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Learning how to program in Oman in the 90's
I grew up in Oman and lived there until I finished high-school in 1999. In 1991, when I was ten years old, my father bought me a 386SX for my birthday having noticed my burgeoning interest in computers. For the first few months, I mainly played games. But even that was a non-trivial endeavor in those days. You couldn't just click or touch an icon on the screen to launch the game; you had to use command-line1. The technician who set up the computer showed me a few MS-DOS commands and I learned others from my friends who already owned computers.


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Artikelen getagd met repeating flash light
Gravity and Stroboscopic Flash
Geplaatst door patrick iven in Uncategorized op april 4, 2011
Hello everybody,
A friend of mine expressed the idea on Thursday, in our photography course when we talked about using
the flash, to stroboscopic flash a falling egg. This idea played in my mind in the weekend and on Sunday
I reviewed my SB900 flash manual and some items on the net regarding stroboscopic flashing like the blog
of Thomas Pitera :
After reviewing some technicals, I went to my "studio" in the basement and started some experimenting with
a tennis ball. For my set up I used :

subset: commoncrawl


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By Kris Gonzalez
Fort Bragg Public Affairs
Fort Bragg Public Affairs
FORT BRAGG, N.C., Nov. 30, 2011 – Growing up is hard to do -- especially for grown-ups, according to Hal Runkel, founder of the ScreamFree Institute.
And turning up the volume doesn't make it any easier, said Runkel, as he spoke to Fort Bragg community members Nov. 16-17, as part of two, 90-minute seminars designed to help military families grow strong.
Runkel is a licensed marriage and family therapist and author of the book, "ScreamFree Parenting." He said he teaches parenting strategies based on the notion that parenting is not about kids -- it's about parents.
"If it was about kids, then we'd call it kidding," he joked.
"What parenting isn't about is controlling kids," Runkel continued. "The greatest thing parents can do for their kids is to learn how to control -- themselves."
Runkel described his answer to the complaint he most-often hears from parents around the world: "My kids don't listen."
"They listen," he said. "They hear every word you say. They just don't obey you. And you don't know what to do about that. You think, 'If they heard me, they would do it, so, I need to speak louder so they can hear me.'"
Yelling doesn't work, and neither does shutting down, which Runkel said, is another form of screaming, only it's on the inside, but it causes just as much resentment.
"Our definition of screaming is pretty broad," he said. "It's any time you let the anxieties of the moment override your thinking; it's that knee-jerk reaction."
Runkel uses humor, first-hand accounts and real-life scenarios to help teach parents how to calm their emotional reactions to their children's behavior.
"ScreamFree Parenting isn't just about raising children without raising your voice," said Vanessa Vazquez, a child advocate trainer with Fort Bragg's Family Advocacy Program. "It's a revolutionary approach to parenting that focuses on self-control, relationship building and self-care."
Vazquez was one of about 20 Fort Bragg professionals and trainers who participated in a separate, two-day, train-the-trainer course taught by Runkel. The purpose of the training, she said, was for post family advocacy professionals and trainers to be able to implement the skills they learned with individuals, couples and groups in counseling or in crisis and to gain the ability to teach monthly ScreamFree parenting workshops to parents here beginning in January.
Each monthly, 10-hour workshop provides a forum for parents to not only learn parenting tips, but also to meet other parents and learn from their experiences, Vazquez said.
Participants who attend the workshops will receive workbooks and a DVD to help implement ScreamFree Parenting techniques at home.
Charles Pennington, a family advocacy program specialist, said he thinks the workshop will offer a great opportunity for new fathers to become more involved with their kids, and to help take the load off of moms.
Runkel said he thinks the workshop will be fantastic for any military leader or potential leader to attend, because it can equip them to better coach and mentor fellow service members as well as to provide some valuable skills about stress and anger control when handling conflicts with others.


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The introduction of invasive species through the ballast water carried in ocean-going vessels is one of the biggest threats to marine environments. The ESA is using weapons hundreds of miles above the ocean surface in this environmental battle.
Ships need ballast to maintain stability and counteract high winds. The most efficient way to add and remove ballast is to simply pump water into and out of the ballast tanks. Unfortunately, ballast water added in one location includes thousands of organisms, larvae, eggs, and microbes. If the ballast tanks are emptied in a different location, all these organisms are introduced to a new environment, where they may have few natural predators. They can quickly overwhelm native species and screw up the entire ecosystem, like the Chinese mitten crab above has done to European estuaries.
Unfortunately, water ballast is too crucial to just ban outright, despite the potential harm it causes. The European Space Agency has partnered with the International Maritime Organization and several national agencies to find ways to support the International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships' Ballast Water and Sediments, slated to take effect in 2013. Their solution is to track the areas most at risk from ballast-transferred invasive species, creating charts that tell mariners when and where it's safe to take on and unload water ballast. The key tool for this mission is the ESA's network of satellites.
Determining risk involves modeling several different factors measured by satellite images. The first is water temperature, since colder waters tend to be hospitable to a wider variety of species (mainly due to convection currents which carry plankton and other nutrients to the surface). They can also compare water temperatures between ballast load and offload regions to see if it's compatible. The second factor is water color, which assesses the types and amounts of algae present in the water. This indicates how well the local food chain might be able to support introduced species. Finally, they measure water clarity and turbidity, a fairly direct indication of the amount of nutrients and small organisms present for introduced species to feed on.
By combining this information, scientists can find areas where it is safe to unload ballast water, because the conditions there would tend not to allow any organisms to survive. They can even select specific areas where unloading is safe based on where the ballast water was taken on by finding conditions not hospitable to the organisms likely to be transferred. They hope to eventually funnel the data to a website that can provide real-time information on ballast risk. It may seem like a minor issue, but sustainability of ocean ecosystems and biodiversity depend on solutions like this.


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The page you requested requires Essential access
North America GFS Surface Wind +48 hour Chart
- location
- Africa
- Asia
- Europe
- New Zealand
- North America
- South America
- model
- BoM 10-day
- US 8-day
- CMC 6-day
About GFS
Global Forecast System. The operational numerical weather forecasting model run by NCEP. The GFS superceded the AVN and MRF models, on which it is largely based. Forecast data from the GFS is available out to 180 hours at full resolution and 16 days at a reduced resolution.
Weather News
Drought graziers take advantage of record cattle prices amidst COVID-19 downturn
While many businesses have felt the pinch from COVID-19, for some channel country graziers in western Queensland, the last couple of months have been great for business.
RAC notes spike in insurance claims as WA homeowners rebuild after autumn storms
If you walked around your neighbourhood recently, there is a good chance you would have noticed plenty of missing fences and lots of tradies busy at work.


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Video Transcription
We're now ready to go ahead and replace our old Joomla 1.5 web site with our brand new Joomla 3 web site. Before we begin make sure that you have taken a new backup of BOTH your old and your new Joomla web sites. We wouldn't want to lose all our hard work. The easiest way to do the move is using the File Manager of our Hosts control panel. Scroll down to the File Manager and remember we are in the public_html folder. Here we have our entire old Joomla web site with our new one inside this "new" folder. So making sure that we have public_html selected on the left click on the first icon scroll down to the very bottom and shift-click to select them all. Then go back up and control-click to deselect the "new" folder. Making sure once again that the "new" folder with our new Joomla 3 web site is not selected. Click on Delete.
Here is a list of all the files and folders that are going to be deleted and just double check that the "new" folder isn't in there. Then click Delete Files. Once that has completed you have only got the "new" folder left. Now we need to go into the "new" folder by double clicking on it and select everything by clicking on the first item and then shift-clicking on the last so that everything is selected. Now select the Move File icon. Here at the bottom delete the words "new" so that it is going to move everything to the public_html. Click Move Files. Once that's complete you will see that the directory we are in public_html/new is now empty and if we go Up One Level to the public_html we can see our web site. Let's go ahead and check by going to our web site. We can see the web site has now successfully been moved to the root folder www.easyjoomlaupgrade.com Let's go back to the File Manager to clean up. Take that "new" folder which is now empty and delete it. We now have just one more step to complete for the migration of our Joomla 1.5 web site to Joomla 3 to be complete. We will do that in the next video.


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6-metre extension cable for indoor/outdoor use
Actual product appearance may differ from the image displayed on this page
- HDF-400 coaxial type
- 6-metre length
- N-male to N-female connectors
- 2 dB cable loss
- What is antenna gain? Read Answer
- Can IEEE 802.11b/g antennae and accessories be installed on IEEE 802.11a products? Read Answer
- What connectors do the DLINK antennae extension cables have? Read Answer
- What is the signal loss with the extension cables provided by D-Link? Read Answer


