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Google Plus is the third attempt of folks at Mountain View to be socially relevant & take on the blue juggernaut names Facebook. While they failed with Wave & blundered with Buzz I can safely say – Google+ going to make it this time. Why do I think so? I am not a Social expert but I'll give my I'll give my opinion based on my understanding.
Why do I need Twitter AND Facebook?
One of the main reasons I use Facebook is to interact with friends. I like to keep people whom I know personally or have met at certain point. I also like to maintain my photo album & videos on Facebook. Mainly I don't bring my professional life or politics or religious beliefs on Facebook.
Why do I use twitter? Primarily for "professional" discussions. Mostly I do on Twitter is do Internet Marketing discussions with people I don't know personally but have come across them through a blog or social medium. Most of these people are from Internet Marketing background, as well as things related to my area of interests. These include discussions on specific areas, providing opinions on technologies, and at times heated religion and political discussions. I bond with lots of people on Twitter. Some of them I like & some I hate. I try to keep my personal relationships out of my twitter account.
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I'm parsing a lot of .java-files with the latest JavaParser.
Files are parsed like this:
in = new FileInputStream(file);
cu = JavaParser.parse(in);
The following exception is raised as soon as one of the source-files contains a German umlaut (ä,ö,ü,ß) (they only appear in the comments of the .java-file)
Exception in thread "main" japa.parser.TokenMgrError: Lexical error at line 82, column 17. Encountered: "\ufffd" (65533), after : ""
What can I do to fix this problem. I can't change all source-files.

subset: commoncrawl


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LEEPER, Carmel A., 80, of Mingo Junction, OH, passed away Sunday, December 2, 2012 at Trinity Medical Center West, Steubenville, OH.
She was born October 28, 1932 in Steubenville, OH, a daughter of the late Christy and Mary (Cottone) Leeper.
In addition to her parents she was preceded in death by her daughter, Christine M. "Tina" Leeper in 2006; a sister, Frances Colabella; and a brother, Frank Leeper. Carmel was retired from the Laundry Department at the former Ohio Valley Hospital in Steubenville. She was a member of St. Agnes Catholic Church; the Mingo Senior Citizens Center; and the Democratic Womens Club. Carmel was also an avid Notre Dame and Steelers Fan.
Surviving are her brother, Anthony "Tony" Leeper Sr. of Mingo Junction; and several nieces and nephews.
Friends will be received at St. Agnes Catholic Church in Mingo, on Wednesday from 9 a.m. until the time of her Funeral Liturgy with Mass at 11 a.m., with Rev. Fr. James M. Dunfee, celebrant. Entombment will follow at Mt. Calvary Cemetery, Steubenville.
Arrangements were entrusted to Wheeler Funeral Home, 101 Longview Ave., Mingo.
Offer condolences at www.wheelerfuneralhomes.com


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I have multiple devices set with the same MobileMe account. When I set up an alarm for an event, I get an alert box at right time on the computer I use at that moment. Right. But if I dismiss it on this computer (at work for instance), I will still be notified for the same event when I open my other computer as I get back home.
Is it possible to make something to have this notification only once and that the fact that I've read it is pushed back to my mobileMe account ?


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Kansas fans are expected to outnumber WKU fans in Kansas City and
the Jayhawks are heavy favorites in their matchup with the Hilltoppers; but that hasn't stopped some of the Hilltopper faithful from imagining their reaction to the ultimate upset.
"In my house it'd be pure pandemonium if we could pull off the win, so we're pretty excited about it." proclaimed WKU alumnus Greg Canty.
"It would be the best thing ever. If Western was to beat Kansas I'd never let it go. I'd rub it in everyone's faces. I hear about Kansas all the time. It'd be great to have Western come in here and
destroy them. It'd be my favorite thing ever." exclaimed WKU fan Austin Nash, who lives near Kansas City.
Kansas has had a strong finish to their season after running the table in the BIG 12 tournament, but the Hilltoppers also won their conference tournament. They won four straight on their way to the Sun Belt title,
leaving the fans with a world of confidence.
"They're playing their best ball right now and that's definitely when you want to be playing your best ball. To get all your players back and hope they do well." stated Greg Nash, who also lives near the Kansas City area.
"They can be down and they still try and they scrap back. I think that that's a great sign. I don't think there's anything Kansas can throw at them that they can't overcome." said Becky Hall, who is a WKU fan visiting from Louisville.
No matter the outcome of the contest there is no doubt that WKU's most recent tournament appearance will only strengthen the national recognition of the program.
"You don't really have to tell people about Western anymore. You say you're from Bowling Green and people are like, "Yeah, that's where Western is." That's pretty cool to have that kind of relation." added Austin Nash.
The odds may be stacked against the Tops but that doesn't mean a thing to the fans. They believe as they always do, that the Hilltoppers can shock the world.


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So ive seen people do these "drop shots" and ive started to learn to do them but not amazing at them yet i can still go 50kills to 5-6 deaths without but would prevent so many deaths if i could drop shot whats the easiest way to do this? And how do you do a good "drop shot" to win in 1 v 1 situations?
To perform a "Drop Shot" (going prone immediately after you encounter another player) you just have to hold the crouch/prone button as you start to fire. The tricky part is doing this while keeping control of the other aspects of the game.
On the console, most "drop shotters" swear by the tactical controller layout, which puts the "crouch" button on your right stick button, but you'll have to be careful not to move your thumb as you click it, otherwise your aim will be off. You might want to take a look at alternative controllers, some of which put buttons where you can reach them with other fingers.
With a PC, you can rebind your keys so that you can access the buttons for "Aim Down Sights," "Fire Weapon," "Movement," and "Prone" simultaneously. If you're using WASD for movement, you're probably using three buttons on your left hand for that, so you've got your pinky and thumb on the left hand you could rebind. On your right hand, you might try using a mouse that gives you one or more thumb buttons to use.
Note that also going prone means that you can't track left/right as easily as you can otherwise, and that you're at a mobility disadvantage - grenades and other explosive weapons become harder to dodge.
i started to write something on my own, but then i found this article on wikihow that explains the whole thing very good - just take a look at it. basically: get down and start firing as fast as you can. the better your speed of reaction gets, the better the results will be.
Drop shotting is great, I love to do it. My recommended class for dropshotting and jumpshotting is mp7 w/rds kick scavenger pro, quickdraw pro, stalker pro.
Strike package is reaper, ac130, jugg. I get ac130 maybe once every 4-5 games.


