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Arfajah said "We were with `Utbah Ibn Farqad while he was discussing Ramadan. A companion of the Prophet entered upon the scene. When `Utbah saw him, he became shy and stopped talking. The man (the companion) spoke about Ramadan, saying "I heard the Messenger of Allah say during Ramadan: 'The gates of Hell are closed, the gates of Paradise are opened, and the devils are in chains. An angel calls out : 'O you who intend to do good deeds, have glad tidings. O you who intend to do evil, refrain, until Ramadan is completed.''" (Ahmad and an-Nasa'i)
The Messenger of Allah (p.b.u.h.) said : "When Allah created Paradise and Hell-fire, He sent Jibreel (Gabriel) to Paradise, saying: 'Look at it and at what I have prepared therein for its inhabitants.' The Prophet (p.b.u.h.) said: 'So he came to it and looked at it and at what Allah had prepared therein for its inhabitants.' The Prophet (p.b.u.h.) said: 'So he returned to Him and said: 'By your glory, no one hears of it without entering it.' So He ordered that it be encompassed by forms of hardship, and He said: 'Return to it and look at what I have prepared therein for its inhabitants.'' The Prophet (p.b.u.h.) said: 'So he returned to it and found that it was encompassed by forms of hardship. Then he returned to Him and said: 'By Your glory, I fear that no one will enter it.' He said: 'Go to Hell-fire and look at it and what I have prepared therein for its inhabitants,' and he found that it was in layers, one above the other. Then he returned to Him and said: 'By Your glory, no one who hears of it will enter it.' So He ordered that it be encompassed by lusts (or desires). Then He said: 'Return to it.' And he returned to it and said: 'By Your glory, I am frightened that no one will escape from entering it.''' (at-Tirmithi and al-Hakim among others).
Therefore, when you know, O Dear Brother/Sister, that fasting subdues the desires and reduces their severity, and that it is these desires and lusts that lead to Hell Fire, then you will see how fasting comes between a fasting person and Hell Fire and you will rush to fast in Ramadan and after Ramadan in the best possible way.
The Holy Quran rather talks about the reward of fasting and there are verses which general meaning infers that those who obey Allah will be saved from Hell, and fasting is a form of obeying Allah. We will leave the verses that talk about the reward to the section related to Paradise. However, the Ahadith of our beloved Prophet Mohammad (p.b.u.h.) are clear in this regard:
Abu Sa'eed al-Khudri reported that the Messenger of Allah, said: "No servant fasts on a day in the path of Allah except that Allah removes the Hell Fire seventy years further away from his face." (Bukhari and Muslim)
Abu Sa'eed al-Khudri relates that the Messenger of Allah (p.b.u.h.) said : "Fasting is a shield with which a servant protects himself from the Fire" (Ahmad, Sahih)
`Uthman Ibn Abil-`Aas relates that the Messenger of Allah (p.b.u.h.) said : "Whoever fasts a day in the way of Allah, Allah places between him and the Fire a trench like that between heavens and the earth". (at-Tirmithi and at-Tabarani, Sahih)
Abu Huraira narrated that Allah's Messenger (p.b.u.h.) said : "When the month of Ramadan starts, the gates of the heaven are opened and the gates of Hell are closed and the devils are chained." (Bukhari)
The Messenger of Allah (p.b.u.h.) said : "When it is the first night of Ramadan the evil devils are chained. The gates of Fire are locked- not a single gate is opened, and the gates of Paradise are opened- not a single gate is locked, and a caller calls out: 'O seeker of good come forward, and O seeker of evil withhold, and there are many whom Allah frees from the Fire - and that is every night. (at-Tirmithi, Ibn Majah, and Ibn Khuzaimah: Hasan)
Abu Hurayrah reported that the Prophet (p.b.u.h.) climbed upon the mimbar (pulpit) and said: "Aameen (O Allah grant it), aameen, aameen". So it was said, 'O Messenger of Allah, you climbed upon the mimbar and said: 'aameen, aameen, aameen'? So he said: 'Jibraa'eel, `alaihi assalam, came to me and said, 'Whoever reaches the month of Ramadan and does not have (his sins) forgiven and so enters Fire, then may Allah distance him, say aameen'. So I said 'aameen''". (Ibn Khuzaimah, Ahmad and al-Bayhaqi: Sahih)
Jabir (May Allah be pleased with him) relates that the Messenger of Allah (p.b.u.h.) said: "In every day and every night, during the month of Ramadan, there are people to whom Allah grants freedom from the Fire, and there is for every Muslim a supplication which he can make and will be granted". (al-Bazzaar, Ahmad and Ibn Majah: Sahih)
In the famous Hadith of Mu`ath, I said: "O Messenger of Allah, tell me of an act which will take me into Paradise and keep me away from Hell-Fire. He said: 'You have asked me about a major matter, yet it is easy for him for whom Allah Almighty makes it easy. You should fast in Ramadan.' Then he (the Prophet) said: 'Shall I not show you the gates of goodness? Fasting is a shield.'" (at-Tirmithi)
We pray to Allah to make for us this Ramadan a shield from Hell Fire.
Source: www.ramadan.ws
PEACE and TOLERANCE, cost's us NOTHING, Lets ALL just do it. These are my View's and the Material's, that I have received from emails and when I surf the Internet. I do NOT and WILL NEVER approve of any form of terrorism (doing or promoting), In any Place on this Earth, especially in The OCCUPIED Palestinian Land. May The Creator of ALL thing's grant us peace and Tolerance for All
Sunday, October 31, 2004
Fasting in Ramadan; a shield from Hell
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Bonner's underrated defense
Spurs Nation
Matt Bonner is perhaps the most polarizing member of the San Antonio Spurs.
That's not surprising considering Bonner, for all his utility as an elite shooter and all-around good guy, has a wide array of shortcomings that are magnified by his maddening tendency to disappear in the postseason.
It happened again last spring, when his stroke and his playing time evaporated in equal measure as the Spurs were bounced by Oklahoma City in the Western Conference Finals. Hence his nickname in the blogosphere: Winter Shoes.
Less than a quarter into the 2012-13 campaign, his ninth in the NBA, it's hard to figure where Bonner stands. His playing time has dropped by roughly 40 percent from the past two seasons. That could easily be a function of Gregg Popovich experimenting with new lineups and tactics, as recently examined by Grantland's Zach Lowe. It could also be a permanent reality with Boris Diaw sucking up minutes that might otherwise have gone his way.
What we do know is that Popovich has made a habit of calling on Bonner as a fourth-quarter fireman, and he's generally responded. First came Bonner's 10-point period to help bring the Spurs back in a loss to the Clippers, and then last Saturday, when he impacted the Spurs' 99-95 comeback victory over Memphis in a way many might not expect.
While he made only one 3-pointer, Bonner helped limit Grizzlies post Zach Randolph to just four points on 1-for-11 shooting in the fourth quarter and overtime.
It wasn't exactly Nate Thurmond shutting down Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in the 1972 playoffs. Randolph did not match up against Bonner exclusively – Tiago Splitter and Tim Duncan also saw time – and he missed a handful of semi-contested putbacks that he could have just as easily have made on a different night.
But Bonner's showing jibes with the numbers from Synergy Sports that tell us he's been one of the NBA's better low-post defenders over the past few seasons. Sounds crazy, I know. For obvious reasons – pale-skinned, gangly ginger doesn't evoke prime Dennis Rodman – it's all too easy to stereotype Bonner.
Indeed, despite being aware of his success in this area, I fall into the trap myself. Witness my Tweet from Saturday's game after one of the few plays Randolph got the better of him.
2009-10: 0.84 points per post-up, 114th in the NBA – 122 post-ups, 47 for 108 shooting (43.5 percent), eight turnovers.
2010-11: 0.74 points per post-up, 48th in the NBA – 105 post-ups, 30 for 85 shooting (35.3 percent), 11 turnovers.
2011-12: 0.67 points per post-up, 28th in the NBA – 108 post-ups, 27 for 85 shooting (31.8 percent), 13 turnovers.
2012-13: 0.67 points per post-up, not enough to rank – six post-ups, 1 for 4 shooting (25 percent), one turnover.
Three of those plays came last night against Randolph, who drew a foul and missed his only two shot attempts.
Another endorsement for Bonner: Per NBA.com, the Spurs' defensive rating improves by nearly two points, from 98.9 to 97.1, when he's on the court. Take it for what it is, but that's better than even Duncan, with whom the Spurs improve by less than one point.
Again, this isn't to suggest Bonner deserves All-Defense honors. He's still vulnerable against speed and quickness, he's a below-average rebounder for his position and it says something about his particular skill set, both good and bad, that he blocks about one shot for every 10 3-pointers he makes.
Saturday night, however, was the latest instance of an aptitude he does have, one he doesn't get enough credit for.
I think I've been preaching this for a few years, but whatever.
