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Events for New Members or First-Timers
Three discussion groups that a first time attendee should visit?
What are the best social events?
When and where are poster sessions?
DDR at the TechSource Booth!
Exhibit Floor
Stop by booth 1713, the ultra-cool ALA TechSource booth of Library Technology Reports, Smart Libraries Newletter, and The TS Blog fame, to relax a little and try your
hand feet at some Dance Dance Revolution! Dance against your friends, your enemies, or ALA staff - it's your chance to be famous, and there might even be some prizes!
Friday, January 19th
Government Documents Roundtable (GODORT) Happy Hour
6:00 - 7:30PM Roosevelt Hotel
The GODORT happy hour is a time for GODORT members to mingle and for those interested in government documents to find out what we're up to. To find out more about GODORT, please see the GODORT home page. See you there!
Saturday, Jan 20th
NMRT Orientation - (New Members Round Table)
8:00-10:00 a.m., WEST Grand BR I
Are you attending ALA for the first time and wondering what to do and see and what it's all about? Come to the NMRT Orientation program for introductions to ALA-APA, the conference and Seattle. Hear the presidents of ALA and NMRT talk about the organizations. Learn about the various divisions of ALA from their representatives. Get literature about ALA and NMRT divisions, roundtables and committees. Meet other new conference goers and have some fun!
LSSIRT (Library Support Staff Interests Round Table) Membership and Business Meeting
8 a.m. - 12:30 p.m., place to be announced later.
Want to hear the latest news about LSSIRT? All ALA conference attendees are welcome to attend this OPEN meeting. We'd love to see you there.
Link to LSSIRT upcoming meetings page
ACRL Instruction Section's Welcome and Orientation in Seattle!
Saturday, Jan. 20, 2007
W Seattle Hotel
Great Room 2
The IS Welcome and Orientation is offered to new and continuing members. Join us Saturday morning and learn more about IS committees and task forces, explore new opportunities within IS, and discover ways you can get involved with the section.
Link to ACRL Instruction Section homepage
We hope to see you there!
ALCTS Volunteer Forum - (Association for Library Collections & Technical Services)
10:30am-12:00pm, location TBA
Leaders, creative thinkers, team players, problem solvers ... ALCTS volunteers are these and so much more! If you want to grow professionally and network with colleagues focussed on the critical issues facing librarianship, plan to attend the fourth annual ALCTS Volunteer Forum. Sponsored by the ALCTS Leadership Development Committee, the forum will be held on Saturday, January 20, 10:30am-12:00pm, during the ALA Midwinter Meeting in Seattle. This is your chance to hear about the committee appointment process and opportunities for involvement from the division appointing officers. The presenters include the ALCTS President and President-Elect and the Chairs-Elect of the Acquisitions, Cataloging and Classification, Collection Management and Development, Preservation and Reformatting, and Serials Sections and the Council of Regional Groups as well as the ANO Editor. The volunteer application is available online at http://www.ala.org/ala/alcts/alctsmanual/alctsforms/volunteerform.htm.
RUSA Volunteer Forum - (Reference and User Services Association)
4:00-6:00 p.m., location TBA
Want to get involved in the Reference and User Services Association? Stop by the RUSA Volunteer Forum and meet current officers. They'll take the mystery out of the appointment process, and tell you all you want to know about the activities and committees that make up this great division! Refreshments will be served.
NMRT Social - (New Members Round Table)
6:00-8:30pm at the Elephant & Castle Pub
1415 Fifth Avenue (5th & Union, less than three blocks from the convention center)
Food, freebies, and fun! Your NMRT hosts will provide appealing appetizers, dazzling door prizes, and clever conversation. Join us on Saturday evening!
Questions? Contact heidi [dot] dolamore [at] gmail [dot] com
Elephant & Castle: http://www.elephantcastle.com/content/locations/seattle
location map: http://tinyurl.com/yxxu6f
6:30 - 8:30 p.m. (Saturday)
Library Support Staff Meet & Greet
WALE (Washington Asssociation of Library Employees)/LSSIRT (Library Support Staff Interests Round Table)
Boat House at the Center for Wooden Boats, on Lake Union (approx. a mile from the Convention Center)
Food, Networking, Door Prizes -- $25 per person
More event details and registration here
Sunday, Jan. 21st
Teen Gaming Discussion Group meeting
W Hotel Seattle, 1112 Fourth Avenue
Studio 8
Saturday, January 20, 1:30pm-3:30pm
Monday, Jan. 22nd
AASL/ALSC/YALSA Jndoint Membership Reception, from 6 to 7:30 at the Red Lion Hotel in the Emarld Ballroom. A great netwokring opportunity for librarians who serve youth.


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I am building a web app that manipulates fairly complex data: guitar tabs.
As a reference, guitar tabs look like this:
Would it be more efficient for performance to store this data as a large chunk, or to break it up and store it on a "note by note" basis?
As a use case:
User changes first chord from: to:
Eb|--- Eb|---
Bb|--- Bb|---
Gb|--5 Gb|--4
Db|--5 Db|--4
Ab|--3 Ab|--2
Eb|--- Eb|---
If I store it as a block, the code to manipulate the tabs would have to be much more complex. If I store it note by note, the database will have to be accessed a lot more. Which method is more efficient? Potentially, a lot of users will be modifying the data. I want the best performing web app. I will be using MySQL if that affects the answer at all.

subset: commoncrawl


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More Legal Advice from Hutson & Harris
A few days ago, I got on my soapbox about the edible laws in Texas. Actually, I let a few musically talented attorneys do most of the talking. I thought I would share some more of their wisdom today… trust me, just shut up and listen.
Shut Up
Thanks for listeing. If you enjoyed the video, you may wish to subscribe to the singing lawyers on YouTube.


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Cool stuff
Hello! I'm Ahoy!
About me
- Height: 90 cm
- Width: 130 cm
- Likes: Pirates, sailing, swimming, boats and the sea.
- My name is Ahoy, and I was named by Sophie, aged 6.
I have six brothers and sisters and we have come, from a far away land to visit the museums of Liverpool. I am going to visit the Merseyside Maritime Museum.
Where we come from, we don't have names that you can make sense of. They sound like beeps and blips to you. So, Sophie helped me out with a name that you can say - "Ahoy"! It sounds really weird to me, but I'm told it's a seaworthy name if I go on any maritime adventures.
Vote for me as your favourite blob!


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Sept. 15, 2002
The team played well today. We definitely had a great start today. I was very impressed with our aggressiveness and intensity and focus at the beginning of the game. I was really happy with the first half. Megan Kakadelas scored a nice hustle goal for us and I think in the entire game we created as many opportunities as we would like to in a game like this. We probably created enough opportunities to score at least three or four goals today. The goalie made a good save on our penalty kick. We hit the post once, the crossbar once, and had some other narrow misses. I wasn't that happy with our finishing, but I was happy in the way our team played in the attack and our defending. Overall, it was a good performance for us. We played a good, fired-up Cal Poly team. A narrow field makes the game more physical and I think our players met the physical challenge of our opponent, unlike we did on Friday against Cal.


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Game 147 lineups: Jays at Red Sox
After an unexpected absence, I've finally returned to the Jays beat. While home for my son's first birthday party, my Grandma Bastian, Maggie, was rushed to the hospital and was in a coma for more than a week. I stayed home to be with family and at her side.
My "Grammy" — never called her Grandma or Gram — passed away on Sunday at the age of 94. She lived a long and amazing life. Her death wasn't necessarily unexpected, but it did not make the past couple weeks any easier. It was good to be home.
But, it is also good to be back working.
Grandma Bastian did manage to do e-mail — she had a small machine strictly for text — but she never got the hang of using the internet. That was a shame, because she was a big baseball fan and couldn't get to my stories online. She loved reading the sports section of the Chicago Tribune on a daily basis, though.
Sometimes she'd cut out newspaper clips and mail them to me. A few times, I'd print out some of my stories and mail them her way so she could see what I had been up to as well. She remembered Babe Ruth and loved telling me tales of listening to Cubs games on the radio in the 1930s.
Her stories always had me in awe and were a big reason why I wanted to be surrounded by baseball for a living. That's why it's nice to be back at the ballpark today.
Here are the lineups…
at 7:10 p.m. ET, Fenway Park
1. Fred Lewis, LF
2. Yunel Escobar, SS
3. Jose Bautista, RF
4. Vernon Wells, CF
5. Lyle Overbay, 1B
6. Aaron Hill, 2B
7. Adam Lind, DH
8. John Buck, C
9. Edwin Encarnacion, 3B
Pitching: Brett Cecil (12-7, 4.12)
1. Marco Scutaro, 2B
2. Darnell McDonald, RF
3. Victor Martinez, C
4. Adrian Beltre, 3B
5. David Ortiz, DH
6. Mike Lowell, 1B
7. Jed Lowrie, SS
8. Bill Hall, LF
9. Ryan Kalish, CF
Pitching: John Lackey (12-10, 4.45)
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2 Comments
Good to have you back JB , sorry to hear your sad news.
48 for the other JB on your return , cool!!.
Keep up the good work.
I'm a long-time lurker, but I wanted to finally post something to express my condolences. that your family is very close, and that family is very important to you, so while I am saddened to hear of your lose, I'm relieved that you were able to be with them at such a difficult time.


