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People have been talking bull, denying that they were talking bull, and accusing others of talking bull for ages. "Dumbe Speaker! that's a Bull," a character in a seventeenth-century English play says. "It is no Bull, to speak of a common Peace, in the place of War," a statesman from the same era declares. The word "bull," used to characterize discourse, is of uncertain origin. One venerable conjecture was that it began as a contemptuous reference to papal edicts known as bulls (from the bulla, or seal, appended to the document). Another linked it to the famously nonsensical Obadiah Bull, an Irish lawyer in London during the reign of Henry VII. It was only in the twentieth century that the use of "bull" to mean pretentious, deceitful, jejune language became semantically attached to the male of the bovine species—or, more particularly, to the excrement therefrom. Today, it is generally, albeit erroneously, thought to have arisen as a euphemistic shortening of "bullshit," a term that came into currency, dictionaries tell us, around 1915.
If "bullshit," as opposed to "bull," is a distinctively modern linguistic innovation, that could have something to do with other distinctively modern things, like advertising, public relations, political propaganda, and schools of education. "One of the most salient features of our culture is that there is so much bullshit," Harry G. Frankfurt, a distinguished moral philosopher who is professor emeritus at Princeton, says. The ubiquity of bullshit, he notes, is something that we have come to take for granted. Most of us are pretty confident of our ability to detect it, so we may not regard it as being all that harmful. We tend to take a more benign view of someone caught bullshitting than of someone caught lying. ("Never tell a lie when you can bullshit your way through," a father counsels his son in an Eric Ambler novel.) All of this worries Frankfurt. We cannot really know the effect that bullshit has on us, he thinks, until we have a clearer understanding of what it is. That is why we need a theory of bullshit.
Frankfurt's own effort along these lines was contained in a paper that he presented two decades ago at a faculty seminar at Yale. Later, that paper appeared in a journal, and then in a collection of Frankfurt's writings; all the while, photocopies of it passed from fan to fan. Earlier this year, it was published as "On Bullshit" (Princeton; $9.95), a tiny book of sixty-seven spaciously printed pages that has gone on to become an improbable best-seller.
Philosophers have a vocational bent for trying to divine the essences of things that most people never suspected had an essence, and bullshit is a case in point. Could there really be some property that all instances of bullshit possess and all non-instances lack? The question might sound ludicrous, but it is, at least in form, no different from one that philosophers ask about truth. Among the most divisive issues in philosophy today is whether there is anything important to be said about the essential nature of truth. Bullshit, by contrast, might seem to be a mere bagatelle. Yet there are parallels between the two which lead to the same perplexities.
Where do you start if you are an academic philosopher in search of the quiddity of bullshit? "So far as I am aware," Frankfurt dryly observes, "very little work has been done on this subject." He did find an earlier philosopher's attempt to analyze a similar concept under a more genteel name: humbug. Humbug, that philosopher decided, was a pretentious bit of misrepresentation that fell short of lying. (A politician talking about the importance of his religious faith comes to mind.) Frankfurt was not entirely happy with this definition. The difference between lies and bullshit, it seemed to him, was more than a matter of degree. To push the analysis in a new direction, he considers a rather peculiar anecdote about the philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein. It was the nineteen-thirties, and Wittgenstein had gone to the hospital to visit a friend whose tonsils had just been taken out. She croaked to Wittgenstein, "I feel just like a dog that has been run over." Wittgenstein (the friend recalled) was disgusted to hear her say this. "You don't know what a dog that has been run over feels like," he snapped. Of course, Wittgenstein might simply have been joking. But Frankfurt suspects that his severity was real, not feigned. This was, after all, a man who devoted his life to combatting what he considered to be pernicious forms of nonsense. What Wittgenstein found offensive in his friend's simile, Frankfurt guesses, was its mindlessness: "Her fault is not that she fails to get things right, but that she is not even trying."
The essence of bullshit, Frankfurt decides, is that it is produced without any concern for the truth. Bullshit needn't be false: "The bullshitter is faking things. But this does not mean that he necessarily gets them wrong." The bullshitter's fakery consists not in misrepresenting a state of affairs but in concealing his own indifference to the truth of what he says. The liar, by contrast, is concerned with the truth, in a perverse sort of fashion: he wants to lead us away from it. As Frankfurt sees it, the liar and the truthteller are playing on opposite sides of the same game, a game defined by the authority of truth. The bullshitter opts out of this game altogether. Unlike the liar and the truthteller, he is not guided in what he says by his beliefs about the way things are. And that, Frankfurt says, is what makes bullshit so dangerous: it unfits a person for telling the truth.
Frankfurt's account of bullshit is doubly remarkable. Not only does he define it in a novel way that distinguishes it from lying; he also uses this definition to establish a powerful claim: "Bullshit is a greater enemy of truth than lies are." If this is true, we ought to be tougher on someone caught bullshitting than we are on someone caught lying. Unlike the bullshitter, the liar at least cares about the truth. But isn't this account a little too flattering to the liar? In theory, of course, there could be liars who are motivated by sheer love of deception. This type was identified by St. Augustine in his treatise "On Lying." Someone who tells a lie as a means to some other goal tells it "unwillingly," Augustine says. The pure liar, by contrast, "takes delight in lying, rejoicing in the falsehood itself." But such liars are exceedingly rare, as Frankfurt concedes. Not even Iago had that purity of heart. Ordinary tellers of lies simply aren't principled adversaries of the truth. Suppose an unscrupulous used-car salesman is showing you a car. He tells you that it was owned by a little old lady who drove it only on Sundays. The engine's in great shape, he says, and it runs beautifully. Now, if he knows all this to be false, he's a liar. But is his goal to get you to believe the opposite of the truth? No, it's to get you to buy the car. If the things he was saying happened to be true, he'd still say them. He'd say them even if he had no idea who the car's previous owner was or what condition the engine was in.
Frankfurt would say that this used-car salesman is a liar only by accident. Even if he happens to know the truth, he decides what he's going to say without caring what it is. But then surely almost every liar is, at heart, a bullshitter. Both the liar and the bullshitter typically have a goal. It may be to sell a product, to get votes, to keep a spouse from walking out of a marriage in the wake of embarrassing revelations, to make someone feel good about himself, to mislead Nazis who are looking for Jews. The alliance the liar strikes with untruth is one of convenience, to be abandoned the moment it ceases to serve this goal.
The porousness of Frankfurt's theoretical boundary between lies and bullshit is apparent in Laura Penny's "Your Call Is Important to Us: The Truth About Bullshit" (Crown; $21.95). The author, a young Canadian college teacher and former union organizer, begins by saluting Frankfurt's "subtle and useful" distinction: "The liar still cares about the truth. The bullshitter is unburdened by such concerns." She then proceeds to apply the term "bullshit" to every kind of trickery by which powerful, moneyed interests attempt to gull the public. "Most of what passes for news," Penny submits, "is bullshit"; so is the language employed by lawyers and insurance men; so is the use of rock songs in ads. She even stretches the rubric to apply to things as well as to words: "The new product that will change your life is probably just more cheap, plastic bullshit," she writes. At times, despite her nod to Frankfurt, Penny appears to equate bullshit with deliberate deceit: "Never in the history of mankind have so many people uttered statements they know to be untrue." But then she says that George W. Bush ("a world-historical bullshitter") and his circle "distinguish themselves by believing their own bullshit," which suggests that they themselves are deluded.
Frankfurt concedes that in popular usage "bullshit" is employed as a "generic term of abuse, with no very specific literal meaning." What he wanted to do, he says, was to get to the essence of the thing in question. But does bullshit have a single essence? In a paper published a few years ago, "Deeper Into Bullshit," G. A. Cohen, a fellow of All Souls College, Oxford, protested that Frankfurt excludes an entire category of bullshit: the kind that appears in academic works. If the bullshit of ordinary life arises from indifference to truth, Cohen says, the bullshit of the academy arises from indifference to meaning. It may be perfectly sincere, but it is nevertheless nonsensical. Cohen, a specialist in Marxism, complains of having been grossly victimized by this kind of bullshit as a young man back in the nineteen-sixties, when he did a lot of reading in the French school of Marxism inspired by Louis Althusser. So traumatized was he by his struggle to make some sense of these defiantly obscure texts that he went on to found, at the end of the nineteen-seventies, a Marxist discussion group that took as its motto Marxismus sine stercore tauri—"Marxism without the shit of the bull."
Anyone familiar with the varieties of "theory" that have made their way from the Left Bank of Paris into American English departments will be able to multiply examples of the higher bullshit ad libitum. A few years ago, the physicist Alan Sokal concocted a deliberately meaningless parody under the title "Transgressing the Boundaries: Toward a Transformative Hermeneutics of Quantum Gravity," and then got it accepted as a serious contribution to the journal Social Text. It would, of course, be hasty to dismiss all unclear discourse as bullshit. Cohen adduces a more precise criterion: the discourse must be not only unclear but unclarifiable. That is, bullshit is the obscure that cannot be rendered unobscure. How would one defend philosophers like Hegel or Heidegger from the charge that their writings are bullshit? Not, Cohen says, by showing that they cared about the truth (which would be enough to get them off the hook if they were charged with being bullshitters under Frankfurt's definition). Rather, one would try to show that their writings actually made some sense. And how could one prove the opposite: that a given statement is hopelessly unclear, and hence bullshit? One proposed test is to add a "not" to the statement and see if that makes any difference to its plausibility. If it doesn't, that statement is bullshit. As it happens, Heidegger once came very close to doing this himself. In the fourth edition of his treatise "What Is Metaphysics?" (1943), he asserted, "Being can indeed be without beings." In the fifth edition (1949), this sentence became "Being never is without beings."
Frankfurt acknowledges the higher bullshit as a distinctive variety, but he doesn't think it's very dangerous compared with the sort of bullshit that he is concerned about. While genuinely meaningless discourse may be "infuriating," he says, it is unlikely to be taken seriously for long, even in the academic world. The sort of bullshit that involves indifference to veracity is far more insidious, Frankfurt claims, since the "conduct of civilized life, and the vitality of the institutions that are indispensable to it, depend very fundamentally on respect for the distinction between the true and the false."
How evil is the bullshitter? That depends on how valuable truthfulness is. When Frankfurt observes that truthfulness is crucial in maintaining the sense of trust on which social coöperation depends, he's appealing to truth's instrumental value. Whether it has any value in itself, however, is a separate question. To take an analogy, suppose a well-functioning society depends on the belief in God, whether or not God actually exists. Someone of subversive inclinations might question the existence of God without worrying too much about the effect that might have on public morals. And the same attitude is possible toward truth. As the philosopher Bernard Williams observed in a book published in 2002, not long before his death, a suspicion of truth has been a prominent current in modern thought. It was something that Williams found lamentable. "If you do not really believe in the existence of truth," he asked, "what is the passion for truthfulness a passion for?"