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We offer 4 class levels for learning guitar. See the individual class descriptions for information on what the levels aim to cover during the year.
All guitar groups are on the same night, with the expectation that students will move up or down within the first few weeks of term as they find the level which suits them best.
Be prepared for your tutor to move you to a different class at the start of term and discuss with them if you're not sure what level is right for you.
Classes will rotate tutors for one night at an agreed point in the year to give students and tutors the chance to feed back and share different experiences of teaching and learning.
Guitar 1 – Complete Beginners
Aimed at those who have little or no experience on the guitar. Learn the basics of playing the acoustic guitar: chords, strumming patterns and basic picking, with a view to accompanying traditional music and song.
We will also look at how to properly tune and maintain your instrument. You should have a guitar to bring along to the class.
Three continuous terms from Sept 2019
Times: Thursday 7-9pm at James Gillespie's High School
Room: 2.32
Tutor: Michael Starkey
Guitar 2 – Improving Beginners
Aimed at those who have at least a year's experience on the guitar. It is assumed you will know basic open chords, and have some experience of strumming and simple picking patterns. There will be a progression to more complex chords and rhythms, always in the context of learning songs and occasionally tunes. There will also be an increased focus on musicality and fluidity in moving between chords.
Three continuous terms from Sept 2019
Times: Thursday at 7-9pm James Gillespie's High School
Room: 2.31
Tutor: Jack Weir
Guitar 3 – Lower Intermediate
For players with several years' experience. We will look at getting to know the guitar neck better, tunes and songs, rhythm work, chords and inversions, and consolidating finger-style accompaniment and flat-picking. You should know these open string chords: C A G E D; Am, Em, Dm; A7, D7, E7, B7
Topics covered during the year include:
Some chords in closed position
Changing chords more smoothly
Following a chord chart
Learning to read TAB
Repertoire of song accompaniments
Keeping time more consistently
Playing simple tunes using alternate picking (plectrum)
Improving finger-picking
Three continuous terms from Sept 2019
Times: Thursday at 7-9pm James Gillespie's High School
Room: 2.29
Tutor: David Francis
Guitar 4 – Upper Intermediate
For guitar players who are comfortable playing a range of chords and have solid technique. We will build a palette of chords and techniques you can use to develop a narrative in your arrangements and accompaniment using dynamics, rhythm, melody and harmony. While catering for more confident players, the class aims to welcome a range of ability, with space and flexibility for students to move up from Guitar 3.
Topics covered during the year include:
Flat-picking the melody
Chord Voicing and inversions
Improving your rhythm
Explore the dynamics of your instrument.
Playing in Standard Tuning and Drop D Tuning.
Developing your finger-picking
Developing a tailored accompaniment
Three continuous terms from Sept 2019
Times: Thursday at 7-9pm James Gillespie's High School
Room: 2.28
Tutor: Frank McLaughlin
GroupSpace: http://groupspaces.com/SMGGuitar4/
Venue Location
Guitar classes take place at James Gillespie's High School
Guitar 1: Michael Starkey
Guitar 2: Jack Weir
Guitar 3: David Francis
Guitar 4: Frank McLaughlin


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Since I'm in love with Juliet Marillier her books, I can't wait for this one.
This is hosted by Breaking the spine.
Juliet Marillier - Shadowfell.
Expected publication: September 11th 2012.
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers.
Serie: Part one of Shadowfell.
Sixteen-year-old Neryn is alone in the land of Alban, where the oppressive king has ordered anyone with magical strengths captured and brought before him. Eager to hide her own canny skill--a uniquely powerful ability to communicate with the fairy-like Good Folk--Neryn sets out for the legendary Shadowfell, a home and training ground for a secret rebel group determined to overthrow the evil King Keldec.What I always like about Marilliers books, is that here writing style is so mysterious and it has a certain magical feeling. It always feels like a warm hug when I dive into her stories. Her characters have personalities with flaws and that makes them so real. And I love everything in this synopsis. This is a perfect book in my eyes. Dangerous journey, the Good Folk, Evil king, the legendary Shadowfell, handsome young man Flint. Ahhh, I wish I could right it right now!
During her dangerous journey, she receives aid from the Good Folk, who tell her she must pass a series of tests in order to recognize her full potential. She also finds help from a handsome young man, Flint, who rescues her from certain death--but whose motives in doing so remain unclear. Neryn struggles to trust her only allies. They both hint that she alone may be the key to Alban's release from Keldec's rule. Homeless, unsure of who to trust, and trapped in an empire determined to crush her, Neryn must make it to Shadowfell not only to save herself, but to save Alban.
I've read The Seven Waters so many times, that I can tell you almost word for word how the story goes. She's one of my favorites :)
What's your pick?


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When a child has food allergies, traveling by air can be nerve-racking, yet it's often the only way for our children to visit grandparents, go on family vacations, and see the world. With a little work, even families with allergies can find friendly skies.
Planning the Trip
'Ä¢ Talk to your child's allergist about any special precautions you may need to take. Make sure prescriptions are up-to-date and ask for a letter stating that you need to carry certain medications and special foods when you travel.
'Ä¢ Review the online allergy policies of the airlines that fly to your destination. For example, if you're dealing with peanut or nut allergies, look for an airline that does not serve them. Passengers will still carry on these snacks but your child's likelihood of exposure will be reduced.
• Call potential airlines to clarify policies. For example, an airline might note that they serve tree nuts in first class, but not mention that they actually warm up loose mixed nuts in the kitchen area. Some airlines that serve peanuts, like Southwest Airlines, are reliable about serving an alternative (peanut- and nut-free) snacks to all passengers upon request.
'Ä¢ Before you purchase the tickets, be sure you're clear on exactly what the airline is willing to do, and keep notes on conversations. Some airlines will provide a "buffer zone" where they will ask passengers around you not to eat the allergenic food. Some will let you pre-board to wipe down seats (in case of food residue). Most airlines today will not make an announcement asking passengers to refrain from eating nuts, peanuts or other allergens.
Leaving requests for accommodations to discussions with the gate agent or crew can lead to problems. (If you do encounter trouble at the gate, ask to speak with the airline's customer relations officer (CRO). Write down his or her name, and calmly explain your issue.)
'Ä¢ Whenever possible, book the first flight of the day or at least an early flight, as airplanes receive a thorough cleaning at the end of the day. Try to book a direct flight so that you're not dealing with multiple planes and crews.
Bring on Board
'Ä¢ Pack your child's medications (including at least two epinephrine auto-injectors) in their original packaging, along with a signed emergency plan and the letter from your physician. Never pack your child's medication in the luggage that you plan to check. Keep it with you at all times, and do not store it in the overhead bin.
• Pack enough food for twice as long as your flight, as flights can be held on runways for hours. Never eat the airline food. This is not a time to take chances.
• Remember that yogurts, applesauce and puddings are considered liquids by the Transportation Security Administration. If you pack a cooler, use hard plastic freezer packs as squishy bags may be confiscated.
• Pack plenty of wet wipes, Kleenex, napkins, plastic utensils and small paper plates. Consider a blanket or sheet to cover the seat.
• When you get to the gate, inform the agent that you are traveling with a child with food allergies and that you would like to pre-board.
'Ä¢ On the plane, ask your child to sit down first. Wipe down the armrests, the window shade, the buttons for the lights and, most importantly, the seat tray. Wipe your hands and have your child wipe his. Before he eats, spread a napkin over your child's tray table and place food or snacks on the paper plates.
• In the event of an allergic reaction, first treat the child and then immediately notify the flight attendant. This is important as even minor reactions have the potential to escalate quickly. Medical professionals are often on board and can assist in the event of an emergency.
Safely Landed
• Some airlines go out of their way to accommodate our special needs: take the time to let them know with a quick e-mail thanking them for the excellent customer service.
'Ä¢ If you feel you have been the victim of discrimination because of a food allergy or if you or your child experienced an allergic reaction while in flight, you can and should file a complaint with the Department of Transportation. "Allergy" is one of 13 disability categories they track, and it's important that they know how often these issues arise. Also always let the airline know.
Wishing you a safe trip – bon voyage!
Gina Clowes is a certified master life coach specializing in the needs of parents of children with food allergies. She is the founder of the online support group Allergymoms.com, serving thousands worldwide.
See also: Allergic Living's Airlines & Allergies Policies Directory


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SeaEnergy said it is currently working with The Crown Estate to ensure the wind development continues. The result could see SERL increasing its share in the project.
The Inch Cape site is located 15.5km off northeast of Scotland. SeaEnergy owns a 25 percent equity stake in the project.
RWE's decision follows news that Scotland's tidal waters could provide 57GW of wind energy by 2050, according to a study into the UK's offshore renewable resources.
The Offshore Valuation Study explores scenarios to develop the UK's offshore resources (wind, wave and tidal) to maturity in order to assess the long-term value from electricity exports, technology exports and employment.
Key findings of the report:
- Scotland's total practical offshore resource is estimated at 206GW.
- By harnessing around a third of that resource, installed offshore renewables capacity could reach 68GW in Scotland by 2050. This compares to Scotland's current installed renewable capacity of 3.7GW and could generate many times annual domestic demand.
- Of the 68GW capacity by 2050, 46 GW could come from fixed wind, 11GW from floating wind, 4 GW from wave energy, 5 GW from tidal stream and 2GW from tidal range.
- The net value of Scotland's 68 GW of offshore resource in terms of electricity sales is estimated at £14 billion by 2050. Equivalent to £2,700 per person, this is significantly higher than in England (£400 per person) or in Wales (£1,000 per person).
Speaking about the report, Scottish Energy minister Jim Mather said: "We have long known the huge scale of the low carbon opportunities in our seas. This independently produced report now validates our energy policy that favours our comparative advantage and further strengthens our view that Scotland should have better grid connections to continental Europe.
"The report is an extremely useful contribution to quantifying the possible scale of the emerging green energy industry. It finds that offshore wind, wave and tidal energy have the potential to meet our electricity needs seven times over, creating a vast export surplus while making a significant contribution to meeting domestic and European renewable energy targets."


