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The sun was out, but he was comfortably shaded. Watching people was supposed to be more fun, but everyone here was slim and self conscious. They all screamed common place. It was dreadful, and his crossword was not going very well for once. Partially, because he wasn't focused on it, and also that he had no idea what he would do after he finished it.
He finished scribbling in the word 'affair' when he saw a tall woman stand in the doorway. Her hand was over her eyes and she was obviously searching for someone.
A maid, a house worker, an employee. She disinterested him, then he looked again. Her hair was rough and natural, the girl was plain. Boring even, but she was dressed better then some seamstress.
Peripherally he could see her coming towards him and he cringed. A woman on a mission. He was on holiday after all. He shrugged.
He was bored on holiday.
Cindy didn't extend her hand, "Mr. Chekhov."
He didn't respond immediately. He took his time to take off his sunglasses, "Yes?"
"Do you mind if I sit down?"
He motioned for her to take a seat.
The chair scraped against the floor. Ivon noted that she wasn't particularly graceful, "I'm here," she straightened out her skirt, "To ask you for your help. On the behalf of my employer."
"Who is your employer?"
"Conrad Clinton."
Ivon's face narrowed, "He's in India."
Cindy remained unflustered, "It's his wife. That asked me to come here. Lily Clinton," she paused, "How did you know he was in India?"
"I read the paper. And, what exactly is it that his lovely wife would like me to do for her."
"Something went missing this morning."
"Is this something valuable."
"Very. The pearls that were auctioned off anonymously last week at Sotheby's."
Nodding, "You should call the police."
"Mrs. Clinton is refusing to call the police. She wants this handled discreetly. She doesn't want Conrad to find out that she lost the pearls."
"They were stolen from a safe?"
Cindy shook her head, "Right off her dresser."
The eye roll was immediate, "One of the staff probably took it. Search the house. It's pure carelessness. She deserved to have them stolen."
"We already searched the house."
"I'm still not seeing this as my problem."
"Mr. Chekhov-."
"Please, Ivon. I'm on vacation."
Cindy corrected herself, "Ivon, we need your help to find them. All Mrs. Clinton wants is them back. I don't think she cares who stole them."
"That's a curious thing to say," Ivon hesitated, "You all have an idea who took the pearls."
Cindy nodded, "Yes. But, I think you can figure it out yourself. See it from your own perspective instead of just what we're thinking."
"I still haven't agreed to do it."
"No. But you will. You're bored out of your mind here. I know it's not a murder or anything too exciting, but it will be a change up for today. Your expertise would be greatly appreciated."
"Flattery won't get you anywhere with me." He tapped the paper in his hands, "All right. I'll find the pearls."
She smiled, "Good, let's get started then."
Cindy's flats resounded on the foyer.
"Don't bother to take your shoes off. We've already traipsed through the whole house looking for the pearls."
"What makes you so sure that the pearls are still in the house."
"You saw the fence. No one could climb over that in this neighborhood. The robbery was too well timed. It had to have been someone in the house." Cindy didn't mention the mysterious figure she saw lurking outside the night before. Someone else would have to do that.
"Why don't you show me around, then?"
She pivoted to face him. "Well," she started, "This is the ground floor. Michael, Mrs. Clinton, and I had in the dining room right there. The kitchen's a little off to the side. This house is so narrow most of the rooms run into each other. The stairs to get to the second floor are all the way at the end here." She started walking. "Any questions?"
"No. Not yet."
The stairs creaked under her feet. At the top she pointed to the little alcove off to the right, "This is where Theodore sits."
"That's Miss Betsy's husband. He's not doing so well, actually. He needs surgery, I don't know what kind. I really wasn't supposed to over hear them."
"He sits here?"
"Yes. Every day. Technically he's a guard, but he's just a sweet old man. He keeps up the grounds. That's what he does."
"So, would he have seen anyone coming in or out of Lily Clinton's room?"
Cindy stopped to think about it, "I suppose he would if he was awake. He has horrible eyesight. I doubt he could see much, even if he had his glasses on."
"But, he could see."
"Yes," conjectured Cindy.
Ivon nodded.
"Now, this is my bedroom, the bathroom I use. Everyone else has their own. The guest room Micheal is staying in and the room with the double doors at the end is Mrs. Clinton's."
"Where were you when the pearls were taken."
"Taking a shower. Not much of an alibi, but-." Cindy shrugged, "It's better then nothing. I of anyone in this house knew how much the pearls cost. I handled all the transactions for Mr. Clinton."
Ivon started looking into the bedrooms.
Cindy stood outside, "Looking for anything in particular."
"No." He looked in the bathroom. Noted the stopper was plugged in, and went into Micheal's room. "Nothing very interesting."
"Probably not."
He opened one of the doors into Mrs. Clinton's room, "They were on that dresser?" He didn't step in.
"There wasn't a safe or any other place to keep them."
"Mrs. Clinton was adamant about keeping them out. I told her to put them in the safe, but she didn't listen to me. She told me I knew the combination, so why should she bother."
"Your a trusted employee?"
That ruffled Cindy, "I suppose so."
"And, where is everyone?"
"Outside," Cindy turned away, "I wanted a chance to talk to you before you met them."
Nothing was said.
"Are you going to explain that at some point, Cindy." Ivon didn't take his eyes off of her.
She knew it was a deep analytical gaze. But, she liked it. She liked his voice and his hair. That gray Oxford and black slacks. An age appropriate, relatively well known Russian gentleman was staring into her eyes, and she was so blinded it by it she couldn't respond.
"I," she stopped herself from stammering, "I don't think Mrs. Clinton wants you to find the person who took the pearls."
His gaze narrowed.
"She would have just called the police if they were actually stolen. I think she knows exactly who stole them. She just wants you to find them for her."
"The question your asking is why she would protect someone."
"I think it's your question, Mr. Chekhov." She flounced, heading right back towards the stairs, "Are you coming Ivon."
He nodded.
He didn't quite know what to make of Cindy Johnson.
At one Lily and Michael sat, precariously close together, and at the other Theodore and Betsy. They were talking in their own individual groups. Expectantly waiting for the first arrival.
That's what Ivon liked to think anyway.
He didn't quite get the superstar greeting he expected.
It took a moment for them to process who it was. You don't just run into a celebrity. Minor or A-list on an every day occasion. Theodore and Betsy were not impressed.
Michael was a forty year old, sagging man. And, here was a twenty something Russian with good taught skin about to solve the problems of the world. He was impressed. He just didn't want to acknowledge that.
Lily leaned forward. Eagerly. Anticipating. She was ready. Her eyes were ablaze with excitement and it took her no time to stand up from her chair and walk over to greet him, "Ivon Chekhov. It's so great to meet you. I am Lily Clinton." She put her hand over her heart or more accurately her breast. "And, this is Michael, Betsy, and Theodore."
Ivon had put that much together.
"So," she paused awkwardly, "You've agreed to help with our little problem. My necklace has disappeared and I just don't know what could have happened to it. To think I was going to be gone all day, but I decided to come back to get it."
"You were going to wear it out?" questioned Michael, "I thought you said you wouldn't."
"I know that's what I said. I changed my mind. Who knows what would have happened to my necklace if I hadn't come back for it. It could already be on the black market." She shuddered.
"It was a present," mentioned Ivon.
"Yes. My anniversary present. I needed new clothes to wear it. When you find it, you will understand. The pearls are beautiful."
"You sound like they were misplaced."
"Well, I don't want to imply anything. My pearls were not on my dresser. That is all I know. If someone stole them, I just want them back. No questions asked. They could have simply been misplaced. We checked everywhere, though, Mr. Chekhov, couldn't find them." There was a hesitation, "Do you mind if I call you Ivon."
"Chekhov is fine," he answered.
She pursed her lips. They were a magnificent red color. She sauntered back over to the table she was sitting at, and leaned against it, "What do you propose in order to find my pearls." She was much more business like in her tone.
"I want to interview everyone."
"Where exactly." Her hand rested on Micheal's shoulder.
"I was thinking your bedroom."
"My bedroom?" queried Lily, "I'm intrigued. I was really hoping for less talking and more action. But, if you think talking in my room will help you. I don't mind. Who would you like to interview first."
"Let's draw straws."
"I hope you don't plan on me doing that," pointed Theodore.
"You can stand if you want."
Theodore found a chair and sat as far away from him as possible.
"So, Theodore where were you this morning."
"You don't sound Russian," he leaned forward and squinted, "Are you really Ivon Chekhov. The detective."
"I was raised in Britain."
Theodore nodded, "Explains a lot. You moved to Russia anyway."
"How about we answer that question. Where were you."
"Asleep. In one of those chairs at the end of the hall. Cindy woke me up, though. Right out of that sleep. Her foot just hit that landing. It jolted me."
"And, did you see her go into the bathroom."
"Well, I saw her go into that general area." He looked around, "I've never been in here before. This is a very nice room. The necklace was on the dresser, wasn't it?"
A nod, "Fancy." He looked at Ivon, "I don't know who stole that necklace."
Ivon ignored that, "Did someone pass you on the stairs after you saw Cindy."
"No. There wasn't a single person."
"Did you see anyone in the hall?"
There was a sigh. "I saw something, it's just my eyesight. It's not very good. But, I saw it with my own two eyes. Michael went into this very room. I saw him walk into it. I know I said I didn't know who took it, but we all know. Michael did. That's why the lady isn't calling the police. She doesn't want Michael to get caught."
"You think Michael did it?"
"Of course, I do. The boys trouble. Very affable, nice even. Doesn't mean he isn't trouble, though. Can't imagine why Mrs. Clinton would let him stay here."
Ivon questioned him, "How do you know it was Michael who came in here. You don't have very good eyesight. How do you know it wasn't Mrs. Clinton or Cindy?"
"That damn fedora. He wears it all the time. The boy decides to steal from his brother's wife and yet he still wears the fedora. He's not very bright."
"Probably not." He got up from the bed, "Thank you very much for your time."
"None at all. I hope you find the pearls."
Ivon was helping him get to the door, "You did a thorough search?"
"Very thorough. Checked everywhere."
Ivon processed it, "Thank you, Theodore.
The old man paused at the door, "You know Mr. Chekhov. I just want you to know, I don't think of you as Russian. When people talk about you now, I'll tell them you're just a Brit with a Russian last name."
"That's quite all right Theodore. There's nothing wrong with being Russian."
Ivon told her wherever.
She settled for on top of the hope chest.
"What did you do this morning, Miss Betsy?"
"Woke up. Cooked breakfast. Tried cleaning the floors. That didn't last very long. Not with everyone trampling all over it." It was very accurate, "Mr. Chekhov. If you don't mind. Can I offer you a suggestion."
Ivon nodded, "Yes, of course."
"Just ask Michael where the pearls are. We all know he took them. But, Mrs. Clinton has a soft spot for him."
"Why would that be?"
"You're not much of a detective if you can't figure that out for yourself."
"Point taken."
"You agree with me," asserted Miss Betsy, "Michael stole the pearls. He's a raging alcoholic you know. Gambles. Lives off of other people's money. The boy is a disgrace. I know Mr. Clinton doesn't pay him for anything, but I wouldn't let him in this house. Let alone near a spouse of mine."
Ivon smiled at her, "This morning. You said you served breakfast."
"Yes. I do that every morning."
"Did anyone go upstairs during this time."
"No one at all."
A pen would have been nice for dramatic effect, "So, the pearls went missing between the time that Lily left for the train station and came back."
"Yes. The woman screamed. I thought someone was being murdered."
"They weren't in the safe, though."
Miss Betsy appraised him, "I feel like you're asking me things you already know."
"I'm just wrapping my head around the crime. How long do you think she was gone?"
There was a shrug, "Ten, fifteen minutes. She wasn't gone that long. I overheard her make such a big fuss about not taking those pearls on her shopping trip over the breakfast table, that I was shocked to see her. I'm sure Michael was shocked to. Probably would have had them pawned off by now. She wasn't going to be getting home until six."
"While she was gone, what were you doing?"
"Scrubbing the floors."
"Did you hear anything?"
"Couldn't really," she thought about it, "I mean, Cindy had the water on. This house creaks a little, but it's not that bad. All I could hear was the steady down pour of water."
"Steady?" questioned Ivon.
"Yes. Steady. That might not be the word I'm looking for, but one's mind gets a little less coherent as you age. You'll find that out."
Ivon processed it, "Did you see the pearls?"
"The whole house did. Mrs. Clinton insisted that we all come down and see it. She was absolutely drooling over the delivery man. She showed us all. Even had me and Cindy go through all her clothes with her."
"So, you were both aware that the pearls were on the dresser."
"I see what your getting at. I don't like the implications. Michael came in as well. He knew. The temptation must have been strong. He has a lot of faults and one can't be surprised that Michael took the pearls. That's a lot for someone like him to handle. If only Mrs. Clinton had listened to Cindy. She told her not to take the pearls."
"You like her?"
"Mrs. Clinton? Of course I do. Wouldn't do anything wrong by the woman."
"And, Cindy?"
There was hesitation, a snort, "Smart girl. Not very pretty. You can tell she thinks she's above this job. Still she does it right. Has a good head on her shoulders. I can't fault her."
Ivon looked at her hands. They were sweating.
It took some maneuvering, but with his hand holding his head he managed to make eye contact with him. "Tell me. Who do you think took the pearls?" questioned Ivon.
"Isn't that what you're here for?" He didn't deliberately avoid his gaze.
"I'm here to find them. Figuring out who took them isn't high on that priority list."
"Lily is a silly girl. Lot's of fun. If you take her as a good time. It's easier to handle her." Michael evened out the bed spread, "Even, with Calvin away this bed never seems to stay tidy." He finally repositioned himself to stare into Ivon's eyes, "I want you to know that I'm in debt."
"Yes. I'm sure you've already heard some nasty things about me."
"I have."
Michael laughed, "I just wanted you to know, so you didn't think I was hiding it from you or anything like that. I didn't take the pearls. I think its marvelous that someone did, though."
Ivon tilted his head.
"Does that surprise you?" he questioned.
"A little. It's an interesting tactic to take."
"Not for me. I have nothing better to do today. I could have spent the better part of the day worrying about how I was going to pay those men off, but instead here I am talking to a famed Russian detective about some missing pearls."
"It really doesn't bother you that everyone thinks you stole the pearls."
"Can't let it. People don't think highly enough of me as it is, Ivon," he hazarded, "I can call you Ivon can't I?"
"Of course."
