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The rich, many Americans have come to believe, rule. But how? The current hubbub over the federal budget deficit opens a welcome window to understanding just how our rich keep riding so high.
By Sam Pizzigati
How can you tell whether you live in a plutocracy? Easy. Just conduct this simple test. First, identify a "pressing problem" that pundits are splashing over your nation's op-ed pages. Then take a glance at the "solutions" to this national woe that pop up, on these same op-ed pages, as "politically possible."
If you live in a plutocracy, not one of these "politically possible" proposals will ever do more than, at worst, inconvenience your nation's super rich.
Ready to put this plutocracy test to a real-life trial? Let's consider the problem that America's pundits have this fall tabbed as our nation's most pressing: the federal budget deficit.
Earlier this month, the New York Times offered readers an interactive online opportunity to solve this deficit situation. Our national newspaper of record published a long list of deficit-cutting options, all culled from Washington insiders, and invited readers to choose enough of these options to end the deficit.
But readers who accepted this invitation to "fix the budget" quickly found themselves in a bit of an quandary. If these readers went through the Times list of insider suggestions and avoided all the options that would inflict pain on middle class families, they couldn't get the deficit down to zero.
These same readers could, by contrast, hit that zero deficit target quite readily if they avoided any option that could inflict pain on America's wealthy. In fact, the Times list had no options for inflicting significant sacrifice on people of wealth.
Some options on the list did, to be sure, call for higher taxes on high incomes. But these options, if ever adopted, would still leave the nation's wealthy paying taxes at less than half the rate that the nation's wealthy faced in the 1950s, under President Dwight Eisenhower, a Republican.
In Ike's time, income over $400,000 — about $3.3 million today, after adjusting for inflation — faced a 91 percent tax rate. The strongest tax-the-rich options on the Times list — a return to the 39.6 percent top rate in effect during the Clinton years, coupled with a 5.4 percent surcharge on income over $1 million — would, if adopted, bring today's top tax rate to only 45 percent.
That 45 percent essentially represents what America's mainstream media consider the upper limit of the politically possible. We have, in other words, a society that defines as politically "impossible" a state of affairs — a 91 percent top marginal tax rate — that existed, for years, as a political reality.
A widely accepted political reality, we might add. Back in the mid 20th century, even celebrated conservative thinkers could and did support steep tax rates on high incomes. One example: University of Chicago economist Henry Simons, an influential free marketeer who consistently promoted progressive taxation.
Simons believed, as analysts Neil Brooks and Linda McQuaig have recently written, "that capitalism could only survive in a democracy if the general public benefited from it, and this involved redistributing its bounty, which otherwise ends up concentrated in the hands of the few."
Many of America's mid-20th-century wealthy did certainly disagree with Simons and whine incessantly about their heavy tax burden. But that tax burden had, over the years, trimmed the resources these wealthy could bring to bear. They simply did not enough dollars to bend U.S. politics overwhelmingly their way.
In 1955, as IRS records show, the nation's 400 most affluent taxpayers averaged, in today's dollars, just $12.8 million in income. To put that meager $12.8 million in perspective: In 2007, our top 400 averaged $344.8 million.
The rich of the mid 20th century had, of course, packs of politicians ready to do their bidding. But these politicos seldom dared to openly attack stiff progressive tax rates. By taking that step, these pols realized, they would almost certainly end up marginalizing themselves. Just like T. Coleman Andrews.
A close ally of Virginia's top political boss, Andrews had become Eisenhower's first Internal Revenue Service commissioner in 1953 and ran the IRS, by all accounts, in a workmanlike fashion. But Andrews resigned his IRS post in 1955 to take a job running an insurance company and then, a year later, suddenly and surprisingly emerged as an intense and shrill critic of the federal income tax.
High tax rates on high incomes, this "new" Andrews charged, amount to an "instrument of vengeance" that reflects a "dangerous trend toward socialism."
"Maybe we ought to see that every person who gets a tax return," Andrews told the US News & World Report in a May 1956 cover-story interview, "receives a copy of the Communist Manifesto with it."
That interview endeared Andrews to the rich who saw red every April 15 — and essentially ended any hopes Andrews may have had for political success.
The November 1956 elections would see Andrews running for President on the fringe States' Rights party ticket. From that debacle he would gravitate, by the early 1960s, to the John Birch Society — and total political irrelevance.
Throughout the years right after World War II, the savviest of the politicos who carried rich people's water understood quite clearly that openly pushing for rich people-friendly changes to the tax code was never going to gain them much traction. These pols accepted, as a given, the public's strong and solid support for progressive tax rates — and did their best to end run that public.
One end-run came in the 1940s, with a business drive to amend the Constitution and limit the top tax rate on high incomes to 25 percent. The strategists behind this effort recognized they had no shot at getting such a tax-cap amendment through Congress. They chose instead to take their case to state legislatures.
The states, notes University of California historian Isaac William Martin, offered business groups a "venue where public awareness of and participation in policy debates was limited." To keep the public even more unaware, the groups launched their tax-cap blitz "in states far outside of national media markets."
But public awareness did come eventually, and the tax-cap campaign, after scoring some initial backroom-deal successes, fizzled out by the late 1950s.
How distant those 1950s today seem. Our contemporary rich no longer feel the need to conspire in the shadows. They openly, at every turn, demand relief from taxes — and any other government action that might crimp their grand fortune-building capacity.
These rich don't always get the exact relief they seek. They don't yet have the power to win every battle they engage. But they do have the power to routinely define the issues and options that make their way onto the battlefield.
"The deficit, the Social Security shortfall, difficulties with Medicare," the president of the United Steelworkers union, Leo Gerard, observed last week, "they could all be solved if the nation returned to taxing policies that existed under Republican President Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower."
At the moment, that return sits nowhere near our mainstream political radar screen. And even more modest tax-the-rich proposals, like the deficit-reduction package Rep. Jan Schakowsky from Illinois presented last Tuesday, go almost totally ignored. That's not right. That's plutocracy.
Sam Pizzigati edits Too Much, the online weekly on excess and inequality published by the Washington, D.C.-based Institute for Policy Studies. Read the current issue or sign up to receive Too Much in your email inbox.


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Do you struggle to reach customers beyond your own country's borders? If targeting clients in other countries seems daunting, there is one simple step you can start with: Translate something.
You have to speak the language of your customers. And that isn't just an overused metaphor. It refers to actual languages — like Spanish, French, or Chinese.
If you assume your customers speak your language well enough to skip the translation step, you're wrong. In fact, there is an undeniably strong link between in-language content and a consumer's likelihood of making a purchase.
We at Common Sense Advisory surveyed 2,430 web consumers in eight countries to learn about how language affected their purchasing behaviors. We found that:
- 72.1% of consumers spend most or all of their time on websites in their own language.
- 72.4% of consumers said they would be more likely to buy a product with information in their own language.
- 56.2% of consumers said that the ability to obtain information in their own language is more important than price.
That's right. More than half of consumers are willing to pay more if you are willing to give them information in their own languages. Did you just open up a new browser to check out your favorite competitor website and see how many languages they offer? If not, you should.
Can you get by with English in Europe? You can if you're carrying a camera, but not if you're carrying a briefcase. A 2011 study from the European Commission corroborated Common Sense Advisory's findings. The study was based on a Gallup survey of language preferences [PDF] among internet users in 23 E.U. countries and revealed some remarkably similar findings:
- Nine out of 10 Internet users said that, when given a choice of languages, they always visited a website in their own language.
- Nearly one in five Europeans (19%) said they never browse in a language other than their own.
- 42% said they never purchase products and services in other languages.
Keep in mind that while many Europeans are multilingual, according to this study they still strongly preferred to buy in their native languages.
Obviously, translation isn't the only thing that companies must do to reach a global customer base, but it's certainly one of the fastest, easiest, and most frequently overlooked. People tend to assume that it will be much more complicated to buy translation than it really is. You can outsource a project in a matter of minutes to more than 26,000 translation companies or thousands of freelancers that make up this US$33 billion industry.
Still not convinced? Consider the fact that the translation market grew throughout the recession. That's hardly a coincidence. Smart companies know that putting all your eggs in one basket is bad for business. So is putting all of your marketing content in just one language.

