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Category Archives: Blogging
Echo 2010: Blogging – Scott McClellan
I am at the Echo Conference, a church media conference in Dallas at the Watermark Community Church. I'll blog my notes.
The Most Epic Blogging Breakout Ever – Scott McClellan
1. Design:
- Content is king – but design is huge. WordPress offers great flexibility and ability for high design
- Try to think about who is coming, how they're getting there and give them a framework and context for what the blog is about. If they can't get an idea of what's going on and why they're there, they will feel like an outsider and go away and not come back.
- Give people an excuse to come back, subscribe to RSS feed
2. Voice:
- Discover your voice: what should I write from my blog that only I can write?
- Compress what you are hearing and learning and add your take
3. Rhythm:
- Think about the timing and sustainability of your blogging
- It sets expectations and allows people to get into the groove
4. Read:
- It's great that we want to create, but a good blogger reads blogs
- Ask yourself what worked and didn't work in that post, what moved me or caused me to act
- What is this good blog doing, and what is this mediocre blog not doing? Pick it apart.
5. Generosity:
- Seth Godin/Linchpin
– the Generous Artist – artists who use their art to give gifts, with what they create with no expectation of repayment.
- Sometimes we create blogs to get something; affirmation, ads cash
- A great blog is not a transaction but generous – it's not about earning, but giving
6. Story:
- Stories are the way God changes us – Don Miller
- The best blogs tell a story, one that takes shape as the blog goes along, or little stories that connect with people and resonate.
- Installments (stories of change) that paint a broader picture of what's happening.
- Stories connect much more than funny videos and striking statistics
- Blogging allows us to mix media to tell better stories (slides, embed video, audio)
7. Comments:
- Seth Godin has no comments…Scott is rethinking the value and right forum for comments
- People can be stupid, why am I providing a forum for it?
- If somebody want's to say something, they can get their own blog.
- What does it mean to facilitate and moderate comments, maybe certain categories in WordPress allow comments and others don't.
8. Intentionality:
- Best blogs are done on purpose, the reek of planning and intentionality
- Best blog posted have been researched, proofed, sent around
- Great ideas happen by accident, but great art doesn't – it's hard work
- Don't let resistance get you – it keeps you from doing the creative work you've already conceived of (Pressfield – The War of Art)
- Jon Acuff, "I'm a writer and writer's write"
- What do you want to do with your blog – articulate the mission
- Aim small…miss small – narrow your focus
Live blog of first Presidential Debate
8:57 PM – This is my first attempt at live blogging, and what better event to begin with is this first Presidential debate. I'm watching Fox News Channel, as PBS was still in their NOW program, and there is no way that I'm watching Olbermann and Matthews at MSNBC (what happened to David Gregory, who's supposed to work the big show for them?).
9:00 PM – The pundits keep saying that the debate is Obama's to lose. They are wondering if McCain will lose his temper. Jim Lehrer from the NewsHour on PBS is the moderator and began his introduction at 9:01.
9:03 PM – The candidates are introduced and step on stage…applauce is polite but not robust, the candidates shake hands, each wearing a slightly different shade of blue suit. Lehrer's first question is where do the candidates stand on the financial situation.
9:06 PM – Obama gave his bullet points, throwing all of the blame for the crisis at President Bush's feet. McCain sounds more conciliatory in touch with the felt pain in the audience. Obama in the response came forth with that "shreded regulations" accusation. McCain brings up a history lesson from World War II about accountability.
9:13 PM – McCain talks about his fundamental belief in the strength of the American worker, which is what he meant a couple of weeks ago when he said that the fundamentals of the American economy were strong.
9:24 PM – The candidates are going back and forth on earmarks. McCain calls them a "gateway drug." Obama talks about cutting taxes for 95% of Americans and poo-poos the $18 billion in earmarks. McCain makes a strong case for lowering the high business taxes, and wants to double the dependent tax credit to $7000.
9:32 PM – They are talking about what priority changes for their administrations because of the bailout costs. Obama wants more money for alternative energy, education, infrastructure (roads, bridges, and rural broadband?!). McCain talks about Obama's liberal voting record, which made Obama chuckle. McCain wants to go after subsidies and overspending in the defense budget.
9:33 PM – First mention of Iraq, by Senator Obama, complaining about $10 billion a month being spent, while Iraq sits on an oil surplus.
9:36 PM – A half-hour into the debate, there is no clear winning candidate. Obama sounds like he's yelling, while McCain is soft and intense.
9:44 PM – Lessons from Iraq, McCain reminds us that he was first to push for more troops to win the war, not defeat. Obama reminds that he opposed the war six years ago. Makes a statement about the war costing $600 billion, "soon to be a trillion." A trillion? Only if the war blows up in our face. McCain points out that Obama was invested in defeat, and never met with the General until recently.
9:50 PM – With the discussion over the Iraq war, Obama is starting to lose composure and over speak, which is what the pundits warned against. It's not McCain losing his cool, but Obama.
9:53 PM – I must say, even with the distractions of the week in Washington, both these candidates have a strong grasp of the issues surrounding the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
9:56 PM – I don't know if Obama's regionally accurate pronunciation of Pakistan is going to fly with the "bitter clingers" in the middle of Pennsylvania, Ohio and Michigan. It feeds into that Obama is a Muslim myth.
10:05 PM – An hour into this debate, and I got to think that there is a slight advantage to McCain. McCain talks strongly from his experience, with a comprehensive understanding of the issues. This foreign policy talk is right in his wheel house. All Obama can do is complain and disagree, without any positive sounding foreign policy agenda points.
10:11 PM – This talks about whether or not we will talk to rogue countries is kind of boring.
10:22 PM – Talking about Russia and the recent agression against Georgia. Both candidates scoring points. Obama is wary of the nukes, McCain properly explains that the use of power was about the oil pipeline running through Georgia.
10:25 PM – Obama is off the reservation when it comes to his enviromentalist supporters. He just articulated support for off-shore drilling, and nuclear…the greens can't be happy.
10:26 PM – Last question: the likelyhood of another 9/11 attack on the US.
10:29 PM – McCain reminding that he reached across the aisle to enact the recommendations of the 9/11 commission. Doing a great job now, still a long way to go. Obama concerned about nuclear proliferation, and Al-quida, wants to restore America's standing in the world.
10:32 PM – McCain reiterates that Obama was wrong on Iraq. Obama points out that the focus on Iraq has kept us from working on problems in other parts of the world.
10:37 PM – Lehrer calls the end to the debate. The candidates said "good job" to each other and to Jim Lehrer, and then went to their wives.
10:39 PM – Recap anchors: Brit Hume on Fox News Channel, Anderson Cooper on CNN, David Gregory on MSNBC.
10:43 PM – Anchors are harping on the fact that Obama kept saying "I agree with Senator McCain, I agree with Senator McCain."
10:49 PM – Networks go to commercials, and I'm signing off. All in all, a great spirited debate. I'll give the nod narrowly to McCain, although I'm not sure he pulled a ton of people in his camp. Obama meanwhile didn't implode. Thanks for reading, good night!
Erie needs a media blog!
One of the best attributes of the internet is when you find a site that you really enjoy and enriches your life. For two years, perhaps the site that exemplified that for me was Erie Media-Go-Round, lovingly and creatively edited by Jack Tirak.
In what started as an outlet for him to blow some steam off over what he deemed were television stations reluctant to embrace the new HDTV technology, Jack created a community of old timers and newbies, producers and consumers, all who love, or love to hate, Erie media. EMGR was the epitome of the best of Web 2.0.
It was a highlight of my day hearing from old friends, getting scoops, and weighing on the current topics. I would sometimes turn to EMGR a dozen times a day, reading and laughing and being incredulous. There were times I'd take almost an hour crafting a well-honed comment; I didn't want to sound stupid in front of my fellow communicators! It was a great resource and pastime.
I've sorely missed EMGR and Jack's passion for excellence and creativity. Since his passing I really have missed his final triumphant work that really made my day often.
I think Erie has such a rich media history and story. The personalities in traditional and now new media are interesting and passionate about their craft. The pace of change in technology and the business realities all point to a need for a place where we can encourage and challenge and strengthen each other. Erie needs a media blog!
That's why I've begun The Press and Tower.
Wear the Band-Aid proudly
Anybody whose known me for a while knows that I'm a big supporter of the Community Blood Bank. In my previous job I conducted dozens of on-air blood drives over the course of a dozen years, with WCTL winning "the Battle of the Broadcasters†at least twice when I was there. I've had the privilege to take part in their banquet a couple times, and I'm getting close to my second gallon donated.
That's why it goes without saying that I'm asking all of my readers, whether they live in the Erie area or not, to give blood this week. If you are here, you need to go to the Community Blood Bank at 26th and Peach Sts. for the Erie Blogs Week II blood drive. It only takes about 45 minutes from entrance to exit and you'll be so glad you did.
Please make sure you mention Radio Free JoJo when you donate, ok? That would be greatly appreciated! And wear the Band-Aid proudly…you did something great!
Who came up with 'Dreary Erie'?
After an amazing summer weekend in Northwestern Pennsylvania, I'm thinking that the person who coined the slogan "Dreary Erie, the mistake on the lake†should be certified.
Even with rain, this extended weekend my family is totally embracing some of the excellent resources available to us in this neck of the woods. We spent a couple days camping at Cook Forest State Park, headed to a family graduation party that was really fun, and now have some sun and fun at Waldameer to look forward to before I go back to work. I wanted to attend the Rust Belt Bloggers summit, but it was just too good of a weekend for a getaway.
You don't need me to give you a laundry list of the wonderful attributes that our region has to offer. But I do want to encourage you to do two things:
First, you need to get your "hugging hands†out and do the Erie, PA embrace. I have to admit that even after living here 41 of my 46 years (I was one of those brain drainers who got out in my 20's, then came back when the kids started coming), there are many cool things in Erie that I haven't experienced, like wine tasting in North East, the Firefighter's museum, an art gallery opening, and I'm ashamed to say, it's been a really long time since I've been to a Playhouse show. It just takes a little creativity and investment of time and sometimes money, and you can experience so much more of the quality of life that you might feel like you are missing. The Erie Times News does a great job of keeping us informed of all of things that are going on from parish festivals to band concerts. You might just find some weird, awesome, random event that totally exemplifies our town.
The other thing you, and I, need to do is not take our town for granted, because so many of the organizations and entities that create cool things in Erie are hanging on by a thread. You see, with very little growth in population and buying power of our fellow residents, and with the rising cost of everything, the organizations that are Erie's backbone are getting squeezed. Instantly what comes to mind are the Marx Toy Museum and the Joel 2 ministry to the poor. There are just two examples of Erie assets that needed our help and either we didn't know it or weren't quick enough to help.
I love the idea that people from Pittsburgh and Youngstown come to our town to vacation. Think about the money they are willing to spend here, and how they embrace the Erie experience! Nothing dreary about that.


