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Listen in: Wellcome Trust Book Prize 2012
The literary elite joined us for a celebration of medicine in literature on Wednesday evening, for the ceremony to award the 2012 Wellcome Trust Book Prize. A combination of canapés, sparkling wine and conversation made for a fantastic evening, hosted by Wellcome Collection.
The shortlisted authors were joined by top writers, publishers and the judges themselves; the award was presented by the chair of the judges, broadcaster Mark Lawson, and the Wellcome Trust's chairman, Sir Bill Castell.
Thomas Wright received the £25,000 prize for his book, Circulation, a biography of William Harvey who discovered the circulation of the blood.
The evening was a fantastic opportunity to celebrate the winner, everyone on the shortlist and the theme of medicine in literature. Armed with a recorder, Holly Story discovered what books our guests read when they're under the weather, and got some tips on how to get over writer's block.


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Artist adds video game and sci-fi characters to thrift store paintings
Those who frequent yard sales, Goodwill, or flea markets are used to seeing artwork for sale. Sometimes for $1 or less and what isn't bought usually ends up in a landfill. That's where artist Dave Pollot comes in.
Art headlines
9 pieces of video game art money can't (and can) buy
Sometimes it's not enough to just play video games. Sometimes we need to own a little bit of that sweet video game art. Here are nine pieces of art that we're currently coveting, whether we can afford them or not. Titanfall, by Jason Howard Who doesn't want a Titanfall comic after seeing what Jason Howard's […]
The Faces of Skyrim portraits are beautiful
The Faces of Skyrim is a Flickr group dedicated to creating and photographing character portraits from The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim.
"Gaming isn't art," says Spectator before editing "chill out" headline
British Conservative magazine The Spectator has edited a headline to a blog piece which challenged the notion that games are art, after telling supporters of the medium to "chill out". The original headline of the article is, "Gaming isn't art. And those who think it is need to chill out". The Spectator later changed it […]
Winning entries for the 2013 Into the Pixel collection announced
The AIAS along with the ESA has announced 16 pieces of gaming art which will included in the 2013 Into the Pixel collection. The 10th annual exhibition will be shown during E3 next week.
EVE Online's "day in the universe" visual experience detailed as MoMA games exhibit opens
EVE Online will become part of the Museum of Modern Art's permanent collection as part of its new Applied Design installation. EVE is just one of fourteen video games which will be on display at the New York City museum through January 31, 2014.
The Art of Glitch exceeds book funding goal on Indiegogo
Tiny Speck has reached its Indiegogo fundraising goal, which means a limited run book filled with artwork from Glitch, the co-operative MMO which shut down in 2012, will be handed out to supporters. With 14 hours left on the clock, the initial $17,000 funding goal has been surpassed with backers contributing $107,724 towards its creation. […]
Dishonored given the salt art treatment by artist Bashir Sultani
Dishonored is the latest video game recipient given the salt art treatment by artist Bashir Sultani. The video of his work is below, and is something fun for you to watch on a Saturday as you while away with something wonderfully wile. Dishonored is out in North America on October 9 and throughout Europe on […]
Concept art for PS3 title Zodiac Assassin surfaces, was ditched for Heavenly Sword
Zodiac Assassin was a PS3 title in the concept phase during 2005 and was passed over by Sony for Ninja Theory's Heavenly Sword instead, according to an online portfolio belonging to a Sony Cambridge art director. The game had a Kill Bill-style vibe to it, and the female lead was a master of disguise who […]
Take a tour of Musée du Louvre with Nintendo 3DS
Those who frequent museums are familiar with audio-visual tours. Some have cumbersome boxes you hang around your neck attached to earphones, others may clip to your waistband. However, back in December, the Louvre went 10-steps further by purchasing 5,000 3DS handhelds in order to not only implement a stereoscopic 3D map users could examine, but […]
Games are "only form of artistic expression" allowing users to "explore and experiment", says Melissinos
Chris Melissinos is featured in a video posted below the break discussing what he feels makes video games an art form.
Bethesda concept artist Adam Adamowicz passes away after battle with cancer
Bethesda concept artist Adam Adamowicz, who created amazing art for Fallout 3, Skyrim and other Bethesda titles, has passed away after a long battle with cancer. The sad news was quietly announced by Pete Hines after Skyrim won big during the Academy of Arts & Sciences awards at DICE. A lovely tribute to the man […]
Day 1 Studios concept art surfaces for cancelled Gotham by Gaslight title
Concept art for a Day 1 Studios pitch, based on the steampunk comic Gotham by Gaslight, has surfaced thanks to a posting from its artist, Julie Farrell. Discovered by Supererogatory, the UI art was created two years ago, according to, but it looks as though THQ didn't bite. According to what Farrell told Joystiq, the […]
Kojima reveals the origins of Metal Gear Solid's Cyborg Ninja
Metal Gear creator Hideo Kojima has shared a sketch – a "graffiti" – by long-time series artist Yoji Shinkawa, which was the genesis of Metal Gear Solid's cyborg ninja. A cyborg ninja character of some kind has appeared in every core Metal Gear game since. See the full sketch through the break.
Nintendo releases awesome Kirby's Return to Dreamland art
To hype up the upcoming release of their latest Kirby game, Nintendo has released a batch of high-quality Kirby artwork.
Uncharted 3 gets the sand art treatment from Natalya Netselya
Amazingly talented sand artist Natalya Netselya has released a video featuring her latest work using her favorite medium, and it's the first one she has ever created for a video game, and what better one to base it on than Uncharted 3.
Saturday Shorts: StarCraft Universe, Sdatcher, Skulls of the Shogun, sales
Complete your weekend with the shorts posted below. You can ask God to forgive you for it at church tomorrow.
Monday Shorts, overnight edition - Metroid design notes, PSOne imports, Katamari video
On holiday weekends, those with post quotas to meet spend a lot of time weeping quietly over their empty inboxes, RSS feeds and IM contact lists. To save you time, I've rounded up the barrel-scrapings which result.
New York art museum holding video game exhibit
The New York Museum of Modern Art will be holding an art exhibit featuring several indie video games next month.
Into the Pixel 2011 winners announced
The winners of 2011's Into the Pixel have been announced and 17 works of videogame art have been selected.
Page 1
Art latest
Artist adds video game and sci-fi characters to thrift store paintings
"Gaming isn't art," says Spectator before editing "chill out" headline
Winning entries for the 2013 Into the Pixel collection announced
EVE Online's "day in the universe" visual experience detailed as MoMA games exhibit opens
Dishonored given the salt art treatment by artist Bashir Sultani
Concept art for PS3 title Zodiac Assassin surfaces, was ditched for Heavenly Sword
Games are "only form of artistic expression" allowing users to "explore and experiment", says Melissinos
Bethesda concept artist Adam Adamowicz passes away after battle with cancer
Day 1 Studios concept art surfaces for cancelled Gotham by Gaslight title
Kojima reveals the origins of Metal Gear Solid's Cyborg Ninja
Uncharted 3 gets the sand art treatment from Natalya Netselya
Saturday Shorts: StarCraft Universe, Sdatcher, Skulls of the Shogun, sales
Monday Shorts, overnight edition – Metroid design notes, PSOne imports, Katamari video
Wednesday Shorts Evening Edition: Yakuza, Game music, MinecraftCon 2011, Super Meat Boy
Donglu Yu's Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood concept art is rather lovely

subset: commoncrawl


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I feel like I've been distant on here lately. But sometimes you need a break from the usual. I have always found it easy to pull a lot of inspiration from myself and those around me. From past experiences and from my friends and events around the world. Christianity too can be something encouraging as well as a vivid imagination.
I have been trying my hand at some freelancing but it's been a lot of effort. It saddens me to see how little a writer's words are worth be they for blog, article, or essay. But at least where I am now pays a better than where I started at which was doing short pieces of writing for experience only. So I have been trying to do some other writing as well as blogging. Some days it's works and others not so much. I know I've had to cut back on my prompts recently so my blog schedule will be based on how much I have to do each week for freelancing. I'm not earning much of a thing but at least I feel like I'm contributing a bit more and learning new ideas.
I also continue to look for and submit poetry and some short story fiction to some different sites and magazines as well as edit my novel when I'm able to focus on a couple of chapters at a time. If anyone enjoys writing and is interested in being a beta reader for a paranormal romance please let me know. I would appreciate your opinions very much. My book is on Wattpad so you'd have to read it in their, but it has an app and allows a person to comment on each chapter after they've read it. Or you can go to the site on your computer HERE. Just check it out and if you're interested in reading my book, let me know in the comment section below. I appreciate it! 💕❤ My user name is @mandibelle16.
One thing I love about writing is that I am always acquiring more knowledge. Recently, I have been doing more academic writing and I have been relearning citation and rules for academia. At the same time I think about my novel and my other creative writing in the back of my mind, finding distance has given me a better perspective on my plots, characters, and stories.