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The all-new 2013 Mercedes-Benz GL-Class has won the 2013 Motor Trend Sport/Utility of the Year award. This marks the second time the GL has won the prestigious Motor Trend award.
"We're honored that the GL-Class has once again been awarded Motor Trend's Sport/Utility of the Year," said Steve Cannon, President and CEO of Mercedes-Benz USA. "From the very beginning, the GL-Class has been perfectly tuned to the needs of U.S. customers and those customers made the GL the segment-leading sales performer. Motor Trend's critical acclaim for the depth of its functionality together with the broadest powertrain offering in any full size SUV shows our commitment to delivering on our promise to our customers of the best or nothing."
Mercedes has made some significant changes to the GL for 2013, including new engines, new styling, and a heavily updated optional off-road package.
This seven-passenger SUV is comparable in size to the Cadillac Escalade — and outsells it. The 2013 GL is taller, wider, and longer than the 2012, sits on a wheelbase that's more than 5 inches longer than the Cadillac's, and is about the same length, and is wider. Style changes are most apparent below the rear side windows, where the body uses an angular upsweep that matches the angles on the nose and the sharp bodylines. The interior is filled with the lux touches you would expect in a Mercedes, the materials, fit and finish being similarly top-notch.
There are currently three engine choices: the 3.0-liter turbodiesel, tweaked for 2013 to add 30 hp (now 240) and 55 lb-ft of torque (now 455), and two 4.7-liter V-8s. The one in the GL450 is basically a refresh of the 2012 engine and now puts out 362 hp and 406 lb-ft of torque, increases of 27 and 67, respectively. The one in the GL550 takes over for the 5.5-liter V-8 found in the 2012 GL550 and offers 429 horses and 516 lb-ft. When the AMG-tuned GL63 goes on sale in early 2013, it will have a twin-turbo 5.5-liter V-8 good for 550 hp and 560 lb-ft. All four engines are backed by a seven-speed automatic. Towing capacity is 7500 pounds for all non-AMG models.
We had the opportunity to drive three of the four (the GL63 wasn't available yet), and though the diesel and base 4.7-liter are impressive, the 550 is easily the biggest news here. WIth a 0-60 mph time of 5.1 seconds, it is incredibly fast for a vehicle that boasts a 5700-plus-pound curb weight. Braking is equally impressive: 60-0 mph takes just 116 feet.
Inside, it's roomy and quiet. There is no question it's a luxury vehicle. The ride is pleasant and cushy on the highway in Comfort mode. Putting it in Sport mode makes steering response, shifts, and steering quicker and crisper. In turns, the suspension is tighter and more responsive.
The GL's Active Curve System, available on all models, uses a set of electronically disconnecting anti-roll bars, making Mercedes-Benz the second manufacturer to offer them. However, with the Electronic Disconnecting Front Sway Bar in the Wrangler Rubicon and Power Wagon, the driver can push a button to connect the two-piece bar on-road and can disconnect it off-road — basically "on" or "off." Mercedes' system uses various sensors in the vehicle that measure things like wheelslip, wheel height, and steering angle to determine how much the anti-roll bars will work. Active Curve responds to what the vehicle is doing, on-road or off, to activate the anti-roll bars (on twisty roads, for example). The anti-roll bars' intervention is variable and automatic, determined by data from the sensors, and can be completely disconnected off-road.
The On/Off-Road package, available on the 450 and 550, is similar to other systems on the market — such as those in the LR4 and Grand Cherokee — where you can select the icon that best matches what you're doing, whether towing, driving in snow, or rock-crawling (or as close to that as a Mercedes driver would get), and also allows you to select low range and vehicle ride height. A screen on the IP shows side slope angle and vertical angle when off-road. Base ground clearance is 8.5 inches, which can go up to 12 total with the air suspension.
Is the GL550 expensive? Yes. Our tester cost more than $100,000 as equipped. But for that you get Mercedes luxury, fantastic power, and plenty of capability. It's a shame that only about 10 percent of GL buyers will opt for the On/Off-Road package, as this system makes it really easy to go off-road, where the GL is highly competent. But even those who don't want to explore the back country can enjoy towing, carrying 94 cubic feet of cargo, or chauffeuring six others in style.


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I grew up on Woodland Avenue in Maywood, New Jersey, a few miles west of where I am now in New York City. The street was unremarkable, except when it snowed. Then the town would often block it off, so kids could sled on it. It wasn't a big hill — just an ideal one for sledding: steep at the top, with a long glide path. With a good start you could ride your Flexible Flyer down past Garden, Cole and Elm Streets, all the way to Cole's Brook. On the other side of that was Borg's Woods, which was then owned by the Borg Family, which owned The Record, Bergen County's afternoon paper. The Borgs had a steep back yard behind their house on Summit Avenue in Hackensack, and kindly encouraged neighborhood kids to sled there too.
So snow was a big deal for us, and still is for me. I love it. Alas, too often Winter forecasts in New York go like this: "Snow, changing to rain."
Well, that's what happened today in New York. We had a beautiful snowy day before it turned into rain and worse. For the last hour or so we've also had lightning, thunder and hail. The result is thick white slop, atop the frozen and half-thawed mess left over from the last storm. Here is how it looks right now at Weather.com:
I am sure there are kids in Maywood (and all over the East Coast) who wish the snow didn't turn to slush today. My inner kid knows how they feel. (I'm also hoping my grandkids in Baltimore fared better. They got a bunch of snow today too — I think with less rain.
(By the way, my sled, an old school Flexible Flyer, looked just like the one above, only a bit longer. It could seat three or four kids. And nobody ever wore helmets.)


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Some three weeks ago, the Church of Scotland published what it called its "latest reflection on the questions that need to be faced as the political and humanitarian situation in the Holy Land continues to be a source of pain and concern for us all."
The 10-page document, The Inheritance of Abraham? A Report on the 'Promised Land,' is a brazen attack on the Jewish state as well as on the Jewish religion.
The descriptive punctuation marks in the report's title – a question mark after Abraham and single quote marks around "promised land" are unsubtle clues to the report's nasty content. It was to be considered for adoption this week, May 23, by the full General Assembly of the church.
The purpose of the report is to refute any Jewish claim or sense of belonging to the Land of Israel, to disprove "that the Bible supports an essentially Jewish state [sic] of Israel."
The document offers three proofs:
• The passages of the Bible that speak of the land as an inheritance to Abraham and his descendants ["a territorial guarantee"] must be interpreted according to modern qualifications. One such qualification among the many one-sided ones that appear in the report is: "Do any of the Hebrew Bible accounts really sanction future occupation of the land and the driving out of the people already there?" (Editor's note: The question pre-decides the answer.)
• The behaviour of the Jews in Israel has disqualified them from claiming a right to build a Jewish state there because the land was given by God on trust of good behaviour. But the Zionists have not demonstrated good behaviour. "As long as Zionists think that Jewish people are serving God's special purpose and that abuses by the state [sic] of Israel, however wrong and regrettable, don't invalidate the Zionist project, they will believe themselves more entitled to the land than the Palestinian people." (The government's policies disqualify the Jews.)
• The promises and premises of the Hebrew Bible regarding the Jewish people and our relation to the Land of Israel have, in any event, been replaced, superceded by the promises and premises of the New Testament. The report is quite explicit in underscoring this point. "Jesus offered a radical critique of Jewish specialness and exclusivism, but the people of Nazareth were not ready for it. John's gospel speaks of Jesus being lifted up and drawing all people to himself. Jesus' 'cleansing' of the Temple means not just that the Temple needs to be reformed, but that the Temple is finished." (That is to say, that Judaism is finished, no longer relevant.)
To make sure the readers do not gloss over this point, the report restates it: "If Jesus is indeed the Yes to all of God's promises, the promise of Abraham about land is fulfilled through the impact of Jesus, not by restoration of land to the Jewish people. Jesus gave a new direction and message for the people of God, one which did not require a special area of land for them." (The Church of Scotland reintroduces the replacement theology of medieval times – Judaism has fallen away, displaced and replaced – that has been discredited by most of Christianity.)
Written in the temperate tones of ecclesiastical catechism and homiletics, the report is rife with the code words of the past four decades that have been the catch phrases of every individual who wants to see Israel eliminated: colonial, imperial, ethnic cleansing, occupation, violation of human rights, exclusivist, apartheid.
Thus, the church authors will likely be comforted to know that their conclusions about a Jewish claim to the Land of Israel were echoed the very same week as their report's release by Sheikh Yusuf Qaradawi, president of the International Union of Muslim Scholars. Qaradawi, a leading Muslim Brotherhood theorist, paid a four-day visit to Gaza on May 7 in which much of what he said could have leapt from the pages of the church's report.
Much like former Palestinian Authority president Yasser Arafat, Hamas leader Ismail Haniyah, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, and other haters of Israel and Jews, Qaradawi denied that there is any Jewish connection to the Land of Israel. The Jews are foreigners, Qaradawi fulminated, who forcefully seized land that did not belong to them. Or, as it was phrased in the Church of Scotland's report, quoting Clarence Wagner, "Was Al Nakba [the disaster, the Palestinian term for the founding of Israel] a miracle – driving people from their ancestral land and property with no right of reclaim?"
The church's document is simply polemics disguised as theology, distortion disguised as fact, prejudice disguised as probity and hate disguised as love. If the report is ratified this week, a great darkness will envelope relations between world Jewry and the church. That it holds the same views concerning Jews and the Land as those held by Hamas, the Muslim Brotherhood and Islamic terrorists is deplorable. That it reverts to bygone homiletics of hatred toward Jews and our God is disgusting.


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On May 12, a 54 year-old junior high school teacher spent the evening at anime shop, Animate, in Osaka's geek district, Den Den Town.
The teacher, Manabu Wakita, was a regular, but he wasn't looking for DVDs or anime goods. He supposedly had something else in mind: trying to snap photos up a woman's skirt.
When Animate staff noticed something was up and called out to him, the teacher apparently tried to get rid of the evidence—by chewing it up.
Wakita apparently put a tiny camera up a 20-something year-old female's skirt. She was shopping at Animate at the time.
After being called out, Wakita put the camera's SD card in his mouth, and, according to shop staff, it made a "crunching" noise. According to some reports, the man didn't just chew up the SD card, he ingested it.
Wakita admits that he was following the woman, but added that he "absolutely did not take peeping pictures."
If the suspect did eat this SD Card and did take these illicit photos, the proof will be in the
poop, rather pudding—ah, forget it.
スカートにカメラ入れる 盗撮容疑の教諭、SDかみ砕く [MSN Japan]
盗撮教諭、証拠のSDカードのみ込んだ記事を印刷する [NikkanSports]
(Top photo: svand | ShutterStock)


text:
One of the things that has kept me so busy this year is our impending NECPA accreditation. NECPA stands for "National Early Childhood Program Accreditation". NECPA is nationally recognized, with quality standards comparable to NAEYC's , going way above and beyond state child care regulations. The NECPA observational verification visit will assess (among many other things): teacher/child interactions, health and safety practices, school administration, best teaching practices, student progress, the physical learning environment, and our family/school interactions and relationships. (Not much really, just everything!)
We have worked very hard for the last couple of years to make sure that every classroom in all three of our schools are accreditation ready. At this point in our process, I hear in my head "NECPA, NECPA, NECPA" in the same sing-song voice that Jan Brady used to say "Marcia, Marcia, Marcia!" on the Brady Bunch.
Overall, the accreditation is a good thing. In the end, we will have the very best child care centers in our town--and the documentation to prove it. But logistically, this process has been a pain. In Georgia Pre-K, the amount of paperwork that we have to keep is simply overwhelming. Now, we have a 3-inch ring binder of the NECPA required forms we fill out daily.
We've had to make some changes. I've had a small woodworking center in my class for years, but we've used play tools and golf tees as hardware. Teacher Tom writes frequently about his use of real tools and implements on his blog. I've often commented that while I admire his bravery, I'm simply not ready for that yet. We are using real screwdrivers, levels, tape measures nuts, bolt and wrenches. That's about all I can handle for the time being.
I even got my husband to come up to the school to help me. I still hadn't hung my beloved Jan Brett alphabet since I'd moved into my new room. He was so sweet to come and help me. (Truth be told, he probably came just to see me, as I've spent a lot of evenings there lately!)
I've got my barn still set up in dramatic play...
Tomorrow's the day! The final visit..I think we're ready. I know we have the best centers in town--no question. Now, it's time for us to show it off. Then, we wait. It takes a few months before we'll know if we made it.
Fingers crossed. X


