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Bessarabien: Deutsche Kolonisten am Schwarzen Meer
Book Review by Allyn Brosz
Schmidt, Ute. Bessarabien Deutsche Kolonisten am Schwarzen Meer. Deutsches Kulturforum östliches Europa, Postdam, Germany, 2008.
Dr. Ute Schmidt's comprehensive history of the Germans in Bessarabia is a welcome addition to the literature of the ethnic Germans in southeastern Europe. To be sure, the Heimatbuch der Bessarabiendeutschen remains a valuable resource. Many good village history books, village family registers [Ortssippenbücher], and family histories focusing on the German minority in this area of the world have also been published over the years. Now Dr. Ute Schmidt has synthesized this material to present an integrated history of the Bessarabian Germans -- the best that has appeared in more than forty years. It is written in German for a general audience, nicely complementing the Heimatbuch der Bessarabiendeutschen.
Some writers have conflated the histories of the Bessarabian and Black Sea Germans in a manner that often confuses more than it clarifies. The Bessarabian Germans shared some history with the Black Sea Germans because of their geographical proximity, but important differences set them apart. The tsarist manifesto opening Bessarabia for settlement in 1813 was issued almost a decade later than the 1804 manifesto that opened immigration to the Black Sea provinces of Cherson and Taurida. Sizeable groups of immigrants came to Bessarabia from Württemberg, either directly or after a brief interlude in South Prussia (i. e., the Warsaw colonists), and others arrived from the north German states. In contrast, the Black Sea colonies contained proportionally more settlers from Alsace and the Palatinate. In religious terms, the pietistic movement was more deeply rooted in Bessarabia, while the Reformed Church generally found more support among the Black Sea colonists. Finally, however, it was the political settlement after World War I that ultimately set the Bessarabian and Black Sea Germans on radically different paths. The Black Sea colonists were subsumed in the Soviet sphere of influence, subjected in turn to civil war, collectivization, famine, and the Great Terror. The Bessarabian Germans escaped most of that; they were abruptly separated from the newly-formed Soviet Union and their territory was ceded to Rumania. Theirs was by no means an easy fate, however, because the Germans in Bessarabia felt the mounting pressure of a resurgent Rumanian nationalism during the 1920s and 1930s as they were expected to assimilate into the greater Rumanian society.
Dr. Ute Schmidt has written this history for a general audience. It is much more approachable than her 2005 magisterial, scholarly study, Die Deutschen aus Bessarabien: Eine Minderheit aus Südosteuropa (1814 bis heute). That study focused primarily on the resettlement experiences of the Bessarabian Germans and their assimilation into postwar German society. The strength of Dr. Schmidt's current book lies in her presentation of the unique history of the Germans in Bessarabia within the broader context of geopolitical tensions between Russia and its western European neighbors. She paints with a broad brush and there are passages that could have benefited from more detail and specific examples. I hope there will be sufficient demand for this book to allow Dr. Schmidt to expand the book in a second edition.
Dr. Schmidt begins by outlining the historical forces that have shaped this international crossroads since antiquity. Successive chapters deal with broad and important themes affecting the Germans in Bessarabia: settlement and settlement conditions; special administrative oversight and local self-government; religious and church life; the German school system in Bessarabia; agriculture, animal husbandry, and viniculture; handicrafts, industry, trade, and infrastructure; village life; custom and culture; population expansion and the occupational and social structure of the Germans in Bessarabia; the Germans in an ethnically and culturally diverse Bessarabia; Russian policy during the period between the suspension of special administrative oversight in 1871 until the Russian Revolution of February 1917; the period of Rumanian rule from 1918 to 1940; resettlement, flight, and integration into postwar Germany. The final section, "Bessarabia after 1940 until the present – impressions from a divided land," offers an up-to-date assessment of the land that the Germans left behind.
Appendices include lists of loan words in the dialect of the Bessarabian Germans, bibliographic sources, people, places, images, and tables. A time table and a concordance are also included. The book is richly illustrated throughout, containing more than 260 color and black and white photographs. Even if you don't speak a word of German, or if you manage to get through this book only with the help of a well-worn German-English dictionary, the book is worth having in your personal library just for the images. The twenty rare color photographs of the 1940 resettlement are, by themselves, worth the price of the book.
In summary, this is a first-rate book and should be on the bookshelf of anyone who is interested in the history, culture, and destiny of the Bessarabian Germans. It is, without question, the authoritative history of the Germans in Bessarabia. An English-language translation for the sizeable North American readership would be very welcome.


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Rob Manfred
C/O Commissioner's Office in 38 days and signed a baseball.
Cool return from the current MLB commissioner for the price of .48 and he sent a signed baseball. Cant really beat getting a signed sweet spot baseball for one stamp and a letter.
Demarcus Ware
C/O Dallas Cowboys in 651 days and signed 2/2
One of the longest return dates I have gotten. Im very surprised that this one came back since he moved teams and he must have forwarded his mail to Denver. A very cool return from one of the best pass rushers of the decade.
Datone Jones
C/O Green Bay Packers in 360 & 591 days and signed 3/3 & 4/4 in two separate requests.
Always like getting the current Packers ttm. He's not a real good signer IP based on my experience going to training camp the past couple of years. He personalizes everything he signs which is fine with me and Im glad to get everything I have sent to him after the long waits.
Calvin Johnson
C/O Detroit Lions in 43 days and signed 4/4
A awesome success from the best WR in the NFL. This is the third time I have sent to him and Im very happy to finally get him on four cards for my collection.
Donald Driver
C/O Green Bay Packers in 40 days and signed 1/4
I saw a success on another forum getting him through the Packers address and when I saw that I sent a request to him right away and was luck enough to get him back for my Packers collection. One of my favorite Packer players of all-time.
Jordy Nelson
C/O Green Bay Packers in 396 days and signed 1/1
Sent this out about the same time last year after seeing successes and after a long wait was able to get him on a photo. Unfortunately, the photo cam back badly smeared, and I will probably send out another photo in the near future.
Three Blackhawks returns in since the last update
Troy Murray
C/O Chicago Blackhawks in 71 days and signed 7/7
Al Secord
C/O in Home Address in 77 days and signed 3/3
Michel Goulet
C/O Home Address in 22 days and signed 6/6 and included a signed 4x6 photo
Ovince Saint Preux
C/O Gym Address in 293 days and signed 4/4
A cool return from an up and coming fighter. Unfortunately, he signed the cards in back (except the card on the bottom right) and in purple. Will probably send again soon.
Cole Escovedo
C/O Pacific Martial Arts in 30 days and signed 4/4
A nice return for my 2011 Moment of Truth set. Signed both of the MOT Gold cards on the back. He was also nice enough to inscribe his nickname "The Appache Kid" on all four cards.
Mackens Semerzier
C/O LINXX Academy in 29 days and signed 2/2
Another return for my set, signed nicely in bronze sharpie with his nickname signed on the back of the cards.

subset: commoncrawl


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Trusses are the future.The only way to build homes is with roof trusses.
The only way to build and design your own roof truss designs is to research your idea on what you are looking for. There will be a few different ways to figure out where to start. If you don´t want to do it your self then the manufactures would love to talk to you and get what you are looking for. The first roof truss was stick built from lumber just like stick framing but with wood gussets as plates until metal plates were made. Now you can find roof truss designs almost anywhere
Wood roof trusses have been used in residential constructionfor over 26 years. In more remote locations they are built on-site and the joints covered what is called plywood gussets, and nailed according to engineers. This research reviewed and updated the design and nailing standards, particularly in regards rain and snow load. The updating provides useful information for all of who build trusses on-site.
Web Members: The web members of a roof truss designs divide it into triangles. The members indicated by heavy lines normally carry stresses for vertical loads. The top chords of these roof truss designs slope slightly in one or two directions for roof drainage, but this does not change the type of truss. The necessary number of subdivisions, or panels, depends on the length of the span.
If you can find what you are looking for check my other webpages.
Once again, modern materials and techniques have come to the rescue, so today we use attic trusses in trussed roof loft conversions to replace bulky timber webs and free up loft space.
Contact Us
Site Map
©Copyright 2006 Roof Truss Designs


