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The advertisement says these lipsticks are €2,49... I really paid only €1,99 in my local Lidl.
'First the package, which reminds me of the NYX Matte Lipsticks. I don't own any of these NYX Matte Lipsticks, but you can see for yourself.'
'Purple Dream is an red based berry color. I love such colors, and I always pick up a color like this when I try a new brand for lipsticks. The scent is indescribable. It isn't scented like vanilla, but it has more a candy- ish, sweet scent to me, but it isn't a fruity scent either. If you're picky on the scent, I think this isn't for you, but so far it didn't annoy me.The swatch on my hand tells me that this is an sheer coverage, but the formula is build able on my lips.'
'Now the application. The lipstick feels really soft and smooth on my lips, but I have a feeling that this lipstick isn't a long lasting one. As you can tell from the pics, this lipstick could be bleeding, running out. Maybe if I put some concealer or foundation underneath, it will last longer, but why so much effort for a lipstick which only last one hour anyway? Maybe it's only this shade, I don't know. I don't recommend you to buy loads of these lipsticks in the first place. If you're on a budget, and you want to try out some colors, without spending too much it's oke.
There's one thing what really annoys me: There's no indication on the package of how much product you get for your €1,99, only that it's 12 months tenable, and that you have to deal with an quality product of Germany. I really wonder why they don't give you the amount of the product... Anyway. Maybe I try one of their pinks later on, but I don't think so. Better save me some money for other things...'
'Pics are taken by myself with my Sony Ericsson Xperia Mobile Phone, or Googled.'


text:
I know, I know, I know.
I have been so caught up in enjoying my apartment and getting last minute touches together. I moved in last saturday August 20th and everything went very smoothly. My parents, my sister and my niece helped me move in and they stayed the night and left sunday. I appreciated their help so much and them being there for me.
Once I have set up my FIRST apartment exactly how I wanted I'll take pictures. I will probably do a before and after. What I started with and how everything ended up.
Because I have been doing a lot of unexpected running around, like "Oh I need a vacuum" I just run out and get it. I dont think about what I am putting on and I dont get all glammed up. So why take pictures that wont inspire my readers to recreate what I am wearing with their own twist to it. Starting monday things will change. School starts then and I will be on my p's and q's with my outfits lol.
Brandi <3
P.S. I hope everyone on the east coast is okay with Hurricane Irene coming our way.
I live in Delaware so I understand the seriousness of everything

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Roy Hession, We Would See Jesus
This book is rocking my world. I HIGHLY recommend it to anyone looking for a solid read. More than anything, I love that it's making me think and pointing me to Jesus. The book talks about one thing commonly missing in faith stories today is an ardent passion to see God. Talks about how we see people pursuing holiness with the desire to do service FOR God, rather than pursuing holiness to SEE God. Also talks about how we pursue this great feeling or experience with God rather than God himself. "Both these ends fall utterly short of the great end that God has designed for man, that of glorifying Him forever. They fail to satisfy God's heart and they fail to satisfy ours."
All About Worship Collective
For a bigger heart for this city.
For God's eyes to be given to me to see Des Moines as He does.
For the politicians and authorities of this country.
For the health of my nieces and nephews and their safety in making it home soon -- for my sister's baby girl to be born and my brother's kids to make it through the grueling adoption process.
Eager expectation for what God is doing with the young professional demographic at Westwind Church.
Thankful for the stirring in my soul to CARE more for people around me.
Needy- realizing how quickly I place my worth or daily temperament in feedback or praise from people. Seeking to turn my eyes upward to the One who can and will fulfill every desire and need if my heart.
Vulnerable because I'm happy. There's seemingly so much more to lose when you're soaring. The blessing and curse of being a passionate person that feels deeply.
In seeing new parts of Des Moines - via bicycle, kayak, car. ALL SORTS of ways.
In making new friends.
In sharing the day to day joys with co-workers and family.
In loving life.
In having so much that I have been delighting in that I don't know where to start.
In fall quickly approaching.
In Trader Joe's simmer sauces. No really- they are SO GOOD. Go make a curry - I dare you.


text:
Recently Twitter disconnected Instagram so that users are no longer able to discover their friends on Twitter. Yesterday Tumblr became the next victim as Twitter works down the chain of developers that have connected to it. LinkedIn has already become a victim and the betting is that Flipboard will be next.
This is coupled with recent changes in the developer rules that insist on Twitter content being displayed "as is." See this article from TechCrunch: Twitter Handcuffs Client Apps with New API Changes - by Anthony Ha
I am wondering how long it will be before Wordpress plug-ins that display a twitter stream in the context of a web page are forbidden by Twitter. Those plug-ins would seem to be out of compliance because Wordpress blog pages have comments. As I understand it that is a no-no.
If Twitter follows a strategy to drive consumption of Twitter content on twitter.com then they will devalue the Twitter ecosystem and drive many people away to other services. One of the huge values of Twitter is that we can pull content that is relevant and mash it up with other content.
Twitter is like electricity. The value isn't in the power station at the center of the grid. The value is in the electricity that flows to millions of devices where it enables all manner of things to happen.


text:
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FFS Matty use photobucket or something so you can embed the photos.
OG Anti-Hybrid
One man's trash is a true Spudder's treasure!
Golf Ball Cannon "Superna" ■ M16 BBMG ■ Pengun ■ Hammer Valve Airsoft Sniper ■ High Pressure .22 Coax
Holy Shat!
I knew someone would say such thing one day, i saved this page quite a while ago.
search, read...
Here is my breech loading all steel 1.5" asco tennis ball gun I made a couple years back.
FYI I have taken the asco 1.5" valves as high as 200 psi.
Been nice out all weekend so far. Popped off at least 100 golfballs yesterday with my asco launcher. I'm thinking about making a longer barrel for it soon, and some other upgrades like a new paint job and a few other tricks up my sleeve. Will post pics by the end of the week!!
Go Bruins!!!!
Thought you had problems with pilot port gasket or did you get it fixed?
Ya I made a new gasket Dewey and its working great. Im punching holes through 3/4 inch plywood at 50 psi from 20 feet away like butter!!!
Last edited by mattyzip77 on Sat May 05, 2012 11:24 am, edited 1 time in total.
Go Bruins!!!!
The asco launcher got a new paint job recently!!! Check it out at the link below!!
Go Bruins!!!!
GGDT results for my asco launcher. Quite impressive if I do say so myself. Have a look! Thanks Dewey!!
Go Bruins!!!!
That's very impressive matty the numbers don't lie nice job
How do I get ggdt to work on my computer I have a Mac?
I have no idea, I know you have to run it with administrator privileges on a pc. And I didnt calculate these results Dewey did
Go Bruins!!!!
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text:
The name of this cocktail is invented by moi! It's a play on a Japanese Slipper but using Limoncello instead of Midori – hence it's an Italian Slipper.
It's a simple but potent mix of equal quantities of Limoncello, frozen tangelo juice and Cointreau.
One of these will get you giggly in no time. Ciao!


text:
Julia Randall says she is "45 going on 12," an apt summation of her current artistic inspiration on view at Real Art Ways in Hartford.
Randall starts by chewing bubble gum and blowing a bubble, then biting the end of the bubble to seal it. Then she takes the bubble out of her mouth and photographs it. From those photographs, Randall makes photorealistic colored-pencil drawings of the bubbles, sometimes manipulated with tacks or dentist's tools.


text:
I went to the Botanic Gardens today after a detour at the bustling Southbank which is always brimming with people and activity. During this visit, I took pics of aloe plants (again) and I'll include them here as I realized the ones I took in the previous entry look rather blurry.
These are the aloe succotrina (fynbos aloe) plants which originate from South Africa. The tall magenta flowers that come out from these plants are peculiar and pretty at the same. More info of the plant can be accessed here.
A butcherbird which appeared out of nowhere suddenly decided to eat a piece of breadcrust when I was about to take pics of these plants. I got distracted and set down somewhere and took pics of it eating the breadcrust.
Anyway, here is a close up of aloe ferox plant. (Yes, this time I made it a point to find out their names , well, at least most of them.)
This aloe speciosa plant on the right of this pic has grown very tall indeed , you could probably call it a full fledged aloe tree! (And I thought aloe plants can only grow in little plant pots! ).
On the left of the pic is a baobab tree (adansonia grandidieri) tree and on this visit I discovered the Gardens had the African variety of the baobab tree (adansonia digitata) all along. I suppose I would have to write another entry about the baobab trees again and make a comparison.


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Tuesday, 14 August 2012
Outfit Post: Wedding Guest
20 comments:
Beautiful outfit Charlie, you look amazing :-) xxReplyDeleteReplies
Aww thank you so much Rachel :) xxDelete
Stunning dress, lovely photos xReplyDeleteReplies
thank you hun xxDelete
You dress is gorgeous, perfect the wedding, the food looks really good to xxReplyDeleteReplies
thank you. the food was great i was stuffed after 4 courses! xDelete
Beautiful dress! you look lovely xxxReplyDeleteReplies
thank youuu :) xxDelete
What a lovely dress and you look gorgeous in it :)ReplyDelete
Tanesha x
thank you :) xDelete
your dress is lovely! I wish someone I knew would get married so I could go to a wedding!!ReplyDelete
thank you! it was a lovely wedding I wanna go to another one now they are so much fun! xDelete
Lovely outfit, you look amazing!ReplyDeleteReplies
aww thank you :) xDelete
I would love to get married abroad I bet the wedding was beautiful! I love that outfit! :) you look great! xxxReplyDeleteReplies
it was gorgeous such a great day, their professional photos look amazing. thank you xxDelete
Super cute dress! I love that the back hem is longer:)ReplyDelete
thanks hun xDelete
i love the freshness of this outfit!!ReplyDelete
thank you :) xDelete
I love reading all of your comments and appreciate you finding the time to write them. Tweet me if you have any questions! @eatplayshopblog :) Xx


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This could affect anyone with an ARM computer running *nix and a low-power USB hard drive. Here's what my drive looked like when I realized I needed to check it. It's been spun up for about half a year:
$ MY_DRIVE_OPTS="-d sat /dev/sda"
$ sudo smartctl -a $MY_DRIVE_OPTS | grep Load_Cycle_Count
193 Load_Cycle_Count 0x0032 109 109 000 Old_age Always - 273664
For those not familiar with smartctl, some explanation may be needed.


