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Countering stress and depression among servicemembers and their families is something chaplains work with almost on a daily basis.
I hope this article by the Dalai Lama may interest many of you.
From www.dalailama.com
Countering Stress and Depression
At a fundamental level, as human beings, we are all the same; each one of us aspires to happiness and each one of us does not wish to suffer. This is why, whenever I have the opportunity, I try to draw people's attention to what as members of the human family we have in common and the deeply interconnected nature of our existence and welfare.
Today, there is increasing recognition, as well as a growing body of scientific evidence, that confirms the close connection between our own states of mind and our happiness. On the one hand, many of us live in societies that are very developed materially, yet among us are many people who are not very happy. Just underneath the beautiful surface of affluence there is a kind of mental unrest, leading to frustration, unnecessary quarrels, reliance on drugs or alcohol, and in the worst case, suicide. There is no guarantee that wealth alone can give you the joy or fulfilment that you seek. The same can be said of your friends too. When you are in an intense state of anger or hatred, even a very close friend appears to you as somehow frosty, or cold, distant, and annoying.
However, as human beings we are gifted with this wonderful human intelligence. Besides that, all human beings have the capacity to be very determined and to direct that strong sense of determination in whatever direction they like. So long as we remember that we have this marvellous gift of human intelligence and a capacity to develop determination and use it in positive ways, we will preserve our underlying mental health. Realizing we have this great human potential gives us a fundamental strength. This recognition can act as a mechanism that enables us to deal with any difficulty, no matter what situation we are facing, without losing hope or sinking into feelings of low self-esteem.
I write this as someone who lost his freedom at the age of 16, then lost his country at the age of 24. Consequently, I have lived in exile for more than 50 years during which we Tibetans have dedicated ourselves to keeping the Tibetan identity alive and preserving our culture and values. On most days the news from Tibet is heartbreaking, and yet none of these challenges gives grounds for giving up. One of the approaches that I personally find useful is to cultivate the thought: If the situation or problem is such that it can be remedied, then there is no need to worry about it. In other words, if there is a solution or a way out of the difficulty, you do not need to be overwhelmed by it. The appropriate action is to seek its solution. Then it is clearly more sensible to spend your energy focussing on the solution rather than worrying about the problem. Alternatively, if there is no solution, no possibility of resolution, then there is also no point in being worried about it, because you cannot do anything about it anyway. In that case, the sooner you accept this fact, the easier it will be for you. This formula, of course, implies directly confronting the problem and taking a realistic view. Otherwise you will be unable to find out whether or not there is a resolution to the problem
Taking a realistic view and cultivating a proper motivation can also shield you against feelings of fear and anxiety. If you develop a pure and sincere motivation, if you are motivated by a wish to help on the basis of kindness, compassion, and respect, then you can carry on any kind of work, in any field, and function more effectively with less fear or worry, not being afraid of what others think or whether you ultimately will be successful in reaching your goal. Even if you fail to achieve your goal, you can feel good about having made the effort. But with a bad motivation, people can praise you or you can achieve goals, but you still will not be happy.
Again, we may sometimes feel that our whole lives are unsatisfactory, we feel on the point of being overwhelmed by the difficulties that confront us. This happens to us all in varying degrees from time to time. When this occurs, it is vital that we make every effort to find a way of lifting our spirits. We can do this by recollecting our good fortune. We may, for example, be loved by someone; we may have certain talents; we may have received a good education; we may have our basic needs provided for - food to eat, clothes to wear, somewhere to live - we may have performed certain altruistic deeds in the past. We must take into consideration even the slightest positive aspect of our lives. For if we fail to find some way of uplifting ourselves, there is every danger of sinking further into our sense of powerlessness. This can lead us to believe that we have no capacity for doing good whatsoever. Thus we create the conditions of despair itself.
As a Buddhist monk I have learned that what principally upsets our inner peace is what we call disturbing emotions. All those thoughts, emotions, and mental events which reflect a negative or uncompassionate state of mind inevitably undermine our experience of inner peace. All our negative thoughts and emotions - such as hatred, anger, pride, lust, greed, envy, and so on - are considered to be sources of difficulty, to be disturbing. Negative thoughts and emotions are what obstruct our most basic aspiration - to be happy and to avoid suffering. When we act under their influence, we become oblivious to the impact our actions have on others: they are thus the cause of our destructive behaviour both toward others and to ourselves. Murder, scandal, and deceit all have their origin in disturbing emotions.
This inevitably gives rise to the question - can we train the mind? There are many methods by which to do this. Among these, in the Buddhist tradition, is a special instruction called mind training, which focuses on cultivating concern for others and turning adversity to advantage. It is this pattern of thought, transforming problems into happiness that has enabled the Tibetan people to maintain their dignity and spirit in the face of great difficulties. Indeed I have found this advice of great practical benefit in my own life.
A great Tibetan teacher of mind training once remarked that one of the mind's most marvellous qualities is that it can be transformed. I have no doubt that those who attempt to transform their minds, overcome their disturbing emotions and achieve a sense of inner peace, will, over a period of time, notice a change in their mental attitudes and responses to people and events. Their minds will become more disciplined and positive. And I am sure they will find their own sense of happiness grow as they contribute to the greater happiness of others. I offer my prayers that everyone who makes this their goal will be blessed with success.
The Dalai Lama
December 31, 2010
Originally published in the Hindustan Times, India, on January 3rd, 2011
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
3 comments:
- Trevor said...
I am humbled to have had the opportunity to interview an American Buddhist soldier currently serving in Afghanistan.
I thought you might be interested in taking a look: http://thebigoldoaktree.blogspot.com/2011/01/american-buddhist-soldier-in.html
And note that I gave a shout out to your excellent blog. :)
All the best,
Rev. Trevor S. Maloney
PS: I tried to email you, but the address on your Blogger profile didn't work. - January 12, 2011 at 4:10 PM
- Jeanette Yuinen Shin said...
Thank you very much for posting this! I remember my email correspondence with him. I will separately post your link on the blog!
In gassho,
Yuinen - January 12, 2011 at 8:09 PM
- Jeanette Yuinen Shin said...
BTW, you may be able to contact me at email@example.com
- January 12, 2011 at 8:21 PM
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** Athletic - 85% poly/15% spandex
** Bamboo French Terry - 95%/5% 260-280gsm (60" WOF) - (4 way stretch)
** Bamboo Lycra (spandex) 95%/5% 210-220gsm (60" WOF) - (4 way stretch)
** Canvas - 100%cotton for cotton canvas, 200-210gsm (57" WOF)
** Cotton Lycra (spandex) - 95%/5%, 230-240gsm, 12-13oz. (60" WOF) - (4-Way Stretch)
** Cotton Woven - 100% cotton 145 gsm, 10oz. (57" WOF)
** Minky - 100% polyester, 220gsm,12-13oz 60"
** Plush - 95% polyester, 5% lycra, 380gsm, 60" WOF (4 way stretch)
** Swim- (UV 50+) poly/spandex 84%/16%, 220-230gsm, 12-13oz - 60" WOF** Pebble Vinyl - 55" WOF (Ships to you folded)
Panel Sizes:
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Pre-Order | R37 | Light Plum Floral
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subset: commoncrawl


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1. A heavy hook fastened to the end of a handle for landing fish.
2. The spar on which the top or head of a fore-and-aft sail is laced. Halyards are attached to it to hoist the sail.
3. The act of using a gaff.
1. A heavy hook fastened to the end of a handle for landing fish.
2. The spar on which the top or head of a fore-and-aft sail is laced. Halyards are attached to it to hoist the sail.
3. The act of using a gaff.
In fishing, fastening a number of hooks to the same line, creating a "gang" of hooks. Gang can also refer to the leader from the trawl line to an individual hook.
A net which captures fish of a certain size. The fish is unable to swim forward due to its size anc cannot back out due to the size of its gills.
c.1483-1538. Portuguese navigator who worked for Spain (Estêvão Gomes is the Portuguese spelling.) Piloted one of Magellan's ships on Magellan's around the world voyage in 1519, but mutinied and turned back at Cape Horn for which he was jailed on his return in 1521. Released after the survivors returned in 1522, he convinced Charles V, king of Spain, that he could find a passage through North America. Charles V was concerned about his rival and enemy Francis I of France and his navigator Verrazzano and gave Gomez full support. Gomez sailed in September of 1524. Traditional scholarship has him making the trip from north to south but more recent work indicates it was south to north, which makes more sense, wintering in Cuba (Hispaniola) and then heading north. In 1525 he coasted from Florida to Nova Scotia, returning to Spain in August. A map drawn in 1529 using the results of his voyage showed that he had sailed up into Penobscot Bay, up to what is now Bangor, as well as sighting the offshore islands,;Casco or Muscongus Bay; and the White Mountains of New Hampshire, all in June. He also kidnapped at least 58 natives for eventual sale into slavery; they were freed by Charles V, but not returned to their homeland. Gomez was killed in the West Indies in 1528.
1851-1896. Zoologist whose specialty was the natural history of fish (an ichthyologist). After joining the staff of the Smithsonian in 1877, he became Assistant Secretary of the Smithsonian in 1887. He organized a number of fisheries exhibitions and is chiefly known for his work directing and editing the 1880 fish census survey that resulted in the 7-volume publication, The Fisheries and Fishery Industries of the United States, published between 1884 and 1887.
1572-1607. English explorer who sailed to New England in 1602, arriving at and naming Cape Elizabeth, anchoring in York Harbor, then sailing down the coast. He named Cape Cod, then sailed around to Martha's Vineyard, naming it for his daughter. His party was too weak to plant a colony, so all returned. He obtained the exclusive charter that established the Virginia Company, which was to establish the Jamestown colony, and recruited its leadership. He sailed himself as vice admiral and captain of the second largest ship, Godspeed. He died four months after landing at Jamestown. A skeleton, which may be his, was uncovered in 2002. He is considered to be the prime mover of the settlement.
A large shallow area, rich in fish, located in the North Atlantic off Newfoundland. Publicized by John Cabot's voyage in 1497, this was once perhaps the world's greatest fishing grounds, with cod so thick they could be snagged in baskets, according to Cabot. The Candian portion of the Grand Banks have been closed to cod fishing as well as the cod fishery along the northern Newfoundland and Labrador coasts due to complete collapse of the Northern Cod stock.
1581-1626. English mathematician who in 1620 published trigonometric tables with logarithms. His scales, which could be used to multiply numbers using dividers, were invaluable to the seafarer who called them "Gunters." This was published in 1624 in his Description and Use of the Sector, the Crosse-Staffe and other Instruments. The Gunter scale is the basis of the slide rule.
Pronounced gun'l. The upper edge of the side or bulwark of a vessel.


