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Yanks Your Chain
Note: This review is from 2008
All three of these US acts lean heavily on zany foreign voices to punch up their material, from Arnold Schwazenegger's stilted Austrian accent to the all-time No 1 favourite silly comedy stereptype, the hilarious Oriential.
Waitresses in Chinese restaurants, they sound something like this… What if an airline hit turbulence, and the pilot was French! He'd probably go a little bit like this… Or if he was Mexican! What if an Indian man did karaoke? It'd be like this…
The first material is Jo Koy's, the second Jamie Kennedy's and the third Pablo Francisco's. That they depend on mimicking someone who sounds a bit different from them for a cheap laugh is bad enough, but the fact that every comic goes down a near-identical route shows a depressing dearth of imagination.
But if you're going to do this style of comedy, you might as well do it with pizzazz, which is where Francisco, pictured, earned his headliner billing. His voice is a genuinely impressive instrument, able to whip from a throaty, rumbling bass to a high-pitched squeak in the same breath.
He's a one-man sound effects department, and his high-octane set opens with a stunningly impressive firestorm of daft noises and exaggerated voices. The effect is explosive, and he unleashes an energy that tingles round the room.
There's the briefest snippets of famous voices, and more comedy jingles than the most annoying zoo radio show. But never underestimate the power of a simple 'boink boink' to get a laugh.
This is a pace he can't possibly sustain, unfortunately, and he gradually eases into a delivery of more conventional tempo, though his bag of vocal tricks is always close at hand. At first, the material stays strong, especially the spoof movie trailers recreating the spot-on faux gravitas of the ubiquitous voiceover guy, but the set's impact gradually diminishes.
It isn't long before we're into impressions of Chinese people having sex, off-the-peg Viagra jokes and dead-end Brokeback Mountain references – not gags, you'll note, as just mentioning the movie is still, apparently, hilarious enough. Gay cowboys! Imagine! And the Indian karaoke routine seems to last an age, as Francisco repetitively catalogues songs they might sing, with the word 'dot' replacing a key word, in lame reference to the bindu. You can start with Who Let The Dots Out? and make your own list.
For five minutes, he was brilliant, for ten good, but after half an hour, the wind had definitely gone out of his sails.
Filipino-American stand-up Jo Koy never even got any wind in his, with a vapid set that made you wonder what Variety magazine was seeing when they named him one of the '10 comics to watch' last year.
He's got the confidence, posturing and poise down to pat, but the sluggish set limps from one half-baked observation to the next. There's three main themes to his set: Chinese people, the penis and his own five-year old 'crazy midget' of a child; all of which offer ample opportunity to drop into funny accents or zealous overacting as he recreates the scenes he's describing.
Koy tries to spin up every comment with fake enthusiasm. 'You ever tried to xxx? Holy shit! It's crazy… Holy fuck, man!' Doesn't matter what the xxx is, but the reflex reaction to the rhythm is a laugh, at least the first few times he attempts it, before it becomes all-too evident he has little to back up the bald statements.
There's a lot of textbook technique here. Witness, too the exaggerated stage whispers and the delivery wavering between the camp and the laid-back. But beyond that, punch lines are sparse. He gets a smattering of titters from the Shepherds Bush Empire audience, but also large pockets of uninterest.
Jamie Kennedy, too, is a skilful operator, a gifted mimic with bags of energy, likeability and confidence – but lacking much idea what to do with all these talents. So in deference to playing in Britain, he'll impersonate Ozzy Osbourne, David Beckham and Harry Potter, but with no jokes to deliver in their voices.
The boy wizard, for example, he imagines as gay, which culminates in a watery-weak 'magic wand' joke. Please.
Kennedy – who starred in his own hidden-camera show in the States – was the worst offender for the 'imagine an ethnic person doing this job' material, showcasing his gift for impersonation, but highlighting his lack of inspiration. Comic acting seems his forte, not stand-up.
The show was introduced by the one non-Yank on the bill, London-based Australian Jim Jeffries, who didn't seem entirely sure what was going on – even beyond his usual dazed-and-confused persona. It meant we got 15 minutes more of Jo Koy as he missed the cue for the interval.
But Jeffries is too wilfully offensive to ever be the best person to warm an audience up. Rather than building up gently, one of his first punchlines was '…so I raped her.' And there was just the tip of the iceberg. No one peddles filth quite like him, but here seemed to be the wrong time and the wrong place for his tried-and-tested sickness.
All in all, a disappointing night. Better American acts make the transatlantic trip more regularly – and few charge the £22.50 this mediocre line-up demanded.
Reviewed by: Steve Bennett
July 7, 2008
Review date: 1 Jan 2008
Reviewed by: Steve Bennett


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Monday, May 19, 2014
Mississippi Man Pleads Guilty in Ricin Letter Investigation
The U.S. Justice Department released the below information today:
James Everett Dutschke, 41, of Tupelo, Mississippi., was sentenced today by United States District Judge Sharion Aycock, in Aberdeen, Mississippi., to a 300 month prison sentence for developing and possessing the biological agent ricin and subsequently mailing ricin-laced, threatening letters including one that threatened bodily harm to the President of the United States. Dutschke was also sentenced to serve a term of 5 years supervised release.
The sentence was announced by John Carlin, Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department's National Security Division, Felicia Adams, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Mississippi, Daniel McMullen, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI's Jackson Field Office, and Craig Caldwell, Special Agent in Charge of the Secret Service's Birmingham, AL, District Field Office.
Following an investigation, Dutschke was arrested on April 27, 2013, and indicted by a federal grand jury on June 3, 2013. A superseding indictment was filed on Nov. 20, 2013. Dutschke pled guilty on Jan. 17, 2014 to one count of developing and possessing ricin, and three subsequent counts of mailing threatening letters laced with the substance to the President of the United States, U.S. Senator Roger Wicker, and Lee County, Mississippi, Justice Court Judge Sadie Holland. According to the plea agreement between Dutschke and the U.S. Attorney's Office that was filed in U.S. District Court in Oxford, Dutschke had agreed to serve a 300 month prison sentence and had waived his right to appeal.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI's Jackson and Memphis Joint Terrorism Task Forces, the U.S. Secret Service, the U. S. Postal Inspection Service, the U. S. Capitol Police and was assisted by the following state and local agencies: Mississippi National Guard 47th Civil Support, Mississippi Office of Homeland Security, Lee County Sheriff's Office, Prentiss County Sheriff's Office, Corinth Police Department, Tupelo Police Department and Booneville Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Chad Lamar, Clay Joyner and Clyde McGee of the Northern District of Mississippi, and Andrew Sigler of the Department of Justice, National Security Division.
Posted by Paul Davis at 8:49 PM
Labels: FBI, James Everett Dustschke, mailing threating letters laced with ricin, U.S. Justice Department, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, U.S. Secret Service
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Air date: September 13, 2012
She is man's best friend — and a friend in times of need. Alpine, a golden retriever with Arbor Hospice, visits the terminally ill. Her impact is immeasurable. Louis: She is about as human as people we have met in our lives Mary: She makes me smile Studies show trained animals can be therapeutic in patient care. Alpine helps reduce loneliness and depression, and can bring a twinkle of happiness in otherwise difficult days. Mitch Albom: Has there yet been a case where Alpine has been there in the end? Gloria: This patient was elderly in her 90s and her adult daughter called us a couple days later and said my mom is asking for Alpine can you bring her out. Once Alpine got there she said my baby is here. Alpine is infinitely patient, and never tires of physical contact. A former Leader Dog for the blind, she seems to sense the need she is filling in the hospice world. Mitch Albom: If she could talk what do you think she would say? Gloria: I think she would thank families and patients for allowing her to come in and have that time with them. I think it is that unconditional love that pets bring to us. Kimberly: Alpine had a huge affect on my niece. She would say "Oh, it's Alpine Tuesday." Mary: She is a wonderful friend. Easing the final journey, Alpine and Arbor Hospice are comforting the heart of Detroit.


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Prop. 37: Genetic food labels defeated
Proposition 37
(11-07) 10:25 PST SACRAMENTO -- A measure that would have required most foods made with genetically engineered ingredients to be labeled in California lost early Wednesday.
Supporters of Proposition 37 said consumers have a right to know whether food has been genetically altered, particularly when the long-term health impacts are unclear. Opponents argued that the labels would stigmatize foods that are scientifically proven to be safe.
With 100 percent the precincts reporting, voters rejected the proposed labeling law by six percentage points. California would have been the first state in the nation to pass such an initiative.
"We said from the beginning that the more voters learned about Prop. 37, the less they would like it," said Kathy Fairbanks, a spokeswoman for the opposition. "We didn't think they would like the lawsuits, more bureaucracy, higher costs, loopholes and exemptions. It looks like they don't."
But Stacy Melken, a spokeswoman for the Prop, 37 campaign, said supporters believe they will win the labeling debate over the long term. She noted that proponents were outspent by a five to one margin and still managed to capture more than 4.2 million votes.
"We showed that there is a food movement in the United States, and it is strong, vibrant and too powerful to stop," she said. "We always knew we were the underdogs."
The measure called for genetically engineered foods to include labels on either the front or back of the product. Whole foods, such as sweet corn and salmon, would have had a sign on the shelf. Products such as alcohol, beef, eggs and dairy would have been exempt.
Opponents argued that the price of new California labels, or the cost manufacturers would have incurred by changing over to non-GMO ingredient, would be passed on to consumers. The No campaign calculated that households would pay as much as $400 more a year in grocery bills. But there is no independent study to show that.
Opponents, raising more than $45 million, had the backing of large agribusiness and chemical companies such as Monsanto and Dow, and food manufacturer giants, including PepsiCo. The Yes campaign raised about $6.7 million and was supported largely by the organic industry, consumer groups and alternative medicine organizations.
About 70 to 80 percent of processed foods sold in the United States are made with genetically engineered ingredients such as corn, soybeans, sugar beets and cottonseed oil. The seeds for these crops have been genetically altered in the lab to make them more resistant to pests and invasive weeds.
But proponents of Prop. 37 said research shows the risks of eating genetically engineered foods range from allergies to organ damage. They also contend that because weeds are rapidly becoming resistant to the genetic formula of these plants, more herbicides are being used.
Opponents argued that the fears are misguided. They say genetically modified crops are better suited to survive periods of bad weather and significantly increase per-acre yields, which means feeding more people for less money.
Stacy Finz is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com Twitter: @sfinz