Also sometimes watching your favourite TV or Netflix programs, reading books, and walking outside in the warmer weather we've been having, makes one feel well and helps me think things through and visit different angles. "Suits" is an excellent and entertaining legal drama if anyone's interested in watching the seasons on Netflix. As I'm going through my own case right now, it drew me in but its characters are witty, charming, and funny except for the character of Louis. But you have to hand it to the actor, he does a superb job of being slimy and repulsing lol.
Additionally, I've also been drawing, working on portraits, and colouring using various mediums. Art very much inspires me so it's been fun to play around with that a while. I'm also working on a few technical glitches with my blog and the WordPress app, trying to figure some of those things out as well. I do want to make some changes to my blog. It's only a matter of sitting down, figuring them out in the little time I have concentration well enough — along with everything else — and then doing those changes. Eventually, I'll figure it out 🙂
As well, I've been working on my health. This year I have tried to learn a more basic healthy recipes and I've researched my health condition a bit more. I'm doing this 5:2 Diet which means five days a week you eat how many calories you would eat for your body and amount you exercise. It's recommended for CFS/ME patients as medication can cause significant gain. As I can do little beyond a small walk now and then and some weight loss yoga, I eat just over sixteen hundred calories a day but of course a woman who exercised more or was just out and about more would eat around two thousand calories or more on a normal day.
On a side note: I so recommend an online subscription to Gaia if you can't make it to yoga classes at the gym always. They have all different levels and lengths of workouts. From beginner to difficult yoga of all types, to Pilates videos, meditation and breathing videos, and short little videos that relieve back or neck pain in around ten minutes which I love. Everyday new videos are added and you there is such an array of options that it is so worth the subscription about $13.00 (in Canadian currency)/month and I think anywhere from about $7.00 to $9.00 US depending on your subscription.
Anyways, two days a week on the 5:2 Diet, you choose which days you eat only 500 calories as a woman and only 600 if you're a man. Once you get into it, it's not so bad and you learn what foods are filling and healthy to eat. I haven't been able to drop to five hundred calories but about to 600 on fast days. I do yoga of twenty to twenty-five minutes for two and sometimes three days a week and I've been able to lose what the diet promises, about a pound a week. So for me after three weeks, three pounds and today was the first time I noticed my clothes fitting better. That's my hope honestly, for my clothing that I own and like a lot, to fit well. Also, to be able to continue purchasing future clothing in regular sizing. (P.S. I have plans for some spring fashion and makeup blogs so we'll see how things go later!!).
Once a person gets to their ideal weight on the 5:2 Diet, they can keep fasting two days a week or drop to one day a week to maintain. Out of all the programs/diets I've tried I love that this is safe weightless and healthy because it's four or five pounds a month and about making choices to eat better and to exercise instead just for a little bit at a time.
You don't receive that instant 'wow factor' as fast-diets promise but I believe this is healthier for you because it takes place over months and is doable for 'life.' If you mess up, choose another day that week to fast and after the first week you honestly are used to the fasts for the two days. Two days are easier than dieting for an entire week all the time.
I didn't think it would work as I had read about it before with caution. However, the plan worked for a family member first who showed my some YouTube videos on it and they were quite convincing. He has lost the weight and maitained his level of exercise. So something to check out if you're interested. I borrowed the book from the library and it's a simple diet to be sure.
Also, I'm afraid my biweekly interview is going to be a day or two late this week as I've got to finish a project first. So apologies there. As for my lack of writing and commenting, I will do as much as I'm able.
So without further ado, here's a poem I wrote a while back. It's comforting but also sad. It's based around, knowing a loved one is facing the end. It's difficult for the person and their loved ones, but at the same time, relief because that person will never feel pain again in Heaven.
Thanks for reading!
" I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing." – 1 Timothy 4:7-8 (NIV)
One last mile, one more Christmas comes to pass,
Praying for ages, memories and lifetimes.
The quicksand buries, but light still yet shines,
A beacon, slowly immersed — death's paid wrath,
We don't know how long the present will last.
Keep wide the door, heaven's gate you'll enter,
All time converges, earth isn't center.
We're a blip, nothing's linear, we're the past;
Before glory, laud, and honour shown,
Is to God, in our eternal rest and home.
Someday you'll go, tears mark your finish line,
But these days you run, pray you're unconfined;
To be free of your burdens, what you dread,
Your time with us not taken — not the end.
You've run the race my friend, endured the course,
And all our memories are so dear, of your face —
Brightly lit, your smile, a fighter's proud grace.
You kept it up, as long as you could, and would —
Have had a runner's chance, enduring pain, stood —
Humbled but kept striding in all you faced.
Every hill with vision, pose, setting your pace;
Life, your race, needed winning; without fear —
Embrace the end engaged; approaching so near,
Throw yourself into battle you've waged,
Never to be a victor, not to be caged;
Instead found eternal rest, your end page,
Last word fin, your Lord called: "Come home dear one."
©Mandibelle16. (2017) All Rights Reserved.


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In the beginning there was the Conference of Major Religious Superiors of Women's Institutes, which was established with the Vatican's blessing in 1959 during an era of rapid growth for Catholic religious orders. Then along came two cultural earthquakes, the Second Vatican Council and the Sexual Revolution. In 1971 the women's conference changed its name -- this time without the Vatican's blessing -- to become the Leadership Conference of Women Religious. Two leaders in this transformation later wrote that the goal was to become a "corporate force for systematic change in Church and society."
The rest is a long story, ultimately leading to a blunt April 18 missive (.pdf) from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. This long-expected Vatican broadside noted "serious doctrinal problems" in LCWR proclamations, characterized by a "diminution of the fundamental Christological center" and the prevalence of "radical feminist themes incompatible with the Catholic faith."
Women's conference leaders offered a terse response, saying they were "stunned by the conclusions of the doctrinal assessment" from Rome.
"Stunned" was the key word for legions of headline writers, whose work resembled this Washington Post offering: "American nuns stunned by Vatican accusation of 'radical feminism,' crackdown." The Chicago Sun-Times went even further, proclaiming: "Vatican waging a war on nuns."
Truth is, tensions have been building for decades between the LCWR leadership and Vatican leaders. Thus, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith missive stressed that its call for reform was built on a lengthy study of materials created by "a particular conference of major superiors and therefore does not intend to offer judgment on the faith and life of Women Religious in the member congregations."
This particular investigation began in 2008 and Catholic leaders first discussed some of its findings two years later. The final "doctrinal assessment" document was completed in January of 2011. Some of the specific events criticized in the Vatican document took place during the 1970s and '80s.
"It certainly didn't help matters" that there has been so much publicity about liberal nuns supporting White House health-care policies and new Health and Human Services regulations that require most religious institutions to include free coverage of all FDA-approved contraceptives in their health-insurance plans, noted John L. Allen, Jr., of the National Catholic Reporter.
Nevertheless, "it doesn't withstand scrutiny for anyone to say that this conflict is about the bishops and Rome being upset about the sisters, Obama and birth control," said Allen, in a telephone interview from Rome. Also, "no one is upset about all the sisters have done to abolish the death penalty, stand up for immigrants, care for the sick and help the poor. Rome praised them for that. ...
"Frankly, his report could have been written 20 years ago. The real issues in this case are that old."
For example, the Vatican noted that in 1977 the LCWR leadership openly rejected Catholic teachings on the "reservation of priestly ordination to men." The women's conference later published a training book suggesting that it's legitimate for sisters to debate whether celebrations of the Mass should be central to events in their communities, since this would require the presence of a male priest. In the '80s, leaders in female orders backed the New Ways Ministry's work to oppose Catholic teachings on homosexuality.
A pivotal moment came in 2007, when Dominican Sister Laurie Brink delivered the keynote address (.pdf) at a national LCWR assembly stating that it was time for some religious orders to enter an era of "sojourning" that for some would require "moving beyond the church, even beyond Jesus."
With the emergence of the women's movement and related forms of spirituality, many sisters would see "the divine within nature" and embrace an "emerging new cosmology" that would feed their souls, said Brink. For these sisters, the "Jesus narrative is not the only or the most important narrative. ... Jesus is not the only son of God."
A year later, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith opened its investigation of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious.
The Brink address, noted the resulting doctrinal assessment, "is a challenge not only to core Catholic beliefs; such a rejection of faith is also a serious source of scandal and is incompatible with religious life. ... Some might see in Sr. Brink's analysis a phenomenological snapshot of religious life today. But pastors of the Church should also see in it a cry for help."


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McCartney addresses Buffs in vintage form
Bill McCartney might be a more frequent visitor to Colorado football team now that his own former player, Jon Embree, is running the show.
McCartney, who retired in 1994, was invited to address the current team before the spring game when he coached an alumni side. Several ex-Buffs were invited to the speech.
McCartney talked to the Buffs about expectations surrounding the program. Recalling how CU teams traditionally dominated the line of scrimmage, in a vintage "Mac-ism" the ex-coach told the team to make your "own line of scrimmages."
It was as if "Coach Mac" never left the Folsom east sideline. He had his game face on, paced the sideline, and carried a notebook.
Although he autographed jerseys for fans before the flag game, McCartney quietly ducked off the field, avoiding any interviews.
