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Welcome to Miramar Beach, Located in Half Moon Bay in Beautiful Northern California
The Pacific Victorian Bed & Breakfast is an ideal choice for your next California coast bed and breakfast vacation. This Victorian style inn is located at beautiful Miramar Beach in Half Moon Bay, California. The Inn is nestled in a scenic coastal setting 1.5 blocks from the beach with partial ocean views of the Pacific Ocean and picturesque coastal mountains. There are several activities near our Half Moon Bay, Ca, Bed and Breakfast including: golfing, bicycling, hiking, shopping, surfing, kayaking, wine tasting, art viewing, weddings, whale watching, walking on the beach, tide pooling, horseback riding, bird watching, boating, live music and relaxing. The Pacific Victorian Bed & Breakfast in Half Moon Bay, California is conveniently located near San Francisco International Airport (SFO), San Jose International Airport, Oakland International Airport and Half Moon Bay, CA, municipal airport. We are California lodging within driving distance of San Francisco, San Jose, Santa Cruz, Monterey and Napa.
Our guestrooms offer a unique boutique hotel lodging experience with Victorian decor, private baths with whirlpool tubs, luxurious linens, in-room televisions, DVD players, telephones, access to DVD movie library, decks and wireless high speed internet access. Each morning is greeted with the scent from our full breakfast featuring Eggs Benedict, blueberry pancakes, buttermilk pancakes, Belgian waffles, cheddar cheese omelets, French toast, sausage, Canadian bacon, orange juice, coffee and tea.
Your boutique hotel lodging experience will be truly enjoyable at the Pacific Victorian Bed and Breakfast, Miramar Beach in Half Moon Bay.
Call for same day reservation inquiries.
For gift certificate purchase, please call us at 650-712-3900. Thank you.


text: In episode 33 from the Wapos Bay series, Raven and Amber are obsessed with The Lost Boys of the Transylvanian Twilight, a new movie sequel about vampires. A mysterious boy named Erimas shows up in Wapos Bay, attracting Raven's attention and Devon's jealousy. Devon recruits T-Bear and Talon to keep Raven from falling for the new boy, and save her from potentially becoming a vampire! Wapos Bay is a stop-motion animation series that follows the adventures of 3 kids from a Cree community in northern Saskatchewan.

subset: commoncrawl


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I want to be excited about the new Wonder Woman movie coming out this year, but at every turn Warner Bros/DC Comics does something insulting and sexist that makes me change my mind.
Like accepting a promotional partnership with thinkThin, for example.
Wonder Woman, one of the strongest and fiercest female superheroes and first to receive a standalone film, is now the face of a diet bar. Good job Warner Bros. Good job.
Now, before I go any further, I should say that I have never tried a thinkThin bar. The website does not emphasize weight loss, but rather promotes general wellness and healthy lifestyles. The bars themselves are described as a "nutritious" snack to satisfy hunger without the guilt.
But, with a name like thinkThin, the image it creates is not a positive one.
This is what Michele Kessler, the president of thinkThin, was going for in terms of message: "We wanted to celebrate a hero film featuring a woman in the leading role," she wrote in a press release. "We love that Wonder Woman has super strength and we're proud to offer delicious products that give women the everyday strength they need to power through their day."
I respect that comparison, but I doubt that message will get through. Instead, most people, particularly young girls, may see it as body shaming.
It's bad enough that most female leads in film, especially superheroes, are extremely lean and thin, representing a certain type of woman. The larger, plus-size woman is always the funny friend or the wise confident. Magazines and news publications are jam-packed with articles about diet fads, offering up 10 ways to lost that stubborn belly fat while showcasing dresses only available in size zero. Women are berated with these images on a daily basis — do we really need it from Wonder Woman too?
Wonder Woman should be promoting acceptance as much as physical strength. She should be focusing on self-love, courage, intelligence, and independence. This character is a huge inspiration to young girls worldwide! Remember when the U.N. announced this fictional character was to be the honorary ambassador for the empowerment of girls and women? Think thin — is that the message this former ambassador is sending?
This is a serious missed opportunity. Warner Bros screwed up big time and I'm not sure if they can do anything to rectify it now. Wonder Woman is supposed to be a role model for girls. She is supposed to represent a strong-willed woman, someone who doesn't need a man to save the day — someone who is smart enough to save both Batman and Superman at the same time!
But so far, all I see is another disgraced sell-out.
What do you think of this new partnership? Let us know in the comments below!


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Elevate your bar with our Cocktails LED Neon Sign. Featuring vibrant LED lights, this sign showcases the word "Cocktails" in a captivating and inviting display. Crafted with high-quality materials for durability, our sign is perfect for bars, lounges, or restaurants. Create a stylish and trendy atmosphere that attracts customers and enhances their drinking experience. Illuminate your space with our Cocktails LED Neon Sign and make a statement that leaves a lasting impression. Cheers to a vibrant and memorable bar ambiance!
LED neon light: our flexible LED neon tube is a new technology of neon. LED neon light provides a longer lifespan that original glass neon. The neon signs remain cold, silent, safe and eco-friendly because it is low voltage.
BACKING: Clear (by default) and resistant backing of 3-5 mm to support the sign. Neon signs are made of flexible neon tube. A neon sign must be set on a backing in order to keep its shape in time. We create design neon sign so we like suggesting the "cut to shape" backing. The backing of the neon sign is quasi invisible on picture.
Made from a long-lasting, durable and environmentally friendly LED neon strip, mounted on a clear acrylic backboard - the sign comes standard with a 5-meter clear power cord and white or black power bank
Light designed to last at least 10 years.
- LED Neon Sign Customized to Your Specifications
- Power Supply and Adaptor (12V)
- Dimmer Switch
- 12-Month International Manufacturer Warranty
- Drill holes for installation & Installation Screws
If you have a custom design in mind, click the button below, fill out the form, and our team will get back to you within 24 hours with a FREE design and a quote.
- Your order is delivered in a safe and resistant double box, specially made for mail order.
- We exclusively relying on private partner companies to handle the delivery of your custom neon sign. Using DHL, Fedex or UPS depending on the country. We select the most optimized shipping company for your product to arrive fast and safe.
- We can provide a Tracking Number upon request for you to be able to track your neon as well as scheduling the delivery.
- Once your neon is shipped you can contact the delivery company at will to get updates and any pieces of information you need. Our support Team remains available to bring assistance.
- For small items like Sneaker Led Lights or Mini Neons we are using the USA Post with Tracking Number.
- We usually dispatch orders with 24-48 Hours after receiving full payment of your order.
- Overview of the delivery time lapse:
- With DHL: it takes about 2 to 4 business days for your parcel to arrive at your location starting from the day you receive your shipping confirmation email (Tracking Number).
- With USA Post: it takes about 10-14 business days from the day you receive your shipping confirmation email. However, some countries can require a longer time to process the good. We noticed that Italy, Spain, Portugal, Mexico, UAE could take up to 20-25 days. You can contact us if your order, shipped by USA Post, hasn't been received within the 30 days. We will support solving the possible matter with the carrier company.
- All our shipments come with online a tracking number that you will receive once your order is dispatched. You can also email us to receive your Tracking Number.
- Orders will only be shipped to the shipping address provided in your account. Please make sure your address is correct.
- Phone number is required for the shipping company to contact you once your delivery is on its way and schedule the delivery. Your neon is on the way!
- Customers are responsible for any custom duties or import duties resulting from the shipping of their neons. We do our best to protect global customers from incurring additional fees. We can provide an estimation though according to our experience. Unfortunately, we have no control over these charges.
- Customers take full liability for all postal charges, return shipment costs and resend shipment costs if they refuse to accept a parcel due to import duties or taxes. Shipping costs are non-refundable.
- Delivery Standard excludes day of posting and time spent on customs clearance.
- Online tracking number will be provided to all international customers to track the delivery status after parcels are being posted, make sure your email address is correct in order to receive your tracking number.
- Our policy lasts 14 days. If 14 days have gone by since your purchase of a MINI LED or a item displayed in our store we can not offer any refund or exchange.
- To be eligible for a return of a MINI LED or a item displayed in our store, your item must be unused and in the same condition that you received it. It must also be in the original packaging.
To complete your return, we require a receipt or proof of purchase. The refund could be completed once the item is received in our office. Costs of resend are to be endorsed by the buyer. - A 10.00 USD flat fee will be deducted from your refund to cover the restocking. The customer is responsible of the returning postage cost.
Contact us at firstname.lastname@example.com to get our full refund process and get your return number. - All customs neon signs sold are FINAL. Custom neon signs are unique, handcrafted and made for the precise purpose and will of the buyer. There is no molding. We actually bend the neon tube by hand. Therefore, your custom neon sign could not be 100% matching the mock-up we sent. This is actually the beauty of a craft item. It is unique in this sense. No return or exchange is possible after the mock-up is approved and the order is paid. This is the reason why we grant you all the time, energy and expertise to create your unique custom neon sign.