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Catering Central was the team we hired for our Christmas Party in Indian Creek, Redwood Shores. The food was incredibly superb! Marcos prepared a delectable menu per our request for traditional Christmas fare, and we were surprised to discover how truly sumptuous each dish was! Our guests have been raving ever since!
Word also has it that our corporate office has heard of the success of the event brought on by this impressive array of gastronomic delights. Working with Marcos was a bree...
Sensational Sides
Naturally, the turkey takes center stage during Thanksgiving, but let's not forget the major role sides play in our favorite traditional meal. We're all familiar with the usual side dishes that grace our overstuffed plates every November, so here's some new ideas for your upcoming spread.
- Wild Rice and Mushroom Pilaf with Cranberries
Fresh from the pages of Real Simple, this side is overflowing with earthy, nutty, and sweet flavors. Perfect accompaniment to the perfect turkey.
- Bacon Wrapped Asparagus
The Cooking Channel brings us this simple, delicious recipe that combines the clean taste of asparagus, with the salty bite of bacon.
- Apple Pie Salsa and Cinnamon Chips
From the people at Frosting and a Smile, this recipe is a twist on classic chips and salsa, but sweeter than pie. Technically it's an appetizer rather than a side, but everyone has room on their table for this treat.
- Baked Fingerling Potato Fry Rounds
If hasselback potatoes are too big for your Thanksgiving plate, try these mini versions from A Clean Diet.
If you need a little extra help this holiday season, call us today at Catering Central on (650) 961-3300. We can't wait to consult with you on your event preferences – from plates, to hors d'oeuvres, tablecloths to dessert – we have you covered! We do corporate catering in Palo Alto ( 94304), private party catering in San Jose (95154), and we cater all kinds of parties around the Bay Area. Let us know what kind of event you're looking to cater, and we'll do the rest!
Contact Us
Client Holiday Party Success!!
Catering Central was the team we hired for our Christmas Party in Indian Creek, Redwood Shores. The food was incredibly superb! Marcos prepared a delectable menu per our request for traditional Christmas fare, and we were surprised to discover how truly sumptuous each dish was! Our guests have been raving ever since!
MH Podell Property Management
Consistent Quality!!
We use Marcos and Catering Central for 100+ person company lunches every so often, and our employees always have good things to say! Marcos does a consistently quality job, on-time, and the price is right. We have ordered something different every time, and it's all been good. If you have a group to feed, they will work with you from menu selection through billing, definitely recommend!
Company Event is a Success!!
I've had Catering Central do two events here at Tesla. Marcos went above and beyond to make sure that both of my events were a success. His food also matched their excellent service throughout the whole planning - from picking out the menu, to working with our budget, to the day of the event and even afterwards. Enzo also was very professional and was on top of things on the day of.
I can't wait to use them again for other events.
Tesla (Palo Alto/Freemont)
Quality Food and Service!
Came across Catering Central website while looking for caterers to bring lunch to our office every week. Our employees are typically very picky but Marcos' meets or exceeds our expectations every time. Everything is always fresh and hot. We only have about 40 or less employees but the portions are generous and it's nice to have friendly people delivering who make sure we are satisfied with our order. I highly recommend Catering Central for any event!
Just Phone Him Now
Marcos and central catering provided a fantastic spread for our wedding reception. We were looking for a no fuss, tasty garden party and he delivered on all counts. The food was fantastic and servers he brought in to man the bar and pass through with the food were great, personable guys.
If you are looking for good food and great service, stop looking and just phone him now... ;)
Robbie B.
Mountain View, CA
Service Areas
Pleased to serve the following Bay Area/Peninsula locations: Belmont, Cupertino, Foster City, Los Altos, Menlo Park, Milpitas, Mountain View, Palo Alto, Redwood City, San Carlos, San Jose, San Mateo, Stanford University, and Sunnyvale.

subset: commoncrawl


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I hypothesize that the situation at Fukushima is not being properly assessed by facility controllers because STUXNET is STILL giving false readings to the control panels, readings which obviously have to be false because they show containment pressure when confidental leaked photographs prove beyond a doubt no containment exists AT ALL at reactor 3. There is not even a reactor there.
This report is perfectly inaccurate with regard to reactor 3 containment. Perhaps the people who wrote this report have not actually looked at the facility or seen the confidential photographs.
This report supports what I have said here entirely. It was written by an experienced reactor operator. I found this on May 10. I was absolutely right!
Each reactor has 8 separate emergency backup systems, each capable of saving the reactor on it's own. Three are designed to function perfectly if all power is lost and even the generators fail. Fukushima did not need any electrical systems operating AT ALL to keep itself from blowing up, when power is lost steam from the reactors is automatically diverted from the generator turbines to two totally separate steam turbines connected to totally separate water pumps needing only reactor steam to power them. Even that backup system has dual redundancy, only one of the two is needed for the job. But the valves which have to activate to re-divert the steam, all 6 valves on a total of 3 fueled reactors, eventually failed to. At reactors 1 and 3 these systems worked, but switched off at reactor 1 within an hour and off at reactor 3 after running for more than two days. No one has been able to explain why these systems switched off all by themselves, when they need a powered command to switch off. At reactor 2 they were never allowed to activate. This can only happen if the control system tells them to shut off or stay off, absent intervention from the controller they automatically and seamlessly switch cooling modes to passive rather than electrical.
Some readers may remember that the real issue at Fukushima was malfunctioning valves, and the need to get someone past the radiation to open them. These are the valves that were spoken of. Because Stuxnet kept the readouts normal, no one knew this system did not function until major problems happened as a result flooding the area where the valves are with radiation. This prevented last ditch efforts (running and cutting the wires). One automatic valve jamming and mechanically failing would be a surprise,6 failing can only be sabotage.
In addition to this, another completely independent separately piped backup with an entirely different electronic decision tree which injects borated water at a pre charged 3,500 PSI into the reactor to irrevocably shut down all chain reactions (reactor rebuild required) also simultaneously failed at all 3 fueled reactors. The borated water systems have explosive operated valves so reliable that even one out of 3 failing would be a ten thousand to one possiblity, if that. The reliability of the borated water systems is technically theoretically assured. All three failing at the same time at Fukushima can only mean sabotage.
High pressure in all of the reactors proves the quake did not damage any of the infrastructure at fukushima because any leaks would have let the pressure go. In addition to this, the seismic readings at Fukushima were 6.07 Fukushima was designed to handle being at the epicenter of an 8.
The media keeps harping about how all the water went away. It only did because these three backup systems were prevented from cooling the reactor which caused the water to boil off and never be replaced. High pressures were talked about constantly in the press; This means beyond a doubt that all 6 steam powered backup systems were intact, and all 3 borated water systems were intact also because if they were not the pressure would have escaped through them. Absent emergency backup control power keeping the virus alive; (control power Magna BSP admitted was there the whole time by mistake when they said their cameras and supporting computers captured the explosions and maintained a data link) the valves which control these systems would have opened when the generators failed and there would have been no disaster. 3 worst case scenarios where all 9 automatic valves across 9 separate emergency backup systems are held shut by the controller when no power should have been present to prevent them from activating can only mean sabotage.
Originally posted by FissionSurplus
reply to post by DerepentLEstranger
Whether Chemoshima is a psy-ops or not, nuclear energy is a bad idea, a left-over from the 50s, a dinosaur from a time when issues like nuclear waste didn't matter.
The depleted uranium used in modern bullets and bombs is the only use for this left-over, poisonous garbage. Surely we have progressed as humans past the point of using such out-dated technology.
As far as them going to natural gas, please note:
Japan relies on LNG imports for virtually all of its natural gas demand and is the world's largest LNG importer.
Note they have no natural gas of their own, and it has to be liquified from somewhere else in order to be imported to them. Not very cost efficient. They'd have to be suckers to allow other countries to psy-op them in that way, just to make them import more LNG.
I can perhaps see the leaders of that country thinking that starting these plants up is the cheapest way to get the country back up to full power, as they have 55 nuclear plants in that country, but Japan has suffered under the curse of radiation from one form or the other for a while now, I guess maybe they're just tired of it hanging over their head like the sword of Damocles.
you mean the north koreans are in on it? or that your common sense isn't tingling? now now i expect much better from you
Originally posted by DerepentLEstranger
reply to post by jude11
frankly i'm surprised they allowed those plants to be built in the 1st place
hmmm GE built those plants
and seeing as they own NBC...
y'know what would be a great idea?
ATS's owners should send OC and a few specialists[ "yes, we've detected radiation, but its the wrong type for a case like this,,, "] and check for themselves
if i remember correctly we even have a member studying Bujutsu over in japan [possible ninja?]
that'd be denying...
oh wait, OC got him self arrested for doing a jesse ventura at a base and was promptly banned
oh well it was an idea
edit to add
sorry jude
the psyops is strong today,
hence the 'tude
as it looked like more of the sameedit on 1-7-2012 by DerepentLEstranger because: (no reason given)
where are the thousands of sick, dying, and dead people from radiation poisoning?? nowhere fukushima is a psyops
Originally posted by RoyalBlue
reply to post by DerepentLEstranger
where are the thousands of sick, dying, and dead people from radiation poisoning?? nowhere fukushima is a psyops
The "radiation poisoning" will happen years down the road when masses of people start showing up at cancer clinics fighting for their health and their lives. Radioactive contamination takes a long time before it starts showing its physical devastation on one's body, and by then its a horrible nightmare.
Why don't you educate yourself by going to visit a huge cancer institute, walk around and hear all the stories of the people there who are of all ages, walks of life, and ethnicities fighting for themselves or their loved ones, and everything they have to go through, then think about why radioactive contamination is such a horrible fate to expose anyone to. No, there may not be thousands dead, yet, but a far more nightmarish fate waits them down the road.
Here is a link to a Tokyo radiation monitoring site located in the Shinjuku area. Note that the highest reading occurred briefly on March 15, but quickly returned to near- normal levels for every day since. This chart covers up to March 19, but you can access the latest chart by visiting the link.