Embree has also made a point of reinstituting traditions allowed to lapse under the Dan Hawkins regime. The fired coach covered up a Dal Ward Center wall of gold-painted cinder blocks signifying major wins. Embree is restoring the tradition.
There was also a dedication Saturday honoring linebackers of CU's past. Ex-Buff Barry Remington posed in front of his portrait signifying his school record for tackles.


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Helicobacter pylori is a type of bacteria
that is a major cause of stomach (gastric) and upper small intestine (duodenal)
ulcers. Infection with H. pylori may also increase the
risk of stomach cancer.
H. pylori bacteria can cause ulcers by
growing in the lining of the stomach, producing inflammation and causing the
stomach and intestinal lining to be more easily damaged by stomach acid. But most people
infected with H. pylori do not develop ulcers. An additional factor (such as stress)—one that cannot always be identified—may be
needed to cause an ulcer to form.
H. pylori bacteria can be eliminated by
taking certain antibiotics that are specifically directed at this
Last Revised:
January 4, 2012
Healthwise Staff
Medical Review:
E. Gregory Thompson, MD - Internal Medicine & Jerome B. Simon, MD, FRCPC, FACP - Gastroenterology
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To learn more visit Healthwise.org
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University of Michigan head of research warns Congress against $60B cuts in research funding
University of Michigan's head of research Stephen Forrest is warning Congress against following through on a policy that would drastically reduce federally funded research.
The policy, known as sequestration, is set to go into effect on March 1 and cut federal research funding by $12 billion in 2013 and nearly $60 billion through 2017, according to an estimate by the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
If it goes into effect, sequestration would affect far more than research. Sequestration - a series of automatic U.S. spending cuts - is designed to reduce the mounting federal deficit by cutting defense and domestic discretionary spending by $1.2 trillion.
As part of a deal to avoid the fiscal cliff, Congress pushed sequestration's start date to March 1. It was originally set to begin January, along with the fiscal cliff. Lawmakers in Washington, D.C., are now locked into a debate about whether to avoid sequestration and how.
U-M is heavily dependent on federal research funding. The federal government awarded U-M $825 million in research funds in fiscal 2011-12, amounting to nearly 67 percent of the school's overall $1.24 billion research budget that year. NIH alone contributed $571 million and the NSF contributed $72 million.
File photo | AnnArbor.com
The cutbacks would make federal funding more difficult to receive.
For example, U-M predicts that success rates for U-M grant applications to the National Science Foundation would decrease from 22 percent to 16 percent and for the National Institutes of Health would decrease from 19 percent to 14 percent.
"If Congress cannot find a way to avoid sequestration, the resulting deep, across-the-board cuts in federal support for this innovative research would do permanent damage to our nation's ability to compete," Forrest said in a widely released video.
Forrest asserted that the U.S. will fall behind other countries investing in research. The fallout of the cuts, he said, would not only mean slower growth in research and innovation, but could also have a negative impact on our economy. In a Tuesday briefing, President Obama said sequestration has "already started to affect business decisions."
"We live in a global economy with a growing number of strong international competitors. If we pull back now from investing in our future, we will lose ground that will be difficult if not impossible to retain," Forrest said in the video. "It would be a mistake to try to save our way out of these difficult economic times."
AP photo
Lawmakers are currently in discussions about delaying sequestration again.
"These are decisions that will have real and lasting impacts on the strength of our recovery," Obama said during a Tuesday briefing, calling for a mix of spending cuts and tax reform to replace sequestration. "While it's critical for us to cut wasteful spending, we can't just cut our way to prosperity."
Rep. John Boehner, Speaker of the House of Representatives and a Ohio Republican, has likened the sequester to "taking a meat ax to our government."
In an Oct. 2012 interview, Forrest said U-M was having difficulty preparing for the cuts.
"It would be quite devastating for the entire nation. It would probably send us into a depression if it really came about," Forrest said. "It's very difficult to plan for such deep and sort of broad cuts. It's a rather blunt knife to put to us."
Kellie Woodhouse covers higher education for AnnArbor.com. Reach her at firstname.lastname@example.com or 734-623-4602 and follow her on twitter.
Roger Kuhlman
Mon, Feb 11, 2013 : 10:12 p.m.
All the special interests are out there with their hands out for more and more federal money. No wonder our government has rung up an accumulated federal debt of $16.5 trillion and we have annual federal deficits exceeding $1 trillion. Does anyone think this excessive spending and borrowing of money can continue? What happens when our creditors come around demand payment?
Sat, Feb 9, 2013 : 10:10 p.m.
blue85: Finally intelligence. The individual value adjuster. Say I have a gold ring to sell. The ring has a base energy value. It also has common attribute value - shape size design weight karat etc.. I know some of its history which is information used to further adjust the value. There is an unknown history or value risk and my own personal information or desire affecting the selling offer. The buyer can start with the base energy value and common attribute value. If I give the honest history information then the buyer has to value the risk of the unknown information and their own personal information. Obviously the ring has set energy value and information adjustment. If the sale point is agreed then the differing information is considered "equivalent". A very useful concept. The more open information and truth the less need for schnazzy google-consumer "hunting and marketing". Research and education adds truthful common information to the trade market. Human intelligence modifying value begins with information. For a definition of information see its creator Claude Elwood Shannon. His bust is proudly on display somewhere around North Campus.
Sat, Feb 9, 2013 : 8:59 p.m.
blue85: Energy and its change - sometimes by human activity - determines all economic value. While the Fed with paper dollars may think that it has dominion over the human economy the fact is that it does not. What money does is act as a manipulative bias over an otherwise natural supply and demand exchange trade point. Without being grounded to the real world of energy, that bias has no relative basis other than the gospel whim of a few high bankers trying to control human nature. As some are finding out, controlling energy resource supply has the same effect on heating and cooling growth. And education including intelligence boosting research is important to adding human value. Money should be a neutral, unbiased enumeration reflecting the supply and demand trade point. Nothing else. If the Fed wants to control the economy with money supply then it must be energy-based. Gold-back dollars are adequate. Erg or Watt hour dollars are more exact.
Sat, Feb 9, 2013 : 8:28 p.m.
Blue85: Thankyou for your patient discourse. You are obviously intelligent and well read. Only economists accept economic theory as true gospel. It is incomplete. In fact it is not even science. Here is a science-based economic structure. Put the solar system all by itself out in the middle of nowhere. Since the beginning of its time everything that has happened within the box can be resolved to a matter of energy and its change. Life depends entirely upon that simple relationship. Everything life does including its economic interaction depends upon energy and its change. Without energy and without change of energy there is nothing of recognizable value. Resources are forms of energy. Change in resources are how goods and waste are generated. Entropy results in waste energy. Human production forces more energy resources to become waste sooner. Services including research use resources with brains powered by energy. This synthesis also generates energy waste. The entire economy of life in the solar system consists solely of energy-based products and services. Dwindling energy resources dictate the core value of everything. Energy is the only correct base for a true economy. Money. Gold is a standard form of energy. Intelligent "demand" is the adjusting value for base energy product and service trade.
Fri, Feb 8, 2013 : 10:42 p.m.
LXIX part 6: Here is a reading list for you: 1) any economic textbook written in the last 200 years discussing balance of payments, trade and comparative advantage; 2) any book by John Hull; 3) any accounting pronouncement from a big4 accounting firm; 4) the CFA curriculum; 5) the basic finance text by Bodie and Miller. If you read that collection of works you will realize that roughly 100% of all college educated professionals trained in finance, accounting, and financial mathematics would/will disagree with roughly 100% of your post. I challenge you to read any/all of the above and come back here and continue to maintain your initial assertions.
Fri, Feb 8, 2013 : 10:39 p.m.
LXIX part 5: "Unless China rises to the wage and human rights level of the U.S. - very unlikely - then as in the R&D problem above correcting the D means leaving China as our producer." Where is your regression model for this assertion? Goldman Sachs (hate em or not) says you are dead wrong and has bet the farm on that assertion. Call Goldman up and let them take the long and you can take the short on that view. Good luck to you. "While we can tax some of the profit by way of investors, that is a losing solution." Word salad with no perceptible connectivity to the rest of your argument. I have no idea what it means. Are you suggesting that domestic investors in China who each repatriated profits might be taxed and that that tax is smaller than work which, were it to be done onshore, would yield a higher return? If that is your argument you fail to understand roughly 200 years of economics. "Leaving is easy, but now we also need some more foreign resources to do our own D." Who is leaving what? What is being left by whom and what is the import? Where is the support for the idea that we need imported capital to do research? Where is it written foreign invested capital or foreign direct investment can't yield a profit? If foreign capital comes in and goes out at a stable exchange rate and that capital is taxed while it is on-shore, then under that rigid set of circumstances, our investment is zero, our return is positive in dollars, our return is infinite in rate of return space. So what is your point? "Our biggest competitor is now China. Handout Research is critical to sustainability so an excuse the public supports like "war" usu" Yes, China is, volumetrically among the top three: China, Eurozone, Japan. What is handout research? Where is your study showing that the research is not turned into either dollars or STEM training for our scientists. If we take either on-shore or off-shore handouts to train our people, a
Fri, Feb 8, 2013 : 10:29 p.m.