"The thing is. I know where Lily keeps a stash of money. In her lingerie drawer. I still have a week to get that money, but if I didn't. I most certainly wouldn't have taken that string of pearls. Jewels are so hard to move. Can't do anything with them."
"The way you speak, it sounds as if you have some experience with that."
"I have experience with a lot of things, Ivon. Not just illegal activities." He looked away from him.
"Still. You know someone took the pearls. Who was it."
Michael took his time, "I have two thoughts. Something Miss Betsy probably didn't mention to you when she was slandering me was that her husband needs an operation. The man's dying of lung cancer."
"Does explain why she was sweating."
"I'm telling you. She did it." He flipped his fedora into the air. Hesitating until he caught it, "This morning, Lily even asked her to get her lipstick. It took the the old biddy a while to come back down. She said the tube of lipstick fell off. I wasn't there, but it would have been easy enough for her to steal it."
"Why is it that the pearls haven't been found, yet?"
"She swallowed them whole." He twirled the fedora in his hand, "I can't tell you. I was there. We searched this whole house. I don't know where they are. What I can tell you is this thing I saw last night. Me and Cindy. She helped bandage up my wounds and we were leaving that bathroom when we saw something. There was someone moving outside."
"So, someone got in."
Michael threw his hands up, "That I don't know about. I can't imagine breaking in here. Still it wasn't me. And, it certainly wasn't old Theodore out there."
Ivon nodded.
"I like that you didn't ask me about my wounds."
"I didn't ask you if you stole the pearls."
"That's right. You're not a very good detective. Are you Ivon?"
There was really no good way to explain what Ivon was doing. He was rummaging through Lily Clinton's lingerie drawers. It took him a lot longer to find them, then he anticipated. "Just going through the drawers."
"Exactly what I thought you were doing, then."
Cindy approached, "What are you looking for? You don't think she hid the pearls in her own room. They didn't have insurance on it. I would know."
"Nothing like that. Michael told me that Lily hid money in her lingerie drawer."
"Why exactly did he tell you that?"
"He was trying to convince me that he didn't steal the pearls or more that he didn't need to steal the pearls."
Cindy leaned up against the dresser, "He's a manipulative, charming man. Don't let him fool you."
"You have feelings for him?"
"Had," she picked at her nails, "Last night, made me realize how silly I was being. I need to find someone my own age. Or at least not someone twenty years older, then me. Someone stable, secure. Something that Michael for all of his attributes is not."
They made uncomfortable eye contact.
Ivon continued rummaging through the drawer. He pretended not to notice that her cheeks were a shade redder, "Well, he wasn't lying." Ivon pulled out the drawer, "Here's the money. The pearls aren't here, but the money is."
"Is there something you needed to ask me?"
"Not particularly."
"Do you want me to go?"
"Not particularly."
There was an uncomfortable smile, "What is it you want, then?"
"Tell me about your alibi. You were taking a shower. Did you hear anything."
Ivon nodded, "And, what about after wards. Were you taking the shower when Lily Clinton came home."
"Yes and no. The only reason I got out of the shower was, because I heard her scream. I wasn't really that worried. She's over dramatic, but I thought I should go. I knew Theodore or Michael would be able to help her before I did. I finished as quickly as I could. Threw on a robe and tossed my clothes in the laundry shoot."
"Is it really?"
"Not at all."
Neither of them said anything.
She shot a look across at him, "Is this how you've conducted all your interviews?"
Ivon shrugged, "I've been experimenting." He made eye contact with her, "What else do you know about the pearls."
"Other then the fact that Mr. Clinton spent too much money on them. Not much. I handled the payment, handled the delivery. Handled tipping delivery man." She stopped, "Is that normal?"
Ivon shook his head.
"I don't know. Mrs. Clinton was very adamant about it. Had me call the company up and ask him his name. It was one of the low points of my day."
"Not even bandaging Michael up?"
"He really did tell you everything, didn't he? Did he also tell you about that figure."
"Now that was weird," she put emphasis on it, "I don't know who it could have been. It certainly wasn't me or Michael. If that person took the pearls. You might not be getting them back today."
"I'll get them back."
"You will?" She looked at him curiously.
"Yes. I already know where they are."
"I don't understand your methods."
His eyes were closed.
"Mr. Chekhov are you awake?" prodded Lily Clinton.
"Yes." He affirmed it by physically nodding.
"Do you know where my pearls are?"
"Do you know who stole them?"
"Good." She sounded satisfied, "Let's go get them, then."
Lily Clinton had her hand on the door knob. She spaced her words out, "What do you mean by 'no'."
"I mean 'no' in the literal sense." He sat up, "I need you to answer a question."
"Okay." She sidled a little bit closer to him.
"Last night you had sex with the delivery boy."
She backed away from him.
"I'm sorry," he apologized, "Last night you had relations with the delivery boy. Correct."
She was furious, "I don't see where that's any of your business."
"I need you to answer the question."
She came up closer to him. Her face a few inches away from him before she whispered, "Are you trying to blackmail me?"
He repeated the question.
"WHY? Why do you need to know?"
"You'll just have to trust me."
She puffed, "Yes." She turned away from him, "Are you happy? Yes. I had sex with Felix last night. I snuck him in and we had relations right here in this bed. Is that what you wanted to hear Mr. Chekhov."
"He almost got caught leaving?"
"I don't know why you are insisting on asking the questions, that you know damn well and straight have the answers to."
"One more question."
He hesitated. Her tone was definitely a snarl, "You did see the pearls this morning."
"Of course I did."
"Good. That's all I needed to know." He sprung up from the hope chest, "Let's go get those pearls shall we?"
"Why are we in the hallway?" questioned Lily, "Are my pearls here."
He shook his head, "No. I just didn't want to go down stairs."
"But, you do know where the pearls are don't you?" summed up Miss Betsy. Grabbing her husband's arm as she side checked Michael.
Ivon clapped his hands, "Let's start over again," he shut his eyes and opened them, "Hello, everyone. Before you ask. Yes, I know where the pearls are and who took them."
There was silence.
"Are you going to start explaining this eventually?" asked Michael. He checked his watch.
"I was just making sure there weren't any other questions. And, just to clear everyone's minds, I'm going to start by telling you that Michael didn't take the pearls off of the dresser. Although, the person who did take them, did a very good job of making it look like he did."
"Mr. Chekhov," interrupted Miss Betsy, "Of course he took the pearls. My husband saw him take the pearls. Don't you remember that part."
"He did not see him take the pearls," corrected Ivon, "He saw a man in a fedora enter Lily Clinton's room those are two radically different things. It's funny to me that you think you're so above suspicion."
Theodore took a step forward, "My wife didn't take the pearls."
"I am not saying she did. But, you both had motive. You are dying of cancer and at the moment you can't afford the surgery."
Miss Betsy blanched.
"As I said, it doesn't mean you stole the pearls. However, the only person who saw anyone go into the room was Theodore. That could have been falsified. You saw the entire floor. You said no one else came past you after Lily, but if you're wife asked you not to. I'm sure you would have forgotten that she came upstairs."
"However," Ivon started to address Miss Betsy, "That wouldn't have been necessary. Earlier that morning Lily had you go upstairs and get her lipstick. It would have been easy for you to grab them, then. There wouldn't have been a need for your husband to make up a story about Michael going into the room. You did see the pearls when you went in this morning, right Miss Betsy."
"Yes. Yes. I did."
Ivon nodded, "Good. And, that was the last time Lily went upstairs before she left. That was something I had in question. What if she had taken the pearls and only pretended that they were gone. But, really the whole time she had them.. Finding out that there wasn't any insurance on them helped. I never really did think you took your own pearls, though."
"Thank you?" remarked Lily, clutching at the jewels she did have around her neck.
"What this crime did rely on was a lot of inside knowledge. Especially with the time frame. This wasn't a break in. That was a very poor decision on your part last night to have company Mrs. Clinton."
Everyone turned to stare at her. None of them were surprised.
"That was the shadowy figure you saw Cindy and Michael. It's also why I clarified that you saw the pearls this morning. The delivery man knew the price of those pearls, even if he didn't I'm sure he knew how much money you're husband is worth. It would have been, so easy for him to have taken them off you're nightstand. And, what would you have done if he had taken them. Told your husband?" Ivon laughed, "Probably not."
Lily glared at him.
"Now you should all know who took the pearls."
Michael counted on his fingers before swiveling to look at Cindy.
There was a hesitation before she responded, defiantly, "I don't know what you're talking about."
"Of course you don't. It was brilliant of you to frame Michael. The drunk, gambler with a debt. It was a flawless move. Also the fact that you unlike all the other members of this household do not have a reason to steal it was even more perfect. You did it. To prove you could."
"How, exactly?" Cindy drew out the words, "Did I manage that."
"It is why you woke Theodore up isn't it? He said you woke him with a jolt. You've been here before. It was broad daylight. You shouldn't have jolted anyone awake. It was deliberate. And, living here you know that he spends most of his time there. You needed him awake to see what was about to happen. This plan was rushed."
"Well of course it would have to be the pearls only came in yesterday," concurred Cindy.
"Right. You even said to Lily that she shouldn't leave the pearls out what if someone takes them. But, she ignored your advice and left them out. That's why you stole them. To prove something to her. Get back at Michael. I'm not sure, which. But, that doesn't really matter."
Lily leaned over to Michael, "Why do I feel like we're interrupting their conversation?"
Ivon continued on oblivious, "That's why you took a shower. It was an alibi of sorts. You switched out of your regular clothes into one of Micheal's suits, and the all important fedora. The size was a bit off, but you're both about the same height, and you only needed to fool an elderly man with poor eyesight. He couldn't tell the difference between Michael and a woman with her hair bunched under the hat at that distance. He only thought it was Michael, because that's who he would have expected to see."
"You then actually took your shower. Heard Lily Clinton scream. That probably surprised you and you took your time getting out of the shower until you had calmed your nerves."
"I don't believe a word you're saying. I didn't take the pearls," Cindy was amused.
"You know Miss Betsy said something very interesting to me, and that's when I first started thinking that you'd taken the pearls. She said she heard a steady stream of water."
"I did," acknowledged Miss Betsy, "What does that have to do with anything."
Ivon raised his eyebrow, "Well, if someone. A living, moving person is taking a shower. You wouldn't hear a steady stream of water. It wouldn't be the same sound repeating. It would change, because the person is moving. And, yet Miss Betsy scrubbing on the floor right below you're bathroom described it as 'steady'. I might also point out that it was you're bathroom. No one else would use it."
"None of this explains where my pearls are," protested Lily.
"I'm getting to that."
"Really? So far it sounds to me as if anyone could have taken the pearls, and we searched this whole house. We didn't find the pearls anywhere. And, I don't recall a full suit and fedora stocked up in the linens cupboard in my bathroom either." Cindy smiled at him.
"You probably shouldn't have told me that you dumped you're clothes in the laundry chute. It is Michael after all. What would be weird about finding a suit and one of his fedoras in that basket. Nothing. That's something that also didn't make a lot of sense to me. If Michael had stolen the pearls. In less then fifteen minutes he'd found an ingenious hiding spot for them. That no one had found."
"Don't make it sound so improbable," inserted Michael.
"He could have taken the pearls, yet. You still haven't told us where they are." Cindy was satisfied.
"Who puts a stopper in a tub when they get out." He looked around, "Everyone. Nod tell me if you do."
The only person who didn't nod was Cindy.
"I found it so strange when I went into that bathroom that the stopper was in the drain."
Lily opened the bathroom door. Slid the shower curtain aside and kneeled. One hand resting on the wall, "You're telling me my pearls are down this nasty drain?" She looked at him for reassurance.
"Yes," he nodded.
With some resolution, she took the stopper out. The group crowded around and dangling from inside were the pearls. Lily lifted them up and pointed at Cindy, "You're fired."
Lily pretended to look like she was hurt.
"You'll never work again. I'm having you arrested-."
"One moment. You can't prove that she stole the pearls," intervened Ivon.
"But, you said she did. And here they are." She held them in her hands.
"I said it before and I'm saying it again. Anyone could have stolen those pearls. Just because you found them in her shower doesn't mean anything."
"Bloody hell it doesn't. She stole them from me. I can't trust her."
"Consider it my payment."
Lily hesitated, "Your payment?"
"Yes. Services rendered. I also remember you saying you didn't care who stole them as long as you got them back. You have them back, and this time put them in the safe."
Lily wanted to throw something at her, "I want her out of my house. I want her gone."
"I think Lily will resign. And when she gets a new job, you'll give her a glowing recommendation."
"I've doing enough by not having her thrown in jail, Mr. Chekhov." Lily Clinton was a disgruntled customer.
He leaned forward to talk into her hear, "If you don't do this. You're husband will find out about Felix and all the other men. Even, Michael."
She constrained herself, looked dead at Cindy, "Fine. You will have good references." She straightened her hair out, "I'm over it. I have my pearls back. Let's pretend this didn't happen." She started getting out of the shower, and edging her way past Ivon and Cindy.
Lily stood in front of the door, "Do you two need a moment?"
"That would be nice."
"Let's leave the Russian and the bitch to themselves."
Ivon grabbed her before she left, "Word of advice. Stop sleeping with your husband's brother. That won't end well."
She shook his arm off.
Everyone filed out and they were left alone.
Cindy looked into his eyes, "Why didn't you have me arrested?"
"You didn't do it maliciously. It seemed to me that you did it to see if you could get away with it. You wouldn't have tried so hard to convince me to take the case if you thought you couldn't get away with it. You wanted to see how smart you are."
She shrugged, "Maybe." They were a good distance apart.
"Were you planning on keeping them."
She took a step forward, "I was planning on putting them in her safe."
Ivon laughed, he smiled. "Would you consider having dinner with me tonight?"
"I don't know. You only saved me from prison. Of course you also could have conveniently not found the pearls."
"That's not an answer."
"I'm sorry," she apologized, "I'm very bad at this flirting thing. Yes. I'll go out with you."
"Good." He took a step closer and stopped to think, "I can't really pick you up here can I?"


