text:
827: Business Idea
[edit] Explanation
Many people have shared Cueball's experience of seeing someone else make profit from an idea that they themselves had. This comic plays with the thought of what would happen if intellectual property thinking was taken to an extreme, and if companies or people were more keen on "setting things right" than money. The title text is an extension of the comic with increasingly extreme thinking.
In reality, having a great idea alone of course does not create a profitable business; there must generally be an enormous amount of work and effort (not to mention risk-taking) put in to create a business from scratch, popularize it, and keep it standing. Cueball, having done none of this, would probably not deserve close to the "30% cut" he claims even if intellectual property did work the way it is presented here.
The delivery guy is from FedEx. 960: Subliminal is about hidden messages in their logo.
[edit] Transcript
- [Cueball is sitting at his desk, pointing at his laptop.]
- Cueball: Dude! I had this idea like five years ago, and some company just got rich doing it! - I want my cut.
- [Cueball starts typing.]
- Person off-screen: That's not how it works.
- Cueball: Sure it is. I'm applying for my share now.
- Person: Wait, what?
- [A browser window with the title 'Department of Ideas'. It has a series of text boxes.]
- Date you had the idea:
- Like five years ago.
- Proof you had it:
- I told my friend Mike - you can ask him! I was all "you know what would make a great business idea?" and he was all...
- Their profit so far:
- $20,000,000
- Share you deserve (be fair!):
- [Drop-down.]
- 25%
- 30%
- 35%
- [Drop-down.]
- Mailing address:
- 137 Ash Tree Ln
- [Cueball still at the laptop, above him is a SUBMIT button, and it shows a pointing hand cursor.]
- [Last panel set slightly lower than the rest.]
- [Cueball is in front of an open box full of cash, with cash in his hand. A FedEx delivery guy is on the other side of the box with his little electronic signing thing.]
The delivery address is to Ash Tree Lane. As shown in 472, Randall knows how to mess with people who've read House of Leaves. Subtle references are probably worse (better?) than the blatant, full-fat parody of 472. 18.104.22.168 23:46, 23 July 2013 (UTC)
As I read it, the idea is to have a website where people who claim to have thought of something first would be able to submit 'claims' (for whatever they are worth, if anything). Cueball would get rich monetizing this sure-to-be-a-hit website. Mountain Hikes (talk) 09:09, 2 January 2016 (UTC)


text:
NYPD - Vendetta (Rated R)
ok, this story involves diferent caracters talking from their point of view, for example we have Diana, she is a cop and the first chapter is her introduction to her story, chapter 2 is about Scott Trevor a hired gun, the third is Kirstin a prostitute, and other character will be involved in the story, any ideas are very much appreciated and bear with me please I'm trying to get better at this writing thing.
N.Y.P.D Vendetta - Revenge on the streets
Chapter 1 A promise of Revenge (Diana)
My name is Diana Stall, Im a detective for the NYPD, I have been a cop for three years now. On my first year I lived through something most cops never go through, I lost my husband... I was assigned to an undercover operation posing as a hooker in a low life bar. There I busted Sasha Kovsky, the Russian mobster, head of the Petrovich crime syndicate, I was called in to testify against him and as retaliation for his imprisonment he sent his thugs to my house one weekend, they broke in through the back door, they all carried 9mm automatics, they went to my room where I was sleeping with my husband James, they grabbed us... they tortured him while they made me watch how they beat him with a wrench right in his jaw... then they raped me, they kept James alive just enough to make him watch as they did it to me over and over, finally they shot him in the head when he tried to jump on one of them, I did my best to protect him but I was in shock, after that I felt nothing, my mind escaped, my soul went with him, I left my body and I could see myself on the floor naked with all five of them laughing and raping me until they had enough. My eyes darkened, it was then that I heard three gun shots in the distance...they shot me, left me there to die, when I came back to myself I was lying in a hospital bed with tubes all around my bed, the chief came in with a doctor, they told me James couldnt be saved but I already knew that.
I lost everything in my life, I had no husband, no home to get back to and no family to comfort me, only a friend from an orphanage who came to see me, Jackie Lang, she was the new director of the orphanage.
We grew up together within the same walls that she now protects, she was always the favorite of Miss Callahan, an old lady and former director of the Saint Helens Orphanage, she took care of me after my parents died.
Jackie constantly visited me, she helped me get through my recovery, I found it too hard to get back to work, I felt a terrible pain inside of me that only a couple of pills could take away. Ive been in and out of therapy, Ive seen every single psychiatrist in the city but talking about it just makes it worse, I cant sleep and I cry every night, I can remember the faces of all the five men that were in my house that day, Im scared of going to sleep, everytime I close my eyes the images of that horrible night come back. I can feel them and it disgusts me, I wish I had died too...why did they resurrect me? Why did they keep me alive? Is this some kind of sick joke to everyone? Dear god...why did I survive?
Now Im back in the precinct, Its been 2 years and five months since that night everyone stare at me, as if they feel sorry for me, but I dont need that I have enough to carry on my back to have them all pitying me and all. Now more than ever I want to catch those five bastards who did this to me.
The other day unit 5211 called for back up, an abandoned warehouse was being used as a hideout for some thugs claiming to own a legit clothing factory, but they had Mexican immigrants there, we checked them out and they were all illegal, we busted them, except their boss, who was none other than Kolya Rashidovich one of the five. I persuaded one of the thugs to lead me to him.
I found Kolya in a mansion in Manhattan, when I drove up to the gate I found the guard knocked out cold on the ground and I took no chance and cuffed him to a lead pipe on the garden, when I came in to Kolyas room holding my gun, just in case, I found something, a note had been torn from his notebooks, an address by the looks of it, but then I checked the bathroom, and there he was, he had been killed, his throat was cut and his stomach was opened revealing his guts and left there to die soaking in water and blood, part of me felt satisfaction at the sight of the murder, but part of it was rage and disappointment, because it wasnt me who left him like this, I looked around and tried to make a mental picture of what went on there, there were drops of blood on the floor which meant that he hadnt been attacked in the bathroom, he was surely deguted there, but his throat was cut somewhere else. I walked to the nearby room, the study, I found tiny drops of blood on a book, they were dry, which meant he was killed hours before I got there, I started picturing a whole scenario in my mind, but the killer had a familiar form, I saw someone I know killing him, it was me, my subconscious was playing tricks on me, or maybe it was my own heart who wanted me to be the killer.
I drove back to the station after reporting the murder, I sat there facing my computer as I wrote the report, but this time the imagined film in my head making me the murderer of Kolya was satisfying my need for revenge, I have to get revenge, all of my life is now centered in that, if I cannot have it there is no reason for me to go on...
Chapter 2 Payback for a Betrayal (Scott)
My mother used to say, Make friends with the devil and youll get hell..., well... inspite of her best efforts I still managed to to befriend a devil, a devil by the name of Sasha Kovsky, last time I heard hee was in jail, sent to prison by a cop girl posing as a hooker in a bar called The Red Grave, a Russian bar... damn I hate it there, the drinks taste like piss, I dont know whats so appealing about the place to the anyone thats not russian.
I came back here to this city after three years, my name is Scott Trevor, in the Underworld of New York Im The Bullet, its an alias I got after I came back with my shaven head revealing the spot where a bullet came through my head and went out, but for some kind of miracle I lived and the bullet didnt damage my brain, it just scratched it.
I carry that bullet around my neck as a reminder of the one who did this to me, and when I find him Im gonna kill him with it.
It all started three years ago when I was hired by Kovsky to collect a big load of cash from one of his shipments, but someone ratted out to the police, SWAT came in from every direction and surrounded us, we shot our way out of the joint, but Kolya, one of Kovskys thugs ran away like a coward with the money, leaving me and two other guys on the scene, then I heard one of them saying something to the other, they looked scared, but I couldnt make out what they said because of all the gunfire blazing around, I turned for a second to face the window, but when I turned back to the other two I saw them lying on the ground...shot, dead... then there was the sound of a gun, I saw a cop gun, I was shot in the head... In my last moments of consciousness I could tell the guy that shot me didnt look like a cop at all, he had a white suit and white hat, I tried to focus on his face but it was no good, my eyes had gone to a blur, for the first time in my life I did something I had never done...pray...****, I was praying for my life, I wanted to live... to get the chance to find that ****er and blow him away, and I survived, I got transferred to a clinic in Jersey, after that I went to New Mexico and hid there waiting for my body to react as it used to.
More bad news, the doctor told me I reacted a millisecond slower than everyone else...****, thats a lot... at least for a marksman it is, I have to be quicker when I face the ****er, I have to make sure I make first shot, so I used the doctor for target practice, served good as rehab.
So I moved back to the NY, I had to find out who that ****er was and my best chance is Kolya, I went to the old hideout, the mansion in Manhattan, I got in after I knocked out the guard, then I walked up the stairs and found Kolya in his study, I came up behind him, took an antique knife and placed it on his neck close to his throat.
- Trevor! What do you want?!- Kolya said as I tightened my grip around his neck, I so much wanted to slice and dice him, I told him I needed to know who the guy in white was.
- I dont know who he is, but he works for Vinny Pasconi, thats all I know I swear Kolya answered, but it couldnt be Pasconi, he was one of the last members of the Sicilian families that disappeared and went legit, besides what was he doing dealing with Russians, it just didnt make any sense, but Kolya kept swearing it was true. So I believed him, I believed him so much I sliced his neck, took him to the bathroom in his bedroom, put him inside the tub, I started to fill it up and when it was half full I took the knife and stabbed him in the stomach, and I sliced all the way down to his belt and watched as his intestines and blood changed the color of the water to a dark red, just the red I wanted to see.
Kolya started to shake, his eyes rolled up and looked white, his face was showing fear and pain... it took five minutes of agony for him to die, quite unusual to take that long... when I came out of the bathroom I saw his notebooks and I found an address, Henry Stanton, he was Kovskys accountant, I ripped the page, I knew that if someone kept track of all of Kovskys dealings it would be him, after all he handled the money.
I stepped out of the mansion and hotwired one of Kolyas motorcycles and left the scene, my hands were soaked in blood. I didnt wash them, I wanted to feel that ****ers blood in my hands, it was satisfying, it marked the beginning of my payback...
Coming Soon: Chapter 3 The Law of the Streets (Kirstin)
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I want my users to be able to upload a photo. Currently I am not checking the uploaded photo for problems of any kind, although I do limit the size to 32k. Is there any way for me to check uploaded image files for malware? For instance, is there a server out there running ClamAV that I can access from PHP? Thanks.
This has been answered before on this site, in extensive detail. See these questions:
For general advice relating to web security, OWASP is always a good resource, too.
Best I can think for PHP is to re-create the image, for example:
Then delete the originally uploaded image and keep your resized copy.
I think that the best approach would be to use a combined solution:
By using all of these checks, the possibility of a successful attack would a lot smaller.
As Christian says, ithe best solution is to whitelist and verify the file type - however any file which has uncompressed metadata can potentially be an avenue for attacking a webserver. Strip the metadata.
Invoking the virus checker synchronously from the web request is a very bad idea in terms of performance, stability and availability. While the default upload handler in PHP sensibly puts files out of the way and forces you to move them before the request completes - this means that you'll have to copy the file once more after you virus scan it.
Not a complete answer* but one way to filter out unwanted content would be to use PHP's image manipulation functions to transpose the uploaded image into a new image and then save that, rather than the uploaded data. A bit like taking a screenshot of a picture rather than just saving the picture directly.
*= Or the best solution, or easiest...
A good and popular practice is to check if the uploaded image is really an image and not something else. Validating an image is more secure than scanning with an antivirus.
The getimagesize() function will determine the size of any given image file and return the dimensions along with the file type and a height/width text string to be used inside a normal HTML IMG tag and the correspondent HTTP content type. The function supports many image formats.
You can use
Note that MPEG videos are detected as