The idea of questioning the existence of truth might seem bizarre. No sane person doubts that the distinction between true and false is sharp enough when it comes to statements like "Saddam had W.M.D.s" or "The cat is on the mat." But when it comes to more interesting propositions-assertions of right and wrong, judgments of beauty, grand historical narratives, talk about possibilities, scientific statements about unobservable entities—the objectivity of truth becomes harder to defend. "Deniers" of truth (as Williams called them) insist that each of us is trapped in his own point of view; we make up stories about the world and, in an exercise of power, try to impose them on others.
The battle lines between deniers and defenders of absolute truth are strangely drawn. On the pro-truth side, one finds Pope Benedict XVI, who knows that moral truths correspond to divine commands and rails against what he calls the "dictatorship of relativism." On the "anything goes" side, one finds the member of the Bush Administration who mocked the idea of objective evidence by declaring, "We're an empire now, and when we act, we create our own reality." Among philosophers, Continental poststructuralists like Bruno Latour, Jean Baudrillard, and the late Jacques Derrida tend to be arrayed on the anti-truth side. One might expect their hardheaded counterparts in Britain and the United States—practitioners of what is called analytical philosophy—to be firmly in the pro-truth camp. And yet, as Simon Blackburn observes in "Truth: A Guide" (Oxford; $25), the "brand-name" Anglophone philosophers of the past fifty years—Wittgenstein, W. V. Quine, Thomas Kuhn, Donald Davidson, Richard Rorty—have developed powerful arguments that seem to undermine the commonsense notion of truth as agreement with reality. Indeed, Blackburn says, "almost all the trends in the last generation of serious philosophy lent aid and comfort to the 'anything goes' climate"—the very climate that, Harry Frankfurt argued, has encouraged the proliferation of bullshit.
Blackburn, who is himself a professor of philosophy at Cambridge University, wants to rally the pro-truth forces. But he is also concerned to give the other side its due. In "Truth," he scrupulously considers the many forms that the case against truth has taken, going back as far as the ancient Greek philosopher Protagoras, whose famous saying "Man is the measure of all things" was seized upon by Socrates as an expression of dangerous relativism. In its simplest form, relativism is easy to refute. Take the version of it that Richard Rorty, a philosopher who teaches at Stanford, once lightheartedly offered: "Truth is what your contemporaries let you get away with." The problem is that contemporary Americans and Europeans won't let you get away with that characterization of truth; so, by its own standard, it cannot be true. (The late Sidney Morgenbesser's gripe about pragmatism—which, broadly speaking, equates truth with usefulness—was in the same spirit: "The trouble with pragmatism is that it's completely useless.") Then, there is the often heard complaint that the whole truth will always elude us. Fair enough, Blackburn says, but partial truths can still be perfectly objective. He quotes Clemenceau's riposte to skeptics who asked what future historians would say about the First World War: "They will not say that Belgium invaded Germany."
If relativism needed a bumper-sticker slogan, it would be Nietzsche's dictum "There are no facts, only interpretations." Nietzsche was inclined to write as if truth were manufactured rather than discovered, a matter of manipulating others into sharing our beliefs rather than getting those beliefs to "agree with reality." In another of his formulations, "Truths are illusions that we have forgotten are illusions." If that's the case, then it is hard to regard the bullshitter, who does not care about truth, as all that villainous. Perhaps, to paraphrase Nietzsche, truth is merely bullshit that has lost its stench. Blackburn has ambivalent feelings about Nietzsche, who, were it not for his "extraordinary acuteness," would qualify as "the pub bore of philosophy." Yet, he observes, at the moment Nietzsche is the most influential of the great philosophers, not to mention the "patron saint of postmodernism," so he must be grappled with. One of Nietzsche's more notorious doctrines is perspectivism-the idea that we are condemned to see the world from a partial and distorted perspective, one defined by our interests and values. Whether this doctrine led Nietzsche to a denial of truth is debatable: in his mature writings, at least, his scorn is directed at the idea of metaphysical truth, not at the scientific and historical varieties. Nevertheless, Blackburn accuses Nietzsche of sloppy thinking. There is no reason, he says, to assume that we are forever trapped in a single perspective, or that different perspectives cannot be ranked according to accuracy. And, if we can move from one perspective to another, what is to prevent us from conjoining our partial views into a reasonably objective picture of the world?
Today, Richard Rorty is probably the most prominent "truth-denier" in the academy. What makes him so formidable is the clarity and eloquence of his case against truth and, by implication, against the Western philosophical tradition. Our minds do not "mirror" the world, he says. The idea that we could somehow stand outside our own skins and survey the relationship between our thoughts and reality is a delusion. Language is an adaptation, and the words we use are tools. There are many competing vocabularies for talking about the world, some more useful than others, given human needs and interests. None of them, however, correspond to the Way Things Really Are. Inquiry is a process of reaching a consensus on the best way of coping with the world, and "truth" is just a compliment we pay to the result. Rorty is fond of quoting the American pragmatist John Dewey to the effect that the search for truth is merely part of the search for happiness. He also likes to cite Nietzsche's observation that truth is a surrogate for God. Asking of someone, "Does he love the truth?," Rorty thinks, is like asking, "Is he saved?" In our moral reasoning, he says, we no longer worry about whether our conclusions correspond to the divine will; so in the rest of our inquiry we ought to stop worrying about whether our conclusions correspond to a mind-independent reality.
Do Rorty's arguments offer aid and comfort to bullshitters? Blackburn thinks so. Creating a consensus among their peers is something that hardworking laboratory scientists try to do. But it is also what creationists and Holocaust deniers do. Rorty insists that, even though the distinction between truth and consensus is untenable, we can distinguish between "frivolous" and "serious." Some people are "serious, decent, and trustworthy"; others are "unconversable, incurious, and self-absorbed." Blackburn thinks that the only way to make this distinction is by reference to the truth: serious people care about it, whereas frivolous people do not. Yet there is another possibility that can be extrapolated from Rorty's writings: serious people care not only about producing agreement but also about justifying their methods for producing agreement. (This is, for example, something that astronomists do but astrologers don't.) That, and not an allegiance to some transcendental notion of truth, is the Rortian criterion that distinguishes serious inquirers from bullshitters.
Pragmatists and perspectivists are not the only enemies Blackburn considers, though, and much of his book is taken up with contemporary arguments turning on subversive-sounding expressions like "holism," "incommensurability," and the "Myth of the Given." Take the last of these. Our knowledge of the world, it seems reasonable to suppose, is founded on causal interactions between us and the things in it. The molecules and photons impinging on our bodies produce sensations; these sensations give rise to basic beliefs—like "I am seeing red now"—which serve as evidence for higher-level propositions about the world. The tricky part of this scheme is the connection between sensation and belief. As William James wrote, "A sensation is rather like a client who has given his case to a lawyer and then has passively to listen in the courtroom to whatever account of his affairs, pleasant or unpleasant, the lawyer finds it most expedient to give." The idea that a sensation can enter directly into the process of reasoning has become known as the Myth of the Given. The late philosopher Donald Davidson, whose influence in the Anglophone philosophical world was unsurpassed, put the point succinctly: "Nothing can count as a reason for holding a belief except another belief."
This line of thought, as Blackburn observes, threatens to cut off all contact between knowledge and the world. If beliefs can be checked only against other beliefs, then the sole criterion for a set of beliefs' being true is that they form a coherent web: a picture of knowledge known as holism. And different people interacting with the causal flux that is the world might well find themselves with distinct but equally coherent webs of belief—a possibility known as incommensurability. In such circumstances, who is to say what is truth and what is bullshit? But Blackburn will have none of this. The slogan "Nothing can count as a reason for holding a belief except another belief" can't be right, he claims. After all, if "John comes in and gets a good doggy whiff, he acquires a reason for believing that Rover is in the house. If Mary looks in the fridge and sees the butter, she acquires a reason for believing that there is butter in the fridge." Not so fast, a Davidsonian might reply. Sensations do not come labelled as "doggy whiffs" or "butter sighting"; such descriptions imply a good deal of prior concept formation. What gives John a reason to believe that Rover is in the house is indeed another belief: that what he is smelling falls under the category of "doggy whiff." Blackburn is obviously right in maintaining that such beliefs arise from causal interaction with the world, and not just from voices in our heads. But justifying those beliefs—determining whether we are doing well or badly in forming them—can be a matter only of squaring them with other beliefs. Derrida was not entirely bullshitting when he said, "Il n'y a pas de hors-texte" ("There is nothing outside the text").
Although Blackburn concludes that objective truth can and must survive the assaults of its critics, he himself has been forced to diminish that which he would defend. He and his allies, one might think, should be willing to give some sort of answer to the question that "jesting Pilate" put to Jesus: What is truth? The most obvious answer, that truth is correspondence to the facts, founders on the difficulty of saying just what form this "correspondence" is supposed to take, and what "facts" could possibly be other than truths themselves. Indeed, about the only thing that everyone can agree on is that each statement supplies its own conditions for being true. The statement "Snow is white" is true if and only if snow is white; the statement "The death penalty is wrong" is true if and only if the death penalty is wrong; and so forth. As far as Blackburn is concerned, any attempt to go beyond this simple observation by trying to mount a general theory of what makes things true or false is wrongheaded. That makes him, to use his own term, a "minimalist" about truth. By reducing truth to something "small and modest," Blackburn hopes to induce its enemies to call off their siege.
The problem with this strategy is that it leaves us with little to care about. If truth necessarily eludes our theoretical grasp, then how do we know that it has any value, let alone that it is an absolute good? Why should we worry about whether our beliefs deserve to be called "true"? Deep down, we might prefer to believe whatever helps us achieve our ends and enables us to flourish, regardless of whether it is true. We may be happier believing in God even if there is no God. We may be happier thinking that we are really good at what we do even if that is a delusion. (The people with the truest understanding of their own abilities, research suggests, tend to be depressives.)
However one feels about the authority of truth, there is a separate reason for deploring bullshit; namely, that most bullshit is ugly. When it takes the form of political propaganda, management-speak, or P.R., it is riddled with euphemism, cliché, fake folksiness, and high-sounding abstractions. The aesthetic dimension of bullshit is largely ignored in Frankfurt's essay. Yet much of what we call poetry consists of trite or false ideas in sublime language. (Oscar Wilde, in his dialogue "The Decay of Lying," suggests that the proper aim of art is "the telling of beautiful untrue things.") Bullshitting can involve an element of artistry; it offers, as Frankfurt acknowledges, opportunities for "improvisation, color, and imaginative play." When the bullshitting is done from an ulterior motive, like the selling of a product or the manipulation of an electorate, the outcome is likely to be a ghastly abuse of language. When it is done for its own sake, however, something delightful just might result. The paradigm here is Falstaff, whose refusal to be enslaved by the authority of truth is central to his comic genius. Falstaff's merry mixture of philosophy and bullshit is what makes him such a clubbable man, far better company than the dour Wittgenstein. We should by all means be severe in dealing with bullshitters of the political, the commercial, and the academic varieties. But let's not banish plump Jack. ♦