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Series 4
Series 4: 1990
Treguard: "So, you've come! I just hope you've come prepared.
Looking for adventure are you? Well, you've certainly come to the right place."
Transmission: Friday 7th September - Friday 21st December 1990 - 16 episodes
Teams: 8
Quests: Sword: 1; Shield: 3; Cup: 2; Crown: 2.
Winning Quests: Team 6: Dickon, Dominic, Tim and Praveen from Torquay (Quest for the Crown). Winners Page
Longest Quest: Team 6 at 54 mins
Shortest Quest: Team 7 at 25 mins
New Characters: Pickle, Brother Mace, the Boatman, Gundrada, Malice, Fatilla, Mistress Goody, Weeping Doors (Dooris, Doorkis, Dooreen), Ogre. Assassins and redesigned skull hauntings also introduced.
Old Characters: Hordriss, Motley, Mellisandre, Merlin, Mogdred, Ariadne, goblins
Other Additions: An assistant for Treguard: Pickle the elf. the eyeshield to enable pre-recorded links between scenes so the advisors would no longer need to sepnd time guiding their dungeoneer to a specific exit point. All quests revolve around four set quest objects (Sword, Cup, Crown and Shield). New theme music, slightly modified titles and many real outside locations combined with computer graphics to produce new scenes.
"The Knightmare adventures demanded movement, danger, atmosphere and a complex variety of scenes in which to stage the game. The Greater Game was becoming ever more hungry - ever more demanding of scenic complexity, and Harris and Rowe were at the limit of what could be achieved either with computer or paintbrush...
So - if Virtual Reality wouldn't do the trick, how about plain reality? Britain was rich in real castles with real crumbling dungeons. Harris's relighting techniques could be used with any images, real or painted, so why not acquire a huge dungeon database by looting history?"
(taken from 'The History of Knightmare' - Part 2)
The castles that were used in this series can be seen in 'Castles on the Air' - an article in Issue 1.2 of The Quest.
The Life Force remained the same as that used in series 1-3.
During this series, Hordriss and Gundrada both made appearances on Children's ITV with presenters Jeanne Downs and Scally the Dog. See the 1990 Children's ITV page for more information
Treguard: "Welcome, watchers! Doesn't it seem an age since the last time? Well, not for me, perhaps, but you all look distinctly older."
"Oh dear, oh dear! Not at all promising, but then appearances can be so deceptive... Take Pickle here, for example. Not exactly one of them, but not exactly one of us either."
Pickle put a banana into the knapsack! Treguard was none too happy when he found out!
Treguard: "The food you need, you must find and place in this knapsack to feed your own sprite of energy. Its image will follow you through the dungeon and must be sustained, or your life in our game is over. Otherwise, you may carry two objects at a time.
"And now your greatest handicap: from this moment on, your friends must be your eyes. You may only see where your feet have taken you and no longer where the path may lead. The rest of you, guide her well, or your challenge is doomed."
The new status bar on the top or bottom of the screen was produced using the Commodore Amiga 2000, and usually appeared throughout the quests after clue objects were picked up or magic received. Also shown when Pickle did the progress report at the start of episodes.
A scene used in the closing titles:
Series Credits
Treguard was played by Hugo Myatt
Pickle was played by David Learner
Mistress Goody was played by Erin Geraghty
Merlin and Mogdred were played by John Woodnutt
Hordriss and Oakley were played by Clifford Norgate
Brother Mace, Fatilla and Doorkis were played by Michael Cule
Gundrada and Malice were played by Samantha Perkins
Motley and the Boatman were played by Paul Valentine
Mellisandre, Dooris and Dooreen were played by Zoe Loftin
Devised and Written by Tim Child
Production Co-ordinator, Sue Child
Illustrations by David John Rowe
Computer Animation Design by The Travelling Matte Company
Produced by Tim Child


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Assignment Photography and Syndication
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- Women Milan
- Men New York
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- Women Paris
This entire site ⓒ 2005-2011 The Sartorialist. All of the photographs herein, unless otherwise noted, are copyrighted by the photographer. No part of this site, or any of the content contained herein, may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without express permission of the copyright holder(s).
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
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I want to like this but the woman is stunning and the outfit is merely "cute".
the detailing on the top is fabulous and its refreshing to see color worn by a parisian women.
Beautiful shoes ..
That's not a Parisian woman! That's Gloria Baume from Teen Vogue! She's amaaaazing.
Sometimes a wacky mismatched combination demonstrates great personal style. Other times, it's just a wacky mismatched combination.
i really like the bowling shoes/ bowling bag esthetic. this outfit is all the cute parts of the rockabilly look without all the costumy silliness.
Sorry, I'm actually loving everything but the skirt, which looks childish and awkwardly out of place. The shoes are brilliant.
totally agree with shaz. also really like her hair. it's simiple, natural and falls over her face just right. i find it so unattractive when women try so hard to process and style their hair in unnatural ways. this woman certainly embraces her natural wavy beautiful hair. :)
She seems so friendly. The shoes, top and bag are spot on. But I wish she hadn't worn those white socks or that skirt-they make her look frumpy, in a Midwest momma kind of way and I can't imagine may worse frumpies. Especially for such a beautiful woman.
every single item for itself: oké.
all together: uhm, no.
I loooooove her look.
her bag i love!
i was thinking about the whole making your own skirt thing yesterday. And I think that might be a good gift for my girlfriend. It's thoughtful, and I'll pick out something really fresh looking. thanks for the idea!
This is an interesting mix. However, it's her beautiful face that I'm drawn to, despite the colours and textures she's wearing.
I do love the skirt. those shoes are a fun idea.
Grease 2007!
Love the accessories, especially the shoes & sock combo with the skirt and bag.
Fun, casual and comfortable!
Iam totally digging how ankle/calf boot(ie)s are making it stylish to cut the line of the legs with socks! It's fresh and sweet without the use of babydoll, empire cuts or baby blue and pink colored patterns
a bit "diary of Ann Frank" for me..
I an sorry but I don't like at all those shoes... The skirt is cute, it would have looked great with peeptoes...
The bag is great!
I disagree about the shoes and skirt- I love them. But the bag is way too big, and ugly. The top belongss with a completely different outfit. It looks like 2 different people dressed her!
Very colorful and classy
I would ask this woman for advice. Her outfit is eclectic and I like that.
Love paris and its style. I wish i lived there but i'm just a 15 year-old girl with her dreams..


text:
Mid-Winter Fireside Concert
Voice of the Baroque--
A Close Encountertenor!
Saturday, Feb. 24 at 6 PM
Saint James Place
Great Barrington, MA
Included in Season Subscription
Close Encounters With Music PO Box 34 Great Barrington, MA 01230
Toll-free 800-843-0778 / email: firstname.lastname@example.com
Close Encounters With Music is a non-profit organization.
Your contributions are tax exempt to the amount permitted by law.
Site designed and maintained by Shadoworks Web Design by Sharon
Graphic Curt Carpenter
Yehuda Hanani
Artistic Director
Tune in to the new weekly program
"Classical Music
According to Yehuda"
on WAMC Northeast Radio,
Friday's at 11:35 am
RoundTable Discussion
Read more
Russian and Soviet Film Music:
A Tuneful Survey
Professor Timothy Sergay
Sunday, April 22, 2018


text:
Hi, this is my new Doodle Blog! I will post doodles that I make during work, or at home, or on the phone, or whatev! Here are three I did at work this week!
Drawn on a scrap piece of copy paper with a mechanical pencil.
Blue pen on some shitty Loan Consolidation postcard I recieved in the mail.
More mechanical pencil drawing. This guy is totally pissed! I don't think he looks like Lady Elaine, do you?