subset: commoncrawl


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As he sits brooding in his drab cell awaiting trial, South Boston gangster James "Whitey" Bulger is telling friends that while he feels tortured by his cramped captivity, with its isolation, strip searches, and dismal food, he is ready and eager for "the big show" — the trial where he will defend his sense of honor if not exactly his innocence.
But however defiant he remains, Bulger was prepared to give prosecutors an easy way out, saying he offered himself up for execution if the government would let the woman he loves walk free.
"I never loved anyone like I do her and offered my life [execution] if they would free her — but no they want me to suffer — they know this is the worst punishment for me by hurting her!" Bulger wrote to a friend last year as his longtime girlfriend, Catherine Greig, faced the prospect of years in prison for her devotion to him.
Two other women are also much on Bulger's mind these days — two whose murders he is charged with, but who he insists he did not kill. Despite the clear, contrary recollections of his criminal associates, Bulger is adamant on the point — murdering women, he claims, is against his personal code.
"I never killed any women," Bulger wrote to a friend.
Bulger's generous view of himself, not as a cunning killer and cynical informer but as a criminal with scruples and a kind of noble romantic, is detailed in a new and comprehensive biography of Boston's most infamous criminal, to be published this week. Also detailed are all the reasons not to accept his self-serving self-portrait, from his long and murderous career as a gangster to his well-documented history of providing information to the FBI.
The book, "Whitey Bulger: America's Most Wanted Gangster and the Manhunt That Brought Him to Justice," written by the authors of this article (Kevin Cullen and Shelley Murphy), with editorial support from The Globe, reveals a host of new information about Bulger, from his pursuit of domestic tranquillity in a tangled romantic triangle, to his seeking out a psychiatrist a la Tony Soprano, to his heretofore little-known role as an agent of mayhem during the city's school desegregation crisis. The book also provides a window into Bulger's thinking and state of mind as he molders in jail, reflections recorded in letters he wrote to a close friend and which the authors reviewed. It is in one of those letters that the 83-year-old Bulger contends that he offered to plead guilty to 19 murders — including some he says he did not commit — and submit himself to the death penalty in Florida or Oklahoma in exchange for leniency for Greig.
Prosecutors spurned his offer, he says, and Greig, 61, pleaded guilty and was sentenced last June to eight years in prison for harboring Bulger during the 16 years they spent on the run, most of them in a modest, two-bedroom rent-controlled apartment in Santa Monica, a few blocks from the Pacific Ocean.
Greig's sentence infuriated Bulger, who confided in another letter to his longtime friend, Richard Sunday, that she had managed to do what the criminal justice system couldn't: "Got me to live crime free 16 years – for this they should give her a medal."
While he worries about Greig's life in prison, Bulger says his attitude about his upcoming trial, scheduled to begin in June, is "bring it on." He relishes the prospect of taking the stand and is especially determined to prove that he was not an FBI informant and did not kill two women whose murders are among the 19 he is charged with.
In the book, to be published Monday by W.W. Norton & Co.,Bulger comes off as part defiant, part delusional, cloaked in something of a persecution complex. His self-image is noteworthy for its self-regard. Much of it, especially his denial of being an informant, is completely at odds with the public record and appears to undermine his defense strategy of asserting that he had immunity from a federal prosecutor to commit his crimes.
The book also provides a fuller account than previously available of:
■ Bulger's nine years in prison as a young man, where he vowed to reform, and how his politician brother William relied on influential politicians to get him parole.
■ His stealth campaign of violence to protest court-ordered busing of South Boston students, including the firebombing of President John F. Kennedy's birthplace in Brookline.
■ His face-to-face meeting with the founder of the Provisional Irish Republican Army, which led to Boston's Irish mob being enlisted as weapons procurers for the IRA.
■ His 2011 arrest in Santa Monica, where he refused his captors' demand to drop to his knees, and risked being shot, because he didn't want to get his pants dirty.
Bulger, as evidenced in his letters, now frames his legal predicament in grandiose, literary terms. While his enemies, including his former criminal confederates, might see him as the embodiment of Gypo Nolan, the treacherous protagonist in Liam O'Flaherty's classic tale of betrayal "The Informer," Bulger casts himself as Philip Nolan, the altruistic protagonist in "The Man Without a Country," Edward Everett Hale's short story. Nolan, a US Army officer, renounces his citizenship during his trial for treason and is sentenced to spend the rest of his life at sea, cut off from others. Bulger sees his isolation in high-security detention as he awaits trial in similarly epic terms, punishment for someone who knows too much about his government's dark side.
The letters also suggest that Bulger is obsessed with refuting the charges that he strangled Debra Davis in 1981 and Deborah Hussey in 1985 before secretly burying their bodies. It is a point of honor for him; sorting out the truth will come down to his word against that of two former criminal associates.
Sunday, 81, who served time with Bulger in both the Atlanta federal penitentiary and the infamous Alcatraz in the 1950s and 1960s, remains sympathetic to the gangster. He said Bulger admits to some crimes, but says former associates who cut deals with the government while he was on the run have blamed him for other crimes he didn't commit.
"I think Jimmy figures, okay this is the end and I want the truth out there," Sunday said during an interview at his home in a Pittsburgh suburb. "I don't think he wants to leave this world or spend the rest of whatever time he has left in it being falsely accused. . . . He wants his day in court."
Bulger insists that the FBI didn't use him, he used the FBI, and that he never helped the agency send anyone to jail. Bulger's attorney, J.W. Carney Jr., has said Bulger alleges that a former federal prosecutor, Jeremiah O'Sullivan, who is now deceased, promised him lifetime immunity for his crimes — including murder.
Bulger told Sunday he refused to become an informer, despite regular beatings from police officers in his youth. But Bulger's old court records tell a different story, showing that his first known cooperation with law enforcement was in 1956, when he agreed to identify his bank robbery accomplices so that his then-girlfriend would not face criminal charges for accompanying him on a trip that culminated with a bank robbery in Indiana. That early turn as a snitch was first reported by WBUR, citing documents obtained by two former Globe reporters, Gerard O'Neill and Dick Lehr, who also have a biography of Bulger coming out soon: "Whitey: The Life of America's Most Notorious Crime Boss."
The season of Whitey's courtroom reckoning is also a season of new accounts of his life and misdeeds.
Bulger's defiant insistence that he wasn't an informant – directly refuted by sworn testimony, countless judicial findings, and extensive records showing that from 1975 to 1990 he was an informant for the now imprisoned former FBI agent John J. Connolly Jr.— seems to rest on semantics: Bulger claims his information was never used to put anyone in prison, so he can't be considered an informant.
In his letters, Bulger said he looks forward to clearing his name at his upcoming trial, though he is also coldly realistic about his future: "Chances are I'll die in this cell," he wrote.
The letters from jail paint a portrait of Bulger as being deeply in love with Greig and regretting that he had met her a decade after he got out of prison in 1965 after serving nine years for bank robbery. He felt he could have left behind the criminal life he returned to shortly after his release.
"By the time we met it was too late," he wrote. "I was in too deep, had done too much to even consider an honest way of life."
Bulger describes his time on the run with Greig, where they posed as a retired couple, as the happiest of his life and like a 16-year honeymoon. "Became a real citizen and became a different person," he wrote, "experienced emotions, feelings that I'd shut down for years."
He credited Greig with his transformation from scheming gangster to laid-back retiree. While he purposely remained a virtual recluse, venturing forth from their apartment mostly for early-morning or early-evening strolls, Greig did all the couple's errands, shopping, and cooking.
Bulger has been prohibited from writing to Greig, who is serving her time at the federal penitentiary in Waseca, Minn. The last time the couple saw each other was in June 2011, when they sat handcuffed in a van, separated by deputy US marshals, as they were driven from the federal courthouse in Boston to separate jails. Greig watched Bulger step out of the van at the Plymouth jail, then continued on to a Rhode Island jail.
Sunday said Bulger felt the government was pressuring Greig to cooperate and insisting she share information that she did not have. He was especially aggrieved that the government moved to seize Greig's family home in South Boston and the house in the Squantum section of Quincy that he bought for her. The government released its lien on the properties after Greig's conviction so she could sell the Quincy house and pay a $150,000 fine.
In his letters from jail, Bulger complains about the tight security under which he has been held at the Plymouth County Correctional Facility since his arrest and his return to Massachusetts. He said he is kept in his 8-by-12-foot cell 23 hours a day, allowed out for an hour five days a week. Now 83, he keeps himself in shape by doing more than 100 pushups a day. He said he's fed food, often cold, through a slot in the door, likening it to being in a zoo. During his hour of recreation, he's watched by an officer with a canine. He is not allowed to watch TV or listen to a radio and spends much of his time reading, writing letters, and preparing for the trial he has dubbed "The Big Show."
"Wish I was back on Alcatraz," Bulger told Sunday in one letter.
Sunday said he's worried about the toll that jail is taking on his friend's health and believes the conditions are cruel, inhumane, and amount to pretrial punishment. "He's pulling some hard time,'' Sunday said.
Bulger and Sunday became friends at the US penitentiary in Atlanta, Bulger's first stop in the federal prison system after his 1956 conviction for robbing three banks in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Indiana.
Sunday, a highly decorated US Army private, was court-martialed at age 19 on a charge of raping a woman while serving in Korea. He insisted it was a case of mistaken identity and he was innocent, but he was found guilty and sent to federal prison. He worked in the prison infirmary where Bulger volunteered to take part in a medical experiment testing LSD in exchange for shaving time off his sentence. Bulger suffered from severe hallucinations, and still complains that the effects of the LSD testing cause him constant nightmares and rob him of good sleep. Bulger says the nightmares faded as he and Greig settled into a comfortable life in Santa Monica, but they returned after his capture and incarceration.
Bulger was transferred from the Atlanta prison to the island prison of Alcatraz in San Francisco Bay after being suspected of aiding an escape attempt, and Sunday soon joined him on The Rock, where they became part of a unique fraternity. The two men never saw each other after leaving Alcatraz, but had formed a bond that endured. Bulger called Sunday sporadically over the years, including several times while he was on the run, unsuccessfully trying to enlist his friend's help in obtaining fake identification. After Bulger's capture, Sunday reached out to him by letter and the two have been exchanging long letters since.
Sunday remains fond of Bulger and said he gave the authors access to the letters because he believed it showed a different side to the career criminal, who once bought a car for a former inmate so he could drive to his dialysis appointments.
The book also traces Bulger's roots as a child of the Depression, whose family moved into South Boston and into the first public housing project in New England as part of the New Deal. Relying on previously undisclosed records from the National Archives, the authors describe how Bulger graduated to bank robbery in his 20s after a less than stellar few years in the Air Force.
According to letters Bulger wrote from prison, and the accounts of prison authorities, Bulger began his 20-year sentence for bank robbery intending to use this time in prison to make up for the education he spurned in his youth. Instead, an impetuous Bulger chafed at prison rules and constantly found himself accused of associating with troublemakers.
While Bulger's transfer to Alcatraz was meant as punishment, he came to value his identity as a former inmate at the notorious prison as a badge of honor. He remained friendly with and generous to his Alcatraz friends, paying for the exhumation and reburial on sacred Choctaw land of Clarence Carnes, a Native American inmate who used to deliver library books to Bulger in his cell.
The book describes how a rebellious Bulger grew to realize the importance of political influence, as his brother William, elected as a state representative while Whitey was on Alcatraz, cobbled together an influential stable of supporters to lobby for Whitey's parole, including US House Speaker John McCormack and future congressman Robert Drinan. At Bill Bulger's request, Drinan began a prison correspondence with Whitey and eventually agreed to become his parole adviser. McCormack, meanwhile, kept the Bulger family informed on Whitey's often rocky road through the federal prison system, intervening personally with the director of the US Bureau of Prisons.
While Bulger convinced many, including Sunday and prison authorities, that he was determined to go straight as soon as he got out, the authors describe his short-lived legitimate life in construction before he quickly drifted back into crime, signing on as an enforcer for the Killeen brothers, who ran the rackets in Southie during the 1960s and early 1970s.
The book contains an account of how the founder of the modern, or Provisional IRA, Joe Cahill, was smuggled into the United States and met with Bulger at his hangout, Triple O's lounge on West Broadway. At that meeting, Cahill commissioned Bulger and a group of Irish-American gangsters that included Pat Nee of South Boston and the late Joe Murray of Charlestown to serve as arms procurers for the IRA. Cahill, who was barred from entering the country, was smuggled across the border from Canada on a bus chartered by Boston Bruins fans who journeyed to Montreal to see the Bruins play the Canadiens.
The authors also document the violence Whitey Bulger helped orchestrate to register his opposition to the court-ordered desegregation of Boston's public schools that led to the busing of students to and from South Boston High. In one of the letters he sent to Sunday, Bulger boasted about riddling the offices of the Globe with gunfire in protest over what he called the Globe's demonization of Southie and its residents during busing. The book also recounts his firebombing of the Brookline birthplace of President John F. Kennedy because of the Kennedy family's support of US District Judge W. Arthur Garrity Jr., whose order imposed busing, and a separate attack on a Wellesley elementary school near Garrity's home.
The authors have pieced together how Bulger and Greig arrived in Santa Monica and bought identification documents from mentally disabled and substance-abusing individuals to establish new identities. While the relationships were exploitive, Bulger took a shine to a lonely Army veteran whose identity he bought. He paid for the man's rent until the man died in his bed of heart failure, and Bulger became emotional in describing his friendship with the man to the federal agents who brought him back to Boston after his arrest.
That arrest is spelled out in previously unreported detail, explaining how a deputy US marshal and an FBI agent working in a largely depleted fugitive task force were able to find Bulger in a matter of months after 16 years of a search that began as farce and descended into frustrating dead ends. A series of public service announcements focusing on Greig led to a news story on CNN that was seen in Iceland by a former beauty queen who rented an apartment for several months each year in the same Santa Monica neighborhood as Bulger and Greig. Murphy, one of the authors, tracked Anna Bjornsdottir down in Iceland, confirming that the woman had come to know the fugitive couple – known as Charlie and Carol Gasko — because they had shared a love of animals, in particular an abandoned cat in their neighborhood that Greig fed dutifully while Bulger stood at her side.
In one of his letters, Bulger seemed to appreciate the absurdity of how his life on the run, the climax to a criminal career that is the stuff of legends, came to an end. "A cat got me captured," he lamented.
Bulger refused to cooperate with the authors of the book.
Kevin Cullen can be reached at email@example.com Shelley Murphy can be reached at firstname.lastname@example.com.


