text:
By Michelle Grattan
Almost every Australian voter backs the royal commission on child sex abuse in an Age-Nielsen poll that shows little change in support for the parties or leaders.
An extraordinary 95 per cent support the inquiry, which has bipartisan backing although it does not as yet have terms of reference. It is highly unusual for a political decision to have such a level of support.
The Coalition would win an election held now on a two-party vote of 53 per cent (up a point since last month) to 47 per cent (down one point). In Victoria, the split is 50-50.
Labor's national primary vote is steady on 34 per cent, while the Coalition's vote has risen by 2 points to 45 per cent, and the Greens are up one to 12 per cent.
This is the third consecutive month that Labor been stuck on 34 per cent, after earlier rises. Pollster John Stirton said while this was the first time in several months that the Coalition's two-party vote had risen, it was too early to say whether the trend to Labor - which has heartened caucus and shored up Prime Minister Julia Gillard's leadership - had run its course.
Tony Abbott's approval has fallen a point to 36 per cent while his disapproval - which has been a matter of concern in Coalition ranks - is steady at 60 per cent. His net approval is down a point to minus 24, a new personal low.
Ms Gillard's approval is steady on 47 per cent; her disapproval steady on 48 per cent, giving her an unchanged net approval of minus one.
She has a nine-point lead over her opponent as preferred PM - 51 per cent, up a point, to Mr Abbott's 42 per cent, up 2 points - in the national poll of 1400 taken on Thursday to Saturday.
With the misogyny debate still resonating, Mr Abbott's disapproval among women is 63 per cent, compared with 56 per cent among men. On the other hand, 52 per cent of women approve of Ms Gillard but only 43 per cent of men.
Only 3 per cent oppose the royal commission, which will look at abuse in a wide range of institutions. ALP supporters are a little more likely to support the commission than Coalition voters (97-93 per cent).
The poll found a majority of voters (53 per cent) believe a return to a surplus budget
should be a ''high priority''; 41 per cent think it should be a low priority. A surplus is important to almost half the ALP supporters (49 per cent) while more than six in 10 Coalition supporters say it should be a high priority. The Prime Minister and her ministers have refused to guarantee that the $1.1 billion surplus for 2012-13 will be reached.
Treasurer Wayne Swan said on Sunday the International Monetary Fund ''makes the point the forecast return to surplus gives the Reserve Bank more room to move on interest rates''. The government's claim that the carbon tax is going off the boil as an issue gets some boost by a rise from September of 2 points to 39 per cent in support for carbon pricing , as well as an increase of 2 points to 56 per cent in those who say the tax is making no difference to them. But 56 per cent say it should be repealed.
On asylum seekers, 63 per cent - down 4 points since August - support the decision to resume offshore processing. Support was highest among Coalition voters (76 per cent) with 56 per cent of ALP voters backing it.


text:
Congratulations to SoSG readers ubragg, golem, drewdez (and fanerman, who commented but didn't contribute) on successfully and collaboratively solving P&A Magazine issue #22! I got the email from the editor this morning, our submitted answer was correct!
I've taken down the open thread we used to solve for now; I think I'm convinced now (as ubragg had politely suggested all along) that we should solve in private. Ubragg, drewdez, golem, and fanerman: please make sure I've got your emails and I'll figure out how to send you our work.
Nice job, guys...more news to follow!

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Three of Arizona's five Democrat members of Congress last week joined all four of their Republican colleagues from the state to accomplish what a similar bipartisan majority in the Arizona Legislature did earlier this year: It loaded a badly needed shot in the arm for the small-business owners who generate almost every new job in the state and nation.
The U.S. House of Representatives voted to make permanent a tax provision that would allow small businesses to write off up to $500,000 in new equipment purchases, and some improvements to real property, instead of depreciating the costs over time. H.R. 4457, titled America's Small Business Tax Relief Act of 2014, would provide small businesses with expensing levels that are permanent, predictable and at a level adequate to their needs.
This change to Section 179 of the federal tax code, which overwhelmingly passed the House on a 272-144 vote, would prevent the expensing level to fall all the way to $25,000 in 2014, after being at $500,000 from 2010 through 2013. It also indexes the level to inflation. In addition, the House also passed a bill that eases the tax burden on small businesses that change from taxable C-corporate status to S-corporate status.
A quick sample of the small-business owners benefitting from the H.R. 4457 expensing levels would include:
* Your local pizza shop owner who might want to install new ovens and countertops that cost $100,000. He could deduct these capital improvements the same year he makes them, instead of waiting for the current 39 years to get his full depreciation.
* A farmer considering equipment purchases of $300,000 could do so with much more ease, knowing it could all be deducted the year she bought it, instead of only $25,000 of it the first year.
* A contractor looking to buy two work vehicles costing $60,000 would be more inclined to do so. Under current law, only $35,000 could be deducted—spread over five years—instead of all of it immediately.
On June 12, Arizona Democrats Ron Barber, Ann Kirkpatrick and Kyrsten Sinema joined Republicans Paul Gosar, Trent Franks, Matt Salmon and David Schweikert in supporting this pro-jobs legislation. Congressmen Raul Grijalva and Ed Pastor, both Democrats, voted against H.R. 4457. The measure now goes to the U.S. Senate for its consideration.
Earlier this year, a similar tax relief act, House Bill 2664, passed the Arizona Legislature with overwhelming bipartisan majorities. It, too, would have created an immediate state income tax allowance, similar to federal Section 179 expensing for qualifying business equipment investments valued up to $500,000.
In a tragic misreading of the needs of Arizona's economy, Gov. Jan Brewer vetoed HB 2664 because "the money would be better utilized" on her spending priorities. Undaunted, NFIB is committed to vigorously lobbying Arizona's next governor and the new Legislature next session to finally realize our own $500,000 allowance to spur new job creation.
Last week's strong bipartisan House vote to pass H.R. 4457 is very encouraging to small business, especially as demonstrated by the votes of Arizona's congressional delegation. If Congress and the president do succeed in making it federal law, Arizona's next governor must match it. If Washington fails, then establishing the small-business expensing allowance in Arizona's tax code will be all the more critical.
Farrell Quinlan is Arizona state director for the National Federation of Independent Business.


text:
Welcome to the Community Colleges of Spokane (CCS) emergency alert headquarters. In case of a campus emergency, CCS notifies all subscribers via SMS message, email, automated telephone message, on our social media channels and our websites with a red banner appearing in the header, and linking to this page where the entire message will be displayed. CCS uses Rave Mobile Safety to notify all students and staff associated with CCS. Everyone associated with CCS is automatically subscribed to our notification system. You then have the ability to manage your account by adding phone numbers, email addresses or unsubscribing if you choose. For more information on Rave Alerts, see our Rave Alerts section. You can always check our Emergency Operations Hotline (509-533-3303) for information on emergency closures or delays. It is available 24/7 for your convenience.
Your cell phone may think the alert message is spam.
Our alerts come from the following numbers:
Apple/iOS Users
If you're having or witnessing an emergency, please dial 911.
For scenario and emergency preparedness planning, take a look at our Emergency Management Plan or our Emergency Management Plan Immediate Actions for Specific Emergencies.
Campus Security is our number-one priority at Community Colleges of Spokane. For more information on how we are constantly working to keep our campuses safe, visit the campus security pages.
Dial 509-533-3303 to reach the CCS Operations Hotline. If CCS operations are affected by severe weather, or any other type of emergency, the hotline is updated, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Note: It's a looping message, so there may be a delay as calls are answered in the order they're received.
24-Hour Emergency Assistance: 509-533-3333 SCC Campus Security Office: 509-533-8624
24-Hour Emergency Assistance: 509-533-3333 SFCC Campus Security Office: 509-533-3555
Testing is an important part in ensuring emergency alert systems work as intended. Community Colleges of Spokane sends a test message to all our contacts four times a year during the academic quarter. These messages are only a test. If you're not receiving our tests, be sure to visit Rave Alerts and manage your contact info.
All students and staff in the Community Colleges of Spokane (CCS) database are automatically added to the Rave Alerts system. If the phone number on file is a mobile device, an SMS message and voice message should be sent out when alerts are pushed.
To manage or update your information on Rave Alerts, visit GetRave.com/login/ccs
Your username is the email registered with your school. If you do not know your password (you should have received an email from Rave when your account was initially created), use the "Forgot Password" link and follow the steps to access your account.
Once in your account, make sure your contact information is correct. Also, be sure your mobile phone number is classified as a mobile number. Use the test button if necessary to make sure you're receiving notifications. Be sure to add any other numbers or emails you wish to receive alerts.
For information about Rave emergency alert communications contact the CCS Communications Department at firstname.lastname@example.com.