LXIX part 4: 10) "They are not real value. They are as said a private exchange." This is false on two dimensions, first, they all reduce to dollars and if you don't like dollars you can use dollars to buy gold to hide under your bed with your flat earth manual and photos of Jesus riding dinosaurs. They are not solely a private exchange: Trillions of dollars of these products trade on very public exchanges and are subject to daily mark to market valuations. 11) Unfortunately that exchange creates the imaginary bank value that dictates the world economy. Very bad news and Obama is trying to whittle them down - quietly." We'll agree to disagree over the use of the word "real" but your final point is categorically false: there is no effort to reduce global volumes. There is an effort to put them on exchange and require collateral posting. But since that is dollars and other stuff you consider imaginary, that reform will have to stand until exchanges can figure out where to store the piglets and used Ipods that you think would form a "real" medium of exchange. 12) " In an overpopulated box of limited resources the United States has a great home advantage. China must acquire external resources from others to survive." This is more word salad, I simply don't know where to start because I don't know what it means. Given the US's desire to import and given that 15% of what we like/want/need comes from offshore, we are not in a closed box. You are simply wrong on that score.
Fri, Feb 8, 2013 : 10:23 p.m.
LXIX part 3: 9?) "The banks have no such one-for-one accountability - derivatives are invented "capital" derived from the club Fed's own imaginary money-based instruments (like mortgages). " Yes, it is true that mortgages, derivatives and dollars are all encapsulations of promises to pay. Gold, piglets and unicorns are subject to an appraisal process. That appraisal process is complicated by localization of demand. If supply and demand for unicorns in Kentucky leads to an excess of unicorns, what should be their price in Zurich or Mumbai? Who appraises them? Who ships them? Who stores and insures them? Real stuff is even messier than derivatives. With derivatives the value and the promise to pay and the payment all reduce to a yardstick that is universally agreed on on-shore and equilibrated by trade off-shore. 10) "Until recently the Fed didn't even know how to explain derivatives. " This is utterly and categorically and completely false. The Fed may have offered explanations that you and others didn't like, but they are well understood. There is a 30 year history of continuous time finance which contradicts your statement.
Fri, Feb 8, 2013 : 10:18 p.m.
LXIX part Deux: "5) "Cash is only a small percent of the Fed loan." This is somewhere between false and a distinction without a difference: the Fed distributed zero cash for free, what it did was offer securitized financing; to that extent you could say it was credit. But to the extent that substituted for cash, so what? What was the value on the other side? Was that value marked to market or not (mostly not)? You don't address those issues or offer a usable contrary framework. 6) "GDP today could be worth 1/2 of yesterdays. Not because its real value changed - just the imaginary capital describing its worth. This is a dangling elliptical construction. What event under "could" leads to this effect? What is the impact of on-shore versus off-shore inflation/deflation? What is the impact for an on-shore holder of dollars who doesn't import goods or services? 7) "Forget the Fed dollars. Real goods and services are the only value traded. Future goods and services may have interest (the risk of their unknown)." I have no idea what this means, and I challenge you to show it to any economist, accoutant, or student of Finance and have them grasp its meaning without considerable interpretation. Given my grounding in finance and accounting, this is word salad. 8) "8) If derivatives are sound then they must all have a "real" accountable value backing them." Every derivative has a mark to market value. One party's loss is another parties gain. Value is neither created nor destroyed, it is only transferred from party A to party B. The real value you refer is the core of the accounting principle that I state below. That "real" value is the fiat currency you describe. If you denominate that change relative to a change of numeraire (gold, piglets...) that simply complicates the conversion to a determinable value. If I am a banker and want to raise money in Europe and promise to pay in piglets, how much money will I
Fri, Feb 8, 2013 : 10:11 p.m.
LXIX: pretty impressive, almost everything in your post is either wrong, or doesn't comport with basic finance and accounting. For example: 1) "1, R&D is great - continuous R "giving" without sufficient D return results in debt." Not necessarily: for example, R&D spending assures in-migration of talent. Incremental adds to talent can either generate wealth or end up consuming fewer resources. Your comment is also not an accounting identity because both the government and the average corporation have multiple sources of income and R&D is never matched off as pure expense...under some circumstances it can even be capitilized. 2) "The US is in a growing debt right? More of the same R giving without addressing the D return is irresponsible." Yes, as a general rule of thumb, but you have yet to carry the thesis that R&D expense does not generate marginal wealth, so this is pure assertion, with a possible pure counter assertion, both assertions subject to proof. 3) "Government debt is imaginary "fiat" capital loaned by the Fed. It is not based upon any "real" value thing like gold or energy therefore it floats per whim of the Fed and markets. Value inheres in a promise to pay. Gold has a few intrinsic uses, but has mostly theological value for flat earthers. It has a very finite supply, can be inflated or deflated at the whim of policy and offers no protection from policy. It is generally understand to exacerbate volatility. Currencies are a promise to deliver value. Accounting policy, almost globally, is anchored in the reduction of all other items to cash. The probability of you or any group dissecting that factor out of global accounting is less than nil. 4) "Gold changes because of dollar-based investor whim." Yes, just as does the dollar. What is your point?
Fri, Feb 8, 2013 : 4:25 p.m.
Ok, if you owed $16.6 trillion would you really about cocaine addicted monkys? 1. Study of monkeys using cocaine: $71,623 Wake Forest University was granted money to "study the effects of self-administering cocaine on the glutamate system on monkeys."
Fri, Feb 8, 2013 : 9:54 p.m.
"Ok, if you owed $16.6 trillion would you really about cocaine addicted monkys?" Not if you were a monkey in that trial...nice work if you can get it. But be serious for a minute: 1) this country spends many billions of dollars funding narco-terrorism through its sub rosa exportation of dollars to buy this drug, don't you think it might make just a little bit of sense to study the mechanism of addiction and to look for inhibitors/blockers in order to either drive toward treatments or cures for addiction in order to keep those dollars on shore and out of the hands of terrorists and criminals?; 2) the study of addiction can be ported to addictions to food and alcohol. Don't you think that with a morbidly obese population in the millions that the logic from this study might be ported into the food-addiction domain?; 3) might we not assume that entitlement programs in the health domain might be trimmed if this study points toward the same direction as the other 2 points I've made? Bottom lines: 1) you posted a cheap shot and even a cursory stab at why this might be money well spent can be used to generate a few hypotheticals; 2) As are other posters, you are intensely focused on the expense part of the puzzle without appearing to offer any counterpoise in the form of possible revenue; 3) you can't make revenue with investing money that is an expense. You have to invest capital to generate the probability of compounding capital; 4) while I have no support for the approval process for this study being sound, you haven't offered even one reason why it might be unsound; 5) the amount you cite, at a deficit of $1trn of year (to provide scale, not the actual deficit) is roughly 2 seconds worth of spending...if the entire workforce rolls over and hits the snooze button for 5 minutes, that costs the country $114,000,000 of GDP.
Fri, Feb 8, 2013 : 2:49 p.m.
I once read a story in Rueters, not exactly a right wing organization, that said that 72% of all puplicly funded research was ignored. It was either irrelevant, a duplication of other work and in many cases done to support the publish or perish culture in Universities. Must have cause an uproar in the education establishment, because the article can no longer be found.
Fri, Feb 8, 2013 : 2 p.m.
If Mr Forrest brought $80 million to U of M from liscensing fes, why is that money not being usd to fund his research instead of increaing the federals gov $16.6 trillion debt to pay for the research?
Fri, Feb 8, 2013 : 7:58 p.m.
Because the university spent $1.24 Billion on research. That $80 million number is 6% of that. It's a part of it, but the university is the second largest university research operation in the country (Johns Hopkins is #1). It takes more than licensing fees to support that much scientific, policy and social research.
Fri, Feb 8, 2013 : 12:37 p.m.
Fact is that the US is spending way more than it is taking in. You can not continue this or we will be faced with what Greece is going thru and people rioting because the promises they were made can not be funded. This president seems to want to just continue spending with minor cuts (band aids at best) and it has to make you wonder who balances his families checkbook as he does not seem to get the concept of living within a budget at all. We truely need leaders who are willing to piss off any group needed to get the budget back under control.
Thu, Feb 7, 2013 : 9:18 p.m.
All the conservatives are scrambling to defund everything that made this country great in the first place. Destroy the middle-class, give up our technology advantage, and pillage the environment. So very ignorant and short-sighted.
Unusual Suspect
Thu, Feb 7, 2013 : 11:23 p.m.
"All the conservatives are scrambling to defund everything that made this country great in the first place." You mean like training Chinese prostitutes to drink more responsibly on the job?
Thu, Feb 7, 2013 : 9:05 p.m.
Hmmm........You don't think this guy is worried about keeping his job do you? lol :) U-M is heavily dependent on federal research funding. The federal government awarded U-M $825 million in research funds in fiscal 2011-12, amounting to nearly 67 percent of the school's overall $1.24 billion research budget that year.
