text:
April 28, 2006
Test Internet Explorer 7 Without Installing It
Step 1
Download Internet Explorer 7 (14.8 MB). You could also download IE7 from File Hippo.
Step 2
Download the IE7 Standalone archive created by Jon Galloway.
Step 3
Create a new folder IE7 in Program Files, copy the IE7 setup file and extract the files from the archive downloaded at Step 2.
Step 4
Run the file IE7 Standalone Setup.bat and click OK to install xmllitesetup.exe, an update necessary so that IE7 has tabs.
Step 5
Create a shortcut on the desktop to the file IE7.bat. Change the icon of the shortcut to one from IE7's iexplore.exe.
Now you have a standalone Internet Explorer 7 that runs along with Internet Explorer 6. You can launch IE7 from the shortcut you've created on the desktop. Note that not all the features will work well and this standalone installation is recommended only for developers that want to test IE7, but also need Internet Explorer 6.
More about this setup from Jon Galloway.
Internet Explorer 7 Review
68 comments:
- AnonymousApril 28, 2006 at 1:47 PM
Great tip! Thanks... This really helped a lot.ReplyDelete
Sweet, thanks for the tip-off, manReplyDelete
- AnonymousApril 28, 2006 at 3:50 PM
I just tried this and it kind of worked. It loaded IE 7 but not all of it. Certain features just didnt work right. (for example the tabs do not display)ReplyDelete
- AnonymousApril 28, 2006 at 3:55 PM
Thats normal, even with IE beta 2 installed. :/ReplyDelete
But.. It is MS-software, so not strange at all!
- AnonymousApril 28, 2006 at 4:11 PM
It's a hack. Why would you expect it to work properly? It's not Microsoft's fault that someone hacked their browser and consequently it didn't work right.ReplyDelete
- AnonymousApril 28, 2006 at 4:22 PM
I wasnt saying that it was Microsoft's fault. I was mearly saying that the hack didnt work properly on my system.ReplyDelete
I can use IE 7 with the hack, as long as I dont care about not having tabbed browsing. But at that point, its called ie6.
Or just use BrowserCam and see what your site looks like across all browsers. Here's a list of all the Browsers BrowserCam supports. List of Browsers.ReplyDelete
And there's a free trial.
- AnonymousApril 28, 2006 at 4:34 PM
no tabs, and zonealarm(free) hates it when touching any of the buttons, complains about entry point missing. otherwise the hack works well.ReplyDelete
- AnonymousApril 28, 2006 at 5:03 PM
i had problems logging into a site that uses .htaccess for authentication.ReplyDelete
- AnonymousApril 28, 2006 at 5:25 PM
It's great! Even has a sense of dramaReplyDelete
"Couldn't add 'Talkfreelance' to favorites. Catastrophic Failure".
I've never had a catastrophic failure before :)
- AnonymousApril 28, 2006 at 6:26 PM
Aaron -- no, it's not just IE6 without tabbed browsing. if you followed web standards compliance issues, you would know that IE7 is quite a different beast from IE6 underneath the hood. the IE7 team is taking huge steps towards standards compliance, even working with the mozilla foundation on some points (unified RSS icons, for example). for more information, i suggest you keep an eye on the IEBlog. you can find it here: http://blogs.msdn.com/ie/default.aspxReplyDelete
syndicated via RSS here: http://blogs.msdn.com/ie/rss.aspx
- AnonymousApril 29, 2006 at 3:11 AM
Great tip !!!ReplyDelete
I have tried it and it works fine on my win XP virtual machine instance. It's a great way to test IE7 without installing it; now I can see that many features look quite similar to Firefox ones ...
Greetings from Italy and thanks again !!!
- AnonymousApril 29, 2006 at 4:59 AM
A great way to test internet explorer, thanks so much for this tip.ReplyDelete
- AnonymousApril 29, 2006 at 5:02 AM
Finally, I can have Internet Explorer running on standalone. All these years, IE was integrated into the Windows Operating System, thus making it a very difficult application to maintain, whenever IE encounters some problem.ReplyDelete
Right now, I already have IE 7 Beta 2 installed permanently in my machine, so I am not sure if I am going to try this out, just in case of endangering my machine once again.
How to create the bat file?ReplyDelete
Open the folder where you've extracted the files from the exe, create a new file, right-click and select Edit, copy the text with the small font size from the blog post, paste it in Notepad then save it.
If you want to have other standalone versions of Internet Explorer (for example, you have IE7 installed and want to use IE6), go to this site.
I updated the post to run the code in the bat file without seeing the console window.ReplyDelete
Hi, I am getting an error msg, something like: Entry point not found for SHRegGetValueA procedure in SHLWAPI.dll. Help! Anyway the idea is great, thanks.ReplyDelete
very helpful tip - just posted this url on Microsoft's forumReplyDelete
What Microsoft forum? I'm afraid they don't support this hack for IE7.ReplyDelete
- AnonymousMay 4, 2006 at 10:00 AM
I have get a error message.ReplyDelete
SHLWAPI.dll not found
What shall I do now?
- AnonymousMay 5, 2006 at 8:22 PM
This error message appears, "The procedure entry point InternetGetSecurityInfoByURLW could not be located in the dynamic link library WININET.dll.ReplyDelete
What can I do?!!
I didn't check but can this post help in providing tabs to this hack?ReplyDelete
- AnonymousMay 12, 2006 at 6:21 AM
to get the tabs to work you have to go to youre folder internet explorer 7/update/ and run xmllitesetup.exeReplyDelete
this will install the tabs this work with the hack for me
Hi, it works great. But I have one problem: Popups don't open. Is it normal???ReplyDelete
Internet Explorer's Pop-up Blocker helps to block some unwanted pop-up windows from appearing without blocking the pop-up windows you deliberately launch. Pop-up Blocker is turned on by default.ReplyDelete
To turn off Pop-up Blocker:
From the Internet Explorer Tools menu, click Pop-up Blocker
Select Turn Off Pop-up Blocker.
You can customize Pop-up Blocker in several ways, including allowing the Web sites you select to launch pop-ups. To access the Pop-up Blocker settings:
From the Internet Explorer Tools menu, click Pop-up Blocker
Select Pop-up Blocker Settings
Sorry, I forgot: pop-up-blocker is deaktivated! But it dosn't work anytime. IE6 and firefox are o.k.ReplyDelete
- AnonymousMay 25, 2006 at 8:20 PM
I installed IE7 Beta 2 following the instructions here and it installed well and I can run IE7...ReplyDelete
... however, now when I run IE6, enter a website in the address box, it loads the Web Page into Firefox v1.5.
What's up with that ???
Any ideas ???
- AnonymousMay 27, 2006 at 12:55 PM
I also had that problem with IE6 after running the hack...ReplyDelete
- AnonymousMay 31, 2006 at 2:39 PM
Yep.. Me too. So how do you go back? It worked fine on one of my pc's, but on this one it opens another browser window when you try to go to a URL. Seems to have stuffed my machine up quite well actually!ReplyDelete
- AnonymousJune 1, 2006 at 11:19 AM
"... however, now when I run IE6, enter a website in the address box, it loads the Web Page into Firefox v1.5."ReplyDelete
This is a known issue. To those of you having troubles with this, you can find a solution here on the official IEBlog.
- AnonymousJune 1, 2006 at 1:32 PM
"This is a known issue. To those of you having troubles with this, you can find a solution here on the official IEBlog."ReplyDelete
Sorry 'parasight', but I could not find a solution on the page you referred to. Can you be a little more specific?
This problem is very frustrating and any help you or anyone else can offer is much appreciated.
- AnonymousJune 4, 2006 at 6:24 PM
Great job, thanks.ReplyDelete
By the way, they copied the functionality of Mozilla Firefox .....
- AnonymousJune 14, 2006 at 5:17 PM
This MS7 Beta is very buggy.
Even after un-install
this IE7 Beta RUINED my default IE 6 installation. Since then I gave up trying to fix it.
However (and because of this problem)
I discovered Firefox which blows the doors off MS IE 7. So forget about MS7 and download Firefox.
You can thank me later.
- AnonymousJune 18, 2006 at 10:04 PM
This error message appears, "The procedure entry point InternetGetSecurityInfoByURLW could not be located in the dynamic link library WININET.dll.ReplyDelete
this message is coming in one window and title of that window is "McAfee AutoUpdate:UpdaterUI.exe - Entry Point Not Found"
- AnonymousJune 19, 2006 at 2:26 AM
I'm having problems since downgrading back to IE 6, IE is now identifying itself as IE7 to websites yet rendering as IE 6.
I'd stay away from installing this until this issue's fixed. I now have a dodgy IE 6 install.
- AnonymousJune 22, 2006 at 9:30 PM
Guys, the script is making a temporary change to your registry to IE7, and then reversing that change when you kill IE7.ReplyDelete
Points to keep in mind.
1) Don't run IE6 and IE7 similtaneously.
2) If you ran 'iexplore.exe' rather than the 'ie7.bat' the registry change didn't get undone. Run ie7.bat again and it should fix it.
3) Ideally you should read http://www.positioniseverything.net/articles/multiIE.html carefully to really understand what is going on here.
Quick summary: The main issue is IE7 needs a 'Version Vector' key set to "IE"="7.0000" to work properly. If you open your registry (via regedit) to 'HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Version Vector' you can watch the batch script making the registry change as you run it. If it still says '7.000' even though IE7 isn't running, you'll have render issues.
By default, IE6 installs set this key to 'IE'='6.0000'. However, IE5&6 don't actually need this key to work and in fact, if you want IE's conditional comments to work while you're testing locally, this key needs to be removed completely.
Consequently, even if you manually delete it, every time you run this BAT script, it will re-create this key if is doesn't exist, and rewrite is as '6.000' when it closes -- disabling conditional comments in the process.
I'm trying to figure a way to get the batch script to automatically delete the key when IE7 closes, but at the moment, I'm just using 'Registry Jumper' (google it) to jump me straight to that key each time where I manually delete it.
The people that are having trouble with 'can't find SHLWAPI.DLL' are probably running the script in the wrong directly. 'SHLWAPI.DLL' **should** be in the IE7 directory, and this script attempts to temporarily hide it by renaming it (to 'SHLWAPI.DLL.BAK'), while IE7 is running. It then renames it to it's original name when IE7 closes.
Hope that is of some help to people. Registry stuff is a black art.
- AnonymousJune 22, 2006 at 10:44 PM
I receive the following error when I click on the Tools dropdown Menu or the Page drop down menu.ReplyDelete
"The procedure entry point InternetGetSecurityInfoByURLW could not be located in the dynamic link library WININET.dll"
The message box is titled "iclient.exe - Entry Point Not Found" ( I am running zone alarm on my machine )
I checked the wininet.dll in Internet Explorer 7 folder and it is the latest version for IE7. There is one wininet.dll in the C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\ but that one is for IE6 if I am not mistaken.
- AnonymousJune 28, 2006 at 1:01 AM
when i try to load a url in ie6, ie7 automatically starts and loads the link.ReplyDelete
tried deleting the Version Vector reg entry but did no good. What else can i try?
- AnonymousJune 28, 2006 at 1:41 AM
when i try to load a url in ie6, ie7 automatically starts and loads the link.ReplyDelete
tried deleting the Version Vector reg entry but did no good. What else can i try?
- i just rebooted. doesnt happen now, works fine =)
So I get caught...ReplyDelete
I didn't pay much attention when I had to change Beta 2 to 3 to get the install to run. And then I learn that Beta 3 was released this morning.
I get an error message:
The procedure entry point SHRegGetValueA could not be located in the dynamic link library SHLWAPI.dll
Ah well I'll reboot and if that doesn't work Goodbye IE6 on this machine.
Alternatively, you can see how your site looks on IE7 simply by submitting your URL to IECapture at http://www.danvine.com/iecapture/ReplyDelete
And it will give you a screen shot.
- AnonymousJuly 11, 2006 at 2:48 PM
Hi, just want to let you guys know that there is a launch script available for IE7 beta 3. You can read more about it hereReplyDelete
- AnonymousJuly 13, 2006 at 4:11 AM
I was having the following problem ...ReplyDelete
I am using windows Xp Corporate Edition with Sp2.
I have recently formatted my system , did the necessary installations then
I have upgraded IE 6 to IE 7 beta 3
the problem i am facing is
The main feature of Tabbed browsing is not working
I checked the Tab Setting it was on still tabs were not visible as well as the favourites toolbar was not visible
I turned off the Tab Settings the i could see the favourites toolbar
I tried to work around a lot but didnt work
I uninstalled ,rebooted the system then again installed but didnt work
i am attaching 2 images of IE for
1 ) With Tab Settings On
2 ) With Tab Setting off
for more clear understanding
please help as i dont wish to format the system again for this silly thing
thanks a lot my above problem was solved by Installing xmllitesetup.exe which was mentioned in the post
I was under the impression that i did some mistake while update any ways
Google Rocks...
- AnonymousJuly 17, 2006 at 4:06 AM
Absolutely priceless! Thanks alot!ReplyDelete
- AnonymousAugust 5, 2006 at 9:44 AM
When I try this the shortcut to the .vbs file opens it in NOtepad not IE 7 browser. Why? HOw do I fix?ReplyDelete
- AnonymousAugust 11, 2006 at 9:50 AM
To run Internet Explorer 7 Beta 3 just copy iertutil.dll and iexplorer.exe from Internet Explorer 7 Beta 3 folder to Internet Explorer 7 Beta 2 folder. Et voilá!ReplyDelete
Does this work with release candidate 1?ReplyDelete
Jon Galloway just released a new version of IE& stanbdalone launcher. CHeck it outReplyDelete
I personally use Firefox and I/ve managed to stay away from IE for a couple of years.
But if you must use IE, I think Galloway's site is worth a visit. Good luck.
- AnonymousNovember 17, 2006 at 7:31 PM
Great instructions. Worked the first try!ReplyDelete
- AnonymousNovember 23, 2006 at 5:23 AM
When clicking on sleect box, it sees it as a pop up, and then when you try and allow pop ups and even add the domain to safe list, it still prevents you from using the dropdown list.ReplyDelete
- AnonymousFebruary 5, 2007 at 8:01 AM
I have a problem of opening a popup window in IE7. Sometimes, the popup window goes to the back of the parent window. Do you guys have this problem? If so, how to fix it?ReplyDelete
- AnonymousMarch 16, 2007 at 12:12 PM
I've also am having problems with opening new browser instances. If I right-click on a link and choose "Open in New Window", nothing happens. This is a very important since my app relies on opening new windows.ReplyDelete
No way of running it on a W2000 machine?ReplyDelete
- AnonymousMay 16, 2007 at 9:49 PM
i am not a computer geek who knows technical jargon so i don't have much of a chance of understanding just what the heck all this stuff is that is being thrown out in the tutorial. i thought i would try i.e.7 and see how it works and i could not get through all the intro tutorial that came with the program at that time. a windows update wiped out that part of the program over night and i just want to either get the tutorial back or dump this screwed up mess of a program called windows internet explorer 7. all i can find is a bunch of gobble de goop written in tech speak that is of absolutely no use at all. i think i can dump internet explorer completly and use google instead. if someone can't come up with the info i need i will give that a try. anybody out there that can help me ??ReplyDelete
- AnonymousJune 1, 2007 at 1:58 AM
yeah..maybe I need try this one..thanksReplyDelete
- AnonymousJune 8, 2007 at 10:18 AM
Got UpdaterUI.exe - Entry Point Not Found...The procedure entry point GetProcessingImageFileNameW could not be located in the dynamic link library PSAPI.DLL, and all i was trying to do we click on Tools. Anyone can shed some light?ReplyDelete
- AnonymousJuly 22, 2007 at 7:48 PM
or you could just use mozilla. and you wouldn't need to worry all these errors.ReplyDelete
- AnonymousJuly 30, 2007 at 6:04 AM
Does anyone have a "select tag" problem?ReplyDelete
- AnonymousAugust 13, 2007 at 4:30 AM
See this link in Firefox & IE7ReplyDelete
IE7 dissapoints big time! It still lacks css3 support.
dotnetuncle (.NET Interview Questions).
- AnonymousSeptember 18, 2007 at 12:03 PM
It works great - thx a lot :-)
- AnonymousOctober 22, 2007 at 12:10 AM
Tanks for this tip! It is very useful for webmasters.ReplyDelete
- AnonymousOctober 31, 2007 at 2:19 AM
Tanks for this tip! It is very useful for webmasters.ReplyDelete
- AnonymousNovember 7, 2007 at 9:38 AM
Some IE7 features work, some do not. But thanks for the tip.ReplyDelete
well.... still DOESNT feel like the real ie7!ReplyDelete
- AnonymousNovember 16, 2007 at 12:12 PM
Sweet share, thanks!ReplyDelete
- AnonymousNovember 20, 2007 at 8:33 PM
In case if you have problems fixing your IE6 back to normal, you can visit this site and download their registry cleanup script:ReplyDelete
It works for me! *phew*
- AnonymousJanuary 18, 2008 at 11:58 AM
Thank you.It saved my time while fixing cross browser issues.ReplyDelete
thank you I am web developer and designerReplyDelete
and I need too test my programs in both of this browsers
and this is helpfully that as your kindness
New comments are not allowed.


