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Product Details
Supreme™ Rear Stabilizer Bar Link Kit by Mevotech®. Quantity: Sold as a Kit. If you're looking for great quality, great prices, and lots of satisfied customers, Mevotech Supreme parts are for you! Put through rigorous testing beyond any normal conditions, Mevotech parts are highly durable even in the most extreme conditions. Mevotech Supreme products are greasable and designed with special grease channels that allow for smoother rotation and improved grease flow, meaning less wear and tear on ball studs and bearings, and leading to a significantly increased serviceable life.
|Bearing Type: Sintered Metal
|Design Type: T2 Type
|Includes Hardware: Yes
|Grease Fittings Included: Yes
|Greaseable: Yes
|Pre-Greased: Yes
|Finish: Corrosion Resistant
- High quality at an affordable price
- Built to match your exact requirements
- Precision engineered for your vehicle
- The black oxide coating provides high resistance to variable corrosion factors
- Improves your vehicle's handling
- Over-Built with sintered metal-to-metal technology for added endurance and durability
- SAE grease fitting is included for serviceability
- Corrosion resistant surface treatment prevents the build up of rust for longer service life
Stabilizer links transfer weight between the left and right sides of a vehicle. When a vehicle makes a turn, lateral force is applied proportional to the rate of lateral acceleration. Because the center of gravity sits relatively higher than the suspension, this lateral force causes the vehicle to lean away from the direction in which the vehicle is turning. Most commonly you'll see this in a motor home or large bus, and you may notice the top of the vehicle tilting when it turns a corner. A stabilizer link transmits some of the lateral force exerted in a turn to the opposite side of the vehicle. This allows the body of the vehicle to stay stable, provides a more comfortable driving experience, and ensures better road handling. Stabilizer links are subjected to extremely high torque loads, and, because of their relatively small size, they will be one of the first parts in the suspension system to require servicing and replacement.
Metal design of internal components - Internal metal designs are widely used in the manufacture of Mevotech X Factor stabilizer links. These designs incorporate highly durable upper and lower metal bearings that surround the ball joint stud and ball, and they include grease fittings to allow for grease and lubrication to be injected into the central area to prolong the life of the stabilizer link.
Black oxide coating - The black oxide coating provides high resistance to variable corrosion factors such as road debris and adverse road and weather conditions, ensuring prolonged life of the stabilizer link.
For several decades already, Mevotech has been revolutionizing the automotive aftermarket creating top-quality and technologically advanced OEM replacement parts. At Mevotech they say: Fix it once and fix it right! That's why Mevotech puts every unit through rigorous testing before it is available for purchase. Mevotech's exceptional quality control and assessment process checks products at multiple points to ensure their parts meet or exceed OEM specifications. You can experience better performance and longer service life upgrading your vehicle to Mevotech. Go with Mevotech and make sure your vehicle is in prime working condition next time you sit down to drive it.
Mevotech® has been revolutionizing the automotive aftermarket for over thirty years. Since 1982 Mevotech has been learning and innovating to ensure that Mevotech creating top quality, technologically advanced automotive parts while delivering the best customer service and support in the industry.


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|No such thing as a small change
Re^2: A Guide to Installing Modulesby tachyon (Chancellor)
|on Jul 30, 2004 at 13:08 UTC ( #378669=note: print w/replies, xml )
|Need Help??
Without being too rude the whole idea of this tutorial was to teach you how to install a Module by hand. PPM and CPAN are convenience tools. Like all tools they have issues. You have just found one.
Go to search.cpan.org. Type in Win32::RASE, search, download the module, extract it (winzip will do). While you are there type in 'enum' - this is another module (enum.pm), so do likewise - download and extract it as well.
Now get a command prompt. Navigate to dir where you extracted the modules to (I extract into c:\temp) so cd c:\temp\[module name] will do it. Follow instructions above ie perl Makefile && nmake && nmake test && nmake install
If you try to do RASE first you will note it says it needs enum.pm (that's why you got it) so do that first and RASE second. It is very easy and should take no more that a couple of minutes.
If you want the docs (from the pod) to appear in the ActiveState docs do one of these after you have installed the modules.
In Section Tutorials

subset: commoncrawl


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LOS ANGELES – Prosecutors say a man who was detained by Taye Diggs after the actor found him at his home has been charged with felony burglary.
Hassan Omar Juma faces up to six years in prison if he is convicted and is scheduled to be arraigned in a Los Angeles courtroom Wednesday afternoon.
Diggs detained the 20-year-old after he and his wife found him in their garage on Sunday night. The "Private Practice" star was returning from the Screen Actors Guild Awards, where he was a presenter.
Juma was charged Wednesday with first-degree felony residential burglary. He's jailed in lieu of $50,000 bail.
Police say Diggs caught Juma after chasing him and neither man was hurt in the incident.


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Living in the spiritual world
Israel's biggest daily newspaper is boasting a new international correspondent – Madonna.
The Material Girl's byline is on the front page of Wednesday's issue of Yediot Ahronot with an excerpt from her upcoming article headlined: "How My Life Changed."
The paper translated her words into Hebrew. Madonna's full article is to be published Friday.
Madonna isn't Jewish but she has adopted the Hebrew name of Esther and studies Jewish mysticism.
She made a private pilgrimage to Israel in 2004 and plans two shows in the country in September as part of her Sticky & Sweet tour.
In her article, the 50-year-old entertainer describes her religious awakening almost 14 years ago, saying she realized fame and fortune were not the end but only the beginning.


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Thursday, September 27, 2007
Dam removal not just a dream
PGE has created a fascinating website with demolition videos, time lapse demonstration of river restoration, and lots of explanatory material.
This is the biggest dam removal project in the northwest in over 40 years. Thanks to PGE for recognizing the value of a free-flowing river. It's gratifying to see this happening, since I worked with PGE and fishermen on efforts to define where, when, and how it makes sense to restore natural river habitats. Tweet
4 comments:
- AC said...
I've been half-following this story and there's one thing I don't get that maybe you could explain.
Since salmon/steelhead spawn where they were born, often in the exact stretch of river, I'm kinda curious what would cause a fish that wasn't from this far upstream to go there to spawn. Won't they stop where they were born?
- Fri Sep 28, 05:00:00 AM PDT
- Mark Powell said...
Salmon blocked by dams often continue to try to get upstream past the dam. It's one of the saddest sights in nature, watching salmon sometimes beat themselves to death in such a noble but futile attempt.
I don't have proof to cite, but I expect that the fish will quickly start re-colonizing the upstream areas above the old dam. But...it's a bit of an experiment. If necessary human assistance can help begin the process, by moving adult fish or acclimating juveniles to areas above the dam.
- Fri Sep 28, 08:14:00 AM PDT
- Mark Powell said...
I forgot to mention two things:
Great question Alex!
Although salmon return to their home stream with great fidelity, there is a bit of "straying" that is biologically valuable. It helps with such things as recolonizing newly available habitat. Sometimes streams are blocked naturally (usually smaller streams) and so this ability has an important natural function.
- Fri Sep 28, 08:16:00 AM PDT
- AC said...
Thanks Mark,
That makes sense
- Fri Sep 28, 10:29:00 AM PDT