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Antibiotics kill bacteria or prevent them from reproducing.
Doctors use antibiotics to treat
pneumonia caused by bacteria. There are many types of antibiotics. Your doctor will decide which antibiotic will work best for you.
Doctors do not use tetracyclines for children younger than age 8. These medicines can discolor a child's teeth.
Doctors use vancomycin to treat people who are in the hospital for severe infections that do not respond to other antibiotics.
In general, all antibiotics used have a high cure rate for pneumonia caused by bacteria. Cure rates are greater than 80%, meaning at least 80 people out of 100 are cured.1
Vancomycin is effective against some types of bacteria that have become resistant to other antibiotics.
You most likely will have some improvement in symptoms 2 to 3 days after treatment begins. Unless you get worse during that time, treatment is not changed for at least 3 days. The number of days you keep taking antibiotics depends on your illness and the type of antibiotic.
All medicines have side effects. But many people don't feel the side effects, or they are able to deal with them. Ask your pharmacist about the side effects of each medicine you take. Side effects are also listed in the information that comes with your medicine.
Here are some important things to think about:
Call 911 or other emergency services right away if you have:
Call your doctor right away if you have:
Common side effects of this medicine include:
Some fluoroquinolones may make it easier to get a sunburn when you are taking them. Avoid direct sunlight and tanning salons while you are taking these fluoroquinolones and for 5 days after you have stopped taking them.
A large study shows that people who take erythromycin along with certain common medicines may increase their risk of sudden cardiac death.2 The study shows that the risk of sudden cardiac death is greater when erythromycin is taken with some medicines that inhibit certain liver enzymes—such as some calcium channel blockers, some antifungal medicines, medicines to stop vomiting, and some antidepressants—than when erythromycin is taken by itself.
Vancomycin can cause hearing loss. This is rare. But it has occurred in people who received excessive doses or who have kidney disease. Hearing loss also has occurred in people who were taking another medicine that may cause hearing loss or who already had some hearing loss.
See Drug Reference for a full list of side effects. (Drug Reference is not available in all systems.)
Antibiotics cannot always kill bacteria (antibiotic resistance), in part because they are used too much or are used incorrectly. You can help prevent antibiotic resistance by taking all of your medicine as directed, even if you feel better after a few days. If you stop taking your medicine too soon, bacteria that are not killed in the first few days of treatment can grow stronger and become resistant to the antibiotic.
Doctors are careful about the use of vancomycin, because it is the only antibiotic that can kill some types of bacteria. Using vancomycin too often can lead to antibiotic resistance in these bacteria.
Medicine is one of the many tools your doctor has to treat a health problem. Taking medicine as your doctor suggests will improve your health and may prevent future problems. If you don't take your medicines properly, you may be putting your health (and perhaps your life) at risk.
There are many reasons why people have trouble taking their medicine. But in most cases, there is something you can do. For suggestions on how to work around common problems, see the topic Taking Medicines as Prescribed.
If you are pregnant, breast-feeding, or planning to get pregnant, do not use any medicines unless your doctor tells you to. Some medicines can harm your baby. This includes prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, herbs, and supplements. And make sure that all your doctors know that you are pregnant, breast-feeding, or planning to get pregnant.
Follow-up care is a key part of your treatment and safety. Be sure to make and go to all appointments, and call your doctor if you are having problems. It's also a good idea to know your test results and keep a list of the medicines you take.
Complete the new medication information form (PDF)(What is a PDF document?) to help you understand this medication.
CitationsLoeb M (2010). Community-acquired pneumonia, search date January 2010. Online version of BMJ Clinical Evidence: http://www.clinicalevidence.com.Ray WA, et al. (2004). Oral erythromycin and the risk of sudden death from cardiac causes. New England Journal of Medicine, 351(11): 1089–1096.
Last Revised:
March 17, 2011
Healthwise Staff
Medical Review:
E. Gregory Thompson, MD - Internal Medicine & R. Steven Tharratt, MD, MPVM, FACP, FCCP - Pulmonology, Critical Care Medicine, Medical Toxicology
This information does not replace the advice of a doctor. Healthwise, Incorporated disclaims any warranty or liability for your use of this information. Your use of this information means that you agree to the Terms of Use. How this information was developed to help you make better health decisions.
To learn more visit Healthwise.org
© 1995-2012 Healthwise, Incorporated. Healthwise, Healthwise for every health decision, and the Healthwise logo are trademarks of Healthwise, Incorporated.


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H1N1 confirmed in at least 3 Harris deaths
The first three deaths from H1N1 virus have been confirmed in Houston, officials with the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences said Friday.
Test results returned Friday that showed the cause of death for three men, ages 45, 50 and 53, was the H1N1 influenza virus, said the agency's spokeswoman Tricia Bentley. One man died Nov. 28, another died the next day and the last man died on Dec. 9.
Two of the three had significant underlying health conditions including hypertensive cardiovascular disease and obesity, she said.
People with underlying health conditions are at more risk of developing complications from the flu, including death, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The death confirmations come after Montgomery County officials confirmed their second case of H1N1 virus earlier this week. The unidentified patient is being treated at an area hospital, spokeswoman Jennifer Nichols-Contella said in a written statement. Officials are also performing further testing in six other cases, including the deaths of four people who suffered flu-like symptoms.
Texas public health officials say every region of the state, including Montgomery and Harris counties, is seeing intense flu activity this season, which could result, as in past years, in at least several hundred deaths.
In Harris County, hospital emergency room visits for flu-like symptoms are at a five-year high.


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Card info: Cardstock (Bazzill), Paper (KI Memories), Stickers (Making Memories), Ribbon (Michael's brand), Rhinestones (Glitz Designs & Westrim Crafts), Stamps (Inque Boutique), Ink (StazOn & Clearsnap), and Border Punch (Fiskars).
So, I had to use a ruler, pencil lines, and scissors to complete this card! I went to start it on Wednesday night...and when I went to use my trimmer....it ripped up the peice of paper I was trying to cut. Looking closer at the trimmer (I have the MM Precision Trimmer), the blade had been pushed out of the correct cutting position, and would not go back. Something must have fallen on it pretty hard during the car ride home this weekend. It was fairly late on Wednesday night, so there was no way to get a trimmer...so I had to go old school. I know you are probably thinking...why the heck did she not use a metal ruler and an exacto knife?! Trust me when I say....I can't cut a straight line to save my life with those two tools. So- time to go get a new trimmer. Hopefully there will be a coupon on Sunday for M's! :)
So, that is all I have done this week...other than putting things away, trying to find room for all the stuff I came home with...etc. I needed a bit of a break this week, so I watched the Olympics instead of scrapping. I love the Olympics...but boy are they exhausting me! Going until midnight or later this week...but I don't want to miss a thing, so I stay up and watch! I have to give a big WHOO HOOO for Nastia and Shawn for USA Women's gymnastics last night for taking Gold and Silver...and for competing HONESTLY. There is no way those girls from China are the age of 16 like they are supposed to be. Did you notice in the team event that quite a few of them are still losing teeth and growing in permanent teeth? Pretty sure I had all my permanent teeth AND braces off by the age of 16. I find that so irritating, and I really hope the IOC looks into it once the games are over and all atheletes are safe at home.
Have a happy weekend!


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POLYTECH Health & Aesthetics silicone gel and silicone-gel sheets are used for the prevention and treatment of hypertrophic scars, keloids and erythema occurring as aftereffects of burns, operations, accidents, dermabrasion, chemical or laser peeling.
The silicone gel and sheets diminish the height of scars, improve scar elasticity, reduce contractures, lighten the color of erythema, and are effective also on persistent scars. They are easy to apply in a pain- and risk-free therapy.
For more information on the product, please download the product leaflet (PDF).


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Dancing With The Stars Peta Murgatroyd Covers 2013 Winter Issue Of BHL Magazine
What do you think of this photo of Dancing With The Stars Peta Murgatroyd on the cover of 2013 BHL Magazine's 2013 Winter issue? Sometimes she reminds me so much of Madonna. Fashion stylist Toni Ferrara posted this cover of Peta at his Facebook page. Peta is also featuring it at her facebook page. If you like what you see, be sure to inquire about receiving this issue of BHL Magazine here. Gorgeous!!


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Nicki Minaj derailed the "American Idol" auditions in Charlotte, North Carolina Tuesday, after swearing at Mariah Carey and threatening, "I'm gonna knock you out" ... sources tell TMZ.
In the footage, obtained by TMZ, Nicki is clearly furious ... shouting, "I told them I'm not f*ckin' putting up with her f**kin' highness over there."
Sources say Nicki later threatened to "knock out" Mariah ... but she said it before the video starts.
It all went down while the two were sitting at the judge's table ... with Keith Urban sitting in between them and Randy Jackson sitting on the far end, next to Mariah.
We're told the whole thing exploded over a disagreement over a contestant's performance.
Listen closely as you play the video ... you'll hear
Nicki Get this s**t in self control. Get in control. Get in control.
Randy Settle down, settle down
Nicki Don't lose your head. Don't lose your head (inaudible). Don't tell me I'm a gangster.
Nicki (inaudible) every 5 minutes. So every time you patronize me, I'm-ma take it back, and if you've got a f**king problem, handle it.
Nicki I told them I'm not f**kin' putting up with her f**king highness over there. Figure it the f**k out. Figure it out.
Nicki I'm not gonna sit here every f**king minute to have you come down and harass me every minute everyday.
Mariah is talking back at Nicki but it's hard to hear what she's saying.
According to our friends at MouthToEars.com, producers ended the auditions for the day so the two judges could cool down. We've confirmed that happened.
Big wigs on the show seem uncharacteristically upset by the blow up. It seems producers are worried about Mariah and Nicki co-existing for the long haul.
Source: Tmz