text:
Tuesday, 5 February 2013
Writers: What books inspired you to write your first novel?
Mine were Legacy of Lies by Elizabeth Chandler and The China Garden by Liz Berry and obviously Twilight, due to the romance.
Readers: What do you look for in a paranormal romance story?
I look for suspense, quality writing, easy flow of sentences, voice, maybe a Gothic tone, dreamy prose, great description, handsome and mysterious brooding heros with a strong independent protagonist. First person narrative, and realistic characters. Plenty of romance, and swoon worthy dialogue.
Monday, 4 February 2013
Writing tips
I want to make a list of the tips I have picked up along the years while I have been writing and editing. Some or all of these will probably be known to you, and you might be thinking, DUH! But I'm listing them anyway, as a reminder to myself and for those who might not be aware of one or two and need the advice for self editing.
1. When someone turns to face a character, it's best to say something like swirled around rather than twirled.
2. Avoid saying: I looked. I heard, where necessary. For example.
I looked at my vanity table that was on my right. Instead try: The vanity table on my right....
I heard echos in the other room, could be: Echos from the other room...
3. Avoid redundant sentences: I ran fast to get to the house quicker. It's obvious why, if someone is running home. Instead it could be: I ran home as fast as I could.
4. Avoid dangling participles. Basically they are sentences that make a character sound like they are doing too many things at once. For example: I opened the door, running to the bed. A character can't open a door and run to the bed at the same time, so it's: I opened the door and ran to the bed, or I opened the door, ran to the bed. This way you avoid the gerunds too, which are verbs ending in "ing", which is what some writers opt for to avoid "and" and "then."
5. Either have an exclamation mark after dialogue or a tag saying he or she yelled/shouted. Best not to include both, although I do see it being done in major published books, so it may not be a biggie. Or better still, show the expression through actions.
6. Show not tell. Tell: I was nervous. Showing is obviously: I had butterflies in my stomach; my palms sweated.
7. Avoid info dumping in the first chapter. Although if it's a must, which it was for one of my drafts for my book to ground the story, explain the main facts in a paragraph or two only.
8. Try and have an opening hook for first chapter, too. Perhaps not a biggie, in my opinion. I have read lots of books without a major hook. As long as you have a great blurb and story you will have most likely reeled readers in. :)
9. Start your book not from where you are filling the kettle from the sink, but where it is boiling. Great quote from a writer that I agree with. I think it could also be from about to boil. So many writers try to give too much backstory first when a characters life is better portrayed and revealed via their actions and how they cope with events.
10. Avoid cliche's. Some are fine, but some are too obvious ... like plagued her thoughts ... but even that could probably be said once depending on what context.
11. Avoid cheesy lines in romance, especially lines that involve electricity. That would just create literal sparks and maybe even electrocution. The description began in Twilight and now writers of this genre, including me have opted for this bizarre description. I have tried to avoid it. I think tingling says it all. Also couple confessing their love for each other too quick is also lackluster. Readers want some suspense first, with at least a, will they won't they question arising throughout half the book.
12. Dialogue that have tags, need a comma after it. Dialogue with an action needs full stops. Including. He laughed. She chuckled. As a person can't laugh and talk at the same time. Also avoid too many tags when there are only two people talking. Just keep to describing their actions and keep to he said, she said mainly with the dialogue in general. When we read a book, the brain begins to not notice the he said she said tags, so it runs a lot smoother.
13. Try not to over describe and babble.
14. Try not to throw in unnecessary scenes to create drama. Try and keep to the main events.
15. Be aware in what context you use further and farther, whom, who. Also lay is past tense of someone lying down. So: I lay still as the wind blew across the lawn. Present tense would be: I lie on my back. Lay is also used for objects: I lay the vase on the desk.
16. Learnt, Knelt and so on are British spelling. Americans prefer: Learned, Kneeled.
17. Avoid passive sentences. I was jumping over the wall could be: I jumped over the wall. I was about to leap over the wall when someone shouted. Could be: Someone shouted as I tried to jump over the wall.
18. Avoid hurriedly, hurrying types of words,active would be: hurried.
19. Correct context of words such as wilting and swirling is: The wilted apple tree. Otherwise it sounds like the apple tree is wilting there and then. The swirl images on the wall, not the images swirling on the wall, unless they are actually moving at that current point.
20. He took off his shirt. She took off her shoes need to be: He took his shirt off. She took her shoes off. I have noticed big named writers still write it as, he took off his shirt, so again, it might not be a biggie. But it is correct English, and you might be a stickler for correct usage of the language.
Will add more if I recall any.
Here is a mistake I found in Twilight recently. It's from the preface. I'm surprised I hadn't noticed it before, but I guess I didn't know as much about editing back then. It's also easy to miss and sort of makes sense without being structured correctly.
Here it is:
I stared without breathing across the long room.
No one commented on what seemed inaccurate, so I will explain. It sounds like she is staring across the room without blowing her breath across it. To be clearer and conveyed in proper English, I think it would be: I stared across the room without breathing, or I held my breath as I stared across the room.
I could be wrong, but it seems incorrect.
Please feel free to post any tips you have learnt or learned ;)
Thanks :)
I'm back!!
Okay, I haven't been very chatty, well, not at all on here really. Not even on Facebook or any other online platform.
I had to get away for a while and just concentrate on editing my first ever written novel, which most of you will know for now as: CRYSTAL.
During my extensive edits and re-writes of the first chapter, I contacted some potential beta readers and the writers who have been amazing. I feel as though I have been blessed to have made contact with them.
They have not only been supportive. They have given honest, sound advice and even demonstrated what I needed to do better. It was exactly the kind of editing and critiquing I had been doing for writers for years, only now I was getting that kind of help back. I couldn't believe it!!! And I was expecting the help to dwindle, I still do haha. But no, they came back, eager, and even told me they enjoyed my novels.
One lady, bless her cotton socks told me to hurry up and publish my books.
So these are the names of my Earth angels that came into my life and assisted me in getting various novels, such as Crystal in particular, ready for submission in, hmmm, I'm hoping by the end of February.
I'm still kind of shocked, but it's all thanks to my critique partners/beta readers who cared enough to help me improve it.
Anyway, on to the naming of my awesome super talented peeps:
A special thanks to Laurie for supporting me the most, and talking to me everyday about our books as we exchange advice. She has become my rock that I can cling to when I'm feeling a bit wary and doubtful. And she takes my honesty like a true champ and always replies back with an even newer, improved version of her scenes. Like me, she likes to get straight to it, haha.
I would also like to thank my current editor who I cannot name yet, as I am going to need her help with all four of my novels. I don't want her time zapped by anyone else. It was flipping hard to find a good editor.
Thank you. Please keep reading and supporting me as I try to submit after four years of polishing my novel, CRYSTAL.
I hope many will be reading her story soon and that you will enjoy it as much as I enjoyed waking up everyday to write it. :)
Thanks you god/angels/my loved one's in heaven for sending me these helpers.
Bless you all.
M x
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Lunasol Spring 2010 Collection
When it comes to spring makeup, Lunasol is one of my favorite brands that I always have high hopes.
Earlier this morning, I was so excited to come across Lunasol spring 2010 makeup collection from this post on Voce Editor's blog. The collection is themed with five natural views on earth, including the seas, greenery, lands, sands and flowers.
[Photo credit: www.joseishi.net/voce/]
Among the five eyeshadow palettes in this collection, the one in beige/brown variation appeals the most to me.
I will give you details about individual items when I have more updated information on this collection. In the meantime, enjoy browsing the close-up images of some of the items in the collection on Voce Editor's blog!
Hope you have a wonderful weekend!
Updated on December 2nd, 2009:
Here are the images and detailed information of Lunasol's spring 2009 makeup collection:
01 Nature Blue
02 Nature Green 03 Nature Brown
Nature Color Eyes: 5 variations
[Photo credit: www.kanebo-cosmetics.co.jp & www.nikkei.co.jp]
Related posts:
Lunasol Holiday 2009 Collection
Lunasol Fall 2009 Collection
Lunasol Summer 2009 Collection
Lunasol Spring 2009 Collection


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Friday, August 1, 2008
Courage? Really?
During the last episode of the season, and the series, there is a poignant dedication made by the therapist. She dedicates her newly published book, "To the men and women who have the courage to be happy."
It takes courage to be happy? This is a somewhat surprising thought, that happiness requires courage... really, what does happiness have to do with courage?
I guess I have never stopped to think about what happiness requires. Odd that I have never really thought about this before.
This is something I am genuinely curious about.
Sunday, May 11, 2008
Go forth and OBSERVE
Customers tend to censor out solutions that they don't know about, they can't imagine new solutions, and they tend to focus on functional fixes that already exist.
Therefore, GO OBSERVE YOUR CUSTOMERS!
There is absolutely no substitute for observing your market.
In order to create a culture of innovation, you have to create bandwidth for innovation. People need time to think and tinker and imagine and experiment.
Innovation = the constant search for something better.
Innovation = new application of something old.
Innovation = the search for new value.
The extreme users and extreme non-users are the ones we need to learn from. The mean are the customers we earn from. Go talk to BOTH extremes.
What is your value proposition?
Friday, May 9, 2008
And then Tami says:
"Let's hope that if we did have an Aiden in our life, we would know it."
In order to understand this, you need to have seen Sex & the City. Aiden was the perfect good guy.
How to Live Consciously as a Woman
1. Take Care Of Yourself and Your Own Needs, Before Taking Care Of Others
When you fly on a plane, the safety instructions are very clear that if you are flying with small children and the oxygen masks become activated, you should put on your own oxygen mask, before you put one on your child. This is true in all aspects of your life. In order to be well equipped to take care of the people you love, you first need to take care of yourself.
If you take care of others at the expense of your own needs, you will become resentful and bitter. Your life will be unhappy, you will age prematurely, you will be cranky, and you won't be very much fun to be around. And that doesn't serve anyone well.
A conscious woman is attuned enough to herself to know what her true, core needs are, and she takes clear actions to fulfill those needs. Your needs might be physical, intellectual, or emotional. You might need time alone, or more intimacy, or a physical workout, or a challenging occupation.
2. Respect Your Self and Your Own Sexuality
A woman knows that her sexuality is a vital expression of her being, and she make intentional choices about where and how she expresses her sexuality.
A woman does not use her sexuality to manipulate others, or to compete with others. She knows that any such competition is shallow and meaningless and hollow.
A woman knows that the sexiest thing she can do is honor herself and her own integrity.
3. Love Yourself Unconditionally
There are always things that you will want to be different about yourself, if you choose to think that way. Don't make yourself feel bad about that extra 5 pounds, or the email that hasn't been answered, or the groceries that need bought, or the laundry that needs folded. Don't focus negative energy on what isn't perfect. Feeling bad only leads to more feeling bad.
4. Make Informed Life Choices That Reflect Your Values
Some women want a large family. Some women want a career. Some women want both. Some women want neither. Some women want a house with a picket fence. Some women want a plane ticket and a passport. All of these paths are perfectly ok, but a woman knows which paths are most important to her and she never apologizes for which of these she wants. A woman doesn't feel guilty for her choices, she doesn't have regrets about her choices, and she doesn't owe anyone an explanation for her choices.
A woman knows her most important values and she feels comfortable and confident to make choices aligned with these values. And she comfortably makes these choices every day.
5. Own Your Own Power
Don't shrink yourself to make others feel more comfortable around you. Don't shrink yourself to feel safe or avoid risk. Don't play dumb. Don't diminish yourself. Ever.
You are a woman, and you are powerful and beautiful and smart and unique and talented. Let yourself bloom. Let yourself be smart. Let yourself thrive. Stand tall at your real height. Speak with a full voice. Command attention. Command respect. Wear those red high heels or those purple Birkenstocks, or whatever shoes make you feel strong and grounded walking across the street.
6. Commit Yourself To Something Greater Than Yourself
And then one day all that responsibility won't feel overwhelming and scary. Instead, it will feel like freedom.
9. Create Your Own Ideal Community
Some women are close to their birth family. Some women are intentional about creating their own family by having children. Some women adopt. Some women don't feel compelled to raise children. But every woman has a need for some sort of connection to a strong community, be it a community of blood relatives, or a community of chosen friends.
Know what sort of community is most important to you, and know how to find or create community in your life. This might happen naturally, and it might require extra intentional effort.
10. Embrace Risk
It is amazingly easy for women to go through life allowing others to make decisions for them. Parents are convenient deciders. As are husbands. When others make your decisions for you, this might feel safe and comfortable. But no one will ever be able to make better choices for you than you.
Therefore, one of the best things you can do for your life is to embrace risk as you evaluate your life choices. Don't settle for what is safe if it's unlikely to be satisfying. Don't let others choose for you.
Risk leads to growth. Risk leads to learning and discovery. Risk leads you into your own best life.
11. Love Others Unconditionally
Love is its own unique reward. Don't tie strings to it. Don't have expectations for receiving something in exchange for what you give. Give freely. Give frequently. Give without expectation. Accept others and embrace them and love them. Love them without conditions. You will reap what you sow.
12. Exhale
Don't wait for what is missing. Don't wait for permission to exhale. Don't keep your breath all tight and locked up inside. Let it out. Let it all out now. Breathe fully. Live fully now. Live with your arms wide open. Take a deep breath and let it out. Inhale. EXHALE. Breathe. Live.
on Happiness
"...the best moments usually occur when a person's body or mind is stretched to its limits in a voluntary effort to accomplish something difficult and worthwhile."
from John Gardener:
"We are designed for the climb, not for taking our ease."
from Tal Ben-Shahar:
"Attaining lasting happiness requires that we enjoy the journey on our way to a destination we deem valuable. Happiness is not about making it to the peak of the mountain nor is it about climbing aimlessly around the mountain; happiness is the experience of climbing toward the peak."
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Today, Like Every Other Day
Today, like every other day, we wake up empty
and frightened. Don't open the door to the study
and begin reading. Take down a musical instrument.
Let the beauty we love be what we do.
There are hundreds of ways to kneel and kiss the ground.
The Peace of Wild Things
When despair for the world grows in me
and I wake in the night at the least sound
in fear of what my life and my children's lives may be,
I go and lie down where the wood drake
rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.
I come into the peace of wild things
who do not tax their lives with forethought
of grief. I come into the presence of still water.
And I feel above me the day-blind stars
waiting with their light. For a time
I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.