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Stardew Valley
Online multiplayer on console requires Xbox Game Pass Ultimate or Xbox Game Pass Core (sold separately).
You've inherited your grandfather's old farm plot in Stardew Valley. Armed with hand-me-down tools and a few coins, you set out to begin your new life. Can you learn to live off the land and turn these overgrown fields into a thriving home? It won't be easy. Ever since Joja Corporation came to town, the old ways of life have all but disappeared. The community center, once the town's most vibrant hub of activity, now lies in shambles. But the valley seems full of opportunity. With a little dedication, you might just be the one to restore Stardew Valley to greatness! * Turn your overgrown field into a lively farm! Raise animals, grow crops, start an orchard, craft useful machines, and more! You'll have plenty of space to create the farm of your dreams. * Customize the appearance of your character and house. With hundreds of decorative items to choose from, you'll have no trouble creating the home of your dreams! * Improve your skills over time. As you make your way from a struggling greenhorn to a master farmer, you'll level up in 5 different areas: farming, mining, combat, fishing, and foraging. As you progress, you'll learn new cooking and crafting recipes, unlock new areas to explore, and customize your skills by choosing from a variety of professions. * Become part of the local community. With over 30 unique characters living in Stardew Valley, you won't have a problem finding new friends! Each person has their own daily schedule, birthday, unique mini-cutscenes, and new things to say throughout the week and year. Take part in seasonal festivals such as the luau, haunted maze, and feast of the winter star. * Explore a vast, mysterious cave. As you travel deeper underground, you'll encounter new and dangerous monsters, powerful weapons, new environments, valuable gemstones, raw materials for crafting and upgrading tools, and mysteries to be uncovered. * Help restore Stardew Valley to it's former glory by repairing the old community center, or take the alternate route and join forces with Joja Corporation. * Court and marry a partner to share your life on the farm with. There are 10 available bachelors and bachelorettes to woo, each with unique character progression cutscenes. Once married, your partner will live on the farm with you. Who knows, maybe you'll have kids and start a family? * Spend a relaxing afternoon at one of the local fishing spots. Craft bait, bobbers, and crab pots to help you in your journey toward catching every fish and becoming a local legend! * Donate artifacts and minerals to the local museum. * Cook delicious meals and craft useful items to help you out. With over 100 cooking and crafting recipes, you'll have a wide variety of items to create. Craft useful objects like scarecrows, oil makers, furnaces, or even the rare and expensive crystalarium!
Published by
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Playable on
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- Online co-op (2-4)
- Single player
- Xbox achievements
- Xbox presence
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- Xbox Live
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- Catalogue of over 25 high-quality games on console
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The laser printer was the first digital proofing system used for desktop publishing. A document is created on the computer and then sent to the printer in the form of a page description language (PDL), most commonly PostScript. A PostScript laser printer includes a raster image processor (RIP) that converts the information from the PostScript language into information that the print engine can understand. Through the use of positive and negative electrical charges, an image is written onto an internal drum by a laser beam. A developer roller picks up toner and applies it where the image is. The toner is transferred from the drum to the paper, forming the image. The toner is then fused to the paper by passing through a pair of heated rollers. This technology is called Electrostatic Printing, or Xerography, which is the same technology used for photocopiers.
Laser printers have image resolutions from 300 dots per inch (dpi) to 1200 dpi. The printers are used during the design stages for customer approval on initial concepts and also for proofreading purposes. The low cost and efficiency of the printer makes it a good choice for the initial proofing process.


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Release of Archos GamePad tablet based on a RockChip dual core 1.6 GHz SoC with 4-core Mali 400 MP made me curious about this kind of hardware.
Archos tablet is announced at a price point of 149€ with Jelly Bean, 8GB of total storage and an interesting physical button mapping tool.Thanks to Jean Luc Castellani, JBmm.fr author, I had a glimpses of what's inside this one after he sent me a Voodoo Report.
Yesterday I saw something similar but priced at 99.99€ instead as I was running errands in a French Leclerc general store: the DEA Factory MyPlay
99.99€, possibility to return it during 7 days (no re-stocking fee). Sold!
Honestly I was first surprised it was working properly as I was expecting much worse for such a cheap price. So I was quite impressed by the fact it's a complete device.
I won't make a full review here but just observations, de-facto incomplete.
Things I liked:
- Working and configurable HDMI output
- Okay headphone audio quality: not outstanding but surprisingly better than many pricier devices on market.
- Reasonably low weight
- Pre-rooted: that my friend is really lovely. Su binary present and insecure adb.
- It has Google Play store, and.. well, it works!
- Hardware is weak but the software probably makes most of it already: very close to AOSP, good quality port, no glaring problem.
- Not very sensitive but okay multi touch capacitive digitizer.
- Out of the box USB host capability and connection cable.
Things I disliked:
- Display:
- Mirror effect, reflectance is quite high
- Viewing angles, well yes it's a TN panel, I'm not used to that anymore
- Highly visible sub-pixel grain, plane surfaces appearing as an uneven RGB matrix varying in its appearance with viewing angle.
- 44 Hz refresh rate on the panel instead of standard 60 Hz.
- Poor color calibration with a strong blue cast and clipping in blue channel.
- General slowness and lag mostly due to poor I/O performance leading to the device becoming barely usable at times.
- Audio / Video de-synchronization on HDMI, annoying when playing videos.
- Not a powerful gaming platform:
- Weak CPU: announced as 1.5 GHz Cortex A8 but runs at 1 GHz max.
- Weak GPU: Mali 400, yes but its slowest single-core implementation, not comparable to Archos GamePad quad-core Mali 400MP.
Audio measurements:
Like I said audio is quite decent when you plug headphones. The audio codec is not named by its driver so I don't know exactly what's inside.
THD values are low, and IMD+Noise stay reasonable as well unless you increase the output volume which leads to no obvious distortion but still an audible loss in quality when driving high quality low distortion headphones like Sennheiser HD 650.
Jitter is present but typically not audible, there's no resampling artifacts either and frequency response is quite flat. If I bought this device it was also to measure how an Android device made of as cheap as it gets components was doing in the audio department and once again I'm observing price is not an indicator of audio quality.
Hiss, tested with very sensitive isolating Sennheiser SE535 in-ears is audible but okay. With some ALSA hacking the amp becomes almost black with no audible noise. Once again this is something many device sold at much higher price are unable to do.
Maximum volume is also quite loud (sorry no measurements here) and I doubt you'll be lacking here with any kind of headphones.
RMAA measurements results for a comparison between Android volumes
I would recommend choosing volume 12 or 13 as line-out level if you plug an external amplifier.
Display measurements:
One good point is contrast ratio, at 920:1. Everything else is pretty unimpressive.
And of course the gamma value increase (darker) then some colors are inverted when looking from below the ideal viewing angle and and decrease (brighter) when looking from upper.
Some more images:


