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At the moment, Bullet Flight M is not available for direct download on a computer. However, you can use emulators to run it on PC. The downside is that using Bullet Flight M with an emulator might slow down your computer's performance.
Learn how to use Bullet Flight M on your computer in these 5 simple steps:
Note: This is the highest level of Bullet Flight (level M, Military). Also see BulletFlt L1 and BulletFlt L2 for lower-cost alternatives. Knight's Armament BulletFlight is a military-grade ballistic computer that provides quick solutions in the field. BulletFlight does not output information in table format but rather dynamically gives you the solution you need now to make that shot. Current weather conditions including temperature, pressure, humidity, wind speed, and wind direction can be input, as well as angles to the target as measured by the built-in accelerometer. The app then provides highly detailed solutions out to 3000 meters. Your weapon profile includes your scope MOA/mRad per click, and hence when you provide a range to the target, the app will simply show how many clicks you need to change the scope by for that range and wind speed. Includes over 1400 projectiles including carefully-measured G7 BC database for VLD bullets. BulletFlight's G7 data is courtesy of Bryan Litz and I recommend his book: http://www.appliedballisticsllc.com/index_files/Book.htm Up to five ballistic coefficients with corresponding velocity thresholds may be used for each profile to enhance accuracy, or use a single G1, G7, or G8 value. Several built-in profiles for the Army's M110 and M110C semi-automatic precision rifle, the Army's new XM2010 sniper rifle, the 14.5 inch SR16 rifle, The 50 BMG M107, .308 M40A3, .308 M24, and the 6.5mm KAC PDW allow you to get started quickly. You may alter these profiles, or add new ones. This app was in combat use by military snipers in Iraq and Afghanistan. Features: Built-in profiles for common military rifles, but easily add more custom profiles. Accurate bullet database with most major brands. 3000 meters range (2000 using simple screen). Fast and accurate ballistic computation using G1, G7, or G8 ballistic coefficients. Easy to use interface yet powerful and full featured. All relevant data on screen all at once. User interface designed to minimize chance of input errors. "Simple Screen" with distance wheel, but also "Full" screen where any exact range may be used. Output in inches, cm, MOA, Mils, and scope clicks. Option for Metric units. In most cases imperial and metric are visible at the same time. Direct input for scopes with either MOA or mRad metric input (such as Schmidt & Bender). Calculates 360 degree wind drift using either degree of O'Clock format input. Wind speed may be specified in either miles-per-hour or meters-per-second. Advanced atmospheric model. Uses GPS to locate nearest weather station and then automatically gets weather data and altitude for ballistic computation. Sight-in weather may be logged and stored for automatic normalization to standard conditions. So you may sight in at any temperature or altitude and later be accurate at any other temperature or altitude. Built-in accelerometer will detect angle for improved accuracy. Computes actual BCs from collected data. Some users will do this for each log of ammo before a mission. Built-in mil-dot range calculator. Calculates bullet twist / stability with a highly-accurate formula. Computes bullet spin drift. Built-in help screen.
Mirror 1: Download for Android
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Molane History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
Early Origins of the Molane family
The surname Molane was first found in at Dartington, in Devon, as well as twenty-nine other lordships throughout England. William of Moulins, Sire de Falaise, Lord of Moulins in 1030, in Normandy, uncle of William the Conqueror, was granted many lands by King William. Today Molland is a civil parish and small village in the union and hundred of South Molton comprising 5972 acres.
Further north in Lancashire at Literthland, "Stephen, Earl of Boulogne, who afterwards succeeded to the crown of England, granted to Robert de Molines his land in "Liderlant," for 14s. per annum." [1]
Again in Lancashire, the latter source that "[Melling cum Cunscough] appears to have been part of the tract of land granted by Roger de Poictou to Vivian de Molines; for the son of the latter, Sir Adam de Molines, gave in free and pure alms to the church of St. Mary, of Cockersand, certain acres of land in Melling and Cunscough." [1]
Early History of the Molane family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Molane research. Another 97 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1423, 1617 and 1592 are included under the topic Early Molane History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Molane Spelling Variations
Spelling variations of this family name include: Mollins, Molyne, Molin, Moilines, Moullin, Moulins and many more.
Early Notables of the Molane family (pre 1700)
More information is included under the topic Early Molane Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Migration of the Molane family to Ireland
Some of the Molane family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Migration of the Molane family
Some of the first settlers of this family name or some of its variants were: William Molline, who settled in Virginia in 1653; John Molin, who settled in Placientia, Newfoundland, in 1681; George Mollins settled in Barbados in 1685.

subset: commoncrawl


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(HealthDay)—Long-term heroin use changes how genes are activated in the brain, which leads to changes in brain function, according to a new study.
Researchers examined the brains of dead heroin users and focused on an area of the brain called the striatum, which plays a key role in drug abuse. They found significant changes in how DNA was being used in the brains, and the degree of change matched the number of years of heroin addiction.
They also found evidence that heroin overdose causes brain changes other than addiction, which indicates that the behaviors that lead to overdose have a different neural basis than those that lead to long-term abuse.
The observed changes to brain function are driven by a process called epigenetics. This means environmental events modify the shape and packaging of DNA without changing the underlying DNA itself.
Instead, the structure of the DNA becomes more "open†or "closed,†allowing some genes to be expressed [activated] more or less often. This changes what proteins are produced and, as a result, can change how the brain functions, the researchers said.
The study was scheduled for presentation Sunday at the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience in San Diego.
"Our study addresses a critical gap in our knowledge about heroin addiction because we cannot often directly study the brains of addicted humans,†senior author Yasmin Hurd, of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, in New York City, said in a society news release.
"Our results provide important insights into how human brains change in response to long-term heroin use, and give us the knowledge to help treat this dangerous disease,†Hurd said.
According to the World Health Organization, 9.5 million people worldwide abuse heroin, which puts them at a 20 to 30 times higher risk of death than non-drug users.
Data and conclusions presented at meetings typically are considered preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed medical journal.
Explore further: Nurture impacts nature: Experiences leave genetic mark on brain, behavior
More information: The U.S. National Institute on Drug Abuse has more about heroin.
Copyright © 2013 HealthDay. All rights reserved.


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Scripture texts, prefaces, introductions, footnotes and cross references used in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC All Rights Reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.
471 topical index results for "handmaid of the lord"


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About a month ago Bryan Cera invited me to print a copy of Marcel Duchamp's favorite hand-carved chess set. The set had been lost to the ages, but he and Scott Kildall have resurrected it. It sounded like a fun project and it's always interesting to collaborate with people I admire.
Scott mentioned that I had a unique method of printing the pieces in parts and reassembled them in his post about the materiality of the project. I also painted my set with metallic silver paint to give it a unique look.
Along the way, Patrick Lichty also printed a set, and Frankie Flood (being the Master of Metal) had to go way overboard and cast them in bronze!
Anyway, my set is finally done, and I finally took photos, which you can see here. I actually spent a fair amount of time trying to replicate the shot of the original Duchamp set, getting the spacing and angles right, matching the lighting, and it's close, but not exact. (See the top photo to compare.)
Of course some of the shots I did were just because I wanted to experiment. The hot pink, and to some degree the black, show the reflective quality of the pieces, which is pretty neat.
(You can view high resolution versions of each shot on Flickr, just click on the photos above.)
Note: September 2015 Update! What Happened to the Readymake: Duchamp Chess Pieces?" and What Happened to the Readymake: Duchamp Chess Pieces?