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Vance - Caught Up On Your X [R&B Label Submitted]
"Strategic Media Entertainment Recording Artist "Vance" Featuri WORLD PREMIERE Of "Caught Up On Your X!!!!!! Available On iTunes Dec 1st 2011"
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The numbers don't lie. Since the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market moved from its temporary site at Green Street to the Ferry Building our gross receipts have fallen. Meanwhile, our farm's costs, like labor, diesel, insurance, electricity, seeds, and supplies continue to rise. If I thought that raising prices for our vegetables would make our farmers market stall more profitable I would do so, but I doubt that charging more is going to make much difference over the long haul. This candid posting about the Ferry Plaza Market from the Yelp web site by "Toro E." in April, 2006, is instructive. After making glowing comments about the market's setting and the prepared foods Toro writes, " I usually leave the place with only few things in my hand. I know many people do all their grocery shopping here, but I think it's easier to get that done at Trader Joe's, throwing bags in the car trunk rather than lugging it back from Ferry Plaza walking. "
The market has changed. Many farms have changed with it by turning their attention towards providing value added products like juices, preserves, herbal salts, and snacks that can be eaten out of hand. We've changed at Mariquita Farm too, by focusing on serving the restaurant trade to make up for lost retail sales. I figure that if I can't sell fresh vegetables to diners and tourists, then I'll sell my vegetables to the chefs that cook for them. But with a selection of bulky, fresh, wet, dripping, heavy crops that need to be prepared, we are ill suited to take advantage of the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market's upscale retail demographics. Vegetables we don't sell at market can't go back into inventory the way salted nuts or frozen juices can, but have to be counted as a loss against the day's sales. The farms that we compete with at market for the cooking public's vegetable dollars are better than they've ever been too, and there are more of them. Sometimes the hardest business decision to make well is to decide when to quit. Ego gets in the way.
Julia and I are proud of the contribution that our farm has made to the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market over the years. We've been there since the beginning. We're bowing out now, but my ego isn't sore. I'm not quitting farming, I'm just changing how we do business. Our farm is stable and solvent. I'm sad, because over the years Julia and I have made many friends in San Francisco, and we won't be able to see them every week any more. Saturday at the farmers market has been the high point of our social lives for years, and no matter whether Julia or I went to the market, the first question we've always asked each other when the truck got back to the ranch wasn't, "How much money did you make?" but "Who did you see?"
Thinking back, it's hard to fix on any moment that was the high point of the farmers market for me. I remember once I was able to display a harvest of strawberries, sweet peas, basil, lavender, mint, and thyme all at once, and the fragrance was almost overwhelming. Customers stopped in front of the stall like I'd clubbed them with a mallet. One woman, who worked as a Muni driver, said that my stall smelled so good it made her want to cry. That was a nice morning.
I remember, too, the first time I sold vegetables to Mr. Lawrence Ferlinghetti. I grew up in the middle of nowhere, and San Francisco always seemed as distant to me as Constantinople. In high school, when I was 15, our class took a field trip to the Steinhart Aquarium, and I slipped away from the schools of fish and crossed town for a pilgrimage to the City Lights Bookstore. My literature teacher, Wally LeValley, had been a taxi driver in North Beach during the poetry renaissance, and he turned me on to the Beat writers. Mr. Ferlinghetti. had a lot of moxie to take on the Federal Government and fight for the right for the right to publish Ginsberg's poem Howl. He won that battle so that any of us can publish uncensored poetry! That was a real Patriot Act. So years later, when Mr. Ferlinghetti came to my stall for broccoli and cippolini, it made me feel good to have something for sale that he appreciated.
All the years in the Ferry Plaza Farmers market gave me a chance to meet a lot of interesting San Franciscans, but some of the most pleasant times at every market have been the moments at dawn just before the people showed up when I could step back and admire all the colors and smells and shapes in my vegetable display. I'd pause for a moment, and then, back at Green Street, the flock of parrots from Telegraph Hill would swoop over the market, right on schedule, squawking and scandalizing in their flight as they made their way to their hidden gardens. Then the crowds would pour into the parking lot, and the day would be a blur until I'd get home and tell Julia who I'd seen.
Customers who've shopped with us since the beginning can remember how many times I've changed our farm's mix of products over the years. I started out with salad greens and tomatoes, then turned to herbs, flowers and strawberries, and more lately focused on bunched greens and heirloom Italian vegetables. It's never enough to just grow vegetables to survive as a farmer. The challenge of farming is to change as fast as the marketplace does. The only thing that doesn't change is the fact that everything always changes. Like the poet said, "He not busy being born is busy dying." We're not dying at Mariquita Farm, we're just molting.
Julia and I plan to focus ourselves on Two Small Farms community supported agriculture program that we run in partnership with High Ground Organic Farms, and we intend to improve service to our restaurant account. Julia and I are going to keep putting out our Ladybug Letter because it's a project we enjoy doing together, and we've started a blog because we want to stay in touch with the people we've met as best we can. Look for a newsletter article soon on how Mariquita Farm goats are working to restore native California coastal prairie habitat at High Ground Organic Farm in Watsonville.
And we're going to continue to open Mariquita Farm up to the public for u-picks and open houses. This summer I hope to host America's first Pimiento de Padron u-pick. Maybe I can convince one of my chef friends to come and toast some peppers in a skillet so that we can all enjoy tapas. Laura Kummerer, the native plant specialist who is guiding the habitat restoration project at High Ground with my goats, is planning to host a no charge field trip to show any interested people what we're up to. High Ground is a gorgeous ranch, so I encourage you to visit. Check our next newsletter or our blog for details of this, and other events. When my crop of red flowered fava beans is ready to harvest I'd like to share the seed with gardeners who would like to help me pick and clean the crop. Details tba when the beans begin to dry.
The Ferry Plaza Farmers Market has been good to us over the years, and any number of times a good day at market helped us make payroll. Julia and I can feel confident as we evolve our new marketing strategy in part because we have met so many chefs and restauranteurs at market over the years. It is our hope that another small farm can take our space and grow into a strong, sustainable business by taking advantage of the unique opportunity that the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market offers. I'm grateful for the opportunity I had to serve on the Ferry Plaza Board. It was a great education. I want to thank all of you for your support over the years, and I especially want to thank farmers market's founding Executive Director, Ms. Sibella Kraus, for inviting us into the market in the first place. I'm grateful for all the work the C.U.E.S.A. staff puts in on behalf of farmers like us and I'm thankful to Dexter Carmichael, the manager, for all the hard work he's put in over the years. Thanks again. I'll miss you all. Andy
here's a gift to all our 'frequent market customers': a virtual farm bouquet of unexpected agricultural flowers
Julia's note: I'll MISS THE MARKET. And…. we hope to see many of our frequent customers and friends down on our farm when we have open days, and at dinners we'll attend and host with restaurants we sell to. -julia


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About PGEddington
I'll withhold final judgement on the pending Conyers-Sensenbrenner bill until I see the bill text, but here's a reality check based on the summary provided thus far by the bill's authors:
Conyers-Sensenbrenner would leave the Surveillance State intact. It would NOT restore the probable cause-based warrant standard required by the Fourth Amendment.
Conyers-Sensenbrenner does not end the PATRIOT Act's "sneak and peak" search provision, the expansive use of "national security letters", or abolish the radical "material support" provision that was used to prosecute staff of the Humanitarian Law Project in California.
Conyers-Sensenbrenner does not even address the NSA encryption subversion scheme.
Conyers-Sensenbrenner provides no protections for national security whistleblowers like Snowden or Drake--and this debate would not even be happening without the disclosures those men have made.
Conyers-Sensenbrenner does nothing to strengthen oversight mechanisms to actually provide the public with some assurance that the bulk collection schemes really will end.
And it's chances of actually getting to the House floor? Right now, zero. Boehner, Cantor and Goodlatte (House Judiciary chairman) are all apostles of the Surveillance State. So is the leadership of HPSCI (which would have to clear the bill as well since it clearly falls within HPSCI's purview).
So a lot of time and energy is going to be expended promoting a bill that 1) leaves the Surveillance State intact, 2) does not address other critical abuses revealed by Snowden, et. al., and 3) has no prayer of making it out of the Judiciary Committee, much less to the House floor.
If you want to see what a real reform bill looks like, check out the Surveillance State Repeal Act (HR 2818).
Want to take away some of Keith's toys? Get your House member to co-sponsor HR 2818, the Surveillance State Repeal Act.
Based on Tim's observations and some of the comments I've read, I thought I'd try to provide a little more context for some of the provisions, and also to offer the updated version of the bill that will actually be posted officially next week:
You will note that we actually have the House and Senate Judiciary Committees as committees whistleblowers can make covered disclosures to (Sections 9 and 10). This has long been an objective of Rep. Holt's and goes back to his experience on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence (HPSCI). Rep. Holt always felt that the Judiciary Committee should be just as involved in these matters as HPSCI, particularly with respect to dealing with whistleblowers.
As a former CIA whistleblower, I can attest personally for the need for these kind of changes.
Additionally, this bill--for the first time--creates specific statutory authority for the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to be involved in real oversight of the Intelligence Community (IC). Currently, the CIA Act of 1949 (among other statutes) bars GAO from conducting audits and investigations within the IC components that actually have a hands-on role (i.e. either analytically or operationally). Rep. Holt has been pushing this change for years, for obvious reasons.
Tim is correct that our intent in increasing the terms of FISC judges and allowing for their reappointment is designed to help increase their overall expertise in this area of the law and technology, which is complex to say the least. The Special Master provision was inspired by Judge Thomas Pennfield Jackson's use of them during DoJ-Microsoft anti-trust trial in the late 1990s. However, we recognize that the specific reforms proposed in this particular bill are just some that need to be made. We picked these because there is ample precedent for what we're proposing, and because we are considering follow on legislation that will more broadly reform the FISC.
I should also note that the pre-9/11 version of FISA actually worked perfectly well, as the 9/11 Commission itself noted in its report. One of the points Rep. Holt has made repeatedly is that 9/11 happened not because of a lack of information, but because the federal intelligence and law enforcement communities failed to share the information they had. As Senators Wyden and Udall have noted, the claims that these additional authorities have actually prevented attacks is at best grossly exaggerated and at worst demonstrably false.
As for the bill's chances, I'd offer the following observation: before Snowden's revelations, there was zero discussion about changing these laws because they had just been reauthorized in the last Congress. Snowden, along with some other developments (a federal judge declaring PATRIOT Act national security letters unconstitutional earlier this year) has created a different climate. As Glenn Greenwald has made clear, there will be other revelations in the coming weeks and months. As that unfolds, you will likely see public and Congressional opinion shift even further towards repealing much more, if not most, of the post-9/11 surveillance laws. That pattern is exactly how FISA came to be in 1978.
One final thought. It is true that virtually no bill that is introduced is ever enacted in exactly the form in which it was first offered. What is also true is that if people support the standard that this bill represents, they should call their House/Senate members (202-224-3121) or email them and ask them to co-sponsor HR 2818, the Surveillance State Repeal Act.
Happy to answer further questions on this thread or you can contact me thus:
Patrick Eddington
Senior Policy Advisor
Office of Rep. Rush Holt
1214 Longworth House Office Building
U.S. House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515
202-225-5801 (office)
I have an idea. Why not ask everybody who cares about ending the Surveillance State to 1) email/call/Tweet Senator Wyden & thank him for being a champion on civil liberties and 2) ask him to NEVER lift his hold on the bill (which would ensure it expires). We don't need a debate about a law that has gutted the Fourth Amendment...we need to kill the law.