text:
- This event has passed.
Event Series: Snow Ordinance
Snow Ordinance
January 31 @ 1:00 am - 6:00 am
Snow Ordinance: December 1st – March 31st
PARKING IS PROHIBITED on all Village streets 1:00 am to 6:00 am December 1st thru March 31st. Violators will be ticketed
DO NOT park on any village street
Obstruction of snow removal and street cleaning prohibited. During the period beginning December 1st and extending through March 31st, no vehicles may be parked in or upon any Village street between the hours of 1:00 am and 6:00 am.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Ball Aerospace Wins $42M U.S. Air Force Laser Research Contract
March 05, 2008
Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp. has been awarded a $42M indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity (ID/IQ) research and development contract to conduct laser effects research for the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL). The contract will support the AFRL's Directed Energy Directorate located at New Mexico's Kirtland Air Force Base.
"We are pleased that the AFRL has selected Ball Aerospace to support its critical laser development and evaluation research efforts," said Jeff Osterkamp, vice president and general manager for Ball Aerospace's National Defense Solutions business unit. "This is yet another opportunity to help mature and enhance the AFRL's laser technology capabilities that protect our national security."
Under the five-year contract, Ball Aerospace will conduct analytical modeling and experimental studies to predict the effects of lasers on missiles. These studies provide signature information associated with materials, components and systems.
Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp. supports critical missions of important national agencies such as the Department of Defense, NASA, NOAA and other U.S. government and commercial entities. The company develops and manufactures spacecraft, advanced instruments and sensors, components, data exploitation systems and RF solutions for strategic, tactical and scientific applications. For more than 50 years, Ball Aerospace has been responsible for numerous technological and scientific 'firsts' and acts as a technology innovator for the aerospace market.
Ball Corporation
Forward-Looking Statements
This release contains "forward-looking" statements concerning future events and financial performance. Words such as "expects," "anticipates," "estimates" and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Such statements are subject to risks and uncertainties which could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied. The company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Key risks and uncertainties are summarized in filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including Exhibit 99.2 in our Form 10-K, which are available at our Web site and at http://www.sec.gov/. Factors that might affect our packaging segments include fluctuation in product demand and preferences; availability and cost of raw materials, including recent significant increases in resin, steel, aluminum and energy costs, and the ability to pass such increases on to customers; competitive packaging availability, pricing and substitution; changes in climate and weather; crop yields; competitive activity; failure to achieve anticipated productivity improvements or production cost reductions, including our beverage can end project; mandatory deposit or other restrictive packaging laws; changes in major customer or supplier contracts or loss of a major customer or supplier; and changes in foreign exchange rates, tax rates and activities of foreign subsidiaries. Factors that might affect our aerospace segment include: funding, authorization, availability and returns of government and commercial contracts; and delays, extensions and technical uncertainties affecting segment contracts. Factors that might affect the company as a whole include those listed plus: accounting changes; changes in senior management; successful or unsuccessful acquisitions, joint ventures or divestitures; integration of recently acquired businesses; regulatory action or laws including tax, environmental and workplace safety; governmental investigations; technological developments and innovations; goodwill impairment; antitrust, patent and other litigation; strikes; labor cost changes; rates of return projected and earned on assets of the company's defined benefit retirement plans; pension changes; reduced cash flow; interest rates affecting our debt; and changes to unaudited results due to statutory audits or other effects.
First Call Analyst:
FCMN Contact: email@example.com
SOURCE: Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp.
CONTACT: Roz Brown of Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp.,
Web site: http://www.ballaerospace.com/