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How can fluent English speakers so egregiously misuse the word 'religion'? Do they need to have its proper definition tattooed on the inside of their forearms for convenient reference?
One person who won't be facepalming with me in solidarity is the journalist Brendan O'Neill, who was on that ridiculous panel and uttered suitably ridiculous things about science and politics. O'Neill thinks that politics is in danger of being influenced by too much science. He warns us:
The worst thing is that politicians' increasing reliance on science, and some scientists' willingness to go along with this, shrinks the space for public, mass engagement in policymaking. The more politics becomes an experts' pursuit, the less room there is for the public's ideological or passionate or angry or prejudicial views.
And this is a bad thing? O'Neill gives voice to a sadly common anti-intellectualism displayed by those who think that, in the words of Isaac Asimov, their ignorance is just as good as an expert's knowledge. O'Neill also confuses the (very real) problem of politicians cherry-picking scientific data that support their biases with the actual process of science; the former is a subjective vice on the part of dishonest politicians, while the latter is a provisionally objective pursuit of knowledge about reality that isn't beholden to partisan views on government. Science is certainly affected by politics through government funding, laws and regulations, but no amount of political pressure can force physicists to change the laws of nature, or get biologists to concede that the theory of evolution is false.
The comedian and science populariser Robin Ince was on that panel with O'Neill, and he was "startle-eyed" by the copious amounts of inanity gushing from his fellow panelist. Ince comments on O'Neill's anti-expert rhetoric in a sharply humorous blog post, which includes this observation:
There is a gaggle that seems to consider that expertise is an unfair advantage, that all opinions are equal; an idea that people who are experts in climate change, drugs or engineering are given unfair preference just because they spend much of their life studying these things. I do not think it is fascism that heart surgeons seem to have the monopoly of placing hands in a chest cavity and fiddling with an aorta. Though I have my own opinions on driving, I have decided to let others do it, as I have never taken a lesson. I do not consider myself oppressed by the driving majority. I own an umbrella and a thermometer, but I do not believe this is enough to place me on a climate change advisory body.
A charitable reading of O'Neill's arguments might suggest that he is simply decrying 'scientism': the unjustified belief that science holds all the answers to all our problems, including ethical ones. I'm not convinced that O'Neill is actually criticising scientism. His comments clearly show that he is uncomfortable with scientific expertise itself, with the idea that politics is improved by the input of the best scientific knowledge we currently possess in various fields. O'Neill's position is in stark contrast to that of the philosopher Massimo Pigliucci, who is a strong critic of scientism yet is a champion for science. In the aptly titled chapter 'The Limits of Science' in his book Answers for Aristotle, Pigliucci writes:
The idea underlying this chapter is that science is neither the new god nor something that should be cavalierly dismissed. As a society, we need a thoughtful appreciation not only of how science works but also of its power and its limits. This isn't just an (interesting, I would submit) intellectual exercise: how we think about science has huge personal and societal consequences, affecting our decisions about everything from whether to vaccinate our children to whether to vote for a politician who wants to enact policies to curb climate change. We cannot all become experts, especially in the many highly technical fields of modern science, but it is crucial for our own well-being that we understand the elements of how science works (and occasionally fails to), that we become informed skeptics about the claims that are made on behalf of science, and that we also do our part to nudge society away from an increasingly dangerous epistemic relativism.
Pigliucci has an acute, even wise, understanding of both the limits of science and its power to affect change for the better, especially when politicians grant it the respect it deserves. O'Neill on the other hand just doesn't like uppity nerds oppressing common folks like him with their 'facts' and 'expertise'.
Via Pharyngula


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Minimum wage hike could kill jobs
Republican city councilors lash out
Two Albuquerque Republican city councilors are urging voters to vote against a proposed minimum wage hike on the November ballot.
Trudy Jones and Dan Lewis both say the city can't afford the $1 million dollars plus that would have to be paid out for temporary and seasonal workers, if the bump to $8.50 an hour passes.
"There is no question...services or personnel would be reduced," said Jones.
Proponents of the wage hike, which was put on the ballot after more than 25,000 signature were collected, have said for a few months that the opposition is just using "scare tactics."
Organizers of the petition, like Mary Lee Ortega with Ole, have long said more money paid out to more minimum wage workers will encourage more spending, thus giving metro area businesses a boost.
Some small business owners have told Action 7 News they don't think the hike would be that damaging, while others maintain it could make a big difference in the services they can offer at a reasonable price.
The issue was allowed on the ballot a couple of weeks ago after a court battle dealing with, in part, a language mix-up of the proposal itself.


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Welcome to Set the Table! My name is Rachael and I'm here to help you set your table with beautiful, healthy, delicious food your family and friends will love. More importantly, I'm here to encourage you to welcome everyone to your table. Talk. Listen. Laugh. Eat. Be kind.
All tagged cherry vodka