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RTC NBA Draft Profiles: Terrico WhitePosted by rtmsf on June 23rd, 2010
Over the course of the next month until the NBA Draft on June 24, RTC will be rolling out comprehensive profiles of the 30-35 collegians we feel have the best chance to hear their names called by David Stern in the first round that night. There won't be any particular order to the list, but you can scroll back through all the finished profiles by clicking here.
Player Name: Terrico White
School: Mississippi
Height/Weight: 6'5, 203
NBA Position: Shooting Guard
Projected Draft Range: Late First Round
Overview: Combo guard Terrico White stepped onto the Ole Miss campus with a top 100 ranking as a high school senior, the Tennessee AAA Mr. Basketball crown, and the hope of Rebel supporters that he'd inject a little hoops excitement into Oxford. He didn't disappoint during his freshman year, taking over at point guard after teammate Chris Warren was injured — a move that definitely suited his game — and won SEC Freshman of the Year honors. Many fans were disappointed in his sophomore campaign, citing decreased numbers across the board, but that has to be attributed to going back to playing shooting guard, and to the presence of a returned Warren and a couple of improved teammates in Murphy Holloway and Eniel Polynice. He will play mostly SG in the NBA, but his turns at PG really showed off his entire game better.
Will Translate to the NBA: He's got great pace bringing the ball up the floor on the break, and the one of the best parts of his game is that he's able to pull up and drain a jumper or juke his defender and drive to the basket with no fear. He gets down so low when he breaks down a defender, we mean it as a compliment when we say that he may be 6'5, but at times plays shorter than that. He knows how to use a screen to his advantage and loves coming off the curl to go straight up or use his quick first step to dart by his defender. Also, he has great one-on-one skill, which only increases his NBA marketability.


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As a pre-law student and a feminist, the antics of defense attorneys in rape trials is always of particular interest. I've been sitting on these stories for about a week now, formulating my response. Without further ado, a glimpse inside how the American legal system dispenses justice to those lying sluts and the poor slandered men:
1. Ask trick questions
From abyss2hope:
"Did you have sexual intercourse with Mr. Vanderbeek?" [defense attorney Maureen] Coggins asked the alleged victim. She replied that she had not.
Coggins then asked that the charges be dismissed. Greth denied the motion. Coggins then asked that the alleged victim take the stand again for a clarification. The alleged victim then testified that she had engaged in sexual intercourse, but that it was not consensual.
First of all, rape is not sexual intercourse. I would hope that a defense attorney would be aware of this fact. Doubtless, Coggins was aiming for a dismissal regardless of the answer. If she had said yes, then the term "sexual intercourse" implies consent. When she said no, that implies—falsely and only to someone with no legal training or common sense—that no penetration took place (which is doubly absurd, because many forms of sexual abuse do not require vaginal penetration). The only dismissal that I think would be appropriate in this instance is the dismissal of Coggins from her job.
2. Ban the use of the word "rape"
If I thought that the above was horrible, I was sorely mistaken when I discovered via Jezebel and Shakesville that if you have a vagina, and someone sticks a penis in it without your permission, you are not allowed to call that "rape" in a courtroom lest you bias the poor stupid jurors:
It's the only way Tory Bowen knows to honestly describe what happened to her.
She was raped.
But a judge prohibited her from uttering the word "rape" in front of a jury. The term "sexual assault" also was taboo, and Bowen could not refer to herself as a victim or use the word "assailant" to describe the man who allegedly raped her.
The defendant's presumption of innocence and right to a fair trial trumps Bowen's right of free speech, said the Lincoln, Neb., judge who issued the order.
This boggles the mind. How else are you supposed to describe the crime committed against you on the stand? This kind of shit is akin to an assault case in which the witness is forced to say that he "accepted a fist offered to my face" instead of "the defendant punched me". Witnesses and victims are supposed to testify honestly and completely to the best of their abilities. Banning the use of the only word that describes what happened is absolutely ludicrous, and not only implies that the defendant had consensual sex, but also that the witness is lying. Which brings me to my next point:
3. Force victims to perjure themselves to protect rapists
Using "sexual intercourse" to describe rape is completely inaccurate because it misses an extremely relevant point: the lack of consent. Defense attorneys are not required to use the term "rape", so why are prosecuting attorneys finding that they must use a term that implies no crime took place?
Simple: because in the minds of rape apologist judges, no crime took place. The only crime is that some disgusting whore is out to ruin a poor upstanding boy's life for her shame over giving it up too soon. The best way to make sure that the jurors understand the horrible crime that is being perpetuated against the innocent victim of a liar is to require the "liar" to use a term that implies consent, which then implies that she filed a false report.
Of course, to anyone with half a brain, this method of victim blaming is called perjury and is extremely and blatantly illegal. Like I said above, if defense lawyers and judges are not willing to conduct trials without a working knowledge of the nuances of the English language and the crime they are discussing, they should be disbarred.
4. Load the jury pool
Via The Curvature's coverage of how a defense attorney selected his jurors:
"Would you take into consideration that none of these young women, when they were removed from the situation, called 911?" he asked a potential juror. Parrinello asked other potential jurors if they would consider that there were "no eyewitnesses" and "no DNA" and that none of the alleged victims had gone to the hospital to have what's called a "rape kit" examination for signs of assault and evidence.
[District attorney] Tantillo, meanwhile, asked potential jurors if they would consider that the girls might have been too scared to immediately report what had happened to them or even confused.
Parrinello later asked the panel of potential jurors: "Does anybody know what's so confusing about whether or not you've been raped?"
Hey, I might be new to this legal game, but I'm pretty certain you can be disbarred for loading the jury in a case against a Muslim with jurors that are blatantly and unashamedly racist. The same principle should, but doesn't, apply to rape trials: you don't load the jury pool with jurors that have ignorant assumptions about rape and rape victims.
5. Question the testimony with medieval assumptions about intercourse and scare the jury
Parrinello is expected to crack away at the alleged victims' credibility, drawing attention to the fact that three of them had consensual sexual relations with Wido before the alleged attacks. "How do you know any of them said 'no'?" he said.
The defense attorney pointed out that the women were slow in notifying authorities and said there is no DNA evidence or eyewitnesses, "no credible evidence." He asked the jury: "Is this a rush to judgment? Is this a slanted prosecution? Is this a Duke lacrosse prosecution?"
A good defense attorney would attempt to prove that the sexual encounter in question was consensual. Parrinello, however, goes for the tried and true, "once consensual, always consensual" tactic. I remain completely unaware of any sort of legal statute that states once I have sex with someone, I am not allowed to withdraw or withhold consent for the rest of my natural life. The assumption Parrinello makes here harkens back to a not-so-distant past in which men owned their wives because they had consummated their marriage. Since marriage is not a precursor to sex today, apparently a man does not have to buy a shiny bobble before he claims ownership over her body forevermore. All he has to do is get her to consent to sex once!
If the jury was not taken in by the throwback reference to the fact that women are property, they must be scared into submission by reference to the Duke lacrosse prosecution. To this day, I am not entirely certain that the Duke lacrosse players were innocent or guilty. As Cara over at The Curvature says, the Duke case has become the new "women are lying whores!" rallying cry. What a reference like this does is circumvent the question of the accused's innocence or guilt. It plays upon the jury's hesitance to wrap their minds around the fact that such a popular, attractive, white athlete could commit such a crime. It also asks, "are you willing to ruin this guy's life just because he probably raped someone?" After all, sports before justice. A man's right to rape and play sports is always more important than a woman's right to say no and seek justice.
6. Just plain harass and verbally abuse the victims
If all of the above fails—which it probably will not—the defense attorney can just become a pedantic asshat to make sure that all rape victims know what awaits them lest they seek justice (via MPN Now):
While the prosecution witness — one of Wido's three alleged rape victims — was still seated, the argument began, with Parrinello at one point highlighting previous testimony that she had willingly performed a sexual act on Wido in the weeks before the alleged rape — only Parrinello used crude, street language to describe the act, drawing out both Tantillo and the judge, William Kocher.
"What Mr. Parrinello just did was outrageous in the presence of this witness!" Tantillo shouted, calling it "abusive," "harassing," and "disgusting."
Parrinello fired back, "You know that's what happened — I'm not making it up… I have a right of free speech."
Parrinello then briskly approached the judge, coming within a few feet of his bench and pointing his finger while defending his actions. A security guard rushed to Parrinello's side.
"I want him away from me," Parrinello told the judge of the guard. Then Parrinello pointed at the guard, face to face, and hollered, "You're not to get near me."
Parrinello then told the judge: "He's not going to intimidate me. If he does it again, we're going to have a big problem: I'll have him arrested."
Judge Kocher ordered the defense attorney not to "make such editorial comments" and asked him several times if he understood. Repeatedly, Parrinello told the judge that no, he did not.
Amid the fiery exchange of words, the alleged rape victim began to wipe tears from her eyes, eventually breaking into sobs. The young woman was led out of the courtroom by Sarah Utter, the victim and witness advocate from the D.A.'s office.
The best way to shut those uppity women up is to be a violent loud jerk and reduce her to tears. Threatening judges and guards is also highly effective. Nothing feels better to a woman reliving her rape through testimony than a defense attorney that describes you and the situation as vulgarly as possible, and then lambastes from his arrogant soapbox about his right to be an abusive moron. Which, of course, would be:
7. Defend your antics with the highly ironic appeal to the First Amendment
I hope you caught that bolded passage in the quote above. Parrinello thinks that he has more of a right to the First Amendment than the victim. Oh the appalling irony! Why is it that when I see someone invoke the First Amendment, they are nearly always white men defending their right to be pedantic abusive asshats? I have a shocking idea: how about we use the First Amendment to protect the victims from perjury instead of defending an egomanic defense attorney?
And so, there you have it, the reason why only 16% of rapes are reported to the police, 8% of reported rapes are deemed unfounded (not false, but not prosecutable), less than half of those arrested for rape see trial, 54% of rape trials end in dismissal or acquittal, 21% of convicted rapists never serve time, and 24% of the convicted receive less than 11 months behind bars (statistics from Rochester University).
Considering that only 2-3% of reports are fabricated—a statistic no different from the false reporting rate of other crimes—there is a very large chance, almost an inevitability, that if you rape a woman she won't report it. If she reports it, it probably won't see trial. If it goes to trial, you probably won't get convicted. If you get convicted, you probably won't serve any time at all, or less than 11 months. Which means that in the eyes of the law, a convicted rapist is less guilty than a robber, a burglar, a drug addict, a drug dealer, and anyone who misuses a weapon for whatever reason; all of which receive more time on average than a convicted rapist.
This is how the justice system treats a rape victim: it looks for any and all excuse to discredit her and drag her name through the mud. In the end, if she perseveres, defies the odds, and gets a conviction, she probably could be rubbing elbows with her rapist in less than a year's time.
In this patriarchy, raping a woman is more excusable than stealing a television. Which leads me to conclude that not only has the justice system, by its actions, defined women as property, that they also think of them as particularly useless property at that. Considering that women/property may be raped without much of a fuss from the legal system, I do not think it illogical of me to say that not only does the legal system regard women as property, it also implies by the reality of the extremely low rape conviction that the purpose of a woman is to be abused at will.
Posted on June 11, 2008, in Female Impersonator, Feminism, Legal Illegalities, Penis Brain, Priviledge, Rape. Bookmark the permalink. 1 Comment.
Awesome post. And I'm glad to have found your blog. I'll be back!