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In my experience, bicyclists tend to be green, somewhat anarchistic, and civicly engaged. It is great when you can use your bicycle to stand up for what you believe in, something that many bicycle commuters do every day. After 35 years of bicycle commuting, I decided that I would try to extend my range with some serious bicycle training over the course of the summer. Living in the Baltimore area makes this easy with many miles of gorgeous bicycle trails, many of them in the beautiful area parks. Yesterday, I managed to ride over 55 miles in a single day. This was a personal record for me, both in terms of time and of distance. I had such a great time that only wanted more. There is much to say about this trip, but first the pictures.
Patapsco Park has loads of classic natural beauty and tons of history as well.
According to this plaque in Patapsco State Park, the river valley was home to America's first railroad. This trip, I managed to check in at the information center in Ellicott City, and the staff confirmed this. Back in the day, you could ride the first train from Baltimore to Ellicott City.
Behind the plaque, you can see blocky stone cuts, that likely formed the trestle for the old rail. Down the river is the site of an old flour mill. There is much more great history in this park, and matters of environmental concern as well. It is currently being discussed whether to remove an old industrial dam from the river, in order to eliminate an artificial habitat division and fish barrier. I think this is probably a good idea.
While I was in Ellicott City, I stopped in again at the CSX train derailment site to see how the clean up is progressing. On the rails, there was this truck, which is presumably being used to vacuum up the remaining coal. Progress is slow, but it continues.
I ranged very widely on this trip. I'll try to post an image of the map later. Here is a link to the Google map showing the approximate route.
Most notable is likely the Annapolis road portion, which is not listed as passible in Google. I'd be confident taking my bicycle trailer on this portion of Annapolis road, but use due caution at the I895 clover leaf. Also, be sure to move to the Baltimore/Annapolis trail, if you go south of Cromwell. There is a beautiful park in Balitimore Highlands, adjacent to this road, which is worth checking out. If you get tired, there is easy access to the Light Rail along Annapolis road. If someone wants to give me the right Google link, I'd be happy to submit the Annapolis Rd data. Next time, I'll try Lansdowne Rd. If I were coming up the East Coast Greenway, I might try to camp in the park, although it is against regulations. ;-) There are also some little used off-rode biking trails in the park. I think that the parks are far more beautiful by bicycle.
If you have been reading these blog entries, you might remember that I saw a giant owl in Patapsco State Park the last time I was there. I could scarcely believe my eyes, in part because the great bird flew absolutely silently. On my way out of Ellicott City, I took the Old Trolley Trail, and I met a couple who confirmed that they had also seen two of these nearly waist high owls along that trail. Old Trolley Trail is another gorgeous spot, and I'm not surprised that the owls made their home there.
Here are the names of the places and trails that I visited on the trip. Any one of them is worth visiting, especially by bicycle. Bike trails: Middle Branch, BWI, Old Trolley out of Ellicott City, Gwynns Falls,& Jones Falls. Places: Baltimore City, BWI, Patapsco State Park, Ellicott City, Gwynns Falls park,& back via Druid Hill Park.
The ride was so enjoyable that I would gladly have continued up to the NCR trailhead in Cockeysville to complete 75+ miles. Alas, nightfall arrived, and with it rain, so I reluctantly decided to try again another day.
If you are interested in my previous photos of the CSX train derailment site and clean up, here are links to those stories.


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Sure, you can limit you iPhone 3G usage to phone calls, SMS, a map or two, and the occasional photograph, but if you're feeling adventurous, your iPhone can become quite a bit more. And, as sound level measurement app SoundMeter proves, the sensors inside the iPhone 3G are actually quite good; they can be used for quite a few things you may not have thought possible. MacNN recently pointed out one such application, Dynolicious, which uses the iPhone's accelerometer to record vehicle performance data.
That's right, you can now see just what kind of performance numbers you car is putting up, even if you're just driving around town and want to see what part of the 0-60 of your Camry is at. By frequently measuring accelerometer data, Dynolicious can calculate the time it takes for you to reach any speed between 10 and 100 MPH. It can also give elapsed times and trap speeds (the speed of the car at the end) for a variety of distances, including the quarter and eighth miles.
If you have the urge to drive on a skidpad in order to measure g-forces, Dynolicious can handle those measurements too, and will provide lateral and braking forces. Last but not least, adding vehicle weight data to the app will allow it to estimate your wheel and engine horsepower. All of the data is displayed and graphed in real-time, and can be saved for later review.
As with SoundMeter, the Dynolicious readings are said to be pretty accurate once you have calibrated it, but the company s also planning to compare the app with dragstrip timing software. Another similarity between the two applications is that both have low prices. Dynolicious will run you just $13 on the App Store, so check it out if you're curious about just how many horses your car is producing.


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Steak Studio has created an interactive water-based artwork to promote Samsung's Galaxy Note II pen-driven smartphone. Watch the video above to see it in action.
The new, East London-based experiential design firm under creative director Daniel Kupfer built the work using 408 fish pumps, which are controlled wirelessly using the phone. The work took 10 days to create an uses over 3,000 connections that had to be attached by hand.


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GOODBYE and HELLO!
November 8, 2011
Well, folks, the time has come for me to say goodbye. I've loved blogging for Ideal Home's HomeShoppingSpy, but I'm off to pastures new. I leave you in the very capable hands of the lovely new HomeShoppingSpy, Alice Humphrys – Deputy Interiors Editor at Ideal Home and a shopping expert! She'll be keeping you up-to-date on all the latest buys and trends. Thank you all so much for your support, comments and tweets these past few years – it's been an absolute pleasure to spy for you! – Ellie Tennant x
Hello! I'm Alice, your new HomeShoppingSpy blogger and I can't wait to get started; especially at this time of year when the joys of Autumn are in full swing, festive fever is breaking out and here at Ideal Home HQ we're previewing and planning for SS12. I feel giddy with the delightful, seasonal mix! Looking forward to blogging, spying and marvelling with you over all things lovely for the home. Oh and the letterpress 'Hello' card was brought to you by one of my favourite on-line stationery shops, Present and Correct. A lunch-break browse on their website helps sooth my mild obsession with paper objects. – Alice Humphrys


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DescriptionSnorkeling adventures will get a permanent upgrade when you enlist the help of the full face snorkel mask. With an innovative design, this snorkel mask provides a comfortable fit without the pressure points found in similar masks. You can observe the ocean floor with a clear and unobstructed view through the amazing 180-degree wide view design, while built-in breathing chambers create a dry snorkel experience that ensures natural and calm breathing through your nose and mouth.
Details & Requirements


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Metal music and distortion-generating stompboxes can be odd bedfellows. So much of what we think of as "metal tone" is generated by big, high-gain amps that pedals sometimes seem redundant. But not all of us have the luxury of an expensive, 200-watt monster to generate the biggest metal sounds, nor do most players have either the inclination to regularly transport such a beast or the appropriate space in which to unleash it. And even players who do own those pricey high-gain amps and are adventurous enough to want to add a distortion, fuzz, or overdrive stompbox to the equation find that many units on the market are less than perfectly suited to the slicing, mid-heavy environs of modern metal.
In sum, it's hard to find a good all-in-one metal distortion that will turn smaller amps into raging animals and bigger amps into more versatile behemoths. New Jersey-based Metal Pedals is one company that's unafraid of the challenge, though. In fact, the HardCore XXX—which has massive amounts of gain— meets the challenge quite admirably.
Feature Creature
With seven knobs arranged across its adult-themed surface, the XXX looks way more complex than your average fuzz or overdrive. But it's actually a fairly simple circuit. Most of the controls are dedicated to the super-flexible 5-band EQ that's one of the fundamental strengths of the pedal. Other than the EQ, there are Gain and Volume knobs and a 2-way switch that engages a noise-reduction circuit.
The most interesting and unique aspect of the XXX's controls is the EQ's midrange section, which gives the pedal a tonal expansiveness that helps emulate voicings from the upper midrange of a Marshall JCM800 to the signature low mids of a raging Mesa/Boogie Dual Rectifier.
Strength Beyond Strength
Many of the pedals that cater to the metal crowd are voiced on the brighter end of the spectrum. But the HardCore XXX can be quite dark if you need it to be. In fact, with a Les Paul Custom and a Bogner Barcelona 40-watt combo, the XXX tended to sound a little too dark. Compensating with the pedal's Hi and Mid-Hi controls helped, because both have tremendous range and an incredibly powerful effect on the tone. However, with the Les Paul and Bogner, at least, they never seemed to totally transform the XXX's basically dark voice. It seems that the XXX was designed with a brightly voiced amp in mind. That was confirmed when I plugged the pedal into a Fender Twin Reverb reissue. While the Twin is light years from a metal amp, the XXX's dark tone was a great match for the bright Twin—highlighting the sustain and high-end detail of my single-note leads.
In general, the XXX's tone and feel is very amp-like and responsive to pick attack, which makes it a blast to imitate various metal styles with. By tweaking the L-Mid and Mid-Hi knobs, I was able to approximate everything from classic Motörhead to early Metallica and mid- '90s Pantera. The XXX was especially good at generating the cutting qualities of thrash-type tones without sacrificing dimension—no mean feat, given the high-mid content that typifies the style. Given the current trend toward thrashier distortions with a razor-sharp high end, this was a welcome surprise.
The only trouble I encountered with the XXX was trying to find a sweet spot that was perfect for both rhythm and lead. When the XXX was set for an inspiring, sustaining lead tone that could rip the paint off the walls, chugging riffs played with the same tone seemed to have raspy, unrefined edges. Most of the time I could cure this by decreasing the gain, though that also stole away some of the violin-like sustain I loved so much.
The XXX's noise-reduction circuit is pretty phenomenal. Instead of clamping down on the end of notes like a steel trap, it quickly rounds off the ends into silence. It sounds exceptionally natural, so much so that at times I forgot I even had it turned on. Even so, I would have liked to be able to alter the circuit's settings—such as the threshold. The manual recommended that I keep the switch off when using lower gain settings, and I could hear why: The gate shut down a little too quickly on the ends of notes, sending them crashing to earth instead of shrieking into the stratosphere. With the gate off, I was able to summon some really smooth and purring low-gain tones—provided the Hi control wasn't set too high.
The Verdict
Guitarists have been searching for years for a one-stop pedal that can convincingly cover everything from old-school metal to stuff at the thrashier end of the headbanging spectrum. If you're on that quest, the Metal Pedals HardCore XXX is definitely worth a look. It's versatile, flexible, easy to use, and works really well with brightvoiced tube amps. Some minor tweaking is required to get a good balance of rhythm and lead tones, but the powerful EQ is up to the task. For those who have spent countless hours and dollars trying to achieve killer metal tones beyond those that lurk in their amps, the search may well end with the XXX.
Watch the video review:
Buy if...
you want to add a variety of tight, fluid metal tones to a brightly voiced amp.
Skip if...
you require a dual-channel pedal for contrasting lead and rhythm tones.
Street $215 - Metal Pedals - metalpedals.com


