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Friday, October 10, 2008
The Art of the Bike Wash
I had no idea there were such specialized practices for bike washing. There were special brushes for specific tasks, a special type of soap, and a brush technique for drive trains, brakes, the frame, bar tape, and wheels. Over 3 years, I came to master the art of bike washing. I washed well over 1000 bikes in my day. In the summer, I washed them under the baking sun, in the winter I washed them in the small confines of a dark, dank basement. Below are some tricks I continue to employ today (in no particular order):
Brush Selection
Wheel brush - As in wire-spoked British car wheels (not bicycle wheel). This long, cone-shaped brush is ideal for areas that are tight and difficult-to-get-to, from the area between spokes and the hubs to the brake caliper, and below the BB area and the cassette. This brush will also do a number on bar tape, allowing the white to stay PRO white.
Wide brush - This brush is intended for the wheels and sides of the rims and tires. It covers large areas and works beautifully on all flat surfaces. I prefer this type of brush to have a long handle. When the temps are cool and your hands are wet, there is nothing more painful than slipping with the brush and slamming your knuckles into the brake caliper, or worse, the chain rings.
Large sponge or wash mitt - In the old days, brushes were too harsh to use on a sweet paint job because over time they would leave light scratches on the clear coat and create a fog. Today, the concern remains a frame's clear coat but now its carbon fiber's clear coat. Sponges have differing textures, use a softer option so the appearance of the frame is retained.
A note on brushes: Brush selection is a matter of personal preference. When selecting a brush, insure the bristles are made of natural fiber. The plastic bristle brushes have a tendency to hold grease, causing it to spread around rather than remove it. Drop a nasty, greasy natural bristle brush into a a solution of warm water and Dawn liquid soap and the grease literally falls off the bristles.
Avoid harsh chemicals at all costs - If your chain and cassette are so gunked up with spent grease and road grime, it's probably time to replace it rather than clean it. For the really dirty intervals, I use Simple Green, which is a natural de-greaser and all-round cleaner that is ideal for drive trains. Steer clear of harsh chemicals, especially on carbon bikes. Harsh chemicals are not good for clear coats, resins, bonded joints, and good 'ol Mother Earth.
Dawn dishwashing detergent - This blue liquid soap is magic on dirty, muddy, greasy bikes and, if you clean your machine frequently, it's all that is needed to produce a clean, PRO machine. I prefer the original formula and, when mixed with some hot water, there is very little 'ol blue can't tackle.
I opt for frequent washings, this helps to keep the drive train clean and, with the elimination of sand and road grime, the drive train components will not wear as quickly.
Be cautious when spraying water on the machine: avoid spraying water directly into the bearing areas. If your bike is equipped with electronics like an SRM, it's wise to avoid water and chemicals altogether in this area. I use a clean cloth for the SRM and, following a wet Spring, I pull it off and clean the individual components by hand.
In the dead of winter when the hose is in hibernation, I use an tea kettle to perform the rinse. I fill it with hot water and wait until I've washed the entire bike before rinsing. You have to work fast so the soap remains effective but it's key to removing the corrosive salts and oil/grease mixture that lays on top of the roads in winter.
After any wash, I apply a very light coating of lube on the chain and then hang the machine allowing it to air dry. Every mechanic's technique for washing bikes varies and over time everyone develops techniques that work best for them.
I was fortunate to have learned this skill from a complete and utter PRO. A full bike wash takes me less than 10 minutes and a quick wash takes less than 5. In the spring, I'll re-use the same bucket of soapy water for weeks at a time due to the frequency of washes. When I roll in from a soggy ride, the waiting bucket makes it easy to give the bike a quick wash.
A clean machine is a PRO machine and it allows for the components to work properly while reducing wear. Keep it PRO, keep it clean.
"The Art of the Bike Wash" makes it to print in Embrocation Magazine Volume II and we are proud to be among the contributors. Embrocation Magazine is a hand-made brew of personal experiences from passionate cyclists. Check it out.
36 comments:
I was once taught an adage that I pass on to as many people as I can. It goes like this:
"A clean bike is a fast bike"
Thanks for the tips on keeping the bike clean and fast. - July 31, 2007 at 12:25:00 PM CDT
- Radio Freddy said...
Its true, a clean bike is certainly a fast bike. And it looks nice too.
- July 31, 2007 at 1:03:00 PM CDT
- Boz said...
I keep a canister of WypAll waterless hand wipes to clean cassetes - get 'em at a auto parts store. That way, you dont have to spray water directly at the casette, especially older ones that don't like water intrusion. Handy to have in the shop.
- July 31, 2007 at 2:58:00 PM CDT
This is a sweet post - thanks for the breakdown. My boyfriend has always used Simple Green... what are your thoughts on that?
Bob - great tip on the WypAll - July 31, 2007 at 6:12:00 PM CDT
Ahh yes - the dreaded post-cross bike cleanup - the rain is turning to snow and its too cold to hook up the garden hose... the PRO way is to use a garden pressure sprayer filled with HOT water. Save the last little bit for your hands at the end and you'll have feeling back in a hour or so...
- July 31, 2007 at 8:32:00 PM CDT
- Daniel Maurice said...
One thing I have learned is to never use terrycloth rags...the fibers cling to any/everything and make you look like a true goober...might not help the chain either. I opt for the cotton rag/sheets from the home depot...yeah.
- July 31, 2007 at 9:27:00 PM CDT
- Radio Freddy said...
snarkypants - Simple Green is simply the finest, non-harsh chemical for washing almost anything, let alone bikes. Great on the drive train, and the bar tape.
Anon - The garden sprayer is full-on PRO Cross style and a staple for anyone who is racing cross. I don't own one myself so I over looked its importance. Thanks for the mention.
Daniel - I hear your thoughts, I must confess I am a cotton cloth junkie. But you are correct, there is nothing less-PRO than little cotton tails hanging off everywhere. - July 31, 2007 at 11:00:00 PM CDT
- CK said...
My white bar tape is looking un-pro. I'm going to try a new, natural brush.
Thanks for the information. - August 1, 2007 at 7:54:00 AM CDT
Nothing is more PRO than having someone else wash your bike.
I prefer that Jo Jo do it.
PF - August 1, 2007 at 11:00:00 AM CDT
- Unknown said...
Most useful post EVER! Thanks freddy.
- August 1, 2007 at 11:21:00 AM CDT
- Unknown said...
Diesel fuel and the drive train is an art in itself.
Bike wash is the only reason to accept swag t-shirts from races.
-tmos - August 1, 2007 at 3:52:00 PM CDT
Hello, can you say something about "art of the cassette, chain and crankset wash"? This the worst part for me, and i'm looking for practical advices..
Greetings from Poland.. - August 3, 2007 at 8:00:00 AM CDT
- Radio Freddy said...
Poland - Hello. Thank you for taking the time to read. The long arm of BKW is impressive. I will take some time to collect my thoughts on the drive train cleaning techniques and I will create a separate post. Stay tuned. - RF
- August 3, 2007 at 8:25:00 AM CDT
hey freddy
Tie a shoelace around the hub , run a few gonzo tt laps around the hood and a perfect clean spanking hub .Not so PRO but pretty darn kool . Thanks EURO TRASH (NYC) - August 3, 2007 at 12:35:00 PM CDT
Some quick comments from the jouneyman.
I had been on a trip with another mechanic, who had spent a season in Europe, based in Belgium. On the first evening of bike washes, he sent me to fill the buckets, and get the wash are ready. It was above 40 degrees, Farenheit, so it wasn't freezing. I walked down the two flights of stairs, to a spigot that had hot and cold running water. I filled one bucket with warm water, and the other with warmer water. I intended to use the warmer water bucket for drivetrain. I carried the buckets back up to the wash area, and set-up the stand, and had my bike stack all set to start. The guy from Europe walked over, and stuck his hand in the bucket.
"Hey, did you put hot water in here?"
"Yeah, I thought it would clean the drivetrain better."
The guy from Europe gave a little dry laugh, and slowly kicked both the buckets over, emptyting them onto the pavement area we were working on.
"There no hot water to wash bikes in Belgium, go back down and fill 'em with just cold."
I had some very dark thoughts about him as I went back down to refill the buckets. At the end of the wash and tune-ups, the guy from Europe said,
"That took to long today, you've got to do this job faster, and more accurately."
