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The final trading session of this most eventful week began on a relatively upbeat note in precious metals, following yesterday's rather minor (1.5% from the recent high in gold) setback, which, for now, we will refrain from calling a "correction."
Crude oil rising past $103.00 on the back of continuing skirmishes in Libya, and a US dollar apparently stuck near the 76.40-76.50 zone on the trade-weighted index (and still at nearly a four-month low against the euro) gave rise to scattered early buying, but metals players were still cautious ahead of the 8:30 AM release of the US Labor Department's employment data for February.
Spot gold dealings opened with a $3.60 gain on Friday morning, and they were quoted at the $1,418.90 indication price. Silver spot added 30 cents to open at the $34.53 level while platinum rose $3 to start the session off at the $1,828.00 mark per ounce. Palladium dropped by an equivalent amount, to open at $810 the troy ounce, while rhodium remained unchanged once again, and was quoted at $2,380.00 per ounce. Apple iPad junkies can now rejoice, as the Kcast Gold Live app can be with them 24/7365 wherever they might find themselves, and offer them the above-mentioned quotes, up to the minute.
Well, the February US joblessness rate came in at its lowest level since April of 2009 and it revealed a gain of 192,000 positions in February. The figure did miss the analysts' estimates that had called for a gain of 218,000 jobs, but the overall US unemployment rate fell by one-tenth of a percent from January's 9% level. Thus, early caution among commodity players dissipated somewhat on account of the 26,000 jobs-created-discrepancy between the USLD report and previous expectations, and the crowd set out to buy more gold and silver with a tad more confidence.
We are looking at probably another weekend ahead of which players might not want to go home without a safety lining in metals. However, book-squaring activities and any possible geopolitical developments could still make for a volatile session. Libya, oil, and the US dollar remain the top items on market participants' minds.
Also on market participants' minds this morning, were continuing reverberations from comments made by Mr. Trichet the other day. The ECB's head sounded an even more than normally hawkish tone on Thursday as he intimated that interest rates in the euro zone could rise as early as April. Albeit the IMF warned against such a move, the ECB appears to have its mind made up that inflation -along the lines of its current trend- is not a welcome guest in the region's economy. The word-pair "strong vigilance" was used by Mr. Trichet in his news conference, and analysts pointed out that this is historically the telltale sign of an imminent rate move.
Mind you, similar "signs" are also coming, not from the mind of M. Night Shyamalan, but from the US Fed at this time. Bloomberg reports that the Fed's policy makers appear to be in favor of an "abrupt" ending to the QE2 program, when the end of June rolls around. The FOMC meets in eleven days, and that is about halfway through the bond-buying period that was instituted back in early November of last year. The Fed's move came on the heels of a poor jobs and economic indicators' scene in August, and it was seen as causing spec funds to run amok with certain commodity prices, drunken with the prospect of the ultra-cheap money environment that the Fed created for them for another six months or so, at least.
Now, however, the US economic picture has brightened considerably, and it has become fairly clear (at least to some) that the risks implicit in a prolonged easing stance are beginning to outweigh its benefits, especially when it comes to QE2 being "morphed" into QE2.5 or QE3 after mid-year. Even the full-run of QE 2 has come under questioning by some Fed members, but that fact has not stopped hard money newsletters from assuring their audiences that the Fed will continue with its current policies for, basically, …ever.
Reuters reports that according to Charlie Morris, head of absolute return at HSBC Global Asset Management, "the financial and geopolitical backdrop has not deteriorated enough for gold to show off its safe-haven credentials and it remains firmly a risk trade, while the chance to get into silver may have passed." Mr. Morris recently cut his fund's level of exposure to gold. Mr. Morris also opined that "we're at a crossroads and it's a very complex time because on the one hand, you want to protect yourself against inflation, but those trades are extremely overcooked."
The HSBC fund manager has adopted a "defensive view of the world" and believes that gold "is not the best way to profit from that stance." However, HSBC Global Asset Management remains bullish overall on gold, even if it does not envision gold as the cure-all for what ails the world at the present time. And, while gold might be a good enough value to become a buyer near $1,340- $1,350 for Dennis Gartman, the famed newsletter editor remains on the sidelines of the market, for the time being, citing risks of further retreats in the yellow metal.
Someone else who shares that view is Mr. Bernanke. Whether or not related to the state of Utah's proposed legislation to allow its denizens to use gold and silver coins as an alternative "legal tender," Mr. Bernanke commented that he dismisses the notion of the gold standard returning to the U.S., anytime soon.
The Fed Chairman noted in his testimony before the Senate Banking Committee that gold "did deliver price stability over long periods of time, but over shorter periods of time it caused wide swings in prices related to changes in demand or supply of gold. So I don't think it's a panacea."
Mr. Bernanke also remarked that the modern world could not re-adopt gold as its currency standard for one simple reason: there just is not enough gold in the world to effectively support the U.S. money supply. Of course, that's the same reason for which Rep. Ron Paul has not only called for the abolishment of the Fed, but also for the return to the gold standard. While that debate goes on, what follow, are excerpts from our previous (in collaboration with the CPM Group) study "That was then, this is now" on the topic of said standard, monetary policy, and the prospects for gold's return as currency:
"The issue of gold's role in a monetary system has been resurrected in U.S. political discussions this past year, after having been dormant for more than two decades. Two developments have led to this. One has been the seemingly relentless decline of the dollar's exchange rate in currency markets. The other has been the candidacy of Ron Paul as a Republican candidate for President of the United States. While Rep. Ron Paul was seen as having little chance of garnering the candidacy let alone the Presidency, he tapped into a wellspring of conservative discontent over financial management of the U.S. economy.
This was the first time that gold has played a role in U.S. Presidential politics since the Republican platform on which Ronald Reagan ran in 1980 carried a platform calling for a return to a watered-down gold standard for the dollar. That cynical proposal did not become a major issue during the campaign, and silently disappeared after the election.
The position of many advocates of a gold standard is that the Federal Reserve System ought to be abolished, that the U.S. government should allow private banks to issue currency as they see fit, and that the U.S. government should extract itself from the control of money supply in the United States. The problem is that the "good old days" never really existed. In the 65 years between the U.S. Civil War and World War One there were 16 recessions in the United States.
The concept and history of money and monetary policy in the United States always has been a point of strong opinions. When people have strong opinions about a topic, they often feel that it is acceptable to distort history and reality in order to justify their point. Thus, advocates of private banks issuing private money sometimes misquote Thomas Jefferson.
Jefferson famously said: "I believe that banking institutions are more dangerous to our liberties than standing armies. If the American people ever allow private banks to control the issue of their currency, first by inflation and then by deflation, the banks and the corporations that will grow up around them will deprive the people of all property until their children wake up homeless on the continent their fathers conquered."
In order to try to distort history and misrepresent one of the most knowledgeable American forefathers, people omit the word "private" from the preceding quotation, attempting to convince would-be supporters that Mr. Jefferson was opposed to the concept of a federally organized banking system, as outlined in the U.S. Constitution and envisioned by the founders of the nation. In fact, he was opposed to private banks having unrestrained capacity to issue money and build up debt, the very thing that caused much economic destruction in the period before the Civil War.
Anyone suggesting a return to the old ways of organizing and regulating a banking system and financial markets owes it to themselves and to those to whom they speak to know better the historical record of economic dislocations generated during such systems' operations. The free banking period in U.S. history was an era of massive swings in economic volatility, far greater than those experienced since the 1940s, incorporating periods of massive depressions and recessions; hyper-inflation and massive deflations; economic destruction that destroyed humans, companies, and communities; and lightly to totally unregulated financial markets that make the villainy of recent banking scoundrels seem like misdemeanors."
Have a pleasant weekend, whatever standard you might prefer to be on.
Jon Nadler
Senior Analyst
Kitco Metals Inc.
North America
www.kitco.com and www.kitco.cn
Blog: http://www.kitco.com/ind/index.html#nadler


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Indianapolis, IN (SportsNetwork.com) - Miami Dolphins head coach Joe Philbin met with media members at the NFL Scouting Combine on Thursday and said the team will have a better workplace environment in the wake of the Jonathan Martin-Richie Incognito bullying scandal.
NFL independent investigator Ted Wells released the findings of an investigation last week and said that three Dolphins offensive linemen -- Incognito, John Jerry and Mike Pouncey -- engaged in a pattern of harassment directed at not only Martin, but also another young Dolphins offensive lineman and an assistant trainer.
In response, the Dolphins on Wednesday fired offensive line coach Jim Turner and head athletic trainer Kevin O'Neill.
Philbin said Thursday that he is "responsible for the workplace environment at the Miami Dolphins' facility. We're going to have a better workplace. I'm going to make sure that happens."
Philbin added that he didn't know the majority of what was happening with Martin and Incognito and if he had seen it he "certainly would have acted on it."
Martin left the Dolphins in late October before a Week 9 game against Cincinnati because of alleged bullying from Incognito, who was suspended in early November and didn't play the rest of the season.
"Some of the facts, the behavior, the language as outlined in the report was inappropriate and was unacceptable," said Philbin on Thursday.
"I'm going to be more vigilant, more diligent, more visible, and I'm going to have a better pulse (of the team)."
Philbin, despite the distractions, had the Dolphins in the playoff race late in the 2013 season. Miami, though, lost its last two games with its postseason fate in its own hands and finished 8-8 to miss the playoffs for the fifth straight season.
The Dolphins are 15-17 in his two seasons at the helm.

