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Show Details
Hank 3
- Wednesday, June 4, 2014
- The Southgate House Revival (The Sanctuary)
- 7:30pm doors / 8:30pm show
This show is typically one half country and the other metal/punk rock. The first half of the show is a country show that is appropriate for all ages, while the second half of the show is more suited for alternative and adult audiences and contains certain language that may be considered inappropriate and offensive to some people.
The king of Hellbilly, Mr. Hank3 himself, is pleased to announce a triple-threat of new releases, hitting stores October 1, 2013. Hank3 will release a brand new DOUBLE country album, entitled Brothers of the 4x4, and a single punk album, entitled A Fiendish Threat, with his new project "3". Brothers of the 4x4 and A Fiendish Threat will both be available as double LP vinyl versions.
Recording in his own home and releasing music on his own label, the Megaforce distributed Hank3 Records, allowed Williams complete creative control during the four month period it took to make both records.
Besides living the songs subject matter first, Hank3 sang and played both guitar and drums on the records. As if pulling triple duty wasn't enough, he engineered, produced, mixed and mastered all the tunes as well. Not bad for someone who in his own words is dyslexic and has ADD, according to Hank3 "my mind is all over the place". But even a man talented and driven enough to do (count 'em) seven jobs at once has his limits, so Hank3 has once again assembled a top-notch ensemble of pickers and pluckers for Brothers Of The 4x4 and A Fiendish Threat.
The required stand-up bass holds the low end down at the deft hands of Zach Shedd, with David McElfresh and Billy Contreras whipping razor sharp bows across the fiddle. Daniel Mason handles banjo, with a special guest appearance on "Possum In A Tree" by former National Old-Time Banjo Champion Leroy Troy working his banjo in the old school clawhammer style, while Andy Gibson wrings the sweetest of notes out his stand up steel guitar. Finally, long-time collaborator and fellow multi-instrumentalist extraordinaire Johnny Hiland rips his chicken pickin' guitar to feathers and shreds.
Hank3's latest country record is just that- country, and the realness of it shines throughout the record like moonlight hitting a mason jar of corn liquor- it ain't always the smoothest, and it doesn't come wrapped in a fancy package, but it's 100% pure whoop-ass in a bottle that gets the job done quicker and better and reminds you of where you originally came from once you figure out what just hit you. On "Outdoor Plan" he sings of fishing and hunting as a way of life, and it's a fact that more than one deer and turkey has met its maker at the end of Hank3's gun's barrel. The title track, "Brothers of the 4x4" celebrates the wide open full throttle love of off roadin' and rootin' in a four wheel drive - the cover of the record shows Williams mud bogging in a custom 4x4, and it's not some redneck rental - that's his ride. And because life ain't always happy, when the heartbreak and hard times cracks through the sonic celebration on songs like "Loners 4 Life" and "Ain't Broken Down", it's because Hank3 is well acquainted with the darker side of life, and not as some tourist. The album is a rich and gritty sounding mixture of sadness, pride, hope- in other words, it's a great country record.
With Brothers of the 4x4 and A Fiendish Threat set for release October 1st, Williams is ready to hit the road, and when he hits the road, he hits it much harder than most. Hank3 shows are legendary for their length and intensity, averaging three hours a night, starting with a country set and ending with whatever his latest musical experiment happens to be. For this touring cycle, fans will get to taste the hardcore punk horror rock of A Fiendish Threat, a rippingly fast blast of sounds reminiscent of The Misfits, Minor Threat, 7 Seconds, The Ramones and other punk rock greats that are as much a part of Hank 3's musical identity as his country roots. But A Fiendish Threat, like all of the man's musical output, is anything but a formulaic, by-the-numbers rehash of what has been previously done by others. Stand up bass, fiddle, and banjo are not exactly standard instruments in punk rock, but they are on this record, riding beneath 3's howling distorted vocals. Perhaps this is the birth of rebelcore punk? Whatever you want to call it, Williams has left his own touch on the genre, even utilizing a bizarrely beautiful Hula-music-on-acid sounding Hawaiian guitar at times. Some of the songs can make the listener feel like someone dropped LSD in their cheap draft beer at a CBGB matinee show headlined by a ghoulish Hawaiian punk band. A Fiendish Threat is yet another of Williams already numerous signature sounds, and he's excited to put it in front of the audience for the first time. "You know when you do a new record, you just want to play it for all your friends. That's what I'm excited for with this punk record, I get use a voice that doesn't get used that often, and pay respects to some of my influences at the same time. Doing this record made feel like I was growing stronger- it took some of the years off me, to tell you the truth. Playing it makes me feel young again," he laughs, "How long I will be able to pull it off all depends on the voice, man."
With these dual releases, Brothers Of The 4x4 and A Fiendish Threat added to his already huge and varied arsenal of music, Hank3 will be raising all sorts of hell on stage while the fans raise their glasses in the audience once again, and you can bet your last dollar a damn good time will be had by all. The man goes full throttle all the time, every time, as anyone who has ever been to one of his innumerable shows will attest.
Listen to Brothers of the 4x4 and A Fiendish Threat, go to a show, and find out for yourself. Just remember the next day, after a few aspirins, a dinner at your own table, and a sleep in your own bed, that Hank3 will be down the road doing his thing again, and for that rebel, "doing the best I can" means something a little different than it does for the average man.
Hank3's new biography was recently penned by none other than heavy metal renaissance man and self-proclaimed redneck Randy Blythe of Lamb of God. Who better than a backwoods brother from another mother to conjure up a personal summary of Hank3's recent successes and future plans?

subset: commoncrawl


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Legal Pot Sales Will Hit $10 Billion This Year
North American cannabis sales have once again managed to shatter expectations, with legal pot sales set to hit $10 billion this year
It's no secret that the cannabis industry is a lucrative one, but it appears we may have underestimated just exactly how lucrative it might be.
While plenty of experts expected the industry to see rapid growth in North America, no one could have predicted the extent to which it's happening right now.
Record-Breaking Highs
According to a report from Arcview Market Research, retail cannabis sales are set to increase 33 percent from 2016's figures and hit the $10 billion mark in 2017.
Additionally, researchers believe 2018's number will increase by an even higher percentage, due to the pending legalization of recreational pot in several prominent areas.
"Aside from cryptocurrency, there is simply no other industry changing as rapidly or as unevenly as the cannabis sector," said Troy Dayton, CEO of The Arcview Group.
Canada, for example, is set to legalize recreational pot on July 1, 2018. It will become the second country to ever do so after Uraguay did so back in 2013. Canada will, however, own the distinction of being the largest (and most prominent) country to federally legalize the plant.
Nevada, who legalized recreational weed this past July, saw $27 million in sales during its first month of retail. Due to its early success, the state is now expected to expand the industry by introducing cannabis tourism, something that is, by and large, expected to exponentially increase its profits.
But perhaps the biggest contributing factor to another exponential increase is California's recreational weed market, which will debut in just under a month on January 1.
As it stands, California's medical marijuana industry (which has now existed for over two decades), is as big as the markets in Colorado, Oregon and Washington… combined. The introduction of recreational pot is poised to drive the market to new highs.
Final Hit: Legal Pot Sales Will Hit $10 Billion This Year
Currently, Arcview projects the legal cannabis market to reach sales of $24.5 billion by 2021. However, this number remains simply an educated guess, as the same experts could not predict the $10 billion figure we are seeing today.
Growth in the burgeoning marijuana market remains exclusively dependent upon states changing their own laws regarding the plant. If certain states like New Jersey, which is currently in discussions to legalize the plant, manage to do so successfully, there's no telling just how high the market could rise.
And if it ever becomes legal on a federal scale, those original projections would be shattered. Although at this point, that doesn't seem likely by 2021.
Regardless, what's happening now is a step in the right direction.


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For those eager to get your hands on the Palm Pre but are cautious about straying from the almighty iPhone, here's some good news: According to reports, the Pre seamlessly syncs with iTunes. The one problem is that it cannot handle copy-protected songs, so if you've been amassing a legit iTunes library (i.e. downloaded from iTunes and not, you know, elsewhere), you may want to stick with Apple.
The program necessary for syncing handheld devices with iTunes is apparently built into the Pre. The questions are whether or not that program is considered Apple's intellectual property, and what Apple's next legal steps may be. Tim Cook infamously threatened legal action against anyone who dared rip off Apple's IP, so if Palm is walking on shaky ground with its iTunes syncing, it better be prepared for an all-out lawsuit war.
