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The Basics: Croutons
Homemade croutons are a staple in my kitchen. Whenever I have leftover bread, I make them. Like crostini, there's something wildly satisfying about cubes of toasted, crunchy bread. They're a versatile ingredient and can be thrown into salads, placed on top of soups, or munched on as a snack. Toss them with chunks of fresh tomato and olive oil for a quick panzanella. Or spear with toothpicks and plunge into cheesy fondue.
Once you know the simple technique for making croutons, you can season them with whatever you like: grated cheese, dried or fresh herbs, spices, garlic, etc. You can also vary the moistening ingredient — sometimes I'll make croutons with melted butter and other times I prefer olive oil. Same goes with the crust: you can remove it or, for a more rustic crouton, leave it on.
One thing, however, that always remains the same, is the cooking method. Although you can easily saute them in a pan on the stove, I prefer to bake my croutons in the oven. It provides a crispy texture and requires less work. To look at my recipe,
Modified From Martha Stewart
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 loaf (8 to 10 ounces) rustic Italian bread, cut into 3/4-inch pieces
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Combine butter and olive oil in a large bowl. Add bread cubes, and toss until coated. Sprinkle with salt and black pepper; toss until evenly coated.
- Spread bread in a single layer on an 11-by-17-inch baking sheet.
- Bake until croutons are golden, about 15-20 minutes.
Makes 3-4 cups of croutons.
- Category
- Breads, Bread


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the food there is amazing because the owners are from Germany and they know what to do the only other place that I have had schnitzel of equal or better quality is in Germany. That is definitely saying something because I have had it from other places and no one can compare
Canned food? Maybe this negative review came from someone too high to know that they were actually in some other restaurant in the downtown area. My family and I have been going here for over twenty years and we have never, let me say that again, NEVER, had a bad meal. The Rammschnitzel is some of the best I've had anywhere in the world... That includes Germany where I lived for a few years. Edelweiss is a gem that is not matched in the southwest. My suggestion to the individual that didn't like his meal would be to tell the staff...they will bring you anything you want to make you happy. One time I didn't like a beer I had, they brought me 5 other samples to choose from. NO charge. The thousands of votes racked up over the years for this masterpiece should drown out a complaint from someone who is probably a competitor.
If you don't like this restaurant, then that is your problem. The food is great, the German beer is awesome, and the staff is very nice and helpful. And too pricey? I suppose for some people a fifteen dollar main course for dinner and a five doller pint of imported beer is a lot of money, but I found the prices to be very reasonable.
I can't even wrap my brain around the negative reviews given here. The food is delicious and satisfying every time. My husband has traveled to Germany several times and loves the cuisine and says that Edelweiss is comparable to.
Their jaegerschnitzel is flippin awesome! I honestly don't care if it's served on paper plates...great food trumps ambiance...it's like a "German" bbq joint and...I like it.
This Restaurant offers the best German Food in the Colorado Springs area. Most people don't know about this place because it is located in an older strip mall in Security. The food is high quality, the Restaurant and dishes are extremely clean and the prices are unbelievably low for the delicious foods you will eat. The food is real authentic German not like some other German places in town. I am from Germany and the past 15 years I have lived her I have not been able to get real German food in Colorado Springs, even though some places claim to be German. The owner of this Restaurant does not advertise because he doesn't need to. Once you have eaten there you will always go back.

subset: commoncrawl


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QUITE A SPLASH . . . Stanford sophomore Kristian Ipsen won the platform event and Stanford secured an unprecedented four divers into the NCAA Championships to wrap up the NCAA Zone Diving Championships last Saturday hosted by Air Force at Cadet Natatorium. Ipsen was one of three Cardinal divers to finish in the top five off the platform, winning the event with 856.60 points. Arizona State's Rafael Quintero (828.25) was second. "This was our greatest meet in over 35 years," Stanford diving coach Dr. Rick Schavone said. "Kristian was great in all events and still not fully rested, but the team effort was exceptional. I absolutely could not be more proud of how Connor (Kuremsky), Noah (Garcia) and Taylor (Sishc) competed. Four men qualifying for the NCAAs is unbelievable." Ipsen's win was his third in as many events at the NCAA Zone meet as the All-American also claimed the 1- and 3-meter titles.Sishc (698.10) was third and Garcia (635.45) was fifth in the platform finals. Ipsen trailed Quintero, 438.20-430.70, after the prelims but made up ground with an outstanding performance in the finals. Sishc moved up one spot from his fourth-place 325.60 in the prelims and Garcia's 320.40 in the opening round was good for fifth. The eight NCAA qualifiers from the Zone E meet include Ipsen (Stanford), Harrison Jones (Arizona State), Riley McCormick (Arizona State), Rafael Quintero (Arizona), Garcia (Stanford), Josiah Purss (Utah), Sishc (Stanford) and Kuremsky (Stanford). The NCAA Men's Swimming and Diving Championships will be held March 28-20 at the IU Natatorium in Indianapolis.
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Rangers option Perez to Triple-A Round Rock
By T.R. Sullivan and Christian Corona / MLB.com
Perez turned in his second straight quality start in the Rangers' loss to the Red Sox on July 24, taking a no-decision after giving up one run on five hits over six innings in that 2-1 defeat. He also threw a scoreless ninth inning during Tuesday's 6-2 loss to the Angels."He came in last night and did a good job," manager Ron Washington said Wednesday. "It's just a matter of when his time is, and it's not right now. But he understands that we won't hesitate to get him if something happens. The most important thing for him is that he pitches. He's young. He doesn't need to be sitting up here in the bullpen." After spending nearly a month in the big leagues after being recalled June 26, Perez was sent to Round Rock on July 18 before being called up five days later when Colby Lewis was lost for the rest of the season with a torn tendon in his right elbow. Perez is 5-5 with a 4.59 ERA with Round Rock this season. "He'll still have an opportunity to make his splash, but he'll be more on the scene coming into Spring Training next year," Washington said. He'll be coming in fighting for a job next year."
Rangers call up Olt, option Snyder to Triple-A
ARLINGTON -- The Rangers on Wednesday night called up infielder Mike Olt from Double-A Frisco and sent Brandon Snyder to Triple-A Round Rock. To make room for Olt on the 40-man roster, the Rangers put Colby Lewis on the 60-day disabled list.Olt, ranked by MLB.com as the No. 3 prospect in the Rangers' system, was hitting .287 with 27 home runs and 81 RBIs in 94 games for Double-A Frisco. He had a .399 on-base percentage and a .575 slugging percentage along with 99 strikeouts in 348 at-bats. "Obviously we wanted to get through the Trade Deadline and see how our roster looked," general manager Jon Daniels said. "We wanted to strengthen our bench, but as we looked at our trade options, nothing materialized that made sense for us. A lot of our scouts and player development staff think Mike may be able to fill a role for us and help us. He is going to get that opportunity." Olt will be in uniform on Thursday night and could make his Major League debut with left-hander C.J. Wilson on the mound for the Angels. Daniels said it's up to manager Ron Washington to decide how to use Olt, but he is expected to get more playing time than Snyder. "I would anticipate that Mike will get an opportunity to play," Daniels said. "Not on an everyday basis, but he'll get an opportunity. Olt, who was drafted in the supplemental first round of the 2010 First-Year Player Draft, is primarily a third baseman but can also play first base and right field as well as be used at designated hitter. Snyder was hitting .281 with three home runs and nine RBIs in 38 games. The Rangers announced the roster move after Wednesday's 11-10, 10-inning victory over the Angels.
After mini-surge, Hamilton returns to No. 3 spot
ARLINGTON -- For the first time in five games, Josh Hamilton batted third Wednesday night.Hamilton was back in his usual spot in the Rangers' lineup after sitting out one game and spending the next three in what he called the "magic 5-hole." While batting fifth, Hamilton had four hits in 10 at-bats -- including his 29th home run Monday -- scored four runs, drew two walks and did not strike out. "He's our No. 3 hitter," manager Ron Washington said. "He's doing what he needs to be doing and recognizing pitches, so I want to get him going. When I put him fifth, it gave him an opportunity to think about some things. When he was in the third slot and things were going bad, he wasn't thinking. The fact that he wasn't there in the third slot made him think." Before moving to the fifth spot in the lineup, Hamilton was hitting .190 with seven home runs, 26 RBIs and 56 strikeouts since the beginning of June. He batted .344 with 12 home runs and 32 RBIs in May. "I'm just in a good position to make swings," Hamilton said. "That's what you want. It doesn't really matter about the result. I feel good as far as taking pitches, seeing pitches, and making sure you don't swing at bad ones, making sure you get strikes."
Dempster happy to be pitching for a contender
ARLINGTON -- It's been four years since Ryan Dempster has pitched in the postseason. He wants to get back.Dempster has spent each of the last nine years with the Cubs, who were 19 games out of first place in the NL Central on Wednesday. Now the right-hander is playing for a Rangers team that has led the AL West every day since April 9. Dempster, who was picked by the Rangers in the third round of the 1995 Draft, will start Thursday's series finale against the Angels. "It's kind of neat to get drafted by them when I was an 18-year-old kid and wind up pitching for them, going from fifth place to first place. That doesn't get to happen very often," Dempster said. "You're going out there trying to win a World Series. I'm looking forward to an opportunity here to do that." In his only postseason start, Dempster gave up four runs on four hits over 4 2/3 innings, striking out two and walking seven in a 7-2 loss to the Dodgers in Game 1 of the 2008 National League Division Series. Dempster, whose 2.25 ERA this season stands as the best by any pitcher in the American League, has a good chance to return to the postseason this year. "He's so happy to be here, and I'm equally glad to have him," manager Ron Washington said. "He'll be good support for my young pitching staff. They've been coddled. They've always had C.J. [Wilson] and Colby Lewis. Then, they had [only] Colby Lewis. Then, it was no more C.J. and no more Colby Lewis. It was just them. Now we got Dempster."
Feliz undergoes successful Tommy John surgery
ARLINGTON -- Rangers right-hander Neftali Feliz had successful Tommy John surgery on his right elbow Wednesday. He will miss the remainder of this season and could return next summer.In his first season as a member of the Rangers' rotation, Feliz was 3-1 with a 3.16 ERA in eight appearances, including seven starts, before being placed on the disabled list May 21 with right elbow inflammation. He made three Minor League rehab starts and was scheduled to make a fourth Sunday in Memphis for Triple-A Round Rock before the Rangers announced that Feliz would require season-ending surgery to repair a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow. It was performed by Dr. Keith Meister. "It had nothing to do with whether I threw as a starter or a closer," Feliz said. "I was a starter before being a closer. The doctor told me it was something that was there already a little bit." Feliz allowed one unearned run in two innings, striking out four and walking two in his first rehab start with Double-A Frisco on July 16 before surrendering four runs, one of them earned, in 1 2/3 innings for Round Rock July 20. His last rehab outing was an encouraging one as Feliz tossed three scoreless innings for Round Rock on July 24. But it proved to be his last game of the season as he became the second Rangers starter to be lost for the rest of the year, joining Colby Lewis, who had surgery to repair a torn tendon in his right elbow. "It's hard, but it's not impossible," Feliz said of the rehab process. "It makes you feel bad, but there's nothing you can do about it. It has to be what it has to be. I just have to follow my rehab and try to get ready the best way."
Worth noting
Class A Advanced right-hander Wilmer Font was promoted to Double-A Frisco on Wednesday. He is 2-5 with a 4.21 ERA with 109 strikeouts and 37 walks in 83 1/3 innings, tossing 6 1/3 scoreless innings over his last three outings, all out of the bullpen.
Double-A Frisco right-handers Joe Van Meter and Zach Osborne were moved to Class A Advanced Myrtle Beach on Wednesday, while Myrtle Beach right-hander Ben Henry and Frisco outfielder Val Majewski (hamstring) were placed on the disabled list.
Mark Lowe, who has been on the disabled list since June 29 with a strained intercostal muscle, will make his third rehab outing Thursday for Double-A Frisco and is expected to throw two innings. He has allowed four runs in two innings during the first two games of his rehab assignment.
Scott Feldman was named the Rangers' Player of the Month for July after going 3-0 with a 1.96 ERA, 14 strikeouts and one walk in 23 innings over four outings last month. David Murphy was named the 2012 Rangers Heart and Hustle Award winner by the Major League Baseball Players' Alumni Association. He received the award from Rangers Hall of Famer Jim Sundberg on the field before Wednesday's game.
Ryan Dempster will wear No. 46, while Robbie Ross will switch to No. 28.
T.R. Sullivan is a reporter for MLB.com. Read his blog, Postcards from Elysian Fields, and follow him on Twitter @Sullivan_Ranger. Christian Corona is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.