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Silky Strappy Cami Dress Peach Paisley
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Emily wears a UK size 8/ EU size 36/ US size 4 and her height is 5'11"
You've already saved this to your wish list


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The Cobbler Lady finds a recipe for business success
When customers told Pam Wright, aka the Cobbler Lady in Leimert Park, that they wanted more dough in their dessert, she rolled with it. Today, her specialties are a kind of cobbler meets dumpling, thanks to the extra layer of dough that she slips into each fruit-filled pan.
"Customers always ask for more crust, so I experimented to get the most in there without drying out the filling," she explains.
Taking her customers' suggestions to heart has given Wright more time to focus on the trickiest part of making cobbler for a living -- figuring out how to expand the business without losing everything.
Click here to read Jenn Garbee's story about Wright and the remarkably generous customers, family and friends -- and even the occasional landlord -- who have given her more support over the years than any bank loan ever could. (Her winning smile and those fresh-from-the-oven peach cobblers haven't hurt, either.)
Photo credit: Mariah Tauger / Los Angeles Times


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Trying to get to the heater/ac selector switch I need to get the outer bezel off for access. I can find no screws though it does seem to be very ridged at two points. A manual I bought on that years truck says to access two screws through the ashtray port, that port is far below the bottom of the bezel, I see no screws that would be the hold down. So the question is -
how do I get that darm bezel off without breaking it.
have the same problem?
Thursday, May 23rd, 2013 AT 12:34 PM


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Devan Hodlik of Watervliet shot 1,724 for eight games to beat four competitors in a U.S. Women's Open qualifer today at Del Lanes.
Denise DeCarlo-Johnson of Selkirk was second at 1,676.
Hodlik won a paid entry into the Women's Open, to be held June 24-30 in Euless, Texas. The finals will be held June 30 at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas.


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I've added Andrew Gelman's blog to the blogroll. Really great blog on statistical analysis. I also moved the Cato Institute's National Police Misconduct Reporting Project to the Libertarian Web Directory under Issue Organizations instead of in the blogroll.
Comment on Slate Star Codex about evolutionary complexity and politics. There's a limit to how much useful information we can get from elections, and building more complex institutions on such little information may be dangerous.
John Cochrane on Basic Income and its benefits, along with its large political problems.
So the DEA has taken the massive failure of the War on Drugs and decided the lesson to draw was to add another drug to Schedule 1, the most prohibited category (and more tightly controlled than cocaine). Kratom, a drug used for opioid withdrawal treatment has been added to the list. The 15 deaths cited by the DEA over the last 2 years are sure to bump up as users' legal alternative to illegal opioids is removed.
Classic example of regulation making it more difficult for simple economic transactions. This manifests in higher prices for compliance which ends up hurting the poor disproportionately. Seattle used to be the leading place for "micro-housing", but it's being regulated out of existence to the tune of hundreds of affordable dwellings a year.
The ACLU, Human Rights Watch, and Amnesty International are launching a campaign to pardon Edward Snowden. I've gone on the record predicting that the Obama administration will not pardon Snowden, but I hope I'm wrong. Also, watch this excellent Reason TV interview with the Freedom of the Press Foundation.
Gary Johnson: WIRED should have endorsed me for president.
Related: Donald Trump has received no major newspaper endorsements, and many newspapers who have endorsed Republicans for decades, even centuries, are either endorsing Clinton, Johnson, or simply endorsing anyone but Trump. Some newspapers who don't usually endorse anyone are doing so, such as the Atlantic, USA Today, and actually WIRED had never issued an endorsement. A redditor collected all the information into a nice post.
I'm not a Ross Douthat fan, but I do like this column. There's a real sense of being surrounded that non-progressives feel. And when surrounded with no hope of making it out alive, soldiers fight to the death because they have nothing to lose. Not a great situation.
Heard through Alex Tabbarok at Marginal Revolution: apparently an author at the Telegraph isn't happy about Mark Zuckerberg's plan to eradicate all disease. She's apparently afraid of the impacts of overpopulation. And she published it. In a real newspaper. So if you're not optimizing for the "most good" in the world or most "human happiness", what exactly are you optimizing for? If the author is so concerned about human population, does that mean she's generally pro-war? Is she pro-Ebola? Anti-CDC? What are her feelings on ISIS? Does she have suicidal thoughts? I just have so many questions.
Seen through Slate Star Codex, the Brookings Institution has a report on charter schools in Massachusetts: "There is a deep well of rigorous, relevant research on the performance of charter schools in Massachusetts…This research shows that charter schools in the urban areas of Massachusetts have large, positive effects on educational outcomes. The effects are particularly large for disadvantaged students, English learners, special education students, and children who enter charters with low test scores. In marked contrast, we find that the effects of charters in the suburbs and rural areas of Massachusetts are not positive." I'd guess this is because in the suburbs, the schools are already pretty good and must compete with expensive private schools anyway.
Forget moving to New Hampshire, the new mayor of Johannesburg is a self-proclaimed libertarian.
Why are American airports so crappy compared to international ones? Well it's partially because most American airports cater to domestic flights and are not international travel hubs. Airports that focus on similar levels of domestic travel resemble LAX more than Dubai, LaGuardia more than Singapore.
Scott Sumner asks some interesting questions about a possible decline in materialism and how it relates to GDP growth and measurement. If everything you want to do can be done online, can you measure that economic improvement?
Jacob Levy at Bleeding Heart Libertarians writes that if you look at the polling numbers, Johnson doesn't draw more from Clinton, and having him on the ticket actually helps her.
Obviously this election cycle has been particularly divisive and nasty. But did you know there are people working on fixing this? Check out the National Institute for Civil Discourse's Standards of Conducts for Debates. Can you imagine if the political debates were actually like this? I might even want to watch them.
Megan McArdle on How to End the Death Penalty for Good. There's an interesting point about how abortion laws were on the decline and probably would have quietly died except for the Supreme Court stepping in and making the decision themselves. This galvanized social conservatives into organizing themselves and mobilizing to protect their interests against perceived undemocratic justices. I'm not sure how accurate that is, but it's certainly true that "judicial activism" has been reviled by the American Right for a while now.
A good rundown by Reason of their staffers and many prominent libertarians on who they will be voting for. Dave Barry's response is by far my favorite.
There is a storm brewing in the Libertarian Party. Gary Johnson will likely meet the 5% threshold set by the FEC on who qualifies as a minor party. That means the LP will be eligible to get taxpayer provided funding for its candidate in 2020. There are two problem. One is that Libertarians are fundamentally opposed to this practice, and taking the money would make them look like hypocrites. The other is that neither party seems to take matching funds anymore as it also puts a cap on how much you can raise. That cap scales, so the cap itself may limit the LP in the 2020 election.
Postlibertaian throwback: World Wars Per Century. Only since 2014 have we been living in an age where only a single world war was started in the preceding 100 years.


