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Lewis - That is brilliant. One of the most hilarious things I have read in ages.
Occasionally, like Alexander the Great, adventurous souls living today's degenerate modern life weep because there are no more worlds to conquer. Everest has been climbed, then parachuted; the English Channel has not just been swum, but crossed by flying jetpack also; hardy golfers have played "the most remote and climatically …
Lewis - That is brilliant. One of the most hilarious things I have read in ages.
Or it isn't happening.
OK, so it's really just a none too subtle marketing ploy.
Not quite, more two-thirds of it. Though petrol stations may be too few to make it much further north in the digger.
Also, "Mr Mutanen normally works with Sunward's Finnish distributor, and the two firms have generously supported his record-breaking attempt by providing the digger and maintenance support during the trip". Isn't he a "excavator repairman" himself? Does "maintenance support" refer to himself, or is that too cynical?
Finally, I expect any follow-up story to be labelled "RotM", seeing that the digger is manufactured by Hunan Sunward *Intelligent Machinery* Company. I was going to Finland for the summer, but maybe I should cancel the trip...
I, for one, welcome our new Chinese intelligent excavating machines, safe in the knowledge that, at a push, I could outwalk the unarmed ones.
I love the live webcam. Looks like today's average speed has just taken a tumble after chatting to a smart lass.
Fantastic stuff!
autoplay video FTL
It's boring enough driving my Yanmar B08-3 more than quarter of a mile, watching a video stream of someone else going hundreds of miles, uh? Also, the miles per gallon of these machines is atrocious, they're really meant for digging and getting around on rough terrain.
I live in Finland and saw this on local news - the thing is, he's doing it for utterly no purpose. The sponsorship and dedication of his fans is to no end purpose, except in and of itself. He isn't doing it to raise money for charity or anything. He's just... doing it. Now, I'm a huge fan of doing things for the sake of doing things, but this goes above and beyond - if you're going to reap yourself sponsorships and media attention, why not do something worthwhile with it?
The british/american attitude is that all has to be done for charity; the rest of the world disagrees. You challenge nature and/or yourself just "because it's there".
I find it hard to explain that for example people climb Mt Everest "for charity" making something like 50k profit (while spending another 100k at the least --- so 2 out of 3 charitable donations are burned). It's just punters paying your dream holiday, "for charity".
I've integrated well here, though --- I refuse to come out of bed now, unless it's for charity.
Are you sure about that, I'm English and see no problem with doing things just because it hasn't been done before.
And I don't believe Everest was conquered in the 1950s by one of the Queen's subjects wearing "Sponsored by Britvic" either.
"Because it is there" used to practically be the British motto, and Americans were not far off either. I wonder what caused the shift in attitudes. I wonder if it is for the better or worse, too.
It's easier to raise the finance if you can tack a charity label on the venture. That's why the attitudes have changed. Cynical but probably true.
when he's Finnished !!
With all the marshy ground over there, isn't there a risk he'll sink in?
'VatorJack, 'VatorJack, is it true what Mummy said,
you won't come back. oh no, no.
Mines is the one with Excerpts from a Teenage Opera in the pocket.
Where someone points out that Finland isn't in Scandinavia and Finns were never Vikings.
Ah that'd be me.
Dammit Richards! This is getting to be a regular thing now
"Scandinavia is a region in Northern Europe that includes Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. Finland is often considered a Scandinavian country in common English usage"
From "Export To Scandinavia" http://www.exporttoscandinavia.com - presumably they know what they're on about
Common English is what we do here at the Reg, as we don't live in Norway. And I never SAID Finns were vikings, did I? The caption makes sense if Finland is part of Scandinavia.
Away with you
This project clearly demonstrates that they are just as mad as the rest of us. Maybe a tad better at it, at that. It's those long dark winter nights, I recon - "Wouldn't it be fun to ride a digger across the country?" "Sure, great idea! Pass the vodka and pour some water on the stones." Mad as hatters, the lot...
and their language is something else again, unrelated to the other Scandinavian languages (indeed unrelated to nearly all other European languages except Estonian and Hungarian. (Minä puhun suomen kieltä vähän.).
But certainly Finland is generally reckoned as Scandinavia and certainly their flag is a colour-variant of the other Scandinavian national flags.
I have some Finnish friends, and they are bonkers.
They're also totally addicted to mobile phones. Not fruit flavoured toy ones either. You go out for a drink and they will constantly have a beer in one hand, a vodka shot in another hand and a mobile phone is another hand! It's no accident that a very large proportion of mobile devices originate from that area of the world.
The long winter nights just give them time to dream up crazy ways to enjoy the summer!
Good luck to Mr Trundle.
I think Export to Scandinavia got their definition from Wikipedia (and presumably prefer the name "Export to Scandinavia" to "Export to Scandinavia and Finland").
Finland isn't part of Scandinavia but it is one of the Nordic countries along with Norway, Sweden etc.
And the Moomin books were written in Swedish. This is a useful fact if you ever need to really annoy a Finnish person.
And I dread to think what El Reg would be like if it was actually written in Common English. A bit like The Sun I guess......
D'ya think he's a David Lynch fan and has seen the Straight Story ? Not yer average David Lynch movie, this beautiful work is the true story of Alvin Straight, who drove across two US States on a ride-on lawnmower for a reconciliation with his brother.
If you haven't watched it, you need to.
Here's something much more interesting.
Yes really.
Dig it.
That is all.
Now watch a German... Drive across europe in a Panzer. Oh they already did that...
Pity no-one in China will be able to read about it on Google News
What will these buffoons do next? Release a paper aeroplane from space?
this all sounds to me like he lost a bet or somthing probibly whilst smashed on Finnish Vodka
as has already been said its those long winter nights.Flames cos you don't have a Ring on/of Fire.
What, wasn't included to this report, is the REAL reason for this trip. These days the Facebook is just full of those "If so and so many ppl joins I'll do this and that" -groups. Jukka Mutanen decided to make this group as a joke (maybe rolling his eyes for it a little), and was stunned when masses of people started to join to it.
Because of the nature of a Finnish man who'll never eat his words, he had no choice but have a laugh and start to make preparations. I believe they have called to none of the sponsors, but the sponsors have contacted to them. This journey has been epic already, the people along the way have been helping him in any way they can, filling up the tank, bringing him snacks, something to drink etc. He has never asked anyone to do this, that's why people want to help and cheer him along the way.. AND they have offered to make a use to the publicity and take a part of any charity event they asked for... If no organisation is clever enough to use this then its really their shame..
And btw. Culturally we have the most in common to the scandinavian culture because the tight bond with the neighbourland Sweden, which is like our big brother.. Finland's second official language is swedish. So even though Finland is not geographicly a part of Scandinavia, it is still concidered It to be a cultural part of Scandinavia..
I actually switched on his website as 4am TV in Australia is filled with religious nutters and adds for American super carving knife sets and exercisers....
And LO - Behold here he is on a BUSY 2 lane highway... rolling along with heaps of traffic passing him and no way to stay out of the trafic.....
I mean 2 or 3 K an hour.....
I'd like to see him cross Australia from east to west or north to south doing that speed on that machine, he'd be like 300 years old by the time he finished it.
Hmmmmmm it's nice but I think I have better things to do with my time that sit on my arse for 2 months.
as title
He's on a sealed public road. If he had plotted a straight line between the start and finish and then driven exactly down that line then I might be impressed.
A friend went from Sydney, to far north Queensland, australia (cape York) in an early model Holden Camira. The one that blows smoke.
He didn't have GPS covering his trip, he didn't have backup, he didn't have sponsorship, he didn't have a cheap photoshop image of him standing in front of the car with a fake background. And he didn't advertise his choice of vehicle to world+dog.
You want to approach that, then you might impress me.
I don't think the point of the story was so much to impress as to laugh at/with a guy making a two week journey at 2 1/2 mph.
He'll probably go further than England's World Cup campaign.
Actually, I think you'll find that Scandinavia is so-named for the Scandinavian Mountains, which divide Sweden and Norway and then dive underground towards Denmark. Being on a different part of the landmass (physically Asia, as opposed to the penninsula of Sweden and Norway), Finland is only linked culturally and historically to those other nations, and is therefore Nordic (Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Iceland) rather than Scandinavian (geographically Sweden, Norway, Denmark). It's rather like distinguishing Scots, English, Irish and Welsh, but at the same time keeping a seperate distinction of British vs European.
"I've started, so I'll Finnish"
I'll get my knitted sweater with the reindeer pattern on the back
after this guy finishes (Finnishes?) his epic quest, what's he going to do with the rest of his life?
Cheers to him for doing it, though.
I've checked on three consecutive days, and the road is remarkably similar.
Is it on the same set as the Apollo landings?
... one Lapp?
It probably does look very similar, Finland is an extremely dull and repetitive country (at least as far as road travel is concerned). Watch out and see if there's a change of weather this weekend - it's set to rain heavily.
"a small one-man imported Chinese digger"
So how many men does it usually take to import a Chinese digger?