subset: commoncrawl


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Southold Indian Museum seeks artifacts, volunteers
It's been 50 years since a group of nine amateur archeologists, many of them local farmers who discovered Indian artifacts while plowing their fields, founded the Southold Indian Museum.
The sleepy museum, owned by the Incorporated Long Island Chapter of the New York State Archaeological Association, is open just two days a week this time of year (and only one day in the winter), but it's one of the few places on Long Island with such a treasure trove of Native American artifacts.
On Saturday, Aug. 19, the museum will hold a 50th anniversary celebration at McCall Vineyards in Cutchogue, which sits alongside Fort Corchaug, the historic settlement of the Corchaug Indians.
Greenport insurance broker Joe Townsend, who has been a member of the museum's board for about a year, is chairing the event. He said the museum is also looking for new board members, as most of its founding members have now died.
"We would like to get more people involved. A lot of people who founded the museum are gone," said Mr. Townsend, who found his first "point," as arrowheads and other projectile points are called, about 20 years ago. He's been collecting artifacts found throughout the North Fork ever since.
An entire display case of Mr. Townsend's finds, along with those from many local farms, including the Krupski Farm in Peconic and the Latham Farm in Orient, are on display at the museum.
The museum has one of the best collections of Algonquin pottery in the Northeast, as well as some points dating back as much as 10,000 years. It also owns a 60-acre flint mine in Coxsackie, N.Y.
In the brick building's basement across the street from the Custer Institute astronomy center on Main Bayview Road in Southold, are many more artifacts than the museum has space to display, many in shoeboxes waiting to be catalogued.
Mr. Townsend said he's noticed trends in places where artifacts are found. In the Goldsmith Inlet area of Peconic, for example, many have found basalt tools, while in Hallocks Bay in Orient, they tend to find wampum.
He said he's hoping to encourage more local people who might have Indian artifacts — or who might want to help keep the museum open during Saturday evening hours, when the neighboring Custer Institute is open — will join the volunteer effort for the benefit of future generations.
Tickets for the Aug. 19 benefit are $125 each, and come with a one-year membership to the museum. The event takes place from 5 to 7:30 p.m. Call 988-9345 or email [email protected].
The food is being donated by several local chefs and Braun Seafood Company, D'Latte Café, Harbes Family Farm, Jedediah Hawkins Inn, Krupski Farms, Latham Farms, Lenz Wineries, The Market Café, McCall Vineyards and Widow's Hole Oysters.


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Open House - SH 45 Southwest
Where: | Bowie High School Cafeteria 4103 Slaughter Ln. Austin, TX 78749 |
When: | Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2013 5 p.m. - 8 p.m. |
Purpose: | TxDOT, in cooperation with the Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority, will host an open house for the proposed improvements to SH 45SW between MoPac and FM 1626. The open house will present the need for the project, and gather public input on alternatives to improve mobility in northern Hays and southern Travis counties. There will be no formal presentation. Citizens may come and go at their convenience. If you are unable to attend the meeting, but want to comment on the project, please visit the virtual open house from Dec. 11 - 20, 2013. Written comments may also be mailed to: Environmental Coordinator Comments may be faxed to (512) 832-7157. All comments must be received no later than Friday, Dec. 20, 2013. People who plan to attend the open house and have special communication or accommodation needs are encouraged to call (512) 832-7369 at least five business days prior to the event. Because the meeting will be conducted in English, any requests for language interpreters should also be made at least five business days prior to the event. TxDOT will make every reasonable effort to accommodate these needs. |
Description: | TxDOT is working with the Mobility Authority and regulatory agencies to study a possible solution for improving mobility in the rapidly growing area of northern Hays and southern Travis counties. This combined effort includes an environmental study of an area between MoPac and FM 1626. The study will consider environmental impacts, constraints, the needs of drivers, and concerns of surrounding neighbors. | ||
Downloads: | |||
Contact: | TxDOT Public Information Officer P.O. Drawer 15426 Austin, TX 78761-5426 (512) 832-7060 |


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Guide Steve Selden has been posting regularly from Churchill during polar bear season — but here is a field report from another vantage point: that of Good Nature contributor Wendy Redal, who saw the polar bears through the wide eyes of her children.
I can still feel the Arctic air, sharp and clean. I can see the late-afternoon sunset, a glowing band of gold, then scarlet, then deep rose, lingering on the horizon. I can hear the yip of the sled dogs, avid to dash across the snow. But what remains most vivid in my memories of the past week is the image of my daughter's face, nose to nose with an enormous polar bear.
Granted, a pane of glass lay between them. But it was no hindrance to this powerful exchange of mutual curiosity. The giant male bear had approached our 'polar rover,' a specialized vehicle custom-designed for polar bear viewing on the tundra. He sauntered up and sat before us, as we craned to gaze at him through the huge front windows. Then, he rose up on his back legs and stood nearly 10 feet tall, placing his paws like pieces of furry carpet onto the perfectly clear windshield. As Bryn, 11, watched at eye-level he leaned closer, touching his big black nose to her small pale one, staring at her for a few enchanted seconds.
Though this was the most moving encounter, it was one among many with these remarkable animals during our three excursions onto the tundra. Our family of four (including my husband and our 15-year-old son) went to northern Manitoba on Natural Habitat's Classic Polar Bear Expedition, where we saw not only polar bears, but also fluffy white Arctic hares and foxes and ptarmigan, which we detected despite their wintry camouflage.
We were fortunate to have exceptionally good bear viewing, as the animals were congregating on the shores of Hudson Bay awaiting freeze-up and the start of their seal-hunting season. This most southerly polar bear population must fast for 4-5 months after the ice melts, and it was clear that they were plenty hungry. We watched ice form on the shore, tantalizing the bears, then break up in the action of the tide or a south wind. The region's warm fall weather has delayed the ice, and the bears must continue to wait till they can venture hundreds of miles out onto the solid frozen expanse.
At one point near the shoreline we could see ten bears at close range and more in the distance. Two pairs of sparring young males rose up on their hind legs swatting at one another like boxers, then crashing to the snow to wrestle and play like puppies. Our seasoned driver Bill, who formerly managed the remote Tundra Lodge and has spent years among the bears, assured us we had one of the two best days he'd seen in his career, with the bears both play-fighting and climbing up on our vehicle.
We felt blessed.
In a world where children are increasingly insulated from nature, and wildlife encounters happen primarily at zoos if at all, an experience like ours is rare and profound. One of our trip companions echoed my own feeling that our time among the bears felt spiritual. It's hard to convey the delight of such proximity to these gorgeous beasts (who looked downright cuddly, despite their status as King Carnivore of the North), the sense of wonder at their adaptation to this harsh ecosystem, and the restorative power of several days' immersion in the Arctic wilds.
As we returned to Churchill from our night drive on the tundra, looking up at the aurora against a black sky full of glittering stars, my daughter hugged me and said, "Thanks, Mom, for taking us here."
I have been musing on how my own view of the world has been transformed by spending time with wild polar bears. But I am even more grateful for what such an opportunity means for my kids. They have a sense now, far more palpable than they could glean through news stories, of how crucial our human actions are for the polar bears' future. They know what it means for the bears' health when the ice freezes later and melts earlier than it used to, shortening their hunting season. They are starting to recognize that leaving lights on at home or driving when we could walk actually makes an impact on the polar bear cubs they loved watching in Canada.
My hope is that as a result of our travels, my children will come to treasure the natural world in a far deeper way than if they are merely watching "Arctic Tale" or the movie "Earth," excellent as those are.
Like me, you may see the value in driving a 10-year-old Subaru and looking for bargains at classy consignment shops, if it means saving money for a chance to come nose to nose with a polar bear, or, as we were lucky enough to do last winter, snorkeling with sea lions in the Galapagos. What better gift can we give our children than a communion with its wonderful wild creatures? The only answer I have is this: a commitment to protecting our planet so that such opportunities will be there for our grandchildren's children and beyond.
This holiday season, you may want to consider gifting your family with a nature trip of a lifetime. Check out Nat Hab's special family itineraries (including a summertime trip to Churchill to raft and swim among 3,000 gentle beluga whales!) , or work with an Adventure Specialist to craft a custom trip of your own. Call 1-800-543-8917 to start exploring the possibilities.


