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Santa Clara, CA (SportsNetwork.com) - What a difference a few years make.
Colin Kaepernick, a backup two seasons ago, now has the money to prove he's developed into one of the NFL's top quarterbacks.
The San Francisco 49ers made Kaepernick their franchise quarterback Wednesday, signing him to a six-year contract extension through the 2020 season.
The deal will pay Kaepernick up to $126 million, with $61 million guaranteed, according to NFL.com. The final year of his rookie contract was to pay him less than $1 million.
"Colin's hard work and dedication have played an integral role in the recent success of the 49ers organization," said general manager Trent Baalke. "His work ethic, leadership and on-field production have positively influenced our team, and we look forward to his continued growth in all areas.
"Our organization always looks to reward our players for their contributions and commitment to the team."
Last season, Kaepernick set career highs in completions (243), passing yards (3,197) and passing touchdowns (21), while also recording 92 rushing attempts for 524 yards and four touchdowns. It was his first full season as a starter.
He led the 49ers to a 12-4 record and a berth in a third straight NFC title game.
In 2012, Kaepernick played in 13 regular-season games (seven starts) and threw for 1,814 yards with 10 touchdowns and three interceptions. He carried the ball 63 times for 415 yards and five scores.
Kaepernick then earned national attention in his first career playoff start by setting the NFL single-game rushing record by a quarterback with 181 yards against Green Bay in the divisional round. The 49ers eventually lost to the Ravens in Super Bowl XLVII.
"I'm trying to win as many Super Bowls as I can," Kaepernick said. "That's not necessarily realistic to win it every single year, but that's what your goal is."
Picked in the second round of the 2011 NFL Draft by San Francisco, Kaepernick has played in 32 games (23 starts), completing 382-of-639 passes for 5,046 yards, 31 touchdowns and 11 interceptions.


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Today we celebrate our nation�s 238th birthday. The United States has endured troubled beginnings, civil wars and economic disasters.
This endurance stands in contrast to the newly created democracy of Iraq, which, after only a few years of existence, appears poised to fall back into anarchy. Perhaps what is more important is that we have been able to keep our Republic alive for 238 years. History proves that freedom is much easier to achieve than to keep.
Freedom requires vigilance. It is appropriate, therefore, that as we celebrate our freedom we ask whether we are still truly �the land of the free.�
Unfortunately, the answer is complicated. We have our constitutionally guaranteed rights. The U.S. and Illinois constitutions, however, are only as strong as the public officials who defend them. When governments are corrupt, constitutional protections become meaningless.
Public corruption is taking its toll on our collective psyche. For the first time that I can recall, we see poll results indicating people believe their children will have a lower quality of life than they do. A few months ago, Gallup reported that only 28 percent of Illinoisans trust their state government. Another poll reported that 50 percent of residents want to leave Illinois but are unable to do so.
Are we really free when a political class recklessly creates debt that our children will struggle to repay? Are we really free when our state government, which we say we don�t trust, blatantly breaks its promises and ignores provisions of the Illinois Constitution? And are we really free when we live under state and local governments that we acknowledge are among the most corrupt in the nation?
I am running for Illinois attorney general. While I can�t make budget choices for Illinois, I can control the priorities of the attorney general�s office. I believe public corruption is the No. 1 threat facing Illinois.
I am a first-time candidate. I was not recruited by the Republican Party to run for office. I don�t have years in Springfield, and I haven�t spent my adult life promoting one political party.
Instead, I�ve served our country as an infantry officer and a prosecutor in the U.S. Marine Corps. Military service teaches you two things: how to work with others across the political and social spectrum and how to prioritize. Both attributes are necessary to revitalize the office of the attorney general.
I admit I�ve been brainwashed by the Marine Corps. I believe freedom is not free and we all have a duty to serve. I believe freedom requires an attorney general with a prosecutor�s mentality � not a politician�s.
If we are to maintain our freedom for another 238 years, we must elect public officials who have the ability and independence to defend our constitutional rights and lead the fight against corruption.
Paul Schimpf is the Republican candidate for Illinois attorney general. He served more than 20 years as an infantry officer and a lawyer in the U.S. Marine Corps. He lives in Waterloo.

subset: commoncrawl


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Pet Sitting & Drop In Visits in Denton, GA
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Results 1 to 1 of 1
#1 Greenies are Howling in the Streets : EPA delays Global Warming Rules Again
- Join Date
- Aug 2005
- Posts
- 22,891
For the second time in four months the Environmental Protection Agency has confirmed that they will again delay the release of their much anticipated global warming regulations.
An EPA spokeswoman told National Journal Thursday that the EPA will not issue caps on greenhouse gas emissions pursuant to the Clean Air Act by their latest September 30th deadline....
The EPA had originally promised the environmental activist groups suing the federal government that they would issue global warming regulations by July 26th.
The EPA's latest retreat on climate change regulation comes almost two weeks after President Obama ordered EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson to rescind her ozone rules. ....
Analysts expect the EPA's global warming regulations to cost more than $100 billion annually.
|« Previous Thread | Next Thread »


