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Freedom Evolves
by Daniel Dennett
32 used & new
3.0 out of 5 stars
Is that all?
March 11 2003
This review is from:
Freedom Evolves (Hardcover)
Daniel Dennett is attempting a thankless task, but one that is long overdue. Back in 1984, with the publication of Elbow Room, he sought to liberate free will - that perennial hobgoblin of philosophy - from a surplus of metaphysical baggage that is increasingly difficult to justify based on what we know about how brains work and how minds evolved. On these two topics, however, Elbow Room required the reader to reserve judgment. Since then, Dennett has given the world Consciousness Explained (1991), which, as the title implies, tries to tell us how brains work, and Darwin's Dangerous Idea (1995), which tries to explain how minds evolved, and in the process provides one of the most lucid accounts yet of the philosophical implications of Darwinism. Now, with Freedom Evolves, Dennett attempts to tie it all together.
The problem with this book, as far as I am concerned, is that it feels rushed and disjointed. I was more than happy to read all 500+ pages of DDI because the topic deserved that much space and, honestly, that book is a pleasure to read. The topic of free will, if anything, requires even more space to develop, and I would have gladly sat through six or seven hundred pages if necessary. As it is, my understanding of Dennett's arguments is sketchy - even after letting them sink in a few days and re-reading a few sections - so sketchy, in fact, that I won't attempt anything like a synopsis here, for fear of bungling the job. Beyond that, I was a little annoyed with the amount of recycled material from CE and DDI.
So why is Daniel Dennett's task a thankless one? Because he insists that free will is not an "illusion" as some hardcore materialists claim - nor is it some "extra something" in the sense implied by traditional dualist philosophers. There are a lot of feathers to ruffle in this area. Affirming free will on a strict materialist basis would be quite a feat, if done clearly and convincingly. I believe that case can be made, and that it should be made, and that Dennett is qualified to make it. Unfortunately, in Freedom Evolves he didn't do so as clearly and convincingly as I wish he had. Until Dennett or somebody else does so, the task will remain long overdue.
Atlas Shrugged
by Ayn Rand
Mass Market Paperback
126 used & new
4.0 out of 5 stars
Preachy, But Good
Sept. 11 2002
This review is from:
Atlas Shrugged (Mass Market Paperback)
Atlas Shrugged evokes extreme reactions. Dorothy Parker wrote: "This novel is not to be tossed lightly aside, but to be hurled with great force." Nevertheless, it consistently ranks as one of the most widely-read and influential books of the 20th Century. I read it in college, hoping to discover what it was about this doorstop of a book that is capable of evoking such zealotry among fans, and such vehement scorn from critics. Atlas Shrugged is a literary chimera: a "Novel of Ideas." The problem with such books is that anyone with an interesting idea can write one, even if her literary talent is dubious. The characters in Atlas Shrugged, for example, are two-dimensional and the dialog is rather contrived; but the book has an interesting plot hook which allows Rand to ram home her Objectivist philosophy in an unforgettable way.
Rand divides the human race into two spheres: Those who create value - artistic, material, or otherwise, and those who parasitize the creators. She then asks the question: "What would happen to the world if those who create value all simultaneously went on strike?" The answer, of course, is that the gears of civilization would grind to a halt. In developing this theme, Rand subjects her readers to harangue after harangue on the evils of regulatory and redistributive government programs, religion and superstition, bad art, and paper money. Thus, depending on the strength and direction of your prejudices, Atlas Shrugged is either ideological crack cocaine or a literary kick in the crotch. Regardless, the sustained intensity of Rand's tirades - with her characters serving as transparent mouthpieces - leaves little room for ambivalence.
Atlas Shrugged succeeds insofar as it is the definitive statement of the author's personal philosophy - Objectivism - and provides cogent arguments for much of the modern Libertarian agenda. Also, Rand's division of humanity into those who create value on the one hand, and the vampires on the other, while simplistic, is nevertheless instructive. Atlas Shrugged fails insofar as Rand seems completely unable to acknowledge the gray areas and complexities of economic relationships and values. If alternatives were really so obviously black and white as they are in Rand's novel, then I'll be damned if I can figure out why everyone doesn't think as she does. The reason Rand's characters are so boringly right all the time is that they're never confronted with ambiguity. They never have to make a tough value judgment.
by Frank Herbert
Mass Market Paperback
58 used & new
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Indispensable Science Fiction
Sept. 11 2002
This review is from:
Dune (Mass Market Paperback)
One of the greatest science fiction epics ever written. This book has it all: mind-expanding drugs, human computers, political intrigue, interstellar economics, and big-... worms. The reader should take from this book a sense of grandness of scale. The messianic fervor of the Fremen, the calculated patience of the Bene Gesserit eugenics program, the ecological ambition of Liet Kynes, and the universal-historical vision of the Quisatz Haderach, all ought to awaken us to the necessity and danger of human activity on the universal-historical timescale. That is the scale on which we all operate, whether we know it or not. Some of the themes in this book, which was written in the mid-1960's, foreshadow the adolescent field of chaos theory. In particular, the notion that seemingly insignificant local events can have calamitous effects on future history is analogous to the butterfly effect. Also, Herbert's conception of prophecy as a probability tree branching infinitely through time enjoys some endorsement from quantum physics.
2010: Odyssey Two
by Arthur C. Clarke
Mass Market Paperback
110 used & new
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Worthy Successor
Sept. 11 2002
This review is from:
2010: Odyssey Two (Mass Market Paperback)
In what Carl Sagan refers to as "a worthy successor to 2001," Clarke once again takes us to the outer reaches of the solar system for a rendezvous with the mysterious monolith orbiting Jupiter. Heywood Floyd (mission director from the first book) emerges as the protagonist, along with a supporting cast of Soviet cosmonauts. We finally learn what caused HAL to go on the blink last time around - a "Hofstadter-Möbius loop." Dave Bowman's fate is revealed, and we catch a glimpse of the intelligence behind the monoliths, which turn out to be, among other things, von Neuman machines. Plot discrepancies between 2001 the movie, and 2001 the book are resolved in favor of the former, and 2010 incorporates the findings of the Voyager missions, which hadn't yet occured when 2001 was written.
Confessions of a Crap Artist
by Philip K. Dick
17 used & new
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Different Kind of Dick
April 22 2002
This review is from:
Confessions of a Crap Artist (Paperback)
Darkly funny, slightly sad, brutally honest, and philosophically deep, Confessions of a Crap Artist merits the distinction of being among Philip K. Dick's best novels, despite its prima facie dissimilarity to PKD's main body of work. Ostensibly a chronicle of the disintegration of a middle class family (a rather banal and hackneyed gimmick in contemporary American fiction), Confessions is at heart an inquiry into the nature of reality. PKD fans will immediately recognize this as the motivating theme of the author's career.
The protagonist is the mildly schizophrenic Jack Isidore (recognize that name from anywhere?), whose obsessions with pulp mags, pseudoscience and new age detritus render him an ineffective, if harmless excrescence on mainstream society, and enlighten the novel's title. After being arrested for shoplifting a can of chocolate covered ants, Jack is "rescued" by his sister Fay and her husband Charley Hume and brought to live with them in their ostentatious Marin County home, where Jack earns his keep by scrubbing the floors, feeding the livestock and babysitting the Humes' two daughters.
Liberated from the household and parental obligations that had theretofore been the weak glue of their relationship, the Humes' marriage promptly falls apart. Fay's overweening selfishness and Charley's pathetic ineffectiveness as a husband come to the fore, resulting in infidelity, public scandal, and death.
Meanwhile, Jack falls in with a local UFO cult peopled by Marin County housewives. (PKD devotees will recognize the cult's leader, Claudia Hambro, as an incarnation of the perennial dark-haired girl). Jack's hallucinations provide escapist counterpoint to the novel's bucolic 1950's setting, and parallel the more meaningful contrast PKD is trying to convey: that of superficial bourgeois respectability straining to conceal dysfunction, conceit and vulgarity. Thus, Confessions is not merely a family chronicle; it is social satire, an indictment of a distinctly American flavor of hypocrisy.
Placed in the broader context of PKD's oeuvre, however, satire takes a backseat to the author's overriding philosophical query: What is reality, and what is the relationship between perception and reality? Jack, whose quirky hallucinations give the novel a fantastic element, nevertheless perceives the Hume family dynamic with great clarity. And when his cult-inspired eschatology fails to materialize, he makes the ultimate confession (that he is a nut), but insists that "the blame [is] spread around fairly." That is to say, he insists that the reader recognize his nominally sane sister, her husband, and her lover Nathan Anteil as equally nutty.
The problem of perception is further illustrated by the novel's shifting narrative style. While it is nominally Jack's confession that we're reading, the point of view actually alternates among the four leading dramatis personae. Interestingly, the first person voice is used for both Jack and Fay, while Charley's and Nathan's perspectives are presented in the third person. This suggests the possibility that PKD intended Jack and Fay to be literary alter-egos.
It's a shame that Confessions is marketed as a science fiction novel, because it could and should serve as a bridge connecting readers of general fiction to an author whose talent was too big for his genre.
Lie: Evolution
by Ken Ham
52 used & new
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
2.0 out of 5 stars
Arguments of First Resort
April 16 2002
This review is from:
Lie: Evolution (Paperback)
The Lie: Evolution was written by a conservative Christian for conservative Christians. It is neither a tract nor a science book; it is an apologetics manual. Christians seeking a scientific critique of evolution should look elsewhere. Nonetheless, The Lie should be read by anyone interested in the creation/evolution debate (C/E), because Ken Ham is one of the most active evangelists in the field, and The Lie illumines his motivating philosophy and arguments of first resort.