text:
Two former Long Island Rail Road workers have pleaded guilty in a massive disability scam.
Prosecutors say 59-year-old James Reiser and 54-year-old Philip Pulsonetti pleaded guilty Tuesday in Manhattan federal court to wrongly claiming disability benefits upon early retirement.
Reiser, an ex-conductor from Farmingdale, faces up to 50 years in prison. He also agreed to pay back $226,000 in restitution. Pulsonetti, of Remsenburg, N.Y., faces up to 15 years in prison and must forfeit $176,000 in illegal benefits.
The months-long probe targeting the nation's second-largest commuter railroad came to a head in May when dozens of retirees and others were busted. So far, eight defendants have admitted fraud in the scheme.
LIRR serves Long Island and has 81 million riders a year, second-highest to the Metro-North system with 82 million.


text:
Constance Demby, "Ocean Without Shores"
Wednesday, April 30, 2014
"A Look to the Heavens"
"Ten thousand years ago, before the dawn of recorded human history, a new light would have suddenly have appeared in the night sky and faded after a few weeks. Today we know this light was from a supernova, or exploding star, and record the expanding debris cloud as the Veil Nebula, a supernova remnant. This sharp telescopic view is centered on a western segment of the Veil Nebula cataloged as NGC 6960 but less formally known as the Witch's Broom Nebula. Blasted out in the cataclysmic explosion, the interstellar shock wave plows through space sweeping up and exciting interstellar material.
Click image for larger size.
Imaged with narrow band filters, the glowing filaments are like long ripples in a sheet seen almost edge on, remarkably well separated into atomic hydrogen (red) and oxygen (blue-green) gas. The complete supernova remnant lies about 1400 light-years away towards the constellation Cygnus. This Witch's Broom actually spans about 35 light-years. The bright star in the frame is 52 Cygni, visible with the unaided eye from a dark location but unrelated to the ancient supernova remnant."
- http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap130529.html
"After A Time..."
Chet Raymo, "The Sadist Next Door"
"The Sadist Next Door"
by Chet Raymo
by Chet Raymo
"The current TLS ("Times Literary Supplement") has an absorbing review of American Historian Joel Harrington's book on the manuscript diary of a 16th-century German executioner, Franz Schmidt of Nuremberg. Remarkably, Schmidt kept a full record of the criminals he executed, the crimes they perpetrated, and the gruesome ways they met their fate. It is a tale that would chill most 21st-century readers.
Hangings, beheadings, burnings at the stake, and breakings with the wheel. In the latter custom, a heavy cartwheel is dropped onto the person to be executed, who is tied down spreadeagled on the execution platform, starting with the feet and working the way up to the head. There are also less final punishments: floggings, finger-choppings, ear-choppings, brandings, and an ingenious catalog of tortures.
For Herr Schmidt, it was all in a day's work. He might as well have been a butcher, baker, or candlestick maker. He had a family to support, and he was good at his job. His neighboring townspeople attended the executions. It was good public entertainment.
Of course, there is nothing unique to the 16th century or Germany about any of this. Hideous tortures and executions have been part of human history from the beginning. Think of the Roman gladiatorial entertainments with their cheering crowds. Or the public stonings, beheadings and amputations still common in certain parts of the world today. It seems that only in the post-Enlightenment West do we look with disapprobation on Herr Schmidt's trade, ostensibly at least. We have the grisly torture chambers of the Gestapo and NKVD to remind us that Enlightenment values are fragile.
All of which raises the question: Is taking pleasure in the infliction of pain on others nature or nurture? Are we born with a good angel on one shoulder and a bad angel on the other? How do we explain the huge popularity of slasher movies and shoot-'em-up video games? Is there something of Herr Schmidt in all of us?"
- http://blog.sciencemusings.com/
The Daily "Near You?"
"Never Alone..."
"Creationists Hit the Panic Button After Neil DeGrasse Tyson Demolishes Their Myth That the Universe Is 6,000 Years Old"
"Creationists Hit the Panic Button After Neil DeGrasse Tyson
Demolishes Their Myth That the Universe Is 6,000 Years Old"
By Dan Arel
"Creationists find evolution so offensive that this week they attacked Neil deGrasse Tyson and his show "Cosmos" over the claim that stars evolved and created life as we know it. In episode 8 titled, "Sisters of the Sun," Tyson highlighted the stellar evolution and explained in detail the life and death of stars.
Of course creationists take issue with stars that are scientifically proven to be billions of years old. The creationist website that's emerging as the leading opposition to Tyson and his show, Answers in Genesis (AiG), claimed: "We know from the Bible that God created the stars on Day Four of Creation Week about 6,000 years ago."
Yet they do not know this, because there is zero evidence that any star we see in the sky is less than 6,000 years old, in fact for us to see almost any of the stars in the sky they would have to be hundreds of millions or billions of years old because of how far away they are (as explained in earlier episodes of "Cosmos" about what a light-year is.)
The continued use of the universe's actual timescale, an estimated 14.8 billion years to now, is a thorn in the side of creationists who know anything older than 6,000 years brings their entire myth to its knees.
AiG even goes as far to deny the fact that stars are born at all: "Whether or not stars are still forming today, the Bible does not specify, but no one has ever seen a star form." Yet we do not need to the Bible to know if stars are still being born. Astronomers at from a collection of Universities from the US to Germany have observed such phenomenon, a star being born 800 million light years away. This coupled the Hubble Space Telescope having located massive amounts of stellar nurseries and has helped us fully explain the birth of stars.
Not surprisingly AiG's own Danny Faulkner, an astronomer by degree, but not in practice claims that if stars are being formed today that we do not need science to explain how because God has the ability to make such things happen on his own.
This kind of thinking is what stunts scientific growth in the US and around the world. Faulkner and those like him aren't looking for natural answers to the amazing universe we inhabit and simply credit anything and everything to God. When science does make a massive discovery that happens to through a wrench in their faith based beliefs, they simply reject the science.
Tyson really got under creationists' skin towards the end of the episode when he proclaimed: "The silicon in the rocks, the oxygen in the air, the carbon in our DNA, the iron in our skyscrapers, the silver in our jewelry—were all made in stars billions of years ago. Our planet, our society, and we ourselves are stardust."
AiG claims the idea that stars created the chemicals for life is nothing but an invention my "big bang cosmologists," or as the rest of the world calls them, scientists, who realized that they needed a way to explain how the atoms and chemicals needed for life on earth could not have been created during the big bang, in order to explain away God they had to invent the story that stars created these chemicals.
However they brush over all the scientific evidence that confirms the stars do in fact create the chemicals needed for life and the chemicals we find in all of life just happen to be found in all the stars. In fact, in this new episode and one previous, Tyson explains exactly how we know the composition of the stars, something that has been understood for many generations.
Uncomfortable truths cause creationists to make extraordinary claims, and like Carl Sagan said many years ago, "extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence."
AiG closes their argument against stellar evolution by claiming the naturalist explanation for life is tragic and shames Tyson and the writers of "Cosmos" for not glorifying God, who they claim is the creator of all things, and then refer back to what they call creation week, this is the same creation week that has light being created before the sun and stars.
Just like each week though, AiG treats us to a list of Bible versus and fail to ever provide a link to peer-reviewed journals that discredit the claims of Tyson and "Cosmos". Relying on Biblical scripture is no way to explain our universe and until creationists realize this they will continue to be offended week in and week out as Tyson explains with great eloquence the truth of our cosmos."
- http://www.alternet.org/
Satire: "Millionaires Unite To Defeat Minimum Wage"
"Millionaires Unite To Defeat Minimum Wage"
by Andy Borowitz
WASHINGTON (The Borowitz Report)- "A broad-based coalition of millionaires converged on Washington today to defeat a bill that would have increased the minimum wage for American workers to $10.10 an hour. Leaving behind their mansions and yachts, the millionaires were motivated by what they saw as an existential threat to the country, Mitch McConnell, a spokesman for the millionaires, said.
"This was an extremely diverse coalition," McConnell said, noting that everyone from the rich to the very rich to the super-rich united to vote down the bill. McConnell hoped that today's vote would burnish the millionaires' reputation as "people who get things done. Folks who have tried to pin a 'do nothing' label on us are dead wrong," he said. "When it comes to stopping workers from being paid more, we spring into action."
- http://www.newyorker.com/
"17 Facts To Show To Anyone That Still Believes That The U.S. Economy Is Just Fine"
"17 Facts To Show To Anyone That Still Believes
That The U.S. Economy Is Just Fine"
by Michael Snyder of The Economic Collapse blog
"No, the economy is most definitely not "recovering". Despite what you may hear from the politicians and from the mainstream media (shrugging off today's terrible GDP print), the truth is that the U.S. economy is in far worse shape than it was prior to the last recession. In fact, we are still pretty much where we were at when the last recession finally ended. When the financial crisis of 2008 struck, it took us down to a much lower level economically. Thankfully, things have at least stabilized at this much lower level. For example, the percentage of working age Americans that are employed has stayed remarkably flat for the past four years. We should be grateful that things have not continued to get even worse. It is almost as if someone has hit the "pause button" on the U.S. economy. But things are definitely not getting better, and there are a whole host of signs that this bubble of false stability will soon come to an end and that our economic decline will accelerate once again. The following are 17 facts to show to anyone that believes that the U.S. economy is just fine...
#1 The homeownership rate in the United States has dropped to the lowest level in 19 years.
#2 Consumer spending for durable goods has dropped by 3.23 percent since November. This is a clear sign that an economic slowdown is ahead.
#3 Major retailers are closing stores at the fastest pace that we have seen since the collapse of Lehman Brothers.
#4 According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 20 percent of all families in the United States do not have a single member that is employed. That means that one out of every five families in the entire country is completely unemployed.
#5 There are 1.3 million fewer jobs in the U.S. economy than when the last recession began in December 2007. Meanwhile, our population has continued to grow steadily since that time.
#6 According to a new report from the National Employment Law Project, the quality of the jobs that have been "created" since the end of the last recession does not match the quality of the jobs lost during the last recession...
Lower-wage industries constituted 22 percent of recession losses, but 44 percent of recovery growth.
Mid-wage industries constituted 37 percent of recession losses, but only 26 percent of recovery growth.
Higher-wage industries constituted 41 percent of recession losses, and 30 percent of recovery growth.
#7 After adjusting for inflation, men who work full-time in America today make less money than men who worked full-time in America 40 years ago.
#8 It is hard to believe, but 62 percent of all Americans make $20 or less an hour at this point.
#9 Nine of the top ten occupations in the U.S. pay an average wage of less than $35,000 a year.
#10 The middle class in Canada now makes more money than the middle class in the United States does.
#11 According to one recent study, 40 percent of all Americans could not come up with $2000 right now even if there was a major emergency.
#12 Less than one out of every four Americans has enough money put away to cover six months of expenses if there was a job loss or major emergency.
#13 An astounding 56 percent of all Americans have subprime credit in 2014.
#14 As I wrote about the other day, there are now 49 million Americans that are dealing with food insecurity.
#15 Ten years ago, the number of women in the U.S. that had jobs outnumbered the number of women in the U.S. on food stamps by more than a 2 to 1 margin. But now the number of women in the U.S. on food stamps actually exceeds the number of women that have jobs.
#16 69 percent of the federal budget is spent either on entitlements or on welfare programs.
#17 The number of Americans receiving benefits from the federal government each month exceeds the number of full-time workers in the private sector by more than 60 million.
Taken individually, those numbers are quite remarkable. Taken collectively, they are absolutely breathtaking. Yes, things have been improving for the wealthy for the last several years. The stock market has soared to new record highs and real estate prices in the Hamptons have skyrocketed to unprecedented heights. But that is not the real economy. In the real economy, the middle class is being squeezed out of existence. The quality of our jobs is declining and prices just keep rising. This reality was reflected quite well in a comment that one of my readers left on one of my recent articles...
It is getting worse each passing month. The food bank I help out, has barely squeaked by the last 3 months. Donors are having to pull back, to take care of their own families. Wages down, prices up, simple math tells you we can not hold out much longer. Things are going up so fast, you have to adopt a new way of thinking. Example I just had to put new tires on my truck. Normally I would have tried to get by to next winter. But with the way prices are moving, I decide to get them while I could still afford them. It is the same way with food. I see nothing that will stop the upward trend for quite a while. So if you have a little money, and the space, buy it while you can afford it. And never forget, there will be some people worse off than you. Help them if you can.
And the false stock bubble that the wealthy are enjoying right now will not last that much longer. It is an artificial bubble that has been pumped up by unprecedented money printing by the Federal Reserve, and like all bubbles that the Fed creates, it will eventually burst.
None of the long-term trends that are systematically destroying our economy have been addressed, and none of our major economic problems have been fixed. In fact, as I showed in this recent article, we are actually in far worse shape than we were just prior to the last major financial crisis. Let us hope that this current bubble of false stability lasts for as long as possible. That is what I am hoping for. But let us not be deceived into thinking that it is permanent. It will soon burst, and then the real pain will begin."
- http://www.zerohedge.com/
"What You NEED To Know About The Wealth Inequality Debate"
"What You NEED To Know About The Wealth Inequality Debate"
by Bill Bonner
Gualfin, Argentina. "Dow up another 86 points. Can anything stop it? Yes. We're just waiting to find out what. We began this series with a question: Isn't it possible the same savants who now presume to address the problem of wealth inequality were those most responsible for causing it?
The question arose as we discussed a publishing sensation: Thomas Piketty's "Capital in the Twenty-First Century." As you will recall, the book – all 700 pages – was recently number one on the Amazon.com bestseller list. Whoever heard of an economics tome that sold so well? The reason, we suspect, is that the book tells us something that a lot of people were waiting to hear.
Criminals, Chiselers and Con Artists: Piketty's gripe, as near as we can determine, is that the rich get richer – especially when economic growth rates are low. And that capitalism can lead to extreme wealth inequality. Economic growth rates have been trending downwards for the last 40 years or so. And the average annual wage, adjusted for inflation, has stagnated. But Piketty claims the average annual rate of return on capital (from profits, rents, dividends, interest, royalties, etc.) has remained robust. As a result, private capital has grown as a percentage of national income. And, the rich have gotten richer. Of course, there are many reasons for this – some innocent, others corrupt.