But now that it's a "mainstream" publication that says it instead of a blog (or Hollinger), I thought I'd post it.
great, so where's the numbers for how many times Duncan or anyone else has to help him against his man?
how can it be we're a better defensive team this year and Bonner barely plays?!
when someone can have numbers "tell me" how good Bonner is on man defense and help defense on his own doing, then i'll agree. other than that, i could be on the court with the Spurs and get help on every defensive play and crack a +10 or 0.74 points per post up without doing a dang thing.
numbers lie sometimes?! logic be damned!
As per NBA.com, the TEAM defense improves when Bonner plays. The entire TEAM (re: Spurs) give up fewer points per possession when Bonner is playing. Must be that help defense Duncan offers.
Numbers for 2012-13 are probably still not statistically significant, but when you look at entire seasons over the last four years, that's something. And it's a nice trend. Duncan's help cannot be the entire reason for Bonner's improvement as Duncan gets older.
Shoot, some mortarboard guy on this site says that Duncan can't move laterally anymore. Apparently that only applies if he's NOT helping Bonner.
Bottom line: Bonner plays hard, plays the percentages, contests everything, and doesn't make mistakes.
The other guys make too many mistakes and miss rotations. They make more spectacular plays but are less consistent.
watch the game tonight vs. Milwaukee, see how many times Blair has to go 1 on 1 with a bigger center with no help (same with Splitter and Diaw) and IF Bonner plays, see how many times he has to get help.
offering help doesn't mean the team it's a good thing. you'd rather go 1 on 1 and hopefully give a harder shot (that they might make) over offering help every time and having the whole team use their legs on rotations while then running on offense doing the same
doesn't make mistakes? at all?! :lol the guy doesn't rotate properly or defend his man properly, that's why the Spurs have to help just about every time on defense. when the Spurs help on defense for him, then that means they have to help for every other guy who's leaving their man to rotate.
again, if Bonner was good, he'd be getting minutes. this is the first time i've heard that the team is better with a player on the floor and that player isn't getting playing time at all this season while we're doing well. either Pop is going senile or the stats lie (spoiler: it's the 2nd time)
UMMM Me thinking Pop is putting Bonner in some Non Factor minutes just to make his stats come look better to shop him. That Plus Bonner taking advantage and playing above his level a little.
Jose you are correct on this. I mean if Bonner is That Good believe me Coach Pop would def given him a starter position or even some important minutes.
The reason he's not getting minutes now is because there are better options now, i.e. Diaw, Splitter, and apparently Blair for the time being. That still doesn't mean he was bad on defense when Pop played him even when he wasn't hitting his shots.
Jose, I think you've generalized Bonner on the court. In other words, in your mind you've compiled the times that maybe Bonner did need help which resulted in the other team getting an easy score (because that is what most people seem to remember about him) and have concluded that that is his norm. It just isn't. If Bonner were guarding Lamarcus Aldridge or even Dwight Howard, then heck yeah they're going to send help. Even Duncan gets help. But in reality, the Spurs defense has never been about man to man defense anyway, it's always been about help defense. Bowen got help all the time, Duncan even in his prime as well.
how are there better options if this guy is apparently "great" on defense?! the Spurs defense has never been about primarily help, it's been about good perimeter man defense and getting help if the players need it. the difference between this year and last is that Kawhi/Danny are playing better perimeter defense where they don't need help. if they need help, then they need to take them to the baseline side where the Spurs trap them with a big.
when does Duncan get a double team on his man? that's rare if anything. one scheme the Spurs system isn't designed for is a double team for a big. that would mean Duncan would leave his guy wide open under the rim to help Bonner or if a small helps, an open 3 point shooter somewhere with ball movement. that's why we were so bad before this year on defense. guys would play back and give them a 3 or play close and not get help on the strong side. hell, we don't even give as much help on defense to Stephen Jackson as power forward than we do Bonner and we're still a better defensive team.
Spurs were way down. Bonner enters, has a part in shutting down the MEM interior game, Spurs win.
This little fact gets the reporter to do a little deeper digging. He sees that this isn't an isolated incident to this season, or even the last 4.
You'll note that his mid-game tweet even goes against his end of article conclusion. You know, the conlusion he comes to AFTER looking at data, and not just the game.
But if it's Bonner and real performance with statistical data to back it up, it immediately gets rejected here.
Bottom line Bonner sucks at 3.6 million bucks!
I don't want to stir the pot but of late, Bonner has been playing some decent defense. In addition to that, while I was at the Bucks game, I looked up at the stat board of those Spurs on the floor and had to do a double take on how many rebounds Bonner had at the time. When I looked, he had 11 but I'm sure he had a few more after that. Plus he hit a couple 3s in that 4th quarter when the Spurs finally got hot. My only wish is if the Spurs don't trade him before the deadline, that he continue his defensive efforts and shooting and hopefully take them into the playoffs, which would delight quite a few folks.
The other one is the Memphis game where Spurs won..
I do recall very well that the timing was Great when Pop put Bonner in that Memphis game. Where Bonner played very hard in the 19:49 minutes he got.
Bonner and Mills and De Colo all sparked the game and energized the game to the Spurs Momentum. However Bonner had +15 and was the Best insert Pop did that night.
Bonner did step it up a notch! So Spurs numbers got better because of his big effort! That was good but not good enough! Bonner was supposed to do that all the time but now he is facing reality and trying to improve defensively. He even mentioned in the after game interview with Andrew Monaco that he is trying so hard to do fundamental Boxing and all that.... He looked so serious. He knows it now that he has no choice but to play D to earn Pop's minutes or his end days are coming!
Pop now that he is making Bonner playing less minutes. Pop is finding out how that maybe is working to motivate Bonner to play ummm Better! Especially when Pop preaches Defense! And Bonner is playing better D.
And for NBA.com Stats here: Stats from fewer minutes are going to look better since it is less minutes.
I think Pop knows exactly what he has in Bonner. Alas Bonner's number in the regular season are misleading because he does not follow the same effort which is super duper disappointing in the PO! Hey That's Bonner for ya! facepalm
The Dream here is Bonner could learn a lesson from Pop's schemes and less minutes and starts producing those numbers on a continuous basis. Alas that is yet to come or we probably need to trade his arse before the trade deadline. :shocked
He may not be the sole part, but once again against the bucks, the unit he was on with got the job done. Didn't check, but he might have been part the bench unit that turned an 18 point lead to the knicks for the starters to squander.
Bonner is not athletic, and definitely not graceful, but he is a grinder and a scrapper of sorts. That group in the fourth quarter all played for each each other and was very tenacious as a group.
Just want to add my two cents. Go Bonner Go! I've always like the guy. He is no all-star but the Spurs could do a lot worse.
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Don't conflate a charlatan with the science. NASA [nasa.gov] is still looking at this.
I think it would be just as foolish to dismiss this outright, considering the " tantalizing hints that there may be something to it" and the developing theories as it would be to start dumping your life savings into Rossi's company.
When you've attended enough UFO Churches, you can pretty much tell how things are going to turn out by the first sermon.
It's not foolish to dismiss this outright. Dismissal is the only sane thing to do to save our resources. If it is a breakthrough, it doesn't matter if nearly everyone ignores it: It will quickly become widely known on the merit of the advancement. Not because pundits sing its praises, or expound on the possible endless benefits of infinite rectal probing.
Indeed. If it's real, he just needs to give a few away to customers who'll use them for a year or two and tell everyone how wonderful they are.
Of course, if it's real, you might wonder why the government is letting him build unlicensed nuclear reactors. Clearly they don't think it is.
Just one small production steel mill, or aluminum mill, or even a plastics processing mill. The first time I read about this thing, I thought, "Why not just set it up at work? Get it running, throw the breakers coming from the power lines, and let this little "reactor" run the plant?" It's a clean, simple test. We just transfer from "shore power" to "ship's power" like any Navy ship. If the plant continues to produce, then the "reactor" passes. And, I'll pay for the damned thing. Imagine - spending a
The first time I read about this thing, I thought, "Why not just set it up at work? Get it running, throw the breakers coming from the power lines, and let this little "reactor" run the plant?"
One of the sure signs of pseudoscience is that the "inventor" cannot do anything useful with his creation, no matter how long he "refines" it.
If I could build a free energy generator, I wouldn't need to prove anything to anyone. If nothing else, I would unplug myself from the grid, and stop buying gasoline. On a larger scale, I could (for example) perform electrolysis of water and sell hydrogen in bulk quantities at a price no one else could touch. I wouldn't need true believers to worship me as a genius. I wouldn't need to put on ridiculous demonstrations. I would just make money, and lots of it.
That fact that Rossi and others of his ilk seem incapable of doing anything practical with their devices except try to solicit money from victims
If you are speaking E-Cat. Yes.
If you are speaking LENR, then we should just let the research take it's course and not kill it out of some prejudice of some kind
I think it would be just as foolish to dismiss this outright, considering the " tantalizing hints that there may be something to it" and the developing theories as it would be to start dumping your life savings into Rossi's company.