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|2012-11-05, 16:34
|Link #361
Staring into your soul.
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: At the darkness beyond time.
this anime is just fantastic, character are engaging and interesting and it have the perfect balance between comedy and drama, wich in both is doing a good job, the character design, the music, the voice actors, everything is just wonderful, i have a blast with every minute of each episode.
|2012-11-05, 17:57
|Link #363
Spherical Cow
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: In a vacuum
Age: 29
|2012-11-05, 20:57
|Link #364
Join Date: May 2007
Location: gs series
Age: 28
well give bit like hmm yea class rep glasses girl slowing falling for haru but give bit shy, no friends, & see shizuku as a challenge for haru.
then even all doing ask if haru got balls everyone go white bit shy overload kana-hana.
look at bit shizuku's past oh library with shizuku & haru give saying she more into her study than date & etc with add in wonder how did laptop comp girl even got into high school?
|2012-11-05, 21:01
|Link #365
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2006
Natsume's voice acting is so strong sounding lol, overpowering everyone whenever she talks. For some reason I really liked her "yay pachi pachi" line when they were clapping to help the class rep in the library.
And that's saying something since most of the characters voices are pretty strong and clear as well.
The last scene with Mizutani & Haru was interesting. Didn't expect her to go back on the attraction to Haru like that. And its actually pretty realistic.
|2012-11-05, 22:11
|Link #366
Seishu's Ace
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Kobe, Japan
Sasayan expresses his surprise that Haru and Shizuku still haven't sealed the deal, because they're both so honest. And they are in some ways – in his case expressed in a complete lack of tact, and in hers the way she always tells him exactly why she does what she does – but they both have aspects of themselves they're running away from. My sense is that so far, it's mostly a question of bad timing – Shizuku and Haru have each been ready to go to the next stage, but never at the same time (and how realistic that is, even for teens). Of course unless that changed sooner or later one of them is going to move on, and it seems Haru is the more likely – he's already got another girl seriously in love with him, and a class full of girls admiring him from afar.
Haru and Shizuku are both interesting characters, and their relationship is complicated and original. They each have their own reasons for putting romance on the back burner. In his case, it was fear that he wasn't ready for a mature response to the "I love you" moment, which caused a temporary retreat (he's already "run away when the moment comes" though not in the way his brother meant it). In her case, she doesn't like the way her feelings for Haru distract her from what's always been her singular purpose – over-achieving for its own sake. For Shizuku studying is a crutch, and it's one she leans on whenever things get a little confusing. Haru, for his part, was I suspect speaking from experience when he cautioned Oshima about the dangers of expectations – I believe more strongly than ever that one reason he fled home is that his father actually preferred him and placed huge expectations on him.
I must say, though, that the supporting threads are at least as interesting. I'm intrigued by Shizuku's family – there's some stuff going on under the surface that's only being teased so far. Mom is and apparently always has been mostly absent, Little Brother is only shown sleeping or in dim half-awake visions – or shouting one word from off camera – and Dad seems tasked with the burden of raising the family himself. I sense that Shizuku's obsession with over-achieving comes as a direct result of this odd family life and trying to gain the attention of a mother who's never around – and one might guess she had to act as a mother to Takaya in his mother's absence – and we've only skimmed the surface of this particular part of the story.
And then there's Sasayan and Asako. While I always find myself craving more screen time for these two, I also find myself wondering just why the heck neither one of them has initiated a romantic play towards the other. They've clearly settled into the same orbit around the main pair, and they seem like an ideal match – though admittedly, Sasayan probably has some emotional baggage that hasn't been explored on-screen and Asako certainly has some that has. "Natural" is the word I'd ascribe to the pair that makes each appearance so delightful – they're easy and fun to watch, consistently funny without trying too hard (Sasayan even less hard than Asako) and it feels natural that they should make a go of it as a couple. Later days, perhaps.
|2012-11-05, 23:14
|Link #367
Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2007
For Natsume's first role, she's doing a fantastic job. Certainly hope her career blossoms.
As much as I like the main 2, I do hope the secondary characters get a larger role as I really like them. I am worried with these series being so short they won't get that focus.
|2012-11-06, 08:04
|Link #368
Junior Member
Join Date: Aug 2012
|2012-11-06, 09:32
|Link #369
Graphic Designer
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Vancouver, British Columbia
Age: 26
Hanazawa Kana seriously voices the best characters.
This series keeps surprising me with how great it is. It wasn't one I was intending to watch at first, but it's turning out to be one of my favourites this season.
|2012-11-06, 11:16
|Link #370
Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2011
Shizuku was all weird this time.
Guess she was torn between love and studying.
She did help Haru get accepted by others, but it sorta backfired with his popularity.
Oshima was totally crushing on Haru, but he's too much of an airhead to notice.
Haru's totally into Shizuku, that's just too obvious..
She kinda ruined everything when she told him she doesn't feel it anymore.
|2012-11-06, 14:57
|Link #371
Yuuki Aoi
Join Date: Jul 2004
But it also appears that she may have already been active in ero-games, mainly as "Kiritani Hana 桐谷華." Various sites and blog and forum posts suggest this, and one site says she had three ero-game roles in 2009, eight in 2010, twelve in 2011, and 21 this year, with three more slated for next year. This makes sense to me, since she is clearly both talented and skilled.
One indication that it is true is the fact that in the cast lists for the ero-game and drama CD of a show called Aiyoku no Yuustia, "Kiritani Hana" plays a role called Lavria in the game, and Tanezaki Atsumi plays her on the drama CD. All the other roles I checked on a seiyuu pseudonym site were played by the same seiyuu under different names, too (including Nanjou Yoshino, who is said there to have played roles in 65 different ero-games...naruhodo).
|2012-11-06, 15:04
|Link #372
reading #hikaributts
Join Date: Feb 2009
Her skills in voicing characters (especially for comedy like exagerated reactions or as tsukkomi characters) is top notch and i was already a fan of her work since last year.
|2012-11-06, 15:31
|Link #373
Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2007
Well I am happy she is getting an opportunity outside of ero games. I know a lot of seiyuu might start that way so it is good she can expand herself. Natsume is a very fun character.
|2012-11-06, 17:17
|Link #374
Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2005
Enjoyable episode, they're pretty much adapting chapter for chapter here. A little concerned about how they're going to end and if they go chapter by chapter, the series will end around chapter 15~ which is an odd place to stop at. C'mon second season!
On the subject of Natsume, thanks to the VA, I pretty much prefer Natsume's anime counterpart a lot more than her manga self. She really brings out her character and it'll be a damned shame if they don't get to the juicy parts, I'd love to see how she'd interpret them.
And what with the vomiting and "please don't like me" parts, it's evident that Natsume hasn't bothered with relationships at all because she seems to have issues with guys in general. Sasayan is still a complete mystery. Time to start keeping track of how many times we see Asako and Sasayan together, .
|2012-11-06, 17:45
|Link #375
Spherical Cow
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: In a vacuum
Age: 29
|2012-11-07, 02:47
|Link #376
Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2007
Age: 29
So, while I enjoyed the first couple episodes of this I didn't bother looking up any discussion because it was clear from the beginning that the direction and execution of the anime would be worse than the manga. After a poor showing in ep. 5 and now particularly ep. 6, however, you'll have to excuse me for saying that the clarity/accuracy/coherency of the adaptation has fallen apart. As is almost universally the case when I happen to come across an adaptation of a series I am great fan of, I highly encourage any new fans of this property to eventually pick up the original story.
It's always awkward for me in these kinds of situations where I can see an audience is clearly enjoying something like an adaptation and even has high praise for it, but it becomes plainly obvious that the work itself is inferior to its original version. I don't want to discourage the praise/appreciation for what is there because of what it represents for the success of the adaptation. At the same time, it pains me to see people making generalizations so far off from reality.
(I particularly question if adaptations of any of these big shoujo romance series can really be called "successes for shoujo" when almost all of the adaptations I've been exposed to thus far, have shown a clear disrespect/lack of delicacy towards handling the source material. It honestly seems to me like a lot of these are just cheap/half-assed cash-ins with the appearance of good production values, and anime fans flock to them from surface-level judgements based solely on differentiation from generic otaku (i.e. harem, ecchi) series.)
Anyway, to substantiate some of my statements with specifics so I'm not just ranting at nobody: I'm pretty serious about shoujo (i.e. good shoujo). I also do enjoy a lot of otaku stuff (good otaku stuff). I would generally consider myself a fan of Hanazawa Kana, amongst other seiyuu. But I have to say that her voice-acting portrayal/interpretation of Oshima in this episode was terrible, and that is only one example of the direction/execution inadequacies of this episode.
|2012-11-07, 07:54
|Link #377
Feeling comfy
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: Singapore
Age: 43
I'll keep it short: I strongly disagree with your opinion. As an anime-only viewer, I could care less how the original material was composed. I will judge the anime on its own merits, and not on how well it supposedly adapts its source material. In my opinion, if consumers are unwilling to see both properties as distinct entities in their own right, then they shouldn't bother with the adaptation, whether it's from manga to anime or vice versa.
Popular icons like Batman and Spiderman, or even Saya of Production I.G's Blood franchise, are constantly reinvented and revised with each iteration. If we keep sticking extremely closely to the original, out of a desire to maintain the "purity" of the property, then where will innovation come from?
I enjoy the show so far, and it's by far my favourite of the trio of romance dramas I'm watching this season. In my opinion, it's insightful and internally coherent. And that's good for any story, be it an original or an adaptation.
|2012-11-07, 08:28
|Link #378
a random Indonesian otaku
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Xanadu
Age: 26
hmm.. my Kana Hanazawa's radar is ringing loudly...
great clumsy personality by Ooshima...
Natsume's part is also something I look forward from this anime....
although the best part for me is :
"everytime I'm with you, my chest hurts. I can't concentrate. That's why I don't want to see you anymore" ----> BEST CONFESSION!!!!
"just to be clear, I no longer feel attracted to you, Haru" ---> BEST REJECTION
Mizutani Shizuku is truly the best
|2012-11-07, 09:16
|Link #379
Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2007
I have not read the source material but I am enjoying this adaption to. Honestly though I sympathize with Sol because I've been there.
It's possible the anime while very good is not as strong as the original and for fans that can be disappointing. Although as an anime only fan for this series I see it as an introduction of a great work. If at the end of the anime I want more Ill check out the manga. People are enjoying the anime so I see that as only good promotion for the series whether it lives up to the manga in fan views or not.
My only disappointment is I heard Sasayan & Natsume have a larger part in the manga. As someone who is a fan of them in the anime I am disappointed I could be getting more of them but I'm not.
|romantic comedy, shoujo
|Thread Tools


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How do we know that our information is being kept safe when we are on-line? It starts with having a secure connection to the internet.
Many of us connect to the internet using a wireless internet connection it removes the hassle of wires and allows those who are on the go to connect in a number of different places. However, being free to connect anywhere may also mean that your information may be free for others to access.
If you use the internet for e–mail or on-line banking, the chances that you are entering sensitive information into your computer are pretty high. So if you knew anyone could access that information, you probably wouldn't be too happy. According to a member of Best Buy's "Geek Squad" Sean Hebein, the typical wireless G router will broadcast around 150 feet. With that distance at least your neighbors are going to be able to find your signal along with anyone driving down the street. Not to mention, the new wireless N technology that just came out actually transmits up to 4 times that amount, it can transmit around 600 feet.
If your network is unsecured a potential criminal can access your files from their computer. It's just a matter of going to network neighborhood, finding the computer and getting on the hard drive. Then, all that information is unsecured so it's just like being right at the computer.
As people learn how to access our information the technology working to keep that information safe is also adapting. A new connection type called WPA or Wi–Fi protected access is fairly new and can offer added protection. "The move from WEP security to WPA has been fairly recent," says Hebein. "They are two different security protocols. The federal government actually just ran a study about WEP security and a couple 14-year-olds were able to break that system in five minutes."
Most of us don't think about the risks but making sure your information is kept in your control can save heartache down the road. If you connect to the internet using an unsecured network but are unsure how to make it secure, there are many technology assistance businesses locally that can help you secure your network such as the Best Buy Geek Squad. You can link to their website by clicking on the link below.