Thu, Feb 7, 2013 : 8:54 p.m.
What is funny, is that it was the Presidents idea. This guy is teflon...
Thu, Feb 7, 2013 : 7:19 p.m.
The U.S. can only give away so much money before it is "broke". By any reasonable capital standard, the U.S. is broke. The National Debt is ugly but only spare change when compared to the outstanding $60T liability in empty banker derivatives. Debt driven growth is fine but reality requires a fair payback at some point. Production balance. In a dwindling resource world that return becomes more estranged. Like the creepy hangman, the government is slowly building the stage for a more sustainable economy - after the remaining aloof are notified of course. A back to basics "patriotic" Cold War (China this time) is the easiest and most likely course of action. With so many brilliant people in house, the UofM will most certainly survive (fingers crossed).
Thu, Feb 7, 2013 : 11:45 p.m.
1, R&D is great - continuous R "giving" without sufficient D return results in debt. The US is in a growing debt right? More of the same R giving without addressing the D return is irresponsible. 2. Government debt is imaginary "fiat" capital loaned by the Fed. It is not based upon any "real" value thing like gold or energy therefore it floats per whim of the Fed and markets. Gold changes because of dollar-based investor whim. Cash is only a small percent of the Fed loan. GDP today could be worth 1/2 of yesterdays. Not because its real value changed - just the imaginary capital describing its worth. Forget the Fed dollars. Real goods and services are the only value traded. Future goods and services may have interest (the risk of their unknown). 3. If derivatives are sound then they must all have a "real" accountable value backing them. The banks have no such one-for-one accountability - derivatives are invented "capital" derived from the club Fed's own imaginary money-based instruments (like mortgages). Until recently the Fed didn't even know how to explain derivatives. They are not real value. They are as said a private exchange. Unfortunately that exchange creates the imaginary bank value that dictates the world economy. Very bad news and Obama is trying to whittle them down - quietly. 4. In an overpopulated box of limited resources the United States has a great home advantage. China must acquire external resources from others to survive. Unless China rises to the wage and human rights level of the U.S. - very unlikely - then as in the R&D problem above correcting the D means leaving China as our producer. While we can tax some of the profit by way of investors, that is a losing solution. Leaving is easy, but now we also need some more foreign resources to do our own D. Our biggest competitor is now China. Handout Research is critical to sustainability so an excuse the public supports like "war" usu
Thu, Feb 7, 2013 : 7:45 p.m.
"The U.S. can only give away so much money before it is "broke". Research is not a give away, it is an investment that earns a return. "By any reasonable capital standard, the U.S. is broke." Out of all of the debt issued, the vast majority is owed by the government to US citizens and entities. You haven't used the word "capital" in a meaningful or economically correct sense: Issued debt is a liability that is matched with an asset called cash. That cash is invested via the budget. Some of those investments earn returns. Can you tell us precisely how you measure those returns and whether or not they are positive or negative? "The National Debt is ugly but only spare change when compared to the outstanding $60T liability in empty banker derivatives." This statement is meaningless: 1) a forward contract is struck at zero value, so a multi-billion dollar notional amount actually can settle at zero; 2) contracts that don't settle at zero are one person's asset and another person's liability...such instruments don't either create or destroy value, they just shift the pockets that the wealth sits in. "Debt driven growth is fine but reality requires a fair payback at some point. Production balance. In a dwindling resource world that return becomes more estranged." I can't really determine how this translates into a meaningful point that can be rebutted. "Like the creepy hangman, the government is slowly building the stage for a more sustainable economy - after the remaining aloof are notified of course." This is pretty cryptic stuff. What does it mean in an economic sense? A back to basics "patriotic" Cold War (China this time) is the easiest and most likely course of action. With so many brilliant people in house, the UofM will most certainly survive (fingers crossed).
Thu, Feb 7, 2013 : 7:23 p.m.
or, you know, all the "brilliant" people will leave and go somewhere that actually has funding (another country, or another field such as pharma or biotech)
Thu, Feb 7, 2013 : 7:07 p.m.
ITT: uneducated idiots who think they've got it all figured out.
A Voice of Reason
Thu, Feb 7, 2013 : 6:52 p.m.
With all the technology transfer that the University is doing it should be able to fund its own research. Maybe the professors should not be the owners of the drugs they develop!
Thu, Feb 7, 2013 : 9:58 p.m.
"Do you have a revenue model that shows how stripping inventors of their economic potential will lead to more inventions or inventions of greater value to the U?" - blue85 "That this work has been appreciated is evidenced by the increasing number of fellowships for original research maintained by many private corporations, and by the suggestion and tentative establishment in 1920 of a general Department of Industrial Research maintained through co-operation by the manufacturers of the State with the Faculty of the Engineering College. It is specially stipulated that the results of whatever investigations are made under these auspices are to be made public for the benefit of the people of the State, irrespective of the source of income." - University of Michigan, per Board of Regents. According to the Board of Regents and agreed to by UM faculty and researchers, It seems the citizens of the State of Michigan should be the beneficiaries of their investment. In private industry, whoever puts up the money and supplies the facilities for research owns the results.
Thu, Feb 7, 2013 : 7:38 p.m.
"With all the technology transfer that the University is doing it should be able to fund its own research. Maybe the professors should not be the owners of the drugs they develop!" UM spends $300,000,000 in the research part of the academic enterprise. Licensing has produced OK returns, but not enough to be self-sustaining. Do you have a revenue model that shows how stripping inventors of their economic potential will lead to more inventions or inventions of greater value to the U? As I note in another comment, why do most posters ignore the CORE FUNCTION of the university: teaching and propagating intellectual property in a way that will lead to a trained cadre of teachers, some of whom will make money and some of whom will teach others who teach others. Teaching is the core function of the school. Teaching creates value that will echo into infinity, or at any rate, human infinity. Where is it written that all research needs to be either applied or to produce a direct return on investment? What about the indirect returns, both in the US and globally?
Thu, Feb 7, 2013 : 6:36 p.m.
Last year Mr Forrest made $365,348.45. Enough said!
Thu, Feb 7, 2013 : 7:31 p.m.
No, that is not enough said: 1) you have stated the expense, but what is the revenue?; 2) Forrest has personally done work that has resulted in licensing fees and I don't doubt that there are other scientists at UM under his span who have brought in over $80,000,000 in fees and royalties in the last 10 years; 3) What would his salary be in "alternative use" or in the next best negotiated alternative in either academia or the private sphere?; 4) Is there a human resource out there who could produce more or produce the same and be paid less?; 5) How much of his compensation came from Federal money, and how much from state money or from private money/endowments/foundations? In other words, there are a lot of intelligent questions that you might have asked, but you didn't ask any of them. There are a lot of facts that might have had a bearing on this discussion, but you have only adduced one data point that adds almost nothing to the discussion. If you can show revenue less than expense, or that he is overpaid in some calculable sense, or that he isn't training people, you have the beginnings of a complaint. What most of the threads on this board have totally ignored is that the UM research enterprise, beyond employing thousands of people is also TEACHING the next generation of STEM researchers the thousands of skills they will need to keep America competitive and relevant. If you don't teach incremental skills you won't make incremental moves forward. If you don't move forward, you are ceding the future to someone else and this will be reflected, with increasing speed, into your standard of living. Look at Wikipedia and look at UM's contributions to science. If you are using Google, that is indirectly (via UM grad Larry Page) supporting a company with a $100Bn+ market cap. The genesis of that market cap was partially born at Michigan. That company has generated millions for UM endowment, and if both Larry and Sergei had gone to UM, it might have been billions.
Thu, Feb 7, 2013 : 6:22 p.m.
With the Fed cuts, our withdrawal the Middle East and military cuts, State cuts, donation decline, new corporate stinginess, big pharma outsourcing more of their R&D, and student lending maxed out, maybe the UM and DDA should speed up their density development plans downtown.
Thu, Feb 7, 2013 : 5:57 p.m.
Can't see the forest for the trees, Forest? R&D is best done by companies that make use of it. All the UofM contributions are going overseas for use by governments and companies who do not or could care any less for US patent rights and claims. I have direct experience with this problem. Forest's claims are just self serving. Maybe he should take a pay cut or have his job eliminated by the R&D results that show managers are too far behind in the R&D timeline. Actually, his job could be done by a neural network running on a cloud bot farm.
Thu, Feb 7, 2013 : 8:44 p.m.
Unfortunately, companies do not fund fundamental research. No finance department will ever sign off on a project unless it has a reasonable demonstrable positive NPV. They are in business to increase value, not gamble on research. There is a misconception that companies that participate in fundamental research do so with their own money but it is not true. They compete for the exact same federal dollars that universities do. Bell labs, for example, was responsible for a lot of fundamental research which led to amazing discoveries for about 60 years but they did that research primarily with federal funding, mainly from the DOD. Look at the financial statements of virtually any company that you think does fundamental research and you will find federal grants as a significant source of revenue for research. Drug companies get money from NIH, engineering and technology firms from NSF and DOD.
