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State of Eritrea
Area: 125,000 sq. km. (48,000 sq. mi.); about the size of Pennsylvania.
Cities: Capital--Asmara (est. pop. 435,000). Other cities--Keren (57,000); Assab (28,000); Massawa (25,000); Afabet (25,000); Tessenie (25,000); Mendefera (25,000); Dekemhare (20,000); Adekeieh (15,000); Barentu (15,000); Ghinda (15,000).
Terrain: Central highlands straddle escarpment associated with Rift Valley, dry coastal plains, and western lowlands.
Climate: Temperate in the highlands; hot in the lowlands.
Nationality: Noun and adjective--Eritrean(s).
Population (2004 est.): 4.3 million.
Annual growth rate: 3%.
Ethnic groups: Tigrinya 50%, Tigre 31.4%, Saho 5%, Afar 5%, Beja 2.5%, Bilen 2.1%, Kunama 2%, Nara 1.5%, and Rashaida .5%.
Religions: Christian 50%, mostly Orthodox, Muslim 48%, indigenous beliefs 2%.
Education: Years compulsory--none. Attendance--elementary 57%; secondary 21%.
Health: Infant mortality rate--48/1,000. Life expectancy--51 yrs.
Work force: Agriculture--80%. Industry and commerce--20%.
Type: Transition government.
Independence: Eritrea officially celebrated its independence on May 24, 1993.
Constitution: Ratified May 24, 1997, but not yet implemented.
Branches: Executive--president, cabinet. Legislative--National Assembly. Judicial--Supreme Court.
Administrative subdivisions: Six administrative regions.
Political party: People's Front for Democracy and Justice (name adopted by the Eritrean People's Liberation Front when it established itself as a political party).
Suffrage: Universal, age 18 and above.
Central government budget (2000): $442 million.
Defense: $107 million.
Real GDP (2002): $667 million.
Annual growth rate (2002): -1.2%
Per capita income: $153. On a purchasing power parity basis, $700.
Avg. inflation rate (CPI, Asmara, end of period): 23.8% in 2002.
Mineral resources: Gold, copper, iron ore, potash, oil.
Agriculture (12% of GDP in 2002): Products--millet, sorghum, teff, wheat, barley, flax, cotton, papayas, citrus fruits, bananas, beans and lentils, potatoes, vegetables, fish, dairy products, meat, and skins. Cultivated land--10% of arable land.
Industry (25% of GDP in 2002): Types--processed food and dairy products, alcoholic beverages, leather goods, textiles, chemicals, cement and other construction materials, salt, paper, and matches.
Trade: Exports (2002)--$52 million: skins, meat, live sheep and cattle, gum arabic. Major markets--Middle East (Saudi Arabia, Yemen), Europe (Italy), Djibouti, and Sudan. Imports (2002)--$533 million: food, military materiel, and fuel, manufactured goods, machinery and transportation equipment. Major suppliers--U.A.E., Saudi Arabia, Italy, Germany, Belgium.
Eritrea is located in the Horn of Africa and is bordered on the northeast and east by the Red Sea, on the west and northwest by Sudan, on the south by Ethiopia, and on the southeast by Djibouti. The country has a high central plateau that varies from 1,800 to 3,000 meters (6,000-10,000 ft.) above sea level. A coastal plain, western lowlands, and some 300 islands comprise the remainder of Eritrea's land mass. Eritrea has no year-round rivers.
The climate is temperate in the mountains and hot in the lowlands. Asmara, the capital, is about 2,300 meters (7,500 ft.) above sea level. Maximum temperature is 26o C (80o F). The weather is usually sunny and dry, with the short or belg rains occurring February-April and the big or meher rains beginning in late June and ending in mid-September.
Eritrea's population comprises nine ethnic groups, most of which speak Semitic or Cushitic languages. The Tigrinya and Tigre make up four-fifths of the population and speak different, but related and somewhat mutually intelligible, Semitic languages. In general, most of the Christians live in the highlands, while Muslims and adherents of traditional beliefs live in lowland regions. Tigrinya and Arabic are the most frequently used languages for commercial and official transactions, but English is widely spoken and is the language used for secondary and university education.
Prior to Italian colonization in 1885, what is now Eritrea had been ruled by the various local or international powers that successively dominated the Red Sea region. In 1896, the Italians used Eritrea as a springboard for their disastrous attempt to conquer Ethiopia. Eritrea was placed under British military administration after the Italian surrender in World War II. In 1952, a UN resolution federating Eritrea with Ethiopia went into effect. The resolution ignored Eritrean pleas for independence but guaranteed Eritreans some democratic rights and a measure of autonomy. Almost immediately after the federation went into effect, however, these rights began to be abridged or violated.
In 1962, Emperor Haile Sellassie unilaterally dissolved the Eritrean parliament and annexed the country, sparking the Eritrean fight for independence from Ethiopia that continued after Haile Sellassie was ousted in a coup in 1974. The new Ethiopian Government, called the Derg, was a Marxist military junta led by strongman Mengistu Haile Miriam.
During the 1960s, the Eritrean independence struggle was led by the Eritrean Liberation Front (ELF). In 1970, members of the group had a falling out, and a group broke away from the ELF and formed the Eritrean People's Liberation Front (EPLF). By the late 1970s, the EPLF had become the dominant armed Eritrean group fighting against the Ethiopian Government, and Isaias Afwerki had emerged as its leader. Much of the materiel used to combat Ethiopia was captured from the Ethiopian Army.
By 1977 the EPLF was poised to drive the Ethiopians out of Eritrea. That same year, however, a massive airlift of Soviet arms to Ethiopia enabled the Ethiopian Army to regain the initiative and forced the EPLF to retreat to the bush. Between 1978 and 1986, the Derg launched eight major offensives against the independence movement--all failed. In 1988, the EPLF captured Afabet, headquarters of the Ethiopian Army in northeastern Eritrea, prompting the Ethiopian Army to withdraw from its garrisons in Eritrea's western lowlands. EPLF fighters then moved into position around Keren, Eritrea's second-largest city. Meanwhile, other dissident movements were making headway throughout Ethiopia. At the end of the 1980s, the Soviet Union informed Mengistu that it would not be renewing its defense and cooperation agreement. With the withdrawal of Soviet support and supplies, the Ethiopian Army's morale plummeted, and the EPLF--along with other Ethiopian rebel forces--began to advance on Ethiopian positions.
The United States played a facilitative role in the peace talks in Washington during the months leading up to the May 1991 fall of the Mengistu regime. In mid-May, Mengistu resigned as head of the Ethiopian Government and went into exile in Zimbabwe, leaving a caretaker government in Addis Ababa. Later that month, the United States chaired talks in London to formalize the end of the war. These talks were attended by the four major combatant groups, including the EPLF.
Having defeated the Ethiopian forces in Eritrea, EPLF troops took control of their homeland. In May 1991, the EPLF established the Provisional Government of Eritrea (PGE) to administer Eritrean affairs until a referendum could be held on independence and a permanent government established. EPLF leader Isaias became the head of the PGE, and the EPLF Central Committee served as its legislative body.
A high-level U.S. delegation was present in Addis Ababa for the July 1-5, 1991 conference that established a transitional government in Ethiopia. The EPLF attended the July conference as an observer and held talks with the new transitional government regarding Eritrea's relationship to Ethiopia. The outcome of those talks was an agreement in which the Ethiopians recognized the right of the Eritreans to hold a referendum on independence.
Although some EPLF cadres at one time espoused a Marxist ideology, Soviet support for Mengistu cooled their ardor. The fall of communist regimes in the former Soviet Union and the Eastern Bloc convinced them it was a failed system. The EPLF (and later its successor, the PFDJ) expressed its commitment to establishing a democratic form of government and a free-market economy in Eritrea. The United States agreed to provide assistance to both Ethiopia and Eritrea, conditional on continued progress toward democracy and human rights.
On April 23-25, 1993, Eritreans voted overwhelmingly for independence from Ethiopia in a UN-monitored free and fair referendum. The Eritrean authorities declared Eritrea an independent state on April 27, and Eritrea officially celebrated its independence on May 24, 1993.
Eritrea's Government faced formidable challenges following independence. Beginning with no constitution, no judicial system, and an education system in shambles, it was required to build institutions of government from scratch.
On May 19, 1993, the PGE issued a proclamation regarding the reorganization of the government. The government was reorganized, and after a national, freely contested election, the National Assembly, which chose Isaias as President of the PGE, was expanded to include both EPLF and non-EPLF members. The EPLF established itself as a political party, the People's Front for Democracy and Justice (PFDJ). The PGE declared that during a 4-year transition period, and sooner if possible, it would draft and ratify a constitution, prepare a law on political parties, prepare a press law, and carry out elections for a constitutional government.
In March 1994, the PGE created a constitutional commission charged with drafting a constitution flexible enough to meet the current needs of a population suffering from 30 years of civil war as well as those of the future, when prospective stability and prosperity would change the political landscape. Commission members traveled throughout the country and to Eritrean communities abroad holding meetings to explain constitutional options to the people and to solicit their input. A new constitution was ratified in 1997 but has not been implemented, and general elections have not been held. The government had announced that National Assembly elections would take place in December 2001, but those were postponed and new elections have not been rescheduled.
The present government structure includes legislative, executive, and judicial bodies. The legislature, the National Assembly, comprises 75 members of the PFDJ and 75 additional popularly elected members. The National Assembly is the highest legal power in the government until the establishment of a democratic, constitutional government. The legislature sets the internal and external policies of the government, regulates implementation of those policies, approves the budget, and elects the president of the country.
The president nominates individuals to head the various ministries, authorities, commissions, and offices, and the National Assembly ratifies those nominations. The cabinet is the country's executive branch. It is composed of 17 ministers and chaired by the president. It implements policies, regulations, and laws and is accountable to the National Assembly. The ministries are agriculture; defense; education; energy and mines; finance; fisheries; foreign affairs; health; information; labor and human welfare; land, water, and environment; local governments; justice; public works; trade and industry; transportation and communication; and tourism.