- Light colors are not contractual. We will manage to send pictures of the chosen colors
- If you have any questions or concerns with a product on our site, please send us an email at firstname.lastname@example.com before committing to purchase.
Refunds (if applicable)
Once your return is received and inspected, we will send you an email to notify you that we have received your returned item. We will also notify you of the approval or rejection of your refund. No need to contact us in between this time period. We need a processing time to provide the final decision.
If you are approved, then your refund will be processed, and a credit will automatically be applied to your credit card or original method of payment, within a certain amount of days.
Refunds are issued with a deduction of the original shipping cost of $45 as well as 5% of the original price as transaction fees.Sale items (if applicable)
Only regular priced items may be refunded, unfortunately sale items cannot be refunded.Cancellation
In the event of a cancellation before the item is being shipped, a 5% of the original price will be held to cover the transaction fees.
- Your neon arrived broken? We take care of this. Please make sure to send us within 7 days pictures of the 4 sides of the package as well as pictures of the broken parts. We will set up a claim in front of the carrier. In parallel, we will remake and deliver your neon.


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Amazing Hippie All Over Print Hawaiian Shirt
In stock$33.99
The Hawaiian shirt (or Aloha shirt, Button-up t shirt) are really the ideal choice to wear in the summer and the holiday are coming so soon. They are cool and more interesting as compared to typical mono-color clothes. They are casual and formal at the same time! You can wear them to a wedding, an interview, to the game, to school – anywhere at all. You are going to stand out of the ordinary as you choose these shirts.
Amazing Hippie All Over Print Hawaiian Shirt
+ Material: Materials: 100% Batiste fabric 85g/m2 made from cotton, wool, polyester which makes this soft, comfortable & stylish shirt.
+ White button closure.
+ Straight hem.
+ Cuban collar and short sleeve.
+ Size: S, M, L, XL, 2XL, 3XL, 4XL, 5XL
+ This shirt is made of a soft, thin, and very light material and is therefore ideal for hot and sunny days.
+ Perfect for wearing to the carnivals, festivals, vacation, on the beach, even at work or at a summer theme party.
Processing time
Est. Production Time : 2-5 business days
Est. Shipping Time : 4-7 business days
Size chart
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The mail always gets delivered — through rain, sleet, and mind-numbingly (toe-numbingly?) cold weather. This one's from Kaprice in Iowa!
I replied:
Dear Kaprice,
I am always glad to receive a letter about Six Innings, but it's especially true today in the midst of frozen winter. It is actually 2 degrees outside as I type this. Two skinny degrees! Fortunately the sky is clear, the color of a robin's egg, and the sun brightly reflected on the snow. Not a good day for baseball, but not so bad for sipping tea and staring out the window.
Titles can be tricky! For some books, I know the title from the beginning: Bystander and Six Innings, for example. For my new book, Better Off Undead, oh dear, that one took forever. But that book took me six years to write (don't ask!), so I had plenty of time to come up with a lot of bad ideas. My original title was Zombie Me, which I still think is pretty good.
Like you, I am a baseball fan and enjoy reading about the sport. Roger Angell once famously quipped that writers love baseball so much because it's the only sport that's slow enough for them to understand. For Six Innings, my idea was to use the game as a structure for writing about characters, people. I knew from the beginning that I wanted the heart of the book to take place over the course of one game, six innings at the Little League level. But again: the game was only a device for exploring character. Real people, what they think and feel.
My oldest son, Nick, 24, is a two-time cancer survivor. I was inspired by his experiences, in particular his friendship with a boy named Sam Lewis. I find that's often how it works with writing: the details of our own life inevitably leak into our stories, even the ones that are "made up."
Thank you & Happy New Year!
James Preller


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(I'm quite new to quant finance so I'm not sure if this is an eligible question.)
I've decided I want to backtest pairs trading on the Nordic stockmarket. So I would guess there exists different methods of selecting the pairs (not just guess, I've heard and read some about them). For example the 'most written about' selection based on cointegration which seems most straight forward (which was used by Gatev et al in their paper called Pairs Trading: Performance of a Relative-Value Arbitrage Rule), but also some extended versions of this based on forecasting (tried reading about it but it was a bit to advanced for me). I've also heard about pairs trading calender time (or something like that), which I tried to find some articles about without succeeding (my guess would be that the selection and trades are done 'in calender time', meaning they are based on opening/closing prices rather than intraday. Please correct me if I'm wrong).
So my question is basically what different methods of pairs selection exists? I wouldn't want a full description of them, just some keywords to search (it's hard to find something when you don't really know what you're looking for.. sort of).
Maybe if someone has come across some recent finding in this area or if someone who is actually working with this could give me some ideas on what is 'hot' (meaning what is used in the industry today) it would be great. I tried to contact a few hedgefunds, however they didn't really have time for students (maybe it was naive of me think they would).
Thank you in advance for your help!


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Why the Effectiveness Formula Is the Key to Productivity Improvement
Thirty-five years ago, Chuck Tonies and I wrote about the state of software engineering as a basis for what we liked to call the "Effectiveness Formula." [1] As I reviewed the introduction to our 1979 book Software Engineering for this article, I was struck by the similarity between our description of software engineering in 1975 and the state of the profession today. [2] As it turns out, the lessons we learned in our software development work are directly applicable to development in any industry. The software development industry, especially within the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD), also collects enormous amounts of data to improve development estimates, and that stockpile provided much of the data behind the Effectiveness Formula.
I have been collecting software cost-analysis data from across the Department of Defense community since 1972, to calibrate a cost- and schedule-estimating model for traditional environments. Within these records, dating back to the 1960s, I noticed a constancy of the capability data for each of the DoD contractors, changing very little over the 20-year period ending in the 1980s.
Most development activities, including software system development, are dynamic. No matter how effective the development methods, and no matter how stable the project staff, some degree of rethinking, replanning, redefining, and redirection are necessary as a project proceeds. Unfortunately, communication among team members is not always perfect. Incomplete and incorrect understanding of requirements, designs, and interfaces is inevitable. Frequent communication among all participants on a development project is the only way to prevent or correct such misunderstandings.
If people are not capable of participating (or are not motivated to participate) in the inevitable ebb and flow of management decisions on a project, or if they can't communicate daily with members of the team, the value of their contributions (no matter how brilliant) is diminished, because those contributions probably don't match the real product requirements.
For those reasons, a person's value to an organization operating in the industrial environment is dependent on three attributes: technical talent, the ability to understand management concepts, and the ability to communicate. All three qualities are so intimately involved in the development process that the net effect of an individual's effort is best represented by the product of the Effectiveness Formula:
E = Net effectiveness (0–1)
C = Communication ability and skills (0–1)
M = Management concept awareness (0–1)
T = Technical ability (0–1)
Notice that M operates on T (technology), and C operates on M. The person's net effectiveness is zero if any of the terms is zero. The formula describes remarkably well the historic software-development project data I've collected over the past thirty years.
Now let's consider applying the Effectiveness Formula to the current traditional development environment, to see how the formula's factors are affected by the environment.
The first rather obvious observation is that most organizations are using similar or identical development technologies. They adopted similar methods and tools at roughly the same time. Each technology improvement offered some capability improvement, even though the capability gains are not strikingly significant.
The second observation is that the management approaches across the organizations are almost identical, all being slight variations of classical management best described as Theory X. [3]
Broadly defined, communication means the act or process of exchanging information between individuals, using a common system of symbols, signs, or behavior. The related definition of collaboration is working jointly with others, especially in an intellectual endeavor. Both elements, communication and collaboration, are necessary to produce a software product effectively and efficiently.
The most important observation is the norm for physical environments in current traditional development. The most common modern large-scale software development environment is the "cube farm," in which all communication between developers is carried through the organization's computer network. The cubicle development environment is not designed, by intent or by chance, to foster interactive communication among the project participants. Instead, the cube farm's purpose appears to even the casual observer as a means to prevent communication. The lack of effective communication blocks any attempt to motivate the staff, prevents collaboration within the staff, and eliminates the potential for forming teams.
The least common environment, the "skunkworks," is typically defined as a small group of experts who move outside an organization's mainstream operations in order to develop a new technology or application as quickly and efficiently as possible, without the burden of the organization's bureaucracy or strict process application. The skunkworks workspace is a physically open environment that encourages intra-team access and communications. Tools and processes are tailored and adapted to the project's requirements. An Agile environment fits into this type of structure.