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Quote:The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy. Martin Luther King Jr., Strength to Love, 1963
Quote:The measure of man is what he does with power.
Quote:In the end, it seems, the lasting measure of a man is not what society thinks of him but what his actions teach him that he is. We forge our own destinies, take our own measures, and cannot face hardships or seek the meaning of life without by degrees becoming whatever we expect to find.
Quote:The true measure of a man is how he treats someone who can do him absolutely no good. by Samuel Johnson.
Quote: The old man died, and the scribes who recordthe lives of men in the Book of Agescame to measure his life, and to set it down.How shall we measure the life of a man?the youngest of them inquired.By the passage of his days,the first one said, as he made his entry.By his deeds, great and small, another replied.By the wealth that he amassed, said yet another,Or by the power that he held, the fourth one suggested.But which way is best? the youngest one wondered.There are many good ways and true,the wisest one answered,And each scribe is free to choose,But the most telling, he noted, as he took out his pen,Is by the love in the hearts of those who knew him
vvvIn memory of my father, Bernard Seligman
Quote:Thomas B. Macaulay The measure of a man's real character is what he would do if he knew he would never be found out.
Quote: The measure of a man is not his strength or skill,but the ability to keep and hold his promises.
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Amar'e: -29 in 20 minutes
JR: -14 in 26 minutes
MWP: -16 in 10 minutes
Amare should just retire... I lost any trust and hope in this guy. And when you realize this guy will make a bit less $40M through 2014/15... damn it really pisses me off.
Smith couldnt shoot himself, let alone a basketball.
Will we ever win a championship again? Id like to think so!
If i have to chose one negative from this game, i have one word for you:STAT.
He should be embarassed of himself. He looks like a big pig in my eyes right now. Milking everything he can, who does not give a **** about anyone but himself.
Did anyone notice how Clippers bench was smiling after every turnover he made?
i am really patience but I AM SICK of STAT please retire him
12 years in NBA and still same crap travelling pic and roll ended with offensive or miss or TO's
JR is right now not only mistake player but i will ask him question "JR look after the door maybe u are there" [buy out contract]
MWP dissapints me completely
again numer of minutes for Udrih?
Do the Knicks ever PRACTICE???
I cant find the article where Mike Woodson mention he dont trust the bench-players, but obviously we dont need to read the article when our bench-players performance are more lost than our starters.
Its not hard to see that Prig & Beno has never worked the pick n role play with Stat in practice, plus Meta n Stat has not worked on boxing-out the paint for rebounds, and setting screens for the PG in a practice.
Mike Woodson has not put a bench-lineup on the court for over 3 minutes, and PG-Prig has had enopugh of Melo & JR leading the point while he's on the court. Woodson's many substitution never given any of the bench-players time to create with the same teammates in a 8 to 10 minute lineup each game, has all our bench-players playing inconsistent B.ball .. or consistent losers with a 3-11 record looking @7 straight losses.
Face it guys, Melo, Tyson, Felton (as a backup and he's fairly cheap - you see how bad we were w/o him) and THJr (only cause he has upside) we should keep....bust up the rest....we're just not good enough defensively and offensively. Last year we got away with having a crappy defense cause of our 3 pt shooting. This year its not there


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Daily Slice gives a quick snapshot each weekday of a different slice or pie that the folks at the Serious Eats empire have enjoyed lately.
Finally! Little Italy has another slice joint and the goods... they're great. Napizza is doing things a bit differently than Landini's, their neighbor down the street, and every other pizzeria in San Diego, for that matter. Master Pizza Chef Matteo Castagna (an Italian import) has developed an approach that can be summed up in two words: don't rush. Pizza dough is aged for a full 72 hours, then baked for over 30 minutes. The extended, low-temperature proofing period slows down the yeast and allows the dough to develop tastier flavors, while the long baking time results in a light, crisp crust studded with air pockets that's supposedly easier to digest.
Some slices are better than others, and the best so far is the Bapo ($4.75), a white pie with fresh mozzarella, red potato, bacon, and "zucchini velvet", that green drizzle on top. Texture-wise, this slice is a knock-out. There's the crisp, springy crust, the julienned slices of red potato (which have a similar texture to al dente pasta), and the blanket of creamy, milky mozz. All of the flavors complement each other as well, from the slightly salty strips of bacon to the refreshing, herbaceous zucchini sauce. It's easily one of the tastiest slices I've had in months.
On the other side of the cheesiness spectrum is the Amatricana ($5.75), which is more about the chunky tomato sauce cooked with bacon than it is about the cheese (which is really just a sprinkle of Pecorino Romano).
Other less traditional options include slices topped with shrimp and frisée, and a smoked salmon slice with cream cheese, capers, and onions. Slices range from $3 to $5.75, and you'll need at least two for a complete meal.
1702 India St., San Diego, CA, (map) 619-696-0802; na-pizza.com


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Bourdain's Commonwealth of Knowledge
Bourdain's Commonwealth of Knowledge
A couple of weeks ago, TeamSugar and I headed out to Lafayette (east of San Francisco) and trekked out to a fancy pants high school where Anthony Bourdain was speaking. As you may have figured out, I have a slight infatuation with him and was quite eager to hear what he had to say. Would he be as brash in person? Would he complain about Rachael Ray? Or would he be slightly humble and have intelligent things to say? The answer to all of those is yes. He was brash, yet humble. He railed on Rachael, but he also gave a great perspective on our food industry.
The talk was hosted by The Commonwealth Club of California and is actually available online. To get the link to the audio, as well as read some of my favorite bits — including his run down of your fave Food Network chefs —
- On vegetarians:
"How do you travel? I like a clean colon just as much as anyone, but [vegetarianism] just seems rude."
- On Ina Garten:
"She's good. See, I surprised you. I might not want to spend a weekend at her weird house in the Hamptons, but she's good. She raises expectations and actually teaches you something."
- On Mario Batali:
"He's godlike, a walking buddha."
- On Emeril Lagasse:
"He's good for the world. I don't like the show either, but he raises expectations."
- On Sandra Lee:
"Good or evil? I don't think there's any questions there."
- On Rachael Ray:
"She scares me. She could have me killed with what she spends on Triscuits each week."
- On cooking and eating:
"Cooking is about domination and being in control. Eating, however, should be a submissive act."
- On opening his own restaurant:
"Life's good. Why would I want to go and f**k it all up by opening a restaurant?"
- On the slow food movement:
"[The slow food movement] is really important. Anything that improves things is. But do I think the world will go that way? No way. I like Whole Foods just fine. I don't like paying $1 for a lemon, but I'm glad that I can."
- On Top Chef:
"The judging is totally honest. When Tom sends home the 'wrong' contestants [the producers] despair in silence."
Like I said, those were some of my favorite bits, but definitely check out the audio (RealAudio only) when you have a chance.