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Miyazaki's announcement was made at a news conference at the Venice Film Festival on Sunday by Koju Hoshino, president of Miyazaki's production company, Studio Ghibli. Despite retiring sporadically since 1988's Princess Mononoke, Miyazaki turned 72 this year and many believe this will be the end of his movie making career.
His latest project, The Wind Rises, has been playing in Japanese theaters since late July, will be his last feature film.


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Greenlight Capital today recommended Apple (AAPL) shareholders vote against proposal 2 which eliminates company's ability to issue preferred stock.
Greenlight Capital's press release, verbatim:
Recommends Vote AGAINST Proposal 2 Which Eliminates Company's Ability To Issue Preferred Stock
Shareholder Since 2010, Greenlight Remains Long Apple
NEW YORK – February 7, 2013 – Greenlight Capital, Inc. ("Greenlight"), a value oriented, research-driven investment management firm, today announced that it is urging fellow shareholders of Apple Inc. (NasdaqGS: AAPL) ("Apple" or the "Company") to oppose the Company's attempt to amend its corporate charter. Greenlight is voting AGAINST Proposal 2 in Apple's proxy, which would eliminate preferred stock from Apple's charter and thus restrict the Board's ability to unlock the value on Apple's balance sheet. Greenlight is asking all shareholders to also vote AGAINST Proposal 2 at the upcoming Annual Meeting of Shareholders to be held on February 27, 2013.
A shareholder since 2010, Greenlight believes Apple is a phenomenal company filled with talented people creating iconic products that consumers around the world love. However, like many other shareholders, Greenlight is dissatisfied with Apple's capital allocation strategy. Greenlight believes that the amendment to Apple's charter in Proposal 2 unnecessarily limits the Board's flexibility to distribute preferred stock as a means of unlocking shareholder value. As such, Proposal 2 does not merit shareholder support.
"We believe Apple must examine all of its options to unlock the growing value of its balance sheet for all shareholders," said David Einhorn, President of Greenlight. "Over the past several months, we have had an ongoing dialogue with Apple regarding one option to do so, namely the creation of a new security, a perpetual preferred stock that would be distributed at no cost to Apple's existing shareholders, and would provide an attractive, sustainable dividend while preserving Apple's financial resources to pursue its business strategy."
Greenlight first described the concept at a May 2012 investment conference, where Mr. Einhorn demonstrated that Apple could unlock several hundred billion dollars of shareholder value by distributing, to existing shareholders, a perpetual preferred stock. Since May, Greenlight has had discussions with Apple on this value creation idea, but Apple rejected it outright in September 2012.
Greenlight believes that Apple's proposal to eliminate preferred stock from its charter is an unprecedented action to curtail the Board's options. Greenlight is not aware of any other company that has ever taken this step voluntarily. Greenlight remains convinced that the issuance of perpetual preferred stock is a viable option for improving Apple's unsatisfactory capital allocation policy.
Yesterday, in response to Greenlight notifying Apple that it intended to contest Proposal 2, management offered to re-evaluate Greenlight's idea, but refused to withdraw the charter amendment to eliminate preferred stock. Greenlight is hopeful that when Apple and its advisers review the idea afresh, it will see the merits and act to unlock value for all shareholders.
Nonetheless, Greenlight believes that eliminating preferred stock from the Company's charter hinders Apple's ability to implement value creating options. Mr. Einhorn continued, "Apple should unlock shareholder value through the distribution of perpetual preferred stock. We ask shareholders to vote against Proposal 2, thereby expressing to Apple and its Board their support for unlocking value and significantly improving Apple's current capital allocation policy."
Proposal 2 actually contains three distinct corporate governance proposals that Greenlight believes need to be unbundled and voted on separately as required by Securities and Exchange Commission rules. Yesterday, the Company informed Greenlight that Apple would not unbundle the proposals. Accordingly, Greenlight today initiated a legal action in the U.S. Federal District Court for the Southern District of New York seeking to have the Company conform Proposal 2 to the SEC rules.
Greenlight today issued the following letter to Apple shareholders:
February 7, 2013
Oppose Apple's Effort To Restrict The Company's Ability To Unlock Substantial Shareholder Value
Dear Fellow Apple Shareholder,
Greenlight Capital, Inc. (and affiliates, "Greenlight") has been a significant shareholder of Apple Inc. ("Apple" or the "Company") since 2010. We believe Apple is a phenomenal company filled with talented people creating iconic products that consumers around the world love. We are long-term shareholders of Apple.
However, like many other shareholders, Greenlight is dissatisfied with Apple's capital allocation strategy. The combination of Apple's low (and shrinking) price to earnings multiple and $137 billion (and growing) hoard of cash on the balance sheet supports Greenlight's contention that Apple has an obligation to examine all options to create and unlock additional value.
We understand that many of our fellow shareholders share our frustration with Apple's capital allocation policies. Apple has $145 per share of cash on its balance sheet. As a shareholder, this is your money. Though Apple recently commenced paying a common dividend and initiated a nominal share repurchase program, we believe that there is much more that the Board should do for shareholders. We believe that it is important for shareholders to send Apple's Board the message that the current capital allocation policy is not satisfactory, and that after considering all options, Apple's Board should act to unlock the latent value of Apple's balance sheet and franchise. If you share our frustration, please join us in blocking the Company's effort to restrict its value creation options by voting AGAINST Apple's plan to amend its corporate charter in Proposal 2 to eliminate preferred stock.
Send Apple And Its Board A Message That We Want Apple To Change Its Capital Allocation Policy To Unlock Value For Shareholders – VOTE AGAINST PROPOSAL 2
At a May 2012 investment conference, Greenlight introduced the idea that Apple could unlock several hundred billion dollars of shareholder value by distributing to existing shareholders a perpetual preferred stock.
Since then, Greenlight has had discussions with Apple encouraging the Company to distribute perpetual preferred stock as an innovative method of rewarding all shareholders for the Company's strong balance sheet and substantial cash flows. Put plainly, Greenlight is encouraging Apple to distribute a perpetual, high-yielding preferred stock directly to shareholders at no cost. This would enable shareholders to own and separately trade the new preferred shares and Apple's existing common shares. Importantly, Greenlight believes these preferred shares represent a simple, low-risk way to reward shareholders without compromising the financial and strategic flexibility of the Company, or forcing the company to incur tax on repatriating its offshore cash balances.
Greenlight suggested an initial preferred share distribution, whereby dividends could be funded on an ongoing basis by a relatively small percentage of the Company's operating cash flow. Apple rejected the idea outright in September 2012. Yesterday, after Greenlight notified Apple of its intention to vote against Proposal 2, Apple said it would reconsider the idea, but refused to withdraw the proxy provision where Apple seeks to eliminate preferred stock from its charter.
The recent, severe under-performance of Apple's shares, which are down approximately 35% from their peak valuation, underscores the need for the Company to apply the same level of creativity used to develop revolutionary technology for its consumers to unlock the value of its strong balance sheet for its shareholders.
We believe our suggestion of distributing perpetual preferred stock, while innovative, is also quite simple. Apple could distribute high-yielding, tax efficient preferred stock to existing shareholders at no cost. This new type of easily tradable preferred security would allow Apple to take advantage of the market's appetite for yield while preserving future operating and strategic flexibility. Importantly, we believe this strategy would require no immediate use of cash other than the ongoing dividend, and would not pose any maturity, re-financing, balance sheet, or default risk.
For example, Apple could initially distribute to existing shareholders $50 billion of perpetual preferred stock, with a 4% annual cash dividend paid quarterly at preferential tax rates. Once a trading market is established and the market recognizes the attractiveness of a highly liquid, steady yielding instrument from an issuer backed by Apple's unmatched balance sheet and valuable franchise, the Board could evaluate unlocking additional value by distributing additional perpetual preferred stock to existing shareholders. With this conservative action, Greenlight believes the Board could unlock hundreds of billions of dollars of latent shareholder value.
Assuming Apple retains its price to earnings multiple of 10x and the preferred stock yields 4%, our calculations show that every $50 billion of perpetual preferred stock that Apple distributes would unlock about $30 billion, or $32 per share in value. Greenlight believes that Apple has the capacity to ultimately distribute several hundred billion dollars of preferred, which would unlock hundreds of dollars of value per share. Further, Greenlight believes additional value may be realized when Apple's price to earnings multiple expands, as the market appreciates a more shareholder friendly capital allocation policy.
Apple's Attempt To Remove A Potential Means Of Value Creation Should Concern ALL Shareholders
As holders of more than 1.3 million Apple shares, Greenlight is alarmed that Apple is attempting to eliminate preferred stock from its corporate charter, hindering its ability to unlock value for shareholders. This is an unprecedented action to curtail the Company's options. We are not aware of any other company that has ever voluntarily taken this step. Furthermore, over 90% of the S&P 500 companies have the flexibility to issue similar preferred shares.
Apple is attempting to package this provision with two positive corporate governance reforms that we would normally support. Apple is asking shareholders to approve or disapprove of all three changes in a single bundled vote.
We believe that the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") proxy rules require that Apple provide for a separate vote on each matter presented to its shareholders for approval at the shareholder meeting. This 'unbundling' rule is designed to permit shareholders to express their vote on each individual matter and to not be forced to vote on a combined package of items. This prevents companies from forcing shareholders to approve matters that they might not vote for if presented independently.
In our view, Apple's Proposal No. 2 violates the SEC's 'unbundling' rule because it ties together three separate matters (majority voting for directors, elimination of preferred stock, and establishing a par value for the Company's common stock) into one proposal. Apple should be required to unbundle these items into separate proposals to allow the shareholders to make an independent choice on each matter. Accordingly, Greenlight has initiated a legal action in the U.S. Federal District Court for the Southern District of New York seeking to have the Company unbundle the various components of Proposal 2 so that shareholders can rightfully vote on each individual provision as mandated by SEC rules.
We cannot support the two desirable governance reforms at the expense of limiting Apple's ability to potentially unlock hundreds of billions of dollars of shareholder value. Importantly, in its current form, voting AGAINST Proposal 2 does not affect the 'majority voting' reform in the short-term, as Board members have already agreed to resign from the Board if they fail to receive a majority of votes cast "for" their election. As a result, we will vote AGAINST Proposal 2 in Apple's proxy and we urge you to vote AGAINST the proposal, as well.
Proposal 2 Is Value Destructive, Impedes The Board's Flexibility, And Does Not Merit Shareholder Support
Your vote is extremely important, regardless of how many shares you own. Apple shareholders of record as of January 2, 2013 are entitled to vote at the annual meeting. Proposal 2 requires the affirmative vote of a majority of the outstanding shares. If you were an Apple shareholder on the record date, you can still vote AGAINST Proposal 2, even if you already voted your shares.
Greenlight is not asking for your proxy card, so please do not send us your proxy card. If your Apple shares are held in your own name, please vote AGAINST Proposal 2. If you hold your Apple shares in "street name" with a bank, brokerage firm, dealer, trust company or other nominee, only they can exercise your right to vote with respect to your shares and only after receiving your specific instructions. IT IS CRITICAL THAT YOU PROMPTLY GIVE INSTRUCTIONS TO YOUR BANK, BROKERAGE FIRM, DEALER, TRUST COMPANY OR OTHER NOMINEE TO VOTE "AGAINST" PROPOSAL 2. If you have any questions about voting your Apple shares, please call our proxy solicitor, D.F. King & Co., Inc., toll-free at (800) 949-2583 (banks and brokerage firms should call (212) 269-5550), or email email@example.com.
Thank you for your consideration and support.
David Einhorn
Greenlight Capital
Source: Greenlight Capital, Inc.
Related articles:
Greenlight's Einhorn sues Apple, 'dissatisfied with capital allocation strategy' – February 7, 2013
Greenlight's Einhorn: Apple 'the best big growth company'; Fed stimulus 'counterproductive' – July 10, 2012
David Einhorn says Apple isn't a below-average company, it's just priced like one – May 30, 2012