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"With nearly 20 years of traveling down his own versatile and communal road behind him, Harper finds himself sharing the stage with one of the most gifted harmonica players in modern day blues.... A rowdy 10-track set that is as moody as it is delicate, as invigorating as it is subtle
. Harper has never been darker, and Musselwhite's harmonica eagerly plays counselor to the vulnerable nature of the singer's slide guitar."Pop Matters
"'I Ride at Dawn' is a stark reminder of how less is more as Harper's slide enhances the dangerous elements reflected in the song's ominous lyrics. The six-minute title track is classic Harper, marrying a funky bassline with the declaration expressed in the song's title as Musselwhite takes a few licks from Paul Butterfield to edge the track into a laid-back red zone where the singer typically thrives. But the twosome have some fun, too, in particular on the spirited, easygoing, sexed-up blues 'She Got Kick'."All Music Guide

subset: commoncrawl


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Community gathers to remember crash victim
MYRTLE CREEK, Ore. -- Friends and family of the Myrtle Creek woman who died in a car accident on September 5, gathered to remember her this weekend.
Hundreds of people showed up at the Myrtle Creek Nazarene Church on Saturday to honor Chelsea Duffy.
Loved ones spent hours talking about the joy she brought to life.
"She was an amazing mom," said Barbara Duffy, Chelsea's sister. "I knew she'd be an amazing mom, but now I have something to look forward to, because that's one thing that I don't know I could ever beat her at. She was an awesome mom."
Duffy's family has set up a fund to help Chelsea's daughter Zeza go to college someday.
If you want to donate, you can visit any US Bank branch.


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« Exit photo gallery
June & July 2012
A gallery of cartoons by POLITICO's Matt Wuerker.
Uh, sir...
(Cartoon by: Matt Wuerker | Date: Jul. 19, 2012)
More: See all POLITICO photo galleries
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Justin Bieber Fever continues to build toward a fever pitch with a sneak peek at the cover shot of his upcoming book.
The 16-year-old pop star's first book, "Justin Bieber: First Step 2 Forever: My Story," is due out in October. But People magazine published an early shot of the book's cover, which features a message from the 16-year-old: "Lots of exclusive photos just for you. Love Justin xxx."
Fans can expect to read about Bieber's jet-setting lifestyle, his road to stardom (from viral video to meeting Usher in Atlanta) and personal anecdotes about his family and best friends, according to the magazine. The HarperCollins book will also include tidbits about the teen idol's very first date.
The Canadian singer's first hit, "One Time," came out last year and was followed by his platinum-selling album "My World." Bieber, who taught himself to play piano, drums, guitar and trumpet, got his start with a YouTube video that led to a contract with Island Records.


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"A particularly beautiful woman is a source of terror. As a rule, a beautiful woman is a terrible disappointment." (Carl Gustav Jung, in his last interview)
"Every form of addiction is bad, no matter whether the narcotic be alcohol or morphine or idealism." (Carl Gustav Jung)
"He who looks outside dreams, he who looks inside awakens." (Carl Gustav Jung)
"Show me a sane man and I will cure him for you." (Carl Gustav Jung)
"The meeting of two personalites is like the contact of two chemical substances. If there is any reaction, both are transformed." (Carl Gustav Jung)
"We are born at a given moment, in a given place and, like vintage years of wine, we have the qualities of the year and of the season of which we are born. Astrology does not lay claim to anything more." (Carl Gustav Jung)


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http://mmajunkie.com It appears as though Bellator women's 115-pound champ Zoila Gurgel won't have to suffer as much when she returns to the cage.
Following this past Saturday's Bellator 59 event, CEO Bjorn Rebney indicated that his promotion is unlikely to groom a challenger to Gurgel's title for next year.
"My expectation is that Zoila will be back, and she'll be in the mix with some of the best ladies in the world that fight under our banner, but I think it will happen at a weight class probably closer to [125 pounds]," Rebney told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com).
Gurgel won the inaugural Bellator women's 115-pound tournament 13 months ago to become the promotion's first champion in the division. She returned in March as a 125-pounder and won a non-title bout against Karina Hallinan. But prior to a non-title bout against Carina Damm at Bellator 57, she suffered a completely torn ACL that forced her to withdraw from the contest. Her recovery is expected to stretch well into next year.
When contacted today, Gurgel said she all along planned to continue fighting at 125 pounds but didn't want to lose any possible opportunities if Bellator decided to revive the 115-pound division. While Rebney indicated that she couldn't make 115 pounds, Gurgel said that isn't the case.
"I would love to defend my belt again," said the fighter, who went by the name Zoila Frausto until her marriage to fellow fighter Jorge Gurgel. "I never said I don't want to fight at 115 again. I do want at 115, and I want to defend my belt. But the next thing they were talking about was the 125-pound tournament, so of course I want to be a part of that."
When she gains clearance to run by her doctor, Gurgel plans to compete in fitness competitions as a substitute for her time in the cage.
Bellator has yet to announce the weight classes and participants for its sixth season of tournament action, but by all indications, there will be eight-man competitions in the men's bantamweight weight class up to the men's light heavyweight division. Rebney did not mention a specific timetable for a possible women's flyweight tournament.
"Most of the ladies that are fighting for us right now are comfortable fighting at [120 or 125 pounds]," Rebney said. "I think we would just move up and probable reseed everybody and have the ladies go at it again, a lot of the same ladies. Megumi Fujii and Jessica Aguilar and Zoila Fruasto and those ladies are the best in the world. We're very lucky and blessed to have them fighting for this organization."


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debussygirl wrote:I hope that Decode wins best song in the Oscars! It's such an amazing song it should win. With Bella's Lullaby as a runner-up.
Unfortunately, DebussyGirl, they aren't nominated. There are only 3 songs nominated, 1 from Wall-E and 2 from Slumdog Millionaire. Idiots. Maybe we should hold our own Academy Awards, call them the Edwards. Then we know that all the loveliness that is Twilight the Movie would get appropriate recognition.


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He was born Jan. 13, 1929, in Russellville. He attended Russellville High School and was a member of the football team. He was a Marine for eight years. After serving in the military, he worked many years for Time Truck Line.
Funeral service was at 10 a.m. Sept. 13 at John M. Ireland Funeral Home and Chapel in Moore, Okla., with the Rev. Baxter Scroggins officiating.
Pallbearers were the Masonic Lodge Brothers. Honorary pallbearers were Winfred Wright, Karroll Inman, Jonah Miller and Christopher Poindexter.
Arrangements were by John M. Ireland Funeral Home and Chapel in Moore, Okla.