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We'll experience another of the so-called "supermoon" events this weekend, marking a time when the moon's closest proximity to the earth nearly coincides with the moment when the moon reaches "full" status.
Astronomers actually call this a perigee full moon. Perigee is the term used for the point each month when the moon is closest to the earth.
The distance at perigee differs a bit from month to month, and the two celestial bodies will be closer than normal this time.
When the moon becomes full, at 7:32 a.m. Sunday in the eastern United States (well after daylight), it will be 221,824 miles from the earth.
What all this means, in effect, is the full moon up there in the sky Saturday and Sunday nights will be closer to the earth than usual. We're not talking about a lot of mileage. It's about 25 to 50 miles closer than many other months.
Of course, tides are a bit higher than normal at full moon, and that will happen this weekend.
Somehow, the term "supermoon" has become the popular term for the perigee full moon.
The biggest of these events comes Nov. 14, 2016, when the earth and moon will be 240 miles closer than they will be this weekend.
Friday, June 21, 2013
Another 'supermoon' this weekend
We'll experience another of the so-called "supermoon" events this weekend, marking a time when the moon's closest proximity to the earth nearly coincides with the moment when the moon reaches "full" status.
Thursday, June 20, 2013
Alaska -- the tropical paradise
Some of you weather geeks might know this already, but Alaska is experiencing some amazingly warm weather this week.
High pressure that typically establishes itself over central Canada, and at lower latitudes, has been parked over the Yukon and eastern Alaska for several days. The result has been some true summer weather up there.
Some meteorologists think the Alaskan heat eventually will have an impact on weather in parts of the lower 48 states. More about that later.
First, here are some numbers from the land of the midnight sun:
Fairbanks has reached 86 degrees or higher for five straight days. It was 88 there Sunday. They've reached 90 degrees a number of times, but an extended streak like this is unusual.
Anchorage got to 81 degrees Tuesday, for its first 80-degree day in four years. Snow fell there a month ago.
Nome hit 86 degrees Wednesday, tying a record for the date. The average high on the west coast of Alaska is 56 at this time of year. Just 13 days ago, Nome had a high of 38 and snow fell.
Barrow, at the northern end of the world, got to 50 degrees Wednesday. The average is 42. The forecast for Thursday is upper 50s, possibly 60. This is a place that stays well below zero for weeks at a time in the winter.
Juneau, down on the southeast part of the state, had 78 Wednesday.
The little town of Talkeetna, about 80 miles north of Anchorage, recorded 96 degrees Tuesday.
The high pressure system shifted a bit east Thursday, and temperatures are expected to be a few degrees cooler. But the National Weather Service in Fairbanks said Thursday morning that computer models indicate a return to the heat next week.
And I saw a story on Accu-Weather's website in which meteorologist Alex Sosnowski predicted that the hot air eventually will be pushed southeast, tempered a bit, and affect Canada and the northern part of the United States.
Here's hoping Alaskans remember this heat next January, when it's 40 below zero in Fairbanks.
Wednesday, June 19, 2013
Derecho or not, last week's storms were nasty
A long-lived outbreak of violent thunderstorms that left millions of people without power last June in the mid-Atlantic introduced the term "derecho" to many people in the United States.
Then came another round of damaging storms last week -- affecting the Charlotte region, along with other parts of the Southeast and mid-Atlantic -- and the "derecho" word is back again.
I've seen some debate in recent days over whether the line of severe thunderstorms that roared across the region last Thursday was actually a derecho. I don't think there's an official definition for the word, so the debate will continue.
But if we assume a derecho is an hours-long event in which a line or cluster of thunderstorms pushes for hundreds of miles, then our outbreak last week fits the description.
About 200,000 customers in North Carolina lost power in the storms. Some residents of Stanly County didn't get electricity back until Sunday, nearly three full days after hundreds of trees were blown onto roads, homes and power lines.
I got a taste of it. Our home in Matthews was without power for about 20 hours -- long enough to spoil the food in the refrigerator.
Those storms were a reminder of how many people become fixated on meteorological terminology, rather than dealing with reality.
In hurricane season, some people worry about the location of landfall and the top sustained winds of a system. They don't concern themselves about the dangers presented by a hurricane or tropical storm after it moves inland. I've written many times about the problems presented by a dying storm -- the flash flooding, the tornadoes.
It's the same thing with thunderstorms. Many people worry about tornadoes, dismissing severe thunderstorms as a weak cousin. But as I've written before, those severe storms can carry winds of up to 100 mph and are capable of causing extensive damage.
Anyways, I pass along links to a couple of things worth looking at.
The Washington Post's Capital Weather Gang is a nice website, although it (understandably) focuses on the mid-Atlantic. Kathryn Prociv wrote an interesting piece, comparing the 2012 derecho with last week's event.
In that article, she reaches the conclusion that the 2013 event was bigger but not as strong.
And I add a link from NOAA's Storm Prediction Center, showing the progress and damage reports from last week's storms.
It'll give you a healthy respect for the power of severe thunderstorms.
Monday, June 17, 2013
Imagine that -- no drought!
I've heard from a number of you about all the rain we've had recently in the Charlotte region, and while nearly everyone says we "need the rain," I also frequently hear that "enough is enough."
But the rain is good news, in at least one way. For the first time in three years, none of North Carolina has "dry" or "drought" conditions, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.
Charlotte's official measuring station at Charlotte Douglas International Airport shows more than 5.6 inches of rain has fallen so far in June. That's well more than twice the average for June 17, and conditions indicate quite a bit of additional rain is possible this week.
Some locations in the region have been hit with much more. There are a number of automated stations showing rainfall of 8 inches or more this month. A couple inches of rain fell early Monday in parts of Burke and McDowell counties, for example.
Some of this month's rain was courtesy of Tropical Storm Andrea, of course, but there also have been a couple of stalled fronts and slow-moving low pressure systems responsible for downpours.
The central and western part of North Carolina escaped the "dry" classification earlier this year, and now Tropical Storm Andrea's rain has lifted the eastern third of the state from that classification.
Scientists say this is the first time since the week of April 20, 2010, that not an inch of the Tar Heel State is experiencing either "dry" or "drought" conditions. There have been times during that period when the Charlotte area was classified as experiencing drought, but rainfall has been quite plentiful locally for several months.
All this can change in a hurry, of course.
Evaporation can take place quickly in summer. A strong high pressure system over the Southeast can create searing heat, which dries the ground in a hurry and tends to cut off the development of afternoon and evening thunderstorms -- thereby reinforcing the dry conditions. That happened near the end of June last summer.
"North Carolina's rainfall becomes more difficult to forecast -- as well as less reliable -- in the summer months," said Michael Moneypenny, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service's office in Raleigh. "Weather systems are typically weaker, and the bulk of our rainfall comes from scattered shower and thunderstorm activity that pops up during the heat of the day."
For now, however, we can enjoy life without concerns about whether it's OK to water our lawns or wash our cars.
Wednesday, June 12, 2013
Wild weather night ahead to our north
All the pieces are falling in place for a night of very violent weather to our north, across parts of the Midwest, Great Lakes and Ohio Valley.
Remember the word "derecho." Those of you who follow weather closely are already familiar with the term.
Many forecasters believe a derecho will form Wednesday evening and surge across Illinois, Indiana and Ohio, leaving a long trail of wind damage.
At mid-afternoon Wednesday, the Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Okla., said it was preparing to issue a tornado watch for parts of Iowa and Illinois. A low pressure system is expected to slide southeast from the Dakotas, moving into the Great Lakes.