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Maryeve Dufault — Crush Of The Day
Maryeve Dufault is Danica Patrick's worst nightmare. Maybe not on the actual racing courses (yet), but in the real world outside the racing pits.
Maryeve is a former 'Price is Right' model and current Canadian race car driver. GoDaddy and many other media entities have been pushing Danica down our throats the past few years as the 'hot female race car driver,' and while Danica is cute in her own way, she is a couple laps behind Maryeve in the 'rev our engines' department.
Look for Maryeve to steal Danica's endorsements, male fans and maybe even a couple racing trophies.


text:
Looks like potentially a good MMT proponent if anyone knows him?
What Obama Has Wrought
By Glen Ford
September 5 (BAR) — The meticulously scripted spectacles of the two corporate party conventions are very poor backdrops for clear thinking – but luckily, the ordeals are almost over. What remains after the tents are folded, are the crimes of this administration and its predecessor: both horrifically evil in their own ways. History will mark Obama as the more effective evil, mainly because of the lack of opposition.
Most people don't want to be a perceived as party-poopers – which is why the principled folks that have protested the evil antics of the corporate, imperial parties, in Tampa and Charlotte, are so much to be admired. Frankly, who wants to be the one to point out, in the middle of the festivities, that Michelle Obama was just a Chicago Daley machine hack lawyer who was rewarded with a quarter million dollar a year job of neutralizing community complaints against the omnivorous University of Chicago Hospitals? She resigned from her $50,000 seat on the board of directors of Tree-House Foods, a major Wal-Mart supplier, early in her husband's presidential campaign. But, once in the White House, the First Lady quickly returned to flaking for Wal-Mart, praising the anti-union "death star" behemoth's inner city groceries offensive as part of her White House healthy foods booster duties.
She also serves on the board of the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, the corporate foreign policy outfit to which her husband dutifully reported, each year, in his pucker-up to the presidency. The Obamas are a global capital-loving couple, two cynical lawyers on hire to the wealthiest and the ghastliest. They are no nicer or nastier than the Romneys and the Ryans, although the man of the house bombs babies and keeps a kill list. Yet, former "green jobs" czar Van Jones, a convention night chatterer on CNN who was fired by Obama for no good reason, chokes up when he speaks of the Black family that fronts for America – a huge act of national camouflage.
It is as useless to anchor a serious political discussion to this year's Democratic and Republican convention speeches, as to plan the liberation of humanity during Mardi Gras. Truth is no more welcome at the former than sobriety is at the latter. So, forget the conventions and their multi-layered lies. Here are a few highlights of what Barack Obama has inflicted on the nation and the world:
Preventive Detention
George Bush could not have pulled off such an evisceration of the Bill of Rights, if only because the Democrats and an aroused street would not have allowed it. Bush knew better than to mount a full-court legislative assault on habeas corpus, and instead simply asserted that preventive detention is inherent in the powers of the presidency during times of war. It was left to Obama to pass actual legislation nullifying domestic rule of law – with no serious Democratic opposition.
Redefining War
Obama "led from behind" a 7-month Euro-American air and proxy ground war against the sovereign nation of Libya, culminating in the murder, after many attempts, of the nation's leader. The president informed Congress that the military operation was not subject to the War Powers Act, because it had not been a "war" at all, since no Americans were known to have been killed. The doctrine was thus established – again, with little Democratic opposition – that wars are defined by the extent of U.S. casualties, no matter how many thousands of foreigners are slaughtered.
War Without Borders
Obama's drone war policies, greatly expanded from that inherited from Bush, have vastly undermined accepted standards of international law. This president reserves the right to strike against non-state targets anywhere in the world, with whatever technical means at his disposal, without regard to the imminence of threat to the United States. The doctrine constitutes an ongoing war against peace – the highest of all crimes, now an everyday practice of the U.S.
The Merger of Banks and State
The Obama administration, with the Federal Reserve functioning as a component of the executive branch, has funneled at least $16 trillion to domestic and international banking institutions, much of it through a virtually "free money" policy that could well become permanent. This ongoing "rescue" of finance capital is unprecedented in sheer scope and in the blurring of lines between Wall Street and the State. The routine transfer of multi-billions in securities and debts and assets of all kinds between the U.S. Treasury, the Federal Reserve and corporate accounts, has created de facto structures of governance that may be described as institutional forms of fascism.
These are world-shaking works of Obama-ism. Even Obama's "lesser" crimes are astounding: his early calls for austerity and entitlement-axing (two weeks before his inauguration) and determined pursuit of a Grand Accommodation with the GOP (a $4 trillion deal that the Republicans rejected, in the summer of 2011) reveal a politician intent on ushering in a smoother, more rational corporate hegemony over a thoroughly pacified civil society. Part and parcel of that pacification is the de-professionalization of teaching – an ambition far beyond de-unionization.
Of course, Obama begins with the delegitimization of Black struggle, as in his 2004 Democratic Convention speech ("…there is no Black America…only the United States of America.") To the extent that the nation's most progressive, anti-war constituency can be neutralized, all of Obama's corporate and military goals become more doable. The key to understanding America has always been race. With Obama, the corporate rulers have found the key that fits their needs at a time of (terminal) crisis. He is the more effective evil.


