text:
This is definitely not what Lou Reed, John Cale, Angus MacLise, Sterling Morrison, and Michael Leigh had in mind…
The release of the album Transformer was a seminal moment in our cultural history. The first video features David Bowie and Lou Reed with interesting interviews (with the Little Joe and Holly of the song's fame), film clips, and photographs of the early days. The video ends abruptly, in mid-sentence.
An oft quoted statement attributed to Brian Eno is, "The first Velvet Underground album only sold 10,000 copies, but everyone who bought it formed a band."
Lou Reed, John Cale, Angus MacLise, and Sterling Morrison were the four original members of the Velvet Underground. Michael Leigh wrote the pulp paperback The Velvet Underground, from which the band took its name. The book The Velvet Underground is about the sexual subculture of the early 1960s.


text:
BALTIMORE – Joe Flacco threw for 229 yards and two touchdowns for the pass-happy Baltimore Ravens, whose no-huddle offense befuddled the New York Giants in a 24-10 preseason victory Saturday night.
Flacco completed 21 of 34 passes before leaving after one series in the third quarter. Last year, he threw as many as 34 passes only seven times for a team that relied heavily on the run.
Going without a huddle and often throwing on first down, the Ravens (3-0) scored 17 points over three straight possessions in the first half and coasted to their seventh consecutive preseason win.
New York (1-2) managed only five first downs in the pivotal first half. Returning after a one-week absence, quarterback Eli Manning went 9 for 18 for 63 yards and an interception in 30 minutes of play.
Manning last played on Aug. 16, when he received stitches to his forehead after taking a hard hit in a game against the New York Jets. In this one, he received little support from the running game: New York rushed for 58 yards in the first half, half of them on a 29-yarder by Brandon Jacobs.
"We've got to have more production than we're having and we've got to play better," Giants coach Tom Coughlin said at halftime.
Baltimore's defense did not permit a touchdown during the preseason until Rhett Bomar threw a 1-yard touchdown pass to Victor Cruz with 1:18 left.
The Giants' lone first-half score was a field goal by Lawrence Tynes as time expired. The kick came after Corey Webster returned an interception 37 yards to the Baltimore 32.
That was arguably the one glaring flaw in Flacco's solid performance. The third-year quarterback connected with five different receivers — throwing touchdowns to newcomer Anquan Boldin and old hand Todd Heap — and ran for a team-high 16 yards.
"We had a good tempo going tonight, we got in a groove and we were able to march the ball down the field," Flacco said. "I really feel good about the how we were doing things."
The Ravens passed 32 times in the first half, ran only 11 times and amassed 17 first downs and 243 yards.
"They hit us with the no-huddle and it kind of hurried the game," Giants defensive end Justin Tuck said. "We made some plays, but there's still a lot of work for us to get this defense where we want it to be."
Baltimore's second possession began with a sack, but the Ravens pulled out of a second-and-18 when Flacco hit running back Ray Rice and Boldin on successive completions totaling 29 yards. Flacco later ran 10 yards on a third-down play to set up a field goal by Billy Cundiff.
The Giants then moved from their 11 to the Baltimore 15 before Ahmad Bradshaw was stuffed three straight times in a bid to gain one yard and a first down.
Flacco promptly moved the Ravens the other way, completing five straight passes to begin a drive that ended with a 9-yard touchdown pass to Boldin on fourth-and-3. Flacco went 6 for 7 for 67 yards on the 11-play march.
After the Giants punted, Flacco again deftly moved the Ravens downfield. Beginning at the Baltimore 23, he completed five consecutive passes to start the drive. Then, after a run by Le'Ron McClain, Heap got in front of New York safety Antrel Rolle for an 11-yard catch on a fourth-and-2 from the New York 36.
Three plays later, Rolle was called for a hit to the helmet on receiver Mark Clayton, a penalty that gave the Ravens a first down at the New York 13. Heap then made a leaping catch in the end zone in front of Rolle for a 17-0 lead.
Clayton sustained a mild concussion on Rolle's hit and sat out the rest of the game.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
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text:
Aviation Technology Group, Inc. (ATG) has introduced their concept for a small, lighweight, and cheap fighter/interceptor alternative to the F16 fighter for the Homeland Defense role. It's called the Homeland Defense Interceptor (HDI), and it's a nifty little concept.
According to ATG literature: "The Javelin Interceptor, or "Homeland Defense Interceptor," (HDI) will provide a high performance economic interceptor, CAP and surveillance platform for homeland security against airborne threats of various types, including…
airliners, business jets, turboprop, recip twins or other general aviation aircraft, helicopters and Ag planes.
The HDI is an all metal, single-seat, high-speed light military jet, capable of all weather, day or night intercepts. A two-seat version of the HDI is available for training, SAR and utility requirements.
The Mach 1.6 HDI will be equipped with air-to-air radar and FLIR or IRST, secure military radios, including JTIDS datalink, IFF, NVG, night spotlight, laser, 7.62 mm minigun with tracer rounds, and two short-range heat seeking missiles.
Static intercept mission MTGW thrust to weight ratio is greater than 1.0 to 1.0, providing exceptional performance. Suitable test engines can be available for the HDI within 18-24 months of funding.
Base cost of the HDI is 1/5 the cost of an F-16 per ship airframe only, depending on specified equipment. The F-16C Block 50/52 base unit cost is $26.9 million. HDI fuel and related cost is approximately $950 per flight hour, in contrast to $3,600 per flight hour for the F-16. Further the HDI is highly supportable, utilizing commercial-off-the-shelf equipment, allowing minimal deployment expense when compared to an F-16.
The HDI is a derivative of the civilian Javelin executive jet which will be certified to FAR Part 23, aerobatic category, and single pilot operations. The aircraft will be certified for day, night, VFR, IFR and flight into known icing conditions."


text:
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
Buttermilk Oven Fried Chicken
Fried foods are a guilty pleasure of mine; onion rings, French fries, and tempura are some of my favorite things. Perhaps it's a good thing for my health that I don't have a deep fryer and without a reliable thermometer I'm afraid to fry at home. So the next best thing is the oven. I must admit that oven fried foods can not entirely replicate their deep fried counterparts but they are definitely healthier and can be equally delicious.
Buttermilk Oven Fried Chicken
Adapted from Cook's Illustrated
4 chicken thighs and 4 drumsticks
3 C buttermilk
3 Tbsp salt
1 1/2 Tbsp sugar
2 tsp paprika
3 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
1 bay leaves, crumbled
3 Tbsp vegetable oil
3 C panko crumbs
1 egg, beaten
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/8 tsp cayenne
Add salt, sugar, garlic, and bay leaves to the buttermilk and stir until the salt is completely dissolved. Submerge the chicken pieces in the buttermilk and refrigerate for 3 hours. Then remove the chicken, allowing the excess buttermilk to drip off, and place the chicken on a wire rack in the fridge to dry for an hour. (After 3 hours the chicken can be removed from the buttermilk and refrigerated until you are ready to cook).
Adjust an oven rack to the upper-middle position and preheat the oven to 400 F. Line a baking tray with foil and place a wire rack on the tray.
Drizzle the oil over the panko and toss to fully distribute. Beat the egg with with mustard, thyme, oregano, black pepper, and cayenne.
Dip the chicken in the egg mixture, then coat in bread crumbs and shake off the excess. Bake until the chicken is golden brown, about 40 minutes, flipping the chicken over halfway.
16 comments:
- Deborah said...
I love fried foods as well, but this chicken looks like a great substitute!!
- August 22, 2007 at 8:19 AM
I love all the fried food that you mentioned. I tried oven-frying or baking a crusted fish fillet before and it didn't work :(
Since then it's either deep-fry or not. No oven-fry anymore.
- August 22, 2007 at 11:07 AM
- Meeta K. Wolff said...
Oh Amy, I just love the sound of this. How totally delicious!
- August 22, 2007 at 11:35 AM
- Patricia Scarpin said...
Amy, it looks delicious and a lot healthier, I love this recipe!
- August 22, 2007 at 12:39 PM
- Lydia (The Perfect Pantry) said...
I rarely eat fried food anymore, so this kind of healthier substitute is great. Buttermilk really makes the chicken more tender, too.
- August 22, 2007 at 1:01 PM
- SteamyKitchen said...
I use this recipe too! Love it.
- August 23, 2007 at 7:36 AM
This really does look good! Thanks for reaching out to those fried-food lovers - I'm ashamed to admit I am one...but now I know I am not alone! :)
- August 23, 2007 at 11:59 AM
- Helene said...
B. finally warmed up to the idea of "oven fried", except for chicken. Only his mama's will do. I thik I'll sneak this one on him and see. It looks delicious!
- August 23, 2007 at 2:15 PM
- Peabody said...
I tried oven fried once but my Southern husband had a major fit. But we do own a deep fryer so it is not so bad to make.
- August 23, 2007 at 4:42 PM
- Anh said...
I made this before. Very delicious!
- August 23, 2007 at 6:51 PM
- Amy said...
It is definitely a good substitute but it unfortunately won't satisfy a craving for true, finger licking, fried chicken (mmm...).
Oven frying can be a bit tricky and disappointing sometimes. I wish I had the courage to deep fry at home!
Thanks! The buttermilk brine made the chicken oh-so juicy!
It was healthier so I didn't feel bad eating another piece. ;)
Buttermilk is really fantastic, does wonders for the chicken.
CI has some really great recipes!
Oh don't be ashamed, nothing wrong with loving fried foods, hehehe.
I hope you can convincing B! But if he grew up with his mom's delicious fried chicken, it might be hard. ;)
Oh I can see why oven-frying is a tough sell to your southern hubby. I really want a deep fryer.
We love this recipe too, especially with some buttermilk biscuits.
- August 24, 2007 at 8:13 PM
- Valerie Harrison (bellini) said...
I don't have a deep-fat fryer either. Sometimes fatty fried foods are what I want though!!!!Everything in moderation.Baking and brushing with olive oil are a great alternative and much better for you!!
- August 25, 2007 at 7:53 PM
- Mari said...
My grandmother (who's fried chicken is to die for) has been using the same cast iron skillets for decades, which makes me think that a deep-fat fryer is hardly necessary. If you restrict yourself to once a year fried chicken, then why not go whole hog?! Having said that, though, I'm curious about your recipe and will definitely give it a try.
- August 27, 2007 at 6:55 AM
- Amy said...
I know what you mean about those cravings!
Mevrouw Cupcake,
Cast irons and woks are great for deep frying but I don't have enough experience to deep fry without a thermometer. I can never gauge how hot the oil is. Let me know how you like the recipe!
- August 29, 2007 at 6:20 PM
- PFDPodcast.com said...
Love this recipe. Made it tonight and everyone - including my twin boys loved it!
- April 24, 2010 at 4:10 PM
That was the best chicken I ever had. It changed my life!!
- June 16, 2011 at 2:59 PM