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6 Horrible Aftermaths Implied By Movies With Happy Endings
#3. Sparing the Villain in The Karate Kid, Part II Only Made Things Worse
How It Ended:
Daniel-san is challenged to a fight to the death against Chozen, the cartoonishly villainous nephew of Sato, Mr. Miyagi's rival. Daniel's silly crane kick proves to be wildly ineffective, because Chozen is a Japanese fight machine fueled by hatred.
Since at this point the movie becomes less about martial arts and more about how the 1980s were awesome, Daniel-san eschews karate and just throws wild haymakers to fell his foe like Sam Elliott in a fight at Bennigan's. With Chozen defeated, Daniel raises his hand to deliver the killing blow ...
Getting your ass kicked by Ralph Macchio is thought to be the deepest layer of hell.
... but decides to have mercy and mockingly honks his nose instead, demonstrating his belief in the value of human life, even the life of an angry shithead. Mr. Miyagi smiles proudly, everyone celebrates and we're free to ignore the rest of the films in the series.
The Horrific Aftermath:
While "he honks his nose" may play better with most parents than "he punches him until he's dead" in the Movie Mom plot synopsis, the truth is that somebody's ass is going to die regardless.
Kind of a step up from the old "defeat your bullies through scoring more points" philosophy of the first movie.
The whole setup of the film is that Chozen's uncle Sato held a grudge against Mr. Miyagi based on pride and personal honor ... for 30 goddamned years. So this is a family that takes that honor shit seriously. In the film, Chozen hates Daniel so much that he refuses to help him save a child's life, and in order to force Daniel into the aforementioned fight to the death, he crashes his village's Obon Festival and holds a teenage girl at knife point. Clearly, Chozen has demonstrated how committed he is to the idea of doing (or not doing) things based solely on principle.
"Oh, sorry, I thought you were Daniel."
Our point is that, after ambushing his community, taking a girl hostage and then being subsequently defeated in front of the entire village by an Italian-American who then denies him the dignity of death, it's quite clear where this is heading: Chozen is going to either kill himself or dedicate the rest of his life to killing Daniel.
The way the film sets it up, he has no other choice. After his wildly criminal behavior, it's doubtful even his own family would accept him, let alone the village as a whole. So really, the only choices available to him are to take his own life in shame or to track Daniel-san across the globe as a disenfranchised violence hurricane, powered by vengeance.
That's the face of a boy with more restraining orders than sexual experiences.
#2. The Nazis in The Sound of Music Will Take It Out on the Nuns
How It Ended:
Austrian nun Maria marries Captain Von Trapp, but soon after, the captain is drafted into the German navy on the eve of WWII.
The Von Trapps then plan a daring escape from Austria, and the Nazis find they are unable to pursue the draft-dodging family because their vehicles have been disabled by some of the other nuns in the abbey. With their path to freedom clear, the Von Trapps head over the mountains into Switzerland, the credits roll and your third-period music class ends.
"You know, if you play it while listening to Dark Side of the Moon ..."
The Horrific Aftermath:
Overlooking the fact that, geographically speaking, the Von Trapps were actually heading directly into Germany, we never learn the fates of the nuns who helped them escape. It wouldn't take the Nazis long to figure out someone had sabotaged their cars (about as many seconds as it takes for them to look under the hood) and that the most likely culprits were the nuns, because the only other people around were the Nazis themselves.
"I'm going to solve this puzzle, of which there are exactly two pieces."
It also wouldn't help that the Nazi Party and the Catholic church weren't exactly on good terms at the time. Nazis were more than happy to execute clergy who were political dissidents or who aided wanted fugitives, and the Salzburg Abbey nuns were guilty on both counts. Even if they weren't killed outright, the offending nuns would definitely be sent to a labor or concentration camp. It's also likely the Nazis would imprison or execute the entire convent (and not just the guilty parties) to set an example for other would-be dissenters, because they're Nazis.
"We ... may not have given this enough thought."
#1. Return of the Jedi: Endor Is Screwed
How It Ended:
The Rebel Alliance and their fish-headed commander defeat the Imperial fleet, Darth Vader redeems himself by saving his son, Luke, and killing the Emperor and the second Death Star is destroyed by Billy Dee Williams. The Empire is effectively dissolved (keep that Expanded Universe bullshit the hell out of our faces), and a new era of peace is ushered in throughout the galaxy.
And nothing could ever, ever change our feelings of happiness upon seeing that scene.
The Horrific Aftermath:
What happens when billions of tons of metal go supernova while orbiting just beyond a planet's atmosphere? The answer is the Endor Holocaust, the complete destruction of all life on that tiny Ewok-filled moon.
Via Starwars.wikia.com
If it were in Empire Strikes Back, we could totally see this scene happening.
According to Dr. Curtis Saxton, an astrophysicist who apparently gets just as bored as we do, the destruction of the second Death Star by Lando Calrissian and Wedge Antilles should have left the forest moon of Endor "a depopulated wasteland." And he's thought this through: Dr. Saxon's analysis is so exhaustive that he takes into account everything from the radioactivity of the Death Star's reactor core to the progress of the independent contractors' work. All his findings point to certain doom for the Ewoks and whatever else is living there.
Saxon even suggests that the damage could be enough to dramatically alter the chemistry of the air and the water in a "nuclear winter" effect, causing mass extinction of all life on the moon. Essentially, the celebration we see at the end of the film would be like having a ticker-tape parade for the end of World War II through the streets of Hiroshima.
This isn't even taking into account the 30-year forest fire Han probably caused with this shit.
We can't promise a happy ending to Cracked's Adventures in Jedi School mini-series, but we can promise a funny one.)
Jacopo della Quercia is the proud author of "Go @#$% Yourself!" -- An Ungentlemanly Disagreement, by Filippo Argenti and "The Sound of Laughter" in Wordplague's The Four Humors. When he's not tearing apart pop culture, Chris also writes for his website and dispenses invaluable wisdom on Twitter.
For more overlooked movie tragedies, check out The 6 Most Depressing Happy Endings in Movie History and 6 Movies That Didn't Realize They Let The Villain Win.
And stop by LinkSTORM to see why you should not put your hand on a hot stove.
And don't forget to follow us on Facebook and Twitter to get sexy, sexy jokes sent straight to your news feed.
Do you have an idea in mind that would make a great article? Then sign up for our writers workshop! Do you possess expert skills in image creation and manipulation? Mediocre? Even rudimentary? Are you frightened by MS Paint and simply have a funny idea? You can create an infographic and you could be on the front page of Cracked.com tomorrow!


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Silverlight TV 17: Build a Twitter Client for Windows Phone 7 with Silverlight
- Posted: Mar 17, 2010 at 6:00AM
- 55,730 views
- 4 comments
Loading user information from Channel 9
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Loading user information from MSDN
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Loading Visual Studio Achievements
Something went wrong getting the Visual Studio Achievements
Right click "Save as…"
Follow us on Twitter @SilverlightTV or learn more about Silverlight with the Silverlight Training Course on Channel 9.
Oops, something didn't work.
Great, cannot get enough demo apps for phone right now! (Especially covering multitouch)
More multi touch to the people!
Now you've got me watch me SL.TV everynight @ 10:00
No content is presented in video other than drag and drop, I will try the code when my vs 21010 is ready for WP7
Comments have been closed since this content was published more than 30 days ago, but if you'd like to continue the conversation, please create a new thread in our Forums, or Contact Us and let us know.


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Meet and Communicate with Fun Singles Near You on BBW Personals Plus
Register now to search thousands of members and post your FREE profile!
I am a calm and sensitive guy with an active (and often goofy) sense of humour. I am proactive and know what I'm looking for. I like to...
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Been trying to get the achievement for 'defeat 7 insane AI in a free for all' and it turned out that all the other AI were eliminated by each other, but the last one was just freaking ridiculous. Given that it's AI and not a player the bag of tricks is going to be limited, can you share any experience you have at taking down the insane AI or any exploitable weaknesses you've noticed in how it plays? For instance maybe one race tends to be a little easier to beat than another?
Take this answer with a grain of salt, because I have not tried it myself yet. But I've read elsewhere (mainly the official SC2 forums) that your best bet is to:
1) Turtle up and wall off best you can, while waiting for the AI's to kill each other (which sounds like you already do)
2) Pick a map with island expansions which you can aggressively expand to and easily defend.
Not sure what your preferred race is, but the aggressive island expansion obviously favors a Terran selection (as does walling off).
Hopefully someone else can come along and offer some advice based on actual experience :)
UPDATE: A SC2 forum post talking about this. They suggest Extinction or Lava Flow for the map. Once suggests going Toss and massing Colossi while making all your enemies Zerg. Another suggests mass Battle Cruisers from the islands.
There's a specific guide for this achievement in gamefaqs. To summarize, what you do is pick a certain map called Extinction, pick protoss(and your enemies should be all zerg), then basically, turtle your way to victory. Block your opening with some early photon cannons, then you will have to expand your base in the 2 islands in this map. That way you can turtle in peace(you will eventually lose your main base).
On the islands, protect your bases with cannons and then start churning out carriers. By the time you get to finish building all your carriers(this will be your main attack force obviously) there will be 3 or 2 AI left for you to pick off(since it is a free for all)
more in depth explanation here: http://www.gamefaqs.com/pc/939643-starcraft-ii-wings-of-liberty/faqs/60593
(haven't tried this yet since i'm still scared to try insane, but two of my friends confirmed this works - and they have the orlan achievement to prove it)
This worked for me and is in fact easy for anyone to do:
1) Select the map "Lava Flows" and play as terran
Easiest way to do this is to start game on the map Extinction. Set your self to Terran and all your Opponents to Protoss. The reason you set the Comps to Prostoss is most of their attack will be Ground base with the Occasional Void Ray. Lift of to the Little Island and tech to Cruisers. When you do your intial lift off only 5 of the 6 SCVs will be able to go with you. Take the 6th and run him to high yield area. after you get some resources use the 6th to build an Expo and lift it off to the high ground expo where the watch towers are. dont invest too much into this expo cause it most likely will be destroy later in game but it great to help with the high gas and min costs of massing Battle cruisers. Tech you BC to max out weapons and Armor. you only will need 2 starports and get Yamato Cannons, Its a must to do this right.
The Attack. once there is only one Comp left and you have 12+ BC send you your attack. when you see a Void ray use a Yamato cannon on it.
Notes: dont let you battle cruisers attack early due to letting comp know you are there.
Its an easy Achieve if you do it this way. I did it this way and I help my little Brother do it this way.
I've done it twice as Protoss by ignoring them all, quickly expanding into two islands, then owning them with upgraded Void Rays.


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Sproutable Seeds and Beans
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Just one taste and you will understand why we Love Raw Foods!
Love Your Body. Eat Healthy. Live Long. Love Raw Foods.
All materials related to health information are provided for educational purposes
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WACO (October 11, 2012)--Baylor University has received an "A" in curriculum according to a new report by the American Council of Trustees and Alumni.
Baylor is one of 21 institutions nationwide to earn the grade.
The study looked at curriculum offerings at major public and private colleges and universities in all 50 states, more than 1,000 schools, and graded based on how many of seven required core subjects were in place.
Composition, literature, foreign language at an intermediate level, U.S. government or history, economics, mathematics and natural or physical science are considered core subjects.
Baylor has been on the "A" list for three consecutive years and is one of less than two percent of all institutions to receive the high grade.