text:
Registration: Farmington Summer Swizzle 2023 (Entry: Step 1 of 3)
Skaters planning to compete at Farmington Summer Swizzle 2023 may register using this online form. Online entries must be submitted by May 31 2023 (entries that are not electronically submitted by the due date must be pre-approved and are subject to a late fee of $15.00). Entries submitted online are not considered final until your payment has been received and acknowledged, but please understand that the stated entry deadline is the date by which the online part must be completed; your payment may come later but must be postmarked by 72 hrs after online registration.
Please review the fields below and be sure you have all the information needed before you start, also be sure that you are connected to a printer because you will need to print your payment coupon at step 3. The competition announcement and other important information can be found on the Competition Info page. If you have additional questions, please contact as follows:
- Read this first -- General Instructions for Online Registration
- General Questions: Ilyssa Cimmino ( firstname.lastname@example.com )
- Website Problems/Questions: Don Korte ( sk8stuff.com )
- Time Left to Register:


text:
On the Mole Patrol!
12/28/10: Mole Hunting
2/22/11: Bert's Back in Action
2/28/11: It's Monday
5/17/11: Why We Laugh at the Thought of Landscaping the Backyard
Must be something mighty good under there...ReplyDelete
I think the chicken was supervising that dig. Looked like the dog had fun digging!!! love the pics.
Great set! What a trio. :)ReplyDelete
this reminds me of the time my great dane puppy dug a whole at the fenceline, not one he could get his fat ass under, but just big enough to free the lab on the other side. then they went for a joy run.ReplyDelete
That produced a whole lot of smiles here. You will let us know if the shed falls over from lack of ground support. Our dog dug a three foot long two foot deep hole in the backyard going after a mole. I think she did get it too.ReplyDelete
If your hen is in good shape mine are too skinny!ReplyDelete
Animals are a constant source of amusement. What, pray tell, were they digging for....China, shade, treasure????ReplyDelete
Those pics are so funny . The chicken looks like their supervisor. Hope everybody found something good and the other side. Gave me a SMILE for the day. Thanks!ReplyDelete
LB Bear looks like he's smiling.ReplyDelete
They really are so cute, love all your farm animals Susan!ReplyDelete
Kinda makes you wonder what they are looking for??? And Bear looks like he is smiling in the 2nd to last picture - so I guess "the dig" was successful! Love these pictures - love all the animals! Thanks for sharing them with us!
Hens are so smart. Mine come running as soon as I pick up a shovel, they know there will soon be worms. Yours has already figured out that pup is worth keeping an eye on. How did you all exist before that pup?ReplyDelete
In that last shot of Bert, I can just hear him saying to you, "Why are you just standing there with that camera? You could be helping, you know!"ReplyDelete
Good grief. Did Abe Lincoln carve those logs? What a historic structure.ReplyDelete
The chicken cracks me up! :)ReplyDelete
WELL? Did they get it? Don't leave us hangin', Susan.ReplyDelete
What cute pictures. What are they digging for? There must be something under there. Nevertheless, they had fun. Makes a person smile to see these kind of picture's.ReplyDelete
The chicken in the photo puts it over the top. Great series of pictures.ReplyDelete
That is such a cute set of three musketeers!!ReplyDelete
Their're so lovely!!
The hen cracks me up! It's so fantastic that everyone gets along so well on your farm! (Well, everyone but the moles... but nobody invited them anyway.)ReplyDelete
hi! i just came across your blog today and was thrilled to see that your dog bear looks exactly like our dog!! :-D in fact they could be twins!
can you tell me what breed he is? no one out here seems to be quite sure. thanks a ton and love to all the animals!
Hi Everybody,
Thanks for all the comments. I'm so glad you enjoyed this series of photos as much as I did.
As to what they're digging for - moles! And thankfully they've actually started catching some, because the Mole Patrol damage has far outweighed the mole damage lately, LOL.
Hi Keka,
It's always great to hear from somebody who has Bear's 'twin!' :)
Bear is half Australian Shepherd and half English Shepherd, but apart from being much shorter, he looks almost exactly like his English Shepherd mom.
English Shepherds come in all colors and styles, and because many people are unfamiliar with the breed, they're often misidentified or unidentified. You can read more about them and see how much the breed varies on the website of the National English Shepherd Rescue, which is a wonderful organization. :)
December 2015 update: Hi! For some reason I can't figure out, Blogger hasn't been letting me leave comments on my own blog (!) for the last several months, so I've been unable to respond to your comments and questions. My apologies for any inconvenience! You're always welcome to email me: farmgirlfare AT gmail DOT com.
Hi! Thanks for visiting Farmgirl Fare and taking the time to write. While I'm not always able to reply to every comment, I receive and enjoy reading them all.
Your feedback is greatly appreciated, and I especially love hearing about your experiences with my recipes. Comments on older posts are always welcome!
Please note that I moderate comments, so if I'm away from the computer it may be a while before yours appears.
I try my best to answer all questions, though sometimes it takes me a few days. And sometimes, I'm sorry to say, they fall through the cracks, and for that I sincerely apologize.
I look forward to hearing from you and hope you enjoy your e-visits to our farm!


