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Latest update : 2011-02-08
INTERNATIONAL PAPERS, Tues, 8/2/2011: Should Belgian women go on a sex strike to highlight the country's political deadlock? A female Senator (who moonlights as a gynecologist) think so! The Guardian's Moscow correspondent is unceremoniously expelled from the country. We look at coverage (with some Russian accents thrown in!). First though, might Hosni Mubarak seek refuge in a German hospital? Der Spiegel says such plans are "more concrete than previously thought".
Get the France 24 press review on your iPhone or become a fan on Facebook.


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Watermelon Mint Gazpacho Recipe
Nothing cools off the dog days of summer like a bowl of this refreshing watermelon chilled soup. It's subtle sweetness, touch of mint and pretty pink color make it especially appealing.
Recommended: 25 Cucumber Recipes to Make This Summer
VERIFIED BY Taste of Home Test Kitchen
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- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup water
- 12 cups seeded chopped watermelon
- 2 cups chopped honeydew
- 1/2 cup fresh mint leaves
- 1/4 cup lime juice
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- In a small saucepan, combine sugar and water. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 2-3 minutes or until sugar is dissolved, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat; cool to room temperature.
- Working in batches if necessary, place the sugar mixture, watermelon, honeydew, mint, lime juice and salt in a food processor. Cover and process until smooth. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
- Combine sour cream and sugar. Garnish each serving with topping. Yield: 9 servings (2-1/4 quarts).
Originally published as Watermelon Gazpacho in Taste of Home's Holiday & Celebrations Cookbook Annual 2011, p233
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subset: commoncrawl


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Could there ever be an alternative stock exchange dedicated to slow, small, and local? Could a million American families get their food from CSAs? What if you had to invest 50 percent of your assets within 50 miles of where you live?Such questions-at the heart of slow money-represent the first steps on our path to a new economy.
Inquiries into the Nature of Slow Money presents an essential new strategy for investing in local food systems and introduces a group of fiduciary activists who are exploring what should come after industrial finance and industrial agriculture. Theirs is a vision for investing that puts soil fertility into return-on-investment calculations and serves people and place as much at it serves industry sectors and markets.
Leading the charge is Woody Tasch-whose decades of work as a venture capitalist, foundation treasurer, and entrepreneur now shed new light on a truer, more beautiful, more prudent kind of fiduciary responsibility. He offers an alternative vision to the dusty old industrial concepts of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries when dollars, and the businesses they financed, lost their connection to place; slow money, on the other hand, is firmly rooted in the new economic, social, and environmental realities of the 21st century.
Inquiries into the Nature of Slow Money is a call to action for designing capital markets built around not extraction and consumption but preservation and restoration. Is it a movement or is it an investment strategy? Yes.
"Slow Money is right on the money."--Tim Storrow, Executive Director, Castanea Foundation, Inc.
"Every once in a while, an idea comes around that you immediately know is not only a good one, but in fact is an absolutely necessary one. Slow Money is such an idea. Money is a powerful thing and whatever we collectively put our money into goes a long way toward creating the world that we live in. So far, those choices have led to many things, including a broken world food system, where nobody knows where their food comes from or what it takes to grow it. To become so divorced from something as essential as our food has had many disastrous consequences. I have great hope that sustainable, locally based food systems will help us all in more ways than we imagine. Slow Money can play a huge role in doing this and Woody's book is an inspiration to all of us working in sustainable agriculture. I can't wait to live in a world supported by Slow Money."--Tom Stearns, President, High Mowing Organic Seeds


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Submission + - US' Fastest Growing Exports to China: Education (forbes.com) 1
hackingbear writes: While we are importing billions of "cheap" products labeled "Made in China", the fastest growing exports from US to China does not even need a label. Chinese parents are acutely aware that the Chinese educational system focuses too much on rote memorization, so Chinese students have flocked to overseas universities and now even secondary schools, despite the high cost of attending programs in America. Chinese enrollment in U.S. universities rose 23% to 157,558 students during the 2010-2011 academic year, making China by far the biggest foreign presence. Even the daughter of Xi Jinping, the presumed next president of China, studies as an undergraduate at Harvard. This creates opportunities for universities to bring American education directly to China. Both Duke and New York University are building campuses in the Shanghai area to offer full-time programs to students there. Maybe one day, our education export can save our own education system or even the economy.


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Lauren Pannier struck out 13 in a no-hitter, and Kaitlyn Finneran homered to lead the Morrison Fillies to an 8-0 Three Rivers win at home Tuesday over the Newman Comets.
Finneran drove in four runs, and Chelsea Eads added a double and two RBIs for Morrison (14-3, 10-1). Maddie Newman took the loss for the Comets.
Amboy 4, Byron 3: The Clippers tied a nonconference game with a three-run seventh, then scored in the bottom of the eighth to win at home.
Cassey Doege had three hits and an RBI, and Brooke Lovgren also drove in a run for Amboy (10-5). Lauren Akre got the win in relief, shutting the Tigers out after entering in the fourth with the Clippers down 3-0.
Erie-Prophetstown 4, Bureau Valley 1: Savannah Mettler twirled a four-hitter and drove in a run to lead the Panthers to a Three Rivers win at home.
Amanda Bertolozzi had two hits and an RBI, and Laykin Miner tripled in a run for E-P. Mettler struck out four and walked one in the complete game.
Emily Phillips led the Storm with two hits. Irini Petros took the loss.
Stillman Valley 11, Oregon 5: Bree Tourtillott had two hits, but the Hawks gave up runs in six of seven innings in a Big Northern West loss at Oregon Park West.
Milledgeville 6, Dakota 3: Courtney Swalve doubled twice and drove in three runs to lead the Missiles to an NUIC East win on the road.
Emily Bush struck out 14 while allowing three runs and 11 hits, and she added a double and triple. Morgan Adolph and Taylor Grenoble also had RBIs for Milledgeville.
Aquin 13, AFC 3, 5 inn.: Sarah Matson singled, doubled and drove in a run, but the Raiders lost an NUIC East game in Freeport.
Alyx Miller and Hope Friday also had RBIs for AFC (2-10, 1-9). Marissa Sanford took the loss.
Forreston-Polo sweeps at home: The Cardinals won a pair of NUIC East games in German Valley, beating South Beloit 9-4 and 11-7.
Meg Cullor had three hits, including a home run, and three RBIs in the opener, and Abby Peterson picked up the win. Becca Wakenight had three singles and an RBI in the nightcap, with Jozi Grobe getting the win.
Eastland 5, Lena-Winslow 4: Delanie Giedd's walk-off single drove in Haley Miller in the bottom of the seventh to send the Cougars to an NUIC West victory at home.
Ashley Nepean struck out seven in a complete-game performance for Eastland (7-7).
College softball
Sauk sweeps at home: The Skyhawks opened Region IV play with a doubleheader sweep of Elgin, winning 7-1 and 6-0 at SVCC in Dixon.
Kelsey Hagan hit a three-run homer and an RBI single in the opener, and Lori Lynch drove in two more runs for Sauk (30-12-1). Kiara Kaleel struck out five without a walk in a six-hitter.
Brianna Shultz tossed a three-hit shutout in the nightcap, striking out eight and walking one. Lynch had two hits, Therese Jender drove in two runs, and Hagan added another RBI.
The Skyhawks advance to the final four of the Region IV tournament, which will begin Friday in Freeport.
Tuesday's stars
Lauren Pannier, Morrison, no-hitter, 13 SO
Savannah Mettler, E-P, 4-hitter, RBI
Emily Bush, Milledgeville, CG, 14 SO, 2B, 3B
Delanie Giedd, Eastland, walk-off RBI single
Kelsey Hagan, Sauk, 5 RBIs in doubleheadcer sweep


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Well, my school has locked our laptops up tight... They can use DyKnow (a program that connects our laptops to the server so they can monitor) to look at what we are doing.
I was wondering if anyone has played around with this, or can play around with it, if it is possible to create a screenshot of the current conditions and then emulate it to DyKnow so it looks like you are doing nothing but you are going onto non-school related sites, playing games... They've looked us out of a few things and I'll tell ya the main:
Command Prompt (I can use QBasic45's BIOS though)
Task Manager
They use 8e6 Enterprise Internet Filtering
I cannot install any programs (but I might be able to run them off a U3 Flash Drive)
Please Help!!! Im not doing anything ILLEGAL... Just trying to have fun during.. history!!!!!!!.


