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Monday, October 31, 2016
Stranger Things toys available for preorder
Posted by John at 1:39 PM Links to this post
Labels: toy
Instagram roundup
The most dangerous risk of all is the risk of spending your life not doing what you want on the bet you can buy yourself the freedom to do it later. #travelnoire #doha 📷: @kyobadA photo posted by Travel Noire (@travelnoire) on
Photo by Corey Arnold @arni_coraldo Happy Halloween! Last winter, Wes @grizkid and I crawled into this absurdly deep and claustrophobic black bear den together near @brycecanyonnps The goal was to poke this 300+ pound bear with a tranquilizer dart attached to a 6 foot pole before it fully awoke from its groggy hibernation and change the batteries in its radio tracking collar. We were 70 feet deep into this narrow tunnel facing a bear that didn't immediately take to the tranquilizer and began crawling towards us as we scrambled backwards. Two more doses later, this bear basically sleep-walked out of the den and fell asleep against a tree nearby. After the swap, the bear was quickly placed back into the den to resume his winter hibernation. The tracking device confirmed that this bear recovered safely and was not harmed during our encounter. Wes is a masters student at BYU and his thesis research deals with how black bears are adjusting to the growing amount of human presence in the Bryce Canyon area, and how we can best condition bears to avoid campgrounds and other anthropomorphic features that might cause them to get into trouble. This kind of research is important in an areas like Bryce that see a lot of tourism as it benefits both bears and humans. He is one of the dozens of millennials I photographed who shared with me their experience of America's National Parks over the past year for @natgeo Click on the link in my personal profile @arni_coraldo to read the full cover story in Nat Geo Magazine: Can the Selfie Generation Unplug and Get Into Parks? #wildernextgen #blackbear #natgeo #nationalparks #findyourpark #npmillennials #brycecanyon #wildlife #humananimals #photooftheday #instagood #wild #nature #picoftheday #science #adventure #halloween #bear #scary #fear #utahA photo posted by National Geographic (@natgeo) on
The haunted house at the Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania is consistently ranked among the scariest Halloween attractions in the United States. The prison operated from 1829 until 1971 and housed notorious criminals like the gangster Al Capone. The facility was also the first of its kind to be constructed in a "wagon-wheel" layout with seven wings of cellblocks radiating from a central hub. Hope everyone has a safe and scary Halloween! /// Created by @benjaminrgrant, source imagery: @nearmap /// We're also doing a book giveaway on @geoawesomeness this week! Check out their feed for a chance to win.A photo posted by Daily Overview (@dailyoverview) on
Marshall Law has approved by Pat Mills & Kevin O'Neill. Now he needs a final pose & some truly offensive weapons...A video posted by Dan Willett (@unboxindustries) on
Posted by John at 1:34 PM Links to this post
Labels: architecture, toy
3D-printed "Alfred Hitchcrow" available for preorder
Available here.
Posted by John at 1:29 PM Links to this post
Labels: sculpture
"Creative Intelligence has yielded surprising results — purple images are most likely to get a click, for instance"
From "Refreshing The Verge: how does this thing make money, anyway?"
we create and publish our stories on a platform called Chorus
Vox Media has another equally powerful platform on the revenue side: Hymnal
research, which shows ads like Vox Media's scrolling Athena unit are more respectful of users and perform better
And those units optimize themselves as users interact with them — a system called Creative Intelligence measures interactions and dynamically swaps in different elements like background colors, photos, and language to make the ads more effective.
Posted by John at 1:16 PM Links to this post
Labels: advertising, names
xXx: Return of Xander Cage character posters
From a series of 12.
Posted by John at 11:25 AM Links to this post
Labels: movie posters, poster
T-Rex cheerleader at the Broncos game
Posted by John at 11:21 AM Links to this post
Beetlejuice group cosplay
From the Atlantic's Halloween photo gallery.
Posted by John at 10:51 AM Links to this post
Labels: cosplay, tim burton
Sunday, October 30, 2016
"Vatican, China Consider Deal on Selection of Bishops After Decades of Division"
If Pope Francis and Chinese leaders sign off on the proposed deal, the pope would accept eight bishops ordained by the Chinese government without the Vatican's permission.
It would be a diplomatic breakthrough for the pope, who has eagerly pursued an opening to China that eluded his predecessors, though re-establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the Vatican—which Beijing severed in 1951—would remain a distant goal.
Vatican officials, however, are bracing for strong protests from Chinese Catholics in the so-called underground church, some of whose members have suffered imprisonment or other punishment for defying government control of the church, and who could regard the agreement as a lopsided win for Beijing and hence a betrayal of their fidelity.
The deal would defer many thorny issues, including the legal status of underground Chinese bishops loyal to Rome, who currently operate without government approval.
Posted by John at 7:55 PM Links to this post
Suspicious political donations linked to approval of a $72-million apartment project in Los Angeles
Blanco is among more than 100 campaign contributors with a direct or indirect connection to Samuel Leung, a Torrance-based developer who was lobbying public officials to approve a 352-unit apartment complex, a Times investigation has found.
Those donors gave more than $600,000 to support Hahn, Mayor Eric Garcetti and other L.A.-area politicians between 2008 and 2015, as Leung was seeking city approval for the $72-million development in L.A.'s Harbor Gateway neighborhood, north of the Port of Los Angeles, The Times found.
At one critical point, Garcetti invoked a mayoral prerogative — which he has used only twice — to reduce the number of council votes required to approve the project. In several cases, elected officials received the money as they were poised to make key decisions about the development, known as Sea Breeze.
Many of the contributions were reported on the same day, in the same amounts, for the same politician, contribution records show. They came from the handymen who fixed Leung's buildings; the landscaper who tended his gardens; the chef who prepared meals in a hotel run by his company.
Among the donors contacted by The Times, 11 denied making contributions or said they didn't remember giving. Several others were unable to provide basic details about their donations, such as why they gave, to whom and how many times.
Posted by John at 7:14 PM Links to this post
Labels: corruption, crime, fraud, law, los angeles
Kubo Sisters cosplay
Posted by John at 8:36 AM Links to this post
Welcome to Night Vale: A Novel is $1.99 today
Posted by John at 7:30 AM Links to this post
Saturday, October 29, 2016
"Authorities Encourage Residents to Hunt Wild Pigs That Destroyed Landscaping at Riverside Park"
Large packs of boars emerge late at night
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife considers their presence a hazard and nuisance, and is encouraging people to hunt the hogs with a bow and arrow
Posted by John at 1:28 PM Links to this post
Labels: animal, los angeles
"A makeshift armored military front loader drives in Dahiyat al-Assad, west Aleppo city, Syria"
From the photos of the week. This one, too.
Posted by John at 11:46 AM Links to this post
Harry Potter, Alien: Isolation, and Jurassic Park fanmade props
Posted by John at 11:44 AM Links to this post
Labels: alien, harry potter, sculpture
Kashira from Spirited Away cosplay
Posted by John at 10:06 AM Links to this post
Labels: cosplay, costumes, halloween, spirited away, studio ghibli
Halloween at Laika
Posted by John at 10:02 AM Links to this post
"Of Course Westworld's Costumes Are 3D-Printed, Too"
Long interview at Racked:
for anyone who has a speaking role — the principals and the guest stars — we have to hand-make everything
We actually had to dye every single piece, too.
we were using actual period fabrics to make these clothes, and there's only so much of it! So we had to find ways to recreate it. You know, fabrics today just aren't as intricate — they're not made the same way. With the exception of some places in Italy or maybe England, you honestly can't find beautiful, intricate fabrics anymore. It's really sad! So we had to hire 3D printers in Los Angeles to reprint all our vintage fabrics so we could have more
Let's talk about Ed Harris's character, The Man in Black. He's a fan favorite, and his outfit is particularly amazing.
There's a very old-school hippie weaver in upstate New York, near Woodstock, who wove the fabric for his jacket. We had another artisan hand-paint it afterwards.
Posted by John at 9:57 AM Links to this post
Labels: 3d printing, clothing, fashion, westworld
Friday, October 28, 2016
Horror-themed items from my wishlist that have gone on sale
A Head Full of Ghosts: A Novel is $1.99 ("Winner of the 2015 Bram Stoker Award for Superior Achievement in a Novel")
The Forgetting Time: A Novel is $2.99 ("An Amazon Best Book of February 2016")
My Best Friend's Exorcism: A Novel is $3.99 ("This ENHANCED DIGITAL EDITION features TONS of TOTALLY AWESOME 80s bonus materials")
Arkham Horror: The Card Game is 33% off (""A living card game of Eldritch mystery or one to two players")
Posted by John at 7:45 PM Links to this post
"Trump is listed as the 1999 club champion, but the course didn't have its official grand opening until Jan. 8, 2000"
"Trump claims to have won 18 golf club championships."
Posted by John at 3:20 PM Links to this post
"How One Man's Bad Math Helped Ruin Decades Of English Soccer"
There was no Opta back in 1950, no Total Shots Ratio, no Expected Goals. But there was Reep, who took it upon himself to attend every Swindon Town F.C. match that season — sometimes with a miner's helmet on his head to better illuminate his notes — and meticulously scribble down play-by-play diagrams of how everything went down. More than 60 years before player-tracking cameras became all the rage in pro sports, Reep was mapping out primitive spatial data the old-fashioned way, by hand.
Posted by John at 2:46 PM Links to this post
"The Best Two-Sentence Horror Stories Of All Time"
Trembling, you pull back the shower curtain. No, it can't be: another shower curtain.
Posted by John at 2:32 PM Links to this post
Thursday, October 27, 2016
New Dredd and Gremlins goods at Last Exit to Nowhere
Posted by John at 7:06 PM Links to this post
Labels: last exit to nowhere
For Dark Tower fans, the Charlie the Choo-Choo illustrated book is available at Amazon
"Engineer Bob has a secret: His train engine, Charlie the Choo-Choo, is alive…and also his best friend. From celebrated author Beryl Evans and illustrator Ned Dameron comes a story about friendship, loyalty, and hard work." Available in hardcover or digital.
Posted by John at 6:19 PM Links to this post
Labels: book, dark tower, stephen king
New covers for Neuromancer series
Posted by John at 6:10 PM Links to this post
Labels: book, book covers, william gibson
MUSCLE-like One-Punch Man figures available for preorder
Posted by John at 5:49 PM Links to this post
Labels: toy
"The Bug That Stalks Spiders on Their Own Webs"
More surprisingly, the bugs can also break the web strands with impunity. If a thread stands between them and their spider prey, they'll simply grab it with their front legs and pull it apart. It's a risky move. The threads of a web are held in tension, like taut rubber bands. If you cut them, the two ends ought to spring back, creating vibrations that would give away an interloper's presence. And yet, astonishingly, the spiders don't notice. The bug can even break threads that are right next to a spider without drawing attention to itself.
Soley noticed that when a bug snaps the threads, it holds on to the disconnected ends and lets them to sag toward their points of origin before releasing them. It does so one at a time, and often separated by long delays. All of this allows the bug to vandalize the web without creating vibrations, or at least, none that are distinguishable from background noise and wind. In fact, Soley also found that the bugs are more likely to break threads in breezy conditions. It's an assassin that camouflages itself with wind.
Posted by John at 5:47 PM Links to this post
"Ontario police are broadcasting thousands of text messages to phones used close to the site of a murder"
The phones have been identified as being in use on 16 December close to the route Mr Hatch travelled on the night he was killed.
About 7,500 people are expected to receive the messages asking them to contact police.
"A former elite gymnast filed a lawsuit Thursday against USA Gymnastics and some of its top officials"
The suit claims USA Gymnastics and the Karolyis, who are one of the most successful coaching teams in gymnastics history, concealed sexual and physical abuses at their elite training facility in Texas to protect their reputations and businesses.
The unnamed plaintiff was a member of the U.S. Women's National Team from 2006 to 2011 and was a world team member in 2010. She said she was sexually abused by former team physician Dr. Larry Nassar over several years.
Posted by John at 5:38 PM Links to this post
Labels: corruption, law, olympics, sports
"man holding a 'Blacks For Trump' sign right behind Trump was once part of an extremist murder cult"
part of the Miami-based Yahweh ben Yahweh cult, a group of black extremists who pledged themselves to the cause of killing white people. He was one of more than a dozen people who were all indicted on multiple charges of extortion, arson, and 14 murders.
Though Symonette's own brother testified that he had brutally beaten one of the murder victims and stabbed another man in the eyeball, a jury eventually found him innocent, let him walk free, and gave him the opportunity to transform himself into a local radio owner and popular popular YouTuber
Posted by John at 5:36 PM Links to this post
"The Pentagon's new unmanned submarine chaser is currently undergoing at-sea testing"
"Sea Hunter for short, is built to track enemy submarines over thousands of miles of ocean for months at a time and without a single crew member on board"
Posted by John at 5:31 PM Links to this post
Labels: military
Wednesday, October 26, 2016
"House Republicans are already preparing for 'years' of investigations of Clinton"
"Even before we get to Day One, we've got two years worth of material already lined up."
Posted by John at 9:52 AM Links to this post
Labels: politics
I enjoyed Karen Lord's The Best of All Possible Worlds
Two repressed academics slowly (excruciatingly, delightfully slowly) admit their love for each other while having pulpy scifi adventures on a journey around the world. Loosely inspired by the effects on communities that lost a large percentage of women due to the 2004 tsunami.
Available at Amazon (also the first time I've noticed a used book being sold with free shipping).
Posted by John at 9:45 AM Links to this post
Tuesday, October 25, 2016
"Opponents of Beverly Hilton project allege voter fraud"
"The allegations . . . were made by a lawyer for Beverly Hills Residents and Businesses to Preserve Our City, a committee sponsored by a competing developer, Chinese entertainment and real estate giant Wanda Group."
Posted by John at 8:46 PM Links to this post
Labels: crime, fraud, law, los angeles, politics
Is James Coburn a host in these old beer commercials?
Posted by John at 8:44 PM Links to this post
Labels: advertising, alcohol, video, westworld
"Give us this day our daily seal"
Nuuk sits on the southwest coast. It was founded in the early eighteenth century by a Danish-Norwegian missionary named Hans Egede, and for most of its existence was known as Godthåb. When Egede arrived, he discovered that the native people had neither bread nor a word for it, so he translated the line from the Lord's Prayer as "Give us this day our daily seal." Today, a giant statue of Egede presides over Nuuk much the way Christ the Redeemer presides over Rio.
Posted by John at 4:54 PM Links to this post
The "Bear Scare" at Baylor
We saw a path where women jogging on campus are sometimes surprised from behind by male runners who roar in their ears. This, I learned, is called the Bear Scare. (Baylor's mascot is a bear.)
Posted by John at 4:52 PM Links to this post
Labels: school
Monday, October 24, 2016
Horror movie tributes by Jason Edmiston
Available at Mondo.
Posted by John at 11:56 AM Links to this post
Labels: john carpenter, mondotees
Kenai Fjords National Park Poster
Posted by John at 11:18 AM Links to this post
Labels: poster
Sunday, October 23, 2016
Neill Blomkamp-directed short film for BMW
Posted by John at 6:53 PM Links to this post
Labels: advertising, video
"San Francisco's 58-story Millennium Tower is upscale, but literally sinking fast"
While a paper trail of concern about potential settling leads back to early 2009, even before the Millennium Tower was ready for occupancy, most residents of the building knew nothing about any issue with the foundation until they were summoned in early May to a private meeting in a lounge on the tower's club level.
Identification was checked at the door. Residents were told that what they were to hear must be kept a secret. A lawyer introduced a structural engineer who delivered, as Buttery and others recall, a simple statement that startled the packed room:
"The Millennium building is too heavy for its foundation."
Not only had the tower settled by far more than the four to six inches originally forecast for the life of the building but, "most importantly," recalled Jerry Dodson, a retired patent lawyer and a vocal critic of the tower's builders, the engineer said "it wasn't stopping."
Posted by John at 3:08 PM Links to this post
Labels: architecture, california, corruption, law, politics
Saturday, October 22, 2016
Johnny Rico trading card
The latest Crazy 4 Cult art is online, including Cuyler Smith's Johnny Rico trading card.
Posted by John at 11:15 AM Links to this post
Labels: gallery1988, starship troopers
Friday, October 21, 2016
"LAUSD teachers earn too much to live in the affordable housing apartments built for them"
Two below-market apartment complexes were built on unused district land and a third is under construction. Today, both are fully occupied. But not one L.A. Unified teacher lives in them.
The problem for teachers, as district officials learned after they had signed the lease agreements and developers had secured funding, was that even the newest hires earned too much to qualify for the units.
