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Richard Littlemore | March 5, 2008
By Richard Littlemore • Wednesday, March 5, 2008 - 07:36
And who are you that we should care one whit about your opinion?
With that tart quip, Diane Bast of the Heartland Institute dismissed a recent query about the rationale for its last-stand global warming denial conference . Bast, presumably is related to Joseph Bast, founder and president of the Heartland Institute.
Here is the query that elicited Diane Bast's incurious response:
Why is the Heartland Institute paying skeptical scientists to speak at a 'conference'?
At most scientific conferences, scientists are not paid to speak. It's an honor just to be invited to give a talk, and they're lucky to get some travel expenses paid or the conference fee waived.
The Heartland Institute (right-wing "think tank" with ties to the tobacco and oil industries) is inviting scientists to a 'conference' called "The 2008 International Conference on Climate Change".
"The purpose of the conference is to generate international media attention to the fact that many scientists believe forecasts of rapid warming and catastrophic events are not supported by sound science, and that expensive campaigns to reduce greenhouse gas emissions are not necessary or cost-effective."
The purpose of conferences is usually to discuss ideas and data in order to advance scientific understanding, not to attract PR. And the Heartland Institute is paying skeptical scientists $1000 to speak at the 'conference'.
What do you think are the motivations behind this 'conference'?
How much did they pay Stossel to speak? He usually gets $30,000-$50,000 per appearance.
Speakers' fees
This is a link to a WSJ article about the conference. Apparently the HI offered Gore his regular $200,000 fee to appear at the conference in New York, which he turned down. He attended the Technology, Entertainment and Design (TED) conference in Monterey, California instead, and spoke for free.
Fern Mackenzie
Paul S replied on Permalink
Al Gore spoke for free??
Al Gore spoke for free?? It's about time. His outrageous speaking fees have convinced many he is into this whole thing a lot more for the money and himself and not so much for the environment.
Well, yeah, ahem
You just can't win with this sort of double-edged "logic".
If Gore didn't take up Heartland's invitation, then he was obviously a coward.
If Gore did take up Heartland's invitation, then he was in it just for the money.
If Gore did take up Heartland's invitation but turned away the money, then he was just doing it for show.
… Well, Gore was right in simply ignoring these idiots(*) and doing his own thing. Indeed, to turn Diane Bast's words against herself, why should Gore care one whit about what these idiots think? They'll just find some flimsy excuse to launch potshots at him regardless.
- - -
(*) um, "climate realists"
Frank Bi, http://tinyurl.com/2f63xd
LoPhatt replied on Permalink
the bottom line
The bottom line is that temperature and CO2 concentrations are linked. In recent ice ages, natural changes in the climate (due to orbit changes for example) led to cooling of the climate system. This caused a fall in CO2 concentrations which weakened the greenhouse effect and amplified the cooling. Now the link between temperature and CO2 is working in the opposite direction. Human-induced increases in CO2 is enhancing the greenhouse effect and amplifying the recent warming.
The bottom line is that changes in solar activity do affect global temperatures. However, what research also shows is that increased greenhouse gas concentrations have a much greater effect than changes in the Sun's energy over the last 50 years.
The bottom line is that the range of available information is now consistent with increased warming through the troposphere (the lowest region of the atmosphere).
The bottom line is, even if cosmic rays have a detectable effect on climate (and this remains unproven), measured solar activity over the last few decades has not significantly changed and cannot explain the continued warming trend. In contrast, increases in CO2 are well measured and its warming effect is well quantified. It offers the most plausible explanation of most of the recent warming and future increases.
The bottom line is that current models enable us to attribute the causes of past climate change and predict the main features of the future climate with a high degree of confidence. We now need to provide more regional detail and more complete analysis of extreme events
Harold Pierce replied on Permalink
Fight Fire with Fire!
The folks at HI are just doing what guys have taught them: Use PR to fight PR from guys like you who know squat aboutscience and what is really going down with all this climate change claptrap and global warming gobblygook.
You all should consider this: If all the goals and objectives of the "enviromentalists" were fulfilled, the result would be the destruction of capitalism and western democracy. If that were to happen, you all would be out of work!
The enviros never complain much about gold, sliver, diamond, ruby, emerald and sapphire mines because they don't want to offend the silk-stocking enviormentalists and limosine liberals in New York City! Ya know, the guys who donate "pocket change" to them so they won't have to go out and get a real life job like tying re-rod on the thirteenth floor of a high rise under construction when it's 2 deg C and pouring down rain!
Fight "lies" with lies?
Lying is justified because I (Harold) lied about the other side being liars.
Yeah… I could never get this denialist "logic".
Frank Bi, http://tinyurl.com/2f63xd
Harold Pierce replied on Permalink
Grandma's Lye Soap!
You watch your stupid mouth, young man, or I will track you down and wash it out with Grandma's Lye Soap!
Are calling Dr. Pierce a liar? Are you calling all the folks that attended this conference liars?
You had better have rock-solid proof to back up all of your allegations.
Here is one reason why there are a great many skeptical scientists.
Go to Figure SPM-2 in the AR4-SPM. Except for solar irradiance, all the values are not determined by measurements with instruments. In fact, theoretical equations and statistical procedures are used to estimate these values. More importantly there are no instruments that have the required sensitivity, accuracy and precision to measure these values. In the same manner, all of the important negative and positive feedback amplifications factors are also not measured. In fact some of them are arbitrarily assigned or adjusted so that the models give projections somewhat in agreement with current physical measurements.
The most contentious hypothesis of climate models is the water vapor feedback mechanism and the feedback amplification factor. No experiment has ever demonstrated that this mechanism actually exits.
To date the IPCC has produced only computational speculation and conjecture, and the results of the so-called "computer modeling experiments" are just theoretical projections. Experiments take place in the real world and not in any virtual world. The IPCC is only 90% certain that the activity of humans cause or contribute significantly contribute global warming and any climate change. Are you willing to bet the farm on a guesstimate of 90%, which might actually be only 80%?
In his "Farewell Address to the American People" and after warning of the threat of the military-indutrial complex to the body politic, the late President Eisenhower issued a more ominous warning:
"Yet, in holding scientific research and discovery in respect,as we should, we must also be alert to the equal and opposite danger that public policy could itself become the captive of a scientific-technologial elite"
Ian Forrester replied on Permalink
Are you sure you have chemistry degrees?
HPJ says: "The most contentious hypothesis of climate models is the water vapor feedback mechanism and the feedback amplification factor. No experiment has ever demonstrated that this mechanism actually exits".
Do you ever bother to check the peer reviewed scientific literature before making any of your inane remarks?
Try this paper in Science for starters:
"Climate models predict that the concentration of water vapor in the upper troposphere could double by the end of the century as a result of increases in greenhouse gases. Such moistening plays a key role in amplifying the rate at which the climate warms in response to anthropogenic activities, but has been difficult to detect because of deficiencies in conventional observing systems. We use satellite measurements to highlight a distinct radiative signature of upper tropospheric moistening over the period 1982 to 2004. The observed moistening is accurately captured by climate model simulations and lends further credence to model projections of future global warming".
Is this not an "experiment" in your view because it doesn't involve test tubes and foul smelling products from an organic chemist's lab?
You have been inhaling too many insect pheromones, Harold, or was it really tetrahydrocannabinoids you were working with? Whatever, the results of your experiments seem to have had a negative effect on the functioning of the neurones in your addled brain.
Ian Forrester
Harold Pierce replied on Permalink
Study don't mean squat!
Hello Frank!
FYI, Insect pheromones have quite fragrant aromas.
The measurements are for only 18 years and include the El Ninos of 1982-83, 1986-87, 1990-96, and 1997-98. The climate is entering a cool cycle and the upper atmosphere moisture content is slowly declining. Satellites don't directly measure humidity as radiosondes do. They monitor certain frequency bands of the IR. These data are processed by computers which relate these measurements to
moisture content. However due to the enormous amount of air traffic it is possible that some of this moisture results from the combustion of jet fuel,
For example _one_ Boeing 747-400ER on a long fight will deposit about 600,000 kg of CO2 and 247,000 kg of water vapor in the atmosphere. If the plane is flying in the tropics these will stay in the troposphere. However if the plane flies over the north pole most of exhaust gases will be deposited in the lower stratosphere. If you go to any large int. airport, there are more jet planes than house sparrows.
I never have, do not now or never wiil smoke the foul smelling pot. THC is a member of a class of nat. products from plants known as chromenes. Some of these compound are potent disrupters of insect growth and reproduction.
Scary stuff!
That's the whole point, no?
That's the whole point, no? Or are you saying that the Boeing 747 is a "natural" cause and thus not "anthopogenic"?
By the way, is Naomi Oreskes fat?
Frank Bi, fact-addict and anti-lie bigot
"Al `Fat Al' Gore [is fat]" – Harold Pierce
oh, Harold
Talk about about scare-mongering! Fern Mackenzie
Harold Pierce replied on Permalink
Hello Fern!
Google "enviromentalists and anarchists". Don't you recall the stories last year about high-profile anarchists who were hired by "Global Exchange, an enviro outfit in San Francisco, to train Calgary city slickers in protest action and tactics for "The Showdown at Athabasca" in late summer. The anarchists were Hudema and Roselle. Google these guys. The latter was a founding member of ELF, a bunch of thugs and vandals who go around burning select properties to the ground. Fortunately, they haven't killed anyone yet. H&R are very dangerous and ruthless men. Protest didn't happen because of a stike by the workers.
Do you recall the anarchists that staged protests in Halifax in the spring? These professional gunslinger protestors were to go on to Calgary for the Showdown, which was billed as the biggest protest in Canada for protection of the environment.
Do we Lotus Landers really care about the frozen boondocks in nothern Alberta? I don't.
I'm Albertan. I care about
I'm Albertan. I care about them. But you can go to hell, Harold.
Harold Pierce replied on Permalink
Alberta Boondocks!
Hello VJ!
I forget to mention that in summertime there are hoards of mosquitos, black flies, punkies, chiggers, ticks, fleas, mites, lice and a great many other biting, stinging, and blood-sucking creatures that I don't even want to know about.
BTW, when was the last time you went hiking and camping
in the Wood Buffalo National Park? Or any of the parks along the Rocky Moutains
Vancouver's best kept secret: No mosquitos in the summertime!
rob replied on Permalink
VJ screeched:
"I'm Albertan. I care about them. But you can go to hell, Harold."
Sure you do, VJ. You care all about the environment in northern Alberta, even if you have likely never been there.
Your "caring", evidently, doesn't extend to the people who actually live and work there, however.
Richard Littlemore replied on Permalink
Enviro Crimes?
So, Harold, you found a couple of supposedly unsavory people who call themselves "environmentalists" and you extrapolate from that to conclude that I'm an anarchist bent on the destruction of the capitalist system. (Boy, my wife's gonna be mad when she hears ….)
Now I have found someone who called himself "Pierce" who was a great train robber. Can I borrow your logic and assume that you are a boastful criminal who should, perhaps be locked up just out of an abundant sense of caution?
Harold Pierce replied on Permalink
Enviro Crimes
I didn't call you anarchist, and you know very well to whom I am refering. Most of them are in Europe and they show up at various meetings such as G8 conferences. Currently, these enviros are in several countries protesting proposed mining projects, but they never show up at diamond mines like the Argyle mine in Australia. Too
remote and too hot for them.
What is this nonsense about Pierce the train robber?
Since the Pierce Clan is out the hills of Kentucky, I just might be related to Franklin Pierce.
BTW Richard, you are not a scientist so what do you really know about climate science? The answer is zip!
You probably don't know that the climate modelers are using the wrong conc of carbon dioxide in their calculations. And they don't even know this. Also they have no method of taking into account the constantly fluctuating temporal and spatial distribution of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. It never is 388 ppmv which is the conc for standard dry air, which is air at 273.15 K
and 1 atm pressure and comprised of nitrogen, oxygen, and the inert gases as determined by analyses of air samples at Mauna Loa. This reference state exists at no site on the earth. In real or ambient air it usually much less but that depends. In southern California it is probably much higher.
Why here?
If you are so certain that the climate modelers have failed to take these things into account, as you suggest here and at length in another thread, why not challenge them over at RealClimate.org to explain themselves? Either they will slap themselves in the forehead and cry with one voice "Why didn't we think of that?" or they will give you a scientific explanation of how they arrived at their numbers.
Fern Mackenzie
The only slapping sound would be the strip they tear off him and then beat him with…
Harold Pierce replied on Permalink
Gavin the Grinch
Hello Fern!
If I tried to post the following text on RC, Gavin the Grinch would just wack it. He has done this to me on several occasions.
Carbon Dioxide in Real Air.
The concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere as determined by analysis of ambient air at Mauna Loa Observatory (elev ca 12,000 ft)is reported for "Standard Dry Air" which is air at 273.16 K and 1 atm pressure and is comprised of nitrogen, oxygen and the inert gases. These are the reference conditions always used for reporting the composition of the atmosphere based on analysis of ambient air at a particular site by various methods. The value is only valid for the Mauna Loa site and bear no relationship to the concentration of CO2 in "Real Air" at any other site. "Real Air" is term for ambient air at the intake ports of air seperation plants and is used in the HVAC industries (GO: htttp://www.uigi.com/air.html for more info).
In general, the composition and physical properties of real air are quite site specfic, variable and depend primarily on elevation and fluctuating air temperature, atm. pressure, and absolute humidity, and to a lessor extent on the seasons and weather, site surface and geophysical features (e.g., ocean, mountains, desert, forests, cropland, urbanization, etc) and on biological and human activities at and around the site. Clouds and the temperature of large water bodies will also effect the concentration of CO2 in the air above them.
For example, if standard dry air is heated to 30 deg C the mole number declines by about 10% but the relative ratio of the gases in the real air will remain about the same. This is origin of the phase "well-mixed gases in the troposphere"
Standard air has 388 ml of pure CO2. At 30 deg C this value drops to 350 ml. If the air were to become saturated with water vapor (ca, 4% by volume), the amount of CO2 declines to about 336 ml.
Air pressure declines about 1 psi per 2000 ft increase in elevation. This would lower the density of the air and thus absolute amount of the gases per unit volume. However, air temperature drops about 6 deg C per 2000 ft increse in elevation. This would increase the density of air. Thus absolute amount of the gases per unit volume of air becomes a complex fuction of these variables as well as the above mentioned fluctuating air temperatute, atm. pressure and absolute humidity.
Since clouds have a high surface area and CO2 is quite soluble in water (cf. soda water), the amount of CO2 in the air will be altered and depend the cloud density, i.e, the amount of water per cubic meter. If the clouds move into warmer air and dissipate, the CO2 will be released to air. If the clouds move into cooler air and rain is formed, the CO2 will be transported to the surface and its disposition will depend on that surface. Over the oceans the CO2 will mix in the water quickly. Over the land, however, the nature of the surface will effect whether the CO2 is retained in the water (e.g., porous soil) or released back to the air (e.g., hot concrete or rocks or plant leaves, etc).
Over water the amount of CO2 in the air will be influnced by the temperature of the upper layers. The solubility of CO2 decline rapidly with increasing water temperature and can be about 60% lower in water at 30 deg C than water at 0 deg C. As warm tropical water moves to the poles, it's temperature slowly drops and by the time it reaches the polar region the salt water temperaure can be about 0 deg C, and can hold about 2.5 times as much CO2 as the warm tropical warter. How much CO2 is absorbed will depend on air presssure and temperaure, wind, wave action, salinity and biological activity, etc.
Consider biologial activity in the ocean. During daylight hours phytoplankton fix CO2 whlie all organism respire. At night all plants and animals respire and release CO2.
What all of the above boils down to is this: There is no uniform spatial and temporal distribution of CO2 in real or ambient air as expessed in an absolute amount per unit volume of air. Climate models would probably give better or more realistic projections if the absolute amount of CO2 per unit volume is used (e.g., milligrams or millimoles/cubic meter) and some method for estimating the above mentioned spatial and temporal distribution(s).
I first posted this comment on the JunkScience Forum Blog 24 February 2008 @ 3:30 PM.
Wack it?
I believe Harold just used a whole lot of space to say basicly nothing….
Harold Pierce replied on Permalink
Basic Atmospheric Chemistry
Hello Tom!
My comment is just straight-forward atmospheric chemistry.
If I am wrong, cough up a rebuttal! In the tropics the conc of CO2 in real air at sea level is most certainly not 388 ppmv.
How about Guam?
1 masl.
According to NOAA January 2007….385 ppm CO2…
Of course it's over a year out of date so I'm sure it's higher now.
Stephen Berg replied on Permalink
Nice work, Tom! Knocked
Nice work, Tom! Knocked Harold's socks off!
Harold Pierce replied on Permalink
My Socks are Still On!
The conc. of CO2 at Guam is for standard dry air. It is not the conc in ambient taken for analysis.
"NOAA Earth System Research Laboratory
Global Monitoring Division
Reference Gas Preparation and Calibration
4.4 Drying System
The stability of many trace gases is sensitive to water vapor and especially sensitive to liquid water. Therefore the drying step is important in the preparation of any gas standards."
I would take that to mean: if you don't dry it, you can't test it.
If NOAA says there is 385 ppm CO2 at Guam…it works for me.
After all, it's what they do…
Criticism of "climate models" imagined in Harold Pierce
"you are not a scientist so what do you really know about climate science?"
I don't know that much about climate science, but I do know what bullcrap is. And you're spouting it.
Now, if you can give a specific criticism of a specific climate model which has been proposed in a specific scientific paper, then tell us about it. Otherwise, your "in-depth" criticisms only apply to the "climate models" in the alternate universe imagined in your own head.
Frank Bi, http://tinyurl.com/2f63xd
Harold Pierce replied on Permalink
See Gavin the Grinch.
See my reply to Fern. I'm not imaging anything. I call'em as I see'em. Did you ever get around to checking out the late John Daly's website (http://www.john-daly.com) and the Station Temperature Data base? Go do to your homework, then come back and tell me what you have learned. I instructed Stephen B. to this but he has yet to file his report here. Apparently, his brain probably started to burn out after he saw the temperature-time plots for Death Valley, Dodge City, and Tombstone, and turned to black toast after visiting Alice Springs, AU.
Which part of "give a
Which part of "give a specific criticism of a specific climate model which has been proposed in a specific scientific paper" do you not understand?
Frank Bi, http://tinyurl.com/2f63xd
Stephen Berg replied on Permalink
John Daly's site is full of
John Daly's site is full of "denier" claptrap that wouldn't have a prayer of passing the peer-review test. The methodology is so flawed that it is useless. I'll stick to the IPCC, NCDC, GISS, etc. for my information.
Harold Pierce replied on Permalink
JD 's Website
Did you check out any of the temp-time series plots for these remote weather stations? Anybody can make these plots using any of the readily available temperature data bases (e.g., GISTEMP, USHCN, GHCN, HADCRUT3, etc) and then do least squares analyses to determine the trends of temp change.
If you live in Canada, you can go to Environment Canada's website and download station temp records for FREE.
GO: http://www.climate.weatheroffice.ec.gc.ca/climateData/
dailydata_e.html (Make sure the "D" of "Data" is in caps).
When you get there, do a custom search for Osooyos, print out the records and do temp-times series plot of the annual Tmax and Tmin. Then do a least-squares analysis to determine the temp trend line. Osooyos is a weather station in a semi-arid region. If CO2 has any effect on temperature, then you would expect a slow rise in Tmin and
this should correlate with the increase in CO2 conc.
Go do this, Stephen, and when you finish this project come back tell us the results.
BTW, just how is JD's methodology flawed?
Michael Moore is fat
Harold Pierce, I'm going to repeat myself here:
Which part of "give a specific criticism of a specific climate model which has been proposed in a specific scientific paper" do you not understand?
You've done nothing other than repeatedly dodge the issue. Unless you tell us exactly which climate model in which paper by which author(s) your "results" supposedly falsify, all your "temp-time series plots" count as zilch.
- - -
By the way, since you said Al Gore is fat, I'd also like to know: Is James Hansen fat as well? What about William Connolley, is he fat too? Is Gavin Schmidt also fat? And Naomi Oreskes, is she fat?
Tell us, Harold Pierce, tell us!
Frank Bi, http://tinyurl.com/2f63xd
Stephen Berg replied on Permalink
I won't do this. Why would
I won't do this. Why would I use Osooyos? I would then be determining Osooyos warming, not GLOBAL warming. Or are you just trying to cherry-pick to the extreme? (A common tactic of the "denier" movement, by the way.) I'm also not going to waste my time on stuff that's already been done when there are more important things to do.
FYI, you should look at this site for some data:
Pretty much all the temperature or SST data there shows an increase in the 20th Century.
Harold Pierce replied on Permalink
Lazy Stephen
This is how global mean temp is estimated. Usually, the annual mean temp of a weather station is plotted as a function of time. A least square analysis is done. The slope of this line gives trend as deg/century. All these data are then analyzed by stat procedures to give the global mean temperature which is usually reported as an anomaly from a base reference period. GISS uses a base reference from 1951-89 IIRC. The Hadley Center uses 1951-80 for the base referemce interval IIRC.
Actually there a no analyses that separate Tmax and Tmin for this analysis. According to Roger Pielke Sr et al the best metric to use for these studies is Tmax.
Michael Moore is Fat
Harold Pierce:
Why Osooyos?
And is Naomi Oreskes fat?
Frank Bi, fact-addict and anti-lie bigot
"Al `Fat Al' Gore [is fat]" – Harold Pierce
Stephen Berg replied on Permalink
I'm not lazy, Harold. Also,
I'm not lazy, Harold. Also, your procedure may work for a thousand stations worldwide, but if one were to use only one station, they'd get absolutely no information about GLOBAL warming! That's why they call it GLOBAL WARMING and not LOCAL WARMING! Get that through your head!
Plus, I won't rely on either of the RPs for this. I'll trust the IPCC, the largest peer-reviewed scientific investigation in history (whose projections are actually likely very conservative).
Harold Pierce replied on Permalink
You are super lazy, Stephen!
Hello Stephen!
In these climate studies, you have start somewhere, someplace. There are many remote weather stations in the world whose temp records haven't been analyzed. Osooyos is one of these.
Don't trust some of data bases. The temp records in GISTEMP data base have been sliced, diced and homogenized.
GO: http://www.climateaudit.org for more info to learn how these temp records have been given DDM!
Your are not a very curious fellow, Stephen.
Ya know, if these flames get any hotter, we are going to scorch the earth, boil the oceans and all life forms will be extinquished!
Stephen Berg replied on Permalink
You really show how low the
You really show how low the "denier" crowd will go, Harold.
This temperature record work has already been done. What's the point of doing something over again? It's a WASTE OF TIME!!!
I'm not going to climatefraudit, either, as M&M haven't done anything near what Jim Hansen or Michael Mann have done in their careers.
So, Harold, shut up. You've added NOTHING to this blog, only lied and misled the public.
Harold Pierce replied on Permalink
Grandma's Lye Soap
Don't call me a liar in public. If you continue to do so, I will track you down, capture you and then wash your stupid mouth out with a double scrubbing of Grandma's Lye Soap!
Not a liar
I don't think you are a liar, Harold, just wildly wrong-headed and stubborn. You know not that you know naught, unable to admit that you are out of your depth. You may be a bio- (organic-?) chemistry PhD, but that doesn't make you a climate scientist.
Fern Mackenzie
I have to agree with Stephen
Berg, that is. I long ago visited John Daly's site and did quite a lot of looking into his background, and reaction to his hypotheses among people qualified to critique them. His views just don't hold up. As for being whacked by Gavin, it may be that your material didn't pass the criteria for factual content &/or relevance for them to bother posting it for discussion.
Fern Mackenzie
Harold Pierce replied on Permalink
John Daly
Hello Fern!
Out of respect for the dead, did you read his obituaries?
BTW, provide some links to "…people qualified to critique them."
Any solid info that refutes AGW is whacked by Gavin the Grinch. And what does he really know about the chemistry and physics of the atmosphere? GG is math guy and computer jock not an experimental scientist.
See my reply above
…and by the way, is Naomi Oreskes fat too?
Frank Bi, http://tinyurl.com/2f63xd
As a matter of fact,
yes, I did. I also checked him out on more objective sites, and looked into his publications and theories. Sorry, not buying it.
Fern Mackenzie
Harold Pierce replied on Permalink
The Late John Daly
Hello Fern!
His temperature-time plots speak for themselves. He used the GISTEMP and HadCRU data bases for constructing them.
These are freely available to anyone.
Did you checkout the plots for the Canadian weather stations and then go to GISTEMP data base to see if there
were any changes in the trends since ca 2000?
BTW, I think Frank and Fern would make a real nice team and you all should set a blog!
rob replied on Permalink
Gore Getting Rich From Warmist Hysteria?
Al Gore's wealth has increased from $2 million to at least $35 million in the last eight years.
"Mr. Gore doesn't disclose much about his personal finances, but Bloomberg News came across a regulatory filing disclosing that he recently invested $35 million with the Capricorn Investment Group, a firm that Bloomberg said puts clients' assets into hedge funds and invests in "makers of environmentally friendly products." That's a big wad of cash for someone who reported barely $2 million in assets in 2000, when his job as vice president came to an end."
Double-edged denialist "logic", every day
Yeah right, and Al Gore the Antichrist paid off James Hansen, Michael Mann, Gavin Schmidt, etc. etc. etc. etc. etc. etc. etc. etc. in order to promote his Global Warming Scam. All without a single paper trace.
And I recall reading that there's no economy and no jobs to be had in alternative energies. Where did I read that… ah yes, I think it was from your Robworld! (And Haroldworld, might I add.)
But Robworld isn't about science, it's about hurling insults no matter what, an't it?
- - -
Given that one just can't win with the denialists' double-edged "logic" where anything Al Gore does is by definition wrong, it's little wonder that pretty much nobody listens to them anymore. And which is why the Heartland folks have to rely on cheap publicity stunts like John Coleman threatening to sue Al Gore.
Frank Bi, http://tinyurl.com/2f63xd
Harold Pierce replied on Permalink
Heinz Can of Beans Award
To further his carbon credit scam of ripping off a gullible public, Al "Fat Al" Gore needed some scientific muscle so he hired climate hitman James "Jimmy the Enforcer" Hansen. He was paid one really nice big can of Heinz beans for services.
"Michael Moore is fat"
Is Naomi Oreskes fat too?
Frank Bi, http://tinyurl.com/2f63xd