The Lie is a forceful polemic that will invigorate readers who already agree with Ham's views. These qualities, and the dearth of science in The Lie, ought to alert evolutionists to the true nature of the debate, as conceived by conservative Christians. If Ham can pack this much conviction into 185 pages without deigning to evaluate the science, then it ought to be clear that C/E involves more than weighing evidence and vetting theories.
Ham argues that Genesis is foundational to Christianity. Genesis explains that God created the universe in six days, that creation was perfect at its inception, and that imperfection, sin and death entered the world through Adam. This establishes the need for a Savior, whose atoning work will restore perfection. Evolution, in contrast, implies gradual, ongoing "creation," and that from the beginning life has evolved by mutations (imperfection), coupled with natural selection (death). Evolution dispenses with sin, redemption and restoration as metaphysical clutter. Thus, evolution is incompatible with creation and should be rejected by those who believe the Bible is the infallible word of God.
Ham scrupulously rejects the "evidentialist" approach in favor of a "presuppositionalist" approach: The Bible is a priori true; evolution is ipso facto false. If you accept the truth of the Bible, then evidence is irrelevant. "Faith is . . . the evidence of things not seen . . . Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God" (Hebrews 11:1, 3). Liberal theologians and Christians who incorporate evolution into their worldview are seen as equivocal in their faith. What Ham overlooks is that creation "scientists," by accumulating and interpreting evidence in favor of creation, are engaged in a superfluous endeavor that might be inimical to faith.
The Lie contains weaknesses that may not be apparent to Ham's target audience. First, Ham should have provided a summary of Neo-Darwinism, as currently accepted by a virtual consensus of scientists practicing in relevant fields. Instead, Ham makes passing references throughout the book to mutations, natural selection, and evolutionary "progress," assuming that his readers are familiar with these mechanisms. In many instances he confounds popular misconceptions or outdated concepts with current consensus, when in fact the public is largely ignorant of Neo-Darwinism, and much that scientists once accepted has been superceded or modified. Americans in general and Christians in particular are woefully undereducated when it comes to evolution. And while this book is not a critique of evolutionary theory per se, any discussion that fails to account for the basics is inadequate.
Second, Ham elicits an extremely narrow definition of "science" that allows him to summarily dismiss evolutionary theory as non-science. His definition is consonant with the popular image of scientists performing repeatable experiments in a controlled lab setting. While this is indeed how some scientists work, Ham's definition disqualifies the well-established fields of astronomy, archaeology, paleontology, geology, epidemiology, climatology, linguistics, forensics, and a host of other historical sciences, including history itself. In short, Ham believes that any statement about the past is no better than a guess. He makes no allowance for methodological or evidentiary considerations that might render one "guess" better than another.
Ham's disdain for historical science is matched by his misrepresentation of scientific method. Implicit throughout The Lie is the creationist mantra that evolution is "just a theory." This dismissive attitude might be apt if evolution was "just a hypothesis," but in fact a theory is much stronger than a hypothesis, and requires more in the way of "disproof." One wonders why conservative Christians do not also protest the theory of gravitation, the germ theory of disease, the heliocentric theory of the solar system and the atomic theory of matter.
As a consequence of the points just made, Ham erroneously identifies evolution as a religion. Because evolution is non-science, and because a theory is no better than a guess, belief in the theory of evolution must be based on faith. But if evolution is a religion, then so are archaeology, epidemiology and forensics! In fact, Neo-Darwinism, like any scientific theory, is tentative and subject to disproof. Evidentiary interpretations and evolutionary hypotheses are modified or discarded every year; that's a hallmark of science, but not of religion. The dogmatism of some scientists is beside the point, as is the fact that many laypersons accept evolution on faith. Moreover, to equate science and religion is to rob both of their meaning. If Ham's purpose is obfuscation, he has succeeded. If his purpose is clarity, then he should respect meaningful distinctions.
Finally and integrally, Ham sees a causal relation between public acceptance of evolutionary theory and the acceleration of cultural decay: abortion, homosexuality, feminism, pornography, drugs, racism, even oppressive business practices! Darwinism, via moral relativism, is now the ultimate justification for an ungodly way of life. As Ham tells it, evolution has been the midwife of misery and suck-nurse of sin for the last 150 years. In some cases he draws valid connections: viz. Spencer's social Darwinism. What Ham fatally fails to explain, however, is that the worth of an idea cannot be measured solely by its misuse. If it could, then Christianity should be rejected because nominally Christian individuals and institutions have instigated wars, genocide, slavery, racism, infanticide, torture, psychological and sexual abuse, theft, fraud, deceit, environmental degradation, tax evasion, and yes, even oppressive business practices in the name of Christ. Christianity's association with these crimes is a matter of historical fact. But to conflate the ideal of Christianity with Christianity's blood-spattered past and ethically compromised present would be fundamentally unfair.
Nonzero: The Logic of Human Destiny
by Robert Wright
63 used & new
4.0 out of 5 stars
The Logic of Human History
Oct. 23 2001
This review is from:
Nonzero: The Logic of Human Destiny (Paperback)
When Watson & Crick discovered the structure of DNA they claimed to have found the secret of life. In Nonzero, Wright nominates a new candidate for that distinction: what he refers to as "nonzero sumness." This ugly duckling of a term captures what Wright believes to be the principle that has driven life on earth from pre-organic molecules floating in the primordial soup through the marvelous complexity of the human brain. Along the way, this same mechanism has churned out the Code of Hamurabi, the United Nations, and the internet. Impressive. What's more, Wright argues that nonzero sumness, properly understood, is a giant neon arrow pointing toward the ultimate destiny of mankind.
The title of this book comes from game theory. If Wright accomplishes nothing else, he at least succeeds in presenting this formerly arcane subject in terms immediately graspable by any bright high school student. In a nutshell, game theory is the systematic study of decision making given a set of rules and opponents whose interests are more or less adverse. In a zero sum game the winner takes all; thus it pays to be competitive. In a nonzero sum game, the players end up better off, on average and over the long run, if they adopt a cooperative strategy.
Wright takes game theory and imbeds it in a Darwinian framework. He proposes a kind of meta-game wherein competing strategies vie for players in the real world. Because nonzero sum games yield a higher average payoff over the long run, they attract more players. They are more fit in Darwinian terms. Go-it-alone, win-at-all-costs strategies might yield a high immediate payoff, but they are disadvantaged in the long run.
Economists and political scientists have been using game theory for decades. When biologists discuss evolutionarily stable strategies they're using game theory. When evolutionary psychologists attempt to explain altruism (as Wright does in his book The Moral Animal), they invoke game theory. In Nonzero, Wright takes the next logical step and uses game theory to explain the whole of human history.
In arguing that cooperative strategies are destined to prevail in the long run, Wright's tone is necessarily optimistic. But Nonzero explores the darker side of human history as well. A key point of the book is that a game that is nonzero sum overall may nevertheless contain zero sum components. Imagine a market for widgets. If Al can produce widgets in his factory at a cost of $30, and Bob can make widgets from scratch at home for $60, then both Al and Bob will benefit if Bob buys widgets from Al at any price, P, where $30<P<$60. Such a transaction is clearly nonzero sum. Nevertheless, while Al and Bob are haggling over prices inside the nonzero sum range, a $1 gain to Al represents a corresponding $1 loss to Bob, and vice versa. This is the zero sum component. Al and Bob might haggle until they are red in the face, and each might go home, cursing the other's ancestry and anatomy, feeling as if he has been cheated. But if they consummate a trade at any price, P, defined above, then each is certainly better off. Wright applies this logic to the social contract, international trade and even war. "If two nearby societies are in contact for any length of time, they will either trade or fight. The first is non-zero sum social integration, and the second ultimately brings it."
Wright's Darwinian conception of game theory, and its application to history, invites speculation about the meaning of "progress." New technologies and new methods of social, political and industrial organization allow people to interact in new ways, and to realize previously unattainable cultural and economic dividends. But as the preceding paragraph shows, "History, even if its basic direction is good, can proceed at massive, wrenching human cost." In other words, newer, better, more nonzero sum strategies might carry unanticipated and unwanted zero sum baggage. Viewed in this light, "progress" translates into increased diversity, complexity and interdependence, but not necessarily improvement.
Now we come to the D-word in the book's subtitle. Wright wisely resists the temptation of detailed prophecy, but he is sure that the future will build on the past with respect to the trend towards greater diversity, complexity and interdependence. Here, in contrast to preceding chapters, Wright's originality fails him. He summarizes this admittedly non-so-new vision of the future in a catalog of seven "not-so-new features": 1) the declining relevance of distance; 2) the economy of ideas; 3) increasingly frictionless transactions; 4) liberation by microchip; 5) narrowcasting; 6) Jihad vs. McWorld; and 7) the twilight of sovereignty. Anyone who has not lived in a cave for the last thirty years will immediately recognize that these trends are already underway. Countless books and magazine articles have documented them, and indeed, Wright wastes little time substantiating them, devoting no more than a few paragraphs to each. Inevitably, Wright sees the culmination of these trends in some form of world government and a technology-based global brain.