text:
Polarization (politics)
The examples and perspective in this article deal primarily with the United States and do not represent a worldwide view of the subject. (February 2015) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)
In politics, polarization (or polarisation) can refer to the divergence of political attitudes to ideological extremes.[1][2][3] Almost all discussions of polarization in political science consider polarization in the context of political parties and democratic systems of government. When polarization occurs in a two-party system, like the United States, moderate voices often lose power and influence.[1][4][5]
- 1 Definitions and measurements
- 2 Causes
- 3 Effects
- 4 Critiques
- 5 See also
- 6 References
- 7 Further reading
Definitions and measurements[edit]
Political polarization refers to the cases in which an individual's stance on a given issue, policy, or person is more likely to be strictly defined by their identification with a particular political party (e.g., Democrat or Republican) or ideology (e.g., liberal or conservative).[1][2][3][6][7] According to DiMaggio et al. (1996), "Polarization is both a state and a process. Polarization as a state refers to the extent to which opinions on an issue are opposed in relation to some theoretical maximum. Polarization as a process refers to the increase in such opposition over time."[1] Some political scientists argue that polarization requires divergence on a broad range of issues based on a consistent set of beliefs.[1][3] Others argue polarization occurs when there are stark partisan or ideological divides, even if the opinion is polarized only on a few issues.[2][6][7]
Political scientists typically distinguish between two types of political polarization: elite polarization and popular polarization. "Elite polarization" refers to the polarization of political elites, like party organizers and elected officials, while "popular polarization" (or mass polarization) refers to the polarization in the electorate and general public. In either context, opinions and policy positions are characterized by strict adherence to party lines. Elite polarization and popular polarization can occur at the same time or independent of each other. A central issue in the study of political polarization is investigating the relationship between elite polarization and popular polarization, particularly any causal relationships between the two.[3][5][8][9][10]
Elite polarization[edit]
Elite polarization refers to polarization in the party-in-government and party-as-organization.[2] It occurs when party members (both elected government officials and activists within the party organization itself) grow more internally homogenous on policy positions and more divergent relative to members of other parties. Polarized political parties are internally cohesive and unified, programmatic, and ideologically distinct, and are typically found in a parliamentary system of democratic governance.[4][5][9][10]
In a two-party system like the U.S., a polarized legislature has two important characteristics: first, there is little-to-no ideological overlap between members of the two parties, and second, almost all conflict over legislation and policies is split across the broad liberal/conservative ideological divide. This leads to the conflation of political parties and ideologies (e.g., Democrat and Republican become nearly perfect synonyms for liberal and conservative) and the collapse of the ideological center.[4][5][9][10]
The vast majority of studies on elite polarization focus on legislative and deliberative bodies. For many years, political scientists measured polarization by examining the ratings of party members published by interest groups, but now, most analyze roll-call voting patterns to determine trends in party-line voting and party unity.[11][12] Many political scientists studying American politics rely on Poole and Rosenthal's DW-NOMINATE scores, which assign a single liberal-conservative score to each congressperson, enabling comparisons of members from different Congresses. There is much more research on polarization in Congress than on polarization in the other branches of government or in state governments.[12][13][9] Azzimonti's political polarization index is more comprehensive instead because it is based on media coverage of newspaper articles reporting political disagreement about policy in all branches of government.[14] Recent work by Gentzkow, Shapiro, and Taddy has used the text of the Congressional Record to document differences in speech patterns between Republicans and Democrats as a measure of polarization. They find that polarization has increased dramatically since 1994.[15]
Popular polarization[edit]
Popular polarization, or Mass polarization, occurs when the electorate's attitudes towards political issues, policies, and people are starkly divided along partisan lines. Members of the electorate and general public typically become less moderate in cases of popular polarization.[5][9][10][16] In the U.S., media accounts typically simplify popular polarization to a divide between red states and blue states or a "culture war" between values-voters and progressives, yet political scientists generally agree that such accounts are too simplistic and ignore the complex factors that can account for polarization.[9][17] Many political scientists consider political polarization a top-down process, in which elite polarization leads to – or at least precedes – popular polarization. However, polarization among elites does not necessarily produce polarization within the electorate, and polarized electoral choices can often reflect elite polarization (resulting in highly polarized policies and candidates) rather than voters' preferences.[3][5][8][10][16]
Political scientists studying popular polarization typically rely on data from opinion polls and election surveys. They look for trends in respondents' opinions on a given issue, their voting history, and their political ideology (conservative, liberal, moderate, etc.), and they try to relate those trends to respondents' party identification and other potentially polarizing factors (like geographic location or income bracket).[1][8] Political scientists typically limit their inquiry to issues and questions that have been constant over time, in order to compare the present day to what the political climate has historically been.[16] Oft-cited public opinion polls in the U.S. include those run by the Pew Research Center and Gallup, Inc., while political scientists also rely on more academic surveys, like the General Social Survey and the election surveys and "feeling thermometer" polls conducted by National Election Studies.[3][9][10][16]
There are various causes of political polarization and these include political parties, redistricting, the public's political ideology, and the mass media.
Party polarization[edit]
Some scholars argue that diverging parties has been one of the major driving forces of polarization as policy platforms have become more distant. This theory is based on recent trends in the United States Congress, where the majority party prioritizes the positions that are most aligned with its party platform and political ideology.[18] The adoption of more ideologically distinct positions by political parties can cause polarization among both elites and the electorate. For example, after the passage of the Voting Rights Act, the number of conservative Democrats in Congress decreased, while the number of conservative Republicans increased. Within the electorate during the 1970s, Southern Democrats shifted toward the Republican Party, showing polarization among both the elites and the electorate of both main parties.[4][19][20]
Political scientists have shown politicians have an incentive to advance and support polarized positions.[21] These argue that during the early 1990s, the Republican Party used polarizing tactics to become the majority party in the United States House of Representatives—which political scientists Thomas E. Mann and Norman Ornstein refer to as Newt Gingrich's "guerrilla war."[4] What political scientists have found is that moderates are less likely to run than are candidates who are in line with party doctrine, otherwise known as "party fit."[22]Other theories state politicians who cater to more extreme groups within their party tend to be more successful, helping them stay in office while simultaneously pulling their constituency toward a polar extreme.[23] A study by Nicholson (2012) found voters are more polarized by contentious statements from leaders of the opposing party than from the leaders of their own party. As a result, political leaders may be more likely to take polarized stances.[24]
With regards to multiparty systems, Giovanni Sartori (1966, 1976) claims the splitting of ideologies in the public constituency causes further divides within the political parties of the countries. He theorizes that the extremism of public ideological movement is the basis for the creation of highly polarized multiparty systems. Sartori named this polarizing phenomenon polarized pluralism and claimed it would lead to further polarization in many opposing directions (as opposed to in simply two directions, as in a polarized two-party system) over policy issues.[25][26][27] Polarization in multiparty systems can also be defined along two ideological extremes, like in the case of India in the 1970s. Ideological splits within a number of India's major parties resulted in two polarized coalitions on the right and left, each consisting of multiple political parties.[28]
Political fund-raisers and donors can also exert significant influence and control over legislators. Party leaders are expected to be productive fund-raisers, in order to support the party's campaigns. After Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, special interests in the U.S. were able to greatly impact elections through increased undisclosed spending, notably through Super political action committees. Some, such as Washington Post opinion writer Robert Kaiser, argued this allowed wealthy people, corporations, unions, and other groups to push the parties' policy platforms toward ideological extremes, resulting in a state of greater polarization.[4][29] Other scholars, such as Raymond J. La Raja and David L. Wiltse, note that this does not necessarily hold true for mass donors to political campaigns. These scholars argue a single donor who is polarized and contributes large sums to a campaign does not seem to usually drive a politician toward political extremes.[30][31]
The public[edit]
In democracies and other representative governments, citizens vote for the political actors who will represent them. Some scholars argue that political polarization reflects the public's ideology and voting preferences.[20][32][33][34] Dixit and Weibull (2007) claim that political polarization is a natural and regular phenomenon. They argue that there is a link between public differences in ideology and the polarization of representatives, but that an increase in preference differences is usually temporary and ultimately results in compromise.[35]
Morris P. Fiorina (2006, 2008) posits the hypothesis that polarization is a phenomenon which does not hold for the public, and instead is formulated by commentators to draw further division in government.[3][17][36] Other studies indicate that cultural differences focusing on ideological movements and geographical polarization within the United States constituency is correlated with rises in overall political polarization between 1972 and 2004.[6][37]
Religious, ethnic, and other cultural divides within the public have often influenced the emergence of polarization. According to Layman et al. (2005), the ideological split between U.S. Republicans and Democrats also crosses into the religious cultural divide. They claim that Democrats have generally become more moderate in religious views whereas Republicans have become more traditionalist. For example, political scientists have shown that in the United States, voters who identify as Republican are more likely to vote for a strongly evangelical candidate than Democratic voters.[38] This correlates with the rise in polarization in the United States.[39] Another theory contends that religion does not contribute to full-group polarization, but rather, coalition and party activist polarization causes party shifts toward a political extreme.[40]
In some post-colonial countries, the public may be polarized along ethnic divides that remain from the colonial regime.[41] In South Africa in the late 1980s, members of the conservative, pro-apartheid National Party of South Africa were no longer supportive of apartheid, and, therefore, no longer ideologically aligned with their party. Dutch Afrikaners, white English, and native Africans split based on racial divisions, causing polarization along ethnic lines.[42][43]
Economic inequality can also motivate the polarization of the public. For example, in post-World War I Germany, the Communist Workers Party, and the National Socialists, a fascist party, emerged as the dominant political ideologies and proposed to address Germany's economic problems in drastically different ways.[25][26] In Venezuela in the late 20th century, the entrance of the oil industry into the local economy caused economic disparities that led to sharp ideological divides. As a result, the disenfranchised working class aligned with extreme socialist leader Hugo Chávez.[44]
Gerrymandering or the manipulation of the electoral borders to favor a political party or the electoral outcome affect the redistricting process in the U.S. It has been linked to the rise in polarization by some political scientists.[45] Some scholars argue that the practice of redistricting creates political polarization by making more homogeneous, ideologically distinct districts. This results in elected representatives who represent more polarized beliefs.[46] According to Carson et al. (2007), this makes it easier for more extreme candidates to win elections (and re-election) as the makeup of the voting block shifts in the direction of a polar extreme. This effect is more modest when analyzed over multiple election cycles and in the United States as a whole.[47] Politically motivated redistricting has been associated with the rise in partisanship in the U.S. House of Representatives between 1992 and 1994.[48][49] Many political scientists however, argue that redistricting practices have not played a major role in causing political polarization. The impact of redistricting on political polarization is measurable, but over broad areas and time periods, the effect of redistricting on polarization is found to be minimal.[50][51]
The media[edit]
The mass media has grown as an institution over the past half-century. Political scientists argue that this has particularly affected the voting public in the last three decades, as previously less partisan viewers are given more polarized news media choices. The mass media's current, fragmented, high-choice environment has induced a movement of the audience from more even-toned political programming to more antagonistic and one-sided broadcasts and articles. These programs tend to appeal to partisan viewers who watch the polarized programming as a self-confirming source for their ideologies.[4][8][52] Countries with less diversified but emerging media markets, such as China and South Korea, have become more polarized due to the diversification of political media.[53][54] In addition, most search engines and social networks (e.g., Google, Facebook) now utilize computer algorithms as filters, which personalize web content based on a user's search history, location, and previous clicking patterns, creating more polarized access to information.[55] This method of personalizing web content results in filter bubbles, a term coined by digital activist Eli Pariser that refers to the polarized ideological bubbles that are created by computer algorithms filtering out unrelated information and opposing views.[56]
A 2011 study found ideological segregation of online news consumption is lower than the segregation of most offline news consumption and lower than the segregation of face-to-face interactions.[57] This suggests that the filter bubbles effects of online media consumption are exaggerated. Other research also shows that online media does not contribute to the increased polarization of opinions.[58]
A 2017 study found that providing people with impartial, objective information has the potential to reduce political polarization, but the effect of information on polarization is highly sensitive to contextual factors. [59] Specifically, polarization over government spending was reduced when people were provided with a "Taxpayer Receipt," but not when they were also asked how they wanted the money to be spent. This suggests that subtle factors like the mood and tone of partisan news sources may have a large effect on how the same information is interpreted.
