text:
Welcome to Day 1 of your 7-Day Energy Challenge
This heart opening sequence focuses the Anahata chakra to release the energy of compassion and selfless love. Your heart centre is a vast reservoir of inner strength and power. Once activated you can use its energy to make positive choices as well as to appreciate and connect with the people around you.
Today: Decide to act from a place of power and energy in everything that you do
This heart opening sequence begins with the Chair of the Heart posture and then includes the Charity and Crane postures. This Seat of Compassion is a deeply nourishing pose for the thoracic area. If you are someone who easily loses energy and feels tired in the throat area, then this sequence will help increase the blood flow and revitalise you.
Practising the spinal wave in the Charity posture helps to ensure greater flexibility in your back.
The primary emotion of this pose is stated in the title: compassion. Opening the heart helps us to restore our capacity to trust. Right from the beginning this is a sequence that literally opens up the chest and so focuses and activates the heart chakra to release the energy of compassion and selfless love. As you move through each stage of this sequence remind yourself "I open myself to receive the full love of the universe and I trust that all is well".
This is a dynamic, flowing yet demanding sequence. Please, make sure that you have relaxed the shoulders and that you have a strong lower back before doing this sequence. We suggest you watch the sequence through before joining in.
This sequence has been taken from the class Feel good Fast. Watch it here...


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28. The Battle of The Bulls
As regards Medb, it is related here: She gathered the men of Erin and led them forth to Cruachan to behold the battle of the bulls. As regards the Brown Bull of Cualnge, it is now recounted in this place: When he saw the beautiful, strange land, he sent forth his three bellowing calls aloud. And Finnbennach Ai ('the Whitehorned of Ai') heard him. Now no male beast durst send forth a low that was louder than a moo in compare with him within the four fords of all Ai, Ath Moga and Ath Coltna, Ath Slissen and Ath Bercha. And he lifted his head and he hastened to Cruachan to look for the Brown Bull of Cualnge.
It was then the men of Erin debated who would be fitted to witness the fight of the bulls. They all agreed that it should be Bricriu son of Carbad that were fitted for that office. For, a year before this tale of the Cualnge Cattle-raid, Bricriu had gone from the one province into the other to make a request of Fergus. And Fergus had retained him with him waiting for his treasures and goods. And a quarrel arose between him and Fergus at a game of chess. And he spake evil words to Fergus. Fergus smote him with his fist and with the chessman that was in his hand, so that he crave the chessman into his head and broke a bone in his head. Whilst the men of Erin were on the foray of the Tain, all that time Bricriu was being cured at Cruachan. And the day they returned from the expedition was the day Bricriu rose. And this is why they selected Bricriu, for that Bricriu was no fairer to his friend than to his foe. And he was brought before the men of Erin to a gap whence to view the bulls.
Each of the bulls sighted the other and there was a pawing and digging up of the ground in their frenzy there, and they tossed the earth over them. They threw up the earth over their withers and shoulders, and their eyes blazed red in their heads like firm balls of fire. Their cheeks and their nostrils swelled like smith's bellows in a forge. And each of them gave a resounding, deadly blow to the other. Each of them began to hole and to gore, to endeavour to slaughter and demolish the other. Then the Whitehorned of Ai visited his wrath upon the Brown Bull of Cualnge for the evil of his ways and his doings, and he crave a horn into his side and visited his angry rage upon him. Then they directed their headlong course to where Bricriu was, so that the hoofs of the bulls drove him a man's cubit deep into the ground after his destruction. Hence, this is the Tragical Death of Bricriu son of Carbad.
Cormac Conlongas son of Conchobar saw that, and he laid hold of a spearshaft that filled his grasp, and gave three blows to the Brown Bull of Cualnge from ear to tail, so that it broke on his thick hide from ear to rump. " No wonderful, lasting treasure was this precious prize for us," said Cormac, "that cannot defend himself against a stirk of his own age!" The Brown Bull of Cualnge heard this-- for he had human understanding-- and he turned upon the Whitehorned. Thereupon he he rushed at him, so that they continued to strike at each other for a long while and great space of time, till night fell on the men of Erin. And when night had fallen, all that the men of Erin could hear was the bellowing and roaring. That night the bulls coursed over the greater part of all Erin.

subset: commoncrawl


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3Beirut - the first project designed by Foster + Partners to break ground in Lebanon - is revealed today. Responding directly to the site and culture of Beirut, the scheme will create a sustainable residential and retail development of international quality. The development will also strengthen Beirut's role as a centre for tourism, commerce, retail and entertainment while providing new green spaces at ground level for the city to enjoy.
Located in the Beirut Central District, the scheme forms a part of the prestigious Sector B of the Solidere masterplan and is designed to enhance this area as a thriving and celebrated part of the city. Particular consideration has been given to the public realm and the creation of an attractive environment accessible to pedestrians. Established around direct pedestrian routes across the site, its design will connect the historic city centre to the harbour at the Mediterranean. The podium level and surrounding external spaces will provide a cluster of shops, cafes, restaurants, a gymnasium, an art gallery and public gardens.
The glazed north side of the towers will provide spectacular views of the harbour, while the south facing side steps down in height, integrating the towers into the urban grain. 3Beirut will be the first towers in the city to have green roofs, creating a unique residential development.
Foster + Partners' vision for the interiors is to create apartments that are based on elegant and functional layouts, allowing the occupants to inhabit them in a number of different ways, while also enhancing the appeal of this distinctive location. The interiors will be signified by calm, uncluttered space and the passive environmental strategy will maximise natural light and ventilation.
"I am delighted that our first project in Lebanon is under construction," said Luke Fox, a senior partner and design director at Foster + Partners. "3Beirut will be a significant addition to the city and I look forward to it contributing to the emerging success of Beirut as an international destination."