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The performance of a DSLR in about half the size and weight. With a new 180 degree tilt screen, the NEX-F3 makes taking self-portraits easy and intuitive. Enjoy gorgeous HD movies, astounding low-light pictures, continuous shooting up to 5.5 fps, incredible panorama shots, and Live View on a 3.0-inch LCD.
16.1 MP APS-C size HD image sensor
The same sensor format that Sony builds into the full-sized a DSLRs. With 13 times the area of the typical point-and-shoot image sensor, APS-C makes the difference between ?snapshots? and ?photographs,? delivering an exceptional combination of high resolution, high sensitivity and gorgeous, blurred backgrounds.
BIONZ image processor
The brains of the camera is a refined version of Sony?s BIONZ image processor. Its chroma noise reduction delivers high-resolution, low-noise photos even at ISO 16000 sensitivity. Also enables fast processing for up to 5.5 fps continuous shooting of data-intensive 16.1 megapixel images, 2D/3D Sweep Panorama modes and 6 image layering.
ISO 200 - 16000 sensitivity
The Exmor APS HD CMOS sensor and BIONZ image processing engine combine to ensure clear imaging with reduced noise. In addition to an ISO AUTO range of ISO 200 - 3200, user-selectable sensitivity of up to ISO 16000 is offered, making it possible to capture low-light photos with reduced blur using fast shutter speeds.
Full HD 1080/60i/24p movies
Record super smooth 1080 Full HD Video in either 60i or 24p frames per second. Records in your choice of 1080/60i or 24p AVCHD format or in PC-friendly 1080/30p MP4 format.1
Built-in flash
Perfect when an extra burst of light is needed to get the shot, the built-in Guide Number 6* flash combines with high ISO sensitivity to enable shooting in just about any setting.
180 degree tiltable 3.0" LCD
Self-portraits made easy 180 degree tiltable 3.0? Xtra Fine LCD screen and 3-second count down timer
Up to 5.5 frames per second
Capture the decisive moment in sports and get the ideal baby photo. Up to 5.5 fps continuous shooting at full 16.1 MP resolution with exposure and focus fixed at the first frame. Standard continuous shooting at up to 2.5 fps.
Convenient USB charging
Easily recharge the NEX-F3 via USB charging
Live View LCD
The LCD monitor is active full-time for composing shots. Provides a what-you-see-is-what-you-get preview of white balance, focus, depth of field, exposure and 100% framing accuracy, plus informative on-screen displays.
On-screen Help Guide
Provides a ready-reference that explains the camera?s modes and settings. It walks through the camera?s operation so you get the best shot. Helps you advance from basic operation to greater sophistication.
Control Wheel + Customizable Soft Keys
Unlike cameras that bristle with knobs, buttons and dials, the NEX-F3 features a simple turn-and-click Control Wheel and context-sensitive Soft Keys. It?s elegant, uncluttered and intuitive.
Accepts a DSLR A-mount lenses
Using the LA-EA1 or LA-EA2 adaptor (sold separately), you can attach the full selection of a A-mount system lenses, which includes 34 current models and an installed base of millions of lenses worldwide. Operational restrictions apply.
Accepts image stabilized lenses
Selected E-mount lenses incorporate Optical SteadyShot image stabilization to combat the effects of camera shake. Building stabilization into the lenses enables the camera body to be remarkably thin and light.
Anti-Dust Technology
Anti-Dust Technology helps keep the CMOS sensor clean, resulting in consistently clear pictures. First a static-free coating on the sensor's low-pass filter helps repel dust. Then vibration automatically dislodges dust from the sensor.
Dual Format Media Card Slot
For cost-effective, convenient storage and sharing of your images, the camera accepts Memory Stick PRO Duo/Memory Stick PRO-HG Duo and SD/SDHC media (Class 4 or higher recommended). (Memory card is required. All are sold separately.)
Intelligent Accessory port
Intelligent accessory port allows use of external flash, microphone and OLED EVF (all sold separately).
RAW image capture
The NEX-F3 saves your pictures as compact JPEG files and/or ultra-high quality RAW files. RAW files save images prior to de-mosaicing, white balance, sharpness and color enhancement. This retains maximum latitude for enhancing the image on your PC.
25-point Auto Focus
25 sensors cover a very wide area of the scene, for accurate focusing even when the subject is far from the center of the frame.
Multi-segment metering
Optimizes exposure based on 1200 segments. Choice of Multi, Center and Spot metering accommodates a full range of shooting situations.
Manual Focus Assist
Greatly magnifies the viewfinder image when you touch the focus ring, making it easy to get razor-sharp images. Works with E-mount lenses only.
Peaking for Precise Focus
The Peaking function makes precise manual focusing much easier by highlighting the edges that are in focus in your choice of three colors ( white, red, or yellow). This is especially helpful during macro or portrait photography where accurate focus can make or break your shot.
P/A/S/M operating modes
The NEX-F3 offers a full range of controls from the beginner's iAUTO mode to P/A/S/M: Program, Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority and Manual. On-screen prompts help you refine your skills, build your confidence and exercise greater creative control for still image capture as well as movie mode too.
iAUTO (Intelligent Auto) mode
Unifies and simplifies Sony intelligent technologies. Takes advantage of Intelligent Scene Recognition, Face Detection technology, and Optical SteadyShot image stabilization without leaving Auto Mode so you always get the best shot.
Self-portrait shooting
1) Self-portrait shooting - there are two separate bullets for tilting LCD (might want to combine), and although they mention the tilt is useful for self-portraits, there's no mention of the integral 3 sec countdown timer nor the reverse preview.
Enhanced Tracking Focus
Tracking Focus continuously tracks a user-designated subject and is now more effective at tracking people. If the subject turns away from the camera, face-detection tracking automatically switches to subject tracking and continues tracking.
Auto Portrait Framing
Simply photograph a person and Auto Portrait Framing will save an additional, optimally framed image in portrait or landscape orientation. Combining Face Detection and By Pixel Super Resolution technologies with rule of thirds, Auto Portrait Framing provides beautifully composed and appealingly balanced full resolution portraits.
Photo Creativity interface
The Photo Creativity interface enables you to easily enjoy the creative expression of SLR-quality digital imaging without complex jargon. Changes can be combined/ removed and viewed in real time on the LCD making it a breeze to make adjustments. Choose from seven different Photo Creativity functions using the convenient control wheel and center button including; Picture Effect, Background Defocus Control, Soft Skin Effect, Color, Brightness, Vividness, and Self-timer / Continuous Advance.
Picture Effect mode
There are 11 types (15 variations) of picture effects to choose from: HDR Painting, Soft Focus, Miniature, Retro Photo, Soft High-key, Partial Color (Green/Blue/Yellow/ Red), Pop Color, High Contrast Monochrome, Toy Camera, Posterization (B/W, Color), and Rich Monotone . Each is unique and each give you a new and exciting way to make your images and videos pop.
Clear Image Zoom
Utilizing Sony?s exclusive By Pixel Super Resolution Technology, Clear Image Zoom increases the effective focal length of your lens up to 2x by digitally magnifying the center of your image with nearly imperceptible degradation. It virtually doubles the effective focal length of whatever lens you?re using providing greater shooting flexibility.
Interchangeable lenses
Compatible with Sony?s E-mount series of smaller, lighter lenses designed specifically for a compact interchangeable lens cameras. Opens up a world of creative options.
Sweep Panorama Mode
Capture expansive landscapes automatically. Press the shutter, sweep vertically or horizontally. The camera does the rest, continuously shooting images and stitching them together. Up to 23 MP image size. Up to 202 degrees maximum sweep angle (16mm focal length).
3D Sweep Panorama Mode
Capture vast scenic vistas and 16:9 shots in spectacular 3D. As you sweep across the panorama, the camera records separate right-eye and left-eye images that make landscapes come alive on your 3D television1. Records both JPEG and MPO file formats.
Anti-Motion Blur mode
Corrects for subject movement to capture amazingly clean and sharp images in low light. The camera leverages the large, APS-C image sensor and captures six images in a fraction of a second. Combining the data from all six creates a single image that minimizes subject blur.
Hand-held Twilight Mode
Get cleaner and sharper nighttime pictures?beyond the capability of traditional cameras?without using flash or a tripod. The camera leverages the large, APS-C image sensor and captures six images in a fraction of a second. Combining the data from all six creates a single image of extraordinary detail and low noise.
Auto HDR built into camera
High Dynamic Range (HDR) photography captures more scene contrast than a single exposure can handle by combining the best highlight detail from one shot and the best shadow detail from another for one incredible shot. Until recently, you needed a computer and editing software. Sony builds HDR in. Handles severe backlighting and other high-contrast scenes. Captures in a split second. (Recommended for still subjects.)
Dynamic Range Optimizer (DRO)
Dynamic Range Optimizer improves results with backlit subjects and recovers details hidden in shadows. Settings include Auto, Level with a choice of five operating levels and Off.
?Background Defocus? control
Cameras with APS-C sensors take beautiful pictures because they can blur the background. That helps make your subject stand out as the center of attention in portrait photography. But you?ve had to know about aperture f-stops and shutter speeds. Now Sony makes it easy. Simply turn the Control Wheel one way for backgrounds in focus, the other for background defocus.
Face Detection technology
The camera can automatically detect up to eight individual faces and adjust focus, exposure, white balance and flash to help deliver crisp, properly lit images of family and friends. Can prioritize children or adults.
Smile Shutter technology
Captures a smile the moment it happens. Simply select the Smile Shutter mode and the camera takes the picture automatically. You can prioritize children or adults and adjust the smile sensitivity.
Eight Scene Selection Modes
These help you get the shot by optimizing the camera for specific shooting situations. Select from Portrait, Sports Action, Macro, Landscape, Sunset, Night View, Night Portrait and Hand-held Twilight modes.
Six Creative Style settings
Control how the camera processes your images with six finishing styles: Standard, Vivid, Portrait, Landscape, Sunset and B&W. You can even fine-tune contrast, saturation, and sharpness to your personal taste.
Index and Slide Show Display
Quickly review your photos using 6- or 12-frame index views, or as an automatic slide show with fade-in/fade-out effect.
HDMI output for HD viewing
Enjoy HD movies and stunning still images on a compatible HDTV. The camera includes an HDMI output. In addition, the BRAVIA Sync system works with compatible Sony BRAVIA HDTVs enabling you to control camera playback using the television?s remote8.
Up to 470 Shots of battery life
Take up to 470 shots on a single charge with Sony lithium ion Stamina battery power. Sony's InfoLITHIUM battery system enables you to see the percent of power remaining, so you can keep shooting in confidence.
Powerful supplied software
To help you refine and manage your images, the camera is equipped with computer software including Image Data Converter SR, Image Data Lightbox SR and PlayMemories Home software
Supplied accessories
The kit includes a NP-FW50 Lithium ion rechargeable battery, AC-UB10 AC charger, Mini-B USB cable, software CD and shoulder strap.
Lens Compatibility: Sony E-mount lens, (Sony A-mount lenses when used with LA-EA1 or LA-EA2 lens adaptor)
Lens Mount: Sony E-mount
Camera Type: Sony E-mount interchangeable lens digital camera with built-in flash
Imaging Sensor
Imaging Sensor: Exmor APS HD CMOS
Processor: BIONZ image processor
Anti Dust: Charge protection coating on Low-Pass Filter and electromagnetic vibration mechanism
Pixel Gross: Approx. 16.7 megapixels
Effective Picture Resolution: Approx. 16.2 megapixels
Focal Length Conversion Factor: 1.5x
Color Filter System: RGB primary color filters
Media Type: Memory Stick PRO Duo/Pro-HG Duo, media SD, SDHC and SDXC memory card
Color Space: sRGB, AdobeRGB
Still Image Mode: JPEG (Standard, Fine), RAW, RAW+JPEG
Still Image Size 16:9: L (14M): 4912 X 2760 M (7.1M): 3568 X 2000 S (3.4M): 2448 X 1376
Still Image Size 3:2: L (16M): 4912 X 3264 M (8.4M): 3568 X 2368 S (4M): 2448 X 1624
Panorama Still Image Size: Sweep Panorama: horizontal 12416 x 1856 (23M), vertical 5536 x 2160 (12M), Standard: horizontal 8192 x 1856 (15M), vertical 3872 x 2160 (8.4M) 3D Sweep Panorama: 7152 x 1080 (7.7M), Standard: 4912 x 1080 (5.3M), 16:9: 1920 x 1080 (2.1M)
Video Format: AVCHD / MP4 (MPEG-4 AVC (H.264))
Video Mode: AVCHD: 1920 x 1080/ 60i (60i/24Mbps/ FX, 60i/17Mbps/ FH, 24p/24Mbps/ FX, 24p/17Mbps/ FH) MP4 HD: 1440 x 1080/ 30p (29.97 Progressive) Approx. 12Mbps (Average bit-rate) MP4 VGA: 640 x 480/ 30p (29.97 Progressive) Approx. 3Mbps (Average bit-rate)
Video Resolution: MP4 HD: 1280 x 720/ 30p MP4 VGA: 640 x 480/ 30p
Audio Format: MPEG-4 AAC-LC
Lens Mount Type: Sony E-mount
Aperture (Max.): f/3.5-5.6
Aperture (Min.): f/22-34
Focal Length (35mm equivalent): 27mm-82.5mm (35mm equivalent)
Filter Diameter: 49mm
Lens Construction: Metal
Lens Groups-Elements: 9 groups, 11 elements (4 aspheric surfaces)
Minimum Focus Distance: 9.8" (0.25m)
Angle of View: 76o - 29o
Aperture Blade: 7 blades (Circular aperture)
Aspheric Elements: 4 aspheric surfaces
Dimensions (Max. Diameter x Length): 62 x 60mm
Direct Manual Focus: Yes
Exterior Finish: Metal
Focus Ring in AF Mode: No rotation
Internal Motor: Yes (Stepping motor)
Lens Weight: 2.5oz (70g)
Low Noise During Movie Capture: Excellent
Maximum Magnification: 0.25x (APS-C)
Mount Material: Metal
Non-rotating Focusing Ring: No rotation
Magnification: 0.073x (APS-C)(when attached)
LCD Display
LCD Type: 3.0? TFT Xtra Fine LCD (921,600 pixels) w/TruBlack technology
Angle Adjustment: Up: Approx. 180 degrees, Down: Approx. 13 degrees
Brightness Control: Auto (-2 to +2 step sunny weather)
Coverage: 100%
Live View: Yes, (Constant AF Live View)
Real-time image adjustment display: Yes (On/off)
Histogram: Yes (On/off)
Peaking: Yes (MF only, Level setting: High/Mid/Low/Off), (Color: White/Red/Yellow)
Grid Display: Yes (On/off)
Customization: Brightness: Auto, Manual, Sunny Weather Display Color: Black, White, Blue, Pink
Focus Control
Focus System: Contrast-detection AF
Focus Points: 25 points
AF Modes: Single-shot AF, Continuous AF, Direct Manual Focus, Manual Focus
Focus Area: Multi Point AF (25 points), Center Weighted AF, Flexible Spot AF
Focus Sensitivity: 0 EV to +20 EV (at ISO100 conversion with F2.8 lens)
Manual Focus Assist: Magnified display for precise manual focus
Focus Features: Predictive Focus Control, Focus Lock, Tracking Focus
AF Illuminator: Built-in, LED type
Exposure System
Picture Effect(s): Posterization (Color, B/W), Pop Color, Retro Photo, Partial Color (R,G,B,Y), High Contrast Mono, Toy Camera, Soft High-key, Soft Focus, HDR Painting, Rich-tone Mono, Miniature
Auto Exposure Lock: Yes (AE Lock with focus lock)
Color Temperature: 2500 - 9900 k with 19-step Magenta / Green compensation
Creative Style: Standard, Vivid, Portrait, Landscape, Sunset, B/W, Saturation, Sharpness
D-Range Optimizer: Yes: (Auto, Level 1-5, off)
Exposure Bracketing: 3 continuous exposures in 0.3 or 0.7 EV steps
Exposure Compensation: ?3.0 EV (in 0.3 EV steps)
Exposure Settings: iAUTO, Program Auto (P), Aperture priority (A), Shutter priority (S), Manual (M), Sweep Panorama (2D), Sweep Panorama (3D), Anti Motion Blur, Picture Effect, Scene Selection
ISO: ISO200 to 16000, AUTO (ISO200 to 3200)
Metering: 1200-zone evaluative metering
Metering Modes: Multi-segment, Center-weighted, Spot
Metering Sensitivity: 0EV-20EV, (at ISO 100 equivalent w/ f/2.8 lens)
Noise Reduction: Long exp.NR: (On/Off, available at shutter speeds longer than 1 second) High ISO NR: (Normal/Low)
Scene Mode(s): Portrait, Landscape, Macro, Sports action, Sunset, Night portrait, Night View, Handheld Twilight
White Balance Mode: Auto,Daylight, Shade, Cloudy, Incandescent, Fluorescent, Flash, Setting the color temperature, Color Filter, Custom
Drive System
Burst Buffer: JPEG (Fine: 18 shots, Standard: 30 shots), RAW (7 shots), RAW+JPEG (6 shots)
Drive Mode: Single-shot, Continuous, Speed Priority, Self-timer, Continuous Self-timer, Bracketing
Flash Sync Speed: 1/160 seconds
Shutter Speeds: 1/4000 to 30 seconds, bulb
Shutter Type: Electronically-controlled, vertical-traverse, focal-plane shutter
Flash Bracketing: 3 frames, 1/3, 2/3EV steps selectable
Flash Compensation: +/-2EV,1/3EV steps
Flash Coverage: FOV coverage up to 16 mm (in the focal length)
Flash Metering System: Pre-flash TTL
Flash Modes: Autoflash, Fill-flash, Rear sync., Slow sync., Red-eye reduction
Flash Type: Built-in flash
Guide Number: 6 (in meters at ISO 100 equivalent)
Recycling Time: Approx. 3 sec
Advanced Features
Face Detection: Off, Auto, Child Priority, Adult Priority
Smile Shutter technology: Yes - Off, Slight, Normal, Big
Advanced User Interface: Easy-to-understand Graphic Display and on-screen Help Guide User-friendly function menu
Anti Motion Blur: 6-image layering
Auto High Dynamic Range: Yes, (Auto Exposure Difference, Exposure difference Level (1-6 EV at 1.0 EV step), off)
Photo Creativity: Yes (via iAuto Mode)
Shooting Tips: Yes
Sweep Panorama: Horizontal, Vertical, and 3D Panorama
BRAVIA Sync: Yes, via HDMI with compatible BRAVIA HDTV
DVDirect: Yes, via USB
HD Output: HDMI (TypeC mini)
Memory Card Slot: Dual slot: Memory Stick PRO Duo/Pro-HG Duo, media - SD, SDHC and SDXC memory card
PhotoTV HD: Yes, with BRAVIA Sync enabled HDTV and HDMI cable
USB Port(s): USB2.0 Hi-speed (mass-storage, PTP)
Weights and Measurements
Dimensions (Approx.): Approx. 4-5/8 ? 2-5/8 ? 1-11/16" (117.3 x 66.6 x 41.3mm) (W/H/D)
Weight (Approx.): Approx. 9.0 oz (255g) (excl battery & media) Approx. 11.1 oz (314g) (w/battery & media)
Battery Type: InfoLitium NP-FW50,7.2V
Number of Still Images: Approx. 470 images (CIPA standard)
Supplied Software: PlayMemories Home; Image Data Converter SR v4.0
Operating System Compatibility: Windows XP SP3 (32-bit), Windows Vista SP2, Windows 7 SP1; Mac OS X (v10.3-v10.6)
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text:
The National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) has announced landmark consensus legislation, which will, for the first time ever, set federal efficiency standards for pole-mounted outdoor lighting.
The consensus proposal is the result of input from lighting manufacturers, designers, energy advocates, and utilities.
This legislation creates three tiers for efficiency levels:
- Tier 1, which becomes effective 3 yr after enactment of the bill, sets minimum task lumen per watts (LPW) requirements based upon backlight, uplight, and glare (BUG) ratings.
- Tier 2 standards, which the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) will establish, must be published in a final rule by DOE no later than Jan. 1, 2013, or 33 months after enactment —— whichever is later.
- Tier 3 standards will be established by DOE Jan. 1, 2015, with an effective date of Jan. 1, 2021.
Furthermore, the legislation will regulate two types of lamps primarily used outdoors. After Jan. 1, 2016, high output double-ended quartz halogen lamps must have a minimum efficiency of 27 LPW for lamps with a minimum rated initial lumen value of 6,000 and a maximum initial lumen value of 15,000. In addition, 34 LPW is required for lamps rated with initial lumen value greater than 15,000 and less than 40,000.
After Jan. 1, 2016, no general-purpose mercury vapor lamp may be manufactured. These are the least efficient type of high-intensity discharge (HID) lamp and can be replaced with other types of HID lamps or other lamp types. Because EPAct 2005 banned new mercury vapor fixtures and ballasts, sales have already been declining. This new provision would complete the transition away from mercury vapor lamps.
As a result of this legislation, substantial energy savings will be realized. Approximately 22% of all the electricity generated in the United States is used for lighting, and outdoor lighting represents about 20% of that total. A 2007 DOE report estimated that outdoor lighting consumes more than 178 terawatt-hours annually. By 2030, this agreement will reduce carbon emission between 4.48 and 7.95 million metric tons annually, which is equivalent to removing between 3 million and 5.4 million automobiles from the roads annually.
For more information, visit www.nema.org.
Source: The National Electrical Manufacturers Association