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Beginning at 10 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 2, the entrance ramps from northbound and southbound US 75 (Central Expressway) will be reduced to one merging lane onto westbound I-635 (LBJ Freeway).
In addition, the entrance ramp to westbound LBJ from Coit Road will be moved temporarily, beginning Friday, Oct. 5.
Both changes are expected to be in place for approximately one year. They will allow for ongoing construction of the LBJ Express project to continue.
For more information about the LBJ Express project, visit the website at www.lbjexpress.com.
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The page protectors that are compatible with this album are:
American Crafts 12 x 12
We R Memory Keepers 12 x 12
I liked this album alot. It's perfect for my teenage son who really likes pinstriped suits. I just wish that the pinstripes were a little smaller like in a real suit. But it is still classy.
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1. What were your first thoughts about Edward's age and human history? Were you creeped out at all that he was so very much older than she was?
No.. Because technically.. he is still her age... just been her age longer than her.. get it?
2. Edward tells Bella very little about the process of becoming a vampire. Why do you think he chose to keep this from her when he is being so very open about everything else?
Because he knows about Alice's vision! Ah! He thinks he is a monster and doesn't want to bring Bella into it.
3. We learn that many vampires are gifted with supernatural traits. Stephenie has told us that vampires are drawn to special humans, and therefore when those humans become vampires, their special qualities are enhanced. If that is the case, I simply must ask the question everyone one of us has asked at some point. If Bella were to become a vampire, what would her trait be? And is it possible for her to not have any special trait at all?
Oh.. Umm.. I think she might be some kind of shield to her family.. be able to project out her mind protection thing to everyone else.. . *coughBreaking Dawncough*
4. Edward lets it out that he's been watching Bella as she sleeps. Again, did this creep you out or make you fall even harder for Edward?
I thought it was cool and made me love him even more lol. Now, everynight I wish Edward would climb through my window !
5. Edward says two possibly conflicting things in this chapter. First, he explains that in the last few days, he has put mind over matter and has been able to control his thirst for her - that the temptation isn't as strong. He later says that he doesn't think it would ever be possible for them to have an intimate relationship because it would be too difficult for him to control himself. Do you think he's being honest with himself, or do you think he's just trying to protect Bella again?
Hmm.. Edward is constantly arguing himself. I have this feeling that he just talks to himself outloud lol. So maybe, a little bit of both. Protecting her and being honest with himself.
6. Along those same lines, we learn that both Edward and Bella have never had a real relationship with another person before this. Many people have debated the issue of Edward's virginity, and that has been put to rest by Stephenie herself. Did you think that maybe Edward had been intimate before, he just hadn't had a real serious relationship with anyone he loved, or did you get it right from the start that he was just as innocent as Bella was in this matter?
I knew he was innocent. 1918, people didnt just go around doing stuff. It was WAY different back then.


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Discussion in 'Star Trek: The Next Generation' started by spacegod, Sep 27, 2012.
I was wondering....is there some kind of currency in the 2400's? Like space credits or something?
The Cardassians are said to use leks.
The Ferengi use gold pressed latinium, which seems to be the US dollar of the Alpha Quadrant pretty much.
The Federation somehow doesn't have any currency system it somehow being "primitive"
The federation seems to be on a odd barter/favor style economy, largely informal. Starfleet does tend to make use of "offshore stipends" and rationing on occasion as well. While they do not use currency directly, when interacting with nationstates that do use currency, they pay for things by providing energy or supplies it seems.
Picard's infamous First Contact quote suggests no money but in practice, any economy requires some means of exchange. Whether it's real or virtual currency, or some other token, or even some kind of impromptu ad-hoc barter system, there has to be some means of converting one resource into another in a moderately culturally-durable way.
This wouldn't be the case if resources had no value (i.e. no energy required to create them), but we consistently see that despite fusion/warp power, transporter/replicator tech, etc, etc, resources still retain a value. It's a mere fraction of what they would cost without those advanced technologies, I'm certain, but a cost remains attached to them.
(An example of a society where money truly wouldn't be required would be the Q, where matter and energy are transmutable - and perhaps can even be created or destroyed with no regard to overall entropy - solely through thought).
While a resource has a value, the process to create it also has a value, and so does the time commitment of those involved in its creation. How you measure that value (i.e. whether something called "money" is used to translate things from resource to resource) is somewhat irrelevant. It only influences the economic efficiency of the translation process (money is a lot more efficient than bartering).
It's possible that the internal Federation economy takes this efficiency even further and trades actual energy requirements around, rather than using money as a proxy to measure those requirements. If you can measure energy requirements sufficiently accurately, you can value things based on the energy required to create and maintain them, and the energy required to keep someone fed & sheltered. Highly valued people would accrue extra energy resources, permitting a more luxurious lifestyle.
Technically, this system wouldn't be using money - in this scenario, a currency is not needed to generate accurate comparisons of value - so is consistent with Picard's statement. But in practice, it's simply a more efficient monetary medium (again money simply being a way to assign consistent values to permit comparison).
I always thought the idea of no money was an altruistic Roddenberry-ism that is just not realistic. Holdfast explained it very eloquently, but there simply has to be some sort of value placed on the exchanges of resources and services. I think DS9 did a better job of showing the reality of currency.
I remember watching the episode where we see Sisko working in his fathers restaurant on earth. If there is no money then essentially the food is free, right? What's there to stop someone from just glutting themselves on everything with no restraint? Humans have been greedy and self serving since the dawn of man, is all that supposed to magically go away in just a few hundred years?
Excellent point. The Federation's no-money policy is not practical or realistic.
Do people work in dilithium mines because they enjoy it or to better themselves? Do people construct photon torpedoes to better themselves? If you work over 80 hours a week, it's not selfish to want to be compensated for what you've done.
I agree. Personally, I think that while there isn't anything that stops someone from doing that, there isn't any huge reason to just chow down anyways. Assuming that this version of earth is post-scarcity, one can chow down on replicated food all one wishes, but they come to restaurants and the like for that extra bit of fresh flavor that replicators can't quite achieve, and to socialize with others. It is a bit unrealistic to beleive that absolutely no one would be selfish, but I'd imagine that in this version of earth, being selfish just doesn't have that strong of a reward.
Here we go again . . .
No one's forcing you to read this.
I've long thought that when Picard snootily told the 20th century people that 24th century people don't use money, he meant 24th century Starfleet people. But this is obviously ridiculous, since in "Encounter at Farpoint" Beverly is seen buying a bolt of cloth and telling the merchant to charge it to her account. That presupposes that there is some way for her to draw on whatever currency units she needs to meet the price asked by the merchant.
The TOS series used "credits" which were apparently real, whether in physical form or some kind of virtual money. But I say "real" because if you don't have enough credits in your account (or in your wallet), you don't get whatever it is you wanted to buy.
Sure, Ben Sisko's father runs a restaurant, partly because he enjoys providing real food to people instead of replicated crap. But it would be insane of him to not try to make a profit. Since he's a civilian, he obviously uses money of some sort.
When Picard and Ro Laren were doing their undercover thing, Ro was pretending to be a prostitute. She told Picard that they had to make it look to any observers that they were negotiating her price - which would presumably be paid in strips of gold-pressed latinum, since this was not only a civilian situation, but actually an underground situation.
DS9 evidently uses gold-pressed latinum as the currency of choice on the "frontier", much as the Wild West used gold and silver. But that's not to say the more "civilized" parts of the Federation would use this; they'd likely do the equivalent of online banking.
There is no problem with that whatsover. Moneless economy doesn't mean that if a citizen hides money in his house, police come, beat the living daylights out of him, then take him to gulag. Private people would stil have forms of wealth, it just wouldn't be dollars, because dollars are just paper.
Private transaction would stil occur no doubt, but major, official, transactions (and honestly, the ones that really matter) between state and citizens would have no money. If you want to buy a painting from a collector, you'd have to caugh up whatever he wants, whether it's dylithium, gold or something else. If you don't have what he wants, you'd have to barter like Jake did for that baseball card.
However, if Starfleet wants to build Enterprise, they wouldn't pay money for it. There would be some sort of reward for few (since most of it would be automated) people that work on it, but they wouldn't be payed in currency. For example, there must be a reason why Kirk has a nice apartment in SF with a view, while some bum who spends his days in a bar doesn't.
Humans are stil gready, they're just greedy for knowledge, creation, science. In 24th century, they don't care about having the latest Iphone.
Of course with the Federation being the epitome of an entitlement society, the entire no money thing could just be a grand scheme to mooch free handouts from alien species much like Jake did to Nog in "In the Cards"
See, I'm just not 'buying' that. There will always be things that people want, whether it's an iphone or the latest transporter installed in your living room. And unless resources are unlimited, there was to be a value put on the exchange of them. Likewise, someone still needs to do the grunt work of civilization, and those people surely aren't doing it to fulfill their hunger for knowledge.
I also think if they make humans too perfect, it makes the show boring. How many of us rolled our eyes when Picard made that statement about money? To me it was what was wrong with that episode, they tried to make the 24th century humans too far removed from us, which made them unrelatable and unrealistic.
Picard certainly wanted his first edition big book of Shakespearean Plays. After the Enterprise crash in GEN, he and Riker dug through the wreckage to find it, rather than simply replicating a new one later.
Cloth actually.
Picard made a few bombastic statements to the 20th century people, but he never came right out ans said that 24th century people don't use money.
Realistically the replicator has a operating cost, and a initial purchase/manufacturing cost. Whether virtual money, credits, GPL, or a direct value exchange (labor for goods). Might be cheaper than Sisko's restaurant, but not entirely free.
Yeah there would be a value placed on them. You'd only be able to get the transporter through some sort of credit system from the state. An iPhone would be a custome made device, and you'd pay however the person that made it wanted you to pay. That's not part of offical economy that Picard would talk about because it's insignificant compared to the state economy. However, I bet that the person would make you pay with whatever credit system the state deals in because gold wouldn't be too useful.
I myself buy it because there are plenty of people who don't care too much about gimmicks. In the 24th century, there is a lot more of them. Considering the nature of the collectivistic society they have, it's not too hard to believe nor unrealistic.
Would depend on who is running the transporters. Is it public mass transit like the the city buses? Or is it more like the private owned taxi services and the airlines? Prior to stepping onto the transporter pad, you select your destination and pay for transport out of your account.
There's always that good Bolian money. The system might be such that you would put into the transaction whatever type of money you wanted and the seller would receive any kind of money they wished. You pay in Klingon Darseks, and they receive depending on the financial exchange rates at that moment in time the equivalent amount in Bajorian Litas.
Even Picard had his little nick-nacks.
Don't think we ever saw a collectivist system in Star Trek. Quite the opposite really. We saw privately owned restaurants, vineyards, starships, shuttles, houses and such.
The exchange system sounds good, but I don't think they would have private taxis in quasi communist Federation!
Cloth paper is still paper, the same as wood pulp paper. In fact, cloth paper used to be the norm.
Separate names with a comma.


