text:
The customer demands all three--and probably sooner than later.
By Marty McGhie
Many years ago, I observed a sign in a small shop that read:
"Price. Speed. Quality. You may pick two of the three."
At the time I read that sign, our company was quite small,
struggling to keep our key customers happy and grow market
share at the same time. We discussed this as managers and
decided that this could be a worthwhile credo to live by. If, in fact,
we could get our clients to make a choice of two out of three, we
could certainly service them well. For example, if they want the
best price and the highest quality, they would have to live with a
longer than usual timeframe. Or, if a quick turnaround was necessary
but quality still had to
be high, they'd better get out
their checkbooks. And lastly,
if they wanted it fast at the
best price, they would have
to sacrifice quality.
Looking back, we were
na??ve. We soon discovered
that, amazingly enough, a lot
of our customers"?usually
our best ones"?wanted all
three: the highest quality,
produced within the necessary
time requirements, at the best price. And with the development
of the digital world, our wish to provide the "best two out of
three" program completely disappeared.
Today, we all understand and accept that the customer
demands all three. Indeed, if you are unable to provide your customer
with the best product, when they want, at the best price,
you will lose your client"?and probably sooner than later.
Price and the technology factor
Pricing products is one of the most difficult challenges we face.
Technology plays a huge role in your pricing decisions. You may
own brand-new equipment that produces high-quality output at
amazing speeds, which, by itself, would seem to be a great
advantage. But alas, this equipment is probably quite expensive
and your pricing structure needs to take into account paying for
the technology. Conversely, you may find yourself in a price war
with competitors owning old (read "cheap") technology, which is
perhaps less efficient but is already paid for.
It's difficult to know which circumstance would carry the
pricing advantage"?both can be effective. Regardless of which
situation you may be operating within, pricing has as much to do
with understanding the price points in your market and knowing
what each of your key customers is willing to pay.


text:
Yamila Irizarry-Gerould, A11, is recording her time in Cairo, Egypt with her blog, Traveler in an Antique Land. She received a fellowship from the Center for Arabic Study Abroad (CASA) to continue her Arabic studies for the next year in Cairo. She says,
As my Arabic improves, Egypt and the Middle East undergo tumultuous changes. This blog is my attempt to chronicle and share the country's transformations, as well as my own.
She's written about the recent Egyptian election, offering an inside view on the country during this pivotal time. Check out Traveler in an Antique Land for updates on Yamilia's time in Cairo.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Topic: Cannot login to admin panel after password change.
==== Required information ====
- iRedMail version: 0.8.3
- Store mail accounts in which backend (LDAP/MySQL/PGSQL): MySQL
- Linux/BSD distribution name and version: Ubuntu 12.04.2 LTS
- Related log if you're reporting an issue:
I have experienced exactly the same problem as in post " http://www.iredmail.org/forum/topic4052 … sword.html "
After applying the patch I got the following error:
patching file user.py
Hunk #1 FAILED at 306.
Hunk #2 FAILED at 315.
Hunk #3 FAILED at 597.
Hunk #4 FAILED at 615.
Hunk #5 FAILED at 657.
5 out of 5 hunks FAILED -- saving rejects to file user.py.rej
Still cannot login to admin panel as postmaster, although I can login via webmail.
Any solution?
Thanks in advance.


text:
Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images
Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images
It's not easy being a starlet at the 2012 Met Costume Institute Gala—for weeks beforehand you have to live on kale pills and grapefruit water just to get a designer to deem you skinny enough to dress.
Then you have to deal with a parade of bee-yotch face from your peers as they sail by in their Herreras and Thakoons. (Is it me or does every designer label sound like a Napoleon-era ship run by drunken corsairs?)
But you know what really hurts? Having to wear a dress made out of highway pavement reflectors you stole after an all-night bender with Lindsay Lohan. Enter Chloe Sevigny...
Hey, Chloë, we get it—you're an edgy fashion rebel who's made a name for herself by looking like you don't give a damn. But not caring can mean waking up one morning clad in nothing but duct tape and industrial plastic courtesy of your designer friends at Miu Miu.
Sweetie, you're 37, aren't you old enough to remember the last time duct tape and plastic were supposed to be cool? That was a trick question. They were never cool.


text:
LuvTooQuilt is hosting another swap!! .10 1/2" layer cake Swap..
How now BROWN cow !!!! with a twist of Orange....
Swap open for registration until 22nd of October or until 130 sets filled, whichever comes first.....
Each swapper will submit 12 squares of any 1 (one) UN-washed 100% cotton BROWN quality quilting fabric (no flannel, no homespun, no eyelets, and no broadcloth ) ~~<<[email protected]
Squares should be carefully rotary cut from UN-washed 100% cotton fabric. Keep in mind that your squares could end up in a child's quilt. Select fabrics that will hold up to a lot of love, wear, tears, draggin', cuddlin', washing, and trips through the dryer. Fabrics that fray easily, or are fairly easy to see through are not good candidates for this swap.
Please be advised that fabrics that are NOT 51% or more -brown in color, or fabrics that are not square, squares too wonky or too off grain, squares that are shedding, squares that contain selvages, or those that are not 10.5 or larger, will be returned unswapped. Anything less than MY 10.5 measurement will be returned. If you are unsure of your accuracy, over-sized squares will be accepted as they can be cut down to size if needed be. Will accept any squares larger than 10.5 inches... please nothing over 11 inches as they become hard to put in baggies..(If you desire assistance in cutting please contact me. )
Heres how it works: - In your packet to me you will enclose:
~ 1 gallon size Hefty (or the like) non pleaded SLIDER bag with 12 ct 10 1/2 (up to 11) inch squares of ONE fabric for each set
~ Fabric must be UN -washed, ironed and in gallon bags for safe passage thru USPS.
~ Selvages MUST be removed entirely from both selvage ends- Including selvage holes.
~ Please remember that each set MUST be cut from a different unwashed fabric
~ 5-6 sets fit in ONE priority flat rate envelope
~ It is aprox 1 yard per 12ct 10.5 (up to 11I) inch squares - IF your fabric is 44 wide.
~ There is a SIX set limit in this swap plus 6 TWIST(s)
~ INCLUDE your screen name ON your baggies along with SET amounts. *Example- I would like to do 4 (four) sets - ((4 sets mean that you would send 12 ct 10.5 (up to 11 inch squares from FOUR different fabrics for a total of 48 squares, each set in separate gallon size bag(s)) so, written legibly with a sharpie marker or pen, on EACH of my bags will have:
luvTooQuilt X4 (plus 1 twists)
~ You may also include but not mandatory, your real name, mailing address, should your envelope be swallowed by the USPS machines for identification purposes- an adhesive return label perhaps.?. )
~ Please staple a piece of your fabric on the outside of the baggie...A selvage piece with manufacture name of your fabric is required stapled on the outside of the individual baggie for identification purposes.
Also in your package INCLUDE a Sample pieces of each of your fabric ( 2x3 tiny strips pieces from your leftover fabric is the prefect size..) Some of you stapled the pieces to a small piece of cardboard/cardstock/paper with an addtl addy label & board name- (see pic) It is my goal NOT to give you back your fabric square And this aids me keeping track who sent in what since there are over 100 sets
Also in your package INCLUDE in a sandwich baggie: a self-adhesive return address label, and return priority postage AND mandatory delivery confirmation. ($6.05 in Postage stamps, Concealed cash, or Postal Money orders ONLY)... Please remember that if you do not send enough return postage I will hold them until you send the difference. After 30 days, I will donate the unclaimed squares to charity of my choice.
~ DO NOT HIDE POSTAGE IN THE TWIST BAGGIE... I do not look in the baggies, however you may conceal it in any of your MAIN swap baggies..
~DO NOT mail return SAS envelopes!!!!! Postage ONLY please!!! I will not accept stamped envelopes.
***Due to quick turn-around and distance of my bank I WILL NOT ACCEPT PERSONAL CHECKS***
Postage stamps, USPS money orders (or concealed cash at your own risk) will be accepted as forms for postage/shipping costs..
I would like to have these in hand no later than the LAST BUSINESS DAY in October (10/31).
So with a post mark no later than 10/22 that should give the USPS ample time to deliver via parcel post with a few days grace period. After 10/24 PRIORITY is recommended. After 10/27, Mandatory OVERNITE shipping is required.... International members need to send them to me sooner- PM for details
Please remember that any packages received after 10/31 will be automatically returned unswapped. Any member not fulfilling commitment will not be accepted in future swaps and negative feedback will be posted to members account per Moderators requirements.
I will then sort 11/1-11/10 and hope to mail out squares No later than 11/12
Reminders and swap rules can be found here - http://www.quiltingboard.com/t-20154-1.htm
AND THE TWIST ..Orange !!!!
~ONE 2.5x WOF from FIVE different fabrics of any fabrics that are any shade or shades of orange !!!
~ Fabrics must contain more than 51% of any shade of orange...
~2.5 strips must be from 100% unwashed quilting cotton fabs
~NO flannel, no eyelets, no Holiday, Quilting cotton fabric only...
~Please cut carefully - NO V cuts at the folds
Place all FIVE DIFFERENT 2.5xWOF in a SANDWICH or snack size baggie- FLAT and staggered so I can count them.
Label EACH baggie with your board name and twist amount..
EXAMPLE: luvTooQuiltx4 Twists
Max SIX (6) twists per member
*** This TWIST is optional - Not mandatory to participate in the twist to join this swap ***
@@@ Please EMAIL me ALL the info below to : [email protected] @@
Board name,
How many sets you're doing
Your real name
Your mailing address
~ Email in subject line your board name, set amounts, & Twist #- See below for examples of subject lines with and without the Twist...
luvTooQuiltx6 plus 6 twist
@@ After all info has been sent to and recd [email protected] - I will forward email that you have been approved. I will then add you to the list of swappers...Confirmation will be posted on the thread as they come in at end of each [email protected]@@
Any questions please pm me... I'll be happy to assist...
Happy quilting everyone!!!!