Lesson learned, if I had already been washing when he had checked the water, I'd have been done sooner.
Thank you for the great post, Freddy. - August 4, 2007 at 10:44:00 AM CDT
How do I keep my drivetrain clean like the pros? I can clean it perfectly, but once I apply lube (conservatively), it gets dirty immediately. How do the pros keep their chains/cogs SO clean even after a hard race? It's like they hardly use any lube at all.
- August 6, 2007 at 8:53:00 AM CDT
- Radio Freddy said...
When it comes to cleaning the drivetrain I have a few rules to follow:
I replace the chain and cassette every season. This reduces the overall level of dirt and grime.
I leave the factory installed lube on the chain until it wears off. No supplemental lube.
I lube the chain only when it begins to make noise, not before every ride.
These practices allow for the chain to remain as clean as possible. But when the chain has seen a lot of tough, dirty miles here are the cleaning tips:
1. Using a small screwdriver scrape off any dry and caked lube/dirt from the cassette. You can do this while pedaling the bike slowly. Take this opportunity to clean the der. pulleys too.
2. Using Simple Green at full strength, spray the shain and cassette and allow to sit for a few minutes. While the SG does its job, mix the Dawn and hot water and suds it up.
3. Using the natural bristle, cone shaped brush, begin srubbing the cassette/chain at the rear of the bike, pushing the chain against the cassette. Do this for the full length of the chain. Rinse, repeat. If the chain is very dirty you may need to do this multiple times.
4. Remove the rear wheel and clean the cassette alone. Paying special attention the cogs used most.
5. Wash the crank and chain rings from the inside as well as the outside. I find that a stiff, short bristle brush works best here. This brush will work well on the chain too, make sure you scrub the top, bottom and sides of the chain. (Do not waste your money on a plastic housing with solution that you place on the chain. It uses plastic bristles and will make the mess worse.) Be sure to clean the valleys between the chain ring teeth. If you use a square taper bb such as Campy cranks pre-Ultra Torque, try to avoid removing the crank arms. With each removal and re-installation, the cranks will sit further in-board and eventually they will rub the frame.
Be sure to continually dip the brush in the hot, soapy water, removing the grease from the bristles. This will eliminate the grease from the picture.
5. Re-install the rear wheel, re-lube the chain and apply sparingly. Allow a few minutes for the lube to soak into the chain and then remove excess with a clean towel.
There you have it, the Radio Freddy drive train cleaning.
Anon - I like the shoe lace trick. It works like a charm. Thanks for the tip!
- RF - August 7, 2007 at 6:21:00 AM CDT
I actually just take off my chain and cassette and pop them in the dishwasher and the rest of the bike is really quite easy with a bucket of soapy water and a brush. Regarding lubing the chain, I apply the chain lube and then wipe it off with a paper towel, I think it's just to keep the chain from rusting and keeping it flexible.
- August 31, 2007 at 7:41:00 PM CDT
Where to find the natural brushes?
Thx - Great article! - October 5, 2007 at 2:11:00 PM CDT
- Radio Freddy said...
Thanks for dropping by to read; my apologies for the delay. I had a hard time finding a brush source, but this one should be okay: http://www.autogeek.net/derewiwhbr.html
- RF - October 11, 2007 at 6:24:00 PM CDT
- L said...
Use a Mr Clean Magic Eraser sponge to clean your white bar tape. It works like, um, magic.
- October 15, 2007 at 7:20:00 AM CDT
- julie said...
i'm a fan of El Duke's degreaser. any cleaning product that's drinkable has to be good. though i wouldn't recommend drinking it unless there's a bet involved. it tastes really nasty.
- October 18, 2007 at 12:03:00 PM CDT
- wile said...
I clean the cassette, freewheels, etc. with an old toothbrush and simple green. Just give it a quick squirt with water, spray on full strength simple green while pedaling backwards with your other hand. Hold the toothbrush head-down against the cassette and pedal backwards. Move from largest cog to smallest, probably letting each get 10 pedal rotations with the toothbrush. Press the toothbrush against each side of the free-wheels and continue to pedal backwards. Rinse with hose while pedaling backwards. This process will remove every last chunk of grease/dirt and leave your cassette sparkling in about 2 minutes.
- January 18, 2008 at 10:40:00 PM CST
- stratobiker said...
Great blog, great post, and some excellent responses, esp Freddy.
I'd like to add my wife's bike wash guide. She's been washing my bikes for many years. She uses Sh1t Shifter certainly keeps my drive chain looking good.
Blog on.... SB - January 31, 2008 at 3:28:00 AM CST
Great advice! Thanks Freddie!
And if it's OK I'll add my 2 cents,
A couple of time during the season and or when the drive train is looking really ugly (fugly), I tear down the cassette and using a wire tie (used by computer people to bundle wires together) I keep the order of cogs and spacers in order and put them in a small ultrasonic cleaner I bought on ebay for $50.
I make a mix of a little hot water and SG and in 5 minutes they are spotless. while they are in the "bath" I carefully unbolt the chainrings from the crank and in an old plastic wash tub I stole from my wife years ago. I go at them with a short hogs hair brush getting in every little spot again using a little hot water and SG.
The chain also gets a turn in the ultrasonic cleaner and since I use a quicklink it makes the job safe and easy. this is a good time to also give the rear mech. a good scrubbing and if I feel ambitious I dissasemble the pullies and give the area a good goin over. Reassembly should not be rushed and carefull attention to lubrication proper torques should be paid attention to.
A clean bike is a fast bike! - February 5, 2008 at 5:18:00 PM CST
Kitchen dishwashing gloves, the thicker yellow gauntlet type, are good for keeping hands warm and dry while washing your bike in cold weather.
- April 13, 2008 at 1:12:00 AM CDT
I have found a source of rags that are recycled T-shirts--tougher than those blue disposable things, leave less lint on a bike than terrycloth, far cheaper than "real" shop rags. My local industrial supplier sells them @18 lbs. for $25. They are strong enough to use for an on-bike cassette cleaning as well as soft enough to scratch nothing.
- July 7, 2008 at 12:21:00 PM CDT
Can you provide a single photo shot of the brushes you use? Better than a description.
- October 10, 2008 at 6:44:00 AM CDT
- Rick Cummings said...
Great read with lots of nuggets. The biggest challenge I have is finding natural bristle brushes. I can find bottle brushes but they all have plastic bristles. Any suggestion on where to get natural bristle brushes? I would really like to find a cone brush.
- October 10, 2008 at 9:21:00 AM CDT
Now where did I see this exact post at least a couple years ago. . .
- October 10, 2008 at 11:29:00 AM CDT
I've heard horror stories about chains left to soak in a SG bath, and they explode a ride or two after. Seems that prolonged exposure causes small fissures in the links, and the breakdown comes at the worst time (see sprinting, grinding up a climb). It seems to be ok for quick cleaning jobs, but resist soaking.
- October 10, 2008 at 1:54:00 PM CDT
Keeping a clean bike is extremely important. Dirt and dust act like sandpaper against components.
I use Suzuki Motorcycle Wash on all of my rides. Rinse the bike off, spray on the wash, let it sit for a second and then rinse off. Everything is gone without leaving residue or damaging components. Even the tires look brand new.
Don't ask me how it does it, but it is the only cleaner out of the many that I have tried that work this well.
Here are some other tips on making sure that your bike runs smoothly.
http://www.mtbtrailreview.com/blog/top-10-tips-to-keeping-your-bike-running-smoothly/featured/ - October 10, 2008 at 3:45:00 PM CDT
Thank you very much for great Storys about Cycling...
Belgium Knee Warmers is the best Cycling Blog ever !!! - October 10, 2008 at 5:26:00 PM CDT
I bought a cone brush about three weeks ago, before reading this and you are right.
Why didn't I get one before?
Why wasn't one included in my 'Muc-off' brush kit???
Now to check out the garden sprayer... - October 14, 2008 at 9:30:00 AM CDT
- Arturo said...
A trick I was shown by a European pro mechanic is to use neat Jizer on greasy parts and wash it with plain water before a soapy all over wash with car wash soap (washing up liquid has salt in which attacks everything you're trying to protect!) Finish off with Mer car polish to deter the next lot of mud from sticking to the frame too quickly. - A clean bike is a fast bike - just go with what works best for you.
- October 15, 2008 at 4:03:00 PM CDT
- Wade Wallace said...
have you ever tried babywipes to clean your bike? Give it a shot. They're amazing: http://biketips.wordpress.com/2008/09/09/baby-wipes-what-cant-they-do/
Thanks for the post. Excellent hints - October 15, 2008 at 5:12:00 PM CDT


