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Indonesia to assist Sri Lanka in infrastructure development
News Desk
The Jakarta Post
Indonesia is set to assist Sri Lanka in infrastructure development, as the two countries look forward to bolstering bilateral cooperation and beyond, President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo has said.
On the sidelines of his two-day state visit to Vietnam, Jokowi met with Sri Lanka Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe at Melia Hotel in Hanoi on Wednesday, during which they discussed ways to improve cooperation and trade relations between the two nations.
Jokowi said during the meeting that Indonesia was committed to supporting railway development in Sri Lanka, which has expressed interests in importing 60 trains from Indonesia.
"Indonesia also offers the 'complete package' of cooperation, including the purchase of train facilities and infrastructure, such as railways, stations, depots and the signaling system," Jokowi said on Wednesday.
Indonesia's state-owned construction company PT Wijaya Karya (Wika) is also interested in participating in the construction of a steel bridge in Sri Lanka, Jokowi went on to say.
During the occasion, Jokowi and Wickremesinghe also followed up on plans made during the former's visit to Colombo in January, including the two countries' joint efforts to export textile products to European countries.
"Our joint efforts to propose the export of garments to the European Commission will open market access to the European Union. We must continue our intensive approach so that the European Union will receive our proposal," Jokowi said.
The President also called for the establishment of a joint working group in trade and investment to ease bilateral cooperation and push for the start of joint feasible studies on efforts to draft an Indonesia-Sri Lanka free trade agreement. (afr/ahw)
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UC Berkeley Lab Building Re-Opens after Bomb Scare
Authorities have reopened streets near two buildings that were evacuated this morning after a bomb threat was reported at a University of California at Berkeley-affiliated office in Emeryville.
Police gave the all-clear to reopen the roads and buildings around 1 p.m. after the threat came into an office space rented by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in the EmeryStation East building at 5885 Hollis St.
The threat was reported around 7 a.m., UC Berkeley police Lt. Eric Tejada said.
A second office building located across the street from EmeryStation East had also been evacuated as a precaution.
Bomb-sniffing K-9 units from the UC Berkeley Police Department, the Alameda County Sheriff's Office, the U.S. Coast Guard and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security finished their inspections, Tejada said.
He said the threat came into the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory office and employees called UC Berkeley police.
"It seemed credible, so we took it seriously," he said.
He said authorities are investigating who sent the threat. He would not disclose how the threat was delivered to the office.
Two floors that house the lab facility were still closed when the threat was received. They remained closed during the investigation.
Other occupants evacuated the building after the threat.

subset: commoncrawl


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WASHINGTON, Feb 18 (Reuters) - New Jersey Representative
Rush Holt, a physicist who has advocated strongly for research
funding and environmental conservation, has decided not to seek
a further term in the U.S. House of Representatives in elections
in November, Democratic Party Leader Nancy Pelosi said on
Another Democratic House member, California's Gloria Negrete
McLeod, 72, also said she would be retiring after one term and
returning to local politics in San Bernardino.
Forty-four members of the House and Senate have said they
will be leaving Congress this year, including 24 Republicans and
20 Democrats.
Holt, 65, who has served eight terms in the House, lost a
primary race last year to fill the U.S. Senate seat of the late
Frank Lautenberg. His New Jersey district is solidly Democratic
and appeared likely to be retained by the party in November.
Holt is a former professor who competed in the popular TV
quiz show "Jeopardy!". His supporters produced a bumper sticker
which read: "My Congressman IS a rocket scientist!"
Pelosi said in a statement that from 2007 to 2011 Holt had
"served with distinction as the Chairman of the Select
Intelligence Oversight Panel, acting to ensure that Americans'
civil liberties were safeguarded, their rights respected, and
their security preserved."
(Reporting by David Storey; Editing by James Dalgleish)


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SEC set to reveal plans for long-awaited television network next week with ESPN in Atlanta
The long-awaited announcement of the Southeastern Conference network is days away.
The SEC says that it will hold a news conference with ESPN executives on Tuesday in Atlanta. The network is to be launched in a partnership between the SEC and ESPN.
Sports Business Journal reported Friday that the conference and the network would detail plans Tuesday to have the SEC cable channel up and running by August 2014. A person familiar with the announcement confirmed that to the AP on condition of anonymity because no details of the news conference had been made official.
SEC Commissioner Mike Slive and ESPN President John Skipper will be among those in attendance. Slive said earlier this year he expected an announcement on the network by the middle of April.


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Monday, November 15, 2010
The Life At Ten Story Has a Life of Its Own
LOS ANGELES, November 16, 2010--Anybody out there weary of talking about Life At Ten, the 5-year-old mare who ran last in the Breeders' Cup Race Formerly Known as the Distaff? In case you've spent the last week or so in Zanzibar, Life At Ten was the second choice in the betting and ran not a step after showing up in the paddock doing her best zombie imitation. I watched the race from the racebook at the Mirage in Las Vegas. The next day, I read to a seatmate the account in the New York Times, which said that the mare's jockey, John Velazquez, had told ESPN during the post parade that she was listless, and that the trainer, Todd Pletcher, said that she shouldn't have run. "That's (effing) wonderful," this horseplayer from Cleveland said. "All I did was bet five-hundred (effing) dollars on that horse."
Gary Young is not tired of talking about Life At Ten, who was not scratched even though Churchill Downs stewards and Breeders' Cup veterinarians were aware of Velazquez' concerns. In a round-about way, Young was responsible for Candy DeBartolo buying Life At Ten, and had a front-row view of the contretemps that were committed shortly before she ran so poorly in Louisville.
Young has worn so many hats in California racing (clocker, handicapper, assistant trainer, TV analyst, pick-six savant, bloodstock consultant, and probably some that I've overlooked) that I had to ask him which ID he was traveling with these days. "Don't call me a bloodstock agent because I'm not," he said. "Thoroughbred investment advisor. That's about right."
"I need a horse that is ripe to win right away," Pletcher said. Those are the timeless words of a trainer who has a new client and wants to make a good first impression.
"I got just the one," Young said. "A filly called Life At Ten."
So that's the way Candy DeBartolo became a thoroughbred owner for the first time. Her late father-in-law, Ed DeBartolo Sr., collected racetracks, but her husband, Ed DeBartolo Jr., was always too busy running the San Francisco 49ers to logically follow his father into the horse business. Young couldn't remember for sure, but he said that Candy DeBartolo paid well into the six figures to buy Life At Ten.
In her first start with her new owner and trainer, Life At Ten throttled six other maidens at Hollywood; then she tossed in a second-place finish at Keeneland, before returning to Hollywood for a disappointing third as the odds-on choice.
"You can look it up," Young said, "that was a night race. I was in the paddock. She was totally off. Her engine was racing at about 250 miles an hour even before they threw the saddle on her. The result was predictable."
But by the time Life At Ten was ready to run in the Breeders' Cup, she had blossomed into a horse who had won seven of her eight previous starts, including a couple of Grade 1 wins, and her earnings had topped $1 million. Typically, Pletcher had an army of horses to run in the two-day carnival at Churchill, but he told friends midway through the week that his best victory chances were Life At Ten and Uncle Mo, who would indeed win the Breeders' Cup Juvenile. The day Pletcher shipped Life At Ten the 70 miles from Keeneland to Churchill, he sent this dripping-with-confidence text message to Young: "Even her jogging is impressive. I ought to stop at the Red Mile (a harness track in Lexington) and win a race."
Then came race day.
"She was just too damn quiet when they brought her over (to the paddock)," Young said. "If she was racing 250 miles an hour that night at Hollywood, she was going zero miles an hour this day. Completely the opposite. Todd thought that when he put the saddle on her, she'd come to life, but she didn't. (Velazquez) came out and started smooching to her, to wake her up, but nothing helped. There have been suggestions that she tied up (cramped), but I don't buy that. Ninety-nine times out of a hundred--make that 999 times out of a thousand--when a horse ties up, it's exercise-induced. She hadn't done anything to cause tying up."
Young thought the stewards and the vets should have ordered a scratch of Life At Ten, which would have riddled the parimutuel pools. I asked Young whether he thought Velazquez should have gotten off the horse, refused to ride, and that would have forced the stewards' hand. Then they would have either sent into the jockeys' room for another rider, which would have been a Breeders' Cup first, or scratched the horse.
"(Velazquez) was in a tough spot," Young said. "A gate scratch in a $2-million race? He was in an awfully tough spot."
Young recalled Chris McCarron, a Hall of Fame jockey, scratching Fitzwilliam Place, a filly trained by Charlie Whittingham, in a stake in California more than 20 years ago.
"Boy, was Charlie hot," Young said. "Chris had trouble getting back into that barn for three or four years."
Young has thought a lot about what happened to Life At Ten that night at Churchill Downs.
"She didn't run well when they tried her on grass once," he said. "But otherwise her two worst races were that night at Hollywood Park and this night at Churchill Downs. I just think she's a horse that might never adjust to night racing. I think it's night races that she can't handle."
Life At Ten was scheduled to be sold at an auction in Kentucky two days after her Breeders' Cup race, but she was withdrawn and it was announced that she would continue in training with Pletcher.
"That must mean that they're going to race her at six, and she'll be pointed to next year's Breeders' Cup," Gary Young said. "And where will that be? Churchill Downs. And another night race."