text:
Hi guys,
I'm new to c++, I'm trying to print a string to both console and a file at the same time.
I know this works:
but is there a better way to do it without repeat the code? Because the actual stuff I'm going to print is more complicated than the example above.Code://This is just an example cout<<"I want to print "<<3+4<<" in to a file."<<endl; ofstream out("file.txt"); out<<"I want to print "<<3+4<<" in to a file."<<endl;


text:
Red Hot Sunglasses are committed to ensuring your personal information is secure.
We use VeriSign the web's leading most secure online ordering system to protect your payments and personal information.
All online payments are taken through our PayPal payment service. Both are widely used with excellent online reputations and offer buyer protection on all transactions.
We accept all major credit and debit cards.
Red Hot Sunglasses offer Free Worldwide Delivery on all orders and FREE NEXT DAY UK Delivery for all glasses & sunglasses orders over the value of £75 (GBP) when placed before 4pm Monday to Friday. Saturday Delivery and Express Next Day Delivery are also available at an extra cost.
For information about international delivery times and delivery service charges, view our delivery page. Any custom or import duty charges will be charged when the parcel reaches its destination country and will need to be paid by the parcel recipient.
We operate a 14-day full money back guarantee. See our returns page for more information.
Found this item cheaper? Let us know using the form below and we will match/better the price. Please provide a link to the page you have found the product cheaper on.


text:
I'm somewhat new at MFC, so forgive me if I use incorrect terms.
I'm trying to create a "Program Settings" dialog, which enables a user to control various settings for a program I'm making. On the left side of this dialog, there will be a Tree Control with options such as "General Settings" or "Advanced Settings", and under those will be suboptions like "Program Startup", "Settings", etc...
On the right side of the dialog, I'd like to display different pages (aka dialogs w/o frames) that correspond to the tree. They'll have the controls that have the checkboxes and buttons that are relative to the current selected tree item. I'm sure you've all seen this done before, I'm just confused on how I can do this.
Any help given will be greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance,


text:
National Geographic photographer and filmmaker James Balog has recently been on NPR, given a TED talk, and spoken to several news outlets about his film Chasing Ice. Last month he joined us aboard National Geographic Explorer in Antarctica, where we screened his film and he spoke with guests. And this summer, though Balog won't be aboard, Explorer will venture to Ilulissat glacier—where his crew filmed the largest glacial calving event ever recorded.
There is limited space aboard to join us on the expedition, Fabled Lands of the North: Greenland, Baffin Island, Newfoundland & Labrador.


text:
Sol 40 Update on Curiosity from USGS Scientist Ken Herkenhoff: Seeking Diverse Terrain16 September 2012
Once again, the drive went well, and we are 20 meters closer to Glenelg, our near-term goal. The terrain surrounding the rover at the end of the Sol 39 drive is not as interesting as the previous location, so we didn't plan many observations besides those needed to support drive planning. But the plan included some ChemCam observations, as the instrument team is now ready to resume tactical planning. Hooray! The Sol 40 drive will be a bit longer, over 30 meters, and should get us to a low ridge that will give us a better view of the terrain ahead.
I was reminded again today how diverse the MSL team is. Okay, white males make up the majority of the team, but women serve in many of the most important roles, including Mission Manager, Deputy Project Scientist, Tactical Uplink Lead (mostly women), and Science Theme Lead. Most impressive is the number of team members from foreign countries, including Spain, Russia, and France, for whom English is a second (or third) language. They are required to understand all of the team discussions and respond to questions in English, despite the highly technical nature of the subject matter. Some of the engineering jargon is unfamiliar to many of us who are native English speakers! For example, "IPE supra-tactical reported replacement of the MOB backbone in tosol's APAM and deconfliction of the margin after the mobility block." Hard enough to understand when English is your first language--I'm really impressed by the foreign nationals' ability to do such a good job in these conditions.


text:
The Bard's last play–the theater's first work of magical realism. In the aftermath of a shipwreck of his own conjuring, exiled Propero wields magical powers and manipulation to restore his daugther Miranda to her rightful place. His machinations bring about revelations, romance and redemption on a mysterious island. Performed in rotating repertory with Metamorphoses.
More Info: www.playmakersrep.org


text:
When caring out a clean install of 10.1.079.000 from an earlier installed version 10.1.055.000 (I think) I used the new ZA cleaning tool (in safe mode). Installed and rebooted I was surprised to find that I had a ZA icon in my system tray with a red X and a message "Zone Alarm your protection has expired" Clicked on about information set out below shows an old expired Licence Key:
ZoneAlarm Extreme Security version: 10.1.079.000
ZoneAlarm license key: ** removed ** - DO NOT POST YOUR LICENSE KEY IN A PUBLIC FORUM
ZoneAlarm Browser Security: 1.5.350.0
ZoneAlarm ForceField Spyware Scanner: 1.5.350.0
ZoneAlarm ForceField Anti-Phishing Database: 22.214.171.124
ZoneAlarm ForceField Spyware Sites Database: 04.155
So I thought good just change the Licence key to my current one but the "show Monitor" is greyed out so I can't open the monitor to update the key. I next down loaded the instruction to manually clean up ZAES and reinstalled same issue. Also clean installed a previous version of ZASE same issue
Can any one help?
Desktop running WINXP SP3 2.99Ghz 3.25 MB RAM - All critical MS updates installed.
Also ran this by ZA support they insisted the cleaner tool would solve the problem but unfortunately to tool did not.


text:
Back in May 2005 when EventDV was still in launch mode, I attended a WEVA Town Meeting in Chicago. It was a cool event for me because it gave me my first opportunity to talk with Brett Culp and Monica Arellano Crafts of Creative Video Productions (now Brett Culp Films), Lance Gray of PixelPops Design, and local hero Kris Malandruccolo of Elegant Videos by Kris, who had just become the first wedding videographer interviewed in U.S. News & World Report.
Times have changed a great deal for event videographers and cinematographers in the last four years, and, truth be told, the times they were a-changing then: WEVA was in the process of phasing out the Town Meeting model in favor of other ways of connecting with members between Expos, and that 2005 event turned out to be the last Town Meeting held in Chicago.
Undaunted, the Illinois Videographers Association (IVA) started its own annual event, IVA Midwest Expo, in 2007, and if the 2009 installment is any indication, it's been a rousing success. Held May 20 at the William Tell Holiday Inn in Countryside, Ill., the one-day conference program not only delivered a strong mix of nationally recognized local talent (Furlavision's Chris Chibucos, Keith Kelly of Innovative Communications, and Steve Zagata of Video Active Productions), but also two presenters from one of the hottest studios on the planet, Patrick Moreau and Michael Y. Wong of StillMotion. But perhaps the real "find" of the show was Kevin Shahinian of Pacific Pictures, who set the wedding concept film on its ear with his late-2008 Bollywood short, Tum Hi Ho, and was making (to my knowledge) his debut as a presenter in our industry.
Concept Love Story master and EventDV 25 honoree Chris Chibucos kicked off the day with a presentation called "HD in the Real World" that did a great job of breaking down and demystifying HD production for the 70+ attendees, touching on format differences, shooting tips, applying filters such as Sapphire GenArts and Boris's skin softening filters effectively in post, and concluding with Blu-ray authoring and delivery. Chibucos also showed a number of arresting HD clips that underscored why his company has been so successful, and has transitioned so smoothly into the HD era.
StillMotion followed with "The Art of Wedding Cinema," with Shahinian chiming in with color commentary. The two-part presentation (two 90-minute sessions with lunch in between) focused on several of StillMotion's recurring themes, including storytelling, customizing every production to the bride and groom and your understanding of who they are, and approaching events as a cinematographer making a film rather than simply a videographer there to record what happens. While discussing the advantages of using different lenses to get the types of shots you want and to convey the story you want to tell, one of the most interesting points they made in the presentation concerned mastering the equipment you have before going out and buying more expensive gear. "When you know how to use your shutter speeds and focal lengths to tell a story," Moreau said, "you don't need the best toys." Shahinian added, "The story will dictate the equipment you need."
While discussing the advantages of shooting with 35mm adapters and cameras like the Canon 5D Mark II that enhance a shooter's ability to control depth of field, Moreau encouraged attendees not to do snazzy DoF tricks simply because they look cool. "What does shallow depth of field add?" he asked. "Why do we use it? Are we trying to highlight the subject or hide what's behind them so we can rack-focus to it to tell a story or preserve mystery?" Emphasizing the shooter's need to know the "motivation" behind each shot, Wong said, "We isolate the attention of the viewer to heighten the emotional impact. It mimics the way the human mind works," he explained, seeing and focusing selectively, and hiding what will be revealed later.
Expanding on the notion of motivated shots in the afternoon session, Moreau said, "A lot of us fall into a trap where we use black and white, slo-mo, fisheyes, etc., in ways that aren't motivated." Cautioning in particular against the overuse of slo-mo, Moreau explained, "I've only got 4 minutes to convince you to hire me when you see clips on my website. I don't want to show you the same thing for too long."
After a word from the event's sponsors (Canon, Grass Valley, Panasonic, and a handful of others), the program rolled on with "Booking Your Top Package Every Time," an insightful sales seminar from the IVA's own Keith Kelly of Innovative Communications. "Since I started my current method of selling back in 2000," Kelly said, "I've booked around 80% of the couples who've walked in the door, and all but one couple have picked my best package."
Kelly touched on a number of elements in his sales setup and approach, with tips on the sales environment. One interesting tip concerned the Superman memorabilia collection that Kelly keeps on proud display in his home studio, which clients see immediately when they come in. "Superman has nothing to do with weddings, per se," he explained, "but it does show a sense of nostalgia, creativity, and uniqueness-all of which help to paint a unique portrait of myself and of Innovative Communications. It's also something that many clients go 'wow' over, and it makes them forget for a bit that a salesman is going to try to talk them into spending several thousand dollars."
Kelly also encouraged attendees to get prospects into the studio for a demo to move beyond the impersonality of choosing a videographer based on what prospects see online--and the difficulty of booking high-end packages based on that sort of comparison-shopping. "Unless the bride and groom are very strongly recommended by a close friend, a relative, or a bridal consultant, the first thing they'll do after checking your site is to go web surfing and compare packages. If they find samples that look comparable, and the prices are lower, you'll probably lose the customer ... I think we all know that our work is not generic, and that there are as many different ways to produce wedding videos as there are stars in the sky. Yet the web reduces most work to the lowest common denominator. "
Kelly also walked attendees through right and wrong strategies for the initial sales calls, and brought up a "bridal couple"--ably portrayed by Barb and Scott Scheman (IVA Treasurer and VP, respectively)--to demonstrate his in-studio sales process. Key to it all, he said, is to "get them talking": "Shut up and listen and let them tell you how to sell them."
Kelly concluded with a few words on defining packages, asking for the sale, and the "soft close": "My key objectives are to make them feel good about possibly choosing me, and also to leave them with a tear in their eye ... If you do it right ... they will book you, and they will book your top package."
Next up (after dinner) was L.A.-based Kevin Shahinian of Tum Hi Ho and Production Diary: Tum Hi Ho fame, introduced by IVA president Keith Anderson as "wedding video's most eligible bachelor." Shahinian described an approach to wedding filmmaking that would probably have been unthinkable to most people in this industry a half-decade ago. His primary topic was how to produce and sell the sort of concept films on which he's built his reputation. While acknowledging that his studio didn't make money off of Tum Hi Ho, it's enabled him to sell the several high-end projects he's booked since then. To book these sorts of projects, he said, "You cannot think of your market as the 20 miles around your house ... Market in L.A. Poach my clients ... Start thinking globally and you'll run out of excuses." He also explained that selling the first concept film won't be a case of the bride and groom coming to you and asking for it; "It will be a conversion."
Other key talking points in his seminar included the advantages of writing a shooting script in "screenplay format" in order to know how long your film will be and how to budget it; scouting locations for sight and sound; and tips on writing for non-actors and directing them. This last topic was perhaps the most valuable part of Shahinian's talk, since the performances he draws out of his actors is one area in which his work has clearly set a new standard for our industry.
Closing out the night was the IVA's own Steve Zagata of Video Active Productions, speaking on the different mindset an event videographer needs to adopt when switching into corporate work (or combining the two). My ride to Madison departed after Shahinian's seminar, so Reel Deal columnist and IVA president emeritus Kris Malandruccolo reported on the key points of Zagata's talk: "Steve likes corporate work because he gets the weekends off. He said it is really hard to do both corporate and weddings because then you are working all the time! He said you need a different mindset when migrating over to corporate. You need to learn how to juggle, be a politician, organizer, planner, and a leader, not a follower. You also get more creative freedom, more repeat business, better networking, and more money."
Stephen Nathans-Kelly (stephen.nathans at infotoday.com) is editor-in-chief of EventDV and program director EventDV-TV.