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John Ely (4-7, 4.62) vs. Jhoulys Chacin (8-9, 3.53).
[Photo by Orel; words from Sax] Yes, the Dodgers may be playing the role of doormat for our NL West "rivals" (and I use that loosely given how pathetic we've been of late, against a division we usually dominate). But today, Sax heads to the Stadium with two five-year-olds in tow, ready to show them how the Dodgers have heart. Don't let the Rockies tread on me, Blue!
[Okay, these words are from Orel] Today's game is on tape delay on TV (4p), so don't check this thread if you want to avoid spoilers. Will the Dodgers mount a late-inning comeback? O, the suspense!

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Pearl River Community College's RiverRoad showchoir wrapped up the spring concert on March 26 with
the Garth Brooks' hit, "Standing Outside the Fire."
Members of RiverRoad showchoir at Pearl River Community College dance during the group's March 26
spring concert.
The Jazz Cats, Pearl River Community College's jazz band, presented its spring concert on March 26.
Mariah LeBlanc of Purvis sings "The Best is Yet to Come" with the Pearl River Community College Jazz
Cats at the March 26 spring concert. Band members are, from left, Kim Arnold of D'Iberville, Desmond
Edmondson of Hattiesburg and Kevin Broome of Columbia.
PRCC Public Relations photos


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Zoketsu examines the usual dichotomy of emotions v. intellect. Description of scientific studies of a Tibetan monk in a deep meditative state.
WORKING WITH EMOTIONS TALK ONETalk given: Summer 2004 Dharma Seminars in Mill Valley, CA.
Zoketsu lectures on Daniel Goleman's Destructive Emotions: A Scientific Dialogue with the Dalai Lama. – Proceedings of a dialogue between the Dalai Lama and Western philosophers and scientists.
This book is a transcript of a conference, along with other explanatory material that Daniel Goleman adds. It is not as if the book is an organized discussion of working with destructive emotions. It meanders, as any discussion does. So, I will bring out points that seem germane or interesting to me in each chapter.
Destructive emotions: what do we mean by destructive and what do we mean by emotions? On one level, destructive emotions are those that cause harm, such as a burst of anger when we lash out at someone or when someone lashes out at us. But I would like to take it further and talk not only about emotions that are directly and obviously harmful, but also about emotions that are habitual and make us unhappy.
There was a Western philosopher involved in a dialogue at the conference who gave a perspective on how words such as "emotions" are used. In the West we are taught that there is a categorical difference between the intellect and the emotions. The intellect involves such things as truth-seeking, and is seen as higher and more realistic. It is considered to be masculine. Emotion, on the other hand, is seen as irrational, more feminine, a little unruly, and trivial. There are deep roots in Western philosophy that cause that kind of thinking. The intellect is divided from the emotions. We feel that the more intellectual we are, the less emotions matter to us, and we are more in control.
There is no such distinction between the intellect and emotions in Buddhism. In the Buddhist map of the mind, there are fifty-one mental factors that shape consciousness. Of the fifty-one mental factors, some were called cognitive and some were called emotional. They were not seen as separate categories. They were seen as different factors that were always mixed in how they affected the mind. We know this is true from our experience on the cushion, when you see that every time there is an emotion, there is always a thought, and every time that you think something, there is an associated emotional quality. Intellect and emotion are mixed. There is no pure intellectual or pure emotional state. We are trying to recognize this fact in our life, and bring it into view, so that we have more awareness of the thoughts and emotions that arise in the mind. There are no words in Buddhism to distinguish the emotional and intellectual. The word citta means both mind and heart. In our practice, mind is not in charge, figuring out the emotions. Mind and emotions are one flow.
Lately I have been drawing a distinction between emotions and feelings. I am defining emotion as the whole complex of thinking, wrapped up with our history, our identity, and some object that activates our emotion. That whole complex, in which it is impossible to tease out one element, is what we call emotion. It is very personal and particular to a situation. The edifice of emotions is built on the foundation of feelings. Feelings are simpler than emotions. They are basic human responses, of which we are usually unaware. Usually we are agitated on the level of the emotion, but we are not aware of the underlying feeling. The underlying feeling is new territory; it is not about "me" anymore, it is about a deep, human phenomenon, such as fear, aversion, or desire. With meditation practice and the intentional application of awareness, we have a greater capacity to discern our actual feelings. When we can get in touch with ourselves on the level of mindfulness, our understanding of our feeling can result in more calmness.
We need meditation practice and awareness to even know what we are feeling. For example, there can be a confrontation or conflict that goes on and on, causing more and more trouble, and the root of it is fear or anger, and has nothing to do with the actual situation. When you get in touch with the root feelings, you can become free of them.
Now to the book: I have a couple of points from the first chapter which is called, "The Western Perspective." This was largely based on a talk given by the philosopher in the group, as he was trying to define the Western perspective in relation to emotions. In Western culture compassion always has an element of guilt and self denial, because we are told to deny ourselves and take care of others. A compassionate person never thinks of himself. He feels badly when he thinks of himself. In the West what is meant by compassion is self denial. In Buddhism, this idea of compassion does not apply. In Buddhism there is no distinction between being compassionate towards yourself and being compassionate towards others. It has to do with how Buddhism and Western culture sees the self. Western culture sees the self as separate from others. There are two categories: me and everyone else, so if I am compassionate, then I only think of one category, either me or everybody else. In Buddhism there is only one category of people, so from the Buddhist perspective it would be impossible to be compassionate towards others without being compassionate towards oneself. And vice versa: it would be impossible to be compassionate toward yourself without being compassionate towards others. This is a key distinction between Western and Buddhist ideas of compassion.
Similarly, starting from Greek philosophy, there is a distinction between happiness and the good. Happiness is seen as less important than doing what is good or right. Happiness is self centered and goodness is connected to truth, to God, and so on. These things are usually in conflict, so we sacrifice our happiness to do the right or good thing. Again, this distinction is unknown in Buddhism. There is no distinction between the good and happiness. In fact, the only way to be happy is to be in tune with the good. For example, if you are having pleasure at the expense of another individual, this is not really happiness. What makes you happy is to be loving and giving towards others, and being attuned to others. Your interests cannot be teased apart from the interests of others. We come to see this through our practice.
The basis of all this is awareness, of being sensitively present with your own experience, which is promoted by the practice of zazen. This awareness is more a state of being than a state of mind or a skill. In this sphere of a pliable state of awareness, the distinction between self and others which is obviously there, and the distinction between happiness and the good which is obviously there, begin to flow into each other and do not become so hard and fast. The distinctions are held in a more subtle and complex way.
Moving to a different chapter, there are some interesting points in the chapter called, "The Lama in the Lab". A Tibetan monk was hooked up to sensors during meditation. He distinguished six different mental states. The first state was called one pointedness, which is focusing the mind on one mental or physical object to the exclusion of all else. Another state was meditation on devotion, such as a meditation based on devotion to a guru. The third state was fearlessness, and the fourth was called the "open state", in which the mind was alert and aware, allowing objects to come and go, without focusing on any one object. The fifth state was developing compassion, and the sixth was visualization, the holding in mind a complex visual object. These are the six modes of meditation in Tibetan Buddhism.
I thought it would be interesting to compare and contrast this with zazen. In our practice there is less emphasis on the intentional production of mental states, and more a focus on just staying present. And yet zazen does contain some of these elements, just in a softer way. For example, there is one pointedness when focusing on the breath, except it is not a tunnel vision focus. It also has qualities of the open mind, because you are aware of other things going on, even though you are focused on the breath. Through calming the mind and making it one pointed, through sitting and just listening, we practice the "open state." In zazen that state itself is known as compassion. There is no special state beyond that which we would cultivate, although I have often said that it would be beneficial to do intentional compassion practices: starting with shikantaza, zazen practice, in the beginning of the period, introducing compassion practices, and then going back to shikantaza practice at the end of the period.
Moving to some different points, there was an expert who could identify emotions by facial expressions. It is interesting that these facial expressions are cross cultural. He was a consultant for police and undercover agents and could tell whether a person was lying or telling the truth. So this expert devised an experiment to measure empathy. Peoples' facial expressions were shown at increasing speeds, and the more empathetic you were, the faster you could identify others' emotions. And wouldn't you know it, the Tibetan meditator scored extremely high on this test. I think this is true to life, because the more you become attuned to your emotions through your meditation practice, the more you can connect with others. So on the level of feelings, even though your emotions may be different than mine, we feel the same thing, because feelings are universal. The more that I understand and am comfortable with my own feelings, the more I intuitively understand other people. There is a more accurate sense of empathy.
The unprecedented thing about the monk was his startle response. Normally when one hears a loud sound, there is a certain facial expression. The test is to tell someone to suppress any facial expression when he hears a loud sound. Apparently nobody can do this because it is automatic, but the monk did it. He heard a loud sound, but he was in the open state and did not have any startle response. This blew the mind of the researcher who thought that no human being could do that. He decided to change his research and do studies on extraordinary individuals. While working with the monks, he devised four criteria for the individuals with whom he wanted to work in his experiments. The first criterion was a sense of goodness or integrity. The second was selflessness; the person was not seeking to elevate himself above others. The third was presence. The Dalai Lama and others around him had presence. The fourth was attentiveness; for example, a person could really listen to another without judgment or skepticism.
I thought that these are four great qualities to consider in one's own life. Aren't we all working towards qualities of goodness, selflessness, presence, and attentiveness? Psychologists, who are usually in an academic setting, have used college students in their experiments about human behavior, but I thought it was interesting that the researcher was so impressed by the monks that he wanted to study them to see what we could aim for. In studying extraordinary individuals, we can work towards ourselves becoming extraordinary. The reason for studying those people is that these monks were not born as extraordinary individuals, but through their meditation and spiritual practice became people like that. These qualities came from their own cultivation. Research has shown that the brain is in a constant state of evolution and learning new ways of being. The brain is plastic, with new neuron connections always being made. Therefore, ongoing practice would change one's fundamental attitudes and ways of being in the world.
Now I would like to make a few points about science and Buddhism. In recent decades science has been re-introducing, through the path of materialism, the immaterial, the mystery of life. A greater humility has been re-introduced through the path of science. It is an opening to a spirit of curiosity. That is why the Dalai Lama is so loved. A group of us just went to see him in Vancouver. Thirty thousand people went to see the Dalai Lama, but if there were a stadium with fifty thousand seats, fifty thousand would have gone. He is universally loved because in his attitude, not the least of which is his attitude towards science, is an enlightened spirituality that is open and curious and evolving. He has made the famous statement, "If science were to prove something in the Buddhist teachings to be wrong, we would have to drop that." He says that we have to understand that if science does not find something, it does not mean that it does not exist. It just means that science has not seen it. An example of this is the nature of mind itself – consciousness. Science has no idea what the nature of consciousness is. Does that mean that there is no consciousness, or that consciousness is unreal? Certainly not, but if science proves something to be non-existent, then we have to acknowledge that and change.
Finally, I am on the faculty of a training program for people working with the dying, a very illustrious group of co-faculty members, including Ram Das and other luminaries. One of the people used a new word: "transtraditional". Now when you go to conferences and events, she said, they use the word transtraditional. The Dalai Lama is a transtradional teacher, with the recognition that every tradition is a path towards truth, and one can be comfortable with or appreciative of a number of different traditions. Meditation practice is at the heart of the transtraditional traditions. I don't think traditions will disappear or meld into each other, but there are traditions that are transtradional and draw on many other traditions. I like to think of Everyday Zen as being a transtradional tradition. It's a Zen tradition, but is not limited to Zen tradition.
So, I have unburdened myself of all my thoughts, and I feel much better now!