We will not bother with the innocent ones. Criminals, chiselers and con artists are more revealing and entertaining. And just to make it more interesting, we will name names. In the 1970s – after President Nixon moved the world onto a purely fiat-based money system – the US economy was kissed by the magic of easy credit.
Poof! It was transformed from a handsome prince... into a toad. It used to be an economy where people earned money by making things for people who could afford to buy them. It became an economy of people who lent money to people so they could buy things they didn't need with money they didn't have.
Piketty thinks he is criticizing capitalism. But after the 1970s, real capital played a smaller and smaller role. It was replaced by credit and its sinister twin: debt. The r in Piketty's now famous annotation r > g (where r stands for the average annual rate of return on capital and g stands for the rate of economic growth) is supposed to represent the return on capital investment.
But where did the wad come from? Savings rates went down. Real earnings went down. Growth rates went down. So how could there be more capital available and how could it produce higher rates of return (compared to economic growth)?
Distortions and Delusions: The whole thing is a headache for a thoughtful man. Capital investments with no real capital behind them. Profits that outstrip the economic growth from which they must come. What to make of it?
We don't dispute the basic fact: that the rich are getting richer. And that they are doing so by getting their hands on capital (something we believe is a damn good idea, especially for anyone hoping to build serious wealth). For years, we've been complaining about the distortions caused by central banks. Rewarding the asset-owning classes (the rich) is just one of them. You could add: creating market bubbles, depressing middle-class incomes, increasing debt levels, misallocating resources to worthless, wealth-destroying activities, allowing government to avoid serious budget control, financing monster houses coast to coast... and our own personal favorite – putting dorky economists in positions of immense power and status.
And now we even have dorky economists with No. 1 bestselling books. What next? Revolution! At least, that is what you might think if you listen to Piketty. He thinks r will continue to outpace g. And the natives will get restless. The "market economy, if left to itself, contains powerful forces of convergence in the distribution of wealth," he explains. But "it also contains powerful forces of divergence, which are potentially threatening to democratic societies and to the values of social justice on which they are based."
A State Based on Fraud: Once again, Piketty misunderstands the modern, democratic state. It is not based on real social justice. It is based on fraud. The masses are told they control the government. And although the masses busy themselves with reading the newspapers, arguing about Obamacare and voting, the elites profit from bailouts, zero-interest-rate policies, subsidies, tariffs, sweetheart loans – you name it.
That is how the rich really got so rich... with the eager connivance of the authorities. And now Piketty concludes that the forces of "divergence" (of wealth) are likely to be much more powerful in the 21st century and that someone needs to do something about it. Who? The same authorities who distracted the public while the elites picked their pockets!
Until 1968, the Fed was required to maintain 25 cents worth of gold for every dollar in circulation. Then in 1968, under President Johnson, that requirement was scrapped. Thenceforth, there was no limit to the amount of cash and credit in the system.
In 1971, under President Nixon, the US reneged on its commitment to pay off foreign-held debt in gold. Now, there was no limit to the amount of debt Americans could run up abroad. Instead of paying their bills in gold, they could just pay in dollars, which are essentially more debt instruments (although with zero maturity).
In 1987... and again in 2000... Alan Greenspan showed that the Fed would not permit a serious correction. When a credit contraction threatened, the Fed came up with more credit on easier terms.
By 2007, under the leadership of Ben Bernanke, the Fed was fully committed to credit expansion forever. Milton Friedman had convinced Bernanke that the Great Depression was caused by a shrinking supply of money and credit. Bernanke saluted Friedman with: "We won't do it again." Thanks to these numbskulls – and many others – real capital disappeared from the capitalist system. It was replaced by what Sisson called "a fictitious money" causing a "monstrous aberration."
That is what we live with today. It was caused by the feds. They will continue making it worse... until the whole dreadful system blows up."
- http://www.thedailyreckoning.com
Musical Interlude: Vangelis, "Hymn"
Vangelis, "Hymn"
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DB7fnZ-AQNE
"A Look to the Heavens"
"Grand spiral galaxies often seem to get all the glory. Their young, blue star clusters and pink star forming regions along sweeping spiral arms are guaranteed to attract attention. But small irregular galaxies form stars too, like NGC 4449, about 12 million light-years distant. Less than 20,000 light-years across, the small island universe is similar in size, and often compared to our Milky Way's satellite galaxy, the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC).
Click image for larger size.
This remarkable Hubble Space Telescope close-up of the well-studied galaxy was reprocessed to highlight the telltale reddish glow of hydrogen gas. The glow traces NGC 4449's widespread star forming regions, some even larger than those in the LMC, with enormous interstellar arcs and bubbles blown by short-lived, massive stars. NGC 4449 is a member of a group of galaxies found in the constellation Canes Venatici. Interactions with the nearby galaxies are thought to have influenced star formation in NGC 4449."
- http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap110225.html
The Daily "Near You?"
Langston Hughes,"Dreams"
"When You Were Born..."
Paulo Coelho, "Dreams and Obsessions"
"Your theory about every person could reach everything in life is really optimistic. But if the person tried once and was despaired and disappointed what is he going to do?" - Antoine Rigal, Lyon, France
"There is sometimes a bit of confusion in regards to a passage in my book "The Alchemist": "When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it." Some people sometimes want things that in the end won't truly help them. Life is strange: the happier people can be, the unhappier they are. I have some friends that think they exist because they have "problems" to solve. Without "problems" they are nobody. The Universe is merely an echo of our desires, regardless of whether they are constructive or destructive ones.
One has to also keep in mind the difference between a dream and an obsession. I mention personal legend in "The Alchemist", and I wrote a book about obsession, "The Zahir". When you follow your personal legend, you walk your path and learn from it. The objective doesn't blind you to the road that takes you there. On the other hand obsession is what prevents you from admiring the teachings of life. It's like trying to get to your objective without passing through the challenges.
I realized that despite the fear and the bruises of life, one has to keep on fighting for one's dream. As Borges said in his writings "there is no other virtue than being brave". And one has to understand that being brave is not the absence of fear but rather the strength to keep on going forward despite the fear."
"There is sometimes a bit of confusion in regards to a passage in my book "The Alchemist": "When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it." Some people sometimes want things that in the end won't truly help them. Life is strange: the happier people can be, the unhappier they are. I have some friends that think they exist because they have "problems" to solve. Without "problems" they are nobody. The Universe is merely an echo of our desires, regardless of whether they are constructive or destructive ones.
One has to also keep in mind the difference between a dream and an obsession. I mention personal legend in "The Alchemist", and I wrote a book about obsession, "The Zahir". When you follow your personal legend, you walk your path and learn from it. The objective doesn't blind you to the road that takes you there. On the other hand obsession is what prevents you from admiring the teachings of life. It's like trying to get to your objective without passing through the challenges.
I realized that despite the fear and the bruises of life, one has to keep on fighting for one's dream. As Borges said in his writings "there is no other virtue than being brave". And one has to understand that being brave is not the absence of fear but rather the strength to keep on going forward despite the fear."
- http://paulocoelhoblog.com/
Chet Raymo, "Seeking Order In The Natural Order"
"Seeking Order In The Natural Order"
by Chet Raymo
"It is a popular misconception that evolution is "just a theory." On the contrary, the evidence for the development of life over billions of years by common descent from simple ancestors is overwhelming. So overwhelming that most biologists and geologists would call evolution a "fact."
The influential geneticist Theodosius Dobzhansky said "Nothing makes sense except in the light of evolution." Nobel prize-winning biologist Peter Medewar said, "The alternative to thinking in evolutionary terms is not to think at all." What these two great biologists meant is that no other scientific theory presently offers a satisfactory framework for making sense of what we know about the world.
Here are some things that virtually all biologists hold to be true:
• Life has developed on this planet over billions of years.
• All living organisms share common ancestors.
• Species come and go.
• Natural selection, as understood by Darwin and subsequently extended by Mendel, Weismann and population geneticists such as Dobzhansky, helps shape the tree of life.
Beyond that, the story of life is up for grabs—and hotly debated by biologists. One important bone of contention: Is natural selection acting alone enough to explain the diversity and complexity of life on Earth? Many biologists would say yes. However, a growing number of biologists question the exclusivity of natural selection as the driving force of evolution. Also at work, they maintain, are sources of natural order that exist in any complex, organized system.
One scientist who advances this view is Stuart Kauffman of the Santa Fe Institute in New Mexico. He has written a hefty, highly technical book called "The Origins of Order" to answer the question, "What are the sources of the overwhelming and beautiful order which graces the living world?" Kauffman sets out to show that sources of self-organization exist throughout the natural world: The six-pointed snowflake and spherical drop of rain are simple examples. In highly organized systems, such as biological organisms, these natural sources of order drive nature towards ever more complex forms.
"None can doubt Darwin's main idea," Kauffman writes. "If we are to consider the implications of spontaneous order, we must certainly do so in the context of natural selection, since biology without it is unthinkable."
But Darwin is not enough, he insists. Life has not been cobbled together by natural selection acting on random mutations, says Kauffman. We are not Rube Goldberg machines slapped together piece by piece by evolution. Rather, life is "a natural expression of the stunning self-organization that abounds in very complex regulatory networks . . . order, vast and generative, arises naturally."
In other words, we are more than the sum of our chemical parts. Life is an emergent phenomenon that arose when chemical systems on the early Earth increased beyond a "threshold of complexity." The subsequent history of life unfolds at least partly as a consequence of complexity.
Kauffman and his colleagues use powerful computers to explore how complex interconnected systems behave. They have demonstrated how complex systems of simple elements can catalyze their own self-organization. These computer simulations show intriguing parallels with the real-world history of life.
Kauffman thinks laws of self-organization lie at the heart of nature. If we can discover these laws, he says, we will understand how our bodies developed from a single fertilized egg, and how our species emerged over billions of years from prebiotic chemicals. He is a long way from finding the laws he is looking for, but the results achieved so far hint at a direction-ality and inevitability to evolution that may not be fully accounted for by Darwinian natural selection.
Anyone who enjoys watching a brilliant mind at work/play should glance at Kauffman's "The Origins of Order," or read his popular book on the same subject, called "At Home in the Universe." One catches a glimpse of the power of the mathematical way of thinking, and also of a necessary humility in the face of life's greatest mysteries.
He writes: "Almost 140 years after Darwin's seminal book, we do not understand the powers and limitations of natural selection, we do not know what kinds of complex systems can be assembled by an evolutionary process, and we do not even begin to understand how selection and self-organization work together to create the splendor of a summer afternoon in an Alpine meadow flooded with flowers, insects, worms, soil, other animals, and humans, making our worlds together."
Kauffman is not stingy with words like "possibility," "maybe," "I do not know." He knows we have only begun to understand our origins. He talks about "reinventing the sacred." He offers a vision of creation worthy of the most resourceful Creator."
- http://blog.sciencemusings.com
Tuesday, April 29, 2014
Satire: "Sterling Says He'll Miss Being Around People He Hates"
"Sterling Says He'll Miss Being Around People He Hates"
by Andy Borowitz
LOS ANGELES (The Borowitz Report) — "After being banned by the N.B.A. Tuesday afternoon, the Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling told reporters that he would miss being around people he hates. "Sure, I'm saddened by this," Sterling said. "Sitting in the stands night after night, a boiling cauldron of hatred bubbling inside me—it doesn't get better than that. Those were good times.Knowing that I'll never be able to sit in that arena again and look down on the people I despise—that hurts the most," he said.
Looking back on his three-decade tenure with the Clippers, though, Sterling said he felt some measure of satisfaction: "No one hated more people than I did, and the feeling was mutual."
- http://www.newyorker.com/
NOT Safe For Work Or Near Children!
"Snoop Dogg's Response To Clippers Owner Donald Sterling"
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQlsSk7sCRM
Even I don't dare post this here, lol... - CP
"Fukushima Equals 6,000 Hiroshima Bombs Today, More Tomorrow; There is No Place On Earth to Escape the Rad"
"Fukushima Equals 6,000 Hiroshima Bombs Today, More Tomorrow;
There is No Place On Earth to Escape the Rad"
by Bob Nichols, "Veterans Today"
"My opinion only, as requested by Alfred Webre, Dec 28, 2013, 1,024 Days from Mar 11, 2011.
First thing, grasp the difficult concept that this is an ELE or Extinction Level Event. There is no escaping our fate, there are no solutions.
First thing, grasp the difficult concept that this is an ELE or Extinction Level Event. There is no escaping our fate, there are no solutions.
We can extend our lives somewhat, though. These steps are personal. People can do them or not. You will die quicker, or later, your choice.
1. Take off your shoes and outer ware (coats) when you enter your place.
2. Stay under a protective Roof as much as possible.
3. Filter your water.
Bonus: Eat foods as low on the food chain as possible that are thought to be less radioactive and eat electrically negatively charged foods each day.
Several people who have heard about Fukushima since the early days are puzzled that so many are "still alive". Others, in addition to the psychopaths who apparently believe themselves to be immune from radiation poisoning, are those of the EXTEND AND PRETEND strongholds of delusions and galactic thought, along with the 'end of times' crowd expecting clouds to part and higher beings to ride in and 'save us'." You are going to have to make your own choices. You will live a little longer, or, die sooner by these choices, as will I. No one is exempt. The radioactive particles are all over the world now.
What's next? Friends, virtual and non-virtually, have said and asked things like:
Question: In basic math terms, in comparison to Hiroshima, how much worse is Fukushima and why?"
Answer: Fukushima, now, equals the detonation of 5,910.11 Hiroshima Atomic Bombs or it's about 6,000 Times worse than the A-Bombing of Japan; and, it is still going strong, with no end in sight. That is equal to 6.45 Hiroshima Atomic Bombs a Day for 916 Days. There are only 336 cities on Earth with more than One Million people. That is the equivalent of 17.5 Hiroshima Atomic Bombs apiece.
Question: In basic math terms, in comparison to Nagasaki, how much worse is Fukushima and why?
Answer: The Nagasaki Bomb was slightly larger; therefore Fukushima equals slightly fewer Nagasaki Bombs. However, at this point, it makes no difference.