Thu, Feb 7, 2013 : 7:19 p.m.
"Can't see the forest for the trees, Forest? R&D is best done by companies that make use of it." Where is the support for the thesis that pure research is the same as applied research, or that pure research never ports into applied, or that UM does not move pure into applied? Feel free to adduce a citation. "All the UofM contributions are going overseas for use by governments and companies who do not or could care any less for US patent rights and claims. I have direct experience with this problem." You may have experience in this domain, but you must support the assertion. Further, the word "all" is usually a "fail" on the SAT. UM produces spinouts; those spinouts either reside in MI, or migrate to CA or MA but remain on shore. In the Michigan almanac: a large portion of the PH.Ds trained at UM stay on shore, some continue to reside in Michigan. "Forest's claims are just self serving. Maybe he should take a pay cut or have his job eliminated by the R&D results that show managers are too far behind in the R&D timeline." Pure research always precedes application, the above is a vacuous tautology. As noted above, Forrewst has a lot of options and his motivations are probably complex. I'm sure he wants his job, but in his hierarchy of needs that is probably a third or fourth order consideration. "Actually, his job could be done by a neural network running on a cloud bot farm." This is the sentence sounds cool, but of a sort that is generally devoid of content/reality when applied. A neural network has to be given a training set, a neural net may or may not find a global optimum, a neural net for a task like this already exists: it is called the human brain. There are thousands of researchers and fellows at UM. Given that there is no neural net to even solve advanced vision problems (there is UM research on this point) creation of net to replicate the thousands of workers is a non-starter. You potshot h
John of Saline
Thu, Feb 7, 2013 : 5:43 p.m.
Fix the broken entitlements system and we'll have the cash to do research like this, as we should. But every time a fix is proposed, no matter how minor, one party starts running ads showing old ladies in wheelchairs being thrown over cliffs.
Thu, Feb 7, 2013 : 7:35 p.m.
Do you know what an entitlement is John?
John of Saline
Thu, Feb 7, 2013 : 6:54 p.m.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OGnE83A1Z4U Enjoy.
Thu, Feb 7, 2013 : 6:29 p.m.
I havent seen an old lady go off a cliff since Thelma and Louise. Let us know if you see those commercials and where to find them.
Thu, Feb 7, 2013 : 5:38 p.m.
The cash cow is ailing and in danger of dying huh?
Unusual Suspect
Thu, Feb 7, 2013 : 5:24 p.m.
Stephen, the party you keep donating to has not produced a budget in years. Perhaps it's time to stop supporting them. You're not getting any return on your investment.
Thu, Feb 7, 2013 : 5:22 p.m.
Sacred cows everywhere. Cut the entire federal budget 2%.
Thu, Feb 7, 2013 : 7:50 p.m.
blue85- I have a tremendous sense of values/morals/ethics. I also have a keen sense of political reality. When we've accomplished at least cutting everything by a small amount, I'll entrust our leaders - newly minted with backbones - the leeway to make more specific cuts and other spending decisions.
Thu, Feb 7, 2013 : 7:04 p.m.
If you have no sense of values/morals/ethics, then an arbitrary measure probably seems like a very intelligent solution. If every national priority has the same value to the entire population, than this would be an intelligent solution. If values differ, if priorities differ, if returns on investment differ, this is the converse of an intelligent solution. If you are intellectually or emotionally lazy, then not thinking and making a 1-dimensional decision, this is the way to go. If you have no priorities and no vision for the future, this is the way to go. If you don't want to intelligently discuss a complex solution with a variety of outcomes which may result in a variety of different paths for the future, you offer excellent advice. I, for my part, want legislators who actually think about future outcomes and the relative inputs to get there and who will actually strive to govern amidst the complexity, not to cop out and do the gutless thing, the thing that is tantamount to making no decisions.
Superior Twp voter
Thu, Feb 7, 2013 : 5:18 p.m.
This is the result of Democrats having no budget for years (with no budget proposed for the future), Obama's repeated stimulus/Q.E. and redistribution of wealth, Obama's tax and spend policies, Obama's war on capitalism and our constitution, and Democrats stealing from future generations.
Thu, Feb 7, 2013 : 5:15 p.m.
Perhaps Mr Forrest is just looking out for his "backside". If the Federal revenue stream is pulled back, then perhaps this self serving person will be out of a job!
Thu, Feb 7, 2013 : 9:36 p.m.
Blue - How noble! Bottom line is that any business (and I use that word lightly) that is DEPENDENT on FEDERAL dollars to survive is walking on thin ice. Liberals have a funny way of always stating "Federal dollars" when in reality it is "taxpayer dolloars". Call a spade a spade. If this guy was the next coming of Jesus, he would be working at some top Pharma comany making 3 times what he is. Bottom line is that if the gravy train ends, so does his job and probably a dozen or so others.
Thu, Feb 7, 2013 : 6:59 p.m.
As I note above, Forrest has a few hundred patents and is, by the standard of industry, pretty underpaid. People usually take compensation cuts for a variety of reasons (e.g., stability/certainty) but some people actually want to serve the public. Some people actually want to teach. To some people, it is NOT all about money. If you, that is you JBK, think only/mostly about money, or if money is your highest priority and you are projecting your values onto Dr. Forrest, you are missing the obvious: 1) for intelligent/valuable people like Forrest, his choices are to retire or to go private and make real money; 2) threat of a job loss is probably less of a motivator than protecting his people and the institution. There are a lot of values at play here and your appraisal/guess/hypothesis is a grotesque simplification.
Thu, Feb 7, 2013 : 4:45 p.m.
This is the result of misguided Republicans who are intransigent, selfish and, in many instances, ignorant.
A Voice of Reason
Thu, Feb 7, 2013 : 6:56 p.m.
I think we are going broke and it is more important to feed and house people than to find out the reason why Mary Ingalls in "Little House in the Prairie" went blind. Glad you are not running the country--sorry you are loosing my redistributed tax money for your science experiment that has not commercial value.
Thu, Feb 7, 2013 : 6:34 p.m.
It's both parties fault...and the voting public's fault since we keep re-electing them.
Thu, Feb 7, 2013 : 4:38 p.m.
Knowing the commenters on this site, they're all going to say "yeah, I don't want my tax dollars funding those scientists," but keep in mind that these are the people studying birth defects, cancer, aging, genetic diseases, etc. They're the people who create drugs and meds that you've probably taken, and cancer treatments that one of your loved ones might have benefited from. The proposed cuts will kill the sciences, and are just one more thing that will put America behind countries in Europe and Asia where they actually value intellect.
Thu, Feb 7, 2013 : 9:19 p.m.
Read the rest of the comments. "sacred cows" "cash cows" and inferences that he gets his money only because of political donations. Those are the people he has to yell to get above. Logica and reason are not a winning formula in modern economic politics.
Thu, Feb 7, 2013 : 9:17 p.m.
Actually, blue85, I do understand everything that is on the back of a ketchup bottle as i have a couple chemistry classes under my belt and an advanced degree...but thanks for taking the easy route trying to paint me as intellectually vapid as you are.. Problem is, the majority of people are like you and do not understand. And, at least per the school, he makes $325k a year. And i would imagine that will be brought up when the GOP talks about his statement and they paint him as a bureaucrat protecting his funding so he can keep his job. His statement contains a good deal of information. But it needs more specifics. State specific advances, state specific goals. And a little dog and pony never hurt. We live in a world where the loudest is usually the most heard. So a statement like this will either be disregarded, no matter his excellent qualifications, or painted as a guy just protecting his own butt. I am 100% in support of continuing the funding for his research. I actually think he is underfunded. But this is simply not the right way to ask for more.
Thu, Feb 7, 2013 : 6:55 p.m.
"What we really need to stop doing is having the guy who is making a couple hundred k a year producing things that most people cannot understand or fathom telling us he needs more money. All this accomplishes is it makes him look greedy and makes the ignorant masses rebel against the good research they are actually doing that helps them" Take a look at a ketchup bottle and the list of ingredients. I bet, statistical guess, that you don't understand organic chemistry, but I bet you like ketchup and similar products. Do you understand ketchup? Probably not, but does it taste good? How does the person building or improving ketchup look greedy? Because (S)he wants to improve the world but doesn't have the capital? "Maybe next time have someone who was saved by the research done make the plea instead of a wealthy bureaucrat. Information alone is no longer enough to get the masses to follow along. You now need a dog and pony show." Forrest is not a wealthy bureaucrat, beyond leading the research effort, he is a guy with a few hundred patents. Some of those patents relate to things like the display on your computer. As to your last two sentences, you assume that the dog and pony show doesn't contain information? What is your point?
Thu, Feb 7, 2013 : 6:33 p.m.
What we really need to stop doing is having the guy who is making a couple hundred k a year producing things that most people cannot understand or fathom telling us he needs more money. All this accomplishes is it makes him look greedy and makes the ignorant masses rebel against the good research they are actually doing that helps them Maybe next time have someone who was saved by the research done make the plea instead of a wealthy bureaucrat. Information alone is no longer enough to get the masses to follow along. You now need a dog and pony show.