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Challenges and Opportunities
When families consider homeschooling, there are many issues to explore.
Time commitment. Homeschooling requires an enormous time commitment by at least one parent. However, many parents of highly gifted children are already actively committed to their children's education. Parents find themselves trying to squeeze in extra hours for music, dance, and art. Frequently, their evenings are spent enriching the classroom curriculum so their children will continue to be academically challenged. These parents claim that homeschooling is a way to tailor their children's education to specific needs and interests at the appropriate academic challenge level, and to create an integrated educational environment that includes a wide range of activities.
Talk together as a family to decide if this is the appropriate choice for you. As with any educational option, homeschooling works better for some students and parents than for others. Some find the demands and intensity of homeschooling to be too stressful; others love the freedom and challenge.
Resources and financial considerations. Homeschooling parents use many resources and materials. These can become expensive, but there are ways to defray some of the costs. Homeschooling parents can borrow from each other, share resources, and make use of common items in the house and natural environments for curriculum material. The public library is a rich resource for books and videos. Many libraries offer interlibrary loans and vacation-loan extensions to the public. The Internet offers a wealth of highly sophisticated information, especially in the academic subject areas. A computer in the house is an advantage, but there are other ways to gain access to the Internet; for example, some public libraries and schools offer access.
When considering homeschooling, explore resources and materials in advance. At all levels, verify the type of support schools will provide. If they have a gifted program, they may provide curriculum suggestions and guidelines. Contact others who are homeschooling through your state's homeschooling network.
Academic considerations. Homeschooling can offer increased flexibility and academic challenge. Flexibility is particularly important since many gifted students are uneven in their abilities. For example, a child may be several years ahead in math, but struggling with reading or writing.
Some children excel in all areas and require academic challenges to remain motivated in school. Many of these students sit idly, waiting for the class to catch up (U.S. Department of Education, 1994b). A rigorous, academically challenging curriculum offers the opportunity to insert depth and breadth. For example, the use of primary or original sources and advanced reading material may lead the gifted learner into critical thinking about an academic subject area or an interdisciplinary approach to subject matter. Projects, hands-on learning, and problem-based learning may provide interesting approaches to academic content.
Gifted homeschoolers enjoy opportunities to develop in multifaceted ways and pursue interests without time and curriculum constraints. Individual learning, tutorials, and small group classes are some of the options.
Social considerations. Many people have expressed concern about the social life and potential isolation of homeschooled children. Studies of social adjustment and self-esteem indicate that home-educated students are likely to be socially and psychologically healthy (Montgomery, 1989; Shyers, 1992; Taylor, 1986). Homeschooled students tend to have a broader age-range of friends than their schooled peers, which may encourage maturity and leadership skills (Montgomery, 1989). Homeschoolers are not necessarily isolated from others of their age; they meet and socialize with peers in their neighborhood and at community classes and activities.
With concerted effort by families, most homeschoolers can find avenues for social and intellectual interaction. When a student is interested in a topic, efforts can be made to ensure that the student talks with people of various backgrounds and viewpoints. A mentor working individually with the student may add stimulation and challenge. Professional societies and community organizations are a good place to start looking for people interested in sciences such as astronomy, visual and performing arts, and music. Libraries, museums, parks departments, historical sites, scout and sport programs, local businesses, religious groups, and theater groups expand homeschooling programs. Some homeschool groups have formed their own sports teams, and participate in community leagues. Homeschoolers benefit from volunteering in agencies such as hospitals, nature centers, museums, parks, libraries, and businesses.
Legal considerations. Homeschooling is legal in all 50 states, Canada, and many other countries. Some states require that parents notify the local school district of their intent to homeschool; others require parents to register with the state department of education. Some permit a homeschool to register as a private school. Many states require yearly proof of student progress. Some states have additional requirements, such as the submission of a curriculum plan or education requirements for parents. Except for yearly standardized testing as an assessment of student achievement, services for homeschoolers have not been routinely available from the states. A few states permit homeschooled students to participate in public school classes or activities. Many state education agencies have a homeschooling liaison to help families understand state requirements. Federally mandated special education services may be available to homeschooled students through the public schools.
Since states vary in their specific requirements, obtain a copy of your state's homeschool law from your state department of education or your state legislator's office. Local homeschool support groups are good sources of information on complying with the local laws and regulations.
Ways to Homeschool
There are many methods of homeschooling; no single method is best. Success often comes through experience, confidence, and willingness to experiment. Many parents prefer the structure and security of a correspondence or purchased curriculum in the first year, switching to their own tailored program once they have developed experience and feel more confident. Some parents prefer to use textbooks and commercial curricula; others prefer to use a variety of resources. Some parents opt to teach all subject areas to their children; others seek out classes or tutorials for some or all of the subjects, especially for homeschooled high school students. Approaches may vary with individual children and change over time as demands and experiences alter their lives. Reading accounts of other homeschool experiences and getting to know other homeschoolers offers perspective, ideas, and appreciation for the many ways of homeschooling.
What Resources are Available to Develop or Assess the Quality of a Homeschool Curriculum?
Testing and evaluations of subject area competencies can be useful in planning an educational program and assessing its outcomes. A combination of assessments normally provides the most complete picture of a child's progress. Off-grade standardized testing and portfolio evaluations may also be appropriate. Standardized grade-level achievement tests may be available from your local school district or state department of education. These tests can be used to ensure that students are keeping up with local school district grade level competencies. Homeschooling families should plan for objective assessment as part of the curriculum. Not only does objective assessment document achievement, but the results should inform program planning. To investigate the topic of assessment, contact the ERIC Clearinghouse on Assessment and Evaluation (1-800-GO4-ERIC).
Model content and performance standards are available in many of the subject areas. Content standards define what students should know and be able to do. They describe the knowledge, skills, and understanding that students should have in order to attain high levels of competency in challenging subject matter (U.S. Department of Education, 1994a). Performance standards identify the levels of achievement in the subject matter set out in the content standards and state how well students demonstrate their competency in a subject (U.S. Department of Education, 1994a). By following the basic academic standards set by the states or the national subject area standards, parents have a rich framework from which to develop challenging curriculum. Homeschooling resources and information on obtaining standards is provided in ERICEC Minibibliography EB18, which is part 2 of this digest.
International, national, and regional competitions may be valuable assessments of and incentives for achievement. Further, competitions may provide feedback as to how the student compares with others who are interested in the same area. Regional and national competitions can be found in most fields, including math, science, computer programming, writing, engineering, geography, environmental, art, music, and dance. Specific examples are included in Homeschooling Resources (EB18). A selected list of competitions and activities can be obtained for a fee from the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP).
How Well Do Homeschoolers Perform?
One way to compare homeschooled students with peers who attend public schools is to use standardized achievement test scores. A study of homeschooled student scores on standardized achievement tests shows higher scores than the general population (National Home Education Research Institute, 1997). Galloway (1995) investigated homeschooled graduates' potential for success in college by comparing their performance with students from conventional schools and found insignificant differences, except in the ACT English subtest scores. Homeschooled students earned higher scores in that subtest.
What About College?
The later high school years should be structured with college applications in mind. These years may be managed in a variety of ways. Some students remain in homeschooling and receive no diploma. Others choose to reenter public school during high school to align themselves with peers and obtain a standard diploma. Others select a combination that will take advantage of Advanced Placement courses or other academic and extracurricular offerings.
Limited research suggests that the home educated do well in college (Sutton & de Oliveira, 1995; Galloway, & Sutton, 1995). Furthermore, homeschoolers may find the unique experiences and abilities gained through homeschooling make them attractive to competitive colleges. Check with the colleges of interest to determine if they have specific application requirements for homeschoolers. When standard high school student transcripts are not available, colleges may need other information to make an informed decision. SAT scores may be given more weight, since they are a way of comparing a homeschooler to the general college-bound population. Transcripts from community college courses taken during high school years can be useful. Letters of recommendation from persons who have worked with the homeschooler in tutorials, apprenticeships, community service, and social activities may prove very valuable. A detailed description of unique homeschool courses, in-depth independent projects, competitions, publications, and community service activities will help a college understand the quality of an applicant's homeschool education and recognize the student as a competitive applicant. An interview, when offered by a college or university, is particularly important for homeschool applicants.
Where Can Families Get Information?
This digest has an accompanying bibliography (EB18) that provides a wide variety of resources. The following resources and others cited in their bibliographies are another place to start. There are many parent discussion groups on the Internet that discuss homeschooling issues. Groups such as TAGFAM and TAG-L are listed on the ERIC EC website /gifted/gt-menu.htm. Or, seek out a local homeschool support group. You can find one by checking with state organizations listed in some of the magazines and through some of the Internet sites listed in EB 18. Other sources include libraries; state and local boards of education, especially state or local gifted advocacy groups; La Leche League; and religious organizations. Be sure to look for groups that match the underlying philosophy that attracted you to homeschooling.
Galloway, R. A., & Sutton, J. P. (1995). Home schooled and conventionally schooled high school graduates: A comparison of aptitude for and achievement in college English. Home School Researcher, 11(1), 1-9.
Galloway, R. A. (1995). Home schooled adults: Are they ready for college? ED384297.
Lines, P. M. (Oct. 1991). Estimating the home schooled population. Working Paper. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education, Office of Research and Improvement. ED 337903.
Lines, P. M. (1995). Homeschooling. ERIC EA Digest No. 95, ED381849.
Montgomery, L. R. (1989). The effect of home schooling on the leadership skills of home schooled students. Home School Researcher, 5(1), 1-10.
National Home Education Research Institute, (1997). Strengths of their own: Home schoolers across America: Academic achievement, family characteristics, and longitudinal traits. Salem, OR: National Home Education Research Institute.
Ray, B. D. (1996). Home education research fact sheet IIb. Salem, OR: National Home Education Research Institute.
Shyers, L. E. (1992). A comparison of social adjustment between home and traditionally schooled students. Home School Researcher, 8(3), 1-8.
Sutton, J. P., & de Oliveira, P. (1995). Differences in critical thinking skills among students educated in public schools, Christian schools, and home schools. ED390147.
Taylor, J. W. (June, 1986). Self-concept in home-schooling children. Home School Researcher, 2(2), 1-3.
U.S. Department of Education (1994a). High standards for all students. http://www.ed.gov/pubs/studstnd.html
U.S. Department of Education (1994b). Prisoners of time. http://www.ed.gov/pubs/studies.html/#Time_and_Learning
Note. The Home School Researcher is published by the National Home Education
Research Institute, PO Box 13939, Salem OR 97309. 513-772-9580.
URL: http://www.nheri.org.
Top of Page Back to ERIC Menu Back to Hoagies' Gifted Education Page