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- Premier League
FA launch probe after Ferdinand hit by coin
Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand was left with blood pouring from his face after he appeared to be struck by an object thrown from the crowd in the dying stages of the Manchester derby.
As United celebrated Robin van Persie's late winner, Ferdinand was hit by a coin thrown from a section of the home fans at Etihad Stadium. A City fan was also restrained by police after running onto the field to confront Ferdinand, with City keeper Joe Hart forced to intervene.
Ferdinand laughed off the incident offering a humourous tweet on the subject shortly after the game.
"Whoever threw that coin,what a shot! Can't believe it was a copper 2p....could have at least been a £1 coin!" was the reaction offered up by the experienced centre-back, who left the field with an injury that would have been more fitting if it had been inflicted in a boxing ring.
"What a result, 3 points, sweet!" he went on to add on his Twitter page.
However, the Football Association has confirmed it has opened an investigation into the incident.
An FA statement read: "The FA is investigating the incident in which an object was thrown from the crowd and hit Rio Ferdinand following Manchester United's third goal against Manchester City on Sunday.
"The FA will liaise with Greater Manchester Police and await the reports of both our crowd control advisor who was present at the game and the match referee."
An FA spokesperson added: "It is disappointing that after a great game and advert for the Premier League that we are discussing this issue. We will work with the clubs and authorities to identify those responsible and support the strongest sanctions available, including life bans.
"We condemn any such acts and it is simply unacceptable that any player is exposed to injury in this way. To witness Rio Ferdinand leaving the field with a cut above his eye to receive treatment is appalling.
"Football in this country has made great progress over recent decades. However, we must maintain the safety and security inside of our stadia and to do this we need to isolate and identify any individuals guilty of offences with strong penalties to act as a deterrent to others."
Earlier in the game, Wayne Rooney had complained about objects being thrown from the stands as he went to take a corner, while late on City striker Carlos Tevez was perhaps lucky not to be shown a red card after lashing out at United's Phil Jones.
As tempers ran high at the final whistle, stewards tried to prevent United's players celebrating in front of their supporters to avoid further issues.
Speaking after the contest, matchwinner Van Persie professed not to have seen the incident with Ferdinand - although United manager Sir Alex Ferguson described the altercation as 'unfortunate'.
"It's unfortunate toward the end that the City fan runs on and throws coins at our players," Ferguson said. "I don't think you need that.
"The same thing happened at Chelsea which was masked really by all the other things that happened. Two fantastic teams today I think and a fantastic game of football and it could do without that."
Meanwhile, Greater Manchester Police confirmed that an arrest was made during the game after racist chanting was heard from part of the ground.


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hiki2008 wrote:Spore Evolves with New Content, Gameplay and Tools
...Gamers will experience deeper Space stage gameplay with an expansion pack scheduled for release in spring 2009. For the first time, players' space faring creatures will be able to beam down from their spaceships to explore new planets and earn rewards for completing challenging missions. A new Adventure Creator will allow players to build and share online their own custom missions, providing almost endless gameplay possibilities.
The Spore Creepy & Cute Parts Pack, available worldwide as soon as November 18, 2008, provides more than 100 new creature-building components themed in two distinct styles--charming, cartoon-esque creatures and scary, monster-like creatures. Including body parts, paint options, animations, backgrounds and more, Spore Creepy & Cute Parts Pack allows users of Spore or the retail version of the Spore Creature Creator to give their creatures distinct personalities like never before!
More details abouth "Spore Cute and Creepy Pack" :
72 new body parts - 12 per pallet (mouth, eyes, antennae, legs, body & Details)
2 new backgrounds for the spore creature creator - 1 x creepy & 1 x cute
36 new scripts (12 bases, 12 paints & 12 Details)
12 new painting motifs
24 new test-animations - 12 x creepy & 12 cute
midian1369 wrote:you do know the planet beam and mission maker are NOT in the upcoming parts pack right? Just making sure, because it would suck to be anyone who made THAT mistake.
ZeekSlider wrote:Anyone who says otherwise about my position just hates capitalism. And believe me, I see a lot of fault in the program as it is already, but I still participate in it despite where it is heading at the moment.
Virakotxa wrote:Not being a consumist moron has nothing to do with hating capitalism. It has to do with being a responsable cosummer. Just my thought.
Ccurving wrote:
ZeekSlider wrote:Anyone who says otherwise about my position just hates capitalism. And believe me, I see a lot of fault in the program as it is already, but I still participate in it despite where it is heading at the moment.
And yet RG and others have to take crap for being close-minded...
ZeekSlider wrote:Hey, nessicary evil. I don't like it, but you gotta do what you gotta do.
Finnical wrote:This is exactly what the world doesn't need more of. You do what you gotta do, but that doesn't mean for a second that you can't complain about it. The companies are making products for the people, not the other way around.
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 10/14/2008 03:13:59
This message was edited 2 times. Last update was at 10/14/2008 03:19:50
Prometheus09 wrote:I agree with you, ZeekSlider, about people complaining over prices. Maxis is not forcing anyone to get the expansion (yet lol), nor is anyone forcing people to buy expensive food at your movie theater. That's why I just sneak candy and soda into the theater, that is, in the off chance that I even DO go to the theater I am one of those consumers who dislikes high prices and does not complain; I just don't buy the item in question.
After all, entertainment-type purchases are really luxuries to begin with, and it is not as though we are inherently entitled to them, or need them. Like Virakotxa said, it's about being a responsible consumer...
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 10/14/2008 03:21:01
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Bay Medical Center is laying off 27 employees. The Panama City hospital says huge funding cuts from Medicare and Medicaid forced it to make the changes.
"It is a sad time for us," says President and CEO Steve Johnson. "This is a great group of employees and we will be doing everything we can to help them find other employment."
All 27 of the positions being eliminated are in non-clinical areas. Most of them are construction workers.
"Since the hospital completed the tower and other major renovation projects, we could no longer justify having a large construction department," Johnson said.
The hospital also announced plans to close the on-site child care center after the first of the year. Hospital executives say only 30 of the 1,850 employees used the service. The facility would also need costly upgrades to meet state requirements so it could continue to operate.


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Latest update : 2012-11-02
US presidential election: Saving the American dream
With just five days to the US elections, our reporters head to the city of Las Vegas which has the highest unemployment in the country; a place where, for many, the American Dream has become the ultimate nightmare. Annette Young and her panel discuss how fixing unemployment is dominating this election campaign.
- Christopher Dickey, Paris Bureau Chief, Newsweek/The Daily Beast;
- Aja Monet, Poet, Co-Editor of the Book "Chorus"; Youth Mentor;
- Tim Kane, Chief Economist, Hudson Institute ; Founder of the social networking firm StoryPoint;
- Doug Hanks, France 24 Correspondent.
Watch the second part
Programme prepared and produced by Shamira Mohammad, Sara Bertilsson and Mary Colombel