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By Whitney Webb
Far from being a war against "white supremacy," the Biden administration's new "domestic terror" strategy clearly targets primarily those who oppose US government overreach and those who oppose capitalism and/or globalization.
In the latest sign that the US government's War on Domestic Terror is growing in scope and scale, the White House on Tuesday revealed the nation's first ever government-wide strategy for confronting domestic terrorism. While cloaked in language about stemming racially motivated violence, the strategy places those deemed "anti-government" or "anti-authority" on a par with racist extremists and charts out policies that could easily be abused to silence or even criminalize online criticism of the government.
Even more disturbing is the call to essentially fuse intelligence agencies, law enforcement, Silicon Valley, and "community" and "faith-based" organizations such as the Anti-Defamation League, as well as unspecified foreign governments, as partners in this "war," which the strategy makes clear will rely heavily on a pre-crime orientation focused largely on what is said on social media and encrypted platforms. Though the strategy claims that the government will "shield free speech and civil liberties" in implementing this policy, its contents reveal that it is poised to gut both.
Indeed, while framed publicly as chiefly targeting "right-wing white supremacists," the strategy itself makes it clear that the government does not plan to focus on the Right but instead will pursue "domestic terrorists" in "an ideologically neutral, threat-driven manner," as the law "makes no distinction based on political view—left, right or center." It also states that a key goal of this strategic framework is to ensure "that there is simply no governmental tolerance . . . of violence as an acceptable mode of seeking political or social change," regardless of a perpetrator's political affiliation.
Considering that the main cheerleaders for the War on Domestic Terror exist mainly in establishment left circles, such individuals should rethink their support for this new policy given that the above statements could easily come to encompass Black Lives Matter–related protests, such as those that transpired last summer, depending on which political party is in power.
Once the new infrastructure is in place, it will remain there and will be open to the same abuses perpetrated by both political parties in the US during the lengthy War on Terror following September 11, 2001. The history of this new "domestic terror" policy, including its origins in the Trump administration, makes this clear.
It's Never Been Easier to Be a "Terrorist"
In introducing the strategy, the Biden administration cites "racially or ethnically motivated violent extremists" as a key reason for the new policy and a main justification for the War on Domestic Terror in general. This was most recently demonstrated Tuesday in Attorney General Merrick Garland's statement announcing this new strategy. However, the document itself puts "anti-government" or "anti-authority" "extremists" in the same category as violent white supremacists in terms of being a threat to the homeland. The strategy's characterization of such individuals is unsettling.
AG Merrick Garland: "In the FBI's view, the top domestic violent extremist threat comes from racially or ethically motivated violent extremists specifically those who advocate for the superiority of the white race."
pic.twitter.com/4JtruuMSv2— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) June 15, 2021
For instance, those who "violently oppose" "all forms of capitalism" or "corporate globalization" are listed under this less-discussed category of "domestic terrorist." This highlights how people on the left, many of whom have called for capitalism to be dismantled or replaced in the US in recent years, could easily be targeted in this new "war" that many self-proclaimed leftists are currently supporting. Similarly, "environmentally-motivated extremists," a category in which groups such as Extinction Rebellion could easily fall, are also included.
In addition, the phrasing indicates that it could easily include as "terrorists" those who oppose the World Economic Forum's vision for global "stakeholder capitalism," as that form of "capitalism" involves corporations and their main "stakeholders" creating a new global economic and governance system. The WEF's stakeholder capitalism thus involves both "capitalism" and "corporate globalization."
The strategy also includes those who "take steps to violently resist government authority . . . based on perceived overreach." This, of course, creates a dangerous situation in which the government could, purposely or otherwise, implement a policy that is an obvious overreach and/or blatantly unconstitutional and then label those who resist it "domestic terrorists" and deal with them as such—well before the overreach can be challenged in court.
Another telling addition to this group of potential "terrorists" is "any other individual or group who engages in violence—or incites imminent violence—in opposition to legislative, regulatory or other actions taken by the government." Thus, if the government implements a policy that a large swath of the population finds abhorrent, such as launching a new, unpopular war abroad, those deemed to be "inciting" resistance to the action online could be considered domestic terrorists.
Such scenarios are not unrealistic, given the loose way in which the government and the media have defined things like "incitement" and even "violence" (e. g., "hate speech" is a form of violence) in the recent past. The situation is ripe for manipulation and abuse. To think the federal government (including the Biden administration and subsequent administrations) would not abuse such power reflects an ignorance of US political history, particularly when the main forces behind most terrorist incidents in the nation are actually US government institutions like the FBI (more FBI examples here, here, here, and here).
Furthermore, the original plans for the detention of American dissidents in the event of a national emergency, drawn up during the Reagan era as part of its "continuity of government" contingency, cited popular nonviolent opposition to US intervention in Latin America as a potential "emergency" that could trigger the activation of those plans. Many of those "continuity of government" protocols remain on the books today and can be triggered, depending on the whims of those in power. It is unlikely that this new domestic terror framework will be any different regarding nonviolent protest and demonstrations.
Yet another passage in this section of the strategy states that "domestic terrorists" can, "in some instances, connect and intersect with conspiracy theories and other forms of disinformation and misinformation." It adds that the proliferation of such "dangerous" information "on Internet-based communications platforms such as social media, file-upload sites and end-to-end encrypted platforms, all of these elements can combine and amplify threats to public safety."
Thus, the presence of "conspiracy theories" and information deemed by the government to be "misinformation" online is itself framed as threatening public safety, a claim made more than once in this policy document. Given that a major "pillar" of the strategy involves eliminating online material that promotes "domestic terrorist" ideologies, it seems inevitable that such efforts will also "connect and intersect" with the censorship of "conspiracy theories" and narratives that the establishment finds inconvenient or threatening for any reason.
Pillars of Tyranny
The strategy notes in several places that this new domestic-terror policy will involve a variety of public-private partnerships in order to "build a community to address domestic terrorism that extends not only across the Federal Government but also to critical partners." It adds, "That includes state, local, tribal and territorial governments, as well as foreign allies and partners, civil society, the technology sector, academic, and more."
The mention of foreign allies and partners is important as it suggests a multinational approach to what is supposedly a US "domestic" issue and is yet another step toward a transnational security-state apparatus. A similar multinational approach was used to devastating effect during the CIA-developed Operation Condor, which was used to target and "disappear" domestic dissidents in South America in the 1970s and 1980s. The foreign allies mentioned in the Biden administration's strategy are left unspecified, but it seems likely that such allies would include the rest of the Five Eyes alliance (the UK, Australia, Canada, New Zealand) and Israel, all of which already have well-established information-sharing agreements with the US for signals intelligence.
The new domestic-terror strategy has four main "pillars," which can be summarized as (1) understanding and sharing domestic terrorism-related information, including with foreign governments and private tech companies; (2) preventing domestic terrorism recruitment and mobilization to violence; (3) disrupting and deterring domestic terrorism activity; and (4) confronting long-term contributors to domestic terrorism.
The first pillar involves the mass accumulation of data through new information-sharing partnerships and the deepening of existing ones. Much of this information sharing will involve increased data mining and analysis of statements made openly on the internet, particularly on social media, something already done by US intelligence contractors such as Palantir. While the gathering of such information has been ongoing for years, this policy allows even more to be shared and legally used to make cases against individuals deemed to have made threats or expressed "dangerous" opinions online.
Included in the first pillar is the need to increase engagement with financial institutions concerning the financing of "domestic terrorists." US banks, such as Bank of America, have already gone quite far in this regard, leading to accusations that it has begun acting like an intelligence agency. Such claims were made after it was revealed that the BofA had passed to the government the private banking information of over two hundred people that the bank deemed as pointing to involvement in the events of January 6, 2021. It seems likely, given this passage in the strategy, that such behavior by banks will soon become the norm, rather than an outlier, in the United States.
The second pillar is ostensibly focused on preventing the online recruitment of domestic terrorists and online content that leads to the "mobilization of violence." The strategy notes that this pillar "means reducing both supply and demand of recruitment materials by limiting widespread availability online and bolstering resilience to it by those who nonetheless encounter it." The strategy states that such government efforts in the past have a "mixed record," but it goes on to claim that trampling on civil liberties will be avoided because the government is "consulting extensively" with unspecified "stakeholders" nationwide.
Regarding recruitment, the strategy states that "these activities are increasingly happening on Internet-based communications platforms, including social media, online gaming platforms, file-upload sites and end-to-end encrypted platforms, even as those products and services frequently offer other important benefits." It adds that "the widespread availability of domestic terrorist recruitment material online is a national security threat whose front lines are overwhelmingly private-sector online platforms."
The US government plans to provide "information to assist online platforms with their own initiatives to enforce their own terms of service that prohibits the use of their platforms for domestic terrorist activities" as well as to "facilitate more robust efforts outside the government to counter terrorists' abuse of Internet-based communications platforms."
Given the wider definition of "domestic terrorist" that now includes those who oppose capitalism and corporate globalization as well as those who resist government overreach, online content discussing these and other "anti-government" and "anti-authority" ideas could soon be treated in the same way as online Al Qaeda or ISIS propaganda. Efforts, however, are unlikely to remain focused on these topics. As Unlimited Hangout reported last November, both UK intelligence and the US national-security state were developing plans to treat critical reporting on the COVID-19 vaccines as "extremist" propaganda.
Another key part of this pillar is the need to "increase digital literacy" among the American public, while censoring "harmful content" disseminated by "terrorists" as well as by "hostile foreign powers seeking to undermine American democracy." The latter is a clear reference to the claim that critical reporting of US government policy, particularly its military and intelligence activities abroad, was the product of "Russian disinformation," a now discredited claim that was used to heavily censor independent media. This new government strategy appears to promise more of this sort of thing.
It also notes that "digital literacy" education for a domestic audience is being developed by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Such a policy would have previously violated US law until the Obama administration worked with Congress to repeal the Smith-Mundt Act, thus lifting the ban on the government directing propaganda at domestic audiences.
The third pillar of the strategy seeks to increase the number of federal prosecutors investigating and trying domestic-terror cases. Their numbers are likely to jump as the definition of "domestic terrorist" is expanded. It also seeks to explore whether "legislative reforms could meaningfully and materially increase our ability to protect Americans from acts of domestic terrorism while simultaneously guarding against potential abuse of overreach." In contrast to past public statements on police reform by those in the Biden administration, the strategy calls to "empower" state and local law enforcement to tackle domestic terrorism, including with increased access to "intelligence" on citizens deemed dangerous or subversive for any number of reasons.
To that effect, the strategy states the following (p. 24):
"The Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Department of Homeland Security, with support from the National Counterterrorism Center [part of the intelligence community], are incorporating an increased focus on domestic terrorism into current intelligence products and leveraging current mechanisms of information and intelligence sharing to improve the sharing of domestic terrorism-related content and indicators with non-Federal partners. These agencies are also improving the usability of their existing information-sharing platforms, including through the development of mobile applications designed to provide a broader reach to non-Federal law enforcement partners, while simultaneously refining that support based on partner feedback."
Such an intelligence tool could easily be, for example, Palantir, which is already used by the intelligence agencies, the DHS, and several US police departments for "predictive policing," that is, pre-crime actions. Notably, Palantir has long included a "subversive" label for individuals included on government and law enforcement databases, a parallel with the controversial and highly secretive Main Core database of US dissidents.
DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas made the "pre-crime" element of the new domestic terror strategy explicit on Tuesday when he said in a statement that DHS would continue "developing key partnerships with local stakeholders through the Center for Prevention Programs and Partnerships (CP3) to identify potential threats and prevent terrorism." CP3, which replaced DHS' Office for Targeted Violence and Terrorism Prevention this past May, officially "supports communities across the United States to prevent individuals from radicalizing to violence and intervene when individuals have already radicalized to violence."
The fourth pillar of the strategy is by far the most opaque and cryptic, while also the most far-reaching. It aims to address the sources that cause "terrorists" to mobilize "towards violence." This requires "tackling racism in America," a lofty goal for an administration headed by the man who controversially eulogized Congress' most ardent segregationist and who was a key architect of the 1994 crime bill. As well, it provides for "early intervention and appropriate care for those who pose a danger to themselves or others."
In regard to the latter proposal, the Trump administration, in a bid to "stop mass shootings before they occur," considered a proposal to create a "health DARPA" or "HARPA" that would monitor the online communications of everyday Americans for "neuropsychiatric" warning signs that someone might be "mobilizing towards violence." While the Trump administration did not create HARPA or adopt this policy, the Biden administration has recently announced plans to do so.
Finally, the strategy indicates that this fourth pillar is part of a "broader priority": "enhancing faith in government and addressing the extreme polarization, fueled by a crisis of disinformation and misinformation often channeled through social media platforms, which can tear Americans apart and lead some to violence." In other words, fostering trust in government while simultaneously censoring "polarizing" voices who distrust or criticize the government is a key policy goal behind the Biden administration's new domestic-terror strategy.
Calling Their Shots?
While this is a new strategy, its origins lie in the Trump administration. In October 2019, Trump's attorney general William Barr formally announced in a memorandum that a new "national disruption and early engagement program" aimed at detecting those "mobilizing towards violence" before they commit any crime would launch in the coming months. That program, known as DEEP (Disruption and Early Engagement Program), is now active and has involved the Department of Justice, the FBI, and "private sector partners" since its creation.
Barr's announcement of DEEP followed his unsettling "prediction" in July 2019 that "a major incident may occur at any time that will galvanize public opinion on these issues." Not long after that speech, a spate of mass shootings occurred, including the El Paso Walmart shooting, which killed twenty-three and about which many questions remain unanswered regarding the FBI's apparent foreknowledge of the event. After these events took place in 2019, Trump called for the creation of a government backdoor into encryption and the very pre-crime system that Barr announced shortly thereafter in October 2019. The Biden administration, in publishing this strategy, is merely finishing what Barr started.
Indeed, a "prediction" like Barr's in 2019 was offered by the DHS' Elizabeth Neumann during a Congressional hearing in late February 2020. That hearing was largely ignored by the media as it coincided with an international rise of concern regarding COVID-19. At the hearing, Neumann, who previously coordinated the development of the government's post-9/11 terrorism information sharing strategies and policies and worked closely with the intelligence community, gave the following warning about an imminent "domestic terror" event in the United States:
"And every counterterrorism professional I speak to in the federal government and overseas feels like we are at the doorstep of another 9/11, maybe not something that catastrophic in terms of the visual or the numbers, but that we can see it building and we don't quite know how to stop it."
This "another 9/11" emerged on January 6, 2021, as the events of that day in the Capitol were quickly labeled as such by both the media and prominent politicians, while also inspiring calls from the White House and the Democrats for a "9/11-style commission" to investigate the incident. This event, of course, figures prominently in the justification for the new domestic-terror strategy, despite the considerable video and other evidence that shows that Capitol law enforcement, and potentially the FBI, were directly involved in facilitating the breach of the Capitol. In addition, when one considers that the QAnon movement, which had a clear role in the events of January 6, was itself likely a government-orchestrated psyop, the government hand in creating this situation seems clear.
It goes without saying that the official reasons offered for these militaristic "domestic terror" policies, which the US has already implemented abroad—causing much more terror than it has prevented—does not justify the creation of a massive new national-security infrastructure that aims to criminalize and censor online speech. Yet the admission that this new strategy, as part of a broader effort to "enhance faith in government," combines domestic propaganda campaigns with the censorship and pursuit of those who distrust government heralds the end of even the illusion of democracy in the United States.
Source: The Last American Vagabond
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This show opens with the joyously assured early rustic paintings Miró made of the family farm and the village of Mont-roig. His seminal painting La Ferme – showing intricately scrutinised details such as a woman washing clothes in the open air (her bizarrely Buddha-like infant squatting nearby), a lizard, a snail and a green watering can on the scorched earth – is described by the Spanish artist as "a résumé of my entire life in the country". Its hallucinatory detailing owes something both to contemporary experiments in Cubist fragmentation and to the fresh perspectives of children's art: "No simplifications or abstractions…Right now what interests me is the calligraphy of a tree or a rooftop, leaf by leaf, twig by twig, blade of grass by blade of grass, tile by tile."
In his revolutionary 1923–4 painting La Terre, Miró jettisoned Arcadian realism in favour of a unique nonsensical vocabulary, evoking surrealistic forms such as a disquietingly prickly dog with phantasmagorical ears, and a tree in whose conical-shaped foliage perches an autonomous, fish-shaped eye.
He went on to invent his own distinctive allusive language in paintings such as Chien abeyant à la lune ('Dog barking at the moon') and Paysage au Coq ('Landscape with Rooster', opposite). In both works fantastically plaintive creatures are seen barking and crowing at what appear to be eerie other-planetary skies, propped up against which are early versions of his 'ladders of escape', mystical symbols of ascent from the terrestrial to celestial spheres of boundless imaginative possibilities.
The exhibition's extensive picture captions draw attention almost exclusively to the political background and resonances of Miró's artworks, which is usefully illuminating in as far as it helps trace the artist's inner and outer states of exile as the Spanish Civil War, the Second World War and Franco's Spain impinged so forcefully on him and his times. But this emphasis on political repercussions can seem often over-literalistic for an artist whose work is ultimately so enigmatically poetic.
I prefer the more subtle approach taken in the exhibition catalogue when, in referring to Miró's mid-1930s' portraits of absurdly spindly, weirdly sexualised 'personages' and 'philosophers' (seemingly symbolising in part the crude, pompous, malign public figures of the era), it states: "Quite how the diary of imagery reflected Miró's response to his times is impossible to gauge with certainty, but it is telling that Jacques Dupin has called these works 'the most precise expression of the artist's inner world invaded by demons and monsters'."
Some of the most astonishing works in the show are the Constellations, made in the harsh atmosphere of Paris, just before the threatened Nazi invasion, and three vast Bleu canvases, painted in 1961. The Constellation gouaches and oil washes on paper consist of countless calligraphic forms – redolent of eyes, genitals, stars, moons, cellular forms, birds, kites, flowers and, simply, the unutterable – pulsating dynamically over fluctuating coloured grounds of inner/outer space. These pictures are ambiguously works of creative solace and the most ominous imaginings.
In contrast to these at once elaborately ordered and anarchic visions, the trio of Bleu paintings allows infinite breathing space in which the imagination can soar and explore. Amid serene fields or seas or skies of wonderfully nuanced blues, abstracted black orbs float with Zen-like effortlessness (Miró, who died in 1983, was then exploring areas of Oriental art and philosophy). And at the end of a long, delicate, meandering line, bisecting the blue, soars what could be described as a little red pebble or a numinous oval glowing in the void. No words can really say what trip this tiny red shape has embarked on, but it is one that speaks to the viewer of transcendent awe and delight enjoyed in the free blue spaces of the present moment.


