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Gambling on the fairgrounds
How slot machines and harness racing could change Springfield forever
Step right up! Welcome to the Illinois State Fairgrounds, where kids can milk cows, and cows can win ribbons and anyone 21 years and older can contribute to an electronic, press-a-button, hear-a-beep, wait-to-(probably)-lose-while-it-looks-like-you're-winning casino king's cash cow – the slot machine.
Gambling opponents say that's what Springfield should expect to see if Gov. Pat Quinn signs a proposed gambling expansion measure that would allow racetracks, including the state fairgrounds in Springfield, to become "racinos," where the addition of hundreds of slot machines, available year-round, would draw more gamblers to increasingly less popular horse races.
"It's going to be like a full-blown casino," Anita Bedell says of proposed changes to the fairgrounds. Bedell is the executive director of the Illinois Church Action on Alcohol and Addiction Problems (ILCAAAP), which opposes any gambling expansion. "They say they're going to have horse racing three to nine months a year, and I don't know if people understand there's going to be casino gambling year-round – 900 gambling positions." An electronic gaming device, like those slated for racetracks in the proposed gambling expansion, counts as one "position." Existing Illinois casinos are now only allowed to have 1,200 gambling positions, which include electronic gaming devices but also other games such as craps tables, which count as 10 positions each.
The measure would also allow the city of Chicago and four other Illinois communities to host new casinos and authorize more gambling positions at existing casinos. Combine all of the proposed new gambling together, and Illinois' maximum gambling capacity would increase from about 12,000 positions to more than 38,000 positions, putting Illinois in 20th place for states with the most machines per resident.
Bedell and other opponents say the proposed changes will create more gambling addicts, causing more costly social problems that will outweigh any revenue enhancements expected from the expansion. But not everyone shares Bedell's concerns about the proposed expansion, including Springfield's Mayor Mike Houston.
"I would support anything that is going to create activity and excitement at the Illinois State Fairgrounds," Houston says, adding that "overall, it would be a good thing for the city."
Houston rejects Bedell's claim that proposed changes at the fairgrounds would be like putting a casino in Springfield. "We're not talking about a full-fledged casino and I think that is an important distinguishing factor," Houston says. "You have things other than slot machines at a casino."
He also notes that some Springfield residents travel to riverboats like Par-A-Dice Casino, outside of Peoria, to gamble. "I think that if there are people who are having problems with gambling, they are having problems in the city of Springfield today. They are just using riverboats."
It's a sentiment echoed by agricultural interests, which expect to get millions of dollars in additional funding, should the measure become law in its current form.
"I'm not a big fan [of gambling], but it's already here, so I feel that agriculture might as well get their share of the money," says Tom Moore, president of the Illinois Association of Agricultural Fairs. Moore, of Jerseyville, lives about 20 miles away from an Alton casino and about 30 miles away from Missouri casinos. He says he hasn't noticed any major social problems in his area associated with gambling, but he has watched county fairs decline with state funding cuts and the horse-racing industry decline, taking with it agricultural livelihoods. The proposed gambling expansion is expected to bring in about $5 million each year for county fairs across Illinois.
"About a third of the fairs actually have horse racing used as a training ground for the horses to go on to the big tracks," Moore says. "So the racing industry needs county fairs." He adds that rural communities need the business county fairs bring to them each year.
Though no estimates are available, some of the increased revenue realized by expanded gambling would go toward infrastructure improvements at the fairgrounds.
Whether the expanded gambling package goes into effect as it was approved by the General Assembly is still up in the air. Quinn has called the legislation "top heavy" and "excessive," and has specifically called out the state fairgrounds portion of the measure as an item of concern, according to the State Journal-Register. Quinn's spokesperson says he's still weighing all sides of the matter, and he continues to meet with lawmakers, lobbyists and the general public.
The hurting horse industry
The proposed gambling expansion would bring in to the state treasury about $1.5 billion in one-time fees plus about $500 million annually to help pay the state's bills, says the measure's sponsor, Skokie Democrat Rep. Lou Lang. Some of the increased state revenues would go to various agricultural causes, including FFA and county fairs, while some of it would go toward depressed community grant funds, foreclosure prevention and paying the state's backlog of bills. But the primary factor behind bringing slot machines to racetracks, Lang says, is boosting the horse-racing industry to save an estimated 40,000 jobs. "At its core it's about purses," Lang says. "As you build purses, it filters down to everybody in the industry."
A purse is the prize money divvied up among horse-race winners. The total horse-racing purse distributed in Illinois in 2010 amounted to less than $54.4 million, the lowest in decades, and less than half of a 2002 peak of $119 million, according to the Illinois Racing Board. By comparison, Pennsylvania in 2009 had a total purse of $230.5 million, up from $56 million in 2006, when that state first authorized racinos, according to a report by the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board.
The sharp decrease in Illinois has translated into fewer and fewer jobs, racino proponents say. "Horsemen follow the money. Breeders follow the money. Many of our better trainers, drivers, many of our owners, are beginning to invest in these other states," says Tony Somone, executive director of the Illinois Harness Horsemen's Association. "What really hurt in the last five, six, seven years, is other states have allowed their racetracks to get slot machines. The new word today is 'racinos.'"
Springfield Republican Rep. Raymond Poe introduced legislation in 2008 that would not have necessarily included slot machines but would have lengthened the horse-racing season at the state fairgrounds to extend beyond its current six days during the State Fair. The measure was unsuccessful then, but is getting another shot as part of Lang's bill, Senate Bill 744, this time with slot machines.
Could Springfield support expanded racing without the slots? "No," Poe says. "There's just not enough money in the horse racing, in drawing enough people out."
It's a sentiment reluctantly shared by the owners of a local horse-breeding farm, Walker Standardbreds, in Sherman. Pat and Ken Walker remember the days when race horses had the kind of fame athletes on Wheaties boxes have today. Back then, kids treasured posters of their favorite equine and flocked to see a winning horse as its train stopped through town. Harness racing started, Pat Walker says, when neighbors challenged each other on rides home from church.
"Sadly enough, we've gone from trying to figure out how to entertain ourselves, to having entertainment shoved down your throat in any which direction that you go. When you had the time, and wanted to find something to do, it was fun to go to the races," Pat Walker says. "Now, people want to be entertained every moment of their lives. We just have to have everything going fast and furious."
As examples of younger generations' style of entertainment, she points to slot machines – a major component of casinos, which the Illinois horse-racing industry blames in part for its near – and perhaps pending – demise. But it's on that very style of entertainment agricultural interests including the Walkers are placing their bets for the future of the horse-racing industry, as they push Quinn to sign the gambling expansion proposal.
In recent years, the health of the Walkers' business, like that of others in their industry, has declined dramatically. They now breed about 250 mares each year, down from a one-time high of about 500 in the mid-1980s. Then, they employed about 30 people during the farm's peak season. Now, the Walkers only employ about 15.
"We've taken a gamble thinking we would get this up to this point," Ken Walker says about the racino legislation approved by the General Assembly in May. He says that, if the gaming expansion doesn't pass, and horse owners and trainers continue to flee Illinois, he'll lose about $100,000 just by staying in business this year, in addition to a loss of nearly $50,000 last year.
Slots, slots, slots
But while Illinois lawmakers and the horse-racing industry focus on pairing slot machines with racetracks to keep the labor-intensive form of gambling afloat, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign professor John Kindt says that's the last thing they should be doing. Kindt is the editor of the 2008-2010 United States Gambling Reports and teaches business and legal policy at UIUC.
He cites a 1999 report by the U.S. National Gambling Impact Study Commission, which was created following a push by the now deceased U. S. Sen. Paul Simon, the father of Quinn's handpicked lieutenant governor Sheila Simon. The commission recommended that "states should refuse to allow the introduction of casino-style gambling into pari-mutuel facilities for the primary purpose of saving a pari-mutuel facility that the market has determined no longer serves the community or for the purpose of competing with other forms of gambling." In other words, adding slot machines to save unpopular racetracks is the wrong way to go, according to the commission.
"The new legislation is pushing slot machines. It's all about the slot machines," Kindt says, noting that electronic gaming machines like those proposed for racetracks are the most addicting, especially for younger generations. "People promoting slot machines are trying to misdirect the public, the politicians, to focusing on the wrong issues." He says the discussion surrounding expanded gambling in Illinois is rife with red herrings – from agricultural funding and jobs to community development – that distract from what he says is clear-cut economic analysis.
In Pennsylvania, for instance, the purses may have increased with the introduction of slots to racetracks, but each year betting on actual races continues to decline. The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board reports that the state's total handle – the total amount wagered on horse racing – declined by nearly 25 percent from 2006 to 2009, from $974.8 million to $733.8 million. Each year, more and more of the purse money that supports horse racing comes from slot machines.
Kindt likens horse racing to videotapes that have now been replaced by DVDs and Internet streaming. "There are people who still want to play VHS tapes, but the world has moved on. VHS tapes are becoming obsolete. Horse racing in this country is becoming obsolete," he says. "The only way they can save it is by going to slot machines."
Illinois' gambling legislation sponsor Lang says he's taken precautions to ensure that Illinois' horse-racing industry doesn't become totally reliant on slot machines. The legislation includes a measure requiring racinos to spend a portion of their proceeds on marketing the horse industry.
Kindt says that, for every $1 in projected revenue from slot machines, communities incur $3 in direct and indirect social and regulatory costs. "Should taxpayers be propping up nonproductive activities?" Kindt asks.
The 1999 gambling impact study conceded that opening a casino in a depressed area can bring in new jobs but not necessarily better jobs. The commission concluded: "There appears to be more of a shift in the types and locations of work than a net improvement in the local standard of living." The study also found that the number of problem gamblers within a 50-mile radius of a casino is double that of those further away and that problem or pathological gamblers account for about 15 percent of the money spent on gambling.
Lang says studies don't match the real-life experiences of communities that already host casinos. "I would be foolish if I said we won't have problem gamblers if we have gambling, but we already have gambling in Illinois," he says, arguing that Illinois' problem gamblers are just going to other states to gamble and bringing their problems home to Illinois. "I am not persuaded, nor do I see any evidence whatsoever that additional gambling in our state will lead to a huge influx of problem gamblers."
UIUC economics professor Fred Gottheil says a community encouraging casino development is the same as encouraging a drug dealer to set up shop. Both "industries" create economic activity, but both come with significant social costs.
"We're up in arms against the drug industry, and people in the drug industry would shrug their shoulders and say, 'Why pick on me? I'm doing exactly what the casinos are doing. I'm bringing employment to the community,'" Gottheil says. "Well, that's not the kind of employment we want, and that's what it boils down to – what do we want?"
Rev. Shaughneysy Small, who retired about 10 years ago from Capital City Church of God, says Sangamon County voters have already told lawmakers what they want – a voice in the matter. In 1994, Small chaired the group Citizens for Voter Choice, which successfully pushed for a ballot referendum asking voters if they wanted the power to decide if the county would expand gambling. At the time, developers were eyeing the Sangamon River as a possible location for a casino if the Illinois legislature approved gambling expansion. About 90 percent of Sangamon County voters said they did want the final say.
The referendum "had no teeth" and wasn't a vote on whether to expand gambling – just whether voters should have a say. But Small says it was still worthwhile. "That 90 percent came out, and that was a good thing for the city to see."
Rep. Lang says the time to debate the morality of gambling has long since passed. "If we had no gaming in Illinois, then I would say … 'Let's have that debate.' But we've had gambling in Illinois for many, many years." He adds that the measure calls for $10 million in social programming to combat any gambling addiction issues.
But Bedell is quick to note that the sum is "subject to appropriation," meaning the money doesn't automatically go to those programs – lawmakers must have the will to specifically designate the funds year after year.
Quinn's call
Lang says he's had a lengthy meeting with the governor since the legislation passed the General Assembly in May but that Quinn gave no indication of what he would do. Lang says the meeting was "mostly a fact-finding session."
Whatever Quinn does decide to do, Lang says any changes would be tricky.
"I do not believe that you will ever get legislators from a community that has been given gaming in this bill to vote for anything that would take it away from them," Lang says. "I think it would be very difficult to make changes in this bill and have votes sufficient to pass it."
As of a week ago, Gov. Quinn's office had received more than 8,200 calls, emails and letters in favor of the proposed gambling expansion and about 2,500 calls opposed. His office has also seen 3,455 petition signatures against the legislation versus 32 in support.
Spokesperson for the governor, Annie Thompson, says Quinn is still undecided on what to do with the measure, but it could be months before Quinn actually gets to officially weigh in on the legislation. The legislature is holding off sending the measure to the governor's office as lawmakers, lobbyists and the public meet with Quinn to discuss the bill, which calls for expanded gambling far beyond the Springfield fairgrounds.
In the meantime, those on either side of the debate are eagerly awaiting the final outcome.
"We've taken a gamble thinking we would get this up to this point," Ken Walker says, noting the $100,000 he's expecting to lose this year to keep his horse farm running if the measure doesn't pass. "You can only do that for so long before you have to change the name of the game."
Bedell, on the other hand, is hoping Quinn will veto the entire measure. "This will be his legacy if he signs this. They won't remember anything else he does, but he will be the gambling governor," she says. "That will be his legacy."
Contact Rachel Wells at email@example.com.


