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Population growth, urbanisation, increasing pollution, soil erosion and climate variations are all reflected in the management and adequacy of the world's waters. The situation is particularly difficult in many developing countries, where there are growing concerns over escalating water crises and even outright water conflicts between countries and regions.
"The current rate of population growth and urbanisation are already impacting food production. We need to improve the efficiency of agricultural output, as it's unlikely that the acreage under cultivation can be much increased. Improved efficiency requires the efficient use of water resources," says Professor Olli Varis from the Water and Development Research Group at Aalto University. The Group's main research interests include integrated approaches to the management and planning of water resources as well as international water issues.
Professor Varis points out that the utility of existing water resources is adversely affected by increasing industrial pollution and the breakdown of natural material circulation. The utilisation of water resources, and groundwater in particular, already exceeds the renewal capacity. "Up to 60-90 per cent of the world's population live in countries that suffer from water shortages, and that figure will rise sharply in the future."
Water for energy production
Water-related conflicts are particularly clearly visible in the Mekong River Basin in Southeast Asia. At an estimated length of almost 5,000 kilometres, the Mekong is one of the world's largest free-flowing river systems. However, China, Laos and other countries in the region are now driving to harness these water resources, particularly for hydropower production. The Academy of Finland has contributed to finance the studies undertaken by the Water and Development Research Group on the water use situation in the Mekong River Basin.
Plans are in place to develop over 100 hydroelectric power plants along the Mekong and its tributaries. The dams would bring the riparian countries much needed income, but at the same time jeopardize many traditional water-related livelihoods. One particular concern is the loss of local fish stocks, which are a major source of income and food for millions of people, many of whom live below the poverty line.
"The economic value of fisheries in the Mekong is roughly the same as that of hydroelectric power generation. The annual value of the fish catch is estimated at up to three billion US dollars," says Marko Keskinen, whose recent doctoral thesis deals with the management of the Mekong River's water resources. "The current plans tie in with wider issues about development and power relations. Centralised dam projects will fundamentally change the distribution of benefits derived from the river."
According to Keskinen the development of water resources has evolved into a highly complex political issue both within and between states, with clashing interests over the different uses of water. "At the same time, water management has become increasingly integrated, which as such is a positive trend. However, the reality out in the field is extremely complex, and measures aimed at integrated water management rarely achieve their expected outcomes."
"Many integrated approaches neglect to take into account broader philosophical and conceptual dimensions. As water management involves a number of interacting actors, it's also always about political and personal processes. For this reason, it is also important to look at how different groups cooperate and interact, both with each other and internally."
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subset: commoncrawl


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This post is in partnership with Consequence of Sound, an online music publication devoted to the ever growing and always thriving worldwide music scene.
M83's Anthony Gonzalez has finally accomplished what too many recent artists have attempted multiple times. He's made a pure pop record for the bedroom floor. The twist? He wasn't even in a bedroom when he carved it out. While speaking with Pitchfork on the new LP, Hurry Up, We're Dreaming, Gonzalez explained, "I feel like an old guy saying this, but nowadays everything is made in a bedroom on a computer. I'm not denying that it's a great time for music — and I listen to and enjoy tons of homemade music — but I need to go in a studio and work with musicians." He's right. Dreaming gives off a fresh electrical whiff — a similar scent that Radio Shack or Best Buy shares — and that's what makes it so dazzling. It's polished, but it needs to be. Gonzalez has sketched out an atmosphere that must be heard to detail. No bedroom recording would ever suffice.
(LIST: TIME Magazine's Top 10 Albums of 2010)
But it doesn't even matter because you're still in the bedroom. Through the double album's 22 tracks, which amount to a hearty 74 minutes, Gonzalez sits you on the familiar wooden floors, next to your bedroom window, under the blue midnight hue. It's a magical adventure. (When was the last time you said that without being sarcastic?) Songs like the wintry sauna ballad "Claudia Lewis" or the friendly scavenger hunt of "Year One, One UFO" tickle the memories with an array of wistful sounds. It doesn't take a know-it-all to recognize the blatant use of synthesizers, but what about the tepid drumming, finger-scattered basslines, alleyway saxophones, and seemingly endless supply of guitars? Gonzalez spares no expense here. You're constantly climbing, soaring, shimmying, and crawling — even if you haven't moved an inch.
These days, everyone's toying around with offshoot tunnels into nostalgia. (There are plenty of recent essays on it.) Gonzalez doesn't avoid this (see: "Raconte-Moi Une Histoire"), but he's more apt to go beyond. He wants to create something else. In the same aforementioned interview, he stated, "For me, the imaginary world is so much more powerful than real life, and I don't really want to be bothered by real life. I would rather live in an imaginary world forever. My music is my retreat." Past M83 efforts breathe from this mentality — especially his last LP, 2008's slightly leaner Saturdays = Youth. What Dreaming does is string together all his sounds from yesteryear and not only move forward, but above.
The early track "Wait" could fit on any number of Gonzalez's past entries, but there's this high ceiling ethos to it. The Floyd-esque acoustic work, the synths that belong to Edgar Froese, and the chorus's high-pitched vocals all scream for bigger and better places. (Though, judging from Gonzalez's forthcoming itinerary, which includes a handful of smaller clubs, he's bound to shatter the traditional expectations of an intimate live show.) Later on, "Splendor" channels the lost dreams of Phil Spector, utilizing just about everything a modern musician can find. A choir supports, a synth conducts, and some acoustic guitar and piano interplay keep the floor within reach. It's haunting. It's ambitious.
But ambition doesn't come without its share of consequences. Naturally, with 22 tracks at hand, Gonzalez meanders some, but not much. Mostly it's just the album's four or five intermissions that tire on repeated listens, specifically "Fountains" and "Another Wave From You". While they're necessary strands in the concept's overall fabric, at least in terms of cohesion, they end up acting like buffer zones to the real deal.
And although Dreaming sports slower, more introspective ballads ("Soon, My Friend", "Splendor"), there's also a pantry's worth of interstellar jams, chock-full of sounds you've probably never heard before. It's a dizzying series of delirious affairs: Zola Jesus marries Gonzalez vocally on "Intro", "Midnight City"'s crunchy, urgent synth line uppercuts on repeat, while latter favorites a la the lightspeed jaunt of "New Map" and the future set closer "Steve McQueen" will undoubtedly rocket up those hits on iTunes. Thanks to some fine sequencing, these bursts of adrenaline keep you from dozing off into beatific daydreams.
Gonzalez studied well. Having worked with producer Ken Thomas on his last LP, he opted this time around for Justin Meldal-Johnson, a multi-instrumentalist whose resume includes assorted jobs with dozens of rock 'n' roll mainstays, though one major highlight is his musical direction alongside Beck. On Dreaming, Meldal-Johnson has retained several elements from Saturdays = Youth, though he's added gobs of gloss. Oddly enough, that's probably the best decision any producer could have made here. This is a straight-up pop record, ripped from the sleeves of a guy who straight-up loves pop. With Dreaming, Gonzalez digs deeper into his influences, crafting what he's heard all these years. The end result is an incredibly ambitious and personal effort that shines, sparkles, and thrills. Some might complain at the length, but they'd be missing the point: This isn't a consumer's album. It's a listener's. And the time has come to separate the wheat from the chaff.
Essential Tracks: "Claudia Lewis", "Midnight City", and "Steve McQueen"
(More from Consequence of Sound: Paley & Frances, Paley & Frances review)
(More from Consequence of Sound: Photos of The Creators Project)
(More from Consequence of Sound: Bjork, Biophilia review)