The effectiveness of voice or visual communication elements is described in a well-known study by Mehrabian and Ferris. [4] According to the study, 55% of information is transferred by body language (posture, gestures, eye contact), as shown in Figure 1. Another 38% of the information is transferred through vocal tonality (pitch, volume, and so on), and the remaining 7% of the information transferred comes from the words (content) in the presentation. Removing the visual and vocal information elements of the discussion leaves us with only 7% of the information content. Reading a paper document offers advantages versus reading the same document on a workstation display: Information on paper can be highlighted, underlined, and commented.
Figure 1 Components of communication.
Communication, which has a range of values between zero and (ideally) unity, has an effective value of only 0.07 in a cube farm. With a value that low, even a management effectiveness value of 1.0 and a perfect technology rating (1.0) cannot provide much of a contribution to the person's effectiveness.


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International Travel with Pets
If you plan to travel internationally with your pet, be aware that there may be special health certificates and vaccination requirements for the country you plan to visit.
Your Pet's Dental Health
Does your pet have bad breath? Bad breath isn't just unpleasant, it can be unhealthy. Up to 80% of dogs and 70% of cats that do not receive proper dental care may show signs of dental disease by the age of 3.
Parasites and Your Pet
Are you itching to protect your pets from parasites? Here is a resource for all your parasite prevention questions and needs.
Tick-Borne Diseases
Spring and summer in our area mean tick season. Even dogs and cats that spend only brief periods of time outdoors can be susceptible to ticks. It is very difficult to avoid your pets' exposure to these pests, and even careful inspection after outdoor activities can fail to locate ticks on them.
Mutt Love Rescue
Mutt Love Rescue is a non-profit, no-kill, volunteer dog rescue organization serving the Washington, DC, metro area. We are dedicated to rescuing dogs left homeless for whatever reason.
Official home page of the American Kennel Club. Contains information on many breeds of dogs, including photos and brief descriptions of each breed's characteristics.
American Heartworm Society
A source of information on all aspects of heartworms and what you need to know to protect your pet.
Lost Dog and Cat Rescue Foundation
Lost Dog and Cat Foundation is a non-profit animal rescue organization saving the lives of thousands of homeless and abandoned pets each year. We rescue dogs and cats facing euthanasia in overcrowded shelters, and place them for adoption in loving homes. ALL of our animals are spayed or neutered prior to adoption.
Association for Pet Loss and Breavement
We have all experienced the pain of losing a pet. The Association for Pet Loss and Breavement has set up this site for support during this most difficult time. You will find inspirational stories, grief counseling resources, hotline number and many other resources.
Plants Toxic to Animals
A source of information about plants that are toxic to animal, includes names and pictures of common poisonous plants.
Veterinary Schools in the US
A source of information and contact details for all schools of veterinary medicine in the United States.
The USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) website provides a variety of information on animal health and welfare related topics.
American Veterinary Medical Association
A source of information about the veterinary medical profession and topics related to animal health and welfare and the role of veterinary medicine in our society.
A Forever Home Rescue Foundation
A Forever-Home Rescue Foundation is a non-profit dog rescue group that operates in the Northern Virginia / Washington Metropolitan area. We strive to make quality dogs available for adoption and do our best to match prospective adopters with the right animal!
The Cat Fanciers' Association (CFA)
The Cat Fanciers' Association website provides information and pictures of cat breeds, advice on cat care, news of upcoming cat shows, and much more for those who love cats!
National Animal Poison Control Center
A source of information for emergency assistance by phone for suspected cases of animal poisonings as well as helpful library links and information on substances toxic to animals.
Bark Busters
Bark Busters' mission is to promote clear and open communication between owners and their dogs using simple and effective training methods that appeal to the canine psyche.
American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA)
The American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) is an international association of more than 42,000 veterinary care providers who treat companion animals. AAHA is the only organization that accredits animal hospitals throughout the U.S. and Canada. AAHA-accredited hospitals voluntarily choose to be evaluated on 900 standards in the following areas: quality of care; diagnostic & pharmacy; management; medical records; and facility.
Feline CRF Information Center
Resource of information on Feline Chronic Renal Failure and an overview of the diagnosis, treatment and prognosis.
Rainbow Bridge
Anyone who has ever lost a pet should visit this wonderful site. It is a terrific tribute to our lost family members.
West Nile Virus
This site is maintained by the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta, and has the latest information on the spread of West Nile Virus in the US, as well as information on disease transmission, symptoms, etc.
American Association of Feline Practitioners
The AAFP is like the American Medical Association for cat doctors, and has lots of good information regarding feline health.


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If you were brought up on a diet of Disney fairy tales, you might be forgiven for thinking that opposites attract. Beauty and the Beast, Cinderella, and The Little Mermaid all perpetuate the idea that the ideal partner is someone who has the opposite qualities to ourselves.
But it's not just Disney: the idea that opposites attract has completely saturated the film industry – think of the neurotic comedian who falls for the free-spirited singer in Woody Allen's Annie Hall, for example. In fact, one study found that almost 80% of us believe in the idea that opposites attract.
A new study tracking people's digital footprints – how they behave online – suggests this isn't actually true in real life. And it isn't the first time science has come to that conclusion. For decades, psychologists and sociologists have pointed out that the idea that opposites attract is a myth.
In fact, almost all the evidence suggests that opposites very rarely attract. The psychologist Donn Byrne was one of the first to study the impact of similarity on the early stages of relationships. To do so, he developed a method known as the "phantom stranger technique".
The procedure begins with participants completing a questionnaire about their attitudes on a variety of topics, such as the use of nuclear weapons. Next, they take part in a "person-perception" phase, where they evaluate a (non-existent) person based on their responses to the same questionnaire.
Byrne manipulated the degree of similarity between the participant and the phantom stranger. His results showed that participants reported feeling more attracted to people who held similar attitudes. In fact, the greater the degree of attitudinal similarity, the greater the attraction and liking.
To explain his findings, Byrne argued that most of us have a need for a logical and consistent view of the world. We tend to favour ideas and beliefs that support and reinforce that consistency. People who agree with us validate our attitudes and so satisfy this need, whereas people who disagree with us tend to stimulate negative feelings – anxiety, confusion and maybe even anger – that lead to repulsion.
Byrne's early research was limited to similarity of attitudes, but other research has suggested that there may also be greater attraction to others who share similar sociodemographic dimensions. For example, studies have shown that online daters are more likely to contact and reply to others who have similar educational and ethnic backgrounds as themselves, and are of a similar age. However, Byrne's later research suggested that attitudinal similarity may be more important than sociodemographic similarity when it comes to relationship formation.
In the mid-1950s, the sociologist Robert Francis Winch argued that, when it comes to our personalities, what matters is not similarity but complementarity. Based on his studies of spouses, he suggested that individuals would be attracted to others who possess personality traits that they lack. An assertive woman, for example, would be attracted to a submissive man while an extroverted man would be attracted to an introverted woman.
As it turns out, there is almost no evidence to support this hypothesis. Studies of friends and spouses consistently find that two individuals are more likely to be friends and spouses if they are similar in terms of their personalities.
This includes the new study which looked at digital footprints of more than 45,000 individuals, rather than self-reported data about personality. The results of this study showed that people with similar personalities, based on likes and word choices in posts, were more likely to be friends. The association was even stronger between romantic partners.
In fact, the idea that we are more attracted to similar others is incredibly robust. One review of 313 studies with over 35,000 participants found that similarity was a strong predictor of attraction in the early stages of a relationship – finding no evidence that opposites attract. So strong is the relationship that some psychologists have even proclaimed the similarity effect as "one of the best generalisations in social psychology".
But this isn't quite the end of the story. Psychologist Arthur Aron believes that, while similarity is important, there may be some situations in which it can actually undermine attraction. He argued that people also have a need to grow and expand the self – and that one reason why we form relationships with others is because we can assimilate some of the qualities of our partners, which promotes such growth.
The implication is that we will be attracted to others who offer the greatest potential for self-expansion – and someone who is similar in values and traits provides much less potential for growth than someone who is different. So, the model ends up predicting that dissimilarity can sometimes be attractive, especially if you believe that there is a good possibility a relationship will develop. Aron's research using the phantom stranger technique would seem to support this idea.
But of course, the picture gets more complicated when we consider how couples actually behave in real life. For example, when couples discover that they disagree strongly on some topic they often bring their attitudes into "alignment" with each other – becoming more similar to each other over time.
So, if you're single and looking, the advice from decades of scientific research is simple: stop believing that the right match for you is someone who has the opposite qualities to you. Opposites almost never attract and you're much better off focusing on people who have similar qualities and attitudes to yourself, but who offer some potential for self-expansion.
By Viren Swami, Professor of Social Psychology
This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article. The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Anglia Ruskin University.


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MSNBC Says 'Fantastic' Report Shows 151,000 Jobs Added, But Rate 'Holds Steady'
The Bureau of Labor Statistics released the unemployment numbers for October showing "fantastic" gains of 151,000 jobs, according to MSNBC, and an unchanged 9.6 unemployment rate.