text:
Ubuntu 12.04 LTS is released, unfortunately Unity is still the default interface, if you want to go back to classic Gnome as I do, below is how to:
Gnome session package name has changed from 11.04 to 12.04, the new package name is gnome-shell.
First, start Ubuntu software center as below:
First, start Ubuntu software center as below:
then type "gnome shell" in the search bar, then install GNOME Shell.
Logout then login, you can now select Gnome Classic in the login screen:

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Great Granddad is very proud of his telegram from the Queen congratulating him on his hundredth birthday and he has friends who are even older than he is... When was he born?
This article explains how to make your own magic square to mark a special occasion with the special date of your choice on the top line.
Here is a collection of puzzles about Sam's shop sent in by club members. Perhaps you can make up more puzzles, find formulas or find general methods.
Pick the number of times a week that you eat chocolate. This number must be more than one but less than ten. Multiply this number by 2. Add 5 (for Sunday). Multiply by 50... Can you explain why it. . . .
Many numbers can be expressed as the difference of two perfect squares. What do you notice about the numbers you CANNOT make?
Sam displays cans in 3 triangular stacks. With the same number he could make one large triangular stack or stack them all in a square based pyramid. How many cans are there how were they arranged?
Replace the letters with numbers to make the addition work out correctly. R E A D + T H I S = P A G E
Think of a number and follow my instructions. Tell me your answer, and I'll tell you what you started with! Can you explain how I know?
Create some shapes by combining two or more rectangles. What can you say about the areas and perimeters of the shapes you can make?
Replace each letter with a digit to make this addition correct.
Think of a number... follow the machine's instructions. I know what your number is! Can you explain how I know?
There are lots of different methods to find out what the shapes are worth - how many can you find?
Choose any four consecutive even numbers. Multiply the two middle numbers together. Multiply the first and last numbers. Now subtract your second answer from the first. Try it with your own. . . .
Think of a number Multiply it by 3 Add 6 Take away your start number Divide by 2 Take away your number. (You have finished with 3!) HOW DOES THIS WORK?
If: A + C = A; F x D = F; B - G = G; A + H = E; B / H = G; E - G = F and A-H represent the numbers from 0 to 7 Find the values of A, B, C, D, E, F and H.
A job needs three men but in fact six people do it. When it is finished they are all paid the same. How much was paid in total, and much does each man get if the money is shared as Fred suggests?
Here are three 'tricks' to amaze your friends. But the really clever trick is explaining to them why these 'tricks' are maths not magic. Like all good magicians, you should practice by trying. . . .
Write down a three-digit number Change the order of the digits to get a different number Find the difference between the two three digit numbers Follow the rest of the instructions then try. . . .
Investigate polygons with all the vertices on the lattice points of a grid. For each polygon, work out the area A, the number B of points on the boundary and the number of points (I) inside. . . .
Can you use LOGO to create a systematic reproduction of a basic design? An introduction to variables in a familiar setting.


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Entrepreneur Elon Musk has already spent $50,000 trying to make the 405 Freeway better – and he's willing to pay even more.
Musk said he is open to pay the cost of adding workers to the widening project "as a contribution to the city and my own happiness. If it can actually make a difference, I would gladly contribute funds and ideas. I've super had it."
In July, the PayPal and Tesla Motors co-founder met David Murphy, a Westwood resident who heads Angelenos Against Gridlock, a group seeking to hasten the development and repair of infrastructure in California and nationwide. The two shared traffic frustrations, and Musk contributed $50,000 toward an effort to hurry the 405 project along. So far they have little to show for it.
Musk quips that it's easier getting rockets into orbit than navigating his commute between home in Bel-Air and his Space Exploration Technologies factory in Hawthorne.