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Since our inception in 2000, our focus at MC2 has been on one principle: Helping our clients.
Telecommunications carriers often lack the flexibility to follow through on their own promises. In many cases, the "set it and forget it" mentality leaves you high and dry once you've chosen a new service.
We help to form and then cement the bond between the carrier and the end users. Whether it's billing issues, network performance or new technology rollouts, we partner with our clients to give the ongoing support they need to maximize the use of their telecom tools.
When your business needs a new roof, you call a roofer. When your voice and data networks are not working as smoothly or cost efficiently as possible, you call MC2. Our people, integrity and experience can help clarify your company's overall communications systems and complex billing structures. We partner with your company to develop a long-term strategy to get the most productivity out of your people by supplying them with the most cost-effective tools for their job. Whether it's desk phones, internet at the office or mobile broadband, MC2 will engineer a system to let you and your employees share information in a straightforward and painless way.
Company-wide communications analysis: The who, when, where, why and how of your communications systems.
Wireline Voice and Data options: All carriers, all products and services. From simple POTS lines to nationwide MPLS rollouts and beyond, we'll help engineer and navigate the optimum solutions for you.
Ongoing support, answers and accountability: Smart, capable dependable people make the difference, and we have the industry's best.
As an authorized agent, we can offer you a variety of reliable solutions thru our vendors, as well as:
- Potential savings on what you currently pay for Phone and Internet service
- The ability to bundle all your communication solutions on a single monthly invoice
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- The option of adding Cable TV service to your business location (Local Cable service Provider)
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For a needs assessment, set up an appointment today by:
Calling at (414) 276-2200
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
Or Click Here
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text:
Helpful information and tips related to children,
families and child care providers.
What is Triple P?
Triple P is a parenting program, but it doesn't tell you how to be a parent. It's more like a toolbox of ideas. You choose the strategies you need. You choose the way you want to use them. It's all about making Triple P work for you.
What does Triple P do?
The three Ps in 'Triple P' stand for 'Positive Parenting Program' which means your family life is going to be much more enjoyable.
Triple P helps you:
- Raise happy, confident kids
- Manage misbehavior so everyone in the family enjoys life more
- Set rules and routines that everyone respects and follows
- Encourage behavior you like
- Take care of yourself as a parent
- Feel confident you're doing the right thing
How do you do Triple P's positive parenting program?
Because all families are different, Triple P has a range of ways to get your positive parenting program. Choose anything from single visit consultations to public seminars; group courses to private sessions. You can even do Triple P Online, at home or wherever you like!
For More Information Contact:
Jewell Gardner
Family Support Advocate
firstname.lastname@example.com, 252-975-4647 ext. 19


text:
Match Data 2011/2012
Tonbridge Angels 1
Lyall Beasely
Jake Newton
Chris Arthur
Paul Hinshelwood
Chris Holland
Sam Pearce
Sammy Igoe (Ryan, 86)
Steven Ramsey
Scott Jones (Palmer, 74)
Bobby Hopkinson (Braham-Barrett, 54)
Leon Cashman
Ollie Palmer
Craig Braham-Barrett
Jon McDonald
Ryan Woodford
Perry Ryan
Ramsey (11)
Palmer (82)
Tonbridge Angels
T Olorunda (48)
Att: 599
Lee Worgan
Michael Boateng
Danny Walder
Tim Olorunda
Ben Judge
Sonny Miles
Robbie Kember
Anthony Storey (Suarez, 85)
Ade Olorunda (Kinch, 85)
Frannie Collin
Kayne McLaggon (Henry, 78)
Scott Kinch
Lee Browning
Chris Henry
Jake Beecroft
Mikel Suarez
The Hawks battled their way to their first win on the road since the opening day of the season with a hard fought 2-1 victory over tenth placed Tonbridge Angels at Longmead Stadium this afternoon.
The visitors started brightly in what was the first encounter between the teams since August 1998, and took the lead in the eleventh minute when Steve Ramseys low shot escaped keeper Lee Worgans reach to bounce in off the foot of the post.
Tonbridge struck back three minutes into the second half when Tim Olorundas downward header went under Lyall Beasely, but the Hawks shrugged off renewed vigour from their hosts to snatch a winner eight minutes from the end after substitute Ollie Palmer headed home Craig Braham-Barretts cross.
Rumours in midweek that Northampton Town defender Chris Arthur might make a return to the Hawks proved well founded, and the left back started in place of Jon McDonald. Packing the midfield again, Shaun Gale opted to start with just Scott Jones at the front after the strikers brace of goals last week put the Hawks into the final eight of the senior cup.
Anthony Storeys early free kick fell to Kayne McLaggon on the edge of the Hawks box, but the striker could only turn to shoot straight at Beasely.
Bobby Hopkinsons ball through the middle put Igoe away, but when the winger crossed, Jones could only send a soft effort into Worgans grasp.
The Hawks then took the lead through a swiftly executed move as RAMSEY took on a through ball to enter the box from the right and aim a shot at the far post. Worgan dived superbly, but it wasnt enough to stop the ball slipping past him to bounce.
Frannie Collins free kick caused agitation in the Hawks wall, but his effort blazed high over the bar.
The game began to drift in the wake of the Hawks goal, and it wasnt until the 32nd minute that the hosts mounted another threat; this time McLaggon shooting wide after breaking on the right.
Ramsey then tried again when he took on a free kick but fired high, and then scooped the ball into the box to no effect after Jake Newton took it to the line.
Storey took a free kick at the other end, but Newton cleared when the ball came through to Collin.
Igoe and Newton then combined brilliantly to escape with a Tonbridge free kick taken almost from the corner flag, breaking quickly enough to reach the other end of the pitch unchallenged. Newtons cross hung in the air, but Jones couldnt get above it and sent his header over the bar.
Approaching half time the hosts missed a great chance to level when Collin fired the ball into Pearce and it rebounded for Danny Walder to smash a venomous drive toward the roof of the net that slammed into the bar.
Tonbridge Angels 0
Havant and Waterlooville 1
Having failed to impress in the first half, Tonbridge came back fired up for the second and pinned the Hawks back in a ferocious opening that saw them score after just three minutes.
A corner lofted high over the box was headed back in from the rear and OLORUNDA was there to angle a downward header under Beasely that flicked up off the line.
The Hawks keeper was then wrong footed by a deflected shot when the Angels came forward again, but the ball spun mercifully wide of the post.
Tonbridge kept up their pressure and Sonny Miles tried next when a short corner lingered in the box.
But Tonbridges initial vigour didnt last, and the Hawks slowly worked their way back into the game.
When the visitors did get forward, Arthur made it to the line and flicked the ball back for Ramsey to fire a curling effort into the side netting.
Igoe was next to try with a close range volley that Worgan managed to palm away after Jones headed on a cross from the right.
Local fans were incensed when Pearces attempts to force Collin off the ball didnt result in a penalty, instead the side earned a corner sent in by Storey and cleared easily by Peace.
The Hawks could have retaken the lead soon after when Igoe was left free in the middle of the box to connect with a cross from Paul Hinshelwood, but his header went wide of the post.
Similarly, Pearce was left kicking himself when he had time to bring down a free kick from Igoe, but then scooped his effort over the bar from eight yards.
With the Hawks back in control at the end of the game, the match became a question of whether the visitors could sneak a late winner. It took the replacement of Jones with Ollie Palmer in the 74th minute for it to come. Eight minutes from the end Braham-Barrett crossed from the right again, and PALMER was there at the back unmarked to cushion a header into the net.


text: I prefer Scope too. It is a term we already use in JSword to express what the module includes. In Him, DM On Jan 6, 2012, at 6:12 PM, Chris Little wrote: > On 1/6/2012 1:21 AM, David Haslam wrote: >> For the new config property, would Scope be a better word than Coverage? >> >> http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/coverage >> >> http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/scope >> >> David > > I'm somewhat more in favor of Scope, since it is the term used in OSIS for a feature we're copying from OSIS. I don't know that either word is particularly better suited, based on their semantics. > > --Chris > > _______________________________________________ > sword-devel mailing list: sword-devel at crosswire.org > http://www.crosswire.org/mailman/listinfo/sword-devel > Instructions to unsubscribe/change your settings at above page


text:
Pierre-Antoine CHAMPIN wrote: > There is no fundamental difference between subject and object, Yes I agree, the different representations can be transformed into each other without gain or loss of information; hence they are mathematically equivalent. > It depends on the semantics of subjectx and propertyx, > but yes, it can definitely be semanticaly consistent : > This sentence has five words. > This sentence is in english. > This sentence begins with "This". > This sentence talks about itself. > Not very useful, but definitely consistent. Hmmm.... now that makes me wonder what Pat's deep dark semantic problems actually are. Seth RussellReceived on Tuesday, 28 November 2000 15:12:10 UTC
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.3.1 : Wednesday, 7 January 2015 15:07:33 UTC


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Remember the days when everyone would get super excited because Chipper Jones was joining Twitter, or Kris Medlen and Peter Moylan were making fun of each other in the tweether. Those were the days when we wished that everyone would get a Twitter account. And when a player didn't get one, then occasionally a fake one filled the void.
I ran into Frank Wren during this past season at an Appalachian League baseball game in Johnson City, Tennessee. He was there to see his son, Kyle Wren, play in some of his first professional games for the Danville Braves, and I was there to… well, to basically see the same thing, as well as all the other young Braves players, most of whom were just drafted.
I noticed Frank Wren as soon as I walked in, with his white mane he's hard to miss, I waved a hello to him with my Braves cap on. Just after the first pitch I tweeted this panorama with him in the stands and his son Kyle at bat to begin the game:
There are actually two Wrens in this picture. pic.twitter.com/b7Fqi2uFzs
— gondeee (@gondeee) June 23, 2013
Little did I know that there were other Wrens in the stands… and they were reading my tweets:
Colby Wren is Frank's eldest son, and he was able to setup a quick little chat with the GM… all through the power of Twitter! So I had a few innings to think of questions to ask him. I didn't want to take up too much of his time, he was here to watch his son after all. I did need to ask him about Blaine Sims, whom I had just interviewed a few days earlier, and I wanted a quote to fit into that story. I asked him a couple of other things, none of which were very good on my part, and then I asked him if he had a Twitter account, since that was how this little interview got set up in the first place. Here is the exchange:
Me: Any thoughts of starting your own Twitter account?
Frank Wren: I have one.
Me: Oh you do?
FW: I do, just no one knows what it is.
Me: No one knows what it is!?
FW: It's a Twitter account so I can follow, but not be followed.
Me: You're not going to share that with me?
FW: No.
Me: You're not going to tweet?
FW: No, not going to tweet.
Me: Is FauxFrankWren holding down the fort?
FW: He's got me covered. And I tried it; they setup a dummy account for me probably three springs ago, and they wanted me to try it. I think because there was a push by MLB to get more General Managers and front office people tweeting. And so my first few tweets were in spring training, and I said, okay, this is kind of cool, until the games began. And once the games began then I realized that everything I tweet can have meaning to one party or another. You know if I tweet "John Smith had a good game today, boy that was good stuff today," what if he's in competition with Adam Brown, and Adam Brown says "hey, what about me?" Then when Adam Brown pitches and I don't tweet anything, then he's [left] wondering. So there were just too many conflicts for me to feel like it was the right thing to do.
So there you have it… Frank Wren is a lurker. He's out there possibly reading your tweets. I started thinking what his Twitter handle might be…
Maybe one day we'll figure out what it is… surely someone out there has time to figure it out.