The Pre is being touted by many as an iPhone killer — an overused term that never comes true. While iTunes syncing would certainly provide users with another reason to choose the Pre, and would give the Pre a leg-up in its quest to kill the iPhone, one must remember that the Pre only comes with 8GB of memory, or about the size of a low-end iPod Nano. Meanwhile, it's almost certain that Apple will release a 32GB version of the iPhone, so those with larger music collections will want to pick up a device that can handle as much as possible.
When the Pre is released on June 6, we'll have to see whether or not it syncs with iTunes for sure, and for how long.


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I love them! Really simple but completely different and personal. Thanks :)ReplyDelete
Oh, these are great! Love the Christmas tree.ReplyDelete
I was thinking the same thing, that you wouldn't always have another T of the same color on hand and that I would experiment with using different colored shirts. Cute designs.ReplyDelete
Adorable!!! I made a little tree similar on tea towells for Christmas gifts!- Oh, how I do love a sweet ruffle! :)ReplyDelete
What a great idea! Love it!ReplyDelete
I love how you can take a t and make it so much better by adding stuff! I also think you can get away with so much more with kids stuff so you can add all the color you want and it always looks cute on kids!ReplyDelete
New follower here. I love that idea. Sorry if this is a basic question, but since I'm still learning, do you hand stitch the ruffle on or do you sew it by machine? If you machine sew, which setting do you like to use?ReplyDelete
LOVE these! Thanks for posting the instructions!ReplyDelete
How cute! I love the colors you chose for the black T-shirt! My favorite is the pink one!ReplyDelete
So cute. I really love the Christmas tree.ReplyDelete
Great idea for reusing old stained clothes!!ReplyDelete
I love the boy idea! I actually made a shirt for my sister, she saw one on anthropologie and I said I can do that!! I just cut skinny strips of fabric and sewed them on the top in the shape of flowing flowers. Wish I took a pic.:( Thanks for another great idea!ReplyDelete
- AnonymousNovember 17, 2009 at 9:02 AM
Very clever! :)ReplyDelete
great ideas for Christmas!!!ReplyDelete
I'm always making things for my daughter and my poor boys seem left out! The boys designs sound perfect. Thanks!ReplyDelete
thats such a good idea and they sem so easy. i am so going to make some for me and my daughter. we love matching tops!ReplyDelete
What a lovely project! I just may add a few ruffles to my own shirts. So feminine and sweet! :o)ReplyDelete
- AnonymousNovember 17, 2009 at 9:34 PM
How do you keep the strips from fraying? I am new to working with jersey. Should I use small pinking shears?ReplyDelete
I'm off to make that Christmas tree right now. SO cute. You are fabulous!ReplyDelete
loving that tree!! soo cute! can't wait to make a matching one for my five month old and five year old girls!! I'll try to make a boyish on for my 4 year old son too! i'll send a pic when they're done! :) thanks for such an inspirational blog!! :)ReplyDelete
I really wish I was more creative.ReplyDelete
Mrs Bianca: I just used my basic strait stitch on my machine to sew the ruffles on!ReplyDelete
Anonymous: You don't have to worry about fraying with jersey fabric. That's the beauty of it! It doesn't fray, even after you wash it! Hooray!!
love this! ruffles are so pretty!ReplyDelete
Oh my goodness....so cute! I've been doing a bunch of ruffled onesies lately, but I never would have thought to "draw" with them. Awesome idea!ReplyDelete
I absolutely love the Christmas tree one!ReplyDelete
I'm stopping by from Lorie's place. Love your shirts and your blog!ReplyDelete
love these too! Featuring them on somedaycrafts.blogspot.comReplyDelete
Such a cute idea! I love the Christmas tree ruffle and the scarf dress I looked at earlier. Thanks for sharing. :)ReplyDelete


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On platforms and sustainability – confused of calcutta
JP Rangaswami also examines the rise of the platforms but he's got some ideas for a more sustainable future:
A part of me wants to evoke Jane Jacobs and Christopher Alexander when it comes to building sustainable platforms. The platform "community" needs to be cared for and looked after, the living spaces they inhabit need to be designed to last. Multipurpose rather than monoculture, diverse rather than homogeneous . Prior industrial models where entire communities would rely on a single industry need to be learnt from and avoided. We shouldn't be building the rust belts of the future. We should be looking for the death and life of great platforms, for a pattern language for sustainable platforms.


text: Summer Student Research Awards are three-month paid summer internships designed to introduce college freshman, sophomores, juniors, and seniors to various fields of biomedical research. Selected interns are Oregon residents or attend colleges and universities in Oregon. Learn more about the CROET Summer Intern Program. See more photos from the poster session on CROET's Facebook page.


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Charlotte Bunch, Founding director, Center for Women's Global Leadership
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Posted at 08:35 PM | Permalink
Comments (1)
| Reblog
I've been making progress on my list, but I still feel that it's not enough. I've actually done a lot on the NEEDS to be done list. It's the IMPORTANT to me stuff that's not getting done.
So far:
On the Important list I haven't accomplished much:
Posted at 01:24 PM in Lists | Permalink
Comments (4)
I feel like if I don't make some plans, then my summer will slip by and I'll not get to the stuff that's important.
Need to do:
What's on your summer agenda?
Posted at 08:27 AM in Lists | Permalink
Comments (4)
Our little 6.5 lb puppy is now a 50lb girl. She turned 7 months the last week of May and weighed 48 lbs that day. I'd like to try another compare shot, but she flattens a wiffle ball in 15 seconds. I'll have to try one on her big brown cushion, but lately Rex has been sleeping there.
Holly needs 2 walks a day. The should each be over 2 miles. Or one 4 mile walk will do. It's usually me and the kids walking the dog so we're all getting a lot of exercise. I think I've finally lost 5 lbs, but our scale doesn't work and I wasn't about to step on the giant scale the dog walks onto in the front of our vet's office.
Holly eats A LOT. The trainer recommended feeding her once a day and wetting her food with a bit of water. Holly won't eat kibbles that are wet. She nibbled instead of eating for 2 days before I figured that this just wouldn't work for us. And she has to have a small bowl of kibble in the morning or she'll head out to the yard to see what she can eat there. Too often that was cat poo from the neighborhood cats. She was finding that under our hedge. I also read that when your dog is eating too much grass it could be a sign that they need some more green in their diet. I started giving her green beans again and the grass chomping has drastically reduced.
Holly completed the puppy class at a local K-9 accademy. When I found out that the pet stores have a cashier that runs their puppy classes, I figured that it would be hit or miss as to wether you would have a good trainer. With Holly's strength, I knew we needed more than just a little puppy class. We loved our trainer. Holly was fearful of other dogs when we started the class. Now she knows how to meet other dogs when on a walk and she's even made a few friends. We need to sign up for the next level of Obedience Training, but the last session fell on 3 family birthdays so we decided to wait. I might have to wait until fall.
Holly LOVES our cat Rex. He doen't love her back quite the same. She shares her food, and she's even sharing her bed. Holly would just love to cuddle up with Rex but he won't have that yet. I took these with my phone. Here's Holly on Rex's little red cushion. While she lets him have her big cushion. I like to think one of my kids is good at sharing.
Posted at 07:51 PM in Holly | Permalink
Comments (1)
I'm actually going to back up a bit into 2011. Early in December my 8 year old was in the ER for an entire day hooked up to IV and running tests. We went home with a Strep Throat diagnosis (which he did have) but also wondering if that was really all that was going on. By February he had lost 8 pounds. That's more than 10% of his body weight. He finally confessed that he'd felt sick to his tummy since December (2 month!!!) but was afraid we'd take him back to the hospital so he just hid his pain. Even typing this now, it still makes me so sad. One of the things we tried was having this kid eat gluten and dairy free. We ran rounds of blood tests and finally my primary care Dr. thought to check his thyroid. That was it!!! He's taking synthetic thyroid and will have blood tests every 4-6 months while he's growing....but my kid is finally feeling better. 6 weeks after starting the medication he gained back all the weight he'd lost plus 1 lb. We've re-introduced some dairy (soy cheese just doesn't cut it for this kid...and we're buying some breads/chips/cookies that have dairy) but he's still gluten free. His tummy FINALLY doesn't hurt. And he has noticed such a difference that he's not even tempted to cheat. Did you know that tootsie rolls have gluten? He won't eat anything without checking with me first. I am so thankful to have my kid feeling like himself again that it's worth not being able to eat out (except for some Mexican or Vegan places). It's worth always having to pack food for him because you can't just stop and get something if you're not going to make it home in time for a meal. It's totally worth packing him a sack lunch and a special cupcake or cookie for every birthday party he's invited to. And...it's opened my heart to other kids with special diets. On the last night of Stockade (a church version of Boy Scouts) they had ice cream sandwiches for everyone. T couldn't have one and I didn't know there would be a special treat so I hadn't sent him with somethig. This time he said it was OK because there was a 6th grader that was allergic to dairy and he couldn't have one either. So when T's Sunday School class had a party I sent a couple boxes of Enjoy Life cookies. I knew then that kids with allergies in his class could have a cookie. I know there's at least 1 girl with peanut allergies in that class.