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subset: commoncrawl


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According to reports from the Aiken County Sheriff's Office:
Burglaries were reported at homes on Old Sudlow Lake Road in North Augusta and Cedar Road in Aiken on Friday.
A Martinez, Ga., woman reported on Friday that a man she described as the father of her child stole a check from her for an account that had been closed for five years. She said the check was cashed for $300 at a store at the Racers Food Store on Trolley Line Road in Aiken.
Stolen vehicles were reported on Old Camp Long Road in Aiken and Bryant Avenue in North Augusta on Saturday.
An Aiken man reported burglaries at two houses on Wire Road on Sunday. He said someone had taken "several items" from one of the homes and that an air conditioning unit was missing from the other home.
A Warrenville woman attempted to buy merchandise with a counterfeit $20 bill at a gas station on Columbia Highway in Aiken on Saturday. The woman said she wasn't aware that the bill was counterfeit and said she thought she had gotten it when she had cashed a check at a gas station on Richland Avenue.
A North Augusta man said an unknown white male went into the laundry room at his house on Hampton Avenue on Saturday and then tried to enter the house. The victim confronted the subject and they got into a fight. The victim chased the subject when he ran away, but lost him when the subject ran into the woods. The responding officer reported that the victim's belongings were "scattered all over the laundry room."
A Beech Island woman reported on Friday that someone opened the sliding front window of her house without her permission and took $213 from a plastic Clorox bleach wipes container that she had in her bedroom. The responding officer spoke with a Beech Island man who said he saw another male Beech Island resident reach his arm into the front window of the victim's house that day. But the witness said he didn't see the subject take anything.
An Aiken man reported on Friday that a black man assaulted him and punched him after asking him for money while he was walking on Washington Drive. The victim, who was interviewed by the responding officer in a hospital emergency room, said he told the subject he didn't have any money before he was attacked. The subject fled the scene.


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Northeast states tighten carbon emission rules for power plants
Hartford - Less carbon dioxide is polluting the air in the Northeast, prompting state environmental officials to cut allowances for emissions in one of only two cap-and-trade programs in the United States.
Officials in all six New England states and Delaware, Maryland and New York are putting in place new rules, adjusting the limit on emissions for 2014 to 91 million tons of carbon dioxide from 165 million tons. In addition, the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative program calls for a 2.5 percent cut in emissions each year from 2015 to 2020.
An auction is scheduled for September for power plants to buy the reduced number of allowances to emit carbon dioxide.
Backers say the cap-and-trade system, which has been in place for four years, can serve as a model for a national pollution credit marketplace. Disagreements between Democrats and Republicans in Washington have stalled action.
"It's proven that cap-and-trade can work," said Peter Shattuck, director of market initiatives for Environment Northeast, an environmental research and advocacy group. "The sky has not fallen in the Northeast despite some doomsday scenarios."
Emissions have come down far more quickly than anticipated, partly because the recession and weak recovery cut economic activity. In addition, natural gas, which is relatively cheaper, is cleaner than coal-fired plants and oil heat.
David P. Littell, a member of the Maine Public Utilities Commission and an organizer of the Northeast greenhouse group, said other factors also have helped cut emissions: energy efficiency, development of renewable energy such as wind and hydro power and warm winters and cool summers that have reduced the need for high levels of heating and cooling.
"Even beside the cap, how we are dedicating allowances is having a substantial impact on reducing emissions," Littell said.
At the most recent auction in June, allowances sold at $3.21 each and raised $124 million. The money was used to promote renewable energy, rate relief for low-income customers, energy efficiency and other programs.
The only other similar program in the U.S. is California's cap-and-trade fund that designates money to improve areas of pollution.
New England's electric generating companies are split on the greenhouse gas initiative, said Dan Dolan, president of the New England Power Generators Association. Operators of some power companies believe cap-and-trade is a step in the right direction, but want a "few tweaks" in how the policy is pursued. Other operators believe it has a negative impact on energy pricing.
Marc Brown, executive director of the New England Ratepayers Association, said the cap-and-trade program is superfluous because shifts to natural gas are doing more to cut emissions. Also, he said, revenue from the sale of permits used to reinvest in clean energy programs is an inefficient subsidy.
A better way would be to provide a tax credit to individuals, Brown said.
"That way you're not having bureaucrats picking winners and losers for efficiency programs," he said.
The price of an allowance to emit one short ton of carbon dioxide is sensitive to actions by regulators. Senior analyst Olga Chistyakova of Point Carbon, an emissions market analysis firm, said prices were as low as about $1.90 until the nine-state region decided in February to reduce the limit on emissions. That sent the price to $3 per short ton, she said.
Public policy professor William M. Shobe of the University of Virginia said the true cost of carbon dioxide emissions - accounting for damage to the environment - is more than $10 per ton. The lower price at which allowances are traded reflects an early belief by policymakers that the federal government would establish a national cap-and-trade program, he said.
Former Niantic prison inmate's sexual assault lawsuit to proceed to trial
Parishioners find other sanctuaries after New Hampshire church shooting
Texas officer charged with murder after shooting woman in her home


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Thumbs Up/Thumbs Down
Spending for schools
THUMBS UP: It is gratifying to see the report on the District 88 budget this week that indicates that 80 percent of District 88 funds are going toward instruction this year.
In the past, there have been noises coming from state government that accountability is needed in Minnesota's public schools, and that school districts needed to show they are spending at least 60 or 70 percent, or whatever percent someone came up with, in the classroom.
Well, we'd guess most districts were already spending well over that percentage already. The report from District 88 is an indication.
Of course, a lot depends on what you consider "classroom" spending. Teachers, books, desks and chairs, of course, should count, but so should libraries and media centers, special education programs, counselors and other support staff. And in winter, heating the rooms is kind of important, too.
We're confident District 88 schools are making the best use of the money taxpayers provide to them.
Dakota riders
THUMBS UP: We have to admire the riders in the Dakota 38+2 memory ride that traveled on horseback past New Ulm on Christmas Eve, on their way from Lower Brule, S.D., to Mankato for the commemoration of the execution of their ancestors after the U.S.-Dakota War of 1862.
We admire their grit, first of all. It can't be easy to spend two weeks on horseback in the face of sub-zero windchills. It is a test of their determination.
We also admire the spirit of the group, expressed by Staff Keeper Perry Little. They were seeking healing and reconciliation, he said. "We cannot forget, but we can forgive," he said.
Those are excellent words that we can all apply at some time in our lives.
Hope for better year
THUMBS UP: The year is almost over, and we have to say, it's tough to decide if 2013 deserves a thumbs up or a thumbs down. Between government shutdowns, crashing Obamacare web sites, and an excess of attention being paid to Miley Cyrus, it's hard to find a lot of good things to say about the year.
Fortunately, this is also the time when we can all look ahead, and resolve to make this a better year than the one we just had. It would be nice to be able to make resolutions for some other people, but we can only control what we do ourselves.
So here's to 2014. It can only get better.