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Does anyone know a good GUI C debugger for Lion, I looked into DDD since thats what I use in linux but i couldn't find a clear way to install it for Lion.
closed as off topic by Kyle Cronin Feb 6 '12 at 12:52
Questions on Ask Different are expected to relate to Apple hardware or software within the scope defined by the community. Consider editing the question or leaving comments for improvement if you believe the question can be reworded to fit within the scope. Read more about reopening questions here. If this question can be reworded to fit the rules in the help center, please edit the question.
1What's wrong with Xcode? – houbysoft Feb 5 '12 at 22:06
I'm sorry, but questions about programming should be asked on Stack Overflow instead of Ask Different. – Kyle Cronin Feb 6 '12 at 12:53
To install ddd you can do it via installing the Macports package manager http://www.macports.org/
Also You can use the GUI implementation of gdb in Apple's Xcode. You just need to add your source in to an Xcode project.
Thanks for the suggestion on Macports, it really helps coming from the world of linux – Diego Gutierrez Feb 6 '12 at 0:21

subset: commoncrawl


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Illinois House Republicans want more transparency and research after revelations of sky-high debt in some suburbs, but their proposals stop short of pushing safeguards other states employ.
Calling it a first step in reform, Tom Cross, R-Oswego, and Rep. Ron Sandack, R-Downers Grove, said many taxpayers face ballooning property tax bills with little means to figure out why. That includes suburbs that for years have borrowed big while failing to save enough for pensions.
"People should know, and have a right to know, how much debt is out there," said Cross, House Republican leader.
The pair's legislation would boost the amount of local government data available online on debt and unfunded retiree costs. They also want to create a state panel — stocked with unpaid members appointed by state leaders — to review the taxing, spending and borrowing habits of the thousands of local governments in Illinois.
The proposals come after Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas has pushed for reporting of local debt and unfunded pension costs, and after Tribune investigations highlighted how taxpayers have been squeezed from Illinois rules that allow many towns to tax and borrow at will.
The vast majority of other states limit the riskiest type of borrowing or require voters directly approve it. But most metro Chicago residents live in places that have no limits and no direct voter input.
Cross and Sandack said they're not ready to restrict the power of local officials. But Sandack, a former Downers Grove mayor, said he found some of the Tribune's revelations of suburban debt "very alarming."
The legislators said the plan was modeled in part after a push by Texas' comptroller for more transparency. Comptroller Susan Combs told the Tribune she applauds the Illinois proposal but noted the Texas plan is meant to better arm voters who then often get a direct say in whether local officials borrow.
Combs said there would be "riots in the streets" if Texas were like Illinois and didn't let voters in many places decide whether their towns could borrow more.
"If you're slapping your forehead and saying, 'We just found out we owe $40 million and we can't do anything about it,' how is that helpful?"


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To truly understand how to tap into the power of God, we have to have a clear understanding what religion is and in order to do this we need to understand what is our relationship to God. It is often said that we are a microcosm of a Greater Macrocosm, that we are made in the image of God, which means we have the same divine potential as God has just not in quantity; like a drop of water is to the ocean, same quality different quantities. But REALLY! What does that mean from a practical perspective? Well, lets turn to our ancestors and see what they have to say about the issue.
TASETT the "Red Lands" is what the Kamitic people called Lower Kamit, the northern section of the country that stretched towards the Meditarranean. It is a perfect symbol for the lower division of our spirit – the Sahu or subconscious, which is responsible for memories, personality, learned experiences, behavior and everything that is needed for us to physically survive. Because it relates to our limited perception based upon our physical-body experience.
KAMTA the "Black Lands" is what the Kamitic people called Upper Kamit, the southern section of the country that expanded further south towards Kush and Punt (Nubia), the Kamitic ancestral lands – Tameri and so on. It is therefore a perfect symbol for the higher division of our spirit – the Ba, Divine Consciousness (divine spark) or Super conscious/unconscious, which connects us to the Divine, reveals to us our destiny, our true name, reconnects us back to our ancestral legacy and so on. Because it relates to our unlimited perception based upon our inner-experience with the Divine and all things spiritual.
According the Story of Ra and Oset (Isis by the Greek), Khepera was the sunrise, Ra the midday sun, Ra Atum was sunset and Amun Ra was the moon at midnight (when the sun is believed to be shining from the other side). These four Ras are not gods, but attributes of the God that describe how to apply and use the Ra or Rau – the Holy Spirit of God. They are therefore perfect symbols of Man and Woman's self-soul, the human conscious or spiritual heart called the Ab. Besides showing that because of our ab we have free-will, which gives us the right to do whatever we choose and become who we want to be. This diagram illustrates the evolutionary path that our soul takes and reveals that at each stage of our development the Divine is our guide, symbolized as the four moments of the sun.
Since the word religion is derived from the Latin words "re," meaning, "again, back" and "ligare," meaning "bind, fasten, tie," which is often translated to mean "to tie back to something, which one had originally belong." We see from the maa aankh cosmogram that this "tieing back" or "return" refers to our original and pure state of consciousness. The conscious that wills miracles to take place through spiritual means the same way Nebertcher willed the universe to come into being, hence Amun Ra.
For more on the Kingdom Within see
A Practical Kamtic Path for Obtaining Power