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As I teetered atop the wind-blown, 700-year-old Tour des Fromages in the medieval tangle of Cluny, on Burgundy's southern edge, I could see history writ large: the Romanesque spires and broken columns of Cluny's ruined abbey, once the biggest in Christendom. But my rapturous eyes took in more: the tuck-'n'-roll hills and rocky trails my wife and I explored a few years back.
Alison and I clocked 750 miles across Burgundy and Southwest France, a 3-month "skeptic pilgrimage" chronicled in my book "Paris to the Pyrenees." Among our absolute favorite places: Cluny and Southern Burgundy. This backwater of timberland, vineyards, and pastures is where the big white Charolais cattle you now see all over the world came from. Cows outnumber residents.
The views of uncluttered countryside are inspiring. The best view of all is from an isolated mountaintop 12 miles due west of Cluny called Butte de Suin. On our pilgrimage we detoured to it. So, back in Burgundy this summer, Butte de Suin was the first place we revisited.
With the August sun behind us, we saddled up and headed west from Cluny at 8 am on cross-country hiking trail GR 76. It corkscrews out of the valley and roller-coasters through forests flanked by pastures. By 10 am we could see Suin on the horizon. Between us and it were stone-built villages, outsized animals, and some pretty iffy fences.
Approaching weathered but flower-filled Sivignon, a village footing the butte, we pulled over. An SUV-sized bull snorted, rattling the chains on his shaggy, cream-colored head. He was a large specimen. Separating the bull's horns from our flesh was maybe two yards and a single strand of electrified wire. I hoped the battery was charged.
Glancing up toward the Virgin Mary atop the Butte de Suin, my mind's eye saw emerald pastures running crimson – punishment by goring for my religious skepticism. Bellowing then lunging at us, the bull turned suddenly and trotted away. "Thank you," I whispered, feeling skeptical about skepticism. I wasn't sure if it was Mary, the bull of ancient Mithras, or Zeus himself who'd spared us. He's been known to take a bull's shape at the sight of a woman.
We marched up a steep trail through a tunnel of trees to the boulder-strewn top of Butte de Suin. The pastel-blue and cloud-white sculpture of the Madonna rose at the mountain's summit. Scrambling over boulders to her rusty feet we followed the trajectory of a hawk over the patchwork of forests, fields, and pastures. Due south were the vineyards of Beaujolais. No freeways, cities, or blight was visible, and few signs of modernity.
Residents claim you can count 64 steeples from Butte de Suin. We mounted a faux medieval lookout tower atop another pile of boulders and ran our fingers over a ceramic map embedded in stone. Arrows and distances took us from the Loire Valley to alpine peaks in Switzerland. I counted 50 belfries but Alison disallowed three. "Not too shabby," I remarked, satisfied. As the Michelin guidebook might say, Suin is worth the detour.
History books say humans have been climbing Butte de Suin for some time now. The hogback outcrop of Roche de Solutré lies due east about 20 miles, near Macon. Everyone knows the Solutrian Phase of the Upper Paleolithic Era covered 3,000 years, from 15,000 to 12,000 BC, right?
Julius Caesar's army overran Butte de Suin about 2,000 years ago. Back then it was a Celtic stronghold and place of Druidic worship. But archeologists think the boulders at Suin were stood on end or piled up to make table-like dolmens thousands of years before Caesar. Shrine-building was a big deal for the Earth Mother worshippers or "Megalithic Missionaries" the Celts wiped out. Suin was strategic in antiquity: The Butte is a watershed. East of it waters flow into the Sâone River and wind up in the Mediterranean; west they join the Loire and flow to the Atlantic.
From the lookout we could see the pre-Celtic trail of those Solutrian Age hunter-gatherers, later used by the pre-Celtic Earth Mother worshippers and then the Celts, the Romans, medieval knights, and, nowadays, by lost pilgrims. In theory the prehistoric trail zigzags south to the Massif Central.
We ate a slender picnic while soaking up the magical ancientness of Suin. A Roman fort once sat on the pre-Celtic boulders. A thousand years ago a Romanesque church grew alongside it. As the centuries rolled by farmhouses mushroomed around the church. The fortress burned down in 1580, leaving the boulders, farmhouses, and church. They're still clustered here, frosted by lichen and buffeted by wind.
We stepped inside the cool, dark, empty interior. No pilgrims to be seen. I could've settled down for a nap. But it was time to head back to Cluny and modern times.


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Dennis Covington
Dennis Covington (1948- ) is an award-winning author from Alabama known for his ability to delve into his personal life and idiosyncratic native South in his work. He has authored five books and been a freelance journalist, notably reporting on the political conflicts in Central America during the 1980s.
Covington was born in Birmingham, Jefferson County, on October 30, 1948, to Sam Scott Covington, a supervisor at Tennessee Coal, Iron, and Railroad Company, and Ellaree Russell Covington, a homemaker and visual artist. He was one of four children. He earned a bachelor of arts in English from the University of Virginia in 1970 and after graduation was drafted in the U.S. Army and stationed at Fort Polk, Louisiana, as a court reporter. After leaving the military in 1972, he entered the Iowa Writers Workshop at the University of Iowa in Iowa City, studying under acclaimed fiction writers Raymond Carver and John Cheever and earning a master of fine arts. Covington taught English at Miles College from 1974 to 1976 and at the College of Wooster in Wooster, Ohio, from 1976 to 1978. He married fellow Birmingham native and author Vicki Marsh in 1977. The couple would have two daughters and Vicki would also write several novels set in Alabama. In 1978, the couple moved back to Alabama, where Dennis taught English at the University of Alabama at Birmingham until 2003.
Beginning in 1983, Covington made the first of a dozen trips to Central America as a freelance journalist. His dispatches from the civil war in El Salvador and other conflicts in the region appeared in the Scripps-Howard and Newhouse newspapers. He also authored a profile for Vogue of Violeta Chamorro, Nicaraguan president-elect and prominent critic of the Sandinista government.
In 1991, he published a young adult novel, Lizard, which was a coming-of-age story about Lucius Sims, a physically deformed boy who looks like a lizard. Lucius suffers and triumphs over multiple forms of discrimination resulting from his physical abnormality, including being sent to a school in Leesville, Louisiana, known at the time as the Louisiana State School for Retarded Boys. Lizard won the Delacorte Press Prize for a First Young Adult Novel in 1991 and the 1994 Alabama Author Award. A 1995 theatrical adaptation of Lizard, commissioned and first produced by the Alabama Shakespeare Festival, won the Barrie and Bernice Stavis Playwriting Award, sponsored by the National Theatre Conference. Covington followed Lizard with another young adult novel, Lasso the Moon. It is the story of April Hunter and the maturation of her relationships with her father and a mysterious Salvadoran refugee.
In 1995, Covington published perhaps his best-known work, Salvation on Sand Mountain: Snake Handling and Redemption in Southern Appalachia, which chronicles the lives of Pentecostal snake-handlers. A work of nonfiction, it arose out of Covington's freelance reporting for The New York Times on the 1992 Scottsboro, Jackson County, court case in which a snake-handling preacher was convicted of attempting to murder his wife by forcing her hand into a box filled with rattlesnakes. Salvation on Sand Mountain is an honest portrait of a complicated group of people and of Covington's spiritual journey with them. Praised for its lyrical, sympathetic, and personal treatment of the snake handlers of Appalachia, Salvation on Sand Mountain was a finalist for the 1995 National Book Award and won the 1996 Boston Book Review's Anne Rea Jewell Non-Fiction Prize. Covington continued writing in the autobiographical vein, publishing in 1999 with his wife Vicki a deeply personal book, Cleaving: The Story of a Marriage. It recounts their complex relationship, addressing such topics as drug use and infidelity.
In 2003, Covington took a position teaching creative writing at Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas. The following year, he published the autobiographical adventure, Redneck Riviera: Armadillos, Outlaws and the Demise of an American Dream. The work recounts Covington's attempts to claim his inheritance, 2.5 acres of worthless Florida scrubland his father bought in the 1960s in a real estate scam. Covington populates the narrative with lively, eccentric, and unusual characters, a common trait of his writing. Covington also focuses on his southern roots, setting a dangerous and corrupt pursuit of justice in a swampy, lyrically described Florida landscape. In 2005, Covington served as one of five judges for the National Book Award for nonfiction.
Over the course of his career, Covington's work has appeared in The New York Times, Los Angeles Times Magazine, Vogue, Esquire, Redbook, the Georgia Review, and the Oxford American. He has received fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Alabama State Council on the Arts. He currently resides in West Texas, where he continues to teach at Texas Tech University.
Works by Covington
Lizard (1991)
Lasso the Moon (1995)
Salvation on Sand Mountain: Snake Handling and Redemption in Southern Appalachia (1995)
Cleaving: The Story of a Marriage (1999)
Redneck Riviera: Armadillos, Outlaws and the Demise of an America Dream (2004)