Dog Guy
Thu, Feb 7, 2013 : 4:04 p.m.
The American Association for the Advancement of Science protests proposed cuts in its welfare payments with good grammar and wearing clean suits and lab coats.
Thu, Feb 7, 2013 : 4:42 p.m.
You do not get the message, do you? There is nothing amusing about the situation.


text:
Celeste Holm (1917–2012)
STARmeterSEE RANK
Up 2,303 this week
Celeste Holm was an only child, born into a home where her mother was a painter and her father worked in insurance. She would study acting at the University of Chicago and make her stage debut in 1936. Her Broadway debut came when she was 19. She appeared in many successful plays, including "The Women", "Oklahoma!" and "Bloomer Girl". It was in ... See full bio »
Died:(age 95) in Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA


text:
Our growing family of four is always up for an adventure, and recently we began mulling over this idea of a bicycle-train-camping expedition. Unsure if we'd be getting in over our heads, we decided to jump anyway. We gleefully reserved our campsite at Doheny State Beach and booked Amtrak tickets to San Juan Capistrano.
Getting there: bike, trolley, Amtrak
Waking up early, we stacked our bicycles high with camping gear and snacks to hold the kids over until we made it to San Juan for lunch. Doheny has a grocery store close and is accessible by bike, and in this particular case my sister was meeting up with us via car so we gave her the main grocery list.
The ride to the closest trolley stop was drizzly and gray, but our campsite was booked and we decided to go through with it regardless of the weather. Thankfully, our San Diego–bred children did not see this as a negative point. Our plan was to take the trolley to the Santa Fe Depot downtown, then transfer to a northbound Amtrak train.
Bicycles are welcome and free on the trolley and Amtrak trains, but you must make an advance reservation on the Amtrak to secure one of the eight available spots. Try not to travel during rush hour – everything gets congested and it's just easier to maneuver bicycles onto public transit without extra bodies in the way.
Catching and disembarking the train at the Santa Fe depot turned out to be a good option, unintentionally. It's the end of the line and affords travelers more of a window to comfortably load and unload gear. A nice Amtrak worker helped us board, then pointed us in the direction of the Velcro straps to tie everything down. We loaded up our bikes and grabbed our seats to enjoy the short one-hour jaunt up to San Juan.
San Juan Capistrano
San Juan is a cute little town with a great coffee shop called Hidden House that roasts their own beans. Mouth-watering aromas waft through the streets of the historic town, beckoning day-trippers in for a fresh cup. Try their bacon bagel bomb, or whatever it's called; you can't miss it, and it's delicious.
The San Juan Creek Trail is directly west of this house, just past Zoomars Petting Zoo. The trail is currently under construction, but bright orange signs lead the way to an easy detour for part of the trail.
It's an easy, flat 3.7-mile ride directly into Doheny campground, which we arrived at shortly. A fortunate recommendation from a local led us to Jon's Fish Market for lunch, where piping hot, tasty fish and chips were promptly served. It was a little on the pricey side, but from our observations seemed to be one of the more affordable places around. Expect to spend $12 for a fish and chips platter, with kid's corndogs available for just a couple of bucks.
Doheny Beach camping and exploring
The campsites at Doheny State Beach are minuscule. Our daughters are more accustomed to the pine trees and rambling chaparral that tend to overrun Southern California's mountain campgrounds, and our youngest daughter promptly began a tirade about how tiny and bare it was. This, of course, was imminently forgotten when we walked over the berm a few yards away and onto the sprawling white beach. The campground does offer a few beachfront sites that are literally on the sand and come with your own personal bonfire pit; they looked to be well worth the extra $30 per night.
Veggie dogs over the fire were our dinner that first night. It rained on us, and the kids danced and played in the rain while eating wet 'dogs as we adults huddled under the beach umbrella. That first night we all went to bed wet and unsure of what the following day would bring. We had no plans and only hoped that the weather would get better so we wouldn't have to ride home in the rain.
Waking up to a beautiful blue sky that following morning was an unexpected and welcome blessing. After enjoying the sun and some beach time, we rode our bikes about a mile to check out the tidepools at The Ocean Institute. The Institute itself is closed to the public during the week, but the tidepools located directly behind the Institute are open all the time, with docents readily available to help answer questions. They also randomly have guided walking tours for $2 each when they are publicly closed, which we happened to time right. These tours last about an hour and you essentially get to walk through the entire Institute with your own private docent. It was a gorgeous spot, well worth the short trip and time spent on the tour.
That night we made pizza over the campfire and went to bed early, sleeping blissfully with heads full of campfire dreams. The morning came earlier still, as it tends to do on camping trips. We wandered over to the beach with our coffee and sand toys for one last stretch before breaking down camp and loading it back onto our bicycles.
Getting back
The short journey back to San Juan was slow and lovely, and we left time to wander around the historic town. For lunch, we checked out El Campeon based on another recommendation and enjoyed some legitimate Mexican food for a good price. Side note: always talk to local folks when you're trying to figure out a place to eat; they know more than the guidebooks.
Our train ran late and had we planned it better, we would have left time check out the San Juan Mission. Next time.
We arrived back in San Diego during rush hour, which we had purposely tried to avoid. Sure enough, the trolley police almost kicked us off for taking up too much room with a big bike trailer. Smooth talking, along with our wide-eyed children, ultimately bought us a pass and eventually we made it back home only slightly harassed. All in all, it was a wonderful trip, and we hope to do a bigger train bikeventure in the future.
Miles: approximately 12.5 via bike, 156.5 via Amtrak and trolley.
Money spent: $152 for Amtrak and trolley, $35 for shared campsite, $50 for groceries, $49 for eating out, $8 for Ocean Institute, $7 for firewood = $301 for three days and two nights of quality family fun.
More from SDReader
- More stories by Kimberly Blough
- This week's mailbag — Sept. 28, 2016
- One night, one bag, one bike: Gaslamp to Sweetwater camping — March 6, 2016
- Car-less in Mission Bay — April 10, 2015
- Local travel: the Bayshore Bikeway — Feb. 3, 2014
- Bike rider crashes at Santa Fe Depot — Oct. 28, 2013
I love this article. Something I never would have thought doing. Tell us more about "campfire pizza" How do you do that.
Hey, there! Thanks =) It was fun. Campfire pizza was an experiment that actually came out fantastic! I wanted to do an entire blog on it, but broke my phone and lost my step-by-step pics. Basically, we took flour, sugar, a pinch of salt and yeast for pizza dough (you can pre-measure and pack it in a Ziploc,) and once we were there we mixed in the appropriate ratio of water and oil and kneaded it until it was stretchy. We left it in the back of my sister's car where it was nice and warm while we went on our ride to the Ocean Institute and when we got back it had like tripled in size. Perfect for making pizza! We separated it into smaller portions, then started the fire while it sat for a quick second rise. You have to have one of those firepits with a grill over it, like most campsites come with. Once the fire is going, lower the grill and make sure the logs are distributed semi-evenly. Stretch the dough to the right shape, throw it on the grill and cook it until it bubbles and sets, maybe 3 minutes. Promptly pull it off, flip it over and put sauce and toppings on the grilled side. Throw the pizza back on the grate (the side that hasn't been grilled should now be facing the fire) and cook until the cheese melts, just another few minutes.
The pizza was incredible! We saved the last dough and covered it with peanut butter, banana slices and broken chocolate for a dessert pizza. Damn, I wish I still had those pics =) Try it! You won't be disappointed. Thanks for reading!
we've decided to STOP going to doheny after a few trips there for two reasons: there is always a copious amount of trash in the water, and the tidal surge there is strong and often dangerous for children under age 10. there are other great places to camp at the beach (even closer to home, like san onofre, or further up the coast at el capitan near santa barbara, montana de oro near cal ploy SLO, or in big sur) that make doheny less of an attractive option.


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Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Chilly night and a yummy meal
Its been raining for days, and the wind is chilly. Last night we got our wood stove up and running. It was really nice to sit on the couch and feel the house warm up. Leeluu loves getting the fire going with her dad, its pretty cute. They go outside and chop wood and then bring it in and declare themselves "fire buddies", while they get it going.
I make a rice bowl meal once a week. I really like brown rice and the veggies are basically all raw (except I steam up some broccoli). There are a bunch of good restaurants that make rice bowls but we live SO far away that I recreated my own.
The key to a good rice bowl is a good sauce! Sometimes I make a peanut sauce, and other times I make a tahini sauce ( I add a garlic clove and some miso) I really like the reFresh cookbook tahini sauce too!
Basically for a rice bowl you need to cook up a pot of rice, shred up your favorite veggies. Make a sauce and sprinkle seeds and nuts on, add tofu or tempeh if you like. Really easy and super yummy!