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The best treatment for many cardiovascular patients often involves a combination of surgical and interventional procedures. Unlike traditional surgery, interventional procedures involve catheters – thin, flexible tubes – to get inside blood vessels for diagnostic tests or to repair damaged vessels or other heart structures.
Sarasota Memorial's new hybrid cardiac catheterization lab-surgical suite is designed to allow our interventional cardiologists and cardiac and vascular surgeons to perform advanced hybrid therapies – combinations of catheter-based, conventional, and less invasive surgical procedures – and improve care for patients who need multiple procedures as part of their treatment.
With all of the technology and services of cardiac surgery, vascular surgery and interventional cardiology integrated in one room, patients don't have to undergo multiple procedures on different days or be moved to separate procedure rooms to complete their care.
Procedures performed in the new hybrid rooms include minimally invasive methods to fix and repair heart valves, correct abnormal heartbeats and place stents to fix diseased or damaged heart vessels. The hybrid approach allows patients, for example, to receive a cardiac catheterization to check coronary arteries before planned valve surgeries or undergo a hybrid stent procedure and valve surgery at the same time.
A custom-designed imaging system on a robotic arm integrates intravascular ultrasound, dynamic CT imaging, angiography, and other imaging technologies, providing detailed pictures of the heart and blood vessels to help specialists diagnose and treat cardiovascular disease.
The new room improves safety, allowing patients to undergo the least invasive techniques possible and minimize the need for heart-lung machines and longer operating times. Recovery time is longer and complications greater the longer heart-lung machines have to circulate blood and breathe for patients during open-heart procedures.
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Here's the latest of our news bulletins from the ongoing crisis at Japan's Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.
Japan's Nuclear Fuel Policy In response to months of anti-nuclear protests, as well as concerns about upcoming Lower House elections, Japan announced on Friday that it plans to abandon nuclear power by 2030 and will begin construction on no new nuclear reactors in that period. The move is a surprising one for a nation that, before the Fukushima nuclear disaster, was aiming for 50% dependence on nuclear power in 2030 and was the third largest user of nuclear energy. Now, a government policy paper says that the nation plans to depend on 30% renewable energy sources in 2030, an increase from the current 10%. "This is a strategy to create a new future. It is not pie-in-the-sky. It is a practical strategy," the paper noted. However, both industry experts and anti-nuclear lobbying groups are questioning whether or not the goal is an effective one, citing lack of details about how the plan will unfold and accusing the ruling Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) of making a hasty decision simply to gain votes. They point out that Japan's energy policy is reevaluated every three years, and another administration may simply reverse this decision. Moreover, the plan fails to address the ongoing issue of idled reactors, a problem that has raised considerable concern among citizens across Japan and inspired a widespread anti-nuclear movement, including demonstrations in front of the Prime Minister's Official Residence that at times have attracted more than 100,000 people. The government admitted that it plans to reactivate those reactors once the newly-created Nuclear Regulatory Agency (NRA) formally begins operations, scheduled for tomorrow. Meanwhile, Yukio Edano, head of the Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry (METI), which promotes nuclear power, said that he has no intentions of halting construction on three nuclear reactors that have already been granted government approval. "I am not considering changing construction plans for nuclear power plants for which the industry ministry has given the go-ahead," he said. Those reactors include Chugoku Electric's reactor #3 at the Shimane plant in Shimane Prefecture; Electric Power Development Co.'s Oma Plant in Aomori Prefecture; and reactor #1 at TEPCO's Higashidori Plant, also in Aomori Prefecture. His statement has raised questions about whether or not the government is really serious about abolishing nuclear power in Japan; if the reactors are allowed to operate for their full 40-year life span, as Japanese law allows, they will not be decommissioned until sometime in the 2050s, not 2030. Perhaps more strikingly, the government admitted that it has no current plans to eradicate its spent fuel recycling program, a linchpin of its nuclear fuel cycle. Since the 1960s, Japan has aimed to recycle spent nuclear fuel. However, its Rokkasho Reprocessing Plant, located in Aomori Prefecture, has been plagued with problems since construction began and has never operated at full capacity. In the meantime, "nuclear garbage," as Prefectural officials refer to the highly contaminated waste, continued to build up and has been stored at another facility in Rokkasho Village, as well as at facilities in Great Britain and France. When the decision to abandon nuclear power was announced, Aomori officials said that if recycling—on which the town is economically dependent for jobs—was not continued, they would ship the waste back to each of the plants from which it originated. As a result, spent fuel pools at the plants would quickly reach capacity and threaten any possible restarts. The central government caved to that pressure, as well as that of business lobbies, and has agreed to continue the recycling program in spite of its promises to phase out nuclear power. "[Keeping the recycling program in place] is proof that the current government is not serious about phasing out nuclear power," said Aileen Mioko Smith, Executive Director of Green Action in Kyoto. In addition, criticism about safety has been leveled both in Japan and internationally. Experts point out that the country already has enough plutonium to construct 4,000 atomic bombs, and recycling spent fuel will simply allow it to stockpile more. Nevertheless, the decision is proving popular with the Japanese public. A new poll conducted by the Mainichi Daily News shows that a large majority—60%—favor completely abandoning nuclear power by 2030. Only 34% were not in favor. State of Nuclear Politics in Japan Even the presumptive Chairman of the newly-created Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), Shunichi Tanaka, is raising questions about the entity's political independence, after Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda said last week that he will move forward with appointing Tanaka and four other commissioners without Parliamentary approval. Many Diet members in the DPJ (Noda's party) as well as opposition parties, have raised questions about the nominees. Tanaka is a former Vice Chair of the Japan Atomic Energy Commission (JAEC), and four of the five nominees to the Commission, including Tanaka, have admitted to taking payment from the nuclear power industry within the last few years. "Ironically, I feel that the new body's political independence is still insufficient," Tanaka admitted. Kiyoshi Kurokawa, head of the Parliament-appointed Fukushima Nuclear Accident Independent Investigation Commission, which released its final report in July, is defending the Commission's findings after criticism that the panel failed to identify those responsible for the nuclear disaster. Kurokawa blamed the crisis on Japan's culture of conformity, writing in the English version of the report's Preface, "What must be admitted—very painfully—is that this was a disaster 'made in Japan.' Its fundamental causes are to be found in the ingrained conventions of Japanese culture: our reflexive obedience, our reluctance to question authority, our devotion to 'sticking with the program,' our groupism, and our insularity." Interestingly, the Japanese-language version of the report did not include a similar passage blaming the nation's culture. Kurokawa defended the panel's position, saying, "No one takes responsibility in Japan, even those in positions of responsibility. This is unique to Japan, a culture that stresses conformity, where people don't complain." But some analysts say that failure to identify responsible parties will make it harder to press criminal charges. Gerald Curtis, a Japan expert at Columbia University, said this week, "One searches in vain through these pages for anyone to blame. To pin the blame on culture is the ultimate cop-out. If culture explains behavior, then no one has to take responsibility." A new audit of the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency (NISA) reveals that investigators failed to evaluate a fault beneath the Shika power plant in Ishikawa Prefecture in 2008 and again in 2009, because the operator, Hokuriku Electric Power Company, told them that the fault was inactive. NISA chose not to verify independently those results, and declared the plant safe in 2009. This year, experts said that the fault appeared to be active, and strongly questioned NISA and Hokuriku's original assessment. As a result, seismic surveys are now being conducted there. NISA is an extension of METI, which is responsible for promoting nuclear power in Japan, and has been widely criticized for harboring conflicts of interest. Compensation Officials from Miyagi and Iwate Prefectures announced this week that they will petition the Japanese government and TEPCO for compensation to farmers and companies dependent on tourism in the region, in the wake of the Fukushima nuclear disaster. Agriculture and tourism have suffered major economic losses in the last year and a half, as a result of widespread radiation fears.
(Unregistered) CaptD
This describes why the Japanese date of 2030 is just so much Nuclear Baloney* (NB) and the Japanese people know it!
Bye Bye PM Noda at th...
This describes why the Japanese date of 2030 is just so much Nuclear Baloney* (NB) and the Japanese people know it!
Bye Bye PM Noda at the next election!
Japanese People, almost all your Leaders are in Nuclear Denial* and unless they keep your reactors shut down you may have ONE OR MORE Trillion Dollar Eco-DisasterFukushima's because Fukushima proved that Nature can destroy any land based nuclear reactor, any place anytime 24/7/365!
A year and a half exactly after Fukushima's Trillion Dollar Eco-Disaster Japan is the poster "boy" for Control by the Nuclear Industry and Utility Gangs:
The Nuclear Mafia Derails Democracy In Japan
This is one of the most well written articles on this Debacle…
BTW It contains a great number of links to back up all points…
* http://is.gd/XPjMd0
The illogical belief that Nature cannot destroy any land based nuclear reactor, any place anytime 24/7/365!
18 September, 2012 at 18:45
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Too many MSM's have been silent about Fukushima and are now also requiring a Facebook account to post comments, if they even allow you to post comment...
Too many MSM's have been silent about Fukushima and are now also requiring a Facebook account to post comments, if they even allow you to post comments to their STORIES (pun intended)…
Who questions our Elected Leader's motivation and or sanity?
At some point, one must ask themselves when is gross denial,
… Best left for a trained mental professional?
Case in Point, Japan is now suffering with a Trillion Dollar Nuclear Eco-Disaster, yet some commenting consider that it, in effect, is "no big deal":
Polluted Ocean, N☢ Problem, it will get better after a while….
Polluted Fields, N☢ Problem, they can remove the upper layer
Polluted Air, N☢ Problem, they can wear paper masks for a while
Polluted Food, N☢ Problem, they can mix the good to dilute the bad
Polluted Homes, N☢ Problem, they can power wash them clean
Polluted Schools. N☢ Problem, they can clean them
Polluted Cities, N☢ Problem, they can return soon…
With answers like these from too many Leaders & Nuclear Professionals, perhaps you would consider a followup article, asking this question:
"What exactly would it take for you to STOP supporting, all land based Nuclear Reactors like Germany is now doing and end this nuclear nightmare ASAP?"
18 September, 2012 at 18:47
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New words to help describe what is happening in Japan, the USA, Britain and too many other places around the World:
Nuclear Fix*
* ...
New words to help describe what is happening in Japan, the USA, Britain and too many other places around the World:
Nuclear Fix*
* http://is.gd/DzSrY1
The nuclear industries (aka nuclear fascists) policy of donating massive amounts of money to insure that all levels of Government support Nuclear Energy to protect their market share despite it's enormous environmental RISK of yet another Fukushima, instead of supporting less expensive, NON RISKY Eco Friendly Solar energy.
Nuclear Conflict of Interest**
** http://is.gd/WiYZpz
A Nuclear Conflict of Interest happens when elected Leaders give their support to the Nuclear Industry because they have received some form of Nuclear Payback without disclosing it to the public.
Energy Fascism***
*** http://is.gd/8MKQs0
The Big Energy Companies conspiring to limit their customers choice as to the source of lower cost Energy in order to maintain their market share and cash flow at record levels.
18 September, 2012 at 18:49
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Nuclear History:
Nuclear Controversies
In 1995, the Director General of ...
Nuclear History:
Nuclear Controversies
In 1995, the Director General of WHO Dr. Hiroshi Nakajima, tried to inform on Chernobyl by organizing in Geneva an international conference with 700 experts and physicians. This tentative was blocked. The International Agency for Atomic Energy blocked the proceedings, which were never published. The truth on the consequences of Chernobyl would have been a disaster for the promotion of the atomic industry.
This film shows the discussions at the following WHO- congress in Kiev in 2001, that lead to the fatal disregarding of internal radiation consequences throughout the nuclear world.
The full transcript can be found here:
18 September, 2012 at 18:53
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Great article:
More Nuclear Absurdities: Tepco Denies Physics
Most readers will be aware of th...
Great article:
More Nuclear Absurdities: Tepco Denies Physics
Most readers will be aware of the fact that the fuel pool is full of highly radioactive fuel rods, which if exposed to air, will burn and release massive amounts of radiation. This remark in the Japan Times jumped off the page and was like getting smacked on the side of the head with a wet mackerel.
Gundersen: 'I told Tepco that while I realized they hoped and believed that there will always be water in the nuclear fuel pool, I had to ask whether or not they had (already prepared and stationed) any chemicals to put out a nuclear fuel pool fire in the event they were wrong. Tepco's response was that there was nothing in the fuel pool that could burn, a statement I find appalling.' (emphasis added)
Their statement is not appalling: it is 100 percent totally absurd.
18 September, 2012 at 18:56
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(Unregistered) BSbafflesbrains
Sad state of affairs. All capd says is true and greenpeace is only org covering this ONGOING disaster.
18 September, 2012 at 23:12
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(Unregistered) Beppe
The following site is also doing a very good job at following up Fukushima
20 September, 2012 at 1:31
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Above is, unfortunately, the only surviving photo of his first Halloween costume that I can find (there must be more out there, but I didn't use iPhoto during Cal's first year so many of those digital image files are archived somewhere unreachable). It also showcases Joe's unfortunate predilection for grafting cheesy beyond belief titles and borders onto photography--just be grateful we're spared a wreath of pumpkins around Cal's face or something similarly Printshop circa 1988. Anyway, I just show you this picture because this, taken at the time that Cal was about Nina's current age (they were both born in July), is the last time that we were able to cram Cal into a Halloween costume without him complaining.
Here the following year. You can't see most of the costume since he's you know, running away from Joe (I think I was actually on call that particular Halloween so I wasn't even there) but he's supposed to be a monkey. See how happy he looks? SEE THE LOOK OF CHILDLIKE WONDER WHILE TRAIPSING THROUGH THE MAGICAL WORLD OF MAKE-BELIEVE?
Above, the following year, when he was two years old. We, thinking ourselves terribly clever, dressed him as a medical resident. Cal quickly stripped himself of the accessorizing accoutrement (the scrub cap, the pager, the stethoscope which had been doused in alcohol and Clorox to eliminate all traces of Enterococcus fecalis--it's the small touches that really make the costume, after all) and just barely tolerated the rest of it, mostly once he realized there was candy involved. This was back when we still lived in New York by the way, so his exposure in costume was minimal--mostly we just walked down the hallway, trick-or-treated one apartment, and then walked back. (Some of the candy he got may have been from our own bowl.)
I had some high hopes the following year, as in September Cal specifically requested a pink butterfly costume. Yes, a pink butterfly. So I got the costume (OK, so maybe I got a red and orange butterfly costume--I am as open-minded as the next parent but maybe it's my own bias that led me to apply some well-meaning edits to his original intent), but by the time it came Cal decided that he didn't want to wear any costume, butterfly or otherwise. "I just want to wear regular clothes," he said, a refrain that would dog us again and again subsequent Halloweens. We went to his nursery school Halloween party that year wearing khakis and a grey cardigan (I begged him to let me put some baby powder in his hair so that we could at least pass his costume off as "old man," but he was not having it) and had no further costume planned as of October 30th.
Finally, we just ended up putting him in his beloved "regular clothes" (black long-sleeved t-shirt, long pants), gussied it all up with his rain boots and a two-tone bolt of electricity that I cut out from construction paper and taped on his chest. Enter "Captain Lightning Bolt." He was OK with this for some time, but then had a little potty accident after hitting three or four houses (three year olds never feel like they have to go to the bathroom until all of a sudden OMG THEY TOTALLY DO) so trick-or-treating was cut short and the costume issue was put to rest for another year.
At age four, Cal finally acceded, after weeks of cajoling to think of a Halloween idea, any idea; to go as "a builder man." Again, a costume involving his everyday clothing and some accessories from the toy bin. The hat, tool belt and goggles were, of course, instantly shed the second after the pictures were taken, and he ran around his school Halloween party somewhat incongruously dressed in jeans and a blue oxford shirt.
And then, the year he was five, Cal refused to wear anything even approximating a costume. In fact, we didn't even go trick-or-treating that year because he just flat-out refused to do anything and Mack was too young to know any better. At the 11th hour (that is to say: 6:00pm on Halloween night) we thought maybe we had convinced him to go as Steve from "Blues Clues" just by wearing stuff out of his closet (green striped rugby shirt, khakis, blue dog stuffed animal--boom, instant Steve) but then at 6:05 he decided with finality that costumes were BOGUS and trick-or-treating was DUMB and a horribly humiliating ordeal for LOSERS. Also maybe he whined and cried and acted like we were asking him to eat not but burning hot coals and drink not but burning hot cola.
"But if you go out and wear a costume, people will give you candy!" I told him, playing what I thought was my trump card.
"We have candy at home," he said, quite reasonably.
So after that debacle, we decided last year, when he was six, that he was going to find a costume that he would tolerate and we were going to go trick-or-treating whether he liked it or not. I don't think we're of the type necessarily to force our kids to do stuff that they hate, only it seemed like he was getting himself all worked up over nothing, and that if only he would stop being so rigid and just relax about "looking dumb" and allow himself have fun, that maybe he could actually have fun and we could be like a normal family going trick-or-treating. And then maybe I finally get some candy runoff at long last. IS IT SO MUCH TO ASK?
We decided, after brief discussion, that he would be Harry Potter, which was cool because he already had a Harry Potter wand, and anyway, Harry Potter wears regular clothes, he could even skip the glasses, all he'd have to do is let me draw on the forehead scar and wear this Gryffindor scarf that he got just so it looked like he was trying a little.
After a lot of discussion (and more whining, and more crying), he finally let us tie the scarf on him. But he was not real happy about it. "You know, Cal," I told him, "most kids actually really like Halloween. They think it's fun to dress up, and go around, and they like going door to door to get candy. It's kind of a really big holiday for kids, you know? Some kids look forward to this all year!"
He just grunted.
(Though eventually he did get into it.)
This year, we didn't even have a discussion. We were going to do this thing. After polling Cal to see if he had any costume ideas (to which he responded, "I don't know. I have to consider it.") I just decided, boy, you're going to dress up as a Star Wars character, and I don't want to hear any more about it. Originally I bought a whole pile of cream and brown fleece and was going to sew all the kids matching Jedi costumes (pause for laughter), but reality testing eventually intervened and I ended up buying the chintziest of chintzy drugstore Jedi outfits for both boys, coupled with these foam colored light up rods that I highly recommend to anyone who has kids that are into Star Wars.
And when we went to the third grade Halloween party this Friday, he put it on without any discussion.
Put on an actual non-regular clothing costume!
(High fiving a million angels)
I know it's not a big deal (and believe me, I'm trying not to make it into one, especially in front of him), but it's been seven years and eight Halloweens to get to this point so...yeah, it is kind of a majorly big deal.
Both of the boys, by the way, decided to be Obi-Wan Kenobi for Halloween. Originally Cal wanted to be Obi-Wan and Mack was going to be Anakin Skywalker (which I found actually quite fitting), but then Mack decided that he wanted to be Obi-Wan too, and Cal got mad because what are you nuts, there can't be two Obi-Wans, haven't you even seen the movie? Like, a couple hundred times? And there was much squabbling, and I came in and decided, perhaps at a slightly higher volume than strictly necessary, YOU KIDS SHUT UP EVERYONE'S GOING TO BE OBI-WAN.
The only problem we have with Mack is getting him out of costume.
I'm kind of hustling to write this while the kids are asleep so I don't really have time to reflect on this fact or get overly introspective/profound/lachrymose about this fact, but: this weekend marks the twelfth anniversary of this blog.
Twelve years. That's a lot of years, boy. Twelve years ago I was starting my second year of medical school and decided, on a whim, to start an online journal in lieu of memorizing the complement pathway to have even a faint hope of passing my immunology midterm. And now I am an attending anesthesiologist, married to my med school classmate (who, not to knock my own clinical skills, but I often think is a better doctor than me, or at least good at different things), a mother of three, living in the South.
Aside from the part where I now have a medical degree, at the moment I started this blog I had no idea where I would end up ten-plus years down the line. I can't say that everything that has happened to me since has been expected. But as much as we Type A personalities like to control things, the unexpected can be exciting, and what's more, the unexpected can be quite good. And really, I don't think that this blog anniversary requires much more reflection than that, only to say that life now is busy and full and, most importantly, fun. I think I've reached a point in balancing my life and obligations where I feel that if something extracurricular ceases to be fun, it's probably not worth doing anymore. But keeping this blog, even after twelve years, continues to be fun, and that's why I keep writing. So thank you for sticking around with me.
And yes, if the finer details of the CXCR4 signaling pathway are indeed important to my clinical practice, I am pretty much screwed, because I don't think I ever really learned it in the first place.