text:
Highlights: Newsweek's Special Election Project | Newsweek Politics: Campaign 2008 | Newsweek.com:
NEWSWEEK has also learned that Palin's shopping spree at high-end department stores was more extensive than previously reported. While publicly supporting Palin, McCain's top advisers privately fumed at what they regarded as her outrageous profligacy. One senior aide said that Nicolle Wallace had told Palin to buy three suits for the convention and hire a stylist. But instead, the vice presidential nominee began buying for herself and her family—clothes and accessories from top stores such as Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus. According to two knowledgeable sources, a vast majority of the clothes were bought by a wealthy donor, who was shocked when he got the bill. Palin also used low-level staffers to buy some of the clothes on their credit cards. The McCain campaign found out last week when the aides sought reimbursement. One aide estimated that she spent "tens of thousands" more than the reported $150,000, and that $20,000 to $40,000 went to buy clothes for her husband. Some articles of clothing have apparently been lost. An angry aide characterized the shopping spree as "Wasilla hillbillies looting Neiman Marcus from coast to coast," and said the truth will eventually come out when the Republican Party audits its books.
Dilettante Archives


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The Hansen Model: Another very simple disproof of Anthropogenic Global Warming.
Source: Debunk House
by David Middleton
Dr. James Hansen is the Director of the Goddard Institute for Space Studies. Dr. Hansen is right up there with Al Gore, Michael Mann and the Climategate CRU on the list of people helping the UN to swindle the United States and other western democracies out of trillions of dollars through his promotion of the Anthropogenic Global Warming fraud.
Hansen kind of got the ball rolling in 1988 with his publication of a climate model that predicted dire global warming over the next 20 years if mankind did not stop burning fossil fuels… Hansen et al. 1988.
Hansen constructed three scenarios… "Scenario A assumes continued exponential trace gas growth, scenario B assumes a reduced linear linear growth of trace gases, and scenario C assumes a rapid curtailment of trace gas emissions such that the net climate forcing ceases to increase after the year 2000."
From Appendix B, pg. 9361 of Hansen's 1998 paper…
"Specifically, in scenario A CO2 increases as observed by Keeling for the interval 1958-1981 [keeling et al, 1982] and subsequently with a 1.5%/yr growth of the annual increment."
"In scenario B the growth of the annual increment of CO2 is is reduced from 1.5%/yr today to 1%/yr in 1990, 0.5%/yr in 2000 and 0 in 2010; thus after 2010 is constant, 1.9 ppmv/yr."
"In scenario C the CO2 growth is the same as scenarios A and B through 1985; between 1985 and 2000 the annual increment is fixed at 1.5 ppmv/yr; after 2000, CO2 ceases to increase, its abundance remaining fixed at 368 ppmv."
If I take the average annual increment from 1958-1981 and increase it by 1.5% per year until 2008, I get 385.35 ppmv. The Mauna Loa Observatory's value for 2008 is 385.57 ppmv.
When I constructed CO2 curves using Hansen's scenario assumptions and I compare his scenarios to the actual CO2 data recorded since 1988, I get an almost exact match to Scenario "A"…
Here is a copy of Hansen's 1988 model with the actual satellite derived temperature (UAH Lower Troposphere) data from Dec. 1979 to November 2009 overlaid…
Hansen's scenarios "A" and "B" predicted a temperature anomaly about 1.0°C by 2009. Scenario "C" predicted an anomaly of about 0.7°C by 2009. Since Hansen's publication, atmospheric CO2 levels have tracked Scenario "A" and CH4 levels have tracked Scenario "C". Even though CH4 is a more potent greenhouse gas, it accounts for only a tiny fraction of the greenhouse effect:
CO2 is the "Big Kahuna". Even if CH4 has 20X the greenhouse effect of CO2. 1800 ppb is 0.46% of 390 ppm…20 X 0.46% = 9.2%. At most, CH4 accounts for only about 10% of the greenhouse effect of CO2 in Earth's current atmosphere.
So, according to Hansen's 1988 predictions, the global temperature anomaly should be about 90% of the way from Scenario "C" to Scenario "A"… ~0.97°C. In reality, the global temperature anomaly is about half of what Hansen predicted for a similar rise in greenhouse gases.
The actual warming has been slightly less than Hansen's Scenario C…
"In scenario C the CO2 growth is the same as scenarios A and B through 1985; between 1985 and 2000 the annual increment is fixed at 1.5 ppmv/yr; after 2000, CO2 ceases to increase, its abundance remaining fixed at 368 ppmv."
In most branches of science, when experimental results falsify the original hypothesis, scientists discard or modify the original hypothesis. In Hansen's case, he just pitches the story with zealotry rarely seen outside of lunatic asylums…
Coal-fired power stations are death factories. Close them
Put oil firm chiefs on trial, says leading climate change scientist
Copenhagen climate change talks must fail, says top scientist
A little known 20 year old climate change prediction by Dr. James Hansen – that failed badly
G-8 Failure Reflects U.S. Failure on Climate Change
Dr. James Hansen of NASA GISS arrested
Jim Hansen calls Cap and Trade the "Temple of Doom"
Is this an example of Jim Hansen's endorsed "civil disobedience"?
Leading climate scientist: 'democratic process isn't working'