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Right on, Lawrence Krauss.
His other point, that teaching creationism is willful child abuse, I'd agree with too, but I'd broaden it: failing to give your child a full opportunity to explore the world of the mind is child abuse.
Right on, Lawrence Krauss.
His other point, that teaching creationism is willful child abuse, I'd agree with too, but I'd broaden it: failing to give your child a full opportunity to explore the world of the mind is child abuse.
Dhorvath, OM says
Can we extend that even further? Failing to give every child a full opportunity to explore is child abuse. Leaving it to chance is not how we usher in a welcome new generation.
Sastra says
Reality is such a bully! It just won't allow people to choose their own truths!
It's funny that the same people who complain about how a world without God is one which worships "relativism" are the same people who complain about science contradicting their religious beliefs. "Faith" is based on the idea that truth is tribal. Different tribes, different truths. If you're a liberal person of faith then all truths are okay. If you're a conservative person of faith then one tribe is the only tribe that has the right attitude to begin with.
Creationists mean well. They don't think they're harming their kids. So what? Doesn't matter.
One of the best ways to close down a child's mind is to indoctrinate them with the idea that religion automatically exempts beliefs from having to do any real work or compete with different and better conclusions. If you mean well — then you're moral.
weatherwax says
Sastra: "Reality is such a bully! It just won't allow people to choose their own truths!"
I am definitely stealing that.
David Marjanović says
If you mean well — then you're moral.
"Intent – it's fucking magic."
magistramarla says
The title of this post is a fantastic quote. I'm going to use it.
eclipsse says
"failing to give your child a full opportunity to explore the world of the mind is child abuse."
Yes, yes, a thousand times yes!
Sorry – normally a lurker but feeling a bit raw about this at the moment – one of my students has just been removed by her family to be married.
At 17.
Reason – she was becoming too independent and was not being appropriately respectful of her heritage and culture.
There are times when I just despair.
eclipsse says
"Reason – she was becoming too independent and was not being appropriately respectful of her heritage and culture."
Sorry for got to add ****** religion as well.
I'm sorry to go OT – just needed to vent.
DLC says
Well said, Lawrence Krauss. Thanks for pointing it out , PZ.
alanbagain says
Her parent's left it as late as 17?
An Arab religious leader was married a girl of 6 and consumated the marriage at 9. That's the way to keep the girls under control!
alexanderz says
What is her culture?
eclipsse says
We thought her family were moderate when she joined the course (tertiary science) – but things have been getting more and more difficult for her – she was doing really, really well – got accepted for 3 universities through UCAS…that may have been the problem
She was 'collected' from college this morning by her brother, and the rest of the group say that her phone is going to voicemail and all of them have been unfriended on FB this afternoon.
Her course manager is in pieces. Nothing we can do, apparently
Owlglass says
Lawrence Krauss stated it so concisely and to the point, especially regarding the children, that all left to do is: applause!
eclipsse says
@ alainbagain
Thanks for adding to my list of reasons to despise religious leaders – I think that makes … oh several thousand.
I wish I could just go and get blind, stinking drunk, but I can't – so I am simply going to go and find somewhere and cry, instead.
bodie425 says
@ eclipsse, as a nurse of over two decades, I've also seen horrible situations because of religion. Cry your eyes out–it'll help. I'll shed a tear for her also so you're not alone.
falstaff says
It's only my personal experience, but I don't like that. We were called to an apartment where a three year old boy was black and blue from head to foot. Black eyes, broken nose, broken jaw, ribs, arm, feet and toes, internal injuries. I think I would have rather that he had been taught he earth was only six thousand years old and that Jesus is real.
alexanderz says
Thanks for the reply. Can you get the social services involved (seeing that she's still a minor)? It may not help either, but I think it'll be good for her to know that people haven't forgotten about her.
There is more than form of abuse and they don't exclude each other. As a matter of fact, fundamentalism often leads to physical abuse as well. Read alanbagain's comment to see how. And eclipsse's story isn't that far off.
jimmauch says
Religion denies science even though it is nothing more than a highly effective process that is used for understanding reality. No matter how good religion makes one feel even the deluded should be able to see through the ruse. Why do they not?
susan says
The last time I heard anything from Lawrence Krauss, he was creepily defending his wealthy friend, a registered sex offender: http://skepchick.org/2011/04/lawrence-krauss-defends-a-sex-offender-embarrasses-scientists-everywhere/
Unless he subsequently walked that back, I'm not about to listen to anything he has to say on the subject of child abuse.
Owlglass says
April 2011 is "last time"? And the last time I read something by Watson (as recommended here) a few days ago, she also wrote a similarly smearing, manipulative and appeal to emotion driven article, that time apparently going after Shermer. I'm glad I don't identify as skeptic. At least "recently" Watson and Shermer rather contribute nonsense, so let them stab each other. I'm only concerned about the persian rug. After this happy congregation of real Ad Hominems, let's agree that this all has nothing to do with what Krauss says in the video.
anteprepro says
Are you sure that you aren't a Skeptic, owlglass? You sure do have the knee-jerk defensiveness regarding Dear Leaders that is characteristic of True Skeptics.
Owlglass says
I did "counter" an ad hominem with another ad hominem, pointed out the trick, and noted that it doesn't take away what is said in the video. No worries, I get used to script wanking. I side with the "Discordianist Stray Cat Anti-Theist Organisation" (FNORD), the n+1 camp in any given debate. Every member can vote the leader. I'm that member.
Maureen Brian says
Owlglass, I assert with confidence that you are an idiot. Here are the three most recent articles that I can find by Rebecca Watson …
… and not a mention of Mr Shermer in any one of them!
Is the problem now that he and his Associate Egos are not getting enough attention? Could you aim for truth? Or consistency? Or something? Or even tell us precisely what you are talking about?
Owlglass says
The last one recommended here was in the article "Woman is a dirty word" (Feb. 04). It would be entirely possible that another one came afterwards, since I don't read everything, but even by that standard, it seems about right. I don't care about Shermer as I don't care about Watson, and what I said is about right. I was cought by Internet Backdraft, where I learned that there are apparently a lot of conflicts and "issues", and having educated myself in the last weeks or so, I found that my own views do not align with the trenches. But it's quite entertaining, for a number of reasons. :)
Janine: Hallucinating Liar says
Owlglass, never allow your ignorance about a given subject stop you from making a pronouncement on that subject.
Nerd of Redhead, Dances OM Trolls says
Owlglass, never allow your ignorance about a given subject stop you from making a pronouncement on that subject.
Hmm…sounds like a theist or a liberturd….
Maureen Brian says
Owlglass, I don't know what weird cult you were brought up in but it was clearly one in which it was forbidden to speak the name of god.
Except that Michael Shermer is not god – I'm pretty sure he would acknowledge that – and the business of comparing one set of ideas or observations with another set has been going on for centuries. It is how knowledge advances.
Except that you don't seem to believe in knowledge, not when you are prepared after making any number of ex cathedra pronouncements on events to finally admit that you had no idea what's been going on.
A good enough working definition of idiot. No?
Owlglass says
26, Maureen Brian wrote: A good enough working definition of idiot. No?
I fully embrace it … :)
Owlglass, I don't know what weird cult you were brought up in but it was clearly one in which it was forbidden to speak the name of god. Except that Michael Shermer is not god – I'm pretty sure he would acknowledge that – and the business of comparing one set of ideas or observations with another set has been going on for centuries. It is how knowledge advances.
See, I notice my stupidity coming through right now! I can't understand what you are trying to say. But I can give you one perspective on how I think knowledge advances. About 2500 years before American Gladiators, a debate style named after a famous philosopher was envisioned: the socratic method. It was an eliminative, dialectical discussion where people adopt different stances and pitted them against each other. In the ensuing carnage a new understanding emerged.
One technique is about tentatively agreeing to the opponents' views or methods, and then leading them over the cliff and ad absurdum. So, when it is valid to bring up an article by Watson that somehow allegedly discredits what Krauss' says in the video (Ad Hominem I), then it would be valid to bring up another article that undermines Watson's article by discrediting her (Ad Hominem II), where you are back, anyway, that Ad Hominem in this fashion would not work. It is not about Krauss (or Watson), it is about what it was said in the video. It could have been read aloud by the MS Windows computer voice. Hence it is not a "Dear Leader" issue (where your own –uhm, unique– thinking comes through because the same can be applied to Watson or Shermer, for that matter).
Except that you don't seem to believe in knowledge, not when you are prepared after making any number of ex cathedra pronouncements on events to finally admit that you had no idea what's been going on.
Finally admit!? Maureen, on which universe are you on? You asked me, and I explained it. For my part, I just notice that I encounter people all the time who carry a ton of assumptions and then drop them on the first occasion and are then somehow convinced they won something. In reality, I don't mind personally, but many others in my place quite certainly turned on their heels and head the other direction. For me it is kind of fun. I like comic relief.
Maureen Brian says
If, as we are led to believe, the Socratic Method is a means of gradually refining the points of difference and eliminating dross, then how come Ms Watson and Mr Shermer suddenly appear in your @19 during a discussion of Professor Lawrence Krauss? Or is your need for a cheap shot every few hours so great that it outranks three millennia of the greatest philosophers?
Besides, I prefer to use later developments of the dialectic as exemplified by, for instance, William of Ockham and later Hegel.
There is also a proverb, probably predating Socrates, about not teaching your grandmother to suck eggs.
Owlglass says
Post 18 (not me) introduced Watson… rest was explained to you, twice. And don't be too butthurt that I wrote something negative about her and Shermer. I don't know what else they have worth reading/seeing, but the latest I've seen was rather weak. Have a good day Maureen. ;)
zelkwin says
Sorry to be "that guy" but I can't verify his "50% of Americans don't know that the Earth goes around the sun and takes a year to do so" statistic. I found this –http://sciencedude.blog.ocregister.com/files/2008/06/garyscixls.pdf
which states that in 2006, only 55% of Americans knew it takes a year to orbit the sun, but at least 76% know that the Earth goes around the sun.I suppose he was referring to only 55% of people knowing both of these facts.
I just wanted to clarify that it isn't that half the county doesn't know that the Earth orbits the sun. Though this survey still makes me want to move to Canada.
Sorry to nitpick, but inexact statistics tend to spread everywhere and someone has yet to invent a bad stat Lysol.