text:
History System
The history system is an add-on capability built into the MIDAS data logger mlogger to record useful information in parallel to the data logging. This information is recorded with a time stamp and saved into a history file (see History drivers) for later retrieval. One set of files is created per day containing all the requested history events. The history data may be displayed in graphical form using the mhttpd MIDAS webserver utility, giving the user an easy way of seeing how experimental variables have changed with time. The history logging will be in action only if the MIDAS data logger is running, but it is not necessary to have any data logging channel enabled.
The new history configuration defines history channels similar to logger channels. Each history channel creates a history interface class (class MidasHistoryInterface). The data logger can use this interface to write data into the history, mhttpd, mhist & co can use this interface to read data from the history. The interface is defined in history.h
History drivers
Presently, the MIDAS distribution contains these drivers:
- MIDAS-History
- this is the traditional history driver, with data stored in the .hst binary files. (format is documented here mhformat, see also mhist and mhdump)
- By default ODB subtree "MIDAS" is set up to write MIDAS-history.
- ODBC-History
- stores history data in SQL database using the ODBC abstraction layer. See ODBC SQL History system.
- By default ODB subtree "ODBC" is set up to write ODBC-history.
- SQLITE-History
- stores data in SQL database as SQLITE3 .sqlite3 files. The SQL table format is similar to ODBC-history, performance is similar, no database server required.
- By default ODB subtree "SQLITE" is set up to write SQLITE-history.
- MYSQL-History
- By default ODB subtree "MYSQL" is set up to write MYSQL-history.
- FILE-History
- stores each variable in its own file, making it much easier to trace the history of a particular variable.
- By default ODB subtree FILE is set up to write FILE-history.
More drivers can be easily added by the user (create history_xxx.cxx, add constructor to hs_get_history(), create the ODB subtree /Logger/History/x/channel).
Location of History Files
- MIDAS-history
- By default, the traditional MIDAS-history is enabled, writing history files into the MIDAS data directory path given by the ODB key Data dir.
- If history data is important, it is recommended to write it to a directory that is backed up or archived. (The MIDAS data directory is usually located on a scratch data disk without backups).
- The location of the MIDAS-history data files can be changed by use of the ODB Key History dir.
- ODBC-History
- The location of ODBC-History files is ...
- SQLITE-History
- The location of SQLITE-History files is the directory path given by the ODB key Sqlite dir.
- MYSQL-History
- The location of MYSQL-History files is ...
- FILE-History
- The location of FILE-History files is the directory path given by the ODB key History dir.
Types of History Events
There are two basic types of history events, which are defined in different ways:
- "Frontend" History event composed in the frontend. See Frontend History Event for details.
- "Virtual" History event composed within the ODB under the /History/Links subtree.
Both these history event definitions take effect when the data logger gets a start run transition. Any modifications made during the run are not applied until the start of the next run.
Virtual History Event
The history of any ODB variable can be recorded in a "virtual" history event by creating a link to that variable in the /History/Links subtree. This is used for ODB variables that are not in an Equipment.
- To enable Virtual History Events
- Create links as desired in /History/Links subtree.
Frontend History Event
Each Equipment has the capability to generate "history data".
- To enable Frontend History Events
- Set the Log history ODB key of each equipment to be logged non-zero. (See Log History parameter).
This causes the event contents to be copied to the ODB /Equipment/<equipment-name>/Variables subtree for the use of the History system. You may need to restart the frontend.
Sequence for frontend History Event
The main steps for the frontend History Event is as follows:
- The user code in the frontend equipment Event Readout routines reads the data, placing it into a MIDAS data bank
- In mfe.c, if the key Log history > 0 (i.e. the history system is enabled for this equipment), this data bank is written into ODB (by update_odb()).
- This ODB write triggers an ODB hot-link into mlogger
- The hot-link calls mlogger.c::log_history(), which calls hs_write() to write the data into the history file. The frequency of the history writes is specified by the number of seconds between writes stored in the ODB key Log history.
- history.c::hs_write() or history_odbc::hs_write_odbc() writes the data into a history file or into an SQL database.
How to Write History events
- Enable desired Frontend and/or Virtual history events
- Select the history driver
- Follow instructions below for selected driver:
Select the history driver
- Select the history driver and therefore the history-logging-channel to use to write the MIDAS-history files.
- set Active ODB key in the selected history-logging-channel to "y". All other logging channels should be disabled.
- set LoggerHistoryChannel ODB key to the selected History channel.
Write MIDAS-History events
- Enable desired Frontend and/or Virtual history events
- Perform steps in Select History Driver with history driver "MIDAS".
- Restart mhttpd and mlogger, start the run.
MIDAS-history files will be saved into the MIDAS-history data directory.
Write ODBC-History events
See MIDAS ODBC SQL History system.
- If necessary, set up a MySQL database.
- Enable desired virtual and frontend history events (see Virtual history events and Frontend history events).
- Perform steps in Select History Driver with history driver "ODBC".
- Check ODB Key Writer_ODBC_DSN is set to "history writer" and Key Reader_ODBC_DSN is set to "history reader" (the default values)
- set Debug to 1 if desired
- restart mlogger in verbose mode (i.e. mlogger -v), and observe how it issues SQL commands to create the tables and columns corresponding to MIDAS-history events and tags.
- restart mhttpd
- mlogger is programmed to raise alarms if connection to SQL database is interrupted or if some events cannot be written into the database (i.e. data type mismatch, SQL syntax errors, etc). The traditional MIDAS-history never raised alarms because it "never failed" - other than from "disk full" errors, which are immediately obvious.
- With ODBC History enabled, mhttpd will only use history information from the SQL database to make history plots and to extract history variable names for the history plot editor. The ODB /History Tags and Events subtrees are not used.
- variable names presented to the user may change from MIDAS names to SQL names (use the history panel "Label" text fields to create permanent plot labels).
Write SQLITE-history events
No special configuration required.
- Enable desired virtual and frontend history events (see Virtual history events and Frontend history events).
- Perform steps to Select History Driver with history driver "SQLITE".
- Create a directory for storage of sqlite history files
- save its path in the ODB key Sqlite dir
- restart mhttpd and mlogger
In the history data directory (in Sqlite dir) you should see files with name "mh_xxx.sqlite3" corresponding to your equipment and variable names.
Write MYSQL-history events
- Enable desired virtual and frontend history events (see Virtual history events and Frontend history events).
- Perform steps to Select History Driver with history driver "SQLITE".
Write FILE-history events
- Enable desired virtual and frontend history events (see Virtual history events and Frontend history events).
- Perform steps to Select History Driver with history driver "SQLITE".
- Assign directory path for saved files using the ODB key History dir.
MIDAS-History Tag names
Tags are only used for MIDAS-history events.
The mlogger/mhttpd implementation of /History/Tags has proved troublesome and we are moving away from it.
- During the transition period
- Implementations starting with Version 4435 of mlogger and mhttpd (i.e. "new" versions) will now work without /History/Tags. The history tags are read directly from the history files themselves. To run in this mode, set ODB key /History/DisableTags to "y". Existing /History/Tags subtree will be automatically deleted.
Two downsides to running like this are
- it is slower and tags become non-persistent
- if some frontends have not been running for a while, their variables may vanish from the history panel editor.
New-style History Tags
For the above two reasons, using /History/Tags is still recommended. However, the format of the tags is now changed to simplify management and reduce ODB size.
- For NEW implementations
- the key CreateOldTags will not be present. "New-style" history tags will be created automatically in the Tags subtree.
- If you have old-style tags
- mlogger will automatically convert the old tags to this new format (this is why you should make a backup of your ODB).
- using "old" (i.e. pre Version 4435) mlogger with "new" mhttpd is OK: new mhttpd understands both formats of /History/Tags.
- using "old" mhttpd with "new" mlogger is OK provided the ODB key /History/CreateOldTags is set to "y" before starting mlogger.
Old-style History Tags
Prior to versions 4435 of mlogger and mhttpd, old-style history tags were generated. See
for details.
MIDAS ODBC SQL History system
This section describes the internal workings of the MIDAS SQL history system.
The SQL history system implements the MIDAS history using a SQL database for data storage instead of flat binary files.
The SQL history code lives in a separate files history.h and history_sql.cxx. The present implementation uses the ODBC API for accessing SQL databases. MySQL is fully supported, Pgsql support is partially implemented, support for arbitrary ODBC drivers should be easy to add in history_sql and most SQL operations are done using an interface class.
Preliminary testing with MySQL and PgSQL indicates that disk space requirements are the same for both storage mechanisms using flat binary files or either of the 2 SQL databases. All 3 tested storage mechanisms store the data uncompressed. (Observed gzip-1 compression ratios from CERN-ALPHA history files are 50% or better).
Preliminary testing also indicates that MySQL database is "not too slow" for use by T2K/ND280 slow control system. Using MySQL, performance seems to improve somewhat compared to traditional MIDAS-history because each SQL table is stored into a separate file, compared to everything-in-one-file in traditional MIDAS-history.
Set up a MySQL database
In order to setup a MySQL database, the following is needed:
- the server hostname and port number
- database name
- user name and password.
It is recommended to create 3 different users:
- a "root" user with full priveleges,
- a "reader" user with read-only priveleges
- and a "writer" user with "insert, create table, and add column" priveleges (no permission to drop table, remove columns, etc)
- Setup a MySQL database (RHEL/SL 5)
ssh root@localhost service mysqld start /usr/bin/mysql_secure_installation (enter current password for root: press <enter>, then accept default answer "Y" to all questions) mysqladmin -p create history using mysql-administrator, create 2 users: history_writer, with database "history" schema privileges: select, insert, create, alter history_reader, with database "history" schema privileges: select
- Setup $HOME/.odbc.ini file:
cat $HOME/.odbc.ini [history_writer] Description = history_writer Driver = /usr/lib64/libmyodbc3.so SERVER = ladd05.triumf.ca PORT = Database = history OPTION = 3 SOCKET = User = history_writer Password = ****** [history_reader] Description = history_reader Driver = /usr/lib64/libmyodbc3.so SERVER = ladd05.triumf.ca PORT = Database = history OPTION = 3 SOCKET = User = history_reader Password =
Layout of SQL tables
- One table is created for each history event. Table name is the same as the history event name (as reported by mhdump).
- one column is created for each history tag (history variable). Column name is the same as the tag name (as reported by mhdump). For array tags, one column is created for each array element: array a[3] will produce columns a_0, a_1 and a_2.
- two special columns are always created: _i_time and _t_time are the timestamps in the UNIX-time integer format and in the SQL "time" format. (A priori, it is not clear which timestamp format is more useful for end users. mhttpd uses the _i_time integer time format). Note that this timestamp is the time when mlogger receives the hot-link signal (see above) and it can be a few seconds behind the time when the user placed the data into the MIDAS bank. For high precision (and sub-second time resolution) time stamps, users should generate their own timestamps and include them as part of the data itself.
- a special table called _history_index is created to remember the mapping between SQL names and MIDAS names for event names, variable name and tag names.
Schema Evolution
- when new data fields are added, new SQL columns are created automatically
- existing SQL columns are never deleted
- arrays are expanded automatically, and arrays never shrink.
- if the type of a data field changes, a conflict may occur with existing SQL columns, for example if previous type was "FLOAT" and new type is "DOUBLE", the existing SQL columns would have the SQL data type "float", too narrow to store new values. mlogger will complain about this. Such conflicts may be resolved by changing the type of the SQL column using SQL tools. In general, SQL names are created from MIDAS names by replacing all non-alphanumerical characters to an underscore "_". If this procedure creates duplicate column names, the column names and made unique by appending them with a random number, i.e. MIDAS names "A+B" and "A-B" will be translated to "A_B" and "A_B_12345" (random integer). True MIDAS names are saved into the _history_index.


text:
New York, NY (26 September 2017) — Lucas Entertainment is excited to announce Brock Magnus joining the studio as a new exclusive model.
Brock, a native of the Czech Republic, is pure beefcake; he has some of the biggest muscles amongst the Lucas Men to date, and it's been a dream of his to show all of them off on film. More than that, this is his first time ever having sex with a guy, and we've caught it on camera! "I've wanted to become a porn star for a long time and I've always been a huge fan of Lucas Entertainment for years," Brock says.
He was first attracted to the studio for its large cast of exclusives and the exotic filming locations, which encouraged him to apply. "No other studio produces the quality of movies or features guys this hot and sexy the way Lucas Entertainment does. So it was easy to take the first step and apply to become one of the Lucas Men."
Brock Magnus' beefcake body comes from a long background in bodybuilding, which is apparent when you see his incredible physique. He weighs in at 230 pounds of muscle. Brock's body is matched with a handsome face and killer smile. Brock brings all of this and more to his scenes, and he's excited to build his career. "I want to become a better performer and produce awesome porn movies that my fans will love!"
Brock's first bareback sex scene debuts on Monday, 25 September 2017. The scene features Brock teaming up with Andrey Vic to fill Andy Star with raw cock from both ends. The scene will later appear in the movie "Cum-Hungry Butt Sluts," due for DVD and Digital Download release in December 2017.
Click here to watch all of Brock's bareback sex videos and hundreds more gay bareback videos at Lucas Entertainment.
Click here to watch all of Brock's bareback sex videos and hundreds more gay bareback videos at Lucas Entertainment.


