text:
A group of Brownies in North Tyneside are getting ready to hold a display of memorabilia as part of the organisation's centenary celebrations.
Brownies were started in 1914, and to celebrate the 100th anniversary this year, North Tyneside County will be holding several events to celebrate the Big Brownie Birthday.
Ann Elliott, from the group, said: "As part of the events we hope to be able to display Brownie memorabilia from as far back as possible, with old uniforms, photographs, books, information on past local Brownie events and outings.
"We would be interested to hear from anyone who has any of the above to lend us or donate."
The group has found a wedding photo taken at St George's Church in Tynemouth around 1962, with a Brownie guard of honour, and are now looking for anyone who recognises the bride or groom to get in touch,
Anyone who thinks they know the couple can call Ann Elliott on (0191) 252 2698 or email firstname.lastname@example.com

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Relevance ranks synonyms and suggests the best matches based on how closely a synonym's sense matches the sense you selected.
Complexity sorts synonyms based on their difficulty. Adjust it higher to choose from words that are more complex.
Length ranks your synonyms based on character count.
- lists
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Common words appear frequently in written and spoken language across many genres from radio to academic journals.
Informal words should be reserved for casual, colloquial communication.
verb relax
Synonyms for kick back
verb relax
- lie downstar
- breathe easystar
- collect oneselfstar
- compose oneselfstar
- cool offstar
- feel at homestar
- hang loosestar
- loosen upstar
- make oneself at homestar
- mellow outstar
- settle backstar
- sit aroundstar
- take a breakstar
- take a breatherstar
verb. bounce back; ricochet
verb. retaliate for wrong, grievance
verb. rebound
Roget's 21st Century Thesaurus, Third Edition Copyright © 2013 by the Philip Lief Group.Cite This Source


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The Archbishop of Canterbury makes his long-awaited visit to St Edmundsbury Cathedral on Saturday to launch the centenary of the Diocese of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich.
The Most Rev Justin Welby will lead a service and launch a Centenary Fund for Suffolk, which provides money to help others across the county.
The Diocese was officially created on January 21 1914 with the cathedral built on the site of the parish church of St James.


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Chile from A to Z
All ways (and always) Amazing.
Bachelet, Michelle: Chile's first woman president, one of twelve world-wide.
Copper: Chile's largest export. Chuquicamata, the largest open pit mine can be seen from space.
Darwin wrote long accounts of Chile from the Beagle.
ENSO (El Niño-Southern Oscillation), "El Niño" climatic phenomenon resulting from temperature fluctuations in the Pacific Ocean, with significant influence on Chilean agriculture.
Fifty active volcanoes. Football (soccer) is Chile's national sport.
Geography extraordinaire: a crazy, varied sliver of a country.
Hug and a handshake = the most common greeting between men.
Irrigation with Andean snow-melt.
Jamboree of Scouts held in Chile. Second country in world to form Cub Scout movement.
Kilometers: 4,500 km long & 240 km at its widest! (18 times longer than it is wide).
Last country in the Americas to be occupied by the Spaniards. Lapis Lazuli, the emblematic blue stone, is only found in Chile and Afghanistan… Get your here!
Most advanced country in Latin America. Mountains cover more than 80% of Chile.
Nobel Prize-winning poets: Gabriela Mistral (1945) and Pablo Neruda (1971).
Over 40% of the country's 16 million-plus population lives in and around the Santiago area.
Patagonia: a place where you feel like if you were any closer to your creator, you could shake hands.
Quinta Vergara: amphitheater in Viña del Mar and home to Latin America's largest music festival.
Robinson Crusoe: Daniel Defoe novel based on the true story of Alexander Selkirk, a Scotsman who was stranded on a deserted island 400 miles off the coast of Chile.
Slowest population growth rate in South America, currently 1.2% per year.
Territorial Claim in Antarctica: 800,000 km2 (308,900 mi2). Antarctic conditions appear on the nightly weather forecast.
Universidad de Chile, founded in 1842, one of Chile's oldest institutions of higher learning.
Viña del Mar: coastal resort city that hosts Latin America's largest annual music festival.
World's driest desert: the Atacama, home to exceptional international observatories.
Xerophyte plants adapt to the dry conditions of the Atacama Desert. Xenoliths are inclusions in igneous rocks found in the volcanic Andes.
Z-z-z-z-z-z (a fitting ode to the afternoon siesta– especially while traveling in wine country).


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Duos Catering is your guide to the some of the best party, wedding and special event locations in Seattle, including grand hotel ballrooms and historic houses, public parks and private estates, scenic vistas and hidden gems, popular destinations and well kept secrets. We've been there, catered that. We've got good relationships with venue owners and facility managers to help you secure the best rates and best dates for your event.
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Finding the perfect venue is key in setting the tone of your event. Duos catering has worked with many fine event venues and lists here many architectural styles that will fit any type of gathering.
No matter which location you choose, Duos catering features comprehensive turn-key event planning. Our sales and event managers will guide you through selecting from our seasoned team of professionals for entertainment, photography, floral design, and of course, your perfect menu.


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RUFC - Grecian Boss after Tuesday Night
Rotherham United went to Exeter on Tuesday night and got a point and Exeter's Manager, Paul Tisdale, thinks his side have only themselves to blame for not getting all three points.
Speaking to Radio Devon he said, 'You couldn't get any bigger moments than a penalty for and a penalty against and we came out on the worst side of both of them.'
The Millers gave away a penalty in the second half at one-nil down but a great save from on loan 'keeper David Stockdale, from Ben Watson, ensured Rotherham kept in the game. And, with twenty five minutes to go the Millers were awarded a penalty which Reuben Reid scored.
Carrying on, Tisdale said, 'We created more chances on the night but we have to learn to capitalise on them and not come out second best.'
Marcus Stewart, who was carried off on Tuesday night, might be out for quite a while with ligament damage.


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Originally posted by Destinyone
reply to post by TheLegend
Playing your sound file has just started my Great Pyrenees, Bear, to howling and pacing and pawing at the back door.
He is currently 140 lbs of extremely hyped dog, I can't get to calm down at all. I live on top of a rural mountain in the Blue Ridge Mountains. We've had a long history of Big Foot carried down through the years, with many tales from the indigenous Indian Tribes that lived here first. I've heard a few times in the woods surrounding my home, very similar howls as you posted.
Keep up with your research. Find the really old people in your area, who were born there, ask them for the *old* stories. that's what I did, and still do. You'll be amazed what they tell you.


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Beauty - The Panel: Get sunkissed in...The Bronze Age
Contour like Kim Kardashian or simply get safely sun-kissed, says Sarah Caden, with these five favourite bronzers.
We Irish are good at getting summery in a matter of seconds. The cold rarely goes away for long, and we don't exactly put our warm jumpers away, but we have T-shirts at the ready at all times, too. It's the same in our make-up bags, where bronzer should be added to the mix at the first hint of sun and not returned to mothballs until September is past.
How you choose your bronzer is up to you. The internet is full of tutorials on how to employ bronzer as a contouring tool, a la Kim Kardashian, if that multi-tone, slightly waxy look is what you're after. Otherwise, bronzer is an easy way to get a little bit sun-kissed fast, and it's definitely a more foolproof option in a hurry than self-tan, which requires prep, polishing and accurate application.
The key with bronzer, however, is to resist the urge to apply it all over. Keep it to those points that catch the sun naturally: the cheeks, forehead, the bridge of the nose, the decolletage. And choose a shade that suits you. If you're fair, keep it golden — not orange.
If you're dark, go deep brown to counter yellowness, or seek out light-reflecting particles to counter ashiness.
Best Overall
Lancome Star Bronzer Face & Body in Golden Riviera, €45, Lancome counters nationwide
Part of the charm of this limited-edition bronzer is the giant compact in which it's contained — the size of which feels luxurious and even a bit decadent. What's within is pretty lovely, too.
The heart of the product is pure gold, which turns, by degrees, into a shimmery bronze at the edge of the compact. So, you can either use the gold as a highlighter, or blend it with the bronze to create a shimmering tan. We'd suggest that you keep the full metallic effect for shoulders or collarbones, but trust your judgment. "This product makes great use of a big, fluffy brush, with which you can go all golden and glowing in seconds," said a panellist.
Best Shimmer
Revlon Highlighting Palette in Bronze Glow, €13.20, available nationwide
Yes, this looks very like a Bobbi Brown Shimmer Brick, though we reckon that this is better suited to younger skin, as it has a more glittery shimmer that can be harsh on older skin. That said, it's a nice product at a good price, with five stripes of colour to create a bronzy, glowy, highlighted effect. It's available in three varieties. "This is nice for holidays, when you can use individual colours as
eye shadow, or use all five for a glowing complexion," one panellist said.
Best Liquid
Giorgio Armani Maestro Liquid Summer Bronzer in No 1, €48, Brown Thomas Dublin and Cork
If you like the oil-and-water light Maestro foundation, with its ability to make your face feel naked, but look polished, then you'll love this limited-edition bronzer. It's a very thin liquid that is extremely pigment-rich, which means a tiny bit goes a long way, and it blends well into foundation, as well as working brilliantly as a contouring product. "Ooh — instant cheekbones when I do it one way, instant tan when I do it another," said a panellist. "I love the texture, and enjoy the versatility."
Best Subtle Sun
Chanel Les Beiges Healthy Glow Multi-Colour in No 1, €52, Chanel counters nationwide
Chanel has followed the success of last year's Les Beiges powders by adding two multi-colour compacts and an almost-foundation fluid to the range. This is the lighter of the compacts and is perfect for porcelain princesses who want a little seasonal lift. Three strips of powder pigment work side by side as bronzer, blush and highlighter, offering tint without tan. "Makes me look as if I just walked the beach," one panellist said. "But use your own brush, as the one provided is too subtle."
Best Matt
Clinique Self Sun Face Bronzing Gel Tint, €24, Clinique counters nationwide
Be warned that this stuff is terrifyingly dark when it comes out of the tube. Obviously, a little goes a long way, but the darkness is also a positive indicator that this has blessed little orange in it. Instead, the transparent gel bestows a matt tan wherever it touches and it also blends beautifully into foundation.