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A long-term program launched in 2011 by Wella and UNICEF in collaboration with hairstylists and clients around the world, the WELLA-UNICEF MAKING WAVES program offers the gift of education to vulnerable young people in emerging countries.
MAKING WAVES program is currently active in Brazil, Vietnam and Romania. These countries face enormous challenges to ensure that each young person receives a decent education, and is able to build a better future.
This program is supporting UNICEF in order to provide life skills training and hairdressing education to vulnerable young people in Vietnam and Romania. UNICEF does not endorse any brand, services, or product.


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I have a figure, created in MS Visio, a PDF figure. I have added text to the figure using qtix
. The code is pasted below:
\node at (8,-0.5) {Ground};
\node at (-0.5,-0.5) {Ground};
\node at (-9,-0.5) {Ground};
\node at (14.5,9.1) {Public grid; phase A};
\node at (14.5,8.3) {phase A};
\node at (14.5,7.5) {phase B};
\node at (14.5,6.7) {phase C};
\node at (14.5,2.3) {Railway grid};
\node at (14.5,1.5) {catenary};
\node at (14.5,0.7) {rail/ground};
\node at (11.5,3.8) {Transformer};
\node at (3.0,3.8) {Transformer};
\node at (-5.5,3.8) {Transformer};
The figure is more landscape-shaped, so I want to rotate the figure in my document. The figure is attached below.
The problem is I dot now know how to rotate figures that are inserted by the \input
command. The \includegraphics
command can use rotation, but then each text also need to be rotated. And when doing that, the centering of the image fails. I have tried that too. See the code below:
\node[rotate=90] at (8,-0.5) {Ground};
\node[rotate=90] at (-0.5,-0.5) {Ground};
\node[rotate=90] at (-9,-0.5) {Ground};
\node[rotate=90] at (14.5,9.1) {Public grid; phase A};
\node[rotate=90] at (14.5,8.3) {phase A};
\node[rotate=90] at (14.5,7.5) {phase B};
\node[rotate=90] at (14.5,6.7) {phase C};
\node[rotate=90] at (14.5,2.3) {Railway grid};
\node[rotate=90] at (14.5,1.5) {catenary};
\node[rotate=90] at (14.5,0.7) {rail/ground};
\node[rotate=90] at (11.5,3.8) {Transformer};
\node[rotate=90] at (3.0,3.8) {Transformer};
\node[rotate=90] at (-5.5,3.8) {Transformer};
The main document part of my code looks like:
\caption{A simplified illustration of how the three-phase grid commonly feeds the railway when using substation transformers}
So any suggestions of what I should do? The main problem is:
- How to both rotate and center a PGF-created PDF-based figure with added explanatory text on it?
- Is it preferable to to the rotation in PGF-code or is it better to do it in the, or before the


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This is where you can search for all the writeups contributed by any user. Just enter the user name and select the order for the search.
Or try a Super Search
These nodes all have stuff by december (showing 1-50 out of ~99?):
www.com | www.net | www.org
Taking a day trip Baking Proposing Leaping Reading La_Bougie_du_Sapeur Making love, not war Enjoying life Relaxing (as there is no leap year bug in my code) Playing Frog Out Other
Results (30 votes). Check out past polls.


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World Cafe Looks Back: Coldplay
World Cafe Looks Back: Coldplay
Courtesy of EMISet List
- "Hurts Like Heaven"
- "Paradise"
- "Charlie Brown"
- "Violet Hill"
- "Viva La Vida" (Viva La Vida)
- "Yes" (Viva La Vida)
- "Shiver"
- "Yellow"
Throughout the month of October, we celebrated the 20th anniversary of World Cafe and revisited some of the best and most memorable interviews of the past 20 years.
This week marks the release of Coldplay's fifth album, Mylo Xyloto, a raucous, electronically driven dance-rock record produced by experimental master Brian Eno. The band recently paid a visit to World Cafe to discuss the new album, which marks Coldplay's third trip to the studio in the last decade.
After listening to the newest session, we'll look back at Coldplay's past appearances on the show: a 2001 interview after the debut of Parachutes and a conversation from 2008, in honor of the Eno-produced Viva La Vida. Hearing these interviews, you can trace the band's maturation from an "inexperienced" group of college friends (who almost formed a boy band called "Pectoralz") to the Grammy-winning juggernaut it is today.
This segment originally aired on October 24, 2011.


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Animation / Comedy / Family
30 May, 2003
Life along the Great Barrier Reef is full of dangers when you are a tiny clown fish. And for Marlin, a single parent determined to protect his only son Nemo, there are constant fears and anxieties. When, on his first day of school, Nemo defies his father and swims off alone to investigate a boat, he is suddenly scooped up by a diver as Marlin helplessly watches. Marlin turns desperate as he frantically swims off in search for his son. As he passes a school of fish he bumps into Dory, an agreeable blue tang with severe short-term memory loss, who offers to help. Together this aquatic odd couple set out on an impossible mission, finding themselves in troubled waters and contending with such hazards as sharks, deadly angler fishes and a forest of jellyfish. Meanwhile, in a dentist's office overlooking Sydney Harbor, Nemo has landed in a fish tank that is home to a colorful group of characters who want to initiate him into their gang. When word of Marlin and Dory's ocean adventures gets back to Nemo, he is so thrilled to learn of his father's search for him that he becomes motivated to move forward with a daring escape plan of his own.


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to match all donations up to a maximum of $25,000 as fighters Nick Ring
and Patrick Coté compete as Mo Bros in Montreal on November 17
The Ultimate Fighting Championship® (UFC®) is proud to announce its collaboration with Movember as part of its UFC Community Works® program surrounding UFC® 154: ST-PIERRE vs. CONDIT, taking place at Montreal's Bell Centre on November 17. UFC middleweights Patrick Côté and Nick Ring have committed to being Mo Bros for the month of November to help raise funds and awareness for men's health, specifically prostate cancer and male mental health initiatives, and will compete at UFC® 154 on November 17 with their facial hair on full display. UFC Canada has reinforced its dedication to the cause by agreeing to match all donations made to the UFC team up to a maximum of $25,000.
To support Côté and Ring in their Movember efforts, consider joining or donating to the UFC team at http://ca.movember.com/team/660829 or network at http://ca.movember.com/mospace/network/UFC. Pictures of Côté and Ring's Mo-growing efforts will also be made available at www.UFC.com.
A nationwide initiative launched by UFC Canada in 2011, the UFC Community Works® program is designed to make meaningful contributions to the Canadian communities where UFC® events are held. The Community Works® program name itself is a double entendre – it speaks to the notion that the UFC is going to do good work in the community and that communities work when they come together.
Côté and Ring will join more than 854,000 Mo Bros and Mo Sistas who raise funds by seeking out donations for their Mo-growing efforts (slang for moustache). Mo Bros effectively become walking, talking billboards for the 30 days of Movember prompting conversation around the often ignored issue of men's health in an effort to positively change attitudes and habits men have about their health, to educate about the health risks they face and to hopefully increase chances of early detection, diagnosis and effective treatment. Movember is the largest non-government funder of prostate cancer research in the world.
On November 17, the UFC® will return to Montreal for the fifth time with UFC® 154: ST-PIERRE vs. CONDIT at the Bell Centre. The event marks the highly anticipated return of local hero Georges St-Pierre who will face interim champion Carlos Condit after a 19-month break from action in the Octagon® to unify the welterweight championship belt.
UFC® 154 presented by the United States Marine Corps. The Few. The Proud. The Marines.,
will be available live on Pay-Per-View on November 17 at 10 p.m. EST/7 p.m. PST on UFC.TV, iN DEMAND, DirecTV, DISH Network, Avail-TVN, and in Canada on Shaw Communications, Bell TV, Sasktel, Viewer's Choice Canada and Indigo (French) for a suggested retail price of $44.99 US/$49.99 CAN for Standard Definition and $54.99 US/$59.99 CAN for High Definition.
Jamahal Hill Talks UFC 300 Main Event
Hall Of Fame