text:
60 4 370 9070
The leading flag carrier of Thailand, Thai Airways consists of more than 90 airbuses covering 84 destinations in 37 different countries. The major routes covered by this airline include places in South & South-West Asia, Europe, and East Asia. Headquartered at the Vibhavadi Rangsit Road (Chatuchak District) in Bangkok, the Suvarnabhumi Airport is the hub airport of Thai Airways. The airline is best known for providing its passengers with flexible services and amazing policies. If you are flying to or from Penang in this airline and have some queries, then you can call on the Thai Airways Penang office phone number or directly go to the Thai Airways Penang office for the right assistance and proper guidance.
Thai Airways Penang Office and Contact Details
To get the details of the Thai Airways office in Penang, you can contact the head office of the airline. And the details of the same have been given below:
Office Address: Suite 17.3 (17th Floor)
MWE Plaza
No 8, Lebuh Farquhar
10200 Penang
Thai Airways Office Phone Number
|Thai Airways Head Office Phone Number
|(662) 545 1000
|Thai Airways Customer Service Phone Number
|60 4 370 9070
|Customer Service FAX Number
|60 4 370 9010
|Thai Airways Customer Service Email ID
|Thai Airways Customer Relations Phone Number
|(662) 545 4216 and (662) 545 4217
|Customer Relations FAX Number
|(662) 545 3841
|Thai Airways Customer Relations Email ID
|Thai Airways Manage Booking
|Check Here
|Online Check-In
|Click Here
|Official Website
|Thai Airways Facebook Support
|Thai Airways Twitter Support
|Thai Airways Youtube Support
|Thai Airways Instagram Support
Queries that can be Resolved by Calling Thai Airways Penang Office Phone Number
If you have time, then you can directly go to the Thai Airways Penang office to get answers to all your queries. In case you are in hurry and need immediate assistance, you can call the customer service number of Thai Airways and get answers to the queries related to the following:
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- Visa Information
- In-Flight Meals
- Flight Information
- Airport Lounges
- Airport Transfers
- Missing Luggage
- Immigration Services
- Flight Wi-Fi
- Airport Wi-Fi
- Valet Parking
- Meet and Greet
- In-Flight Entertainment
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- Delayed or Cancelled Flights
- Visa on Arrival
- Economy Class, Business Class, and First Class
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Thai Airways Aircraft Disinfection
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Tags: Airlines, Penang, Thai Airways


text:
Crusading Photographer Seeks To Save Israeli Mom-and-Pop Shops for Posterity
One morning a week, Assi Haim roams the streets of the old neighborhoods of Tel Aviv with his camera and tripod. He's racing against time, trying to document a piece of history before it disappears. Haim is searching for "The Rebels," the elderly owners of small shops who refuse to bow to the crushing winds of global capitalism that have brought chain stores and cheap foreign imports to Israel.
What started out as a project for a photography class back in 2010 has turned into a personal passion for Haim. The 41-year-old journalist, an editor at Israel Hayom, has begun to expand his efforts, making special trips to Haifa, Jerusalem, Netanya, Beersheba and towns in the Galilee to seek out remaining mom-and-pop shops. He posts his photographs, along with short write-ups about the establishments, their histories and their owners, on a blog called "HaMordim," Hebrew for "The Rebels."
"These are old people who are rebels against capitalism," Haim said. "They do no marketing, don't know from new trends, and don't worry about decoration and window dressing."
Indeed, it was the chipped green Formica that drew Haim into the first place he photographed. It was the Yeshurun Restaurant at 4 Mazeh Street in Tel Aviv, a small establishment opened in 1962 by Zusha Rivkin, who was 84 by the time Haim met him. It was once a bustling place, with waiters circulating among the tables out front. But in 2010, when the photographer arrived, it was only Rivkin, with his long white beard and black yarmulke, and one longtime and loyal assistant, making the fish and meat patties, vegetable dishes, schnitzel and salads, and serving it all to lunchtime customers.
Take a tour of Assi Haim's Tel Aviv photography project in the slideshow below:
"There at the corner of Allenby Street, at one of the busiest intersections of Tel Aviv, hides a time machine that takes anyone who enters it into another era. All you need to do is open the Jewish restaurant's door to fly backwards 50 years to times when green Formica was the height of fashion and simple Jewish food was all that was needed to satisfy your hunger," Haim writes on his blog.
A little more than a year after Haim first visited Rivkin at his restaurant, the elderly proprietor passed away. The advanced ages of most of the shop owners gives Haim a sense of urgency. "I need to document them before they're gone," he said.
He recalled how he had tried over and over to catch the owner of a lighting store on Ben Yehuda Street during the limited and varying hours the shop was open, but to no avail. The final time the photographer came by, the shop had been closed for good.
Haim has found that it is not unusual for elderly business owners to die shortly after closing their shops. "The stores keep them alive," he said. With most of these people not making enough from their businesses to live on (they are likely making do on social insurance pensions, and perhaps savings), it's more a matter of having somewhere to go every day.
"Some people think of it as sad," Haim said of what people see in his photos. "But I see the project as optimistic. I'd like to be like them when I'm in my 80s. They are not in the rat race, and they respect their professions and their stores."
While some of his subjects accept their situation, others are somewhat bitter about the devastating competition from big chain stores. But they all demonstrate a strong resolve to keep doing what they have always done. For instance, Miriam Givoni who, in her 80s, keeps open her kol-bo, a small general store, at 163 Ibn Gvirol Street, dating to 1956; the elderly Jersey brothers show up to work every day at their 69-year-old nut shop at 32 Yedidya Frankel Street, and Yehuda Yaakov, 78, who is still baking up a storm at his Albert Pastry Shop at 36 Matalon Street, which his father established in 1935 upon his arrival from Greece.
For Haim, it's all about capturing these "rebels" in context. "These stores look the same way they did when they were first opened," he said. Haim wants the viewer to notice the cracked vinyl seat, the outdated plastic Purim mask that has been hanging from the ceiling of the tiny school supply shop for who-knows-how-many years. "The furniture grows old with them," he said.
Haim said that all the storeowners he has met have pointed to the import of inexpensive Chinese goods that began in the 1980s as the starting point of their own financial decline. One woman who sells high-end, handcrafted buttons made of natural materials from Europe lamented the arrival of plastic sewing notions and fashion accessories from Asia.
Eytan Sheshinski, an economics professor at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, agreed that major changes in the Israeli economy began to be felt acutely in the 1980s, but he said the shift began earlier, in the wake of Six Day War. As early as the late 1960s, more and larger businesses sprang up, and the standard of living rose. More recently, Israel's high-tech sector has brought in large amounts of international investment and moved Israel even further into the global economy.
"Israel is no different from other Western economies," Sheshinski said. "Small businesses are struggling against chain stores all over the world."
Unlike Haim, who believes he is in a race against time to document mom-and-pop shops, Sheshinski is not sure that these kinds of establishments will imminently disappear. "People want these neighborhood stores," the economist said. "You won't find the kind of products they sell in the big stores, and now it is even considered trendy to seek out the old and authentic. These stores can take advantage of this nostalgia." Sheshinski himself likes to occasionally eat old-time Ashkenazi food at restaurants like those Haim is documenting.
Haim is keenly aware that he is not the only young Israeli with a sense of nostalgia for the Israel of his childhood. He has already published a book that looks back at the traditional food of the kibbutzim and hopes to publish a collection of his "HaMordim" photos.
In the meantime, he is trying to do his part in supporting these stalwarts by granting them attention and hopefully sending some business their way. He personally patronizes some of these shops, brings clothes he needs fixed to one of the tailors he has met, and he has become particularly friendly with octogenarians Yeshoshua and Rivka Ashkenazi, who operate a small sandwich place at 28 Yedidya Frankel Street, in Tel Aviv's Floretin district.
"We shouldn't let small businesses be ruined by globalized capitalism," he said. "I'm not naive. I know how the world works. But change is not always for the best. Sometimes you just need that personal connection."
Renee Ghert-Zand is a regular contributor to the Forward.


text:
U.S. Effort Urged to Defuse Sudan 'Time Bomb'
The bishop of Tombura-Yambio, Southern Sudan, urged the United States to use whatever diplomatic means it can to pressure the government of President Omar al-Bashir to end its attacks on civilians in South Kordofan state. Bishop Eduardo Hiiboro Kussala said the danger of war is great if troops from the North continue their attacks in an attempt to control key areas along the unresolved border between Sudan and Southern Sudan, due to become independent July 9.
"There are many terrible scenarios that are pointing to war," Bishop Kussala said June 16 prior to testifying about the situation in Southern Sudan to the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health and Human Rights. "We are scared. We want the American community to prevent us, to not go back to war."
While sporadic conflicts began soon after residents of Southern Sudan voted overwhelmingly to secede from Sudan in a January referendum, the violence intensified in May as government troops from the North sought to control key areas in South Kordofan, which borders the oil-rich states of Unity and Upper Nile.
The most recent government violence has targeted the Nuba people around Kadugli, the South Kordofan capital, with witnesses reporting Sudanese troops going door-to-door to hunt down the opposition. Attacks in May centered on Abyei, farther to the south, near the undefined border. Abyei is home primarily to members of the Dinka Ngok tribe, supporters of the government of Southern Sudan.
Sudan and Southern Sudan must resolve several key issues in order to carry out all of the provisions of the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement and prevent full-scale war, the bishop explained.
He pointed to several unresolved concerns:
-- Defining the border between the two countries.
-- Citizenship for residents in the disputed regions.
-- The split of revenues from oil reserves, which are largely located in Southern Sudan.
The issues "are like a time bomb. If we don't fulfill these things, we are likely to go back into more conflict. South Sudan, even getting independence, could be immediately thrown into war," Bishop Kussala said.
The Catholic Church in the region has called for al-Bashir to open key roadways to allow humanitarian aid to reach the tens of thousands of internally displaced people who have fled the violence. The United Nations estimates that 60,000 people have fled Kadugli alone.
"The humanitarian situation is deplorable," Bishop Kussala said. "A lot of people have been displaced. A lot are running for their lives in the villages in the forest. So we have a huge, huge need for humanitarian assistance.
"The church's role, of course, in this is to bring into light the situation of these people and ask for support from whoever can come to the aid of these people. More than this is also fear of the continuation of violence in the Nuba Mountains and in Southern Kordofan. If it continues it's going to become uncontrolled and it could throw the whole country into violence," he said. "So I've come to appeal to the Congress, and say 'Look, there's no time to waste. It's the moment to seize and be able to stop what's going on because the more it continues, it could easily draw the other warring parties in Sudan into violence.'"
Bishop Kussala also called upon U.S. Catholics to pray for peace in the region and for the future of Southern Sudan so that the day of independence will mark the historic start of a country that supports human rights and upholds the dignity of all.


