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Class, Nation, and Health: with some thoughts about H1N1, and building movement capacity
What follows is a rough version of a talk i gave at Montreal's Native Friendship Center, at the Anti-Colonial Thanksgiving organized by Frigo Vert last night. Many of the articles and documents referenced here are also referenced on the new Kersplebedeb H1N1 page.
I'm here to say just a few words about health inequalities, with particular attention to this new flu, the H1N1 or swine flu, and some concerns around it.
The flu is something I became interested in earlier this year, when my husband caught it and became very sick. He spent two months in the hospital, most of that time on a ventilator in a medically-induced coma, and he probably would have died if not for the fact that he received excellent medical care.
People say that you have to already have a serious health condition to be at risk from H1N1, but my husband's only relevant health problems were very mild asthma and the fact that he gets migraines. In fact, they're saying now that a quarter of the people who have died of H1N1 were in perfect health beforehand.
Now luckily my husband didn't die, though his seven weeks in the ICU did make me realize some things. For one, it gave me an appreciation of the fact that even though not many people were dying of the flu, an unknown number of people were getting very very sick, and it was only the fact that there were enough ventilators and ICU beds that allowed them to survive. (The clearest figure i could find about this was that for every H1N1 death, there were four people critically ill with the virus who had to be kept alive in an ICU.)
And that got me thinking about health inequalities, and how they might play out with the flu.
By "health inequality", I don't mean the fact that some of us are more healthy than others, or that some of us see the doctor more often. I don't even mean just the fact that some of us have more ready access to medical care, though that's getting closer. What I'm talking about is not an individual thing, but a collective phenomenon. The fact that different groups of people face different obstacles and challenges to being healthy. That the family you were raised in, the neighbourhood you grew up in, the job you end up doing and the place where you end up living as an adult, these factors all affect your chances of getting particular illnesses, they affect how readily you'll have access to treatment if you do get sick, and as a bottom line, these things all affect how long you're likely to live.
That's what I mean by health inequality.
Health inequality is normally the result of some other kind of inequality. It's not just caused by bad luck or genetics. More often than not, it is a result of financial inequality, unequal power relations, your position in society.
There are many useful ways of looking at this, but two that i find particularly helpful are class and nation.
Class and Life Expectancy: Some Examples from Montreal
If you go out this door, walk down to St-Catherine street and then take a left and walk for an hour, you'll end up in Hochelaga Maisonneuve, Montreal's working-class east end. Folks there have a life expectancy in their low to mid-seventies. In fact, bucking the general trend in most countries, the life expectancy for older residents of the neighbourhood actually went down between 1998 and 2008. (By life expectancy we don't mean how old most people are dying now - that's referred to as the "average age of death" and is usually significantly younger. Life expectancy is capitalism's forecast as to how old people born today are likely to live - indeed, the fact that there continue to be such discrepancies in life expectancy is a stark indicator that the 21st century is not intended to be any more egalitarian than the last one was.)
If on the other hand, you were to go out this door, walk down to St Catherine street and take a right, and walk for about an hour, you'd be in Westmount, one of the wealthiest neighbourhoods in all of Canada. The folks there, just to use the same measure, have a life expectancy in their eighties.
Now what makes a life expectancy? Lots of things, for instance: how common violence is in your community, what kind of food people eat (and what kind is sold at your local supermarket), what opportunities you have for physical exercise, how stressful or dangerous your job is likely to be, and of course how likely you are to get sick with various diseases due to poor sanitation or overcrowding or pollution.
The thing about these various factors, is they all follow the same contours of wealth and political power. When I was doing a bit of research for this talk, I came across a page hidden like a needle in a haystack on the Quebec government website, in which Montreal was divided up into different neighbourhoods and each neighbourhood was listed along with the prevalence of various diseases, various "quality of life" indicators, and also average annual income. These statistics are not completely honest, engaging in a bit of demographic gerrymandering, by including a few blocks where people are poor into the wealthier neighbourhoods, and including a few middle class blocks in with the working-class neighbourhoods, to dilute the impact of the numbers - but even so, a predictable pattern emerges. The same neighbourhoods – places like Hochelaga Maisonneuve, St-Henri, Montreal North – suffer from higher rates of various health problems, and the same places enjoy better than average health, and those are the wealthier and safer areas. (Although lacking the health information, similar socio-economic statistics can be found on this City of Montreal web page.)
It makes sense, after all, this is one of the big reasons people want to be middle class, or upper class, the fact that they can then afford a healthier and longer and safer and more pleasant life, not only for themselves but for their children, too.
This all is one way of thinking about heath inequality.
National Disparities Within Canada
If class is one useful way to look at injustice, another important concept is nation. The two aren't the same, but they're closely related.
Different nations, different peoples, live inside what is called Canada, experiencing very different living conditions, and obviously this leads to differences in health. We may live just down the block from each other, but for all that many of us effectively live in different countries.
Again, to use life expectancy as a bottom line, folks in Westmount might be expected to live into their eighties, folks in Hochelaga Maisonneuve into their mid- seventies, well Indigenous people in Canada, on average, have a life expectancy in their low seventies (high sixties for men, mid-seventies for women). That's all the Indigenous folks counted as such by Statistics Canada, including those who have "made it", including those in communities with more resources: a national average just slightly below that of the poorest of Montreal's neighbourhoods.
Canadian colonialism and genocide create this discrepancy - the Indigenous life expectancy results from different health issues and trends than what is found in the settler community. We're not just talking a little more of this disease or slightly less of that vitamin, but tragically high death rates amongst young people, often due to violence and various forms of substance abuse (See pages S54-S55 of the Revue Canadienne de Santé Publique Vol. 96, Supplément 2). That's a direct result of genocide, Canada's long term assault on the ability of subject nations to reproduce and maintain themselves in a healthy way.
Looking at Communities
Now these statistics are just that, statistics. They're all about averages and generalities, they deal with large numbers of people, millions in fact. For that reason, while they're useful as an initial tool, they can also trick you into missing some important details. Just as it's misleading to talk in broad generalities about "Canada" without specifying the different classes and nations here, it's also misleading to talk in generalities about neighbourhoods or broad national categories like "Quebecois" or "settler" or "Indigenous" without keeping in mind that not everyone in these categories is dealing with the same situation. Definitely not all settler communities are the same, definitely not all immigrant communities are the same, definitely not all Indigenous communities are the same. Ignoring this has real political consequences that can screw us up.
Now a community may be geographic, like Hochelaga Maisonneuve or St. Henri or Kanesetake, but it may be more amorphous than that. Not all communities are found on maps, not all communities have a longitude and a latitude. We may not normally think of them as communities, but in terms of health, your job may provide a community, for instance a factory may be a community. A school may be a community. If you're a sex worker, then that may be a community. And if you're living on the street that's a particular community, if you're living at the Y, or staying at a shelter, then that's a particular community. If you're in prison, then you'd better believe it: in terms of your health, that's a distinct community.
Locked Up or On the Street
This does not diminish the importance of nations and classes. On the contrary: if you check out these situations, or if you're forced to live in them, you see that in fact they're not separate. In fact, it is in specific communities that nations and classes exist in their sharpest, most intense, form. Like on the street: in Hamilton, Ontario, for instance, where Indigenous people represent 2% of the city's population, but 20% of the homeless population. Or Edmonton, where Indigenous people make up 43% of the homeless population, though only 6% of those who have homes. (Aboriginal Housing Background Paper, Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation November 2004)
Or take a look at Canadian prisons and penitentiaries: Indigenous people are locked up over six times as often as anyone else in Canada. A few years back they did a "snapshot" study of all the prisons, penitentiaries and jails in Canada, to see exactly who was locked up: in Saskatchewan Indigenous people were imprisoned at almost ten times the overall provincial rate; they were 76 per cent of that province's prisoner population. In Manitoba, 61 per cent of prisoners were Indigenous; in Alberta, it was over 35 per cent. (Racial Profiling in Canada, p. 81, quoted in Sketchy Thoughts)
So when we're talking about communities, even when we don't mean actual geographic communities that you can find on a map, even when we're talking about something like being on the street or in prison, it should be clear that we're still talking about something that has very clear class and national characteristics. Not everyone has an equal chance of ending up in these situations, not everyone has an equal chance of getting out of them.
In terms of health, in terms of well-being, if you're in a particularly oppressed community, your reality will be a lot more intense than what you see in the broad reassuring national statistics. To give an example: 1 in 125 people in Canada is thought to have Hepatitis C, a potentially fatal illness. According to a study carried out in 2004, the rate is almost one in four (23.6%) for prisoners in the federal system. To give another example: Canada-wide, just over one in a thousand (0.13%) people were HIV positive in 2004, but almost one in twenty women in prison (4.7%) had the virus. (Moulton, Donalee. "Canadian inmates unhealthy and high risk." CMAJ: Canadian Medical Association Journal. 2004) Similar kinds of discrepancies exist if you're talking about tuberculosis or many other serious health problems.
Prisoners are one such group, people without good housing are another. A study that just came out this week in the British Medical Journal tells us that in Canada, if you're a woman living in a rooming house at age 25, your life expectancy is less than fifty years of age. If you're a man living on the street at age 25, your overall life expectancy is less than forty. Less than half the national average. (Hwang, Stephen W., Mortality among residents of shelters, rooming houses, and hotels in Canada: 11 year follow-up study, BMJ 2009;339:b4036)
Understand it: nations and classes find their lived reality in communities. Communities with their own vulnerabilities and peculiarities, their own cultures, their own realities. This is important when thinking about health crises, because when disaster strikes, it will normally strike first in a specific community. Partly because germs and pollutants are distributed that way, and partly because social power and wealth are distributed that way. When there's an outbreak of some disease, most communities will probably be mildly affected, if at all. Oftentimes, there will even be big differences within various oppressed and colonized peoples, as only certain subgroups are made to bear the brunt of whatever capitalism is dishing up this season. (At least at first.)
So we have this obscene situation, that as a society, we're often moaning about possible disasters that aren't very likely at all, while people around us are actually living the disaster, or living the crisis, right now before our eyes. But most people choose not to see it.
It's important to keep this in mind, because if you yourself are in a community struck by disaster, then these big reassuring statistics can make you feel like what's happening to you is exceptional and aberrant, perhaps even your fault or your community's fault. But in reality while it may be exceptional, it is also intrinsic to the system, and more often than not your personal hell has been noted and deemed acceptable by those who claim to be in charge.
On the other hand, if you are lucky enough to not be in the line of fire, then those statistics, by lumping people and communities together in these big categories, can give you a false sense that nothing anywhere is really all that bad. Those cases where people are in a serious crisis, where diseases like tuberculosis and Hepatitis C are not only common but are the norm, those situations end up being hidden, camouflaged by the large numbers of cases where people are managing to hold it all together.
H1N1: Parsing Opinions
This new flu, the "swine flu" or H1N1, it's an easy topic to spin bullshit about, and a lot of people are spinning bullshit about it. It's easy to spin bullshit because this is a new strain of the flu, and it hasn't been around during a flu season yet, and so no one can really know how serious it will be. According to some people the flu will wipe everyone out, according to some people it's harmless but the vaccine will kill you – and all these folks seem to contradict themselves and rely on junk science, but they get a hearing because most of us know we can't trust the government, and we're often scientifically illiterate ourselves. If you're bored, you can make up any old end-of-the-world fantasy story, and someone out there is likely to believe you. (If you don't believe me, just try it.)
But just because we don't know something, that doesn't mean that we can't talk intelligently. Just because any crazy idea will get a hearing, doesn't mean that it's pointless to try and be logical and reasonable in seeing what might come.
Within the sane range of opinion, there's two ways of looking at H1N1, and at what is likely to occur. One way is to point out that most people do not get very sick from it. Only 90 people in Canada have died so far from H1N1, while the regular flu kills thousands every year. This is an important point. According to this view, it's not so much a pandemic as a scamdemic, a fabricated excuse for some big pharmaceutical companies to boost their profits.
But it's worth keeping in mind that the regular flu normally kills hardly anyone in the summertime or spring, and that's when H1N1's deaths have occurred so far. To compare the regular flu's winter toll with that of H1N1 over the summer is to make certain assumptions that contradict what years of epidemiology tell us about when flu infections - and serious illnesses, and deaths - will spike.
The bottom line is we just don't know how serious or how mild the flu will be this winter, and winter is when the vast majority of flu deaths normally occur.
In the meantime though, we do have the experience of the H1N1 this spring. Then the virus played itself out much like other illnesses: people in less wealthy and more oppressed communities were more prone to catching it, and thus formed a larger proportion of those who got very sick. There was a good article in the Globe and Mail a little while back, in the science section, which made exactly this point; its title was "Influenza has a cure: affluence".
To give one example of how this worked, in June, 14% of people with H1N1 showing up at emergency rooms all across Quebec were showing up at just one hospital, the Montreal Jewish General. This may in part be because it's just a better hospital and more proficient at diagnosing people, but it may also have something to do with the fact that it's located in the middle of Cote-des-Neiges, one of the more heavily immigrant neighbourhoods in Montreal. While Cote-des-Neiges is a mixed class neighbourhood, it does contain pockets of real poverty, bad living conditions, and overcrowding. (This statistic, of 14%, was discussed at an information seminar about H1N1 at the Jewish General in June. i am unaware of it having been published to date.)
But there's something important to grasp beyond the general fact that the flu will be more prevalent in less wealthy neighbourhoods. Like I was saying, no matter what the picture painted by broad statistics, when you look at the specifics you're going to always find certain communities dealing with much worse situations.
That is precisely what we saw this spring, in a number of communities, where H1N1 became something much much worse. When it became so widespread that a tipping point was reached. To speak in dialectics, one could say the quantitative – the numbers of people sick - became qualitative, meaning it changed the nature of the entire situation. Local resources were overwhelmed, and the crisis entered a different phase. In Garden Hill, St. Theresa's Point, Sandy Lake – all Indigenous communities – the flu pandemic got completely out of control, local nursing stations were unable to support people's needs, and over a hundred people had to be medi-vacced to intensive care units in Winnipeg hospitals. Several people died.
Tipping points are like dominos, when one occurs it always risks setting off the next. In terms of what happened this summer, this almost did happen, as ICUs in Winnipeg filled up with critically ill H1N1 patients and there was a real fear that there would not be enough ventilators. Had that occurred (thankfully it didn't) many more people would have died.
While Garden Hill, St. Theresa's Point and Sandy Lake were the only places we know of where things escalated to that level, Indigenous people across Canada were suffering disproportionately from the flu. According to the way the government measures these things, Indigenous people make up less than 4% of the Canadian population – but this summer by the same measure Indigenous people made up 25% of those who got critically ill from H1N1. In Manitoba, where Indigenous people make up roughly 10% of the population, this summer at one point they were over 60% of those who found themselves on ventilators, struggling for life in ICUs.
Nor is it only Indigenous people. Compared to most places, Canada is a fairly "white" country, but according to a recent article in the Journal of the American Medical Association, less than 50% of those who became critically ill with H1N1 in Canada this summer were white; the majority were people of color. It's perhaps also worth noting that that same report found that almost 70% of those who got critically ill were women, which shows this disease has a gender profile that hasn't been given enough attention.
We may not be able to predict the future, but given what we do know, we can make some reasonable guesses about the flu this winter. It is clear that the incidence of disease will not be random, and that not all communities will fare the same. No matter what the broad, general, abstract "Canadian" experience this winter, it is guaranteed that in some specific communities the situation will be much much worst. Those hardest hit will almost certainly be Indigenous communities, immigrant communities, working class communities.
A Suggestion to My Comrades
At the height of the outbreak in Garden Hill this spring, Grand Chief David Harper asked Health Canada to set up a field hospital in the community, an idea that the government rejected.
Since then, the Assembly of First Nations asked the federal government to send flu kits to Indigenous households across the country – Health Canada didn't see the point, so instead the AFN had to raise money on its own from the provinces and the private sector.
Just a couple of weeks ago Grand Chief Harper was quoted in the newspaper again, saying "By now, we would have liked to have field hospitals set up so our people don't have to wait to be airlifted to Winnipeg for treatment."
This is a reasonable request: for months now everyone from local healthcare providers to the World Health Organization has been saying that if a major crisis occurs in Canada, if a tipping point is reached, if the quantitative becomes qualitative, it will most likely happen in one of the many remote and impoverished Indigenous communities. But the government isn't worried.
So it begs a question for me – which of our movements have things like this on the radar? Which of our movements is poised to respond to a request for a field hospital, or any kind of useful emergency intervention? It reminds me of the ice storm back in 1998, when the whole city of Montreal was paralyzed, many without electricity for weeks, and the army was sent in. Many people were relieved to see the soldiers, we felt we needed rescuing. Why couldn't any of our movements have played that role?
And why does this question seem silly to some of us? As if the ability to respond to a crisis, the ability to serve the people when the people really need serving, as if all of that was beyond the scope of our responsibilities.
Some of us have the skills, and i know many of us would love to see these capacities developed, but the question is a collective one, not an individual one. We need to explicitly decide as a movement that that's where we're going. We need autonomous structures, separate from (and ideally hidden from) the state, in which those with medical skills can frame their work, even if they may be operating within a hospital or a community health organization. We need to become scientifically literate, so that we don't fall for the latest ridiculous conspiracy theory. Even if not everyone has the interest or the proclivity to get a grasp on "hard sciences", as a movement we need to value that kind of thinking, to appropriate it, to make it our own.
Most importantly, we need to think in terms of filling the role that the state plays, dealing not only with healthcare, but also with everything from garbage disposal to sewage treatment to conflict resolution. If we claim to be against the state, then that becomes our job. If we fail at it, if we fail to do a better job than what's being done now, then even if we do someday drive out the state, even if we do establish no-go areas, sooner or later it will be the people themselves who will demand the enemy's return.
H1N1 may or may not play itself out as a disaster this winter. I certainly don't believe it will be some Canada-wide cataclysm, but I think it's likely that in certain specific areas it will be a serious problem, and some people will suffer. If tipping points are reached, if the surge capacity of particular communities is overwhelmed, it won't be pretty. I can tell you from personal experience that the disease can be horrendous.
We know the Harper government is ideologically predisposed to letting poor people die. We know capitalism and colonialism will only make the situation worst. Knowing this, I would argue that our movements have a responsibility to think beyond zines and blogs and lobbying, that we have a responsibility to start doing what we can to build our capacity to offer real help to people whenever and wherever a crisis does occur.