Question: In basic math terms, in comparison to Chernobyl, how much worse is Fukushima and why?
Answer: At 916 days of growth Fukushima is 14.75 Times bigger than the Chernobyl atomic disaster in 1986. The International Atomic Agency (IAEA) stated: "The accident at Chernobyl was approximately 400 times more potent than the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima…" Fukushima so far is 14.75 Times worse than Chernobyl and growing.
Question: In basic non-scientific language, what causes this to be an ELE, Extinction Level Event, and is there any shot at it being reversible?
Answer: Throughout the time humans lived on Earth, humanity has never experienced radiation this high. The radiation and its associated Lethality is very high and will kill everybody. The Radiation's Lethality will last well past the end of every one's lifetime. No, there is no shot at reversing the effects and every human on Earth is included.
Question: How long before we are tripping and stumbling over dead-dying bodies?
Answer: In a sense we already are. Human fetuses are the first to die and are typically cremated at the hospital. We just don't see them. Women, children, already sick people and the elderly infirm are next. Middle aged men are last.
Question: Anything you recommend to lengthen 'shortened-life spans'?
Answer: No.
Question: Any resources you would direct interested people to?
Answer: No.
Question: What other questions must be asked when confronted with an Extinction Level Event, and why have any hope whatsoever?"
Answer: Ask what is the published lethality of all of the released isotopes and do not let the Empire paid trolls fool you by using radioactivity numbers; it is the LETHALITY that counts. When you find the numbers for the two Cesium Twins multiply by 14 for the total radiation in a single release from an active reactor core. Multiply the combined Cesium137/134 radioactivity numbers by 5 for the total radioactivity in a single release for old fuel rods. Those will give you a rough idea of the radiation released for that instance. As for "hope," that is fine, knock yourself out."
- http://www.veteranstoday.com/
Sources and Notes:
1. AIPRI, Thursday, September 5, 2013, "The Bitter Waters of Fukushima Daiichi, by Dr Paolo Scampa, Physicist. AIPI was founded in 1993. The bitter waters of Fukushima-Daiichi. (II)
This is a simple theoretical calculation based on two public data sets 1) 300 m3 groundwater have passed through the Fukushima to leak at sea every day for two and a half years, the other, 2) according to information provided by Kurion that water from the plant is loaded with Cs-137 up to 2 million Bq per milliliter. The product of these two factors gives chills…" http://aipri.blogspot.com/
2. "Frequently Asked Chernobyl Questions," Copyright©, International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna International Centre, "The accident at Chernobyl was approximately 400 times more potent than the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima," http://www.iaea.org/
"Fukushima Didn't Just Suffer 3 Meltdowns, It Also Suffered Melt-THROUGHS and Melt-OUTS"
"Fukushima Didn't Just Suffer 3 Meltdowns,
It Also Suffered Melt-THROUGHS and Melt-OUTS"
The Nuclear Core Has Finally Been Found…Scattered All Over Japan
by WashingtonsBlog
"We reported in May 2011 that authorities knew – within days or weeks – that all 3 active Fukushima nuclear reactors had melted down, but covered up that fact for months.
The next month, we reported that Fukushima's reactors had actually suffered something much worse: nuclear melt-throughs, where the nuclear fuel melted through the containment vessels and into the ground. At the time, this was described as: "The worst possibility in a nuclear accident." But now, it turns out that some of the Fukushima reactors have suffered even a more extreme type of damage: melt-OUTS. By way of background, we've noted periodically that scientists have no idea where the cores of the nuclear reactors are.
And that highly radioactive black "dirt" has been found all over Japan? It turns out that the highly radioactive black substances are likely remnants of the core. The Journals "Environmental Science & Technology" and "Journal of Environmental Radioactivity" both found (hat tip EneNews) that the highly radioactive black substances match fuel from the core of the Fukushima reactors. The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission agrees.
Indeed, "hot particles" with extremely high levels of radiation – 7 billion, 40 billion , and even 40 billion billion Bq/kg – have been found all over the Fukushima region, and hundreds of miles away, in Tokyo.
Let's put this in perspective. The Atlantic notes: "Japanese regulations required nuclear waste with 100 or more bq/kg of Cesium to be monitored and disposed of in specialized containers." The new government limit for material headed for landfills is 8000 bq/kg, 80 times the pre-Fukushima limit.
So the hottest hot particle found so far is 5 million billion times greater than the current government limits of what can be put in a landfill. In other words, the core of at least one of the Fukushima reactors has finally been found, scattered all over Japan. How did material from the cores get dispersed so far? Remember, there was a huge explosion at reactor number 1, and an even bigger explosion at reactor number 3."
- http://www.washingtonsblog.com/
A comment: They've intentionally lied all along about this, folks, in every way. Do you realize what this really is? There are 3 totally melted-through reactor cores that have burrowed into the earth and have impacted ground water from the Pacific Ocean, each "burning" at 5,700 degrees F, and will do so for thousands of years, spewing radioactivity into the ocean and atmosphere. Add the over 300 tons per day of water being used to flush/cool what's left of the reactors, and which then drains, highly radioactive, into the ocean. One study claims that the entire Pacific Ocean, every cubic foot, will have 120 times the normal background radiation. Life as we know it cannot survive that degree of radiation. Of course the winds and ocean currents will carry this poison to the entire planet. Additionally, a total of over 11,000 highly radioactive spent fuel rods are on the site, subject to earthquakes which will add them to the molten cores below ground. This is an extinction level event for mankind, Doomsday in slow motion. There is no known technology to deal with this situation- the only solution at the time this began was to nuke the site, wipe it out completely. We, humanity, would have taken a tremendous hit but survived. Of course that didn't happen, and it's too late now. This isn't melodrama, it's my own conclusion based on all I've learned, and I wish desperately to be proven wrong. Please, don't believe me, research it for yourself and form your own conclusions. Do a Search of this blog, there are many posts about Fukushima here. God forgive us for what we've done, to ourselves, and to this beautiful world... - CP
The Economy: "Is Capitalism Doomed?"
"Is Capitalism Doomed?"
by Bill Bonner
Gualfin, Argentina. "The Dow went up 87 points yesterday. Gold went nowhere. Our guess: Neither stocks nor gold knows where to go from here. The economy is still weak, with mortgage lending at its lowest point in 14 years. But the Fed is still holding interest rates down... and feeding plenty of QE money into the market. The Fed is expected to continue tapering its QE program next month, taking another $10 billion off its monthly allowance for buying bonds from the private sector. But for the moment, economist Richard Duncan tells us that there's still enough "excess liquidity" to keep stocks up. Later this year, Duncan says, the trouble should start. Stay tuned...
A Crisis of Capitalism? On Sunday, we became godparents to a six-month-old girl. A cute little girl, with dark skin, dark eyes, dark hair... and chubby cheeks. Her mother, as near as we can tell, is a descendant of the local Diaguita tribe. The history books tell us that the Spanish tried to exterminate them... but they seem to have failed. Up here, according to local tradition, landowners are often asked to be godparents to children born on their farms. Who could refuse? We're not sure what to make of this new and totally unexpected responsibility. But heck, you take things as they come... and do your best.
Meanwhile, we're dissing a book we haven't read. Paul Krugman calls Thomas Piketty's "Capital in the Twenty-First Century" a blockbuster. We can't wait to get our hands on a copy, just to see if Piketty is really the blockhead he seems to be.
Yesterday, we pointed out that real capitalism is self-correcting. Piketty is worried that capitalists are making too much money. The returns from investing, he says, are outstripping the rewards to working stiffs. Piketty expresses this as r > g – where r stands for the average annual rate of return on capital (including profits, dividends, interest, rents, royalties and other forms of income from capital) and g stands for the rate of growth of the economy.
He really shouldn't worry about it. When rates of return are high, investors pile in. Then, with too much money chasing too few good investments, the rate of return – r – falls. Often, investment returns fall so hard investors cry out in pain. But that is just the way it works. You can't enjoy the pleasure of profits without the pain of losses from time to time.
Thomas Piketty doesn't seem like a big fan of capitalism. But then who is? "I guess you're having your crisis of capitalism in the US," said the woman who runs a nearby welfare program. She rode up on a motorcycle (a two-hour drive) so she could help the locals improve their lives. Dressed in khakis, she is the sort of woman you could be marooned with on a desert island and not break your marriage vows. A round face... a round body... she nevertheless seemed to have a sharp edge. "I hope you Americans are holding up okay," she said with the cheerfulness of a vegetarian in an abattoir.
For her, capitalism is a doomed creed. It is just a matter of time before it is replaced by well-meaning, correct-thinking vegetarians who make sure the chips fall where they want, not where they may. We figured her out when we visited her headquarters and found a picture of Che Guevara on the wall. She is no fan of capitalism either.
No Strangers to the Baseball Bat: But she is not alone. Capitalism has so few real aficionados they could all probably be rounded up and shot in an afternoon. The poor don't like it because they think it – rather than their own bad luck or bad habits – keeps them from getting rich. The rich don't like it because it threatens to ruin them with crashes and bankruptcies. Businessmen don't like it because its process of "creative destruction" threatens to make their industries obsolete. Intellectuals don't like it because it is inherently unpredictable and uncontrollable. The media doesn't like it because it gives no press conferences and provides no "talking points" for lazy journalists. Investors don't like it because it punishes their mistakes. And of course, professors of economics hate it more than anyone. Why? Because it refutes their claptrap ideas about how an economy works.
And so they all – rich, poor, mighty and miserable – turn to the government for succor. Why the government? Because it is the only institution that can lawfully stop capitalists from creating wealth.
Piketty's observation – that the richest have gotten much richer over the last three decades – is not wrong. It's too bad that he can't think more deeply about how it happens. He believes when wealth is concentrated in few hands there follows a phenomenon he calls "state capture." Rich people are able to get control of the government and use it like a mafioso with a baseball bat: to whack their challengers and skim the profits.
But the state is no chaste and innocent participant. It is not "captured" at all. Those with control of the police and the military are no strangers to the baseball bat; they use it regularly. In fact, they often take the rich hostage and demand as much ransom (taxes... bribes... campaign contributions... payoffs to special interests) as they can get from them.
More often, they simply connive and conspire with any group that can help them – rich and poor, labor unions, business groups, lobbyists and so forth – always subverting capitalism and undermining the public welfare.
Sugar Daddies: Our old friend Jim Davidson tells the story of the "sugar daddies" who have gotten billions of dollars in direct and indirect subsidies over the years. They learned their trade – bribing politicians – in Cuba before Castro took over. In the 1960s, they brought their techniques to the US. They managed to get much of the state of Florida drained at taxpayer expense, so they could plant cane and sell sugar at artificially high prices. You have to admire "Pepe" and "Alfy" Fanjul; they know how the game is played. Alfy is so well connected, according to the Lewinsky affair report, that he had President Clinton's ear when Monica had another of the president's parts.
Crony capitalism is just a part of the way the economy is twisted and corrupted. Health care, finance and education – the biggest industries in America – have been largely captured by Washington (or vice versa).
You might say, too, that the feds acted after the crash of 2008-09 to protect the wealthy. Without their intervention the problem of inequality wouldn't exist; as much as half of their stock market wealth would have been wiped out... and probably would have stayed wiped out. The feds might just as well have wished to spread the wealth among more voters. But the goal was not so much to make the rich richer. Instead, the feds just wanted to keep capitalism from doing its thing. Stephen Roach explains: "The Fed's strategy [has been] to get the share markets up, get risky assets up, [and] stimulate the economy through "wealth effects." One problem: "wealth effects" are for wealthy people. What about the real problem in America, which is middle-class, structurally unemployed, workers and their families? Are they benefiting from the "wealth effect"?"
They're not? Well, then rant about inequality... and crony capitalism. Write a bestseller. And find more ways to stop real capitalism from taking place."
- http://www.thedailyreckoning.com
Monday, April 28, 2014
The Daily "Near You?"
"A Look to the Heavens"
"Big, beautiful, barred spiral galaxy NGC 1300 lies some 70 million light-years away on the banks of the constellation Eridanus. This Hubble Space Telescope composite view of the gorgeous island universe is one of the largest Hubble images ever made of a complete galaxy. NGC 1300 spans over 100,000 light-years and the Hubble image reveals striking details of the galaxy's dominant central bar and majestic spiral arms.
Click image for larger size.
In fact, on close inspection the nucleus of this classic barred spiral itself shows a remarkable region of spiral structure about 3,000 light-years across. Unlike other spiral galaxies, including our own Milky Way, NGC 1300 is not presently known to have a massive central black hole."
- http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap080622.html
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text:
I'm quite curious about the following phenomena, that still puzzle me although I have a proof, and I'd be really glad if someone may shred some light, showing an interpretation or a generalization. I will sketch the computations at request, which consist on a manipulation of the integral formula of the remainder of the Taylor expansion.
1. Let $v\in C^\infty(\mathbb{R})$, vanishing at $0$ with some order $p\in\mathbb{N} _ +$ . In other words, the formal Taylor series of $v$ at $0$ belongs to the ideal $x^p\mathbb{R}[[x]]$ . Then, the function $w(x):=v(x)/x^p$ is also (extensible to) a $C^\infty(\mathbb{R})$ function, and we can express the $k-$ order derivative of $w$ at $x$ (say $x\ge0$) in terms of the derivatives of order $k+p$ of $v$ on $[0,x]$ as follows:
$$\frac{w^{(k)}(x)}{k!}=\frac{\int_0^x (x-s)^{p-1}s^k\, \frac{v^{(k+p)}(s)}{(k+p)!}ds}{\int_0^x (x-s)^{p-1}s^k\, ds} \, . $$ In other terms, the $k-$th Taylor coefficient of $w$ at $x$ is an integral mean of the $(k+p)-$th Taylor coefficients of $v$, weighted with a Beta distribution on $[0,x]$. This is quite clear if $x=0$ and $v$ is analytic there, and not immediately obvious in general, but has it a special meaning, or is it an instance of a more general principle?
2. Let $u\in C^\infty(\mathbb{R})$, and assume that the formal Taylor series of $u$ at $0$ belongs to $\mathbb{R}[[x^2]]$ . Then, the function $w(x):=u( \sqrt { x } ) $ is also (extendible to) a $C^\infty(\mathbb{R})$ function, and we can express the $k-$ order derivative of $w$ at $x^2$ in terms of the $2k-$ order derivatives of $v$ on $[0,x]$ as follows:
$$w^{(k)}(x^2)=\frac{\, (2x)^{-2k+1}}{(k-1)!\, }\, \int_0^x (x^2-t^2)^{k-1}u^{(2k)}(t) dt\, $$ (this may also be written as an equality relating Taylor coefficients by means of an integral mean).
3. There is also a more general statement for a function $w(x):=u(x^{1/p})$ for $p\in\mathbb{N} _ +$, assuming that the formal Taylor series of $u$ is in $\mathbb{R}[[x^p]]$; the $k-$th Taylor coefficient of $w$ at $x^p$ is then an integral mean of the $kp-$th Taylor coefficients of $v$, supported on $[0,x]$, with certain densities depending on $p$ and $n$ recursively defined. Is there a more general statement connecting analogously operations in $\mathbb{R}[[x]]$ and $C^\infty$ functions via integral means of their Taylor formal series?