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Bleeding Times
I know that this item has already been bouncing around the blogosphere, but somehow I feel that I should be the one to take note here of New York Times public editor Arthur S. Brisbane's final column, with the following rather bald judgment on Timesgeist:When Brisbane took up his invitation to be public editor two years ago, he declared in advance that, unlike many Times critics, he did not imaginesome Wizard of Oz dictating a standard Times party line throughout the paper's "vast and complex" output."I still believe that," he writes now, "but also see that the hive on Eighth Avenue is powerfully shaped by a culture of like minds -- a phenomenon, I believe, that is more easily recognized from without than from within."When The Times covers a national presidential campaign," he continues, "I have found that the lead editors and reporters are disciplined about enforcing fairness and balance, and usually succeed in doing so. Across the paper's many departments, though, so many share a kind of political and cultural progressivism -- for lack of a better word -- thatthis worldview virtually bleeds through the fabric of The Times."As a result, developments like the Occupy movement and gay marriage seem almost to erupt in The Times, overloved and undermanaged, more like causes than news subjects."That's a pretty strong judgment, and because the Times, in my opinion and experience, is an irreplaceable national resource I would like to think that its editors and publisher would be worried by it.When I started at the paper in 1988 it was in the midst of a very conscious and sometimes painful effort to diversify its newsroom personnel with reporters and editors from racial and ethnic minorities. It was consciously and increasingly moving women, who had always been there, into decision making positions -- and not just the few stars. The paper was immeasurablybetter for this.How could the paper similarly break the stifling hold of that "political and cultural progressivism"? How could it go about enriching itselfideologically and culturally (and culturally, I think, is the stickler) without just recreating Beltway-stylestandoff or new versions of the culture wars? I hope the new public editor, Margaret Sullivan, gives this some thoughtful attention.
About the Author
Peter Steinfels, co-founder of the Fordham Center on Religion and Culture and a former editor of Commonweal, is the author of A People Adrift: The Crisis of the Roman Catholic Church in America.
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I think it likely doesn't matter much, Peter. The Times seems to have chosen to go down with the ship. Like the New Yorker, they've narrowed themselves to their preferred crowd. Nothing wrong with that, of course, from the point of view of the crowd. The more the merrier. But the rest of us have lost a touchstone - and a reliable reference.I don't see them reforming themselves out of a comfortable parochialism. They're much smaller, now, than they were, say, thirty years ago, and much less ambitious. The philosophy has set in that objectivity doesn't exist, so there's no point in expending limited resources trying to achieve it. They're dumbed down and fluffed up and pleasing to many paying subscribers. I doubt, though, that those subscribers will remain loyal enough to keep the paper afloat for long. There's far too much competition abroad in the land. Even their own writers have become free agents.For a long time, the Times was too big and comprehensive to be read in its entirety. Now, it's too small.
Recognizing and, more importantly, voicing the problem is at least a start. But the paper has already become just one voice among many because its causes infect all its reporting.
It will not break new ground if I mention that there is no space for objectivity in fact (rare) or in aspiration (formerly the mark of first-class media) in this country today. In our state, the Republican controlled Legislature is as opposed to the League of Women Voters as it is to Planned Parenthood. In fact, I believe it has passed more laws against the League's bipartisanship than against PP's abortions.I agree that The Times reflects the cultural progressivism (for lack of a better word) of part of our society, but in what it chooses to highlight more than in how it covers things. That's still better than making it up as some of our cultural neanderthals do for their causes. But if The Times were to somehow find a better balance, a more open understanding of the less progressive citizenry, would a) anyone notice or b) anyone care? Like the League of Women Voters, The Times has always stood, mutatis mutandis, for good government. Good government, today, is just another opinion, and one with a liberal bias. Don't we all know that?
I think there's something to be said for Michael Tomasky's take on this question:"You know what, people? Most journalists are liberal! Young people who are interested in going into journalism tend to be liberal. They don't care about making money. They want to take on authority and comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable and all that hoo-ha.In other words, journalism attracts liberal-minded people. So what? It's just the nature of the way things are. Conservatives need to deal with it. It ain't gonna change any more than MBA programs are suddenly going to be full of leftists and fashion institutes are going to be overrun by football players. I wish liberals didn't wring their hands over this so much.Liberal bias exists mostly in presumptions about story selection, and mostly off the capital-P Political beat. But when it comes to those Big-P Political stories, reporters and editors at the Times and NPR and other places that are culturally liberal institutions do try hard to be balanced. Too hard in my view, since they end up giving equal time and seriousness to representatives of a political party that's gone way off the deep end."http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2012/08/27/on-the-times-house-libe...
Jim Naurekas at the FAIR blog had a response to this column of Brisbane's that made what seemed to me a fair point: If NYT 'Overloved' Occupy, It Had a Funny Way of Showing It. I didn't closely track their coverage of OWS, but my casual impression was that they didn't prioritize it as a story until the police started getting undeniably brutal in their dealings with protesters, and then only because it was a "story" elsewhere on the internet and they had to catch up.
I've become an ink-stained wretch, not because I'm a journalist but because of my poor posture in reading the news at my desk. My elbows are blackened.I've also become pessimistic about the likelihood of any change toward greater objectivity in newsrooms. Purported moves in that direction often amount only to cosmetic change such as greater reliance on supposedly expert opinion provided by think tanks. But close observation shows that news outlets differ dramatically in the think tanks they cite. I believe the phenomenon of selective citation of "objective" sources occurs just as often on web sites (present company excluded, of course).The difficulty of change has been emphasized by two recent reviews of the problem. Here's Tim Groseclose, author of a major academic study:"The main reason why bias exists, I believe, is simply that newsrooms are filled overwhelmingly with liberals. Heres the most important fact to know, if you want to understand media bias: If you poll Washington correspondents and ask 'Whod you vote for last election?', about 93% will say the Democrat."Why are newsrooms so liberal? I dont know, except that I suspect that its mainly self-selection. I believe that there is something in the DNA of liberals that makes them want to pursue careers like journalism, academia, and the arts."A manager or owner of a media outlet could try to counteract this by trying to hire more conservatives, but he will have a hard time trying to find conservatives who want to be journalists. Hell either have to pay conservative journalists more or be willing to hire conservative journalists who are not as good at reporting as liberal journalists. Its a hard problem for a news-outlet manager to solve. I basically believe were in an equilibrium that liberal bias is basically here to stay."http://www.freakonomics.com/2011/08/08/tim-groseclose-author-of-left-tur... here is the late James Q. Wilson, also emphasizing the difficulty of making any substantial change:"One of my closest friends, who ran a large media company for many years, complained steadily that changing the politics of what reporters covered required a huge investment of time, resources, and good will that made it almost a waste of time to try. Katharine Graham, the late publisher of the Washington Post, made the same observation."http://nicholasstixuncensored.blogspot.com/2012/03/james-q-wilson-rip-on... believe that consevatives are more and more coming to the conclusin that their limited resources are better spent on projects other than trying to change the political composition of media personnel.
In my conveniently timed re-reading of Norman Mailer's reporting on the 1968 conventions ("Miami and the Siege of Chicago," New York Review Books), I came on this account of a Richard Nixon press conference. In Mailer's telling, Nixon had a plan to counter the political composition of the media -- schedule the press conference early in the morning: "[Nixon] stepped up on the dais diffidently, not certain whether applause would be coming. There was none. He stood there, looked quietly and warily at the audience, and then said he was ready for questions."This would be his sole press conference before the nomination. He was of course famous for his lack of sparkling good relation with the Press. ..."To the extent that the Press was not Republican, and certainly more than half, privately, were not, he would have few friends and more than a few determined enemies. Even among the Republicans he could expect a better share of the Press to go to Rockefeller. ..."Probably Nixon had agreed to this conference only to avoid the excess of bad feeling which no meeting with the Press would be likely to cause. Still, this was an operation where his best hope was to minimize the loss. So he had taken the wise step of scheduling the conference at 8:15 in the morning, a time when his worst enemies, presumably the heavy drinkers, free lovers, and free spenders on the Reagan Right and Far Left of the press corps, would probably be asleep in bed or here asleep on their feet."
In the heyday of newspapers, which I imagine would have been during the Ben Hecht era, how many news reporters had Ivy League degrees, or college degrees of any kind? My guess would be, a markedly smaller percentage than is the case today on major metropolitan newspapers.While tracking down a Clarence Page column to link to on dotCom yesterday, I scrolled through the roster of columnists on the Chicago Tribune website. Each columnist's name was accompanied by a headshot. No doubt they had all visited the salon prior to having their photos taken, but my impression was that they were a particularly blow-dried bunch. Some of that, I'd imagine, is their socio-economic background, and a big part of it, I'd think, is that most of them are involved in cross-media enterprises of various sorts that require them to look spiffy for the webcam or the television camera. But the undeniable impression is that they are a gaggle of yuppies. Perhaps the Chicago Tribune, which though no doubt smitten by a raging case of NYT Envy, is enough of a high-class joint that it attracts upper-middle-class graduates of premier j schools. But I wonder if there is something to the notion that a different *class* of people is going into journalism than was the case a couple or three generations ago. The preponderance of working class people probably tend to be progressive, too, but I think it would be a different brand of progressive. It would be more of a non-elite progressive. I don't know if non-elite progressivism would wash down the gullets of conservatives any more smoothly than whatever the NYT churns out, but I suspect it might.I guess the short form of this long-winded answer would be, Figure out a way to recruit more people of working class background to major metropolitan news outlets.
Jim Pauwels: The Ben Hecht era. "Journalists! Peeking through keyholes! Running after fire engines like a lot of coach dogs! Waking people up in the middle of the night to ask them what they think of campanionate marriage. Stealing pictures off old ladies of their daughters that get raped in Oak Park. A lot of lousy, daffy buttinskis, swelling around with holes in their pants, borrowing nickels from office boys! And for what? So a million hired girls and motormen's wives'll know what's going on.... And if you want to know something, you'll all end up on the copydesk -- gray-haired, humpbacked slobs, dodging garnishees when you're ninety." -- Hildy Johnson in The Front Page by Hecht and Charles MacArthur
