p> Also , routinely repair relatives cars for free with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Just ask them pay for the parts whenever they can , if they can . Got paid in chocolate chip cookies once ! <p> Bout six months ago late at night a guy pulled into Benton Station to get fuel . When he fired up his Expedition back up it started pouring fuel out of the injector O rings because some idiot mechanic had changed the plugs and instead of pulling the fuel rails and changing the O rings and shields for the injectors he pried on the rails and bent them to hell . <p> Me and a friend of mine Jason stopped him and would not let him continue on since he was heading all the way to Tonopah NV . Jason gave him his ex sheriff ford Bronco and I just backed the fuel leaker into my shop . <p> I got the parts in the next day from my local parts runner and put it back together after I grabbed a set of fuel rails off a friends very dead F150 . Reset the MIL and repaired the air bag wires under the seats that had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the left over fuel out and to clean it up . I called him up and told him to come and get his SUV the next afternoon . <p> I charged him only for the parts ( a whopping 25 bucks if that for 8 injector O ring kits ) and sent him and his two kids on there way happily . I was not so concerned for the guy , but for a single man raising two kids in Tonopah NV it was more for the kids sake . I see them once in a while and they always wave . <p> When I was in college I was walking to a friend 's dorm room to drop off something for a class . I walked by 3 guys standing next to a 95 Taurus with coolant all over the ground . They had no clue what was wrong so I stopped and asked if they needed help . The owner said he was up there visiting his friend for the weekend ( he lived 3 hours away in eastern Long Island ) and his car overheated . I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was done with class for the day i had time to kill and it was a nice day out . <p> I looked all over and found out the radiator fan was siezed up . I pulled the fan out and tried to spin it ... no dice , it was siezed up tight . The owener and I got in my truck and went to the pick-and-pull 20 minutes from campus where I found him a taurus with a brand new fan in it ( date stamp was 3 months prior ) . He paid $15 for it and we went on our way . I installed the new fan and topped off his coolant with a 50/50 mix I kept behind my seat . <p> The whole ordeal took about 3 hours of my time , but i did n't mind . I never saw the kid again after that . <p> A woman ( distracted ) lost control of her car in front of me and rolled it a couple of times and ended up on its driver 's side about 100 ? off the road in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to help out until the emergency crews got there . While everyone else was trying to open up the sunroof or doors to get at her , I just opened the hatch ( it was an Accent ) and started clearing out the back of the car . <p> I guess no one else thought of that one . <p> She turned out to be ok , with just some minor injuries . I do n't understand why some people just kept driving by , though . <p> Twice in my life I have been the first on the scene at auto accidents and knew enough to reach in and turn off the engine and stay with the injured in the car until medics arrived . Both times I had afterthoughts about what if the car had exploded while I approached it . <p> Sadly on one occasion the driver was DOA at emergency and the police later told me that they suspected suicide . The other occasion I watched the car flip end over end three or four times as I was approaching the scene . Apparently the occupants @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ . <p> In both cases I feel the cars could have exploded if the engine kept running . <p> One Saturday every month I participate in a free-labor auto clinic where we do repairs for those who ca n't afford to pay for them ( they pay only the wholesale parts cost ) . It 's fun because the shop we use has two lifts , and after working on cars outdoors in my driveway the rest of the time , it 's a treat to be indoors inside a heated shop where I can stand straight up and work on the vehicle at an optimum height . <p> We do any jobs that we can get done in one day -- brakes , exhaust repairs , tune-ups , cooling hoses and radiator changes , CV axles and suspension components , engine mounts , window regulators , check engine/antilock light diagnoses/repairs , and all fluid changes of course . <p> We had our last clinic for this calendar year this past Saturday , and I look forward to it every month . <p> It 's at a non-profit repair shop @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a tiered labor rate structure during its normal weekly business hours , depending upon one 's ability to pay ( and that is decided by the church financial office -- I do n't know specifics on this as I just turn wrenches ) . All shop ' profits ' are used to provide the lower rates for those in need . <p> For the Saturday clinics , I 'm not sure that they check for needs as closely , but in the seven years that I have been volunteering , I ca n't say that I 've ever seen anybody game the system ( you can tell that somebody 's not well-off financially when they are still driving a 1988 Cavalier with 247K miles on it that is miraculously still running ) . <p> Google ' mechanics ministry ' and you can read more about it -- there are several churches around the country that have similar programs . <p> I pulled 3 old ladies ( I like to think they were nuns to make me feel better about the outcome ) in a Forester out of the sand in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ gave me $20 . <p> A week later ( and thankfully after I had made the trip home ) , I had to replace my clutch and pressure plate to the tune of $1200 because when I could n't get them out and should have stopped and said sorry , I ca n't help you , I started riding the clutch to get the RPMs up higher for more power . I am an idiot , I know . <p> One of the skills I learned in my ten years as a production group leader in the final assembly area GM , was how to unlock , locked cars . I had several custom made " slim jims " . I also know how to open a hood if the hood release cable is missing/broke or not hooked up . Were talking mid seventies to mid late eighties cars and trucks . <p> I 've lost track of how many people I let into thier vehicles without breaking something . <p> The best ? A father and young son ice fishing on the frozen lake . Brand new early eighties @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the ignition , heater on . Doors locked . Its freezing the young fella is upset . I tried and couldnt get it . I was a car plant man , and trucks were a whole different ball game . <p> So I spot a couple of truck plant guys on the ice . These guys got the rear slider , open without any damage . We put the kid through the open space in the window . The dad was so happy , he offered us money , we refused So there you go , UAW/CAW do have some usefull purpose eh ? <p> Had I know she was about to buy one for my Brother , I could have claimed this one too . I did talk her into buying a Prius-V for herself though . <p> I did just replace the control arms on kid Brother 's turd of a Caliber a week or two ago though . Have also done many a repair for friends and family in need . And I am the car lender of choice for my friends as I usually have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ very hot day I drove by a very heavyset woman and her dilapidated late 80 ? s Escort with a flat tire , and kept right on driving . Then it occurred to me I probably drove on because of ( inadvertently ) judging her and the car by their appearance , and it was obvious she was there for a quite a while . So I turned around and changed her tire . The spare was in a small pool of rusty water barely holding air , the lug nuts were hard as hell to take off , and the traffic whizzing by was disconcerting , but she was grateful so that was cool . <p> About 10 years ago , during a snowstorm in Alberta I was driving around 80-90km/h on the highway ( speed limit 100 ) while yahoo pickup driver behind me tailgates , honks , and flashes headlights . I would n't pull onto the shoulder in my small car with 4-6 inches of snow . <p> Guy finally sees a gap in oncoming traffic , pulls out , passes me at maybe 120-130km/h , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ straight into the ditch . Seeing the snow splash was pretty cool . <p> I actually slowed down , found an intersection , carefully turned around , and west back to see if he was ok or needed a lift ( not everyone had cell phones then ) . When I got there he was already on his phone , standing by the truck in 2 feet of snow . Upon seeing me he hangs up the phone , starts yelling at me that it 's my fault and I have to pay for the tow truck . <p> I got a beater Pontiac on a trade . Ended up selling it to some woman going through a bad divorce ( as if there are GOOD divorces ) . She came and looked with her dad in tow . Dad had a voltmeter , anti-freeze tester , stethoscope , and air pressure gauge . Dad liked the car and told me it looked like crap but it was sound and said they 'd be back . They came back and she he had her kids with her too . Sold @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ excited that mom was getting a " new " car . Did I get conned ? I like to think I gave a struggling person a break . <p> Hmm . I remember one time I was driving to the autoparts store about 10 minutes from me . It was absolutely freezing outside during a mid-New York winter a few years ago . My friend had recently purchased a 1987 Toyota MR2 and it was fresh on my mind . Coincidentally I noticed a newer Red MR2 on the side of the road , not far from the auto parts store . I drove passed and did n't think much of it . I proceeded to get the parts I needed , grabbed some wendy 's across the street and then started my drive back . At least an hour had passed and I noticed , that the MR2 was still in the same spot on the side of the road . The hood open , the hazards on , and the owner standing over the engine bay shaking his head . I drove passed and thought better of it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and got out of my car , asking what was wrong . Long story short the car would start fine , but then cut out , and absolutely refused to run for more than 5 seconds . I offered him a ride to the same parts store that I was just visiting and he was absolutely stunned that someone would be so nice . I took him to the store , he bought some part ( I forget what it was ) and I drove him back . He was actually a pretty cool guy after talking to him for a while , and I soon found out that the guy lived a few houses down from me and I had no idea . He and I got the car running in a few minutes after arriving back to his MR2 . <p> Either that , or when I noticed a fellow Cavalier owner under the back end of his car on the side of the road down the street from my house . I did n't bother to care until I went out to get the mail almost 3 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his car , and his buddy was standing outside on his cellphone . I hopped in my car and drove over to them and asked them what the problem was . The guy responded with something like " idk bro , it wo n't run right , i think it 's the fuel filter " . I laughed for a second , putting a rather worried face on the guy I was talking to . I walked over to my trunk and remembered that I had recently purchased a brand new Fuel Filter for my Cavalier and it was still in my trunk . I reached in , grabbed the autozone bag and handed it to him . I told him " You 're not gon na believe this , but I have a brand new one just lying around " . He laughed , shook my hand , and gave me $5 that I refused several times . I drove off and went back home . I walked outside about 30 minutes later to notice that the cavalier had presumably been repaired and was back on the road : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ building . Shoveled out parking spots for me , GF , the two handicap spots , and 2 granny ladies who live in the building . Left a nice six inch berm of snow around my CUV . Some guy came up to me and said " man , when you pull out I ca n't get my car ( fill in make you hate to make the story better ) in there " . I just grinned and said " I know , that 's my intention " . I figured five good deeds let me get away with one bad one . <p> Transported a load of stranded rally fans umpteen miles down a muddy logging trail to somewhere with cell phone coverage after their Imprezza and Focus grounded on a particularly rutty bit of track -- in my battered Ford Fiesta no less ( it had high ground clearance ) . I 've also helped flip over or push numerous buggered or stalled rally cars to the end of stages so that the team does n't have to retire . I once gave all my spare engine @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a gallon or so spare in the boot ) to a stranded Porker 911 team who 'd managed to nearly knock the sump off on a speed bump . Actually on the road ... helped several people change their flat tires -- usually pretty young things : ) -- and assisted others with mechanical issues ( again , driving beaters , I always kept a decent tool kit in the car ! ) Fortunately I have never had to help out at any major accidents and see some of the messy aftermath . I know friends and family who have , and those that have seen dead people have been quite affected by what they saw . <p> Oh , and probably the nicest thing someone did for me car wise was that the above mentioned Ford Fiesta was given to my by my father in law ( he was just my girlfriends Dad at the time ) after my ride at University gave up the ghost . I repaid the kindness 4 years later by giving him my Ford Escort when I emigrated to Canada . <p> Many years @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they are today , I was driving on I-495 in Massachusetts and came across a disabled vehicle with a large family . <p> Their van had broken down , and the father asked if we could give him a ride to his house in Lowell to pick up his other car so he can get his family off the side of the road . We were headed to Lowell so it was n't out of our way and we agreed . <p> Nice guy -- very nice family . <p> They lived on Adams Street . Adams Street in Lowell at that time ( and could be today for all I know ) was one of the toughest , meanest , crime ridden streets in America . It was clear to all of us that this family lived here because this was what they could afford ( or put on one heck of a front ) . <p> The man insisted on paying us for our troubles , which we refused -- I 've always felt the best payment anyone can do is " pay it forward " and help @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ started to close the door , he lightly tossed a $20 bill onto the passenger seat . I knew that any further argument would just be insulting to him . I 've been well off for most of my life , and although I worked my way through college , I was n't starving . That $20 was a lot of money to him . <p> Sad the world we live in today -- I would be afraid to stop for someone on the side of the highway broken down in 2013 . <p> About 5 years ago I was gassing up my ' 74 TR6 , when a new Porsche 911 at the next pump refused to start ( dead battery ) . One of us had jumper cables and my peasant TR6 started the 911 . Positive outcome : I was so ashamed at my grubby engine compartment that I 've since had it detailed and it now looks like a million , but so far , no Porsche needing a jump start . <p> Wife wanted a New Beetle cabrio customized just for her . It had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a purchase price of $4k less than what the dealer was asking . I sometimes get teased when I drive it , but it was a labor of love . Did custom paint work inside and under the hood ( center portion of dash , steering wheel spokes , and engine cover painted body color . Put eyelashes on it , and finished off with a set of Daisy Wheels from the Tire Rack . She adores this little car . Does n't drive it much , but it 's always there for her . <p> My little sister turned 18 and graduated high school this year . She also got her driver 's license . I decided to give her a present to celebrate these three rites of passage and provide her something to get around in for college . Since I wanted her to enjoy cars as much as I do , I decided that I had to get her something fun , quirky , reliable , and a little distressed . So , I picked up a battered 1993 Acura Integra for $300 . The interior and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ came from New York City ... Spent the next six months sorting out the mechanical gremlins on it , and drove it around to make sure it was safe . Here 's a picture of her behind the wheel of her first car . <p> About 20 years ago I was a hundred yards or so from an " accident " that just looked accidently on purpose . Old lady in a old 242 that has a plate holder from my Volvo guy gets t-boned as she pulls out after the light turned green . The t-boner starts screaming at her and she 's dazed , disoriented and in another world . <p> No doubt she 's a good customer too , so I need to go out of my way and I try to calm things down . Cops arrive and he claims she ran a red light . I say , " Not so . " and give a statement then hand her my card and say , " If you need a witness , call me . " <p> She had 20th Century Insurance . I have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Insurance . I call Larry and tell him it just looked suspicious . He says thanks . A few weeks later he says , " Nope , just a straight up he said she said . " They believe her because of my statement and the police report . A few months later Larry calls and asks me how may people were in the t-boner 's car . I say , " One , why ? " Well they have an injury and disability claim from 4 people who say they were in the car . <p> I witnessed a single car wreck behind me out in the boonies where there was little traffic ( and before the days that everyone had cell phones ) . I stopped and backed up . The woman was pretty shaken up . While this was going on , what looked like a serious bad dude pulled in front of my car to " check things out . " In looking over the woman 's car , I figured she could drive it to the next town and I told her to take off @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not there to help out and I 'm glad I saw the wreck and stopped or else she would have had to deal with him . I had a bad feeling about him . I then got a concealed carry permit and now I carry when traveling ... <p> Gave a guy a car . I was just learning heat &; cool and one of the old boys showed up at the shop one day walking in from the street . He 'd taken a bus ' cause he 'd given his old van to a son just out of jail . <p> An imperturbably friendly , pot-smoking galoot from Missouri with children from different mothers in several different states . Had a jillion things wrong with him , could barely see , could n't climb or carry but taught me more about big chiller systems than any tech school could . <p> He 'd never complain .... I had to tweeze the story out of him . He was so worried about not having wheels to help out his diabetic girlfriend that I gave him my ' 84 Stanza @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ But the feeling from helping Rich out was golden . What the hell , I still had a motorcycle and a bank account . <p> Last weekend a Toyota Corolla stalled at a light in front us . Would n't restart . Got out and pushed him solo into the parking lot off to the side of the road . Turns out it was a Papa Johns driver , did n't get a free pizza though ... <p> My sister had been driving my parent 's old 1990 Pontiac Grand Am and one day it finally died . I gave her my car , which was a 2000 Olds Intrigue . In return my parents gave me their 2004 Monte Carlo SS . It was later destroyed when a tornado hit my apartment complex . <p> In college I was just getting home from a long day of work when some drunken students were walking home from a football game with all of their tailgating stuff . I guess they did n't have a DD because they were trying to haul a grill , chairs , and a cooler around @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not to drive , though ! <p> Years ago , some people had a habit of leaving their headlights on but the car unlocked . I 'd always try to open the door and shut the lights off . Nothing worse than retuning to your car with a newly-dead battery . <p> Recently , a couple of girls near my house were pulled over to the side of the street due to a low tire . My house was three houses away , so I had them pull in my driveway where I got my compressor and filled the tire , only to find the tire bead was seriously leaking , so as they lived about 15 houses away , I told her to get the car home before the tire was ruined and have dad change it . She did and she was on her merry way very soon . <p> well I was on the good karma end a few years ago my saab got totaled , I was out of work and a friends parents gave me their 2000 volvo xc wagon with 120 k on it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the last two years and said every ten years they buy a new car , When they were young and starting out someone gave them a car when they needed one and they were paying it forward . I drove it about 2 years and 80 k and it will not be my daughters car after she pays for it the same way I did , we donated cash to Heifer international in their name ( so I got a car for a goat ! ) she will also buy a goat to get the keys to the Volvo . My wife just kept saying I can not believe someone just gave us a car . I will pay it forward always <p> I 'm spending this holiday with some friends in a neighboring state , and seeing how their ' 95 Tarus SHO is holding up . When their aged Pontiac Grand Prix gave up the ghost early last year , I cut a deal with the towing yard and car dealer down the street for the aforementioned Taurus , and with the help of a friend performed some @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pan gasket , filter and fluid , oil and filter change , new plugs ( JFC , it 's hard to find plugs for that Yamaha engine ) , refreshed battery clamps and hold-downs and a full complement of fresh brake calipers , rotors and pads along with a replacement exhaust system . The worn out tires were replaced with Michelin 's HydroEdge models -- and damnit , I do n't even treat my cars that well . The shakedown run along 500 miles of I-70 and SR 6 in UT was a joy and may well be the hardest miles it ever sees from here on out . It 's fun being the passenger now : almost as fun as signing the title over to them 18 month ago and telling them I 'd be taking the train home that time . <p> I have pushed and pulled a few people out of snowbanks , once a friend and I even attempted to get a pickup out of a snowbank with my SVX to no avail . I have changed a few tires ( People need to learn to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ guy shovel out his car hoping he would help me do the same . That was a mistake but the nicest and most frustrating ever was at night in the middle of winter in new Hampshire . I was on my way to the store on a Friday to get dinner and some beer . On the way there I see a Dodge Caravan with its hazards on pulled oover on a busy road but going in the opposite direction . It had just snowed/sleeted the day before so the roads were not great so I took note . On the way back it was still there so I pull over to see if I can help . Its an older lady with her kids and her mom in the car . It had to be an 96-2000 Caravan and it was in rough shape from what I could tell in the dark . Turns out the right rear tire is punctured and flat . They had no jack so I go and get mine knowing that it might be pushing the weight limit . I use my tools to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ . Because NH has terrible roads and the weight was probably too much for the jack the jack begins to bend and warp . I have to lower the van back down . I then remember I have a bottle jack in my car rated to 4 tons . Kicking myself for not using that I go and get it and jack the car back up . This was all while sitting in the snow in dress pants with no jacket because I thought I was on a five trip to the store . Well the wheel was rusted to the hub . I tried a pry bar , I tried lowering the jack quickly hoping that might break it loose , I tried hammering it with my lug wrench to no avail . Finally I just sit down in the snow again and start kicking the darn wheel as hard as I can . The whole van was shaking and my feet were killing me . For twenty minutes this went on as I tried to break the damn thing lose . I failed though , The lady told @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ way so I tried for a few more minutes then gave up . I offered to stay until the tow truck or her husband arrived but she was nice and told me to get out of there . Within the next week I went out and got a big rubber mallet in case I ever had that happen again . I have always hated Caravan 's and that cold night just made me hate them that much more . <p> Gave rides to a few strangers in distress . Picked up two or three hitchhikers . Gave away two different beaters to friends for various reasons . Most recently though I filled the coolant and added stop leak to a 99 impala for nice older lady with an empty radiator at autozone ( no obvious leaks ) . <p> I have given rides to a number of people stranded ( sometimes hitchhikers , sometimes abandoned ( now-ex ) significant others left stranded ) . I did this mostly for free and fed my passengers if they needed . If they had money , I accepted fuel cost , no more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and had a 15 gallon safe-cell fuel tank . Furthest I 've done was meeting a woman who was stranded on the side of the road , winter , eastern ( east of Lincoln ) Nebraska . The car was a beater that she expected to die at some point , but not 250 miles in to her trip . I had a four day weekend and this was Thursday night after work , no plans , girl seemed nice enough .. so I drove her to northern wyoming , where her mother lived . I made this trip on partial payment of fuel costs and provided meals for her . Made it back home Monday afternoon with a new friend in Wyoming that I can call any time . <p> I replaced 2 exhaust valves in my then future DIL 's well worn CRV . It was either that or junk the car , it was n't worth paying to have the job done right . I loaned them the Borman 6 whilst I took apart a completely unknown engine And lapped in 2 new #4 exhaust valves , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mostly because I was unfamiliar with the engine . I 'm just like a real mechanic , only slower and less refined . What I lack in technique , I make up for with dogged determination ( stubbornness ) 4 yrs later , the CRV is still putting along through the Berkshires . My repair was about 300$ in parts . And over 40 hours of plodding through a manual that covered every 4 wheel Honda from ' 67 to 2015 . <p> 25yrs ago just after college I was driving back from Atlanta to Michigan after visiting my GF . Just after I got on I75 saw a kid hitch hiking with a hand written sign " Michigan " . Never before or after have I picked up a someone on the road but decided to stop ( thought having a passenger would help keep me awake ) . Turns out he lived 5 miles from my home and he was in HS going between divorced parents . I dropped him off hat his home ... never asked for help on gas . He probably could n't afford it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a girl from Tasmania who was on a motorcycle trip through America and had broken down a couple of hundred miles into Mexico . <p> I contacted a friend who was within an hour of where she was stranded and we coordinated for him to go pick her and her motorcycle up and bring her to his hotel in a small Mexican village . In the meantime we worked on troubleshooting what could be wrong with the motorcycle and then I went to Tucson and picked up the parts we thought we 'd need at the local BMW dealership . <p> Once I got the parts I headed South and worked into the late hours ( and then early afternoon the next day ) to get her back on the road . <p> No money changed hands and

@@5077241 <h> Trivia <p> WWII actioner Where Eagles Dare , with Clint Eastwood and Richard Burton , was filmed at the village of Werfen , about half an hour by train from Salzburg . The European hotel in Just Married , with Ashton Kutcher and Brittany Murphy , is the same castle . <p> The film of the phenomenally successful Rodgers and Hammerstein musical was shot on lots of real locations around Salzburg , Austria , though plenty more were recreated in the 20th Century-Fox studios in Hollywood . <p> The opening aerial shots are Salzburg ' s glorious Lake District , the Salzkammergut . The castles you can see are Fuchsl , 12 miles east of Salzburg on the Fuchslee , clearest of the Salzkammergut lakes , and Schloss Anif , off E55 a few miles south of Salzburg . <p> The mountain , atop which Maria ( Julie Andrews ) makes her first twirling appearance , is Mellweg , near the Bavarian village of Schellenberg , about six miles from Salzburg . Do n't be too disappointed -- the birch trees and the babbling brook were added for the movie . <p> Convent interiors were recreated in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ . It 's Nonnberg Abbey , Nonnberg Gasse , where you can visit the courtyard and peek inside the chapel ( which looks nothing like the interior recreated back in Hollywood ) . <p> The film cheats a little with the exterior , too . As you 'll find if you visit , the real Nonnberg Abbey does n't look out over the picturesque old town of Salzburg , but to the nondescript southern suburbs . The reverse shot , of Maria leaving the abbey , filmed way across the city on the Winkler Terrace ( where the Do Re Mi number later begins ) . <p> As Maria leaves to take up her post with the Von Trapp family , I Have Confidence in Me was filmed in Salzburg 's Old Town , in the Residenzplatz , where you 'll see the Domplatz arches , through which Maria enters , and the Residenz Fountain , in which she splashes . <p> The Sound of Music filming location : Maria splashes in the Residenzbrunner on her way to the Von Trapp house : Residenzplatz , Salzburg , Austria <p> The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ different Salzburg locations . The tree-shaded lane , where Maria alights from the bus , is Hellbrunner Allee , running south from the old town . Here you 'll recognise Schloss Frohnburg , a 17th century country house , now the Mozarteum Music Academy , which was used for the intimidating gates and front entrance of the villa which Maria nervously approaches . <p> The lakeside terrace , though , was filmed at Schloss Leopoldskron , a rococo castle on Leopoldskroner Teich , a small artificial lake on the southwest of the town . Now a private college , you can view Leopoldskron across the lake from Knig Ludwig Strasse . <p> The real Villa Trapp , by the way , is in Aigen , a suburb just to the southeast of the Old Town of Salzburg . Since 2008 , it 's been open as a hotel , Villa Trapp , Traunstrae 34 , 5026 Salzburg

@@5077341 <p> We sized them up . We measured them , top to bottom . We 've done our own Tale of the Tape , and we 've come to a surprising conclusion . Pound for pound , the toughest sport in the world is . . . <p> Boxing . <p> The Sweet Science . <p> That 's the sport that demands the most from the athletes who compete in it . It 's harder than football , harder than baseball , harder than basketball , harder than hockey or soccer or cycling or skiing or fishing or billiards or any other of the 60 sports we rated . <p> But do n't take our word for it . Take the word of our panel of experts , a group made up of sports scientists from the United States Olympic Committee , of academicians who study the science of muscles and movement , of a star two-sport athlete , and of journalists who spend their professional lives watching athletes succeed and fail . <p> They 're the ones who told us that boxing is the most demanding sport -- and that fishing is the least demanding sport . <p> @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ into athleticism , and then asked our eight panelists to assign a number from 1 to 10 to the demands each sport makes of each of those 10 skills . By totalling and averaging their responses , we arrived at a degree-of-difficulty number for each sport on a 1 to 100 scale . That number places the difficulty of performing each sport in context with the other sports we rated . <p> On the grid below , click on each sortable category to find out how our 60 sports rank in each skill . A glossary key is included at the bottom of the grid that explains each category . <p> So put on the gloves ,

@@5077441 <p> President Clinton acknowledged last night that he had an inappropriate relationship with onetime intern Monica S. Lewinsky and deceived the American people about it , but he defiantly challenged independent counsel Kenneth W. Starr to stop " prying into private lives . " <p> Seven months after he wagged his finger and sternly told a national audience that he did not have sex with " that woman , " the president said during another live television address that he had not been candid because he wanted to protect himself and his family from embarrassment . <p> " I did have a relationship with Miss Lewinsky that was not appropriate , " Clinton said from the historic Map Room at the White House , where he had testified to a federal grand jury for more than four hours earlier in the day . " In fact , it was wrong . It constituted a critical lapse in judgment and a personal failure on my part for which I am solely and completely responsible . " <p> " I know that my public comments and my silence about this matter gave a false impression , " he added , although @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with Lewinsky . " I misled people , including even my wife . I deeply regret that . " <p> But the president 's tone during his five-minute statement was flavored with as much anger as remorse as he lashed out at Starr and called for a halt to the investigation of whether he perjured himself in the Paula Jones lawsuit or encouraged others to do so . " I intend to reclaim my family life for my family , " he said . " It 's nobody 's business but ours . Even presidents have private lives . It is time to stop the pursuit of personal destruction and the prying into private lives and get on with our national life . " <p> Hillary Rodham Clinton , who held her husband 's hand at church Sunday morning and whose staunch defense of him through sex scandals in the past has been so critical to his political survival , did not join him for last night 's statement . The Rev. Jesse L. Jackson , who visited the White House and prayed with her late Sunday night , said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ . " <p> Last night 's televised address capped an unprecedented day at the White House as Clinton became the first president to testify in a grand jury criminal investigation of his own actions . With Starr likely to send an impeachment report to Congress , the White House hoped to frame the debate in a way that focuses attention on the sex aspects of the case rather than allegations of obstruction of justice . <p> As he has from the start of Starr 's inquiry , Clinton categorically denied that he " asked anyone to lie , to hide or destroy evidence , or to take any other unlawful action . " But it was unclear last night how he explained efforts by his associates to find Lewinsky a job in New York and to recover gifts he once gave her that had been subpoenaed by the Jones team . <p> Even more so than in his public appearance , Clinton was combative during his closed session with Starr , according to sources familiar with the meeting , and the president declined to answer a number of questions , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and truthfully . " <p> While modifying his description of their relationship , Clinton denied that he committed perjury during his Jan. 17 deposition in the Jones case when he denied having " sexual relations " with Lewinsky , now 25 , relying on a technical interpretation of the term to argue that his testimony was " legally accurate . " <p> Starr was not able to ask all the questions he wanted to before the predetermined time expired and Clinton refused to extend , according to the sources . Starr , sources said , told Clinton he may subpoena him to get answers to the questions the president rebuffed , prompting a possible new constitutional court battle . <p> Clinton 's attorney , David E. Kendall , said later that Clinton was justified in refusing to answer because the questions were improperly and unnecessarily graphic . " As to a very few highly intrusive questions , with respect to the specifics of this sexual contact , in order to preserve personal privacy and institutional dignity , he gave candid , but not detailed , answers , " Kendall said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ issued an unprecedented subpoena to a sitting president last month and Kendall -- who had urged his client not to agree to testify but was overruled -- negotiated to have it withdrawn so Clinton could say he told his story voluntarily . Joined by Kendall , his partner Nicole K. Seligman and White House counsel Charles F.C . Ruff , Clinton sat down to answer questions at 12:59 p.m. in the ground-floor Map Room , where Franklin D. Roosevelt directed Allied efforts during World War II . <p> Starr left the questioning to his top lieutenants , Jackie M. Bennett Jr. , Solomon L. Wisenberg and Robert J. Bittman . The 23-member grand jury that has been examining Clinton 's dealings with Lewinsky since January watched on twin 19-inch televisions carrying an encrypted , one-way feed to a second-floor courtroom at the E. Barrett Prettyman Courthouse about a mile away . <p> Starr left the White House without commenting , but his spokesman told reporters that the probe would proceed . " We 're continuing to do what we said we would and that is to complete the investigation as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we 're going to do , " said Starr counselor Charles G. Bakaly III . <p> Clinton , who turns 52 tomorrow , plans to escape Washington this morning for a two-week vacation in Martha 's Vineyard with Hillary and Chelsea Clinton . <p> For the last seven months , Clinton has let stand his denials of any sexual liaisons with Lewinsky and allowed aides and even his wife go on television to repeat them . <p> During his Jan. 17 deposition in the Jones case , he said , " I have never had sexual relations with Monica Lewinsky . I 've never had an affair with her . " Four days later , after the story of Starr 's investigation broke , Clinton said , " There is not a sexual relationship , an improper sexual relationship , or any other kind of improper relationship . " <p> When that failed to quell a political storm , Clinton went on television again to deny it more forcefully in a Jan. 26 statement that has become a coda for this saga . " Listen to me , " he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ say this again . I did not have sexual relations with that woman , Miss Lewinsky . " <p> Clinton 's turnaround came after Lewinsky struck a deal with Starr and testified under a grant of full immunity that she did have an 18-month sexual affair with Clinton , including numerous encounters at the White House . She also gave Starr a dress she said was stained with the president 's semen , a dress turned over to the FBI laboratory for analysis . <p> Last night , Clinton did not say he was lying and did not detail the nature of his relationship with Lewinsky but left little doubt what he was talking about . Several advisers confirmed that he testified to sexual activity . <p> " I can only tell you I was motivated by many factors , " he said . " First , by a desire to protect myself from the embarrassment of my own conduct . I was also very concerned about protecting my family . The fact that these questions were being asked in a politically inspired lawsuit , which has since been dismissed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he takes responsibility , although he did not use words like " apology " or " sorry , " as some advisers had urged . Instead , in a passage that added punch to his statement , the president outlined his grievances against Starr for his four-year investigation that has moved " into my private life " and now " itself is under investigation " for illegal grand jury leaks to the media . <p> " Our country has been distracted by this matter for too long and I take my responsibility for my part in all of this , " he said . " That is all I can do . Now is the time -- in fact , it is past time -- to move on . . . . And so tonight I ask you to turn away from the spectacle of the past seven months , to repair the fabric of our national discourse , and to return our attention to all the challenges and all the promise of the next American century . " <p> If some in the Clinton camp had hoped to extend @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ over the weekend , the president himself firmly stamped out such a move . The speech he wrote in longhand beginning Sunday turned out more tinged with resentment than certain of his advisers had hoped . <p> Any hopes of putting the matter to rest with contrition seemed ephemeral last night . Sen. Orrin G. Hatch ( R-Utah ) , the Senate Judiciary Committee chairman , who had publicly implored Clinton to " pour his heart out , " chafed at the president 's new attacks on Starr . <p> While the admission was " a step in the right direction , " Hatch said , " I was personally offended " by the blame heaped on the independent counsel . Democrats constantly complain about Starr 's multimillion-dollar probe , he said , but Clinton extended the length and cost by refusing to come clean for seven months . If Democrats continue that line of attack , Hatch snapped , " I 'm just going to blow my stack . " <p> Clinton 's defense of his statements in the Jones sexual harassment lawsuit appears to rely on a semantic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Under the definition approved by U.S. District Judge Susan Webber Wright during his deposition , " a person engages in ' sexual relations ' when the person knowingly engages in or causes contact with the genitalia , anus , groin , breast , inner thigh , or buttocks of any person with an intent to arouse or gratify the sexual desire of any person . " <p> Legal advisers to the president asserted that did not cover oral sex performed on Clinton , an interpretation disputed by the Jones lawyers and independent legal experts . Even if that were the case , however , Clinton faces possible trouble because Lewinsky testified that they engaged in mutual foreplay activity that would be covered by the definition , according to legal sources . <p> " While my answers were legally accurate , I did not volunteer information , " Clinton said last night . <p> Starr has also been investigating allegations of obstructing the Jones case . Lewinsky reportedly has testified that the president never asked her directly to lie under oath , but said they developed " cover stories " to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ discussed hypothetical ways for her to avoid turning over presidential gifts to Jones 's lawyers , as required by a subpoena . Lewinsky ultimately gave the gifts to Clinton 's personal secretary , Betty Currie . <p> Another situation Clinton did not address last night in his public statement was the job help provided Lewinsky by his associates , including Currie and presidential friend Vernon E. Jordan Jr . <p> According to legal sources , Lewinsky has not said there was any direct quid pro quo suggested to her in exchange for that help . But the timing of job interviews arranged by Jordan in the very weeks she was considering how to respond to a subpoena from Jones has raised suspicions . Lewinsky signed an affidavit Jan. 7 denying a sexual relationship , a statement she recanted when Starr gave her protection from perjury charges . <p> Suggesting a likely line of defense to be used when Starr 's report goes to Congress , a close political adviser said Clinton has already been held accountable and paid his punishment for the Lewinsky relationship because of the mountain of humiliating @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as much as anyone has suffered for a personal relationship , " this adviser said . " He has paid a grievous price . " <p> At the White House , officials went about their business trying to concentrate on other activities . At his morning staff meeting with about two dozen senior officials , White House Chief of Staff Erskine B. Bowles instructed aides to keep focused on their work . " It 's easy to be there for someone when they 're up , but it 's the good ones who are there when you 're down , " Bowles told the gathering , according to White House press secretary Michael McCurry . <p> Bowles later called around to Democratic congressional leaders as well as former high-ranking administration officials to let them know that Clinton would be making his admission and pledging to take full responsibility . <p> Gore Voices Support <p> Vice President Gore , on vacation in Hawaii , spoke to Clinton by telephone to offer support . Gore told his own staff to support the president and be " 110 percent loyal , " an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ saying he watched the president 's address with his wife Tipper . " I 'm proud of him not only because he is a friend , but . . . a person who had the courage to acknowledge his mistakes , " Gore said . <p> Even so , the president 's reversal after seven months of sticking to his story left some close to him dispirited . " It 's not a surprise , " said one adviser , " but it 's still crushing . " <p> On such a momentous day for the Clinton presidency , many major players stayed out of sight . Hillary and Chelsea Clinton made no public appearances , while Lewinsky 's camp declined to disclose her whereabouts . House Speaker Newt Gingrich ( R-Ga . ) , Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott ( R-Miss. ) and House Judiciary Committee Chairman Henry J. Hyde ( R-Ill. ) , who would oversee any impeachment review , remained silent . <p> In the past several days , as Clinton faced up to the inevitability of his testimony and the change of story it required , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a small group expanded again . <p> Over the weekend , the president talked with a wide variety of people who provided emotional solace and political advice , including Jackson ; the Rev. J. Philip Wogaman , the minister at Foundry United Methodist Church attended by the first family ; and longtime personal friends such as David Leopoulos and Carolyn Staley , who grew up with him in Arkansas . <p> Clinton got to know Lewinsky in 1995 , after she came to Washington with an unpaid summer internship at the White House that she managed to extend into the fall . <p> According to her account , Lewinsky , then 22 , and Clinton , then 49 , became sexually involved in November 1995 during the federal government shutdown when she and other interns spent long , extra hours in the West Wing and were shouldering much of the day-to-day clerical work . The next month she got a paying job as a correspondence clerk in the office of legislative affairs . <p> By the next spring , however , suspicions flared among some close to the president . @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who apparently did not know whether it was reciprocated . Secret Service officer Gary Byrne went to Evelyn S. Lieberman , then deputy White House chief of staff , to complain about Lewinsky 's behavior . Concerned the young woman was hanging around the West Wing so much , Lieberman had her transferred to the Pentagon in April 1996 , where she would eventually meet a fellow White House exile , Linda R. Tripp . <p> Despite their difference in ages , the two struck up a friendship and Lewinsky confided intimate details of a sexual relationship with Clinton . Last year , Tripp began secretly tape recording their telephone conversations and , convinced Clinton was trying to influence Lewinsky into lying in the Jones case