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Swisher Grimm, Kylie | |
Munyaneza, Joseph - Joe | |
Crosslin, James |
Submitted to: Environmental Entomology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal Publication Acceptance Date: 5/18/2012 Publication Date: 8/15/2012 Citation: Swisher, K.D., Munyaneza, J.E., Crosslin, J. 2012. High resolution melting analysis of the cytochrome oxidase I gene identifies three haplotypes of the potato psyllid, Bactericera cockerelli, in the United States. Environmental Entomology. 41:1019-1028. Interpretive Summary: Potato zebra chip disease (ZC) is caused by a bacterium transmitted to potatoes by the potato psyllid. The disease has caused severe economic damage in Mexico, Central America, New Zealand, the south-central United States. The ZC disease first appeared in the major potato producing region of Washington, Oregon, and Idaho in 2011. Since the ZC bacterium is transmitted by the potato psyllid, understanding the population dynamics of this insect is vital for understanding of the disease epidemiology. Work conducted in California in 2006 suggested there were two biotypes of the potato psyllid in the United States. Our work suggests there are at least three biotypes of this insect in the US. This finding may have implications for the occurrence and spread of ZC disease in the Pacific Northwest. Technical Abstract: The potato psyllid, Bactericera cockerelli (Sulc) (Hemiptera: Triozidae), is a vector of the bacterium "Candidatus Liberibacter solanacearum," the putative causal agent of potato zebra chip disease that has seriously affected the potato industry in the Central and Southwestern United States for the past decade. The 2011 potato growing season saw the first report of zebra chip disease in Washington, Oregon, and Idaho; however, B. cockerelli has been recorded in this region every season at least for the past seven years. Studies were conducted to determine the relationship between psyllids collected from the Pacific Northwest potatoes in 2011 and those from the Southwestern and Central United States. High resolution melting (HRM) analysis of the B. cockerelli mitochondrial Cytochrome C Oxidase subunit I-like gene was conducted on over 450 psyllids collected from numerous locations across the Central and Western United States. Results suggest that at least three potato psyllid biotypes exist in the United States, correlating to the Central, Western, and Northwestern United States geographical regions. The HRM analysis results were subsequently supported by DNA sequencing data. |


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This article is more than 1 year old
Wobbly Chinese telecom giant 'may sack 12,000', shares nosedive
ZTE struggle to get feds off its ass, cash in the door
Chinese telecoms kit maker ZTE is in for a rough ride: its shares fell to a three-year low on Monday amid a profit warning and rumours that it may axe up to 12,000 workers.
The firm, second in the domestic market for telecoms equipment behind Huawei, warned last week that its net profits for the first half of 2012 could fall by as much as 80 per cent year-on-year. Its stock slumped by more than 17 per cent in Hong Kong this morning.
Beijing-based IT consultancy Marbridge Consulting published rumours on Friday that ZTE may be preparing to jettison about 12,000 staff this year, with overseas workers particularly at risk.
It said that there had already been three rounds of employee recalls and lay-offs in overseas offices since the Chinese New Year on the back of sliding market share. It added that cash-flow problems have intensified in some markets where big contracts have led to long delays before payment.
As if that wasn't bad enough, ZTE has been rocked by a series of probes into shady business practices.
The European Commission is investigating ZTE and and Shenzhen neighbour Huawei over allegations that the Chinese government illegally subsidised the firms, enabling them to offer their kit to customers at below cost, a process known as "dumping".
In addition, news emerged last week that the FBI is looking into allegations that the firm illegally sold US technology to Iran and then tried to cover up its dealings when exposed by journalists.
The US House of Representatives Intelligence Committee is also on the case, investigating the firms' ties with the Chinese government and accusations that their kit may pose a national security risk.
Meanwhile, executives from both firms were sentenced in their absence to serious bribery offences in Algeria.
Back in December analysts voiced concerns about ZTE, with Gartner downgrading its evaluation of the firm's strategy from "positive" to "promising":
In 2011 ZTE added enterprise telecom solutions and cloud computing to its portfolio, further expanding its product line. However, this market expansion had a negative impact on the company's cash flow in 1H11. As a cost leader in the market, aggressive expansion could put its financial status at risk.
ZTE did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the rumour of mass lay-offs. ®


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The full article is in the link at the bottom.
http://www.nozt.org/teachings/tdgyojidokan.shtmlIn the Shobogenzo, Dogen wrote, "Do not practice the bad." In the same chapter, he also wrote, "In the beginning we should try to not commit bad actions. But ultimately, this effort prolongs the conflict." Last Sunday, in mondo, a woman said to me, "I want to put an end to my bonnos, but it's very difficult." That approach is useless, the mind carries along its own contradiction.
In the end, even if you want to act badly, unconsciously, naturally, automatically, you cannot. At this moment, genjo, power appears in the practice. If you practice every day, it is no longer necessary to think about practice or to want to practice. Repetition is very important. Dokan, gyoji are very important. In the beginning, conscious will and effort are necessary. But if you repeat this action of practicing everyday for two or three years, it becomes dokan, gyoji. You can practice good things, unconsciously, naturally, automatically.
Even if you want to plunge into the bad current, mingle with bad people, even if you submit to bad situations and a harmful environment; through the power of gyoji and dokan, you cannot commit bad actions. This is a very important point. Unconsciously, naturally, automatically, in spite of bad circumstances, we cannot practice the bad.
Mushotoku, muga: this is the true Way, the Dharma; this is the authentic truth, saintliness. This is an essential point in Zen. Mushotoku doesn't exist in any other religion.


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I might be a little late to the game, so pardon if you have seen this before but I can't stop smiling. The Santa Brand Book is one of the funniest branding spoofs I have come across. Ever. Hat tip to Quietroom for pulling off the Santa Brand Book.
Download the PDF here.
(Thank you James)


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The National Glass Collectors Fair
Glass From
Throughout the Ages
The National Glass Fair was Britain's leading antique and collectable glass fair. Exhibitors offered a wide choice of glassware, from 18th century drinking glasses
through to contemporary studio glass.
Our November 2019 in-fair exhibition featured a selection of glass celebrating the influential Norwegian glass designer Benny Motzfeldt. Motzfeldt was a mixed media artist who went on to carve out a career as a highly expressive glass designer. She is best know for the designs she created for Hadeland, Randsfjord and PLUS. Nov 2019 Preview GalleryOur Preview Gallery currently features glass that was available to buy at our November 2019 glass fair. In the weeks leading up to our next fair, we will update the gallery, adding new images of the collectable glass that will be offered for sale on Sunday 8 November 2020. You will find a great variety of glass, including everything from 18th - 20th century drinking glasses & tableware through to decorative Victorian glass, 20th century art glass, as well as paperweights and work by contemporary glass artists. Glass ArchiveOur Glass Archive features articles that cover different aspects of glass making, including information about various glass manufacturers, individual glass artists and different types of glass. Submitting ArticlesIf you are interested in having your own glass article featured on our website, please visit our submissions page. |
A Great Day Out For Glass Collectors
At its inception the National Glass Fair was the first all-glass antiques and collectables fair. Over 100 quality dealers exhibit at our glass fairs, including exhibitors that sell a wide variety of items from throughout the ages.
There is always an excellent variety of merchandise, including 18th century drinking glasses, Victorian pressed glass, early 20th century Art glass from makers such as Galle, Daum, Lalique and Loetz, studio glass by some of the most talented contemporary glass artists working in the UK and a good selection of antique and modern paperweights.
Art Nouveau and Art Deco glassware remains popular with visitors to the glass fair, whilst modern Studio Glass from the 1950s, 60s and 70s is becoming increasingly collectable. The popularity of these items has resulted in exhibitors buying Scandinavian, Italian and Bohemian glass from this period to meet the demand. Glassware from manufacturers such as Orrefors, Whitefriars and Seguso is particularly sought after.
There are always good examples of glass for people with more traditional tastes. Coloured and crystal cut-glass is always extremely popular and our exhibitors sell examples from various quality manufacturers, including Stevens and Williams, Val St. Lambert, Thomas Webb, Stuart Crystal, Webb Corbett and Richardsons.
Contemporary glass is also incredibly popular with visitors to our fair and in addition to the specialist dealers selling contemporary glass, the National Glass Fair also attracts leading contemporary glass artists, such as Jonathan Harris and
Vic Bamforth.
Whatever your taste or budget, you will always find interesting examples of glass at our fairs. Many of our exhibitors sell exclusively at the National Glass Fair and visitors return time and again to find new items of glassware that are not available to buy anywhere else.
Other Specialist Glass Fairs Ltd Events
For more information about other events held by Specialist Glass Fairs Ltd,
please visit www.specialistglassfairs.com
You can also keep up to date with our events via Twitter and Facebook.