text:
The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations. It is the UN system's authoritative voice on the state and behaviour of the Earth's atmosphere, its interaction with the oceans, the climate it produces and the resulting distribution of water resources.
WMO has a membership of 191 Member States and Territories (on 1 January 2013). It originated from the International Meteorological Organization (IMO), which was founded in 1873. Established in 1950, WMO became the specialized agency of the United Nations in 1951 for meteorology (weather and climate), operational hydrology and related geophysical sciences.
As weather, climate and the water cycle know no national boundaries, international cooperation at a global scale is essential for the development of meteorology and operational hydrology as well as to reap the benefits from their application. WMO provides the framework for such international cooperation.
Since its establishment, WMO has played a unique and powerful role in contributing to the safety and welfare of humanity. Under WMO leadership and within the framework of WMO programmes, National Meteorological and Hydrological Services contribute substantially to the protection of life and property against natural disasters, to safeguarding the environment and to enhancing the economic and social well-being of all sectors of society in areas such as food security, water resources and transport.
WMO promotes cooperation in the establishment of networks for making meteorological, climatological, hydrological and geophysical observations, as well as the exchange, processing and standardization of related data, and assists technology transfer, training and research. It also fosters collaboration between the National Meteorological and Hydrological Services of its Members and furthers the application of meteorology to public weather services, agriculture, aviation, shipping, the environment, water issues and the mitigation of the impacts of natural disasters.
WMO facilitates the free and unrestricted exchange of data and information, products and services in real- or near-real time on matters relating to safety and security of society, economic welfare and the protection of the environment. It contributes to policy formulation in these areas at national and international levels.
In the specific case of weather, climate and water-related hazards, which account for nearly 90% of all natural disasters, WMO's programmes provide vital information for the advance warnings that save lives and reduce damage to property and the environment. WMO also contributes to reducing the impacts of human-induced disasters, such as those associated with chemical and nuclear accidents, forest fire and volcanic ash. Studies have shown that, apart from the incalculable benefit to human well-being, every dollar invested in meteorological and hydrological services produces an economic return many times greater, often ten times or more.
WMO plays a leading role in international efforts to monitor and protect the environment through its Programmes. In collaboration with other UN agencies and the National Meteorological and Hydrological Services, WMO supports the implementation of a number ofenvironmental conventions and is instrumental in providing advice and assessments to governments on related matters. These activities contribute towards ensuring the sustainable development and well-being of nations.


text:
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. wholesale businesses increased their stockpiles in October but their sales fell sharply, a mixed sign for economic growth.
The Commerce Department said Tuesday that stockpiles grew 0.6 percent in October. That's slower than September's 1.1 percent increase, which was the biggest gain in nine months. Sales in October fell 1.2 percent, after rising 1.9 percent in September.
With the October increase, wholesale inventories grew to $497.1 billion. That's 29.2 percent above the post-recession low hit in September 2009.
More restocking leads to more factory production, which boosts economic growth. Faster restocking was a key reason the economy grew from July through September at an annual rate of 2.7 percent.
Still, slower October sales could force companies to cut back on restocking in coming months. That could hold back growth in the October-December quarter.
Businesses and consumers may be cutting back on spending because they are worried about the "fiscal cliff." That's the name for steep tax increases and government spending cuts that will take effect next year unless Congress and the Obama administration strike a deal before then to avert them.
Consumer spending slowed slightly in the July-September quarter and may show only modest gains in the final three months of the year.
Still, companies kept creating jobs last month at a modest pace. Employers added 146,000 jobs in November. That suggests businesses may not be too nervous about the fiscal cliff. And if a budget deal can be reached to avoid the cliff, most analysts expect hiring and economic growth could accelerate next year.
U.S. automakers had their best sales month in nearly five years in November. The housing market is recovering steadily. And a resolution of the fiscal cliff could lead businesses to buy more industrial machinery and other heavy equipment. That would generate more manufacturing jobs.


text:
First Photo of Johnny Depp as Tonto in 'The Lone Ranger' Hits the Web
The big budget update of 'The Lone Ranger' won't hit theaters until the summer of 2013. But the first official images of the film were just released on producer Jerry Bruckheimer's Twitter account, offering a peek at Johnny Depp as one of the most iconic sidekicks in pop culture history.
That's Johnny Depp as Tonto, and 'The Social Network's' Armie Hammer as the title character. No clarification on why Tonto is eyeing the Lone Ranger with such suspicion in the photo. Perhaps it has something to do with the 23-year old age difference between the actors playing the iconic partners (Depp is 48 and Hammer is 25.) Maybe Depp is just sizing the youngster up.
Shooting on the reboot of the Western classic, which has been in development since 2003, began this month. Depp, who has some Native American heritage, has been attached to the Tonto character since 2008, while Hammer was a more recent addition to the film.
The movie will be directed by Gore Verbinski, who also helmed the first three 'Pirates of the Caribbean' movies. The last big screen adaptation of the Wild West tale, 1981′s 'The Legend of the Lone Ranger,' was a pretty legendary flop. However, interest in the film and Depp's involvement suggest this 2013 version won't suffer the same fate. How do you think Depp looks as Tonto?


text:
The chart below shows reasons why respondents chose to do either vocational or general education when they were at upper secondary education. Results are available for two groups: those who went on vocational education and those who did general education.
The two main reasons given by respondents who did vocational education are the likelihood of finding a job (46%) and interest in the subjects (41%).
The most common reason among respondents who did general education was the possibility of continuing to higher education. See the chart below for complete results.
Base: Respondents who went to general or vocational education at the upper secondary level (n= 23,945)
Source: Cedefop's opinion survey of VET in Europe
© European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training (Cedefop), 2016. All rights reserved.


text:
Petersburg's favorite "black Confederate" is being honored today for his loyal service to the Confederacy. Richard Poplar's story is probably quite interesting given the racial dynamic of Petersburg, but like everyone else that the SCV and UDC get their hands on, his story will be reduced to one of loyalty to his comrades and sacrifice for the cause. His 1886 obituary states the following:
When the Sussex Dragoons were formed at the beginning of the war, and when they became Company H, of the Thirteenth Virginia Cavalry, Richard attached himself to the command. The Sussex Dragoons were a wealthy organization, and each member of the company had his own servant along with him. From April 1861, until the retreat from Gettysburg, Richard remained faithfully attached to the regiment.
The reference to Poplar as having "attached himself" to the unit suggests that he did not enlist as a soldier, which is not surprising given that the Confederate government explicitly denied free blacks the opportunity to serve. Unfortunately, Poplar's stone indicates that he was, in fact, a soldier. What I would like to know is, assuming that this stone looks fairly new, what was there before and what did it say about Poplar? Yes, I know that the H.E. Howard volume on the 13th Virginia Cavalry lists Poplar as a private, but has anyone actually seen his enlistment papers? He may, in fact, be a bona fide black Confederate soldier. That would make his story even more interesting, but all I've seen are documents related to his capture at Gettysburg on Footnote.com.
And, finally, why do these headstones fail to indicate service as a black Confederate given that so many believe that there has been an active cover-up by various groups?
Here is the 2004 proclamation for Richard Poplar
This day, 18 September 2004 is proclaimed Richard Poplar Day in Petersburg, Virginia:
WHEREAS, Richard Poplar, a highly honored Petersburg "Colored Confederate Soldier" and American veteran was buried with full military honors at Memorial Hill, Blandford Cemetery, Petersburg, Virginia in 1886,
WHEREAS, Richard Poplar served as a nationally known chef at the historic former Bollingbrook Hotel in Petersburg, Virginia,
WHEREAS, Richard Poplar served in Co. H, 13th Virginia Cavalry, the famous Sussex Light Dragoons, with extraordinary distinction,
WHEREAS, Richard Poplar spent 19 months as a Prisoner of War at Fort Delaware and Point Lookout, Maryland , and he NEVER turned his back on the South, his beloved Virginia, or his comrades,
WHEREAS, Richard Poplar was a man of deep unshakeable faith, and conviction,
WHEREAS, Richard Poplar provided commended honorable aid and comfort to the Prisoner Of War reserves (The Old Men and Young Boys) who were captured at the First Attack on Petersburg on 9 June 1864,
WHEREAS, along with all his comrades, Richard Poplar will be honored forever on Petersburg's Memorial Day, the 9th of June, and appropriately on our National Memorial Day,
WHEREAS, Richard Poplar serves as a shining example to all Petersburg natives and all mankind,
Today, we honor our own Private Richard (Dick) Poplar on this 18 September 2004. This day will continue the reflection of Richard's accomplishments for posterity.
May his life, heroism, and memory serves as a beacon to greatness for Petersburg, for our country, and for the world.
[signed] Annie M. Mickens, Mayor of Petersburg, Virginia18September2004