text:
Basics Of Hiring A Roofing Contractor
Depending on how long your roof is, a leak will soon be a problem. And what's surprising even more is the number of times where homeowners who have new roof installed experiencing serious problems after few years of it. Oftentimes, these sorts of problems are developing because of poor and low quality workmanship. Being able to find a roofing contractor who is reliable and honest could help you in eliminating these issues and not only that, they can help you as well to save cash by guaranteeing that your roof even with little maintenance would last long.
Yes it is true that we don't have control over weather but what we have control is the one who'll repair or install our roof, such as a reliable Roofing Los Alamos NM expert. Start the process of which one to hire by reviewing references from your prospect contractor. It is totally fine for you to ask the people in the references about their finance arrangements, customer service and quality of workmanship. Make sure that you are going to take notes of their responses because you will redo the process for the following contractors.
Ask the contractor if they are insured, bonded and licensed and if they ever say yes, do a follow up question by asking for any proofs or documentation that can back it up. Always keep in mind that reputable contractors would be so proud and happy to supply what you're looking from them. Otherwise, those who avoid your questions or seems evading to answer could mean a red flag and that is going to be your cue to look for other else.
Also, you might want to contact your state's local business bureau or even the state regulatory board. Then after, ask if there any complaints that have been field towards the contractor you're planning to hire. Check how and how fast it was resolved if you found one. This is going to give you idea on what to expect from the roofers if you have experienced the same thing.
Choosing a contractor who is offering the best price for the project is all okay but, if you're quoted with lower price than the normal, that might also mean a lesser quality job. From the improper installation of the flashing to using low quality shingles, there are lots of areas to which these roofers could cut corners. Make sure that they provide you with a written agreement or a detailed estimate before the project starts and never rely on their verbal promises.
You need to be sure that you would be satisfied with their price, clean up and courtesy, guarantees, timeline for completion, product quality and workmanship when choosing a roofing contractor such as Roofers Santa Fe NM.


text:
Christina Applegate's Ex-Husband Johnathon Schaech Wishes Her Well on Wedding: "I Love Her Very Much"
Friendly, supportive exes. Johnathon Schaech shared his well wishes on ex-wife Christina Applegate's new marriage to Martyn LeNoble with Us Weekly.
At the premiere of Phantom at Hollywood's Grauman's Chinese Theatre on Wednesday, Feb. 27, Schaech, 43, told Us he couldn't be happier for his ex. "Very much so," he said. "I love her very much and I'm very happy for her and her family."
PHOTOS: Hollywood's friendliest exes
Schaech was married to the Up All Night actress from October 2001 to August 2007. The Takers actor later married One Tree Hill star Jana Kramer in July 2010, but the couple called it quits just one month later. Their divorce was finalized in June 2011.
PHOTOS: Hollywood's shortest marriages
Applegate, 41, married Martyn LeNoble on Saturday, Feb. 23 after four years of dating. The Anchorman 2 actress and the Porno for Pyros rocker, who have 2-year-old daughter Sadie Grace together, tied the knot in front of six guests in the living room of their L.A. home.
PHOTOS: Stars who wed too young
The bride wore a Maria Lucia Hohan gown for the ceremony and a pal told Us, "It was a long hippie dress. Very Christina."
This article originally appeared on Usmagazine.com: Christina Applegate's Ex-Husband Johnathon Schaech Wishes Her Well on Wedding: "I Love Her Very Much"


text:
The Buccaneers (1956)Dan Tempest's War with Spain - Original Air Date: October 10, 1956 (Season 1, Episode 4)
Back to the Buccaneers Library
Viewing Sluggish? Click on the Pause buttom to allow the Video to Pre-Load for a few seconds, then click the Play button to continue.
back to Uncle Earl's Classic TV Channel


text:
Radical surgery just one option
Actress Jolie's double mastectomy puts focus on gene tests
Published 11:37 pm, Tuesday, May 14, 2013
Victoria O'Donnell wishes she got tested for a gene that shows an increased risk of breast cancer after her sister, Valerie Grugan, was diagnosed and had a double mastectomy three years ago.
The 46-year-old Greene County resident considered the test at the time, but figured she didn't need it. She got annual mammograms. She felt good.
Now both sisters wonder if the test for BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes would have given O'Donnell an earlier warning. O'Donnell was diagnosed with aggressive cancer late last year. Like Grugan, she had her breasts removed. Unlike Grugan, her cancer has spread beyond curable.
Only 3 percent to 5 percent of women with breast cancer carry one of these mutated genes, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But many women are wondering about them, since Angelina Jolie disclosed Tuesday that she chose to have a double mastectomy after learning she carried BRCA1.
The presence of BRCA1 or BRCA2 greatly increases a woman's risk for developing breast cancer, anywhere from 50 percent to 87 percent, said Dr. Karen Tedesco, director of the Hereditary Cancer Risk Assessment Program at New York Oncology Hematology Associates in Albany. The genes also indicate increased risk for ovarian cancer. But the test is not one that every woman should have, experts said, and women have options other than the preventive double mastectomy Jolie chose should they get a positive result.
"It's a very personal decision," said Mara Ginsberg, a breast cancer survivor and founder of the Delmar-based education and support group To Life!
Most women contract breast cancer after they are past menopause, and they get it through a combination of aging and environmental factors, not heredity, experts said.
Women who should consider genetic tests for breast cancer, according to Tedesco, include those who have a family history of breast cancer; are 45 or younger when diagnosed; have multiple breast cancers; have both breast and ovarian cancer; or are of Ashkenazi Jewish descent.
Medical experts recommend genetic counseling before and after testing to explain limits of tests, prepare patients for results and give time to consider options. Luba Djurdjinovic, director of genetic counseling at Binghamton-based Ferre Institute, said most people with family histories of breast cancer choose to get tested.
More Information
At Risk
Women should consider genetic tests for breast cancer if they:
* have a family history of breast cancer
* are 45 or younger when diagnosed
* have multiple breast cancers
* have both breast and ovarian cancer
* are of Ashkenazi Jewish descent
Source: Dr. Karen Tedesco
"The primary reason they want to know is they want to change the course of history in their families," Djurdjinovic said.
That was a reason Jolie, whose mother died at 56, chose the most radical form of prevention. The surgery reduces her chance of getting breast cancer by more than 90 percent, Tedesco said. Other preventive procedures include having the ovaries removed, which both eliminates the chance of ovarian cancer and stops the production of estrogen, and taking tamoxifen. When the latter two treatments are combined, the risk of developing breast cancer drops almost as much as when both breasts are removed, Tedesco said.
Some women who carry BRCA1 or BRCA2 opt instead for heightened monitoring to detect cancer early. Tedesco recommends a screening routine that includes annual mammograms, ultrasounds and MRIs, scheduled so a woman gets at least one test every six months.
The BRCA1 and BRCA2 tests are pricey, at $3,800 for a full sequencing of both genes, Tedesco said. Insurance often covers most of the cost for women with risk factors, she said.
With family history and diagnoses at young ages for both her and her sister, O'Donnell would qualify as having such risk factors. She's not sure, though, whether her insurance plan would cover the cost.
But like Jolie, O'Donnell is worried about the legacy she leaves her children. She intends to get the test no matter what it costs her, no matter that such information will no longer help her, she said.
She wants her daughter, age 24, and three granddaughters to know more than she did, she said, to know if she has the gene and may have passed it on.