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The implications of political polarization "are not entirely clear and may include some benefits as well as detrimental consequences."[60] While the exact effect of political polarization is disputed, it is evident that it can alter the character of the political process as well as the political composition of the general public.[3][6][61][62] Solomon Messing and Sean J. Westwood state that individuals do not necessarily become polarized through media because they choose their own selective exposure, and people generally do not expose themselves to media that is not politically homogenous to their views. Therefore, their chances of becoming polarized based on exposure to different media outlets is small due to the fact that they won't be exposed to non-homogeneous material.[63]
United States Congress[edit]
As political scientists have shown, political polarization has several important implications for the United States Congress.
First, polarization increases gridlock in Congress and lowers the number of moderates in Congress, which limits the amount of legislation passed, decreases bipartisanship, and can lead to policy inaction.[60][64][65][66][67]
Second, scholars have shown that polarization incentivizes members of Congress to use stall tactics and restrictive rules. Polarization has negatively influenced the proceedings of Congress by giving rise to an increase in the use of closed rules on the floor, such as limiting amendments, excluding minority party members from committee deliberations, increased use of the hold on executive and judicial appointments and the filibuster on non-contentious policy issues.[4][60][68]
Third, by hampering the policymaking process, polarization lowers the quality of legislation that is passed.[60][67] Partisan tactics motivated by polarization decrease transparency, reduce oversight, and restrict the ability of the government to deal with long-term domestic issues, especially those that require changing the distribution of benefits and can lead to poor legislation.[64] That being said, other aspects of the political environment, such as hurried action after a national emergency or the influence of money and interest groups, can also lead to poor legislation.[67]
Much of the scholarship on polarization has shown that political polarization leads to less deliberation and cooperation as well as an increase in partisan animosity as the majority party tries to expedite the legislative process in order to pass its agenda.[67] The overarching consequence of a legislative process prolonged by polarized strategies is that there is less coordination between political parties as well as between the House of Representatives and the Senate, which limits progress and results in less legislation being passed.[4][67]
However, some scholars contend that political polarization is not prominent in every legislative matter and does not influence all policy decisions.[69] According to some political scientists, partisan agreement has been the historical trend in Congress and many bills are passed with bipartisan support in the modern era, including ones of political importance.[69][70][71] Some studies have shown that approximately 80% of House bills passed in the modern era have had support from both parties.[69]
The public[edit]
Opinions among scholars on the implications of polarization on the public are mixed. Some political scientists argue that the growing polarization in government has directly contributed to political polarization in the electorate.[9] Other scholars state that polarized practices in government do not significantly influence the public's attitudes toward legislators.[69][72]
On the one hand, some experts argue that polarization can contribute to a decrease in public interest in politics, a decrease in party identification and a decrease in voter turnout.[9] Polarization can alienate citizens since it encourages confrontational dynamics between parties that lower the public's trust in government and causes the public to perceive the general political debate as less civil because of the increasingly harsh and ideologically-minded political discourse across television, radio, and internet sources.[9][64]
On the other hand, although voters say that they disapprove of the increasing coarseness of the political environment, some scholars argue that the public has responded favorably to polarization.[73] In the United States, some political scientists assert that elite polarization has galvanized political participation by the mass public as there has been more voting and nonvoting participation, greater engagement and investment in campaigns and increases in positive attitudes toward government responsiveness.[73][74] In fact, "much of the most persuasive research suggests that negativity, counter to conventional wisdom, stimulates voter turnout no matter how much Americans complain about it."[73]
Scholarly work has also shown that political polarization can increase party identification and the degree to which voters think positively about their party and stimulate an ideological sophistication of the politically engaged public as party identification becomes increasingly influenced by policy differences of political parties.[9][74] As parties become more ideologically unified, voters become more knowledgeable about policy positions.[9]
However, some scholars argue that because voters are unaware how polarized their choices have become, they tend to elect more ideologically polarized candidates, which leads to government and legislation that is less representative of the voting public's desires.[9][64][73]
Mediating institutions[edit]
Scholars have also shown that political polarization has implications for mediating institutions, namely the media, elections and political parties. As Mann and Ornstein argue, political polarization and the proliferation of media sources have "reinforce[d] tribal divisions, while enhancing a climate where facts are no longer driving the debate and deliberation, nor are they shared by the larger public."[4] As other scholars have argued, the media often support and provoke the obstruction strategies used to disrupt the regular order of policy procedures.[4][75]
Some scholars assert that the media are not disconnected from general public opinion and that media outlets refrain from being polarized and ideological in order to appeal to a larger audience base.[76]
Other political scientists argue that in a polarized environment, it is easier for the media and interest groups to inform voters if elected officials are following through on their campaign promises because politicians are forced to take more distinct stances on policy issues.[60][75] Thus, polarization can facilitate the elucidation of political actions and then help or harm representatives who do not follow through on their undertakings.[60] This increases accountability of politicians to voters, but it can also be detrimental since in some circumstances it is more important for politicians to focus on unexpected or long-standing issues instead of their campaign promises.[60] Overall, "it is generally considered healthy for a democracy to hold officials accountable for pledges they make in election campaigns."[60]
Similarly, some scholars have argued that a positive consequence of polarization is that it leads to strong and definitive political parties that offer explicit platforms and messages to voters.[60][74] Giving voters more distinct choices leads to more participation through voting, working on campaigns, expressing opinions to representatives and giving to candidates or particular causes.[60][74] As polarization reinforces party affiliation and makes policy positions less ambiguous, voters focus more on the differences in substantive policy views of candidates as opposed to personal attributes and voters are more likely to cast policy-oriented ballots.[9][60] Therefore, some political scientists have found that "the rise of polarization is not necessarily a bad thing for the polity overall" as more differentiated political parties can benefit voters.[60][74][77]
Judicial systems[edit]
Judicial systems can also be affected by the implications of political polarization. For the United States, in particular, scholars state that as polarization increases, confirmation rates of judges decrease.[68] In 2012, the confirmation rate of presidential circuit court appointments was approximately 50% as opposed to the above 90% rate in the late 1970s and early 1980s.[4] As parties in Congress have become more polarized, they have increasingly used tools to hinder the executive agenda and aggressively block nominees.[68][78] Political scientist Sarah Binder (2000) argues, "senatorial intolerance for the opposing party's nominees is itself a function of polarization."[68] By blocking judicial nominations, political polarization hinders the implementation of legitimate laws and impedes the confirmation of appellate judges, which results in higher vacancy rates, extended case-processing times and increased caseloads for judges.[4][66][68]
Political scientists argue that in highly polarized periods, nominees have become more reflective of the right or the left and less reflective of the moderate voter as "polarization impacts the appointment and ideological tenor of new federal judges."[68] Polarization influences the confirmation politics of advice and consent and gives partisan presidents greater ability to place immoderate judges on the federal bench, which obstructs the legitimacy of the judicial branch.[66][68] Political polarization causes support for nominees to come predominantly from the President's party, which enables the party controlling the executive branch to pull the judiciary more to the left or right of the political spectrum.[66][68][78] Thus, some scholars argue that in a polarized environment the ideological implications of approving judges are much greater.[68]
Ultimately, the increasing presence of ideology in a judicial system impacts the credibility of the judiciary.[60] Polarization can generate strong partisan critiques of federal judges, which scholars argue may damage the public's views of the legitimacy of the courts and the justice system.[68] Consequently, some political scientists argue that because polarization causes confirmations to be more controversial, it decreases the public's confidence that a judiciary and the law are unbiased and independent of politics.[79]
Foreign policy[edit]
Aside from domestic matters, scholars note that political polarization can undercut unified agreement on foreign policy and harm a nation's position in the world.[60][80] Division on foreign affairs can strengthens enemies, discourage allies and destabilize a nation's determination.[60]
Political scientists point to two primary implications of polarization with regards to the Foreign policy of the United States. First, when the United States conducts relations abroad and appears divided, allies are less likely to trust its promises and enemies are more likely to predict its weaknesses.[81] Second, elite opinion has a significant impact on the public's perspective of foreign policy.[81] In contrast to problems such as unemployment, inflation, and crime, where elite viewpoints are not as influential, Americans are less informed of overseas engagements.[80][81][82] While a difference of viewpoints between political parties is a foundational aspect of a democratic political system, political polarization has exacerbated this divergence as "it was not inevitable that foreign policy would become, as it has, the single most polarizing aspect of American politics."[83] Subsequently, the United States currently does not have any fundamental agreement on foreign policy and there is a basic discord about the United States' function in the world.[80][83]
Some scholars argue that an additional consequence of elite polarization on foreign policy is a more polarized public. This is due to the fact that the general population cannot easily access as much information on foreign affairs as on domestic matters, so it becomes more reliant upon cues from the political elite, which has grown increasingly polarized.[60][82]
There have long been numerous scholarly debates that argue over the concept of political polarization, both in whether it is valid, and how it can accurately be measured. There are four primary arguments against the validity of political polarization: 1) Limitations of the Two-Party System, 2) Issue Partisanship, 3) Cultural Differences, and 4) Westernized Focuses.
Limitations of the two-party system[edit]
By solely acknowledging voting patterns, one cannot make an accurate conclusion as to the presence or absence of political polarization, because in the United States, there is a limited number of Presidential candidates in the two-party system. To assume that the majority of voters are mostly or completely in agreement with the plethora of political issues within their party is a false assumption.[84][11][85] Despite contrary beliefs, there are many liberal Republicans and conservative Democrats in the U.S. who have differing political beliefs within their parties. However, these voters most often align with their party because of the limited choice of candidates, and to do otherwise (i.e. vote for a third-party candidate) is perceived as a waste of time.[84][11]
Issue partisanship[edit]
Despite various claims that argue American society is more polarized today than leading up to the U.S. Civil War,[6] numerous scholars explain that much evidence shows there is a relatively stable public opinion on the majority of sociopolitical issues.[2][17][86] Where the most polarization exists, rather, is in the "hot topic" or "sensitive" issues (e.g. abortion, gay marriage, U.S. involvement in war).[9][87] Over-reliance on focusing on opinions regarding social issues to draw conclusion about political polarization is not a valid measurement to fully represent the concept.[3][17]
In regard to views on public policies, Fiorina and Abrams (2008) found virtually no evidence of an increase in widespread political polarization over the past thirty years. Nonetheless, many scholars explain that it is not an increase in ideological coherence among individuals which separates them; it is the partisan extremism (i.e. Democrat v. Republican) which eventually separates voters into one party or the other.[2][88][89]
Cultural differences[edit]
Proponents of the cultural differences argument are critical of political polarization because of numerous factors, influences, and demographics.[37][90][91] Among voter demographic features, there is much evidence of race, sex, age, and educational attainment as being some of the main influences in voting behaviors.[92] In addition to these factors, the geographic region often plays a major role in voting behavior.[90][91] Lastly, one's socioeconomic status is a reliable predictor of voting behavior.[92][93] The combination of these factors and influences compel researchers to reconsider the causes of political polarization.
Westernized focus[edit]
Much like many academic studies, political polarization scholars often are too narrowly focused within one nation and, thus, make broad generalizations regarding the concept from a national study. To have a better picture of the presence or absence of political polarization, scholars must consider widening the scope of their studies to the international contexts.[94][95]
See also[edit]
- Civil war
- False dilemma
- Ideocracy
- Income inequality in the United States § Political polarization
- Left–right politics
- Multi-party system
- Partisan (political)
- Political midlife crisis
- State collapse
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- ^ a b c d e f g h i Fiorina, Morris P.; Abrams, Samuel J. (1 June 2008). "Political Polarization in the American Public" (PDF). Annual Review of Political Science. 11 (1): 563–588. doi:10.1146/annurev.polisci.11.053106.153836. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 June 2012.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Mann, Thomas E.; Ornstein, Norman J. (2012). "It's Even Worse Than It Looks: How the American constitutional system collided with the new politics of extremism". Basic Books. ISBN 978-0465031337.
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- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Layman, Geoffrey C.; Carsey, Thomas M.; Horowitz, Juliana Menasce (1 June 2006). "Party Polarization in American Politics: Characteristics, Causes, and Consequences". Annual Review of Political Science. 9 (1): 83–110. doi:10.1146/annurev.polisci.9.070204.105138.