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The blog has moved here. Special thanks to Alex for making the timeline pretty.
I don't think we're in Karachi anymore.
I have a piece of stale barfi in my fridge.
It has been there for six days. I know it is old. And I know, that every time I carefully unwrap it to take a tiny bite, and wrap it back up, I am probably risking a drastic case of food poisoning. But it is barfi, sweet, with the right amount of pista and badam. Each bite reminds me of home, of my father selflessly buying a small box of barfi so that we would eat some meetha, even though he is diabetic. It reminds me of the time that I turned my nose up at it, insisting that desi mithai was not worth risking obesity for.
Four months away from home changes everything.
There were mangoes, that were brought into the US. I had a box gifted as a present, courtesy of the Pakistan Embassy. On Monday morning, I opened the box, and inhaled the smell of the chaunsas, and then quickly looked around to see that no one was looking. Two hours later, another Pakistani friend told me that she had done the same thing.
A few months ago, I read this blog post. It seems crazy, right? Why would anyone, in a city in a first world country, forego sleep and the benefits of a thriving nightlife, and sit at home and watch a cricket match?
A few weeks after I moved to Washington, Pakistan and India played each other in a semi-final [that we will pretend never happened]. At 4AM, I dutifully woke up, found the shadiest website that was streaming the match, aware that this might be illegal, and began watching what turned out to be a massacre, but was part of the ritual that we call life as a Pakistani. Even know, the thought of Mohammad Aamir's wasted career brings tears to my eyes. We stand united in our pain [and in our hatred for Ijaz Butt].
Today marks Pakistan's 64th Independence Day. There is no other place I'd rather call home. Lekin iss mulk ka Khuda hi hafiz.
Everyday is a winding..wait, what?
I apologize, to the few who still follow this blog, for the lack of updates. For the most part, I have been preoccupied with work thanks to the gift that keeps on giving aka US-Pakistan relations. I realize that is no excuse, but in part, it is also because I am still adjusting to life in Washington, and at the risk of being brutally honest, one tries to fill their free time here with as many activities as possible, so as not to face being alone in an unfamiliar city.
In May, I went to Chicago to cover the first week of the Tahawwur Rana trial, and discovered how the city can rapidly change in terms of weather, and one must always be well-prepared. No, seriously, you try braving the cold [read: rain, fog and winds at the same time] of Chicago clad in one measly sweater as protection.
But, coming back to the Rana trial, a man accused of helping David Headley [who's confessed to his role in the 26/11 attacks in Mumbai], and providing material support to Lashkar-e-Taiba, and then helping in the plot to attack Jyllands-Posten, the Denmark newspaper that had published the cartoons that led to protests, deadly riots, deaths, a ban on Danish products [remember that folks?] and more.
While Tahawwur has been found guilty on two of three counts, it was fascinating watching David Headley. I'm still not sure if Headley is a victim of his own neuroses – where he believed that by joining Lashkar-e-Taiba and then dealing with men associated [or retired] from the ISI, he felt he was doing the right thing, or if it was a case of trying to pretend like he was a big shot in this dirty game that is called the India-Pakistan war. There are many reasons for why people turn to extremism – poverty, circumstances, hatred. But for so many, many people, the conflicts in Pakistan dating back to decades now, have allowed those searching for any kind of identity, ideology, a direction, to be influenced by whoever screamed the loudest, or talked in a manner smoother than whipped cream. What Headley's reasons were is something we'll probably never know. But the core problems that have riddled our state don't seem to be going away anytime soon, no matter how much we sweep it under the carpet. The problem is that no one seems to want to talk about it. Instead, terms are tossed around [also particular favourites of the Pakistan Army's] like "national identity" and "national interest," which have been abused so often that one doesn't even know how to reclaim these terms back.
Coming back to Washington, not one week passes by where Pakistan isn't in the news. Somedays, it is more of the same: debates on aid, conditions or no conditions. Then, there is the news that makes you want to rip your hair out – the ISI allegedly telling militants about hideouts, Senators saying that Pakistan hasn't fulfilled aid requirements ergo they can't release any money, signifying that a desire to not be transparent is more important than allowing aid projects to be green lit. There is the ludicrous, which I've mentioned before: a Senator referring to people from Pakistan as "Pakistanians". And then, there is the news from back home that breaks one's heart – the daily incidents of terrorism, the reluctance of the military to cede control over anything, the utter failure of the civilian government to question, or at least attempt to question the military on anything and everything. I haven't been away from Pakistan that long and I will never write a "The Pakistan I Knew" blog post, but judging by the way things are going, I am anything but optimistic about this country's future. As I remarked to someone the other day, ab tau yeh lagta hai ke Allah Mian ne bhi iss mulk se apna haath utha liya hai.
30 days, some very long nights.
I've been in Washington, DC for exactly a month now. And one thing that you have to do if you work here is networking. Which is an art form in itself. The networking is brutal (and tiring), and after a few weeks you'll realize your spiel about what you do comes naturally to you. "Hi, my name is Huma, I work as a correspondent for Express, which is a (insert description based on who you're talking to) would love to meet you and discuss (insert issue here). Let's (insert: meet/i'll call your assistant/email). " Quickly whip out cards and exchange.
The next sound is of your brain cells dying.
But my gripes about having to do the meets and greets aside, DC is a wonderfully weird town. It is wonderful because its small and quiet, and has wonderful architecture, tree lined streets and some gorgeous sights. Everyone is friendly, and there is ample space to walk on the pavements. The food is fairly decent, and it is gorgeous in the spring.
The weird part is how everyone you meet either works for the government or a think tank or for the IMF or World Bank. As someone described it, its "like Islamabad with better restaurants and pavements". You also witness how World Bank folks > IMF ones (will never recover from the experience of dancing with an IMF geek who gave me his business card afterwards. I suspect he is perpetually in networking mode, even at 2AM). Then, there is the abundance of shiny happy people. DC folks, sometimes its okay to look like slobs, and not as if you walked straight out of the Zara store.
And then, there is the part of being away from home, and you begin yearning for the small comforts. There are at least half a dozen of us looking for a place in DC that serves halwa puri in the morning (am convinced it exists somewhere). Watching the Pakistan-India match in a crowded room at a university and realizing how desperate the Pakistanis were to cheer on something that they clapped and roared when a shot of PM Gilani came on, and after the defeat, a boy turned to me and said, "why do we always have to bear this shame?" The raised eyebrow when you hand your green passport as ID at a bar. And sometimes, just wishing you were back in your room in Karachi, sipping chai.
The Bangladesh Diaries – II
So I wrote a short piece about my visit to the Liberation War Museum for Express Tribune:
As a Pakistani schooled in a sanitised version of history, the museum makes one cringe with revulsion. Skulls and bones recovered from a killing field in Mirpur, Dhaka, stare at you from a glass cupboard. A black and white image shows vultures picking at the bodies of those left for dead. In another image, a snake is stretched out on the back of a dead body — an unknown victim of the cyclone that battered East Pakistan in 1970, and led to increased feelings of alienation amongst East Pakistanis with the slow aid response from West Pakistan. Lewd sketches of women are among the graffiti found in a Pakistan Army camp.
My tour guide turns to me, "You tell me, how can we forgive or forget this?"
You can read the entire article here. But I also recommend that you read the comment section. And after you're done banging your head against the wall at the state of some Pakistanis' perception of history and the extent of denial, please take a look at some of these photographs:
You can see the rest of the pictures from the museum here.
In retrospect, I'm not surprised that some people do think that the fall of Dhaka was due to an "Indian" or "international" conspiracy – after all, this is what they're learning in their textbooks. But one would think – and this is very important – that if one has access to the internet and can spend their time leaving comments on say, Express Tribune's website, surely they'd have time to, I don't know, Google Bangladesh? Maybe read a bit of alternative history as opposed to the one they've been subjected to? Or is that asking too much?
Speechless in Karachi
This morning I woke up, remembered Shahbaz Bhatti was dead all over again, and was quite looking forward to spending my day in a good, old fashioned funk.
Then, I saw this on a pole in Zamzama, Karachi:
I actually don't know what to say, or think. Does one laugh at and admire the creativity of this man? Do I bemoan how there are barely any avenues for men and women to interact in an environment apart from the familial or educational? Or does one just sit down and sob about what this generation is up to in their spare time? You can choose any or all of the above options, or suggest more in the comments section.
The Collaborator
"Here's the abandoned one, the left-out one, the one who must tell the story. He now goes down to check, to rummage through the pieces of those who left. He's the only one now."
Please ignore everything you're doing at the moment, let the books on your side table gather dust and instead read Mirza Waheed's novel The Collaborator. Waheed's brilliant debut novel is not just a fictional tale of a boy who lives in Kashmir, and the death of his childhood, the disappearance of his friends, or the end of life as he knows it; it is a heartbreaking tale of the death of Kashmir. Reading The Collaborator has been one of the most painful experiences of my life. With every chapter, I'd have to stop and take a break, because I couldn't take the grief anymore that hits the reader with every word of this book. At the risk of sounding like a wimp, I cried buckets of tears when I finished reading the novel, tears shed not just for the characters, albeit fictional, but for the generations of Kashmiris that have lived through decades of violence, with no end in sight.
You can buy The Collaborator on Amazon or at The Last Word if you're in Karachi, Lahore or Islamabad.


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Christmas is just around the corner, if you are finding something sweet to compliment your gift to your partner with a lil budget, FiY is recommending the couple key chain!
Each keychain sets are RM10 inclusive post express *wink wink*
Every purchase comes with a Scallop Edge Gift Box for FREE!(worth RM2.20 with dimension : 7.5cm x 8.8cm x 3.5cm)
Couple 1 - You Are Always In My Heart
Couple 2 - Our Love As Deep As The Sea
Couple 3 - We Will Be Together Forever
All Key-chain set comes with this giftbox.
Brought to you by:


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Rule 1. Continuing Legal Education Board
1.(A) There is hereby established the Arkansas Continuing Legal Education Board (hereinafter referred to as the Board). The Board shall be composed of nine voting members, appointed by the Arkansas Supreme Court, all of whom are resident members of the Bar of Arkansas. In addition, the Dean of each Arkansas law school accredited by the American Bar Association shall be an ex-officio member, without vote.
1.(B) There shall be at least one Board member from each of the four congressional districts.
1.(C) All subsequent appointments shall be made by the Arkansas Supreme Court for terms of three years. Board members may be reappointed, but may serve no more than two terms of three years. The Arkansas Supreme Court shall fill all vacancies, with the appointee to serve the remaining term, for such position, subject to reappointment in accord with this paragraph. Any Board member whose term expires shall continue in office until his successor is appointed and qualified.
1.(D) The Board shall, annually, by majority vote, elect a Chairman from among its voting members. The Director of the Office of Professional Programs for the Arkansas Supreme Court shall serve as Secretary, without a vote. Board members shall be entitled to reasonable reimbursement for expenses and such per diem compensation as the Court may from time to time direct.
1.(E) The Board shall have the following duties and responsibilities:
Exercise general supervisory authority over these rules, to include the imposition of sanctions for noncompliance with these rules, as well as the implementation and administration of these rules;
Adopt regulations consistent with these rules, to be submitted to the Arkansas Supreme Court for approval prior to their implementation;
The Board may appoint committees as may be necessary to efficiently administer these rules; however, all matters concerning sanctions for noncompliance with these rules shall be the duty and responsibility of the
In cases of extreme hardship due to mental or physical disability, the Board may approve a substitute plan by which individuals may meet the requirements of these rules; and
Such other specific grants of authority as may be set out in these rules.
1.(F) A majority of all voting Board members shall constitute a quorum.