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FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – Luis Silva scored the only goal of the game in the eighth minute and goalkeeper Milos Kocic made four saves to maintain the clean sheet as the New England Revolution suffered a 1-0 loss to Toronto FC on Saturday night at Gillette Stadium.
Silva's goal was his second in as many games and came at the end of a quality buildup which also involved Reggie Lambe and Danny Koevermans, with the rookie midfielder finishing from the top of the box.
Although the Revs (6-8-4, 22 pts.) maintained a significant edge in possession throughout the match and registered 15 shots in a frantic second half, they couldn't find the equalizer and as a result saw their five-game unbeaten run come to an end. Toronto FC (4-11-4, 16 pts.), meanwhile, has now won back-to-back games for the first time this season.
Fernando Cardenas replaced the suspended Kelyn Rowe on the right wing, but the Revolution's lineup remained otherwise unchanged following last weekend's 2-0 win over the New York Red Bulls, including a second straight start for goalkeeper Bobby Shuttleworth.
The starting lineup didn't remain intact for long, however, as center back Stephen McCarthy was forced off with concussion-like symptoms following a collision in just the sixth minute and was replaced by Shalrie Joseph.
Just two minutes later Toronto FC made the breakthrough, scoring through Silva. Clever footwork from Lambe opened up the Revolution's backline and a one-two with Koevermans sent Silva into the box where he finished low inside the right post.
After taking the lead, Toronto continued to press for a second and threatened on a pair of occasions in the following minutes. Koevermans – ultimately forced out with an injury shortly before halftime – had only Shuttleworth to beat in the 14th minute but pushed his shot wide, while Ryan Johnson forced Shuttleworth into a smart save at the near post in the 31st minute.
Despite maintaining 64 percent of the possession in the first half, the Revs managed just one shot on target and responded by bringing on Honduran forward Jerry Bengtson following the halftime break. The move seemed to spark the Revs, who had Lee Nguyen through on goal in the 51st minute only for TFC defender Richard Eckersley to recover late to block the shot.
Nguyen turned provider in the 64th minute and slipped Benny Feilhaber into the left side of the box, but Kocic got down well at his near post to stop Feilhaber's low drive. Kocic came up big twice more in the closing stages, diving to his left to palm away Clyde Simms' service which bounced through the box in the 82nd minute and going to his right to save Bengtson's powerful header from a Chris Tierney corner kick two minutes later.
The Revs had one final chance during the seven allotted minutes of stoppage time, but Nguyen's curling free kick from 25 yards bent harmlessly wide of the near post.
After playing three straight at home the Revs will now hit the road for three straight, beginning with a first-ever visit to Stade Saputo for an 8 p.m. meeting with the expansion Montreal Impact on Wednesday, July 18.
New England Revolution vs. Toronto FC
July 14, 2012 – Gillette Stadium (Foxborough, Mass.)
Toronto FC 1, New England Revolution 0
Scoring Summary:
TFC – Luis Silva (Danny Koevermans) 8
New England Revolution: Bobby Shuttleworth, Chris Tierney, A.J. Soares, Stephen McCarthy (Shalrie Joseph 6), Kevin Alston, Lee Nguyen, Clyde Simms ©, Benny Feilhaber, Fernando Cardenas (Diego Fagundez 72), Blake Brettschneider (Jerry Bengtson 46), Saer Sene
Substitutes Not Used: Matt Reis, Darrius Barnes, Ryan Guy, Flo Lechner
STATS: Shots 18, Shots on Target 4, Corner Kicks 13, Saves 3, Fouls 5, Offsides 0, Passes Completed (percentage) 496 (78.6%), Possession 65.5%
Toronto FC: Milos Kocic, Doneil Henry, Richard Eckersley, Logan Emory, Ashtone Morgan, Reggie Lambe (Aaron Maund 69) Terry Dunfield, Torsten Frings ©,Luis Silva (Matt Stinson 90), Danny Koevermans (Andrew Wiedeman 41) Ryan Johnson
Substitutes Not Used: Quillan Roberts, Eric Avila, Dicoy Williams
STATS: Shots 9, Shots on Target 4, Corner Kicks 4, Saves 4, Fouls 15, Offsides 2, Passes Completed (percentage) 268 (60.8%), Possession 34.5%
* Note that all statistics are unofficial
Misconduct Summary:
TFC – Reggie Lambe (caution) 28
NE – Shalrie Joseph (caution) 84
TFC – Terry Dunfield 84
TFC – Ashtone Morgan 93+
Referee: Hilario Grajeda
Assistant Referees: Paul Scott, Kevin Klinger
Fourth Official: Niko Bratsis
Weather: Clear and 88 degrees
Attendance: 12,180
Team Records
New England Revolution: 6-8-4 (22 pts.)
Toronto FC (4-11-4, 16 pts.)
- Despite the loss, New England still leads the all-time, regular-season series between the Revs and Toronto FC, 4-3-6 ... the loss snapped the Revs' undefeated (4-0-2) record against Toronto at Gillette Stadium that dated back to 2007
- With the loss, Toronto captured the regular-season series victory for the second time in the all-time series and their first since 2009 … that season, Toronto defeated New England, 3-1, on May 23 before a 1-1 draw on Aug. 1
- The loss snapped New England's five-game unbeaten streak (2-0-3), dating back to June 2 against Chicago … the streak was the team's first five-game unbeaten streak since 2008
- The defeat also ended the Revs' seven-game home unbeaten streak (4-0-3) which dated back to May 2 against Colorado … the seven-game home unbeaten streak was the club's longest of the season
- The loss was just the second defeat at Gillette Stadium this year and first since April 14 … the Revs are now 5-2-3 at home in 2012
- After a four-game unbeaten streak (2-0-2) against the Eastern Conference dating back to June 2, the loss dropped the Revs to 2-5-3 overall against the East this year
- The 1-0 result marked the sixth time the Revs have been shut out this season and the first time since the scoreless draw against Columbus on June 16
- Clyde Simms wore the captain's armband for the second consecutive game … Simms was named captain of the match for the first time as a member of the Revolution in the July 8 match against New York
- Bobby Shuttleworth made his second consecutive start of the season as a coach's decision … Shuttleworth started the final three games of the 2011 season while Matt Reis was out with an injury
- The start tonight for Blake Brettschneider marked his 10th consecutive appearance dating back to May 5 at Real Salt Lake … in that span, Brettschneider has scored two goals and recorded one assist in seven starts
- Shalrie Joseph replaced Stephen McCarthy in the sixth minute after McCarthy came off with concussion-like symptoms … Joseph has now come off the bench in two consecutive games
- The Revs attempted a season-high 13 corner kicks tonight … the team's previous season-high for corner kicks was seven on June 2 against Chicago
- The Revs' 15 fouls suffered tonight marked the ninth consecutive game – dating back to May 5 at Salt Lake – that the Revs have suffered 14 fouls or more in a match


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Feds: NYC store robbery aimed to capitalize on 9/11 fears
NEW YORK (AP) — Two men planned to capitalize on post-9/11 fears by dressing in traditional Muslim attire and displaying a fake bomb while robbing a New York City check cashing store on the 15th anniversary of the terrorist attacks, authorities said.
The plan was called off because there were too many people near the Bronx store Sunday, according to a criminal complaint charging 29-year-old Juneal Ali with conspiracy and attempted robbery.
Magistrate Judge James L. Cott in Manhattan ordered the auto body shop owner held without bail after his Tuesday arrest on the grounds that he is a danger to the community.
The judge said he was particularly bothered that the men decided to reschedule the attack for Tuesday morning after backing out of the Sept. 11 plans.
"Even with fake explosives, this set of circumstances if carried out, including threat of an armed robbery, would have been very concerning to potentially a large number of people especially at or around the time it was planned for," Cott said. "This is a hard case because ... nothing actually happened."
Cott said Ali "obviously has some serious mental health and drug treatment-related issues."
The Tuesday plans were interrupted when a third man entered a New York police precinct on Monday and revealed their plan, court papers said.
The criminal complaint describing the charges said two men were supposed to wear traditional Muslim clothing as they entered a Bronx check-cashing store. It said they were to display a bomb and compel employees to give up cash.
Ali was arrested early Tuesday as he arrived in a car to pick up the man who planned to rob the store with him, the complaint said. Ali was the only suspect identified by name in the complaint.
Authorities said they found dark-colored robes, an imitation pistol and what appeared to be an explosive device in the car's trunk. They said the explosive device was actually several sticks of road flares bundled together with a voltage meter.
According to the complaint, Ali told authorities after his arrest that he obtained the Muslim clothing from his mother and that he was planning to cancel plans to carry out the attack on Tuesday when he arrived at the accomplice's home.
It also said Ali claimed that the third man recommended that he check out the store two days before Sept. 11 as a potential robbery location after Ali complained that he was strapped for cash.
Ali's attorney, Susan Marcus, said at her client's Tuesday bail hearing that he was not the hoax organizer.
"I would submit that Mr. Ali is certainly by no means the ringleader or organizer of this hoax," she said. "He was somebody who was brought in."
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Restless legs syndrome has been gaining more attention lately, not only because of its impact on a person's quality of life, but because of links to serious medical conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, and depression.
A study funded by the National Institutes of Health released last Wednesday in the journal Neurology followed more than 12,500 men for six years through a series of surveys and found that the impact of restless legs syndrome symptoms took a bigger toll on health than other chronic conditions and lifestyle factors such as smoking, obesity, and hypertension.
The symptoms of restless legs syndrome — estimated to affect 4 percent to 14 percent of Americans — can sound like something out of a psychothriller movie: Those with severe symptoms report feeling uncomfortable or painful sensations in their legs while sitting, as if being attacked by a colony of small ants or worms.
Because moving helps relieve pain, many with moderate to severe symptoms thrash their legs when lying in bed — both before they fall asleep and after they drift off. Many move through their days like zombies, sleep deprived and unable to perform much physical exertion.
During the six-year-long study, lead researcher Dr. Xiang Gao, a research scientist in the department of nutrition at Harvard School of Public Health, and his colleagues surveyed men diagnosed with restless legs syndrome, asking them to score their ability to perform certain physical tasks such as climbing stairs, lifting heavy objects, carrying groceries, and getting dressed. Researchers found that physical functioning scores decreased as symptoms of restless legs syndrome increased. Sleep complaints also increased in those who had more frequent symptoms.
Based on the survey scores, the researchers then determined that the decline in physical function due to restless legs syndrome was sometimes greater than the decline they observed in men without the syndrome who were obese, smoked, or had other heart risk factors.
Gao said this is the first study of its kind to link restless legs syndrome and long-term physical debilitation, and it highlights the disease's burden on quality of life, especially as those with the condition move into their senior years. Future studies, he added, will include women, since the condition is nearly twice as prevalent in females.
"There's something going on that's more than a matter of simple discomfort for these folks," said Dr. Sanford Auerbach, director of the Sleep Disorders Center at Boston Medical Center and associate professor of neurology and psychiatry at the Boston University School of Medicine. In an editorial that accompanied the study, Auerbach argued that doctors who see patients with restless legs syndrome should treat the condition as a red flag for other chronic diseases that may not be immediately evident.
"If you have restless legs syndrome, it doesn't necessarily mean you have other medical problems, but it's worth [your doctor] taking another look," Auerbach said. Some may want to screen more carefully for heart disease, depression, and other conditions associated with the syndrome.
Treatments typically include dietary changes to adjust for a possible vitamin deficiency, which is more common with restless legs syndrome, lifestyle habits that worsen symptoms, and eliminating alcohol. Prescription medications such as pramipexole (Mirapex) have been approved for the condition and can provide some symptom relief, but they also have side effects, including sometimes making the symptoms worse. Pregabalin (Lyrica) has recently shown more dramatic symptom improvement in clinical trials.
globe.com. Follow her on Twitter @ChelseaRice.