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MOSCOW (AP) — To understand what the Kremlin thinks about the prospect of Hillary Clinton becoming the U.S. president, it was enough to watch Russian state television coverage of her accepting the Democratic nomination.
Viewers were told that Clinton sees Russia as an enemy and cannot be trusted, while the Democratic Party convention was portrayed as further proof that American democracy is a sham.
In her acceptance speech, Clinton reaffirmed a commitment to NATO, saying she was "proud to stand by our allies in NATO against any threat they face, including from Russia."
In doing so, she was implicitly rebuking her rival, Republican nominee Donald Trump, who has questioned the need for the Western alliance and suggested that if he is elected president, the United States might not honor its NATO military commitments, in particular regarding former Soviet republics in the Baltics. Trump has also praised Vladimir Putin as "a tough cookie," although on a U.S. talk show Sunday he declared several times "I have no relationship with Putin."
While Trump's position on NATO has delighted the Kremlin, Clinton's statement clearly stung.
"She mentioned Russia only once, but it was enough to see that the era of the reset is over," Channel One said in its report.
As U.S. secretary of state, Clinton in 2009 presented her Russian counterpart with a red button intended to symbolize a "reset" in relations between the two countries, one of U.S. President Barack Obama's initiatives. In Russia, the gesture is best remembered for the misspelling of the word in Russian, while the reset itself failed in the face of Putin's return as Russian president in 2012 and Russia's seizure of Crimea from Ukraine two years later.
Clinton once compared the annexation of Crimea to Adolf Hitler's moves into Eastern Europe at the start of World War II, a comparison that was deeply offensive in Russia, where the country's victory over Nazi Germany remains a prime source of national pride.
Putin was outraged by U.S. support for Ukraine and U.S. military intervention around the world, particularly in Libya, on Clinton's watch. But it was what he saw as interference in Russia that really rankled.
When Clinton described Russia's 2011 parliamentary elections as rigged, Putin said she was "sending a signal" to his critics. He then accused the U.S. State Department of financially supporting the protests that drew tens of thousands of people to the streets of Moscow to demand free elections and an end to Putin's rule.
In the years since, the Kremlin has defended Russian elections in part by implying they are no different than in the United States, a country it says promotes democracy around the world while allowing the U.S. business and political elite to determine who wins at home.
The Democratic Convention, which ended Friday morning Moscow time, was given wide coverage throughout the day on the nearly hourly news reports on state television, the Kremlin's most powerful tool for shaping public opinion.
Channel One began its report by introducing Clinton as "a politician who puts herself above the law, who is ready to win at any cost and who is ready to change her principles depending on the political situation." The anchorwoman couched the description by saying that was how Clinton is seen by Trump's supporters — but it was a nuance viewers could easily miss.
The reports ran excerpts of Clinton's speech, but the camera swung repeatedly to a sullen Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, her Democratic challenger, and his disappointed supporters.
The Rossiya channel also showed anti-Clinton protesters outside the convention hall who it said "felt they have been betrayed after the email leak that showed Bernie Sanders was pushed out of the race."
Russia is a prime suspect in the hacking of Democratic National Committee computers, which led to the release of emails showing that party officials favored Clinton over Sanders for the presidential nomination.
The Kremlin has denied interfering in the U.S. election. A columnist at Russia's best-selling newspaper, however, said it would have been a smart move.
"I would welcome the Kremlin helping those forces in the United States that stand for peace with Russia and democracy in America," Israel Shamir wrote in Komsomolskaya Pravda.
Trump, meanwhile, has encouraged Russia to seek and release more than 30,000 other missing emails deleted by Clinton. Democrats accused him of trying to get a foreign adversary to conduct espionage that could affect this November's election, but Trump later said he was merely being sarcastic.