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- ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference
Fiorina-08was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
- ^ a b Cite error: The named reference
McCarty-06was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
Hetherington-09was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
- ^ Azzimonti, Marina "The political polarization index"
- ^ Gentzkow, Matthew, and Shapiro, Jesse, and Taddy, Matt Measuring Polarization in High-Dimensional Data: Method and Application to Congressional Speech"
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- ^ a b c d Fiorina, Morris P.; Samuel A. Abrams; Jeremy C. Pope (2006). "Culture War? The Myth of a Polarized America". Pearson Longman. ISBN 978-0321276407.
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- ^ Abramowitz, Alan I.; Saunders, Kyle L. (August 1998). "Ideological Realignment in the U.S. Electorate". The Journal of Politics. 60 (3): 634. doi:10.2307/2647642. JSTOR 10.2307/2647642.
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- ^ Hirano, Shigeo, Jr.; James M. Snyder; Michael M. Ting (2009). "Distributive Politics with Primaries" (PDF). Journal of Politics. 71 (4): 1467–1480. doi:10.1017/s0022381609990247.
- ^ Nicholson, Stephen P. (1 January 2012). "Polarizing Cues". American Journal of Political Science. 56 (1): 52–66. doi:10.1111/j.1540-5907.2011.00541.x. PMID 22400143.
- ^ a b Sartori, Giovanni (1966). "European political parties: the case of polarized pluralism". Political Parties and Political Development.
- ^ a b Sartori, Giovanni (1976). Parties and party systems : a framework for analysis ([Nouvelle édition] ed.). Colchester: ECPR. ISBN 978-0954796617.
- ^ Johnston, Richard (17 December 2008). "Polarized Pluralism in the Canadian Party System: Presidential Address to the Canadian Political Science Association, June 5, 2008". Canadian Journal of Political Science. 41 (4): 815. doi:10.1017/S0008423908081110.
- ^ Davey, Hampton (1 August 1972). "Polarization and Consensus in Indian Party Politics". Asian Survey. 12 (8): 701–716. doi:10.2307/2643110. JSTOR 10.2307/2643110.
- ^ Kaiser, Robert G. (2010). So damn much money : the triumph of lobbying and the corrosion of American government (1st Vintage Books ed.). New York: Vintage Books. ISBN 978-0307385888.
- ^ La Raja, R.J.; Wiltse, D.L. (13 December 2011). "Don't Blame Donors for Ideological Polarization of Political Parties: Ideological Change and Stability Among Political Contributors, 1972–2008". American Politics Research. 40 (3): 501–530. doi:10.1177/1532673X11429845.
- ^ Tam Cho, Wendy K.; Gimpel, James G. (1 April 2007). "Prospecting for (Campaign) Gold" (PDF). American Journal of Political Science. 51 (2): 255–268. doi:10.1111/j.1540-5907.2007.00249.x.
- ^ Garner, Andrew; Palmer, Harvey (June 2011). "Polarization and issue consistency over time". Political Behavior. Springer. 33 (2): 225–246. doi:10.1007/s11109-010-9136-7.
- ^ Mason, Lilliana (January 2013). "The rise of uncivil agreement: issue versus behavioral polarization in the American electorate". American Behavioral Scientist. Sage. 57 (1): 140–159. doi:10.1177/0002764212463363.
- ^ Murakami, Michael H. (2007). "How party polarization affects candidate evaluations: the role of ideology". Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Political Science Association, Hyatt Regency Chicago and the Sheraton Chicago Hotel and Towers, Chicago, Illinois.
- ^ Dixit, Avinash K.; Weibull, Jörgen W. (1 May 2007). "Political polarization". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. National Academy of Sciences. 104 (18): 7351–7356. doi:10.1073/pnas.0702071104. JSTOR 25427490.
- ^ Born, Richard (February 1994). "[Split-ticket voters, divided government, and Fiorina's policy-balancing model]: rejoinder". Legislative Studies Quarterly. American Political Science Association. 19 (1). JSTOR 439804.
- ^ a b Abramowitz, Alan; Saunders, Kyle L. (July 2005). "Why can't we all just get along? The reality of polarized America" (PDF). The Forum. De Gruyter. 3 (2): 1–22. doi:10.2202/1540-8884.1076. Archived from the original on 2013-10-19.
- ^ Campbell, David E.; Green, John C.; Layman, Geoffrey C. (January 2011). "The party faithful: partisan images, candidate religion, and the electoral impact of party identification". American Journal of Political Science. Wiley. 55 (1): 42–58. doi:10.1111/j.1540-5907.2010.00474.x.
- ^ Layman, Geoffrey C.; Green, John C. (January 2006). "Wars and rumours of wars: the contexts of cultural conflict in American political behaviour". British Journal of Political Science. Cambridge Journals. 36 (1): 61–89. doi:10.1017/S0007123406000044. JSTOR 4092316.
- ^ Brooks, Clem; Manza, Jeff (1 May 2004). "A great divide? Religion and political change in U.S. national elections, 1972-2000" (PDF). The Sociological Quarterly. Wiley. 45 (3): 421–450. doi:10.1111/j.1533-8525.2004.tb02297.x.
- ^ Bhavnani, Ravi; Miodownik, Dan (February 2009). "Ethnic polarization, ethnic salience, and Civil War". Journal of Conflict Resolution. Sage. 53 (1): 30–49. doi:10.1177/0022002708325945.
- ^ Sisk, Timothy D. (January 1989). "White politics in South Africa: politics under pressure". Africa Today. Indiana University Press. 36 (1): 29–39. JSTOR 4186531.
- ^ Darity, William A. (2009), "Economic theory and racial economic inequality", in Dodson, Howard; Palmer, Colin A., The Black condition, East Lansing, Michigan: Michigan State University Press, pp. 1–43, ISBN 978-0870138386.
- ^ Lombardi, John V. (2004), "Prologue: Venezuela's Permanent Dilemma", in Ellner, Steve; Hellinger, Daniel, Venezuelan politics in the Chávez era: class, polarization, and conflict, Boulder, Colorado: Rienner, ISBN 978-1588262974
- ^ Yoshinaka, Antoine & Chad Murphy (June 2011). "The Paradox of Redistricting: How Partisan Mapmakers Foster Competition but Disrupt Representation". Political Research Quarterly. 64 (2): 435–447. doi:10.1177/1065912909355716.
- ^ Thompson, Dennis F. (February 2004). "Election Time: Normative Implications of Temporal Properties of the Electoral Process in the United States". American Political Science Review. 98 (1): 51–64. doi:10.1017/s0003055404000991.
- ^ Carson, J.L.; Crespin, M.H.; Finocchiaro, C.J.; Rohde, D.W. (28 September 2007). "Redistricting and Party Polarization in the U.S. House of Representatives". American Politics Research. 35 (6): 878–904. doi:10.1177/1532673X07304263.
- ^ McKee, SEth C. (March 2008). "The Effects of Redistricting on Voting Behavior in Incumbent U.S. House Elections, 1992–1994". Political Research Quarterly. 61 (1): 122–133. doi:10.1177/1065912907306473.
- ^ Kousser, J (November 1996). "Estimating the Partisan Consequences of Redistricting Plans – Simply". Legislative Studies Quarterly. 21 (4): 521–541. doi:10.2307/440460. JSTOR 440460.
- ^ McCarty, Nolan; Poole, Keith T.; Rosenthal, Howard (1 July 2009). "Does Gerrymandering Cause Polarization?" (PDF). American Journal of Political Science. 53 (3): 666–680. doi:10.1111/j.1540-5907.2009.00393.x.
- ^ Masket, Seth E.; Winburn, Jonathan; Wright, Gerald C. (4 January 2012). "The Gerrymanderers Are Coming! Legislative Redistricting Won't Affect Competition or Polarization Much, No Matter Who Does It" (PDF). PS: Political Science & Politics. 45 (1): 39–43. doi:10.1017/S1049096511001703.
- ^ Hollander, B.A. (1 March 2008). "Tuning Out or Tuning Elsewhere? Partisanship, Polarization, and Media Migration from 1998 to 2006" (PDF). Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly. 85 (1): 23–40. doi:10.1177/107769900808500103.
- ^ Yuan, Elaine Jingyan (2007). The New Multi-channel Media Environment in China: Diversity of Exposure in Television Viewing. Northwestern University. ISBN 1109940211.
- ^ Kim, S.J. (2011). Emerging patterns of news media use across multiple platforms and their political implications in south korea. Northwestern University.
- ^ Rushkoff, D. (2010). Program or be programmed: Ten commands for a digital age. Berkeley, CA: Soft Skull Press.
- ^ Pariser, E. (2011). The filter bubble: What the internet is hiding from you. New York, NY: The Penguin Press.
- ^ Gentzkow, Matthew; Shapiro, Jesse M. (2011-11-01). "Ideological Segregation Online and Offline *". The Quarterly Journal of Economics. 126 (4): 1799–1839. doi:10.1093/qje/qjr044. ISSN 0033-5533.
- ^ Hohenberg, Clemm von; Bernhard; Maes, Michael; Pradelski, Bary S.R. (2017-05-25). "Micro influence and macro dynamics of opinions". SSRN 2974413 .
- ^ Duhaime, Erik; Apfelbaum, Evan (2017). "Can Information Decrease Political Polarization? Evidence From the U.S. Taxpayer Receipt". Social Psychological and Personality Science. 8 (7): 736. doi:10.1177/1948550616687126.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Epstein, Diana; John D. Graham (2007). "Polarized Politics and Policy Consequences" (PDF). Rand Corporation.
- ^ Pietro S. Nivola & David W. Brady, ed. (2006). Red and blue nation? Volume One: characteristics and causes of America's polarized politics. Washington, DC: Brookings Institution. ISBN 978-0815760832.
- ^ Pietro S. Nivola & David W. Brady, ed. (2008). Red and blue nation? Volume Two: Consequences and Correction of America's Polarized Politics ([Online-Ausg.] ed.). Washington, DC: Brookings Institution. ISBN 978-0815760801.
- ^ Messing, Solomon; Westwood, Sean (31 Dec 2012). "Selective Exposure in the Age of Social Media". Communication Research. 41 (8): 1042–1063. doi:10.1177/0093650212466406.
- ^ a b c d Brady, David. W; John Ferejohn; Lauren Harbridge (2006). "Polarization and Public Policy: A General Assessment". Red and blue nation? Volume One: characteristics and causes of America's polarized politics. Washington, DC: Brookings Institution. ISBN 978-0815760832.
- ^ Jones, David R. (March 2001). "Party polarization and legislative gridlock". Political Research Quarterly. 54 (1): 125–141. doi:10.1177/106591290105400107.
- ^ a b c d Galston, William A. (2006). "Delineating the Problem". Red and blue nation? Volume One: characteristics and causes of America's polarized politics. Washington, DC: Brookings Institution. ISBN 978-0815760832.
- ^ a b c d e Sinclair, Barbara (2008). "Spoiling the Sausages? How a Polarized Congress Deliberates and Legislates". In Pietro S. Nivola & David W. Brady. Red and blue nation? Volume Two: Consequences and Correction of America's Polarized Politics. Washington, DC: Brookings. ISBN 978-0815760801.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Binder, Sarah A. (Winter 2000). "Going Nowhere: A Gridlocked Congress". Brookings.
- ^ a b c d Wilkerson, John D.; E. Scott Adler (2013). Congress and the politics of problem solving. Cambridge [England]: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-1107670310.
- ^ Carson, Jamie L.; Finocchiaro, Charles J.; Rohde, David W. (1 October 2010). "Consensus, Conflict, and Partisanship in House Decision Making: A Bill-Level Examination of Committee and Floor Behavior" (PDF). Congress & the Presidency. 37 (3): 231–253. doi:10.1080/07343469.2010.486393.
- ^ Lee, Frances (2005). Paul Quirk & Sarah Binder, ed. The Legislative Branch. New York: Oxford UP.
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- ^ a b c d Hetherington, Marc J. (2008). "Turned Off or Turned On? How Polarization Affects Political Engagement". In Pietro S. Nivola & David W. Brady. Red and blue nation? Volume Two: Consequences and Correction of America's Polarized Politics. Washington, DC: Brookings. ISBN 978-0815760801.
- ^ a b c d e Dodson, Kyle (1 September 2010). "The Return of the American Voter? Party Polarization and Voting Behavior, 1988 to 2004" (PDF). Sociological Perspectives. 53 (3): 443–449. doi:10.1525/sop.2010.53.3.443.[permanent dead link]
- ^ a b Mutz, Diana C. (2006). "How the Mass Media Divide Us". Red and blue nation? Volume One: characteristics and causes of America's polarized politics. Washington, DC: Brookings Institution. ISBN 978-0815760832.
- ^ Rosenstiel, Thomas (2006). "Two Alternative Perspectives". Red and blue nation? Volume One: characteristics and causes of America's polarized politics. Washington, DC: Brookings Institution. ISBN 978-0815760832.
- ^ Brooks, Deborah Jordan & John G. Geer (2008). "Comments on Chapter One". In Pietro S. Nivola & David W. Brady. Red and blue nation? Volume Two: Consequences and Correction of America's Polarized Politics. Washington, DC: Brookings. ISBN 978-0815760801.
- ^ a b Dionne, E.J., Jr.; William A. Galston (14 December 2010). "A Half-Empty Government Can't Govern: Why Everyone Wants to Fix the Appointments Process, Why It Never Happens, and How We Can Get It Done". Brookings.
- ^ Wittes, Benjamin (2008). "Comments on Chapter 3". In Pietro S. Nivola & David W. Brady. Red and blue nation? Volume Two: Consequences and Correction of America's Polarized Politics ([Online-Ausg.] ed.). Washington, DC: Brookings. ISBN 978-0815760801.
- ^ a b c McCormick, James M.; Eugene R. Wittkopf (November 1990). "Bipartisanship, Partisanship, and Ideology in Congressional-Executive Foreign Policy Relations, 1947–1988" (PDF). The Journal of Politics. 52 (4): 1077–1100. doi:10.2307/2131683.
- ^ a b c Wilson, James Q. (2008). "Comments on Chapter 4". In Pietro S. Nivola & David W. Brady. Red and blue nation? Volume Two: Consequences and Correction of America's Polarized Politics. Washington, DC: Brookings. ISBN 978-0815760801.
- ^ a b Souva, M.; Rohde, D. (1 March 2007). "Elite Opinion Differences and Partisanship in Congressional Foreign Policy, 1975–1996" (PDF). Political Research Quarterly. 60 (1): 113–123. doi:10.1177/1065912906298630. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 July 2013.
- ^ a b Beinart, Peter (2008). "When Politics No Longer Stops at the Water's Edge: Partisan Polarization and Foreign Policy". In Pietro S. Nivola & David W. Brady. Red and blue nation? Volume Two: Consequences and Correction of America's Polarized Politics. Washington, DC: Brookings. ISBN 978-0815760801.
- ^ a b Cite error: The named reference
Baldassarri-08was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
Fiorina-06was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
- ^ Sherkat, Darren (2011). "Religion, politics, and support for same-sex marriage in the United States, 1988–2008".
- ^ Bolzendahl (2005). "Polarization, secularization, or differences as usual? The denominational cleavage in U.S. social attitudes since the 1970s.".
- ^ Van Boven (2012). "Political polarization projection: Social projection of partisan attitude extremity and attitudinal processes".
- ^ Greenawalt, Kent (1988). Religious convictions and political choice.
- ^ a b Ansolabehere (2006). "Purple America".
- ^ a b Teixeira (2009). The future of red, blue and purple America.
- ^ a b "U.S. elections: How groups voted in 2012". 2012. Archived from the original on 2013-01-23.
- ^ Brown (2009). "Voting behavior based on socioeconomic status".
- ^ Holton (2000). "Globalization's cultural consequences".
- ^ Pieterse (2009). Globalization and culture: Global mélange.
Further reading[edit]
- Abramowitz, Alan (1994). "Issue Evolution Reconsidered: Racial Attitudes and Partisanship in the U.S. Electorate". The Sociological Quarterly. 38 (1): 1–24. JSTOR 2111333.
- Clark, Cal; Tan, Alexander C. (2012). "Political Polarization in Taiwan: A Growing Challenge to Catch-all Parties?" (PDF). Journal of Current Chinese Affairs. 41 (3): 7–31.
- Frymer, Paul. "Debating the Causes of Party Polarization in America". The Brennan Center Jorde Symposium on Constitutional Law. 2011: 335–350.
- Kallis, Aristotle A. Fascist ideology: territory and expansionism in Italy and Germany, 1922–1945. London, England; New York: Routledge, 2000.
- Keefer, Philip; Knack, Stephen (2002). "Polarization, Politics and Property Rights: Links between Inequality and Growth". Public Choice. 111 (1/2): 127–154. JSTOR 30026274.
- Leege, David C., Kenneth D. Wald, Brian S. Krueger, and Paul D. Mueller. The Politics of Cultural Differences: Social Change and Voter Mobilization Strategies in the Post-New Deal Period. N.p.: University of Florida, 2001.
- McCarty, Nolan M. "Limits of Electoral and Legislative Reform in Addressing Polarization". The Brennan Center Jorde Symposium on Constitutional Law. 359: 359–372.
- Nivola, Peter. "Thinking About Political Polarization." The Brookings Institution, Jan. 2005.
- Simon, Sheldon W. (1979). "China, Vietnam, and ASEAN: The Politics of Polarization". Asian Survey. 19 (12): 1171–1188. doi:10.2307/2643963. JSTOR 2643963.
- Pew Research Center, Political Polarization in the American Public, June 12, 2014, people-press.org.
- Sisk, Timothy D (1989). "White Politics in South Africa: Polarization under Pressure". Africa Today. 36 (1): 29–39. JSTOR 4186531.
- Sunstein, Cass R (2001). "Deliberative Trouble – Why Groups Go to Extremes". Yale Law Journal. 110 (71): 71–120.