I can't imagine that the ideological predispositions of NYT journalists couldn't are more uniformly culturally progressive than those of academic social psychologists. We would do well to consider Jon Haidt's warnings to his own profession: There are dangers when a tribal moral community forms. See: http://people.virginia.edu/~jdh6n/postpartisan.html.I'm perplexed by Luke's The Daily Beast citation. Luke and Tomasky may be sanguine about the underrepresentation of cultural conservatives in journalism and cite comparable underrepresentation of progressives in MBA programs as a sort of moral equivalent. But are they *really* sanguine about such progressive underrepresentation in business? It is healthy for critical institutions to tend toward ideological uniformity? What issues get missed in journalism and in business when one worldview is firmly ascendent?I work in business. I would welcome more progressive into this domain. I would welcome greater willingness to be 'out' among business progressives who too often lay low in deference to the dominant culture. It seems to me that business *and* journalism would be better off with greater diversity. Yet our embrace of diversity seems rarely to extend to *moral* diversity. It is facile to exclude the possibility of structural and hostile environment barriers out of hand and expect the underrepresented group to simply 'deal with it.'
Everybody's right, as usual. Most journalists vote Democratic. Most are probably drawn to journalism because they are liberal -- in the sense of suspecting that established powers probably are hiding some skeletons and shouldn't be immune to scrutiny and in the sense of identifying with underdogs and wanting to tell the world about their hardships. Most today are no longer from working class backgrounds or, even when they are, have managed to get a solid college, sometimes an Ivy League, education. I also agree that The Times was not especially quick on Occupy Wall Street -- and the business pages never gave it a pass -- but that at some point (guiltily playing catch-up?) it went overboard. Less debatable is the fact that The Times has taken up same-sex marriage as the civil rights cause of the 21st century. But back to the ingrained tendencies of journalists. None of that convinces me that The Times could not do better -- if it were open to recognizing the problem. I've seen, for example, fiercely liberal or fervently pro-choice reporters write remarkably smart and balanced stories about political scandals involving conservatives or court decisions involving abortion. Their professional standards overrode their biases. How and to what extent those standards operate has a lot to do with the journalistic environment the paper creates and just how monochrome is what Brisbane calls a "culture of like minds."
Peter, Brisbane even said that "lead editors and reporters are disciplined about enforcing fairness and balance, and usually succeed in doing so." Since the NYT limited my on-line access unless and until I pay for services I can't use, I am a little out of this (although I have a source for printed material straight from NYC). But it is not unlike NPR, which is still accessible. Nobody in this country was as interested in same-sex marriage as NPR (unless it was the Catholic bishops), and they beat that story to death seven ways to Oregon. The NYT sort of does the same thing. But you still have to look real hard for bias within the story. The problem is that suddenly the marriage of John and Bruce has overshadowed the problems of Syrians, Haitians, laid off Americans with no job prospects and a whole lot of other people who do not have lawyers and PR men promoting their cause.
Tom, your last statement is kind of bonkers--do you really think that the NYT gives more coverage to gay marriage than to things like Syria and the economy? It doesn't help charges of bias when the charge is so obviously overblown.By the way, the Times doesn't limit your on-line access. Just stop the page from loading before it's completely finished, or just install NYTClean (or whatever it's called now)--nothing on nytimes.com is behind a real paywall.
Abe, you are right to a point. I was just saying the Times covers things beyond the point that the red state folks are interested in them. Now, the up side of that is, if you want to figure out what the Higgs Bosun is about, there is only one general news place to go. But if you want to find out what the Dodd-Frank reporting requirements are going to do to small, local banks, you will have to be patient and keep digging in the NYT because all their reporters have a friend at the Chase.
Peter, if the Times were to recognize their cultural homogeneity as a problem and not an asset and then make a good-faith effort to bring the listing ship back into balance, they'd likely lose enough subscribers to considerably worsen their already precarious financial health. What they have now, they certainly see as much closer to success than to failure.
Abe (6:19), normal people aren't going to stand on their hands and walk backwards to defeat a flawed paywall. Former readers - like me - who've been scared off are almost certainly gone forever. There are plenty of other reliable fish in that sea, including some, like the Christian Science Monitor, that still aim for objectivity.Of course, you can argue that normal people pay a thousand dollars a year for the trash that runs downhill through their television cable, but that's ignoring the psychology of the thing. And, anyway, people have begun to wake up to that waste and, with the help of Roku and Apple, are starting to cut their cables. Also, paying through the nose for cable is an entrenched habit, as paying for the Times online never was.
Dude, all you do is stop the page from fully loading--I think that anyone who finds that tricky can safely be labeled sub-normal. I don't pay for anything online, but I especially don't pay for things that are, you know, free.
I wonder if part of the problem might be the notion that there is, or should be, a firewall between reporting and editorial opinion. (The WSJ is often held up as an example, with its fiercely right-wing editorial stances and its generally objective news reporting. Or so I'm told. I don't actually read the paper, since am unwilling to pay for it).Can you really divorce reporting from editorial opinion? As some above has noted, a journal has to choose what to cover, and after making that choice, has to choose from an enormous number of facts (all of them accurate, let's say) which ones to pick, which to ignore, which to praise, by giving them space and credibility, and which to condemn, by linking them to unattractive aspects, and so on. Perhaps a recognition of the impossibility of genuinely objective reporting would help.It's not just stories, either, but photographs. I would imagine that an editor has an enormous number of photos to choose from after a press conference by someone important. You can always find one that will make Obama look like a fool, and Romney like an angel of God. Or. just as easily, the other way round. Gov. Christie, admittedly, does not have the trim build of Roger Federer, but the photo posted by NPR after his speech seemed to accentuate the obesity element. I remember a photo in the NYT some years back, accompanying a story of a papal Youth Day somewhere. A little girl had brought him a bouquet of flowers, but the photo made her look absolutely terrified as she left the stage, while JP II appeared to be ready to grope her as she fled. Surely some editorial choice was exercised there. Not all cartoons are drawn by cartoonists.
Nicholas, I agree with your comment. I just want to say of Governor Christie that there is no disguising his obesity. His health has got to be seriously at risk. I wish someone would help him get on the road to better health.
Nicholas (10:02), the possibility of impartiality is greater, I'd think, where the writer sticks to facts and doesn't wander away into color and controversy. Also, Times news articles tend to be deeply padded with quotes, and that certainly opens a door to bias. And if editors believe that mere facts aren't entertaining enough - that all stories, not just news stories, must entertain and not just inform - then, I'd think, personal biases are almost unavoidable.
Tom - that's a *great* quote! Even better when one imagines Rosalind Russell saying it, although I'm not sure if that line made it into the film.
We all have biases. Perfect impartiality is impossible. But striving for impartiality is nonetheless a good idea, as is the firewall between the editorial pages and the news departments, which is very real at The Times. Sticking to facts and eliminating color and controversy is an unreal notion. Color and controversy are facts. Does a story about a hurricane only include the wind speed? Does it include "color" about the people affected or controversy about what's the best thing to do to minimize the danger? it is only because of controversy that people care about many stories. Should The Times or the WSJ only publish the stock market results and quarterly earnings without any of probing and contradictory opinions on what's going on behind them? The challenge is to get the important points of the controversy -- not all of them, since space and time (of reader, reporter, and material resources) don't allow that -- conveyed as accurately as possible. All of this is really tough. It's a vocation, in fact. And some journalists, maybe with a taste for danger, actually risk their lives to fulfill it. None of this sways me from my original conviction that The Times -- I say nothing about other news sources, with less dedication to journalistic excellence -- could do better with more diversity of outlook. But I correct myself. It's a mistake to frame this simply as a matter of "balance." It's really a matter of truth and scope. Less homogeneity in the many sections of the paper (and the place really is like a series of kingdoms) would make it more likely to recognize and explore stories that otherwise would not come to the reporters' or news editors' attention. Making sure that the newsroom had a greater presence of women and minority journalists did not just achieve "balance" between, say, Caucasians and African-Americans or Latino or males and females. It meant opening up new stories, otherwise apt to be missed. It meant using those typically liberal traits of journalists in new ways: examining different skeletons in different elite closets or getting new perspectives on underdogs.
@Mike McG. (8/29, 5:27 pm) Thanks for your thoughtful and informed comment.Obviously I can't speak for Michael Tomasky, but I wouldn't characterize myself as "sanguine" about the over-representation of liberals in journalism or of conservatives in business. It's more a matter of recognizing that different fields have differing dominant cultures. There was a fascinating (though somewhat overlong) conversation on The Daily Show between John Stewart and Bain Capital's Edward Conard about risk, entrepreneurship and incentives. (Starts here http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/thu-june-7-2012/exclusive---edward-con...)At one point Conard was basically arguing for the importance of financial incentives to motivate "risk-takers". Stewart didn't come right out and say it, but basically pointed to his show, and his crew, as being full of "risk-takers" for whom money was not the primary incentive in their lives.That said, I find myself increasingly grateful these days for the "loyal opposition" in varying fields: conservative investigative reporters, liberal business executives, etc.
It seems to me that one of the main reasons for bias in all of us is that we have different interests, and these lead us to ask certain questions and not ask others. This isn't a matter of dishonesty but of limited curiosity. We also have strong unconscious capacities to block out what is too painful to admit.
"At one point Conard was basically arguing for the importance of financial incentives to motivate risk-takers. Stewart didnt come right out and say it, but basically pointed to his show, and his crew, as being full of risk-takers for whom money was not the primary incentive in their lives."Just as an aside - this is a great illustration of the economic concept of utility - the things that motivate economic behavior.
Does a story about a hurricane only include the wind speed? Does it include color about the people affected or controversy about whats the best thing to do to minimize the danger?
It ought to include a portrait of the people, but it ought not to choose the "best" solution to minimize the danger. The first's journalism; the second's opinion.
But striving for impartiality is nonetheless a good idea, as is the firewall between the editorial pages and the news departments, which is very real at The Times.
Brisbane doesn't use the term "firewall":http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/26/opinion/sunday/success-and-risk-as-the... fact, the thrust of his column seems to be that impartiality at the Times is at best a sometime thing:
When The Times covers a national presidential campaign, I have found that the lead editors and reporters are disciplined about enforcing fairness and balance, and usually succeed in doing so. Across the papers many departments, though, so many share a kind of political and cultural progressivism for lack of a better term that this worldview virtually bleeds through the fabric of The Times.