And if T's health issues weren't enough...We started L at the orthodontist. Now I have 2 kids with palate wideners...and that means no gum/sticky foods/crunchy foods/popcorn. Once you add those diet restrictions to the GF/DF diets that 2 of us have you can see why cooking is such a full time job. We don't use any pre-cooked dinners. I can't pick up take-out. I can't just put a frozen lasagna in the oven and add a bag of salad an pop open a can of breadsticks to bake. I'm not sure I want to eat like that, but maybe I just want the option.
During all this...My hubby coached 2 basketball teams, the kids all took swimming lessons, we had 2 birthdays and the puppy gained 40lbs.
I'll give the puppy update in another post. And just maybe I'll have a knitting update too. Oh...and for those who have been around since the aDayInTheLife days, the kiddos are now 10, 9, & 7!
Posted at 06:36 PM | Permalink
Comments (3)
Now, you have looked at some of my Holly posts and wondered just what kind of dog Holly is. We've done a lot of wondering ourselves. The rescue group we adopted her from told us Lab/Collie. She did a lot of growing and changing so that when she was 16 weeks and started her puppy class the trainer told us he felt she was a Lab/Pit. I can't say I disagree with him. Her little forward flipped ears moved to the side of her head and she looks like the flying nun. But then, at 6 months feathering started to grow in on her hind legs. Maybe she's all theree. So...she's a Lab mix. We're fine with that.
But, not everyone is. We have to say Lab Mix. Because if we say she's a Lab/Pit...people frown. They wonder why I would get a Pit for my kids. They assume because of her name that she's mean. I won't say that it doesn't sound like she wants to eat the mailman when he drops our letters in our mailbox (it's just outside our door...but she usually hears him drive up). I think she's trying to protect us. Maybe I should put treats in the mail box then when she hears the mailman and we go to get the mail, she'll think he left the treats for her??? But look at these photos and tell me that this is a MEAN dog. I'll tell you one fierce thing about this dog...She is FIERCLY loyal.
[I looked through my Holly photos, and realized one kid is missing. I do know that he was the photographer for some of these (that black flip flop in the corner of the 3rd pic), but I'll have to get him and Holly together.]
So even though I'm late to the party...late is better than never. Happy Birthday Corbin! Sissy & Gretchen told us about your party! I hope it was fabulous.
Posted at 08:30 PM in Holly | Permalink
Comments (3)
It's usually not good to compare. You don't want to compare your kids to others (ie. my kid walked at 9 months...and your's at 15 months...so mine is clearly going to be an olympic runner). You dont's want to compare yourself to others either. I've been thinking a lot about my unhealthy self-talk. On a daily basis, my thought go something like this:
I could go on...but I won't. I shouldn't compare myself like that. No one should. It's not healthy. Yet somehow I know that it's a trap women fall into so easy (men might make this mistake too, but I'm not one and I can't speak for them). So, when you're feeling inadequate how do you refocus? I've got some thoughts, but I'll save those for another post. I know I'm not alone in the comparison trap, so what do you do? And I'll try to come back soon with a Refocus post.
This is one time when it's ok to compare though...
On the left: December 3o, 2011 :: On the right: January 29, 2012
Look how much my baby has grown in a month! I scaled the images in photoshop so that the balls are the same size. Yes, one is pink and one is purple, but they're from the same set. Like this, it is good to compare yourself, not against others, but over time to observe growth. Just something to think about.
Posted at 11:02 PM | Permalink
Comments (8)
Every weekend, I make a menu for the week based on what's on sale at the grocery stores I shop at (Trader Joes, Sprouts, and Stater Bros.). Then I shop and prep (sometimes I'll chop the veggies) for the week. I use the crock pot on most Tuesdays because I'll take the boys to fencing and then I'll need a quick dinner. When I have extra time, I'll double a recipe and throw the extra in the freezer so that on other busy nights I'll have something to pull out. Did I mention that January is our extra busy month? Tuesday is Fencing, Wednesday is Ballet/Tap and Stockade/Pioneer Girls with the added busyness of Pine Wood Derby Cars, Thursday is Basketball practice and M is coaching 2 Upward teams. I'm thankful that the cars will be completed by the time Swimming starts at the end of February. Should I mention that we don't really eat out. I also don't buy packaged things like a Stouffer's Lasagna. When M was unemployed, we learned to cook differently (from scratch and whole foods) because it was cheaper. Now, I've shown my kids enough of the gross images that are circulating on FB to make them afraid of chicken nuggets. They're also leary of cheese goo.
So...Here's the last 3 weeks of menus. I do write breakfast and lunch on my calendar, but I'm jsut posting dinners here. Let me know if you try anything. If you have some family favorite you'd like to share we're always ready to try new things.
Jan 15-21
Potato Soup with Bacon, Cheese, and Sour Cream
Chicken Enchiladas with Spicy Rice and Refried Beans
Stromboli (with a veggie platter and ranch dip)
Taco Soup and Corn Bread
Leftover Stromboli
Becky Pancakes
Jan 22-28
Fettuccine Alfredo and TJ's Chicken Apple Sausage and Zucchini
Crock-pot Lasagna and Green Beans
Meatloaf and Mashed Potatoes with Cooked Carrots
Leftover Fettuccine and Tigger Chicken and salad
Waffles, Scrambled Eggs, and Bacon
BBQ Hamburgers with carrot sticks
Jan 29-Feb 4
Grilled London Broil with Oven Fries and Zucchini.
Spicy Asian Noodles with Chicken (from GF Cooking Light)
Stew with Gold Potatoes and Carrots (my kids don't like carrots that taste like meat so I cook some separate and steamed potatoes)
Chicken with Oven Rice
Mexican Lasagna from the Freezer
Breakfast Burritos (Potatoes, eggs, sausage, cheese, cilantro, onion, peppers, and taco sauce)
International Student Pot-Luck (I'll bring the PW's mac-n-cheese)
***I ended up missing this potluck because of a sick kid
Feb 5-11
SuperBowl (order pizza)
Chicken Salad and Baked Apples
CSB Potluck (I'll bring a crock pot full of meatballs, a tossed salad, and brownies)
Pasta and Chicken Apple Sausage
French Toast
Panninis (I got this for Christmas)
***And Feb 1 is when T started eating GF.
***Added in June when I found this post in my Draft folder then published it with the date I typed it.
Posted at 06:06 PM | Permalink
Comments (0)
I finally downloaded photos (the ones on my camera went back to Thanksgiving). I wish the photos just imported themselves to iphoto. As I looked at the last few weeks in pictures, I can not believe how fast my puppy is growing! She's at least double the size she was when we adopted her. Some mornings I look at her and I'm just sure that she grew while sleeping overnight.
Holly's first bath (just after we got her) was in the kitchen sink. I took advantage of the 80 degree day and gave Holly a bath today, this time in the tub. I think by summer she'll be having baths in the back yard. After her bath, I took Holly out in the backyard so she could dry off in the warm sun. So, question for the dog owners...How often do you bathe your fur kids?
After running around in the yard with the kids she was all tired out. She fell asleep on the doggie bed I bought her this weekend at Target. I thought this photo of her on the bed would be a good one for size comparison as she grows.
Holly has the cutest little paws. Well, they're not so little anymore. L was the first to notice that on her right side her nails alternate black/white/black/white. She has the webbed toes of a Lab. Her coat is coming in more and looks a lot like a Lab too.
Her ears are just so cute. I'm not sure where she gets them. And I LOVE that little white tuxedo patch on her chest.
Isn't she a doll?! I hope to get some videos up next.