text:
Among the military community actor Gary Sinise is as well known for his support as he is for his role as Lieutenant Dan in the hit movie "Forrest Gump."
Sinise is also a musician who plays bass guitar in the Lt.Dan Band, a group he founded with Kimo Williams in 2004. They started touring with the USO, and the reaction they got from crowds convinced them to keep at it – a challenge considering Sinise's busy acting schedule. Now the band performs upwards of 40 times per year, focusing mostly on benefit or charity events.
On May 11 the Lt. Dan Band played at the nTelos Wireless Pavilion in Portsmouth, VA. The concert, hosted by the Gary Sinise Foundation to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Hampton Roads military newspaper, The Flagship, was billed as a "Tribute to the Troops."
The Lt. Dan Band is a "cover band," which means they feature other artists' material, and this "Tribute" show – offered free to anyone with a DoD ID – featured songs by artists ranging from Beyonce to the Zac Brown Band to Santana.
The opener was Bruno Mars' "Locked Out of Heaven," which got the crowd going right out of the gate. That was followed by hits like Lionel Richie's "All Night Long," Kelly Clarkson's "Walk Away" and the Who's "Baba O'Riley," the theme song of Sinise's recently cancelled "CSI: New York."
After jamming on Santana's "Smooth," Sinise slowed things down to talk a about his passion for the military, which he explained was sparked by the veterans in his own family as well as his wife's family.
In the 1980's he got involved in various Vietnam veterans groups in Chicago. In the 1990's, he played Lt. Dan in Forrest Gump, a soldier who was wounded in the Vietnam War, and grew active with the Disabled American Veterans. Then, following the attacks on September 11, 2001, he started volunteering to visit deployed troops, and soon after that the Lt. Dan Band was touring the world playing for the military.
"We're trying to get to every single base before we're done," Sinise said, which drew a huge cheer from the crowd.
Sinise also talked about the Gary Sinise Foundation, which he said creates programs to entertain, educate, inspire, strengthen and build communities. Building for America's Bravest, one of his latest GSF programs, is designed to building Smart Homes for wounded veterans in order to provide houses with amenities to help them adjust to their major life changes and gain independence. "We need to take care of you before the battle. We need to take care of you during the battle. And we need to take care of you after the battle," Sinise said.
The emotional high point of the concert came next, when the band played Mariah Carey's "Hero," a song Sinise dedicated to all the Gold Star families and wounded warriors. There weren't many dry eyes, especially among those in attendance who were part of the group the song was being played for.
Sinise lightened the mood a bit by ending the song with the famous "Forrest Gump" quote: "Mama always said life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get."
The audience remained standing for the balance of the show, dancing to Adele's "Rolling in the Deep," the Dave Matthews Band's "Ants Marching" and Journey's "Don't Stop Believing." One sailor even found himself on stage being serenaded by two of the band's female vocalists singing Aretha Franklin's "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman."
The last song of the night was Lee Greenwood's "God Bless the U.S.A," a predictable ending to a concert honoring the military, perhaps, but one well-received by the audience who represented every segment of the military experience.
"We value our freedom," Sinise said before closer started. "And we value those who provide that freedom for us."
Military children grooved in the aisles, young sailors high-fived each other, military spouses waved their arms, and veterans smiled beneath the brims of their weathered unit ball caps. If Sinise intended his tribute to be a fun night out for the crowd, by all appearances he certainly accomplished his mission.