Mark Hovatter, the district's chief facilities executive, said the district knew what the eligibility requirements would be. But at the time, he said, district officials thought it possible that a new teacher with a large family and no other source of income would qualify.
Posted by John at 7:55 PM Links to this post
Labels: los angeles, politics, school
"Facebook is choking off reach in the news feed, so publishers are" paying celebrities to share their articles
"In the past week alone, Takei has shared a dozen Mic stories, and nearly 20 Knowable ones."
Posted by John at 7:23 PM Links to this post
Labels: advertising
The Pro Bull Riding World Championship's most feared bucking bull, Air Time, is owned by former NFL star Jared Allen
"Eighty percent of how good your bull ends up being has to do with the mother they're out of," said Matt Scharping, stock contractor for Allen's team. "We spend tons of time, money and energy trying to get the female side of the breeding process correct, because a cow that doesn't work eats as much as a cow that works. You look at a cow's traits and think about what you can complement them with by envisioning the calf.
"Air Time was an accident," Sharping explained. "A buddy of mine got a heifer calf from some partners of his. The heifer was supposed to be open, meaning not bred. All of the sudden, she gave birth to this little, spotted calf. They had to figure out what happened. It turned out that the heifer hit a heat cycle early and a bull jumped the fence and bred her."
"We don't practice him, but you see the work that goes into conditioning and feeding him in the shoots," Allen said. "He had some shoot issues at first, but I liked that. I liked that he was a little unstable. He gets into the minds of the cowboys. There's something that's just not quite right about him.
Posted by John at 4:37 PM Links to this post
Labels: animal, extreme sports, nfl, sports
Thursday, October 20, 2016
"there was this age where, below it, you assumed Darth Vader was lying"
From a lengthy interview with Tom Scioli about Transformers vs. GI Joe, Super Powers, and why he dislikes the Fantastic Four:
For Star Wars George Lucas mentioned that he spoke to many child psychologists and that there was this age where, below it, you assumed Darth Vader was lying when he tells Luke that he is his father and above that you believe him and that yes, it is a deeper truth.
Posted by John at 5:08 PM Links to this post
Labels: comic books, star wars
"RNC Asks Members to Avoid Poll Watching, Other 'Ballot Security' Activities"
As part of a 1982 settlement in a lawsuit brought by Democrats, the RNC agreed to curb its efforts to monitor and challenge voter eligibility at the polls, especially in districts where the racial or ethnic composition of the electorate could be a factor in the outcome.
RNC general counsel John Ryder wrote to members on Wednesday to "remind you of the restrictions placed on the RNC by the consent decree."
Posted by John at 4:42 PM Links to this post
"Apocalyptic dystopia plays directly into that sense of irrelevance, comforting men with the assurance that they will always be useful in a world that needs men to rebuild it"
Dystopia offers a fantasy of those very aspects of masculinity that feminists supposedly condemn becoming crucial in a scenario in which you must not get torn apart by raiders from the bunker next door. For the alt-right imaginary, that means traditional patriarchy of the sort that only ever existed in febrile myth.Relatedly, the horror movie They Look Like People is on Netflix:
The dystopian fantasies that attract many alt-righters are ones in which they finally get to be the hero on terms they recognize—as the rugged frontiersmen battling gamely against a world gone rotten
Posted by John at 4:38 PM Links to this post
Labels: politics
"I don't think the consumer business [for 3D printers] is real, because there's no use for it"
All of the moves point toward the perceived way forward for the industry: 3D printing for production, moving past a single-minded focus on prototype to an end use product. For GE, the move means the flexibility to build custom parts like fuel caps, built with the latest metal-based additive manufacturing.Relatedly, The Democratization of Airpower: The Insurgent and the Drone:
Until recently, the hard part of making EFPs was the precision machining necessary to create the copper cone. Poorly machined cones will not form effective projectiles. This is why the Iraqi insurgents relied on Iranian-provided cones to build their IEDs. However, dramatic improvements in 3D printing mean inexpensive home metal printing is now commercially available. Fused deposition printers, which can print metal, are now available for under $1,000 — or roughly half the cost of a rocket-propelled grenade launcher.
This pilot has clearly developed the skills to intercept and follow a moving target. He even demonstrates that he can fly the length of a column to evaluate the value of targets and pick a specific one. Lest you think his drone would be fairly easy to engage with small arms, consider the skills drone pilots in France have demonstrated in racing drones through the woods. Amplifying the threat, the pilots do not have to see the drone or the course to successfully execute high speed maneuvers on a forest trail. Any of these pilots could launch from inside an urban area or a covered rural position and fly his drone to the target without ever being visible to anyone. The speed and maneuverability show it will be very hard to hit one of these systems.
The low cost of some commercial drones – even autonomous ones — mean they can be expended as rounds of ammunitions. In 2014, a team at the University of Virginia developed a fully autonomous, 3D printed drone.
Posted by John at 4:30 PM Links to this post
Wednesday, October 19, 2016
Transformers vs G.I. Joe: The Quintessential Collection
Preorder for 19% off at Amazon:
Tom Scioli, John Barber (w) • Scioli (a & c)Via.
Earth makes contact with an alien race–and G.I. JOE is on the front lines! But, when the Transformers arrive–well, let's just say you've never seen Transformers vs G.I. JOE like this! This oversized deluxe hardcover collects all 13 issues, including commentary and extras by creators Tom Scioli and John Barber!
TPB • FC • $49.99 • 7" x 11" • 420 pages • ISBN: 978-1-63140-860-1
Bullet points:
What happens if you let Tom Scioli design a massive hardcover collection of his insane, genre-bending, license-smashing, Hasbro-blessed epic? Buy and find out.
Posted by John at 7:51 PM Links to this post
"Netflix has offered hefty raises, sometimes double, over many mid-level employees' salaries if they join the company"
Tara Flynn, a rising star in show development at TV studio Fox 21, walked into her boss's office in August to announce she was leaving for a job at Netflix Inc.
Her boss said she was under contract, and Flynn replied that she wasn't asking permission, according to people familiar with the conversation. She had little to lose. Netflix said her contract wasn't enforceable in California, and promised to cover any legal fees, said the people, who asked not to be identified discussing private information.
Flynn's departure is just one of the latest examples of Netflix's aggressive hiring as it builds its own empire.
Parent company 21st Century Fox Inc. took its grievances a step further, suing Netflix last month for allegedly encouraging Flynn and a film marketing executives to break their contracts. "Netflix is defiantly flouting the law by soliciting and inducing employees to break their contracts," the media company said in its statement. "We intend to seek all available remedies to enforce our rights and hold Netflix accountable for its wrongful behavior." Netflix declined to comment on the suit. Flynn referred questions to Netflix.
While Hollywood relies on fixed-term contracts, they aren't enforceable, Netflix has said. The company wants to set a precedent that it can take employees from other companies -- if those employees want to leave.
Posted by John at 7:27 PM Links to this post
Labels: law
Guardians of the Galaxy 2 gifs
Posted by John at 4:43 PM Links to this post
Labels: guardians of the galaxy, video
Tuesday, October 18, 2016
"No one knows exactly where these two pieces of land are located anymore, but for hundreds of years the city has been paying rent on them"
Earlier this October, at a ceremony at the Royal Courts of Justice, London paid its rent to the Queen. The ceremony proceeded much as it had for the past eight centuries. The city handed over a knife, an axe, six oversized horseshoes, and 61 nails to Barbara Janet Fontaine, the Queen's Remembrancer, the oldest judicial position in England. The job was created in the 12th century to keep track of all that was owed to the crown.
In this case, the Remembrancer has presided over the rent owed on two pieces of property for a very long time—since 1235 in one case, and at least 1211 in the other. Every year, in this Ceremony of Quit Rents, the crown extracts its price from the city for a forge and a piece of moorland.
Posted by John at 6:58 PM Links to this post
January 2017 Marvel covers
Moon Knight #10 cover by Greg Smallwood
Doctor Strange and the Sorcerers Supreme #4 cover by Javier Rodriguez
Hawkeye #2 cover by Julian Totino Tedesco. Via.
Posted by John at 4:45 PM Links to this post
Labels: comic book covers, marvel
Monday, October 17, 2016
The Lost Boys #4 cover
"It looks like it's up to Sam and the mysterious musical muscleman known as the Believer to save the day."
Posted by John at 6:45 PM Links to this post
Labels: comic book covers, dc comics
Ghost Court card game
Kickstarter for a card game featuring illustrations by Richard Sala.
Posted by John at 1:14 PM Links to this post
Labels: board game
"The ease of applying to dozens of schools with just one click is problematic for students—and universities"
The same bias afflicts schools' increasing reliance on "demonstrated interest"—another tactic colleges use to raise their yield by looking for proactive indications that a student will enroll if accepted. "It used to be that applying was how you demonstrate interest, but it's just not the case these days," says Knox, the educational consultant. In fact, some admissions officials say that "demonstrated interest" is now almost as important as an essay or teacher recommendation in determining who gets admitted.
The best way for a student to demonstrate interest is to visit the campus. The problem is that while a college tour might be a rite of passage for middle-class and affluent students, it's far less feasible for students without the resources or support to visit prospective schools.
In addition to campus visits, colleges are also creating elaborate systems to track and measure students' interest in other ways. "Colleges now have these sophisticated electronic dashboards so that every interaction with them is logged into the system," says the NACAC's Hawkins. "Even something as simple as liking a college on Facebook—that's a little checkmark in your dashboard. It's part of a very comprehensive recruitment strategy that colleges are now engaged in because of this uncertainty around yield."
"We also know every interaction students have had with the university," says MacLennan, from the University of Colorado Boulder. "Maybe they've come in and visited the campus for an information session. Maybe they've toured the campus. Maybe they've shown up on a high-school visit or brought their parents to one of our hotel programs. We have a record of not only how many times we have contacted them but how many times they've contacted us, and that will begin to show the strength of their interest." These records can begin as early as ninth grade.
Of course, most students have no idea that this is how colleges are judging them. Some do, however, because they have the means to hire private educational consultants who can explain the rules of the current admissions marketplace.
Posted by John at 12:24 PM Links to this post
Labels: school
Chibi Destiny figures are coming
Posted by John at 11:47 AM Links to this post
Labels: toy
"Motola, an elephant that was injured by a landmine, wears her prosthetic leg"
From a particularly good edition of The Atlantic's photo roundups.
Posted by John at 11:46 AM Links to this post
Labels: animal
Fanmade Westworld poster
From crizto at the the Westworld subreddit.
Also, Dolores's story template:
And Simon Roussin's illustration for an article about the show:
The article includes this factoid, "By 1958, there were twenty-eight Western dramas on the air" and calls Westworld, "a prestige product that satisfies the taboo desires of a niche consumer base"
Posted by John at 9:23 AM Links to this post
Labels: westworld
Kim Stanley Robinson on Elon Musk's Mars plan: "this scenario is not believable, which makes it a hard exercise to think about further"
From an interview at Bloomberg:
There is no Planet B, and it's very likely that we require the conditions here on earth for our long-term health.
My feeling now is that faced with the extreme expense, technical challenge, and danger of going to Mars, interest is going to shift to the moon as a destination that can actually be reached and occupied during some of our lifetimes. Planning for Mars is always very enthusiastic up until the moment of realization that the project's unavoidable realities means it is going to take decades.
Posted by John at 9:18 AM Links to this post
Glow-in-the-dark Chuck Taylor All Star II Moon
The Chuck Taylor All Star II Moon "features a digital moon print and werewolf footbed graphic atop a glow-in-the-dark outsole. It has added comfort through a micro mesh liner and Nike Lunarlon insole."
Posted by John at 7:47 AM Links to this post
Trick or treating in in Churchill, Canada, the polar bear capital of the world
I'm a Californian. I've got a commuter bicycle, a two-litre pump-bottle of sunscreen and a vegetable garden that throws out tomatoes for about seven months a year. The roof of my house has never touched snow. Nonetheless, I decided to move to Churchill in order to research a book on polar bears. My three children – ages six, five and two – went there because they're my children and they didn't have a choice. I didn't want them to be eaten alive, and yet cancelling Halloween outright seemed too cruel.
So I learned the unofficial rules of high-risk trick-or-treating: #1. Go door to door with as many friends as possible. Bears love Snickers bars, but are unlikely to attack large groups of people. #2. Any able-bodied person who owns a gun should take that gun and spend the evening driving around town looking for anything white lurking in alleyways. #3. Children must not dress as ghosts, skeletons, princesses or anything else that might cause them to be mistaken for polar bears
Posted by John at 7:46 AM Links to this post
Two books from my wishlist on sale for $1.99 today
Black Swan Green: A Novel by David Mitchell (Cloud Atlas) is $1.99 this morning. And so is The Tiger's Wife: A Novel by Téa Obreht.
Books, I've recently completed--The Fifth Season by N. K. Jemisin is outstanding (I haven't been crazy about her other books).
And Binti: Home is a solid follow-up to Binti, which was terrific and fresh.
Posted by John at 7:28 AM Links to this post
Saturday, October 15, 2016
Deus Ex Mankind Divided Collector's Edition is 54% off as a lightning deal right now
$64 and the deal is active if you have prime.
Posted by John at 12:02 PM Links to this post
Wednesday, October 12, 2016
Overview collection of satellite images
The book is available for preorder here, and there are several high-res images here.
Posted by John at 9:43 AM Links to this post
Labels: wallpaper
Tuesday, October 11, 2016
Twitter "should be and probably will be bought by an aggressive financial buyer"
Here is what to notice. Revenue has gone up very nicely - from $664 million to $2.2 billion and is still increasing. And costs have gone up commensurately. Losses seem stubbornly stuck at half a billion per annum. That is real money - just burnt - and burnt by a business that is already established.(Your occasional reminder that I'm active on Twitter.)
In other words costs have gone up by $1.5 billion give or take something. That is billion with a b.
Now if costs were rising that fast and the service were noticeably improving and engagemet growing then you could be tolerant.
But - as a pretty dedicated tweeter (with almost 20 thousand followers) - I have noticed almost no changes in twitter that improve my user experience. It is almost impossible to find out what they spend that $1.5 billion extra per annum on
Posted by John at 6:27 PM Links to this post
"A Mega-Drought Is Coming to America's Southwest"
Between 1545 and 1548, an epidemic swept through the indigenous people of Mexico that is unlike anything else described in the medical literature. People bled from their face while suffering high fevers, black tongue, vertigo, and severe abdominal pain. Large nodules sometimes appeared behind their ears, which then spread to cover the rest of their face. After several days of hemorrhage, most who had been infected died.
The disease was named cocoliztli, after the Nahautl word for "pest." By contemporary population estimates, cocoliztli killed 15 million people in the 1540s alone—about 80 percent of the local population. On a demographic basis, it was worse than either the Black Death or the Plague of Justinian. For several centuries, its origin remained a mystery.
Then, about two decades ago, researchers began to compare the known cocoliztli outbreaks with clues etched in the tree rings of modern-day Mexico.
"YouTube buys FameBit, a startup that connects YouTube stars with advertisers"
"Google, YouTube's parent company, says FameBit will remain a standalone company 'for now,' and that it won't require YouTube uploaders to use FameBit if they want to work with advertisers within their videos"
Posted by John at 4:41 PM Links to this post
Labels: google
TIL the Middleton's are known as "The Wisteria Sisters" for their social-climbing prowess
Posted by John at 4:40 PM Links to this post
"Are Humans Creating More Species Than We're Killing?"
Humans have been driving evolution for millennia, often intentionally: Over the past 11,000 years, we've domesticated more than 700 plants and animals, turning the gray wolf into the toy poodle and the bland, bitter watermelon into a sweet, summertime snack. Among the 95 species that make up the world's most important crops, at least six are human creations.
But we also shape other species indirectly. Hunting, fishing, and harvesting, for instance, can lead to selection against the very traits that we prize. Consider a naturally occurring genetic variant that gives some red foxes iridescent, silver coats. Furs from these foxes fetched higher prices than the traditional rust-colored pelts, leading economically rational hunters to target the silver canids, removing them from the gene pool at disproportionate rates. In 1830 in Eastern Canada, silver foxes made up 16 percent of the population; a century later, that figure had declined to just 5 percent. Likewise, hunters' hunger for trophy specimens has led to a decrease in horn size among Canadian bighorn sheep.