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Sheila Sanders of Sunset Beach has announced the launch of her new business as an independent designer with Origami Owl Custom Jewelry, a direct-sales company with a unique twist.
As an independent designer with Origami Owl, Sanders conducts interactive events where she helps guests create one-of-a-kind personalized jewelry that best reflects their style.
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Jets interim football operations being run by assistant GM Scott Cohen, former GM Terry Bradway
As the Jets various roster moves have come out -- the signing of reserve/future contracts, basically -- a few of you have asked a great question: Who, exactly, is making these moves while the team searches for a new general manager?
This may seem obvious, but since I heard from a few of you on Twitter, figured we'd hash it out here: Former GM and current senior personnel executive Terry Bradway and assistant GM Scott Cohen.
Woody Johnson and his executive search firm Korn/Ferry will begin GM interviews on Friday, but in the meantime, Cohen and Bradway have maintained control of football operations.
Bradway was the team's general manager from 2001-06 and Cohen joined the team as assistant GM in 2008 after eight seasons as the Eagles director of pro personnel.
The Pro Football Writers Association rescinded their formal complaint to the NFL regarding the Jets not making Rex Ryan available to the media within a week of the season ending, a violation of the NFL media policy.
The Jets will have Ryan speak on Tuesday, nine days after the end of the year.
"The PFWA is satisfied that the New York Jets are following the spirit of the rules in making their executives available on Tuesday, the statement from the PFWA read in part.
Conor Orr: email@example.com; twitter.com/ConorTOrr
Nothing earth-shattering here. Both of them have experience.
Somebody's got to do the job until we find the new guy.
The Jets have had 4 losing seasons and a .500 season since 2001, when Bradway came aboard. He also had 9 years with the Chiefs (they went to 5 playoffs with 7 winning seasons) and was a scout with the Giants when they won 2 SBs. I think he's a good, steady evaluator, and I think Cohen has a good track record with the Eagles and Jags. I wonder how much say/input they had in assembling the current roster? you know, the roster lacking necessary talent in key spots.
I personally want bradway to stay on in a scouting capacity.
He is not responsible for hiring sparano.
He is not responsible for playing bart scott and eric smith.
He is not responsible for giving sanchez a contract extension or allowing revis to be completely unrestricted this year.
By all accounts, our selected players, outside of Vlad have all been average NFL players (mcknight, greene and wilson), NFL "starters" (keller and slauson), have good upside (Hill, demario and ellis), or have played great early in their careers (coples and wilkerson).
Bradway is not the problem here


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The Mousetrap
When we arrived at Village Theater for Agatha Christie's "The Mousetrap," we had to wander up and investigate the beautiful set designed by Jason Phillips. "I want to live there," said my partner as she wistfully drew a finger along the (fake but beautifully done) wood floors.
Filled with wood tones and warmth and hazy nostalgic blue tones, the large living room has comfy chairs and a warm fireplace set against large stained glass French windows looking out over a winter wonderland beyond.
I mentioned to the guy sitting next to me that I wouldn't mind curling up in the seat by the fire and reading a good book while they go on with the production around me. He replied, "Well, as long as you avoid being murdered!"
Because, of course, this is an Agatha Christie tale, so it's a classic parlor murder mystery: five guests at a guesthouse, the host and hostess, all supposedly strangers to each other, and a police officer, snowed in with one another. One guest is murdered. Who's the culprit?
I never like to play guessing games with murder mysteries, preferring to relax and enjoy the tale and be surprised at the end, but clues are provided along the way to help those who want to try out their detecting skills. On the radio at the beginning of the show we hear about a murder committed nearby where a local farmer's wife was strangled. Police are seeking an average height man with undistinguished features wearing a dark coat, a light scarf, and a felt hat.
Immediately prior to the radio news, Mollie Ralston (Hana Lass), the young proprietress, arrives home and hides something mysteriously behind a picture on the mantle. Soon her husband Giles Ralston (Richard Nguyen Sloniker) arrives as well and he hides something mysteriously in a closet, drops his coat, hat and scarf on the sofa, greets his wife and exits.
She switches on the radio and, as the news of the features of the person of interest is read out, she absentmindedly picks up her husband's "dark coat, a light scarf and a felt hat" off the sofa and puts them away.
The play is full of that sort of droll physical humor and those bits provide the lift and the spirit of the show.
The guests begin to arrive at the guesthouse amid much talk of the heavy snows moving in. Christopher Wren (Quinn Armstrong), wearing a ridiculously colorful tie and obsessed with antiques, has a disturbing tendency to pop up suddenly and waggle his fingers at people.
Mrs. Boyle (Ellen McLain) expresses her discontent with everything and everyone, reproving Giles Ralston for not meeting her at the train, and, when he remonstrates that he didn't know which train she was on, insists, "You ought to have met every train!"
Major Metcalf (R. Hamilton Wright) instantly brings to mind Colonel Mustard with the candlestick in the drawing room from the board game "Clue."
And Miss Casewell (Jennifer Lee Taylor) is a swaggering woman in trousers, who is at first mistaken for a man when she arrives wrapped in her overcoat, scarf and felt hat.
Mr. Paravicini (David Pichette) shows up when his car gets stuck in the snow and he prances around the stage, delighting in tweaking everyone at large.
Once everyone is assembled, Mollie Ralston receives a call from the police telling her to expect an officer. Someone announces, "Nobody will get here today!" just as the curtains are pulled away from the large French windows to reveal a figure peering into the room. He turns out to be Detective Trotter (Jared Michael Brown) who has arrived on skis. Now the cast is complete.
Directed here by Jeff Steitzer "The Mousetrap" is the longest running play in modern history, currently celebrating its 60-year anniversary. On a funny note, according to Marketing and Publications Associate, Carly Vester, "The Mousetrap" has never been made into a movie because the film rights were sold with the condition that a movie could not be made until the play stopped running, which it never has.
"The Mousetrap" runs through Mar. 24 at Village Theatre, 303 Front St N in Issaquah (through 2/24) and 2710 Wetmore Ave in Everett (3/1-3/24). For info or tickets, call 425-392-2202 or visit villagetheatre.org.


text: Job Discussion Forums :: View topic - Credentials in Italy Get TEFL Certified & Start Your Adventure Today! Job Discussion Forums"The Internet's Meeting Place for ESL/EFL Students and Teachers from Around the World!" FAQ Search Memberlist Usergroups Register Profile Log in to check your private messages Log in Credentials in Italy Job Discussion Forums Forum Index -> Italy View previous topic :: View next topic Author Message The K DogJoined: 27 Feb 2003Posts: 24Location: Paris Posted: Sat Aug 30, 2003 11:26 pm Post subject: Credentials in Italy Dear readers: What could a person with an EU passport and an M.Ed in postsecondary TESOL or an MA in English hope to get by way of employment in Italy? Is it just language schools with their hourly wages or can one get into the university sector without a Ph.D? Just curious. Back to top James StunellJoined: 29 Aug 2003Posts: 21 Posted: Mon Sep 01, 2003 6:41 am Post subject: The Super-Qualified in Italy The problem in Italy is that you need contacts. Who you know will impress an Italian employer far more than how qualified you are. When the type of position that you mention falls vacant, the institution involved will often go through the motions of advertising and interviewing but, at the end of the day, you will normally find that they take somebody who has a relative already working there. It's worth a try, of course, but you will probably come up repeatedly against this type of thing. As regards language schools, most offer Italian contracts taken from a book of contracts called "scuole private". The conditions are non-negotiable and you will find that there will be no difference in the pay offered to someone with a PHD and a host of other qualifications plus experience in other countries, and somebody who has just completed a two-week "method" course at the "University of Saint-Mary's-in-the-Mud". I have to admit that there are signs that the Italian mentality to this state of things is changing slowly. But I wouldn't hold your breath! Back to top Display posts from previous: All Posts1 Day7 Days2 Weeks1 Month3 Months6 Months1 Year Oldest FirstNewest First Job Discussion Forums Forum Index -> Italy All times are GMT Page 1 of 1 Jump to: Select a forum Where to Begin----------------General DiscussionNewbie ForumCurrent Events ForumTechnology ForumOnline Teaching Forum Africa Forums----------------General Africa Forum Asia Forums----------------CambodiaChina (Job-related Posts Only)China (Off-Topic)Hong KongIndiaIndonesiaJapanMalaysiaPhilippinesSingaporeTaiwanThailandGeneral Asia ForumVietnam Caribbean Forums----------------General Caribbean Forum Europe Forums----------------Czech RepublicFranceGermanyGreeceItalyMacedonia and the BalkansPolandRomaniaRussia & C.I.S.SpainTurkeyUkraineUnited KingdomGeneral Europe Forum Latin America Forums----------------ArgentinaBrazilChileColombiaCosta RicaMexicoMexico (off-topic)PeruGeneral Latin America Forum The Middle East Forums----------------BahrainEgyptIsraelKuwaitOmanQatarSaudi ArabiaUnited Arab EmiratesGeneral Middle East Forum North America Forums----------------General North America Forum Oceania----------------Australia/New Zealand You cannot post new topics in this forumYou cannot reply to topics in this forumYou cannot edit your posts in this forumYou cannot delete your posts in this forumYou cannot vote in polls in this forum This page is maintained by the one and only Dave Sperling. Contact Dave's ESL Cafe Copyright © 2018 Dave Sperling. All Rights Reserved. Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2002 phpBB Group Teaching Jobs in China