"I put dabs everywhere," said one panellist. "Face, shin bones, collarbones, the works. And it washes off!"
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|Rediff India Abroad Home | All the sections
All about the new tax scenario
March 04, 2008
Finance Minister P Chidambaram brought about a lot of changes in the country's tax rules when he presented the Union Budget 2008-09 in Parliament on February 29.
What are those changes and how would they affect you? Check out the changes for individuals as well as corporates, as indicated by KPMG in a study.
These rates are subject to enactment of the Finance Bill 2008. The rates are for the Tax Year 2008-09.
1. Income Tax rates
1.1 For Individuals, Hindu Undivided Families, Association of Persons and Body of Individuals
(a) In the case of a resident woman below the age of 65 years, the basic exemption limit is Rs 180,000.
1.2 For Co-operative Societies
On the above, surcharge is not applicable. Education cess is applicable at the rate of 3 per cent.
1.3 For Local Authorities
Local Authorities are taxable at the rate of 30 per cent
1.4 For Partnership Firms
Partnership Firms are taxable at 30 per cent.
1.5 For Domestic Companies
1.6 For Foreign Companies
2. MinimumAlternate Tax (MAT)
3. Securities Transaction Tax
Securities Transaction Tax is levied on the value of taxable securities transactions as under:
(a) Applicable up to May 31, 2008.
4. Commodities Transaction Tax
Commodities Transaction Tax (CTT) is levied on the value of taxable commodities transactions as under:
5. Fringe Benefit Tax
Tax on specified fringe benefits provided to employees at 30 per cent plus applicable surcharge and education cess thereon.
6. Wealth Tax
Wealth tax is imposed at1 per cent on the value of specified assets held by the taxpayer in excess of the basic exemption of Rs 1,500,000.
7. Banking Cash Transaction Tax
8. Dividend Distribution Tax
9. Special rates for Non-Residents
(1) The following incomes in the case of Non-Resident are taxed at special rates on gross basis:
(a) These rates will further increase by surcharge and education cess;
(2) Tax on non-resident sportsmen or sports association on specified income at 10 per cent plus applicable surcharge and education cess.
10. Capital Gains
11. Presumptive Taxation
(1) In the case of a non-resident taxpayer
(2) All resident taxpayers
(a) The gross receipts of the taxpayer do not exceed Rs 4,000,000.
(b) All deductions/expenses (including depreciation) shall be deemed to have been allowed.
(c) The taxpayer can claim lower profits, if he keeps and maintains specified books of accounts and obtains a tax audit report.
(3) Special code of tonnage tax on income earned by domestic shipping companies.
Personal Tax Scenarios
More Specials


text:
York, ME Chimney Repair
Learn about Chimney Repair businesses in York, ME. Get the latest local news and offers for Chimney Repair near you.
Most Recent from York, ME Chimney Repair Businesses
Wood burning devices such as stoves and fireplaces are an affordable, energy-efficient alternative to electronic HVAC systems. Whether you use your wood-burning device for heat or ambiance, it's essential to keep up with routine maintena...read more
When it comes to the safety and functionality of your fireplace or furnace, a clear and secure chimney is essential. Whether you have a regularly used working chimney, you're moving to a new home, or you need to assess damage, there are ...read more
York, ME Chimney Repair Businesses
220 Beachwood Ave
Kennebunkport, ME 04046
Absolute Chimney Service,LLC, based in Kennebunkport, ME, provides chimney cleaning and maintenance services to customers in southern Maine. Master Sweep Zandy Talmage has been serving customers for over 37 years and is fully licensed, b...
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Many people mistakenly believe that they should call a chimney cleaning service in the fall, right before they plan on lighting their first fire. While this is an understandable assu...read more
Gazing at a crackling fire is a wonderful thing on a cold day, whether you're with someone you love or a steaming cup of cocoa. Maintaining the chimney attached to your fireplace is ...read more
There's nothing cozier than using your fireplace during the colder months, but for your own safety and to avoid expensive repairs, it's vital to get a chimney inspection. But ho...read more
Many homeowners consider their chimneys a worry-free part of the home as something that doesn't require much maintenance. Without routine chimney cleaning, however, problems wil...read more
If you enjoy curling up in front of a warm fire on a chilly evening, you should consider installing a chimney liner. It's a steel, clay, or concrete channel that fits into your chimn...read more
Most homes are equipped with chimneys, but that doesn't mean all homeowners understand their inner workings. One of the main points of confusion is the difference...read more
Chimney repair and maintenance is an essential part of keeping your home in shape. Unfortunately, when it comes to paying for this necessary service, you're probably on your own. Whi...read more
If you have a chimney, you know it requires a lot of maintenance to prevent the buildup of creosote, a highly flammable byproduct of combustion. To decrease the amount of upkeep you ...read more
Few things are as peaceful as curling up next to a crackling fire on a cool summer's night—but before you can set your fireplace ablaze, it's crucial to ensure your chimney is clean ...read more
If your home has a fireplace, then Absolute Chimney Service in Kennebunkport, ME, recommends hiring a chimney cleaning company for an inspection every single summer. With more than 3...read more
Chimney caps are useful for protecting your chimney against rain, and they also prevent animals and debris from entering your home. If you're in need of a new one, the knowledgeable ...read more
You have enough on your plate during a move without having to worry about last-minute problems that throw a wrench in your entire game plan. That's why it's so important to schedule ...read more
As winter settles in, there's nothing quite like cozying up by a roaring fire. However, that idyllic scene can turn into a sooty mess if your chimney isn't in good shape. T...read more
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Page 1 of 2 • Next >


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Cheating Allegations Lead to "Strip Search" of Chess Player
Pages PREV 1 2 3 4 5 6 NEXT
his board was full of queens, towers and knights.
or playing video games can make you better at chess.
if you put his performance in a graph, you can see that "jump"
i wonder if the chess players flip the tables and start shooting everyone with their colts.
Them chessmasters are freakin' salty. To be fair, if they can't prove he is cheating then stop going on about until you get some, what was the word? Oh yes, evidence
Maybe he just studied the best chess playing computer patterns towards all the chess strats and learned/copied them from memory.
Or maybe people missed the small Bluetooth earpiece that a chess program was feeding him answers from.
It's nowhere near as silly as that LoL fiasco. The full 10 player minimap was BEHIND THE PLAYERS and Riot said "don't look behind you or you're disqualified"
Inb4 cheating allegations.
HA! That's brilliant. Like they've regressed into losing at Monopoly or something... I don't blame people for flipping Monopoly tables though, seeing as the game is entirely about one player gaining an unfair advantage then snowballing the rest of the game into an absolutely overwhelming win.
"ARGGGH *table flip* FUCK THIS! PIECE OF SHIT GAME!"
E4. I don't believe much more needs to be said.
Or maybe he just played against a computer using moves and strategies he knew his opponents favoured, and memorized the moves the computer used against them.
Apparently it doesn't take a chess genius to figure it out.
I really hope that in the end it turns out that he's just that good.
All the time people out of obscurity can suddenly outperform hugely better than everyone else, but oh no, JUST because of that:
Without a shred of evidence.
What specific rule has he broken? If one of the rules is suddenly being better than the "Grand Masters" then this isn't a fucking competition, this is an ego trip for the established elite where the rules are specifically set up to protect any young contender coming in and beating them. And he is young, this isn't like a middle aged man comes out of nowhere, at 25 his intellect would have still been growing.
I mean they have farcical shit like chips implanted under his skin, or in his teeth. Where are are these supposed communication methods??!
Funny, looks like my grades trends in school.
HERP A DERP! I mushtav cheated on AAAALLLL of my exams! And it should be obvious from how poor my coursework was.
Fuck evidence, he's "too good".
You guys don't seem to realize that Grand Masters (>2500; depending on where you are, I'm going by USCF) think very, very, similarly to a player rated 1400. The reason that they're so good is that Grand Masters have learned by this point to avoid falling into common pitfalls and blunders that would cost them the game. Otherwise, it's perfectly possible to beat them, but not consistently.
Humans can experiment, be illogical and make it work. Call me when Skynet plays chess with this guy, okay? Whoops; already happened...
Seriously, the way chess works isn't by juggling numbers in your head. To truly think of some good chess moves, you need to consider the board and think about what could possibly happen if your opponent decided to move X piece. This isn't directed at you; it just bugs me how many people think that Chess == math. -.-
That bugs me too. Maybe he's just a dedicated guy, but I'm calling that he used a digital note-taker with a chess analysis engine on it. That's how a person at my chess club (best player too, he was 1700) got banned from playing at the State level.
People could screw up their opening/defense. It's easier than it sounds at high level games. There are so many ways that things can go wrong in a chess game from a single pawn move. One. Pawn. Move. I've seen entire games blundered away from moves that weren't really bad at the time, but had a devastating effect in the endgame.
Where'd you get that? That seems to be an interesting read.
OT- Cheating, you say? The closest way I can think of is him having an analysis engine on him as he was noting his moves, digitally. I have no idea what else he could be doing.
Yes, chess does not work like that, computers work like that. AI playing chess (and most AI, actually) is just extremely good at number crunching. This was a response tot he guy who said that "Oh, he could be thinking like a computer" - impossible. Ok, very improbably - unless he's crunching many, many numbers at a very fast pace - no he cannot. He'll be thinking like a human. A distinct difference.
Keep in mind that this is a tournament with many people on there, many of which very good players. The chance of all of them making stupid mistakes is quite low. Also, it is said that he made good moves, not his opponents bad ones.
I saw it quoted in two forums but I have no idea what the original is - Google failed me even. Strangely. Here is where I took it from, although I quoted the whole of it (the whole of the quoted bit, at least), the other forum had the exact same quote, however it is a Bulgarian one, so not of much use, I assume. Maybe chess.com has more elaboration and people discussing it - I haven't gone through the thread.