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I'd imagine that most of us here have seen or at least heard of Ghost in the Shell. I'm curious as to what all of you think about the possibility of improving living humans with cybernetic implants or transferring human consciousness into data format, thus human computers, robots, what have you. Also do you see there being moral objections from groups of humans against these augmentations such as seen in Deus Ex Human Revolution? (I use this as an example since it's the only Deus Ex game I've played so am unaware if they exist in the rest of the series.) Or is this sort of society simply a fantastic pipe dream and can never actually be accomplished before we go extinct or are forced to devolve technologically?
Personally I am looking forward to this kind of technology and would definitely be one of the first volunteers to try it.
Liar by nature
Our technology is nearly to the point of functional/practical robotic limbs and sensory (optical) augmentation already...there are still far too many unknowns about the human brain to allow for anything there...and depending on whose beliefs may be correct about the brain/mind/soul/etc...it may never happen...
..that said..it COULD be possible in a few decades to fuse hardware into the wetware for personal computing purposes...to "jack in" to the internet and such...I don't think I would want to be one of the volunteers though...as what holds true for current and past computers...NEVER buy a 1.0...is likely infinitely more true about brain augmentation...LOL...
When I was playing the Metal Gear Solid series, a cool technological development available was an advancement known as nanomachines.
They were basically augmentations for super-soldiers, injected directly into the bloodstream and served multiple functions such as monitoring vital signs, enhanced healing abilities, strengthened the immune system, released medications/vitamins/etc. when needed, etc.
I think if this technology became viable it has the potential to do so much in terms of human healthcare. The big hurdles would obviously be engineering such tiny machines, as well as working around the human body's natural immune resistance to foreign objects introduced, but the payoff would be well worth it.
Winter Is Coming.
I don't need any technology to improve my body. My genetic programming is already turning me into a being that is higher than most of you.
from my point of view, i see absolutely no point. We are already the dominant species and our technology is hurting the Earth. If we continue to look in our solar system and rely on mars, we are surely to kill this planet and die. BUT! It would be better if the computer implanted into us would be VERY efficient.
If the computer implantation were to be spoken, we should start with star trek first. oh wait, they don't even know why cancer came from. no, they know. They know the cure, but they cant make money off of it. yep, this society would die before that is even invented
Slowly editing profile
I don't think it's moral nor is it ethical to be performing this type of practice. I'd rather not think about Drone Warfare. I am fine with my body.
-Vega- wrote:
I don't need any technology to improve my body. My genetic programming is already turning me into a being that is higher than most of you.
what are these CR points thingies
I was actually thinking A.D. Police and Bubblegum Crisis when I saw this thread.
ღ - https://youtu.be/GSyXSeAHL_k - ღ
The human body is a just biological machine housing the human mind. It only acts under orders, but maintains itself to a degree without said orders. Granted that there's a way to improve it technologically without losing or numbing my somatosensory system, I wouldn't mind.
Cyborg implants are interesting.
Modifying genetics directly is more interesting. It also raises more moral questions. Tinkering with natural evolution is sort of a point of no return if modified genes enter the human gene pool.
The bodies of living creatures are machines in the first place. The minds, too. The only problem is that evolution is a pretty indiscriminate mistress, whereas we would be messing with something we could never fully have the capacity to understand.
Read "Machine Man" by Max Barry for an interesting take on "improvement". :)
As for "tinkering with natural evolution"... we've been doing that for millennia. Take domestication for instance. The genes may not have been altered by technology, but we've certainly selected the ones we want.
You mean like the terminater? o-o
I feel if we start replacing our vital organs with augments, rather than working on the brain, we can really expand our life spans.. since cybernetics last alot longer than organics.
Girl slow down.. You're heaven sent.
nuff said!
Oh yeah and about that jacking in. Read a couple of these pages.
a cat person
alicia-m wrote:
I don't think it's moral nor is it ethical to be performing this type of practice. I'd rather not think about Drone Warfare. I am fine with my body.
-Vega- wrote:
I don't need any technology to improve my body. My genetic programming is already turning me into a being that is higher than most of you.
Sarcasm is a form of stupidity.
If (when) it's possible I'll probably do it since I think it would be cool to shoot guns out of my arms and fall from 10 story buildings and walk away and stuff like that.


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Participation means everything, just ask the District 90 school board. It learned Tuesday at its October meeting that the district will earn more than half a million dollars simply by being a party in the wind farm program.
Former Pontiac Township High School Supt. Leo Johnson gave an update to PTHS board of education members on the Cayuga Ridge Wind Farm Agreement between Iberdrola Renewables and the district. He updated the board on the effect the enterprise zone is having on district funding.
Johnson reported that by June 30, 2014, District 90 will have gained $1,679,708, which is $584,143 more than would have been gained if the school district had not participated in the agreement.
"If there were no enterprise zone with the wind farm, we would still receive — through the General State Aid (GSA) formula — the Equalized Assessed Value (EAV) on the wind farms," Supt. Jon Kilgore said. "However, as an incentive to companies to invest in this area, they can enter into an enterprise zone. That not only helps to bring incentive to build our area, but also brings money back to the schools through the enterprise zone arrangement. In this case, it is more revenue than what it would be if we just got taxes off of it."
The agreement is scheduled to expire in 2014, however the residual effects of the agreement are projected to continue for two years, into the district's Fiscal Year 2017. At that point, the district will go back to receiving general state aid off of the EAV of the wind farms.
"In essence, it provides an opportunity to stay outside of the typical school funding formula and at the same time, provide some incentive to build in our district and our county," Kilgore said.
Johnson explained to board that the agreement —the only one of its kind in the state — allows participating schools to abate all of the property taxes for Iberdrola in an enterprise zone in return for a payment from the company in the amount of 50 percent of their property taxes. The current GSA formula allows districts to be completely reimbursed for their abated taxes, giving them all of the money they spent back plus the 50 percent paid to them by the company.
"It's run the way a typical enterprise zone would be," Kilgore said. "There are some savings for the company as well as some additional revenues for the schools."
The school district puts those funds into building upkeep, maintenance and projects.
"The bulk of it pays for our energy efficiency projects and our heating and cooling projects," Kilgore said. "As (Johnson) mentioned, you can use it in different ways, but we use it to invest in the infrastructure of our building."
Johnson said the wind farm was in operation for its first full year in 2010. In 2011, Iberdrola fulfilled its payment in lieu of taxes to each participating district and this has continued each year. FY13, Johnson said, is the first year that state aid was affected by the agreement.
"EAV for the wind farm was not counted against the GSA resulting in a recovery about half of the taxes abated," Johnson reported. "An additional amount of EAV was deducted by the state to make the district 'whole' on the taxed abated as planned."
This year marks the second year in which state aid is affected by the agreement. Johnson said the results will be deducted again to make the district whole.
"Unfortunately, the State of Illinois continues to under fund GSA payments by 10 to 11 percent and this results in a loss each year to what this agreement would have mean to each district involved," Johnson said. "However, as I've shown, even with the state's inability to fulfill its obligations, we are still ahead of the game thanks to the enterprise zone."
Former super explains financial boon to PTHS
Participation means everything, just ask the District 90 school board. It learned Tuesday at its October meeting that the district will earn more than half a million dollars simply by being a party in the wind farm program.


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Candles in Windows
A candle in the window is a symbol of warmth and security. Traditionally, it marked the love of a family waiting for the return of a family member who was away from home.
In Colonial America a candle in the window was used to honor dignitaries, announce births and just plain celebrate, which might explain why we see more of them during this celebratory time of the year.
We think this sense of warmth and security conveyed by such a simple gesture is because a lit candle in the window tells you a few things: There is someone on the other side tending to it. The candle is in a window for others to see - it is reaching out from the home and communicating something to those outside of the home.
Do you have a candle-in-the-window tradition in your home? Electric or wax (seems the majority we see are electric.)?
Images: 1: Flower Garden Girl, 2: Keith Scott Morton / Country Living, 3: dhudson.net, 4: Pope Benedict XVI lights a candle from the window of his private apartments at the Vatican, via All Voices


text:
Guided Bike Ride
Wednesday July 18th 2:30pm - 4:30pm
Wednesday July 18th 2:30pm - 4:30pm
Join us for a guided, leisurely bike ride to Nisswa. Find out all about Grand View Lodge and experience the Lakes area as you ride. This event is fun for the whole family. This Ride will be a 6 mile ride, 3 miles each way.
Cost: Complimentary Limit: 5 persons/family
*Large groups are encouraged to call concierge (218-963-8756) for special arrangements on activities that are restrictive of quantities or sessions.
*Only Grand View Lodge guests may sign up for this activity. A confirmation from your stay reservation is required.


text:
Patrick Swayze's untimely death has left us with his legacy of paranormal romance, crime-funded surfing, and, of course, dirty dancing. But if the writers of Zombieland had their way, Swayze's final role would have been that of a Ghost-lampooning zombie.
In an interview with ShockTillYouDrop, Zombieland writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick explained that when they first began work on the idea, before Swayze's diagnosis, they had hoped to cast in him for a surprise bit in the film:
It was [going to be] a Patrick Swayze zombie. They got attacked by him zombified and we had these wonderful moments where they found a potter's wheel and there's Columbus on the wheel and these other hands come up behind him and it's Patrick Swayze the zombie. Ultimately, they fight and Patrick bull rushes Tallahassee who grabs him and lifts him into the air, a la Jennifer Grey, and smashes him into a pillar.
After Swayze bowed out, the pair decided to stick with the celebrity cameo idea, and nabbed a different star for a non-Swayze-themed scene.
Patrick Swayze Was To Cameo In Zombieland [ShockTillYouDrop]