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Massachusetts Office on Disability
You are here: Home / Disability Services
Working to Make Melrose a Safer Place
On behalf of the Melrose Police Department, I would like to thank you for visiting our brand new website. It is my honor to serve you as the Chief of Police. I take great pride in working with the dedicated men and women of our department who are protecting and serving this community.
Chief Michael L. Lyle
Melrose Police Department
Chief Michael L. Lyle
56 West Foster Street
Melrose, MA 02176
Police Business: 781-665-1212
Media Inquiries: 617-993-0003
Fax: 781-979-4213
In Case of Emergency, Dial 911


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Someone mentioned to me the other day that I've never shown Creed's room on my blog (so much for the home tour, I have yet to show you about half of our house). Creed has one of the coolest rooms in the house architecturally, and we have big plans for it, but they'll have to wait until next year while we take care of more immediate needs. I'm a little embarrassed that I've put so little effort into, but why bother for something temporary (and I must admit Ollie's room is much worse off at the moment).
Another reason that I haven't posted pictures is that with so many windows, it's really hard to take pictures in Creed's room so I hope you'll excuse the messy photos.
Welcome to Creed's room for now.Edie's Lab. They were remarkably fast, and they happen to be having a holiday sale right now).
I'm not even sure how we ended up with The Cat in the Hat wall stickers, but Creed found them in a donation pile when we moved and begged to put them up in his room, which is fine for now.
In the corner we have the bookcase that my dad built to hold bedtime stories, which we are always rotating from our bigger library, and a rocking chair to sit in during the bedtime stories. The map of the US is from a printer from our old hometown, Columbus, Ohio, These are Things and it looks like they just got in back in stock. We've had this printing sitting around for a year and I'm glad we finally found it a home. I'm pining away for a few of their other maps because they are all so cool.


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Little brothers and little sisters - PLEASE GET OUTTA MY ROOM!
Dear PLS,
I have 2 little sisters and they are always embarrassing me! Because I am 12 and growing, I wear bras and have dark hair on my legs and under my arms. They are always commenting on those things, right when the whole family is there listening, and they won't stop! PLEASE I need help to stop the most embarrassing moments of my life!
What do you guys think about this? How have you dealth with little brother and sister issues?
I recommend Pinkalicious and her parents set some rules for the little sisters. Write them down and post them somewhere, like the door of her room. Then, if they break them, her mom or dad can be the ones to deal with them. I would also set some fun time aside for the little ones. They probably love being with their big sister and if she hangs out with them some, maybe they'll be happier and less bored.
Hugs and Smiles to Hugsandsmiles who already posted this comment in response:
To Pinkalicious I thought only little brothers did that! Try talking to them and telling them that maybe they don't have to say that stuff when you're around other family members or something. My brother totally embarrasses me too. Id have mixed-feelings marine blue right now. Whatever happens keep smiling =)
Did we miss any good suggestions? Has anything worked for you? What's your most annoying or embarrassing little bro or little sis story?
Think pink!


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EAST ROCHESTER — Victims, Inc., The Joan Ellis Victim Assistance Network, will sponsor a bingo celebrating Valentine's Day & Mardi Gras, on Saturday, Feb. 9.
All Victims, Inc. bingo games are played at the VFW Hall, 43 Highland St., Route 202. The doors will open at 4 p.m. Warm up games will be played at 6 p.m. The regular games are scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. Packages will be sold for $15. The carry-over coverall will pay more than $5,000 in 49 numbers or less. The coverall in 50 numbers or more will pay a consolation prize of $499, based on jackpot balance. There will be Mardi Gras beads for everyone. Surprises, including good neighbor prizes, are planned. A full concession will be available.
Victims, Inc. is a private, non-profit agency that provides 24 hour service each day to victims of crashes, crimes and other traumatic situations. Volunteers respond to calls from police, fire and emergency medical personnel. They provide emotional support, information, referral and advocacy services.
For information about volunteering, or to reserve a seat, call Rose Woods at (603) 335-7777.


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Still looking for More…no problem - some of our customer's favorite products are nested here. Take a look at all of our innovative smart phone and tablet accessories, toys and hobbies, and weather stations and environmental monitoring devices. Want to keep the house looking tip top? Have fun using robotic and motorized cleaning products, or choose from a selection of cleaning and home maintenance products - we even have what you need for pool and spa care. Still haven't found what you're looking for, opt for some of our car and garage stuff along with a host of other products for inside and outside your home.VIEW ALL PRODUCTS >
Best Sellers


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Notice of Meeting - September 15, 2005
A regular meeting of the San Francisco Public Library Commission will be held as follows: DATE: Thursday, September 15, 2005
TIME: 4:00 p.m.
PLACE: Koret Auditorium, Main Library, lower level The meeting will be called to order. 1. PUBLIC COMMENT (This item is to allow members of the public to comment generally on matters within the Commission's purview as well as to suggest new agenda items for the Library Commission's consideration.) 2. APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES - ACTION Presentation of, discussion of, and possible action to approve the Minutes of the regular Commission meeting of August 18, 2005. Explanatory documents:
draft minutes
3. BOND PROGRAM MANAGER'S REPORT - DISCUSSION (This is a discussion item to allow the Branch Library Bond Program Manager to report on recent bond program related activities and make announcements.) This report will consist of an informational presentation: none; regular reports: program budget, schedule, and construction reports; active projects; and community outreach; and special reports: Portola and Potrero Branch Library Peer Review response. Explanatory documents:
Current Budget Report
Summary Schedules
4. BOND PROGRAM BUDGET UPDATE - ACTION Presentation of, discussion of, and possible action to revise the budget of various Branch Library Improvement Program projects to add moving costs and reflect adjustments to the BLIP Public Art Master Plan. 5. ADJOURNMENT (requires motion and public comment) - ACTION M. Housh, Secretary. 9/9/05 Explanatory documents: Copies of listed explanatory documents are available as follows: (1) from the Commission Secretary/Custodian of Records, Main Library, 6th Floor, (2) in the rear of the Koret Auditorium immediately before and during the meeting, and (3)to the extent possible, on the Library's website at http://sfpl.org/. Additional materials not listed as explanatory documents on this agenda, if any, that are distributed to the Library Commissioners prior to or during the meeting in connection with any agenda item will be available to the public for inspection and copying in accordance with Government Code Section 54954.1 and Sunshine Ordinance §§ 67.9, 67.28(b)& 67.28(d).
Full Site
Copyright © 2002-2019 San Francisco Public Library. All rights reserved.


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5 ways to become data literate in digital marketing
Understanding the technology you're using, beyond just clicking and scrolling, will give you a terrific advantage—and make you more than just a stagecoach on steel rails.
In the 1800s, during the early developmental stages of the steam locomotive, it was commonly believed that train cars would look like stagecoaches. At that time, who would have guessed that in 2013 the fastest high-speed trains would travel upward of 300 mph?
I think of digital marketing with a similar perspective. We are just beginning to understand its full potential. In a similar way as the early innovators of the steam locomotive made improvements through careful analysis and incremental technical revisions, innovative marketers must become technical and do the same.
[FREE GUIDE: 3 helpful tips for your crisis comms prep]
Here are five practical ways marketers and PR professionals can improve their technical savvy and make smarter, data-driven decisions.
1. Improve your Excel skills
Did you know that Microsoft offers free video training on Excel on its website? Whether you need to brush up on making pivot tables or you're just beginning to learn Excel, this is a great resource for sharpening your proficiency. In data analysis, proper formatting is crucial—and polishing your Excel skills will give you a competitive edge and save you time.
2. Learn to tell a compelling narrative
Learn to use data to tell a compelling story by weaving together facts, how they are connected, a hook, and a captivating purpose. Consider the audience you're addressing—novice, executive, or somewhere in between? This should greatly affect the way you frame the story. Telling a compelling narrative with data is not unlike classic storytelling: write, edit, practice, perfect.
3. Learn basic coding
Kirk McDonald, president of the ad tech company PubMatic, recently said: "If you want to survive in this economy, you'd be well advised to learn how to speak computer code." McDonald goes on to say, "Even if your dream job is in marketing or sales or another department seemingly unrelated to programming, chances are you will not get hired unless you can understand coding in at least a basic way."
Learning to code will position you for success and enable you to communicate with developers more effectively. Even if you don't plan on doing much of your own programming (which you probably will), this skill alone will greatly increase your value to your employer and prove you have the drive to pick-up new skills.
Here's where to start:
Code Academy: http://www.codeacademy.com
Khan Academy: https://www.khanacademy.org/
Team Treehouse: http://teamtreehouse.com/
4. Read developer API documentation:
What is an API? An Application Programming Interface allows for an application to extract information from a service and use that information in its own application. For example, I use an API to pull in a custom Instagram feed into my website. Custom applications of social media data and networks are becoming more and more common, but they must operate within what a given API may allow. By reading API documentation, marketers can learn what data is available for extraction and what is possible. Here are some examples of API documentations that are publically available.
Instagram: http://instagram.com/developer/endpoints/
Facebook: https://developers.facebook.com/
Twitter: https://dev.twitter.com/docs
Tumblr: http://www.tumblr.com/developers
LinkedIn: https://developer.linkedin.com/apis
5. EXTRA CREDIT: Get Your Google AdWords and Analytics certification
Thanks to Google's most recent updates, getting certified in Google AdWords is now free. (The Google Analytics certification still costs $50.) Studying for and earning a Google certification can help you learn about AdWords and Analytics. The study guides are comprehensive, easy to follow, and cover even the most detailed topics. These Google products have become essential to our work as marketers and change constantly. Staying up to date with certifications is a great way to keep current with products.
Elise Gabriel is a Los Angeles-based digital marketing professional. She is also founding partner at KGB Relations, an agency specializing in marketing, data, and Web development. She tweets at @EliseMGabriel.
(Image via)
Ragan.com Daily Headlines
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- First of all, I'm having a difficult time getting excited for this game. The Packers exited in such grim fashion I'm still finding it hard to get back into football. As much as I love the NFL, and not just the Packers, after a loss like the one to the Giants, recovery has been tough.
- This match up is weird to me. The Giants appear to be the sexy pick – Rodgers just took them too on the pregame. And based on my personal history of picking against the Giants and losing – all the time – you'd think I'd roll with the Giants too. But I can't…
- Key players today besides Brady will be Wes Welker, Danny Woodhead, Chad Ochocinco (yes, he will finally do something), Travis Beckum for the Giants and some dude from one of the teams on special teams.
- There is just something about this match up that has me thinking Tom Brady is going to go crazy. Tom Brady is very much like Aaron Rodgers. He remembers losing – and he hates losing. That last loss to the Giants in the Super Bowl by the Pats a few years ago, didn't sit well with Brady. As scary as the Giants are because they have been playing exceptionally well on all 3 units, I think the Pats will take this game – by a couple TDs.
- The big x factor in this game will be the Pats D. If they offer even slight resistance, I think the Pats will roll. But if they can't stop anything (which is entirely possible), they could lose.
- Patriots 38, Giants 24.