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View the original article at: http://www.countryweekly.com/vault/rascal-flatts-exclusive-second-three-part-series-jay-demarcus
|Jay at 18
Photo courtesy Jay DeMarcus
In this second installment of our look at Rascal FlattsGary LeVox, Jay DeMarcus and Joe Don RooneyJay talks about his early Ohio days.
You might find this hard to believe, but I was the class clown as a kid [grins]. And I wasn't a very good student. My mind was in the clouds. I wanted to make music.
I was born April 26, 1971, in Columbus, Ohio, and from the very earliest memories I have, I loved, breathed and ate music. While everyone else was out playin' in the yard, I'd be in my room . . . practicin', listenin' to music. But, considering the family I was born into, it would've been surprising if I hadn't loved music. My mom, Caron, was Country Music Queen of Ohio in 1969. And she actually won a record deal with Decca Records in that contest, but didn't take it because she wanted to stay in Columbus with my father.
To read the rest of this Country Weekly exclusive story, pick up the current issue [1] of Country Weekly, on newsstands now!
Jay headshot by Russ Harrington
[1] http://www.countryweekly.com/newsstand/62817


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Marvel Assembles an Official Title for Third "Avengers" Movie
Comic Books, Film
Showing results 57-96 of 128
Nathan Edmondson and Phil Noto guide the former assassin Avenger into the solo spotlight in this lettered preview of issue #1, out Jan. 8.
Marvel has released a first look at the many stories contained in the "All-New Marvel NOW! Point One" #1 anthology issue, in stores Jan. 8.
CBR News spoke with writer Nathan Edmondson about his new ongoing "Black Widow" series, which finds the Marvel heroine atoning for her bloody past by infiltrating and destroying villainous plots.
Marvel's latest teaser hyping its New York Comic Con announcements features the word ATONEMENT displayed in red on on a black background, bringing to mind the Black Widow.
Marvel has released a cornucopia of new variant covers for "Battle of the Atom," including second print variants and upcoming covers by David Lopez, Phil Noto, Kris Anka and Esad Ribic.
This week, the Bookbinder becomes "Unhinged," the Court of Owls poses for a family portrait, Deadpool goes "Giant-Size" and Bishop heads West, all while Wolverine and Gambit hit the road.
This week sees an "Astonishing" band flier, a new I.D. for "Collider," an underwater attack in three parts, a devil in the Art Deco details and the face of Darkseid
Dark Horse Comics provides CBR with an exclusive look at "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" #25, the final issue of Season 9. Andrew Chambliss and Georges Jeanty's closing chapter hits stores September 11.
DC Comics has provided CBR with an exclusive first look at Phil Noto's variant cover for "Batman: Black and White" #1. The issue hits September 4.
Writer Charles Soule begins his run on "Thunderbolts" with #12 and CBR News spoke to him about the fallout from the team's latest mission and the current dynamics between his cast. Plus, exclusive art!
Courtesy of Dark Horse, CBR presents an exclusive preview of Andrew Chambliss & Georges Jeanty's "Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 9" #23. On July 10, Buffy will stop at nothing to save Dawn's life.
Marvel has provided CBR with an exclusivepreview of Daniel Way and Phil Noto's "Thunderbolts" #9. Tbolts member Deadpool is an unhappy camper on May 15.
With Marvel's event cards fully turned over, Editor-in-Chief Axel Alonso explains Jonathan Hickman's "Infinity" from its origins as an "Avengers" story to a crucial role for The Inhumans.
Marvel has provided CBR with an excluive first look at incoming artist Phil Noto's "Thunderbolts" #7. Noto joins writer Daniel Way on the series as Frank Castle and Elektra's relationship escalates on March 27.
Dark Horse Comics has provided CBR with an exclusive preview of Kelly Sue DeConnick and Phil Noto's "Ghost" #4, the final chapter of "In The Smoke and Din." The issue hit March 13.
Courtesy of Dark Horse, CBR presents an exclusive preview of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 9" #19, Illyria, Koh and Buffy join forces to tackle the Siphon under the watch of Andrew Chambliss and Georges Jeanty.
Ryan K. Lindsay gives "Uncanny X-Force" #34 4.5 stars, calling the penultimate issue of the series by Rick Remender and Phil Noto "emotional, meaningful and masterful."
This week, the Big Bad Wolf goes on the hunt, Wolverine goes claws out, Cyclops goes Old West, the X-Men go guns a-blazzin' and "Prophet" gets ethereal.
Greg McElhatton gives "Ghost" #1 4 stars, calling the kick-off to the new ongoing by Kelly Sue DeConnick and Phil Noto "actually much stronger than the original series that inspired it."
Brett White lays down his laws for those attending New York Comic Con this weekend, though they're pretty much applicable for any convention from now through infinity.
Courtesy of Dark Horse, CBR presents an exclusive preview of "Ghost" #1 by Kelly Sue DeConnick and Phil Noto. The reimagining of Dark Horse's greatest heroine continues October 24.
Greg McElhatton gives "Uncanny X-Force" #32 by Rick Remender and Phil Noto 4 stars, calling the series "more than just the little book that could; it's a model for how mutant team books should work."
Marvel Comics Editor-in-Chief Axel Alonso welcomes "Uncanny Avengers" writer Rick Remender to A-i-C to discuss the history of "Uncanny X-Force," the secret origin of "Captain America" and the rebirth of Havok.
CBR News spoke with Kelly Sue DeConnick about her reboot of Dark Horse Comics' "Ghost," bringing the series to Chicago and staking out spirits with Oregon Paranormal during her research process.
Rick Remender's run on "Uncanny X-Force" concludes in December with the final issue of the current "Final Execution" arc. CBR spoke with Remender and artist Phil Noto about the final issues of the series with exclusive art.
Dark Horse Comics has provided CBR with an exclusive preview of Andrew Chambliss and Georges Jeanty's "Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 9" #13. Buffy's bodyguarding misadventures continue September 12.
Courtesy of BOOM! Studios, CBR has an exclusive extended preview of Sam Humphries' "Higher Earth" #3, on sale August 1.
Dark Horse Comics has provided CBR with an exclusive preview of "Buffy: Season 9" #12 by Andrew Chambliss and Georges Jeanty. The issue, with covers by Jeanty and Phil Noto, goes on sale August 8.
Writer Rick Remender unleahed a new Brotherhood of Evil Mutants in "Uncanny X-Force" #27 and CBR spoke with him about the villains and his plans for the series.
Dark Horse has provided CBR with an exclusive preview of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 9" #11. Andrew Chambliss, Georges Jeanty and cover artist Phil Noto take Buffy corporate on July 11!
This week, Alan Fisher drives like hell, Max Damage goes out with a bang, Buffy Summers gets existential (again), and the world comes to an end -- not with a bang but with two covers.
Kelly Thompson gives "Creator Owned Heroes" #1 4 stars saying the inaugural creator-owned initiative by Steve Niles, Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray is "inspiring and exciting."
Marvel has provided CBR with an exclusive preview of "Uncanny X-Force" #26, written by Rick Remender with art by Phil Noto. Meet the Omegas Wednesday, June 13.
CBR presents exclusive previews for Jonathan Hickman and Ryan Bodenheim's "Secret" #2 and the first issue of "Creator-Owned Heroes" by Steve Niles, Jimmy Palmiotti, Justin Gray, Phil Noto and Kevin Mellon!
With the solo debut of Kick-Ass' foul-mouth hero just around the corner from Mark Millar and John Romita, Jr., the writer tells how "Hit-Girl" is a more emotional character study. Plus, an exclusive look at Phil Noto's issue #1 variant.
Courtesy of Dark Horse, CBR presents an exclusive preview of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 9" #9. The issue, by Andrew Chambliss, Scott Allie and Cliff Richards, hits stores May 9.
Marvel Comics has provided CBR with an exclusive preview of Rick Remender's "Uncanny X-Force" #24 featuring guest artist Phil Noto. The hunt for AoA's Iceman explodes on April 18!
CBR spoke with "All-Star Western" and "The Ray" writers Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti about joining forces with Steve Niles to produce an anthology series for their creator-owned characters.
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Benefit spaghetti dinner on Saturday
for cancer patient Jeff Wurschum
A spaghetti dinner to benefit cancer patient Jeff Wurschum is being organized for Saturday by his fellow employees at Iron City Distributing Co.
It will be held from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Rayland Fire Hall. Cost is $7 for adults and $3.50 for children 12 and under. Dinner includes spaghetti, salad, bread, a soft drink and coffee.
The fundraiser also will include door prizes, a Chinese auction, a bake sale and a 50-50 drawing. Music will be provided by DJ Nick at Nite.
"For more than 12 years, Jeff has been a most loyal and dedicated employee at Iron City Distributing Co.," says Cathy Peterson of Iron City Distributing Co. "Jeff's outgoing personality, thoughtful demeanor and his always-willing-to-help-someone attitude has endeared him to his fellow employees. Therefore, on Jan. 19, a benefit will be hosted at the Rayland Firehouse, 115 Warren St., Rayland, to help Jeff with his expenses during his time away from his job."
Knights of Columbus schedule
basketball free throw contest
The Steubenville Knights of Columbus Council No. 472 is sponsoring a basketball free throw contest beginning at 11 a.m. Jan. 26 at Bishop John King Mussio Elementary School located at 100 Etta Ave., Steubenville, in the former Holy Rosary School gymnasium.
All boys and girls from the ages of 10 through 14 are eligible to participate.
Individual contests will be conducted for each age group. There will be awards for the winners of each age group.
The winners will be eligible to compete in the district free throw competition which is scheduled for noon immediately following the local competition.
Entry forms are available at local grade schools in the Steubenville-Wintersville Area.
If a school doesn't have entry forms, they will be available at the door the day of the contest. Proof of age is required if registering at the door. Doors open at 10 a.m.
For information about the contest, contact Lou Almonte at (304) 670-6790 or Don Hall, grand knight, at (740) 264-6724.
Toronto Senior Citizens meet,
welcome guests, award prizes
Doris Matyas presided at the Toronto Senior Citizens meeting on Jan. 10 where Carolyn Owen and Carol Thompson were welcomed as guests.
Paula Krensavage gave the blessing and devotions and led the members in opening ceremonies.
January birthdays and anniversaries were acknowledged.
Reports were given by Shirley Rebich and Rosemary Bonofine.
Dolly Robinson won the 50/50. Door prize winners were Leah Bickerstaff, Deanna Starr, Phil Cicone and Pat Balser. Bingo winners were Nancy Ludewig, Rose Dials, Dee Fouts, Angela Kurty and Carolyn Owen.
Lola Swanagan discussed upcoming trips, noting the trip to Denmark is still open for July. Anyone interested can call (740) 537-3064.
The next meeting will be held Jan. 24 at the Roosevelt Building.