text:
WHEELING - To a man, the Wheeling Nailers insist they haven't changed much in terms of their systems. In fact, they would call it more of a tweak.
The results say it's paying dividends.
Since going to a more up-tempo, attacking style of play, the Nailers (6-8-3 - 15) have reeled off three victories in their last four games, allowing 1.5 goals and 23.5 shots a night.
''Now that we kind of see the system working and we changed a little bit - a more aggressive style - think that fits our game,'' forward Peter Lenes said. ''It's getting used to that, and I think letting the guys with speed go is something (the coaching staff) recognized and we're now doing more of there.
''That's a positive.''
Wheeling has collected six of a possible eight points during the streak to crawl out of an early hole in the Atlantic Division standings. It still trails first-place Reading by 12 points, but the Nailers have at least one game in hand on every team in the Eastern Conference.
Understandably the confidence has picked up team-wide. Practices are being contested at a quicker pace and players are carrying a little bit of a swagger.
''Absolutely, because they're having success,'' Coach Clark Donatelli said. ''We tell them to trust the system and believe in it and believe in each other.
''When there's a breakdown they will cover, but they have to truly believe in what they are doing out there. The guys are in the shot lanes and are blocking a lot of shots. They're just doing what they have to do right now.''
The best defense right now, it seems, is a good offense. Wheeling is spending more time in the offensive zone, which in turn makes life easier for goaltender Scott Darling who has only given up six goals during this four-game run.
''We want to keep it in their zone as long as we can. I think that's ideal,'' defenseman Paul Cianfrini said. ''I think it's just being more aggressive, trying to create more opportunities. A lot of getting the puck in, holding it for five seconds and then going back down the ice is a lot of skating.''
The system, which focuses on puck possession, is a high risk-reward scenario according to Donatelli. He and assistant coach Zach Sonnefeld are asking more of their defensemen, and that includes heavily pinching down the boards deep in the offensive zone. It calls for forwards to rotate to the back end as the last line of defense.
''It's kind of risky because of how offensive we are, that we can give up some 2-on-1s and 3-on-2s like we did in Elmira,'' the coach said of a 4-2 victory. ''We go back and forth to other systems that we play, but the system that has been really working for us lately has been really offensive.
''We'll be changing our forechecking and our neutral zone systems throughout the game, going back and forth. It seems to be working and the guys are buying into it.''
The forwards are also being more aggressive in the neutral zone, forcing turnovers at a rapid rate and making the opposition dump the puck in and chase. For guys like Cianfrini, it's a fun way to play.
''It feels nice to step up in the play a little bit more and to try to create some offense,'' he said. ''But I like coming down the wall and I have gotten better at it over the years.''
Forward Luke Pither, assigned to the team recently by Adirondack, seems to be enjoying it as well. He's earned a goal and an assist and has 11 shots in his five games in a Wheeling uniform.
''We've been focusing on getting a lot of shots. To get a lot of shots you've got to be in their zone on the forecheck and have good dumps,'' he said. ''We've had a lot more possession. You don't have to play as much defense when you're doing those things.''
And of course Lenes, a speed demon with the puck on his stick, is excelling. He's scored three points and has a pair of goals in four games.
''It's all about getting pressure on the (opponents),'' he said. ''When we're sucking back and not putting a lot of pressure on, we can't get running around and start wheeling in their zone and tiring teams down.
''The more we play in the offensive zone, the more we're going to be able to play our style of game.''
Despite the noticeable upswing, Cianfrini cautions that the Nailers are far from a finished product.
''We've only been going about four games. We lost one in Cincy but we still played well,'' he said. ''I think it's a good start, but I don't think by any means is it over. 'We've got to keep it going.''


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text:
By Ashley Solomon of Nourishing the Soul Do you ever wonder why you can't seem to move past those disparaging thoughts about your hips or belly? Your weight may be less to blame than your brain, according to recent research on body image. While body image admittedly has many sources of influence (such as parental commentary … [Read more...]
Body Image: Are We Wired for Distortion?
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Wake up to a weekend in Cape Town this JulyIt's July and while the days are colder, it's certainly not a reason to stay indoors! There's so much happening in Cape Town over this period. With our fantastic Hello Weekend campaign and thanks to our great partner Kulula.com, you can visit Cape Town this July from as little as R2 750.
Winchester Mansions: Old school charm with a modern twist
Rob PetersPossessing an old school charm with a modern twist, Winchester Mansions in Sea Point is a Cape Town gem that is hidden in plain sight.
Top Restaurants to Visit on Loop Street
Thamar HoulistonCape Town is known for its foodie culture with a huge variety of restaurants and while Bree Street has been the reigning champion in terms of variety and top spots, Loop Street is slowly catching up in the culinary stakes.
Find bliss in Cape Town
Rob PetersYou are going to struggle to find accommodation in Cape Town that boasts a better view than Bliss Boutique in Sunset Beach.
Loading blog articles, this will just take a moment!
Reds, whites and greens – golf in the Winelands
"Many professional golfers are wine aficionados, and worldwide recognised names have launched or are in partnership with vineyards throughout the world." This quote is by golf and travel writer Michael Cunningham, writing in the Wineries Refined magazine in British Columbia, Canada.
Golf tourism: word of mouth vs word of mouse
I am so old-fashioned that I still believe that word of mouth is as important as word of mouse. My following my father's advice that "you mustn't be selfish – you must allow other people to meet you" of course enhances this!