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Download link (right click and 'save-as') for playing in VLC or other compatible player.
We show that singlets composed of multiple multi-level quantum systems can naturally arise as the ground state of a physically-motivated Hamiltonian. The Hamiltonian needs to be one which simply exchanges the states of nearest neighbours in any graph of interacting d-level quantum systems (qudits) as long as the graph also has d sites. We point out that local measurements on some of these qudits, with the freedom of choosing a distinct measurement basis at each qudit randomly from an infinite set of bases, project the remainder onto a singlet state. One implication of this is that the entanglement in these states is very robust (persistent), while an application is in establishing an arbitrary amount of entanglement between well-separated parties (for subsequent use as a communication
resource) by local measurements on an appropriate graph. Based on quant-ph/0602139.


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Graduate ProgramThe Department of History welcomes applicants for graduate study at the M.A. and Ph.D. level with a variety of historical interests, but we especially encourage applications in these three areas:
Military History
Our excellent scholars in this field, the Institute for Military History and 20th Century Studies (which works closely with the Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth), and K-State's interdisciplinary graduate program in Security Studies has earned us recognition as one of best military history programs in the country. Students wishing to specialize in military history have a broad range of courses to choose from, and Manhattan's proximity to both the Eisenhower and Truman Presidential Libraries provides our students with a rich source of primary materials. The Eisenhower lecture series regularly brings world-renowned scholars to campus, and the World War II Studies Association as well as the Chinese Military History Society are housed at Kansas State.
Agricultural and Environmental History
The department has a number of scholars specializing in agricultural and/or environmental history, and a substantial presence on the editorial boards of major journals and publishers in the field. The Chapman Center for Rural Studies, which opened in 2008, conducts primary research into the history of Kansas communities and offers students in this emphasis a unique research experience to complement their regular coursework.
Religious History
K-State offers students the opportunity to explore the intersections between religions and society both in American history and in a global context. Students in religious history are further supported by the annual Parrish Colloquium, which often brings noted religious scholars to K-State to talk about their research.
For more information on the workings of the graduate program, please contact the Acting Director of Graduate Studies, Michael Krysko, at firstname.lastname@example.com or (785) 532-0364.
For information on admissions procedures, contact the Director of Graduate Admissions, Professor Louise Breen at firstname.lastname@example.com or (785) 532-0365.


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Thursday, January 14, 2010
Healer Awareness: Working with your Tank
1. Stay behind the tank.
If you are unfamiliar with the instance and might aggro something, stay behind the tank rather than running ahead. I think Ram wanted to kill me after I bounced ahead up the road in my first PoS run and was suddenly in combat with mobs that I thought would've had a longer aggro range; don't run ahead of the tank unless you're absolutely sure of what you're doing. If you do aggro a new pack of mobs, that's your own fault. As a note for pugs, be wary of DPS that look like your party's tank as they might run ahead, aggro a pack, and then dump aggro on you as you start healing.
2. If you have aggro on a melee mob, run to the tank.
Don't run away from the tank. They are, for the most part, melee characters with a limited range on their taunts, and they're working at the same time to maintain aggro on the dps targets. Do your best to avoid cleaves or breath attacks from other mobs when doing so.
3. If you have aggro on a caster mob, try to LoS it to the tank.
LoS (Line of Sight) is your friend; use it to hide from caster mobs that are trying to shove fire balls up your robe. Preferably have the LoS bring the caster past or near the tank, so that they can more easily pick it up as it runs.
4. If the tank is using LoS to pull, you need to LoS, too.
Stand with or slightly behind the tank. Any heals (hots) that occur while the mobs are running over will establish aggro on yourself before the tank has had a chance to hit most or all of the mobs, so you need to be proactive in helping to bring those mobs to the tank via LoS.
5. Don't stand in cleaves or fire novas or breaths or similar tank-only effects.
That's not aggro. That's standing in bad stuff. Don't do it. Reposition yourself so that you are not in the cleave/breath/whatever. If your tank is going crazy and dragging stuff all over the place having it cleave or breath on the dps, then smack them upside the head. If you are moving yourself and jumping into the cleaves, that's your own fault.
6. Remind them to hold up if you really need to drink before a pull.
Something as simple as "OoM" or "Mana" in party chat should be enough to halt a tank in their tracks. If there is lots of party-chat discussion, you may need to add emphasis to make sure it's not lost in the scroll of chatter.
7. You will have aggro on anything the tank hasn't been able to touch.
Healing aggro is not a problem on mobs that a tank is able to work on (melee range), but during an initial pull of mobs, you will very likely get aggro on something. The "initial aggro" generated by the player who initiates combat with mobs is not very much, and healing will overtake that threat quickly. This includes situations as, listed above, need to be LoS-pulled. This also includes mobs that some dps happened to get too close to, and the tank may not be aware that they've been aggroed. Run any aggro to your tank, or position yourself so that they will cross the tank as they are running to you; if your tank is at all attentive, they will rescue you.
8. (Druids:) Innervate your Prot Pally.
If they're OoM (or near to it) and your mana is fine, innervating a prot pally tank is a great way to reduce downtime during chain-pulls or, if extra stuff is pulled before they can drink, to make sure they can hold aggro against everything. An OoM pally-tank can't keep aggro against high dps, and your innervate will overflow their mana pool!
9. If you had a great tank, thank them.
Sometimes I get thanked as a healer for what I thought was a light job. I smile and say, "My job was easy... x was a good tank" (or something to that effect). Sometimes I have an insane job, and I get thanked, and I know that the tank should be thanked, too: such as when I ran a heroic HoL with a prot pally who had 25k health, and we accidentally pulled the first boss (while charged) and an entire pack of trash at the same time. The tank was very low in gear level, but he picked it all up before it could kill me and used his cooldowns to stay alive while I poured heals on him and the group. I knew it wasn't all me: that tank was a great tank in spite of his gear, and our dps was wise enough to let him build aggro. It was the best pug group I've ever been in, and we had no deaths through the whole run. I made sure that tank knew I appreciated it, too. Tanks don't get thanked enough.
10. Communicate with your Tank.
Tielyn commented with this great addition.
"Communicate with your tank. Warn them if your gear is a little light. Or tell them they can go all out. There is nothing worse than landing in a random PuG with a tank that says, "I'm a gonna chainpull, kk?" That is your one chance to speak up and tell 'em 'No, I don't think I can handle it.' If you don't, it really IS your fault.
If they insist on pulling when there's no LOS to you, however, it's probably their fault.
Conversely, when I tank, I look at my healer. And I ask him or her, 'I see you've got 22K mana and what looks like mostly T9 gear. We good to speedrun this puppy?'"
10 comments:
- Taz said...
#9 is especially true. I've gotten thanked as a healer in random PuGs, but my pally (who is an amazing, amazing tank) has never gotten random praise. Give your tank a big hug the next time you have a good one!
- January 14, 2010 at 11:38 AM
"8. (Druids:) Innervate your Prot Pally.
If they're OoM (or near to it) and your mana is fine, innervating a prot pally tank is a great way to reduce downtime during chain-pulls or, if extra stuff is pulled before they can drink, to make sure they can hold aggro against everything. An OoM pally-tank can't keep aggro against high dps, and your innervate will overflow their mana pool!"
Bless you Kae. Bless you for thinking of us pallies who may be over geared for the instance and often OOM
- January 14, 2010 at 12:52 PM
- Kae said...
I lurves mah tanks!!
- January 14, 2010 at 1:07 PM
@#4: does this include HoR? If we're tucking ourselves in the corner, should I be stacked on the tank or hidden?
- January 15, 2010 at 9:19 AM
- Maerdred said...
@ Alyae: If you're overgeared, take off your pants and give the healer a heart attack! It's fun that way.
But yes, If you can tell you won't need it for the next couple minutes, Innervate that Paladin!
@anonymous: In HoR I stay hidden because of #7. You will have aggro on anything the tank hasn't touched. If you're out in the open, those casters will destroy you and the tank may never see them. If you hide, they run in and the tank can grab them before they are able to hit you.
At least that's what I think Kae will say.
- January 15, 2010 at 9:58 AM
@Maerdred -> Yes yes! Us tanks have the pants-less tanking society. I have considered it many times, but then... in straight pugs I'm usually top or second on DPS and without my pants on i do less damage, and then we're in there for longer!
- January 15, 2010 at 11:56 AM
thank you for this nice post. even though we wiped a few times during our heroic dungeon runs, in the end, i thanked our tank for doing a good job. :D
- January 15, 2010 at 2:36 PM
- Kae said...
Indeed, Maerdred :) Between the mages and the hunters in HoR, LoS is my friend!
As for pantsless tanks, I still crack up about them, and they've existed since Molten Core days! "Pull up your pants!" "Nooo it's too hot here!"
- January 16, 2010 at 2:07 PM
I've run both sides of the house, being what I jokingly term a 'restoferian druid'. Most of the time, I'm a tree, but this weekend, I'll probably be tanking our ICC/25 with the plated folk.
I've done a lot of tanking and a lot of healing, and there's nothing like watching a tank who knows their stuff dance, and there's something pretty danged heroic about a healer that balances a mana pool, five to twenty-five health bars, and stays alive despite fire raining down from every direction -- it is the healer that proves you wrong when you've got a dozen plus mobs on you and you think, 'I'm so dead.'
One of the things that the DPS don't always get is that we are the alpha and omega that keep them going. Since my third 80 is a hunter, I'm amazed when I see tanks that actually leave my frost traps up, especially when I'm using them to keep mobs off of a healer. Those are the tanks I award major in-party style points.
The tank that left all the adds on me, the healer, while he was on the boss (and just the boss) at the end of HoS? Not so much. His response for leaving them on me: 'Oh, I figured you would heal through it. I can do it on my paladin, or at worst, bubble out of it.'
Anyway. I digressed into Kansas somewhere. A few things I'd like to add to your list, if I may be so bold:
* Communicate with your tank. Warn them if your gear is a little light. Or tell them they can go all out. There is nothing worse than landing in a random PuG with a tank that says, "I'm a gonna chainpull, kk?" That is your one chance to speak up and tell 'em 'No, I don't think I can handle it.' If you don't, it really IS your fault.
If they insist on pulling when there's no LOS to you, however, it's probably their fault.
Conversely, when I tank, I look at my healer. And I ask him or her, 'I see you've got 22K mana and what looks like mostly T9 gear. We good to speedrun this puppy?'
And I always stop pulling if I see the healer is below 50% mana. I tell the group this. "Holding up for mana."
* Keep a regen set around.
You may think that +Spellpower is the end all, but until you can reliably stay in the blue for an entire boss fight, consider trying to gem/enchant/gear for enough mana regen to stay constantly healing (for druids, enough to get to your next Innervate) and slowly swap out pieces to upgrade +spellpower while keeping that mana regen level constant.
An OOM healer does zero healing. The 'best' geared healers I know who do 25-man raids have a contest in daily five mans where the tank tries to dent their mana pool by pulling as much as the instance as possible.
* Don't overheal.
A lot of raid guilds 'rely' on the healing meters, thinking they're as good as the damage/DPS meters for establishing raider quality. While it's an -indication-, it is by no means the sole way to determine healer skillsets.
I'm our heal lead-- I look for the following things, in order:
1) Effectiveness.
2) Efficiency.
3) Only then do I look at how much they healed for.
* Raid healing is not the doghouse.
It doesn't mean you're not worthy of healing a tank. It just means that you're entrusted with keeping the 22 other people up.
- January 22, 2010 at 2:38 PM
- Kae said...
Very good points, Tielyn :)
To add to the Overhealing discussion, I did want to clarify for others that with druid HoTs, overhealing is a given. Don't hurt your actual healing in an effort to avoid overheals with HoTs. Overhealing awareness is more of a concern with direct-heal spells like HT, Swiftmend, Regrowth, and Nourish: use the right-size spell for the job (around considerations of mana/HoT for regrowth). A NS+HT is overkill and a waste of mana if you only need to heal about 7k!
- January 22, 2010 at 4:34 PM