No, not really. It's the "tantalizing hints that there may be something to it" part which pretty much screams bullshit. Fusion is not exactly subtle; if it's going on, it's not hard to detect, and hasn't been. Furthermore, according to the Wikipedia link [wikipedia.org], the device was covered up during demonstrations, actively hindering any kind of measurements. Add those together and shave with Occam's razor, and you get "conman".
Also, fusion is not really all that hard to achieve. For example, a fusor [wikipedia.org] is simple enough for a hobbyist project. What's hard is a fusion device with a net energy output; we don't even know if Rossi's device is doing fusion at all, so why would we even begin to assume it's not only doing so but generating more power than it consumes?
So yeah, with the information we have, this seems like exactly the kind of thing that should be dismissed outright.
If it's not reproducible, more work needs to be done.
It is reproducible, that's the whole point they're still "looking into this".
If the process appears to violate the laws of thermodynamics [...]
Can you explain how fusion (of any kind) appears to violate any thermodynamics' law?
It's been many years since cold fusion and while there have been tantalizing hints that there may be something to it, nobody has been able to reliably reproduce the phenomenon for objective observers.
Actually there were several successful experiments, it doesn't take much work to look for their results. You may start with Dr. Peter Hagelstein, from MIT.
But usually people prefer to just dismiss without much thought, since the topic became taboo. Group-thinking is surely a fucked-up human characteristic.
But usually people prefer to just dismiss without much thought, since the topic became taboo.
Largely because it's all been demonstrated to be either fake, a gross misunderstanding of what's happening, or so totally un-repeatable by anyone else as to be suspect.
Group-thinking is surely a fucked-up human characteristic.
Right, all those people who still think we live on a flat earth or that the world is only 6000 years old are the victim of groupthink.
Or, you know, if you make an extraordinary claim, you're gonna need proof.
I should clarify: "This" is LENR, not the E-cat.
Maybe they're still trying to reproduce it after all this time. Doesn't sound very promising to me.
NASA looks into all sorts of silly things from time to time on the off chance that perhaps one of those wacky ideas might pan out... and because some congressman or senator has made a gentle inquiry wondering if it is bullshit or not. That has nothing to do with the validity of what it is that may be claimed and sadly tax dollars are still being wasted on utter garbage that has nothing to do with science.
Besides, even this crazy theory you are quoting here doesn't seem to have anything to do with the e-Cat other than it is what Ross claims the device is doing without any real proof that anything is happening at all. That isn't happening, and no real 3rd party investigations into the device have happened. Heck, the guy can't even get patents accepted much less prove that anything is going on.
Rossi even claims to have a factory making these things somewhere in Florida, but when the State of Florida decided to go in and check out what was going on (after a "concerned citizen" made a complaint about a nuclear reactor being built in the state without permits and such) Rossi and his agents had to back off and assert that no manufacturing was even taking place in the state. Yeah, funny how that works out when your bluff is called.
I've made my own private inquiries about the device, and the more I push the more I am firmly convinced this is a hoax of the worst possible kind. I don't know what Rossi's end game is, but he doesn't even merit being a good charlatan as well.
Which is why I said not to conflate, confuse, the two.
Rossi's failure to provide a machine freely for examination is a sure sign he's doctoring something.
NASA are looking at a possible mechanism for how a similar reaction might go. NASA have not, and probably will not, touch Rossi with a barge pole.
If cold fusion were invented tomorrow everything changes...
True. I for one would be worried about getting hit by one of those flying pigs.
If cold fusion were invented tomorrow everything changes...
True. I for one would be worried about getting hit by one of those flying pigs.
With sufficient thrust, pigs fly just fine. [ietf.org]
If cold fusion were invented tomorrow everything changes...
True. I for one would be worried about getting hit by one of those flying pigs.
With sufficient thrust, pigs fly just fine. [ietf.org]
oink, flap
Just hide under the cows that just came home... You will be fine..
There's plenty of reseach into legitimate low-temperature, low-pressure fusion, going under names like muon-catalysed and antimatter-catalysed fusion. It's very well accepted work. The trouble is that most research going under the name "cold fusion" would better be described as "I have invented a machine that makes energy from nowhere and am postulating fusion as its mechanism of operation".
Even though from time to time people try to come up with perpetual energy machines, most of the people who were involved in such scams have moved on to nuclear devices of one sort or another simply because most ordinary people don't really understand nuclear reaction. Those devices, like the e-Cat, are still pretty much perpetual motion machines but re-branded under the guise of some silly nuclear reaction of some kind.
You are correct though that legitimate nuclear energy research is being done besides the
Muon and antimatter catalyzed fusion are based on well understood physics (the rate at which muons catalyze fusion can be calculated by any graduate physics student). So far though these schemes have insurmountable "technical" issues: The muons stick to the helium and can't be re-used, and the anti-protons require too much energy to produce (and probably anhillate too often).
The research is legitimate because it is possible that there is a way around these problems. I think its unlikely, but the value if you succeed is so high that it is worth some effort.
The other style of cold-fusion is really a form of : we have this gadget that gets hot due to some "new" physics. That would be OK, except it us usually coupled with "it is a secret process, so we won't give you full access to the machine"
If cold fusion were invented tomorrow everything changes, world politics, anything involving oil or energy production, the environment, space travel, food production, basically everything.
and how would that work ?
and how would that work ?
Well, in the good scenario, an energy based economy which suddenly became free means we get unlimited cheap power and can do a great deal because it's no longer a scarce resource we're competing for.
In a bad scenario, the technology gets hidden away, or we still end up paying the same for everything, but the people selling the devices print money like mad fools by enforcing artificial scarcity with patents.
Aside from everything getting cheaper, access to truly ridiculous amounts of energy at an affordable price opens up whole new areas of industry. Recycling, for one - no messing around with separate processing and delicate, fiddly chemistry. Just dump the whole lot into the blast chamber, reduce it all to plasma and condense whatever you need from the atoms as they cool. Literally anything goes in, valuable raw materials come out. Food production goes up dramatically as it becomes practical to maintain field
ridiculous amounts of energy at an affordable price
they said that with fission.
If cold fusion were invented tomorrow everything changes, world politics, anything involving oil or energy production, the environment, space travel, food production, basically everything.
and how would that work ?
Assume for a minute you can head down to your local Home Depot and pick up a portable "Mr. Fusion" 1 MW reactor powered by a single box of Borax laundry detergent (that is a 100 year supply of Boron I should note too). How do you think that would change the world?
First of all, you would no longer be dependent upon utility companies for heating or cooling your home, and even worrying about things like insulation or energy efficiency would go out the window. People living in cold weather climates could put either wires or warm water under their driveways and sidewalks to melt snow and ice and not give a damn about how much that costs. As a side note.... you thought global warming was bad with coal plants and such, just wait until everybody is turning out gigawatts of energy on a personal basis and wondering where all of that heat is going after it has been used for something else!
It would change international relations as oil would no longer be nearly so important except as a lubrication fluid, and even that can be mostly done with renewable resources like corn oil or other vegetable stock sources. Most of the recent wars would become irrelevant as control of petroleum resources would be insignificant.
Transportation costs are largely dependent upon energy costs, thus building locomotives, ships, and even automobiles with these fusion devices would render most transportation costs to trivial levels except for the cost of vehicle construction and paying professional operators (like an airline pilot) or other crew related costs.
Food production is largely a logistical issue as well, where trivial transportation costs would significantly lower food prices as well.
As for space travel is concerned, fusion energy sources for spaceflight would ensure that you could travel to Mars in just a couple of weeks, and even trips to other stars might take just a few dozen years. Certainly interplanetary spaceflight would be a common to the point that even poor people of 3rd world nations could become "astronauts" and go anywhere in the solar system if they cared.
The big question is if such a future could ever happen? It is an interesting promise that has captivated the imagination since the idea of nuclear fusion reactors was even conceived as a remote possibility. Cold Fusion reactors may be a way to get one of those "Mr. Fusion" reactors built, but you would have to prove that they really work as promised. Unfortunately there is more reason to think Andreas Rossi is full of BS and is being intentionally deceptive.
assume for a minute you can head down to your local Home Depot and pick up a portable "Mr. Fusion" 1 MW reactor powered by a single box of Borax laundry detergent (that is a 100 year supply of Boron I should note too). How do you think that would change the world?
assume for a minute you could head down to your local supermarket and pick up a portable flying pig
You could have a pig roast by merely flying it in tight circles over your heat source!
assume for a minute you could head down to your local supermarket and pick up a portable flying pig
All the real investment these days is in on-demand bacon home delivery by quadcopter drone. And quite rightly, too.
The future is looking quite utopian to those with true vision.
As a side note.... you thought global warming was bad with coal plants and such, just wait until everybody is turning out gigawatts of energy on a personal basis and wondering where all of that heat is going after it has been used for something else!
Huh? Production of heat in the atmosphere would have very little effect compared to augmenting the atmosphere's ability to retain heat. Your hypothetical scenario would more likely solve the problem of global warming instantly.
As a side note.... you thought global warming was bad with coal plants and such, just wait until everybody is turning out gigawatts of energy on a personal basis and wondering where all of that heat is going after it has been used for something else!