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Rhino in Spring is an integration of the Mozilla Rhino JavaScript interpreter for Java and the Spring framework. It includes a controller component for the Spring Web MVC that allows you to express complex multipage flows in your Web applications as server-side JavaScript programs. You can use all the amenities of a full-blown imperative programming language while designing flows.
novi is a tool for finding the latest-version RPMs in a tree. It can be used to create Kickstart trees or yum repositories that contain the updated RPMS. In the case of Kickstart, this means machines come to life with the updates already applied. Using novi for a yum repository trims the size of the repodata files, which reduces client download and processing time.
cintoo Messages is a framework to make internationalization easier for Java applications. It supports locales for threads, and bundles can be associated with different packages. This allows the usage of different bundles for different parts of the application, such as plugins, an installer, or a logging system. Bundles can be managed and associated with packages without any changes in the code. This makes bundle management and refactoring much easier than with other solutions. cintoo Messages supports global locales for client applications written in Swing or SWT and thread-local ones for serverside Web applications.
The Spring Rich Client Project (RCP) is a sub-project of the Spring Framework. Spring-RCP's mission is to provide an elegant way to build highly-configurable, GUI-standards-following rich-client applications faster by leveraging the Spring Framework. It also provides a rich library of UI factories and support classes. Its initial focus is on providing support for Swing applications, but a goal of Spring-RCP is to be view agnostic as much as possible.
JCons provides a library that bring color to your Java console. The Java console gives no methods to change the foreground or background color. With help of this library, one can make error messages red and success messages green, for example. Most Unix terminals can deal with ESC sequences, so they are used to make the Java console colorful.


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There was a CE Valk found at the Bad Monkey Open this past weekend. We called the number, no answer. If it is yours, please email me at tds [at] fireflydiscgolf.com with the name and number on it. We'd love to get it back to it's owner.
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text:
Buying a new pair of jeans and taking the kids to a party at Russellville's City Park may not seem like activities that relate much to each other — but they're much more interconnected than they appear at first glance.
Many of the city's 14 parks have benefited from repairs, upgrades and additions funded from a portion of the city's one-cent sales tax.
One of the most successful projects, in the opinion of Recreation and Parks Director Mack Hollis, is the composite play structures at City Park, one of which he dubbed a "tot lot" geared toward children ages 2-5.
The story of City Park's transformation is a true rags-to-riches tale.
"That park is packed all the time," Hollis said. "Man, people love it. Before, nobody ever reserved City Park. Now, it's reserved almost every weekend. It's just really popular — everybody really likes it a lot."
The tax extension approved by voters in 2007 stated that for two years, 6 percent of proceeds would be dedicated to a specific set of capital improvement projects for the Recreation and Parks Department.
The development of the list of 23 priority projects was a result of a great amount of public input, Hollis said.
"Every time we apply for a grant, we hold a public hearing," which allowed the department to collect over time a large range of ideas and suggestions from residents, he explained.
The Recreation and Parks Commission took all those ideas and formulated 78-100 project requests. From there, they put the requests in order and "shuffled" them around to determine a list of projects that fit within the department's projected revenue from the sales tax, estimated to be $2.6 million, although actual collections topped $2.7 million.
Some projects were practically a shoo-in, due to the high volume of requests.
"One of the most requested items was a restroom facility at Sequoyah Park," Hollis said. "A lot of people like to have birthday parties there."
After a list was compiled and specifications and price estimates gathered, Hollis said, "We put together a book and went out and started talking to groups to try and get it passed."
With construction on a seventh field at M.J. Hickey Park — also known as project No. 14 — completed last week, only two projects on Hollis' original list of 23 remain unfinished. Improvements at the ski area on the west end of Pleasant View Park include refinishing the parking lot and installing a trail. Asphalt overlay has been completed at the site, but Hollis said he is still working with outside agencies, including the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, to complete the trail, which he hopes to link with another at Illinois Bayou Park, where construction is slated to begin this fall.
The other project is dubbed "park amenities" and is a catch-all category that includes a variety of small improvements and additions across multiple city parks, including park benches, picnic tables, water fountains and grills. Hollis said he expects to have the amenities in place by the end of the year.
Due to his department's thriftiness, Hollis said he anticipates being able to place more amenities than originally planned for. Although some of the Recreation and Parks Department's projects did run over budget, Hollis said most came in under projection.
"We did as much work as we could ourselves to save money," he said. "That's what we do here. We always do what we can to save."
Because funds from the one-cent sales tax are legally required to be used only for the 23 voter-approved projects, Hollis said he plans to ask the Recreation and Parks Commission to use excess funds for park amenities.
Overall, Hollis feels proud of the work his department has accomplished with the one-cent sales tax revenue.
"We've done what we were asked to do," he said. "Actually, we've done more."
Because the regular operating budget for the department doesn't allow room for improvements and upgrades, Hollis said a lot of the projects served to help the department "catch up to where I felt we needed to be all along." He still has a laundry list of improvements he'd like to make, as well as some new additions.
The possibility of those projects — and the future of the city's one-cent sales tax — is uncertain. Renewed in 2007 for six years, the tax is set to expire in 2013. Unless taxpayers vote that year to extend the tax, there will be no more funding for Hollis' vision for his department. And even if the tax does pass, it won't do Hollis any good unless a portion is dedicated to Recreation and Parks projects, of which Hollis has a plethora.
"We identified 78-100 projects, and we've only done 23," he said.
Some of the major undertakings he'd like to see accomplished are lighting for the soccer complex, two additional tennis courts at City Park and the implementation of a city-wide trail system — a goal Hollis has been working toward for more than a decade.
The trail system needs a budget, first and foremost, Hollis said. Some funding can, and has, been obtained via grants, but he said the process would be long and discontinuous to attempt to develop the entire trail system via grant funds. If the one-cent tax was renewed, he said he could develop a plan to install one mile of the trail system each year.
All of Hollis' planning, however, depends on what voters decide when the issue comes back up to vote.
"Without a source of revenue, you can't do them," he said of his ideas and plans for future projects.


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James notes that we might just have exhausted the possible uses of 'progressive':
What's worrying is the way political discourse has become dominated by these non-words. Pace Obama, "change" including "real change", "the change we need" and "now for change" has become ubiquitous. Particularly in the UK a lot of people appear to have mistaken the accoutrements of the Obama brand for the core package and assumed that if you copy the former you will magically get the latter. When people on the other side of the world do this, we call them "cargo cultists" and patronise them.
The important thing about these words, and why they get so overused, is that they sound positive and generically good without really committing the user of them to anything specific. By calling yourself progressive, or using the collective 'we progressives' in your speech, you can give everyone the warm fuzzies – why, of course, I'm progressive, I'm in favour of there being more good things for everyone – while subtly damning your opponents (or anyone outside the 'we') as 'regressives', those silly people who aren't in favour of there being more good things for everyone.
As James notes, one of the problems of using 'progressive' is that it carries with it the idea that every bit of progress takes us towards something better, that idea that history has some inevitable final destination waiting for us where everyone can have all the good things that they want. Not that I'm going to get all Burkean here, but the idea of inevitable progress – and, of course, the idea that we must follow a certain prescribed path to get there – strikes me as wandering into ideas of 'intelligent design'.
But to get back to the main point, it is very easy to slip into using meaningless words and phrases because it's a lot easier than thinking about what you might actually believe. While 'progressive' is increasingly meaningless, my personal bugbear is 'social justice'. I often find myself feeling like Kevin McCarthy in Invasion Of The Body Snatchers when people start using 'social justice' – it seems to be be referring to something vaguely good that everyone wants, but no one is quite able to define what it is to those of us who weren't replaced by a plant while we slept. Like progress, we're all supposed to be in favour of social justice – because who'd want to be a supporter of injustice, especially antisocial injustice? – though I never seem to be able to find a definition of it that amounts to much more than 'good things should happen to good people', and I'm really not sure that 'good things are good' is a workable philosophy.