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New VERMENTINO NERO I.G.T. 2013
soft systems for receipt of grapes. Maceration and fermentation in open barrels with manual punching repeated, racking by gravity and following aging for six months in cement.
Sight: Medium Purple
can be shipped within 2-5 days
New "VIGNE BASSE" VERMENTINO C.D.L. D.O.C.2014
Vermentino pale yellow color with greenish reflections, it has a fresh and mineral nose with nice notes of citrus, jasmine and herbs. The wine is elegant, great drink and pleasant with a nice savory finish. Aged in steel, it goes well with dishes of seafood.
can be shipped within 2-5 days
grechetto colli martani 2012 doc
Spicy, with a hint of peach Robust and persistent, slightly tannic
can be shipped within 2-3 days
Cinqueterre DOC 2011
The wine of cinque terre is primarily a white wineand made from grapes of the wineyards along the slopes of the mountiains of cinque terre. Some wineyards are still being cultivated, for the specialist.£18.50 / bottle(s)
can be shipped within 2 days
Precios Pinot Nero DOC 2009
Drived from the italian word prezzioso, meaning "precios" precios pays homage to the cherished pinot nero verietal. Following fermentation in stainless steel tanks,half the wine is aged in stainless steel, and the remaining half is aged in French oak barriques.£19.50 / bottle(s)
can be shipped within 2 days
Savaian Borgo IGT Cabernet Franc 2011
A rural village of simple people, active, always willing to lend a hand.
can be shipped within 2 days
A rural village of simple people, active, always willing to lend a hand.
can be shipped within 2 days
Chianti Montalbano 2012 DOCG
The vineyards of Montalbano are situated on hills in the province of Prato to the west of Florence and the south of Pistoia. These are the same hills that yield the DOCG wine Carmignano. This production zone is also located near Vinci, which was once the home town of Leonardo da Vinci in the Renaissance era.£9.80 / bottle(s)
can be shipped within 2 days
Althea Prosecco DOC 2012
Althea farm produces its grapes in the Ru de Confin holding, nine hectares on the ancient boundary between Contea di Tarzo and Ceneda, in Confin di Vittorio Veneto.£8.60
You will find the holding in one of the most well suited zones for the cultivation of the DOC "Prosecco di Conegliano-Valdobbiadene" and "Colli di Conegliano".
can be shipped within 1-2 days
Orvieto Classico Amabile Antinori 2008
intense aroma which is reminiscent of bananas and green apples. On the palate a balanced acidic note which enhances its drinkability.£9.60
can be shipped within 1-2 working days
Althea Prosecco 2011
The farm produces Althea their grapes on the estate Ru de Confin, nine acres on the old border between County and Tarzo Ceneda,
can be shipped within 1-2 working days
Santa Rita Sauvignon Blanc 2009
This 2009 Santa Rita Sauvignon Blanc boasts an intense varietal aroma with dominant characters of grapefruit, citrus blossom, apricots and a background of cassis.
can be shipped within 1-2 working days
Corte Normanna Aglianico Sannio Doc 2008
This Agliani wines that are deep in colour, full of chocolate and plum on the nose with fine-tannins and a marked acidity.
can be shipped within 1-2 working days
Scalabrone Bolgheri Antinori 2003
This is bright and fruity, with aromas and flavors of strawberry and plum. Full yet crisp. A pleasing wine. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot,£14.75
can be shipped within 1-2 working days
Tatone 2007 Doc
This great red wine, made from 100% Montepulciano grapes which grow in the hills,of the vineyard Forca di Lupo.
can be shipped within 1-2 working days
zinfandel founder estate 20011
This thin-skinned variety enjoys lots of sunshine and warmth to develop concentrated, deeply-flavored berries with supple tannins. The winemaking team made sure the grapes were picked at the peak of their ripeness, for optimal flavor and texture.
can be shipped within 2-5 days
New bacca del merlo
Denomination: IGT Veneto Type: White wine Grapes: Garganega, Chardonnay, Pinot Bianco Production area: provinces of Verona and Vicenza Organoleptic: It has a pale yellow color with a bouquet characterized by feelings of fresh white flowers and mineral elements such as stone wet, the savory taste with a good body enveloping and long persistence Pairings: It goes well with fish and white meats Serving temperature: 8-10 °
can be shipped within 2-5 days
New STRANERO 2016
Denomination: IGT Veneto Type: Red Wine Grapes: Merlot, Cabernet SauvignonProduction area: provinces of Verona and Vicenza Organoleptic: Ruby red color.Intense aroma with notes of cherry black cherry. Bodied, with good structure Pairings:Excellent companion to roasts Serving temperature: 14-16 °
can be shipped within 2-5 days
New CHARDONNAY A.A. D.O.P.2014 NIEDERMARYR
deep golden yellow with amber reflection bewitching, intense aroma, toasted, caramel, apricot and citrus fruits alternate on the nose,
the are dried up in early February, Expanding partly in barriques
can be shipped within 2-5 days


text:
By Robert P. George and Katrina Lantos Swett, Special to CNN
Editor's note: Robert P. George and Katrina Lantos Swett serve as chairman and vice chairwoman, respectively, of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom. The views expressed are their own.
National Religious Freedom Day, being marked today in the United States, reminds us that freedom of religion or belief is a pivotal human right, central to this country's history and heritage. It is also recognized as such by the United Nations and other international bodies. Yet the issue frequently sparks debates that too often generate more heat than light.
That the mere mention of religious freedom triggers such powerful emotions, in the United States and overseas, helps explain why this critical right has not been accorded the centrality and respect it deserves, especially as a component of U.S. foreign policy. But whatever the reason, the United States must still look closely at the issue – and why it is key to successful U.S. foreign policy.
Back in 1948, the United Nations affirmed religious freedom as a core right in Article 18 of the landmark Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which states that "everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion." Further affirming this right, the governments of 156 nations in 1966 signed the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). The ICCRP, which the U.S. ratified in 1992, includes language similar to Article 18.
Yet supporting religious freedom or belief abroad is not just a legal or moral duty, but a practical necessity that is crucial to the security of the United States – and the world – as it builds a foundation for progress and stability.
Research confirms that religious freedom in countries that honor and protect this right is generally associated with vibrant political democracy, rising economic and social well-being, and diminished tension and violence. In contrast, nations that trample on religious freedom are more likely to be mired in poverty and insecurity, war and terror, and violent, radical extremism.
A recent Pew study found that three-fourths of the world's population lives in nations that seriously restrict this freedom. In these countries, many of which top the U.S. foreign policy agenda, religion constitutes their core narrative – and violations of religious freedom are the catalyst for growing divisions and problems.
Freedom of religion or belief is also intimately bound up with other freedoms, including expression, association and assembly. As it is often the first right taken away, religious freedom serves as the proverbial canary in the coal mine, warning us that denial of other liberties almost surely will follow.
With the signing into law in 1998 of the International Religious Freedom Act, which created the commission on which we serve, the United States signaled its intent to strengthen its overseas championing of this freedom. The U.S. government – the White House, State Department and Congress – has since then taken steps (though not nearly enough) to prioritize this right.
Given the compelling case for supporting religious freedom abroad, why is it still so often given short shrift?
Simply stated, powerful concerns and emotions and differing world views are in play. For example, some people erroneously believe that democratic governance requires the exclusion or marginalization of any public dialogue, debate or policy that includes religion. Others view religion and related issues as exclusively personal and thus belonging solely in private life. Still others worry that, when connected to an issue, religion generates needless and/or unresolvable tensions and controversies and thus is best left alone, perhaps recalling some of history's worst excesses in religion's name. Some are uncomfortable specifically with "organized religion" and may prefer to frame issues in terms of general spirituality. And some who have an exclusively secular approach and a non-theistic perspective may think that promoting religious freedom infringes on their right not to believe.
What all of these concerns share is the view that religion and religious freedom should be off the radar and divorced from foreign policy.
The answer to such concerns is that advocating for freedom of religion overseas is not about supporting a privileged position for religion, but the right to follow one's conscience. It is about insisting that advocating for religious freedom abroad be viewed in the same way as advocating for other essential rights guaranteed under international law. And, contrary to popular myth, this view encompasses not just the freedom to practice peacefully any religion and all that is associated with it, but the freedom not to believe – the right to reject any and all religion, publicly and privately.
While religious freedom cannot be separated from religion, it is actually less about religion per se than affirming a bedrock, internationally-recognized human right, one that has proven time and again to be a foundational freedom for other freedoms.
Addressing these concerns is critical to elevating religious freedom abroad to its rightful place. By responding openly and straightforwardly, and acknowledging the powerful emotions that accompany this unique right as well as the opportunities inherent in its promotion, we hope to take the first step toward creating a solid, lasting consensus on the need to make religious freedom a key element of how America relates to the world.
Religious freedom was the very foundation that was used to start the founding of the USA by our forefathers. And for that very reason the citizens of the US must respect others religions even if they don't agree with them!!
Even when said religions abuse other people?
I believe in the right to religious freedom, but when it involves force or abuse of women or children or dogs, forget it. If I'm not going to stand by and watch someone beat or kill a dog or a child or a woman, I'm not going to offer them the free space to do it either. So, religions that believe it is right and just to "discipline one's wife" imply in even the verbage that women's lives are somehow subjective to men's, then they need to stay away – live in the countries that condone that sort of thing. This is not one of those gray areas in life.
Freedom of Religion is our birthrights!
America the beautiful guarantee Freedom of Religion,not freedom from Christianity.
USA welcome all people and faith as they are...! No discrimination or Social injustice in the name of Religion or Caste like in Secular Democray, India.
New Delhi got higher education and Government Jobs based on nasty Caste and crooked Religious laws.
Native DALIT Christians and Muslims are denied equal opportunity in the name of Hindu-Nation.
We pray that UN will welcome Secular Democray to UNSC.
Let Justice Roll Like a Ricer!🇮🇳🙏🕉✝
Truly but sadly
To be clear I'd prefer the term faith to religion. Religion is a power structure, faith isn't. Jesus built his church not on Peter but on Peters' faith. Render unto Caesar, render unto God, as you define him/her.
Agree @ THORN, im not fond of organised religion either. But i do respect others right to believe however they wish.
Maybe the U.S. should clean up its own house before it tells other nations what to do. We like to say that we have freedom of religion. I suppose we do, as long as our faith does not interfere with Administration policy. But when a U.S. Government mandate conflicts with a matter of conscience of an employer, does the Government back off? No way!
The U.S. Government is no better than Red China in matters of religion. Let those religious people do what they want as long as their beliefs and practices don't conflict with Government policy.
The brainwashing, dumbing down and mental slavery of our species is negative even if it has some positive outcomes. Humans do NOT have to respect religion, religion must respect humans as the law. One can believe in any religious brainwashing mumbo jumbo they wish, but forcing such ridiculous beliefs on others should not be tolerated.
"Brainwashing, dumbing down and mental slavery of our species is negative even if it has some positive outcomes." Agreed. Even though most of our goods and raw materials come from communist countries, the fact that the basic human right to believe as one so chooses is being denied is unacceptable.
"Humans do NOT have to respect religion, religion must respect humans as the law." Last I heard, religion was a human concept, not a person or a subservient object, and people can choose to adhere or not to, and accept the consequences of said choice.
"One can believe in any religious brainwashing mumbo jumbo they wish, but forcing such ridiculous beliefs on others should not be tolerated." But forcing people to renounce religion should?
Religion is fraud, as normal reasoning skills tell us, and dumb, uneducated upeople should not be misled or lied to. No government should tolerate any form of fraud on its people.
I agree 100%!
The foreign policy of USA will be put to test,if and when Modi becomes the Prime Minister of India and seeks visa to visit North America.While the current PM of India said recently that Modi's election as PM would be a disaster for the country,the same PM did not hesitate to criticise US Government for denying visa, when Modi attempted to obtain it some time in the past.The courts in Gujrat could not hold Modi guilty for his acts of commission or omission in riots, due to communal and cowardly investigating agency.One should remember that Modi requires American technology and expertise more than America requires Modi.Modi cannot meet the deluge of expectations without American co-operation and business, even if USA continues to deny him visa in future.
I do not agree that US does not need India. It seems you were in Coma for last 10 years. India is becoming favored nation by lot of western countries and Gujarat is a favored state in India thanks to good governance by Modi. Visa issue is not for ethics and morals especially when it refers to US because US was the country supporting Pak when they were slaturing their own citizens in 1971 in, now a country called Bangladesh. Were you sleeping when they slatured >3000 sikhs in 1984, when muslim terrorists raged 1000 temples in Kashmirs driving Kashmiri pundits out of valley. So it is better for you to keep shut.
here is an Islamic fanatic.
One only has freedom of religion in America only as long as it is a religious organization pre recognized and approved by the government (look up religous objections to Obama care and it will become evident), . One does not have the freedom to believe as one might be inspired or enlightened to spiritually however, . . of course unless it is pre approved, . . this so called new understanding of the freedom, is in direct contrast to what our for fathers first believed, . the new freedom must first be a pre approved organization recognized by the pre approval of the government
We are beyond the tipping point in the US. That the word "tolerance" is used is the key. When people "tolerate" the views of others, they imply that by their leave a person may think their own thoughts.
America no longer protects free speech but finds ways to limit it socially. These probelms are not governmental, but social. Limiting the thoughts of others by not listening, dismissing, or being all Generation X, Y or Z – which means too self centered and uneducated to have a discussion or allow a differing opinion – is how folks respond now.
Everything goes back to parenting, doesn't it?
I religiously am opposed to both the united states census taking, and the medical requirements and personal participation in Obama care, Yet I will go to prison in the U.S.for standing up with those beliefs and refusing to participate. . . curious about how they define freedom of religion here, . no different than any other country, . . no freedom of spiritual belief free from persecution, .
I was religiously opposed to my money being used to go to war in Iraq under false pretenses, can I get a refund please?
total BS
Even the moderator here opposes non violent freedom of religious ideals by deleting a view he may not religiously agree with, . . there is no freedom here, . just the illusion as long as it is within others pushed upon self motivated ideals
In god we trust
Tell it to Islam........they aren't buying.
I have said many times in debates on these blogs about Islam and democracy – democracy will not work with out freedom of religion.
Religion is fraud, as normal reasoning skills tell us, and dumb, uneducated people should not be misled or lied to. No government should tolerate any form of fraud on its people.
I am starting a new religion.
no church, no praying, no preacher
it is called life
The USA is a secular democratic republic that has religious freedom as a core tenet of government.
In God We Trust,
One nation under God,
....just a minute?
Amazing, a 700+ word column on the benefits of religion that never once mentions "God."
And thank god for that. Two different things. Religions exist.
This nation is based on lies,and MALICE...the enemy(Edomites) is there too cheat,lie and steal.
Religion is a business. "Religious Freedom" is simply the freedom to start a church where you are charged a fee in return for "salvation of your soul". Obviously, nobody can make that promise, yet there is no shortage of people willing to pay for it. Wouldn't it be a better world if people unclasped their hands, got up off their knees and built a hospital or a school? You have freedom of Faith- freedom to turn your back on the logical, to ignore fact and common sense. What a waste of time. What a waste of your beautiful, precious life. God, heaven, hell...how about just enjoying your life?
I dispute that we have religious freedom in the US. We are an appearance-only culture that has elevated perception above reality time and time again. We do the flavor-of-the-month on most issues, including religion. I can be catholic and avoid harassment at church but if I utter a catholic sentiment I am currently thrown under the hater bus. SeekerofTruth seems ready and willing to claim there are absolutes with the capital T in Truth. Enjoying life is exactly how and why most Americans have abdicated all personal responsibility in favor of joy, why anything not abundantly positive has been vilified, and why we are so consistently screwed up.
Even though by law we have religious freedom, Christians are incredibly INTOLERANT. We still need much more separation of church and state. We need to get "In God We Trust" off our money and "Under God" out of our Pledge of Allegiance. I can't tell you how many times I was told "It's Merry f***ing Christmas! And if you don't like it, you can leave the country!" WAY too many people think that the US is a "Christian nation" – and we're NOT. One in four people you meet are NOT christian. I'm getting VERY tired of christians thinking that they "own" this country.
Religious freedom is all fine and good. But, when religious following becomes the invasive premise for legislation, and intrudes on government, it has gone to far. The "religious freedom" crowd wants it both ways.
I like how he covers that religious freedom is not only for the people who are part of a religion, but how it is important for everyone to be able to have the right to think what they want. If people are under the power of one undeniable truth, and they think otherwise, they may be exiled for what they believe to be true. I do not think that everyone understands the importance of this human right as there are still many people in the world starting wars with people who believe in a completely different religion over who is right in this argument about the afterlife. Religion is a great way to help someone live by a moral code, but not everyone needs that. With this thought in mind, religious freedom helps those people who do not need a moral code by allowing them to express themselves without actively telling an audience of people what they have done wrong in their life. In this forum, there have been plenty of people who support religious freedom to the point where they are criticizing the citizens of the United States for thinking that the rest of the country. I thank those people for standing up for this human right since it is a problem that there is still segregation by religion in this country.