@@5077541 <h> What They Mean for Your Family , Career , and Community <p> Forecast #1 <p> The dust bowls of the twenty-first century will dwarf those seen in the twentieth . Two giant dust bowls are now forming , in Asia and in Africa , due to massive amounts of soil erosion and desertification resulting from overgrazing , over-plowing , and deforestation , warns environmental futurist Lester R. Brown . <p> Implications : The choices we make today as consumers and voters affect the future availability of water and food -- not just in our own communities , but also throughout the world . We can promote tree-planting efforts to conserve soil and sequester carbon , and we can move toward less resource-intensive diets . <p> Forecast #2 <p> Commercial space tourism will grow significantly during the coming decade . By 2021 , there will be 13,000 suborbital passengers annually , resulting in $650 million in revenue . Many companies are currently working to make commercial space flight a viable industry , according to Melchor Antuano , director of the FAA Civil Aerospace Medical Institute . <p> Implications : It 's unlikely that the average Earthling will be able @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ offers intriguing career opportunities , ranging from astro-farmers to space-junk haulers . <p> Forecast #3 <p> Nanotechnology offers hope for restoring eyesight . Flower-shaped electrodes topped with photodiodes , implanted in blind patients ' eyes , may restore their sight . The " nanoflowers " mimic the geometry of neurons , making them a better medium than traditional computer chips for carrying photodiodes and transmitting the collected light signals to the brain . <p> Implications : Scientific research is increasingly cross-disciplinary , as computer and electronic researchers draw from the biological sciences to explore new solutions . The techniques described here might also be applied to restoring mobility to individuals who are paralyzed , or perhaps undo the effects of Alzheimer 's and Parkinson 's diseases . <p> Forecast #4 <p> Robotic earthworms will gobble up our garbage . Much of what we throw away still has value . Metals , petroleum , and other components could get additional use if we extracted them , and robotic earthworms could do that for us . The tiny , agile robot teams will go through mines and landfills to extract anything of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ soil . <p> Implications : Besides at least one interesting job opportunity -- " earthworm drivers " -- resource reclamation offers significant opportunities for investment , both in the development and manufacturing of the cleanup technologies and in the recovery of valuable materials . <p> Forecast #5 <p> Learning will become more social and game-based , and online social gaming may soon replace textbooks in schools . The idea that students learn more when they are engaged -- as they are when playing games -- is helping educators embrace new technologies in the classroom . In addition to encouraging collaborations , games also allow students to learn from their mistakes through trial and error . <p> Implications : The " gamification " of education is a controversial approach that intends to leverage children 's sense of play and curiosity to promote engagement and exploration . Some critics question games ' utility in developing critical thinking skills . <p> Forecast #6 <p> Lunar-based solar power production may be the best way to meet future energy demands . Solar power can be more dependably and inexpensively gathered on the Moon than on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the 20 trillion watts of power a year that the Earth 's predicted 10 billion people will require by mid-century . <p> Implications : A lunar solar power system such as the LUNA RING ( an alternative energy plan from the Japanese company Shimizu ) would be the largest public infrastructure project in human history , but it could pay for itself after only 15 years . <p> Forecast #7 <p> Machine vision will become available in the next 5 to 15 years , with visual range ultimately exceeding that of the human eye . This technology will greatly enhance robotic systems ' capabilities . <p> Implications : Enhanced robots and automated equipment of all varieties will become increasingly integrated into our environments -- not just in factories , but also at home , in schools , and in shopping centers . Are you prepared for " ambient intelligence " -- smart surroundings that see you or sense your presence and then respond to you ? <p> " I hope the World Future Society will continue to lead the way in promoting responsible research and I hope you will bring @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the critical problems likely to confront us within the next 5 , 10 , and 15 years . Your forum , with its interdisciplinary and international exchange of information , helps decision-makers see the potential consequences of the decisions they make today . " <p> Bob Edgar , President &; CEO , Common Cause , Former U.S. Congressman <p> Forecast #8 <p> Advances in fuel cells will enable deep-sea habitation . Fuel cells such as those currently being developed for automobiles will produce electricity directly , with no toxic fumes . This advance will eventually make it easier to explore and even colonize the undersea world via extended submarine journeys . <p> Implications : Clean , long lasting , and affordable energy supply is a key factor to megaprojects like human colonization of the continental shelves and the shallow oceans , as well as the development of extensive deep-sea business sectors . <p> " I have been an enthusiastic reader of THE FUTURIST for many years , and applaud you on an excellent publication . It is hard to find people or publications that give serious consideration to what @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , inventor , author of The Age of Spiritual Machines <p> " And what of the future of futurism ? The World Future Society 's expanding membership suggests that it 's bright . " <p> Future buildings may be more responsive to weather fluctuations . " Protocell cladding " that utilizes bioluminescent bacteria or other materials would be applied on building facades to collect water and sunlight , helping to cool the interiors and produce biofuels . The protocells are made from oil droplets in water , which allow soluble chemicals to be exchanged between the drops and their surroundings . <p> Implications : Some trends may not be in our control as individuals , but technologies that enhance our adaptability and autonomy in the face of change could be a boon to our future security . <p> Forecast #10 <p> The end of identity as we know it ? It may become very easy to create a new identity ( or many identities ) for ourselves . All we will have to do is create new avatars in virtual reality . Those avatars will act on our behalf in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ research , posting blog entries and Facebook updates , and managing businesses . The lines between ourselves and our virtual other selves will blur , to the point where most of us will , in essence , have multiple personalities . <p> Implications : We are already on our guard against people who are n't who or what they say they are . Trust of others may also become more difficult to obtain , especially when it comes to protecting children from strangers , as suspicions may be aroused by the behavior of other people 's avatars . <p> Forecast #11 <p> The U.S. rich -- poor gap is another disaster waiting to happen -- probably around 2020 . If the economic situation looks bad now , just wait until the end of the decade , warns former U.S. Labor Secretary Robert B. Reich in his book Aftershock . Present-day concentration of wealth in the hands of too few Americans , and the related problem of out-of-control consumer debt , will lead to economic stagnation and political upheaval with impacts felt across the world . <p> Implications : Individuals can @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as prepare themselves for uncertain futures by investing in training for new careers , for example . They can also lobby their representatives to enact policies that promote their interests , but as Reich points out , the complexity of these issues may lead many uninformed voters to vote against their own interests . <p> Forecast #12 <p> Dig very deep , and you will find enough geothermal energy to power the world . Geothermal energy plants today generate fairly limited energy , but that may be because they only channel heat from around 200 meters underground . Because the earth is actually much hotter further down , several Norwegian companies , as well as ExxonMobil , are planning drilling installations that will tap 5,500 meters to 10,000 meters or more underground . <p> Implications : This is one alternative that is being pursued as we approach " peak oil . " Just a fraction of the heat energy encased at these depths would suffice to power the entire world , experts assert . <p> " Corporations and organizations should look to their future , but often do n't know @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tools to grasp unfamiliar issues and help understand new technologies . " <p> Robert Salmon , Former Vice President , L'Oreal Corporation <p> Forecast #13 <p> The future is full of bicycles . Bike use is increasing around the world , as evidenced by the creation of bike trails , rising popularity of bike tours , and more doctors encouraging their elderly patients to bike for exercise . <p> Implications : Biking is seen as an easy , inexpensive solution to a large number of interrelated problems . As the world continues urbanizing , people 's health will increasingly suffer from environmental pollution and from sedentary lifestyles that do not allow for enough physical activity . Meanwhile , resource depletion will accelerate . Local transportation systems that encourage biking and walking could be a powerful antidote to these harmful trends . <p> Forecast #14 <p> The Internet will automatically search itself so you do n't have to . The information you provide Google when you search for something is teaching the search engine more about you and your interests . One day , Google will become so savvy about you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , anticipate what you 'll want to know , and deliver it automatically . <p> Implications : It is easy to imagine abuses of such technology by companies that could profit from having access to so much personal information , warn privacy advocates such as Eli Pariser , author of The Filter Bubble . But we should also beware of even more-onerous laws regulating this type of information-gathering technology . <p> Forecast #15 <p> Livable , economically viable manufacturing sites could be built on the Moon . It is feasible to create them within a decade . These sites , or colonies , could process materials on the Moon to create new products . For example , satellites could be fabricated and lowered to desired Earth orbits . <p> Implications : Advocates note that manufacturing products in space for use in space would cost much less than building satellites on Earth and then rocketing them back up where they 're needed . Lunar manufacturing sites could turn a profit within 20-30 years and offer huge long-term economic returns , according to satellite expert Joseph N. Pelton . <p> " The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ plays in helping those interested in the future -- from around the world -- to be exposed to new ideas . Its publications are must reads . " <p> John L. Petersen president , The Arlington Institute ; author , The Road to 2015 <p> Forecast #16 <p> Look for surprising strategic alliances across the globe . Germany and Russia will forge stronger economic ties , while Turkey and the Arab states eye Iran more closely as a competitor . Europe 's internal economic struggles will contribute to the continent 's fading as a global power , while Brazil will exert formidable economic and military influence in Africa . <p> Implications : World leaders will need to take a broader view in creating balanced strategies , particularly as their citizens become more global . Whether populations migrate or not , they are becoming more integrated with the rest of the world through virtual connections , which may have repercussions in international relations . <h> 3 Ways That Futurists Can Create Tomorrow 's Jobs <p> The single biggest issue that most people are concerned about when they think of the future @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and economic trends have altered the workplace forever . But futurists offer techniques for thinking ahead on what the next changes will mean to us , such as using trend analysis to think about functions that may need to be performed . <p> Here are three basic approaches to creating a future job : <p> 1 . Retrofitting : adding new skills to existing jobs . For example , as space commercialization increases , tour planners may need to learn more about preparing clients for low- or zero-gravity excursions . <p> 2 . Blending : combining different skills and functions from different jobs or industries to create new specialties . For instance , as environmental factors are increasingly identified as the cause of health conditions , we may need more environmental-health nurses who can easily pinpoint an unusual new allergic reaction . <p> 3 . Problem solving : the supply of future problems for people to solve seems limitless , because new technologies bring unanticipated consequences . Young people may not care much about their privacy settings on Facebook today , but they may soon need the services of a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ From the special report , 70 Jobs for 2030 , one of six thank-you gifts for signing up for two-year membership . <p> Forecast #17 <p> Robotic surgeons will use bioprinters to repair and replace your organs . Several research centers are developing computerized instruments that will build living tissue layer by layer and implant it directly into human patients . <p> Implications : Robots are precise , tireless workers that will make surgical procedures less daunting , both for the human surgeons and for their patients . And bioprinting uses the patient 's own cells as a catalyst , so it will help alleviate demands for new organ donations and avoid the problem of organ or tissue rejection . <p> Forecast #18 <p> Humans will eventually " lose " the race with robots . Even with every technological enhancement available to them , future human beings will not be able to keep up with the evolutionary pace of robotic humanoids with artificial intelligence . <p> Implications : Unlike human beings , robots are unimpeded by biological limitations to their potential advancements . The best we can do is to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ <p> Forecast #19 <p> Climate change threatens to displace up to 70 million Bangladeshis . Much of Bangladesh is at or near sea level , so if the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change 's forecast of a seven-meter sea-level rise this century comes true , possibly 17% of the country could be submerged . That would render 60 million to 70 million Bangladeshis homeless and destroy the livelihoods of countless more . <p> Implications : The populations most vulnerable to natural disasters tend to be the poorest , who can not afford to live in safer areas . But governments around the world can do more to share information technology and other resources . Bangladesh is investing heavily in flood and storm preparations now ; however , India 's diversion of major river ways between the two countries could still spell major trouble . <p> Forecast #20 <p> Future human societies may be divided between augmented and nonaugmented breeds . Those who can afford technological enhancements , including changes to their DNA , may become so significantly altered that they will no longer be able to breed with nonenhanced humans @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to exploit the nonaugmented ? And would the nonaugmented become resentful and revolt ? Society may be headed for another period of segregation or apartheid if the nonaugmented and augmented breeds of humans feel threatened by each other -- unless prejudice were to be bred out of everyone and altruism bred in . <p> " I will never forget attending my first World Future Society annual conference . What I remember most was the sheer excitement of seeing hundreds of people from all over the world engaged in serious debates about the future . The hotel bustled with scientists , economists , historians , philosophers , business people , academics , teachers , ordinary people debating and presenting new ideas about the social , political , economic , and technological trends and events for the next hundred years . <p> I was like a child in a candy store . I attended sessions from morning until late at night ... I knew my life had been changed and ... I had seen the future through a new set of lenses . " <p> Nat Irvin , II , College of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ We are pleased to present a few recent forecasts from members of the World Future Society and its magazine , THE FUTURIST . <p> In this special report , you 'll discover many other trends and forecasts that are likely to affect virtually all aspects of your life in the years immediately ahead . You 'll also see how you can forecast possible future developments in your own life . <p> At the outset , let me say that futurists do not attempt to predict precisely what will happen in the future . If we could know the future with certainty , it would mean that the future could not be changed . Members of the World Future Society have come to understand that the main purpose of studying the future is to look at what may happen if present trends continue , decide if this is desirable , and , if not , work to change it . <p> The ultimate goal of studying the future is to make it better . Trends , forecasts , and ideas about the future enable you to spot opportunities and threats while @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ show you why membership in the World Future Society may be the most powerful investment you can make in your own future . <h> A 45-Year Track Record of Successful Forecasts <p> In the more than four decades since its first issue , THE FUTURIST has correctly forecast many of the major technological and social developments of our times . <p> Some of these included : <p> The energy crisis of the 1970s ; <p> The impact of communications technologies such as the Internet and cellular phones ; <p> The rise and fall of the Japanese economy in the 1990s ; <p> The impact of the Baby Boom generation on housing , schools , and retirement systems ; <p> Human organ transplants and the use of artificial organs ; <p> The widespread use of automation , robotics , and lasers ; <p> Commercial applications of genetic engineering ; <p> Telecommuting ; <p> The Dow Jones stock index surpassing 10,000 by the end of the twentieth century ; <p> Increased terrorist attacks on U.S. soil and the World Trade Center as an attractive target . <h> Should n't you know the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ? <p> Of course , the value of a forecast is not just in whether it comes true or not . Sometimes the most useful forecasts do n't come true because people took action to avoid a crisis . For example , forecasts about the Y2K computer problem warned about the potential dangers of widespread computer-related problems . This forecast motivated people to take action to keep it from coming true . <p> Forecasts and trends are starting points for thinking seriously about the future in a rapidly changing world . These insights are just one part of how THE FUTURIST magazine and the World Future Society can help you gain ... <h> The Single Most Critical Skill for the 21st Century <p> In this era of accelerating change , knowledge alone is no longer the key to a prosperous life . The critical skill is foresight . Knowledge quickly goes out of date , but foresight enables you to navigate change , make wise decisions , and take action now to create a better future . <p> We often think people are successful because of luck , when in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ . " If you look at any successful person , organization , even a country , you will find a high degree of foresight . That 's why foresight is ... <h> The Secret Ingredient of Success <p> Foresight is critical to achievement in all areas of your life , including your major life decisions . People who lack foresight are likely to find themselves unemployed when jobs are unexpectedly lost to new technologies , competition from overseas , or shifts in consumer tastes . Foresight is the key to survival and achievement in a world of disruptive innovation . <p> Foresight enables you to see opportunities , avoid threats , and chart the fastest path to your goals . The key to success is seizing opportunity when it arises . But you need to see the opportunity and be prepared to take action . That 's why foresight gives you power and agility to achieve any goal you want to achieve . <p> Successful people believe " I Create My Future . " Unsuccessful people believe , " The future happens to me . " That 's why successful @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are making choices that will affect the rest of their lives . They believe that they are largely in control of their lives and they create their own opportunities for success . <h> What Turns a Manager into a Leader ? Or an Investor into a Tycoon ? <p> Today 's fast-changing world requires more than knowledge and skills . It requires vision ... a sense of the big picture ... an understanding of the trends and patterns shaping the future ... and the ability to see things not just as they are now , but how they could be . <p> The ability to see and create the future is the essence of leadership . It is the secret of outstanding success in any field , whether it is creating or growing a business , finding ground-floor investments , or even guiding your children through school and into successful careers . <h> How Foresight Built a Fortune <p> Alan Hald was a young Arizona banker when he attended his first World Future Society conference in 1975 . There he met the editor of a new magazine for computer hobbyists @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and big businesses had computers . You could n't buy a personal computer . The only way you could get one was to build your own from a kit . <p> But Alan Hald caught a glimpse of the computer revolution at the WFS conference that day . He went home in great excitement and began planning a business in the emerging personal computing industry . In the following years , his business became MicroAge Corporation , which grew into a multi-billion dollar enterprise and the largest computer distributor in the United States . All from a burst of inspiration and foresight that began at a WFS conference ! That 's why foresight is ... <h> The Wealth Secret of the WORLD 'S RICHEST MAN <p> In March 2010 , FORBES magazine named Mexico 's Carlos Slim the richest man in the world . His $53.5 billion net worth surpassed even that of Bill Gates . The tycoon controls more than 200 companies . According to The Wall Street Journal , Slim says his success comes from spotting opportunity early . He learned this in part from reading futurist writer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ <p> Toffler is a member of the World Future Society 's Global Advisory Council and has appeared frequently in THE FUTURIST and at WFS conferences . <h> The Key to Success in a Rapidly Changing World <p> Membership in the World Future Society gives you information , tools , and a network of forward-looking individuals around the world . You 'll have access to a wealth of unique insights on trends , forecasts , ideas , scenarios , surveys , and many other tools to help you think seriously about the future . You 'll be able to you look ahead to spot likely changes in your field or area of interest to gain an essential edge in a rapidly changing world . <p> So what are some of the tools futurists use ? Here are ... <h> 7 Ways to Spot Tomorrow 's Trends Today <p> Since the World Future Society was founded in 1966 , futurists have developed a range of techniques to study the future . <p> Here are a few techniques that futurists use to spot new opportunities and potential problems . These methods can give @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ succeed in a fast-changing world : <p> 1 . Systematically Scan the Media -- Futurists often conduct ongoing and systematic surveys of news media and research institutes . These surveys help spot significant trends and technology breakthroughs . Futurists call this environmental scanning . <p> 2 . Analyze and Extrapolate Trends -- After the trends are identified , the next step is to plot the trends to show their direction and development into the future . Trend analysis and extrapolation can show the nature , causes , speed , and potential impacts of trends . <p> 3 . Develop Scenarios -- Futurists often describe the future development of a trend , a strategy , or a wild-card event in story form . These scenarios paint a vivid picture that can help you visualize possible future developments and show how you can prepare effectively for future risks and opportunities . Scenarios help you to blend what you know about the future with imagination about the uncertain . Scenarios help you move from dreaming to planning and then to accomplishment . <p> 4 . Ask Groups of Experts -- Futurists also conduct @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of experts . Polling a wide range of experts in a given field can yield accurate forecasts and suggestions for action . <p> 5 . Use Computer Modeling -- Futurists often use computer models to simulate the behavior of a complex system under a variety of conditions . For example , a model of the U.S. economy might show the effects of a 10 percent change in taxes . <p> 6 . Explore Possibilities with Simulations -- Futurists create simulations of real-world situations by means of humans playing different roles . For example , in war games , generals test out tactics they may later use on the battlefield , or corporate executives can explore the possible results of competitive strategies . <p> 7 . Create the Vision -- Futurists help organizations and individuals systematically develop visions of a desirable future . Visioning creates the big picture of the possibilities and prepares the way for goal setting and planning . <p> These are just a few of the types of tools futurists use . Each issue of THE FUTURIST brings you the results of the work of leading futurists from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ these techniques yourself in your business and personal life . <p> So it 's up to you ... <h> You can be a passive victim of change OR you can discover how to shape the future ... <p> By looking ahead , you 'll make better decisions , avoid threats , develop your entrepreneurial vision , and seize opportunities that others never see . That 's why leading companies such as Ford , Nokia , Intel , Procter &; Gamble , and the electronics group Philips use futures thinking . The British government has set up a " horizon scanning center " as part of its Foresight project . Notre Dame University now requires all of its business students to complete a course in foresight . <p> We 'd like to send you a special report that shows how to use these and other futurist techniques . It 's called The Art of Foresight : Preparing for a Changing World . This report will show you how to use futurist techniques to prepare realistically and creatively for success in your personal and professional life . You can get a copy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the World Future Society . <p> That 's why it 's all about ... <h> How You Can Succeed in THE AGE OF HYPERCHANGE <p> Look how quickly our world is transforming around us . Entire new industries and technologies unheard of 15 years ago are now regular parts of our lives . <p> Technology , globalization , and the current financial crisis have left many of us reeling . It 's increasingly difficult to keep up with new developments -- much less to understand their implications . But get ready ... <h> If you think things are changing fast now , you have n't seen anything yet ... <p> The rate of change is skyrocketing . As inventor and futurist Ray Kurzweil notes , " Because of the explosive nature of exponential growth , the twenty-first century will be equivalent to twenty thousand years of progress ; about one thousand times greater than the 20th century . " <p> Think how different our lives are today from the year 1900 . Imagine that rate of change accelerated one thousand times . Just the next ten years promises to be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ way to keep up is to look ahead . <p> We 're going to spend the rest of our lives in the future . Therefore , if we want to be practical , we must focus our attention on the trends and ideas that are shaping the future . What will these likely changes mean for you , your family , your career , your community , and your organization ? <h> Today , it 's as if we 're driving 200 miles an hour and only looking into the rear-view mirror . <p> The Internet has given us access to a vast wealth of information , but it has n't helped us make sense of it . Meanwhile , the media spends most of its time on trivia . Governments and many businesses do n't pay attention to long-term opportunities and challenges ahead . <p> The World Future Society is a community of some 35,000 forward-looking individuals and groups in 80 countries . Since 1966 , when the World Future Society was founded , we 've worked diligently to share information on new developments , possibilities , forecasts , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ governments , and businesses participate in creating a better future for themselves and the world as a whole . <p> As a nonprofit organization , we 've put all our effort into sharing this information with everyone -- not just governments or corporations . The World Future Society is politically independent , offers no official view of what the future will or should be like , embraces no creed or ideology . Only in this way can we give you the unbiased information you need about ... <h> The Most Important Subject There Is : Your Future <p> " We can do nothing to change the past , but we have enormous power to shape the future . Once we grasp that essential insight , we recognize our responsibility and capability for realizing our dreams of tomorrow and avoiding our nightmares . Of course , we feel abysmally ignorant of how to proceed , but as we join together , forming networks of human concern about the future , we will find the strength and wisdom needed to create a better future world . " -- Edward Cornish , Founder @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ thinking that went into founding the World Future Society in 1966 . Its early supporters were people such as Nobel Prize winners Glenn T. Seaborg and Dennis Gabor ... comprehensive designer Buckminster Fuller ... science writers Arthur C. Clarke and Isaac Asimov ... business and government leaders such as John W. Gardner and other members of the cabinets of presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson . It was a unique assembly of some of the world 's most forward-looking people . They shared a common belief that ... <h> A Better Tomorrow Is Built from Wise Decisions Today <p> The World Future Society supports individuals and organizations by acting as a neutral clearinghouse for forecasts , trends , and ideas about the future . We serve as an early warning system to help you and your organization spot problems and opportunities far enough in advance . This information helps you prepare for likely changes , and see coming opportunities and threats while there 's time to act . <p> And , looking ahead is even more vital because ... <h> It 's Not Just What the Future Will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ All of us need exciting new visions of positive possible futures to achieve . Just as John F. Kennedy 's call to put a man on the moon inspired people to do something many thought impossible , you can identify possible and preferable futures and work to achieve them . WFS and THE FUTURIST bring you realistic visionaries who have developed practical solutions for pressing world problems . <h> The Key to Creating a Better Future <p> Some futurists believe that almost anything can be done in 20 years . Consider that unleashing the power of the atom took only four years and putting a man on the moon took only eight . <p> Just as a building can be built if people believe it will be built , a desirable world might be created if people can collectively imagine what that world would be like and how it might be achieved . Futurists believe that to develop such a consensus , ideas about the future should be systematically generated and studied . The study of the future would thus become a major human activity . So ask yourself ... @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ <p> We can do nothing to change the past , but we have enormous power to shape the future . A long-term outlook gives us tremendous power to solve problems and seize opportunities . We can learn to avoid repeating past mistakes and we can collaborate globally to create a better future world . We 've got to be advocates for these future generations . <p> Now is the critical moment . The years ahead will create huge opportunities for individuals , organizations , and countries that are prepared -- and serious dangers for those who are not . <p> Here are two case histories of how futurist techniques had a huge positive impact amidst change and uncertainty . One is the case of a multinational corporation and another for a nation in crisis ... <h> How Shell Oil Foresaw the Energy Crisis <p> Shell was one of the first companies to adopt futurist techniques in the 1970s . Futurist Pierre Wack got Shell to see that oil production was not just about economics and technology but also about politics . Thus , Shell was prepared for the severe oil @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ exports during the Yom Kippur war . <p> Then in the early 1990s , scenarios written by Shell planners foresaw the likelihood of a rapid and dramatic decline in the price of oil . This was the result of the discoveries of new oil fields outside of the OPEC sphere of influence , in combination with energy conservation . Positioning itself accordingly , Shell then rose from fourteenth to second place among the oil multinationals during the mid-1990s as prices fell . Meanwhile , Shell 's heavily over-invested competitors lost billions . <h> How Foresight Prevented Civil War <p> Futurist techniques helped South Africa emerge from its apartheid system without widespread violence or economic upheavals . In 1991 ( three years before the end of Apartheid ) a diverse group of 22 prominent South Africans met with a team of futurists . They developed scenarios designed to " stimulate debate on how to shape the next ten years " for South Africa . <p> The team presented the scenarios to then President De Klerk , and his Cabinet . They briefed Nelson Mandela in his jail cell and leaders of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in a 14-page insert in The Weekly Mail and The Guardian Weekly , major South African newspapers . <p> Over the rest of the year , the team presented the scenarios to more than 50 influential groups throughout South Africa . As a result , the scenarios became widely discussed in South Africa at all levels , from taxi drivers to talk radio shows . <p> Ultimately , South Africa was able to make a peaceful transition to representative government and create a new future . It could have been much different , and the widely disseminated scenarios are credited with helping to guide the peaceful outcome . <h> The Key to Bridging the Gap Between Technology and Wisdom <p> A great challenge of our time is that science and technology are accelerating furiously , but our wisdom is not . We need new perspectives to allow us to reflect on where change is leading us . <p> We need new systems and institutions to help us understand the long-term consequences of new developments . Our technology is evolving faster than our capability to guide its development . <p> The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of thoughtful people sharing a common interest in exploring the world 's future . You can be part of this tremendous intellectual resource that can light the way for humanity as it moves into a future filled with enormous risks and tremendous opportunities . <p> And , to help you create a better future for yourself , your family , your organization , your investments , and your community ... <h> WFS Membership Entitles You to These Exclusive Benefits <p> Join the World Future Society today and you 'll receive a wide range of exclusive benefits that will help you understand trends , gain foresight , and create a better future . <p> As a WFS member , you 'll receive : <h> THE FUTURIST : At the Forefront of Solution-Oriented Journalism <p> The World Future Society and THE FUTURIST magazine have strived over the years to fulfill a vital public-service mission , serving as a neutral resource of ideas about the future . As a member of the World Future Society , you become a partner in this endeavor . We 're here to deliver to you the best @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ changing world . <p> Why do we feel this calling so strongly ? Today , while the mainstream media is continually focused on scandals and sensationalism , we at THE FUTURIST feel it 's our duty to report on potential " fixes " to the big issues awaiting today 's and tomorrow 's young people . <p> Here are a few examples : <h> The Issue : Transportation <p> The industrial world 's addiction to cars is costly and will become more so . The U.S. uses roughly 21 million barrels of oil per day . According to a recent U.S. Census Bureau report , 2.8 million people have so-called " extreme commutes , " or commutes longer than 90 minutes . The Texas Transportation Institute has found that in the United States alone 2.3 billion gallons of gas is wasted each year in traffic jams . <p> Globally , the number of vehicles on the world 's roads will grow from 800 million now to 1.1 billion in the next 15 years . Public transportation is often cited as a cure for oil addiction . In the United States @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ public transportation systems . <p> Fixes covered in THE FUTURIST magazine <p> Among the many proposed solutions covered in THE FUTURIST have been robotic vehicles similar to those that have served the U.S. military in Afghanistan and cars and trains powered by compressed air . <p> One of the most promising solutions to the global transportation dilemma : Electric car co-ownership in urban centers . By 2020 , we will be shifting from privately owned gas-powered cars to shared electric vehicles , Ryan Chin of the MIT Media Lab wrote in THE FUTURIST . By engineering far smaller , lighter , and energy-efficient vehicles for city use and creating networks that make it easier for such vehicles to be shared rather than owned , urban design could be radically transformed . <h> The Issue : Energy <p> Experts predict that energy demand will rise by 60% between 2002 and 2030 and will require about $568 billion in new investments every year . Developing nations growing hungrier for scarce oil supplies , coupled with concern over the environment in developed nations , will signal the end of the oil era . @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and are growing at just 30% per year . By 2020 , only 30% of global energy is likely to come from alternative energy sources . <p> FUTURIST Fixes <p> Among the creative solutions to the energy problem covered in THE FUTURIST in recent years are <p> " Crowd farming " energy by capturing the kinetic motion of people as they walk , run , or jump on connected floor blocks . <p> Genetically engineering saltwater algae for use as biofuel , a replacement for oil . <p> Ocean-current power , which could be captured by turbines in the Gulf Stream and provide energy for power-hungry states such as Florida . <h> The Issue : Hunger and Thirst <p> The number of people on the brink of starvation may surpass 1 billion , according to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization ( FAO ) . The earth 's population is projected to increase by 2.5 billion people in the next four decades , and most of these people will be born in the countries that are least able to grow food and are water-stressed . <p> FUTURIST Fixes <p> @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ food and water problems include : <p> The Food Pill , a nanorobot food replacement system proposed by Robert Freitas , the world 's foremost visionary on nanorobotics . <p> The Play-Pump schoolyard merry-go-round that amuses rambunctious kids while pumping desperately needed fresh water from depths of up to 100 meters . <p> Another design with the potential to radically change the world : LifeStraw personal water-purification device , designed by Torben Vestergaard Frandsen . <h> The Issue : Health <p> The U.S. spends more money on health care than any other nation , roughly $4,000 per person annually . By 2025 , the number of Americans aged 65 or older will expand from 35 million to more than 60 million , which will strain the health-care system regardless of the passage of any particular piece of legislation . <p> FUTURIST Fixes : <p> Telemedicine and robotic surgery , or rather computer-enhanced surgery , promises to make surgeries less invasive and less costly and improve patients ' health . <p> Genome-specific cures -- basically writing software for cells . <p> The World Future Society and THE FUTURIST magazine are dedicated @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ changing future -- information that you can use to direct the unfolding of your life , your business , your community , and beyond . But our most important function is spreading visionary ideas and bold thinking to a global community of future-oriented individuals . We believe that only by working together can we improve our global future . <p> They join some of the great futurists of all time who have shared their visions with our members , including Alvin and Heidi Toffler , Arthur C. Clarke , Buckminster Fuller , Herman Kahn , Al Gore Jr. , Newt Gingrich , Glenn T. Seaborg , Gene Roddenberry , Frederik Pohl , Hazel Henderson , John Naisbitt , and E. F. Schumacher . <p> Recent feature articles in THE FUTURIST include : <p> Relationships , Community , and Identity in the New Virtual Society -- how the time we spend online is influencing our real lives , and how organizations are using these trends to create new markets while we redefine ourselves . <p> The Top 20 ( Plus 5 ) Technologies for the World Ahead -- the breakthroughs that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ near future , such as ubiquitous computing and machine vision , and five speculative technologies that will solve crucial problems , such as room-temperature superconductivity , which would be an enormous boon for electricity efficiency . <p> The World Is My School : Welcome to the Era of Personalized Learning -- how using social-networking and gaming platforms could turn every online reading event into uniquely personal learning experiences . <p> The Age of the Interface -- the way computers communicate with us has evolved from processing codes punched out on cards to directly interpreting our brain waves . <p> THE FUTURIST also features the latest news about breakthroughs and trends , activities among futurists around the world , and reviews of important future-oriented books you need to know about . Departments appearing regularly include : <p> Tomorrow in Brief -- quick roundup of thought-provoking developments , such as the " Internet of Bodies , " " Space Junk Detector , " " 3-D Movies Go Mobile , " and " Robots as Caregivers . " <p> World Trends &; Forecasts -- in-depth coverage of intriguing trends and ideas that may @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Earth , Humanity , Sci/Tech , Commerce , Governance , and Futuring . Recent stories include : <p> " A Chemical Mission to Mars , " on why we need to learn more about the origins of methane : does it imply Martian life , or merely geological activity ? <p> " The Troubling Future of Internet Search " by guest writer Eli Pariser , author of The Filter Bubble , on what Google 's efforts to understand you better could mean to your privacy . <p> " The Gamification of Education " -- on applying the engagement stimulated by video games to improve the learning process in ways that may render textbooks obsolete . <p> " Unwasted Energy " -- on two different approaches that physicists are taking to harvest " junk " vibrations from our environment and turn them into electricity . <p> Book Reviews and Books in Brief -- focusing on important titles in our field that you may want to add to your own Futurist Library . <p> Future Active -- reports on the activities of futurists around the world , as well as intriguing futures @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , museums , government agencies , and nongovernmental organizations . <p> Highlights from the WFS Web site , including our bloggers and tweeters , discussing everything from the Arab Spring revolution , to favorite science-fiction books and movies , to the best songs about the future . <p> But THE FUTURIST is just one part of your membership . You 'll also ... <h> Join a Global Network of Forward-Looking Individuals on the Leading Edge ... <p> In addition to the unique information you 'll receive in THE FUTURIST , membership in the World Future Society also entitles you to : <p> Network with Other Forward-Looking People in Your Area -- As a member you can join local futurist groups throughout the United States and in 117 cities and 39 countries worldwide . You 'll be able make important professional and personal contacts . Many groups sponsor seminars , offer lectures , take field trips , publish newsletters , hold discussion groups and other events . You 'll receive a complete listing of local and special-interest futurist groups with your introductory membership . <p> World Future Society meetings have been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and " the greatest intellectual show on Earth . " No other conference brings together so many original thinkers and doers from so many fields . You 'll receive early invitations and members ' discounts for these important events . <p> Stay Current on the Latest Futurist News -- Your membership also entitles you to receive Futurist Update . This e-mail newsletter keeps you in touch with late-breaking news . You 'll get up-to-the-minute breakthroughs , the latest research , news , and links to futurist Web sites around the world . <p> Interact with Other Thought-Leaders around the World -- As a member , you 'll be able to participate in online forums exploring vital topics on the future . You can post your ideas and get reactions from others around the world . Current forums cover subjects such as education , futurist methodologies , preventing terrorism , global strategies , cyber society , future generations , and more . <p> Save on the Best Future-Oriented Books , DVDs , CDs and More -- In addition to reviews and summaries of the best books , you 'll also be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on future-related topics . <h> The 7 Essentials of Foresight <p> WFS membership and your subscription to THE FUTURIST will help you ... <p> 1 . Prepare for the Opportunities and Challenges of Tomorrow -- You 'll be able to capitalize on trends and avoid threats in every area of your business and personal life . <p> 2 . See the Big Picture -- You 'll understand the larger forces shaping day-to-day events . You 'll see how the sudden and random events that make the news are part of larger patterns of change . <p> 3 . Be First to Know of Breakthrough Technologies -- Chances are today 's hot stock is based on technology THE FUTURIST covered years earlier . You 'll get advance notice of exciting new technologies often years before they hit the news . Most importantly , you 'll have a context to evaluate the impact of new inventions . <p> 4 . Save Time -- With the Internet and 24/7 news it can seem impossible to keep up with all the information you need to know . When you know the trends , you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ most relevant to your goals . You 'll see the tide and not just the waves . <p> 5 . Find New Solutions -- You 'll gain new vision , expand your horizons , and be able to overcome mental roadblocks . You 'll understand the impact of changes outside your industry or area of expertise . <p> 6 . Make Better Decisions -- You 'll have a much greater understanding of your opportunities , potential threats , and the long-term impacts of your choices . <p> 7 . Act with Confidence in an Uncertain World -- You 'll have unique tools , information , and networks to help you act decisively amid complexity and rapid change . <p> World Future Society membership and THE FUTURIST are a total information system to help you succeed in a rapidly changing world . You 'll be able to position your career , your education , your family , your investments , even where you choose to live , in ways that use trends to your advantage . <h> Your Part in Building a Better World <p> Now here 's the most important @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ also makes it possible for leading thinkers and doers from all over the world to study the future , helping to create a better tomorrow for all of us . The world faces enormous challenges . We need to work together to develop the wisdom and consensus to build a world worth handing over to our children . A better tomorrow truly depends on your support . <h> Wo n't You Join Us ? <p> To sum up , your membership entitles you to : <p> A subscription to THE FUTURIST ( six printed issues per year plus full digital access on the WFS Web site ) ; <p> A subscription to Futurist Update , the Society 's monthly e-mail newsletter ; <p> The opportunity to network with other thought-leaders around the world through local chapters and online forums ; <p> Special invitations and member discounts on conferences and seminars ; <p> Special discounts on books , reports , and other products ; <p> A PDF of the annual Outlook Report of more than 60 top forecasts , a $5.00 value ; <p> A PDF of our new special report @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ; <p> And the knowledge that you are helping to build a better tomorrow . <p> World Future Society membership gives you all this for less than 22 cents a day . Many newsletters or associations charge many times this amount . <h> Join Today at No Risk ! <p> If you are not 100% satisfied with THE FUTURIST and other benefits during your introductory membership , you may simply contact us and I 'll see that you receive a full and immediate refund even up until your last issue . And you may keep everything we 've sent you , including your free reports . <p> If you agree that the future consists of a variety of alternatives , that choice is unavoidable , and that refusing to choose is itself a choice , you have taken the first step toward a more active role in your own future . <p> The World Future Society can make a major contribution to creating a better future for all of us . Thanks to you , we may be able to halt the present trends toward calamity and move human civilization @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ capability . <p> I urge you to seize this opportunity to gain an essential edge in today 's rapidly changing times . There 's absolutely no risk -- your satisfaction is 100% guaranteed . And there 's so much to gain . RSVP today ! <h> Urgent Warnings , Breakthrough Solutions , 2nd Edition ( PDF ) <p> Futurists are a unique breed of thinkers , who are n't content with simply being told what the future may be like . They have an urgent need to know how other prognosticators arrive at their conclusions , they question the levels of uncertainty about these forecasts , and -- more importantly -- they want their own tools and resources for understanding all aspects of the future . <p> For this second edition of the World Future Society 's exclusive report for its new members , the editors of THE FUTURIST magazine have selected recent articles that deliver the best possible introduction to what futurists do . <p> We begin with an overview of the global problems we now face , as two prominent futurists offer their unique perspectives on four different @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ <p> The remainder of this report comprises thought-provoking articles that cover the six principal areas of futures analysis : Science and Technology , Earth , Humanity , Commerce , Governance , and the field of Futuring itself . <p> We hope this introduction to the future will show you that the urgent warnings all around us can inspire innovative breakthrough solutions that will help us all build a better tomorrow today . <p> With your one-year membership you will also receive a PDF of The Art of Foresight . <h> Get a Head Start on Creating Your Future Career <p> Discover three ways to create your own future career . Learn how you may be able to make a living simply by gathering data in your own environment . Discover which trends futurists are looking at to foresee such future job titles as : <p> Digital Identity Planner <p> Sensuality Simulator <p> Talent Aggregator <p> Astro-psychologist <p> Online Community Organizer <p> Unmanned Cargo Vehicle Operator <p> Time Hacker <p> Chief Experience Officer <p> Brain Signal Decoder ( aka , Mind Reader ) <p> Future-guide <p> Get details on these potential @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2030 . This PDF is yours free with a two-year membership in the World Future Society . <h> 2020 Visionaries ( PDF ) <p> In a year-long series that ran in THE FUTURIST magazine , we asked 20 individuals , each with a unique vision and a unique voice , to share their hopes , fears , and ideas for the next 10 years and beyond . Some of these voices offered a new approach to the problems that we 're facing today . Others highlighted an issue or dilemma that will grow as a major concern . All of these individuals offered solutions , and all were highly independent . The 2020 Visionaries series showcases forward-thinking from top innovators , experts , and creative minds , including : <p> Open-source geneticist Andrew Hessel . <p> Nanomedicine pioneer Robert Freitas . <p> Communications scholar Janna Anderson . <p> Educator Mark Bauerlein . <p> Sim City creator Cory Ondrejka . <p> Media critic Andrew Keen . <p> Humanist Roy Speckhardt . <p> Religious leader Prem Suksawat . <p> NASA chief scientist Dennis Bushnell . <p> Futurist Jamais Cascio . <p> Geopolitical @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ . <p> Entrepreneur Jason P. Clark . <p> MIT Media Lab designer Ryan Chin . <p> Bestselling author Douglas Rushkoff . <p> Urban planners Pavlina Illieva and Kuo Pao Lian . <p> Net guru Clay Shirky . <p> Science fiction superstar author Cory Doctorow . <p> Stanford psychologist Philip Zimbardo . <p> Anthropologist Helen Fisher . <h> THE FUTURIST 's " Think Kit " ( PDF ) <p> In addition to offering its members glimpses into possible , probable , and preferable futures , the World Future Society aims to empower everyone with the tools of the futurist 's trade . <p> In this special report , the editors of THE FUTURIST have selected recent articles that showcase the futurist 's " think kit " -- the processes enabling us to scan the horizon with a critical eye and to improve the decisions that we make about what may be over that horizon . <h> OUTLOOK 2012 ( PDF ) <p> Environmental threats and energy source opportunities ; in vivo organ and tissue printing and buildings that self-adapt to weather fluctuations . These forecasts and more appear in THE FUTURIST @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ if you are not 100% satisfied with THE FUTURIST and other benefits during your introductory membership , you may simply contact us and I 'll see that you receive a full and immediate refund even up until your last issue . And you may keep

@@5077641 <h> We Know How to Live Lyrics <h> Cock Sparrer <p> We 're going out on Friday night ; ( we know how to live ) Lagered up and looking right ; ( we know how to live ) Pull a bird at Benj. ' s ; take her home and do the biz A little take , a little give ; ( we know how to live ) Bacon , eggs and tinned tomatoes ; ( we know how to live ) Mugs of tea , the sun and lager ; ( we know how to live ) Football on the telly , blue films on the vid A little take a little give ; ( we know how to live ) And when it 's all over And I 'm rattling on the gates of heaven And Peter 's there to ask me Did you had a good time I 'll look back on the years All the laughter and the tears I 'll say ; Sid Vicious did it his way , I did it mine Fifteen pints and half for the lady ; ( we know how to live ) From : http : **35;802;TOOLONG @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ know how to live ) You can stick your fancy French wines up you channel tunnel link A little take a little give ; ( we know how to live ) And when it 's all over And I 'm rattling on the gates of heaven And Peter 's there to ask me Did you had a good time I 'll look back on the years All the laughter and the tears I 'll say ; Sid Vicious did it his way , I did it mine Holidays with all the lads ; ( we know how to live ) Sun , sex , sea and duty free fags ; ( we know how to live ) A two week lager frenzy , and than back home to this A little take , a little give ; ( we know how to live ) A little take , a

@@5077741 <p> My husband and I are thinking about cashing out our self-directed IRA , paying the penalties , and investing in gold and silver coins . We figure the government is just going to eventually freeze or seize our IRA anyway , but do you have any suggestions on how we go about this ? And does anyone have a good gold source for coins so we can use them for purchasing if it comes down to that ? <p> Thanks . <p> Open to all suggestions please . We have nothing ready , not extra food , not water , not anything . <p> Thanks . <p> PS . Also my husband has a 401K at work that we ca n't touch , but would anyone recommend investing it in gold stock ? <p> I would immediately get better prepared for economic collapse , which can happen suddenly . <p> Your priority should be food and water available for several months , and a year to be on the safer side . Next , comes protection in the form of guns and ammo and knowing how to use them . Last , comes wealth protection in the form @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ n't hold it you do n't own it ) . <p> Topics on all of this have often been discussed on this site . Just use the search box up top . You can also feel free to start a thread asking for advice . Good luck ! <p> P.S. for the 401K if it ca n't be touched then , yes , I would invest it in gold stock , just my own opinion , but I 'd get stock in gold miners . <p> Notice he said the economic collapse could come anytime including " starting tomorrow morning " . <p> In the new economy I believe people will return to using gold primarily for exchange as money . However , people will also use Bitcoin because it 's better suited for exchange , including online transactions . That will make bitcoins far more in demand than they are now . <p> I just thought we were trying to find a means of commerce that could n't be regulated or shut down by the feds when the economy collapses . So I guess I was looking more at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or such . But how would you get them to your house anonymously was my musing ... <p> the thing is no government can completely shut down barter between individuals . Some countries , for example , have large shadow economies where no taxes etc. are ever reported as individuals exchange goods/services by various means . <p> As far as shutting Bitcoin down , because of the way it works that 's not possible without shutting down the entire Internet . This makes Bitcoin more resistant to government tyranny than gold , for example , which can be and has been confiscated in the past . There are also ways to trade Bitcoin in person , with or without an Internet connection . <p> Monetary discussion has picked up in the last two or so year , has n't it ? The subject of it is minerals as currency , but not any mineral and not just one . Rather , two metals are the subject but one of them talked about much more often than the other . <p> Who talks about this mineral ? Not only Americans , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ n't they ? Might gold be the backing of currencies official used in transactions worldwide in the future , thereby establishing gold as the currency ? Is n't the backing ( of currency ) what 's important when talking currency , anyway ? If the value of the backing changes , however it 's achieved which should be known before entering its implementation because we do want to avoid dependency/forced togetherness again which would be on the scale worldwide , do n't we ? ) , then what 's in front of it -- currency -- has to change , that is , the value of that currency has to change . But what happens if the currency does n't change when its backing 's value changes or , differently , if its backing changes ? <p> Questions abound on gold as money . In these discussions , I 'm always at a loss why people pass , skip over , walk by , run over , the obvious , that the questions themselves necessitate collectivist thinking and doing , that gold would be the worldwide currency , the tethering @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that you Michael , I and every human would be transferring our use of a thing we did n't create but of which we used according to what pertains to us and us to it ( the dollar for Americans ) to what pertains to everyone everywhere and they to it , gold therefore the organizations comprising the structure supporting it . Those organizations are the centrality worldwide , the thing we 'd defer to in transactions . What Americans would be doing by using gold is moving out of one sphere , United States ( therefore its sovereignty which consists of the US constitution ) , to the largest sphere , the world , thereby being participants of it . Force is how we are becoming participants . <p> So , for most people worldwide to use gold , its price and silver 's price will have to go down , down to prices affordable to most people . That aspect is absent in discussions of gold advocacy . What could offset a drastic fall in their prices is transition , which is what I think will happen . @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he said there 'll be panic into gold . The panic would provoke surges , influxes , of people buying gold , holding onto gold and hording gold , a behavior anything but natural . What , people who buy gold today are better off than people who buy gold tomorrow is natural ? *sigh* <p> Why , with all the commercials in our country and probably worldwide , it 's natural that people , even people who espouse freedom in body and in mind , do what they have been doing in more facets of their lives than not : follow the crowd , being a part ( of a whole ) instead of himself or herself , the whole . <p> The want for gold is unnatural . Gold -- or any currency that 's central -- is a massive psychology operation . Central currency is the leading component and concluding component of consolidating the last frontier , the world . Once consolidation is achieved , everyone except the " elite " are dependent on each other , a translation of us serving the elite , building their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I doubt even one RP supporter wanted gold or even thought about gold before he learned about this issue , currency , concerning the United States and , consequently , concerning the world . <p> The promotion , belief and use of the mineral that humans named gold is a currency is a farce . <p> For those of us that did n't buy gold at $200 ... $500 .... $1000 etc , have our savings in cash , are heavily invested in the stock / bond markets , and even have investments in real estate that was not purchased purchased decades ago , but rather after say ... 2002 ... 03 ... 04 ... 05 levels , what do we do ? <p> I fear holding cash that is devaluing , holding real estate that might crash further , being invested in a stock and bond bubble that is being propped up by the Fed and sideways micro trading , and buying gold at $1700 is all very scary . <p> I totally get your argument . So , what is your best guess as to what is going @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stock piling gold , then can it be possible that rather than use gold as the actual currency to be exchanged , why ca n't we have competing currencies that are backed by gold ? How about competing currencies are reevaluated and based on each countries assets ( precious metals , oil , land , agri-capacity , industrial capacity and education level etc ... ? <p> I want to retain what little wealth I have , but do n't know where to go . <p> I do not think that we all " collectively " will embrace gold as world currency , especially if it not readily available to an " average " person , nor silver , for that matter . <p> I think that we can all agree that what we need is competition in currency , let markets deside what is the most convenient form of money ( hopefully real , but if some people insist on being paid in colorful or green paper , it 's their choice ! ) . <p> It 's just historically that Au , Ag ( and Cu for smaller transactions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is nothing wrong in thinking that they can play that role again ! But if everything else fails

@@5077841 <p> It 's not easy but I can try But I 'm finding it so hard To say good bye Now we 've shared our lives The highs and the lows But it seems we 're at a fork in the road And now we 're going separate ways All the years that we spent Feel like yesterday Now all of these memories will stay And I 'll never ever never ever Forget your face <p> CHORUS : Now I Do n't know where the roads gon na go But I 'll Keep you in my hear and I hope all these years from now When you think of me you smile Just for a moment You smile Just for a moment <p> Thinking back on how these years were I remember how We would laugh and we would cry til ' it hurt Now as much as I wish we could stay We 're taking different paths We 're going different way <p> I never thought That this could end No I never thought that I 'd begin Living my life a new way Without you here with me And it 's hard to see What it 'd @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I took it all for granted that you 'd always be here <p> CHORUS <p> If it is Many years before I see you again I 'll never let What we did Ever leave my mind or forget Every time I made you mad And every time I made you