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Habemus Logo!
Wednesday, March 9th, 2011
These are exciting times for Ubuntu One. Our sync services have become a reliable part of our users' daily activities, people are raving over our new music streaming service, and we're close to launching full-fledged clients for Windows and Android – effectively exposing the extended world of Ubuntu to millions of users for the first time.
We decided to dress ourselves up for the occasion… so our design team jumped at the opportunity and did a fantastic job in coming up with a vibrant new look that captures the choice, convenience and security benefits delivered by Ubuntu One.
Here's a not-so-sneak preview (roll out is happening as I type):
We're also thrilled about the "iconology" representing each Ubuntu One service:
File Sync – the easiest way to keep your files safe and accessible anywhere, anytime – for free on all platforms supported (2GB of storage also included). Currently available on Ubuntu and Windows (in Beta) computers, on the Web and very soon on Android mobile devices.
Music Streaming – our most popular premium service allows you to take your entire music collection wherever you go, without the inconvenience of tethering mobile phones or worrying about local storage. Supports .mp3 and *very soon* iTunes (.mp4) and .ogg formats.
Contacts Sync – We're revamping our Contacts Sync service! Soon, you will be able to sync your Facebook friends, Gmail and mobile phone contacts – with brand new contacts management functionality available from our Web UI. Integration with Evolution Mail on the Ubuntu desktop is also supported.
Music Store – Buy music from the most popular labels and artists and get it delivered directly to your personal cloud. Available only on Ubuntu computers, integrated with the Banshee and Rhythmbox music players.
Bookmarks Sync – a convenient way to keep your Firefox bookmarks in sync across Ubuntu computers.
Notes Sync – If you're an avid user of Tomboy Notes, sync your notes and access them via the Web UI or across your Ubuntu computers. Available only on Ubuntu computers, integrated with the Tomboy Notes application.
Now that we're all dressed up, look out for a number of exciting changes to our Web UI, Ubuntu and Windows control panels as a result of an intensive week of user testing – but more to come on this soon…


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Photo Gallery: Norwich's Charlie Ryan returns to where he wants to be – with his family
PUBLISHED: 14:21 10 January 2014 | UPDATED: 14:21 10 January 2014
Archant © 2014
Charlie Ryan's smile shows he's exactly where he wants to be – at home in Norwich with his family.
Charlie's Angels campaign
Last year the readers of the Norwich Evening News played a huge part in helping to raise £20,000 for the young Norwich City supporter, through the Charlie's Angels campaign.
The response saw fund-raising events and donations pour in, while Charlie was treated to rides in luxury sports cars, a helicopter flight and was even able to be a Norwich City mascot for a Premier League match at Carrow Road.
Mr Ryan said the £20,000 raised by the Charlie's Angels campaign has allowed his family to support two charitable causes.
Some has been used for the Emily and Charlie Fund, which is attempting to raise $135,000 for research into neuroblastoma at Children's Cancer Institute Australia, inspired by Charlie and another young cancer battler in Australia, Emily Turner.
They have also contributed to Bright Blue, a charity which supports sick children and their families in Western Australia.
But some of the money has keep kept safe to help Charlie enjoy time with his family.
His wish this year was to spend Christmas in Costessey, and his parents fought to make this dream come true, flying back from their home in Australia.
But six-year-old Charlie had a relapse and then suffered a stroke on New Year's Eve, exactly three years after his neuroblastoma cancer diagnosis.
Mum Sam Stroud, 37, and dad Tony Ryan, 46, have had to take Charlie to the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital almost daily for platelet transfusions.
Miss Stroud said: "We thought we might lose him on New Year's Eve but he 'did a Charlie' and bounced back again."
Charlie has suffered three relapses since he was first given the all-clear in July 2012, the latest just before Christmas.
Before his stroke, Charlie complained of pain after Boxing Day.
She said: "It has been downhill since then. Each day you just don't know what's going to happen. It's hard to manage – each time you cure it, it just comes back even harder."
Charlie, a Star Wars fan, was last given the all-clear in September after radiation therapy, but the cancer has returned and, with tumours putting pressure on his brain, he has suffered from three strokes in the past six months.
"They told us there is nothing more they can do so there's not much time left unless a miracle comes up," said Miss Stroud. "I think he understands – he has been more cuddly because he knows he is more sick."
The family moved from Norwich to Perth in Western Australia in 2008 for what was supposed to be the start of a bright future.
But in December 2010 they were told the bad news that Charlie had tumours all over his body.
Miss Stroud said: "As a mother I have never felt so hopeless; we can't imagine life without him.
"Sometimes we feel like we've let him down.
"So far he has had this battle for half of his life but still smiles when you ask him to."
Charlie begged to fly to the UK in December, and with the go-ahead from doctors, the family flew from Australia on December 13, and were due to return home on January 8.
Charlie enjoyed the first part of his visit, playing Lego with his cousins and sister Orla, four, and waiting for Father Christmas.
"Even on Boxing Day when we went to Build-a-Bear, he was running around Chapelfield," said Miss Stroud.
But because of Charlie's quick deterioration the family has no plans to return to Australia.
Miss Stroud said: "I don't think we'll get him home now – here is where he wants to be, that's why we came for Christmas.
"He wants to stay here with his nanny and cousins. He had that determination to get here – that's what helped his recovery before."
Mr Ryan said he would like to thank all their friends and family and the staff at the Jenny Lind Children's Hospital in Norwich.
The family also thanked everyone who has contributed to the Charlie's Angels appeal.
Keep up with the latest news about Charlie, fundraising events and details of charities his family is working with by joining the group, Charlie our Superhero, on Facebook.


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Experiment vs. Modelling: What's the problem?
Licensed according to this deed.
Published on
Progress in plasmonics has been greatly assisted by developments in experimental techniques and in numerical modelling. In this talk, I will look at some of the difficulties that emerge when comparisons are made between experiment and theory. Through the use of four examples I will illustrate what some of these difficulties are, both from the perspective of experiments and of modeling. Although there are many aspects to consider, two seem to be of particular concern at present; identifying the most appropriate relative permittivity (dielectric function) to describe the optical response of the metals used, and how best to make space discrete when using nu-merical models that rely on this approach. I will conclude by asking how we might best im-prove simulation techniques and to what use they might be put.
Cite this work
Researchers should cite this work as follows:
- Much of the material discussed here will soon be published as an article by the Journal of Optics A: Pure and Applied Optics.
Birck Nanotechnology Building, Room 1001


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Bookmark Hotels
Rich in history. Artistic. Inspiring.
Hotels with a Bookmark is an association of selected hotels with a (hi)story, which will relate their history during your stay, in a discreet and artistic manner.
The old town of Zurich is full of picturesque nooks. This of course was well-known to the Swiss animal and landscape painter Rudolf Koller, who spent his childhood at the Hotel Adler. It is said that he painted his first impressions on the walls of the room with chalk.
This custom has been turned into a tradition in the Adler by the Basle artist Heinz Blum, who loves Zurich dearly and has transformed every hotel room into a typical Zurich room with his large-format murals: with individual views of the old town of Zurich, these inspire guests to seek out the locations shown and to track down their history.