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WASHINGTON (AP) — House Speaker John Boehner demanded Thursday that the Obama administration give in and turn over documents related to a botched gun-tracking operation, insisting that's the only way to stop a House vote to hold the attorney general in contempt.
Boehner took a hard line against the Obama administration and Attorney General Eric Holder despite a willingness by House Republicans and Holder to negotiate a settlement before the matter becomes a constitutional crisis. The president has invoked executive privilege, a legal principle used to avoid disclosure of internal presidential documents.
While a confrontation between the legislative and executive branches of government would be an academic dispute to most voters, Boehner on Thursday injected a human element into the battle over documents related to Operation Fast and Furious. He said the family of slain border agent Brian Terry deserved answers about the guns that killed him.
Two guns that were allowed to "walk" from Arizona to Mexico in the failed effort to track weapons were found near Terry after he was killed.
"The Terry family deserves answers about why their son was killed as a result of an operation run by the United States government," Boehner told his weekly news conference.
During the year and a half investigation by the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, the Justice Department turned over 7,600 documents about details of Operation Fast and Furious. But because the department initially denied and then admitted it used a risky investigative technique known as "gun-walking," the committee has turned its attention to how the department responded to the investigation. The additional documents it seeks are about that topic.
Agents of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives in Arizona abandoned the agency's usual practice of intercepting all weapons they believed to be illicitly purchased. Instead, the goal of gun-walking was to track such weapons to high-level arms traffickers who had long eluded prosecution and to dismantle their networks.
Gun-walking has long been barred by Justice Department policy, but federal agents in Arizona experimented with it in at least two investigations during the George W. Bush administration before Fast and Furious. These experiments came as the department was under widespread criticism that the old policy of arresting every suspected low-level "straw purchaser" was still allowing tens of thousands of guns to reach Mexico. A straw purchaser is an illicit buyer of guns for others.
The agents in Arizona lost track of several hundred weapons in Operation Fast and Furious.
Boehner renewed his allegation that President Barack Obama's decision to assert executive privilege to withhold the documents "is an admission the White House officials were involved in the decision that misled the Congress and covered up the truth." In fact, historically, several presidents have invoked executive privilege over Cabinet department documents that did not directly involve White House officials.
In an election year, each party leveled charges against the other.
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., accused Republicans of pursuing Holder to retaliate against his effort to stop suppression of voters in the upcoming elections. "I'm telling you, this is connected," she told reporters.
In an effort to back up her assertion, Pelosi's office emailed Democratic reports from 2007, when the party accused Republicans of an ongoing effort to deprive people of the right to vote.
Meanwhile, the liberal People for the American Way distributed a video in which Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., suggested a motive for the Obama administration's initial support of the gun-walking fiasco.
"Could it be that what they really were thinking of was in fact to use this walking of guns in order to promote an assault weapons ban?" said Issa, who chairs the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee.
"Many think so. And they haven't come up with an explanation that would cause any of us not to agree," Issa said.
Issa commented in an interview during the National Rifle Association convention in April.
His spokesman, Frederick Hill, said, "Emails from officials who worked on Fast and Furious clearly show that they wanted to use aspects of the operation to justify new restrictions on gun sales." Hill provided several documents on the subject from Fast and Furious officials.
Holder, in Copenhagen, Denmark, for meetings with European Union officials, said Thursday the administration had given the committee a proposal to negotiate an end to the conflict.
"I think the possibility still exists that it can happen in that way," Holder said. "The proposal that we have made is still there. The House, I think, the House leadership, has to consider now what they will do, so we'll see how it works out."
But he called the contempt vote "unwarranted, unnecessary and unprecedented."
White House press secretary Jay Carney said there was "absolutely" no cover-up on the Fast and Furious controversy. He said executive privilege was asserted only on internal deliberations and "that is separate from trying to find out the truth about this operation."
Democrats contended that a 23-17 party-line contempt vote in the House Oversight committee Wednesday was just political theater.
On Tuesday, Holder offered to give lawmakers a briefing on the withheld documents but insisted that this action satisfy Issa's subpoena for the records and negate the need for a contempt vote.
Boehner on Thursday rejected Holder's approach.
"The negotiation that was proposed by the attorney general is, we should accept some documents of his choosing and, as a result of him turning over some documents of his choosing, that we would never ever pursue contempt," Boehner said. "Now this is not hardly a rational basis for a negotiation, nor is it a reasonable attempt at turning over the documents we've been asking for."
(© Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)


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Lelo Vibrators
When we talk about what's changed in vibrator manufacturing over the twenty some years we've been in the industry, LELO is one of the first companies we talk about. LELO is both reflective of, and now an active participant in, the increasing shift to quality and openness in sex toy manufacturing and design.
Like so many other great sex toy companies LELO began because someone couldn't find the sex toys they wanted. In 2003 three friends (an engineer and two industrial designers) wanted to buy a nice sex toy for another friend. After searching all their local sex shops and going online, they discovered that nothing met their personal or professional standards for beauty and intelligent design. So they decided to make sex toys themselves.
LELO is known for high quality materials, durable motors, but most of all for making objects that are as pleasurable to see and touch as they are to use. One of the things that is unique about LELO (but we're seeing this more and more following their success) is that they came from outside the sex toy industry. None of the key players had any significant experience in sex toys before starting LELO, and they brought to an industry known for poor quality and design, a kind of discipline and care that customers and retailers are responding to.
Among the many ways that LELO challenges traditional sex toy manufacturing is the pace of their new product releases. LELO has grown from two products to dozens, but each new product is introduced only when it can be fully justified. While this may seem like a slow way to grow, LELO is making the most of it.


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So I'm opening up a poll so we can select a date.
So I'm opening up a poll so we can select a date.
I picked June 18-20 but as of now pretty much any date will work for me.
Somebody told me it was frightening how much topsoil we are losing each year, but I told that story around the campfire and nobody got scared - Jack Handy
I picked the first June date. Any of the June dates should work, but the summer has not been planned yet. I would like to avoid the May weekend because of the 40th wedding anniversary, and my wife may have plans for me.
So at this point I think the June 18-20 weekend i s what is going to work. A lot of people commented on dates but never voted, so I'll leave this till Saturday when I set the final date.


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European Commission - Press release
European Commission makes fundamental rights a reality for citizens
Brussels, 16 April 2012 – The EU Charter of Fundamental Rights – now in force and legally binding for more than two years – has guided EU law-making from the very first draft all the way through to the statute book. The Charter sets out fundamental rights – such as freedom of expression and the protection of personal data – that reflect Europe's common values and its constitutional heritage. The European Commission's second annual report on the Charter finds that fundamental rights concerns are increasingly embedded in EU policy-making. For example, travellers will be entitled to opt out of security scanning at EU airports and be screened using other methods thanks to Commission action to take on board privacy concerns in a new EU law. The EU Court of Justice increasingly refers to the Charter, notably in landmark decisions on sex discrimination and Internet privacy. Today's report is part of the Commission's efforts to raise people's awareness of the Charter, when it applies, and the role of EU institutions in the field of fundamental rights.
"My primary goal over the last two years, since the Charter became legally binding, was to create a solid EU-wide fundamental rights culture. I have made the Charter the compass of all policies decided at EU level," said Viviane Reding, Vice-President of the European Commission in charge of Justice, Fundamental Rights and Citizenship. "We now need to help citizens exercise their rights in practice by working with Member States to ensure people know where they can turn if their rights are infringed."
The primary role of the Charter is to guarantee that the EU institutions respect fundamental rights in preparing new European laws. Fundamental rights concerns are now an inherent part of the preparation of new EU laws. For example, in 2011, this helped ensure that EU rules on the use of security scanners at airports respect the fundamental rights to protection of personal data, private life and dignity (IP/11/1343).
The Commission not only guarantees that its proposals are compatible with the Charter, it also ensures that the Charter is respected when Member States implement EU law. In 2011, the Commission expressed its concerns about the independence of Hungary's data protection authority and measures regarding the retirement age of judges, prosecutors and public notaries. The Commission began infringement proceedings to ensure that Hungary satisfies all of its legal concerns (IP/12/222).
At the same time, the Charter increasingly helps to shape decisions by the courts. In 2011, the number of rulings quoting fundamental rights laid down in the Charter rose by 50% at both EU and national level. One such landmark ruling by the EU's Court of Justice stressed the right of asylum seekers to protection from inhuman or degrading treatment when clarifying EU rules for determining which country should deal with an asylum application (MEMO/11/942). The decision effectively banned transfers of asylum seekers to countries where inadequate conditions would compromise their fundamental rights. In March 2011, the Court ruled in the Test-Achats case that different premiums for men and women constitute sex discrimination (MEMO/11/123) and, In November 2011, that ordering an internet service provider to install a filtering system to prevent an infringement of intellectual property rights would infringe customers' rights to receive and send information (Scarlet v. SABAM case).
Citizens are more aware of the Charter (64% of all Europeans, compared to 48% in 2007), according to a new Flash Eurobarometer survey (Flash EB 340) on the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights also released today. 45% of citizens' letters to the Commission on fundamental rights issues concerned situations in which the Charter could apply. However, detailed knowledge about when the Charter applies remains limited. 65% of Europeans say they would like to learn more about where to turn if their Charter rights are violated.
There is still a frequent misunderstanding amongst EU citizens about its purpose and the situations where the Charter applies or does not apply, as well as the EU's role. More than half of the letters to the Commission (55%) in 2011 were beyond the remit of EU law. There is a common public impression that the Charter gives the Commission a general right to intervene when it suspects that fundamental rights have been infringed anywhere in the EU. This is not the case. The Charter applies to Member States when they implement EU law. Each EU country protects rights through its own national constitution and courts. The Charter does not replace these. In these cases, if someone feels that their rights have been infringed, they still need, in the first instance, to take their case to a national court or seek help from a national ombudsman.
With the entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty on 1 December 2009, the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union became legally binding.
In October 2010, the Commission adopted a strategy to ensure that the Charter is effectively implemented. It developed a "Fundamental Rights Check List" to reinforce the evaluation of impacts on fundamental rights of its legislative proposals (see Annex). The Commission also committed to providing information to citizens on when it can intervene in fundamental rights issues and to publishing an Annual Report on the Charter's application to monitor the progress achieved.
The Commission is working with the relevant authorities at national, regional and local, as well as at EU level to better inform people about their fundamental rights and where to go for help if they feel their rights have been infringed. The Commission now provides practical information on enforcing one's rights via the European e-Justice portal and has set up a dialogue on handling fundamental rights complaints with ombudsmen, equality bodies and human rights institutions.
For more information
European Commission – Fundamental rights:
European Commission – DG Justice newsroom:
Flash Eurobarometer report on the Charter of Fundamental Rights:
Homepage of Vice-President Viviane Reding, EU Justice Commissioner:
1. Overview of letters and questions on Fundamental Rights
2. Share of Letters according to topic
3. The Commission's "Fundamental Rights Check List"
1. Which fundamental rights are affected?
2. Are the rights in question absolute rights (which may not be subject to limitations, examples being human dignity and the ban on torture)?
3. What is the impact of the various policy options under consideration on fundamental rights? Is the impact beneficial (promotion of fundamental rights) or negative (limitation of fundamental rights)?
4. Do the options have both a beneficial and a negative impact, depending on the fundamental rights concerned (for example, a negative impact on freedom of expression and beneficial one on intellectual property)?
5. Would any limitation of fundamental rights be formulated in a clear and predictable manner?
6. Would any limitation of fundamental rights:
- be necessary to achieve an objective of general interest or to protect the rights and freedoms of others (which)?
- be proportionate to the desired aim?
- preserve the essence of the fundamental rights concerned?
4. Explaining when the Charter applies and when it does not
Side Bar