While the not-so-new features are considered axiomatic in some circles, one nevertheless wishes that an author of Wright's intellect and perceptiveness had spent more time considering them. After all, as axiomatic as these trends are, they contain latent and patent tensions that beg resolution before the "next step" is taken. Furthermore, Wright's conclusions regarding world government and a global brain are presented rather uncritically. Writing at the cusp of the twenty-first century, Wright couldn't resist peering into the future. But as a work of prophecy, Nonzero is less than satisfactory. As an historical inquiry, however, Wright presents a promising new framework for the study of human interactions, and he does so in a convincing and entertaining way. One wishes he had subtitled his book The Logic of Human History and left it at that. With Nonzero: The Logic of Human Destiny, Robert Wright achieves a qualified success, but a success nonetheless.
Life On The Other Side
by Sylvia Browne
51 used & new
1.0 out of 5 stars
Happy Meal
Sept. 20 2001
This review is from:
Life On The Other Side (Hardcover)
Being open-minded does not mean suspension of the critical faculty. Most metaphysical questions are not worth quibbling about, but when an author comes along and offers a minutely detailed account of the afterlife, it's eminently fair to point out her inconsistencies.
Sylvia Browne claims again and again that she is "skeptical," "addicted to research," and that everything she writes is the result of "exhaustive" study. Fair enough - extraordinary claims require extraordinary support. But apparently Browne does not think her fans are sophisticated enough to appreciate her intellectual labors. The book does not contain a bibliography or a single footnote, and every one of her "case studies" is anecdotal; the rest is revelation and faith. There's nothing wrong with faith, but if you're going to tease your readers with claims of scientific accuracy, or boost your credibility with claims of rationalism and academic integrity, you ought to be able to deliver.
If that were the only problem with this book, it would still get a passing grade as one of many viable contenders for a unified vision of the afterlife. However, Life on the Other Side is fraught with inconsistencies and absurdities that cannot be ignored. To list them all would be pedantic, but a few examples should suffice.
First, Browne claims that there is no death and no war on the other side. She also claims that many of the landmarks on earth - the Taj Mahal, the pyramids, the Great Wall of China - are actually replicas of structures that originally existed on the other side. She does not explain why the Taj Mahal and the pyramids, which are elaborate tombs, were built in a place that knows no death. Speaking of the pyramids, Browne states that one of her hypnosis subjects, in a past life, was a 7th century B.C. Assyrian laborer who worked on the pyramids (using anti-gravitational devises no less!). What? The pyramids were all completed by the end of the third millennium B.C.! As for the Great Wall, this magnificent structure makes perfect sense in the context of an earthly medieval China plagued by barbarians. But why would a world that knows no wars ever undertake such an extensive project of military engineering? Does Browne think her readers are so unsophisticated that they won't notice these discrepancies? If logical explanations exist, why doesn't she tell us? Surely, if a fact as trivial as the exact temperature (a uniform 78 degrees) is worth reporting (and repeating), then these other problems at least deserve a sentence or two.
In describing the landscape of the other side (which is a mirror image of Earth in its pristine state), Browne reverently observes that there is no erosion, no natural disasters, and that the mountains are as lofty as they were when God created them. She waxes poetic when she describes the waves crashing against the rugged cliffs. Oh yeah, and there's no sun, moon, stars or weather - just ambient light. Sounds pretty. But how did those cliffs get rugged without erosion from the waves? How did the waves get there without the gravitational pull of the moon to generate the tides and no weather to whip up the whitecaps? How did those mountains get there without the violence of plate tectonics and volcanism to raise them?
I suppose all of this could be chalked up to "God's will," but that answer seems a little evasive in light of the scientific language Browne uses to explain other phenomena. The other side is apparently another "dimension" and our ability to see into it involves tuning into a "higher vibration." This sounds a little like physics, but in fact it is not. I know some new age fans think this stuff can be explained by quantum mechanics, but I assure you it can't. Even string theory (the current leading candidate for the Theory of Everything), which talks a lot about vibrations and multiple dimensions, has absolutely nothing to say about astral travel, cellular memory or the immortality of the soul. Put down the Deepak Chopra and read In Search of Schroedinger's Cat by John Gribbin and The Elegant Universe by Brian Greene if you're curious.
I've got to stop myself soon, but I can't let this slip by: The catalog of life themes at the end of the book has an entry for "Justice." Apparently, when God is at the center of this life theme, a person will be a positive force for justice in the world like Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandella, or Clarence Darrow. For heaven's sake! Clarence Darrow? The atheist? Has she ever read him? Mr. Darrow might be surprised to find out that God is at the center of his life theme. Also, towards the beginning of the book, when she lists those authors who influenced her spiritual and philosophical development, Browne names Bertrand Russell. Apparently Sylvia didn't read his stuff too closely either, but I hope all of you will.
And while you're at it, pick up the Bible. Sylvia Browne claims familiarity with "all 26 versions" - why should her followers be any less knowledgeable? When you're done with that, read the Koran, the Talmud, the Laws of Manu and the Buddhist Scriptures. Read the Golden Bough and some Jungian psychology. Put it all into context by studying philosophy, history and anthropology. And don't consider your education complete until you've sampled the secular humanists. If you get this far, you will realize that Sylvia Browne's vision and style are insipid pastiche. Life on the Other Side is to spirituality what a Happy Meal is to a filet mignon.
The Portable Nietzsche
by Friedrich Nietzsche
56 used & new
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Read This Book - If You Dare!
Sept. 5 2001
This review is from:
The Portable Nietzsche (Paperback)
Just about everything worth saying about this volume has been said by the other reviewers. A few points are worth reiterating, however. First of all, Walter Kaufmann is a god. I read some of Nietzsche's writings in German while I was in college and, unlike most English-speaking reviewers, I can honestly say that Kaufmann's translation is superb. Kaufmann's editing is equally brilliant, and I recommend that the beginner follow the editor's advice and read this book cover to cover. Only then can one grasp the development of Nietzsche's thought in the manner Kaufmann intended.
Another reviewer ... found it necessary to fault Kaufmann for overemphasizing "those bits which show Nietz. At his most un-Nazi-ish." It's true that Kaufmann takes this approach, however it's not really a fault considering the circumstances of the book's first appearance. This collection was introduced within a decade of the end of World War II. At that time, Nietzsche's reputation in America was badly in need of rehabilitation, having suffered from the taint of Nazi appropriation. In fact, because of the paucity of good translations and informed commentary prior to Kaufmann, Nietzsche was never really habilitated in the first place in the English speaking world. From this perspective, Wilson's criticism appears to be misplaced.
My second point is directed at Nietzsche neophytes. Just about everyone is familiar with the handful of pithy Nietzsche quotes that have found their way into the popular consciousness: "God is dead," and "That which does not kill us makes us stronger" come to mind. I even saw an anarchist website one time that exhorted viewers to mine Nietzsche's books for "cool quotes"! (N. must be rolling in his grave �¿ again!). The point to be made here is that, like the Bible, Nietzsche's work can be quoted to support just about any point of view on any topic �¿ such is the breadth of his thought. But very few of these snippets carry their intended meaning unless they are read in context �¿ not just the context of an individual work, but the context of Nietzsche's oeuvre. Nietzsche took on the tough issues and came at them from all angles; and yes, sometimes he radically changed his mind. Thus, it's easy to accuse him of contradicting himself until one realizes the method to the madness �¿ namely, Nietzsche leaves no stone unturned in his quest for truth. This volume is particularly good at making all of this clear.
A final note: Nietzsche will uproot your most cherished prejudices, throw them on a vivisection table and tear into them without anesthesia. Small minds beware!
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|Virumaandi (Sandiyar)
|Directed by
|Kamal Haasan
|Produced by
|Kamal Haasan
Chandra Haasan
|Written by
|Kamal Haasan
|Kamal Haasan
|Music by
|Keshav Prakash
|Edited by
|Distributed by
|Raaj Kamal Films International
Release dates
|14 January 2004
Running time
|175 minutes
|₹10 crore (equivalent to ₹25 crore or US$3.7 million in 2016)
|Box office
|₹60 crore (equivalent to ₹149 crore or US$22 million in 2016)
Virumaandi is a 2004 Indian Tamil language drama film written, directed, and starring Kamal Haasan in the title role. The film revolves around the interview of two prison inmates, firstly Kothala Thevar (Pasupathy) life sentence inmate and secondly Virumaandi (Kamal Haasan) who is sentenced to hang. The criminals express how they feel about the direction their lives have taken and how they have ended up where they are. The film's narrative is based on the Rashomon effect. The film revolves around the controversy of the death penalty.
The cast also includes Abhirami, Napoleon, Rohini, Shanmugarajan, and Nassar in pivotal roles. The film's score and soundtrack were composed by Ilayaraaja. It was dubbed into Telugu as Pothuraju. The film won critical acclaim and was a commercial success at the box office. This film acquired cult status in Tamil cinema and inspired similar themes.The film was dubbed and released in Telugu as Pothuraju.
The film starts with Angela Kathamuthu (Rohini) and her cameraman in Central Jail interviewing prisoners serving life imprisonment and awaiting the death sentence. She meets Kothala Thevar (Pasupathy) who is serving a life sentence. He tells his version of the story that led to his conviction. According to him the root cause of the problem is Virumaandi (Kamal Haasan) - the happy go lucky rogue. His support to Kothala Thevar in his clash against Nallama Naicker (Napoleon) brings about a bonding between the two. Annalakshmi (Abhirami), the niece of Thevar falls for Virumaandi. Thevar with an eye on the fertile land owned by Virumaandi does not object to the romance. According to Thevar, Annalakshmi was abducted by Virumaandi and raped. A clash between Virumaandi and Thevar takes places in which 24 innocent people are killed.