text:
The fame of God's Name
You've been victimized by a religious conspiracy that's 400 years old this year! I kid you not. This conspiracy makes Dan Brown's bestselling books the Da Vinci Code and Angels & Demons (later adapted to movies) look like child's stories. Here's an example of how you've been victimized. If, when in dire trouble, you've quoted the 23rd Psalm by starting off with, "The Lord is my shepherd" (King James Version, 1611), then you've been duped. This is not what the original Hebrew of this text says. I won't call you crazy if you don't believe me. But, you may well be one fry short of a Happy Meal if you don't.
King James Version(s): To commemorate the 400-year anniversary of the original King James Version a brand new version called The Divine Name King James Bible has just been released. Staying true to the Hebrew, Psalm 23:1 more correctly reads: "Jehovah is my shepherd."
The complete New King James Version (1983), published by Thomas Nelson, Inc., updated the English of the original KJV. The King James II (2005?) allegedly has no human translators. Instead, those responsible for its production reportedly boast of it being "The First Supercomputer-Generated Translation Of The Bible." Like the NKJV with its human translators, the virtual supercomputer allegedly updates the original archaic English of the 17th century with today's English. The King James III is said to be due out January 1, 2015.
Although he did not actually participate in translating the version of the Bible that bears his name, King James is said to have been a well-respected Bible scholar who orchestrated its translation. Awake! December 2011 notes: "King James promoted the project. Eventually, 47 scholars in six separate groups across the country prepared sections of the text." It also states that "the translation's dedication to 'the most high and mighty prince, James' acknowledged his initiative. As head of the Church of England, James was seen to be exerting his authority to bring the nation together."
When various venues celebrate the year in pictures, the fact that the best-selling version of the Bible, the KJV, marks its 400-year anniversary in 2011 is not likely to be an attention-grabbing headline.
The Divine Name Controversy: Significantly, of all the versions of the KJV listed above, only The Divine Name King James restores God's name Jehovah where "the Lord" in all capital letters took its place in the original KJV. The original fully restored it in just four places. (Exodus 6:3; Psalm 83:18; Isaiah 12:2; 26:4) The translators of the New International Version (NIV) reportedly wrote that they couldn't use God's name because it wouldn't sell. Others charge that God didn't preserve his name. So, I asked:
'Is Almighty God capable of preserving the true pronunciation of his name? Has he? How are the secret Dead Sea Scrolls involved?' These questions grace the cover of my first book. During that time, I was working at the world-renowned Ancient Biblical Manuscript Center (ABMC) in Claremont, California. In October 1989, the official newsletter of the ABMC, The Folio, said:
"Dr. Firpo Carr…is currently working…in the Dead Sea Scrolls Inventory Project. At present he is performing an initial inventory of the collection of DSS photos [published and unpublished at the time] at the Center." There he examined the unpublished Dead Sea Scrolls where he found many occurrences of the unique name of the Creator of the Universe. But, according to Jewish tradition, the correct pronunciation of this name has been lost forever. Carr respectfully begs to differ and provides sound logic as to the reasons for his conclusions.'
'He worked with such internationally respected scholars as Professor James A. Sanders, a well-known Bible scholar and translator who served as president of the ABMC, and the late Professor Doctor John C. Trever, the first scholar to have had initial contact with the Dead Sea Scrolls. Not only was Professor Trever the director of the Dead Sea Scrolls Project, he was the very first scholar to photograph and announce to the world the existence of the Dead Sea Scrolls back in 1947.' For those interested The Divine Name Controversy (Vol. 1) is available at Amazon.com.
New World Translation: According to the 2012 Yearbook of Jehovah's Witnesses, the New World Translation is now available in 106 languages (62 complete; 44 Christian Greek Scriptures), making it accessible to at least 76 percent of the world's population. So that's the latest buzz about the Bible.
Peace and blessings to all. Amen.


text: [Jeri Ellsworth] has been very excited about this new opportunity. She sent us a "pilot video", so we're assuming that there will be more to come. In the pilot, she explains how to build a musical art installation that will play music when a viewer is in position. She covers several different ways to detect the presence of the person, ultimately landing on using a PIR sensor for detection. We can't wait to see where this show goes, but we hope she continues to do her own hacking videos as well.


text:
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Selecting System Type and Sample Container
The selection process is aided by the actual limitations of the sample containers themselves.
- Sample Cylinder – the GSM system for samples with a vapor pressure above 14.7 PSIa (1.01 Bara) @ ambient conditions.
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* Customers are encourage to purchase bottles from a local source as the GSL system is configured to accept generic types.
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text:
Hacker group Anonymous claimed late Monday that the source code of Symantec's pcAnywhere had been uploaded on The Pirate Bay site.
Symantec could not immediately comment on whether the hackers had indeed released the source code of its product. "It happened so recently that we're still in the process of analyzing and won't be able to confirm until the morning," a spokesman said via email.
Earlier on Monday, an email string posted on Pastebin referred to negotiations over payment for the source code between one Sam Thomas, purported to be a Symantec employee, but using a Gmail mail id, and a person named Yamatough. The name of the hacker is similar to the Twitter handle of YamaTough in Mumbai who is associated with the hacker group, Lords of Dharmaraja, that had earlier claimed it had access to the source code of some Symantec products.
"We will pay you $50,000.00 USD total," Thomas said in an e-mail earlier this month. He however wanted assurances that the hacker would not release the code after payment, and offered to pay $2,500 a month for the first three months, with payments starting the next week.
"After the first three months you have to convince us you have destroyed the code before we pay the balance. We are trusting you to keep your end of the bargain," he added.
Yamatough rejected the offer stating that "our offshore people wont let us securely get the money because they wont process amounts less than 50k a shot".
By late Monday, Yamatough gave Symantec 10 minutes to decide which way it would go. "After that two of your codes fly to the moon PCAnywhere and Norton Antivirus totaling 2350MB in size (rar)," the hacker said. "We can't make a decision in ten minutes. We need more time," Thomas replied.
Symantec said the offer of $50,000 to the hacker was part of a law enforcement investigation.
The company did not however disclose the name of the investigative agency. "Given that the investigation is still ongoing, we are not going to disclose the law enforcement agencies involved and have no additional information to provide," the company said in a statement.
Symantec said that in January an individual claiming to be part of Anonymous attempted to extort a payment from Symantec in exchange for not publicly posting stolen Symantec source code they claimed to have in their possession. "Symantec conducted an internal investigation into this incident and also contacted law enforcement given the attempted extortion and apparent theft of intellectual property," it added.
Symantec admitted in January that its network was compromised and source code stolen, according to reports, backing away from earlier claims that a third party had been attacked.


text:
At least 29 people were killed and some 50 others injured in a violent prison riot in the eastern Bolivian city of Santa Cruz early on Friday
At least 29 people were killed and some 50 others injured in a violent prison riot in the eastern Bolivian city of Santa Cruz early on Friday, officials said.
One of the dead, Xinhua reported, was a child living with incarcerated parents.
The melee began about 5 a.m. local time (0900 GMT), when the sound of gunfire was heard, and a huge fire fueled by exploded propane gas tanks injured inmates severely.
Clashes broke out between rival cell blocks for control of part of the overcrowded Palmasola prison, local media said.
The injured were taken to local hospitals, with many of them in serious condition, according to Bolivian daily "La Razon" (Spanish for "reason") quoting Santa Cruz Ombudsman Celso Parada.
The situation has been put under control, and bodies were taken for autopsies and identification, said police commander Jorge Aracena.
Police had earlier put the death toll at 15.
The Public Prosecutor's Office has begun an investigation into the riot.
Children who have their parents incarcerated and with no other relatives live intermingled with prisoners in the Palmasola Penitentiary Complex outside Santa Cruz, Bolivia's biggest city.
There are some 3,500 inmates in Palmasola prison, surpassing the prison's capacity.


text:
All in Boston for Larry David's HBO movie Clear History. It's a big cast.
I like the idea of Jon Hamm + Danny McBride. Off camera. How much debauchery? Or is it like that cliche where funny people aren't funny when they're not supposed to be funny? Something tells me neither of them fall into that category. In fact, I know for a fact that Hamm has his fun when the cameras are off, although that's not exactly what I'm talking about here.
As for Eva Mendes, or the most-hated woman in the world because she's Ryan Gosling's girlfriend, have I told you about the crazy mail I received after I reported on what they were like at The Place Beyond The Pines afterparty at TIFF?
"You're a liar, Lainey. You're making it up. They didn't talk at the party. They left separately. They're not even close. You didn't see them sitting together and her rubbing his back. He doesn't love her. She wants him so bad but she's a c-nt face loser and he has no time for her after a quick f-ck and pull."
No matter that I was with several others, all journalists, including society columnist Shinan Govani from the National Post, and my eagle-eyed friend Laura, a producer for etalk, and we all saw the same sh-t go down, when you are a super-fan, and you can only accept one narrative: everyone else is on crack.