text:
New knowledge of skin cancer and wound healing
One such example is that it explains the current mystery of how skin cells can divide too much and initiate a skin cancer, without any traces of genetic change in the stem cells believed to maintain the outer layer of the skin. The research from the Jensen group may suggest that the reason that no changes can be found is, that these cells do not take part in the over-proliferation at all.
"Our data completes what is already known about the skin and its maintenance. Researchers have until now tried to fit their results into the old model for skin maintenance. However, the results give much more meaning when we relate them to the new model that our research proposes, says Kim Jensen.
An important function of stem cells is to repair damaged tissue. Here, the results from the Jensen groups show that the different stem cell populations collaborate across their normal functions, to repair the skin as fast as possible. However, this can also cause harm, as these changes can "wake up" genes in the stem cells and give rise to cancer. The new results consequently also contribute with new knowledge on the origin of skin cancer.
Aug. 15, 2013 ? All organs in our body rely on stem cells in order to maintain their function. The skin is our largest organ and forms a shield against the environment. New research results from BRIC, University of Copenhagen and Cambridge University, challenge current stem cell models and explains how the skin is maintained throughout life.
Kim Jensen's research group has used a unique method based on new technology, to understand how the skin is maintained.
"We have marked the early skin stem cell with shining proteins in order to map stem cell behaviour in the outer layer of the skin. The stain is inherited by the daughter cells, so that we can trace their origin and make a family tree. The fine details of the family tree can be used to infer the stem cell's role in normal maintenance of the skin, as well as in wound healing, says Kim Jensen.
New knowledge challenge stem cell models
The results have just been published in the journal Cell Stem Cell.
The skin consists of many different cell types, including hair cells, fat- and sweat glands. It protects us against microbial and chemical attacks and forms a waterproof barrier that prevents fluid loss. Associate professor Kim Jensen' group from BRIC have through mapping of stem cell's behaviour in the skin found out that the skin uses a unique method to renew itself. Their results challenge the current perception of how our skin is renewed.
"Our research will now take two directions. We will establish mathematical models for organ maintenance in order to "measure" what stem cells are doing in the skin. Also, we will expand our investigations in cancer initiation, hoping for results that can contribute to cancer diagnostics and improved treatment, says Kim Jensen.
The research is supported by a Lundbeck Foundation Fellowship, by the Danish Independent Research Council and the MRC and the Welcome Trust.
The new research from Kim Jensen completes the stem cell puzzle.
"Until now, the belief was that the skin's stem cells were organized in a strict hierarchy with a primitive stem cell type at the top of the hierarchy, and that this cell gave rise to all other cell types of the skin. However, our results show that there are differentiated levels of stem cells and that it is their close micro-environment that determines whether they make hair follicles, fat- or sweat glands, says Kim Jensen.