text:
SLDTF Midwinter 2013 Agenda
State and Local Documents Task Force
DATE: Sunday, January 26, 2013
TIME: 4:30-5:30 p.m.
LOCATION: W Hotel Seattle - Great Room BC
I. Welcome and Introductions
II. Attendance Sheet (Secretary Suzanne Caro to circulate)
III. Adoption of the Agenda
IV. Approval of Minutes from ALA Annual 2012-Anaheim
V. Liaison Reports
(Reports from Committees that have met in person or virtually since Annual, and only items that are of direct interest or affect SLDTF)
Legislation (Wilhelmina Randtke)
Program (Marilyn Von Seggern)
Cataloging (Kristen Northrup)
Education (Richard Gause)
Publications (Robbie Sittel)
Rare & Endangered (Simon Healy)
VI. Old Business
FDLP State Action Plans -- any reports from DLC, thoughts or discussion
Monitoring the collection and storage of born digital documents at the state level -- Jennie Gerke reported on this at Annual, any updates or other thoughts.
VII. New Business
Compilation of State Disposal Laws/Policies (Suzanne Caro)
Possible compilation of State or Local digital repositories as an expansion of Inventory of Projects Preserving State Government Information (http://wikis.ala.org/godort/index.php/Inventory_of_Projects_Preserving_State_Government_Information )
Discussion ideas for Annual Conference in Chicago
VIII. Discussion/ Presentation
Though unable to attend, Cindy Etkin, GPO, has provided information on ways GPO can be involved at the state level, specifically via iCohere. Please feel free to submit questions at the session that we can take back to GPO. Also, any who attend the Fall DLC meeting via iCohere are welcome to offer feedback on their experience.
IX. Recap of any action items, next steps
X. Adjourn


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From Hiring The Wedding Planner To Ordering The Cake To Picking Out The Dress And More, "The Soup" Team Pulls Out All The Stops To Create This Hollywood Couple's Dream Wedding August 29th ... Whether They Show Up Or Not!
Los Angeles, CA, August 13, 2012 - On August 8th, amid a whirlwind of conflicting reports and a frenzy of "yes or no" reporting, "The Soup" host Joel McHale announced that the show is throwing the "Wedding of the Century" for Jennifer Aniston and Justin Theroux on Wednesday, August 29th. Suddenly, on the heels of that announcement, the A-list couple did in fact confirm they are engaged and ready to tie the knot! For the next three weeks, "The Soup" team, led by McHale, pulls out at least some of the stops to make Theriston's wedding the buzz of Tinsletown - even if the couple doesn't know about it. They'll spare no expense - unless it exceeds the $300 shooting budget. The crew hired a top-name wedding planner, ordained a minister, will create a wedding dress for Jen, throw the bachelor and bachelorette parties and so much more. Be sure to RSVP at (http://thesoup.tv/P6wg0S) to get a front-row seat to every over-the-top-parodied-moment that will (hopefully) culminate in a spectacular in-show wedding on "The Soup," August 29th at 10pm ET/PT only on E!
In last Wednesday's episode of "The Soup," the show's team hired the best of the best in celebrity weddings (in other words, begged celebrities who had some free time that day) to make the A-list couple's ceremony a smashing success, even though the couple hadn't even announced their engagement yet. Joining Joel in the wedding madness are Hollywood's sassiest wedding planer Kevin Lee, "RuPaul's Drag Race" contestant Shangela who served up one-of-a-kind wedding dress "realness" to Jen, celebrity chef Ted Nugent who will be catering the star-studded celebration and "The Soup's" very-own beach bunny Mankini who was ordained to perform the ceremony. In the weeks ahead, Jillian Reynolds will bring "live" updates to this "Soup" parody and comedian Doug Benson will take a stab at "floral" arrangements. Meanwhile Giuliana Rancic ensures that the wedding spoof will not infringe on "E! News'" studio time. Plus, "The Soup" throws a bachelor party for the ages complete with stormtroopers and potato chips - but where's the groom?
Oh, and did we mention we have the "Friends" reunion you've been waiting for?! "The Soup" has RSVP'd "Ugly Naked Guy" and "Marcel" the monkey... well... a monkey that we are calling "Marcel."
Don't miss the biggest celebrity wedding ever when "The Soup" throws Jennifer Aniston and Justin Theroux the hottest, ultimate, glamorous, dream, fairytale, celebrity wedding... and hopes they show up... on Wednesday, August 29th at 10pm ET/PT only on E! And don't miss all the juicy behind-the-scenes details every week only on TheSoupTV.com.
Check out "The Soup's" celebration kick off: http://www.thesouptv.com/latest/the-wedding-of-the-century-jen-justin/336539


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text: Win. Formed from the embers of DIY legends The Fire Engines and later to morph into T. Rex/Television fanboys The Nectarine No.9, Scotland's Win released two lurid but wonderful bubblegum pop albums, 'Uh! Tears Baby (A Trash Icon)' and 'Freaky Trigger', and punted out unspeakably catchy single 'You've Got The Power' about a dozen times to criminally little effect.