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MINOX BF 8x42 and BF 10x42: The new entry-level, all-rounder from MINOX
All Sport Optics products from MINOX offer the highest quality and excellent price/performance ratio. With the new BF line MINOX once again proves that quality is affordable. The BF8x42 and BF10x42 models are highly versatile and feature many proven design features taken from the latest MINOX binoculars and spotting scopes. They are the perfect companions for lovers of the outdoors who, will find BFs the ideal partner for traveling, all outdoor-activities, bird-watching, field-sports or for observing fauna and flora.
Members of the British Fieldsports press invited to try MINOX optics at WMS Firearms Training
MINOX recently hosted a day at the WMS facility in Mid-Wales and took the opportunity to introduce members of the British Sporting press to the new ZE and ZP range of rifle-scopes; journalists were also invited to try the brand new MD60 and MD80 Z spotting scopes. WMS presented some challenging and realistic shooting at ranges between 100 and 900yds - the task was made considerably easier by the brilliant new MINOX rifle-scopes!
MINOX will be present again at the HuntEx in South Africa
The Huntex in Midrand, South Africa has now become the largest trade show for hunters and marksmen on the African continent setting a new record with 40,001 visitors. The renowned optical manufacturer MINOX will be presenting from 24 to 27 April 2015 the complete range of sports optics including binoculars, riflescopes with illuminated reticles, tactical riflescopes, game cameras and night vision devices. Representatives from Germany will be on site for expert advice. For more information, please visit www.huntex.net.
The Jagd Niederrhein will be opening its doors for the first time with its new name at the Kalkar Wunderland fairgrounds.
With a new name and new concept, the German-Dutch trade and consumer exhibition Jagd Niederrhein will be taking place from 18th 19th of April, 2015. Suppliers, manufacturers, dealers and even associations and publishers will be presenting themselves with their newest products, innovations and information on more than 6000 square meters. MINOX will also participate with the complete range of sports optics, riflescopes with reticule illumination, tactical riflescopes, wildlife cameras and extensive information about their new products. Further information can be found here: www.messekalkar.de/de/congress/42/hunting-fishing oder www.jagd-niederrhein.de.
The starter model for hunting, outdoors and personal safety the new MINOX DTC 300
At the IWA 2015 in Nuremberg the optics specialist MINOX from Wetzlar introduces a new model in the game and surveillance camera sector. The intuitive handling of this MINOX DTC 300 makes it an excellent tool for beginners who want to get started in the field of game and nature observation as well as personal safety. This convenient observation camera is discrete, intelligent and powerful, making it an ideal and reliable companion in hunting grounds and also for object protection and surveillance.
Successful IWA 2015 - MINOX draws positive balance
From 6 - 9 March 2015, the 42nd IWA Outdoor Classics international trade fair took place at the Nuremberg Exhibition Centre in Germany, boasting 1,383 exhibitors and 42,000 visitors from all over the world. Aside from the new binocular, riflescope and trail camera products presented at the MINOX stand in hall 1, the MINOX gourmet lounge with fine food and wines was gladly appreciated by visitors, resulting in an extremely successful trade show for the reknown German Sport Optics manufacturer.
MINOX innovations at the boot in Dusseldorf
A new Action Cam with a WiFi module and underwater housing, surveillance cameras to monitor boats and private property, binoculars and spotting scopes for observations while at sea or on land - these are the innovations that the renown optics specialist MINOX will be presenting at two booths during the international trade show boot in Dusseldorf : Hall 11 and at the "Water World pixel" joint stand in Hall 4.
New and innovative products to be presented at the Shot Show 2015!
MINOX will be presenting innovative new riflescopes, spotting scopes, binoculars and wildlife cameras at the German joint stand during the Shot Show in Las Vegas from the 20th 23rd of January 2015.
The Shot Show in Las Vegas is considered the most important trade show in the USA for firearms, hunting and outdoor activities. Visitors can find out about the latest developments, trends, products and services. For more information, please visit shotshow.org.
photokina 2014: MINOX showcases innovative new products from the photo and sport optics sector
For photokina 2014 that starts this Tuesday in Cologne the optics manu-facturer MINOX has several innovative new products in store. At the fore-front is the compact and sturdy Action Cam MINOX ACX 101. This new type of video camera is proving extremely popular on the market. Whether in a moment of free-fall, on the ski slope or out biking, the action cam is the perfect companion when the focus is on pure action. The full HD video resolution of the ACX 101, its 135° super wide-angle lens as well as a memory capacity of up to 32 GB promise long-lasting dynamic action.
MINOX DTC 400 SLIM: Measuring just 27 mm its the flattest camera ever!
In the hunting and gamekeeping sector game and surveillance cameras are becoming increasingly important for checking and investigation purposes in nature observation and in game parks. For an even more discrete wildlife observation the optical specialist MINOX now presents its new MINOX DTC 400 SLIM. Featuring an extremely slim shape of just 2.7 cm in depth, a slightly curved contour that molds with the tree shape and a camouflage body this camera sets a new standard and permits even less conspicuous observation. Discrete, smart and powerful features characterize this highly convenient game camera and make it a reliable tool for the observation of wildlife and gamekeeping in any terrain.
MINOX DTC 650 Game Camera: Simple Operation, HD Video Resolution and Black IR-Filter Flash
For some time now, game and trail cameras have been used for checking, recording and investigation purposes in nature observation and in game parks. They have become an essential tool in this field of observation. The optical specialist MINOX is therefore extending its range of game cameras with the new DTC 650 model. Small and compact, this new MINOX DTC 650 is extremely convenient to use. It features HD video resolution and a black filter in front of the 60 LEDs that makes it completely invisible to animals and people when using the flash!
Coveted Red Dot Design Award for MINOX BL 8x44 HD Binoculars
Once again a product of the optics manufacturer MINOX from Wetzlar has been distinguished with an internationally renowned design prize a quality seal of a very special kind. At this years red dot award: product design 2014, one of the worlds largest design competitions, the new binoculars MINOX BL 8x44 with innovative HD glass received the coveted Red Dot.
MINOX is expanding sales activities of Water Sports Optics to the Portuguese market
The renown optical manufacturer from Wetzlar in Germany is expanding its European distribution network for Water Sports Optics to Portugal. With immediate effect, Sea Tec Equipamentos de Comunicação e Navegacao Lda. will be the competent partner to manage the Portuguese customers for the MINOX Nautic Line.
MINOX will be present at the HuntEx 2014 in South Africa
The HuntEx in Midrand South Africa, has now become the largest trade fair for hunters and marksmen on the African continent. With 35,000 visitors last year, the fair attracted a record number of visitors. MINOX will be present again this year from the 25th to 28th April 2014 and and will display the complete assortment of sport optics to include binoculars, riflescopes with illuminated dot, tactical riflescopes and even game cameras. For expert advice on location, visitors can speak directly to a MINOX employee from Germany. Further informationen at www.huntex.net.
The Art of Precision: MINOX presents Premium Tactical Riflescopes
In response to a growing safety awareness and the respective increase in demand in the law enforcement sector, the optical specialist MINOX is presenting ZP models in a Premium line of tactical riflescopes at the IWA 2014. These scopes have been developed in close cooperation with specialists to meet all professional requirements. Led by the values of German engineering culture they are designed and manufactured with maximum precision and skillfully perfected down to the smallest detail. From fast close-up shots up to the precision shot at long distances, for the long-range hunting and sports shooter or for high detail recognition over long distances the new line of tactical riflescopes offers the right model for every application. Besides its flagship model the MINOX ZP8 1-8x24 this new line of MINOX riflescopes includes the ZP5 3-15x50 and the ZP5 5-25x56.
Outstanding MINOX versatility and value: The new tactical ZA HD Riflescopes
After the successful launch of the riflescope range more than 4 years ago, MINOX has now extended its expertise in this field and is proud to announce the new ZA HD tactical line.
Developed in Germany, the new ZA HDs are specifically geared to the needs and requirements of the hunter and deer-stalker. The new tactical ZA HD variations offer an exceptionally high degree of precision, quality and reliability; all are equipped with RTA (Rapid Target Acquisition) technology and High Definition (HD) glass; a selection of ZA HD models are also available with illuminated reticles; the new ZA HD models are ideal for all forms of daylight deer-stalking or for raised hide use at dawn and dusk, offering stalkers an even faster target acquisition at the crucial moment when needed.
MINOX will be present at the Shot Show in Las Vegas from 14 - 17 January 2014 at the German pavilion
The Shot Show in Las Vegas is the most important trade fair in the USA for firearms, hunting and outdoor activities. The visitors can find out about the latest developments, trends, services and products. MINOX will be present again this year at the German pavilion and will display the complete range of riflescopes, binoculars, game and observation cameras and night vision equipment.
Стратегически съюз: MINOX и Optronika пускат German Sports Optics
MINOX, производителят на спортни оптики и камери от Вецлар и Optronika, специалистът по оптични прицели от Бийбетрал са сформирали стратегически съюз с участието на L&O груп, Германия.
MINOX присъства на Ловният панаир в Белгия 2013
Най-голямото ловно изложение в Белгия се състоя от 26ти-28ми Април. Немският производител на спортна оптика от Вецлар представи пълната гама от бинокли, оптични прицели и камери, както и най-новите поколения оптични прицели с подсветка MINOX ZEi.
HuntEX в Мидранд, Южна Африка голям успех за MINOX
Най-голямото изложние за ловци и състезателипо стрелба и най-важното изжлоение за мало-калибрени оръжия в Африка HuntEx 2013 беше много успешно за MINOX. Имаше над 35,000 посетителя и 250 изложителя за четири дни. Посетителите можаха да придобият подробна информация на щанда на MINOX за пълната гама спортна оптика, бинокли, зрителни тръби, камери за дивеч и новите поколения оптични прицели с подсветка.


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Hello friends
When iam going browsing some documentation i came across this paragraph.
By writting the change vectors and the SCN to the redo log files oracle ensures that the commiited changes are never lost.This process is known as the fast commit.
"Writes to redo logs files are faster than writing the blocks to data files".
can u explain the quoted sentence how exactly it happens.


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With Taipei, indie literature icon Tao Lin (林韜) seems eager to talk about his ethnic background in a way that he wasn't before.
Lin, 29, has never tried to be a Taiwanese American writer. In previous works, he has drawn mainly from his experience as a Web-savvy urban hipster who experiments with legal and illegal drugs. At first glance, the title of his 2007 novel Eeeee Eee Eeee takes its cue from the 1974 Asian-American anthology Aieeeee!, but Lin actually patterned it after the sound dolphins make to express emotion.
In a step away from his characteristic de-racialized voice, Lin makes it completely clear in Taipei that he's Taiwanese American. His relationship to Taiwan is "all in the book," he told the Taipei Times in an e-mail exchange.
Lin was born in Virginia, to a couple who had left Taiwan as part of the 1970s surge of student emigrants. The older Lins returned years 30 years later, after their conviction for investment fraud in Florida, leaving two adult sons in the US. One of them was Tao, who graduated from New York University hoping to become a writer.
And it looks like he's made it. When writing his first six books, Lin had supported himself by working in restaurants and selling his things on eBay. Vintage offered an advance of US$50,000 for Taipei, freeing him up to write full-time, and the book released June 4 to good and even excellent reviews. Slate has praised the "purposeful maturity, and even a subtle warmth, on display," while Dwight Garner of the The New York Times liked Taipei for the "paranoid observation[s]" and "flickers of perception, flickers that the author catches as if they were fireflies."
Still, Taipei has received no reviews that dwell long on its title subject. That's because when it comes Taipei, Lin has surprisingly little to say: His protagonist Paul avoids Taipei even as he is in it.
On a visit to his parents, Paul smuggles in ecstasy, then takes it with his wife Erin during their stay. As they walk through Ximending's shopping district in a haze, they talk about their relationship, and Paul feels like they are "in the backseat of a soundproofed, window-tinted limousine." On this trip, and the one before it, Taipei is absent of history, culture-specific values or even dialogue, because Paul can't speak much Mandarin.
Outside of the novel, Lin does not have a lot to say about Taipei, either.
In our e-mail correspondence, his responses are sincere and deeply detailed, but also quite vague. My short questions, then longer urgent ones, resulted in a string of koans.
"I know you write more for yourself than for the hypothetical reader. What were you trying to achieve for yourself with Taipei?" I wrote to him last month.
"I was trying to achieve whatever it is that the book is in entirety," he wrote back. "[The effect is] more complicated and intuitive than one sentence, or two sentences, or ten pages, or a hundred pages. It's 256 pages, I think."
Is Taipei autobiographical? Not really, he says.
"I don't think remembering and imagining are different. Maybe they are not different. Try to remember what you did yesterday. Now try to imagine what you'll do tomorrow. It kind of seems like imagining presents a less vague scenario, to me. Both actions reference the world of abstraction. And words cannot reproduce concrete reality."
Lin, when asked to talk about his relationship with Taiwan or his parents in Taiwan, defers to artifacts.
In an e-mail he sends this: an Instagram of an e-mail with a screen grab of a cable news program of a deer tangled in a wooden chair. In Taipei, his father had seen the deer on the news and had photographed it for Lin, who tells me, "My father sends me very funny e-mails sometimes."
There is no other attempt at narrative, and the news caption in the Instagram is far too blurry to read. A bit like Lin, the deer has been lifted and re-contextualized again and again, only to pop up here, indecipherable, feeling free to exist and not signify a thing.