Meteorologists say a few tornadoes could form initially, but they expect the storm complex to morph into a line of powerful thunderstorms later in the evening. A derecho is a term used for a long-lived line of damaging thunderstorms. There are numerous recorded accounts of a derecho lasting for hundreds of miles, covering several states.
Derecho thunderstorm winds typically are in the range of 60 to 80 mph, about the same as a weak tornado and plenty strong enough to leave millions of people without power. Sometimes those winds reach 100 mph.
Meteorologist Bernie Rayno of Accu-Weather said Wednesday morning that he expects the worst damage to be in a corridor between Interstates 70 and 80. The Storm Prediction Center has taken the unusual step of placing that area at "high" risk of severe weather later today. That "high risk" category is used only a few times each year.
People who live in or near Chicago, Indianapolis, Louisville, Cincinnati and Columbus will be most at risk. But wind and hail damage, along with flooding rain, also is possible in places like Detroit, Cleveland and Pittsburgh.
The next question is what happens Thursday.
Earlier this week, it appeared as if another outbreak of widespread severe weather would develop in the Carolinas -- as part of a much larger system stretching from New York City down to South Carolina on Thursday. But some of the more recent computer models have indicated the Carolinas could be in the middle of a weather sandwich, with severe storms to the north (Middle Atlantic) and south (Gulf coast) and the Charlotte region catching a break.
We'll watch that development over the next 12 to 18 hours.
Tuesday, June 11, 2013
90s will come ... count on it
I've come to the realization that I'm the only person who likes it when 90-degree weather arrives.
So I don't expect to hear anyone complaining that it's June 11, and we haven't reached 90 in Charlotte yet this summer. But I have heard several people who are happy about it.
Either way, don't make a big deal of it. The 90s are coming (probably Wednesday), and there's nothing terribly unusual about our lack of 90-degree weather to this point.
Charlotte has averaged 45.7 days of 90 degrees or hotter, over the last 30 years. Almost a year ago, I wrote that some people in the region were surprised that we'd had only one 90-degree day at that point. I also wrote that things could change in a hurry.
And they did. We had a cool down in the latter part of June, but temperatures soared at the end of the month. We had three straight 104-degree days in Charlotte, and by the time summer came to an end, we'd reached the 90-degree mark 49 days.
When it's 90, the roads are still open and get where you want to go.
When it's 30, either snow or sleet can be falling, and even a short trip to the grocery store -- for bread and milk, naturally -- is a life-threatening experience.
So I prefer the 90s.
And whether you like them or not, here are a few facts about 90-degree weather in Charlotte:
-- The most 90-degree days in a year was in 1954, when we had 88. That was one of the hottest summers in U.S. history, by the way. Second-most was just three years ago, when we had 87.
-- The least 90-degree days was in 1967, with 8. There were only 9 in 2003.
-- The earliest 90-degree day in Charlotte was in 1945, when we reached that mark on March 17. The latest first 90-degree days was July 8, 2003.
-- The last time we went until June 11 without a 90-degree days was in 2009 (June 20 was the first day that year). Before that, it was 2003.
-- The longest streak of 90-degree days was 33, in 1993. Second, with 32, was in 2007.
Thursday, June 6, 2013
Andrea ... a problematic forecast
Forecasting the strength, track and location of heaviest precipitation with Tropical Storm Andrea isn't easy.
The ramifications are huge for the Charlotte region. Someone along Andrea's track stands to get 3 or 4 inches of rain, and if that falls in the immediate Charlotte area, we'll be looking at some real flooding problems from late tonight until midday Friday.
One thing to watch is the transformation of Andrea from a tropical to an extratropical system.
As a tropical storm, Andrea's heaviest rain is close to the center. In tropical weather systems, the worst conditions typically are in the eastern quadrant.
But as these storms lose their tropical characteristics, the rain shield tends to expand -- especially on the west side of the storm's center.
The question is when Andrea will become extratropical. If that happens fairly early, before the storm's center moves into South Carolina, the heavy rain bands will spread into the Charlotte region. In fact, the foothills and mountains will get in on the action.
(Incidentally, separate low pressure systems could bring heavy rain to the mountains Friday night, long after Andrea has zoomed up the East Coast.)
We'll keep an eye on this during the evening and early Friday.
Wednesday, June 5, 2013
A tropical storm ... and heavy rain for the Carolinas
We didn't have to wait long for the first named storm of the tropical season.
Tropical Storm Andrea formed Wednesday afternoon in the Gulf of Mexico, with the center of the storm about 300 miles west of Tampa.
Before all is said and done, Andrea likely will have an impact -- though probably indirect -- on the Charlotte region. The storm's effects on our area is expected to be in the form of drenching thunderstorms, possibly enough to cause flash flooding.
The National Hurricane Center's likely track for Andrea carries the center of the storm northward along the coastal plain of the Carolinas, about 50 miles inland. That path is close enough to bring heavy rain to the eastern edge of the Charlotte region -- say, Richmond and Anson counties in North Carolina, and Chesterfield County in South Carolina.
But don't be fooled. As the system races northward Thursday and Friday and changes from tropical to extratropical, its rain shield will expand. Showers and thunderstorms likely will surge northward (as they're doing tonight) across the Carolinas Piedmont.
In short, look for a very wet period from Thursday through Friday afternoon or evening, until Andrea pushes northeast of the region.
We'll likely see some flash flood warnings issued on a local basis.
As of now, the National Weather Service office locally doesn't expect to issue any widespread flood watches, but if Andrea should track a bit farther inland, all that could change.
In short, the next 24 to 48 hours will bear watching. Andrea won't be a big wind-producer, but it's likely to cause some flooding problems.
Samaras tribute: I understand that the Discovery Channel will air a tribute tonight to veteran scientist and tornado chaser Tim Samaras, who was killed -- along with son Paul and another veteran scientist, Carl Young -- by a huge Oklahoma tornado last week.
I've seen comments from people who thought Samaras was a glory-seeking tornado-chaser. Nothing could be farther from the truth. He was a true scientist who had produced some valuable studies on severe weather. His death is a huge loss to the world of meteorology and science, in general.
Tonight's tribute is at 9 p.m., from what I understand.
Tropical system could bring flood threat
This is a quick post, as I'm trying to handle a few other stories early this afternoon. I'll try to post something more in-depth later in the day.
But the bottom line is that we'll have to watch for a possible significant heavy rain threat Thursday and Friday across the Charlotte region. The culprit will be a tropical system forming near Florida, but there are other players involved.
A moist pattern already is established across the area. We saw that with the 4-inch rainfall late Sunday and early Monday in parts of the Charlotte region.
By Thursday, it looks as if moisture will be streaming northward from the tropical low. The question is exactly where the heaviest precipitation will fall, and that depends on the track and strength of the low.
A strong and well-organized tropical low will bring heavy rain near the storm's center.
A less-organized system -- which is what's expected -- will spread the heavy rain over a wider area.
Most of the computer models predict the system will go up the Carolinas coast, which would mean widespread heavy rain in the eastern half of the state. But some pockets of flood-producing thunderstorms would develop in the Piedmont.
Further complicating the picture is a cold front that is forecast to cross the mountains by Friday. That would add lift in the atmosphere and possibly bring strong storms to the mountains and foothills.
One of the models, the NAM, predicts rain of 4 to 6 inches Thursday and Friday in the Charlotte region. The NAM forecasts the tropical low will take an inland route across the Carolinas.
Justin Lane, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service's office in Greer, S.C., says the NAM has a history of predicting tropical systems will veer too far inland.
But one or two other models are trending more inland with the storm's track.
Stay tuned.