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NEW YORK (AP) - Michael Kors knows a few things about getting his message out. His ads, fashion shows and even his favorite models and socialites pretty much ooze the jet-setter lifestyle he embodies. On Wednesday, however, he embarks on a new campaign: World Food Day.
NEW YORK (AP) � Michael Kors knows a few things about getting his message out. His ads, fashion shows and even his favorite models and socialites pretty much ooze the jet-setter lifestyle he embodies. On Wednesday, however, he embarks on a new campaign: World Food Day.
Of course, it will have the slick fashion touch. There will be user-generated content from shoppers, celebrities and activists on 12 of the largest billboards in Times Square; content that will be replicated on the WatchHungerStop.com website. Kors aims to have 10,000 to 20,000 images go up during the event.
Models Lily Aldridge and Chanel Iman will be wearing their Watch Hunger Stop T-shirts, stores will be selling the fundraising watch that Kors designed, and a God's Love We Deliver gala event will be held to bestow the Michael Kors Award for Outstanding Community Service to former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton.
It was the year to go big on World Food Day, Kors said, thanks to his rapidly growing company that enjoyed a successful IPO in 2011 and earnings that nearly tripled in the last fiscal year. He said the company's philanthropic efforts should grow, too, while focusing on a specific platform, and he couldn't ask for a better partner than the United Nations World Food Programme.
His connection to World Food Day goes back to the 1980s and God's Love We Deliver, a New York-based organization that delivers meals to those in need. That's when AIDS was hitting the fashion industry hard.
"God's Love had this seemingly simple mission of delivering nutritious meals to people too ill to leave their homes. I saw what a difference that small act made, both to those receiving the food and to those who helped prepare and deliver the meals," Kors said.
"So when I was looking to expand the scope of our philanthropy, hunger seemed a natural cause to commit to. I was also drawn to the direct nature of fighting hunger � I'm a results-oriented person, and this is a problem we can affect."
Kors said he knows fighting hunger is one of many causes that compete for compassionate consumers' attention. October, for example, is known around the world as breast-cancer awareness month.
"So, we thought, 'How do you make a lot of noise?' Times Square, of course, and the Internet. So we're using social media to bring everyone to Times Square, where they can help spread the word," he said.
There's no irony, or there shouldn't be, that a fashion designer is tackling hunger after years of headlines about fashion's too-skinny models.
"They're two completely separate issues," Kors said. "The debate over skinny models has absolutely nothing to do with trying to feed starving children in the developing world. People know the difference."
Follow AP fashion coverage and Samantha Critchell on Twitter at @AP_Fashion and @Sam_Critchell


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I know I've been away from the internet for a while, so bringing up Steven Seagal Lawman on the first day of 2010 is probably old news…
But I'm gonna' do it anyway.
I finally caught a few episodes and just had to say something about how fucking awesome this show is. I know some of y'all would argue my definition of awesome, but bear with me….
Every episode pretty much follows the same format:
Seagal hangs out with his "hand-selected elite team" of likable, portly deputies for a while then they get in their police cruisers and drive around listening to the police scanner for "crimes in progress."
Luckily, there seems to be quite a bit of downtime, so Seagal can talk about Zen, dojos, and all sorts of Oriental stuff while his partner tries to concentrate on driving.
They make their way through Jefferson Parish until they hit some sort of quota of people yelling, "It's Steven Seagal," and then their scanner goes off!
The boys in blue race to the scene while Seagal stares out of the passenger side using his weird Zen powers to scan the area for crime…and we know he's doing this 'cause of the Terminator-vision and the cool whoosing sound effects the show uses!
Once they roll up on the suspicious persons it never fails that one of the perps takes off running…this is not good for our rotund, middle aged peace officers.
The chase that ensues is always the same: Skinny crook runs like the wind and hops about five fences while Steven and his chunky cops lag behind grousing about their knees between labored breaths. The boys eventually get back in their cars and track down the suspects whereabouts thanks to Steven's Chinese magic!
Once the crook is cuffed the first thing out of his mouth is, "It's Steven Seagal! I'm being arrested by Steven Seagal!" Then everyone laughs like the end of an A-Team episode….but it doesn't stop there…after the police work is done we're treated to Steven helping out a fellow cop pass a shooting range test through the use of Ancient Chinese Secrets, or perform wacky Chinese acupuncture on one of his buddies, or sing songs to orphans, or talk to dogs…you know, all the usual stuff Steven does on his off time from busting the bad guys and taking down double quarter pounders with cheese.
I know it seems like I'm bagging on Steven and his show, but I really do like it.
Sure he's put on a few pounds, but he comes off as a pretty cool dude and he's still a bad ass. There may not be much danger and arm breaking, but he can still shoot the head off a match and laugh when someone tells him "Sacky Chan" might not be able to beat him in a fight but Chuck Norris would whoop his ass.
So if you're bored, check your local listings and treat yourself to a little Seagal this year…you'll thank me later.
Namaste and Canacorn out!