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How does everyone feel about a week of desserts? I for one feel great. And since I'm the head honcho here (well, the only honcho at the moment) I say we're having a week of desserts. Here is installment #1!
I'm going to be in some very deep trouble for writing this post. I just know it.
As I made this last night -stirred the pot, dipped my finger in and tasted, sniffed the steam- I became increasingly convinced that I was doing something evil. It was my Doctor Frankenstein* moment. I had created a monster. How bad could a dessert be?
*Frahn-kehn-STEEN! Thank you very much.
If I were to tell you that I had created a rice pudding that tasted exactly like a melted Mounds bar, what would you say? *
*Howzabout "Oh sweet mystery of life at last I've found you! At last I know the secret of it all!"?
Oh my goodness.
This is dangerous.
I mean, really, think about it.
Rich, smooth, coconut rice pudding topped with toasted almonds and coconut, shaved dark chocolate and whipped coconut cream… This rice pudding is seriously puttin' on the Ritz. Are you capable of resisting it? I made double batch of it last night and let's just say it's no longer here.
The fact is that the boys and I ate it for breakfast. Then lunch. We're having it again for dessert tonight. I needed to develop a strategy to deal with this*.
*"We've all of us got to behave normal."
My strategy involved making everyone else eat it so a shortage in the key ingredients would develop and I'd have to cut back our consumption of it by necessity.
Never mind. I can't do this to you. Don't make it. Run away. Run far, far away to the land where Mounds Bar Rice Pudding has never existed. Where you're safe. Where you only eat fruit for dessert. Where you don't whip the cream from full-fat coconut milk into a frothy topper that could also be dolloped into your hot chocolate or hot lattes or directly onto your tongue.
Wait! Where are you going?… I was going to make espresso!
A little serious advice. When you go buy the coconut milk for this recipe, try to avoid the pre-sweetened ones and the low-calorie or lite versions. They just don't pack the flavour-oomph necessary to deliver the goods here. And if you go whole hog and add the whipped coconut cream, you absolutely, positively need that full-fat coconut milk or the process will fail after the first step. The other sorts cannot deliver the fluffy, creamy texture that the good stuff does.
Don't cheat and use another kind of rice here. Arborio rice is the sort used in risottos, which makes it spot-on for rice pudding. Creamy, creamy, creamy; that's what you get with arborio!
One last note: Don't be scared by the forty or so minute cook time. As long as you walk into the kitchen during the commercials on Jeopardy to stir it once in a while, you'll have this ready in time for viewing Young Frankenstein, Psych, Top Chef, Mad Men or whatever show or movie makes you giddy with anticipation.
Mounds Bar or Almond Joy Rice Pudding Whipped Coconut "Cream"
Rate RecipeIngredients
- 1 can coconut milk unsweetened
- 1 can evaporated milk
- Whole milk or half and half
- 1/2 cup arborio rice
- 1/4 cup raw sugar
- vanilla bean split and scraped
- a pinch of salt
- shaved or chopped dark chocolate
Optional Toppings:
- Whipped coconut cream see recipe below
- Toasted coconut
- Toasted sliced almonds
- 1 can full-fat I like Thai brand., unsweetened coconut milk
- Pour the coconut milk and evaporated milk into a four cup measure. Add enough whole milk or half and half to measure 4 cups evenly.
- Stir together the milk mixture, rice, raw sugar, vanilla bean (both the bean halves and the scrapings), and salt to a medium sized, heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium high heat.
- Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring frequently, then lower the heat to medium low and allow it to simmer for 45-60 minutes, or until the rice is tender and the liquid is thickened. It will continue to thicken as it cools.
- Let it cool several minutes, covered, before transferring to serving dishes.
To Serve Warm (my preference):
- Top the warm pudding with shaved or chopped dark chocolate, whipped coconut cream, and toasted coconut for Mounds bar pudding or add almonds with everything else for Almond Joy pudding.
- To Serve Cold:
- Cover the portioned pudding with plastic wrap directly on the surface of the pudding. Chill for at least an hour (but up to 3 days in advance) before serving. Top the chilled pudding with shaved dark chocolate, whipped coconut cream, and toasted coconut for Mounds bar pudding or add almonds with everything else for Almond Joy pudding.
- Put the unopened can of coconut milk into the refrigerator for at least 2 hours. Do not shake the can.
- Open the can and scoop the thickened coconut cream from the top of the can into a mixing bowl. (You can reserve the remaining coconut water to drink, add to cocktails or cook into other recipes.)
- If you choose to add sugar, do so before using a hand mixer or stand mixer to whip the coconut cream until it is smooth and creamy.
- Transfer to a covered container and refrigerate until ready to use. This is good for up to a week in the refrigerator.
Nutritional information is an estimate and provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.
did you make this recipe?
Make sure to tag @foodiewithfam on Instagram and #hashtag it #foodiewithfamily so I can check it out!