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Apple Roses & ChocolateTart Birthday!
Yesterday was my oldest daughter's birthday. She is beyond amazing and a constant blessing and inspiration to me. No one ever told me that children can grow up to be your best friends, but it's true and I've been twice blessed!
So, since she is so special, we made a couple of special desserts for the day. Yes, I said "we" because she loves to cook and these were just fun and look so elegant!
We had never made either of these recipes before, but boy are we glad we did! This is the first tart I've made. I recently got a set of three Wilton tart/quiche pans from Home Goods and started Googling recipes so I could try them out and...voila!
I have linked to the sites where the recipes are, underneath this picture.
|Chocolate Glazed Tart with raspberries and Apple Roses.
|Apple Roses
Hope you are enjoying this beautiful spring...summer that God is giving us! Be sure to thank Him for it too!
Please support this blog by shopping my PayPal store. God bless you!


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Pereruela Pizza Oven Kit
Handmade in Spain, these refractory domes are ideal for back yards or outdoor kitchens. Customize with stone or stucco to match your existing landscaping. Cook everything from pizza to meats and casseroles year round!
Kit Includes:
-90 cm Handmade clay dome
-Handmade clay chimney
-Solid cast iron oven door
-Stainless steel pyrometer
-Set of oven tools (brush, trowel, bread tool)
-Two handmade Pereruela clay casserole dishes


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Burbank Sunrise Kiwanis
The Burbank Sunrise Kiwanis Club has been busy this past year, especially at the Burbank Boys & Girls Club. Some of its activities included planting a garden, hosting four crazy-countries classes that members chose (Ireland, Holland, Italy and Japan), and taking groups of kids to the circus and on a wonderful fishing trip.
The highlight this year though, was sponsoring the first Division 16 K-Kids Club at that facility.
The club offers up to a four-year scholarship ($1,000 per year) to two John Burroughs High School Key Club seniors who have enrolled in college. Also, they purchase the take-home school folders for all Burbank elementary schools each year.
Donations to the music programs in both elementary and junior high have been ongoing projects. Since Burbank's Dodger Night started, the club has co-hosted this yearly event with the city. The Burbank Sunrise Kiwanis Club also assists the Salvation Army with bell-ringing and donations.
Some other very worthwhile causes that they support are Children's Miracle Network, Providence St. Joseph Cancer Center, Counseling for Kids, Kids Dental Clinic, Family Service Agency, Burbank Temporary Aid Center, the YMCA, Junior Golf at DeBell Golf Course, Boy Scouts of America and Providence High School Science Center.
All of the projects, donations and scholarships are funded by the proceeds of the club's Mayors' Cup Charity Golf Tournament, which is scheduled for April 27 at DeBell Golf Course.
The Burbank Sunrise Kiwanis meets Wednesday mornings at 7:00 a.m. at the DeBell Golf Club Clubhouse.
For more information contact Donna Anderson at (818) 238-5880 or at firstname.lastname@example.com.
Aktion Club in Action
In early December, the members of the Aktion Club went to some of the Burbank convalescent homes to say hello and give the residents best wishes for the Christmas season and the New Year. Beautiful poinsettia plants were delivered along with the good wishes of the club, who sang "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" to the residents.
During their convention at Wonder Valley last September, the Aktion Club made, as part of the convention project, a bunch of warm blankets and brought home a portion of all that were made. This December, they took them to Ascencia, a Glendale homeless shelter which also houses some of Burbank's homeless population. The donation was greatly appreciated. I am sure they will be making a whole lot more as they are really needed.
The Aktion club was really busy this holiday season. They voted to buy toys to donate to the Mexican orphanage that Councilman Dave Golonski sponsors. They bought the toys and one of the members took them to Mr. Golonski's home. They were very helpful to the firemen during the Spark of Love toy drive as they not only had a box and collected donations of toys at BCR, but they also manned the boxes during the toy drive. That same evening, Santa paid a visit to locals at the Burbank Metrolink station. All in all, it was a great December.
For more information, contact Jan Loporchio at (818) 843-0535 or at firstname.lastname@example.com.
Isabel Adams can be reached at (818) 842-7359 or at email@example.com.


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VegasDude needed a new logo design and created a contest on 99designs.
A winner was selected from 75 designs submitted by 34 freelance designers.
We need a logo for my wife to use on a business card and website in Web 2.0 style. Keep it simple, clever, and feminine for her.
Sarah Neufeld (or her initials "SN" if you prefer)
None needed
Desired Color Scheme:
Anything light and feminine
Desired Style:
Web 2.0, so simple and clever. As mentioned, keep it light and feminine. She does work on computers all day, but shouldn't get too techy.
Accepted File Formats:
Vector-based logos preferred
I had good success getting my own logo here, and my wife now wants the same for herself. We're looking for a simple Web 2.0 style logo with "Sarah Neufeld" as the title. Simple and creative is great, and you can keep it light and feminine for her. We love clever logos, and you can use either her full name, or her initials (SN) as necessary.
Find out how a design contest works or learn more about our logo design services.


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BIG BEAR LAKE, Calif. — After a shootout and a forest standoff on Tuesday afternoon, Christopher J. Dorner, the former Los Angeles police officer sought in the region's largest manhunt, was apparently killed in a cabin as it burned down around him, but officials said they needed time to sort through the rubble.
Mr. Dorner, a self-described survivalist believed to be heavily armed, had holed up in the rental cabin hours earlier and engaged deputies in a shootout, killing one deputy and wounding a second.
The dramatic chain of events, which included hostage taking and a chase in vehicles and on foot, played out in the sun-dappled, snowy San Bernardino Mountains.
It was unclear how the fire at the cabin began, but the authorities said that no one escaped the blaze and that Mr. Dorner was believed to be alone inside.
Officers, shouting orders through loudspeakers for Mr. Dorner to surrender, heard what they believed to be a single gunshot from within.
News organization widely reported that Mr. Dorner's body was found in the building, but a spokesman from the Los Angeles Police Department said on Tuesday evening that they did not have the body.
Even after officers retrieve the body, it could take days or weeks to identify it, officials said. Cindy Bachman, a spokeswoman for the San Bernardino County sheriff, said in an evening news conference, "We believe that he was still inside the cabin," but that it was not safe to enter because of the heat.
Both the suspect and the police were believed to have used smoke grenades during the shootout. The two deputies who were shot were airlifted to Loma Linda University Medical Center; the second deputy's condition was not disclosed on Tuesday evening, but he was expected to recover.
The standoff drew scores of police officers and sheriff's deputies from surrounding jurisdictions, led by the San Bernardino Sheriff-Coroner Department. The tension heightened as the day wore on, and local schools were locked down.
Law enforcement agencies ordered news helicopters to keep their distance for the protection of the officers involved. The sheriff's online feed to the department's radio scanner was shut down for the same reason. Reporters were asked to stop posting updates on Twitter.
The police believed that Mr. Dorner was monitoring the news, and Cmdr. Andrew Smith, a spokesman for the Los Angeles Police Department, addressed him directly at a news briefing on Tuesday afternoon.
"Enough is enough," Commander Smith said. "It's time to stop the bloodshed and let this incident be over."
Officers had been searching the Big Bear area since last week, when Mr. Dorner's burning truck was found on a forest road. Mr. Dorner, a former reservist in the Navy, had boasted about his sharpshooting and survival abilities.
Days ago, Mr. Dorner apparently broke into a couple's home on Club View Drive, the authorities said on Tuesday. The street is nestled beside a golf course in a community called Moonridge near Big Bear Lake. Mr. Dorner reportedly tied them up as his hostages and stayed out of sight until Tuesday afternoon.
Shortly after 12 p.m. Tuesday, the authorities received a report of a stolen white pickup truck and a description that fit Mr. Dorner's. Soon after, he was spotted driving a white 2005 Dodge pickup by an officer with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. The suspect was driving toward the officer in the opposite lane, said Andrew Hughan, a spokesman for the department. The officer recognized Mr. Dorner, stepped out of his vehicle and fired at the suspect, who returned fire. Neither was injured, Mr. Hughan said.
The officer and a colleague chased the man, who crashed the pickup, fired at them and ran into the cabin.
More officers arrived and surrounded the cabin, and more gunfire was exchanged. Mr. Dorner fired out a window of the cabin before trying to flee from the rear, throwing a smoke bomb to hide his escape, but police gunfire drove him back inside, The Los Angeles Times reported. The newspaper also reported that deputies used smoke bombs to cover their evacuation of the fallen deputies.
At the news briefing, Commander Smith said the Los Angeles Police Department had officers ready to be deployed from the San Bernardino airport, several miles from the cabin. He said the San Bernardino County sheriff had not yet asked for help from the Los Angeles force. Commander Smith would not say how many officers were at the airport because they did not want to "tip their hand" in case Mr. Dorner was watching.
The standoff came while officers investigated over 1,000 clues and tips about Mr. Dorner's whereabouts, past and present, Commander Smith said.
The standoff capped a week of sightings, shootings and false leads in the hunt for Mr. Dorner, who was dismissed from the Los Angeles Police Department in 2008 after investigators concluded that he had lied in his claim that a training officer had assaulted a homeless person.
In a 6,000-word manifesto that Mr. Dorner published on his Facebook page, he complained that he had been dismissed wrongfully. He cited racism and corruption in the department and threatened several police officials and their families.
Los Angeles police officers guarded 50 families around the clock, taking up a significant amount of department resources.
On Feb. 3, the police in Irvine, Calif., discovered the bodies of Monica Quan, 28, and her boyfriend, Keith Lawrence, 27, in their car in a parking garage near a condominium complex where they lived. Ms. Quan was the daughter of a retired Los Angeles police captain who played a role in the disciplinary process that led to Mr. Dorner's dismissal.
Last Wednesday at 10:30 p.m., the police believe, Mr. Dorner tried to hijack a boat at a marina in Point Loma, a community in San Diego. The man mentioned to the boat's captain that he intended to take the craft to Mexico. But the boat became disabled as he was trying to steal it, so he fled instead.
On Thursday at 1:45 a.m., two officers in a protection detail for one of the people threatened by name in the manifesto confronted a man they believe was Mr. Dorner near the person's home in Corona. Shots were exchanged, and one of the officers had a graze wound to his head. The gunman fled.
A short while later, two police officers in Riverside, Calif., were sitting in their patrol car at a stoplight when they were attacked by a man they believe was Mr. Dorner.
One of the officers was killed, the other injured. Again, the gunman fled.
At 5:20 the same morning, Los Angeles officers mistakenly shot and wounded two women delivering newspapers, thinking the pickup truck they were driving matched the description of the one Mr. Dorner was driving.
Late that afternoon, the police found the suspect's truck in the San Bernardino Mountains near Big Bear Lake. The hunt then focused on that area, which has only a handful of access roads.