Posted at 10:57 PM in Holly | Permalink
Comments (1)
We've been talking about getting a dog for so long. The kids overheard M & I talking just after school started, so they knew we were hoping to pull this off for Christmas. Turns out, adopting a dog isn't as easy as it should be.
I started filling out applications for dog/puppy adoption. It sure felt like it couldn't be much harder to adopt a child. Then, there were the rescues that had lists of requirements. It seems that being a married couple (12 years) that owns a home isn't as much of a benefit as we would have thought. We waited until our kids were a good age to be helpful with a dog (10,8, & 6) but some rescues thought they weren't old enough. One rescue finally approved us based on our application, and would have approved our home/yard, but they home-check person felt my kids couldn't be trusted with the front door and would let a puppy out into the street.
After a month of this run around, I was having lunch with a friend and she mentioned the rescue that she got her dog from. I filled out an application with them. In 2 HOURS I recieved and email that we were approved. Then a second email with the foster mom's cell phone number. She wanted me to call her. We set up a meeting for 9:30 am the next morning. By 10 am we were driving away with Holly!
We adopted Holly Berry on December 28th. She was 6# the day we took her home. I took this photo the first week. Because of New Year's Day it was almost a week before I got her to our vet and she put on 1.1#. Then I took her back for shots a week and a half later. 10# 5.4oz! It's been another week and a half...and I'm thinking she's probably 12# She's bigger than Rex (our cat) now.
I've got so many questions...so it might seem like this blog has gone to the dogs in the coming months. I'm trying to learn as much as I can. Holly is perfect for our family...and we want to be the perfect family for her.
Posted at 10:58 PM in Holly | Permalink
Comments (4)


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There's no doubt that the British press has a heyday when Wimbledon comes around. From the Monica Seles-inspired Grunt-0-Meter to headlines screaming (desperately) for a British champ. It really is the people's Slam. But Stateside, it's always nice to see the mainstream folks picking up on the secret we're all privy to: tennis is damn cool. Below a collection of week one's rumblings across the non-tennis media.
The grunting! Doesn't this happen every year? Sure, this was a British-inspired headline. But The Daily Beast kept with it for a solid morning on Wednesday, even putting together a gallery of grunters themselves. We think they left off a key founding mother: Monica Seles.
More: The Daily Beast's "perfect matches" tennis couples
The return of the Sisters Williamses: With Venus and Serena back, The Huffington Post saw the perfect opening to do a gallery of the sisters from through the years — Wimbledon and beyond. | ESPN takes on V's fashion
The BMS side show? Just when we thought Bethanie Mattek-Sands had cemented herself as a legit third- and fourth-rounder at the slams she unveils this (see below) which prompts headlines from Britain to the U.S. to Australia and crashes out in the first round. So long, Bethy. | More: BMS inks deal for eye black flare
(AFP image)


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Government – Europa Universalis 4 Wiki
Please help with verifying or updating older sections of this article.At least some were last…
- For the pre-1.26 government system see a previous version of this page.
Each country is ruled by a government of a specific type providing benefits and sometimes maluses. The different kinds of government forms ranges from constitutional republics, where the state is governed by elected officials, to despotic monarchies, where the monarch exercises undefined and often unrestricted power over its government.
The interface by itself displays many types of information, for instance: the current ruler and heir, the type of advisors a player has, the country's main and accepted cultures and the monthly production of monarch power. Some government also have access to unique mechanics and abilities.
Table of Contents
Government types[edit]
Government types are organized into four major groups. Each type uses a different stat to track the loyalty of the nation to the ruler.
- Main article: Monarchy
Monarchy is a form of government where power is held by a single individual, i.e. the monarch. The ruler reigns until death. Several mechanics, such as royal marriages and personal unions, are mostly limited to monarchical forms of governments. Monarchies use legitimacy.
- Main article: Republic
Republic is a form of government where power is, in contrast to a monarchy, held by a group of people. Republics have republican tradition instead of legitimacy. In some republics the ruler rules for life, but in others there is an election cycle.
- Main article: Theocracy
Theocracy is a form of government where power is held by the religious elite. Theocracies get to designate an heir from a list of candidates. Although the choice does not affect the future heir's monarch skills (set at random), they give the player different effects and events once the heir comes into power. Theocracies use devotion with the Common Sense DLC.
Tribal government[edit]
- Main article: Tribal government
A tribe is regarded as a society that hasn't developed a concrete definition of what a Westphalian nation-state is. Nomadic by nature, the power is held by either a chief or by a group of fellow tribesmen. As monarchies, tribal governments use legitimacy, royal mariages, etc. Steppe hordes will use horde unity instead of legitimacy if The Cossacks is enabled, and Native councils don't use any type of government strength value.
Switching government type[edit]
If the Dharma DLC is not enabled, it is possible to peacefully change the type of government in power for 100administrative power in the government interface, though only within certain groups of government types listed below. The other government types are barred from doing this. For example, a feudal monarchy can become a despotic monarchy in this manner, but not a constitutional republic (different group) or a revolutionary empire (not allowed at all). New government types become available as administrative technology is researched.
Various decisions allow most types of monarchy (with the right idea groups completed) to peacefully become a theocracy, an oligarchic republic, or a merchant republic; similarly, the Secularization decision allows a theocracy or a monastic order to transition into an administrative monarchy, and non-merchant republics may become merchant republics.
A country can be changed forcibly to another government group (e.g., a monarchy turning into a republic and vice versa) via a revolt (e.g., if pretender rebels overrun the state) and/or, for republics, by lowering republican tradition to 0. Certain events (particularly disasters) and decisions can also change government type.
Released nations retain the government type of their overlord, so it's possible to change government type at the start of the game by playing as a country of the desired government (or vassalizing it and switching to it), conquering the desired country, then releasing it as nation and switching to playing with it.
Government rank[edit]
- Without Common Sense a nation becomes a cultural union automatically by reaching 1000 development and may not change its rank through the government interface, only through country formations, decisions, etc.
The government rank system divides countries one of three ranks: Duchy, Kingdom, or Empire. A country's starting rank is based on historical considerations, though players can improve their rank by reaching certain total development values or via decisions. Ming, Byzantium, Ethiopia and the Timurids are the only empire-rank nations in 1444, while there are many kingdoms and duchies.
Once the required development (and prestige), as listed in the table below, is reached, it is possible to upgrade the government rank in the government tab. The rank cannot be downgraded, even if one's development shrinks later in the game. However:
- Certain government types have fixed government ranks and cannot change it manually or otherwise.
- Holy Roman Empire states (including the emperor if a member) cannot rise above duchy rank unless they are electors, in which case they may become kingdoms but not empires. The HRE electors Bohemia, Trier, Cologne and Mainz are the only kingdoms in the HRE in 1444.
- Vassals, Daimyo subjects, colonial nations and marches are always duchies; a country loses any higher rank upon being vassalized (unless the rank is locked by its government type) and won't be able to change its rank while subjected. Junior partners in a personal union and tributary states can change rank freely.
- No HRE member can become an empire, though a non-HRE Empire-tier Emperor may still add themselves to the HRE (though they will become dukes upon doing so).
Note: Rank bonuses (as listed in the table) replace each other; so the net bonus of going from duchy to empire is +1 diplomat, not +2.
Additional benefits and mechanics[edit]
- Higher-tier countries get a −10 penalty per tier towards accepting diplomatic vassalization, increasing to −30 if the requesting country is of lower tier. Conversely, a country that is of lower rank than the proposer gets a bonus: a duchy towards a kingdom gets +10.
- The government name displayed in game will vary depending on the rank. For example, the ranks for most republics will be diplayed as Republic, Grand Republic, and Great Republic, while for steppe nomads it will be Horde, Khanate, and Khaganate.
- If the player has enabled the Common Sense expansion, then the player becomes a Cultural union for their culture group at empire tier.
- Obtaining Empire-tier is an Age Objective in the Age of Revolutions for those owning the Mandate of Heaven DLC.
Fixed government rank[edit]
Some special tier 1 government reforms have fixed government rank, regardless of prestige or development, and cannot change it manually or otherwise.
Decisions and events changing government rank[edit]
Most country formation decisions will raise the government to empire or kingdom tier (if not already of a higher tier) without the need to reach the usual development thresholds. However:
- Nearly all country formation decisions that change government rank to kingdom or empire tier will cause the country and all of its provinces to leave the HRE unless it is an Elector or the current Emperor. Note that these decisions don't increase the government rank above kingdom for electors nor do they increase the rank above duchy for non-electors.