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Resources for Children's Health and the Built Environment
Children's health is affected by the built environment, which is any infrastructure that people come in contact with on a daily basis. Homes, schools, parks, roads, walkways, and businesses can cause injury, illness, and disability. Well-designed environments are important to ensure the best kind of child development.Poor environmental design can cause asthma, pedestrian injuries, obesity, and exposures to toxins. The built environment has a greater impact on minorities and low-income populations as they are disproportionately exposed to lead, air pollutants, and other contaminates. Access to primary and preventive healthcare is important for healthy children.
The following links contain resources concerning pediatric health and the built environment:
For more information visit:


text: I bought a 7x14 plus a 3. Ft v nose tandem axels built a set of bunk bed that go across the back that raise and lower so I can load and haul 2 atv's in in the front v nose I built a Formica top that you can cook on etc it has one shelf under it to hold what ever. Under the shelf up front I installed a 16000 btu RV heater with forced air fan that runs on 12 volt along with 12 volt lights I also made a fold up table on 1 side about 34x34 inches is really nice being able to sleep on a full size twin size mattress I fully insulated the walls and ceiling but not the floor I am pleased on how it came out but the mileage pulling it sucks 11 mpg diesel.I also have it wired and have 4 2ft fluorescent lights and 2 110 volt recepitals installed to runoff a generator. Hope this helps someone . John


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Burgundy : Henley
This variant is currently sold out.
- Product Info
- The No Nasties Promise
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- Perfect contours, sleek raglan sleeves, comfy scoop neck.
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Note: Almost all our clothes are made from unused fabrics at the factory that we reclaim and repurpose into our original styles. That's fantastic for the environment but it means that we have *very* limited quantities in each style. So if you like something, get it soon because once it's sold out, it's not likely to come back in stock. Don't miss out!
- All our clothes are made with 100% organic and 100% fair trade cotton. They are Certified.
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We do this because it's important. Because it matters.
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- Deliveries usually take a week within India and 2 weeks anywhere around the world.
- Returns & refunds are easy and we are always around to help.