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NZACKO, Central African Republic – The African troops hoped the latest defector from the Lord's Resistance Army rebel group would have fresh insight into the location of infamous warlord Joseph Kony.
But Sam Opio, a senior rebel commander who defected last week, shook his head and said he hadn't seen rebel leader Kony since 2010.
He is not alone. All recent defectors have denied seeing or communicating with Kony in the last few years, complicating the work of U.S.-backed Ugandan troops who are hunting down rebels in the dense, often-impenetrable jungles of Central Africa that cover the size of France. An Associated Press reporter recently trailed soldiers tracking a small group of rebels.
Ugandan commanders lead the chase for Kony, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court over many atrocities, from Obo, a tactical base set up in the middle of a sprawling bush in the southeastern part of Central African Republic. Their mandate — to kill or capture Kony — sets a high bar for foot soldiers who may also be at a disadvantage against a man who has spent all of his adult life in the bush.
"He's like a myth," Ugandan Lt. Col. John Kagwisa, the intelligence officer for military operations against the rebels, said of Kony. "His (fighters) see him as some kind of god, their spiritual god. They say that Kony can see what you're doing in the bush even if you're many miles away."
Kony has gone into what Ugandan commanders call "hibernation."
In Central African Republic, a sparsely populated but chaotic country with a history of political upheaval, Kony has a wide theater in which to operate and stay ahead of his pursuers. He now eschews any use of hi-tech devices, leaving soldiers heavily reliant on any human intelligence they can glean from defectors or civilians who encounter rebels scattered through Congo and Central African Republic.
Ugandan military commanders leading the mission say that it's likely most of the defectors haven't seen or heard from Kony in years. Kony now uses personal couriers to send out his orders, so even senior commanders for the Lord's Resistance Army may spend years without seeing their boss, they said.
"Where is he now? My guess is as good as yours. That's how elusive he is," said Ugandan Col. Michael Kabango, commander of Ugandan troops in Central African Republic.
Despite the challenges, commanders say the daily slog in the jungle is justified because it keeps rebels on the run and unable to regroup. Hundreds of rebels have defected since 2008.
Kony, known to his victims for years, shot to international notoriety in 2012 after the advocacy group Invisible Children made a popular online video highlighting his crimes. Earlier this year the U.S. sent more troops and military aircraft to support operations against the rebel group, beefing up some 100 special forces who had been deployed in 2011.
More than 500 rebels have been killed, 200 have defected and 86 have been captured since 2008, substantial numbers given that LRA membership has been falling drastically because of the group's diminished ability to orchestrate new abductions. At the peak of its powers the Lord's Resistance Army was notorious for taking girls as sex slaves and boys as fighters, one of the reasons the group attracted global attention. The U.S. has offered up to $5 million in rewards for information leading to Kony's capture.
Fewer than 500 rebels remain active in the bush, and now no longer an effective fighting force, they are focusing on survival, Ugandan commanders say. But the military also warns that, until Kony is caught or killed, victory can't be declared against a warlord whose brutal insurgency against the Ugandan government was originally based on a wish to rule the East African country according to the Ten Commandments.
Kony, who was ousted from Ugandan territory in 2006, is said to be a ruthless enforcer of discipline, demoting officers of questionable loyalty and executing those likely to defect. He recently made his son one of his deputies, a move seen by watchdog groups as indicative of Kony's growing concern for his safety, and avoids any direct confrontations with African troops searching for him.
"It is very frustrating indeed," said Kabango, the Ugandan commander. "If anybody knew where he is, we could have picked him up. It's not that obvious."
Kony is said to move back and forth between Central African Republic, Congo and a disputed enclave known as Kafia Kingi, which is controlled by Sudan's military. Sudan isn't cooperating with Uganda on operations against the rebels, and Kony is believed to seek safe haven in Kafia Kingi whenever his pursuers come close to getting him. Ugandan commanders can't fly reconnaissance missions over Kafia Kingi or even deploy ground troops there.
Kasper Agger, a researcher in Africa for the U.S.-based watchdog group Enough Project, said that it's crucial to get Kony because "he remains the center of gravity" in the Lord's Resistance Army and maintains control of his group, however degraded.
Local leaders in Central African Republic have been cooperative with Ugandan soldiers who spend their days searching for junior rebel fighters, and defectors are warmly welcomed by Ugandan and U.S. troops.
Defector Opio, putting on fatigues and now disarmed of his AK-47 rifle, said he offered to surrender after realizing that the Lord's Resistance Army "is very thin on the ground" amid an international hunt for its fugitive leaders.
"To me, the LRA has no future," he said after surrendering last week. "That's why I also decided to come out."


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[if you like zooming in on record labels you should click on this photo]
Dream Blues," 78 rpm disc, 1924
Gertrude "Ma" Rainey with The Pruitt Twins, Paramount Records
As Paramount's best-selling artist of the early 1920s, vaudeville superstar and "The Mother of the Blues" Gertrude "Ma" Rainey was honored with her own "portrait label" disc, the first of its kind, marketed and sold as a special souvenir for her fans. Rainey is accompanied on these March 1924 recordings by the remarkable Pruitt Twins, Miles and Milas of Kansas City, on banjo and guitar. The disc above is call number 78-11104 from the John Edwards Memorial Collection (20001).
This item is one of many highlights pulled from across the collections in Wilson library currently featured in the exhibition An Alphabet of Treasures: Special Collections from A to Z, which can be seen in Wilson Special Collections Library until April 19, 2015.
Follow the Wilson Library tumblr for more highlights from the exhibit.
And remember to mark your calendars for our very special event with music biographer Barry Mazor and musician Dom Flemons coming up next week.
Ralph Peer and the Making of Popular Roots Music
Friday, Feb. 6, 2015
Wilson Special Collections Library
Pleasants Family Assembly Room
5:30 p.m. Reception (program will begin at 6 p.m.)
6 p.m. Book Talk by Barry Mazor
7 p.m. Concert by Dom Flemons
Free and open to the public
Information: Liza Terll, Friends of the Library, (919) 548-1203
Music scout, record producer, and industry visionary Ralph Peer helped shape and popularize American country and roots music from the 1920s through the '40s. On Feb. 6, at 6 p.m., a new biography of Peer will be the topic of a talk by the author, Barry Mazor, at UNC's Wilson Special Collections Library. A concert by musician Dom Flemons will follow at 7 p.m. We'll have more about the program on Field Trip South tomorrow.


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Last year, while hunting at my favorite Connecticut flea
with a friend, I found this old oak and glass display box.
I brought it up to the lake and asked Dad
to tighten up a joint which was a little loose on one side.
He's very handy at fixing things
and has been so good about tackling my many projects!
Next, we will replace the two glass shelves that are missing.
I couldn't wait though...now that it was functional...
and played with a few vignettes...
...then took it outside for an impromptu photo shoot.
I considered painting it white
but decided to leave it in its original state.
What do you think? Would you paint it?
We have had a great weekend here at the lake...
...and enjoyed a beautiful sunset from the boat this evening.
I hope your weekend was a good one
and that the week ahead brings all good things!