text:
Topic: Fail2ban blocks entire server after reboot
==== Required information ====
- iRedMail version: 0.8.3
- Store mail accounts in which backend (LDAP/MySQL/PGSQL): LDAP
- Linux/BSD distribution name and version: Ubuntu 12.04
- Related log if you're reporting an issue:
I have iRedMail installed since 3 months and generally it works perfectly.
However, the fail2ban service is enabled by default and it after 20-45 minutes blocks access of every user, and they cannot receive or send any mail.
If I disable fail2ban (service fail2ban stop), then it's all fine again.
On every reboot I have to say "service fail2ban stop" to prevent this from happening.
I am not familiar very much with fail2ban and I haven't changed the default configuration. Can you tell me what i should be looking for?


text:
Recently on blowout, a card came to my attention that has a lot of people questioning what is going on. This Chris Johnson national treasures auto is up on eBay, slabbed from BGS, thus begging the question of where it came from and if it is real. See, the reason there is a question about this card stems from the fact that Panini did not release any Chris Johnson national treasures cards, let alone one that has been around long enough to have it graded.
Chris Johnson's lack of available stickers did not allow for an inclusion in Contenders or National Treasures, and its rare that a card like this just pops up out of no where. Even when seeing the card, there are questions I have for sure, mainly having to do with the autograph on the card itself. Its hard to fuck up a fake autograph of one of the NFL's worst signers, but this one managed to do it. Im just wondering if someone got a blank card by accident and slapped a fake sticker on it. Because the card said autograph on the back, and the missing sticker had been replaced with a real one, Beckett's people werent smart enough to reject it (typical). I also think that the card was slabbed to begin with in order to fend off questions of authenticity, as most people arent smart enough to believe that BGS is as falliable as they are.
Bascially, someone at Panini has some explaining to do, more so if more of these cards show up.


text:
According to Pittsburgh Steelers' defensive end Brett Keisel, Brett Keisel has the greatest beard in the history of mankind. What's more, we're kind of inclined to believe him.
Since starting it after a hunting trip with his father in June, Keisel's beard has become the stuff of legend. It is now a massive, reddish beard--named, according to Keisel, "The beard," or "da beard"--somewhere between that of a Civil War general and a viking. Or, a young and really jacked Santa Claus. At any rate, clearly awesome.
Tee shirts, reading "Respect the beard, fear the Diesel," are available for purchase on Keisel's website--all the proceeds from which will go to Cystic Fibrosis research--and The Beards' Facebook page has more than 22,000 fans.
With such intrigue surrounding Keisel's mega-beard--and Keisel's frank, tongue-in-cheek approach to questions about it--it's not a great surprise that the face-pelt was a favorite topic among reporters at Cowboys Stadium on Tuesday for media day. Question ranged from upkeep, to the beard's supposedly magical properties, to a controversy that the defensive end would like to dispel.
"People are saying that I'm taking beard-enhancing drugs," he said, per Yahoo! Sports, "but I'm not."
Ah, but all good things must come to an end. Keisel's wife left him a razor in his stocking for Christmas, and though he has no designs on using it before the Super Bowl on February 6, he admits that, after the big game, the beard will be gone sooner than later.


text:
The old thread is more than full, so here's a shiny new one.
As far as I see it, the last questions have all been answered, so on you go with all questions regarding all things that are British.
The old thread is more than full, so here's a shiny new one.
As far as I see it, the last questions have all been answered, so on you go with all questions regarding all things that are British.
I'm writing a story where I need the Minister to have people, I'd normally call ministers, like Minister of Education, etc, and I've realised I know too little about British governmental system. So here I have several questions.
1) Do I understand correctly that Foreign Secretary in Britain is basically the same thing as a Minister of Foreign Affairs in a country that has a president?
2) I know that in Britain there are Foreign Secretary, Home Secretary, and so on. Are they all Secretaries of State? Or does that title mean some other, specific post?
1) Do I understand correctly that Foreign Secretary in Britain is basically the same thing as a Minister of Foreign Affairs in a country that has a president?
Yes, that's correct.
2) I know that in Britain there are Foreign Secretary, Home Secretary, and so on. Are they all Secretaries of State? Or does that title mean some other, specific post?
Here's a list from Wiki
~Carole~Current positions
Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (usually referred to as the Foreign Secretary) (1782; took current name 1968)
Secretary of State for the Home Department (usually referred to as the Home Secretary) (1782)
Secretary of State for Scotland (1926)
Secretary of State for Education (2007, took current name 2010)
Secretary of State for Defence (1964)
Secretary of State for Wales (1964)
Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1968 both Minister of Labour and Minister of Social Security elevated to Secretary of State running separate departments; departments merged with current name 2001)
Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1972)
Secretary of State for Transport (1976; name not used 19791981; subsumed in other Departments 19972002)
Secretary of State for Health (1988)
Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport (1992; took current name 2010)
Secretary of State for International Development (1997)
Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (2001)
Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (2006)
Secretary of State for Justice (2007)
Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills (2007; took current name 2009)
Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change (2008)
The honorific title First Secretary of State is awarded occasionally. It has been in existence since 1962 and has been in continuous use since 2009.
Thank you so much, Carole! I actually tried to google the topic, but there was too much information and it got really confusing. I've no idea why I didn't look into wiki. I usually do.
Everything's cleared up now, thanks!
I've got two questions:
Do Brits still use answering machines (y'know, those desk phones that require a connection and all) or is it just mobile phone usage these days?
Where do the British film stars generally live? Like in the USA, you can usually find them in LA. In India, they usually live in Mumbai. So... where (in England, specifically) can you find them?
Thank you in advance.
People still have answering phones at home, and in offices, but most people would also check the mobile and/ or leave a message on that.
Most actors live in London, or at least do until they've "made it". I'm not sure exactly what you mean by "find them". I've heard it's practically impossible to go to LA and not see a celebrity, whereas I've lived in London most of my life and whilst I've seen a fair few it's not like you see one every day. I've never seen ALan Rickman even though he lives only a few blocks from me.
Banner by Minna.
Regarding where actors live. It really depends what sort of actor they are. For instance, if they're in a soap opera based in the North of England, then they generally won't live in London.
I live near a few famous (ish) people. Some are TV reporters and some are actors. I see some of them quite a bit, but it's all very casual. You don't get them being chased by the paparazzi because they're very normal people. Most celebs in UK (unless they're a Premier League footballer, or an ex Big-Brother contestant) go shopping etc with no fuss whatsoever.
If you want to go lookfor a celeb then you could do no worse than take a walk through the trendier areas of London like Notting Hill, or in expensive shops (Harrods, Selfridges), or try the apparent exclusive clubs, bars and restaurants,
I still have an answering machine at home. I don't want everyone to have my mobile number, so I leave my home number for most people.
Thank you Carole and welshdevondragon, for your help! And I guess Mumbai's the only place where you could have stayed 19 years and still have seen just three or four celebs.
However, there is another question: How does the weather in London get by the end of May?
Thanks once again, guys!
We've just had the driest (and possibly warmest) April on record. May is, usually, warm and the weather fairly good (but we had a ground frost the night before last). We'll get rain (but probably not much) for about ten days (only a couple of inches over the month and temperatures will rance from 6-16 degrees. They are average max and min, so it could get hotter and it probably will as june approaches.
Remember, scotland is colder (if your story is set in Hogwarts, it won't be that warm, and it will probably be wetter.
This is more geared toward the women here - What would a young woman Londoner wear in the summer? This is for current times. I have a character with a Muggle-born friend being schooled on what to wear because they're going to be staying in Muggle London for some time. I have them wearing shorts quite a bit, but I think I remember reading somewhere that Londoners don't wear shorts very much. Now, this fact could be entirely false, but being from America I really don't know for sure.