Remember that he didn't preform as good when his games weren't broadcast. Also, not implausible - as I said it's quite improbable, however.
Ugh...dude, that's chess. Nobody cares what the next move would be - you'll see it anyway - the person will play it right in front of you. Knowing what the move is several moments in advance is not actually that useful.
EDIT: OK, lol - above, I did say that the Bulgarian forum wouldn't be of much help...actually I took a second look at it and somebody quoted something in Serbian which seems to be a system that could be used to cheat in chess
If anybody's interested, here's a link to the thread (in Bulgarian, OP has the quoted Serbian above)
You know, the entire Chess community needs to step back, take a deep breath, and then slap themselves silly, before taking another deep breath. WTF is wrong with these people, do they have no pride anymore?
Growing up there was the whole question as to whether a computer could ever beat a real grandmaster playing chess. For years there were battles of "Man Vs. Machine" which lead to the computers losing, until eventually, after many years, "Deep Blue" (I believe it was) actually managed to win. Now I see what seems to be a general consensus among these guys that they can't beat computers, which is just frakking sad. This guy using a computer to play against them should actually be considered a disadvantage.
That said this guy is a computer programmer who writes chess programs. Gee, do you think that might just come accross in how he plays?
I find it deplorable how little pride there is in the chess community anymore, and that rather than celebrating someone who pulls off an amazing victory, everyone is screaming like school children and accusing him of using the one thing I'd expect REAL chess masters to disparage. "Wow, you suck so much you couldn't possibly have won", well, if that's the case why was he brought into the tournament to begin with? The point is that anyone who is there to begin with could be a wildcard/underdog winner, which is kind of the point.
I guess the bottom line is that I think it's a combination of horrible sportsmanship, a lack of pride, and insane paranoia. I mean if this guy has a computer equivilent fo Deep Blue or something at his beck and call that in of
thing is this guy seemed to go from the guy that would be getting these guys coffee, to beating several gms in one run. sure you can get hot maybe he worked something out about his game, but then he lose by a rookie mistake, in the one type of game that computer chess programs struggle against. where before he was playing so utterly perfectly it seemed he was using a chess program to do it.
it could be quite simply he had a plant in the audience and they ran the game and fed him moves, why does it have to be via radio implant? simple sign language and a laptop or even calculator chess programs would have probably gotten the same thing and been way less out there than microchips in his teeth or brain.
No, it cannot. AI relies on lots and lots of computation - it's normally not possible for any human, unless they are some kind of savant. And I do mean it, if he was capable of doing this to begin with he would have been just...wrong. From birth, at least, or probably would have suffered some kind of trauma or something in the mean time.
Please, people, chess is practically one of the first topics to be covered in AI courses, with these comments "he programs chess - HE IS USING THE SAME TO PLAY" you're just proving that 1. you don't know chess AI actually works 2. you don't have basic foundation of AI, either, so you shouldn't be making any sort of comment on that to begin with.
In other news, I took a third look at that Bulgarian chess thread. OMG, shit is so funny xD there are several suggestions how Borislav ivanov could have cheated, all of them plausible. The guy himself (or at least somebody claiming to be him - seems sort of legit) also..erm, takes part (you might call it that) in the discussion. I'll try to summarise it when I finish reading through it.
Not sure if intentional humour or not.
Seriously, Chess has kind of gone the way of the buggy-whip by technological advances. Chess used to be considered the pinnacle of thought, now it's being won so consistently by machines that we curse everyday for making stupid decision with our files and photos. And that has a retroactive effect, it just goes to show being good at chess is not some divine intelligence, it's not an excellence of abstract thought, it's just another mechanical process that machines quietly and effortlessly... beat us every time.
It's like setting a land speed record... on foot. When there are machines that break 1000 miles per hour and even faster ones that fly or travel into space.
Why is it most competitive racing on TV is motor-vehicles rather than people on foot? Olympics racing by pure human-power is the exception to the rule.
Here is most telling about this case...
They have no evidence that he has had any outside help, the ONLY evidence that he is cheating is... that he's better than the "Grand Masters". AUTOMATICALLY they assume machine.
Give up. Throw the chess board away because it doesn't really matter if he actually was cheating or not, if excellence in playing chess will always be denigrated with association with machines, then WHAT IS THE POINT IN BEING GOOD AT IT?!?!?! If you're just going to be put in the same category as a lifeless uncaring machine.
This is the end of chess.
What's happened to chess is the equivalent of what happened to Snakes and Ladders after we learned about probability and that "luck" doesn't exist.
Arguably it started with Deep Blue burying it 6 feet under but now the tombstone has been picked over and the graveyard paved over to make a parking lot, precisely because of how the chess community has reacted.
You have to admit, before Deep Blue they would not have acted this way to someone performing so well.
Shoe computers have been used by professional cheaters at gambling. If they are concerned they probably should just put both players in a room that blocks wifi and cell signals. Make it so only wired cameras can work.
Chuckle. I was waiting for something like this to happen. That it was this dude makes it even more funny. Some people never, never, ever change. I used to catch this dude cheating all the time on a now defunct chess site I admined for.
Also, computers wander in closed positions. They lack the sophistication to plan deeply in those positions. As an e.g. Symetrical English, KID, as well as a number of others. Also, another thing that gives it away that he was up to something nefarious is the level of strong play in sharp tactical positions. Even GM's like Kasparov and Larry Christiansen (a known attacking player) will make mistakes. This guy, schooled 4 GM's with a huge performance rating. One GM, is possible that the GM missed a line and the guy capitilized on a blunder but, 4 GM's? I think not. Sharp positions are frought with peril for even GM's. So many ways they can play out or make a mistake in them.
Then there is all the theory for these positions and openings. No way a lower rated master would have the knowledge base to excel in all of them. Unless of course he memorized thousands of pages of opening and midgame theory...
Edit 1: and seeing as 100's of pages of theory are added each year it is highly unlikely this clown knew em all. Unless, of course, he managed to find novelty lines for each GM he beat. And if he did that then he managed to surpass Fischer who came up with a huge novelty line that has been used frequently in the Njdorf. Which, is also highly unlikely that a low rated master would manage to find not 1 but 4 novelty lines...
My god but they're petty! Just proves that even chess players (grand masters at that) are not above calling 'hax!' when their ego gets properly bitch-slapped.
Maybe he was really that good at it despite being at a low rank?
Also really? You cna use math to see if that person is cheating?
ISN'T IT OBVIOUS! He and the machines have merged. He has transcended the other inferior chess players, the only reason he didn't win all the games is his human side is fighting to regain control.
OK, finished the thread, here is a summary - the OP is actually Atanas Kurtenkov (a different Bulgarian chess player, retired now, but has played for twenty years) - he suggests the Serbian thing I quoted above as well as saying that there are quite a lot of tech that would both allow cheating and are virtually undetectable. At least from a casual pat down, which was actually not what Boris Ivanov was subjected to - he was checked way less thorough than that - he took off his shirt (on his own volition) and emptied his pockets (which he was asked to). According to him, there are a whole range of devices that can me hidden under the skin, in the ear. Mr Kurtenkov also says that a lot of them could be jammed using a simple device...however, there are two problems, with that - one, it can be bypassed by different types of tech which are not affected by it, two, it cannot actually be deployed in the tournament to begin with (it could interfere with pacemakers, for example). According to Mr Kurtenkov, he retired because found out exactly how easy it is to cheat.
Valeri Lilov (also chess player - has an official title of FIDE Master) - username tigerlilov does a really...interesting analysis (it's in English, although an hour long)
To summarise it - 98% of the moves Borislav Ivanov does are exactly what a chess engine called Houdini 2.0c would do. Mr Lilov also posts an interesting chat he had with another chess player (Jivko is the first name...don't know ho exactly is it - probably either Jivko Jekov or Jivko Kaikamdzozov) where he (Lilov) suggests a hidden cam, or a sensor of some description used to send the moves to somebody else, attached to the clothes (maybe). Apparently, these things can be very easily discarded if, for example, one decides to take off their shirt. You know. Incidentally, after Borislav Ivanov was searched and his pen taken away, he suddenly started making mistakes and generally not following what Houdini 2.0c would do. Finally, Mr Lilov posted an email from Darko Feletar.
One other user Nikola (chess player - Nikola Antonov. Google doesn't suggest he's as well known as Mr Kurtov) puts forward the suggestion for something even simpler...just a stripped down existing device, like a smart phone. It's pretty easy to just have it programmed to communicate through vibrations (Morse alphabet, for example, although any sequence signalling can work). Also, hiding whatever the device is, is quite easy - in the underwear. The player cannot legally be checked there without a court order or an officer of the law. Also, a mistake Borislav Ivanov did at the end of the game, (Lilov references it - it's more than 100 moves into the game) can be explained neatly by dead battery - 100 moves is a lot of time.
Borislav Ivanov also..takes part in the thread, as I said. Or somebody who claims to be him. Mr Kurtenkov seems to believe it is really Borislav Ivanov, since they actually spoke on the phone too - Kurtenkov suggested a chess match between the two of them. With the catch that Kurtenkov would take any equipment that could potentially show Ivanov is cheating. In the thread Borislav Ivanov acts like...OK, you all know the stereotypical 13 year old cursing CoD player, I assume. That's exactly how Borislav Ivanov acts throughout the entire thread - just imagine the 13 year old is actually typing instead of shouting in a microphone and it's using txtspeak and bad grammar. I'm not exaggerating or ridiculing him or anything, it is the actual equivalence of what he does - just flaming everybody. Also, threatens Mr Kurtov.
Yes, you can look for statistical abnormalities.
You two might be interested in the video above, I think Mr Lilov talks really interesting stuff and goes in depth into chess and the analysis of the play. From what I heard, at least.
That's not how human intelligence works. It's not a zero-sum thing.
It's not like to be really good at mathematical calculation you have to sacrifice social intelligence or coordination or anything like that.
Even though there are some remarkable individuals of amazing mathematical intelligence but poor social intelligence that's as much down to people who have impeded social intelligence enjoy maths.