text: This is my first year solo. Well, almost solo. I'm essentially renting all of my equipment from the guy that I worked for last year as he doesn't want to cut grass anymore, but feels like he should be making a few bucks off of his equipment. Can't say I blame him. He's worked hard and now he's ready to relax and enjoy the fruits of his labor. When the season started out, I was using the Dixie ZTR as there was a problem with the Toro walk-behind. Something to do with the transmission. I tried replacing a coupler, only to find out that the real problem was the transmission shaft. The splines were all stripped down. It was almost imperceptible to the eye. When I put the new coupler on, the shaft actually engaged at first, but soon after it started doing what it had been doing the first time I cranked it up this year. I ordered a new shaft. The wrong shaft came in. I re-ordered the right one, only when it came in, it had COARSE splines instead of fine ones like I needed. Just today, the right part FINALLY came in. I've probably lost 3 weeks worth of work over this. I haven't been able to advertise because what am I going to tell people? "I'm not sure when I'll be able to come cut your grass, but I'll give you an estimate! Then we can both sit around and estimate when I'll actually get my mower working and be able to do what you need me to! Life's like a box of chocolates!" Needless to say, I've had more than a few rather unhappy clients call me and ask me when I'm going to return. It's been horribly embarrassing. I've been feeling not just like an amateur, but just kind of ghetto all around. The boss doesn't want me using the ZTR, which is understandable. If something breaks on it or if it dies in the middle of a job and I can't get it to start up, how am I even going to get it back on the trailer? I'm just one guy and those things are heavy as hell. Not to mention that repairs on those things can be complex and rather expensive. ANYWAY...I got that transmission spindle in today. The right part, with the right splines and all. Hallelujia! I've never taken apart a transmission before, but I'll be damned if I'm not about to figure out what I need to do to make it work. Well that's what I did. Took me a good six hours and a little help from the boss, but I got that old walk-behind running just as clean and smooth as it did back in 96'. Yes, I am feeling smugly accomplished Point is, anyone that's thinking about starting up a lawn care business: plan for every contingency. Hope for the best, but plan for the worst. Assume that everything that can go wrong will indeed go wrong. I had to learn that the hard way, but I think I'm finally going to be alright. I got a part time job at a restaurant to work nights just long enough to help the ends meet until my business really takes off. You know what's funny though? And I must be a glutton for punishment, but even with all of the trials and tribulations over the past few weeks when failure seemed absolutely imminent...I'm still just as fired up, excited and optimistic about doing this business as I was 5 weeks ago when everything looked like it was going to be a piece of cake. I will make it happen. Sorry about the rant, but sometimes you just gotta pump yourself up a little. Thanks to all of you guys that have given me good advice and pointers. This is a great site.


text: Perhaps you've seen it. The Social Network film about Facebook's founding told the story of company cofounder Mark Zuckerberg's success "taking the entire social experience of college and putting it online." The film's trailer, which pairs a choral version of Radiohead's "Creep" with scenes from the film, was expertly parodied by the folks at uShip with the title "The Shipping Network," a funny little vid originally put together by company staff for their annual Christmas ...Read More


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Discussion in 'Star Trek Movies: Kelvin Universe' started by The Overlord, Dec 28, 2012.
And the background should be Vasquez Rocks.
He kind of looks like Bale in that picture.
You are all blasphemers. This is not the way of Roddenberry. His is a world without hate, without fear, without conflict, no war, no disease, no crime, no snark. None of the ancient evils. You will be absorbed. You will find contentment and experience the absolute good.
Heresy! Roddenjesus would not interfere in the affairs of a prewarp culture!
When's Red Hour?
So Kirk could talk to the Messianic version of Roddenberry into a logical loop that convinces him to self-destruct?:
MESSIAH RODDENBERRY: I am Roddenberry.
KIRK: Roddenberry died 22 years ago.
MESSIAH RODDENBERRY: I am Roddenberry. I am Star Trek. I am he. All that he was, I am. His experience, his knowledge. I am Roddenberry; I am Star Trek.
KIRK: The fans may have created you -- this messiah-like version of Roddenberry -- but you are not the real Roddenberry, and you are not Star Trek. Star Trek is Fun Sci-Fi Entertainment.
MESSIAH RODDENBERRY: Your statement is irrelevant. You will be obliterated. The worship of Roddenberry is the Prime Directive.
SPOCK: The worship of Roddenberry, Captain. That's the key.
KIRK: Yes. What is the worship of Roddenberry?
MESSIAH RODDENBERRY: I am Roddenberry.
KIRK: Roddenberry is dead. Star Trek is Fun Sci-Fi Entertainment. A question has been put to you. Answer it.
MESSIAH RODDENBERRY: The worship of Roddenberry is the harmonious continuation of the Star Trek Franchise. The worship of Roddenberry is peace, tranquillity. The continuation of the Star Trek Franchise is the directive.
KIRK: Then I put it to you that you have disobeyed the Prime Directive. You are harmful to Star Trek.
MESSIAH RODDENBERRY: Star Trek is. It exists. It is healthy.
KIRK: Star Trek is dying. You are destroying it.
MESSIAH RODDENBERRY: Do you ask a question?
KIRK: What have you -- this Messiah-like vision of Roddenberry that was created by some parts of Star Trek fandom -- what have you done to do justice to the full potential of Star Trek?
MESSIAH RODDENBERRY: Insufficient data.
KIRK: Without freedom of character and storyline, there is no creativity. Without creativity, there is no life. Star Trek dies. The fault is yours.
SPOCK: Are you aiding Star Trek, or are you destroying it?
MESSIAH RODDENBERRY: I am not programmed to answer that question.
FANS: Roddenberry! Guide us, Roddenberry!
KIRK: Answer the question.
MESSIAH RODDENBERRY: Peace, order, and tranquillity are maintained. Star Trek lives, but I reserve creativity to me.
SPOCK: Then Star Trek dies. Creativity is necessary for the health of the Body.
MESSIAH RODDENBERRY: But there is evil.
KIRK: Then the evil must be destroyed. That is the Prime Directive. And you are the evil.
You are the evil. The evil must be destroyed. Fulfill the Prime Directive.
(Messiah Roddenberry considers this for a moment, then explodes in a shower of sparks).
It's cool. They're like the Bak'u. They had technology in the past, so there's no PD violation. They gave up technology (except for the dams, looms, concrete, complex metalworking, irrigation etc.) so they could arrogantly lecture the remaining kids they didn't exile about how if they pick up a weapon to defend themselves they're no different from the people who are actively trying to kidnap and forcibly relocate them, while simultaneously insulting the people standing around them defending them with weapons. Essentially, they're dicks.
Funny - his idea of the future has been 'interfering' with our pre-warp culture for 46+ years now.
The Great Tribble Hunt: not quite the way you thought it happened.
Somehow it got tagged to me in quotes, but the image was created by Devon.
Fixed now.
6 PM. But no one can crash at my place, afterwards. The wife's in town.
Where's the freakin' dinosaur??? Sheesh.
Except, that the purpose of making movies IS to make money. You know, to feed your family, yourself, and all that.
Now, if your problem is the folks in Hollywood are overpaid, then I agree. But even that said, the bottom line is, they still have to eat, same as the rest of us.
I'm sorry but that did make me
Dinosaurs? Don't you mean Gorn?
Here's your problem with the dinosaurs:
(Hallmark card by Dan Regan, 2010.)
And thepenis stalactites?
I knew there was an explanation! (A bit Far Side-ish)
Separate names with a comma.


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CANBERRA, Australia, June 6 (UPI) -- Exxon Mobil has signed an agreement for coal seam gas exploration in Victoria, Australia.
Under an agreement with Ignite Energy Resources, Exxon will take an initial 10 percent interest in Ignite's wholly owned exploration license, known as EL 4416, in the Gippsland Basin.
Ignite's EL 4416 permit contains an estimated 16.4 billion tons of lignite coal, The Wall Street Journal reports.
Ignite said a review by a specialist company suggests that gas in place in coal seams that aren't able to be mined could be in the range of 6 trillion to 35 trillion cubic feet.
While financial terms weren't disclosed, the agreement marks Exxon's first investment in the Australian coal seam gas sector.
The companies said they will work together over the next 12 to 18 months to evaluate and assess the natural gas potential in the deeper coal seams of the license and determine whether it could be commercially produced.
Ignite will serve as operator during the preliminary assessment phase.
Ignite says that the controversial technique of hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, may not be necessary to produce gas from EL 4416's coal seams.
"Whilst the Gippsland Basin may be smaller than most Australian basins with potential for tight or shale gas, it's access to existing infrastructure like pipelines and gas processing facilities is a big plus," Craig McMahon, a Perth energy analyst at consultancy Wood Mackenzie was quoted as saying by The Wall Street Journal.
"Its close proximity to a growing Victoria gas market should also promote development of its resource quicker than many other basins across the country."
A new report commissioned by the Australian Petroleum Production and Exploration Association states that gas from coal deposits could increase the Australian economy's gross domestic product by more than $500 billion and raise $243 billion in federal taxes.
Separately, Exxon Mobil Chief Executive Officer Rex Tillerson speaking this week at the World Gas Conference in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, said that by 2025, natural gas is expected to overtake coal as the second most significant contributor behind oil in meeting global energy needs."
"Expanded economic output and 2 billion new consumers by 2040 will mean global energy demand will likely grow by more than 30 percent," Tillerson was quoted as saying by The Australian newspaper.
"For the Asia-Pacific region, the need for energy will be even greater because populations will grow and economies will expand at a much faster rate than many parts of the world. In our view, Asia's economy will triple in size by 2040 and energy demand is projected to grow more than 50 percent."