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Eclipse DemoCamps November 2013
From November 1-30, we are inviting individuals to organize and attend Eclipse DemoCamps around the world. The Eclipse DemoCamps are an opportunity to showcase all of the cool technology being built by the Eclipse community.
Eclipse Events Interactive Map
Click the image below to see whole globe and all events.
Demo Camps
are an opportunity to showcase all of the cool and interesting technology being built by the Eclipse community. They are also an opportunity for you to meet Eclipse enthusiasts in your city. The format of a DemoCamp is informal. A group of Eclipse enthusiasts meets up and demos what they are doing with Eclipse. The demos can be from research projects, Eclipse open source projects, applications based on Eclipse, commercial products using Eclipse or whatever may be of interest to the attendees.Hackathons
are a chance for developers to gather and hack away on bugs and feature requests, and come up with a reasonable patch by the end of the Hackathon.They are also informal – a group of Eclipse hackers meets up and hacks away on bugs and feature requests for a particular Eclipse project. Attendees usually break out into groups of two or three and get hands-on support from a project veteran to help ensure that a patch can be completed. Here's an example of a Hackathon from November 2012.
The only stipulation about these events is that they must be Eclipse related. Take a look at the list of projects on eclipse.org or on Wikipedia, and the Wikipedia list of Eclipse-based software.
If you have not organized a Camp or Hackathon in the past, please read this page on organizing a DemoCamp, and then send email to firstname.lastname@example.com so we can add you to our list of organizers.
When signing up to organize a DemoCamp or a Hackathon, please be sure to give us your contact information. Either include your individual email address on your event page, or send an email to email@example.com to provide your contact information.
When organizing a Camp or Hackathon, add your event to the list below, then create a separate wiki page for your event. To help you create the wiki page, we have a template. To use the template, open it for editing and copy the contents of the edit window to your clipboard, and then select "Cancel" at the bottom of the page to cancel the editing session. Open up your new event page for editing, copy the contents of your clipboard into the editing window, and make your updates. Please do not edit the template.
Click on a city below to find out details and to let the organizers know you plan on attending. Some cities have not finalized a date or location but we still encourage you to let the organizer know you would like to attend.
Demo Sources
Please consider sharing presented demo sources or hacked solutions at https://github.com/Eclipse-DemoCamps
November 2013 DemoCamps
Past DemoCamps
- Beijing Thursday, China - November 14th at Funshion Online Beijing office
- Prague, Czech Rep - 14.11., CVUT campus, Prague
- Bonn, Germany - November 18h at Collegium Leoninum Bonn
- Darmstadt, Germany - November 19th, Deutsche Telekom AG
- Nantes, France - November 19th, Epitech Nantes CANCELLED
- Karlsruhe, Germany - November 20th, FZI Forschungszentrum Informatik, Karlsruhe
- Nieuwegein, Netherlands - November 20th, Industrial TSI
- Paris, France - November 20th, Epitech Paris
- Vienna, Austria - November 22th, Conference Center NINETEEN, Vienna
- Grenoble, France - November 25th
- Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany - November 26th, NORDAKADEMIE Graduate School
- Toronto, Canada - November 26th, Red Hat Toronto
- Hanover, Hanover, Germany - November 27th, Zühlke Offices CANCELLED
- Toulouse, France - November 28th
- Kassel, Germany - November 28th, at Circus Rambazotti - by Yatta Solutions
- Jakarta, Indonesia - 14 December, at Meruvian Camp Jakarta - by Frans Thamura/Meruvian/JUG Indonesia|
- Changsha, China - November 30th, 长沙市天心区劳动西路308号凯华大厦B栋1202室
- Berlin, Germany - December 2nd, 2013 at Fraunhofer FOKUS, Berlin
- Dresden, Germany - December 3rd, CoFab c/o ObjectFab GmbH, Pohlandstrasse 19, 01309 Dresden CANCELLED
- Munich, Germany - 05.12.2013, EclipseSource München
- Stuttgart, Germany - 06.12.2013, Leinfelden-Echterdingen
- Frankfurt, Germany - 12.12.2013, by Yatta Solutions
- Shared Remote Sessions - December 14th, Video over Internet CANCELLED
- Beijing, China - December 14th, near Tech Temple 北京市东城区东四北大街107号天海商务大厦B座107
- Wuhan, China - December 14th, 中国湖北省武汉市东湖新技术开发区光谷大道金融港A3栋 北京风行在线技术有限公司 CANCELLED
- Guangzhou, China - December 14th, 广州市天河北路906号高科大厦A座22层 北京数字天堂信息科技有限责任公司广州分公司 CANCELLED
November 2013 Hackathons
- Hamburg, Germany - November 22nd, Chaos Computer Club Hamburg CANCELLED
Past DemoCamps
- Eclipse DemoCamps November 2013
- Eclipse DemoCamps Kepler 2013
- Eclipse DemoCamps November 2012
- Eclipse DemoCamps Juno 2012
- Eclipse DemoCamps November 2011
- Eclipse DemoCamps Indigo 2011
- Eclipse DemoCamps November 2010
- Eclipse DemoCamps Helios 2010
- Eclipse DemoCamps November 2009
- Eclipse DemoCamps Galileo 2009
- Eclipse DemoCamps November 2008
- Eclipse DemoCamps 2008 - Ganymede Edition
- Eclipse DemoCamp 2007