So a low-ranked master beats four grand masters in one night, losing only when the broadcasting of the matches cease?
That certainly does warrant an investigation into the issue.
And people saying that you could go from "low-ranked master" to "playing almost at the level of a computer (additionally very similar to a computer's manner)" simply by studying really hard for a month: I don't think you appreciate the level of effort grand masters put into their studying of the game. From what I understand of chess it's not like any old low-rank can suddenly surpass grand masters simply by studying really hard for a month.
At the higher levels of chess it more about memorization and pattern recognition than most anything else. Yes, one can use math to infer the probability that a specific player is going to play a specific line at a specific time. However, trying to apply math to how a GM approaches chess isn't quite a good idea. Seeing as most spend hours learning lines, memorizing end game and opening theory and pouring over positions to find new plans or improve exsisting ones it's hard to quantify how they think in each situation. A good eg of this was a move Kasparov pioneered in the Queen's Gambit. It became wildly popular and saw a lot of use, (Qc2 at move 4 if I remember this line right). Once this line gained traction a lot of theory was developed for it and one would see it a lot in high level play. Now one could statistically model the probability that line would be played but, not which player would play it or the plan behind it.
You are correct. A lower rated player would not suddenly, in a months time, perform at a GM level. Think of it this way, most, if not all, GM's have this series of books that comes out every year that deal exclusively with opening theory. Each one of those books is something like 800 pages long. For a master level player to suddenly learn and play better than a GM with years of study and experience behind them is not only unlikely but, highly improbable due to how much study is required.
A good eg of this is the multiple openings in the Sicilian. Each one of the variations on this opening has hundreds of associated lines with them. Learning them all and playing them all to perfection would be a feat no human could do.
See the problem here is the fact that Chess is a game of finite moves. Yes, yes I know there are millions of moves that can occur during a game, but if you break things down you are dropping into the thousands and when you take the skill level of high-ranking people it drops possibly into the hundreds, and that is something people can memorize.
Chess is a game of patterns, and if you memorize and see enough of the patterns you can defeat them.
What!?!?! You're trying to summarise with that claim?
What about a Faraday cage
Blocks all EM waves used in wireless transmitters, doesn't affect pacemakers nor any medical devices and is not restricted by any communications authority as it doesn't block signals within a radius like an active jammer, it simply stops any radio or microwave radiation entering the cage.
These can be made very discrete, the principal is simple, it's like being surrounded by the antenna that absorbs the WAVES before the receiver can. And the receiver would most likely be extremely weak if it has to be so concealable. This stops mobile phones and everything similar.
Any system would utterly depend on an outside confederate to record each piece move and enter it into a machine to determine what the next move should be. With mobile phone tucked between his nuts or a fanciful device somehow inserted under the skin, can't have any data entered into it to tell him what the next move should be.
I thought Chess players were supposed to be smart.
Well, maybe smart with chess moves but not the common sense to do the bare minimum of research before declaring something non-viable.
And this is all so convenient, to say the cheating is undetectable then equally anyone can be accused, this fantasy is an inquisitor's wet dream, so to speak.
My exact thoughts.
Don't know how else to say it but evidently chess is serious buisness!
Hold on, how the hell do you cheat at chess? Unless your fucking psychic or robotic, that shouldn't even be possible.
I'm summarising and relying the words of Mr Kurtenkov (and others), that's what I'm doing. I thought it obvious, seeing as I said as much.
A Faraday cage could work but it seems nobody thought to build one at the tournament, I assume. Ideally, you'd want the room shielded which means build it into the room. Which means, have the chess tournaments in only one (or very few) places at a time. That's before factoring in the expenses. Or make an actual cage and place people inside but, again, it's not quite so elegant and there are other complications, too (makes shooting the match a bit annoying, for example).
Yes, on the surface - to someone who has never really tried it - it may seem that way.
But attaching giant fan to an oversized kite and riding the thing over the Kittyhawk dunes expecting the thing to fly equally "isn't quite a good idea", yet controlled flight was invented in America thinks to some Brothers trying precisely that. All aeroplane control systems descend from their solution to the flying problem.
And you know what, when they first did it EVERYONE thought they were frauds. They thought it was all faked, it was all a marketing stunt, and they said it was categorically impossible for them to succeed where other inventors with the funding of rich Industrialists and monarchies had repeatedly failed.
I don't want to be the modern equivalent of the person who called the Wright Brothers frauds, not over a matter of evidence, but refusal to recognise such lowly ones could achieve above that of the elites.
However he won, he deserves the respect and honour of all his victories till it is proven that he cheated.
Going back to the Wright Brother's achievement, there were entire libraries full of books on aerodynamics that the Wright Brothers consulted.
Turns out it was a whole load of writing but most of it was useless, all the complexities and theories weren't backed up and over-complicated the problem. Over complicated. If it takes 800 pages to summarise your opening strategy, then that is such a fiendishly convoluted strategy it's always going to favour the raw power of a machine.
What if he's not trying to think like a machine, but think like a human.
Remember, this guy designs chess-beating computer algorithms, he knows chess.
I'd give him the benefit of the doubt. Old elites all reading the same same 800-page books thinking in the same way have been made fools of before...
Yeah, I saw that movie too.
No one thought of that? Then they didn't think much at all! They weren't thinking about robust anti-cheating strategies, it seem they only thought enough of how to suit their foregone conclusion that cheating was impossible to detect, so empowering themselves to declare whoever they like is a cheater at their whim.
Expenses? Don't be ridiculous. It's ANY wire! And they forked out enough for live no-delay internet streaming which if anything would only help cheating.
It's clear even after being informed about this you don't know what a Faraday cage entails. You've probably walked into a Faraday cage before and not known it, the only clue being suddenly losing all signal on your phone.
It doesn't have to be a cage with thick bars, a veil of thin wires is more than enough, come on, the entire reputation of Chess is at stake and still the feet dragging of "oooh, it's too hard". But not too hard to be an inquisitor!
Thanks for the link to the analysis Dopo.
I think there is more about your suggestion than you actually realise.
It's any wire, yes, but you have to install it, also work around it for the equipment. If you want to build it into the wall, that's fucking expensive, too.
Yeah, thanks for that - I do know enough to tell you that it's not exactly high priority thing to build around a room with a tournament in. You would do it if you suspect there would be cheating to begin with, not start wrapping the area when you first hear about it.
Actually, I've been scouring Google for this and...it seems surprisingly lacking on any mention of him making chess software. The only info to that effect is what is quoted here and elsewhere (from the same source). In fact, all the Bulgarian media covering this scandal only say he's a computer programmer by trade, that's all. I can tell you he's doing first year pedagogy, though. Also, he came second in a chess tournament in Bulgaria just a couple of months ago (21 November), too. Also, there seems to be a Borislav Ivanov who is a web developer but I have no idea if it's the same guy or not it sort of seems he isn't but I don't really know - the name is quite common (there is a business man, an actor, a karate instructor, a weight lifter, and a cyclist all coming up in the searches).
It's almost if...it's easy to be banging on about one thing if it supports your position, isn't it? Don't worry, I'm continuing my Google searches, I'll notify you if I find any actual proof he is what the news claim he is.
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text:
In chronic myocarditis LV-dysfunction and myocardial fibrosis is associated with an dysregulation in the MMP-system
In chronischer Myokarditis sind LV-Dysfunktion und myokardiale Fibrose mit einer Dysregulation im MMP- System assoziiert
Search Medline for
|August 10, 2005
Introduction: Acute viral myocarditis with viral persistence and ongoing myocardial inflammation can lead to left ventricular dysfunction and dilatated cardiomyopathy. Proinflammatory cytokines with their influence to the MMP/TIMP system and the myocardial cell infiltration play a crucial role in heart failure with induced myocardial collagen turnover, necrosis and fibrosis. The present study investigated inflammation and extracellular matrix alteration in a murine chronic myocarditis model.
Methods: Coxsackie virus B-3 infected and non-infected SWR/J mice (each n=30) were analyzed on day 4, 7 and 28-post infection (each n=10). Hemodynamic parameters were measured in anesthetized, artificially ventilated and closed-chest animals and the mRNA abundance of MMP-3, MMP-8, TIMP-1, IL-1b, TNF-a and CVB-3 was analyzed by RT-PCR. Furthermore total collagen and CD3+ infiltration was measured in paraffin-embedded sections.
Results: CVB-3 infection caused left ventricular dysfunction on 28 days post infection with a significant induced fibrosis. Moreover the MMP-3 and MMP-8 mRNA expression was significantly induced with chronically reduced TIMP-1 mRNA abundance. In addition we found an ongoing inflammation with significantly induced mRNA levels of IL-1b and TNF-a with elevated myocardial CD3 infiltration. Furthermore we have significant correlation between inflammation and matrix-degradation. (*p<0,05 versus Kontrolle (ANOVA-Test)
Conclusion: The induced fibrosis with relevant left ventricular dysfunction like dilatated cardiomyopathy was due to elevated MMPs and reduced levels of TIMP-1 in the chronic phase. Furthermore the ongoing inflammation with chronically elevated inflammatory cytokines and CD3+ cells by nearly complete viral clearance plays an important role.
Table 1 [Tab. 1]


text:
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A federal judge on Monday denied a request by former Virginia governor Robert F. McDonnell's defense attorneys that prosecutors be more specific about the "official actions" they allege he performed for a wealthy Richmond area businessman in exchange for loans and expensive gifts.
U.S. District Judge James R. Spencer wrote that prosecutors' 43-page indictment against McDonnell and his wife was "sufficiently detailed" and they need not produce a so-called "bill of particulars" to define the official actions the couple allegedly performed or promised to perform for Richmond businessman Jonnie R. Williams Sr.
The indictment alleges that McDonnell and his wife, Maureen, lent the prestige of the governor's office to Williams and Star Scientific, a dietary supplement company Williams used to run, in exchange for loans and gifts totaling at least $165,000.
To prove the corruption charges, the government must show that the couple performed or agreed to perform "official" acts to benefit Williams. What counts as an official act will likely be the subject of debate at trial.