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Hydraulic Steering Tech - Hydraulic Steering 101
Full hydraulic vs. hydro-assist
Hydraulic steering can make or break a trail machine. An inadequate system can over-exercise arm muscles while making tight maneuvers very frustrating. Or, if well designed, a hydraulic steering system can actually contribute to the overall enjoyment of a day in the dirt. That's because the amount of physical effort it takes the driver to turn the steering wheel relates directly to how well the hydraulic system functions. A poorly designed system or even a simple misuse of parts for a particular application can result in sluggish, and hard-to-use steering wheel - not to mention the ill effect on reliability. That's why we decided to delve into the subject of hydraulics and address a few common issues, while at the same time contrasting the two popular types of setups we see on the trail. We're going to break this somewhat complex topic into two categories.
Full Hydro
Traditionally, this has always been the point where most 'wheelers cross the line between a trail-only rig and a daily driver. This is because most people feel hydraulic systems are unreliable and therefore not suitable for the street. However, this is not necessarily true. Take a look at the heavy equipment industry: Caterpillar tractors, for example, rely on a variety of hydraulic systems to function, many of which control directional movement. Hydraulic steering systems have their place in several street-driving scenarios, too, though most are found on industrial or agricultural equipment operated at low speeds. These systems are engineered to perform a specific task within a specific range of parameters (i.e., speed, weight, temperature, and environment). The problem here - and probably part of the reason why fully hydraulic steering gets a bad rap on the street - is due to system design, or lack thereof. It all boils down to economics. No common man is willing to invest the millions it took Caterpillar to develop a fully hydraulic steering system reliable enough to pilot its dump trucks down the road safely. And because there are several sources for hydraulic steering components, all with very little "specific information" about each particular application, it's hard for Joe Consumer to know which widget to install on his own rig. Full hydraulic steering requires eight major components: Each is equally important to the overall performance of the system. That's why it's most important to build a balanced or matched system.
Ram Assist
For most 'wheelers, the somewhat less expensive, less complex hydraulic assist may be the best option. In most cases, companies offer complete kits for specific vehicle applications like the PSC kit shown above for the '05 Jeep TJ. With an assist setup, your rig's mechanical steering remains intact, enabling the option of manual steering if the hydraulics should fail. We like this setup for trail rigs that are driven on pavement from time to time. Aside from helping your steering system push around larger meats, a ram assist can function as the ultimate steering dampener, too. At the same time, a ram assist also helps relieve stress on other steering components such as the steering box. The major difference between hydro-assist and fully hydraulic steering is that hydro-assist is basically a piggyback setup you add on to your existing steering system, while a fully hydraulic system is a stand-alone system relying completely on fluid power.
This is the hydraulic fluid (or power-steering fluid) reservoir that stores the fluid necessary for the system. Think of it as an oil pan. Most power-steering pumps have a reservoir attached right to the pump body. The one shown here is a PSC part. At a minimum, the reservoir must be large enough to hold reserve oil for both extended and collapsed cylinder lengths. To figure out what you need, consider the oil volume-to-duty cycle ratio. In heavy equipment, this ratio is roughly 3:1, meaning your reservoir should hold three times the volume of the system. This is probably overkill for our purposes because this ratio was designed for 100 percent duty-cycle applications such as a bucket loader working at a strip mine that runs 24/7 all year long. A Jeep or buggy will typically see use on the weekends for recreational purposes only, so you really wouldn't need a 3-gallon power-steering reservoir. Keep in mind how often you use your rig and how much time the system will actually run once installed. In most cases, the supplier will have two or three different sizes of reservoirs to choose from.
Steering Control Unit or Metering Valve
Similar in function to the automotive "steering box," this part translates driver input at the steering wheel to actual movement of the cylinder. Many people call them "orbital valves." This is incorrect. "Orbital" refers to a specific type of hydraulic motor that has nothing to do with hydraulic steering. The hydraulic industry refers to these as steering control units (SCU) or, more commonly, metering valves. Metering valves have a specific displacement volume, which equates into how many cubic inches of fluid can pass through the valve in one 360-degree revolution. The rule on metering valves is: The higher-volume (in cubic inches) valve you get, the faster the wheels will cycle through the range of movement.
The Pump
Hydraulic pumps convert mechanical energy into hydraulic (pressure) energy. They operate on the displacement principle. Fluid is taken in and displaced to another point. Many different types of pumps exist, and most companies set up power-steering pumps to produce between 3 and 5 gallons per minute (gpm) of flow. The key to finding the right pump is to know the desired effort first. Do you want to turn your steering wheel two or three turns lock to lock? First, calculate the total volume of the system, then figure out how much oil you will need to pass through the metering valve to get the ram to move through its entire range of motion. Once this is figured out, you can calculate how much volume your pump needs to displace.
Here's the formula: Volume of cylinder (ci) volume of metering valve (ci) = turns lock to lock
For example: a Howe 2.5-inch bore x 8-inch-long double-ended cylinder like the one we installed on our project Mega Titan has a cylinder volume of 25.82 cubic inches. The Mega Titan's metering valve has a volume of 7.6 cubic inches, if we do the math: 25.82 7.6 = 3.39 turns lock to lock, which is about all you want on a rockcrawler.
Relief Valve
It's simply a pressure relief pop-off, similar to what you might find on a shop air compressor. If there's a malfunction in the system and the pressure spikes, the relief valve opens and the pressure is released back to the reservoir. This is a wonderful safety mechanism.
Double-Ended Cylinder
This is the hydraulic actuator commonly known as a ram. Technically, they're referred to as nondifferential cylinders, or double-acting piston-type cylinders. They replace the mechanical linkage in a traditional manual steering setup. The size of the ram depends on the mechanical effort that the system requires to steer the tires. Here we believe the most important things to consider are what materials are used to build the ram and how far the manufacturer goes to ensure the ram is perfectly centric. Does it have two thin internal fiberglass shaft-support bushings? Or does it feature a larger 2-inch-long bronze bushing block to support the shaft? Little things like this make a big difference when your wheels are in a bind. Also, is the ram easily rebuildable? We suggest you do some research online before buying. To help calculate how big your cylinder should be, consider this: The force a cylinder can generate is equal to the product of the piston area (sq. in.) and the pressure (psi) supplied by the pump, minus losses due to inefficiencies such as friction and flow restrictions.
Just as a radiator exchanges heat from water, the power-steering cooler helps keep the steering system's oil temperature in check. Howe builds two very trick billet coolers that lower oil temperatures up to 24 degrees without restrictions. The units are both durable and compact, and we like the trick-looking mounting brackets Howe supplies to help you secure it to rollbar tubing.
Pressure Line or Supply Hose
These lines carry power-steering fluid to all the parts of the system. The operating requirements for hydraulic hoses are impressive. High-quality hose should be considered a top priority, as the hose is typically the most vulnerable part of the system. All lines must be of the proper size and free of restrictive bends. It's nice to use the do-it-yourself hose kits with screw-tight fittings rather than professionally built crimp-on fittings. This way, all you need is a short length of hose to do repairs on the trail.
In hydraulic systems, oil performs the dual function of lubrication and transmission of power. It's basically the life blood of a hydraulic system, and careful selection should be made with the assistance of a reputable supplier.
Steering Box
A steering box is used on most 4x4s built today. With the exception of late-model SUVs and some IFS pickups, a steering box is typically mounted on the driver side, along the framerail. The function of a steering box is to translate driver input from the steering wheel into a usable rotational force for mechanical steering linkages. Typically, this is the most complex part of a steering system. Most steering boxes are made from cast iron and have a pretty good life expectancy.
When a steering box gets old, the steering begins to feel loose or sloppy. Most shops have rebuild programs where worn boxes are reconditioned for second and third installations; this is called a core exchange program. Sometimes, a used box is too badly worn to repair and has to be replaced completely.
This picture shows a fully hydrostatic arrangement on the front end of Top Truck Challenger Dan Dibble's ASM rock buggy. In extreme situations, such as rock racing, this type of setup is superior. A POS double-ended ram is mounted high on the front axle. It's very important to get the steering geometry right when building a system like this.
Though the exact placement of the ram varies from axle to axle, there is one key consideration to remember when mounting a double-ended ram: Angle of deflection. The angle of tie-rod deflection is critical to the life of the ram. Too much deflection can cause extreme shaft side-loading and, ultimately, ram failure. The illustrations at right demonstrate an ill-positioned ram as well as a well-balanced mounting method for double-ended ram tie-rod deflection.
Full Hydro
Howe, PSC, and POS all build great full hydraulic systems for 4x4 enthusiasts. However, when you focus in on the details of each setup, you'll find each system is very different, and depending on what type of 'wheeling you plan to do, each system has strengths and weaknesses. For instance, Howe builds a large majority of the steering components found on high-speed Baja racing vehicles, one area where failures can cost lives. Though they do offer a variety of systems for rockcrawlers. Howe made its name in the desert racing community. POS, on the other hand, is a niche-focused company specializing only in fully hydraulic systems for extreme rockcrawlers and buggies. PSC Motor Sports covers all the niches of the industry, though some would argue that its mainstay is professional rock racing. In any case, all three companies have very nice components for just about every budget level.
Hydro Assist
West Texas Off Road, Howe, and PSC all make awesome hydro-assist kits. These hydro-assist setups retain the mechanical functionality of the OEM steering system. For dual-purpose trail rigs, these types of setups are probably the best options. We recently installed the West Texas Off Road system on our project Teal-J. We're very happy with the its performance thus far. Likewise, the Howe ram-assist system we recently installed on our Baja Bomber project Dodge Ram is also working out great. As of press time, we hadn't yet tested the PSC Motor Sports hydro-assist kit, but we did receive the system and will say it's probably one of the most complete kits on the market, leaving only two hoses for the consumer to source.
Full Hydro DOT Legality?
Someone started a rumor about fully hydraulic steering being illegal for use on the highway. This is not true. We contacted the U.S. Department of Transportation and asked about the rules on hydraulic steering systems. We were told that any rules prohibiting the use of fully hydraulic steering systems in the automotive aftermarket would fall under local laws. We suggest you check with your state's local transportation authorities if you question the legality of hydraulics.
•Pure synthetic oil reduces friction and heat. Heat is the enemy, so it's always a good idea to use synthetic fluid.
•It's very important to bleed all the air from your system before starting your engine and running the pump for the first time. The inside of the pump has several metal-on-metal moving parts that can be damaged if operated without oil.
•All components of a hydraulic steering system should be matched in regards to flow, pressure, and volume. Those who choose to substitute parts of the system with unmatched components will likely encounter undesired results.
•The pulley that drives the power-steering pump should be sized according to the specified rpm limits of the pump. If your engine is capable of overdriving the pump, a larger pulley should be used to slow it down.


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The title of his book suggests a certain degree of anthropocentric hubris, but Ian Tattersall's take on the paleohistory of the genus Homo is commendably restrained. Too many books on human origins present ingenious speculation as firmly established fact, linking the exceptional success of our lineage to cranial capacity, or to the ability to walk upright, or even to the peculiar ability to throw rocks. Such speculation makes for a smooth narrative, perhaps, but leaves the reader feeling a bit uneasy.
Tattersall, a curator emeritus at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City, is no slouch in the storytelling department, but his narrative emphasizes the necessarily fragmentary nature of the fossil record and the provisional nature of what we can safely conclude from it. The earliest hominids, discovered in just the last dozen years, date from 7 million to 4 million years ago, and all we have of their remains are some crushed skulls and partial mandibles, with only a few relatively complete but crumbling skeletons. Add to the crushed bones some scattered flakes of chipped stone, along with later (perhaps no more than a half-million-year-old) stone handaxes and cleavers, and that's pretty much all scientists have to go on for the span of thousands of millennia. Ancient hominids didn't even leave behind symbolic artifacts prior to the appearance of carvings 70,000 years ago and, beginning around 30,000 years ago, the Cro-Magnon art in European caves.
Yet scientists have been able to extract a surprising amount of information from those tantalizing finds. The shape and articulation of bones in a skeleton can be a clue to bipedality, even if the skeleton is grossly incomplete. Quadrupeds such as chimps have spines that articulate with the back of the skull, for instance, whereas bipedal humans have skulls that perch on top of an erect spine. Even toe bones connect together differently in bipeds than they do in quadrupeds.
Only have a tooth, or a fragment of bone? Good enough for an analysis of paleodiets, since animals are what they eat. Animals that have higher abundances of carbon-13 in their bones and teeth have ingested savanna grasses, while those whose diet consists of forest fruits and vegetation have a higher ratio of carbon-12. Grazers such as antelopes fall into the former category, but so do many australopithecines, hominids that lived in East Africa as early as 4 million years ago. Since it's hard to imagine any primate subsisting on grasses, the high carbon-13 levels in those early hominids suggest that they ate a fair amount of meat from animals that grazed on grasses, and that they had already developed considerable ingenuity in chasing, trapping, or scavenging food for dinner. A few atoms, in other words, imply the emergence of novel social and cognitive skills.
Tattersall's account highlights the major advances in paleoanthropology that have been made in the last decade or two. A variety of new fossil finds have given us a picture of an evolutionary tree with many branches. DNA sampling of modern world populations has enabled us to confirm the origin of Homo sapiens from a tiny population in Africa and to trace our species' growth and spread south to the tip of that continent, as well as northward out of Africa and eastward and westward throughout the world. Our understanding of how we made the journey from the tropical forest to technological society is only in its infancy, but then, as a species, so are we.