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Clint Mephisto's Road Show Episode 186
Clint Mephisto's Shit Kickin Road Show Episode 186 week of February 14th. Your ol' drinkin buddy Clint rustles up a Hellfire Hootenanny with old school classics from Johnny Paycheck, Kyu Sakamoto and Ernie Chaffin along with modern classics from Black Cats, The Goddamn Gallows, Deke Dickerson and more!
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:27:33 — 80.2MB) | Embed


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§3301. Congressional findings and declaration of policy
(a) Findings
The President having terminated governmental relations between the United States and the governing authorities on Taiwan recognized by the United States as the Republic of China prior to January 1, 1979, the Congress finds that the enactment of this chapter is necessary-
(1) to help maintain peace, security, and stability in the Western Pacific; and
(2) to promote the foreign policy of the United States by authorizing the continuation of commercial, cultural, and other relations between the people of the United States and the people on Taiwan.
(b) Policy
It is the policy of the United States-
(1) to preserve and promote extensive, close, and friendly commercial, cultural, and other relations between the people of the United States and the people on Taiwan, as well as the people on the China mainland and all other peoples of the Western Pacific area;
(2) to declare that peace and stability in the area are in the political, security, and economic interests of the United States, and are matters of international concern;
(3) to make clear that the United States decision to establish diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China rests upon the expectation that the future of Taiwan will be determined by peaceful means;
(4) to consider any effort to determine the future of Taiwan by other than peaceful means, including by boycotts or embargoes, a threat to the peace and security of the Western Pacific area and of grave concern to the United States;
(5) to provide Taiwan with arms of a defensive character; and
(6) to maintain the capacity of the United States to resist any resort to force or other forms of coercion that would jeopardize the security, or the social or economic system, of the people on Taiwan.
(c) Human rights
Nothing contained in this chapter shall contravene the interest of the United States in human rights, especially with respect to the human rights of all the approximately eighteen million inhabitants of Taiwan. The preservation and enhancement of the human rights of all the people on Taiwan are hereby reaffirmed as objectives of the United States.
Effective Date
Short Title
Executive Order No. 12143
Ex. Ord. No. 12143, June 22, 1979, 44 F.R. 37191, which provided for facilitation of the maintenance of commercial, cultural, and other relations between the peoples of the United States and Taiwan, was superseded by Ex. Ord. No. 13014, Aug. 15, 1996, 61 F.R. 42963, set out below.
Ex. Ord. No. 13014. Maintaining Unofficial Relations With the People on Taiwan
Ex. Ord. No. 13014, Aug. 15, 1996, 61 F.R. 42963, provided:
In light of the recognition of the People's Republic of China by the United States of America as the sole legal government of China, and by the authority vested in me as President of the United States of America by the Taiwan Relations Act (
1–101. Exclusive of the functions otherwise delegated, or reserved to the President by this order, there are delegated to the Secretary of State ("Secretary") all functions conferred upon the President by the Act, including the authority under section 7(a) of the Act [22 U.S.C. 3306(a)] to specify which laws of the United States relative to the provision of consular services may be administered by employees of the American Institute on Taiwan ("Institute"). In carrying out these functions, the Secretary may redelegate his authority, and shall consult with other departments and agencies as he deems appropriate.
1–102. There are delegated to the Director of the Office of Personnel Management the functions conferred upon the President by paragraphs (1) and (2) of section 11(a) of the Act [22 U.S.C. 3310(a)]. These functions shall be exercised in consultation with the Secretary.
1–103. There are reserved to the President the functions conferred upon the President by section 3 [22 U.S.C. 3302], the second sentence of section 9(b) [22 U.S.C. 3308(b)], and the determinations specified in section 10(a) of the Act [22 U.S.C. 3309(a)].
2–201. Pursuant to section 9(b) of the Act [22 U.S.C. 3308(b)], and in furtherance of the purposes of the Act, the procurement of services may be effected by the Institute without regard to the following provisions of law and limitations of authority as they may be amended from time to time:
(a) Sections 1301(d) and 1341 of title 31, United States Code, and section 3732 of the Revised Statutes (41 U.S.C. 11) to the extent necessary to permit the indemnification of contractors against unusually hazardous risks, as defined in Institute contracts, consistent, to the extent practicable, with section 52.228-7 of the Federal Acquisition Regulations;
(b) Section 3324 of title 31, United States Code;
(c) Sections 3709, 3710, and 3735 of the Revised Statutes, as amended (41 U.S.C. 5, 8, and 13);
(d) Section 2 of title III of the Act of March 3, 1933 (41 U.S.C. 10a);
(e) Title III of the Federal Property and Administrative Services Act of 1949, as amended (41 U.S.C. 251-260);
(f) The Contract Disputes Act of 1978, as amended (41 U.S.C. 601-613);
(g) Chapter 137 of title 10, United States Code (10 U.S.C. 2301-2316);
(h) The Act of May 11, 1954 (the "Anti-Wunderlich Act") (41 U.S.C. 321, 322); and
(i) Section (f) of 41 U.S.C. 423.
2–202. (a) With respect to cost-type contracts with the Institute under which no fee is charged or paid, amendments and modifications of such contracts may be made with or without consideration and may be utilized to accomplish the same things as any original contract could have accomplished, irrespective of the time or circumstances of the making, or the form of the contract amended or modified, or of the amending or modifying contract and irrespective of rights that may have accrued under the contractor [contract] the amendments or modifications thereof.
(b) With respect to contracts heretofore or hereafter made under the Act, other than those described in subsection (a) of this section, amendments and modifications of such contracts may be made with or without consideration and may be utilized to accomplish the same things as any original contract could have accomplished, irrespective of the time or circumstances of the making, or the form of the contract amended or modified, or of the amending or modifying contract, and irrespective of rights that may have accrued under the contract or the amendments or modifications thereof, if the Secretary determines in each case that such action is necessary to protect the foreign policy interests of the United States.
2–203. Pursuant to section 10(a) of the Act [22 U.S.C. 3309(a)], the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the United States ("TECRO"), formerly the Coordination Council for North America Affairs ("CCNAA"), is determined to be the instrumentality established by the people on Taiwan having the necessary authority under the laws applied by the people on Taiwan to provide assurances and take other actions on behalf of Taiwan in accordance with the Act. Nothing contained in this determination or order shall affect, or be construed to affect, the continued validity of agreements, contracts, or other undertakings, of whatever kind or nature, entered into previously by CCNAA.
3–301. Agreements and arrangements referred to in paragraph (B) of President Carter's memorandum of December 30, 1978, entitled "Relations With the People on Taiwan" (44 FR 1075) shall, unless otherwise terminated or modified in accordance with law, continue in force and be performed in accordance with the Act and this order.
William J. Clinton.


text: It'll always get you some respect from the cops, if you've got the right attitude, whether you're right or wrong in the incident. I've had so many warnings, just being well mannered. Call it what you want, luck or whatever, it simply works most of the time. Boy, I've been busted speeding, dead to rights a few times and got OFF with warnings, way over the limit! New Mexico, the last time. Happy Trails, Randy


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KEXP Reviews
|Browse by one of the following:
- (Lakeshore)
A charming debut album of indie guitar-pop from this nine-piece Swedish band, combining fuzzy guitar riffs with catchy hooks, handclaps and killer choruses in buoyant pop songs that show influences ranging from Television Personalities to Phil Spector. The fairly lo-fi production doesn't detract from some of the most effervescent pop you're likely to hear this year. 9/1/2004 - Don Yates


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The Crew's starting midfield of Dominic Oduro, Danny O'Rourke, Tony Tchani and Eddie Gaven in last week's 3-0 win against D.C. United could go unchanged ahead of Saturday's match against the New York Red Bulls (4:00 p.m. ET/NBC Sports Network) after a strong performance against United. If Robert Warzycha does keep the same four players in the midfield, all four players will be facing their former team. Each midfielder has spent time at some point in his career with Major League Soccer's New York franchise, whether it be the Red Bulls or MetroStars incarnation.
Dominic Oduro
A newcomer to the Crew, Dominic Oduro has already played more than double the matches for the Black & Gold than he did for the Red Bulls. The Ghanaian speedster was briefly with New York during the 2009 season, in-between stints with FC Dallas and the Houston Dynamo.
Danny O'Rourke
Traded to the Red Bulls from the San Jose Earthquakes following his rookie season, O'Rourke appeared 28 times during the 2006 season for New York. The following offseason, O'Rourke was taken in the 2006 Expansion Draft by Toronto FC. Before he ever moved to Toronto, the Crew acquired the midfielder and goalkeeper William Hesmer for partial allocation. The rest is history.
Tony Tchani
Selected 2nd overall by the Red Bulls in the 2010 MLS SuperDraft, Tchani made 29 appearances for New York before being traded to Toronto FC in exchanged for Dwayne De Rosario in 2011. Tchani was dealt again in the 2011 season to the Crew for Andy Iro and Leándre Griffit. He has gone on to make 27 appearances for the Black & Gold.
Eddie Gaven
The then-New York/New Jersey MetroStars selected 16-year-old Eddie Gaven 12th overall in the 2003 MLS SuperDraft. Following three seasons, the MetroStars traded Gaven to Columbus in exchange for Edson Buddle. Gaven has gone on to make over 200 appearances for the Crew since 2006.
|With CLB (Win pct.)
|With NY (Win pct.)
|Dominic Oduro
|8 Appearances - 4 Goals, 0 Assists (.563)
|3 App - 0 G, 0 A (.167)
|Danny O'Rourke
|133 App. - 0 G, 7 A (.598)
|28 App - 0 G, 2 A (.482)
|Tony Tchani
|27 App - 2 G, 2 A (.500)
|29 App - 1 G, 3 A (.569)
|Eddie Gaven
|205 App - 35 G, 24 A (.543)
|69 App - 16 G, 12 A (.486)