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WASHINGTON — The number of violent crimes and property crimes reported to police rose in the first half of last year compared with the same period in 2011, with violent crime rising 1.9 percent and property crime up 1.5 percent.
The preliminary data compiled by the FBI shows that violent crime increased 0.7 percent in metropolitan counties and 0.6 percent in non-metropolitan counties. Violent crime increased in each of the nation's four regions — 3.1 percent in the West, 2.5 percent in the Midwest, 1.1 percent in the South and 1.1 percent in the Northeast.
The number of murders was down 1.7 percent and the number of rapes decreased 1.4 percent. However, robbery offenses increased 2 percent and aggravated assault was up by 2.3 percent.
There were increases in all three categories of property crime — burglary, larceny and motor vehicle theft.


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Wednesday, April 27, 2011
* Experimenting With Texture: Homemade Paint Brushes and Texture Tools!
I've noticed sets of nifty textured paint brushes at the craft store.
I've never bought a set because I'm too cheap
and I was worried their novelty would be over as soon
as we used them one time.
So, we did what any crafty and frugal family would do....
we made our own!
We made a homemade set of "texture" paint brushes
(and scrapers)
out of re-cycled/re-purposed materials.
Here are some photos of ours to get your creative brain juices flowing!
We gathered our materials:
Pipe Cleaners
(chenille stems, as Martha would say)
Rubber Bands
Craft Foam
Wooden Clothespins
Old Toothbrushes
Wooden Handles
(I saved from those little disposable foam craft brushes!)
Cardboard Scraps
Then, we got to work cutting-up and rubber-banding different
various materials to the wooden handles to make "brushes".
By cutting different designs in pieces cardboard
we could make different designs
when we scraped and dragged it through our paint.
When they get soggy and floppy, just toss them in the recycling!
(Psst.... Plastic hair combs are fun to do this with too!)
I set out blank sheets of office copy paper
and some bowls of washable craft paint
and asked "C" to show me how we should use these new tools.
Here's "C" making textures on her paper.
We used Clothespins for a few handles too!
It was fun to cut loose for an hour yesterday
and experiment with the different tools.
Think we might just do it again this afternoon!
We ended up with all kinds of pretty and funky papers.
(I see Eric Carle-inspired collage-making in our future!)
Wine corks make good circle stamps
(think: homemade dot-a-dot markers!)
Fingers make pretty neat "texture tools" too!
Happy Texture Making!
pink and green mama
Posted by pink and green mama MaryLea
Labels: Homemade Toys, Paint, Play, Preschool, Recycle Crafts, Yarn
Blog Archive
- ► 2013 (74)
- ► 2012 (164)
- * Royal Wedding Kleenex and Napkin Wedding Dress D...
- * Experimenting With Texture: Homemade Paint Brush...
- * Mommy and Me Pink and Green Mama Rainbow T-Shirt...
- * Homemade Easter Cards with Wordle
- * Easy Way To Dye Easter Eggs With Kids That Is Mo...
- * Kid's Spring Craft: Decoupage Easter Eggs With P...
- * Spring Nature Craft: Pine Cone Eggs
- * My 2011 Peep Diorama: "Vincent Van Peep's Starry...
- * Spring Nature Craft: Tiny Acorn Cap Bird Nests!
- * Preschool At Home: Spring Sensory Box
- * Wordle Fun!
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by Lesley Smith
As is expected with Blizzard events, company employees were handing out the much-prized (and instantly eBayable) Goody Bags. The swish mini backpack emblazoned with the WWI logo includes a host of loot, including an in-game pet (which we've not yet been able to redeem in Booty Bay), the Beta key, a programme, a figure from the Upper Deck miniature game, a notebook and a mousemat sporting the event's banner featuring Arthas as well as characters from Diablo and Starcraft II.
We'll let you know what the pet is as soon as Landro Longshot makes nice and starts talking about the WWI.


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Dr. Boyle is the son of Scott and Cassie Boyle of Monticello, UT and is a 2001 graduate of Monticello High School. He was supported and aided in this effort by his wife, Sarah, and their four children.
Dr. Boyle graduated from Southern Utah University with a Bachelor of Science degree in nutrition in 2009 and entered medical school at LMU.
On July 1, he began a five-year residency in radiology in Miami, FL.
Lincoln Memorial University (LMU) was chartered in 1897 as a living memorial to the 16th President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln, with the mission to serve the underserved of rural Appalachia by providing educational opportunities. A.T. Still, MD, DO, founder of osteopathic medicine, was born in Jonesville, VA, in 1828 (approximately 30 miles from the site of Lincoln Memorial University). The DeBusk College of Osteopathic Medicine at LMU was established in 2007.


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For over ten years, we've been building some of the most efficient data centers in the world. See how we do it and how other data center operators can increase efficiency as well.
Renewable energy
Through long-term contracts with renewable energy producers, we're investing in a future of cleaner energy for all. Read more on how purchasing clean energy makes good business sense.
Inside look
Step inside our data centers like never before. Learn more about our locations, see how we keep your data safe and secure, and explore on your own in our photo gallery and Street View.


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Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) are handheld devices with features such as calendar, notes, and so on.
The first PDA was introduced by Apple Inc. with the release of the Newton in 1993. The CEO at Apple at the time, John Sculley, coined the device a "Personal Digital Assistent" at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. He claimed that PDAs would become "ubiquitous tools that would hold telephone numbers, keep your calendar, store notes, plus send and receive data wirelessly". While the Newton could not do all that he predicted at the time, his claim would ultimately become a reality many years later.
While the Apple Newton went practically unnoticed in the consumer market, the introduction of the Palm Pilot by Palm, Inc. in 1996 started the popularity of the PDA. The device was a highly effective method of information management because one could store calendars, to-do lists, notes, and address book all in one simple handheld.
With the advent of faster processors and better displays, PDAs gained more features, such as improved handwriting recognition, music and video playback, and Bluetooth and WiFi capabilities. Palm OS's stronghold in the PDA operating system arena was challenged by the release of alternative PDA OSs such as Symbian, Windows CE, Microsoft Windows Mobile, and Linux. New devices, such as Research in Motion's BlackBerry, redefined the way that individuals stayed in touch with one another. The proliferation of cell phones into the majority of households around the world has also created the Smartphone, which integrates the traditional functionality of phones and PDAs into one device.


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Please provide comments to the issue below as part of the 2012 WCB cost model virtual workshop for inclusion in the record. Comments are moderated for conformity to the workshop's guidelines.
The Bureau believes most of the hardware necessary in each wire center is captured by the requirements for voice or inter-office transport.
Hybrid Cost Proxy Model: The HCPM envisions a network that requires a circuit switch for voice calls, digital loop carriers (DLCs), and serving area interfaces (SAIs). The HCPM also includes the costs associated with the main distribution frame (MDF), the purchase and installation of power equipment costs, and appropriate engineering costs.
CQBAT: The CQBAT model includes costs for an all-IP network, including routers, Ethernet switches, and rack space, in addition to costs for buildings, land, and power. For fiber-to-the-premises (FTTP) configurations, the cost of optical line terminators (OLTs) is also included.
Questions for Comment
- If we adopt a green-field model, the Bureau proposes to use the CQBAT cost categories. Is there any reason to deviate from CQBAT's approach? Are there other categories that should be added, or some categories that should not be included in a forward-looking cost model?
- If we adopt a brown-field model, what costs should be removed or added?
- Federal-State Joint Board on Universal Service, Forward-Looking Mechanism for High Cost Support for Non-Rural LECs, CC Docket Nos. 96-45, 97-160, Tenth Report and Order, 14 FCC Rcd 20156, 20165, 20279-80, paras. 13, 291 (1999) (Inputs Order).


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Ilford Limited Warship Week.
- Description:
- During the World War II, the British government encouraged public to buy War Bombs to pay for the cost of the War. These savings' cerificates were promoted by various civic events including Warship Weeks. At these events local firms e.g. Ilford Limited had decorated displays.In this case local female workers shown adveryising Selo films. The money raised during Warship Week was in theory to pay for a newly built warship which was adopted by the Local Authority. During WW II Ilford Borough raised enough money to for a Royal Navy destroyer, H.M.S URCHIN. This ship fought througout WW II , survived till 1964 when she was scrapped.
- ID no:
- Copyright:
- Redbridge Local Studies
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Social Bookmarking
Social Bookmarking allows users to save and categorise a personal collection of bookmarks and share them with others. This is different to using your own browser bookmarks which are available using the menus within your web browser. Use the links below to share this article on the social bookmarking site of your choice. Read more about social bookmarking at Wikipedia - Social Bookmarking.