Nominally, the judiciary operates independently of both the legislative and executive bodies, with a court system that extends from the village through to the district, provincial, and national levels. However, in practice, the independence of the judiciary is limited. In 2001, the president of the High Court was detained after criticizing the government for judicial interference.
In September 2001, after several months in which a number of prominent PFDJ party members had gone public with a series of grievances against the government and in which they called for implementation of the constitution and the holding of elections, the government instituted a crackdown. Eleven prominent dissidents, members of what had come to be known as the Group of 15, were arrested and held without charge in an unknown location. At the same time, the government shut down the independent press and arrested its reporters and editors, holding them incommunicado and without charge. In subsequent weeks, the government arrested other individuals, including two Eritrean employees of the U.S. Embassy. All of these individuals remain held without charge and none are allowed visitors.
Principal Government Officials
President of the State of Eritrea; Chairman of the Executive Council of the PFDJ--Isaias Afwerki
Director, Office of the President--Yemane Ghebremeskel
Minister of Defense--Sebhat Ephrem
Minister of Foreign Affairs--Ali Said Abdella
Minister of Finance--Berhane Abrehe
Minister of National Development—Dr. Woldai Futur
Eritrea maintains an embassy in the United States at 1708 New Hampshire Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20009 (tel. 202-319-1991) headed by Ambassador Girma Asmerom.
The Eritrean economy is largely based on agriculture, which employs 80% of the population but currently may contribute as little as 12% to GDP. Agricultural export include cotton, fruit and vegetables, hides, and meat, but farmers are largely dependent on rain-fed agriculture, and growth in this and other sectors is hampered by lack of a dependable water supply. Worker remittances and other private transfers from abroad currently contribute about 32% of GDP.
The Government of Eritrea states that it is committed to a market economy and privatization, and it has made development and economic recovery its priorities. Nevertheless, the government and the ruling PFDJ party play pervasive roles in the economy. The government has imposed an arbitrary and complex set of regulatory requirements that discourage investment from both foreign and domestic sources. The economy was devastated by war and the misguided policies of the Derg, which disrupted agriculture and industry. The more recent 1998-2000 war with Ethiopia also has had a major negative impact on the economy and further discouraged investment. Eritrea lost many valuable economic assets in particular during the last round of fighting in May-June 2000, when a significant portion of its territory in the agriculturally important west and south was occupied by Ethiopia. As a result of this last round of fighting, more than one million Eritreans were displaced. According to World Bank estimates, Eritreans also lost livestock worth some $225 million, and 55,000 homes worth $41 million were destroyed. Damage to public buildings, including hospitals, is estimated at $24 million. Much of the transportation and communication infrastructure remains outmoded and deteriorating, although a large volume of intercity road-building activity is under way and the introduction of mobile telephony is expected in early 2004. As a result, the government has sought international assistance for various development projects and has mobilized young Eritreans serving in the National Service to repair crumbling roads and dams.
According to the IMF, post-border war recovery has been impaired by four consecutive years of recurrent drought that have reduced the already low domestic food production capacity. There are now some encouraging signs that the drought may be ending. Eritrea currently suffers from large structural fiscal deficits caused by high levels of spending on defense and on emergency reconstruction and humanitarian programs, which have resulted in the stock of debt rising to unsustainable levels. Exports have collapsed, mainly owing to the border conflict with Ethiopia, but also to border tensions with Sudan. The impact has been cushioned, however, by large and persistent transfers from Eritreans living abroad.
In Massawa, the port has been rehabilitated and is being developed. In addition, the government has begun to export fish and sea cucumbers from the Red Sea to markets in Europe and Asia. A newly constructed airport in Massawa capable of handling jets could facilitate the export of high-value perishable seafood.
During the war for independence, the EPLF fighting force grew to almost 110,000 fighters, about 3% of the total population of Eritrea. In 1993, Eritrea embarked on a phased program to demobilize 50%-60% of the army, which had by then shrunk to about 95,000. During the first phase of demobilization in 1993, some 26,000 soldiers--most of whom enlisted after 1990--were demobilized. The second phase of demobilization, which occurred the following year, demobilized more than 17,000 soldiers who had joined the EPLF before 1990 and in many cases had seen considerable combat experience. Many of these fighters had spent their entire adult lives in the EPLF and lacked the social, personal, and vocational skills to become competitive in the work place. As a result, they received higher compensation, more intensive training, and more psychological counseling than the first group. Special attention has been given to women fighters, who made up some 30% of the EPLF's combat troops. By 1998, the army had shrunk to 47,000.
The moves to demobilize were abruptly reversed after the outbreak of war with Ethiopia over the contested border. During the 1998-2000 war, which is estimated to have resulted in well over 100,000 casualties on the two sides, Eritrea's armed forces expanded to close to 300,000 members, almost 10% of the population. This imposed a huge economic burden on the country. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) estimates that the economy shrank by more than 8% in 2000, although it rebounded somewhat in 2001. The war ended with a cessation of hostilities agreement in June 2000, followed by a peace agreement signed in December of the same year. A UN peacekeeping mission, the UN Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE), was established and monitors a 25-kilometer-wide Temporary Security Zone separating the two sides. Per the terms of the cessation of hostilities agreement, two commissions were established: one to delimit and demarcate the border and the other to weigh compensation claims by both sides. The Eritrea-Ethiopia Boundary Commission announced its decision in April 2002. Demarcation was expected to begin in 2003.
The government has been slow to demobilize its military after the most recent conflict, although it recently formulated an ambitious demobilization plan with the participation of the World Bank. A pilot demobilization program involving 5,000 soldiers began in November 2001 and was to be followed immediately thereafter by a first phase in which some 65,000 soldiers would be demobilized. This was delayed repeatedly. In 2003, the government began to demobilize some of those slated for the first phase. The demobilization program has not yet been approved by the World Bank, and funding for it from other donors is uncertain.
U.S. military cooperation with Eritrea, which was suspended following the outbreak of hostilities with Ethiopia and a UN embargo on military cooperation with either side, has resumed on a modest basis.
Eritrea is a member of the African Union (AU, successor organization to the Organization of African Unity) and of the Common Market of Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA). It has had close relations with the United States, Italy, and several other European nations, including the United Kingdom, Germany, Norway, and the Netherlands, which have become important aid donors. Relations with these countries became strained as a result of the 2001 government crackdown against political dissidents and others, the closure of the independent press, and by the expulsion of the Italian Ambassador to Eritrea. Efforts have been made to repair relations with donor countries.
Eritrea's relations with its neighbors other than Djibouti also are somewhat strained. Although a territorial dispute with Yemen over the Haynish Islands was settled by international arbitration, tensions over traditional fishing rights with Yemen resurfaced in 2002. Relations with Sudan also were colored by occasional incidents involving the extremist group, Eritrean Islamic Jihad (EIJ)--which the Eritrean Government believes is supported by the National Islamic Front government in Khartoum--and by continued Eritrean support for the Sudanese opposition coalition, the National Democratic Alliance.
The U.S. consulate in Asmara was first established in 1942. In 1953, the United States signed a mutual defense treaty with Ethiopia. The treaty granted the United States control and expansion of the important British military communications base at Kagnew near Asmara. In the 1960s, as many as 4,000 U.S. military personnel were stationed at Kagnew. In the 1970s, technological advances in the satellite and communications fields were making the communications station at Kagnew increasingly obsolete. In 1974, Kagnew Station drastically reduced its personnel complement. In early 1977, the United States informed the Ethiopian Government that it intended to close Kagnew Station permanently by September 30, 1977. In the meantime, U.S. relations with the Mengistu regime were worsening. In April 1977, Mengistu abrogated the 1953 mutual defense treaty and ordered a reduction of U.S. personnel in Ethiopia, including the closure of Kagnew Communications Center and the consulate in Asmara. In August 1992, the United States reopened its consulate in Asmara, staffed with one officer. On April 27, 1993, the United States recognized Eritrea as an independent state, and on June 11, diplomatic relations were established, with a charg� d'affaires. The first U.S. Ambassador arrived later that year.
The United States has provided substantial assistance to Eritrea, including food and development. In FY 2004, the United States provided over $65 million in humanitarian aid to Eritrea, including $58.1 million in food assistance and $3.47 million in refugee support.
U.S. interests in Eritrea include consolidating the peace with Ethiopia, encouraging progress toward establishing a democratic political culture, supporting Eritrean efforts to become constructively involved in solving regional problems, assisting Eritrea in dealing with its humanitarian and development needs, and promoting economic reform.
Principal U.S. Officials
Ambassador--Scott H. DeLisi
Deputy Chief of Mission--Sue K. Brown
Political/Military Officer--vacant
Consular/Political Officer--Joey Hood
Management Officer--Michael McCarthy
Public Affairs Officer--George W. Colvin, Jr.
USAID Director--Jatinder Cheema
Defense Attache--LTC Thomas E. Sheperd
Security Assistance Officer--MAJ Tony Curtis
The address of the U.S. Embassy in Eritrea is 28 Franklin D. Roosevelt Street, P.O. Box 211, Asmara (tel. 291-1-120-004; fax: 291-1-127-584).
For the most current version of this Note, see Background Notes A-Z.