We continuously reshuffle the planet's species
Posted by John at 4:34 PM Links to this post
Labels: science
"A new room has been discovered and is open to the public at San Jose's Winchester Mystery House, a Victorian mansion that was home to a widow of the Winchester rifle fortune"
"Winchester boarded up the room after the 1906 earthquake because she was trapped in the room and she thought evil spirits were responsible for the quake." Via.
Posted by John at 4:32 PM Links to this post
Creepy card from "Risky Strategy," a board game created by Roger Ailes
Playing card from the board game Roger Ailes created in 1992 pic.twitter.com/4x6x36yWAY— Gabriel Sherman (@gabrielsherman) October 11, 2016
The game's available at ebay and Amazon.
Posted by John at 4:19 PM Links to this post
Labels: board game
"Bed Bath & Beyond Paid Just $12 Million for One Kings Lane"
One Kings Lane was launched in 2009 by Ali Pincus and Susan Feldman as a Los Angeles-based flash sales site focused on high-end furniture and home decor. It would go on to raise more than $200 million in venture capital funding, from big-name firms like Greylock, Kleiner Perkins, Institutional Venture Partners, and Tiger Global. Its final outside funding round came in early 2014, at a post-money valuation north of $800 million.
Posted by John at 4:13 PM Links to this post
Why Doctors Without Borders rejected Pfizer's donation offer of pneumonia vaccines
I recently had the difficult task of telling Ian Read, Pfizer's CEO, that Doctors Without Borders/ Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is rejecting the company's offer to donate a significant number of pneumonia vaccine (PCV) doses for the children we serve
Donations are often used as a way to make others 'pay up.' By giving the pneumonia vaccine away for free, pharmaceutical corporations can use this as justification for why prices remain high for others, including other humanitarian organizations and developing countries that also can't afford the vaccine. Countries, which continue to voice their frustration at being unable to afford new and costly vaccines such as PCV, need lower prices as well to protect children's health.
Critically, donation offers can disappear as quickly as they come.
Posted by John at 4:12 PM Links to this post
Monday, October 10, 2016
"Exclusive documents show a Wells Fargo employee informed the bank of fake customer accounts in 2006"
A Wells Fargo bank manager tried to warn the head of the company's regional banking unit of an improperly created customer account in January 2006, five years earlier than the bank has said its board first learned of abuses at its branches.
Posted by John at 7:38 PM Links to this post
Labels: corruption, crime, law
"Louisiana isn't letting immigrants get married"
WaPo (which I subscribed to today):
So, as of this year, any foreign-born person wanting to get married in Louisiana must produce both an unexpired visa (even though a federal court has ruled that marriage licenses cannot be denied based on immigration status), as well as, somewhat inexplicably, a birth certificate.
No birth certificate, no marriage, no excuses.
The law has indeed placed marriage off-limits to immigrants in the country illegally, as intended. But it's hurt plenty of legal immigrants, too. Louisiana is home to thousands of refugees, predominantly Vietnamese and Laotians who received asylum in the 1970s and 1980s after fleeing war and communism in their homelands.
Today these Louisianans often have green cards and even U.S. citizenship, but no access to their original birth documents, if such documents even exist.
Posted by John at 7:35 PM Links to this post
"Dozens of suspicious court cases, with missing defendants, aim at getting web pages taken down or deindexed"
There are about 25 court cases throughout the country that have a suspicious profile:
All involve allegedly self-represented plaintiffs, yet they have similar snippets of legalese that suggest a common organization behind them. (A few others, having a slightly different profile, involve actual lawyers.)
All the ostensible defendants ostensibly agreed to injunctions being issued against them, which often leads to a very quick court order (in some cases, less than a week).
Of these 25-odd cases, 15 give the addresses of the defendants — but a private investigator (Giles Miller of Lynx Insights & Investigations) couldn't find a single one of the ostensible defendants at the ostensible address.
Now, you might ask, what's the point of suing a fake defendant (to the extent that some of these defendants are indeed fake)? How can anyone get any real money from a fake defendant? How can anyone order a fake defendant to obey a real injunction?
Posted by John at 12:28 PM Links to this post
Westworld maps
Posted by John at 9:41 AM Links to this post
Simogo level design
Posted by John at 9:26 AM Links to this post
Labels: video games
"USA Track and Field CEO has alarmed some insiders with his spending and style"
Under Siegel's watch, USA Track and Field has awarded hundreds of thousands of dollars' worth of business to an Indianapolis marketing firm that once advertised itself as "a Max Siegel company." It is owned by two women whose companies continue to do business with Max Siegel Inc., his personal sports-marketing company.
USA Track and Field's board of directors, which this year is paying Siegel $1.7 million in salary and bonuses, a compensation package seven times the average for the CEO of a nonprofit with a similar budget.
Posted by John at 9:09 AM Links to this post
Labels: corruption, sports
"Jungle Gyms (Playgrounds) Real Life Level Design"
"One of the reasons levels grow is because of either to increase the difficulty, progress the story or the player gains new abilities/mechanics. Which is the same with kids and jungle gyms. Think about it when kids first start playing on slides they are only a couple steps high, with one route to the slide."
Posted by John at 7:19 AM Links to this post
Labels: design
Sunday, October 9, 2016
"On September 21, if you happened to be passing by New York's iconic Times Square, you could not help but learn that it was the birthday of Chinese teenager Wang Junkai"
On September 21, if you happened to be passing by New York's iconic Times Square, you could not help but learn that it was the birthday of Chinese teenager Wang Junkai, as more than 10 huge screens celebrated him getting one year older.
Wang Junkai, a member of boy band TFBoys, has over 18 million mostly female followers on Sina Weibo.
Based on the goal of "letting the world know Wang Junkai's birthday," Wang's fans prepared a series of celebrations of various kinds.
Xie Mei sent a list to the Global Times detailing some of the celebratory events including but not limited to 11 LED screens playing videos of Wang in Times Square, six in Tokyo, 32 along expressways in Paris, 533 televisions along the subway in Taipei, 42 digital billboards in Changsha airport, a light show in the Olympic Water Cube in Beijing and many billboards in cities like Seoul, Melbourne and Reykjavik.
Posted by John at 7:34 AM Links to this post
Labels: advertising, china
Saturday, October 8, 2016
Kraken attack custom Dunny
By Jon-Paul Kaiser.
Posted by John at 11:51 AM Links to this post
Labels: custom toys
Batman vs. Superman by Rafael Grampa
Posted by John at 11:42 AM Links to this post
Labels: dc comics
Friday, October 7, 2016
New Salem's Lot tee at Last Exit to Nowhere
So, it's sort of a Dark Tower t-shirt, also.
Posted by John at 8:25 PM Links to this post
Labels: last exit to nowhere, stephen king
"The mystery of the albino redwood"
For the trees' own protection, staff at the park typically don't tell visitors how to find them.
Kuty is the unofficial caretaker of Henry Cowell's 11 albinos; he alone knows where each one hides. Some look like haphazardly spray-painted bushes, while others resemble the artificial white trees sold around Christmas. Still others are little more than single, luminous branches high up in the canopy, barely discernible in the shifting morning sun.
Redwoods can also clone themselves, further complicating scientists' understanding of them. Vast rings of related plants communicate via their roots, and during the hard months of winter and early spring, they'll distribute nutrients evenly among themselves. Scientists have spilled dye onto trees at one end of a grove and traced it through the root network all the way to the other side.
This collaboration lasts only until summer comes. Then every tree, sprout and branch must fend for itself. Those that can't photosynthesize enough sugar are cut off from the shared root system and discarded during what's known as the autumn "needle drop."
"It seems like the albino trees are just sucking these heavy metals up out of the soil," Moore said. "They're basically poisoning themselves."
Posted by John at 4:17 PM Links to this post
"EpiPen Maker Mylan Will Pay $465 Million to Settle Medicaid Overcharging Case"
"The federal government said this week that Mylan had been told multiple times that it was improperly classifying the EpiPen, which led the Medicaid and Medicare programs to overpay for the product"
Posted by John at 4:12 PM Links to this post
"How Hollywood Whitewashed the Old West"
by the late 19th century roughly one in three cowboys (known as vaqueros) was Mexican. The recognizable cowboy fashions, technologies, and lexicon—hats, bandanas, spurs, stirrups, lariat, lasso—are all Latino inventions.
The story of one of America's most eminent frontiersmen, Jim Beckwourth, formed the basis for 1951's Tomahawk, which starred a white actor even though Beckwourth was black. The famous 1956 Western epic The Searchers was based on a black man named Britt Johnson. He was played by John Wayne, one of the genre's biggest movie stars, who in 1971 told Playboy, "I believe in white supremacy until blacks are educated to the point of responsibility." Even the fictional character of the Lone Ranger (who originally debuted in a radio show in 1933) shares striking similarities to Bass Reeves, believed to be the first black U.S. Deputy Marshal west of the Mississippi.
By the time Westerns gained wider prominence with movie audiences in the 1950s, the ubiquity of the genre's all-white protagonists had helped fully obscure the reality of race on the American frontier. Crucial to this effort were directors like Cecil B. DeMille (The Squaw Man, Rose of the Rancho, The Trail of Lonesome Pine, The Buccaneers) and John Ford (My Darling Clementine, Fort Apache, The Searchers). Non-white characters were usually antagonists with names like "Mexican Henchman" or "Facetious Redskin."
Posted by John at 4:07 PM Links to this post
"Prisoners Texted Guards for Drugs and Paid Them With PayPal"
When inmates at Maryland's Eastern Correctional Institution wanted contraband, all they had to do was text. Anything they wanted—drugs, porn, cigarettes—was just a corrupt correctional officer away.
A three-year investigation by the FBI and Maryland's U.S. Attorney revealed a sweeping Wednesday indictment against 80 correctional officers, inmates, and accomplices allegedly involved in massive smuggling ring in the state's largest prison. Correctional officers kept many exchanges cash-free, handing out cell phones and asking inmates to purchase contraband using PayPal, the indictment reported.
Posted by John at 4:04 PM Links to this post
Labels: corruption, crime, police
"Ghana Will Remove 'Racist' Gandhi Statue From Its Oldest University"
The statue, which was unveiled by Indian President Pranab Mukherjee during his visit to Ghana in June, was meant to symbolize friendship between the two countries
The petition, which had more than 1,700 supporters on Thursday, cited letters Gandhi wrote during his time in South Africa as evidence that he advocated for the superiority of Indians over black Africans.
"Why Pierce Brosnan is causing a 'spit storm' in India"
"Former Bond star Pierce Brosnan has left Indians both shaken and stirred after his appearance in an advertisement endorsing a product that many associate with a highly addictive and dangerous form of chewing tobacco"
Posted by John at 4:01 PM Links to this post
Labels: advertising, drugs, india, james bond
"Snapchat is pushing its publisher content almost out of sight"
The new design creates an obvious group of losers: Snapchat's Discover publishing partners, who used to occupy the top of that page and will now have their channels listed below all of your friends' stories. Depending on how many friends you have on the app, that could mean lots of scrolling before you come across Discover content.Relatedly, from The Verge:
Moving publisher content down seems to be a clear message that Snapchat sees more value in user Stories than what its publishing partners are creating.
And here's the trend: almost all of our growth is in video, particularly Facebook video. In particular, look at those Circuit Breaker numbers — most of the content posted to the Circuit Breaker Facebook page never makes it to The Verge's website
The other thing to notice is that our raw article page views are basically flat, but that Facebook Instant Articles and Google AMP pages have slowly started to become a bigger piece of the page view mix.
Posted by John at 3:58 PM Links to this post
1/12 Scale TOA Heavy Industries Synthetic Human figure (from Biomega) available for preorder
If this sells well ($85), maybe they'll issue 1/12 scale versions of the Snake-Eyes and Storm Shadow figures, too.
(Biomega is very good, btw.)
Posted by John at 3:00 PM Links to this post
Thursday, October 6, 2016
Recent Marvel comics are on sale, too
These are all 99 cents an issue:
Black Panther
Black Widow
International Iron Man
Posted by John at 6:11 PM Links to this post
Some really great Image comics are on sale right now
These collections are all terrific and are currently $4.99 for kindle/comixology cross purchase (individual issues are 99 cents, too):
Southern Cross
Black Magick
The Injection
The Wicked + The Divine
Posted by John at 4:51 PM Links to this post
Venture Bros. print
One of several by Patrick Leger.
Posted by John at 4:38 PM Links to this post
Labels: poster
Mystery Show podcast canceled
"In April, Gimlet let me go. This came without warning while I was in the midst of working on the second season."
Posted by John at 4:10 PM Links to this post
Destiny cardigan
Part of a series of Destiny-themed items.
Posted by John at 3:23 PM Links to this post
Labels: clothing
Fall sale at the Big Bad Toy Store
Marvel Legends, Star Wars Black, and much more on sale, including: soccer players by Eric So, plush Mario turtle shell, Revoltech The Bat.
Posted by John at 3:03 PM Links to this post
Wednesday, October 5, 2016
Newly-revealed Figma Samus, Marvel Legends Shatterstar
Lots of new toy reveals tonight, including Figma Metroid Prime 3 Samus and Portal bots, and lots of Marvel Legends, including Shatterstar, Ms. Marvel, and Sandman.
Richie Incognito back in the news
Donald Trump is tearing the NFL apart:
at least one white Buffalo player—Richie Incognito, the offensive lineman notorious for a bullying scandal that included racial slurs and who has now become a force in the Bills clubhouse—insists that Trump's winning message has resonated with NFL players like him.
"I think that he can help this nation get back to a world superpower," Incognito told B/R Mag. "Where I think he could help is putting us first again and having that—it's my mentality, too—having that tough attitude where you put America first and everyone's thinking we're the greatest nation in the world. Don't mess with America. That toughness is where I identify with him."
Posted by John at 8:36 PM Links to this post
"Thai university massacre casts forty year shadow"
Pro-democracy students had massed in revulsion at the return to Thailand of an ousted ex-dictator after a three-year exile.
But Thai security forces, aided by royalist mobs, ended the protest with an attack that saw possibly scores of students shot, battered or stabbed to death -- with others hung from trees inside the campus.
The violence ended a brief three-year flirtation with democracy and ushered in another 16-years of military-led rule.
Posted by John at 4:28 PM Links to this post
Funko Rock Candy Jane Foster Thor available for preorder
Thor, Spider-Gwen, Captain Marvel and more available ($9.99 each).
Posted by John at 4:21 PM Links to this post
Kung Fu Yoga poster
Posted by John at 4:18 PM Links to this post
Labels: movie posters, poster
"Estonia has become an importer of other countries' rubbish in order to keep one of its power plants running"
Last year, the country brought in some 56,000 tonnes of refuse for its waste-to-energy power plant at Iru as the country isn't producing enough rubbish of its own to keep the boilers heated around the clock
That fuel - waste from other countries - came primarily from Finland, but also from territories as far afield as Ireland
Posted by John at 4:11 PM Links to this post
"Behind The Crash Of 3D Robotics, North America's Most Promising Drone Company"
In 12 months, the company has gone from an industry leading U.S. drone startup to an organization struggling to survive–the result of mismanagement, ill-advised projections and a failed strategy that relied on a doomed flagship drone. As a result, 3D Robotics has laid off more than 150 people, burned through almost $100 million in venture capital funding and completely changed its business strategy.
A person, who worked for 3D Robotics' marketing team, also questioned the company's practices when displaying the drone to the press. The demo with The Verge in the spring of 2015, for example, featured a drone that was "worked over and souped up" and did not feature the typical parts you'd find in an off-the-shelf Solo. "We knew the drone would work," he said, noting that there was an improved GPS component that wasn't shipped in regulars Solos.
Posted by John at 4:07 PM Links to this post
Labels: fraud
Tuesday, October 4, 2016
"Billiken backlash: SLU will redesign mascot again"
Apparently, the transition from a lovable, happy Billiken to what was considered a creepy Billiken was too much of a jump for those who let their sentiments be known.
"It doesn't look like a Billiken anymore," SLU freshman Carolina Lopez told the Post-Dispatch. "It looks like a mutated frog."
Posted by John at 2:51 PM Links to this post
"While the creative vision for the two Star Wars rides are ground-breaking and overwhelmingly huge, the operational capacity is tiny. Each attraction is not expected to get more than 1,500 riders per hour"
"or roughly half the hourly capacity of Pirates of the Caribbean."
Posted by John at 7:25 AM Links to this post
Labels: disney, disneyland, star wars
Monday, October 3, 2016
Moana toys available for preorder
Posted by John at 11:51 AM Links to this post