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Milano Elizabeth - Brushed Gold Traditional Thermostatic Shower with Diverter, Hand Shower and Shower Head (2 Outlet)
Representative APR (variable) 18.9% APR with an assumed credit limit of £1,200 and a purchase rate of 18.9% p.a.
With the Milano Elizabeth thermostatic shower you get stunning traditional looks and a superb showering experience. The thermostatic shower includes the twin diverter valve, 200mm wall-mounted shower head and hand shower kit, all crafted from solid brass and finished in a beautiful brushed gold finish for an elegant and timeless look.
The thermostatic shower valve provides effortless control to the shower head and hand shower. It incorporates anti-scald technology to ensure a safe and comfortable shower every time.
Supplied with the wall arm, the stylish round shower head delivers a spa-like rainfall effect, while the hand shower provides a refreshing spray of water.
Combine with other brushed gold items from the Milano Elizabeth collection for a stunning traditional bathroom.
Elizabeth Thermostatic Shower Features:
- Beautiful traditional design for a classic and elegant look
- 200mm diameter solid lead-free brass apron shower head and wall arm
- Includes solid brass hand shower with ceramic handle and 1.5m hose
- Hard-wearing moisture blemish resistant brushed gold finish
- Thermostatic temperature control to prevent scalding and freezing
- Ceramic lever and crosshead handle design for easy use
- Detailed ceramic ring and indices
- With diverter - allows you to switch between two shower outlets with ease
- Solid lead-free brass valve with ceramic disc technology to prevent leaks and drips
- Anti-scald technology for safety and peace of mind
- Swivel joint allows you to position the large shower head to the desired angle
- Suitable for domestic and commercial plumbing systems
- Recommended operating pressure: 1.0 bar
- Long life 10 year guarantee
What's Included?
- Milano Elizabeth - Twin Diverter Thermostatic Shower Valve
- Milano Elizabeth - 200mm Shower Head and Wall Arm
- Milano Elizabeth - Hand Shower with 1.5m Hose and Outlet Elbow with Bracket
Please note: this item is hand finished, so the colour and tone can vary slightly between products of the same finish, creating a look that's unique and authentic.
Range | Elizabeth |
Style | Traditional |
Shower Type | 2 Outlet Shower |
Finish | Brushed Gold |
Material | Brass |
Fitting | Wall Mounted |
Head Size | 200mm |
Functions Work Simultaneously | No |
Flow Control | Ceramic Disc |
Flow Rate @ Recommended Pressure | 17.7 |
Temperature Control | Thermostatic |
Recommended Water Pressure | 1.0 bar |
Minimum Water Pressure | 0.5 bar |
Maximum Water Pressure | 5.0 bar |
Guarantee | 10 Years |
The hand-finished brushed gold look of this piece adds vintage chic to your bathroom, and is also moisture blemish resistant, meaning less of the annoying water spots you get on standard chrome products.
This shower features cutting-edge ceramic disc technology,meaning a smooth turning of handles and water tight seals - no more dripping showers!
Designed with user safety as a prime focus, this shower's industry leading anti-scald technology guarantees no sudden surges in temperature.
This product is hand finished, which means the colour and tone can slightly differ between products of the same finish, bringing a stunning unique look to your bathroom.
By shopping at BigBathroomShop.co.uk you can benefit from a quick and efficient delivery service.
*Our standard 2-5 working days delivery offering costs just £4.95 for orders below £295 and is free for orders over £295 to postcodes in England, Wales and certain areas of Scotland. Standard delivery to more remote areas in Scotland, Northern Ireland, and to the Isle of Wight, Isle of Man, Channel Islands and Isles of Scilly are charged at different rates, starting from just £9.95.
We also offer Premium delivery options on UK orders only such as: Named Day, Next Working Day, Saturday and 2-Person Delivery. The lead times, prices and availability for these options are calculated and displayed during the checkout process depending on the contents of your order and the delivery location.
We use various couriers to give us the flexibility to ensure that your delivery reaches you in perfect condition. Deliveries are not made on bank holidays, so please allow extra time for your order to arrive at these times, especially during the Easter and Christmas periods. Named day delivery and other premium services are available at the checkout stage.
For more details please visit our Delivery & Returns page.
At BigBathroomShop.co.uk we operate a 30 day returns policy, so if you're not completely satisfied with your purchase, then you can return your order within 30 days of receiving it.
To speak with a member of our customer service team, call 0330 027 1032 (for calls outside the UK dial +44 330 027 1032). Lines are open Monday to Friday 8.30am-5pm.
Full details of our returns policy can be found here.
Milano Elizabeth - Brushed Gold Traditional Thermostatic Shower with Diverter, Hand Shower and Shower Head (2 Outlet)


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Well, it's all over save for the sleeping. And the laundry. And grocery shopping and general resurfacing. I'll be taking a couple of recovery days and then return with the annual round-up post, with capsule reviews, ranked in preference order, all in one place, for your clipping and saving needs. Until then, check out my last day flicks.
Monsters Club [Japan, Toshiaki Toyoda, 4] Young mail-bomber leading a hermit's life in a snowy mountain cabin faces reproachful family ghosts. Contemplative inversion of the spiral into madness movie starts with its protagonist already mad and invites us to hope for his return to sanity.
Smuggler [Japan, Katsuhito Ishii, 4] Loser's involuntary new job as an underworld clean-up man exposes him to a series of reprisals involving the nun-chuk wielding super-assassin Mr. Vertebrae. Manga adaptation pairs kooky comedy with lovingly detailed ultra-violence.
Countdown [South Korea, Huh Jong-Ho, 4] Icy collection agent's bad-ass search for a liver donor leads him to a game of cat-and-mouse with a glamourous con artist. Bubbling pursuit thriller gradually gives itself over to tearjerking melodrama.
I wouldn't be surprised to see this get a Hollywood remake (sans tone shift).
Pompeya [Argentina, Tamae Garateguy, 4] Meta-fiction juxtaposes the writing of a bloody gangster pic with scenes from the final movie--or is it? Exploration of the cruel allure of the crime genre finds surprising layers by declining to treat the film-within-the-film as a joke.
Warning: you might have to be a writer or critic to dig this as much as I did.
Kotoko [Japan, Shinya Tsukomoto, 4] Hallucination-prone woman yearns to regain custody of her son. Alternately super-upsetting and poignant subjective portrait of mental illness.


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Related links:
Watch Out for the Meteors!
News story originally written on August 10, 1999
This week's solar eclipse isn't the only thing to watch! The annual Perseid meteor shower will peak on August 12-13, 1999. There could be as many as 150 "shooting stars" per hour. Scientists say the best time to see this spectacular event is a few hours before dawn.
These bright flashes of light will seem to start from the constellation Perseus. It is best to lay down on the ground and face north to see the shower. Although they appear to come from the same point in space, they will be visible all over the sky.
Meteors are small fragments that broke off a comet. This particular shower came from Comet Swift-Tuttle, which orbits the Sun once every 135 years. Typical meteors are the size of a grain of sand. These meteors average 130,000 miles per hour! But don't worry, the particles burn up long before they reach Earth.
The shower will be visible for most of the Northern Hemisphere. If you live below the equator, I'm afraid that very little, if any at all, will be seen. Fortunately, NASA will provide a live broadcast of the event on the web. They'll fly a balloon into the stratosphere with a video camera. So, no matter where you live, you can witness one of the more fascinating astronomical events!