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17 Aug 2012 9:51 AM #1
Unanswered: TreePanel performance issue
I'm having performance issues with the treepanel and I'm not loading huge amount of data. The treestore loads about 200 nodes (calls are < 100 ms), which are all child of the root node. It take a good 4-5 seconds to render the nodes in the tree. I was wondering if anybody came across a similar problem using the treepanel.
Here is what im doing
Ext.define('Dash.model.air.Airport', { extend : 'Ext.data.Model', idProperty : 'id', fields : [{ name : 'id', type : 'int' }, { name : 'text', type : 'string' }, { name : 'iconCls', type : 'string', defaultValue : 'other-mn-bullet' }, { name : 'loaded', type : 'boolean', defaultValue : true }, { name : 'expanded', type : 'boolean', defaultValue : true, persist : false }] });
Ext.define('Dash.store.air.Airports', { extend : 'Ext.data.TreeStore', storeId : 'Airports', model : 'Dash.model.air.Airport', autoLoad : false, root : { text : 'root', id : 'src', expanded : true }, proxy : { type : 'direct', directFn : AirportWS.GetAirports, reader : { type : 'json' } } });
Ext.define('Dash.view.air.AirportTree', { extend : 'Ext.tree.Panel', alias : 'widget.airportTree', width : 150, border : false, rootVisible : false, animate : false, useArrows : true, singleExpand: false, store : 'air.Airports' });
this.getTree().getEl().mask('Loading..'); //load the tree this.getTree().getStore().load({ scope : this.getTree(), callback : function(result) { //remove the loading mask this.getEl().unmask(); //update the airport count title this.setTitle('Airports (' + result.length + ')'); } });
Here is a screenshot of speedtracer
I've used treepanel in the past (Ext 3) and I never had any problems. Note that I'm using the sandbox build for Extjs 4 (4.1.1), but all other components are working good. Any help would be great.rafael
8 Nov 2012 12:22 AM #2
I have the same problem here, but I have to load even more records into the store.
I think this is because every record has to be decorated with the node interface.
Have you found a solution for this?
28 Nov 2012 6:15 AM #3
I have the same problem with big tree performance
My application has a tree panel where the path to specific node can be displayed on page load.
When this is done, the load can take 6-8 seconds with big trees.
I am using selectPath (expandPath + select node), which does calls to fetch nodes along the way, so I tried to see if fetching all the required nodes in a single AJAX call will help. There was no noticeable difference, so I concluded that the problem was with the rendering of the nodes.
I really wish there was some way to speed up this phase.Yaron Yogev
IT Software Developer
28 Nov 2012 7:12 AM #4
Ive had issues with treepanel rendering. My AJAX resquest would take (> 200ms) but the treepanel would take 2-3 seconds to render once the treepanel already had nodes in it (250 nodes). It seems as it emptying or filling the treepanel is a costly operation.rafael
28 Nov 2012 7:41 AM #5
Using web server on my local machine, which is a rather standard PC burdened with IDE and other UI, the server side call (Perl FastCGI) took (as seen in Google Chrome developer tools panel 'network' tab:
- waiting: 118ms
- receiving: 351ms
I had a hard time figuring the time it takes to do the drawing of the tree. I looked at the timeline recording of the loading, and I noticed that there is a lot of network requests for images repeating, each taking in the order of 1ms, al due to latency, and it says it was taken from the cache. I have a feeling that I could probably fix this by configuration, but I'm not sure why.
All this image fetching fest last from 3.69s to 8.05s in the timeline. After that I see a lot of style reculation & layout but it actually lasts from 9.35s to 9.83s.
B151095_timeline_analysis.pngYaron Yogev
IT Software Developer
28 Nov 2012 7:48 AM #6
The image request I get is for
And this happens during my expandPath call.Yaron Yogev
IT Software Developer
28 Nov 2012 7:59 AM #7
After more examination, I see that it says aggregated time is 0.004ms for each such image loading call, meaning it all happens in the browser with no network traffic. However, it seems that due to the number of the calls this process does take a lot of time.Yaron Yogev
IT Software Developer
28 Nov 2012 10:23 PM #8
For the record: the tree I did my test with contained 90 visible nodes in the expanded nodes.Yaron Yogev
IT Software Developer
22 Jan 2013 1:53 AM #9
The image that is being loaded is a placeholder image:
You can set this image with:
Ext.BLANK_IMAGE_URL = 'images/s.gif';
30 Mar 2015 9:11 AM #10
I am facing a similar issue (in tree grid) where I see a lot of requests going to "data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAID/AMDAwAAAACH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw==". However this image is already cached in Ext-more.js. Even though it is cached, I see that the status of the request is "pending" for a lot of these requests.
Can you please let me know how I can work around this?


text:
Bauer set out to accommodate the shooting styles of a broader range of players, and to do this they decided to offer a third flex profile that would complement what you would find in the Supreme or Vapor series. The NEXUS series is that third family with a Tru-mid flex profile.
If you are a player that is looking for a stick with a quick release and a very natural feel, you should give these a good look. The Nexus 600 stick offers advanced technologies at a great value at this performance price point. The shaft shape is the same as the Nexus 1000 - which is a square shaft shape with double-concave walls. This shape provides a nice secure grip no matter what shot you are taking. The shaft itself is made of premium lightweight carbon fiber and fiberglass and is available in either the Griptac or matte finish.
Bauer uses a power profile dual taper, which increases torsional stiffness and reduces shaft deflection. This design also helps to maximize the load of this tru-mid flex stick to give you more power in your shots. This taper design in conjunction with the expanded throat of the Pure Shot Blade Profile means that the blade of the stick is more likely to stay closed which results in better accuracy. Bauer uses its patented Aero Foam II blade on the Nexus 600, which can be found in many of their higher end sticks. It is stiff and lightweight and provides nice balance and feel to the stick. Underneath the matte finish, there is a 3K premium carbon fiber blade wrap.
You'll find great performance technologies at an excellent value in this Nexus 600 stick from Bauer.
*Stick weights and lengths are determined using like flexes and patterns from each brand (mid curve, round toe, open face).
There can be variances in stick weights within the same model, so we have listed the average from weighing 6 sticks.
Length is measured from top of shaft where the front shaft plane meets the heel.
The warranty policy does not cover any breakages due to misuse or abuse. This policy does not cover wood sticks/shafts/replacement blades, pro stock sticks, or sticks sold by BAUER Hockey's Team Sales Group. For those products,
BAUER will not repair the stick/shaft/replacement blade or refund your money.
BAUER will not return ship any broken sticks/shafts/replacement blades.
If you believe your stick/shaft/blade meets this criteria, please proceed to


text:
I am not in Flagstaff. How do I attend training?
Workshops relating to the Bb Learn system are available online from the training page of our website. Workshops can also be offered through the Collaborate online conferencing tool. We can also arrange in-person training at statewide sites if there is enough interest, as travel funds permit. Many of our self-service online tutorials and FAQs may also be useful.
Please call us at 928-523-5554 or 866-802-5256 (toll free) or send an email to firstname.lastname@example.com to discuss your training needs.
keywords: vista, training, elluminate, online, workshop, e-learning center, elc,
Last updated: Apr 18, 2013


text:
The future of the Korean Grand Prix appears to be in jeopardy after it recorded big financial losses for the third successive year
Every year since it was first held in 2010, organisers have recorded figures in the red and it appears that the financial situation may result in the race no longer being held.
A seven-year contract to host the race at the Yeongam circuit was initially agreed, but with organisers reportedly failing to get the race-sanctioning fees reduced the pressure is taking its toll.
"Compared to the boom years, things have become a little harder but we had 103 000 for race day this year," Yoshihisa Ueno press manager for Japan's Suzuka circuit told Reuters.
"Last year with the (tsunami and nuclear) disaster, numbers were down but this year, operation-wise was a successful year."