text:
We are seeking applications for a Summer internship position at BlockMetrics. The successful candidate will be working closely with the CEO to drive acquisition of new customers.
The Role
BlockMetrics allows website publishers to respond to the growing problem of ad-blocking. By supporting publishers we aim to protect the free internet. You will be the voice of BlockMetrics, responsible for engaging in online conversations with customers as well as authoring new articles and industry reports. Your goal will be to inform as many thousands of publishers as possible about ad-blocking and our solution.
We are looking for someone who is passionate about technology and highly knowledgeable about the web and social media. An ability to write quickly and clearly on complex topics is essential. You must place a high value on effectively communicating ideas, and enjoy the challenge of absorbing other people's viewpoints. We hope that you are curious, ambitious, entrepreneurial and able to think quickly on your feet.
You will be working closely with the CEO (Dr. Neil O'Connor), but will be expected to manage your own time and responsibilities. You must be self-driven and super-organised. Your ability to bring new ideas and unconventional solutions to the company will be greatly valued.
Things are moving quickly for BlockMetrics, with hundreds of website publishers signing up to use the service. If you enjoy working in a fast-paced environment with smart people who deeply care about making an impact through their work, then you'll enjoy this job.
Skill Summary
- Excellent writing skills
- Knowledgeable about technology (the web, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and other networks and fora)
- Self-motivated, organised and effective
- Driven to discover best practices in online communication
- Enjoys communication (both explaining and understanding)
- Aptitude with statistics is a bonus
- Any ability to program is a bonus
- Start: June 2013
- End: September 2013
- Location: Dawson Street, Dublin 2.
- Salary: €400 per week
To Apply
Email the following to [email protected] before Wednesday 29th May:
- A short cover note highlighting why you are suitable for the position.
- Your CV/Resume. 2 pages max please.
- Some examples of your writing (e.g., college newspaper articles, academic papers, blog posts)