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America loves speed. The 1960s and 1970s might have produced the wildest and rarest muscle cars packing giant torque-rich V-8s, but the 1980s brought its share of powerful machines to the street, too—cars that were quick and met the more stringent emissions controls. And behind the horsepower there are some surprising stories.
10 Surprising Facts About American Muscle Cars
Because America loves speed.
1968 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500
1984 Chevy Corvette
1969 Dodge Charger Daytona
1970 Oldsmobile 442
1978 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am
1969 Ford Mustang Boss 429
1970 Chevy Chevelle LS6
1969 Pontiac GTO Judge
1969 COPO Camaro
1987 Buick GNX
Source: popularmechanics.com
March 12, 2015


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India-Pakistan bonhomie certainly appears to be the flavor of the season. Pakistan's President Asif Ali Zardari's recent luncheon meeting with Indian Premier Manmohan Singh, easing of regulations to allow closer economic ties and the recent statement of Indian Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai that India was willing to talk to Pakistan on Kashmir demonstrate a desire on both sides for better ties. While it is easy for experts to be cynical, it is not a policy solution.
At the leadership level, it is well known that both President Zardari and Premier Singh personally desire better ties between their two countries and both have faced obstacles in their path towards this goal. What is also known is that it is more difficult for any civilian government in Pakistan to offer 'more' to India and much easier for an Indian government to do so. Under these circumstances, what if Dr. Singh, following his predecessor Mr. Atal Behari Vajpayee, had offered something that has not yet been offered by India: unilateral concessions on visa, economy and even strategic issues.
A grim reminder of the futility of the two countries' hostility came in the form of news of more than 130 Pakistani troops being trapped in an avalanche on Siachen glacier, where the two sides have pitted soldiers against each other in an icy wasteland more than 18,000 ft. above sea level. Premier Singh offered both sympathy and assistance to the Pakistani President. However, what is required is a resumption of talks over demilitarizing the glacier so that lives often lost more to frostbite and avalanches rather than actual fighting are saved on both sides.
Prior to 1965 Indians and Pakistanis did not need a visa to travel to the other country. If India unilaterally changes its visa policies and offers visa on arrival to all categories except a limited few and multiple-entry visa to all categories who apply a few months in advance it would have an immense impact. Pakistan would either have to reciprocate or have to explain to its own people (as well as the international community) why it is not reciprocating India's policy.
On the economic and trade front, Pakistan's economy needs investment, trade, access to markets and has immense human and entrepreneurial potential. Indian businesses are looking for markets to invest in, would like access to cheap raw material and would welcome cheap and yet skilled labor. Pakistan has finally undertaken the final steps required to implement the Most Favored Nation status with respect to India. What if India offers to lower its non-tariff barriers vis-à-vis those commodities which are traded with Pakistan?
India's energy needs will keep growing and a South-Asia-wide energy grid would be ideal both economically and strategically for India and would benefit Pakistan as well. Opening of trade with Pakistan would also lead to transit trade with Afghanistan and Central Asia. This would provide India with access to those markets as well as access to energy resources. Pakistan, too, would benefit: not only from the transit trade and its royalties but access to more markets. Access to Afghanistan through Pakistan and access to more energy resources would further reduce India's dependence on Iran for access to Afghanistan and for energy.
If we look at the military front, even though India's main threat is China, the Indian military, especially the army, is still trained and equipped to fight a conventional war with Pakistan. Pakistan's strategists, too, fear the existential threat from India: they fear both Indian capabilities and Indian intentions. What if India was to change that? What if India offered military-to-military and intelligence-to-intelligence talks with Pakistan? If India can have military exchanges and dialogue with China then why not with Pakistan? And what if during these military-to-military talks India offered to remove even one armored corps division; those very tank divisions which worry Pakistan about India's offensive capabilities.
India does not need as many tank divisions as it currently has; it needs to invest more in technology and other divisions and wings. Since the Indian military is undergoing massive modernization this is the right time to think of restructuring and reorganizing the various wings, especially the army. Would this lead Pakistan to reciprocate by removing an armored corps battalion and using the resources for other divisions and areas of its army? Pakistan, too, needs its tank divisions solely for a conventional war with India.
Over the years and especially recently India has offered unilateral concessions to all its other neighbors except Pakistan. India has offered lines of credit to all its smaller neighbors, except Pakistan. India has removed tariff and non-tariff barriers with regard to cotton and textiles imports from Bangladesh because the limited negative impact on Indian textile industry was a small price pay to pay for broader strategic goals. If India can offer these concessions to all its other neighbors then why not offer some to Pakistan?
All this does not mean that India should not discuss critical strategic issues like terrorism with Pakistan. Rather, this would help provide not only wider but more in-depth discussions between peers on these issues. This would also help broaden the discourse, especially in Pakistan. As Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai noted, India was willing to discuss Kashmir with Pakistan but Pakistan needed to undertake serious action against the militant groups on its own soil.
India and Indian leaders have repeatedly stated that normal relations with Pakistan are a vital Indian interest. India's strategists believe that India's neighbors are crucial to India's security. If that is the case then the best way to ensure that is to strengthen that constituency within Pakistan which seeks the same.
Ideological states can only be countered by attacking their ideology from within. While the U.S. followed many policies to counter the Soviet Union, the most effective one was whereby people in the country were convinced that their system did not work and it had to be changed. Pakistanis are fighting an ideas battle within their own country: whether to move Pakistan towards a civilian democratic country at peace with its neighbors or continue to remain an ideological state where jihad plays a role in foreign policy.
India would benefit by getting out of the trap of reciprocity in the case of Pakistan to gain strategic advantage. India's unilateral moves may not convince the hawks and conspiracy theorists in Pakistan about India's intentions and capabilities. However, if it helps re-ignite and provide fuel to a debate within Pakistani society on ties with India and the future direction of Pakistan, India will have strengthened its hand just as the U.S. did in dealing with the Soviet Union during the era of détente.


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1. Latest download link
|Download link
|Revit 2016-2024
|Lumion 8.3 and newer
|Lumion LiveSync for Revit plug-in
2. Uninstall steps before installing the latest version
|2.1: Quit Revit (Revit LT is not supported).
|2.2: Uninstall Revit To Lumion Bridge, Lumion LiveSync and Lumion Plug-In via 'Add or remove a program' in Windows.
|2.3: If you have any problems with the installation of the plug-in, please remove the following folder:
Then remove all folders/files with the word 'Lumion' or 'LiveSync' from the folders below before installing the plug-in:
Video Tutorial: The full installation procedure is shown below:
3. Older download links
|Download link
|Revit 2016
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4. Faster Revit rendering with one plug-in!
The Lumion LiveSync for Revit plug-in includes two features — LiveSync and a Collada (.DAE) exporter. Now, you can view and change your Revit model in real-time in Lumion, as well as export a Collada (.DAE) file from Revit and import (or re-import) it seamlessly into Lumion.
You will need Lumion 8.3 (or newer) and Revit 2015 (or newer).
The plug-in will not work with Revit LT.
Lumion LiveSync for Revit
Immediately set up a live, real-time visualization between Revit and Lumion. Change the Revit model's shape and you'll see these changes taking place, in real-time, in Lumion's breathtaking, lifelike environment.
As you continue modeling in Revit, you can simultaneously view your project in Lumion surrounded by an immersive, fully featured landscape (mountains, water, grass). Beautiful materials make the design 'pop', while photo-realistic lighting suddenly heightens your sense of environment, realism and depth.
Real-time materials synchronization
Instantly breathe life into your synced Revit model by applying any of Lumion's 1000+ high-definition materials in the Lumion editor. As you continue to develop the design, you can tweak the materials exactly to your liking and then save your material layouts for future rendering.
Live point-of-view synchronization
LiveSync now enables live point-of-view synchronization. Turn it on and immediately adopt the Revit camera perspective, making your work easier, faster and more enjoyable.
Automatic model imports
When establishing the LiveSync connection, Lumion will automatically import your Revit model. Continue working on and modifying your project even after you turn off LiveSync, and easily save the file as an .LS for future rendering or development.
See also:
- Knowledge Base: Model import guidelines for Revit and Revit LT
- Knowledge Base: Why are you unable to export a model from Revit?
- Knowledge Base: How does LiveSync 3 work with existing imported models in Lumion scenes?
- Video Tutorial: LiveSync for Revit: Model synchronization
- Video Tutorial: LiveSync for Revit: Camera synchronization
- Video Tutorial: LiveSync for Revit: Materials synchronization