text:
Oct. 19, 2007
NEW HAVEN, Conn. - After opening Ivy play with a pair of hard-fought ties, the Bulldogs need to start winning to stay in the race for the league title. They'll look for that first victory when they travel to Penn Saturday night for a 7:30 p.m. kickoff. Weather permitting live stats for the game will be available at PennAthletics.com.
Yale (2-4-4, 0-0-2 Ivy) is unbeaten in its last six games and is coming off a 2-2 tie with Central Connecticut on Tuesday night. The Bulldogs have allowed only four goals during the stretch. Goalkeeper Erik Geiger began the week seventh in the nation in save percentage (.877) and 11th in saves (6.25 per game).
Offensively, a young front line continues to develop. A pair of forwards, sophomore Kevin Pope and freshman Aden Farina-Henry, scored their first career goals against Central Connecticut. Yale's last six goals have come from six different players, including three by freshmen.
Penn (4-5-2, 1-1 Ivy) dropped a 2-0 decision at Rutgers on Wednesday night. The Quakers also feature a balanced attack. Seven players have at least two goals, led by Andrew Ferry with three. Alex Grendi has a team-high five assists. Drew Healy has played a majority of the minutes in goal and has a 1.35 goals against average.
Last year in New Haven, Penn escaped with a 1-0 victory, scoring the only goal early in the first half. The Bulldogs held a 16-8 edge in shots but couldn't get the equalizer. Yale leads the all-time series 42-40-8 and is 6-3-1 in the last 10 games.
Report filed by Tim Bennett, Yale Sports Publicity


text:
An injury to preseason senior All-State defensive back Dylan Newcomb was the last thing Waynesville needed Friday.
An injury to preseason senior All-State defensive back Dylan Newcomb was the last thing Waynesville needed Friday.
The squad has struggled to control the line of scrimmage in each of its losses, but in the team's wins, Newcomb has provided a spark on either side of the ball.
When Newcomb went down, Waynesville coach Rick Vernon adapted his defensive secondary, admitting the injury "helped Camdenton a little bit."
After the injury Waynesville turned over the ball on offense and Camdenton quickly capitalized with a touchdown to push the lead to 29-0 at halftime.
"Our kids came back in the second half, fought very hard," Vernon said. "Maybe the score doesn't look like it, but offensively we were moving the ball some, but just couldn't get anything sustained in the first half."
While the scoreboard shows the contrary, Vernon said he was satisfied with his defense, even in Newcomb's absence.
"Our defense we were really pleased with," Vernon said. "Defensively we'll just have to fill in with some other players and coach them up this week and be ready to go against Glendale."
In addition to Newcomb's injury, Waynesville suffered from another turnover epidemic, as well as some costly penalties.
"We were probably hurting ourselves more than Camdenton was hurting us," Vernon said. "We had a couple fumbles and a couple penalties in the right situations that really hurt us."
After committing eight turnovers in the last two games, Waynesville will continue to practice ball security to help solve the issue against Glendale.
Newcomb's status for the Friday's game against Glendale is uncertain – the quarterback and defensive back was carted off the field after making a tackle against Camdenton.
"Dylan plays a very big role on our football team," Vernon said. "He very seldom comes off the field so now we're having to replace some of the special teams things he does, defense, offense."
New offensive packages will be added for this week's match-up.
Newcomb was scheduled to undergo a MRI Monday.


text:
UNRWA opened up a new school in Gaza that was funded by Bahrain last week.
During the opening ceremonies, journalists noted that UNRWA omitted public recitation of verses from the Quran, as well as the Palestinian Arab national anthem, as is usual in these events. UNRWA, stung by the charges, responded that this was a technical error, and of course they will continue to recite verses from the Quran in their activities in the territories.
UNRWA's educational vision supposedly endorses "religious tolerance." How can than be possible when only one religion is a source for recitations at official UNRWA events?
Then again, UNRWA has been proven to do far worse than that at their schools in Gaza, and when they were called on it, they simply erased the evidence.
By the way, here is a computer lab at the new school in Gaza:
For a territory supposedly teetering on the brink of starvation, this seems a bit lavish - much nicer than the computer labs at many Jewish private schools I've seen.
But you won't hear any Gazans protesting that money is being spent on computers instead of food - because there is no humanitarian crisis in Gaza, and it hasn't had one since Egypt administered the area.
Saturday, November 03, 2012
- Saturday, November 03, 2012
- Elder of Ziyon
- unrwa


text:
They have long been a feature of our coastline and now an ocean crawl is honouring the rock pools of the Illawarra.
A group of swimmers dubbed the Salty Seabathers took to the water on the weekend to begin their week-long 2013 expedition.
From Coalcliff to Kiama, they are diving into two pools a day, with the aim to swim at least a kilometre in each.
Former Port Kembla woman Narelle Crux organised the salty adventure as a bit of fun and has been joined by two good friends from Victoria and a number of Wollongong swimmers.
"It's our way to honour the fantastic sea baths ... they're well worth preserving," Ms Crux said.
"If we can spur other people on [to swim in the pools] that's a wonderful thing for the area."
The seabathers even have their own expedition song and T-shirts, which Ms Crux said added to the "general silliness" of the adventure.
The group initially planned to swim the rock pools of Sydney but decided against that in favour of Wollongong's "better" pools.
Ms Crux grew up around the ocean and her family's involvement in surf lifesaving meant she spent a lot of time by the beach.
"The old rock pools have long been a feature of the Illawarra coastline," Ms Crux said.
"It's such a part of the way people live and a great part of the landscape.
"They're always packed.
"It's a great way to spend a week in summer."
As part of the expedition, the seabathers are rating each pool according to certain criteria including water temperature, quality and whether or not it has a "knockout" view.
An overall rating will also be given to determine the best pool.
"We have our clipboards ... it's all very serious," Ms Crux said.
The Salty Seabathers expedition began on Saturday morning at Coalcliff rock pool and will end on Friday.


text:
Almarai shareholders approve 50pc capital hike
Dubai, September 10, 2013
Saudi Arabia's Almarai has received shareholder approval to increase its capital by 50 per cent to SR6 billion ($1.60 billion), the dairy firm said in a statement on Tuesday.
The company will increase the number shares to 600 million from 400 million by issuing one bonus share for every two outstanding shares. Each share has a nominal value of 10 riyals.
The capital increase will support Almarai's SR15.7 billion five-year capital funding programme, according to a statement to the Saudi bourse.
Almarai last week mandated four banks to arrange the sale of a 1.7 billion riyals Islamic hybrid bond, or sukuk.-Reuters


text:
Man, this takes me back. I too was a proud member of the Avery Queen/Josh Moore anticipatory bandwagon. Even got one of those horrid big-M #34 jerseys hanging in my closet. I also distinctly remember walking through the halls of my school with a friend, excitedly telling him I thought Leland Anderson was going to be the future of Michigan big men.
Finally, we've made it to the other end of the tunnel. What a long, strange trip it's been.


text:
Pink Velvet Cupcakes Recipe
Popular Videos
- 1 cup butter, softened
- 1-1/4 cups sugar
- 1/8 teaspoon pink paste food coloring
- 3 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 2 cups white baking chips
- 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 tablespoon butter
- Pink coarse sugar and sugar pearls
- In a large bowl, cream the butter, sugar and food coloring until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; add to creamed mixture alternately with buttermilk, beating well after each addition.
- Fill paper-lined muffin cups two-thirds full. Bake at 350° for 23-27 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely.
- Meanwhile, place white chips in a small bowl. In a small saucepan, bring cream just to a boil. Pour over chips; whisk until smooth. Stir in butter. Transfer to a large bowl. Chill for 30 minutes, stirring once.
- Beat on high speed for 2-3 minutes or until soft peaks form and frosting is light and fluffy. Frost cupcakes. Roll edges of cupcakes with coarse sugar; decorate with sugar pearls. Store in the refrigerator. Yield: 2 dozen.
Test Kitchen Tips
Reviews forPink Velvet Cupcakes
My Review
Average Rating
"I've made these at least a dozen times. The flavor is mild, (I do add vanilla bean paste), the texture is fluffy.... BUT they always fall flat after removing from oven. I've tried making hi-altitude adjustments (for 4300 ft) and still they fall. They're just a good cupcake I hate to give up the recipe. ANY suggestions? Thx."
"Thanks to other reviews I added a tablespoonful of vanilla extract and to add extra flavour I lessened sugar by two table spoon and added stawberry flavoured jello....result was most flavourful :)...didn't find these to be dry atall...they were soft n not so sweet with just a hint of stawberry flavour! Mine baked exactly at 25mins and I decorated them with white chocolate buttercream and pink sugar pearls....fabulous looking cupcakes in pink wrappers !!"
"I love these cupcakes"
"They tasted ok but I thought they were a little bland. Next time I'll try adding some almond extract for a little extra flavor. Also the tops of the cupcakes were, for lack of a better description, crusty as if they were overbaked. Otherwise the cake was moist. My kids liked them."
"These are not red velvet cupcakes, they are pink velvet..."
"These look delicious but I always thought red velvet cupcakes/cake had cream cheese icing. I wonder if that would be good..."
"These cupcakes are delicious. When it came to the icing I could not figure out what I did wrong. I ended up making a butter cream icing instead. With the pearls and sugar they were great."
"Oh. My. Word. These are AMAZING. I made these for my daughter's fifth birthday because she wanted pink cupcakes to serve at her princess tea party. One problem I have with homemade cakes or cupcakes is that they are always so very, very dense, but she insisted on pink and I decided to try these. I did sift the flour for this recipe and they were much lighter than I expected. After reading reviews about how flavorless they were I did increase the vanilla to a full tablespoon and they were delicious without the frosting. For the frosting I used Baker's White chocolate instead of white chips because they are notorious for poor melting (this is a result of the lack of cocoa butter) and it was hands down the best frosting I have ever made. I will be making these cupcakes again!"
"The texture of the cupcakes was very good, but not much flavor. The next time I make them, I am going to add something to make them taste as pretty as the color."
"They turned out great, even my husband liked them and he is not much of a sweets eater. Took them to work and everyone loved them."