@@5077941 <h> All Share Services <p> If there 's something Jess Walter ca n't do as a writer , I 've yet to encounter it . He can craft plots for detective novels , wax poetic and profound on any number of topics , tackle topics from the election of 1980 to 9/11 , and just plain crack you up . His last novel , " The Financial Lives of the Poets , " was riotously funny but also disturbingly serious , leaving me with knots in my stomach for days afterward ( it also inspired my first TNB interview ) . " Beautiful Ruins , " his latest and perhaps his most ambitious offering , is , simply put , the result of a novelist working at the height of his powers . <p> Jess was kind enough to answer some of my questions : <p> I 'm curious about the first and only chapter of Bender 's ( brilliant as advertised ) book that appears in " Beautiful Ruins . " Is that something you wrote separately and wanted to include , or did you write it specifically for " Beautiful Ruins " ? In other words , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ <p> The book came first . I started the novel that became " Beautiful Ruins " so long ago ( 1997 ) , and had so many different versions , that the order of things is hard to trace . Early on , through about 2001 or so , all I had was a single chapter or two ( and then three ) of Dee arriving in Pasquale 's town ( very different from the final first chapter ) and I could n't seem to get past those first chapters : a woman arrives in a small Italian town and meets this man , and she 's sick and uh , then ... uh ... uh ... I did n't know what happened next . I also had a problem : I 'd named Pasquale 's pensione The Hotel Adequate View but this was such an un-Italian thing to do ( false modesty , or really any modesty , not exactly being an Italian trait ) so then I had to create a sly American who could name the hotel . At first , this Alvis Bender was a big @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ over time , more about regret and unfulfilled dreams , and I realized Alvis might have my problem : an ambitious first chapter that he could n't get past . This haunted version of Alvis just fit better as the book formed in my imagination . Then my question was , What 's his story ? And I 'd just read a nonfiction book about black soldiers in Italy and so I imagined Alvis in that world , wrote it , rewrote it again in 2006 and 2009 , and again ... <p> Hollywood legend Michael Deane , who rises from PR guy extraordinaire to the aging producer of an odious web-cast dating program called Hookbook , rises to prominence by suggesting that the marketing of the film Cleopatra , which was hemorrhaging money , focus on the real-life Richard Burton-Elizabeth Taylor drama , rather than the movie itself . You seem to suggest that the Cleopatra PR was the starting point of today 's reality-TV-based culture . What gave you that idea ? <p> The series of decisions that leads to something like that is so random . Basically @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and fell in love with it , but wanted to write about it before it was rediscovered by tourists . My mom was dying of stomach cancer and had never gotten to see Italy and my first impulse was to show my mother this place I 'd seen . So I imagined a young woman about her age arriving in this tiny village in the early 1960s . But I did n't want to write about my mom , so the next question was , who is this woman ? I 'd started thinking about Fellini 's 1950s/60s Italy and the idea of fame , so she became an actress and the next question was What 's going on in Italy at that time that could involve an actress ? That led me to " Cleopatra " being filmed in Rome , and my research fell into one this great hole : Cleopatra/Burton/Taylor , and the amazing discovery for me was that this film that was called the biggest boondoggle in Hollywood history had actually broken even or made a little money . And it was clear , to me @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ And this gave me the character of Deane -- the inventor of all things Kardashian . By this time , I 'd had three or four Italian chapters of what I called ' The Hotel Adequate View ' , and it was maybe about 2004 or so , and the story really opened up at that point . <p> Richard Burton appears in the book , to great effect . How much research did you do on him ? How many of his films had you seen , and did you watch after you decided to include him as a character ? I love that the title comes from the piece describing Burton on Dick Cavett ( I watched the clips on YouTube ... there are worse people to be on a boat off the coast of Italy with ) . <p> I always do a lot of research , immerse myself so that I believe it , then set the nonfiction aside and let it become fiction . So , yes , I read books and watched Burton films and interviews and , my favorite , old footage of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in black and white , filmed from a distance with an unmoving camera , is stunning ... you ca n't believe the power coiled in that body and voice , especially when compared to the craggy old sot who appears in that Cavett interview ) . His relationship to his art ( acting ) and fame really hovered over the entire novel , over all the characters and their attempts to express themselves through novels and stories and music and plays and acting and painting . He was sort of a talisman for the book but I did n't know if the chapter with him in it would make sense . I wrote and jettisoned so many chapters along the way ( including Dee dying in the 1980s and even a po-mo chapter in which I entered my own book to pitch a film version of " The Zero " ... it was like crawling down a hall , finding a closed door , then backing up and trying another hall . But as soon as I wrote Burton , I felt like I was crawling in the right direction @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ read that po-mo chapter . Can you put it as an Easter egg on your website or something ? And speaking of movie pitches , " Beautiful Ruins " contains a healthy dose of Hollywood cynicism . What is your own relationship to Hollywood ? Are there adaptations in the works ? Because I 'd rather watch a film version of any of your books that another fucking superhero movie . <p> I think it contains both cynicism and hopefulness , which is my basic reaction to the place . It 's funny : the usual Hollywood portrayal is overly cynical , I think , which is kind of boring in the end and only half of the story . What I loved about Claire and Michael Deane is that she is the cynic and he , for all his cruel machinations , is endlessly hopeful . For me , movies and television are interesting because they are the dominant storytelling form of our time . My first love will always be fiction , and especially novels , but I 'm a writer ... I write poetry and essays and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and sometimes I even write scripts . My first book , about Ruby Ridge , was made into a miniseries on CBS in 1996 , and since then , I 've dabbled in Hollywood , pitched a few things , sold a couple of screenplays and a pilot that I wrote with a buddy from Spokane , flirted with seeing " Citizen Vince " as a film , and most recently , adapted " The Financial Lives of the Poets " as a script . It 's supposed to go into production as an indie film in November , with Michael Winterbottom directing and Jack Black starring . I 've managed to work there just a little bit , but with really great people ( the hopeful side ) and my experiences have been just fine , but with cynical moments spliced in . That said , I think most Hollywood meetings are silly and I truly despise pitching . It 's insane to expect someone to come in and tell you the story before they 've written it , and buying an idea from someone who can explain @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ based on his ability to draw a picture of your car 's problem . <p> Readers of my first novel , " Totally Killer " -- all seven of them -- often compliment it by saying " Wow , this would be a great movie , " as if this is the highest praise a book can receive . I 'm sure you get this , too ( see my previous question ) . What are your feelings about that , the **34;4165;TOOLONG notion ? <p> People sometimes ask who I would cast in my books and I never have any idea . I do n't think I could ever write a book thinking of it as a movie the whole time . This would be like building a house and filling it with furniture just so you could have blueprints . I did try to write " Citizen Vince " as a script before the novel , but it never really came around until I wrote it as fiction . And by then I 'd thrown the script aside and did n't really think of it . A novel @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ film can also animate the story , but it 's such a different kind of animation . I write novels because I love the form , because it 's my favorite kind of storytelling to encounter and to practice , because I want to create for readers the experience of reading that I 've had reading novels -- that complete immersion and emotional connection . I also love film , but it 's not really the writer 's medium . A great script is necessary -- and I think people underestimate the importance of the screenwriter -- but so many other things have to click into place for a great film : acting , directing , etc ... I love the film " One Flew Over the Cuckoo 's Nest " and I love the book " One Flew Over the Cuckoo 's Nest " but they could n't be more different . <p> Well put . On your site , you do haiku reviews of books . Give me a haiku review of " Beautiful Ruins " . <p> Even in haiku <p> it 's probably bad form to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a cameo in " Beautiful Ruins , " this is the least -- let me use the MFA term here -- detective-y of your novels . In fact , if I were to plot the percentage of " detective " in your books on a graph , we would see an overall decline . Have you lost interest in the form , or are you just saving it up for a return to the genre to win another Edgar award ? <p> Ha ! Yes , it 's all part of a master plan that ends with me winning a daytime Emmy and being elected Sheriff of Boundary County , Idaho . No , I really do n't think about it that way . I just ... write . I started the novel that became " Beautiful Ruins " before any of my published novels ( I was also writing a novel about a single father ) so if I 'd finished one of those first first , then maybe " Over Tumbled Graves " would have been the departure . Back then , because my first book had been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ true crime specialist " Jess Walter and thinking , One book makes you a specialist ? ( Eat one lousy foot , they call you a cannibal . ) But at the same time , I was writing domestic short stories and comic short stories and noirish fiction and comic fiction and essays and ... well , everything . Now I 'm kind of embarrassed that I ever spent time thinking about how people describe me . I think it 's healthiest and most productive to I see my bookshelf expanding , it gives me the impression that my brain is expanding , too . <h> More Related Stories <h> Comments <h> Comment Preview <p> Salon is proud to publish content from The Nervous Breakdown , one of the web 's finest online culture magazines and literary communities . It features the work of authors , poets , and other artists from around

@@5078041 <p> This is a new group for adult men and women who are single , enjoy golf , and like to socialize . While golf is our focus , we will attempt to maintain a balance with the social side of things and not take ourselves too seriously . Monthly group outing ar ... <h> Newest Meetup Groups <p> This is a new group for adult men and women who are single , enjoy golf , and like to socialize . While golf is our focus , we will attempt to maintain a balance with the social side of things and not

@@5078141 <h> 10 Things Americans Say ... and What They Really Mean <p> When it comes to the spoken word , Americans are a truly baffling bunch . So we 've decoded their most irritating idioms . <p> 1 . When an American shop assistant says , " Have a nice day ! " Translation : " Honestly , I do n't care what kind of day you have . But please tell my manager I was friendly so I get extra commission . " Definitely does n't mean : " I will sob myself to sleep if I subsequently learn that you had a less than adequate day . " <p> 2 . When an American you 've just met says , " Let 's have lunch sometime . " Translation : " Let 's never ever eat a meal together . " Definitely does n't mean : " I urgently need to see you put food in your mouth . " <p> 3 . When an American friend says , " I hooked up with ... " Translation : " I had sex with/kissed/hung out with ... " Definitely does n't mean : " I attached myself to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ When American parents say , " Good job ! " Translation : " Hey ! Everyone ! My two-year-old is a genius because he split an infinitive , then corrected himself ! Also , he went pee-pee in the potty . " Definitely does n't mean : " Excellent career choice . Well done son . " <p> 5 . When a drunken American says , " I 'm actually Irish . " Translation : " My great great grandfather was part Irish . Or at least that 's what I heard . " Definitely does n't mean : " I 'm Irish . " <p> 6 . When a sarcastic American says , " You do the math . " Translation : " Work it out , fish brain . " Definitely does n't mean : " Please do some long division immediately . " <p> 7 . When an annoying American says , " Your shirt is so cute ! " Translation : " That 's one good looking upper body garment , be it a vest top , a t-shirt or an actual bona fide shirt -- @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mean : " I 'm sexually attracted to your blouse . " <p> I 've lived in AZ for just over a year now , and my husband &; I still giggle at our lingo barriers <p> Jelene <p> We spend 2-months a year in England and after the first week , we 're speaking YOUR English ! Wheelie bins , kitchen roll , loo roll , spanners , etc .... it 's such a hoot ! Cheers to our differences , I love all of them ! ! ! And welcome to the USA , I hope you are having a lovely time ! <p> http : **30;798;TOOLONG Amy Collins <p> And do n't get me started on Fanny Farmer Candy ! <p> Lisa <p> I have never ever ever used the term fanny . Bum , butt , booty ( with my kids and rarely ! ) , rear , backside , but FANNY ? ? ? ? ? <p> Emma <p> I had my 20 week scan 4 weeks ago , found out it 's a boy &; my mother in law said " I can see @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been told it was a boy ! LOL <p> We refer to those stupid belt pouches all the time as Fanny Packs .. totally different meaning in UK <p> Jelene <p> Mostly mothers of small children use the word fanny , i.e. , I 'm going to smack your fanny if you run out in the road without looking .... <p> http : **30;830;TOOLONG ? id=1 ... Jennifer Burnham <p> Er , a " Fanny " is not a backside . It 's a lady 's squishy bits . <p> Emma <p> Exactly ! thank you ! <p> http : **30;862;TOOLONG ? id=1 ... Jennifer Burnham <p> Oh sorry . I thought you were American 's talking about British slang . Got it completely turned around . <p> http : //twitter.com/TeriNall Teri Nall <p> Only old ladies say fanny <p> Zo 's Mum <p> You mean a butt/ass ? We do n't say fanny at all . <p> http : **31;894;TOOLONG Chet Carman <p> " Bitchin ' " <p> http : //twitter.com/TeriNall Teri Nall <p> no one has said Bitchin ' since about 1987 <p> http : **31;927;TOOLONG Chet Carman @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ <p> Yeah ... cause when British people say ' You alright ? ' when you 're in a shop , they 're really concerned about you and not how they can sell you things ... And ' ta ' is totally a thing that means ' Thank you . ' And ' pissed ' means ' drunk , ' and not ' angry ' but in either places rarely means ' covered in urine . ' Did you get paid to write this ... ? <p> Me <p> If I got that offended over that kind of thing , I would have a very unhappy life . <p> Ethan Gilbert <p> American here -- Why would someone be offended by this ? But you did miss the boat on " Bless your heart ! " Means : You seem mentally retarded to me . Does NOT Mean : God keep you in good cardiovascular health . <p> Marilyn <p> " Bless her/his heart " usually proceeds a " but , " and then the diss . Yes , I do that , here in one of the middle states . @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is the polite way of ending an insult . " She ca n't help being stupid , but she does n't have to open her mouth . Bless her heart . " <p> Jamie <p> My grandmother ( a Southern gal ) always said " Bless your/her/his heart , " and not in that sense , nor with a " diss " added on . She used it all the time in a positive context , i.e : " you 're adorable . " <p> Kim Morgan <p> Yeah , I live in the South and this is one of my least favorite phrases . It usually is n't malintentioned ( I think I just made up a word ) , but there is a condescending nature to it . <p> The use of the word restroom amuses me . I 've actually seen Americans flinch if you ask where the toilet is . And the Americans I 've met seriously hate any kind of swearing . <p> Tstys913 <p> Well , I do n't know what Americans you have been talking to but I live in America and am @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ conversation . I also do n't use the word restroom , ever . We have different people here just like you do in the UK , each have differing nuances of speech . <p> Moeyknight <p> You 're correct . Americans have many more regional differences than Britain because it 's so much larger . And we all swear except maybe my grandmother . <p> http : **35;960;TOOLONG ... Missy Gustavsson <p> i am american born and i love swearing ! ! <p> RogueSquid <p> A friend of mine is terrified of saying toilet , or anything that references ' pee ' , so she has to say restroom haha . But , I do n't mind loo or bathroom . <p> http : **35;997;TOOLONG Sandra Little Rabinowitz <p> Once upon a time in America , there were actually rest rooms in large department stores , where ladies could take a break from shopping , freshen their makeup , etc. there were couches and comfy chairs and countertops with stools for these purposes . Beyond the rest room were the toilets . Now you know . <p> lindsey <p> They @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stores in NJ . And also in the casinos there is a sitting room with a counter and mirror and chairs before the actual toilets and sinks and such . <p> http : **30;1034;TOOLONG Heather Blank <p> HAH I love swearing ! <p> http : **33;1066;TOOLONG Brain Lock <p> I usually use " bathroom " with the occasional " I got ta hit the head " , meaning I have to whiz so bad my back teeth are floating ! " Seeing a man about a horse " or other animal does not mean he is headed to the pet store/zoo/farm to purchase said animal . <p> While " dropping the kids off at the pool " is one some friends use to " drop a deuce " , not leave the kids to their aquatic playtime . I have been known to start singing " Boom boom boom boom " , tho . LOL <p> american swear <p> swearing in america is like anything else . just depends on the person . i myself love inserting swear words into the middle of other words i.e that is fan-fu#$ing-tastic . @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or me if I 've worked third shift recently . We swear like sailor . <p> gin <p> " Restroom " is the public loo . I was informed that they 're called that because many of them used to have a " lounge " or waiting area with chairs and a mirror in one room that you passed through to enter the room with the toilets . A " bathroom " is what you have in your home that has a sink , shower and/or bathtub , and the toilet . <p> Skankardly <p> you 've never been to Boston then . Swearing is our first language . <p> Doug Bermingham <p> And " snog " and " wocher " are n't just as confusing ? I STILL do n't have a consistent definition of either of those , FYI <p> Mike <p> what 's a snog or wocher ? ? ? ? <p> http : **32;1101;TOOLONG Jeckyl Draco <p> snog = making out usually wocher = what 's up <p> basically is how i understand it . <p> http : **30;1135;TOOLONG Elizabeth Carrico <p> Wocher is : how @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I know what snog is . What is Wocher ? <p> Erika L. Statler <p> " Snog " means make-out of kiss , I believe . <p> You totally have me on " wocher " -- maybe , it means , " Hey ! What 's up ? ! " <p> http : **29;1167;TOOLONG Andrea Mc <p> Doug , ' snog ' is a full-on kiss and ' wocher ' is a greeting , probably short for " What you up to ? " <p> Lisa <p> That . is. fantastic . ( Says the American who is , by the way , a little Irish and a little English . ) <p> http : **27;1198;TOOLONG Aaron Dorsey <p> When an American From the South says : " Bless it 's heart " Translation : That is the dumbest/ugliest thing I have ever heard/gazed upon Does n't mean : I hope that an ordained minister visits you and blesses just the circulatory organ of your child <p> Southern hospitality is a myth . I lived all over the south for a few years and all I saw were racists and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but my experience in the south was primarily bad . I 'll never understand why people constantly say people from the south are nice . People are people . Some are nice and some are n't . The fact that there are way more racists and bigots in the south seems to make the southern hospitality thing a huge joke . <p> http : **30;1227;TOOLONG Nina Dee <p> Bigots and racists are all over . I 'm from the South , member of one of the groups oft target by said bigots and racists , and I still woud n't be from anywhere else . Always a few bad apples , but we are mostly a hospitable bunch . <p> dorthy <p> Personally ? As someone from Texas , I 'd rather go to the NorthWest . Part of that is because of the climate and scenery and part of that is that it 's hard to get to really know more of people than what they want to show you . I know that 's something that happens everywhere , but I 've just come across a lot of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ want to really deal with people . <p> I do n't know if I really explained that well , but ... I hope it makes sense . <p> Jamie <p> A myth ? No , but there are always exceptions to everything . Southern Hospitality is just not as prevalent as they would like you to think , is all . <p> I 'm an American and agree with Jamie . I have encountered rudeness in the South more often than ersatz " hospitality . " <p> Transplant <p> Maybe you need to try the North to have a proper comparison for the South . Having lived in all of the above , I can say honestly that Southern Folks do have more manners , and are overall nicer than those in the North . Children in the South routinely use , " Ma'am " and " Sir " To the extent that it becomes ingrained and they also use those terms as adults . <p> http : **32;1259;TOOLONG John Cowan <p> Oh , for heaven 's sake . " Bless your/his/her heart " *can* be sarcastic , but so @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can have a perfectly positive meaning as well . <p> I am not sure why this person is on the BCC america site ... this person HATES americans and while I am not saying that there is not a place to make fun of americans if you want to , but it it starting to really just piss me off that its on the BBC AMERICA site ... have a nice day <p> Jackie O <p> This list is kind of silly . Having lived in London for about 5 of my adult years ( I am American ) . I have never had to explain myself when saying " have a nice day " " Let 's do lunch " " I like your shirt " or " I COULD N'T care less " . " Happy Holidays " is pretty self explanatory too . Not all Americans are idiots and not all Brits are confused by us . <p> Laurie <p> I agree . I am American and love to visit England . I know people who would be baffled by British comments just because I know Americans @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ . British people have been very accommodating whenever I visit their country . <p> I could care less <p> You could n't have said it any better ! People like that make American look inadequate ... <p> http : **28;1293;TOOLONG Joe Ruivo <p> And just think what " we " in New England did to butcher the King 's English . " Wicked Pissah " <p> Jeanette318 <p> You got mine with number 8 , Could care less ? Well , try it and get back to me . <p> Pieda <p> I was talking to my cousin who 's American , and her friend was there , and she sounded like a sterotypical Valley girl ... She said ' shut up ' like how it 's said in ' The Princess Diaries ' , or how the character Regina from Mean Girls says it . <p> Kristen <p> When people in Britain kept asking me " you alright ? " I thought I must look upset or sickly -- that one confused me a lot . Once I realized it was meant as more of a greeting or " @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it too . <p> Rose <p> Same here ! I still find it an awkward greeting to respond to . Are you supposed to say " yes , I 'm fine " ? It totally feels like the person is actually asking if I am all right , as though something might be wrong . <p> http : **33;1323;TOOLONG Joe Luscombe <p> No you say ' alrite ? ' back . It 's a way of acknowledging someone who you know . <p> Amanda <p> I would confuse some Brits rather bad . I have a bad habit of asking people if they 're alright when they 're quiet , probably because it starts verging on feeling like they 're ignoring me ( even when they are n't intending to ) and that feeling unnerves me . <p> http : **29;1358;TOOLONG Liz Musselman Kerr <p> Kristen and Rose , same with me ! " Ya'reet ? " confused me for a long time . I found myself running to the loo and checking my face in the mirror to see if I looked sick or upset in some way ! @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ greeting , the way we American college youths say , " Hey " . <p> Britannia <p> It 's a bit like when I first came to California and people greeted me with " Hi . How are you " ? Before I started to tell them how I was , they were off on their merry way . Now I realize " how are you ? " is just a form of greeting . It does n't mean the person actually wants to hear how you are . And I 'm afraid that now I use the phrase that way myself . <p> dork <p> It 's exactly the same as the way an American would say " How are you ? " while walking past at fifty miles an hour and not stop to hear your reply . i.e. just a greeting . <p> I 'm an American and I find it really funny . Also , number 8 ? So very true , and so very maddening . <p> Jamie <p> Some of these are a bit condescending , but I TOTALLY agree with number 8 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ <p> Laurie <p> Brent , I agree ! <p> Martin <p> Swag . Sick of it . <p> http : **30;1389;TOOLONG ? id=5 ... John Wright <p> s.w.a.g . = American for " scientific wild assed guess " . <p> http : **35;1421;TOOLONG ... Valorie Fisher <p> Also means " stuff we all get " for example goodie bags at the Oscars and birthday parties You keep using that word . I do not think it means what you think it means . " <p> Carrie <p> I ca n't get used to " Cheers " ! I 've been to England a dozen times and whenever I go anywhere everyone 's saying " Cheers " . I feel like I should raise a glass in salute . Even when I 'm leaving a pub and the barman says it , I want to return to my seat and tap someone 's glass with mine . A note on the toilet thing ... when someone says that , to me it means they have to go NOW . It 's an SOS type moment . Forget the formalities , they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ polite . No one needs to know what I 'm doing in there ( as I could just be fixing my hair ) . And I always say , " I 'm Irish ! " Drunk or not . <p> http : //twitter.com/TeriNall Teri Nall <p> YES ! and me too . My ancestors ( some of them just 2 generations ago ) were from England , Ireland , Scotland , France , Germany , and Switzerland <p> http : **28;1458;TOOLONG Nick Clift <p> Hey Ruth , how are these Americanisms ' meh ' and ' lame ' . You dug about as deep as BBC America does in its programming . We 've started calling it the Top Gear channel , used to be awesome , now ' it sucks ' . <p> Pat Chandler <p> Nick we call it the Gordon Ramsey channel . Wish they would have covered the Olympics though . <p> http : **32;1488;TOOLONG Jessica Thraen <p> they CA N'T legally cover the olympics in the US . NBC bought the rights for that for $1.2 billion . <p> http : //twitter.com/TeriNall Teri Nall <p> @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Crotophaga <p> The " Top Gear/Filthy Mouth " channel . <p> Riki B <p> Could n't agree more about BBC America . Whoever does the program scheduling needs to be fired because the never ending repetitive stuff is extremely insulting to the viewers . Can you imagine the uproar if the BBC in the U.K. dished up Top Gear night after night . I rest my case . <p> It really depends on the American , and what part of the country they are from . I am from the Pacific Northwest , and we do nt talk the same way here as they do in the south . I find many phrases that are used in America silly , American English is a funny language , and most Americans do nt even speak it well . <p> http : **29;1556;TOOLONG Jadestone <p> Agreed . I lived in several states and am told by everyone that I have an accent . I 've picked up a little here and there . What bothers me most about this site is not some of the misconceptions . ( Which is okay , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) it 's the people saying that they are Americans and hate America . Simple truth : If you do n't like where you are ( in life , geographically , etc. ) then make the change to go where you want to . ( Move , get a better education for a better job , etc . ) <p> Joseph DiCrisotofano <p> And when an American says , " the author of this article is out of touch with the underlying context of language , " what he means is that she ignorant . <p> http : //twitter.com/TeriNall Teri Nall <p> good one ! <p> http : **32;1587;TOOLONG Joanna Carmel <p> Uh-oh . They 're on to us ! <p> skeptical <p> Oh Joseph . Did your feelings get hurted ? <p> Sara <p> The first couple of them are just unnecessarily insulting to Americans . Basically , you 're saying they 're just liars . <p> http : **29;1621;TOOLONG Jadestone <p> Number 2 and 7 are so off . If someone wants to have lunch with you it means they actually enjoy your company and want to spend @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ shirt is cute that is a compliment of your style and should always be followed with a " Thank you , I got it at ... " as that can sometimes be a way of further socialization . <p> http : **32;1652;TOOLONG John Cowan <p> #7 , though very crudely put , is actually warning of an important confusion . When an American compliments someone , it 's meant sincerely , but does n't go further than what is said . If I say you play the tuba well , I really do mean that I like your tuba playing . However , I am not trying to flatter you , suck up to you , or get in your pants by saying so ; I 'm just trying to find a single point of connection between us . This is obvious to Americans but not to others , who tend to only use compliments in the three situations I mentioned . <p> http : **29;1686;TOOLONG Amanda Renfer <p> In some cases , like high school though , " What a cute shirt " often leads to an insult about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ done out of pure spite ( such as dumping juice on it ) . It can also be veiled as " oh what a cute shirt " ( on you , I would n't be caught dead in it though ) . <p> Let 's have lunch sometime can simply mean " let 's hang out and chat " or " I 'm afraid to ask you on a date , so i 'll ask if you want lunch to see if you like me " . <p> You <p> It 's true though . Canadians say the same two phrases . So the hypersensitivity is a little dramatic . <p> http : **35;1717;TOOLONG ... Michelle Kent <p> I work in an ' American Shop ' and when I tell people to ' have a nice day , ' I actually mean it . Life is too short to be negative all the time and I say what I mean , not the opposite . <p> http : **27;1754;TOOLONG Katey Newman <p> My day gets super boring if I do n't get to chit chat a little with customers every @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I work in two different locally owned stores , and we get some very regular customers that I could very easily be friends with outside of just talking to them while I work . <p> hi <p> My ex-boyfriend dumped me 6months ago after I accused him of seeing someone else and insulting him.I want him back in my life but he refuse to have any contact with me.I was so confuse and do n't know what to do , so I reach to the internet for help and I saw a testimony of how a spell caster help them to get their ex back so I contact the spell caster and explain my problem to him and he cast a spell for me and assure me of 2days that my ex will return to me and to my greatest surprise the third day my ex came knocking on my door and beg for forgiveness.I am so happy that my love is back again and not only that , we are about to get married.once again thank you aloma spell.you are truly talented and **39;1783;TOOLONG ... is the only answer.he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ publishing him because he is a wonderful man **30;1824;TOOLONG <p> Daven <p> Yes ! Same here . I used to work at a retail store as a clerk in the Tanger outlets in NY . I know some employees just say it because they have to , or are only generally helpful/polite to customers because they have to be , but I never see a reason not to be polite and helpful , on my own . Why should n't a person actually mean it ? It 's not like the customers are the cause of all personal woes ... lol <p> http : **29;1856;TOOLONG Ethan <p> Oh you Brits ... you 're so bloody adorable , with your pluralizing words that should be singular and vice-versa ( e.g. sport and maths ) and other stuff . We 're two countries separated by a common language . <p> Dave <p> We say maths because the word mathematics has an S at the end . By the way America , not all English people are from London and Britain is 4 separate countries , we all speak different languages and different @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a different version of English , but let 's not forget that we invented the language , to say were wrong is like someone from Mexico telling someone from Spain that they 're dialect is wrong . <p> Rachelle <p> I 'd like to point out that the dude was complementing ' Brits ' in a way , and that historically speaking we invented English too , sense although not everyone in America is English the country founded itself with English people , furthermore the correct terms for certain areas in the U.S are New England , Giving us leeway to adapt the language The South , The Midwest , The Mid-Atlantic <p> Actually the Germans and the Romans and the Vikings " invented " English .... because it is a sloppy whore of a language that takes all of the easiest pronunciations ( damn the spellings ) of words and turns them into one langauge .... so , if you 'd like to take credit for " creating " the bastard child of a language from 3 different countries who made you their bitch , as your own brilliance @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The original lanuage probably originated in Turkey . However the standardisation of the English bible gave us the modern English language . <p> Calculate the proportions here .. population v. medals .. and then do your smug comparison . <p> Billyp <p> Okay , then why is the US on par with China ? oooorrrrr ... Grenada ! Grenada ! Grenada ! Lost empire . Got ta sting . <p> Trevor Hope <p> this entire chain of replies in unneeded . <p> Paul <p> We also can see America is full of A$$holes . And I 'm American . <p> You <p> Because your use of expletives and appropriate syntax really shows how awesome you are . <p> Skankardly <p> nice . <p> Nancy <p> Never , in my 32 years of living in the US , have I EVER heard someone say , " Happy Independence Day ! " Maybe a " Happy 4th . " Besides , anymore it 's about our current soldiers and their efforts . That and barbecues . <p> Sandlapper <p> And fireworks .... <p> http : **30;1887;TOOLONG ? id=5 ... Anne Noble <p> @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Native Americans and marginalized you all . <p> taylorrr <p> lmao .. that 's a good one ! i 'm american , even .. <p> Jo <p> Ahh yes , because we all know that throughout history England would never take over someone else 's land . <p> I 'm guessing maybe 30% of us Americans know the actual name for the holiday we celebrate on July 4. ( was tempted to write 4.7 ) . <p> Brittania <p> In England we call it Thanksgiving ! <p> Lala <p> What retailers pay on commission these days ? Did you just see Pretty Woman for the first time ? <p> http : **30;1919;TOOLONG Elizabeth Carrico <p> Ah , Nordstrom for a start . <p> random <p> oh and Olympic Medal Count : Scoreboard ! ! <p> random <p> TEAM USA ! ! <p> Abbie <p> These are all absolutely true , I am an American and I really wish that I was British ! <p> Skankardly <p> move . <p> http : **35;1951;TOOLONG Mike Netty Ornce <p> move ! <p> IrishAmerican <p> american military term " head " does not mean @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ . it mean loo , restroom , bathroom <p> http : //twitter.com/TeriNall Teri Nall <p> I believe that 's a Navy Term , No ? <p> yankdyke <p> " head " is used to refer to a toilet on a boat by thosein the nautical world <p> Hannah <p> I 've been to england and i must say you have some very obscure words yourselves . <p> Michael <p> Check back soon ... <p> Maureen M. Connor <p> I 'm not happy with the first one on this list . I am an American and I do mean when I say " Have a good day " We 're not all ass holes here . Thanks a whole bunch for putting all of us in one giant lump group . Also My family has Irish heritage that we can trace back so I am comfortable saying that " I am an Irish American " and " I 'm Irish " When some one asks what my heritage is . So how about an article about " What British assumptions on Americans bother you ? " <p> Aaaargh <p> A bit @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ author recently interacted with an American that irritated her . <p> http : //twitter.com/TeriNall Teri Nall <p> or it was spurred by the general attitude that we 're all stupid idiots . <p> http : **30;1988;TOOLONG James Estes <p> When this American says , " zzzz . " Translation : " Good Lord , what a tedious list . " <p> Jeckyl <p> They are just making the translations people . You are over offended because you know its true lol . It may not be about commission as much as customer service , but most people in the WORLD do n't care so much for others they do n't know personally . It 's just a greeting . <p> Denise <p> Wow , That was a little mean spirited was n't it ? Sometimes " Have a nice day " really means Have a nice day . Clearly from the tone of this article you are not having a nice day . I 'm sorry someone pissed on your parade . Perhaps as an expat in the US you should embrace the colloquialisms with some humor instead of assuming @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ us in to the ground . <p> Jamie <p> I agree . Not all Americans are this mean-spirited ... this makes it out that we are lying jerks who care about no one . If I do n't want a person to have a nice day , I say nothing , haha . <p> http : **30;2020;TOOLONG ? id=5 ... John Wright <p> A lot of these have to do with overworked , frantic people trying to remain polite in the face of exhaustion . If your writers want some very funny examples of idiosyncratic speech , then they need to explore the expressions used in the Southern States . One of many of those are , " if a Southerner says " bless his heart " , he is actually saying , " what a blooming idiot " . <p> http : //twitter.com/TeriNall Teri Nall <p> OK this was funny , but if I tell someone to have a nice day I genuinely mean it . In fact , if I say any thing to you , I mean it . If I do n't ( i.e. a joke @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ n't have anything nice to say , unless you 've pissed me off , I generally wo n't say ANYTHING to you , because you 're not worth the waste of oxygen . <p> lindsey <p> I do n't agree with some of these . There are nice Americans that actually try to be friendly with other people . Some of these are really silly ... do all Brits take everything literally ... you really do n't know what " good job " means ? which could definitely mean you did well on something ... maybe not your career , but on a school assignment or something like that . It 's equivalent to " job well done . " And " happy holidays " ? I realize you call your vacations holidays but things like Christmas , New Year 's , Easter , Halloween , etc are called holidays . So saying Happy Holidays is akin to saying Merry Christmas and Happy New Year . Restroom is really just the polite way of saying bathroom . Some people also say " Where is the ladies ' room ? " @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ something . And telling someone you like their shirt or shoes ... could really just be someone saying they think another person 's clothes look nice ... <p> http : **32;2052;TOOLONG Tara Lackey Johnson <p> Should you ever have the interesting experience to visit Texas , " Bless your heart " means they think you are an idiot and only Jesus can save you from your own stupidity . <p> http : **35;2086;TOOLONG ... Valorie Fisher <p> Tara , you nailed it ! <p> Mm <p> This is certainly not a culturally interesting piece . Educated people usually enjoy differences between their country and a foreign one . We are talking about differences in expressions not female circumcision after all ! Maybe the author needs to travel more . <p> Laura Lynn <p> You 're a wanker ! <p> WhateverYouSayFool <p> I love the " I could care less " one . I hate when people say it like that . Idiots . <p> http : **31;2123;TOOLONG Taurus Wright <p> Why . Perhaps they are being up front about the fact that they actually could care less ( you know @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to care ) . <p> WhateverYouSayFool <p> Because it makes no sense as a statement . <p> http : **33;2156;TOOLONG Lindsey Albright <p> I do n't see why these things would actually bother you . I think this is funny , and awesome . Differences between cultures and what they say is very interesting . It can make for a good laugh . Next time I use the phrase " I hooked up with ... " ( which would be the first time I would be using that phrase ) I 'm definitely going to mean that I attached myself to someone with a metal clasp , lol . Just Awesome ! <p> Doom <p> Good God people this is satirical in nature . I ca n't believe so many Americans are getting their panties in a wad over this . I 'm American but your reactions to this is just pathetic . No wonder most people in the world hate us . <p> Ethan Gilbert <p> Thank You ! We 're not all hypersensitive dumbasses . <p> http : //twitter.com/TeriNall Teri Nall <p> I knew it was satirical . @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it . I think people are mad because it 's no secret how the rest of the world views us . <p> Jamie <p> This is my stance on it . <p> http : **33;2191;TOOLONG Lindsey Albright <p> Exactly ! I 'm an American too , and I thought this was funny . I could n't even relate to some of these sayings personally , because I do n't use some of them , but I know other people that do . It 's not like it has to be taken to heart . <p> http : **25;2226;TOOLONG Mark <p> There 's plenty of material here for another post about how thin-skinned Americans are . <p> http : **33;2253;TOOLONG Red VonMunster <p> Even more material about how ignorant the English are . <p> http : **30;2288;TOOLONG ? id=8 ... Sandy Conley <p> True about the commission -- as in , there is n't one . Not in an ordinary shop . We say " Have a nice day ! " because it 's been drilled into us to say it since at least the 1970s and the era of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you for your patronage " and we ca n't say " Thanks , Mrs. Smith ! " because nobody knows your name anymore . And , sometimes , we do say it because we care about what sort of day you 're having , because we crave a couple seconds of actual human interaction and we think possibly you might too . <p> And as for greetings , my favorite is the old traditional one the Yats say in New Orleans -- " Where y'at ? " Makes no sense at all logically since they can see you and know where you 're at , but it 's still awesome . <p> Erika L. Statler <p> I know the post was meant to be funny , but I 'm getting irritated by my foreign friends who assume that almost all Americans are rude . It 's posts like Ruth Margolis ' that perpetuate stereotypes and breed intolerance . <p> For #1 , when I say , " Have a nice day ! " I actually mean it . I like to conclude conversations with people I 've spoken with a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ #2 , I would never invite a perfect stranger to lunch , but when I do invite someone to have a meal with me , I mean it and actually make plans for it . <p> #4 , " Good job ! " is a nice way of congratulating someone on doing something they had attempted before and not accomplished or is reluctant to accomplish . <p> #5 , I have nothing for this one because on March 17th , there are far too many drunken douchebags who claim to be Irish that actually are n't . I , on the other hand , know my ancestry and do n't need to bandy it about on that holiday . So I 'll give her that one . <p> #6 , " You do the math " is not always said sarcastically . I 've said it when trying to express how difficult a situation is . I certainly do n't say it in a mean way , I say it as though the situation seems rather desperate and I 'm feeling helpless . <p> #7 , this goes along with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as code for sex as the definition of this phrase . <p> #8 , not all Americans have poor grammar ! <p> #9 , and " loo " is a better word for using the toilet ? Pardon out modesty and use of polite wording for what goes on in the bathroom . <p> #10 , " Happy Holidays ! " is far more polite that wishing someone a " Happy Christmas ! " -- especially when they do n't celebrate the Christian holiday . Do all Brits wish their Jewish friends a " Happy Christmas ! " or wish their Muslim pals that sentiment ? We 're a little more sensitive to cultures than Brits seem to be if " Happy Christmas ! " is the phrase used across the pond in the month of December . <p> Just because Americans and Brits have different slang does n't mean that one is better than the other . <p> The assumption that all Americans are snarky ( and almost every one of those have a snarky " definition " ) is rude and unfounded . That assumption is on par @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who have bad teeth . <p> Erika L. Statler <p> Sorry about the odd formatting , I was copy/pasting my reply to this on facebook to save time . <p> http : **28;2320;TOOLONG Bob Simms <p> Best of luck asking for the bathroom in my house . it 's a room with a bath in it . The loo is a seperate room , because who wants to keep theri toothbrush in close proximaty to the loo ? <p> Nancy <p> You know , that 's something I wish was more prominent here in the US . It 's not very often that the toilet is separate from the rest of the . . . bathroom ? . . . restroom ? -Whatever you wan na call it . Bottom line : It 's a cleanliness issue . That 's also why there 's lids to toilets ! One thing I do wonder about is the refrigerators . Why so small ? Would n't that mean you have to go to the store more often because you ca n't keep as much in there ? Is the answer in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Just wonderin ' <p> NinjaPenguin <p> Brits use the term " Merry Christmas " at Christmas time because it 's Christmas . It is said to people that celebrate Christmas , not to people that do n't . It will often be said by those that do n't celebrate Christmas to those that do . We also wish our Muslim friends happy Eid , they do n't say it to non-Musims because non-Muslims do n't celebrate Eid . How is that not sensitive to other cultures ? Think of it as wishing somebody a happy birthday , . It is said to the person who 's birthday it is , not by them . <p> Cerigachu <p> So Americans say ' Happy Holidays ' in the mistaken belief that only Christians celebrate Christmas ? For most people in the UK Christmas is an almost entirely secular festival , based around family , fun , food and great telly , which you 'll find celebrated not only by Christians and atheists , but by many other people from other religions who choose to do something to mark the day . <p> @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ care less . " That annoys the shit out of me . ( Does the cursing help illustrate I 'm an American ? ) <p> Paul <p> true that ! <p> Anonymous American <p> Take a step back and breathe , people ! Maybe you should try counting to ten . I hardly think the author was seeking out to make enemies of us all , it 's just a little harmless ribbing . It 's meant to be funny , not insulting . Just assume that some of the humor was lost in translation and move on . <p> http : //www.socalautoblog.com frazgo <p> If it was meant to be funny its an epic fail . <p> mizlee <p> And when an American says , " Bless your heart " they are really saying , " Poor stupid Brit , who ca n't figure out simple slang . How sad to be that narrow minded and slow . " <p> Jessy <p> At first I laughed but then thought that you could have found better examples .. and .. yeah .. all americans are n't sarcastic New Yorkers ... @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but .. others are n't .... so , um ' ... have a nice day <p> Why are people so upset about a humor column ? If you ca n't enjoy it , do n't read it , you made the choice to come to this page ! <p> Sara <p> What a ridiculous statement . You ca n't know you were offended or did n't like it until you have read it . When I clicked on this link , I thought I was going to read a humor piece , not a list of insults which mostly call me a liar . <p> http : **28;2350;TOOLONG Bob Simms <p> Ooh , you did so think that , you liar ! <p> Texan to the core ! <p> Bless Your dear hearts darlin 's , you most definately do n't have a clue about American . How bout I make it bit dificult and add a bit o Texan n Southern to it . Please kiss my grits if you think that the speak above is even an inclinling of translation . you 'd be in Hot water if @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of above . Sweethearts -- If a shop attendant in the Southern Bit of these states offers you a blessed day -- Please , Let GOD above , the one and only bless your day . But when we bless your dear hearts , Dude -- You be nuts ! <p> http : **28;2380;TOOLONG Yvonne Cousse <p> I HATE HAPPY HOLIDAYS ! THere 's nothing wrong with saying Merry Christmas . Thank God the Brits still use that custom . <p> http : **31;2410;TOOLONG Lori Ellis <p> GOOD JOB Ruth ! ! ! What about when an American says " God Bless You " ? I have yet to see an American insult the British . I 'm sure there is some bad in all countries like the one who wrote this article . But I prefer to see the good at heart and in people . An up-most percent of Americans have more respect for all people everywhere than to post something so disrespectful and insulting to the British character . For the very talented British that wrote " Merlin " My hat goes off to you ! Have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ could do ? <p> Clearly not the best list .... being " Irish " , born in England , and having lived in America for 30 years , I found this one lacking in cleverness and rather " cheeky " and I love taking the piss of Yanks ! They are an easy target . But this is a " load of bullocks " <p> I say have a nice day ! unless I do n't mean it then I say Die have a nice Decay . <p> http : //www.socalautoblog.com frazgo <p> Wow , there certainly is a lot of animosity against us Yanks . For the record 1 &; 2 I use with sincerity as do most folks I know . <p> http : **25;2443;TOOLONG Mark <p> When an American says , " I 'm not a racist . " Translation : " I am a racist , but it 's fully justified , for reasons I will now relate in exhausting detail . " Definitely does n't mean : " I bear no ill will toward anyone based solely on their social , economic or ethnic group @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you believe this . Really . And it 's not true . <p> http : **25;2470;TOOLONG Mark <p> I 'm genuinely curious why you would say that . <p> Nancy <p> I 'm not racist . I bear no ill will towards anyone for their color of skin , economic status , hair color , weight etc . Those are all attributes having nothing to do with their soul ; and that 's what I 'm interested in . And I rather crave diversity . I grew up somewhere where there was n't much AT ALL . I live somewhere now where there is GREAT diversity and I ca n't get enough of it ! I love the variety &; how it enriches my life ; makes it better . And I can only hope I can begin to return the favor . Also : I love that there are others with different skin tones as mine , different eye color ; I love that there are those that are tall and willowy and those that are smaller and more supple . My husband and I are almost nothing alike @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I always have sweats on in the house because he likes it far cooler than my comfort level ) I would *never* give up the differences because he makes my life interesting , broadens my horizons , opens my mind further and I learn to appreciate that which does n't come naturally to me . <p> http : **25;2497;TOOLONG Mark <p> I have no reason to doubt you . I was only observing that most of the time , people who are n't prejudiced never find themselves in a situation where they feel compelled to protest that they 're not prejudiced . When they do , there 's usually a reason for it , and they usually proceed to demonstrate what that reason is . In real life I 'll bet you never have to point out your lack of prejudice to people , you simply show it with your actions . <p> Mongo <p> Y'all are just jealous . <p> CoffeeGirl <p> Huh ... while intended to be funny , it came off a bit bitter sounding . All I can say is , bless your heart . <p> @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ " are idioms ? " Holy Cow " is an idiom ( because , in general in the US , cows are not considered holy . This is an expression of alarm . I do believe this would be an example of an idiom , a phrase that expresses a meaning other than the literal translation of its words ) . Those two phrases are just that and mean what they say . Nothing to decode . Let 's not get started on English phrases and idioms . " Pick up the bone " , really ? Really ? The lift = elevator , a fag = cigarette , fanny = female genitalia , the torch = flashlight . None of these are idioms either by the way , they are just slang . <p> Michael Greer <p> I truly hate when a wait person hears you say " thank you " and they answer , " No problem " .. like fageddabotit ... could care less , would 've done the same for a sheep dog ... What happened to " You 're welcome " ? same amount of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ " no problem " , I answer , " Yeah , well actually , there is a problem you rude sonofabitch ... just say " you 're welcome " and I 'll let this go the next 5 times I encounter one of you young assholes ... " <p> http : **31;2524;TOOLONG Taurus Wright <p> Maybe they do n't want to lie and invite you to partake of their time and energy again . Is that OK ? <p> http : **35;2557;TOOLONG ... Rebecca McCarthy <p> Aw , now I do n't think that is quite fair . Sometimes you say " no problem " as in , " Oh , no need for thank yous , happy to help . " I certainly never mean to say that helping you was equivalent to helping a sheep dog ! <p> I think benefit of the doubt is kind of needed when it comes to that phrase . <p> In fact , in Chinese , there IS no term for " you 're welcome " . Their form of you 're welcome is very much a " no need for thanks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ <p> http : **35;2594;TOOLONG ... Laura Molinari <p> i thought this was funny -- not insulting at all ! the haters who posted negative comments obviously have no life if THIS is causing them so much drama . <p> http : **31;2631;TOOLONG Taurus Wright <p> Oh yeah and " the garden " = yard and not a place where one cultivates special vegetation for food and/or beauty . Jumper = sweater , The Underground = The Subway , <p> http : **32;2664;TOOLONG Ani Crotophaga <p> What is a " loo " ? that is definitely not a real English word ... " I like your shirt " means I want to see what is under it ... <p> I 'm sorry to say but the British butcher the language much more than Americans , in fact they do n't even bother to pronounce English words properly . <p> That is one you should include ... " I 'm sorry to say " means " I want you to think that it pains me to say this , but I could n't give a crap what you think " <p> BBC @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ . Granted , I was kind of hoping this article was more about REAL phrases that get misunderstood , like the our different slang words and how " a rubber " means two very different things here vs. there . <p> Some of these were funny , but I can also see how some people may feel insulted . Really , I think the different translations of these terms depends more on who the person is than whether or not they are American . In other words , I was disappointed but not insulted . I like reading about real language barriers , which is what I had kind of hoped this was . It seems we both like to poke at stereotypes , so here we are . At least no one called us fat , right ? <p> Michael Greer <p> Half my family thought we were Irish , the other half thought we were French ... For some reason , I 've always felt comfy in the UK ... sure enough , we be from the UK , Runaway nephew settled in New Brunswick , CAN ... @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Benny Hill , Monty Python , Dudley Moore AND Peter Cook , Mr. Bean , etc . And I found the food in London just delightful ... Oxford too ... Manchester ... and of course , the real beer . We 're still the babies in the family over here ... ha . <p> Erika <p> Come on , people ! Why are people so annoyed by this ? ! It 's just a funny list , which points out DIFFERENCES between the same language in 2 countries . I do n't see it as a big insult from a culture that sees itself as better , at all . As a linguist and speech-language pathologist , I find it interesting and amusing , regardless of who does or does not agree with it . As an American married to a Brit , I realize this author is just making fun of the fact that sometimes we really do n't understand each other . To be honest , when I hear someone yell ' TEAM USA ' , outside of the Olympics , I hear , ' I 'm @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ differences in a snide and snarky manner , which also basically accuses Americans of being liars and not meaning what they say . I guess that 's funny ? <p> Carolinagirl <p> Silly article , but do get this right as a Southerner here , as in North Carolina and when we say bless your heart , it is not a concern or compliment , but a very polite way of telling you off . Also , I can trace my paternal ancestry back to 800AD in Wales , through England and my maternal grandmother straight off the boat from Ireland , so yes Im an Irish American .... and very proud of it . Now , BLESS YOUR LITTLE PIG PICKEN HEART Y'ALL and HAVE A GOOD DAY <p> http : **30;2698;TOOLONG Dana Grooms <p> My first time in London , it was a bit unsettling to be asked what time I wanted to be " Knocked Up " in the morning . <p> Nancy <p> lol ! Depends on who 's going to be doing the knocking up ! <p> http : **29;2730;TOOLONG Liz Musselman Kerr <p> Yep @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ However , I would rather be knocked up English style than woken up by an alarm clock any morning . ( Nod to Nancy 's comment ) <p> Quinn <p> Well , #2 is a little off , it 's more like , I 'm going to say we should have lunch so it sounds like i 'm being nice even though i know we wo n't actually have lunch <p> MK <p> And when a passing American that you 've met says , " Hey , how are you ? " or " Hey , what 's up ? " what they really mean is , " Hello , " and definitely not , " As we are walking by each other without stopping , we clearly have time to exchange more than just greetings , so please tell me how you are feeling/what is happening . " <p> Julia <p> Who really cares ? Every language has slang .. live and let live people . <p> FP <p> This is a mean spirited , cynical , ethnocentric article . <p> http : **30;2761;TOOLONG ? id=9 ... Ariel Koiman @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ your jimmies rustled . <p> http : **35;2793;TOOLONG ... Christie Bradley <p> I love this ! I am an American and several of these have never made sense to me , especially number 8 . I have to add that as a very small child ( 3 or 4 ) , I remember being confused by the whole " restroom " thing . During a very very long church service at a relative 's church , I was asked if I needed to use the " rest room . " ( In my family we did not use that phrase ) . Thinking that a rest was exactly what I needed , I said yes , only to be dismayed at the sight of an ordinary bathroom with no beds to lie down in at all . I was scolded for " not really needing to go " and brought back in for the rest of the sermon . Ugh . For the record though , when I was working behind the counter , I really did mean it when I wished folks a nice day . Yes , we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ worked . But that does not mean that none of us meant it . <p> http : **28;2830;TOOLONG Bob Simms <p> Nobody is going to tell me what sort of day I have to have . If I want to be a miserable old git I have every right to be one . My Grandad fought in the war to give me the right to complain about the weather and to give people dirty looks when they light up under no smoking signs . <p> Scott <p> Yeah , #8 ... when did that start ? How soon can it stop . Also , I 'm as American as apple pie and a loaded semi-automatic weapon but I 've found restroom and bathroom odd , yet anything more specific sounds like , " I 'm off to the sh*tter . " <p> Awesome Means OK Does not mean full of awe We drive on the right side of the road Means we drive on the wrong side of the road Does not mean we drive on the correct side of the road , the way Britain , Australia and , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ means English , Irish , Scottish , Welsh , Australian , New Zealand , South African , Canadian accent , with all their variations . Does not mean Bronx or Chicago accent Europe Means anywhere they have a funny accent but no turbans Does not meanThe EU ( whichever state that is ) <p> http : **28;2860;TOOLONG Bob Simms <p> And in the interests of balance <p> When an Englishman says : <p> Wotchya <p> Means Here 's looking at you , kid <p> Does not mean I 'm watching you . <p> . <p> Yank <p> Means American , Canadian or sometimes Irish , depending on what we think your accent is <p> Does not mean someone north of the Dixie <p> . <p> Gor Blimey , Guvnor , I 'm orf up the frog for a gold in the rub-a-dub with the trouble <p> Means I am about to berate you about gun control/ Iraq/ Driving on the right/ destroying the language of Shakespeare/ how you spell ' colour ' <p> Does not mean Thanks of much for helping us out in World War II <p> Erik Anderson @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have a nice day or that I would like to have lunch , I definitely mean it . And incidentally , while I was living in Dublin for a year , no one had trouble understanding me . <p> Lily <p> Wow , okay , I think everyone needs to calm down . This was supposed to be funny and you are all acting like you have been personally insulted . <p> Dave <p> The only one that is true is #8 . It is ridiculous to say " I could care less " when in actual fact you mean the opposite . I 'm English by the way , married to an American . All the others are pretty obvious . Oh and a shirt has cuffs collar and buttons . The others are T-shirts . <p> Erik Anderson <p> Also , all of my mother 's ancestors have their roots in Ireland , but I have never uttered the phrase " I 'm actually Irish " even while I was drinking in Ireland . <p> Lizzie <p> Agree with most other comments here . With the exception of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or British , this list is silly and not really that clever . Like everyone else here , I can also think of plenty interesting British sayings ! Though some sayings might be strange to us , none of it has to be stupid , annoying , or confusing- it 's just different and that 's what makes it interesting ! <p> http : //twitter.com/JillyMcBoP Jill McLaren <p> Funny , I do n't have some deceptive , hidden meaning when I say any of those things . And it 's not JUST Americans that say " weird " ( translation : culturally acceptable ) phrases . <p> http : **35;2890;TOOLONG Susie Martin <p> I do n't like it when a British person hates an American for some non specific irrational reason . I do n't like when an American makes a comment such as your nurses when blue belts and the British person takes offense to simple statement and says , " well at least they have waists . " carol <p> http : **35;2927;TOOLONG Mike Netty Ornce <p> This coming from a country that calls the toilet ... the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the throne , the john , the WC ( short for water closet ) and the privy . <p> You say that " Hooking up with someone " is a strange way to say , " had sex with " .... how about some British euphemisms for copulation .... <p> What really amazes me is how many different slang names Brit 's have to call someone an idiot .... <p> Numpty ... a prat .... a spacker ... a spazmo ... a barnpot .... a spanner .... a smeghead ... a berk ... a twonk ... a wally ... a wazzock ... a divvy ... a duffer .... gormless .... a muppet .... pillock and a plonker . <p> To me Ruth , you sound like you 're OFF ONE 'S ONION or OFF YOUR TROLLEY and you 're speaking all SIXES AND SEVENS .... but before you THROW A WOBBLY , SLAG OFF , or TAKE THE MICKEY about the dialect of Americans ... making yourself sound a little CHEEKY ... You may want to proof read your article and see if it makes you seem like a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a bit like a MARDY . <p> When you openly attack an entire county for there dialect you present your readers with an image of you as being a SCRUBBER and of one who needs revenge because of their spitefulness of being born a MUNTER or even a MINGER <p> We can all read that it is apparent you do n't know a SWEET FA about American English .... nor the people you were so openly trying to slam . I do have to agree with you about one of your points through .... Most Americans do say they are Irish .... because they are ! You see , America is a melting pot of cultures ... our gene pool runs very deep ... unlike , oh I do n't know .... an island where over thousands of years , the chances of inbreeding would sky rocket ( not to mention the Royals who only marrying other Royals ......... " smart thinking there William ! ! ! ! " ) <p> Soooooo .... BOBS YOUR UNCLE bitch ! <p> And to you , may I say a very American .... @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ someday ! <p> Nancy <p> You know what 's always been weird to me ? Saying ' bathroom ' about a public restroom . What are you bathing in there ? At least saying ' restroom ' is a little more appropriate . I AM going in there to relieve something . I will say I 'm surprised that Brits say ' toilet ' . It 's just so graphic ! It paints such a clear picture <p> Moeyknight <p> There is no cohesiveness to these examples . For example #1 and #2 is just saying that Americans are all rude and never literally mean what they say . Others , such as #9 are colloquialisms that would confuse those that even though they speak the same language , do n't live in the US . An example of this is the British saying , " Taking the piss . " That would confuse an American that was not familiar with British colloquialisms . <p> Dejaycee <p> It 's so obvious none of you are English , the idea of this article has gone right over your heads . Instead @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ concept and discussed things said in England ( or Scotland etc ) that do n't have sense to you , with levity . <p> Jglassdude <p> was waiting for the funny , i did n't realize it was a rant. thanks for wasting my time ! ! <p> AnaNg <p> Kind of hacky , if it 's comedy , is n't it ? For an encore can you tell us how men and women sure are different ( eh ? EH ? ! ) and how bad airline food is ? <p> TheFizz <p> Some Americans ca n't distinguish between " I could care less " and " I could n't care less " . I make a point of using the correct one . ( I 'm American ) <p> http : **32;2964;TOOLONG Renee Margaux <p> I , an American , find this FUNNY . Those of you ranting and finding yourselves insulted or bent , I would suspect do n't do well at comedy improvs and scream back at comedians ... It 's embarrassing . I hope when/if you travel outside the US , you do n't behave @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Mike Netty Ornce <p> Had this article been written to be a form of comic relief , not so many people would have been offended ..... when Graham Norton , Russell Brand or even Benny Hill makes/made fun of the U.S. no one was upset because it was all in good fun .... but this bitter bitch that wrote this article is in no way trying to poke fun at the U.S. , she only has hatred in her words ..... AND I AM VERY SURPRISED THAT SHE IS WORKING FOR B.B.C.A. If this kind of dribble is what this author thinks comedy is , then she definitely needs to find another line of work . Perhaps a career at the DMV or Air Port Sercurity ! <p> Fred Alan <p> " Ruth is a British freelance journalist who recently swapped east London for Brooklyn . She writes about TV for Radio Times and is working on her first novel . " i.e. , She 's in one of the more demanding environments of the USA , so she 's going to use it as a measuring stick for the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ better to do . Seriously , BBC ? Can I get employed , er , hired , by you ? I 'm even willing to move TO London ! And , I promise to write more thought-provoking nonsense/poppycock than this . Heck , I 'd even invite you over for tea &; biscuits at 4 ! Awaiting your consideration . Good day ! Pip-pip ! Cherrios ! And all that sort o'thing . <p> I 'm not thin skinned , nor do I care if this is what others think of Americans , but this list is just not accruate . In fact , after reading this list , I 'm quite certain that the author has come to these conclusions after watching American reality television , namely ' The Jersey Shore ' and ' Real Housewives . ' Neither of which are good represenations of our culture . <p> Lily <p> I 'm an American , and not all of these are true . Although English is spoken in both Britain and America , there are quite a few differences , and those differences are not accounted for in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a nice day " , I either am trying to be polite , or I really would like the person to have a nice day . 2 . " Let 's have lunch sometime " means " Let 's get together again and talk " or is just expressing interest in being friends with the person . 3 . " I hooked up with ... " this one is true . " Hooked up " is a phrase that means the same thing as the article says . 4 . " Good Job " this one merely means that the parent is happy with the child 's achievement . 5 . " I 'm actually Irish " America is known as the " Melting Pot " , where nearly everyone is of several different nationalities . This just means the speaker is of Irish heritage . 6 . " You do the math " this one , I thought , was mostly accurate . 7 . " Your shirt is cute " Speaker is just complimenting on the person 's shirt . 8 . " I could care less " @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 9 . " I need to use the restroom " In America , " restroom " is a synonym for toilet/loo/bathroom. 10 . " Happy Holidays " is a word people use in case someone will get offended by " Christmas " Personally , I think it 's a bit dumb . Once again , these are just cultural differences . There are plenty of idioms used by British people that annoy Americans . <p> Russell <p> Time was when little booklets , explaining a strange old world , were given to each GI getting off the troopship in Liverpool.These lists mean much less these days than they did even in the 70s or 80s . Now there is so much more communication . Though a list such as this written by a high schooler might be interesting to high schoolers . <p> sophie <p> laurie you are super stupid . <p> NinjaPenguin <p> The only one of these that annoys me as a Brit , is number 8 . It 's just plain wrong . If you disagree , then think about it for a little while . Sometimes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's pointed out . I say " you alright ? " as a greeting &; I can see how that would be confusing for somebody not familiar with that usage . <p> Ariel McClellan <p> I have to agree with JACKIE O ... This is pretty stupid ... ( I am an american . ) I would think if I was in London right now and I said " Have a nice day .. " I would n't have to explain myself . And you are right Jackie because most Americans are smart . We are the strongest country in the world . We landed our men on the moon before anyone else .. So before you start criticising Americans , start thinking about yourselves first ... <p> James <p> I hate the greeting " What 's up ? " I used to check the ceiling ... and it has become so meaningless . They actually expect you to always answer " not much " . <p> snarkypants <p> 1 . I say " have a nice day " to customers . Not so that they tell my manager I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sincerity will actually make their day better . <p> 8 . I guarantee you , the intelligent Americans are just as annoyed by " I could care less " as you are . <p> This article made me cringe , as an American . Embarrassed for the ( unfunny , snarky , and inaccurate ) writer . <p> http : **32;3035;TOOLONG Lindzy Meclaf <p> I 'm American and number four is completely wrong <p> Evangeline <p> Haha , speaking from the point of view of an American , I can verify that that these are mostly true . Except number five . I guess it could be true sometimes , but I know people who are first generation Americans because their parents were born in Ireland . Usually if our great great grandfather is Irish , we 'll say , " I 'm part Irish . " Article was still good for a laugh though . xD and , please , fellow American commenters , CALM DOWN . It 's all in fun , and you have to admit these are true in general even if they do n't apply @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ -- It annoys me to no end when people say " I could care less " because that is precisely NOT what they are trying to communicate . But no one ever seems to think about it . Another one I 'm hearing a lot lately : For Christ 's sakes . Sakes ? Plural ? REALLY PEOPLE ! ( for the record I 'm an American ) <p> http : //twitter.com/CaraSaysNo Queen C <p> This article is condescending , but on the flip side is also extremely funny . I do agree that the author missed " bless your heart , " though that one can be sweet and/or a jab at someone . Number 8 though is a massive problem , and so true . I 'm from New Jersey , and I absolutely hate it when people say that , because obviously they mean " could n't . " I also have to say , though most do n't confuse me ( and even mean the same thing over here ) , I also enjoyed the very toungue-and-cheek ' Things Brits Say ' article as well . @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ need to get so uptight over an obviously humorous article or two . <p> Carlos <p> Wrong on several counts . <p> You can say , " I hooked up with a friend for some basketball " for example . Which means a friend and I got together and played a game of basketball . It does not have to be just for sex . <p> When a drunken American says I 'm Irish . It has not a thing to do with his ancestors . It is really an ethnic , stereotypical , slur-of-an-excuse that says its okay that I am drunk , because I 'm Irish . Any insensitive drunk person can say it , even if he is Black or Hispanic , the ethnic link to alcoholism is understood . <p> The word restroom probably came down from Victorian England 's prudishness when it was considered impolite in the US to mention bodily functions in public or mixed ( male/female ) company . Same Victorian roots regarding the dinner table a generation ago in the US when one was asked if he wanted white meat or dark @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to say breast or leg at the dinner table ; not for the chicken , for the people . <p> Denny <p> I watched a Wimbledon shopkeepers face go totally baffled when my sister in law , inquiring about the price of an item , asked " how much does this run ? " <p> http : **35;3069;TOOLONG Barbara Whitlock <p> I 'm a little bit offended personally ! I 'm an ex-pat ... and quite frankly , I find Americans much more sincere than Brits . And regardless of what the deliverer of " have a nice day " is thinking , it 's better than the usual surly " piss orf " body language of most shop assistants in Eng . nowadays . I do n't care what they might be thinking , at least they are being superficially polite ! <p> And .... most Americans really do mean " let 's get together for lunch " and " hooked up ..... : definitely does n't mean what you 've said here ..... I 'm an ' older ' person , and I 've had people say that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ up with let 's say a waiter or bartender ( in order to get some special service ..... ) ... and I think GB created political correctness , so let 's not get into the Happy Holiday bit ! Most people again , that I know say " Merry Christmas " <p> Do n't be so bloody shallow ! <p> http : **35;3106;TOOLONG Barbara Whitlock <p> I think number 8 needs some degree of thought .... I usually say could n't , but " could care less " means that the person could care even more less than they are expressing or caring at the time .... oh dear , how do I put this in to words ? but I do think it could be a valid way to say it ? ? ? ? Put me right someone .... <p> vachicago@hotmail.com <p> I am an American who has lived in the UK for several years and traveled here for business for years before that . I must say this is exactly what I have come to expect from the BBC . Disguised as " a bit of fun @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ make American looks stupid so that Brits can feel inherently superior . Thankfully , most Brits I know can laugh at both the pluses and minuses of both the US and the UK , without the need to put someone else down to feel better about yourself . In the end BBC , somehow , like magic , the United States has produced a remarkable society of great achievement and one with has been a good friend to this country . All this despite being the lot of backwards morons we all appear to be in your consistently slanted coverage . When will you ever acknowledge the US may have done just a thing or two well ? <p> offhandmanor <p> And some of us mean it 's not a place to LIE down and have a rest ! ( photo caption ) LIE LIE LIE not LAY down unless it 's your burdens . Glad I laid that one on yez . <p> http : **30;3143;TOOLONG ? id=1 ... Barbara Berman <p> right on the nose , you 've been here a while . <p> WF <p> Your explanation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ me ! <p> Katie <p> People need to stop taking this so seriously ! I think the point of this article is simply to illustrate that there are phrases Americans use frequently that may be foreign to a Brit . Sure , they can probably figure out what we mean , but it could throw them off momentarily . Have n't any of you heard a new phrase and thought it meant something it did n't ? <p> One of the more nebulous Britishisms I 've encountered is the various forms of the word " sorted . " " Well-sorted " seems to connote excellence , while " sorted " can mean " finished , " as in " Well , we 've got the ticket situation all sorted . " I enjoy the differences the pond has created . <p> namelessanon <p> The only one that is annoying is the ' I could care less ' one ; which , let 's be honest , is totally incorrect , gramatically speaking . Asides from that , they 're not really that hard to work out . Even ' I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , it 's just irritating as heck . <p> Shivangi Narayan <p> Now that colonising people is no longer in vogue , is this how you spend your time ? Claiming superiority over a language that has grown extensively and has transcended the domains of the " right " and the " wrong " Accept it , o great UK , more and more people speak a variant of English that is far removed from the Queen 's English today . The language has moved on , high time you do too . <p> SUppA <p> I am neither British nor American . But I can definitely say that regardles of what americans say , they have great herats wile british were always arrogant and hating <p> Chris T <p> Guys , this article is obviously idiotic . The BBC is just trolling us for page views and ad revenue . I say we stop commenting and let Ms. Ruth Margolis get back to her bitter and obviously unsatisfying life as a hack journalist . <p> Dave Van Dam <p> Sorry you have been placed in a such a horrid @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ " Do n't let the door hit you on the way out ! " <p> http : **27;3175;TOOLONG Kevin Matthew Hall <p> Someone actually got paid to write this mean-spirited , pointless piece ? It 's a shame that trying to be civil and polite is viewed by this writer as being " irritating " and " annoying " . The Bristish have a beautiful word to describe this article : " Rubbish ! " <p> Uncle Samuel <p> An American reads this article , and thinks , " What a cunt . " <p> Translation : " The author is clearly a poor excuse for a woman , one for whom only the most foul and crudely misogynist descriptor is appropriate . " <p> Definitely does not mean : " I am chiding the author in an offhand , friendly/sarcastic manner . " <p> http : //btwnworlds.tumblr.com/ Lou G <p> Me doth think England is still bitter ... <p> What this means : England is still P.O. they lost a war to a bunch of upstarts and to sign a treaty recognizing they had done so 229 years ago @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tastes a little sour . <p> Joe American <p> Can you figure out what an American means when he or she says " Suck it , you pretentious British twat " ? <p> Johnatan <p> The article depicts the observation of a spiritless person unable to get the touch . <p> elder <p> When in the UK I found that many people who work with the public have developed a " very polite " way of being nasty . They also wo n't volunteer any info like most Yanks do if asked a question . So things are not all rosy there . Yes , as some Yanks are rude ... but more often I find my day passing more pleasantly because of cheerful employees in the retail stores . Must be the big cities where the writer lives .... too sad . <p> Amy <p> This was amusing . I 'm American . I say " I could n't care less " believe it or not . And when I say " Have a nice day ! " I mean it . <p> Rich Bessey <p> When I hear @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ say : " Only if you insist " <p> William Carlin <p> I have to agree with this , having lived in America my entire life , the only other country I 've been to was Korea . I did n't even have to speak the language to understand that they were on a much more sincere level of respect between each other . Unlike here where it 's more like , " Hey , if you do n't do anything for me I do n't want you near me f*ck off " <p> William Carlin <p> Also , I 'm not one to get upset over other countries criticism of america . I know very few places you can go to and actually meet a majority of Sincerely Kind , Heart Warming people . I 've lived in lot of different places and I think I only found one . It was right outside of a military post . On the plus side , I 'm not offended by next to anything except for people who insult my cooking . That 's the only time I get upset LOL @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ n't as open to being lightly mocked as we are . Number 8 had me in stitches . <p> Jenn <p> Huh . Sounds like someone put on their grumpy pants the morning this was written . <p> Actually , I prefer the " have a nice day " to the local shop girls who do n't stop their gossipy conversation while I wait for someone to help me with a purchase . <p> Also , " let 's have lunch " or " let 's have coffee " often means just that , at least with my friends . Huh . Could be the problem . <p> And I do n't see where my " good job " back in the US is any different than my " well done " here in the UK , but whatever . <p> And yes , I " get " sarcasm ( surprisingly , it IS N'T limited to the British ) but this verges on bitter , bless your heart . <p> Missy Carmean Burr <p> Whoever wrote this is an idiot and an embarrassment to both Ireland and anyone who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ <p> dude . <p> LOL @ americans making commission . maybe if you work at a cell phone store . or a car dealership . have a nice day is just way to be polite and nicely see someone off rather than to just say goodbye . <p> Hello every one , i just want to share a few testimony about how my marriage got saved by agbalaxy@gmail.com . I had a fight with my husband and he got mad at me and decided to bring in another woman , i know i did wrong and was scared of loosing him , when he brought in another woman to the house , i thought i have lost him already and that was when i had to use agbalaxy@gmail.com spell and i was amazed the way the spell turned the table around and made my husband start chasing me and want to be with me again . am so happy now that my husband is back to me and me alone ........ Kim <p> KidVersion <p> Hey ! I say " have a nice day " because they were nice , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with a sarcastic tone ... And I rarely say " good job " so if I do , that means you REALLY did a good job .... And I live here , so if someone has a problem with it , go somewhere else . <p> Don Rohn <p> Have you lived in America ? I just ran across this and was born here . It looks like you have no idea what you 're saying . #3 , 8 , 9 and 10 make sense , but the rest seem like you 're being a cynical dick .. ( cock chops probably makes more sense to you .. ) <p> Samantha Ventura <p> how are you gon na say what we mean ? i live in New York City and I 'm pretty sure you do n't read minds and know what everybody is thinking <p> Samantha Ventura <p> this is so pathetic <p> Samantha Ventura <p> did n't know you could go inside my mind and know what i actually mean , I 'm a New Yorker i live in