CNN's Christine Romans called it a "good report," during "American Morning" and noted that it was the "first time in a very, very long time" enough jobs had been added in one month to keep up with new entrants to the workforce. Estimates of the number of jobs needed per month vary between 100,000 and 200,000.
But CNBC's Erin Burnett overemphasized the "fantastic jobs number," on MSNBC's "Morning Joe" claiming that "we are now seeing enough jobs added per month to try to bring that rate down mathematically." Actually, October was a break even month, evidenced by the 14.8 million total unemployed workers in September and October.
Neither of the cable channels reminded viewers of the president's promise to create 4 million jobs by the end of 2010. The country has lost a net total of 3,087,000 jobs since Feb. 2009, putting Obama more than 7 million jobs away from fulfilling that claim. That's a number the media haven't talked about.
Spinning unemployment reports isn't unusual for the liberal news media. According to recent BMI analysis, the broadcast networks twisted jobs reports to boost Obama leading up to the 2010 midterms, but spun them against George W. Bush in 2005-06 before that election.
BMI found that under Bush, negative reports or negatively spun stories made up 58 percent. But under Obama, positive reports and positively spun stories accounted for 52 percent of the reports.


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3rd High-level Seminar of Central Banks in the East Asia-Pacific Regions and the Euro Area
The Reserve Bank of New Zealand and the European Central Bank (ECB) jointly organised the 3rd High-Level Seminar of Central Banks in the East Asia-Pacific Region and the Euro Area. The seminar was held at the Reserve Bank of Australia, in Sydney, Australia, on 20 and 21 November.
The Seminar was attended by governors from both the East Asia-Pacific Central Banks (EMEAP) and the Eurosystem.
The purpose of the seminar was to exchange views on issues that are relevant to both the Euro Area and the East Asia-Pacific regions, and to deepen relations between EMEAP and the Eurosystem.
The Governors discussed issues confronting policy-makers in both regions today: the link between the integration of emerging economies in the world economy and global inflation; global imbalances and their implications for financial stability; and regional financial integration, with focus on the ongoing processes of financial integration in the Asia-Pacific region and Europe.
For further information contact:Mike HannahHead of CommunicationsPh +61 4 4713671, +61 21 497418, email@example.com
The Executives' Meeting of East Asia-Pacific Central Banks (EMEAP) comprises eleven central banks and monetary authorities in the East Asia and Pacific region (Australia; People's Republic of China; Hong Kong, SAR; Indonesia; Japan; Korea; Malaysia; New Zealand; Philippines; Singapore and Thailand).
The Eurosystem comprises the European Central Bank and the twelve national central banks of the euro area, i.e. the central banks of Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal and Spain.
Banca Centrală Europeană
Direcția generală comunicare
- Sonnemannstrasse 20
- 60314 Frankfurt pe Main, Germania
- +49 69 1344 7455
- email@example.com
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text: 1924 I. Introductory Mr. Haldane's has set forth an attractive picture of the future as it may become through the use of scientific discoveries to promote human happiness. Much as I should like to agree with his forecast, a long experience of statesmen and government has made me somewhat sceptical. I am compelled to fear that science will be used to promote the power of dominant groups, rather than to make men happy. Icarus, having been taught to fly by his father Daedalus, was destroyed by his rashness. I fear that the same fate may overtake the populations whom modern men of science have taught to fly. Some of the dangers inherent in the progress of science while we retain our present political and economic institutions are set forth in the following pages. This subject is so vast that it is impossible, within a limited space, to do more than outline some of its aspects. The world in which we live differs profoundly from that of Queen Anne's time, and this difference is mainly attributable to science. That is to say, the difference would be very much less than it is but for various scientific discoveries, but resulted from those discoveries by the operation of ordinary human nature. The changes that have been brought about have been partly good, partly bad; whether, in the end, science will prove to have been a blessing or a curse to mankind, is to my mind, still a doubtful question. A science may affect human life in two different ways. On the one hand, without altering men's passions or their general outlook, it may increase their power of gratifying their desires. On the other hand, it may operate through an effect upon the imaginative conception of the world, the theology or philosophy which is accepted in practice by energetic men. The latter is a fascinating study, but I shall almost wholly ignore it, in order to bring my subject within a manageable compass. I shall confine myself almost wholly to the effect of science in enabling us to gratify our passions more freely, which has hitherto been far the more important of the two. From our point of view, we may divide the sciences into three groups: physical, biological, and anthropological. In the physical group I include chemistry, and broadly speaking any science concerned with the properties of matter apart from life. In the anthropological group I include all studies especially concerned with man: human physiology and psychology (between which no sharp line can be drawn), anthropology, history, sociology, and economics. All these studies can be illuminated by considerations drawn from biology; for instance, Rivers threw a new light on parts of economics by adducing facts about landed property among birds during the breeding season. But in spite of their connection with biology --- a connection which is likely to grow closer as time goes on --- they are broadly distinguished from biology by their methods and data, and deserve to be grouped apart, at any rate in a sociological inquiry. The effect of the biological sciences, so far, has been very small. No doubt Darwinism and the idea of evolution affected men's imaginative outlook; arguments were derived in favour of free competition, and also of nationalism. But these effects were of the sort that I propose not to consider. It is probable that great effects will come from these sciences sooner or later. Mendelism might have revolutionized agriculture, and no doubt some similar theory will do so sooner or later. Bacteriology may enable us to exterminate our enemies by disease. The study of heredity may in time make eugenics an exact science, and perhaps we shall in a later age be able to determine at will the sex of our children. This would probably lead to an excess of males, involving a complete change in family institutions. But these speculations belong to the future. I do not propose to deal with the possible future effects of biology, both because my knowledge of biology is very limited, and because the subject has been admirably treated by Mr. Haldane. The anthropological sciences are those from which, a priori, we might have expected the greatest social effects, but hitherto this has not proved to be the case, partly because these sciences are mostly still at an early stage of development. Even economics has not so far had much effect. Where it has seemed to have, this is because it advocated what was independently desired. Hitherto, the most effective of the anthropological sciences has been medicine, through its influence on sanitation and public health, and through the fact that it has discovered how to deal with malaria and yellow fever. Birth-control is also a very important social fact which comes into this category. But although the future effect of the anthropological sciences (to which I shall return presently) is illimitable, the effect up to the present has been confined within fairly narrow limits. One general observation to begin with. Science has increased man's control over nature, and might therefore be supposed likely to increase his happiness and well-being. This would be the case if men were rational, but in fact they are bundles of passions and instincts. An animal species in a stable environment, if it does not die out, acquires an equilibrium between its passions and the conditions of its life. If the conditions are suddenly altered, the equilibrium is upset. Wolves in a state of nature have difficulty in getting food, and therefore need the stimulus of a very insistent hunger. The result is that their descendants, domestic dogs, over-eat if they are allowed to do so. When a certain amount of something is useful, and the difficulty of obtaining it is diminished, instinct will usually lead an animal to excess in the new circumstances. The sudden change produced by science has upset the balance between our instincts and our circumstances, but in directions not sufficiently noted. Over-eating is not a serious danger, but over-fighting is. The human instincts of power and rivalry, like the dog's wolfish appetite will need to be artificially curbed, if industrialism is to succeed. II. Effects of the Physical Sciences Much the greatest part of the changes which science has made in social life is due to the physical sciences, as is evident when we consider that they brought about the industrial revolution. This is a trite topic, about which I shall say as little as my subject permits. There are, however, some points which must be made. First, industrialism still has great parts of the earth's surface to conquer. Russia and India are very imperfectly industrialized; China hardly at all. In South America there is room for immense development. One of the effects of industrialism is to make the world an economic unit: its ultimate consequences will be very largely due to this fact. But before the world can be effectively organized as a unit, it will probably be necessary to develop industrially all the regions capable of development that are at present backward. The effects of industrialism change as it becomes more wide-spread; this must be remembered in any attempt to argue from its past to its future. The second point about industrialism is that it increases the productivity of labour, and thus makes more luxuries possible. At first, in England, the chief luxury achieved was a larger population with an actual lowering of the standard of life. Then came a golden age when wages increased, hours of labour diminished, and simultaneously the middle-class grew more prosperous. That was while Great Britain was still supreme. With the growth of foreign industrialism, a new epoch began. Industrial organizations have seldom succeeded in becoming world-wide, and have consequently become national. Competition, formerly between individual firms, is now mainly between nations, and is therefore conducted by methods quite different from those contemplated by the classical economists. Modern industrialism is a struggle between nations for two things, markets and raw materials, as well as for the sheer pleasure of domination. The labour which is set free from providing the necessaries of life tends to be more and more absorbed by national rivalry. There are first the armed forces of the State; then those who provide munitions of war, from the raw minerals up to the finished product; then the diplomatic and consular services; then the teachers of patriotism in schools; then the Press. All of these perform other functions as well, but the chief purpose is to minister to international competition. As another class whose labours are devoted to the same end, we must add a considerable proportion of the men of science. These men invent continually more elaborate methods of