text: Exercise and Chiropractic Care After Back Surgery 10/28/2014"I expect 100% relief after back surgery!" Back surgery doesn't always create the hoped-for relief of back pain. Depending on the source, just 10% to 50% relief may be a wonderful outcome. Surgery for a disc herniation causing sciatic leg pain results in success at 12 months from 49 to 58% in one study. (1) An influential factor in the relief attainment and maintenance is aftercare or rehabilitation. Exercise and not fearing exercise will go far to help a post-back surgery patient get and retain the best possible relief. So what might a Carrolltown back surgery patient want to do after surgery? Many today opt to visit their Carrolltown chiropractor. Following a chiropractic care treatment plan, the post-surgical patient may incorporate spinal manipulation and exercise. Why? For one, a recent study shares that manual therapy using joint mobilization and flexion distraction (a technique Gormish Chiropractic & Rehabilitation uses) is effective to relieve low back pain and increase disc height in chronic low back pain patients. (2) Further, another set of researchers reports that patients with neck pain are more satisfied with spinal manipulation and home exercise than having to take medication. (3) Gormish Chiropractic & Rehabilitation encourages back and neck pain patients to embrace self-care in the form of exercise after a discussion of which exercises are effective and how to do them correctly, of course. These factors make all the difference! One effective form of back exercise is lumbar stabilization. Medical researchers report benefits of recommending dynamic lumbar stabilization exercises after spinal surgery as they reduce pain, increase spinal mobility, and ensure faster return to work periods. (4) At Gormish Chiropractic & Rehabilitation, patients, post-surgical or not, are recommended simple lumbar spine exercises often starting with just the first 3: pelvic tilt for abdominal tightening, pelvic lift, and knee-chest.The goal is to get you involved in your Carrolltown chiropractic care. As you grow stronger, a few more simple back exercises will be added that you can do in as short a time as 15 minutes a day. If you would do them before you even get up in the morning, that's all the better! Even though spinal manipulation is recommended first for patients with chronic low back pain and low back-related disability (5), if back surgery was your first option and you still have pain afterward, you do have the chiropractic non-surgical care option. Gormish Chiropractic & Rehabilitation sets treatment plans for Carrolltown back surgery patients that improve their quality of life. Back surgery outcomes may not be encouraging. Your Carrolltown back surgery may go well or not as well as expected. Chiropractic care at Gormish Chiropractic & Rehabilitation with the Cox Technic and related exercises for rehabilitation may be the go-to solution for improved outcomes for back pain relief. Contact Gormish Chiropractic & Rehabilitation before or after your back surgery. Gormish Chiropractic & Rehabilitation stands ready to support your back.« View All Featured Exercises"This information and website content is not intended to diagnose, guarantee results, or recommend specific treatment or activity. It is designed to educate and inform only. Please consult your physician for a thorough examination leading to a diagnosis and well-planned treatment strategy. See more details on the DISCLAIMER page. Content is reviewed by Dr. James M. Cox I."