text:
We should not allow a "biology v. choice" framing of the rights debate to continue. If we do, we will likely find ourselves backed into a very unpleasant corner. We will be forced to argue that we are helpless over our sexuality, and then will be faced with the very frightening prospect of arguing in favor of a medical definition of sexual orientation -- which can then be used against us when people decide to start looking for "cures." For make no mistake about it: if they think they can "cure" us by counseling us into making different choices, they will be no less likely to try to "cure" us of a sexual orientation that they can frame as a disease. If there is a "gay gene" we should be very wary of what happens if it's found. It will then be possible for genetic testing to "discover" the sexual orientation of a child and gene therapy may be used to "fix" that child. We've been there before in less technologically sophisticated ways.
I sort of feel this way about various kinds of gender essentialisms. Even if it were the case that 'most women are like x' and 'most men are like z', I always want to ask: What about those that don't fall within those norms? Shouldn't they be able to freely be themselves, anyway?


text:
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text:
I respectively disagree, it just does not make sense. Is what your suggesting the real reason that rank was removed? Because if so, it is not justified.stiv wrote:You misunderstand the intent. As currently implemented, it is unreliable data. Given that the rank info is stored in a local file on the player's machine, it is possible to edit the file and be any rank you want.FWIW, I think removing rank to fix the kick problem is a terrible idea
The rank system has been this way for the entire history of WZ. You are saying that the only reason that rank was removed was because it was reliable? What has changed after 17 years that NOW rank should be removed?
Oh, and the alternative of having no rank is even better? Of course a reliable rank system would be best, but this is what the game currently has. If we had a new rank system to take over, then sure switch to the new one, but as far as I know, there is not a new rank system to switch to. How far out is the new one?
People creating a fake rank is not even a real issue, who is it hurting? If anything, it lets new players look more experienced and avoid being kicked! Removing it solves no problems, it only causes even more!
Now, correct me if I am wrong, but my understanding is that rank was removed so people could not identify new players as easily. This unsound logic was thought up so people would kick noobs less because they couldn't tell that they were new. This really blows my mind.
So now here are the repercussions of ripping rank out for no good reason:
Players no longer have rank-everyone gets punished!
We cant tell who is new. More people get kicked then before because the host does not know who they are. Before you could at least have a medal to prove you were decent if the host didn't recognize your name.
More games are unbalanced, thus hurting the community and making people play less. Data that may be inaccurate at times is better then no data at all!!!
Who decided rank removal was a good idea. Who did it and why? How many people thought this through?