text:
Ricky C. Barton, Sr., 58, died Feb. 20, 2013 at the Nebraska Heart Hospital in Lincoln. He was born on Feb. 25, 1954 in Hamburg to Raymo and Ruth M. (Langston) Barton. He attended school in Riverton and later in Farragut, where he graduated in 1973. He served in the U.S. Army from 1974 to 1976.
He married Cheryl L. Basham on June 22, 1976 in Riverton.
He was a member of the Owner/Operator of Independent Drivers Association and a former member of the Fraternal Order of Eagles in Nebraska City. He drove truck for many years and was currently working for Hendrickson Trucking in Hamburg.
He is survived by wife Cheryl Barton of Riverton; son Ricky Calvin Barton II and significant other Tina Apperson of Riverton; daughter Jessica Lee Eaton and husband Terry of Riverton; seven grandchildren: Patrick, Ami, Taylor, Braydon, Jacob, Mackenzie and Victoria; siblings Dorothy Feil of Sidney, Donny Barton and wife Donna of Riverton, and Marlene Esser of Riverton; other family and friends.
He was preceded by his parents, brother Wayne Barton in 1979; brothers-in-law Lee Feil and Steve Esser, nephews Pat and Mike Feil and Wayne Barton, Jr., and best friend Luther Hensley.
Memorial service will be held on Wednesday, Feb. 27, at the Riverton Gym in Riverton with family friend Lynn Zuck presiding. Inurnment will follow in the Riverton Cemetery.
Honorary pallbearers will be Dennis Doty, Tom Van, Charles Carlock, Mark Eisched, Don Jenning (in memory) and Luther Hensley (in memory).
Following the graveside services, will be lunch and fellowship at the Riverton Community Building.
Memorials may be given to St. Jude Research Hospital in his memory.
Condolences may be left at www.gudefuneralhomes.com.
Shull-Gude Funeral Home, Riverton, is in charge of the arrangements.
Location, ST | website.com


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Accident Closes Warden Run Road in Wheeling
Finley Amos
AMOS, Finley David, age 88, of New Martinsville, WV, died Sunday, December 23, 2012, in W.V. Veterans Nursing Facility, Clarksburg, WV.
He was born May 28, 1924, in Tyler County, WV, a son of the late Russell and Marie Rice Amos.
He was a retired shipping foreman for PPG Industries; a member of First Christian Church, Disciples of Christ, New Martinsville; and a U.S. Navy World War II veteran.
In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his wife, Janice Amos; and one brother, Raymond Amos; two sisters, Mary Louise Posey and Annabelle Fletcher.
Survivors include two daughters, Connie DeRico Surosky and husband, Harvey of Eldersburg, MD, and Frances Pearl Amos of Pittsburgh, PA; one sister, Luella Wells of Sistersville, WV; three grandchildren, Ellen (Steve) Travis of Hollis, ME, Joseph William DeRico of Elkridge, MD, and Brad (Amy) Surosky of Los Angeles, CA; and two great-grandchildren, William David Travis and Susie Marie Travis.
Family will receive friends on Saturday from 4-7 p.m. at Grisell Funeral Home & Crematory, 751 Third St., New Martinsville. Funeral service will be held on Sunday at 2 p.m. at First Christian Church, corner of Locust Street and Maple Avenue, New Martinsville with Rev. Dr. Victor Hunter officiating.
Interment will follow in Northview Cemetery, New Martinsville.
Memorial contributions may be made to WV Veterans Nursing Facility, Residents Fund, One Freedom Way, Clarksburg, WV 26301; or First Christian Church, P.O. Box 274 New Martinsville, WV 26155.
Sympathy expressions at grisellfuneralhomes.com.


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Report: New Kingdom Hearts 3 information revealed on Xbox One websiteWritten by: / / 1 Comment
Following the reveal of additional details on Final Fantasy XV after having appeared on the official Xbox and PlayStation websites recently, the intrepid writers over at Kingdom Hearts fansite KH Insider have uncovered more snippets on another of Square Enix's titles, coming up trumps with new Kingdom Hearts 3 information in the process.
New Kingdom Hearts 3 From the Xbox Corner
The unveiling of Kingdom Hearts 3 at Sony's E3 2013 press conference whipped many a fan into a frenzy, but we're currently unclear whether or not this latest information drop will have a similar affect – read over the translated version of the text that appeared on the official Xbox One site:
"In the latest entry of the Kingdom Hearts series, a grown Sora will journey to a new adventure. Next generation platform specs are being utilized, actions are more exhilarating than ever, and offers a mechanism that is jam-packed with (ride) attractions. The compilation of the series has expanded the storyline to an impressive scale and it will evolve into a work of rich entertainment.
"In addition to the notable themes of Kingdom Hearts, a new essence is being implemented to Disney worlds. Only in Kingdom Hearts this experience can be played and please look forward to it by all means."
Well, at least Square Enix is confident!
If you were expecting either Kingdom Hearts 3 or Final Fantasy XV any time soon on Xbox One or PlayStation 4, then Square Enix had a bit of cold water for fans last year revealing that the publisher's work on both games is hampered by the fact that they share a director, Tetsuya Nomura, which naturally makes rapid progress on either title rather difficult.
Which game do you hope to be released first?
Dive into El33tonline's previous Kingdom Hearts 3 coverage for the game's debut trailer, a few screenshots and more details.
Source: KH Insider
Tags: kingdomhearts3, microsoft, squareenix


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The 5 Ballsiest Ways Man Has Replaced Nature
Nature has a job to do: provide for and nurture the fragile ecosystem of life. And she does a pretty dang good job at it, too. But still, fuck her. Mankind is pretty sure we're better than nature in every way, and for some reason we feel the need to prove it in increasingly extravagant, overcompensating ways.
#5. Laser Lightning
Everybody knows there are some shady goings-on going on in the American Southwest: What with all the nuclear testing and the inter-dimensional warfare, New Mexico is essentially a haven for mad scientists trying to choke the universe into submission. And they've succeeded, with pretty much the most Metal-with-a-capital-"M" thing science has done since the invention of the guitar shredding robot (patent pending): Man-made lightning.
But it's not some far-fetched weapon of death from the sketchiest division of DARPA, this is very real, and it was called forth by a group of scientists from Europe, using a frickin' laser beam. Sure, triggering lightning isn't new. People have been doing it for decades using a copper filament attached to a rocket which, while awesome, is sadly never going to be used to strike down your enemies, because it's all about altitude. That method cannot cause ground-strikes. On the other hand, doing it with a laser requires nothing more than a cloud to shoot it at and either a reckless disregard for the unsinged flesh of your team, or a burning hatred of everybody in your immediate vicinity.
While this clearly seems to be the stuff of world domination schemes, the scientists say they're just studying the effects of lightning in a more realistic setting. And that's probably true -- with their results, airplanes and buildings could be better built to resist errant lightning strikes. After all, it's not like you could build some kind of lightning laser cannon that basically shoots Force lightning at people over long distances by making the electricity travel down a beam of plasma. Oh, wait, you totally can.
#4. Japan's Ocean Dome
Spoiler alert: On a list of building humongous, insane (some would argue unnecessary) crap, Japan is going to show up twice. That's OK: You can faint from surprise if you want. We're ready to catch you.
They've built an entire beach. Indoors. Which... kind of defeats the point of a beach, right?
OK, so it seems baffling at first, but we can see some upsides to an indoor beach: First, nothing sucks more than packing up the family for an ocean-side trip just to find out that it's rainy or windy. Second: If you're in a landlocked area, that ride to and from the beach can be a killer. Building a beach close to home could save you the frustrating, impatient-child-infested drive over and the sunburnt, dehydrated, dangerously intoxicated drive home.
But then, what if that beach was a constantly packed tourist attraction, it cost $50 to enter and was located within walking distance of a real beach? You know, the kind of beach that's generally an entire coastline larger a building, and that you can go to for something in the range of 5,000 pennies less than $50?
"Whatever. Nature is gay anyway." - Japan
When you can see the real beach from your artificial beach, you officially give up any pretense that you've built your bizarre techno-marvel for any utilitarian purpose: It's pretty much just a big fat middle finger to the natural world. Which, coming from the land of giant robots, is probably nature getting off light.
And while we're in Japan...
#3. Japan Builds a Better Island
Back in the '60s, the people of Osaka Prefecture in Japan were getting a bit pissed that nearby Tokyo was taking all of their business. They wanted to expand their existing airport to encourage more trade, but it was surrounded by buildings and the demolition firm of Godzilla, Godzilla and Mecha Godzilla was booked full.
Plus, the locals were annoyed at all the noise it was creating already. So they figured they would just build it in Kobe. Aaaand Kobe promptly told them to get fucked (Kobe's working through some issues right now).
So they decided to simply build an entire island in Osaka Bay, and put it on that. Because you know what they say: If at first you don't succeed... just play God.
Construction started in 1987 and work was finished in 1990. It took 10,000 people, 80 ships, three mountains and presumably Ultra-Man to build the 98-foot tall island from the sea floor, along with a sea wall of over 48,000 tetrahedral concrete blocks. They also built a three kilometer long highway out into Osaka Bay so that people could actually access the island. In the end, Japan managed to hand-build not only their most successful and busiest airport, but also a man-made construct visible from space (suck it, Great Wall).
And the island stands up pretty well to its natural counterparts, too. Unlike regular islands, this one was specifically designed to withstand earthquakes. In case you didn't know, Japan sits in what scientists like to refer to as a "tectonic clusterfuck," meaning it is a volcanic hell hole wracked with earthquakes and tsunamis (and soul-scarring pornography, but that's probably unrelated). While in some cases, Japan has not taken all the measures necessary to prevent catastrophes resulting from quakes, this is one case where they got it right, in spades.
In 1995, the Kobe earthquake hit and the devastation was extreme, however, the nearby Kansai Airport and its island were so well manufactured that not even a single pane of glass was broken in the quake that killed over 6,000 on the mainland. Which is seriously impressive and all, but man... Kobe's been having a rough time of it lately. The rest of Japan should take it out to a titty bar or something; take it's mind off of things.