Now it's Virumaandi's turn to tell his version of the story. He was in Singapore with a manual job. He took the blame for his cousin's fault and was sent home. His only relative was his grand mother, who did natural farming without artificial fertilisers and deep bore wells. Kothala Thevar had a silent eye on the fertile land owned by Virumaandi, as it had the only underground water availability. He treats Virumandi as his nephew. Virumandi falls in love with Annalakshmi at the Jallikattu. That night his grandmother passes away and 2 days later an attempt is made on his life. Annalakshmi finds him and admits him in the hospital to save his life. Gradually she falls in love with him. She taught him to apologize and that forgiveness is a virtue. A clash at the Panchayata infuriates Annalakshmi and she asks Virumaandi to apologize to the elders whom he insulted. He goes to apologize at night but Thevar and his men, thinking he has gone to take revenge, come in groups and hack down innocents to death. Thevar uses his clout to get out of the murder charge but Virumaandi who was involved in the bloodbath is disturbed because he had to lie to save Thevar and his kin. As part of the penance he wills his land for the villagers. Annalakshmi asks him to marry her and leave the village. He marries her at the village temple and goes away in the night with the girl and stays with his aunt whose son he helped. Thevar's men come when virumandi was away and abduct Annalakshmi and forcibly get her married to Thevar's nephew. This is to ensure that Annalakshmi's property does not go to Virumaandi. Annalakshmi commits suicide. Virumaandi takes revenge by hacking Thevar's 4 men to death . Thevar escapes. Nallama Naicker gives refuge to Virumaandi and sends him off to Chennai. Thevar and his men ask Nallama Naicker to hand over Virumaandi. A battle ensues in which Nallama Naicker is killed. The case goes to court. Virumaandi turns up in court. He finds all evidence is framed against him. He is convicted of having raped Annalakshmi and killing her and later on killing 26 men of Thevar who inquired into the rape.
Angela Kathamuthu's cameraman discreetly shoots the deputy jailor conspiring with wardens and convicts to bump off the chief jailor (Nassar). A revolt among the jail staff leads to a jail break, the jailor being stabbed and Virumaandi saving the vital evidence and Angela from the deputy jailor and his henchmen. The film ends with a note that the death sentence should be abolished.
- Kamal Haasan as Virumaandi
- Abhirami as Annalakshmi
- Pasupathy as Kothala Thevar
- Napoleon as Nallama Naicker
- Rohini as Angela Kaathamuthu
- Shanmugarajan as Paykkaman
- Nassar as Chief Jailor Jayanth
- Pyramid Natarajan as Advocate Vaidyanathan
- S. N. Lakshmi as Virumaandi's grandma
- Bala Singh as Rasu Kalai
- Thennavan as Kondarasu
- Bagla as Oomayan
- Ganthimathi
- O.A.K. Sundar as Kottaisamy
- Periya Karuppu Thevar as Temple priest
- G. Gnanasambandam as Jallikattu commentator
- Rajesh
- Karate Raja as Virumandi friend
- Kadhal Sukumar as Virumandi friend
- Sujatha Sivakumar as Pechi (Kottala Thevar's wife)
When Kamal Haasan commenced the shooting of his latest mega film 'Virumandi' in Madurai in April, 2003, the crowd swelled to over a lakh of people, a number unheard of at a shooting spot in the annals of the Tamil film industry. The movie generated so much interest that it became the talk of the town and the industry.
The inaugural function itself indicated that the film will best the trouble-makers and also prove wrong the Doubting Thomases. Attempts by some vested interests to halt the shooting made Kamal Haasan more determined than ever to complete it. The controversy surrounding the shooting of the film itself was unprecedented. The film was launched on 18 April 2003 under the title "Sandiyar"[1]
Again, it's the first movie where the ancient daredevilry bull-fight game of Jalli Kattu was shot live with real charging bulls and the never-say-die unarmed bull-fighters.
Although Jalli Kattu is very popular in places like Alanganallur and Tiruchi during the Pongal season, perhaps for the first time it was recorded live with all the accompanying action and bravery of the men for the benefit of the movie goers and for posterity as well. Over 50 choicest rugged bulls known for its toughness were specially selected along with trainers and bull fighters.
Not only the trainers, but the villagers who are familiar with the events were transported from the villages to the shooting spot to be part of the epoch-making event.
In all, almost 1,000 persons were brought from Madurai district to give an authentic flavor to the sequences. Several technicians risked their lives to capture live the realism involved in the bull fight which is going to be among the highlights of the film. It is bound to be action personified on the screen.
Two special Kangeyam bulls ever ready to charge were carefully trained with great difficulties for the movie, again a first in the tinsel world. The bulls were kept at Sivaji Gardens and trained. The lead actress Abirami and hero Kamal Haasan did their home work daily and spent time with the bulls as part of the familiarization process.
This is perhaps for the first time two southern villages were transported live to the Campa Cola complex in Chennai. It was a metamorphism of a rare kind. The complex was transformed into bustling Theni and Madurai villages with people speaking the local dialect.
The complex had festivities and fun, frolic and festoons. It was hard to distinguish the sets from the streets. The Jalli Kattu Street was so natural that even people who took part in scores of Jalli Kattu competitions could not believe their eyes and felt that they were in their native village.
Kottala Devar home and Nallamma Naicker palace were artistically built with dexterity that is bound to take people down the memory lane. It was hard to believe that the sets werecreated in Chennai, be it Virumandi temple, Central Prison or police station. They were the cynosure of all eyes.
The sets could become another Stratford-upon-Avon of England where people visit to see the monuments of WilIiam Shakespeare. There are even requests to Kamal Haasan not to abandon the sets for at least six months but to throw open to the public for viewing before the release of the film.
Art Director Prabhakaran had re-created the typical village that even a local villager who passes by the set would think that he is setting foot on his native land. The sets stand testimony to the creative hands and brains that worked for the success of the movie. Prabhakaran is all set to become Tamil Nadu 's top art director with the release of the film, claims the unit.
In the arena of action, Kamal Haasan decided to use for the first time High velocity spear thrower, air pressure units in the stunts to give real-life effects. This was thought about for Marudanayagam. The speed thrower has an amazing grit to throw the sharp edged Vel to over half a kilometre distance.
It can help the object travel like the amazing speed. of a rocket or that of sound. This left the actor and the entire unit speechless. A constant learner and an experimenter himself, Kamal decided to learn how to drive a moped without using his hands.
Live sound recording system was used and for the first time, the Neuendo machine was kept at the shooting venue. There were special cameras for fight scenes as well. Vadipatti drummers were specially brought to give the local flavor for the movie. Not only Vadipatti drummers but Vadugapatti crackers were used too.
Cinematographer Kesav Prakash who was trained in India and the United States was an assistant to Ravi K Chandran in Marudanayagam project and Kamal Haasan spotted him. Both Kamal Haasan and Keshav Prakash tried to make the film in high definition mode but had to abandon the project due to some technical snags.[2]
The film has won the following awards since its release:
2004 Puchon International Fantastic Film Festival (South Korea)
- Won - International Award for Best Asian Film - Virumaandi - Kamal Haasan
The leader of Pudhiya Tamizhagam, a caste-based political organisation in Tamil Nadu, K. Krishnasamy, had announced that he would not allow the shooting of the film in the southern districts of Tamil Nadu. The reason given out by him was that the movie would encourage casteist tendencies and foster violence and found the title of the film derogatory.
When actor Kamal Hassan sought protection for the shooting of the film from the Superintendent of Police, Theni District, the latter refused to provide protection stating that he could not arrange for protection to the film shooting for three months with the meagre police force available at their disposal.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa, going by this version of the Superintendent of Police, was also initially reluctant to spare a large section of the police force for film shooting. Kamal Hassan met the Chief Minister and explained to her that his film was not aimed at generating controversy, caste clashes or violence. His explanation apparently convinced the Chief Minister.[3]
The film was certified "A" by Censor Board.[4]
Box office[edit]
The film released in 425 screens worldwide and first in Tamil cinema with crossing 400 screens. This film opened with highly positive reviews from critics[5][6][7][8] and it was a super hit performer at the box office.[citation needed] It won the Best Asian Film Award at the International film festival in South Korea.[9]
The soundtrack features 10 songs composed by Ilayaraaja. This movie features live recording; most of the sequences were recorded lively.
Tamil track list[edit]
- "Onnavida" – Kamal Hassan, Shreya Ghoshal penned by Kamal Hassan himself
- "Andha Kandamani" – Ilayaraja, Kamal Hassan, Karthik Raja, Surendar, Tippu
- "Anna Lakshmi" – Kamal Hassan
- "Chandiyera Chandiyera" – Shreya Ghoshal
- "Karbagraham Vitu Samy Veliyerathu" – Ilayaraja, Kamal Hassan, Karthik Raja, Surendar, Tippu
- "Karumathur Katukulae" – Mary, Periya Karuppu Thevar, Sukumar, Thiruvudiyan
- "Kombulae Poov Suthi" – Kamal Hassan
- "Maada Vilakkae" – Kamal Hassan
- "Magarasiyae Manna Vitu Poniyae" – Theni Kunjaramma
- "Nethiyelae Pottu Vai" – Karunanidhi, Sukumar, Thiruvudiyan
Telugu track list[edit]
- Andagada Andagada – Swarnalatha
- Chiti Chepamma – Swarnalatha
- Intiki Deepam – Swarnalatha
- Kommalaku Pulu – SPB
- Nuvvuthappa Nenu – SPB, Sujatha
- Pilisthe Palike Deivam – SPB
- Tharigida Tharigida
- Extensive sets of rural Tamil Nadu and prison were erected in Chennai.
- Bulls from Madurai and nearby districts were transported to Chennai for the bull fight sequences.
- After much controversy, the film titled "Sandiyar" earlier was finally certified, and Kamal Haasan screened it at the National Film Festival in 2004.
See also[edit]
- ^ http://web.archive.org/web/20040410093043/http://chennaionline.com/entertainment/filmplus/sandiyar.asp
- ^ http://web.archive.org/web/20040124161809/http://www.chennaionline.com/eevents/2004/01virumaandi.asp
- ^ http://web.archive.org/web/20040202235044/http://www.chennaionline.com/society/crimeandsociety/06june30th.asp
- ^ http://web.archive.org/web/20040204190531/http://www.chennaionline.com/entertainment/filmplus/01virumaandi.asp
- ^ http://web.archive.org/web/20040214160830/http://www.chennaionline.com/Moviereviews/tammov324.asp
- ^ "Virumaandi". The Hindu (Chennai, India). 23 January 2004.
- ^ http://www.sify.com/movies/virumaandi-review-tamil-13361725.html
- ^ http://www.rediff.com/movies/2004/jan/16viru.htm
- ^ "Virumandi wins at Puchon Film Fest". Chennai, India: The Hindu. 30 July 2004. Retrieved 2011-01-22.