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I know giving heads up means to inform someone, but how does that relate to the literal meaning i.e. giving heads up? What's the background? Where did it come from?
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It was first used as an interjection in the 19th century: "They marched, and I amongst them, to face the enemy – heads up – step firm – thus it was – quick time – march!"
Then, at the beginning of the 20th century, it began to be used adjectivally, as in: "He was always right on the job, and looking 'heads up'."
Then, around the late 70s, it became a noun, probably through shortening of phrases like "heads-up alert" into "heads-up": "It is regarded as being a heads-up on a sale."
Source and references: the Grammarphobia blog
Imagine your buddy is next to you and he is reading a book, or looking at something in his hands, or in some other way looking anywhere other than straight ahead. You see trouble coming and you say "heads up!" meaning hey, attention, look ahead! That is the literal meaning of giving someone a heads-up. Over time it's gained a metaphorical one that applies to emails telling someone what's going on, phone calls, and so on.
I've always supposed that when heads-up means some kind of advance warning, it refers to the display of instruments that pilots can see in front of them without taking their eyes off the aircraft's trajectory.
It's all about awareness.
"Heads up" as an adjective means being aware. "Heads up" as the noun is giving someone new information, making them more aware of the situation. Literally having your head up and your eyes open means you're more aware of your surrounding (contrast with the "heads down" posture of messing with your phone).
So a heads-up display for a pilot helps him keep his eyes open and on the sky instead of down at the controls. Similarly soldiers and sportsmen are more aware of their surroundings with their heads up than looking at their feet.
There's plenty of examples between the 1950s and 1970s of "a heads-up, lightning-swift game", "a "heads up" hockey player", the "heads up organisation", "the "heads up" warning for the hammer throw", "The heads-up, look-ahead attitude", "a heads-up, forward-looking attitude", "A "heads up" industry" and "a heads-up, both-feet-on-the-ground kind of man".
Giving someone a "heads up" is now quite a common term used to give people an update or some form of advanced information. It was adopted from the animal kingdom where taller animals such as giraffes or monkeys and birds who were higher up in the trees gave an advanced warning to other animals on the ground when a predator is approaching. Hence, in today's context, "heads up" means that the person who has the advanced information is giving a brief to those who have not been updated yet about issues that are approaching.
The Wall Street Journal has a good article on the subject, and cites the military and a 1904 article on baseball:
(Looks like the article is behind a paywall... not sure why it let me see the article the first time. Here's the google link that sent me there.)
It seems to have come from the USA. I've not heard English or other British people use it, only Americans.
There is an explanation of it at this link http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/heads-up.html , which says "Residents of the USA will have come across heads up as an advance warning; for example, 'The boss was coming. Jim gave us a heads up to get on with some work'. That usage is fairly recent and hasn't yet become commonplace outside America.
In the middle ages, when people disposed their waste outside their windows and onto the street, they used to say 'head's up' as a warning to people walking by on the street below them.
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Hybrid View
2 Jan 2012 11:39 AM #1
Bug in TextField.validateValue ???
Applies to Ext GWT up to 2.2.5
In case of an empty string and blanks allowed, TextField.validateValue will invoke Field.clearValidate. However, this means, that even if called via Field.isValid, validation errors will be cleared. IMHO that's a nasty side effect of a method which returns a boolean result (and causing me some headache). I am absolutely fine with Field.validate doing this, but then that one is implying completly different semantics ("do something" instead of "check something").
So before going and hacking the code (it really causes problems at this end), I'd just like to know whether there actually might be a reason for this ... and possibly a bugfix (I checked 2.2.5 though and nope).
Thanks a lot (and tanks anyway for this fantastic library)!
3 Jan 2012 4:07 PM #2
Unless I am misunderstanding, this is only a bug if you expect there to be validation error messages for an otherwise valid value. If you want to set an error message such that it cannot be cleared by validating the field, use the forceInvalid(String) method.
Yes, the semantics are a little off, but the behavior is there to make sure the value returned is consistent with the ui.
9 Jan 2012 7:42 AM #3
Thanks for the answer. It's fair enough. Problem is, that some code I inherited sets error messages based on complex server side validation logic -- and I cannot use forceInvalid for other complex reasons (yea ... I know ... but hacking the GXT code was the simplest solution right now).


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So I've created a simple XMPP app, but it appears I can't have background processing unless the app is one of the designated categories listed here.
I just want to keep the socket open and display a notification on message received if the app isn't in the foreground.
I've found it a little difficult to find out good information on iOS backgrounding, it appears a lot of apps out there manage to do it some how, but the documentation seems a lot more restrictive.
Is it possible to run a chat client like this in the background for extended periods of time? Something similar to Androids Service lifecycle?


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Suppose $\Omega$ is a bounded domain in $\mathbb{R}^n.$ Let $w\in H^{1,2}$ (standard Sobolev space, order 1, integrability 2) and $L>0$ be given. Is it then true that the function $w_L:=\min (L,w)$ is also in $H^{1,2}?$
I found this assertion in the book "Riemannian geometry and geometric analysis" of Jost, in the section concerning higher regularity of harmonic maps. There, one already knows that $f$ (the continuous weakly harmonic map) is in $H_{loc}^{1,4} \cap H^{2,2}_{loc}$ and considers $w:=|Df|^2.$
Now, the function $w_L$ can also be written as $x\mapsto w(x)\chi_L(w(x)),$ where $\chi_L$ denotes the characteristic function of the set consisting of all x s.t. $x\le L$. Considering the distributional derivative of $w_L$ gives you something involving a delta function(al), which is not in $L^2.$
Any suggestions? What am I doing wrong?


text: Ok, admittedly, my meatloaf photos aren't as pretty as pictures of say, chocolate mousse parfaits or homemade pesto. I mind the "not-great" photo session only in-so-much as it might give you hesitation as to whether or not you should try this recipe… and you definitely should. If you're a meatloaf lover you'll love the unique… Read more »


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Location: Grassland, Soil and Water Research Laboratory
2008 Annual Report
(2) Identify and quantify the composition, concentration, and distribution of nutrients (carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus), micronutrients (trace metals), and endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs) in biosolids, soils, waters, and plants.
(3) Measure the potential mobility of nutrients, micronutrients, and EDCs in surface run-off and in water infiltrating through the soil profile using rainfall simulations in the field.
(4) Use empirical field data to develop and test new model components for SWAT (phosphorus, EDCs) to further validate and improve model code.
(5) Provide risk assessment to the City of Austin regarding the potential watershed impacts of Austin's municipal waste recycling program.