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Find information on common issues.
Ask questions and find answers from other users.
Suggest a new site feature or improvement.
Check on status of your tickets.
More tags
29 Feb 2008 | Tools | Contributor(s): Baudilio Tejerina, Jeff Reimers
Semi-empirical Molecular Orbital calculations.
KIST/PU Multi-Component, Multi-Functional Nanomedical Systems for Drug/Gene Delivery
0.0 out of 5 stars
23 Oct 2007 | Online Presentations | Contributor(s): James Leary
In this brief paper we describe some of our recent efforts to construct multi-component, multi-functional nanomedical systems for delivery of therapeutic genes. We first describe the general...
Optical and Thermodynamic properties of noble metal nanoparticles. Effect of chemical functionalization.
06 May 2009 | Teaching Materials | Contributor(s): Baudilio Tejerina, George C. Schatz
This laboratory is intended to introduce the student to the use of semiempirical electronic structure methods. In particular, the semiempirical methods will be applied to the study of metallic...
PhotonicsPOS: Particle on Substrate
12 Jan 2015 | Tools | Contributor(s): Rohith Chandrasekar, Urcan Guler, Ludmila Prokopeva, Alexander V. Kildishev
Scattering solutions for a core-shell spherical particle on a planar lamellar substrate


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Falling tree kills Sudbury engineer, 61, in Lenox
LENOX -- An accomplished systems engineer for a major Boston-area technology research firm was killed Wednesday night by a tree that fell on him as he and his wife were walking up Richmond Mountain Road after the James Taylor concert at Tanglewood.
In ruling the death as an accident, Lenox Police investigators said Lester J. Holtzblatt, 61, of Sudbury, was killed when the tree, which was rotted out, suddenly landed on him.
Lenox Senior Police Officer Timothy Sheehan termed the tragedy "an act of God."
Lenox Police said the couple had parked their car at the nearby Kripalu spa's rear lot and were on their way -- single file up the southern side of the roadway -- to retrieve it.
Holtzblatt's wife, Karen, was uninjured and in seclusion on Thursday.
The accident, reported by callers to 911 at the Berkshire County Sheriff's Department, took place just before 10:25 p.m., a few minutes after Tanglewood's Independence Day fireworks display concluded over Stockbridge Bowl.
Taylor's concert ended at about 9:50.
"We were deeply saddened to hear that such a tragic accident happened on Richmond Moun tain Road after last night's Fourth of July concert," said Mark Volpe, managing director of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, which operates Tanglewood. "Our most sincere condolences go out to the family of Mr. Holtzblatt."
First to arrive on the scene was Maj. Tom Grady, the officer in charge of the Sheriff's Department detail for all major events at Tanglewood. He told The Eagle that he and the County Ambulance unit always stationed near the summer festival's main gate were on the scene just moments after 911 calls began coming in.
Lenox Police responded within five minutes, using Undermountain Road as an emergency alternate route, standard procedure when one-way traffic from the main gate up to the center of Lenox is in effect to expedite drivers exiting Tanglewood concerts.
"When we got there, the gentleman was lying under the tree, with no pulse or breathing," Grady said.
Despite CPR that Grady and County Ambulance re sponders administered, Holtz blatt was pronounced dead on arrival at Berkshire Medical Center. His wife was transported separately to the hospital by Stockbridge Police Officer Bruce Stringer.
"He was in cardiac arrest with probable trauma; it was a tragic loss of life," Grady said, describing the portion of the dead tree that struck Holtz blatt as 12 inches in diameter.
A portion of the 20-foot-long tree was being held as evidence at the Lenox police station on Thursday, while the rest remained at the scene.
Grady confirmed that skid marks indicated a vehicle had swerved, hitting the tree lying across the darkened road.
Richmond Mountain Road, which is off Route 183 and becomes Lenox Mountain Road when it crosses into Richmond, criss-crosses the Lenox and Stockbridge town lines three times, according to a map provided by the Stock bridge Board of Assessors.
"A survey would be needed," said Stockbridge Police Chief Richard "Rick" Wilcox, "but it appears that the tree was in Lenox and the portion of the road it hit was in Stockbridge. It's a tragedy all around."
Lenox Department of Public Works Superintendent Jeffrey Vincent agreed, noting that "it's a matter of inches, a complicated location that would require extensive survey work to establish precise accuracy.
Vincent and other officials pinpointed the location of the incident as just east of the entrance to the Boston Symphony's Serenak estate, across from a Kripalu maintenance shed.
Holtzblatt was a resident of Sudbury, a town adjoining Framingham and Concord. He had been employed by the worldwide MITRE Corp., with principal offices in Bedford and in McLean, Va., as a systems engineer in the nonprofit company's information technology division. He began his career there in 1985, and after a hiatus, rejoined the company in 2005, according to Catherine Craw ford, executive director of corporate communications and public affairs.
She said the company, which employs 7,500 scientists, engineers and support specialists, was "shocked and saddened" at the news.
"Les contributed enormously to MITRE's technical capabilities in his nearly 20 years of service," said Bernie Hall, his division manager. "He will be missed by his friends and colleagues in the MITRE community. Our sincere sympathies are with his family during this difficult time."
The company, formed in 1958, has specialized in systems engineering, information technology and enterprise modernization, and has worked with the Defense Department, the Department of Homeland Security, the Federal Aviation Administration, the Internal Revenue Service, the U.S. Courts system, and the De partment of Veterans Affairs.
If you'd like to leave a comment (or a tip or a question) about this story with the editors, please email us. We also welcome letters to the editor for publication; you can do that by filling out our letters form and submitting it to the newsroom.