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|View Poll Results: Kanon - 2006 - Episode 5 Rating
|Perfect 10
|9 out of 10 : Excellent
|8 out of 10 : Very Good
|7 out of 10 : Good
|6 out of 10 : Average
|5 out of 10 : Below Average
|4 out of 10 : Poor
|3 out of 10 : Bad
|2 out of 10 : Very Bad
|1 out of 10 : Painful
|Voters: 99. You may not vote on this poll
|Thread Tools
|2006-11-01, 21:09
|Link #1
I am mowing clowns
Join Date: Dec 2005
Kanon - 2006 - Episode 5 Discussion / Poll
Welcome to the discussion thread for Kanon, Episode 5.
Thread Guidelines
Spoiler Tag Example
[spoiler=title]Don't forget to use a title for the spoiler![/spoiler]...becomes...
|2006-11-02, 11:45
|Link #2
seiyuu maniac
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Tokyo, Japan
Quite a light hearted episode and lots of comedic moments from all the characters. Mai and Sayuri finally gets their proper introduction in this episode, and Shiori gets a bit of screentime to develop her character as well. But this episode was really about Makoto underneath. Lots of interacton of Makoto with everyone else and again Kyoani manages to put it plenty of foreshadowing with seemingly non-issue events. We also get to see a lot more of Yuuichi's personality and the switching between the playful/bastard Yuuichi and caring Yuuichi was specially well done.
Nothing to complain, still holding up very well. Great job Kyoani.
|2006-11-02, 16:09
|Link #6
Name means little...
Graphic Designer
Join Date: Dec 2004
I have a faint memory of a bath scene with Makoto in the game... it might be faulty...
and yes, the Nagato vibe is strong with Mai right now.
Kyuichi jumping out of the chair in the breakfest as he finally realizes Ayu being there... well done. He quickly switches back to normal mode too...
The part about Mai's lover... I recall that. And behold! The blanket's purpose has been unveiled. It's good that Sayuri does sound like more together than Misuzu. All I could say is that Kyuichi's quite the scheming individual there. Right after that, he keeps busy and talks to Shiori. He's got the onii-chan vibe and he uses it to his full advantage!
And Ero-hon! This approach is rather interesting. Unlike Toei, he sent her to buying the books and have her screaming about it later on. Hahaha. One can only imagine what happened in the bookstore. Thus starts the love story between a girl and Nikuman. And o my... Makoto's showing off her true colors so very quickly.
The remixed version of Makoto's theme plays. This is rather interesting. Makoto getting rather freaked out is just funny. (I can't wait for the Gyuudon though).
|2006-11-02, 17:11
|Link #8
Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2006
Episode 05 screencaps and summary
|2006-11-02, 17:27
|Link #9
Tell me who I am.
Join Date: Oct 2006
Spoiler for Haven't played the game, but...:
|2006-11-02, 18:22
|Link #11
Obey the Darkly Cute ...
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: On the whole, I'd rather be in Kyoto ...
Age: 61
Yuki Nagato will do these expository encyclopediac bursts but Mai simply compresses more nuance of emotion into a grunt or a short phrase than most people do chattering all day. Characters like Sakaki (AzuDa) are homages to her type (although Motoko (LH)) is in the family here, she's far more talkative).
I like all the archetypes exemplified by the characters in Kanon , but Mai is just especially endearing (particularly when I think of this solemn girl in her special headdress ) Some echoes of the headdress Setsuna (Negima) wears at the festival I suppose
|2006-11-02, 19:04
|Link #14
of Porsche
So, I just finished watching the episode. I was a little disappointed with the end in that it didn't quite show what I wanted to see. Prelude totally seemed like it was giving an essential plot point, but it was never discussed or went back to again. Yuuichi was just too busy trying to get Mai to talk, which I think is fine. But I was just anticipating something more going on between the two. It just never occured.
As a Kanon newbie, so far I think after watching all five episodes, it's laid out a great sum of unanswered questions. The series so far is amusing, yes, and I think it's nicely drawn. But it still feels like that they're still setting up the characters and getting them to introduce and talk amongst one another. In short, it doesn't sound like there's an established conflict or struggle set up yet, and I'm deathly eager to see what it may be.
|2006-11-02, 20:03
|Link #16
Yuuki Aoi
Join Date: Jul 2004
Maybe I'm being soft, but it's a ten for me. There was so much both on and beneath the surface. As with SHnY, the director is creating a lot of sub-surface tension that I expect will break out in very effective bursts as the show goes on. But I love the feeling of suppression of growing feelings -- feelings in me, I mean, not in the characters. This show may have the most moe per minute ever. And the Kyon-ized version of Yuuichi is working for me. Great voice-acting all 'round.
|2006-11-02, 20:19
|Link #17
Rewrite of the Life
Yeah as everyone has said a really good episode. Also quite fun to match up which CGs were used too.
My favorite part was the switch back between Makoto and Yuuichi in the bathtub scene it was really well done XD
Also interesesting how the cast gets different outfits once in a while ^-^.
|2006-11-02, 20:24
|Link #18
Tell me who I am.
Join Date: Oct 2006
In any case, I love the use of music in Kanon so far, especially the part where the music simply stops in this episode. Also, I'm loving how much of Yuuichi's jokes are falling flat to Mai. I also like how even Yuuichi is slow in the mornings sometimes. It's also nice how Yuuichi's kind side is starting to come through, in his own unique way. At the same time, I couldn't keep a straight face during the "ero-hon" talk(part 1 and part 2).
The Shiori section was somewhat wierd to me, but the snow was animated wonderfully as usual.
|2006-11-02, 20:34
|Link #19
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Canada
Age: 33
As I expected, Yuuichi's daily life now consists of nothing but meeting with girls. He's at least 500% more efficient than the game Yuuichi at raising flags.
Well, no real complaints here, looking forward to next week.
|2006-11-02, 21:18
|Link #20
Seiza + Katana = Ai-daiyo
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Houston (Clear Lake), TX
Age: 38
I think some of my favorite moments in this were Yuuichi putting Makoto to bed.... the 30 seconds it took for Yuuichi to realize it was Ayu (after he asked about everyone else) at breakfast..... (with Ayu being very calm about the whole thing.. WHY ARE YOU HERE? "breakfest" ) ...
and of course all the moments with Mai....
Sayuri seems more livily in KyoAni's version to me for some reason.
Poor Makoto.
|Thread Tools


text:
You could fill a library with textbooks that stress the value of using simple words and short sentences. This column warns about the danger of going overboard. Minimizing words can lead to weaker, incomplete expression of your thoughts; worse yet, this practice can produce non-sentences that leave the reader or listener groping for your meaning.
You could fill a library with textbooks that stress the value of using simple words and short sentences. This column warns about the danger of going overboard. Minimizing words can lead to weaker, incomplete expression of your thoughts; worse yet, this practice can produce non-sentences that leave the reader or listener groping for your meaning.
To illustrate the merits of a medium-length sentence, let's turn to humorist Woody Allen. He once wrote, "The talent for being happy is appreciating and liking what you have, instead of what you don't have."
Mr. Allen could have ended the sentence after "what you have." But he enriched it by adding "what you don't have."
This column (1) begins with three short sentences in need of improvement and (2) follows with examples of non-sentences (fragments) that lack substance.
Consider these short sentences:
u Johnnie is a good son. (Why?)
u Plan B is worth trying. (Why?)
u You can depend upon Clem, our paperboy. (Why?)
Instead of supplying informative messages, these short sentences offer incomplete, ambiguous thoughts. (Recall that "ambiguous" means capable of being understood in two or more possible ways.) Be advised: Recipients of short sentences shouldn't have to guess at their meaning. Many such sentences cry out for elaboration or restatement.
Here are possible restatements that clear the air:
u Even without being asked, my son Johnnie always sweeps the kitchen floor and washes the dishes after supper.
u In my opinion, Plan B should be tried because it is sensible, economical and easy to implement.
u I can't recall a single time when Clem, our paper boy, has not delivered the daily newspaper by 6 a.m.
Observe how these longer sentences introduce clarity and preciseness.
You probably know folks who speak and write in vague, ambiguous ways. I believe they do a distinct disservice to their recipients and to themselves. Such terse language may mislead, frustrate, require additional explanation and thus slow the flow of a discussion, speech or piece of writing. In addition, excessive use may cause recipients to question the English language skills of the speaker or writer.
So far, we've looked at short sentences that could be improved. Now let's turn briefly to non-sentences (fragments) requiring additional explanation:
u Instead of "Sounds interesting," try "With superstar Will Goodbody playing the lead, I suspect the movie is well worth taking in."
u Instead of "Cool, really cool," try "Paula, your self-confidence, in the face of scorching criticism, inspires me."
u Instead of "Works for me," try "I am confident that I can integrate this additional duty into my work schedule."
Notice the gains in clarity and substance?
To be sure, fragments do play a role in some plays, books, movies, TV commercials and printed advertisements. In those instances, the writers are often striving to convey informality, folksiness, humor or even an utter lack of education. Such writers are given dramatic license to amuse, shock or otherwise entertain.
But in everyday communication to inform or instruct — when speaking or writing to friends, family, business associates and work groups — let's avoid abrupt, telegraphic language. Say what you really mean by crafting sentences that are grammatically complete, precise, substantive and, thus, far more likely to be understood. That may take a bit of extra effort, but isn't understanding the outcome you seek?
If you are tempted to speak in fragments or use them in email — because you are comfortable with them — be conscious of the effect they are likely to have on your audience. What kind of impression are you going to make? Will you be seen as competent, communicative, trustworthy? Bear in mind this single thought: Your writing is you.
This column ends with a fairly long sentence for your consideration. Computer pioneer Bill Gates once wrote: "I'm a great believer that any tool has profound effects in terms of how people can learn from each other and how they can achieve the kind of freedoms that they're interested in."
Mr. Gates could have ended after "has profound effects." Would shorter have been better?
Note: The sentence fragments discussed today are only one type. They are about missing words and resulting ambiguity. Such fragments are commonly found in both speech and writing. Another common type of fragment is caused by erroneous injection of a period within a sentence. These periods create both grammatical and punctuation problems in writing. They will be treated in a future column.