text: Hello there ! I bring forth the awesomeness of Trent Reznor , the mastermind behind the band Nine inch nails. A lyrical genius, this man has touched the souls of millions with his wonderful songs , including mine . I have nothing but respect for this man , now and forever . Dawn's a big fan too , just thought you might want to know that . You will learn how to draw Trent Reznor in 6(ish) steps , I hope you have fun and wish you good luck .

subset: commoncrawl


text: NCSF succeeds through the volunteer efforts of those who believe in our mission, and who wish to join us in fighting for your rights, your privacy and your freedom. Even if you only have a few hours a month, NCSF needs people like you who care and want to help. Visit our Volunteer area to learn what opportunities are available now.


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On February 23, 2011, Philadelphia magazine held its annual PHILLY COOKS event at the Crystal Tea Room. Guests tasted dishes from the citys top restaurants, relaxed in the sleek Mercedes-Benz Supper Club Lounge, sipped wine and cocktails, and enjoyed live entertainment by DJ Chef Marc Weiss. The sold-out event raised over $20,000 to benefit The Philadelphia Ronald McDonald House. Photography by A Fresh Focus Photography.
On February 21, 2011, hundreds of guests attended an exclusive Season Preview Party celebrating the Walnut Street Theatres exciting 203rd Anniversary Season. Twenty-three fine city restaurants offered delicious samplings from their menus. Additionally, seven local refreshment companies provided samples. Four of Phillys top local performers Ben Dibble, Kim Carson, Scott Greer and Brandon ORourke sang selections from the Walnuts upcoming season and Producing Artistic Director Bernard Havard hosted a question-and-answer session in the theater. Photography courtesy of Walnut Street Theatre.
On Saturday, February 12, 2011, guests from all over the Delaware Valley came out to support the American Heart Associations annual Heart of Philadelphia. Chaired by Dr. Richard Shannon, the Heart of Philadelphia raised $1 million for cardiovascular disease and stroke research and education in Southeastern PA. Honorees included Governor Edward G. Rendell, who received the Heart of Philadelphia award and Dr. Andrew S. Wechsler, who received the Edward S. Cooper, M.D. award. Held at the Urban Outfitters Headquarters in the Navy Yard, 600 guests dined on filet and diver scallops, along with an assortment mini low-fat and low-calorie desserts. Photography by Daniel Burke Photography
On February 11, 2011, the Wilma Theater honored former governor Ed Rendell with the Wilma Star Award at the Theater Lovers Fête, held at the Ormandy Ballroom of the Doubletree Hotel. Incorporating sultry and sophisticated Parisian flair, the actors paid homage to the world-renowned Moulin Rouge. The evening began with a cocktail reception, followed by a unique cabaret performance by The Bearded Ladies, an awards presentation, and dancing to the soulful sounds of LeRoy Hawks and the Hypnotics. Guests experienced a night of revelry accompanied by a grand silent auction, casino game tables, a sumptuous dessert buffet, and an aphrodisiac-inspired carte du jour. Photography by Jauhien Sasnou
On February 11, 2011, Bryn Mawr College awarded their prestigious Katharine Hepburn Medal to President and Chief Executive Officer of CARE Helene Gayle at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art. The Katharine Hepburn Medal recognizes women who change their worlds: those whose lives, work and contributions embody the intelligence, drive and independence of the four-time Oscar winner. Award recipients are chosen on the basis of their commitment and contributions to the Hepburn womens greatest passionsfilm and theater, civic engagement and womens health. Gayle is the first recipient being honored in the womens health category. Photography by Zoey Sess-Kitain
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What services do US embassies generally provide to citizens traveling abroad? In other words, what types of issues encountered while traveling can be taken to the embassy for assistance, and what areas will they generally not get involved with?
I am most familiar with the US Embassy in Delhi, India, since I was there for an extended period of time (several months). You can always visit the website for the US Embassy wherever you are traveling; they post a complete list of services for American citizens.
To summarize some of the big ones, US Embassies will help American citizens with the following:
They also provide an immense array of resources: the websites and physical embassy locations usually have information ranging from disaster preparedness / (historical) likelihood of natural disasters to lists of medical offices in their consular areas to international driving laws. I believe most of them have some sort of "tips for Americans living in [that location]" section, too, with other miscellaneous information.
US Embassies sometimes are a great cultural resource, too. (I can't say this applies everywhere, but it's true in India.) In Delhi there was the American Center, which has a library and hosts music and dance performances, lectures, literary readings, etc.
Additionally, it's a good idea to register with the local US Embassy when you are traveling - particularly if you're traveling to a somewhat dangerous area. If you register, you can provide them with a cell phone number where the Embassy will text you security and travel information. In the event of a terrorist attack or natural disaster, they have a record of whether you were in the country, where you were staying, and how to contact you. And your family / friends back home in the US can call the Embassy for help or information, too.
The US State Department has an FAQ about what it can and cannot do for American citizens abroad in emergency situations, particularly.
Those are the big things that I know of that appear to be true for most US Embassies, but I would always check out the website of whatever locale is relevant to you if you want specific, concrete information.