text:
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WASHINGTON—While meeting in St. Petersburg, Florida, for prayer and reflection, on June 18, the U.S. bishops voiced their prayers and solidarity for those affected by the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
Full text of the bishops' statement follows:
We, the Catholic Bishops of the United States, gathered in St. Petersburg, Florida, for several days of prayer and reflection, take this opportunity to express publicly our heartfelt prayers and pastoral solidarity with all those affected by the oil that continues to leak into the Gulf of Mexico. We pray first and foremost for those who died in the initial explosion and for the grieving members of their families. We express our prayerful support as well for the families and individuals whose lives and livelihoods have been so negatively impacted by the oil that daily contaminates water, beaches and God's creation in the Gulf Coast area. In a special way, in our difficult economic times, we are mindful of those who have lost their jobs and income.
Finally, we offer our prayers for our government leaders and for the industry
leaders and experts who are working to cap the leak and repair this damage. May
God give them wisdom and strength in this trying hour, and may He move them to
seek lasting solutions benefitting the common good of our
Keywords: United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, USCCB, oil spill, Gulf of Mexico, prayer, solidarity
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Howarth's Funeral Service Bolton
The best service for your family
Howarth's Funeral Service is an independently owned, family run business, established in 1991. We cater for all denominations and can provide bespoke funerals and memorials to meet individual needs.
Each of our branches has a dedicated staff member on call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. We are always available to assist in your time of need.
Howarth's Funeral Service are members of the National Society of Allied and Independent Funeral Directors (SAIF). In so doing, we pledge to adhere to their strict code of practice, which ensures the high standards expected by our families are met. It also ensures that our ownership and pricing policy are transparent.
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What to do, who to call.
We are available 24 hours a day to assist in your time of need.
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Arranging a Funeral
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A few kind words from some of our customers
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Zombie Assault 4
Multiplayer admin 27 Apr , 2017 0
Zombie Assault 4 is the latest game in the SAS: Zombie Assault series from Ninja Kiwi.The year is 3104, and a virus outbreak on the trans-federation planet of Thera threatens the very fate of mankind. The only thing stopping this new and terrifying zombie horde from pushing mankind to the brink of existence is the highly skilled and highly weaponized special forces of the SAS. Choose from 3 unique character classes, and utilize the fully customizable skill tree combined with hundreds of weapons and armor pieces to build yourself the ultimate zombie killing hero. Play your way through 7 detailed and challenging levels in single player or 4 player multiplayer and save what's left of our ravaged civilization.
Arrow keys to move - Left Mouse to shoot - E= Switch Weapons Frank Gore Womens Jersey


text:
Codeigniter has methos to access and manage CURRENT configured database.
SPANISH version of this : https://groups.google.com/forum/m/#!topic/venenuxsarisari/jTP0zhLQHOY
There's no method to change on the fly the "current selected db group", u must create one group per database and select it on the load, such as:
where configdb1 its a stored array of database settings for connecting.
There's a hack 2way to dinamically choose database on the fly in the controller with one configuration.
1) configure a database group array but only in the config.php file
2) load all the varables and extrac the array of u'r db configuratio
3) change the "database" key value to the new
4) re - load the database library with the "changed" settings
a example quick code:
1) go to application/config.php :
$config['sysdb'] = array(
'database'=>'', /* this will be changed "on the fly" in controler */
2) now in u'r controller made "each time u want to change" a database name with same connections parameters:
$configdbfly = $this->config->config['sysdb'];
$configdbfly['database']='sysdbadminis'; /*cambiamos de db*/
IMPORTANT: the undocumented "$this->config->config" are subject to change and could not be available at the lasted version, but the item can be acceced manually.


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August 4, 2012
Surprise Stadium
Surprise, Arizona
The Tri-Valley Babe Ruth 13 year-old all-star team advanced to the Babe Ruth World Series, to be held in Silverdale, Washington, by beating Southern California (El Segundo) 18-1 and 18-13. Tri-Valley fought through the loser's bracket playing in six games within 72 hours to capture the Pacific Southwest Championship.
Playing in the spring training home of the Kansas City Royals and Texas Rangers, with the game time temperature of 108 degrees, Tri-Valley banged out 16 hits in the opener and never trailed. James Cowick and Ryan Bowman split pitching duties holding Southern California to 6 hits. Jack Morgan, Jack Fryer and Nate White added two hits while Darroch Koel, Saiki Roy, Jack Maloon, Cowick, Matt Neswick, Jared Dawson, Clark Eder, Bowman, Nicholas Venezia and Max Moore all contributed one hit. Pinch hitting for Venezia in the bottom of the 1st with two outs, Max Moore knocked in 3 runs to make it 7-0. Roy, Maloon and Fryer each knocked in 2 for the win.
In the winner-take-all championship game, with the temperature at 104 degrees, Tri-Valley trailed 4-0 after 1 inning, 8-2 after 3 and 9-4 after 3, leaving the bases loaded in the 2nd and 3rd, before adding 2 in the 4th, 8 in the 5th, 3 in the 6th and 3 in the 7th. Ryan Bowman started the game with Darroch Koel getting the win in relief. Josh Ott closed it out pitching the 6th and 7th. Jack Maloon and Jack Fryer added three hits each with Roy, Cowick, Bowman and Moore adding one each. In the 7th, James Cowick knocked in 2 with a monstrous double off the 350 sign in left. Cowick scored 4 times in game. James Cowick, Jack Maloon and Jack Morgan were named to the all-tourney team with Jack Morgan named the Most Valuable Player of the tournament.
Tri-Valley now advances to the Babe Ruth World Series in Silverdale, Washington August 15th through 22nd.


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As soon as I saw this recipe, I knew I had to try it out. It's a dense chocolate loaf cake that I like best warmed with some vanilla ice cream although it's also great as a breakfast treat. This cake is definitely worth a try, and it's really quick and easy to make. It's an adapted version of Nigella Lawson's Dense Chocolate Cake from How to Be A Domestic Goddess.
Nigella's Chocolate Cake
2 sticks butter
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, melted
1 1/3 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup boiling water
Cream together the butter and sugar until light in color. Add the eggs one at a time as well as the vanilla. Add the melted chocolate slowly, and make sure everything is well incorporated. Combine the flour and baking powder in a separate bowl. Slowly alternating with the water, add the dry ingredients in fifths. Once everything is incorporated, pour into a 9×5 loaf pan lined with parchment paper. Make sure to leave an inch at the top. Extra batter can be used for cupcakes.
Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes and then reduce the temperature to 325 degrees for another 15 minutes. Allow to cool completely before removing and serving.


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Italian vegetable bake
A vibrant dish for slow cookers, layer summery courgettes, tomatoes and aubergine with bread and mozzarella - irresistible!
Nutrition and extra info
- Freezable
- Vegetarian
Nutrition: per serving
- kcal274
- fat10g
- saturates6g
- carbs31g
- sugars8g
- fibre4g
- protein14g
- salt0.9g
- 4 garlic cloves, 3 crushed, 1 left whole
- 400g can chopped tomato
- bunch oregano, leaves chopped
Closely related to marjoram, of which it is the wild equivalent, oregano has a coarser, more…
- large pinch chilli flakes
- about 300g/11oz baby or normal aubergines, sliced
Although it's technically a fruit (a berry, to be exact), the aubergine is used as a…
- 2 courgettes, sliced
The courgette is a variety of cucurbit, which means it's from the same family as cucumber,…
- ½ large jar roasted red peppers
- 3 beef tomatoes, sliced
- bunch basil, torn (save a few leaves for sprinkling over)
Most closely associated with Mediterranean cooking but also very prevalent in Asian food, the…
- small baguette, sliced and toasted
- 2 x 125g balls mozzarella, torn
- green salad, to serve
Put the slow cooker onto the High or the browning setting and tip in the crushed garlic, canned tomatoes, half the oregano leaves, chilli and some seasoning. Cook, covered, while you chop the rest of the vegetables.
Tip out most of the sauce and start layering up half the vegetables and herbs with seasoning – the aubergines, courgettes, red peppers, tomatoes, basil and remaining oregano. Layer in half the bread, rubbed with the whole garlic clove, half the mozzarella and half the tipped-out tomato sauce. Repeat vegetable, herb and tomato sauce layers, followed by the bread and mozzarella. Push everything down well to compress, then cook on high for 5-6 hrs.
Flash under the grill before serving if you like (and your slow cooker pot is suitable), until golden and bubbling. Serve with the leftover basil leaves on top and a big salad on the side.


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LEGO Batman: The Videogame on the DS is the latest game from the award-winning team behind the LEGO Star Wars series of games. With the LEGO fun and charm, the game takes you into the world of the ultimate crime-fighting hero. This Videogame brings the one-and-only Caped Crusader to life in a completely original storyline. Players will take control of the Dynamic Duo, Batman and Robin to fight Gotham's City's most notorious criminals including The Joker, The Penguin, Catwoman, Scarecrow, Killer Croc and many more. The criminals have broken out of Arkham Asylum and are set to wreak havoc on the city.
Lowly Worm
Nintendo DS
Sure, we've played Batman games before, maybe it's an old theme, but it is still a great one. Lego Batman: The Video game is similar to the Lego Star Wars and Indiana Jones games and if you are not adverse to the gothic world of Batman then you are going to definitely enjoy this one.
The game follows close to the heels of the previous two Lego games developed by the Travellers Tales team. There are some improvements which can make this game even better than the earlier versions. But unlike the Indiana Jones and Star Wars Lego games which were very faithful to the movies, here the developers were given a freer hand at the game play design. The developers created different story lines for this one so while it is a game with Batman in it, the rest of it is totally unique.
The mechanics of the game is the same though, the gamer gets to go around the different levels and worlds destroying the Lego foes and they get to build their own Lego structures which they can use to get into different areas in the many levels. Again, the characters will have their own personalities, skills and gifts which can get them through the levels without difficulties.
Now here's the twist. If you are used to playing Batman games as either Batman or Robin, this one gives the player the chance to play the game from the point of view of the enemy characters (how cool is that!). And it is done so well that many of the levels each have their own bad guys so your character shifting prowess would be put to the test here.
The most obvious difference of this game from the others is the way the story is told. Here, the Lego Batman can change the way things are by distinguishing the various chapters through panels that are closely drawn as comic books. Now as the Lego characters generally do not talk, you do not have to interpret what each of those comic panels mean.
The Lego Batman is one product of Nintendo DS which give the gamer a lot of game play in the many levels that can and cannot be unlocked. The gamer can play the game for endless hours trying to unlock all the levels. A friend can help out by working in tandem with another DS system using their own copy to speed up the process of finding out just how to unlock those un-lockable levels. It may not take hours; the discovery can literally take days. So is that challenging enough?
In short, the Lego Batman is a game that is unexpectedly fun to play and provides all the challenges that I crave for. Sure, it is a different experience playing the bad guy but I really found it different and interesting in the end. All I can say is, this is a different game, it offers a different experience and to call it the same of the old would be an insult to the designing team that made this a success. I like it better than the other Lego game, and would give it 8.5 points out 10.
|Submitted by
|Cheat Title
Unlockables and Cheats
Dec 30, 2013