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Lt. Gov. Craig Campbell, who oversees Alaska elections, has indicated that he will accept minor misspellings of Murkowski's name as long as the "voter intent" is clear.Intent of the voter. Ah! That brings back delightful memories of the Bush v. Gore recount.
Miller is overdoing it. Clearly, they've got to count stuff like "Murakowski" and "Murkowsky" and "Murcowski" and even "Mercowsky." But where's the line? What about "Merssky"? Or "Murk."? What about "Lisa"? That's dimpled chad territory, no?
ADDED: A poll:
After the break, a second poll:


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Mario's Albino Tadpole said...
Does stringing together some words about a certain subject, and getting someone to publish it make that person an author?
Freds are not athletes and you are no author. Would you agree?
Absolutely, I agree 100%. I'm not an author. I'm a Book Fred.
Also, the same commenter had a request:
Mario's Albino Tadpole said...
I miss Vito your helper monkey.. I searched your blog and the last reference to him was like back in 2009, but that doesn't sound right...
Anyway, More Vito Please.. yes, that's what I need.
Sorry, can't help you there. My helper monkey Vito died. I'm actually pretty sad about it, but it was his time. He died peacefully and painlessly in a horribly gruesome base jumping accident. (Success went to his head and he got pretty heavily into drugs and adrenaline sports.) His helment did not save him.
He did look great in his wingsuit though. He used to wear it to bars.
Lastly, another commenter took the time to read the post and scroll through over a hundred comments only to leave this one:
Anonymous said...
The variety lacking nasty sarcastic negativity of this blog is just tiring.
March 28, 2013 at 11:26 PM
Oh, shut up. "Sarcastic negativity" my ass. Go read some shit about cats.
On a more positive note, yesterday I went here:
The Highbridge Project from yoni arava on Vimeo.
I'd only ridden in Highbridge once before, when the trails had just opened, but I hadn't returned because it was pretty far from where I lived in Brooklyn and in the same amount of travel time or less I could reach far more exotic riding spots. (And by "exotic riding spots" I obviously mean Long Island, the world's premiere locale for singletrack that's convenient to bagel stores.)
Now, though, Highbridge is only about a 15-minute ride from my estate. Furthermore, all the bagel stores were closed for Pay-suck leaving me with nothing to do, so yesterday I figured it was about time I knocked around in there a little bit:
And then you could scamper off into this:
And if you're really lucky, maybe you'll find a Suitcase of Courage like I did:
Though needless to say I didn't open it, because I was afraid it might actually be a Suitcase of Body Parts.
Fortunately, I had brought some courage along with me, but I got a little too courageous and then this happened:
While the bike fell down I actually stayed up, which is one of the more fortunate side-effects of falling into a tree. Sure, it hurts just as much as hitting the ground, but you don't have to actually make contact with the ground, which in Highbridge is a good way to contract a disease.
Finally, I left the park, and only then did I notice this sign:
The mountain bike trail is what due to numerous dangerous tree conditions? I assume they mean "closed," but then again maybe they meant this:
Because really, what's more awesome than danger?
Oh, also, before leaving I totally "got rad" on the dirt jumps:
You can see the GoPro footage here.
Of course, when you ride in a place like Highbridge, it's always a good idea to wash the questionable substances off your bike:
And if you think I'm trying to compensate for something with my long stems, think again, because let's just say that's not a hose I'm using to clean the bike.
Now, I'm pleased to present you with a quiz. As always, study the item, think, and click on your answer. If you're right you'll be right, and if you're wrong you'll see Fabian Cancellara's Classics bike.
Thanks very much for reading, ride safe, and if you're going to fall be sure to hit a tree.
--Wildcat Rock Machine
1) There's no surer sign of spring than renewed attempts to sell the sport of pro cycling to the masses. Which is always the big selling point of the Classics?
--"There's cobbles."
--"They ride bikes over cobbles."
--"Did we mention there are cobbles?"
--All of the above
2) In Brisbane, Australia, turbans may now be worn in lieu of helments.
3) According to professional amateur fixie rider Seabiscuit, on his recreational bike ride through some of the most beautiful scenery in the world he will:
--"Crawl through several layers of hell"
--"Skid through several layers of tire"
--"Wear through several layers of pants"
--"Peel back his steely facade to reveal several layers of douchery"
4) The politically correct term for a Fred is:
--"Physically Active Bicycle Consumer" (PABC)
--"Differently-Abled Road Bike Enthusiast" (DARBE)
5) Finally set to debut this spring, the New York City bike share program will only be available in neighborhoods where residential real estate costs over $1,000 per square foot.
6) What is a "Bamboobee?"
--Yet another bamboo bicycle on Kickstarter
--An organic breast implant made entirely from bamboo
--An ironic world championship race for bamboo singlespeeds only
--A derogatory term for an Australian, similar to "didgeridouche"
7) Via a reader, this is apparently how Freds are choosing saddles now.
Just walk the damn dog and then go for your bike ride.


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One of my favorite ways to enjoy mango chutney is in a grilled cheese sandwich and the timing couldn't be better as April is grilled cheese sandwich month. Panini Happy is hosting a grilled cheese pageant to celebrate and I thought that I would share one of my favorite takes on a grilled cheese sandwich. A couple of years ago I would never have thought to use something like mango chutney in a grilled cheese sandwich but then I tried a monte cristo sandwich which is basically a ham and cheese sandwich that is cooked like French toast and commonly served with strawberry jam. I was immediately hooked on the sweet and savoury combo and I have been making grilled cheese sandwiches with jam ever since. Shortly after discovering mango chutney I had the idea of trying a grilled cheese sandwich with it and now the mango chutney grilled cheese sandwich is one of my favorites! The sweet, tangy and spicy mango chutney goes surprisingly well with ooey gooey melted cheese wrapped in perfectly grilled golden brown bread!
Grilled Cheese Sandwich with Mango Chutney
- 2 slices bread
- 1 tablespoon butter (room temperature)
- 2 slices cheese (cheddar, gruyere, etc.)
- 2 tablespoons mango chutney
- Assemble the sandwich and grill until the bread is golden brown and the cheese has melted.
Onion Chutney Grilled Cheese Sandwich
Grilled Cheese Sandwich with Mango and Cardamom Jam
Grilled Cheese Sandwich with Green Tomato and Jalapeno Jam
Fig and Brie Panini with Prosciutto
Peanut Butter and Green Tomato and Jalapeno Jam Sandwich
Grilled Cheese Sandwich with Apple Chutney


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WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of people applying for U.S. unemployment benefits jumped by 66,000 last week to a seasonally adjusted 374,000. But the spike was largely because California processed a huge backlog of claims and the partial government shutdown prompted some companies to cut jobs.
The Labor Department said Thursday that the less volatile four-week average rose 20,000 to 325,000. The sharp increase in both the weekly figures and the four-week average comes after applications hovered near a 6-year low the previous week.
A government spokesman said that about half the weekly increase occurred in California, where officials processed applications that were delayed several weeks by a computer upgrade. One-quarter of the increase reflected applications from employees at government contractors and other workers affected by the shutdown.
Applications are a proxy for layoffs. Before last week, they had declined steadily over the past three months. That's a sign companies are cutting fewer workers.
"The broader picture is still that labor market conditions are improving, albeit not quite as much as we previously thought," Paul Ashworth, an economist at Capital Economics, said.
Federal workers temporarily laid off by the shutdown may also file for benefits. But their numbers are reported separately and published a week later than the other applications.
Lockheed Martin said Monday that it is furloughing about 2,400 employees. That's lower than the 3,000 employees the company initially said it would furlough because Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel has recalled most of the Pentagon's civilian employees to work.
Falling applications are typically followed by more hiring. But there aren't any signs that that has happened yet. Instead, job gains have slowed in recent months.
It's not clear if hiring trends changed last month. The government was unable to issue the September employment report because of the shutdown.
However, last week payroll provider ADP said businesses added just 166,000 jobs in September, evidence that hiring remains sluggish. The ADP figures usually diverge from the government's more comprehensive employment report.
Analysts forecast that the economy was growing slowly before the shutdown. They predict economic growth at a 1.5 percent to 2 percent annual rate from July through September. That's generally not fast enough to spur much hiring.
Many economists had forecast that growth would pick up to an annual rate of 2.5 percent to 3 percent from October through December. But the shutdown will likely shave about 0.15 percentage point from that figure for each week it lasts.