- Forming the Roman Empire, Italy, or Germany will always remove both the country and all its provinces from the HRE.
|Rank acquired
|Country formation/reformation decisions
|Byzantium, Persia, the Timurids, Arabia, Germany, Japan, Bharat, Hindustan, Rajputana, Deccan, the Marathas, the Mughals, Inca, Maya, Qing, Russia, Ruthenia, the Roman Empire, the Golden Horde, the Ilkhanate, the Mongol Empire, and the united Holy Roman Empire
|All other formables except Iceland, Tuscany, the Mamluks, Austria, Kurland, Punjab, Orissa, Nagpur, and Prussia (only when formed with the Teutonic Order)
In addition, the Ottomans and Rûm can become empires through the decision to make Constantinople their capital, while Persia has an event raising it to empire status if it is Shia, has at least 70% religious unity and controls the Persian heartland. Vijayanagar can become an empire by completing its "City of Victory" mission. Elector theocracies of the HRE may become kingdom-tier with the "Elevate Bishopric to an Archbishopric" decision if they are no longer Catholic or by spending 25 papal influence. However, Christian theocracies secularizing into monarchies by decision will be downgraded to duchies if they don't meet the usual 300 development threshold.
Government reforms[edit]
Government reforms allow the player to custom-tailor the nation's government to their needs by picking the desired reforms at the different tiers using Government reform progress points.
There are various reforms available to each of the government types with each tier having (usually) 2-3 reforms. The first tier usually determines the chosen power structure of the nation and consequently defines what abilities/mechanics are enabled to that nation. The last tier usually allows changing to a different government type though it comes at the cost of losing several reform tiers.
The game starts with first step already passed. The second tier costs 100 reform points and each following step has its cost increased by an additional 50 reform points. It is possible to change picked reforms at a cost of +10 corruption.
Reform points have a base accumulation of +10 points per year, further multiplied by a variable related to the level of autonomy of the nation' provinces.
- Without , the game uses the old government system. Each government reform has a pre-Dharma equivalent; an effect that would enact a reform instead changes government to the equivalent type. Starting governments, including special types, correspond to tier 1 reforms. For the pre-1.26 government system see a previous version of this page.
- Special governments made available through other DLCs are denoted as such.
Strengthen government[edit]
On the government tab is a button to "Strengthen government" by spending 100 military power. By doing this, the country gets one of the following, as appropriate for the government type and active expansions:
Additionally, from the Age of Absolutism onwards, it gets:
- +2 Absolutism
The button is only available if the appropriate government value is not already at maximum; it cannot be used solely to boost absolutism. It is also disabled if a republic turns into a dictatorship to prevent a reliably easy restoration of republican government.
- Main article: Ruler
The ruler is the head of a country. As the representative of a nation, there are several ways a ruler can influence the progress and development of a state, one of them being the fact that monarch points come primarily from the ruler.
The heir is, for monarchies and similar government types, the successor of the ruler. The heir is vested with the future sovereignty of the state, and they are crucial in determining the future legitimacy of the monarchy. A strong claim results in a high legitimacy while a weak claim results in low legitimacy.
The consort is, for monarchies and similar government types the spouse of the current reigning ruler. The consort is tasked with the opportunity to take the place of the throne if the ruler dies and the current heir is not of age.
- Main article: Advisors
An advisor is a knowledgeable person who is responsible for aiding and advising the leader of a nation.
There are three types of advisors, which align with the monarch's powers: administrative, diplomatic and military.
Monarch power[edit]
- Main article: Monarch power
Monarch power is one of the most important mechanics in EU4. In a way, monarchical power represents the ability of a ruler in governing a country and influences the rate at which technological innovation and infrastructural investment takes place. Despite its name, republics and other similar government types also use this mechanic.
There are three types of monarch power: administrative, diplomatic, and military.


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Phat Cat
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Looking back at India's Partition
Hard landing for Pakistan
From its very inception, Pakistan fancied itself as an equal to India. An illusion that India did little to change. And many in India implicitly believed in, till about two decades ago. While the Indian ship has changed course, the Pakistani behaviour remains rooted in the past – back to its very formation. Back to events, immediately after the formation of India and Pakistan.
When India was divided, it might have been logical for the new Muslim state in the Indus valley to take the name 'India' (or even 'Industan', as the valley was called by an eighteenth-century English sailor). But Muhammad Ali Jinnah rejected the colonial appellation and chose the pious neologism Pakistan, 'Land of the Pure', instead. He assumed that his coevals in Delhi would do the same, calling their country by the ancient Sanskrit title, 'Bharat'. When they did not, Jinnah was reported to be furious. He felt that by continuing to use the British name, India had appropriated the past; Pakistan, by contrast, looked as if it had been sliced off and 'thrown out'.
Sixty years after Jinnah, the Pakistani response remains the same. Obama administration's recent Af-Pak Strategy has left Pakistan shell shocked. The de-hyphenation of India and Pakistan in the Af-Pak strategy has dealt a body blow to their illusions. Pervez Musharraf in this interview reveals,
I don't agree with this Af-Pak solution at all because we are being bracketed with Afghanistan. Afghanistan hardly has any governance, it is out of control. And also, there is extremism within India among the Muslim youth and it is developing linkages with others — the Kashmir issue too. Therefore, if we want to finally deal with terrorism and extremism and solve it in its short-term and long-term perspective, we have to look at events in India, Pakistan and Afghanistan. I am totally against this Af-Pak strategy. (via 'Kashmir solution can reduce extremism in Pak society').
Obviously, this change is something that has dawned on Pakistan as a 'hard print' rather than a 'soft copy'. Fancying themselves as an equal till a few decades ago, Pakistan had to endure a hard landing. And this hard landing is Musharraf's real problem.
India's growing up
In India, the India-Pakistan calculus changed. A few decades earlier, India-Pakistan sporting encounters were most awaited by sports enthusiasts in India and Pakistan. India-Pakistan cricket now comes lower down in India at least – and the position has been taken up India-Australia cricket series. Now Pakistan is asking David Morgan, from the ICC to 'intervene' and"to convince the BCCI to play a series in England" against Pakistan.
In the 60s-80s, Indian business publications, Indian bureaucracy indexed themselves with Pakistan. Sensex, the Indian stock index was then compared with the Karachi index. But the comparison is now with global markets and the US.
Then and now
The Indian economy is now compared with the Chinese economy, ASEAN, EU and the US economies. The Indian film industry, compares itself with Hollywood – unfortunately, in terms of becoming a Hollywood clone.
In this new global matrix, India must now work to jettison some colonial detritus, its diplomacy must get over its Pakistan Fixation – and manage the Chinese relationship.
Understanding India of today
There are three aspects of this 'development' that has not fully dawned on Indians, which needs greater introspection in India. One is the 'Western clone' status – which, for instance, is what some 'leading lights' of the Indian film industry want to be. The second is danger of becoming an 'arrivista' – the danger of hubris.
The third aspect is the continuing debate, pain and anger about India-Pakistan Partition. The Congress response has been the demonization of Pakistan. The BJP offers a dream of 'akhand Bharat'. The (increasingly irrelevant) Marxist response is, of course, dictated by their admiration for the Chinese model.
A British born journalist, Sarfraz Manzoor, writing for The Guardian, from a significantly Western prespective feels
Sixty years on and today's India is sexy, forward-looking and economically powerful; Pakistan, on the other hand, remains trapped by the contradictions which led to its creation and in the grip of the mullahs and the military. India has thousands of years of history its citizens can cite; Pakistan sits on an ancient land but as a nation it is younger than my mother.
In his novel Shame, Salman Rushdie described Pakistan as a "place insufficiently imagined"; when one considers its troubled history, perhaps it is not heretical to confess some sadness that it was ever imagined at all.
Whether Pervez Musharaff's escapist unwillingness to acknowledge reality or Sarfraz Manzoor's emotional view from a Western perspective, they both miss (like many Indians and Pakistanis) the realities of the post WW2 world and the India.
Within the realms of possibility
To understand the choices, outcomes, responses and alternatives, this post examines the three scenarios that could have resulted from the British retreat from India.