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Your Warhammer bits & models making store since 10 years !
Grenades B Ordo Malleus Grey Knights.
Originally from Terminator / Paladin Grey Knights box of Warhammer 40k range.
Number of item / bits: 1
Suitable for miniatures in 28mm scale.
Type : Warhammer 40000 - elite - Grey Knights - Terminator / Paladin.
Material : Plastic
The order of the Grey Knights brings together the most powerful of all Inquisition warriors and all the Imperium. Grey Knights chapter is destined to exterminate all forms heresy in the galaxy, a force capable to opposing the most monstrous creatures and demons from the Warp. Space Marines Grey Knights dedicate their life and soul to this task undergoing hundreds of physical and mental tests in their selection ruthless and the candidates failing tests or rituals do not survive. Only the most loyal and the most fanatical of these candidates may claim the Terminator silver armor and grabbing a Nemesis force weapon, in recognition of the facts, the most glorious face the demons of the warp. Acting, regardless of the consequences for them and for the people, no one should know their existence.
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Lawrence Connell is a tenured law professor at Widener Law School in Delaware. I have noted in prior posts that Connell was accused of a wide range of racist and sexist conduct directed at students in his classes and at Dean Linda Ammons (because of hypothetical examples Connell used in class).
Connell has sued, and also went through a university disciplinary hearing process. The faculty committee which heard the evidence found that Connell did not violate any university policy with regard to the allegations of racist and sexist conduct. The committee report, available exclusively here, while it ultimately vindicates Connell, is a depressing narrative of the sorry state of political correctness and race/sex politics on campus, in which the feelings and reaction of accusers carry as much weight as the objective reality of the statements made. While Connell was vindicated on a wide range of charges, this case surely will have a chilling effect on academic freedom on campuses as professors now know that regardless of the context, they are at risk of the subjective feelings of those with an agenda.
But on one charge Connell was found to have violated university policy. The Committee found that Connell's reaction to the false accusations against him, in which he sought to vigorously defend both his job and his reputation, constituted "retaliation." Here's how the retaliation charge was framed (at page 41 of the Report):
The complainants have made several retaliation claims. In brief, they allege that Professor Connell has retaliated by (1) publishing information to other students detailing what transpired with his employment status, and describing what he termed, "preposterous accusations"; (2) threatening the students with lawsuits in the press and other external data outlets; and (3) serving subpoenas upon them at the beginning of their final exam period.
Items (2) and (3) were undertaken by Connell's counsel, not Connell himself. So the only "retaliation" charged against Connell was sending an e-mail to students explaining what was happening and asserting that the accusations against him were untrue.
Since the university code did not define "retaliation," the committee looked to definitions of retaliation in discrimination laws, and ultimately found that Connell's actions constituted retaliation because other students were able to figure out who the complaining students were (Report p. 43):
The Committee finds Professor Connell's e-mail message to the student body to constitute retaliation under the Code. Professor Connell could have explained his situation to his students without using language that would have the foreseeable effect of identifying the complainants. (Report p. 44)
The Committee found that "threats" by Connell's attorney to sue the complaining students (who have in fact been sued now) constituted retaliation, but that the service of subpoenas did not. (Report p. 45).
So the only conduct of Connell himself which the committee found violated university policy were emails he sent to the student population defending himself against false accusations of racism and sexism.
In a rational world, the university would seek no or minimal sanctions against Connell since he was completely vindicated of the underlying charges, so that his defense of himself in emails to students ultimately was proven to be valid. But Dean Ammons recommended that the university suspend Connell for a year without pay, which the university accepted.
But Dean Ammons recommendation, accepted by the university, went much further, demanding that Connell submit to a psychiatric evaluation, undergo "anger management" counseling, and issue an apology:
1. Professor Connell will acknowledge, in writing, his violation of the Discrimination and Harassment Code and will agree to comply fully with his contractual obligations and all policies of Widener University and Widener University School of Law in the future. Professor Connell's acknowledgement shall be placed in his personnel file.
2. Professor Connell will undergo a psychological evaluation by a psychiatrist or psychologist of his choice selected from a list of four individuals provided to him by the University. The purpose of this evaluation will be to determine his fitness for his teaching position, particularly in view of his retaliatory response to the student complaints lodged against him. The psychiatrist/psychologist will be advised of the reasons why the evaluation is to be conducted. Once the psychiatrist/psychologist is selected by Professor Connell, Professor Connell will instruct that individual to contact Vice Dean Kelly directly so that he/she may be advised of the reasons for the conduct of the evaluation. Professor Connell will comply with all conditions and recommendations issued by the psychiatrist/psychologist, including, without limitation, appropriate counseling and anger management, prior to the lifting of the suspension and his return to teaching duties. Not earlier than sixty (60) days prior to the end of the term of Professor Connell's one year suspension, his psychiatrist/psychologist must send to the Dean and Vice Dean an evaluation assessing Professor Connell's fitness to return to duties, completion of courses or training, if applicable, and a follow-up treatment plan, if any.
3. Professor Connell must issue a written apology to the students against whom he has been found to have retaliated. The form and content of that apology must be provided to the Dean of the Law School for approval and will be distributed to the affected students by the Dean's office.
These conditions are as outrageous as Widener Law School's underlying conduct in refusing to stand up to false accusations of racism and sexism made against Connell. There was no retaliation or "anger" expressed by Connell except the vigrous defense of what were proven to be false accusations.
Widener's requirement of a psychiatric evaluation under these circumstances clearly is intended to further damage Connell even though the committee found no conduct which reflected any alleged psychiatric or anger management issues. Connell simply defended himself.
Widener Law School Dean Linda Ammons has done further damage to her law school and her own reputation by using psychiatry as a vindictive tool against a law professor whose worst crime was defending himself against false accusations of racism and sexism.
In Re Connell – August 1, 2011 of Linda L. Ammons
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Vintage Rawlings "Special Edition" Ken Griffey Jr Baseball Glove Wallet!
Unit price perSPECIAL COUPON! Take 25% off! Use code: SUMMER_BASEBALL (Does not apply to custom items or gift cards).
Made using leather from a genuine vintage Rawlings "Special Edition" Ken Griffey Jr baseball glove and Italian La Perla Azzurra leather for the inner pockets, we have created a unique looking wallet. Dark Brown/Brown leather. Four pockets for credit cards and ID. Will fit tightly at first and break-in with use/time and fit 2-3 cards each. This does not have a spot for cash (like a traditional bifold) but most people fold cash and put it in one of the four pockets. Stitched with Rawlings gold thread in honor of his 10 Gold glove Awards!
The leather already has a nice patina forming which makes the stamped Ken Griffey Jr. signature hard to see in pictures, but in real life you can see it.
Approx. 4x6 inches when open, 4x3 inches when closed. Great for a front pocket wallet (I use a similar glove wallet myself). This is made from baseball glove leather, so it is not super slim, I repeat, it is not slim! Also, all leather is vintage so the leather can have markings on it. All leather is old stock.
Ball not included, shown for scale. Money and cards shown for display purposes only.
Leather is darker in photos due to conditioning, the leather will lighten up as the conditioner is absorbed.


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Yesterday, Congresswoman Jackie Speier (D-CA) issued a statement critical of the Marine Corp's handling of her complaint regarding an offensive Facebook page posted by active-duty Marines threatening violence against women and the Congresswoman herself.
The pages, which Speier reported to the Secretary of Defense in the beginning of May, featured degrading images and comments about women and women in the military. Many images condoned and even promoted violence against women and rape. Facebook has since removed the page, but various versions have reappeared. After Speier filed her complaint, new pages threatening Speier (and President Obama) that featured manipulated photos of her implying abuse and sexual assault appeared. The threats are being investigated by the Secret Service and the US Capitol Police.
In response to her complaint, Speier received a letter [PDF] from General James Amos, Commandant of the Marine Corps, on behalf of the Secretary of Defense. In the letter Amos cited the difficulties in monitoring and tracking social media to investigate offensive content; technicalities regarding military conduct codes; and lack of funding, hindering their efforts to investigate offensive content.
Congresswoman Speier criticized Amos' excuses, saying the following in her statement:
"The Marine Corps' good order and discipline creed has been totally undermined when it cannot police Marines who use social media to promote anti-Semitism, sexism and racism. These messages of hate reflect the kinds of attitudes our military fights around the world as oppressive and demeaning to human dignity. The postings of a few serve to discredit the entire Corps and contribute to a hostile work environment. In the private sector these employees would be fired. The Marine Corps must do the right thing now and stop their own who practice the worst forms of hatred. The letter from General Amos offers sequestration as a reason for inaction. The Commander-in-Chief has spoken. Suggesting that misconduct cannot be addressed because of sequestration is frankly unacceptable."