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A key government panel Tuesday voted unanimously against approval of a powerful opioid prescription painkiller intended to provide faster relief with fewer side effects.
At the conclusion of a hearing, the Food and Drug Administration advisory committee voted 14-0 against recommending that the agency approve Moxduo, the first drug to combine morphine and oxycodone into one capsule.
The committee also voted unanimously that the drug's developer had not proved that Moxduo is less likely to cause potentially life-threatening respiratory suppression than taking morphine or oxycodone alone.
"I certainly wish that there was an opiate that could be counted on to decrease respiratory depression and maybe one day there will be," said Gregory Terman of the University of Washington, one of the committee members.
QRxPharma, the company that developed Moxduo, had argued that the drug would provide fast relief for millions of patients suffering from moderate to severe pain, including accident victims and people undergoing major surgery.
But FDA reviewers raised questions about whether Moxduo provides any benefits over using morphine or oxycodone alone. The FDA's experts disagreed on whether the company's studies show that the drug delivers the intended benefits, which supposedly include better pain relief, fewer side effects or lower risk of life-threatening complications.
Addiction researchers also argued that the drug raises concerns that it could be more easily abused than opioid drugs like Vicodin and Percocet, which could make the nation's epidemic of prescription painkiller abuse even worse.
In a statement, QRxPharma Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer John Holaday said the company was "obviously disappointed" by the vote but remained "confident in the advantages of Moxduo compared to morphine [and remained] committed to bringing to market safer therapies for pain, such as Moxduo, and preventing opioid abuse."
The FDA is not obligated to follow the panel's recommendations, but the agency usually does.
Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.


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"After a confidential two-year review, the Boy Scouts of America has emphatically reaffirmed its policy of excluding gays," The Associated Press reports.
According to the wire service, Scouts spokesman Deron Smith said the 11-member committee decided that is "absolutely the best policy" for the organization.
The Boy Scouts' policy states that:
"While the BSA does not proactively inquire about the sexual orientation of employees, volunteers, or members, we do not grant membership to individuals who are open or avowed homosexuals or who engage in behavior that would become a distraction to the mission of the BSA."
With that policy statement, the BSA adds that:
"Scouting believes same-sex attraction should be introduced and discussed outside of its program with parents, caregivers, or spiritual advisers, at the appropriate time and in the right setting. The vast majority of parents we serve value this right and do not sign their children up for Scouting for it to introduce or discuss, in any way, these topics.
"The BSA is a voluntary, private organization that sets policies that are best for the organization. The BSA welcomes all who share its beliefs but does not criticize or condemn those who wish to follow a different path."
Copyright 2020 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.


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Frequently Asked Questions
How can I write for a Read website?
If you want to begin writing for one of our websites, just let us know! You can email Ste at [email protected] and he'll give you some more information regarding availability and process.
Alternatively, just use our Write For Us page. This allows you to submit content to any of our websites. We'll then pick it up, edit it and publish, as well as promote across our social channels. For help with the Write For Us page, please see our YouTube channel.
Great news! It's a fantastic place to start writing and loads of people have them.
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A draft will have been saved, so long as you are on the same computer you used to write the content. If that isn't the case, please contact us at [email protected] and we'll try our best to unearth it for you and return it to its rightful home.
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Jeff Goldberg has an interesting post about the mixed feelings that the America Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) may have about launching a major lobbying campaign against Chuck Hagel.
He may be right–and it would be wonderful if true–but I know that AIPAC has been quietly working the phones, arguing against the nomination. There is a difference between that and a full-bore lobbying campaign, but AIPAC's pro-Netanyahu posture has always been clear. (Update: Eli Lake, who knows this territory well, is also reporting that AIPAC will stand down.)
While on this subject, I should note, with sadness, that Ed Koch–a great mayor of New York and one of the most clever politicians I've ever covered–has gone off the high board on the Hagel nomination. There is much that is odious about Koch's statement, but the idea that the President has "betrayed" Israel by nominating Hagel is the most outrageous.
(MORE: Hagel: A Different Kind of Defense Secretary)
These notions of betrayal and appeasement (pace Bill Kristol), perfumed with intimations of anti-Semitism are part of a hyperbolic corruption of common usage, favored by neoconservatives and their extremist allies. Can Nazi metaphors be far behind? Oh, wait a minute: the idea that negotiating with Iran constitutes "appeasement," as Kristol has harangued, is a direct reference to Neville Chamberlain's catastrophic cave to Hitler in the 1930s.
This sort of thinking pre-supposes two false premises: that Jews are as weak and helpless as they were in Nazi Germany, and that the dreadful regime in Iran has the strength and imperial hunger of the Nazis. The truth is, Israel is the most powerful country in the region, by far. It has a nuclear arsenal. It has a powerful military and a nonpareil intelligence service. Iran, by contrast, is near economic collapse as a result of the global economic sanctions organized by–yes–Barack Obama. Its nuclear program is constantly sabotaged by computer viruses launched by a joint effort of Israel's intelligence services and–yes–the Obama Administration. Is this what Ed Koch means by betrayal?
There is no question that Iran's government is a disgrace, but not because its powerless president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, goes about denying the holocaust and threatening Israel with elimination. It is a disgrace in the same way that the other police state dictatorships in the region–the Assads, Mubaraks and Saddams–were disgraceful. The patina of religiosity cloaks a military dictatorship run by the Revolutionary Guard Corps, which is brutal and dangerous, but eminently containable.
(MORE: The Hagel Choice)
So why all the Nazi talk? Two reasons: Ahmadinejad's effusions make Iran's leadership seem crazy–and that craziness is something that works for both Netanyahu and Iran's real leaders. It gins up the global concern about Iran, summons extreme statements by the likes of John McCain and Mitt Romney, which makes the regime's delusion of a Great Satan intent on destroying the Islamic Republic more plausible. This is more a matter of domestic propaganda than international policy: the regime isn't very popular among the Iranian public, but most Iranians are patriots, proud of their country's heritage–even to the point of wanting a nuclear weapon, because they foolishly believe would restore Iran's power and greatness in the world. In the days before the 2009 election, I interviewed most of the leaders of the Green movement, which was rhapsodized by McCain and his acolytes, and every one of them was steadfastly in favor of Iran's nuclear program–indeed, they subsequently blasted Ahmadinejad for being willing to make a deal with India and Turkey stopping the production of highly enriched uranium and shipping the stuff already produced out of the country. (Given that he was completely powerless to make such a deal, Ahmadinejad was, as usual, blowing smoke.)
Negotiations with Iran on the nuclear issue won't be easy, although I suspect there will be movement soon. But if the negotiations fail, containment and deterrence will be easy–far easier than it was with the Soviet Union–and ultimately successful. Unlike many of the states in the region, Iran is a real country. Its borders weren't drawn by Europeans. Tehran is a major world capital with a population north of 12 million. It was rocketed by the Iraqis in the 1980s; a million casualties, including 100,000 poison gas victims, were taken in that war. The most powerful impulse of the current Iranian leadership is to avoid a repeat of that disaster, despite the often-loony rhetoric. Both the CIA and the Mossad believe that the leaders of the Revolutionary Guard are tough, intransigent, sometimes brutal, but not crazy enough to launch a nuclear weapon and see their 5,000 year old civilization atomized. This is not Nazi Germany.
The second reason why neoconservatives hype their rhetoric is that it serves as a smokescreen for a basic fact: they've been wrong about absolutely everything since 9/11. In the run-up to the Iraq war, prominent leaders like Malcolm Hoenlein–of the egregiously-named Conference of President of Major Jewish American Organization–were spreading the word that taking out Saddam would make the world safer for Israel. That sort of nonsense didn't cause the war–Bush and Cheney were hurtling in that direction no matter what–but it didn't impede it either. And since the Iraq disaster became clear, the record of the Bomber Boys, Bill Kristol and Charles Krauthammer, and their allies has been undimmed by anything approaching rationality on any other national defense issue.
(MORE: Why Hagel Is So Well-Informed)
There is a third reason: they've been able to get away with their bullying. Accusing someone of being anti-Israel or anti-Semitic is powerful juju…until it is misused. When you start flinging around these canards and libels to describe people who support Israel but don't want to see the illegal settlements expand, or who want to negotiate with Iran, you are debasing the currency. The accusations become meaningless.
A few years ago, the doddering head of the Anti-Defamation league, Abe Foxman, accused me of anti-Semitism because I wrote that some of the Jewish members of the neoconservative tribe were confusing America's national interests with (what they inaccurately perceived to be) Israel's national interests, that they were, in effect, putting Israel first. There was much sturm and even more drang. A deeply clueless blogger for Commentary wrote that "We know how these things end and they don't end well." In other words, I would be forced to apologize or be reprimanded or be fired. None of that happened. I'm still here–still a proud supporter of Jewish democracy in Israel, still convinced that the neoconservative course is bloody, myopic and immoral.
There is anti-Semitism still abroad in the world. It is as disgusting as ever. There are those who devoutly wish to see the destruction of Israel. They are morally obtuse and practically insane. But the extreme rantings of the Hoenleins and Kristols and Foxmans, often funded by bounders like Sheldon Adelson, are making it more difficult to identity those in this world who really would do harm to Jews and to Israel. They will make plenty of noise, and maybe raise some money from the gullible during the coming weeks, but I suspect that by overhyping their opposition to Hagel, they will do far more harm than good to the image of Jews and of Israel.
MORE: President Obama Taps Former GOP Senator Chuck Hagel to Run Pentagon