As Britain progressively impoverished India during 200 years of colonial rule, India became a drag on Britain. Between 1857-1947, more and more Indians rejected British rule, violently and peacefully. Soon after WW2, the colonial Indian Army, some 2 million strong, revolted against British rule. Colonial history calls it the Naval Ratings Mutiny – on February 18th 1946. Within 1 week, Britain decided to evacuate from India.
Post war Britain was tired of rationing, shortages – and subsidising a starving, bankrupted India.
The Colonial Office was reporting deficits. Gold transfers from India had reduced to a trickle. After WW2, Churchill promised that he will not "preside over the liquidation of Her Majesty's empire …" Clement Atlee promised the British voter a quick exit from India. Clement Atlee won. Mountbatten was sent to India.
Broadly, India(ns) was given three choices.
1. A Federal India with regional autonomy
India could have accepted the British Cabinet Mission Plan(1946) of a 'federal' India – which was designed by the British, for rejection by the Congress. Nehru and Patel saw this as a British attempt at 'Balkanizing' India.
The Cabinet Mission Plan is now of academic interest since it was overtaken by Partition, but it is true that on June 25, 1946 Congress accepted it in the hope of establishing a "united democratic Indian Federation with a Central authority, which would command respect from the nations of the world, maximum provincial autonomy and equal rights for all men and women in the country". And on July 10, Nehru, newly elected Congress President, rejected "Grouping", one of the key (if still opaque) aspects of the Plan. Azad described this, politely, as one of those "unfortunate events which changed the course of history". (from Jaswant's Jinnah: Dividing India to save it By M J Akbar).
What was this 'grouping' which according to MJ Akbar was 'a key aspect but opaque' ?
the British and Jinnah's insistence that Congress accept those provisions of the Cabinet Mission Plan which specified the compulsory grouping of provinces into separate sections and those which specified that the proposed Indian Union have not one but two or more separate Constitution making bodies for all subjects except only three Union subjects defence, foreign affairs and communications. (from India's Constitutional Question – The Cabinet Mission Plan 1946).
A successful execution of this option (though difficult), meant that Sikkim, Tibet would have surely joined India – with options of Afghanistan, Burma, Malaysia, Indonesia, Bhutan, Nepal and Sri Lanka joining India in a loose federation and a common market.
This would have meant modern Federal India would have had a population of nearly 200 crores, nearly 35,000 tonnes of private gold, the 2nd largest economy of the world (PPP basis), a raw material and agricultural powerhouse. By 2050 the GDP (PPP basis) would be equal to the EU and the US put together. With such a large market, India would have also become an intellectual powerhouse, becoming the world's largest education market and producer, with unmatched R&D spend.
With close cultural and eco0nomic ties with China, the combination of Ch-India would become the economic, intellectual capital of of the world.
The major issue could possibly be the management of a large Islamic population. 25% of this India would have been Muslims – numbering about 50 crores. This would have given India the world's largest Muslim population.
The British calculus
How could Britain and the dominant Anglo Saxon Bloc allow this? If an India of this shape emerged, what would happen to the Bretton Woods architecture? Britain obviously did not wish to midwife a country of these dimensions – especially, since there were apparent desires from Tibet, Sikkim to join the Indian Union. With such countries joining in, India would have become a country with 200 crore people (2000 million).
This Greater Federal India could have been a possibility between 1940 and 1950, while the cement was not yet set. While Britain was at war. While the ferment was on. And the two people who could have made this happen, were alive.
SC Bose and the IIL had significant presence across most of SE Asia. After all, how could arrangements for Netaji's escape from India and travel via Afghanistan, Russia to Germany happen! With the passing away of SC Bose, and the IIL, India's international agenda had little chance of success.
That left us with only one man who could have made this happen – Gandhiji. The only way to stop this from happening, was the death of Gandhiji.
It happened.
2. Partition of India – or the Two Nation Theory
The other option that the Colonial Raj 'offered' was TNT – Two Nation Theory. This was something that Britain had worked upon for long. In fact from 1822. Starting with the knighthood in 1888 and encouragement to 'Sir' Syed Ahmad Khan. More seriously from 1906. After subduing the native population with unprecedented levels of brutality during the 1857 War and subsequent revolts and rebellions.
Commandent of Moradabad, Lt. Col. Coke, wrote in 1822:
"Our endeavour should be to uphold in full force the (for us fortunate) separation which exists between the different religions and races, not to endeavor to amalgamate them. Divide et Impera should be the principle of Indian government."
The Morley-Minto Reforms of 1909 paved the way for communalization of India. From 1910-1940, the British vigorously implemented the 'divide and rule' policy. Initially, in fact Jinnah,
"scoffed at Sir Sayyid Ahmad Khan's two-nation theory, and wrote an angry letter to The Times of India challenging the legitimacy of the famous Muslim delegation to Lord Minto on October 1, 1906, which built the separatist Muslim platform. He ignored the convention in Dhaka on December 30, 1906 where the Muslim League was born."
Under this proposal, India and Pakistan would become two countries. The immediate chances of a large federation and a common market became that much more difficult. Which suited British interests fine.
India with a population of 35 crores and a 'ship-to-mouth' economy, (in KM Munshi's words, then Union Minister for Agriculture and Food, on a trip to the US to obtain food-aid), seemed unlikely to succeed.
In this scenario, instead of 2050, India would possibly (if at all) attain a significant leadership position only by 2070. In Western minds, the continued existence of India itself was a question mark. The sneering and the patronizing view of the British establishment is best illustrated by the cartoons linked to this post.
What could have stopped India from becoming stable and successful nation? Communal bloodletting, war, famine, and death of its leaders. All this and much more, happened.
Communal bloodletting – At the time of 1947 partition, organized gangs started communal riots. Kolkatta (then Calcutta) was in flames. An unprepared India and a leaderless Pakistan were handed over governance.
Many theories apart, it showed another extension of the "scorched earth policy" and a callous disregard for 10 lakh brown lives that were lost to Hindu-Muslim-Sikh riots. The British Raj was a mute bystander. In contrast, areas ruled by the 'decadent' and 'feudal' Indian maharajahs, did not see such a magnitude of communal riots in their territories..
War – India and Pakistan have fought four wars neither could afford. Over boundaries and legacy issues.
The Mechanics of Partition
The very division of India was based on broadly three rules -
1. Hindu majority – India; Muslim majority – Pakistan
2. The wish of the local ruler – as quite a few local rulers were independent of the British Raj.
3. Wish of the people
In most of the Indian subcontinent these principles worked well – except in three places. Hyderabad and Junagadh, where a Muslim ruler, ruling over a Hindu majority wished to become part of Pakistan. And Kashmir, where a Hindu king with a Muslim majority, wished to remain independent.
In Hyderabad and Junagadh, the Indian Government resorted to 'police action' – where the respective kings were deposed and their kingdoms became a part of India.
In Kashmir, the king wanted to remain independent. Since, it had a Muslim majority, Pakistan wanted Kashmir to be a part of Pakistan. There was only one glitch. The popular leader of Kashmir, Sheikh Abdullah refused to even meet up with Pakistani leaders. He wished for an autonomous Kashmir as a part of India. Pakistan, of course, disputes, if the Sheikh Abdullah represented the popular leadership of Kashmir.
So, while all these discussions were going on, the Pakistani Government and Army, which still had a significant British component, decided to invade Kashmir. The Indian Government and Army, headed by Earl Mountbatten, at the invitation of Nehru, messed up this situation.
Pakistan occupied half of Kashmir. India rushed to the UN – a mistake. UN asked both armies to freeze – which they did. And there they remain – frozen from 1948. All in all, the Kashmir issue is colonial detritus – which both India and Pakistan have not been able to jettison.
Famine – Indian agriculture system was in a comatose state. India had not yet recovered from the Great Bengal Famine when another crisis developed. Within a year of the Indian Republic, the food situation in India became alarming. KM Munshi was despatched to the US for obtaining food aid. In his famous interview with The New York Times, he described the Indian situation as 'ship-to-mouth.'
Leadership – Gandhiji was assassinated in 1948. Sardar Patel was no more by the end of 1950. Ambedkar in 1956 and in 1958, Maulana Azad passed away. Thus apart from Nehru, the entire leadership of India was no more, 10 years after Mountbatten's departure.
3. India becomes 8-12 countries
This was the worst of all options. Nizam State becomes a country. Kashmir becomes another country. India and Pakistan of course were already on the table. No other significant land bloc, of course, raised such a possibility at that time. But if Nizam of Hyderabad and the Maharaja of Kashmir, were to become successful, a Baroda-Gaikwad, or a Scindhia-Holkar or a Raja of Travancore raising such a demand could have materialized.