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By Shahd Abusalama
A clip on AJ+ titled, "Save the Children says Gaza has become unlivable for its one million children," triggered a troubling anger in me. Sounds familiar? A UN report published in 2005 warned that the Gaza Strip could become "unlivable" by 2020.
As a person born and raised in Gaza's open-air prison until just before Israel's deadliest attack in summer 2014, this statement evokes numerous traumatic flashbacks. It makes me wonder: Has Gaza ever been livable since Israel came to existence?
I cannot help but be furious at how the world continues to be blind to the fact that Gaza has already been unlivable for not only a year, or a decade, but for several decades. The disastrous humanitarian circumstances that this enclave has endured do not go back to when Israel officially designated Gaza as a 'hostile entity', legitimating the collective punishment of its population. It goes back to when Israel was created and the consequent influx of displaced Palestinians that were crammed into Gaza.
My grandparents were among those dispersed and dispossessed. Right now it just feels too painful to even think of how they coped with the experience of being uprooted from their evergreen villages. Yes, since even then, Gaza has been unlivable. Israeli missiles don't have to be falling over civilians' rooftops, killing innocents, for life there to 'become' unlivable.
It's been almost 4 years since I left Gaza, and my memories remain very vivid, despite some memories I wish I could forget forever. I wish I didn't have to draw examples from them.
A few months before Israel launched its most recent massacre in summer 2014, I remember being so depressed at times that I questioned whether my life was worth living. But I should have only questioned the humanity of the international community and imperial powers that endorsed our dehumanization.
Although I always compared myself with others who were in worse situations in order to be thankful for what I had, my life was unlivable. I remember being upset for missing the graduation ceremony, to which my classmates and I were looking forward, so we could celebrate surviving four years of our BA degree together. To comfort myself, I kept reminding myself of my privilege to have 'luckily' received a full scholarship to further my higher education, a dream that we all shared.
But this 'privilege' has an enormous toll on me, physically and mentally. Some of its costs accompany me still. For weeks, I persistently tried to cross the Rafah border while focused on my goals, in order to feed my hope and determination. For weeks, I woke up before anybody in the house did. My attempts to cross the border failed so often that I gave up on saying goodbye, and I couldn't handle the sorrow in my parents' eyes from having seen me in that situation – trapped, scared and distressed.
For weeks, I shared this journey of humiliation with thousands of stranded people, including patients dying, students, children, elderly, and women, all desperately and miserably waiting for their nightmare at the Rafah border to come to an end. I eventually made it out without saying goodbye.
That was neither human nor livable.
Numerous aspects of life there were unbearable. They still are. Whenever I talk to my family, we rarely engage in a serious conversation. We spend the little time we have – as long as there is power, thus internet – teasing each other and making jokes that usually revolve around electricity. Their humor itself is a coping mechanism that hides immense sorrow and unshed tears.
However, being their daughter that knows them so well, I feel the sorrow in their eyes and voices and the topics they choose to share with me – I even feel it in their exaggerated pride of me. They believe that our separation and dispersion is a price for our success, and therefore any symbolic success is overly celebrated among the extended family and even on social media to cope with the trauma of our forced absence.
I do feel a heartache when I think of them and of how they're coping in these increasingly suffocating circumstances. I do feel a stab when I look back and count the years that I had to do without their physical presence in my life. No family should ever live with being forcefully dispersed.
None of this is livable.
If we are enduring this brutal reality, it is because we love life. We are desperate for an ordinary life, and for that end we have coped somehow with the extraordinary and inhumane situations which surround us. For us, that is a form of resistance, as the other option was succumbing to despair. But our resistance to despair does not make our reality livable.
It's been forever unlivable. We have expressed our pain and recounted the brutality that we endured before the eyes of the whole world. We voiced our desperation in so many ways, ranging from testimonies, to art and documentary, to armed-struggle against our occupying power, Israel, which has the mightiest military in the world. It doesn't need an expert or the UN or Save the Children or an international body to testify that Gaza 'has become unlivable' or 'might become uninhabitable by 2020'.
Gaza has been unlivable as a direct result of Israel's existence, and the whole world has to be accountable for this ongoing dehumanizing cycle of violence that is endorsed by treating Israel as a normal state, which effectively means sentencing Palestinians to eternal misery.
International boycott of Israel is the way forward.
– Shahd Abusalama is a Palestinian artist, activist and the author of Palestine from My Eyes blog. She holds an MA in Media and the Middle East at SOAS, University of London, and is a PhD candidate at Sheffield Hallam University. She contributed this article to Palestine Chronicle.com. Follow her @shahdabusalama.


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To test drive this Ford Bronco-Sport in Terrace, near Kitimat, please fill-out this form and a specialist from Terrace Totem Ford will contact you shortly. It will be our pleasure to book an appointment at the date and time of your best convenience, when you will have all the necessary time to test drive this Ford Bronco-Sport at Terrace Totem Ford in Terrace, near Kitimat. Don't wait any longer, test drive it now!


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Barkat Tries to Force Mughrabi Ramp Demolition
On December 8th Jerusalem city engineer Shlomo Eshkol issued an order closing the ramp "because the structure is a threat to public safety and highly flammable" (full press release copied below). The Western Wall Heritage Foundation – which has responsibility for the site – now has 7 days "to petition their concerns to the order of the City Engineer."
It should be pointed out that the ramp is today no more structurally unstable (or flammable) than it has been at any time since it was initially damaged and reinforced. It is also difficult to miss the irony implicit in the current effort: Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat and Eshkol insisting that the ramp must be demolished for (highly dubious) reasons of public safety, while they are apparently entirely unmoved by and unconcerned with the very real public safety implications of an action that has the potential to ignite the city and to spread conflict far beyond the city's borders.
Clearly, this is not about public safety. Rather, this announcement is a transparent effort to force the Netanyahu government's hand – in effect saying: if you won't demolish the ramp, and you won't let us do so, then we will close the ramp – and it will be your fault that as of today, no Jews (and, in fact, no non-Muslims) will be able to ascend the Temple Mount (the Mughrabi Gate ramp is the only ramp that may be used by non-Muslims).
Indeed, hours after the municipality issued its press release, in what to all appearances seems to have been an approach choreographed in advance, two right-wing Knesset members (Uri Ariel and Arieh Eldad) demanded that "an alternate gate" be opened to permit Jewish access to the Temple Mount (in addition to demanding that the existing Mughrabi Gate ramp be demolished and the planned new ramp be built). Stunningly, this appears to be a clear effort to exploit the issue of the Mughrabi Gate ramp in order to definitively alter the status quo on the Temple Mount/Haram al Sharif — by demanding that for the first time since 1967 Israel take over one of the other 9 gates from Islamic authorities and open it for expanded Jewish access. Eldad made clear that he is not worried about the impact any such action might have outside of Israel, including in Jordan (which under the Israel-Jordan peace agreement has responsibility for Islamic sites in Jerusalem). He stated: "The time has come that the state of Israel implement sovereignty in Jerusalem and stop relating to the city as an international area where every Arab leader whose chair is wobbling can exercise a veto over Israeli activity."
This is only the latest – and most serious – in an ongoing round of political jockeying over the Mughrabi Gate ramp. At the end of November,Barkat also tried to force the demolition of the ramp, but was put off by Netanyahu, who reportedly faced strong push-back on the issue from Egypt and Jordan.
The potential combustibility of this issue cannot be overstated. The demolition of the access ramp without coordination with the Arab and Muslim stakeholders could lead to a conflagration, and the issue is already being used by extreme Islamic elements to challenge the forces of moderation in the Arab world. For example see "Al-Qaradawi calls on King of Jordan to take action against Israeli attacks on Jerusalem."
Moreover, irresponsible actions regarding the ramp not only could lead to violence, but will pose a serious challenge to Israel's already strained relations with Jordan and Egypt.
A map of the plan for the new Mughrabi Gate ramp can be viewed/downloaded . For background on the Mughrabi Gate ramp issue, see our earlier reporting.