subset: commoncrawl


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Build your own inflation proof source of income in retirement with dividend stocks
Investors who are worried about inflation but want to protect their principal are often told to invest in Treasury Inflation Protected Securities, which are indexed for inflation. In other words, investors yield and principal are indexed to the CPI and adjusted as the CPI rises over time. This sounds like the perfect deal of a lifetime, except for two caveats.
First, the yields on short and medium term and even longer term TIPs (TIP) have been very low as of recently, indicating that any income growth would be derived solely from inflation. Second, some investors are afraid that the CPI number does not account for the actual inflation. Even a small difference of 1% annually compounded over a long period of time would make a difference in your retirement budget. There is also the factor that the basket of goods and services, which are used to calculate it, is different than the basket of goods and services that an individual investor uses.
So how can investors create an inflation proof source of income in retirement?
A very good solution is to create a diversified portfolio of at least 30 stocks, purchased over time. Try not to overpay for them, and make sure that they are in a market where earnings growth could be achieved. Without earnings growth, dividend growth is impossible to achieve for any sustainable period.
An investor whose main expense items are utilities, fast food, groceries, cigarettes and liquor as well as personal care items could build their own inflation proof source of income in retirement with the following dividend stocks:
Consolidated Edison, Inc.(ED), through its subsidiaries, provides electric, gas, and steam utility services in the United States. For example lets look at an investor whose monthly electric expense is about $100/month. They could purchase $20,000 worth of a basket of utilities stocks with long history of consistent dividend increases that yield 6%, in order to generate enough dividend income to never have to worry about this particular bill again. Con Edison is just one stock that could fit the characteristic. (analysis)
AT&T Inc. (T) operates as a communications holding company. Its subsidiaries and affiliates provide the AT&T brand services in the United States and internationally. What's better than having your landline or cellphone bill paid directly from your telecom company? If you spend $40/month on telecom services, you would need to invest approximately $8,000 in AT&T (T) stock. (analysis)
McDonald's Corporation (MCD), together with its subsidiaries, franchises and operates McDonald's restaurants in the food service industry worldwide. A $10,000 investment in McDonald's could provide enough income to purchase to purchase at least one big mac meal every week. (analysis)
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (WMT) operates retail stores in various formats worldwide. By purchasing enough Wal-Mart stock, dividend investors could receive sufficient income to pay at least a portion of their grocery expenses. (analysis)
Altria Group, Inc. (MO), through its subsidiaries, engages in the manufacture and sale of cigarettes and other tobacco products in the United States and internationally. By investing in Altria, investors could essentially pay for their tobacco expenses. (analysis)
Realty Income Corporation (O) engages in the acquisition and ownership of commercial retail real estate properties in the United States. Exposure to real estate would help investors hedge their rent expense. (analysis)
If you would like to have your consumer products "for free" you could invest in consumer prodcuts giants Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) and Procter & Gamble (PG). Johnson & Johnson engages in the research and development, manufacture, and sale of various products in the health care field worldwide. Check my analysis of this dividend aristocrat. The Procter & Gamble Company on the other hand engages in the manufacture and sale of consumer goods worldwide. The company has raised dividends every year for over half a century. (analysis)
In order to generate enough to pay for your gas expenses, a dividend investor might consider investing in one of the oil majors such as Exxon Mobil (XOM) or Chevron Texaco (CVX). Thus this investor would have the dividends received from these companies essentially pay for his or her annual gas expenses.
This article should really get you thinking not only about generating sufficient inflation adjusted income stream in retirement, but also about cutting unnecessary costs to the bone. Most novice dividend investors believe that simply purchasing the highest yielding stocks would do the trick of generating a sufficient dividend income stream for the next 3-4 decades. If a company is already paying most of its earnings out as dividends, chances are its ability to reinvest in the growth of the business are extremely strained. Because of the low growth expectations the market could assign a high current yield to this stock. Thus, an investor relying on this dividend stock might realize that it has failed to keep up with inflation and that he would have to downgrade his lifestyle.
Full Disclosure: I have positions in all stocks mentioned above
Relevant Articles:
- The case for dividend investing in retirement
- Utility dividends for current income
- The Sweet Spot of Dividend Investing
- Dividends Stocks versus Fixed Income
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Inflation Proof your income in retirement with Dividend Stocks
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Wow. I am SHOCKED. This kid is a true junior who has shown flashes throughout his career of being a dominant DT but never really put it together until late this season when he had some really good games. I was damn sure that after his senior year he'd be a better prospect than Deandre Coleman, who just graduated. Moala certainly HAS HAD the frame of an NFL DT since he committed to Cal (6'2", 387lbs then, reportedly 315lbs now and in much better shape) and I had no doubts he'd be in the pros some day, just not now, I don't understand his decision to enter the draft especially after having an interview after the season where he talked about how excited he was for his senior year and graduating. I don't think he has the tape to warrant being a high pick. He's going to need to blow up his workouts.
run-stuffing play at the goalline
http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=9853070 - video of him as a pass rusher
Draft Breakdown has started to put up some videos of him:
I've realized that you can also get a good look at him in Coleman's tape, so here (he's often the DT next to Coleman):
[ Edited by vrabbit on Jan 12, 2014 at 9:27 AM ]


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Cleveland Premier CIO Forum
June 21-22, 2016
The Premier CIO Forum is the premier practitioner-driven conference designed for and by CIOs for peer-to-peer exchange on technology and business integration best practices. We partner with the SIM Cleveland Chapter to create an atmosphere where IT Executives can network with their peers while also discussing technology, leadership and the business challenges that are seen in the ever-changing technology world.
Click here for more information.
Click here to register.
2016 Northeast Ohio GIS Symposium – August 25, 2016
Please join us for Northeast Ohio's premier GIS event, the 2016 Northeast Ohio GIS Symposium. Now in its fourth year, this event is larger than ever and will feature presentations, informative speakers, and industry exhibitors. Lunch and refreshments will be provided. Participants are also invited to join an evening social program following the event.
Click here for more information.
Information Security Summit – Oct. 24-28, 2016
Information Security Summit Week 2016 information will be coming soon which is being planned for late October. OCITA will be collaborating with the IS Summit for our Fall Event.
Link to the IS Summit website: https://www.informationsecuritysummit.org/
Click here for more information.
SAVE THE DATE - Wed. Oct 26th
OCITA will include their 2016 Fall Event at the ISS venue at LaCentre in Westlake, Ohio. Link to LaCentre: http://lacentre.com This year's OCITA Fall Event will be held in collaboration with the Information Security Summit Security Summit on Wednesday, October 26th. Details will be forthcoming.
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The PedCAM Network bi-monthly News Flash centralizes information about pediatric Complementary and Alternative Medicine. It contains information about PIM training opportunities, job opportunities, meetings & conferences and citations of interest.
Created in 2004, the Pediatric Complementary and Alternative Medicine Research and Education (PedCAM) Network is a Canadian network that aims at disseminating a wide range of CAM information and building collaborative relationships between researchers, educators, clinicians, and policy-makers, both nationally and internationally.
Sibinga EM, Webb L, Ghazarian SR, Ellen JM.
School-based mindfulness instruction: An RCT. Pediatrics. 2016;137(1):1-8.
Chang Y, Trivedi MK, Jha A, et al.
Synbiotics for prevention and treatment of atopic dermatitis: A meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials. JAMA Pediatrics. 2016;170(3):236-242.
Pennisi E.
The right gut microbes help infants grow. Science. 2016;351(6275):802.
Leiby A, Vazirani M.
Complementary, integrative, and holistic medicine: Integrative approaches to pediatric irritable bowel syndrome. Pediatr Rev. 2016;37(4):e10-15.
Phone: 780-492-3314
Fax: 780-492-5883
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com


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Video Industry News Video Company News Technology Industry News Technology Company News Novelty Industry News Novelty Company News Gay Industry News Gay Company News Legal Industry News All Company News
Released: Jan 28th, 2011
Running Time: 120 Min.
Company: Adam & Eve Pictures
Distribution Companies: Adam & Eve Pictures
Cast: Nina Hartley, Bree Olson, Shyla Stylez, Carmen Luvana, Claire Adams, Randy Spears, Tommy Gunn, Evan Stone
Genre: All-Sex
We offer for your enertainment an expert's guide to the sensual pleasures of bondage. It is packed with provocative scenes of delectable domination and sweet submission. Featuring an all star cast who's repertoire will explore a variety of kinky games in this dark yet popular genre!