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British instructor helps school in its first steps along the global network path
When Union County Public Schools' leaders first brought up the idea of participation in the Visiting International Faculty Program, Marvin Elementary Principal Jay Jones was intrigued. The idea of adding an instructor from another country was appealing, and fit in quite well with countywide efforts to integrate globalization into curriculum.
Getting buy-in from the school's improvement team made up of teachers and parents was easy, as the group enthusiastically supported the idea. Flash forward a few months and Jones was able to welcome the United Kingdom native Tracy Chambers to his staff as part of its fifth grade team.
A teaching assistant almost a decade ago for a brief period in Florida, Chambers said she always wanted to live and work in the U.S.
"So far so good," Jones announced, when asked about Chambers arrival. "Last year when I informed parents about having a visiting faculty member the response was overwhelming."
"In fact," he recalled, "I can count on one hand the folks who didn't want kids in there, but I got the opposite response in terms of those parents wanting this opportunity for their child."
About VIF
VIF began hosting K-12 teachers in 1989 in cooperation with the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, according to the organization's website. VIF is the operating partner of the Global Schools Network, and today is the country's largest teacher exchange sponsor and provider of language immersion and global literacy programs. Over the past 20 years, more than 200 school districts across the country and state have partnered with VIF.
The program goal is to focus on international education for 21st century student preparation – by providing U.S. students with learning opportunities that include becoming proficient in other languages, gaining global awareness and cultural understanding, learning from visiting international teachers and engaging in collaborative learning projects with students in other countries.
The VIF selection process is thorough and arduous.
"The program's candidate selection process was very selective – in terms of educational background and references," Jones said. "They provide a list of suitable candidates, in addition to video clips and bios for each."
As a principal, Jones said he was particularly interested in the makeup and chemistry of his team, who ultimately interviewed five teachers via Skype. When it came to Skyping with Chambers, "We were blown away," he said.
The sentiment was apparently mutual. "The principal and some staff at Marvin interviewed me and e-mailed straight away saying they would like me to join their team," Chambers recalled. "I accepted their offer immediately."
Just a few months later, Chambers found herself packed up and making the long flight from Manchester, England to Marvin.
Settling in
Today, Chambers said she's enjoying both living and working in Union County, where she describes the people as being "very welcoming, friendly and supportive."
"The staff at Marvin has also been very helpful," Chambers said, "which has made for an easy adjustment."
"They've been really creative," Jones said, citing as an example a fellow teacher merging two classes together – working hand-in-hand with fellow students to help Chambers administer a U.S. reading assessment. Jones was pleased to discover the students were all very engaged, focused and on task.
The parent response appears to be equally favorable, with Jones receiving the recent feedback that "My daughter is smitten with her international teacher." Chambers appears equally delighted. "The children have been very receptive to my teachings," she said. "They are constantly asking me questions about England and what it is like to live there. They ask me about English words and phrases that are different than their own."
Jones has no doubt Chambers' impression will be long lasting – offering the fifth grade and her class a flavor of European as well as British culture. An integral part of the school's globalization team, the group is planning a Globalization day for later this year.
Jones is hopeful that the VIF experience will lead to travel farther down the Global Network path. "We are in the 'Global Gateway' stage of this initiative," he explained, "which allots us just one teacher." If this year's program is successful, Marvin Elementary may be able to take the next step to become part of the select 'Global Passport' program and receive up to one VIF instructor per grade level.
"If we see a great deal of success," Jones said, "I really feel like the Global Passport program may be something we see in our school system going forward." With any luck, the program will include Chambers. "There is a possibility my Visa can be extended to five years," she explained, "which I am happy


text:
seannyfleming University of Alabama Student studying Media Production. I work as a Graphic Designer for UA. Some of my favorite things are Batman, Daft Punk, Ocean's Eleven, Queen, (anything) Mario Bros., Smallville, No More Heroes, and DC comics.
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Loud and Clear on Japanese Easing
If anyone doubted whether the world's most hyperactive central bank was losing its nerve, they were set straight on Tuesday.
At a routine meeting that markets were expecting to pass uneventfully, the Bank of Japan announced it would double the scope of two special programs meant to spur bank lending, launching the Nikkei up 3.1%.
The move isn't huge in the context of the BOJ's monetary easing program. Citigroup estimates that...


text:
On Wed, Feb 13, 2002, Borsenkow Andrej wrote:
> I am using Mandrake squid 2.4-STABLE3 (squid-2.4.STABLE3-1mdk).
> Accoridng to FA I can turn off caching by using cache_dir:
> With Squid-2.4 and later you can use the ``null'' storage module:
> cache_dir null /null
Did you recompile squid to include the null filesystem directive?
oh. you're using a package. Don't use ap ackage - compile ityourself.
Received on Wed Feb 13 2002 - 01:11:13 MST
This archive was generated by hypermail pre-2.1.9 : Tue Dec 09 2003 - 17:06:15 MST


text:
One of the great aspects of my life is I get to wander around boat yards and so see lots of really interesting and innovative things to do with boats. Very kid in a candy store stuff. A couple of days ago I was at the Hinckley/Hunt marina complex in Portsmouth RI when I came across two Hall technicians prepping a Carbon mast to be returned to its boat, a 90 foot Gunboat catamaran.
Hall Spars has long been a leader in the construction of Carbon fiber masts. Brothers Ben and Eric Hall have been building spars for pushing 40 years and carbon masts, booms, kite poles and other carbon bits for probably 25 plus years. This brief post shows some pictures of parts of the mast and some commentary from me. Enjoy.
This first image, below, is of the bottom of the mast. The rig is a partial wing mast (NOT a wing sail), which means that it is perhaps 700 mm long (fore and aft-Compare with the ladder or my coffee cup on the ladder) and is much more wing shaped, albeit thicker, as wings go, than a conventional spar.
There are a number of reasons for using a wing shaped mast on a fast boat, not the least of which is to reduce drag as the airflow begins to pass over the sail. The drag from conventional shaped, (roughly oval in cross section) adds up when you do the math to sum the cross sectional frontal area exposed to the wind. An additional benefit of wing masts is there is a lot less standing rigging required to hold the mast up-This has long been a benefit of multihulls because of the wide staying base.
A wide staying base reduces the loads on the mast, and also the amount of rigging needed to keep it up. With the elimination of multiple sets of spreaders, and intricate standing rigging, the mast can be this wing shape.
Today, composite standing rigging is certainly lighter and stronger than any metal rigging, but composite standing rigging is thicker in cross section, so having less of it is a big plus. The image below is of the 'bobstay' securing the top of the deck spreaders to the hull on No way out, the latest IMOCA 60 from VPLP/Verdier. The acute angle demands stronger, so thicker material, but you get the idea.
The bobstay, is secured to the hull in some invisible fashion, below. Notice that all of this is so the boat can have its own partial wing mast, or vice versa…
Finally the drag goes up exponentially with the speed, so a cat or tri (Like Spindrift, shown in the featured image) is incorporated into the sail area and sail shape for considerations of sail shape.
The facility of wide shroud base has transitioned into the IMOCA 60 boats, (seen below is 'No way out') such as those in the Vendee Globe presently underway.
The variations in the size of wing masts are as varied as the boats themselves, as this picture below, of Spindrift, shows. (Spindrift Racing was kind enough to let me have some of the Prout Sailing Team visit Spindrift a couple of years ago.) On the forward side of the mast, at the base, you can see the rotating quadrant with tackle attached. See too, the knife in the yellow sheath, just next to Julia's left calf…..
Back to the Gunboat mast.
Because it is a wing mast, it is deck stepped so it can be rotated. (Or perhaps it is the other way around. It is stepped on deck so it CAN BE a wing mast). To achieve this rotational ability, there are two unique details. The bronze colored circle in the middle is the fitting, slightly concave, which lands on top of its mate on the mast step, on the boat. It is basically a bearing surface for the mast to sit on, so it can rotate.
The half circle looking part is on the forward side of the mast. It is, and so acts like, a quadrant, in a wheel steering system providing a lever arm to move the spar. There are control lines mounted to it and when actuated, these lines can turn the mast thru, what looks like 90 degrees, but is probably only 45 degrees, either side of fore and aft, in practice. You can see these more clearly in the Spindrift images, above.
This closer detail shows a remarkable piece of carbon detailing and finish work. Smooth, shiny and undoubtedly strong. It is as much a work of artisan craftsmanship as an engineering part for a 90-foot high-speed sailboat.
Built into the base of the mast is a detail to accept the halyard turning blocks. This design is necessary because the (aft side of the) mast moves thru, perhaps 12-18 inches when being rotated, so incorporating the blocks mounted onto the mast eliminates the traditional idea of mounting them to the deck with big pad eyes thru bolted.
This traditional method would not be very successful in any event because the halyard's lead out of the mast would be moving all over the place as the mast rotates. In keeping with the proliferation of using cordage in lieu of metal for securing things to the boat, these Harken blocks are looped onto the mast with large diameter spectra. The Harken Velcro straps stop the loop from separating when there is no load on the block. The little piece of light line is probably to keep the Velcro attached to the boat when working on the block
At the loads the sails on these boats generate the engineers must consider the transfer of this load thru the (main) sail's leech to the mast track. In this picture, a section of track is the pewter colored piece on the aft side, the bottom, of the of the mast in the image. The loads on this boat, when sailing full speed, close to the wind, with a fully hoisted main are considerable. Bear in mind that a 90 foot cat, particularly a light fast one, generates the kinds of sail loads roughly equal to a 140-150 foot monohull
And just as much load is generated when reefed. This next image shows the beefy metal (I did not ask what) at the reefs too. The luff track/batten car slider system is suitably large Ronstan ball bearing equipment. This construction detailing on the spar of course requires considerable communications between the Sailmakers and the mast builders as to where the head of the sail will land when the sail is reefed.
Another detail to do with the huge loads on this (these) boat (s) is that they do not use 'conventional' jib halyards & furlers but rather the foresails are on 'free luff' furlers. These furlers have become pretty commonplace on high test boats from Class 40's to Ultimate trimarans, like Spindrift, above.The dead weight of the sail and furler combination is lighter than a conventional aluminum section (or Carbon sections on bigger boats) and can offer the option, quite often exercised of removing the sail and stay completely. The benefit to this of course is to, again, reduce drag and weight aloft and, incidentally, improve stability. The concept and equipment for this kind of free luff furler comes from the reaching Genoas used on furlers for the solo offshore race boats for perhaps the past 20 plus years that has now trickled down to all manner of boats. In order for the loads to be accommodated, the sails/stays are secured by halyard locks. The idea of halyard locks has been around for a while–many smaller boats, Finns, Etchells, and so on have halyard locks, for the mainsail at least, and have had for years.
The contemporary high-load halyard lock is a bit more sophisticated though. The rigging of this halyard lock and free luff sail arrangement involves a 'stay'of a lightweight composite fiber manufactured for the purpose, being captured inside a luff tape on the jib and secured to the head and tack of the sail.This idea is basically like the luff-wire in the jib of a 420-dinghy jib for instance. The rolled up sail is hoisted on a 'halyard' that is really just a length of line, robust enough, to hoist the sail and, when hoisted, the top of the stay is introduced into this metal lock and is thus held in place with no load on the 'halyard'. The lock is held to the suitably reinforced part of the mast with Spectra loops, seen below.
This reduces weight in the mast because the sheave area does not have to be so strong as to resist the halyard tension, rotating over the sheave at about a 160 degree turn and the (hoisting) sheave itself can be much smaller, just big enough to sustain the loads of pulling the sail up. This absence of halyard load reduces the compression on the spar,(cf halyard loads in previous sentence) another element contributing to the weight (savings) in the mast. No (conventional) halyard means fewer blocks at the base of the mast, or winches and clutches on the mast and so on. The lock is probably one of the few metal parts on this mast. The lock hardware thus has a padded jacket around it to protect the (beautiful) carbon work the mast represents.
The above view is up through the tunnel which the part to be locked, the top of the stay, fits.
The stay is tensioned by some combination of tackle, winch or hydraulics as seen on, again, the IMOCA 60, No Way Out.
As noted, wing masts have a lot less standing rigging that a conventional mast, but they are not without some rigging. The picture below shows the additional layers of carbon laminated in and around where the spreaders pass thru the mast. The technique the Hall folks use is a layup over a mandrel, so the outside of the mast shows all the effort put into the work by the technicians actually laying the fibers onto the spar. Truly, art meets science. The shiny-ness of the mast is probably due to a clear coat paint job.
The engineering of these masts is pretty complex and must take into account all manner of multi-directional loads, both static AND dynamic and peak loads, as when sailing into the back-side of a wave at 30-35 knots and slowing down rapidly to 20 knots or less. The composite lay up for the boat's gooseneck must withstand this loading and have a suitable safety factor to boot. This probably accounts for the size of the gooseneck. My thumb is at 21 inches.
A proper seagoing mast ought to have a tunnel inside the spar to run the cabling for all the electronic and electric stuff. An innovative variation on the typical round tube held to the inside of the mast is this sheath fabricated from some light sailcloth. All the cabling is captive inside this sheath. It is held in place and tensioned by, at the bottom, the piece of lightweight Spectra, the blue colored one. The reddish piece of Spectra is probably mouse line for installing and removing cabling.
Certainly not all of us have the means to own and operate a gunboat 90, but as noted above, hanging around in boat yards is, for many water rats, a fine thing to do.
Feature image Spindrift Racing, 30 meter Trimaran.
Picture courtesy Spindrift racing