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Ferrari has repeated its denial, as reports Kimi Raikkonen could return to the Italian team in 2014 persist.
Two weeks ago, when the Raikkonen rumours first emerged, a Ferrari spokesman insisted the Maranello outfit "has no interest in the driver market right now".
Now, the Finnish newspaper Ilta-Sanomat claims the 2007 world champion has decided to accept Ferrari's offer. And Ferrari has issued a near-identical denial. "Right now," the spokesman told the BBC, "we're really not giving any thought to the driver market situation."
Interestingly, however, Ferrari seemed to rule out the reported scenario that, if Raikkonen does arrive, it could be to replace the Red Bull-bound Fernando Alonso. "Drivers are not a problem for us," said the spokesman, "even if we were to change Felipe (Massa)."
Germany's Auto Motor und Sport points out that Raikkonen's management could see the Ferrari rumour as mere leverage amid the more realistic talks about 2014 with Lotus and Red Bull. "It is important for Raikkonen to keep a third option open," said correspondent Michael Schmidt.
Info: GMM, Image: Lotus F1 Team


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Get Your Blood Pumpin' - Fun for whole family
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Knowledge Base Article
DPX-4600A Flatbed Pen Plotter
Can't find the driver you need for your Roland?
HELP!! I can't find the driver I need for my Roland!
HELP!! I can't find the driver I need for my Roland!
Roland's application support policy applies to Roland devices currently being sold or recently discontinued. Roland supports devices no longer sold for a period of six years after they are discontinued. This support includes new drivers being created and updates of older drivers for the latest operating systems. Once a product has reached "End of Life", software support ceases and no further development is done for this device. See Roland's End of Life policy here for more details and a list of discontinued models - http://www.rolanddga.com/owners/support/eol
So what now? Some Roland owners have reported success with these options:
1) Install the latest driver for the new technology with your older Roland. For example: install the GS-24 driver to operate your GX-24.
2) Use programs that allow for older operating systems to be used on your newer device - http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows7/install-and-use-windows-xp-mode-in-windows-7
3) Search classified websites like Craigslist for computers with older operating systems and dedicate these computers for your Roland.
4) Contact a local Roland reseller to inquire about a trade-in for the latest Roland
March 05, 2020


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Pros: Nice-looking full-sized iPod cases with your choice of metallic or canvas exteriors, and one-size-fits-all (properly) vinyl iPod holders inside. Nice included accessory hand straps.
Cons: iPod's corners are exposed to possible scratching while inside; PDA-style case design requires opening and closing to access iPod's screen and controls.
Whimsical isn't a word that often applies to iPod cases, but LifePod's new series of Urban Camouflage ModPod fashion cases ($24.99) are exactly that: simple, cute iPod holders that look and feel fun. We've received and tested five different cases for full-sized iPods and five for iPod minis, each sharing the same basic design, only with a different color scheme and choice of materials. Other small differences are noted in the individual reviews for each version of the case.
Like numerous other cases we've tested, the ModPod cases for full-sized iPods use a flip-open, "PDA-style" design to cover your iPod: two fabric-covered pieces of cardboard provide front and back protection, and serve as the case's major style focal points. LifePod pads the insides of these two parts, creating pleaantly soft, grippable surfaces, and alternates between glossy metallic fabrics and more traditional cotton canvas prints. Most of the fronts and backs match each other, but occasionally (in the green "RNA" case, for example), the front's one color while the back is mostly black. The front of each case has a stitched LifePod tag, while the back has a nicely sewn metal D-ring for a detachable metal and matching fabric strap.
A ModPod's halves are joined together at their tops with a rubber joint that slips over your iPod's top.
This joint matches the case's color, and has a hole in the center large enough to let you pass any set of headphones through for plugging in to your iPod. At the bottom of the front half is a rubber and metal latch that snaps closed on the case's back. The latch features a nice logo, and the snaps never had a problem holding the case closed.
Each case's interior is very simple. A thin layer of one-colored fabric lines both the top and bottom interior sides, while a form-fitting piece of clear vinyl serves as the sheathe for your iPod inside. We use the words "form-fitting" despite the fact that the ModPods are one-size-fits-all for full-sized iPods sold since mid-2003; a 40GB fourth-generation iPod or 60GB iPod photo fits perfectly inside, while a laminated cardboard insert is included for thinner 20GB and earlier iPods. Strictly speaking, the insert's not necessary, as the vinyl's made well enough to fairly grip thinner iPods in its absence, but the insert does provide enough reinforcement that the opened case can be turned upside down without risk of slippage.
The design of the vinyl is pretty good, though simple: it covers your iPod's entire face from screen to controls, but even so, you can still see the screen without a problem and use even the touch-sensitive iPod controls without an issue.
There are holes in the bottom for the Dock Connector port and the iPod's corners; similarly, the hole in the top leaves your iPod's top corners largely exposed. A tiny plastic lip at the upper left corner of the case provides a token but appreciated extra grip on your iPod when inside.
It's not difficult to quantify the differences between these cases and a series of CaseClosed Cases we reviewed last year (iLounge rating: C+): LifePod's cases are actually hip, and with a few small exceptions, they get all the little details right. Despite the fact that we're not huge fans of PDA-style case designs, the ModPods don't have the cheese factor of the slightly goofy CaseClosed Sheldon and Clarence cases we tested; your iPod still looks like an iPod inside, while the padded fronts and backs look and feel good. LifePod's choice of materials and stitching are both great, and the included hand straps (with lobster claw clasps) feel well-made and properly thought out.
Our small exceptions are these: since this is a fashion case review, we're not rating on looks or pricing as much as construction, protectiveness, and practicality. When closed, the ModPods do leave all of your iPod's corners exposed, and though the padded front and back pieces do extend enough from the iPod's edges to limit drop damage under most circumstances, scratching is still possible.


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Geometry and Imagination Exhibition Video – ICM2018
This video was part of the exhibition "Geometry and Imagination: Patterns in Nature and Culture" presented during ICM 2018.
Geometry and Imagination is an exhibition that has as it's purpose to offer a space of aesthetic experimentation and of mathematical patterns in nature and culture. Through an interaction with the pieces of the exhibition area, the visitor will be able to admire one of math's main characteristics: being able to study relationships between all types of situations and establishing an unity in diversity. As Jules Henri Poincaré very well pointed out, this is "the art of giving the same name to different things".
The exhibition's name comes from the homonymous book written by David Hilbert and Stephan Cohn-Vossen. Just like the book, the exhibition seeks to "contribute to a fair apreciation of math by a larger range of people and not only specialists", through an intuitive and visual way. We hope that, with this exhibition, the vistor will see the artistic beauty in math and the mathematical beauty in art.


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This NASA image of the day was taken by the Solar Dynamics Observatory and shows an image of magnetic loops on the sun.
Flux Ropes on the Sun
This is an image of magnetic loops on the sun, captured by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO). It has been processed to highlight the edges of each loop to make the structure more clear.
A series of loops such as this is known as a flux rope, and these lie at the heart of eruptions on the sun known as coronal mass ejections (CMEs.) This is the first time scientists were able to discern the timing of a flux rope's formation. (Blended 131 Angstrom and 171 Angstrom images of July 19, 2012 flare and CME.)


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We are Polaris Ranger enthusiasts that appreciate the use of our Polaris Ranger for work, sport, hunt, trail and more, just like you. We saw a need for a company that focused on the Polaris Ranger owners. Everything Polaris Ranger (EPR) provides a one-stop-website for all your Polaris Ranger accessories, aftermarket parts, OEM parts and more.
Everything Polaris Ranger strives to be your premier site for Polaris Ranger products. We offer thousands of products and the best customer service. Combined, these things ensure an enjoyable customer experience. But that's not all. Everything Polaris Ranger is also a gateway connecting you and other Polaris Ranger enthusiasts to content that matters to you – real-life product demos, places to ride, functional how-to articles and videos, interaction with hunting and outdoor celebrities, and integrated social content.
The Products We Sell
We believe in offering products that will suit just about anyone whether you use your machine for work or sport, hunting or recreation. Everything Polaris Ranger is all about hunting down Ranger accessories and parts that will assist you in getting your job done, help you get to where you are going, or make your ride more enjoyable.
We only carry Polaris Ranger parts and accessories from manufacturers with a proven reputation for supplying products of the highest quality and dependability. If you find an issue with a product, please let us know so that we can re-evaluate the product and/or the manufacturer.
Give Us a Try
When you choose to buy from Everything Polaris Ranger, our relationship doesn't end when you receive your product. We are here to answer any questions regarding installation, functionality and warranties. We listen, and we are responsive.
Contact our experts toll free at 920.214.8135.
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Join a community of Polaris Ranger enthusiasts just like you! Share your thoughts and ideas by following us on Facebook or keep up to date with industry news and updates from Everything Polaris Ranger by subscribing to our blog.