subset: commoncrawl


text:
I used to think the key to a good apple pie was a butter- or shortening-laden flaky crust and lots of sugar to balance out the tartness of the apples. That was until I tried our Test Kitchen manager Stacy's version of deep-dish apple pie. Our resident baking maven turned my assumptions inside out. The pie she developed—minus tons of butter or shortening and loads of sugar—is the pie I'll be making from now on. Here are a few tricks she uses to get a perfect, healthier apple pie without sacrificing flavor and texture.—Hilary Meyer, Associate Food Editor
Butter isn't totally off limits, just use less of it. Using reduced-fat sour cream to replace some of the butter found in traditional recipes keeps the dough moist and tender, without adding tons of saturated fat.
And be sure to follow the basic rule of great pastry: dough likes to be cold. If the butter melts into the flour, the crust will be tough. So always use chilled butter and ice-cold water, work the dough with a light hand, and let the dough chill before rolling it out.
There's a fine balance between making your pie crust healthy and making your pie crust taste like cardboard. The results can be less than appetizing if you use all whole-wheat flour, but a mix of traditional all-purpose and whole-wheat pastry flour does the trick. The pastry flour adds fiber, but keeps the texture tender, and by blending it with all-purpose you get a less wheaty taste.
Must-Read: Step-by-Step Photos to Make Tender, Flaky Pie Crust »
And speaking of apples, use plenty of them! Apple pie should taste good, but not feel like mush in your mouth. A mix of McIntosh and Granny Smith does the trick. The McIntosh add a nice tangy flavor while the Granny Smith also taste good, but break down less when they cook, giving the filling a more toothsome texture.
Why drown delicious apples in sugar? Cooking down a portion of the apples for the filling is a tip that does double-duty. Pre-cooking means that your crust won't collapse and crack as much while it's baking (the filling won't shrink as much if some of it is already precooked). And it concentrates the natural flavors and sugar of the apples, so you don't have to add as much sugar to your filling.
To do this, simply cook about half the filling mixture in a Dutch oven over medium heat, stirring, until the apples are tender and beginning to break down, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat; stir in the remaining uncooked apple mixture, and let cool before adding it to your crust.
What's the best part of an apple pie? The apples, of course! Switching to deep dish allows much more room for filling: you can squeeze in about 1 1/2 more cups of fruit into a deep-dish pie pan vs. a regular pie pan. And more apples means an added bump of soluble fiber.