Spencer last week had rejected other filings from the McDonnells' attorneys asking that prosecutors immediately turn over a variety of documents in the case. He will hear arguments in Richmond Tuesday on two other requests from defense attorneys, one to see the instructions given to grand jurors and another to resume a related civil lawsuit involving Williams that prosecutors successfully sought to put on hold.


text:
Bowl loss earns A&M's Sherman dubious distinction
He's the third Aggies coach since 1965 to post losing records in his first two seasons.
Published 9:38 pm, Tuesday, December 29, 2009
SHREVEPORT, La. - Two years ago this month, Texas A&M regent Gene Stallings cast the lone dissenting vote against the approval of new Aggies coach Mike Sherman's seven-year contract.
"I think he's an excellent choice, don't get me wrong," Stallings said at the time. "But we just went through a seven-year deal (with Dennis Franchione) that didn't work out. Why would we do that again?
"If I were a coach out there, I'd walk to College Station for this job. I'm just looking out for the university's money."
Looking back, it's evident Stallings, a one-time A&M coach himself, spoke from experience because Sherman just joined him in a semi-exclusive Aggies club: As one of three A&M football coaches since 1965 to notch losing records in each of their first two seasons.
Stallings finished 3-7 in 1965 and 4-5-1 in '66. Sherman finished 4-8 last year and 6-7 this season. Stallings' successor, Emory Bellard, was 3-8 in 1972 and 5-6 in '73 - also the last time A&M recorded consecutive losing seasons.
Sports Channel
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Stallings, despite an overall poor record at A&M, won a Southwest Conference title in 1967. And Bellard led the Aggies to consecutive 10-2 records in 1975-76.
So, based on history, there's still hope for Sherman - like Stallings a one-time NFL head coach - despite a disheartening 44-20 loss to Georgia on Monday in the Independence Bowl.
"I told (the players) before the game that no matter what happens, we went on a journey together this season, and we had our peaks and valleys, but we came together as a team," Sherman said. "I said, regardless of what happens - and I fully expected us to win - whether you're winners or not is not dictated by this game.
"You guys are winners and have demonstrated that consistently with how you work and how you take care of your business."
The Aggies, too, were accountable in the aftermath of the 24-point setback to the Bulldogs, A&M's fourth consecutive bowl loss since the 2004 season. Take quarterback Jerrod Johnson's explanation for his two interceptions against the Bulldogs:
"That's on me," Johnson said. "When you turn the ball over, it hurts your team, and I've got to find a way to not turn the ball over."
Johnson will have eight months to ponder as much, before the Aggies start fresh on Sept. 4 against Stephen F. Austin. And, in the meantime, they've got plenty for which to be accountable.
Starting with awful special-teams play (costing them the bowl game) and overall poor defense (costing them a winning season). The Aggies have plenty of room to grow, however, considering they return six starters on offense - including all of their top skill players - and nine on defense. They also feature 27 freshmen or sophomores in their offensive and defensive two-deep.
Pass-rusher extraordinaire Von Miller, like Johnson a junior, has said he'll mull his options this offseason before deciding whether to declare for the NFL draft.
Aggies in 2010
Record: 6-7, 3-5 in Big 12 (fifth in South)
Starters lost/returning: 5/6 offense, 2/9 defense
Key players returning: QB Jerrod Johnson; DE/LB Von Miller; WR Jeff Fuller; WR Ryan Tannehill; SS Trent Hunter
2010 season opener: Sept. 4 vs. Stephen F. Austin, Kyle Field


text:
Sri Lanka appoint Angelo Mathews captain as Test squad for Bangladesh series is named
Angelo Mathews has been named captain of Sri Lanka's Test and one-day international sides, replacing Mahela Jayawardene.
Last Updated: 14/02/13 9:05am
The all-rounder replaces Mahela Jayawardene in both jobs on an initial 11-month agreement and will have Dinesh Chandimal as his vice-captain.
Wicket-keeper Chandimal, who has just five Tests under his belt, will take charge of the T20 side as part of a widely-expected revamp ahead of next month's home series against Bangladesh.
The Sri Lankan selectors, meanwhile, have named a 20-man squad for two Test matches which precede three ODIs and a single T20 international.
Spin bowler Ajantha Mendis, whose last Test was against England in Cardiff in May 2011, is included along with six players yet to make their debuts in the long format.
Among the notable omissions are Tharanga Paranavitana, Prasanna Jayawardene and Thilan Samaraweera, who has signed a deal to play county cricket for Worcestershire this season.
Squad: Mathews, Chandimal, Dilshan, Karunaratne, Silva, Sangakkara, Thirimanne, M Jayawardene, Perera, J Mendis, Vithanage, A Mendis, Randiv, Kulasekara, Eranga, Welegedera, Pradeep, Chameera, Herath, Kaushal.


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Our Country, her fuinmcrrc, niul her Free Iustitiilions.
; Pl'IILIRlllfll WEKKLT lit
Cunul Street, nearly ojijimite lite Muiisitm 11 use,
Two dollars mid fifty rents per annum, if paid in
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anJ twenty-five rents if delayed until the end o
the voar.
Advertisements inserted at $1 per sipmre for
the first iimrtii,i, mi 1 3 cent tor each sub
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Of every description, executed in the neatest mail
man nor, at the usual prices,
OTTAWA is the seat of instice of La Salle
county; is situated at the junction of the Fox river
with the Illinois, 290 miles, by water, from Saint
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The population of Ottawa is about ono thousand
Agents lor the l-'rre Trader.
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William IIixet, near Van lluren, III.
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Axtiioxt Pitzeii, Uoonesboro', Ogle Co. II!,
Governor's Mcssago.
Gentlemen of the Senate and of
the House of Representatives :
You are convened in pursuance of my
proclamation of the 15th of October last,
and it now becomes my duty to commu
nicate to you the reason of your convoca
tion. While we have abundant cause to
be devoutly thankful to an overruling
Providence for the success which has
every where attended industry bounti
fully rewarded the husbandman for his
labor it is to be deeply deplored that
ourSlatcis measurably overwhelmed with
' pecuniary embarrassments.
These embarrassments have grown out
of our system of internal improvements,
adopted by improvident legislation, at a
time when the delusive phantom of spe
culation seemed to have taken possession
of the human mind, and led the world in
to extravagance and error ; ami, however
deeply we may regret the evil which this
system has entailed upon us, it would be
unwise and unpatriotic to shrink fiom the
responsibility of applying your best ef
forts to the pecuniary redemption of the
State, and the preservation of her honor.
The vast debt she has already incurred
must be paid, and this can only be done
by a strict and rigid maintenance of Iter
credit abroad, and the wisdom with which
her measures are directed at home.
A failure to meet promptly a single one
of her engagements, would inevitably
.'? throw around her future operations dilli-
: culties which would prove destructive to
her character and interest, and in a great
" degree paralyze her energies.
' Although there may be but one opinion
among our citizens, that the money for
" which wc are indebted has been injudi
ciously appropriated, still their virtue and
patriotism, their high sense of honor and
justice, imperiously forbid delinquency
in its payments. I am clearly convinced
that they would look upon no calamity
which might befall them so great and hu
miliating as that which would strip them
of their reputation for punctuality and
. . probity of their engagements.
When a State loses sight of these para
mount considerations in her public policy
when she ceases to hold integrity up to
the world as the polar star of her legisla
tion tvhen she becomes careless of her
standing among the communities around
her, she will settle down into hopeless de
gradation, and become the scorn and con
tempt of the world. Strongly impressed
with these, sentiments, I have convoked
you at the present time, that you may be
enabled to provide means for the payment
of the interest, which will fall due on the
first Monday in January next, on the in
t ternal improvement debt. The immense
amount of State securities in the market
the general derangement of financial af
fairs in this and in other countries the
suspension of specie payments by . the
banks, and tho contraction of their issues,
rendering the difficulties encountered in ob
taining money for any purpose almost in
surmountable, together wtth the shortness
of time intervening between the period
fixed by the Constitution for your regular
meeting, and the first Monday in January
succeeding,' when the interest becomes
duei presented doubts to my mind whe
ther tho legislature, if they did not nsscm
ble previous to the commencement of their
regular session, could adopt suitable men
euros for tho purpose of providing the nc
cessary funds to enable the Fund Com-
mibioner to avail himsell of tner atlvan
tages so aa to meet the pending obligation
1 have called you together, and cannot
but hope you will act in tire premises with
promptitude and wisdom, and thus pre
serve unsullied our plighted faith.
Unless our internal improvement stock
should rise above its present selling price
in the eastern cities, no alternative has
been presented to my mind to meet tnc
exigency, but the hypothecation or sale
ol .State bonds below par, which cannot
bo done under existing laws, but which
would be preferable; to the loss of honor
or the prostration ol the character and cre
dit of the State.
The following table will exhibit the
financial condition of the State, her in
debtedness and resources, and the amount
of interest to be paid on the internal iin
provenicnt debt, on the first Monday of
January next :
V imdii n l of internal improvement stock
sold for railroad and river improve-
inents, $3,187,000
Amount on account of railroad iron, 500,000
X50.000 advanced by Messrs. Wright
ok (yO.ol London, amountiiiii to near
?S.r0,000, being part of $1,500,000
of internal improvement bonds placed
in the hands of said Wright iV Co.
an agent for Messrs. Kawliuya &
Oaklev, Fund CominisMoners, 3.10,000
Amount due Hank of Illinois for money
advanced, and interest on same,
about 238,000
mount due Slate Dank of Illinois for
name, 50,000
Internal improvement scrip issued,
about 800,000
Unadjusted accounts with contractors
lor work done this year, and lor
damage, about 300,000
Amount due IJank of United States
for advance on shipments of rail
road iron, &c, about 20,000
Total amount of debt on account of
internal improvement. f 5,315,000
Dank and internal improvement stock 2,(105,000
Total bank nnd internal improvement
For $ 2,000,500 of the nbevo in
ternal improvement debt, bonds
have been sold upon which in
terest is due in January next,
exclusive of bank and internal
improvement stock, amoiiu-ting-
at that time to tho sum of
$78,195 00
The residue of the above indebted
ness consists in internal improve
ment bonds sold and not paid for,
moneys advanced by banks snd
debts due for internal improve
ment scrip, and to contractors,
&c, amounting in the aggre
gate to
2,738,500 00
3,400,000 00
Illinois und Michigan Canal Stock
mount due to Messrs. Wright &
Co. far X'30,000 advanced on
contract with Judge Young,
amounting, with interest, to
1 50,000 00
400,000 00
3,050,000 00
5.315,003 00
2,005,000 00
3,050,000 00
Canal scrip issued last sprint,
Total amount ot Canal debt,
Total int Tnal improvement debt,
Total bank stock.