Permutations and combinations
Of the three outcomes, that were possible, outcome One and Three would have made India too small or too large. The important points are that: –
1. The West could NOT let the larger 'Federal' India come into being. What could have stopped either the British or the IML to up the ante, the moment the Congress agreed to anything. The larger India would have left us an India that would be unwieldy, i.e. open to 'unrest', 'independence movements', etc .
2. The Indian polity (principally the Congress + the other political parties) would NOT accept a lesser India – i.e. with an Nizam of Hyderabad or a Nawab of Junagadh wanting to be a part of Pakistan.
Looking at the contours of the situation, ground realities and realpolitik of the era, the Partition scenario seemed manageable. Having gone down that road, where are we today? What direction do we take?
The most unproductive exercize is to blame any of the individual players – including the IML and Jinnah. If for a minute, if we are to assume, that Jinnah was intractable to British overtures, was it too difficult for the British to prop up some one else. After all, Congress derived some of the legitimacy, from the fact that the British preferred to talk only to the Congress.
After 60 years
India, China and Pakistan are nuclear powers, all. History shows that when our people live in peace, there is peace in the world. When there is war, in our countries, the whole world is at war. Peace in our countries will usher peace in the world.
Our three countries are blessed with adequate, natural resources – and between us three, we hardly need anyone else in the world. The rest of the world cannot say that about itself – or for us. Remember, the world still 'orients' itself.
Between our three countries, we have foreign exchange currency reserves of more than US$2.5 trillion – equal to the one third the global forex reserves. Each year, we subsidize the West to the tune of US$250 billion in currency depreciation.
It is this subsidy that enables the West to continue exploiting us. Between our three countries, we have one third of the world's gold reserves.
The subsidy by the three of us to the West increases, when we use the PPP matrix. Based on PPP, Western currencies are overvalued by 30%-50%. Combine the fact, that the current system allows the West to maintain no foreign exchange reserves and to use their own over valued currencies for trade, means that they pay us a lot less – and we pay them a lot more.
As various colonial powers were forced out of various colonies, left behind was the garbage of colonialism. This post-colonial debris has become the ballast, that is dragging down many newly de-colonized countries.
60 years on, there is nothing to show for these border disputes. Dutifully, the Indians, Pakistanis and the Chinese glare at each other – over colonial border issues. These border issues are less than peripheral to our nations. We have allowed the past to hold our future as a hostage.
The past is extracting a ransom that we cannot afford to pay. Let us recognize our past for what it is – empty ballast that is dragging us down. Having achieved nothing on this front for the last 60 years, why do we wish to continue down that path?
Sixty years earlier, 80% of the world's poorest lived in our countries . For many decades now, peoples in our country have been patient in their suffering. There has been progress. These poorest of the world, living in our countries, deserve a better deal. A much better deal.
Between our three countries, lives half of humanity. The poorest half of humanity. At one time the richest half of humanity. They deserve peace, security, progress. We have 5000 years of history to show that we can do it. We have done it many times before. We can do it again. That is all our poorest ask and need.


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Five more points on Mitt Romney's plan to nowhere
Paul Krugman takes Mitt Romney's five point plan and addresses it point-by-point, but I think there's a lot more to be said than can fit comfortably into a paragraph each. The White House did the same thing, which I haven't read.
Here are the points, Krugman's take, and my take below that.
First, by 2020, North America will be energy independent by taking full advantage of our oil and coal and gas and nuclear and renewables.
Krugman's take: "This describes what Romney wants to see happen, not what he'd do to make it happen. But to the extent it means anything, it means scrapping environmental protection so that we can drill, baby, drill. Why doesn't he say that? Because voters care about the environment."
My take: I'm not sure where these Romney points originated so I can't blame the Romney campaign for making such a simple geography error, but it's pretty embarrassing regardless. "North America" is a continent that includes 23 sovereign nations including Canada, the United States of America, Cuba, and Mexico. Neither Mitt Romney nor Barack Obama decides energy policy for North America.
That said, it's doubtful that any administration can keep such a fantastical promise. The United States doesn't have enough oil to satisfy all of our energy needs. If we did, we wouldn't be so reliant on foreign oil today. The hot spot for conservative oil lust is the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) in Alaska. No one is sure how much oil and gas there is in ANWR, but the United States Geologic Survey estimated in 1998 that there are between 5.7 and 16 billion barrels of recoverable crude and natural gas liquid.
For context, the United States consumes about 19.15 million barrels per day as of 2010. If every drop in ANWR were recoverable at the top end of estimates, and every drop were used in the United States, it would take less than two and half years to consume those deposits, and then we'd be right back to square one. But it's not that simple. Estimates say that it could take up to a decade to setup operations in the refuge and reach 100% output, and private oil companies would be doing the work. So it's not like every drop of oil would flow to the United States for free. It would be sold to anyone in the world who wanted to buy it, for as much money as the oil companies could charge for it.
That'd probably be something like dumping one gallon of gasoline into an olympic-sized pool full of gas and expecting a drop in prices. Would there be one? Probably no more than a few cents, and probably no more than for a few years.
As for coal, the last I heard, the entire planet only has a 600-year supply, and then it's gone for good. Coal can't run cars so its use is limited, even if it's America's dominant power source today. Plus, as Paul Krugman noted, it's destroying the planet while we're using it.
The real problem with nuclear power is that nobody wants a nuclear power plant in their back yard. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission could approve 5,000 new permits tomorrow, and not a single plant would be built within the next year. First, they cost over a billion dollars to build and nobody has the money without big loans from big banks, and banks aren't lending. Second, again, nobody wants them in their own town. It's a municipal and state issue, and there's absolutely nothing the federal government can do about it if people decide that they don't want nuclear power within 10 miles of their homes and schools.
Finally, Republicans like Mitt Romney have been fighting renewable energy (to protect the oil industry) for generations. Most Republicans are so opposed to spending money on renewable energy that Mitt Romney publicly opposed federal money for wind power in the battleground state of Iowa, harming his own chances of becoming President in pursuit of his anti-clean energy agenda.
The very first point of Mitt Romney's plan is a fantasy and a lie. America doesn't have enough oil to make itself independent of foreign supplies, coal can't run everything, nuclear power has been held up for decades at the state and local level, and Romney actively opposes green technology as part of his campaign platform.
Here's point 2:
Second, we will give our fellow citizens the skills they need for the jobs of today and the careers of tomorrow. When it comes to the school your child will attend, every parent should have a choice, and every child should have a chance.
Krugman's take: "Again, what does this mean? If it means anything, it means school vouchers — which are unpopular."
My take: There are three ways to address this point. The first is that shifting public money to private schools is socialism.
On a more intelligent level, the second is that shifting public money to private schools is no guarantee of a better education because there is nothing about private schools that makes them inherently better educators. Traditional private schools often provide a better education to children and young adults because they are expensive. The takeaway from that is that private school vouchers would increase government spending while doing little to improve the education that most children will still get through the public system. The better solution, if you're going to spend more money on education — which Republicans including Mitt Romney strongly oppose — is to spend more money on public education so that private schools aren't necessary or useful.
The third is that Romney is operating under the incorrect belief that we have a structural employment problem, where unemployment can be lessened by giving the unemployed — presumed to be uneducated idiots by people who fall for this trap — new career training. The real problem, you see, is that lots of companies are desperate to hire. It's just that nobody has the skills that these companies need.
That is false on its face when you remember that most of the unemployed today lost their jobs because of downsizing due to the recession. It's not like America's companies decided 10-14 million of their current employees suddenly lacked the skills that company needed, and fired them. Which is what would have had to have happened in order for a structural employment issue to be real.
Well, it's not real. While this country could benefit enormously from a better public education system, it's no magic bullet for the economy.
Point 3:
Third, we will make trade work for America by forging new trade agreements. And when nations cheat in trade, there will be unmistakable consequences.
Krugman's take: "Trade agreements per se aren't big job creators — they increase exports, but they also increase imports. And while a confrontation with China is the implicit subtext of the second part, Romney is apparently unwilling to get explicit."