text:
Augusta's John Engler advanced to the round of 16 this afternoon in the U.S. Mid-Amateur at Shadow Hawk Golf Club in Richmond, Texas.
Engler defeated Rob Couture of Dallas 4 and 2 in his first match Tuesday. He advances to the second round of match play this afternoon. He will take on Michael McCoy, who defeated Robert Gerwin 1 up.
Jeff Knox of Augusta was eliminated from match play today with a 4 and 2 loss to 60-year-old Paul Simson of Raleigh, N.C. Simson is a former U.S. Senior Amateur winner.
Former Augusta State golf coach Josh Gregory, who now lives in Dallas and coaches Southern Methodist, also advanced to match play. He lost 2 and 1 to Aaron Hickman of Dallas.
The winner of the U.S. Mid-Amateur receives a berth in the 2012 Masters Tournament.


text:
What is up with the badly spliced together "you help me do that" at 53 secs
What is up with the badly spliced together "you help me do that" at 53 secs
The music:
Jonah Hill just signed on.
This is going to be interesting.
I hate lighting and color grading in new movies. I miss the 90's.
Honestly, he's a better actor then people give him credit for. It's just that he's played all of these college-kid movies that it's hard to see him otherwise. I guarantee being around such veteran actors will certainly help bring him to a higher potential.
Acute observers, some people are
Version from US trailer looks so much better.
I like the overly brutal international version more
US one is better.
Everything about the US trailer is better :|
Really the US trailer was fantastic, the international one is like its made for stupid people. Many of the shots were better shorter, as they were in the initial trailer.
Django and Dr. King Schultz' relationship doesn't seem right in the international one. The funny bits didn't really fit in either.
The way they cut the dialogue together is worse too.
The international trailer was almost exactly the same, christ.
I'm saying why don't they broadcast the US trailer internationally instead of making an inferior one for 'everyone else'.
There are always int trailers, not entirely sure why.
dont see whats wrong with the mass blood. nobody complained about it in kill bill
Leo looks awesome.
That is sexy.
Nothing more needs to be said.
My friend on this movie: "Nah, I'm not going to see this. Taratino's films are only about shooting"
Saw the trailer for this while at The Dark Knight Rises the other day. I'm so fucking excited, it looks amazing.
I heard Don Johnson has a part in the film, should be interesting.
best part of the trailer imo
So unbelievably hyped for this.
Made with a lower quality gif that cuts before he nods, too lazy to remake with higher quality gif.
Oh my god oh my god oh my god oh my god
Can't help but think that that particular trailer wasn't very well edited.
I saw a new trailer tonight during TWD
I think it will be better than Inglourious Basterds.