text:
Did you catch the band on The Rachael Ray Show today? If you missed their performance of "Rebel Beat", or just want to watch it again, watch the video here. Backstage at the show Johnny asked Rachael Ray for advice on how to cook a simple grilled chicken while on tour. Check out the video below. Enjoy!
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text:
Maybe the researchers used frozen cats?
Assuming that the cats are in fact intelligent creatures, it would make sense that they have learned this behavior. Feral cats do not exhibit this behavior, so it is most likely learned or self-developed.
However, it could also be that the constant exposure to humans and the direct selection of cats which humans like the most by the owners has led to a selection bias for cats with this behavior.
I find it hard to believe that this is somehow one of those hokey "100th monkey" behaviors, but I also find it extremely interesting that this behavior is widespread.
Don't forget that cats self-domesticated so the the evolution of this kind of behaviour would have been baised from the begining.
Actually, it isn't *that* difficult to train a cat. Most people just don't bother.
True. You simply have to prove to the cat that it's being given the advantage by 'learning' the appropriate response. For instance, my cat will sit with (I hesitate to say 'command') the right suggestion and hand gesture. But I have to back the suggestion up with food or he gets disappointed I broke the agreement and the next time he will approach the 'sit' suggestion with wariness.
But he also trains me in return. He likes to drink from the tap, therefore he whines a particular meow until I go over and turn
Most people do some training of their cats - I don't know of many cats that do their business, say, on the couch rather than in a litter box.
I admit, I personally have never trained one, but that has more to do with allergies... my scratch test was so severe that it overran about half the other tests and ran over my shoulder (I maxed the scale and then some). Basically, cat spit=fatality for me (and yes, it is their saliva that causes the allergic reaction, not their hair as is popularly believed). Heck,
If you want to see what domesticated looks like, look at dogs, or horses. Domesticated dogs and horses take their instructions from human masters. Cats, as a rule, don't.
If you want to see what non-domesticated looks like, have a feral cat in your house for an hour or two. Or a feral dog.
If you and your house survive, congratulations. Cats ARE, in fact, domesticated animals, as are dogs- because they have early and often human contact. If kittens (or puppies) are not handled frequently once they get beyond a certain stage, they won't recognize or trust humans.
You're wrong; thay are domesticated, moreso than horeses and almost as much as dogs. They just have different psychologies. I taught my oldest daughter's cat to fall down and play dead when I point my finger at it and say "bang. We had cats when the kids were growing up, and the cats listened better than the kids.
I care for my oldest daughter's cats, they'll come when called and obey other instructions.
Cats live *among* humans and coexist more or less peacefully with them, but so do squirrels and houseflies.
That's bullshit. Try petting a squirrel.
The biggest difference between dogs and cats is that "nice" dogs are whores, letting anyone pet it. Try petting a mean rottweiler; I've seen dogs bite their own owners.
Try petting a squirrel.
He bit me.
Try petting a mean rottweiler; I've seen dogs bite their own owners.
My neighbor had a mean black rottweiler. It used to get out *all* the time bailed all my other neighbors (and me) on our own lawns from time to time and left massive turds on the lawn, and it stank when I opened the door in the morning - thanks neighbor.
I took to spraying it with the garden hose, and when it growled at me I'd growl right back.
Eventually everyone in the street got fed up with the dog getting out all the time. The dog tur
Self domesticated? are you nuts?
Cats were domesticated normally originally in Mesopotamia, you really need to learn about cats. The wierd part is the bizzare letting the animal do what it wants holdover from a few millennium ago is all out bizzare.
My cats act like my dog. They come when called, they fetch (one LOVES fetch big time) they actually do tricks very well. And people are incredibly astonished at this. My youngest cat is not de-clawed as it is a experiment. It will NOT claw anyone it plays wi
Well, as a cat owner I'm not surprised at all. My cat learned quite a few different sounds since I got her, initially it wasn't more than the common meow, but now she uses quite a few different purrs and grunts for different occasions. Like in the morning when feeding time takes too long it's almost like a dog growling in really short bursts, while when you get home it's a more like a high-pitch grunt or purr. I'm sure dogs have similar ways to show their feelings or try to communicate stuff. Cats know damn well what they can and can't do and what will happen when they act some way or another, so it's not a big step from different sounds for different events to learning that certain sounds seem to do trick.
cats and dogs are smarter than we give them credit for, when they look at you, they are thinking about something it's not just a vacant look.
Close, but not quite. Dogs have family, cats have staff.
cats and dogs are smarter than we give them credit for, when they look at you, they are thinking about something it's not just a vacant look.
I'm considering all these anecdotes, about cats and dogs actually being pretty smart, surfacing more and more. One didn't hear those kind of stories when I was little. So I'm wondering: perhaps it's all relative, and it's people who are getting dumber and dumber?
I think it's the opposite, that before, people (at least westerners) were too dumb to realize how intelligent they were. There's a line from the movie Little Big Man where Chief Dan George's character talks of the difference between the Natives and the transplanted Europeans (not an exact quote): "The Indian, we think everything is alive - the coyote, the bear, the trees, even the rocks. But the white man, he thinks everything is dead, and if he suspects something is alive he'll kill it."
That's the sound of anger and frustration.
Any animal would be angry and frustrated to find out that the being in control of their life was a moron.
Erh... the flaw in your theory is that the cats that are closest to human (i.e. cats living in apartments), thus also the best fed ones, are also the ones that are most likely not able to produce any offspring...
Erh... the flaw in your theory is that the cats that are closest to human (i.e. cats living in apartments), thus also the best fed ones, are also the ones that are most likely not able to produce any offspring...
I don't know in what world you live, but those cats create offspring like rabbits! Where I live there are so many cats going outside each day and night, enough opportunity to do whatever needs to be done.
Dunno where you live, but where I do people routinely have their toms' cores removed, so to speak. With them they tend to be a wee bit hard on the olfactory senses.
And female cats in heat can be quite a bit of a handful too, so this is 'taken care of' as well...
The other thing to keep in mind is that dogs endear themselves with pack behaviour, something cats don't quite take to.
Dogs are extremely engaging, attentive and loyal and that's pretty much all they had to do to ensure their survival alongside humanity.
Cats, lacking this instinct, had to evolve to be cute as well or face getting eaten. Therefore the most personable, adorable and lovely cats had a much better chance of survival.
I guess that goes quite a way to explaining why cats are much elegant appearing
Imagine an animal that looked like a dog and behaved like a cat. We'd eat that fucker to extinction as a service to the world.
Those are called foxes. I presume considering there is no Kentucky Fried Fox restaurant near me that they are not yummy.
All I learn from this is that cats that are more insistent (extrovert, cute, lucky to have that purr characteristic), get more food and shelter, and thus a higher chance of survival.
It's like the introvert in the IT closet who won't ask for a pay rise. Yeah, you're stuck eating ramen then, aren't you. GO AND PURR AT YOUR MANAGER. Unless your manager is Catbert...
I seem to be 95% immune to my cats when they pull tricks like that. My cats know damn well that I'll feed them before going to bed. It can happen anywhere between coming home and right before actually going to bed.
My cats are persistent, make no mistake, and my wife can be very annoyed with them, but I usually wait until I happen to feel like feeding them. So if their mewling is comparable to a baby's cry I shudder to think what kind of dad I'd make
I should mention, though, that they have dry food available at any time so it's not like they're hungry when I feed them. It is actually a very interesting way to learn to not give in to annoying behaviour.
It is actually a very interesting way to learn to not give in to annoying behaviour.
This alone tells me that you'll be one of the few parents that raise good kids.
I'm hoping so, but only time and actually raising one or two will tell
Yeah, just remember not to take photos of your kids in amusing positions and photo-shop "OH HAI" onto them, and you'll have made a good start.
Actually, lolkidz already exists : http://lolkids.com/ [lolkids.com] . It has a S instead of a Z, but it's the same thing. Looking at it for a moment and it doesn't even come close to been funny...
Unless his cats have him so totally hypnotized he doesn't realize he's their slave. Seen teenagers do the Jedi mind trick plenty of times.
In any case, as an older guy, I remember that phase of my life when my friends would extrapolate from their pet owning experience to their incipient parental prowess. I won't spoil the fun, other than to say this: you'll find out for yourself. It's a hell of a ride, in every sense of the word.
So if their mewling is comparable to a baby's cry I shudder to think what kind of dad I'd make
I wouldn't worry. Most all women who have had more than one or two children know how and when to ignore a crying baby.
I've had just about any animal you could think of as a pet, but I've learned over the years that barring any individual's fascination with cats (and the requisite personality traits required for membership in a cult or a successful career as a waiter), dogs make far better pets. Hell, even for
Well, cats and babies use what works. If a specific sound is what gets you going, then that's the sound you'll get when they want something. Which is why your approach is perfectly fine; as long as you know there's nothing really wrong, training them to sound like something's horribly amok all the time isn't desirable.
On the other hand, sometimes it's good to reinforce nice ways of asking for attention. Personally I give in and play a bit when my cats roll over on their backs and purr (just far enough out of reach so I can't pet them), or when they bring their toys to me. Or I'll look what they want if they tug at my elbow. The only annoying sound that will get them something is the plaintive meow accompanied by scratching the floor near the litter box. That one means 'the litterbox is dirty, change it or I'm gonna piss on the floor', and considering they usually have a point and a reasonable tolerance, I'll accept that one.
are cats poised to take over the world? Or is the exploitation thing only limited to catfood?
The cats will take over the world AND divert it's resources to providing cat food?
Soylent Green Cat Food is PEOPLE!!!!!!!
The cats won't mind that; size is likely the only reason you're seen as a provider and not prey. Go jump in the nearest lion enclosure if you think otherwise.
I have a friend who is breeding cats for opposable thumbs and larger brains.
Forget Skynet.
We're done for.
Dare I ask, breeding with other cats, or with humans? The last thing we need is a human-cat hybrid. They'd probably make the purrfect advisary.
I doubt it. If you did that, you'd wind up with an animal with an amazing sense of smell but also a tendency to get distracted by expensive suits.
i noticed years ago my cat used to put on this special voice that seemed to elicit some kind of unconscious reaction in me. second time around at cat owning the little wench has tried it once or twice but i'm immune to it, the first cat overdid it and it stopped working for him.
when i first read this article i thought it was talking about the 'chirping' that cats do when they are extra happy purring, or maybe something a female cat a friend of mine has does a lot, these quiet, semi-pur semi-miao chirpy nois
i thought i should clarify about the 'special voice' i refer to, it's not that brrraaao sound, although a neighbour's cat i noticed doing that, and it resembles the call female cats do when they are on heat, which can often closely resemble a baby crying, it's a sound that's more akin to the sound of a bell being struck, a very rich resonant sound. that's the only cat miao wanting attention that i've ever found compelling, the other kind of miao is just cute and doesn't seem demanding at all.
My cat just has an annoying meow sound she makes when she wants attention. It's not cute or nice, it just grates on the nerves. She was very late in learning to meow when she wants things, so I think that has a lot to do with it. (I had another cat that took care of her and did all the asking, so she never had to. After he died, she had to learn to take care of herself and she was already like 5 years old.)
There's no doubt she learns, though... But sometimes she 'learns' things that are wrong. For instance, for some reason she thinks that I'll fill up the water bowl more often if she drops food in it. She's wrong, but she's done it for years now. There's always exactly 1 piece, no matter how far from the food bowl it is.
Interestingly enough, that is my house, except I'm the one with the cat. My wife often complains that I pay more attention to the cat.
I'm so tempted to tell her that if she were cute and cuddly I'd pay more attention to her. That, and the cat doesn't mind when I pet her.
Hehe... that's good. I like this as well:
Felis catus, is your taxonomic nomenclature,
An endothermic quadruped, carnivorous by nature;
Your visual, olfactory, and auditory senses
Contribute to your hunting skills and natural defenses.
I find myself intrigued by your subvocal oscillations,
A singular development of cat communications
That obviates your basic hedonistic predilection
For a rhythmic stroking of your fur to demonstrate affection.
A tail is quite essential for your acrobatic talents;
You would not be so
When a dog looks at you it thinks "What can I do for you master"
When a cat looks at you it thinks "If I had hands I could open my own cans, and you'd be dead"
In fact, pretty much any animal - even my goldfish, can be conditioned to respond to a food stimulus - they know what precedes them being fed and act accordingly.
The only surprising thing about this is that the cats haven't got their owners better trained in all this time.
Cats are very unusual in evolutionary terms. For solitary animals, they have remarkably well developed social skills. The ability to make a wide variety of vocal sounds is usually associated with social development and mating habits too.
Clearly humans have not been a major factor in their evolution - we have not been domesticating them for nearly long enough. By chance they developed into cute, furry and agreeable little things that human beings enjoy having around. They are intelligent enough to manipulate us quite successfully and yet, despite being fully aware of what is happening we accept and even enjoy it. Being highly independent they have their own little lives which fascinate us.
Maybe it's just anthropomorphism, but it's certainly highly fortunate from the cat's point of view. Average life expectancy in the wild is a few years, domesticated it's 10+.
Stuff with brains can learn.
Over 50 replies and nobody resorted to LOLcats and the associated mangling of the English language.
Sorry [ucomparehealthcare.com] to ruin it for you.
... cats wouldn't be purring at all.
First off, I'm sorry.
cats have not tapped into anything at any time. it was already their normal attitude. cats psychologically see humans as their mothers. both men, and women alike. it doesnt matter. therefore they do all stuff they do to their mothers, to their human companions. no surprise they also make that sound.
to 'tap' into such a thing would require a cat to observe a baby, then imitate him/her. yet, how many cats that were in the research have observed a baby crying ? how many cats were raised with a baby ?
this thing has to be just another instinctive behaviour cats do to their mothers at early age. i wonder why this schmuck didnt research whether baby cats also do that to mother cats.
Come on - we partnered with dogs 70k years ago or so, and what happened? We sat around, scratched/licked our private parts, hunted (a little), and hung out and told stories.
Then, maybe 12k-20k years ago, cats domesticated us, and the next thing you know, we're doing agriculture, and building civilization... so that they could live in the manner in which they intended to become accustomed.
It's all their fault...
The truth will out: someone got it at last:
Dogs have masters; cats have staff.
It is not for me to attempt to fathom the inscrutable workings of Providence. -- The Earl of Birkenhead