text:
Bruce Lehman is the commissioner of the U.S. Patents and Trademark Office (PTO). He is also chair of the Working Group on Intellectual Property of the National Information Infrastructure Task Force, and he will be a featured speaker at the upcoming ASIS Mid-Year Meeting in Minneapolis, Minnesota, May 24-26.
In a wide-ranging interview, PTO Commissioner Bruce Lehman discussed his plans for reorganizing and reengineering the Patent and Trademark Office, the inattention of America's CEOs to their own intellectual property, and the benefits of 20-year terms. He is highly opinionated - what some critics consider arrogant. Yet the weight of logic, if not common sense, is behind most of his ideas, and he has proven to be an indefatigable proponent of U.S. rights in the growing international marketplace.
IPTO: Traditionally the commissioner's job has been a low-key post, described by the National Law Journal, for example, as best suited to "a corporate chief patent counsel near retirement age." Yet, in your first two years in the post you have drawn considerable attention to yourself and intellectual property issues facing the United States, both at home and abroad. Has the attention focused on your office resulted from your efforts, from changes in the economy, or perhaps from both?
Lehman: I think it's a combination of factors, as so often is the case. Times produce certain kinds of people.
First, I don't agree with the National Law Journal's characterization. I think when people have actually looked at what this office does, nobody can assume that this is a low-key post. And I think I certainly have had activist predecessors. I think that President Kennedy's first patent commissioner, David Ladd, was a very activist patent commissioner, and in many ways the structure that we have now in the office was organized by him. We had an activist commissioner certainly in [President Reagan appointee] Gerry Mossinghoff. I think Gerry was the first commissioner who really raised this office to an administration economic policy level. Under Reagan you had what I think was called the Economic Policy Council, and they had an intellectual property committee that was technically chaired by Commerce Secretary [Malcolm] Baldridge, but in effect was really chaired by Mossinghoff. That was the first time - this was in the early 1980s - that all intellectual property policy, not just patents and trademarks, was really brought under the leadership of the commissioner of patents and trademarks. And of course it was during Gerry Mossinghoff's tenure that this position was made assistant secretary of commerce. That was when the office basically became the principal support for the USTR's [United States Trade Representative] efforts at negotiating trade treaties involving intellectual property.
I think that if you really stand back and look at all these other people, you have to question whether I am a product or whether I am the cause of it. But I think clearly it would be much more difficult for me to be an activist if this infrastructure - this policy infrastructure - both inside and outside the Patent and Trademark Office, were not there.
IPTO: Do you think the intellectual property community is aware of that?
Lehman: I think that the average patent lawyer is not aware of that. I think, frankly, private industry is behind the government, partly because private industry hasn't had to negotiate a GATT/TRIPs [General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade/Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights] treaty. I find that one of my most frustrating problems is the disconnect between the front office in corporate America and the patent counsel.
Often times corporate CEOs tend to look at the patent operation - whether it is in-house or outside counsel, or a combination of both - as highly technical. It just doesn't bother them until there's a big crisis, and of course by then it's too late. Look at Kodak - the blood on the floor after the Kodak vs. Polaroid case. My own personal feeling is that a corporate CEO is not serving his board of directors and stockholders if he continues [ignoring the role of intellectual property] in the modern world, where technology is everything and where proprietary rights in technology are the difference between being competitive and non-competitive often times. I think that too many corporate CEOs in America just aren't doing their job and it's very frustrating. And I see it in policy making all the time.
There are critical issues - legislative, international issues - and we do not have the level of understanding in corporate America to get in there and advise us. And what they inevitably do is they say, "Let patent counsel take care of it." And you know patent counsel, by and large, are trained to prosecute patent applications in this office. That is a vastly different thing from the stewardship of the crown jewels of a corporation, which is the responsibility of senior management.
You do not find this in the copyright industry. The Hollywood studio chieftains are right in there. There is not a single major information/entertainment operation that doesn't have a very high-powered Washington office that is deeply involved in intellectual property policy.
IPTO: Do you get a sense that both the president and vice president are interested in this subject and really want to make sure that it becomes a part of American business? If corporate America is not really catching on yet to the importance of what they own, and patent counsel cannot thrust themselves upon the corporate CEO and say, "You need my help, wake up and smell the coffee," is it government's role then to educate corporate America?
Lehman: I guess this is the difference between the Democrats and the Republicans. I would say the center of gravity in the Republican Party is utter laissez faire. Always has been. And I think that history shows us that inevitably you cannot trust that, because corporate America is not always that smart.
Unfortunately, I think we clearly know now that the do-gooders having government tell everyone what to do and regulation all about us is equally disastrous. So I think that [a partnership] is what the American people really want. If you look at history it's called prudence - moderation.
If you look at America's competitive advantage in the post-World War II era, overwhelmingly the whole computer industry came out of defense research - MIT, Stanford and Berkeley - and it is no surprise that that is where the computer software industry and computer industries tend to be located. The government seeded that effort. The Internet was a government project upon which we are building the whole information superhighway. The entire aircraft industry of the United States owes its world-leader position to Defense Department development.
I think that is a very good illustration of the inevitable partnership role that is there. I think those who want to deny that, in the interest of some ideological archetype that bears no relationship to the facts in the history of this country and its success, are playing very dangerously with America's future.
IPTO: In regard to the partnership you were just describing, could you discuss the reengineering the PTO is going through?
Lehman: The first thing I did right off the bat was I reorganized the Patent and Trademark Office. The central principle of that reorganization was to consolidate all the functions that related to issuance of a trademark registration or the issuance of a patent under the people responsible for it - the trademark examining corps and the patent examining corps. I attempted to establish a structure in which there would be accountability.
Now we have a series of customer service standards which are still in evolution, but it's just a start. Then we started programs to improve the training of our employees; we have PTO University at this point to raise the level of our clerical employees so that they are not just high school-educated clerks anymore: they are people with all the modern skills that they need. We have a program that we introduced early on to get the patent examiners out of the office for a couple of months at a time to clear their brain cells and go on details in this office and in policy areas - to go downtown to see what the real world looks like. Those were early efforts.
Now our reengineering efforts have progressed much further. We are taking a completely new look at the automation system. We found that basically the system is very sound, but that it's operating like a car that needs a tune-up. It's operating on one cylinder instead of all four because people don't understand how to use it effectively because we don't give them the proper training or follow up training when upgrades come along. That's going to improve our productivity a great deal.
There is nothing other than the absolute [statutory] requirements in the way we do business that is not on the table. We need to really begin this reengineering, reinventing period, and the objective is clear: quality equals customer satisfaction.
IPTO: Can't that be a little difficult to measure sometimes?
Lehman: It is, excepting that I would say this: one of the problems of the Patent Office historically is that it has set up artificial goals and measured itself against that, as opposed to what the customers really want. I think our whole pendency system, which really drives the organization, is that way. We set up very artificial pendency goals. Some of our customers don't even want quick pendency. This gets into that whole issue of 20-year term. A lot of the biotech people could care less whether they get out of the patent office quickly or not. Yet we have established that as a goal. We are also very artificial in the way we count these things - the way we count the disposals of cases. What we really need to look at is our customers getting what they want out of the system.
You can't apply a private sector business model completely to an organization like this. Clearly there are elements of customer satisfaction that are really more policy questions, and that's the hardest thing for me to deal with because different customers have diametrically opposed views of policy quality. Our debate over a 20-year term is a critical example. In an attempt to reach out to our customers, I had a series of hearings with all different groups. One group that is very vocal - and I spent a lot of time listening to - is the computer software industry. Clearly they wanted pre-grant publication, they wanted the very timely processing of patents, and they wanted absolutely to do away with submarine patents, and they wanted the certainty of a fixed term from filing. Well, we've given it to them. And now we find that other people - some of the independent inventors clubs and so on - oppose that, and some people in the biotech industry oppose that, because they like to be able to play with the system to drag out the application because it gives them more flexibility to deal with regulatory delay and so on. It is much more difficult to fix problems that they [one industry] have when the solution they want flies directly in the face of the solution that some other major customer wants.
IPTO: Have you thought of offering different kinds of patents?
Lehman: Up until now, no. But I would say that nothing is off the table, because of course that would require a statutory change. I would love that we would evolve into something like that.
IPTO: In the wake of TRIPs, do you have any plans to pursue additional treaties or harmonization?
Lehman: Well, my feeling is that patent harmonization in the WIPO context is basically dead for the near term. I just don't think it is an effective way of proceeding. The notion that you are going to sit down and negotiate a meaningful patent treaty with 100 countries when, as a practical matter, there really are only three places in the world where you have a real patent system, is ridiculous. We have to deal first with people who really have patent systems. Japan clearly was the one which was most out of whack, and we have tried to deal with them. I think people are very satisfied with the legal quality of a patent they get in Europe. The problem in Europe is really one of cost, and the costs are in many ways prohibitive. If you go to the European Patent Office, your full fees for the life of the patent - getting protection in every designated member country of the European Patent Union - will be $88,000, as opposed to $7,500 in this market. A market from the German border to the Atlantic and from England to the Mediterranean it is going to cost you $88,000. And here you can get a patent that is going to go from Maine to Puerto Rico, the Aleutian Islands to Hawaii, for $7,500. Something is really out of whack.
IPTO: What drives that cost?
Lehman: Several factors. Two of them, which could be reengineered out of existence overnight by policy changes, would probably reduce the cost by half or more, are translation costs and in-country designation fees. They both really stem from the same political problem. It's a basic problem that Europe has and, in my opinion, has got to for its own sake come to terms with.
When [the European Patent Office] was set up you had bureaucracies [patent offices] in each one of the individual countries. Obviously, that [EPO] was very threatening to them. So in return for ceding their national sovereignty, a part of the processing fee for the EPO had to pay designation fees for the countries in which you wanted protection. That money goes back to the countries' patent offices even though they really don't do anything. They were being put out of business and I guess that helped support them. Well, in fact, it is literally a tax on the system and very counterproductive.
Secondly, because of the nationalistic, xenophobic forces that are at work in Europe - one of the most serious problems being whose language is all important - there was an insistence that every patent be translated into every language of every country of the European Patent Union. One third of the cost of a European patent is the translation cost alone, and obviously that is not necessary. This is a sensitive political matter because a lot of Europeans don't want to admit it, but for all practical purposes the English language is the language of technology today. Even if you want to be a little expansive and you throw in German and French, you have it right there. You don't need to go any further. There is not a single university graduate in any one of those countries that doesn't speak one of those three languages. So just for purposes of nationalism, you're adding on tremendous costs. Those two things could be done away with overnight.
The other factor in the European Patent Office is [the bureaucracy]. For everybody that thinks the United States is going to hell in a handbasket because it has a big federal bureaucracy, they haven't seen anything until they've seen Europe. It's bureaucrats heaven over there. The notions that we have about efficiency just are vastly different. They take six weeks of vacation every year. The level of benefits and so on and so forth-it is a very expensive system. IPTO: Is anything being done to wean them off of the translation fees? Lehman: I am the first Patent Commissioner who has really raised it. This is a problem for even a very large company, and of course it is prohibitive for a smaller entrepreneur or inventor. They [small inventors] just aren't focused on the international economy. They think that they strike it rich if they get the U.S. market. That's great, but clearly the well being of the American people as a whole is much more promoted if not only do our inventors have exclusive rights here in the United States, but if we can encourage them to get the worldwide market for their technologies. For some of these guys - maybe they've been engineers spending their whole life earning $40,000 a year and working on this thing in their garage - it's like, "Wow, if I can make $3 million, it's all I need!" But we want them to make $8 million, not $3 million, and we will be pleased as punch if $5 million - paid from foreigners - is flowing back this way to improve our balance of payment status.
It has got to be that way. If we are going to import $30 million in textiles from China, we've got to sell something over there. And that something is going to have to be the stuff of intellectual property. That's why, right now, we are fighting over computer programs and sound recordings and movies. It is not going to do Boeing [Co.] any good to sell China one 767 and then claim five years later that their [China's] aircraft factories are putting out 767 clones in numbers instead of buying them from Boeing. It is very critical that we not get off on the wrong foot with China.
What America has to sell to the world is its genius, and if we don't both get other countries to provide a system that makes a market for that genius and, second, do everything we can to set up market forces that encourage our inventors to exploit that market, we are going to have a very hobbled economy.
IPTO: With regards to digital sound recordings, do you think that in the next couple of years we are going to see passage of a performance rights bill?
Lehman: Yes, I do think we will see it very quickly.
IPTO: As part of an NII package perhaps?
Lehman: I think it will probably pass before the rest of the NII package. But I think it's still a big question mark as to how extensive it will be. We have proposed a full scale performance right for digital broadcasts so that every radio station that broadcasts in digital format would have to pay, just as they do in other countries.
The most recent [Sen. Orrin] Hatch/[Rep. Carlos] Moorhead bill that was introduced exempts radio broadcasts. But even so that will still be a performance right, and it will govern a lot of the new emerging market places-subscription services, cable services and so on. You will see that traditional broadcasting will no longer be the primary public performance mode for these works.
I have a position on this which is really totally clear: I favor a full-scale performance right. I favor strong intellectual property rights for creators. That's the wealth of America, and if you don't acknowledge those rights you have no wealth.
IPTO: In regards to the NII, the Green Paper addresses the issue of copyright education as far as younger people - kindergarten up to high school. But most of the online [Internet] community has for years placed a high value on the ready access to information that is also free. The Green Paper didn't really address how we're going to deal with that existing culture.
Lehman: I think that the marketplace will take care of that.
The reason I say that is because this is not a new problem. This notion that everything that is out there and has no lock and key on it is readily available for the taking I think just does not apply. I think all you see in the computer hacker culture is basically just an extension of our American culture on all property.
Most of the activity that has taken place on [the Internet] has been either e-mail or bulletin board activity, or the exchange of public domain information, like government documents and government information. And that was great because that was enough to build the infrastructure.
But now what is happening is that cyberspace is becoming a marketplace, and as it becomes a marketplace, there will be people who will want to sell valuable products. That's the transition we are now going through. Clearly they need copyright protection. But also, just as clearly, it would be totally naive to assume that they can put their products through the cyberspace marketplace without putting them in a box or a package with a lock, so that the purchaser will not be able to receive them unless they have the key. And that is encryption and digital cash and all these things that are on the way as well.
You're always going to get among these computer hackers the various computer nerds: I'm sure they are going to play with the system. People do that now with the telephone. There are all kinds of telephone hackers. But I think that you have to realize that most Americans find it difficult to program their VCR. The beauty of the new Internet interfaces that are coming is that they are very user friendly and you just use a mouse and click the icons and so on. The mass market will operate at that level and I think it will be pretty easy to protect your work.
The danger will primarily come from the people who operate on a commercial scale-not just individual hackers who try to somehow or other engage in unauthorized use of your work. In any aspect of intellectual property an infringement occurs every day. I mean, infringement occurs every day at every office with a Xerox machine or a photocopying machine. But it is not at a level that causes big dislocations in the companies that produce those products [that are copied], and when it is then you bring about the legal tools to bring it to a halt.