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copyright the Chronicle November 12, 2014
by Paul Lefebvre
Between sunrise on Saturday, opening day of rifle season on deer, and closing day at sunset on November 30, hunters will lose roughly 30 minutes of hunting time.
That's because they can hunt deer from 30 minutes before sunrise and 30 minutes after sunset during the 16-day season.
But sunrise on November 15 comes at 6:45, or 19 minutes earlier than it does on Sunday, November 30 — the last day in the season.
A comparable loss in time occurs at sunset. On Saturday the sun will set at 4:21 compared to 4:10 on the last day of month. Added together and that's a loss of 30 minutes in real time.
Will it make any difference in hunters' success rate? Probably not.


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I just got off work, thought I'd post something about that new cool comic from The Oatmeal, and discover that Clarke beat me to it. On my own blog!
Oh, well, it's worth mentioning twice, and I'll just highlight a different panel from it. This is how I feel about youtube comments:


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Pain in Spain spills on to the streets
Protesters take to the streets in the Spanish capital as the pressure grows on prime minister Mariano Rajoy to follow Greece, Portugal and Ireland and accept a full sovereign bailout for the country
THE THOUSANDS gathered outside the Spanish assembly in central Madrid chanted "You do not represent us", "This crisis is theft" and "The delinquents are in the parliament" on Wednesday night.
Raul Piñuela, a 33-year-old teacher, protested at the Plaza de Neptuno at what he says are costs, including the bailout of profligate Spanish banks, that the Spanish people should not be paying for.
Government cuts have taken 15 per cent out of his wages and he has also lost medical insurance and travel and social benefits over that time. The cuts have left people struggling to pay their bills, he says.
"We are paying for something we have not done – we are paying for something we shouldn't have to," he says, complaining about higher and new taxes the government has introduced.
The pressure on Spanish prime minister Mariano Rajoy has grown to follow Greece, Portugal and Ireland and accept a full sovereign bailout for the country from the European Union and the International Monetary Fund – beyond the bailout of up to €100 billion for Spain's banks agreed last June.
His problems have been compounded by violent clashes between anti-austerity protesters and police on Tuesday night and a constitutional crisis over Catalonia, which has called a snap election for November in what is seen as a referendum on independence from Spain.
While the country's most economically powerful region, it is also the most indebted and has sought a €5 billion bailout from Madrid. Two other autonomous regions, the Basque Country and Galicia, will hold elections on October 21st.
Rajoy's regional woes increased further yesterday as Castilla La Mancha, run by his own centre-right Popular party, sought a €850 million bailout, becoming the fifth indebted Spanish region to seek help.
Figures this week showed that Spain's recession is deepening and that the country will struggle to meet a deficit target of 6.3 per cent for 2012 given the performance of the economy this year as Madrid tries to grapple with a run on its banks.
The flight of capital from the Spanish banks continued last month as deposits fell again, dropping to their lowest level since April 2008. Spain's borrowing costs have also risen sharply again.
Today, the latest review of Spain from credit ratings agency Moody's raises the possibility that, in light of Madrid's difficulties, the country may be downgraded to junk status, while the results of the independent stress tests will determine whether a previous estimate of €60 billion still stands.
"When sorrows come, they come not single spies but in battalions," El Pais journalist Andrew Sim said of the mounting problems facing Rajoy's government, citing the famous line by Claudius in Hamlet.
In light of these difficulties, Rajoy's equivocation, previously seen as tactical to secure the best deal for Spain from Europe, is now viewed as playing a dangerous game of bluff by the euro zone's fourth largest economy at a time of such uncertainty around the future of the currency.
Rajoy must persuade the euro zone power base that Spain can impose further cuts to reduce the shortfall in the budget by more than €60 billion by 2014 and avoid a full bailout for Spain.
This will be an uphill battle; he is already seeking savings of more than €13 billion this year but further economic contraction implies that he must seek up to €10 billion more.
The government unveiled details of the 2013 budget yesterday evening to cut the deficit by €40 billion by 2014, but just under 64 per cent of state spending will still go on "social spending" such as pensions and benefits, an area that the state is stubbornly refusing to tackle despite external pressure.
While devising its own self-help measures, the Spanish government is said to be privately preparing measures required to meet conditions attached to support from the European Central Bank's bond-buying plan for struggling countries.
"It is just a question of time before Spain will seek financial assistance; it just depends now on how Spanish bonds perform over the next two to three weeks," said banking analyst Daragh Quinn of Nomura in Madrid.
"If you look at capital flows, the amount of debt that Spain needs to issue and the outlook for the economy – all of those numbers point to Spain needing additional assistance from Europe."
Jose Ignacio Goirigolzarri, the executive chairman of Bankia, told The Irish Times that there were a number of possible outcomes for Spain but added that the ECB's bond-buying plan was "absolutely key" to helping the country.
For a country where one in four, about six million people, are out of work and where one in every two people under 25 is unemployed, further austerity may tip the country into an even bigger political crisis for Rajoy.
"Spain is increasingly slipping from his hands," said Alfredo Perez Rubalcaba, the leader of the country's opposition socialist party. "There are very clear fractures in Spain, and the one I am most worried about is social fracture."
Banking sources expect the results of the stress tests of the country's lenders by independent financial consultants Oliver Wyman today to confirm the capital hole of about €60 billion, including a €26 billion deficit at Bankia, the country's third largest bank and worst toxic lender.
This is above the nationalised bank's own €19 billion estimate last May, though the sources
said that most of the difference relates to tax assets the bank booked as capital gains four months ago. The remainder of the difference relates to a more adverse scenario where Wyman expects the unemployment rate to rise to 27 per cent in 2014 and for the economy to shrink a further 7 per cent over three years making this a six-year recession.
While the overall bank capital requirements remain largely the same, the intention of the stress tests is to prove to the markets that these are not Spain's own estimates of the problems in its banking sector.
Goirigolzarri believes building credibility in the Spanish banking system and the government's ability to save it will take more than just one announcement.
"It is important for the country but I never believe in one shot – you build up credibility in time," he said in an interview in his office at the top of Bankia tower in Madrid.
"I believe what makes the stress tests important is that the market believes that what we say is a consistent solution and that they give us trust. If they consider that the tests are not worth paying any attention to, we are going to lose an opportunity."
The independent stress tests are an important step for Ireland as the Fine Gael-Labour government is pinning its hopes on a deal to pass some of Ireland's €64 billion bank debt onto the wider euro zone arising from the plan to use the euro bailout funds to pay for Spain's banking losses.
Goirigolzarri takes the same view of this week's spanner-in-the-works joint statement from German, Finnish and Dutch finance ministers as the Irish Government, dismissing their suggestion that "legacy assets" or past bad bank assets remain with national governments. He believes that the deal to split state and bank debt in Spain and Ireland has been agreed and should be honoured.
"For me it is difficult to understand what the statement meant. Were they talking about the Irish banks or where they considering the Spanish banks?" he said.
"I don't have a clear understanding of what they said, but in any case in July we defined the procedures and a memorandum of understanding. I suppose – and I hope – that everyone is going to honour their words."
A failure to address Spain's problems will continue to pose contagion risk for the rest of Europe.
"The longer Spain waits, the greater the danger that the entire EU could be infected by the Spanish virus, the loss of credibility, with Italy next in line and France in danger too," said Pedrag Dukic, a senior equity trader at CM Capital Markets in Madrid.
John Moran, secretary general of the Department of Finance, says today's stress test results in Madrid should help Ireland's cause.
"Europe has to sort itself out," he told The Irish Times at a pensions conference in Dublin on Tuesday. "If Spain can get stability back into the system, that is broadly positive for us as well."
Given the "battalions" of sorrows emerging for Rajoy this week, the chances of Spain steadying itself on its own remain in doubt.