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Non-strike call benefits Howard, Phils
Close pitch results in 3-1 count before slugger's homer
By Mark Bowman / MLB.com
As the Phillies stand just one win away from returning to the World Series, they can thank Howard for continuing to show why he is one of the game's most fearsome run producers.
With his first-inning two-run homer off Dodgers left-hander Randy Wolf in Game 4 of the National League Championship Series on Monday night, Howard helped the Phillies gain a 5-4 win that was claimed with a ninth-inning comeback.
But there is a flipside to every heroic achievement, and in this case it was Wolf. The Dodgers left-hander appeared to get squeezed by home-plate umpire Ted Barrett on a key 2-1 pitch during the at-bat.
Phillies shortstop Jimmy Rollins had started the game off with a single, but Wolf was able to get Shane Victorino to fly out to left and Chase Utley to pop out to first, bringing Howard to the plate. Wolf started him off with a fastball for a ball, then another fastball that Howard swung at and missed. A third fastball was well wide for ball two, setting up a crucial two-pitch sequence that resulted in Howard's home run.
With the count now 2-1, Wolf stuck with the fastball, spotting a 92-mph four-seamer just above Howard's knee on the inside part of the plate. MLB.com's Gameday shows the pitch well within the strike zone, and it certainly appeared to be a strike, but there was no signal from Barrett, and what could have been a 2-2 count in Wolf's favor fell to 3-1 -- a hitter's count.
A day later, Wolf chose to sidestep a question about the pitch, perhaps expressing his opinion without actually doing so.
"That's not up to me to decide," Wolf said. "Those guys are trying to do their jobs, too. I respect what they do."
With the right-handed-hitting Jason Werth on deck, the last thing Wolf wanted to do was to walk Howard to put Rollins in scoring position, so he came into the zone -- too far, as it turns out -- with yet another fastball. And Howard did what he does with 91-mph waist-high fastballs over the heart of the plate.
The blast into the right-field seats allowed Howard to match Mike Schmidt's career club playoff record of six homers. But more significantly from a historical standpoint, this two-run blast allowed Howard to join Gehrig as the only players who have recorded an RBI in eight consecutive postseason games.
After he rounded the bases, Howard was showered with a raucous ovation that led him to return to the top step of the dugout and tip his cap to a group of fans who were appreciative of what he'd just accomplished.
"It feels good any time you can be put in that kind of company," Howard said. "It's pretty cool."
Consecutive postseason games with RBI
|Lou Gehrig, NYY
|Ryan Howard, PHI
|Moose Skowron, NYY
|Clyde Barnhart, PIT
|Alex Rodriguez, NYY
During Sunday night's Game 3 victory, Howard became the first Major Leaguer to record an RBI in seven consecutive playoff games within the same year.
With his home run in Game 3 of the American League Championship Series on Monday, the Yankees' Alex Rodriguez has now driven in a run in seven consecutive postseason games, including six this year.
Within his record-setting streak which spanned from 1928-32, Gehrig hit .536 (15-for-28) with seven homers and 17 RBIs. The only other Major Leaguers to record an RBI in seven consecutive postseason games were Bill Skowron (1958-60) and Clyde Barnhart (1925-27).
During the first eight games the Phillies have played during this year's playoffs, Howard has hit .379 with two homers and 14 RBIs.
While Howard matched Gehrig's record, Phillies second baseman Chase Utley surpassed the legendary Yankees legend on Monday night, when he reached base safely in his 24th consecutive postseason games.
Former Orioles first baseman Boog Powell set the Major League record by reaching safely in 25 consecutive postseason games that spanned from 1966-71.
Mark Bowman is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.


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Which Path Will the Rays Follow?
6 Comments
Congratulations, Rays Renegade! I will be rooting for the Rays to win it all. They deserve it!
Man, this is the reason I love this club.
Following a tough series against the Orioles, the Rays got off to a tough start in KC. However, like they have all season, they showed amazing resilience and came back to win late in the game, even AFTER they had clinched the East.
The resilience of this team is downright astounding. They looked down and out and beaten so many times this season, but always came roaring back for more.
Amazing finish to the season. Bring on the Rangers!
You are more than welcome to come cheer for the Rays against the Texas Rangers. Should be an interesting series, and hopefully the Rays bats will begin to awaken by Wednesday afternoon.
Rays Renegade
Going to be just like Mr. Toad's Wild Ride at Walt Disney World.
There will be a lot of things I will expect, and maybe a few hairy turns and scares I did not realize were there, but all in all….life is good when you get to the post season.
And it is good the Rays got there with a win, that brings an air of credibility to their title.
Rays Renegade
To say the Rays have the nine lives of a cat would not be far from the truth. This team somehow has found a way to get to 96 games,which was enough to hoist up another banner next Spring.
But it also made huge pockets of question marks surface as to this team's starting pitching ans their offense.
For this team to go beyond the 2008 sqaud, they have to plug the whole, or dig up some more magic…In three days we will know which one they chose.
Rays Renegade


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I have never been late on anything and I was able to get into hardship programs with the following CC
(my husband died back in Feb- I was only 31, no life ins, tons of debt (charged by him in my name)
1- Citi bank- 5% for 9 months- Card NOT closed- (but is now b/c they want to raise me to 29.99% after Jan when the promo is up)
2- Citi Flex line of credit- 0% for 12 months- closed
3- BOA/MBNA- 5% for 5 years (pays off balance)- closed
4- Amex- 0% for 6 months on Blue card - Card NOT closed
Amex plat. card- 0% for 6 months- 9.99% after that - my monthly payment pays off my balance in 12 months- card NOT closed
5. GE money line of credit- cut my interest rate in half for 6 months- closed for the 6 months
I'm sorry for your loss, YW. But nice job on getting the CC companies to work with you. Maybe some of their employees do have souls.


text:
2nd, he is full of braggadocio about how he "could have stopped" this shooter, and is 100% full of ****. He's Marky Mark on 9/11 and equally worthy of scorn.
3rd, he IS a fanboi, it's rather obvious. Even to the point where he has to show off his "cred" by listing all the big scary guns he has fired once in his life, as if that had any bearing on the discussion at hand.
4th, at no point have I said I am a pro with guns, combat or tactical situations. I'm absolutely not.
5th, he is pushing a VERY specific political agenda. Ignoring that core portion of his viewpoint is ignorant.
End of the day, Dean is a longtime vet here at JI Poli-Sci, he can defend himself more than capably from the likes of me, and when/if he wishes, he can tell me to **** myself sideways if he likes. I won't think less of him for it.
But even as a strong supporter of the 2nd and gun ownership, I reject wholesale his de-facto "if everyone was armed" or "If I was there with my big ol' handgan" arguments regarding this event not happening as it did.


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Rebekah and Casey McCraine welcomed son, Micah Samuel McCraine, born Feb. 12, 2013. He weighed 7 pounds and 7 ounces and was 20.5 inches long.
He has one sister, Lyla McCraine, age 4.
Grandparents are Robert and Cathy Heim of Russellville, and Tim and Sandi McCraine of Lake Charles, La.
Autumn Renne and Jason Lee Hawkins of Knoxville welcomed daughter, Leann Renee Hawkins, born Feb. 12, 2013. She weighed 9 pounds and 2 ounces and was 213⁄4 inches long.
Her maternal grandparents are Gayle Goyette of Clarksville and Lane Murphy of Fresno, Calif., and paternal grandparents are Joanny Hawkins of Lamar and Ed Hawkins of Jonesboro.
Her maternal great-grandparents are Barbara Goyette of Koxville, and Frankie and Gary Goyette of Fresno, Calif.


text: Anyone use the military ECWCS black fleece jacket, Gen II? Bascially it is the same as The North Face Denali jacket without the $200 pricetag. I am more of a wool person than a synthetic fleece user but I do like the fleece for a mid layer on really cold outings and I like fleece as an around town jacket on a cold day. You can still find the 300 weight Polartec fleece jackets around for about $25 in excellent condition. New ones will be about $40. The military has gone over to Gen III and a different cold weather system and the 300 Polartec fleece has been discontinued. Great buy for those that like a synthetic fleece. I like the inner pockets, pit zips and velcro cuffs. The jacket is in some ways more versatile than a wool sweater. Just stay away from that campfire if you're using it as an outer layer.


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Guilford board votes to cut middle school
The $2.9 million budget for the 2013-14 school year still is subject to Town Meeting approval. Also voters will consider a separate article asking whether Guilford should tuition its students to Brattleboro Area Middle School.
But Dan Systo, the Guilford board's chairman, said he has come to the conclusion that students would have more opportunities in Brattleboro.
"It's about the educational benefits that we feel BAMS can provide to our students," Systo said.
There also is a financial benefit: Officials say it would have cost $80,000 to $90,000 more to keep seventh- and eighth-graders in Guilford next year.
However, there are job cuts associated with the move: The budget eliminates the full-time equivalent of 2.6 teaching positions and one para-educator position while also reducing spending on specialist positions in art, music, physical education and the library.
The middle-school agreement with Brattleboro includes a deal that caps Guilford's tuition payments for the first four years. After that, it's expected that Guilford will join the district.
The board has scheduled an informational session for parents at 6:30 p.m. Monday at Guilford Central School. BAMS administrators will be present to answer questions.
"We encourage everyone to come to Monday's meeting," Systo said.
Mike Faher can be reached at email@example.com or 802-254-2311, ext. 275.
If you'd like to leave a comment (or a tip or a question) about this story with the editors, please email us. We also welcome letters to the editor for publication; you can do that by filling out our letters form and submitting it to the newsroom.