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Xbox LIVE Arcade Update: StriderWritten by: / / 1 Comment
Capcom and Double Helix's side-scrolling action platformer, Strider, is now out and available on Xbox LIVE to continue the legend and adventures of our hero Strider Hiryu, and it looks incredibly sharp.
Is it for you, though?
To decide if you're willing to give the game a try, rifle through a collection of screenshots and Strider's launch trailer, along with pricing details and an official description, all below:
– Price: R149 / £11.99 / $14.99
– File Size: 1.48 GB
"Strider returns in a brand new adventure, complete with incredible side-scrolling action, and lightning fast combat all in a massive interconnected world! Download the full game now and become the original assassin!"
Strider – Launch Trailer
Strider – Screenshots
[nggallery id=519 template="el33t"]
Have you already given Strider a chance, or will you be waiting until the weekend to dive into Strider Hiryu's latest journey?
Tags: capcom, microsoft, screenshots, strider, trailer, xbla


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Jumping Through Hoops To Return What You've Bought
Columnist Teri Agins answers readers' fashion questions
Q: I hate to receive a store credit instead of a refund when I return clothes I've never worn before. It seems like more stores (Forever 21 is one) are giving me store credit instead of refunding my credit card. This seems especially true of the smaller online retailers. Why is that?
—P.T., Arlington, Va.
A: No-refund policies are never very satisfying—especially when the store in question isn't chock-full of things you want. And you're right: Small specialty merchants, especially those on the Web, may be more likely to minimize returns. The reason? They erode profits.
Shoppers may not expect such restrictions with larger national retailers, but it pays to check the return policy before you buy. They aren't immune to bottom-line pressures and may not want to advertise their less customer-friendly practices at the checkout desk.
With Forever 21, for example, you can receive a cash refund only for merchandise bought online and returned by direct mail. But if you bought at one of their physical stores, you're out of luck: only exchanges or store credits.
Sometimes, stores don't eliminate the refund option—they just set up hoops to discourage returns. They may require you to print out a "return authorization" label. Or make you pay your own postage. Or set a time window of as little as 14 days. (Companies count on a percentage of procrastinators missing the deadline.)
And if there is a return window, don't always expect the flexibility to return online orders to the retailer's physical sites. Many big chains, like Gap and J.Crew, do accept them—but not all.
Which brings us to "final sale" items, for which there are no refunds or exchanges allowed. Yes, I've been noticing more goods marked "final sale" online, namely seasonal clearance items that are reduced by up to 70% to 80%. Take a chance on those deals only if you're sure about the fit and quality of the garment. Chances are, they are in pristine condition—they've been on a warehouse shelf, unlike the shopworn clearance items that have been hanging inside a store for months.
So many shoppers fixate on free shipping or redeeming promotional coupons that they forget to study the return policies. If you want to be assured of getting your money back instead of a store credit, then hang on to your receipt and follow the rules absolutely.
—Email questions to email@example.com
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Okay, so I was watching a movie recently, and there was a night scene. The whole valley could be seen in light, and there were some stars as well, and the actors could be seen, but it just looked like it was night. How do you make a shot look like it was taken at night, especially if there is no signs of civilization around?
The effect is called day-for-night and it's particularly common in old movies.
It's often not very convincing.
Often the best looking effects can come from artificial lighting.
The colour of light is a strong visual cue that it is night time. Strong blues trick the brain and can make a well lit scene look like night. Making artificial lights extra warm (orangy) further enhances the contrast to the cool "moonlight". Lighting obliquely also seems to help as it suggests the scene is darker whilst maintaining details. Here is an example:
This is easy to achieve when you control all the lights (e.g. in a studio) but you can still achieve the night look outdoors. It's important to realise that the sun and moon are both point lightsources, so give out the same quality of light, but in different colours and vastly different quantities. This means you can just underexpose and tinting your images. The one thing you won't be able to do is overpower the sunlight with artificial sources like you can with moonlight.
I have seen scenes that appeared to be at night but when looked at closely, look like they would have been shot during the day and been filtered to a point where they appear like bright night time. The main issue you mentioned is stars. Unless it's cloudy, you won't be able to see any stars in the sky.
As far as image manipulation goes, it's possible to simply shoot as you would in sunlight and post process the image to a point where it mostly appears to be night time.
The key factors in producing such an image are saturation, exposure / noise and blue tint.
At night, our eyes don't see colour until there is sufficient light. The scene will typically be very desaturated to the point where the only colour is the typical "blue" of the moon light.
That being said, the camera does see colour in low light. I guess it depends on which you want to simulate.
Update. My own examples.
I have found that you can create some pretty realistic night shots with a little work in Photoshop.
There are many tutorials that have explain the process. Here is one and a Google Search turns up many available options.
One quick way to change the day into night would be to use the curves adjustment and a solid colored layer set to multiply. This does take a bit of work to get right. As for the stars they are not particular hard to fake or blend in from another photo.
This article has some interesting information.
UPDATE: Here is a bit more detail:
There is a tutorial on this here. Some like the results others do not, you can decide.
Every bit of what I do is very subject and can take a bit of work to make look realistic.
I will normally start by putting down a solid color adjustment layer that is dark dark blue or even black. Then set blend-mode to Multiply and change the opacity down to my liking for the photo.
Next I will switch to my channels and look at each channel to see what has the best contrast. I then will CTRL (PC) or CMD (MAC) Click the layer thumbnail which then makes a selection of that layer. I switch back to my layers and with the Solid Color Adjustment Layer Selected I add a Layer Mask.
I then use a curves adjustment layer and again I work with the settings till I get a darker picture that looks similar to night.
Those are the basic steps, again everything is subjective and it can take some work to get right. The biggest thing I have learned is to experiment and see what happens (obviously keeping duplicate of what works or what I like so I do not lose something)
Hope some of this info can help. =>
EDIT - I recently have been playing with Topaz Labs Adjust and they have a filter called Dark and it creates a nice night time effect.
I'm going to take a stab at my own question, and see if I can get it right...
It seems like the best way to make it appear night in camera is to take a picture at sunrise/sunset, but in the opposite direction from the sun. This will give the minimal light, and the right color. Best is if the sun is down for maybe 20 minutes either way, so the light is a more dark blue color. Or alternatively, shoot on the night of a full moon, so you can use the light from the moon to give the desired affect. Also, it's probably a good idea to slightly underexpose the image.
As far as Stars, well, they just probably won't appear that much anyways. But I imagine that if it is dark enough outside, they will appear, if you have a sensitive enough camera.