text:
3 syllables
- barchefsky, barshefsky, cisewski, ciszewski, czaplewski, czyzewski, dylewski, gajewski, gerszewski, godlewski, jezewski, karczewski, krajewski, kraszewski, kruszewski, kwasniewski, lesniewski, lijewski, liszewski, maciejewski, majewski, malczewski, milewski, olshefski, olszewski, rajewski, rydzewski, staszewski, sulewski, wilczewski, wisnewski, zalewski
4 syllables
- andrzejewski, blazejewski, chmielewski, dostoevsky, golaszewski, janiszewski, januszewski, jaroszewski, kaliszewski, kaniewski, klimaszewski, kostrzewski, kowalewski, lukaszewski, maliszewski, matuszewski, mierzejewski, modzelewski, sobolewski, staniszewski, sypniewski, tomaszewski, wasielewski, wasilewski, wisniewski, zaniewski
5 syllables
- golembiewski, korzeniewski, okoniewski
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text:
NAHB's analysis of Census Data from the Quarterly Starts and Completions by Purpose and Design survey indicates a slowing of the growth rate for the custom home building market.
Over the last four quarter period, ending with the first quarter of 2017, there were 168,000 total custom single-family home starts, an increase of almost 2% over the previous four quarters. Custom building starts (not for sale, owner-built and contractor-built homes) totaled 31,000 during the first quarter of 2017. Note that this definition of custom home building does not include homes intended for sale, so the analysis uses a narrow definition of the sector.
As measured on a one-year moving average, the market share of custom home building in terms of total single-family starts is now 21%, down from a cycle high of 31.5% set during the second quarter of 2009.
The onset of the housing crisis and the Great Recession interrupted a 15-year long trend away from homes built on the eventual owner's land. As housing production slowed in 2006 and 2007, the market share of this not-for-sale new housing increased as the number of single-family starts declined. The share increased because the credit crunch made it more difficult for builders to obtain AD&C credit, thus producing relatively greater production declines of for-sale single-family housing.
The market share for custom home building will likely experience ups and downs in the quarters ahead as the overall single-family construction market expands. Recent declines in market share are due to an acceleration in overall single-family construction.
For a look at the geography of custom home building, read this recent review of 2015 data.


text:
Lakeland PBS understands the media that people are exposed to make a significant impact on their lives. Our hope is that the six channels we broadcast along with our online presence provide people with media experiences that make a positive impact on their lives.
Lakeland PBS is where you want to be!


text:
Some of the opposition to open access appears to stem simply from a very human, and very natural, fear of change.
In a recent very well-written post to Liblicense, Sandy Thatcher, Director of Penn State University Press, expresses the viewpoint that a critical mass of self-archived articles will cause sudden, nonlinear change, "a point at which major disruption to the system could occur, with at least very harmful short-term consequences". Sandy is concerned about the possibility of "a real "tipping point," which would lead some major publishers to abandon the field of STM journal publishing in the belief (however erroneous) that they could not sustain their expected profit margins under the new regime thus legislated".
Sandy goes on to point out that an exodus of a few major publishers from the system, due to perhaps erroneous beliefs about cancellations, would cause major disruption in the scholarly communications system. Sandy worries that journals would not be able to find new homes, because "smaller publishers, especially university presses, simply do not have the capital to launch the kinds of sophisticated systems that these major players can provide..."
What Sandy is overlooking is the fact that if a few large, highly profitable publishers were to suddenly decide to go into other businesses - there would suddenly be large amounts of capital available from library budgets, to support university presses such as Penn State. So if, in such a scenario, there are "plenty of professors, administrators, and librarians appealing to us to expand our journals program", as Sandy predicts - no worries, they will have lots of cash!
Then again, it is always possible that the publishers who are making hefty profits from scholarly publishing will stay in the business after all.
Many thanks to Sandy for openly sharing this viewpoint. This kind of honest discourse will help us all to find the smoothest possible road through the transitional process.
This post is the fifth in the series Transitioning to Open Access.
This post reflects my personal opinion only and does not represent the opinions or policy of the BC Electronic Library Network or the Simon Fraser University Library.


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Squid | |
Category | Seafood |
Cookbook | Recipes | Ingredients | Seafood
Squids are cephalopods, related to octopuses. The Italian word for squid, calamari, is often used to refer to squid in a food context. Calamari can be bought at any sea food corner shop or fresh sea food seller.
It is common to sell the mantle (the hollow, conical-shaped swimming organ) alone, fresh or frozen. Squid are typically white, at least by the time of sale. The swimming organ may be stuffed whole or sliced into rings. The tentacles and legs are also edible.
Ways to serve squid include:
- Deep-fat fried in beer batter, plain batter or even crumbed (rings and legs)
- Grilled with or without butter/oil
- Stir-fried
- In an Italian dish, braised with tomato sauce
- Stuffed with vegetables or spices
- Skewered with wood or bamboo and grilled over flames while brushed with teriyaki sauce


text: I am getting a 500 server error when I Queue mailings to 1 of my 10 lists on Gossamer List. This list has the most subscribers at 15,000. Please tell me any way to fix this, any settings to check. I am "almost" sure I got everything right as mailings work to every other list except this one. And to be sure I imported the subescribers correctly, I broke the list into 15 lists of 1,0000 subscribers and imported each text file separately.


text:
Using Installed MyDSL Extensions
From DSL Wiki
Using an Installed MyDSL Extension is generally very simple.
As part of a successful installation, a properly-configured myDSL extension will do one or more of the following:
- Add an icon for the extension on the desktop.
- Add a menu item in the "Start" menu in a special top-level menu (right-click on desktop).
- Add the top-level menu "myDSL" (or something similar) if the extension is the first to install.
- Do nothing obvious (in very rare, and very-well documented cases (e.g., video card drivers)).
Executing from a desktop icon
In this case, simply click on the desktop icon to begin using the installed MyDSL Extension.
Executing from the "Start" menu
Step 1) Right-click on the desktop to bring up the "start" menu. Step 2) Scroll through the top-level menu until you reach "myDSL" or something similarly named. (N.B. It is often the very first top-level menu item.) Step 3) Access the top-level menu sub-menu "myDSL" (or whatever it was called). Your installed extension should appear in a list in this sub-menu. Step 4) Click on your extension to begin.
If You Can't Find Your Program
- Check the MD5 hash.
- Check the info file.
- Check the .dsl file.
- Review the instructions at Installing MyDSL Extensions.
See Also: Removing A MyDSL Extension


text:
Frequently Asked Questions
By Rebecca Floyd, Manager of Interpretive Services.
Why is Samuel Langhorne Clemens known as Mark Twain?
Who were some of his influences as a writer?
Was he right- or left-handed?
Did Mark Twain travel a lot? Did his family travel with him?
Was Sam Clemens a religious man?
What was Sam Clemens doing during the Civil War?
When did Mark Twain die?
Didn't one of his children die?
Did any of his children marry?
Where is he buried?
Why is Samuel Langhorne Clemens known as Mark Twain?
He adopted the pen name in early 1863 when he was a newspaperman in Nevada. It referred to his steamboating days, when the measure of the depth of the water was expressed with a crewman's cry "mark twain!," meaning two fathoms, or 12 feet.
Who were some of his influences as a writer?
Sir Thomas Malory, Cervantes, Shakespeare, Robert Browning, Charles Dickens, William Dean Howells, Rudyard Kipling, Bret Harte, folk tales, mythology – and, above all, real life in America.
Was he right- or left-handed?
Many photos show him with his pen in his right hand, and there is documentary proof that he was right-handed. In the 1890s he began to experience severe rheumatism in his right hand and tried to write with his left. In his later years the pain led him to dictate more and physically write less.
Did Mark Twain travel a lot? Did his family travel with him?
Yes, he traveled all over the world, and yes, sometimes Livy and the girls went with him. For information about his travels check out his books The Innocents Abroad, A Tramp Abroad, and Following the Equator, Clara's My Father Mark Twain, and other sources.
Was Sam Clemens a religious man?
The easy answer is no, but it's a huge question that is still quite energetically debated. Sam came from a Christian upbringing, and Livy came from a strong religious background as well. Clemens was very interested in different spiritual philosophies and what drove people to follow them. He was fascinated by the history of religion and the stories of the Bible. In Hartford, he attended the nearby Asylum Hill Congregational Church, and one of his very best friends, Joseph Twichell, was the minister there. He was a questioner, and he lived in a time of changing religious views.
What was Sam Clemens doing during the Civil War?
Sam Clemens did not officially enlist in any army. His story of his brief experience in the Marion Rangers, a Missouri militia formed to defend against federal incursion at the beginning of the war, was the subject of his story "The Private History of a Campaign that Failed."
In 1905 he wrote that "we joined the Confederate cause not because we wanted to, for we did not, but we wanted to be in the swim. It is plainly a law of nature and we obeyed it." When the Rangers disbanded, he accompanied his brother, a Lincoln appointee, out West and more or less left the war behind.
When did Mark Twain die?
April 21, 1910, in his sleep. He suffered from numerous age-related conditions, including angina, rheumatism (arthritis), and chronic bronchitis.
Didn't one of his children die?
Yes, they all did at some point.
You are probably asking about Susy, who died of spinal meningitis at age 24. Sam and Livy were in England when they received word of her illness. Livy did not get back to Hartford in time to be at Susy's bedside. The family never lived in the house again after that. Sam Clemens wrote quite movingly about their loss, both in letters and in his autobiography.
Of the others, their only son, Langdon, died at 18 months in 1872. Their youngest daughter, Jean, suffered from epilepsy and only lived to be 29, dying in 1909. Clara, the middle child, lived to be 88. She died in 1962.
Did any of his children marry?
Only Clara married, and she had a daughter, Nina, who died without having had children. Samuel and Livy Clemens do not have any direct descendants.
Where is he buried?
The family members are all buried in Elmira, New York, Livy's hometown.