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Monthly Archives: November 2012
UCB Roundtable Question: Patrolling the Grass
Below is my question to the group for this installment of the United Cardinal Bloggers' Roundtable. Follow the links posted here for some great writing on the St. Louis Cardinals from a fan perspective. Also, visit the UCB website for links to previous Roundtable questions, and check back often because there's plenty more to come…the Roundtable goes all month! And if you have any thoughts about this question, by all means share them in the comments section below. Now, on with the show…
Patrolling the Grass
No, this is not about Colorado's new hobby. We've already had some great roundtable questions, and a couple of them led me to start thinking about the Cardinals' outfield. Yes, things are pretty set for 2013–but a lot figures to happen next season that influences what the squad looks like beyond that. So I'm asking you to give me the St. Louis Cardinals' 2014 Opening Day outfield–starters and backups, if you think the bench guys are already on the roster–and any corresponding moves you think the team will make prior to 2014 to make it happen.
"I would suspect Carlos Beltran won't be resigned for 2014. That immediately means at least one change, in right. Who replaces him might depend on whether Allen Craig stays with the team and whether he can fend off more injuries. The other prediction I think can safely be made is that Oscar Taveras is seen at the major league level in 2013, and is ready for continuous duty in 2014. Who that displaces remains a bit of a mystery. If Jon Jay can avoid being trade bait, then he's more than likely just excellent pop off the bench at first. I wouldn't expect him to remain in that role for long, he's too hot with the bat. Unfortunately, that means the inevitable: At least one trade in the OF in 2014. It would seem like Jay might be the casualty." –Wes, Keene on MLB
"I'm taking Holliday in LF, Jay in CF, and Taveras in RF for the starters. Beltran and Schumaker are likely gone to help make room, and maybe the winner in the cage match between Chambers and Robinson stay as the true 4th outfielder. It seems like Allen Craig could see more OF time than either of those guys, but someone besides Garcia has to pinch run when Matheny goes with the double switch to take a big hitter out of the lineup in the 6th inning." –Dennis, Pitchers Hit Eighth
"Holliday, Jon Jay, and Oscar Taveras. If Oscar is as good as they say he is, Carlos Beltran will not be resigned. It's possible that Jay gets shifted from center to RF. Skip is signed through the end of 2013. Unless he gets traded, and I doubt he will be, next season will probably be his final year in a Cardinal uniform, even though he turns 33 in February." –Daniel S., Redbird Rants
"One scenario no one has talked about with Beltran is him sliding to first base in 2014 if he's still a 30/90 guy in 2013. Craig could man a corner OF spot, and Taveras spot start for him and Jay to get some quality MLB playing time. If Taveras truly is a Pujols-esque talent (as Mo referred to him as) then the team can save money, let Beltran go, and slide Taveras into RF everyday in 2014.
I see a Jonny Gomes type as a reserve bench player in 2014, as well as Adron Chambers." -Chris M., Birds on the Bat '82
"I'm going with the majority of a Holliday-Jay-Tavares outfield in 2014. Beltran will not be resigned, I believe Craig will not be a Cardinal by 2014 and Skippy is gone. Shane Robinson and Chambers will both find some playing time and be on the squad.
I don't think Jay moves from center. Tavares has played center, and done so fairly well, but he is now and always has been projected as a corner outfielder. Shane and Chambers are good enough to be extra outfielders, though I could see the Cards picking up a free agent or trade.
Speaking of outfileders who could play first, Jason Bay, anyone? :)" -Bill, I-70 Baseball
"I believe 2014 finds Holliday-Taveras-Ramsey.
Jay will be traded and Beltran gone. The Cardinals ETA for James Ramsey is 2014 and I believe that is where he will be and likely a lead-off hitter." -Tom, Cardinals GM
"2014 Outfield, that's a leap and a bounds considering the health
history of this club combined with the developmental strides the org
is taking, but I'll play ball on this one:
Holliday is locked in, for numerous reasons. Oscar Tavares will be the
starting right fielder, by '14 at the very, very latest (upset call at
some point in 2013 for me…but that's a later convo).
Jay, I'm not as certain of. He became a nice defensive surprise in
2012, but there's a lot about his approach out there that needs work.
The highlights were there, but the arm is still trash and his set in
the lineup is still is a man out of place at the top of it. This is a
team that needs to get faster, especially in the style that Matheny
employs, and that along with shortstop, are the easiest places to do
so. I don't say any of this to rag on Jay, but I think he's the answer
to a different question…
Fourth/Fifth outfielder. He's perfect there by profile, and I don't
have any beefs with having a solid defender that can play all three
outfield spots and be a singles hitter coming off the pine. I will use
this to completely rag over the entire organization if Shane Robinson
and/or Adron Chambers are long term fixtures here. They're better than
that, and at least one of them should be replaced by a veteran
right-handed hitter THIS winter.
By 2014, I'm hoping for some speed, or at least an extra base hits
threat in center by then, along with a higher talent base, or better
youngster as OF outfield mix by then." –Matt, Cheap Seats Please
"Most everyone has hit on it, and I agree that Holliday-Jay-Taveras seems the most likely, though I have some reservations about Jay still being here at that time. I'm not sure why he wouldn't be or where he wouldn't have gone, but I just wouldn't be shocked if that's the case.
You'll likely have one of Robinson or Chambers as a backup then, but not both. Perhaps a one-year deal of a veteran as another backup." -Daniel, C70 At The Bat
"Holliday for sure and unless Taveras stops being awesome he's in as well. As far as the 3rd spot Jon Jay is definitely the front runner to complete the trio. I, like a lot of folks keep waiting for Jon Jay to slide comfortably into that 4th outfielder role that's had his name on it for the last few seasons but he continues to resist. Some of our topics leading up to today's question could obviously factor into this with trades, available free agents, etc. but I would still go with these 3 with Adron Chambers coming off the bench. I'm not as sold on Shane Robinson still being in the mix in 2014 but I won't even take a stab as to who else would be in the mix." -Dustin, Welcome to Baseball Heaven
"Awesome question, Chris. This makes us think about a number of dominoes falling
properly. I love it.
The two corner positions are easy, it is Matt Holliday and Oscar Taveras. Sure,
there are plenty of questions, but for projection purposes, Holliday is likely
to still be awesome at the plate and serviceable in the field, and Taveras will
be the 2014 Rookie of the Year and winner of the Vlad Guerrero swing like a
maniac and hit the ball a mile contest.
Center field is where things get fun. I will go out on a limb here and give
that spot to Adron Chambers. I think he is that spark that is missing from the
every day lineup. His defensive skills are improving (showed of a pretty
impressive arm) and he could be a terror on the bases, with some coaching from
Lou Brock or Ozzie Smith.
So, the outfield bench – that's where things get tough.
Schumaker and Jay are both gone. Tommy Pham is still on the minor league
disabled list. That is a joke – the poor kid has had a rough time. Chris
Swauger will be my dark horse for the outfield bench spot. He will hit just
enough in Memphis next year to get a shot at the bench in 2014. With that much
youth, I could see the Cardinals opting for a free agent as the final spot over
Shane Robinson. Somebody like a Preston Wilson.
A good question, lots to think about." -Bob, On the Outside Corner
"In 2014, the starting outfield will be Matt Holliday in left, Jon jay in center and Oscar Taveras in right.
Backing up that group will be Mike O'Neill (after another top-notch season in the Cardinals' system in 2013), Matt Carpenter and Ryan Jackson (converted from infield to outfield as Kolten Wong starts at second and Asdrubal Cabrera starts at short)." -Mark, Retro Simba
"I really wish I had some sort of bizarre diversion from the most well-traveled path, something like Ken Griffey Jr. receiving cyborg transplants and playing center, but I sure don't. I'd assume that 18 months from now we'll see Holliday, Jay, and Taveras; that's a good thing, though! Holliday is one of the better players in baseball, Jay has found ways to blend defense and sneaky on-base ability, and Taveras loves making baseballs hurt.
As for the reserves, I sure hope they're sexier than the current choices. Adron Chambers has speed and minor league OBP success on his side, and Shane Robinson has a nice enough glove, but there certainly isn't any thump. An injury to a starting outfield member in 2014 could be deadly without change. Perhaps we should get on that cyborg Griffey thing." -Brian, StanGraphs
"I'm with the hivemind. Holliday, Jay, Taveras. Beltran will not be re-signed to play outfield or otherwise. I am also hopeful that Mo can pick some low hanging fruit to back up the outfield, or someone breaks out. I am not comfortable with Adron Chambers or Shane Robinson as a starting outfielder in any prolonged capacity." -Nick, Pitchers Hit Eighth
"Late to the party, but it's hard to disagree with Holliday in LF, & Tavares in RF. Jay is obviously a solid plus defender, but his home/road splits remind me of Jamie Garcia. If Jay is to remain, he'll need to improve in some of the road numbers & spend more time getting on base in ballparks not named Busch Stadium. I'm not saying he's out, or won't/can't be the everyday CF on this team for the next few/several years. But when I look at the 3 spots, I think we can all agree that the contract keeps MH in LF, the club is going to find a way to get Tavares' bat in the lineup and RF is probably how, but Jay might not be such a solid lock. Maybe. Who knows. Maybe he will. Just a thought." -Dathan, Cards Tied For First
Well, there you have it. Honestly, I wasn't sure how varied the answers would be but I thought it a pertinent question based on Matt Holliday's long contract, Carlos Beltran's short contract, and the Cards' significant depth when it comes to outfielders. The members of the UCB rarely disappoint, however, and today was no exception. They gave me a lot of similar answers and a lot of different ones. Can't ask for much more out of a roundtable discussion.
My thoughts about the 2014 are somewhat incomplete. I like what Jon Jay has done with the glove in centerfield, but his arm is not that of a centerfielder. Matt Holliday also has a wet noodle attached to his shoulder. If Oscar Taveras does indeed have a cannon and can patrol center close to the way Jay does, I'm fine with the Cards moving Jay. And I don't necessarily mean to right field—l mean, moving him to the bench or trading him, because Taveras is on the team by 2014 regardless. But you also want a strong arm in right field to gun down those fools who think they can go first-to-third. Does Allen Craig have that arm? Does Matt Carpenter? It's hard to say. As for the fourth and fifth outfielders, I like Adron Chambers because of his speed and I like that Shane Robinson can play center. If they could morph into one guy—and that guy learned how to hit—he'd be a great weapon off the bench. But that's not the case. I'd like to see Chambers continue to develop and I'd like another outfielder to be picked up via free agency. It doesn't have to be a solid glove guy, either. But the Cardinals' bench is woefully inadequate from the right side. They need a presence that will keep the other manager wondering when Mike Matheny will stick him in to pinch hit—kind of like Carpenter. They currently do not have that on the right side. That is how they need to find their fourth outfielder.
–Chris @birdbrained
It's UCB Roundtable Time!
This is always a favorite of mine. The members of the United Cardinal Bloggers—which I am—get together (virtually) to have a roundtable discussion on the state of the St. Louis Cardinals and, sometimes, baseball in general. Today it was my day to ask a question, but this has been going on for over a week now. For a complete list of participating blogs and their questions and answers, hop over to the UCB website. Tomorrow I'll be posting the question I posed to the group along with all the answers I receive. I encourage you to participate as well in the comments section after the post. Leave your own thoughts, comment on what someone else wrote—whatever you want, as long as you keep it civil. I know what you're thinking: What's the question? Well, you'll have to come back here tomorrow to find out.
OK, I guess I can give you a hint so you can prep a little: Outfield.
–Chris (@birdbrained)