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Event Information
September 28-29, 2012
Grand Valley State University, Grand Rapids and Allendale, Michigan
Registration Costs:
$85 for faculty, staff and teachers; $55 for graduate students.
GVSU graduate students may attend for free.
Michigan teachers will be able to register for Continuing Education Credits (C.E.U.'s) by attending and / or presenting at this conference.
Contact Professor Jo Miller with questions at: firstname.lastname@example.com
www.gvsu/edu/shakes or email@example.com


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Jan 2012 Roster Changes - Matvienko, Obraztsova Gone
Posted 26 January 2012 - 09:16 AM
Posted 26 January 2012 - 09:43 AM
Posted 26 January 2012 - 09:48 AM
Posted 26 January 2012 - 10:05 AM
Skorik is now Second Soloist.
Posted 26 January 2012 - 10:08 AM
I have my recent (2 days ago) print-out of the roster at home...but I seem to think that Anastasia Kolegova was just promoted from 2nd to 1st soloist (?). [UPDATE: Not the case; both Anastasias -- Kolegova and Matvienko -- were already 1st soloists well before these latest roster changes.]
Posted 26 January 2012 - 11:09 AM
will make even more bank ! On the lower tone, this is the Mariinsky's loss: Epic fail
on the management's part.
Posted 26 January 2012 - 11:18 AM
Is it just me, or does it seem lime the Kirov has lost their identity?
Posted 26 January 2012 - 11:40 AM
Never a dull moment in the ballet world! I hope that the Mariinsky will realize what the have lost. Obraztsova will be an asset to any company she chooses, and hopefully they will utilize her gifts much better than her home company did. And the Mariinsky continues to loose my respect, which considering my own training and professional background is very sad indeed. At one time, the Kirov was the be all, end all company for me. Now my allegiance has shifted. But all the best for these dancers' futures.
Is it just me, or does it seem lime the Kirov has lost their identity?
Fraildove, Yuri Fateev is the Captain Schettino of the Mariinsky Ballet.
Posted 26 January 2012 - 11:44 AM
...Fraildove, Yuri Fateev is the Captain Schettino of the Mariinsky Ballet.
You can say that again, Cygnet. Fraildove, your instincts are correct; the Mariinsky Ballet used to be a classy brand. I feel sorry for all of the better dancers who we saw at the Kennedy Center last week. It's not their fault that they find themselves aboard the Costa Mariinkordia.
Posted 26 January 2012 - 12:50 PM
Posted 26 January 2012 - 02:30 PM
Is it just me, or does it seem lime the Kirov has lost their identity?
It's not just you.
How can they let one of their most brilliant dancers go? They should cherish dancers like her..
Reminds me of how they didn't hire Ayupova as a coach; this way they will never reach the level they were at 30 years ago again.. And the problem is NOT that there isn't any potential in the company/Vaganova academy.
But what are they doing with it? I simply cannot understand what is going on in the AD's mind. (Or whoever is responsible for this)
Posted 27 January 2012 - 03:33 AM
The Mariinsky brand is being cheapened and 'reality TV'ed' -- quickly.
Posted 27 January 2012 - 05:27 AM
I'm in two minds regarding Obraztsova, on the one hand applauding her newly found independence, but on the other hand truly sad that such a pure exponent of the old Kirov style finds it necessary to leave. She has the example of such beautiful classicists as Osmolkina and Zhelonkina to ponder over, two dancers not that much older that have been pushed to the sidelines whilst nonentities took stage centre. Had she stayed I think that would have been Obraztsova's fate too.
Posted 27 January 2012 - 05:28 AM
Four Departures:
D. Matvienko (Principal)
E. Obraztsova (1st Soloist)
Yulia Smirnova Slivkina (Character Principal)...not very old...Vaganova grad ca 2000/01
Pyotr Stasyunas (Character Principal)...a veteran
One Promotion:
Alexander Fyodorov (from "reserves" to corps de ballet) - Congrats to him!
Still one 'Trainee': Kim Kimin
Mashinka, I'm not so sure that Obraztsova's departure is because she found it necessary to leave, if you get my drift. That said, European fora are reporting this morning that both D. Matvienko and Obraztsova might still perform occasionally as "guest artists" of the Mariinsky...so what does that make Igor Zelensky or even Vishneva, who are de facto -- if not de jure -- guests at the MT? I still don't like it.
Posted 27 January 2012 - 05:56 PM
........... First Soloist Evgenia Obraztsova are now gone from the Mariinsky roster.............
There's a "special" title in the Bolshoi roster for Eugenia Obraztsova titled Guest Soloists. No other name. Hmm; no rank.
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January 18, 2013
The Cape Grace is the second-best hotel in the world
The Cape Grace Hotel in the V&A Waterfront is the second-best hotel in the world, the best luxury hotel in Africa and the sixth on the continent for best service, according to TripAdvisor's 2013 Travelers' Choice Awards.
TripAdvisor, the world's largest travel site, sifted through millions of reviews and opinions of travellers across the world to determine their top hotel in the world. The Cape Grace was pipped at the post by the Four Seasons Resort Hualalai at the Historic Ka'upulehu, Kailua-Kona, in Hawaii.
The Cape Grace is fit for James Bond himself, who stays at the hotel in the latest Bond novel, Carte Blanche.
Jené Barnes, global sales manager at the Cape Grace, says the hotel takes great pride in the recognitions bestowed on it by guests.
"We are delighted to be considered among the world's finest and this award acknowledges each and every staff member's contribution and effort to raise the bar, and provide the ultimate luxury hotel experience for our guests," Barnes says.
A five-star hotel, the Cape Grace has won many accolades over the years, including the Best Hotel in Africa and the Middle East for 2011 by Travel & Leisure, Best Hotel in Africa for 2011 by US Celebrated Living, and the Daily Telegraph Ultra Travel Award for Best Hotel in Africa 2011.
The 120 beautifully appointed rooms have stunning views of Table Mountain, the Victoria and Alfred harbour and the yacht marina. The hotel has a world-class spa and a fitness centre, serves a sumptious afternoon tea and is home to Bascule, a nautical-themed whisky, wine and cocktail bar.
In its 11th year, the TripAdvisor Travelers' Choice Awards recognises the world's most outstanding hotels, B&Bs and inns, using criteria such as luxury, bargain and service. This year is the biggest-ever Travelers' Choice campaign, with 6 000 award-winning properties in a number of categories, covering 82 countries and nine regions.
TripAdvisor Travelers' Choice winners are based on millions of valuable reviews and opinions covering more than 650 000 hotels, and collected in a single year from travellers around the world.
"Once again, TripAdvisor is thrilled to recognise the finest accommodations based on the feedback from those who really matter: their guests," says Barbara Messing, the organisation's chief marketing officer.
"It is the insights from millions of travellers that make these awards so special, as they help others discover the hotels travellers love most, whatever the budget, in all corners of the world," Messing says.
On TripAdvisor, 577Nicola from Northern Ireland, who stayed at the Cape Grace in December 2012, says: "My family of four had a 5 night stay after Christmas through to New Year. This hotel is sensational! We arrived at 8am exhausted after our two flights from Northern Ireland. The reception staff were extremely welcoming and ensured we had at least one of our two rooms. Understated elegance can only describe the entire decor of The Cape Grace. Every area was so different and attention to detail was incredible.Our whole stay was probably the 'best ever'. Staff were wonderful without being over the top. Julie at reception was great and Genivieve in Bascule had a great wine knowledge and we enjoyed a few interesting bottles she recommended! We loved every single moment a very special place."
YorkshireJoanna, from Leeds in the UK, was on business, but staying at the Cape Grace felt like a "dream holiday": "Without question, the ultimate hotel experience and by far the best hotel I have ever had the fortune of staying in. Despite being on a business trip when staying at Cape Grace, it felt like a dream holiday due to the nature of environment, location, staff, quite simply everything. Right on the waterfront, you are well suited to relax, explore, wine and dine at leisure, with concierge and reception staff on hand to assist with the many excursions Cape Town has to offer. The rooms are 5* luxury, but be warned – once you have stayed here, your expectations of what a hotel should be like are catapulted to new standards which are hard to beat! Couldn't recommend it enough."
Solo female traveller Robin B, from Toronto in Canada, was blown away by the gracious staff and the views: "Cape Grace is really in a league of its own, there's something special about this chic yet friendly 5* hotel – when people say it feels like home, it's true. The staff blew me away, smiling, happy to help but they don't overdo it which happens too often at luxury hotels. Waking up to a view of Table Mountain was picture perfect after arriving the night before. The local was second to none, a scenic walk to the V&A waterfront (designer shopping, live bands, the craft market & the harbor. Surprises & sweet treats (such as chocolates, evening port in the library, whiskey tasting & fresh baked goods) are around every bend. A friend at home asked me to pick up a product at the Cape Grace spa for her - they called my room to say they unfortunately didn't have it anymore but had found a place around the corner that carried it & they'd go pick it up for me or I could take one of the complimentary cars (which I did & the driver was just fab). While the hotel is great for couples & families, I as a solo female traveler never felt out of place or awkward for a second! An unforgettable stay & I can't wait to come back."


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I'm still pretty new to home-brewing, but I've got a couple of extract kits under my belt so far and I was wondering how I could get more clarified beers. I've used both Irish moss and Whirlfloc tablets, but still would like to know what else I could do to obtain better clarity.
Time and colder temps in the carbonated bottle are the main way to get it clearer without doing much else. You may need to identify the type of haze you are getting if that doesn't help. Haze comes from many different sources: yeast, protein, starches, hop oils etc etc. Irish moss and whirfloc are only going to touch the yeast.
Since the title of your question isn't specifically directed to extract beers, I'll also add that correct pH makes a huge difference in beer clarity. pH is less important in extract beers than in beers using grain.
Once your bottles are carbed up, store them in the fridge for a month. I've even cleared up (accidentally) hefeweizens that way.
You could also filter using a plate filter Like this one. One thing to note is you will also filter out some of the beers taste and aroma.
Get a wort chiller so you can cool the wort quickly and obtain a nice cold break. Also take the above advice of using a secondary fermenter and racking carefully between fermenters and the bottling bucket or keg.
No one has mentioned Isinglass when barreling ale. Whereas Irish Moss and whirlfoc will remove proteins, isinglass added during barrelling will clear the yeast. Yeast is negatively charged and isinglass, a long and twisted positively charged protein, can 'trap' many yeast cells at a time. It should be prepared and added according to the producer's instructions and you might need a few trials to get the amount to add spot on. Too little and the beer won't clear, too much and the beer will be overfined, with the same result.
It is important though, that the sediment stays with the beer in the barrel, as it is needed to allow that final conditioning, so don't add it before barrelling and rack off from the sediment!
A bit fiddly, but once you get it right the result is really bright ale - assuming you have dealt with your proteins with auxiliary finings.
One thing to note, though, never add auxiliary finings and isinglass at the same time as they will bond together and cancel each other out.
If you're brewing all-grain, try recirculating the wort back over the top of the grain bed for at least a few minutes at the end of the mash. You can literally see the wort clarifying as the sediment is caught by the spent grains.
For more information: http://www.homebrewtalk.com/wiki/index.php/Vorlauf
Here are a couple of things to try if you are not already doing them:
It might be blasphemy, but if too much of your wort is lost during the boil, I've been told it's fine to add water to match your recipie, which would also add some clarity to a dense wort.
Allowing time for the fermentation to finish before bottling has been the most important difference for me.