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A Look at South African Private Equity Fundraising
Two major factors seem to have manifested themselves in the major trends in capital-raising for South African private equity firms. One is the continued worldwide economic slowdown, which has not spared the South African private equity industry. Despite a lagged effect on the industry, an impact was clearly felt – particularly in 2009 when no exclusively South African-focused firm raised capital, according to the Emerging Markets Private Equity Association (EMPEA). The second major trend (which also plays into the 2009 results) is the gradual shift away from South Africa being the sole focus of most South Africa-based private equity firms.
As the chart above indicates, South Africa was the dominant destination for capital raised by all private equity firms in Sub-Saharan Africa from 2002 to 2004 (EMPEA, 2012). However, as time has progressed, many firms have begun looking at cross-border opportunities – so much so that most traditional South Africa-focused firms have recently pushed for allowances in their fund documents permitting them to invest up to a specified portion of their funds in other African countries, typically in the range of 20%-30%. This trend is exemplified by the fact that fewer and fewer funds with a sole South African focus have been closing in recent years. Further advancing this trend is the fact that the South African government has enacted tax and exchange control regulations meant to lure private equity firms who want to domicile in South Africa's less risky environment while venturing out to invest across the sub-continent. As a result, South Africa has become a major hub for many pan-African firms.
Over the past few years, traditional South African firms, instead of jumping into new regions, have started to back South Africa-based companies with a regional footprint or potential for cross-border expansion – to reap the benefits of lower risk while also building experience and expertise in other, faster-growing countries. Many of the aforementioned firms with new allowances to invest specified portions of their most recent funds outside of South Africa have taken this route.
In terms of the sources of capital, Government agencies and Development finance institutions (DFIs) account for the largest portion of funds raised by South African private equity firms, nearly 40% (according to the South African Venture Capital and Private Equity Association, SAVCA). It is believed that these types of organizations play a larger role (and account for a larger proportion of capital raised) in South Africa, and even more so the reset of the continent, than in any other emerging market. Their developmental and social goals are aimed to be fulfilled not only directly though their investments in private equity funds, but also indirectly by acting as a catalyst for the private equity industry and the firms in which they invest. For this reason, these organizations will often be looked at to take the lead on investments in funds sponsored by new firms – to "give comfort to others" as one DFI has put it. Their goals, however, also necessitate more detailed reporting on the part of fund managers.
Other major types in investors, or limited partners, in South African private equity firms include insurance companies, pension funds and family offices – each representing between 16% and 17% of capital raised (SAVCA). Insurance companies, predominantly domestic, have long been a source of capital for South African private equity firms. Pension fund capital has been slow to participate in South African private equity, particularly international pension funds. Recent legislation has increased the cap on the allocation to private equity for domestic pension funds and is expected to lead to a rise in their role in the private equity industry in South Africa. Funds of funds have recently emerged on the scene in South Africa in a big way - in fact the capital invested by funds of funds doubled from 2009 to 2010. This, in many ways, can be taken as a sign of the South African private equity industry's maturation since funds of funds, particularly those that are regionally focused, generally only emerge when a region's private equity industry can support an attractive diversified portfolio of private equity funds.
Finally, it is important to note that the majority of capital, around 58%, is sourced from abroad (SAVCA). This means that private equity plays an important role in garnering foreign direct investment (FDI). It also means that South African private equity firms have to spend time and money traveling around the world to attain commitments from investors because of the limited availability of local capital. This can present a number of challenges, particularly for younger firms who not only have to battle the risk perception of being an African private equity firm, but also the risks investors associate with first-time fund managers. The bulk of international capital is sourced from Europe which accounts for almost a quarter of call capital raised (including the UK). European countries' often closer ties to Africa explain their heightened role. Meanwhile, Asian, and North and South American countries have been slow to warm to South African private equity, in part because of better perceived risk-adjusted returns available closer to home.
As the market continues to mature and Africa as a continent becomes more and more of an attractive destination for private equity and venture capital investment, fundraising trends will undoubtedly change. Nonetheless, current characteristics will continue to shape near-term progress and while leaving their mark on the industry for years to come.


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F'ing Frac
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F'ing Frac
br>You know Frac is dieing when an Oakley Ring Mod sells for $48 (retails for $170) on Ebay.
Granted, it's not a super popular module but I was hoping to get at least $100. Somebody got a really great deal I guess.
Bah, I should have just hung on to it. br> br>
br>I know what you mean, I tried selling a bunch of the Frac stuff I built, and the final bids didn't even cover the cost of the front panels (good thing I put a reserve on them) now they are just sitting on a shelf in the basement. Once I sell the house and get moved, I'll look at making some 5u panels for the circuits, I've pretty much given up on Frac. br> br>
It's all small jacks?
It works?
so use it.
br> br>
br>Yes, it seems to be a huge draw towards Euro lately.
The bright prospects of Blacet
Wiard 1200 are gone. However, I'm still happy with my Blacet and DIY stuff.
br> br>
br>instant 15v compatibility with 5u modules will ensure frac survives i think.
blacet aint dead! GO BLACET
and there is some real interesting stuff going on in DIY right now! br> br>
haricots wrote:
Bah, I should have just hung on to it.
You really have to put things out using Fixed Price in this economy, at least for a few weeks. It took a couple times getting burned on selling shit wayyyy to cheap to realize that. br> br>
br>I must be Mr Contrary!
I've been putting together a euro system for a number years now and have just started down the Frac path. The way things are going I'll have filled 2 Blacet racks by Christmas. I think the offerings of both formats complement each other rather nicely.
Adam-V br> br>
br>frac is certainly NOT dead or dying here.
what do you mean by saying the bright prospects of blacet have gone? gone where? they were still in business the last time i looked.
frac rules for me, and i way prefer its general aesthetic to euro. i actually hate euro, there i said it! br> br>
Babaluma wrote:
frac rules for me, and i way prefer its general aesthetic to euro. i actually hate euro, there i said it!
don't anger the massive horde! br> br>
Babaluma wrote:
i actually hate euro, there i said it!
I'm glad it's not just me!
And although I sold a chunk of my Frac system, I love every module I kept. With bananas I love it even more. I don't think my setup has ever been this much fun!
I do worry about Blacet sometimes though. Every other manufacturer that has abandoned Frac has just refocused 100% Euro, but Blacet doesn't seem to have such plans. br> br>
br>I guess I'll hop in here. Only three people signed up at AH for the Frac SoS wait list. I think the DIY leanings of Frac have made it a very difficult proposition for us small manufacturers.
Me? I actually think it
a pretty slick format; but anything that caters well to the homebrew crowd has historically gone out with a whimper (think Heathkit, Erector sets, etc.. Hell, I want some Lincoln Logs, those would make an AWESOME rack case!).
I want to help you guys out if I can, so I'm making another attempt: If I can get 30 prepaid orders, I will do a special run of the SoS in Frac - including banana jacks (with toggle switches for the switched jacks) if desired. br> br>
br>That's awesome, but are there even 30 of us left? I have this feeling that so long as there are FoH barebones, there will be FoH Frac modules. Seems most people in the format are willing to do some DIY from time to time (and with the barebones packs, it's really minimal DIY!) br> br>
br>Thanks for the support flight! I'd be down for a SOS in banana frac and would definitely prepay for one. I'm always willing to try to support small manufacturers, especially ones who build in frac.
But I think parasitk is right, I don't know if we still have 30 of us actively building frac still. And the barebones kits are so fantastic, that your modules will always be open to frac.
Although, with the recent sales of bugbrand modules, it seems that it sparked a bit of life back into the frac scene. We haven't had this many posts in the frac subforum over the past month since I was just browsing this forum over a year ago. So who knows, maybe the new guys will be gung ho and get some frac SOS's? br> br>
br>i'm in a weird position because i have finished my frac modular and am not currently looking for any other frac modules, but i would really hate to see the format die out. i've never been into d.i.y. either. dunno what i'm trying to say really? i guess i'd just be emotionally sad to see it go.
john blacet promised a new delay and a replacement for the quad mix/vca a long time ago, but there has been no news since. i hope they are doing ok. i have never had anything but the best service from john and blacet. br> br>
Babaluma wrote:
what do you mean by saying the bright prospects of blacet have gone?
Obviously something totally different than you have seemingly understood.
I APOLOGIZE FOR THIS! It was absolutely not my intention to claim that Blacet as a manufacturer is or will be dead any time. Honestly I'm a Blacet fan boy. I'm not a native speaker and every now and then a linguistic accident occurs.
However I did not write about the "prospects of Blacet" but
e-grad wrote:
"of Blacet
That "and" actually made my point since I was and still am very happy with my Blacet and (few) Wiards and have sold almost all my Euro stuff.
Others seem to go the other way round. A few years ago you hardly come across 2nd hand Blacet stuff which is now quite common. Off course there are several reasons for this: economy, there are more Fracs around etc.
Wiard in Euro and stuff like the Math and QMMG make this format more interesting to people who I think would have drawn their attention to Frac a few years ago. As perceived by Flight who's hardly selling Frac. I hope his posting made more clear what I mean by "prospects". A word which possibly has a connotation I'm not aware of.
I have 8 racks of Frac (still growing) opposed to 2 rows of Euro (not growing) . I am stronlgy biased towards Blacet ever since I've bought my first module from him.
I probably was not wearing my tin foil hat which usually prevents me from such misunderstandings.
br> br>
br>I always assumed Blacet made most sales thru kits, new product development does seem to be an issue tho, but, as it stands Blacet is one of the few firms offering a complete, put a bow on it, synthesis system... Frac is far more DIY friendly tho, cheap / deep racks, fixed panel sizes, yaddayaddayadda.
Maybe the SoS pre-sale notice should be posted over @ e-m... lots more fraccers there than here (& all the frac users here are much more un-assuming / loud than our euro brethren)
One thing is for sure; its a bad time to be selling frac modules... but, a freakin great time to be buyin em! br> br>
DGTom wrote:
One thing is for sure; its a bad time to be selling frac modules...
I disagree..! br> br>
br>I did actually mean on the 2nd hand market - as per the OPs experiance... but; you don't count Tom! You're selling BugBrand modules, not Frac
br> br>
br>ok e-grad got it! no worries!
i'd still really like to see the replacement for the quad mix/vca. br> br>
br>I also love frac, but one aspect of euro-modules that attracts people is that a lot of the new stuff that's coming out is really flat, and therefore nice to build into flat cases etc. Frac modules (at least the Blacet ones) tend to be rather deep. And large. So, one somewhat complete Frac-system will always be a really voluminous affair.
I'm going rather minimal now (not the musical genre), as i have confined myself to using only one small case with 2 x 3u modules and the 2u Wiard 311 New Controller. One Row Frac, one row Euro. To me that's the most flexible route to take. But i still have another fracrack and psu and a few modules that i might use in a second case one day... if I had more space and money to build a huge modular wall, i would definitely buy much more frac-stuff.
But i agree, it's somehow sad to see that only Euro seems to be the big thing now and frac modules don't draw that much attention. br> br>
br>I also hope to see some new developments from Blacet.
Who knows; maybe he'll surprise us with a new module in the new year.
BugBrand is developing a unique and complete system of its own at a very healthy pace.
His primary focus may be the banana system, but his 3.5mm jack modules interface perfectly with the rest of Frac.
I currently have 6 over-flowing racks of Frac, and have started adding Euro modules to compliment my core Frac system.
I think the Euro-only people are missing out if they don't consider adding some of the Frac exclusive modules to their systems.
There may not be new modules every month like there seem to have been with Euro lately, but people are still buying brand new, ready built Frac modules.
It doesn't seem at all 'dead' to me.
In response to the OP:
Give us a link to your ebay auctions in the Buy/Sell/Trade section and they are not as likely to end so low.
I didn't see this auction at all.
You'd be better off putting a reserve price on it too.
Heads up: there is a Blacet Filthy Filtre on ebay now. br> br>
Cat-A-Tonic wrote:
Heads up: there is a Blacet Filthy Filtre on ebay now.
Amazingly he had to re-list it! No one bit at the first auction. It's the same module which is offered here:
https://www.muffwiggler.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=9659&highlight=blace t
Babaluma wrote:
i'd still really like to see the replacement for the quad mix/vca.
If the old QuadVCA will do the job here is one FS:
https://www.muffwiggler.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=9741&highlight=blace t
br> br>
br>Frac is Dead!, Long Live Frac!
I recently joined the frac club, and think it's a fantastic format.
I really hope it doesn't wither in the shadow of Euro.
Going to email Shawn right now to get on the SoS list, even if it never reaches 30. br> br>
br>i have the old quad mix vca already. it's a great mixer, but it is stuck in exponential mode, has a useless 75/100dB switch, and can't be used as four independent vcas. i'd like to see all that changed on the new version (as long as it remains 2 units wide!) br> br>
br>That 75/100db switch is pretty wierd huh? I wish I had the schem. so I could see what it was doing.
I like the expo. response, the bias knob & the really stupid hard distortion it does. To me its more like a Voltage Controlled Mixer than a VCA & I almost always run ABC out into D in to create a 3 -> 1 mixer. The crazy thing about it is how differant it sounds with differant envelope generators. My Metalbox Dual ADs get so much louder than the EG1s, great for drum patches, the lack of seperate outs for each VCA has never been a problem for me.
Would totally like to see it updated tho. br> br>
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Beginner swing lesson with Sue and Gary 8:30-9pm, band plays two sets 9-11:45pm, $15
A long-time staple of the local music scene, Dave Kitchen has worked in Dagmar and the Seductones, The Thrillbillys, Demolition, The Cutaways, and American Song, to name just a few. An accomplished singer/songwriter active in the roots rock scene for over 15 years, since 1995 Dave has been nominated for a dozen or so of the Washington Area Musician's Association's WAMMIE Awards and has won twice. The Cutaways promise a great time for swing dancers!