text:
Detailed plot synopsis reviews of Very Private Duty
Chapter Analysis of Very Private Duty
Click on a plot link to find similar books!
Plot & ThemesTime/era of story - 2000+ (Present Day) Searching/Rekindling love? - Yes Lost Lover: - rekindling love after long time If one lover chases another... - he chases after her Children/Pregnancy - Yes Children/Pregnancy: - "by the way, 10 years ago you had a child"
Main Male CharacterProfession/status: - government investigator Age/status: - 20's-30's Sex makes him - confident - blissful If he's not white he must be... - black
Main Female CharacterAge/status: - 20's-30's Profession/status: - nurse Effect of sexing - a better lover - blissful If she's not white she must be... - black Unusual characteristics: - Super sensitive soggy jelly muffin
SettingUnited States - Yes The US: - Southeast
Writing StyleAccounts of torture and death? - generic/vague references to death/punishment What % of story is romance related? - nearly 100% How explicit is the sex? - vague references only - descript of kissing - touching of anatomy - licking - actual description of sex - Boob talk - Vagia talk - Weiner talk Focus of story - equally on him and her How much dialog - roughly even amounts of descript and dialog How much sexing? - 1-2 sex acts
Books with storylines, themes & endings like Very Private Duty
|Goodness Has Nothing to Do With It by Lucy Monroe
|The Italian's Stolen Bride by Emma Darcy
|Marriage Agreement by Christine Rimmer
|Glory Glory by Linda Lael Miller
|Third Wise Man by Muriel Jensen


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Spain train derailment scene deemed 'Dante-esque' by official
Dozens of people were killed and injured in what is suspected to have been an accidental train derailment in the northern Spanish city of Santiago de Compostela on Wednesday. The city is in mourning and events related to a festival in honor of Saint James were cancelled.
| SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELA, Spain
At least 77 people were killed and 131 injured when a train derailed on the outskirts of the northern Spanish city of Santiago de Compostela on Wednesday in one of Europe's worst rail disasters.
Bodies covered in blankets lay next to the overturned carriages as smoke billowed from the wreckage. Firefighters clambered over the twisted metal trying to get survivors out of the windows, while ambulances and fire engines surrounded the scene.
The government said it was working on the hypothesis the derailment was an accident - although the scene will stir memories of 2004's Madrid train bombing, carried out by Islamist extremists, that killed 191 people. Sabotage or attack was unlikely to be involved, an official source said.
The train operated by state rail company Renfe with 247 people on board derailed on the eve of the ancient city's main festival in honour of Saint James when thousands of Christian pilgrims from all over the world pack the streets.
"It was going so quickly. ... It seems that on a curve the train started to twist, and the wagons piled up one on top of the other," passenger Ricardo Montesco told Cadena Ser radio station.
"A lot of people were squashed on the bottom. We tried to squeeze out of the bottom of the wagons to get out and we realised the train was burning. ... I was in the second wagon and there was fire," he added.
Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, who was born in Santiago de Compostela, will visit the site on Thursday morning, his spokeswoman said.
"In the face of a tragedy such as just happened in Santiago de Compostela on the eve of its big day, I can only express my deepest sympathy as a Spaniard and a Galician," Rajoy said in a statement.
Santiago de Compostela's tourism board said all the festivities, including Wednesday's traditional High Mass at the centuries-old cathedral, were cancelled as the city went into mourning.
Clinics in the city were overwhelmed with people flocking to give blood, while hotels organised free rooms for relatives. Madrid sent forensic scientists and hospital staff to the region on special flights.
"The scene is shocking, it's Dante-esque," he said in a radio interview.
The train was travelling from Madrid to Ferrol on the Galician coast when it derailed, Renfe said in a statement.
The disaster happened when Spain is struggling to emerge from a long-running recession marked by government-driven austerity to bring its finances into order. Firefighters called off a strike to help with the disaster, while hospital staff, many operating on reduced salaries because of spending cuts, worked overtime to tend the injured.
The city's main festival focuses on St James, one of Jesus' 12 disciples whose remains are said to rest in the city and who is patron saint of Galicia.
The apostle's shrine there is the destination of the famous El Camino de Santiago pilgrimage, followed by Christians since the Middle Ages.
The derailment happened less than two weeks after six people died when a train came off the tracks and hit the platform at a station in central France.
That accident may have been caused by a loose steel plate at a junction, French train operator SNCF said.
An official source said no statement would be made regarding the cause of the Spanish derailment until the black boxes of the train were examined, but said it was most likely an accident.
"We are moving away from the hypothesis of sabotage or attack," he said.
It was one of the worst rail accidents in Europe over the past 25 years.
In November 2000, 155 people were killed when a fire in a tunnel engulfed a funicular train packed with skiers in Austria.
In Montenegro, up to 46 people were killed and nearly 200 injured in 2006 when a packed train derailed and plunged into a ravine outside the capital, Podgorica.
In Spain itself, 41 people were killed the same year when an underground train derailed and overturned in a tunnel just before entering the Jesus metro station in Valencia.
(Reporting by Inmaculada Sanz, Sonya Dowsett, Sarah White, Andres Gonzalez, Blanca Rodriguez and Julien Toyer; Writing by Sonya Dowsett; Editing by Sarah White, Andrew Heavens and Peter Cooney)