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Proposed supporters of climate alarmism methods to combat global warming by reducing carbon dioxide emissions are not only scientifically unfounded - in the absence of extraordinary characteristics of modern climate change, but also incredibly expensive in economic terms. Especially dangerous such measures, if adopted, are for the medium and low levels of economic development, effectively cut off their path to reduce the economic gap with more developed nations of the world.
I'm going to venture out on a limb here and say that the Institute of Economic Analysis is primarily concerned about the economic problems with combatting anthropogenic global warming. Unfortunately, that's not what this is about. This is about what scientific tools we can apply to develop a percentage of how sure we are that such climate change is created by man and -- actually happening. Until we establish it is or isn't, will the economic institutions relax and let the institutions who contain the most appropriate experts publish, release and make conclusions from the data.
Credibility skyrockets when I read the subtext of the blog's heading (that is linked to by the story):
James Delingpole is a writer, journalist and broadcaster who is right about everything. He is the author of numerous fantastically entertaining books including Welcome To Obamaland: I've Seen Your Future And It Doesn't Work, How To Be Right, and the Coward series of WWII adventure novels. His website is www.jamesdelingpole.com
Oh if you think he might be an unbiased reporter working for the telegraph, please visit his page that he shamelessly plugs.
Unless the IEA produces data it claims is 100% raw uncut, this story is below the threshold of credibility.
Yeah, way to skip right over the actual allegation. Do their claims, in and of themselves, have merit? Wouldn't take long to find out. But attacking the claimants sure is a handy shortcut in logical argument, isn't it?
If the CRU letters are any indication, I guess this is how "science" is done these days, now, anyway.
Welcome to the "new science." Guess we better all just get used to it.
Yeah, way to skip right over the actual allegation. Do their claims, in and of themselves, have merit? Wouldn't take long to find out.
I hate to break it to you but neither side has given me data. Saying so and so skipped over data from here and there does nothing for me when I can't see the data and do my own statistical analysis. If the IAE is so sure and has the data, why don't they publish the adjusted figures to show us just how much we were lied to?
No choice but to listen to those with the data publishing the reports. Does it suck? Yes. But oftentimes that's how studies with empirical data works--especially if it cost a lot of money to acquire that data. We're not talking about a repeatable experiment here to be verified in another lab. And for some reason, we're not demanding they open the sequencing data on the cancer gene [slashdot.org] we just accepted that story and we trusted those scientists. But suddenly it's about climate change therefor you're now all more qualified experts than those with the data. Why is that? What is it about climate change that suddenly everyone and their dog can tell you how wrong the scientists are?
Welcome to the "new science." Guess we better all just get used to it.
Grow up. Your faux apathy rhetoric is amusing after I listen to you accuse me of an ad hominem attack.
The problem with your assertion is that it is an appeal to authority type logical fallacy, in and of itself;
1) The scientists have the data, so 2) they must know more about the data than we do, so 3) we should trust them implicitly in their interpretations of that data.
This does not follow, because it totally ignores that the scientists with the data may have intrinsic bias, or even that they could be wrong. This is exactly why when you get a diagnosis from a doctor that says "Operate!", you get a second opinion.
The problem here, is exactly like you stated; The data to get the second opinion is not public. Unlike the patient who may need an operation, who's body is the evidence, and is available on demand for inspection by the doctor giving the second opinion, all the potentially qualified persons to give a respectable response to this question are blocked out because of finanical interests on the data.
Essentially, we have the global climate change fear mongers on one side, shouting "OPERATE!" (through drastic slashing of manufacturing technologies, draconian cap and trade taxation, repossession of private property, and a whole host of other proceedures of questionable value), and on the other, you have the alternative medicine quack that says "The pain is all in your mind" (EG, the non-scientists that say that human released carbon dioxide has no impact on the environment whatsoever, in spite of the fact that this is not supported by even the slightest bit of chemical evidence.)
The patient (which is represented by the public in this case) is then left seeking a REAL second opinion; Are cap and trade&Co really necessary? The patient WANTS a *REAL* answer to that question, but is continually fed the PR pamphlets from both (disreputable) extremists.
I for one, want the data to be released publicly. This is especially true if the data was collected using public funds, such as through NOAA, or in this case, through the russian government and russian taxpayer money.
Right now, the patient is basically pleading with reputable doctors for a second opinion, but the doctors have to turn them away, because the medical history is "Confidential."
Stop trying to sound high and mighty about how fantabulously reputable the CRU scientists are, when you know damned well that scientists are people, and people are faulty.
The *ONLY* way to settle this, is to release the data. Given the far reaching implications of the decisions that will be reached through interpretation of this data, FOR EVERYONE IN THE WORLD, I fail to see how the financial interests of the people who collected it can outweigh the invested interest of the rest of the whole world, who's economical and climatological futures hinge upon it.
If there is bad interpretation, and a misdiagnosis, sunshine will reveal it.
If not, Sunshine will also reveal it.
What we need is sunshine on the raw data; NOT specious arguments one way or the other on which side of the debate to "Simply Trust", when both have shown signs of being disreputable.
So, I would like to add something here. I think that a blanket release of the raw data could be problematic, but am for a data release. Even as someone with a degree that covers environmental sciences, economics, and statistics, I am not qualified to make a true analysis of this data and neither are 99% of the people who would attempt it, then claim one thing or the other. However, I am in support of the release of the data. Withholding data understandably engenders mistrust and releasing it would help, but I think that it should be released to a broad group of people who are agreed to have enough expertise to analyze the data.
This isn't to create some elite walled garden, but to give the science and data the respect they need in order to tell us anything. I feel like if the release was made to a broad enough group, and specifically a group of people with no history of weighing in on climate change, it should quell a lot of concerns about who is allowed to interpret the data.
Finally, thanks for making a real post with genuine concerns about the data instead of simply screaming hysteria like so many have on this data release without attempting to understand the context of the release.
Good post. Maybe also worth noting is that all scientists depend on grant money, and winning grant money depends on politics. The best scientists have to compete with the most politically adept ones. If the public were more interested in science and less in empowering their own faction it would make things a lot easier.
This does not follow, because it totally ignores that the scientists with the data may have intrinsic bias, or even that they could be wrong. This is exactly why when you get a diagnosis from a doctor that says "Operate!", you get a second opinion.
One problem with this analogy is that it's not just one "doctor" that's saying "operate", it's thousands [wikipedia.org]. How many more "second opinions" do you want before you accept that perhaps you actually need an operation? Are all those doctors quacks, every one of them?
I do agree the data should be public - and AFAIK there already are a great many public datasets, at NOAA and other places. You can gain access to more datasets once you exhibit certain basic qualifications (like a relevant degree). Just make sure you analyse a significant proportion of the data, and not just cherry-pick the bits that appear to agree with your conclusion, like so many deniers are guilty of.
Thousands of experts would have assured you that pholgiston and the ether existed. The consensus view in medicine has been wrong lots of times: routine tonsilectomy, eggs and other foods as contributing to high cholesterol, the effects of tobacco and alcohol - the last is particularly good because you can very easily see that many individual doctors use their medical knowledge to bolster their own prejudices and choices.
You can gain access to more datasets once you exhibit certain basic qualifications (like a relevant degree).
Why should that restriction exist at all? Who decides what a relevant degree? Do you need to be a climatologist? a statistician? is my econometrics heavy MSc enough?
Thousands of experts would have assured you that pholgiston and the ether existed. The consensus view in medicine has been wrong lots of times: routine tonsilectomy, eggs and other foods as contributing to high cholesterol, the effects of tobacco and alcohol - the last is particularly good because you can very easily see that many individual doctors use their medical knowledge to bolster their own prejudices and choices.
I think the key difference here is that the human body is a complex, hard to diagnose system. Its functions were not deterministically designed, but instead arose in a complicated, interdependent fashion.
The climate of the Earth on the other hand, well all you have to do is lick your thumb and hold it to the wind to figure out what's going on!
Phlogiston, persisted as a theory because no competing hypothesis existed at the time could better explained the data, and the data available at the time did not contradict the theory.
Climate science today is different with many scientists going out of there way to enormous quantities of data ranging from this such as tree rings, to limestone deposits, to sun spots to ice cores to real temperature data from the ground and from satellites.
Mind you, the term "greenhouse effect" was introduced way back in the
Why should that restriction exist at all?
To weed out trolls.
The background knowledge needed to interpret raw climatological data is immense. I'm knee deep in it now, and it's not straight forward. It's not a nice excel spreadsheet. The amount of work that needs to be done to just get the data into the sort of shape where statistics can be done on it is tremendous. A few quick examples:
Arctic measurements. You may already know this, but shit breaks in the cold. All the time. Add in ice melting and thawing, and 50 mph winds, and equipment does not last long. So our data from arctic areas is filled with holes. It's got bogus measurements. Knowing how to spot those bogus results requires an understanding of the equipment being used, how it functions in the cold, and where it's located. You may be able to totally trust a piece of equipment at temperatures over -10C, but have to throw out all data for temperatures below -60C. Just handing out the raw data to anyone will result in some fool taking it as absolute truth.
There are dozens of climatological oscillations in the earth's atmosphere and oceans. El Nino is half of the most famous one. (No, the other half isn't La Nina, it's the Southern Oscillation) When you look at something like temperature data, you see all sorts of ups and downs. When a couple of these oscillations are in phase, you'll have abnormally high or low temperatures. When they're not in phase, you'll have some mixture. If you're trying to analyze temperature patterns on earth and don't know to take these into account, you're just wasting your time, and potentially going to publicize incorrect findings because of it.
Geophysical data is ridiculously hard to work with. You need to understand the engineering of the tools used to collect the data, the tolerances and quirks of them, the areas they're used in, sometimes even HOW they're used to take measurements. On top of that, you need to have a very good understanding of the physical processes of the earth's climate systems to be able to isolate any sort of signal. Otherwise, it's just a chaotic mess.
In short, this requires experts. It's not something that anyone can just hop into Excel with stats 101 under their belt and do. A lot of work is a partnership between engineers, climatologists, AND statisticians. No, your "econometrics heavy MSc" is not enough. Not by a long shot.
Like anything stupidly complicated, it requires the work of experts. If you want to be an expert, you generally need to spend the time studying to BECOME an expert. How does one prove this? Relevant degree and some peer reviewed publications under your belt.
So basically the data is incomplete, and you have to make guesses to fill it in. Oh, wait, I mean 'educated' guesses, since the only people you let guess are the ones whose guesses agree with yours.
If I want to become an expert on SQL, I go read the specs. If I want to become an expert on climatology, I go ask people to tell me how to guess which numbers will be useful to feed into the statistical analysis specs. I don't consider this crap as coming close to 'science'.
Thousands of experts would have assured you that pholgiston and the ether existed.
Sure. Do you know who showed that phlogiston and the luminiferous aether didn't exist? Scientists. People who had a good grounding in the field. You may remember the continental drift controversy, but its big proponent, Wegener, was a geologist himself.
What the experts say may be wildly mistaken. What the non-experts who loudly disagree with the experts say is almost certainly mistaken.
Free exchange of information isn't a problem between honest scientists. To some random political asshole who will merely use it as ammunition? Not really.
//Free exchange of information isn't a problem for an honest scientist.//
Responding to each and every request for data can be quite time-consuming. How many requests from random, miscellaneous, and often politically-motivated people do you expect a working scientist to entertain per day? Per week?
The way studies of this sort work is the author should include the method he used for gathering data (and correcting it, if applicable). The primary source for the data is NOT THE AUTHOR OF THE STUDY. It is the same place from which he obtained it. Whether this source is NOAA, foreign weather observatories, or international climate bodies is irrelevant---the author is never a primary source of data unless he is performing experiments, and anyone who has done real science understands this.
Another scientist should be able to come along, gather the same data, and analyze it according to the same method. There is an expectation that the author would clarify his methods if asked by another qualified researcher---the imposition on his time is worthwhile because the scientific process requires these checks. A simple data entry error can skew results, and followup investigation can always uncover errors or address shortcomings in methodology. If a neutral and qualified researcher says, "I followed your method with the same data set and got X where you got Y" then certainly further investigation is necessary.
Scientists are not obliged to respond to spurious demands for data or explanations of methodology from anyone at anytime.
The primary data sources (e.g., observatories) may place restrictions on access to the data as well in order to avoid excessive overhead. If it's coming from NGOs, then tough. If it is funded by your government, then contact your representative and demand open access and the funding/staffing to supply it.
One problem with this analogy is that it's not just one "doctor" that's saying "operate", it's thousands . How many more "second opinions" do you want before you accept that perhaps you actually need an operation? Are all those doctors quacks, every one of them?
Here are some "second options" :
I hate to break it to you but neither side has given me data.
Let's take a look at the situation, shall we?
Just show us the facts; the raw data, without any spin of "ZOMG! GLOBAL WARMING!^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^HCLIMATE CHANGE! OH NOES!!" bullshit editorializing. If you want to be taken seriously and convince even those who are not merely skeptical, but "won't" believe even in the face of evidence, then show us the raw fucking data without any tweaking - and accompany that data with a history of each temperature sensor (for example, if a parking lot went up next to it, and the temperature spiked the next few years and gradually increased, don't obfuscate that fact). That way, if there really is an issue, one can come to a scientific conclusion rather than political.
Until then, count me among the skeptics who consider this a political rather than scientific issue, especially in light of the fact that it is believed that the Antarctic and arctic shelves are breaking from stress (from "overgrowth"), not due to heat, since they are larger than they have been during recorded history, and that when the alarmists are proven conclusively to be wrong, they change the terminology ("global cooling" to "global warming" to "global climate change" - face it, the global climate always has been and always will be very dynamic).
I could go for some global warming about now, by the way. It'd be nice for winter to just go away.
Russia is a nation heavily dependent on fossil fuel exports, in fact, their entire economy depends on it else it would just flat out collapse again as it did at the fall of communism.
So the issue is this, even if Russia has made the allegations, even if they do provide data, there's no real way to tell that they haven't manipulated the data themselves to suit their own agenda of keeping the burning of fossil fuels the main form of energy worldwide.
We've seen the same tactics from Saudi Arabia, they have tri
Oh if you think he might be an unbiased reporter working for the telegraph
Yes as soon as I saw the TFA, my first reaction was, "isn't there any more reliable source from this other than James Delingpole?"
So if is there any reputable source that is publishing a story about this, could a link please be posted in the original submission.
So if is there any reputable source that is publishing a story about this, could a link please be posted in the original submission.
If you'd bothered to read past the byline, you'd see he links to the Russian translation [en.rian.ru] as well as the original published PDF [www.iea.ru] (in Russian).
These Russian experts in particular have a history of opposing international climate treaties (based on flawed expert analysis, as determined by other experts in the linked paper below):
It's nothing new, either. Remember that Russia is one of the major oil-exporting countries, and significantly dependent on oil exports for its budget. Furthermore, it's a major provider of gas, too, particularly to Europe. If, under the guise of combating climate change, Europe moves to greener power generating and heating tech - solar, wind, or better yet, nuclear - that will leave Russia out in the cold, with no well-paying customers for its only valuable exports.
On the other hand, Russia actually stands to benefit a lot from rapid climate change, if current models are to be believed. For one, it has a legitimate claim to a huge chunk of resources under the polar cap, should the latter melt - that even leaving the disputed areas aside. Furthermore, Siberia would be one of the regions for which climate change would indeed be a regional warming - it is already heating up [wikipedia.org] much faster than any other part of the globe, and if it keeps doing so, it will become much more prospective for human settlement and agriculture, and in short-term perspective provide for easier access to the vast natural resources of the region.
At the same time, there are relatively few important coastal cities that would be threatened by ocean level rise - vast majority of the population is living deep inland [whrc.org].
So Russia would have much less trouble coping with the effects. The icing on the cake is that U.S. (because of its heavily populated coastal cities) and quite a few European countries would be in a very tough position, and those are perceived as historical global opponents, especially the U.S.
So, yeah. There are a lot of political reasons for Russia to downplay effects of climate change, specifically so that other countries reduce their efforts to combat it.
I think it hilarious that you discredit the Russian statements purely on the basis of financial interest, when there are billions of dollars riding on cap & trade and the whole green industry behind it.
Both sides are well funded, so let's please get over this phobia of money being involved and consider the science instead.
And the science we have seen, is terribly compromised across the board. There simply is no way to produce any rational decisions based on the data and hand, which is hardly surprising
There simply is no way to produce any rational decisions based on the data and hand, which is hardly surprising given that no-one was allowed to peer review.
The paper was peer reviewed. In case of any doubts, the reviewers may challenge the authors to back up their claims with original data. The clowns who were demanding access to the data could hardly be called 'peers'.
Hey, I mean they have an open society where anyone can say what's on their mind right? I mean Glasnost and all, eh?
Or maybe they have a shitload of oil and gas reserves that they'd really rather not have devalued by anyone actually deciding burning more fossil fuels would be suicidally stupid. Oh, was that the sound of one of Vlad's enforcers putting a bullet in the back of someone's head?
Get real people. Now the deniers are the Russians and the Saudis. Laughable what kind of crimes people will do for a buck.
ahh, famous last words.
It doesn't matter if global warming is real or not.
The root question is, does it make sense to pump pollution into a thin atmosphere? No, of course not, it is wrong to keep doing so. Therefore, we need to take steps to stop.
There are monied interests deliberately prolonging this useless debate about "Global warming - real, or not?" Think about why they do that.
Pollution is wrong. Let's come together in some comopolitan city - hmmm, maybe Copenhagen? - and agree to end pollution.
It doesn't matter if global warming happens today or 10,000 years from now. What matters is ending air pollution.
Something must be done! Cap & Trade is something, Therefore it must be done! [pajamasmedia.com]
You can reduce pollution without upending the entire western economy. Indeed, one of the false choices presented is that if you are not for Cap & Trade, you must be *for* pollution!
Besides, if pollution were really a problem the people meeting would act like it instead of renting thousands of limos and taking private jets to converge to talk about it while using a ton of energy to heat large conference centers...
You can reduce pollution without upending the entire western economy. Indeed, one of the false choices presented is that if you are not for Cap & Trade, you must be *for* pollution!
What's your alternative?
The free market will not naturally minimize its environmental impact. Polluting is good for the bottom line.
The idea behind Cap & Trade is that free market forces get to work out the most efficient way to reduce pollution.
If you don't want that, we can keep with the tried and tested method of government regulation.
It doesn't matter if global warming is real or not.
The root question is, does it make sense to pump pollution into a thin atmosphere? No, of course not, it is wrong to keep doing so. Therefore, we need to take steps to stop.
There are monied interests deliberately prolonging this useless debate about "Global warming - real, or not?" Think about why they do that.
Pollution is wrong. Let's come together in some comopolitan city - hmmm, maybe Copenhagen? - and agree to end pollution.
It doesn't matter if global warming happens today or 10,000 years from now. What matters is ending air pollution.
I agree. Pollution is bad. So let's concentrate on pollution to limit it and stop this silly war on CO2!
Finally, an answer that will appeal to all the faith-based populists:
"You know who ELSE doesn't believe in global warming? Russia."
The data of stations located in areas not listed in the Hadley Climate Research Unit Temperature UK (HadCRUT) survey often does not show any substantial warming in the late 20th century and the early 21st century.
There is the key word: often. That does not mean that all, or even the majority, of the stations shows this. Is the percentage of stations not getting much warmer the same as the percentage in the officially used data? They just leave that point dangling in the hope that we will infer that it is not the same.
Already people have taken this to say more that it does. Some blogs have already claimed that ALL of the stations used did not show warming. For example, here is a blatent bit of misquoting from a randomly googled blog [investors.com]:
The data from the unused stations reportedly did not show any substantial warming trends.
Oh dear. It is just a slight change, but it completely changes the meaning. And where is that skepticism that is supposed to be at work here? Why assume that the economic think tank is correct?
I will wait to find what the selection criteria was before taking this to be any proof of a global conspiracy.
new: scientific consensus on climate issues does not exist - Novaya Gazeta, December 16, 2009
- Instead of articulating and prosecution of false targets political leaders gathered in Copenhagen should concentrate on the other - to develop policies that promote more effective human adaptation to climate change, economic growth, the development of free trade, protection of property rights, strengthen democracy.
This hardly seems to be an unbiased website, so I thought I would dig deeper. The article the IEA quoted is also fairly suspect, since it goes into detail and reveals the inherently anti "global warming" bias [googleusercontent.com] of the source.
Adoption of the "Arctic ice melt" is outdated. Instead of reducing the area of ice cover in the Arctic is actually observed in 1979-2007 gg. In recent years its growth has come. In those same years saw an increase in the Antarctic ice sheet.
"Excessive prices for oil and food" to a certain extent the result of policy restrictions on the use of hydrocarbons, the effect of extrusion from the structure of arable food crops through improved crop plants from which ethanol is produced to replace hydrocarbons as fuel. In other words, it is recommended that treatment policy ensures "high prices for oil and food, leading to chaos awaiting us in the future."
I shouldn't have to point out the satellite photos of Arctic Ice and how it has shrunk [nasa.gov], or how Polar Bears are in real danger of extinction because of the loss of their frozen habitat.
This drivel seems to come right out of the climate skeptic/big business lobbyist handbook. Normally, I wouldn't bother to respond, but the author's Russian source got me interested enough to investigate. As I suspected, its bullshit.
or how Polar Bears are in real danger of extinction because of the loss of their frozen habitat
You're right - you shouldn't point that out since it's completely false.
the polar bear seems like an unlikely target for ESA listing. Its global numbers have increased substantially, from an estimated 8,000–10,000 in 1965–1970 to 20,000–25,000 today.[3] Clearly, any warming that has occurred has not had an adverse impact on polar bear numbers. This is true of the polar bear populations in Alaska,
It seems like I'm being bombarded by propaganda from both sides and the only way I'm going to find the facts is if I become a climatologist and study the data myself.
Providing you actually manage to get the raw unmodified data, which by many accounts is nearly impossible to do.
Oh, while we're at it, let's redo the epidemiology on smoking and cancer. Until that's done, let's all take up smoking. After all, who can trust the corrupted peer-reviewed literature in leftist journals like the New England Journal of Medicine? --eric
Greetings and Salutations.
My father was a Microbiologist, and, spent most of his professional life researching yeasts and molds. His method was to gather as much data as possible, and see what results stemmed from it. I believe he would be shocked and dismayed to see this widespread tendency to come up with a conclusion, then, find the data that supports it.
Those so-called scientists who are doing this, either to push a personal agenda or to ensure the continuation of grant money should be ashamed of themselves, and, should either clean up their act, or get drummed out of the scientific community!
This sort of activity not only wastes huge amounts of resources, but, what is worse, undercuts the credibility of the scientific community, making it far harder for the good scientists who are following good protocols and producing good results to be believed.
I observed elsewhere that it appears that the entire world is falling into a pit of hair-trigger, paranoid madness. This example, sadly, supports that belief. I hope I am wrong, but, I fear I am not...
Pleasant Dreams
Dave Mundt
...who does not trust some Russian cracker more, than some scientists?
Seriously, those are the guys who normally maintain botnets for a living, create pretty much every crack out there (the elite in cracking definitely is Russian), etc.
OK, I don't really trust anyone of them, but prefer to have double and thrice checks by (actually) opposing groups, coming to the same resulting conclusions.
But trusting some weird guy from who knows where, who claims something that just so happens to fit with the goals of some other criminals (Big Oil , FOX News friends, etc.), just strikes me as being very counter-intuitive.
(I do not make a judgment here, as they still could be right. But just that for natural reasons, they will have a much harder time, making me believe their statements.)
The next person to mention spaghetti stacks to me is going to have his head knocked off. -- Bill Conrad