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Southeastern US
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Southeastern US includes vendors who provide service to all of the following areas: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia.
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Lisa Stoner Events
Lisa Stoner recognizes that incredible events need to go beyond just great design. Cultivating experiences that integrate incredible design with the finest in cocktails, dining experiences, music, entertainment...
Fox Events
Fox Events has a flair for transforming meaningful celebrations into unforgettable experiences. We're passionate about pushing the envelope with punches of color, unexpected textures, bold patterns and innovati...
Leigh Pearce Weddings
Whether you are celebrating in a beautiful ballroom or at the beach, in a luxurious tent or on your grandparent's farm, our full service planning & design team will work together to cultivate the perfect day fo...
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The home of Australia's Chef Hat Awards and Readers Choice Awards
03 5182 54...03 5182 541903 5182 5419
238 Commercial Rd,Yarram VIC
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When travelling around the South East Coast along the South Gippsland Highway and up to Sydney, be sure to stop in, rest and revive at Commercial Hotel/Motel. Situated in the heart of Yarram's CBD, this hotel/motel is a favourite watering hole among locals as a place to enjoy wholesome meals and cold drinks with friends. There are 10 self-contained rooms on offer, making a great base for the adventurous to explore surrounding regions. Take a day trip out to admire the breath-taking scenery of Ninety Mile Beach and the splendour of Tarra Valley National Park, discover the history of Port Albert and if fishing is on your itinerary, there are many launching ramps nearby, with boats available for hire. When hunger strikes, simply head to the onsite restaurant, the Colonial Bistro.
Commercial Hotel/Motel is situated in the heart of Yarram's CBD, a favourite amongst locals and upon entering you can understand why! Enjoy a hearty welcome by owner Bernie Plummer who has owned this venue for the past 25 years and alongside his friendly good-humoured staff has developed a strong loyal following. This multi-faceted venue offers a country-style bar area, the 'Colonial Bistro' which seats up to 120 guests and comfortable accommodation with 10 rooms on offer (including tea & coffee making facilities).Enjoy the warmth of the rustic bar area adorned with a juke box boasting some fantastic song options to sing (or dance) along to; the TAB, two pool tables and 3 dart boards,and Keno ensure this venue is never short on entertainment.Colonial Bistro is the in-house restaurant and delivers hearty traditional country-style pub fare, including all your favourites; tenders steaks, chicken parmiagiana, fresh grilled scallops, calamari, pastas, soups and even homemade desserts! With its expansive inside dining area and lovely alfresco area, guests can enjoy dining without feeling crammed or pressured; enjoy a chance to relax and unwind with friends and family over flavoursome and generous well-priced meals. The specials board changes daily with meals priced at $6-$25, there is always something for every taste. Yarram is situated in the mecca of the picturesque countryside in Gippsland. Base yourself at the Commercial Hotel-Motel's whilst exploring the plethora of activities and many local attractions. From the breath-taking scenery of Ninety Mile Beach to the splendour of the Tarra Valley National Park and the history of Port Albert all within minutes drive. Fishing is a major attraction of many visitors to the area and Yarram ensures this sport is well catered for, with plenty of launching ramps, boat hire and charter boats at Port Albert alongside a plethora of shops selling tackle and bait! Fishing is a must when visiting Yarram; known as one of the best anywhere along the coast, with an abundance of snapper, gummy shark, large flathead and whiting on offer. Other sports include bushwalking, horse riding, bike riding, surfing and canoeing, with equipment available for hire in most cases. Enjoy Yarram's eighteen hole Golf Course, great shopping facilities and the recently restored Regent Theatre all providing ample activities for visitors to Yarram.
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January 26, 2016
There's a California-compliant trailer in your future, whether you want it or not. But what's not to want?
January 15, 2016
Since switching from biodiesel to renewable diesel, the Eugene Water & Electric Board (EWEB) in Oregon has reduced its fleet greenhouse gas emissions as well as maintenance on its diesel vehicles.
October 27, 2015
The old adage "the devil is in the details" could have been invented for the new "phase 2" greenhouse gas / fuel efficiency regulations proposed by the EPA and the NHTSA.
October 4, 2015
"We do not think economic conditions have to be amazing to have a good trucking industry," said a Freightliner executive, predicting strong truck orders into 2016.
September 23, 2015
The EPA is serious about further reducing exhaust emissions and boosting vehicle fuel economy. But the agency official's remarks suggested that it intends to be reasonable about it.
July 31, 2015
The Canadian government has announced new vehicle and fuel standards to reduce air pollution from on-road vehicles.
July 16, 2015
The amendment's underlying bill was pulled from further consideration when it became snarled in an unrelated controversy over the Confederate flag.
June 19, 2015
More than 37 percent of all diesel medium and heavy duty commercial trucks registered in the U.S. are now equipped with newer technology clean diesel engines (MY-2007 or newer with near-zero particulate emissions), according to new data compiled by IHS Automotive for the Diesel Technology Forum.
June 5, 2015
The commercial and government fleet members of the Chicago Area Clean Cities saved more than 25 million gallons of petroleum in 2014, which reduced fuel consumption and improved air quality, according to the group.
May 19, 2015
Upstream methane is seen as the biggest downside to natural gas trucks, according to a new policy-analysis paper published in the journal Environmental Science & Technology.
May 18, 2015
Göran Nyberg, Volvo Truck North America president, is concerned that the upcoming Phase 2 round of GHG regulations could push back hard against the advance of truck technology.
November 12, 2014
Following the implementation of programs at the Port of Los Angeles to reduce emissions from trucks, ships, trains and other equipment, a new report shows the facility has made big strides in cutting back on air pollution.
September 24, 2014
Proposals for Phase 2 of the federal government's Greenhouse Gas Emissions regulations are approaching a deadline for publication, but neither the Environmental Protection Agency nor the manufacturers affected know much about what will be in them.
August 18, 2014
The deadline to nominate a fleet for Heavy Duty Trucking's Top 50 Green Fleets has been extended through the end of the month to Friday, August 29.
July 17, 2014
To meet expected greenhouse gas/fuel efficiency standards, oil companies and engine makers have been busy developing a new standard for engine oils that will provide a new type of lower-viscosity oil to improve engine efficiency.
July 9, 2014
Environmental groups working hand in hand with trucking? "One of the key priorities for our organization over the coming years is to advance strong fuel efficiency and greenhouse gas standards in the heavy-duty truck space," says Jason Mathers with the Environmental Defense Fund. But he says he wants to do it in a way that makes sense for trucking businesses.
July 1, 2014
Overshadowed by the Hobby Lobby decision, the U.S. Supreme Court Monday turned aside a challenge to California's low carbon fuel standard, which a coalition of energy, farm and trade groups claimed illegally discriminates against fuel produced outside of the state.
June 12, 2014
Heavy Duty Trucking is looking for fleets that have made a commitment to sustainability, alternative fuels and lowering greenhouse gas emissions for its 2014 Top 50 Green Fleets.
October 2, 2013
Paragon Software Systems Inc. announced that Carbon Minimizer functionality adds environmental factors to its routing and scheduling optimization software.
March 8, 2013
Green shouldn't be the only color a fleet is considering when making a move toward "going green."
"The most important colors in business are still red and black," said Joe Fiorelli, fleet and safety director for Gulfeagle Supply during a session for NTEA's Green Truck Summit entitled, "Compounding the Green: Incremental Measures for Going Green and Sustainable."
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Posted| Updated
Australian cricket captain Ricky Ponting has downplayed the century he scored in the second Test against South Africa on Friday to join Don Bradman in the annals of Australian cricket.
Topics: cricket, south-africa, australia
About 130 emergency service volunteers from the ACT and surrounding New South Wales areas are gathering near Tharwa this morning for a three-day joint training exercise.
Topics: emergency-planning, tharwa-2620, nsw
Posted| Updated
Australia's Commonwealth Games team has gold medal hopes in five sports on day 10 of competition.
Topics: commonwealth-games, melbourne-3000
Bitter infighting is set to continue in the Western Australian Liberal Party, after the departure of Matt Birney as leader.
Topics: liberals, kalgoorlie-6430
The ACT Opposition has welcomed the findings of an internal police report on the role of officers in the death of Canberra student Clea Rose.
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The Northern Territory Government says the capture of two Chinese fishing vessels increases the need for the Commonwealth to pour more resources into combating illegal fishing.
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A new report published in Britain has cast doubt on the benefits of taking omega-3 fatty acids to avoid heart disease and cancer.
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Posted| Updated
New South Wales Industrial Relations Minister John Della Bosca has written to the state's councils advising them against the use of new federal industrial laws, which take effect next week.
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Posted| Updated
The National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU) has criticised a proposal for students to sell shares in their future income, in exchange for money while they go to university.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, whose peace-making policies were rejected by Hamas after it won elections, says he has proposed secret peace talks with Israel and believes a deal can still be reached within a year.
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New research from Melbourne's Alfred Hospital has found that people who smoke marijuana risk lung disease up to 20 years earlier than those who only smoke cigarettes.
Topics: cannabis, melbourne-3000
A woman and a young boy have died after their car plunged into the Murray River on the New South Wales-Victoria border.
Topics: road, echuca-3564, bega-2550
The Central Cheetahs produced the only try through Barry Goodes to beat the Queensland Reds 10-6 in their Super 14 clash in Bloemfontein this morning (AEDT).
Topics: super-12, south-africa, qld
Posted| Updated
World number one Amelie Mauresmo of France advanced to the third round of the WTA event in Miami today with a 6-0, 6-0 drubbing of Australia's Samantha Stosur.
Topics: tennis, united-states, australia
Tasmanian Aboriginal representatives will soon travel to Britain to arrange the repatriation of Aboriginal human remains from a public museum.
Topics: indigenous-aboriginal-and-torres-strait-islander, library-museum-and-gallery, united-kingdom, tas
A Customs patrol boat is expected to make contact today with a mystery tanker which is believed to be floating unmanned in the Gulf of Carpentaria.
Topics: maritime, darwin-0800, cairns-4870
Posted| Updated
Big seas are buffeting the exposed Queensland coast as cyclone Wati moves over the Coral Sea towards Lord Howe Island and Norfolk Island.
Topics: cyclone, brisbane-4000, nsw, maroochydore-4558, surfers-paradise-4217
Posted| Updated
The Central Cheetahs produced the only try through Barry Goodes to beat the Queensland Reds 10-6 in their Super 14 clash in Bloemfontein this morning (AEDT).
Topics: super-12, south-africa, qld
Companies that promoted a product called 'Slendertone' as a way to tone and firm the body with no effort by the user, have been found guilty of breaching the Trade Practices Act.
Topics: business-economics-and-finance, australia
Iraqi leaders have held their first formal talks in several days as the US keeps up pressure on them to form a national unity government to help quell the sectarian and insurgent violence that has seen 29 more people killed.
Topics: unrest-conflict-and-war, iraq
Posted| Updated
Talks between French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin and trade unions have ended in deadlock after Mr de Villepin refused to withdraw his contested youth jobs contract, opening the way for more protests next week.
Topics: industrial-relations, government-and-politics, unrest-conflict-and-war, france
Posted| Updated
A scientist says a hominid skull discovered in Ethiopia could fill the gap in the search for the origins of the human race.
Topics: archaeology, ethiopia
Posted| Updated
Father of Guantanamo Bay detainee David Hicks says he is pleased to have at least secured a hearing with the British High Commissioner.
Topics: prisons-and-punishment, foreign-affairs, australia, adelaide-5000, united-kingdom
The United States says they will impose new sanctions on the Government of Belarus in the wake of what they say are last weekend's flawed elections.
Topics: elections, trade, world-politics, belarus
Posted| Updated
Chelsea and Liverpool will meet for the 10th time in two seasons after being paired in the FA Cup semi-final draw on Friday.