text:
Only within today, 9th of December 2013, you may use released promotion code of German flag carrier Air Berlin for a flights between Germany or Austria and other European cities operated by Air Berlin group. List of the cities/countries to which you may apply this discount code is mentioned at the end of this entry.
Just download two discount vouchers here and book your flight. Both discount vouchers, each valued €20, is possible to use for selected flights operated by the Air Berlin group in the given travel period between 6th January and 27th May 2014. Only one discount code per person and booking may be submitted.
This promotion codes is possible to use when booking through Air Berlin web site only. Simply enter the special offer discount code for each passenger and continue to book your flight as per the conditions applicable. The discount will be deducted from the net price once you make your flight selection
The discount applies to the following destinations (return flight) from/to airports of departure in Germany or Austria:
- Germany
- Austria
- Switzerland
- within Spain and to Mallorca, Ibiza, Menorca, Barcelona, Madrid, Valencia, Alicante, Jerez
- Bulgaria
- Denmark
- Finland
- France
- Great Britain
- Hungary
- Norway
- Poland
- Romania
- Russia
- Sweden
For full conditions of this promotion offer or any other details please visit Air Berlin web site directly.


text:
Goood morning!
Today holds a 6:20am flight to New Orleans. From a trend and healthy economy standpoint, retail stores and restaurants are tripling their builds and refreshes over last year with forecasts of growing steadily the next five years. My products go into a lot of stores owned by franchisees – the entrepreneurial spirit is alive and well.
Enjoy your morning reads – that I found last night 😉 Bridg
- From Galloway, A U.S. Senate race may wake slumbering Democrats in Georgia
- Gay white guy wins $1.2 million in race lawsuit. Enjoy the sidebar advertising.
- Southern Company Exec Gets 34% raise to $13M. It's about time for me to stop fighting Georgia Power and just using my Google skills to see if Tom has a son I can flirt with.
- Flood of foreign worker visa requests expected for tech jobs
- tehe. See? Republicans like to recycle. We reuse our magazines. CO Democrat Doesn't Understand High-Capacity Magazines Can Be Reloaded
- The Politicians Who Supported DOMA Who Had Affairs. I'm pretty sure this isn't the earned media preferred by Bob Barr's Dream Team.
- Tens of thousands Obamacare 'navigators' to be hired
- Democrats and Republicans differ on conspiracy theory beliefs. Read this one. 28% of voters believe in the New World Order?
- Atlanta Braves: Lineup as Good as Advertised and Braves opener generates highest ratings in 12 years
- Heidi Klum heroic in dramatic Hawaii rescue photos. Completely sad – Heidi saves her son and two nannies from a riptide. The photographers (instead of helping) take pics of her bikini top slipping.
- 50 Things Every Woman Should Know How To Do By 50. Ladies, if you care enough about yourself to keep up with politics, it's highly likely you can do everything on this list. They should just make #1 Keep Up With Politics and the rest would just come together like herringbone.


text:
'It's not fair' Jobless benefits mum on 19k-a-year moans she can't afford school uniforms
A BENEFITS-SCROUNGING mum has been blasted for whinging she can't afford to buy her five kids school uniforms — despite never working.
Emma Lawlor, 27, blows her £19,000-a-year handouts on takeaways and fags yet still claims she can't afford to properly clothe her children.
The shameless mum, who lives in a three-bedroom council house in Heath Town, Wolverhampton, became pregnant at 17 and now has kids aged one to eight by two different men.
Emma appeared on Channel 5's On Benefits: Breadline Brummies and admitted, on the show watched by thousands of angry hard-working parents, she has never worked.
Yet the layabout said she was treated "totally unfairly" — claims slammed by politicians.
John Lines, Tory councillor for the Bartley Green ward in Birmingham, said: "Sadly this irresponsible attitude by a small but significant number of parents has been brought about by our welfare system, which is abused some, and openly encouraging by the left wing politicians.
"What sort of example and what future for those children and what message does it send to others?"
"When I appeared on the TV show I was just talking to them normally and saying positive things about wanting to get back to college but I've been treated totally unfairly"Emma Lawlor
And fellow Tory for neighbouring the Weoley Castle ward Peter Douglas Osbourn said: "This proves to be a destructive element in the social security system. It encourages people with bad habits to their detriment."
But defiant Emma said: "I am not doing anything illegal or wrong. I'm entitled to every penny I get.
"I have to look after my kids. I love them all and I have to treat them. It's stressful looking after five kids on my own.
"I do buy a few takeaways for them because sometimes I just can't face cooking and yes I do smoke but I can't cope otherwise.
"When I appeared on the TV show I was just talking to them normally and saying positive things about wanting to get back to college but I've been treated totally unfairly."
Despite not being able to pay for school uniforms, Emma treats herself to £20-per-week on fags and around £100 on takeaways for her family every month.
She gets £70-a-week in child benefits, £270-a-week in child tax credit, and £240-a-month in income support, totalling £1,600-a-month.
She claimed she also receives no financial help from her ex-partners.
Unemployed Emma added: "I never thought I'd have this many kids to be honest with you. I love them though, wouldn't change them for the world.
"As you can imagine it's a lot of washing with five kids.
"My tumble dryer is on all the time. I do go through a lot of electric and washing powder.
"Some people might look at me and think, 'She's a single mum, she's scrounging.', but I'm not.
She continued: "It can be really difficult being a single mum, but I get on with it. I want to go to college and study to become a housing officer for the council.
"I think I'd be really good at it because I've been there and I know what people go through.
"The money that I get is for my children. It goes on clothes, it goes on food, nappies, baby wipes, none of it goes on me.
"It goes on bus fares and new clothes for the kids.
"I'm just doing the best by my kids."


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Kaliani Trip Planner
Plan a trip to Kaliani and know your trip budget
Planning a trip to kaliani
Excited about kickstarting your Kaliani, India trip? You should be! Kaliani, India is home to few of the most exciting places that are totally worth exploring! Confused about how to plan your Kaliani, India vacation? TripHobo has got you covered! Take a look at these features which will let you design your dream Kaliani, India holiday!
Budget Planning in Kaliani, India
Touted to be the most crucial element of any vacation, budget planning is the step which needs to be taken very seriously. Giving you an estimate of the approximate pricing of your entire Kaliani trip, including the transportation and accommodation, this feature assists you with planning your budget right. You can also modify or edit this budget according to your preferences!
Transportation in Kaliani, India
Choosing the right modes of transport when planning a trip to Kaliani, India is an aspect which plays a significant role in determining the success of your vacation. TripHobo helps you book flights, trains, buses and suggests you the best available local transport options for commuting to and in Kaliani, India. It also lets you choose and modify the travel options depending upon your travel dates.
Things to do in Kaliani, India
Deciding the places to visit and the things to do in Kaliani, India is probably the most exciting aspect of your Kaliani, India itinerary. Here, you can create your actual trip plan by adding the activities, restaurants, tours, and tourist spots that you want to explore. In addition to the well-known attractions in Kaliani, India like Eco Tourism Park, you can also include numerous off-beat and unexplored places in your plan. Apart from the list of activities suggested, you can also add your own custom places to make your trip to Kaliani, India all the more electrifying!
Accommodation in Kaliani, India
TripHobo aids you in zeroing down on the most convenient, comfortable and affordable place to stay in Kaliani, India. It lets you compare, filter and sort the hotels based on your preferences and budget. Not just hotels, you can choose a hostel, a guesthouse or opt from homestays in Kaliani, India while planning your trip! Explore, select and book the right accommodation in Kaliani, India today to make your trip an unforgettable one!
Create your own itinerary to Kaliani, India or help us suggest you a plan!
Not everyone is familiar with things to do in Kaliani, India. In such a case, it is difficult to create your own trip plan! So, if you are unsure about places to visit in Kaliani, India you can choose the option of 'suggest me a plan' and just sit back and relax while we create your itinerary! You can also edit the plan according to your interests once the suggested plan is displayed on your screen!
Add your existing bookings in Kaliani, India directly to your trip plan!
TripHobo also lets you add your pre-booked hotels, commute options and tours to your existing trip plan. So, you need not worry about the bookings in Kaliani, India that you are already done with! Simply drag them and add them into your itinerary and you are done!
So, what are you waiting for? Stop procrastinating and start planning your Kaliani, India trip!
Kaliani Tourism and Travel Guide
Wind:0.46 m/s
How much does it cost to travel to Kaliani
Plan your trip to Kaliani with an estimated budget for your travel. The average daily cost of food in Kaliani is USD 17 per person. For a family of four, the cost of eating out is USD 68. For accommodation, be ready to spend around USD 39 for a budget accommodation and USD 149 for a luxury hotel, per day, per person. For getting around Kaliani, you will need a rough figure of USD 3.4 per day. For detailed Kaliani trip cost calculator, use Kaliani Trip Planner.
Average Price of a Luxury Trip in Kaliani
Average Daily Cost* USD192 Per Person
Cost for One Week USD1344 Per Person
Cost for Two Weeks USD2688 Per Person
Cost for One Month USD5760 Per Person
Average Price of a Mid-Range Trip in Kaliani
Average Daily Cost* USD 65 Per Person
Cost for One Week USD 455 Per Person
Cost for Two Weeks USD 910 Per Person
Cost for One Month USD 1950 Per Person
Average Price of a Budget Trip in Kaliani
Average Daily Cost* USD 47 Per Person
Cost for One Week USD 329 Per Person
Cost for Two Weeks USD 658 Per Person
Cost for One Month USD 1410 Per Person
*Based on Food, Accommodation & Transportation
How much will it cost once you're in Kaliani
- 3-Course meal (mid-range) USD 6.8
- Fast food Combo meal USD 4.08
- Coffee (Cappuccino regular) USD 1.29
- Bottle of Water (1.5 L) USD 0.38
- Soft Drinks (Coke/Pepsi, 0.33 L) USD 0.37
- Domestic Beer (0.5 L) USD 1.35
- Budget Accommodation USD 39
- Luxury Accommodation USD 149
- Taxi Start (Standard Tariff) USD 0.34
- Taxi per km (Standard Tariff) USD 0.18
- One-way Ticket (Local Transit) USD 0.14
- Fuel (1 L) USD 1.05
Trip Planners for Cities Near Kaliani
- Rangpo Trip Planner
- Kalimpong Trip Planner
- Kolkata Trip Planner
- Namchi Trip Planner
- Samta Trip Planner
- Howrah Trip Planner
- Deganga Trip Planner
- Polanda Trip Planner