text:
Create specific applications in Plone without developing. Created by Makina Corpus.
Project description
Plomino is a powerful and flexible web-based application builder for Plone.
create your own custom applications from a web interface without programming
create and design forms in WYSIWYG mode
easily embed charts or maps
create specific actions with formulas (compute fields, send emails, …)
adapt the application behaviour depending on the user access rights and roles
import/export your application structure and/or your application data, including replication between Plomino instances
Plomino is a through-the-web application builder, hence:
it is not a through-the-web content-type builder like Dexterity, which is perfect to create a custom content type but that will always stick to the standard content management scenario, while Plomino allows any custom scenario,
it is not just a form generator like PloneFormGen, as Plomino provides all the services (data storage, search, automation, import/export, etc.) to build an entire application. Regarding form generation itself, a major difference with PloneFormGen is that Plomino allows editing the form layout in its entirety, while PloneFormGen uses a fixed pre-defined form layout.
Resources and documentation
Screencasts and how-tos are available on http://www.plomino.net/ .
Plomino documentation is available on ReadTheDocs.
Note: if you think something is missing in the documentation, please send your pull request at https://github.com/plomino/PlominoDoc .
Plomino itself is internationalized and translated in seven languages. Applications built with Plomino can be internationalized (see the related documentation).
To deploy Plomino, you need to edit your buildout.cfg file and add the following in the eggs section:
eggs = ... Products.CMFPlomino
and also add the following in the versions block:
[versions] ... collective.js.datatables = 2.0.1
Then you have to run buildout to realize your configuration:
bin/buildout -N
Installation on Plone 4.0 and 4.1
If you're using Plone version older than 4.2 you'll need to add some more directives to your buildout.cfg.
Plomino depends on plone.app.registry, and plomino.tinymce requires Products.TinyMCE>=1.2.13. To make Plomino work on pre-4.2 Plone sites you need to pin those versions in your versions.cfg section:
Products.TinyMCE=1.2.13 collective.js.jqueryui=220.127.116.11
and use a known good set for plone.app.registry.
This means extending your buildout from:
replacing 4.0.9 with the actual version you need.
You can find support on the freenode IRC channel #plomino or using the GitHub issue tracker
Plomino is continuously tested on Travis and the code coverage is tracked on coveralls.io .
Eric BREHAULT <email@example.com>
Jean Jordaan <email@example.com>
Silvio Tomatis <email@example.com>
The complete list is available here <http://www.plomino.net/credits>.
Plomino Installation
edit your buildout.cfg and add Products.CMFPlomino to the eggs list:
eggs = ... Products.CMFPlomino
Then you have to run your buildout:
$ ./bin/buildout -N
1.19.6 (2016-01-04)
JSON export compliant with Plomino 2 [mamogmx]
1.19.5 (2015-06-05)
Enable fields validation in Page forms [ebrehault]
Allow to define a custom JS validation callback (window.plomino_custom_validation_callback) [ebrehault]
Pass a TemporaryDocument context to hidewhen evaluation [instification]
Allow to display request data with alternate forms and read/edit mode [instification]
Check for hidden subforms when validating inputs [instification]
Adapt to rows for datagrid field in PlominoForm.tojson [instification]
Fix saving date/time field when no JavaScript detected [ivanteoh]
Add max year option for date/time field [ivanteoh]
1.19.4 (2015-04-10)
Fix isCurrentUserAuthor (the doc creator is always Onwer, so we should test Plone rights in the db context, not the doc) [ebrehault]
1.19.3 (2015-02-27)
Fix sorting of view docs [jean]
Fix importDesignFromZip for when there are script resources [jean]
Generate canonical URLs for local resources [jean]
1.19.2 (2015-01-09)
Forgot to bump the version string [jean]
1.19.1 (2015-01-06)
Enable standard behaviour when looking up portal_skins resources [jean]
1.19 (2014-10-15)
Allow to post data with open_url util [manuelep]
Enable multiple file upload [robystar]
Fixes [ebrehault, ivant, fulv, gaudenz]
1.18.6 (2014-04-10)
Datagrid inline editing [davisp1]
jQuery-ui datepicker widget for DATETIME fields [manuelep]
Redirect on save document if a value for plominoredirecturl is specified in request [manuelep]
Make views searchable: accept a query as URL parameter [manuelep]
Inject computed HTML attributes based on name, and not id [manuelep]
Allow indexing of computed display fields [djay, ivant]
1.18.5 (2013-12-04)
Working on BaseField.getFieldValue, handling of field defaults
1.18.4 (2013-11-29)
Fix few Chameleon compatibility issues
Improve document properties page
Split key column from sort column
Remove Close action from views
1.18.3 (2013-11-04)
Fix getFieldValue
1.18.2 (2013-10-29)
Optimize TemporaryDocument
Fixes for dates and decimal
1.18.1 (2013-10-24)
Fix timezone support in date conversion
Fix temporary doc behaviour when evaluation hide-when
1.18 (2013-10-15)
support for labels associated to fields
disabled formula editing for PlominoDesigner (so we can allow a user to change form layouts without breaking the formulas)
fix a major vulnerability in open_url (now, targeted sources must be declared safe from an local package)
allow to load specific CSS and JS in a PlominoForm
GenericSetup import/export for Plomino db marked as templates
allow to inject HTML attributes on fields
extended translation support for views
1.17.5 (2013-09-24)
Reorder validation, so that submitted values can be massaged [jean]
Enable Views to use field rendering [jean]
Allow forms to specify their HTTP submit method [jean]
1.17.4 (2013-09-11)
Dynamic titles [jean]
Add labels in layout [jean]
add import from zip function for database design [davismr]
add export as zip function for database design [davismr]
fix missing encoding on exportCSV view [jpcw]
184.108.40.206 (2013-05-28)
filtering feature in datatabse design tab [davisp1]
1.17.3 (2013-05-28)
Depend on zope.app.component and zope.globalrequest so that our users on Plone 4.0 don't have to [silviot]
Test Plone 4.0, 4.1, 4.2 and 4.3 on travis [silviot]
Don't choke on XML import when there is an empty file
Hide/display checkboxes in views
Make sure formulas are compiled with db manager rights
context.abortOnError() API
use coveralls.io for test coverage reporting
1.17.2 (2013-04-08)
EditBareDocument template
Add headers (based on fields titles) on datagrid in static mode
Fix action bar displaying at both top and bottom
1.17.1 (2013-03-28)
Fix batching in dynamic view
1.17 (2013-03-20)
Add Boolean field type
Add onBeforeSave event
Date serialization support in the JSON API
Give access to i18n support directly from Plomino forms and fields
Pass JQueryUI dialog settings through datagrid field configuration
Fix "run as owner" agent behavior
1.16.4 (2013-01-16)
Avoid transaction save when viewing a document [silviot]
clean up pdb
1.16.3 (2013-01-11)
new Plomino util function: is_email
new Plomino util function: urlquote
fix field validation
Plone 4.3 compliancy fixes
1.16.2 (2012-12-12)
various fixes for datagrids
1.16.1 (2012-10-16)
integrate jsonutils to manage decimal [jean]
use iframe in overlay for datagrid popup [silviot]
working on Plone4.3 support [alert]
hide-when fixes [manuelep]
static display for datagrids in read mode [ebrehault]
1.16 (2012-08-27)
server-side pagination and filtering for dynamic views
new Plomino utils: decimal and escape_xml_illegal_chars
offer selection lists instead of free text entries in various design parameters (source view, sorting column, …)
re-sync all .po
Fix getItem to return a deepcopy
1.15.1 (2012-05-23)
Migration fix: initialize and refresh documents as BTreeFolder properly
1.15 (2012-05-18)
Performance profiling utility.
Sort search results according search view sorting settings.
1.14.4 (2012-05-09)
Plone 3 compliancy: define __nonzero__ method on PlominoDocument (as it is not defined in Plone 3 by CMFBTreeFolder2)
Czech translation (contributed by Jakub Svab)
1.14.3 (2012-05-03)
codemirror integration
Depends on collective.js.datatables [toutpt]
fix buildout for Plone 3
fix popups for Plone 3
1.14.2 (2012-04-12)
Display validation errors in a nice popup.
Fix importFromXML bugs.
Fix File attachment indexing.
1.14.1 (2012-03-29)
Use CMFBTreeFolder instead of basic PortalFolder for PlominoDocuments so existing (<1.14) attached files keep accessible.
1.14 (2012-03-26)
PlominoDocument is not Archetypes-based anymore, it uses pure CMF now.
'Plomino' package is renamed 'Products.CMFPlomino'.
Plone 4.2 compliancy.
Fix design portlet on Plone 3.
1.13.3 (2012-03-06)
JSON API improvements
1.13.2 (2012-02-16)
Add JSON utils: json_dumps and json_loads
Add CSS class containing the element id on the Plomino element portlet
1.13.1 (2012-01-11)
Fix agent security when running as owner
New content-type addable in PlominoForm: PlominoCache, to indicate cache fragments
Fix exportCSV and exportXLS for views
Fix OpenDatabase when doc counting is active
1.13 (2011-11-30)
onOpenView event
getCache and setCache which use plone.memoize to cache data
getRequestCache and setRequestCache to cache data into the request
Allow keyword args for agent __call__
1.12.1 (2011-10-07)
fix transform exceptions in attached file indexing
fix editor permissions to allow file attachment deletion
1.12 (2011-10-03)
fix reader access control on getfile
add cgi_escape to utils
create plomino_workflow and fix permissions
integrate plone.app.async support to enable asynchronous agent execution and asynchronous refreshdb
allow to run agent as current user or as owner
don't use File for everything in /resources/; use Script (Python) for script libraries
1.11 (2011-09-12)
use onSave returned value to redirect to url after save
getAllDocuments() returns PlominoDocuments (and not brains anymore, unless getObject=False)
various fixes
1.10.4 (2011-08-03)
(for Plone 4 only) use MailHost.send instead of secureSend
fix document portal indexation behaviour
fix permission issues with Document id formula
fix Mandatory field checking with File attachments fields
1.10.3 (2011-07-19)
i18n fixes
fix translation method
display rendered values in datagrid in edit mode
1.10.2 (2011-07-12)
Only use Unicode in the Plomino index,
Fix ConflictError issue: avoid writing annotations in fields objects constantly,
Plone 4.1 compliancy fixes.
1.10.1 (2011-06-29)
Plone 3 compliancy (broken after Plone 4.1 compliancy)
1.10 (2011-06-26)
Plone 4.1 compliancy
126.96.36.199 (2011-05-27)
Fix applyHideWhen behaviour to avoid meaningless errors when applyHideWhen is not used for actual rendering.
1.9.8 (2011-05-26)
Enable Plomino documents in sitemap
Use Plomino_SearchableText field in search form to match SearchableText
Display design tree into the design portlet
Fix processImportAPI separator
Support field validation at submit time in datagrid popup forms
Fix behaviour with hidden fields passed as param in request
Update french translation
1.9.7 (2011-05-05)
Fix resources import/export
Fix dynamic view for IE<9 compliancy
Fix conflicts with Collage
Update french translation
1.9.6 (2011-04-20)
enable JQuery UI theme support in datatables
load accordions content on click if url provided
external utils pluggin mechanism
refreshdb improvements
1.9.5 (2011-03-25)
fix richtext field bug with Products.TinyMCE 1.1.8 (a commit was missing in 1.9.4)
1.9.4 (2011-03-24)
isDocument method in PlominoUtils to test if context is a document
fix categorized dynamic view (when column contains multivalues)
fix richtext field bug with Products.TinyMCE 1.1.8
1.9.3 (2011-03-09)
File handling fixes
onSearch event (for Search forms)
1.9.2 (2011-02-21)
Fix view generation
Allow Plomino designers to manage Plomino element portlets
1.9.1 (2011-02-17)
Fix import/export encoding problems
Fix error traceback pop-up rendering
Document id formula to compute document id at creation time.
Display error traceback in a pop-up (showing error message and formula code).
Import/export documents to/from a server local folder
Validator to avoid using underscores in views and columns ids.
Fix URLs in virtual hosting context.
Plomino_Readers: Plomino_Readers allows to restrict the list of users, groups, and/or user roles allowed to view the document.
Use collective.js.jqueryui instead of custom jqueryui. IMPORTANT NOTE: in Plone 3, please use collective.js.jqueryui = 220.127.116.11
Fix replication (file attachments support with blob + push/pull behavior).
Plomino element portlet can be conditionally displayed.
Generate a view based on a form (use fields for columns, set selection formula, and create "Add new" button).
Clean "browserims" (make sure Plomino API works when REQUEST is not defined to allow proper usage from a script).
Plomino documents are not necessarily indexed into the portal catalog.
Replace mode for design import (existing design is entirely replaced by the imported one).
German translation.
User-friendly error messages for failing formulas.
TEXT and NAME fields indexed as FieldIndex (instead not ZCTextIndex) to allow sorting.
New field mode "Computed on save": value is computed when document is saved and stored, it is not re-computed when the document is opened.
Online debugger (integration with Clouseau): failing formula can be executed step-by-step from the web interface.
Documents stored in a BTreeFolder.
If available, use plone.app.blob to store file attachments.
When importing design or documents, use savepoints instead of actual commit.
CSV import uses fields definition (so values are casted accordingly, instead of storing everything as strings).
Excel export method on views.
Categorized views supported with dynamic mode.
Fix file attachment bug under Plone 4.
Dynamic picklist for selection field
fix datagrid (it was storing rendered values and not raw values)
localization for datatables: en, es, fr, it, lt, nl
dynamic hidewhen are now manage at hidewhen level (and not as a global setting in the form)
few minor fixes
fix delete button in Plomino views when using the Dynamic view rendering
fix XML import with indexed datagrid fields
fix jqueryui skin elements access
Remove dependencies with: collective.js.jquery, collective.js.jqueryui, plone.app.jquerytools.
Dynamic hide-when.
Fields can be provided by external products as plugin utilities.
Fields improvements: picklist for names and doclinks.
Store all texts in unicode.
Lithuanian translation.
Improve import/replication/refresh performances and display a progress bar.
Plone 4 compliant
JQueryUI accordion integration (ability to create collapsible sections in forms)
New portlet to insert a Plomino form anywhere in your Plone site
Installation using a buildout extend
Force form for a document using ?openwithform=formid in the request
German translation fixes
ability to restrict documents XML export to a given view
sort elements by id in the Design tab
XML export improvements: elements are sorted, xml is pretty (so diff and svn play nicely), CDATA escaping has been removed, and lxml is used if installed
unlock webdav-locked elements before importing
fix: column sorting and summing
fix: openWithForm encoding errors
fix: do not call onSave when importing document from replication or XML file
JQuery datatables to render Plomino views
Datagrid field type
Fulltext indexing in local Plomino index
Documents import/export via XML files
Ability to define column values using existing fields
Portlet with useful links for design management (add items, acl, etc…)
Google visualization table to display views
Fixes for Plone 4 compliancy (work in progress)
Access control fix : Owner is author of any document (just like PlominoManager role)
MissingValue() method in PlominoUtils : it returns Missing.Value which can be useful when processing ZCatalog brains (=search results) as Missing.Value cannot be imported into formulas.
Do not compute column values in index if the document does not belong to the view. Note: it does not really change the performances when indexing, but it does reduce the index size. It also reduce the amount of error traceback in debug mode.
Fix: escape CDATA in XML import/export (Jean Jordaan contribution)
Fix: handle empty multiselect and empty checkboxes
Fix: do not default to PlominoAuthor right if Authenticated generic right is PlominoAuthor whereas the current user as PlominoReader right
Fix: set encoding in exportCSV
Fix: insufficient privileges error when changing Anonymous access right from PlominoAuthor to No Access
Enable multiple Google Visualization fields in the same form
hide selection box in views if no remove permission
refresh() method on PlominoDocument: same as save() but do not trigger onSaveDocument
more i18n French translations
Validation formula improvments (ability to test the current doc id + bug fixes)
beforeCreateDocument event
Security fix: when a group has PlominoAuthors rights, members of this group are just authors on their own documents
Migration script
TinyMCE support fix
Google chart integration : pie chart, bar chart, etc. (see http://code.google.com/intl/en/apis/chart/types.html )
Ability to display the sum of a column in view (when columns contain figures)
Google Visualization integration : organizational charts, dynamic charts, map, etc. (see http://code.google.com/intl/en/apis/visualization/documentation/gallery.html )
CSV support improvement
Ability to restrict a Names field to a given member group
Import/export and replication improvements
Control Kupu height for Richtext fields
Delete button confirmation message
German translation
Ability to hide Default Actions in forms
Group support in user roles and in Plomino_Authors
Import/export database settings and ACL settings
XML import/export design to/from file
Replication filtering using a view (feature financed by ACEA)
TinyMCE support
Delete documents from view
Bug fixes
Custom start page
Form as page (no action bar)
i18n fixes
bug fixes
fr-fr fallback for i18n fr files
Date/Time widget fix for Plone 3.2
IMPORTANT NOTE: this version does not support Plone versions < 3.2
Better error handling for field rendering
Clean up debug trace
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Speak Up for Over-the-Counter Emergency Contraception NOW!
The FDA panel overseeing the issue of making EC over the counter has not only once stalled on a ruling because they have requested "public comment" before doing so, they have now stated they need even MORE public comment. Bear in mind that, to my knowledge, NO drug before has EVER been required a "public comment" period, and since it is the FDA's job to only consider medical and health safety issues, public sentiment that is NOT about those issues should have no bearing on their decisions.
Most of the "public comment" has not only been incredibly misinformed, often intentionally and unintentionally confusing EC with RU-486 (or early abortion), it has come primarily from voices who will not actually USE or NEED EC. In other words, very little comment has been heard from one of the groups in the greatest need of OTC EC, that is, from young adult women. The same women who the FDA now claims do not have the intelligence to comprehend one simple sentence of instruction on how to take the pills -- as in, take one pill now, and one 12 hours later. Not only is this a moot point -- as both pills can safely be taken at the same time, so even an error would be just fine -- it's a pile of rubbish the FDA likely feels they can get away with spouting because they don't expect young women to speak up. Not only is this just another stall tactic, we all know that not only can your average young adult woman easily understand these directions, she's capable of a whole lot more than that.
The FDA is not only putting your health, well-being and essential rights to contraception at risk because of personal beliefs, not medical information, they're passing the buck off on you, stating EC can't be over the counter for ANY woman, because young women too stupid to read a line of text could find a way to get it. In other words, they're trying to pass the buck off on YOU by saying that your lack of intelligence is what is keeping EC from being OTC to all women, rather than their personal and political agendas.
I encourage you to give the FDA what they want in terms of public comment. Write them yourself, en masse. Pass this request around to your friends and relatives. CC us on the email you send, and we'll build a page at Scarleteen to make the letters public (we won't post your email address or your name) to over 12,000 readers each day.
Tell them about yourself and your friends. Not only about why over-the-counter EC is vitally needed among young women like yourself and your peers, and for all women, but about your life, your accomplishments and how those brains of yours are capable of far more than understanding one simple line of text. If you've used EC or know someone who has, tell your story. If you wanted to use EC but could not obtain it easily or in time, write about that. If you had an unplanned pregnancy in your teens before EC was available, and would have used EC had it been, tell your story. Heck: send your GPA or your IQ. Let them know that while they may think you're stupid, you're on to them and are NOT going to let them keep your rights to contraception from you and insulate themselves by insulting your intelligence.
It can be easy to take our rights for granted. However, during the span of the current administration those rights are slowly being chipped away: abortion rights and access, medically accurate and inclusive sex education, access to birth control and reproductive health services have all been taking heavy hits, and if as many of us as possible do not step up and speak up, it's only going to get worse. Reversing these rights is often a long, long process during which the health and well-being of many will suffer greatly. It's our job as citizens here to advocate for ourselves and our communities: sometimes, if we don't do it, no one else will. Don't seethe in silence: speak up. Now.
Here's some additional information to consider when writing your letter:
You might want to point out that: - Given rape statistics, at least one million women in the U.S., as the lowest estimate, may need EC not because of their "irresponsibility," but because it is their only chance for contraception after sexual assault or sexual coercion. Our culture all too often allows women to be forced into sex by making sexual assault and protections from such a low priority: forcing women into pregnancy on top of that is a strong and clear lack of care and respect for women and our health.
- Women, especially young adult women are at FAR greater health risks from pregnancy than they are from any form of contraception, including EC.
- The majority of unplanned teen pregnancies occur among poor women (often who are not minorities, despite rumour to the contrary). Thus, not only is keeping OTC EC from young women about sexism, it is also about classism, and it creates higher health risks for young women and their children who are more inclined to have those risks already due to poverty.
- If a young woman isn't smart enough to read the instructions for Plan B, how might she be smart enough to rear a child well?
You might want to point out that "public comment" periods were NOT required for: - Viagra and other male impotence drugs
- the recent resurgence and approval (despite vocal activism against such from women's groups and health pros) of silicone breast implants or saline breast implants, as well as other common products which compromise(d) women's health like hormonal menopause treatments, douches, some commercial menstrual products and the like.
You might want to point out that: - It is the FDA's JOB to promote and protect the HEALTH and SAFETY of all Americans, which includes women and young women. It is the FDA's job to consider -- only -- the medical and health aspects of any pharmaceutical, NOT to assign personal values or religious beliefs to American citizens and consumers. EC has been overwhelmingly supported by all the relevant and longstanding medical health associations, including as an over-the-counter medication for young women. It can significantly reduce both abortions and unplanned pregnancies, and thus, acts as a great protection for the health and well-being of women and children, not a danger. It has not been shown to have ANY serious side effects. Plan B is medically safer than aspirin.
Here's some info from the FDA on Plan B and its status.
(Note sentences like this "The agency issued a Not Approvable letter because the supplemental application did not meet the criteria for approval in that it did not demonstrate that Plan B could be used safely by young adolescent women for emergency contraception without the professional supervision of a licensed practitioner." Susan Wood, for instance, the FDA Women's Health Director who resigned over this issue, has made clear that statements like this are simply false.)
Here's a piece from the Washington Post about Dr. David Hager's possible influence of the matter, a doctor with a history of telling female patients with profound PMS to pray, and refusing to prescribe contraceptives for unmarried patients, and whose appointment was massively protested, yet he was snuck into the office under the radar.
Here is the American Academy of Pediatrics stating clearly that they support OTC EC access for young women.
Here is information about the suit filed against the FDA over this issue.
Here is the home page for the FDA Office of Women's Health.
You can email Dr. Lester Crawford, the Commissioner of the FDA at: email@example.com Please CC the letter to Scarleteen for public post at: firstname.lastname@example.com, and we'll do our part to get your voice out there, loud and clear (and anything but stupid).