My take: Beyond being unwilling to get explicit, Mitt Romney just sided with China, and against Obama and the United States. Obama announced a new trade complaint will be filed against China over car imports, a decision made within the administration and not by campaign operatives, and Romney immediately criticized it. Meanwhile: "The former Massachusetts governor has promised that, if elected, he will formally designate China a currency manipulator, a step that could trigger retaliatory sanctions–and, many experts warn, precipitate a trade war."
Point 4:
Fourth, to assure every entrepreneur and every job creator that their investments in America will not vanish as have those in Greece, we will cut the deficit and put America on track to a balanced budget.
Krugman's take: "Romney's claim that he will reduce the deficit rests on the assertion that he will offset huge tax cuts by closing loopholes — but he refuses to name a single example, because tax breaks are popular. Also, Medicaid — his biggest single spending target — turns out to have substantial public support, too."
My take: Because Romney and Ryan refuse to say which loopholes they would close (probably because they could close all of them and still not come close to offsetting their tax cuts for the rich), a non-partisan analysis by The Tax Policy Center found that government tax revenue would drop by $900 billion per year by 2015, and the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget projects Romney's plan will increase the budget deficit by $2.6 trillion by 2021.
Politifact rated an ad from the Obama campaign on the issue and their ruling found that Romney's plan would increase the deficit by $2.6 trillion, while Obama's would lower it by $2 trillion over ten years (still leaving us with massive deficits either way).
Point 5:
And fifth, we will champion SMALL businesses, America's engine of job growth. That means reducing taxes on business, not raising them. It means simplifying and modernizing the regulations that hurt small business the most. And it means that we must rein in the skyrocketing cost of healthcare by repealing and replacing Obamacare.
Krugman's take: "Tax cuts for small businesses actually means tax cuts for rich people; there's a small subset of rich people who own small businesses. But Romney has to cloak the real policy in mom-and-pop rhetoric."
My take: Romney will champion small businesses? The Obama administration and Democratic Congress had to overcome a Republican filibuster in 2010 in the Senate to pass a jobs bill aimed solely at cutting taxes and making life easier for small businesses. It took a defection from Massachusetts Senator Scott Brown to break the GOP filibuster.
Democrats tried to pass another jobs bill targeting small businesses, and Republicans — with stronger numbers after 2010 — successfully filibustered it. An independent firm estimated the bill could have created up to 1,000,000 new jobs.
Since losing control of Congress and the White House, there has been no bigger enemy of small business in America than the Republican Party, who have fought tooth and nail against every piece of legislation that could help them grow and prosper since 2010, to purposefully derail the economy so that they could benefit from it.
Those are facts. It's time for voters to grow up and deal with them.


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"And people think my art is weird?"
DeviantArt (deviantART from 7 August 2000 to 3 December 2014)
is was an art site produced by Scott Jarkoff, Matthew Stephens and Angelo Sotira, until a 2008 invasion of horny teenage Japanophiles took the site by storm, then proceeded to rebuild by flooding the power vacuum with bad literature and crude MS Paint erotica. Previous attempts by militant groups such as Wiccans, Emos and Goths had seen temporary successes but slightly-above-average-teen-artists had managed to survive in the surrounding wastelands, lapping up the false compliments from old men masquerading as young teens or happily deleting comments they didn't like. This is, as Google's Larry Page once put it, "one of the horrors of the Internet. What have I done... *BANG*"
In its younger days, DeviantArt was the platform that many a young artist would use to launch an illustrious career in the fine art world. Village-renowned artists such as Jason Bloomsbury went on to the heights of exhibitions held at their local coffee shop or even Mom's Hair Salon®, with credited works selling at up to an incredible $3! Recent published site data reports the following site demographics:
- 10% of all accounts were created in order to requisition other people's art for important purposes such as mutual appreciation, be it in private or display in other locations.
- 60% of people are Japanophiles. This demographic is further divided in populations that hold certain aspects of Japanese Culture to be most important for the future of mankind: 20% are Traditionalist Historians, choosing very specific subject matter to be historical about. 20% are Japanese Feminist Art Critics, who are five times more enthusiastic about their subject matter than Traditionalist Historians, and Animal Lovers who occupy a further 20% of all DeviantArt memberships. Their preferred artistic scenes will include combinations of sacred Japanese animals and historical figures, most notably, draw Sonic OCs, Eevees, Ninetales, and wolves.
But they all have a common point; their lengthy and interesting debates are benefiting humanity as a whole.
Many a new member of DeviantArt started out in the small 10% group using the site for mutual appreciation purposes, but has been lured in by Intellectualism found within the commentry of other members. They tend to back away from the critiques and simply stand in quiet awe of the masterful work they encounter. It is then at this point they will feel the need to become more connected within the community by publishing their own works of art in the hopes of receiving the excellent and compelling council of an experienced critic. It is important to note that the rivalry between the various groups is a longstanding one and their commentary sparring of the pros and cons of the various facets of the Love of Japan are one of the joys of being part of this community. It is often said that never have such intellectually diverse and inspiring debates arisen since the days of the Jerry Springer show and Yesterday on the School Playground.
The remaining 29% of the members are perhaps the most hallowed of the DeviantArt community: The True Artists, who are considered to be the Gold Standard among contributors. 20% of this type come from the age-old tradition of "Guys posing as artists so chicks will get naked for them". Armed with nothing more than a disposable camera and a semen-stained backdrop, they use their raw talent and charm to entice young girls to "get 'em out" for them.
Deviant rankings[edit]
DeviantArt has rankings for its somewhat faithful members. These rankings most often depend on whether you pay the admins tax or not. Usually the * and = members are the top of the tier, and the admins will not even care about the reports that you made against them, even when it comes to furries with humongous vaginas, and this may even get you banned with a "!".
The ~ is the average "Deviant" (Deviant means "carnivorous mammal or fish"), these are the ordinary citizens of DeviantArt, the hopeless citizens to the admins' Superman. These are very normal — in the loosest definition of the word — in that they are usually mindless fantards rather than artists. The *, on the opposite end of the spectrum, is the premium member. These people are the children of the admins and the admins will protect them at all costs. They also have extra
superpowers advantages, such as visitor's check and protection grants from admins. There are also beta testers, also known as =, who test new functions.
Similar to the beta testers are the $, the paid staff (hence the dollar sign, comrade), those who sit around and watch the borderline torture porn others have drawn, and, finally, the godforsaken ! — the banned. These are the sinners of DeviantArt, although technically joining DeviantArt is a sin anyway. These cursed souls include demons, Anonymous members, pagans and people that post condoms. And, of course, the sorry idiots that have a grudge against admins. Having an argument against the * and = ranked members will cause you to get this rank too. Once you get promoted as a ! rated deviant, you can never turn back. The admins pursue banned users and never give them any chance to escape from their sins. As one * Deviant once said, "Tough shit!".
In light of recent events, DeviantArt's founders have done their best to clean up the site, but a consistent population of dumb and perverted fiends across DeviantArt guarantee that her image is permanently stained.
|Preceded by:
|Embarrassing Teenage Fads
2008 - 2010
|Succeeded by:
My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic


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As Americans fire up their grills and the smell of charcoal pervades the blistering summer air, cheeseburgers claim the spot as the paramount menu item
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Since the cheeseburger's epic debut in the 1930s, the summertime staple has earned its rightful spot as the unequivocally American classic. Deemed the
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Looking to raise the bar on your juicy cheeseburger creations? Try the mouthwatering "Drill Sargento Burger" recipe below from Chicago's iconic burger
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Drill Sargento Burger
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Serves: 1
8 ounces ground Black Angus Chuck
1 tablespoon finely minced Vidalia onion
1 teaspoon chopped Italian parsley
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 dashes Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon fresh minced garlic
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 slice Sargento Deli Style Sliced Sharp Cheddar Cheese
1 slice Sargento Deli Style Sliced Baby Swiss Cheese
1 slice (1/4-inch thick) ripe beefsteak or heirloom tomato
1 split top bun
2 thick slices bacon, cut in half
1 heaping tablespoon sauteed onions
Dijon mustard
Mix beef with onion, parsley, salt, pepper, Worcestershire sauce and garlic. Shape into pattie. Brush lightly with olive oil and grill until desired
Meanwhile, toast bun and spread mustard on bottom half. Warm onion and cook bacon.
Put burger on bottom half of bun, top with onions and Swiss. Melt cheese under a broiler.
Top with tomato slice, lightly seasoned with salt and pepper. Top with bacon and Sharp Cheddar. Melt cheese under a broiler, top with bun.