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Rohingya Genocide
Today, in Burma, the Tatmadaw is burning villages and murdering innocent civilian lives. "Tatmadaw" is the official name of the armed forces of Myanmar (Burma). Their armored tanks are manufactured by Russia, China, and India. Their APCs are from Russia, Ukraine, Israel, Brazil, the United Kingdom, France, India, and China. Their artillery is manufactured in Serbia, Russia, China, South Korea, and Israel. The air defense systems and gun systems of the Tatmadaw are of Russian, Chinese, and North Korean origins as well as a British system supplied by Singapore.
DENVER, Aug. 3, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Rocky Mountain College of Art + Design (RMCAD) is pleased to announce Tom Keefe, Carin Rodenborn, and Jeremiah Snyder as new Assistant Professors beginning in the Fall 2017 semester.
About the New Faculty
Tom Keefe, Humanities/Liberal Arts
Tom Keefe attended Saint Joseph's University in Philadelphia, where he pursued a degree in history. He would go on to work at the U.S. House of Representatives. He has taught English, Religion, and History at a variety of schools in Mass., R.I., and Colo. Completing his Master's in Diplomacy from Norwich University, Keefe has focused his continuing research on genocide education, social justice, and comparative theology.
Carin Rodenborn, Fine Arts/Foundations
Carin Rodenborn is a visual artist and writer living and working in Denver, Colo. whose work has been exhibited throughout the United States. Rodenborn works with both traditional and non-traditional materials in a contemplative painting and drawing practice that explores objecthood, surface, materiality, color, and language. Rodenborn received her MFA from Rutgers University and her BFA from Iowa State University.
Jeremiah Snyder, Humanities/Liberal Arts
Jeremiah Snyder completed his Bachelor of Arts with Honors and a Master of Arts in History from the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs, where he also extensively studied ancient Greek Languages and Latin. Snyder teaches history, political science, and world religions. He is currently expanding his research within the fields of history and philology, focusing on the relationship between politics, religion, and rhetoric and how these aspects of a society interact to affect change.
Faculty at RMCAD
RMCAD's experienced faculty is comprised of working artists, designers, and scholarly professionals from the very tops of their fields. Beyond the classroom, many instructors exhibit their work on local, national, and international levels each year. The faculty body is comprised of a diverse group of thinkers, authors, speakers, mentors, and educators with a shared commitment to the personal growth and professional success of their students.
About Rocky Mountain College of Art + Design
A premier art and design school in the Denver area, RMCAD is an innovative, rigorous, and community-oriented global learning environment that inspires passion for critical thinking and prepares learners to be forces of change in the creative industries, our communities, and the world. Find more information at www.RMCAD.edu or by calling 800.888.ARTS.
Neely Patton
Diplomatic row over statue honoring "Comfort Women" victims.
This Day in Genocide
How to cover the rise of a political leader who's left a paper trail of anti-constitutionalism, racism and the encouragement of violence? Does the press take the position that its subject acts outside the norms of society? Or does it take the position that someone who wins a fair election is by definition "normal," because his leadership reflects the will of the people?
These are the questions that confronted the U.S. press after the ascendance of fascist leaders in Italy and Germany in the 1920s and 1930s.
Read more: http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/how-journalists-covered-rise-mussolini-hitler-180961407/#Aee5PdIDD3ZDQWUl.99
Give the gift of Smithsonian magazine for only $12! http://bit.ly/1cGUiGv
Follow us: @SmithsonianMag on Twitter
Why the Coup in Turkey Matters
A few thoughts about the coup d'état today in the Republic of Turkey.
First of all, it matters. It matters for the E.U. and the migrant refugee crisis. It matters for the Syrian Civil War. It matters for N.A.T.O. and the treaty obligations that the United States and its allies have with Turkey. It matters in the on-going war against the Islamic State (ISIL, or ISIS). It matters for the future of the West's relationship with the Muslim world. It matters in terms of free speech and freedom of the press. And it matters in terms of legitimacy and the possible establishment of further international legal precedent. For the purposes of this page, it matters in terms of how it may impact the current genocide of Yazidis and Christians in the region as well as how the history of the Armenian Genocide is taught in Turkey. Finally, today's coup may also affect the ongoing conflict between the Turks and Kurds. It matters.
Turkey, straddling two continents on each side of the Bosphorus, also straddles the Western world and the Muslim world. The secular Turkish republic has been an example that Islam and the West can co-exist and, after Erdogan's election in 2002, Turkey has also held the promise that democracy and Islam can co-exist as well. Previous Turkish governments have been comprised of secular Muslim leadership and intervening military juntas. In contrast, Erdogan's party espouses Islamic philosophies and his tenure as Prime Minister and later President of Turkey has been scrutinized for more than a decade. That initial promise of an Islamic democracy has been eroded over the years, but perhaps it is not his Islamic inclinations, but his autocratic nature that is to blame.
If the military coup of July 15, 20016 has closed one chapter of Turkish history and begun another, then the world no longer has to wonder if Erdogan would surrender power peacefully. [Verily, democracies are not measured by elections, but by the peaceful transfer of power between political rivals.] So will the coup save Turkish democracy? Or has it make a heavy-handed autocrat into a sympathetic figure and tragic hero?
Because no matter what, Erdogan was democratically elected. Isn't that what the West has supposedly advocated? Democracy? Didn't US President George W. Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair promise their actions would promote democracy in the region? But elections have consequences. It is hard to proclaim the sanctity of democratic elections if the results of those elections are not respected by those same voices, à la Iran 1953, Guatemala 1954, Egypt 2013, and possibly now Turkey 2016.
So are coup d'etats to be accepted or not? After all, the American Experiment began as a coup in 1776. No matter what you learned in Civics class, there is no line in the Magna Carta nor Coronation Act of 1688 that legitimizes the overthrow of the government, no matter how well Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence. After all, Americans have criticized the Burmese military for years for overturning the 2010 elections results that had favored Aung San Suu Kyi. It is hard to credibly argue to have it both ways. Thomas Howard, the Duke of Norfolk who knew first hand from the court of Henry VIII how fickle the whims of leaders could be, said famously to Thomas Cromwell, "a man can not have his cake and eat his cake."
Still others have argued Erdogan was no longer qualified to serve as head of state. After all, the detractors insist, he lost his legitimacy when he began attacking journalists and academics, yet that self-justifying logic is a slippery slope. Politicians must be removed by the rule of law, to do otherwise undermines the very rule of law Erdogan's enemies purport to defend. The Turkish military has had a tradition of intervening to "protect the republic, " specifically in 1960, 1971, and 1980. Let us hope the military does so again. Do not let your dislike of Erdogan cloud your judgement. If it is acceptable for the Turkish military to remove democratically elected civilians from power, what other militaries, in what other countries may now think to do the same?
The coup d'état today in the Republic of Turkey certainly matters. It matters to the war against Islamic terrorism and the civilian casualties of the Syrian civil war. Perhaps equally important is what the coup says about the future of democracy in the Muslim world. But what happens next is anyone's guess.
The Reality of Daily Terror
Braden Goyette and Priya Krishnakumar of the Los Angeles Times recently researched and published an article and website tracking every fatal act of terrorism around the world in the month of April. According to the LA Times, by the end of the month, terror had struck 180 times, wounded 1,385 and killed 858. Here is a related piece by LA TImes journalists Robyn Dixon and Aoun Sahi here.
April 23rd, 2016
Turkey limits Freedom of Speech/Press in order to crack down on Kurds, Turkish opposition, and independent journalists as well as academics.
According to Dr. Gregory Stanton, author of the 8 Stages of Genocide (later republished as the 10 Stages), Polarization is used to "drive the groups apart. Hate groups broadcast polarizing propaganda and obstruct alternative points of view. Extremist target moderates, intimidating and silencing the center. Moderates from the perpetrators' own group are most able to stop genocide, so are the first to be arrested (and killed). The dominant group passes emergency laws or decrees that grants them total power over the targeted group. The laws erode fundamental civil rights and liberties, especially Freedom of Speech and Press, targeted groups are thus incapable of legal avenues of self-defense, and the dominant group has total control.
Thomas E. Keefe
Assistant Professor of Humanities,
August 2017


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ZenGum Saturday Aug 6 08:06 PM
August 7, 2011: New NASA Astronauts
Times are tough all over, it seems. NASA is lunching a probe to Jupiter, and this is the crew:
footfootfoot Saturday Aug 6 08:28 PM
Juno's a babe, I'd totally hit that.
CaliforniaMama Sunday Aug 7 10:31 AM
Galileo seems to be missing something at the top of his head - like his brain? I thought the Inquisition left him intact, yet here it looks as though they took their pound of flesh.
Trilby Sunday Aug 7 12:01 PM
of course they're sending white people!
Sundae Sunday Aug 7 01:22 PM
Yay Science!
Alluvial Saturday Aug 13 03:37 PM
I'm a little annoyed that the female is a stereotype.


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Tech companies such as Amazon, Microsoft and Cisco are spending more on lobbyists to make their case about the North American Free Trade Agreement, as negotiations about the future of that trade deal heat up.
Trade negotiators have said that they will schedule talks on revamping NAFTA into next year. The tech industry has a clear interest in the trade pact, given its role in foreign trade and in supply chains across North America.
In 2016, U.S. companies exported more than $200 billion in technology goods, including $43 billion to Mexico and $24 billion to Canada, according to the Information Technology Industry Council, a lobbying group whose members include Apple, Alphabet and Oracle. U.S tech exports to Mexico have surged nearly 70 percent since 2006…
Read more : CBNC, 18.10.2017


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Toshack named his squad on Tuesday for the final group A matches against the Republic of Ireland in Cardiff on November 17 and then in Frankfurt against Germany on November 21 and is confident the side can finish with a flourish.
He said: "We can still do it (finish third) but we are not looking beyond the Republic game which is one we really want to win. It would take us level on 16 with the Republic and if we can do that, it may well be that no other team will get more than 16 points other than the Czechs and the Germans."
Copyright (c) PA Sport 2007, All Rights Reserved.
Do YOU want to write for GiveMeSport? Get started today by signing-up and submitting an article HERE: https://www.givemesport.com/writeforgms