Illinois and Michig in Canal debt,
Total amount of debt on account of-
viiiKs, internal improvement.-;,
and canal,
$ 11,000,000 00
To which may be a Med, for re
venue purposes, the following
sums :
Amount due school fund, 807,585 3i)
Amount due Hank of Illinois for
advances on account of tftalo
House, 80,007 00
Amount dun State Llauk do., au.l
for Auditor's warrants for cur
rent expenses, paid by Wtate
Hank, 100,001 00
llouds s jld to the Pouglikct pr.ie
Locomotive fJngini Company, 128,000 00
Liability on account ol surplus
revenue, U,vu ' l
Total amount of liability, $13,013,601 83
Deducting from the above amount
$1,336,410 41. hvl.r tho a
mount of surplus revenue, and
bonds sold which are not paid
for, and the istste pays interest
upon 12,207,132 39
Vnnuul intorest thereon, 732,130 J2
Assuming that the resources of
the canal and the bank dividends
will furnish the means to pay
the intern', nccruinir. on their
respective nccounls for the next
two years, the sum left unpro
vided for on a 'count of internal
improvements will be 4,701,500
Annual interest thereon, 285,870
The following unavailable debts are due to the
internal improvement fund for bonds sold, uu
are included in the above table of indebtedness,
but upon which interest is not computed :
From John Delafiold, of New York,
A. II. Dungs (c Co.,
Bank of Commerce nt Buffalo,
Commercial Bonk at Buffalo,
Erio County Bank,
Amounting to -
To which unavailable resources
may be added lands owned by
the State, also at present una
vailable, 40,332 acre,
Tba following resources of tho canal at tho
present time may bo considered as unavailable
The unount duo prior to 1810 from
ales of town lots, and m'ucellane-
oussales of wood and timber, $1,017,654
For sales of land in Juno last, as per
statement of the rrenucnt of the
' Canal Board, 70,000
At the date of my last message, 270,182
acres of canal lands remained unsold
since which time I havo received no re
port from the Hoard of Canal Commissta
ners, and, consequently, am unable to
state the number of acres that have, sub
qucnt to that time, been disposed of.
A failure to collect the amount due from
thereof, would rentier it impossible for the
Fund Commissioner to pay the interest
falling due on the first Monday of Janua
ry next on the internal improvement debt,
and is the sole cause of your being enli
vened prior to the time fixed by the Con
stitution. A bill has been filed against
.Mr. Dclalicld in tho Circuit Court of tin
United States for tho southern District ol
IS'ew York, to restrain him from negotia
ting the bonds he received, as it is pre
sumed he is neither willing nor able to
pay for them. If this should prove true,
the htate is under no equitable or moral
obligation to redeem them. While, there
fore, I would admonish you to be sensibly-
alive to, and zealously watchful of her in
tegrity and honor, I cannot believe she is
in duty bound to fulfil an engagement
where the other contracting party fails lo
comply with its conditions. The princi
ples involved in this question have long
been recognized by the highest judicial
tribunals upon earth, as between indivi
duals, and it would be difficult to discri
minate between a case of that nature and
the present.
The same reasons which govern the
case of Mr. Delafitld apply with equal
force to the contracts with A. II. Ilanirs
fc Co., and the banks specified, should
they pursue the same course. It is,
however, probable that the Hank of Com
merce at Uuflalo will return the bonds
she obtained to the State, and that the
Commercial and Erie County Hanks will
discharge their liabilities in scrip.
The amount ol 8128,000 of bonds was
sold by (Jov. lleynolds and Gen. Kaw
lings to the 1'oughkeepsic Locomotive
Engine Company, to be paid for in eight
quarterly instalments of $1600 each, at
the Atlantic Hank of New York.
This negotiation was made under an
act to authorize a loan for revenue nur-
poses, to be applied to the erection of the
state house, and the instalments were
transferred, as they became due, to the
Hank of Illinois for advances made by
that institution for the above object.
Four of these instalments arc now due,
but none of them being paid, suit was in
stituted by the bank for their recovery.
Doubts, however, are entertained of the
solvency of the company, and should it
fail, the bonds received by it should be
placed upon the same footing as those re
ceived by other delinquent purchasers.
Having laid before you the financial
condition of the St;te, her available and
unavailable resources, in comparison with1
her indebtedness, the dictates of sound
policy require at your hands the adoption
of the wisest and most judicious measures
to relieve her present necessities, and pro
vide for her future liabilities. It may
truly be said, that no former period of our
political history presented questions of
such deep and absorbing interest. The
future destiny of the Stale for weal or for
woe depend!? upon the direction of the
crisis. Unfortunately, at an unguarded
moment, she was allured from the path of
wisdom and economy by the seductive
spirit of speculation, and the wild phren-j
zy of popular delusion, which spread
over every part of the Union, and induced
to embark into an extensive system of in
ternal improvements, at a period when the
ouutry was literally deluged with an inflat
ed circulating medium, which gave the sem-
ilanceof success to the most visionary and
hiinerieal eutcrprizes. Hut a general sus-
icusion of specie payments by the banks
following close upon the seemingly emi
nent and rapid advancement of the coun
try, and the sudden united and continued
withdrawal of their unnatural circulation,
spread gloom and dismay, instead of per
manent wealth and prosperity ; and so
extensive and overwhelming has been the
change in monetary affairs, that its effects
lave operated like a spell upon every de
partment of business throughout the coun
try, and nothing but prudence and time,
united with the energies and patriotism of
the people, can overcome its withering
and desolating consequences. With stea
dy perscverenec however, ami well direct
cd industry, favored, as we are, with the
most fertile soil upon tho globe ; with a
vast extent of territory, susceptible of the
most dense population, abounding with
natural advantages, and intersected and
surrounded with navigation, settled and
settling with a population proverbial for
their enterprise : can it be doubted that
the State will gradually be redeemed
from her embarrassments, and ultimately
complete such portions of the system as
wisdom may dictate, and our interest de
mand, and thus maintain her dignity and
honor unimpaired f Surely her rcprrsen
tatives will never consent to be placed in
the humiliating attitude of being tho first
in the union lo abandon their plighted
faith. Such an act would be contrary to
their interest, derogatory to their pride
and integrity, and too monstrously absurd
to be for a moment entertained.
A renewal, however, of operations oponl
at the present time, seems to be forbid bv
the condition of our finances. The im
mense debt already fastened upon us,
the unposMoility ol eilectiug a sale of
State bonds at par, and the general de
rangement of financial a flairs, present to
my mind insurmountable obstacles to
their further prosecution under existing
circumstances. Hut should your wisdom
dictate otherwise, and vou determine to
proceed with a portion of them, then the
salutary lessons of experience we have
had, and every principle of economy and
public interest, point out the plan of oper
ations too obviously to be misapprehended
either as regards the present or any future
All tho means and energy employed
should be concentrated on the most useful
and important road first, until that is com
pleted, and then the next important, until
all are finished.
Hy pursuing this course, tho income
upon the roads in operation would in all
probability pay the interest upon their
cost, and greatly lactlitale the construction
of others, while the comparative amount
of money which might be required, could
be obtained on more favorable terms.
I'he question, therefore, naturally arises,
whether wc proceed with our internal
improvement system or not, what policy
can lie adopted which will best subserve
the present emergency, and promoto the
public weal in our future operations.
haying aside any doubt as it regards the
payment of the January interest, which
can only be done by .the hypothecation or
sale of State bonds at some price, how is
a permanent fund to be provided to meet
the future interest, and, eventually, the
principal, as they respectively become
due and payable.
The policy of paying the interest out
of the money borrowed must ere long be
abandoned, nnd the only alternatives
which have-suggested themselves to inc
is an increase of our banking capital, and
a resort to direct taxation. The solution
of these questions call into requisition the
united wisdom of this General Assembly ;
and, in order to enable yon to arrive at a
correct conclusion, and settle down upon
a policy, the momentous consequences of
which deeply involve the interest and pa
triotism of the people, too much care can
not be taken in adopting the line of action
to be pursued. Shall the first alternative
e adopted ? The consequences attend
ant upon and inseparably connected with
in increase of our banking capital, should
be narrowly scanned and well weighed
in the balance before venturing upon such
resort. In the first place, should that
policy be pursued, the capital cannot lie
obtained without invol vinjr the Slate in an
additional debt corresponding with the
increase; and it obtained, could such a
resource be relied upon to pay any por
tion of our liabilities beyond tho interest
iccruing upon its own account ? To in
sure such a result to an extent commens
urate with the object for which it would
be designed, you would necessarily be
ompcllcd to raise the interest upon bank
accommodations to ten or twelve per
out., and in this way tax the people
some live or six per cent, upon the whole
amount of notes issued under such a sys-
m, the benefit of which would accrue as
well to the private stockholder ns to the
State. Then, if the bank should be well
managed, we might expect the highest
dividends, but the late and repeated ex
pansions, suspensions, and contractions
of the banks generally, furnish ample
pioof that the paper system is fundament
ally wrong in principle, destructive in
iractiec, and at war with the best ink-r
est of the country, and the genius end
spirit ol our republican institutions. Its
tendency and inevitable result is, to spread
merely the appearance of prosperity for
season, and then gloom, revulsion, and
distress ; thus proving that it has no
power to regulate and render stable the
urrency of the country.