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Montana + Jon at The Ridge (April 8, 2017)
Montana & John were married at The Ridge in Lake Geneva with the reception at the same. Photos in this gallery are the favorites from their big day. More will be added in the first few days following the wedding. Photographers at the wedding were Matt Mason & Jake Schnake. Use coupon code Happy to receive 15% off your order.Read More


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What's in a bag? For most women (and even some men), it can be a little home away from home. Cell phones, keys, IDs, a book or day-planner, lip glosses, granola bar, the remains of a beverage (or two!)…the list and contents are endless. But the bags themselves—those are the real treasure. Naturally, we wanted to hit the streets to find real locals putting their bags to good work, and the results are nothing short of inspirational. From where our readers got their super-rad satchels, to the absolute essentials that none of our subjects can leave home without, we've got the coolest handbags found right here in L.A. You may even want to add a few to your fall wish list (we did!).
Best Fashion Instagrams
30 Fall ~Fresh~ Looks To Try This November


text:
Year of publication
- 1999 (18) (remove)
Document Type
- Article (18) (remove)
- theorem proving (2)
- Partial functions (1)
- abstract description (1)
- analogical reasoning (1)
- analogy (1)
- completeness (1)
- conservative extension (1)
- consistency (1)
- frames (1)
- higher order logic (1)
Even though it is not very often admitted, partial functionsdo play a significant role in many practical applications of deduction sys-tems. Kleene has already given a semantic account of partial functionsusing a three-valued logic decades ago, but there has not been a satisfact-ory mechanization. Recent years have seen a thorough investigation ofthe framework of many-valued truth-functional logics. However, strongKleene logic, where quantification is restricted and therefore not truth-functional, does not fit the framework directly. We solve this problemby applying recent methods from sorted logics. This paper presents atableau calculus that combines the proper treatment of partial functionswith the efficiency of sorted calculi.
Deduktionssysteme (1999)
A straightforward formulation of a mathematical problem is mostly not ad-equate for resolution theorem proving. We present a method to optimize suchformulations by exploiting the variability of first-order logic. The optimizingtransformation is described as logic morphisms, whose operationalizations aretactics. The different behaviour of a resolution theorem prover for the sourceand target formulations is demonstrated by several examples. It is shown howtactical and resolution-style theorem proving can be combined.
Typical instances, that is, instances that are representative for a particular situ-ation or concept, play an important role in human knowledge representationand reasoning, in particular in analogical reasoning. This wellADknown obser-vation has been a motivation for investigations in cognitive psychology whichprovide a basis for our characterization of typical instances within conceptstructures and for a new inference rule for justified analogical reasoning withtypical instances. In a nutshell this paper suggests to augment the proposi-tional knowledge representation system by a non-propositional part consistingof concept structures which may have directly represented instances as ele-ments. The traditional reasoning system is extended by a rule for justifiedanalogical inference with typical instances using information extracted fromboth knowledge representation subsystems.
The hallmark of traditional Artificial Intelligence (AI) research is the symbolic representation and processing of knowledge. This is in sharp contrast to many forms of human reasoning, which to an extraordinary extent, rely on cases and (typical) examples. Although these examples could themselves be encoded into logic, this raises the problem of restricting the corresponding model classes to include only the intended models.There are, however, more compelling reasons to argue for a hybrid representa-tion based on assertions as well as examples. The problems of adequacy, availability of information, compactness of representation, processing complexity, and last but not least, results from the psychology of human reasoning, all point to the same conclusion: Common sense reasoning requires different knowledge sources and hybrid reasoning principles that combine symbolic as well as semantic-based inference. In this paper we address the problem of integrating semantic representations of examples into automateddeduction systems. The main contribution is a formal framework for combining sentential with direct representations. The framework consists of a hybrid knowledge base, made up of logical formulae on the one hand and direct representations of examples on the other, and of a hybrid reasoning method based on the resolution calculus. The resulting hybrid resolution calculus is shown to be sound and complete.
The semantics of everyday language and the semanticsof its naive translation into classical first-order language consider-ably differ. An important discrepancy that is addressed in this paperis about the implicit assumption what exists. For instance, in thecase of universal quantification natural language uses restrictions andpresupposes that these restrictions are non-empty, while in classi-cal logic it is only assumed that the whole universe is non-empty.On the other hand, all constants mentioned in classical logic arepresupposed to exist, while it makes no problems to speak about hy-pothetical objects in everyday language. These problems have beendiscussed in philosophical logic and some adequate many-valuedlogics were developed to model these phenomena much better thanclassical first-order logic can do. An adequate calculus, however, hasnot yet been given. Recent years have seen a thorough investigationof the framework of many-valued truth-functional logics. UnfortuADnately, restricted quantifications are not truth-functional, hence theydo not fit the framework directly. We solve this problem by applyingrecent methods from sorted logics.
In this paper we generalize the notion of method for proofplanning. While we adopt the general structure of methods introducedby Alan Bundy, we make an essential advancement in that we strictlyseparate the declarative knowledge from the procedural knowledge. Thischange of paradigm not only leads to representations easier to under-stand, it also enables modeling the important activity of formulatingmeta-methods, that is, operators that adapt the declarative part of exist-ing methods to suit novel situations. Thus this change of representationleads to a considerably strengthened planning mechanism.After presenting our declarative approach towards methods we describethe basic proof planning process with these. Then we define the notion ofmeta-method, provide an overview of practical examples and illustratehow meta-methods can be integrated into the planning process.
Extending the planADbased paradigm for auto-mated theorem proving, we developed in previ-ous work a declarative approach towards rep-resenting methods in a proof planning frame-work to support their mechanical modification.This paper presents a detailed study of a classof particular methods, embodying variations ofa mathematical technique called diagonaliza-tion. The purpose of this paper is mainly two-fold. First we demonstrate that typical math-ematical methods can be represented in ourframework in a natural way. Second we illus-trate our philosophy of proof planning: besidesplanning with a fixed repertoire of methods,metaADmethods create new methods by modify-ing existing ones. With the help of three differ-ent diagonalization problems we present an ex-ample trace protocol of the evolution of meth-ods: an initial method is extracted from a par-ticular successful proof. This initial method isthen reformulated for the subsequent problems,and more general methods can be obtained byabstracting existing methods. Finally we comeup with a fairly abstract method capable ofdealing with all the three problems, since it cap-tures the very key idea of diagonalization.


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Ok, so essentially some of the newer 2013 Audi's (Volkswagen puts a speaker by the firewall) play an audio file with a speaker designed to make you think the car sounds better than it does. What's the problem? Well, when you get a performance exhaust system this now conflicts as the audio file doesn't change yet it still plays. Here is how to get rid of it:
1. To access this fuse box (on the end of the drivers side of the dashboard), wedge a flat head screwdriver under the cover to pry it off. Note that there are three clips, at arrows in Figure 1.
2. Locate the factory fuse puller tool (Arrow A in Figure 1).
3. Consult the fuse location diagram in your cars owners manual. Typically, the fuse is labeled Sound actuator/exhaust sound tuning and is located at position 5 4. of fuse block A on the drivers side end of the dashboard.
5. Pop off the purple fuse guard frame on the proper fuse block (Figure 2).
6. Remove the proper fuse as listed in your Owners Manual.
7. Put the purple fuse guard frame back in.
8. Replace the fuse cover.
9. Go be pure on the open road.
Problem solved. Now if only manufacturer's would stop faking it and instead just work on having valved exhaust systems.


text:
How to Apply Tinted Moisturizer
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Cleanse face, then blot lightly with a towel. Rub a dime-size drop of moisturizer (preferably one with sunscreen and nourishing vitamins C and E) into damp skin. Wait a few minutes to let the cream sink in thoroughly.
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Dot concealer starting at the eyes' inner corners and work outward, using a tiny brush or cotton swab. (Three small dabs on each side is all you need.) Pat with fingers to blend, connecting the dots. Choose a creamy product about a half-shade lighter than your skin tone to avoid a raccoon look. Spot-treat any blemishes as well.
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Put tinted moisturizer on a dry makeup sponge (it helps to spread the product evenly). Then dab on the center of your forehead and blend up toward hairline. Next, move down the bridge of your nose, outward to both cheeks, then to chin. Apply lightly around jawbone, all the way to the upper part of your neck so color is uniform. If skin gets oily during the day, dust on some sheer pressed powder when needed.
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Originally published in the September 2010 issue of Family Circle magazine.


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text:
The United States Congress recently mandated that private loan lenders require borrowers to complete an Applicant Self-Certification form when requesting any private educational loans. Do not submit your self-certification form to this office as Marquette cannot complete this form for you.
The following sections of the form must be completed from your financial aid information on CheckMarq. If you have not been awarded, please contact the Office of Student Financial Aid.
How can you find this information?
Access CheckMarq at: https://checkmarq.mu.edu
Find and Click "Student Center" in the right hand side of screen
Click here to download the Private Education Loan Applicant Self-Certification form.
The Office of Student Financial Aid provides undergraduate and graduate students with resources about types of financial aid and student employment.
FAFSA School Code: 003863
Questions or for more information, contact the Office of Student Financial Aid


text:
What Does This Prove Or Accomplish?? Florida Church Burns The Holy Quran!
"Last week, Florida Pastor Terry Jones' Koran burning was ignored by the media. Now, as deadly riots erupt in the Middle East, footage of the stunt is going viral" - DailyBeast
Please click the "Report" button below if the video on this page is not working properly.
Comments will only be displayed by verified emails. No Spamming or Racism.


text:
Ladies and gentlemen, there was some seriously stiff competition for Comment of the Day today, which is why it's all the more impressive that Ari Schwartz: Dark Lord of the Snark has pulled off a rare double COTD victory. First up, we have this version of Ke$ha's "Tik Tok" which has been updated to reflect her love of peeing in public:
Don't stop, gonna pop
People, blow my bladder up
Red light, it'sa plight
'Til we see 7-11 in sight
Just stop on the sidewalk
And the bladder don't stop, no
Don't stop, gonna pop
People, blow my bladder up
Red light, it'sa plight
'Til we see 7-11 in sight
Just stop on the sidewalk
And the bladder don't stop, no
Bladder, you build me up
You break me down
My heart, it pounds
Yeah, you got me
And then we have this gem regarding a Catholic school's decision to fire a teacher after she underwent IVF in an effort to get pregnant:
Apparently non-natural pregnancies are only allowed once per messiah, ladies.
Job well done, Ari Schwartz!
Submit nominations to the Comment of the Day tag page. Click on the comment's time stamp, and post the comment's URL to the forum along with the tag #cotd. (Replying to a comment with "#cotd" does not work.)
Use #trollpatrol to report comments that you feel the editors/mods should be aware of. Try not to respond to/approve/promote trollish comments in the threads — instead, just post the comment on the #trollpatrol page, the same way you'd post a comment on #groupthink or on the #cotd page, and the editors/mods will take care of it.
For meetups, use the meetup tag page!