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text:
Alvin's Dramatic Makeover (with Bubbles!)
Like this entry? Favorite it below!
- Name:
- Alvin
- Location:
- New York, NY
- Square Feet:
- 35
- Division:
- Own
- What makes your small kitchen so cool:
- The gut renovation resulted in a 50% increase of cabinet space from 35 to 53 cu. ft ., includes a pull out for garbage & recycling and the addition of a drawer dishwasher. And check out the backsplash!
- Describe a challenge you've overcome or a smart resource you've found for your kitchen.:
- At 35 square feet, the Kitchen is 10% of my 350 sq ft apartment. The original 48 year old Kitchen was inefficient for modern living, lacked usable counter space and was short on cabinet storage. My biggest challenge was to overcome the mental hurdle of replacing the stove with a cooktop and convection microwave (rather than a stove). Doing so enabled me to make room for a drawer dishwasher (where the oven would have been) plus a 30" wide x 12" tall drawer underneath. I can't live for resale value and what a future unknown buyer might want. My life needs a dishwasher more than it needs a traditional oven.
- What's your favorite meal to cook here?:
- Any meals prepared for guests because they were hard to do in my old kitchen. I even bought a Dutch oven.


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A catholic monastery devoted to the teachings of St. Benedict
(1) Today, for the Solemnity of All Saints, Archabbot Justin
presided and preached. We observed our Sunday schedule. The
seminary did not have classes, so the faculty and student monks
were free. Abbot John Brahill, OSB, abbot of Marmion Abbey, an
alumnus, arrived for a quick visit with the three monks from
Marmion who have begun studies here this semester.
(2) All Soul's Day. Archabbot Justin had to leave early for a
regular periodic visitation at Subiaco Abbey in Arkansas, so the
pro-prior, Fr. Mark, presided at Mass. We had our traditional
procession to the cemetery at the conclusion of Mass. It was a
beautiful morning. Fr. Adrian is leading a Guest House retreat on
the "Universal Call to Holiness" with 32 participants. Fr. Tobias
presided at Vespers in honor of his feast day (the holy man Tobias
from the Old Testament Book of Tobit).
(3) Sunday of the 31st Week of the Year. Fr. Guy presided and
preached. Two young men were visiting the monastery this week to
experience our life.
(4) The bishop of our two seminarians from the Diocese of
Palayamkottai, India, is visiting today. In the absence of the
abbot and the prior, Fr. Mark met with him to welcome him back to
Saint Meinrad.
(5) Fr. Prior Kurt returns from his sabbatical tomorrow to take
up his duties once again, and so this is the last entry by the
acting prior, Fr. Mark. Welcome home, Fr. Prior Kurt!
(6) From Fr. Prior Kurt… As Fr. Mark welcomes me back (he would
insist that he welcomes me back most enthusiastically!), I must
thank him for his most competent service as pro-prior these past
four months. And I thank him most enthusiastically, for I
received a wonderful gift from him when I entered the Prior's
Office this morning: a clean desk! I am grateful to him and to a
number of confreres whose generosity and willingness to take on
extra work allowed me a splendid sabbatical! +++ In Fr.
Abbot's absence, I presided at our culpa service in the
Chapter Room this afternoon. Fr. Patrick led us in a reflection on
Chapter 34 of the Rule, "On the Distribution of Goods
According to Need."
(7) In preparation for his eventual move into our monastery,
Abbot Denis Quinkert, the delegated superior of Blue Cloud Abbey in
Marvin, South Dakota, arrived this morning for a brief visit. He
brought with him some of his luggage, some luggage of Blue Cloud
monk Fr. John McMullen and several large boxes containing archival
material of Blue Cloud Abbey. Saint Meinrad founded Blue Cloud in
1950; it was raised to the status of an abbey in 1954. Last year,
after much prayer, reflection and consultation, the decision was
made to close the abbey. Last year we received two monks from Blue
Cloud: former abbot Alan Berndt and Fr. Cletus Miller. Readers of
"About the House" may recall that they were granted full chapter
status by the Saint Meinrad Chapter last December. Within the near
future, Abbot Denis and Fr. John will also be joining us; their
cells are being prepared even as I write! And Saint Meinrad
Archabbey will assume responsibility for organizing and maintaining
the archives of Blue Cloud Abbey.
(8) After supper this evening, a handful of monks went over to
Forest Park High School in Ferdinand to enjoy Shakespeare's "A
Comedy of Errors," performed by The National Players. Another
handful will be going over tomorrow to enjoy The Players'
production of Homer's "Odyssey." +++ Father Abbot has
returned from Subiaco Abbey, Arkansas, where he was taking part in
that community's regular visitation.
(9) The Dedication of the Lateran Basilica is an O.P.-ranked
feast, and so Fr. Prior Kurt presided at today's Conventual Mass
and the hours of the Divine Office. Br. Macario Martinez, a monk of
Conception Abbey studying in our seminary, preached at the
monastery Mass. +++ A group of seven Tibetan Buddhist
monks from Labrang Tashi Kyil Monastery in Dehradun, India, are
touring the United States, sharing their culture and religion with
various audiences. They visited Saint Meinrad this morning, giving
a presentation in the St. Gregory Gallery, after which they joined
us in the Archabbey Church for Midday Prayer.
(10) Fr. Vincent is our Mass Heb on this 32nd Sunday (and week)
of Ordinary Time; he presided and preached at our 9:30 Conventual
Mass, assisted by Deacon Will Thompson, a seminarian of the Diocese
of Owensboro. +++ Fr. Adrian concluded offering the
weekend retreat, "Listening to God with a Discerning Ear," to 63
(11) We celebrate the feast day today of Br. Martin. +++
Father Abbot Justin left early this morning for Baltimore. He
is among our people hosting the traditional "Saint Meinrad
Reception and Dinner" for a number of bishops whose students are
attending our seminary.
(12) Today we celebrate the feast day of Br. Theodore Haggerty,
a monk of Marmion Abbey, who is a first-year philosophy student in
our seminary.
(13) Forty-two students from Our Lady of Providence High School,
Clarksville, Indiana, arrived yesterday to begin a retreat. They
will be residing in St. Bede Hall until the retreat concludes at
noon on Friday.
(14) Ordinarily we don't celebrate birthdays in the monastery
(just feast days and jubilee anniversaries). But we do make
exceptions in special cases, and today is one of those special
times. Fr. Rupert celebrates his 92nd birthday today! He joined the
superiors at the abbot's table for supper, and we had a birthday
cake and colloquium in his honor. Happy birthday, Fr.
Rupert, and ad multos annos!
(15) Our junior monks hosted a "belated feast day party" for Br.
Theodore Haggerty at the Placidium this evening after
Compline. As noted above, Br. Theodore's feast day was on the
twelfth. +++ Late last night Father Prior Kurt picked
up Fr. Ephrem at the Louisville airport. Fr. Ephrem had a long day:
Rome to Amsterdam to Atlanta to Louisville. They arrived on the
hill just after midnight this morning. Fr. Ephrem will be with us
until January, when he will return to Rome to teach at the
Patristic Institute of the Augustinianum for the second semester.
We welcome him back to the hill!
(16) About 35 monks enjoyed a pizza lunch at The UnStable today.
Fathers Prior Kurt and Patrick and Novice Dane worked with
seminarians Deacon Tim Wyciskalla and second-year theology
seminarian James Brockmeier (both of Indianapolis) to serve some 18
pizzas. +++ Fifty-four members of Holy Spirit Parish,
Louisville, made a Confirmation Retreat on the hill today.
Third-year theology seminarian Shayne Duvall of the Archdiocese of
Louisville was their director.
(17) Fr. Eugene, our Mass Heb on this 33rd Sunday (and week) in
Ordinary Time, presided and preached at our 9:30 a.m. Conventual
Mass. +++ Shortly after three o'clock this afternoon,
the tornado siren blared away. As some monks took precautionary
cover in the basement, others went to the infirmary in case
assistance with our bedridden confreres would be necessary, and a
few kept a watchful eye on the storm's progress as tracked by TV.
There were a few close encounters-perhaps 15 or so miles from the
hill-but, fortunately, we had only a lot of rain and strong winds.
This "tornado Sunday" resulted in eight deaths in Illinois and