Whatever plan may be devised to pro
vide means to pay oil the liabilities ol
the State, none can be adopted that wil
not operate as a tax upon the property
and industry of our citizens ; and it ought
not to be concealed that if the vast debt
which has been incurred on account ol
our internal' improvements, is overpaid
it must be done through the medium of
taxation. The dictates of wisdom am
prudence, as will as sound policy, then
lote, require mat tun most simple am
economical plan should be pursued ; am
it only remains to determine between a
direct and an indirect mod?. I am aware
it has often been nlledged that the people
would not submit to a system of direct
taxation ; hence, the erroneous, tuinous
aud irrepublican policy of indirect tax
lion has crept into our institutions, am
so fearful havo legislators been of tho in
donation of their constituents that the
sources of its origin have bet ii carefully
concealed; to which cause, more than
monopolies, vii!i their train of desolating
evils, tiiat are lastmed and preying upon
the vitals el tnc country. Hy such an
iniquitous system large and excessive
revenues are collected, and, consequently,
wild and extravagant appropriations made.
If, in a Government like ours, based upon
the irluc and intelligence, and adminis
tered by the will of its citizens, wc Pre
to be told that they will not tolerate the
most economical, certain and cfl'ectual
mode of discharging their liabilities, then,
indeed, we are compelled, however re
luctant, to subscribe tthe federal doctrine
of their incompetency to regulate their
own affairs, and constrained to acknow
ledge that we only enjoy the name and
shadow and not the reality of republican
ism. Hut being, as I am, firmly persuaded
that they are always patriotic in their sen
timents; instead of temporary expedients,
I have no doubt they would gladly em
brace tho most direct and judicious plan
to relieve themselves from any embarrass
ments m which they may be involved.
This would especially be true if they
were always kept acquainted with their
real condition, hich would place them
upon their guard, and enable thorn to
avoid many calamities which otherwise
would be entailed upon them. I cannot,
therefore, consistently with that duty I
owe to tin; public welfare or mv private
feelings recommend to your favorable
consideration an increase of our bankui"
capital as a source of revenue or for any
purpose whatever. I do not believe the
people require it, or, if they did, that it
would afford them any assistance.
The question hence arises whether we
shall resort to direct taxation. I am
lcarly of opinion that it would be better
to postpone the adoption ol this policy
for the ensuing two years. Although an
increase ol taxes may ultimately be inevi
table, yet, under existing laws, the amount
collected will annually become greatly
The vast quantity of public lands enter
ed in 8.'1.", '0, '7 and 'S, which are not
yet taxable ; the continued increase of
wealth pouring into our State through
the channels of emigration :md trade, and
ic present scarcity of money, point out
ic propriety of making a loan to meet
tiie interest upon our internal improve-
lent debt until your next regular ses
sion. The quantity of lands entered du
ring the year IH:i."i and lHoti exceeds
5,220,227 acres. Estimating its value
U !$." per acre, the additional revenue
hich will annually arise from this
source under tnc present law, alter the
xpiration of one and two years will be
52,202 20, and an undiminished aug
mentation from lands entered in 18117 and
will be continued, and so on continual
, at a less rapid rate, however, for ma
ny years to conic.
Hy setting apart, and exclusively ap-
lying the proceed arising from ibis con
tinual, unfailing and increas'inix source of
revenue to the liquidation of the interest
our internal improvement debt, and by
adopting rigid economy in the public cx-
icndittircs of ihe State, the lands now
taxable, tonether Willi the personal pro-
icrly, will ere long yield a surplus,
which added to the above resources, will
go far towards the payment of that inter
est as it accrues. Under Ois policy tnc
augmentation of taxes, when resorted to,
would be comparatively of inconsiderable
amount. In connection with this subject,
would suggest the propriety of reducing
ihe county levies of taxes, and in the same,
or less proportion, increasing the State
taxes. Hy amending the revenue law so
as to limit tnc county tax to one libit.
and increasing the State tax to one fourth
cr centum, the taxes would be reduced
instead of increased, and the counties
would still, with proper economy, be sup-
died with means to meet all necessary
In tnc meantime, or oclor.; resort is
had to an increase of taxes, the Slate in iv
derive aid from other sources. .Mr. Cal
houn, of South Carolina, at the last scs
sion of Conirrcss, introduced into that
body a bill ceding to the States the public
lands lying within their respective lim
its on condition of their paving into the
National Treasury, on the first of lVbru
arv annually, one hall cd the proceeds
arising from the sales, rcseri ing the other
half to themselves. The adoption of this
measure would bo nothing but an net of
justice to the new States, anil coming, as
it docs, from a distinguished southern
Senator, it exhibits tho liberal and en
lightened policy of tho statesman. . In
view of its justice and propriety I woul
recommend that vou instruct our Senators
and request our Representatives in Con
gress to use their endeavors to procure
tti passage.
Tho issue of scrip on account of the
internal improvement system and canal
haa ' resulted, like most other temporary
value, which is working a pernicious in
fluence upon the interest and credit of the
State. Large amounts of it have been
purchased by speculators at prices greatly
below par, to the injury of the communi
ty, to an amount corresponding with its
depreciation, and but little hope can be
entertained of advanced prices so long as
its circulation is continued as an article
of trade. I would, therefore, respectful
ly recommend the adoption of such mea
sures as will provide the means for its
earliest redemption.
In the month of March last, General
Thornton and others, as a committee on
the part of the canal contractors, visited
me for tnc purpose ef making arrange
ments to provide means to pay off the
estimates as they would become due for
the remaining part of the year; alledging
that unless a positive assurance was given
that the money would be forthcoming to
meet these estimates, the contractors
would be forced to abandon their con-
tracts, and that in this event general dis
tress and bankruptcy in most cases would
ensue, and consequently great loss to the
State. Knowing that bonds could not,
at that lime, be sold at par to raise mon
ey for that purpose, they proposed, on
the part of the contractors, that bonds
should be placed in the hands of suitable
agents to the probable amount of the ex
penditures for the year, to be paid to
them at par ; to which 1 assented, ,-ondi-lioned
that the bonds so paid should be
placed in the hands of an agent whom I
might approve, to be sold for their benefit
in our eastern cities or a foreign market,
to which condition they assented, and I,
then-fore, placed in the hands of General
Thornton, Canal Commissioner, 81,200,
000 in bonds for that purpose, $1 00,000
of which has since been sold by him in
London, as agent for the contractors, at
the rate of cightvWive per cent., vItich
has enabled them to prosecute the work
on the canal throughout the season with
energy and success, and, ns I am inform
ed, without loss, as the reduction in the
price of labor, provisions and materials
has equalled the fifteen per cent, reduc
tion on the bonds. Under the circum
stances, I would suggest the propriety of
the State incurring the expense and com
pensation of the agent while engaged in
the performance of his agency. This
would seem to be just nnd equitable, as
the payment of bonds, instead of money',
to the contractors, superceded the neces
sity, on my part, of employing an agent
lo sell them in a foreign inatket, and con
sequently threw the expense and respon
sibility of ihe negotiation upon the con
tractors themselves, besides the loss of
fifteen per centum upon the whole amount
of bonds sold. It is proper that 1 should ,
here remark, that I exceedingly regretted
the necessity of paying the contractors
with bonds, but as money could not be
raised by a sale of them at par, to meet
the estimates on the canal as they becamo
due, and the contractors proposed to re
ceive them at that rate, and hazard a sale
oi itiein on their own account, I iclt eon-
traiucd from a sense of duty towatdV
iiein, ami good faith on part of tho State,
to placo the bonds in the hands of the Ca
ul Commissioners for their benefit.
Hy an act of the 1st of February last,
the Commissioners of the Illinois and Mi-
higan canal were required "to sell such
of the canal lauds and lots the present
car as were required to pay the interest
on loans made for canal purposes." As
arly as April last the President of the'
loard ver.ially informed mo that it would
be impossible to realize money from thc;
sale of tiiese lands to pay the interest
hie in July following, am!, consequently,
other means were necessary to be resort-
d to to furnish the funds for that purpose.
Vo meet the interest upon bonds sold pri
or to 18.10 by Gov. Dunowi, and payable
in At w i ork, tho sum ol $30,000 was
oaned by Col. Mather, President of the
State li.:nk of Illinois, and to nay that
Hirtion of lite interest falling duo in Eu
rope, a draft was drawn by Judge Young
upon Messis. John Wright & Co., of
London, for .120,000, it being part of
A'ijO.OOO advanced by said company on a
contract for 6 1,000, 000 canal bonds en
tered into in October, 1S39. 10.000
icing the residue of the above JC30.000
advanced by said Wright fc Co- has been
aecd on deposite in the U. S. Dank,
mid 1 have instructed Judge Young. to
apply so much thereof as may be neces
sary for the payment of the interest be
coming duu i:i New York on the first
Monday in January next ; and I am, in-; '
fon-.ied by Gen. Thornton that the mcaua
are provided to inet the uitcrest'due, in'
London at the same time. .. As tho con
tract with tho Messrs. Wright t Co. was
much animadverted upon tho last Legis
lature, notwithstanding I was convinced
that no ealQ could be made more advanta
geous to the Siata at tho time . it
clfectedt or during tho present yor, v-
xml | txt


text:
Skip to comments.Barack Obamas New Allies
Posted on 09/06/2013 3:43:10 AM PDT by IbJensen
(Just after posting, this came in via my Twitter feed Among Syrias Islamist Fighters.)
Obamas proposed strike at the forces of Bashar al-Assad in Syria is filled with ironies. We have the man who had pledged to make America more respected reducing America to a laughingstock, we have the man who praised Assad as a moderating force in the Middle East about to bomb said moderating force, we have a Nobel Peace Prize winner about to launch an unprovoked attack on one party in a civil war that could have been stopped or mitigated by the Nobel Peace Prize winner two years ago, and we have the sorry spectacle of the United States about to aid the same al Qaeda that we are killing with drones in Pakistan and Yemen.