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I have two questions. The definition I learned defined a laurents for a function analytic in some annalus? I guess this question is asking annali centered at $1$? How do I determine all the annali?
Also, is there a quicker way to find coefficients $a_n$ of the laurent series without applying the definition directly (i.e $a_n = 1/2\pi i \int f(\zeta)/(\zeta - 1?)^{n+1} d\zeta$)


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Catholic Schools and the Common Core
One of the strengths of Catholic schools has been that they don't give in easily to educational fads. But that may no longer be the case, since more than 100 dioceses have endorsed the hotly debated Common Core standards, leading to a substantial internal debate. The Washington Post reports:
Catholic educators, scholars and bishops are engaging in an increasingly vocal debate about the Common Core State Standards, with a major split developing between those who support the Core and those who don't. More than 100 dioceses have already approved the standards for their Catholic schools, but others are rejecting them, including the Diocese of Madison in Wisconsin.
The opposition is being led by Gerard Bradley, a conservative legal scholar at the University of Notre Dame (and schoolmate of mine during Catholic grammar school days in Brooklyn - there were no fads at Mary Queen of Heaven, that's for sure). It's hard to sort out the fear and the hype from the reality of Common Core, which is untested. But if Diane Ravitch is opposed to it, that's good reason to be wary.
The Common Core is another effort on the part of the increasingly dubious, foundation-stimulated, by-the-numbers school "reform" movement to remake American education in a corporate mold. Carried along by bi-partisan political support, federal incentive money, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and media allies, it's a powerful force.
The great strength of Catholic schools is their faith-based belief in human dignity. Studies have quantified how this philsophy of Christian personalism leads to higher levels of faculty engagement and a concern not only for what students learn, but the kind of people they become. This is what makes Catholic schools special, and it seems inconsistent with a "reform" that treats students like widgets.
The National Catholic Educational Association, which accepted a $100,007 grant from the Gates Foundation for Common Core training, says otherwise. It maintains that its new Common Core Catholic Identity Initiative will make sure that "Catholic schools can infuse the standards with the faith, principles, values and social justice themes inherent in the mission of a Catholic school."
Catholic schools do need to come to terms in some way with the Common Core, since textbooks will be geared to these standards. As the NCEA explains, it wants to show teachers how to insert Catholic teachings into the lesson plans to strengthen the schools' Catholic identity.
The problem is that if the Gates Foundation and its allies take Catholic schools along the same path where they have led public education -- to excessive reliance on high-pressure, high-stakes standardized testing -- that will fundamentally change Catholic schools and their Catholic identity, no matter how many cues about church teachings are inserted into lesson plans.
About the Author
Paul Moses, a professor of journalism at Brooklyn College/CUNY, is the author of The Saint and the Sultan: The Crusades, Islam and Francis of Assisi's Mission of Peace (Doubleday, 2009) and An Unlikely Union: The Love-Hate Story of New York's Irish and Italians (NYU Press, 2015).
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Paul - I don't object to Catholic schools adopting Common Core. If the Catholic schools in this area are typical, standard curriculum and standardized testing are already used in Catholic schools, and have been for many years (it was so when I was in Catholic elementary school myself, back in the early 1970s). I haven't seen anything about Common Core that would lead me to believe that it would be a radical departure. And speaking as a parent and citizen, I would find it useful to be able to directly compare apples-to-apples test scores and student performance between the local Catholic schools and local public schools.
If Common Core provides a vehicle (one among several, presumably) for pastors, parents and Catholic school boards to hold Catholic school principals and teachers academically accountable, all the better.
If there are no more pursuasive reasons to oppose Common Core than that Diane Ravitch and the Madison Diocese are opposed (roughly, the left-wing wacko and right-wing wacko blocs, respectively), then I'd think that opponents have their work cut out for them.
I read the Wikipedia description of the language standards, and if the description is accurate, then I say hooray for the Common Core curriculum. Its goals are classic ones, not fly-by-night innovations. So what is the furor about?
My biggest concerns are that history is not a required subject, that the "critical thinking" part of the curriculum should include an understanding of just what scienific methoc is, and some logic should be included, especially understanding of common fallacies. The worst part of the program is that the arts aren't mentioned. An indication, perhaps, that the inventors of the common core are not themselves well-educated? Or maybe the problem is Wikipedia's article.
Establishment of goals is, of course, necessary. But implementing them is another matter. I still see the problem of attracting as teachers students who hve the intellectual wherewithall to implement the goals. And until the schools/cities/states are willing to offer teacher salaries that are competitive with other professions, then our schools are still doomed. Successful teaching is a profession, and professionals cost. Money.
I hope I didn't just see Diane Ravitch called a "leftwing wacko bloc." Read the book, Reign of Error. Then tell me why, after 30 years of edlucation governors, education presidents, Bill and Melinda Gates, the Koch Brothers, the Bradley Foundation and Michelle Lee our kids are still (as of this very week) scoring in the middle on worldwide tests -- which were the excuse for all of the corporate goofing aroiund our education governors and presidents have inflicted on the schools. Thank you.
I know the Common Core is causing some angst in my daughters' school, and the people in my family who are teachers aren't crazy about it. I find them confusing; I've read all of the material parents have been given and looked up the the standards on the internet- I still don't understand them.
Even though everything tells me I should dislike Commmon Core- I don't understand it, teachers don't like it, students are struggling- I find myself still supportive of the idea.
I think something good has to come out of a process where the State Education Commissioners of almost every state in the country came together to to identify best practices and common standards.
Standardized testing is a feature of the Ontario public school system (and Catholic schools are publicly funded and so fall under that process). The accountability office is entitled EQAO and there is, of course, controversy around testing. Part of it is as Ann mentions, the standard tests focus on literacy and numeracy (math and english). Results are publicly available and the public can look at the results.
Issues I have is that schools with lower EQAO scores are frequently from lower socio-economic and depressed areas. Educational attainment is tied to these factors and it is not fair to judge a school performance based solely on these criteria. Secondly, my understanding is that some boards have special ed students take the test and others exempt them. This can lead to skewing of results from board to board. Thirdly, while Catholic schools have higher scores, they can also self select and expel students with behavioural issues and the public schools are required to take them as they have a right to education.
Be cautious about reliance on standardized testing as there are other issues that need to be considered. So, for example, in those schools with lower scores and poorer demographics are ministry of education committed to providing psychology, social work, hot meals, and other incentives within the school to help students and parents. The school should not be an insulated island disconnected from the community that it serves.
Also, schools and districts can and do "game the system" so that yes Catholic schools may yield higher results but this due to the fact that they can self select those students from higher socio-economic classes and can not accept students with behavioural and other issues due to lack of resources or other reasons. Public schooling needs to be inclusive of ALL students.
Teachers don't like it because the results of that test can be misleading due to all of the factors I mentioned. Large classroom sizes, classroom management issues, etc. all have their impact.
Further how is knowledge assessed and represented? Are the standardized test biased in favour of white middle class privilige? What kind of knowledge is valued and who decides?
One of the first things that dictators and leaders of repressive regimes take over is the education system. In Cuba nuns and priests in CatholicSchools were replaced almost immedialtely by hard core communists. To paraphrase a Jesuit educator " give me a child at seven years of age and I will have him for seventy".
Who is to blame for the education crisis? To start the court decision that gave students rights that ended discipline in the schools and in the classroom and the end of dress codes both for students and teachers Next universities and colleges that churned out teachers with degrees who had little or no knowledge of basic subjects they would teach. Several examples;
-A young Miami U lecturer gave the incoming freshman class a general information quiz and was so disturbed by the lack of general knowledge that he shared the results with a reporter who wrote an article for a Miami newspaper. A few examples, a majority could not identify the President, did not know the number of States, did not know if Florida was on the Atlantic or Pacific Ocean and the list went on and on. He was not tenured and was fired for embarrassing the University.
-1982 was the first year that Florida required that college graduates with teaching degrees take an all purpose exam covering basic subjects English Math, History etc and more than 50 percent failed. This caused a mighty uproar in the teaching world with charges of racism and worse after the results were made public. The head of a private school in Miami gave the same test to his 8th grade class and every student scored 100%.
Next the unionization of teachers who worked by union rules.
Finally the education gurus who deemed that learning should be fun not hard and there went memorization, followed by those who deemed that 'self-esteem' is more important than correct answers and those who now deem testing as the problem. The end result has been a very large body of poorly educated or uneducated parents who are unable to help their children or are not involved in doing so.
A recent program on new math showed a classroom of students trying to solve 28 divided by seven. Teams were set up a different tables, pencils, papers, scissors, glue were provided and a inordinate amount of time was spent talking, giggling, drawing, cutting, pasting and questioning, more like romper room than a classroom. Of course my first eight years in the 1940s were spent in a school with only four classrooms, four nuns teaching eight grades with weekly quizzes and frequent spelling, geography, history and math bees. Written tests in all subjects were monthly and the Iowa tests were taken at the end of the year.We learned and were not harmed by testing and memorization.
Tom - sorry to dash your hopes, dude. Those middling scores are a composite of some pretty high scores and some very low scores. Mayor Emanuel presides over a city whose school district delivered some very low scores. Ask him who the chief obstacle is to educational reform. I'm pretty sure that Michelle Lee and Melinda Gates won't figure in his response. Diane Ravitch has managed to reincarnate herself into the stooge of those who profit from the exploitation of poor children, a situation we might call the Preferential Option for Crummy Teachers Who Belong to a Public Sector Union. Bully for her, I hope she sells a lot of books.
Common Core might not fix a damn thing. But it's the reform that's within reach right now. Reality is, a vote against Common Core is a vote for the broken status quo. I can't do that and look myself in the mirror.
E Patrick
Scarcely know where to begin. Let me start with uniform. My daughter goes to a school where uniforms are worn. She was cold last week and had a sweater over her shirt. The teacher said that violated the uniform rule so she had to take it off. so she removed it but still kept the sleeves on for warmth. Not enough. He nagged her (yes nagged) her until it was removed. Teachers actually police uniforms.
Now, let me share some characteristics of her peer group. Three girls were suspended for smoking marijuana off school property (umm...how about in school suspension with requirement to see drug and alcohol counsellor). Many of the girls in Grade 10 are on anti-anxiety and anti-depressant medication. And then there is the cutting. And, of course the usual promiscuity and so on.
Mental health and addiction problems galore but cannot have the public knowing that or dealing with it in an open and transparent way including counselling and so on for kids.
So what do the schools focus on, uniforms?! Good grief!
As far as knowledge of history, we live right next to a First Nation community (aka reserve) and lots of indigenous students. How many teachers or the public even know what residential schools were and the systemic and forced policy of "killing the Indian in the child" (yes those were the exact words of a famous Indian Affairs official and Canadian poet)
This history is barely covered in the Ontario curriculum! Whose history is told? Who gets to write it?
The most successful school systems in the world and in this country are marked by two characteristics:
1) Radically egalitarian schools
2) Specific instructional techniques
To the Ed Reform movement, poverty is an excuse, rather than the underlying rot in the system. And despite all of the rhetoric about "trying what works" and "evidence-based strategies," US schools never change the way they teach. Singapore teaches math differently. Understand that: they teach mathematics in a manner that differs substantially from the way it is taught in the US. Why should we be surprised that they are at the top of the world on all internationally comparative tests?
"My biggest concerns are that history is not a required subject...." raises the question "what history?". Have you had a recent opportunity to examine an American History book used in schools today, I have?