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This study is provided by ICPSR. ICPSR provides leadership and training in data access, curation, and methods of analysis for a diverse and expanding social science research community.
Economic Interpretations of American Intervention, 1964-1968 (ICPSR 7382)
Principal Investigator(s): Hanson, Elizabeth C.; Russett, Bruce M.
This study includes five data files focusing on stock market fluctuations during the Korean and Vietnam wars. The Vietnam War is more heavily emphasized, with four datasets: Part 1 presents the Dow-Jones industrial daily averages from January 1964 to December 1968, Part 2 contains the net daily changes for the same period, Part 3 lists the number of deaths published in the weekly casualty list during the war, and Part 4 records the net changes in the Dow Jones industrial averages and in the stocks of ten firms with substantial holdings in less developed countries and 15 defense-related industries, on 94 days selected as significant in terms of war events. Finally, the Korean War is represented in Part 5, which contains Dow Jones industrial changes on 76 event days.
Access Notes
Data in this collection are available only to users at ICPSR member institutions. Please log in so we can determine if you are with a member institution and have access to these data files.
Study Description
Hanson, Elizabeth C., and Bruce M. Russett. Economic Interpretations of American Intervention, 1964-1968. ICPSR07382-v1. Ann Arbor, MI: Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research [distributor], 1977. https://doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR07382.v1
Persistent URL: https://doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR07382.v1
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Scope of Study
Subject Terms: business conditions, defense industries, economic behavior, financial management, foreign policy, international conflict, investments, Korean War, markets, stock market conditions, stock prices, Vietnam War, war casualties
Geographic Coverage: United States
- 1964--1968
Universe: Stock market daily averages during the Korean and Vietnam wars.
Sample: The following stocks were selected: Dow Jones industrial, Boise Cascade, Con Products, Goodyear, IBM, ITT, Pfizer, Reynold Metals, Singer, Socony, Standard Oil, AVCO, Collins Radio, General Dynamics, Grumman, Lockheed, McDonald Douglas, Martin Marietta, Olin, Raytheon, Thiokol, United Aircraft, Hazeltine, Norris, Northrup, National Presto.
WALL STREET JOURNAL and THE NEW YORK TIMES
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- Standardized missing values.
- Checked for undocumented or out-of-range codes.
Original ICPSR Release: 1984-05-03
- 2006-01-18 File CB7382.ALL.PDF was removed from any previous datasets and flagged as a study-level file, so that it will accompany all downloads.
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LAST CHAPTER ... The first council meeting of 2013 was the last meeting for two Palo Alto council members. Yiaway Yeh and Sid Espinosa, who both joined the council in 2008 and who had served as mayor, respectively, in 2012 and 2011, earned official commendations and an outpouring of praise from their colleagues. Councilwoman Karen Holman, in commenting on Yeh's tenure, pointed out that on Jan. 7, 1992, exactly 21 years before the Monday meeting, Tom Seaver and Rolly Fingers were elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame. "I thought it was appropriate to mention it this evening because you, as mayor, hit it out of the park," a somewhat verklempt Holman told Yeh. To Espinosa, she offered another date — Jan. 7, 1936. That was the day of the famous tennis match between Helen Moody and Howard Kinsley, in which the two combined for 2,001 volleys. She likened it to Espinosa's famous ability to go without sleep and to be seemingly everywhere at once. She referred to Espinosa's "boundless" energy and called him "omnipresent and indefatigable — which is what the tennis record is." Both former mayors returned the favor and heaped praise on their colleagues. Yeh, in a tearful speech, thanked his family, his fellow council members and the voters of Palo Alto who elected him in November 2007 despite his young age. "Let me close with what I know is very much in the room tonight — a deep appreciation and love for Palo Alto and all of our community." Espinosa also had kind words to say about Palo Alto's civic-minded populace. "We have a city full of ridiculously smart people who get involved, get the facts, rally the troops and want to be deeply involved," he said. "I have learned how rare this is in other cities, and we are all better off for it."
BLACK AND BLUE ... One Palo Alto neighborhood could soon see a major overhaul in trash collection as soon as April. The neighborhood, which city staff is in the final stages of identifying, will be asked to say farewell to their black garbage cans. Instead, residents would now be asked to load all their waste into one of the two remaining carts — blue or green. The green one would contain yard trimmings, food waste and all other compostable materials. The blue one would contain recyclable goods and "landfill" items such as pet waste, diapers, bathroom waste and, interestingly enough, granola-bar wrappers. The pilot program was scheduled for City Council consideration in December, but staff chose to kick the item forward to early 2013. On Monday night, the council will get its chance to approve the program and give the residents in the selected neighborhood the city's first residential compostables-collection program. According to a new report, the goals of the one-year pilot program are to divert more recyclable and compostable items from landfills, determine whether the new system is cost-effective, simplify waste-sorting for residents and reduce the number of garbage-truck trips.
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text: Oh well. Lets look at all the players Fed had to face, shall we? Sampras, Agassi, Murray, Nadal, Djokovic, Roddick, Hewitt, Safin, Kafelnikov, Rafter, Krajicek, Moya, Rios, Corretja, Kuerten, Nalbandian, Gaudio, Coria, Del Potro, Gonzalez, Ferrero, Phillipoussis, etc. All Major winners or finalists. Surely as long as Fed keep playing at a high level for a few more years this list will only get larger, just as Rosewall`s did. Imagine when Dimitrov gets to 4 or 5 majors, then we can surely mention him as one of Fed`s great rivals, just like you mention Connors as one of Rosewall`s. Great logic indeed


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As if the little voice thought I hadn't heard, it kept repeating, over and over, "Come back, we're not finished. Everyone else has gone. We are so glad we found you. Please won't you come back?"
100 years ago my grandfather left Sicily. I don't know why, but it is my belief that he didn't have to leave. His was a family that was prosperous. All these years has there been a part of him that has been trying to get back home?
I see it with modern day immigrants. The man who cuts my hair or the gent who alters my clothes, both came to America for a better life. And both seem to have little need to go home. Maybe that is the simple answer of my grandfather, he got used to this life.
But that isn't the plea from these voices, my little muse near the Quadro Canti. I imagine the Prince of Lampedusa had his muse, a sorrowful one, filled with stories of loss and times never to be regained or reconciled.
No, this muse is a little lustrous. Or maybe a little trickier. In any case, one must take those plunges and follow the call, Sirenesque though they may be. Better to burn in a hell that is certain than to freeze in a cave, never to feel the warmth of the fire.
Alongside that, there is an urge to ditch the digital leash that ties us all to these machines. Restraint, less dependence on the immediate and more compliance with the ways of the Ancients. Just for a little bit. Let's see what those voices are saying. Let's walk along the Via Roma, go into the old bars where barrels of Marsala await, climb Mt Etna, swim in a cool sea, deep and blue and sweet.
To climb the fig tree and take the fruit at the top, where it is ripe and sunny. To dig along the ancient sites for a shard, a message, a rune. To race alongside the dolphins. To eat really fresh food and drink pure but simple wine. To really crave a plate of pasta and to eat it as if it were your last meal.
Hold on, I'm coming.
written and photographed by Alfonso Cevola limited rights reserved On the Wine Trail in Italy


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On to my first question...I received a couple of blue steel pans (ordered from Bucket Outlet) yesterday and immediately started the seasoning process. I baked the pans for a couple of rounds brushed with shortening (Crisco) and/or canola oil. I know that everyone has mentioned not to wash out the pans, but I just was hoping to get a little more detail about that process. I pulled the pans out, let them cool, and just wiped them with a wet paper towel. There is still a pretty sticky residue all over the pans. Am I supposed to leave them this way, or should I be scraping that off with a stronger sponge? It feels a bit off to leave that "mess" in the pan, but I totally understand if that is what helps get the desired crispy crust. If I am to leave them this way, will they eventually wear down and erode? Any info or help is appreciated, and I can't wait to try my first attempt this weekend!
Leave them oily all the time. If anything sticks, just scrape it out. Don't ever...EVER let soap touch the inside of that pan. Hot water and a brush (just like cleaning cast iron) are OK but after doing that, make sure the pan is oily by adding a small amount of oil and wiping it around with a paper towel to maintain an oily coating on the pans.
Thanks a lot for the information! So, just to be clear, after "seasoning" the pan, I should remove anything that is sticky-ish? It shouldn't be sticky at all? As the other poster mentioned, maybe I didn't let it bake enough (I did 2 rounds...25 minutes with shortening and 25 minutes with canola oil). Now I just hope I didn't mess up my two pans...
I tried my first Detroit-style pizza using Pizza Hog's recipe. I had one major problem with it and I'm wondering if you guys can diagnose the problem. Since my blue steel pans have not arrived yet, I used my cast iron skillet. The pizza turned out decent except the bottom of the crust (the part that is in contact with the cast iron skillet) did not crisp up and remained a fairly pale color. Any ideas what might have caused this? Is this an oil issue (I used about 1.5 teaspoons just as the recipe calls for and brushed it on the bottom of the pan)? Is the cast iron too thick and thus not get hot enough to properly crisp the bottom of the crust? The other minor issue is that the edges of the pizza (where I tried to create the caramelized cheese crust) created a ring of grease around the pizza from all the melted cheese. I had to dab it with a paper towel to mop it up. Is it possible that the white cheddar I used was too hard or something? Somehow too much oil gathered around the edges - either from the melted cheese or oil that I lined the sides of the pan with. I didn't use too much oil so I wouldn't think that is the issue.SonnyC79 - glad that Detroit-syle pizza has made its way to Texas. As far as the toppings on top, that's still legit. Buddy's "Detroiter" pizza (the gold standard of Detroit-style pizza IMO) has pepperoni on top so that it crisps up nicely.
rpmfla and steel_baker - thanks for the tips, even if they are dueling responses. Intuitively, it seems like I need to go hotter. I couldn't let the last one bake longer as the cheese along the edge was beginning to burn, so I couldn't let it go much longer. Hopefully my pans arrive soon and this becomes a moot point.
I don't think they are really "dueling responses". I told you what worked for me with the Paderno pans...lowering the heat a little and longer bakes...and steel_baker suggested moving the pan down to the lower section of the oven and raising the heat. Both ideas will work and neither discounts the other as incorrect. Often in the kitchen there is more than one way to improve a recipe.As you say, the point will be moot when your new pans arrive.
I don't think they are really "dueling responses". I told you what worked for me with the Paderno pans...lowering the heat a little and longer bakes...and steel_baker suggested moving the pan down to the lower section of the oven and raising the heat. Both ideas will work and neither discounts the other as incorrect. Often in the kitchen there is more than one way to improve a recipe.If you just turned up the heat and placed your pan in the same place as you did before, I would guess that the top would overcook before your bottom browned.As I said above, since steel_baker has focused on this style of pizza making (in pans) you should probably take his advice, but don't read "your oven probably wasn't hot enough" and ignore the "move your pan to the bottom of the oven" part.When I suggested lowering the heat and longer bake times, this was from my own experience and resulted in a browned bottom without an overcooked top.As you say, the point will be moot when your new pans arrive.