text:
It's a long-held belief that shopping while hungry leads to a larger than normal grocery bill. A new study claims that you might want also want to avoid hitting the department store on an empty stomach. [More]
$4.99 Popeye's Chicken Deal Causes Police Intervention, Chicken Shortages
Several Popeyes Chicken restaurants in the Rochester, NY area were overrun with customers responding to an offer of eight pieces for $4.99. The restaurants actually ran out of chicken and had to turn hungry customers away.
1 In 10 Americans Are On Food Stamps
32.2 million people, about 1 in 10 Americans, are now on food stamps according to the latest government report. The number is a new record.
Salvation Army: Some People Who Used To Be Donors Are Now "Clients"
If the Salvation Army is a charity that you usually support, they could really use your help this year. Donations are down and, according to a press release issued Tuesday, former donors are now "clients."
Could You Survive Spending Only $25 A Week For Food?
The Illinois Food Bank Association issued a challenge to Illinoisans — could they survive by spending only $25 a week for food? $25 a week is the average weekly food stamp benefit that an individual receives in Illinois. Could you make such a small amount last while still eating nutritious meals?
Attention Hungry Insomniacs: Burger King Will Now Stay Open Until 2 AM
You know how Burger King is always closed and you have to go to Taco Bell? And you don't even like Taco Bell? No more. Burger King has announced that it will be staying open until 2 am.
US Airways Officially Ends Snacks
US Airways has decided that the $.03 per package that they were spending on your snack is just too much money! They're officially discontinuing free snacks for coach passengers as of June 1st.
Next May, look for a new hydrogel pill that can quash the urge to eat by expanding into a jelly-like ball in your stomach.
$30 a Month for Food?
A blogger from Lansing Michigan decided to spend only $30 on food for the month of November, just to see what it was like being poor. It's an interesting read.