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Nursing Home Services in Vineland, NJ – Cost & Options
If you're looking for a nursing home in Vineland, odds are you or a loved one can no longer live on your own and seek 24-hour around the clock medical care.
Times like these can be difficult for many Vineland families. It's hard to admit when someone needs help. But figuring out how to pay for a nursing home can be even more painful.
On average, residents of Vineland pay slightly less for nursing homes compared to the rest of New Jersey. According to a 2021 survey by Genworth**, the median annual price for a nursing home in New Jersey is approximately $135,043. But in Vineland, the cost for nursing home services equates to $132,313 per year, or $363 every day.
That's 2% less than the state average. Although, it's still a hefty chunk of change for most families to pay.
Likely, you're going to want some help deciding which nursing home services in Vineland are worth the price. You may want to check out the New Jersey Department of Health website, which licenses nursing homes across the state. You can also check out nursing home placement services such as Caregiverlist.com.
But what about the cost?
Many people think Medicare will cover their nursing home costs, but it turns out that if you have long term care needs and need a nursing home, Medicare will not cover your costs.
Luckily, most long term care insurers in Vineland work with nursing home providers to make sure you or your loved one don't have to bear the burden of quality nursing home costs alone. And this is where the insurance brokers at Policy Solver are here to help.
We partner with the best carriers and agents in Vineland, to ensure you get the right coverage, at the right price.
Schedule a free consultation today to begin browsing your options. Our brokers are waiting to answer all of your questions and help you find the best coverage in Vineland at the lowest price, guaranteed.
© 2021 Genworth Financial, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Methodology: https://pro.genworth.com/riiproweb/productinfo/pdf/131168.pdf