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In flooded Colorado, an anguished question: where to live, and for how long
For the thousands in Colorado displaced by the floods, the uncertainty is the hardest part. Even homes left standing may be inaccessible for months, and the future of entire communities could be in doubt.
| Boulder, Colo.
They've been airlifted from the mountains by Chinook and Blackhawk, and driven out via flooded and destroyed roadways by the National Guard. Some people left behind houses barely touched by the floods, but now inaccessible because of washed-out roads. Others left homes completely destroyed, taking with them nothing more than the clothes on their backs.
More than 11,000 people are displaced in Colorado because of the floods, and about 11,750 are under mandatory evacuation orders. The largest airlift rescue operation since Hurricane Katrina has helped evacuate more than 1,700 people from isolated areas, and was continuing Tuesday.
The numbers of displaced people – many of whom may not be able to get back to their homes for many months – creates a daunting challenge for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the state, as they work to figure out housing solutions. Stories abound of near escapes, daring rescues, and families – including many with elderly residents and young children – who have no idea where they'll live for the coming months.
At this point, many are staying with friends, family, and neighbors, though several shelters are also operating and full. FEMA hasn't made any housing decisions, though in a news conference Monday, FEMA administrator Craig Fugate said that renting homes and using modular housing units were options. "There are a wide range of programs," Mr. Fugate said, noting that FEMA has learned a lot from its work housing displaced people from Hurricane Sandy.
For now, many displaced Coloradans have no idea when they'll be able to return even to assess the damage to their homes, much less to live in them.
"It's that not knowing [when we can return], and being told 'if you leave, you will not be able to come back' " that's really hard, says Larry Shaw, shortly after he was airlifted out of his Pinewood Springs community by Chinook helicopter, along with his parents and their five dogs.
He and other Pinewood Springs residents, along with a menagerie of cats, dogs, and other pets who evacuated with them, were milling around a Boulder evacuation site Monday, many waiting for friends to pick them up, all with just the two packed bags they were allowed to bring with them.
The one bright spot as they waited to be evacuated, says Shaw and other residents, was the incredible camaraderie and community spirit in the town. A local store, the Colorado Cherry Company, hosted huge potluck dinners every night in which residents donated any perishable food they had – bison chili, antelope steaks, Italian sausage, salads – and used the store's grills to cook it. A restaurant across the street had a still-functioning gas oven and people cooked pies. A few people with generators invited neighbors over when they turned them on for several hours.
"It was really beautiful how the community came together," says Shaw.
The community of about 600, located between Lyons and Estes Park, is without power and cut off due to road damage, and Mr. Shaw says he's heard some people estimate that it may be spring before they can return.
Though many houses, including Shaw's, were flooded on the ground floor, most are still standing; the issue, as with many mountain communities, is access.
That's not the case for the small, close-knit community of Jamestown, in the mountains to the west of Boulder, where many homes were completely swept away and destroyed and at least one person died when a mudslide hit his house.
The last time Bruce Boeke saw his house there, just before he, his wife, and their three children were airlifted out on Friday, it was "awash," he says: the entire first floor was flooded, the garage was completely filled with water, and water was flowing all around the house, over the yard and decks.
Still, he says, his situation is better than some of his neighbors. "The last time I saw our house, it was still standing, and the second floor was untouched."
Boeke and his family are currently staying with friends in Boulder. Once his wife's parents can get back into their house – they were evacuated from the foothills just outside of Boulder as well – they'll stay there. When they can return to Jamestown, he says, is a total question mark.
The town's water system is destroyed, and the roads are obliterated.
"That's the big question: Are we going to move back?" says Boeke, who is also on the town board. "We don't know what FEMA is going to do, we don't know if our house is inhabitable or repairable. Is Jamestown going to exist anymore? It's a pretty close-knit community. The majority of people want to go back and rebuild, but there's a lot of questions to be made."
Lyons, a town of about 1,500 just north of Boulder and a popular bluegrass and music festival destination, is almost completely evacuated, and city officials have warned that it may be weeks or months before basic services like water treatment and power are restored. Much of the town flooded, and residents aren't sure when they can return.
For Parker Johnson, who barely escaped the flooding Wednesday night with his wife and three young children, including an 8-month-old baby, he's mostly just grateful he got out.
Like many residents, he says, he didn't take seriously the severity of the flooding Wednesday night. He was busy trying to move belongings from his flooded lower level to the dry floor a few steps up when a neighbor – who had forded a raging river to get to him – came in to tell Mr. Johnson he had to get his family out immediately. Until then, Parker hadn't noticed that the river had jumped the banks and was now flowing through his front yard.
"I went into complete shock," Johnson says, choking up as he recalls his friend's intervention.
Dressed in pajamas and flip flops – which were quickly ripped off – he and his wife loaded their children into their Jeep Cherokee and were soon floating in the flooded water. Johnson says he still doesn't know how the car kept from stalling before it finally hit some dry ground and his tires were able to get traction.
His family is currently staying with friends in Boulder, and looking for a longer-term solution. He estimates it will be three to six months before they can return to their home – though, miraculously, the slightly elevated main level didn't flood.
"There is not even a remembrance of where there was a driveway," Johnson says, describing instead a huge trough of boulders and river stones that would be impassable to even the heaviest-duty truck.
"A question that has arisen in my mind is will anything ever fully return to normal," he says. "Do we go back and completely reinvest our livelihoods?" Several of his elderly neighbors, he says, have already told him they'll probably walk away rather than rebuild.
"Maybe I need to rethink what's next for us," he says. "And yet we love it here, we had an idyllic situation…. We're proud of what an idyllic lovely town we live in, and we've taken a huge blow."