text:
Hunting, animals, and the evolving landscape of rights
4 July 2012
Herrmann v Germany (Application no. 9300/07) 26 June 2012 – read judgment
The Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights has ruled that the obligation of a landowner to allow hunting on his property violated his Convention rights. Although the majority based their conclusion on his right to peaceful enjoyment of possessions, the partially concurring and dissenting opinions and the judgment as a whole provide an interesting insight into the way freedom of conscience challenges are to be approached in a secular society where religion holds less sway than individual ethical positions on certain issues.
In 2002 the Federal Constitutional Court in Germany ruled that the granting of exceptional authorisation for the slaughter of animals without previous stunning, on religious grounds, did not breach the German Basic Law Schächt-Entscheidung (BVerfGE 99, 1, 15 January 2002). The social uproar that followed the ruling led to the German constitutional legislature taking a significant step aimed at protecting animal welfare with the 2002 constitutional reform, by including Article 20a in the Basic Law:
"Mindful also of its responsibility toward future generations, the State shall protect the natural foundations of life and animals through legislation…"
The political motivation behind this clause was to give protection of animals "higher status". As Judge Pinto di Albuquerque says in his partially dissenting judgment,
through the addition of the words "and the animals" in Article 20a of the Basic Law, protection is extended to individual animals (auf die einzelnen Tiere). The ethical protection of animals is thus given constitutional status. …By elevating the issue of animal protection to the pinnacle of constitutional law, the national legislature not only set a "State objective" (Staatsziel) to the legislature itself, the government, the courts and other public authorities, but also established animal life and welfare as a "constitutional value" (Verfassungswert)
The applicant in this case invoked this provision in the German courts, along the right to freedom of conscience protected by Article 4 of the Grundgestez, in his challenge to the legislation that obliged him to belong to a hunting association and tolerate hunting on his land. After the Federal Constitutional Court declined to consider the applicant's complaint he turned to Strasbourg, arguing that his compulsory membership of a hunting association and the obligation for him to tolerate hunting on his property violated his rights to peaceful enjoyment under Article 1 of Protocol No. 1 and his freedom of conscience under Article 9, both taken alone and in conjunction with the right to enjoy Convention rights without discrimination (Article 14) and the right not to be compelled to join associations, under Article 11 of the Convention.
The majority judgment
It was accepted that there had been an unjustified interference with Article 1 Protocol 1. The majority rejected the applicant's contention that his rights to peaceful enjoyment of property had been violated in a manner which also engaged his rights not to be discriminated against under Article 14. The relevant provisions, went the argument, created a difference in treatment between the owners of smaller plots (such as the applicant) and the owners of larger plots in that the latter remained free to choose how to fulfil their obligation under the hunting legislation (either by carrying out the hunt themselves or leasing the hunting rights), whereas the former merely retained the right to participate in the hunting association's decisions.
The Court took the view that this difference in treatment was justified, in particular by the need to pool smaller plots in order to allow for area-wide hunting and the effective management of the game stock. The freedom of association was rejected as entirely inapplicable since the Court concluded that a hunting association did not qualify as an "association" for the purposes of Article 11.
Tellingly, the majority backed away from any detailed consideration of the applicant's complaint that his right to freedom of thought and conscience had been violated under Article 9. They found that any interference with his rights had been justified under paragraph 2 of that provision as being necessary in a democratic society, in the interests of public safety, and for the protection of public health and the rights of others.
Three dissenting judges objected to this case being admitted for consideration at all. They found that the Court had allowed itself to be drawn "unnecessarily" into the micromanagement of problems which do not need a solution at European level and would be better solved by national Parliaments and the national hunting authorities.
In our view this is an excellent example of a case in which the principle of subsidiarity should be taken very seriously.
Judge Albuquerque filed an extremely interesting partially concurring and dissenting opinion which is considered below.
This kind of claim has come before the Strasbourg Court on a number of occasions, most notably in the 1999 French case of Chassagnou and Others where the Court accepted that the convictions of the applicants attained a certain level of cogency, and that the obligation to tolerate hunting on their lands constituted a disproportionate burden, incompatible with their Convention rights. The Grand Chamber acknowledged the precedental force of the Chassagnou and Schneider judgments:
Compelling small landowners to transfer hunting rights over their land so that others can make use of them in a way which is totally incompatible with their beliefs imposes a disproportionate burden which is not justified under the second paragraph of Article 1 of Protocol No. 1
Because it approached the Article 1 Protocol 1 point as dispositive of the issue, and refused to deal properly with Article 9, the Court failed to acknowledge the essential difference in structure between the right to property and the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion which is protected under Article 9 of the Convention.
So how would this case have turned out if the majority had focussed on the applicant's ethical position rather than his property rights? As Judge Albuquerque observes, animals and the ecological balance are at the centre of this case, as we see from the focus of the applicant's claim before the German courts, Article 20a of Germany's constitutional Basic Law.
So much for German law. The question of the protection of animals within the framework of the European Convention on Human Rights may not be as novel or as radical as first appears. Judge Albuquerque provides an impressive list of instances where the Court has accepted Convention arguments in various matters concerning animal welfare:
Verein gegen Tierfabriken Schweiz v . Switzerland (no. 2) no. 32772/02, § 92, ECHR 2009 (rearing of animals)[Grand Chamber- GC]; Steel and Morris v . the United Kingdom, no. 68416/01, §§ 89 and 95, ECHR 2005-II (fast-food meat industry); Hashman and Harrup v . the United Kingdom[GC], no. 25594/94 (hunting saboteurs); Steel and Others v . the United Kingdom, 23 September 1998 (hunting saboteurs); Bladet Tromsø and Stensaas v . Norway [GC], no. 21980/93 (brutal killing of animals); and Barthold v. Germany (lack of availability of veterinary surgeons), Cha'are Shalom Ve Tsedek v . France [GC], no. 27417/95, and Kyrtatos v . Greece, no. 41666/98 and Georgel and Georgeta Stoicescu v . Romania, 26 July 2011, ( the impact of urban development policy on protected species), Chassagnou and Others and Friend and Countryside Alliance v . the United Kingdom, no. 16072/06 and no. 27809/08, 2009 (no Convention right to hunt).
These and many other cases indicate the "evolving position" of the Court, which in increasingly prepared to acknowledge that the protection of animal life and welfare is a derivative effect of a human right to property, freedom of expression and conscience, and a constitutive part of a healthy, ecologically balanced and sustainable environment. The protection of animals is incorporated
in a larger framework of intra-species equity (ensuring healthy enjoyment of nature among existing humans), inter-generational equity (guaranteeing the sustainable enjoyment of nature by future human generations) and inter-species equity (enhancing the inherent dignity of all species as "fellow creatures"). In short, the Convention supports a qualified speciesism which builds upon a responsible anthropocentrism.
In his wide-ranging survey of international and regional instruments on the protection of animals and the promotion of their welfare, Judge Albuquerqe observes that the Strasbourg Court's approach to this issue is in line with a contemporary legal trend which distinguishes animals from objects and associates the protection of animals with the broader protection of the environment. This trend has been consolidating not only in the civil and constitutional laws of several countries, but also in international human rights law and international environmental law. The Protocol on protection and welfare of animals to the Treaty of Amsterdam is the most recent indication of the direction of travel in Europe on this "clear and uncontested evidence of a continuing international trend" .
Turning back to the instant case, it may be true that, as the German government argued, the individual conscience of the applicant cannot be the moral yardstick against which the legal order of a democratic State such as Germany should be measured. Not every conviction, genuine though it may be, will constitute a sufficient reason for claiming conscientious objector status. But the government's contention can be reversed. It is equally arguable that the blanket refusal of the applicant's ethical stand, which has a solid philosophical basis in the German constitution as well as various international instruments and Convention case law, cannot be compatible with the legal order of a democratic state.
It is therefore very interesting that Judge Albuquerque was prepared to go along with the main ruling under Article 1 Protocol 1, but disagreed with regard to the finding that it was not necessary to examine separately the complaints under Article 9. The right to object to hunting on conscientious grounds comes within the ambit of protection of Article 9. Remember there is no counterbalancing Convention right to hunt (this was settled, if it ever needed to be, in Chassagnou).
It may be that in this sphere, freedom of conscience arguments are simply too sensitive and difficult to adjudicate. But at least the Court should have made the attempt:
Like Antigone, who buried her brother Polynices in compliance with the laws of the gods but against the laws of the city of Thebes forbidding the mourning of a traitor, the applicant faced a conflict of conscience between a legal rule and a higher ethical value. It is time to release him from this conflict by affirming that his claim is right and the impugned legal rule is wrong.
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I tried to bake a cake using artificial sweetener instead of sugar - a total DISASTER! It was the ugliest cake I'd ever seen in my entire life...
It would be impossible to prepare another sugarfree dessert in time - I had made Eton mess - and I started panicking; some of my readers know I'm a bit of a drama queen sometimes. :D
I suddenly remembered a Donna Hay magazine I received as a gift and it was my salvation: I saw this beautiful dessert, inspired by the traditional Christmas pudding, that called for vanilla ice cream and frozen berries - everything I had in my freezer!
I served it with a passion fruit syrup I had made for the cake.
The recipe below was taken from Donna Hay Magazine - issue 24. I didn't measure the ingredients precisely because of the amount of ice cream I had (less than 1 liter).
Berry ice cream pudding
from Donna Hay magazine
2 liters store-bought vanilla ice cream, softened – I used diet, since one of my guests can't have any sugar
185g frozen raspberries
185g frozen blueberries
Place the ice cream and the berries in a large bowl and mixture well to evenly distribute the berries.
Cover a loaf pan - or any other pan you prefer - with plastic and spoon the ice cream over it. Make it as even as possible.
Cover with plastic and place in the freezer for 3 hours.
Unmold, take the plastic off and serve with the syrup of your liking.
Serves 6


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News Releases
HALIFAX, NS – The proposed new convention centre has the potential to be a bottomless money pit, cautions a new report being released today by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives–Nova Scotia...December 13, 2010 | Nova Scotia Office
(VANCOUVER) A decade of layoffs and budget cuts, combined with the recent radical cabinet reorganization, have so thoroughly gutted BC's Forest Service that the door is wide open to abuses of the...December 8, 2010 | BC Office
TORONTO – Canada's richest 1% are taking more of the gains from economic growth than ever before in recorded history, says a report by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA). The Rise of...December 1, 2010 | National Office
Industry consumes well over half of all electricity in Saskatchewan, efficiencies must be made a priority: Report
Regina — In the next ten years, industry will consume close to two-thirds of Saskatchewan's electrical generation, with mining, steel, chemicals, oil refining and upgrading poised to consume 46.8% of...November 30, 2010 | Saskatchewan Office
HALIFAX, NS –Twenty-one years ago (in 1989), the government of Canada promised to end child poverty by the year 2000. In 2000, not only had they not kept the promise - the child poverty rate was even...November 24, 2010 | Nova Scotia Office
OTTAWA - The Harper governmentís tough on crime agenda will likely increase the incidence of crime and the deficit, says a new report released today by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (...November 17, 2010 | National Office
(Vancouver) It's time for a complete overhaul of BC's legal aid system, according to a new report from the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives and West Coast LEAF (Women's Legal Education and...November 9, 2010 | BC Office
OTTAWA—All levels of government in Canada are increasingly being targeted by investors for alleged breaches of Chapter 11, NAFTA's investment chapter, says an analysis released today by the Canadian...November 4, 2010 | National Office
(Vancouver) A new report is calling on the BC government to take action to make BC's food system work better for farmers, eliminate hunger, shift away from imported products, and reduce greenhouse...November 2, 2010 | BC Office
OTTAWA—A Canada-EU free trade deal would create a huge trade deficit for Canada, resulting in the loss of up to 150,000 Canadian jobs, says a study released today by the Canadian Centre for Policy...October 27, 2010 | National Office
OTTAWA—Given the fragile economic recovery and the weak job market, now is not the time for a sharp turn to spending cuts, says a study released today by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (...October 18, 2010 | National Office
"Poverty still exists in Saskatchewan and remains a serious problem that affects us all." This is the message of Let's Do Something About Poverty, a discussion document authored by Poverty Free...October 18, 2010 | Saskatchewan Office
HALIFAX- The total economic cost of poverty in Nova Scotia is at least $1.5 to $2.2 billion dollars per year, accounting for between 5% - 7% of Nova Scotia's GDP in 2008. The portion of the total...October 16, 2010 | Nova Scotia Office
OTTAWA—The planned purchase of 65 F-35 stealth fighter jets is the result of a 'pilot error' by the Canadian government, says a new report published today by the Canadian Centre for Policy...October 14, 2010 | National Office
TORONTO – Prominent Canadian women have a message to Prime Minister Stephen Harper: they refuse to be silenced. The women – feminists, activists, academics, economists, and former politicians –...October 12, 2010 | National Office


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Briefing: Sunspot Cycle
Tuesday-morning's news briefing — "What's Happening to the Sunspot Cycle?" — was the second to focus exclusively on solar physics. Richard S. Bogart (Stanford University) discussed recent trends in the north-south subsurface asymmetry and meridional flow. Richard C. Altrock (Air Force Research Laboratory) reported on the solar corona's temperature during the rise of the current magnetic cycle. David F. Webb (Boston College) poked holes in an earlier claim that coronal mass ejection rates and sunspot numbers have been diverging. Finally, Sarbani Basu (Yale University) put the current solar cycle in historical context, suggesting that it's really too soon to say whether the Sun's behavior during the recent minimum and current maximum falls inside or outside the range that should be considered "normal." AAS Solar Physics Division (SPD) Press Officer Craig DeForest (Southwest Research Institute) helped organize this press conference and assisted AAS Press Officer Rick Fienberg as emcee.Read More