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[Beneath The Spin]
Limbaugh's Republican Anarchists
From this point on I pledge to stop using the terms "conservative" and "Republican" interchangeably. I'm beginning to realize there's a big difference the two.
Conservatives are loyal and well-meaning Americans of good faith who just happen not to share my opinion of what's in the best interest of America. On the other hand, it has become clear that the Republican Party has crossed the line between the loyal opposition, and subversion.
Am I indulging in radical hyperbole? I don't think so. The American Heritage Dictionary defines subversive as "Intended or serving to subvert, especially intended to overthrow or undermine an established government" (emphasis added).
While I don't mean to imply that the GOP is involved in a plot to overthrow our government–at least, not at this point--it is certainly clear that they are deeply involved in a conspiracy to undermine it. Forces within the GOP like Rush Limbaugh and Tom Delay have literally stated that they want President Obama to fail in his attempt to rescue America from our current economic crisis.
One can sugarcoat that anyway that one likes, but the bottom line is, if President Obama fails, the American people are going to suffer greatly. So what these GOP leaders are actually saying is that they're hoping for additional and severe hardship, to be visited upon the American people.
And considering the fact that America is in the throes of a nation-threatening economic crisis, due to a very large extent to GOP governance, I'd say they've crossed the line, from simple irresponsibility, to what could literally be considered subversive.
One might argue that I'm dealing in semantics if it were not for the fact that the GOP has taken its intent beyond mere words to blatant and clearly defined obstructionism. They're using every legislative device at their command to sabotage the president's rescue plan. While they claim that their concern is about "pork barrel" spending, their claim is transparently disingenuous.
First, the amount of spending that the GOP is jumping up and down about is less than 1% of the rescue plan. So in essence, they're taking the position that one should allow a baby to starve to death because the local market is charging two pennies more for baby food than the store across town. Their rationale? It's a matter of principle. Oh, really?
The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities estimates that, making President Bush's tax cuts to the rich permanent, as virtually every Republican wanted to do, without offsets, "would increase the deficit and thereby add to the national debt. The interest payments [alone] needed to service this higher level of debt would amount to about $700 billion over the next ten years. Thus, the total cost of making these tax cuts permanent, including the related interest costs, would be $4.4 trillion over the ten-year period" (emphasis added).
In addition, much of the pork in the rescue plan was placed in the stimulus package during the Republican watch, before President Obama even took the oath of office. And beyond that, many of the very Republicans who are complaining are some of the most excessive spenders.
Republican minority leader, Sen. Mitch McConnell complains, for example, that the rescue plan spends more "than the previous administration spent in seven years on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and Hurricane Katrina combined." But he fails to point out that he's responsible for more than $75 million of the pork that he's complaining about.
According to Taxpayers for Common Sense, McConnell is responsible for a $950,000 earmark to fund a bikeway for a Western Kentucky University, and $2.9 million to purchase buses for LexTran, and $1.6 million for a forage animal research laboratory.
And for a politician who's so concerned about leaving debt on the backs of our children, it didn't seem to bother him when he landed on CREW's 20 Most Corrupt Members of Congress List for, according to CREW, "accepted donations to his campaign and political action committees in direct exchange for earmarking federal funds to clients of Bates Capitol," a lobbying firm owned by McConnell's former chief of staff, Gordon Hunter Bates.
And now we have Republican governors threatening to refuse the stimulus money. Governors Rick Perry (Tex), Mark Sanford (SC), Bobby Jindal (LA), C.L. "Butch" Otter (ID), and of course, Sarah Palin (AL)--all Republican, and all having presidential ambitions; thus, they all have a vested interest in President Obama's failure, and more than willing to let their people suffer to bring about that end.
That in itself should demonstrate how we ended up in our current fix. Not just ask yourself–do you think that Obama would allow people to starve, election or not, or under any conditions? Of course not–that's the difference between a statesman and demagogues.
Even Ray Charles could see through the motives of these people–and Ray's blind and deceased. When was the last time anyone ever heard of any governor telling the federal government that they didn't want more money? You show me a Republican who turns down money, and I'll show you some kind of conspiracy.
Therefore, all of these Republican governors are willing to starve the people of their state for personal gain. In the middle of the worse--not just a national, but world--economic crisis of the last 80 years, they're telling the federal government, "No, I don't want you to help the people of my state. Let their unemployment lapse. We have food in the governor's mansion, and I'm sure the people will survive–somehow." In essence, "Let them eat cake."
Those are not conservatives. They're self-serving, ruthless, and quite literally, anarchists. The American Heritage Dictionary defines Anarchism as, "The theory or doctrine that all forms of government are oppressive and undesirable and should be abolished"-- or as neo-con, Grover Norquist said, "small enough to drown in a bathtub."
No, these are not conservatives, and when we as progressives paint conservatives with the same broad brush as we do people who are blatantly un-American, we do both the nation, and ourselves a gross disservice. We play right into the hands of these demagogues, because their very survival depends on keeping the nation divided. They've prospered for years by keeping us racially divided, but that didn't work in the last election, so now they're desperate–and angry. So it's on to plan B–"By any means necessary."
What has kept America a strong and viable nation over the years is that in times of crisis we've managed to come together--not as Black or white, Jew or Gentile, liberal or conservative-- but as Americans, and that's the way we've got to address this crisis.
These demagogues have a philosophy–"Never let any crisis go to waste." What they mean by that is never miss an opportunity to manipulate the people. But we should take that philosophy and turn it on its head to mean, never allow the hardship of a crisis to go for naught, without making us a more insightful, steadfast, and unified America.
We've got to recognize that our inherent diversity is our strength. It makes us more, rather than less. Just as we need the progressive voices of Martin Luther King, Caesar Chavez, and Malcolm X to make us a more just and compassionate nation, we also need the conservative voices of a Gen. MacArthur and Colin Powell to make us strong. It's called balance.
But what we don't need are divisive voices like Rush Limbaugh's–that's called, self-destruction.
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text:
Even though American soccer fans are still smarting from the ugly loss to Ghana that ended their World Cup dreams, there's a chance the beautiful game may make its way back to American shores soon if a group of politicians have their way.
22 senators, led by New York Democrat Kirsten Gillibrand, have submitted a letter to FIFA president Sepp Blatter this week on behalf of an effort to bring the soccer tournament back to the United States in either 2018 or 2022.
In the letter, which was obtained by the Associated Press, lawmakers appealed to both patriotism and practicality in making the case for the U.S. as host nation.
U.S. & World
The letter says in part that the senators are hopeful that "Americans will be given a chance to display their passion" for the sport. They also argue that the infrastructure to support the event in already in place.
On the former point, there's no doubt that Americans embraced this World Cup like few before. From the gritty performance in the opening game against England to the miraculous extra-time goal by Landon Donovan against Algeria, millions of fans tuned in for the roller coaster ride provided by the maddening and exciting U.S. team. After years of promised interest in the sport, it finally materialized in 2010.
On the latter score, major U.S. cities such as New York, Dallas, Chicago, Philadelphia, Seattle and Washington, D.C. have either constructed new stadiums or upgraded existing facilities since the last time the games were held here back in 1994. That, combined with fairly reliable mass transit and ample lodging, make America an attractive choice.
In addition to the senators, other politicians like Bill Clinton, who rooted on the team in South Africa, and New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg along with celebrities Brad Pitt, Morgan Freeman and Spike Lee have joined Go USA Bid, a group dedicated to bringing the World Cup here once again.