attack and defence. The net result of their labours is to diminish the proportion of the population that can be put into the fighting line, since more are required for munitions. This might seem a boon, but in fact war is now-a-days primarily against the civilian population, and in a defeated country they are liable to suffer just as much as the soldiers. It is science above all that has determined the importance of raw materials in international competition. Coal and iron and oil, especially, are the bases of power, and thence of wealth. The nation which possesses them, and has the industrial skill required to utilize them in war, can acquire markets by armed force, and levy tribute upon less fortunate nations. Economists have underestimated the part played by military prowess in the acquisition of wealth. The landed aristocracies of Europe were, in origin, warlike invaders. Their defeat by the bourgeoisie in the French Revolution, and the fear which this generated in the Duke of Wellington, facilitated the rise of the middle class. The wars of the eighteenth century decided that England was to be richer than France. The traditional economist's rules for the distribution of wealth hold only when men's actions are governed by law, i. e. when most people think the issue unimportant. The issues that people have considered vital have been decided by civil war or wars between nations. And for the present, owing to science, the art of war consists in possessing coal, iron, oil, and the industrial skill to work them. For the sake of simplicity, I omit other raw materials, since they do not affect the essence of our problem. We may say, therefore, speaking very generally, that men have used the increased productivity which they owe to science for three chief purposes in succession: first, to increase the population; then, to raise the standard of comfort; and, finally, to provide more energy to war. This last result has been chiefly brought about by competition for markets, which led to competition for raw materials, especially the raw materials of munitions. III. The Increase of Organization The stimulation of nationalism which has taken place in modern times is, however, due very largely to another factor, namely the increase of organization, which is of the very essence of industrialism. Wherever expensive fixed capital is required, organization, on a large scale is of course necessary. In view of the economies of large scale production, organization in marketing also becomes of great importance. For some purposes, if not for all, many industries come to be organized nationally, so as to be in effect one business in each nation. Science has not only brought about the need for large organizations, but also the technical possibility of their existence. Without railways, telegraphs and telephones, control from a centre is very difficult. In ancient empires, and in China down to modern times, provinces were governed by practically independent satraps or proconsuls, who were appointed by the central government, but decided almost all questions on their own initiative. If they displeased the sovereign, they could only be controlled by civil war, of which the issue was doubtful. Until the invention of the telegraph, ambassadors had a great measure of independence, since it was often necessary to act without waiting for orders from home. What applied in politics applied also in business: an organization controlled from the centre had to be very loosely knit, and to allow much autonomy to subordinates. Opinion as well as action was difficult to mould from a centre, and local variations marred the uniformity of party creeds. Now-a-days all this is changed. Telegraph, telephone, and wireless make it easy to transmit orders from a centre: railways and steamers make it easy to transport troops in case the orders are disobeyed. Modern methods of printing and advertising make it enormously cheaper to produce and distribute one newspaper with a large circulation than many with small circulations; consequently, in so far as the Press controls opinion, there is uniformity, and, in particular, there is uniformity of news. Elementary education, except in so far as religious denominations introduce variety, is conducted on a uniform pattern decided by the State, by means of teachers whom the State has trained, as far as possible, to imitate the regularity and mutual similarity of machines produced to standard. Thus the material and psychological conditions for a great intensity of organization have increased pari passu, but the basis of the whole development is scientific invention in the purely physical realm. Increased productivity has played its part, by making it possible to set apart more labour for propaganda, under which head are to be included advertisement, the cinema, the Press, education, politics, and religion. Broadcasting is a new method likely to acquire great potency as soon as people are satisfied that it is not a method of propaganda. Political controversies, as Mr. Graham Wallas has pointed out, ought to be conducted in quantitative terms. If sociology were one of the sciences that had affected social institutions (which it is not), this would be the case. The dispute between anarchism and bureaucracy at present tends to take the form of one side maintain that we want no organization, while the other maintains that we want as much as possible. A person imbued with the scientific spirit would hardly even examine these extreme positions. Some people think that we keep our rooms too hot for health, others that we keep them too cold. If this were a political question, one party would maintain that the best temperature is the absolute zero, the other that it is the melting point of iron. Those who maintained any intermediate position would be abused as timorous time-servers, concealed agents of the other side, men who ruined the enthusiasm of a sacred cause by tepid appeals to mere reason. Any man who had the courage to say that our rooms ought to be neither very hot nor very cold would be abused by both parties, and probably shot in No Man's Land. Possibly some day politics may become more rational, but so far there is not the faintest indication of a change in this direction. To a rational mind, the question is not: Do we want organization or do we not? The question is: How much organization do we want, and where and when and of what kind? In spite of a temperamental leaning to anarchism, I am persuaded that an industrial world cannot maintain itself against internal disruptive forces without a great deal more organization than we have at present. It is not the amount of organization, buts its kind and its purpose, that causes our troubles. But before tackling this question, let us pause for a moment to ask ourselves what is the measure of the intensity of organization in a given community. A man's acts are partly determined by spontaneous impulse, partly by the conscious or unconscious effects of the various groups to which he belongs. A man who works (say) on a railway or in a mine, is, in his working hours almost entirely determined in his actions by those who direct the collective labour of which he forms part. If he decides to strike, his action is again not individual, but determined by his Union. When he votes for Parliament, party caucuses have limited his choice to one of two or three men, and party propaganda has induced him to accept in toto one of two or three blocks of opinions which form the rival party programmes. His choice between the parties may be individual, but it may also be determined by the action of some group, such as a trade union, which collectively supports one party. His newspaper-reading exposes him to great organized forces; so does the cinema, if he goes to it. His choice of a wife is probably spontaneous, except that he must choose a woman of his own class. But in the education of his children he is almost entirely powerless: they must have the education which is provided. Organization thus determines many vital things in his life. Compare him to a handicraftsman or peasant-proprietor who cannot read and does not have his children educated, and it becomes clear what is meant by saying that industrialism has increased the intensity of organization. To defines this term we must, I think, exclude the unconscious effects of groups, except as causes facilitating the conscious effects. We may define the intensity of organization to which a given individual is subject as the proportion of his acts which is determined by the orders or advice of some group, expressed through democratic decisions or executive officers. The intensity of organization in a community may then be defined as the average intensity for its several members. The intensity of organization is increased not only when a man belongs to more organizations, but also when the organizations to which he already belongs play a larger part in his life, as, for example, the State plays a larger part in war than in peace. Another matter which needs to be treated quantitatively is the degree of democracy, oligarchy, or monarchy in an organization. No organization belongs completely to any one of the three types. There must be executive officers, who will often in practice be able to decide policy, even if in theory they cannot do so. And even if their power depends upon persuasion, they may so completely control the relevant publicity that they can always rely upon a majority. The directors of a railway company, for instance, are to all intents and purposes uncontrolled by the shareholders, who have no adequate means of organizing an opposition if they should wish to do so. In America, a railroad president is almost a monarch. In party politics, the power of leaders, although it depends upon persuasion, continually increases as printed propaganda becomes more important. For these reasons, even where formal democracy increases, the real degree of democratic control tends to diminish, except on a few questions which rouse strong popular passions. The result of these causes is that, in consequence of scientific inventions which facilitate centralization and propaganda, groups become more organized, more disciplined, more group-conscious and more docile to leaders. The effect of leaders on followers is increased, and the control of events by a few prominent personalities becomes more marked. In all this there would be nothing very tragic, but for the fact, with which science has nothing to do, that organization is almost wholly national. If men were actuated by the love of gain, as the older economists supposed, this would not be the case; the same causes which have led to national trusts would have led to international trusts. This has happened in a few instances, but not on a sufficiently wide scale to affect politics or economics very vitally. Rivalry is, with most well-to-do energetic people, a stronger motive than love of money. Successful rivalry requires organization of rival forces; the tendency is for a business such as oil, for example, to organize itself into two rival groups, between them covering the world. They might, of course, combine, and they would no doubt increase their wealth if they did so. But combination would take the zest out of life. The object of a football team, one might say, is to kick goals. If two rival teams combined, and kicked the ball alternately over the two goals, many more goals would be scored. Nevertheless no one suggest that this should be done, the object of a football team being not to kick goals but to win. So the object of a big business is not to make money, but to win in the contest with some other business. If there were no other business to be defeated, the whole thing would become uninteresting. This rivalry has attached itself to nationalism, and enlisted the support of the ordinary citizens of the countries concerned; they seldom know what it is that they are supporting, but, like the spectators at a football-match, they grow enthusiastic