While this would be an issue eventually, the big problem with fossil fuels is not the direct energy liberated (eventually ending up as heat) but the CO2 acting as a multiplier for that sodding great fusion reaction 1AU away. Compared to the amount of energy that the earth gets coming off the burning day star, even near free personal fusion reactions would be a big improvement over the gigatonnes of CO2 we're chucking blithely into the atmosphere.
p>It would change international relations as oil would no longer be nearly so important except as a lubrication fluid, and even that can be mostly done with renewable resources like corn oil or other vegetable stock sources.
And plastics. And probably jet fuel (fusion reactors probably
There isn't much legitimate research because cold fusion violates some very well-established laws regarding energy requirements: You need to put energy into fusion to get more energy out, and that energy in is rather a lot. The more widely accepted not-cold fusion provides this energy by operating at extreme temperatures, and certainly can work in theory - the barriers are purely engineering problems, difficulties in containing a stable reaction using equipment a bit more compact than a star.
Sorry, your attempt to explain this is unfortunately not really close to correct.
You don't need to put energy into a fusion process to get more energy out. There is no scientific reason for that. However: in praxis we humans who build nuclear fusion reactors need to work that way. We have to heat up a plasma with lots of energy to get a little bit of fusion going on. But this is not natural law, it is just how our fusion reactors work.
E.g. no one or nothing puts energy into the sun to make fusion possible. The pressure alone is enough. If we want to do that we needed to create that pressure and for that *we* would need energy.
There isn't much legitimate research because cold fusion violates some very well-established laws regarding energy requirements: You need to put energy into fusion to get more energy out, and that energy in is rather a lot.
If you could actually be a bit more specific about exactly what laws are being violated, we might be able to take you a bit more seriously. Just waving around the idea that large energies are involved doesn't tell us anything. Let's use tritium-deuterium fusion as an example. You need something like
So, one joule of energy is, in principle, enough energy to produce fusion 62.5 trillion times (admittedly in the easiest two atoms to fuse). In practice it isn't since you'd have to have some Heisenberg principle violating particle cannon to actually produce those collisions. To actually produce fusion, you have to find ways to confine that energy so that you can try over and over again to produce those collisions, really really fast before the energy leaks away. That's why high-energy also tends to mean _lots_ of energy and massive equipment but it doesn't necessarily have to. It can also mean really high energy intensity, but not a whole lot of actual energy. For example, a really, really brief, but really intense laser pulse. In practical engineering, that still tends to equal lots of energy and equipment. I don't think there are any physical laws that anyone has proven that say that has to be the case, however. You certainly haven't cited any.
There are plenty of things we don't really know about physics. We don't even have a very good idea about what really is or isn't knowable yet. As such, we really are not yet able to discount the idea that a particular arrangement of matter might promote fusion (or other nuclear reactions we don't properly understand) inside itself. It might come down to some particular way of concentrating energy really intensely at certain points in the structure of the material. Or it might come down to somehow promoting quantum tunnelling, or some other quantum effect that somehow railroads particles into the collisions you want. We don't know enough about physics yet to really discount such possibilities.
What I feel sorry for is any researcher who wants to do some genuine research into cold fusion.
The trick is that you don't put your conclusion before your hypothesis. "Cold fusion" is the conclusion, or the result, of the whole process that would result in your utopian revolutions (again, something that is post conclusion or desired symptoms of the result of this sort of research). When your research begins by you working backwards, that's when the red flags should go up because there is no logical way to work backwards. Sometimes a sci-fi author will imagine something but it takes a very talented scientist/research/inventor/engineer/whatever to go from hypothesis to that end construct -- even then there's often a slight catch or permutation of nonfiction idea.
What this paper appears to do is formalize observations
The fear is that Rossi stumbled upon a neat trick that is just not sustainable but he realizes that if he controls the parameters on the experiments, he can make it look like this thing works. Then he rakes in billions and walks away from any involvement in it. It is suspicious because it's being conducted at a university that should be making obvious logical steps forward. Yet we continually only see "demonstrations" like his "public displays" and "observations" like this paper.
My charges are still borderline character assassination/ad hominem and this could very well work. But I've had enough talk of what is "perceived to happen" and I'm afraid that someone has a really neat trick that they've already thoroughly investigated and figured out why it works. And maybe it even fooled them in the beginning. But truly there is no good way to monetize this trick. So they give everyone else only enough information to make them think that it works. Then they capitalize on this public interest and walk away from it just before the reveal.
If not, I apologize but I also wouldn't be buying into this idea until we start with a hypothesis and tests are reproduced around the world and the true reason behind this anomaly is well understood and indeed a good energy answer. It's totally possible he doesn't know yet and his greed is the reason we only get tastes of this device. If that's true, however, we still don't know if it's a good answer to our energy addiction.
I only hope there are enough details in this paper for other researchers around the world to better reproduce and analyze these results. I'm sorry if this is just a matter of an ill-equipped laboratory at Bologna University but with all the interest this has generated, I would be surprised if that was reason.
In conclusion, start with a hypothesis, openly publish your methods and results. Wait for others to reproduce. Your rigor and its results will be your vindication if you fear being attacked for doing research. Just don't start your research by saying, "I'm going to make cold fusion and cheap energy is just ten years away." That's when you're openly attacked for good reason -- that's not science, those are words that you spout to get money.
Not to mention the ability to extinguish an active volcano [imdb.com] by freezing it.
'Cause that's what the "cold" in cold fusion means, right?
Any competent professional ought to be able to come up with a new name for whatever it is and an easy way to say it's 'obviously' something completely distinct from cold fusion; "Gentlemen, this is not some crackpot cold fusion scheme - it's a perfectly legitimate catalyzed sub-nuclear synthesis." For extra credit, claim to have been led down that path by tantalizing hints you found in three articles published by grad students of people who also co-authored with Einstein, but DON'T claim to have been inspir
If cold fusion were invented tomorrow, I fully expect somebody would patent the hell out of it and it would be another 100 years before we get to use it properly.
If cold fusion were invented tomorrow everything changes, world politics, anything involving oil or energy production, the environment, space travel, food production, basically everything. So while it attracts cranks by the boatload I would be happy to see huge amounts of funding going to CF. Yet I suspect that if you are a legitimate researcher and you mention cold fusion that there is stunned silence in the room. You might as well bookend it with paranormal research.
First of all it needs to be a form of fusion that's either hot / high pressure enough to allow reasonably efficient conversion to work through a thermodynamic process, or a form of fusion that emits charged particles that can be converted directly to useful electricity. If you can't extract work from the machine then all you have is a glorified heat pump.
Second it needs to go through the whole industrial process from prototype to worldwide mass production to be able to beat more established forms of energy.
What I feel sorry for is any researcher who wants to do some genuine research into cold fusion.
When Soddy and Rutherford first identified nuclear transmutation, Soddy later recalled that Rutherford said: "For Christ's sake, Soddy, don't call it transmutation. They'll have our heads off as alchemists." The exact same thing goes on now. Pretty much anyone doing cold-fusion research avoids that term like the plague or their funding would probably be pulled in a second. They study "low energy nuclear reactions" instead.
Because the Scientologists scare them.
It sounds like the poor sap just "invented" thermal hysteresis - the fact that things take some time to cool off, and therefore it's possible to keep them hot after shutting down the power. In the article, it says that 360 Watts were applied continuously with interspersed periods of 930 W, if I understood it correctly.
There were two experiments. In one, 360W was applied continuously, and in the other, 930W was applied on a 35% duty cycle. Of course, that's assuming there's no trick wiring. The other assumption is that their baffling method of estimating the power output was working properly. It certainly looks fine (assuming the IR camera didn't go over 50C, which is all it's rated to without active cooling) but Rossi doesn't like people to do actual calorimetry and I can't help but read that as an indication that the positive results would immediatley disappear.
What would it take to convince a reasonable observer that you've got a controlled nuclear reaction going on here?
Simple scientific methodology; reproducibility. Pick another, unassociated lab, and have them do it.
I'll settle for less: let the same people perform the experiment again, but don't have Rossi setting up the experiments in his lab on his terms. You don't invite Yuri Geller into the lab then let him set up the spoon-bending experiment.
You don't invite Yuri Geller into the lab then let him set up the spoon-bending experiment.
On behalf of all those Yuri's out there: his name is Uri Geller.
bull fertilizer
For growing bulls?
If it is just a case of verifying the experiment, then it is easy. If the inventors are deliberately pulling a scam, then you would need complete access to the device, including dis-assembly. The device only produces a about a kilowatt - you can supply that on very fine wire hidden in the support structure if you want.
My D-Wave tells me the E-Cat will work.
You just need a box, some poison, and an E-Cat.... then maybe.
The first person to encourage independent confirmation of a published cold-fusion device becomes the person who has made the greatest contribution to the betterment of the human condition in all of history.
People who think they can make more money by preventing a section of humanity from using a cold-fusion device are too small minded and petty to stand any chance of having inventing one.