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David �Pop� Morris wanted to do something for children at Christmas so he volunteered his big brass piggy bank for duty at Ole Carolina BBQ.
David �Pop� Morris wanted to do something for children at Christmas so he volunteered his big brass piggy bank for duty at Ole Carolina BBQ. And for the past three years, customers and staff at the Gastonia restaurant have done their part to feed the pig and help The Gazette Empty Stocking Fund.
This year, they�ve done it again � served up another supersized portion of generosity. The $423 contribution from the restaurant has special meaning for two reasons. It�s the most the restaurant has ever raised for the campaign, which benefits the Salvation Army�s Christmas outreach, and it�s given in memory of Morris, who died in October at age 89.
A member of what newsman Tom Brokaw called the greatest generation, Morris graduated from Ashley High School in 1941 and joined the Army Air Corps in 1943. Stationed in England, he was a top turret gunner and flight engineer, successfully flying 35 missions before returning home to marry the love of his life, Dorothy Quinn.
Attending college on the GI Bill, he graduated from Wake Forest University in 1951 and became a Baptist minister. He served congregations in Kings Mountain, Smithfield, Jacksonville, Burgaw and Gaston County. While working as an industrial chaplain at Pharr Yarns he and his sons opened Carolina Country Bar-B-Que in 1975. He continued both his work in the ministry and restaurant business for years.
In 2011, he, his sons and two grandsons opened Ole Carolina BBQ on Union Road, a few doors down from what was Carolina Country Bar-B-Que. Sons Wes and Mark are the driving forces behind the restaurant, joined by Wes� two sons, Matt and Tyler.
When David Morris first suggested using his piggy bank to help children, the staff decided donating the money to the Empty Stocking Fund was the best idea. This year, the Salvation Army expects to help 486 families � 1,151 children.
�It grows every year,� said employee Marcie Spencer of the restaurant�s donation. She�s worked as a cashier at the new restaurant since it opened three years ago. She worked at the old restaurant for five years.
Next year, the staff and customers will be back at it, this time hoping to bring in $500.
Thanks to the Morris family, their staff and customers for all they do. Through their donation and others received Tuesday, Christmas will be a little brighter for those among us who are struggling this holiday season. Every dollar given to The Gazette Empty Stocking Fund campaign goes directly to the Salvation Army for its Christmas outreach. By giving, you are making a difference in the life of someone right here in Gaston County.
Donations can be:
- Brought to The Gazette, 1893 Remount Road, Gastonia, between the hours of 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
- Mailed to The Gazette Empty Stocking Fund, P.O. Box 1538, Gastonia, NC 28053.
For your convenience, a contribution form is included in today�s Gazette.
Today�s contributors include:
- In memory of N.L. Snuggs, Jr., from Porter and Libby McAteer, $100
- From the Seeks Class at Puett United Methodist Church, Dallas, $100
- From Don, Gloria and Steven Wilson, $100
- In honor of David �Pop� Morris, from the customers and staff of Ole Carolina BBQ, $423
- In memory of my wife and son, $300
- In memory of Mr. and Mrs. W.J. Cleveland, $100
- In honor of Judy and Basil Marett and Joyce and Bill Jonas, from Polly Love, $100
- In memory of Ed and Rachel Loeb, $20
- In memory of Brandon McCall, from Bryson Machinery Movers & Riggers, Inc., $100
- In memory of David Murphy and Gloria Handsel, from Vicki Murphy, $100
- From Dr. and Mrs. John C. Watts III, $200
- In memory of my husband, Aaron Dale Hartsell, from Joyce Hartsell, $50
- In memory of Fred Ammons, from Jean Ammons, $25
- In memory of Duffie and Ruth McAlister, from Bob and Nancy Harris, $100
- In memory of Abe and Rose Slutsky and Arthur and Esther Frank, from Myron and Lynn Slutsky, $50
- In honor of grandchildren Carolyn and Adam Simpson, from Myron and Lynn Slutsky, $50
- In memory of my granddaughter, Lily Nichole Steward, from Susan Falk, $100
The campaign, which kicked off on Thanksgiving Day, continues through Christmas Eve. We�ll announce our final total on Christmas Day.
Goal: $100,000


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Posts tagged 'prevention'
we either start thinking outside the box or we'll end up with more and more people inside the box (as in 6 feet under)
November 24, 2011
Andre Picard, who writes the 'Second Opinion' column in the Globe and Mail made the front page this morning. His story, "When it comes to breast cancer, science trumps wishful thinking" gives us yet another opinion of yesterday's news: After years and years and years of having the importance of yearly mammograms and early detection drummed into our heads, the Canadian recommendations on screening are changing.
What they're now saying, in a nutshell, is that only post menopausal women should have mammograms — and less often than we've been told in the past. Specifically, unless you are at high risk (family history of breast cancer or positive for breast cancer genes BRCA1 or BRCA2):
- Canadian women 50 to 74 should now have mammograms every two to three years — instead of yearly from 50 – 69 as per their earlier recommendation.
- Women 70 to 74 should now have mammograms every two to three years — a group who were previously excluded.
- Women under 50 should now not have mammograms at all.
- Clinical breast exams and breast self-examination are no longer perceived to have value — so there is no longer any medical reason to fondle your breasts.
The article goes into all kinds of details and reasons, but seeing as how I am giving you the link (see above) and you can read it yourself, I'll just give you the topline: "Many women who undergo screening mammography have false positives (meaning they are told they have cancer when they do not) and some are treated unnecessarily. (therefore, let's throw the baby out with the bathwater).
I have many questions, but the most burning issue of all for me is this:
- It would appear to me that our screening methods may be flawed (and don't get me started on how many lives may have been lost because of this).
- Not even one article I've read (and I've read several) has reported that the folks on the Canadian Task Force on Preventative Health Care Guidelines are concerned about this.
- Not one article has reported that these same folks are thinking or suggesting that we should be improving our diagnostic techniques.
- The recommendation is not to address or try to solve the root problem. To think differently. To look for innovative solutions. No … instead of finding ways to IMPROVE screening, and screen EARLIER and, therefore, prevent more disease and save more lives (and money because prevention is less costly than treating patients over and over and over again) let's just screen fewer people. Yeah … that'll fix the problem — sweep it under the rug for another ten years and it will be somebody else's problem by then!
'Innovation' is one of the hottest topics around these days. It's almost getting as much attention as the economy. As well it should.
And if this debacle doesn't prove that we are in dire shape in this country I don't know what does. Every health care practitioner … every hospital administrator … every researcher … every silly servant at every level of government … every philanthropist … every insurer … every strategist … every creative thinker … every journalist who covers health care should all be hanging their heads in shame.
We have to stop deluding ourselves. We need change. Radical change. We need it now. We need to put our heads together and figure it out. Not just for breast cancer — for our health care system in general. It is not working. Period.
I was so pissed off, frustrated, horrified and disappointed when I read Andre Picard's article this morning I emailed him. We bantered back and forth a couple of times — and in the end he did agree that "we need better prevention and treatment and more realistic presentation of what we're able to do now." So I do have one, last question for Andre Picard:
Instead of justifying the new recommendations why didn't you ask the tough questions that need to be asked?


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Moody's Microblog Daily Digest 130129 - http://bit.ly/VpTccp yesterday's tweets as a single Web page #MMDD
Judge Koh Rules in Apple v. Samsung - No Willfulness, No Enhanced Damages for Apple but No New Trial Either - http://bit.ly/TVwsUK
PAIPO is dead! Long live PAIPO! - http://bit.ly/WeIreV confused? me too#africa
Big IT suppliers and their Whitehall "hostages" - http://bit.ly/WeIK9t profligate & pusillanimous (v @DavidAllenGreen)#uk
#UK Families face battle with GSK over dangerous diabetes drug -http://bit.ly/UC1FtQ shame on the greedy bully #GSK
"#GlaxoSmithKline, has admitted concealing data about damaging side-effects of drug" - http://bit.ly/UC1FtQ #opendata 4 #clinicaltrials now
#NZ Patents Bill - 3rd Reading Approaches - http://bit.ly/XJhcF9 NZ people: urgent - last chance to fight against #swpats (v @schestowitz)
So: 6,500 Win 8 laptops later, how are BT's field engineers coping? -http://bit.ly/11cX019 #BT with its finger on the pulse of tech as usual
First Kiwi File-Sharer Guilty, But Lack of Evidence Kills Large Fines -http://bit.ly/116ZvaJ absurd; an affront to justice #NZ
23.02.2013 Internationaler Aktionstag für Deine Privatsphäre -http://bit.ly/11d079a important stuff #privacy #dataprotection
German Proposal 4 Search Engines To Pay For Displaying Text Snippets Gets 2nd Reading - http://tcrn.ch/Xh9UKd good news 4 london startup hub
Better Academic Research through Open Source Collaboration -http://bit.ly/TVGpl4 important point
US-Diplomat warnt vor Handelskrieg wegen EU-Datenschutzreform -http://bit.ly/YhuRWN US threatens trade war if EU protects citizens' privacy
CBS Fights Against Any Ruling That Bans CNET From Pointing to Torrent Software - http://bit.ly/VvfUDf important principle at stake
CEO's Admissions That ICANN Is Not Ready For New gTLDs Should Concern Everyone - http://bit.ly/Wxf3zW #icann worse than a joke now
question: anybody know what's happening with the EU's Public Sector Information (PSI) Directive? thanks
#Kazakhstan: Lathering Up in Horse Milk - http://bit.ly/128Wwh7 this year's must-have cosmetic: soap made from horse milk...
Digitale Gesellschaft: Koalitionsvorschlag zu Abmahnungen geht völlig am Problem vorbei - http://bit.ly/WPtNZ9 what a surprise
When did locks become more important than the things they protect? -http://bit.ly/11e5LfY great q; applies to (c) too (v @BiellaColeman)
#NZ Copyright Tribunal: Accusations Are Presumed Infringement, Despite Denials - http://bit.ly/WAMIG4 #copyright's perversion of justice
Hollywood Lobby Applauds Spain's #Copyright Law - http://on.wsj.com/VqR8AIwhich means its good for them, bad for spanish public (v @PostActa)
Polish becomes England's second language - http://bit.ly/Yi168g "49 main languages with more than 15,000 users" #linguistics
#Polish translation of "Sharing" by @balaitous is out - http://bit.ly/XRXHuF for poles in England - and everywhere; free, under CC-By-NC-ND
Towards a coherent international cyberspace policy for the EU -http://bit.ly/XJHcjF but curiously, no mention of MS #Windows... #malware
#hadopi et amende automatique de 140 € : réaction de Jérémie Zimmermann -http://bit.ly/WfbIWS automatic injustice
British internet users' personal info in 'cloud' can be spied upon routinely by US authorities - http://ind.pn/WB3UuV MSM catch up (v @e3i5)
Decenas de fármacos excluidos de la financiación disparan sus precios -http://bit.ly/WxO2ws price gouging by pharmas (v @DaHammerstein)
Rupert Murdoch links sympathy for Palestinians to anti-Semitism. The truth is more complex - http://ind.pn/YidGEm good column
Die Woche:Internet-Enquete und Freie Software - http://bit.ly/14rORcpdisappointing, but hardly surprising #opensource
Truly Stupid Ideas: Adding #DRM To #HTML5 - http://bit.ly/14vwTXJ</facepalm>
EU trade minister heading to Canada, free trade deal close to completion -http://bit.ly/11ffRZf but still refuses to let us plebs see it...
question: anybody here use LiveCode? is it worth turning into open source via kickstarter?
Alicia Keys Joins BlackBerry as Global Creative Director -http://bloom.bg/WxpvHp "because she believes in the product": not the money, oh no
#BlackBerry 10 smartphone launch gets a few cheers, a bunch of jeers and a lot of meh - http://bit.ly/WfAIxh fab headline
Skynet strikes: $616.57 for three songs - http://bit.ly/WQKOCj "it's time to terminate Skynet"; indeed ( v @mgeist)#NZ
Google Decides Smartphone Market Share Is More Important Than#NetNeutrality - http://bit.ly/UDyUNv that "don't be evil" thing? #africa
#ICANN Boss: We're Not Ready To Launch These Half-Baked New gTLDs, So Let's Launch Them - http://bit.ly/Vw9W5l </gulp>
Kaspersky Lab Cyber Secure Operating System: It's Real - http://bit.ly/Vwcz70"a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma"
A very great week for young programmers in the UK - http://bit.ly/WyxG6E and they only had to wait 15 years...
Easier access to PLOS data - http://bit.ly/118lOwL yes: #opendata is next stage of #openaccess revolution
Environmental Assessment of #TPP - http://bit.ly/XKxA8i brilliant exposition of scandalous, unjust investor-state provisions (v @DrRimmer)