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Flattr (or more precisely, the email I received from them today) now seems to say something like, "if you feel you contribute, then let people shower you…even pennies, if they are so generous". If one (or a corporation of) artist(s) and/or engineer(s) believes they contribute, they'd be wise to allow themselves flattery. Hell, even if you make things you don't believe contribute, you might as well with this change:
we decided to drop any rules that made the service restrictive or outright complicated
And "you" want to put him and his helpers in jail?
p.s. I think one more restriction should be waived. Payment. It would be good to be able to flattr things for zero money and/or ideally, with an "appreciate" count (e.g. "like", "+1", etc.). What if we can't afford even pennies at some time of our life, yet want to contribute by showing a way of support by tally?
p.p.s. If you (or "you") liked this post, you can flattr it here. If you like this (more than 5 years now!) blog in general, you can flattr it here.


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Notice is hereby given that, as part of the consolidation of all of the subsidiaries of South Banking Company, Peoples State Bank and Trust, 72 E. Parker Street, Baxley, Georgia 31513, has made application to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation for its written consent to merge with Citizens State Bank, 201 E. King Avenue, Kingsland, Camden County, Georgia 31548. Peoples State Bank and Trust will be the surviving bank after the merger and shall continue under the name ?Peoples State Bank and Trust. It is contemplated that all offices of the banks will continue to operate upon consummation of the merger.
Any person wishing to comment on this application may file his or her comments in writing with the Regional Director of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation at its regional office located at 10 Tenth Street, NE, Suite 800, Atlanta, Georgia 30309-3906, not later than January 15, 2012. The non-confidential portions of the application are on file at the Regional Office and are available for public inspection during regular business hours. Photocopies of the non-confidential portions of the application file will be made available upon request.
12-21, 12-28, 1-4 & 1-18ch
gpn06 NOTICE OF PROPOSED BANK MERGER
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Fulton County (Ohio, USA)
Fulton County, Ohio, is in the northwestern part of the state, bordered by Henry County on the south and by Michigan on the north. The Mennonite settlement of this region, consisting in 1955 of more than 2,600 baptized members, centered at Archbold in German Township, in the southwest corner of the county. From German Township it extended westward into Williams County, south into Henry County, north into Franklin and Dover townships, and east to Wauseon, the county seat. Archbold is 40 miles (65 km) west of Toledo and 26 miles (43 km) east of the Indiana state line.
The early settlers were French and Alsatian Amish Mennonites from the region of Montbéliard and Mulhouse, the first of whom arrived in 1834. By 1850 many families had arrived, including such names as Beck, Frey, Lauber, Rufenacht, Rupp, Stuckey and Wyse. The main body of the settlement eventually affiliated with what came to be the Ohio and Eastern A.M. Joint Conference of the Mennonite Church (MC). The first meetinghouse was the Central Amish Mennonite Church, erected in 1870, two and three-fourths miles (4.5 km) northeast of Archbold. In 1908 two new meetinghouses were added: West Clinton, six miles (10 km) southeast of Central; and Lockport, six miles (10 km) west, in Williams County. In 1956 there were eleven meetinghouses, representing seven independent congregations and four mission stations, extending from suburban Toledo to Hicksville near the Indiana border, with a total of ca. 1963 members in the Ohio and Eastern Conference. The first minister was Christian Beck who had been ordained in Switzerland. Well-known Fulton County bishops in the later period were Christian Stuckey (1841-1907) and Elias L. Frey (1856-1942).
In 1956 the Fulton County settlement also included one small congregation of the Reformed Mennonite Church; one of the Church of God in Christ Mennonites with 33 members; and two congregations of the Conference of Evangelical Mennonites (formerly Defenseless Mennonites), one in Archbold and the other in Wauseon, with a combined membership of 621 (1955 statistics). All three of these groups were originally formed in the 1860s.
In 1956 the Fulton County Mennonites had representatives on the foreign mission field in Africa, India, and Japan. The local mission congregation was serving the needs of the Mexican farm laborers who resided in the community. In 1956 the secretary-treasurer of the Congo Inland Mission was Harvey A. Driver of Wauseon, of the Conference of Evangelical Mennonites.
Fulton County leadership was largely responsible for the founding of Little Eden camp at Onekama, Michigan, in 1945. From an economic point of view the Fulton County settlement was unique in the mid-20th century because of its large number of small community industries, such as woodworking, meat packing, and the manufacture of farm machinery.
|Guy F Hershberger
|Date Published
Cite This Article
MLA style
Hershberger, Guy F. "Fulton County (Ohio, USA)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. 1956. Web. 13 Jul 2020. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Fulton_County_(Ohio,_USA)&oldid=113794.
APA style
Hershberger, Guy F. (1956). Fulton County (Ohio, USA). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 13 July 2020, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Fulton_County_(Ohio,_USA)&oldid=113794.
Adapted by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 2, pp. 417-418. All rights reserved.
©1996-2020 by the Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. All rights reserved.


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Thursday, January 05, 2006
We're not alone
11 comments:
- IC said...
I was just thinking the same thing, Benny. Watching Vince Young's historic performance tonight made me feel better about last year's Michigan team.
But watching Pete Carroll and Mack Brown tonight, seeing how they had their teams prepared, aggressive, and poised, and then hearing Keith Jackson (!) make the point that these coaches have brought a "new perspective and methodology to college football" makes me feel worse about next year's Michigan team.
- January 05, 2006 12:38 AM
- Benny Friedman said...
My post was in no way meant to justify our passive play in last year's Rose Bowl. At least USC tried various things, including blitzing Young. He was just too good tonight - even better than last year. I don't think he was quite the thrower last year as he is now. I think a blitz or two might have been effective last year. This year, I'm not sure even the Chicago Bears could have stopped him.
- January 05, 2006 12:44 AM
- Benny Friedman said...
Another reason we're not unique: letting Troy Smith break tackles to avoid a sack on 3rd and long. He did it against ND repeatedly.
But what the original post and this comment highlight is that other teams - top teams - have a weapon at QB that their teams know how to deploy. We don't have that.
- January 05, 2006 12:46 AM
- LAGuy said...
And everyone in Los Angeles waits breathlessly for the ratings to come in.
- January 05, 2006 12:56 AM
- IC said...
"My post was in no way meant to justify our passive play in last year's Rose Bowl"
Good point, and my comment was not intended to excuse our sit-back-and-hope defense either. Rather, it was meant as praise for Young, who with probably better offensive talent around him last year (ex. C. Benson) still needed late heroics to beat us.
Re. the Bears trying to stop him...they might get their chance next year, as the Jets are on their schedule.
- January 05, 2006 1:01 AM
- Yost said...
I'm sure M fans all over were thinking the same thing. Our loss to Young/Texas doesn't seem so bad now, eh?
- January 05, 2006 2:25 AM
Do you think Norm Chow would be availible to come to Michigan and bring the our beloved Wolverines this "new perspective and methodology"? Just a thought.
- January 05, 2006 5:44 AM
- BaggyPantsDevil said...
I was also thinking the same thing. Vince Young threw for 180 yards and rushed for 192 yards against Michigan last year and threw for 267 yards and rushed for 200 yards against Southern California this year. It's not so much that Michigan really sucked, but that Vince Young is just otherworldly good.
Having watched Vince Young in last year's Rose Bowl and then earlier this season at Ohio State—where he started out a little shaky, but still finished in his usual fashion—I saw this coming.
Maybe all that talk about the 2005 Trojans being able to crush everyone in history—the 1927 New York Yankees, the 1970 Brazilian soccer team, the 1972 Miami Dolphins, the 1940 Wermacht, you name it—was just a tad premature? They do indeed have a great team and Pete Carroll has done an amazing job there, but all the talk about being the best ever BEFORE they played the Rose Bowl was ridiculous.
Another potentially promising note is that Mack Brown for years was harshly criticized for underachieving with strong recruiting classes, blowing big games, not being able to beat his archrival, and conservative and predictable play calling. So, a coach can change—are you taking notes Lloyd Carr?—if he really wants to.
- January 05, 2006 8:58 AM
- BaggyPantsDevil said...
Oh, this comment is over at EDSBS:
"on behalf of fellow Wolverine fans, i'd like to welcome trojans fans everywhere to Youngsbitchville"
- January 05, 2006 10:02 AM
- Ali Haji-Sheikh said...
Re baggypantsdevil's comments about Mack Brown's overcoming his criticism, I totally agree. Additionally, there was an article in the L.A. Times where it was remarked that Texas fans had become spoiled over the years and it took some down seasons/ a decade (John Mackovick where are you?) for them to appreciate how fortunate they had previously been to be so successful and how much more the fans now appreciate and don't take their winning program for granted. I think Michigan fans should take heed of this comment as it applies as equally to us, even though we have had only 2 down years (1984 and this year) since 1969 and even those weren't losing seasons. While I'm being the apologist, take a look at the final AP rankings and see how many of Michigan's last 13 opponents are there: 3 of the top 4, 4 of the top 9, 5 of the top 15. Unfortunately we only won 1 of our games against those 5 teams, with many of the losses (and the win) coming in the final seconds. It sucks that we lost those games and I agree that we could have won many and changes need to be made. However, as we pile on our coaches, players, program, I think we need to recognize that we may have just gone through the most difficult 13 game (maybe 14 if you count the 2004 OSU game) stretch in the history of college football and that that (in addition to injuries, poor officiating and poor decision-making) may have something to do with our less than stellar recent performance.
- January 05, 2006 2:05 PM
- Yost said...
Well said, AHS. The grass is always greener.
- January 06, 2006 12:29 PM


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All posts tagged Audacity
See on Scoop.it – Linux A Future
ArtistX is a free DVD which turns a computer into a full multimedia production studio
It is based on Ubuntu GNU/Linux and contains nearly all the available free audio, 2D and 3D graphics, and video software for the GNU/Linux computing platform. It doesn't need to be installed, and boots directly into a running system without touching hard drives. The files produced with ArtistX can be easily stored on USB devices or CD/DVD medium while it is running. If you want to install it please take a look to our documentation and the ArtistX Installation Manual.
After nearly ten years of development and more than ten versions, the ArtistX 1.4 multimedia studio on a DVD is finally here. It's an Ubuntu 12.10-based live DVD that turns a common computer into a full multimedia production studio. ArtistX 1.3 includes the 3.5.0-25 Linux kernel, GNOME 3.4 and about 2.500 free multimedia software packages, nearly everything that exists for the GNU/Linux operating system organized in the menu. Main features: based on Ubuntu 12.10 without Unity and with all updates (from October 2012); most of GNU/Linux multimedia packages and the very easy Ubiquity installer. A partial list of software included in the DVD is available at the software page, the /usr/bin directory (where software executables are kept on a Linux system) counts more than 5000 binaries. We have now a new Forum and a new Software page with the TOP 100 free software available in ArtistX!
Free 3D Engine and Development Software: MeshlabsFree 3D Modelling and Animation Software: Art of Illusion, Ayam, Blender, Equinox 3D, K3d, Make Human, Moonlight3D, Sculptris, Wings3D, SweetHome3D, Y.A.P.R.MFree Audio DJ Software: Beatport SYN, Freecycle, Freewheling, Mixxx, QSampler, Smasher, Tactile 12000, TerminatorXFree Audio Synth Software: amSynth, Freebirth, Horgand, Hydrogen, Ingen, Mx44, Psychosynth, Qsynth, Rakarrack, SetBfree, Sineshaper, YoshimiFree Audio MIDI Tools: Arpage, MusE, PatchageFree Audio Sound Editor Software: Audacity, Kwave, Rezound, Sweep, WavesurferFree Audio DAW and Tracker Software: Ardour, Jokosher, Lmms, Rosegarden, Traverso, WiredFree CAD Software: FreeCAD, LibreCADFree DVD Mastering Software: Bombono DVD, KMediaFactory, MistelixFree Font Software: FontForge, FontMatrixFree Fractals Software: Fractalnow, Fraqtive, MandelburberFree Image and Picture Editing Software: GIMP, Krita, PintaFree Image and Picture Viewer Software: ImgSeek, FotowallFree Image Synthesis Software: Evolvotron, JavaMorphFree Optical Caracter Recognition (OCR) Software: YAGFFree Radio Software: DarksnowFree Renderer Software: Aqsys, Kerkythea, SunflowFree TV and Recording Software: TV-Maxe, VLCFree Vector Software: Delineate, Inkscape, SK1, Xara XtremeFree Video Editing Software: Avidemux, Cinelerra, Cinepaint, Jahshaka, Kdenlive, LivesFree Video Encoding and Decoding Software: Handbrake, Mobile Media Converter, TransmageddonFree Video Animation and Cartoon Software: Animata, Flash4Linux, Luciole, Synfig Studio, ToonloopFree Video VJ Software: DelVJ, FreeJ, FreeMix, Gephex, OnyxVJ, Veejay, VSXU
See on artistx.org