Michigan, plus millions of dollars of damage to homes and
properties. We keep especially those who suffer the loss of family
and friends in our prayers.
(18) About 90 Conventual Franciscan Friars from Mt. Saint
Francis, Indiana, have arrived for their retreat. They'll be with
us through the 21st. +++ Monday evening, and so we
enjoyed our "special desserts and recreation" in the calefactory
after supper. This evening we were also treated during the evening
meal to several special cheeses, provided through the kindness of
our oblates.
(19) An "unremarkable day," at least as far as the public record
goes. We continue to have chilly mornings and nights, and
comfortable-enough afternoons.
(20) Fr. Eugene, our Mass Heb, preached at the Conventual Mass
this morning. +++ Fr. Abbot Justin offered a conference
in the Chapter Room at three o'clock.
(21) Seems as though not much is going on besides the
weather-and our students getting ready for their Thanksgiving
break, which begins after their last class tomorrow. As for the
weather, it's somewhat balmy, with an on-again/off-again
(22) Fr. Eugene, our Mass Heb, offered a most appropriate
introduction to today's liturgy. He noted that as our Church
celebrates the martyrdom of St. Cecelia, our country commemorates
the 50th anniversary of the assassination of President John
Kennedy. "It is an appropriate day," Fr. Eugene suggested, "to
remember and pray for all victims of violence." Observing the
anniversary, and at the request of the Archdiocese of Indianapolis
(who was responding to a request from the U.S. Conference of
Mayors), we were one of countless churches throughout the country
who, at 1:15 EST this afternoon, pealed our bells for one minute,
in memory of our 35th president.
(23) Twenty-one participants-14 students and 7 adults-from St.
John's Catholic Church in Loogootee are here today and tomorrow for
a Confirmation Retreat. Also on the hill this weekend are seven
participants from nearby Tell City, making a women's retreat.
(24) This solemnity of Christ the King is an O.P.-ranked feast,
and so Fr. Prior Kurt presided and preached. This was also our
annual "Co-worker Mass and Reception" Day. After the Eucharist,
many of our co-workers and their spouses enjoyed, with a number of
monks, a reception in the Alumni Commons. We're most grateful to
the many men and women whose work, skills and care we rely upon
every day. These people keep Saint Meinrad going, and we thank
(25) As noted, Fr. Prior Kurt presided at Mass yesterday, the
Solemnity of Christ the King. Fr. Pius resumed "ordinary" Mass Heb
duties today, and will finish out this 34th (and last) week in
Ordinary Time.
(26) Fr. Abbot Justin was in Indianapolis today, offering a
pre-Advent Day of Recollection for the archdiocesan presbyterate.
+++ Some sporadic snow flurries this morning and
afternoon-our first snow of the season-but no accumulation, which
is just fine, as there's still quite a bit of traveling to do
before Christmas!
(27) One of our traditions is to do a little celebrating on
Thanksgiving eve. After dinner we gathered in the calefactory to
enjoy some cheeses, breads and wines. We concluded with a slightly
later-than-usual Compline, at 7:15.
(28) Thanksgiving Day! Fr. Pius, our Mass Heb, presided and
preached, beginning his homily by reading the decree of William
Radford, which marked the thanksgiving feast at the Pilgrim Rock
colony in 1623. We enjoyed our Sunday schedule today and, with a
number of guests, feasted on turkey 'n trimmings in the Anselm
Dining Room for our noonday meal.
(29) This day after Thanksgiving has been very quiet indeed!
+++ A handful of our seminarians are spending at least
part of their break here on the hill. This afternoon they enjoyed
Fr. Ron Knott's hospitality in Louisville-dinner and a movie, I'm
told. Fr. Ron has been hosting the "orphan seminarians"-those too
far away from home to travel during these few days-for several
years now. His graciousness is much appreciated!
(30) Fr. Pius finished his week as our Mass Heb and preached on
this feast of Andrew the Apostle. +++ Many of our
readers are interested in what we're reading at our evening meal in
the monastery. This evening we put our "regular" reading on hold
for a while. During the Advent season, after the standard
selections from the Rule, Martyrology and
Necrology, we'll hear a brief selection for the day from
Caryll Houselander's and Thomas Hoffman's Advent, Christmas,
and Epiphany, and then proceed to our longer Advent reading,
taken from Paula Gooder's The Meaning is in the Waiting: the
Spirit of Advent.
I wish our readers a "calm and joyful" Advent. As we await the
coming Christ-as-Child, may our eyes and hearts be open to the many
subtle ways God makes His presence known in our lives each day.
Each day the monks of Saint Meinrad Archabbey write another page
in the long history of Benedictine monks throughout the world. Here
are recent events chronicled at Saint Meinrad.
Contact Us
Website Feedback
© Saint Meinrad Archabbey 2018


text:
Rob Zombie in "Dragula"
Digging Through The Ditches With Rob Zombie
Welcome to Forgotten Videos. For some, these videos are forgotten, for others just filed away, and for others still, a totally brand-new discovery. Whichever category you fall into, each week we'll feature a video that's possibly been collecting dust when what it really deserves is a fresh look. Or vice-versa…. We're not here to judge, we just want to take you on a little trip down memory lane. Yep, you'll remember when hair was really that big, when drums were that up front in the mix, when video was young(er) and so were you.
Rob Zombie
With Halloween less than a week away, we thought we'd give you a good scare (and possibly a few costume ideas) from none other than the king of horror rock, Rob Zombie. Packed with bizarre scenes from scary movies, dangerous rides in the "dragula" and a pair of devilish-looking jokers, Zombie's "Dragula" is as hot on the road as it is on-screen.
The track appears on 1998's Hellbilly Deluxe, Zombie's first album apart from his gig as the frontman for GRAMMY-nominated metal outfit White Zombie. While not technically a Halloween album, Hellbilly Deluxe has all the makings for a frightful playlist with a menacing cover and songs such as "Call Of The Zombie," "Living Dead Girl," "How To Make A Monster," and "Spookshow Baby," and its debut was arguably as shocking as the creature that appears in the opening scene in this video. Hellbilly Deluxe is also Zombie's best-selling album to date with sales of more than 3 million copies.
Other somewhat shocking (though at times humorous) scenes from the video include images from Bela Lugosi's 1939 film The Phantom Creeps. The giant robot featured in The Phantom Creeps comes alive for Zombie's video and starts dancing, not-so-gracefully mimicking the moves of a female dancer, who is now backed by dancing devilish joker twins. Then Zombie is back on his dragula, but this time with three Wicked Witches of the West in-tow. There's a brief cameo from Halloween-favorite Frankenstein, and it should also be mentioned that Zombie's ride, the dragula, is modeled on the vehicle Grandpa Munster built in the '60s TV show "The Munsters."
Still, it's anyone's guess what exactly Zombie is shouting about. But with lyrics such as "Dig through the ditches and burn through the witches," and Zombie's stream of consciousness directing style, it makes out as one happy nightmare for Zombie and his Halloween dream world.
Zombie continued to release scary hit albums throughout the late '90s and 2000s, including 1999's American Made Music To Strip By (a remix of Hellbilly Deluxe), 2001's The Sinister Urge and 2003's best-of compilation Past, Present & Future. For those in need of more Halloween-appropriate tunes, Hellbilly Deluxe, Vol. 2 was released in 2010 featuring songs such as "Jesus Frankenstein," "Werewolf, Baby!" and "Virgin Witch." Zombie has also displayed his love for ghouls and ghosts on the big screen, directing films such as a remake of John Carpenter's 1978 film Halloween, Halloween II and House Of 1000 Corpses.
Further solidifying Zombie as one of Halloween's reigning champions, Billboard recently named him one of the top 10 scariest musicians ever. We're guessing it's the dragula that sealed the deal.
Have you ever taken a ride on a dragula? Got any Forgotten Video recommendations? Leave us a comment.
Last week's Forgotten Video. Click on the "Forgotten Videos" tag below for links to other GRAMMY News stories in this series.