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Welcome back for another installment of Preview Monday! This week, we're giving you exclusive first looks at TRINITY OF SIN: THE PHANTOM STRANGER #13 and TRILLIUM #4!
Two out of the three characters who comprise the Trinity of Sin come face to face! But before the Phantom Stranger and the Question have their standoff, the Stranger is visited by both Sin Eater and Zauriel. It's time to put his past as Philip Stark well behind him and deal with the future. But what does that hold for him when the Crime Syndicate is busy destroying the present! A FOREVER EVIL tie-in, TRINITY OF SIN: THE PHANTOM STRANGER #13, written by J.M. DeMatteis and illustrated by Fernando Blanco, hits shelves on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, in TRILLIUM #4, the universe struggles to maintain balance after Commander Pohl and her security force bomb the Atabithian temple. With Nika and William on Earth's end of the portal, are they safe from attack? How did the Atabithians survive the blast? And what's the connection between the Atabithians and the savage natives in the jungle? Written and illustrated by Jeff Lemire, TRILLIUM #4 will be available in stores this Wednesday.


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Indications for: Ondansetron Oral Solution
Prevention of nausea and vomiting associated with: highly emetogenic chemotherapy, including cisplatin ≥50mg/m2; initial and repeat courses of moderately emetogenic chemotherapy; and radiotherapy in patients receiving total body irradiation, single high-dose fraction to the abdomen, or daily fractions to the abdomen. Prevention of post-op nausea and vomiting.
Adult Dosage:
See full labeling. Highly emetogenic chemotherapy: 24mg once 30 mins before start of single-day chemotherapy (multi-day, single-dose not studied). Moderately emetogenic chemotherapy: 8mg every 8hrs for 2 doses beginning 30 mins before chemotherapy, then 8mg every 12hrs for 1–2 days after chemotherapy completed. Total body irradiation: 8mg 1–2hrs before each fraction of radiotherapy administered each day. Single high-dose fraction radiotherapy to abdomen: 8mg 1–2hrs before radiotherapy, then 8mg every 8hrs after 1st dose for 1–2 days after radiation completed. Daily fractionated radiotherapy to abdomen: 8mg 1–2hrs before radiotherapy, then 8mg every 8hrs after 1st dose for each day of radiotherapy. Post-op prophylaxis: 16mg 1hr before induction of anesthesia. For all: severe hepatic dysfunction: max 8mg/day.
Children Dosage:
Highly emetogenic chemotherapy, radiotherapy, or <4yrs of age: not recommended (see IV form). 4–11yrs: moderately emetogenic chemotherapy: 4mg every 4hrs for 3 doses beginning 30 mins before chemotherapy, then 4mg every 8hrs for 1–2 days after chemotherapy completed. Post-op prophylaxis: see IV form.
Ondansetron Oral Solution Contraindications:
Concomitant apomorphine.
Ondansetron Oral Solution Warnings/Precautions:
<4 months of age (monitor closely). Not a substitute for nasogastric suction in gastric or intestinal peristalsis. Congenital long QT syndrome: avoid. Electrolyte abnormalities, CHF, bradyarrhythmias, concomitant drugs that prolong QT: monitor ECG. May mask progressive ileus and/or gastric distention. GI obstruction risk: monitor for decreased bowel activity. Coronary artery spasm. Monitor for myocardial ischemia during and after administration (esp. IV use; do not exceed recommended infusion rate). Phenylketonuria (ODT form). Hepatic dysfunction. Pregnancy. Nursing mothers.
Ondansetron Oral Solution Classification:
Selective 5-HT3 receptor antagonist.
Ondansetron Oral Solution Interactions:
See Contraindications. Profound hypotension, loss of consciousness with apomorphine. Serotonin syndrome possible esp. with concomitant serotonergic drugs (eg, SSRIs, SNRIs, MAOIs, mirtazapine, fentanyl, lithium, tramadol, IV methylene blue). May antagonize tramadol.
Adverse Reactions:
Diarrhea, headache, fever, constipation, fatigue, transient blindness; serotonin syndrome (discontinue if occurs); rare: angina, bronchospasm, anaphylaxis, seizures, ECG changes (including QT prolongation).
Generic Drug Availability:
How Supplied:
Tabs 4mg, 8mg—30; ODT, oral soln, vials—contact supplier


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Speyside region – 52.2% ABV – $99 (for now) and sold exclusively through Julio's in Westboro, MA.
Here we are again; reviewing a store exclusive single cask of whisky.
If you live in the Northeast of the US, chances are you've heard of or frequent Julio's in Westboro, MA.
Store owner and Keeper of the Quaich, Ryan Maloney, is known for having perhaps the most whisky-centric stores in our neck of the woods. He also has his own whisky society called the Loch and K(e)y Society and bottles whisk(e)y for them on a very regular basis. Loch and K(e)y are the first and only group to ever have a cask of Balvenie bottled exclusively for them. (I had a taste once and it was a yummy, yummy thing).
I visited Julio's a couple of weeks ago to pick up a bottle of George T Stagg and Ryan was nice enough to give me a taste of today's whisky. This is a cask of Cragganmore that he personally chose to bottle.
I fell in love with it almost immediately and when he told me it was only $99, I had to get a bottle. Hey, it was my birthday. How could I not buy myself a bottle?
So today, I'm reviewing one of my birthday whiskies (happy birthday, again, to me):
On the nose – A charming start with whiffs of *faint* smoke and lavender.
Quite clean and bright with lightly spiced Bartlett pears. Applewood and unscented candle wax.
Heavenly, and decidedly malty.
I have to say, this nose is really, really good. Again, clean and fruity and very, very confident.
On the mouth – Loads of malted barley and very chewy.
Lively and oily, honied and spiced.
Still quite fruity with touches of light citrus.
Hints of salt but not brine and now some hints of Limon.
Getting back to what I said before, this is a very confident whisky. Drying and slightly smokey toward the finish.
Finish – A spritz of citrus, a dash of spice and some malt. It goes on for a good bit here.
In sum – The more I think about this one the more I agree with the thought in my head that this is not the most complex whisky in the world. (My apologies for the horrible, run-on-like, structure of the preceding sentence.)
However, it's not simple at all. It's easily understood and hides very little from you.
This is in my top ten list as one of the finer whiskies I've had this year from a rock-solid-satisfying-whisky standpoint. If there were ever a self-actualized whisky, it would be this one.