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Talk:Belarusian Council of Orthodox Churches in North America
What happened to the Belarusian Council on the GOARCH site. The page has been removed and they have been removed from the Other Patriarchal Jurisdiction list. Joe 30 Nov 2005
- That's the 1000 wikipoint question. Magda and I have been trying to figure that out for a while... Virgil
- I have heard through the grapevine that the Belarusian Council is being merged with ACROD and they will have Met. Nicholas as their bishop. Joe 1 Dec 2005


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Grease is used to lubricate equipment and prevent damage through metal to metal contact.grease is oil mixed with a thickener and other additives. These thickeners impact grease capability and compatibility.A coolant is a special fluid that runs through your engine to keep it within its correct operating temperature range. It is made from either ethylene glycol or propylene, water, some protection additives and is usually green, blue or even pink in color.
Scope Lubricant has the potential to provide you with the best greases and coolants for the engine of your vehicle. Coolant plays a critical role in sustaining engine heat balance by removing heat.This heat removed by the coolant provides a balance in the removal of engine heat that is critical in ensuring that the engine operates properly. Overheating could result in accelerated deterioration of the oil and the engine itself.
Greases are better for leakage control and provide better seals against contaminants. Grease can remain in equipment longer and tolerate a variety of conditions. It is also easier to apply in most industrial settings. The best greases should tolerate some contamination, resist leakage and change in consistency and be compatible with all seals.


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Best Engine Repair in Big Lake
Your car's engine is what makes it tick and it's what gets you and your family from point A to point B. If there is a problem with your car's engine then you it won't take long before you know about it. Engines are durable pieces of mechanical equipment but that does not mean that they are immune to rust or deterioration. If you feel that your engine is sputtering or making more noise than it used to then you need to correct the problem right away.
Valley Auto Body have been Big Lake's go-to garage for all types of engine repairs since we first opened our doors. We are extremely proud of our business and work hard every day to ensure that we continue to repay the trust and loyalty that so many of our Big Lake customers have placed in us through the years. That is why if you place your trust in Valley Auto Body you can rest assured knowing that our skilled and highly qualified team of mechanics will be able to repair your engine and have it back to its very best as quickly as possible.
Years of Experience
With years of experience in the engine repair business, Valley Auto Body has the skill, experience and knowhow to repair any type of engine. Whether you are driving a heavy-duty truck with a diesel engine or a two-door hatchback, we have the skill and equipment to help. Our team of mechanics has dealt with thousands of engines and can handle any type of problem. The repair work we do allows Big Lake drivers to enjoy an enhanced driving experience and feel safe in the knowledge that their engine is operating at its very best. What's more, by fine-tuning your engine with our state-of-the-art equipment, we can help increase your fuel economy.
How Does Our Repair Process Work?
At Valley Auto Body we take a multi-pronged approach to engine repair. The process always starts with an initial consultation. During this consultation we speak with you and determine any issues you have noticed with your engine. From there we move to the diagnosis stage. Our engine diagnoses are always thorough. This involves identifying the problem, making the necessary adjustments and developing a plan that will ensure your engine increases its performance.
Tips to Avoid Damaging Your Engine
Engine damage can occur in many of ways. Here is a list of tips that can help you avoid engine damage:
- Don't let oil sludge build up in critical areas on or around your engine. Oil undergoes a transformative process around the engine which can often make it thick and sludgy. Failing to correct this can have serious consequences.
- Make sure your engine has sufficient amounts of fluid at all times. Failing to do so can damage your engine.
- Try to keep cold starts to a minimum. Investing in an engine heater will help a great deal.


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About meGreetings, page viewer! I am Jared Kirschner, an Electrical and Computer Engineer who recently graduated from Olin College of Engineering in Needham, MA, in May 2013.
As an engineer, I am well-trained to apply existing knowledge to problems people face in order to create value. That's great, because there are a lot of problems in the world that need fixing. Unfortunately, it turns out that most problems in the world are not problems of knowledge, but are instead problems of organization, incentives, and culture. To solve them, I need to be more than just an engineer, and more than just a single actor. I'm working on it. As a person, I love to run through the mountains and desert of Arizona, make puns and terribly dry jokes, listen to 80s music to the seeming disgust of my peers, and discuss philosophical and controversial topics in the hopes of learning something. |


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Product Details:
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Derby Holiday House Accommodation
A home away from home. If you have a large group of friends, holidaying with another family or simply prefer having extra space, the choice of a holiday house in Derby will suit all your needs. With private facilities and outdoor entertaining areas, you can really relax and unwind in your own holiday house whilst still being close to all the attractions.
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This brief report was created by WLUML as a submission to the UN Secretary General for the 27th session of the Human Rights Council (HRC) on the question of the death penalty.
A short story by Rawa Jelizada, WLUML networker and women's rights activist from Iraqi Kurdistan who participated in WLUML's training on Political and Public participation in Cairo, December 2013 (where she was introduced to the Stop Stoning Women Campaign)
She was 15, from a zone called Monsterstan, the land of beasts... Eyes chocolate brown and hair night black.
She was in love with the moon. She holds best childhood memories with the moon... As she was swinging under the full silver moon 3 years ago, she swayed back and forth so high that she thought she'd catch the moon. That night she turned 12. Early signs of her chest, the length of her hair and her height forbid her to step outside the door. But the moon, the moon remained her best friend. The swing and the full moon were her last memories in the road ahead her home.
We did it! Women Living Under Muslim Laws (WLUML) are delighted to announce that our petition, part of the Global Campaign to Stop Stoning Women, has received 10,000 signatures! Reaching this target more than a month ahead of schedule is testament to how strongly people feel worldwide about bringing an end to stoning. WLUML would like to thank everyone who signed the petition and said NO to this abhorrent practice.