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Shumlin touts ag, health care agenda
MONTPELIER — County lawmakers on both sides of the political aisle found something to like in Gov. Peter Shumlin's priorities for the next two years outline in his inaugural address at the Statehouse last Thursday. The list includes universal health care, expanding high-speed Internet access and cell phone service throughout the state, no new taxes, and spurring a "renaissance in Vermont agriculture."
"(The agenda) is big, it is ambitious, and it is achievable if we view it as our common purpose," Shumlin said during his 35-minute speech interrupted more than 20 times by applause in a packed House chamber.
"Our obstacles are many, and our challenges are daunting," Shumlin acknowledged. "The change we are proposing this afternoon is transformative and systemic. It will not happen quickly or easily."
But Shumlin, frequently invoking the name of Claire Ogelsby — a childhood teacher who helped him overcome dyslexia and learn how to read — said he was confident that he, lawmakers and Vermonters would all rise to the challenges that lay before them.
"What I remember best about Claire was no matter how difficult the challenge, no matter how innovative she had to be or how hard she had to work, she never gave up on me and therefore neither did I," Shumlin said.
Shumlin unveiled an agenda that includes:
• Sustainable state budgeting, recognizing a $150 million shortfall in the fiscal year 2012 budget and the fact that most Vermonters do not have the capacity to absorb more taxes.
"Our economic challenges are real, and so is my firm commitment to address them responsibly and swiftly — with hard, sometimes painful but sustainable choices," Shumlin said. "There is no easy or popular path ahead."
He said the state must focus on generating new revenues by boosting its tax base.
"We must develop a tax policy that grows our customer base and grows wealth," Shumlin said.
"Our patchwork of broad-based taxes that have accumulated over the years, combined with overburdened property taxes, require our attention," he added. "But let me be clear: As we tackle the difficult challenge of balancing our budget, we must not and cannot succumb to the idea that Vermonters have the capacity to pay higher taxes right now. In order to grow jobs and be more competitive with neighboring states, we must resist the temptation to raise broad-based taxes."
• Job growth. Shumlin reiterated his belief that Vermont is well-positioned to develop jobs in the renewable energy sector.
"We will provide the brainpower, make the products, and seize the job opportunities a lower-carbon economy requires," Shumlin said.
• "Connect VT," an initiative to deliver by 2013 high-speed Internet access and cell service to every corner of the state.
"If not confronted, our connectivity deficit will relegate us to an economic backwater," Shumlin said. "Vermont lags behind the developing world and ranks 46th among the 50 states in connectivity."
Shumlin noted the state has $410 million in private, federal and bonded capital to deploy toward the expansion of broadband.
"These resources present Vermonters with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to 'initiate and cooperate' by completing the build out of the Smart Grid, broadband and mobile phone service in a collaborative marriage of the telecommunications and electrical utility sectors to create one shared broadband infrastructure for Vermont," he said.
• Health care reform — specifically a single-payer system (see story, Page 1).
• Education excellence, to better equip Vermont students to fill the high-tech and other jobs that are being grown in the state.
"I hereby call for an end to the war of words launched from Montpelier that pits property tax payers against our children, teachers, principals, and school board members, and invite instead a respectful conversation on how to create the best education system for our future, how to produce the best workforce for the jobs we've just discussed," Shumlin said. "We take pride in Vermont's quality education system that is the envy of the rest of the country. Let's build upon our success by doing even better."
• Better business conditions for farmers.
"That must include investing in processing and bottling facilities, combined with a dynamic marketing effort for Vermont quality foods that will bring our farmers the value-added price that they deserve for a hard day's work, and they will prosper," Shumlin said.
"The renaissance in Vermont agriculture is rooted in the growing concern by consumers across America about where and how their food is produced," he added. "Consumers are increasingly demanding locally grown, chemical-free, high quality food. We must take Vermont's strengths — buy local, farmers markets, farm to plate, Vermont Fresh Network restaurants — and expand our view of local to everything within 200 miles of Vermont, which includes Manhattan, Boston and Montreal."
• Finding capital for small, emerging businesses to grow in the Green Mountain State.
"If our Green Mountain State can be recognized by young entrepreneurs as the innovative leader in financing and venture capital for micro-businesses when banks say 'no,' small businesses will thrive," Shumlin said.
He specifically cited the federal EB-5 program — which offers foreign visas in exchange for investment in U.S.-based businesses — as an offering Vermont should increasingly pursue.
Shumlin noted that Bill Stenger of Jay Peak has created more than 1,000 new jobs in the highest unemployment area of the state using the EB-5 program.
Local lawmakers praised what they said was an ambitious set of priorities, and said they will now wait for more details on how the new governor will want to work with them in achieving his goals.
Shumlin said Vermont's size will be an advantage as it looks for innovative ways to succeed. "We are too small to fail," he said.
Rep. Paul Ralston, D-Middlebury, was impressed with the first inaugural address he has witnessed as a lawmaker.
"'High theater," I think, describes it well," Ralston said.
As he listed to Shumlin's speech, Ralston said he was struck by the role that Addison County voters, and some of its residents, played in his election and policy priorities. Among those that came to Ralston's mind were single-payer health care system advocate Ellen Oxfeld and former state Auditor Elizabeth Ready, who worked to get out the vote for Shumlin.
"You could feel their strength and their work in the room," Ralston said. "I came into the room hopeful; I leave incredibly inspired."
Rep. Betty Nuovo, D-Middlebury, who has seen many inaugural addresses during her more than two decades in the House, was impressed.
"He gave us hope, he gave us energy and he gave us a commitment to help people — educationally, economically and in health care as well as agriculture, among other things," Nuovo said. "I believe he has new ideas and a plan them work and help the people of the state of Vermont."
Vergennes Democratic Rep. Diane Lanpher said she found the speech energizing.
"There is an enthusiasm today about where Vermont's direction can go, but it is also tempered with the reality of the budget and what the constraints are going to be," Lanpher said.
She added she was impressed with Shumlin's focus on positioning Vermont to take advantage of new economic opportunities as the state pulls through the recession. At the same time, Lanpher said the state will have to be careful to take care of its most vulnerable citizens.
Sen. Harold Giard, D-Bridport, liked Shumlin's emphasis on job growth, containing taxes and improving the quality of public education. A former farmer, Giard was also gratified to hear the new governor talk about ways of bolstering agriculture.
"I hope now we can have a conversation now on how to move education forward, which I want to do," Giard said.
"I really hope we can do something more for our farmers," he added. "They work so hard and do so much; they only ask for what's fair and we have denied them that. I hope now we have the leadership to be able to start communicating with our co-ops and with our businesses in dairy to move agriculture forward and make it prosperous."
Rep. Harvey Smith, R-New Haven, was pleased with what he considered to be the general theme of Shumlin's speech.
"He talked about finding sustainable solutions, and then everything else fell under that," said Smith, starting his second stint as a lawmaker representing Addison-5. "A lot of things he talked about were things we all support."
He cited job creation, a stronger economy, more education opportunities and a renewed commitment to agriculture as Shumlin priorities that cross party lines.
"When it comes to getting these things done, the devil's in the details," Smith said.
Fellow Republican Rep. Greg Clark of Vergennes said he thought the new governor "set out some bold, new programs. I think it is great that (broadband) was at the top of the list, as far as getting that taken care of. He said he was shooting for 2013; I hope at some point he gives the Douglas administration some credit for getting it this far."
Clark said he is very skeptical of the notion of a single-payer health care system, but is willing to listen to proposals for such a plan.
Clark said it will be interesting to see how Shumlin can avoid his "no new taxes" pledge in light of the new initiatives he is proposing. "I don't see how we can do it for less money," Clark said. "But I am willing to help him as much as I can."
Rep. Will Stevens, I-Shoreham, said he was "thrilled" to hear Shumlin make agriculture a priority. Stevens is co-owner of Golden Russet Farm and a member of the House Agriculture Committee.
"It is nice to see he is making the appointments to back up that verbiage," he said, alluding to Chuck Ross as the new agriculture secretary and Lawrence Miller as commerce secretary.
Stevens said he appreciated Shumlin's candor in describing the state's challenges and economy.
"He didn't sugarcoat things," Stevens said. "He was brave, made a lot of promises, and we'll have to see what comes of it."
Rep. Willem Jewett, D-Ripton, will play a significant role in marshaling Democrat support for the Shumlin agenda in the House. Jewett was recently elected House assistant majority leader. He said optimism in the Statehouse has been buoyed by the appointments Shumlin has made to his administration.
"I know these people personally, I know their energy and I think that's where there is a lot of excitement about this changing of the guard after eight years," Jewett said. "He has picked some great folks.
"It is an ambitious agenda, but that's what (Shumlin) campaigned on," Jewett added.
Rep. Michael Fisher, D-Middlebury, called Thursday's inauguration "a new, fresh day, with a lot of hopefulness."
House Speaker Shap Smith, D-Morristown, said he believes Shumlin unveiled an agenda the Legislature can deliver on.
"I think the (speech) is consistent with things we have articulated in the House in the last two years," Smith said. "I think (Shumlin's agenda) is doable. We are going to work on health care, energy, broadband, and our education infrastructure. I think all of those are critical to the economic vitality of Vermont, and I am ready to get to work."
John Flowers is at [email protected].
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Skin and Skin Care
Folic acid preparations: Beiersdorf AG introduced cosmetic or dermatological preparations containing folic acid and/or derivatives thereof, fillers and thickeners.1 An example of an o/w emulsion is shown in Formula 1.
Papain exfoliant: Amorepacific Corp. discloses a cosmetic composition containing papain for exfoliating skin keratin.2The invention relates to a cosmetic composition containing enzymes, specifically the actives papain and at least one from the group consisting of the anine and N-acetyl glucosamine.
The composition controls the skin turnover cycle and promotes the exfoliation of skin keratin. An example of a cosmetic emulsion for exfoliating skin keratin is shown in Formula 2. After application of the cosmetic composition for one week, skin hyperkeratinization was changed to a smooth and uniform state in human subjects.


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This sentence in the following paper got me thinking:
"Some traders [...] trade every pattern whether proven or not, expecting
authentic ones to produce positive results, whilst the profits and losses of
fake patterns cancel each other out."
Then I got my hands on another paper - seemingly unrelated...: "The
evolution of superstitious and superstition-like behaviour":
The bottom line is that I can be rational to act irrational, or in other words there is a trade-off between being superstitious and being ignorant - and being superstitious (i.e. seeing patterns where there are none) can under certain circumstances be beneficial - this is why it survived evolution up until now.
Have you come across research that systematized this approach for the
trading arena, i.e.
first: what is the right confidence level to trade a signal and
second "opportunistic trading" as an approach of its own?
With "opportunistic trading" I mean a framework to trade every signal out of some class (with money and risk management attached for not going bust) in the hope that the false signals cancel each other out and the real ones make money.
Perhaps you have some thoughts how to backtest these ideas, too.