4 comments:
nothing says comfort like a good rice bowl - and fireside too? so cozy!ReplyDelete
Mmmmm, bowls with a good sauce are perfect for cozy night by the fire. Tahini and peanut are my favorites. I have great memories of helping my Dad build fires when I was young. The pleasures of Fall :)ReplyDelete
You had me at rice bowl!ReplyDelete
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End of Liberator Milestone reached
Posted: Sat May 05, 2012 2:29 am
http://site.swgemu.com/forums/content.p ... ne-reached
End of Liberator Milestone finally reached
Its been more than a month since we announced End Of Liberator Milestone, and today we are proud to announce that on the 13th of May 2012 Liberator will be taken offline one last time. It will be wiped and preparations for the launch of the new Alpha server will begin. Launch of the new Test-Play Alpha server is expected mid June.
What exactly does this mean?
It means that that we have less than two weeks left before we wipe Liberator and begin a month of stress testing on TC: Nova. During this month of stress testing there will be only one server online, TC: Nova.
After we wipe Liberator it is time for some seriously massive stress testing on TC: Nova. During that time we hope that all major stability issues, bugs and exploits will be found and fixed. Like we said before, this is a crucial period for the OR code and for this project as a whole, everything done so far will need to be tested during that time. To reduce the likelihood of future Alpha wipes, it is imperative that everyone does their best to help the Developers find and fix as many bugs, exploits and stability issues as possible. If major of issues are not discovered during the stress test then more wipes of the new Alpha server might be necessary.
How can we help?
The Development Team, will need YOUR help on TC: Nova to test the current OR code. Please logon to TC: Nova, pick a part of the game you are familiar with and start testing and submitting bug reports. Everything and anything implemented needs to be tested and retested. If you are not sure what you should do or you want to participate in a more coordinated and focused testing effort then please join our QA and Dev team in our IRC #openqa channel. If you are unsure where or how to submit a bug report, please check our "How to report bugs on Bug Tracker (Mantis)" guide.
Month of stress testing is over, what then?
New Alpha play-test server will be launched. This will mark the beginning of SWGEmu Alpha Testing stage.
Please be aware that even after the new Alpha server is launched some major fixes and additions to the code may require database wipes. We will do our best to keep database wipes to a minimum, whenever possible we will try to save your character data. We will give advance notice of an upcoming DB wipe. Always keep in mind that this project is still in Alpha Testing and that even though we can clearly see the light at the end of the tunnel, we still have a long way to go before we are ready to release 1.0 to the public so permanent play servers can be created.


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Working with an Interior Designer
Last updated in November 2016
If the job of decorating your home—not only with furniture but with floor and wall coverings, artwork, and other elements—seems too big for your available time, know-how, or artistic talent; if you want the benefit of someone else's ideas; or if you want access to furniture choices available through wholesale showrooms not open to the public; consider using an interior designer.
You can use a designer employed by a store or hire an independent designer. You can hire a designer for the whole job, from developing a design concept to purchasing and supervising installation of the furnishings. Or you can hire one for a two- or three-hour consultation to provide new ideas and perspectives. But even if you hire a designer for the full job, you can remain thoroughly involved. You'll need to meet with the designer regularly to review plans, fabric samples, proposed furniture pieces, and other design elements.
The cost of hiring a fully trained independent designer to redo a living room (including furniture plus design fee) is typically more than $20,000. But it can cost considerably more or considerably less depending on the room size, quantity and quality of items purchased, and the designer's fee structure. Although some independent designers won't accept clients who aren't prepared to spend in this range, others are willing to work with much more limited budgets, and most understand that you might want a plan now and spread out actual purchases over many months.
Although some store-based designers offer limited service, some provide fairly extensive services, including drawing floor plans, advising on color, and ordering furniture. Different stores' design departments use different payment formulas. At some stores you pay a small design fee, which is returned in full if furniture purchases exceed a certain dollar amount. You purchase items through the designer at the store's current prices, including sale prices. Other stores' design departments may charge on a per-hour basis—or charge a flat fee for a consultation and additional hourly fees for other tasks, such as writing up purchase specifications. Stores may waive the fee if your purchase is large enough. Since arrangements vary so widely, check with stores to find what services they offer and how they charge.
On our Ratings Tables for furniture stores, we report which stores told us they offer in-home design services. You can get customer reviews of individual designers and design companies here.
Independent designers also charge according to a variety of formulas. A few charge no explicit fee but retain the difference between the discounted price they pay for your furnishings and the "retail" price—typically double what the designer pays. More commonly, designers charge a flat fee or hourly fee, and may also add a markup to the items purchased.
Because the client pays one way or another, we favor an arrangement in which all or most of the designer's compensation is based on a flat fee or hourly rate. Such arrangements make the cost explicit, don't incentivize designers to encourage you to spend more than necessary, and avoid the tension that can arise if you spend less than the designer anticipated.
Despite the discounts available to designers, buying through a designer means you will probably spend more than if you bought the same products on your own at one of the area's best-priced stores—even if the designer charges on a fee basis and passes along his or her discount.
To get the most for your money from a designer, choose the person carefully. Start by soliciting recommendations from friends whose taste you admire, or from homeowners whose furnishings you admire when you take house tours.
You can also receive referrals from the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID). ASID membership is a meaningful credential. Full "Professional Members" must complete an exam that lasts more than 10 hours and includes both written and practical components. Before taking the exam, a designer must meet specified standards. For example, one basis for eligibility is completion of a four- or five-year college degree program with a major in interior design plus two years of experience.
Meet with any designer you are considering. Talk about your lifestyle, needs, and tastes. If you don't feel comfortable enough with the designer to talk about budget limitations and occasionally reject his or her suggestions, then this is not the person for you. Ask to see samples of the designer's work—either photographs or, better still, the homes themselves.
Be specific about your total budget and discuss the designer's fees. It's reasonable to negotiate fees.
Finally, compose a letter of agreement spelling out your understanding of the specific services the designer will perform (which rooms will be furnished, whether shopping is included, and whether tradespeople will be supervised), how fees will be calculated, and whether the designer will retain any portion of the actual price paid for purchased items.


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625 Bodwell Street Ext Avon, Ma. 02322 USA
Ruby Wines is a family owned and operated fourth generation company. Our mission is to supply superior customer service and top rated products to our growing list of customers in Massachusetts. Although we have a comprehensive portfolio of wines from around the world, our greatest asset is our employees. The Ruby Wines team is highly educated and can guarantee you the best service in the field. Thank you for choosing Ruby Wines - four generations of success!
Ruby Wines distributes to Massachusetts businesses with a valid liquor license.


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It probably can't quite compete with all the memories they have of landing on the moon, but the second best souvenir the Apollo 11 astronauts have of their adventure has to be this solid gold model of the Lunar Module given to them by Cartier on their return.
According to Cool Hunting; Michael Collins, Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong travelled to Paris as part of many celebrations held in their honour, where they were presented with these intricate — and incredibly valuable — models to commemorate their achievement. And buried inside each lander was a small piece of microfilm from the French paper Le Figaro listing the names of people who donated money to have their names included. Weird.
Today two of the gold models remain in private collections, but the third is back in Cartier's possession and will actually be on display at The Forbes Galleries in New York City starting on March 16 as part of its "Out of this World! Jewelry in the Space Age" exhibition. They might not get you to the moon, but they'll certainly send you over it. [Cool Hunting]


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I like my legs.
My hair is too straight; my nose is too crooked. My bottom teeth are crooked too. My boobs are big and I wish they were small, I discover a new mole everyday, and I can't eat half-a-cracker without my stomach blowing up. Oh, and my toes are pretty weird. Let's not even mention the rear side of things.
But I do like my legs.
As a female, I'm cursed with abiding self-dissatisfaction. But it wasn't always like this. In high school, I was immune to calories. My friends and I frequented a Japanese steakhouse – the kind of restaurant that piles your plate with heaping mounds of rice and soy-sauce-drenched veggies and your meat of choice – the kind of meal no sane person attempts to conquer (they called it "the Kyoto Challenge"). Please. I prevailed every time. If "current me" came face-to-face with "scrawny-high-school-version of me" gleefully downing platefuls, I'd throw some dirty looks my way.
My speedy metabolism started wearing out around the time I left for college. Soon enough, I was making that old custom known as the freshman 15 proud. But I enjoyed my easy, breezy food philosophy so much, I didn't feel like adapting. So I continued to eat whatever I wanted, gained weight, and didn't really care.
It wasn't until after college, when I started adopting healthier habits and dropping pounds, that I became self-conscious about my weight. But why? I'm in better shape than I was then, but it's only now that I allow those weight demons into my mind to prey on me. I say "I feel fat" more than I like to admit. But I'm not fat.
And I'm not alone. My friends are so pretty! In my opinion, they never need to worry about their weight, skin, or bad hair days. But they do, just like I do. Recently, my friend Anna (who is a total fox!) told me she thought I was pretty. I was shocked. We lived together for four years in college, simultaneously thinking the other one was pretty, and just never really mentioned it. I guess I always assumed she knew I thought it. Maybe we girls – who know what it feels like to knock on our own appearances – should compliment each other more often.
More importantly, maybe we should start complimenting ourselves.
I like my legs. What do you like about yourself?