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AUBURN, Ala. (AP) Kyle Wiltjer scored 17 points for the second straight game and Kentucky held Auburn without a 3-pointer in a 75-53 victory on Saturday night.
The Wildcats (12-5, 3-1 Southeastern Conference) turned a five-point halftime game into a rout for their 14th consecutive win over the Tigers (8-9, 2-2) and 28th in 29 meetings.
Kentucky made 18 of 27 shots (67 percent) in its second straight hot-shooting performance after halftime.
The Tigers missed all 15 3-point attempts, making it only the third time they've been held without a 3. It was the first since going 0 for 14 at Mississippi on March 1, 1997.
Nerlens Noel made sure things weren't much easier inside. Noel had 10 points, nine rebounds and seven blocks
Archie Goodwin had 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting and Ryan Harrow and Alex Poythress also scored a dozen.
The Wildcats had shot 65 percent after the half against Tennessee.


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Posy Strip Pillow Tutorial ~ Bernina's We All Sew Blog
Just popping in quickly today to let you know that my latest tutorial for Bernina USA's We All Sew blog is up on their site! New pillows are a great way to refresh a space, right? I made the Posy Strip Pillow with Robert Kaufman Essex linen, Liberty of London Tana Lawn prints from DuckaDilly Fabrics, Aurifil thread and a handful of beautiful decorative stitches from my Bernina 750QE.
I hope you will head over to Bernina's We All Sew blog to check it out. In the tutorial, I also link to an awesome video that shows how to install an invisible zipper with Bernina's invisible zipper foot (#35) - LOVE that thing!


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NetworkManager att login
Just got Kubuntu installed on my laptop. It's not bad but the panel locks up when I login to ATT wifi at Starbucks until I goto a browser and submit their online agreement. This behavior is a bit annoying so decided to try to automate the form submission with WWW::Mechanize. The script is very simple but seems to work so I decided to post it here for anyone else with similar issues.
Comments welcome.


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"Green Economics": Turning Mainstream Thinking on Its Head
A few years ago, a homeowner in Las Vegas—a place that gets maybe five inches of rainfall a year—was confronted by a water district inspector for running an illegal sprinkler in the middle of the day. The man became very angry. He said, "You people and all your stupid rules—you're trying to turn this place into a desert!"
Ideas about how the world works that don't accord with reality can be unhelpful. That's especially true about mainstream economics, which is based in part on ideas that made a lot of sense at some point in the last 250 years but that have outlived their time and usefulness. These ideas—such as the reliance on GDP as the key index of general wellbeing—still dominate assumptions and thinking about economic matters in the media, governments, businesses, and popular consciousness.
But in recent decades, economics theoreticians and researchers have suggested a variety of reforms that would make economics truer, greener, and more sustainable. My colleague Gary Gardner and I describe seven of these in Chapter 1 of the Worldwatch Institute's latest report, State of the World 2008: Innovations for a Sustainable Economy:
1) Scale. How big is the global economy relative to the global ecosystem? This is crucial, because the economy resides totally inside the global ecosystem—the ecosystem gives the economy a place to operate, supplies all of its raw materials, and supports it with many critical services. In physical terms, economic activity is basically converting bits and pieces of the ecosystem to human uses: trees and forests into lumber and houses, grasslands and other habitats into farms to feed the billions of humans, and so on.
We've gotten really good at economic growth. Since Adam Smith's time, the number of people in the world has exploded from about 1 billion to nearly 7 billion. And in the last 200 years, Gross World Product has risen by nearly a factor of 60. The ecosystem has suffered as a result, hence the headlines we see every day: climate change, species extinctions, dwindling rainforests, water shortages, and all the rest.
Piecemeal, we're starting to get the message about the economy's scale. For instance, we know that there's too much carbon floating around for the system to handle benignly. Last year, more than 90 major corporations, including General Electric, Volvo, and Air France, called on governments to set goals for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and the European Union has set up a carbon cap-and-trade system.
Waste minimization is another way to reduce scale. Every year we dig up and process more than half a trillion tons of raw materials—and six months later more than 99 percent of it is waste. That can be fixed too: Ray Anderson's Interface carpet company is a leader in this area, reducing manufacturing waste by 70 percent since the mid-1990s and saving over $300 million while doing it.
2) Stress development over growth. That is, make the economy better at satisfying human needs, not simply bigger.
This is partly about eco-efficiency. It's now cost-effective to boost resource efficiency by at least a factor of four—and possibly by a factor of 20. And given the need for billions of people to grow their way out of dire poverty, we have to pursue these gains.
But it's also about asking the question, what is an economy is really for? Not only can the global economy not keep growing forever, growth isn't even working for many of us in wealthy nations anymore: U.S. per-capita income has tripled since 1950, for instance, but the share of Americans who say they're very happy has dropped over the last 30 years. Studies in hedonic psychology reveal that higher incomes only improve life satisfaction up to a point. The research also says that the more materialistic people are, the lower levels of happiness they report. And it says that there appears to be a correlation between rising consumption and the erosion of the things that do make people happy, especially social relationships, family life, and a sense of community.
In response, a lot of people are rejecting the competition and get-ahead mentality of consumerism. They're downshifting and pursuing voluntary simplicity all over the globe, and they're taking collective action via campaigns for healthy eating, work leave for new parents, and shortened workweeks. The governments of Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom have made wellbeing a national policy goal, and there is a lot of interest in indicators that measure wellbeing more directly than GNP.
3) Make prices tell the ecological truth. Cheating a bit here—this isn't really a conceptual reform. Every economist knows that markets fail when prices don't reflect actual costs. The reform would be actually applying this rule to the ecosystem. For instance, climate change is arguably the result of failing to charge for dumping carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Another example is human-caused species extinction. We're basically dismantling our life-support machinery, and by and large until recently nobody paid for it. Fortunately, governments and business are beginning to experiment with carbon markets, water pricing mechanisms, and conservation banking. Carbon market trading was worth $59 billion in 2007, and there are now several hundred wetlands and species banks in the United States alone.
4) Account for nature's services.This is closely related to #3. In the United States, the pollination performed by honeybees is worth about $19 billion per year. There's also air and water purification, soil generation, pest control, seed dispersal, and nutrient recycling, among the many other services that nature provides. Tearing up ecosystems undermines these services, so some countries have begun trying to value them properly. Costa Rica, for example, pays landowners to preserve forests and their biodiversity, with the money coming from fuel taxes and sale of environmental credits to businesses. Mexico and Victoria, Australia, have also set up systems to assign values to formerly free services.
5) The precautionary principle. This is just the age-old wisdom of "first, do no harm" and "look before you leap," but applied to public policy toward new products (like chemicals) and technologies that could pose serious risk. Ordinary risk analysis asks, "How much environmental damage will be allowed?" But the precautionary principle asks, "How little damage is possible?" Today we're seeing the principle adopted more and more widely. The Maastricht Treaty that created the European Union in 1991 puts the principle at the center of its environmental policy, and San Francisco made precaution official policy in 2003.
6) Commons management. People generally believe that there are only two workable regimes for managing resources: private property or government control. But commons management regimes are a third way, one that taps the strong human impulse toward cooperation and the common good. Commons management has proven itself over centuries of experience—there are collectively managed irrigation systems in Spain that were begun in the 15th century, for instance, and other commonly managed forests and pastures in Switzerland, Japan, the Philippines, and Indonesia that are centuries old. Commons management lives and thrives today in such things as Wikipedia, community gardens, and farmers markets everywhere. The writer and entrepreneur Peter Barnes has suggested that the atmosphere, which everyone ought to own, could be successfully managed and protected via a commons regime. Ocean fisheries might be as well.
7) Value women. Economic systems ought to be gender-blind but they're not. A UN report in the 1990s noted that "most poor people are women, and most women are poor." All over the world, women earn less than men for equivalent work, they lack access to land and credit, and they do more than their share of child- and elder care, volunteer work, and other unpaid labor. There is evidence that this gender bias actually suppresses economic activity. In response, a few governments in industrial countries are trying to develop policies that take unpaid work into account. Muhammad Yunus's Grameen Bank in Bangladesh is using the terms of its loans to help to ensure that wives are legally entitled to their share of a couple's assets. And the microfinance movement appears to have given millions of women a valuable economic boost.
These seven ideas are hardly the only changes brewing in economics, but the innovations described in State of the World 2008 can generally be traced to one or more of them. Hopefully, they are on the way to transforming economics from "the dismal science" into more of a delightful one—or, to paraphrase E.F. Schumacher, into an economics as if people and the planet mattered.
Tom Prugh is editor of the Worldwatch Institute's bimonthly magazine, World Watch, and co-director, with Gary Gardner, of State of the World 2008.