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Gisborne Tsunami Evacuation Zones
Gisborne District CouncilLike much of New Zealand, the Gisborne-Tairāwhiti region faces a series of potential natural hazards such as flooding, landslides, earthquakes and tsunami. While we can sometimes have advanced warning of the storms that cause flooding and landslides. This is not the case for earthquakes and tsunami that can occur without warning. Gisborne District Council...Created 9 December 2019 • Updated 3 March 2020
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| Don Taylor's The Island of Dr. Moreau was the second official adaptation of H.G. Wells's 1896 novel, following Island of Lost Souls, Erle C. Kenton disturbing 1932 version starring Charles Laughton and Bela Lugosi. Taylor's adaption is significantly slicker and more commercial than Kenton's, which was a box office failure in the early '30s largely because it struck audiences at the time as too gruesome, disconcerting, and tasteless. Taylor was, of course, working in an entirely different era, following more than a decade of the horror genre mining new extremes in violence, gore, and shock images, so if anything his version seems positively restrained by comparison. Screenwriters Al Ramrus and John Herman Shaner, who had previously collaborated on the inner-city school drama Halls of Anger (1970), as well as several science fiction and Western television series in the 1960s, stick to the broad narrative in Wells's novel, opening with a British sailor named Andrew Braddock (Michael York) being washed ashore on a remote South Seas island after a shipwreck. He finds himself in the hands of the island's owner, Dr. Paul Moreau (Burt Lancaster), a scientist who has removed himself from the world in order to pursue his controversial research. Moreau is assisted by an alcoholic mercenary named Montgomery (Nigel Davenport) and has as his constant companion a beautiful young woman named Maria (Barbara Carrera), who soon turns her attention to the younger, more virile Braddock even as she confesses that she can never leave. There are other residents of the island, as well, which Braddock eventually learns are the results of Moreau's attempts to isolate a particular chromosome that determines the shape of every living thing. Through chemistry and surgery, Moreau has been literally turning animals into approximations of human beings, many of which subsist in a nebulous space in between, bearing physical characteristics of both humans and the animals they once were (lions, bears, bulls, hyenas) and attempting to adhere to a series of laws (not walking on all fours, not killing) that keep them from reverting to their animal natures. Moreau's laboratory is understandably referred to as the "House of Pain," and whenever one of the laws is broken, the law-breaker must return there for further, painful modification. Lancaster's portrayal of Moreau has understandably been compared to Charles Laughton's in Island of Lost Souls, as the two actors have largely different takes on the character. Laughton's performance was much more dramatic—a delirious, scenery-chewing mix of sadism, imperialism, and a runaway God complex. It's one of the great villainous performances, and Lancaster can't be faulted for trying to take the character in a more subdued, some might say "realistic," direction. His Moreau is not an outright villain like Laughton's, but rather a scientist who, in the genuine pursuit of improving life, has sold his soul to experimentation. There is something slightly exhausted and desperate about him, which we can see in his gray beard and dingy, rumbled white suit, which contrasts with the crisp, bright white suit worn by Laughton and his wicked black hair and sharp goatee (both suits are obvious signifiers of colonialism, but Lancaster's is worn and at the end of its life). Moreau becomes more outwardly violent toward the end, but for the much of the film he is a reserved voice who has long since justified the pain he inflicts in the name of science. Lancaster's more subdued approach to Moreau doesn't give Michael York, who had already worked with Franco Zefferelli (1968's Romeo and Juliet, 1977's Jesus of Nazareth), Bob Fosse (1972's Cabaret), and Sidney Lumet (1974's Murder on the Orient Express), much to work with, and as a result Braddock never feels particularly interesting. His romance with Maria generates only a moderate amount of heat, and the film doesn't get really interesting until the screenplay deviates from Wells's novel by having Moreau experiment on Braddock to turn him into an animal. It's a fairly preposterous turn of events, but it gives the film a much needed jolt of life. The Island of Dr. Moreau has always had a certain notoriety. When Wells first published the novel in the late 19th century, its depictions of vivisection and philosophical questions about evolution, the nature of humanity, and our conflicted relationship to nature connected it with a number of hot-button scientific and moral issues in Europe. Kenton's film version, as noted earlier, failed with audiences due to its gruesome and unsettling content and was actually banned for years in a number of countries, including England. There was no such risk with Taylor's version, which despite taking advantage of new developments in make-up special effects and featuring a number of grisly scenes, never feels like much of a challenge to our sensibilities. Taylor, who began his career as an actor before shifting behind the camera, was an experienced director, having helmed Escape From the Planet of the Apes (1971) and the musical Tom Sawyer (1973). However, the majority of his work had been in television, where he had directed episodes in dozens of anthology and episodic series of virtually every genre imaginable, including The Rifleman, Burke's Law, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, and Night Gallery. That is perhaps why The Island of Dr. Moreau feels more like a made-for-television film than a theatrical feature, despite the lush widescreen cinematography by Gerry Fisher (Aces High) and relatively large-scale action sequences, including several that involve stuntmen fighting hand-to-paws-and-jaws with various wild animals, including a lion and a tiger. The relative flatness of the film, despite its potentially unsettling subject matter, may also be partially explained by its being a product of Samuel Z. Arkoff's American International Pictures, the low-production company that specialized in profitable drive-in shlock in the 1950s and '60s and was attempting to expand its range in the 1970s. The Island of Dr. Moreau was actually the company's third Wells adaptation in two years, following the ridiculous The Food of the Gods (1976) and Empire of the Ants (1977), both of which were directed by cult favorite Bert I. Gordon, who was nicknamed "Mr. B.I.G." for his taste in stories featuring abnormally large people and animals. Taylor's film is certainly the more respectable of that particular triumvirate, although that's not saying much. It is also better than the disastrous adaptation that would arrive 19 years later courtesy of director John Frankenheimer and stars Marlon Brando and Val Kilmer, although that might be saying even less.
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April 20, 2012
Time, date changes announced for Ladies Boot Camp: Operation Hotness.
The time and dates have changed for Ladies Boot Camp: Operation Hotness. The program will meet Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 1-2:30 p.m. Classes are offered on Wednesday for those who missed a class during the week.
The next session begins April 23 and runs through June 15.
For more information on Operation Hotness please view the program's initial announcement.


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Los Santos
Los Santos is a fictional city in the GTA universe, loosely based on Los Angeles and other California Coast cities. It is the setting for games like GTA SA and GTA V, and has many different sections, based on real life places. Many places are parodies, such as the Vinewood sign is parodying the real life Hollywood sign. It is the most detailed city in the series, offering tons of activities and places to take part in.
Like earlier games, Los Santos has certain districts that have their own style and mood. These usually have straight-forward characteristics and help make the setting feel alive.
Central Los santos
The high-rise heart of the city, which is surrounded by freeways and the river, it is the central hub for exploring, as it is connected to all other districts.
north los santos
The rich and famous dwell here, with the hills providing great views of the city. Here shops sell the finest clothes and most exspensive cars. This is less populated, but it is also harder to navigate.
south los santos
This independant area, has both ghettos and beaches, based off of both South LA and Long Beach, full of dangerous citizens, but plenty of escape routes.
East los santos
A grab bag of social ranks, nearby the freeway, it has both poor and rich residents seperated by blocks, also includes the industrial zones.
West los santos
Made up of the middle class, it extends towards the city boundries, it is banked by beaches and tourist traps. Various people live there, with many interesting locations to visit.
The main enemy in the game, and the corrupted police force, they are comprised of both cars and choppers. They engage in combat to any threat, and will pursue the player using different maneuvers.


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Marilyn Trumper-Samra
Youth Director, St. Lawrence Parish, Utica, Michigan
The unforgiving morning sun, already hot and relentless, burned away what remained of the cool night air and left a soft haze over the Sea of Galilee, which we learned is not a sea, but a very large and very deep freshwater lake.
The waters were almost glass-like, calm and mirroring the blue sky above.
We pilgrims in a reproduction 2,000-year-old boat sat in awe far from shore as the motor was cut and a velvety silence ensued. All we heard was the gentle lapping of water against the boat, the creak of wood and the song of birds.
It was here that Christ challenged Peter to walk on water.
It was here that he calmed a raging storm.
It was here that he directed the Apostles to cast their nets for a miraculous catch after repeatedly coming up empty-handed.
It was here. Right here. Not in a book that told the story, but here. And on that stormy night when Christ in his mercy controlled the weather, the sky and waves must have been a boiling black, and there would have been no cries of birds, but the cries of men instead choked with the kind of fear that often accompanies death.
The rock-strewn scrabbled hills to the west today, pristine and untouched, served as the same backdrop Christ would have seen 2,000 years ago.
He was here.
We are here.
And we will never be the same.
For two weeks we traversed the Holy Land in a pilgrimage planned and beautifully executed by the Holy Land Christian Ecumenical Foundation. The journey was spiritual, emotional and political. Like boot camp, we hit the ground early in the morning and fell exhausted, but peacefully into our beds at night.
Daily, we celebrated mass at memorable, jaw-dropping sites: The top of Mt. Nebo, where Moses was shown the Promised Land and then told by God he would never be allowed to enter; inside the chapel that house's Christ's tomb we gathered like those in the early church, truly shoulder to shoulder – one with the priests beside the altar, in a holy, true communion with God and each other; outdoors, under a tree, along the shore of the Sea of Galilee, where a flock of barn swallows swooped over the priests' heads as they chanted the Doxology – right there where Peter had an opportunity to redeem himself, and tell Christ three times that he loved him. Then our Lord cooked them all fish, over a charcoal fire.
The highlights would be different for each of us. What deeply touched one, might not affect the other and vice-versa. The Holy Spirit was almost palpable and the journey was like a roller-coaster ride of joy, tears, fears – and laughter.
We knew we were standing on holy ground.
What are the Mt. Nebo's in our lives? A woman who carries a baby to full term, only to lose it to sickness? A marriage that began with hope and ends with despair? A child raised right, who then goes miserably astray?
Where have we, like Peter, denied Christ? In the movies we watch? The gossip we share? The selfish I-Me attitude that we so easily and often embrace with wild abandon? When we have the opportunity to right a wrong do we grab it? Or walk away?
We knew Christ was with us, as surely as he was with those at the wedding feast when he changed water into wine, when he healed the paralytic at the Pool of Bethesda, when he invited Zacchaeus to come out of the sycamore tree, and join him for dinner. All of these were places we visited, and at which we prayed and meditated.
The fruits of this pilgrimage will be years in the knowing. Perhaps a lifetime.
Seeds were planted in soil that was fertile, and some that had become hardened, and needed tilling, water and care.
There will be quick, and obvious connections.
There will be sudden epiphanies that bring us to our knees when we least expect it and never saw it coming.
When we open ourselves to the Spirit and make this kind of a journey, there is no turning back. God's counting on it.
Next week: Holy Land politics and a weeping Christ.