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I took a short little trip out to chicago last weekend and it was full of fun, sightseeing, and good food. my friend samantha and her boyfriend jeff (and his friends, who were there for part of our trip) came along with me, so i wasn't travelling alone for once (yay!) which added to the fun.
even though we were only there for 2 days, we definitely made the most of it and saw most of everything we wanted to see. i am starting to get really, REALLY good at fitting a zillion things into a short period of time.
anyways, i digress. on to the pictures! warning: there are a lot. i ended up with something like 500 pictures on 3 different cameras (the trusty nikon, the point & shoot, and my iphone)
samantha and i flew out of SFO early thursday morning and flew into ORD about 1pm chicago time. loooooved the lit tile walls in the tunnel to the blue line subway at o'hare. LOVED. so much that i had to be a tourist and take a picture in front of it. i think samantha and i took like 20 pictures before we actually got into the city, hahah.
after checking into the hotel, we were starving so we went to get ourselves some lunch. we had passed by grahamwich while walking from the train station to the hotel and it immediately rang a bell as i probably have seen someone (kp, perhaps?) blog about it, and so we headed there.
we split the bbq sanwich, chips, salad and the soft serve. everything was delcious. i kinda wanted to go back later in the trip to try the cinnamon soft serve (we got the vanilla one, which probably was made infinitely more delicious with the abundance of nutella in it). graham elliot was on my list of dinner possibilities while we were in chicago, and even though we ended up going elsewhere (more on that later), i was happy to have been able to try some of his goodness.
we met up the boys, who had flown in on tuesday (they were all leaving on friday, except jeff), and headed to wrigley field.
this was the reason the boys decided to go to chicago, and the baseball nerd in me (who still has "go to every MLB ballpark" on her bucket list) was super excited about this. wrigley is definitely a beautiful ballpark, and it's got a lot of character and charm. the cubs, unfortunately, played terribly and lost.
we left just after the 7th inning stretch and headed to pizzeria uno for some deep dish.
this is the original chicago deep-dish pizza, which made us curious to try it. unfortunately, the pizza wasgood but slightly lacking and a little bit reminiscent of BJs - not a good thing. but at least we can say we had the original?
the next morning, samantha and i got up early and went to brunch at orange.
we had chosen it because it was the closest breakfast place on my list to our hotel, but it was an excellent choice. we got the pancake flight, which was adorable (and delicious), and green eggs and ham - which is actually pesto in the eggs. yummmm. we should've gotten the frushi though, because it is also ADORABLE.
we went to get jeff from the hotel and then started walking. lots and lots of walking seems to have been the theme of this trip.
we walked all the way down michigan ave., past the chicago river and to millenium park so we could spent 30 minutes taking ridiculous amounts of photos in front of the bean.
the bean was pretty cool, i must say.
next, we walked through the park to go to the art institute.
we kind of followed the "what to see if you only have an hour" guide, and pretty much sped through the museum. my favorite thing in whole museum was the chagall glass window. the impressionist and modern wings were also highlights. somehow, i ended up missing the japanese hokusai woodblock print which i would've liked to see. oh well.
we stopped by buckingham fountain...
then we went to the shedd aquarium. we admired the excellent views of the skyline before we went in.
we followed a similar approach as earlier as well, and kind of sped through the entire place in an hour.
samantha wanted to see the beluga whales (so cute), i wanted to see the jellyfish (which make excellent photos), and we saw bits and pieces of everything else.
afterwards, we made a coffee stop at intelligentsia.
we walked all the way back up michigan ave., killed some time shopping on the magnificent mile, and headed out to dinner. we went to mk, which was highly recommended by my foodie friend trisha (whose taste i trust).
everything was delightful. samantha got the chicken, jeff got the lobster whitefish (top left), and i got the duck (top right). everything i read about the place told me i should order the cake and shake for dessert, which i did. it literally is a mini slice of chocolate cake with a vanilla shake in a double shot glass. it was super tasty. out waiter told us that it is the one item that has stayed on their menu for 11 years!
after dinner, we rushed over to sears tower (willis tower, whatever it's called now). my strategy was to get there around sunset to see it change from light to dark (something that happened by chance when i went to the space needle in chicago), but by the time we got up to the top, we had missed sunset.
the glass floors of the skydeck, from 106 floors up, were trippy. it didn't seem that high until the next day when the glass floors were pointed out to us while we were on the architecture cruise and then the height factor really kicked in. craziness.
the views of chicago at night were amazing.
as if we didn't get enough of super tall buildings, we decided to end the night with some drinks on the 95th floor of the hancock building at the signature room.
it was nice to get a different perspective. FYI, the best views here are in the women's bathroom. no joke.
the next morning, we headed back down to the river to go on the architecture foundation river cruise, recommended by mara.
the cruise was informative and the docents definitely had lots of interesting information to share about the buildings. you also can't go wrong with some of those stunning views from the boat. it was also nice to be able to be sitting for 90 minutes for a change since we were walking sooooo much the rest of the trip, and there was also a nice breeze out on the water, which was a relief since it was a 90 degree day.
we went to navy pier, which i knew would be similar to fisherman's wharf here (which i despise), but i really wanted to go on the ferris wheel. don't judge.
our last stop before heading to the airport was for more pizza at lou malnati's.
in case you wondered how the heck i plan out my trips, this is what i did the week before i left...