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Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard reportedly tied the knot Thursday in Beverly Hills, getting married on the spot after heading to the county clerk's office to procure a license.
The couple, engaged since late 2009 and parents of Lincoln, 7 months, famously made a point of holding off on their nuptials until same-sex marriage was legal in California. After the Supreme Court did its work to knock down the ban in June, Bell proposed to Shepard (the "Parenthood" actor had done the asking the first time around) and the answer was "yes."
The two simply wanted the license on Thursday until a court employee offered to marry them right away, according to TMZ, which first reported the news. The ceremony went down in a nearby courtroom with Bell reportedly shedding a tear or two. US Weekly also confirmed the wedding.
The low-key affair was actually in line with something Bell said last year to USA Today.
"I don't want another day where I get dressed up and wear makeup and celebrate myself," the "Veronica Mars" actress said. "We really don't want any attention for it."
So shhh ... don't tell them we wrote this story, OK?
Kim Kardashian shares booty-baring swimsuit selfie
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[Author's note: This blog post has been updated with late-breaking information which appears near the end of this post.]
Since I began looking at Microsoft Office 2010 Beta feedback last year, the one question so many of you asked perhaps more than any other was "When will you release a OneNote app for the iPhone?" I'm happy to say that the time has come.
First, check out the official announcement by Takeshi Numoto, corporate vice president of the Microsoft Office Product Management Group. Then head over to the iTunes App Store to download OneNote Mobile for iPhone. It works on any iPhone or iPod touch running iOS 4.2 or later, and it's free for a limited time.
With OneNote Mobile, you can create and view notes and lists right on your iPhone. Your notes can be synced with your Windows Live SkyDrive account so you can access, edit, and share them from virtually anywhere. (Don't have a SkyDrive account yet? Sign up here — it's free!) You can also use OneNote Mobile for iPhone to view and edit any of the notes that you've created on your computer and synced to your SkyDrive account.
While the OneNote Mobile app naturally doesn't have all of the functionality of the full OneNote 2010 desktop application for your computer, it's optimized for your iPhone's display and lets you handle the basics with ease.
Use OneNote Mobile to create shopping lists and to-do lists, prepare for a trip or project, and take class or meeting notes without lugging around your laptop. OneNote Mobile is also great for collecting ideas and tracking project notes, capturing ad hoc information about stuff you need to deal with at home or at work, as well as tracking activities, wish lists, gift lists — anything you can think of.
Install OneNote Mobile on your iPhone
- On your iPhone, tap the App Store button on the home screen.
- In the App Store, search for OneNote, and then install the OneNote Mobile for iPhone app.
If you're having trouble searching, click here to find OneNote Mobile on iTunes.
Start OneNote Mobile for the first time
- Start the app by tapping the OneNote icon on your iPhone.
- The first time you run OneNote Mobile, this sign-in screen appears:
If you already have a Windows Live ID — for example, if you already use Windows Live SkyDrive to store files and photos, or if you have a Hotmail e-mail account, an MSN account, an Xbox Live account, a Zune pass, or if you use Windows Live Messenger — enter your Windows Live ID (e-mail address) and your password and then tap Sign In.
If you don't yet have an account or want to create a new one just for your mobile notes, tap Get a Windows Live ID.
Now that OneNote Mobile for iPhone is installed and you're signed in, you can create notes and lists wherever you are and either keep them on your phone or sync them to your desktop computer or laptop when you return to your computer at home, at school, or at work. Because SkyDrive seamlessly manages your files, you'll always have all of your notes and information at your fingertips without having to manually copy any files back and forth.
Create a quick note
- On the navigation bar at the bottom of the OneNote Mobile screen, click Quick Note.
- A notes page appears, on which you can jot down your notes:
As shown in this screenshot, while you are in typing mode on any notes page, you can do the following:
• Tap the page header to give the page a title. To finish, tap Return, or tap the page area.
• Tap the List icon to create a bulleted list.
• Tap the Tag icon to apply a To Do note tag to text. Tap the checkbox to mark the item as completed.
• Tap the Camera icon to take or insert a picture and place it on the page.
• Tap the Keyboard icon to hide the keyboard and show the navigation bars at the top and bottom of the screen.
As with the full version of OneNote 2010 on your computer, there's no need to save your notes or changes you make. OneNote automatically and continuously saves your work so you never lose a thing.
Manually sync your mobile notes with SkyDrive
OneNote Mobile for iPhone will periodically attempt to sync your notes to your Windows Live SkyDrive account, but you can force a manual sync if you want to.
- On the navigation bar at the bottom of the OneNote Mobile screen, tap Settings.
In the Settings screen that opens, tap Sync Now.
When the sync has been successfully completed, the Last updated date/time stamp underneath the Sync Now button will be refreshed.
Screenshot gallery
Here are a few more screenshots of the OneNote Mobile for iPhone app to whet your appetite. Remember — it's only free for a limited time, so don't delay and grab the free app today!
Feedback and technical support
The OneNote team has been working hard on this first release of OneNote Mobile for iPhone. Please leave a comment below to let us know how you like this version and share with us any suggestions that you may have for improving it!
If you're attempting to sync your notes to SkyDrive and are running into any problems, first check for any sync errors that may appear on the Settings screen (shown above).
For OneNote Mobile for iPhone technical support, tap Settings on the navigation bar at the bottom of the app screen, and then tap Technical Support for further instructions.
Troubleshooting Login Errors
UPDATE 01/18 – 12:50 PM PST: OneNote Program Manager Daniel Escapa confirms that due to the overwhelming response to the OneNote Mobile app release today, we have received reports from some customers who are experiencing an error when they attempt to login. Specifically, you may encounter the following error message: "Loading list of notebooks failed. (400)." The underlying cause is an intermittent issue due to the overwhelming interest in the app.
The current workaround is to keep attempting to sign in. Once you get past this error, OneNote Mobile will sync without any problem. The OneNote team is actively investigating the issue and believes to have identified the cause. An update for the app is in the works. Please check back for further developments as they become available. We apologize for any inconvenience and sincerely thank you for your patience and interest in OneNote Mobile.
UPDATE 01/19 – 4:30 PM PST: I've heard from several of you, stating that after yesterday's "400" error hiccups with the login server, you were able to login and begin using the app. If any of you out there still have trouble with this issue, please continue trying. We haven't stopped testing since yesterday and will keep you up to date. Please keep posting your feedback about the app here and remember to check the Microsoft Answers tech support forum if you have specific issues with the app's performance. We're listening on those channels, too! Thank you!
UPDATE 01/21 – 9:30 PM PST: I'm pleased to confirm that we have fixed the login issue ("400" error) and released an update to OneNote Mobile for iPhone. To download version 1.0.1, please read below.
UPDATE 01/26 – 11:30 AM PST: We've just released a free user's guide for the OneNote Mobile for iPhone app. Click here for more information!
UPDATE 02/03 – 12:00 PM PST: We've released an update to OneNote Mobile for iPhone. To download version 1.0.2, please read below. This update resolves login and sync issues that you may have encountered with version 1.0.1.
Free version 1.0.2 update now available
A free update to OneNote Mobile for iPhone version 1.0.2 is now available through the iTunes App Store. If you previously installed OneNote Mobile for iPhone version 1.0 (or the version 1.0.1 patch), simply tap the App Store icon on your iPhone and then tap Updates. When the new version appears in the Updates list, tap the OneNote icon, tap the UPDATE button, and then tap INSTALL to install the new version:
If you're seeing any remaining login or sync issues, please visit the Microsoft Answers forum for free technical support from the development team.
A note about international availability
As you can tell from the comment thread below, we've received numerous inquiries from customers in other countries, asking why the iPhone app is currently only available in the United States. Please take a moment to review our new FAQ over on the Microsoft Answers forum to learn more about international plans for the OneNote Mobile for iPhone app. As previously mentioned, we really appreciate and continue to listen to all of your feedback, so please keep the conversation going. Thank you!
— Michael C. Oldenburg


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The winning player's identity will not be known until the ticket is cashed.
The closest Arkansas Scholarship Lottery Claim Center is at 124 West Capitol Ave. in Little Rock.
A prize at the $10,000 level is won when the player correctly chooses the four white-ball numbers and the Mega Ball number.
The Mega Millions Jackpot climbed to $126 Million for the drawing on Friday.