text:
To achieve the lowest latency possible without audio break ups, a combination of variables needs to be tweaked. The final values will be platform and system dependent, and will also depend on the complexity of the audio calculations performed. You need to adjust ksmps in the orchestra, as well as the software (-b) and harware buffer (-B) sizes.
Usually the simplest solution is the following:
Set ksmps to a value with a good tradeoff between quality and performance, without adjusting -B at all.
Set -b to a negative power of two of this value.
To get the optimal values, start with something you think is going to be too low, ie -1, and then continue "upwards", -2, -4 and so on, until you stop getting x-runs (glitches). The real value of -b will be the absolute value of -b * ksmps.
Reduce the hardware buffer (-B). Bring it down from the default (1024 on Linux, 4096 on Mac OS X, 16384 on Windows), halving it each time, until you start to get x-runs (glitches) again. Then take it back up again until performance is continuous.
This process assumes you have a 16-bit soundcard. If you have a 24-bit soundcard, then -B should be 3/2, or 3 times -b, rather than 2 or 4 times. Csound works with 32-bit floats, or 64-bit doubles whereas most soundcards are 16 or 24-bit integer. -b is the internal buffer, so it's dealing with the 32 or 64-bit side of things, whereas -B is the hardware buffer, so it's dealing with the 16 or 24-bit side. The csound default for floats is -B = 4 * -b. This is a sane value for a 16 bit card. You can usually get away with -B = 2 * -b, but this is the absolute minimum. For example, if you set -b1024 -B2048, csound will tell you that:
audio buffered in 1024 sample-frame blocks writing 4096-byte blocks to dac
4096 bytes is 32768 bits. 32768/32 = 1024, our sample-frame size, 1024 * 32/16 = 2048, our buffer size. Were we to reduce the value of -B, we would need to reduce the value of -b by a corresponding amount in order to continue to write 16-bit integers to dac. The minimum size of -b is (-B * bitrate)/32. That is to say that the minimum ratio of -b to -B should be:
While there is no theoretical maximum ratio, it makes no sense to have a very high ratio here, as the software buffer has to fill the hardware buffer before returning. If the ratio is high, it will take a long time, defeating the purpose of setting a small value for -b.
The value of -b is something that will need to be varied depending on the complexity of the instrument you're working with, but because it's intimately related to the value of ksmps, it's better to synchronise it with ksmps and go from there. One way to do it is to decide how long the release on your envelopes might need to be at maximum (for desired effect), set the release on all envelopes to maximum, give yourself a generous value for -b, and then play. If it breaks up, double ksmps, repeat until smooth, then bring the value of -b down as far as possible.
The value of -B is primarily determined by operating system and soundcard. Figure out (using above method) how low you can go, and use that value (or one higher for safety). If you have problems you'll know that it's probably because of an inappropriate value for ksmps, too low a value for -b, or denormals (see denorm).