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This year, EW celebrated May the Fourth with a full day of Return of the Jedi, screening the end of the first (and definitely not last) Star Wars trilogy four times at the Egyptian Theatre. It was the biggest day yet of our first-ever CapeTown Film Fest. Boba Fett and Darth Vader were walking around the foyer. A full-sized Jabba the Hutt held court, accepting photograph requests from admirers.
There were special events throughout the day. After one screening, EW's Anthony Breznican hosted a Luke Skywalker lookalike competition. From the wings, a new contestant emerged…Mark Hamill, undoubtedly the world's most talented Luke Skywalker lookalike. The star of the original trilogy stuck around to talk with Breznican about the series' past…and its future. Below, six important items of conversation from The Once and Future Skywalker.
He thought Luke would go dark in Return of the Jedi. Or anyhow, that's what he thought when he started reading the final film's script. "I know where this thing's going. I've got one mechanical hand now. I'm all in black. I'm well on my way to the dark side." Hamill expected the film would have a big fake-out, where Luke would only be pretending to be a bad guy. He also gently joked about the central plot point of Jedi: "Really, come on, a second Death Star? Really?" But he also reminded the audience that, if George Lucas had known all along they would make three films, he probably would have saved the Death Star for the third film.
You think the Vader-Father thing was crazy? Well, try this on for size. Hamill earned laughs when he mock-complained about the key twist in Return of the Jedi: The revelation that Princess Leia is Luke's sister. "Why not have Boba Fett remove his helmet, shake out some beautiful hair, and…Oh my god, it's mom! She's been a double agent all these years!"
A Game of Trilogies. Hamill recalled how, on the set of the original Star Wars, George Lucas told the actor about his game plan for the Star Wars saga. "He was talking about how, originally, it was four trilogies of twelve [movies]," said Hamill. "But he cobbled it down to three trilogies of nine. I said, 'Why are we starting in the middle?' He said, 'Well, um, this trilogy is the most commercial."
Don't complain to Mark Hamill about the Special Editions or the prequels. Hamill noted that his son Nathan helped keep him abreast of new developments in Star Wars fandom. "He'll say, 'Oh my god, Dad, Greedo shoots first now!' I'll say, 'Wait, wait, wait. Let's put this in perspective: Who cares?'" That led Hamill into a full-throated defense of the Star Wars prequels: "Jar Jar was supposed to be irritating! He's irritating to the other characters in the movie!" He concluded by arguing that Lucas had earned the right to make Star Wars films in the manner he wanted. "Those aren't sorta the movies he wanted them to be, they're exactly the movies they wanted to make," said Hamill. "And I'm not gonna criticize them at all."
And yes, he's excited about the new trilogy, too. George Lucas invited Hamill, his wife, and Carrie Fisher to lunch last year. Hamill figured he was going to talk about the 3D re-releases of the original Star Wars trilogy; as we all know now, the conversation was about something very different indeed. With regards to the new series, Hamill explained, "I've only had one creative meeting about the new films, but I do remember saying: 'We've got to find a proper balance between CGI and old-school models.' I want to have a more organic look so that we don't get into Roger Rabbit territory." This statement earned loud cheers from the audience, leading Hamill to laugh, "That's just me! Don't get too excited! I don't imagine their top priority is what I want."
Hamill knew that Star Wars would be a success. Although he didn't know how big of a success. He told the crowd what he saw as the worst-case scenario: "Even if this doesn't do well at the box office, this has cult hit written all over it. I see endless midnight screenings." However, he was always bullish on its chances. "I predicted: This thing is gonna be bigger than Planet of the Apes. This thing will make at least $25 million."
May the Source be with you.


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2016 Election: | Hillary's book | Trump's book | Bernie's book | Ted Cruz's book | | | 2016 Senate Debates |
The Debt Bomb A Bold Plan to Stop Washington from Bankrupting America by John Hart and Sen. Tom Coburn (Click for Amazon book review)
OnTheIssues.org BOOK REVIEW: This book is a heavy-duty analysis of the national debt and its long-term implications, written by heavy-duty analyst Senator Tom Coburn. The author serves on the Senate banking committee and the Homeland Security finance subcommittee, which means that financial issues are his legislative specialty. The catch is that this is a heavy-duty REPUBLICAN analysis, with only a limited attempt at non-partisanship or even bipartisanship. Coburn's most partisan offense is what we call "The Big Lie" of Republican budget analysis: citing only entitlements as sources of the nation's debt, while ignoring defense spending. On charts on pp. 16-7, and in analyses elsewhere in the book, Coburn cites only four categories of "Sources of Long-Term Debt": Interest costs, Medicare and Medicaid, Social Security, and Other Spending. Coburn's thesis is that "Other Spending," the biggest category at the time the book was written, will shrink in the future, while entitlements and interest grow. The Big Lie is that in the FY2013 budget, defense spending is MOST of "Other Spending," comprising $797 billion compared to $565 billion of all other discretionary spending. That compares to $820 billion for Medicare/Medicaid and $811 billion for Social Security. If one counts the defense-related departments -- $60 billion for the Department of Veterans Affairs and $55 billion for the Department of Homeland Security (also counted by Coburn in "Other Spending") -- defense spending is larger than either major entitlement program. This Big Lie is a fixture of Republican budget analysis -- pretending that defense spending can't be meaningfully cut. But Democrats are just as guilty -- pretending that entitlements can't be meaningfully cut, for example by calling them "entitlements." Coburn suggests the solution for entitlements is to privatize Social Security (p. 208) and to raise the retirement age for Medicare (p. 199). Those indeed get at the heart of the spending issues for entitlements -- but on defense, Coburn avoids getting at the heart of the issue. All of Coburn's suggestions for defense spending cuts are to trim around the edges, like reducing waste in contracting (p. 260ff), rather than actually reducing, for example, military overseas operations (he voted three times during the period this book was written to keep US troops in Iraq, see VoteMatch question 17, with no offsetting cuts to pay for it). Coburn is sincere, evidently, in his goal of reducing waste in defense spending as well as other spending. He keeps a 400-page list which he called "Coburn's Bible" (p. 152), citing wasteful federal expenditures. His list includes defense spending waste, such as millions spent for each defense branch to maintain a Hollywood liaison office (p. 189), presumably so that each branch will be portrayed well in films. But there is a limit to how much can be saved by reducing waste -- which is why Coburn's recommendations for entitlements go well beyond waste into real programmatic cuts -- Coburn suggests no such real programmatic cuts for defense. Coburn's sincerity in cutting waste, and in cutting the deficit in general, is evidenced by his self-imposed rule that all new legislative spending must be offset by cuts elsewhere. There once was a congressionally-imposed rule, known as PAYGO, but it expired in 2002. Coburn, in his role on Senate finance committees, has re-imposed the rule unilaterally, by requiring all bills that pass through his committees to define offsets for new revenue (pp. 115-22). Coburn details in that section how he took partisan hits for that rule, but we would like to read from his opponents exactly when it was enforced and when it was breached. PAYGO has resurfaced as an issue -- mostly for policy wonks -- but if it passes, this book and Coburn will deserve some credit. With this book, Coburn could position himself as the next Al Gore regarding Reinventing Government -- the Coburn Bible and its 400 pages of wasteful programs would make a fine starting point, which is exactly how Gore started his ReGo campaign, by ridiculing the worst federal programs. Overall, Coburn's book is a solid piece of work for readers interested in the national debt. Readers should read at least one other book from the liberal perspective, to offset Coburn's partisanship. -- Jesse Gordon, editor-in-chief, OnTheIssues.org, June 2014
A Bold Plan to Stop Washington from Bankrupting America by John Hart and Sen. Tom Coburn.
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The Department of Military Science provides a four-year program of instruction designed to provide qualified college men and women with practical experience in the art of organizing, motivating and leading others. The program is divided into two courses each of two years duration. The first, called the Basic Course, offers instruction in leadership skills, soldiering skills, and the role and use of armed forces. The second, called the Advanced Course, builds on the Basic Course, offers practical leadership experience, and prepares the student for commissioning as an Army officer. Students may apply for the four year program, which can be completed in three years with department permission, or for the two-year program.
Army ROTC faculty are active duty Army personnel detailed by Department of the Army and approved by the University president. The Army officers are appointed by the University as Professor, Assistant Professor of Military Science, Senior Military Instructor and Military Science Instructors.


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Celebrating 10 Years in Egypt
This year marks a decade for Gleeds in Egypt. It has been a challenging and exciting journey, and we wanted to look back at it, recognising the efforts and contributions of the people who helped shape what we have become today.
In recognition of this very special milestone, Gleeds Egypt celebrated its 10th anniversary at Mohamed Aly Club, enjoyed a felucca ride, with the presence of all our team members from different site locations.
Muir Smith
Regional Director, Egypt
- email@example.com
- +2 02 270 22 900


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Sword & Shield Promo SWSH256 - Origin Forme Dialga VSTAR - Pokemon
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