text:
HAB fans stalk gorgeous globes
Armchair HAB aficionados were able to follow the two globes' progress online, although Anthony suffered intermittent transmission problems which led him to conclude late on Saturday night that his payload had been lost.
PIE and AVA invade Europe
On Sunday morning, though, AVA was back on the air over the Czech Republic, just before balloon burst and a landing on an Austrian mountain, right here.
Cue an audacious rescue mission by Brano Janicek, Juraj Marsalik, Radim Mutina and Peter Vittek - a group of Slovakian HAB enthusiasts from stsproject.net, who assembled their kit...
The Slovakian recovery team prepares for the ascent
...and assaulted the slopes of Arabichi:
The team sets off in search of AVA
The mission ended in complete success when they found the remains of the balloon...
Shredded latex
...and AVA, still smiling:
Peter Vittek, Radim Mutina and Juraj Marsalik pose with AVA.
Pic: Brano Janicek
Peter Vittek and AVA
Dave's Pi payload, meanwhile, decided not to follow its projected course towards Poland, and hung a right to transverse Switzerland, before probably coming down in France on Sunday morning.
It's possible he may get PIE back, if locals bearing flaming torches and pitchforks don't take exception to its unnatural pinkness.
There's more on the flights from Anthony and Dave here and here, respectively. Thanks to them and the other photographers for permission to use the above snaps. ®


text:
In appreciation of all of my wonderful blog followers and in celebration of Valentines Day coming up, I thought I'd do a little giveaway. You can win the Valentine house charm necklace of your choice. To enter, just leave me a comment telling me your favorite romantic movie. Follow me on Facebook and Twitter for extra entries (let me know in the comments).
I'm also offering a 20% off coupon that will run today through midnight Friday for anything in my shop. That's 20% off your entire order! Use code VALENTINE20 at checkout.
Winner will be announced Friday morning!


text:
Online and email programs continued their upward trend for nonprofits of every size and in all issue areas in 2012, according to a new study.
Research released last week by M+R Strategic Services and Nonprofit Technology Network showed that email list sizes were up by 15% compared with 2012 totals, and online revenue grew by 21%, with only the international sector showing a decrease.
The 2013 eNonprofit Benchmarks Study said these numbers suggested that online programs were attracting a bigger audience and were bringing in more donations than ever before; monthly online giving increased by 43%.
Moreover, nonprofits kept attracting social media users. The number of Twitter followers grew by 264% over the past year, while the number of Facebook fans expanded by 46%.
Still, email lists continue to dominate in size, the report said. For every 1,000 email subscribers, groups in the study had 149 Facebook fans and 53 Twitter followers.
The report collected data about email messaging, email list size, fundraising, online advocacy, Facebook, Twitter and mobile programs from 55 U.S.-based national nonprofits.
The results were not all positive. Email response rates declined by 21% last year.
Click-through rates fell by 27%, resulting in a 21% drop in fundraising response rates. Advocacy response rates fell by 8%, hitting rights and international groups hardest.
The report said real-world events outside the control of any organization's email program could account for the decreased in response rates.
"Aggressive electoral campaigns, a relative shortage of major legislative battles compared to 2011, and the lack of a major international humanitarian crisis in the news may have hurt responsiveness for some organizations," it said.
The report noted that lower response rates were also part of a long-term trend in the study in which fundraising response rates have never increased from year to year. It said this might be driven in part by the practice of continuing to send fundraising messages to unresponsive email addresses over long periods.