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Grouchy 'New York Post' Endorses Cuomo over Paladino
The conservative New York Post tabloid, with a deep sigh of defeat, has endorsed Democratic scion Andrew Cuomo over Republican gay club kingpin Carl Paladino in the New York gubernatorial race. Was it something Paladino said?
It most likely didn't earn Paladino any points at the Post when he threatened to murder them. That was funny, in case you missed it.
But how does the Post get its shots in here, to save face after endorsing an actual Democrat in 2010? By framing its criticism of Paladino as a second coming of... Eliot Spitzer!
Remember how Eliot Spitzer was going to fix Albany, starting on Day One? Didn't quite work out.
The former attorney general was spectacularly unfit for the office he won in a landslide four years ago — as a policymaker, as a politician and as a human being.
Spitzer's legacy is David Paterson, an amiable fellow who in his own bumbling way was even less qualified for high office than his damaged-goods patron.
But whereas four years ago the Republican Party offered the estimable John Faso as its gubernatorial candidate, this year the man at the top of the GOP ticket is a Buffalo businessman with a towering temper and a well-documented contempt for the truth.
Spitzer Lite, in an elephant suit.
Okay, Spitzer's arrogance made for a rocky quarter-term as governor, but... really? Carl Paladino is a "lite" version of Eliot Spitzer, so that's why they can't endorse him? We hadn't heard that line of reasoning yet, but okay!
[Image via AP]


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Bloody Mosquito Fossil Supports Recent Creation
by Brian Thomas, M.S. *
Scientists recently found blood remnants in a mosquito fossil trapped in a supposed 46-million-year-old rock.1 Could blood really last that long?
Publishing in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), the researchers reported that they detected iron three times inside the fossil mosquito's abdomen, which strongly suggests the presence of still-fresh hemoglobin. They also confirmed the presence of heme groups (vitamin-like porphyrin molecules found in hemoglobin) only inside the abdomen, where living female mosquitos store the blood from their meals. The study authors wrote, "The combination of these two determinations indicates that the porphyrins are derived from the oxygen-carrying heme moiety of hemoglobin."1
No scientific evidence supports the assertion that heme groups can last, even under circumstances that would maximize their preservation, for one million, let alone tens of millions of years. In fact, all longevity studies of biomolecules like hemoglobin, DNA, and collagen show decay rates in ranges that show total sample disintegration in a matter of months to a maximum of several hundred thousand years—assuming reasonable Earth surface temperatures.2
Fundamental physical laws describe how highly organized systems like proteins constantly decay unless an outside agency—like an engineer or a robot—maintains them. The PNAS study did not explain how hemoglobin could defy these basic laws.
The study authors wrote, "The data reported herein provide incontrovertible documentation of the presence of heme and arguably hemoglobin-derived porphyrins in a 46-million-year-old compression fossil and localize the porphyrins to a specific anatomical structure within that fossil."1
Though they provided incontrovertible documentation for blood remnants, without something like a time machine, science cannot directly measure these ages.
They seemed to have overlooked more than just the fossil's blood remnants when assigning this age. The Kishenehn Formation also contains oil. Like blood's heme molecules, organic oils should have completely degraded long ago—if these rocks are indeed 46 million years old—especially considering how voracious oil-eating bacteria can be.3
Authors of a 1987 study wrote, "Average total organic carbon contents…in the Kishenehn Formation exceed 6%," meaning that over six percent of the material in the formation has organically-derived carbon. Unaltered, original plant molecules were found in the oil. "Specific molecular markers are present in these samples, including several suites of diagenetic [partly altered by burial and age] steroidal hydrocarbons. Land-plant molecular input [e.g., chlorophyll] suggests nearshore deposition for the southernmost samples," according to the same study.4
Even if bacteria were somehow excluded from this oil, it would still have fizzled into smaller inorganic forms like carbon dioxide long before 46 million years elapsed. But both the presence of blood and oil give evidence of a recent creation.
Secular science will continue to struggle with force-fitting findings into evolutionary schemes, but a recent Flood easily accommodates blood elements in fossils like this once hungry mosquito.5
- Greenwalt, D. E. et al. Hemoglobin-derived porphyrins preserved in a Middle Eocene blood-engorged mosquito. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Published online before print October 14, 2013.
- Thomas, B. 2013. A Review of Original Tissue Fossils and Their Age Implications. In Proceedings of the Seventh International Conference on Creationism. Pittsburgh, PA: Creation Science Fellowship.
- Clarey, T. 2013. Oil, Fracking, and a Recent Global Flood. Acts & Facts. 42 (10): 14-15.
- Curiale, J. A. and S. W. Sperry. 1987. Regional Source Rock Potential of Kishenehn Formation, Northwest Montana. Search and Discovery Article #91038. American Association of Petroleum Geologists. AAPG Annual Convention, Los Angeles, California, June 7-10.
- Thomas, B. Are Iceman Blood Cells Really the Oldest? Creation Science Update. Posted on icr.org June 13, 2012, accessed October 21, 2013.
* Mr. Thomas is Science Writer at the Institute for Creation Research.
Article posted on October 25, 2013.
Evidence for Creation › Evidence from Science › Evidence from the Life Sciences › Biological Clocks Indicate Recent Creation › Original Biochemistry Shows That Fossils Are Recent
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The Los Angeles Angels' bullpen is officially a serious problem.
Before it becomes terminal, general manager Jerry Dipoto, who has already spun plenty of gems to put the Angels into contention, must find another way to improve his team.
Here is the raw data from the Angels' just-completed 10-game road trip, all against playoff contenders: A 10.54 ERA (32 earned runs in 27 1/3 innings), 11 home runs allowed, five blown saves, five losses.
The Angels also had the lead as late as the fifth inning in nine of those 10 games but finished the road trip 4-6 and are now seven games behind the Texas Rangers in the West and 1 ½ games behind the Baltimore Orioles, Detroit Tigers and Oakland A's for both wild card spots.
That record and fall in the standings comes despite the offense averaging seven runs a game and hitting 23 home runs on the road trip.
Closer Ernesto Frieri had been lights out since coming to the Angels but even he got into the mix when he blew his first save of the season last week in Texas, giving up four runs, three earned, and two home runs in what turned into a critical loss.
Righthander LaTroy Hawkins also went from good to bad during the trip. He had a 1.61 ERA going into last weekend, but he imploded Saturday against the Chicago White Sox, giving up two runs in two innings for a blown save. He followed that up Wednesday in Oakland by allowing five runs in 2/3 of an inning, hurt by two walks and a homer for another blown save and pushing his ERA to 3.52.
The Angels lead the league with 17 blown saves.
About 20 minutes after Wednesday's loss, Hawkins tweeted, "Tough times don't last. Tough people do! Rough stretch for the bullpen. We will regroup."
Before the game manager Mike Scioscia told reporters he was concerned about the "mileage" put on his middle relievers during the trip and said so much use had "diluted" their effectiveness. Deadline acquisition Zack Greinke didn't help matters by walking five guys and lasting only five innings Wednesday.
Outside of Frieri and Hawkins, the only other reliable reliever the Angels had was lefthander Scott Downs, but he went on the disabled list with a shoulder strain on July 31 and his loss, along with Jordan Walden who went on the DL in mid-July, has seriously thinned out the bullpen for the simple fact that no one else has been effective.
With nothing in-house to fix the bullpen problems, Dipoto has to get creative. A waiver trade is pretty much his only option unless he can pull someone up from the minors and have him be surprisingly good. Other than that, Walden could return soon as he is scheduled to start his rehab assignment Saturday.
This is the kind of problem the Angels don't need right now because if it continues, it will push them out of the race in a hurry. In the bullpen's defense, the rotation hasn't been great lately, either, posting a 5.19 ERA on the trip and forcing the relievers to pick up too many innings.
As of now, the best option for the Angels is to get their starters not named Jered Weaver back on track so that the bullpen isn't relied upon so much. Either that, or missing the playoffs for a third consecutive season is a real possibility.


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We live in a world dominated by abbreviations. Whether it's a "P.S." at the end of a note, or an "lol" in a text message, abbreviations have become a way of life. I, personally, belong to the BBB, WEVA, APH, and MPVA. I live in MN and use a PC. As a business owner, I want good SEO for my website and ROI in order to be profitable. My TV habits include CBS, PBS, HBO, and (if I'm watching TV with my wife) HGTV. As a videographer, I prefer HD to SD, and politically, I consider myself more of an Independent than GOP or MN-DFL.
Recently, I came across an abbreviation I didn't quite understand-but one that, in my opinion, will change the way we, as videographers, share our work. I'm referring to the QR code that, literally, is popping up everywhere. The QR (Quick Response) code is basically a 2D barcode that originally was designed to track auto parts in Japan. Very quickly, the use of QR codes spread around the world because of their speed and accuracy. However, QR codes are most popular in the telecommunications field, due primarily to the rapid rise of smartphones.
Recently, I was interviewed on a local radio station, and the question about QR codes and video came up. I replied, "Think of visiting a cemetery and seeing a QR code on a marker or monument. By taking out your smartphone that is equipped with a QR reader, all you have to do is point the phone's camera at the code and, almost immediately, a video that has been linked to this particular code will begin playing on your phone. The sky is the limit as to what is on the video. In that video you might see and hear a message or story left by the deceased, or perhaps you will see a video that has been produced about the deceased. (It's even possible that you will get a commercial from a local monument company!) Without the QR code, the only thing you know about a person in a cemetery is their name and [birth and death] dates. But, by using the QR code, you can learn a great deal about the person, and it becomes something that makes the visit to the cemetery personal and meaningful."
The point is that QR codes make it possible for us to deliver videos (or any other type of media) almost instantly without depending on traditional means of delivery. Just as a QR code in a cemetery can tell us something about the lives of the deceased, a QR code on printed material will make our videos instantly available. To get more technical information on how to create and use QR codes, go here:
How can we benefit from this technology? First of all, we need to get our heads into the clouds (cloud technology, that is). Though you probably still deliver your videos to many of your clients on DVDs, realize that the internet is the best way to share your work and ensure its visibility. We have many options, from YouTube to Vimeo to our own websites and blogs. But the point is that we need to start distributing our videos online if we want to take advantage of QR technology.
Second, we need to put QR codes on all of our literature. A business card is just a card with words-until people see a QR code that can drive them to our website. It then becomes a vehicle to open up our services in a multidimensional way. A brochure is only words and pictures until a QR code (or several) will take people to videos that illustrate what our brochures are talking about.
Third, we need to start using smartphones in a smart way. That means we'll have a QR reader on our phone that will allow us to read QR codes. We can use it to educate our clients on how they can benefit from having us produce a video for them as well as to provide a QR code that will link to that video. Most people will have a hard time grasping the concept of the QR code until we actually show them how it works. But when the light goes on, our profits will go up!Fourth, we need to act today. I have been guilty of procrastinating on many great ideas, only to find that the window of opportunity had just shut. With our fast-changing world of technology, QR codes might be replaced by something else in the near future. But right now, QR codes are the technology that can revolutionize our business. The question I have for you is this: "Are You QR-ing?"
A footnote to my interview on WCCO Radio: The interviewer, John Hines, asked me if I could get him a copy of a video I produced for him and WCCO a couple of years ago. This is what I gave him:
Thx for reading this article. I hope you apply it ASAP. GTG!
Alan Naumann (alan at memoryvision.tv) is co-author, with Melonie Jeska, of The Complete Guide to Video Biographies, a comprehensive set of training materials for professional video producers. A featured speaker at WEVA Expo 2004–2010 and a two-time EventDV 25 honoree, he is based in Minneapolis.