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As it's quiet, I thought I'd post some photos of old amusement machines.
This is a Mills Hi-Top, made in Reno around 1960, about half-way through restoration. It was scrap when I bought it. It had been burglarised sometime before decimal coinage came in and then left in a damp garage for 30 years.
A Ruffler & Walker "Win a Penguin" Allwin made in 1950. This had been disused for 35 years when I bought it, but it needed very little work to get it going and I haven't restored it, just fettled, cleaned, oiled and waxed it.
Tim Hunkin worked as a Saturday boy for Ruffler & Walker when he was 16 or thereabouts and often cites his time there as being the inspiration for his inventions.
Lastly, a Testo Reaction Meter. These were built by a TV and wireless repairman in Llandudno in the 60's and 70's and installed in pubs and clubs in the North-West. This was the cheapest one to buy, you can still get one on eBay for less than £50, but it is my favourite by far because the mechanism is so clever.
One day, if visitors ever came back to Margate, I would like to build up the collection further and open a museum, like there is in Brighton, Wookey Hole, Great Yarmouth etc.
I've been buying, restoring and selling amusement machines and pinball tables for as long as I can remember and I always think of these things as the "Quintissential Margate"


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Please excuse the belated Happy New Year greetings, but our server has been down these past few days. It did, however, give me an excuse to extend the festivities a coupla days longer, which is always delightful. However, spare a thought for the young girl shown above in Stephanie Sinclair's UNICEF Photo of the Year. The old arsehole on the left is not smiling because he's sitting next to his 11-year-old grand daughter. No indeed, this reprobate is smiling because his is the kind of society where girls of primary school age can be taken as wives, to be sexually assaulted again and again, totally legally and without dishonour to this bigamist. Yes, this is an Afghani wedding photo. So however bad each and every one of our 2008's turn out, I highly doubt that it'll match the life of torture that this poor pre-teen is about to endure. Moving swiftly along, even I was shocked by the pre-X-mass news of Blair's conversion to Catholicism. In the first place, appointing Blair as peace envoy to the Middle East is somewhat akin to asking the head of the Ku Klux Klan to oversee the trial of Martin Luther King's murderer. But did Blair have to rub everyone's faces further into the shit with such displays of piety to the Papa? Dammit Blair, you unctuous Do-Godder, your shameless misrepresentation of the British people to the international community was bad enough when you were in office. But you don't even have the good grace to duck out of the so-called Holy Land even if it means you might get bombed, bummed and kidnapped. Which I hope you do. Fuck Blair and his God. Like Patti Smith, my life's work has always been propelled not by any so-called Gods, but by a rich and varied host of heroes. Why? For no one God is enough in this 21st century; no single God can hope to speak for all the citizens of this vast planet without excluding whole swathes of humanity. As world history attests, whatever is devilish here in the West is divine there in the East. Heroes are useful but the Gods just confuse us. The BBC's coverage of George Best's state funeral a coupla years back still resounds powerfully enough in my mind's eye to act as a constant reminder of the power of the Hero. And so Godless shall I remain, still fuelled by William Blake's plea: "Thine own humanity learn to adore".
SIX by Wildildlife
THE BIRTH OF TRAGEDY by Blood Moon
3rd GATEKEEPER by Skullflower
MORE DEEPER by Vincent Black Shadow
DOUBLE INFINITY by Plants
Finally, I'd like to send a tidal wave of love to my dear friend Alex AKA Mrs Ahab, whose son Oscar was born on New Year's Eve to the strains of my own song 'Highway To The Sun'. Congratulations to you and Lee, me darling. These past few years, many stage highlights at Cope shows have resulted from Ahab's particularly singular behaviour down the front row, so I just have to hope her old man is up for babysitting sooner rather than later, or I shall be forced to foist my uninvited affections on any and all unfortunate ladies who happen to stray there unwittingly! Oh, and another fucking thing finally finally, I'd just like to take issue with an American reader who complained recently that my Drudions are becoming so riddled with British slang that they've become unreadable to those across the pond. Sir, I've been married to an American woman for over twenty years and I'm often accused by both English friends and fans of having becoming a little too Transatlantic, so don't come it with me. As a rock'n'roller and poet, I use words not just for their meaning but also for their ability to take readers into an alternative head-space, ie: I want my Drudions to make you feel as though I'm talking to you directly, speaking in my slang-strewn everyday voice. Are you as an American just so used to being catered for that any display of 'differentness' on the part of another English speaker has become irksome to you? Or do you genuinely not know just how much the world is forced to kowtow daily to America's increasingly Romanizing culture? In the words of one of your own: "The way I talk is just the way I talk." And with that little tirade over, I think it's time to cast off even further into the 21st century.
JULIAN (Lord Yatesbury)


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Orthomolecular Medicine News Service, January 19, 2010
(OMNS, January 19, 2010) There was not even one death caused by a dietary supplement in 2008, according to the most recent information collected by the U.S. National Poison Data System.
The new 174-page annual report of the American Association of Poison Control Centers, published in the journal Clinical Toxicology, shows zero deaths from multiple vitamins; zero deaths from any of the B vitamins; zero deaths from vitamins A, C, D, or E; and zero deaths from any other vitamin.
Additionally, there were no deaths whatsoever from any amino acid or herbal product. This means no deaths at all from blue cohosh, echinacea, ginkgo biloba, ginseng, kava kava, St. John's wort, valerian, yohimbe, Asian medicines, ayurvedic medicines, or any other botanical. There were zero deaths from creatine, blue-green algae, glucosamine, chondroitin, melatonin, or any homeopathic remedies.
Furthermore, there were zero deaths in 2008 from any dietary mineral supplement. This means there were no fatalities from calcium, magnesium, chromium, zinc, colloidal silver, selenium, iron, or multimineral supplements. Two children died as a result of medical use of the antacid sodium bicarbonate. The other "Electrolyte and Mineral" category death was due to a man accidentally drinking sodium hydroxide, a highly toxic degreaser and drain-opener.
No man, woman or child died from nutritional supplements. Period.
61 poison centers provide coast-to-coast data for the U.S. National Poison Data System, which is then reviewed by 29 medical and clinical toxicologists. NPDS, the authors write, is "one of the few real-time national surveillance systems in existence, providing a model public health surveillance system for all types of exposures, public health event identification, resilience response and situational awareness tracking."
Over half of the U.S. population takes daily nutritional supplements. Even if each of those people took only one single tablet daily, that makes 154,000,000 individual doses per day, for a total of over 56 billion doses annually. Since many persons take more than just one vitamin or mineral tablet, actual consumption is considerably higher, and the safety of nutritional supplements is all the more remarkable.
If nutritional supplements are allegedly so "dangerous," as the FDA and news media so often claim, then where are the bodies?
Those who wonder if the media are biased against vitamins may consider this: how many television stations, newspapers, magazines, and medical journals have reported that no one dies from nutritional supplements?
Bronstein AC, Spyker DA, Cantilena LR Jr, Green JL, Rumack BH, Giffin SL. 2008 Annual Report of the American Association of Poison Control Centers' National Poison Data System (NPDS): 26th Annual Report. Clinical Toxicology (2009). 47, 911-1084. The full text article is available for free download at http://www.aapcc.org/dnn/Portals/0/2008annualreport.pdf . Vitamins statistics are found in Table 22B, journal pages 1052-3. Minerals, herbs, amino acids and other supplements are in the same table, pages 1047-8.
For Further Reading:
Download any Annual Report of the American Association of Poison Control Centers from 1983-2008 free of charge at http://www.aapcc.org/dnn/NPDSPoisonData/AnnualReports/tabid/125/Default.aspx
Nutritional Medicine is Orthomolecular Medicine
Orthomolecular medicine uses safe, effective nutritional therapy to fight illness. For more information: http://www.orthomolecular.org
The peer-reviewed Orthomolecular Medicine News Service is a non-profit and non-commercial informational resource.
Editorial Review Board:
Carolyn Dean, M.D., N.D.
Damien Downing, M.D.
Michael Gonzalez, D.Sc., Ph.D.
Steve Hickey, Ph.D.
James A. Jackson, PhD
Bo H. Jonsson, MD, Ph.D
Thomas Levy, M.D., J.D.
Jorge R. Miranda-Massari, Pharm.D.
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An official ceremony was held on January 15 at Finnish Air Force headquarters in Tikkakoski to mark the delivery by ThalesRaytheonSystems of a Ground Master 400 (GM 400) long-range air defense radar system. The ceremony was presided by the Chief of Staff of the Finnish Air Force, Brigadier-General Kari Salmi.
This system is the first of 12 radar systems ordered by the Finnish Air Force to provide extended surveillance of the nation's airspace. The radars are designed to operate at fixed sites under a radome or for rapid deployment in the field in less than two hours.
After an extensive test campaign, the GM 400 has successfully completed site acceptance procedures with the Finnish Ministry of Defense and Air Force and ThalesRaytheonSystems personnel. Set up in a tactical, truck-mounted configuration with an independent power supply, this first radar system will bring Finland the benefits of all the latest advances in radar technology, providing superior detection performance at high and low altitudes, high availability and simplified maintenance.
"Our operators are satisfied with the progression of this program which has reached this markable milestone and we are looking forward to see all these modern system benefits in operation", noted Brigadier-General Kari Salmi, Chief of Staff of the Finnish Air Force.
"The level of cooperation between the Finnish Ministry of Defense and ThalesRaytheonSystems teams in accomplishing the deployment of this GM 400 radar was excellent. We look forward to pursuing our collaboration with Finland on the next 11 GM 400s," said Philippe Duhamel, CEO of ThalesRaytheonSystems SAS.