text:
You know, I don't think anyone's mentioned it before in the Gazette, but there is this little program that is handy as all get out: units. You give it the units you have and specify what you want it converted to and--violá! It converts it for you! It won't do Celsius/Fahrenheit conversions, but handles Grams/Pounds conversions just fine. And for all those Linux cooks out there, it converts cups to quarts, teaspoons to tablespoons and cups to tablespoons.
It's the units freak's Swiss Army knife. No hacker forced to make his own Thai curries should be without it.
Michael J. Hammel
This is my trick for keeping track of the many config files you find on a Linux/Unix system.
Most config files are in the /etc directory. However, particularly on a home machine, you won't change them all and sometimes you want to save (e.g. on a floppy) only the files you have changed. Besides, you don't want to have to remember the exact location for every one.
So here's what I do:
Then every time I want to change something, I go directly to /root/config. If I want to back up my system configuration, I just copy the files by dereferencing the symlinks, etc. ...
Ryurick M. Hristev
To convert to a DOS text file, mount a DOS floppy and copy the text file.
$ su (you are prompted for a password) # mount /dev/fd0 -t msdos /mnt/floppy (the # says that you are root BE CAREFUL!) # cp myfile.tex /mnt/floppy # exit $For instance, after these, I can use SAMBA to get myfile.tex to an NT network printer (Z:> copy \\mymachinename\mnt\floppy\myfile.tex lpt2). It makes sense if you do this often to have a DOS disk always mounted, but if you mount as above, remember to umount before you try, say, mounting a different floppy.
I find this easier than a solution with the tr command, because I always forget how to do such solutions, but I can remember how to copy.
Jim Hefferon
At work, we just got in a whole slew of computers that use the S3ViRGE GX2 chipset. Upon trying to install X on these things, I found that the default Red Hat 5.0 XFree doesn't cut it. This is how I've been able to fix the XFree86 problems with the S3V GX/2 chipset. First, do not use the S3V server despite what Xconfigurator says. The GX/2 chipset is not supported for that server. You must use the SVGA server (besides, it's accelerated and supports DPMS). Currently, these are the modes supported as of XFree86-3.3.2pl3:
8bpp: 640x480 works 800x600 works 1024x768 works 1280x1024 works 15/16bpp: 640x480 works 800x600 works 1024x768 works 1280x1024 works 24 bpp: 640x480 works 800x600 works 1024x768 works 1280x1024 works (very picky about monitor modelines though) 32 bpp: 640x480 works 800x600 works 1024x768 does not work 1280x1024 does not workThe card I'm using to test this is a #9 9FX Reality 334 w/8MB RAM. Also, I cannot verify that this works on any version less than XFree86-3.3.2pl2. pl2 actually has less modes/depth combinations that work - such as, no 16-bit depths work and 1280x1024 doesn't work in almost all depths. I suggest upgrading to XFre86-3.3.2pl3. Now on to the fix.
Step 1. Make sure you're using the SVGA server (ls -l /etc/X11/X for RH users, maybe the same on other distros). It should point to /usr/X11R6/bin/XF86_SVGA. If it's not, link it to it (ln -sf /usr/X11R6/bin/XF86_SVGA /etc/X11/X).
Step 2. Open your /etc/X11/XF86Config file for editing.
Step 3. Find the Graphics Device Section.
Step 4. Find the device that is the Standard VGA Device (usually has the line -
Identifier "Generic VGA"Step 5. Remove the line that says:
Chipset "generic"Step 6. Uncomment the line that says:
VideoRam "256"and change it to recognize the amount of RAM your card has in kilo
VideoRam "8192" # 8MB RAMStep 7. Add the following line (*CRUCIAL*):
Option "xaa_no_color_exp"This turns off one of the accelerated option that gives trouble.
Step 8. Add whatever other options you want (for a list, see the man pages on XF86Config, XF86_SVGA, and XF86_S3V)
Step 9. Change the bit depth and resolution to whatever you want.
Step 10. Save and close the file and (re)start X.
Note: I do not claim this will work for all cards using the GX2 chipset. I can only verify for the video card I'm using. I'm interested to hear how other video cards handle it. Hope that helps everyone involved. I've heard from people on Usenet that it works perfectly, and from others it doesn't.
Ti Leggett
A few days ago a classmate "accidentally" cat'ed a file to the screen. He asked asked me what he could do to reset his confused vt100, as "clear" wasn't sufficient.
At first I figured he would need to close and re-open the connection, but then I realized that there are codes to reset a vt100.
Here is some C code that resets, and clears the screen. Save it as vt.C, then run "make vt". Place the executable in your path, and when the screen looks like heiroglyphics, type (blindly at this point) "vt". That should clear it up.
/* ** Small program to reset a confused vt100 after ** `cat'ing a binary file. */ #include <stdio.h> int main(void) { printf("\033c"); // reset terminal printf("\033[2J"); // clear screeen return(0); } /* For more info, see the following URLs: www.mhri.edu.au/~pdb/dataformats/vt100.html www.sdsu.edu/doc/texi/screen_10.html www.cs.utk.edu/~shuford/terminal/ansi_x3.64.html They have more vt100 escape codes. ** */
In issue 31 it was mentioned that someone had been looking for some shell scripting help.
Take a look at http://www.oase-shareware.org/shell/ as I have heard many people mention this site in response to shell scripting queries.
I'm wondering whether any other readers have used the AMD K5-PR166 with Linux. It's just that my system seems to think it's a K5-PR133 and states that it's running at 100MHz. Also, the BogoMips value indicates that the processor is running at 100MHz. Anyone any advice?I'm running a K5 P133+ on one of my systems - it actually is running at 100 MHz, that's why it's a "P133+". It's like the Cyrix processors, the name is basically a lie for marketing.
I wouldn't put too much stock in the BogoMips value - it is bogus after all! My system clocks in at an equivalent to a 112 MHz system when I run the distributed.net client - the reason AMD claims a higher clock value is probably because some instructions run faster, and those may just not happen to be the instructions used in the BogoMips loop.
As for your system thinking your K5-PR166 is a K5-PR133, it's probably because you have the motherboard jumpered wrong and/or the BIOS configured wrong. Are you sure your motherboard & BIOS support the chip?
Your /dev directory is the culprit. Current installs use:
/dev/hda /dev/hdb /dev/hdc /dev/hdd (/dev/hde) (/dev/hdf)for the first, second, (and third) ide interfaces, m,s,m,s(,m,s). Older installs had the /dev directory written a little differently. You would have the old standard, which was
/dev/hdnxwhere n was interface, and x was a/b for master/slave.
The only difference is in the names of the files. If you rename them, you will be in compliance. Alternatively, you could run makedev from a recent kernel, though I do not pretend to know all the details of that.
From: Renato Weiner, email@example.com may come a bit late, but I am in the process of writing a (mini)HOWTO on this subject. It is not quite trivial, especially with modules lying around, or if you want several kernels with the same version number.
Recently I was looking at the Gazette and I think I have a good suggestion of an article that will be very useful for the Linux community. I have had some technical difficulties of having two simultaneous versions of Kernels in my system. I mean a stable one and a developing one. I searched the net looking for information of how to co-exist both but it's completely fragmented. If somebody more experienced could put all this information together, it will certainly help a lot of people from kernels developers to end-users.
Check out http://huizen.dds.nl/~frodol/howto.html for now. I am still in the process of getting it approved as an official mini-HOWTO.
Below is something I wrote to help laypeople create their own man pages easily.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----
If you ever wrote a program using gcc in Linux, you may have come across this problem. You have just finished your wonderful little program which is of great use to you and you need a man page for it.
Of course, you have absolutely no idea how to write a man page. Don't you need to know how to use troff? Or is it nroff to write a man page? Luckily, there is a much easier way to write a man page.
Here I shall describe an easy and quick (and dirty) way of writing a man page without learning troff or nroff. In order to do so, you must have the Perl version 5.004 (or higher) installed on your Linux box.
There is a man page in the various Perl man pages on the creation of a man page using the Perl util "pod2man". It is called "perlpod.1". Below is a step by step guide to finding the man page and the util.
ksiew> su password: #|/root>locate perlpod.1 /usr/man/man1/perlpod.1 #|/root>locate pod2man /usr/bin/pod2manNow, to write your own man pages, you must first read the perlpod.1 man page. You can do this by "man perlpod". However, to read the pod2man man page, you must first create it by using pod2man itself.
#|/root>pod2man /usr/bin/pod2man > pod2man.1 #|/root>ls -al pod2man.1 -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 13444 Aug 16 12:12 pod2man.1 #|/root>mv pod2man.1 /usr/man/man1/pod2man.1Okay, now you can read the pod2man man page you have just created by using the command "man pod2man". After reading it, you can now create your own man pages. As an example, I shall describe a simple man page for one of my own C programs called "addline". I first create a textfile called "addline.pod" and then turn it into a manpage using 'pod2man --center="Addline program manpage" addline.pod > addline.1'.
Finally, I move the addline man page into its proper place using "mv addline.1 /usr/man/man1/addline.1". There; creating your own man page is simple, isn't it?
Below is a sample addline.pod file
=head1 NAME addline - addline numbers to textfiles =head1 SYNOPSIS B<addline> [ B<-c> ] [ B<-v> ] [ B<-3> ] [ B<--colon> ] I<inputfile> =head1 DESCRIPTION B<addline> inserts line numbers into textfiles. It was written to automate the insertion of numbers into a data file of results from a neural network program. =head1 OPTIONS =over 8 =item -c Ignores comments lines. A comment line is any line that starts with a '#'. This makes it easier to insert comments in the textfile without messing up the line numbers. =item -v Displays the version number of the addline. =item -3 Uses 3 digits for the line numbers even if the number requires less than 3 digits. For example, 013 instead of 13. The default is to use as few digits for the line number as possible. =item --colon Separates the line number from the rest of the line with a ':' character. =back =head1 EXAMPLES addline textfile addline -c textfile addline -c --colon textfile =head1 NOTES Addline is written in C and compiled using gcc version 2.7.8. It uses the standard C library and is designed to be fast and efficient. =head1 RESTRICTIONS Never ever use addline on a binary file. =head1 BUGS There are no bugs in addline, there are just some undocumented features. =head1 AUTHORS Original prototype by Steven Siew, but so massively hacked over by his sister such that Steven Siew probably doesn't recognize it anymore.
In LG31 you published a 2c tip for a unix2dos replacement written in Tcl. The author asserts that "It turned out to be really easy to do this in Tcl." Even easier in Perl, I say. Symlink the following code to the same names (d2u, u2d, m2d, m2u, u2m, d2m) Matt used. Make sure this file has execute permission, of course.
Also, if you just want Perl to edit the input files in place, change the "perl -wp" to something like "perl -wpi.orig"....
Peter Samuelson
#!/usr/bin/perl -wp # # Simpler unix2dos2mac utility for 2-cent tip, mainly because Tcl is ugly. # No comments that Perl is ugly too, please. # # Usage: a standard Unix filter: # input: filename(s) or stdin # output: stdout # Buglet: u2m leaves lone CR at the end of file if it didn't end in LF # (Fixing it would use more memory.) BEGIN { $_=$0 =~ s|.*/||; $pcmd='s/$/\r/' if ($0 eq 'u2d'); $pcmd='s/\r$//' if ($0 eq 'd2u'); $pcmd='s/$/\r/;chop' if ($0 eq 'u2m'); $pcmd='s/\r/\n/g' if ($0 eq 'm2u'); $pcmd='chomp' if ($0 eq 'd2m'); $pcmd='s/\r/\r\n/g' if ($0 eq 'm2d'); unless($pcmd) { print STDERR "This script must be invoked under one of the names:\n", " u2d, d2u, u2m, m2u, d2m, m2d\n"; exit 1; } } eval $pcmd;
It's time for fun with pipes. Recently, when downloading the latest kernel over a ridiculously slow connection, I wanted to see where the download was by checking which file in the tarball was being received. After pondering the pipes and GNU utils, this thought came to mind.
You can decompress and un-tar your files as they download, sort of a "streaming decompressor", if you will. From the command line:
tail -f --bytes=1m file-being-downloaded.tar.gz | tar -zxvTail will display downloaded portion of the file, then remain open displaying bytes as they come. Make sure the 1m (1 megabyte in this case) is LARGER than what you have already downloaded. The piped output of tail goes to tar and the rest is history. Similarly, for bz2 files:
tail -f --bytes=1m file.tar.bz2 | bunzip2 - | tar -xvEnjoy!
It's been a long fight to get AMI to produce this
patch and the install documentation.
Mike Burns
I think Hans-Georg is talking about having a stable Linux kernel version X and a dev version X (i.e., not 2.0.34 and 2.1.101 but 2.0.34 and 2.0.34). I assume when you issue: # make modules_install it tromples your old stable modules and gives you errors when you use your stable version X. This is not as trivial a problem as it first seems. However, there is a solution. Have a look at the make-kpkg docs (Debian distro); specifically the "flavour" option. This will solve your problem. It won't be easy, though.
Have a look at:
to see what I mean.
R Garth Wood


text:
Has Fulltext
- yes (1)
Is part of the Bibliography
- yes (1)
Year of publication
- 2009 (1)
Document Type
- Journal article (1)
- English (1)
- Eiparasitismus (1)
- Fragmentierung (1)
- Habitat fragmentation (1)
- Metapopulation (1)
- Pflanzenfressende Insekten (1)
- herbivore (1)
- host plant density (1)
- metapopulation (1)
- multitrophic (1)
Fragmentation, deterioration, and loss of habitat patches threaten the survival of many insect species. Depending on their trophic level, species may be differently affected by these factors. However, studies investigating more than one trophic level on a landscape scale are still rare. In the present study we analyzed the effects of habitat size, isolation, and quality for the occurrence and population density of the endangered leaf beetle Cassida canaliculata Laich. (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) and its egg parasitoid, the hymenopteran wasp Foersterella reptans Nees (Hymenoptera: Tetracampidae). C. canaliculata is strictly monophagous on meadow sage (Salvia pratensis), while F. reptans can also parasitize other hosts. Both size and isolation of habitat patches strongly determined the occurrence of the beetle. However, population density increased to a much greater extent with increasing host plant density ( = habitat quality) than with habitat size. The occurrence probability of the egg parasitoid increased with increasing population density of C. canaliculata. In conclusion, although maintaining large, well-connected patches with high host plant density is surely the major conservation goal for the specialized herbivore C. canaliculata, also small patches with high host plant densities can support viable populations and should thus be conserved. The less specialized parasitoid F. reptans is more likely to be found on patches with high beetle density, while patch size and isolation seem to be less important.