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HBO has had its fair share of critically-acclaimed shows hit the airwaves over the past few years and saw enough in the 2013 version of the Cincinnati Bengals to make the squad the feature of its "Hard Knocks" documentary for a second time.
Only time will tell if the Bengals can live up the expectations of being the focus of the popular reality show, but president Mike Brown and head coach Marvin Lewis are hoping they have blended enough youth with experience to unseat the division-rival Baltimore Ravens as the kings of the AFC.
Lewis, entering his 11th season as the sideline general of the Bengals, has led the franchise to the playoffs in three of the last four years after the franchise went just once between the 1991-2008 seasons. But while Cincinnati has made it a habit of reaching the postseason, it is still looking for its first playoff victory since 1990.
That includes back-to-back first-round exits at the hands of the Houston Texans and the pressure will be on Lewis and quarterback Andy Dalton to take the next step.
Dalton, though, is only concerned with the expectations within his own locker room.
"That's what matters most," said the third-year signal-caller. "We've got a lot going into this year. We've got basically everybody back from last year. We've added some new guys, which are going to help us out a lot."
The Bengals' 10-6 record a season ago tied the eventual Super Bowl-champion Ravens for the best mark in the AFC North and the club carried big momentum into the postseason by winning seven of eight in the second half.
However, Baltimore's 22nd-ranked offense could not manage an offensive touchdown in the playoffs, leading to the quick exit.
To help Dalton and star wide receiver A.J. Green, the Bengals spent their first two draft picks on offense, grabbing Notre Dame tight end Tyler Eifert 21st overall before selecting running back Giovani Bernard with the first of two second-round picks.
Last year's sixth-ranked defense, one that set a club record with 51 sacks, returns basically intact with the addition of linebacker and former Defensive Player of the Year James Harrison, and special teams group remains solid.
With the young blood and a proven veteran in Harrison, Lewis is looking to mix together the perfect combination of experience and energy to provide the kind of depth needed to go the distance.
"Veteran guys want to win. They know the clock is running and you only have so many chances," said Lewis. "And you only have so many players, so sooner or later those young guys are going to be called on. You want to make sure they are ready to go when they step in that huddle with you. The mentoring of the young guys, and creating mentoring depth on the football team is very, very important."
Lights, camera, action for the Bengals.
2012 RECORD: 10-6 (2nd, AFC North)
LAST PLAYOFF APPEARANCE: 2012, lost to Houston Texans in wild card round
HEAD COACH (RECORD): Marvin Lewis (79-80-1 in 10 seasons)
OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR: Jay Gruden (third season with Bengals)
DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR: Mike Zimmer (sixth season with Bengals)
KEY ADDITIONS: QB Josh Johnson (from Browns), QB John Skelton (from Cardinals), RB Giovani Bernard (2nd round, North Carolina), TE Tyler Eifert (1st round, Notre Dame), TE Alex Smith (from Browns), G Mike Pollak (from Panthers), DE Margus Hunt (2nd round, Southern Methodist), LB James Harrison (from Steelers), LB Sean Porter (4th round, Texas A&M), S Shawn Williams (3rd round, Georgia)
KEY DEPARTURES: QB Bruce Gradkowski (to Steelers), RB Brian Leonard (to Buccaneers), G Travelle Wharton (released), DT Pat Sims (to Raiders), DE Jamaal Anderson (released), LB Thomas Howard (free agent), LB Manny Lawson (to Bills), LB Dan Skuta (to 49ers), CB Nate Clements (free agent), CB Jason Allen (released), S Chris Crocker (free agent), S Robert Sands (released) K Josh Brown (to Giants)
QB: Dalton is the only quarterback in Bengals history to lead the team to the playoffs in his first two seasons and is aiming to become the fifth starting signal-caller in league history to reach the playoffs in his first three campaigns.
The numbers have been there for Dalton: a 19-13 record, 7,067 passing yards and 47 touchdown passes to 29 interceptions in his two seasons. Now, the 25- year-old is taking on more of a leadership role, the next step in the progression of an NFL quarterback.
"He's going into his third year, the cast around him gets nothing but better, and we all feel his leadership, spreading his wings. He's maturing," said Lewis.
Reassuring for the Bengals is that Dalton seems to agree.
"That's how it should be. It should be the quarterback's team," said Dalton. "The quarterback is the leader of the team and the quarterback is the one that has the ball in his hands every single play."
Though Dalton has not missed a game in his young career, the Bengals brought in a pair of players to compete for the backup spot. They claimed John Skelton off waivers from Arizona in April and also signed former Tampa Bay and Cleveland quarterback Josh Johnson. Neither has had a ton of success in the league, though Skelton has the experience edge with 17 starts.
Cincinnati needs Dalton to stay on the field.
RB: Like most teams in the NFL, the Bengals are looking to get a pair of running backs involved in the offense.
BenJarvus Green-Ellis returns for his second season with Cincinnati after rushing for a career-high 1,094 yards on 278 carries last season. The 220- pound back excels at getting the tough, short yards and was key to the Bengals' second-half surge, but he found the end zone just six times after logging 24 rushing touchdowns in the previous two seasons with New England.
For a change of pace, the Bengals drafted Bernard out of North Carolina to add a speedier element and contribute to the passing game. His 5-foot-9 frame has him a better fit to slip through holes and break for daylight rather than pound the ball, though offensive coordinator Jay Gruden likes his demeanor.
"He's not afraid. He may not run over people like Adrian Peterson, but he'll make some people miss," said Gruden. "He's hard to find in there. Sometimes those smaller backs get in there and they get low, and linebackers and safeties can't find them. They pop out the back door. He's got great feet."
Special-teams ace Cedric Peerman will back up and four-year vet Bernard Scott is looming, but a torn ACL limited him to just two games last year.
Fullback John Conner and Orson Charles, listed as an H-back, are battling for a spot in the backfield as well. Charles may have the inside edge on Conner given his versatility, having played in 16 games last year as a reserve TE.
Former starting fullback Chris Pressley is still rehabbing a season-ending knee injury suffered late last season.
WR: The Bengals hope they have their own Montana-Rice-like combination in Dalton and Green, who has made the Pro Bowl in each of his first two seasons and last year emerged as perhaps the best young wideout in football.
Green's 162 career receptions are the most for a player in NFL history over his first two seasons and he had a streak of nine straight games with at least one touchdown catch last year, a Bengals record and only the second such streak in NFL history since 1964.
The other? A record 12-game streak by Jerry Rice in 1987.
There is little doubt that the duo of Dalton and Green (97 receptions, 1,350 yards, 11 TD), will define this offense for quite some time.
"As soon as we were both drafted, everybody already had already linked us together. Before we even played a game," said Dalton. "Now that we've played a couple years together, I expect us to play a lot more together. We've done some good things together since we've been here. We want to keep getting better and keep doing things to win games. Hopefully we'll be doing that for a long time."
The Bengals are less dangerous at the position after Green. Andrew Hawkins had the second-most catches by a Cincinnati wide receiver with 51, posting 533 yards with four touchdowns. He is best used in the slot position, so sophomores Mohamed Sanu and Marvin Jones will battle for the No. 2 spot.
Sanu gives Gruden a host of options as a threat both in the receiving and running game. He can also give a sort of wildcat look with his ability to throw the ball.
Brandon Tate can give Dalton a chance to go deep with his speed, but his primary role is as the club's kick returner. Cincinnati also hopes it got a steal in the sixth round with Arkansas product Cobi Hamilton.
TE: Expect to see a lot of two-tight end sets after the Bengals added Eifert to the roster alongside back-to-back Pro Bowl selection Jermaine Gresham.
Gresham (64 receptions, 737 yards, 5 TD) is the first tight end in franchise history to record three straight seasons of at least 50 catches and he ranked second on the club last year in receptions and receiving yards.
He should see even more field this year thanks to Eifert, a mismatch machine with excellent receiving skills who can make the contested catch.
"It adds another weapon. Whether you have two tight ends in the game at a time, or three possibly," said Gruden back in April after the first round of the draft. "It creates problems for defenses -- that personnel group -- because they want to leave their base defense on the field, so you get him matched up with a linebacker, most likely."
Eight-year vet Alex Smith was signed for added depth.
OL: The Bengals added depth to their offensive line, but stand a good chance of returning all five anticipated starters from a year ago. However, that group saw Dalton get sacked 46 times in 2012 after he was taken down just 24 times on 12 fewer attempts as a rookie.
The leader of the line is left tackle Andrew Whitworth, who is coming off a Pro Bowl selection and was been a key part of this unit since being selected in the second round of the '06 draft.
Andre Smith was re-signed to resume his role as the starting right tackle and he'll look to build on his chemistry with Kevin Zeitler, who started every game at guard last season as a rookie next to Smith. The former first-round pick should improve this year.
Clint Boling also started all 16 games last year at left guard, but has also taken snaps this preseason at tackle and could be pushed by Mike Pollak, a six-year vet signed as a free agent.
Kyle Cook went into last season having started 50 straight games at center, but missed the first 12 games due to a foot injury before returning to start the final two games and the wild card contest. He'll be challenged by Trevor Robinson, who appeared in 13 games with seven starts at center last season as a rookie.
Rookie Tanner Hawkinson can play both guard and tackle, adding nice depth.
DL: Cincinnati's defensive line contributed 43 of the club's 51 sacks a year ago, led by 12 1/2 from defensive tackle Geno Atkins. That total led all NFL interior lineman and earned Atkins a spot on the Associated Press' All-Pro first team in his fourth NFL season.
While Atkins made a habit of getting in the faces of quarterbacks, nose tackle Domata Peko uses his 322-pound frame to stuff would-be runners. He matched Atkins' 53 tackles last year, with just two of those sacks.
Of course, the Bengals also get pressure from the outside in the former of 6- foot-7 right end Michael Johnson and the newly-extended Carlos Dunlap. Johnson posted 11 1/2 sacks last year and was designated with the club's franchise tag that will pay him just over $11 million this season, while Dunlap inked a five-year extension through 2018.
That commitment means that Dunlap should start over 10-year veteran Robert Geathers, who made all 16 starts at left end a season ago. He logged 30 tackles and three sacks to Dunlap's 40 stops, six sacks and four forced fumbles in 14 games.
More snaps for Dunlap could make this unit even better than last year, and perhaps one of the best to ever suit up for the Bengals.
"I'll leave the comparisons to the media," said Bengals defensive line coach Jay Hayes," but we liked what our group did last year and we've got only the highest expectations for them this year. It's up to us as coaches to get the most out of them. There's a lot there to get."
With Johnson's future with the club uncertain as he plays out his franchise tender, Cincinnati may groom his possible replacement, second-round pick Margus Hunt, a native of Estonia who stands at 6-foot-8 and used his frame to become a fierce kick blocker in college.
Six-year vet Wallace Gilberry had 6 1/2 sacks in a reserve role last year, while second-year pros Devon Still and Brandon Thompson back up in the middle.
LB: Teacher becomes the student for Harrison, who will look to blend in with linebackers Vontaze Burfict and Rey Maualuga, Cincinnati's top two tacklers from last season.
Harrison, though, will have plenty to experience to teach as a five-time Pro Bowler and shook off a knee injury that caused him to miss the first three games of last year with Pittsburgh to notch six sacks. There is no doubt Harrison is on the decline at 35 years of age, but he should add plenty of energy to the strong-side spot.
"Tez (Burfict) and Rey are helping me out with things that I need to know on the field," said Harrison. "It's a switch of positions for me, so to speak, where I'm learning from younger guys."
Harrison should like what he sees from Burfict, who went undrafted due to some character questions but ended up leading the Bengals with 127 tackles. He was a starter from Week 1 because of a season-ending injury to Thomas Howard.
Maualuga, meanwhile, turned in another solid season with a career-high 122 tackles. He returns to the middle spot after re-signing this offseason.
While there is a lot of talent at the top of the depth chart, the Bengals are young behind the starting three. Vincent Rey and Emmanuel Lamur, entering their third and second seasons, respectively, make up the reserve unit along with 2013 fourth-round choice Sean Porter, who is solid in pass coverage.
DB: With the Bengals parting ways this offseason with both Nate Clements and Chris Crocker, the strong safety position is up for grabs. That should be the lone new look in Cincinnati's secondary, with corners Leon Hall and Terence Newman set to return along with free safety Reggie Nelson (85 tackles, 3 INT).
Second-year safety George Iloka, a former fifth-round pick, appeared in seven games last year and has had an impressive offseason. He is looking to hold off challengers Taylor Mays, who played in all 16 games a season ago, and rookie Shawn Williams, a third-round pick out of Georgia for a starting job.
The Bengals are blessed with talent and experience at the two corner spots and Dalton is high on Hall, who returned one of his two interceptions for a score last year as he bounced back from an Achilles injury that sidelined him for the final seven games of the 2011 campaign.
Hall got stronger as the season went on and accounted for Cincinnati's only playoff touchdown with a pick-six.
"He's the best corner in the game," declared Dalton. "Lockdown. Leon Island."
Newman, a former Pro Bowl selection with Dallas, started 15 games with the Bengals last year, his first with the club, and was excellent at breaking up passes. He enters his 11th season in the NFL.
Adam Jones returns as the Bengals' third corner with yet another arrest hanging over his head. Jones is facing charges for allegedly assaulting a 34- year-old woman at a Cincinnati nightclub, with his trail delayed until Oct. 7.
That could lead to punishment by the NFL for Jones, who played in all 16 games last year with five starts and is key to the return game.
Should Jones face discipline, the Bengals hope that 2012 first-round pick Dre Kirkpatrick can rebound from a knee injury that limited him to just five games a season ago. Reserve Brandon Gee is also looking to come back following a wrist injury that caused him to miss all of 2012.
SPECIAL TEAMS: Punter Kevin Huber returns after a solid 2012 season that saw him set club records with a gross punting average of 46.6 yards and a net average of 42.0 yards. His distance was perhaps only outdone by his accuracy as he pinned 11 kicks inside the five-yard line.
Cincinnati also opted to re-sign Mike Nugent even though he missed the final four games of 2012 with a calf ailment. He was 19-for-23 on his kicks before the injury, including a club record-tying 55-yarder.
Long snapper Clark Harris has been a fixture at the position since joining the club in October of 2009.
Jones ranked seventh in the NFL with a 11.6 yard return average on punts, taking one 81 yards to the house. Wide receiver Dane Sanzenbacher could make the roster as insurance as he took a punt 71 yards to the end zone during preseason.
The speedy Tate averaged 24.8 yards per kickoff return a season ago.
COACHING: Lewis' 79 career victories have pushed him 15 past Sam Wyche for the most in franchise history. He is currently the second-longest tenured head coach with one team, behind only Bill Belichick's 14 seasons with the New England Patriots.
It took Lewis some time to get the Bengals competitive and he seemed in danger of falling off the radar when he followed up an 11-win campaign in 2005 with campaigns of 8-8, 7-9 and 4-11-1. However, he has been getting the most out of Cincinnati's roster of the past few years to extend his Ohio shelf life.
Gruden is building a reputation as a talented offensive mind and saw his name in the mix for a number of head coaching positions, while Zimmer has excelled at grooming home-grown talent.
THE SKINNY: The Bengals will certainly be expected to contend for the division crown this season and failure to advance in the postseason will be seen as a step back.
"For us the goal is to get back to the playoffs. That's everybody's expectation. Once you get back to the playoffs it's its own thing," said Dalton. "There's a lot of confidence on this team and there should be. We've done some good things since I've been here. We've got to play with that confidence and that swagger. I think everybody is excited and ready to go."
Dalton has plenty of weapons to utilize and a big step forward for the offense could be what the club is lacking. The defense shouldn't take a step back, not with Harrison's presence in the locker room keeping things high energy.
It's not a reach to see the Bengals overtaking the new-look Ravens for the AFC North crown, but like Dalton said, the playoffs are a whole new ballgame.