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First, the Earth (whether flat or spherical) was considered to be the center of the universe. Then, the Sun was considered to be center of the universe. Eventually, mankind came to realize that the Sun is just one of 200 to 400 billion stars within the Milky Way galaxy, which itself is just one among hundreds of billions of galaxies in the known universe, and there may even be other universes.
Astronomers have long believed that many stars would have planets around them, including some Earth-like planets. Carl Sagan wrote and spoke extensively about this in the 1970s and 80s, but we did not have the technology to detect such planets at the time, so the discussions remained theoretical. There were no datapoints by which to estimate what percentage of stars had what number of planets, of which what fraction were Earth-like.
The first confirmed extrasolar planet was discovered in 1995. Since then, continually improving technology has yielded discovery of more than one per month, for a grand total of about 176 to date. So far, most known extrasolar planets have been Jupiter-sized or larger, with the detection of Earth-sized planets beyond our current technology.
But the Impact of Computing is finding its way here as well, and new instruments will continue to deliver an exponentially growing ability to detect smaller and more distant planets. Mere projection of the rate of discovery since 1995 predicts that thousands of planets, some of them Earth-sized, will be discovered by 2015. To comfortably expect this, we just need to examine whether advances in astronomical observation are keeping up with this trend. Let's take a detailed look at the chart below from a Jet Propulsion Laboratory publication, which has a lot of information.
The bottom horizontal axis is the distance from the star, and the top horizontal axis is the orbital period (the top and bottom can contradict each other for stars of different mass, but let's put that aside for now). The right vertical axis is the mass as a multiple of the Earth's mass. The left vertical axis is the same thing, merely in Jupiter masses (318 times that of the Earth).
Current detection capability represents the area above the purple and first two blue lines, and the blue, red, and yellow dots represent known extrasolar planets. Planets less massive than Saturn have been detected only when they are very close to their stars. The green band represents the zone on the chart where an Earth-like planet, with similar mass and distance from its star as our Earth, would reside. Such a planet would be a candidate for life.
The Kepler Space Observatory will launch in mid-2008, and by 2010-11 will be able to detect planets in the green zone around stars as far as 1000 light years away. It is set to examine 100,000 different stars, so it would be very surprising if the KSO didn't find dozens of planets in the green-zone.
After 2015, instruments up to 1000 times more advanced than those today, such as the Overwhelmingly Large Telescope and others, will enable us to conduct more detailed observations of the hundreds of green-zone planets that will be identified by then. We will begin to get an idea of their color (and thus the presence of oceans) and atmospheric composition. From there, we will have a distinct list of candidate planets that could support Earth-like life.
This will be a fun one to watch over the next decade. Wait for the first headline of 'Earth-like planet discovered' in 2010 or 2011.


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This month will mark not only the opening of Park Square's much anticipated, Nina Simone: Four Women, but also the looooong anticipated birthday celebration of Richard Mann, a 102 year old St. Paul resident. What do the two have in common, you ask? Maybe more than you think. We'll get to that soon but first we'll just start by saying that Park Square is honored to be having Mr. Mann and his family attend Nina on March 12th to celebrate his big 1-0-2.
Born in St. Paul in 1914, Mr. Mann has lived his entire life in either St. Paul or Minneapolis, with his family moving back and forth between the two cities throughout his adolescence. He was only 11 when his father died. He went to work, instilling in himself a strong sense of self-determination and activity. In the late 1940s he went into the nightclub business, opening the Treasure Inn in Roseville that became a popular spot for the black community and college students. Prince Rogers, father of… well, Prince, was one famous artist to play there. Needing to support a family of his own, however, led him to change course and in 1953, he started working at the Post Office where he stayed for 30 years.
Mr. Mann's greatest contribution to the Twin Cities, though, would have to be his community activism. He was a Boy Scout as a kid and then grew up to be president of the Sterling Club, a charitable organization that works with other groups to provide beneficial activities and programs to the African American community. To honor his 90th birthday, the Richard Morris Mann scholarship was established to benefit graduating African American high school seniors attending college.
Even after all that, Mr. Mann continues to make a name for himself and proving his vitality by becoming a recent internet hit when a video of him shoveling a neighbor's sidewalk went viral this winter. Bound and determined to live an active lifestyle, he continues to shovel walks and loves playing golf. Surely this must be a "key" to living such a long life. Although, I would add that having such a large family helps. When the Mann family sees Nina on the 12th, there will be no less than 16 representatives in the seats! That's like, a whole section of the Boss Stage house! So if you can't get a ticket you know who to thank.
Nah, I'm sure you'll be fine, and what a performance to see if you really want one of those "special times in the theatre." Not only will you be basking in the inspiration of Nina Simone's music but you can look over at Richard Mann, sure to be tapping his foot and smiling, and soak up his own unbridled inspiration.
Also, go ahead and watch him shovel snow. It's the best.