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Elton John Was Hit in the Face With Some Beads
Based on the fact that he's taking a few years to wrap it up, Elton John doesn't seem to be in any rush to finish his farewell tour — but incidents like the one that threatened to derail his Feb. 14 Caesars Palace show will probably end up on his "reasons to retire" checklist.
TMZ reports that John — still in the midst of his "Million Dollar Piano" residency at the Las Vegas venue — was leading the band through the night's rendition of "Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting" when a bead necklace came sailing over his piano and pelted him in the mouth. Visibly annoyed, John took a few moments to examine himself for damage — all while his band, clearly composed of consummate professionals, kept the show going.
According to TMZ, the bead incident occurred shortly after John had invited fans in the front row to come up and join him onstage. The concertgoer who tossed the necklace was reportedly among those who'd been called up — and as the report notes, it seems safe to assume that he or she will not be asked to return.
As John announced last year, he's looking to conclude his lengthy run of Million Dollar Piano shows in late May, but according to the U.K.'s Daily Mail, a couple of dates may end up being knocked off the itinerary; the paper's sources say John intends to cancel a pair of Vegas shows so he can clear his calendar for the upcoming royal wedding between Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.


text:
GSport Elite CSST Rear WheelBlack
If you take the GSport Ribcage Rim and lace it to GSport Roloway Cassette Hub, you'll end up with one of the strongest BMX cassette wheels you can get.
Matches GSport Elite v2 Front Wheel.
Comes stock with GSport High Pressure Rim Strips.
Roloway Cassette Hub
This RHD/LHD compatible hub features a modern slim shape along with all the durability you've come to expect from a GSport hub.
- 7075-T6 aluminum hub shell
- Super durable and smooth 16003 sealed cartridge hub shell bearings
- 14mm 4130 chromoly axle bolts w/17mm 4130 chromoly female axle
- 9T driver with 3-Pawl independent spring design and precision caged needle bearings
- RHD/LHD switchable
- Replaceable plastic hub guard included
Roloway Cassette Hub Specifications
Spoke Configuration: 36 holeHub Shell Material: 7075-T6 aluminum
Hub Shell Bearings: 16003 sealed cartridge ball bearing
Axle: 17mm 4130 chromoly female axle
Axle Bolts: 14mm 4130 chromoly
Guard Option: Plastic hub guards included
Drive Side Flange Diameter: 50mm
Non-Dive Side Flange Diameter: 50mm
Drive Side Flange to Center: 29mm
Non-Drive Side Diameter: 29mm
Weight: 480g with guard / 436g without guard
Ribcage Rim
The Ribcage is GSport's strongest rim. It features thick outer walls, cross-over-spoke lacing, and patented "Rib" design.
Ribcage Rim Specifications
Sizes: 20" onlyDrillings: 36 and 48
Weight: 500g / 17.6oz
Width: 36mm
Height: 18mm
ERD: 389mm
U.S. Patent 7,427,112


text:
Technical innovation can be harnessed for social good, but just as readily for nefarious ends. This is truer of cybercrime than of perhaps any other crime area. And cybercriminals are also getting more aggressive. That's why Europol and its partner organisations are taking the fight to them on all fronts.
Cybercrime is an EMPACT priority for the policy cycle from 2018 to 2021: the aim is to fight cybercrime, by (1) disrupting the criminal activities related to attacks against information systems, particularly those following a Crime-as-a-Service business model and working as enablers for online crime, (2) combating child sexual abuse and child sexual exploitation, including the production and dissemination of child abuse material, and by (3) targeting criminals involved in fraud and counterfeiting of non-cash means of payment, including large-scale payment card fraud (especially card-not-present fraud), emerging threats to other non-cash means of payment and enabling criminal activities.
According to the most recent Internet Organised Crime Threat Assessment (IOCTA) , cybercrime is becoming more aggressive and confrontational. This can be seen across the various forms of cybercrime, including high-tech crimes, data breaches and sexual extortion.
Cybercrime is a growing problem for countries, such as EU Member States, in most of which internet infrastructure is well developed and payment systems are online.
But it is not just financial data, but data more generally, that is a key target for cybercriminals. The number and frequency of data breaches are on the rise, and this in turn is leading to more cases of fraud and extortion.
The sheer range of opportunities that cybercriminals have sought to exploit is impressive. These crimes include:
- using botnets—networks of devices infected with malware without their users' knowledge—to transmit viruses that gain illicit remote control of the devices, steal passwords and disable antivirus protection;
- creating "back doors" on compromised devices to allow the theft of money and data, or remote access to the devices to create botnets;
- creating online fora to trade hacking expertise;
- bulletproof hosting and creating counter-anti-virus services;
- laundering traditional and virtual currencies;
- committing online fraud, such as through online payment systems, carding and social engineering;
- various forms of online child sexual exploitation, including the distribution online of child sex-abuse materials and the live-streaming of child sexual abuse
- the online hosting of operations involving the sale of weapons, false passports, counterfeit and cloned credit cards, and drugs, and hacking services.
High-tech crimes
Malware, or malicious software, infiltrates and gains control over a computer system or a mobile device to steal valuable information or damage data. There are many types of malware, and they can complement each other when performing an attack.
- A botnet (short for robot network) is made up of computers communicating with each other over the internet. A command and control centre uses them to send spam, mount distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks (see below) and commit other crimes.
- A rootkit is a collection of programmes that enable administrator-level access to a computer or computer network, thus allowing the attacker to gain root or privileged access to the computer and possibly other machines on the same network.
- A worm replicates itself over a computer network and performs malicious actions without guidance.
- A trojan poses as, or is embedded within, a legitimate programme, but it is designed for malicious purposes, such as spying, stealing data, deleting files, expanding a botnet, and performing DDoS attacks.
- A file infector infects executable files (such as .exe) by overwriting them or inserting infected code that disables them.
- A backdoor/remote-access trojan (RAT) accesses a computer system or mobile device remotely. It can be installed by another piece of malware. It gives almost total control to the attacker, who can perform a wide range of actions, including:
- monitoring actions
- executing commands
- sending files and documents back to the attacker
- logging keystrokes
- taking screen shots
- Ransomware stops users from accessing their devices and demands that they pay a ransom through certain online payment methods to regain access. A variant, police ransomware, uses law enforcement symbols to lend authority to the ransom message.
- Scareware is fake anti-virus software that pretends to scan and find malware/security threats on a user's device so that they will pay to have it removed.
- Spyware is installed on a computer without its owner's knowledge to monitor their activity and transmit the information to a third party
- Adware displays advertising banners or pop-ups that include code to track the user's behaviour on the internet
The response: pursuing cybercriminals on all fronts
With such a range of activities being pursued with such inventiveness, the response of Europol and its partners must itself be comprehensive, dynamic and relentlessly innovative. And it is.
First, there's the institutional response. In 2013 Europol set up the European Cybercrime Centre (EC3) to bolster the response of law enforcement to cybercrime in the EU and help protect European citizens, businesses and governments.
Each year the EC3 issues the aforementioned Internet Organised Crime Threat Assessment (IOCTA), which sets priorities for the EMPACT Operational Action Plan in the areas of cybercrime that are the focus for that year.
The EC3 also hosts the Joint Cybercrime Action Taskforce (J-CAT). Its mission is to drive intelligence-led, coordinated action against key cybercrime threats through cross-border investigations and operations by its partners.
These institutional arrangements have led to notable successes at the operational level, including:
- the coordination of a joint operation, including private-sector partners to target a botnet, Ramnit, that had infected millions of computers around the world;
- coordination with Eurojust in an operation targeting large-scale malware attacks that originated in Ukraine and that were being investigated by a number of agencies — an operation that led to tens of arrests and continues to supply evidence that supports other cybercrime investigations;
- an operation targeting a major cybercriminal forum engaged in trading hacking expertise, malware and botnets, Zero Day Exploits, access to compromised servers, and matching partners for spam campaigns and malware attacks.