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As George Benson sang in Moody's Mood, "There I go, there I go, there I go…" making up words again. I couldn't resist this one in light of our penchant to choose sides when it comes to economics versus politics. It seems we cannot understand, nor act upon, the fact that by combining the two disciplines and leveraging the resulting power from such a sensible strategy we could build a stronger base and finally put an end to being ignored and taken for granted.
So I made up this word in an effort to indoctrinate us, to condition us, to program us, or whatever you want to call it, so that Black people can stop being sacrificial lambs led to the political and economic slaughter.
We do not have to choose between the two, but as I always say, if I had to choose I would definitely take economics over politics. Why? Isn't it obvious that while politics runs most of our lives (because we have no real economic base) it certainly does not run the lives of those who are economically empowered?
Whatever Wall Street wants Wall Street gets. The stock market hits record highs; but Black people are sinking lower in net worth and income. Black people are too busy watching the Wives of … or Scandal, or all of those BET Award shows to recognize the subordinated consumer-oriented role we are playing in the economy. Like sister Sweet Brown said about the fire on YouTube, "Ain't nobody got time for that!"
As the war machine cranks up once again, the moneychangers are rubbing their greedy hands together in anticipation of another windfall from supplying the tools of war, the food for the troops, the equipment, the uniforms, and all the accoutrements necessary to dispose of those pesky Koreans, Syrians, and Iranians.
This is the country of the Golden Rule – He who has the gold makes the rules. Blacks aren't making any rules; we are just playing by them, and being used as grist for profit mill. Sadly, some of us are so entrenched in the political shenanigans in Washington, so enamored by the celebrity of our president and those with whom he socializes, that we either ignore the weightier things in life or simply refuse to listen, even though we know that the road we are on leads to destruction.
Just watch the dueling news channels, MSNBC and Fox, and you will get a steady dose of Obama love and Obama hate. He can hardly do any wrong on MSNBC and can seldom, if ever, do anything right on Fox. I often wonder if these newscasters have a life outside of the bashing they do of each other's political parties. Even sadder is the fact that Black people, who have little or no skin in the game, take sides and start fighting one another over emotional rhetoric centered on who likes or dislikes the POTUS and his policies.
It makes little sense for us to spend 90 percent of our capital and time on 10 percent of our problem, as Khalid Al-Mansour suggested in his book, Betrayal by any Other Name. When it comes to choosing instead of combining and leveraging, Al-Mansour says, "Blacks feel helpless because they hear so many conflicting voices and so much empty rhetoric. It's easy to throw up one's hands, get drunk, and have another baby. The African American has been hearing about the problem and the solution since he can remember and yet, his condition always continues to disintegrate."
We get a daily dose of political rhetoric and hardly ever take any economic medicine; it's no wonder that many Black people see no way out of our economic/political dilemma. We have chosen political rhetoric over practical tried-and-true economic initiatives to free us from psychological bondage – a prescription that has not and does not work.
The political hacks are doing what they do because they get paid to do it, not because they necessarily believe in everything they promote. Our problem is allowing these jokers to dominate our thinking and our actions, as though what they say, or who they support, or what ideology they promote will move Black people to a position of real power rather than mere influence. And if that happens at all, whatever influence we attain will have to be channeled through them, because they are the political gatekeepers.
As Malcolm said, "…you are chumps…" when it comes to politics; and I say we are pawns when it comes to economics. However, if we combine politics with economics and not be led around by the ears by so-called leaders who only care about themselves, their political connections, and the money they make from selling us down the road, we will be much better off than we are now.
So, turn off the television and start reading more, start learning more for yourself, and start initiating and participating in efforts, where you live, to combine and leverage your collective economic and political clout – a winning strategy for sure. In other words, start practicing "Blackopoliticonomics."
Jim Clingman, founder of the Greater Cincinnati African American Chamber of Commerce, is the nation's most prolific writer on economic empowerment for Black people. He is an adjunct professor at the University of Cincinnati and can be reached through his Web site, blackonomics.com.


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This is really quite brilliant.
Such a beautiful creature.
Image source.
Image source.
This is really quite brilliant.
That. Is. Stunning.
Looks like it is towering over all that is there. Very bright and powerful.
Very cool
SUCH a beautiful prop. artwork.
Great find!! I love the lights, the fog, the towering presence over the rest of his twisted patch of JOLs.... very good find indeed. Thanks Rot!
Haha, I just noticed that you linked to this! It is very fitting because I wouldn't be doing any on it if I hadn't first been inspired by your work, Rot. Thanks!


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For more than 40 years, the Tribune crusaded against an "unspeakable offense," a "monster cruelty": English spelling.
From Jan. 28, 1934, to Sept. 28, 1975, the newspaper adopted a system of simplified spelling, a cause dearly felt by publisher Col. Robert McCormick.
He wasn't the first at the newspaper to fight the fight. His grandfather, publisher Joseph Medill, also was a proponent in the mid- to late 1800s, when the movement gained popularity in the United States, though Medill never went so far as to force the changes into print.
Others who backed the "reformed" spelling included authors Mark Twain and Upton Sinclair, industrialist Andrew Carnegie and President Theodore Roosevelt. In fact, Roosevelt ordered the government printing office in 1906 to use simplified spelling — and it did for a few months — until Congress got him to stop.
But nobody said no to McCormick, and Tribune readers had to get used to spellings such as burocrat, clew, drouth, hocky, skilful, sofomore, thru, tho and thoro. Other spellings that McCormick pushed have since become accepted, such as catalog, analog, dialog, harken and canceled.
The official list of words expanded and contracted over the years. The first batch was 24. At its height, the list included dozens of words, some more painful (iland, crum, yern) than others (etiquet, definitly, ameba).
In 1955, the year McCormick died, the Tribune called it quits, sort of. While most words reverted to the dictionary spelling, editors kept the –og endings and tho, thru and thoro. Interestingly, the paper noted, not one reader commented about the change, which had been made without announcement a week earlier.
Finally, in 1975, thru was through and so was tho, Tribune editors wrote, as it became clear the public wasn't following their lead. At least not yet. It would be another quarter-century before texting teens would pick up where McCormick had left off.
More examples from Tribune's "sane" spelling list
Advertisment (for advertisement)
Agast (for aghast)
Aile (for aisle)
Bailif, sherif, staf, tarif (for bailiff, sheriff, staff, tariff)
Bazar (for bazaar)
Controled (for controlled)
Controler (for controller)
Criscross (for crisscross)
Distaf (for distaff)
Extoled (for extolled)
Fantom (for phantom)
Frate (for freight)
Frater (for freighter)
Gally (for galley)
Genuinly (for genuinely)
Hammoc (for hammock)
Hassoc (for hassock)
Hefer (for heifer)
Hemloc (for hemlock)
Indefinitly (for indefinitely)
Instalment (for installment)
Lacrimal (for lachrymal)
Lacrimose (for lachrymose)
Missil (for missile)
Monolog (for monologue)
Pully (for pulley)
Rifraf (for riffraff)
Rime (for rhyme)
Subpena (for subpoena)
Warant (for warrant)
For more than 40 years, the Tribune crusaded against an "unspeakable offense," a "monster cruelty": English spelling.