text:
Leading With No One Behind
If President Obama is reelected, we should expect even more U.S. disarmament – whether or not anybody is following our lead. Shouldn't that grim prospect be a centerpiece of the campaign this year, and the American people offered a robust alternative come November?
By Frank Gaffney, Jr. President Center for Security Policy
In Seoul, South Korea on Monday, President Obama enthused once again about his vision of a world without nuclear weapons. It's a dream he has had since he was a radical leftist studying at Columbia University in the early 1980s. And, in the hope of advancing it now as Commander-in-Chief of the United States of America, he declared that – since he was convinced we had more of these weapons than we need – he is going to reduce our arsenal. According to some accounts, he has in mind cutting it to one roughly the size of Pakistan's.
In his address at Hankuk University, Mr. Obama suggested that he would get the Russians to do the same. That surely will come as a surprise to their once-and-future president, Vladimir Putin, since he has been quite aggressively beefing up the Kremlin's nuclear forces. In fact, Putin recently unveiled a $770 billion defense modernization plan which would, among otherthings, buy 400 new long-range ballistic missiles. It is a safe bet that they will be outfitted with modern nuclear weapons, probably multiple, independently targetable ones at that.
It seems no more likely that the Russians will agree to reduce their vast monopoly on tactical nuclear weapons or their undisclosed and "non-deployed" stocks of strategic nuclear weapons – two other initiatives Mr. Obama declared he wanted to take. Even if they would, any such agreement would be wholly unverifiable.
If the Russians won't play ball, it's a safe bet no one else will either. Mr. Obama's subordinates are signaling, however, that he is prepared to disarm us unilaterally through what one of them, Assistant Secretary of State Rose Gottemoeller recently called "executive action."
In short, the President seems to be replacing his notorious "lead from behind" strategy in Libya with a "lead with no one behind" approach.
Mr. Obama has sparked disbelief and outrage on Capitol Hill with the revelation that he has tasked the Pentagon with developing options that would eliminate as much as 80 percent of the deployed weapon levels set just two years ago by his seriously defective "New START" Treaty. On March 7, 2012, Rep. Mike Turner who chairs the House Armed Services Committee's Strategic Forces Subcommittee wrote in Politico: "Traditionally, a president has directed his military advisers to determine, chiefly, what level of our nuclear force is needed to deter a potential adversary from attacking us or our allies. The answer to that question should be what drives the strategy — not a president's political ideology."
In addition, on February 17, 2012, Chairman Turner and 33 other Members of Congress threw down the gauntlet in a letter to Mr. Obama. It said, in part: "We seek your assurance that in view of the ambitious nuclear weapons modernization programs of Russia, communist China, Pakistan and others, the deep cuts to U.S. conventional capabilities per the Budget Control Act, and your failure to follow through on your pledged [modernization of the deterrent], that you will cease to pursue such unprecedented reductions in the U.S. deterrent and extended deterrent."
The legislators' point about the President's failure to honor the commitment made to secure Senate approval of New START in a cynical and heavy-handed power play during the 2010 lame-duck session is particularly apt. Even if Mr. Obama can't get away with the sweeping reductions he has in mind, all he has to do to accomplishAmerica's unilateral disarmament is perpetuate the atrophying of our increasingly obsolescent nuclear forces – most of which are over twenty-five years old and have not been realistically tested through underground detonations for two decades.
Later this week, a new push will be made for a treaty that would lock our deterrent permanently into just such a death-spiral. The National Academy of Sciences will release a study that is expected to deem the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) verifiable and further underground testing unnecessary. Much evidence to the contrary notwithstanding, proponents of the CTBT and advocates of "Global Zero" – the multimillion campaign to eliminate all nuclear weapons that can, at most, rid the world of ours (and perhaps those of other, Free World nations that honor their international commitments) – hope to use the Academy's analysis to prevail upon the U.S. Senate to reverse its previous rejection of this accord.
At the same time as the Obama administration is wreaking havoc on our nuclear deterrent, it is undermining the other insurance policy we need against catastrophic, potentially country-cratering attacks like those involving ballistic missile-delivered electromagnetic pulse strikes: effective national, or better yet global, missile defenses. Policy decisions and budget cuts are taking their toll on our anti-missile programs. So is the President's willingness to cede technology or vetoes to the Russians.
In the latter connection, Mr. Obama was overheard telling outgoing Russian President Dmitri Medvedev in Seoul on Monday: "On all these issues, but particularly missile defense, this, this can be solved but it's important for [Putin] to give me space…. This is my last election. After my election, I have more flexibility."
Translation: If President Obama is reelected, we should expect even more U.S. disarmament – whether or not anybody is following our lead. Shouldn't that grim prospect be a centerpiece of the campaign this year, and the American people offered a robust alternative come November?
Frank J. Gaffney, Jr. is President of the Center for Security Policy (www.SecureFreedom.org), a columnist for the Washington Times and host of the nationally syndicated program, Secure Freedom Radio, heard in Washington weeknights at 9:00 p.m. on WRC 1260 AM.
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IYA2009 Updates
Heavens on Earth
20 August 2010
Published in the 20 August 2010 issue of Science (Subscription required): http://www.sciencemag.org/content/vol329/issue5994/r-samples.dtl#329/5994/887-c
An ancient bone with notches that may represent a lunar calendar, prehistoric stone tombs in Portugal that point to the rising sun, and the Mauna Kea Observatories in Hawaii are promising contenders for World Heritage status, a new study says.
The study, which has been officially endorsed by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), highlights 44 sites and artifacts that mark humankind's millennia-long fascination with the heavens. Usually, it notes, UNESCO's World Heritage Committee focuses on what it calls "tangible, immovable heritage," such as buildings, parks, and railways. But when addressing astronomical heritage, it's the development of scientificknowledge that is important, not the bricks and mortar, says Thomas Hockey, an astronomer at the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls and a member of the International Astronomical Union's working group that helped produce the report.
For example, the twin monastery of Saint Peter and Saint Paul in northeast England no longer houses the scientific writings of the medieval monk Saint Bede, but World Heritage status would recognize the "scholarly activity" that occurred there. Saint Bede's most influential work,On the Reckoning of Time, written at the monastery in about 725 C.E., "became the principal text for early medieval astronomical study," says the report, which is available online at www.astronomicalheritage.org.
NASA Encourages Science Careers for Women
19 August 2010
In this first of two public service announcements, award-winning recording artist Mary J. Blige appears with veteran NASA space shuttle astronaut Leland Melvin to encourage young women to pursue exciting experiences and career choices by studying science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). Both PSAs are now on NASA TV and the agency's website at:http://www.nasa.gov. NASA's Summer of Innovation (SoI) project and Blige's Foundation for the Advancement of Women Now (FFAWN) both show students the many possibilities available if they follow their dreams and reach for the stars.
European Science Education Research Association 2009 Proceedings
19 August 2010
The 2009 Proceedings of the European Science Education Research Association are now available on-line.
Book 1 (pdf)
Book 2 (pdf)
Book 3 (pdf)
Beyond IYA2009 Updates
13 August 2010
JENAM2010: The European Week of Astronomy and Space Science is approaching, you can still register and attend the IYA2009 Session: http://www.jenam2010.org/
International Observe the Moon Night: 18 September 2010
Professional and amateur astronomers, astronomy clubs, planetariums, science centers and all astronomy enthusiasts worldwide are invited to celebrate Earth's celestial companion, the Moon, Saturday, September 18, 2010. More: http://www.astronomy2009.org/news/updates/1006/
Astronomers Without Borders Newsletter: http://www.astronomy2009.org/news/updates/1008/
TWAN Mystery - August 2010: What are those streaks in Orion?
Astronomers Without Borders Newsletter
11 August 2010
International Observe the Moon Night (InOMN)
SEEING THE MOON... in a whole new light!
2009 was a very big year for lunar exploration. Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) began orbiting the Moon, returning more amazing images and more digital data in its first year than any other planetary mission in history. Meanwhile, Lunar CRater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS) crashed into the Moon's south polar region in an unprecedented search for water below the Moon's surface.
International Observe the Moon Night (InOMN) follows NASA's first celebration of these historic missions as part of the International Year of Astronomy 2009 in public events called "We're at the Moon!" (for LRO) and "National Observe the Moon Night" in the USA (for LCROSS). Astronomers Without Borders (AWB) is partnering with NASA missions and centers and others to bring the excitement of observing and learning about Earth's closest neighbor in space to the public -- putting the "International" into InOMN.
Get out and get others looking up and seeing the Moon...in a whole new light!
See the InOMN web site for all details.
April Was GAM-Packed
As they say, there is a first time for everything, and GAM 2010 was a history-making event in the amount of excitement and networking it sparked among amateur astronomers worldwide.
Global Astronomy Month was a month of firsts. The first month-long outreach venture; a first Global Star Party; a first 30 Days of StarPeace; a first astro-blogging outbreak; a first Virtual Telescope webcast; a first Cosmic Concert; a first week-long Lunar Focus; a first Saturn Watch; and a first One Star at a Time dark-sky awareness campaign.
The GAM featured projects attracted many enthusiasts and satisfied a variety of astronomical appetites. This month-long endeavor allowed for any needed rescheduling due to weather, and also provided time to build momentum toward the final Global Star Party festivities April 24. The 30 Days of StarPeace month-long project focused on one segment of Earth's longitude at a time, encouraging groups and clubs to get to know their neighbors in other countries above and below the equator in the same time zone. This opened the door for new friendships to form.
Blogging was spearheaded with a new Astropoetry Blog edited by Bob Eklund, featuring astropoetry, essays, and astronomy-related experiences and book reviews, all in a blog format. A brilliant astropoetry collection from Andrei Dorian and his cosmopoet friends in Romania was a special highlight.
Dr. Gianluca Masi hosted a Virtual Telescope tour from the Bellatrix Observatory in Italy, with several live sessions. The "On-line Messier Marathon," "Anybody Out There," "Here Comes the Sun," "Walking on the Moon," and "Cosmic Depths" all were GAM projects that brought the world closer together.
One Star at a Time focused on the continuing effects of light pollution and man's need for a dark sky. Not only did this project raise awareness, it also got astronomers to pledge to make a difference—we became responsible together as the AWB community.
Finally, let's not forget Giovanni Renzo's piano music that was inspired from the vibrations of pulsars, the spinning of a black hole, and a star-mapping musical score.
If you missed GAM 2010, don't worry. April 2011 is only eight months away.
Download your Global Astronomy Month 2010 participation certificate
GAM2010 was a success thanks to you! Individuals and groups who organized events to celebrate GAM2010 can download the appreciation certificate now.
After logging into AWB website, go to the GAM Find Events page where you can use the filter to find the events you have registered. Once you find your event/s click on it and you will see the event details. Go to "Add a report"(appears in Red color) to submit your event report. Once submitted an option to download the certificate will be available.
Did you do a program from GAM2010 and couldn't register it? You can still register your event here and add your event report following above procedure to download the certificate.
AWB Project News:
Astropoetry Blog: send in your contributions!
The Astropoetry blog, launched during GAM, will continue with regular updates under the direction of author, astropoet and AWB Astropoetry Blog Editor, Bob Eklund. Our intention here is to provide a venue and a forum where the poetry of the night sky can flourish.
We encourage you to contribute poetry of the night sky—new or old astropoems, essays, experiences, book reviews, links to astropoetry resources, and information on astropoetry events. Links to online collections and other resources-including notes on a few astropoetry-related books-will also be provided, plus a few examples of outstanding astropoems from major poets of the past.
Whether or not you've ever written a poem before, take a look at some of the examples archived at the Astropoetry Blog, then think of some unique sight or feeling you've had in your acquaintance with the night sky-and put that feeling or insight into words.
3rd Seasons without Borders concluded successfully
The 3rd "Seasons without Borders" (SwB) concluded successfully last June 2010 celebrating the beginning of winter/summer seasons in the southern and northern hemispheres.
In typical AWB tradition, groups from Brazil, Canada, Iraq, Iran, Japan, New Zealand, Pakistan, Portugal, Uruguay and USA gathered and celebrated the solstice under the theme "Two seasons, One earth, One people".
Read the full report here.
Affiliate News:
Wish John Dobson happy 95
John Dobson is arguably one the most influential personalities in amateur astronomy in the last last couple of decades. He is most notable for being the promoter of a design for large, portable, low-cost Newtonian reflecting telescopes that bears his name, the Dobsonian telescope - a telescope that brought amateur astronomy to a whole new level. He has almost single-handedly revolutionized backyard astronomy by bringing it out to the street, making it possible for everyone to enjoy the beauty of the Universe!
On September 14 2010, John is turning 95 and here's your chance to send birthday wishes to him! Thilina Heenatigala (Astronomers Without Borders) is collecting the messages and these will be presented to John Dobson by Donna Smith (Sidewalk Astronomers).
Let's get together and wish John Dobson many more healthy orbits around the Sun!
A Match Under Starlight
Beginning of July 2010 concluded one of the most exciting sporting event - FIFA2010. While many football fans around the world celebrated the victories and the losing, President of Amateur Astronomers Association of Kurdistan - Azhy Hasan came up with the idea to celebrate the World Cup with a touch of astronomy and peace - "A Match Under Starlight".
Few groups around the world joined the excitement as well. Enjoy the reports from each event here.
AWB Board of Trustees welcomes three new membersAnousheh Ansari has been on the Board of Advisors since AWB was founded. Her dedication to the promotion of space science and astronomy is widely known and includes co-sponsorship of the Ansari X Prize, a $10 million award for the first non-governmental organization to launch a reusable manned spacecraft into space twice within two weeks. In 2006 Anousheh became the first female private space explorer. Anousheh is co-founder and chairman of Prodea Systems. Previously, she was co-founder, CEO and chairman of Telecom Technologies, Inc. Anousheh is a member of the X Prize Foundation's Vision Circle, as well as its Board of Trustees. She is a life member in the Association of Space Explorers and on the advisory board of the Teacher's in Space project. Anousheh is currently working toward a master's degree in astronomy from Swinburne University.
Stanley Weinstein is President of Stanley Weinstein & Co., specializing in the fundraising, management, and marketing needs of philanthropic organizations in the US. With more than forty-two years of experience in the nonprofit world, he has distinguished himself as a consultant, teacher, and author. As a consultant specializing in organizational development, strategic planning, fundraising, annual, endowment, and capital campaigns, he has had the opportunity to work closely with board and staff leaders from more than 300 nonprofit organizations nationwide. In 2006, he was named "Outstanding Fundraising Professional."
Farah Payan has owned Woodland Hills Camera and Telescopes since 1987. Initially selling only cameras, Farah has expanded the store's business to become one of the largest retailers of telescopes in the US. Woodland Hills has also become one of the largest Internet retailers, shipping astronomy equipment to most of the world. Woodland Hills is also a supporter of outreach programs and clubs at local colleges. Farah has been a supporter of AWB since its founding and was AWB's first commercial sponsor.
We are very fortunate that these talented and accomplished people have made a commitment to Astronomers Without Borders.
AWB's Newest Resource
Peggy Walker is a natural organizer, and although she had only three years experience in astronomy she was still tapped to organize events and activities for several local astronomy clubs near her home in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, USA, during the International Year of Astronomy 2009. Her enthusiasm and skills quickly led to her being appointed as AWB's National Coordinator for the United States in 2010.
It isn't just enthusiasm that Peggy brings to these tasks, however. Her valuable experience as an executive secretary is now being brought to the global AWB effort. At the latest meeting of the AWB Board of Trustees, Peggy was elected to the office of AWB Secretary. Peggy has wasted no time getting started, and she is already working to organize and document AWB's efforts. We are very fortunate to have someone with Peggy's skills and drive. She'll certainly prove to be one of AWB's most important assets.
We'd like to thank Peggy's predecessor, Laura Hiller, who held the office of Secretary for AWB's first two years. It was a difficult job at the beginning as AWB grew meteorically, and we are grateful for her invaluable assistance in AWB's formative years.
So Easy a Caveman Can Do It
AWB has listened to your comments about the website and its "ease of use" (or lack thereof) and has, hopefully, addressed your concerns. A top priority of the organization is to foster the social networking of its members, visitors, and affiliates, and navigating the site seemed to be a challenge for some. Not everyone has the computer savvy to navigate easily on a website—and we hope that now even cave men and women will find the new site much easier than the old.
As you look at the site, at the top you will see a new banner, depicting people with a distance between them still focusing on the same thing—the "One People, One Sky" ideal. As you scroll down or across you will find the type large enough to see where you need to go. This version is, hopefully, not intimidating, but if anyone finds it hard to get to where they want to be, the Help Desk is always at your disposal.
The website's new format is designed to encourage you to post on your own wall, have galleries for your photos, blog to your heart's content, and facebook your friends—all from one easy location.
Send us your feedback to firstname.lastname@example.com
Astronomers Without Borders Now On Twitter
You can follow AWB on Twitter @awb_org and use the #AWB hash tag to Tweet.
Buy Astronomers Without Borders Merchandise
Astronomers Without Borders now has its own merchandise available! Shirts, buttons, mugs and many other types are now available at the AWB CafePress Store. Show that you belong to the global astronomy effort these AWB products at your events.
TWAN Mystery - August 2010
10 August 2010
International Observe the Moon Night: 18 September 2010
6 August 2010
Professional and amateur astronomers, astronomy clubs, planetariums, science centers and all astronomy enthusiasts worldwide are invited to celebrate Earth's celestial companion, the Moon, Saturday, September 18, 2010.
International Observe the Moon Night (InOMN) follows on the great success of lunar missions in 2009. NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) has already sent back more close-up images and digital data in its first year orbiting the Moon than any other planetary mission in history. In an unprecedented search for water below the Moon's surface, Lunar CRater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS) crashed into the Moon's south polar region with the world watching.
InOMN builds on NASA's first celebration of these historic missions during the International Year of Astronomy 2009. Now, Astronomers Without Borders (AWB) is partnering with NASA missions and centers, along with other institutions, to bring the excitement of observing and learning about Earth's closest neighbor in space to the public – putting the "International" into InOMN.
"InOMN is a community-based effort where everyone can share the excitement of lunar exploration with the public by hosting their own InOMN events", said Mike Simmons, Founder and President of Astronomers Without Borders. "Public telescope observing events, lectures, school presentations and workshops, and even online events like TweetUps are already being planned.", adds Simmons.
Join the celebration. Get others looking up and seeing the Moon...in a whole new light!
More information: http://www.astronomerswithoutborders.org/projects/intl-observe-moon-night.html
Beyond IYA2009 Updates
6 August 2010
Astronomy & World Heritage Thematic Study released: The thematic study on the Heritage Sites of Astronomy and Archaeoastronomy presents an overall vision of astronomical heritage and attempts to identify some of the most outstanding examples that are of significance to everyone. Read More:http://www.astronomy2009.org/news/pressreleases/detail/iya1005/
Government of Canada Celebrates the Historical Significance of the Dominion Astrophysical Observatory
Jim Prentice, Canadian Minister of the Environment and Minister responsible for Parks Canada, and Gary Lunn, Canadian Minister of State for Sport and Member of Parliament for Saanich-Gulf Islands, celebrated the national historic significance of the Dominion Astrophysical Observatory, a world-renowned observatory where many discoveries about the nature of the Milky Way galaxy were made. More information: http://www.pc.gc.ca/apps/cp-nr/release_e.asp?id=1625&andor1=nr
Light Pollution Seminar held in Chile
The European Southern Observatory (ESO), in collaboration with the Chilean National Commission for Environment, Chilean universities and the Office for the Protection of the Quality of the Skies in the North of Chile, organised this event, supported by the Ruinas de Huanchaca Foundation, Antofagasta Municipality and the Chilean Astronomy Society, to promote the protection of dark skies as a scientific heritage. Read more: http://www.astronomy2009.org/news/updates/1003/
The World at Night Newsletter:http://www.astronomy2009.org/news/updates/1002/
The Planets and Pictures World Tour continues to gather great reviews: http://www.astronomy2009.org/news/updates/1001/
IAU IB106 (IYA2009 edition) is online
The International Astronomical Union Information Bulletin 106 (July 2010) (IYA2009 edition) is online. Download the PDF file (4.4 MB) on this link: http://www.iau.org/static/publications/IB106.pdf
World Heritage Committee inscribes old astronomical observatory Jantar Mantar on World Heritage List
The World Heritage Committee meeting in Brasilia has inscribed sites in Saudi Arabia, Australia, India, Islamic Republic of Iran and, for the first time, a site in the Marshall Islands, as well as the Republic of Korea on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Read more: http://www.astronomy2009.org/news/updates/999/
International Astronomical Union is looking for Director of IAU Office for Astronomy Development
Read more: http://www.astronomy2009.org/news/updates/998/
Government of Canada Celebrates the Historical Significance of the Dominion Astrophysical Obs.
6 August 2010
Jim Prentice, Canadian Minister of the Environment and Minister responsible for Parks Canada, and Gary Lunn, Canadian Minister of State for Sport and Member of Parliament for Saanich-Gulf Islands, celebrated the national historic significance of the Dominion Astrophysical Observatory, a world-renowned observatory where many discoveries about the nature of the Milky Way galaxy were made.
More information: http://www.pc.gc.ca/apps/cp-nr/release_e.asp?id=1625&andor1=nr
Light Pollution Seminar held in Chile
5 August 2010
The European Southern Observatory (ESO), in collaboration with the Chilean National Commission for Environment, Chilean universities and the Office for the Protection of the Quality of the Skies in the North of Chile, organised this event, supported by the Ruinas de Huanchaca Foundation, Antofagasta Municipality and the Chilean Astronomy Society, to promote the protection of dark skies as a scientific heritage.
Experts from Europe, Brazil, Argentina and the USA discussed the benefits of improving the efficiency of urban lightning to reduce light pollution, and the resulting positive impact on the environment, energy consumption, economy and science. International astronomical observatories and representatives of future projects emphasised the importance of the dark night skies of northern Chile and pointed out the need to protect this resource for future generations.
More information: http://www.eso.org/public/announcements/ann1047/
Search IYA2009 Updates
National Nodes: 148
Organisational Nodes: 40
Organisational Associates:33
National Websites: 111
Cornerstone Projects: 12
Special Task Groups: 11
Special Projects:16
Official Products:8
Media Partners:22