@@5078241 <h> About this album <p> Love in the Time of Science is an album by Emilana Torrini recorded and released in 1999 with a variety of collaborators , including Roland Orzabal , Alan Griffiths , Eg White and Mark Abis . Its name references Gabriel Garca Mrquez ' 1985 novel Love in the Time of Cholera . <p> I ca n't believe it as been ten years since the album was released ! Damn time goes by like water ! ... her best album to date ... I wish she release albums more often ... since 1999 it only has been " Love in the

@@5078341 <p> CLIMATE CHANGE AND CULTURAL EXTINCTION -- Vijay Prashad reports on the vanishing of Kiribati and other Pacific Islands , as the seas rise and communities , cultures and languages disappear ; PAKISTAN AND THE US : CAUGHT IN A BAD ROMANCE : Charles Pierson dissects the dysfunctional and deadly relationship between Islamabad and Washington ; BLACK PANTHERS IN SWEDEN : Gabriel Kuhn travels to Sweden to document the curious new movement for racial and economic justice inspired by the Black Panthers ; ETHIOPIA AT THE CROSSROADS : Graham Peebles sifts through the rubble of Ethiopia in the wake of the strange death of the CIA 's old pawn Meles Zenawi . <p> US war doctrine has been altered to permit first strike nuclear attack on Iran and other non-nuclear countries . <p> Bush 's war threats against Iran have intensified during the course of this year . The American people are being fed a repeat of the lies used to justify naked aggression against Iraq . <p> Bush is too self-righteous to see the dark humor in his denunciations of Iran for threatening " the security of nations everywhere " and of the Iraqi resistance for " a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ justifies the murder of innocent men , women , and children in the pursuit of political power . " Those are precisely the words that most of the world applies to Bush and his Brownshirt administration . The Pew Foundation 's world polls show that despite all the American and Israeli propaganda against Iran , the US and Israel are regarded as no less threats to world stability than demonized Iran . <p> Bush has discarded habeas corpus and the Geneva Conventions , justified torture and secret trials , damned critics as anti-American , and is responsible , according to Information Clearing House , for over one million deaths of Iraqi civilians , which puts Bush high on the list of mass murderers of all time . The vast majority of " kills " by the US military in Iraq and Afghanistan are civilians . <p> Now Bush wants to murder more . We have to kill Iranians " over there , " Bush says , " before they come over here . " There is no possibility that Iranians or any Muslims who have no air force , no @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ come over here , " and no indication that they plan to do so . The Muslims are disunited and have been for centuries . That is what makes them vulnerable to colonial rule . If Muslims were united , the US would already have lost its army in Iraq . Indeed , it would not have been able to put an army in Iraq . <p> Meanwhile the US media focuses on whether Republican Senator Larry Craig is a homosexual or has offended gays by denying to be one of them . The run-up for the public 's attention is why a South Carolina beauty queen can not answer a simple question about why her generation is unable to find the United States on a map . <p> The war criminal is in the living room , and no official notice is taken of the fact . <p> Lacking US troops with which to invade Iran , the Bush administration has decided to bomb Iran " back into the stone age . " Punishing air and missile attacks have been designed not merely to destroy Iran 's nuclear energy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the economy , and the ability of the government to function . <p> Encouraged by the indifference of both the American media and public to the massive casualties inflicted on Iraqi civilians , the Bush administration will not be deterred by the prospect of its air attacks inflicting massive casualties on Iranian civilians . Last summer the Bush administration demonstrated to the entire world its total disdain for Muslim life when Bush supported Israel 's month-long air attack on Lebanese civilian infrastructure and civilian residences . President Bush blocked the attempt by the rest of the world to halt the gratuitous murder of Lebanese civilians and infrastructure destruction . Clearly , turning the Muslim Middle East into a wasteland is the Bush policy . For Bush , civilian casualties are a non-issue . Hegemony uber alles . <p> The Bush administration has made its war plans for attacking Iraq and positioned its forces without any prior approval from Congress . The " unitary executive " obviously does n't believe that an attack on Iran requires the approval of Congress . By its absence and quietude , Congress seems to agree @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ In the improbable event that Congress were to make any fuss about Bush 's decision to attack yet another country , the State Department has devised legalistic cover : simply declare Iran 's military to be a " terrorist organization " and go to war under the cover of the existing resolution . <p> The " Iran issue " has been created by the Bush administration , not by Iran . Iran , like many other countries , has a nuclear energy program to which it is entitled as a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty . Inspectors of the International Atomic Energy Agency have found no evidence of a nuclear weapons program in Iran . <p> The Bush administration has brushed away this fact , which should be determining , just as the Bush administration brushed away the fact that weapons inspectors reported , prior to Bush 's invasion of Iraq , that there were no weapons of mass destruction in Iraq . <p> The Bush administration managed to disrupt the work of the pesky IAEA weapons inspectors in Iran . Iran has been working successfully with the IAEA @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as a milestone agreement . The Bush administration instantly went to work to discredit the agreement and unleashed its new lapdog , French President Nicolas Sarkozy , to threaten " the bombing of Iran . " <p> The Bush administration 's position is legally untenable and is really nothing but a contrived excuse to start another war . Bush claims that Iran , alone among all the signatories of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty , must be denied its right under the pact to develop nuclear energy , because Iran , along among all the other signatories , will be the only country able to deceive the IAEA inspectors and develop nuclear weapons . Therefore , Iran must be denied its rights under the agreement . <p> Bush 's position on the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty is as legally untenable as his position on every other issue -- the Geneva Conventions , the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act , habeas corpus , the constitutional separation of powers , and presidential signing statements that he cavalierly attaches to new laws . Bush 's position is that the meaning of laws and treaties varies with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ himself to be the " decider . " The " decider " decides whether Americans have any rights under the Constitution and whether Iran has any rights under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty . As the " decider " has decided that Iran has no such rights , the " decider " decides whether to attack Iran . No one else has any say about it . The people 's representatives are just so much chaff in the wind . <p> Whatever form of government Bush is operating under , it is far outside an accountable constitutional democratic government . Bush has transitioned America to caesarism , and even if Bush leaves office in January 2009 , the powers he has accumulated in the executive will remain . Unless Bush and Cheney are impeached and convicted , there is no prospect of the US Congress and federal judiciary ever again being co-equal branches of government . <p> PAUL CRAIG ROBERTS was Assistant Secretary of the Treasury in the Reagan administration . He was Associate Editor of the Wall Street Journal editorial page and Contributing Editor of National Review . He is @ @ @ @ @ @

@@5078441 Mix : <h> Color : <h> Aspect Ratio : <h> Did You Know ? <h> Trivia <p> The parties that inspired the film are based on those thrown by co-director/writer Peter Huyck in and around his southern Californian home . These bashes have included Trekkie , pirate and jailbreak themes where Huyck and up to 100 guests take over venues and don costumes , from Star Trek gear to prison jumpsuits . See more <h> Quotes <p> Vic George : Now if you 'll excuse me , I

@@5078541 <p> I 've just finished watching Episode 12 of Season 1 of Once Upon a Time . As stated by Henry at the beginning of the series , everyone 's memories have been erased , including the Mayor 's . However , the Mayor is clearly aware that she is the Evil Queen after taking the Huntsman 's heart from its box and crushing it . <p> Later on though , she begs Mr Gold to tell her his real name , even though it is shown that she knew his name when she was the Evil Queen . Does this mean that she does know the truth , but some of her memories are hazy as opposed to fully erased like everyone else ? <h> 1 Answer <p> To the question in the body , no , her memories are n't hazy . Regina is the one who cast the curse ; from her point of view , she should be the only one who knows their true identity . <p> Due to Mr. Gold 's actions in previous episodes , Regina had become suspicious that he might actually know who he really is . She had to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ n't know he was Rumplestiltskin , he would n't think Regina was going crazy . But if he did know , he would answer as such , confirming her suspicions that he did remember . <p> Yes - after watching Ep 13 , it 's clearer now that she is fully aware of everything , as she is actively trying to keep David and Mary apart . As her plan is failing , she encourages Kathryn to leave so something bad

@@5078641 <p> Some years ago a Twitter acquaintance went through a terrible crisis . I followed the sad progression of events and grieved the person 's loss even though I had never met anyone involved . On one level , this is a beautiful thing : community that transcends the traditional boundaries . On another level , it left me depleted , and for no good purpose . There was nothing I could " do . " Compassion fatigue is very real , and in the digital age , its effects are compounded by being connected to more people than ever before . <p> Last week at CREDO we talked about emotional labor . Emotional labor is the work involved in responding appropriately to different emotionally fraught situations . Many professions involve heavy doses of emotional labor -- ministry is one of them . We might go from leading a staff meeting , to celebrating a job promotion on the phone with a parishioner , to navigating a conflict with a co-worker , to visiting a dying person in the hospital , to teaching a group of 6th graders at the mid-week children 's program . And that 's before @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to respond to among our families and friends . Lots of stops and starts . Lots of switching gears . <p> It can be tiring . <p> Emotional labor was fleshed out by Arlie Russell Hochschild in her book The Managed Heart , which looked at flight attendants and the ways they must put on a persona in order to respond to airplane passengers . During the presentation , we received an article by Barbara Brown Taylor for the Christian Century some 14 years ago . From BBT 's article : <p> Emotional labor must not show , however . If the flight attendant feels tired and irritable , this must be disguised . If a passenger turns hostile , the flight attendance is taught to reconceive that person as a fearful flyer or a little child -- anything that will help the attendant overlook the rude behavior and relate sympathetically to the passenger . The point of all these " feeling rules " is to win the customer 's repeat business . ... <p> Hochschild found that most flight attendants cope by learning a form of " deep acting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ . They learn other strategies for repressing negative feelings so that they do no erupt on the job . After awhile , many say they have a hard time recovering their true feelings once their shifts are over . They begin to lose track of when they are acting and when they are not . Eventually they become aware that the hidden cost of managing their emotions is the impoverishment of their emotional lives . They have sold their hearts , and do not know how to buy them back . <p> What happens at CREDO stays at CREDO -- -there 's a confidentiality I wo n't breach . Suffice to say there were many lightbulbs during this presentation , and also many tears throughout the week as these good clergyfolk got in touch with some deep wells of emotion , wells they may have thought were capped and done with . <p> Since returning from CREDO I have been monitoring my own responses and reactions as I go throughout my day , and I had an epiphany in the grocery store . While waiting in a long line I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with my phone . I saw something on Facebook that took my breath away : a picture of a child I care about very much , who is going through leukemia treatment . I saw her hairless head and her bright smile as she beamed at the camera . I saw her beads of courage , ropes and ropes of them around her neck . I read the accompanying message . She is a warrior . But she is a small child . And no child should have to fight in any war , even ( and perhaps especially ) a war against cancer . <p> I wanted to cry for her , and I could have cried for her , even in the checkout line . But I did not . I checked myself ... but this time , I was aware of checking myself . <p> Emotional labor . <p> Like many people , I have long wondered about ( and written about ) the impact technology has on our attention spans and our ability to be present in the moment . This is something I struggle with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ checkout lines notwithstanding ) . But I saw another way that our constant access to technology can harm us : sometimes we are not in a place to respond emotionally to the images we see , so those emotions get suppressed . That can hurt us in the long run . <p> It 's an irony -- we praise technology ( often rightly ) for the ways it connects us , but we become disconnected from ourselves in the process . We have sold our

@@5078741 <h> ABOUT THIS ALBUM <p> Album Notes <p> Martian Acres is home to an official population of two--Bob Story and Dennis Wanebo--who combined their very different personal and professional backgrounds to create this music they call " alt Boulder . " <p> Their first CD , " Middle of the Night , " ( produced with a musical cast including some of Colorado 's brightest lights ) brought them the expected joy and satisfaction of a job well done . Two of the songs , " Middle of the Night " and " Dan 's Place " ( ROCK and COUNTRY ROCK ) quickly found a place in the regular rotation at one of Denver 's premier rock stations : 99.5 , " The Mountain . " <p> Another song , " Diamond in the Rough , " went somewhere else entirely . . . the John Lennon International Songwriting Competition named " Diamond " one of the top ten COUNTRY songs of 2003 . ( " OK , they 've got rock and country . . . what else have they got ? " Interesting you should ask . ) A fourth song , " Water Under the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Collection " issued by Oasis Records in Atlanta . <p> And on the net ? Well , the Middle of the Night CD is selling well . Maybe that 's as it should be . The net has been " very very good " to Martian Acres . The title cut , " Middle of the Night , " has been selected for inclusion in the " best of " CD from VS Planet Radio--which is hardly surprising , since the song was NUMBER ONE ON VS PLANET CHARTS ( ! ) several times during 2004 , and was the far-and-away winner on VS Planet 's " power chart . " <p> Look and listen to " Waltz to War , " Bob and Dennis ' second CD , which can be found at http : **29;7709;TOOLONG They are incredibly excited about this new material which reflects their growth as songwriters and musicians . Share the discovery of Martian Acres and Alt Boulder with all of your music-loving friends . It 's un-niche-able . <p> A bit hard to believe this is a first effort by these guys . A @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ compelling authenticity of lyric and message . I favor the more acoustic numbers but it all just rocks ! <p> Great fun here ! Alt Boulder ...... if that 's country rock with a dash here and there of blues , jazz and folk . Middle of the Night is beautiful . If Dan 's Place does n't put a smile on your face nothing will . Master musicians . Great songs and extemely well recorded . It just does n't get much better than this ........ <p> The collaboration of Dennis Wanebo and Bob Story had to turn out great . Bob is the ultimate musician , skilled arranger and the vision guy . You may never listen to a better musician as long as you live . He 's simply that perfect . And Dennis ... what to say about Dennis ? A dreamer , a schemer and maker of rhymes . The way he turns a phrase still makes me chuckle . And do n't forget the incredible voice of Grace Wanebo . Hopefully , she 'll make it her career . Buy this album . It @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ . <p> We are not musicians but rather curious listeners . Both the singing and instuments were fabulous . The different selections made this the most diverse and

@@5078841 <p> Rodgers broke an 18-yard run in the fourth quarter , making it the third game in a row he has had a play of 15 yards or more . Against the Philadelphia Eagles two weeks ago he had a 43-yard run and against the Dallas Cowboys last week he had a 53-yard run . So far this season Rodgers has rushed for 166 yards and has gained 223 receiving yards and has scored one touchdown off a catch . <p> The Falcons are now preparing for next Sunday 's game against the Arizona Cardinals at the Georgia Dome . The game is scheduled for a 1

@@5078941 <h> ' a wedding is a kind of war ' : A Review of Laura Mullen 's Enduring Freedom <p> Seems like HTMLGiant has been posting some great poetry reviews lately . Among them is this one by Kristin Sanders discussing Laura Mullen ' s Enduring Freedom . According to Sanders , Mullen has been using Enduring Freedom as a sort of " score " for performance poetry-weddings where " She has invited her audience to cut a wedding gown off her body in many cities -- Denver , Lafayette , Paris -- a culturally fraught version of Yoko Ono 's Cut Piece . She has worn a wedding dress to a gulf coast oil spill protest in New Orleans . And she has re-sewn a once-cut dress into an awkward , stitched wound of a dress for her ' poetry wedding ' in Baton Rouge last month . " Sanders goes on to write : <p> Full disclosure : I was a bridesmaid in her " poetry wedding . " And by " poetry wedding , " I mean the launch for her seventh book , Enduring Freedom . I wore a bright pink dress and , for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ audience with the poet Afton Wilky , reading/shouting out a list of operation names from the Iraq War . This list is one of the poems in Mullen 's book . When I got to " Baton Rouge , " I paused for effect . When I got to " Church , " I spoke extra loud . When I got to " Enduring Freedom , " it all made sense . <p> Because a wedding is a kind of war . A war is a kind of wedding . If the parallels are n't clear yet , they will be after you read Mullen 's book . The voices in these prose poems are crazy , sad , frustrated , frugal , suffering from PTSD ( of the war ? of the wedding ? ) . They are brides ! <p> We know brides . Even if you aren't/can't/have n't yet/never plan to/O yes have been a bride , you know the territory : the gown , the DIY , the invitation , the photography , the gestures , the whole commercialized industry . These poems remind us of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , decay .