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University Art had been looking for a space to buy or move into in Palo Alto for the past two years, said Cornelia Pendleton, the store's CFO and daughter of one of the founders. They tried to purchase their current building, at 267 Hamilton Ave., in 2008 but were outbid, she said.
The move is being forced by the building owner's plans to retrofit the Hamilton space, and the store would have had to relocate for at least two years, she said. University Art looked at moving into the old Apple store on University Avenue, but the rent was too high.
It wasn't feasible to stay in Palo Alto, where space goes for at least $4 to $6 a square foot, which is more like $6 to $8 per square foot with taxes, insurance and maintenance, Pendleton said.
"It's very difficult to be a small retailer in today's market. ... Economically it does not make sense. There are guaranteed rent increases in the future. It's not sustainable," she said.
University Art owns its San Jose and Sacramento store buildings.
Pendleton's aunt, Lauretta Cappiello, now 91, and her mother, Virginia Biondi, 89, started the business in 1948 with her grandfather, Anthony Cappiello. The family had moved west from New York.
They purchased University Office Supply store, which was located at University Circle in downtown. In 1957, the store moved to Hamilton Avenue north of Waverley Street and in 1964 to its current location, she said.
Anthony Cappiello died in 1957, but Pendleton's mother and aunt are still on the board of directors.
The store and adjacent The Annex gift store will stay open until the spring.
Pendleton told the Weekly she will miss the ambiance of downtown Palo Alto. She'll miss stepping out the door to talk with merchants or strolling to one of the many restaurants or coffee shops. But Palo Alto's popularity has made it increasingly difficult to find parking in downtown. The new location will have plenty of parking, she said.
The 11,000-square-foot Redwood City store will have an open floor plan, an improvement over the current layout that is divided into small rooms.
"It will be everything we are now, and more. And it's only four miles door to door (from here)," she said.
University Art joins several other downtown retailers that have closed or moved in the past year or whose future is unclear.
In June, Stanford Electric Works, a 99-year mainstay, moved from High Street and Everett Avenue to Mountain View after reportedly being outbid by a $3 million dollar offer for the property from the owner of California Skin Institute, a dermatology chain.
Palo Alto stationer Congdon and Crome, a downtown fixture for 109 years, closed its store on Waverley Street this year.
Empire Vintage Clothing, located at 443 Waverley St., is moving to Mountain View after the Christmas season, the store announced on its website.
The fate of the downtown gift and jewelry boutique Shady Lane, a fixture for 38 years, is up in the air. A proposal to redevelop the 441 University Ave. site went in front of the city's Architectural Review Board last month. A two-story, 24,750-square-foot mixed-use building is proposed.
The architect is the Hayes Group, two of whose modernist building plans have recently been appealed to the City Council and survived.
Owner Alice Deutscher said the store's lease is up in February, and she does not know if they will be allowed to stay on.
"We have known for a long time that the building could be torn down. The writing is on the wall. We're just part of what's happening in downtown," she said.
"We would love to go on and be part of the community as we have. ... People love finding a local store that is connected to a community. There's less and less of that now," she said.
Shady Lane is looking for another place, preferably on University itself.
"It's hard to be off the avenue. It's kept us vital in many ways," Deutscher said.
House of Bagels, which has been in Palo Alto for 30 years, is also looking for a new location. Its building in the 500 block of University Avenue is slated for redevelopment. The new building at University and Cowper Street will include ground-floor retail and office space.
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This is the start of something, namely the 2014 World Cup qualifying cycle.
Bob Bradley's decision to bring a young, inexperienced squad play South Africa in Cape Town's Green Point Stadium on Wednesday (2 p.m., ESPN2, Galavisión) shows that the American coach has his gaze fixed firmly in the future. The group averages less than 24 years old and just over eight caps, with six members seeking their first appearance in the Stars and Stripes.
The inclusion of Juan Agudelo, Gale Agbossoumonde, and Mikkel Diskerud – the former two are still eligible for the U-20 squad – hints that Bradley is thinking at least a bit towards Brazil when the trio could star rather than about next year's Gold Cup. The focus of the 10,000-mile plus trip is to gain experience and indoctrinate some younger players, not getting a result.
Of course, a victory would be nice – it would prevent the Americans' first losing year since 1997 – and a good showing is certainly possible against the 25th-ranked side in the world. The Red, White and Blue squad is young, but a back line featuring Brad Guzan in goal and Clarence Goodson, Jonathan Bornstein and Jonathan Spector in the defense has some experience. They'll be tasked with shutting down Bafana Bafana and former San Jose Earthquakes striker Davide Somma, who wants to "destroy" the US after the coaching staff didn't show interest in the Leeds United forward who moved to America when he was 12.
[inline_node:303740]The American midfield, usually a strength for Bradley, will be a mish-mash. Alejandro Bedoya and Robbie Rogers provide some measure of stability on the flanks, but the central spots are up for grabs. Logan Pause and Brian Carroll, the two oldest players on the roster, will likely begin the match in the middle, but appearances (even starts) by Eddie Gaven and Diskerud wouldn't be a surprise.
Up top, New York Red Bulls phenom Agudelo will earn his first cap less than six weeks after making his Major League Soccer debut. The striker, who turns 18 on Nov. 23, starred during the MLS playoffs and looks to cap off a year of massive improvement with a strong showing in Cape Town. The Colombian-born talent previously played for the U-17 and U-20 side, scoring against Brazil in the Copa Chivas. Robbie Findley, winner of three caps during the 2010 World Cup, will start next to Agudelo.
South Africa were the first World Cup hosts in history to not advance out of the first round, but the side has found renewed success under new manager Pitso Mosimane. They haven't lost in three post-World Cup matches, defeating Ghana and Niger while drawing with Sierra Leone.
Bafana Bafana mix experience and youth, featuring 11 members of the squad that contested this summer's tournament while also including 11 men with less than 10 caps. Steven Pienaar and Siphiwe Tshabalala – he of the wonderful strike against Mexico to open World Cup scoring – will lead the side into battle as the team uses the match to help them build momentum as they continue their campaign to qualify for the 2012 African Cup of Nations.
Projected US lineup
Lichaj - Spector - Goodson - Bornstein
Bedoya - Carroll - Pause - Rogers
Agudelo - Findley
Projected South Africa lineup
Gaxa - Ngcongca - Sangweni - Masilela
Letsholonyane - Modise - Dikgacoi
Pienaar - Tshabalala
United States 2-2 South Africa
Think you know the game? Test your powers of prediction with MLSsoccer.com's new fantasy game, Pro Soccer Picks. Play NOW!


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Flagpole dedicated to memory of Thresher victims
PORTSMOUTH, N.H. (AP) -- The town that's home to Portsmouth Naval Shipyard is dedicating a flagpole in memory of the crew of the USS Thresher a day after an emotional memorial service.
The town of Kittery has installed a flagpole that towers to a height of 129 feet. That's one foot for each of the 129 men who lost their lives.
The flagpole dedication and memorial service mark the 50th anniversary of the sinking 220 miles off Cape Cod.
The loss of Thresher, built at the shipyard and based in Connecticut, remains the worst submarine disaster in U.S. history. The 278-foot-long submarine sank in 850 feet of water, where it remains.
If you'd like to leave a comment (or a tip or a question) about this story with the editors, please email us. We also welcome letters to the editor for publication; you can do that by filling out our letters form and submitting it to the newsroom.