text:
The striker, who has been capped 14 times by Brazil, is a long-term target for the Premier League outfit, with failed attempts to capture his signature dating back to 2011.
However, the 23-year-old is adamant that his aim is to remain at Internacional "for a long time".
|BetVictor offer 13/1 for neither team to score in Tottenham v Newcastle
"I certainly thank Tottenham [for their interest], they are a big club in Europe, but my focus is on Inter.
"I hope to help Inter for a long time, I have a long contract and I am very happy and focused."
Tottenham boss Andre Villas-Boas admitted shortly after the January transfer deadline that a summer move for Damiao was improbable, with the north London club's interest in the striker "probably finished".
"Could it [a deal for Damiao] happen in the summer? No, I don't think so, it's probably finished now," the Portuguese told reporters.
"The player has been linked recently with Spurs, we've made it public before that he's a player that we chased, but we couldn't agree on the full conditions so we've moved on."


text:
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text:
Well, it's been an amazing 6 months, to say the least. Every minute someone is making a prediction about where we are in the "cycle" and whether the bottom of the chart is going to look like a "U" - that is, a flat bottom that we ease out of - or a "W" - a double-dipping bottom with a small rally in between. As always, the jury is still out. When will we know? In a couple years. Yeah, it's what they say about hindsight...
Luckily, when it comes to real estate, we can often see what's going to happen years in advance because it's a lagging indicator - that is, whatever is affecting the market happens first, then real estate follows as much as 12-24 months later. That's why, when the markets were shaking in 2008, New York real estate was still going up, albeit at a slower pace than 2006 or 2007. Now, the market is getting the shakes of 2008 out of its system.
Where will it go next year? Well, the stock market spent most of 2009 recovering from a disastrous 2008. Oddly enough, in fits and starts, so did the rest of the country's real estate market. People who can afford to take their properties off the market are doing so. All that will help create upward pressure on the market.
Unfortunately, there is another lagging indicator - employment - that is going to stretch out our recovery. The government stabilized banks last year from the fallout of poorly-made loans. This year, it looks like a lot of good people are on hard times from the layoffs they've suffered, and now banks have to contend with more foreclosures. New York is still relatively insulated - there are so few foreclosures - but a lot of banking jobs and the services that revolve around them have been lost.
So, still no conclusions. But look around you and remember what you can. Maybe next time this happens - and you can bet that it will happen again - you'll be the one who was ready to take advantage.