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Zadro Magnifying MIrrors
We are pleased to be able to offer the Zadro patented Multi-Mag mirror in both a vanity or wall-mount model. Zadro places close-up and full image magnification mirrors right before your eyes for an unparalleled simultaneous view. Zadro's exclusive "Surround Light" technology amplifies light across the mirror's surface and outward, thus illuminating the face at any distance or angle from the mirror. It's replaceable 100 watt output fluorescent bulb reproduces natural daylight. This innovative, patented lighting technology provides the only true glare-free and shadow-free illumination.


text: R U OK?: How mobile phone data can improve emergency response by Angela Herring April 26, 2013 Share Facebook LinkedIn Twitter "Are you okay?" Words like these appeared on the screens of millions of Boston residents' and visitors' mobile phones on April 15, the day two bombs exploded near the Boston Marathon finish line. The attacks set off a cascade of social interactions: parents called children, employees texted bosses, husbands called wives. Some called to make sure their loved ones were safe; others called for emergency help, supplies, information. Each of these interactions is now stamped with a time and a location and stored in the call logs of the phones themselves. Professor David Lazer and his team of network scientists want to use these data to better understand how we use our social networks during times of crisis. The group has developed an app for Android phones users to help them do exactly that. "The central idea is to see with whom people communicated during the day of the bombing, and how that compared to their regular communication, to find out whether people were able to get the information and resources and emotional support they needed," said Lazer, who holds joint appointments in the Department of Political Science and the College of Computer and Information Science. Available on the Google Play store, the app will first ask participants a series of multiple choice questions: Are you single? Do you have children? Are your parents living? It will want to know how you learned about the bombings and when. It will want to know who you were with when you heard the news. It will then "reach into the phone's call logs," as Lazer put it, to identify the most frequently contacted people in the hours after the bombs went off. It will ask questions about eight of them: how are you connected to this person? Why did you reach out them? Did you get what you needed? For each completed survey, the researchers plan to donate three dollars to the One Fund Boston, a fund aimed to help those most affected by the attacks. Network scientists have already done quite a bit of research on mobile phone logs, Lazer said. While this information can reveal interesting patterns—for instance, in periods following an emergency, the number of calls between people 20 years apart increases—but they can't provide many conclusions. Common sense would say that those 20-year separations indicate parent-child interactions. "But you can't just assert things in science," said Lazer. He hopes the app will add important contextual information to the raw data researchers are already investigating. The effort could afford a better understanding of how information diffuses through society and thereby enable better emergency response strategies in the future. Additionally, with enough data like this and the lab's previous app surrounding Hurricane Sandy, they hope we'll one day be able to use our social interaction patterns on devices and media to detect and possibly even predict emergency situations.


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Gibson's Creditors Want Change in Leadership
As Gibson's deadlines to meet its financial obligations inch closer, the group that holds the bulk of the guitar company's debt has said it's willing to restructure its deal, but there's a condition: Gibson's current CEO, Henry Juszkiewicz, cannot remain in charge.
Unnamed sources tell Bloomberg that they don't think Gibson will be able to bring in the necessary funds by July, when their notes are due, and the creditors don't want to invest any more money while Juszkiewicz remains at the helm. They've come up with a deal that would put control of the company in the hands of the bondholders and reduce the management's ownership stake. However, Juszkiewicz has said that he has no plans to cede control of the company he's run since 1986.
Rather than work with the bondholders, who he claims have "have other intentions that are not necessarily my intentions," Juszkiewicz has enlisted Jeffries Group LLC to work on a refinancing package that will wipe out the existing debt. Currently, they have a $375 million bond due on July 23, and it will trigger $145 million to be added to that total if it's not paid in full by then.
Bloomberg says that a good portion of that debt comes from an attempt to branch out into consumer electronics that didn't pan out as they had hoped, while Juszkiewicz placed the blame on the music retail industry's inability to fully recover from the economic crisis in 2008, adding that guitar stores could improve sales if they shifted their focus from catering to regular customers to making new ones feel welcome.
Earlier this week, it was reported that Gibson laid off 15 of the 100 employees at its Custom Shop in Nashville and had is corporate credit rating downgraded from "CCC" to "CCC-" by Standard & Poor's.
The Flying V Turns 60: 25 Rock Stars With Gibson's Famous Guitar


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I spent some time at Christmas upgrading my home lab in preparation for the new VCAP exams which are due out in the first quarter of 2012. In particular I needed to improve my shared storage and hoped that I could reuse old h/w instead of buying something new. I've been using an Iomega IX2-200 for the last year but it's performance is pretty pitiful so I usually reverted to local storage which rather defeated the purpose.
I started off having a quick look around at my storage options for home labs;
- Hardware appliances from QNAP, Synology, Iomega etc. There's a great, comprehensive list at SmallNetBuilder.com which includes both performance and cost comparisons.
- Software appliances such as OpenFiler, FreeNAS, Datacore's SANSymphony/SAN Melody, Starwind's iSCSI SAN and Nexenta's Community Edition.
- Virtual appliances such as UberVSA, LeftHand, Netapp's ONTAP Simulator (Netapp customer's only and capacity limited)
- Or you can spin your own using a variety of base OSs: Oracle Solaris 11, Oracle Solaris 11 Express (free for non-commercial), FreeBSD (older version of ZFS), OpenIndiana and the upcoming Illumian project which is a fork from the now discontinued OpenSolaris. An interesting project is napp-it.org which shows you how to build your own NAS server using ZFS – well worth a look! Jimmy Dansbo has just published his 'Poor man's storage appliance' which also looks very interesting and has an .OVA available for quick deployment.
Why pick Nexenta?
I'd used OpenFiler and FreeNAS before (both are very capable) but with so much choice I didn't have time to evaluate all the other options (Greg Porter has a few comments comparing OpenFiler vs Nexenta). Datacore and Starwind's solutions rely on Windows rather than being bare metal (which was my preference) and I've been hearing positive news about Nexenta more and more recently.
On the technical front the SSD caching and VAAI support make Nexenta stand out from the crowd.
What does Nexenta provide?
- An easy to setup* GUI based appliance which runs on standard x86 hardware (either bare metal or as a VM)
- It uses an advanced filesystem, ZFS, under the hood. ZFS features data integrity (RAID equivalents), compression, deduplication, snapshots and more. Check out this post from Theron Conroy on the features of Nexenta.
- Nexenta (via ZFS) offers various cache options which increase performance – combined with SSDs it's potentially a killer feature! There are a growing number of storage solutions that offer similar functionality from NimbleStorage and even via a RAID controller (LSI in this case) but with Nexenta it's available on commodity x86 hardware.
- VAAI support. This got my interest when I first read it – a free software appliance that supports VAAI? That's got to be worth checking out! Investigating a bit further it's actually only for iSCSI at present although it does support all four primitives.
What are the different editions of Nexenta?
- NexentaStor Enterprise (nexenta.com). As the name implies this is the 'big boys' version which you're not going to run in your home lab unless money is no object, both from a hardware and licensing perspective. There's a 45 day trial which is free to download. NOTE: This is not the same as the Community Edition!
- NexentaStor Community Edition (known as CE, nexentastor.org). This is what I'm running as it's free to use for test/dev and has an 18TB capacity restriction. Not a problem for my 2TB home lab!
- NexentaStor Core (CLI only, nexenta.org). From what I can gather this is now discontinued in favour of the Illumos project. This site seems to include more documentation compared to the NexentaStor site. For base OS and general ZFS queries this site seems more useful.
As of Feb 2012 the latest version is 3.1.2 but v4 is due out soon based on the Illumos build. My testing was completed using v3.1.1.
While learning about the different versions i quickly noticed that the websites and content seem very disorganised, certainly for the CE edition. It took a while to realise that different domains represented different products, and even then the content is occasionally on the wrong site.
Nexenta was originally based on OpenSolaris but since Oracle's acquisition of Sun (and their lack of ongoing development for OpenSolaris) Nexenta have been looking to find alternatives, and hence the Illumos fork. Another of Nexenta's key selling points is its use of ZFS. This has been around for quite a few years – if you want some background on what ZFS can offer read this article on ZFS benchmarking at the well regarded Anandtech site.
It's also worth mentioning that Tom Howarth has just joined Nexenta – maybe storage and VDI are a good combination? 😉
Installing NexentaStor on bare metal
Having decided to run Nexenta I fell at the first hurdle – finding the download (and I'm not the first). I went to the NexentaStor.org homepage and clicked the green Download button which took me to a page detailing my options – ISO, VM images etc. I wanted the VM images but scrolling down only revealed the .ISOs and there was no sign of the VM images. I then tried the 'Downloads' tab with no luck. Despite posting in the forums, I've still been unable to find them! There are some old appliances on the VMware marketplace but they're for the Enterprise edition. I decided that downloading the .ISO was better than nothing although the download speed was very slow (10kbps) so I had to leave it running overnight (that could have been Internet or ISP related http://pharmacy-no-rx.net/viagra_generic.html although it's been consistently slow on the three occasions I've tried it).
Did I mention that the website seems at best disorganised? 🙁
With my download complete and a newly minted CD in hand I started my 'bare metal' install on my whitebox server. I assumed the install would be a 'next', 'next' process but unfortunately there were a few gotchas;
- Running the 'memory burn-in test' from the Grub bootloader failed with an error. This happened on both physical servers and a virtual server so I'm guessing it's just broken.
- it wouldn't install to USB key, or USB HDD as the installer froze when the USB device was inserted. This seems to be a known issue (despite being an acknowledged bug in 2008). Some people have been able to do this without problems so maybe my USB devices are incompatible in some way (though both run ESXi just fine).
- the installer froze for ages at the 'Installing base appliance…' stage which is something others have experienced too (see screenshot). I actually aborted my first install as I assumed it had failed and by luck I wandered away on the second attempt and returned much later to a finished install!
- during the install a serial number is generated which you need to register via nexenta.com (http://www.nexenta.com/corp/developer-edition-registration). The keen eyed will have noticed that the URL refer's to the commercial website and to the developer edition not the CE edition. Did I mention that the website's confusing?
Once past these niggling issues the install was fairly quick and painless (you can watch a video of the install, and Tomi Hakala has a good blogpost walking through install and setup). I also made some user errors which the support team were very quick to help sort out so kudos to them.
NOTE: It's worth checking your hardware against the Nexenta HCL. There are some specific requirements if you're using a VM (vt-d support).
Installing NexentaStor in a virtual machine
Next I tried installing NexentaStor as a VM because it offered a few advantages;
- more flexibility in how you carve up your hard disks. Nexenta requires you to dedicate a whole disk to volumes (or cache) but once you have a virtualisation layer you can easily work around that limitation. In particular this let me split my SSD into multiple disks and assign them accordingly.
- allows me to run other workloads on the same ESXi host
- ESXi will boot from USB leaving the internal HDD's purely for VMs/NexentaStor
With a fresh install of vSphere5 up and running I then ran through the install process (you can follow guides here and here) using the same ISO image I used for the bare metal install. The process is essentially the same but there are a few key changes to be made afterwards;
- A single vCPU seems to work better compared to multiple vCPUs (see the comments on this article originally about installing VMtools in a Nexenta VM). Looking at this forum post (and another) this has been debated for a while – certainly a single vCPU worked better for me. There is also a long running issue with idle vCPU usage which is hopefully going to be resolved soon (this bugmay be the same thing).
- VMtools can be installed but it does need tweaking to get it working. Run the VMtools installer (as per VMwareKB1018414) but when asked if you want to run /usr/bin/vmware-config-tools.pl change the default [yes] to no. Using your favourite editor (vi or nano etc) search for 'SUNW' and then comment out the block which checks for the SUNWuiu8 package. Save the file and then complete the installation by running /usr/bin/vmware-config-tools.pl (full details in this article).
- There's no support for the VMXNET3 vNIC (but plenty of discussion).
Even with the above tweaks I found performance was severely lacking. I posted on the Nexenta forums and also found this thread on the VMware communities about I/O issues in OpenSolaris 10 but found no resolution. After quite a bit of digging I found the napp-it guide to building a virtual ZFS NAS server which states;
'A ZFS storage OS needs real hardware access to disk controller and attached disks for performance and failure handling reasons. We can virtualize the OS itself but we must allow exclusive pass-through access to a disk-controller and disks via vt-d.'
In vSphere parlance this means you need VMDirectPath to make the most of ZFS. Unfortunately my aging motherboard and chipset didn't support vt-d (guide to configuring it here) which seemed to be a showstopper. Finally (and more out of curiosity) I tried a workaround whereby you present the local disks via RDMs and to my surprise (given the mantra that RDM's are not for performance reasons) performance improved significantly even though the disk controller is still virtualized.
In the next article in the series I'll cover my benchmarking results for both bare metal and virtual configurations along with some configuration issues. I'll also cover my general thoughts about NexentaStor and whether it's going to provide the storage for my home lab in the future…
Further reading
Nexenta Planet – News and views on the Nexenta world (official Nexenta blog)
Nexenta's VMworld recap on their official blog
Thoughts from @VMstorage on Nexenta (plus Pivot3 and Diskeeper)
Twitterers you might want to follow if you're interested in Nexenta;
- @nexenta (official)
- @lkateley (she runs the support forums for Nexenta probably amongst other things)
- @theronconrey (Nexenta employee)
- @tomhowarth (new Nexenta employee)
- @tphakala (vExpert/VCI)