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Reaction to Exodus Shutdown From Christian, Gay Communities a Complicated Mix
Reaction to the shutdown this week of Exodus International, the largest Christian ministry devoted to addressing struggles with homosexuality, once primarily by way of reparative therapy and more recently with a shift towards a focus on church responsibility, has been a complicated mix of opinions from leaders from within both the church and gay communities.
"I'm not in agreement with shutting Exodus down," Joe Dallas, the founder and director of Genesis Counseling who served as president of Exodus International from 1991-1993, told Christian radio show host Janet Mefferd. "I would have rather seen the leadership of Exodus handed over to other leadership, but I did disagree with the direction Exodus has been going the past year or so, and for that reason, I guess, I would rather see it close than continue in that direction."
Dallas added, "It's been an organization that's been a help to the church, especially for the last 30-plus years. I was sad to see it close. It's certainly a loss to what I think was a very valuable ministry tool."
The ministry's current president, Alan Chambers, who made the announcement Wednesday, told The Christian Post yesterday that before the 37-year-old ministry publicly stated it would be closing, it underwent significant changes in the last few years. Most notably, perhaps, was its decision to stop promoting reparative therapy as a way to reduce or eliminate unwanted same-sex attraction. Many people felt the therapy did more harm than good, filling those seeking help with unrealistic expectations of change.
In addition to this week's shut-down announcement, Chambers apologized to the gay community for the pain Exodus' teachings and practices might have caused them in a letter on the ministry's website and on an episode of "Our America with Lisa Ling."
Chambers told CP the decision to close Exodus was very difficult, but the right one. Confirmation came when discussions with longtime ministry partners and associates said the organization had too much baggage.
"Even within groups of people in the church, large groups of people in the church, who agree with us on theology or our beliefs about sexual expression rooted in Scripture, which have not changed, what they said is, … 'We won't partner with you. We won't partner with a ministry that has so much negative attached to it,'" he explained. "And so we've had to look at that. It's not just our typical critics, but it's our friends who have said, 'It's time, and let's end this and move forward.' So we did."
Chambers said he can't apologize for his biblical beliefs that sex, sexuality, and sexual expression were created by God and His original intent was sexual expression between one man and one woman for one lifetime in the bonds of marriage.
"I realize that's not everyone's belief, and in fact it feels more and more like the majority of the world, that isn't their belief," he told CP. "So those things won't change, and I can't apologize for that. But I do believe so many of us who hold to those scriptural beliefs ... have wielded them as a sword so often. We've been involved in a culture war that really, literally, has claimed untold lives, and we've got to be more careful. God didn't bring us to planet Earth to wage a war."
He added that the Christian church is too often known for what it is against, and it's "time for the world to know what the church is for."
Russell D. Moore, president of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, told the Baptist Press that the closing of Exodus International "doesn't mean the folding of an evangelical sexual ethic, though it does mean a move away from a therapeutic model of sexual sanctification."
Moore said, "Evangelical Christianity increasingly addresses sexual issues more in line with the older Christian tradition of sin and temptation and triumph than with the language of therapy. We can't have a utopian view of overcoming temptation of any sort."
Like Chambers' view that churches need to be more a part of the solution, Moore said Christians need more than a recovery group of people struggling with the similar temptations to overcome same-sex attraction.
"Increasingly churches are addressing persons with same-sex attractions the same way they address everyone else: in terms of the gospel and a lifelong call to take up one's cross and follow Christ," Moore told BP. "This means the Christian grappling with same-sex attractions needs to hear that the gospel addresses him or her, and that this person needs the whole body of Christ, in community, not just an accountability group of those who are defined by the same temptations."
R. Albert Mohler Jr., president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, told BP that a problem arose when Chambers suggested last year that people can continue in their homosexual behavior and still receive salvation. It became obvious that Chambers and Exodus International were "rethinking their understanding of a Christian approach to homosexuality," said Mohler, as reported by BP.
"Sadly, it appears that this rethinking has resulted in something like a surrender to the cultural currents of the day," he said.
Some ministries, similar to Exodus, agree more along the lines that Mohler has drawn.
"While some falsely proclaim that a transformed life is optional for Christians, the united witness of Jesus and the writers of Scripture are clear: In God's grace true saving faith results in a life of holiness and sexual purity," stated a newly formed group called Restored Hope Network on its website. "Thankfully God does not leave his people without a witness to the transforming power of Jesus Christ."
Frank Worthen, one of the founders of Exodus who began RHN last year, said, "I am so thankful that Restored Hope Network exists at this time to continue the message of transformation and new life in Christ."
However, a liberal-leaning group calling itself the Gay Christian Network, welcomed the closure of Exodus and felt relieved because it was something many wanted to hear "for a long, long time," according to its founder Justin Lee, whose statement was in an article from U.S. News & World Report.
GCN fully supports gay Christians in committed relationships as well as those who endorse celibacy, according to its website.
"As a Christian, I grew up believing groups like Exodus could make me straight," Lee stated. "We believe there's room in the church for a disagreement about the morality of gay sex. What we don't support is the idea that gay people can go through some program and come out straight."


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Toscana Tumbled Travertine Pavers 8×16
Uses: Excellent for Pools, decks, patios, lanais, entry ways, docks, borders, driveways, and walkways.
Residential and commercial with heavy and light traffic. Outdoor only
Surface: Tumbled
Thickness: 1.25″
Maintenance: Penetrating sealant recommended on all natural stone especially if used in wet areas as part of normal maintenance.
Travertine pavers are tumbled, honed and unfilled. They are resistant to moisture, cold, heat and erosion. Travertine pavers do not retain heat and its surface remains cool to the touch. They are also slip-resistant making them a perfect addition around a pool area. These pavers are extremely durable and resistant to cracks.
These pavers will accentuate the beauty of your home for years to come as well as increase your home value.
Natural stone materials present variations in color, finish, and shade and could differ from tile to tile. This is expected with any natural stone products and it is what makes this product unique.
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Published: Nov 15th 2021
More Latest News
SUPER CONVENTION Event Information!
Sep 27th 2023
Do you have tickets to the CYD? Super Convention on October 14th & 15th? If so please click to read all the information needed for the day. We can't wait to see you there!
Meet MEPA College!
Nov 12th 2021
CYD? recently met up with MEPA College to find out what they're up to… and it's a lot! They have just opened their 3rd building, called Studio 6, adding an additional 5,000 square feet to their facilities! This building has been purpose-built to meet their student and staff's every need! Click to find out more!
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Jan 19th 2021
Our BRAND NEW online platform, CYD? TV, is now LIVE! All members can now log in to their accounts and begin their CYD? TV experience right here – www.canyoudancetv.com/login