text:
I recently read a book that was equal parts informative, interesting, terrifying and disgusting. The book I'm talking about is Paul Roberts' "The End of Food." This book is not for the faint of heart and it will definitely make you rethink a lot of the things you see in the grocery store. The more I read, the less happy I am with our current state of food.
Have you read the latest controversy on the "pink-slime"? We simply do not know what is in our food. We just don't. We go to the grocery store and think we're being healthy and mindful by buying a bunch of fresh vegetables but in reality, those veggies could be GMOs and we might not even realize it. I mean, do they put a sticker on that zucchini that says "GMO"? I don't know.
Sometimes it feels like we are trapped in a sci-fi horror movie.
Here are just a few quotes and a few of my thoughts on the book. It's really worth a read if you're interested in knowing what you're putting in your body. The book scared me, but it informed me too. I hope there is a better, healthier way to eat foods.
"Fat and muscle are more calorie dense than plants are and thus offer more energy per mouthful. Animal foods are also easier to digest, so their calories can be extracted faster. In all, meat provided more calories, and thus more energy, that could then be used for hunting, fighting, territorial defense, and certainly mating. Meat was also a more reliable food source; by shifting to meat, prehistoric man could migrate from Africa to Europe, where colder winters and lack of year-round edible vegetation would have made an herbivorous diet impossible. [pg 6]"
"Because animal and human tissues have the same sixteen amino acids (whereas most plant-based proteins contain just eight), animal converts readily into human: meat is the ideal building block for meat. That's why bodybuilders eat a lot of meat; it also helps explain why, as our ancestors ate more animal foods, their bodies grew larger. [pg 6]"
Reading about the evolution of the human race was fascinating and I had a lot of "ah ha" moments. It made so much sense once I understood the connection of the brilliance of the body and the way our ancestors used to live. The body was designed for "scarcity"–for going long periods of time without food while the hunters and gatherers hunted the massive beasts. The body is built to hold onto fat and weight because back then, it literally depended on it.
That has changed so much with our current lifestyle. We aren't starving–food isn't scarce at all. Hungry? Go to 7-11 and grab a candy bar. Food temptations are everywhere around us–fast food commercials, convenience foods, everything…there is no scarcity anymore and our bodies haven't caught up to that. They still hold on to that fat that we AREN'T burning off for fuel as we hunt the massive beasts!
"As more and more of us move away from producing our own food, we've become less and less certain about its safety, its quality or its taste. [pg 43]"
"Our scientifically bred produce grows so quickly that it contains measurably fewer micro-nutrients. Our processed foods are often packed with large quantities of salt, fat and sweeteners, not to mention hundreds of chemical additives, some of which, such as the preservative sodium benzoate and yellow food coloring, are definitively linked to medical problems, such as hyperactivity. [pg 83]"
The chapters about how food is manufactured and meat is processed would turn anyone against eating meat! I was a vegetarian for nearly 12 years and part of the reason was because of the animal cruelty issues surrounding it. Even though I eat meat now, I struggle with the moral part of it. It may not be an answer, but I try to just disconnect that "this used to be an animal." It was hard to read about the chicken farms, but the information about the Avian Flu that began with some chicken farms were definitely enlightening.
"'Today's average home-maker isn't cooking a meal for five people anymore, she's cooking five different meals.' And "meal" may be an overly generous term; according to one recent U.S. study, sandwiches are now the most commonly served dinner entrees, ahead of beef and chicken dishes. [pg 43] "
The chapter on the end of meals was incredibly sad to me. As a kid, my family ate every dinner together at the table–without any television watching. While as an angsty teen I hated it, I am grateful that my parents enforced that tradition. It's a tradition I would like to continue with my kids. I think it's important to unplug the electronics and enjoy each other's company over a meal.
"Food companies are in fact anticipating the end of meals as we know them, as a growing number of consumers skip more and more sit-down meals altogether….the average American already misses breakfast every third day and is beginning to skip a large number of lunches and dinners….this trend is extraordinarily bad news for consumer health….because as consumers eat fewer regular meals, they're compensating by eating more of another even more lucrative food category: snacks. [pg 44]"
But how many of us sit in front of the TV while we eat our dinners microwaved? That was me for a long time. It's something I don't want to teach my kids! Real food that does not come out of a box and good conversation over a table of healthy meals, that's what I want.
"…the compound diacetyl became 'butter' for many consumers of microwave popcorn–that is, before it was taken off the market in mid-2007 as a possible cause of lung disease. [pg 47]"
As a general rule, when I buy processed foods I try to look at the ingredients list and buy things with the fewest ingredients as possible. It's a challenge, for sure, but I like to think I'm making a difference by buying something with ingredients I can pronounce.
"He showed how HFCS was used in everything from soda and ketchup to candy and bread. He offered research suggesting that HFCS inhibits the body's ability to know when it is full. High-fructose corn syrup 'is the crack of sweeteners, you get addicted and you want more.' [pg 82]"
The chapter on sugar and HFCS was my favorite, obviously. I've struggled with sugar for years. It's something that I wish I had more willpower to resist. It's something I hate that I love. Have you ever looked at some of the labels in your pantry? You would be shocked at just how many items contain High Fructose Corn Syrup. It's even in mouthwash! YUCK!
The book was fascinating, frightening and disheartening. What I didn't like about the book was that it didn't provide any alternatives, or ideas on how to STOP the end of food. There was no light at the end of the tunnel in this book.
QUESTION: Have you read this book? What were your thoughts? How do you feel about this topic?


text:
The Director of National Intelligence issued a statement late last night about the NSA collection flap. It's the smartest thing the government has released so far, and its justification for the program in question seems to confirm my speculation in Foreign Policy yesterday.
First, large-scale collections give the government a way to screen for patterns in communications that will bring to light terrorists who are unknown to the government. As the DNI puts it, "The collection is broad in scope because more narrow collection would limit our ability to screen for and identify terrorism-related communications. Acquiring this information allows us to make connections related to terrorist activities over time."
Second, the government justifies collecting a reservoir of data because it is only allowed to consume the data a spoonful at a time. Here's the DNI:
- By order of the FISC, the Government is prohibited from indiscriminately sifting through the telephony metadata acquired under the program. All information that is acquired under this program is subject to strict, court-imposed restrictions on review and handling. The court only allows the data to be queried when there is a reasonable suspicion, based on specific facts, that the particular basis for the query is associated with a foreign terrorist organization. Only specially cleared counterterrorism personnel specifically trained in the Court-approved procedures may even access the records.
- All information that is acquired under this order is subject to strict restrictions on handling and is overseen by the Department of Justice and the FISA Court. Only a very small fraction of the records are ever reviewed because the vast majority of the data is not responsive to any terrorism-related query.
In short, there's less difference between this "collection first" program and the usual law enforcement data search than first meets the eye. In the standard law enforcement search, the government establishes the relevance of its inquiry and is then allowed to collect the data. In the new collection-first model, the government collects the data and then must establish the relevance of each inquiry before it's allowed to conduct a search.
If you trust the government to follow the rules, both models end up in much the same place. I realize that some folks simply will not trust the government to follow those rules, but it's hard to imagine a system with more checks and restrictions and doublechecks than one that includes all three branches and both parties looking over NSA's shoulder.
In theory, you could add the check of exposing the system to the light of day, but that means wrecking much of its intelligence value. Or you could simply prohibit the collection-first model (and lose the ability to spot terrorism patterns by matching disparate bits of data). I doubt that those "solutions" are worth the price.


text:
This is maybe the most quirky casual necklace of the Forestland collection. The pendant is an unsymmetrical acorn with a hole on it.
The innovative jewellery collection Forestland is the ultimate trend for the upcoming winter. The adjustable necklaces of this collection depict the cupule of the acorn in many different versions, all with much detail. They radiate coziness, comfort and originality. Choose the size and the plate that inspires you. Each one narrates a different story! Match two necklaces of a different hue together, adjust their height as you wish and create unique and festive looks for the season!
The pendant is made of bronze and is dark rhodium plated. The cord is available in black, red, burgundy or grey with fresh water pearls or tiny cubes of hematite.
Necklace height: adjustable
Pendant height: about 1.9 cm
Pendant diameter: about 1.3 cm
Avoid contact with water, perfumes, alcohol and oils. We suggest you to keep the necklace in its box or in your own jewellery box when you are not wearing it.
Each piece of jewellery from Agapis Jewellery is handmade and unique. This is why your order may have some slight differences from the photo. If you wish to order a plate that is out of stock, you may send us an e-mail and we will take care of it. This may take 3-4 days.