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So if Texas is granted the right of cessation is Woot! going to rush everything to Seattle?
I know right now there are 15 states wanting cessation from the United States of America, but Texas has amassed enough signatures to get the White House to actually review their cessation. Hypothetical, if Texas does secede how would they support themselves as a republic? Do you think Mexico would just take them over? Rightly so does that mean that I couldn't be President because I was born in Texas and thus born of a different country?
P.S. I miss you guys.
56 Answers answer
Just remember they tried it once before... it uh, it didn't turn out too well. Especially for Atlanta.
Great, now were going to have to pay international shipping costs.
Texas won't be granted the right, eventhough the right is theirs. The agreement with the US was changed to revoke that right, but we have clauses we can use. If such was granted, a fourth (or more, haven't kept up with numbers) of the US military would become Texas National Guard. This would leave the states in a pickle. Not to mention the amount of money Texas citizens contribute to the government through taxes with the least amount of national money given to any other state per capita. As far as Mexico goes, no they do not have the man power or weaponry we do. Also, about half of all adults (possibly more) know how to handle various weapons. They would not be successful in that endeavor. However, we could take over Mexico in the process and enlarge the country (Texas). Nah, too much trouble.
The anwer is not to 'cede, but create enough fuss to have things fixed. I don't see this happening in my lifetime. People don't want to make decisions for themselves, nor responsibility.
That's hilarious, Texas would do that.
I think people need to lighten up a bit.
Hahahaha. There are really 15 states considering cessation? Really?
@dogbountyhunter1: Are you Dog "the Bounty Hunter," or are you a bounty hunter for dogs? Boba Fetch?
I might be wrong but didn't the case "Texas v. White" end with the Supreme Court making it clear that a Texan secession is illegal.
@thedogma: Reports are 15-20 possible states. You see, each state must get 150 signatures just to get the option to get another quarter of a million signatures, just to get the possibility to be reviewed by the White House for the possibility of cessation rights. All this by the end of the world...I mean...the end of December.
It was my understanding that its not that 15 states that want to secede, but rather normal everyday citizens (And perhaps a couple lawmakers) from various states upset over the election that want to secede. I do recall that Texas Gov Rick Perry (I believe) said the same thing after the 2008 election which made his 2012 presidential that much more ironic. I do hope that the citizens in Louisiana that want to secede remember how much federal aid they received after Hurricane Katrina ... actually every state that gladly took stimulus money and didn't complain should keep that in mind.
@pyxientx: Just a little correction with some data (I am mostly just a data guy).
Based on 2010's U.S. Census Bureau's Consolidated Federal Funds report, Texas is ranked 33rd State receiving the most federal funding per tax dollar paid. That is, it is not the State that contribute the most while getting the least. That honor goes to New Jersey. Texas is one of the very few "Lighter Purple" (I prefer that to just Red or Blue) States that get less than what they pay. Generally the "Darker Purple" States, on average, per capita get a less than what they pay, while the "Lighter Purple" States can get quite a lot more than what they pay in.
States like West Virginia, Mississippi, Alabama, Alaska, South Carolina etc got more than $2 per $1 paid in taxes. Honestly, that's worthy of Deals.Woot post. Where can I spend a dollar to get $2 while complaining about it?!
Just a slight factual injection. That's all.
@figgers3036: It will be different this time. All you yankees have disarmed. We down here all have carry permits.
If Texas secedes from the U.S., I'm starting a petition to have Dallas secede from Texas. We are a blue city.
@lll0228: But does that count their portion of national defense and other funding that is provided at a national level?
@cengland0: Good point! If Texas secedes, the United States of America will want all that taxpayer-funded military gear and space gear in Houston repatriated. More trouble than it's worth IMHO. ;D
remember, I predicted this in the flag thread earlier.
@daughterjudy: As is El Paso where I live. It would be easier for us to secede, we are pressed up against the borders of both old and New Mexico. You'd just have to drag the New Mexico map line about 30 miles east and El Paso would be the largest city in New Mexico. It would be funny , though as the state of Texas, which has largely ignored and reviled her fourth largest city for decades, would seriously need us as a new Republic. With 38,000 soldiers stationed there, Fort Bliss is the second largest Army installation, first is White Sands Missile Base just over the border in NM. Plus of course El Paso has the potential to control I10, the Rio Grande, and a significant amount of rail traffic. El Paso would suddenly have enormous strategic value.
@xarous: I just...wow. I don't even know how to respond to that.
@cengland0: Yes. I believe so, it's the full Federal budget re-distribution.
I can't wait until the hispanic population grows enough to turn my state purple (or even blue). All these idiots beating their chests and thumping their bibles have given us a bad name for long enough, and this secession BS is just so much childish nonsense I can hardly stand it.
You know what, if they can get the signatures I say cut them loose. Then how will they support themselves as a brand new country without asking the White House for help? They'd have no armed forces, schools, very few hospitals, and not enough government infrastructure to handle the transition without citizens rioting. They'd end up asking D.C. for handouts. In other words, a they'd become the very thing they claim to hate so much. Hypocritical.
@moondrake: I could see that happening...or maybe merge w/ southern NM & AZ. I know Tucson wanted to secede from AZ, and they would oddly become larger than half of the east coast and also gain 4 electoral college votes.
Then again if TX does go, it will balance the PR vote for statehood so we won't have any of those funny proposed flags for 51.
President Trump and Vice President Nugent remind you that when you visit the Supreme Nation of Texas (SNOT) you will be required to show your birth certificate multiple times during your stay.
While I don't support it, I think Texas could actually do okay on their (our) own.
Texas' power grid is isolated from the rest of the nation. There are oil and natural gas reserves and refining plants for both so energy wouldn't be a big issue. Texas has a significant capability for food production, although some would still need to be imported. The gulf coast ports would provide ample ways to export and import goods. And it would be easy to import other goods through Mexico.
Provided the state got to keep everything in it's borders (which it wouldn't, but let's just say they did), they'd have a sizable military as well as the ability to design and build military hardware (particularly aircraft, F-16, F-35, Bell helicopters, etc, but other hardware as well).
There definitely would be other issues and I definitely don't support succession. But, overall, I think Texas could survive okay on it's own.
There are citizens from 15ish states wanting to secede, but not entire states. This is just a bunch of sore losers trying to get their way. I think we should send them out to find a new territory and form their own country with no help from the country they are leaving behind, and see just how well they do. I voted against the current administration, but this reaction is just stupid and childish.
@lll0228: The original was dollar per capita, but dollar in per dollar out is arguably a more useful metric.
All your base are belong to us.
Texas can break down into smaller segments but as a whole cannot vote to withdraw from the union.
This has been misinterpreted for so long.
As for the original question. I think it would be plausible that it would happen in reverse, Woot would move everything they could to Texas, due to the very favorable business climate.
@trekmiss: There are various places we can send them. The US has large amounts of unoccupied territory across the world thanks to the Guano Act. If they're willing to mine our formerly strategic reserves of guano and eke out a living, so be it.
One point people are overlooking here is that the petitions are filed on the white house website, asking for a response from the executive branch. However, the executive branch does not on its own have the power to grant secession (or really do anything about it in any direction). They might as well ask Donald Trump or Mahmoud Ahmedinejad, they have just as much power to do something about it.
A number of years ago, Martha's Vineyard threatened to secede from Massachusetts. Hawaii said, "WE'LL take you!" Almost too bad it didn't happen. I coulda gone to Hawaii...
Actually, the numbers are over 20 states.
In the words of Monty Python, they're thinking "run away"!
@trekmiss: I think they would do well. Motivated people do well. They don't like the direction as 60% didn't like the country's direction but voted downhill anyway. Go figure.
Texas leaves I'm going back.
Woot should stay and secede from Amazon.
@wilfbrim: We have concealed carry here in New York State. Careful. :) Oh, we like to hunt, too.
@xarous: 25,000 is not a quarter of a million. 250,000 is.
@purplefeather: Schools are organized and operated by states. Hospitals are private institutions (both non-profit and for profit). So, Texas seceding would have no bearing on their existence other than federal funding being dropped.
To the conversation as a whole: Secession isn't something that is approved except by winning wars. The constitution doesn't give states the right to secede, it legitimizes the usually necessary violent act it takes to do such. It would take a truly divided country and another civil war for any states to actually secede.
If Texas leaves, the US will undoubtedly engage in a war to secure Texas oil interests and install a pro-West government.
"If any State in the Union will declare that it prefers separation with the first alternative to a continuance in union without it, I have no hesitation in saying 'let us separate.'" - Thomas Jefferson
Remember, the United States didn't have the right to secede from Britain either. Government always tends to totalitarian empire; never to freedom and liberty.
@joshaw: Are you really going to compare Britain/America to Texas/America? America had no skin in the game with Britain, they were being taxed without representation. Texas has equal representation and is a full fledged equal member of this union and at present are just mad that their horse came in second.
This isn't even like it has any momentum, we're talking a website that any joeschmo with a computer can log into and say they live in Texas. What a joke
@ryanwb: It isn't a perfect comparison but I believe it is still valid. With the usurpation of states' right over the last 200 years, starting mainly with Hamilton and solidified by Lincoln, states have very little sovereignty left. As an example, look at the number of federal raids on pot shops in California (and soon Colorado). Or raw honey and raw milk, if you want a less controversial subject matter.
However, I agree with you and do not believe this is anywhere near a real revolution or secession attempt and people are just angry that their candidate, who is almost identical to the other candidate in actual policy, didn't win.
@randy2126: You are greatly mistaken. Gov. Perry did not call for or suggest secession. When the subject was bandied about four years ago he was asked about Texas leaving the union and he replied in the negative. He stated that Texas would not leave the United States and that he did not support any such movement for secession.
It would help education, textbook companies cater to the Texas Board of Education because they have so many students.
I don't think the secessionists know how much more government they would need. Since most drug laws are federal, secession would instantly make tons of drugs legal. They would lose the border patrol. Those two things mean the cartels would probably take over the state in the first month. With connections to the interstate highway system, and two airports that are each the main hub of a major airline, Dallas would become the drug capital of North America.
With all medicare and medicaid money gone, the health of the population would plummet. With all other federal assistance gone the rise in poverty would bring a huge rise in crime. The first major hurricane would bankrupt the new country.
On the bright side they would go from 51st in education (behind all other states plus DC) to 1st (of 1).
He may not have come out and said it, but he sure did hint at it:
IMHO it seems to be "much ado about nothing". As for the OP, woot would probably build another HQ in one of the southernmost remaining states.
@wilfbrim: You have obviously never been to Montana or other NW states. We have more guns than people up here. There are so few armed/home invasion robberies they are actually unusual when they are reported in the news. All the bad guys know that they will probably be shot if they try anything.
Example: I am just one person with a Glock 19, Glock 21, Ruger 10/22, Mossberg 500 short barrel/stock, Raven .25 auto and Crosman .22 pellet. And lots of ammo for all of them. I am currently looking @ AR-15's, .223 NATO and possibly .50 caliber platforms for future purchases.
I am not a hunter or "gun nut', and also am not an NRA member. I just like to shoot and exercise my Constitutional rights. And I like to be prepared for the unexpected.