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Nothing quite compares to life on the farm. In the morning, when the first rays of sun filter down on the growing corn and the quiet dooryard, and everything's still, I am so grateful for the beauty of this country life. While there's no way to avoid hectic schedules and stressful situations, I appreciate how, in many ways, life really is a little simpler in the country. With the busyness and bustle of the city miles away, there's something so peaceful about taking a walk down a gravel road and picking eggs from the chicken coop.
This week, we received a message on our home answering machine. It was a voice recording from the Sheriff's Department alerting us that there was a "suspect at large on foot in your area." We were told that deputies were nearby and that we should keep our houses and cars locked and to call 911 if we saw any suspicious behavior. In a moment, the quiet splendor of living in the country was tainted with the reality that there is bad in this world. Even though I typically feel sheltered from a lot of danger and crime, it doesn't guarantee life on the farm is always safe.
The local news hasn't reported anything on the story yet. However, there are many theories floating around about what happened and who the "suspect at large" was, but most of the information is hearsay. Until we know more, we're putting our trust in the local authorities and going on with life as usual…with heightened senses and a few more locked doors.
Events like these are good reminders. It's important to know that, although we often feel removed from the rest of the world, it's good to take precautions to keep our families and homes safe — regardless of our address. Most days, there is a definite sense of well-being on the farm and I will continue to appreciate the quiet mornings, the long walks down our gravel roads and the sight of corn tasseling. I feel fortunate to live a somewhat sheltered life in the country.