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The following people contribute to this blog on a regular basis:
Tia Azulay
From an academic background in English literature and poetry, Tia succeeded in property sales before moving to technical writing, software testing and QA and Documentation Management. She has lived in five countries and worked for large, medium-sized and new companies, creating offline and online writing products and instituting systems for team management and product delivery. She is now a freelance web consultant and digital facilitator, helping writers to develop an effective online presence. She is a graduate of the MA in Creative Writing and New Media at De Montfort University. Tia's personal blog of poetry and other musings is TiaTalk at http://tiatalk.wordpress.com
Gareth Howell
Gareth Howell is a Lecturer in Digital Media at De Montfort University and Research Fellow at the IOCT. He was a founding member of Digital Arts organization Active Ingredient and the new media platform event trampoline. He was also the director of the game cultures festival Screenplay. Gareth joined DMU from Loughborough University, where he was a Research Associate at the Animation Academy. During this time, he became interested in the relationship between comics and animation, digital narrative and participatory culture. Recently he set up and is managing the TRG Ning social network at http://transliteracy.ning.com. He is blogging via Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/athousandtinypieces, and tweeting at @garethdoodles
Anietie Isong
Anietie Isong is a PhD student at the IOCT. His research examines African writers and the internet. Anietie is also a fiction writer and public relations practitioner. He has won a Commonwealth Short Story Award and an Oluadah Equiano Prize for Fiction. His short stories have appeared in Farafina, Spirit of the Commonwealth, In Posse Review, and Okike. Anietie is a participating poet in the UNESCO-supported project 'Dialogue among Civilisations.' His work has also been broadcast on the BBC. Anietie's recent short story Devotion is included in a new anthology Roads Ahead edited by Catherine O'Flynn for Tindal Street Press. http://anietiewrites.blogspot.com/
Jess Laccetti
Jess Laccetti was born in Italy and educated in Italy, Canada and England. She is currently lecturing at Grant MacEwan University in Edmonton, Alberta after a stint as a Research Fellow with the Institute of Creative Technologies (IOCT) at De Montfort University, England. The IOCT is also where Jess started with her Ph.D thesis, "New Media Stories: Interactivity, Feminism and Narrative in New Media" which examines web fictions within a narrative and feminist theoretical context. Consequently she calls for a widening of certain narratological concepts such as "mimesis," "communication" and "temporality." Although Jess has lectured on a variety of topics, she specialises in new media and creative technologies. Her work has been published on and offline and Jess has presented papers in the U.K., Europe and Canada. However, when Jess isn't embroiled in new media research or pedagogy, she is acting as social media consultant and facilitating connections and broadening reach. Connect with Jess via her musings www.jesslaccetti.co.uk/musings.htm or on twitter @JessL.
Kirsty McGill
Souvik Mukerhjee
Souvik Mukherjee is an independent researcher working on digital game narratives. Besides his reearch on videogames, Souvik has also been involved in analysing the impact of social media projects on communities, especially in relation to transliteracy and business innovation., as a research fellow in the Film, Media and Journalism department of De Montfort University. He completed his PhD on storytelling in New Media, especially focusing on videogame narratives, from Nottingham Trent University and has published and presented papers on a range of related topics. Besides New Media, Souvik also takes a keen interest in e-learning and has been involved in analysing online media and virtual learning network usage in a higher education framework. After completing his project at DMU, he has returned to India, where he hails from, to develop New Media research networks. Souvik muses about his research on his blog Ludus ex Machina and tweets as @prosperoscell
Bobbi Newman
Bobbi is dedicated to helping libraries find their place in the digital age. She is passionate about 21st century literacies and the role of all libraries in equal access and opportunity for all. Her professional interests include digital and technology based services, the digital divide, and improving existing services through expanding traditional methods, while creating innovative new practices. On the personal side, she is on a never-ending quest for the perfect pair of shoes. Bobbi was named a Mover and Shaker by Library Journal in 2011. Her professional involvements and accomplishments include founding and coordinating the semi-annual Library Day in the Life Project. She is a frequent caller on T is for Training and a contributing editor and advocate at Library Renewal. In 2010 she co-founded Transliteracy Interest Group, LITA, ALA and served as Chair from 2010-2011. Bobbi co-founded and writes for the Libraries and Transliteracy Project. She was recently appointed as the LITA representative on the ALA OITP Digital Literacy Task Force and serves as an ALA Councilor-at-Large and on the OITP Advisory Committee. She shares her passions by consulting and speaking at local, national, and international conferences. She writes at Librarian by Day and Libraries and Transliteracy and lives in the USA.
Kate Pullinger
Kate Pullinger is Reader in Creative Writing and New Media at De Montfort University. She writes both in print and new media. Her most recent novels include The Mistress of Nothing (2009, longlisted for the Scotiabank Giller Prize), A Little Stranger (2006), Weird Sister (1999) and the short story collection My Life as a Girl in a Men's Prison (1997). Her digital fiction projects include her multiple award-winning collaboration with Chris Joseph on 'Inanimate Alice', a multimedia episodic digital fiction - www.inanimatealice.com – and 'Flight Paths' – www.flightpaths.net – a networked novel, created on and through the internet. http://www.katepullinger.com/blog
Sue Thomas
Sue Thomas is Professor of New Media in the Institute of Creative Technologies, Faculty of Arts, Design and Humanities at De Montfort University, Leicester, UK. Her most recent book is the cyberspace travelogue 'Hello World: travels in virtuality' (2004). Other publications include the novels 'Correspondence' (short-listed for the Arthur C Clarke Award for Best Science Fiction Novel 1992) and 'Water' (1994). She founded the trAce Online Writing Centre in 1995 where she was Artistic Director until 2005. Her research interests include transliteracy, social media, and transdisciplinarity. She is currently writing Nature and Cyberspace: Stories, Memes and Metaphors, a study of the relationships between cyberspace and the natural world. http://www.suethomas.net/ Twitter @suethomas
Christine Wilks
Christine Wilks is a digital writer and artist who creates rich-media works for the web at www.crissxross.net and engages in collaborative remixing at www.remixworx.net. She also designs and creates e-learning experiences with www.makeithappen.org.uk. Her digital fiction, 'Underbelly', won the MaMSIE Digital Media Competition 2011 and the New Media Writing Prize 2010 at Poole Literary Festival. Her work is published in online journals and anthologies, including the 'Electronic Literature Collection, Volume 2', 'Hyperrhiz, Issue 8' and 'Third Hand Plays' at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art Blog. She has presented her work at international festivals, conferences and arts events, including Neo-Victorian Art and Aestheticism 2011, Electronic Literature Organisation Conference 2010, e-Poetry 2009, Electronic Literature in Europe 2008 and Interactive Futures 2007. She graduated from the online MA in Creative Writing and New Media at DMU in 2008. Before becoming engrossed in the web, she made short films, videos, installations and wrote screenplays.


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Apache Whirr Wiki
THIS PROJECT HAS RETIRED TO THE APACHE ATTIC. SEE https://attic.apache.org FOR MORE INFO
Apache Whirr is a set of libraries for running cloud services.
Whirr provides
- A cloud-neutral way to run services. You don't have to worry about the idiosyncrasies of each provider.
- A common service API. The details of provisioning are particular to the service.
- Smart defaults for services. You can get a properly configured system running quickly, while still being able to override settings as needed.
See WhirrDesign for more about Whirr's design goals.
- IssueTracker (JIRA)
- Source Code (SVN)
- MailingLists
- IRC Channel
- Presentations
- Articles
- Powered By
- Board Reports


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- Home
- Departments
- Gas & Water
- Gas
- Customer Owned Buried Piping
Customer Owned Buried Piping
The Clarksville Gas Department is required by CFR 192.16 to advise our customers of certain safety recommendations regarding customer-owned underground natural gas piping. View the Natural Gas Customer Notice and Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) on Excess Flow Valve (EFV) regulation handout (PDF).
The Clarksville Gas Department operates our gas system with an emphasis on safety. We are required to design, operate, and maintain our underground natural gas pipeline system in accordance with prescribed federal safety standards. We do not own or maintain any gas piping downstream (customer side) of the meter. Gas piping beyond the meter is the property and responsibility of the customer or building owner. If underground (metallic) gas piping is not properly maintained, it may be subject to corrosion and/or leakage.
Buried gas piping should be periodically inspected for leaks and corrosion (if metallic) and repaired if any unsafe condition is discovered. If excavation is necessary, the piping should be located in advance and any excavation (digging) near the piping performed by hand.
To ensure the continued safe and reliable operation of these lines, the customer (or building owner) is advised to contact a licensed gas plumber or heating contractor to assist in locating, inspecting, and repairing the customer-owned buried gas piping. The Yellow Pages are an excellent source of listings of licensed gas plumbers and heating contractors.
Additional Information
If we can answer any questions regarding this notice, please give us a call at 931-645-7400. In addition, if you are planning any type of excavation, please call 811 or 800-351-1111 at least 3 days prior to the start of your work so that underground utilities can be located.