text:
(By Delegates Ferro, Pethtel, Diserio, Skaff, Ferns, Jones, Swartzmiller, Storch, Hamilton, Miley and White)
[Introduced February 14, 2013; referred to the
Committee on the Judiciary then Finance.]
A BILL to amend the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, by adding thereto a new section, designated §11-13A-5b, relating generally to severance taxes collected for privilege of producing oil or natural gas; setting a baseline of tax collections; providing for the distribution of funds collected in excess of that baseline; providing how those funds may be used; creating the Marcellus Development Account; and defining terms.
Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:
That the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, be amended by adding thereto a new section, designated §11-13A-5b, to read as follows:
§11-13A-5b. Establishing a baseline of tax collections; Marcellus Development Account; distribution and use; definitions.
_(a) For fiscal years beginning July 1, 2013, a baseline for collections of severance tax on the privilege of producing oil and gas levied by section five of this article that are deposited in the General Revenue Fund or that are distributed to counties and municipalities, as provided in section five-a of this article, is established at $64.8 million.
_(b) The State Treasurer shall apportion any net collections during the fiscal year of this state in excess of the baseline specified in subsection (a) of this section as follows:
_(1) Ten percent of the excess shall be deposited and distributed as provided in section five-a of this article; and
_(2) The remaining balance, after the distribution provided by subdivision (1) of this subsection, shall be equally divided between the General Revenue Fund and the Marcellus Development Account hereby created in the State Treasury and deposited into those fund accounts. Moneys from the Marcellus Development Account shall periodically be distributed on a pro rata basis by the State Treasurer to county commissions of the counties with wells producing gas from either the marcellus or utica shale, or from both formations, based on the ratio of that shale gas produced in the particular county during the state's fiscal year beginning on or after the effective date of this section has to the total volume of shale gas produced in the state during that same fiscal year. Distributions of severance taxes to a county commission pursuant to this subdivision shall be treated as a special revenue of the county, which is separate and apart from its general revenue, and may be expended by the county commission only for the cost of infrastructure projects.
Definitions. --
For purposes of subdivision (2), subsection (b) of this section:
_(1) "Construction" means construction, acquisition, reconstruction, enlargement, improvement and providing furnishings or equipment.
_(2) "Cost" means, as applied to infrastructure projects, the cost of acquisition, repair, renovation and construction; the cost of acquisition of all land, rights-of-way, property rights, easements, franchise rights and interests required by the county or municipality for the acquisition, renovation, repair or construction; the cost of demolishing or removing any buildings or structures on acquired land, including the cost of acquiring any lands where buildings or structures may be moved; the cost of diverting highways, interchange of highways and access roads to private property, including the cost of land or easement therefor; the cost of all machinery, furnishings and equipment; all finance changes and interest prior to and during the construction and for no more than eighteen months after completion of construction; the cost of all legal services and expenses; the cost of all plans, specifications, surveys and estimates of cost; all working capital and other expenses necessary or incident to determining the feasibility or practicability of acquiring, renovating, repairing or construction any such project; the financing of the acquisition, renovation, repair or construction, including the amount authorized in the resolution of the county commission, or its designee with statutory to issue revenue bonds, providing for the issuance of infrastructure revenue bonds to be paid into any special funds from the proceeds of such bonds; and the financing of the placing of an infrastructure project in operation, if necessary. Any obligations or expenses incurred after the effective date of this section by any county commission or its designee, with the approval of the county commission, for surveys, borings, preparation of plans and specifications and other engineering services in connection with the acquisition, renovation, repair or construction of a project shall be regarded as a part of the cost of such project and shall be reimbursed out of the proceeds of infrastructure revenue bonds or from severance taxes as authorized by this section.
_(3) "Infrastructure project" means a project of a public nature in this state which the county commission or its designee determines is likely to foster and enhance economic growth and development in the area of the county where the project is developed, for commercial, industrial, community improvement or preservation or other proper purposes, including, but not limited to, tourism and recreational housing, land, air or water transportation facilities and bridges, industrial or commercial projects and facilities, mail order, warehouses, wholesale and retail sales facilities and other real and personal properties, including facilities owned or leased by this state or any other project sponsor, and includes, but not limited to:
_(A) The process of acquiring, holding, operating, planning, financing, demolition, construction, improving, expanding, renovation, leasing or otherwise disposing of the project or any part or interest; and
_(B) Preparing land for construction and making, installing or constructing improvement on the land, including, but not limited to, water or wastewater facilities or any part thereof, steam, gas, telephone and telecommunications and electric lines and installations, roads, bridges, railroad spurs, buildings, docking and shipping facilities, curbs, gutters, sidewalks and drainage and flood control facilities, whether on or off the site.
_(4) "Owner" means all persons having any title or interest in any property rights, easements and interests authorized to be acquired by this section.
_(5) "Person" means any public or private corporation, institution, association, firm or company organized or existing under the laws of the United States, this state or any other state or country; a federal or state governmental agency; a political subdivision; a county commission; lead county or regional economic development authority or corporation designated by the county commission; municipality; industry; public service district; partnership; trust; estate; person or individual; and group of persons or individuals acting individually or as a group or any other legal entity whatever.
_(6) "Project" means any infrastructure project constructed or operated or to be constructed or operated by a project sponsor.
_(7) "Project costs" means capital costs, costs of financing, planning, designing, constructing, expanding, improving, maintaining or controlling an infrastructure project, the cost of land, equipment, machinery, installation of utilities and other similar expenditures and all other charges or expenses necessary, appurtenant or incidental to these costs.
_(8) "Project sponsor" means any county commission, county or regional economic development organization, whether a government agency or nonprofit entity, or other governmental agency or person, or any combination thereof, including, but not limited to, any public utility, which intends to plan, acquire, construct, improve or otherwise develop a project.
_(9) "Wastewater facility" means all facilities, land and equipment used for or in connection with treating, neutralizing, disposing of, stabilizing, cooling, segregating or holding wastewater, including, but not limited to, facilities for the treatment and disposal of sewage, industrial wastes or other wastes, wastewater, and the residue thereof; facilities for the temporary or permanent impoundment of wastewater, both surface and underground; and sanitary sewers or other collection system, whether on the surface or underground, designed to transport wastewater together with any associated equipment and furnishings and any appurtenances and systems, whether on the surface or underground, including force mains and pumping facilities therefor.
_(10) "Water facility" means all facilities, land and equipment used for or in connection with the collection and/or storage of water, both surface and underground, transportation of water, storage of water, treatment of water and distribution of water all for the purpose of providing potable, sanitary water suitable for human consumption and use.
NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to provide a source of funding for infrastructure projects in those counties that produce natural gas from the marcellus or utica shale formations. The bill sets a baseline of tax collections at $64.8 million from oil and gas. The bill provides that ten percent of those funds collected in excess of that baseline will continue to be for the benefit of counties and municipalities. The bill provides that the remaining ninety percent be deposited equally between the General Revenue Fund and the newly created Marcellus Development Account. The moneys from the Marcellus Development Account shall be distributed to counties based on their pro rata share of the gas produced from the marcellus or utica shale formations. The bill provides that funds from the Marcellus Development Account may only be used for infrastructure projects.
This section is new; therefore, it has been completely underscored.