@@5079141 <h> What killed most of the Native Americans ? <p> The people who came from Europe to the New World . They killed the Native Americans with their foreign diseases and their random slayings . They also forced the

@@5079241 <h> FDA Spied On Emails To Try To Silence Critics <h> from the **37;2338;TOOLONG dept <p> We 've discussed how the government often seems much more focused on silencing leaks of information , rather than recognizing that those leaks are often highlighting serious misconduct . The latest example involves the Food and Drug Administration ( FDA ) , who apparently started trying to find the source of a leak , but in the end started collecting thousands of emails to try to stifle all sorts of criticism of the FDA , as revealed by the NY Times over the weekend . <p> What began as a narrow investigation into the possible leaking of confidential agency information by five scientists quickly grew in mid-2010 into a much broader campaign to counter outside critics of the agency 's medical review process , according to the cache of more than 80,000 pages of computer documents generated by the surveillance effort . <p> Moving to quell what one memorandum called the " collaboration " of the F.D.A. 's opponents , the surveillance operation identified 21 agency employees , Congressional officials , outside medical researchers and journalists thought to be working together to put @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ . <p> The details show that the FDA installed key logger software on the computers of their own scientists , tracked the personal emails they wrote to others , and tracked documents they copied to key drives . Now , you can make a reasonable argument that since these were work laptops , the FDA has every right to track the usage , but it seems pretty clear that the FDA went really far here , and it was n't just about stopping leaks , but about trying to stifle criticism and whistleblowing . <p> In fact , much of the evidence suggests that this absolutely was an attempt to blow the whistle on faulty review procedures by the FDA , that resulted in the approval of medical imaging devices that were n't actually safe . And , apparently , the complaints by the whistleblowers were convincing enough that there 's now a Congressional investigation into " a substantial and specific danger to public safety " from this activity . <p> If the FDA were functioning as it was supposed to , it would have seen these complaints as a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the supposed attempt to " stop leaks , " the FDA used this info to try to squelch the attempt to have its own practices investigated . <h> Just part of their device testing protocol ... <p> Maybe this was just the testing protocol for a new medical device . The device under test is called the " Cover Your Ass " ( CYA ) medical device . As it has failed the first round of testing , as evidenced by the continued flow of information regarding FDA wrongdoing , it will have to go back to another round of development . However it seems almost guaranteed that the replacement officials at the FDA will continue to support development of this device . <p> I believe they have all the right to monitor company notebook activities . Except that their rights do not encompass personal e-mail accounts . The right way to prevent ppl from using their e-mails in the workplace to send sensitive stuff out of the company controls is to block access to such material . <h> Re : <p> Can someone show me that they monitored anything @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ read the NYTimes article and I do n't see any mention of actually monitoring Congressional Aides , only that they monitored the emails the scientists sent *to* Congress . That 's a far far different thing and since these laptops are issued by the gov't , the gov't has every right to monitor anything done with them . <h> well <p> why not just have the FDA approve all FDA-criticisms. that way they can just 100% refuse all licenses without $100 million dollar bribes <p> OMG the heads of the FDA have been taking bribes all the way upto july 2012 to pass completely unsafe drugs that cause spontaneous abortions and aneuryms ? and would cream their pants for this kind of power ? <h> Re : <p> Incorrect , if you use their computer to access your personal account anything you do is fair game . You 're using their device to do personal stuff and it 's either against policy on that front , or they denote up front that they are allowed to monitor what you do with their device . <p> However , if the FDA @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ email , that is not . But I do n't see any mention of that in the NYT article . <p> The thing about monitoring is , once it starts it gets out of hand very quickly . You find what people actually think of you , the jokes they tell about you . You find one person sending something that " Might " be a problem to another . You then look at this other person who leads you elsewhere . <p> Its why the monitoring of citizens will lead to more monitoring . Because when you know what people actually think of you , you begin thinking there is a conspiracy behind every door . <p> To be honest , the solution to this problem is not legal ( make better laws that forbid such snooping ) , but providing proper end to end encryption ( meaning , store the emails themselves encrypted ) so such snooping simply can not happen again . <p> To me it 's rather simple : we tried playing nice relying on the relevant authorities to keep their hands of our privacy , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their control so they simply can not abuse it . <h> Re : Re : <p> Monitor is ok , you can monitor what 's done without logging passwords . Every1 has a banking life and most companies I know allow you to check your account from within the company network . So the question is , are they allowed to monitor your banking history and passwords ? I do n't think so , even if they do n't plan to log into your account later . <p> Besides , if there 's enough sensitive information you have to block all access to the internet because you would n't be able to see exactly what 's going through an encrypted connection that easily ( please correct me if I 'm wrong ) . I do n't see how they could see who were the ppl the employees sent their e-mails on external webmails without effectively logging into their accounts . <p> All the rest is fair game , including monitoring what files go into what usb sticks and that 's something we know it 's done regularly within the US @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ if I 'm mixing up something but they got to him by checking the files that were transferred to a usb stick with his login ) . <h> Re : Re : Re : <p> Monitor is ok , you can monitor what 's done without logging passwords . Every1 has a banking life and most companies I know allow you to check your account from within the company network . So the question is , are they allowed to monitor your banking history and passwords ? I do n't think so , even if they do n't plan to log into your account later . <p> The US government ( USG ) does have the right to monitor everything done on their computers and network because users may not log into a USG computer unless they agree to monitoring . All properly configured USG computers display a log-in warning banner that states the computer is an official USG computer to conduct USG business . The banner also states that there is no expectation of privacy , all activity is monitored , and by logging in the user consents to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ required to complete annual FISSA training . A reminder that users consent to monitoring is also in that training . The USG also has an ROB that users must accept before they are allowed to use a USG computer , and guess what the ROB contains ? That makes three notices warning of monitoring , one of which appears every time you log in . <p> The scientists only have a case if they were using a USG computer that did not have a warning banner , they never took FISSA training , and they did not sign an ROB . <p> Besides , if there 's enough sensitive information you have to block all access to the internet because you would n't be able to see exactly what 's going through an encrypted connection that easily ( please correct me if I 'm wrong ) . <p> All unsolicited SSL connection attempts from the Internet to USG computers are ( well , are supposed to be ) blocked . Outbound SSL connections are decrypted by the USG using a proxy similar to a man-in-the-middle attack . <p> I do @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the employees sent their e-mails on external webmails without effectively logging into their accounts . <p> Yahoo ! webmail only encrypts authentication , everything else is sent in clear text which can be obtained through a network packet capture . I beleive GMail encrypts everything . Decryption of GMail is accomplished with a proxy as mentioned above . <h> Re : Re : <p> Just because they may or may not have the legal " right , " should be less important than an agency of the U.S. Government using/abusing it 's ' rights ' to cover up failures that potentially put unsafe devices in people 's bodies . <p> I 'll take " natural and legal rights " of the citizenry to an accountable government and safe medicine . <h> Down with the US government <h> Re : <p> We have to stop these treasonous leaks ... if we do not continue to approve ( for a nice fee ) all these profitable ( though potentially leathal ) technologies we would lose 1000000000 jobs and suffer an incomprehensible loss to our economy of 1gigagillion dollars . And do n't @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ our world . <p> I think I make a better troll because

@@5079341 <h> Taking a stand in one of the great civil rights battles <h> Our government and too many churches contribute to the culture of discrimination against gay people that exists in America . I 'm taking a stand because it 's time that we put an end to that discrimination . <p> From the moment the pastor of Albuquerque 's Legacy Church , Steve Smothermon , told me in January that Gov . Susana Martinez had embraced the " homosexual agenda " by appointing a gay man to the Public Regulation Commission , I 've been wrestling with this column . <p> In Smothermon we have a pastor who probably believes passionately in what he preaches and cares about people . And yet , with his belief that Christians are battling for souls driving him to fight a culture war , Smothermon has advocated for discrimination and fostered a culture of hate . <p> This is evident in his recent public criticism of Martinez for selecting a supremely qualified but gay man to serve on the Public Regulation Commission . <p> As someone who has been plugged into evangelical culture for more than 12 years , I 've watched @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it . I 've wrestled with the arguments that come from all sides . <p> When it comes down to it , I do n't think discrimination is ever appropriate , whether it be in government or a church that preaches the teachings of the loving , personal God in whom I believe . <p> In that context , there are two issues I want to address : how our churches treat gay people and how our government treats gay people . Both contribute to the culture of discrimination that exists today in America . <h> Commanded to love everyone <p> I 'll start with the first : During a recent Facebook discussion with others who attend my church , I shared a personal hope that is a radical idea in some corners of Christianity . <p> I want to be part of a faith community where people do n't all look and think the same , I told them -- a church where " gay people and conservative evangelicals who do n't approve of their lifestyle worship side by side . " <p> " For people on all sides @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ all committed to loving each other , should n't we be able to do that ? " I asked . " To work through those other issues , to disagree , to struggle , but to still come together on Sunday to worship God together as one community ? Is n't that love ? " <p> After all , Jesus commanded us to love everyone -- even our enemies . And love , for Jesus , is not a passive word that lets us sit back and proclaim affection from afar . a verb that requires action . " As I have loved you , so you must love one another , " he said . Then he died for everyone -- his friends , his enemies , gay people , those who protest in front of funerals holding " God hates fags " signs , and everyone else . <p> What about statements condemning homosexuality in the Bible , you ask ? This column is already too long for me to get into the complexities of that and other tough theological issues here , but the short answer is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ seems to contradict the primary command to love , my conscience tells me I should go with my understanding of what it means to love , and that 's what I do . <p> Most Christians -- even those who say they believe the Bible is inerrant -- choose to reject at least some statements in the Bible . They eat shrimp . They get tattoos . <p> Churches are free to interpret the Bible to say homosexuality -- or at least acting on it -- is a sin , even if I do not . But , in my opinion , they should still welcome gay people and treat them with respect . <h> A social contract to work together <p> The question of how government should treat gay people is simpler . <p> Being an American citizen , in my view , is entering into a social contract to work for the betterment of every single one of us . It 's a commitment to work together in spite of our various backgrounds and views to find common ground for the good of all . <p> Government has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the majority shirks that responsibility . It 's never appropriate for the government to sponsor discrimination . <p> Advertisement <p> That 's why I believe , if government is going to be in the business of marriage , that it should allow gay people to marry . Or it should get out of the business of marriage and instead sanction civil unions for all . <p> And I do n't believe people should ever be passed over for appointments to important government jobs simply because they are gay . <p> Pastor Smothermon has a different view . <p> Doug Howe , the gay man Martinez appointed to the PRC , is part of a culture of " militant homosexuality " that uses prominent positions in government to push the " homosexual agenda , " Smothermon told me . But Howe has n't made a public issue of the fact that he 's gay . In fact , Smothermon did n't even know Howe was gay until I told him . <p> I asked how that was militant and did n't get much of a response . It did n't seem @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ seem to matter to him that Howe is quite possibly the most qualified PRC member in the state 's history . The man has advised governments and companies in the United States , Europe , Africa and Asia on energy issues . He led a project to design the regulatory agency for the Emirate of Dubai . Could he help clean up a scandal-plagued agency and redesign it so it better serves New Mexicans ? You bet . <p> But this is what Smothermon thinks is important . This is what he told me : <p> " With a governor who looked me in the eye personally and said she 's socially conservative , she believes that marriage is between one man and one woman , who said she would n't espouse the homosexual agenda , I think this goes against that . These are n't the people we voted for you to appoint . We voted for you to appoint people who think like we do . " <p> The pastor added that he 's " not against the human being , but the lifestyle and the political power @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ agenda , that 's what I begin to come against . " <h> ' Not against the human being , ' but still discriminating <p> Smothermon has an apparent belief that gay people , no matter how qualified , should n't hold government jobs . There 's another example involving City of Albuquerque staffers whose hiring Smothermon allegedly opposed because they are gay . <p> Smothermon also told me he opposes domestic partner benefits and has been lobbying Martinez to rescind the previous governor 's executive order granting them to state employees . Through his words and actions , Smothermon is trying to push gay people to the fringes of society . <p> One has only to look at any ethnic minority group living in America today to understand the ways in which such discrimination does unconscionable harm to people . <p> Smothermon can say -- and might actually believe -- that he 's " not against the human being , " but when he advocates policies that make it difficult for gay people to get jobs and benefits , he 's discriminating against human beings . He 's also @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for people like Matthew Shepard . <p> I recently heard Shepard 's mother talk about his 1998 murder . She was in Las Cruces to rally gay-rights supporters . Listening to her speak , I was struck by how far we 've come since her son was murdered in 1998 . I was also saddened by how far we still have to go . <h> ' The church is complicit ... in anti-gay bullying ' <p> The more I 've thought about this issue in recent months , the more I 've come to believe it is one of the great civil rights battles of our time . Author and blogger Rachel Held Evans wrote this recently about people she 's spoken with after giving talks at Christian colleges : <p> " Most feel that the Church 's response to homosexuality is partly responsible for high rates of depression and suicide among their gay and lesbian friends , particularly those who are gay and Christian . <p> " Most are highly suspicious of ' ex-gay ' ministries that encourage men and women with same-sex attractions to marry members of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Most feel that the church is complicit , at least at some level , in anti-gay bullying . " <p> It is n't just the deceived ( or deceiving ) pastors who call for gay people to be rounded up and put behind electric fences until they die who are guilty of bulling . Every church that fights against people in committed same-sex relationships having the right to share benefits or make end-of-life decisions for each other contributes to bullying , depression and suicide . Every pastor who oversees a church that does n't welcome gay people to worship as they are does as well . <p> A core evangelical belief is that people who do n't accept Jesus as their personal savior before they die are going to hell -- in other words , will spend eternity separated from God . Following that line of thought , anti-gay bullying that leads to increased depression and suicide can actually contribute to people -- in the common evangelical view -- spending eternity separated from God . <p> Equally tragic are efforts by Smothermon and others to teach the next generation the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ changing <p> The good news is that times are changing . More of us personally know gay people , and that connection makes a difference . Evans also found this in talking with students at Christian colleges : <p> " And most ... I daresay all ... have expressed to me passionate opposition to legislative action against gays and lesbians . <p> " ' When evangelicals turn their anti-gay sentiments into a political campaign , ' one college senior on her way to graduate school told me , ' all it does is confirm to my gay friends that they will never be welcome in the church . It makes them bitter , and it makes me mad too . This is why I never refer to myself as an evangelical . Ugh . I 'm embarrassed to be part of that group . ' " <p> I 've found at my own church that there 's division on this issue . Some agree with me . Some share Smothermon 's views . Many are in between and conflicted . But there 's at least a conversation happening , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ what my church thinks about my hope for my faith community -- that it would be a church where " gay people and conservative evangelicals who do n't approve of their lifestyle worship side by side . " But I 'm at least working on sparking a conversation . And speaking out . <p> It 's in taking a stand -- with our words and actions -- that we can help change a cultural belief that is deeply held by many in America . It must change . And now , in this generation , is the time . <p> Great column , Heath . Thanks for writing something this thoughtful on such a challenging topic . <p> Bill Moyers has done a stellar job showing the good that people of advanced faith can do in this world , as did the abolitionist movement and the civil rights movement that were both largely led by people of advanced faith . <p> I hope that your column will prove thought-provoking to some people of faith who have n't yet chosen the path of love and inclusion , nor even acknowledged yet @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ modern pluralistic democracy . <p> I think it is disheartening , rude , abusive , ironic and hypocritical that while Churches and religious doctrine go to great lengths to deny gays and lesbians their constitutional rights in regard to pursuit happiness visa vie marriage , the same Churches and no religious doctrine seem to take a stand against what some see as a complete mockery of marriage which is The Bachelor and Bachelorette television game shows . For many the show is an aggressive slap in the face , just as is the US divorce rate in which people lie to and break an oath to God and where the citizenry 's church going society has made certain that marriage is exclusive -- and used taxpayers dollars to do so . <p> The subtle battery of gays and lesbians continue in the United States , but luckily the Constitutional right to free speech has not been completely dismantled . And although attempts to deny Freedom of Speech have been made and some illegally successful , in the end the truth and the justice for all shall certainly prevail . <p> @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ However , when I hear someone say they intend to roll back Griswold v Connecticut , I tend to infer that they want to roll back Griswold v Connecticut . <p> MS , I really believe your concerns here are misplaced . ... I am inclined to believe campaign rhetoric is just that . <p> While Mitt Romney has so far ducked the question , despite being pressed by some conservatives to oppose Griswold ( 1 ) , Santorum has clearly said that the case was wrongly decided ( 2 ) and a prominent Romney advisor has said that Griswold is " utterly specious " ( 3 ) . Perhaps they are lying . I certainly wo n't claim that no candidate has ever lied . But I ca n't read their minds , I can only read their words and acts , and those scare me . <p> I 'm also seeing a great increase in religious intolerance , some of which is reflected in official enactments . Things like the following make me worry : <p> - federal " faith based initiatives " that have channelled a lot @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I believe , almost entirely Christian ( see http : **34;1221;TOOLONG ... which does n't exactly support my claim , but has relevant info ) <p> These sorts of things worry me , and other than standing up and saying " whoa ! " I ca n't think of much I can do . <p> However , I also do n't want to go back to the early 1960s when Catholic objections to contraception meant that nobody of any religion could buy condoms in certain states . And that 's what I see as the possible result of individuals or political parties assuming " we 're all Catholics here so of course we 'll open our convention with a Catholic prayer " -- or assuming that we should decide whether the government should discriminate against gays based on our understanding of what Jesus said . <p> MS , I really believe your concerns here are misplaced . I understand them and in some respects share them . When I was younger , they actually influenced my vote without regard to issues . I am inclined to believe campaign rhetoric is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ takes real skill to write clearly , and sometimes I fail . <p> OK , now I understand what you 're saying , but what do you propose to do about it ? <p> Criticize . It 's all I can do . As I tried to do here . When someone assumes that ' God told me so ' is a good argument I try to stand up and say " no , it 's not " . Maybe I can encourage people to question their assumption that everyone agrees with their religious beliefs . Maybe not . I may be wasting my time , but that 's the nature of speech . People are n't obliged to listen , or to heed . <p> I do try to be non-partisan about it . In 2005 the Democratic Party of Bernalillo County opened its convention with someone at the podium telling us to " stand up , bow your heads , and pray in the name of Jesus " . I was n't as outspoken on the spot as I should have been ( I was so shocked and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ publicly afterwards . <p> other points : <p> QT : if you think I 'm not taking this seriously , you 're misreading me terribly . Both sexual orientation and religion are often literally matters of life and death . <p> EW : First , Just what does MS think " my religion " is ? I was intending to address Heath Haussamen , who chose to disclose his religious orientation . Second : address specifically whether an individual is able to separate his or her religious thinking from political thinking . If a person ca n't ask themselves " might a person who followed a different religion believe differently about this ? " without answering " they might believe differently , but they 'd be wrong , so who cares ? " then I think they 've got a problem with the basic tenets of American politics . If a person ca n't make a distinction between " God tells me I should do this " and " God tells me I should use force to make everyone do this " then they 've missed something important . <p> @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) that anyone voicing an opinion offend your sense of fairness , Michael . And YHWH forbid that my insistence that we should n't enact any particular religious belief into law offends your sense of privilege . I do n't believe that Christians are , in your phase , knuckle draggers . However , I also do n't want to go back to the early 1960s when Catholic objections to contraception meant that nobody of any religion could buy condoms in certain states . And that 's what I see as the possible result of individuals or political parties assuming " we 're all Catholics here so of course we 'll open our convention with a Catholic prayer " -- or assuming that we should decide whether the government should discriminate against gays based on our understanding of what Jesus said . <p> Not all religions agree on what is positive , so allowing any particular religion to define ' positive ' or ' betterment ' disenfrachises many citizens . <p> However , many Americans are personally religious and driven by those convictions to want to affect change they believe @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ trivial ( 1 ) example : a day of rest . Several religions enjoin a day of rest . The result has been laws forbidding shopping on Sunday ( 2 ) . The problem is that even among religions that require a day without shopping there 's no agreement on which day . Some forbid shopping on Sunday , some on Saturday . Obviously choosing any day will favor the followers of some religions , and inconvenience followers of other religions and the irreligious . Which is most positive : forbidding shopping on Saturday , forbidding shopping on Sunday , or not forbidding shopping on any particular day of the week ? <p> We 've got the same problem with " betterment " . <p> Being an American citizen , in my view , is entering into a social contract to work for the betterment of every single one of us . <p> I agree with this , but we 've got a problem is deciding what constitutes ' betterment ' . You say : <p> Every church that fights against people in committed same-sex relationships having the right to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to bullying , depression and suicide . <p> That looks like an argument that fighting against gay marriage is not ' betterment ' because it causes harm to people -- it causes depression and suicide . Fair enough , and I agree with you . <p> But then we get the response ( this is my understanding of the response of some Christians ) : But practicing homosexuals are going to burn in hell for all eternity . It 's better that some ( few ? ) people suffer depression and suicide , as terrible as that is , if we can bring others to renounce their sin and spend eternity in heaven . <p> So which is better : some suicide and depression and fewer people burning in hell for all eternity , or less suicide and depression and more people burning in hell for all eternity ? <p> That 's precisely the question that I do n't want to become the basis for arguments about public policy and legislation . Nor do I want public policy and legislation to depend on arguments about whether the Bible really said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Christians believe , or should believe , and they are questions that do n't affect non-Christians . When laws that do affect non-Christians are decided by questions that only Christians can answer , we 've got a problem . Whenever we 're having a discussion about legislation and public policy that excludes people because of their religion , we 've diminished America . <p> We 've got to find a way of talking about betterment and ' positive ' that does n't depend on which religion a person follows . <p> There are examples throughout history of people so motivated who enacted change that was positive and change that was negative . That 's true of anyone who tries to affect change , regardless of whether they are religious or not . <p> Yes , certainly . For example , there are people who have argued that a centrally planned economy will make everyone richer and happier than a well regulated market economy . That argument has won the day in some places at some times , with rather unfortunate results . <p> But everyone can argue about economics . @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ better , central planning or regulated market . Nobody is arguing " God told me we must have central planning , and my God is better than your God , and that 's why you 're wrong . " Nobody is shut out of the political process , as they are when the argument is about whether God declared homosexuality is a sin . <p> That gets us back to my basic disagreement with your column : a major part of your argument about government policy depends on your second section , the one titled " Commanded to Love Everyone " , which is a discussion that excludes a lot of people . <p> I 'm not trying to shut out people , I 'm trying to shut out certain forms of argument . <p> ... people who are motivated by religious beliefs should not be excluded from participating in and seeking to change their government <p> I agree . But if they are arguing that we should n't discriminate against gay people because Jesus said we should love one another , I think that 's an argument that 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ follow Jesus . If they are arguing that we should n't discriminate against gay people because the goal of society to to allow every individual to fulfill their potential and maximize total happiness , and such discrimination reduces happiness and keeps people from fulfilling their potential and deprives society of the talents and abilities of many of its members -- then that 's a discussion that everyone can participate in . <p> If you want to argue that your church should not discriminate against gay people because Jesus said we should love one another , then more power to you . It 's when you are saying that our Governor should do because of your belief about what Jesus said , that 's what I think you are out of bounds . <p> ( 1 ) I 've chosen a trivial example to try to clarify the issue . Obviously there are examples of religious groups promoting changes I think are good , and doing it from religious motivations . The example of abolition of slavery springs to mind , but that brings in a lot of other considerations that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ <p> MS states , " ... in which people of your religion thought that killing people of their religion was good politics ... " This assumes that everyone who reads these comments has the same religious views ? " your " religion ? Just what does MS think " my religion " is ? <p> MS finally gets to his point , which seems to be summed up as : <p> " You seem to think that the answer is to change the church . I think that the answer is to keep religion far , far from politics . " <p> I suggest that MS write his own column on just this subject , without all the other verbage , and address specifically whether an individual is able to separate his or her religious thinking from political thinking . <p> This is my country too , and I really do n't want to see it move any further towards becoming " a Christian nation " , where the default assumption is that we 're all Christians and that doctrinal differences within and among Christian sects should be on political @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ thought this was Heath 's site , not run by the government nor forced upon anyone to read . God forbid ( pardon my reference to God ) that anyone voicing an opinion offend your sense of fairness , Michael . I really doubt you are that thin skinned nor worried about the knuckle dragging Christians . <p> I 'm terribly sorry about what happened to your grandparents . That should not ever happen . Religion can do so much harm , it 's outrageous . It can also do incredible good.Like it or not , religion and politics do intersect , and Smothermon 's attempts to affect how government treats gay people based on his religious beliefs are such an intersection . <p> Nowhere do I assume or state that majorities have the right to enact religious beliefs into laws . In fact , my criticism of Smothermon for doing that is the heart of this column , and about halfway through it , I state this : <p> Being an American citizen , in my view , is entering into a social contract to work for the betterment @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ commitment to work together in spite of our various backgrounds and views to find common ground for the good of all . <p> Government has a duty to intercede on behalf of the minority when the majority shirks that responsibility . It 's never appropriate for the government to sponsor discrimination . <p> As for keeping religion far , far from politics : The tone of this column is that religious groups with great influence should not use that influence to discriminate against minorities . However , many Americans are personally religious and driven by those convictions to want to affect change they believe will be positive . There are examples throughout history of people so motivated who enacted change that was positive and change that was negative . That 's true of anyone who tries to affect change , regardless of whether they are religious or not . <p> While I do not believe government should enact policies based on , for example , the Ten Commandments , people who are motivated by religious beliefs should not be excluded from participating in and seeking to change their government . @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people of your religion thought that killing people of their religion was good politics and great sport . Perhaps that affects my views . <p> As for me , I think there 's a frequent and interesting intersection between politics and religion , and I explore it in commentaries from time to time . <p> If you were to actually explore the intersection I 'd agree that it could be an interesting and useful discussion . <p> Instead you seem to simply assume that majorities have the right to enact their religious beliefs into laws . You seem to accept religous leaders who try to turn this country into a theocracy by enacting their particular beliefs into law . You do n't seem to even admit the possibility that they are doing something that 's very , very bad even if the particular religious beliefs in question are good . <p> In that context , there are two issues I want to address : how our churches treat gay people and how our government treats gay people . Both contribute to the culture of discrimination that exists today in America @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reason that government has discriminated against gay people is ( largely ) because certain religious groups believed it was proper to discriminate against gay people -- and voted that belief into law : " Most feel that the church is complicit , at least at some level , in anti-gay bullying . " <p> Now you and I agree that this situation is bad -- but we disagree very much on what to do about it . <p> You seem to think that the answer is to change the church . <p> I think that the answer is to keep religion far , far from politics . <p> I have several thousand years of history , and several hundred years of US history on my side ( as I see it ) . Including the history of my family . My reading of that history is that absolute political neutrality towards all religions is the only successful basis for a free and prosperous society . My ancestors had a lot of experience dealing with societies in which the intersection between religion and politics encompassed much of societal rules , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Tell my why , please , you think there 's any system in which an intersection between religion and politics can be a good thing . <p> you 're welcome to not read posts about religion in the future . <p> This is my country too , and I really do n't want to see it move any further towards becoming " a Christian nation " , where the default assumption is that we 're all Christians and that doctrinal differences within and among Christian sects should be on political interest to all of us . <p> Michael Schneider -- I am shocked by your comment . You would squelch free speech ? May I remind you that it is religious doctrine which has decidedly denied the right for gays to pursue happiness via marriage ? And that , specifically violates United States citizens a constitutional right . <p> Now I understand why this example of Haussamen 's unique and intellectual honesty has n't been made before . Either no one else had the life experience or no one else had the guts to state them . Too bad more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ them . <p> Oh and for the record , to ease whatever feeling that compelled you to write the last paragragh , I get that you are straight Mr. Schneider . And all of your joking ( ? ) aside ; this is a very real , very serious topic to many whose lives remain in peril . <p> This post is labeled a commentary . As for your complaint that this discussion does not belong on this site , you 're welcome to not read posts about religion in the future . As for me , I think there 's a frequent and interesting intersection between politics and religion , and I explore it in commentaries from time to time . <p> our moderator rejected the first attempt to post this , without explanation . I can only see one phrase and one adjective that could possibly be considered to violate the policy . I 've modified those , and am trying it again ) <p> Demanding special right for certain people is un-American . <p> I want to be part of a faith community where people do n't @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ -- a church where " gay people and conservative evangelicals who do n't approve of their lifestyle worship side by side . " <p> These are n't the people we voted for you to appoint . We voted for you to appoint people who think like we do . " <p> The problem is n't that this guy is a adjectival phrase removed ( which he is ) . The problem is that he thinks he elected the Governor of New Mexico in order to put his religious ideas into practice , to force everyone in the state to follow his beliefs . <p> There are a lot of religions , and they seem to have a lot of different ideas about how other people should behave . <p> The Jain think that all life is sacred , and that nothing should be killed , even in order to eat . No hamburgers . No Lobster . <p> Some people believe that it 's okay to eat beans , but not hamburger , so they eat veggie burgers . <p> Some people believe that you should n't mix meat and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ <p> No problem so far -- but when followers of a particular religion want to enact their beliefs into the civil law , then we suddenly have a very big problem . I 'll stop eating cheeseburgers when you pry the last cold french fry from my fingers , thank you . <p> Enacting religious beliefs into law has been a disaster down through history . From Henry the 8th to the 30 years ' war to the Protocols of the Elders of Zion to the Troubles of Northern Ireland to the Crusades to Ferdinand and Isabella 's big mistake of 1492 , we should know by now that religion and politics should be kept far , far apart . Remember the famous phrase " Congress shall make no law respecting ... " <p> Whether it 's the Catholics on condoms , the Evangelicals on evolution and sex education , the Muslim on dress codes , the Jain on hamburgers , or whatever , demanding the right to force others to follow your religious beliefs is un-American . It 's asking for special rights for your religion , and that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ desire to change the beliefs and attitudes of one 's own church . Especially in this case , where I abhor the stated beliefs . However , that 's really not a discussion which I , or other non-members , should participate in . Your church is your church , and non-members should have no say in church doctrines . <p> In other words , to the extent that this is a blog concerning politics , that discussion is inappropriate . You should n't be talking about which religious doctines are good on a political blog any more than you should be talking about which political positions are good on a religious blog . Especially since it was in the news column and not the commentary column . <p> ( 1 ) personally , I 've always thought that we should embrace women in scoop neck tank tops , but that 's not something I 'd do in public . <p> IcarusPhoenix -- as you were not a witness to any of the events you describe , would n't you find conjoining factual evidence interesting ! And that comment , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a question . I think it would be exhilarating to actually find a box , dating back to the times , filled with evidence which proves truths . Would n't it be wonderful if someone had the forethought to protect truths ! The bottom line in today 's world , evidence factually existing , is that gays and lesbians are still being falsely , hatefully , and inhumanely prosecuted . <p> I comment the citizenry which takes a stand whether they are victim or not . <p> You 're four centuries off there ; the King James Bible was commissioned at the beginning of the seventeenth century ( though the current version of the text actually dates from 1768 ) , and its political bias is unfortunately still very relevant , as it was not only mistranslated , but mistranslated on purpose . At the behest of James I ( then still James VI of Scotland ) , all footnotes giving alternative meanings were removed ( they were common -- even copious -- in most mass-produced bibles of the time , particularly the most common vulgar bible , the Geneva @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ commoners to be given the opportunity to examine the vagaries of translation ) , and he also ordered the complete removal of any references to tyranny . That people use an **27;1290;TOOLONG version of the Bible to justify their own willingness to engage in a form of religious persecution that this country has specific protections against merely serves to amplify the preexisting travesty . <p> Incidentally , Qui Tam , your interpretation of the Mayflower colonists is also more than a bit mythologized ; they were Puritans , and they were hardly searching for " religious freedom " . While they were fleeing religious persecution by the Church of England , they were perfectly willing to be equally despotic in enforcing their own religious mandates once they got to the New World ; free expression was hardly one of their goals . You of all people should probably familiarize yourself with the many inherent metaphors linked to the Salem Witch Trials ... <p> QT , There are a rather astonishing number of versions of the Bible floating around . The version that many of us grew up with is the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about the political slant in many of the versions , KJV as well . But the political slant in the KJV ( written about 1200 ) is so outdated that it is irrelevant ( I hope ) . <p> The Old Testament story about King Solomon is NOT found in the " Song of Solomon , " but in the first book of Kings ( " I Kings " ) Chapter 3 , verses 16-25 or so . <p> Well said Heath . This is the one Liberal cause being propagated which albeit a good thing , is another wedge issue serving to distract from our economic , ecological and civil liberty issues . The Gay issue is being cravenly used to throw a bone to the Left as all other progressive causes and values are violated and ignored . Still , it is a good thing as Gays and their loved ones have laid the groundwork to win over the majority hearts of Americans . Hence , supporting Gay rights is no longer politically costly for the Democratic cowards . This has been a cheap and easy Democratic strategy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Is Solomon a Bible tale ? Who wrote the Bible ? I am not sure about the tales told in the Bible as they seem to have changed from century to century according to the politics of the day . I guess the absolute truth would require having actually witnessed it . In today 's modern world , actual physical recordings make undisbutable truths available . And today , one might find it more difficult to threaten a witness . In any case , I wanted to point out that many of the Mayflower passengers sought religious freedom and now only find their ancestors bound by that which they inhumanly suffered . If hypocritical Christians want to bound anyone , perhaps it is they who should be bound . <p> Heath , Thank you for an excellent commentary , you have thoughtfully discussed the unnecessarily complicated issue of LGBT equality in a way few allies have been able to do . I would like to acknowledge Las Cruces for being a leader in terms of respect and support of its LGBT citizens . Las Cruces has more open , welcoming @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The city and county governments are interested in our concerns and support efforts to end the bullying and discrimination we face . A growing number of businesses support our organizations and events . Even with these bright spots there is still work to do and columns like this one advance that work . Thank you , David Stocum Executive Director New Mexico GLBTQ Centers , Inc . <p> Powakee , You have somewhat incorrectly interpreted that example of Solomon . He THREATENED to cut the baby in half . One mother protested that she would give up her right to the child to save its life . Solomon correctly identified her as the child 's true mother . <p> The even better news is that the moral zeitgeist is pushing for progress on an issue that lots of houses of worship have absolutely no willingness to progress forward on . Just as the equality of races was an issue some churches refused to acknowledge for decades , even centuries , LGBT equality provides bigoted churches another human rights issue they can be on the wrong side of . In time @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ go extinct as church attendance bleeds away . Either scenario is a win . <p> When President Obama decided to change his position on gay marriage I posted something on Facebook about how proud I am that he did that . I 'm equally happy to read this from you , Heath . This conversation needs to take place , and in these words . <p> Your statement about our government is exactly right : " That 's why I believe , if government is going to be in the business of marriage , that it should allow gay people to marry . Or it should get out of the business of marriage and instead sanction civil unions for all . " " For all " is key here . Our government should n't be in the business of deciding which loving relationships matter and which are natural or right . <p> The government decided to grant the right of marriage a long time ago when it started licensing marriage . I personally think it should get completely out of the marriage business . That probably wo n't happen because @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people are being denied something by the govt. because of who they love and what their family looks like . I think that 's wrong . <p> I do n't think your church should be forced to accept it , or anyone for that matter . Just like we ca n't force someone to not use the N word , or call women derogatory names . That conversation needs to take place as you outlined it above . And it needs to take place in all corners of society . But the govt should n't be in the business of treating gay people different . <p> Thank you , Heath , for a thoughtful column on a subject I also feel passionately about . Having two wonderful nephews who are gay , who are intelligent , productive members of society , makes me wonder at the hate generated against gays by people who profess to be Christian . My two nephews ' lives have not been easy because of their orientation but they have bravely accepted their true selves and are much happier because of their open acceptance . Yes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more and more signs of acceptance in the general public . <p> What I disagree with is those who call themselves " Christian " , then use Old Testament judgments to back up their hateful viewpoint . The New Testament teachings of Jesus Christ are to replace the Old Testament rules . Do they not believe their own church covenants in this regard ? <p> I think Leviticus also forbids wearing clothes made of " mixed ' materials , like polyester-cotton . I think your statement about more and more people personally knowing gays and lesbians is one of the key factors . The change is coming ! <p> The Times , they are still a'changing This past Friday the NM Supreme Court released an opinion in the matter of Chattergee v. King . ( http : **35;1319;TOOLONG ... ) It is , FINALLY , a clear and well thought out opinion on the topic of who can and who can not be a parent . Chattergee is about two people , both who love a small child and call themselves ' parents ' to that child but they could @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ these parents are women . The Supreme Court looked at their situation and agreed that both were parents to the child whom they both love . I am sure it is not the last word on the topic and that is because our definitions of what constitutes right and wrong changes as our society grows and learns . One of my thoughts when I was reading the opinion was , " Thank God ! Finally , we can quit talking about the " wisdom " of Solomon in taking a knife and cutting a child in half in order to satisfy the question and the issue of ' who gets to love this baby ? ' The story of Solomon " splitting the baby " represents such an old , black and white , binary , outdated way of thinking that it has done nothing but hold the advancement of human beings back in our struggle with the question ' how can we get along with each other ? ' These United States , many people say , were founded on Christian principals and then those very same people say @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the same model as that upon which we were found . However , when it comes to advancing that model and including ideas such as liberty and justice for all some Christian advocates draw the line . They voice their opinion , some even screaming at the top of their lungs 1/2 an inch from an advocates face , that God never meant that women were extended the same liberties and justice that God ' gave ' to men . To that end , those same people hold to the position that the idea that marriage is a ' religious covenant ' between men and women and that it must be protected from any and all other definitions . Add to that mix the story of Solomon 's supposed wisdom and to some religious zealots the story is complete : God created Man ; God made a woman and gave her to Man ; Man makes the rules about how to deal with women . One , two , three the story is complete , succinct and rock solid . Until we get to the United States . The US @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ create benefits for people who are married . To that end , the idea supported by the US government is that marriage is much like a business . We allow some business to flourish and by supporting them with various law and we drive other business into the underground by denying to them the safeguards of various laws . There was a time in our society where we punished people if they were of a different race and they either had sexual relations with each other or if they got ( or tried ) to get married . There was a time in our society when we drove all of the original inhabitants of this country into stockades , forcing them to walk to the stockade , not even allowing them to bury their dead along the way and then we put them on trains and moved them to other geographical locations and dumped them out onto the ground and walked away . We did this . We thought that such behavior was okay . Many people in these United States -- to this very day -- believe that using @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ laws that criminalize a person 's ability to love another person is why we have government in the first place . Marriage is not a business . Discrimination by the government is not sanctioned by the people who call themselves United States citizens . We do not believe we should be governed by kings . We do not believe we should have laws that make it permissible for one person to kill another just because that other person loves someone that the killer does not like . We believe and we stand for the idea that living in the United States , being a citizen of this country , affords the human being the greatest opportunity that has ever existed on this planet to grow , learn and enjoy freedom in a manner that has not ever existed before . We call this thing we are doing " an experiment . " There are some who believe the experiment has run it course and should be stopped . There are others , like the NM Supreme Court , that recognize that we do not have to kill children in order @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ baby . " Solomon worked when there were kings and when men ruled and when women coward to that rule or faced unimaginable inhumane treatment . The experiment we all have entered into , now , today , has taken us past a milestone in the road . We have entered into a different part of the experiment . We have started to listen to and give voice to the women who make up ' about ' one half of our society . In a few short years we will all proudly boast that we have women voting for 100 years . There will likely even be a new debate arise at that time about whether we citizens of these United States did the right thing or not . Regardless of the debate outcome we know today that by listening to the women in our society we have learned that we do not have to rely on Solomon 's thinking style and kill a baby when two people profess their love for the child . One of the overriding lessons we have learned in this experiment is that when we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ simply gets better for all of us . It 's sort of like not smoking -- when you do n't smoke or put tobacco into your body -- you just feel better . The potential for humanity rests in this experiment of which we are participating . Let 's not blow it . <p> I would like to state my appreciation to Mr. Haussamen for writing this commentary . In it , you have expressed the gay condition in the United States as none other have to my knowledge . If more people would honestly and boldly come forth with expressions gleaned from their life experiences , the education of the hateful and fearful may lead to a healthier and safer life for gays and lesbians across the Nation . <p> For example , personally , I have witnessed an individual repeatedly attack gays and lesbians in a Court of law using them in the most horrid of fashions in an effort to hide the truth of her own criminal actions . Mortifying actions such as these leave individuals with personal scars that never heal . I think it is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the haters against Gays and Lesbians so the reality is apparent when it occurs , otherwise unrecognized , in their own lives . <p> The worst bullys should be prosecuted . Unfortunately , just weeks ago the Nation witnessed one of them receive only thirty days in jail for a crime that resulted in death . That sent the wrong message and enabled or perhaps encouraged more thugs to do the same with the knowledge that it is all right . <p> Yes , the times are changing . And with commentaries such as these perhaps the Churches of the Nation , the Government , and the Courts of the Nation

@@5079441 <h> A little more on INS 4.0 <p> Like I wrote on the Facebook page last night , SO . FUCKING . EXCITED . <p> If you go to the site now you can see the beginnings of what it 's going to be , as well as the very cool new INS logo . At this point my web designer is starting to undertake the massive job of moving the 900+ stories from the old host to the new . My main concern when contemplating the update was how much of a pain in the ass it would be to do that , but she assured me it would n't be that big of a deal . I 'm sure some of you have noticed that it 's being built on a WordPress template and will no longer look like a crappy GeoCities page circa 1998 , however commenting on stories will not and will never be enabled . I know that may disappoint some , but doing that would make the antis declare open season on INS contributors . INS will continue to be a site where women may share their stories open and honestly , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ doing so -- even if the judging is positive . <p> At this point the foundation is being laid . Once it is , then my web designer and I will start fine-tuning . I can tell you that the FAQs will stay , as well as the links and Buzz pages . The About INS and Why INS Was Created pages will most likely be combined and revamped . The guestbook is up in the air -- there 'll be one but I do n't know in what guise . A longtime INS friend created a " greatest hits " of guestbook snark so if the old one goes the memories can live on , LOL . And there will be tags . Oh , yes , indeed there will be tags . No longer will I get e-mails saying " are there any stories I can read about married women in their forties having an abortion ? " Win-win for everyone involved . <p> As far as ETA of when the new site goes live , all I can say right now is " this month . " @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ although I 'll have my laptop with me -- like the old American Express commercials say , I do n't leave home without it -- obviously I 'll be out and about with my beloved doing vacation things . I 'm also going to have a learning curve . Since this blog 's on WP I 'll have some familiarity but not with the running of the site , and I do n't want my already beleaguered web designer doing work that I can do myself . So be patient because trust me the wait . <p> If you 're new here , you may want to subscribe to my