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Electronically-linked teams design the defense systems of the future
May 18, 1998
Government defense budget cutbacks have forced the U.S. armed services to be "lean and mean," even in their basic approach to developing next-generation defense systems. One example is the development of the U.S. Army's Crusader cannon artillery system, a project in which engineers, purchasing professionals, and business managers work closely together to deliver "best-value" technology.
Key to efficiently getting the most bang for the defense buck has been "integrated industry and government product development teams" (IPTs), according to Jeff Van Keuren, manager for public affairs at United Defense (Minneapolis), Crusader's prime contractor. United Defense, its partner General Dynamics Land Systems (Sterling Heights, Mich.), subcontractors, and the Army have personnel on the multi-discipline teams, which balance requirements, cost, and schedule in reaching decisions. Purchasing professionals and engineers on the teams forge links between suppliers, contractors, and the government as more subcontractors come on board, says Keuren. "What also is significant is getting government involved on the teams. We don't have a 'we/they' situation, but instead work toward a common goal."
Steve Flach, Crusader business manager for United Defense, notes the teams are chaired by the company and the Army procurement office based at the Picatinny Arsenal, N.J. Team members are electronically linked at multiple sites (see map) in an integrated-data environment for project data management (PDM).
"The system can provide real-time data exchange and configuration management by a variety of modes: T-1 line, the Internet, or dial-up," notes Flach. "A variety of development tools are available to handle this information, depending on discipline." Noteworthy are Pro/engineer from Parametric Technology (Waltham, Mass.), for CAD; for system development and risk management, RBD/RTM from Ascent Logic (San Jose, Calif.) is used; and Rationale's (Minneapolis) Rose handles software development.
Take me back
Before the IPTs were tooled up and running, team structure and functioning were tested and proven. This took place in 1994 and 1995 at the Minneapolis site. The electronic "tool sets" were identified, selected, tested, and proven for use at the remote sites. This program also formulated procedures and requirements for subcontractors to meet in bidding for program procurements.
Flach says integrated teams are much more effective than traditional government, contractor, and subcontractor relationships.
"There is no alternative to a common development environment," Flach believes. "We are achieving milestones at a faster rate than most Department of Defense projects. Systems integration and interface control are realizing the most benefit, along with reducing the review time between organizations, since everything is in real time."
Integrated environments allow fast component design maturation. Major systems such as the gun, engine, and transmission benefited almost immediately, says Flach, with other subsystems coalescing within six months. He adds that the environment is installed at lower-level suppliers when there is value to be added. "For example, everyone will be using Pro/engineer, except the mom-and-pop machine shops with small contracts, where it costs more to implement than would be saved."
According to Van Keuren, a vital part of bringing about the integrated team success was an "Industry Day" organized by Flach in December 1994, during the requirements phase of the program. This gave potential suppliers an overview of the timing of prospective requests for proposal (RFPs), making them aware of what the program would be asking for and when. Also discussed were integrated-team ground rules and requirements, performance yardsticks, and cost goals. "Many bidders were often finding out about an RFP too late, now they could turn one around quickly by being aware of what was coming up," says Van Keuren. Currently, the program is advertising procurement opportunities six months in advance on the Internet at www.udlp.com/ crusader.
The Industry Day produced another important purchasing result, according to Flach. "The Day resulted in a revised potential supplier list having 450 more companies and capabilities. The Industry Day database was put into a file of key products as a starting point for engineering and is continuously updated. In pre-RFP decisions, a purchasing professional on each IPT goes to the data base and decides if a product needs to be procured (purchased off the shelf) or subcontracted for research and development (R&D) efforts." Engineers then review and comment on the file submitted by purchasing agents.
Van Keuren says the system is working very well due to the automation and software tools in place that provide quality involvement of purchasing professionals with the engineering staff. "Getting a drawing to purchasing is only an e-mail away, and Pro/engineer gives us a bill of materials when the drawing is done."
Once an RFP is published and bids come in, the decision is not a classic "down select," according to Flach. "It's more of a capabilities review of each bidder, which indicates what was desired without closing the door for the future. Any procurement selection is based on 'best value'--not necessarily lowest cost--and is a combination of technical performance, schedule, and cost."
In outlining the team approach, Flach is quick to point out that the product development teams must be flexible in their emphasis. "Early in the program they had to concentrate on system engineering. Now they must emphasize mechanical, electronics, software, and engine design. In a year they'll be focusing on the integration and fabrication phase."
On the civilian front
In addition to the impact of integrated teams, both Flach and Van Keuren note the significance of commercial marketplace influences on military development and procurement. "Like many high-tech civilian purchases, we're looking at small-component production volumes," says Flach. "Our suppliers have to be aware of commercial developments and what would be available for our use. And it will be up to them to maintain our production line using just-in-time practices to cut inventory costs."
But simulation-based defense development and acquisition may prove to be the most important influence from the commercial sector, according to Flach.
"Boeing pioneered this in designing the 777 with virtual prototypes. Now Chrysler, in TV commercials, is showing how they designed their latest cars with simulation-based tests, before any were built. This saves time, which equals money." He says United Defense has established a systems-integration facility in Minneapolis to run virtual prototype testing.
Maj. Gen. John Michitsch, Crusader program executive officer, says, "We can verify performance and ensure everything fits together before a single piece of hardware or line of code ever comes into being. We can bring soldiers into the development environment, incorporating their feedback to verify the design approach--from initial concept through fielding."
Flach and Van Keuren say "cultural" issues--like getting organizations to provide the necessary resources to the Crusader program--were the greatest obstacles to integrating suppliers into the design process. Companies used to producing multiple products had to think about supporting a single one through the life of the program. Many companies saw their matrix organizations as producing end products. "They had to refocus to produce integrated products," says Flach. "One company was accustomed to operating under the low-price bid concept--not just for itself but for its suppliers also," he adds. That was just one case of getting the concept of best-value procurement accepted.
While the Crusader is one of the first major military programs to hinge on integrated teams for development and procurement, it won't be the last. Says Gen. Michitsch: "We're reinventing the acquisition business--a blueprint, or perhaps I should say a CAD file, for the future."
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It's true: You never get a second chance to make a first impression. Honestly, would we still love Pink Floyd if they were called the Screaming Abdabs? Would we be defacing our jean jackets if Led Zeppelin were still the New Yardbirds? Would we maybe listen to Umphrey's McGee if they were called literally anything else besides Umphrey's McGee? The SPIN staff gets approximately one Them!-sized anthill worth of promo packages a day, and we can assure you that band names matter (we'll get riiiight back to you, Cocaine Mustache). Our nerd cabal decided to get downright technical about it, crafting a faultless mathematical theorem for figuring out the most timeless, iconic, critic-proof, world-changing, desk-despoiling names of all time — and we even caught up with a few bands to better understand their techniques! This list includes the 40 highest scorers extrapolated using qualitative data and the following scientifically sound blueprint:
P = Perfectly and succinctly embodies the spirit of a band's sound or era (3 points)
This is the most important aspect of any name and makes grokking the band's style as effortless as understanding Ivory Soap, Fatburger, or the Snuggie.
VA = Graphically or typographically appealing (1.5 points)
If the letters look cool on a piece of notebook paper, they will definitely look amazing on a T-shirt or tattooed on your forehead.
WP = Clever wordplay (1 point)
There's a fine line between clever and stupid. But there's a thick shark-filled moat between clever and Timbuk 3.
I = Creates an image (1 point)
Names you can see, touch, and possibly smell.
T = Transgressive (1 point)
The Revolting Cocks of yesteryear pave the way for the AIDS Wolfs of tomorrow.
JNSQ = Has that certain je ne sais quoi (2 points)
We're invoking the Justice Potter Stewart defense here. Honestly, no one needs to think very hard to know that Slayer rules.
Why It's Great: Thirlwell best explains the appeal: "A foetus is such a fundamental, universal thing. We have all been one. Additionally, I use the Anglicized spelling, which is confusing to people who only know the spelling 'fetus.' The extra 'o' is so much cooler." (T, I)
From the Band: "I would hate to exclusively be known for having unusual names," Thirlwell says. "Each of the Foetus variations had a different sound musically — Foetus Art Terrorism was heavy programmed beats and the main song on the Foetus All Nude Revue was like grinding strip music. Scraping Foetus off the Wheel marked my move to working with bigger budgets and in 24-track recording studios, so the sound is bigger and more realized. I stopped doing these variations about 20 years ago. By the time I signed with Sony, it was just Foetus. I was over the variation thing. I always hated it when people suggested Foetus-variation names." KORY GROW
Why It's Great: Because it's three times as dope! (JNSQ) CHRISTOPHER R. WEINGARTEN
Why It's Great: The true test of a band name is how it plays in a radio DJ's back-announce: "Before that, we had the new one from Behead the Prophet No Lord Shall Live" stands in the company of any sentence involving Shit Horse. Bonus points for its cool throwback to the immortal initials-punk era of the early '80s: On sleeves, the name was sometimes rendered as "Behead the Prophet N.L.S.L." (JNSQ) JOHN DARNIELLE
Why It's Great: The moniker conveniently encapsulates the hilarious dilemma of white listeners worrying if it's racist to laugh at jokes made by people of color about how racist white people can be. Names that squares can mispronounce hilariously (saying "Das Racist" like it's a submarine, for example) are always prized too. (WP, T)
From the Band: "We don't really like the band name anymore," says Suri. "It takes too long to explain to people. We've been thinking about changing our name, but that's corny too." ROB HARVILLA
Why It's Great: In the '70s, band names tended to be pretty concrete; it was a poetic leap to name a group after a form that specifically didn't embody anything — think how different "The Television" would have been. Verlaine loved to toy with the name's poetic resonances, too: One early song was called "Elevation"; another included the line "He's just trying to tell a vision." (WP, I, T) DOUGLAS WOLK


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Responsible Gaming
The following behaviors (or combination of behaviors) may indicate that an individual has a gambling problem:
- Extensive and/or frequent playing sessions, whether rated or not
- Remains in the gaming area without playing or after their bankroll has been exhausted
- Regular credit limit increase requests
- Excessive credit card and/or cash machine use
- Requests to borrow money from other guests and/or staff
- Significant changes in betting pattern
- Losing regard for health and/or hygiene
Running Aces Casino, Hotel & Racetrack employees are trained to recognize the signs of problem gambling and will offer assistance where they see fit.
Running Aces Casino, Hotel & Racetrack defines problem gambling as any gambling behavior negatively impacting the lives of individuals, resulting in serious personal, financial, or legal consequences.
To ensure responsible gambling, Running Aces Casino, Hotel & Racetrack does everything in its power to prevent the two most common gambling problems: compulsive gambling and underage gambling. In addition, for the safety of our guests, we voluntarily monitor alcohol consumption and provide alcohol sensitivity training to appropriate employees and managers.
Running Aces Casino, Hotel & Racetrack has a strict policy against underage gambling. We make every reasonable attempt to prevent minors from gambling or loitering within the gaming areas.
For additional help about a gambling problem visit https://mn.gov/dhs/people-we-serve/adults/services/gambling-problems/ or call the Minnesota Problem Gambling Helpline 1-800-333-HOPE.