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China's Huawei unveils 5G phone with folding screen
BARCELONA, Spain — China's Huawei unveiled a new folding-screen phone on Sunday, joining the latest trend for bendable devices as it challenges the global smartphone market's dominant players, Apple and Samsung.
Huawei revealed its Mate X phone on the eve of MWC Barcelona, a four-day showcase of mobile devices, as the company battles U.S. allegations it is a cybersecurity risk.
The device can be used on superfast next-generation mobile networks that are due to come online in the coming years.
Device makers are looking to folding screens as the industry's next big thing to help them break out of an innovation malaise, although most analysts think the market is limited, at least in the early days.
The Mate X is the answer to a question Huawei faced as it sought to satisfy smartphone users' demands for bigger screens and longer battery life, said Richard Yu, CEO of its consumer business group.
"How can we bring the more big innovation to this smartphone industry?" Yu said at a glitzy media launch.
The Mate X will sell for 2,299 euros ($2,600) when it goes on sale by midyear. That's even more than Samsung's recently revealed Galaxy Fold, priced at nearly $2,000.
The Mate X's screen wraps around the outside so users can still view it when it's closed, unlike the Galaxy Fold, which has a screen that folds shut. Unfolded, the Mate X's screen is 8 inches diagonally, making it the size of a small tablet.
Yu said Huawei engineers spent three years working on the device's hinge, which doesn't leave a gap when shut.
"No matter how innovative and technology-advanced the new device is, it will take a lot more time for a critical mass of consumers to experience the benefits of foldable phones and 5G technology," Forrester analyst Thomas Husson said. Huawei still "has to find its own brand voice to differentiate from Samsung and Apple and stop acting as a technology challenger."
Huawei Technologies is trying to raise its profile in the fiercely competitive smartphone market. Almost everyone with a smartphone has heard of Apple and Samsung, the top device makers, and Google, the power behind Android's pervasive software.
Huawei, a Chinese company with a name many people in the West don't know how to pronounce (it's "HWA-way"), wants to join the market's upper echelon.
It's getting close. Samsung was the No. 1 smartphone seller for all of last year, followed by Apple, according to research firm International Data Corp. Huawei came third, though in some quarters it took second place, IDC data showed.
The company stealthily became an industry star by plowing into new markets, honing its technology, and developing a line-up of phones that offer affordable options for low-income households and luxury models that are siphoning upper-crust sales from Apple and Samsung in China and Europe.
But Huawei's products are few and far between in the U.S. The scarcity stems from long-running security concerns that the company could facilitate digital espionage on behalf of China's government. Washington has been lobbying European allies to keep its equipment out of new 5G networks.
The cloud over Huawei also includes U.S. criminal charges filed last month against the company and its chief financial officer, Meng Wanzhou, who U.S. prosecutors want to extradite from Canada. They accuse her of fraud and say the company stole trade secrets, including technology that mobile carrier T-Mobile used to test smartphones.
Huawei is making its push at a time that both Samsung and Apple are struggling with declining smartphone sales amid a lull in industry innovation that is causing more consumers to hold on to the devices until they wear out instead of upgrading to the latest model as quickly as they once did.
The company sells high-priced smartphones as well as an extensive range of cheaper models priced from $200 to $600 that offer a good camera and other features most consumers want, analysts said.
But Huawei wouldn't be where it is today if it had been content focusing merely on China and other Asian markets.
The company took a huge step forward several years ago when it began pouring millions into promoting its brand and building partnerships in major European markets such as Germany, France, Britain, Spain and Italy. Research firm Gartner estimates it now sells about 13 percent of its phones in Europe.
As for the U.S., Huawei can only make so much headway as long as the government is casting the company as a cyber-villain, said Gartner analyst Tuong Nguyen.
"Brand building is a long-term exercise, but it's going to be especially difficult in the U.S. because of the way they have branded all of China," he said. "The barriers in the U.S. are just getting more difficult." /kga


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Today Intel officially launched a new line of enterprise-oriented SSDs. Dubbed the DC S3700 ('DC for Data Center', 'S' for SATA), this new line fills the large interface speed void left by the older 710 Series, which was limited to SATA 3Gb/sec speeds.
The S3700 makes some big promises and we are expecting samples shortly. Here's the tally of what's to come:
- Intel designed 8-channel controller ASIC and firmware
- SATA 6Gb/sec interface
- 7mm x 2.5" form factor
- Random 4k writes 15x faster and reads 2x faster than SSD 710
- 75,000 4k random read IOPS (all models)
- 19/32/36/36k 4k random write IOPS (for 100/200/400/800GB capacity)
- 500MB/sec sequential reads (all models)
- 200/365/460/460 MB/sec sequential writes (for 100/200/400/800GB capacity)
- 25nm MLC-HET IMFT flash
- Rated for 10 Drive Writes per Day (DWPD) over a 5-year lifetime
- Solid-State-Capacitor backed power-loss protection
- Shipping in volume ~Q1 2013
- 1k qty pricing: $235/$470/$940/$1880 ea. for 100/200/400/800GB capacities
The cost of just over $2/GB should be very enticing for an enterprise-grade SSD, but the most interesting tidbit I got from the briefing was that Intel claims this drive will achieve a <500us response time for 4k random writes, 99.9% of the time. Most SSDs will begin to show intermittent peaks in latency when hit with sustained 4k random access. The S3700 Series should mostly eliminate that issue. More to follow on that front once we can log some hours on a sample.


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257 metric teaspoons in dry quarts
Conversion formula
How to convert 257 metric teaspoons to dry quarts?
We know (by definition) that:
We can set up a proportion to solve for the number of dry quarts.
Now, we cross multiply to solve for our unknown :
Conversion in the opposite direction
The inverse of the conversion factor is that 1 dry quart is equal to 0.856981278377432 times 257 metric teaspoons.
It can also be expressed as: 257 metric teaspoons is equal to dry quarts.
An approximate numerical result would be: two hundred and fifty-seven metric teaspoons is about one point one six dry quarts, or alternatively, a dry quart is about zero point eight six times two hundred and fifty-seven metric teaspoons.
[1] The precision is 15 significant digits (fourteen digits to the right of the decimal point).Results may contain small errors due to the use of floating point arithmetic.