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All Rise...
The Charge
"When a woman sends you a telegram, 'I love you', you go and see her."—Jean-Louis Duroc.
Opening Statement
A Man and a Woman is the film that put French director Claude Lelouch on the map. It was enormously popular, made tons of money (on a very small budget), and dominated awards ceremonies in 1966 through 1968, winning the Palme d'Or at Cannes, Oscars for Best Original Screenplay and Best Foreign Language Film, as well as a Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language film to name just a few.
For Lelouch, it followed a financial failure, his 1965 film, Les Grands Moments. However much the director asserts himself as a relentlessly personal, art-for-art's-sake auteur who loathes Hollywood artifice, his most famous movie has the undeniable stink of a filmmaker pandering a bit in order to ensure his future.
Facts of the Case
Anne Gauthier (Anouk Aimée, 8 1/2) is a production assistant in the movie business. Her young daughter, Françoise, attends a boarding school in Deauville. It's there that Anne meets race car driver Jean-Louis Duroc (Jean-Louis Trintignant, City of Lost Children) whose son, Antoine, also boards at the school.
As the two become increasingly attracted to one another, moving tentatively towards a relationship, we're made privy to the pasts that have left them with gaping emotional wounds. Can they overcome these pasts and connect with one another?
The Evidence
It's the look of A Man and a Woman that recommends it today, so long after its initial release. A raw little film shot by Lelouch with handheld cameras and available light in both color and black and white, it's a reminder that the sleekly produced modern Hollywood romance isn't the only way to go, that romantic films can benefit from the raw aesthetics of the low-budget independent. The story itself feels like a vehicle for Meg Ryan, but the look is pure Parker Posey territory.
Aimée and Trintignant are movie-star pretty, but Lelouch's style gives them both a weighty humanity, as do their performances. Like any respectable disciple of the French New Wave, Lelouche gives his actors plenty of room to improvise, to get to the heart of a scene via whatever path feels natural. The tentative nature of the interactions between Aimée and Trintignant—their halting eye-contact, pregnant pauses, nervous laughs—undercuts (in a good way) their sparkling good looks and movie-star mystique.
The film is often dismissed for the simplicity of its love story as a result of its charm disintegrating on subsequent viewings. It's use of flashback is engaging the first time out, without taxing the viewer's patience. The way it builds narrative tension around the identities and whereabouts of each of the leads' spouses is also entertaining: is it a movie about emotionally damaged spurned lovers, a grieving widow and widower, adulterers? This sleight of hand keeps you guessing but fails to pay off satisfactorily in the end, and disappears like vapor the second time through.
With the exception of some annoying specks that appear intermittently on the image and almost look like dirt on the lens of the camera since they're static over the moving image and last through entire shots, Warner's presentation of the film on DVD leaves little to complain about. Framed at an anamorphically enhanced 1.85:1, colors are appropriately natural during the color sections, and black levels are solid with no bleeding in the black and white segments.
Which brings me to the strange case of the different film stocks used for the movie. Don't tie yourself in knots trying to deduce the artistic significance of Lelouch's use of both color and black-and-white photography (does one represent the present and the other the past? Is one or the other tied to a particular character's point of view?) because his reasons were strictly mercenary: he'd intended to shoot the entire thing in black and white because it was significantly less expensive to do so, but was informed American television rights could be procured if he shot in color. He struck a compromise, shooting interiors in black and white, and exteriors in color. That's all there is to it. The film stocks themselves mean nothing, but once you get into the rhythm of the film's shifting back and forth, it becomes a comfortable and even engaging conceit.
The Rebuttal Witnesses
The film's biggest flaw is that it manages to be bloated despite the simplicity of its story. There are endless scenes—as when we watch Duroc doing test laps in his race car—that accomplish little besides giving us the opportunity to look at Lelouch's stylish photography and beautiful stars, as well as pad the film's running time. Again, they're easy to accept the first time through, but taxing on a second pass.
Its real failure to engage, though, isn't intrinsic to the piece, some misstep by Lelouch, but a byproduct of the film's success and what it wrought in the intervening decades. One can clearly see A Man and a Woman as the mother of everything from 1970's awful Love Story to more modern (and higher quality) fare like When Harry Met Sally. For someone coming new to the film today, it offers a story we've seen a thousand times by now. And its familiar structure is served up with intelligence and great acting, but little in the way of wit or humor.
The DVD has two mono audio tracks, French and English. The original French is more robust and natural. While certainly not dynamic, it's hiss-free and the considerable amount of dialogue and music is clear and well-mixed. Be wary of "A Man and a Woman," the film's main theme. Written by Pierre Barouh and Francis Lai, it's got a bouncy, '60s cocktail-lounge appeal. It's pleasant…at first. Unfortunately, it's repeated ad nauseam during the film. The awful thing was in near constant rotation in my head for about 24 hours after the credits had finished rolling.
Closing Statement
A Man and a Woman is a mixed bag of sorts. A victim of its own success, and the influence it had on subsequent films, its conceits seem stale and unoriginal today. That said, the actors' performances, combined with Lelouch's style of shooting, give the film a raw energy entirely appropriate for a romance.
The Verdict
There's no denying A Man and a Woman's significance in the history of film. Not only did its success spawn a sea of imitation, but it also heightened some of the American public's awareness of other more challenging and artistic foreign and art house cinema.
Considering all that, I can hardly find the film guilty. It's worth seeing at least once.
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MOUNT PLEASANT - You might say banking is in Betty Campbell's blood.
Her great-great-grandfather, Joseph Kithcart, served on the first board of directors of the Peoples National Bank of Mount Pleasant, chartered in 1903. Her father, Robert W. Walker, joined the bank in the mid-1950s and for more than 50 years was its chairman and chief executive officer.
Campbell herself joined the bank's board of directors seven years ago, in 2004, and currently serves as its president a pretty significant career redirection for Campbell, who had been a school teacher up to that point. Her brother, David, joined the board of directors after their father's passing in 2005. Though his home is in Florida, he returns to Jefferson County each month for board meetings.
Article Photos
ALL IN THE FAMILY — Betty Campbell continues in a long line of family connections at the Peoples National Bank of Mount Plesant. Campbell joined the bank's board of directors seven years ago, in 2004, and currently serves as its president.
-- Linda Harris
"I'd taught German, history and computers in middle school and high school," she said. "I was at the point where I was ready for a change, so I came back and took care of my dad the last years of his life. He wanted me to be on the board, so I started going to the meetings with him. As it turned out, I liked it a great deal."
The bank is privately held. Thanks to Campbell's father, who had the foresight to buy up stock as it became available, most of the shares are held by members of the family, including three other Walker siblings as well as assorted cousins.
"My father wanted to keep control of the stock, make sure the bank was in good hands," she said. "This is the last bank in Jefferson County that has a home office in Jefferson County. We are unique in that sense."
Though he knew nothing about banking when he started, Campbell said her father was a quick learner. The Depression had taught him to be conservative with money, "make sure he could cover his debts." He brought that same conservative vibe to banking.
"He had to learn how a bank works," she said. "He'd had his own business, but banking was (new) for him. He learned the business, and turned it into a full-service bank."
Despite his advanced years, Campbell said her father had a keen appreciation for technology and embraced change.
"He was very forward-thinking," she said. "He was very into computers, fascinated by what they could do he was in his late 70s, but he wanted the bank to have the best computers we could get and then he went to Belmont Tech and took classes so he could use them. When he was in his 90s, he saw me use my debit card he was fascinated by it, he thought we should get into it."
One of their latest forays has been into indirect lending, working with 42 area dealerships to offer loans to eligible car buyers. Campbell sees it as an opportunity to build banking relationships with people far outside their traditional service area.
"It's expanded our reach," she said. "We've been really pleased, a lot of people who had loans with us through the indirect method have come back to us for direct loans ... we had someone come in the other day from Moundsville, they'd had an indirect loan through us and now they want to come to us for a direct loan. Though we're a small bank, we can reach out into other areas."
Campbell said their staff is small, 30 people, "but we still know our customers, by voice and by name, for the most part." Peoples National also has branches in Adena and Dillonvale.
"I kind of feel my father's presence," she adds. "This was such an important part of his life, he was very proud of it. He didn't live to see his kids take leadership roles with the bank, but I think he'd be proud of the fact that we are here. He'd be very proud to see both of us involved with the bank and its future."
Whether she and her brother will pass the baton to the next generation of Walker descendants remains to be seen. Campbell said she's not sure who among them will be interested in coming to Jefferson County to carry on the tradition, "of course, I never thought I would, either."
"It's funny how a decision can turn your life into a new direction you never dreamed of going, and it turns out to be a good thing," she added.
After graduating from Adena High School, Campbell earned her undergraduate degree from Muskingum College along with a pair of master's degrees one from Valparaiso University, the other from Notre Dame.
Her brother, David, earned his undergraduate degree from Ohio Northern University, and two master's one in electrical engineering from Stanford University and another in engineering management from the University of Alaska and engineered undersea fiber optic cables, including one between the U.S. and Japan, and also served as an executive in associated telecommunications companies.


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I'm looking for an intuitive sketch of how one shows the correspondence of string theory to a certain QFT. My best guess is that one calculates the scattering amplitudes in the string theory as a series in some parameter (string length?) and shows that the leading order term is equal to the scattering amplitudes in the corresponding QFT.
If this is the case then my hope is that someone can elaborate and perhaps point me to some references. If I'm off base then my hope is that I can get a sketch and not be bogged down in heavy math (at this stage).


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One of the reasons that today's edition of the Curry Coastal Pilot is so thick is the delivery of our semi-annual Wild Rivers Coast Vacation Guide. It's full of ideas and information about the fall and winter vacation season.
That's right: Our summer visitor season on the Wild Rivers Coast is not just from Memorial Day to Labor Day. This three-day weekend might bring the start of school for families with school-age children, limiting their travel options, but it also brings the best weather for enjoying the beauty of this special place.
It isn't hard to figure out why, starting with that weather pattern. While the days might be a little bit shorter, these next six to eight weeks are when the temperatures are higher, the prevailing winds have died down, and the coastal fog is less likely.
This late summer/early fall season is also the peak harvest season for those who enjoy fishing and hunting, berry picking or – after the first rainfall – combing the forest for edible mushrooms.
Demographics and geography also play a role. The Baby Boomers don't have school schedules to worry about, so they often choose this time of year to travel. In terms of geography, more than half our visitors come for day-trips to the coast from the Rogue Valley or Northern California; even with kids in school, the Wild Rivers Coast is a great place for a weekend getaway at this time of year.
Special events also help attract fall visitors, from this weekend's Slam'n Salmon Derby through Nature's Coastal Holiday in December.
Many years ago, based on surveys and the needs of our advertisers, we created a fall/winter edition of our popular Vacation Guide. Take a moment to pull it out, page through it and set it aside to share with the visitors you meet.