text:
Chris Patterson's BlogVisual Studio Team System Test - North Carolina These postings are provided "AS IS" with no warranties and confer no rights.http://blogs.msdn.com/b/chrispat/atom.aspxTelligent Evolution Platform Developer Build (Build: 5.6.50428.7875)2006-05-18T10:05:00ZGetting started with reporting on your test management datahttp://blogs.msdn.com/b/chrispat/archive/2010/02/12/getting-started-with-reporting-on-your-test-management-data.aspx2010-02-13T02:50:13Z2010-02-13T02:50:13Z
This is the start of a series of posts that will hopefully help you understand how you can utilize the warehouse in Team Foundation Server to generate reports on your test management data.

Out of the box you get a number of useful reports that should go a long way in getting you the information you are looking for.  If you look on the SharePoint site that is created with your new team project, under the Excel Reports/Test Management folder, you will see five work books. Build Quality, Test Team Productivity, Test Team Progress and Testing Gaps.

Each of these work books contains a few work sheets that have either tabular or chart data on them and help answer a specific question.

Build Quality – contains two work sheets that focus on answering questions about testing on specific builds

Build verification testing

this shows the results for all of the "BVT" runs for builds. By default all runs published as part of the team build work flow are "BVT" runs

Testing activity per build

this shows all of the results for all runs on a build.  This will include all "BVT", automated and manual test runs.

Test Team Productivity – contains four work sheets that focus on answering questions about how productive your test team is about executing tests and finding bugs

Test Activity

Shows all of the manual testing that is taking place over time

Test Activity by User

Shows how many tests a given user has executed

Bugs Created by User

Shows how many bugs a given user has created

Bug Effectiveness

Show the resolution of bugs that were filed by a given user.  Resolution would be something like By Design, No Repro, or Fixed.  If many of the bugs filed by a particular user come back as no repro that could be something worth looking into.

Test Team Progress – contains five work sheets that focus on tracking how the team is progressing towards completion of their planned testing.

Test Plan Progress

Shows the status for the tests in a given test plan or set of test plans.  The status of the test might be Never Run, Passed, Failed or Blocked.  Hopefully over time this will move from all blue (Never Run) to all green (Passed)

Test Case Authoring Status

Shows how I am progressing towards authoring all of my planned test cases.  Hopefully your chart will move from all red (Design) to all green (Ready)

Test Status by Suite

Exactly the same as Test Plan Progress, however, instead of looking at the whole plan it breaks the data down by suite.

Test Status by Area

Again, same data as the Test Plan Progress but broken down by area path

Failure Analysis

Shows the analysis of test failures.  This can be useful in determining if you have a lot of test/environmental failures or if your test failures are actual application problems.

Testing Gaps

User Story Status

Shows a rollup of the testing by user story.  This can be useful if you are trying to make sure you have good coverage of your user stories or if there are any gaps

User Story Status by Config

Shows a rollup of your testing by user story across your different configurations.  This can be useful to help you determine if you have good coverage of your user stories for your various configurations.

Tests not Executed

This simply gives you a list of tests cases that you have yet to run for your test plan.

Aside from the excel work books there are a number of other reports that are built using sql server reporting services.  The unique thing about these reports is they can use the power of the MDX query language to bring data together from different parts of your life cycle.  Probably the most useful of these reports is the stories over view report and the description of the report says it all

and the screen shot is even better

This report gives you a singular view into the status of your users stores as it relates to completion (hours), testing (number of cases), test coverage (pass/fail) and quality (bugs).

I hope this post has given you a quick insight into some of the resources that are available to use out of the box with TFS.  In the subsequent posts in this series I will dig into more details of the structure of the analysis services cube and what the various measures and dimensions mean.  In addition I will show you how you can build some other commonly requested reports, in fact if you are using test management with VS 2010 and you are looking for a particular report please post in the comments and I will see if I can include that as one of my examples.
Chrispathttp://blogs.msdn.com/chrispat/ProfileUrlRedirect.ashxBranching and Looping in a Declarative Web Testhttp://blogs.msdn.com/b/chrispat/archive/2010/01/10/branching-and-looping-in-a-declarative-web-test.aspx2010-01-11T04:10:45Z2010-01-11T04:10:45Z
Visual Studio 2010 in a huge number of new features and capabilities across a wide range of disciplines.  In many cases these features are small continual improvements to existing features areas and they tend to get lost in the hubbub of the big new shiny stuff.  Since its first release in Visual Studio Team System 2005 the web and load testing features have quietly and steadily been improved in each release.  Each time we have added more functionality and more valuable to one of the least marketed but potentially most valuable parts of the suite.  In this post I will cover one of the small features that I believe will have a big impact on users that are writing Web Performance Tests (formerly Web Tests).

In the previous two releases of Visual Studio Team System (new Visual Studio ALM Tools) if a user wanted to put any conditional logic into their web tests they were forced to drop in to code.  While this is not too big of a deal on the surface, as soon as you drop into code you loose a lot of productivity that the visual editor affords you.  In addition there are many cases were the person writing the web test is not a developer and they do not have knowledge to write in C# or VB.NET code.  In that case they had no ability to have condition or looping logic in their web tests.

In Visual Studio 2010 you now have the ability to add both branches and loops into your declarative web tests, in addition you have the ability to create your own conditional rules to control your branching and looping logic.

Adding a loop to your web test

Lets take the example of a simply web test on our ecommerce web site.  In this test we want to simulate a user that is simply browsing our catalog.