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:See Liberty City in GTA IV
"Algonquin - Self-proclaimed center of everything."
"Cultural center of the world, commercial center of the world, financial center of the world. If Algonquin residents could have it their way, the region would also be considered the epicenter of everything in the known universe. A word of warning to the inquisitive traveler: questioning the integrity of Algonquin's self-righteous and artificially-sweetened natives will likely get you shot." [1]Algonquin SkylineAdded by GTW-Xenon{| class="toc" id="toc" |
[[[]]hide]*1 Overview
- 2 Transportation
- 3 Places of Interest in Algonquin
- 4 Notable Residents
- 5 Businesses in Algonquin
- 6 Neighborhoods
- 7 Possible Ownership
- 8 Trivia
Algonquin is the largest borough in Liberty City possessing 29 of the metropolitan area's 65 neighborhoods, with an estimated population of 4,331,205. It serves as the core of the Liberty metropolitan area, and contains the two central business districts of the city. Downtown Algonquin and Midtown Algonquin hold the city's skyscrapers, some world famous. Algonquin is the most densely populated area in Liberty City, and is known to be the center of finance and economy. Recently, it is suggested that Algonquin has surpassed London as the "Financial Capital of the World".
Algonquin is a major commercial, financial, and cultural center of the United States of America and the world. Most major radio, television, and telecommunications companies in the United States are based here, as well as many news, magazine, book, and other media publishers. Algonquin has many famous landmarks, sightseer attractions, museums and theater shows . It is also home to the headquarters of the Civilization Committee. Algonquin is the largest central business district in the United States, and is the site of both The Exchange financial district and a Midtown based stock exchange, BAWSAQ. Algonquin is the home to the largest number of corporate headquarters in the nation. It is indisputably the center of Liberty City and the Liberty metropolitan region, holding the seat of city government, and the largest fraction of employment, business, and recreational activities Finiancially, itself overall is upper class, as the wealthiest borough in the whole city and area in the entire game, still however, with some deprived areas working on gentrification, like real-life Manhattan.
The borough is spread across 3 separate islands. 27 of its 29 districts are located on the main Algonquin Isle, whilst the Happiness Island neighborhood is located on the island of the same name and the Colony Island district is positioned on its eponymous island.
The name comes from a Native American tribe that lived in the Great Lakes region of the United States of America, but now live in Quebec, Canada. History states that Algonquin is a Native American word for "place to build condo skyscrapers".
Algonquin is legally inaccessible to the player until the terrorist threat is lifted on the bridges across the Humboldt River during the mission Blow Your Cover for Elizabeta Torres.
Algonquin is based on the borough of Manhattan, New York City.
- Downtown Algonquin is rich, has big buildings, big company's, and many expensive fancy cars are in the south.
- Uptown Algonquin is well known for upscales expensive homes along Middle Park and poor people and gangs, and is also well known as the ghetto of Algonquin, with a high crime rate as this is a dangerous place at night.
- Midtown Algonquin is well known with Star Junction (Time Square), Middle Park (Central Park), and The Rotterdam Tower (Empire State Building).
Algonquin is divided into 7 Avenues, which extend from north - south across Algonquin. Almost all of them carry north/south bound traffic.
The Avenues are labelled alphabetically, from East to West. Albany Ave and Bismarck Ave are useful for travelling across the Eastern sides of Algonquin, whereas the Columbus Avenue is the busier, primary route through Algonquin's Eastern side. Denver Ave allows travel through the inner-eastern side of Algonquin whilst Exeter Ave provides travel through the inner-western side. Frankfort Ave is the longest avenue in Algonquin, and provides the main primary route of travel through western Algonquin. Travelling through the outer west side is achieved using Galveston Ave. The smaller sub-major avenues, Denver-Exeter and Burlesque (Algonquin's equivalent of Manhattan's Broadway) comprise the Star Junction intersection. Both are the only avenues on the island to carry south-bound traffic only.
Every avenue on Algonquin is named for US state capitals, with the exception of Burlesque, Exeter and Galveston. Albany is the capital of New York, Bismarck is the capital of North Dakota, Columbus is the capital of Ohio, Denver is the capital of Colorado and Frankfort is the state capital of Kentucky. Galveston and Exter are both names for towns and cities in multiple states. Galveston is the name of a city in Texas, and Exeter is the name of towns in California, Maine, Illinois, Michigan, New Hampshire, Nebraska, Missouri, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Wisconsin.
The borough is known for its extensive street grid. There are 24 streets going east-west and they are named alphabetically for various minerals and elements, from Amethyst Street in the south to Xenotime Street in the north. The 6 North-South avenues are also named alphabetically for various US state capitals, from Albany Avenue, Bismarck Avenue, Columbus Avenue, Denver-Exeter Avenue, Frankfort Avenue and Galveston Avenue. Minor streets that are not part of the Algonquin grid system are named differently, for example: Grummer Road. The city is surrounded by Union Drive (West and East) traveling along the Algonquin waterfront.
When taking Algonquin's 25 streets and 6 avenues into account, it can be calculated that there are 144 blocks in Algonquin's grid system; this does not include the minor roads that are located in and around the grid.
All of the subways in Liberty City converge on two lines looping through Algonquin: The A/J Outer Algonquin Line connects over the Algonquin Bridge to Broker, where it becomes the 3/8 Broker Line. The K/C Inner Algonquin Line connects to the B/E Bohan Line north of the Frankfort High/Low Stations. The two lines connect to one another at Easton Station.
In addition, there is also a Skycar over the western portion of the Humboldt River south of the Algonquin Bridge, connecting Algonquin with Colony Island. This is based on the Roosevelt Island Tramway.
Places of Interest in Algonquin[7]EditEdit
[8]The Rotterdam Tower, the tallest building in Liberty City.Added by Algonquin Bridge*Civic Citadel (The Exchange)
- Civilization Committee (Albany Ave and Manganese St, Lancet)
- Rotterdam Tower (The Triangle)
- Star Junction (Denver-Exeter Avenue and Burlesque, Star Junction)
- Statue of Happiness (Happiness Island)
- Middle Park (Columbus Ave, Frankfort Ave, Nickel St, and Topaz St, Middle Park)
- Grand Easton Terminal (Bismarck Ave and Hematite St, Easton)
- Liberty Catholic Church (Suffolk)
- Rubin Swinger Basketball Courts (Exeter Ave, between Wardite St and Xenotime St, Northwood)
- Zirconium Building (Lancet)
- Randolf Art Center (Galveston Ave and Obsidian St, Middle Park West)
- Live Central Music Venue (Star Junction)
- The Libertonian (Middle Park East)
- GetaLife Building (Easton)
Notable Residents[9]EditEdit
- Marnie Allen (formerly)
- Yusuf Amir
- Niko Bellic
- Roman Bellic
- Ray Boccino (formerly)
- Marlon Bridges (formerly)
- Alexandra Chilton
- Lyle Cleethorpes
- Bernie Crane
- Bryce Dawkins
- Dwayne Forge
- Frank Garone (formerly)
- Cherise Glover
- Alonso Gomez
- Oscar Gomez
- John Hunter
- Chan Jaoming (formerly)
- Clarence Little (formerly)
- Luis Fernando Lopez
- Francis McReary
- Anthony Prince
- Hossan Ramzy
- Jayvon Simson (formerly)
- Anthony Spoleto (formerly)
- Playboy X (Trey Stewart)
- Ernesto Asaltacunas
- Bruce Spade (part-time)
- Alfonso Vasquez
- January Natasha Vasquez
- Jill Von Crastenburg (formerly)
- Jeff (formerly)
- Sara
Businesses in Algonquin[10]EditEdit
[11]Star JunctionAdded by Mcanmoocanu*Grotti, car dealership in Middle Park East
- Memory Lanes, bowling alley in The Meat Quarter
- Modo, midrange clothing store in North Holland
- Perseus, upmarket clothing stores in Middle Park East and The Exchange
- RS Haul, couriers
- Split Sides, comedy club
- Castle Garden City (Battery Park City)
- Castle Gardens (Battery Park)
- Chinatown (Chinatown)
- City Hall (City Hall)
- Colony Island (Roosevelt Island)
- East Holland (East Harlem)
- Easton (East Village)
- The Exchange (Financial District)
- Fishmarket North (The Bowery)
- Fishmarket South (South Street Seaport)
- Happiness Island (Liberty Island)
- Hatton Gardens (Tudor City)
- Lancaster (Yorkville)
- Lancet (Kips Bay)
- Little Italy (Little Italy)
- Lower Easton (Lower East Side)
- Middle Park (Central Park)
- Middle Park East (Upper East Side)
- Middle Park West (Upper West Side)
- North Holland (Harlem)
- Northwood (Inwood, Washington Heights)
- Presidents City (Alphabet City)
- Purgatory (Hell's Kitchen)
- Star Junction (Times Square)
- Suffolk (SoHo)
- The Meat Quarter (Meatpacking District)
- The Triangle (Midtown, The Flatiron District)
- Varsity Heights (Morningside Heights)
- Westminster (Greenwich Village)
Possible Ownership[13]EditEdit
The Von Crastenburg Family are said to haved previously owned half of the island of Algonquin (as stated in a segment of I'm Rich). Jill Von Crastenburg is an Algonquin party girl and an heiress to the dynasty's vast fortune.
- In the game's Television show History of Liberty City it is said that the Native American name 'Algonquin' meant 'Place to build many skyscrapers'.
- The Algonquin name is derived from the Algonquin native Americans, similar to the origins of Manhattan's name. "Manhattan" is actually a Lenapean phrase used by the Lenape Tribe of Indians, referring to "island of many hills".
- Theres a provincial park named "Algonquin Provincial Park" In Ontario. 151 Kilometers northeast from Canoe Lake
- It is possible to easily cross into Algonquin before legally unlocking it. This can be done by engaging the police at the Algonquin Bridge checkpoint in Broker, and stealing a police car. Then, simply drive to the other side and evade the police. The pedestrian walkways and subway tracks can also be used.