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Monochrome Stone House with Red Shutters and Flowers in Black and White insigne Wrapped Wall Art Picture Print Canvas
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Meeting Kuya Bodjie1:48 AM Sunday, September 30, 2012
Warning... major gushing ahead! Haha.
I attended a storytelling seminar held at Museo Pambata last Friday . I have already attended one by Adarna House about two years ago, and actually prefer Waldorf storytelling now... but since it was Kuya Bodjie who will be teaching at Museo, I can't not go.
And I just really love my husband all the more for being soooo supportive of this.
Truth be told though, I loved Batibot and have this vague memory of Kuya Bodjie telling stories there back then... but my favorite segments were the ones showing how taho was made, how to fish in a river, how to paint and dye batik fabrics. But again, I can't not go... not when I can reconnect with a great time from my childhood.
So, I went. And just like I posted on my FB wall... the problem with learning to tell stories from the Master is that, you might die laughing. And I have already told hubby that he's going next year, if only to laugh all day and feel freer :)
I really had a blast (and I loved my classmates... such a talented mix and all of them doing good in this world for little children), I really learned much... and can I just say, I started and ended our day dancing/acting with Kuya Bodjie? Haha... talk about tickled pink! And who cares if I looked all kinds of awkward and silly?
What's more... he commented on my FB post! Hahaha.
Again, talk about tickled pink!
How was Kuya Bodjie? Well, he's still Kuya Bodjie, only older. There were a few times he'd had to gasp for breath from all that he was doing.
You know how you get starstruck when you finally meet an idol? And they appear larger than life while you're with them? Kuya Bodjie isn't like that... the experience of meeting him was more like a validation of the Kuya Bodjie you knew as a child. It was more than a feeling of privilege, it felt like coming home (well, since Batibot was a constant in my life, I guess it would really feel like reconnecting with an old friend).
And again... he made us laugh so hard all day.
What's more, when this brilliant teacher showed great storytelling potential (she drove me to tears everytime she'd act/live out the story), Kuya gave her the stage and instructed and prompted her so well (that she was able to get me teary-eyed) and would even be open-mouthed himself for her.
And he never missed a beat.
And sorry, but I really can't help but grin everytime I think of the workshop.
And heaven help me that I don't get envious when it's hubby's time to go, haha.


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|(c) 2008 Brent Yorgey
|Safe Haskell
Create manually-sized gaps along edges of the screen which will not be used for tiling, along with support for toggling gaps on and off.
Note that XMonad.Hooks.ManageDocks is the preferred solution for leaving space for your dock-type applications (status bars, toolbars, docks, etc.), since it automatically sets up appropriate gaps, allows them to be toggled, etc. However, this module may still be useful in some situations where the automated approach of ManageDocks does not work; for example, to work with a dock-type application that does not properly set the STRUTS property, or to leave part of the screen blank which is truncated by a projector, and so on.
- data Direction2D
- data Gaps a
- type GapSpec = [(Direction2D, Int)]
- gaps :: GapSpec -> l a -> ModifiedLayout Gaps l a
- gaps' :: [((Direction2D, Int), Bool)] -> l a -> ModifiedLayout Gaps l a
- data GapMessage
- = ToggleGaps
- | ToggleGap !Direction2D
- | IncGap !Int !Direction2D
- | DecGap !Int !Direction2D
You can use this module by importing it into your
~/.xmonad/xmonad.hs file:
import XMonad.Layout.Gaps
and applying the
gaps modifier to your layouts as follows (for
layoutHook = gaps [(U,18), (R,23)] $ Tall 1 (3/100) (1/2) ||| Full -- leave gaps at the top and right
You can additionally add some keybindings to toggle or modify the gaps, for example:
, ((modm .|. controlMask, xK_g), sendMessage $ ToggleGaps) -- toggle all gaps , ((modm .|. controlMask, xK_t), sendMessage $ ToggleGap U) -- toggle the top gap , ((modm .|. controlMask, xK_w), sendMessage $ IncGap 5 R) -- increment the right-hand gap , ((modm .|. controlMask, xK_q), sendMessage $ DecGap 5 R) -- decrement the right-hand gap
If you want complete control over all gaps, you could include
something like this in your keybindings, assuming in this case you
are using
mkKeymap or
additionalKeysP from XMonad.Util.EZConfig
for string keybinding specifications:
++ [ ("M-g " ++ f ++ " " ++ k, sendMessage $ m d) | (k, d) <- [("a",L), ("s",D), ("w",U), ("d",R)] , (f, m) <- [("v", ToggleGap), ("h", IncGap 10), ("f", DecGap 10)] ]
Given the above keybinding definition, for example, you could type
M-g, v, a to toggle the top gap.
To configure gaps differently per-screen, use XMonad.Layout.PerScreen (coming soon).
data Direction2D Source #
Two-dimensional directions:
The gap state. The first component is the configuration (which gaps are allowed, and their current size), the second is the gaps which are currently active.
type GapSpec = [(Direction2D, Int)] Source #
A manual gap configuration. Each side of the screen on which a gap is enabled is paired with a size in pixels.
|:: GapSpec
The gaps to allow, paired with their initial sizes.
|-> l a
The layout to modify.
|-> ModifiedLayout Gaps l a
Add togglable manual gaps to a layout.
|:: [((Direction2D, Int), Bool)]
The gaps to allow and their initial states.
|-> l a
The layout to modify.
|-> ModifiedLayout Gaps l a
Add togglable manual gaps to a layout, explicitly specifying the initial states.
data GapMessage Source #
Messages which can be sent to a gap modifier.
Toggle all gaps.
|ToggleGap !Direction2D
Toggle a single gap.
|IncGap !Int !Direction2D
Increase a gap by a certain number of pixels.
|DecGap !Int !Direction2D
Decrease a gap.