As you can see we have only two requests, one to the product list page and one to the product details page.  While this test is all a browsing customer will do you our site, it is not a very good representation of that customer.  In the current test each customer will browse only 1 product and it will always be the same product of the same category.  Let's see if we can make it a little more repetitive of what we might expect.

The first thing we would do for this test is to databind it to a list of products so we can as least have the user browse a different product each time.

After this modification each time a user runs this test they will at least browse for a different category of products and a different product.  However, in most cases we hope that a user will spend more than just a few seconds on our site and we would like them to browse more than one Item. In previous releases of Visual Studio you would have two options.

The first option would be to drop into code, however, that has a bunch of drawbacks on productivity so we don't want to go that route.  The second option would be to add a bunch of requests to the products list and product details page.  While this would work we would be stuck with each user executing the same number of requests per test iteration and in each of those requests would request the same category and the same product per test iteration as the data source cursor does not advance during the execution of the test only between iterations.

To get around these issues and create a test that is more realistic to a browsing customer on our site we will add a loop around the two key requests.

Right-click on the request where you want the loop to start and select "Insert Loop…" from the context menu to launch the "Add Conditional Rule and Items to the Loop" dialog.

As you can see in the dialog there are a variety of different conditional rules you can use to control the flow of your loop.  There are some basic loops like the "For Loop" or simple "Counting Loop" that will execute the selected requests a specific number of times before exiting.  In our cases we want to simulate a broad set of our browsing customers so we want a loop that will execute the set of requests a random number of times so we have picked a "Probability Rule".

The "Probability Rule" will execute our loop based on a percentage so such that each time the loop comes around it will "roll the dice" and if it returns true the loop will execute and if it returns false it will not.  In our site we have determined that 70% of the time our customers look at more than 1 product when they are browsing so we will put that number in.

There are a couple of other properties on this rule that are interesting:

The first one is the "Advance Data Cursors".  When set to "True" as we have here this tells the engine to advance the cursor on our data source forward with each iteration of the loop.  This has the effect of having the user browser for a different category and product each time they execute the requests in the loop.  The second on is "Max Number of Iterations".  This will force the loop to execute after a maximum number of iterations, in this case 8, as been reached regardless of the outcome of the processing of the conditional rule.

Once we have completed the dialog we see the rule added to our test

And when we run our test we can see that our loop has executed more than once

Adding a branch to your web test

Lets take our same example of a simple web test but in this case we want the user to login into our site unless they have already logged in before.

Right-click on the request where you want to begin your branch and select "Insert Condition…" from the context menu to launch the "Add Conditional Rule and Items to Condition" dialog.

You will notice that this dialog looks exactly the same as the previous dialog right down to even having some of the same conditional rules for branches as loops.  In our case we are going to select the "Cookie Exists" rule from the list, set the properties and click "Ok".

Now that we have inserted the rule into our test we see the following:

One thing that you will have to know about branching conditional rules is sometimes you will have to negate a rule in order to get the behavior you want.  In our case we will have to set "Check for Existence" to False in order to let the rule execute if the cookie is not there and not execute if the cookie is there.

Summary

Declarative branching and looping in Visual Studio 2010 allows you to build more complicated and realistic web tests without having to resort to code.  This lets you maintain the high level of productivity of the visual editor for web tests and lets those non-coder users have more power.
Chrispathttp://blogs.msdn.com/chrispat/ProfileUrlRedirect.ashxNew VSTS Load Test Integration on CodePlexhttp://blogs.msdn.com/b/chrispat/archive/2009/06/16/new-vsts-load-test-integration-on-codeplex.aspx2009-06-16T17:26:50Z2009-06-16T17:26:50Z
Project Description
This tool takes a WCF trace file and a WCF client proxy, or a WCF interface contract, and generates a unit test that replays the same sequence of calls found in the trace file. The code generated is easily modifiable so that data variation can be introduced for the purpose of doing performance testing.
The tool generates code for both Visual Studio 2005 and Visual Studio 2008. It also installs a wizard into both editions of Visual Studio for creating the trace and processing it from inside Visual Studio. If both editions are present the tool is installed into both editions. The source code is a Visual Studio 2005 project.
Latest Release June 2009

A new beta was released in June 2009 adding support for ASMX web services. Download it from here.

Features

Replay of captured scenario in a unit test that can be included in a load test.

Support for the DataContractSerializer.

Support for message contracts.

ASMX support (beta)

Support for proxies generated using svcutil.

Support for clients that create proxies at run time from contract interfaces.

Supports calls to multiple services in a single scenario.

Supports multiple calls to the same service operation.

Filtering by SOAP action of which messages in the trace to replay.

Readable and modifiable code is generated.

Automatic association of trace message with proxy method (requires all operations to have a unique SOAP action).

Support for client and server side traces.

A command line tool for processing traces and generating code.

Visual Studio 2005/2008 integration (Team Developer, Team Test, Team Suite and for 2008 also Professional)) that can be used instead of the command line tool.

Chrispathttp://blogs.msdn.com/chrispat/ProfileUrlRedirect.ashxCheckout Team System for Testers at Tech-Ed 2006http://blogs.msdn.com/b/chrispat/archive/2006/05/25/607069.aspx2006-05-25T20:49:00Z2006-05-25T20:49:00Z
Ed Glas is giving a session on the load testing features of Visual Studio Team Edition for Software Testers.

Delving into Visual Studio 2005 Team Edition for Software Testers

Day/Time: Monday, June 12 5:00 PM - 6:15 PM Room: 104 ABC

Speaker(s): Ed Glas

Visual Studio 2005 Team Edition for Testers includes powerful load testing tools. Drill into the advanced load testing features to find out how to find performance and stress bugs in your applications before putting them into production. We show you how to take advantage of the advanced extensibility points in Web, unit, and load tests to build effective load tests. Find out how to model different user populations accessing your application through browsers and Web services. Learn how to identify problems using performance counter thresholds SQL profiler integration, and how to share results with your team through rich reports. In addition, we cover how to generate massive loads using Team Test Load Agents.

Track(s): Developer Tools

Session Type(s): Breakout Session

Session Level(s): 300

Edi is the Group Manager for Team System Test in Raleigh, North Carolina so if you are interested in our tools and want to give feedback he is the man to give it to.
Chrispathttp://blogs.msdn.com/chrispat/ProfileUrlRedirect.ashxTeam Build Links and Stuffhttp://blogs.msdn.com/b/chrispat/archive/2006/05/22/team-build-links-and-stuff.aspx2006-05-22T18:09:00Z2006-05-22T18:09:00Z
I get a bunch of questions about Team Build and it seems that I am usually searching the web or my email to find the same set of links that I have sent before. So I thought I would create a blog post that I can send a link to. That way I can continually update the post with new information that I find.

Blogs and blog posts that I have found on Team Build.

Bloggers

Gautam Goenka (MSFT)

Khushboo's blog

Anutthara's WebLog

I know the answer (it's 42)

Manish Agarwal

Nagaraju Palla's WebLog

Posts

Nagaraju Palla's provides a great post on which properties and targets you can override and what order they are called in.

http://blogs.msdn.com/nagarajp/archive/2005/10/27/485980.aspx

Web Deployment

A very common question I get revolves around deploying a website from Team Build for testing. Since Team Build is capable of running unit, web and load tests as part of a build it would make since to deploy that newly built website so you could target it.

There are a couple of different way of accomplishing this.

The first way seems to be the easy way. I haven't tried this personally but I intend to.

There is a download on MSDN that adds a web deployment project to VS2005. The description pretty much sums it up.

Visual Studio 2005 Web Deployment Projects provide additional functionality to build and deploy Web sites and Web applications in ASP.NET 2.0 and Visual Studio 2005. This add-in includes a tool to merge the assemblies created during ASP.NET 2.0 pre-compilation, and provides a comprehensive UI within Visual Studio 2005 to manage build configurations, merging, and using pre-build and post-build tasks with MSBuild."

From: Visual Studio 2005 Web Deployment Projects

Additionally there is a TechNote written by Anutthara Bharadwaj that describes how these deployment projects work with Team Build.

The second way would entail you customizing your Team Build script with all the necessary tasks to deploy your website.

This process is described in another TechNote

Between these two resources you should be able to get up and running in short order.
Chrispathttp://blogs.msdn.com/chrispat/ProfileUrlRedirect.ashxWhat is the deal with all this blogginghttp://blogs.msdn.com/b/chrispat/archive/2006/05/18/600967.aspx2006-05-18T17:05:00Z2006-05-18T17:05:00Z
It seems everyone who is anyone is their field or anyone who has an opinion about something or if they just like their cat a lot is now blogging their lights out. I am utterly amazed that the variety of topics that people want to write about on a website, but I suppose that is the draw. We have the medium that is totally un-censored and un-edited where anyone with an internet connection can spill their guts to the world in complete anonymity if they so choose.

For a long time I have been reluctant to start a blog. Mostly I don't think I have anything new or original to say but I also have a general un easy feeling about putting my opinions out on the internet for everyone critique. At any rate here I am writing a post for a blog. I have no idea what I am going to put here or how regularly I am going to post, but at least I can tell myself that I tried.

So here goes it should be an interesting experiment or maybe it will be another collection of links to other peoples more original, more thoughtful and probably more useful information.
Chrispathttp://blogs.msdn.com/chrispat/ProfileUrlRedirect.ashx


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