text:
Skip to comments.Wheres the Human in Humanism? Humanist Ads Violate...Own Humanist Standards (Attacking Christmas]
Posted on 12/02/2010 3:28:52 PM PST by Salvation
As Christmas draws near, the Humanists have made it a practice in recent years to tweak Christians (as well as Jews and Muslims) and attempt to make the concept of faith look ridiculous. They generally do this by quoting a sacred text and interpreting it in a mechanistic, fundamentalist and literalistic manner. The notion of quoting any other text that might balance it or perhaps make distinctions does not fit their scheme so they dont do it. They claim to be thinkers but little thought is really evident in their attacks for they think that one-liners can represent a faith tradition thousands of years old.
Clearly too, they seem to violate their own humanist notions, for it seems in that they show no real human respect for their believing opponents. They claim to be the decent folks in the discussion but their disrespectful treatment of ancient faith traditions belies their self described decency and open-mindedness. In effect their charges against believers is that we are, homophobic, misogynistic, genocidal, homicidal, and generally unthinking. They of course show no bigotry at all in these charges and their simplistic use of our Scriptures. No they are the enlightened ones, kind and noble. They are humanists after all, and the rest of us are, well, unenlightened and responsible for just about everything bad there is on the planet. Or, so it would seem, based on their kindly assessment of us.
It will be noted that each Ad has the following format: Some people believe We think . The implication being of course that they think and we do not. They do not see faith as a way of thinking. I am not sure what part of the human person they think faith resides in but they surely do not think it can be in the intellect. But of course faith IS a way of knowing. In know certain things and can think on them because God has revealed them. I know them by faith, but I do KNOW them.
Further, the secular humanist cannot claim he knows nothing by faith. In fact most of what we know, whether we are atheist or religious, we know by faith. It is simply not possible for most of us to personally verify everything we know. I cannot get on a plane and personally go to a foreign country and observe some event. I usually just trust what I read or hear on the news. I cannot get in a time machine and personally verify that in 1492 Columbus sailed the ocean blue. Neither can I personally verify that Paul Revere said, The British are coming. Yes, such things are in history books. But what if some folks were lying? Maybe the facts in the history books are wrong. So in the end I know these sorts of things by a human kind of faith. I trust that previous generations have largely handed the true facts. Faith isa fundamental human disposition. Without it we could not really claim to know much.
So what the humanists claim to think or know, is also largely based on beliefs and values that cannot simply be scientifically verified. For example, that men and women are equal is a fine value which I share. But it not really something that can be scientifically proved. Rather, it is based on values and a personal decision to regard the differences of men and women as of no significance in terms of what we mean by equality. But this is a belief. Another example, they claim that homosexual behavior is validly equal to heterosexual behavior. But this too is a belief, not a pure scientific thought. So even as they ridicule my belief and values they engage in belief and values of theirown. Even as they claim to think independent of faith, their thought, like mine is steeped in presuppositions rooted in faith and values.
So lets take a look at some of their ads and videos.
Heres the first ad.
Well of course the first thing to note of the Ad is the rather crude use of Scripture. It is not an authentic use of Scripture to simply quote one verse and think that you have captured all that Scripture has to say on that subject. Frequently, one verse will clarify another, or make distinctions. Sometimes one passage of scripture will balance another or tell the other side of the story.
Yet Another factor in this Ad is that it seems to treat all Christians alike in their interpretation of this passage. The fact is that a passage like this has a number of different interpretations and applications. If you were to walk into any Christian Church you would not find in most of them, women silent and having no practical authority. Women exercise great authority in churches and denominations. Even in the Catholic Church with a male only priesthood, woman have a lot of leadership. Hence this verse has not been read by most Christians in the absolute or literal sense that our Ad author wants us to think. St. Paul who wrote this passage elsewhere commends women who are catechists (e.g. Rom 16:1)and deaconesses (those who assisted in baptisms) . He speaks with great respect of many women who were patrons of the early Church (e.g. Lydia, Dorcas et al.) What Paul is probably saying here is that a woman was not to preside over liturgical functions or give the homily, reserved to priests and deacons. It is probably a liturgical context that Paul has in mind. This may still not please everyone but it is far from the extreme our Ad wants us to see.
As for marriage, Scripture does teach male headship. But that headship is rooted in love and service, not power. A husband is to love his wife (cf Eph5:19ff). The humanists are free to assert that they favor what they call perfect partnership (which seems to want to deny any form of headship). But that too is a belief. Notice that their response uses the word should. It is a belief, not a scientific fact, that equality can only exist in the absence of headship. Christians believe that authority exists, but it is exercised among equals. The Pope has authority in the Church but he is no more a Child of God than you or I. Before God we are equal but we do have some different roles among ourselves. But different does not mean unequal. Humanists have different beliefs in this regard but it is a belief, no less than ours. More on headship and equality here: http://blog.adw.org/2009/08/an-unpopular-teaching-on-marriage/
When the Ad says some believe this, Id like to know who. In quoting the Old Testament the Humanists are not seriously contending that some Christians or Jews hold slaves today or beat them are they? Here too their real goal is probably more to ridicule Scripture. It is an undeniable fact that slavery was a feature of the Biblical world. However, slavery was not exclusive to the Biblical world. Further, the slavery of the ancient world was different in many respects from the slavery of more recent times. In the ancient world slavery usually the alternative to death or jail. People were enslaved for three usual reasons. Either they had debts they could not pay. Or, they had committed certain crimes. Or, they had been soldiers in a war wherein they lost. Instead of killing the soldiers or merely imprisoning debtors or criminals they might be permanently or temporarily enslaved. This history helps explain why the Scriptures did not condemn this practice. It was an alternative to things that may have been far worse. and, frankly our modern prisons arent shining examples of humanism either. These historical differences did not make slavery a wonderful thing but it is not the same as the slavery of the 16th Century wherein people were enslaved who had committed no crimes, waged no war, and owed no debts. It went by the name of slavery but it was different reality and as people woke up to this it was ended. Christians, Jews and non believers were all part of the battle to end slavery. The humanists cannot claim some sort of credit for ending slavery. Many of different backgrounds including Christians and Jews fought powerfully to end slavery. As for you humanists who are committed to treating each person as having inherent dignity, welcome to the crowd. You cannot claim this for yourself alone.
Here too, to say that some believe that homosexuals should be stoned is simply a hateful caricature of Christians and the humanist author of this Ad knows it. No Christian or Jewish creed calls for the death penalty in this matter. In ancient Biblical times many punishments were severe as considered by todays standards. Adulterers were also to be stoned. Children could also be put to death for dishonoring parents. But these severe punishments were largely set aside by the Jewish people as they came forth from the desert and settled in the Promised Land. The punishments were ameliorated but the moral teaching on these matters were not. It is a consistent Biblical teaching from the early to the last passages of Scripture that Homosexual activity is sinful. So is illicit sexual union between heterosexuals (fornication and adultery). This is our principled belief as Catholics rooted in consistent Scriptural teaching. Now the Humanists are free to disagree but they too are expressing a belief. They cannot scientifically prove what the ad calls the validity of sexual equality. In fact any scientific study would seem to point away from it. Homosexual unions are not fertile and any scientific look at the the body parts in question will indicate that the man is made for the woman and the woman for the man. Further the preponderance of disease related to homosexual activity and other forms of promiscuity among heterosexuals backs the biblical prohibitions more that the humanist permissiveness. Perhaps our humanist thinker should think through the evidence a bit more. Have considered humanism in this matter I find it wanting. More on Biblical teaching on Homosexuality here: http://blog.adw.org/2009/10/biblical-teaching-on-homosexual-activity/
Here we see our humanist interlocutor ridiculing what he or she does not understand. Christian tradition distinguishes between servile fear and filial fear. Now servile fear is not commended and should be conquered. Filial Fear however is based in love and consists in a deep reverence for God whom I dread to offend on account of my love and deep respect for him. Now my reverence for God is surely based on the fact that he will one day judge me, and Jesus who is quoted here, reminds us that it is better to fear him than to fear man. For, ultimately a man can only kill my body, but the Lord has authority over my soul and eternal destiny. Hence our reverence for God should be higher than for man. Here too one verse of Scripture is not the whole of Scripture and the crude use of Scripture made by our thinking humanist should also include other scriptures that balance the notion of servile fear. For example, There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love (1 John 4:18). This particular text goes on to say that the love of God drives out sin in us and hence we no longer fear punishment as sin is increasingly driven away. Hence while the Lord speaks of the fear of punishment by God as more necessary than fear of man, Scripture elsewhere distinguishes that this sort of fear is something that should give way over time as we grow in love and faith.
Finally, the quote by Bertrand Russell also needs some additions or distinctions. I cannot imagine that he or humanists really argue that all fear is bad. There are some things of course that are rightly feared. For example, I ought to fear dangerous or reckless behavior. I ought to fear genuinely harmful things. I need not be in a panic but rather, an appropriate, reverential fear of things that can harm me is often called for and reasonable. Surely a thinking humanist would concur with this.
I sometimes wonder too if humanists fear us who believe. I say this because of the over the top quality of some of these Ads. They seem so rooted in a kind of bigoted fear that simplifies and tries to ridicule us. I sense fear fear in this.
Well now, this is the silliest Ad of all. Had our thinking humanist bothered to consult even the most basic Scriptural commentary he or she would have discovered that this verse employs Jewish hyperbole. This is not a call to hate. It is a Jewish way of speaking that emerges from the fact that the Hebrew language does not contain many comparative words such as more, less, greater, fewer and so forth. Hence if I prefer Chocolate ice cream to vanilla I would say in the Hebrew or Aramaic idiom, I love Chocolate and hate vanilla. But what I mean is that I prefer Chocolate, not that I really hate vanilla. Hence the Lord teaches us here that we must love God above all things and people and that he must have priority in our life. The humanist may reject this notion but it is still wrong for them to misrepresent our Scripture. Since all humanists are fair, loving and kind, according to this Ad, they really should check with us about what our Scriptures mean before presuming such terrible things about them or us. This Scripture is not saying what they claim it says. It seems once again that the real purpose here is to ridicule what they do not understand. This is rooted more in bigotry than kindness. There is nothing kind about this Ad and the humanist author might consider that his creed (pardon the expression) that he BE KIND does not seem to apply to Christians.
Well there are three videos I will post tomorrow that are also part of this campaign.
In summary, having considered the humanism on display in these ads, I have found it wanting. There is little in them that is any way considerate or humanist. All the kindness and moral high ground these Ads claim that humanist have seem to give way to condemnation rooted in ignorance, simplifications, and erroneous understanding of basic doctrines of faith. Indeed, I would call these ads amateurish at many levels. Even simple fact checking was not done. In the end these Ads are not rooted in critical thinking at all. They seem far more expressive of the kind of bigotry and fear based ignorance they claim to condemn.
Video at site. Atheist Campaign Angers Christians
Atheists trying to diminish Christmas and diminish Christianity in general by misquoting the Bible.
What do you think?
If you arent on this ping list NOW and would like to be on it, please Freepmail me.
The Christian message at Christmas time offers real hope and comfort. The humanist offer at Christmas time is for one to consider being obnoxiously unChristian and intellectually dishonest.
The perceptibility of Christ's love is so enormously magnified at Christmas that virtually everyone can feel it unless they actively fight it.
So evil people fight it.
The flak is thickest over the target.
Well, one can believe there is a real purpose in this life, that there will be ultimate justice, that there is a creator God who is good and we have worth to Him, and who wants to have a relationship with us,
you can believe this is all a cosmic accident, that right and wrong are merely just preferences, and ultimately what you do in life, be it a murderer or a life saving doctor, doesn't matter because we all die and that's it, and eventually our sun will explode and destroy any trace of us and wipe out the cosmic accident from existence. None if it matters.
Your choice.
Funny how "humanists" are the biggest supporters of abortion. Especially in African countries.
Getting down to brass tacks, it's important for religious people to see humanism in the context that they have seen it before, in the Bible.
Religious people say that God is in charge. Humanists say mankind is in charge. People challenging the supremacy of God happens in the Bible, as well as what happened when people challenged the supremacy of God.
Take Nimrod, for example. In his arrogance he decides to build a tower to heaven, so he can go up there and be like God. He really thought he was hot stuff.
Look at Al Gore today. He thinks he controls the weather. It is that same kind of egotistical arrogance that provokes God to kick some rear end. Importantly, not too hard, because mankind does have a role in the scheme of things, but being in charge isn't it.
So what do you think when you see a humanist doing his thing? You can just shrug and tell yourself that he is setting himself up to get thumped. One way or another. And how that happens really isn't up to him, which should be some small satisfaction.
Are you saying that the target is Washington, D. C.? LOL!
Yes, how human is that?
Atheists recognize the law of noncontradiction. If they are right, then we are wrong. This goes against the murky "toleration" that says that there is no such thing as right and wrong, that everything reduces to a matter of opinion. They say that religion is bigotry founded on superstition. Their own bigotry is founded on the truth of the matter and is therefore justified.
Utilitarianism is a morality acceptable to atheists. It provides for a calculation of the pain or pleasure, somewhat like that promoted by Epicurius us. It is good if it gives pleasure and pleasure that does not harm the body, or those for whom we feel affection. It is bad if it causes pain that is hurtful to the body. The end in view is survival at a level of moderated pleasure. It falls over the refusal of so many humans not to follow this prescription for the good life. Bertrand Russell could not tell us why Hitler's treatment of the Jews or our firebombing of Dresden was evil, except each was opposed by social convention.
You complain about atheists "misinterpreting" scripture, but if there was a God who wanted to get a message out to the world, wouldn't God produce scripture that could not possibly be misinterpreted?
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