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Princess Joan was the eldest legitimate daughter of King John and Isabella of Angouleme was born in 1210. She was originally destined to marry Hugh of Lusignan. This was politically tactful as Joan's mother Isabella should have married Hugh but John virtually stole the bride – ensuring war with France and a deeply unpopular Queen of England.
On John's death Isabella returned to Angouleme and naturally wanted to see her daughter who was being raised in the court of Hugh X. Somehow or other Isabella ended up married to Hugh and Joan became a hostage to the return of Isabella's dower. The Regency Council of Henry III were not very happy that Isabella had married without their permission but a princess in the hand is worth a volatile queen dowager on the loose so Isabella got her dower back and England received it's princess which was just as well because the council were already in mid negotiation for another marriage.
Joan's new marriage was negotiated on a promise made as early as 1209 by King John to William of Scotland that there should be a royal wedding of a Plantagenet princess to the Scottish heir to the throne- Alexander. If Joan had not been retrieved, Henry III's other sister Isabelle would have been in the frame to become Queen of Scotland. There had also been some suggestion that a Scottish princess might have travelled south. However, the originally negotiations begun by King John had become somewhat unravelled during the Baron's War and it probably didn't help that Magna Carta safeguarded the rights of the Scottish king – a fact which John ignored. After John's death Henry III's regency council slowly regained order once more. In 1217 Alexander, now King Alexander II of Scotland made his terms with the English. He kept hold of Tynedale and there would be a royal marriage to help cement the peace. Joan and Alexander were married in 1221 in York Minster. There was a thirteen-year age gap between the happy couple – Joan being all of ten-years-old at the time.
Scotland was not a peaceful location. Alexander's hold on the throne was threatened by a number of families with claims dating to the reign of Duncan II. One of these families – the MacWilliams- rose in rebellion once to often. It resulted in the family being hunted down – the youngest member of the family a baby girl was to have her brains dashed out on the market cross at Forfar in 1230.
The royal marriage was not without its difficulties either. Joan did not arrive laden down with loot. Alexander claimed that Joan should have come with Northumbria. The English weren't having any of it and for the first ten years of their marriage Joan was financially dependent upon her husband. It was only in later years that Henry III gave his sister several substantial manors for life so that she had an income which didn't go into Alexander's coffers – but the Scots didn't get Northumbria which caused a fair amount of grumbling and bad feeling between the brothers-in-law.
The other problem was that Joan failed to do what queens were expected to do – she did not produce an heir.
Joan died, childless, in 1238 at the age of twenty-eight during a visit to England. She'd gone on pilgrimage to Canterbury, spent Christmas at her brother's court and then began to make plans to return to Scotland in later January 1238. Before she could do so she became ill and died. Mathew Paris noted in his chronicle that it was inappropriate for Joan to spend so much time away form Scotland – to modern eyes it looks as though Joan was not particularly happy in her marriage- but that is speculation and has nothing to do with the medieval concept of royal matrimony.
She was buried in Tarrant Crawford Abbey, Dorset rather than in Scotland by her own wish as stated in her will. Nothing remains thanks to the dissolution of the monasteries.
Alexander II died ten years later having married Marie de Coucy who duly presented him with a bouncing baby boy who was to become Alexander III.


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While the new Atom processors that we discussed are a long way off you can still pick up some interesting devices powered by the current generation. The ASUS VivoTab Smart ME400C has a Z2760 @ 1.8GHz, 2GB DDR2 and a 64GB eMMC SSD which is not too shabby for a $400 device. The 1366×768 resolution screen might not be the best but at 10.1" it is a reasonable choice for ASUS to make. The Tech Report's testing showed you can expect about 10 hours of battery life and it is capable of running Windows 8 and legacy x86 software as opposed to the ARM powered WinRT tablets it competes with. They do recommend you purhase the TranSleeve and a bluetooth keyboard and mouse combo seperately as you will save a good amount of money doing so.
"This Windows 8 tablet has an Atom processor, solid battery life, and a $430 price tag. Is it compelling as a tablet, and can it really double as a productivity PC?"
Here are some more Mobile articles from around the web:
- MSI GT70 0NE @ Hardware.info
- Microsoft Surface Pro @ Hardware.info
- Toshiba Kirabook Review @ TechReviewSource
- CyberPowerPC FangBook @ AnandTech
- Acer Aspire R7 @ The Inquirer
- ASUS VivoTab Smart ME400 10.1 inch Windows 8 Tablet Review @ Legit Reviews
- Gigabyte P2742G Gaming Laptop @ Modders-Inc
- Acer Aspire S7-191 Touchscreen Ultrabook @ Tweaktown
- Lenovo IdeaPad Lynx Review @ TechReviewSource
- ASUS VivoBook X202E Laptop @ Hardware Secrets
- Acer Aspire E1-531 Laptop Review @ Madshrimps
- AVATAR Mercury Ultrabook AVIU-145A2 Review @ OCC
- Acer Aspire S7-391 Touchscreen Ultrabook @ Tweaktown
- Samsung 5-Series NP540U3C-A01 13.3-inch Ultrabook Notebook Review @ PCSTATS
- Samsung Galaxy Note II Phablet @ Tweaktown
- Sony VAIO Fit 14 Review @ TechReviewSource
- Giada Q11 Android OS Mini PC @ techPowerUp
- Cooler Master NotePal A200 Laptop Cooling Pad Review @ Ninjalane
- ADATA DashDrive Air AE400 Review @ Legit Reviews
- Spire Power Bank 4000 Battery Charger Review @ Legit Reviews
- Thermaltake GOrb II Portable Laptop Cooler @ Tweaktown
- TYLT PowerPlant Portable 5200mAh Battery Pack @ Tweaktown
- Noreve Sony Xperia Z Leather Case (Tradition – 21038T) Review @ Madshrimps
- BlackBerry Q10 @ The Register
- Samsung Galaxy S4 vs iPhone 5 head to head @ The Inquirer
- Samsung Galaxy S4 @ Hardware.info
- Samsung Galaxy S4 @ The Inquirer


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Let $\mathcal{M}$ be a real, compact, orientable manifold and let $X$ be a vector field on $\mathcal{M}$. Consider the functional
$$E(f) = \int_{\mathcal{M}} X_p(f)^2 dV$$
where $X_p(f)$ is the directional (Lie) derivative of $f$ along $X$ at the point $p$ and $dV$ is a volume form on $\mathcal{M}$ -- this functional essentially measures the total amount of change in $f$ along $X$ over all of $\mathcal{M}$ in the $L^2$ sense. Then $\delta E(f)$ is a differential operator whose eigenspectrum
$$\delta E(f) = \lambda f$$
(for $\lambda \in \mathbb{R}$) yields the critical points of $E$ over the set of functions with unit norm. Is there an established name for this operator (or functional) and/or its corresponding eigenspectrum?
The prototype for this operator is Dirichlet's energy
$$\int_{\mathcal{M}} ||\nabla f||^2 dV$$
which has as its (unit-norm) critical points the Laplacian eigenspectrum
$$\nabla^2 f = \lambda f,$$
the main difference being that Dirichlet's energy measures the total gradient, i.e., the change in all directions, rather than just the change along a particular direction at each point.


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Promising Practices
Six Research-Based Proven Practices in Civic EducationThe good news is that educators and their partners can make a difference in helping students to become engaged, informed and effective citizens. Guardian of Democracy: The Civic Mission of Schools report released September, 2011 from the Campaign for the Civic Mission of Schools, the Public Education Division of the American Bar Association and other national organizations, presents civic education policy recommendations and the following six research based proven practices for strengthening civic education in our schools:
The report specifically urges dynamic and interactive teaching methods rather than "teaching by rote," since drier methods may alienate students from politics.
The report urges discussion of issues students find personally relevant, conducted in a way that encourages multiple points of view.
The report urges giving students a role in choosing and designing volunteer activities; articulating explicit civic outcomes; linking service to curricular study; and providing opportunities and vehicles for critical reflection. These recommendations are in keeping with "best practice" principles in service-learning.
The report does not specify favored co-curricular activities. Rather, it acknowledges that learning takes place within and beyond school walls, and it encourages extracurricular efforts to strengthen young peoples' involvement in an array of social and civic institutions.
The report urges students to take an active role in classroom and school governance matters as a means for practicing civic participation skills. However, the report does not specify the scope and parameters of student involvement.
The report argues that engaging students in simulations of voting, trials, legislative deliberation, and diplomacy can lead to heightened political knowledge and interest.
Additional Research and Tips
The Civic Engagement Research Group at Mill College (CERG) identifies these additional research-based effective civic learning opportunities:
Campaign for the Civic Mission of Schools – a nonpartisan nonprofit organization, provides a summary of civic education research, as well as policy recommendations and updates on relevant education policy.
CIRCLE – the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement–is the leading organization for research on youth civic-engagement, with links to hundreds of working papers and relevant studies.
NAEP, National Assessment of Educational Progress at Grades 4, 8 and 12. The Nation's Report Card, Civics, 2010
This report assesses students' understanding of the foundational institutions and ideals needed for active and responsible citizens. In 2010, this report from the national center for education statistics (IES) and the US Department of Education, found that just 27% of fourth-graders, 22% of eighth-graders, and 24% of twelfth-graders performed at or above the Proficient level in civics in 2010
Paths to 21st Century Competencies through Civic Education Classrooms. An Analysis of Survey Results from Ninth-Graders
This report demonstrates that civic education provides students with critical skills and competencies needed for the 21st century, including basic knowledge of economic and political processes, the ability to work with well with others, especially diverse groups and creativity and innovation.