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I recently finished Laura Hillenbrand's terrific new book Unbroken, the story of Louis Zamperini, 1936 Olympian and prisoner of war under the Japanese during WWII. I was compelled to buy a copy after reading an absolutely gripping excerpt in Vanity Fair, which described the harrowing 46 days Zamperini and his fellow airman Russell Phillips spent adrift at sea after their plane went down in the Pacific and before they were picked up by the Japanese. You can read it yourself here. After doing so you might think that a human being could endure no greater suffering than Zamperini and Phillips did as castaways. You would be wrong, as the rest of the book makes clear.
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Hume, cosmological arguments, and the fallacy of composition
Both critics and defenders of arguments for the existence of God as an Uncaused Cause often assume that such arguments are essentially concerned to explain the universe considered as a whole. That is true of some versions, but not all. For instance, it is not true of Aquinas's arguments, at least as many Thomists understand them. For the Thomist, you don't need to start with something grand like the universe in order to show that God exists. Any old thing will do – a stone, a jar of peanut butter, your left shoe, whatever. The existence of any one of these things even for an instant involves the actualization of potencies here and now, which in turn presupposes the activity of a purely actual actualizer here and now. It involves the conjoining of an essence to an act of existence here and now, which presupposes a sustaining cause whose essence and existence are identical. It involves a union of parts in something composite, which presupposes that which is absolutely simple or incomposite. And so forth. (As always, for the details see Aquinas, especially chapter 3.)
Thursday, December 23, 2010
Putting the Cross back into Christmas
It is difficult to be a human being. Illness, injury, death, bereavement, depression, frustrated hopes, unfulfilled dreams, unrequited love, despair, humiliation, hunger, nakedness, want of every kind – the usual illustrations of the problem of evil provide ample evidence of this. The point applies no less to those relatively untouched by such misfortunes. For they are more prone than their fellows to become complacent, superficial, ungrateful, and selfish – an even graver misfortune, and one that tends to lead us into the lesser ones after all. But every human being has his own distinctive moral weaknesses. It is difficult to be a human being because it is difficult to be a good human being – a human being who flourishes, who fulfills the various ends nature has set for us, whether they be our animal ends or our higher, rational and moral ends.
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
The Long Rain
It's been raining for days and days here in L.A., and I can't stop thinking of Ray Bradbury's classic short story "The Long Rain." Bradbury no doubt gets the physics, geology, and biology of a world of endless rain quite wrong – I don't think he ever claimed to be a hard SF writer – but it's a terrific story all the same. It's been filmed a couple of times, once as a segment of the movie version of The Illustrated Man, and once as an episode of The Ray Bradbury Theater. Both versions are well done, but the only one I can find online is the former. (You'll have to follow the link to "The Illustrated Man (1969) Part 8" at the end for the conclusion. What you see below starts abruptly, but it's only a couple of minutes into the segment, which begins at the tail end of "Part 6.")
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Haldane on Hawking
John Haldane responds to The Grand Design by Stephen Hawking and Leonard Mlodinow, in the latest issue of First Things.
Saturday, December 18, 2010
Heil and Mumford on contemporary academic philosophy
John Heil, from the preface to From an Ontological Point of View (Oxford University Press, 2003):
Philosophy today is often described as a profession. Philosophers have specialized interests and address one another in specialized journals. On the whole, what we do in philosophy is of little interest to anyone without a Ph.D. in the subject. Indeed, subdisciplines within philosophy are often intellectually isolated from one another…
The professionalization of philosophy, together with a depressed academic job market, has led to the interesting idea that success in philosophy should be measured by appropriate professional standards. In practice, this has too often meant that cleverness and technical savvy trump depth. Positions and ideas are dismissed or left unconsidered because they are not comme il faut. Journals are filled with papers exhibiting an impressive level of professional competence, but little in the way of insight, originality, or abiding interest. Non-mainstream, even wildly non-mainstream, conclusions are allowed, even encouraged, provided they come with appropriate technical credentials.
Stephen Mumford, in his contribution to Metaphysics: 5 Questions, edited by Asbjørn Steglich-Petersen (Automatic Press, 2010):
Since philosophy has become professionalized, I think few stones have been left unturned. Rather than subjects being neglected, I think there are more topics that have received too much attention. Most of the journals are filled with material that but a few people will ever read and which I think will not stand the test of time. The problem is that in various ways professional philosophers are obliged to publish, whether they have anything new and substantial to say or not. I would really like to see the journal editors take a lead in this respect and stop publishing papers on the negative basis of them making the fewest errors or fewest controversial claims and start publishing on the positive criterion of them having something important or interesting to say…
I like papers that offer bold new insights but it is all too rare that one finds them. The system of edited, peer-reviewed journals is an inherently conservative one where paradigm-challenging work is very unlikely to be accepted because it threatens the interests of the editor and referees…
I think contemporary philosophy has become too self-congratulatory, with an arrogant self-assurance that the work we are producing is vastly superior to that of the interested amateurs of the past. But has anyone of late produced as fine and appealing a work as Hume's Treatise or Locke's Essay? On the contrary, I fear that in future centuries, the current era will be looked upon as a philosophical dark age where very little of interest was authored.
No comment, except to invite comparison with what one might gather about the careerist mentality that prevails in much of "the profession" from Michael Huemer's sobering advice to aspiring grad students in philosophy. (Here's your homework assignment: Compare "advancing in the profession," as that is understood today, and "the love of wisdom," with reference to the dispute between Socrates and the Sophists.)
Friday, December 17, 2010
Even I don't think it's THAT good…
I see that a dealer at Amazon is selling the (currently out-of-stock) hardback of The Last Superstition for – wait for it – $999.99. Ridiculous, no? Especially given that several other dealers are pricing it in the bargain basement $150 range (!)
Seriously, what's the deal? I've seen weird prices like this before at Amazon, and I assume that second-hand dealers have some automatic, computerized system for jacking up the price on out-of-stock books. But who's going to buy a copy of any recent book for a thousand bucks, let alone my little tome? What's the point of leaving a book listed online at such a ridiculous price? Anyone out there know how this works?
Just to play it safe, though, you might want to have that hardback copy of TLS CGC graded, stick it in a Mylar bag, and store it in a humidity controlled safe deposit box between your copies of Vault of Horror #12 and Amazing Fantasy #15. Meanwhile, the paperback is available for a sane $12.92.
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Causal loops, infinite regresses, and information
On a reader's recommendation, the wife and I took in the 2007 Spanish science fiction movie Timecrimes last weekend. Great flick. It's a time travel story similar in structure to Heinlein's "By His Bootstraps" (which I discussed in a recent post), though the plot is very different. Hector, the movie's protagonist, spies through his binoculars a woman removing her shirt in the woods beyond his house. After going out to investigate, he comes upon the woman lying naked and motionless, and is then suddenly stabbed in the arm by an attacker whose head is wrapped in bloody bandages. (Since this is a family blog of sorts, I suppose I should alert the unwary viewer lest he be temporarily blinded by the rather bright pair of headlights that appears onscreen a couple of times, and I don't mean the ones on Hector's car. Good thing my wife was there to shield my eyes!)
The latest on ID and Thomism
Frank Beckwith kindly reviews my book Aquinas in a lengthy essay in the latest Philosophia Christi. He focuses on the dispute between Thomism and Intelligent Design theory (though those who haven't read the book should know that it deals with this subject only briefly). In other recent discussion, over at The Huffington Post, John Farrell comments on the conflict between ID theory and Thomism, kindly linking to yours truly. Over at Touchstone, Logan Paul Gage takes issue with the claim that there is any conflict between ID and Thomism, politely disagreeing with yours truly. Over at EvolutionBlog, Jason Rosenhouse, though critical of ID, seems completely baffled by yours truly. I've got zero interest in getting into another ID vs. Thomism blog war at the moment, so I'll refrain from commenting. For now.
Saturday, December 11, 2010
Kaczor on abortion
Christopher Kaczor's The Ethics of Abortion is just out from Routledge. David Boonin, author of A Defense of Abortion, calls it "one of the very best book-length defenses of the claim that abortion is morally impermissible." Natural law theorist J. Budziszewski says that the book "replies to the most difficult objections to the pro-life position, many of which have not been adequately addressed by previous authors." Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews calls it "the most complete, the most penetrating and the most up-to-date set of critiques of the arguments for abortion choice presently available." Don Marquis, author of the widely anthologized article "Why Abortion is Immoral," calls it "essential reading." Check it out.
Thursday, December 9, 2010
A is A
The Advaita Vedānta school within Hindu philosophy holds that the self is identical with God. A student of mine recently lamented that too many Westerners who claim to follow this doctrine draw precisely the wrong lesson from it. Instead of freeing themselves from the limitations of their selfish egos and looking at the world from the divine point of view, they deify their selfishness. They bring God down to their level rather than rising up to His level.
Well, that is annoying. The trouble is that startling identity claims have a way of boomeranging. The Vedantist says "You are God!" hoping to shock his listener out of his egotism. The shallow listener thinks "Wow, I am God!" and his egotism is only reinforced. He puts the accent on the "I" rather than on "God." And why not, if he and God really are identical?
Saturday, December 4, 2010
The dreaded causa sui
There is no case known (neither is it, indeed, possible) in which a thing is found to be the efficient cause of itself; for so it would be prior to itself, which is impossible.
Summa Theologiae I.2.3
If, then, something were its own cause of being, it would be understood to be before it had being – which is impossible…
Summa Contra Gentiles I.22.6