for their own side. The harm that is being done by science and industrialism is almost wholly due to the fact that, while they have proved strong enough to produce a national organization of economic forces, they have not proved strong enough to produce an international organization. It is clear that political internationalism such as the League of Nations was supposed to inaugurate, will never be successful until we have economic internationalism, which would require, as a minimum, an agreement between various national organizations dividing among them the raw material and markets of the world. This, however, can hardly be brought about while big business is controlled by men who are so rich as to have grown indifferent to money, and to be willing to risk enormous losses for the pleasure of rivalry. The increase of organization in the modern world has made the ideals of liberalism wholly inapplicable. Liberalism, from Monteqsuieu to President Wilson, was based upon the assumption of a number of more or less equal individuals or groups, with no differences so vital that they were willing to die sooner than compromise. It was supposed that there was to be free competition between individuals and between ideas. Experience has shown, however, that the existing economic system is incompatible with all forms of free competition except between States by means of armaments. I should wish, for my part, to preserve free competition between ideas, though not between individuals and groups, but this is only possible by means of what an old-fashioned liberal would regard as interferences with personal liberty. So long as the sources of economic power remain in private hands, there will be no liberty except for the few who control those sources. Such liberal ideals as free trade, free press, unbiased educated, either already belong to the past or soon will do so. One of the triumphs of early liberalism in England was the establishment of parliamentary control of the army; this was the casus belli in the Civil War, and was decided by the Revolution of 1688. It was effective so long as Parliament represented the same class from which army officers were drawn. This was still the case with the late Parliament, but may cease to be the case with the advent of a Labour Government. Russia, Hungary, Italy, Spain and Bavaria have shown in recent years how frail democracy has become; east of the Rhine it lingers only in outlying regions. Constitutional control over armaments must, therefore, be regarded as another liberal principle which is rapidly becoming obsolete. It would seem probable that, in the next fifty years or so, we shall see a still further increase in the power of governments, and a tendency for governments to be such as are desired by the men who control armaments and raw materials. The forms of democracy may survive in western countries, since those who possess military and economic power can control education and the press, and therefore can usually secure a subservient democracy. Rival economic groups will presumably remain associated with rival nations, and will foster nationalism in order to recruit their football teams. There is, however, a hopeful element in the problem. The planet is of finite size, but the most efficient size for an organization is continually increased by new scientific inventions. The world becomes more and more of an economic unity. Before very long the technical conditions will exist for organizing the whole world as one producing and consuming unit. If, when that time comes, two rival groups contend for mastery, the victor may be able to introduce that single world-wide organization that is needed to prevent the mutual extermination of civilized nations. The world which would result would be, at first, very different from the dreams of either liberals or socialists; but it might grow less different with the lapse of time. There would be at first economic and political tyranny of the victors, a dread of renewed upheavals, and therefore a drastic suppression of liberty. But if the first half-dozen revolts were successfully repressed, the vanquished would give up hope, and accept the subordinate place assigned to them by the victors in the great world-trust. As soon as the holders of power felt secure, they would grow less tyrannical and less energetic. The motive of rivalry being removed, they would not work so hard as they do now, and would soon cease to exact such hard work from their subordinates. Life at first might be unpleasant, but it would at least be possible, which would be enough to recommend the system after a long period of warfare. Given a stable world-organization, economic and political, even if, at first, it rested upon nothing but armed force, the evils which now threaten civilization would gradually diminish, and a more thorough democracy than that which now exists might become possible. I believe that, owing to men's folly, a world-government will only be established by force, and therefore be at first cruel and despotic. But I believe that it is necessary for the preservation of a scientific civilization, and that, if once realized, it will gradually give rise to the other conditions of a tolerable existence. IV. The Anthropological Sciences It remains to say something about the future effects of the anthropological sciences. This is of course extremely conjectural, because we do not know what discoveries will be made. The effect is likely to be far greater than we can now imagine, because these sciences are still in their infancy. I will, however, take a few points on which to hang conjectures. I do not wish to be supposed to be making prophecies: I am only suggesting possibilities which it may be instructive to consider. Birth-control is a matter of great importance, particularly in relation to the possibility of a world-government, which could hardly be stable if some nations increased their population much more rapidly than others. At present, birth-control is increasing in all civilized countries, though in most it is opposed by governments. This opposition is due partly to mere superstition and desire to conciliate the Catholic vote, partly to the desire for large armies and severe competition between wage-earners, so as to keep down wages. In spite of the opposition of governments, it seems probable that birth-control will lead to a stationary population in most white nations within the next fifty years. There can be no security that it will stop with a stationary population; it may go on to the point where the population diminishes. The increase in the practice of birth-control is an example of a process contrary to that seen in industrialism: it represents a victory of individual over collective passions. Collectively, Frenchmen desire that France should be populous, in order to be able to defeat her enemies in war. Individually, they desire that their own families should be small, in order to increase the inheritance of their children and to diminish the expense of education. The individual desire has triumphed over the collective desire, and even, in many cases, over religious scruples. In this case, as in most others, the individual desire is less harmful to the world than the collective desire: the man who acts from pure selfishness does less damage than the man who is actuated by ``public spirit.'' For, since medicine and sanitation have diminished the infant death-rate, the only checks to over-population that remain (apart from birth-control) are war and famine. So long as this continues to be the case, the world must either have a nearly stationary population, or employ war to produce famine. The latter method, which is that favoured by opponents of birth-control, has been adopted on a large scale since 1914; it is however somewhat wasteful. We require a certain number of cattle and sheep, and we take steps to secure the right number. If we were as indifferent about them as we are about human beings, we should produce far too many, and cause the surplus to die by the slow misery of under-feeding. Farmers would consider this plan extravagant, and humanitarians would consider it cruel. But where human beings are concerned, it is considered the only proper course, and works advocating any other are confiscated by the police if they are intelligible to those whom they concern. It must be admitted, however, that there are certain dangers. Before long the population may actually diminish. This is already happening in the most intelligent sections of the most intelligent nations; government opposition to birth-control propaganda gives a biological advantage to stupidity, since it is chiefly stupid people who governments succeed in keeping in ignorance. Before long, birth-control may become nearly universal among the white races; it will then not deteriorate their quality, but only diminish their numbers, at a time when uncivilized races are still prolific and are preserved from a high death-rate by white science. This situation will lead to a tendency --- already shown by the French --- to employ more prolific races as mercenaries. Governments will oppose the teaching of birth-control among Africans, for fear of losing recruits. The result will be an immense numerical inferiority of the white races, leading probably to their extermination in a mutiny of mercenaries. If, however, a world-government is established, it may see the desirability of making subject races also less prolific, and may permit mankind to solve the population question. This is another reason for desiring a world-government. Passing from quantity to quality of population, we come to the question of eugenics. We may perhaps assume that, if people grow less superstitious, government will acquire the right to sterilize those who are not considered desirable as parents. This power will be used, at first, to diminish imbecility, a most desirable object. But probably, in time, opposition to the government will be taken to prove imbecility, so that rebels of all kinds will be sterilized. Epileptics, consumptives, dipsomaniacs and so on will gradually be included; in the end, there will be a tendency to include all who fail to pass the usual school examinations. The result will be to increase the average intelligence; in the long run, it may be greatly increased. But probably the effect upon really exceptional intelligence will be bad. Mr. Micawber, who was Dickens's father, would hardly have been regarded as a desirable parent. How many imbeciles ought to outweigh one Dickens I do not profess to know. Eugenics has, of course, more ambitious possibilities in a more distant future. It may aim not only at eliminating undesired types, but at increasing desired types. Moral standards may alter so as to make it possible for one man to be the sire of a vast progeny by many different mothers. When men of science envisage a possibility of this kind, they are prone to a type of fallacy which is common also in other directions. They imagine that a reform inaugurated by men of science would be administered as men of science would wish, by men similar in outlook to those who have advocated it. In like manner women who advocated votes for women used to imagine that the woman voter of the future would resemble the ardent feminist who won her the vote; and socialist leaders imagine that a socialist State would be administered by idealistic reformers like themselves. These are, of course, delusions; a reform, once achieved, is handed over to the average citizen. So, if eugenics reached the point where it could increase desired types, it would not be the types desired by present-day eugenists that would be increased, but rather the type desired by the average official. Prime Ministers, Bishops, and others whom the State considers desirable might become the fathers of half the next generation. Whether this would be an improvement it is not for me to say, as I have no hope of ever becoming either a Bishop or a Prime Minister. If we knew enough about heredity to