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Included in my siddur as part of the sefirat haomer are the corresponding middat hayom for each day/week. They begin with chessed sh'b'chessed and progress through a series of middot - gevurah, tiferes, netzach, hod, yesod, malchut. From what I understand the order of the middot actually progresses in the opposite direction with Chessed being of a "higher" order and Malchut being the lowest rung. Assuming this is correct (and I do not have a source to prove that it is) why would we begin with the middah of chessed and progress "downward" instead of starting at malchut and proceed higher?
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Omer is the time when we so-to-speak recreate ourselves in accordance with the Divine Will, so the creative process is a good represenation of what is spiritually happening during the time between Pesach and Shavuos.
The middos represent, in one sense, the stages of realization of that creative process. It starts with the highest forms (here, chessed) and proceeds to implementation until the lowest form of the implementation is complete (here, malchus).


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Craft Time: Civil War-Style
Location:Hilton Head Branch
Date & Time:Thursday, October 3, 2013 - 4:00pm – 5:30pm
Our monthly craft time is taking on a historic feel as we try our hand at Civil War-era crafts. Drop in anytime between 4:00-5:30 and discover toys, games, and crafts that were common for children in the 1860s.
For kids ages 4 and older.


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College Basketball Top 25 Capsules
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) — Trey Burke scored 19 points and No. 2 Michigan never trailed after the opening minutes of a 74-60 win Sunday over Illinois that could push the Wolverines to No. 1 in the nation for the first time since the 1992-93 season.


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8 Things You Won't Believe Plants Do When No One's Looking
#4. Marcgravia Evenia Outsmarts Bats
So we've told you about plants that can outsmart insects, but maybe you didn't think that's all that impressive, since bugs are idiots. It's not like there are plants out there that can outwit creatures with higher order brain functions, right? Scientists didn't think so either, until they found a plant that could command goddamn bats.
Specifically, they found a Cuban vine they called Marcgravia evenia, which had evolved some kind of leafy satellite-dish attachment above its fruit clusters. Instead of being held out flat to catch the sun, like leaves are supposed to do, these were cupped and positioned to face straight ahead.
Ralph Mangelsdorff and Ralph Simon
Yes, they look like lips. And yes, one scientist did try.
Why? It turns out the Marcrgavia depends exclusively on bats for seed dispersal. The problem is that bats are blind as hell, but they find food using that annoying screeching noise that they make ... you know, sonar. The plant has formed those leaves to be perfect reflector dishes for those signals.
Tests showed that bats found the plant 50 percent faster with these special leaves than without. Their research also demonstrated that the echo from the leaves would sound conspicuously constant from just about every angle. To an animal who sees almost exclusively with sound, the Marcgravia is the "brightest" flower on the sonic landscape. That's right, it's a plant with its very own bat signal.
Ralph Simon
"No, Robin, it's not the Joker, just that plant again."
#3. The Dodder Vine Hunts Its Prey
The dodder is a parasitic vine that depends completely upon another plant for its food. It doesn't have roots or leaves, and unlike almost any other plant, it can't photosynthesize. In order to survive, it needs to suck the juice straight out of another plant. But it's not as simple as just landing in a tree and sinking its fangs in -- like any vampire, it has to hunt down its victims, a difficult prospect for any flora.
Daniel Nickrent
If plants made monster movies, this would be the villain.
But for the dodder vine, it really ain't no thing. Lab tests show the dodder can smell specific other plants and then grow in their direction. The dodder has such a keen sense of "smell" that it can also differentiate between a good host and a bad one. Once it slithers itself around an appropriate victim, it wraps itself tight and presses special feeding nodes against the doomed victim until they pierce the juicy flesh. We don't know about you, but none of us are going to spend too much time standing in one place from now on.
Collin Purrington
That tree could just as easily be your throat.
#2. Plants That Move Faster Than a Bullet
Plants are nearly universally defined by their total inability to move. You can threaten a plant with a chainsaw and it won't even flinch, no matter the horror that it might feel deep down. Or at least that's what you thought.
Actually, there are quite a few plants that move around with some surprising speed. None can get up and walk away (at least none that we know about), but the telegraph plant (or dancing plant) throws everything you think you knew about plant mobility out the window. Each of its leaves is mounted on a tiny hinge, and it actually twitches and moves around like the Whomping Willow from Harry Potter.
But the fastest plants use their lightning speed to spread their pollen around. The trigger plant will actually fire its pollen at a nearby insect's face like it's trying out for a low-budget porno. This plant sperm trebuchet launches its attack 15 milliseconds after it's triggered and hits with enough force to stun the insect. Yes, it physically staggers and disorients insects with a blast from its reproductive organs.
Holger Hennern
In other words, it can blast a load in your face before you realize it has the hots for you.
And yet that isn't nearly the most powerful moneyshot in the world. The mulberry tree launches its pollen at over half the speed of sound (nearly 400 mph). But the title of "fastest plant" goes to the bunchberry dogwood tree. It launches its pollen in under one millisecond. Almost nothing in the animal kingdom moves faster. The plant accelerates its launching mechanism at 2,400 times the force of gravity, or about 800 times what an astronaut might experience during liftoff. Not bad for a plant semen cannon.
D. Whitaker, M. Laskowski, A. Acosta, J. Edwards
"How many people has your ejaculation killed?"
#1. Figs Make Bargains and Punish Freeloaders
As you probably already know, plants and insects have a very important relationship. The plant gives out nectar, and in return, the insect pollinates the plant. But what happens if the bug doesn't live up to its side of the bargain? What's the plant going to do about it? File a complaint? Ask him to leave? The bugs pretty much get the sweet end of this deal. They get to eat for free, and maybe they'll deliver some pollen ... if they feel up to it after their nap.
Fig trees don't take that kind of thing lying down.
Rosio Pavoris
They take it hanging down.
Fig trees have a partnership with a particular wasp called a fig wasp. The wasp needs the plant because it needs food, and it lays its eggs in the fruit. In exchange, the wasp is expected to pollinate that fruit while it's there so the tree can reproduce. Fig trees can't reproduce without the wasps, wasps can't live without the tree. But that brings us back to the old problem: What if a particular wasp just doesn't give a shit? He eats the fruit and does whatever he wants, right?
Nope. The fig tree will get back at it by murdering its family.
"Those are some nice eggs. Pity if anything were to happen while they were inside my body."
Researchers experimented with this by introducing non-productive wasps (that is, wasps that weren't carrying pollen) to fig fruit. The bugs went about their business and laid eggs. However, most of the time the unpollenated fruit was dropped early, killing the wasp larvae within.
That's right -- the fig tree was aborting the young of wasps that did not pollinate them. Somehow, the plant knows when there are insects in its individual fruit, and it also knows if they brought pollen with them. And if they don't, then they get evicted ... street style.
"Figs play for keeps, motherfucker."
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Former Grand Valley State pole vaulter Kristen Hixson failed to jump 14 feet, 1 � inches on Friday at the U.S Track and Field Championships and didn�t place. Reigning Olympic gold medalist Jenn Suhr won with a jump of 15-9.
Hixson won the Division II national title in the pole vault this spring.
Location, ST | website.com


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Hey all, I've explained this so many times that it seemed like a good idea to go ahead and make a forum topic on this, to save my time and anyone else who finds themselves repeatedly explaining to other Bad Eggs users that the fancy shells/weapons/swag that you get by spending credits are NOT a luxury for those with credit cards and real money to burn.
You can get Bad Egg Credits and all those cool weapons easily, quickly, and best of all for FREE just by using Kongregate's built in Third Party Offers for Kreds.
Here's how:
1) Look at the profile bar at the top of your screen, the one that has your username, level etc. Click on "# Kreds".
2) In your My Kred Account page, click on Buy Kreds.
3) In the pop-up screen that appears, click on "Earn Free Kreds" at the bottom of the screen, under "Choose payment option:".
4) Ignore the ones that give upwards of 20 Kreds, all of those require payment to some other company/service. Go straight to the "Surveys" tab. (The SwagBucks offer is excellent as well, but not under surveys. Currently its on the first page of the overall popularity tab: this one takes literally two minutes, and is an easy 10 Kreds)
5) Choose from any of the surveys, answer a few questions, and then take a survey if you qualify.
6) Once you complete the survey, the Kreds will be automatically transferred to your account. From there, you can spend them in game (10 Kreds → 20 BE Credits) and get your sweet gear. You'll have to get at least 30 Kreds (About three surveys depending on the length. It took me under 1 & 1/2 hours to get 40 kreds) to buy a weapon pack.
7) Done! Show everyone your cool new stuff and revel in the admiring glances at your sleek new shell and powerful weapons.
Hope this helps!


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I am currently in the middle of the following problem.
Reparametrize the curve $\vec{\gamma } :\Bbb{R} \to \Bbb{R}^{2}$ defined by $\vec{\gamma}(t)=(t^{3}+1,t^{2}-1)$ with respect to arc length measured from $(1,-1)$ in the direction of increasing $t$.
By reparametrizing the curve, does this mean I should write the equation in cartesian form? If so, I carry on as follows.
$x=t^{3}+1$ and $y=t^{2}-1$
Solving for $t$
Letting $y=f(x)$, the arclength can be found using the formula
$$s=\int_{a}^{b}\sqrt{1+[f'(x)]^{2}}\cdot dx$$
Finding the derivative yields
Putting this into the arclength formula, and using the proper limits of integration (found by using $t=1,-1$ with $x=t^{3}+1$) yields
$$s=\int_{0}^{2}\sqrt{1+\frac{4}{9(x-1)^{2/3}}}\cdot dx$$
I am now unable to continue with the integration as it has me stumped. I cannot factor anything etc. Is there some general way to approach problems of this kind?