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This isn't really my kind of thing.
Anthropology stretches itself to cover everything and everyone from pre-pre-history right up to yesterday's news. I'm not used to writing about people who are alive ... and even kicking.
Being an archaeologist, I prefer my subjects long dead. And, if possible, buried by volcanic ash.
Fortunately, the beginning of summer brought news ghoulish enough to satisfy any archaeologist, however fussy. So, first, the blood and guts.
Greg Laden's Blog brought out the lethal thermal impact of pyroclastic surges on the people of Pompeii. He asks, How did the victims of the Plinean Eruption of Vesuvius die? The temperature was 250 to 300 degrees C, and the time of exposure was about 30 seconds or so:
Even at the most extreme edges of the flow of stuff out of the volcano, Pompeii, at the far edge of the mud and ash that came from the volcano's explosion, the heat was sufficient to instantly kill everyone, even those inside their homes.... They did not suffocate. They did not get blown apart by force. They did not die of gas poisoning. They simply cooked. Instantly.More reality analysis than you may possibly want at Culture as Science - Science as Culture.
Of course, not every newsworthy death is buried in ash. Some are covered up by wicked conspiracies.
Who Stole King Tut's Crown Jewels? The Case of the Disappearing Royal Member.
Tutankhamen's mummy has been plagued by claims that his penis was stolen in order to cover up its small size.
Some scholars, we were told, believed that Tut had a hormonal disorder that causes underdeveloped genitalia. Thus, when his penis was found detached from the rest of him, it spread about the internet that the "penis was swapped sometime after his body was embalmed, suggesting a conspiracy to save him from embarrassment."
Sadly for conspiracy theorists (and headline writers), Jo Marchant of Decoding the Heavens, who had inadvertently launched the story, came out swinging: not only was the penis well-developed, she explains, but it indeed belongs to Tut ...
as it was attached to the body when the mummy was first unwrapped. It must have broken off in modern times, probably during an early autopsy.Read her report of how the pseudo-story of That Tut conspiracy went viral.
Not yet done tutting about Tut?
There's still no rest for the worn and torn mummy.
King Tut's DNA is Western European
No sooner was his manhood restored than headlines screamed that Tut was of European descent: it seems his haplogroup is R1b, one of the most common Y-chromosome haplogroups in Europe, especially the United Kingdom.
So, was Tutankhamun Scottish (right)?
"On balance personally," says Kate Phizackerley of News from the Valley of the Kings, "I think the genetic evidence points against it."
Even if Tutankhamun's haplogroup is R1b that doesn't mean his paternal ancestors were R1b as well. They might have been a different haplogroup but have diverged from it by genetic mutation. At the least, the analysis would need to show that Tutankhamun couldn't be any other haplogroup, or at least that it would be statistically unlikely. Showing that R1b is possible is not the same as showing that other haplogroups are not possible.AND SO...
Even if you believe that Tutankhamun and his ancestors had a haplogroup of R1b, would that make him European? In short, not necessarily and, I believe, once other factors are taken into account, almost certainly not.Her own proposal is much more elegant ... and historically anchored.
Read the whole post at Was Tutankhamun European? (Considerations of Haplogroup)
Just as we can't get enough of Tut, it seems that not a week passes without a Neanderthal scoop either.
Steroid-fuelled Neanderthals
Rosemary Joyce at Ancient Bodies, Ancient Lives, neatly skewers the newspapers (and Discovery News) for sexing up reports which deal with the upper body musculature and asymmetry between the left and right arms of male Neanderthals:
Prehistoric man apparently boasted a rock-hard body, including an overdeveloped right arm that would make Popeye jealous.Rather, the story itself appears to be "brimming with steroids".
... Simply put, the Neanderthal body was brimming with natural steroids.
But not anywhere near as much as the original article in Discovery News, that starts:
"All of which begs the question: how do we know about that rock-hard flesh, and those steroids fuelling it?
Remains of an early Neanderthal with a super strong arm suggest that Neanderthal fellows were heavily pumped up on male hormones, possessing a hormonal status unlike anything that exists in humans today
No surprise here: we don't."The vision of Neanderthal as a muscular Popeye on the steppes is based on study of a single arm bone that Discovery News specifies is a humerus. The method of sex determination is not cited in either article. In fact, female Neanderthals were strong, too, and more evenly muscular in both arms.
So much for gendering a humerus. Imagine what they could have done with a hip!
Hips Don't Lie!
Hop over to Anthropologist in the Attic for a report on a new technique to determine the sex of skeletal remains. A three-dimensional imaging technology now effectively quantifies the characteristics of the os coxa that differentiate males from females with far better results than any visual identification. This means that the sex of a body can be ascertained even if only a small fragment of the pelvis can be found. Clearly, this technique is not only useful for studying ancient remains but may have significant impacts in the wake of disasters and in the criminal justice system.
First off, the sensational news of the first cuneiform tablet ever found in Jerusalem, the well-dubbed Jerusalem 1.
Several blogs have been closely following the story (Abnormal Interests [here, here, and here], RollstonEpigraphy.com, ServingTheWord).
The fragment of a Late Bronze Age cuneiform tablet (left) discovered on the Ophel, close to what may have been the acropolis of LBA Jerusalem, has just been published in the Israel Exploration Journal (E. Mazar et.al.).
The readable text consists of the left hand portions of three lines on the obverse and three lines of the reverse. No line has more than five readable or partially readable signs.
Obverse: 1. [ ]; 2. "You were…[ ]; 3. "a foundation/after for. […]; 4. "to do. […]; 5. [ ].
Reverse: 1. [ ]; 2. [ ]; 3. "they [ ]; 4. [ ];
Not much to be going on with, you would think. But, as the authors rightly say, "The main significance of this new find does not lie in what we can learn by reading the tablet, but in the historical and archaeological context of the tablet itself."
Of course, within the Amarna corpus of tablets from Egypt, dating from the 14th century BCE, several cuneiform letters addressed to the pharoah were sent by a certain Abdi-Heba of Urusalimu (EA 285-290). So we already knew that there were trained scribes in Jerusalem during the Amarna Period (i.e., the reigns of the Egyptian Pharoahs Amenophis III and Akhenaten). The Jerusalem 1 tablet is special, however, because it was found in Jerusalem and appears, on mineralogical ground, to have been written there rather than sent in from elsewhere. So, it corroborates an LBA scribal apparatus in Jerusalem, arguably under royal aegis.
According to Dr. Mazar, the discovery provides "solid evidence of the importance of Jerusalem during the Late Bronze Age" and "lends weight to the importance that accrued to the city in later times, leading up to its conquest by King David in the 10th century B.C.E."
[T]here is good reason to believe that the letter fragment does, in fact, come from a letter of a king of Jerusalem, mostly likely an archive copy of a letter from Jerusalem to Pharaoh.Let the fireworks begin.
1. Is it a letter?
Not necessarily. It could be, for example, an epistolary text, a legal text, an administrative text, or a literary text. There are just too many unknowns and uncertainties.
2. Was Abdi-Heba a king?
Not really. Abdi-Heba describes himself as a 'soldier' rather than a 'king' and not even a 'mayor' of Jerusalem.
Behold, I am not a mayor; I am a soldier of the king, my lord. Behold, I am a friend (?) of the king and a tribute-bearer of the king. It was neither my father nor my mother, but the strong arm of the king that placed me in the house of my father. (EA 288:9-15)Abdi-Heba repeatedly begs for a single unit of archers to defend Jerusalem, which will otherwise be lost to bandits and the treachery of other local rulers. It's interesting that the only known ruler of Jerusalem in the 14th century BCE was perhaps of Hurrian descent (his name means 'servant of Heba', a Hurrian goddess). He seems to have been a local mercenary leader or from a local family with a claim to power who considered himself a military commander, on par with mayors and village headmen.
Given that we have no idea of the extent of the settlement at the time (physical remains are scanty, to put it mildly), the claim that this letter (if a letter) comes from a 'king' and that Jerusalem was a 'major center' in this period is premature.
Claims and counter-claims will run and run and run .
Sounds from Silence
Much easier to swallow is a tablet recording a 'Hymn of Supplication', hummed on TheDigGirl blog as a classic example of contemporary artists being inspired by archaeological objects or ancient history:
Syrian musical scholar Ziad Ajjan composed eight poetry and musical pieces from the musical archaeological cuneiform tablet known as "Hymn of Supplication" H6 discovered in Ugarit in the early 20th century. Ajjan composed three musical pieces based on the musical notes in the tablet which dates back to 1400 BC, naming the pieces "Sunrise," "Sunset" and "Holiday in Ugarit." This marks the recording of the oldest music notation in the history of the world.If you want to hear the actual hymns and not contemporary interpretations, you'll have to go back in time 30 years to a recording entitled Sounds from Silence -- songs produced from lyres modelled on examples excavated in southern Mesopotamia. The producer Bit Enki ('house of Enki,' the god of the sweet waters) is still selling copies of the original vinyl and CD on their website at Bella Roma Music.
My, is it already 30 years ago? A mere archaeological moment: I still have the original record in my music collection.
Do Animals Keep Pets?
What is a pet and how would you define one? A recent study defines a pet as a member of another species that is being kept for an extended period of time for enjoyment. Although cross-genus animal-animal 'pets' are documented -- some gorillas and orangutans are known to have kept cats -- these are not judged to be true pet relationships since it only seems to occur in captive or semi-captive settings.
While it is impossible to define what a pet is from an animal standpoint, The Prancing Papio blog wonders if the adoption of an infant marmoset by wild capuchin monkeys nonetheless fits the bill.
Left: a young marmoset taking food (cracked palm nut) from its adoptive mother's (capuchin) hand.
The marmoset was first observed clinging to an adult female capuchin and then watched for over a year. To all intents and purposes, it was socially integrated into the wild monkey group, travelling and feeding with the others.
True, these capuchins live in a site where food is provided daily. So, you could still argue that the capuchins are not real pet owners under the strictest definition.
Or, I suppose, you could wonder if humans only started making pets of animals once their own food supply was relatively secure....
Liberian Lady Rules the Roost
Well, it's little use observing wild animals while we're pushing them to extinction; is there?
Finally, some good news for our primate cousins. DNApes spreads the word that Liberian President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf has banned the exportation of wild animals and bush meat from Liberia.
A Foreign Ministry press statement issued here Monday says the ban shall remain in force pending the passage of a proposed legislation to be submitted to the national legislature for enactment. The statement said President Sirleaf is accordingly warning all those involved in the illegal exportation of bush meat and wild animals to desist with immediate effect or face the consequences.DNApes now asks us all to send a nice note to her (firstname.lastname@example.com) on behalf of all Liberia's monkeys and chimpanzees, who, like other primates throughout Africa, are threatened with extinction from unregulated trade and other human hazards.
Zenobia has just done so. Now, readers, it's your turn. Stop reading. Quick, send an email now!
Behavioural Economics Behaving Badly
Behavioural Economics is fashionable. Surely, it makes sense to understand how and why people behave irrationally, using elements from psychology to examine deviations from rational choice. On the Neuroanthropology.net, however, dlende writes about its limits -- and frets that it is being used is being used as an avoidance mechanism when traditional economic solutions would be better, though politically more difficult.
Does BE help in addressing the epidemic of obesity, for example? Surely, better information should lead to better consumer behaviour. If you can influence consumers through things like calorie labelling, the self-evident answer is to require restaurant chains to post the number of calories in their dishes. Done that! And it feels good; doesn't it? Unfortunately, studies show it doesn't work:
Obesity isn't a result of a lack of information; instead, economists argue that rising levels of obesity can be traced to falling food prices, especially for unhealthy processed foods.The real answer then may be to change the relative price of healthful and unhealthful food.
Read the whole post for lots more about why the pay-off from behavioural economic solutions is not that great.
Would You Repeat That? I Don't Understand
Mark Liberman on Language Log discusses an intriguing study showing that "Many English speakers cannot understand basic grammar":
The findings — which undermine the assumption that all speakers have a core ability to use grammatical cues — could have significant implications for education, communication and linguistic theory.The experimental subjects were of two types: "High Academic Attainment" (basically graduate students) and "Low Academic Attainment" (at most 11 years of formal education: shelf-stackers, packers, assemblers, or clerical workers). The HAA subjects never made a mistake. You may or may not be surprised to learn that the LAA subject often got things wrong, and that their error rate varied systematically with the type of sentence.
Is this credible ... or could it indicate a dreaded "paper airplane effect"?
[A result], noted in a population of high-school-student subjects, was replicable; but observing one group of subjects more closely, we observed that a similar fraction spent the experiment surreptitiously launching paper airplanes and spitballs at one another.Read the details to find out, and the follow-up, More on Basic Sentence Interpretation, which considers why passive sentences might be harder to understand than the active ones and whether the passive examples were basic (or natural) enough to test 'core ability'.
We agree it's WEIRD, but is it WEIRD enough?
When you divide experimental subjects into "High Academic Attainment" and "Low Academic Attainment", at least you're covering a potentially large part of humankind. Imagine, instead, restricting your data exclusively to the HAA's.
What kind of crazy, culturally bounded results would you expect?
Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, and Democratic = 'WEIRD'.
And that's what GregDowney on Neuroanthropology.net finds when he examines a remarkable review article that appeared in the latest issue of Behavioral and Brain Sciences:
'The Weirdest People in the World?' establishes that most behavioural science theory is built on research that examines only a very narrow sample of human variation (disproportionately US university undergraduates; more specifically, those in psychology classes) -- who are, in a word, WEIRD.
Equally distorting, research published in the top journals in six sub-disciplines of psychology relied on 68% of subjects from the US and fully 96% from 'Western' industrialized nations (European, North American, Australian or Israeli). Unsurprisingly, this skews our understanding of the empirical foundation for claims being made, either explicitly or implicitly, about human nature.
And we say that these patterns hold true around the world. They don't.
WEIRD subjects tend to be outliers on a range of measurable traits that do vary, including visual perception, sense of fairness, cooperation, spatial reasoning, and a host of other basic psychological traits.
"If you have one blockhead colleague who simply does not get that surveying his or her students in 'Introduction to Psychology' fails to provide instant access to 'human nature,' this is the article to pass along."
Read the whole thought-provoking post at Neuroanthropology.net.
Anti-Dutch Predictopus
I have a bone to pick with Paul, the octopus.
Holland is my adopted country so you will understand my dismay when Paul picked Spain to beat The Netherlands in the 2010 World Cup football final.
Paul's prescient picks -- 100% correct match predictions -- have propelled him to international fame in an aquarium in the German city of Oberhausen.
TV stations in Germany, Great Britain, Taiwan and elsewhere broadcast live pictures, complete with breathless commentary, of his final decision for the tournament. Millions watched as the world-famous octopus descended upon on a tank marked with a Spanish flag, sitting for only a few minutes before grabbing a mussel and devouring it, while completely ignoring the Dutch tank -- indicating a Spanish victory in the finals.
And it turned out to be right. The Spanish team won the World Cup.
"So, the mollusc wins again," writes Heresy Corner. "The cephalopod's reputation for oracular infallibility is maintained. Scientific rationalism wobbles. Richard Dawkins must be quaking in his smug atheistic boots. I know I am."
The wobbly Heresiarch wonders, "Is there - can there be - a scientific explanation?"
Chance may explain it, of course - though with every correct prediction it becomes more likely that something other than chance is involved. So what, other than the existence of a genuine oracular octopus, might that be?
In a word, voodoo.
If not voodoo, the simplest explanation is found in his Update #1 -- and I'm preening myself that I reached the same conclusion the moment the spineless octopus chose Spain over Holland.
Then I went to the BBC to look for tasty octopus recipes:
Octopus can be tough if not tenderised before cooking. The traditional way to tenderise the meat is to hurl it against rocks; an easier method is to simmer it for an hour.
I rather think Paul merits the traditional method; don't you?On the subject of Dutch football, if you watched the World Cup final (or semi-final or quarter-final or any match played by the Dutch team for that matter), you would have noticed that the once-stolid Dutch had been transmuted into a riot of day-glo orange glitter.
The Orange Carnival
Dutch football fans don't just wear orange, they embrace it. They jazz up their orange jerseys with blinding orange pants and orange socks and orange face paint and orange wigs and funny orange hats.
You can't miss the Dutch fans. They do want to be seen. If you are Dutch you are loyal, you are stout, and you are unwavering. You wear orange.Why orange?
It's a nod, of course, to the monarchy, the House of Orange. There has always been orange bunting displayed on Queen's Day (April 30th). But the orange carnival associated with sports is a much more recent phenomenon. As Martijn tells us on CLOSER (Anthropology of Muslims in Europe):
The orange carnival appeared to have emerged in the 1970s, in particular after the Dutch lost the World Cup final in 1974 from the Germans, which still serves as a national trauma. In 1988 ... it reached next level when everything that can be made orange was turned into orange and in the last years a new hype of making the street where you live or even whole areas orange.He points to an interesting correlation between Orange Fever and the introduction of colour television to the Dutch market in 1974. Without that vivid spur, would the colour orange have made it as a national colour?
Read what Martijn has to say on Orange Fever: Notes on the World Cup, football, nationalism and Deep Play in the Netherlands.
You just wear something orange and you're part of the community.
Does orange truly transcend ethnic minority identities?
Right: Turkish flag in Orange by Turkish Dutchmen (Theocornelissen.sp.nl)
Bodies Out of Place
After winning the women's 800 meters at the 2009 World Championships in Athletics, sprinter Caster Semenya (on the left) returned to a hero's welcome in her native South Africa -- while critics charged that she should be disqualified for not being a woman at all: 'You could tell she was a man just by looking at her.'
Accordingly, the International Association of Athletic Federations (IAAF) ordered gender testing to determine whether Semnya was eligible to compete as a woman. In November 2009, they announced that she would be allowed to keep her gold medal, but did not say whether she could compete in future events, and refused to discuss gender testing.
Finally, just this month, the IAAF cleared Semenya to return to competition immediately, but again avoided details of the gender verification procedure.
This girl has been castigated from day one, based on what?
As the Linguistic Anthropology Roundup # 9, notes:
Sports officials are now able to examine athlete's chromosomes, hormones, androgen receptors and the like, but they have not decided what any of that information means in a realm where athletes are classified as men or women.How very true. Early this year, the International Olympics Committee recommended that gender ambiguity be treated as a medical issue, and that athletes with 'sexual disorder,' presumably including any body that cannot be easily classified, receive treatment.
It seems that [they], like many people in the world, are unprepared to deal with the problematic nature of normative gender binaries. Bodies that cannot be easily classified result in crisis.
I can hardly wait to see the results!
That's all for 4 Stone Hearth # 97. The next edition appears at The Prancing Papio on 4 August.
Top left: plaster of paris cast of Pompeiian victim from Awesomestories.com
Official photo of the mummy of Tutankhamun taken at its discovery, via The Ancient Egypt site created by Jacques Kinnaer
King Tut Scottish? Credit Sandro Vannini at Heritage-Key.com
Paul, the octopus. Credit: Reuters
Dutch fans celebrate in Cape Town. Credit: Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images
José Sena Goulã
All other photographs from or via the blogs cited.