This is not conjecture on my part, it was acknowledged by Secretary of State John Kerry in testimony to the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee where he acknowledged 15% to 25% of the opposition force in Syria were extremists of a total field force of as many as 100,000 fighters. (As an aside, the existence of 100,000 opposition fighters seems highly improbable if the number is limited to effectives in the field.) That translates, for the low information readers out there, as up to 25,000 fighters who are members of or allied with al Qaeda.
The entire comment bears reading:
But in testimony to the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee on September 3, Kerry said it was basically incorrect to claim Syrias opposition is becoming more infiltrated by Al-Qaeda militants. Kerry told lawmakers that extremists now make up 15-25 percent of all antiregime fighters in Syria. He said the total number of opposition fighters was in the tens of thousands, with estimates between 80,000 and 100,000. He also said the latest intelligence showed the number of Al-Qaeda fighters among the rebels is lower than previously expected.
The opposition has increasingly become more defined by its moderation, more defined by the breadth of its membership and more defined by its adherence to [the] democratic process and to an all-inclusive, minority-protecting constitution which will be broad-based and secular with respect to the future of Syria, Kerry added.
A couple of things we know. First, as civil wars progress the sides rarely, if ever, become more moderate. The longer the war last the more loss that is inflicted on the opposing sides and less willing the sides are to attempt compromise. The larger point is that if the rebels are 25% al Qaeda and that number is lower than anticipated then what percent did the administration expect to be al Qaeda?
His assertion has prompted Russian President Vladimir Putin to call Kerry out as a liar.
Speaking to his human rights council (Ed note: okay, I did laugh when I read that), Mr Putin recalled watching a congressional debate where Mr Kerry was asked about al-Qaeda. Mr Putin said he had denied that it was operating in Syria, even though he was aware of the al-Qaeda-linked Jabhat al-Nusra group.
Mr Putin said: This was very unpleasant and surprising for me. We talk to them (the Americans) and we assume they are decent people, but he is lying and he knows that he is lying. This is sad.
Putins veracity, of course, is open to question but in this case I think I believe him. Regardless of whatever you think about the man, Putin does hate him some radical muslims. They are the last people hed ever want to see prevail in Syria. Secondly, Kerrys statement runs contrary to our own intelligence communitys assessment.
As recently as late July, at a security conference in Aspen, Colorado, the deputy director of the Pentagons Defense Intelligence Agency, David Shedd, estimated that there were at least 1,200 different Syrian rebel groups and that Islamic extremists, notably the Nusra Front, were well-placed to expand their influence.
Left unchecked, Im very concerned that the most radical elements will take over larger segments of the opposition groups, Shedd said. He added that the conflict could drag on anywhere from many, many months to multiple years and that a prolonged stalemate could leave open parts of Syria to potential control by radical fighters.
But a second official, who also asked not to be named, said moderate rebels may have lost strength rather than gained it in recent months. Due to their relative lack of weapons and organization, they are beginning to make alliances with better-armed Islamic radicals, whom they see pursuing more effective actions against Assads forces, the official said.
In a hard-fought civil war, especially one without a single well-organized opposition movement, success goes to the most ruthless and dedicated elements, which also tend to be the most extreme in their views. We are seeing such a process in Syria today, Pillar said.
Today the New York Times reported on the increasing prominence of al Qaeda and al Qaeda allied forces in Syria:
Much of the concern among American officials has focused on two groups that acknowledge ties to Al Qaeda. These groups the Nusra Front and the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria have attracted foreign jihadis, used terrorist tactics and vowed to create a society in Syria ruled by their severe interpretation of Islamic law.
They have established a firm presence in parts of Aleppo and Idlib Provinces and in the northern provincial capital of Raqqa and in Deir al-Zour, to the east on the Iraqi border.
While the jihadis claim to be superior fighters, and have collaborated with secular Syrian rebels, some analysts and diplomats also note that they can appear less focused on toppling President Bashar al-Assad. Instead, they said, they focus more on establishing a zone of influence spanning Iraqs Anbar Province and the desert eastern areas of Syria, and eventually establishing an Islamic territory under their administration.
This squares precisely with earlier reports that al Qaeda affiliated fighters are engaged in ethnic cleansing in Syrian Kurdistan the Kurds have been fervently anti-al Qaeda for a couple of decades and the spate of bomb attacks in Iraqs Anbar Province.
The al Qaeda faction is obviously focused on the Syrian civil war with a markedly more strategic view than that being employed by Obama. Of course, the same could be said of my dogs approach to a Syrian policy. While they are attempted to carve out a substantial area of the Middle East as an area they control, our president is flailing about trying to salvage some semblance of credibility.
He is vain, inept, angry, polarizing, petulant, and indecisive. That is who he is and we cannot expect him to act as someone he is not. He has bungled Syria for two years and is now looking for cover from Congress while at the same time trying to lay the ground work to blame Congress should his attacks be ineffective. And we know they will because he does not want regime change, and he does not want to get the Russians too upset at him. The administration has said the strike will be limited and just enough to not get mocked. That is itself a mockery.
Neocons want something from Obama he cannot, and will never, deliver. They need to wake up and think about what is in the best interests of the country given that Barack Obama is the president. It is clear what is best: do nothing.
The Russians want to prevent jihadists from taking over Syria. Good. That's what we want too. Let them deal with it.
that was disgusting. And these animals are the people Obama and McCain want to help.
We have gone down the rabbit hole.
The former gov of TN sundquist (gop) better know as TAXQUIST called those of us who disapproved of a UNCONSTITUTIONAL state income tax he said we needed, and did not troglodytes. We do just fine on sales tax, keeps the government from going to hog wild.
What is disgusting is listening to Kerry spout his lies.
At least he didn't say Assad was acting like Ghenghis Khan.
America is corrupt and allows an UNDOCUMENTED,
known-lying, known-Moslem, known-terrorist supporter,
to drive Americans into their graves as HE
supports terrorists WORLDWIDE.
America has no shame AND NO ACCOUNTABILITY
as it supports
BEHEADINGS, CRUCIFIXIONS, SLAVERY, and al Qaeda
using US taxpayer money to fund these criminals.
America is a coward to act as al Qaeda's AIR FORCE
after al Qaeda attacked the Pentagon and WTC and more.
All world credibility is NOW .... gone.
These knuckledraggers also behead infants.
Nice job of picking your allies, Obama.
I refuse to support this madness.
We need to narrow this down a bit: Liberal/Democrat/Socialist Americans did all you say. You know as well as I that the Usurper cheated to get where he is and ALL Americans do not want war or anything that jackrabbit desires.
Don't mix us all in that horrible mess.
Be sure to tell your rationalization to the Judge.
Obama's already backing down now that Putin has threatened to intervene.
Must be a good day to go golfing.
What rationalization?
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text:
After 6 1/2 Years, Goodbye KUCI!
Dear KUCI staffers, lovers, fans, and supporters,
Tonight will mark the final broadcast of the show on KUCI 88.9FM.
After six-and-a-half years of running the show, the time has come for me to move on from my beloved Thursday night spot. When I jumped on board as a DJ at KUCI back in 2003, I was a starry-eyed fanatic of music who wanted to share his innermost passions with others who shared the same love for electronic dance music as I did.
Over the years, the show grew immensely. I can still listen to some of my old mixtapes from way back when and have a big "wow" moment at how far things have come. Fast forward to 2010, and "Division of Hardcore Samples" has become one of the most well-known radio shows in club land with some of the world's best DJs and producers having been guests on the show. Famed trance vocalist Jes ("As The Rush Comes" with Motorcycle), British super-producers Above & Beyond, UK DJ/Producer Lange, and the legendary Swedish Egil of KROQ and Groove Radio, have all been guests on the show at KUCI — something which I am eternally grateful for. One of the biggest moments for DHS happened back in 2006, when we set up live remotes at Tentation Ultra Lounge to broadcast international Top 100 DJs like Armin van Buuren, Miss Nine, Matthew Dekay, Paolo Mojo, and Marco Bailey.
Today I'm blessed with the opportunity to be working in commercial radio alongside public radio, DJing, producing music, and also teaching it all to those who are eager to learn. I'm realizing my dream of making a living through music — which was my goal for the longest time — and it all began at KUCI.
I'm very thankful for having worked with all of the amazing people at KUCI over the years. Thank you SO much Mike Kaspar for your support when I most needed it while transitioning to commercial radio. Rita, you've been the most awesome co-worker, it's truly been a pleasure having you as my show neighbor all this time — I especially love how you're able to transition from indie to electronic music with your music selection so listeners don't drop out! Sara, you're one of the coolest people I know and I'm really glad we became friends at the station (thanks for covering the nights when I just couldn't make it down!). Mike Boyle, you are one bad-ass engineer! What would I do without you when things were unexpectedly going wrong with guests at the studio — only you could come to the rescue! Kevin Stockdale, for keeping the backbone of KUCI going strong, and for all of your hard work and faith in the station. Nathan Callahan for being the quickest webmaster I've come to know. Dennis Simms for your dedication to your Friday night show and for exposing electronic music to OC for as long as I can remember. And of course, Morena, Genna, Liubys, Ramy, Genie, Jack Bartlett, Shapan, Steve Sherlock, Beth, … — it's been great working with all of you (Genna & Morena, I'm sure I'll be seeing you guys in clubland!). I apologize if I've left any names out, but know that I'm nothing but grateful for having met you.
Let's not forget all of the local talents and guest DJs who have appeared and performed on the show — thank you all!
While I won't be down in OC on Thursday nights anymore, I'll be with KUCI indefinitely with spirit.
KUCI… thanks again for all of the opportunity you've provided for me, for giving me the vision to take the show to all of its heights, and for allowing me to grow with you. I love you!!
Lots of things are in store and there's plenty more to come. Stay close and become a part of all the good things coming your way soon 😉
All the best,
Arthur Galestian
Division of Hardcore Samples
Trance and Progressive House, Live DJ Mixes!
Thursdays 10PM-12AM
88.9FM KUCI from Orange County, CA