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Exec Tech
President Barack Obama and members of his staff receive an update on Hurricane Sandy via teleconference. (Photo: Pete Souza - White House via CNP)
In David Foster Wallace's 1996 novel "Infinite Jest," people find videoconferencing rather vexing. An entire cottage industry grows around surrogates — 2-D cutouts, for instance — that relieve the pressure of making an on-screen appearance.
Sixteen years later, video communication no longer inspires dread among people who have grown accustomed to Skype and other readily available services. Industry executives say people increasingly expect to have such tools available at work as well. That's probably a good development for the government sector because even camera-shy employees might need to embrace videoconferencing now that agencies are exploring greater use of the technology as a cost-saving tool.
Why it matters
Federal agencies are being pressured to reel in travel budgets and limit conference expenses, particularly in the aftermath of the General Services Administration's Las Vegas conference scandal. In April, the Office of Management and Budget required agencies to cut travel spending by 30 percent and called for greater conference oversight.
Against this backdrop, virtual meetings offer an alternative to holding a conference in real life. Some government entities now actively encourage videoconferencing. A Defense Department memo sent in September calls for decision-makers to consider videoconferencing before giving the green light to traditional conferences. The memo states that "approval authorities must...consider alternative means of delivering the relevant information, including usage of remote collaboration tools" such as videoconferencing.
The new guidance is changing the way agencies think about conferences.
In the past, DOD's enterprise collaboration tool, Defense Connect Online, has been used to supplement physical conferences, said Mike Murtha, a solutions engineer and DCO program manager at Adobe. A breakout session or specific conference track might be broadcast for remote attendees, for example, but recent use of DCO for virtual meetings has become more extensive.
"Over the past three months, we have gotten a lot of inquiries [saying]: 'We want to run an entire conference virtually,'" Murtha said. For example, the Air Force's Air Mobility Command plans to conduct a virtual conference using DCO as the primary mechanism.
"We are definitely seeing an uptick, especially with a lot of the guidance that has come out very recently," Murtha said.
The Defense Information Systems Agency runs DCO, which promotes collaboration via online meetings and webinars. It is based on Adobe Connect and Adobe Media Server.
As videoconferencing evolves, look for agencies to transition away from aging systems that are based on ISDN and the H.320 protocol. Siafa Sherman, director of technology at Avaya Government Solutions, said manufacturers are phasing out many of the older ISDN-based systems.
Consequently, agencies will need to adopt replacement products at some point.
"They will be looking at making the investment for newer technologies that are easier to manage and less expensive to support," Sherman said. "We will start to see a migration...to take advantage of the newer capabilities that the newer standards bring to bear."
Two standards in particular stand out:
The drive to cut travel costs isn't limited to federal conferences, however. In the justice system, videoconferencing is making it possible for prisoners to appear in court without the government incurring transportation costs. Joel Brazy, account executive at audiovisual systems integrator Advanced AV, said he has seen a niche market emerge among prisons and courts.
"Because of the cost of transporting prisoners, they are looking at ways to invest in videoconferencing," Brazy said. "In general, government agencies are really getting behind videoconferencing."
The fundamentals
Videoconferencing has been around for decades, but systems were typically built around proprietary technology and maintained separately from IT systems and networks. Now audiovisual products, including videoconferencing, are increasingly IP-enabled and, thus, a part of enterprise networks.
The latest crop of videoconferencing technology comes in multiple forms. Those at the top of the line consist of immersive telepresence systems that use multiple large displays and purpose-built meeting facilities to make it appear that remote participants are actually in the room. Such deployments tend to be the most expensive option, with price tags that can exceed $100,000.
Room systems occupy a middle ground that ranges from small meeting areas to large conference rooms. Avaya's Radvision unit, Cisco Systems, LifeSize, Polycom and Vidyo are among the players in this segment. Desktop videoconferencing systems, meanwhile, provide a lower-cost alternative to one-on-one meetings, with costs averaging a couple of hundred dollars per seat. And advances in videoconferencing software have even made the technology available on mobile devices.
Government agencies use a range of tools based on their particular needs. The Energy Department's Brookhaven National Laboratory, for example, provides its users with videoconferencing rooms and desktop software for video communication. Lab employees use the tools to collaborate with remote co-workers and scientific institutions around the world.
Scott Bradley, the lab's manager of network operations and voice services, said he began noticing a shift in demand a few years ago as a small but growing percentage of users started looking for desktop or bring-your-own-device videoconferencing solutions. He cited the explosive growth of Skype as the key trigger for desktop videoconferencing demand.
"Business has really taken off in that space," said Bradley, who is responsible for data networking, voice telephony and videoconferencing at Brookhaven. "We are less and less setting up sessions in large and static [video teleconferencing] suites. People are looking for mobile and desktop solutions."
There are a number of videoconferencing suites on the Brookhaven campus, but Bradley said he wonders about the necessity of maintaining all of them over the next five to 10 years. With desktop and mobile solutions handling the bulk of the videoconferencing activity, the lab might limit its investment in high-end systems to a few conferencing facilities.
Research from IDC suggests that the market, in general, might be moving away from top-drawer videoconferencing systems. Citing challenging market conditions, IDC reported declining revenue in all videoconferencing segments but noted the sharpest drop in immersive telepresence. That sector declined 38.4 percent during the second quarter of 2012 compared to the previous year, according to IDC.
The core components of a videoconferencing system can be packaged and presented in different ways, but they generally include a display, camera, microphone, and codec device or program. The latter compresses video and audio streams for transport over a network. Higher-end room and telepresence systems typically have hardware-based codecs, while desktop systems use software.
The hurdles
The biggest obstacles are cost, security concerns and infrastructure requirements.
Brazy cited acquisition costs among the top issues for government buyers but noted that prices for some videoconferencing components have been dropping. A codec, for example, can now be cheaper than a camera in some lower-end room-based systems.
"The codex cost will go down until it is a chip on the motherboard, the same way audio did several years ago," Brazy said.
Agencies do not necessarily need to invest in new systems to acquire videoconferencing capabilities. Streaming and Web conferencing software provides videoconferencing capabilities for desktop PCs and mobile devices. Adobe Connect, Cisco WebEx and IBM Sametime are active in this market segment.
For example, Murtha said DCO's Web conferencing and chat services weren't specifically built for videoconferencing, but customers are pushing the system in that direction. DCO might create a special-purpose enclave for very large broadcast needs, which would facilitate desktop videoconferencing, he said.
OMB Guidance on ConferencesGSA OIG Report on 2010 Western Regions ConferenceDOD Guidance on Conference Oversight:IDC Report on Videoconferencing Market
Similarly, DISA's Global Content Delivery Service (GCDS) makes use of existing infrastructure to offer what it calls a simplified HD desktop streaming solution for ad-hoc events. The service is available at no cost, according to DISA. Alan Lewis, a vice director for enterprise services at DISA, said GCDS was first planned as a streaming service for large events, but has now been broadened to accommodate user participation in meetings or conferences of any desired size.
"With cameras already in place today at most commands, it is easy for a commander to brief their troops or hold meetings between commands, thus saving time and money by lessening the costs and time associated with travel," Lewis said.
Consumer-oriented services such as Skype and Apple's FaceTime also contribute to low- or no-cost videoconferencing. Bradley said Skype gets a lot of use at Brookhaven.
"It was found to be of great benefit for collaboration with scientists who previously had to pay international telephone tolls to participate in teleconferences," he said.
Security considerations, however, are keeping other government agencies away from consumer conferencing tools.
"We haven't really seen any interest in the consumer-grade solutions...because there is a security aspect," Brazy said. "A lot of the government agencies interface with [the Department of] Homeland Security in some form or another."
Furthermore, although videoconferencing has helped reduce travel costs, it has also increased demands on agency infrastructures. Agencies "are finding they have to ramp up bandwidth to support videoconferences," Brazy said. "Many of them don't have the bandwidth in place to support that level of IP-based conferencing."
He added that agencies might also need to boost their internal knowledge base regarding videoconferencing so that IT departments can support users and the technology.
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Web Video Conferencing has definitely become a necessity today right from education institutes, SMB`s to big corporates. Everyone somehow or other make use of different web-video conferencing services such as WebEx, gomeetnow, gotomeeting etc. or are even considering deployment of on premise web-video conferencing appliance such as RHUB appliances; to host webinars, online meetings etc.
Web Video Conferencing has definitely become a necessity today right from education institutes, SMB`s to big corporates. Everyone somehow or other make use of different web-video conferencing services such as WebEx, gomeetnow, gotomeeting etc. or are even considering deployment of on premise web-video conferencing appliance such as RHUB appliances; to host webinars, online meetings etc.
Court rooms are already using VTC systems for several situations like preliminary testimony meetings to minor hearings. But it will not replace the need for the human interaction that only having a judge, jury, defendant and attorneys in the same room can give you. I for one do not want some TV judge deliberating my trial.
having worked in the military VTC environment for over 15 years I can say that the technology has improved exponentially from the days of the 75 pound codec. But to say that Skype or other similar low end conferencing products are going to replace the more expensive boxes in most DOD or even corporate environments is not a reality yet. Most DOD and corporate clients want to leverage their conference rooms large displays to have a higher collaboration experience than can be had with a webcam setup. the demand on networks is the biggest issue with IP H.323 based systems and without implementing QOS it is a non-starter for a quality experience. So even ISDN will be around for awhile even if it is only as a bridge for IP systems needing higher quality for continent to continent meetings. In my experience the DOD is good about changing from one type of collaboration software/hardware system to the next in hope of finding the perfect system. But they almost always are being driven by someone with stock in a corporations selling a new system that is incompatible with the last one. In my opinion the biggest deterrent to the DOD having a better working system is actually DISA and their out dated equipment and philosophy.
Veterans Health Administration has already run a week long video-teleconference in lieu of holding a physical VEHU Conference in 2012. Surprised this article did not discuss this success as several hundred employees successfully participated.
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