text:
Lowpass Filter Design in MATLAB
This example shows how to design lowpass filters. The example highlights some of the most commonly used command-line tools in the DSP System Toolbox™. Alternatively, you can use the Filter Builder app to implement all the designs presented here. For more design options, see Design Lowpass FIR Filters.
When designing a lowpass filter, the first choice you make is whether to design an FIR or IIR filter. You generally choose FIR filters when a linear phase response is important. FIR filters also tend to be preferred for fixed-point implementations because they are typically more robust to quantization effects. FIR filters are also used in many high-speed implementations such as FPGAs or ASICs because they are suitable for pipelining. IIR filters (in particular biquad filters) are used in applications (such as audio signal processing) where phase linearity is not a concern. IIR filters are generally computationally more efficient in the sense that they can meet the design specifications with fewer coefficients than FIR filters. IIR filters also tend to have a shorter transient response and a smaller group delay. However, the use of minimum-phase and multirate designs can result in FIR filters comparable to IIR filters in terms of group delay and computational efficiency.
FIR Lowpass Designs - Specifying the Filter Order
There are many practical situations in which you must specify the filter order. One such case is if you are targeting hardware which has constrained the filter order to a specific number. Another common scenario is when you have computed the available computational budget (MIPS) for your implementation and this affords you a limited filter order. FIR design functions in the Signal Processing Toolbox (including fir1
, firpm
, and firls
) are all capable of designing lowpass filters with a specified order. In the DSP System Toolbox, the preferred function for lowpass FIR filter design with a specified order is firceqrip
. This function designs optimal equiripple lowpass/highpass FIR filters with specified passband/stopband ripple values and with a specified passband-edge frequency. The stopband-edge frequency is determined as a result of the design.
Design a lowpass FIR filter for data sampled at 48 kHz. The passband-edge frequency is 8 kHz. The passband ripple is 0.01 dB and the stopband attenuation is 80 dB. Constrain the filter order to 120.
N = 120; Fs = 48e3; Fp = 8e3; Ap = 0.01; Ast = 80;
Obtain the maximum deviation for the passband and stopband ripples in linear units.
Rp = (10^(Ap/20) - 1)/(10^(Ap/20) + 1); Rst = 10^(-Ast/20);
Design the filter using firceqrip
and view the magnitude frequency response.
NUM = firceqrip(N,Fp/(Fs/2),[Rp Rst],'passedge'); fvtool(NUM,'Fs',Fs)
The resulting stopband-edge frequency is about 9.64 kHz.
Minimum-Order Designs
Another design function for optimal equiripple filters is firgr
. firgr
can design a filter that meets passband/stopband ripple constraints as well as a specified transition width with the smallest possible filter order. For example, if the stopband-edge frequency is specified as 10 kHz, the resulting filter has an order of 100 rather than the 120th-order filter designed with firceqrip
. The smaller filter order results from the larger transition band.
Specify the stopband-edge frequency of 10 kHz. Obtain a minimum-order FIR filter with a passband ripple of 0.01 dB and 80 dB of stopband attenuation.
Fst = 10e3; NumMin = firgr('minorder',[0 Fp/(Fs/2) Fst/(Fs/2) 1],... [1 1 0 0],[Rp,Rst]);
Plot the magnitude frequency responses for the minimum-order FIR filter obtained with firgr
and the 120th-order filter designed with firceqrip
. The minimum-order design results in a filter with order 100. The transition region of the 120th-order filter is, as expected, narrower than that of the filter with order 100.
hvft = fvtool(NUM,1,NumMin,1,'Fs',Fs); legend(hvft,'N = 120','N = 100')
Filtering Data
To apply the filter to data, you can use the filter
command or you can use dsp.FIRFilter
. dsp.FIRFilter
has the advantage of managing state when executed in a loop. dsp.FIRFilter
also has fixed-point capabilities and supports C code generation, HDL code generation, and optimized code generation for ARM® Cortex® M and ARM Cortex A.
Filter 10 seconds of white noise with zero mean and unit standard deviation in frames of 256 samples with the 120th-order FIR lowpass filter. View the result on a spectrum analyzer.
LP_FIR = dsp.FIRFilter('Numerator',NUM); SA_FIR = spectrumAnalyzer('SampleRate',Fs); tic while toc < 10 x = randn(256,1); y = LP_FIR(x); step(SA_FIR,y); end release(SA_FIR)
Using dsp.LowpassFilter
is an alternative to using firceqrip
and firgr
in conjunction with dsp.FIRFilter
. Basically, dsp.LowpassFilter
condenses the two step process into one. dsp.LowpassFilter
provides the same advantages that dsp.FIRFilter
provides in terms of fixed-point support, C code generation support, HDL code generation support, and ARM Cortex code generation support.
Design a lowpass FIR filter for data sampled at 48 kHz. The passband-edge frequency is 8 kHz. The passband ripple is 0.01 dB and the stopband attenuation is 80 dB. Constrain the filter order to 120. Create a dsp.FIRFilter
based on your specifications.
LP_FIR = dsp.LowpassFilter('SampleRate',Fs,... 'DesignForMinimumOrder',false,'FilterOrder',N,... 'PassbandFrequency',Fp,... 'PassbandRipple',Ap,'StopbandAttenuation',Ast);
The coefficients in LP_FIR
are identical to the coefficients in NUM
NUM_LP = tf(LP_FIR);
You can use LP_FIR
to filter data directly, as shown in the preceding example. You can also analyze the filter using FVTool or measure the response using measure
ans = Sample Rate : 48 kHz Passband Edge : 8 kHz 3-dB Point : 8.5843 kHz 6-dB Point : 8.7553 kHz Stopband Edge : 9.64 kHz Passband Ripple : 0.01 dB Stopband Atten. : 79.9981 dB Transition Width : 1.64 kHz
Minimum-Order Designs with dsp.LowpassFilter
You can use dsp.LowpassFilter
to design minimum-order filters and use measure
to verify that the design meets the prescribed specifications. The order of the filter is again 100.
LP_FIR_minOrd = dsp.LowpassFilter('SampleRate',Fs,... 'DesignForMinimumOrder',true,... 'PassbandFrequency',Fp,... 'StopbandFrequency',Fst,... 'PassbandRipple',Ap,... 'StopbandAttenuation',Ast); measure(LP_FIR_minOrd)
ans = Sample Rate : 48 kHz Passband Edge : 8 kHz 3-dB Point : 8.7136 kHz 6-dB Point : 8.922 kHz Stopband Edge : 10 kHz Passband Ripple : 0.0098641 dB Stopband Atten. : 80.122 dB Transition Width : 2 kHz
Nlp = order(LP_FIR_minOrd)
Nlp = 100
Designing IIR Filters
Elliptic filters are the IIR counterpart to optimal equiripple FIR filters. Accordingly, you can use the same specifications to design elliptic filters. The filter order you obtain for an IIR filter is much smaller than the order of the corresponding FIR filter.
Design an elliptic filter with the same sampling frequency, cutoff frequency, passband-ripple constraint, and stopband attenuation as the 120th-order FIR filter. Reduce the filter order for the elliptic filter to 10.
N = 10; LP_IIR = dsp.LowpassFilter('SampleRate',Fs,... 'FilterType','IIR',... 'DesignForMinimumOrder',false,... 'FilterOrder',N,... 'PassbandFrequency',Fp,... 'PassbandRipple',Ap,... 'StopbandAttenuation',Ast);
Compare the FIR and IIR designs. Compute the cost of the two implementations.
hfvt = fvtool(LP_FIR,LP_IIR,'Fs',Fs); legend(hfvt,'FIR Equiripple, N = 120',... 'IIR Elliptic, N = 10');
cost_FIR = cost(LP_FIR)
cost_FIR = struct with fields:
NumCoefficients: 121
NumStates: 120
MultiplicationsPerInputSample: 121
AdditionsPerInputSample: 120
cost_IIR = cost(LP_IIR)
cost_IIR = struct with fields:
NumCoefficients: 25
NumStates: 20
MultiplicationsPerInputSample: 25
AdditionsPerInputSample: 20
The FIR and IIR filters have similar magnitude responses. The cost of the IIR filter is about 1/6 the cost of the FIR filter.
Running the IIR Filters
The IIR filter is designed as a biquad filter. To apply the filter to data, use the same commands as in the FIR case.
Filter 10 seconds of white Gaussian noise with zero mean and unit standard deviation in frames of 256 samples with the 10th-order IIR lowpass filter. View the result on a spectrum analyzer.
SA_IIR = spectrumAnalyzer('SampleRate',Fs); tic while toc < 10 x = randn(256,1); y = LP_IIR(x); SA_IIR(y); end release(SA_IIR)
Variable Bandwidth FIR and IIR Filters
You can also design filters that allow you to change the cutoff frequency at run-time. dsp.VariableBandwidthFIRFilter
and dsp.VariableBandwidthIIRFilter
can be used for such cases.