I love articles like this one, where the author sits down and clearly shows how science is supposed to work and what to look for if the topic isn't really science.
But the problem is that the big lab's claims about fusion are just as bogus. The science isn't, that's all real, but the reactors don't work, and likely never will.
So when the press fawns over one bogus project that's bogus from end to end, why aren't we as upset when the fawn over another that's only half bogus?
I mean, they're still reporting tha
You obviously have no experience in the realm of charlatans.
In every single case of too-good-to-be-true power sources, there is a gimmick to make the results seem legitimate to the untrained.
It's little more than an magician's trick of misdirection, and ignorance of the audience. There's no real magic in a magician's act; misdirection and suspension of disbelief are their breadwinners.
There's a reason charlatans won't allow people who know what they're doing to examine their apparatus. It has nothing to do with "trade secrets", and everything to do with the fact that experienced chemists, engineers, and physicists generally find the gimmick and expose their fraud in minutes.
There are a lot of ways to heat up the reactor chemically. If you honestly believe that "it can't be done conventionally," then you've utterly failed chemistry.
Simply heating a lithium-ion battery pack over 185 C starts an unstoppable chain-reaction that quickly reaches a couple thousand degrees. Surround a LiPo battery with a chunk of steel, short circuit it, and it it will reach a temp over 185 C. Now you just wait for the steel to slowly heat up. Create an array of a few of these, add copper to equalize the heat in your bank of LiPo batteries, and voila, you've got a heat source of well over 500 watts that can last for hours - days even, if you set it up right.
As much as the
I'd like to believe that Rossi has somehow found out how to generate abundant, clean, and cheap energy. His actions, however, are identical to a garden-variety charlatan. Activities such as grandstanding before customers or the press, "demonstrations", and refusal to let experienced and external experts examine his device.
Rossi does none of this. The smell of charlatan coming from the guy is overpowering. His behavior is identical to a classic con/charlatan. As the saying goes, you don't have to eat the whole turd to know it isn't chocolate.
Several of the points he makes were actually old arguments that were specifically addressed in the report. He appears to have missed that they measured power directly before the device, and that they did in fact have several types of radiation detection equipment.
Phys.org has a less skeptical article: http://phys.org/news/2013-05-rossi-e-cat-energy-density-higher.html
For such SFBs Theory rules over Experiment.
Clue: If the Enlightenment has anything at all to offer, it is that Experiment rules over Theory.
The question isn't whether nuclear products are present.
The question is whether heat beyond that explicable by chemical means is present. If so, we can go ahead and posit a hoax or we can posit that we Just Don't Know what the physical mechanism is for producing the heat but Whatever It Is It Sure Is Interesting. In the latter position, we call this the beginning of scientific research.
For a clue exactly how clueless Mr. SFB is, one can look at Figure 3 of the paper and, using physics 101 application of the Stefan Boltzmann law, calculate the power output during the thermal excursion to be 10kW for 1kW input.
With that kind of power gain, the niceties Mr. SFB posits as essential measurements just don't matter to the importance. Its either a hoax or its a revolution that should receive more resources and attention than middle east politics and American Idol combined.
"Mach was the greatest intellectual fraud in the last ten years." "What about X?" "I said `intellectual'." ;login, 9/1990


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Remember to protect your personal data from prying eyes.
That means never throwing in the trash statements containing your credit card numbers or bank account numbers. Either invest in a home shredder or take advantage of shred events throughout McHenry County – at your local bank, township or at a county-sponsored shred event.
Check your credit reports with the three major credit bureaus at no cost at www.annualcreditreport.com to make sure no unapproved charges have been made to your account. You might wish to stagger the reports throughout the year to check for any changes.
Never give any personal data (social security number, credit card number or bank data) over the phone or online unless you are sure the recipient is legitimate and the channel is secure. If your purse or wallet is stolen, call your credit card holder immediately and cancel your cards. File a police report and notify the credit bureaus of the theft.
Once an identity has been stolen, it could be months or years before the issue is cleared up, so being proactive and using the preventive steps mentioned above make the most sense.
Consumer Credit Counseling Service of McHenry County is one of the member agencies of the National Foundation for Credit Counseling (NFCC), which has joined its colleagues around the U.S. in providing clients with a new program called Sharpen Your Financial Focus.
Having experienced recent unemployment and impending mortgage default and foreclosure, many families are still suffering ongoing financial difficulties.
In the opinion of Judge Nelson A. Diaz, NFCC board Member and former general counsel to the U.S Department of Housing and Urban Development, many of the financial difficulties experienced by individuals and families are the result of a lack of financial skills.
Several major financial institutions have joined with the NFCC membership to offer this new program, which is designed to personalize the advice given by experts, including the NFCC certified financial professionals available locally at CCCS of McHenry County.
The program being offered consists of three steps, which may be taken by individuals in whatever order they desire and which meet their particular needs and availability. The steps include: an online personal self-analysis, a one-on-one counseling session with an NFCC certified financial professional, and a so-called "deep dive" educational program, which is designed to fit the consumer's specific needs.
This new program, intended to personalize a consumer's strategy for achieving financial stability, has been designed through a partnership between NFCC and: Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase, GE Capital Retail Finance and Wells Fargo. As the program progresses, these partners will attempt to recruit other financial institutions to join the partnership. Each of the financial partners has contributed a minimum of $1 million to the program.
As part of the counseling session, if it would be helpful to the individual's circumstances, Experian credit bureau has offered a free credit score to those participating in the SYFF program. The score will be accessed by the counselor at the time of the counseling session.
NFCC will be engaging in an extensive outreach effort, which will include digital, TV and radio advertising. These ads will encourage consumers to contact their local NFCC member agencies by phone or online.
Anyone interested in learning more about the program, or any of the steps specifically, can visit the national websites www.SharpenToday.org or www.AgudiceHoy.org, or call CCCS of McHenry County at 815-338-5757.
• Virginia Peschke is executive director of Consumer Credit Counseling Service of McHenry County in Woodstock.


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Instinct Day Spa Indulgent Spa Package
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Linked by Howard Fosdick on Mon 16th May 2011 14:21 UTC
Thread beginning with comment 473376
To read all comments associated with this story, please click here.
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Comment by j.dalrymple
by j.dalrymple on Tue 17th May 2011 08:15 UTC
RE: Comment by j.dalrymple
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by erdraug on Fri 20th May 2011 16:17 in reply to "RE: Comment by j.dalrymple"
I've seen this conversation repeat itself a hundred times already but this time i'll answer, just because the article seems objective enough that i'm planning to use it as a reference in the future when explaining to others what puppy is.
If i understand correctly, the idea behind running as root is that (i) if you're running puppy you have already opted for the hands on approach (ii) since you're running your OS from a liveCD there's not much harm to running as root.
That said (iii) running as root is now an option being considered: http://murga-linux.com/puppy/viewtopic.php?t=67885
More reading here: http://murga-linux.com/puppy/viewtopic.php?t=67213


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NEW YORK - The Columbia men's and women's squash teams had their first varsity team banquet at the Faculty House on Columbia's campus on Wednesday, April 13. More than 70 people showed up for the event to celebrate a successful first varsity season for both teams.
The evening began with remarks from head coaches Kelsey Engman and Jacques Swanepoel, followed by a few thoughts from Geoff Grant '82 SEAS and Ken Torrey who have both been involved with the squash team since it was a club.
Team award winners were announced for both teams. On the men's side, Andrew Tan was named the most improved while Theo Buchsbaum was the team's MVP. For the women, senior co-captain Anne Cheng was chosen as the most improved, while Skylar Dickey was named MVP. The 2011-12 captains were also announced, as Liz Chu will be the team captain for the women's team, and Tony Zou and Anchit Nayar will be co-captains of the men's team.


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The overall objective of the globalization and markets research program is to support the adoption of policies for more efficient functioning of the global food, nutrition, and agricultural system.
A better-functioning global system will enhance inclusion of low income countries and improve food and nutrition security of poor people.
The research program emphasizes issues of global agricultural trade negotiations; regional trade; linkages between globalization and domestic policies as they affect resource allocations and poverty alleviation; the impact of developed-country policies on developing-country food security; and pro-poor policies along the entire food chain, given the growing importance of consumers and retail industries as food system drivers. The historical consequences of trade liberalization are becoming increasingly important in less developed countries. A better understanding of this is critical for further reforms in the domestic and global trading system.


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Kathryn Zagrobelny, C '14
"For if you do not believe that I AM, You will die in your sins."
John 8:24
I don't know about you, but if I had to wander around the desert for years and years without knowing where I was going, I'd freak out. I freak out over plenty of smaller things. In today's first reading, the Israelites have been in the desert for a long time and no end is in sight. No wonder they begin complaining! But while we understand their reaction, we shouldn't imitate them. The Israelites didn't trust that God would lead them safely out of the desert. They thought they were going to die. God punishes His people for their lack of trust, but when they repent and lift up their problems, He helps them and (literally) saves their lives.