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(via Garden Photos)
(via Garden Photos)
StevoR, fallible human being says
Contrasting colours in extremis.
Cherries – or berries? – so stunningly red.
Wonderful image that'll stay in my head.
Ice haloes don't only shine round Earth's Moon.
Great selection PZ, Thankyou for this boon!
Cuttlefish says
At Cuttlefish U., there is a row of these planted along one of the older campus buildings. I've been meaning to grab my stereoscopic pinhole camera (cutting edge technology a century ago!) and get a pic. Thanks for the reminder…
Rodney Nelson says
Cherries – or berries? – so stunningly red.
They look like barberries. I doubt they're holly berries because hollies are evergreens and there's no leaves visible.
chigau (違う) says
There is a link.
StevoR, fallible human being says
@Rodney Nelson : Thanks.
@ Chigau : Yes & I clicked on it but it doesn't seem to say -just showed the photo?
StevoR, fallible human being says
D'oh! Sorry okay. The link to the Garden Photos there has the answer. Mea culpa. Cliicked onthe photo itself before which doesn't.
@ Rodney Nelson :
Jryy fcbggrq!
Glen Davidson says
A glassy red heat.
Chrisco says
Possibly possumhaw. Always a welcome contrast here against the white-out of nature.
Chrisco says
Disregard the possumhaw bit – didnt notice the berry's stems.
billygutter01 says
Hmmph. What do I know from plants? They looked like rose hips at first glance. Guess I could follow the link.
Geez… I was hoping not to learn anything tonight.
*clicks link*
billygutter01 says
They're lovely. Even more so now that I've learned what they're called.
I retract my earlier *grumble*.
Crudely Wrott says
Ice covered branches are the most wonderful winter sight just as the sun is rising should the morning after the storm be clear.
Really. Sparkle takes on a whole new dimension.
chris says
Gorgeous but deadly. If that was a tree the weight of the frozen ice over it would make it more liable to fall on an unsuspecting passerby. One of the many reasons I prefer living in western Washington than in Minnesota, where I first witnessed the beauty of frozen water on branched limbs… with severe warnings to stay away from them!
Icicles are also cool. Except when they are very long and right above where you are standing.
Seriously, it is not so much the cold that will get you… it is the warming and cooling cycles that create large chunks of deadly ice that will get you when they fall!
Brian E says
Apologies for the change of topic, tomorrow is predicted to be a continental record heat day in Oz. Followed by a week of near or record heat in most of the continent, with coastal areas just being summery in places. Today was a cool 40c in outer Melbourne. We'll freeze in the predicted 30c two days hence.
Probably stupid thing to say, but watch out for bushfires and check on friends who are old, or infirm. You die quickly in a this kind of heat.
Brian E says
Sorry, link to show that although I'm a blowhard, I might be like a broken clock, and sometimes accurate:
RFW says
Definitely a barberry.
Vasha says
Barberries… what eats them? To humans they taste horrible.