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Alan Colquhoun, Princeton University professor emeritus of architecture and the Class of 1913 Lecturer in Architecture Emeritus, died at home of natural causes Dec. 13, in London. He was 91.
"From his first visit in 1966 to the School of Architecture as visiting critic in the Graduate Studio, through his continuing appointment as tenured professor, Alan's quiet but consistently critical voice of reason was a pillar of the intellectual life of the school," said Anthony Vidler, a professor of architecture at Princeton from 1965 to 1993 and the dean of the School of Architecture at Cooper Union in New York City.
"Gentle and helpful to students, fearless in confronting what he considered affronts to sloppy thinking, and open at all times to debate and interdisciplinary discourse, Alan's presence anchored the Ph.D. program and encouraged students and faculty alike to widen their sphere of reference," Vidler said.
Colquhoun joined the Princeton faculty in 1981. In 1991, he transferred to emeritus status.
Before coming to Princeton, Colquhoun served as a visiting lecturer in the United States and abroad, including Harvard University, the University of Cambridge and L'Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne, among others. He opened an architecture firm, Colquhoun, Miller and Partners, in London in 1961, and in 1988 established a solo practice.
Born in Esher, England, on June 27, 1921, Colquhoun began his architectural training at the Edinburgh College of Art and earned a diploma from the Architectural Association School of Architecture (AA) in London in 1949, where he subsequently taught from 1957 to 1964.
An accomplished architectural critic, Colquhoun received the CAYC (Centro de Arte y Comunicación) Award for Best Architectural Critic consecutively from 1980 to 1984. He was awarded a National Gallery of Art CASA (Center for Advanced Study in the Visual Arts) Fellowship in 1996 and a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1996. His last book, "Collected Essays in Architectural Criticism," was published in 2009. He is also the author of "Modern Architecture" (2002), "Modernity and the Classical Tradition" (1989) and "Essays in Architecture: Modern Architecture and Historical Change" (1981).
Robert Maxwell, professor of architecture emeritus and dean of the School of Architecture from 1982 to 1989, forged a lifelong friendship with Colquhoun that began in 1946, halfway around the world. Colquhoun was Adjutant of Depot Battalion in the U.S. Army, stationed at Roorkee in northern India, and with the rank of captain, was "boss" of Lt. Maxwell, newly arrived from Bangalore.
They discovered a shared love of music. Maxwell said they often enjoyed listening to records, mostly of Mozart. "Later, when I was his boss at Princeton, we were still, above all, friends. I remember taking his class on the historical avant-garde, in 1987, and feeling envy that he was a full-time teacher, while I was lumbered with administration," Maxwell said.
Vidler remembered Colquhoun as a great colleague and mentor to students. "He inspired enormous respect and deep affection," he said. "His morning coffee-room chats were seminars in themselves. Meticulous to a fault — he abhorred split infinitives and punctuation mistakes in the press — he carefully nurtured his advisees towards completing their theses and continued to support them through their subsequent careers."
Eric Kuhne, a 1983 graduate alumnus and founding partner of the London-based firm Civic Arts, said he feels the effects of Colquhoun's teaching in every conversation that takes place in his firm's studio. From his former thesis adviser he learned "the search for form is as much a search for truth, and to find what no one else can see — the invisible — and be able to breathe life into it through design to show the world is our obligation as designers of cities. Alan's thoughts and care shall always be with my architecture."
Richard Cameron, a 1990 graduate alumnus and founder of Atelier & Company in Brooklyn, N.Y., remembered Colquhoun as "unfailingly kind and considerate while holding us all to his exacting and rigorous academic standards. He was the best kind of critic — tough and supportive. He was a superb educator."
Another of Colquhoun's students, Donald Rattner, earned his master's in architecture from Princeton in 1985. An architect and principal of the Studio for A.R.T. and Architecture in New York City, and founder of Module R, a design store in Brooklyn, Rattner said Colquhoun inspired him both at Princeton and throughout his career.
"During my studies at the School of Architecture I began to design projects using literal classical elements, which was generally frowned on for ideological reasons by nearly all professional programs then and now," Rattner said. "I remember very distinctly Professor Colquhoun, a scholar and practitioner of orthodox modernism, as among the few faculty members who was open-minded enough to respect what I was trying to do. His ability to see merit in both sides of an aesthetic argument helped lead to an evolution in my own thinking in the years since then."
British architect Edward Jones of the London-based firm Dixon Jones studied under Colquhoun at the AA and later joined him and Maxwell at Princeton as professor of architecture in 1989. "Probably rather to his surprise, Alan was lionized in America — when he began to speak at Princeton reviews, the room fell silent. He was the sharpest knife in the drawer and will be very much missed, here and there," Jones said.


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Rule #1 - Be Patient - Rule #2 - Don't ask when, if you don't contribute - Rule #3 - You have coding skills - LinuxMCE's small brother is available: http://www.agocontrol.com
when you add the interface to the core, it of course needs a quick reload to start the OneWire DCE device. When this is started, it iterates over all temperature devices found by owfs and tells the general info plugin to create the child device if it does not yet exist. These won't be active till the next quick reload. Maybe that adds to confusion?
So the steps are?Connect 1wire interface to coreAdd the 1wire interface in webadmin using template 2161Select the port the 1wire interface is connected toWhen prompted do a quick reloadOnce the sensors are detected, another quick reload is neededNow you should have Multilevel Sensors as childs, for every sensor connected to the 1wire bus, in the webadminChoose the rooms that the sensors are in and add to the floorplan.Another Quick reload should do the jobKarel
01 02/11/12 1:33:42.167 TranslateSerialUSB pci0000:00/0000:00:13.0+1 result /dev/ttyUSB2 <0xb78686d0>01 02/11/12 1:33:42.167 Opening port: /dev/ttyUSB2 <0xb78686d0>>
Bus 005 Device 002: ID 0403:6001 Future Technology Devices International, Ltd FT232 USB-Serial (UART) IC
[ 785.564300] ftdi_sio 5-1:1.0: FTDI USB Serial Device converter detected[ 785.564371] usb 5-1: Detected FT232RL[ 785.564376] usb 5-1: Number of endpoints 2[ 785.564381] usb 5-1: Endpoint 1 MaxPacketSize 64[ 785.564386] usb 5-1: Endpoint 2 MaxPacketSize 64[ 785.564390] usb 5-1: Setting MaxPacketSize 64[ 785.566328] usb 5-1: FTDI USB Serial Device converter now attached to ttyUSB2
Where in the sequence do you plug the sensor/s into the interface adapter?
if you can't even read them out with owfs, you probably have a short circuit on the bus..
1 02/12/12 20:14:23 124 (spawning-device) Starting... 11 02/12/12 20:14:23 124 (spawning-device) Found /usr/pluto/bin/OneWire01 02/12/12 20:14:24.280 TranslateSerialUSB pci0000:00/0000:00:12.0+2 result /dev/ttyUSB2 <0xb76e96d0>01 02/12/12 20:14:24.280 Opening port: /dev/ttyUSB2 <0xb76e96d0>
nano /etc/apt/sources.list
owserver --device=/dev/ttyUSB2 -p 4304
owhttpd -s localhost:4304 -p 3000
/usr/pluto/bin/ForciblyKillProcess.sh OneWire
/usr/pluto/bin/Spawn_Device.sh 124
Going to let it run overnight.