@@5079541 <p> " Are you feeling better , Twilight Sparkle ? " the Princess of the night asked . <p> " A little bit , Princess , thank you , " Twilight allowed , taking a long sip from her glass of water before softly setting it back on the table . <p> At a glance , it appeared little had changed in the appearance of the group in the twenty minutes since Princess Luna had finished relating Twilight 's mishap from the night before . However , closer inspection would reveal an empty plate that once held a sandwich in front of Big Macintosh and bowls of salad ranging from partially eaten to just a few leaves remaining at Fluttershy , Rarity , and Luna 's places . As for the others , they had opted for refills for their glasses of water , except for Pinkie , whose face remained submerged in her bowl . Twilight was convinced that the pink pony was somehow breathing through her ears . <p> " So who wants to go next and tell us their side of what happened last night ? " Twilight asked . <p> " Ladies first , " @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to Applejack . She subtly narrowed her eyes at him , a gaze which he avoided . <p> Rarity dabbed a napkin to her lips . " Very well , then . I shall do my best to recount last night 's events with myself , Rainbow , and Pinkie Pie . " <p> " Oh joy , " the pegasus groused . <p> " Now , now , Rainbow dear , you will be relieved to know that your experience last night was not as , ah ... colorful as Twilight 's . " <p> Said unicorn grumbled . <p> " Now then , where do I begin ? Hmm ... I was carrying Rainbow back to her home with Pinkie Pie , however I forgot one eensy-teensy little detail ... " <p> Rarity gazed up at Rainbow Dash 's cloud house , floating a good thirty feet above the ground . <p> " Ah , yes ... I ca n't fly , can I ? " She sighed morosely , " Oh how I miss those marvelous wings . " <p> Pinkie Pie stumbled to a stop alongside @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ clear them . <p> " How come w-we ... " She yawned hugely . " How come we 've stopped ? " <p> Rarity nodded upward . " Well , we were going to drop Rainbow off at her house . " <p> Pinkie looked up at the house through half-lidded eyes . " I do n't think you can reach that high . " <p> " I know that , dear , " she said with a roll of her eyes , " I would need quite the boost to get up there . " <p> Pinkie pursed her lips in hard thought for a moment before speaking again with a supportive smile , " You are a good person and ponies say nice things about you . " <p> Rarity shook her head in amusement . " Pinkie , dear , I do believe that the alcohol is not allowing you to think straight . " <p> " Thinking straight is boring ; thinking sideways is much more fun ! " Pinkie smiled widely before once again yawning . " But I do get sleepy when I drink @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the first phase I 'm tired , but in the second phase I 'm tired and forgetful , third phase I 'm back to being just tired ... and I think the fourth phase is sleep , but I have n't figured that out yet . I always wake up before I can . " <p> Rarity nodded , more out of habit than actual understanding , and returned her gaze to Dash 's house . <p> " Well , if we ca n't get her up there , then I suppose we 'll have to find another place for her to stay for the night . " <p> " Ooo ! She can stay at my place ! I 've got enough space in my room for her and I know the Cakes wo n't mind ! " <p> Rarity cast Pinkie a thoughtful look . " Hmm ... Well , with Sweetie Belle staying with me this week , I do n't have a spare bedroom for Rainbow to use anyway . Thank you , Pinkie Pie , that is most kind of you . " <p> A @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to stave off a headache . " Let 's just get you two to Sugar Cube Corner , shall we ? " <p> " Okie dokie lokie ! " <p> Pinkie bounced away in the direction of the confectionary shop and Rarity followed close behind , a very much unconscious Rainbow Dash in her gentle telekinetic grip . Pinkie suddenly stopped and turned around , a cheerful smile on her face . <p> " Hi , Rarity ! When did you get here ? " <p> " ... Celestia , give me strength . " <p> " Ok , I was wondering why you guys took me to Pinkie 's place , " Dash commented , her eyes now mostly open but quite bloodshot . " That was a huge shock to me this morning when- " <p> Pinkie 's head suddenly jolted up out of the bowl , catching everyone 's attention . <p> " ' Timeline ' ? Time does n't travel in lines , it travels in circles and that 's why clocks are round . " <p> She smiled in self-satisfaction for a moment before face-planting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ water . <p> " Anyway , " Rarity said after an awkward moment of silence , " To continue ... " <p> " Hi there , Ditzy ! " <p> " That 's your mail box , darling , " Rarity said wearily as they finally made to the Sugar Cube Corner . <p> The trek from Dash 's house to the sweets shop seemed like an eternity for Rarity since Pinkie kept stopping every thirty seconds to either say hi or ask where they were supposed to be going . The occasional stop for a conversation with the random lamp post or bush had n't helped either . It was a great relief to know that as soon as she deposited Dash and Pinkie she could go home and get some much needed sleep . She was further relieved when Pinkie pull out her key without any prompting . <p> They made their way inside and headed up the stairs to Pinkie 's bedroom . As they neared the top of the stairs , Rarity felt a cold chill run down her spine . She stopped , Dash floating @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had n't turned on any lights for fear of waking Mister and Missus Cake or the twins and the ambient moonlight through the windows allowed them to see well enough to not worry about tripping over anything . Darkness could still play its tricks , however : shadows seemed to move and waver and everyday objects took on an ethereal appearance . She swore she saw a figure move out the corner of her eye . <p> Rarity knew there was nothing to worry about , it was just shadows and tricks of the light . There certainly was n't hideous , glowing-eyed monster hiding around the corner waiting to gobble them up . Nope , nothing at all . ... Still , a little extra light never hurt anything . A soft glow emanated from the tip of her horn , casting just enough light for her to make out objects clearly . She peered around the corner at the top of the stairs ... a pair of glowing eyes stared back . Her throat constricted , choking off a scream . She froze in terror , the glowing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Pinkie bounced past Rarity and picked up the apparition in a hug . " He came out to meet us ! Is n't that sweet ? " <p> It took a moment , but the unicorn finally recognized the tamed reptilian in the dim light . She leaned against the corner , heaving a sigh of relief . <p> Thump ! **40;7787;TOOLONG ... <p> Rarity winced ; she had relaxed a little too much . Turning to look , she saw Dash 's crumpled form resting against the wall at the bottom of the stairs , still unconscious . <p> " Sorry , Rainbow . " <p> The trio plus Gummi managed to avoid anymore mishaps over the next few minutes as they finally made it to Pinkie 's bedroom . With the aid of proper lighting , Pinkie and Gummi climbed into their respective beds while Rarity lifted Dash onto the couch . A few blanket tucks and pillow fluffs later , the pegasus was sleeping comfortably . She trotted over to Pinkie 's bed to bid her good night . <p> " It was ... minimally difficult , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with a smile . <p> " I just wish I knew how to confirm Phase Four . " She frowned . " I ca n't seem to find a way to figure out whether or not Phase Four is really- " <p> Out like a light . <p> Rarity chuckled softly headed out of the room , pausing by the door . <p> " Sweet dreams , Rainbow and Pinkie . " <p> She turned off the light and shut the door , quietly making her way downstairs . She made sure the door to the shop locked behind her as she left and she finally headed to her own home , smiling in satisfaction at a job well done at getting her charges home safe and ( relatively ) sound . <p> " What is it with all the abuse towards me ? " Dash asked nopony in particular . " Rarity dropped me down the stairs and before that Macintosh shoved me out of my chair ! " <p> " And do n't even get me started on what happened this morning , " she groused . <p> @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ moment to notice all the expectant stares and smiles directed at her . She sighed in annoyance . <p> " And now you guys want me to tell you what happened this morning , do n't you ? " <p> " If you did not wish to tell us , then you should not have made mention of it , " Luna said , herself wearing the biggest smile at the table . <p> ' She 's enjoying this way more than she should , ' Dash thought . " Fine ... " <p> The morning sun lit up Pinkie 's bedroom , bathing its contents in a soft , warm glow . As the ambient light in the room increased , a blanket-covered lump on the couch began to stir . Dash stretched in an attempt to wake her sleepy muscles , which resulted in a pained groan and ended in her smacking her lips out of habit . She blanched . <p> " Bleh ... gives a whole new meaning to ' cottonmouth ' . " <p> Try as she may to open her eyes , her brain @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ invasive sunlight . Finally , after a concerted effort , she managed to crack them open . Everything was fuzzy as she looked around the room to figure out where she was . A pink blob entered her field of vision and she was forced to squint and lean forward to see it clearly . <p> " Is that ... Pinkie ? Hey , Pinks , uh , I guess that means I slept at your place last night . Thanks . " <p> " Guhh ... " <p> Her eyes snapped open at the strange groan . Pinkie stood before her , mouth agape , eyes vacant and glazed , and a hoof slowly reaching out for her . <p> " Daaashiieeee ... " <p> It was then that Dash saw the green mass attached to the side of her friend 's head . Due to her extensive knowledge of sci-fi and horror movies , she recognized the creature immediately . <p> " BRAIN SLUG ! " <p> She tried to get away , but in her hazy mental state , she got tangled in the blanket and fell @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the floor , followed by the rest of her , with a resounding thump . She groaned , her headache - now exacerbated by the light , excitement , and introduction to the floor -- was threatening to split her head wide open . Her eyes opened a crack once again to behold Pinkie standing over her . <p> " Moorrning Daaashiieee ... " she croaked . <p> The " brain slug " dropped off her head to the floor next to Dash 's head . It regarded her with the same vacant stare as it always did . There was only one thing Dash could think to say . <p> " I hate you so much , reptile . " <p> " So yeah , that was my morning , " Dash finished . " Oh , and I threw up for , like , an hour after that before we came over here . " <p> " Aw , I 'm sure Gummi did n't mean to scare you , Dashie , " Pinkie said , finally finished with her bowl of water . " He was actually @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's really good at getting rid of them . I was n't thinking too good when I woke up , either , so that 's probably why I sounded like a zombie -- not that I 'd actually turn into a zombie . Nope ! Not at all . " Her eyes shifted side to side , avoiding contact with the others . <p> Luna was too busy giggling to notice as she wrote down the narratives . The others , both too tired and already used to her strange antics , paid it no mind . <p> " Wow , RD , no wonder ya said you felt like you were bein ' abused , " Applejack intoned . <p> " And I have the bruises to prove it , too ! " <p> The farm pony chuckled and cast a warning glare towards her brother . " I got treated nice and gentle-like last night ... right ? " <p> Faux Propaganda ArtPropaganda I by : devYuujakumi : Nov 15 , 2012 by : devtechgnotic : The Comfort of Mindless ObedienceWhen is information true and useful and when @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in fact is an image or phrase or animated art sequence " propaganda &rd; quo ; rather tha ... <p> IntroductionHyperrea lism is a genre of painting and sculpture that resembles a high quality Photograph , It 's the type of art that your mind might not accept it as a hand-made artwork . Hyperrealism is far more advanced than Photorealism by the methods used to create the resulting paintings or scul ... <p> Today , we 've upgraded Sta.sh comments , allowing you to easily add formatting and media to comments . You can now pull in images to your comments and then draw on those images using deviantART muro ! This new feature , powered by Sta.sh Writer , makes collaboration in Sta.sh even better ! Easier Collabo ... <h> Deviousness <p> The-Lantiis is a shining example of how to be a selfless deviant . From journals that inspire others to show respect within the community to deviations that encourage partipation in charitable events , Elizabeth always demonstrates that she has exactly what it takes to be a true deviant . But that 's not all , let @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ # dAWishingWell Group , which is a must have addition to your devwatch if it is n't already there . We 're very honored to

@@5079641 <h> Monday , January 3 , 2011 <p> Observed the flashing 4 wheel drive , chains light on in the Alta parking lot at 3pm , mon. jan.3 , 2011 . The road was clear and dry - the last snow had arrived on the previous friday . There was no conceivable reason for 4 wheel drive traffic only . <h> Sunday , January 2 , 2011 <p> We have small 3 boys in the valley with a babysitter , and called to explain uncertainty of getting down the canyon . Snowbird employee report ( phone line ) and Alta report said simply that road was open to 4WD and Chains . Not very helpful . <p> We did not get down the canyon until 8:20 pm . Almost 4 and half hours after we started- luckily our babysitter could feed them dinner .. There was no evidence of an accident on the roadway . No ambulance or firetrucks . And there were no cars in the snowbanks on our way down . The road was very slippery ... but it still can not explain the 4+ hour delay . <p> My personal experience since this change : 1 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2 ) The radio report at the bottom of the canyon is stale and worthless 3 ) The congestion at the mouth of canyon when closed for avalanche work is much worse , and constantly changing rules . 4 ) Downstream traffic is much slower . The police will stop traffic anytime ( including the peak at 4:30pm ) to help a single motorist who has driven into a snowbank ( no injuries ) and cause hours of delay for thousands of other people . <p> Please add your own comments or knowledge about this transition.in policing <p> A couple years ago , Snowbird started angle-parking cars on the road shoulder above the first entrance . Not only is it terribly inconvenient place to park for their skiers ( no walkway ) , they must disrupt the downstream flow of traffic when they depart later in the day . Often a Snowbird employee will stop traffic descending down the canyon so a car can back-up and join the flow down the canyon . <p> This On-Road parking configuration LOWERS the rate of descending cars per hour by 2 or 3 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ It also goes without saying that is penalizes Alta Skiers over Snowbird skiers , who might have to wait 3 hours to descend from Albion parking lot . <h> Real-time Photo <h> Blog Threads <h> About Us <p> AltaRoad is a community effort to solve the delays and congestion in Little Cottonwood Canyon . The best source of information is YOU , the person on the ground who is often witnessing the delay- so please contribute and share your knowledge with others stuck in traffic . Text 88147 or log in and post an update . <p> When you have a reflective moment , please join the forum for positive solutions

@@5079741 <h> Students Express Outrage at Blog Post <p> On Saturday evening , Jasmine Y. Miller ' 13 and her roommate Georgia V. Stasinopoulos ' 13 were sitting in their dorm room when Miller showed Stasinopoulos a new post on The Harvard Voice 's blog that she found alarming . <p> Attributed to " The Voice Staff , " the post on the blog of the student life magazine poked fun at the on-campus recruiting process for consulting and finance jobs by identifying five types of people someone might encounter at a pre-interview reception . Second on the list was " The Asian . " <p> The post said about Asian interviewees , " They dress in the same way ( satin blouse with high waisted pencil skirt for girls , suits with skinny ties for boys ) , talk in the same sort-of gushy , sort-of whiny manner , and have the same concentrations and sky-high GPAs . They 're practically indistinguishable from one another , but it 's okay . Soon , they will be looking at the same Excel spreadsheets and spend their lunch talking about their meaningful morning conversations with the help desk of Bloomberg . @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ <p> Miller , who is half Asian , immediately commented on the piece and emailed The Voice 's editors , April A. Sperry ' 13 and Michelle B. Nguyen ' 13 . She received an apologetic email from Sperry . <p> The editors of The Voice then modified the article , changing " The Asian " to " The Overachieving Asian , " and then again to " The Super-Interviewee . " Further , the editors changed the byline from " The Voice Staff " to " Anonymous , " removed all comments , and disabled the comments feature for that post . <p> In an editors ' note , they apologized for the potentially offensive content . " Though the article was written by an anonymous contributor , we have removed the inappropriate content because it is not in line with The Voice 's mission of promoting satirical , yet inclusive , content , " the note said . <p> At first , that text below the post was followed by a note from the writer , which said , " Clearly , I 've been censored , which @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ America . If you could n't tell that this article was satire , then we have bigger problems than me being ' offensive . ' ( If you are curious to know what the censored stereotype is , just take a quick look around the room . JK ! ) " <p> By Sunday afternoon , the writer 's note had been removed . <p> Stasinopoulos -- who along with Miller once tried to found a student life blog to compete with Very Noice , The Voice 's blog where the problematic post appeared -- said she thought that The Voice did not go far enough in retracting the post . " I do n't understand why the post is still up , " she said . <p> Miller listed negative stereotypes that the post touched on . " The perpetual foreigner -- this weird other that does n't interact with the rest of the student population or America -- that 's an often-invoked stereotype , " she said . " And then the idea of Asians as an un-individuated mass . You ca n't distinguish them from each other @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their own voice . " <p> Miller also pointed to the racially charged language of other items on the list . One of the other four types , " The Final Club Bro , " she noted , was described as blue-eyed , which Miller interpreted as white . " You just said Asian people ca n't be final club bros , " she said . <p> Pamela Yau ' 14 , co-president of the Harvard Radcliffe Asian American Association , said that the blog post spurred a discussion on her organization 's email list of racism toward Asians . The Chinese Student Association passed the offensive paragraph over its email list as well . <p> " It 's sad that there are still these stereotypes that exist about Asian people , " Yau said . " Even if the post was written in a joking way , trying to be humorous , I think that to group all the Asians together still plays to that stereotype that Asians are always trying to fight against and speak up about . We do appreciate the fact that there was a backlash @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ much less dramatic than the reaction to a column published by an Asian writer in The Crimson in 2001 , which opened a discussion of Asian behavior and self-segregation at Harvard by stating , " Most Harvard Asians can be pretty frickin ' lame . Yes , the Asian people at this college make me sick . " After outraged letters to the editor and a march on The Crimson by about 50 students , the newspaper published an apology and retracted the article . <p> All five posts on Very Noice since May have been written under the bylines " The Voice Staff " or " Some Dude . " Sperry , who is listed on The Voice 's website as one of two presidents and editors-in-chief of the publication last school year , declined to comment . Nguyen could not be reached for comment on Sunday afternoon . <p> -- Staff

@@5079841 <p> Igot a call from Illinois Gov . Rod Blagojevich the other day . The first thing I said to him was , " You know , this call is probably being taped . " <p> Blagojevich said he had read my column in The Chronicle last week , in which I raised questions about the " pay to play " charges being leveled against him in connection with his pending appointment of someone to fill Barack Obama 's now-empty U.S. Senate seat . <p> I think he liked how I raised questions about the timing and manner of U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald ' s decision to charge him over what appears to be little more than loose conversations he had with his staff . <p> He laughed , we talked , and all in all he seemed in pretty good spirits for a guy looking at federal charges . <p> I would n't bet on him stepping aside anytime soon . If anything , his hand is getting stronger by the day . <p> I ca n't go into details , but my impression is that the whole mess started because the governor had been considering appointing a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Senate so she would n't be able to run against him when he went up for re-election in 2010 . <p> Apparently , Obama 's people were n't happy about the idea of Madigan coming to Washington , and there were some pretty heated conversations between Blagojevich and Obama chief of staff Rahm Emanuel , which I understand will burn your ears off . <p> It was pretty clear that Blagojevich is going to hang tough , especially after the Illinois Supreme Court shot down Madigan 's request that he be forced from office because he supposedly ca n't carry out his duties . <p> It is also pretty clear that despite all the screaming over his appearing to be " selling " the seat in return for political favors or financial considerations , his fellow Democrats are not going to strip him of his power to appoint someone to replace Obama . <p> Publicly , they may say that 's because a special election would cost the state millions . But the truth is , the Democrats are deathly afraid that with all these corruption stories swirling around @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Democrats ' chances of holding a filibuster-proof majority in the Senate . <p> And you know what ? They 're probably right to be afraid . If there was a fight , the only way the Democrats could hold onto the seat would be to have Obama himself come in and campaign . <p> That , however , would make it a referendum on him - and Obama would not want to put himself in that position so early in his presidency , even in his home state . <p> I know Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said after the " pay to play " stories hit the press that he would n't seat anyone appointed by Blagojevich . <p> Of course , if that does n't fly , Blagojevich could always call Caroline Kennedy and tell her , " If New York does n't work out , we got a seat for you right here . " <p> I went to the party of the year Wednesday night . It was thrown by Emirates Airlines , and did they ever put on a show . <p> It was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Mason . They had about 500 people . <p> They made up the place as if you were in the first-class section of their best aircraft . All red . <p> All these attractive , tall , model-like airline attendants were around with their helpers . And their helpers were nattily dressed guys with white tops and black pants - with tray after tray of anything you wanted to drink . <p> Then a curtain opened up and you went into this dining room with huge screens all around on which they projected the story of Dubai . <p> Then out came the Irish river dancers and the Brazilian dancers . At the end , Swank invited everyone to come up and dance . And for an hour , Sheryl Crow performed and nobody , but nobody , left the dance floor . <p> Ordinarily , people at these events eat and run . But this time everybody stayed , because the door prizes were two first-class tickets and four days in Dubai - but you had to be there to win . <p> Ran into Quincy Jones the other @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and I caught up with him at 1300 on Fillmore for supper . <p> Quincy had just been inducted into the California Hall of Fame . He was talking about Barack Obama ' s inaugural . And like everybody else , he was trying to figure out how to get on the stage at the official inaugural ball . <p> I told him , direct the band for Aretha Franklin and you 'll be right up there . <p> As I was leaving , this brother comes up and says to me , " Willie Brown , even with the housing market and the economy , this has been a really great year for black people . " <p> " Why ? " I asked . <p> " Because we got Obama . " <p> Then he said , " But you know , come to think of it , it was a + <p> a <p> $15 <p> gift card <p> Mon-Sun + <p> a <p> $25 <p> gift card <p> Illinois governor seems to be growing stronger <p> Blagojevich said he had read my column in The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the " pay to play " charges being leveled against him in connection with his pending appointment of someone to fill Barack Obama 's now-empty U.S.

@@5079941 <h> Romney : ' We 're not going to go to a brokered convention ' <p> On Thursday 's broadcast of Fox News " America 's Newsroom , " Mitt Romney dismissed the prospects of a brokered GOP convention despite the threat of former Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum teaming up to challenge him at the convention . <p> " You know delegates are decided -- or guided rather by state policy and different states have different guidelines to what a candidate can do , " Romney said . " A candidate can release the delegates or keep them . A candidate really ca n't get folks to do something they do n't want to do . Ultimately the delegates have more say than that . But , look we 're not going to go to a brokered convention . " <p> According to Romney , the eventual nominee will grow stronger toward the end of the primary . <p> " One or the other of us among the three I think is going to get the delegates necessary to become the nominee , " he continued . " As it gets closer towards the end , it 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the strong lead . The states that remain will vote for that person and that

@@5080041 <h> Quality of Research Data , an Operational Approach <h> Abstract <p> This article reports on a study , commissioned by SURFfoundation , investigating the operational aspects of the concept of quality for the various phases in the life cycle of research data : production , management , and use/re-use . Potential recommendations for quality improvement were derived from interviews and a study of the literature . These recommendations were tested via a national academic survey of three disciplinary domains as designated by the European Science Foundation : Physical Sciences and Engineering , Social Sciences and Humanities , and Life Sciences . The " popularity " of each recommendation was determined by comparing its perceived importance against the objections to it . On this basis , it was possible to draw up generic and discipline-specific recommendations for both the dos and the don'ts . <h> Introduction <p> Scientific and scholarly research nowadays results not only in publications but increasingly also in research data , i.e. collections comprising the data on which the research is based but which comes to live a life of its own ? subsequently or parallel to the actual publications ? as an independent source of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Paradigm of Science " . For this to be possible , such collections of data need to be traceable and accessible in just the same way as actual publications . Quality also plays a major role in both types of research product . But whereas for publications this aspect has been operationalised ? not always without controversy ? via peer review and citation indices , it is still in its infancy as regards research data . <p> SURFfoundation ? the ICT partnership between the Dutch Higher Education institutions ? is following these developments closely and in 2010 devoted three studies to the topics of selection , organisation , and quality of research data . The third of these studies was carried out by Pleiade Management and Consultancy ( Maurits van de Graaf ) and Leo Waaijers ( Open Access consultant ) . The present article is based on the results of that study . <h> Summary <p> The study investigated the operational aspects of the concept of quality for the various phases in the life cycle of research data : production , management , and use/re-use . Nine potential recommendations @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the literature . The desirability and feasibility of these recommendations were tested by means of a national survey of university professors and senior lecturers , with a distinction being made in this regard between the three disciplinary domains applied by the European Science Foundation : Physical Sciences and Engineering , Social Sciences and Humanities , and Life Sciences . The " popularity " of each recommendation was determined by setting off its perceived importance against the objections to it . On this basis , it was possible to draw up generic and discipline-specific recommendations for both the dos and the don'ts . <h> Survey of the literature <p> Literature dealing with the quality of research data is a recent development but is rapidly increasing in volume . The importance of the quality aspect of research data is broadly recognised . This virtually always concerns the quality of the metadata and documentation , but sometimes also the quality of the actual data itself . No generic definition of the term " quality " could be identified . In general , further study is recommended ; this matter is still in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and 9 . ) <p> One important milestone was the 2007 OECD publication Principles and Guidelines for Access to Research Data from Public Funding 15 , which adopts the basic principle that such data is a public good which must be made as accessible as possible . Our study makes a number of comments on this , particularly where data from the life sciences is concerned . <p> The RIN report 12 takes the first step towards operationalising the quality aspect by linking it to the various phases in the life cycle of research data : production , management , and use/re-use . This tripartite categorisation is frequently followed in subsequent literature , for example in the present study . <p> A new milestone is the recent report by the High Level Expert Group on Scientific Data , which develops an impressive vision regarding the issue of " how Europe can gain from the rising tide of scientific data " 1 . The report includes a plea for the development of methods for measuring the impact and quality of datasets and for the production and publication of high-quality datasets to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Our recommendations would operationalise that plea . <p> Some specific findings include : <p> The publication by Marc van Opijnen 5 focuses on the structuring of information ( in the legal field ) and creates a link between the topic of our study ( the quality of research data ) and a central theme of the SURFshare programme ( enhanced publications ) , concluding that it is not technology that is the main challenge but scientific/scholarly professionalism . <p> The dissertation by Jinfang Niu 6 gives a lengthy analysis of the importance of good documentation for the re-use of research data in the social sciences . <p> The Interim Business Plan 2008/9 by Australian National Data Services ( ANDS ) 10 announces that an annotation service will be set up for the research data for the Australian Life Atlas as a means of improving the quality of that data . <p> In 2008 , the Data Archiving &; Networked Services ( DANS ) introduced a " Data Seal of Approval " for the social sciences and humanities that has since gained international recognition 19 . To qualify for the Seal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ data consumers must comply with certain minimum quality requirements . <p> The String of Pearls Initiative 25 collects clinical data and biomaterials , stores them , and makes them accessible according to a strict code of conduct . <h> Interviews <p> The findings of the survey of the literature were presented during interviews with sixteen " data professionals " , i.e. data managers and researchers . <p> The above-mentioned tripartite categorisation as regards the life cycle of research data was used to define three types of quality control : <p> An elementary distinction can be made between data produced by equipment and data resulting from the registration of human behaviour and findings . This distinction does not necessarily correspond with the division between the exact sciences and the humanities . Digitised collections of texts in the humanities , for example , belong to the first category of data while the social and economic sciences work with collections of data from both categories . This is an important distinction in the context of the present study because there are different ways of looking at the issue of quality for the two @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ category , it is the accuracy of the equipment and the refinement of the applied algorithms that are central . To assess the accuracy of measurements , the calibration details of the measuring equipment are required , for example . The calibration of the measuring equipment may be changed or a better algorithm may be developed to perform the necessary calculations . This may therefore mean that it must be possible to recalculate the dataset using the improved calibration details and/or the improved algorithm . <p> In the second category , methodological issues play a primary role . This involves such questions as : is the chosen method for collecting data the most appropriate for this research objective ? Has the method been applied correctly ( for example random sampling , double-blind testing ) ? Does the dataset adequately describe the phenomenon that is being studied ( for example representativeness ) ? How have the integrity aspects of the data been dealt with when cleaning up the dataset ( for example contradictory data , presumed measuring errors , incomplete data , etc . ) ? Have the relevant ethical requirements @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) ? <p> For both categories of data , the documentation accompanying the dataset must account for these matters . The documentation is an essential component of the dataset and effectively determines its quality . If the documentation is not written during or immediately after the production phase , it usually never gets done . <p> Quality of data management <p> Data management focuses on ensuring the long-term accessibility of the dataset . Doing so involves , in part , the same considerations as ensuring long-term access to published digital articles . There are some differences , however . <p> The first difference has to do with technical permanence . Someone must guarantee this ; the researcher 's own hard disk or the vulnerable repository of a small institute are not good enough . In the case of articles , many publishers guarantee accessibility , or there may be the e-depots of libraries ( including national libraries ) such as the National Library of the Netherlands . This is not usually the case with research data , however . Data archives are set up all over the place , generally @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and often on a national or international scale . As yet , there appears to be no acute shortage of memory capacity , but the need for selection in the future is recognised . This topic goes beyond the scope of the present study . <p> There is then the question of retrievability , for which good metadata is a basic requirement . The metadata for data collections is more complex than that for articles . ( For example , see 23 . ) The documentation forms part of the metadata but the data formats also need to be recorded . These can be extremely varied , and they relate to a wide range of technical aspects of the data collection . Whether digital objects ? in this case collections of data ? can be traced is also determined by the application of standards . <p> Finally , there is the issue of accessibility . The software applications for research data are very varied and often specific to particular disciplines . These applications need to be maintained so as to provide continued future access to the data . It is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for particular disciplines or subjects in specialised ( international ) data archives . <p> As with articles , access to research data may be affected by copyright considerations . A dataset , for example a body of texts , may be made up of subordinate collections that are subject to different copyright rules . In these cases an Open Access system with standard provisions such as the Creative Commons licences would provide an effective solution . <p> Scientific/scholarly quality : scholarly merit <p> When discussing the assessment of the scientific/scholarly quality of research data , our interviewees often referred to some form of peer review . This could either be peer review prior to storage and provision of the data ? as part of the peer review of an article based on that data ? or subsequent peer review in the form of annotations by reusers ( as in 4 and 7 ) . <p> In general , the interviewees had their doubts about the feasibility of peer review in advance because of the demand it would make on the peer reviewer 's time . ( See also 11 . @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would lead to an unnecessary loss of time before the dataset could be made available . ( See also 2 ) . Some respondents thought that it was theoretically impossible to assess the " scholarly merit " of a dataset in isolation ; the dataset exists , after all , in the context of a research question . <p> In an increasing number of cases , datasets are published along with the articles on which they are based , certainly in the case of " enhanced publications " . In such cases , the peer review of the article can also take account of the dataset . In many cases , however , it is only the supplementary data that is published along with the article , i.e. a selection of the data necessary to support the article . Respondents doubt whether reviewers actually immerse themselves in that data when arriving at their quality assessment . Here too , pressure of time plays a role . <p> A new variant in this context involves special journals for " data publications " , i.e. separate articles describing the data collection . @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the person who produced the data through citations and the impact factor of the journal concerned . Examples include the journals Earth System Science Data 17 and Acta Crystallographica Section E 6 . <p> In the case of subsequent peer review , researchers who re-use the dataset are requested to write a brief review of it . These reviews or annotations are then linked to the dataset . ( See also 14 ) . The question that arose was whether such re-users would in fact be prepared to produce a review . This could perhaps be made a condition for being permitted to re-use the dataset . <p> Finally , it was suggested that , rather than setting up a separate quality assessment system for data , one could create a citation system for datasets , which would then form the basis for citation indices . The thinking behind this was that citation scores are a generally accepted yardstick for quality . <p> Classification of datasets <p> If research datasets are categorised according to origin , one can draw the following broad conclusions as regards quality control . <p> @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to their being used/re-used by third parties . Examples include data generated by large-scale instruments ( LHC , LOFAR ) , meteorological data ( Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute ) , data collected by oceanography institutes ( NOCD ) , and longitudinal data on Dutch households ( LISS panel ) . In this situation , there are a number of mechanisms for monitoring and improving the quality of the datasets , with peers being involved in many cases . The quality control for this data is of a high standard ; this category of data was therefore not surveyed as regards quality improvement measures . <p> B. Supplementary data and replication datasets that are published along with scientific/scholarly articles . This often involves subsets of larger datasets . The data concerned should basically be taken into consideration during the peer review process for the publication . In actual practice , this only happens on a limited scale . Matters are different , however , with the specialised data publications referred to above ; here , the documentation that belongs with the dataset is published as a separate article in a specialised @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , is then subjected to a specific peer review . At the moment , there are only a few such journals 16 and 17 . <p> C. Datasets included in data archives as required in some cases by the body that funds the research , for example the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research ( NWO ) 20 . This may also involve category B datasets if the publisher does not have the facilities to guarantee permanent storage and accessibility of the dataset . In many cases , the staff of the data archive subject the metadata and the documentation accompanying the dataset to a quality check and also , if applicable , a check on whether the content of the dataset actually falls within the scope of the particular data archive 18 . DANS issues datasets that meet certain quality requirements with its Data Seal of Approval 19 . Tailor-made checks on content quality are found in the case of large data collections such as the Genographic Project 13 , the RCSB Protein Data Bank 22 , and the World Ocean Database 2009 21 . <p> A few data archives @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ " where researchers can deposit their datasets without these being subject to prior quality control . A selection of the datasets thus deposited is then subjected to a quality check and included in the data archive . The criteria for selection have not been made explicit . <p> D. Datasets that are not made ( directly ) available . This is by its nature a large and virtually unknown area . In the light of the interviews held in the course of our study , it would seem sensible to distinguish between datasets that have been created primarily for the researcher 's own use ? for example by a PhD student ? and datasets created by larger groups or by several groups ( including international groups ) , often with a view to their being used by a large number of people and over a lengthy period . In the latter case , the parties concerned often reach agreement regarding quality and set up mechanisms for monitoring and enforcing it . Datasets created for a researcher 's own use will not generally be accompanied by any documentation . <h> Questionnaire @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a list of nine measures was drawn up for improving the quality of collections of research data . These measures were submitted in the form of a questionnaire to a representative sample of all Dutch professors and senior lecturers ( UHDs ) , in all a total of 2811 persons . <p> The response rate was 14% , which can be classed as good . Another 14% explicitly declined to participate , often giving reasons . The large number of explanations accompanying the answers was striking and it seems justifiable to conclude that the topic is one that is of interest to Dutch scientists and scholars . <p> Virtually all those who filled in the questionnaire are themselves peer reviewers ( 95% ) and more than half ( 57% ) are on the editorial board of a peer-reviewed journal . The respondents also have extensive experience with research datasets : 71% produce/co produce such datasets ; 60% have at some point made a dataset available to third parties ; and 50% ( also ) re-use datasets . <p> The responses were subsequently divided according to the disciplinary domains applied by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Sciences and Engineering , Social Sciences and Humanities , and Life Sciences ( excluding some respondents who had indicated more than one discipline ) . Cross-analyses could also be made according to the subgroups of re-users , providers , and producers of datasets . <p> A. Peer review of datasets as part of the peer review of articles 1 . In my field , many journals request that one make a replication dataset available . 2 . In my field , the peer reviewer normally has access to the underlying dataset for a publication and that dataset is taken into account when assessing the publication . 3 . In my field , it is feasible for a peer reviewer to simultaneously assess the publication and the underlying dataset. 4 . I think it is important that the underlying dataset be assessed along with the publication during the peer review process . <p> In the field of Life Sciences , 17% of the participating scientists said that journals in their discipline more or less require the author of a publication to also submit the underlying dataset . In this discipline , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ important that the dataset published along with an article be also taken into account during the peer review of the publication . Many of them have their doubts , however , as to the feasibility of this ( 42% : " not feasible " ; 37% : " feasible " ) . Physical Sciences and Engineering and Social Sciences and Humanities follow the same trend but with somewhat lower figures . <p> B. Data publications : peer-reviewed publications about datasets 5 . In my field , a peer-reviewed journal for data publications could play a valuable role in drawing attention to important datasets . <p> More than half of the participants ( 51% ) see a valuable role for such journals ; more than a quarter ( 28% ) are not in favour of such journals . The differences between the disciplines are only slight . <p> C. Comments on quality by re-users of datasets 6 . These comments on quality could be useful for future re-users of datasets . 7 . As a re-user , I would certainly take the trouble to add such comments regarding the quality of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ producer of a dataset , I would welcome such comments on quality from others . <p> The proposal received a great deal of support , with hardly any differences between the various disciplines . More than 80% consider these comments to be valuable for future re-users of the datasets . More than 70% say that as a re-user they would take the trouble to add such comments regarding the quality of the dataset , with more than 80% saying that as data producers they would welcome such comments from re users . <p> D. Citation of datasets 9 . As a re-user , I would certainly cite datasets where this was possible . 10 . As a researcher , I would welcome the option for " my " dataset to be cited . <p> This proposal too received a great deal of support and once again the answers given by the respondents from the three disciplines were virtually unanimous . If it were possible , more than three quarters would definitely cite the dataset as a re-user . More than 70% say that as data producers they would welcome the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Support for quality control of datasets at an early stage 11 . Training in data management would meet a need of many colleagues in my field . 12 . In my field , data audits , examining how datasets are compiled and managed , would help improve data management . <p> A significant majority ( 63% ) of respondents in the Life Sciences consider that training in data management and auditing of datasets would be valuable . The figure is much lower in Physical Sciences and Engineering ( 37% ) , with Social Sciences and Humanities taking up a mid-range position . <p> Popularity index <p> In order to get an idea of how the above options rank in terms of priority , we asked both about the extent to which the above measures can improve the quality of datasets ( = ' Do ' in the table below ) and the extent to which those measures meet with objections ( = ' Do n't ' ) . A " popularity index " was then produced by subtracting these percentages from one another . The index was compiled for the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the literature and the interviews : <p> a mandatory section on data management in research proposals ; <p> Open Access provision of datasets , perhaps after an embargo period ; <p> a code of conduct for dealing with data . <p> In the table below , the various options are presented according to the different disciplines , listed according to their popularity . <p> Physical Sciences and Engineering , popularity index ( n=61 ) <p> Do <p> Do n't <p> Popularity <p> Open Access provision of datasets , perhaps after an embargo period <p> 59 <p> 14.8 <p> 44.2 <p> Setting up of data publications : peer-reviewed descriptions of datasets <p> 41 <p> 6.6 <p> 34.4 <p> Citing of datasets <p> 32.8 <p> 1.6 <p> 31.2 <p> Comments on quality by re-users , to be published with the dataset <p> 27.9 <p> 1.6 <p> 26.3 <p> Peer review of the dataset as part of peer review of the publication <p> 39.3 <p> 29.5 <p> 9.8 <p> Provision of training in data management <p> 6.6 <p> 4.9 <p> 1.7 <p> Code of conduct for researchers for data management and provision @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Mandatory section on data management in research proposals submitted to bodies financing research <p> 4.9 <p> 39.3 <p> ? 34.4 <p> Periodic data audits <p> 6.6 <p> 44.3 <p> ? 37.7 <p> Social Sciences and Humanities , popularity index ( n=153 ) <p> Do <p> Do n't <p> Popularity <p> Citing of datasets <p> 37.9 <p> 4.6 <p> 33.3 <p> Setting up of data publications : peer-reviewed descriptions of datasets <p> 34 <p> 5.2 <p> 28.8 <p> Open Access provision of datasets , perhaps after an embargo period <p> 40.5 <p> 16.3 <p> 24.2 <p> Comments on quality by re-users , to be published with the dataset <p> 27.5 <p> 5.2 <p> 22.3 <p> Code of conduct for researchers for data management and provision of datasets <p> 22.9 <p> 7.2 <p> 15.7 <p> Provision of training in data management <p> 17 <p> 3.3 <p> 13.7 <p> Peer review of the dataset as part of peer review of the publication <p> 36.6 <p> 25.5 <p> 11.1 <p> Periodic data audits <p> 5.9 <p> 21.6 <p> ? 15.7 <p> Mandatory section on data management in research proposals submitted to bodies financing research @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , popularity index ( n=147 ) <p> Do <p> Do n't <p> Popularity <p> Code of conduct for researchers for data management and provision of datasets <p> 32.7 <p> 6.1 <p> 26.6 <p> Comments on quality by re-users , to be published with the dataset <p> 34.7 <p> 8.2 <p> 26.5 <p> Citing of datasets <p> 25.2 <p> 1.4 <p> 23.8 <p> Provision of training in data management <p> 21.1 <p> 1.4 <p> 19.7 <p> Setting up of data publications : peer-reviewed descriptions of datasets <p> 25.9 <p> 8.8 <p> 17.1 <p> Peer review of the dataset as part of peer review of the publication <p> 42.2 <p> 25.2 <p> 17 <p> Periodic data audits <p> 24.5 <p> 19 <p> 5.5 <p> Open Access provision of datasets , perhaps after an embargo period <p> 29.9 <p> 26.5 <p> 3.4 <p> Mandatory section on data management in research proposals submitted to bodies financing research <p> 19.7 <p> 29.3 <p> ? 9.6 <p> Analysis <p> Scientists and scholars in all disciplines would welcome greater clarity regarding the re-use of their data , both through citations and through comments by re users . @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in all disciplines . The view regarding a mandatory section on data management in research proposals is also unanimous , but negative . The decisive factor here is a fear of bureaucracy . <p> It is striking that the high score in all disciplines for extending the peer review of an article to the replication data published along with it is largely negated by the objections . The reason given in the explanations is the excessive burden on peer reviewers . It would seem that it is here that the peer review system comes up against the limits of what is possible . <p> The popularity ( or lack of popularity ) of the various other measures is clearly specific to the disciplines concerned . Although open access to data is popular in Physical Sciences and Engineering and in Social Sciences and Humanities , those in the field of Life Sciences have major objections . At the moment , their primary need would seem to be a code of conduct for the provision of data . A need is felt for this in Social Sciences and Humanities too , although @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ may be related to the two types of data referred to above : physical measurements as opposed to human-related data . <p> There is a certain correlation between data management training and data audits . For both , the score is low in Physical Sciences and Engineering , somewhat higher in Social Sciences and Humanities , and moderate in Life Sciences . In all the disciplines , training in data management scores better than data audits . This is possibly because training must precede audits . <p> If we round off the popularity indices at 10 points and show each 10 by a + or a ? , the result is the following overview : <p> Physical Sciences and Engineering <p> Social Sciences and Humanities <p> Life Sciences <p> Setting up of data publications : peer-reviewed descriptions of datasets <p> +++ <p> +++ <p> ++ <p> Citing of datasets <p> +++ <p> +++ <p> ++ <p> Comments on quality by re-users , to be published with the dataset <p> +++ <p> ++ <p> +++ <p> Open Access provision of datasets , perhaps after an embargo period <p> ++++ <p> ++ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ provision of datasets <p> ++ <p> +++ <p> Peer review of the dataset as part of peer review of the publication <p> + <p> + <p> ++ <p> Provision of training in data management <p> + <p> ++ <p> Periodic data audits <p> ? ? ? ? <p> ? ? <p> + <p> Mandatory section on data management in research proposals submitted to bodies financing research <p> ? ? ? <p> ? ? <p> ? <h> Recommendations <p> The following three quality improvement measures meet a need in all the different disciplines and should therefore be implemented as soon as possible . Together , they form a synergistic package and serve to operationalise a current recommendation to the European Commission by the High Level Expert Group on Scientific Data 1 . <p> Establish journals for data publications ; <p> Make the citing of datasets possible ; <p> Promote the provision of quality-related user comments on datasets . <p> These measures will improve the quality of research data . They are endorsed by the research community and they encourage producers to circulate their data . It is recommended that an analysis @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ financing for such measures . SURF could act as the initiator for such research , which should also be positioned within an international context . <p> Measures that are currently advised against are the introduction of a mandatory section on data management in research proposals and ? except in the field of Life Sciences ? the institution of periodic data audits . Opposition to these measures is significant , presumably based on a fear of bureaucracy . That fear should be removed by making clear that it is an effective , " light " approach that is being advocated . Research councils such as the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research ( NWO ) and university associations ( the Association of Universities in the Netherlands , VSNU ) should take the lead in this . <p> Where opinions of the other measures are concerned , there are significant differences between disciplines . Open access to data scores well in Physical Sciences and Engineering whereas this discipline expresses little need for a code of conduct , training in data management , or peer review of datasets as a component of peer review @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is complementary . Social Sciences and Humanities take up an intermediate position . Where a code of conduct for Life Sciences is concerned , the initiative by the NFUMC 25 might provide a relevant context . <p> The attitude in Physical Sciences and Engineering would seem to be that quality control of data can best be effectuated through citation of datasets and quality-related comments on those datasets which are made available through Open Access data publications . No need is expressed for codes of conduct , training in data management , or peer review of data that is published together with articles . <p> In Life Sciences , there is first and foremost a need for a code of conduct for dealing with data . Training in data management fits in with this . A direct judgment on quality can be given through peer review of the data that is published together with articles and through quality-related comments , a derived judgment through data publications and citations . Open access to data does not score highly . Interestingly enough , Life Sciences are ahead of the other disciplines as regards @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Marnix van Berchum of SURFfoundation for his support in the realization of this article . <h> About the Authors <p> Leo Waaijers has a long-term commitment to ( inter- ) national Open Access developments , first as the University Librarian of Delft University of Technology ( 1988 ) and later in a corresponding post at Wageningen University &; Research Centre ( 2001 ) . He concluded his career as the manager of the SURF Platform ICT and Research where he managed the national DARE programme ( 2004-2008 ) . In 2008 he won the SPARC Europe Award for Outstanding Achievements in Scholarly Communications . After his retirement he advised about the Open Access infrastructure of the Irish universities ( together with Maurice Vanderfeesten ) and in 2009 he evaluated the Swedish national Open Access programme " Open Access.se " ( together with Hanne Marie Kvaerndrup ) . <p> Maurits van der Graaf started Pleiade Management and Consultancy in 2000 , focusing on archives , libraries and publishers . Its activities include market research and evaluation , and strategic studies . Recent assignments include a study on repositories in Europe , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ usage of E-books ( see http : //www.pleiade.nl ) . Before Pleiade he held various jobs at publishers and libraries , including Product Manager Excerpta Medica database ( Elsevier ) , Director of the Dutch Current Research Agency ( NBOI ) and Deputy-Director of the Netherlands Institute for Scientific Information Services ( NIWI )