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Busses left for Kissimmee at 8 this morning. For some reason, I missed the bus….again. That keeps my number of road trips in Florida at zero.
Minor league games at Carpenter Complex today were played at 10 this morning. Staff then held a long meeting reviewing personnel. Mentioned yesterday that more cuts are coming today. Actually, the news may not be delivered to the players until tomorrow or Sunday.
Some readers have asked for a list of the cuts. I'll wait until the full list is in.
As Todd Zolecki reported in his Zo Zone blog, Cole is feeling fine and scheduled to pitch Sunday against the Red Sox at Bright House Field. Game will be on TV in Philly, myphl17. Thundershowers are in the forecast.
Tomorrow's game against the Pirates in Bradenton will be on ComcastSportsNet TV.
Both games will also be on WPHT 1210 AM in Philly as well as phillies.com and MLB TV.
1 Comment
You sound terribly upset about missing the bus again…ha, ha! So congrats on 600 blogs! And you never put me to sleep…thanks for all you do :O)


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John Evelyn is best known for his Diary, second only in reputation to that of his friend and fellow diarist, Samuel Pepys. But during the seventeenth century, as well as recording the events of the English Civil War, the Restoration of Charles II and the Great Fire of London, he was also writing notes on the upkeep of his garden at Sayes Court, London 'which may be of use for other gardens'. Publicity Manager Juliet Evans delves into Directions for the Gardiner to unearth some horticultural tips from our gardening past…
May is definitely Gardening Month in the UK. After a particularly cold winter here, we gardeners are looking forward to warmer temperatures – and to finally planting out the trays of tender crops and flowers which have been filling up those window sills and conservatories over the last month. May is also the month for one of the highlights of the gardening calendar: the RHS Chelsea Flower Show in London, which took place last week.
Chelsea is an amazing event – and always a sell-out. As usual, there were the fantastic show gardens such as the ones sponsored by the Daily Telegraph newspaper, and Laurent-Perrier but, with the credit crunch biting hard, there was an even greater emphasis on 'thrift' and 'self-sufficiency' in many of the gardens this year. And the public can always catch a bargain – as I did – in the show's great 'great sell-off' at 4pm on the last day of the show.
Whereas gardening today is a leisure activity, for Evelyn and his seventeenth-century contemporaries it was primarily a means of sustenance, and essential for providing fruit and vegetables throughout the year. In Directions for the Gardiner and Other Horticultural Advice, Evelyn covers every aspect of running a self-sufficient garden, and here's just some of fascinating and practical advice for gardeners.
Seventeenth-century meals were very much based on seasonal produce: "The Gardner, is every night to aske what Rootes, sallading, garnishing, &c will be used the next day, which he is accordingly to bring to the Cook in the morning: and therefore from time to time to informe her what garden provision & fruite is ripe and in season to be spent." and very little was wasted. On the 'to do' list for the three months from August, was the making of cider and perry from all the excess apples and pears in the orchard. Evelyn names over 154 pear and 75 apple varieties in his manuscripts, including some fantastic names such as 'Great-belly', and 'Go-no-further'. The production of honey was also important (sugar was rare and expensive) and bees and the housekeeping of hives are mentioned during at least seven separate months in the gardening calendar.
Although Evelyn was a substantial landowner (his estate at Sayes Court was about 100 acres/40 hectares, and he also inherited his father's estate at Wotton House) he was able to advise on the benefits of companion planting in small spaces: 'One may sow Reddish, & Carrots together on the same bed: so as the first may be drawn, whilst the other is ready: or sow Lettuce, purselan, parsneps, carrots, Reddis on the same beds, & gather each kind in their season, leaving the parsneps to Winter.' And at a time when there were few seed merchants or nurseries, Evelyn reminds his readers about the necessity of collecting, saving and sowing seeds from every type of plant – including tulips, which amazed me having ordered the bulbs over so many years.
He also recommends many activities that today's gardeners would do well to follow in the winter months to avoid unnecessary new purchases: fountain pipes should be protected against the frost: 'the Advice will save you both trouble and charge' and 'The Tooles are to be carried into the Toole-house, and all other instruments set in their places, every night when you leave work: & in wett weather you are to clense, sharpen, & repaire them.' (Indeed, Evelyn insisted that his gardener show him any broken tool to prove it was beyond repair before he allowed him to buy a new one).
And as I do battle with my own allotment this year, the most relevant gardening tip for me has to be 'Above all, be carefull not to suffer weedes (especially Nettles, Dendelion, Groundsill, & all downy-plants) to run up to seede; for they will in a moment infect the whole ground…'
John Evelyn lived to the grand old age of 85. He left behind an immense legacy of written material to fascinate and inspire today's gardeners and historians. It is our good fortune that even after three hundred years we can still learn from someone Samuel Pepys called 'a man so much above others'.


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Uniqueness and Importance
On Tuesday, I showed how you can search for every word in a book (like Mark), then open an Analysis window to get a listing of those words. Today, I want to show how you can customize the Analysis to show unique words and important words.
When I had you create an Analysis of the words in Mark and choose Count Down from the Sort pop-up menu, I told you to scan past the most common words like common nouns, articles, conjunctions, etc. When sorting the analysis by the mere number of times a word appears, those common words will naturally be at the top of the list. Of course, all that really tells you is that common words are, well, common. So way back around Accordance 4.0, we created filters that would push the more interesting words toward the top of the list. To access these filters, simply make sure the Analysis tab is selected, then choose Set Analysis Display… from the Display menu (or use the keyboard shortcut command-T). In the dialog that appears, change the Count pop-up menu from Number to Uniqueness.
When you click OK to dismiss the dialog, the Analysis will show the words which are most unique to the book of Mark.
Admittedly, it's a bit oxymoronic to measure the degree of uniqueness, but we couldn't think of a better, more concise term. What we mean by it is that these are the words which tend to appear only, or primarily, in your current search range (in this case, the book of Mark). Obviously, this tends to focus your attention on hapax legomena (words which only appear once in the entire Greek New Testament), and those are marked with an asterisk in the Analysis window. You also see words which are repeated several times (and thus not true hapax), but only in the book of Mark. You can then search for any of these more or less unique words to explore them in context.
Now, words which are unique to the book of Mark are not necessarily important words. For example, the name Abiathar is unique to the book of Mark, but it is merely mentioned as a detail in connection with an episode in the life of David, so it would be a mistake to see it as some kind of "key word" in the book of Mark. We therefore added another filter which attempts to find the important words in your search range. To access that filter, open the Set Analysis Display dialog again and change the Count pop-up menu from Uniqueness to Importance. When you click OK to dismiss the dialog, you'll see a list that looks like this:
What jumps out to you about this list of words? One thing I find striking is how high the words meaning "to say," "to ask," "I," "you," and "who?" all rank in this list. Is this an indication that Mark is particularly focused on dialog? I don't know, but it's a question worth exploring. Another thing that jumps out to me is the prominence of words like "disciples," "many," "crowds," and "scribes." Is Mark particularly focused on Jesus' audiences and their responses to him? Again, I can't know merely by looking at a list of words filtered by a computer algorithm. I'll need to examine each of these words in context to see if they really do mark important concepts or trends in the book of Mark. The value of this Importance filter is that it gives me a place to start, prompting me to ask questions I might not otherwise have thought to ask.
If you haven't tried applying these filters to the Analysis window, be sure to give them a try. They're just one more example of the powerful study options lurking just beneath the surface in Accordance.
Archived Comments
Rod Decker
David Lang
Rod, the numbers are merely used as a basis for comparison, so it's best not to get too hung up on the numbers themselves. That said, the Accordance Help does give a basic description of how frequency, uniqueness, and importance are calculated. I searched the Accordance Help for the word "Uniqueness" and found it in the top result: the section entitled, "Set Analysis Display Dialog Box for Tagged Texts." Hope that helps.


text: Come face-to-face with manta rays, bull sharks, turtles and barracudas when you dive one of the largest intact shipwrecks and top 10 dive sites in the world – the century-old SS Yongala. Go for a dip at Alva Beach and cast a line to catch yourself a fresh flathead for dinner, or test your water skills with a stand-up paddle or kiteboarding lesson. Walk one of Australia's longest multi-span bridges that joins Burdekin's sweetest towns — Ayr and Home Hill — famous for their sugar cane, mango and melon crops. Or, back a winner at the Burdekin Growers Race Day, held in May each year and go home with a free box of fresh produce.