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Chinese jump rope silver - ECO hearts coloured « Back
DIMENSIONS: elastic 4m (whole lenght), bag approx. 10x12cm
Chinese jump rope bule: elastic
BAG: 100% sustainable cotton
Shape and dimensions of the bag may differ! Approx. dimension is 10x12cm.
Botton color may differ from color on the picture.
Colors and shades may differ monitor to monitor but finished product quality should be close to what you see.
Gustav Chinese jump rope will impress you with a clip that allows you to fasten it around a tree, a bench,… and a bag in which you will store it when you stop playing with it.
Product details
Gustav offers you unlimited number of way how to use it. Game titles differ according to the difficulty level and to the objects the game resembles: One, two, three…, Ljubljana's, Rock & Roll, Lemon, 10, Japanese, Triangle…
To play with Gustav Chinese jump rope at least three players are required: two of them wind it around their ankles while the third gets ready to jump and jumps as long he doesn't make a mistake. After each successfully finalized game Gustav Chinese jump rope is raised by one level: it starts around ankles, then knees, around waist, below armpits and around neck; you can even stretch your arms above your head and make the task even harder! At levels above the waits the player is allowed to lower Gustav Chinese jump rope with her or his hand. The most lively players can cross Gustav, place the feet next to each other, wind it around only one leg or the player can turn around by 45 or 90 degrees. For the most demanding players jumping over shaking Gustav Chinese jump rope would be the biggest challenge!
While jumping the player sings a song like ONE, TWO, THREE...: The player jumps with each leg on one side of the ribbon and shouts "ONE", then jumps with both legs so that he has the other side of the ribbon between the legs and shouts "TWO" for each jump. He repeats until he shouts "FOUR". When shouting "IN" he jumps with both legs between both ribbons so that both ribbons are between the legs. This is then followed by a jump with both legs and turning for 180 degrees, simultaneously so that gumi-tvist is twisted around the legs and shouts "TWIST". Finaly, the player shouts "OUT" and jumps back to the initial position.
Let the games begin!


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By Karin Calloway
Green Jacket Salad
One week a year the town I call home turns into a completely different universe. There are golf lovers everywhere, changes in the traffic patterns and people dressed in chef's clothes pushing buggies through the local supermarkets. One of those buggy pushers is me.
The rest of the year I love my home city, too. Augusta isn't know for much besides the famed tournament but maybe we can begin being known for this: Green Jacket Salad.
The salad is unique to Augusta. Originally served in the Green Jacket restaurant, which was directly across the road from the Augusta National, the salad can now be found on the menu at Rae's Coastal Cafe and Stonecrest Grill.
But you don't have to come to Augusta to give this one a try. I've cracked the code and here's the recipe. Enjoy!
Augusta's Best Tossed Salad
Combine vegetable oil, vinegar, tomato, seasoned salt, oregano, green onion and parsley in a jar or bowl. Shake or blend well. Place salad greens in a large bowl and add the pita chips and dressing. Toss well and serve. Sprinkle each serving with Parmesan cheese, if desired.
Makes 8 servings.


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Climate change and the global economy: policy responses
Climate change and the global economy: policy responses
Please find a link to the full article, incorporating all four parts of this series, at the bottom of the page.
Policy Responses
Climate change calls for a collective effort from governments, firms, shareholders and individuals to both adapt and implement measures to mitigate its effects.
As carbon dioxide emissions are the main culprit for global warming, any policy response must effectively target reduced emissions.
Since free markets fail to incorporate and price the negative externality1 of global warming, government intervention is required to realign resource allocation.
Without public policy looking to change private sector behaviour, economies run the risk of continuing to pollute to a point where it is too late and the economic costs are catastrophic.
Intergovernmental agreements that encompass all major economies will be the most effective in tackling climate change.
Without a collective policy response, the efforts of only a handful of countries looking to reduce carbon dioxide emissions will fall short of what is needed to make a material impact on a global level. We touch upon some popular policy responses below.
Decarbonising the world's energy supply through a rapid energy transition will reduce the risks of climate change.
The use of biofuels, hydrogen and clean energy can speed up decarbonisation alongside reducing demand through energy efficiency measures.
Putting a price on carbon emissions
Governments may offer subsidies to green energy providers to promote innovation and reduce the cost of energy from these sectors.
The Bank of England has recently committed to researching the risks to the financial system if climate regulation were to limit global temperature increases.
It follows on from comments made by Mark Carney during the 2014 World Bank seminar that referenced the possibility that the majority of proven coal, oil and gas reserves could be considered "unburnable" if regulation limited temperature increases to 2°C.
Amongst economists, it is recognised that to effectively stem the production of carbon dioxide, a globally recognised market-based approach is required. One of the most widely proposed measures is carbon pricing.
Placing a price on each tonne of carbon dioxide emitted or distributing tradable permits that licence a stated level of carbon dioxide emissions, is believed to be an effective measure to combat global warming.
Economically speaking, this internalises the negative externality (in other words, ensures that the company/entity that is emitting the carbon dioxide pays for the social costs) associated with burning fossil fuels.
Nevertheless, this method brings with it a host of questions primarily focused on determining appropriate emission levels, pricing and implementation measures. To work successfully it also requires global recognition.
Setting goals
Since an estimated carbon price of $100 per tonne is believed to be needed by 2030, few countries are willing to make their economies internationally uncompetitive by introducing carbon pricing.
In their second paper, Covington and Thamotheram (2015)2 propose an alternative method that places the responsibility on shareholders to initiate change.
Recognising that directors of fossil fuel companies are assessed, and remunerated, on short-term goals to create value, shareholders are able to use voting rights to place a greater emphasis on meeting long-term goals.
One such goal would be reducing carbon dioxide emissions. By setting goals consistent with a reduction in the level of emissions, directors would be measured and remunerated on meeting these goals.
Such a plan could redirect capital expenditure away from fossil fuel exploration to the development of clean energy projects.
For this concept to work, Covington and Thamotheram (2015).3 rightly highlight that it relies on sufficiently high carbon pricing (or low emission ceilings) to make the transition economically viable.
Meanwhile, investors concerned about the impact of climate change and the potential for carbon-based assets to be written down, will vote with their feet.
Monetary policy dilemma
Finally, let us briefly consider the monetary policy implications of climate change.
Climate change will reduce economic growth and create higher inflation. From a monetary policy standpoint, such a stagflationary environment will place the world's central banks in a dilemma: weaker growth will bring calls to stimulate the economy, but such efforts are only likely to aggravate inflation.
Monetary policy is not able to offset the shift in the supply curve and policy action will have to focus on the measures described above.
The long-time horizon means that we are unlikely to see much in the way of a visible effect until much later in the century.
Climate change will have an impact on the global economy. Attempting to understand, let alone quantify, these impacts is, however, a particularly difficult exercise subject to great error.
Despite this, from what we know today, we are able to make inferences about how global warming will influence various economic factors.
More extreme weather has the potential to weaken economic growth through damage to the capital stock and labour supply, and labour productivity will weaken as the world economy adjusts to higher temperatures.
Inflation will rise through the growing cost of food, energy and insurance. Monetary policy will be limited as it attempts to combat the stagflationary pressures of climate change.
The general consensus, which is supported by a growing amount of evidence, suggests we should act sooner rather than later to avoid potential future costs.
Successful mitigation policies will necessitate actions from all parties.
The insurance industry is already moving to incorporate some of these costs, but without a broader co-ordinated correct policy response, the world economy is unlikely to factor in one of the greatest negative externalities ever faced.
Recognising that quantifying the impact of climate change on shareholder's investments is critical in creating an incentive to act, we will be looking to incorporate climate change effects into an extended long-run return forecast for different asset classes.
If you want to read more on the impact of climate change on the economy you can access the first three articles in the series by clicking on the links below:
1. A negative externality is a cost that is suffered by a third party as a result of an economic transaction that they were not directly involved in. Similarly, a positive externality is a benefit enjoyed by a third party who did not partake in the economic transaction from which they derive this benefit.↩
2. Covington. H and Thamotheram. R (2015), "The Case for Forceful Stewardship (Part 1): The Financial Risk from Global Warming", Available at SSRN: http://ssrn.com/abstract=2551478 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2551478↩
3. Ibid.↩