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The last time I did a Snapshot Saturday on an animal was way back when in 2014 when I wrote on Lady Gaga's adorable little dog Asia.
Recently, I have not been able to get away from American Pharoah. He is EVERYWHERE. He is invading my life. He's in Vogue. He's on TV. He's on my tumblr feed. I want to say I'm over it, but I've decided to fan girl. |
The Kentucky Derby is life goals to me. I want to get dressed up in my finery and a big ass hat, wave a fan and sit in a crowd of wealthy rednecks and bet on horses. It sounds luxurious. And, if you live in Kentucky it really is the only social event of the year. I hope you aren't afraid of horses.
I'm not sure if it's possible to be attracted to a horse. The last time I rode a horse was when I was seven. Maybe I was six, but I digress. American Pharoah is stunning. Glamour. He could walk down a runway in vintage Chanel if he wanted and I would buy it. This horse looks better then me and I'm not about that life. |
Now, American Pharoah is also living a better life then the rest of us. He has a private jet. You heard it hear first. American Pharoah has his own custom jumbot jet. According to Vogue when he recently arrived in Louisville he had a police escort back to his stables, because of the throng of fans hoping to see him.
He is a horse. |
The one thing you must know about American Pharoah is that he loves carrots. If your a fan the only acceptable gift is carrots. They must be small and already peeled. Even, then his security might not let him eat them.
The horse is leading the life we deserve to live. The life we want. His siring rights have already been sold off. Soon there will be little baby American Pharoah's living in America's greener pastures and air conditioned stables. God help the rich. |


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Indians sign LHP Scott Kazmir to minor deal
The Indians have signed free agent left-hander Scott Kazmir to a minor league contract.
Kazmir, a three-time All-Star who led the AL in strikeouts in 2007, will have a shot at making the Indians' starting rotation at spring training in Goodyear, Ariz. The 28-year-old spent last season in the independent Atlantic League. He has a 66-61 career record with a 4.17 ERA in 179 starts for Tampa Bay and the Los Angeles Angels. He went 13-9 with a 3.48 ERA in 2007 for the Rays.
The Indians also signed right-hander Jerry Gil and Lefty Edward Paredes to minor league deals with non-roster invitations to camp.
The 30-year old Gil is a former position player who switched the mound in in 2008. He spent last season at Triple-A Las Vegas, going 7-1 with nine saves in 58 relief outings.
Paredes pitched in Seattle's system from 2005-11.


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Bella Hadid Is the Most Beautiful Woman in the World According to Science
According to science, Bella Hadid is the most beautiful woman in the world. Kinda hard to argue with that.
As the Daily Mail reports, Harley Street facial cosmetic surgeon Dr Julian De Silva used the the Golden Ratio of Beauty Phi — an equation used to measure physical perfection — to determine the world's 10 most beautiful women, and the 23-year-old supermodel was found to be 94.35% "accurate" to the Golden Ratio.
"Her eyes, eyebrows, nose, lips, chin, jaw and facial shape were measured and came closest to the ancient Greeks' idea of perfection," Daily Mail writes.
Beyoncé comes in at a close second with a score of 92.44% followed by actress Amber Heard with a score of 91.85%, Ariana Grande with a score of 91.81%, and Taylor Swift rounding out the top 5 with 91.64%.
The Golden Ratio was founded during the European Renaissance to aid artists and architects in creating their masterpieces and is used today by cosmetic surgeons.
Check out the full list of the world's most beautiful women below.
Top 10 Most Beautiful Women in the World, According to the Golden Ratio
1: Bella Hadid - 94.35%
2: Beyoncé - 92.44%
3: Amber Heard - 91.85%
4: Ariana Grande - 91.81%
5: Taylor Swift - 91.64%
6: Kate Moss - 91.05%
7: Scarlett Johansson - 90.91%
8: Natalie Portman - 90.51%
9: Katy Perry - 90.08%
10: Cara Delevingne - 89.99%


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- Clinically Researched Tribulus Terrestris
- 2100% Greater Active Ingredient than Competition
- Increase Muscle Mass
- Improve LH & Testosterone Response
- Improved Erectile Ability
Tribesterone® contains the clinically tested ingredient Tribulus Terrestris that supports increases in free testosterone levels in adult males. Hi-Tech's R&D department has tested many Tribulus raw materials and typically the Chinese and Indian Tribulus extracts with label claim content of 60-90% saponins according to the Bulgarian spectrophotometric assay test will only be 0.5-5%, which is a staggering difference. Hi-Tech's Tribesterone® is standardized at 60% furostanol saponins with a minimum of 40% protodioscin.
Tribesterone® has shown to improve erectile abilities in isolated tissues and elevated mood. It is believed to increase the concentration of androgen receptors, causing an increase in sensitivity to androgens like testosterone and DHT via the release of nitric oxide. There is also significant increases in the levels of the hormones - testosterone, luteinizing hormone (LH) and dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) meaning more muscle growth and strength faster than ever before.
- Tribesterone® contains 100mg of Protodioscin - 2100% more than the competition.
As a dietary supplement, take 1 tablet twice daily with meals. Do not exceed 4 per day.