text:
At VendAsta we have been working for the better part of a year and a half on projects that fall under our www.SocialConnections.com umbrella. VendAsta has a team of world class software developers, but building software products from scratch is difficult. Period. You need more than a great team and a good idea. If a product is to have any chance of success it must have a clear and compelling Vision and it must be needed. It must serve some need or solve a problem- business or otherwise.
For various reasons both internal and external, the vision for our www.SocialConnection.com products hasn't always been clear or consistent and at end of the day this is the responsibility of the executive and leadership . Building, sharing and articulating a company's vision is extremely important, but is easier said than done. Initially the vision for our products were not as strong as I personally would have liked them to be. However, in the fall of 2009 a lot of what we had learned in the preceding year started to make sense and strong visions for StepRep and Mashedin emerged.
Having a strong vision is one thing, sharing it with the world is another. As Mashedin and StepRep come together we will redoubling our efforts to share their vision.
To this end I recently sent an email to all our StepRep beta users explaining how we started, where we have come from, and where we are going. Also I described our vision, which is to make StepRep the premier Reputation Intelligence and Social Engagement tool for small and medium businesses.
Here is the letter:
Subject: An Open Letter to StepRep Users
From: Brendan King, CEO
Hello {insert name here},
Please let me take this opportunity to thank you for using StepRep. We have been making a lot of changes and many of you have asked "What the heck is going on?". Some of these changes are part of a larger development cycle and results in features that don't work as expected and/or loss of functionality. I want to thank you for hanging in there and bearing with us. The changes are all part of a larger plan.
In order to best explain what we are trying to achieve I thought it prudent to tell you where we came from and how we got to where we are.
Originally StepRep was part of MyFrontSteps, a solution to connect home owners with home service providers (real estate agents, plumbers, carpenters, landscapers, etc.). StepRep was envisioned as a personal Reputation Alert tool (much like Google Alerts) to allow these service providers to monitor what was being said about them online. It would also
help them to build their reputation by allowing them to place the positive stories on a widget which they could promote in various places. StepRep would also be the place where these small business people would be exposed and interact with questions from potential customers. Remember the "Asks" tab?Along the way we discovered that we vastly underestimated the need for Reputation Intelligence and social engagement tools. We have found that small and medium business have a growing appetite and tremendous demand for these tools.
Our vision and goal is to make StepRep the premier Reputation Intelligence and Social Engagement tool for small and medium businesses. We want to do much more than provide alerts for key word terms. We want StepRep to give you information you can use to make your real world business better. This is a simplistic example but, imagine your business is a restaurant and people are saying "your lunch special is awesome but your bathrooms are dirty", we want you to know. This way you can market your lunch special and clean up your bathrooms. We also want you to help you engage your customers where they are talking. Our Social publishing tool is designed to help you take advantage of Facebook, Twitter, and Linkedin. We intend to add Google Buzz and other places where consumers are talking. Lastly we want to make sure
your business can be found. Our business listing will help you get your business listed online in places like Google Local business center all the way down to small local directories.To this end we have been doing a lot of work "under the hood" and some of our recent work is not complete. Again I want to reiterate my sincere apologies if these changes have inconvenienced you. I hope you will hang in there. We want StepRep to be the best Reputation Intelligence and social engagement tool available. We understand that in the short term the changes might be frustrating, especially when it is not clear how you can accomplish the tasks with which you are familiar. For instance, we are introducing automated sentiment detection (Positive, Neutral, Negative) so that you
don't have to do all the work yourself. To do this we have had to temporarily disable your ability to set sentiment manually but your ability to assign sentiment will return very soon.Over the 2nd quarter of 2010 you will notice many changes and improvements and we hope that you will enjoy them. If you have a feature request or are unsure about how to use our product please make suggestions or ask questions.
You may have also noticed that we have a new support system in place. Please feel free to email suggestions or questions to firstname.lastname@example.com
Thanks so much for your patience.
Brendan King
I am looking forward to sharing the vision for our product www.Mashedin.com and hope to do that withing the next couple of weeks. Till then please feel free to check it out yourself and let us know what you think.


text:
Clinton: No Creation of Embryos for Research
In June of 1993, a Democrat-dominated Congress lifted former President Ronald Reagan's 1980 ban on federal support for research on human embryos. Previously, scientists had to use private funds if they wanted to study "spare" embryos created by in vitro fertilization (IVF) procedures. This effectively curtailed laboratory experimentation on fertilized eggs. With the legal roadblocks removed, Uncle Sam, in the guise of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), now can pick up the tab for such research.
During 1994, a special NIH panel met to formulate funding guidelines. Following the lead of several other countries, the panel gave the green light for work on embryos until the fourteenth day. Embryos could come from IVF procedures, or could be produced specifically for research purposes. Either approach creates serious ethical problems, because it is extremely unlikely that the embryos in these experiments will be implanted after the two-week limit; they will die in the lab.
Fortunately, thirty-five congressmen, led by Rep. Robert Dornan (R-Calif.), have taken the initiative in challenging NIH policies. "Congress has not examined these initiatives," they reminded NIH Director Harold Varmus in a June 16 letter, "and the American people are largely unaware that the NIH is even contemplating using their tax dollars to fund such bizarre experiments on living human embryos." In particular, many conservatives were incensed that human embryos could be created specifically for research.
Apparently these concerns, bolstered by a change of guard on Capitol Hill, spurred President Bill Clinton to action. On December 2, 1994—only hours after the NIH accepted its panel's guidelines—Clinton announced the following: "I do not believe that federal funds should be used to support the creation of human embryos for research purposes, and I have directed that NIH not allocate any resources for such research."
Thankfully, also, the panel advised against support for research on more advanced embryos, and ruled twinning and nuclear cloning unacceptable. However, comments from various panel members suggest that they did not base their decisions on ethical absolutes. Rather, they weighed pragmatic considerations against the feelings of people "out there," to use the words of panelist Pamela Davis. The scope of eligible research may change when feelings change. Further, the policies adopted by NIH are guidelines, not laws or rules, and are limited to federally funded projects.
Even this is no guarantee of compliance. In early December, National Public Radio revealed the results of an inquiry by George Washington University into the controversial cloning work of Robert Stillman and Jerry Hall. Although not conducted with federal funds, Stillman and Hall's project had not received timely approval from a review board, and they did not obtain informed consent from embryo donors. Clearly, there is no room for complacency.
REPRODUCTION & DISCLAIMERS: We are happy to grant permission for this article to be reproduced in part or in its entirety, as long as our stipulations are observed.


text:
Crank Brothers Speedier Lever
Crank Brothers puts their well-known design aesthetic to the humble tire lever with the Speedier Lever. Can we call a single piece of nylon revolutionary? First off, this thing is tough. It removes and installs wire-beaded DH tires, UST tires, and brand-new road tires easily, without breaking. The genius loop protects your knuckles! It installs tires too, without pinching the tube, just flip it and use the other side. And only one lever is needed to remove even the most recalcitrant tires. Oh Speedier Lever, where have you been all my life?
Part Numbers
Option | UPC | MPN | Store SKU |
Single | 641300144997 | 14499 | 210000050304 |


text:
Concerning "supine news media:" Is the United States becoming a gong-show version of Greater Tinpotistan?
In yesterday's column, Paul Krugman said the answer is yes. "America is rapidly turning into a stan," he wrote, using a nickname for tinpot feudal states.
"Everything we know suggests that we're entering an era of epic corruption and contempt for the rule of law," Krugman said. At this point, he failed to mention the gong-show intellectual practices which are a key part of the decline.
That said, he only gets 800 words.
Eventually, Krugman reviewed the history of this decline, and he mentioned the press. In this passage, he's making two different key points:
KRUGMAN (1/2/17): How could this happen in a nation that has long prided itself as a role model for democracies everywhere? In a direct sense, Mr. Trump's elevation was made possible by the F.B.I.'s blatant intervention in the election, Russian subversion, and the supine news media that obligingly played up fake scandals while burying real ones on the back pages.Krugman makes two key points in that passage:
But this debacle didn't come out of nowhere. We've been on the road to stan-ism for a long time: an increasingly radical G.O.P., willing to do anything to gain and hold power, has been undermining our political culture for decades.
People tend to forget how much of the 2016 playbook had already been used in earlier years. Remember, the Clinton administration was besieged by constant accusations of corruption, dutifully hyped as major stories by the news media; not one of these alleged scandals turned out to involve any actual wrongdoing. Not incidentally, James Comey, the F.B.I. director whose intervention almost surely swung the election, had previously worked for the Whitewater committee, which spent seven years obsessively investigating a failed land deal.
First, the gong show within we live has been underway for decades. It dates at least to the pseudo-scandals of the 1990s.
(Whitewater began on the front page of Krugman's own paper—in early 1992, long before he got there.)
Second, a "supine news media" has been a key player every step of the way. Krugman says this was true in the 1990s, the age of the Clinton pseudo-scandals. He says it was true this past year.
Krugman only gets 800 words. You can't expect him, or anyone else, to provide a detailed discussion of this cultural breakdown when writing at that length.
That said, we'll offer a few observations as we prepare to use his column as a framework over the next several days:
This column provides no specifics concerning that supine news media. Only one "fake scandal" is cited by name.
No individual journalist or news org is named. No specific performance is mentioned.
Krugman only gets 800 words. That said, let's ponder this:
According to Krugman, the "supine news media" has been pimping "fake scandals" for more than twenty years. If we start our clock with the one fake scandal he names, the supine media has been playing this role for the past 25 years!
With that in mind, this is the question we ask:
Krugman gets only 800 words. That said, people like Matthews, Maddow, O'Donnell and Hayes get a full hour each night.
Twenty-five years into this descent, can you name a single high-profile journalist who has addressed the state of affairs Krugman describes? Do our journalists ever critique their own guild? Or do they avoid such discussions?
Moving right along:
Have you ever seen anyone on MSNBC address the state of affairs Krugman describes? Do "corporate liberal" journalists avoid these discussions too?
Krugman is right, of course. The press corps has played a leading role in the disintegration he described. And the corps has been playing this leading role for at least 25 years.
In the next few days, we'll look at some recent work to show you the way the press corps avoids addressing these facts. We'll focus on leading liberal journalists, the people our team hails and trusts.