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PS3 Remote
ps3 remote
ps3 remote - Sony BD Remote is a nice peice of hardware, It is bluetooth so no line of site is needed. This is great for a mythtv frontend that feeds multiple rooms. As a side note, the Logitec Cordless MediaBoard Pro™ is a nice cheap keyboard-touchpad combo that is also bluetooth.
The preferred method for setting up this remote can be found here
Unfortunately Debian based distributions bluetooth stack does not like the above method right now. The option for Distributions that will not work with the above method is to use the cakemote.py python script. The cakemote.py script as is, behaves badly due to the multi key press function and requires you to change all your key bindings in myth. With the multi key press function disabled and the remote keys mapped for mythtv this remote rocks. The cakemote-mythtv.py does not interface with lirc.
Drawback to the cakemote-mythtv.py is battery life of 4-5 days.
I have a 15 minute battery charger which makes it tolerable, yes short battery life is a pain in the butt, but the remote works so good my basement, kitchen, living room... that it is worth it, till k/ubuntu bluetooth stack works with the preferred method.
Thanks to those below for their hard work.
#cakemote.py - uinput driver for PS3 remote #Heavily hacked from work by Will Woods, Brett Rodgers and the WMD team #by Jo Shields <firstname.lastname@example.com>
I only tweaked it for use with mythtv, all changes i made are commented.
This is geared towards k/ubuntu. You will also need sudo privileges.
sudo apt-get install python-bluez
If you do not already have /home/username/bin directory lets make one
mkdir ~/bin
All files can be found here or here.
File List:
cakemote-mythtv.py -- the script, should reside inside your ~/bin. ps3-remote-cakemote-mythtv.png -- layout of the remote. ps3remote-start -- command line bash script for starting the remote. should reside inside your ~/bin. ps3remote-start-kde4 -- for kde4. should reside inside your ~/bin. add to your kde4 menu. A directory called bd-remote-mythtv-svg -- this has the svg file for editing the picture of the remote layout, if you reassign the keys.
Extract all files into your ~/bin directory
tar -C ~/bin -xvzf bd-remote-mythtv-svg.tar.gz
Then you must enter the Bluetooth Address of the Remote into the cakemote-mythtv.py on line 563. Use hcitool scan to get the address.
Hold 'Start' and 'Enter' buttons on the remote
hcitool scan Scanning ... 00:00:00:00:00:00 BD Remote Control
then add the address you get to the cakemote-mythtv.py about line 563
nano ~/bin/cakemote-mythtv.py
You must log out and back in to make scripts in ~/bin directory to be seen in your shell.
Starting cakemote-mythtv.py
open a shell and run:
also included is ps3remote-start-kde4, add it to your kmenu then run it from their.
Shell startup scripts
ps3remote-start - run from a terminal
#!/bin/sh ##ps3remote-start sudo modprobe uinput # make sure the uinput module is loaded sudo /etc/init.d/bluetooth stop # will not connect while on - this will not disconnect anything sudo killall cakemote-mythtv.py # make sure cakemote-mythtv.py is not running xmessage -center "To connect the PS3 Remote PRESS ENTER AND START and KEEP PRESSED DOWN on the remote then hit okay Then let go after 5 secs" #helps the wife get it done sudo ~/bin/cakemote-mythtv.py & #change to your path if this does not work sleep 10 # let it get going sudo /etc/init.d/bluetooth start # restart your bluetooth so your other devices will reconnect when they time out exit #see ya
ps3remote-start-kde4 - make a menu item in kde4
#!/bin/sh #ugly script to start cakemote-mythtv.py in kde4 after you reboot, change batteries... #if you have a better way, pass it on plz #use the kdemenu editor (right mouse click the "k" start button) to add the script to the menu by chosing new item. kdesudo --comment "PS3 Remote startup" modprobe uinput # make sure the uinput module is loaded kdesudo /etc/init.d/bluetooth stop # will not connect while on - this will not disconnect anything kdesudo killall cakemote-mythtv.py # make sure cakemote-mythtv.py is not running xmessage -center "TO CONNECT THE PS3 REMOTE: PRESS and HOLD - ENTER AND START on the PS3 Remote KEEP BOTH PRESSED DOWN then hit OKAY then LET GO AFTER 5 SECS" kdesudo ~/bin/cakemote-mythtv.py & #change to your path if this does not work#helps the wife get it done sleep 10 # let it get going kdesudo /etc/init.d/bluetooth start # restart your bluetooth so your other devices will reconnect when they time out xmessage -center "Hopefully it connected If not try again" exit #see ya
Mplayer key bindings
to make mplayer key bindings match we need to make a input.conf
nano ~/.mplayer/input.conf
and add the following:
## ## MPlayer input control file ## F3 panscan -0.1 F4 panscan +0.1 t sub_visibility i osd w panscan +0.1
On the button layout picture, is the info for the setup of these buttons.


text:
HOUSTON (AP) — CC Sabathia allowed just two runs in 6 2/3 innings to get back on track after a tough stretch and help the New York Yankees to a 6-3 win over the Houston Astros on Tuesday night.
Sabathia (6-8) allowed four hits and struck out five to pick up his first win since June 16 after going 0-4 and allowing 31 runs — 29 earned — combined in his past six starts.
Things didn't look good early on Tuesday night when he allowed a solo home run to Marwin Gonzalez in the first inning. But he settled in after that, allowing only one single over the next five innings.
The Yankees built a five-run lead thanks in part to a two-run triple by Aaron Hicks by the time Evan Gattis...


text:
BRISTOL, Tenn. – The King University men's wrestling team hosted their first dual of the season as they took on Limestone College on Wednesday night. The Tornado fell behind early, but made a late comeback to pull within four with two bouts left. King got another pin in the final bout, but fell 22-21 to the Saints.
Limestone (6-5) took an early 3-0 lead with a victory at 125 pounds, but the Tornado (1-2) came back to even the score at 3-3 when Cullen King took a narrow 4-3 win over Kyle Lowe at 133 pounds. After a pair of Limestone wins at 141 and 149, JA Jones got King back on the board at 157 pounds. Jones pinned Storm Nelson in 2:40 to pull the Tornado back within 12-9.
Again, the Saints earned back-to-back victories before Blaike Henry won via a second period pin in 4:33 at 184 pounds over David Kieta. Justin Tribble extended Limestone's lead to 22-15 with a narrow 2-0 win at 197 pounds before Garrett Fosdyck ended the dual with a bang. The heavyweight pinned Jeremiah Parker in 2:30 to make the final score 22-21 in favor of the Saints.
King is back in action again on Saturday when they host Anderson University at 3:00 p.m. in the Student Center Complex.


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One of the most colorful traditions of the SuperClasico, the BarraClasico -- a series of matches between the LA Galaxy Supporters Groups and Chivas USA Supporters -- ended in a pair of wins for the Galaxy groups on Saturday.
The first match featured the LA Riot Squad defeated the Black Army 1850 4-0 spearheaded by a hat-trick performance from Andres Arzate-Engels and a goal from Nate Herraro.
In the nightcap, the Angel City Brigade defeated the Union Ultras 3-1 as Michael Gray bagged two goals while Jonathan Cory Gray rounded out the scoring for the ACB.


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Lawyer: Army's decision to seek death penalty for soldier charged in rampage 'irresponsible'
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SEATTLE – Staff Sgt. Robert Bales' lawyer says the Army's decision to seek the death penalty against his client for a massacre in Afghanistan in March is "totally irresponsible."
Attorney John Henry Browne tells The Associated Press that the Army is simply trying to take the focus off its own failings in sending soldiers into war zones when they have already done multiple deployments and suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder.
Browne says nothing would be served by executing Bales, who was serving his fourth deployment. Prosecutors say Bales killed 16 civilians March 11 during predawn raids on two villages.
No date has been set for his court martial, which will be held at Joint Base Lewis-McChord south of Seattle.


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IN STOCK NOW! Hughes & Kettner Tube Rotoshphere MkII
The Tube Rotosphere mk2 is the best Leslie simulator pedal ever - and has been used by top acts such as Oasis, Franz Ferdinand and Arctic Monkeys. We currently have ONE b-Stock Tube Rotosphere in great condition, for an unbeatable price - check it out!
Hughes & Kettner Tube Rotosphere mk2...Leslie Cab in a stompbox!
If you're reading this, you surely know what a Leslie Cabinet is - the speaker, originally used with Hammond Organs, quickly became responsible for some of the most beloved sounds of the sixties, and was widely used not just with organs, but vocals and guitars as well.
The Leslie rotary speaker cabinet was widely used in the 60's, and its characteristic sound was popularised by such acts as Procol Harum on "A Whiter Shade of Pale" and Jimi Hendrix on "Little Wing" and others...
While normally used with an organ, because it is a separate unit, any musical source, such as an electric guitar, as heard in Cream's "Badge" or Pink Floyd's (who have also used the Leslie speaker on a piano in "Echoes" and on backing vocals in "Time") "Any Colour You Like", can be played back through a Leslie speaker, creating a wide range of surprising and dramatic effects.
John Lennon's voice was processed through a Leslie speaker for the highly experimental song "Tomorrow Never Knows" on The Beatles' 1966 album Revolver. Ozzy Osbourne sings through a Leslie speaker on the song "Planet Caravan" on Black Sabbath's 1970 breakthrough album Paranoid. Jerry Garcia's voice was processed through a Leslie Speaker on the song "Rosemary" from the Grateful Dead album Aoxomoxoa.
Today, the Hughes & Kettner Tube Rotosphere mk2 is the best pedal that recreates the classic Leslie cabinet sound, and it's been used by bands such as Oasis ("Gas Panic") and Arctic Monkeys (Alex Turner's solo on "Teddy Picker")
Check the Tube Rostosphere in action!