determine, within limits, what sort of population we would have, the matter would of course be in the hands of State officials, presumably elderly medical men. Whether they would really be preferable to Nature I do not feel sure. I suspect that they would breed a subservient population, convenient to rulers but incapable of initiative. However, it may be that I am too sceptical of the wisdom of officials. The effects of psychology on practical life may in time become very great. Already advertisers in America employ eminent psychologists to instruct them in the technique of producing irrational belief; such men may, when they have grown more proficient, be very useful in persuading the democracy that governments are wise and good. Then, again, there are the psychological tests of intelligence, as applied to recruits for the American army during the war. I am very sceptical of the possibility of testing anything except average intelligence by such methods, and I think that, if they were widely adopted, they would probably lead to many persons of great artistic capacity being classified as morons. The same thing would have happened to some first-rate mathematicians. Specialized ability not infrequently goes with general disability, but this would not be shown by the kind of tests which psychologists recommend to the American government. More sensational than tests of intelligence is the possibility of controlling the emotional life through the secretions of the ductless glands. It will be possible to make people choleric or timid, strongly or weakly sexed, and so on, as may be desired. Differences of emotional disposition seem to be chiefly due to secretions of the ductless glands, and therefore controllable by injections or by increasing or diminishing the secretions. Assuming an oligarchic organization of society, the State could give to the children of holders of power the disposition required for command, and to the children of the proletariat the disposition required for obedience. Against the injections of the State physicians the most eloquent Socialist oratory would be powerless. The only difficulty would be to combine this submissiveness with the necessary ferocity against external enemies; but I do not doubt that official science would be equal to the task. It is not necessary, when we are considering political consequences, to pin our faith to the particular theories of the ductless glands, which may blow over, like other theories. All that is essential in our hypothesis is the belief that physiology will in time find ways of controlling emotion, which it is scarcely possible to doubt. When that day comes we shall have the emotions desired by our rulers, and the chief business of elementary education will be to produce the desired disposition, no longer by punishment or moral precept, but by the far surer method of injection or diet. The men who will administer this system will have a power beyond the dreams of the Jesuits, but there is no reason to suppose that they will have more sense than the men who control education to-day. Technical scientific knowledge does not make men sensible in their aims, and administrators in the future, will be presumably no less stupid and no less prejudiced than they are at present. Conclusion: It may seem as though I had been at once gloomy and frivolous in some of my prognostications. I will end, however, with the serious lesson which seems to me to result. Men sometimes speak as though the progress of science must necessarily be a boon to mankind, but that, I fear, is one of the comfortable nineteenth-century delusions which our more disillusioned age must discard. Science enables the holders of power to realize their purposes more fully than they could otherwise do. If their purposes are good, this is a gain; if they are evil, it is a loss. In the present age, it seems that the purposes of the holders of power are in the main evil, in the sense that they involve a diminution, in the world at large, of the things men are agreed in thinking good. Therefore, at present, science does harm by increasing the power of rulers. Science is no substitute for virtue; the heart is as necessary for a good life as the head. If men were rational in their conduct, that is to say, if they acted in the way most likely to bring about the ends that they deliberately desire, intelligence would be enough to make the world almost a paradise. In the main, what is in the long run advantageous to one man is also advantageous to another. But men are actuated by passions which distort their view; feeling an impulse to injure others, they persuade themselves that it is to their interest to do so. They will not, therefore, act in the way that is in fact to their own interest unless they are actuated by generous impulses which make them indifferent to their own interest. This is why the heart is as important as the head. By the ``heart'' I mean, for the moment, the sum-total of kindly impulses. Where they exist, science helps them to be effective; where they are absent, science only makes men more cleverly diabolic. It may be laid down as a general principle to which there are few exceptions that, when people are mistaken as to what is to their own interest, the course they believe to be wise is more harmful to others than the course that really is wise. There are innumerable examples of men making fortunes because, on moral grounds, they did something which they believed to be contrary to their own interests. For instance, among early Quakers there were a number of shopkeepers, who adopted the practice of asking no more for their goods than they were willing to accept, instead of bargaining with each customer, as everybody else did. They adopted this practice because they held it to be a lie to ask more than they would take. But the convenience to customers was so great that everybody came to their shops and they grew rich. (I forget where I read this, but if my memory serves me it was in some reliable source.) The same policy might have been adopted from shrewdness, but in fact no one was sufficiently shrewd. Our unconscious is more malevolent than it pays us to be; therefore the people who do most completely what is in fact to their interest are those who, on moral grounds, do what they believe to be against their interest. For this reason, it is of the greatest importance to inquire whether any method of strengthening kindly impulses exists. I have no doubt that their strength or weakness depends upon discoverable physiological causes; let us assume that it depends upon the glands. If so, an international secret society of physiologists could bring about the millennium by kidnapping, on a given day, all the rulers of the world, and injecting into their blood some substance which would fill them with benevolence towards their fellow-creatures. Suddenly M. Poincare would wish well to Ruhr miners, Lord Curzon to Indian nationalists, Mr. Smuts to the natives of what was German South West Africa, the American government to its political prisoners and its victims in Ellis Island. But alas, the physiologists would first have to administer the love-philtre to themselves before they would undertake such a task. Otherwise, they would prefer to win titles and fortunes by injecting military ferocity into recruits. And so we come back to the old dilemma: only kindliness can save the world, and even if we knew how to produce kindliness we should not do so unless we were already kindly. Failing that, it seems that the solution which the Houynhnms adopted towards the Yahoos, namely extermination, is the only one; apparently the Yahoos are bent on applying it to each other. We may sum up this discussion in a few words. Science has not given men more self-control, more kindliness, or more power of discounting their passions in deciding upon a course of action. It has given communities more power to indulge their collective passions, but, by making society more organic, it has diminished the part played by private passions. Men's collective passions are mainly evil; far the strongest of them are hatred and rivalry directed towards other groups. Therefore at present all that gives men power to indulge their collective passions is bad. That is why science threatens to cause the destruction of our civilization. The only solid hope seems to lie in the possibility of world-wide domination by one group, say the United States, leading to the gradual formation of an orderly economic and political world-government. But perhaps, in view of the sterility of the Roman Empire, the collapse of our civilization would in the end be preferable to this alternative.


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TAKE ACTION: Become a Virtual Lobbyist for Equality in Florida!
Unfortunately, the Transgender Discrimination Bill (HB 583) advanced through its second of three committees in the Florida House of Representatives today.
We are at a critical moment in the fight for full equality in Florida and need your help.
Dozens of pro-equality supporters are currently in the state capitol for our annual Lobby Days. Yesterday, they spoke to representatives and senators about important pieces of legislation Equality Florida is focused on this session, and this morning they bravely testified for two hours AGAINST the Transgender Discrimination Bill (HB 583).
Now, our citizen lobbyists need you to join the action! Become a virtual lobbyist - email your state representative and senator today about these bills that affect LGBT Floridians.
- OPPOSE: Transgender Discrimination Bill (HB 583) Would criminalize transgender Floridians by making it illegal for them to enter sex-segregated facilities such as bathrooms, locker rooms, or dressing rooms. This shameful bill will require businesses to discriminate against their own employees and overrule local protections that transgender people in many parts of the state now enjoy.
- SUPPORT: The Florida Competitive Workforce Act (HB 33/SB 156) This bi-partisan legislation promotes fairness and modernizes state law by banning anti-gay and gender-based discrimination in employment, housing and public accommodations.
- SUPPORT: Sexual Orientation Change Therapy Bill (HB 83/ SB 204) Would prohibit therapists from administering "ex-gay" therapy to minors.
- SUPPORT: The Florida Families Act (HB 573/SB 854) Would create a statewide domestic partnership registry that would allow same-sex and opposite-sex partners to receive important legal protections.
- SUPPORT: Same-Sex Marriage Ban REPEAL Bill (HB 4037/ SB 1428) Would "finish the job" of marriage equality in Florida by repealing the language in state statute that requires county clerks to issue marriage licenses only for opposite-sex couples.
Our citizen lobbyists are a big part of promoting Equality Florida's legislative priorities. You can join us without ever leaving home by clicking here to contact your state lawmakers. It's important for legislators to know pro-equality supporters around the state are watching what they do this session.


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Microsoft on Tuesday announced the launch of Windows Embedded Standard 7 at the Embedded Systems Conference in San Jose, Calif.
Kevin Dallas, general manager of Windows Embedded, announced at the event that Windows Embedded Standard 7 has been released to original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). Microsoft's OEM partners are currently using the customizable and componentized operating system, based on Windows 7, to build digital signage, industrial systems and thin-client computer devices.
The digital signage equipment is based on a prototype that Microsoft and Intel unveiled in January at the National Retail Federation's Annual Convention & Expo. The two-panel sign displays advertising in one pane and lets shoppers find items in a store via a second touch screen. The sign "looks" at the user and estimates their height and gender, displaying relevant products, such as clothing styles.