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(SportsNetwork.com) - Quarterbacks selected with the first pick in the NFL Draft haven't always been the catalysts for instant turnarounds. However, the teams that have gone with signal callers at No. 1 in the last few years seem pretty content with their decisions.
Two of those players - Sam Bradford (2010) of the St. Louis Rams and Cam Newton (2011) of the Carolina Panthers - will meet for the first time on Sunday in Charlotte to compare their respective progress reports.
For Bradford, a former star at the University of Oklahoma, it's a chance to win a third consecutive start for just the second time in his brief career.
The Rams opened 2013 with a home defeat of Arizona, then lost three straight games - at Atlanta, at Dallas and home to San Francisco - before bouncing back the last two weekends with a home defeat of Jacksonville and a 25-point rout at Houston.
St. Louis scored just 14 points per game during the three losses, but has put up a combined 72 in the victories over the Jaguars and Texans.
"They really never lost their confidence," coach Jeff Fisher said. "They just lost games."
The wins have seen a marked improvement in Bradford, who's thrown for 339 yards and six touchdowns and compiled a 121.6 passer rating - including a 134.6 mark against Houston - while hitting on 31-of-50 attempts. In the three straight losses, his rating was 77.1.
"He's been great, no mistakes," Fisher said. "He's managing the game. He's carrying on."
Not coincidentally, the Bradford resurgence came right about the time the Rams rediscovered a running game. Rookie Zac Stacy has churned out 157 yards in the last two weeks and is averaging 4.9 yards per carry.
Previous No. 1 back Daryl Richardson was averaging just 2.9 yards while starting three of the initial four games.
The Panthers have been less than porous against previous ground-gainers. They sit fourth in the league in rush defense at 88 yards per game. Overall, they're third, with a per-game total yardage clip of 299.2.
In the last three weeks, that average is 230 and they've forced eight turnovers.
A beneficiary of that stinginess on the other side has been Newton, who completed 20-of-26 passes for 242 yards, three scores and ran for another TD in a Week 6 defeat of Minnesota.
Coach Ron Rivera has trended toward bold when making offensive decisions, successfully converting a pair of fourth downs on the opening drive against the Vikings.
"Sometimes you play by the book and you miss opportunities," he said. "It's been an enlightening situation for me and one of the things I want to try to do is make sure we're in the best position to win."
Newton said the offense gets a boost when the coach provides that support.
"To trust us means a lot and it speaks volumes," Newton said. "He always has that conservative mentality. He is kind of breaking his mold to a degree, and giving the whole team confidence with him."
Carolina opened with losses to Seattle and Buffalo, then ripped the New York Giants, 38-0, in Week 3 at home. The Panthers' bye came in Week 4 and was followed by a 16-point loss at Arizona and the 25-point blowout win at Minnesota.
In the Rams, they meet a foe that's been gashed for 165.3 yards per game on the ground over the past four weeks, though that's been made up for in some part by the creation of seven turnovers in the last two games.
St. Louis scored twice on defense against Houston last week.
"We know our hands are going to be full against a team that's also coming off a big win," Newton said. "We're all excited about getting the opportunity to (return home). It feels like it's been a long time, but at the same time we're coming in with a little bit of momentum. That's what you want."
The Rams to seek balance. St. Louis's stats from the Houston victory were noticeable -- only 16 throws by Bradford, in particular -- but they're mitigated by the fact that the Rams took an early lead and changed the game's dynamic.
This week, facing a team that's among the league's best stopping the run, expect offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer to not abandon the run, but probably put more on Bradford's plate.
The Panthers to go old school. Carolina is one of the few teams in recent years to average more rushing attempts (32.6 per game through six games) than pass attempts (30.6 per game), and the Rams could be vulnerable there, considering they've allowed more than 160 per game on the ground in the last four.
Two young quarterbacks. Two teams coming off big wins and hoping to sustain some fleeting momentum. In other words, not a lot to choose from.
We'll go with a confident Newton and a solid run defense in the Panthers, who ought to be able to halt Bradford and Co. once more than the Rams stop Newton.
Sports Network predicted outcome: Panthers 25, Rams 19


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Hat Karon
Located south of Patong Beach, Hat Karon is a curving beach that lies beautifully in the sun with small sand dunes, casuarinas and palm trees. The crescent bay is the beach's signature that drawing travelers attention. From May to October, the beach may be affected by serious undertows, as the bay open. Watch out for those warning flags before going swimming or surfing at the southern end of the beach. During the high season, the beach is ideal for relaxation, swimming or sunbathing. A wide range of accommodations, from top-end to budget and mid-range, are available. Other facilities such as nightclubs, restaurants and other evening entertainment are located along the BEACHFRONT road. The beach is located approximately 20 kilometers from the town and can be reached by taking either s or buses from Ranong Market in Phuket City. Transportation is available from 7.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m. and costs approximately 20 baht / person / trip. Taking a taxi to the town is another option. It costs approximately 200 baht to Phuket City and 150 baht to Patong Beach.


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We have less than six weeks to go until Virginia's November 5th gubernatorial election, and Republican Ken Cuccinelli and Democrat Terry McAuliffe will face off for the second time tonight in a debate at 7 P.M. eastern (you can watch a livestream here). With "businessman"/former DNC chair and professional boozer-schmoozer Terry McAuliffe maintaining his edge to varying degrees in the most recent rash of polls, Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli camp will be going for a strong performance and decisive victory, but meanwhile, by this point, I'd think that McAuliffe is just hoping not to screw it up.
That will be a challenge, as McAuliffe has lately fallen into the unfortunate habit of showcasing his relative lack of interest in the nuts and bolts of the actual job of — oh, you know — governing, and I'd expect Cuccinelli to try to get him to finally speak up about the Obama administration's recent round of coal-plant regulations expected to impact southern Virginians especially. McAuliffe hasn't quite found the time to break his political reticence on that one yet, you see.
On the flip side, I'd wager that McAuliffe will be looking for any opening to bring up social issues in the attempt to bolster one of the biggest factors he's got going for him: The gender gap. From Sean Sullivan's preview post at WaPo:
3. Women voters. In May, McAuliffe and Cuccinelli were running about even among women. According to the latest Post poll, the Democrat has opened up a 24-point lead. That's quite a swing. And it comes amid a concerted Democratic effort to cast Cuccinelli as extreme on abortion an other women's issues. Here's a chance for the Republican to speak directly to a large audience of women, and try improve his standing. McAuliffe, meanwhile, is expected to try buttress his advantage.
Politico has a pretty useful piece up with some more of the uncomfortable questions that both candidates will be looking to avoid. For McAuliffe:
3. Would you actually shut down state government to expand Medicaid?
McAuliffe has said he would not sign a state budget from the Republican Legislature unless it includes an expansion of Medicaid to cover 400,000 more Virginians.
He has subsequently tried to clarify that he doesn't support a shutdown and denied he ever did. But the GOP says there's no chance they'll expand the program and suggests that McAuliffe would try to hold the state hostage to advance his ideological agenda. …
5. How are you going to pay for all your proposed new spending?
McAuliffe has spent the year promising costly new programs and initiatives, but he's been vague about how he would balance the books. He wants to raise teacher salaries, expand pre-K and make college more affordable. On Monday in Richmond, he outlined a plan to invest in urban renewal with more money for public transit and mental health.
He claims expanding Medicaid would net the state $500 million in savings, but many doubt that claim. Even the Post editorial board, which will probably endorse McAuliffe, called him out last Friday for being unrealistic.
And for Cuccinelli:
1. Would you shut down the federal government to defund Obamacare?
Cuccinelli officials said last week they are talking with Sen. Ted Cruz, the Texas Republican leading the controversial effort, about a joint rally during the home stretch. The candidate has often ducked taking positions on federal issues, like immigration, by saying he is not in Congress.
Polls show voters oppose Cruz's brinkmanship, but Cuccinelli risks alienating his conservative base — which he's counting on in a low-turnout election — if he avoids getting the senator's back.
Meanwhile, current Gov. Bob McDonnell, a Republican, came out against threatening to shut down the federal government on WTOP Tuesday. "We can't hold federal workers and our federal government hostage with that," he said.
Either way, both candidates have baggage the other can highlight now that Virginia is a little more tuned in than they were for the first debate in July, and with a lot of this race hinging on negative attack ads so far, things could get ugly.


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Abrams Books has released a trailer (yes, a book trailer) for the great Matt Zoller Seitz's forthcoming The Wes Anderson Collection, which will be released into fine bookstores near you on October 8th. We heartily recommend you buy it. Did we mention it's by, for our money, the foremost critical voice on Wes' work? Did we mention it has an introduction by certified Important Author Michael Chabon? Did we mention it has a brand spanking new interview with Wes that encompasses his entire career to date? We didn't, did we. Well it does, so be like Margot and sit in your zebra adorned room reading like a Tenenbaum. Pre-order from Amazon (by doing so you help support the site, and ensure we post at least three to four times a year).
Speaking of fine bookstores, Seitz will be appearing at the Word Bookstore in Brooklyn on October 8th, at New York's legendary Strand Bookstore on October 10th, discussing the book and Wes' work along with Lisa Rosman and the New Yorker's Richard Brody, and Seitz will host a special screening of Bottle Rocket October 19th at Videology in Brooklyn.
Bravo, Matt!