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So what is it about TV that inspired me to write arbit posts defining lalas, yuppies and hippies? Well, it's like this. Ever since I started watching TV about four months ago (when I moved in with relatives in Mumbai), I've realised this about it – all Indian TV (fiction) programming is centred around lalas and hippies. But never yuppies. As far as the people who make Indian TV serials are concerned, yuppies don't exist.
Now soap operas of the K variety are of course dominated by lalas. From what little I've seen of them (fortunately, my relatives in Mumbai are not devotees) they're centred around gigantic business joint families where everyone is scheming against each other, often for control of the business. Very lala, really. Even when said soap operas are not of the Balaji K-variety, they tend to involve ginormous lala families.
My cousin watched two soap operas earlier in the year. One involved a female who was dark skinned, so she was married off to a spastic guy. As in, literally spastic. I am not making this up. But the spastic guy belonged to a giant lala family and his sister-in-law schemed against this dark-complexioned chick. So full lala fundaes again.
The other soap opera was halfway between hippie and lala. Like I said, these things are intersecting stereotypes on a Venn Diagram rather than properly mutually-exclusive-collective-exhaustive categories. So anyway this one is about a star kid who's being launched by his bigger movie star (or maybe director or producer) dad. Now being a movie star is as hippie as it gets, but if you're being launched by your dad than lala fundaes come into play again.
The point is that in all of this, yuppies are missing.
Cut to now. My aunt's favourite thing on TV these days is this thing on NDTV Imagine called Radha ki Betiyaan Kuchh Kar Ke Dikhayengeen. It regularly scales new heights of hippieness. It's about this woman from Meerut who packs up and brings her daughters to Mumbai so that they can be successful in life.
What's amazing is the path to success these daughters take. The accepted path to success is the yuppie one – become an engineer, then become an MBA, then become a finance professional, and pay off your EMIs for the next thirty years. You would think that these daughters would follow it too. But no! The oldest one gets a job at a fashion design house, which is the borderline between hippie and yuppie. But then she quits to enter a dance contest, and abandons all pretensions of yuppieness. And in fact this goes on throughout the show. The three daughters and their mother perpetually have to raise money for some reason or the other. It's like watching a Sunday morning kids movie every night at primetime. And instead of doing it the yuppie way and becoming management consultants, they do it buy selling songs they've written, taking part in dance contests, and providing Hindi tuitions. Something involving Excel, or even maths done with pencil and paper never crosses their minds. It's amazing.
Then there's the stuff my cousin watches. There is first this show on Star One about doctors who seem to spend all their time singing and dancing rather than taking care of patients. So you have singing dancing doctors who never worry about the price of bhindi, or how much rent they're paying. Come to think of it, they don't seem to have homes – they just sing and dance at hospital. The point is that yuppie concerns of day-to-day minutiae are given the go-by.
Now it would be okay if the total absence of yuppie characters was restricted to television. But it exists in movies also. There are no yuppie characters in Bollywood either. Everyone in a Hindi movie is blissfully unconcerned about where the money is coming from. When will you ever see a Hindi movie character worrying about rent, or who's going to clean the toilet? Let's run through some of the movies in 2008:
- Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na: everyone is hippie or lala. Aditi wants to do a course in filmmaking. I mean, come on. How much more hippie can you get? The guy she gets engaged to has a family business and is lala. Her brother is hippiemax. Even Jai never gets around to being a yuppie. To all indications, his mother doesn't ever bother about rent because she lives in an owned house – lalaness, again.
- Drona and Love Story 2050: Ok, the characters in these don't fit any stereotype, but it's still yuppie exclusion.
- Singh is Kinng: Farmer with a heart of gold becomes head of the Australian mafia. Hippie, hippie, hippie.
- Kidnap: Rich daughter of gazillionaire? Lala.
You see my point, yes?
So in all of this, do yuppies get seen at all? Well, yes. But only in the ads, which most people just surf away from. Now, let's look at this in detail. With YouTube examples!
Usually, the category with the maximum yuppieness is life insurance. Which makes sense. Lalas don't need life insurance because they're already rich and have enough assets to take care of their dependents. Or if they do buy life insurance, they'll buy whatever their CA-moonlighting-as-insurance-agent will sell them, not on the basis of advertising. Hippies don't make financial decisions and just leave it to their private banker or lala family's accountant. So you have to pitch to yuppies, who actually live on a month-to-month basis and have to worry about this shit. So it makes sense to have yuppie-focused advertising.
For a long time, the HDFC Standard Life ad was the yuppiest in India:
Consider! It has a daughter buying her father a car, which is the antithesis of regular lala relationships. Buying their parents stuff is probably what every yuppie dreams of. Plus look at all the other yuppie indicators – personalised checkbook from a new age private bank, shirt and pants instead of salwar kameez or sari, hair let down instead of plaited. In fact HDFC Standard's slogan – Sar Utha Ke Jiyo – is the sort of thing that resonates more with yuppies than anybody else.
So yes. For a very long time, nothing could beat HDFC Standard Life in the yuppieness stakes. And then Airtel unleashed Madhavan and Vidya Balan. First, they established the young and urban part by showing them at an apartment building's lift:
Having established yuppieness, they then set out to reinforce it:
Once again, we have the yuppie aspiration of giving money to parents instead of the other way around. Plus, check out the furniture. It screams yuppie. But in case you had any doubts at all, the next ad in the series set out to bury them once and for all:
Now prepaid recharges may not seem very yuppie. After all good yuppies have postpaid corporate connections. But set that aside for a while. And look at everything else in the ad. You have Vidya Balan telling Madhavan to make salad and do the household chores. This is the pinnacle of yuppieness. Hippies have domestic help to do the household chores. As for lala families, the woman telling the man to do stuff around the house is an exercise in futility.
But anyway. So there are yuppie characters in ads. But even this is in a very small set of ads. Usually for services, especially the financial sort. FMCG ads are dominated by celebrity endorsements (i.e., hippies). So are laptop ads for some bizarre reason. Confectionary ads have fantasy characters, and Fevicol actually goes so far as to show poor people. And like I said, people mostly surf away from ads, so it doesn't really count.
So clearly the situation is grim for us yuppies. We get no representation in popular culture, and now the financial crisis is making the real world dark and depressing too. Now, we can only hope that the recent spate of yuppie suicides will mean that Sainath will give us some love. But honestly, who wants that?
PS1: I realise I'm only looking at lalas, yuppies, and hippies and ignoring poor people. But that's pretty much because there have been no poor people in movies or on TV since the 1980s. People who watched Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge and encouraged the secular trend in movies about hippie kids of lala parents, this is your fault.
PS2: Actually, even when there were poor people in the movies, they weren't really poor. Even if they lived in chawls, rent never seemed to be a factor. Indian cinema and television is a fantasy world where everyone owns their house, no matter how poor or unemployed they are. (Insert subprime crisis/ NINJA mortgage/ Congressman Barney Frank joke here.)
PS3: Actually, there is one Hindi movie this year which has acknowledged the presence of yuppies. In fact it has covered all three stereotypes. But that will be discussed in the next post.


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Dreamcolor Similan Brown
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text:
Greenspan vs. Bernanke: The Follies of Fed Chairmen
Poor ol' Alan…
We almost felt sorry for him…
"Maestro mauled…" said the headline in The Financial Times. We wanted to maul him many times. But now that others were doing it…it made us feel sympathetic to the old scalawag.
Didn't the Alan Greenspan Fed's failure to curb subprime lending deserve to go into the 'oops' category, demanded chief tormentor Phil Angelides.
Mr. Greenspan defended his legacy. He was right 70% of the time, he said. The other 30% of the time he was wrong.
Hey, that's not bad. Pity it's not true. Greenspan was wrong 90% of the time – at least.
He thought those fancy derivatives actually spread the risk of failure…and made the system more stable.
He thought those subprime loans helped people of modest incomes realize the goal of home ownership.
He saw no risk in keeping the key rate at an 'emergency' low level…years after the emergency had passed.
But he hit one of those magic moments last week…when he was finally right about something. He declared that the yield on the 10-year note was "the canary in the coal mine." This week, the canary wobbled…but stayed on his feet. He's still standing…but looking a little peaked.
While the former Fed chief was in the spotlight at The Financial Times yesterday, the present Fed chief was front-page news over at The Washington Post. Alan Greenspan is a scoundrel, no doubt about that. But he was, in some ways, a better Fed chief than Bernanke.
The trouble with Bernanke is that he doesn't know his limitations. He actually believes the Fed can look at the possible outcomes going forward and improve them before they come out.
"Fed chief sounds a deficit warning," is the headline. He said Americans faced a "difficult choice." It's between higher taxes and fewer entitlement services, he said.
This doesn't seem like a difficult choice to us. We'd gladly accept fewer "services" from the feds if they'd lay off on the taxes. But that's because we're in the half of the US households that actually pays taxes.
No kidding; the report was in yesterday's news:
"Almost one half of US households pay no federal income tax."
So, welcome to the beginning of the end. If half the citizens get bread and circuses without paying for them, you can bet that the whole shebang is headed for destruction. The math doesn't work. Half the people have no interest in curbing taxes or spending. Obviously, those people would prefer to raise taxes – on us – rather than give up their free pills and retirement benefits. Even among the half that does pay taxes, most pay very little – less than they get back in 'services.'
Meanwhile, the 'rich' get socked hard. According to the reports we're seeing on scurrilous blogs and from our usually unreliable sources, the tax burden on the rich is set to rise over 60% of income – thanks to the health care charges they will have to bear.
By the way…the whole thing is a fraud. The services, that is…
Here's how it works. In 2007, the private sector finally blew itself up – thanks largely to all that debt offered by Wall Street and encouraged by the Alan Greenspan/Ben Bernanke Fed.
So then…in comes the Fed again…and the US government…wearing white hats and pretending to save the situation. How? By bringing more of the economy under their control!
As far as we can tell, the last successful government program was WWII. And that was only successful because the competitors' programs were also run by government. But that doesn't stop them…