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Omnishambles – something which is completely and continuously shambolic; a situation that has been comprehensively mismanaged, characterized by a string of blunders and miscalculations.
This is Oxford Dictionaries' UK word of the year.
Why omnishambles? Well, it was a word everyone liked, which seemed to sum up so many of the events over the last 366 days in a beautiful way. It's funny, it's quirky, and it has broken free of its fictional political beginnings, firstly by spilling over into real politics, and then into other contexts. If influence is any indication of staying power, it has already staked its claim by being linguistically productive in its own right, producing a number of related coinages. While many of them are probably humorous one-offs, their very existence shows that the omnishambles itself has entered at least the familiar parlance, if not quite the common parlance. And for every Romneyshambles (coined in the UK to describe US presidential candidate Mitt Romney's doubts that London had what it took to host a successful Olympic Games) and omnivoreshambles (detailing the furore over the proposed badger cull in England and Wales) there is the far more sober adjective omnishambolic. . .


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"If you wouldn't strap your child to the roof of your car, you have no business doing that to the family dog! I don't know who would find that acceptable," [said PETA President Ingrid Newkirk]....Isn't it quite standard to plant the idea that Republicans lack feeling? I was just reading this review of a biography of Condoleezza Rice ("Twice as Good: Condoleezza Rice and Her Path to Power," by Marcus Mabry). The reviewer, Jonathan Freedland, tells us the reader feels "oddly estranged" from Rice, not through any fault of the author's, but because of the "chilly steel he finds" in her heart:
While PETA doesn't take a position on any candidate, Ingrid offered up the theory that Mitt may have "what neurologists call an 'absence of the mirror neuron,' a physiological condition in the brain which means they cannot feel basic compassion."
His search for vulnerabilities or doubt reveals only a cold, unwavering self-discipline. One of the book's most telling moments comes when the 17-year-old Rice realizes, after surrendering her childhood to the goal of becoming a concert pianist, that she is not, after all, good enough. Her teacher ruled that while "technically competent ... she was too detached emotionally to be a great pianist." She needed "disciplined abandon": she had the discipline all right, she just couldn't let herself go. Yet even this major blow barely troubles her. She simply decides to pursue another goal....So heartless and cold, these Republicans... who will, of course, take every opportunity to say that Democrats are so mushily sentimental they can't even think.
The former arms inspector David Kay calls her the worst national security adviser since the office was created, and the verdict seems harsh but not wholly unwarranted.
Rice's defense would rest on her extraordinary presentational skills, her fluency and poise under inquisitorial fire. So what if she is more a synthesizer of others' ideas than an original thinker, runs this logic; she has a sure political touch. Except even that is in doubt. Caught shopping for shoes in New York as the corpses floated in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, Rice explained that "I didn't think about my role as a visible African-American national figure. I just didn't think about it." Given what we know of her upbringing, that isn't psychologically surprising — but it showed a political tin ear.
UPDATE: From Ann Romney's blog:
Surprise, surprise, the media didn't get the dog story right. Our dog Seamus rode in an ENCLOSED kennel, not in the open air. And he loved it. Every time he saw it, he jumped up on the tailgate, walked in, and lay down. It was just like the kennel he curled up in at home.The dog wasn't in an exposed cage.
ANOTHER UPDATE: Is this wrong?