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The following is an updated edition of a paper I published eighteen months ago. The current edition includes new references to the unfolding events in Egypt.
In front of our eyes, a gigantic regional Arab uprising is taking place. It is evident that until the last few days Western Left had very little to say about it all. It seems as if the Left has reached a rock bottom state of detachment. It has lost contact with the people, social reality, and humanity in general.
Thinking Outside the Secular Box
Religion is the sigh of the oppressed creature, the heart of a heartless world, and the soul of soulless conditions. It is the opium of the people.
– Karl Marx 1843
Before I launch into a disclosure of liberal and leftist delusional treatment of religions in general, and Islam in particular, I would like to share with you a bad racist joke. Beware; you may not want to share this short tale with your feminist friends.
An American female activist who visited Afghanistan in the late 1990's was devastated to find out that women were marching 15 feet behind their men. She soon learned from her local translator that this was due to some religious guidelines that ruled [this is the way we show] respect for the 'head of the family'. Once back in America the devastated activist launched campaign after campaign for women's rights in Afghanistan. As it happened, the same devoted activist visited Kabul last month. This time she was amazed to find a totally different reality. Women were actually marching 30 feet ahead of their husbands. The activist was quick to report to her headquarters in America: "The Women's rights revolution is a great success here in Afghanistan. While in the past it was the man who marched in the front, now it is the woman who takes the lead." Her Afghani translator, who overheard her report, took the activist aside and advised her that her interpretation was totally wrong. "The women" he said, "are walking in front because of the landmines."
As tragic as it may sound to some, we are not as free as we believe ourselves to be. We are not entirely the author of most of our thoughts and realizations. Our human conditions are imposed on us; we are a product of our culture, language, ideological indoctrination, and in many cases, victims of our intellectual laziness. Like the semi-fictional American female activist above, in most cases we are trapped within our preconceived ideas, and that stops us from seeing things for what they really are. Accordingly, we tend to interpret (and in most cases misinterpret) remote cultures by employing our own value systems and moral codes.
This tendency can have some grave consequences. For some reason 'we' (the Westerners) tend to believe that 'our' technological superiority together with our beloved 'enlightenment' equips us with a 'rational secularist anthropocentric absolutist ethical system' of the very highest moral standard.
The Lib-Left
In the West we can detect two ideological components that compete for our hearts and minds; both claim to know what is 'wrong' and who is 'right'. The Liberal would insist on praising individual liberty and civil equality; the Leftist would tend to believe that he or she possesses a 'social scientific' tool, helping to identify who is 'progressive' and who is 'reactionary'.
As things stand, it is these two modernist-secularist precepts that have taken on the role of acting as our Western political-ethical guards. But in fact, they have achieved precisely the opposite. Each ideology in its own peculiar way has led us to a state of moral blindness, for it is these two so-called 'humanist' calls that have either consciously prepared the ground for criminal interventionist colonial wars (the Liberal), or, have failed to effectively halt or oppose them while employing confused, ineffectual ideologies and faulty arguments (the Left).
Both Liberal and Left in their apparently banal Western (English speaking) forms suggest that secularism is the answer for the world's ailments, and without a doubt, Western secularism may indeed be a remedy for some aspects of a Western social malaise.
However, what many of the proponents of Western Liberal and Left ideologies typically fail to understand, is that that secularism is itself a natural outcome of Christian culture, i.e., a direct product of Christian tradition and openness towards an independent civic existence. In the West, the spiritual and the civil sphere are largely separated. ((Something to do with a low Roman heritage and the early development of Christianity as an expansionist concept aiming to spread itself to remote cultures and civilizations.)) It is this very division that enabled the rise of secularity and the discourse of rationality. It is this very division that also led to the birth of a secular ethical value system in the spirit of enlightenment and modernism.
But this very division led also to the rise of some blunt forms of fundamental-secularism that matured into crude anti religious worldviews that are no different from bigotry. And it is actually that very misleading fundamental secularism that brought the West to a total dismissal of a billion human beings 'out there,' just because they wear the wrong scarf, or happen to believe in something we fail to grasp.
Progressive vs. Regressive
Islam and Judaism, unlike Christianity, are tribally orientated belief systems. Rather than 'enlightened individualism,' it is actually the survival of the extended family that is at the core interest of those two belief systems. The Taliban that is regarded by most Westerners as the ultimate worst possible, and darkest political setting, is simply not concerned at all with issues to do with personal liberties or personal rights. It is the safety of the tribe together with the maintenance of family values in the light of the Qur'an that stands at its core. And Rabbinical Judaism is no different at all: It is basically there to preserve the Jewish tribe by maintaining Judaism as a 'way of life'.
In both Islam and Judaism, there is hardly a separation between the spiritual and the civil. Both religions stand as systems that provide thorough answers in terms of spiritual, civil, cultural and day to day matters. Jewish enlightenment (Haskalah) was largely a process of Jewish assimilation through secularization and emancipation, and spawned various modern forms of Jewish identities, Zionism included. Yet Enlightenment values of universalism have never been incorporated into the body of Jewish orthodoxy. As in the case of Rabbinical Judaism, which is totally foreign to the spirit of Enlightenment, Islam is largely estranged to those values of Euro centric Modernism and rationality. If anything, due to the interpretation of the Scriptures (hermeneutic), both Islam and Judaism are actually closer to the spirit of post modernity. ((It can be argued that the primary agenda behind postmodern attempts is to destabilize the foundations of modern knowledge and [ethics by challenging the possibility of modern universal applicability. As eloquently put by Muqtedar Khan, the postmodernist seeks to privilege the 'here and now' over the global. Both postmodern philosophy and Religious theology, says Khan "reject the modernist claim in the infallibility of reason". Like the postmodernist, Islam and Judaism are skeptical towards the sovereignty of reason and discourses of rationality.))
Neither the various Leftist ideologies nor Liberalism engage intellectually or politically with these two religions. And this fact is disastrous, for the biggest current threat to world peace is posed by the Israeli-Arab conflict; a conflict rapidly becoming a war between a Jewish expansionist state and Islamic resistance.
And yet, both the Liberal and the Left ideologies are lacking the necessary theoretical means to understand the complexities of Islam and Judaism – The Liberals would dismiss Islam as 'sinister' because of its approach to human rights and women in particular, whilst the Left would fall into the trap of denouncing religions in general as 'reactionary'.
But maybe without realizing it, both Liberals and the Left are falling here, into a clearly supremacist argument, for both Islam and Judaism are more than just religions: they convey an entire 'way of life,' and stand as a thorough attempt to answer crucial questions regarding being in the world – in dismissing them therefore, the Western Lib-Left are in danger of a complete dismissal of a large chunk of humanity. ((The rather common bizarre Marxist suggestion that 'quite a few out there' are in fact 'reactionary' for being religious entails the necessary assumption that the Marxist himself is settled comfortably in an absolute moral high ground. Such an assumption is rather faulty for two obvious reasons:
- Claiming to know more than others on base of ideological or political affiliation is nothing less than supremacy in practice;
- The claim for possession of the highest moral ground X cannot be verified scientifically unless validated by another superior and higher moral ground X'. For the Marxist to sustain his 'highest moral ground' position, he would have to move on and claim to be holding the highest position X'. In order to verify X' he will need to move on to a superior X' and so on. We are facing here an infinite search for the validation of ethical meaning. Such a model of thought may help us grasp why Western Marxism has managed to detach itself from ethical reality and ethical thinking and hardly engage with issues to do with true equality.
The obvious problem with the Marxist implementation of the 'progressive vs reactionary' dichotomy is that the Marxists suitably claim to be among progressives and conveniently claim that the 'adversary' is found among the reactionaries. This is obviously slightly suspicious or even dubious to say the least.
Phil Weiss in his invaluable MondoWeiss blog recently coined the useful political term PEP: progressive except on Palestine term.))
I recently accused a genuine Leftist and a good activist of being an Islamophobe for blaming Hamas for being 'reactionary'. The activist, who is evidently a true supporter of Palestinian resistance was quick to defend himself claiming that it wasn't only 'Islamism' that he didn't like, he actually equally hated Christianity and Judaism.
For some reason, he was sure that hating every religion equally was a 'proper humanist qualification', but the fact that an Islamophobe also considers himself a Judeophobe and Christiano-phobe is not necessarily a sign of a humanist commitment. I kept challenging that good man; he then argued that it was actually Islamism (i.e., political Islam) which he didn't approve of. I challenged him again, and bringing to his attention the fact that in Islam, there is no real separation between the spiritual and the political: The notion of political Islam (Islamism) may as well be a Western delusional reading of Islam. I pointed out that Political Islam, and even the rare implementation of 'armed jihad', are merely Islam in practice.
Sadly enough, this was more or less the end of the discussion –The Palestinian solidarity campaigner found it too difficult to cope with the Islamic unity of body and soul.
The Left in general is doomed to fail here, unless it grasps the organic Islamic bond between the 'material' and the so called 'opium of the masses'. And for the Leftist to do so, it will be nothing less than a major intellectual shift.
Such a shift was suggested recently by Hisham Bustani, an independent Jordanian Marxist, stating:
The European left must make a serious critical assessment of this 'we know better' attitude and the ways it tends to deal with popular forces in the south as ideologically and politically inferior.
Solidarity with Palestine is a very good opportunity to review the gravity of the situation. As it happens, in spite of the murderous Israeli treatment of the Palestinians, solidarity with Palestinians has yet to become a mass movement, and it may well never make it as such a movement. Given the West's failure to uphold the rights of the oppressed, Palestinians seem to have learned their lesson, and they democratically elected an Islamic party that promised them resistance. But interestingly enough, very few leftists were there to support the Palestinian people and their democratic choice.
Within the current template of conditional political solidarity, we are losing campaigners on each turn of this bumpy road, and the reasons are as follows.
- The Palestinian liberation movement is basically a national liberation movement. This acknowledgment is where we lose all the Left cosmopolitans, those who oppose nationalism.
- Due to the political rise of Hamas, Palestinian resistance is now regarded as Islamic resistance. This is where we are losing the secularists and rabid atheists who oppose religion, catapulting them to being PEP (progressive except on Palestine).
And the PEP are divided largely into two groups:
PEP1. Those who oppose Hamas for being 'reactionary', yet approve Hamas for their operational success as a resistance movement. Those activists are basically waiting for the Palestinians to change their mind and revert to a secular society. But, they are willing to conditionally support the Palestinians as an oppressed people.
PEP2. Those who are against Hamas for being a 'reactionary' force, and dismiss its operational success. These are waiting for the world revolution. They prefer to let the Palestinians wait for the time being, as if Gaza were a seashore holiday resort
With these rapidly evaporating solidarity forces we are left with a miniature Palestinian solidarity movement with an embarrassingly limited (Western) intellectual power and even less positive performance on the grass roots level. This tragic situation was disclosed recently by Nadine Rosa-Rosso, a Brussels-based independent Marxist. She states: "The vast majority of the Left, including communists, agrees in supporting the people of Gaza against Israeli aggression, but refuses to support its political expressions such as Hamas in Palestine and Hezbollah in Lebanon." This leads Rossa-Rosso to wonder "why do the Left and far Left mobilize such small numbers? And indeed, to be clear, are the Left and far Left still able to mobilize on these issues?"
When it comes to Egypt, Western Left's take is even more embarrassing. As much as the so-called progressive thinkers support the Egyptian peoples' uprising against their pro-American tyranny, they somehow find it hard to admit, that it is not exactly a Socialist revolution.
A few days ago the UK Socialist Worker journal published an enthusiastic review of the unfolding revolution in Egypt. Though the SWP are in total support of the Egyptian people, the word Islam didn't appear even once in the article. The Muslim Brotherhood popped up once, and even then they were second to the 'Socialists'
But it would be a mistake to think that there are no political organisations in Egypt. In immensely difficult circumstances, courageous political activists have organised over many years – socialists, the Muslim Brotherhood and others.
However, the journal is consistent with its working class politics. The word 'class' appeared no less than nineteen times in the relatively short article. I do not have any doubt that the SWP supports the Egyptian masses – but I wonder, why is it so reluctant to explore the clear social significance of Islam?
Like the Capitalist West, the Eurocentric Left is somehow afraid to admit that it is more than likely that the Muslim Brotherhood are destined to lead Egypt in the near future.
In spite of recent polls that suggest that up to 95% of the Egyptian Muslim population would prefer to live according to Shari'ah law, the Left, like the Western politicians, insists on minimising the political role of Islam and the Muslim Brotherhood. What we see here is, again, an extended lack of integrity within the 'progressive' realm. I would call it 'PEM' ('progressive except for Muslims').
Tragically enough, the PEM fails to admit that for most Egyptians – liberation and emancipation may mean Islam.
Can the PEM get over his or her Islamophobia? I am not so sure.
But here is the good news. According to some multiple reports from Cairo, in the recent days, tens of thousands of workers across Egypt have gone on strike and joined the anti-Mubarak protests.
Associated Press reported February 9 from Cairo:
Thousands of state workers and impoverished Egyptians went on strike Wednesday after weeks of anti-government protests cast a spotlight on corruption and the wealth amassed by those in power in a country where almost half the people live near the poverty line.
The protests calling for President Hosni Mubarak's ouster have been spreading outside of Cairo's Tahrir Square… . For the first time, protesters were forcefully urging labour strikes…
Seemingly in spite of Western Left general impotence, there is a clear awakening of Left grassroots forces in Cairo.
Where Next?
If the left's support for human rights in Palestine is conditional and dependent on the Palestinians denouncing their religion and ideological beliefs, cultural heritage, and social traditions and adopting a new set of beliefs, alien values and social behaviours that matches what its culture deems acceptable; that means the world is denying them a most basic human right, the right to think, and to live within a chosen ethical code.
– Nahida Izzat.
The current Left discourse of solidarity is futile. It estranges itself from its subject; it achieves very little, and it seems to go nowhere. If we want to help the Palestinians, the Iraqis and the other millions of victims of Western imperialism we really must stop for a second, take a big breath and start again from scratch.
We must learn to listen. Rather than imposing our belief on others – we had better learn to listen to what others believe in.
Can we follow Bustani's and Rossa-Rosso's suggestions, and revise our entire notion of Islam, revise our understanding of its spiritual roots, its structure, its unified balance between the civil and the spirit, its vision of itself as a 'way of living'?
Whether we can do so or not is a good question.
Another option is to reassess our blindness, and to encounter humanist issues from a humanist perspective (as opposed to a political one). Rather than loving ourselves through the suffering of others (which is the ultimate form of self-loving) we had better, for the first time, exercise the notion of real empathy. We put ourselves in the place of the other, whilst accepting that we may never fully understand that very other.
Rather than loving ourselves through the Palestinians and Egyptian masses and at their expense, we need to accept Palestinians and Egyptians for what they are and support them for who they are regardless of our own views on the world.
This is the only real form of solidarity, for it aims at ethical rather than ideological conformity, and it puts humanity at its very centre. It reflects on Marx's deep understanding of religion as the "sigh of the oppressed". If we claim to be compassionate about people, then we should begin to learn to love them for what they are, rather than for what we expect them to be.