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COLLEGE PARK, Md. -- Examining a long-lived forest, researchers have found that Black Spruce trees, which dominate the northern forests of North America, succumb about five years after being weakened by environmental stresses. Without rejuvenating fire, the dead trees aren't being replaced by new ones. The result will help researchers better understand how climate change affects the health of forests, and how forests affect the severity of climate change. The study also suggests trees might be storing more carbon than currently estimated.
"The take away from this is that a combination of short and long term processes shape forests," said lead author Ben Bond-Lamberty of the Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. "Scientists have paid a lot of attention to potential climate change signals in forests -- like them growing faster than expected due to an overabundance of carbon dioxide, or slower due to climate change-induced extreme temperatures. But that signal is hard to see because of past disturbances that the forests are recovering from."
Appearing in the journal Global Change Biology, the study showed that tree growth slows down as forests age, as expected. The study also allowed the researchers to examine tree mortality -- information needed to figure out how much carbon dioxide trees can store -- to improve climate models.
"Most climate models that incorporate vegetation are built on short-term observations, for example of photosynthesis, but they are used to predict long-term events," said Bond-Lamberty, who works at the Joint Global Change Research Institute, a collaboration between PNNL and the University of Maryland in College Park, Md. "We need to understand forests in the long term, but forests change slowly and researchers don't live that long."
Taking Inventory, Counting Rings
To explore the relation between climate and forests, Bond-Lamberty and his international group of colleagues combined data from tree rings and by watching how many trees died over 13 years in a northern Canadian boreal forest. Located in the northern latitudes, boreal forests have long cold winters and are full of evergreen trees. The forest has been studied well in the past -- it was the site of the NASA-led BOREAS project in the 1990s, a study that provided scientists with a lot of what they know about forests and climate.
The tree ring data included tree core samples collected in three different years between 2001 and 2012 in a region called the Northern Old Black Spruce site. Such data tell scientists how fast trees grow every season over decades or hundreds of years. Slow-growth years suggest that rainfall was low or the temperature was very hot.
The team found that the oldest trees started growing in the mid-1800s. Since then, the stand of trees has gone through at least three dry periods, evident from very thin rings during those periods. Although tree rings can show how trees grow over the years, they can't tell scientists when trees die. For that, researchers had to go walking through the forest, taking inventory of what was there.
To get the inventory data, researchers visited the same 200 square meters four times between 1999 and 2012. They counted every living and dead tree that had grown at least chest high and measured their diameters as well.
The researchers found that only three new trees of chest height entered the inventory during those 13 years, whereas many more died and others fattened. Meanwhile, leaf cover stayed the same. Bond-Lamberty said this isn't surprising to see in a forest that hasn't seen a wildfire in a long time.
When the team put the two sets of data together, though, along with climate data from the same 150-year period, they could clearly see the link between periods of slow growth and dead trees later on.
"We see a five-year lag between depressed growth in the tree core data and increase of deaths in mortality data," said Bond-Lamberty. "Trees are dying and not getting replaced, but the average tree growth is bigger. People usually say that young forests take up carbon dioxide fast and store it away, while older forests are probably neutral. Our study shows that as trees die in an old forest, middle-aged trees fatten up."
Thirsty Trees
This study also might cause scientists to reevaluate BOREAS results, said Bond-Lamberty. Data from BOREAS allows researchers to estimate how much carbon dioxide trees pull out of the atmosphere and store within their structures, a value used in some models to predict the role of forests in a future, warmer world. But the BOREAS study period turned out to be a rotten time for the forest.
"What we've discovered is that the 1990s was an unusual decade," said Bond-Lamberty. "Not the worst ever for growth, but pretty bad. That means instead of typical growth, we saw slow growth, and that raises questions about whether, on average, forests are socking away more carbon than we think."
Although this study in particular did not observe that trees are growing faster in the industrial age due to more carbon dioxide in the air, knowing how long it takes for trees to die will be important for scientists trying to work that out.
Another time of thirst for the forest appears to be in the first half of the 20th century. "From about 1920 to 1940 was a terrible time to be a tree. They were having a tough time staying alive, and you can see that in the forest's structure today," said Bond-Lamberty.
To determine whether these results applied more widely or if the stand was subject to unusual conditions, the team compared the Northern Old Black Spruce to a stand of slightly younger, 80 year old Black Spruce trees about three miles away. Comparing the two stands of trees to each other showed similar results, indicating that what was happening in the Northern Old Black Spruce forest was happening elsewhere as well.
"To understand current forest dynamics," said Bond-Lamberty, "we have to understand their past. Older forests contain surprises for climate science and ecosystem biology. We need to distinguish past disturbances from today's conditions."
This work was supported by the Department of Energy Office of Science.
Reference: Ben Bond-Lamberty, Adrian V. Rocha, Katherine Calvin, Bruce Holmes, Chuankuan Wang, and Michael L. Goulden. Disturbance legacies and climate jointly drive tree growth and mortality in an intensively studied boreal forest, Global Change Biology, October 24, 2013, doi: 10.1111/gcb.12404/. (http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/gcb.12404/abstract)
DOE's Office of Science is the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States, and is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, please visit science.energy.gov.
The Joint Global Change Research Institute is a unique partnership formed in 2001 between the Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and the University of Maryland. The PNNL staff associated with the center is world renowned for expertise in energy conservation and understanding of the interactions between climate, energy production and use, economic activity and the environment.
Interdisciplinary teams at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory address many of America's most pressing issues in energy, the environment and national security through advances in basic and applied science. PNNL employs 4,500 staff, has an annual budget of nearly $1 billion, and has been managed for the U.S. Department of Energy by Ohio-based Battelle since the laboratory's inception in 1965. For more, visit the PNNL's News Center, or follow PNNL on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.
Global Change Biology


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A nuclear deal between the U.S., Iran and other world powers has been described as a trust-building step after decades of animosity that hopefully will lead to a more comprehensive deal down the road.
But for many of the 66 Americans who were held hostage for 444 days at the start of the Iranian revolution, trusting the regime in Tehran feels like a mistake.
"It's kind of like Jimmy Carter all over again," said Clair Cortland Barnes, now retired and living in Leland, N.C., after a career at the CIA and elsewhere. He sees the negotiations now as no more effective than they were in 1979 and 1980, when he and others languished, facing mock executions and other torments. The hostage crisis began in November of 1979 when militants stormed the United States Embassy in Tehran and seized its occupants.
Retired Air Force Col. Thomas E. Schaefer, 83, called the deal "foolishness."
"My personal view is, I never found an Iranian leader I can trust," he said. "I don't think today it's any different from when I was there. None of them, I think, can be trusted. Why make an agreement with people you can't trust?"
Schaefer was a military attache in Iran who was among those held hostage. He now lives in Scottsdale, Ariz., with his wife of more than 60 years, Anita, who also takes a dim view of the agreement: "We are probably not very Christian-like when it comes to all this," she said.
The weekend agreement between Iran and six world powers — the U.S., Britain, France, Russia, China and Germany — is to temporarily halt parts of Tehran's disputed nuclear program and allow for more intrusive international monitoring of Iran's facilities. In exchange, Iran gains some modest relief from stiff economic sanctions and a pledge from Obama that no new penalties will be levied during the six months.
To be sure, the former hostages have varying views. Victor Tomseth, 72, a retired diplomat from Vienna, Va., sees the pact as a positive first step.
Tomseth, who was a political counselor at the embassy in Tehran in 1979, had written a diplomatic cable months before the hostage crisis warning about the difficulties of negotiation with the Iranians.
Still, he said in a phone interview Monday that it is possible to cut a mutually beneficial deal with them.
"The challenge is Iranian society and politics is so fragmented that it's difficult to reach a consensus," he said — a problem that is also present in the U.S.
He said he considers the deal "in a category of an initial confidence measure."
John Limbert, 70, of Arlington, who was a political officer held hostage during the crisis and later became deputy assistant secretary of state for Iran in 2009 and 2010, also supports the deal. He said he does not view it in terms of whether Iran can be trusted, but whether the regime recognizes that a deal is in their own interest.
"I would say there is a consensus among the leadership, and the consensus is, 'We like to stay in power. We like our palaces. … We've seen the alternatives in Egypt and Tunisia," where established regimes have been toppled, Limbert said.
He said it's a mistake to be overly pessimistic about the prospects for a deal.
"If we and the Iranians could never agree, then Victor and I and all our colleagues would still be in Tehran," he said. "The problem has been that our reality has been for the last 34 years that anything the other side proposed, you could never accept because by definition it had to be bad for us, because otherwise why would they propose it?"
For other hostages, though, their experience has led them to the conclusion that attempting to negotiate and expecting Iran to live up to its end of the bargain is a losing proposition. Sgt. Rodney "Rocky" Sickmann, 56, of St. Louis, then a Marine sergeant, remembers clearly being told by his captors that their goal was to use the hostages to humiliate the American government, and he suspects this interim deal is in that vein.
"It just hurts. We negotiated for 444 days and not one time did they agree to anything … and here they beg for us to negotiate and we do," he said. "It's hard to swallow. We negotiate with our enemies and stab our allies in the back. That doesn't seem good."
The deal may also have a direct effect on some of the hostages who have long fought to sue the Iranian government for damages. The new agreement calls for $4.2 billion in frozen Iranian assets to be released, which could make it more difficult to collect a judgment on any successful suit.
"And what do we get out of it?" asked Barnes. "A lie saying, 'We're not going to make plutonium.' It's a win-win for them and it's a lose-lose for us."