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VERGENNES — It's known as the "Little City." But Vergennes, unbeknownst to many, played a huge role two centuries ago in a major U.S. Navy victory that protected the Champlain Valley from British invasion and helped end the War of 1812.
The story is succinctly acknowledged on a plaque adorning a stately, stone-pillared monument standing in the city park.
FERRISBURGH/VERGENNES — "Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime," the old Chinese proverb eloquently says.
University of Vermont professor David Raphael may not teach his students how to fish. But the Panton resident and owner of LandWorks — the Middlebury outdoor design firm — is equipping UVM students in his "Sustainable Landscape Architecture and Construction" class with skills for life.
VERGENNES — Back in January, guitar-playing 16-year-old Vergennes resident Matteo Palmer knew several things that turned out to be related.
Those were that he enjoys attending and volunteering for events at the Vergennes Opera House, the theater had in recent years found it more difficult to make ends meet, and Grammy-winning southern Vermont resident Will Ackerman had become one of his guitar idols.
MIDDLEBURY — Two years ago, Middlebury playwright and teacher Dana Yeaton and his former student, Andy Mitton, saw their play My Ohio staged at Town Hall Theater and at the FlynnSpace in Burlington.
This July, they will see their creation performed under the new title Swing State at the world's largest musical theater festival in New York City.
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VERGENNES — At 7 p.m. on Tuesday, May 8, Vergennes officials and residents will take what could be one of the final steps on what has been close to a five-year journey.
Then, in the city fire station's basement meeting room, aldermen will convene a public hearing on new zoning regulations proposed by the Vergennes Planning Commission. A copy of the laws is posted at vergennes.org.
Planners have been working on those zoning laws since Vergennes adopted its award-winning city plan in October 2009.
MIDDLEBURY — Harper Smith of Middlebury liked drawing and painting and she has been doing it since she was very young. So it was not surprising when last year, as an eighth-grader at Middlebury Union Middle School, she entered one of her drawings into a contest.
What was surprising to Smith, now 14 and a freshman at Middlebury Union High School, is that her drawing is now being sold all over Vermont.
MIDDLEBURY — The Addison County Republican and Democratic committees want to hear from people interested in filling the balance of the term left by the late Sheriff James Coons, who died April 16.
Party officials have been instructed to submit lists of candidates for the job to Gov. Peter Shumlin by June 15. Shumlin will then appoint an individual to serve as the county's sheriff until Coons' most recent four-year term expires in February of 2015.
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Nut Roast (V)
Contains peanuts and tree nuts
40 Holland Street, London, Greater London, W8 4LT 020 7937 6382
All our food is prepared in a kitchen where nuts, cereals containing gluten and other allergens are present and our menu descriptions do not include all ingredients.
If you have a food allergy or intolerance, please let us know before ordering. Full allergen information for food and drink is available, upon request. Fish dishes may contain small bones.


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Galen (c. 129 - c. 216/17 CE)
Galen was born in Greece, studied medicine in Egypt and became the most celebrated physician in the Roman Empire. His theories were to dominate Western medical thinking for centuries after his death. A radical and innovative experimenter, he considered dissection a key tool in understanding the human body. Although he was restricted by law to dissecting animals, the three years he spent from 158 CE as physician to the gladiators of his home city of Pergamon were a formative period in his life in medicine. The traumatic injuries he regularly encountered gave Galen the perfect opportunity to extend his practical medical knowledge of the human body.
Galen was greatly influenced by the working methods of Hippocrates and other earlier Greek doctors. He similarly advocated the humoral theory of the body and like Hippocrates he also placed great importance on clinical observation through careful examination of patients and the recording of their symptoms. Galen paid particular attention to an individual's pulse, monitoring it for abnormalities and using it as a tool to diagnose disease and suggest possible treatments. Feeling a patient's pulse remains a standard diagnostic procedure to this day.
Galen was a prolific writer. He was widely known in his lifetime, but his prolonged influence owed much to the Islamic scholars who absorbed, reproduced and added to his body of work in the early medieval period. Subsequently these works were retranslated in the West, where they effectively remained beyond criticism until the Renaissance. In that new age of experimentation and investigation the fault lines in much of his work began to be revealed and many of his theories and techniques were gradually replaced or amended by the likes of Vesalius and William Harvey. Despite this, Galen remains a towering figure in the history of medicine.
Related Themes and Topics
- Science and medicine
- Animals
- Experiment
- Surgery
- Royalty
- Practising medicine
- Looking after yourself
- The Black Death and early public health measures
- Understanding the body
- Humours
- Treatments and cures
- Drugs: ideas and traditions
- Physical methods
- Mental health and illness
- Diseases and epidemics
- The pulse in different medical traditions
- Seeing, hearing, tasting and touching disease: the use of the senses in medical diagnosis
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The throbbing of the arteries as blood flows through them. The pulse matches the rate at which the heart is beating.


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Gold "I Will Persevere" CZ Curved Bar Necklace 15.5-18.5"
Tell yourself, "I can, and I will." This gold, cubic zirconia curved bar Necklace features "I Will Persevere" inscribed on the underside of the bar and has been designed to empower, encourage and uplift you when you need it most. Featuring an adjustable 15.5-18.5" attached Chain, layer our Empowerment Necklaces together or with a Living Locket® to tell your story.
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A New 'Age of Humboldt' Dawning with Unprecedented Win of Prizes by University of South Carolina Professor
Article ID: 571909
Released: 17-Dec-2010 10:35 AM EST
Source Newsroom: University of South Carolina
Available for logged-in reporters only
KEYWORDSLiterature, Science, History, Guggenheim, Alexander von Humboldt, Henry David Thoreau
Newswise — Obscure today, Alexander von Humboldt was once so well known that transcendentalist Ralph Waldo Emerson declared the mid-19th century "The Age of Humboldt."
The German naturalist and scholar is earning renewed attention as a result of a book by a University of South Carolina professor who has won an unprecedented trio of top prizes in literature and history.
Dr. Laura Dassow Walls will receive the Modern Language Association's James Russell Lowell Prize for her book, "The Passage to Cosmos: Alexander von Humboldt and the Shaping of America," Jan. 7 at the MLA's annual convention.
The prestigious literary award follows Walls' winning the Merle Curti Award for best book in American intellectual history by the Organization of American Historians in April. In October, she won the Michelle Kendrick Memorial Book Award for the best book in literature and science by the Society for Literature, Science and the Arts.
An English professor in the College of Arts and Sciences, Walls is the first scholar ever to win both a Lowell Prize in literature and a Curti Award in history.
"Dr. Walls' accomplishment is absolutely unprecedented," said Dr. Mary Anne Fitzpatrick, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. "Her work is enriching the understanding of literary history, illuminating for us what is gained when literature is not separated from science."
Walls says Humboldt was as iconic to his time as Einstein has been to our own. Her intent for "The Passage to Cosmos" was to share Humboldt's life in America as a scientist, explorer, political economist, ethnologist and spokesman for social justice and to share his idea of "Cosmos" with readers today.
"Unlike a physical universe, which exists on its own, without us, Humboldt offered the notion of the 'Cosmos,' a universe that was an ordered and beautiful whole, a joint co-creation of humanity and nature," Walls said. "This extraordinary idea moved a whole generation of American artists and writers, among them the founders of American environmentalism: Emerson, Thoreau, John Muir and George Perkins Marsh."
She said the trio of awards from different disciplines reflects Humboldt's 19th-century fight to keep the "two cultures" of sciences and humanities knitted together at a time when they were being split.
"That my book about Humboldt has been honored across this range of disciplines shows that Humboldt's project truly does, as I have always believed, have new relevance in our time," said Walls. "So much of what we need to know today lies in the spaces between disciplines, and I think this level of attention to Humboldt shows we are now at a stage where the many rich disciplinary specialties that arose beginning in the 19th century can, in the 21st, fruitfully enter new conversations, find common ground and build exciting new partnerships."
The Curti, Kendrick and Lowell prizes aren't the only honors Walls received in 2010. In May, she was named a 2010 fellow by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation. The Guggenheim Fellowship is one of the most esteemed awards artists, scholars and scientists can earn. The holder of the John H. Bennett Jr. Chair of Southern Letters in USC's English Dept; Walls also received USC's Russell Research Award last spring.
"It's been an incredible year," Walls said. "I've been honored at every turn, and it is so very gratifying to be honored by colleagues in my home field of literary studies with the Lowell Prize. Doing interdisciplinary work can mean leaving one's original training. This prize signifies to me that I succeeded in making the many allied disciplines relevant to one another, enriching the cultural and literary landscape for others as well as myself."
The Guggenheim Fellowship is enabling Walls to spend the academic year researching and writing a biography of Henry David Thoreau, the first full-length, newly researched biography on the transcendentalist in 40 years. She wants to reintroduce Thoreau to a 21st-century audience and connect him to 21st-century ideas of sustainability, responsibility and civic engagement.
Born in the small fishing village of Ketchikan, Alaska, Walls was raised on a forested island east of Seattle. She taught at Lafayette College for 12 years before coming to USC in 2004. In addition to "The Passage to Cosmos," Walls' books include "Emerson's Life in Science: The Culture of Truth" and "Seeing New Worlds: Henry David Thoreau and Nineteenth-Century Natural Science."