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Oct 2013 Journal
Letters to the Editor
Sir - Anshel Pfeffer ('On 75th anniversary of the Kindertransport, British Jews finding it hard to ask questions', September) bases his criticism of British Jewry in the late thirties on selective sources. It is a general truth applying to wide issues that, in retrospect, more could have been done. But, quite apart from the fact that it is difficult to see any point in raising this issue now, Mr Pfeffer is, in my opinion, guilty of a few tendentious and misleading statements.
He asks: 'Why did it take a particularly violent outbreak of state-sanctioned anti-Semitism to get the British government to change its policies and allow the victims of Nazism into Britain?' and 'Why were the children of the Kindertransport allowed in but their parents consigned to extermination?' Both questions can be answered by a study of the House of Commons debates during that time. Fears of adding to unemployment and a basic opposition to immigration, including some latent (and some open) anti-Semitism, was the prevailing mood. Some leading members of the British establishment even believed that Hitler was a bulwark against Russia and internal communism.
Mr Pfeffer quotes Professor Tony Kushner: '"I raised … the fundamental question of was it the right thing to separate them from their parents and why were they alone …"' This is particularly misleading. Who separated the children from their parents? From my knowledge, the truth is that parents wanted to make sure that their children at least were safe. It was the parents who registered their children with the Kindertransports.
It is all too easy to condemn in retrospect and, if it had any influence on present-day decisions and actions, it would even be a useful exercise - if correct. Unfortunately, that is not the case. Attitudes to immigration have not changed.
Sir - Anshel Pfeffer's article is a timely reminder of the realities behind the rescue of the Kinder. An even larger elephant in the room was the difference in attitudes towards the German and Polish Jews. As flawed as the Kindertransports were, the response was in total contrast to that of the children of Polish-born Jews trapped in France. Despite appeals from no less a person than Albert Einstein to give visas for these children in 1941, nothing happened until after the fall of Vichy and the majority of these children were deported to their deaths in the summer of 1943.
Unfortunately these attitudes appear to continue. We are told that Kristallnacht was the turning point and defining event of the Holocaust. What about the 'stateless' Polish-born Jews deported from Germany weeks earlier on 18 October and left without any means of survival? To misquote the famous poem of Pastor Martin Niemöller: 'First they came for the Polish Jews and I didn't speak out because I was a German Jew. Then they came for me and suddenly I realised they meant me too!'
Sir - Anshel Pfeffer's article reminds me of a Jewish salesman driving home to Golders Green who generously gave me a hitchhiker's lift from outside the camp where I was doing some of my Army National Service in 1958-59.
When, in reply to his question, I said that two of my elder sisters had come over on a child transport - no such word as Kindertransport in his vocabulary - from Berlin in 1939, he replied: 'I've never met anyone like you before!' This was a whole 19 years later at least.
There was never any family secret about the rotten treatment my sisters got from an Anglican clergyman's wife in Liverpool. Or how they were rescued by my eldest sister, then still a teenager. But, to bear out Anshel Pfeffer, I only realised what the worst part of this treatment consisted of when my sister finally told me a few months ago. I had never asked, for fear of upsetting her.
Sir - As we celebrate the 75th anniversary of the Kindertransports, we should remind ourselves of the 10,000 or so German refugees who reached Britain before 1938 and who, for reasons of religious faith or political conviction, had decided that Nazi Germany was no longer a country in which they could live in peace and safety and that abandoning house and home, and in many cases wealth and business, was for them the only option.
Some were fortunate enough to be able to salvage parts of their possessions, and in some cases money, during the emigration process. My parents were not among these. For them, their flight from Germany in 1933 meant exchanging a comfortable middle-class existence for a life of profound impoverishment in countries (Britain and France) which were often unwelcoming - and at times hostile - to penniless refugees. What they did of course salvage was their lives - something which too many of the Kindertransport parents had to forfeit as they became victims of the murderous practices of Nazi Germany.
While we should rejoice in the rescue of 10,000 children in 1938-39, we might also wish to remember that 80 years ago marked the beginning of a new diaspora of German Jews and democrats.
Sir - Eric Elias wrote in your July issue 'I welcome all the commemorative events on behalf of Kinder … Nevertheless, why is no one organising an event for those who travelled the same route at the same time but with no support and on their own?'
Hear, hear!, I say. The answer to his question, probably, is that our journeys were just not so newsworthy and were, I suppose, dull in comparison.
The Kindertransport was horrendously awful for the Kinder and their parents but it has today been turned into an adventure journey. This, of course, is in no way the fault of the Kinder. To the British press, the Kindertransport showed the kindness of the British people to homeless Jewish children - and the press were, and still are, milking it for all its worth. Even the September issue of the AJR Journal devoted no less than four pages to the Kinder plus a couple of letters. Is this not gilding the lily? Sorry to be cynical but don't all these Kindertransport stories tend to hide the fact that the British government turned its back on the Kinder's parents, as did Anglo-Jewry?
Unlike Eric Elias, I was not on my own when I came to England. I had support because I was with my parents. However, I was only three years old and my parents were obviously traumatised and grief-stricken by what had happened to them in Vienna. They survived Kristallnacht but didn't for many years get over the fact that they were refugees in a country where they were penniless and couldn't speak the language. My father, a Viennese-trained doctor, was not allowed to work as a medical practitioner here till 1942. We lived on what we had brought with us, which was hardly anything.
No, we were not interned. No, my mother did not have to work as a domestic servant. No, my father was not one of the professional men who, like so many, ended up washing plates in restaurants. A lot of refugees had it much tougher. But, agreeing with Eric Elias, should not our survival too be celebrated like those of the Kinder?
We came to England in February 1939. My parents are dead but next year, if I'm 'spared', it will be my turn to celebrate 75 years of being here. How about all of us non-Kinder refugees joining up for a big, big party on 3 September 2014? Perhaps the AJR will organise it? If they do, I would be more than delighted if the Kinder came too!
Sir - Ruth David should choose her words more carefully. In her report on the KT Reunion, she arrogantly makes the ridiculous statement that 'we Kindertransportees were the group of immigrants that had done more for Britain than any other immigrant group ever in the UK.' No doubt her own award has given her the grand illusion that the bunch of Kindertransport children grew up to be different or better than the rest of us refugees.
Sir - May I thank the AJR for organising the Kindertransport Reunion and the reception at St James's Palace, and also the stimulating Journal that maintains my sense of belonging - although it seems rather odd to call ourselves refugees when most of our lives have been lived happily as British citizens!
Sir - Even though I have lived in Dublin for over 18 years now, I still receive my monthly copy of the AJR Journal. In the September edition I was saddened to see that both Katia Gould and David Maier have died. I worked at the AJR with Katia for seven years, and met David many times when he would drop into the offices for a chat.
The then editor, Richard Grunberger, and David had a warm relationship. It was a privilege for me to be allowed to share the office as they chatted and laughed. Their humour was always gentle, always clever and, most importantly, always funny.
As I have said before, Katia worked hard during my period of employment at the AJR to turn me from a trainee into a professional. Whether she succeeded or not is not for me to say. However, she never once gave up. I still very much appreciate her efforts.
I would like to send my condolences and respects to the families and friends of these two wise, witty people.
Sir - Why do we continue to honour Hermann Göring by using his catchphrase 'Kristallnacht' when referring to the November pogrom of 1938?
At the time, it was the Nazis who derisively called their pogrom 'Reichskristallnacht' (Night of Broken Glass), which later became known as Kristallnacht for short.
Since then, and unwittingly, the Jewish community worldwide has adopted and perpetuated this Nazi monicker which gleefully celebrated the Nazis' breaking millions of windows in Jewish-owned business premises and homes throughout the expanded German Reich and triggered the arrest and incarceration of thousands of Jewish men and the death of many of them. It also led to the nationwide Jewish community being fined one billion Reichsmarks as a punishment for their 'hostile attitude towards Germany and their abominable crimes'.
Surely it would be better to call a pogrom what it is - a pogrom - and to stop romanticising this terrifying atrocity with the dramatically attractive title of Kristallnacht - Crystal Night.
Political correctness has got itself a bad name, but in this instance it should be harnessed in support of a just cause. Let us campaign to stop glorifying the November 1938 pogrom with the Nazis' chosen title of Kristallnacht and call it what it really was - 'the November 1938 Pogrom'.
Sir – I have for some time been curious as to the motivation of individuals in returning to Germany after the 39-45 war. Some cases are known to me which are logical, such as intermarriages in which the partner has retained the property.
Sir – I would like to take issue with Dorothea Shefer-Vanson's myopic, ill-informed and hugely biased article 'The campaign against Israel in Britain' ('Letter from Israel', August). Ms Shefer-Vanson is evidently one of those who regard every criticism of their country's policies as anti-Semitic and/or pro-Palestinian. I am frequently critical of my government's policies - not least the Blair government's disastrous attack on Iraq - but does that make me anti-British? I would claim the very opposite.
I read The Guardian (the bête noire of the more ardent Zionists in this country) daily and I listen frequently to the BBC's Radio 4 'Today' programme as well as to the BBC's news bulletins (radio and TV). Both institutions have at times been attacked as biased against Israel. In my view, nothing is further from the truth. Indeed, the BBC and its Trustees have not infrequently been accused by pro-Palestinian organisations of what they perceive as a bias in favour of Israel. That suggests, does it not, that the BBC reporting must be about right?
In my view, we should be grateful to both institutions for their independent and courageous reporting - even when it does give an unflattering picture of the way the Israeli (or, for that matter, any) government and its army conduct their business. Sadly, Israeli actions towards the Palestinians, and indeed their own Arab citizens, often leave them wide open to criticism. For example, should the fact that 1,000 new settlement homes, some provocatively in East Jerusalem, were approved at the beginning of the so-called peace talks --- thus virtually scuttling any hope of real progress – be left unreported?
Happily there are Israelis - a minority it is true but one that is all the more important for that - who have the courage to be fiercely critical of some of their government's policies. One of these is Uri Avnery, a veteran liberation soldier, former member of the Knesset and untiring peace campaigner, whose well-informed and often highly critical weekly analyses of Israeli politics would no doubt make Ms Shefer-Vanson blanch. I regard him as a true Israeli patriot whose steadfast advocacy of an equitable two-state solution to the conflict will, I hope, one day prevail.
As I don't read the tabloids (except at the hairdresser's), I wouldn't presume to judge whether or not they are part of this 'campaign against Israel', but I doubt it very much.
Before any reader accuses me of being a 'self-hating Jew' - whatever that may mean - let me assure you that I like to think of myself as a tolerably normal person, who, as a scientist, likes to view our sad world as objectively as possible.
Sir – Lorenz Beckhardt's letter in the August Journal had me turn to the AJR's own Kindertransport research results (free to download and so available for all to analyse, from the AJR website at http://www.ajr.org.uk/kindersurvey). He had given enough data about his father, Kurt, to find other Kinder who indicated in their survey response that they too arrived on 13 June 1939 on the Europa and were taken to Barham House boys' camp, near Ipswich.
In fact, 25 Kinder who had completed the survey had been at Barham House as their first reception camp. Aged between 7 and 15, none of them unfortunately mentioned their ship's name, but 2 (a 13-year-old and a 15-year-old) said they departed from Bremerhaven on 12 and 13 June. One of these came from Berlin and completed the survey in California; the other was from Hamburg and lived in Stroud, England, when he filled in the survey form.
Over 1,000 Kinder from around the world responded to this survey and provided searchable data that allow anyone with an interest in the Kindertransport to find people and facts in this unique and publicly accessible databank.
Sir - We are researching a documentary for the German public TV channel ZDF about the last 'Winton train' that never left Prague on 1 September 1939. Of special interest are the children who were due to leave on that train but were unable to do so. We would be grateful for any documents that could identify these children and those who tried to get them out.
Sir - The Wiener Library and the Department of German at the University of London are grateful recipients as long as one can arrange for volunteers to transport the books to them.