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WASHINGTON–(BUSINESS WIRE)–It's time to pull out the backpacks and clean the lunch boxes as children head back-to-school this month. Packing safe lunches for school and for work is critically important. Since September is also National Food Safety Education Month®, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the non-profit Partnership for Food Safety Education are providing tips to help parents keep their children and themselves healthy.
Parents are reminded to follow the Be Food Safe basic practices of Clean, Separate, Cook and Chill to help reduce their family's risk of foodborne illness.
When packing lunches to take to school or the office, keep the following food safety tips in mind:
- Wash your hands with warm water and soap for at least twenty seconds before you prepare food or after playing outside, touching pets and using the bathroom. Sing "Happy Birthday" twice while washing hands to make sure you are washing long enough to send germs down the drain!
- Work on a clean surface. To prevent cross-contamination, always use a clean cutting board. Use one cutting board for fresh produce or bread and a separate one for meat, poultry and seafood.
- Rinse fruits and vegetables under running tap water, including those with skins and rinds that are not eaten. Dry with a paper towel.
- If lunches are made at home the night before, keep them in the refrigerator until it's time to go. Make sure the refrigerator is 40° F or below at all times and use an appliance thermometer to check the temperature.
- Use an insulated lunch box, with an insulated bottle for hot foods or a frozen gel pack or a frozen juice box to keep perishable foods cold.
- Wash insulated lunch totes or boxes with hot soapy water after each use.
Smart students and parents never leave perishable foods out at room temperature for more than two hours. Toss any perishable food not eaten at lunchtime.
For free stuff for kids, teachers and parents
Parents and after-school providers are urged to help kids learn about food safety by getting them involved in fun, educational activities. Free work sheets, curriculum materials and a handwashing poster are available at www.fightbac.org.
Consumers with food safety questions can "Ask Karen," the FSIS virtual representative available 24 hours a day at AskKaren.gov. The toll-free USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline 1-888-MPHotline (1-888-674-6854) is available in English and Spanish and can be reached from l0 a.m. to 4 p.m. (Eastern Time) Monday through Friday. Recorded food safety messages are available 24 hours a day.
About USDA FSIS
Preventing foodborne illness remains a top priority to USDA. The Food Safety and Inspection Service is the public health agency in the U.S. Department of Agriculture responsible for ensuring that the nation's commercial supply of meat, poultry, and egg products is safe, wholesome, and correctly labeled and packaged. FSIS has conducted many public education programs to educate consumers on how to prevent foodborne illness and keep their families safe.
About the Partnership for Food Safety Education
The Partnership for Food Safety Education unites industry associations, professional societies in food science, nutrition and health, consumer groups and the United States Department of Agriculture, the Environmental Protection Agency and from the Department of Health and Human Services, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration, to educate the public about safe food handling and preparation. The Partnership, a non-profit organization, is the creator and steward of the Fight BAC!® campaign, a food safety education program developed using scientifically based recommendations and resulting from an extensive consumer research process. Fight BAC!® materials are fully accessible online at www.fightbac.org and utilized by consumers, teachers, dietitians, public health officials and extension agents across the United States.


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What Is a Patent?
The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) defines a patent for an invention as "the grant of a property right to the inventor."
A patent helps protect the mechanisms, principles, and components of an invention. The term for a small business patent starts on the date its application is filed with the USPTO. Generally, this lasts for 20 years. Patents tend to be filed less frequently than trademarks and copyrights within small businesses. However, this is still a necessary form of intellectual property protection for inventions.
How to determine an invention is patentable
How do you determine that your invention is patentable? A patentable invention is defined accordingly by the USPTO: "Whoever invents or discovers any new and useful process, machine, manufacture, or composition of matter, or any new and useful improvement thereof, may obtain a patent therefore, subject to the conditions and requirements of this title."
The USPTO further breaks down the four requirements of a patentable invention.
- "A" patent: This is singular. Only one patent may be granted for each invention.
- Useful: The invention must have a specific, substantial, and credible utility.
- Process, machine, manufacture, composition of matter: This is a description of the subject matter, and categories, eligible for patenting.
- Whoever invents or discovers: The inventor is the only person who may obtain the patent.
Three types of small business patents
Once you determine your invention is patentable, you must figure out what kind of patent you need before filing for a small business patent. It's important to understand which patent type is the right fit for your invention. Presently, there are three types of patents:
- Utility patents
- Design patents
- Plant patents
Let's explore how each patent protects a specific type of invention. Once you understand which patent is the closest categorization for your invention, we'll look at how to apply for a patent.
Utility patents
Utility patents are among the most commonly filed small business patents with the USPTO. This type of patent may be a useful process, machine, article of manufacture, composition of matter, or new or useful improvement. These are four categories of statutory subject matter and may be defined accordingly.
- Process: This is an act, or series of acts or steps, typically from an industrial or technical process.
- Machine: The USPTO defines a machine as "a concrete thing, consisting of parts, or of certain devices and combination of devices." Essentially, this is the literal meaning of inventing a machine.
- Manufacture: These are articles made by the invention. They may be produced from raw or prepared materials and through either hand labor or by machinery.
- Composition of matter: This is the chemical makeup of the invention. It may be composed of two or more substances and all composite articles. These may be gases, fluids, powders, or solids.
A fifth category may also apply to the word "useful." The invention must be able to operate and have a useful purpose. For example, a new search engine is a type of software that may qualify as a utility patent.
A utility patent also has the option to file as a provisional or nonprovisional application.
What's the difference between the two terms? Provisional applications are a low-cost patent filing. Applicants may establish a filing date in the United States for their invention. Then, they may file a nonprovisional application to claim the invention later. Nonprovisional applications are reviewed by a patent examiner. If the invention is considered patentable, the utility patent application is filed with the USPTO.
Design patents
A design patent is granted to anyone who invents a new, original, and ornamental design for an article of manufacture.
How does this small business patent differ from a utility patent? A utility patent will protect the use of an article. Design patents protect the appearance of an article, but not its structural or functional features. Famous design patents include the Statue of Liberty and the original curvy Coca-Cola bottle. A recent example of a design patent is emojis, protecting the look and appearance of the digital icons.
The terms for a design patent, effective May 13, 2015, may last 15 years from the date of the patent grant. Prior to 2015, the term was 14 years. This provides small businesses with over a decade's worth of patent protection.
Plant patents
One of the most unique small business patents is the plant patent. This patent may be granted to anyone that has invented, discovered, or asexually reproduced a distinct, new variety of plant. Here are a few examples:
- Cultivated sports
- Mutants (this is only applicable if the mutant is discovered in a cultivated area)
- Cultivated hybrids
- Newly found seedlings
- Algae and macro-fungi
- Asexually propagated plants reproduced through means other than seeds, such as layering or budding.
Plants that would not be eligible for a plant patent include existing plants, such as roses, bacteria, and edible tuber reproduced plants like potatoes.
A plant patent's terms are for 20 years from the date of the patent's application filing. Similar to that of a utility patent, a plant patent may file a provisional or nonprovisional application. The inventor filing this application must be the same person that invented, or reproduced, the plant they wish to patent.
Applying for a patent
By now, you likely have a good idea as to which small business patent is best for your invention. The next step is to get ready to apply for a patent.
As you prepare to apply for a patent, keep in mind the following.
- What is your application strategy? You may choose to file as yourself (Pro Se) or work with a patent attorney or agent.
- Will you file a provisional or nonprovisional application? This may be contingent on the type of small business patent you are filing.
- Do you have enough money set aside for fees? There are several fees associated with filing a patent, including application fees, search fees, examination fees, and issues fees.
- How soon do you need the patent? You may consider expedited examination options to file for and receive patent approval sooner.
- Do I have everything I need for my application? Your patent application materials may require an oath or declaration, drawings, and additional written documents. Make sure you understand each required part necessary for obtaining your patent and include it with your application.
- Will I mail my application or submit it online? Double-check everything prior to making this last step to ensure your application is complete. Remember that once your application has been filed with the USPTO, you will not be able to add new items to it.
Patent approval and next steps
If your patent is approved, congratulations! You will receive notice of approval and a patent grant that is mailed to you.
After receiving your small business patent, make sure to maintain the patent over the years. Pay any maintenance fees on time to ensure it does not expire and check the status as needed for this valuable piece of intellectual property.
Copyright © 2024 SCORE Association, SCORE.org
Funded, in part, through a Cooperative Agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration. All opinions, and/or recommendations expressed herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the SBA.


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1345.4 - SA Stats, Feb 2008
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 26/02/2008
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South Australia's September 2007 quarter State Final Demand in chain volume (trend) terms was $17,434m and Australia's Domestic Final Demand was $263,460m. The 0.3% increase in South Australia's State Final Demand from the previous quarter was less than the increase observed in the national Domestic Final Demand (1.2%). Of the other states and territories the strongest growth for the quarter was reported in Western Australia (up 2.0%), followed by Queensland (up 1.6%). In the September 2007 quarter South Australia's State Final Demand comprised 6.6% of Australian Domestic Final Demand, compared to 7.2% for the September 1997 quarter. The proportional contribution to the Australian Domestic Final Demand of New South Wales, Victoria, and Tasmania also decreased over this time period while that of the other states and territories (Queensland, Western Australia, Northern Territory and Australian Capital Territory) increased. The most notable decrease occurred in New South Wales, with a fall from a 34.0% share to 31.1% while Queensland increased its share of Australian Domestic Final Demand from 17.7% to 20.2%. STATE FINAL DEMAND, Chain volume measures, Percentage change from previous quarter, South Australia Source: Australian National Accounts: National Income, Expenditure and Product (cat. no. 5206.0) HOUSEHOLD FINAL CONSUMPTION EXPENDITURE (HFCE) In chain volume (trend) terms, South Australia's September 2007 quarter HFCE was $10,259m (7.1% of the national total of $145,085m). This represented a 0.9% increase from the June 2007 quarter for both South Australia and Australia. The largest increases in expenditure in South Australia for the September quarter were for Recreation and culture (up 2.6% from June qtr 2007), followed by Furnishings and household equipment (up 2.1%). For Australia, the largest increase was also for Recreation and culture (up 2.0% from June qtr 2007) followed by Clothing and footwear (up 1.9%). The only expenditure component to show a decrease in the September quarter 2007 was Food (down 0.3%). Comparing the September 2007 quarter and the September 2006 quarter, HFCE increased by 3.0% for South Australia and 4.1% for Australia. The expenditure components which showed the largest increases for South Australia during this period were Furnishings and household equipment (up 11.2%) and Purchase of vehicles (up 9.4%). The expenditure components which showed the largest increase for Australia were Purchase of vehicles (up 9.9%) and Furnishings and household equipment (up 6.9%). HOUSEHOLD FINAL CONSUMPTION EXPENDITURE(a), Trend, Chain volume measures, Percentage change from previous quarter Source: Australian National Accounts: National Income, Expenditure and Product (cat. no. 5206.0) Document Selection These documents will be presented in a new window. |