The sign uses "anonymous video analytics" to make its assessment of the viewer's face. It correctly guesses the right gender with about "70 percent accuracy," according to Ashwin Kulkarni, Microsoft's senior product manager for Windows Embedded. The analytics will only get better with time, he added.
Availability of Microsoft and Intel's sign platform will be announced at the Screenmedia Expo Europe 2010 event, which starts in London on May 5. Companies currently using Windows Embedded Standard 7 for digital signage hardware include "AOpen Inc., C-nario, DT Research Inc., Micro Industries Inc. and YCD Multimedia," according to Microsoft's announcement.
OEMs using Windows Embedded Standard 7 to build thin clients include Wyse Technology and Hewlett-Packard. HP has already built its t5740e Flexible Series to run Windows Embedded Standard 7.
Windows Embedded Standard 7 is being used by Heber Ltd. for industrial control systems. In addition, Microsoft partnered with Siemens on an "Innovative Production Line," which uses "the latest Windows Embedded Standard 7 technologies" to demonstrate connectivity throughout a factory floor, according to Steve Guggenheimer, Microsoft's corporate vice president of the OEM Division, in a blog post.
Microsoft currently has more than 500 Windows Embedded partners, according to Guggenheimer.
Microsoft also announced that it has integrated Windows Media Center into Windows Embedded Standard 7. This integration lets OEMs build devices such as set-top boxes with centralized multimedia content. Users can tap into services from broadcast TV or the Internet or they can access music, photos and videos in their personal multimedia libraries. A video produced by Microsoft shows how it works.
Windows Embedded Standard 7 will have a "bare minimum" code footprint size of about 400 MB to 500 MB, Kulkarni said, in a phone interview. He said it is difficult for Microsoft to tell OEMs what they will require. The total package required to run the embedded OS is determined by a static analyzer, which will indicate the run-time dependencies of the various Windows components and what needs to be added to the software image created by the OEM. On top of that, OEMs can use Visual Studio to build any embedded applications they will need for their appliance.
Microsoft provides details on Windows Embedded Standard 7 requirements in its white papers, which can be accessed here.
Devices based on Windows Embedded Standard 7, as part of Microsoft's overall Windows platform, can consume services from Windows Azure or Windows Live, Kulkarni said. In addition, they can leverage Windows management capabilities (such as Active Directory) or be managed through Microsoft System Center products.
Microsoft renamed its embedded OS product line to reflect Windows 7 branding back in February. In April, the company announced some organizational restructuring. Industrial-strength handsets using Windows Embedded Compact 7 (formerly known as Windows Embedded CE) now fall under the purview of the Windows Embedded Business group. This reorganization simplifies matters for OEMs since some of these devices had been managed under Microsoft's Mobile Communications Business group.
Windows Embedded Standard 7 will be available "in a few days," according to Microsoft. In the mean time, Microsoft has set up a Web form allowing OEMs to preorder evaluation kits of the digital signage platform, which can be accessed here.
About the Author
Kurt Mackie is senior news producer for 1105 Media's Converge360 group.
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Symbiosis, an expanding network of revolutionary organizers and local initiatives, is assembling a confederation of democratic community institutions across North America. This project has been gathering support over the past year and will be launched at a continental congress in Detroit from September 18-22.
The emerging network consists of diverse groups and member organizations, from Cooperation Jackson in Mississippi to Olympia Assembly in Washington, who are participating out of a recognition of the need to carry the movement for radical democracy beyond the local level. "It is imperative that any groups or organizations moving in a social or economic sense on the vision we share for a democratic and ecologically sound world not struggle on their own, but instead under a global support system aimed at both dismantling our exploitative socioeconomic system (Capitalism), and building a democratic, cooperative system in its place. Symbiosis is in a position to build this support system," said Z of Black Socialists of America (BSA), one of BSA's co-founders.
On January 7, Symbiosis released a launch statement announcing the congress, initially signed by 14 organizations. "Over the course of the past year," it stated, "our organizations have been strengthening our relationships with one another, learning from each other, generating shared resources, and honing a common vision of how to create together the genuinely democratic world that we need."
Beyond the shared vision of radical democracy and egalitarianism, what unites these groups is a common political strategy, of building institutions of popular power from below to challenge and replace the governing institutions of capitalist society. "We have to move beyond the limitations of bourgeois democracy, particularly its representative forms, which intentionally limit the agency and power of communities and individuals in our societies. To get beyond these limitations we have to build democratic formations and practices in every facet of our lives—where we work, live, play, and pray—and utilize these formations to exercise dual power, that is utilizing our own power and agency to govern our own lives beyond the limitations imposed upon us by the state and the forces of capital," says Kali Akuno, co-founder and co-director of Cooperation Jackson. A shared commitment to building 'dual power' unites the member organizations of Symbiosis.
At the 2019 congress, delegates from grassroots organizations across North America will gather to form a confederation between their groups, to grow and coordinate a movement that can bring about a just, ecological, and free society.
"The problems we face today require a bold and unified response," said Brian Tokar of the Institute for Social Ecology, a member organization and sponsor of the event. "We face the rising threats of authoritarianism and inequality, structural forms of domination between the haves and the have-nots, and the scapegoating and oppression of immigrants and people of color. And we also know that the destabilization of the climate and the fossil-fueled destruction of the Earth's life support systems play a central role in all the problems we face."
The idea behind the confederation is that these formidable challenges are insurmountable for individuals and small groups. "By coming together, we can better recognize and organize the changes necessary to secure our future more than what any of us can do at the local level," said Kelly Roache, a co-founder of Symbiosis. A common platform would also allow this growing movement to pool resources, raise their public visibility, and seed new organizing initiatives.
The congress will prioritize local, democratically-run movements and organizations that are building new economic and political institutions, such as people's assemblies, tenant unions, and cooperatives. Local groups are invited to join the congress and sign on to the launch statement, and individuals can also join as members.
In April 2017, members of the Symbiosis Research Collective published the essay, "Community, Democracy, and Mutual Aid: Toward Dual Power and Beyond", which won first prize in the Next System Project essay competition. Journalist and author Naomi Klein, who reviewed the essay, said that the Symbiosis vision "sketches out a flexible roadmap for scaling up participatory democracy".
Over the past year, the network has grown to over 300 individual members, in addition to the 14 member and partner organizations who have signed onto the launch statement thus far. The Symbiosis Research Collective has also published an ongoing series of articles reaching an audience of over 23,000 readers. In July 2018, Symbiosis co-coordinated the Fearless Cities North America conference (NYC), which convened 300 municipalist activists from the U.S., Mexico, Canada, Europe, and Latin America. In December 2018, they started a crowdfunder to fund the congress.
Currently, members are working on developing resources and information for people who wish to begin organizing where they live and work. "By the time of the congress, the Symbiosis Research Collective will have put together an in-depth primer on community organizing and dual power institution-building, including important historical examples, practical guides, and the theoretical underpinnings of our revolutionary project," said Mason Herson-Hord, another co-founder of Symbiosis and co-coordinator of the research collective.
In their launch statement, these authoring organizations write that the congress is only the beginning. "Ultimately, we will need such a confederation to carry our struggle beyond the local level. Ruling-class power is organized globally, and if democracy is to win, we must be organized at that scale as well. As this project advances, the possibilities are endless."
Symbiosis is a network of community organizations across North America, building a democratic and ecological society from the ground up. We are fighting for a better world by creating institutions of participatory democracy and the solidarity economy through community organizing, neighborhood by neighborhood, city by city. Find out more and contact us at symbiosis-revolution.org or email@example.com.


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Here I go again reposting–so sorry, but once again, no time to create some new recipes for you for Thanksgiving, and time is flying. (And, of course, the new book recipes are TOP SECRET…just kidding, I'll start posting a few of those as pub date nears.) Anyway, I thought you'd appreciate a reminder of some of these amazing veggie side dish recipes on sixburnersue, so here goes. So while, yes, you'll recognize most on this list, if you're like me, you may have forgotten some. Reminders aren't all bad!
I hope you all have a wonderful holiday with dear friends and delicious food.
Okay, here are our favorites from past Thanksgivings.
1. Crispy Smashed Potatoes (photo above)
2. Roasted Butternut Squash with Cranberry-Ginger Butter and Toasted Walnuts.
3. Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Orange Butter Sauce
4. Mashed Yukon Gold Potatoes with Roasted Garlic
5. Thanksgiving Gratin of Butternut, Corn, Squash & Leeks
6. Potato Galette with Fresh Rosemary & Two Cheeses
7. Roasted Beet Jewels with Cranberries, Pecans & Balsamic Butter
8. Roasted Turnips & Pears with a Rosemary Honey Drizzle
9. Potato Gratin with Gruyere, Thyme & Horseradish
10. Caramelized Turnips, Potatoes, & Carrots with Onions & Thyme