Lent gives us the same chance to repent and ask the Lord to save us. The Psalm invites us to offer our needs and vulnerabilities to God because He will take care of them. Anything we bring to Him, He takes from us and helps us with. We just have to trust Him. The Gospel also reminds us of this. At the beginning, Jesus foreshadows His upcoming death by telling the Pharisees He is leaving. If they don't trust He is who He says He is, they will not be able to find Him again. Jesus tells the Pharisees if they don't believe in Him, they will die. He isn't just talking about earthly death, but He means they won't experience the joys of new life in heaven. They, like us, need to trust that Jesus comes to us from God, our Father. He says Himself He does nothing on His own, everything He does is from His Father. As his followers, we must imitate His -trusting in God and giving Him everything.
Lord, I trust in You, strengthen my trust. Amen.
Nm 21: 4-9, Ps 102: 2-3, 16-21; Jn 8: 21-30


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Any mention of 'Splitting up California' is just tempting fate at this point..
Of course a rich tech guru wants Silicon Valley to get its own government, so it can be freed from the dusty laws and regulations of
Replace "tech guru" with "cotton plantation owner" and suddenly it all makes sense.
Living in a corporate town run by a coalition of plantation owners paying shit wages, vs living under fat socialist weasels who take big chunks out of them? Choices, choices..
I vote neither! Now, I'd like my rights back please.
Though he's probably proposing it for all the wrong reasons, Draper's terrible plan is premised on a totally salient criticismâ"it's absurd that California only sends two senators to Washington when it is by far the country's most populous state.
He's never heard of the "House of Representatives"?
Or is he just unhappy that each state gets an equal vote in the Senate?
Because it's a preexisting movement: http://www.jeffersonstate.com/
There is a really small but similar sentiment in Illinois too. The people who live in rural Illinois feel like the people who live in Chicago and the suburban areas surrounding Chicago disproportionately affect Illinois politics. They feel that the state would be better without Chicago.
I can actually understand that sentiment. But the California equivalent would be Central Valley or far northern secessionists. Silicon Valley can't really make the same kind of argument, because it is already very influential in California politics. Of course, it shares that influence with Los Angeles rather than having it entirely to itself, but the Bay Area is one of the state's main political power bases.
the up of michigan whats to be on it's own as well.
make long inland / NY city into it's own state.
Also cut up Texas into as many as five states,
Cutting up Texas doesn't really resolve most of the political issues, though. There isn't a huge regional difference in attitudes, but more of an urban/suburban/rural split. The big Texas cities (Austin, Houston, San Antonio, Dallas) are all center-left to varying degrees, while the suburbs are center-right, and the rural areas are hard-right.
It could be argued that Silicon Valley has benefitted the most from the California taxpayer.
Anything can be argued. And a lot of the drive behind the secessionist movement is the debt being accumulated by California as a whole. They don't want that debt.
My view is that the only fair way is to allot a fixed amount of debt per citizen (around $5500-6000 per capita) and let the weaker states go bankrupt.
This is hardly an idea without precedent would better serve the needs of the constituents while be very much in the spirit of the Constitution. Virginia, New York and Massachusetts split and gave us a handful of other states. When states become two politically oriented in one direction for only a given geographical ares while ignoring the wishes and values of the other states they can and should split.
The Constitution was designed to balance the power of the people so that you didn't have any one area with
This is hardly an idea without precedent would better serve the needs of the constituents while be very much in the spirit of the Constitution. Virginia, New York and Massachusetts split and gave us a handful of other states. When states become two politically oriented in one direction for only a given geographical ares while ignoring the wishes and values of the other states they can and should split.
I'm not sure it was due to political orientation so much as the more basic "There's more people in these here hills, and we ought to have representatives for them to talk to less than a week away by horse."
That isn't to say your premise is invalid -- those people's interests are going unrepresented and splitting them off may better address those needs. But to be honest, New York and California both need to be punched in the face repeatedly by the feds, then bent over and hammered in the ass until they stop
Fragmented local governments make less and less sense as travel speeds increase and communication costs drop. I think that was already evident when the last 20 states were admitted to the union. Land area of states, and even counties, have trended upwards, and not just because populations were small.
If you fragment the tax base into little local communities, the poor stay poor. It's been a good thing for the "natural splendor" of Arkansas, but mostly, I think we're all better off it we take more even car
The only reason it is this big is because it was established at a time when the population was MUCH lower. Were you to do the same thing in the east coast but in reverse, you might get all of new england as ONE state.
Now do you understand? California is much too big.
The government is almost indifferent to voter opinion because they can always play one part of the state off the other part. Which means they never have to do anything anyone wants. They just mommy/daddy the whole thing and then lie when that doesn't work.
Look. It needs to split because its unweldy, inherently corrupt, and incapable of serving the local needs of its residents.
Everything revolves around Sacramento which is the least consequential portion of the state BESIDES for the politics. Its our version of Washington DC. What does DC do? Tell people what to do. Does it produce anything? Nope. Does it create anything? Nope. It just collects the taxes and decides what to do with it all.
Genius ideas like our "bullet" train which as everyone knows is a giant fiasco... which we knew it would be from the start... because a bullet train in California makes about as much sense as a beach resort on the moon.
But it sounds good to the twits in Sacramento so whatever.
Look, you don't like his plan to split the state... Fine. It doesn't really matter what the plan is so long as its reasonable. We just need a more local government in california. A government that actually lives where we live and cares about us because they're ACTUALLY our neighbors. Sacramento doesn't care about San Diego. It doesn't care about the Imperial Valley. It only cares about Los Angeles because that is where most of the votes come from. But it only cares about it in so far as those votes are concerned. Etc.
Too big. Split it. Even in half isn't enough. It needs to be broken into something like three to six pieces.
"The government is almost indifferent to voter opinion because they can always play one part of the state off the other part. Which means they never have to do anything anyone wants. They just mommy/daddy the whole thing and then lie when that doesn't work.
Look. It needs to split because its unweldy, inherently corrupt, and incapable of serving the local needs of its residents."
I agree entirely that CA could be split into at least 2 more manageable states.
Then again, I'd point out that there are few argumen
You do realize the 'idiots in Sacramento' spend most of their time living and working in their home districts and only go to Sac to represent their district's interests while the legislature is in session?
For those of you who haven't been out there, when you walk along the streams, you will see signs that say "DO NOT DRINK FROM THE STREAM!".
Because they are heavily polluted.
From what?
Silicone Valley companies that operated before our environmental laws existed.
Tragedy of the commons [wikipedia.org] indeed.
Business people are too irresponsible not to be regulated.
A split that puts Marin in a different state from SF doesn't make a lot of sense, considering how much commuting goes across the Golden Gate. The greater SF Bay Area should at least be in the same state.
I've lived in a number of areas of the country. The common political element that rose above all the rest is the differences between the large cities and the rural areas. So, instead of a split by area, make each large city -- San Francisco/San Jose, Los Angeles/Hollywood -- its own state. (What to do about Sacremento? Is it a city or a condition as the State capitol?) Then City interests could be served by the City States, and the rest of the state with its agriculture base would be able to set policies and law for their own.
Other states/areas could be split the same way: Massachusetts, Illinois, Washington DC area, Michigin (peal Detroit from the rest of the State), New York/New Jersey/Connecticut...and the list goes on. We could combine small states into large states -- think Providence Rhode Island versus the rest of the State.
I'm not sure the Democrats would go for this.
Jefferson was proposed for parts of southern Oregon and northern California as far back as 1941, according to Wikipedia. I've seen a sign for the State of Jefferson Chamber of Commerce along I-5 somewhere in that area.
The US already has too many political subdivisions. We need to combine states into larger political entities (12-15 large states) rather than split the existing ones up.
No comment on whether or not the state of Jefferson would ever be able to support itself without the rest of California, but Tim Draper didn't pull that particular state out of the ether. I have some parents that used to live up in North State, and the hill folk there love the idea of Jefferson.
They even have a website: http://www.jeffersonstate.com/ [jeffersonstate.com]
The proposal dates back to 1941: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jefferson_(proposed_Pacific_state) [wikipedia.org]
"No comment on whether or not the state of Jefferson would ever be able to support itself without the rest of California,"
Support itself at what level of government meddling? Jefferson probably would not be able to support the level of intrusive and all-encompassing supervision, nor provide the level of financial support to it's citizens that is in vogue at UC Berkeley. But it should be able to provide the level of services that its citizens actually feel they need.
Trivial case, do they need a formal Animal
SV has successful industry and a tax base and some hope of supporting itself. As opposed to the blithering morons who want to secede and form North Colorado (or Metherado as one wag said) who apparently have no idea who is actually paying for their schools and roads and police...
So when will we see the greater NYC area turned into a single state?
The trend towards devolution and smaller, more responsive states is brewing in Europe, so it's no surprise it's also happening here. Is it really democracy when your elected leaders are hundreds of miles away?
"Sir, I'll see your 8 Californias, and raise you 13 Vermonts."