text:
35th Regiment, United States Colored Infantry
- Overview:
Organized February 8, 1864, from 1st North Carolina Colored Infantry. Attached
to Montgomery's Brigade, District of Florida, Dept. of the South, February,
1864. 2nd Brigade, Vogdes' Division, District of Florida, Dept. of the South,
to April, 1864. District of Florida, Dept. of the South, to October, 1864.
4th Separate Brigade, Dept. of the South, to November, 1864. 2nd Brigade,
Coast Division, Dept. of the South, to December, 1864. 4th Separate Brigade,
Dept. of the South, to March, 1865. 1st Separate Brigade, Dept. of the South,
to August, 1865. Dept. of the South, to June, 1866.
- Service:
- Expedition to Lake City, Fla., February 14-22, 1864. Battle of
Olustee February
20. Duty at Jacksonville, Fla., till November. Operations on St. Johns River
May 19-27. Horse Head Landing May 23. (Four Companies detached on Expedition
to James Island, S. C., July 1-10. King's Creek, S. C., July 3.) Raid from
Jacksonville upon Baldwin July 23-28. South Fork, Black Creek, July 24. Black
Creek near Whitesides July 27. Raid on Florida Railroad August 15-19. Ordered
from Jacksonville to Hilton Head, S. C., November 25, Expedition to Boyd's
Neck November 28-30. Battle of
Honey Hill November
30. Return to Jacksonville, Fla., and duty there till March, 1865. Ordered
to Charleston, S. C. Duty there and at various points in the Dept. of the
South till June, 1866. Mustered out June 1, 1866.
Regiment lost during service 4 Officers and 49 Enlisted men killed and mortally wounded and 1 Officer and 151 Enlisted men by disease. Total 205.
Predecessor unit:
1st REGIMENT INFANTRY (AFRICAN DESCENT).
Organized at New Berne, N.C., and Portsmouth, Va., June 30, 1863. Attached to Wild's African Brigade, U.S. Forces, Folly Island, S.C., 10th Army Corps, Dept. of the South, to December, 1863. 3rd Brigade, Vodge's Division, Folly Island, S.C., to February, 1864.
- Service:
- Transferred from Dept. of Virginia and North Carolina to Folly Island, S.C., July 29-August 9. Operations on Folly and Morris Islands against Fort Sumpter and Charleston, S.C., till February, 1864. Moved to Jacksonville, Fla., February 13-16. (A detachment at New Berne, N.C., and participated in raid on Wilmington & Weldon Railroad July 3-7, 1863. Ford's Mill near New Berne October 30. Near Greenville November 25 and December 30.) (A detachment at Portsmouth, Va., and participated in Expedition from Portsmouth to South Mills, Camden, etc., December 5-24, 1863.) Designation of Regiment changed to 35th U.S. Colored Troops February 8, 1864 (which see).
- Soldiers:
- View Battle Unit's Soldiers »


text:
Offshore Wind
Subscribers can track wind farms on their dashboard.
SouthCoast Wind
Ocean Winds
Shell New Energies
How does the database work?
ForeSEE marine intelligence software provides you with exclusive access to a range of specialised services including the Global Offshore Wind Farm Database. ForeSEE grants you exclusive access to online and offline databases, reports, newsletters, online tools and more.
There are three levels of access: Free, Freemium and Full. Freemium allows you to personalise notifications, use the search function and access more data.
You will need Full access to use the ForeSEE interactive system, access reports, updates, news, downloads and more. To find out more about how ForeSEE software works and the benefits of Full access, enquire below.
Latest News - Click to expand
Siemens Gamesa, a global player in renewable energy solutions, has announced a significant achievement in its offshore ramp-up at the Cuxhaven plant.
Moray East Offshore Wind Farm announced it has concluded the transfer of its transmission assets to Transmission Capital
Eolus and Simply Blue Group have agreed to transfer the full ownership of the joint venture SeaSapphire, which is developing floating offshore wind projects, to Eolus.


text:
What I'm Wearing
* Helmut Lang leather jacket… a GILT supersplurge & so worth it.
* Vintage nautical star t-shirt
* Cynthia Rowley floral pants… c/o Shopbop. See more Cynthia Rowley styles.
* Sequin envelope clutch
* Vintage sunglasses, vintage rhinestone necklaces, Guy and Eva earrings & bracelet c/o Red Light PR
* Aldo blue suede shoes – on clearance now for $34.99 {also yellow or teal}
* Title: lyrics from Billy Ocean "Caribbean Queen" – oh man, please watch that. too funny.
Um… I love these pants… which are made from NEOPRENE… so, they're technically a wetsuit… which means if I were on a ship, let's just say, and it sank (uh, Titanic!) and I was wearing said pants, I'd totally survive out in the ocean. However, I'd never ever even think about going on a cruise ship because – UH, TITANIC! But they'll be awesome when I go night surfing.
(I totally don't go night surfing… come on, SHARKS!) – but if I got the dress too, I'd be set. {check out Fergie wearing it here
Happy Thursday!


text:
How to Draw the Soviet Union Flag
Start with a vertical line and then two horizontal lines for the hammer and sickle of the Soviet flag.
Next start drawing out the beginning lines for the handle of the sickle as you see here and then the handle and head for the hammer.
You will now draw out the single star and then draw the blade of the sickle in more detail and then more or the hammer's handle and head.
Draw an inner line inside of the star and then finish drawing the sickle blade and the hammer handle. erase the steps and you have just finished this lesson already!
Comments 0
June 7, 2009
Description: How about one more flag for the books today? I want to do a tutorial on a very simple flag that represents the Soviet Union. So I guess that means I will teach you "how to draw the Soviet flag" step by step. The history of this flag from the Soviet union is pretty interesting. Of course I am no pro at what the full history is because I am not a citizen of that country. I can however tell you what I think I do know and if anyone is from the Soviet Union, than by all means correct me if I am wrong. From what I have read all soviet flags are made with a bright colored red canvas that was a medium to bright shade. The flag has three images on it, the hammer, the sickle and a single star. Here is where it gets interesting, the sickle represents the Russian unity of the peasants, and the hammer represents the workers and how together they formed the Soviet Union. What about the single yellow star you ask? Well that star represents the life and the immense energy of the sun. It is empty because inside of the star is filled with the blood of the workers who struggled to build the Soviet Union. Now the five points on the star is a symbolization of the single unity of their government. The hammer and sickle didn't get added to the flag until 1923 but the two objects have been in existence to symbolize the Soviet Union since 1917. There is so much history when it comes to Russia and the Soviet Union. And I am sure that I will learn even more about that part of the world in the future. But for now let me teach you "how to draw the Soviet Union flag" step by step. All you really have to do is learn how to draw the hammer, sickle, and star if you really think about it because the background is going to be colored red and the symbols are colored yellow. I hope you guys have fun with this tutorial and I also hope that you learned something new about the history of the Soviet flag. Peace out and have a blast!


text:
It wasn't too long after they helped to ensure President Obama's reelection that labor unions started to realize and subsequently express some buyer's remorse on the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act for which they also personally lobbied. They belatedly cautioned that ObamaCare's requirements would have some adverse effects on the specific setups of their union-sponsored, multi-employer insurance plans, and while the administration eventually threw them a small bone late last year by exempting a handful of unions from a temporary reinsurance fee (and instead raising the cost of that fee for other insurees), it wasn't nearly enough to fix the fundamental problem threatening their plans.
Now that unions are getting into the hard work of renegotiating labor contracts with employers, the WSJ notes that potentially major disputes over which party has to pay for the onerous new costs associated with ObamaCare are popping up all over the country:
Unions and employers are tussling over who will pick up the tab for new mandates, such as coverage for dependent children to age 26, as well as future costs, such as a tax on premium health plans starting in 2018. The question is poised to become a significant point of tension as tens of thousands of labor contracts covering millions of workers expire in the next several years, with ACA-related cost increases ranging from 5% to 12.5% in current talks.
In Philadelphia, disagreement over how much workers should contribute to such health-plan cost increases has stalled talks between the region's transit system and its main union representing 5,000 workers as they try to renegotiate a contract that expired in March. …
Labor experts on both sides say the law doesn't take into account that health benefits have been negotiated by employers and unions over decades, and that rewriting plans to meet new requirements can affect wages and other labor terms.
"It's been a challenge for even some of the stronger unions to maintain the quality health plans that they have offered over the years," said Daniel Murphy, an attorney in New York who represents employers in labor talks.
Neither employers nor unions struggling with declining national membership are likely to fall any deeper in love with the law after these negotiations are over, especially since the excellent healthcare offerings have traditionally been one of the prime attractors in joining a union in the first place.