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14 Nov 2012 6:42 AM #1
The dreaded 'Stop running this script' in IE
I'm sure we've all seen this, and try our best to keep away from conditions that result in it.
Suffice to say, sometimes it cannot be avoided due to the data requirements for some clients, and the design of the user interface.
As an example, we have a page with a large tree on it, from which the system can be configured. We have one for user and security management, and one more for business configuration, counter-parties, assets, that kind of thing.
Tree's are an easy thing to break, performance wise; just add loads of children to a node...
Most of the nodes only have a handful of children, so it's normally fine, but sometimes there is a requirement for a large number of children on a node. Not bonkers-crazy large, but around 400-500 does it.
This is where the trouble starts... I can even break Firefox with a 1000-odd children.
We've changed the design of some areas of the tree where we expect a large amount of data, to either partition the data somehow, or in common or extreme cases have a node with a count on from which a window with a paged grid can be shown.
I'd however like to open a discussion with the view that, if at all possible, the Ext framework should avoid being part of the problem.
The issue can be actively avoided. See this post on stackoverflow, which explains the issue very well.
In short, break up long loops using setTimeout.
A good example of somewhere where things could be improved is NodeInterface's removeAll method.
Now the performance of this method used to be terrible, and was recently improved by Evan.
It, however, is a source of the 'stop running script' popup in IE due to a tight loop.
(As an aside, I'm also confused by it's lack of use of the suppressEvents parameter, it raises events as it sees fit, and silences others).
removeAll : function(destroy, suppressEvents, fromParent) { // This method duplicates logic from removeChild for the sake of // speed since we can make a number of assumptions because we're // getting rid of everything var me = this, childNodes = this.childNodes, i = 0, len = childNodes.length, treeStore, node; fromParent = fromParent === true; if (!fromParent) { treeStore = me.store && me.store.treeStore; if (treeStore) { treeStore.beginBulkRemove(); } } for (; i < len; ++i) { node = childNodes[i]; node.previousSibling = node.nextSibling = node.parentNode = null; me.fireEvent('remove', me, node, false); if (destroy) { node.destroy(true); } else { node.removeAll(false, suppressEvents, true); } } me.firstChild = me.lastChild = null; if (fromParent) { // Removing from parent, clear children me.childNodes = null; } else { // clear array me.childNodes.length = 0; } if (!fromParent) { me.triggerUIUpdate(); if (treeStore) { treeStore.endBulkRemove(); } } return me; },
Obviously the elephant in the room with that one is the fact it's called synchronously, so would need to accept a callback, and everywhere it's used modified. You get the idea though.
I intend to try and prove it helps by doing a few updates... thought I'd post first though, in case I can't make it work, or run out of time.
Anyway, I'm sure there are many places in the framework that could benefit from this approach.
In IE8, with non-minified JS I get the 'stop script' prompt when first loading the application!
Luckily it doesn't happen with built JS (yet), but if it did we'd be in serious trouble... I suspect that's somewhere in the rendering pipeline, but not had to go digging for it yet.
I suspect IE is verging on unsupported in many of the Sencha developers views, but unfortunately those of us who have to sell business applications have to deal with it, and will be stuck with it for many years to come.
The latest grumble from a client is on Windows 7 but using IE8 (which it shipped with) - that's a modern browser for our clients!
Anyway, would welcome some thoughts or comments.
14 Nov 2012 6:54 AM #2
Posted in premium help too, since suspect will get more notice there...
Apologies for the cross post; only occurred to me after posting this one.
I suspect some non-premium users may want to chip in though
14 Nov 2012 8:19 AM #3
Cross posting again.
Kinda answered myself I suspect...
Ok, started trying to write a version of removeAll that takes a callback.
You very quickly realise that you've bitten off more than you have time for, since changing a sync call into an async one requires that the caller become async, and on it continues...
I suspect therefore nothing will happen. I suspect it's too late for the synchronous parts of the Ext framework to be pulled to bits and rewritten to be asynchronous.
Perhaps some could be changed, and I maintain should be. I'm a realist though...
Maybe for Ext 5 eh?
Still think it's something worthy of discussion (not that much discussion takes place here anymore really).
Maybe there's a sneaky way of making the browser think everything's fine? I don't know, but it's a pain...


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Accounting: Online Accounting Resources
Roger CPA Review
Watch the Roger CPA presentation about the new changes in 2011 to the California CPA exam here.
California Board of Accountancy
American Institute of Certified Public AccountantsThe American Institute of Certified Public Accountants is the national, professional organization for all Certified Public Accountants. Its mission is to provide members with the resources, information, and leadership that enable them to provide valuable services in the highest professional manner to benefit the public as well as employers and clients.
In fulfilling its mission, the AICPA works with state CPA organizations and gives priority to those areas where public reliance on CPA skills is most significant.


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Matthew Kohut, a fellow at Bennington's Center for the Advancement of Public action, co-authored the cover story of the Harvard Business Review's
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Read the article here.


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Enter the I Heart Snow Photo Contest by March 12!SCA
The contest has now ended
Last chance! There are just four days left to enter your photo in...Read more
Urban youths embrace nature thanks to wilderness jobsThe Daily Courier
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Park to host NPS Academy for college studentsThe Cherokee One Feather
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Great Smoky Mountains National Park is partnering with the Student Conservation Association to host a National Park Service (NPS) Academy for college...Read more
Career Opportunities Now Available Through 2012 ARAMARK Environmental Sustainability Internship ProgramJustmeans
(Justmeans.com / CSR News) - (3BL Media / theCSRfeed) Philadelphia, PA - March 1, 2012 - ARAMARK, a world leader in professional services, is offering career opportunities to young professionals through its Environmental Sustainability Internship Program. In...Read more
Students Choose Saving Parks Over Spring Break PartiesPRWeb
Washington, DC (PRWEB) February 29, 2012
The Teton Mountains. The Mojave Desert. The Everglades. These are not your typical Spring Break destinations. Then again, these are not your...Read more
Young people can be part of the solutionSFGate.com
California's state parks...Read more
SCA and Southwest Airlines Tour40 video up for awardbcccc.net
An SCA and Southwest Airlines Tour40 video was just submitted to the Boston College Center for Corporate Citizenship International Film Festival…and we'd love your vote!
SCA's Liz Putnam Receives the Corps Network's Legacy Achievement AwardSeattle PI
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Liz Putnam, who launched the American conservation service movement more than 50 years ago with the founding of the Student Conservation Association (SCA), was presented with The Corps Network's Legacy Achievement Award at the...Read more
SCA member Tai Schroeder named one of the DC's top two youth volunteers for 2012Business Wire
District of Columbia's Top Two Youth Volunteers Selected in 17th Annual National Awards Program
Washington students earn $1,000 awards and engraved medallions
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Hospitals in at least eight states want to know how many hundreds or thousands of their patients have come in contact with a lab technician accused of spreading hepatitis C. The man, David Kwiatkowski, has the disease, which can pass through contact with contaminated blood, most often via shared needles.
CONCORD, N.H. (AP) _ Lies, weak regulation and poor communication allowed a radiology technician to move from job to job around the U.S. _ even after he was fired twice by hospitals that said they caught him stealing drugs or tampering with medications.
David Kwiatkowski is charged in New Hampshire with tampering with needles and infecting at least 31 people with hepatitis C, a potentially life-threatening virus. Thousands more people treated at hospitals where he worked are being tested,, including some in Kansas.
Records and interviews conducted by The Associated Press show that authorities could have halted Kwiatkowski's career four years ago, after he was fired from a Pittsburgh hospital. But he went on to work at 10 more hospitals, none of which knew about his history.
Kwiatkowski has pleaded not guilty.


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The Academic Learning Center's (ALC) mission: provide study and reading assistance to St. Cloud State students to help them become more efficient and effective learners.
- Online at https://tutor.stcloudstate.edu. Log in with your StarID and password. If you have trouble logging in please stop in to the tutor center, Centennial Hall 236, or call 320-308-4993.
- Check in with the person at the front desk in CH 236.
Students wanting help with general study strategies, such as time management, reading academic texts, note-taking, test preparation, and test anxiety, can arrange one-on-one appointments with a Graduate Assistant. Stop in to Centennial Hall 211B to sign up for an appointment in person or schedule online here: Online Booking. This is also the place to make an appointment if you need to make up work in your COLL 110 or COLL 120 class. Email any questions to email@example.com.