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The reddest, bluest states of 2013
Gallup ranks the 50 states and District of Columbia from bluest to reddest, and it shows Democrats down three states from 2012. Take a look at which states have the most Democrats and most Republicans.
Blue: 8. California
Democratic advantage in percentage points: 18(Photo: Public Domain)
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When Phanaticism Goes Too Phar
It's tough being a performer of any kind in Philadelphia. If you succeed, adoration ensues. When you fail, the fans never forget. This is especially true in Philly sports where the recipe for fandom combines a special cocktail of drunkeness, fanaticism and sadism. But of all Philly performers, is anyone more at risk than the Philly Phanatic?
This man not only serves as a face of the franchise, he also puts himself in harms way on a daily basis. How many times has he been punched, had someone throw up on him or just generally been groped and manhandled? Willingly wading into the sea of Philly fans for 81 regular season home games demonstrates a level of risk-acceptance the general population could never hope to appreciate.
Maybe that's why it's ironic that the Phanatic suffered his most recent injury off the end of a minor league bat rather than at the hands of one of the team's notoriously drunken rabble-rousers.
To all the mascots out there, we salute your willingness to put yourself in the line of fire day in and day out. But Mr. Phanatic, your dedication sets you apart. Be careful out there.


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codemiscs is a collection of exciting, creative, amusing, and innovative commands. It is intended to be fun and useful. It includes a command wrapper (cmd), project generator (mkproject), human language translator (tw), feed reader (rf), images wizard (imgs), colorizer (colorize), slowed down echoer (typewriter), and shell show (show).
Pipadoc extracts extracts special comments out of source files or plaintext files and let one define rules how to bring them into proper order. This is somewhat similar to Literate Programming, but it puts the emphasis back to the code, since the source is not extracted from a given "literate text", but the documentation is extracted from the source and then the structure of the generated documentation is defined by the programmer. Pipadoc is programming language and documentation system agnostic, all it requires is that the programming language has some kind of line or block comments in one can place doc statements. It provides a plugin system where one can extend functionality. Some plugins for asciidoc, index generation, and verbatim code sections are provided.
A partition or disk cloning tool similar to Symantec Ghost.
The most POSIX compliant and fastest known implementation of a tar archiver.


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Free Love: Other Celebrities Caught Grabbing Their Boo's Backsides
- By Bossip Staff
2 of 12
Celebrities Caught Grabbing Butts
Yesterday, Tyga made the news for his grab-happy ways with his boo Blac Chyna. Can you blame him? She's got the goods. But he's not the only one with happy hands.
Celebrities -men and women – love grabbing their boo's bums. And we have the pics to prove it. Take a look at the fun grabbing good times.


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March 19, 2010
Who Loves Extras? New Moon Deleted Scenes!
Edward - Driving Home
Uploaded by twilightbritneyfan. - Check out other Film & TV videos.
Via FierceBitchStew
- Lorabell
P.s. If anyone's heading to the NYC midnight release party at Borders tonight, say hi if you hear a British accent :)
7 comments:
- ShraddhaMarch 19, 2010 at 3:41 PM
In Kel style: I do, I do, I do ooh!ReplyDelete
- AnonymousMarch 19, 2010 at 5:02 PM
Wooooooooooooooooo, I'm so happy! My New Moon DVD came today!! yay three days early and I am going to watch it tonight!!! Sososososososoooo glad i pre-ordered it! xxxxxReplyDelete
- AnonymousMarch 19, 2010 at 7:44 PM
love themReplyDelete
i am really annoyed, my dvd is predicted to come on tuesday, that seems ages ago. :/ x
- AnonymousMarch 20, 2010 at 12:11 AM
ahhhhhh kstews acting sucksssssssss i cant enjoy the filmReplyDelete
Just watched the extended hallway scene and I owe Kstew an apology. I felt that her interactions with Edward lacked the levity that makes B/E so intersting given their many many contrasts of old/young, human/vampire, diner/dinner, but I see now that it was simply edited out. I don't believe every extended scene should have been left in, but THAT one and maybe the extended classroom one should have because it would have because the contrast between their Easy go lucky pre party relationship would have been more of a contrast to his demeanor when he decides to leave her after the party. The way the final NM edit appears if you had not read the books, is that he might have been thinking about leaving her from the beginning of the film just based on how serious and sad they are from the beginning credits. Those are my two cents.ReplyDelete
- AnonymousMarch 21, 2010 at 6:53 AM
what dvd has the Deleted Scenes! i dunno if im blind but i cant find them on my dvddReplyDelete
- kataloogaMarch 21, 2010 at 4:02 PM
I can't find them on my DVDs either...I only have a 6 part thing that talks about the making of New Moon. I'm mad!ReplyDelete


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Recollections white blouse from Crimson Peak seen with Mia Wasikowska (Edith Cushing)
As Seen on Edith Cushing (Mia Wasikowska) in Crimson Peak
VICTORIAN ERA WHISMY : Set in a world of unthinkable terrors, haunted mansions, and Victorian era inspired gowns, Edith Cushing (Mia Wasikowski) is trapped between mystery and madness in the chilling horror fantasy Crimson Peak. In the fanciful, macabre fairytale, she faces the horrors of creepy dolls and homicidal spirits in the English countryside. From the visionary director of Pan's Labyrinth comes a fight between darkness and desire.
Scroll down to see more clothes, outfits and products identified from Crimson Peak.
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Tue Dec 17, 2013 11:51 pm
Wed Dec 18, 2013 9:01 pm
Thu Dec 19, 2013 6:10 am
Thu Dec 19, 2013 9:28 pm
poormadpeter wrote:Let me know what you think!
Thu Dec 19, 2013 9:43 pm
greystoke wrote:poormadpeter wrote:Let me know what you think!
Will do. I was in HMV today and meant to take a look for it, but was really just passing ten minutes or so.
Thu Dec 19, 2013 9:55 pm
Fri Dec 20, 2013 2:55 am
greystoke wrote:The big HMV in Glasgow has a good jazz section also -- they're pretty well stocked on the whole, in fact. Their soundtracks section is also excellent. They could do with a bit more country CDs, but I usually buy from Amazon anyway. But HMV have improved their pricing of late -- especially their five for £30 deals.
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