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Oracle has included six news versions of Android and new products and services built around the operating system in a proposed supplemental complaint in its dispute over Google's use in the OS of copyrighted Java material.
There are now over 1 billion active monthly Android users and more than 8,000 devices running versions of Android, according to the filing Thursday in a California court. The explosive growth of Android gives Google an expanded platform for advertising, which is its core revenue generator, it added. Oracle filed an amended complaint in 2010.
Android not only helps boost Google's revenue from devices, which come with its search application both preinstalled and as the default engine in Chrome browsers, but also from other sources like the Google Play store from which the Internet giant gets a cut on purchases, according to the filing.
In contrast, as applications written for the Java platform do not run on the versions of Android made available since October 2010, the widely-popular Android has "irreversibly destroyed Java's fundamental value proposition as a potential mobile device operating system by breaking the 'write once, run anywhere' principle on which Java was built," according to Oracle.
Google's failure and refusal to make Android compatible with the Java platform "has destroyed the potential value of a licensed derivative version of the Java platform in the mobile device market."
With the new data, Oracle apparently hopes to boost the damages it is awarded for what it describes as direct and indirect infringement by Google, including by reproducing and distributing Android to hardware manufacturers and software developers. It also hopes to knock down Google's argument that its use of the copyrighted material was 'fair use,' which is a legal doctrine that permits copying under limited circumstances.
The filing cited estimates that between 2011 and 2014, Android's share of the mobile phone market has increased from nearly 40 percent to over 80 percent, while its share of the tablet market had increased from 20 percent in 2011 to nearly 70 percent in 2014.
Android will still not work without the 37 Java API (application programming interface) packages that are the focus of the lawsuit, Oracle said in the filing on Thursday.
Judge William Alsup of the District Court for the Northern District of California, San Francisco division ruled in 2012 that the APIs were not copyrightable, but this decision was overturned in May last year by the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, which ruled that the Java API packages can be copyrighted. Google thereafter appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court which refused to hear the case, and referred it back to the district court for a decision on whether Google's use could be seen as fair use.
77 scientists, including Vinton "Vint" Cerf, Internet pioneer and Google's chief Internet evangelist, and Ken Thompson, co-designer of the Unix operating system, submitted to the Supreme Court that the free and open use of the APIs has been both routine and essential in the computer industry since its beginning, and depended on the "sensible assumption" that APIs and other interfaces were not copyrightable.
The versions of Android proposed to be added in the supplemental complaint are Gingerbread, Honeycomb, Ice Cream Sandwich, Jelly Bean, KitKat and Lollipop, which were released between December 2010 and November last year. The six releases named include about 40 major and minor releases of Android, according to the filing.
The motion also points to new areas of Android's expansion including Android Wear for wearables, Android TV, Android Auto for the automotive sector, Android in the household appliances market and the Google Play digital storefront.
Interestingly, Google is said to have agreed not to oppose the filing of the supplemental complaint in the California court, if its request for the removal of two paragraphs from the original document was met, according to the attorney filing the motion. The paragraphs were removed.
Both Oracle and Google have proposed dates next spring for the jury trial.


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EFCA, as most people now know, would replace the 70-year-old guarantee of secret ballots in union elections with unreliable "authorization cards," often signed by employees under the watchful eye of union representatives and based upon extravagant promises. The new penalties and injunctions imposed -- including substantial fines -- are designed to intimidate employers into remaining silent during union campaigns so employees will not receive full information to make an informed choice. Meanwhile, there are no new penalties for unions, despite the potential for coercion in the card-signing process.
Arbitration panels are by definition a stranger to the work place. Yet real, private agreements are products of the needs, desires, capabilities and resources of the negotiating parties who are anything but.
That's the line from the Wall Street Journal opinion page, so you know there have to be big problems with it. I count several acts of misdirection and two flat-out lies.
Streamlining Union Certification vs. Eliminating the Secret Ballot
Let's start with the basics. The Employee Free Choice Act (pdf), or EFCA, is a bill currently before the House and Senate that modifies the U.S. law put into effect by the National Labor Relations Act. It's a fairly short bill, amending a fairly short section of the U.S. Code. Specifically, it modifies four sections of the law, titled Representatives and elections, Unfair labor practices, Prevention of unfair labor practices, and Offenses and penalties.
The current law regarding the secret ballot is in section 159(c) [italics mine for emphasis]:
(1) Whenever a petition shall have been filed, in accordance with such regulations as may be prescribed by the Board—
(A) by an employee or group of employees or any individual or labor organization acting in their behalf alleging that a substantial number of employees
(i) wish to be represented for collective bargaining and that their employer declines to recognize their representative as the representative defined in subsection (a) of this section, or
(ii) assert that the individual or labor organization, which has been certified or is being currently recognized by their employer as the bargaining representative, is no longer a representative as defined in subsection (a) of this section; or
(B) by an employer, alleging that one or more individuals or labor organizations have presented to him a claim to be recognized as the representative defined in subsection (a) of this section;
the Board shall investigate such petition and if it has reasonable cause to believe that a question of representation affecting commerce exists shall provide for an appropriate hearing upon due notice. Such hearing may be conducted by an officer or employee of the regional office, who shall not make any recommendations with respect thereto. If the Board finds upon the record of such hearing that such a question of representation exists, it shall direct an election by secret ballot and shall certify the results thereof.
In other words, secret ballots currently occur when the National Labor Relations Board finds that a large number of employees wish to be represented but the employers has said, "No." EFCA would add the following provisions [italics added]:
(6) Notwithstanding any other provision of this section, whenever a petition shall have been filed by an employee or group of employees or any individual or labor organization acting in their behalf alleging that a majority of employees in a unit appropriate for the purposes of collective bargaining wish to be represented by an individual or labor organization for such purposes, the Board shall investigate the petition. If the Board finds that a majority of the employees in a unit appropriate for bargaining has signed valid authorizations designating the individual or labor organization specified in the petition as their bargaining representative and that no other individual or labor organization is currently certified or recognized as the exclusive representative of any of the employees in the unit, the Board shall not direct an election but shall certify the individual or labor organization as the representative described in subsection (a).
(7) The Board shall develop guidelines and procedures for the designation by employees of a bargaining representative in the manner described in paragraph (6). Such guidelines and procedures shall include--
(A) model collective bargaining authorization language that may be used for purposes of making the designations described in paragraph (6); and
(B) procedures to be used by the Board to establish the validity of signed authorizations designating bargaining representatives.
The new subsection (6) would eliminate the secret ballot only in the case where a majority of employees have already signed elections and only after an investigation by the Board to determine that the elections are valid, or reliable. In other words, it only eliminates the ballot when the Board is able to determine what the outcome of the election would be if it were held at that point.
Secret ballots may also still be held in cases where a substantial number, but not a majority, of employees have elected representation. Note also that there has never been any provision under this law to achieve a ballot without that substantial number of employees going publicly on record to request it. The process to acquire representation has always started with a public step. There was never a guarantee of secrecy. There was never even a guarantee of a ballot, as an employer could approve the choice of a union if, say, there were another union waiting in the wings that the employer cared even less to deal with.
In addition, there remains in Section 159 of the law a provision for a secret ballot to revoke the authority of the union to bargain for the employees:
(e) Secret ballot; limitation of elections
(1) Upon the filing with the Board, by 30 per centum or more of the employees in a bargaining unit covered by an agreement between their employer and a labor organization made pursuant to section 158 (a)(3) of this title, of a petition alleging they desire that such authority be rescinded, the Board shall take a secret ballot of the employees in such unit and certify the results thereof to such labor organization and to the employer.
(2) No election shall be conducted pursuant to this subsection in any bargaining unit or any subdivision within which, in the preceding twelve-month period, a valid election shall have been held.
As Chris Lowe points out at BlueOregon, certification without a ballot under EFCA would actually improve employees' ability to rid themselves of a union. Employees would not have to wait 12 months to vote a union out if they discovered that the promises made to them had, in fact been extravagent. He also notes that it lessens the incentive for any kind of coercion or intimidation in gathering signatures for certification.
This feature of the NLRA after EFCA, if it were passed, makes remote the scenario speculatively proposed by anti-EFCA anti-Democratic candidate campaigners: that card-check certification will be achieved in some instances (the campaign propaganda implies usually) through false majorities created by coercion of workers who would otherwise vote "no" on a secret ballot, coercion conducted by a minority of pro-union workers upon others to sign a certification petition against their true will.
In fact EFCA's relation to Section 9(e) would provide a strong incentive for workers organizing a union through card-check certification to make sure they have not just majority support, but solid support by a substantial majority, because certification with signatures of a small and ambivalent or uncommitted majority could be challenged quickly by a determined minority, creating a situation in which either legitimate persuasion could succeed, or common and widespread employer anti-union intimidation tactics during organizing drives could be brought to bear. Any cases of a fraudulent pro-union false majority obtained by unscrupulous means would be rapidly reversed.
Facilitating Initial Collective Bargaining Agreements vs. Strangers in the Workplace
The modifications to the law regarding unfair labor practices is receiving much less press, probably because employers don't want to be seen as trying to preserve their ability to be unfair. The second major amendment EFCA would make to current law add language that provide for a relatively speedy negotiation of the first contract after union representation is established.
(h) Whenever collective bargaining is for the purpose of establishing an initial agreement following certification or recognition, the provisions of subsection (d) shall be modified as follows:
(1) Not later than 10 days after receiving a written request for collective bargaining from an individual or labor organization that has been newly organized or certified as a representative as defined in section 9(a), or within such further period as the parties agree upon, the parties shall meet and commence to bargain collectively and shall make every reasonable effort to conclude and sign a collective bargaining agreement.
(2) If after the expiration of the 90-day period beginning on the date on which bargaining is commenced, or such additional period as the parties may agree upon, the parties have failed to reach an agreement, either party may notify the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service of the existence of a dispute and request mediation. Whenever such a request is received, it shall be the duty of the Service promptly to put itself in communication with the parties and to use its best efforts, by mediation and conciliation, to bring them to agreement.
(3) If after the expiration of the 30-day period beginning on the date on which the request for mediation is made under paragraph (2), or such additional period as the parties may agree upon, the Service is not able to bring the parties to agreement by conciliation, the Service shall refer the dispute to an arbitration board established in accordance with such regulations as may be prescribed by the Service. The arbitration panel shall render a decision settling the dispute and such decision shall be binding upon the parties for a period of 2 years, unless amended during such period by written consent of the parties.
This isn't a particularly contentious provision. Employees simply don't receive any of the benefits of unionization until a contract is negotiated and in place. Even the Wall Street Journal opinion page really only objects to it on the basis that arbitrators don't work where the contract will be enforced, as though they will be so overwhelmed with their new-found power after the passage of EFCA that they'll start making rules that neither side wants.
Strengthening Enforcement vs. Intimidating Employers
The third major section of EFCA is the most technical. It modifies both the section on preventing unfair business practices and the section on offenses and penalties. Essentially, it does three things:
- It adds some unfair employer practices (firing, threatening to fire, or otherwise coercing employees during the period of time that employees are seeking representation) to the list of practices that will be expeditiously investigated. Under current law, only acts by the union or employees would be given priority.
- Provides for payment to an employee of two times the back pay denied to the employee due to such discrimination.
- Adds a maximum $20,000 civil penalty against the employer who "willfully or repeatedly commits any unfair labor practice" during this time. Under current law, the only penalty provided for is $5,000 penalty for interfering with the action of the board.
That's it. These are the penalties that the Wall Street Journal is concerned constitute an unfair burden on employers. Expeditious investigation, back pay, and fairly small penalties for willfully breaking the law. Their objections are based on the fact that penalties against unions are not likewise strengthened. Missing from their discussion is the kind of illegal behavior on the part of companies that these penalties are meant to address:
Lack of meaningful enforcement results in pervasive lawlessness
Because labor law lacks any punitive sanctions - no fines, no loss of license, no possibility of prison time - employers are free to break the law with near-total impunity. Over the period of 2000-05, there were an average of just over 19,000 charges filed per year alleging employer violations of federal labor law; of these, 40% - or 8,500 cases per year - presented sufficiently strong evidence that the Labor Board either issued a complaint or oversaw an informal settlement between the parties (NLRB complaints are the equivalent of criminal indictments, and both complaints and settlements represent cases in which the Board judges a charge to have merit). While both unions and employers violate the law, the vast majority of charges stem from employer behavior. In 2004, for example, 88.5 percent of all complaints issued by the Board, and over 90 percent of all cases tried in hearings of the full Board, addressed illegal behavior by employers.
The most egregious form of illegal behavior is the firing, suspension, or demotion of employees. On average over the past 10 years, nearly 23,000 workers per year received backpay from employers after accusing them of violating labor law - and this only includes the cases adjudicated to the point that employers were forced to provide backpay to their victims.
While the regularity with which pro-union employees suffer financial punishment is shocking, it is often only the tip of the iceberg of illegal employer behavior. Much of this employer behavior remains hidden from legal authorities. But a glimpse into such practices was provided in 2004, when a South Carolina manufacturer sued Jackson Lewis - one of the country's preeminent labor law firms - for advising illegal tactics in "a relentless and unlawful campaign to oust the union." These included spying on workers, firing union activists, organizing a bogus "employee" anti-union committee, writing supposedly employee-authored fliers calling union activists "trailer trash" and "dog woman," and supplying cash-filled envelopes to anti-union employees. What was unusual about this case is not the tactics employed, but simply that the internal tension between the company and its attorneys led to a public record of management's tactics.
The information above is from a report titled Neither Free Nor Fair: The Subversion of Democracy Under NLRB Elections. While I've talked above about what EFCA does and doesn't do, this report is one of the best recommendations for its passage that I've seen. There are specific, very large problems in the current process by which employees are able to elect union representation.
EFCA, contrary to what its critics would have you believe, is a targeted response to those problems. The provisions I've listed are all of the bill. When you hear someone tell you that this bill does something I haven't listed above, they're lying to you. Ask them to tell you what part of the bill does what they're saying it does.
Then ask yourself what they get out of the current system--a higher profit margin carved out of employee wages and benefits? The ability to continue to coerce their employees without penalty? A position of power from which they can continue to lie, to their employees and to you? There has to be a reason. They're certainly paying enough for the privilege.
If you haven't gotten enough of the lies surrounding. EFCA, Dean Baker at TPMCafe takes another one apart. This is the highly cherry-picked data that says unionization costs jobs.