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While at CHI, I got the wonderful opportunity to help organize the workshop on Designing Technology for Major Life Events along with Mike Massimi, Madeline Smith, and Jofish Kaye. We had a great group of HCI researchers with a diverse range of topics: gender transition, becoming a parent, dealing with a major diagnosis, bereavement, and more. My own interest in the topic grew from my experience designing technology for divorce and technology for recovery from addiction. In one of the breakout groups, we discussed the challenges of designing technology in this space and some of the ways we've dealt with these challenges in our work. In this post, I want to highlight a few of these:
Building Tech is Risky. Building a system requires the designer to commit to specific choices and it's easy to find something that wasn't adequately considered after the fact. In tech for major life events, this challenge can be exacerbated because the consequences of a failed design might have big emotional repercussions (e.g., tech messing up some aspect of a wedding). Sometimes, it is a big question of whether we even should try to bring tech into a given context.
Ethics of Limited Access. Building technology to support a major life event may mean excluding those without the financial means, skills, motivation, language, etc. to use the provided intervention. Additionally, we frequently stop supporting a prototype technology at the end of the study which can be really problematic if it was providing ongoing benefits to the participants. Again, because of the high stakes involved, issues of ethics of access to technology may be exacerbated when designing for major life events.
Tension Between Building Your Own and Leveraging Existing. Many systems we build require some critical mass of adoption before they are really useful. This is particularly important with tech for major life events because there may be relatively few people facing a particular relevant context at any point in time. One of the ways to deal with this is to piggyback on existing systems (e.g., building a Facebook app instead of a new SNS), but this may cause problems when the underlying technology makes changes outside of the researcher's control (e.g., privacy policies change, APIs stop being supported, etc.).
Asking the Right Questions about the System You Built. The final challenge is understanding what kinds of questions to ask during the system evaluation. On one hand, it is important to go into the evaluation with some understanding of what it would mean for the system to be successful and the claims you hope to make about its use. On the other hand, it is valuable to be open to seeing and measuring unintended side effects and appropriations of the technology.
I think my two major take-aways from this discussion were a greater appreciation of how difficult it is to actually build something helpful in this space and the insight that many of these problems can be partially addressed by getting away for the type of study that focuses on evaluating a single system design using a small number of metrics. The risks of committing to a specific design solution can be mitigated by providing multiple versions of the intervention, either to be tested side-by-side or to let participants play around until they decide which solution is a better option for them. The ethics of access can be ameliorated by providing low-tech and no-tech means of achieving the same goals that your high-tech approach may support (e.g., Robin Brewer built a system to let the elderly check email using their landline phones). Planning for multiple solutions when building using others' APIs can lead to a much more stable final system (e.g., the ShareTable we could easily switch from the Skype API to the TokBox API for the face-to-face video). And lastly, the problem of figuring out what to ask during and after a system deployment can be addressed by combining quantitative methods that measure specific predicted changes with qualitative methods of interviewing and observation that are more open to on-the-fly redirection during the course of the study. Overall, diversity of offered solutions, flexibility under the hood of your systems, and diversity of methods used in the evaluation lead to a stronger study and understanding of the target space.


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Tazawa coming up big in big situations
BOSTON -- The role of middle reliever is often a thankless job.
The ninth inning, and the save that often comes with it, contains all the glory.Full Game Coverage
BOSTON -- The role of middle reliever is often a thankless job.
The ninth inning, and the save that often comes with it, contains all the glory.Full Game Coverage
But Junichi Tazawa doesn't see it that way. He sees the opportunity to pitch the eighth inning -- or any key inning late in a game -- as a promotion.
"It's my first season that I pitched in a big inning," Tazawa said through a translator after Boston's 6-2 win over Tampa Bay on Tuesday.
When Tazawa entered the game in the seventh inning with the Sox holding a one-run lead, it was his 46th appearance of 2013. The 46 outings equal his overall big league total before this season.
The fact is that the Red Sox -- in part due to three season-ending injuries to members of the bullpen -- have often had to rely on Tazawa in tight spots despite his relative lack on experience in them.
That was readily apparent on Tuesday, when he was sent to face the top four batters of a hot Rays' lineup with no breathing room. A misstep could have sent the Rays -- who were just a half-game behind the Sox in the American League East going into the game -- into first place.
But Tazawa was dominant, first striking out Desmond Jennings with a runner on second to end the seventh, then fanning Ben Zobrist and Evan Longoria to start the eighth. After Tazawa retired cleanup hitter Wil Myers -- who had homered and doubled earlier in the game -- to end the inning, the Boston offense scored three runs in the bottom half of the frame on their way to victory.
"That inning right there, the last inning he went in there in the eighth, that's the biggest inning of the game right there, because you're going through the meat of their lineup -- guys have been swinging the bat, a couple [of the] guys have hit homers," catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia said. "I put my glove down and away, and he hit it right on the spot. ... That inning right there energized us and got us a couple of runs."
After a bit of a slump before the All-Star break in which he gave up five runs in six innings over one stretch, Tazawa has responded with four consecutive scoreless outings, none more dominating than Tuesday's.
"There was a point, probably, three or four weeks ago, where some fastballs leaked back to the middle of the plate, and I think he was overcompensating by trying to cut the ball a little bit to keep it away from right-handers," manager John Farrell said. "As a result, I think, he got in a little bit of a bad habit to be a little bit tentative, and over the past two or three outings, it's been more 'Trust your stuff and be aggressive,' and we're seeing the velocity come back."
Tazawa said that he was a little mentally fatigued during the stretch, but fellow reliever Koji Uehara offered some advice after noticing that Tazawa's arm angle was getting a little low.
The advice, combined with some rest over the All-Star break, did the trick.
"I wasn't physically [tired], but I was sort of mentally worn down, so Koji and all the others gave me some advice that worked wonders for me," Tazawa said.
The Red Sox were grateful the advice yielded positive results on Tuesday. Tazawa was grateful for the chance.
"I'm just gratified that the manager has been using me in that kind of position," he said.
Ian Browne is a reporter for MLB.com. Read his blog, Brownie Points, and follow him on Twitter @IanMBrowne. Michael Periatt is an associate reporter for MLB.com.


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I wrot e a template which successfully works for ints, floats, doubles etc. It includes a method which does a swap between two members of the class.
For example:
the class decl.
the void swap definition looks like this:\Code:template< class T1, class T2 > class Pair { public: Pair(); Pair(const T1 &x, const T2 &y) : first(x), second(y) {} ~Pair(); void setPairX(const T1 &x); void setPairY(const T2 &y); T1 getPairX() const { return first; } //inline def T2 getPairY() const { return second; } // inline def void swap(); private: T1 first; T2 second; };
My question is: why this doesn't work for "strings"? I get compiler errors, complaining about the anonymous union I used in swap method. Why is that? These two do not work together?Code:template< class T1, class T2 > void Pair< T1, T2 >::swap() { union { T1 tmpX; T2 tmpY; }; if (typeid(first) == typeid(T1)) { tmpX = first; first = static_cast<T1>(second); second = static_cast<T2>(tmpX); } else { tmpY = first; first = static_cast<T2>(second); second = static_cast<T1>(tmpY); } }
I'm kinda new to C++, trying hard to memorize all the rules...


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New BBC Family History Show on Tracing Missing Friends and Relatives
The Society of Genealogists has received news that an independent TV company is looking for participants for a new BBC family history TV show which will help trace missing friends and relatives.
Do you want to track down a missing relative, loved one or close friend but don't have the resources?
Or perhaps your genealogical search has gone cold and you don't know where to turn?
Help is at hand in the form of "trackers" who will be filmed as part of a new BBC primetime television programme.
The TV team, with expertise in genealogy and people finding, may be able to help you find your missing person or lost contact.
If you need their help then please contact RDF Television
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com or Tel: 0207 751 7304