@@5080141 <h> ' DWTS ' : All-Stars dive right back into the fray <h> by Bryan Alexander , USA TODAY <h> Sponsored Links <p> Joey Fatone showed up at a recent Dancing With the Stars rehearsal to find fellow contestant Gilles Marini in a bit of a footwork funk . <p> " Gilles was getting so frustrated with his dance , " Fatone recalls . " I said , ' Gilles , just relax . You tense up so much because you want it so bad . ' " <p> Well , obviously . This is Dancing With the Stars ' All-Star Edition . <p> Season 15 , starting Monday ( ABC 8 ET/PT ) , is the first time the best competitors from the past go head-to-head for the ultimate celebrity ballroom dance bragging rights , and the first All-Star disco ball trophy . <p> The selected celebs are pulling out all the heavy artillery for Week 1 -- normally a time when dance teams are still testing out their weaponry . <p> " This time out of the gate , everyone 's coming out with guns blazing , " says Fatone . " Even the professional dancers are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ always saying , ' We have to do this and that . This is the All-Stars . ' " <p> The stakes are high and immediate . Someone is going home the first week , and there are no traditional weak-link performers to be sacrificed to the early rounds . <p> " You have people who were the stars in their respective seasons , " says host Tom Bergeron . " With the stakes this high , there will be sweated spray tan all over the dance floor . " <p> The toll is all the greater with the passing of time . Lachey , now 36 , realizes how long ago he won his Season 2 championship . " I 'm six years older , " he says . " My knees are six years older , and my back . I 've come to learn Advil is my friend . " <p> For every dancer there is a fascinating subplot as well . Marini will renew his dance rivalry with Shawn Johnson , who beat him out for the championship in Season 8 . ( " He 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , " says Johnson ) . <p> Meanwhile , Fatone and Ono are renewing their Season 4 duel in which Ono walked home with the trophy on the final night . " I got my eye on everyone , " says Fatone . " But I just do n't want Apolo to win again . " <p> The competitive flames rise even higher as most of the teams practice at the same L.A. location for the first time . " You 're trying to size everyone up , " says Fatone . " There 's a lot of smack talk . It 's highly entertaining . " <p> On result-night Tuesday , one All Star will be sent home . The fear of being the initial casualty calls for even a greater push for first-week heroics . <p> " Imagine how horrible it will be to the first person voted off . It 's not going to be fun for that person , " Bergeron says with a laugh . " I 'll try not to

@@5080241 <h> Santa Cruz or which way do I go ? <p> Santa Cruz or which way do I go ? This is a short trip report of a ride I took last weekend to Santa cruz . I had different ideas of where wanted to go last Saturday . I have to say my biggest concern was just getting out of Dodge so to speak . I had wanted to go to Solvang but was to lazy to tell you the truth . Also I decided to sleep in Saturday so I did not leave until 10:00 : ( So I followed my regular plan of crawling on to the freeway and seeing where I end up . I started going south on I-5.Nothing like no planning . I think maybe Monterey but how about Santa Cruz . So I am going down the rode at a nice clip and then I see a sign for San Franscico . Maybe I will go there instead . Decisions decisions oh what should I do . That sign is getting closer , what should I do . San Fran is only 90 miles away . Ah screw it , I will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ . This was a chance to try out my new wind screen . I installed the Zero Gravity <p> Super Touring one . For those who want to know , it is great ! Before the wind hit me mid chest . Now it its at the chin level . Cuts down on the fatigue big time . So as I am going down I-5 I am down by Santa Nella . I see what I think is a car broke down . Flashers are on . Since there is not a whole lot out there I decide to pull over and be a nice guy to see if I can lend a helping hand . To my surprise this guy comes around the car with a radar gun . It turns out to be a unmark car ! Luckily I have slowed down to 60 while getting closer . I just wave as I go by ! I wish he could have seen my smile underneath that full coverage hemet : ) To me that is wrong on so many levels . By the way , did I mention @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Santa Cruz instead Of Monterey . One nice nice thing about being on a bike is the ability to explore all the neat places as you travel . So I was not paying attention where I was going <p> and missed my turn off in Gilroy So I pull off the side of the road to ask this guy walking down the street for directions . Come to find out that this guy is hearing impaired ! He starts trying to do sign language . Now I must say I know a little sign language but this is way over my head . So I thank him the best I can and travel on . I finally get out of Gilroy and on to Santa Cruz . Cutting off from I-5 I took 152 . I really love the rolling hills through here . I thought I would have some good pictures but did not have the right settings on my camera set . I have to pay closer attention to that . Well got to Santa Cruz , the weather was excellent . Went by the board walk . @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ off season . Went over to the pier and took a walk all the way to the end . Man , that is one long pier . After that , I cruised around town and then headed out for home . Got somewhat lost again , was not sure where my turn was and then a guy <p> pulls up beside me on a really nice V-Strom . He tells me to follow him aways and then peels off to go one way and points me the other direction . I am off and running for home from there . I knew it was going to get cold heading for home . It did ! I do n't run any heated cloths but am thinking of investing in some so to be more comfy in the winter . Anyways , got home about 8:00 chilled but not quite frozen . Not a bad day over all . <p> I am starting this blog to keep track of my travels via motorcycle . My aim is to travel the 49 states and the the west coast of Canada on my motorcycle @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and family ... full info <p> Britain 's American colonies broke with the mother country in 1776 and were recognized as the new nation of the United States of America following the Treaty of Paris in 1783 . During the 19th and 20th centuries , 37 new states were added to the origina ... more info <p> Some of the locals You can drive out on this pier with your car as there are some really nice restaurants out on it . Thats if you like sea food . <p> Some of the locals About these birds . this one guy drove a beautiful car out there and it look like they did a strafing run on his car . I have not seen that much

@@5080341 <p> Do you need ideas for what to serve a vegetarian or vegan family member or guest for Thanksgiving ? Or , are you thinking about not serving turkey and , instead , focusing on the wonderful fall vegetables that are available in the Seattle area ? <p> Nicole Spiridakis , in her National Public Radio story " A Vegetarian Thanksgiving , " offers a delicious array dishes that she says attract attention even from her turkey-eating guests . <p> Spiridakis describes what she 's cooked over the years for the " Turkey " holiday . She says she 's lighten the recipes , using less butter and cheese . <p> Among the dishes described are : <p> Baked tofu marinated in a sweet-and-sour sauce . <p> Butternut squash cut in half and roasted it in a little olive oil until it turned melty and sweet , then topped with a black bean and onion stew . <p> Mashed sweet potatoes . <p> Sauted mushrooms with cream and cheese . <p> A whole baked cauliflower . <p> Baked squash with wild rice and Brussels sprouts . <p> Recipes are offered for : <p> Mushroom and Spinach Gallette <p> Baked @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Vegetarian Gravy <p>

@@5080441 <p> Now , more than ever , is the time for brands and companies to begin understanding how the chaotic and real-time world of Twitter can massively influence the ways in which consumers perceive them . <p> With so many different channels of communication and new social networks popping up every other day , it 's not difficult to see why brands tend to miss the mark when it comes to efficiently using individual marketing platforms for their intended purpose . For example , although Facebook is obviously a social networking tool , the majority of consumers who use Facebook are not quite the same as Twitter users when it comes to influencing the general public about a brand . <p> In a recent report from Exact Target ( a global Software as a Service leader that connects customers with organizations through marketing ) , it 's been found that daily active Twitter users -- AKA , the consumers who actually reach out to or follow brands via Twitter -- are 3x more likely to amplify the influence of that brand than , say , a Facebook user would . <h> Who are Twitter users and why are they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who are active on Twitter daily : <p> 72% publish blog posts at least once a month <p> 70% comment on others ' blog posts <p> 61% write at least one product review a month <p> 61% comment on news sites <p> 56% write articles for third-party sites <p> 53% post videos online <p> 50% make contributions to wiki sites <p> 48% share deals found through coupon forums <p> In essence : What happens on Twitter does n't stay on Twitter . <p> Discussions that begin on the platform are more likely to appear elsewhere on the web than they are from any other network . Brands need to begin paying attention to their Twitter Followers as these consumers represent the most influential online users . Brands should be treating Twitter as an entirely different ecosystem of users , rather than directing brand messages on Twitter towards the majority of their consumers . <p> Active Twitter users count themselves as those who actually want to influence others . In fact , 73% of Twitter users have said that it is their goal on the platform to accumulate larger audiences , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ . <p> When it comes to identifying a group of consumers who are most likely to impact your brand 's online reputation , get to know your Twitter FOLLOWERS . These consumers are three times more likely than the average consumer to publish to a blog at least once per month ( 53% compared to 18% ) , and the content might mention your brand . From submitting product reviews and commenting on news stories to participating in discussion forums and maintaining personal websites , FOLLOWERS represent the most influential online consumer . And while many passive Twitter users are decreasing their use of this channel , the highly-influential daily Twitter users ( a.k.a . Megaphones -- download The Social Profile for more information ) continue to increase their use . These consumers blog , comment , write online articles , and post to wikis more often than any other online consumer . <h> Twitter 's power to influence extends beyond the actual service . <p> Of course , Twitter is n't for everyone -- not every consumer ( especially new adopters ) can handle the overwhelming surge of incoming @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ n't actually have to use Twitter to know what 's happening on Twitter . <p> Twitter 's extremely flexible API allows third parties to easily build applications on top of its infrastructure . Also , tweets can be read by absolutely anyone -- you do n't need to create an account to read a tweet . This means that while only a fraction of users are actually reading tweets on Twitter itself , the platform is still able to effectively double its reach . <p> Followers are n't the only ones listening to your brand on Twitter . <p> Search engines are listening as well . <p> Since search engines like Google or Bing are able to index your individual tweets , consumers will be able to find your previous updates during their own queries . What this means is what brands post from their Twitter account will effectively represent them for the remainder of Internet history and most likely will be found by those who are either watching for or stumbling onto them . <p> So how exactly should brands be interacting with their followers on Twitter ? The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ right way to go about doing this . Twitter is a place for personality -- a place to help give brands a voice -- where users do n't expect every single company to interact with them in any specific way ( except respectfully , of course ) . This provides ample opportunity for more creative ways to engage consumers . <p> For those brands who do need a bit of help , however , Exact Target recommends reading the case studies of other companies that have successfully used Twitter as a marketing device . <h> Twitter users appreciate the important stuff your brand has to say . <p> While some consumers might turn to Facebook for more in depth discussion , most agree that Twitter facilitates quick and concise communication due to its 140 character limit . The amazing thing about Twitter is that it forces us to shrink down all of the nonsense we want to say about ourselves and present it in a single shot . It 's like a resume -- you want to cut out the " fluff " and only offer the most relevant information @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ consumers understand that they are only getting the most important and critical information from brands or those they choose to follow on the platform . This , of course , means that brands need to find a way to embrace their voice on the service in a manner that quickly and effectively communicates the message they want to deliver . <p> The brevity of the platform is n't the only thing that keeps followers tuned into what brands want to say -- it 's also the fact that Twitter is both game , add-on , and advertisement free . By cutting out all of the distractions that we normally see while using any other channel , Twitter effectively narrows the focus for users only looking to find information . This means that whatever they are using Twitter for ( whether it 's to receive news updates or interact with brands ) gets their complete attention . <h> Twitter users are n't just following brands for news or product updates . <p> Consumers that seek out brands on Twitter are looking for perspectives from those companies that they wo n't be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of a brand or celebrity as well as their tendency to interact with followers often determines how successful that company or person will be in terms of making a meaningful impact on consumers . <p> For example , an angry consumer is more likely to Tweet about a failed experience with a company than they are to dial in their aggression as , oftentimes , they feel that the company will have more of a tendency to react ( especially since the service is real-time ) . <p> Also due to the real-time nature of Twitter is the tendency for consumers to follow brands because they are looking for current promotions , special deals and coupons . Exact Target recommends engaging brand users with real time contests or giveaways , as Twitter followers tend to enjoy the entertaining aspect of these types of promotions . <h> The bottom line <p> Twitter , whether you like it or not , is a communication channel unique in and of itself . Understanding how to integrate the service into your marketing strategy can have a huge effect on the long term success of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you are aware of the differences between marketing to users on Twitter and reaching out to consumers on social networks . <p> Twitter users are blogger , vloggers , community members and active online participants in Internet culture . They are collaborators and contributors who need to be treated as such if a brand hopes to excel on Twitter 's unique channel . Take a moment to comprehend what exactly it is that your consumers want from you on the platform , and how to deliver that to them in a way that is uniquely capable of being amplified across all channels . <h> Discussion <p> I much prefer Twitter to other social network systems , in large part because of the real time interaction . I can attest that I will not follow a tweeter -- be it individual , celebrity or business -- if there 's little interaction . That 's not to say that I expect one-on-one conversations with everyone I follow . But if I look and that tweet stream is exclusively full of their own posts , with no responses to anyone else or re-tweets @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more than a glorified advertisement account and I have no interest in those ( unless , of course , the account belongs to a news outlet ; I obviously do n't expect CNN to engage in personal banter ) . <p> Also , speaking for myself , I find Twitter a much more communal experience than Facebook . I find Facebook users rarely react to anything beyond " liking " content , whereas Twitter users are more likely to engage in discourse . The trending topics list also serves as a real time snapshot of popular subjects . Most of the time I 'm not interested in what they are , but every now and again it 's nice to see that a given topic is being heavily discussed and I can join in those discussions . There is no equivalent on Facebook to let users know what everyone else is talking about at a given time . From a business perspective , then , it 's much easier to get a feel for the aggregate taste of Twitter users . <p> For instance , I can tell you that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one of the most popular shows among Twitter users , because it trends frequently . Twitter users like hashtag games that involve substituting a specific word into movie , song or book titles . And Twitter users are much likelier to discuss a movie the night before it opens than after opening weekend . Optimus Prime was a trending topic the night before " Transformers : Dark of the Moon " opened , for instance . <p> So if I ran the Twitter account for an entertainment-related business , I would probably try to instigate some of those title substitution hashtag games perhaps weekly , and if I could somehow connect with a movie opening , I would do it the night before the movie opened . For instance , I might ask followers which actor in a movie about to open is their favorite . Then , I would re-tweet responses that mentioned movies that my company made . The average person is oblivious to which movies were made by which studio . <p> Say I ran Sony 's Twitter account . The night before Universal 's " Tinker @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , I might ask , " What 's your favorite Gary Oldman movie ? " and then I would re-tweet the first enthusiastic response that says , " The Fifth Element " because that 's a Sony movie . Now all of a sudden , the night before " Tinker , Tailor , Soldier , Spy " opens , I 've got people thinking about " The Fifth Element . " If I ran Warner Bros. ' s Twitter account , I 'd jump on responses that mention the Batman movies . <p> This alone catches the pre-release wave , engages the followers and reminds people of the business 's product . Maybe it 's bad form to exploit your competition 's release like that , but if I did n't have a movie of my own to push that week , I would n't hesitate to try to jump in on the action . <p> http : **28;1635;TOOLONG Travis McClain <p> I much prefer Twitter to other social network systems , in large part because of the real time interaction . I can attest that I will not follow @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ -- if there 's little interaction . That 's not to say that I expect one-on-one conversations with everyone I follow . But if I look and that tweet stream is exclusively full of their own posts , with no responses to anyone else or re-tweets of other content , then I assume it 's little more than a glorified advertisement account and I have no interest in those ( unless , of course , the account belongs to a news outlet ; I obviously do n't expect CNN to engage in personal banter ) . <p> Also , speaking for myself , I find Twitter a much more communal experience than Facebook . I find Facebook users rarely react to anything beyond " liking " content , whereas Twitter users are more likely to engage in discourse . The trending topics list also serves as a real time snapshot of popular subjects . Most of the time I 'm not interested in what they are , but every now and again it 's nice to see that a given topic is being heavily discussed and I can join in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ let users know what everyone else is talking about at a given time . From a business perspective , then , it 's much easier to get a feel for the aggregate taste of Twitter users . <p> For instance , I can tell you that " Law &; Order : Special Victims Unit " is one of the most popular shows among Twitter users , because it trends frequently . Twitter users like hashtag games that involve substituting a specific word into movie , song or book titles . And Twitter users are much likelier to discuss a movie the night before it opens than after opening weekend . Optimus Prime was a trending topic the night before " Transformers : Dark of the Moon " opened , for instance . <p> So if I ran the Twitter account for an entertainment-related business , I would probably try to instigate some of those title substitution hashtag games perhaps weekly , and if I could somehow connect with a movie opening , I would do it the night before the movie opened . For instance , I might ask followers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ favorite . Then , I would re-tweet responses that mentioned movies that my company made . The average person is oblivious to which movies were made by which studio . <p> Say I ran Sony 's Twitter account . The night before Universal 's " Tinker , Tailor , Soldier , Spy " opens in November , I might ask , " What 's your favorite Gary Oldman movie ? " and then I would re-tweet the first enthusiastic response that says , " The Fifth Element " because that 's a Sony movie . Now all of a sudden , the night before " Tinker , Tailor , Soldier , Spy " opens , I 've got people thinking about " The Fifth Element . " If I ran Warner Bros. ' s Twitter account , I 'd jump on responses that mention the Batman movies . <p> This alone catches the pre-release wave , engages the followers and reminds people of the business 's product . Maybe it 's bad form to exploit your competition 's release like that , but if I did n't have a movie @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ n't hesitate to try to jump in on the action . <p> http : **25;1665;TOOLONG Stu Bradley <p> Agree with all this -- I notice almost every tech blog has between 5 and 10 times more Twitter followers than it does FB fans . <p> http : **25;1692;TOOLONG Stu Bradley <p> Agree with all this -- I notice almost every tech blog has between 5 and 10 times more Twitter followers than it does FB fans . <p> http : //www.maavratech.com/ MaavraTech <p> Twitter without a doubt is one of the most active and powerful social media platforms . It has mobilized the World and played very integral part in making the World a global village where news fly in seconds . Social marketing is the next big thing and it 's becoming one of the power mediums to be Heard . Using Twitter you can give out a succinct to the point message and this really reaches a lot of people and gets the acknowledgement . <p> Steve Wirig <p> Although this sounds true , " the consumers who actually reach out to or follow brands via Twitter -- @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ brand than , say , a Facebook user would " ... How can you measure amplification of a Private ( mostly ) network vs a Public network ? <p> Dan Peters <p> It 's fun to be a statistic ! ! <p> Dan Peters <p> It 's fun to be a statistic ! ! <p> Sherilynn Macale <p> Right ? I pretty much accurately represent every single bullet point except for the " contributions to wiki sites " . @Dan Peters <p> Sherilynn Macale <p> Good question ! One better directed towards Exact Target , where this research was found . ; ) While I do consider myself an Analytics junkie and can definitely see how this is probable , I 'd still like to know the exact method of their research as well . <p> ... Though that 's probably asking a little much . : P <p> @Steve Wirig <p> Sherilynn Macale <p> Good question ! One better directed towards Exact Target , where this research was found . ; ) While I do consider myself an Analytics junkie and can definitely see how this is probable , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their research as well . <p> ... Though that 's probably asking a little much . : P <p> @Steve Wirig <p> http : **25;1719;TOOLONG eyeBrand <p> Now that consumers use Twitter and Facebook to interact with brands in real-time with complaints , issues or questions , brands must treat tweets and posts as direct , yet very public converstations with them . As a result , brands must engage and talk back whenever possible . <p> Many brands make the mistake in thinking that social media is only a way to push their messages out to people ( i.e. a monologue ) . However , social is about a dialogue in which consumers expect to happen instantly . <p> Twitter : @eyebrand <p> http : **25;1746;TOOLONG eyeBrand <p> Now that consumers use Twitter and Facebook to interact with brands in real-time with complaints , issues or questions , brands must treat tweets and posts as direct , yet very public converstations with them . As a result , brands must engage and talk back whenever possible . <p> Many brands make the mistake in thinking that social media is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ( i.e. a monologue ) . However , social is about a dialogue in which consumers expect to happen instantly . <p> @Terence Washington I partially agree with this -- although I 'll admit I often discover info etc about brands on Twitter it is usually through the figures you describe above , rather than the brands ' own Twitter pages . <p> http : **26;1773;TOOLONG Business Partners <p> Twitter is indeed an extremely powerful social media platform . The real-time factor is a major factor in that . But Facebook is in real time too , but because pretty much most FB personal pages are often closed to non-friends , Twitter definitely takes the cake when it comes to the value that it provides businesses . <p> kinga potrzebowski <p> Excellent post ! You 've done a great a job of outlying why Twitter is important in any brands social media strategy , at the very least to they need to monitor it . <p> Off to share this on Twitter : ) <p> http : //tweet4ok.com Tweet 4 OK <p> What an awesome list why Twitter is so @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ http : //tweet4ok.com Tweet 4 OK <p> What an awesome list why Twitter is so important and relevant for all ! Thanks for sharing <p> http : //tweet4ok.com Tweet 4 OK <p> What an awesome list why Twitter is so important and relevant for all ! Thanks for sharing <p> http : //tweet4ok.com Tweet 4 OK <p> What an awesome list why Twitter is so important and relevant for all ! Thanks for sharing <p> I wonder how this will read next year . I hear MySpace is ramping back up . : ) <p> kosso <p> I think those stats are way off . ( IMHO ) <p> " 72% publish blog posts at least once a month " ? Not a chance , <p> " 70% comment on others ' blog posts " No way . How often ? <p> etc ... <p> kosso <p> I think those stats are way off . ( IMHO ) <p> " 72% publish blog posts at least once a month " ? Not a chance , <p> " 70% comment on others ' blog posts " No way . How often @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stats are way off . ( IMHO ) <p> " 72% publish blog posts at least once a month " ? Not a chance , <p> " 70% comment on others ' blog posts " No way . How often ? <p> etc ... <p> kosso <p> .. otherwise , very nice article , by the way ; ) <p> http : **28;1801;TOOLONG Travis McClain <p> @Sherilynn Macale Ha ! I 'd be entirely out of my depth , really . Though , if anyone is taking notes , I 'm reminded this morning that Twitter really likes " Everybody Hates Chris " reruns to start the day ( based on how frequently it trends in the morning ) . If I was looking to buy some TV commercial time , that might be a lucrative show to sponsor . <p> http : //techkik.com Amrita Mathur <p> Some good points . You made a believer out of me ! <p> http : **31;1831;TOOLONG Artem Yankov <p> nice <p> http : **31;1864;TOOLONG Artem Yankov <p> hehe <p> http : **31;1897;TOOLONG Artem Yankov <p> hehe <p> http : **31;1930;TOOLONG Artem Yankov <p> @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ http : **31;1996;TOOLONG Artem Yankov <p> yeah <p> Sherilynn Macale <p> The stats are for DAILY ACTIVE Twitter Users . @kosso <p> Sherilynn Macale <p> The stats are for DAILY ACTIVE Twitter Users . @kosso <p> http : **31;2029;TOOLONG Artem Yankov <p> o <p> http : **30;2062;TOOLONG ? id=5 ... Peter Williams <p> Good article , I was also thinking about trad media because many of the people I know on twitter also do interviews for tv , radio , newspapers as well as present a conferences etc . <p> http : //www.thesocializers.com Nathaniel Hansen <p> It 's not about following a brand , Terence . It 's about what your Friends (

@@5080541 <p> At such a young age John Mayer has established himself as master on the guitar . Each riff is crafted precisely and his knowledge of past works plays a pivotal role in how he executes his songs . A little bit of blues , classic rock and contemporary melodies combined with smooth lyrics make his songs some of the best out there . <p> A great deal of people do not like John Mayer 's music but no one can say that the man is not a pure joy to listen to on the guitar . In less than a decade he has established his own style and it shows . If you have not seen him live I highly recommend catching a show . <p> Good Love ! Reviewer : Brandon N 7/6/09 <p> I love this song . I think he is singing about being broken hearted for many years and that he is finally ready to get back out and find good love , or that he has washed himself clean and is ready to give good love to someone . <p> All I have to say is this sound is amazing . Stevie Ray @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ School " John Mayer combined make Try ! an extreme must-buy . I have n't stopped listening to it since I bought it a week ago . Mayer and his mastery of the guitar , if you do n't think he 's established already , has definitely hammered the nail on the head with this one , the sky is to submit the lyrics or the corrections of the lyrics , please click the link at Your Name : ( Important : Your name will be published if you input it ) <p> Review for Good Love Is

@@5080641 <h> Get the Best Airplane Seat <p> We 've all been there -- the small child kicking the back of your seat , the lack of legroom , the war over the armrest . While there 's no fail-safe way to guarantee that aisle seat in the exit row near the front of the plane with no one sitting next to you , we have some tactics that will help . Check out our tips for getting the best seat on the plane -- and then share yours ! <p> What Makes a Great Seat ? Exit rows , aisle or window seats , and seats close to the front of the plane are typically considered the best . On a short business trip , you probably want an aisle seat near the front of the plane so you can debark as quickly as possible on arrival . On an overnight flight , you 'll want a window seat so you can rest your head . Nervous fliers may want to sit over the wing , where there is less turbulence . <p> Exit row seats usually offer a bit more legroom , but they 're not appropriate if @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , no one under 15 may sit in an exit row , and infants are not permitted in the rows immediately behind or in front of an exit row either . <p> Many fliers also like " bulkhead seats , " which are the seats directly behind the physical barriers ( such as walls , curtains or screens ) that separate different parts of the plane . Because there are no seats in front of you , you wo n't get stuck with another passenger reclining into your lap -- and you often get some extra legroom as well . <p> But be careful : Not all " bulkhead " rows are created equal . On some planes , the first bulkhead row may be cramped and uncomfortable . For more information , go to SeatGuru.com , where you can check out seat maps for nearly every type of plane on every major airline . <p> Keep an eye on seat pitch , especially if you 're tall . This is a measure of how much space there is between a seat and the one immediately behind or in front @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more legroom you will have . SeatGuru lists both seat pitch and width ( when available ) for most airlines . <p> Many passengers are concerned about safety , but unfortunately there 's no clear answer about where you should sit in order to fare best in a plane crash . One study suggests that you may have a higher chance of survival during a plane crash if you 're seated in the rear of an aircraft . However , another more recent study contradicts those findings , indicating that the safest place to sit is near the front of the plane within five rows of an emergency exit . <p> The middle seat in any row is generally undesirable . Rows near flight attendant areas and restrooms may be noisier and experience more traffic , and seats very close to cabin movie screens can be uncomfortable , or bright if you are trying to sleep . SeatGuru also identifies other potential problems on its seat maps , such as limited recline or reduced seat width . <p> 10 Ways to Get a Better Seat 1 . Join a frequent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can use . Providing your frequent flier number at the time of reservation goes a long way toward netting you a good seat , especially if you are a loyal , high-ranking member . If you do n't already have your seat assignment when you arrive at the airport , present your number at check-in . <p> 2 . Buy your tickets early . The number of seats available for pre-assignment dwindles as the travel date approaches . If you ca n't buy your tickets at least several weeks in advance , be sure to check in online as soon as possible before your flight to select a seat , or arrive at the airport early if online check-in is n't available . <p> 3 . Consider purchasing a better seat . Several airlines now offer economy-class seats with extra legroom for an additional fee . JetBlue 's " Even More Legroom " seats are located in exit rows and have 38 inches of seat pitch ( instead of 34 - 36 inches on its regular seats ) . United offers Economy Plus access to high-ranking frequent fliers and to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this entitles travelers to five more inches of seat pitch in the coach cabin . ( If any Economy Plus seats are still available at flight time , they can be purchased on a one-time basis . ) Additionally , several airlines including Delta , American Airlines , United , U.S. Airways and others also charge for what they call " preferred seating , " but is really just the opportunity to guarantee yourself a window or aisle seat in the front half of the plane . <p> 4 . Select your seat when you book . Most airline Web sites and major booking engines allow you to choose a seat when you purchase your ticket , or to return to your reservation after your initial purchase and make your seat selection later . ( In most cases this process is free , but some airlines -- including AirTran and Spirit Airlines -- have added fees to select your seat in advance . ) If you do n't see a seat online that you like , consider calling the airline and speaking to a live agent ; sometimes there 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ site and what 's actually available . <p> 5 . Confirm your seat at check-in . Most airlines allow passengers to check in online 24 hours before their flight departs . At that point you can confirm the seat you 've already chosen or even choose a better one . <p> 6 . Get to the airport early . If you arrive too late at your gate , you may lose your seat . <p> 7 . When in doubt , ask . Once you reach your gate , ask whether any new seats have opened up . If other passengers upgrade to business class or do n't show up for the flight , you may get lucky and grab a better assignment . <p> 8 . Be specific . If you know exactly what seat you 're interested in , it can be easier for agents to get it for you . Instead of asking for an exit row or " a good seat , " try asking for " 12A " -- you 'll be more likely to get what you want ( or an acceptable substitute ) @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you have a medical condition , let the agent know . Most will do their best to accommodate you . <p> 10 . Kindness counts . Approach agents in a spirit of understanding . They hear complaints and demands all day .

@@5080741 <p> This chapter describes level-of-service ( LOS ) rating systems suitable for evaluating the quality of various transport modes from users ' perspective . This helps create a more neutral planning decisions that involve tradeoffs between different transport modes . <h> Description <p> Multi-Modal Level-of-Service Indicators are rating systems used to evaluate various transportation modes and impacts . Level of Service ( also called Quality of Service or Service Quality ) refers to the speed , convenience , comfort and security of transportation facilities and services as experienced by users . Level-Of-Service ( LOS ) ratings , typically from A ( best ) to F ( worst ) , are widely used in transport Planning to evaluate problems and potential solutions . Because they are easy to understand ( they are similar to the schools grades ) , Level-Of-Service rating often influence transport planning decisions . Such ratings systems can be used identify problems , establish Performance Indicators and targets , evaluate potential solutions , compare locations , and track trends . <p> Current planning tends to evaluate transportation system performance based primarily on motor vehicle traffic speed and delay ( tables 1 and 2 ) . There are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ This tends to favor highway expansion over other types of transportation improvements , contributing to Automobile Dependency . <p> Table 1 Roadway Level-Of-Service ( LOS ) Ratings ( Wikipedia ) <p> LOS <p> Description <p> Speed <p> ( mph ) <p> Flow ( veh. /hour/lane ) <p> Density <p> ( veh. /mile ) <p> A <p> Traffic flows at or above the posted speed limit and all motorists have complete mobility between lanes . <p> Over 60 <p> Under 700 <p> Under 12 <p> B <p> Slightly congested , with some impingement of maneuverability . Two motorists might be forced to drive side by side , limiting lane changes . <p> 57-60 <p> 700-1,100 <p> 12-20 <p> C <p> Ability to pass or change lanes is not assured . Most experienced drivers are comfortable , and posted speed is maintained , but roads are close to capacity . This is often the target LOS for urban highways . <p> 54-57 <p> 1,100-1,550 <p> 20-30 <p> D <p> Typical of an urban highway during commuting hours . Speeds are somewhat reduced , motorists are hemmed in by other cars and trucks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Flow becomes irregular and speed varies rapidly , but rarely reaches the posted limit . On highways this is consistent with a road over its designed capacity . <p> 30-46 <p> 1,850-2,000 <p> 42-67 <p> F <p> Flow is forced ; every vehicle moves in lockstep with the vehicle in front of it , with frequent drops in speed to nearly zero mph . A road for which the travel time can not be predicted . <p> Under 30 <p> Unstable <p> 67-Maximum <p> This table summarizes roadway Level of Service ( LOS ) rating . These only account for motor vehicle traffic speeds and congestion delay . Other impacts and modes are often ignored . <p> This rating system is used to define transportation problems and prioritize transportation system improvements , resulting in resources being directed at highway expansion . Transportation engineers often produce maps showing roadway links and intersections considered to have excess traffic congestion ( Level-of-Service rating D or worse ) , which is used to prioritize roadway expansion projects . This methodology is criticized as being technically flawed and biased , because it ignores ( Cortright @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ volumes and speeds to increase problems such as traffic accidents , pollution emissions and sprawl . <p> Negative impacts that wider roads and increased vehicle traffic speeds tend to have on Walking and Cycling travel ( and therefore public transit travel , since most transit trips include walking links ) . <p> Some jurisdictions codify this bias toward automobile-oriented improvements with concurrency requirements and development fees , which imposes restrictions and fees on new development that increases local traffic congestion as measured by roadway LOS ratings . This tends to discourage infill development and encourage sprawl ( Cortright 2010 ; CUTR 2006 and 2008 ) . Application of Multi-Modal Level-Of-Service standards supports infill development and Smart Growth by allowing roadway LOS ratings to decline provided that LOS ratings for other modes improve , and by allowing development fees to finance Nonmotorized and Public Transit improvements rather than just roadway expansion . <p> The development and use of Multi-Modal Level-of-Service Indicators is consistent with current trends toward more Comprehensive and balanced transport planning that considers diverse modes and impacts ( Cambridge Systematics 2010 ) . Such indicators can help respond to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can be considered in transport planning . For example , travelers may sometimes be willing to accept lower speeds for increased convenience and comfort , and improvements to other modes besides roadway . Multi-Modal LOS Indicators can help identify if a particular planning decision has undesirable indirect effects , such as when road or parking facility expansion degrades walking and cycling conditions . It is particularly important for TDM Evaluation , because it considers a broader range of options and impacts , and reflects factors that influence traveler behavior . <p> Multi-Modal Level-of-Service Indicators can be used for travel demand Modeling . An improvement in a mode 's Level-of-Service rating reflects an increase in its speed , convenience and comfort , which , all else being equal , should increase demand for that mode . The rating factors can be quantified to measure changes in service quality . <p> Multi-Modal Level-of-Service Indicators can be used to establish Performance Standards and targets . For example , a strategic transportation plan include a target that all walking and cycling facilities should have at least a C Level-of-Service rating , and that the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to C within two years , and should reach LOS B within five years . This establishes a framework for identifying problems and prioritizing transportation system improvements . <p> Comprehensive Level-of-Service Indicators are particularly important for improving public transit and walking transport , because their travel conditions are directly affected by public planning decisions , as indicated in Table 3 . For example , motorists supply their own parking garages and vehicles and so directly control comfort features such as seating quality , temperature control and refreshment availability ( cupholders ) . In contrast , public transit travelers publicly supplied sidewalks and paths , stops and stations , park- &-ride; facilities , and vehicles . It is not generally possible for an individual traveler to purchase improved walking conditions , nicer stops and stations , higher transit service speeds , or a nicer bus or train with additional convenience and comfort features ( such as cupholders ) ; improving these facilities and services requires public planning that responds to user needs and preferences . For example , some travelers might shift from driving to public transit if it had better @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to identify and evaluate such consumer demands in the planning process . <p> Table 3 Provision of Transportation System Components <p> Providers <p> Automobile <p> Public Transit <p> Walking &; Cycling <p> Private <p> Residential <p> garage <p> Vehicle <p> Shoes and bikes <p> Public <p> Roads <p> Destination parking <p> Sidewalks and paths <p> Stops and stations <p> Park- &-Ride; facilities <p> Vehicle ( bus or train ) <p> Sidewalks and paths <p> Road crossing conditions <p> Automobile users provide their own garage and vehicles and so have greater direct control over convenience and comfort features . Public transit users depend much more on publicly supplied facilities and services and so are more affected by the methods use to evaluate service quality . <p> Multi-modal LOS Indicators can help guide planning decisions to favor efficient modes and trips for transport system Prioritization for a Green Transportation Hierarchy . This essentially reverses priorities of transport planning which relies on roadway Level-of-Service ratings to allocate resources to increase automobile traffic volume and speed , with little consideration of other modes and problems . <p> Green Transportation Hierarchy ( TA , 2001 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 3 . Public Transportation <p> 4 . Service and Freight Vehicles <p> 5 . Taxis <p> 6 . Multiple Occupant Vehicles <p> 7 . Single Occupant Vehicles <p> The Green Transportation Hierarchy favors more efficient ( in terms of space , energy and other costs ) modes . <h> Non-Motorized ( Walking and Cycling ) Conditions and Facilities <p> Table 4 lists factors to consider when evaluating Walking and Cycling Facilities such as sidewalks , paths and trails ( together called nonmotorized networks ) . Several walking and cycling Level-Of-Service rating systems have been developed . Some are more complete than others . For example , some focus on walkway conditions and give little consideration to roadway crossings , while others focus on roadway crossing conditions and give little consideration to walkways . <p> WalkScore ( www.walkscore.com ) calculates the walkability of a location based on proximity to public services such as stores , schools and parks . However , it does not consider any other factors , such as the presence or quality of walking and cycling facilities ( sidewalks , paths , crosswalks , etc. ) or the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ road widths , traffic volumes and speeds , etc. ) , or the quality of the pedestrian environment . <p> The Walkability Checklist ( **40;13155;TOOLONG ... ) , developed by the Partnership for a Walkable America and the Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center , provides an easy-to-use form for evaluating neighborhood walkability , taking account factors such as the quality of sidewalks and paths , roadway crossing conditions ( crosswalks , and traffic speeds and volumes ) , the degree of care by motorist , and amenities such as shade trees and street lighting along sidewalks , as perceive by users . <p> Cycling LOS takes into account the availability of parallel bicycle paths , the number of unsignalized intersections and driveways ( because they create conflicts between cyclists and other vehicles ) , width of outside through lane or bicycle lane ( the degree of separation between bicyclists and motor vehicle traffic ) , motor vehicle traffic volumes and speeds , portion of heavy vehicles ( large trucks and buses ) , the presences of parallel parked cars , grades ( hills ) , and special conflicts such as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ facility crowding , the presence of sidewalks and paths , vehicle traffic speeds and volumes , perceived separation between pedestrians and motor vehicle traffic ( including barriers such as parked cars and trees ) , street crossing widths , extra walking required to reach crosswalks , average pedestrian crossing delay ( time needed to wait for a gap in traffic or a crosswalk signal ) , and special conflicts such as multiple free right-turn lanes ( which tend to be difficult for pedestrians to cross ) . <p> Neighborhood Bikeability Score ( **38;13197;TOOLONG ) is a rating from 0 ( worst ) to 100 ( best ) that indicates the number of destinations ( stores , schools , parks , etc. ) that can be reached within a 20-minute bike ride , taking into account the quality of cycling infrastructure ( McNeil 2010 ) . <h> Shared-Use Path Level-Of-Service Ratings <p> The U.S. Federal Highway Administration ( FHWA , 2006 ) developed a Shared-Use Path LOS ( SUPLOS ) model , which is a mathematical formula that uses select inputs describing conditions along a trail to calculate an LOS score @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ creation of path traffic flow theory , an extensive effort to collect data on path operations , and a survey during which path users expressed their degree of satisfaction with the paths shown on a series of videos . <p> The resulting method requires minimal input and produces a simple and useful result . The method requires only four inputs from the user : One-way user volume in the design hour , mode split percentages , trail width , and presence or absence of a centerline . Factors involved in the estimation of an LOS for a path include the number of times a typical bicyclist meets or passes another path user and the number of those passes that are delayed . The method considers five types of path users when calculating adult bicyclists ' LOS , including other adult bicyclists , child bicyclists , pedestrians , runners , and in-line skaters . The FHWA provides step-by-step instructions on how to use the LOS procedure and spreadsheet calculation tool . <p> The basic SUPLOS model equation is ( see the guidebook for more detailed information and cautions on using this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 15.86(RW) -- 0.287(CL) -- ( DPF ) <p> Where : <p> E = Events = Meetings per minute + 10 ( active passes per minute ) <p> RW = Reciprocal of path width ( i.e. , 1/path width , in feet ) <p> CL = 1 if trail has a centerline , 0 if trail has no centerline <p> DPF = Delayed pass factor <p> The SUPLOS model generates a LOS score between zero and five . <p> The resulting SUPLOS scale can be converted to letter grades . An A is the highest score , excellent , and an F is the lowest score . <p> Table 8 lists factors to consider when evaluating Public Transit service quality . These rating factors can be adjusted as needed for various locations , types of trips and users . For example , Transit Level-of-Service can be rated for a particular geographic area or location , such as a neighborhood or worksite ; for a particular type of trip , such as commuting or travel to medical services ; and for particular users , such as commuters and visitors . <p> Accommodation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ needs . <p> Accommodation of people with special needs in transit vehicles , stations and station areas . <p> Ability to carry baggage . <p> Ability to accommodate people who can not read or understand the local language . <p> User information <p> Ease of obtaining user information . <p> Availability , accuracy and understandability of route , schedule and fare information , at stops , stations , destinations ; by Internet and mobile telephone ; and by transit agency staff and other information providers . <p> Real-time transit vehicle arrival information . <p> Information available for people with special needs ( audio or visual disabilities , inability to read or understand the local language , etc . ) <p> Courtesy and responsiveness <p> Courtesy with which passengers are treated . <p> How passengers are treated by transit staff . <p> Ease of filing a complaint . <p> Agency responsiveness to complaints . <p> Attractiveness <p> The attractiveness of public transit facilities . <p> Attractiveness of vehicles and facilities . <p> Attractiveness of documents and websites . <p> Livability ( environmental and social quality of an area ) of transit @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ factors to consider when evaluating public transport services . <p> Several walking and cycling Level-Of-Service rating systems have been developed . Some are more complete than others , as summarized in Table 9 . Newer indices tend to be more comprehensive and therefore more accurate at evaluating service quality and predicting the effects of changes in transit service and accessibility . <p> Table 9 Transit Indices Compared ( Fu , Saccomanno and Xin 2005 ) <p> Indices <p> Studies <p> Performance Factors Incorporated <p> Reflects <p> Transit Availability ? <p> Reflects Comfort and Convenience ? <p> Reflects Travel Demand ? <p> Local Index of Transit Availability <p> Rood , 1997 <p> Frequency ; capacity ; route coverage <p> Yes <p> No <p> No <p> Public Transportation Accessibility Level <p> Hillman , <p> Service frequency ; service coverage <p> Yes <p> No <p> No <p> Transit Level of Service Indicator <p> Kittelson &; Associates and <p> URS , 2001 <p> Service coverage ; frequency ; service span ; population ; jobs <p> Yes <p> No <p> Yes <p> Transit Service Accessibility Index <p> Polzin et al. , 2002 <p> Service coverage @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ <p> No <p> Total number of trips <p> Mobility Index <p> Galindez and Mireles- Cordov , 1999 <p> Travel speed ; average vehicle occupancy <p> No <p> Yes <p> No <p> Service Quality Index <p> Hensher et al. , 2001 <p> 13 variables ( i.e. , travel time ; frequency , etc . ) <p> Yes <p> No <p> Yes <p> Transit Service Indicator ( TSI ) <p> Fu , Saccomanno and Xin , 2005 <p> Service frequency , coverage , and various travel time components ( walk , wait , transfer , and ride ) <p> Yes <p> Yes <p> Yes <p> This table compares various indices that can be used to evaluate service quality and predict the effects of service changes . <p> This table indicates the level-of-service ratings and crowding factors for various passenger densities . Crowding factors are multipliers relative to in-vehicle time cost values . This indicates , for example , that at 1.0 passengers per square meter , waiting time is 1.14 times in-vehicle travel time values , and walking time is 1.50 in-vehicle travel time . <h> Other Levels-Of-Service Indicators <p> Below are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ . <h> Ridesharing <p> Ridesharing ( carpooling and vanpooling ) consists of travelers who share a vehicle , making use of otherwise unoccupied seats . Below are indicators of Ridesharing quality . <h> Taxi <p> Availability . Number of taxis per capita or per non-driver in an area . <p> Availability of taxis that accommodate people with special needs , such as wheelchair users . <p> Ease of ordering taxi services . <p> Reliability . Average dispatch time , and maximum delays . <p> Price for an average trip relative to users ' income . Availability of subsidies and discounts for people with special needs ( such as disabilities ) and other frequent users . <p> Vehicle comfort and cleanliness . <p> Driver and dispatcher courtesy . <p> Safety . <p> Number of user complaints . <h> How it is Implemented <p> Multi-Modal Level-of-Service standards are generally established by transportation organizations , such as the Transportation Research Board and the Institute of Transportation Engineers , formally adopted by transportation agencies and jurisdictions , and applied to individual transportation professionals , particularly transport planners and engineers . They are applied by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ finance policies and priorities , and by facility designers . Multi-modal <p> There are several steps in developing and applying such indicators : <p> Define quantifiable indicators . This involves identifying a reasonable set of indicators , suitable for quantification , that reflect various types of user impacts , such as speed , convenience , comfort and safety ( examples are described in the following section ) . <p> Determine quantification methods . This is usually done by experts , based on surveys to help determine user needs and preferences . For example , speed may be measured in average kilometers-per-hour , crowding in people per square meter , and security in assaults per million passenger trips . <p> Collect data . This may involve using existing data ( such as vehicle traffic speeds ) , collecting new data ( such as transit station crowding ) , or special user surveys to rate the quality of certain facilities and services . <p> Integrate results into an index . Individual indicators can be combined into an index . For example , several indicators reflecting various impacts ( speed , convenience , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a numerical value into a letter grade . Some indicators may be considered more important than others and so should receive more weight . <h> Travel Impacts <p> Adoptions and application of Multi-Modal LOS standards can help create a more multi-modal transport system , resulting in reduced automobile travel and increased use of alternative modes . Impacts vary , depending on specific conditions , but large reductions in automobile travel are possible if improved transportation planning analysis leads to significant improvements in alternative mode service quality . <h> Benefits And Costs <p> Application of Multi-Modal Level-of-Service Indicators contributes toward the development of an efficient , multi-modal transport system , which helps achieve virtually all TDM benefits . Multi-Modal LOS indictors help create more Sustainable transportation by incorporating more impacts and modes into the planning process . <h> Applications <p> Multi-Modal LOS standards can be developed and implemented by virtually all transportation planning organizations . It is particularly important in large urban areas where more multi-modal transportation planning is particularly beneficial . <h> Stakeholders <p> Stakeholders primarily consist of various government agencies involved in transportation Planning and Operations , plus anybody @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ <h> Barriers To Implementation <p> Major barriers to Multi-Modal Level-of-Service implementation include limited experience with such practices , and funding practices that favor roadway capacity expansion over management solutions . Change Management is generally required to help practitioners incorporate these ideas . <h> Best Practices <p> The following are general guidelines for developing Multi-Modal Level-Of-Service standards : <p> Use existing Multi-Modal Level-of-Service indicators , and modify them to reflect the needs of a particular situation . <p> Avoid oversimplifying the indicators . Incorporate enough factors to accurately reflect the variety of problems that users may face , including comfort , convenience , security and affordability . <p> For Equity analysis , evaluate the quality of service experienced by various types of users , particularly those who are economically , physically or socially disadvantaged . <p> Consult with users to determine the factors that they consider important when creating LOS rating systems . <h> Case Studies and Examples <p> The Florida Department of Transportation has adopted multi-modal Level-of-Service ( LOS ) standards . These standards provide a method of measuring highway performance for use in prioritizing transportation projects and land-use planning @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ set of techniques and analysis tools for calculating LOS and applying it to specific planning decisions , including the Quality/Level of Service Handbook , LOS evaluation software , and an ongoing research and professional development program to support development and implementation of these tools . <p> The report , A Healthy City Is An Active City : A Physical Activity Planning Guide ( Edwards and Tsouros , 2008 ) includes various checklists that can be used to evaluate how well a particular community accommodates and encourages active transportation ( walking and cycling ) and other healthy community features . <p> Relative Transit Mobility ( RTM ) , the relative speed by which journey-to-work trips can be made via transit travel as compared to auto travel <p> PAMR uses the regional metropolitan planning organization travel demand model to forecast conditions for a horizon year that includes previously approved development ( the " pipeline " ) countywide and regional growth and transportation projects funded in the next four fiscal years . The RTM and transit level of service ( LOS ) is established for each zone ( called policy areas ) . @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ forecasted transit LOS and the RAM . For areas with adequate RAM , applicants need take no action under PAMR . For policy areas where relative arterial mobility is insufficient applicants must support the following mitigation actions : <p> In the report , Build for Comfort , Not Just Speed : Valuing Service Quality Impacts In Transport Planning , Litman ( 2007 ) describes how to use Level-of-Service ratings to adjust travel time values to reflect the degree of discomfort experienced by users of a particular mode , as summarized in Table 15 . For example , if wages average $12.00 per hour , a drivers ' time is valued at $6.00 per hour under LOS A to C , but increases to $8.00 per hour under LOS D , $10.00 per hours under LOS E , and $12.00 per hour under LOS F conditions . Similarly , unit travel time costs for transit passengers , pedestrians and cyclists increase as their LOS rating decline . This system does not specify exactly how walking , cycling and public transit Level-of-Service is quantified ; it is up to practioners to select @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ values that incorporate traveler convenience and comfort factors . ( * Wait time unit costs are reduced another 20-30% where real-time vehicle arrival information is provided . ) <h> City of Orlando Development Fee Structure ( Orlando 1998 ) <p> As is common in rapidly-growing jurisdictions , the city of Orlando charges development fees to help recover the costs of accommodating additional vehicle traffic generated by new buildings . Starting in 1998 the city has adjusted those fees to reflect the lower vehicle-miles generated by developments in more multi-modal locations . For example , a multi-family housing unit located in the downtown area is charged a $374 fee , compared with an $807 if in an automobile-dependent location . Similarly , a small retail building would be charged a fee of $2,659 per 1,000 square feet of floor area if located downtown , but $4,647 if located in a more automobile-dependent location . <h> Austin Transportation User Fees <p> Austin , Texas ( www.ci.austin.tx.us ) utility bills include a Transportation User Fee ( TUF ) based on the average number of motor vehicle trips generated per property , reflecting its @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ . For example , single-family development is estimated to generate 40 motor vehicle trips per acre per day , condominium residential use and townhouse residential use generate approximately 60 motor vehicle trips per acre per day , and offices generate approximately 180 motor vehicle trips per acre per day . The charge averages $30 to $40 annually for a typical household . The city provides exemptions to residential properties with occupants that do not own or regularly use a private motor vehicle for transportation , or if the user is 65 years of age or older . <h> Fort Collins , Colorado <p> A special Multimodal Transportation Level of Service Manual is used in Fort Collins and nearby urban areas to evaluate accessibility , connectivity and continuity of various modes . The city established varying minimal acceptable levels of service ( LOS ) depending on street classification and land use . These standards range from LOS B on connectors in low-density , mixed residential areas , to LOS E on arterials in commercial corridors and mixed-use districts . Pedestrian and bicycling LOS standards take into account directness , continuity , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pedestrian and cycling facilities . Specific pedestrian LOS standards are established for transit corridors and around schools . <p> The City of San Francisco has used the Highway Capacity Manual ' s Level of Service ( LOS ) intersection delay measure to evaluate the transportation impacts of new developments . However , this tends to contradict the city 's efforts to encourage compact , infill development , in support of its Transit First policy . Although such development may reduce nearby roadway LOS ratings in the short term , this is offset by improved accessibility and improvements to transit , bicycling , and walking conditions . <p> Hiatt , Ferrell and Letunic ( 2008 ) describe the San Francisco County Transportation Authority 's effort to define a transport impact analysis measure based on the volume of auto trips generated by a project . Potential " thresholds of significance " -- the points at which the volume of auto trips generated by a proposed project constitutes a significant negative environmental impact -- are described . The thresholds under consideration are based on the effects of auto traffic on mobility , quality @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ other factors . The near term objective of the effort is to forward a new measure and threshold for adoption by the City for environmental impacts analysis purposes . In the longer term , the measure could provide a basis for a transportation impact fee . <p> The Authority is encouraging the City to replace LOS with a measure based on the number of automobile trips generated by a proposed project . Projects that generate no net new automobile trips would not be considered to have transportation impacts under CEQA . Projects that do generate automobile trips would be able to mitigate their impacts by paying a new transportation impact mitigation fee that would fund a set of citywide and local area projects designed to address environmental impacts caused by the project . This approach is a better indicator of environmental effect than LOS ; it is consistent with the City 's Transit First policy and other environmental and health goals ; it is more efficient and transparent for the Planning Department to implement and for project sponsors to understand ; and it is a more effective approach to transportation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ new ATG measure and TIMF program by the City , and proposes that the Authority partner with City agencies on the initiation of a nexus study to support the new program . Table 15 summarizes a portion of the study 's analysis of the relationships between Average Trips Generated ( ATG ) and various impacts . <p> Table 16 Links between ATG and Effects on the Environment ( SFCTA , 2008 ) <p> Published studies correlating automobile volumes / miles with collision rate or risk . Potential threshold : vehicle volumes associated with 34 collisions/year/100,000 population , based on Healthy Peoples goals . This threshold is exceeded in much of SF . <p> 1 . Is the area accessible to those with disabilities ? Are there ramps instead of steps where possible ? <p> 2 . Are there obstacles on the footpaths ( for example , street trade , shanty dwellings , piles of rubbish , parked cars , animals , road or building construction materials , or a large number of poles and signs ) ? <p> 3 . Are there buffers between the road and the footpath , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ parked cars and landscaping ? ( Buffers have advantages and disadvantages , but they can screen walkways from traffic and prevent parking on the walkways . ) <p> 11 . Does the area allow for resting , for meeting others , for social interaction ? <p> 12 . Is there adequate greening in the area ( plants , trees , etc ) ? <p> 13 . Is the area of a high visual quality ( pavements , facades , art , etc ) ? <p> Streetscapes <p> 1 . Where buildings meet the street , is it clear what is private and what is public space ? <p> 2 . Are the dimensions of the buildings lining the footpaths at human scale ? <p> 3 . Are the facades of the buildings lining the street transparent/active ( i.e. , do the buildings having many doors and windows opening onto the street , ' soft edges ' , with many niches , detailed facades ) ? <p> Infrastructure <p> 1 . What is the amount of seating available ? <p> 2 . Is the seating in the right place ( with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , located at the edge of spaces ) ? Does the seating maximise the natural advantages of the area ? <p> John Luciano Renne ( 2007 ) , Measuring The Performance Of Transit-Oriented Developments In Western Australia , Planning and Transport Research Centre of Western Australia and the Institute for Sustainability and Technology Policy , Murdoch University ; at **36;13237;TOOLONG . <p> This Encyclopedia is produced by the Victoria Transport Policy Institute to help improve understanding of Transportation Demand Management . It is an ongoing