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By Frederic Billou, KF13, Benin
You never forget your first (Kiva) time
I funded my first loan on Kiva in the very early days, back on April 13, 2005 in fact. I remember like it was yesterday the first time I received a repayment for that very first loan. Sitting at my desk in San Francisco, I paused for a second to try and measure what had just happened: money was flowing from San Francisco to Kenya, and then back to San Francisco, from the comfort of my office.
I also remember the day that first loan was fully paid back. Since I had financed the entire loan (I had not yet bothered spreading the risk across multiple loans in my portfolio…), I had just enabled a woman in Kenya to purchase a dairy cow. And I got my money back. All of it. On schedule.
Since that time, I have always wanted to find a way to visit Kiva borrowers
on the ground. More than five years later, I have finally gotten a chance to see Kiva "in action" as I am currently a Kiva Fellow working on the ground with ALIDe, Kiva's partner in Benin, West Africa.
Visiting my first Kiva borrower in Benin is another first I will never forget. I was of course very eager to get in the field as soon as I landed and my second day in Benin, a loan officer took me to one of "his" borrowers. When we arrived, it took me a little while to adjust to what I was seeing. Here I was, in a slum in Cotonou (the capital of Benin) that had been recently flooded and let's just say that this place made the slums in the movie "Slum Dog Millionaire" look like the Ritz. Further underscoring the cultural differences as we conducted our visit, the woman was quite comfortably wearing nothing above the waist.
As we started talking (seeing a white male in this part of town was a first for her), she proudly explained that she buys fresh fish, smokes them, and then sells them by walking around with a tray on her head. Her Kiva loan allows her to buy both the fish and the coal she uses to smoke the fish in bulk, thus reducing her cost of doing business and improving her margins. As we talked, she got really excited about what she was doing, the entrepreneurial gleam lighting up her eyes, and since she was smoking a batch of fish right then and there, she invited us for a tour.
It's a fairly simple process really: she first buys fish in bulk at the Dentopka market, the largest in Benin, then stores it in what she calls the "freezer" before smoking the fish on a small BBQ pit made of a recycled car wheel and finally letting the fish dry further in the sun. I must have had a puzzled look on my face when she mentioned the freezer because, yes, I was trying to figure out how a freezer could have made its way here. When, with a proud smile, she lifted the wet piece of fabric on top to show me how it worked, I quickly realized that the freezer was in fact just a recycled wooden crate. In a nutshell, it didn't smell quite like roses and enough flies got out from under the wet rag to add more than a full serving of protein and demonstrating that value can be added to an end product in many different ways. Here is a brief and raw video of the overall process:
When we left, she looked at both of us with a huge smile and indicated that once her current loan is repaid, she can't wait to get a bigger loan to further expand her business.
So whether this is your first time visiting Kiva.org or not, go ahead and click here to make a loan!
Frederic Billou is a Roaming Kiva Fellow currently working in Benin.


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In the afterglow of the Academy Awards, it got me thinking of the all-time best sports movies, a perpetual barroom debate. And so, here are the Hochies (inspired by the Dundies), the nominees and winners of the sports film awards. I used the format of the Golden Globes, where they have a category for dramas and a category for comedies, because how could you really choose between Jake LaMotta and Crash Davis?
And so, let's skip right past the pithy dialogue between two random celebrity presenters … thus, the nominees are…. (*= winner):
Best Supporting Actor in a Sports Comedy
Ted Knight, Caddyshack. ("Spalding get your foot off the boat!")
Randy Quaid, Kingpin. ("Ten frames? That's for Quakers.")
John C. Reilly, Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby. ("You probably didn't hear about it, because I went under the name of Mike Honcho.")
Tim Robbins, Bull Durham. ("It feels radical, in kind of a tubular sort of way.")
* Bill Murray, Caddyshack. ("He's the Cinderella boy — tears in his eyes I guess as he lines up this last shot.")
Best Supporting Actor in a Sports Drama
Charles S. Dutton, Rudy. ("You're 5-foot nothin', 100-and-nothin'.")
Jamie Foxx, Any Given Sunday. (Steamin' Willie Beamen.)
Cuba Gooding Jr., Jerry Maguire. ("Show me the money.")
James Earl Jones, Field Of Dreams. ("The one constant through all the years, Ray, has been baseball.")
* Dennis Hopper, Hoosiers. ("Now boys — don't get caught watching the paint dry.")
Best Supporting Actress in a Sports Comedy
Cindy Morgan, Caddyshack. ("I enjoy — skinny skiing, going to bullfights on acid, …")
Rosie O'Donnell, A League Of Their Own. ("Evelyn — your kid ate the lineup.")
Rosie Perez, White Men Can't Jump. (She was definitely a somebody in the early 90s.)
Gwen Verdon, Damn Yankees. ("Whatever Lola wants, Lola gets.")
* Tatum O'Neal, The Bad News Bears. (Paper Moon? Please. She shoulda won her Oscar for this.)
Best Supporting Actress in a Sports Drama
Glenn Close, The Natural. (A toss-up between her and Basinger. But Close got an Oscar nod).
Ali Larter, Varsity Blues (Also up for Best Costume Design.)
Cathy Moriarty, Raging Bull. ("You want your steak?")
Renee Zellweger, Jerry Maguire. ("First class, that's what's wrong. It used to be a better meal, now it's a better life.")
* Talia Shire, Rocky. (She's a part of two great movie dynasties – the Rocky movies and The Godfather trilogy.)
Best Actor in a Sports Comedy
Chevy Chase, Caddyshack. ("Pool and a pond. Pond would be good for you. Natural springs.")
Harold Lloyd, The Freshman. (The 1925 comedy was the first great sports movie. And I know this guy kept Ricky Bobby off the list. But I'm showing some respect to the pioneers.)
Nick Nolte, North Dallas Forty. (An ahead-of-its-time look at the reality of pro sports. With innumerable laughs.)
Charlie Sheen, Major League. ("California Penal.")
*Kevin Costner, Bull Durham. ("I believe there ought to be a constitutional amendment outlawing Astroturf and the designated hitter.")
Best Actor in a Sports Drama
Kevin Costner, Field Of Dreams. ("Wanna have a catch?")
Gene Hackman, Hoosiers. ("Welcome to Indiana basketball.")
Robert Redford, The Natural. ("There goes Roy Hobbs, the best there ever was.")
Sylvester Stallone, Rocky. (Narrowly gets the nomination over my wild-card contender — Kurt Russell from Miracle.)
*Robert DeNiro, Raging Bull. (It's arguable that it's the best performance ever by an actor.)
Best Actress in a Sports Comedy
Geena Davis, A League Of Their Own. (Debra Winger was originally given her role.)
Keira Knightley, Bend It Like Beckham. (The birth of a star.)
Parminder Nagra, Bend It Like Beckham. ("Anyone can cook aloo gobi, but who can bend a ball like Beckham?")
Rene Russo, Tin Cup. ("I should have never left Ohio for that cowboy in Amarillo. … Yeah, it's not as romantic when you're actually with one, trust me.")
*Susan Sarandon, Bull Durham. ("I believe in the Church of Baseball.")
Best Actress in a Sports Drama
* Hillary Swank, Million Dollar Baby. (Honestly, I couldn't think of any other contenders for this category, but this works out conveniently because she also won the Oscar for this role, so there's no competition, even if I had gathered up some competition.)
Best Song
"Eye Of The Tiger," Survivor, Rocky III.
"Training Montage," Vince DiCola, Rocky IV
"Winner Takes It All," Sammy Hagar, Over The Top
"You're The Best" by Joe Esposito, The Karate Kid.
*"I'm Alright," Kenny Loggins, Caddyshack.
Best Scene-Stealing Goofball (Since there's no other category to properly honor these cinematic legends.)
Sacha Baron Cohen, Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby. ("Whoa! Get down, you little pancake.")
The Hanson Brothers, Slap Shot. ("I'm listening to the (expletive) song!")
Dolph Lundgren, Rocky IV. ("I must break you.")
Chelcie Ross, Major League. ("Yo, bartender — Jobu needs a refill.")
* Rodney Dangerfield, Caddyshack. ("Oh, this is the worst-looking hat I ever saw.")
Lifetime Achievement Award in Sports Movies
Kevin Costner – Bull Durham, Field Of Dreams, For Love Of The Game, Tin Cup, Dances With Wolves.
Best Sports Comedy
Bull Durham. ("Candlesticks always make a nice gift.")
Major League. ("I've never heard of half of these guys…" "Most of these guys never had a prime…." "This guy here is dead.")
Slap Shot. ("The Chiefs have won the championship of the Federal League!")
White Men Can't Jump. ("Why don't we take all these bricks and build a shelter for the homeless.")
*Caddyshack. ("And I say – HEY, Lama, how 'bout a little something, you know, for the effort?")
Best Sports Drama
Chariots of Fire. (Never seen it, but it won the Oscar, so it's gotta be good, right?)
Raging Bull. ("I'm da boss, I'm da boss, I'm da boss.")
Rocky. ("I've never seen a fighter that concerned about his hair.")
The Pride of the Yankees. ("Today I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth.")
* Hoosiers. ("I'll make it.")


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Wild TimesPosted in Editor's Notes on December 21st, 2011 by Josh
I've had a crazy year. Some may even call that an understatement. It's been a year packed with radical change, both personal and professional, which has often kept me from my duly appointed drinking rounds. Though let's be honest: I've still managed to sneak in a few cocktails here and there.
I certainly can't complain. I'm as happy as I've ever been, with the small exception of the sadness that comes from the reduced frequency at which I see my friends in the cocktail world. But life is good. And those friendships – for which I am truly grateful – are steadfast, and shall perservere.
So while I haven't written here nearly as often as I'd like, know that as 2011 comes to a close, all is well, and there's more to come. I wish you and your families a holiday season filled with health and happiness, prosperity and peace. May we all share a drink in 2012.
Until then, (with Pappy van Winkle 20yr in hand) cheers to you.