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This past week a talk radio colleague created a stir when she asserted that those who were refusing to vote for Donald Trump on moral grounds were both misguided but also hypocritical.
She went so far as to describe those that did not choose to support the only candidate who can defeat Hillary Clinton as in essence supporting the expansion of abortion.
Laura Ingraham was correct in her assertions.
Though I do not make any assumption of intent to do so, I very much agree that those who refuse to stop Hillary, are assisting her efforts. On the campaign trail this year she has pledged to quadruple the current tax-payer funding of Planned Parenthood. We currently send more than one half billion tax dollars to the organization that kills 387,000 children per year (and increasingly in turn makes more money from the selling of their body parts.) Hillary has pledged to quadruple these efforts.
So if you're comfortable with Hillary Clinton spending two billion of our tax dollars (money you work hard for to feed your kids with) to kill upwards of 1.2 million children, then do nothing.
But the moral mandate to oppose Clinton goes far beyond the killing of unborn children.
Her economic policies would continue the choking regulations on small businesses. Doing so means fewer jobs are created. Fewer people feeding their families. Fewer people doing good with their tithes and charitable giving. Fewer resources to ever help those who have fallen through the cracks. She has no plan to address the issues of the urban centers. She has not met and formulated action plans with community leaders in Detroit, Chicago, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and DC. She has no plan to help end addiction, dependency, and entitlement drains. She is fine with allowing those who are suffering to continue to suffer, so long as they vote for her. This approach is morally wrong, not merely fiscally.
Her national security positions are impossible to trust. She openly flaunted national security concerns by installing and using a nearly completely unsecured server. Her shrug-of-the-shoulder approach to classified information being left vulnerable on her server stood in sharp contrast to nearly every military or intelligence official who has had their statuses revoked for much smaller infractions. Considering also that the FBI agents who worked the case investigating her unanimously felt she should never be given a security clearance again should be telling. Considering that the six DOJ attorneys who worked her case believed she should've been prosecuted should seal the deal as to whether the moral trust the nation will have to put in it's top intelligence officer. Indifference to the law is as immoral as breaking it. Her willingness to ignore the plight of the boys in Benghazi, lie to their families faces and ask Congress "what difference it made" also speaks to her willful and immoral lack of care for those in her charge. She is morally compromised, and demonstrated it while serving in government.
Her approach to the rule of law speaks loudly to the lack of moral code she would continue to encourage at higher office. Everything from encouraging Black Lives Matter to go further in disturbing law and order in their protests, to making smarmy and arrogant jokes while wholesale denying things we later found out to be true speaks to her own willingness to skirt any law that is inconvenient for her. She is without equal in public brazenness and overly prideful in defying lawful orders, subpoenas, and court instruction. Not ironically those are usually issued because of an earlier refusal to comply with written laws.
Lastly and perhaps the most important reason that she must be opposed on moral grounds is very simple: we're not merely electing one person to one position. The president will bring with them nearly 3000 bureaucrats. Which leads those not committed to stopping Hillary to answer some tough questions.
For instance, what's the rigorous intellectual difference between what Laura Ingraham said and what conservatives have argued about democrats who claim to be pro-life but refuse to raise a finger to stop
Every argument made to vote for Bush in 2000 once Keyes and Bauer were out of the running was "he's better than Gore… even if imperfect. Every argument made for McCain was that while he may have not been a perfect conservative we would get more from him than Obama. The same for Romney.
You fight the battle for purity in the primary, but you should fight for the survival of civilization in the general.
It's not just Trump v Clinton. It's Pence v. Kaine. It's it's Cristie vs. Lynch. It's Ken Blackwell vs. Cheryl Mills. It's a cabinet of competence vs a cabinet of corruption.
To continue to pretend that "doing nothing" is in some way being pro-life at this time is rigorously intellectually, and mathematically false.
It makes me uncomfortable to have to level such confrontation in writing. I have so many cherished friends who likely disagree with me here. But what I've said is true.
If you are not committed to stopping Hillary—especially on moral grounds—then you are helping her win.
And if good people choose to do nothing, then evil prospers.
Sir Edmund Burke would be the first to say so.


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By David Crane defrev (at) gmail (dot) com All photos contained in this article were taken by DefenseReview.com, and are copyrighted. DefenseReview.com owns the copyright on these photos. The photos were shot with a Canon PowerShot S90 10-megapixel digital camera (still camera with video capability). February 23, 2010 DefenseReview plans to run two custom-built tactical AR carbines (AR-15 carbines) through …Read More »
Tag Archives: 6.5 piston upper
Vltor/POF 6.5 Grendel Special Purpose Rifle (SPR)-Type AR-15 Tactical Rifle/Carbine for Special Operations
By David Crane defrev (at) gmail (dot) com Photo(s) Credit: Doug Richardson, Special Weapons for Military & Police (SWMP) May 13, 2009 Updated on 5/15/09 And, speaking of Charlie Cutshaw articles, we might as well mention Mr. Cutshaw's cover gun article on the Vltor/POF 6.5 Grendel (a.k.a. 6.5mm Grendel a.k.a. 6.5G a.k.a. 65G) semi-auto-only direct-gas-impingement (DGI) AR-15 tactical carbine/rifle for …Read More »


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These little adventures
Beat and I have been trying out new running routes. My recent run-loading has made it tougher to digest the idea of a daily trips to Rancho, so we've been testing out lesser-known home trails with encouraging results. On Monday, we finally connected the "Steven's Reservoir Loop," a quiet 6.2-mile jaunt up the crest of Coyote Ridge, down a winding piece of delicious singletrack and along the steep shoreline of the reservoir. Rocky cliffs, golden light and turquoise water — like a little piece of Hawaii close to home.
Today Beat was going to rest to try to stave off his cold, but then it rained. I mean, it really rained. The temperature dropped to 58 degrees and gray mist tumbled down the canyons. On the way to the post office, I heard a host on the radio complaining about taking out her rain jacket "for the seventh time since March." She said it without a hint of irony. I knew this signaled a rare summer event indeed. When I returned home Beat was just as thrilled as I was about the rain. We decided to take our evening run to the rainforest, otherwise known as Windy Hill.
The trails were mired in a strange combination of mud — sometimes slimy and slick, other times shoe-grabbing sludge, and still others as solid as concrete, but all basically the same texture and color and all unpredictable. It made for really challenging running — more about survival than a solid workout. But the landscape reminded me of Southeast Alaska in the summer, and this made me feel blissfully content.
Who says you can't have a little outdoor adventure in metro California?
Sure, I move slower through the unknowns, and yes, it is more risky to go trail running in the rain. But really, the ability to explore the greater outdoors is the entire reason for fitness, at least in my own personal application of fitness. Sometimes that means an enjoyable interaction with the familiar, and other times it's a blind leap to something surprising and new. But in every case it's what I enjoy most about day-to-day life, these little adventures.
8 comments:
I am with you on that! The adventures make it all worthwhile!ReplyDelete
When the comditions are just right, it is hard not to run, even if you're not feeling well. Many times for me getting out on a run is just the cure I need.ReplyDelete
These are beautiful trails for metro CA:)ReplyDelete
Absolutely fantastic photos.ReplyDelete
Thank you for sharing.
great photos (and I totally blame you for the rain since you asked for it in your previous post btw) :-)ReplyDelete
Got your book last night in the mail. Can't wait to get started on it.
- AnonymousJune 30, 2011 at 10:37 AM
Those "Little Adventures" are what keeps me going. Most of us live near urban areas, so these little chunks of woods nearby offer daily fun.ReplyDelete
Life is supposed to be an adventure...if it's not, then you're doing something wrong. As always, LOVE your pics, and thanks for taking us along for the ride/run.ReplyDelete
And hey! Got your new book last night in the mail..AWESOME! Thanks Jill!! I look forward to reading (more) about your adventure! I keenly recall following you on the SPOT map and reading/listening to your phoned in updates every day...I thought it was one of the most amazing things I've ever heard of...and you did SO well.
Have a GREAT holiday weekend, and also congrats on the new wheels to you and Beat...there's just something about the 'new car smell'... and you got an awesome vehicle...(I also have a small wagon...it's a must so I can carry my expensive bikes INSIDE rather than on a rack).
It's gonna be quite warm this weekend...so drink up (water I mean). And stay safe!


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SKYDIVING in
Make Your First Skydive
in Nashville!
Prepare to enter the exciting world of skydiving!
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Tandem Skydiving in Nashville
Our Recommended Method for Your First Skydive!
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Your instructor will be safely strapped to you throughout the entire skydive and parachute ride across the Tennessee sky. Your jump will include approximately 60 seconds of freefall, followed by a canopy ride that lasts anywhere from 7 to 10 minutes. Should you request it, some tandem masters may also allow you to assist in steering the parachute. It's an extreme experience that you will never forget!
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Your jump is made in the company of two USPA rated AFF Jump Masters who provide direct assistance during your exit from the airplane and freefall. You will have the opportunity to deploy your pilot chute, which will release your main canopy. Once your parachute is deployed, you will (with radio assistance) control a solo parachute descent back to the drop zone. This is certainly the most daring choice for your first skydive in Nashville!
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