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By Gareth Porter
WASHINGTON - The Barack Obama administration's claim of "progress" in its war strategy is based on the military seizure of three rural districts outside Kandahar City in October.
But those tactical gains came at the price of further exacerbating the basic US strategic weakness in Afghanistan - antagonism toward the foreign presence shared throughout the Pashtun south. The military offensive in Kandahar, which had been opposed clearly and vocally by the local leadership in the province, was accompanied by an array of military tactics marked by increased brutality. The most prominent of those tactics was a large-scale demolition of homes that has left widespread bitterness among the civilians who had remained in their villages when the US-North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) offensive was launched, as well as those who had fled before the offensive.
The unprecedented home demolition policy and other harsh tactics used in the offensive suggest that General David Petraeus, the NATO commander in Afghanistan, has abandoned the notion that he will ever win over the population in those Taliban strongholds.
The New York Times first reported the large-scale demolition of houses in a November 16 story that said US troops in Arghandab, Zhari and Panjwaii districts had been using armored bulldozers, high explosives, missiles and airstrikes in "routinely destroying almost every unoccupied home or unused farm building in areas where they are operating".
Neither US nor Afghan officials have offered any estimate of the actual number of homes destroyed, but a spokesman for the provincial governor told the Times that the number of houses demolished was "huge".
Confirming the widespread demolition policy, Colonel Hans Bush, a spokesman for Petraeus, suggested that it was necessary to provide security, because so many houses were "booby-trapped" with explosives.
But Bush also acknowledged that US troops were using a wide array of "tools" to eliminate tree lines in which insurgents could hide. And the demolition policy was clearly driven primarily by International Security Assistance Force's concerns about the improvised explosive device (IED) war that the Taliban has been winning in 2010.
The Washington Post's Rajiv Chandrasekaran revealed in a November 19 article that, in one operation in Zhari district, the military had used more than a dozen mine-clearing charges, each of which destroyed everything - houses, trees, and crops - in a 100-yard-long (91-meters-long) path wide enough for a tank.
The district governor in Arghandab, Shah Muhammed Ahmadi, acknowledged that entire villages had been destroyed - a policy he defended by claiming that there were no people left in them. "[I]n some villages, like Khosrow," he said, "that we've found completely empty and full of IEDs, we destroy them without agreement, because it was hard to find the people, and not just Khosrow but many villages we had to destroy to make them safe." But Colonel David Flynn, the battalion commander of a unit of the 101st Airborne Division responsible for a section of the district, contradicted the claim that demolition was only carried out if the people who owned the houses could not be found.
Flynn told reporters of London's Daily Mail he had issued an ultimatum to residents of Khosrow Sofia: provide full information on the location of IEDs the Taliban had planted there or face destruction of the village, according to the account published on October 26.
Flynn told the reporters that one of his platoons had a casualty rate of 50% in the village.
Flynn later claimed that the residents had responded to his threat by clearing out all the IEDs themselves, according to Carl Forsberg of the Institute for the Study of War. Researcher and author Alex Strick Van Linschoten, one of the only two Westerners to have lived independently in Kandahar City in recent years, said a friend had been told the same thing.
However, Linschoten told Inter Press Service (IPS) that he understands from an eyewitness that at least two other villages in Flynn's area of responsibility, including the nearby Khosrow Ulya, were leveled and one was reduced to "a dust bowl".
District chief Ahmad referred to "Khosrow" as one of the villages he said the Americans "had to destroy to make them safe".
The threat to destroy a village if its residents did not come forward with information would be a "collective penalty" against the civilian population, which is strictly forbidden by the 1949 Geneva Convention Relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War.
It is unclear how widely the threat to demolish homes was used in Zhari and Panjwaii and how many of the villages were destroyed in retribution for refusing to do so.
According to data provided by the Pentagon's Joint IED Defeat Organization (JIEDDO), however, only 13 IEDs were turned in by the population in the entire country in October. That suggests that the residents of the newly occupied villages in the three districts did not provide any information about IEDs.
The house demolition policy and the increased use of collective punishment were part of a broader strategy of increasing the pressure against the Pashtun population in the south. The level of targeted raids by US Special Operations Forces against suspected Taliban was tripled before Petraeus took over command from General Stanley McChrystal in June, even though McChrystal acknowledged publicly that those raids generated intense anger across the country against foreign forces.
Although those targeted raids killed and captured a large number of Taliban commanders, they also subjected thousands of part-time guerrillas and supporters to arrest and detention. The effort to weaken the Taliban insurgency through such violent tactics is bound to continue the cycle of more Pashtuns vowing revenge against foreign troops and rejecting the Afghan government.
Journalist Anand Gopal, a Pashtun-speaking specialist on Afghanistan, discovered another form of collective punishment practiced during the offensive. Gopal told IPS that people in Zhari district reported two cases in which US and Afghan forces rounded up and detained virtually everyone in a village after receiving small arms fire from it.
The house demolitions in Kandahar have apparently affected many thousands of people. The demolitions "have made a whole lot of people very angry, because they will be cold and hungry in the coming months", said a US source who asked not to be identified. But the US-NATO command is evidently unconcerned about that anger. Chandrasekaran quoted a "senior official" as asserting that, by forcing people to go to the district governor's office to submit their claims for damaged property, "in effect you're connecting the government to the people."
Now Brigadier General Nick Carter, commander of US-NATO troops in southern Afghanistan, has openly embraced that justification of the house demolition policy. In an interview with the AfPak Channel published last week, he suggested that the demolition of houses "allows the district governor to connect with the population".
But that connection is certain to be marked by bitterness. A tribal elder in Panjawaii was quoted by the Post's Chandrasekaran as dismissing the offer of compensation for houses destroyed as "just kicking dirt in our eyes".
The new level of brutality used in the Kandahar operation indicates that Petraeus has consciously jettisoned the central assumption of his counter-insurgency theory, which is that harsh military measures undermine the main objective of winning over the population.
But there are tell-tale signs that higher-level commanders in Kandahar know that those tactics will not defeat the Taliban either. Flynn, the US commander in a section of Arghandab, told the Daily Mail, "At the end of the day, you cannot kill your way to victory here. It will have to be a political solution."
Gareth Porter is an investigative historian and journalist specializing in US national security policy. The paperback edition of his latest book, Perils of Dominance: Imbalance of Power and the Road to War in Vietnam, was published in 2006.


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This advert tickled my fancy with my medieval re-enacting past:
Thursday, 7 November 2013
Just Eat Bootcamp
This advert tickled my fancy with my medieval re-enacting past:
17 comments:
awww Happy birthday to him, they are some of the cutest baby photos I've seen in a long time :-)ReplyDelete
Aw, what a lovely tribute to your boy! He does look gorgeous in the photos. I had 10lbers too, love those chubby cheeks :-) xReplyDelete
he was a chunky monkey until he started moving!ReplyDelete
- mummy madness7 November 2013 at 20:20
what a cutie! that newborn pic is adorable I love a chubby baby! 7 seems much more older than 7! hope you have a good week :) xReplyDelete
it does but sometimes acts more like 3 or 4 ;-) thank youReplyDelete
Such a gorgeous lad! Hope he has had a fabulous birthday! Gorgeous photos xxxReplyDelete
- Looking for Blue Sky7 November 2013 at 21:42
He is just gorgeous! Hope you're all better soon xReplyDelete
thank you! me too ;-)ReplyDelete
- theroadoutside7 November 2013 at 21:46
Definitely gorgeous. I love looking back over photos of the kids and seeing how they've changed and grown and yet there's still that bit of the baby in them. xxReplyDelete
he isn't fully grown up yet! thank youReplyDelete
- mummy madness7 November 2013 at 22:19
ha i must have been tired i meant 7 seem much more older than 6 lolReplyDelete
last year of infant school...ReplyDelete
Ohh he certainly is a handsome little fellow! I hope you are all well now. Mich xReplyDelete
thank you! hoping daughter back to school tomorrow then all well :-)ReplyDelete
massive happy birthday to your son honey!! what a lovely age to be.ReplyDelete
thank you for linking up with #MagicMoments x


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You might not realize it, but the most interesting place in the baseball universe is Scottsdale, Arizona. Last week saw a mass bee attack hold up a Giants game, and yesterday brought us our first feud of the 2012 season as Giants manager Bruce Bochy kicked out an Angels scout.
Jeff Schugel, an advance scout assigned to National League teams, was just "sitting there grading arms" as the Giants went through their morning workout. Bochy spotted him and had security tell him to leave. "In 25 years, I've never had that happen," Schugel said.
Schugel didn't immediately leave the ballpark. He walked down the first base line and sat down in the stands before security chased him out of the ballpark. He placed an immediate call to the Angels front office, telling them not to let Giants scouts through the gates at Tempe Diablo Stadium until they open to the public.
The Giants' PR man initially said team rules don't allow scouts to observe workouts until the gates open to the public, but the Angels complained to MLB, and MLB presumably gave the Giants a call to set them straight. Later in the day, GM Brian Sabean said it was all a misunderstanding.
Bochy, on the other hand, wants to make sure you don't misunderstand him: Giants drills are for Giants eyes only.
"You want to go through a fundamental (drill) and I don't think that's the time for scouts to be there," Bochy said. "They have a job to do. I understand that. ... We wanted it cleared. We had a couple things we wanted to work on."
We understand the secrecy and the paranoia, we do—Aubrey Huff's hamstring stretches are classified info. But it's not a good look for Bochy, since MLB rules pretty clearly require teams to provide scouts that sort of access. And Bochy should know better. His brother Joe is a scout in the Padres organization.
Bochy doesn't apologize after booting Angels scout [CSN Bay Area]