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Friday, Aug. 13, 2010 | 12:05 a.m.
- What: Las Vegas Shakedown music festival
- Where: Beauty Bar and Las Vegas Country Saloon
- When: August 13-15; begins at 5 p.m.
- Cost: $20-$25 per night/venue; $70 for weekend pass
The Las Vegas Shakedown, a three-day punk, garage and rockabilly festival, returns after a nine-year hiatus this weekend, with 50 bands holding down the Beauty Bar and Las Vegas Country Saloon over three nights.
Which acts to see? California psych-rockers The Warlocks and Spindrift are familiar Neon Reverb alums, and locals surely know The Vermin by now. As for the rest, let us help with a few recommendations.
• Igor Spectre (Friday, 5 p.m., Beauty Bar): The LA outfit's eccentric rockabilly should make for an unparalleled spectacle.
• Nekromantix (Saturday, 12:20 a.m., LVCS): If B-movie horror were a band, these Danish psychobilly vets would be it. Death never rocked so hard.
• Throw Rag (Saturday, 10 p.m., Beauty Bar): Sailor punk, from a SoCal group that's earned its sea legs opening for Willie Nelson and The Supersuckers.
• The Morlocks (Sunday, 8 p.m., LVCS): If you see just one band this weekend, consider getting down and dirty with these LA garage rockers, led by intrepid frontman Leighton Koizumi.
• The BellRays (Sunday, midnight, Beauty Bar): Singer Lisa Kekaula is a soul singer with a punk-rock edge — and some hard-jamming musicians at her back.
— Originally published in Las Vegas Weekly


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Popular Guides
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Bill Giannikos
This guide will help you install playback facilities for DVDs and media files which are not supported in Fedora 9. Due to legal issues Fedora does not include these functions so you will need to install this manually. This will install support for MP3, x264 as well as other files.
There are many legal issues associated with DVD playback and media files in regards to the patent on MPEG2 and the US DMCA law on decryption of the DVD which is why Fedora does not include this function. It is my understanding that it is totally fine and legal if you install the DVD playback functionality yourself, however I am not a lawyer so you may like to verify for yourself if following this guide is legal in your jurisdiction.
You should run a full update for your installation of Fedora to ensure you have all the latest packages installed.
In this guide we will be using GXine as our player of choice. Fedora includes GXine however they have removed DVD playback on encrypted discs as well as support for many media files. We will be using the Livna repository to install the required components.
1. Load up a terminal window if you are in the graphic interface.
2. Switch to the root user by entering the command "su -" (without the quotes) and typing in your root password
3. Edit the file /etc/yum.conf. Using nano we type the command "nano -w /etc/yum.conf"
4. If you have already configured yum to use the Livna repository then append "*libdvdcss* *xine* *vcdimager* *libmad* *libdca* *ffmpeg* *faad2* *lame* *faac* *xvidcore* *a52* *x264*" to the end of the "includepkgs" line and skip the next 2 steps. Otherwise continue on.
5. Add the following to the bottom of this file:
[livna] name=Fedora $releasever - $basearch - Livna baseurl=http://rpm.livna.org/fedora/$releasever/$basearch/ gpgkey=http://rpm.livna.org/RPM-LIVNA-GPG-KEY gpgcheck=1 enabled=1 exclude=*kmod*i586* includepkgs=*libdvdcss* *xine* *vcdimager* *libmad* *libdca* *ffmpeg* *faad2* *lame* *faac* *xvidcore* *a52* *x264*
6. Save the file. In nano you press Ctrl-X, answer yes to the "Save modified buffer" question and then press enter on the file name to write.
7. If you have not previously setup Livna execute the following command:
rpm --import http://rpm.livna.org/RPM-LIVNA-GPG-KEY
8. Now execute the following command:
yum install libdvdcss gxine xine-lib-extras-nonfree
9. You can now start GXine from the Applications menu and load the file you wish to play or select DVD for DVD playback.


text:
To enjoy the full Mail & Guardian online experience: please upgrade your browser
07 Dec 2012 13:23
Former assistant coach Russel Domingo has been appointed as the new Proteas' coach. (Getty)
Domingo will take over at the helm of the national T20 side for the home series against New Zealand and Pakistan this season.
Cricket South Africa said on Friday that Kirsten would remain involved in team selection and the rolling out of playing strategies, and would continue to work closely with Domingo, but he would effectively take a back-seat role in the short format.
"I'm extremely honoured and excited about coaching the T20 squad," Domingo said. "Coaching at the highest level has always been a goal of mine and I'm looking forward to building on the foundation we have set for this format."
"I have enjoyed working with Gary since he took charge, and I am determined to ensure that we continually improve in this format and continue to cultivate a successful team culture and environment."
Kirsten said it would give him the opportunity to focus on Test and one-day series against the touring nations, and would also give him time to spend with his family.
"I believe this decision is a positive move to creating a more sustainable and balanced coaching approach," Kirsten said.
"It's common best practice around the world, and we feel it will give us the platform to spread our coaching resources efficiently."
"I have worked closely with Russell over the past 18 months and I'm confident he will do a great job."
"He fully understands the Proteas culture and will be able to build that culture with the new crop of T20 players we will be blooding this season." – Sapa
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CrackZapIt! Finger Crack RemedyItem # 219496
In stock.
CrackZapIt! Finger Crack Remedy offers fast relief of painful finger cracks
CrackZapIt! Finger Crack Remedy quickly relieves pain and heals cracked or split skin, hangnails, dry hands and feet. The non-messy, all-natural formula (beeswax, organic extra virgin olive oil, honey and more) is thick so it fills cracks and sticks around longer than lotions. Apply three times a day for three or more days to promote natural healing. 0.15-oz. tube.
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The name of a probe function must begin with probe_. The name of a comparison function must begin with cmp_.
Functions that begin with probe_ define new probe keywords. For example, the function probe_tcx defines the new probe keyword tcx. Functions that begin with cmp_ define new rule keywords. For example, cmp_tcx defines the new rule keyword tcx.


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Online UK Compliance Software enables organizations to easily monitor whether they are following government regulations in their business practises, be this telemarketing procedure for example or following the guidelines for operating a business in whatever industry or category they operate under. The UK Compliance Software here is offered under the SaaS (Software as a Service) model, meaning that the software is web based, hosted on the Cloud and can be accessed when needed through a client or web browser. If you're interested in online software similar to UK Compliance Software, consider our Business Performance or Expenses Management Software categories.
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Ridin' The Storm Out
Ridin' the Storm Out: tonal dark grey
Shown on Sock
**Current in stock inventory is listed, although you are able to order as many as you need! Please allow up to 14 days for processing. If ordering with in-stock skeins your items will all ship together.**
Due to the nature of hand dyed yarn, skeins may vary from what is shown.
Available bases:
SOCK - 80% superwash merino wool, 20% nylon / 400 yds per 100 g skein / 2 ply
SQUISH - 100% superwash merino wool, 438 yds per 100 g skein / 4 ply
TOUGH SOCK - 75% superwash merino wool / 25% nylon, 463 yds per 100 g skein / 4 ply
SINGLE – 100% superwash merino wool / 400 yds per 100 g skein / single ply
SQUISH DK - 100% superwash merino wool / 231 yds per 100 g skein / 4 ply
CARE - Hand wash in cool water and lay flat to dry. Yarn is thoroughly rinsed after dyeing, but light bleeding may occur during washing, especially in highly saturated areas.
Note: This listing is for one skein only. This item is hand made, and will vary with each dye lot. If you need more for your project than what is listed, or prefer a different base, please contact me for a custom order. I do my best to capture my colorways in the digital image. Due to variances from my screen to yours the color may vary slightly.


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Everyone was fighting back tears when Landon Donovan blew a kiss to "Bianca" following the biggest moment of his life. Well, that moment may have brought him and Bianca—his estranged wife—back together. Grab your hankies again.
Although Bianca Kajlich is known around these parts as Donovan's ex-wife, Landon surprisingly informed Yahoo Sports yesterday that the pair were never officially divorced. In fact, the two have remained in close contact and "had an emotional telephone conversation in the early hours of Thursday morning"—just hours after he blew the world's mind with his fleet-footed heroics. Pick-up opportunities don't get much bigger than "I just scored a World Cup game-winning goal. Let's make out." Well played, my friend.
A unidentified pal of Kajlich says "it would surprise no one" if the couple re-united soon, so if she's not on a plane to South Africa right now then call Nicholas Sparks, because I don't know how to end this movie.


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International Business Machines Corp. began dismissing U.S. workers today, part of a $1 billion restructuring to help the company meet profit goals as it adapts to shifts in the technology industry.
Workers in New York, Vermont, Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Oklahoma and North Carolina were fired today, according to Alliance@IBM, an employee group. The Armonk, New York-based company had a headcount of 431,212 at the end of 2013, down 0.7 percent from a year earlier — its first decline in a decade.
IBM, which has operations in Westford, Mass., is aiming for $20 a share in adjusted earnings by 2015, up from $11.67 in 2010, a target made more difficult by seven straight quarters of falling revenue. To get there, Chief Executive Officer Ginni Rometty has fired and furloughed workers, sold assets, cut IBM's tax rate and bought back shares.
The company has already begun eliminating positions this year in Europe, Asia and South America, according to Alliance@IBM.
Worldwide, this year's job cuts could lead to the elimination of at least 13,000 employees, Toni Sacconaghi, an analyst at Sanford C. Bernstein & Co., said in a Feb. 3 report.
Rometty is seeking to transform IBM as clients shift to storing their data and applications offsite, or in the cloud, rather than buying their own servers.
"IBM continues to rebalance its workforce to meet the changing requirements of its clients and to pioneer new, high-value segments of the IT industry," the company said in a statement today. At any given time, IBM has more than 3,000 job openings in its growth units, including its cloud business and nanotechnology, the company said.
Hudson Valley jobs
IBM had agreed to keep high-technology jobs in New York's Hudson Valley through 2016, increasing the number of positions it has pledged to retain by 750 to 3,100, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said this week in a statement. That would restore the 697 workers fired last year in Dutchess County, where the company had about 8,000 employees as of 2012, according to the county government.
Firings took place today in Endicott and Poughkeepsie, N.Y., Alliance@IBM said.
IBM makes semiconductor chips at its plant in Burlington, Vt., and servers in Rochester, Minn., according to its website. The company has a delivery center in Dubuque, Iowa, that was to create as many as 1,300 jobs when it opened in 2009. The facility provides services including outsourcing-client support, server-systems operations, security services, and maintenance of hardware and software, according to the website. IBM dismissed workers in all three cities, in addition to Columbia, Mo.; Tulsa, Okla.; and the Raleigh, N.C., area, Alliance@IBM said.
Global restructuring
The company has already begun eliminating positions this year in Europe, Asia and South America, according to Alliance@IBM.
As part of the shift in its focus to products like cloud services and data analytics, the company agreed in January to sell its low-end server division for $2.3 billion to Lenovo. IBM said it expects to send more than 7,000 workers to the Chinese computer maker in the transaction.
The company is focused on finding a joint-venture partner for its chip-manufacturing business after failing to attract a buyer for the division, two people with knowledge of the matter said this month.
IBM rose less than 1 percent to $185.49 at 1:08 p.m. in New York. The shares are little changed since the start of Rometty's tenure at the beginning of 2012, compared with a 47 percent gain for the Standard & Poor's 500 Index.