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Point-and-click heaven
[Disclosure: I backed the Kickstarter. A review copy was used for this verdict.]
The game formerly known as "Double Fine Adventure" has finally made its debut — or should I say, half-debut. Broken Age: Act 1 is the culmination of almost 100,000 backers, over 3.5 million dollars, and nearly two years of waiting. The project, once asking for a mere $400,000, broke Kickstarter history and subsequently forged high expectations for Tim Schafer and his team.
Broken Age follows the lives of Shay and Vella, two young teenagers yearning to escape from their predestined paths. Although the description sounds coming-of-age generic, the stories and puzzles are anything but. Broken Age follows its point-and-click adventure predecessors while forging its own path — and what a compelling path it is.
Broken Age: Act 1 (PC)
Developer: Double Fine Productions
Publisher: Double Fine Productions
Release Date: January 14, 2014 (for backers) / January 28, 2014
MSRP: $24.99 (with free update for Act 2)
Shay has lived his entire existence on a spaceship designed for toddlers. Day after day he's coddled by the ship's "mother," an overbearingly saccharine computer unwilling to allow him to take care of himself. Mother babies Shay in every way, including knitting sentient pals to keep him company and forcing him to take his daily nutrition paste. Shay's unending routine consists of completing childlike "missions," like saving his yarn pals from an ice cream avalanche or a hug-attack, which are designed to keep him occupied throughout his existence. Struggling with his confined life, Shay manages to discover a secret part of the ship and quickly experiences what it means to have real responsibility.
Vella wakes up on the last day of her life, preparing to uphold the long-standing tradition of being eaten by a giant abomination named Mog Chothra to keep her village safe. A town that once prided itself on raising fierce monster-fighting warriors, Sugar Bunting now concedes to offering up its finest maidens to Mog Chothra during what they call the "Maiden's Feast." While the other maidens are excited to be considered potential meals, Vella can't help but wonder if there's another way out. She rises up to fight against her supposed destiny of becoming a delectable treat for Mog Chothra and breaks free to search for a way to defeat the monster before it consumes her town.
Both stories are engrossing and highlight a certain childish curiosity that I haven't felt in a long time. I adored every second wandering through these worlds – the dialogue on all fronts is hilarious and crafty, the story elements thoughtful. Broken Age captures a style that is imaginative and expressive while still maintaining an environment that's easy to interact with. Above all, the art is captivating so much so that at certain points in the game I found myself staring at scenes just to take it in.
Almost everything comes to life in Broken Age – characters range from charming to downright ingenious, all with spot-on humor and fantastic voice acting. One of my favorites is a needy spoon who regularly vies for the attention of Shay by shouting things like "It is my honor to be your training spoon today sir, I can't wait to start MISSION NUTRITION!" Puzzles are integrated well into the character's personalities – I found it amusing to discover what dialogue or actions would make characters give up an item or a piece of information.
The game allows for switching between both stories seamlessly, which is not only creative, but a very useful feature. I enjoyed going back and forth regularly because it allowed for me to pace out the stories (for example, not getting too far on one side) and also gave me a chance to escape if a particular puzzle was stumping me. I also felt that Shay's story involved more interactive gameplay elements while Vella's focused more on dialogue and riddles, so being able to leave one story and hop to the other gave me a nice break.
The format of Broken Age is obviously very reminiscent of the older point-and-click adventure games, however there are a few interesting camera perspectives and design choices in the game that change up the formula a bit. For example, in one area of the game you can literally fall through clouds if you're not careful where you step. Another section has the camera angle peering in through a window that's being cleaned by an adorable spaceship minion. These details seem marginal, but they keep the gameplay fresh and original.
I found that the gameplay is so seamlessly integrated with the art that it's sometimes hard to tell when you're supposed to be viewing a scene and when you need to take action. For instance, it took me a while to solve one of the first puzzles in the game because the action I needed to take was during what I thought was a cinematic sequence. Although I appreciate that the game never took me out of the moment mentally, it did become frustrating after a while. My solution to this was to whip my mouse around the screen just in case the action circle appeared in future cinematics.
Broken Age manages to keep the hand-holding clues to a minimum without completely withholding answers from the player. However, as the game progressed I wasn't entirely clear on what actions I could take. During one puzzle in particular, I had tried to combine and use every item possible to get past what I thought was the obstacle, but really all I had to do was move around it. The puzzles eventually make sense in time and are fairly thoughtful, although some of them could have stood to be a bit harder — because for the most part, they didn't require a lot of brainpower. In the end this may not be a terrible thing but I would like to see a tad more complication thrown into the mix for Act 2.
I haven't felt this surge of nostalgia and excitement about a game in a long time, and I truly think Broken Age will be looked back fondly as one of the greats. That being said, the first Act is only a few short hours and ended on a nail-biting cliffhanger with no word on how long we'll be waiting for the rest of the game. In some ways I feel cheated, but in the end it's the heart of the game that matters – and that certainly isn't broken.


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Microsoft Office is the de facto standard for productivity tools, to the point at which word processors and spreadsheets are now called "office programs." But Office is costly, and it's bloated with features few users ever need or even know about. Budget-conscious users and system-resource skinflints can look to several alternatives: One such is Office 2010 by Ashampoo and/or SoftMaker.
Both Ashampoo and SoftMaker offer an Office 2010 suite; the included TextMaker and PlanMaker programs are identical, and Ashampoo's Help file even refers to SoftMaker Office in several places. The sole difference is that Ashampoo's version is less expensive and does not include BasicMaker, the programming language add-on. This review focuses on TextMaker and PlanMaker.
TextMaker is the word processing component, the equivalent of Microsoft Word. Well, the relationship is more like store brand cola as compared to Coke. It's almost as good and a lot cheaper, but you can tell the difference right off. TextMaker will open, edit, and save Word 2007 files, but a side-by-side comparison shows discrepancies that could be important in a format-heavy environment–for example, the same file had different pagination when opened in both programs. For inter-office memos, this doesn't matter much, but if you're doing desktop publishing, it could be critical. TextMaker also lacks many of Office 2007's deeper features. While you can manually format tables well enough, you can't do things like setting odd-numbered rows automatically to one color and even-numbered rows to another, so the format remains consistent even if you add/delete rows. There are many such areas in which TextMaker offers a subset of Word's features, but the equivalent version of Microsoft Office lists for $400 versus Ashampoo Office 2010's $60, and that's a pretty impressive difference.
PlanMaker is the spreadsheet component, occupying Excel's place. Like TextMaker, it provides some, but not all, functionality found in Microsoft Office. One of the crucial changed made in Office 2007 was the removal of Windows-95 era limits on the size of spreadsheets in Excel; Ashampoo Office 2010 retains the 65536 row/256 column limit despite claiming full compatibility with Microsoft Office 2007. Furthermore, it does not warn you when a sheet you open exceeds those limits; it silently truncates it, despite the claim of "lossless" import of XSLX. In a mixed-program environment, this could lead to serious and costly errors, especially if truncated file is saved and then passed back to Excel–the data will be lost and the Excel user may not know it was ever there.
On the plus side, Ashampoo Office 2010 has some nice features which aren't found in Microsoft, the most visible of which is tabbed windows–a major boon for anyone who regularly works with multiple files.
As a standalone office suite for most users, Ashampoo Office 2010 has all the general functionality you'd expect for a very low price. If you regularly interchange files with users of Office 2007, though, the not-quite-perfect compatibility could cause problems of varying severity. The 30-day trial should be enough to determine how well Ashampoo Office 2010 fits your needs.
–Ian Harac


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77 Hilarious Conversations Between Obama And Biden Are The Best Medicine After This Election
Donald Trump and Mike Pence will soon be moving into the White House, but as you can see from these hilarious imaginary conversations between Barack Obama and Joe Biden, the current Vice President really isn't too happy about it. Whether planning to punch the incoming president, plotting to hit him with a football, proposing painting a Mexican flag in the White House, or trying to eat all the ice-cream before The Donald arrives, it seems like Joe isn't going to go quietly. Don't forget to vote for the best!
This post may include affiliate links.
You think Trump is bad?? You better hope Trump doesn't ever become disqualified or unable to serve, cuz that means Pence steps up to #1. And Indiana locals who know former Governor Pence well, know if he's handed power over this nation that he'll execute such power in a way that makes Romanian Dictator Nicolae Ceausescu seem like Mary Farking Poppins.
Seems to me that anyone who brags about being a you-know-what grabber should be assigned a Hello Kitty phone. Very great, the Hello Kitty phone. Terrific, even. The Hello Kitty phones; they LOVE him!
lol I'd be more worried about him giving them the nuclear codes!
Trump knows the address because he's the smartest person in the world. Yuuuuuuuuge with the IQ. But the White House doesn't yet have a giant blinking fake-gold TRUMP sign on it, so the driver missed it.
Dear sweet holy plastic baby Jesus action figure in a manger made in China on Uncle Sam's lawn, does Biden's evil know no bounds?? Such sorcery! Such treachery!! Uncle Joe, you...you...MONSTAH!! Keep it up, dude; we don't have much time left.
He probably doesn't, as he does not really know much in general about the World, World politics etc.
I wonder if Americans know, that in UK trump actually is a word for a FART!
Although the idea of Trump having access to Nukes is completely terrifying, the joke above is hilarious!
Oh mercy! Most of these are not duplicates of what I already posted. Keep 'em coming, whoever's in charge! :)
Cracked me up. I love Biden's serious, thoughtful face and Obama's despair. (Do it, Joe!)
This is really funny! Those kids of his look like Stepford Kids or Children of the Corn....REALLY creepy! Serial killer creepy!
Pence will never fill those shoes. Ever. I don't know if anyone could.
Biden looks like Jeff Dunhams Walter in this photo... 😂😂😂