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This Is the Manicure You Should Get, Based on Your Astrological Sign
African-American Beauty Myths -- Busted!'Black don't crack' isn't the only African-American beauty myth that's stood the test of time. From black hair care to makeup, we suss out fact from fiction |
Older comments
love this amazing article we rock
by janelistrue Sunday, March 3, 2013 at 02:26PM Report as inappropriate
nice article. Love the nude part. We can do nude!
by smiley412 Saturday, February 23, 2013 at 09:00AM Report as inappropriate
I liked the one about black women and going blonde...I actually have Black family members with natural sandy, blonde hair and light blue eyes!
by MizzPink Thursday, February 7, 2013 at 05:16AM Report as inappropriate
Beauty knows no color, and I'm not referring to a cosmetic palette.
by robyne00 Monday, August 20, 2012 at 08:59PM Report as inappropriate
In 3rd grade, we were having field day. My teacher was putting sun-screen on everyone in the class, she then skipped me and I told her "You forgot to put sun-screen on me." she then told me "You are already dark enough, you don't need any." Now mind you, I'm but not dark. It's crazy what you get told as a chid being black.
by Charmaine2013 Wednesday, July 4, 2012 at 01:39AM Report as inappropriate
Good idea for an article but maybe they should speak to some women of color first.
by AmandaAmanda Thursday, June 28, 2012 at 01:00AM Report as inappropriate
Good points but still leaves more questions than answers!
by teema Wednesday, June 27, 2012 at 08:08AM Report as inappropriate
This was a really good read, and make great points !
by applepiealamode Wednesday, June 27, 2012 at 03:26AM Report as inappropriate


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Apple's latest iPad spot demonstrates that tablets have general purpose computing strengths that have never been exhibited by laptops.
Laptops have had decades in the spotlight as our portable computers of choice and were on their way to eradicating desktop machines before tablets came along. But they've never managed to exhibit the flexibility of purpose that tablets can.
Apple's spot presents examples of people using iPads in various real world situations, which is a note they've struck before. But this particular spot focuses not just on the things that people are doing with iPads, but specifically things that would be cumbersome, irritating or impossible with a laptop.
It's a brilliant rotation of the argument that tablets can't be 'seriously' used to create.
In many ways this is the realization of the dream for the original 'tablet computers' of Microsoft — something you can view with more or less irony depending on what chances you give the company of succeeding in a crowded space.
It's not that you can't use a laptop to do any of these things. I've used a laptop as a tethered shooting companion for photography for years now. Seeing instant feedback as I shoot speeds up the process and makes editing faster, it's great. But I've never wanted to use a laptop. They're bulky, they're not the right form factor and they're not optimized for easy one-handed operation (not counting the one you hold them with, thank you). And some of these cases, like diving, present an impossible challenge for laptops. They're simply not the right tool for a lot of jobs.
And I think that more of the jobs laptops aren't any good at are becoming part of our lives every day.
It's not as if laptops (or desktops) are going to go away over night, but they're definitely going to fade in importance as new general purpose computers like the tablet and smartphone grow bolder. And they'll work in concert to allow us to do stuff better — I wrote this piece on a combination of phone, tablet and computer as I've been traveling.
There will always be things that will be accomplished more efficiently with a dedicated keyboard and a device that allows us to perform several tasks 'simultaneously'. But neither of those are sacred cows limited to laptops. If you pull the thread a bit technology-wise it's not hard to see machines that run off of the power of our phones or tablets without having to have dedicated CPUs. Just flip open your display and keyboard and start typing, with your pocket computer doing the calculations.
The spot isn't just a good ad for iPads, though I think it is pretty good. It's also a case study in what makes tablets in general such good 'general purpose' computing devices. I'm under no personal illusions that Apple will maintain dominance over the tablet market forever (and I don't think Apple is either). Android is getting better with every iteration, and they've been improving rapidly in the areas that matter for the scenarios described in this spot.
To illustrate, the iPads here, for the most part, are being used in conjunction with apps written by developers for niche professional use. Those apps were written for iOS because it's a more friendly environment for niche developers to sell apps in. But there are factors shifting that balance as we speak.
Google is heavily investing in improving its developer services and even now offers features that many of the iOS developers I speak to speak about with envy. Supportive beta testing frameworks, built-in a/b testing and translation services and a bunch more stuff that just makes developer's lives easier. Which is good, because the nature of Android devices means that the testing and polishing stages of developing on Android are a massive undertaking in comparison to iOS.
There's still a sort of 'social proof' that needs to happen in the Google Play market — namely that Google needs to demonstrate Android users are willing to pay for these kinds of utilities. Even that, though, is being subjected to disruption. Recent data shows that for pay apps are even more endangered this year than they were the year before, etc. All of that plays into Google's hands fairly well with Android, though I do think that a market for paid apps with specific use cases will always exist.
I digress, as I don't want to turn this into a platform debate, but I did find it interesting that the spot was centered around not what iPads can do better than other tablets specifically, but what tablets can do better than other computers. The shift is upon us.


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CARROLL GARDENS — Finding a good nanny in the city can be challenging. From interviews to background checks, the process is not as simple as parents often imagine.
"People underestimate the amount of effort it requires," said Gregory Solometo, CEO of Nannies of New York, a nanny placement agency.
Every month, the New York-based agency conducts "How to Hire a Nanny," an education seminar for parents looking to hire or replace their nannies, Solometo said. Workshops are held across the city, including at Carroll Gardens baby boutique and maternity store Madison Rose at 313 Court St.
Last year, an Upper West Side nanny was charged with stabbing to death two children in her care. The horrifying incident left parents with a higher level of scrutiny in finding the perfect caregiver for their children, Solometo said.
The workshop also highlights the difference between nannies and babysitters, positions that several parents still mix up, said Solometo, who described a babysitter as part-time help, while a nanny is a full-time career.
In their presentation, Nannies of New York goes over the process of hiring an effective nanny, an eight-step course that requires time, energy and patience.
► Start out by writing a job description for the potential nanny. "It's really helpful [for parents] to sit down.. and detail what they're looking for," Solometo said.
► The next step is finding candidates for the position, a task that can be conducted through advertisements, mommyblogs, word-of-mouth or agencies.
► Once you have applicants for the job, review their resumes and work history to compile a short-list of potential nannies.
► Ask essential and thorough questions during the interview, Solometo said. At the workshop, Nannies of New York talks to parents about key questions they should be asking.
► Parents should then whittle down their list to their top two choices.
► Rigorous background checks can provide "very valuable information," Solometo said. Agencies like Nannies of New York hires a private investigator to conduct these checks and parents often use the services to determine their nanny's past experiences, Solometo said.
► Once you choose a candidate, Solometo recommends a trial period for the nanny to see how they relate to the family and home.
► Finally, contracts should be drawn up and signed by both parties. Nannies should be treated as full-time employees and have the official formalities that go along with the job.
For future dates of "How to Hire a Nanny" workshops, visit the Nannies of New York Facebook Page.