Pontificating about jerrymandering states isn't really "newsworthy" if there are no real stakes. If it were actually feasible to jerrymander Senate seats (as can be done for the House of Representatives at the state government level), other states would copy it, which is exactly why it would never happen.
So long as these states are jointly and severally liable for all the debt California has rung up so far, I've no objection. (For future debt, they're on their own - and I'd avoid buying bonds issued by most of 'em.)
An unintentional Code Geass reference would have knocked me out of my chair!
Can't speak for his particular proposal (I haven't looked at it), but the idea of splitting up California has been around for years, and makes a lot of sense. It's far larger and more diverse than most other states, and that makes it really hard to govern. You basically have the SF bay megalopolis (with more population than most other states), the LA/San Diego megalopolis (ditto), the central valley (sparsely populated but with enormous agricultural wealth), and huge rural areas that in many cases don't w
"This also would gain California much more influence in the federal government (more senators, more electoral votes)."
Since the reason to split it up is that the different regions can't agree, it seems unlikely their Senators would agree after splitting up. They would likely net out to about the same.
You are in a maze of little twisting passages, all different.


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Bringing your home's exterior back to new
Sometimes we tend to neglect the maintenance of the exterior of our house. We mow the lawns, weed the garden and trim the hedges but overlook the actual house itself. Your home's exterior may not need a fresh coat of paint but just a good clean. By enlisting the services of a professional house washing service you can make your home sparkle like new again.Read more
Benefits of Upholstering
Upholstering furniture can involve much more than simply changing the fabric on your furniture.Read more
Blind Cleaning- Bring your old blinds back to life
Are your once beautiful blinds starting to look old and worn out, are they not operating a well as they did when new? Might be time to call in a professional blind cleaning and repair company.Read more
Rubbish Removal: Cutting Costs, Hours, and Effort
Rubbish removal is an often overlooked aspect of home improvement, but it can turn out to be a serious cost. Make the most of your money by clearly outlining rubbish removal in your budget and your plan.Read more


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EAST HANOVER, N.J. - IT was a dark and stormy Tuesday afternoon. Ellen McMahon and Christine Odenath, both 16, had slipped past the shrieking ghouls and the blood-splattered, chain-saw-wielding madman at the door.
As the rain fell, the ghouls groaned and the chain saw whined, the girls worked their way to the back to find their own quarry, hanging from a steel rack attached to a black wall.
And now, it was time for them to pay.
No, really -- pay. Money. At the checkout.
The girls, 11th-grade classmates at Kent Place School in Summit, N.J., were costume shopping for a Halloween party. Hoping to dress up as beer garden girls, they had found a pair of gingham dresses for $45 at the Spirit Halloween Superstore, which in September took over a former Office Max off Route 10, adjacent to a busy Costco.
"We went to a smaller store, and they didn't have a big selection," Ms. McMahon said.
Ms. Odenath said, "We knew we could find something here."
Part of the suburban Halloween ritual, it seems, is to visit such a store for a costume (say, of South Park's Eric Cartman, $49.99, comfortable foam head included) or a party prop (like a timer-controlled fog machine, $39.99).Continue reading the main story
Plenty of places specialize in Halloween sales. Spirit Halloween, a subsidiary of Spencer Gifts, operates 19 temporary stores in New Jersey, Connecticut, Long Island and Westchester. Fifty-three permanent Party City stores and various independent party stores in the region do their briskest business around Halloween.
Halloween has become big business. According to a survey by the National Retail Federation, Americans are expected to spend nearly $5 billion on Halloween-related items this year, up from $3.29 billion in 2005.
"More and more adults are getting involved with Halloween parties," Tonia Farinha, Spirit Halloween's director of marketing, said in a telephone interview. "You can dress up as any character you want, and a lot of adults seem to enjoy that outlet."
Spirit Halloween has 434 stores, all temporary, in 46 states. For the second year, the company, which has 30 full-time employees and operates year-round, is also selling items at its Web site, www.spirithalloween.com.
Party City has added three temporary Halloween stores in Connecticut and hired seasonal workers at many of its 500 permanent stores nationwide, said Deborah Radman, a spokeswoman. The average transaction at Party City doubles in September and October, she said.
"It's our biggest season year after year," Ms. Radman said. "We love Halloween. Our stores are like beehives of activity for kids, moms and dads, and young adults."
The temporary stores have a certain slapdash, no-frills charm. Early last month, Spirit Halloween workers in East Hanover divided the old Office Max. The front half of the harshly lighted store is for retail; the back half is a stockroom.
The cinderblock walls of the front half were covered with black pegboard, so items could be hung. Above the pegboard, corrugated paper created the appearance of a dungeon wall. Setting it up took about two weeks, said the store manager, Chris Patterson.
The chain-saw-wielding madman -- a mannequin -- and the rubbery-skinned ghouls were near the front door. While customers shopped, music was piped in over the speakers (the theme from "Ghostbusters" seemed to be a favorite).
Signs printed in a spooky-looking dripping typeface were everywhere: "Realistic fangs and teeth sold here"; "50 percent off Superman accessories (does not include candy bucket)"; "Tiara broken -- cashier will deduct 10 percent at register."
The store's work force is temporary. For some employees, it is a second job. Mr. Patterson, who lives in East Orange, also sells insurance. One of his sales clerks, Teddy Konopka, is a 17-year-old junior at Hanover Park High School in East Hanover.
"If you like dealing with people, it's a good place to work," he said with a smile. "But there's a lot of cleaning up to do, too."
Ms. Farinha said that in each state, sales clerks were paid slightly more than the minimum wage, which is $7.15 in New Jersey, $7.40 in Connecticut and $6.75 in New York. The temporary managers participate in incentive programs. All employees are entitled to a 25 percent discount. Some take a job, buy items at a discount and then quit.
"What are you going to do?" Mr. Patterson said.
Those who stay for the store's two-month run say they enjoy the job because shoppers tend to be in a good mood.
"When I walked in, I liked what I saw -- I just liked the environment and everything," said Guerol Valmont, 22, a West Orange resident who was in his first day on the job. "I came here thinking that this job was just seasonal, but I'm hoping that they stay here and open something else up."
Customers say they learned about the store simply by driving past, often to Costco. A tarpaulin with a leering skull and the Spirit Halloween logo hangs over the front door, just below the outline of the letters of the old Office Max sign. The checkout is lined with crime-scene tape held up by plastic devil-style pitchforks.
Although Spirit Halloween and Party City are competitors, customers of one store tend to end up at the other. Nicholas Cetrulo, 10, of Hanover Township, bought his Dr. Zombie costume at Party City a couple of miles east on Route 10; his family stopped by Spirit Halloween for accessories.
"They have more props here," his mother, Eileen, said.
The Cetrulos turn their home into a haunted house every Halloween and invite nearly 300 children to a party thrown primarily by Mrs. Cetrulo, who playfully said she liked to consider herself Mrs. Halloween. Trick-or-treating precedes the party.
Nicholas smiled and said: "I like Halloween better than Christmas. You get to go house-to-house."
At Spirit Halloween, inventory will be cleared out after Halloween and shipped back to one of the company's warehouses, Ms. Farinha said. In February or March, she said, the company will start looking for store locations for later that year. By late August, the company will have a roster of locations.
Ms. Farinha was one of Spirit Halloween's original employees when the first store opened in 1984 in Castro Valley, Calif., between San Jose and Oakland. She said she had worn many hats -- including witches' -- at the company, which has become a fixture in its own way.
"We have seasonal stores," she said, "but we are a permanent company."Continue reading the main story


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Monday, December 10, 2007
Holiday Travel
My family never traveled far at Christmas when I was a kid. Perhaps to Fort Wayne or maybe Auburn, both only about 25 miles. Almost all my close relatives (grandparents, aunts, uncles, etc.) lived within a 25-30 mile drive. No holiday vacations away from home for my family.
My first Christmas away from home was spent at Boot Camp after I joined the Navy in 1969. It wouldn't be the last time that I wasn't home for Christmas though. Out of the nearly 10 years I was in the Navy, I think I made it home four times.
In 1970, I was stationed at Norfolk, Virginia and was determined to get home. One of my roommates lived in Pennsylvania and she too wanted to get home for the holidays. Another girl lived in Ohio. And another roommate lived in California. She couldn't afford to go home but didn't want to stay in the barracks so I said she could go home with me. I had just purchased a car that fall, so we all pooled our resources, managed to get leave and took off. It was my first long-distance driving trip.
It had started snowing just south of Washington, D. C. and was still snowing, quite heavily, when we got onto I-70 at Frederick, Maryland. It was dark too, as the day had turned to night. By the time we got into Pennsylvania and onto the turnpike, the snow had turned into a blizzard. Virtually no visibility. There was a vehicle in front of us and we were following it in an attempt to stay on the road. We traveled like that for quite a while, following the vehicle in front, the blind leading the blind. Well, we followed that car, unknowingly, off the turnpike! When we tried to get back onto the turnpike the State Police were blocking the entry. No one was allowed on the turnpike heading west unless they had chains. Did we have chains? No. Well, sorry, but you can't go any further.