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LAKE IN THE HILLS – Lake in the Hills Bingo will host an Easter ham giveaway during its event Friday.
The nonprofit group raises funds to assist families affected by Ewing's sarcoma pediatric cancer.
The event, which will feature three jackpot games, will be at 7 p.m. at the American Legion Post 1231, 1101 W. Algonquin Road.
Doors open at 6 p.m.
Cocktails and a snack bar will be available. For information, visit www.lakeinthehillsbingo.com.
– Northwest Herald


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Police are looking for a man who claimed to have an explosive device in an attempted robbery at a San Bruno jewelry store on Thursday afternoon, a police sergeant said. Officers responded to a report of an attempted robbery at a jewelry store in the 600 block of San Mateo Avenue shortly after 3:35 p.m., Sgt. Ryan Johansen said. The store clerk told arriving officers that the suspect entered the store and claimed to have an explosive device, Johansen said.
The suspect threatened to detonate the device unless he was given jewelry, he said. The clerk told the suspect that police were on their way to the scene and he fled the store north on Masson Avenue, according to Johansen.
The suspect is described as a light-skinned male in his 20s and standing about 5 feet 6 inches tall with a normal build and thin, dark-colored mustache. Police are releasing a photo of the suspect captured on the store's surveillance camera and asking for the public's help in identifying him.
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text: A few days ago, to put it lightly, havoc broke out on Twitter as PlayBook users galore basically ambushed @Netflixhelps. Why you ask? Because Netflix is yet to be available for our precious tablets, and that's just not sitting nicely with most, if not all, PlayBook and Netflix lovers alike. What started as a disastrous tweet stating that Netflix had no real intention of ever bringing a Netflix app to BlackBerry devices, became such a colossal uproar that Alex Saunders himself politely attempted to call off the attack. While the tweets presumably slowed about how angry PlayBook owners were, off to the side, other things were brewing. Since then, a petition to have a Netflix app for PlayBook has promptly begun its way around the BlackBerry community. Even Alex Saunders retweeted with a link to where you can sign. Whether this pertains to you now, in the future, or not even a tiddly bit, help a PlayBook owner out and sign the petition! As of right now, only 500 signatures needed remain.


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Life Behind Bars – Episode 1
Follow this video series from Redbull on Brandon Semenuk's Ultimate Freeride House. Brandon, Kyle Norbraten, Curtis Robinson, Logan Peat, Ryan Howard and the "Intern" live the ultimate mountain biker lifestyle (including the occasional run in with a bear).
"Join us for an inside look at freeride mountain bike star Brandon Semenuk and his crew as we follow them on the road from World Tour Competitions to the journey back home in the coastal mountains of Canada."
"In this premiere episode we check out the ultimate MTB house fully decked out with dirt jumps, slopestyle, trails, air bags, and a bear?! Lean back and enjoy some serious laughs, adventure, and of course some epic freeride mountain biking."
"Stay tuned for episodes every other Tuesday"


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A host of Premier League clubs look set to see their pursuit of Malaga's Isco end in disappointment after his club confirmed he was on course to sign a contract extension.
Isco's brilliant form this season has not only earned him a place on the shortlist for the Golden Boy award – a prize handed out by Italian publication Tuttosport to the best player in Europe under 21 –but also the attention of some of Europe's biggest clubs.
Manchester United are said to be keen on securing the services of the young Spaniard, along with rivals Manchester City.
Arsenal and Liverpool have also been credited with an interest in him along with Tottenham, but it is believed the Red Devils and the Citizens were leading the pack from their league rivals.
Reports last month suggested Manchester City were on the verge of launching a £30 million bid for the 20-year-old, who had caught the eye of newly appointed director of football Txiki Begiristain.
However it appears as though both Sir Alex Ferguson and Roberto Mancini will both miss out on landing their man after Malaga sporting director Mario Husillos confirmed he is on course to sign a new deal to keep him in Spain.
"Talks for renewal [of his contract] are still on track," he told Malaga Hoy.
"The boy wants to stay at the club because it is clear that this is best for his development. Isco is intelligent and young and hasn't played that many La Liga matches."
Husillos also revealed that when the time comes for Isco to move on, he will likely snub a move to Manchester United, Manchester City or indeed any of his Premier League suitors and head to either Barcelona or Real Madrid.
"He will soon be in the Spanish national team and that will be the ideal time to exit," he commented.
"If in two or three years Real Madrid or Barcelona show their interest we will all understand that this is a step forward."
Do YOU want to write for GiveMeSport? Get started today by signing-up and submitting an article HERE: https://www.givemesport.com/writeforgms


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A broken leg in the New York Giants' final preseason game has kept Andre Brown out for the first eight weeks of the season.
The Giants believe that Brown will be able to make his debut next week against the Oakland Raiders after their bye this week.
According to Kieran Darcy of ESPN.com, Giants' running backs coach Jerald Ingram thinks Brown will be ready to play next Sunday.
"I'm very confident," Ingram said. "I think he's practiced well in the last few weeks. He's eager to get out there. He's a competitor and he's gone through an awful lot and he has a lot of pain in his heart and I think he'll be ready to go."
Brown was placed on the short-term injured reserve list to begin the season. The game against Oakland is the first game he will be eligible to play in. He has been allowed to practice with the team the past two weeks. The Giants could use his return to the lineup. They've already called upon five different running backs to start games this season due to injuries to Brown and David Wilson.
Brown started two games for the Giants last season and carried 73 times for 385 yards and eight touchdowns on the year.


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Posted 6 years ago
(39 items)
I already have some Bunnykins that I bought from yard sales, so this figurine was a nice find to add. I sooo wish she had the other pieces to complete the band. This I got for $2. I looked up replacement value on this, and it was $110.


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by Wayne A. Thorp
Wireless "half in-ear" headphones for music and hands-free calling.
Back in March, I reviewed the MEElectronics Air-Fi AF32 Bluetooth headphones, which was my first foray into wireless stereo headphones. I immediately fell in love, not only because of their sound quality, but because they cut the cord that was seemingly always getting snagged on something during my commute to and from the office. I was wooed away from them, though, by the wired V-MODA Crossfade M-80 on-ear headphones because of their extraordinary sound quality. However, last week I was reminded why I loved the Air-Fi AF32s so much: The cord of the V-MODA Crossfades snagged the door handle at my local Starbucks, ripping the headphones off my head and sending them crashing to the ground (to their credit, though, they came away unscathed). This led me to start using another set of Bluetooth earphones from Phiaton—the PS 20 BTs, which were given to me by their PR firm.
Out of the Box
The MEElectronics AF32s remind me a bit of the radio headsets of yesteryear, just not quite so bulky. The unit is self-contained, with all the controls on the side of the headset. The PS 20 BTs are quite a different animal. These "half in-ear" earphones have an 18-inch cord stemming from each earbud, which converge into a control pod that houses the controls, battery, Bluetooth transmitter and microphone. The control module is roughly 2 inches by 1.2 inches by 0.7 inches and weighs less than 0.6 ounces.
Along with the earphones, you get a USB to micro-USB charging cable, a lanyard and four sets of silicone eartips of different sizes. Sadly, you don't get an AC adapter, which means you have to plug the earphones into your computer's USB port to charge them (if you don't already have a USB charger). More and more manufacturers are opting out of providing a dedicated charger. I am not sure if it's because they are cheap or assume that users either already have a USB charger or only use their devices in the presence of a computer. Whatever the reason, it's a bit annoying, especially if you are one of those people who don't already have a charger and need one when you aren't around a computer. You also get a cloth carrying pouch.
In the middle of the control pod is a mini-joystick that controls the volume, pause/play, and track forward and reverse. This controller isn't as intuitive as the in-line controller commonly found on many of today's headphones. While it took a little getting used to, once I did, the operation was very easy.
On one side of the controller is a lock button that prevents you from accidentally changing the volume or track (something that happened more than I was expecting). There is also a micro-USB port that is covered with a rubber door to keep out dirt and lint.
On the other side of the controller is the call button for answering and ending calls, which will automatically stop and resume your music playback. On this side there is also a power button.
On the back of the controller pod is a clip that you can wear on your clothes or bag, or you can connect the lanyard to the pod and wear it around your neck.
Getting Started
Before you can start listening to your device with the PS 20 BTs, you have to pair them with your device. You must first enable Bluetooth on your iPhone, Android, etc., and then put the PS 20 BTs in pairing mode by pressing the lock button and power button simultaneously until the blue LED light starts flashing slowly. Then, from your Bluetooth-enabled device, you select PS 20 BT from the list of available devices to complete the pairing. Phiaton's "OmniPair" technology lets you pair the PS 20 BTs to up to eight devices at once. I was able to do so with an iPhone, an Android tablet and a Windows 7 laptop.
You may also need to charge your PS 20 BTs before using them. When I plugged them into my computer's USB port after opening them, they were fully charged in under an hour.
The Bluetooth 3.0 transmitter gives you approximately 33 feet of line-of-sight range, with line-of-sight being the operative word. On more than one occasion, audio started cutting in and out when I was using the earphones with my iPod Touch, which was in a pocket of the laptop bag I was carrying. I also experienced this with the MEElectronics AF32s, but it's annoying that they can't stay connected to a device less than three feet away in a bag.
Sound Quality
After my experience with the MEElectronics AF32s, I had relatively high expectations for the PS 20 BTs' sound quality, and they didn't disappoint. Like all in-ear earbuds, sound quality is correlated with the fit within your ear. To help you get the best fit, Phiaton provides four different-sized silicone eartips. Even after finding the proper-sized eartip, I found that if I played a bit with the positioning within my ear, I could improve the sound quality.
I don't pretend to be an audiophile, but I do know enough to know when I have an enjoyable listening experience from a set of earphones; and this is what you get from the PS 20 BTs. During my "stress test"—listening at very high volumes—I did not experience any distortion at either the high or low end of the spectrum. The sound is clear and bright and the bass is noticeable, yet not overpowering. All in all, I found very little difference in the sound quality between the Phiaton PS 20 BTs and the AF32s.
The half-open design of the PS 20 BTs lets outside noise in. While I tend to prefer true noise-cancellation earbuds, being aware of your surroundings definitely has its perks, especially when wearing them in the middle of a busy city such as Chicago.
I was also impressed with the call quality of the PS 20 BTs. Using them with my iPhone 4S, I was able to hear my calls clearly, as could the people with whom I was speaking. I even tried them out on Skype and found the experience to be very good on both ends of the conversation.
Battery Life
Phiaton claims that the PS 20 BTs lithium-polymer battery will give you six hours of talk or music time and 250 hours of standby time. I was actually able to get more than six hours of listening time from my set.
The "half in-ear" design of the PS 20 BTs provides a comfortable fit. I was able to listen with them for hours on end without experiencing any type of ear fatigue.
Wearing the PS 20 BTs, on the other hand, has me in fits. Phiaton, in my opinion, misjudged the length of the cord running from the earbuds to the control pod. Either they are too long, which means they pose a bit of a snagging hazard, or they are too short because you can't clip the control pod to a belt or put it in your pocket. If you aren't wearing a button-down shirt, jacket or something with a breast pocket, your options are clipping the control module in either your collar or a bag (if you are carrying one). The collar route is awkward and makes controlling your device somewhat difficult. Clipping it to the strap of my laptop bag was the best option; but then if you reposition the bag, there is the risk of ripping the earbuds out of your ears. The lanyard allows you to wear the control module with less risk of snagging. However, it also means that the pod is hanging in the middle of your chest with a tangle of cords. The cord issue is why I went back to the MEElectronics AF32s.
Bottom Line
As earphones, the Phiaton PS 20 BTs do not disappoint. I was very impressed with the clarity of the sound, even from a Bluetooth device. However, Bluetooth connectivity is supposed to make you feel like you aren't tethered to something. When I am wearing the MEElectronics AF32s, that's how I feel: no cords hanging down that I have to clip to something or worry about snagging on something. Sadly, I don't feel that way when wearing the PS 20 BTs.
Something worth mentioning that I hadn't thought of when reviewing the MEElectronics AF32s is the fact that you can't use Bluetooth headphones on an airplane. Most electronic devices these days have an airplane mode, which disables Bluetooth. Keep this in mind if you are looking for headphones to listen to while flying.
At $129 suggested price, I feel that the PS 20 BTs are worth the price, considering their sound quality and the components required to deliver the wireless sound.
Not having a dedicated AC charger is an annoying quirk, although Phiaton is not alone in being guilty of this omission.
In the end, however, the usability factor trumps the sound quality. This is why I wouldn't recommend the Phiaton PS 20 BT Bluetooth earphones.
- High-quality, wireless audio for music, calls and Skype
- Quick and easy setup
- Reasonably priced given the sound quality
- Cord either too long or too short, making it a hassle to clip or wear around your neck
- No AC adapter included
Phiaton PS 20 BT Bluetooth Stereo Earphones With Mic
$129 (currently $99 from Amazon.com)
Wayne A. Thorp, CFA, is the author of "Gadget Corner." All reviews are based on firsthand experience of the product or service. No third-party compensation is received for opinions on products, services, websites or topics. However, sometimes the author is not required by the manufacturer or their PR firm to return the product under review. In such instances, it is our policy to convey this within the review. The views and opinions expressed in these reviews are strictly those of the author. Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer or provider.
All �Gadget Corner� reviews are based on firsthand experience of the product or service. No third-party compensation is received for opinions on products, services, websites or topics. However, sometimes the author is not required by the manufacturer or their PR firm to return the product under review. In such instances, it is our policy to convey this within the review. The views and opinions expressed in these reviews are strictly those of the author. Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer or provider.