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Transformers (2007)
Directed by Michael Bay
Genres - Adventure, Science Fiction | Sub-Genres - Sci-Fi Action, Alien Film | Release Date - Jun 12, 2007 (USA - IMAX) | Run Time - 144 min. | Countries - United States | MPAA Rating - PG13
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Synopsis by Jason Buchanan
The interstellar battle between the Autobots and Decepticons rains destruction down on planet Earth as director Michael Bay adapts Hasbro and Takara's popular Transformers franchise into a big-budget, live-action summer tentpole extravaganza in this ambitious sci-fi action feature starring Shia LaBeouf, Tyrese Gibson, Bernie Mac, John Turturro, Jon Voight, and, of course, Optimus Prime and Megatron. Long ago, on the planet of Cybertron, a massive, powerful alien race divided into two factions, the noble Autobots, and the devious Decepticons. They fought for the sole access to a talisman known as the Allspark, a cube with the capacity to grant infinite power, and eventually the Autobots smuggled it off the planet's surface, hiding it in an unknown location on Earth. Now, hundreds of years later, the Deceptacons have come looking for it, and if the Autobots don't find it first, the Earth will be enslaved or destroyed by the evil aliens' use of its massive power. The Autobots don't know where the cube was hidden, but the information may be stored in the most unlikely of sources, as a gangly young Earthling named Sam Witwicky (LaBeouf) who's just picked up his first car, has a strange connection to the Allspark's history, making him the unlikely ally of these enormous creatures, as they fight for humankind's survival and the chance to return home.
robot, alien [not human], battle [war], transformation
High Budget, High Production Values


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Urban Area Growth Review
To ensure that Modesto's growth is handled in a fiscally responsible manner, the Modesto City Council adopted an Urban Growth Policy on March 25, 1974. One goal of the 1974 Urban Growth Policy was to maintain a three- to five-year supply of vacant residential land for future development.
Measures A and M apply indirectly to the annexation of new territory into the City of Modesto, by requiring that an advisory election of the citizens of Modesto be held prior to extending sewer improvements to new areas with five or more dwelling units. Measure M does not apply to non-residential areas.
Measure A
On March 6, 1979, the voters enacted Measure A, the "Citizens' Advisory Growth Management Act," which requires the City Council to hold an advisory vote of the citizens of Modesto prior to extending sewer trunk lines to areas outside of the current sewer service area. Measure A allows Modesto's citizens to voice their opinions on growth before it happens and ensures that City Council members know the public opinion.
Measure M
On November 4, 1997, the voters enacted Measure M, the "Modesto Citizens' Advisory Growth Management Act of 1995". The purpose of Measure M is to extend the advisory votes required by Measure A to all sewer improvements and to bring the public's voice into decisions concerning whether or not to allow urban expansion.
Public advisory elections concerning extending sewer service are typically scheduled every other year in odd-numbered years if City Council determines, through the Urban Growth Review, that the City has an inadequate supply of developable land and that the City's infrastructure can accommodate additional development.
Areas that have received support for expansion of development through Public Advisory Elections have not all been planned, developed, or annexed, but each area is expected to eventually annex to the City and be developed. The map link shows all of those areas that have been the subject of a public advisory election and indicates which areas have received both positive and negative votes. The positive or negative result of a public advisory election is not binding upon the City Council, which may choose to either allow or prohibit growth in these areas. Click here to download the Public Advisory Elections Map.
Modesto Public Advisory Elections Map
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Ironically, Into Darkness is Too Light on Meaningful Ideas
- Christian Hamaker Contributing Film and Culture Writer
- 2013 16 May
DVD Release Date: September 10, 2013
Theatrical Release Date: May 16, 2013
Rating: PG-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi action and violence
Genre: Action
Run Time: 132 min.
Director: J.J. Abrams
Cast: Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Zoe Saldana, Benedict Cumberbatch, Bruce Greenwood, Karl Urban, Simon Pegg, John Cho, Anton Yelchin, Peter Weller, Alice Eve
Four summers ago, J.J. Abrams directed a successful reboot of the Star Trek franchise. With new actors as younger versions of the well-known cast of the original TV show and feature films, the new flick grossed more than $250 million in North America and more than $125 million overseas.
Although that earlier film was a smash, Eric Bana's role as villain wasn't compelling. Indeed, much of the film's enjoyment came in hearing familiar lines from the Star Trek crew uttered from the mouths of the characters' much younger selves. The film, with its revenge-driven storyline, also lacked a profound message—something the TV series regularly attempted to deliver, albeit it to mixed results.
The main question about Star Trek Into Darkness, Abrams' next chapter in the rebooted Star Trek franchise, is whether he has addressed the weaknesses of the earlier film while building on its strengths—strong action set pieces and humorous interaction among the crew of the USS Enterprise.
CrosswalkMovies.com: Star Trek Into Darkness Movie Review from crosswalkmovies on GodTube.
The results are mixed. The new film's great strength is its villain, played by Benedict Cumberbatch (TV's Sherlock), and a maturing cast that is growing into its familiar roles. But the action this time is less coherent and more drawn out, and the film's emotional content is rather cold. Characters cry, joke and even die without generating much emotional response from the viewer.
The film's opening piece is a chaotic rescue attempt of Spock (Zachary Quinto), who has dropped from an Enterprise shuttle into a live volcano on a distant planet from whose inhabitants Capt. James T. Kirk (Chris Pine, People Like Us) has just escaped. The rest of the crew—including Uhura (Zoe Saldana, Avatar), Scotty (Simon Pegg, Hot Fuzz), Bones (Karl Urban, Dredd), Sulu (John Cho, Identity Thief) and Chekov (Anton Yelchin, From Up On Poppy Hill)—tries desperately to save Spock before the volcano blows.
Abrams goes into overdrive filming Spock during the sequence, his camera swooping down from a high angle to a low angle several times, as lava percolates and flows throughout the frame. It's overkill for a scene that has inherent drama and uncertainty - more exhausting than exciting - although the film settles soon thereafter into a more measured pace (by summer-movie standards).
When the consequences of Kirk's efforts to rescue Spock lead to Kirk losing command of the Enterprise (never try to cover up the details of a mission centered on a Vulcan who can't help but tell the truth), Admiral Pike (Bruce Greenwood, Dinner for Schmucks) gives him a second chance. Kirk will have to prove himself while serving as First Officer to Pike, who will again captain the Enterprise. Before they can embark, however, all of Starfleet is given an emergency mission: find John Harrison (Cumberbatch), a rogue member of Starfleet who has a score to settle.
Though the storyline of this Trek is again revenge-driven, the screenwriters effectively tack on a point about the futility of vengeance, and they make a less successful stab at communicating a message about the dangers of forgetting "who we are." The dialogue in the film's closing moments sounds more like talking points left over from the George W. Bush era than a thematic summation that grows organically out of all that's come before, but it's to the film's credit that this Trek chapter at least tries to deliver some sort of moral to its story. Into Darkness feels closer in spirit to the Star Trek TV show and earlier films—something that wasn't much of a concern in the previous Abrams-helmed Trek.
Quinto's Spock has the meatiest role here, and his lover's quarrel with Uhura gives the film some needed laughs, as does Urban's Bones. Pegg's Scotty has an important role to play in the story, even though his lines aren't up to the actor's notable comedic talents. Greenwood, as he did in the previous film, provides gravitas, as does veteran actor Peter Weller as another Starfleet admiral.
Those who catch Into Darkness likely will find enough to enjoy here, but this new installment in the long-running franchise continues to show unfulfilled promise. But disappointed fans can take heart: there's little doubt Into Darkness will be a huge hit that leads to additional sequels—and more chances to deliver stronger stories with better integrated themes.
- Language/Profanity: "Dam-"; "a-s"; "b-sta-d"; "oh, my God"; "hell"; "piss you off"; "holy sh…"; "God help me"
- Alcohol/Smoking/Drugs: Drinking and drunkenness
- Sex/Nudity: Kissing; Kirk pops up from under some bed sheets, followed by one woman, then another; a woman in her underwear
- Violence/Crime: Deadly explosions, gun fights; punching and fighting; a snapped limb
- Religion/Morals: Alien species bows down before a volcano and are later seen, in awe, drawing a picture of the Enterprise; a character says, "It's a miracle," to which Spock responds, "There are no such things"
Questions? Comments? Contact the writer at firstname.lastname@example.com.
Publication date: April 16, 2013