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Practical information
- When?: To be confirmed 2020
- Where: Huelva
- More information : http://www.huelva.es/turismo/
On the first days of August Huelva celebrates its "Columbinas" Fairs.
This event is closely linked to the discovery of America, and commemorates the departure of Christopher Columbus's caravels towards the New World. Ibero-American culture is reflected in these traditional celebrations, with diverse dance festivals. There are also bullfights in the La Merced Bullring.
Practical information
- Date: To be confirmed 2020
Contact details
Schedules and prices
To be confirmed 2020
* Information may be subject to modifications


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But you have to understand who is a salesman with 20 years experience. Simply add legal steroids to your training cycle. This is a man who sees the inside market. He sees potential customers every day with their problems and needs. Apparently even then America began to worry the nation's obesity problem, and the more developed McDonalds, the more recently added companies producing dietary supplements miracle. Now the Americans are not only absorbed burgers washed down with Coca-Cola, but also actively consumed dietary supplements while trying to lose weight.
Enjoy our reduced prices for anabolic steroids. After gathering all the necessary information, in 1968, David Blackman opened his own corporation, calling it Twinlab, after the birth his twin sons (TWIN LABORATORY - Laboratory twins).
On the market, the company jumped to the world's first liquid protein. Legals steroids helps keeping yourself in good shape. Although now it has sunk into oblivion, if it was a bomb. The demand was enormous. It is used all kachkovoe community, even Arnold Schwarzenegger and Franco Columbu and Frank Zane. Released a book about the protein diet and TWINLAB flooded. David Blackman turned out first-class marketer that affected the company's profits.
But the joy was short-lived, at the end of 1976 - early 1977's, there were reports of about 60 people death, consumed a liquid protein. Large assortment of steroids for sale. From what exactly these people have died - I did not find. Anyway, the company's revenues fell sharply, and the protein and Creatine TWINLAB released in a very limited range so far. Although their Whey Fuel - super protic, whey concentrate standard, I think.


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MVP2431 necesitaba un nuevo diseño de logotipo y lanzó un concurso de diseño en 99designs.
Un ganador ha sido elegido entre 222 diseños de 46 diseñadores freelance.
Pal Locale
Pal Locale is an online friend rental business with a website to be launched at http://www.pallocale.com. Users post their profile and choose to either offer themselves as a pal, indicate a need to rent a pal, or both. Pals are rented and paid an hourly fee that is agreed upon by the renter and the pal. The site's target audience will be the general population, but with a focus on business professionals who frequently travel to new cities and people moving to a new town/city.
The logo should be fun, but professional. I would like something clean and simple, yet clever, unique, original, and creative. I am a fan of the Web 2.0 type logos such as Twitter and Skype. More found here http://brianrowe.org/IMT550/wp-cont…-logos.gif
Horizontal logos preferred, though a symbol/icon above or below the name is okay if it doesn't make the logo too tall.
Please spell Pal Locale in all lower case, as in "pallocale", and make sure the colors of "pal" and "locale" are different.
Besides our website, the logo will be used on Facebook and Twitter, and likely on business cards and potentially handouts/flyers promoting the site.
Do NOT include:
-The .com in the logo
-Anything generic, such as swooshy people; see http://blog.crowdspring.com/2010/07…n-generic/
-Random geometric shapes (a unique icon is fine, but it should have meaning and relate to the site's concept)
-Any caricatures of people that would symbolize the pals to be rented
-Anything that looks cartoonish or kiddie-like, including the color scheme and font
-"P" and "L" initials (for Pal Locale) included in an icon/symbol
Colors NOT to use:
-Pink or purple
-A red/blue combination that looks too patriotic and like the American flag
-A blue/green combination
-The same color for Pal and Locale, but in different shades (darker blue and lighter blue)
Descubre cómo funciona un concurso de diseño u obtén más información sobre nuestros servicios de diseño de logo.


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The concept behind an offshoot of the Louvre may have followed in the footsteps of the Tate and the Centre Pompidou, but the final product is altogether different, writes Joseph Rykwert
I had not heard of Lens, an industrial centre in the Pas-de-Calais (three-quarters of an hour or so south-west of Lille by car or train) until a few years ago when startling rumours about a proposed branch of the Louvre there began filtering into the press. The region had come in for some attention about the same time, since Lille had been named European City of Culture for 2004.
Despite the desolate, windy, new Euro-Lille terminus, the city centre still has dignity and retains much of its Vauban fortifications. The monumental Palais des Beaux Arts has a famous collection - but a branch of the Louvre in the region was unexpected.
Yet an analogous decision had been made in January 2003 by the Centre Pompidou to open a branch in Metz, the capital of Lorraine. A showy timber-and-fibreglass affair designed by Japanese architect Shigeru Ban, it relies on spectacularly opulent temporary exhibitions.
The Metz's decision, - like that at Lens - were, in a sense, emulations of the Bilbao effect. The building of the magical titanium-clad palace by Frank Gehry certainly had a tonic effect on the depressed Basque town, and the Guggenheim became the first museum to brand itself a 'franchise'. Since opening 15 years ago, however, it has had 10 million visitors (very few of whom bother to look in at the very well furnished and old-established Museo de Bellas Artes nearby). The effect on Metz is not yet so evident.
Lens was a much more arresting choice than Metz, anyway. It had been a battlefield through the 16th and 17th centuries but destruction was even more savage in the First World War (when it lost half its population - Vimy Ridge is nearby), and again between 1939 and 1944.
Much of the town proper was built in the second half of the 19th century to house the miners who worked there until the exhausted coalfields finally closed circa 1990, leaving a vast double cone of spoil - reputedly the largest in Europe, which Unesco declared a 'cultural site'.
Although a branch of the local university was planted in the abandoned mine offices, Lens only had one other institution, the football stadium, built for a public larger than the entire town's population; the local team became very prestigious and even beat Arsenal one glorious year.
The Louvre had long nurtured the ambition to plant a mission in the provinces, although the decision to 'decentralise' was only taken in May 2003. The primary - explicit - aim was to colonise an otherwise fallow terrain and was only incidentally economic. Once the decision was made, however, events moved quickly. Six towns (including Arras and Valenciennes) were considered for the exercise. Lens was 'named' by the then prime minister in November 2004, and the competition for the building launched six weeks later. A shortlist was established quickly and the SANAA team (with whom the New York Studio Imrey Culbert, landscape architect Catherine Mosbach and museographer Adrien Gardère were associated) was chosen. The first stone was laid in December 2009 and three years later, by December 2012, the museum was open to the public.
In the UK we are familiar with the notion of a museum 'seeding' itself - even if more modestly - in the provinces. The Tate Gallery has had branches at St Ives and Liverpool for years and now the Victoria & Albert Museum has handed its Dundee offshoot to another Japanese architect, Kengo Kuma.
At Lens the intention seems to have been loftier than at such British examples or even at Metz - and almost the opposite of Bilbao, where the town's decline was to be reversed through a spectacularly showy building and a policy of constantly changing exhibitions of new work. Lens enshrines a choice of major masterpieces from the Louvre in its main gallery, the Galerie du Temps, to be diversified every five years; in the other, smaller space, temporary six-monthly thematic exhibitions are planned, for which material will be drawn not only from the Louvre, but also from other collections and museums.
The long, irregular site lies between the town's two landmarks - the monumental slag heaps and the football stadium - and rises above its surroundings, strung, more or less from east to west over the hogback made by the working of the mine on the southern edge of the town. The five main pavilions stretch over some 300m as a single-story building, transparent at the centre at the north end, opaque everywhere else, presenting a shimmering surface of glass and anodised aluminium, which is applied in standard honeycomb panels. The silvery tonality of the aluminium is echoed by the smooth pale concrete, polished on the interior, transforming that pale grey into a consistent background that enhances the polychromy of the exhibits in the clear but gentle toplight.
The schematic rigidity implied by the continuous roofline and the choice of surface is enlivened by the irregularities of the plan: few of the walls are orthogonal to each other, and many are curved - notably all four sides of the entrance hall. Moreover, the floor levels are varied from one pavilion to another, although the idea of a promenade is deliberately avoided by the way the sections are joined to each other at the corners and the visitor percolates from one section to another. The various ancillary functions - reception, shop, offices - are each screened in circular or oval islands in the entrance hall. The cylindrical glass restaurant (still unfinished) stands proud of the main building to the north, by the site entrance, while the administration has a modest separate building on the south edge of the site, some distance from the museum.
At the centre of the entrance hall a circular staircase leads down to the lower ground floor, which houses (besides the cloakrooms and a small auditorium) two other important and integral parts of the museum: the glazed and open 'reserve' (where the material is not displayed, but stacked and shelved, although it has also been opened to the public) and another innovation - the laboratory-like restoration workshop.
The centrality of the entrance to the plan divides the accommodation into two wings: to one side is the main gallery museum, its interior clad in the same aluminium panels as the exterior so exhibits may never be hung on, or attached to, the walls. They will always be disposed freely in a more or less temporal sequence, which currently begins with a statue of Gudea, King of Lagash circa 2130BC, and comes to a climax with Delacroix's Liberty Leading the People, which commemorates the revolution of 1830. As you wander through the roughly chronological - roughly, because there is no direct sequence - works, you meet such treasures as Raphael's Portrait of Baldassare Castiglione or the life-size Roman high-relief of Mithras killing the bull (newly restored) from the parent Louvre.
The other side of the layout is the hall for temporary exhibitions, where the installations are to be more conventional in that each exhibition will have its own ephemeral screening. The current Renaissance exhibition has in its main room Leonado da Vinci's unfinished and newly cleaned The Virgin and Child with St Anne, facing Titian's haughty portrait of Francis I.
I mention such paintings only to illustrate that the Louvre really has sent out its best and grandest on this mission. And it seems to have paid off - visitor numbers are well above expectation, in spite of the wretched train service and the absence of the usual amenities from the town; hoteliers and restaurateurs, it seems, are holding back to see how the tourist traffic will grow. And it looks as if it will indeed grow: as the Centre Pompidou revivified the Beaubourg quarter, and the Guggenheim did Bilbao, it now looks as if both Metz and Lens will benefit.
The French, we are told, are hungrier for 'culture' than we benighted islanders. Well then. And the cultural mission? That graffito assault earlier this month on Delacroix' treasure is not just a fleeting news item but one more witness to the magnetic power of the most secluded masterpieces.
Read more: related building studies
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Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Christmas lights and bubbles
A lot of people haul out champagne for the holidays; it's like that, it's suggestive. I, however, as someone who guzzles the stuff at every wine bar and restaurant and private residence in the land, rejoicing when a muzzle is offed and a conic cork removed—well, you'd think I would turn a sour eye at all the transient enthusiasm.
Hell, no. Are you, dearest reader, senseless? (I think not, and thank god this is only a rhetorical turn, because you, dearest reader who makes my blog worth continuing, are crazy like a fox.) Far from pooh-poohing the seasonal gold rush, I embrace it with all the more fervor. Everybody else wants to, too! More for all! More deliciousness!
Do it, it's les fêtes! Order another bottle of Lassaigne, of Prévost, of Egly-Ouriet, of Tarlant, holy crow. Get out the Bérèche, the Boulard, the Françoise Bedel, that crazy Vouette et Sorbée fizz. Remember your stash of Veuve Fourny, some stockpiled Gaston Chiquet or that vintage Jean Milan. Crack the new year open with Chartogne-Taillet or Diebolt-Vallois. Decide you don't have to afford to replace Selosse, 'cause it tastes so good now.
In that spirit, and in the spirit of my calamitous blog sparseness, which I intend to correct with the new year, I am currently enjoying a brand new site by the Boston-based champagnophile Peter Czyryca, Recent Disgorgements.
I would also love to hear, in my pruriently curious way, what anyone traipsing through this post might have in mind to drink, champagne-wise, for the night that turns this year into 2011.
10 comments:
- peter said...
Thanks for the kind mention, mon amie!
I never drink Champagne unless the day ends in a "y."
I need to figure out what special bottle I'm opening for Christmas Eve. I'm not a particularly religious guy, unless randomly dropping to my knees and bowing in the general direction of Vilmart counts as such.
I'm thinking maybe a magnum of NV Billiot Brut Reserve as there are usually several thisty mouths and one bottle will go much too quickly.
For the last day of 2010, I think I'm going with two Chartogne Taillet wines, the 2002 Fiacre and the 2002 Brut.
Too bad I can't "recreate" the tasting on January 1, 2010 here. What deliciousness!
- December 21, 2010 at 7:01 PM
i like peter's magnum !
i will open jacquesson 734...
- December 21, 2010 at 7:12 PM
Good to see you posting again.
This household will be enjoying some 2000 Bollinger.
- December 21, 2010 at 7:59 PM
- David McDuff said...
Now that you mention it, I have a bottle of Bérèche "Reflet d'Antan" that's been beckoning. Perhaps a '97 "Fleur de Passion" from Diebolt? Or maybe it's finally time to sacrifice my last '92s from José Michel. We shall see....
- December 22, 2010 at 8:26 PM
- Florida Jim said...
Have you encountered (or written about) the N/V Cedric Bouchard, La Parcelle (sp?)?
I had it recently and enjoyed it so much that I bought several for my cellar.
And I am not a big bubbles fan - but I thought this wine was extraordinary.
Best, Jim
- December 23, 2010 at 2:12 PM
1996 Gaston Chiquet, left in haste by a sulphurous snot, after performing a vivisection on my entrails. A lovely parting gift.
- December 23, 2010 at 7:56 PM
- TWG said...
Your bimonthly post just in time for the Holidays. I'm not sure what I'll open, maybe the Cuvee Rubis.
- December 24, 2010 at 7:23 PM
It will be our good fortune to sip and slurp a Vouette et Sorbee "Fidele" Extra Brut, NV, since you asked.
- December 28, 2010 at 7:53 PM
- James said...
'Decide you don't have to afford to replace Selosse, 'cause it tastes so good now.'
I love it!!!
- January 7, 2011 at 8:51 PM
- Horny Goat Weed said...
Boring as usual: Chardonnay :/ but o'well we do have a fair few bottles of the stuff :D
- February 3, 2011 at 2:16 AM