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From the movie Pulp Fiction, one of the most feared characters stated his henchmen would "go medieval on yo' ass", which basically was a way of saying his men would click out on the men being threatened. To go medieval means to become savagely violent without restraint, similar to how we imagine those in the savage, unrestrained medieval times would respond to someone who had done them wrong.
by MsLi January 24, 2006
beat/beating the living hell out of somebody, either physically, or mentally
also known as "kick the shit out of"
Look at me like that again and I'll go medieval all over your ass.
by Bulldog6 October 25, 2008


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Michal Menert just released his new full length release, Even If It Isn't Right, today on Pretty Lights Music for FREE. If you're a fan of Michal Menert or the sound that Pretty Lights represents I highly recommend grabbing this right NOW!
I had the pleasure of meeting Michal over WMC this year and got to kick it with him and take a glimpse into what the future holds on his side of things. This album defies a lot of the norm for most releases and tells his story in this long composition. Spending a few days with him and his manager I knew that I had to help them out. It's not very often you come across such a talented artist with the ideals and vision that Michal has.
He's your regular guy who likes to play video games, chill, make music, and eat tons of sushi. His story is quite a unique one and he's the only person who could say that early Pretty Lights music was composed of Derek and Michal. It's something that I believe isn't noted enough.
I had the pleasure of being in Denver for Menert's debut of his new fancy projection mapped stage. The moment I walked into Cervantes I was totally blown away. The team that put together is the same team that has put together Pretty Lights past stages but this one has been taken to a whole new level. The dedication and effort put behind Michal Menert is second to none. It's a honor to have been brought in to take part of it. There's much ahead and can't even describe to you how incredible the experience was that night except by showing you a video of how wild it all came out below. The video was done by the Swaager team/website and is only a small glimpse into this magical stage represented by mountain like structures with a sun/moon center where Michal performs in front of. The lasers, video clips, and seamless combination of music and visuals are some of the best I've ever seen in my life.
Dear promoters of all locations. This show and stage will be touring in the Fall. I HIGHLY recommend picking this up. It's one of the most amazing stages I've seen. The production levels is on par if not higher than Pretty Lights and other projection mapping stages out there. Cervantes was completely slammed and no one had any idea that the stage was being showcased for the most part.
Now go grab the album for FREE and download Dreaming of a Bigger Life if you haven't already!
Michal Menert – Pretty Lights Profile
Also the new website has had a soft launch and ready to check out if you haven't seen it. Check it out and watch it grow as I work my magic on it.
Michal Menert | Even If It Isn't Right
The Road to Sonic Bloom: Bluetech, IAMNOBODI, ProJect Aspect, The Digital Connection
April 26, 2012 at 7:08 am
Awesome! He samples Melanie Safka's 'Lay Down' @ 1:53. I always wanted to try to flip that song but have never got around to it. He's done it and done it well!


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Spartacus Legends preview The bloodiest history lesson imaginable
It was only a matter of time: Spartacus, the hit show on Starz, is getting a full game proper in the form of Spartacus Legends thanks to Ubisoft (meaning fans will no longer have to resort to playing the iOS Blood and Sand to get their kicks). With the simple instruction to "kill them all," you'll be pitted in one-on-one gladiatorial combat in Legends' 3D swordfighting arena - and you better believe that you'll be dismembering and decapitating your opponents along the way. Those with weak stomachs need not apply.
Developer Kung Fu Factory have worked on their fair share of fighting games, having a hand in the production of games like Supremacy MMA, UFC Undisputed, and Mortal Kombat ports. Though the main inspiration for this XBLA / PSN downloadable is the show it's based on, the developers cited Soulcalibur (yay) and Deadliest Warrior (meh) as their inspirations for the direction of Legends' gameplay. The game features eight-way movement, but the size of the arena we fought in ensured that every fight was a brutal, up-close-and-personal exchange of sword slashes and shield slams.
Four characters were available in the demo, specializing in two different fighting styles: dual swords (the dimachaerus) or a short spear and shield combo (the hoplomachus style). The dual wielders, including Spartacus himself, could unleash devastating combos thanks to their quicker attack speed, but their offensive capabilities came at a cost – with so little armor, they could be hacked to bits in the blink of an eye if they weren't careful (an experience we repeatedly suffered). In fact, each match ended rather quickly, and there are no rounds here – instead of getting knocked out or "downed" when your health bar depletes, you straight up die. That's intense.
The hoplomachus fighters were more our cup of tea, able to fight from a farther distance or deflect incoming attacks with their trusty shield. Of course, all that heavy armor and low-visibility helmet meant they're a bit sluggish, but they can definitely take a stabbin' and keep on tickin'. The controls were fairly simple, given how convoluted some 3D weapon fighters can get: a light slash, heavy slash, throw, and shield bash were our attacking capabilities, while blocking and dodging help us prolong our lifespans in the arena just a bit longer. An interesting feature to note is the game's crowd meter, a bar that fills up during battle with each successful hit, combo, or (one of two) taunts each character can perform. If this bar is full by the end of a fight, you'll be treated to some truly violent executions if you nail a brief quicktime event.
And boy, are they bloody. In our short time with the game, we had the pleasure of being beheaded, pinned on the ground and stabbed in the eye repeatedly, and – our personal favorite – having a sword shoved upwards through our throats and out the top of our noggins. Yep, this game will be rated M for mature with all certainty, and it's sure to please fans of the show's gritty, over-the-top violence and blood-spraying brutality. It may not have the depth or fidelity of games like Soulcalibur, but it'll be a guaranteed hit with Spartacus enthusiasts looking for an affordable fighter. Prepare to unleash your skills in the arena when the game comes out late next year.


text: Unlike the seven men who preceded him in the White House, Martin Van Buren (1782-1862) was the first president to be born a citizen of the United States and not a British subject. He rose quickly in New York politics, winning a U.S. Senate seat in 1821 and presiding over a sophisticated state political organization. Van Buren helped form the new Democratic Party from a coalition of Jeffersonian Republicans who backed the military hero and president Andrew Jackson. A favorite of Jackson's, Van Buren won the White House himself in 1836 but was plagued by a financial panic that gripped the nation the following year. After losing his bid for reelection in 1840, Van Buren ran again unsuccessfully in 1844 (when he lost the Democratic nomination to the pro-southern candidate James K. Polk) and 1848 (as a member of the antislavery Free Soil Party).


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1994 Jeep Wrangler YJ - Big Mini: Part 2Posted in Project Vehicles on May 14, 2013
Last issue we reintroduced our 1994 Jeep Wrangler YJ on 40s, which we call Big Mini. The last time this Jeep was driven by its previous owner, it was into a living room—which tweaked the frame and suspension. Trasborg had the frame straightened and then shoehorned 40s under it on stock leaf springs. A 1-inch Daystar body lift gave a little bit more elevation, but stock YJ springs and shocks have their limits off-road. We've wheeled the heck out of stock YJs over the years and know exactly some of the shortcomings they have.
We've managed to severely bend stock YJ springs with tiny 31-inch tires; what we'd be capable of doing to them with these 40-inch monsters doesn't bear thinking about. We'd likely bend them every trip out. The super-short rear shocks limit downtravel, and if you put longer shocks in the back, you have to bumpstop the snot out of it to keep the shocks from ripping off the frame or axle on compression. Then, of course, you smack off the bumpstops on even minor fire roads. Up front, the shocks are longer, but still have the same limitations with the added bonus of the upper pin-style mount robbing overall length and some would argue durability. If that weren't enough, as it sat, we had only about 4 inches of wheeltravel before our fenders became our bumpstops, which is no good for going off road at anything higher than crawling speeds.
Even though we wanted more elevation, we want to keep this thing low and stable. We also want to stop using our shocks as either limiting straps or bumpstops. On the one hand, we want to keep this Jeep simple, but on the other hand we don't want to cut corners or take shortcuts that will bite us in the butt later. We've gone with bolt-on shock extenders and usually break them. We've gone with pin-to-eye bushing conversion kits, but that only makes us lose more shock length.
So once again, we found ourselves trying to package 10 pounds of number two into the proverbial 5 pound bag. So often that means you end up wearing the other 5 pounds, but that wasn't the case here.
Wrap Up
We made a lot of choices here based on our experience in the past. We ended up with more than we aimed for, so far as shock length and lift height. While it is possible to set bumpstops on the first build with leaf springs it is more difficult than coils. We left bumps out because we still have axles to figure out and steering to sort through. We have a good idea of where we are going with both, and some of the mods here make sense with our upcoming changes in mind. So stay tuned as we go forward with our monster leaf-sprung Wrangler.


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How To Use Feature Search:
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