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This book takes a fresh look at the most dynamic area of American law today, comprising the fields of copyright, patent, trademark, trade secrecy, publicity rights, and misappropriation. Topics range from copyright in private letters to defensive patenting of business methods, from moral rights in the visual arts to the banking of trademarks, from the impact of the court of patent appeals to the management of Mickey Mouse. The history and political science of intellectual property law, the challenge of digitization, the many statutes and judge-made doctrines, and the interplay with antitrust principles are all examined. The treatment is both positive (oriented toward understanding the law as it is) and normative (oriented to the reform of the law).
Previous analyses have tended to overlook the paradox that expanding intellectual property rights can effectively reduce the amount of new intellectual property by raising the creators' input costs. Those analyses have also failed to integrate the fields of intellectual property law. They have failed as well to integrate intellectual property law with the law of physical property, overlooking the many economic and legal-doctrinal parallels.
This book demonstrates the fundamental economic rationality of intellectual property law, but is sympathetic to critics who believe that in recent decades Congress and the courts have gone too far in the creation and protection of intellectual property rights.


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Dudley Clendinen has ALS, aka Lou Gehrig's disease, and has a short time to live. Which is fine by him; he's got a plan.
There is no meaningful treatment. No cure. There is one medication, Rilutek, which might make a few months' difference. It retails for about $14,000 a year. That doesn't seem worthwhile to me. If I let this run the whole course, with all the human, medical, technological and loving support I will start to need just months from now, it will leave me, in 5 or 8 or 12 or more years, a conscious but motionless, mute, withered, incontinent mummy of my former self. Maintained by feeding and waste tubes, breathing and suctioning machines.
No, thank you. I hate being a drag. I don't think I'll stick around for the back half of Lou.
I think it's important to say that. We obsess in this country about how to eat and dress and drink, about finding a job and a mate. About having sex and children. About how to live. But we don't talk about how to die. We act as if facing death weren't one of life's greatest, most absorbing thrills and challenges. Believe me, it is. This is not dull. But we have to be able to see doctors and machines, medical and insurance systems, family and friends and religions as informative - not governing - in order to be free.
And that's the point. This is not about one particular disease or even about Death. It's about Life, when you know there's not much left. That is the weird blessing of Lou. There is no escape, and nothing much to do. It's liberating.


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Watch the Rise of the Guardians movie trailer!
The magical adventures of The Guardians is now an animated feature film—Rise of the Guardians—from DreamWorks Animation.
Images and other materials from the motion picture "Rise of the Guardians" used with permission; Rise of the Guardians™ © 2012 DreamWorks Animation, LLC. All rights reserved.
Atheneum Books for Young Readers Illustrations Copyright William Joyce 2011. Rise of the GuardiansTM & Copyright 2011 DreamWorks Animation, L.L.C. "Sand Man" and "Pitch" character designs used with permission. All rights reserved.


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Police: Woman assaults neighbor with butter knife over loud music
Published 12:00 am Monday, April 1, 2013
SALISBURY — A Clancy Street woman was charged Saturday with assaulting her neighbor with a butter knife after the neighbor called police complaining of loud music. The Salisbury Police charged Tiffany Nicole Cooper, 23, with misdemeanor assault inflicting serious injury.
Authorities responded to the 100 block of Clancy Street on March 28 where Amber Mancini, 19, and her mother, Lisa Christensen, 38, indicated they'd been assaulted by Cooper. Mancini called authorities on March 27 about loud music coming from the same apartment unit. Cooper apparently discovered Mancini had called police. An altercation ensued and Cooper punched Christensen, according to the report. Officer's found clumps of Christensen's red hair lying in a grassy area. A report said Cooper threw a butter knife at Mancini, missing her. Cooper then picked up the butter knife and stabbed at Mancini, striking her in the bottom lip, causing her to bleed. Cooper received a written promise to appear in court April 25.