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New Chrysler Dodge Jeep RAM Dodge Dealerships near Vancouver
Richmond Chrysler would like to invite our customers from the greater Surrey, Burnaby and Vancouver area to browse through our always up-to-date new inventory below. We are proud to carry the latest new Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and RAM lineup, with the help from our sales professionals we are confident you'll find exactly what you are looking for from your local Dodge Dealerships near Vancouver. Share the excitement of purchasing a new car in Richmond, BC by visiting our dealership today and setting up a test drive. We encourage you stop by or give us a call with any questions regarding our new Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and RAM vehicles in the British Columbia area, or if you're searching for a car loan or lease.
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The focus is on 1-Day Acuvue Contact Lenses with the Celebrity Mentor Contest
April 13, 2012 Leave a comment
As they did last year, Acuvue launched the celebrity mentor contest for 2012 via the Acuvue YouTube Channel. This gives a teen the chance to win an individual life mentoring session for a day with a teen star from music, entertainment and sports. The list of celebs includes: Demi Lovato, Joe Jonas, Tyler Blackburn, Meaghan Martin and Allyson Felix.
Check out all the rules and prizes. You may enter now thorough June 7th.


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BOWLING GREEN, Ky. (WBKO) -- Four people from Lexington have been arrested for running a prostitution ring out a hotel in Warren County.
Kentucky State Police say the Warren County Drug Task Force seized 30 grams of marijuana, drug paraphernalia, and $3,300 dollars last Friday.
Patience Parris, 22, was arrested and charged with prostitution.
Brittany McCoy, 19, Courtney Bryant, 24, and Elrico Hymon, 27, were arrested and charged with promoting prostitution.
All of the subjects were also charged with possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia.
They are all in the Warren County Regional Jail.


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Given a weighted directed graph $G=(V,E, w)$, suppose we generate a new graph $G'=(V,E,w')$ with the same vertices and edges, but now letting the weight of edge $(i,j)$ be an exponential random variable with mean $w_{ij}$. My question is: what is the expected diameter of $G'$?
Why I'm interested in this: I was intrigued by the observation that the expected diameter of $G'$ can be quite different from the diameter of $G$. Indeed, consider the following example: define $G$ by taking the complete graph $K_{n+1}$, picking an arbitrary vertex $a$, and assigning weight $n$ to any edge incident on $a$, and weight $1$ to every other edge. Then, the diameter of $G$ is $n$. On the other hand, the expected diameter of $G'$ is O(1) since we can expect one of the edges incident on $a$ to have small weight.


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Taking stock of SB 2: Is the so-called ballot law working?
CONWAY — Attendance at Conway's annual deliberative town and school meetings under SB 2 the past few years brings to mind one of comedian Jay Leno's funnier newspaper headlines: "Rally against apathy draws small crowd."
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WEST (December 19, 2012)--Fire severely damaged a house Wednesday afternoon in West, leaving a woman homeless and her pet dog dead.
Firefighters responded at around 2:20 p.m. Wednesday to a report of a structure fire at 507 West Spruce, just south of downtown West, where the first units on the scene reported heavy smoke coming from the roof of the single-story wood frame home.
The woman who lived in the house was not home at the time of the fire, but her dog died before firefighters could rescue it.
A West police officer said it appeared the fire started in the attic, but the cause hasn't been determined.


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Field Work Term (FWT) is one of the most exciting aspects of a Bennington College education and has been integral to every student's experience since the College began almost 80 years ago. The purpose of FWT is to turn theory into practice as students explore connections between academic pursuits, personal interests, and the world of work.
Students spend seven weeks off campus each year working in internships that expand their studies and enrich their individual and professional development. Every year, students offer a wide range of capacities to hundreds of organizations across the country and around the world. Bennington students are creative, innovative, and valuable contributors to an organization—more than 99% of participating employers report being satisfied or extremely satisfied with their Bennington intern.
We greatly value our partnerships with more than 500 employers every year. If you wish to offer an FWT position or have already been contacted by a student and would like additional information, please email us or call us at 802-440-4321.


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Does anybody know of a way to clone a live linux system? I have a live installation running a production site. Problem is, I'm needing to clone it (without bring it down), and then move it over (restore) to a virtual machine. I'm basically migrating from physical hardware to virtual hardware.
On the source machine:
This will dump the fs on your source machine, copy it over ssh and on the target machine it will restore it.
Of course you need to repeat this for every fs.
'blowfish' is there just to make it for faster compression and decompression.
VMWare Converter can do most modern OS's without shutting the server down, but as Dennis pointed out, we really need to know which OS you're running.
You'll end up with a virtual image of your server when you're done, rather than a raw disk image, but it's usually good enough for most work, depending on what you want to do with it once you've done it.
Which VM platform are you migrating to? VMWare has a converter for Linux. It'll convert a powered on machine.
Have a look at VMWare converter which I believe allows live system cloning.
We generally do this:
This works great, as long as the data you're copying over is relatively stateless. If you're dealing, for example, with a database server, particularly one with a lot of activity, you will need to make sure that database is quiescent before you make the final cutover...so, something like this, after everything else is ready:
Look at VMware Converter (it's free if you have vCenter) or Plate Spin (one of their products is a converter).
Plate Spin will do a machine live, with minimal downtime to cut over.
With VMware converter, it'll do a live machine (if there's a database it might be out of sync) just don't have it boot the VM when it is finished. Then disconnect the vNIC and then boot the machine, log in via the console and change the IPs, etc. Then reconnect the vNIC.
Its impossible to get a consistent snapshot without stopping all operations which may change the state of the system.
Unless the application has been explicitly designed to accomodate this kind of operation (i.e. all processing handled via queueable messages) it is be impossible to get a consistent snapshot without bringing the system down (or at least disabling the transactional component).
However it is possible to reduce the time window for snap-shotting the system significantly (e.g. by removing a mirror from a RAID set then remounting it elsewhere). And the shorter the time it takes to generate the snapshot, the less likely that transactions will span the operation.
And most filesystems / DBS will support some sort of journalling which should allow most broken operations to be either recovered or rolled back.


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I have been following the show Burn Notice very closely since it's inception, but one thing has been bothering me. Who burned Michael?
I was always under the impression that a burn notice was the way in which a spy was fired, so naturally, I had assumed it was CIA sponsored.
In the most recent season(s), the team has been chasing a man named Anson Fullerton, who is supposedly "rebuilding the organization that burned Michael."
Now, that was where I became confused. I can understand if he was the person, working for the CIA, who was in charge of the burning of Michael, but what was this "organization" they were talking about, if it wasn't the CIA?
If the CIA wasn't the organization that burned Michael, who was it?


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I used to add cornflour in my chicken sweetcorn soup or chicken and noodle soup for a thicker consistency. But then I stopped using it completely after watching some show on TV that recommended not using it (I didn't research this much, but all it comes up with is that cornflour can make you gain weight). The soups still taste equally good but I do sometimes miss the thicker consistency. I did try to replace it with plain flour with it just adds an uncooked flour taste to the soup, which isn't very nice. Can someone suggest any replacements to cornflour to give the soup a thicker consistency?
Cook the flour with some butter or oil before adding to the soup. You are making what is called a roux which is a traditional French method for thickening sauces and soups
Measure roughly two parts of general purpose flour and one part of fat (or equal parts by weight), and cook until bubbling and the raw flour taste has gone, or it is lightly brown
Approximately one teaspoon of flour per litre of soup
The other option is to use arrowroot, which is an alternative starch to cornflour
If you don't want to use Corn flour, then substitute it with Potato starch. Potato starch will give you very similar result and you won't need to change your existing recipe.
well for the issue of thickening soup or making it creamy the best it always a cornflour. which you don't want to use. it provides taste & thickness both to the soup,it is also used it palak saag recipe. as an alternative in soup you can use either as per your taste and requirements:-
1-make a thick paste made of flour and oil. Slowly beat it in the soup using a wisk, and bring to a slow boil, and it should stir to thicken.
2-Try adding some good quality instant mashed flakes(potatoes/radish/carrot) to the soup.
3-just take some of the beans out of the soup and mash them up (or throw them in the food processor) and slowly add some of the broth back into the beans and just mashed and pour it back in the pot. If your bean soup is not as thck as you like, this will do the trick. It works better than cornstarch and is healthier.
4-egg white to the soup.
5-mashed boiled rice or soaked oats will work well for heath n thickness.
Corn Flour also has an element of making rougher/crispier although it might not be much issue for you. So I would recommend few other alternatives like adding some puree (it could be potato as the above answer. Or stale bread puree).
or by making Beurre Manié - which is like reverse-roux. It will thicken your soup in a similar way. Knead equal parts butter and flour into a thick paste, and then whisk it into your soup until it has completely dissolved.
Unclear if the question is for a replacement, which have already been given, or if it is for a replacement that give less weight gain than corn flour/starch. I guessed that corn starch would be better than flour but was not sure so I did some research.
So not much difference, Xanthan gum is a bit 'better'.
But how much do I need to thicken? this link say that corn starch have twice the thickening power of wheat flour, i.e. for a weight gain point of view corn starch should be better.
I cannot find any good reference for how much Xanthan gum thickens, but I'm pretty sure it thickens more than corn starch/flour. (I use it all the time and you need very little)
So from a weight gain point of view, use Xanthan gum to thicken then soup! Xanthan gum is used for gluten free diets and can be found in most health shops.
Also, when doing roux, I have read that the darker the roux the less thickening power it has and of course the more butter/oil you add the more calories you add. Therefore from a calories perspective corn flour is better than wheat flour.


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U.S. immigration policy is based on denial. Most lawmakers in the United States have largely embraced the process of economic "globalization," yet stubbornly refuse to acknowledge that increased migration, especially from developing nations to developed nations, is an integral and inevitable part of this process.
Published On: Mon, Nov 01, 2004 | Download File [1]


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