@@5080841 <h> " For the Lord aimed for him to do and not to spend too much time thinking , because his brain it 's like a piece of machinery : it wo n't stand a whole lot of racking . It 's best when it all runs along the same , doing the day 's work and

@@5080941 <p> October 4 th , 2012 Several CIDD staff and affiliates , including Dr. Mark Zylka , are featured in WBTV News 3 's " On Your Side " special , " Autism : Answers and Understanding " . The show examined many of the key issues facing families who have a child on the Autism spectrum . More <p> September 6 th , 2012 Dr. Piven and Dr. Sikich receive Autism Center of Excellence grants for new research . Multimillion dollar grants further enhance UNC 's recognition as one of the world 's top autism research centers . More <p> July 20 th , 2012 Ann Palmer is the new Family Faculty member for the LEND Program at the Carolina Institute for Developmental Disabilities ( CIDD ) located at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill . She is a parent of an adult son with autism and a professional working in the field of autism for the last 20 years . More <p> July 20 th , 2012 Questionnaire completed by parents may help identify 1-year-olds at risk for autism . More <p> Ann Palmer is the new Family Faculty member for the LEND Program at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill . She is a parent of an adult son with autism and a professional working in the field of autism for the last 20 years . She is the former Director of Advocacy and Chapter Support for the Autism Society of North Carolina where she coordinated over 50 Chapters across the state of North Carolina . She also worked for Division TEACCH as the Parent Support Coordinator , developing and coordinating a parent mentor program that served more than 800 families . <p> We are happy to announce that Ann is the author of A Friend 's and Relative 's Guide to Supporting the Family with Autism : How Can I Help ? , recently published by Jessica Kingsley Publishers . When a child is diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder ( ASD ) , what the family really needs , and often lacks , is positive reassurance and understanding from those closest to them . Ann gives advice on how extended family members and friends can provide that necessary support and what the parents can do to encourage and develop @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ families to illustrate the complex feelings that parents and other members of the family are likely to go through after a child is diagnosed . It gives practical tips on the kinds of help that might be needed most . This book is a great resource to families of individuals with ASD and to the professionals who support families . <p> Ann 's two other books are , Realizing the College Dream with Autism or Asperger Syndrome : A Parent 's Guide to Student Success , and Parenting Across the Autism Spectrum : Unexpected Lessons We 've Learned , co-authored with Maureen Morrell and winner of the Autism Society of America 's Literary Work of the Year for 2007 . We welcome Ann to our LEND program ! Ann 's email address is ann.palmer@cidd.unc.edu and her website is www.annpalmerautism.com . <p> July 20 , 2012 <p> Questionnaire completed by parents may help identify 1-year-olds at risk for autism <p> Lauren Turner-Brown , of the University of North Carolina School of Medicine , and colleagues analyzed information from about 700 children whose parents had completed the First Year Inventory when their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ questions about infant behaviors , including questions about the infants ' communication , imitation and repetitive behaviors . Read More ... <p> July 20 , 2012 <p> New research by CIDD scientists at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine may have pinpointed an underlying cause of the seizures that affect 90 percent of people with Angelman syndrome ( AS ) , a neurodevelopmental disorder . <p> Published online Wednesday , June 6 , 2012 in the journal Neuron , researchers led by Benjamin D. Philpot , PhD , professor of cell and molecular physiology at UNC , describe how seizures in individuals with AS could be linked to an

@@5081041 <p> In a conversation with us several years ago , the Kiowa poet N. Scott Momaday remarked that the American West " is a place that has to be seen to be believed , and it may have to be believed in order to be seen . " For five years we have travelled that landscape , photographed its vistas , talked to its people , sought out its history , all as part of our production of THE WEST , an eight-part documentary series for public television . <p> Now -- 100,000 air-miles and 72 filmed interviews and 74 visits to archives and collections and more than 250 hours of film later -- we have begun to understand at

@@5081141 <p> &lt;a href= " http : **29;4784;TOOLONG ... title= " realized that they were wearing the same outfit by Anz-i , Flickr " &gt;&lt;img src= " http : **30;4815;TOOLONG ... width= " 500 " height= " 333 " alt= " They realized that they were wearing the same outfit " &gt;&lt;/a&gt; <p> &lt;a href= " http : **29;4847;TOOLONG ... title= " realized that they were wearing the same outfit by Anz-i , Flickr " &gt;&lt;img src= " http : **30;4878;TOOLONG ... width= " 100 " height= " 67 " alt= " They realized that they were wearing the same outfit " &gt;&lt;/a&gt; <p> url=http : **30;4910;TOOLONG ... url=http : **30;4942;TOOLONG ... realized that they were wearing the same outfit/url by url=http : **30;4974;TOOLONG ... on Flickr <p> &lt;a href= " http : **29;5006;TOOLONG ... title= " realized that they were wearing the same outfit by Anz-i , Flickr " &gt;&lt;img src= " http : **30;5037;TOOLONG ... width= " 75 " height= " 75 " alt= " They realized that they were wearing the same outfit " &gt;&lt;/a&gt; <p> url=http : **30;5069;TOOLONG ... url=http : **30;5101;TOOLONG ... realized that they were wearing the same outfit/url by url=http : **30;5133;TOOLONG ... @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ title= " realized that they were wearing the same outfit by Anz-i , Flickr " &gt;&lt;img src= " http : **30;5196;TOOLONG ... width= " 150 " height= " 150 " alt= " They realized that they were wearing the same outfit " &gt;&lt;/a&gt; <p> url=http : **30;5228;TOOLONG ... url=http : **30;5260;TOOLONG ... realized that they were wearing the same outfit/url by url=http : **30;5292;TOOLONG ... on Flickr <p> &lt;a href= " http : **29;5324;TOOLONG ... title= " realized that they were wearing the same outfit by Anz-i , Flickr " &gt;&lt;img src= " http : **30;5355;TOOLONG ... width= " 240 " height= " 160 " alt= " They realized that they were wearing the same outfit " &gt;&lt;/a&gt; <p> url=http : **30;5387;TOOLONG ... url=http : **30;5419;TOOLONG ... realized that they were wearing the same outfit/url by url=http : **30;5451;TOOLONG ... on Flickr <p> &lt;a href= " http : **29;5483;TOOLONG ... title= " realized that they were wearing the same outfit by Anz-i , Flickr " &gt;&lt;img src= " http : **30;5514;TOOLONG ... width= " 320 " height= " 213 " alt= " They realized that they were wearing the same @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ **30;5578;TOOLONG ... realized that they were wearing the same outfit/url by url=http : **30;5610;TOOLONG ... on Flickr <p> &lt;a href= " http : **29;5642;TOOLONG ... title= " realized that they were wearing the same outfit by Anz-i , Flickr " &gt;&lt;img src= " http : **30;5673;TOOLONG ... width= " 500 " height= " 333 " alt= " They realized that they were wearing the same outfit " &gt;&lt;/a&gt; <p> url=http : **30;5705;TOOLONG ... url=http : **30;5737;TOOLONG ... realized that they were wearing the same outfit/url by url=http : **30;5769;TOOLONG ... on Flickr <p> &lt;a href= " http : **29;5801;TOOLONG ... title= " realized that they were wearing the same outfit by Anz-i , Flickr " &gt;&lt;img src= " http : **30;5832;TOOLONG ... width= " 640 " height= " 427 " alt= " They realized that they were wearing the same outfit " &gt;&lt;/a&gt; <p> url=http : **30;5864;TOOLONG ... url=http : **30;5896;TOOLONG ... realized that they were wearing the same outfit/url by url=http : **30;5928;TOOLONG ... on Flickr <p> &lt;a href= " http : **29;5960;TOOLONG ... title= " realized that they were wearing the same outfit by Anz-i , Flickr " @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ " height= " 534 " alt= " They realized that they were wearing the same outfit " &gt;&lt;/a&gt; <p> url=http : **30;6023;TOOLONG ... url=http : **30;6055;TOOLONG ... realized that they were wearing the same outfit/url by url=http : **30;6087;TOOLONG ... on Flickr <p> &lt;a href= " http : **29;6119;TOOLONG ... title= " realized that they were wearing the same outfit by Anz-i , Flickr " &gt;&lt;img src= " http : **30;6150;TOOLONG ... width= " 1024 " height= " 683 " alt= " They realized that they were wearing the same outfit " &gt;&lt;/a&gt; <p> url=http : **30;6182;TOOLONG ... url=http : **30;6214;TOOLONG ... realized that they were wearing the same outfit/url by url=http : **30;6246;TOOLONG ... on Flickr <p> &lt;a href= " http : **29;6278;TOOLONG ... title= " realized that they were wearing the same outfit by Anz-i , Flickr " &gt;&lt;img src= " http : **30;6309;TOOLONG ... width= " 1600 " height= " 1067 " alt= " They realized that they were wearing the same outfit " &gt;&lt;/a&gt; <p> url=http : **30;6341;TOOLONG ... url=http : **30;6373;TOOLONG ... realized that they were wearing the same outfit/url by url=http : **30;6405;TOOLONG ... @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ title= " realized that they were wearing the same outfit by Anz-i , on Flickr " &gt;&lt;img src= " http : **30;6468;TOOLONG ... width= " 3456 " height= " 2304 " alt= "

@@5081241 <h> Tags <h> Everyone 's tags <h> Biography <h> Egersund , Norway <p> I Was a King is an indie band formed in Egersund , Norway and based in Oslo , Norway , clearly influenced by acts such as Teenage Fanclub , Dinosaur Jr . , and My Bloody Valentine . Their music is

@@5081341 <h> A neutral theory of molecular function <p> In 1968 Motoo Kimura published a short article in Nature in which he argued that " most mutations produced by nucleotide replacement are almost neutral in natural selection " . This fantastic paper is generally viewed as having established the " neutral theory " of molecular evolution , whose central principle was set out by Jack King and Lester Jukes in a Science paper the following year : <p> Evolutionary change at the morphological , functional , and behavioral levels results from the process of natural selection , operating through adaptive change in DNA . It does not necessarily follow that all , or most , evolutionary change in DNA is due to the action of Darwinian natural selection . <p> It is hard to overstate the importance of these papers . They offered an immediate challenge to the deeply flawed , but widely held , belief that all changes to DNA must be adaptive -- an assumption that was poisoning the way that most biologists were reckoning with the first wave of protein sequence data . And , as their ideas were rapidly accepted in the nascent field of molecular @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of sequence variation within and between species for decades to come . <p> What Kimura , King and Jukes really did was to establish a new " null model " against which any putative example of adaptive molecular change must be judged . Indeed , neutrality offered such a good explanation for sequence changes over time that when I entered the field in the early 90 ? s researchers will still struggling to find a single example of molecular change for which a neutral explanation could be rejected . <p> While the explosion of sequence data in the past decade ultimately yielded unambiguous evidence for large-scale adaptive molecular evolution , it is hard to overstate just how powerful the neutral null model was in forcing people to think clearly about what adaptive change means , and how one would go about identifying clear examples of it . <p> I think a lot about Kimura , the neutral theory , and the salutary effects of clear null models every time I get involved in discussions about the function , or lack thereof , of biochemical events observed in genomics experiments , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ENCODE project . <p> It is easy to see the parallels between the way people talk about transcribed RNAs , protein-DNA interactions , DNase hypersensitive regions and what not , and the way people talked about sequence changes PK ( pre Kimura ) . While many of the people carrying out RNA-seq , ChIP-seq , CLIP-seq , etc ... have been indoctrinated with Kimura at some point in their careers , most seem unable to apply his lesson to their own work . The result is a field suffused with implicit or explicit thinking along the following lines : <p> I observed A bind to B. A would only have evolved to bind to B if it were doing something useful . Therefore the binding of A to B is " functional " . <p> One can understand the temptation to think this way . In the textbook view of molecular biology , everything is highly regulated . Genes are transcribed with a purpose . Transcription factors bind to DNA when they are regulating something . Kinases phosphorylate targets to alter their activity or sub-cellular location . And so on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dismiss this way of thinking , until about a decade ago , this is what the scientific literature looked like . In the day where papers described single genes and single interactions , who would bother to publish a paper about a non-functional interaction they observed ? <p> But experimental genomics blew this world of Mayberry molecular biology wide open . For example , when Mark Biggin and I started to do ChIP-chip experiments in Drosophila embryos , we found that factors were binding not just to their dozen or so non-targets , but the thousands , and in some cases tens of thousands of places across the genome . Having studied my Kimura , I just assumed that the vast majority of these interactions had evolved by chance -- a natural , essential , consequence of the neutral fixation of nucleotide changes that happened to create transcription factor binding sites . And so I was shocked that almost everyone I talked to about this data assumed that every one of these binding events was doing something -- we just had n't figured out what yet . <p> But if @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ simply can not be true . As we and many others have now shown , molecular interactions are not rare . Transcripts , transcription factor binding sites , DNA modifications , chromatin modifications , RNA binding sites , phosphorylation sites , protein-protein interactions , etc ... are everywhere . This suggests that these kind of biochemical events are easy to create -- change a nucleotide here -- wham , a new transcription factor binds , an splicing site is lost , a new promoter is created , a glycosylation site is eliminated . <p> Does this conflict with the neutral theory ? Not at all ! Indeed , it is perfectly consistent with it . The neutral theory does not demand that most sequence changes have no measurable effect on the organisms . Rather the only thing you have to assume is that the vast majority of the biochemical events that happen as a consequence of random mutations do not significantly affect organismal fitness . Given that such a large fraction of the genome is biochemically active , the same basic logic Kimura , King and Jukes used to argue @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a large number of molecular traits to have been driven to fixation by selection -- argues strongly that most biochemical events do not contribute significantly to fitness . Indeed , given the apparent frequency with which new molecular interactions arise , it is all but impossible that we would still exist if every new molecular event had a strong phenotypic effect . <p> This , of course , does not mean that all these molecular events do nothing -- their very existence is a form of function . But we are generally interested in different types of function -- things that did arise through natural selection , are maintained by purifying selection , and whose disruption will cause a disease or other significant phenotype . Of course these things exist amidst the rubble . The question is how to find them . And here , I think we should once again take our cue from Kimura . <p> As I argued above , the field of molecular evolution developed a powerful intellectual core in no small part because researchers had to reckon with the powerful neutral null hypothesis -- meaning @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ . We need to apply the same logic to molecular interactions . <p> Rather than assuming -- as so many of the ENCODE researchers apparently do -- that the millions ( or is it billions ? ) of molecular events they observe are a treasure trove of functional elements waiting to be understood , they should approach each and every one of them with Kimurian skepticism . We should never accept the existence or a molecule or the observation that it interacts with something as prima facia evidence that it is important . Rather we should assume that all such interactions are non-functional until proven otherwise , and develop better , compelling , ways to reject this null hypothesis . <p> To paraphrase King and Jukes : <p> Life is dependent on the production of and interaction between DNAs , RNAs , proteins and other biomolecules . It does not necessarily follow that all , or most , biomolecules and interactions among them are due to the action of Darwinian natural selection . <p> I want to end by pointing out that there are lots of people ( me and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this issue , with lots of interesting ideas and results already out there . From an intellectual standpoint I 'd like to particularly point out the influence the writings of Mike Lynch have had on me -- see especially this . <p> ======= <p> NOTE : There 's a lot more to say about this , and in the interests of time ( I have to give a genetics lecture first thing in the morning ) I have n't gone into as much depth as some of these issues deserve . I will update this post as time permits . <h> 21 Comments <p> This reminds me of early phosphoproteomics hype -- finding all the " switches " in signaling was the promise , yet so many phosphorylation sites were found it made no sense to assert each one was functional . In this paper with Mike Yaffe , we argue that there is n't enough specificity in kinase motifs -- phosphorylation sites appear frequently and without a paired phosphoprotein binding domain , they are pretty useless as switches . Yes one should assume small transient binding motifs are neutral @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ . Back in my MSc of evolution , Kimura was my hero . I worked many years in a hard core molecular biology lab , that spent a lot of energy , time and money trying to explain everything . The most dispiriting observation for many of my colleagues was the expression of the nicotinic receptor subunit beta2 . It is expressed in every cell that does not express a certain TF shuting it off . In particular , it is expressed in every neuron . In hundreds of billions of neurons , it is expressed alone , without subunit able to bind acetylcholine . It is expressed and degraded , having spent a short useless " life " . More than that , it is expressed at very high level . Even in the neurons where it serves a certain " function " , it is " rescued " during folding by the complementary subunit . But up to 90% of the beta2 polypeptide is degraded directly in the ER , without forming any receptor . <p> Nice post . It seems to jump a little between the neutral @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ usefulness for understanding function . As such , it is probably worth stating that even if a genetic change was driven by selection that does not mean that the " function " we associate with it is meaningful or the trait that directional selection acted on . This is the more profound challenge that is still faced by evolutionary biology and always has been even as we can move beyond the neutral theory . <p> Very well put . I recently heard a by Andreas Wagner or someone who argued that there was very little evidence for neutrality . I hope I remember that it was he ( the meeting was in Italy in about 2010 ) . Anyway , even this was not about strong Darwinism . <p> However , Ohta and others in the Kimura school ( and Masatoshi Nei , here at Penn State ) have basically backed away from strict neutrality to argue for ' nearly neutral ' as a safer model . Since exact neutrality is almost a metaphysical concept , all we can say is that drift predominates . So , even if some @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to prove even experimentally ! ) that the majority do n't meaningfully have ' adaptive ' value . <p> Further , I think , is that even slightly fitness-related variants or genome characteristics might be adaptive ( or , at least , not be removed by purifying selection , which is a much less stringent criterion that specific adaptations ) but that function over very long time periods . Again , in the ENCODE scale of things , even such ' function ' ( such as you described in your post ) or its variation are meaningless for humans per se . <p> Great blog post , thanks Michael ! I was reminded of critical phase math when reading your post . e.g. we define temperature under an assumption that all molecular movements are essentially random . we define wind under a different assumption ( directional correlation of velocities ) . It is true that we have in reality a wind-speed-status as well as a temperature and so each molecular interaction in an organism can potentially have both interpretations simultaneously in effect and predictive . So I 'm hoping to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ immune system function works at a critical phase-change boundary in statistical terms so that we can include the whole body . <p> The result is a field suffused with implicit or explicit thinking along the following lines : <p> I observed A bind to B. A would only have evolved to bind to B if it were doing something useful . Therefore the binding of A to B is " functional " . <p> That 's not necessarily true , I think people are generally aware . It 's just that explicitly discussing this does not exactly fit the way papers are written -- yes , a lot of binding events are probably of little consequence , however for any individual event you have no way of knowing whether it is functional or it is n't without orthogonal data , and the orthogonal evidence is often not at all easy to get as it involves some time-consuming and/or technically difficult experiments . <p> Great post with plenty of food-for-thought . We have been trying to figure out what proportion of ChIP-Seq peaks are actually " functional " by using a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is indeed a very big challenge . I do n't agree that those of us doing the work associated a binding event to a function because anyone who has looked at ChIP data will immediately reject this hypothesis . From our experiments in which we have tried to associate binding with transcription , we are starting to see that &lt;10% of the peaks appear to be " functional " . They could always have other functions besides influencing expression , but I 'm not sure we know what they are right now . <p> I got my Ph.D . at what Chuck Langley once jokingly called " U. C. Davis , the gaga pan-selectionist center of the universe . " However , what you 've said is pretty much what I thought as soon as I started seeing that 80% figure being bandied about . Mike Lynch 's arguments are indeed relevant and , to me , persuasive . <p> Great post . May I alert people here that the ENCODE papers have led to the noncoding DNA page on Wikipedia being flagged as in need of updating , with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ . It would be great if people who understand this issue could help keep the entry sane . <p> Second the suggestion that " adaptive change had to be demonstrated , not assumed " . As Francois Jacob argued before , evolution works like a tinkerer , who makes new things out of whatever is available . A lot of the sequences/mutations in animal genomes may arise in the first place by chance , but later they may happen to be incorporated to be part of a functional element , like enhancers or genes . But only the latter event ( functionalization of the sequence ) is directly subject to selection , the importance of the first event ( sequence mutation ) is not obvious a priori . So what role a particular DNA sequence does for the genome/organism has to be experimentally tested before any importance is assigned to it . <p> As for the many seemingly unwanted transcription factor bindings across the genome , it is tempting to take them too seriously ( like to say they have to be involved in gene regulation ) , but on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ them too easily . I think what might turn out from the studies of enhancers is that new enhancers or new enhancer functions can evolve more easily than we think right now . Like in the tinkering analogy ; something has to be there before the tinker can start playing , because nothing can be made out of nothing . So the promiscuous TF bindings may be meaningless for now , but they may be required to provide the background for later DNA sequences changes nearby to generate new functions . In this case , a retrospective function may be assigned to the promiscuous TF bindings . But again , the function of DNA sequences have to be demonstrated at a given time point , but assumed . <p> A beautifully erudite and exceptional exposition of not only neutral theory but the scientists dilemma . Just because we observe something does not mean it has a specific meaning . This is a central ( and understandable ) conceit in that when we record something different/unexpected , our logic is to assign it some level of significance . Yet we know @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an imperfect subject . Surely , only protagonists of Intelligent Design could assume that biology itself is perfect , is error-free and steps from one stone to the next in a purposeful and preconceived way ? Indeed , the incredible robustness of biological processes ( development ! development ! development ! to paraphrase Steve Ballmer : http : //www.youtube.com/watch ? v=8To-6VIJZ ... ) in the face of imperfect replication of DNA and **28;646;TOOLONG micro-environmental changes exemplifies the vacuity of thinking that every minutiae has consequence . <p> I 'm not a biologist but it seems to me that this redundancy is most likely essential to evolution : half-built machinery that does n't do anything , or if it does do anything only does it by chance as an essentially random side-effect , is machinery that might one day find itself doing something useful . The more of it there is , the more chance there is of useful combinations appearing here and there . The junk is n't really junk : it 's diversity . <p> In which case , you 'd expect apparent disorder to be a positive feature @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sequences in its DNA might well be able to evolve faster . <p> Has anyone attempted to study whether there 's a relationship between the proportion of " junk " DNA an organism has and its speed of evolution ? <p> This is the most sensible post I 've seen so far on the ENCODE results . I 'd like to add one small point . Even for loci or sites where we reject the neutral null hypothesis , the neutral stochastic processes are still running in the background at that site . When we " reject " neutrality at a given site , we are really just adding a term or factor to the neutral prediction . A neutral model provides the backdrop for everything that happens , including selection . <p> the problem is that many scientists believe that there has to be sense in everything that is observable today or purpose is the sole reason why things evolve , which is a major flaw as it hugely biases our conclusions and diminishes our capacity of objective judgement . therefore it is so difficult for people to accept @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of evolution is itself a determinant one/non-neutral one i.e. it says that things have changed so as to contribute to the phenomenon observed today . <h> Post never published nor shared . Required fields are marked * <p> Name * <p> Email * <p> Website <p> Comment <h> Michael Eisen <p> I 'm a biologist at UC Berkeley and an Investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute . I work primarily on flies , and my research encompases evolution , development , genetics , genomics , chemical ecology and behavior . I am a strong proponent of open science , and a co-founder of the Public Library of Science . And most importantly , I am

@@5081441 <p> there were a few competitions that we watched that I was very suprised that I found exciting and enjoyable . Diving ( i know , sounds boring , but I got really into it ! ) and rowing . Now Im actually really interested in rowing ! i 'm

@@5081541 <h> Michelle Obama on the things that matter most to moms <p> First Lady Michelle Obama ( third from right ) holds a roundtable discussion on the Wearing a dark pink-and-white print dress with brown trim that she says she got at Target , First Lady Michelle Obama sat down with a small group of women at the White House yesterday to discuss her " Let 's Move " initiative . The roundtable discussion quickly turned to other topics , including fitness , healthy eating , work-life balance , and finding some semblance of a private family life while living in the public eye . <p> " Like any mother , I am just hoping that I do n't mess them up , " she said of her daughters , Malia ( age 13 ) and Sasha ( age 10 ) . " Even when times are tough , in the end you are as happy as your least happy child . " <p> Yahoo ! Shine was lucky to be among the few invited to join the discussion . Here 's the first lady 's point of view about some of the things that matter most to moms @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ went from a demanding career as a lawyer to what may be an even more demanding one as the first lady of the United States . But she manages to create her own work-life balance because of her pre-White House career , she told Yahoo ! Shine . <p> " I fortunately came with self-preservation tools , " she says . " And I had developed those long ago , sort of realizing that I have to put myself higher on my priority list to stay sane . " <p> " What I learned early was that I have to be healthy , " she says . " I have to exercise . I have to eat right in order for me to be able to perform at my maximum capacity for my family . And I want my girls to see the model of a mother taking care of herself because , quite frankly , my mother did n't do that . " <p> Though she credits her own mother 's self-sacrificing nature with making her and her brother the people they are today , " Now I find @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for herself that she 's not even used to , " she says . " She has the time , she 's just not programmed for it . And I do n't want that for my girls . I want them to be young women who understand that you can be educated , you can be smart , you can be pretty , you can have fun , you can sweat , you can run-and you have to do all of that to manage in this world . So I have to be that role model for them . " <p> She does n't do it all by herself , she says , not by a long shot . " I still rely on my girlfriends a lot , too , " she says . She also has more flexibility than she thought she would in the White House , working three days a week and making sure she 's done by the time her kids come home from school . And since she did n't have that ability when she was building her law career , she does n't @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ blessed I am , and I know how rare it is to live in an institution that can provide you with that kind of support , " she says . <p> On screen time for her kids : <p> " We have clear rules about screen time and TV time , " Mrs. Obama says . Among those rules : No TV or computer time during the week , unless it involves homework ( for Malia , who is in eighth grade , many homework assignments require computer use ) . The girls have limited TV access on the weekends , she adds , but their weekends are pretty packed . " I try to fill up their weekends with a lot of stuff , " Mrs. Obama laughs . " It 's like , sports and games and ... oh , it 's bedtime . So sorry you did n't get your TV time in ! " <p> While the President is n't a big fan of reality-TV shows like " Keeping up with the Kardashians , " the first lady says that she 's more concerned with what @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ she is about the shows themselves . <p> " My kids , fortunately , talk a lot . So we hear what 's on their minds on a pretty regular , unrestrained basis , " she says . " And if something is sounding kind of crazy , we 'll talk it through . And it 's like , ' Do you really think you should be watching that ? ' And they kind of talk themselves into the right answer , oftentimes . " <p> On what she misses most about life before the White House : <p> Those clandestine trips to Target ? They 're one of the ways Mrs. Obama sneaks a sense of normalcy back into her life . In fact , before an AP photographer snapped a picture of her on her last shopping trip , she used to venture out regularly-and without a huge entourage in tow . " Standing , ordering an ice cream cone and having the kid behind the counter ignore me just like he 's ignoring everyone else he 's serving is really refreshing ! " she joked . <p> @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to walk out through a door and go for a walk on any given day , " she said , more seriously . " It 's also being among people in a normal set of interactions . You forget how important that is just in establishing who you are in the world , in a sense , just having people normally responding to you . " <p> Sasha and Malia are the ones who have more normalcy in their days , she explains . " We always say that when I 'm with them there 's a little more commotion , " the first lady says . " When we 're all together , it 's bells and whistles and sirens . " <p> On healthy food and fitness in schools : <p> Mrs. Obama 's " Let 's Move " initiative has led to a new awareness about childhood obesity , healthy eating , and the importance of exercise . Though the Healthy , Hunger-Free Kids Act has yet to be implemented , schools around the country have found ways to make positive changes on their own , without @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ positive changes possible . <p> " I think a lot of change happens on the ground , " she says . " So I would encourage parents to be the advocates in their schools for this change . Many of the schools that do great things o it because they 've got parents who are resourceful-because the funds are n't there , so they have to get creative and they have to rely on their parent base . " <p> " If you make good choices every day-I tell this to my girls all the time-when it 's time for the holidays and the fun stuff and the birthday parties , you do n't have to worry about it because you 're doing what you 're supposed to be doing every single day , " she says . Besides , she points out : It 's the parents who are sitting at the table , eating second helpings of pie ; the kids are busy running around and playing with their cousins and ignoring meal time . " The question is how am I going to deal with the holidays @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the most candy-rific day of the year ? " I do n't want them to worry about how much candy they eat on Halloween , " she says . " What we do is we get that bag of candy , and I let them hang out with that bag for maybe a day or two , and then I confiscate it . " Keeping candy in their rooms does n't work for her family , she explains . " The temptation is too great . " <p> On making the White House feel more like home for her family : <p> One of the first things the Obamas did when they moved into the White House is establish certain boundaries , including a rule among the staff concerning Sasha and Malia : " They 're not little princesses . " <p> The girls have to clean up their own rooms , make their own beds , and Sasha has even started doing the laundry . " They have chores to do , and they do n't get their allowance until they can prove that they 've done their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ . <p> The girls helped decorate their own rooms and making the residence very kid-friendly , but " it 's really the interaction that we have as a family that makes it feel like home , " Mrs. Obama says . " It 's sitting down at the dinner table and having Barack 's day be really the last thing anyone really cares about . " <p> On late night snacking : <p> Michelle Obama says that she copes with midnight cravings by limiting what 's available in the residential kitchen . " I just tell them , ' Do n't put junk in there , " because if it 's there , it would n't even matter what it was , " she explains . So instead of stocking their personal pantry with chips and cookies and chocolate , she asks the White House staff to keep plenty of cereals , crackers , nuts , and dried and fresh fruit available . <p> " I 'm a salty snack person , " she confesses . " So if a bag of chips were there , I 'd eat the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ around . And I think the same thing is true for the kids . It 's just tough temptation . So we try to put out healthy snacks in clear containers . " Being able to see what 's available makes it easier to make a healthier snacking choice , she explains . <p> On staying motivated to exercise : <p> What motivates the first lady to keep herself looking fit ? " Vanity , " she laughs . " That 's the start . That 's just sort of the honest thing . " <p> Really , though , it 's a matter of how she wants to look and feel . " It 's just personal , " she says . " And what I tell my girlfriends who are struggling with it is that it takes a few weeks before exercise is fun . It does n't happen overnight . " <p> In an age where instant results are expected , you have to remember that it 's impossible to get in shape all at once . " It does n't happen overnight , " she says @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the painful hump of starting . And I think that 's where we fail , because we 're wondering , ' Will this ever get better ? ' And the truth is that you can get out of shape so much faster than you get in shape , and that 's really frustrating . " <p> After committing to exercising regularly , the first lady says that she 's reached a point where if she 's not eating healthily or exercising , she does n't feel good physically . " So I 've gone from vanity to , now , necessity , " she says . <p> On women who feel disenfranchised or disempowered by what 's going on with the world : <p> " The truth is , the greatest power I feel like I have is raising two more intelligent , decent people and putting them in the world prepared to give and contribute , " she says . <p> Changing the big picture takes time , she pointed out , and the best thing to do is focus on the things you can control . " If @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that they can do at it , in addition to working and all that , " she says , " there are hundreds of wonderfully small changes that we can make in our lives if we 're doing all that . That becomes the collage of real change . " <p> When confronted with the economy and the wars and the environment and all of the big problems in the world , " we lose sign of the fact that day-to-day work is really how change happens , " she says . " So I would urge them not to get discouraged . " <p> It 's important to remember that the next generation was born seeing the world differently than we do . " They 're born into a different way of thinking that I think is good , " she says . " They 're more open . They 're more curious . The world is different . And each generation , just by the sheer fact that they come on this Earth , is creating change . " <h> 511 comments <p> You are messing your girls @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I thought you were a pretty smart lady ... until I read your rules . You are setting them up for bullying , nerds or whatever ...... Be real ! <p> Michelle and Obama have their own school vouchers bought and paid by donors ! ! Others have their children go back to the great public schools conducted by union teachers as their vouchers were cancelled by Obama ! ! ! And this has nothing to do with race as most kids are black the same color as the president and the first lady ! ! <p> So which is she now , the superslick Ivy League lawyer/community organizer or the June Cleaver mom ready to wash dishes &; talk gossip with the neighborhood women ? The other day she said it was " scary " being married to Obammy as president because she never knew what was coming next . Well , hello , he is ( or tries to act like ) the President ! He gets rather busy with important things on a daily basis . If she 's that scared , maybe the little woman should @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ us all more grief . <p> by looking at their children the obama home must be a good home . and if everything the first lady said is genuine , their values run counter to the anti-family values espoused by the groups that they support in public . are they selling their souls ? if their girls " married " another woman and adopted a baby since laws of nature make that impossible would they truly be at

@@5081641 <p> Have you ever seen a river ragin ' in the spring Rushin ' down a mountain fast as anything Well , if you can picture that wild water That would be her , only deeper Have you ever seen an eagle soaring high above the trees Circling the world below the epitome of free Then you could imagine how I feel when I 'm beside her Only higher <p> I 'm flying , I 'm falling , I 'm floating And all I want to do is hold her Closer and spend every day that passes Thinkin ' up new ways to love her more <p> If you 've never had a vision Of what perfect love would be Just close your eyes and dream a dream That just gets sweeter , an ' that would be her <p> I 'm flying , I 'm falling , I 'm floating And all I want to do is hold her Closer and spend every day that passes Thinkin ' up new ways to love her more <p> If you 've never had a vision Of what a perfect love would be Just close your eyes and dream a dream @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ her <p> Just close your eyes and dream a dream That