We probably should have just turned around at that point. But being determined young fools, we found a garage that sold us the necessary chains, and they even put them on the tires for us. Besides, we weren't far from Somerset, which is near where the one roommate lived in Pennsylvania. We still couldn't see very well, but we finally made it to Somerset. Her folks graciously put us up for the night. We decided that sleeping on the floor was a better alternative to getting stuck in the snow and freezing and who knew what else.
The next morning it was still snowing, but it was daylight, and we could see the road. The snow plows had been through but we were advised to leave the chains on until the roads were completely cleared. However, it wasn't long before we heard clank, clank, clank. The chains on one tire had come loose and were banging the underside of the wheel well as the tire turned. We managed to get that chain all the way off, but couldn't figure out how to remove the others. Luckily, a good Samaritan came along and removed the other chains for us. Then we merrily went on our way. The highway was relatively clear, the sun was trying to peek through the snow, and we were moving at a pretty good pace. The rest of the trip proved to be quite uneventful. Thank goodness! We all made it home before Christmas day and safely back to Norfolk. And on time.
3 comments:
- Miriam said...
Reminds me of a skiing trip where we didn't make it to our destination: the chain kept coming off the van tire, visibility was low, the road was atrocious. In the end, we traveled several hours to have a nice hot breakfast in a small town and turn around and go back home!
- December 11, 2007 at 9:34 AM
- Apple said...
I've followed other's tail-lights more times than I care to think about. I'm glad you all made it safely. I drive for a living in an area known for heavy snowfalls and I've never once driven with chains!
- December 11, 2007 at 6:38 PM
- Janice said...
A wonderful story that brought back memories (scary ones) of my trying to put on and remove the chains from my car's tires. The snowstorms back then seemed so much worse than they are today, or perhaps the towns are getting better at removing the snow.
Thanks for a blast from the past.
- December 13, 2007 at 11:57 AM


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This week Dennis Wholey speaks with consumer activist and advocate, Ralph Nader. Mr. Nader discusses the ways in which America is malfunctioning and the action needed to improve the country, as well as his new book, The Seventeen Solutions: Bold Ideas for Our American Future.
Visit the Website: http://www.thisisamerica.net/
Episode #1621 / Length: 26 minutes


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That's why I think they starting to turn that corner. Next year should be even better as we say bye bye to Scott and Pace
I watch a lot of games around the NFL every weekend and it is sickening to see how much faster, quicker and more athletic other teams look. You can take almost every part of the rosters - defensive line, linebackers, skill positions.
You can only scheme for so long but the Jets can't hide their lack of athletic ability anymore, especially in today's passing league where you need linebackers flying from sideline to sideline, athletes to challenge a defense over the top and playmakers on both sides of the ball.
We do not have ONE wide receiver or tight end who presents a mismatch physically, yet we got a bunch of linebackers who are a liability in almost every aspect of the game, especially physically as they are way too slow and not athletic enough.
Time to get some athletes in the offseason...
That's why I think they starting to turn that corner. Next year should be even better as we say bye bye to Scott and Pace
The youth movement has already begun, and they are probably doing it while trying to stay competitive instead of a full blown rebuild.
S, Bush, Allen
DL, Mo Wilk, Ellis, Coples, Harrison
LB Davis, Sapp
WR Hill, Kerley, Gates
TE Baker
RB Powell
LB is in need of the biggest overhaul this off-season, especially OLB.
ive been saying this for years. couldnt agree more we are slow and dumb.
Watching the Niners game, they are so much better than us at basically every position except CB. Like night and day watching them compared to us. Kaepernick is already a way better player than Sanchez.
Bush, Allen, Harrison, Gates, Sapp..these guys barley and shouldn't even see the field. That's not a youth movement that's a sh!t movement.
Mo Wilkerson and Kerley are the only ones that have impressed.
Coples and Hill still have to develop and have shown their potential.
The rest are replaceable.
we have a Morebthan average of FAs, other teams released players. look at the GINTS and SF, their teams are solid from the last 6 years drafts.
It can be done ..... THEN coach them up.
Sanu looked pretty good today.
Think we might have dropped the ball on that one.


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Every 3.6 seconds...
Hayley Pickett
Se registró el día 10 de noviembre de 2011
- Artículos
Every 3.6 seconds a child dies from hunger which is associated with the fact that the starvation most likely resulted from poverty. This is because if the parents live in poverty and raised their children in poverty, it turns into a vicious cycle and those children will most likely raise their children in poverty who will raise their children in poverty and so on. These children who are growing up in poverty are experiencing a lack of material, spiritual, and emotional resources that are necessary to be able to survive. Once a child is deprived from these resources during the first few years of their life, it can limit their physical and mental development for the rest of their lives.


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Beyonce Knowles
Beyonce's sleek and smooth style was a real winner at the 2007 BET Awards. Beyonce traded her trademark curls for a smooth and low-key style which was perfect for showing off the length of her gorgeous locks. A side part was used with this style and is the perfect choice for those wanting to shorten the look of a longer face shape.
Ashley Tisdale
Ashley looked wonderful as she walked the red carpet at the "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" premiere. To keep her luscious blonde waves looking their best, long shaped layers were cut around her top and sides, blending though to the ends to create a nice even curl. This style will work best on medium to thick hair types.
Daniel Radcliffe
This young star looked great at the "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" premiere with the help of this simple style. Daniel's back and sides were angle cut for a more textured shape and his top and bangs were jagged cut and thinned out to add volume and shape around his face.
Emma Watson
This Harry Potter star looked great as she arrived at David Letterman. Emma's golden blonde locks were heavily layered to create this shaped style and long side swept bangs were jagged cut to shape her face. This style will be easy to maintain with regular trims.
Miley Cyrus
Miley looked great as she attended the "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" premiere. Miley's long full dark brown style was kept very simple with little layering created for a trouble-free finish. This style will be easy to maintain with regular trims.
David Beckham
David always looks sexy, and this style from the Los Angeles Galaxy Open House is no exception. David's hair was shaved all over and lightened. This style will be an easy hairdo to maintain with regular trims.


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Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Soccer: The Most Dangerous Sport on Earth
I saw the pic below on Yahoo and felt pain in my own leg just looking at it. Apparently the injury is from from an English Premeir League soccer match over the weekend in central England.
You know even Joe Theisman was going "HOLY FUCKING SHIT!" when he saw this.
This is gonna leave a mark.
12 comments:
- beast in 'bama said...
It's probably just a stinger...
- February 26, 2008 8:45 AM
- Catie said...
The pain is unbearable to even look at the photo and imagine what he felt..........owwwieeee!!!
I worked in ER my entire clinical career......I have seen some crazy stuff......sports injuries like that just make you cringe. He has a long recovery!
- February 26, 2008 8:49 AM
- TitleIX said...
I'm GUMBY dammit!!
- February 26, 2008 8:56 AM
- Jack Cardinal said...
- This comment has been removed by the author.
- February 26, 2008 9:12 AM
- Bigasshammm said...
This reminds me of that old kickboxing video where the guy kicks his opponents and his leg bends in half.
Makes you cringe on so many levels.
- February 26, 2008 10:12 AM
- DaBraylon17 said...
doesn't it look sort of like his shoe slipped off?
- February 26, 2008 11:00 AM
- Edgar said...
Catie, one of my friends works in ER of Houston Children's' Hospital and I am just amazed at the stories that she tells when we call each other. Nurses are some of the toughest people that I have ever met.
- February 26, 2008 11:02 AM
- Killing My Liver said...
And peopel say that football(soccer) is for pussies. Glad it didn't happen to Torres or Gerrard. Get well soon, Eduardo.
- February 26, 2008 11:15 AM
- beast in 'bama said...
kml: Didn't know you were a KOPper also. Without the Golden Boy or Stevie G, there would be absolutely no hope for the 'Pool.
DeSilva is a damn good player. Arsenal will miss him down the stretch.
- February 26, 2008 12:03 PM
- Killing My Liver said...
Correct. American scouse would be another term, I guess. Not looking good this year for the league, although the Reds still have a chance at the UEFA. After the App State game this year, and the Barnsley result, 2 teams that I support have suffered "the biggest upset ever" this year.
- February 26, 2008 1:32 PM
- Joshua said...
Gumby? Awesome.
There's a video of this, supposedly with his tibia and fibula poking through his sock. Then I saw that description I said no thanks, the still pic is bad enough.
- February 26, 2008 2:31 PM
- surrounded in columbus said...
reminds me of Theesman (it's pronounced Thee- the tool changed pronounciation to rhyme w/ Heisman) on the Monday night game. the most memorable part was L.T.'s immediate reaction and the 5 to 10 minutes of commercials that followed. after i had gotten up for a a beer the second time during the break, i realized it must be some injury. when they came back & he was still on the field? yeech.
- February 26, 2008 4:04 PM