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The Innovation Potential of Diversity
Practical Examples for the Innovation Management
This book answers these questions as well as many more related to the topic of diversity management and innovation. Special emphasis is put on the role of women in the innovation system. Therefore, the language and effects of pictures used in job advertisements are addressed. Moreover, measures to advocate highly innovative women are identified including their demands regarding workplace requirements.
In addition, the book deals with diversity management in both publicly-traded companies and public institutions. Furthermore children as Lead Users testing along the product development process are addressed as well. Given the fact that innovation does not only comprise products, but also services, a chapter focusing on the effect of diversity on service innovations is included.
Fraunhofer IAO
Anne Spitzley (Ed.)
Peter Ohlhausen (Ed.)
Dieter Spath (Ed.)
190 Seiten
Euro 29,95
(Preis incl. Mwst., zzgl. Porto und Verpackung: Pauschal € 5,-/Posten)
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text:
Orthotics are shoe inserts designed to correct the way the foot moves while standing, walking, running or playing a sport. Orthotics modify abnormal foot behavior during weight-bearing activities in order to alleviate pain and protect the feet from further damage. By providing support in areas where the foot is weak and by directing its movement, orthotics provide support while helping the foot to function more normally.
Orthotics can be made for children, adolescents or adults or any age. They may be rigid, to control movement; soft, to absorb shock, improve balance and ease pressure on sore spots; or semi-rigid, with dynamic layers of rigid and soft materials, to assist athletes. It is possible for orthotics to be designed for use in a variety of footwear including almost all types of shoes, skates and boots.
Reasons for Orthotics
Orthotics may be worn for a number of purposes. While they are often worn to relieve the discomfort of minor foot abnormalities, they may also be used as essential medical devices. Orthotics may be used to:
- Relieve chronic foot, leg or low back pain
- Relieve fatigue when standing or walking
- Accommodate flat feet, bunions, or other foot problems
- Provide support after a sprain or fracture
In addition to decreasing undue pressure on the feet, legs and back, orthotics prevent abnormal shoe wear which can be a cosmetic, as well as a financial, advantage.
Types of Orthotics
While orthotics are available over-the-counter to correct minor problems, the most effective orthotics are those that are custom-made. Custom orthotics are typically made by creating a cast of the feet out of plaster, compressible foam, or some other substance, but may also be created after an optical scan of the feet. They meet the specifications of the particular individual for whom they have been manufactured and are fashioned to support the heel, arch muscles, ligaments, tendons and bones of that particular patient's feet.
As a medical device, orthotics help to reduce fatigue, provide support, and gently reposition the feet to alleviate pain and prevent further damage. There are two basic categories of custom-made orthotics: accommodative and functional.
Accommodative Orthotics
Accommodative orthotics are used to treat painful or injured areas on the bottom of the feet, such as calluses, foot sores or ulcerations or plantar fasciitis. They are frequently used in young children with minor foot problems. These orthotics are designed to cushion or pad the feet and to relieve pressure on damaged areas. They can be made of a variety of flexible materials, such as cork, leather, plastic foam or rubber. While very successful in reducing discomfort, accommodative orthotics are somewhat bulkier and less durable than functional ones. They also require frequent adjustments in order to work properly.
Functional Orthotics
Functional orthotics are designed to correct foot deformities and provide support to deformed areas of the feet. As such, they are typically made of less flexible materials than accommodative orthotics, such as semi-rigid or rigid plastic or graphite. Functional orthotics have the advantage of being more durable than accommodative ones, and, because they are thin, are more likely to fit into standard-sized shoes. They are, however, less padded than accommodative orthotics and more difficult to adjust. Functional orthotics are commonly used to treat a variety of painful condition which may include:
- Excessively high arches
- Plantar fasciitis
- Neuromas
- Neuromuscular disorders
- Bunion deformities
- Leg-length discrepancies
- Stiffness of the big toe (hallux limitus/rigidus)
- Fallen arches (pes planus)
Functional orthotics used for more serious disorders may include leg braces which offer more extensive support for purposes of rehabilitation and protection.
For patients with serious disorders of the foot, ankle, knee, hip or back, orthotics can mean the difference between being practically immobile and leading a normal lifestyle.


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$500,000 to family of man Tasered to death by Chicago police
Posted by Hal Dardick at 4:40 p.m.
The City Council today agreed to pay $500,000 to the family of a man who died in 2005 after being Tasered by a Chicago police sergeant.
The sergeant used a Taser on Ronald Hasse, 45, for 62 seconds when he resisted police trying to take him into custody. Hasse later died from "electrocution due to taser application" with crystal methamphetamine intoxication as a "significant contributing factor."Since then, police have learned of potential harm from long Taser applications, especially if used on people who have taken narcotics, according to a Law Department statement. The payment settles a lawsuit filed by Hasse's family.


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Boating Gardening
by Ariane ~ February 23, 2012
This is what is needed at Giverny to keep Monet's pond as clean as a mirror:
– a flat boat copied from Monet's, very common in his times,
– a big garbage can,
– a carp net,
– thick gloves to protect your hands.
Equipped with these very simple tools, the gardener is ready for the constant battle he has to fight.
The battle field is the surface, and the invaders are of different kinds. The main body of the army is made out of dried leaves and seeds. Drown bugs must go, too.
Alone against the ennemy that is continuously renewed, the gardener must be a super heroe. He needs a good balance, a strong back and strong arms to fish the dirt and take it out, leaf after leaf. Good spirits are essential too. Patience and perseverance.
No wonder the algaes and leaves fishing gardener is the star of the pond, photographed millions of times by the visitors of Giverny.


text: It's that time of year again. That's right folks, it's fashion week! No, I didn't know either. Fortunately though, someone at Apple is far more on the ball than me and has seen fit to launch their latest App Store category – 'On the Catwalk: Apps to survive fashion week'. Comprising over 30 iPhone and iPad apps, On the Catwalk … Read More


text: The Occupy movement and its extreme left component implode By Rachel Alexander The Occupy Wall Street movement has not only disintegrated, but is now imploding. Left-wing news sites are gloating about the demise of their own. BuzzFeed ran a story last week on the hijacking of the primary Occupy Wall Street Twitter account by a transsexual who is now claiming to be the founding organizer of the movement. Justine Tunney has caused quite an uproar within what remains of the dying Occupy movement for a couple of reasons. First, Occupy prided itself as being a "horizontal," leaderless movement, not a top-down organization directed by a leader like Tunney. The anonymous masses displaying their Guy Fawkes masks want the illusion that Occupy was spontaneously started by the working class ("the 99 percent"), idealistically how a Marxist utopian communist revolution should emerge; they don't want to admit it was a movement directed by any bourgeois leader. Secondly, Tunney is now a software engineer at Google, embodying big business and the corporate world, practically the antithesis of the Occupy movement which despises corporate America. In December, Occupiers attempted to block buses from large tech companies like Google and Apple from picking up their workers. Tunney is not interested in working with the mainstream left. Blowing off the Democrat Party - the closest connection the Occupy movement ever had to power - makes it pretty unlikely Occupy will ever accomplish much. Tunney bragged last week about the negative relationship the clueless anarchist amateurs who started Occupy have with Democrats, "That's why Liberal Elite™ has always fought so hard to destroy Occupy. It's why they spread lies about us. Because we're #winning." At the same time Occupy has been imploding, the angry extreme left has resorted to using the Twitter hashtag #RWNJ, which stands for Right Wing Nut Jobs. What is revealing about this is it acknowledges that the left has given up on trying to work with the right wing; instead, they would rather block them and bash them. Resorting to angry tactics like that says a lot about their inability to debate and work through issues. A typical tweet from that channel: "It is always so much easier to block #RWNJ trolls than trying to reason with them." This attitude is emblematic of where the far left is today. They would rather cut off debate entirely than actually debate the right. No longer are they are interested in the civilized kind of political debates this country was founded on and has relied upon for years, epitomized by the Lincoln-Douglas debates of 1858. The left would rather silence the right to win. Their language is full of hate towards the right, which is hypocritical considering they claim to be against hate with their No Hate gay campaign. One tweeted, "If you want to see an illogical and crazy these #Kochsucker, check out this #RWNJ = @CapitaLiszt #psycothic #loser #liar #nutjob #suckup." Much of the language is so foul it cannot be repeated here. Even more amusing, the far left cannot stop bragging about themselves while avoiding genuine debate with the right. One lefty tweeted, "You know why I pick on #RWNJs? Because I feel I have a gift I must share with the world!" One prolific contributor to the channel has a grandiose username of "princessomuch." Another has a blank website entitled liberalbadass.com. His ostensibly credentialed background is enjoying wine and supporting lefty causes. One can't help but wonder what is wrong with these people to brag this much about nothing. Many of those who contribute to #RWNJ have profiles that say "I am awesome" and are all about explaining how they - in all their importance - have come to their viewpoints. The vast majority haven't accomplished much in their life, but boy do they brag about their opinions. Who is reading these thousands of narcissistic profiles, tweets and blog posts? There are so many now like this, it is mind-boggling. The anger combined with the constant bragging makes one wonder what is wrong with them. Are they taking out personal issues in the political realm in order to mask them as simply anger over partisan politics? What is clear is that they've lost the intellectual debate. Refusing to debate issues anymore is a sign the left admits they no longer have any arguments left to refute the right; they've let emotionalism take over.