text:
On Saturday, whilst relaxing leisurely on the veranda of my estate, pink gin in hand, barking at the gardener that the lawn wasn't going to water itself, I turned to a refined and respectably drunk old chum from Cambridge and repeated the old malady about how things used to be so much more civilised before the English had the good sense of fair play to give back India and Persia (obviously remarking on the "bloody mess they've made of Rhodesia" to boot).
It was a typical Saturday.
Neither hooliganism ( © the rest of the world), Syphilis ( © the Tahitians ) or fat children ( © the Daily Mail) are really the English disease . The real English disease is the distorted sense of pride attached to deluded notions that everything used to be so much better (preferably when we were in control of said everything) than it is now.
Admittedly such revisionism is not confined to the Inselaffen – see the new notion that the Prussians were actually a rather enlightened lot, who may have been hard done by history (as embodied by the disgusting amounts of money being spent on rebuilding the Schloss in the middle of the city) – but it is the English who have developed it into an art form to be held up there with post-impressionism, Ming era pottery and the Cruyff Turn.
It was the FA Cup Final that dragged this natural, though normally, thankfully dormant, state out of me. As it is the oldest football competition in the world, it must necessarily still be the best. A perfect occasion played out at 3pm in front of a beloved Royal on a gloriously hot Saturday afternoon, the Chelsea pensioners' medals glinting in the sun, toothless old men with rosettes and rattles cheering on the better team, "Abide With Me" sung with gusto and a brave match winning performance (possibly, and who would have thought it, even by a German).
Generations before me will have played this game. "Of course The White Horse Final was the last great one", "It's all been rubbish since the Matthews Final", going all the way along through time to "getting rid of replays killed it" or "I remember when the BBC started their build up at 9am with a special broadcast of FA Cup Saturday Superstore".
I mused over all of this just before watching this years Budweiser FA Cup Final, featuring two opposing star players that have spent half of their season caught up in racist scandals, kicking off at 5:15pm in front of a load of sponsors and their mates that were still eating their lunch 20 minutes after the second half had kicked off.
Needless to say, at that point, everything used to be a whole lot better.
In comparison, the German DFB Pokal was only started in 1935, and it was only in 1985 that it's final had a regular home in the Olympic Stadium – giving the German fans, at last, a version of "Wemberley, Wemberley. We're the mighty (insert team here), and we're off to Wemberley" to sing, in the oft chanted dirge of "Berlin, Berlin, Wir fahren nach Berlin".
It was moved to Berlin on political grounds as the capital city was barely registering a flicker on the ECG of German football, and it was necessary that the game didn't neglect the place, but this proved to be a masterstroke. The occasion has grown in importance exponentially (although actually this process has been happening since the 1970s) , and is undoubtedly now held in greater esteem here than the FA Cup is in England.
Saturday sees the holders, Bayern Munich, take on the league champions, Borussia Dortmund, in the final and the country will be watching in the way that they used to in the home of football. The Waldbühne has been set up to receive up to 18,000 Dortmund fans in a spectacular show of "Up yours, Bavarians" from the authorities, the pubs will be packed to the rafters and the Olympic Stadium itself will be a sea of yellow and black, red and white.
It should be a great denouement to the season, and a spectacular game between the country's two best teams.
I, however, will be keeping up memories of home, sat sullenly in an old man's boozer, muttering about how it was so much better when you had games like in 1958 when Stuttgart beat Fortuna 4-3, or when Günter Netzer came on, having already declined the option of coming on to the pitch earlier, to score the winner for Mönchengladbach in 1973.
You know, when times were better, and the cup "really meant something".


text:
CHICAGO – Darwin Barney's defense has been one of the few bright spots in another lost season for the Chicago Cubs.
Barney flawlessly handled four chances in the field — two put-outs and two assists — and completed his 113th consecutive errorless game. That tied the National League single-season record set by San Diego's David Eckstein in 2010.
"I take a lot of pride in defense," Barney said. "It's one of those things that when I was younger, I felt defense was my weakness, so I put a lot of effort into working on it."
Barney's feat came in another Cubs loss after Milwaukee's Jeff Bianchi hit a three-run shot for his first big league homer, leading the Brewers to a 4-1 win over Chicago on Tuesday night.
Bianchi went deep off Travis Wood (4-11) on a 3-0 count with two outs in the second for Milwaukee, which has won seven of eight overall and has beaten the Cubs seven straight times.
"It was 3-0," Wood said. "I should have known better, the pitcher was on deck. But I made the pitch I did, he put a good swing on it and hit it out."
Yovani Gallardo (14-8) won his seventh straight start, holding Chicago to one run and three hits over seven innings and striking out nine. He's held the Cubs to a single run in each of his last four appearances at Wrigley Field.
Wood lost for the eighth time in nine starts despite limiting Milwaukee to five hits and three runs over seven innings.
"Not enough, apparently," Wood said. "We were solid defensively, we just came up short on the hitting side."
The Cubs have lost 21 of their last 27 games.
Wood provided the only offense on the night for Chicago, going deep off Gallardo in the third inning for this third career home run.
"Obviously he just threw the 3-0 pitch trying to get back in the count was kind of the difference in the ballgame," Cubs manager Dale Sveum said. "(Wood) pitched great, seven innings."
Barney hasn't committed an error since April 17 at Miami, his only miscue of the season. The single-season record for consecutive errorless games by a second baseman is 141, set by Detroit's Placido Polanco in 2007.
Barney is in just his second season at the keystone after playing shortstop in the minor leagues.
"I think it's more instinctual than last year," Barney said. "Last year was transitional. . We came in with a plan to fix those things, the things I had trouble with, and secure that up."
Cubs shortstop Starlin Castro went 1 for 4, singling in his first at-bat and striking out to end the game. Before the game, Chicago announced that it had agreed to a seven-year extension with Castro, including an option for an eighth year that would keep Castro in a Cubs uniform past his 30th birthday.
Milwaukee has beaten Chicago in 12 of their last 15 meetings.
Bianchi was with the Cubs for about a month during the offseason after being claimed off waivers from the Kansas City Royals in December. Chicago also waived him in January to free up a roster spot, and he was claimed by the Brewers.
Since his first homer came as a visiting player at Wrigley, he ended up with the souvenir after a bleacher bum threw the ball back on the field.
"I was rounding the bases and had my back turned," Bianchi said. "I can't remember who said it, but someone said they threw the ball back. It will be nice to have."
Wood settled down after Bianchi's homer and allowed just two baserunners over his final five innings. Wood has allowed three runs or fewer in five of his last six starts — all losses.
"It's a moot point when you still lose the ballgame," Wood said.
After Alfonso Soriano's third-inning walk, Gallardo retired the last 13 Cubs he faced, striking out five.
NOTES: Before the game, the Cubs activated RHP Blake Parker from the 60-day DL. Parker had been out since June 6 with a right elbow stress reaction. ... LHP Alex Hinshaw was designated for assignment one night after he allowed five runs, including three consecutive homers, without retiring a batter during Milwaukee's nine-run ninth. ... Brewers manager Ron Roenicke was pleased to hear the Baltimore Orioles signed LHP Randy Wolf, who Milwaukee released Aug. 22. "Hopefully he can go in there and start off well, and they like him enough to where he'll be part of what they do," Roenicke said. . The Cubs' beleaguered bullpen entered the game with a 6.09 ERA in August.