The PC history of the USA starts in the lower school, especially high school history. Several years ago I had the chance to to visit one of my wife's relatives where four high school girls were studying for a US History test, I had an opportunity to ask the girls what was the most important thing they had learned about Washington and Jefferson. The unanimous answer "They owned slaves".
They went to one of the private schools in the county. I borrowed the book and scanned some of the sections and begin to think that the US was no better than the Soviet Union or China pre1989. PC popped out everywhere. Abagail Adams had more coverage on the formation of the US than her husband John. Near the end Bill Clinton' administration had more coverage,favorable and no mention of Monica, than Washington, Jefferson and Adams combined. These students have been primed to accept the liberal historical teachings in colleges and universities without any doubts.
Jim, What you have in Chicago is an education mayor.
You have poor scores in your public schools because so many of your students are poor. You have better scores in Glenview and Winnetka because few of those students are poor. Duh.
Since the teachers have been under the thumb of -- not the unions -- education presidents and governors (and lately in places like Chicago and New York) education mayors for 30 years, there is no way of telling how good or bad the teachers would be if they were allowed to teach instead of text, dude.
Mr. Mosman,
Ideological textbooks run both ways. There are just as many students who are primed to accept a distorted conservative narrative as a liberal one. The creationist thread in science textbooks is just one example. The naive treatment of free market economics is another.
Both narratives should be critiqued. Let's not pretend it's a "liberal" thing.
Cqns. and P.S.
I meant to say 'test,' not 'text,' in the next to last word. And the genius I was disparaging earlier is Michelle Rhee, who only sounds something like the great golfer when she introduces herself.
And I'd like to know more about the University of Miami lecturer mentioned at 10:25 since he somehow sailed under my radar. Who? When? He doesn't Google or turn up at The Miami Herald site with the little I know.
And the solution to economically poor students performing educationally poorly is surely tests and vouchers, I guess. Since "everything else has failed." And has been failing for 30 years despite (or because of) the best efforts of edllucation presidents education governors and education mayors. From reform to reform, the cliche endures forever.
In view of the following please cite evidence that creationism is being taught in US schools and also provide provide evidence that conservative free market economic values are provided in US textbooks. Actually there is very little in-depth economics being taught in US high schools. What is falls under politics rather than economic as a science.
"The 1982 ruling in McLean v. Arkansas found that creation science fails to meet the essential characteristics of science and that its chief intent is to advance a particular religious view.[13] The teaching of creation science in public schools in the United States effectively ended in 1987 following the United States Supreme Court decision in Edwards v. Aguillard.[4] The court affirmed that a statute requiring the teaching of creation science alongside evolution when evolution is taught in Louisiana public schools was unconstitutional because its sole true purpose was to advance a particular religious belief.[13] In response to this ruling, the creation science school textbook Of Pandas and People changed references to creation to intelligent design. The intelligent design movement promoted this version, then teaching intelligent design in public school science classes was found to be unconstitutional in the Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School District federal court case."
It was the University of Miami in Miami Florida in the Fall of 1982 and it made the papers. I was working in Coral Gables at that time and discussed the matter with several professors who were not shocked at the lack of preparedness and general knowledge of incoming freshman. It was common knowledge on campus.
Tom - Q: How do you take a poor kid and make him less poor? A: Educate him.
Emanuel is trying hard to do right by the city of Chicago. There are a thousand reasons for him to want to improve Chicago schools. It's Ravitch's new pals who block and subvert him every step of the way. And it's Ravitch's new pals who profit from the current, broken system.
Btw, you won't get an argument from me that rich school systems perform better than poor ones. I submit, though, that there are no realistic policy solutions to that inequity that don't involve reforming broken school systems. Even if Mayor Emanuel had the ability to reach into the pockets of rich suburban residents - and he doesn't - we've seen, over and over and over again, as far back as the Johnson and Carter administrations, and as recently as the Obama Stimulus, that pouring state and federal money into broken school systems doesn't do a thing to solve their problems.
Mr. Mosman., Thanks. It was before the era of education governors. Maybe we never did get universal public education right. Just a little earlier than that, the dropout rate in Miami schools was around 50 percent. I guess by then they had started retaining the former dropouts and sending them on to UM.
Jim, This thread is supposed to be about the common core and Catholic schools. I sort of sidetracked it accidentally by defending Diane Ravitch. (Full disclosure: All I know about her is what I've read in her books, plural.) So I am not going to argue with you (other than to note passim that you are wrong in your assumptions and therefore wrong in your conclusions) and repeat what I said in the first place: Read the damn book.
Now let's let everyone get back to what the common core can and can't do for and to Catholic schools
This took three keywords to find: http://www.msnbc.com/jansing-co/battle-rages-over-creationism-texas
Public, no, but ideological, yes: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/29/school-creationist-quiz-closing_n_3837183.html
One of the more famous cases: http://www.pepperlaw.com/pracarea/doverid/doverid.aspx
One more for good measure: http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/blog/hundreds-of-voucher-schools-teach-creationism-in-science-classes
Can one credibly claim that there is a universal liberal cultural norm in schools in America? Give me a break. I said ideology was a problem on both side of the "aisle." I'm no more a fan of liberal narratives than I am of conservative ones.
Yes, let's get back to the Common Core Curriculum. My question is: is it really a curriculum, i.e., a set of prescribed highly specific subject matter. In the language section I read about Shakespeare was the only specific subject matter required. (And a great requirement, if you want kids to learn about human nature!!) I have also read that there is no particular method required, e.g., Montessori in the lower grades. What the CCC is, is a set of *generic standards*, but they look very good to me.
The problem is in the implementation, which includes both specific content and method. Those areas will no doubt be disputed further.
And let's have a separate thread on creationism v. "intelligent design". The latter topic includes both some scientific nonsense and some reputable, largely *philosophical* arguments. But note: ID does include some non-science -- some philosophy. The crux of the battle is in the scientists' claim that they are speaking pure science, while claiming that the ID people are just talking nonsensicle science. It really isn't that simple. For one thing the scientists *also* get into some philosophy, which they generally aren't competent in any more than the ID people are generally competent in biology. A lot of pots calling kettles black.
I'm using a math curriculum with the new standards for two of my children (we home educate), and I'm impressed with the new standards. They seem more rigorous than the old and demand a higher level of comprehension. Whether they'll make any difference on the PISA testing, I don't know. It seems to me that the countries with high PISA results too often (not in every case, but often) make education stressful and unpleasant for children and focus too much on breadth rather than depth. My nephew in New Zealand is, at 17, only studying math, biology, and chemistry. My kids, at that age, have studied much more diverse subjects but not always at the same level. For example, they've taken ceramics, digital photography, social studies, foreign languages, etc., as well as math and science. So I don't think the PISA results are all that meaningful, and I don't think our kids in the US are doing too badly.
Oops, sorry, I meant to say that the high-scoring countries (on PISA) focus too much on DEPTH as opposed to BREADTH. Sorry.
A two page letter from the Superintendent of Schools for the Archdiocese of NY came home in my daughters' bookbags yesterday. It said there has been a lot of negative press about Common Core as well as parental concerns because the students didn't do well last Spring on the new standarized tests aligned to the standards.
The letter identifies and tries to address 3 concerns: 1. that the standards are less rigorous, 2. that it imposes constraints on what a Catholic school must teach and 3. that it somehow undermines the schools' ability to infuse Church teachig into classroom instruction.
The letter says none of the above is true, but what is true is that the implementation strategy and timeline are very onerous and that schools and teachers need more support to implement the standards;that this is an issue that is being raised with the State of NY.
Yes, let's get back to the Common Core Curriculum. My question is: is it really a curriculum, i.e., a set of prescribed highly specific subject matter.
Hi, Ann, according to this FAQ at the Common Core Catholic Identity Initiative site, to which Paul linked in his post, the answer is: No, it's not a curriculum, but rather a set of standards. Teachers and principals have the freedom (and the obligation, if they're adopting Common Core standards) to create curriculum directed toward achieving the standards.
For folks with concerns about Common Core, or who would like to understand how Common Core would be implemented within a Catholic school framework, I highly recommend this FAQ page on the Chicago Archdiocese Catholic Schools website. I believe it would alleviate most concerns.
Tom - fair enough, I haven't read the book yet. I'll try to - but not today :-)
Jim P. == Glad to hear that the program is indeed about standards.
One big question I have concerns student in the higher grades who have not had the advantage of the standards in their lower grades. How could a kid in the eigth grade be expected to make big progress when his prior preparation has been extremely poor? Theoretically, wouldn't the kid have to go back to the 4th grade if he can't do arithmetic calculations? In other words the CCC would seem to require some *transitional* standards for the upper level kids who are just entering the program.
I've read that some people continue to say that it requires particular content and methods when it doesn't. Why do people lie like that?
What has really changed? The Common Core is nothing more than Back to Basics reincarnated. What really determines achievement and learning? Small, intimate class sizes, small community oriented and based schools, responsible Principal leadership and a dedicated board of education. The other gimmicks such as ipads, enormous school size, 20,000 students in a gargantuan unified school district and all the blaming of parents, teachers and unmotivated students for the poor scores and outcomes. Why do kids love school up through 5th grade and then hate everything from then on?
One big question I have concerns student in the higher grades who have not had the advantage of the standards in their lower grades. How could a kid in the eigth grade be expected to make big progress when his prior preparation has been extremely poor? Theoretically, wouldn't the kid have to go back to the 4th grade if he can't do arithmetic calculations? In other words the CCC would seem to require some *transitional* standards for the upper level kids who are just entering the program.
Hi, Ann, I would think that, if there are a lot of kids in the higher levels who are deficient in a particular area, that will come through on the standardized test scores. Those scores become a sort of baseline. As the years progress, the expectation would be that there would be improvement against the baseline. If the improvement isn't there, then those responsible for improving performance would need to ask, "Why isn't this getting better?". I don't think Common Core, by itself, will solve every problem. But consistent measurement and metrics seems like a no-brainer to me. How do we know if performance is improving if we don't measure performance? Students get graded. There is no reason that teachers, principals and schools shouldn't get graded, too.
I've read that some people continue to say that it requires particular content and methods when it doesn't. Why do people lie like that?
Some people could simply be misinformed. And of course, people with a stake in the status quo are going to oppose change.
Jim P. = =
Many developmental psychologists (e.g., the Piagetians) maintain that our progress in thinking builds upon certain definite skills that must be learned in order because the higher level skills necessarily incorporate the lower ones. For instance, if a kid is no good at distinguishing kinds of things it will not be able to do the if p, then q type of thinking later. Raising standards won't help those children who are behind because they don't have the mental tools to take advantage of the new stuff. They will need remedial help, is my point.
It seems to me that educators need a much deeper understanding of how the various human thinking skills develop during childhood and adolescence. The feds could certainly help there by sponsoring a lot more research into developmental psych plus research into whatever teaching methods best assist the development of those skills.
Somebody raised the question of why so many kids simply hate school after the 5th grade of so. I suspect that the Pieagetian theory would account for that phenomenon. If a kid hasn't reached the level of thinking needed for the 5th grade, then there is no way the kid can catch up unless he/she gets some remedial work. School becomes a hopeless task for them, and eventually they quite rationally drop out..
As a member of a military family, we welcome common core whether in public or parochial schools. We have had children have to re-take classes or in highschool suddenly as seniors have to take a locally mandated class in order to graduate. Common core puts students who move around all on the same footing. It is needed.
This may help you understand that this is not a left-wing or right-wing wacko assessment - http://www.speroforum.com/a/WBYNVUKITZ30/74630-Why-you-cant-outfox-the-C...