Was Aquinas mistaken? Could something be its own cause? Stephen Hawking and Leonard Mlodinow seem to think so. In their recent book The Grand Design, they tell us that "we create [the universe's] history by our observation, rather than history creating us" and that since we are part of the universe, it follows that "the universe… create[d] itself from nothing."
I examine their position (and the many things that are wrong with it) in my review of the book for National Review. What is of interest for present purposes is their suggestion that future events can bring about past ones. Could this be a way of making plausible "the dreaded causa sui" (as I seem to recall John Searle once referring to the idea in a lecture)? That is to say, might a thing A possibly cause itself as long as it does so indirectly, by causing some other thing B to exist or occur in the past which in turn causes A?
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Plantinga's ontological argument
Alvin Plantinga famously defends a version of the ontological argument that makes use of the notion of possible worlds. As is typically done, we might think of a "possible world" as a complete way that things might have been. In the actual world I am writing up this blog post, but I could have decided instead to go pour myself a Scotch. (Since it's still morning, I won't – I can wait an hour.) So, we might say that there is a possible world more or less like the actual world – Obama is still president, I still teach and write philosophy, and so forth – except that instead of writing up this blog post at this particular moment, I am pouring myself a Scotch. (Naturally there will be some other differences that follow from this one.) We can imagine possible worlds that are even more different or less different in various ways – a possible world where the Allies lost World War II, a possible world in which human beings never existed, a possible world exactly like the actual one except that the book next to me sits a millimeter farther to the right than it actually does, and so forth. Not everything is a possible world, though. There is no possible world where 2 + 2 = 5 or in which squares are round.
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By Judy Carmack Bross
For almost 75 years, Know Your Chicago has been the way many Chicagoans have chosen to go behind the scenes to delve deeply and perhaps become more active and engaged in the city they love. This year, thanks to their two tours being given virtually on September 15, September 29, and October 6, participants from around the country will get the opportunity to know our city. Sold out almost every season, this year even more are expected to participate by Zoom.
Chair Kitty Freidheim told us about September's tours.
"Each year Know Your Chicago focuses on noteworthy ideas, representing topics or trends that are emerging and relevant to our community. The past 18 months have of course turned our world upside down in many respects: the extraordinary challenge of COVID-19, reliance on the internet, and political transitions on every level.
"KYC's two online programs this year are offshoots of a couple of those issues. The first on September 15th – Hiding in Plain Sight: Architectural Jewels of the South Side – represents multiple neighborhoods of the City of Chicago that have been long overlooked from an architectural perspective. Noted photographer, author, architectural historian and professor Lee Bay, author of Southern Exposure: The Overlooked Architecture of Chicago's South Side, takes us on a personally guided tour through South Shore, Bronzeville, Chatham, Englewood, West Pullman and more."
Church of Deliverance |
Yale Bldg. |
"The second – Broadband: Our Most Important Invisible Infrastructure – on September 29 and October 6th, provides fundamental background on this critical component of information access, asking "what broadband is and who has it?" Direct internet into our homes has been a default for many of us for the last two decades. It shows up in the way we work, live, and access everything from entertainment to education to telemedicine. The program will highlight the many communities that have been deprived of access to the internet and how this has heightened divisions across our society, issues that have become even more critical during the COVID pandemic as families and school systems struggle to implement remote learning solutions and patients need to connect remotely to medical care."
Interior of Yale Apartments
"It is a delight to hear Lee Bey speak of the architectural heritage of the South Side. His enthusiasm for his topic is palpable and he has selected a wide range of buildings from his recently published book. The featured structures will include a variety of uses from residential to education and religious facilities. Many were designed by lesser-known architects and are located in less familiar areas of the City which we believe will provide new perspectives to our attendees.'
Tour Co-Chair Joan Blew
Joan Blew, Co-chair with Judith McBrien of the architecture tour, told us:
"Donna La Pietra and Bill Kurtis introduced us to an outstanding videographer who filmed the tour. Judith and I accompanied Bey on two full days of walking and filming historic, art deco, mid-century modern and contemporary masterpieces. Bey has told us that the area we cover is the size of Philadelphia. It would have been impossible to cover all this territory on a bus tour. It is actually better virtually. Bey is so passionate about the topic, he eats, sleeps and speaks about it and he really wants the area to thrive."
Joan Blew and Judith McBrien scouting the South Side
One of Chicago's pre-eminent architectural activists and historians, Judith McBrien said:
"Even though I've written a walking guidebook to Chicago buildings, working on the Know Your Chicago tour of Chicago's South Side architecture with Lee Bey has been a journey of discovery for me, as I hope it will be for everyone who joins us on September 15th.
"I saw streets filled with mid-century modern homes, a pocket park worthy of landscape designer Frederick Law Olmsted and a historic preservation knockout that took my breath away. Here on the South Side, I found layers of history where I least expected it and unique buildings I'll go back to revisit. And they all tell part of the ever-changing story of Chicago. Trust me–you won't want to miss getting to Know Your Chicago with this one-of-a-kind program!
"Could there possibly be anyone better than Lee Bey to lead us through a few of his favorite buildings on Chicago's South Side? As a native South Sider, he has written about and photographed Chicago's architecture and neighborhoods for over twenty years, first as the architecture critic for the Sun-Times newspaper and now as the author of the widely acclaimed book, Southern Exposure: The Overlooked Architecture of Chicago's South Side. He teaches at the Illinois Institute of Technology and lectures frequently about the meaning and impact of architecture in our lives. We are grateful he is sharing his time and expertise with us for this special and very timely Know Your Chicago tour, Hiding in Plain Sight: Architectural Jewels of the South Side."
Marian Jacobson and her co-chair Jeannette Tamayo have met frequently on Zoom, planning the two-part series Broadband on September 29 and October 6.
From left to right top row are: Dee Dee Chesley, Marian Jacobson, Jeannette Tamayo
From left to right bottom row are: Pam Sheffield, Lisa Warshauer, Betsy Ahearne
Jacobson told us:
"I learn so much about our City from every tour, and am always amazed by the rare access to thought leaders, business directors, and experts on each tour. This year's Broadband tour is no exception. Attendees will walk away with a deeper understanding of why closing the digital divide may be the most important societal issue we face in the immediate future and increased civic pride knowing how Chicago and Illinois are making an impact."
Map of Chicagoland area
Freidheim told us more about the 47-member committee's work:
"As you can imagine participation in an organization with a record of meeting in person for many decades was an entirely new experience and Zoom was a surprise and a solution for all of us. We clearly could not have managed without it but certainly, miss the advantages of meeting face to face.
" I think we are all anxious to be with one another in person and actually have had some small meetings lately. In recent years, the full Committee has met at the Gleacher Center but that was not a possibility for us during the time of Covid under University of Chicago guidelines. We generally meet as a whole Committee during November and then January through June to assess the previous year's tours and to identify new ones. Of course, smaller tour committees meet often following tour selections in multiple locations to tie down organizational details.
"The Symposium traditionally was held after Labor Day and highlighted speakers who had deep knowledge in the area of the featured tours. The all day event was held at Ida Noyes Hall on the campus of the University of Chicago and gave the attendees a glimpse of the season's tour. It has always been an exceptionally stimulating intellectual experience and one on which we have received positive feedback. While the Symposium was not introduced by KYC until 1984, it has become a solid component of our program. A second tradition or policy if you will is the focus on civic education which I believe stimulates critical thinking. And lastly, KYC's continuing effort to provide engaging speakers whose work is on the cutting edge."
"Our Know Your Chicago Committee never ceases to amaze me. The tours have so many details to organize and our members consistently volunteer to cover each of them from soliciting expert speakers, drafting the brochures, contracting with videographers and editors, organizing lunches and transportation and on and on. This year was a new challenge as we moved from experiential to online. We have all learned a great deal and enjoyed the process. We do not know what next year will bring but do know that whatever it may be we are all up to the challenge."
Mayor Richard M. Daley with Mary Ward Wolkonsky at a Know Your Chicago Event.
Begun by Mary Ward Wolkonsky, a dazzling and creative leader unlike any other, the series is now given in partnership with the University of Chicago's Graham School. Throughout its history, some of our city's most admired women, including Jo Minow, Beth Sonnenschein, Jan Jentes, Pam Sheffield, and Judy Block have led the program.
We share vintage photographs of Know Your Chicago's past.
visit knowyourchicago.org to register


text: Dear customer,We host the three million websites on our web hosting packages in two datacentes: the DC in Paris (P19) and the new DC in Gravelines (GRA1). In P19, we use different technologies to host website and database data. In most cases, we use our NAS or NAS-HA technology based on ZFS.In addition, in P19, in some cases we use EMC VNX 5400 storage bays with SSD disks. This is a solution which we put in place in 2012 to deal with storage performance issues which we experienced on some databases in 2012. Since we fixed the performance issues on our NAS-HA and in GRA we have only been using our internal solutions.On the 29th of June at 16:30 UTC , there was an incident with one of the EMC VNX 5400 storage racks that we use to store some web hosting databases in P19. 96 SSDs configured as active/active on several physical racks were impacted. They could not be restarted. We have contacted the manufacturer and we are trying to find a solution to recover the data hosted in this rack. This storage rack is used for hosting web hosting databases. All databases are backed up every 24 hours on other storage systems, located in another DC in Roubaix: RBX1.We sincerely apologize. The last incident of this magnitude was in 2006 and at that time we reviewed all the storage technologies that we used at OVH. æThis outage is another lesson and we'll communicate the changes that will be made following so that we don't see another incident of this magnitude in 10 years' time.