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PLAYBOY: In the movie, slaves are raped and men fight against each other like pit bulls. When you made Jackie Brown and Pulp Fiction, you were criticized for liberal use of the N word. There's plenty of that here. Are you sitting on a powder keg?
TARANTINO: Now I'm picturing myself sitting on a keg of TNT like a Looney Tunes cartoon. It remains to be seen, I guess. If we are, it's not because I'm trying to be inflammatory. I'm just telling my story the way I'm telling it. I'm putting it in a spaghetti Western framework and highlighting the surreal qualities inherent in the material. I'm highlighting them mythically and operatically, and in terms of violence and gruesomeness, with pitch-black humor. That's all part of the spaghetti Western genre, but I'm doing it about a section of history that couldn't be more surreal, bizarre, cruel or perversely comedic when looked at from a certain view. They go hand in hand.I am a huge fan of Quentin Tarantino's work. He is one of the most talented filmmakers of his--or any other--generation. In some ways, even more so than Pulp Fiction, I would argue that Kill Bill is a master work of pastiche and post-modern aesthetic conventions. In total, Tarantino's film opus is a love letter to cinema and geek culture. As a ghetto nerd, I hold him in the highest regards.
However, the more I learn about his newest "exploitation" revenge film Django, which is set in the antebellum South, the more I am concerned about his ability to match his genre sensibilities with the primordially difficult issues of race and representation that are embodied by popular culture's relationship to the Black Holocaust and chattel slavery.
As he shares in a recent interview with Playboy, Tarantino is playing with some combustible elements in Django:
PLAYBOY: But the idea of portraying these slave women as prostitutes—
TARANTINO: Well, they're not 100 percent prostitutes. The Cleopatra Club in the film is not a brothel. It's a gentlemen's club, a bring-your-own-bottle kind of place. There it's bring your own pony, and you can have dinner with her.
PLAYBOY: Pony is the term for an attractive slave woman?
TARANTINO: Yeah.
PLAYBOY: And that really existed?
TARANTINO: Oh yeah, absolutely. I think it's the cornerstone of slavery, or one of the things that made it work. Aside from the labor force, it was the sex on demand. The minute people own other people, we all know that's definitely part of it. Did they do that back then? Yes. They do that right now—go to Bangkok. The thing about the Cleopatra Club is, if you like your slave girl you can take her there. You can have dinner. You can socialize. If you are a guy who wants to take your pony and just fuck her for a night on the town, okay, you can do that. But maybe you actually love your girl and she's kind of your de facto wife. This is a way to take her out and show her a good time.My principle worries about Django are centered on how audiences will receive and interpret the film. Every time I have seen the trailer in the theater there is an uncomfortable moment of awkward silence, then curiosity, obligatory laughter, and excitement.
People take away meaning from popular culture in their own ways.
Some will see Django as harmless fun and a signal that it is okay to laugh at a tale of slavery, rape, and one of history's great crimes which has still not been given a full accounting of. Others, will be offended not so much at the text itself, but that a white filmmaker dared to play with such a controversial and provocative subject. I imagine that many young viewers who are already socialized into a color blind lie will enjoy Django because slavery was "so long ago anyway" and why not have a good laugh at it?
The idea of black revenge is a source of great anxiety in American society. Historically, whites were terrified of black slaves rising up and unleashing a righteous and holy jihad against their oppressors. This was a reasonable fear given that slavery was an existential crime against the humanity of black people--one which African American bondsmen and free people revolted against at almost every opportunity.
Some blacks were terrified of "bad niggers" who would transgress the color line and make things more difficult for the "good" black folks who either because of realpolitik, choosing a strategy of small and quiet acts of resistance, or human fear, chose alternative means of navigating white terror and white oppression.
Fears of black revenge and demands of righteous justice still occupy a large part of the (white) American collective psyche. The conspiranoid fantasies about Barack Obama, talk of secession, and the Tea Party GOP entertainment complex's fantasies of white oppression are reactions to a deep fear that black folks, and people of color more generally, will seek justice against white people. The White Right's fears are paradoxical: they deny the existence of racism against people of color, except when there is some imagined act of "racism" against white folks, or their anxieties about being a "minority" in the United States are activated by a "threat" to white privilege and White Power.
My favorite recent moment of cinematic black revenge took place in Boardwalk Empire's first season when black political machine boss Chalky White tortured a KKK member in an act of singular revenge, and group punishment, for how white bigots killed his father. The scene was real because it was cathartic, dark, and therapeutic for those members of the public who can read themselves into Chalky White's character.
How many black folks have a story of racial violence, lynching at the hands of persons unknown, or "moments of schooling" that have been seared into their group consciousness as the descendants of human property who made themselves free?
Chalky's tutelage of the Klan member in the science and art of pain also revealed that such acts of vengeance also take a great toll on he or she who is the inquisitor. Actions have consequences for all parties involved.
Apparently, Tarantino's Django had consequences for the extras in the film too:
TARANTINO: Sociologically one of the most interesting things went down when we were on the Don Johnson character's plantation, Bennet Manor. He has cotton fields there, and he has cotton pickers—girls, men, children, old people. But he also has ponies, and he's the one who sells pretty girls. That's his big stock: He is a plantation pimp, and people come from far and wide to his plantation to buy one of his pretty girls. We had a bunch of extras from the community, St. John the Baptist Parish.
It was cool, re-creating this history with black Southern extras whose families have lived there forever. They knew what went on back then. Then there was a social-dividing issue between the extras that mirrored the ones between their slave characters in the movie.
The ponies were pretty, and they looked down on the extras playing cotton-picker slaves. They thought they were better than them. And the people playing the house servants looked down on the people playing the cotton pickers. And the cotton pickers thought the people playing the house servants and the ponies were stuck-up bitches. Then there was a fourth breakdown, between the darker skinned and the lighter skinned. Obviously not for everybody, and it wasn't a gigantic problem, but it was something you noticed. They started mirroring the social situations of their characters, being on this plantation for a few weeks.
Because films teach audiences how to react to them, the public instinctively knows how an action movie will play out; American audiences are very well trained to World War 2 movies because it was 1) the last "good war" and 2) as such, is a moment central to our cultural myth of American Exceptionalism.
By contrast, in the United States films about slavery do not constitute a genre. Americans have Roots. The blaxploitation film Mandingo remains popular. Few folks saw Sankofa or Quilombo. The Mondo Cane "classic" Goodbye Uncle Tom has been studied by cinema students, and is also popular among exploitation film aficionados (Tarantino will likely have many signals to it in Django). Blazing Saddles is an indictment of white racism. But few know that it was written by Richard Pryor and channels his singular wit and darkly comic sensibilities; moreover, it is even more likely that most audiences do not appreciate Blazing Saddles' deep mockery of white racism.
[Did anyone even see The Skin Game? How many of you have read Max Brooks' Recorded Attacks? The latter graphic novel has a story about a zombie outbreak on a slave ship during the Middle Passage that is worthy of Romero.]
Django's peril comes from the fact that the "slavery genre" of film is rather thin. The audience for this movie lacks the cinematic training and exposure to distinguish between historical fact and cinematic license and fantasy. In short, they may know some of the rules of race in America, but this same public has not internalized the rules of slavery in American film as an exercise in genre and tropes.
I do not believe that filmmakers have an obligation to educate. Their primary obligation is to entertain the viewing audience. Of course, many filmmakers transcended this most basic responsibility and have created socially relevant art. Such choices should not be taken as a litmus test for the value of popular culture.
In the trailer for Django, Leo Dicaprio asks "why don't the blacks just rise up and kill the whites?" Such a question is a fair one. Students of American history would likely know that slave resistance was commonplace. They would also be able to give an answer about the role of terrain, geography, and how the South was organized as a military state oriented around preventing just such mass uprisings from occurring. I wonder if the average viewer of Django could give such a ready answer--especially in the context of a culture and educational system which does a horrible job of teaching its citizens about the Black Freedom Struggle, the Middle Passage, and the long tradition of black resistance (both non-violent and through arms) to white supremacy in the United States.
Popular culture is a reflection of the socio-cultural moment which produced it. Django is not a film about 19th century America. It is a movie made by a white filmmaker in response to the post-civil rights moment and the Age of Obama. Tarantino's revenge narrative is channeling a sense of black folks' triumph over formal white supremacy and the final, symbolic death of Jim and Jane Crow at the hands of Barack Obama, and those who helped to elect him twice.
Django is also playing on a particular type of white fear, and a yearning to move past a real engagement (one that has not occurred in the United States to this day) with the institutional, cultural, and political legacy of centuries of black enslavement into the world of counter factuals, fantasy, and popcorn revenge flicks.
I want Tarantino to succeed with Django. But, if given a choice between a revenge flick that plays on B-movie sensibilities about black revenge against two-dimensional white slave owners and their house negro servants, and a solid drama that exposes the reality of American slavery with the care and concern that Spielberg, for example, has shown in regards to the Jewish Holocaust, I would take the latter. Ultimately, the American people need to learn some basic facts about the Maafa before they are ready to indulge in escapist fantasies.