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This article is more than 1 year old
Adobe throws weight behind SQLite
Promises cash to bed down embedded database
Adobe Systems has confirmed it will help sponsor the work of the SQLite database project, joining a new consortium alongside Mozilla and Symbian.
SQLite, which is an embedded SQL database engine with core source code in the public domain, has been built into the firm's newly released Adobe Integrated Runtime (AIR) software.
So it's perhaps of little surprise that Adobe's announcement to sponsor SQLite has coincided with the launch of AIR, which has tools for programmers to build apps that run inside an internet browser and integrate with the desktop.
The San Jose-based company's open source boss Dave McAllister said in a blog post on Sunday:
"Adobe's support of the SQLite Consortium demonstrates Adobe's commitment to open source, and belief that technologies such as SQLite should remain independent and free in the best interests of the community."
Members of the consortium, which was launched in December 2007, receive a number of benefits that include extra support provided by SQLite developers, which amounts to "undivided attention" of at least 23 staff days per year. ®


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It's Gaidhlig ; it means
"Honor to the Dead"
It's Gaidhlig ; it means
"Honor to the Dead"
Onore ai Morti.
I fell in love with Gaidligh right after I started to read outlander serie five years ago..
I lost my first child this summer, he was only two days old and Ive been planning to take a tattoo to his honor and some sentence in Gaidligh would be great in it.. But I havent found any good translator from the Internet, yet..
Id be more than happy if you could give me a hint where I could find some help in this traslantion thing
your loss is heartbreaking.,…hope you found some solace in the wonders of the story, im sorry for your loss xx
You are a thoughtful and caring person. There have been many times when your words or actions have brought tears to my eyes. This is one of them.
I am so sorry for your loss. My hope is that your heart grows slightly lighter with each passing day.
Thank you Diana very much to remember this day!
To Sandra G.
thank you for your article,to me you are absolutly right,we should never forget what happened on 9/ll.
"To ignore the past is to ignore the future".
Sandra G.
Please let go of your hate and fear.
Americans are Christian. They a Jews. Americans are Muslim. And Hindi. And Buddists. Americans are Pagan, Wiccan and Atheist. If we step on the constitutional rights of one we step on the rights of us all. Please do not let hate or fear turn our hearts cold. We are a country of many peoples. Do not hate your fellow Americans because their God is different than yours. Do not hate your fellow Americans because other have twisted their faith. Americans do not hate Christains because most serial killers here in the states are Christian? Or because Christains use their faith to justify bombing clinics and killing doctors? This Mosque is reaching out to the community to build a Multi-faith community center. Multi-faith. Open your heart to the possibility that people are good. Hate will eat your soul.
Dear Diana;
I'd like to apologize for the comments that are coming my way through your blog. It was not my intention when I posted the link to share my article. Normally, people would post it on my blog and I would reply to them! So again, I'm very sorry I never intended for this to happen and feel free to delete my previous post since I can't do it myself.
how did a statement by DG about honoring the dead turn into a religious bum fight ???
Thank you Diana for posting a meaninful and thoughtful comment on a day which changed so much of our world.
Jo-Anne ( Australia )
Death seems so final, but is it?
The faithful man Job asked, " If an able bodied man dies can he live again?" (Job 14:14)
" I have hope toward God…that there is going to be a resurrection of both the righteous and the unrighteous." (Acts 24:15)
" And He will wipe out every tear from their eyes, and death will be no more, neither will mourning nor outcry nor pain be anymore, the former things have passed away." (Rev. 21:3,4)
Hello Diana,
I found this beautiful song "Ailein Duinn" [Dark-haired Allan] while looking for sites that teach Gaelic I want to share it with you, in hopes it will act as a muse while you're writing Book Eight. A version of it was used in the movie Rob Roy. With your permission, here's the link:
It's funny how you can inspire a young college-educated woman, quadrilingual, seemingly rational, to go from reading your books numerous times, to carrying the hardcover editions across three continents and back (for summer reading, or rather rereading), and to finally decide to self-learn Gaelic…Keep it coming, thank you!
It is very ironic that my son, who is a United States Marine, happened to land in Afghanistan to fight in this war on September 11th? Please add him to your prayer list. God knows who he is!
Hello,I found your blog here on LJ and I wanted to say thank you. My husband purchased the first three books of the Outlander series for me this past Christmas. After having to order the next three already, I am in awe. There are just no words to convey the brilliance of your stories. I have had the privilege to surround myself with these six books as well as the Outlandish companion and I cannot wait to get to the next one. You are without a doubt the best storyteller, I have ever come across. BTW, my husband has a Scottish heritage, although, that was long before him, but after the descriptions of Jaimie Fraser and the large size of my own husband, he's getting a kilt weather he likes it or not! Take care and keep fascinating us all.
Hi Diana, I'm a huge fan. I started reading Outlander last Nov and havent stoped since! i have finnished all 6 books and am working through the Companion. I cant wait for The Exile. I'm hoping in your next book you mention something about the ghost in the kilt from "outlander" when I realized who it was(or might be) I got goosebumps. I hope this isn't part of the story that gets lost… You are a wonderful author and have spoiled me for others. I am looking forward to seeing you in San Diego on Sept 29th, do you know the time and place yet?
C U soon!
Dear Mirka–
I'm so sorry for the loss of your son. If you have anything specific you'd like to have in Gaelic, I'd be happy to ask the nice person who helps me with the Gaelic translations for the books. (Perhaps you could use, "Ist tu fuil, o' mo chuislean" — which means "You are blood of my blood" (noting that both "fuil" and "chuislean" mean "blood"–but "chuislean" means "heart's blood," and implies both kinship and love.)


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PA: Israel is octopus with fangs and burning flames, in PA Ministry of Education publication
PA Ministry of Education periodical:
Israel is "like an octopus... flames
shooting out between its fangs"
shooting out between its fangs"
"They cut off my limbs,
threw me among the ruins"
"They cut off my limbs,
threw me among the ruins"
by Itamar Marcus and Nan Jacques Zilberdik
A Palestinian Authority Ministry of Education monthly periodical chose to include an essay written by a PA teacher describing Israel's creation as an attack by "an enemy like an octopus... with burning flames shooting out from between its fangs" who "cut off my limbs [and] threw me among the ruins."
Palestinian Media Watch has reported on the ongoing PA demonization of Jews and Israelis, as well as the repeated denial of Israel's right to exist.
The following was written by Saadia Muhammad A'amia, PA teacher at
Al-Khas wal-Nu'man school:
"One day, when a strong wind blew, an enemy like an octopus came to us and began putting its arms everywhere, without asking permission, with burning flames shooting out from between its fangs. It entered our homes... uprooting our crops with its arms, and looking at them with the joy of arrogance and conceit...
I screamed: 'I don't want it, I don't want to go. This is my place and this is my existence.' They cut off my limbs, threw me among the ruins, and I began to writhe with hunger, with deprivation, and with homelessness...
My blood and my bursting anger [Lit: my volcano] are witnesses to what I say to the world: even if it takes a long time, the summer cloud will dissipate and relief will come, like a light that emanates from the darkness of death and renews life. We will be masters and pioneers, everyone will witness it. Take away the chains that shackle me wherever I go, so I will become free and sing under the skies of our homeland Palestine."
[Masirat Al-Tarbiya Wal-Ta'leem, June 5, 2012]
To view additional messages from the PA Ministry of Education to Palestinian youth, see official Palestinian Authority schools that are named after terrorists and cities in Israel, and see PMW's report on 12th grade Palestinian schoolbooks.
A PLO-funded educational magazine for youth glorified Hitler because he killed Jews. Click to view PMW's full report on the hate messages in the PLO magazine for youth, Zayzafuna.
Recently, PMW documented another example of PA demonization: PA TV broadcast a painting presenting Israel as an ogre that impales and eats Palestinian children in Gaza.


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Elinux issues
This page is may need to be merged with other page(s) including Volunteer_editor_tasks. Please help to merge the articles, or discuss the issue on the talk page. |
This is the eLinux issues page. This is a raw list of items that need to be worked on for this wiki, based on feedback from various sources.
Here is a list of issues to fix on the eLinux wiki:
Mass fix-up of insecure git repo URLs
The Wiki contains hundreds of URLs of git repos prefixed with git:// or http:// where the host has a perfectly good https:// certificate. Each time someone clones such a repo from a copy and pasted link, that's an opportunity for a MitM attack.
But thanks to centralized git hosting, it would be feasible to instantly fix most of these with a single regex search and replace across the entire Wiki:
(git|http)://(github\.com|gitorious\.org|git\.kernel\.org)/ -> https://\2/
And MediaWiki is able do that using the Replace Text extension: https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Extension:Replace_Text
- Regarding the messy and loose structure you have you should really start thinking about Namespacing your content, i.e. by vendor or architecture. --Phoque
missing pages (top list)
- missing Project:Copyrights from link in statement on edit form
content fixes
Have, but maybe need simple list of items to fix (maybe this page is it)
- something someone can fix with 10 minutes or less time
- one possible suggestion, global page review - review a page, take it off the list
- something someone can fix with 10 minutes or less time
content building
- need to create a list of authored content
- need a template for professional papers
- need recent periodical content
- monthly feature is empty
- Do we want pages listing all kind of products (like here: Products). There are way too many products to list, so such a list is unwieldy and hardly to maintain.
- The same might hold for chips & vendors and maybe even for distributions.
- Although contributions are under GPL it would be nice if there was some form of attribution. http://www.nslu2-linux.org/ does that (imho) nicely (but they use PMwiki).
- http://www.elinux.org/Special:Wantedcategories seems to suggest that there are some categories that are never made and actually only have one or two pages. Guess this should be resolved as well.