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ooo eeeeeeire!ReplyDelete
Oh wow what a great spooky captureReplyDelete
Spooky! Great shot.ReplyDelete
Thank you :-)ReplyDelete
Cheers took lots of attempts!ReplyDelete
Thank you :-)ReplyDelete
There has been some great some great moon skies this weekReplyDelete
Wow, looks very spooky!ReplyDelete
Very eeri! Great shot! :)ReplyDelete
Beautiful atmostpheric sky, love it! xReplyDelete
Very atmospheric shot, I've been trying to catch the great moon this week but never quite managed it! :)ReplyDelete
love the clouds add so much to the shot :) a real spooky sort of feelReplyDelete
Very spookyReplyDelete
Gorgeous picture. The moon has been absolutely stunning recently.ReplyDelete
Great capture :) The moon was huge here last night!ReplyDelete
Oh I love this! Spooky :-)ReplyDelete
It was a lovely bright moon last week, I wish I had given a photo a tryReplyDelete
thats rather spooky xReplyDelete
oooh spooky moon! Love the tree shadows.ReplyDelete
Could be the cover of a spooky novel.ReplyDelete


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New York, NY – The New York Knicks have signed veteran point guard Beno Udrih to a reported one-year contract, the team announced Thursday.
According to Newsday, the deal is for the veteran's minimum of $1.272 million.
Udrih split the 2012-13 season, his ninth in the NBA, between Milwaukee and Orlando and averaged 8.2 points, 4.6 assists and 2.1 rebounds over a combined 66 games.
The 31-year-old Slovenian lends further experience to the backcourt, where the Knicks are also bringing back point guards Raymond Felton and Pablo Prigioni.
"Beno is a solid addition to our backcourt where he will give us more depth and flexibility," said Knicks general manager Glen Grunwald. "He is a talented and experienced floor general who brings championship experience to our locker room."
A first-round pick (28th overall) of San Antonio in the 2004 draft, Udrih has averaged 9.1 points, 3.6 assists and 2.2 rebounds over 628 career games with the Spurs, Sacramento, Milwaukee and Orlando. He was a part of two NBA championships with the Spurs in 2005 and 2007.


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We've given Tim Langdell a wide berth (like, for nearly two years) rather than assault you with incremental developments in the legal proceedings involving his ridiculous, all-encompassing trademark claims to the word "Edge." But we'll check in now, as a court ruling in the U.K. affirms what many have long suspected: His entire operation is a sham.
Let's recap: Langdell's ownership of the mark "Edge," which dated back to a PC gaming studio established in the 1980s, was widely known and widely resented, but lurked beneath the waves, unchallenged, for many years. It's partly the reason why Soulcalibur's predecessor took the name Soul Blade in the west, rather than Soul Edge.
In 2009, the removal of an iPhone game called Edge, demanded by Langdell, created a huge stink. In the aftermath, Langdell was kicked off the board of the International Game Developers Association and, in 2010, lost his U.S. trademarks in the settlement of a suit brought by Electronic Arts.
Anyway, much of what EA alleged — that Langdell falsified documents and specimens used to obtain trademark registrations — has echoes in the latest ruling, coming in a case involving Langdell and Future Publishing, whom you may know from such games industry magazines (and accompanying websites) as EDGE.
The two actually had a licensing agreement at one point, dating back to 1994, when EDGE sought to trademark its title and ran up against Langdell's Edge Games, then only four years old. But Langdell took the relationship a step further, claiming in his IGDA bio that his brand had "spawned EDGE magazine." That's called "passing off" and there's actually a law against it. Then, in a retcon that fooled no one (least of all this British judge), Edge Games' logo looked curiously a lot like the magazine's.
Langdell claimed Edge Games' logo (the one that looked like the magazine's) was actually created in 1991, and its original copy was on a 1991 floppy disc that was too delicate to ship to the court. Not buying it, the court said cough it up, and the disc was sent to a third party for analysis.
They found the file had been created with Windows 95.
There is a staggering, longwinded tale of bullshit that flows from this, and courts being courts, every ridiculous "yes, but" claim Langdell makes when his deceptions are discovered engenders a new round of by-the-book verification and then proof that he's lying. So the writeup is quite long.
The bottom line is a painful two-year process initiated by serious parties who make genuine contributions to the games industry has, at last, fully lanced the boil on its ass.
Tim Langdell Loses In Future "Edge" Trial [Rock, Paper Shotgun. Top image via Chaos Edge.]


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Story highlights
Women driving electric jeepneys on streets of Manila
Public transportation in Philippines dominated by male drivers
Philippines ranks high on WEF Gender Gap index
Public attitudes to women drivers are positive, says female jeepney drivers
The streets of Manila can be an unforgiving place for the city's taxi and public transport drivers. Chronic traffic jams and badly maintained roads are part of the daily grind but add in the possibility of floods during the annual typhoon season and a strong constitution is needed.
But Josefina Barandon doesn't mind, and as one of the city's few female drivers will happily take to the streets in her electric jeepney as long as she is able to, come rain or shine.
Barandon is one of three women driving Manila's 20-strong fleet of electric public vehicles that ply the streets of Makati, the capital's central business district.
If her vehicle is a rare sight among the traditional diesel-spewing jeepneys on the roads, even rarer is seeing a woman behind the wheel of a vehicle of any description.
"All our passengers are happy if they see women drivers because they think the lady drivers are honest," says Barandon.
"Our jeepneys are better taken care of, we clean our own and decorate them at our own expense."
Barandon was a taxi operator and then driver before switching from her petrol-powered cab to an electric jeepney in March.
It was her good fortune that one of the fares she picked up from the airport last year was Yuri Sarmiento, CEO of Ejeepney Transport, who suggested she swap her taxi for an electric jeepney and with it gain a steady form of employment.
Like other drivers of taxis and jeepneys, Barandon regularly used to work shifts of up to 24-hours in order to pay for the hire of the vehicle and then make enough money to support her family.
Being an electric jeepney driver is the first time that Barandon has had the benefits and security that most people expect with a job – a daily shift of eight-hours, health insurance and a weekly paycheck.
The e-jeepneys of Makati are still officially a pilot initiative, but only bureaucratic red tape has prevented it from becoming commercial and charging passengers 8 pesos ($0.20) per ride, says Reina Garcia, project coordinator for the Institute for Climate and Sustainable Cities, which organizes the Makati-based project.
"As well as the environmental impact, we wanted it to help women to have the same opportunity as male drivers," says Garcia.
"Economically and socially women are one of the most vulnerable sectors in society, we wanted them to enjoy the same benefits from the electric jeepney project, such as increased income."
Statistics suggest that women in the Philippines have been successful in gaining ground against men. Ranked eighth on the World Economic Forum's Gender Gap Index, the Philippines outperforms the U.S., Germany and all other Asian countries in terms of gender equality in economic opportunity, health, political participation and education.
According to the figures, women outnumber men in the field of senior officials, managers and professional and technical workers, but still lag behind men in terms of equal wages.
Despite some gains for women in the workplace there are plenty of hurdles still to overcome, believes Florencia Cabatingan, chair of the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines Women's Committee.
"Discrimination in hiring is something we're aiming to work on. While jobs won't officially advertise for a man, there will be criteria which points to men and not women, like 'we need someone six-feet tall,' or request a qualification that makes it clear men need to be hired."
Notions that traditional diesel jeepneys are too heavy for women to drive are slowly being eroded, or completely bypassed with lighter electric versions, although Barandon says that even her family still finds it funny she drives a jeepney.
Macho attitudes from male drivers could also still deter other women from wanting to get behind the wheel.
"Sometimes the male drivers, like taxi drivers, they bully women drivers, overtake unnecessarily and think that women drivers can't do what they are doing," says Barandon.
But when it comes to fare-paying passengers, Barandon believes most would like to see more women on the roads.
"Attitudes have changed. Our passengers are comparing women drivers in other countries, and society in the Philippines already accepts that women drivers are much better (than men)," she says with a smile.


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Ladies and Gentlemen,
Advance sales for tonight's show have now closed – tickets will be available on the door.
Please come early if you want a seat.
Doors 8pm, show starts at 8.30.
Let's have a rare old time x
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Incident Response Study Highlights
Talking about the threat landscape is no substitute for experiencing it first-hand. "M-Trends 2015: A View from the Front Lines," distills the insights gleaned from hundreds of Mandiant incident response investigations in more than 30 industry sectors. The report provides key insights, statistics, and case studies illustrating how the tools and tactics of advanced persistent threat (APT) actors have evolved over the last year. The report also outlines approaches that organizations can take to improve the way they detect, respond to, and contain advanced attacks.
Key findings include:
- Attackers had access to victims' environments for 205 days before they were discovered.
- Sixty-nine percent of victims learn from a third party that they are compromised.
- Attribution is becoming harder as the lines blur between tactics used cyber criminals and nation-state actors.
- Over the last year, threat actors have used stealthy new tactics to move laterally and maintain a presence in victim environments.