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Conexx holds a program with Ihab Atalla, the head of Amdocs' Nazareth operations, on the expansion of the Israeli high-tech industry into Arab society at 8 a.m. at Le Meridien, 111 Perimeter Center West, Dunwoody. Admission is $15 for Conexx members, $25 for nonmembers; www.conexx.org.
Price: Free
Fact Sheet
Thursday, July 28, 2016, 8:00 am - 5:00 pm


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Burgett-Irey Family Papers
Born in 1908 to Louis and Sarah Kessel Burgett, Katherine grew up on the family farm outside of Oquawka, Illinois. In 1924 her parents purchased their own farm in Monmouth, which they later lost due to the devastating impact of the Depression on agriculture, and it was there that she first met her future husband, Kenneth Monroe Irey, a student at Monmouth College. The newlyweds moved to New Jersey in 1931 where Kenneth was transferred for work. As a chemical engineer, Kenneth enjoyed a successful career and comfortably supported his wife and two children. Retiring in 1970, he and Katherine spent their later years pursuing two passions: traveling and bird-watching. Kenneth and Katherine's eldest daughter, June Irey Guild, spent most of her adult life in Massachusetts where she has married twice, raised six children, and operated her own business. During her retirement years, June focused on preserving her family's history by collecting letters and recoding family narratives.
The Burgett-Irey Family Papers chronicle the changes that many twentieth-century American families experienced as the nation descended into an economic depression, entered into a world war, and emerged as one of the most powerful countries in the world. The collection, which will continue to grow, includes approximately 65 letters between Katherine Burgett Irey and her family. Most of the letters exchange family updates, particularly precious after Katherine relocated to New Jersey. Among the earliest letters is an account of Katherine and Kenneth's first meeting described as "fast work," since he asked her out on the spot. Also included are autobiographical writings by Kenneth describing his cross-country trip to California in 1927 and a brief history of his life and career.


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The Ultimate Animal Experience? Losing A Memory Quiz To A Chimp
Time to be embarrassed. You're about to be bested by a young chimpanzee in a memory test.
Many have tried to outperform Ayumu (that's the chimp's name), but when you see how easy it is for him, how matter-of-factly he gets things right, it's clear he's got a talent that's built in. It's not a talent you'd expect a chimp to have, but, hey, this isn't a trick. Nature isn't pro-human or pro-chimp. It's just nature.
So here's the deal: You will see a screen. A bunch of numbers between 1 and 9 will flash on, but you will see them for less than a second. They show up in scattered spots, here, there and very quickly (650 milliseconds later for beginners, even faster in advanced versions). They will then be covered by little gray patches. You won't see them anymore.
Your job? Remember which numbers were where, and touch the white patches in ascending order: 1, then 2, then 3, then 4, etc.
If you're intimidated, don't be. It's not easy to beat this chimp. It's best to just watch.
How'd he do it? Well, says science writer Virginia Morell in her new book Animal Wise, "it's impossible to track each number's position with one's eyes; you had to take in the entire pattern with a single glance." And yet, "Ayumu nearly always got the sequence right. His success rate was close to 80 percent."
Photo-Flash Memory
This tells Japanese scholar Tetsuro Matsuzawa "that he has an actual picture memory, an eidetic memory. ... He takes a picture with his mind and holds it." Even if he turns away from the screen to do something else, the information stays in Ayumu's head. "You and I," says Matsuzawa, "we cannot do this. ... It is something special for the chimpanzee mind. It is not a matter of training for them. It is their way of seeing the world."
Ayumu learned his computer skills sitting on his mother's lap, watching. She is also a laboratory chimpanzee and has a computer of her own. Her son didn't interfere, didn't touch the keys. When Professor Matsuzawa gave him a little computer with a small touch screen, he explored it, but cautiously.
"The mother does not offer any explanation. And her child, the apprentice, learns by careful observation," the professor says. But over time, he's gotten good. Is he exceptional? Will he stay this sharp when he's older? We won't know till we've tested many other chimps. But for a species that grows up in dense forests, where food is hiding in plain sight, a photographic memory might be very useful.
Don't Tell Me I'm More Stupid Than A Chimp
Still, his performance leaves lots of people feeling uncomfortable. "How does he do that?" writes one YouTube reader. "I can barely see the numbers flash. ... I am more stupid than [a] chimp. Why God, why?"
"This is not helping anyone," writes another. "It's decadent and it's wrong," writes someone else. "That's a million times better than I can ever do."
"Well it's official. I am dumber than a chimp," says one more.
Even scientists got upset. "You must see this," Matsuzawa told Morell, holding a science publication in the air. "In it," he told her, "the authors say that humans 'with practice' are as good as chimpanzees at our memory test."
But why bother? Why would a bunch of scientists go to the trouble of training themselves to best a chimp?
"Really, I cannot believe this," Matsuzawa said. "With Ayumu, as you saw, we discovered that chimpanzees are better than humans at one type of memory test. It is something a chimpanzee can do immediately, and it is one thing — one thing — that they are better at than humans.
"I know this has upset people. ... And now here are researchers who have practiced to become 'as good as' a chimpanzee!' " he told Morell. "I really do not understand this need for us to always be superior in all domains. Or to be so separate, so unique from every other animal."
We are just members of the animal kingdom, he says. Talented, to be sure, but not always Best. We should get over ourselves.


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There are three pieces of evidence that aviation safety experts say make it clear the missing >Malaysia Airlines jet was >taken over by someone who was knowledgeable about how the plane worked.
One clue is that the plane's transponder a signal system that identifies the plane to radar was shut off about an hour into the flight.
In order to do that, someone in the cockpit would have to turn a knob with multiple selections to the off position while pressing down at the same time, said John Goglia, a former member of the National Transportation Safety Board. That's something a pilot would know how to do, but it could also be learned by someone who researched the plane on the Internet, he said.
Another clue is that part of the Boeing 777's Aircraft Communications Addressing and Reporting System (ACARS) was shut off.
The system, which has two parts, is used to send short messages via a satellite or VHF radio to the airline's home base. The information part of the system was shut down, but not the transmission part. In most planes, the information part of the system can be shut down by hitting cockpit switches in sequence in order to get to a computer screen where an option must be selected using a keypad, said Mr. Goglia, an expert on aircraft maintenance.
That's also something a pilot would know how to do, but that could also be discovered through research, he said.
But to turn off the other part of the ACARS, it would be necessary to go to an electronics bay beneath the cockpit. That's something a pilot wouldn't normally know how to do, Mr. Goglia said, and it wasn't done in the case of the Malaysia plane. Thus, the ACARS transmitter continued to send out blips that were recorded by the Inmarsat satellite once an hour for four to five hours after the transponder was turned off. The blips don't contain any messages or data, but the satellite can tell in a very broad way what region the blips are coming from and adjusts the angle of its antenna to be ready to receive message in case the ACARS sends them. Investigators are now trying to use data from the satellite to identify the region where the plane was when its last blip was sent.
The third indication is that that after the transponder was turned off and civilian radar lost track of the plane, Malaysian military radar was able to continue to track the plane as it turned west.
The plane was then tracked along a known flight route across the peninsula until it was several hundred miles (kilometres) offshore and beyond the range of military radar. Airliners normally fly from waypoint to waypoint where they can be seen by air traffic controllers who space them out so they don't collide. These lanes in the sky aren't straight lines. In order to follow that course, someone had to be guiding the plane, Mr. Goglia said.
Mr. Goglia said he is very sceptical of reports the plane was flying erratically while it was being tracked by military radar, including steep ascents to very high altitudes and then sudden, rapid descents. Without a transponder signal, the ability to track planes isn't reliable at very high altitudes or with sudden shifts in altitude, he said.


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We've been sent this photo of the work the Wickham Arms have done to their back garden. It's not immediately obvious why they've removed a large chunk of the wall but the local resident who sent it was concerned that opening up the back garden like this damages the character of the street.
If anyone knows what the plan is, please let us know.