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Student or Learner
I'm not sure about one word combination which is in bold. "A huge lizard rises before him. Spiky plates on its head spread outward as a warning for the enemy". Is it correct to say like that? May be I can use "spread" without "outward"?
I think "spread outward" is fine, "spread" by itself would not be as effective.
not a teacher


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Widening Tech 'Alley' Outgrows Its Name
Label Is Giving Way to References to Submarkets like Chelsea, Flatiron/Madison Square
Among the many terms bandied about in New York's commercial real-estate world, few carry as many different connotations as Silicon Alley.
Is it a geographic place as specific as the Flatiron District? A mere metaphor for New York City's broad technology sector? A fading bit of real-estate parlance?
To some, it is a tad insulting....


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A former Destiny's Child band member was arrested on Thursday for public intoxication and possession of marijuana.
Officials tell E! News Farrah Franklin — who was a member of the girl group for five months in 1999 — was taken into custody after getting into an argument with a male friend outside a gym in DeKalb County, Georgia, around 3 a.m.
When officers arrived, they noticed an odor of alcohol, and determined Franklin was intoxicated due to her slurred speech and bloodshot eyes. After her arrest, police found marijuana and charged her with possession as well.
She was released from custody Thursday after paying $630, according to jail records, which did not indicate if she had an attorney.
On Wednesday, ahead of the arrest, Franklin shared a video of herself on her Instagram account, revealing that she "gave in" and finally downloaded Snapchat.
Meanwhile, this is not the first time Franklin has been in trouble with the law. In 2014, she found herself behind bars for disorderly conduct in South Carolina after she was reportedly found sleeping in the yard of a local person's house.
Destiny's Child's Bootylicious Turns 15


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A good friend of mine and a dedicated NRA member once told me that if you buy a gun for protection, you had better be prepared to use it. For the one-third of all American households that own guns, I presume this is the case. But this means that two-thirds of American households, the "nonowners," are not ready to shoot an intruder. Instead, people who don't own a gun would rather rely on paid professionals — our local and state police force — for protection. This is why most people in "no-gun households" take offense to NRA President Wayne LaPierre's suggestion that we place armed guards in every school in the country instead of trying to remove tactical weapons from our environment. The second amendment to the Constitution gives people the right to own a gun, but it does not obligate them to do so.
The NRA's recommendation to place armed guards in every school across the country poses some disturbing problems. Without some type of restriction on tactical weapons, what kind of "firepower" are we going to arm Mr. LaPierre's school guards with? Who's going to pay for their training? Who's going to pay for their weaponry? How is that going to affect our tax rate? Will having many disparate armed forces responding to a shooter increase the chances of a "friendly fire" situation? Or will we have to slow our response to an emergency in order to coordinate the various armed responders? Do we really want our schoolchildren seeing guards armed with pistols and AK-47's every day?
The gun debate has been dominated by gun owners protecting their second amendment rights by interpreting the second amendment as broadly as possible. Most state and federal laws not only allow access to almost every type of firearm imaginable, but they also restrict federal gathering and release of information about statistics regarding gun sales and which weapons have been used for mass shootings and illegal activities. Some states, such as Florida have even gone so far as to restrict doctors from discussing guns with their patients — a law that seems particularly counterproductive in view of the events in Newtown.
Quite a few gun owners see the second amendment as a black and white, all or nothing issue. They see the only alternative to unrestricted access to all firearms as no firearms at all. How many times have you heard the mantra: "if you outlaw guns then only outlaws will have guns?" The truth is that most people who don't own guns don't want to take the guns away from those that do. Most "nonowners" agree with the great majority of gun owners who need their guns for: farming, hunting, target shooting and self-defense. The problem most nonowners have with the second amendment is the ownership of "tactical weapons" such as assault rifles, sniper rifles and weapons with large ammo magazines. If you really need an assault weapon with a large ammo magazine to defend yourself, then you might want to brush up on your social skills and make fewer enemies.
The United States needs to develop a policy that respects the second amendment but also protects the rights of nonowners of guns — who make up the other two thirds of American households. This means that we need to keep tactical weapons on the battlefield and away from the ball field and the corn field. We need to track guns more carefully so that our firemen and policemen don't accidentally run into a "misunderstanding" while investigating a call by a concerned neighbor. There should be enforceable consequences to people who misuse their right to bear arms, such as buying a gun for someone who has doesn't qualify for one or shooting while intoxicated. Most importantly, we need to keep the doctor — patient relationship completely separate from the guns rights issue. Doctors must be free to ask about guns and gun safety in the setting of mental illness, emotionally labile adolescents or adults with signs of dementia.
The tragedies in Aurora, Tucson, and Newtown were the results of both mental illness and the relatively easy access to guns of a tactical nature. Both problems need to be addressed. Many gun owners, including Wayne LaPierre disagree, stating the problem is entirely one of mental illness. I would cordially invite them and all like-minded individuals to "put their money where their mouth is" and lobby for and donate to as many mental health organizations as they can.
James Fieseher MD