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Civil rights law will be the focus of a new clinic for students at Wayne State University Law School, one of the leading public interest law schools in the Midwest.
The Civil Rights and Civil Liberties Clinic, a collaborative venture between Wayne Law and the American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan, will allow students to litigate civil rights and civil liberties impact cases before state and federal courts.
"We are excited to partner with the ACLU of Michigan to continue Wayne Law's emphasis on training students to be leaders in ensuring access to justice," said Jocelyn Benson, dean of Wayne Law. "This new clinic builds on the stellar civil rights and social justice programming at our Damon J. Keith Center for Civil Rights."
Michael Steinberg, legal director of the ACLU of Michigan, will teach the clinic as a visiting professor. Steinberg is a 1989 cum laude graduate of Wayne Law.
"I am thrilled to come back to my alma mater and to teach Wayne Law students the critical legal skills they will need to advance civil rights and civil liberties in this country," Steinberg said. "The course will provide an exciting opportunity to work on cutting-edge, high-profile cases that change people's lives."
Students will be exposed to the full range of issues on the ACLU of Michigan docket, including freedom of speech and expression; racial justice; poverty and civil liberties; lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights; police misconduct; privacy; women's rights; juvenile justice; reproductive freedom; voting rights; religious freedom; immigrant rights; the right to counsel; and prisoner rights.
Working in pairs, the students will be the primary handlers for a basic ACLU of Michigan case and participate in all significant events and decisions related to it. Each student also will be assigned specific duties in one or more complex cases that address issues of particular interest to the student.
A classroom component includes a semester-long simulation of a civil rights case that gives students the opportunity to develop professional skills, including interviewing, counseling, drafting pleadings and discovery requests, taking depositions, preparing and arguing motions, and negotiating with opposing counsel.
"The Michigan Chapter of the ACLU is one of the best chapters in the country, and the new clinic adds another dimension to the work of the Damon J. Keith Center for Civil Rights," said Professor Peter Hammer, director of the Keith Center. "It is part of our ongoing efforts to train the next generation of civil rights leaders and to give students the opportunity to engage in social justice work while still in law school."
Students must apply for a position in the clinic, and those who are accepted will work between 20 and 25 hours per week, including at least 12 hours at the ACLU of Michigan office in Detroit.
"The professional skills that students will develop in this clinic will prepare them for their careers after law school," said David Moss, director of clinical education at Wayne Law. "This is an invaluable opportunity for our students while also benefitting the residents of Michigan. We are grateful for the cooperation of the ACLU of Michigan to bring this clinic to fruition, and I'm looking forward to seeing the results of the hard work that will be done by our students under the direction of Professor Steinberg."
Read more http://www.michronicleonline.com/index.php/news-briefs-original/13112-wayne-law-aclu-of-michigan-create-civil-rights-clinic


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Bill Murray + This Crying Baby May Be Brothers From Another Mother [PHOTO]
Lately, Bill Murray has been known more and more for his crazy antics than his iconic film roles — antics like showing up at random house parties, pranking construction workers and riding around Europe on a golf cart.
Now he can add one more thing to his repertoire: making babies cry.
Popular Tumblr blog 'Reasons My Son Is Crying' hosts user-submitted photos of babies bawling with a terse explanation why, and a recent addition featured none other than the 'Caddyshack' star.
The photo shows Murray, decked out in an orange jacket and bucket hat (apparently on a golf course), imitating the baby's adorable cryface and giving the kid a story he'll never live down.
Where will Bill Murray turn up next?
No one knows for sure, of course, but we'd keep an eye out at Bat Mitzvahs and the stockroom of your local Shoe Carnival outlet.


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Russell here. Lucky me, the 2013 American Atheists convention was held in Austin this year, which meant that all I had to do was shell out money for a ticket and no travel or lodging fees. I'd be crazy to pass up such an opportunity! I'm a couple of days behind on blogging the experience, but trying to catch up now before Jerry DeWitt begins his "Easter Service."
I took a day off of work on Friday so I could arrive at the Hyatt early in the morning and help my friend / our product guy Mark Vandebrake to set up the Atheist Community of Austin's table with t-shirts, keychains, and bumper stickers. Lots of credit to Mark for creating and ordering our new polo and t-shirts.
Mark's been manning the table all weekend, joined here and there by other members.
Some of these items aren't available from our website yet, but will be up very soon.
We had prime real estate, our table was directly in the path of everyone heading towards the ballroom where most of the speeches took place. We set up a laptop all day looping an episode of The Atheist Experience towards the entrance, although judging by the number of people who recognized us, we didn't need it that much. Our table is across from Compass 120 apparel and Black Nonbelievers, hailing from Atlanta.
I was greeting people from the booth and only caught the tail end of opening ceremonies with Aron Ra. Aron is the Texas Director of American Atheists, and of course good friend of the show, and had some words to say about kickin' ass and spreadin' logic!
Dave Silverman, AA president, came up and gave a speech about firebrand atheism, which was in equal parts focused on being unabashed about standing up for atheism, and showing off graphs with data and stuff. As a software geek, I made sure to let him know I appreciate that second thing.
Bill O'Reilly. Tides. Get it? 😀
What Dave says is that although we get a lot of negative press for doing things like posting billboards and filing lawsuits, every time we do it, the level of national conversation about atheists goes up. And furthermore, it stays up after the incident has passed. And while American Atheists gets mocked on The Daily Show and vilified by Fox News, you know what happens next? They turn to organizations such as the Secular Student Alliance, and they say "American Atheists are the bad atheists, but here are some good atheists who are doing positive things. Contrast!" So Dave says, "You know what that means? Because of us, the press is letting people know that there are good atheists!" And then he went on to talk more about the symbiosis of firebrand, in-your-face atheism, with outreach and do-gooding atheism.
I wasn't able to listen to talks all day, and frankly it was very energizing to sit at the table and mill around the hall greeting our fans. I have heard many, many stories about how our show has affected people, many of them having just learned about atheism for the first time, and discovering our show helped to cement the idea that atheism is a rational position that can be intelligently defended. That's exactly what we want!
I sat in on a speech by former Congressman Pete Stark, who finished his term in December. He talked about the desire of the electorate to be represented by more secular politicians, and the fact that those needs are not being filled by the disproportionate number of openly religious members of Congress.
There were several options available for lunch, but I opted to grab an overpriced sandwich from the hotel and sit in on a talk about how to argue for atheism in the media with radio veteran Jamila Bey. Needless to say, this is a topic of particular interest to me.
With all respect due to the many excellent speakers I heard, I am tempted to say that Jamila Bey's talk was the best. She discussed how to handle yourself in interviews, how to talk to call-in radio shows, and perhaps most importantly, what tricks to anticipate when the deck is stacked against you. I sat next to Matt Dillahunty near the front, and Jamila called out Matt several times with effusive praise.
The most fun part of the talk was when she invited some audience interactivity and offered to "debate" a particular issue with a volunteer — in this case, "You can't be moral without the Bible!" Jamila offered to take either side, so when it became clear that the volunteer wasn't really comfortable playing the Christian, Jamila very convincingly turned into a fiery preacher. At some point I shouted "Amen!" and almost instantly, Jamila transformed herself into a handwaving, sing-songy revival preacher. The audience was in stitches.
Schmoozing with the crowd some more later, I met Greta Christina and her wife Ingrid; Rich and Deanna from Living After Faith; Ophelia Benson, and Amy Davis Roth from Skepchick. Many ACA contributors showed up, and I also ran into other friends and speaker like Aron Ra.
A few hours later, I decided to sit in on a talk by Edwina Rogers, the controversial new executive director of the Secular Coalition for America. I was interested to see if she's improved her rapport with my fellow atheist activists. I was kind of hoping for a chance to ask Edwina for some insights from her time with the Republican party, and ask if she thinks there's any chance that Republicans will ever be viable atheist allies. But disappointingly, while she said some reasonable things about fighting against religious encroachment in politics and education, she was brief and left the stage without fielding any questions.
In late afternoon, historian Richard Carrier gave a very savvy talk entitled "Atheism Plus… what?" about the concept of Atheism Plus in particular, and the issues of spreading diversity and acceptance within the atheist movement in general
He started off talking about the young girl who was inundated with sexist remarks and rape jokes on the atheism subreddit, simply for posting a picture of herself with a Carl Sagan book. Went on to discuss online harassment and attacks on numerous women, including women who were present and speaking on panels later (Greta Christina, Ophelia Benson, Amy Davis Roth, and about a dozen others). Then talked about how great it was that the atheist community is getting more diverse, and convention leaders are basically "getting it" about the need to appeal to a broader audience, and he encouraged further improvements.
Richard's talk is now online. Watch it here.
Our usual haunt of Threadgill's is only a couple of blocks from the hotel, so we rounded up a group of locals, including Jen, Tracie, Mark, and Don. We were joined by two visiting show fans, and we all went and killed a naturally delightful few hours at dinner.
Late that evening I was joined by my wife Lynnea to see an atheist comedy show. There were three performers: a rap group called Greydon Square, followed by Blair Scott (former Director of Outreach for American Atheists, recently turned comic), and then experience comedian Keith Lowell Jensen.
Greydon Square was an unusual act that was fun to watch… made more fun by the fact that there was a woman in front of us dancing along, recording the whole thing on her iPad, and clearly having the greatest time of her life.
I'm just going to abridge my review of Blair Scott for now and note that he received a mixed reception. There were laughs, and there were also walk-outs. Neither Lynnea nor I was crazy about his act. I had been alerted by Matt that Keith Lowell Jensen should not be missed, so we stuck it out, but we had some thoughts about stepping out ourselves.
Matt spoke the truth however… seeing Keith in action was a great experience. He is a very funny comic, and Lynnea wound up buying his DVD before we left. Keith was really letting loose with the atheist material, and he told a story at the end that was both hilarious and inspiring. I hope he will forgive me if I skip to the story at the end, spoil the punchline and reveal the lesson.
Keith closed his set with a story I assume he doesn't tell in front of most audiences. He was a teenager when he became a full-on atheist. He went to a "church lockdown" event with a girl he was trying to impress. Everything went great until he mentioned a shaky part of theology to the minister running the thing, and got in a full on argument in which he was clearly owning the adult hard (from his point of view). Instead of getting the admiration he expected, the kids all started shunning him. He was in for a long night, and it was still pretty early.
He calls his dad to pick him up, the dad says "I thought the church was totally locked down." So he goes to the door and just… unlocks it. As Keith tells it, "All the kids ran to and stared out the window, trapped inside but inches from the unlocked door. And I realized… You have to REALLY BELIEVE that you're locked inside."
We got home after 11 PM, although some people were undoubtedly still out drinking together. Honestly, as much fun as I had on Friday, Saturday may have been even better. I'd continue uploading pictures and blogging if I had the time, but I have to get ready to go hear Jerry DeWitt.
If you're at the convention now, please stop by our table and say hi! And don't miss the live broadcast of Godless Bitches at the end of the day, with Beth, Tracie, Jen, and Lynnea. See you there!
Update: There's more! Check out my recap of Saturday!