text:
Gone were the days when Jelly Bean and KitKat were once thought of as sweets instead of Android operating systems. Not only those. Did you know that Dart, traditionally known as a kind of target game, could also refer to a web development framework by Google? In first-ever codelab held on February 15, 2015 at Berkeley School Baguio, GDG Baguio introduced Dart into the local developer community.
The participants, a mix of professionals, college and high school students, became Dart Pilots and were introduced to Dart, a new web programming language with libraries, a virtual machine called Dart Virtual Machine, and tools. Dart helps developers build structured modern web apps and compiles to JavaScript to run across the entire modern web. (https://code.google.com/p/dart/)
|Sunny Natividad discussing Google Technologies
The event commenced with an introduction about Google Developer Group (GDG) Baguio by +Sunny Natividad, our resident organizer and speaker. Dart and codelabs were then introduced to the participants through videos and slides by +Reymart Canuel, GDG Baguio's Community Manager.
After all was said and done, the codelabs began. Darrrt!
|Codelab 1
|Codelab 2
What better way is there to refuel our pilots' energy? Pizza!
Special thanks to Berkeley School Baguio and +Aris Go for providing us our venue. Thanks too to the organizers and supporters!
|Look how happy our Dart Pilots are! (photo courtesy of +Aldreen Dumasig )
Anyone could also try the codelabs through :
Codelab 1: https://www.dartlang.org/codelabs/darrrt/
Codelab 2: https://www.dartlang.org/codelabs/deploy/
You could check the G+ event page here.
Fly high! See you in the next codelabs and events to come!