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College of Education alumna receives distinguished Pi Lambda Theta AwardUniversity of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
College of Education
HONOLULU - Dr. Janet Ishikawa-Fullmer, Professor of Education and clinical psychologist, recently received the Distinguished Pi Lambda Theta (PLT) Award at the Biennial Council and Leadership Conference in Richmond, Virginia. It is the highest honor that the PLT, an internationally recognized Honor Society in Education, bestows to a member. The PLT commended Ishikawa-Fullmer for her outstanding contribution, dedication, and commitment to education, both internationally and locally.
Ishikawa-Fullmer entered the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa in 1944, earning four degrees from the College of Education. After receiving her doctorate in educational psychology in 1976, she began practicing clinical psychology in Honolulu. She held positions as faculty, department head, and dean in two of Hawaiʻi's community colleges, and served as a professor at Grambling State University and UH Mānoa.
The UH College of Education named Ishikawa-Fullmer as a Distinguished Benefactor in 2004 and a Distinguished Alumnus in 2005. She and her husband, Dr. Daniel W. Fullmer, retired from UH in 1995. Together, they have established scholarships at UH Mānoa, Western Illinois University, Grambling State University, and the University of Denver, as well as at Honohina and Honomu Hongwanji Church and Kilohana United Methodist Church.
"We are very much interested in education," Ishikawa-Fullmer said. "It makes a difference in people's lives, so we have created these scholarships to encourage people to go to school." Today, they continue to work in their private practice, specializing in family therapy.
For more information about the UH Mānoa College of Education, visit www.hawaii.edu/coe/.
For more information, visit: http://www.hawaii.edu/coe/


text:
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Would a 'spy code' with Indonesia really work?Opinion The Drum Ben Saul
Even if Australia did overcome the obstacles and come to an agreement on spying with Indonesia, that doesn't mean it would follow it, writes Ben Saul.
In the wake of Australia spying on the Indonesian president, Indonesia demanded that Australia formally agree not to spy on it in the future. It proposed that such a guarantee would be in a code of conduct governing the bilateral relationship generally.
Indonesia sees the code as a precondition to resuming full cooperation on security and law enforcement, including people smuggling and terrorism. Such cooperation was badly damaged by Australia's clumsy and insensitive response to the revelations, which inflamed Indonesian anger and harmed Australia's interests.
Australia has not yet committed to a code of ethics but has agreed to talk to the Indonesians. The question is whether a code would be capable of effectively regulating espionage between the two countries, or would not be worth the paper it is written on.
Countries typically make agreements because they have a reciprocal interest in regulating an issue. The agreement need not be equally important to both countries, but it must be sufficiently important to each side to make it worth it the effort of negotiating and respecting it.
Indonesia wants spying to stop. Australia is less concerned about Indonesia spying on it, because Indonesia's technical capabilities are more rudimentary and Australia's defensive capabilities are more sophisticated. Looked at narrowly, Australia certainly benefits from the absence of bilateral restraints on spying.
But Australia cares deeply about cooperation on people smuggling, terrorism, and trade. It also benefits greatly from Indonesia sharing its own intelligence with Australia, which is far more valuable to Australia than whatever intelligence on Indonesia that Australia is able to unilaterally collect. This is so despite the technological advantage Australia enjoys, because Indonesia has much better human and operational intelligence inside Indonesia than Australia is ever capable of acquiring by itself.
Both countries therefore have an interest in reaching an agreement. But the form and content of the agreement also matters. There is scant detail about the proposal so far. For instance, a code of conduct could be a non-binding statement of principles, intended to guide behaviour, or a legally binding treaty.
The former would undoubtedly be easier to secure, which is why it is commonly used for building confidence and cooperation where countries would not yet be prepared to commit to a treaty. In many areas, non-binding guidelines effectively influence behaviour, including because they may reflect shared political or moral commitments, or reciprocal advantages for both countries.
The downside of guidelines is that countries may feel no obligation to respect them where they conflict with other national interests, or where there are no binding legal consequences for breaches. By contrast, a treaty has the force of law and Australia would be required to respect it.
But it does not necessarily follow that a breach of a treaty will result in meaningful legal sanctions. It can depend on whether the treaty itself allows for binding judicial settlement of disputes. Many countries, including Australia, are reluctant to accept independent judicial scrutiny of their actions.
This is particularly the case in the sensitive area of national security, where countries are normally not prepared to disclose their secrets to outsiders. It is no coincidence that, this week, ASIO detained and pulled the passport of a former ASIS officer who intended to give evidence at a court in The Hague about Australian spying on Timor Leste, during oil and gas treaty negotiations.
Also, if a court or tribunal has no power to rule on breaches of a treaty, there is usually no possibility of enforcing remedies against a country, such as by requiring it to pay compensation. Money hurts.
It is also a problem where countries deliberately flout their international obligations. Even where Australia has committed to binding treaties, such as those on human rights and refugees, Australia serially violates its commitments. Earlier this year, the UN Human Rights Committee found that Australia was illegally detaining, in a cruel, inhuman or degrading manner, almost 50 refugees on security grounds. The refugees are still in detention. More have attempted suicide since the UN's ruling. The Australian government couldn't care less.
Perhaps the critical difficulty for any code of ethics on spying between Australia and Indonesia is verification.
Indonesia can only be confident that Australia is not spying on it if there is some mechanism or procedure in place for verifying if Australia is respecting its commitments. Realistically, there is zero chance that Australia would allow Indonesian intelligence officials, or independent third parties, to inspect its intelligence gathering facilities, whether based in Australia or in our embassies abroad. They are simply considered too sensitive to expose to foreign eyes.
If that is the case, the best Indonesia could hope for is a periodic Edward Snowden to come along and blow the whistle. Even that is in jeopardy, with the Australian Government attacking the ABC for simply reporting the story. The current Attorney-General, George Brandis, may be a fan of traditional common law liberties, but it seems this does not include freedom of the press, the right to privacy of foreigners, or the rule of law in international court proceedings where Australia is being sued.
Ben Saul is Professor of International Law at The University of Sydney. View his full profile here.


text: The Plainville Senior Center will host an advanced-beginners computer class starting Jan. 10 at 1 p.m., and running for eight weeks. It is suggested that people who sign up have taken a beginner's course or have a working knowledge of computers. The course is free; Plainville residents will be given top priority, with out-of-towners placed on a waiting list. For more information, call the senior center at 508-699-7384.