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A sarcastic way to tell someone that they fucked up and did not complete their task correctly.
He got Aha'd for being lazy on the job.
by 1337Gingerkid February 24, 2010
Trending Now
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discovery or sudden realization of something
See nosaphilia example
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AHA! I knew some one else loved dan bs nose!!
by The Bitch Herself! Mwah x May 14, 2005
The freshest new wave band out of Europe. They owned the 80s and had that dope ass video that was half pencil for "Take On Me"... the singer has mad range in that song... he's like better than Moz.
"A-ha owns your asshole and doesn't even bother to use it."
by JayR August 27, 2003
the best band in this god damned world.the lead singer Morten Harket, has a falsetto voice and the most beautiful face in all of the world well norway at least, then theres paul waaktar savoy on guitar and magne furuholmen on keyboards ( early on they didn't have a drummer they used drum machines now they have various different drummers) they hail from Norway. Trivia. Morten Harket started the ripped jeans trend in the 80's by accident he caught his denims on an amp then started to use a razor to create the affect. people may think a-ha are a one hit wonder but a little research will prove you wrong THEY ARE NOT CHEESY!!!!
a-ha is the greatest living band in the world.
by is-maith-liom-gneas October 15, 2006
a nervous laugh. basically used to tell the person theyre weird in a nice way
creeper on facebook: you're cute
nervous girl: aha thanksss
nervous girl: aha thanksss
by 345874326y7gtrf June 22, 2010
An exclamation that shows you use before you point something out
A-HA! I knew it was you dubie! don't try to hide from me.
A-HA! There's my mallet!
A-HA! There's my mallet!
by Annchan October 01, 2003
Shout this if you've won something or done something cool. Often used by Alan Partridge.
Alan, you've won the new casual sportswear jacket.
Reply: AHA!
Reply: AHA!
by Clareol July 17, 2003


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When is doing an action to honor something considered a dishonor and therefore okay?
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closed as not constructive by Isaac Moses Jun 17 '11 at 21:45
As it currently stands, this question is not a good fit for our Q&A format. We expect answers to be supported by facts, references, or expertise, but this question will likely solicit debate, arguments, polling, or extended discussion. If you feel that this question can be improved and possibly reopened, visit the help center for guidance.If this question can be reworded to fit the rules in the help center, please edit the question.
I one time heard a story that happened in Poland in the 18th century. The king was coming to town and it was considered an honor to take off your Yarmulke and bow to him. The people of the town asked the Rav what should they do, as they felt it was inappropiate to take off their Yarmulke. The Rav said what is the problem - You wear a Yarmulke to show that you fear Hashem - You take it off for the king and show "From you I am not afraid".
I suspect this isn't it, but nonetheless:
There's the question about why Barbie dolls and the like don't fit the definition of "idols" -- a human figurine that's treated well -- IIRC it's said from R' Moshe that having a 4-year-old girl playing with it is in fact disgracing it! (Well okay then there's her big brother ripping its head off ...)
(Though you could also argue that Barbie is shaped more like a pencil than a human being, and the problem is only human forms ...)


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There is an epigraph, poem or similar, where something like
Der Tod ist die letzte Feste dem Freien, deren Tor immer offen steht.
is written (but unfortunately I do not remember the details). What is the title/author/accurate text of that epigraph/poem/..., please? (I suspect the author to be Ernst Jünger, but this is just a wild guess.)
Olaf's answer was not the text I thought about, but it is interesting to see this, thanks! When were both texts created? Did the second writer know the first text? But before answering those questions, I would first like to get the correct citation of the quote above.


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