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The maritime flavor contained in the name, " Port Hope," obviously demands that some attention should be paid to the shipping interests of the Town. Already in the preceding chapter, the development of the Harbour from its diminutive beginnings to its present goodly proportions has been traced out and it accordingly becomes the aim of this chapter to set down some record of those vessels, especially steamboats, which have frequented this Port from the days when the first steamship ploughed the waters of Lake Ontario. This momentous event in lake-shipping occurred in 1816, when the Frontenac, a vessel of seven hundred tons, was launched at Ernesttown on the Bay of Quinte. This steamer immediately started to run from Prescott to Niagara calling at Newcastle (near Presqu'ile Point), York and Burlington, the fare from Prescott to York being placed at £4.
The Frontenac was followed in a few years by other steamships so that the "York Loyalist" of August 12th, 1826 has this to say of the new departure in marine life, "On noticing the first trip of another steamboat, we cannot help contrasting the present means of conveyance with those ten years ago. At that time only a few schooners navigated the Lake and the passage was attended with many delays and much inconvenience. Now there are five steamboats, all affording excellent accommodation and the means of expeditious travelling. The routes of each are so arranged that almost every day of the week the traveller may find opportunity of being conveyed from one extremity of the Lake to the other in a few hours."
The first steamer to call regularly at Port Hope was the Niagara which appeared in 1827. There was at that date not even the semblance of a wharf at Port Hope and passengers and goods were landed by means of small boats, which plied between the anchored vessel and the shore. This inconvenience was removed by the construction of a small pier in 1832. About this same period the steamer Constitution, later known as the Transit, began to ply across the Lake between Genesee County and the northern ports and continued to do so until 1837. She was then succeeded by the Traveller and it again by the Hamilton in 1839.
Meanwhile the Canada, Niagara, Queenston, Alciope, William the Fourth, St. George and other vessels had been performing trips up and down the Lake, calling regularly at Port Hope. These vessels left Toronto at 9 a. m. and rounding Gibraltar Point at the west end of Toronto Island stood down the Lake for Port Hope, which was reached at 4p.m.
Up to 1840 there was little organization and little permanencyin lake navigation. Vessels were owned separately as a rule andfrom year to year werechanged from one route to another.
But in 1840 the Niagara Harbour and Dock Company inaugurated the Royal Mail Line of steamers with the St. George, Niagara and City of Toronto on Lake Ontario and three others on the St. Lawrence River. The three named sailed from Toronto to Kingston, calling at intermediate points and ever since there has been a regular daily service on the Lake during the summer months by the steamers of this Line.
From 1840 to 1857 the following additional steamers were accustomed to call at Port HopePrincess Royal,
Sovereign, Magnet, Passport, Arabian, Maple Leaf and Kingston. Of these three continue to traverse the Lake. The Passport( Caspian) and the Magnet (Hamilton) joined the R. M. Fleet in 1847, being new steel steamers and the fastest on the Lake. The Magnet was modelled on the Clyde and was put together at Niagara by James and Neil Currie. The British Government took a large proportion of the stock with the view of using her in the event of war with the United States. The Passport was built the same year at Kingston. A few years after these two vessels began to run, it was deemed expedient to plank over their steel hulls, it being believed that with steel bottoms there was more danger of holes being stove in by the rocks in descending the rapids. The Kingston* was added to the line in 1855. After many years service, it was much altered becoming the Algerian.
In 1857 the Canadian Navigation Company bought up the Line Boats and controlled them for the following as Prince of Wales eighteen years. Instead of running river and lake boats they despatched their steamers direct from Toronto to Montreal. The initial through fleet consisted of the Kingston, Banshee, Passport, New Era, Champion and Magnet. Two famous boats were built during these eighteen yearsthe Spartan in 1864 and the Corsican in 1870.
In 1875 the Richelieu Navigation Company amalgamated with the Canadian Company and the present R. &. 0. Line was formed. This has now become one of the most famous shipping corporations of the world. Many new vessels have been added to its fleet and several of the older ones have disappeared. With the completion of the magnificent steamer Kingston in the present year, which, with its sister ship the Toronto, makes daily trips down the south shore, the famous old evening boats, that for so many years have called at Port Hope, have become memories of the past. The Spartan was the last of the old line to visit this Port, calling on September 14th, 1900.
Meanwhile the Rochester Line has witnessed many changes. In 1840 a new vessel appeared on the routethe Gore, commanded by Captain Dick. Two years later she was joined by the America and the two vessels ran conjointly until 1846, when the America took the trip alone for six years. The Admiral, its successor, only ran for one season, it being burned at Toronto, early in 1853. From 1855 to 1863 the Maple Leaf and the Highlander were on this route and after them the Rochester crossed the Lake for three seasons.
The immediate predecessor of the Norseman (North King) was the Corinthian which began to run on June 24th, 1865. She was built for the Line Boat Company but was used for several years on the Rochester Line. (During the first season there was great rivalry between her and the (Rochester.) The Norseman, a name quite familiar to the people of Port Hope, was built in 1868 and for many years was on the route across the Lake. In 1891 it was entirely remodelled and overhauled, its name being changed to North King.


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The timing of the small protest, shall we say, was not perfect.
It was a day when a majority of Americans seemed to favor the bombing of Libya. Most people I talked with Tuesday supported the air raid.
``It`s about time we did something,`` I heard more than once. Hard to disagree with that.
And over at the corner of Broward Boulevard and Northeast Third Avenue, in front of the federal courthouse, there were maybe eight people marching against outrageous defense spending and nuclear weapons buildup.
Like I said, the march didn`t seem to capture the prevailing mood of the country on Tuesday.
But the eight marchers, members of Broward Citizens for a Nuclear Freeze, were out there at noon as scheduled, with picket signs (``War is a Crime Against Humanity,`` ``64 percent of your income taxes go to the military``) and leaflets.
They kept at it, even though this was not a day when they figured to see an outpouring of interest.
``Of course, (the apparent lack of interest) can get depressing,`` said marcher Frank Schiavone. ``But what do you do -- quit?``
Since the Internal Revenue Service office is in the courthouse, the purpose of the planned march was to explain to last-second taxpayers how so much of their tax money was going toward defense spending. A noble idea, I think.
But on Tuesday, defense spending wasn`t a primary concern. The big topic was the feeling of satisfaction a lot of people had concerning the retaliation against Libya`s Moammar Khadafy.
And while the eight marchers seemed pleased by handing out most of their leaflets during an hour, many passers-by went around them in much the same manner you walk by protest groups at an airport.


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|My new logo! Check out the new site for more fun artwork!
(No, not pregnancy, as everyone assumes when you're Catholic and of child-bearing age.)
This blog has moved!
My little home here on Blogger has been a great place to get A Love Letter to Food started, but we are off to bigger things! You will now find all the content from this blog as well as all new content as of August 2015 on ALoveLetterToFood.com. It's a much more user-friendly site complete with a Recipe Index and sections on Nutrition and Entertaining. I'm thrilled with the way it's turned out!
The food-loving adventure continues--please come check it out!


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Can't get enough of Colourpop? Me too! I just placed an order AGAIN on the website! I am in love with their new collections. Recently they released a new Summer 2015 collection and of course this shade is from that collection. The packaging is super cute with a clear lid and the shadow is placed into a round container.
In A Pickle: is a beautiful matte light pink/orange shade. This shade is perfect for spring and summer, it looks beautiful on the lids. The formula is the same as every Colourpop shadow, it is wet in the pan and squishy but once you apply it on your lids its a powder and no there is no fall out. This shadow just looks beautiful on the lids. It just gives a very fresh spring look, paired with some black mascara. Over all I am really liking this shadow and I have used it a ton. Let me know below what do you think about this shadow? Thank you so much for reading and have a wonderful day!
*All the products were bought by me for personal use and for review*
*pictures were taken by me. Please do not use*
*pictures were taken by me. Please do not use*


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Last night was one of those nights where I realized (again) how hardcore of a baker I am…the first time was when I set dough outside on the back patio because I knew the hot and humid weather outside would give it a good rise…
Yesterday, I had it in my mind that I was going to make some sweet bread. It was in the day's plan. I had planned to make it during the evening, when big N was gone for karate. I totally didn't even think that the whole process was going to take upwards of 3 hours! So, I ended up starting the whole mixing and kneading process at around 8:15pm and when I finished it was already 8:30pm. I wanted the bread to have a good first rise (not to be sacrificed unless direly necessary), so I gave it until 10:30pm. Then I rolled out the dough and put the filling in. Well, after forming the dough, I let it rise for the second time, until 11:15pm and by the time the bread was done baking, etc. etc, it was already 12:15am! I went to bed thinking to my self, "I'm crazy…" and smiling because the bread turned out beautifully. It was worth it.
This morning we had a few slices of Cinnamon Swirl Raisin bread for breakfast and it was delightful!
Cinnamon Raisin Bread from King Arthur's website.
Instead of putting cinnamon into the dough, I opted to make the bread a swirl bread, so I rolled out the dough and used the filling from this recipe, which has cinnamon in it. I was worried that the bread dough (which was sweet) would be too sweet when combined with the filling (which also has sugar in it), but it was great! Not too sweet. It was perfect. Put a little bit of butter on a slice, eat it with some espresso and you're set!


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Discussion in 'BlackHat Lounge' started by hiding_whitehat, May 7, 2009.
what the crap?
Ignore him/her that is the crap DP comes up with these days
DP Sucks
Move on
yeah i know. just thought i'd share the new thing i learned today. ("you learn something new everyday"?)
DP is good for nothing except being a cash cow.
Why would you spend even 1 second at DP? I don't get it...
Why are you still hanging out at DP? . . . BHW is where it's at. We don't even like talking about DP here. It's a freakin' joke.
DP it's just for money lol.
He's just trying to make this forum looks bad. But in the end, quality will speak.
Why do you still wandering in DP?
DP is for fast cash guys
Learn here,make a crap ebook=fast cash
what's dp?
dont waste your time on it
why not go to DP? You have no idea how much fun i get out of the noobs there, specially the adsense section
This post made me laugh...really hard
lol that's what she said.
no- i'm only on DP for selling some crap eBooks to get some capital. this guy had started a thread in the Buy, Sell, or Trade section.
no, wiz, i agree wholeheartedly- BHW is where its at
Before I got banned there was a user called mightybhsucks and mightybhblows. I take it as a complement for being noticed.
Double penetration.
"Oh nOeS BhW Won't AlLoW mE tO CoPy ThEiR IdEaS nD CoPy ThEm InTo EbOoK So I cAn MaKe One DolLaR pEr YeAr!"
DP is good for one thing, being used as a garbage dump, but instead of you paying them to take your garbage, they pay you for it.
Separate names with a comma.


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Yuille Park Community College's students in Ballarat, Australia won't have to worry about cold feet this winter thanks to 32-year-old teacher Bri Dredge.
After correctly answering a question on "Millionaire Hot Seat," Dredge won $20,000 which she promised to use to buy shoes for 200 students at the college where she currently teaches.
$20,000 can buy a LOT of shoes...
Watch the stirring video of Dredge's victory on the next page.
Amazing: a true credit to her profession.
Wow. What an inspiration. If you suddenly won $20,000, how would you use the money? Let us know in the comments below!