text:
President Barack Obama named Eduardo M. Ochoa assistant secretary for postsecondary education on Feb. 23, 2010. He was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on June 22, 2010, and, in his post, he serves as the secretary's chief advisor on higher-education issues and administers more than 60 programs, totaling nearly $3 billion annually, that are designed to provide financial assistance to eligible students enrolled in postsecondary institutions. ED's Office of Postsecondary Education (OPE) supports higher education facilities and programs through financial support to eligible institutions, recruits and prepares disadvantaged students for successful completion of college, promotes the study of foreign languages and international affairs, and supports international educational research and exchange activities. Notable among its programs are the eight TRIO programs, institutional development programs for minority institutions, teacher development programs, and the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education. OPE runs the well-known Byrd, Fulbright, Javits and McNair programs and certifies all regional and national accreditation agencies, so they, in turn, may qualify institutions to receive federal financial aid and Pell grants.
Prior to joining the Department, Ochoa served for seven years as the provost and vice president for academic affairs at Sonoma State University, part of the California State University system. During his tenure, he oversaw campus-wide strategic planning and diversity efforts, among many duties. The Academic Affairs Division has five schools, 600 faculty members, and 8,900 students, with an annual budget of $50 million.
A native of Buenos Aires, Ochoa attended bilingual schools in the Argentinian capital through his sophomore year in high school before immigrating with his family to Portland, Oreg., where his father, a biochemist, had been hired to run the clinical lab at Portland's Good Samaritan Hospital.
Ochoa earned his bachelor's degree in physics, with a minor in philosophy, from Reed College in 1973. Three years later, he finished his master's at Columbia University in New York in nuclear science and engineering just after Isabel Perón's government had been overthrown by a military coup. His original plan to return to Argentina and work for the National Atomic Energy Commission had to be put aside.
After working for three years as an assistant and associate engineer in New York, Ochoa began his Ph.D. in economics at the New School for Social Research, where his thesis on labor values and the prices of production during the postwar period won the Edith Hansen award for an outstanding dissertation in economics and political science.
While working on his Ph.D., Ochoa began lecturing on economics at Cal State-Fresno, and, after graduation, he was hired by Cal State-Los Angeles, as an assistant professor, making full professor by 1997. Along the way, he led the school's Bureau of Business and Economic Research for three years, chaired the Economics Department for four years, and in his last year at Cal State-Los Angeles served as acting dean of the School of Business and Economics.
In 1997, he was hired as the dean of Cal Poly Pomona's College of Business Administration, where he worked for six years, leading 170 faculty members who teach some 4,800 students.
The author of many journal articles on economics, Ochoa and his wife, Holly, a historian, live in the Capitol Hill area of Washington, D.C. They have two sons, Michael, 28, who is pursuing graduate studies, and Eric, 26, who is a partner in a consulting firm.


text:
Pyotr Ilyich TCHAIKOVSKY (1840-1893)
Swan Lake, Op. 20 (1875-1876) [154:41]
James Ehnes (violin)
Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra/Neeme Järvi
rec. 18 June, 3-6 December 2012, Grieghallen, Bergen, Norway. Hybrid SACD, stereo and multi-channel
A brand-new recording of Swan Lake - especially a Super Audio one - is cause for celebration. I say that even if one already has any/all of the classic versions - Ansermet, Previn, Lanchbery, Ermler and Dutoit among them - of this guaranteed crowd-pleaser: perennially fresh and exciting with glittering set-pieces. That said, of the versions in the catalogue not all are complete and many are starting to show their age when it comes to sound.
I am fiercely loyal to Ansermet, whose theatrical instincts make his vintage Decca performance one of the most enduring and dramatically intense I know. Lanchbery is another man of the theatre, and his EMI Classics set has all the lilt, energy and diversity of character that one would want; older readers will remember the original LPs in their distinctive silver and red du Maurier box. Mark Ermler and his Royal Opera band also benefit from their work together in the pit, even if the 1989 recording is apt to sound a little aggressive now. Sadly, that's also true of André Previn and the LSO, whose classic EMI performance lost much of its refulgence in the transfer to digital.
I recently acquired Charles Dutoit's much-praised Montreal set, which I'd somehow missed when it was first released in 1992. Alas, I didn't warm to it at first - ditto his Nutcracker - more of that later. Would all the essential attributes listed earlier manifest themselves in this Järvi/Bergen performance. I must admit to reservations at the outset, as this conductor can be rather brisk and unsmiling at times; his recent Chandos recordings - several of which I've reviewed for Download News - have been variable to say the least.
The Bergen Philharmonic have also had a patchy record of late; their BIS recordings of Stravinsky and Prokofiev with Andrew Litton don't find them at their very best. However, their Turangalîla with Juanjo Mena (review) and their Berlioz overtures with Sir Andrew Davis (review) most certainly do. The Introduction to this new Swan Lake comes across well enough, but already there are hints of the rhythmic inflexibility that resurfaces in the iconic Valse a few minutes later. That said, Järvi does bring out the splendour of the scurrying Allegro giusto, and the brass and percussion are superbly rendered.
Listening to that first waltz I was struck by the nicely nuanced playing, although it's clear that Järvi's reading isn't going to be anywhere near as vivacious as those of his finest rivals. Take the start of the Pas de trois, for instance; it sounds glorious, but where's that breath-bating sense of spectacle? Or that deep, animating passion? Tempi are a problem too. How on earth would dancers respond to this school-masterish lack of give and take? I don't mind brisk, but I take exception to brusque, especially in this most yielding and spontaneous of scores. Regrettably, as Järvi busks his way through this music he misses all the pleasures of the moment.
Frankly, the rest of Act I is utterly charmless, and although Järvi's rather breathless Coda is undeniably thrilling it's too rumty-tumty for my taste. This metronomic response to Tchaikovsky's living, breathing narrative is just too dispiriting for words. Indeed, all those delectable tunes pass as if on a featureless assembly line to nowhere. Staying with the machine-like metaphors, Järvi exposes all the music's cogs and gears, and they don't always mesh as smoothly as they should. At least the melting, harp-led Finale offers some respite, albeit very brief, before we trundle into Act II.
I have no qualms about the sound which, although a little dry, is pretty good. It's not one of those exaggerated 'hi-fi' presentations - the prominent bass of earlier Chandos recordings has vanished - and transients are well caught. What a pity these fine sonics are wasted on such a lacklustre performance. The catch-in-the-throat loveliness at the start of Act II is nowhere to be seen, and the passionate intensity that Ansermet and Lanchbery find elsewhere proves just as elusive. Intensely irritating, too, is the curious stop-start nature of what we hear; Järvi makes little or no attempt to segue the numbers.
Odette's solo, which calls for tenderness and lift, is dour and leaden, and there's absolutely no joy in the waltz and or in Dance of the Cygnets that follows. That really is the problem with this Swan Lake, it's drab and joyless; even the playing seems hesitant at times, Tchaikovsky's melodies stunted by too many imprecisions. As for Odette and Siegfried's pivotal dance it lacks all magic when it's as foursquare as this. Just listen to how Ansermet, Lanchbery and Previn bend these rhythms. The music is a mirror of the enchanted love that enfolds this doomed pair.
There's something else missing here, and that's an element of fantasy; without it we are never really drawn into this dark fairy tale. Instead we are just bystanders, stony of face and heart. Act III offers little for the famished ear and spirit, although the big moments - helped by this fine recording - aren't without a certain panache. Then Järvi spoils it all with a now gabbling, now pallid Ballabile. As parties go this is something of a disaster; the dances are graceless - not altogether surprising at these sluggish speeds - and the warming glow that usually radiates from this music is conspicuous by its absence.
Indeed, while I may have expected a swift reading I was surprised to get a lugubrious one as well; this seems to be a performance of sudden extremes, with little subtlety or substance in between. I'd go so far as to say it's peremptory in parts, with little variety and no sense of dramatic ebb and flow. To put it bluntly, Act III simply chugs along; and if you thought the journey would be enlivened by the national dances I'm afraid you'd be much mistaken. A dull Csárdás and an equally drab Danse Russe precede a fairly sunny display by the Spaniards. As for Järvi's halting Neapolitan number it's no match for the more fluid and idiomatic Dutoit, whose cornet player is sensational.
Dipping into Dutoit at this point - and he's never been my top choice in this repertoire - I had to marvel at the nuance and colour he finds in these show-stopping set-pieces. What a sparkling celebration of local colour these dances are - albeit filtered through Russian sensibilities - and how grey they seem under Järvi. Not surprisingly the start of Act IV lacks all sense of impending apotheosis or tragedy; how could it be otherwise, given the absence of a compelling narrative? These tragic and transfiguring events - assuming one prefers the downbeat ending to the upbeat one - count for precious little here. Ansermet and his transported players are overwhelming at this point, as one is drawn, helplessly, into the great vortex of the ballet's closing scene. Predictably Järvi overdrives the big climaxes, which certainly sound splendid, but that just underlines the episodic, prodding nature of this performance as a whole. Lanchbery and the Philharmonia are also rather special here. As for Dutoit and the OSM they are unfailingly vivacious - that word again - and both transform a mere spectacle into a heart-stopping drama. This is a work that should leave one spent and elated at its close; that it does neither under Järvi should come as no surprise.
Reviewers aren't immune to prejudices or preferences, and sometimes it's very hard to break those old bonds. That said, I'm thrilled when a new performance challenges or supplants a long-held favourite; I really hoped Järvi's Swan Lake would be one of those, even if I did have doubts at the outset. To put it bluntly - that phrase again - Järvi is not the powerhouse he once was, and the Bergen orchestra aren't at their best either. The only positive in this set is the recording, but even then it seems a bit pale next to the big, flamboyant sound Decca provides for Dutoit. In fact Järvi's Swan Lake has made me re-evaluate Dutoit's, which has a theatricality and thrust that I hadn't appreciated before.
An uninspired Swan Lake, albeit in fine sound; Järvi has clearly lost his edge here.
Dan Morgan
An uninspired Swan Lake, albeit in fine sound; Järvi has clearly lost his edge here.
Support us financially by purchasing this disc from