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This is the latest in a series of guest posts from China-based birders. Written by Jan-Erik Nilsen, a Swedish birder who has lived in China for 3 years, it's an account of a recent trip into the mountains around Beijing.
Haitou Shan Mountain, Hebei Province, Saturday, 23rd June 2012.
Beijing is from SW clockwise to NE surrounded by mountain ranges and several peaks reach above 2000 m. From about 1500 m to the tree line at about 1900-2000 m, a more Northern vegetation of coniferous forest and birch trees can be found. The changing vegetation zones on the mountainsides bring an interesting diversity of bird species.
With a peak reaching to 2200 m, Haitou Shan should be the second highest in the greater Beijing area and it's located N of the Guanting Reserve (where Ma Chang is located) in Hebei province. I have climbed this mountain two times before, then with a hiking group and no time for birding. I noticed abundant numbers of Hume's Warblers and other interesting birds and that's why I have nursed a plan to return by myself for proper birding, a plan to be executed this day.
Driver Mr Chen picked me up in Beijing at 01.00, in the tropical hot and very early morning. We drove the 4th ring road towards the NW, not much traffic so far, but on the Badaling Expressway trucks suddenly crowded, and we hit a traffic jam even before we had entered the mountain area NW of Beijing. We found ourselves caught among big trucks, most of them for coal transport, now emptied and on the way back to the coal fields in Inner Mongolia or Shanxi. Soon the traffic slowly began to move again, the police had narrowed the road at a certain point to reduce the traffic further on. In mornings, evenings and nights, the number of trucks on the Badaling Expressway and all the way to Inner Mongolia can be enormous in both directions. Once, on a trip by car along the 500 km way to Hohhot, capitol of the Inner Mongolia autonomous region, I hit several traffic jams and the normal 5 h ride became 10 h.
We lost some 30 minutes here before we were up to full speed again, continuing the expressway until we had crossed the bridge over the Guanting Reservoir. On the other side of the reservoir we turned north and found our way to the Dahaitou village at the western foot of the mountain. I noticed the first shade of the morning light at 03.45 but, due to the overcast skies, birding was hardly possible until 04.45, and we arrived at Dahaitou at 5.00. Last time at the same mountain, the hiking guide told me Dahaitou was the name of the village where we started the climb. It was not, and I realised it could take hours to find the right village, so I just started to hike on a track up the mountain that looked good.
The peak of the mountain and some of its many subordinated peaks where disguised in mists and clouds, bringing a mysterious feeling to the peaceful morning. Later the mist gradually decreased, lower hanging clouds disappeared, and little by little revealed spectacular views of the hills and mountains.
After one hour the track still existed but looked as if it had hardly been used for a hundred years or so. I continued anyway, and soon found myself in a several hundreds meter radius bowl, three quarters surrounded by 50 or 100 m high steeps. As giving up has never been my favourite option, I found a less steep part and climbed up there, through jungle-like dense vegetation, without any sign of a decent track. I targeted a coniferous forest some 300 m higher up, I knew it would be easier to hike there. But long before, the slope became steeper, the vegetation more dense and even more difficult. I had to grab branches of trees for each step to keep my balance.
I looked at the mountain, still disguising its highest peak in clouds and mist. A Songar Tit perched in a dead tree a few meters in front of me and looked curiously at me – a behaviour I recall from their cousin Siberian Tit in Northern Scandinavia – and soon another one joined. I bet they wondered why this strange beast could be so stupid to try to climb such difficult terrain. A glimpse on the watch convinced me it would take too long to make it to the coniferous forest. I went down again, becoming very mindful of how steep and difficult the climb up had actually been, and it was even more difficult to climb down. It took a lot more than a little effort to find the right way down and avoid the steep sides bordering the 'bowl', but I did find a way down, and all in all I had some good birding too, during this 4,5 h hike.
A Large Hawk Cuckoo called, Yellow-bellied Tits were around, interesting Phylloscopus warblers such as Eastern Crowned, Claudia's, Chinese Leaf and Yellow-streaked Warblers were singing. The highlight was a Chinese Beautiful Rosefinch, at only 1300-1400 m altitude. I encountered this species above the tree limit, where they normally reside, last time I climbed the mountain. That was actually only a km or so away, so it's not a long distance flight for them.
Back at the village, a village elder approach me and pointed out a track in a more southern direction. We could drive the car up there for 15 min, from where I began a new hike. The vegetation here was a little different from the last place, higher trees and less jungle-like. After half an hour I saw something looking like a red carpet. When I came closer I found the red carpet was spread over the stairs leading to a temple. Smoke came out from the doorway, so dense I could hardly see through it. I stepped into the temple and faced three gods staring at me from an altar. Their eyes arranged so they all three stared on you just when entering the temple, and it made the three of them look very alive.
The smoke came from incense burning in a pot in front of them, and fresh fruit had been put on the altar. Someone had obviously served the altar earlier today. I nodded to the three gods to show them respect and then left. I continued the track up the mountain, the track became very bad after a while and time was running out. The climb to the top would total 3-4 hours on a good track; there was no way I could make it that quick on this way up. So I returned, was back at the car at 13.15, after a 3,25 h second hike. Two tries in a day, but never reaching higher than about 1600 m.
The birding was quite alright also at this second hike. An Oriental Cuckoo calling, a singing White-bellied Redstart, and a Yellow-throated Bunting. The same Phylloscopus species again, except the Yellow-streaked was replaced by a Hume's Warbler. I believe there will be a lot more Hume's Warblers higher up the mountain, as they were very abundant the two times I went up there before. An Asian Stubtail was singing, or what we shall call the insect-like noise this 9-10 cm very small bird produces. Ref. Paul Holt, Beijing is the southern limit of the species.
I recorded calling and singing birds on my iPhone and confirmed them on Xeno-Canto at home, which worked very well, except for a few calls still to be identified.
It's difficult to compare the birding of Haitoushan with the more frequently birded Wulingshan, NE of Beijing, as I didn't reached that high altitude here, but I guess this place can provide similar species. An advantage of Wulingshan is of course the simple access to high altitude by car.
The temple was named Long Wang Miao, Dragon King Temple, and my Chinese teacher later explained the main god here was the Dragon King, a mid-level Dao god mainly in charge of making rain.
Full species list:
Common Pheasant 4 calling
Great Spotted Woodpecker 1
Large Hawk Cuckoo 1 calling
Oriental Cuckoo 1 calling
Rock Pigeon 2
Amur Falcon 3 Dahaitou + 8 on telephone lines N of Dahaitou
Red-billed Blue Magpie 1
Black-billed Magpie 2
Spotted Nutcracker 1
Large-billed Crow 4
Euarasian Blackbird 1
Siberian Blue Robin 1 singing
Daurian Redstart 4
White-bellied Redstart 1 singing
Eurasian Nuthatch 1 calling
Winter Wren 2 singing
Marsh Tit 1
Songar Tit 5
Coal Tit 1
Yellow-bellied Tit min. 15
Eastern Great Tit 2
Long-tailed Tit ca 25
White-browed Chinese Warbler 2 calling
Asian Stubtail 1 singing
Yellow-streaked Warbler 1 singing
Chinese Leaf Warbler 2 (1 singning+1 calling)
Hume's Leaf Warbler 1 calling
Eastern Crown Warbler 7 singing
Claudia's Leaf Warbler 7 ca, singing and calling
Vinous-throated Parrotbill ca 5
Eurasian Tree Sparrow ca 5
Grey-capped Greenfinch 2
Chinese Beautiful Rosefinch 1 seen and calling
Godlewski's Bunting 2
Meadow Bunting 3
Yellow-throated (Elegant) Bunting 1m
Butterflies of 3 types ca 50
Jan-Erik Nilsén is a Swedish birder who has worked in Beijing for 3 years for a Scandinavian food company. Before that he lived in Denmark for 5 years. During his spare time he very much enjoys the many interesting birding sites in the Beijing area and has found Beijing/China rarities such as Common Ringed Plover and Pallid Harrier.


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Evening Minyan (video)
March 16, 2020 @ 7:00 pm - 7:15 pm
Ohavi Zedek offers regular minyan services to meet the worship needs of our community and especially to aid those members of our community who are reciting Kaddish in memory of a recently deceased loved one or on a Yahrzeit.
Services are held Sunday-Thursday evenings at 7PM and Sunday mornings at 9:00 AM. Ohavi Zedek's minyan is traditional and egalitarian. Mincha and Maariv are recited at evening services when the services begin before dark, only Ma'ariv is recited once we reach the point in the year when services start after dark.
If you are planning to attend a service to recite Kaddish please contact the OZ office and let us know so the minyan captains can make sure there is a minyan present.
Ohavi Zedek Synagogue is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Topic: Evening Minyan
Time: Mar 16, 2020 07:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
Meeting ID: 603 651 053
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No Time for Kicking
A horse cant pull while kicking.
This fact we merely mention.
And he cant kick while pulling,
Which is our chief contention.
Lets imitate the good old horse
And lead a life thats fitting;
Just pull an honest load, and then
Therell be no time for kicking.