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I have been previously told that the Patellar reflex (knee-jerk-reaction) exists to prevent the hyper-extension of the patellar tendon. Yet if the impact to the tendon is delivered slowly - i.e. by pressing down on it rather than striking it - there is no reflex response. Why is this, as surely the tendon is being extended by the same amount?
This effect you are observing has to do with the nature of the afferent neurons (Ia fibers), which carry a signal into the spinal cord and synapse onto motor neurons directly. See this text (scroll down to section 1.10) for a diagram. At their other end, these Ia fibers penetrate into the muscle and wrap themselves around the body of the muscle spindles,
Because the main role of these spindles is to monitor the muscles for very rapid changes in length, the neurons have a static range which is optimized for these quick jerks (rather than firing over a wide range of velocities). When you are stretching the muscle slowly, the Ia fiber is not building up a sufficient depolarization to fire off an action potential.


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A Leavenworth County judge has sentenced a Missouri man to life in prison for the rape of a 13-year-old child, the county attorney said in a news release.
David Cochran, 29, was sentenced Wednesday in Leavenworth County District Court to a life sentence without possibility of parole for a least 25 years. The sentence was pursuant to what is known as Jessica's Law, according to County Attorney Todd Thompson.
Cochran also will be subject to lifetime sex offender registration.
On Aug. 27, 2012, Cochran traveled from his residence in Peculiar, Missouri, to Leavenworth. He picked up the victim at 2 a.m. on a street near the home of the child's mother.
Cochran drove the child to a Leavenworth motel, returning her to the street near her mother's house at 5 a.m., according to Thompson.
The following night, the victim's mother observed text messages on the child's cell phone regarding the plan for Cochran to pick up the girl in the middle of the night. The mother took the child's cell phone to the Leavenworth Police Department and an investigation was conducted.
Cochran was said to be a lifelong friend and business associate of the child's father, who lives in Missouri.
Cochran was convicted of rape April 9 in Leavenworth County District Court.
Location, ST | website.com


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The 7 Most Ridiculous Ghost Stories from Around the World
As we've pointed out before, you can tell a lot about a people from their folklore. Even their ghost stories speak volumes about all of the underlying neuroses that create our nightmares.
But then there are some ghost stories that just leave you absolutely freaking baffled. We're talking about spooks like ...
#7. The Shirime
Approximately 100 percent of the people reading this are about to get their Halloween costume idea for next year. You'll see.
Watch out, whatever-the-hell-costume-this-is!
The thing is, considering how consistently insane they are, Japanese ghost stories are about as formulaic as an episode of House. Typically, most of them read like this: Some traveler happens upon a mysterious stranger, mysterious stranger reveals that he's some sort of insanely deformed ghost and then the victim runs screaming, or the spirit disappears, or someone gets eaten by something.
Which brings us to the story of the Shirime. In this tale, a samurai warrior is walking around Kyoto late one night when he is accosted by some naked pervert, seemingly the dumbest rapist in all of Japan.
Before the samurai can draw steel and carve this guy up, however, the perv bends over and ...
... wait for it ...
... reveals he has a huge eyeball peering out of his ass.
That's about where the story ends.
Yeah, Japanese folklore takes the "keep it simple, stupid" approach to spooky bullshit. They just ask you to imagine a samurai staring down at some guy mooning him with an eye up his ass, and make up your own ending.
Variations of the theme might replace the Shirime with a snake-necked woman, or a woman without a face, or a chick with a slit mouth, or that thing from Pan's Labyrinth. Basically, give somebody eyes where they wouldn't usually have eyes, and make them chase a samurai around, and you've got a Japanese ghost story.
#6. The Hantu Tetek
If you thought Japan had a kinky and disturbing mythology, we'd like to introduce you to Malaysia. Specifically, the Hantu Tetek, whose name is most commonly translated as "breast ghost," but we're pretty sure that "titty specter," "booby phantom" and "gazongular apparition" are all just as acceptable.
Censored due to paranormal activity.
As you may have guessed, these female spirits have an impossibly humongous rack, and their entire shtick is to float around, smothering attractive and virile young men with their ectoplasmic unfunbags. And while you might think that doesn't sound like a bad way to go, put away those Ouija boards, gentlemen, because this one just gets weirder.
You can take them back out when it's time to ask Hitler for quiche recipes.
First of all, the jug spook is said to be a hideously obese old hag, and her triple-Z-cup namesakes are on her back.
It seems the Hantu Tetek has been appropriated in Malaysia as a kind of bogeyman story to keep children in line, as a version of the story has the ghost hunting down kids who stray too far or stay out too late, and wrapping them up in her titties so nobody will ever find them again.
OK, so there are worse ways to die.
Fair enough, but geez, isn't there some less-obscure threat that we can use as a deterrent in this situation? We mean, Occam's razor, people. Even in Malaysia, you're more likely to be attacked by grizzly bears than by marauding ghouls with weaponized bazongas.
#5. Raw Head Bloody Bones
Many American localities have their own individual roaming-monster stories to bring in the tourists and scare the crap out of them for profit. New Jersey, for example, has the Jersey Devil. Missouri, not wanting to be outdone, vomited out some bizarre story about a pig skeleton with bear claws that reads like a mash-up between Red Riding Hood and Pumpkinhead.
Way to steal shit from Missouri, Blizzard.
As the story goes, a powerful but more or less benevolent witch lived alone with a pet razorback hog named Raw Head. The hog was able to walk and talk like a man, because hey, magic. Up until now, it sounds like a Disney musical cartoon, but it only gets edgier and less family-friendly from here.
Sorry, kids.
One day, some asshole hunter decided that it was easier to shoot domesticated talking pigs than it was to go into the forest and bag some regular non magic ones, so he snuck into the witch's yard and kidnapped Raw Head, butchering him and making a day's income on the meat. At this point we'd like to stress that we can think of probably a hundred more profitable uses for a talking pig than carving it into regular pork chops, but hey, we're not from Missouri.
Sometimes the universe throws you a freebie.
The witch, infuriated by the death of her abomination against God, cast a spell over its bones so that they could walk and talk again, but rather than the cute little Disney piggy he once was, Raw Head returned as a bloody, skeletal engine of vengeance. He swore to get his own back against the hunter, but not before suiting up Batman-style with body parts from several other dead animals: the fangs of a panther, the claws of a bear and the bushy tail of a raccoon.
When he meets up with his own killer, most versions of the story include this cute but obviously plagiarized fairytale routine.
Do you have any idea how hard it is to find pictures of a skeletal pig/panther/bear-coon?
"Land o' Goshen, what have you got those big eyes fer?" he snapped, thinking the kids were trying to scare him with some crazy mask.
"To see your grave," Raw Head rumbled very softly.
"Land o' Goshen, what have you got those big claws fer?" he snapped. "You look ridiculous."
"To dig your grave," Raw Head intoned softly, his voice a deep rumble that raised the hairs on the back of the hunter's neck.
"Land o' Goshen, what have you got that crazy tail fer?"
"To sweep your grave," Raw Head boomed.
We have no idea what "Land o' Goshen" means, but to cut a long story short, the skeleton hog eats the hunter and then steals his horse and clothes. Legend has it that old Raw Head, still just a pig skeleton with rotting animal bits, can still be seen riding through the Ozark Mountains every Halloween on his stolen horse and wearing presumably ill-fitting man-clothes.
Artist's representation.
#4. The Toyol
We're not done yet with Malaysia. Their "toyol" is ... a mischievous fetus-ghost.
We'll stop and note here that, for some reason, all of Malaysia's horror legends seem to revolve around huge breasts, deadly vaginas and evil fetuses, but we're not in the position to explain exactly what that says about Malaysians, as we are not mental health professionals.
Anyway, the toyol is said to be the spirit of a deceased human fetus summoned by an evil wizard to enter people's homes and rob them of whatever its cute little fetus-sized hands can carry. Because enslaving the tortured soul of an abortion is clearly the easiest and most convenient way to steal a fucking wallet.
"This kid could be worth 50, 60 bucks."
Superstitious Malaysians are frightened of toyols, keeping their money and valuables near mirrors and needles (the spook's biggest weaknesses), but really, the whole story is kind of sad. Imagine your life ending before it has even begun, then finding that your afterlife mirrors the plot of Oliver Twist. Sure, their masters are big enough dicks already for sending ghosts into your house to steal your shit, but won't anybody think of the children?
Fortunately, there are many ways to protect your stuff from fetus-ghosts: In addition to avoiding the aforementioned needles and mirrors, it is said that they'll forget all about their master's orders for the chance to play with scattered marbles, sand, rocks or other things that pass for "toys" in poor Malaysian villages. Leave out some Legos or Pokemon cards and you would probably blow their little minds straight back to fetus-hell.
This is way cooler than marbles, sand and rocks.