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According to this report from the good folks at Jetpack, 2015 was another big year for MacManX.com. Along with some interesting stats, the report sums it up best:
The concert hall at the Sydney Opera House holds 2,700 people. This blog was viewed about 16,000 times in 2015. If it were a concert at Sydney Opera House, it would take about 6 sold-out performances for that many people to see it.
2015 was a bit slower for MacManX.com than last year, so I'll see what I can do about publishing a bit more content in 2016. 🙂


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Well the last few days has been pretty active in the cell phone industry. On Saturday we had the debut of the Palm Pre, the supposed "iPhone killer" that was supposed to bring Palm back from the dead and Sprint out of its 3rd place slot in the mobile industry. Monday we had the annual circus sideshow that is the Apple Developer's Conference keynote where Apple unveiled a few new nuggets including the new iPhone 3.0 OS as well as the new iPhone 3GS hardware. This is a quick review from my POV on both launches, hardware and thoughts.
First I was planning to do a hands-on review of the Palm Pre after I went to the Sprint store on Sunday to play around with it. I'd like to note that prior to my owning an iPhone I had 3 iterations of the Palm Treo (600,650, 700) on Verizon and I absolutely loved it. The problem with being on Verizon is that they don't really have any "sexy" phones to drool over and I sat over on the red side looking over the fence at the iPhone users. Sure it was a cool device but c'mon, was it really that good? I LOVED my Treo and despite the new phones coming out on Verizon nothing could match the great features and organization of contacts and calendar. My wife and I were fed up with getting nickel and dimed by Verizon and so we jumped ship over to AT&T and go our iPhone fix. And so the love affair began, I do everything on this thing. Anyways I'm rambling, back to the Pre. Gizmodo did their write up of the Pre and I've gotta say that I pretty much agreed with them on all accounts (except for the last part about being sick of iPhone). That being said just read their review and you'll see what I mean. Also of note when I was in store the demo unit the saleperson handed me was down to 48% battery life. I asked how long it'd been since last charge and he said about 4 hours. Digging into the system I found that the bluetooth and wifi were both disabled so I have a feeling battery life on that unit in the wild is probably comparable to current iPhone 3G. I'd also like to note that the keyboard is ridiculously small which was a major letdown for me as well.
Now on to the new iPhone goodness. We got a few expected things such as cut/copy/paste (took long enough), magnetic compass, Spotlight search, processor/memory/camera upgrades as well as some surprises like Nike+ integration, voice control and theoretically better battery life (which is sorely needed). Another nice surprise, if I can call it that, is the pricing of the current 3G dropped down to $99, the new 3GS 16 GB is $199 and 32 GB is $299. The new phone is nice but not a huge "OMG I need to go get it now" kind of thing. I would consider myself a "power user" in that I'm constantly using the phone so I drain the battery pretty fast. For that reason alone I would want to upgrade for the increased battery life and power. As far as the OS 3.0 I already have most of the new stuff like cut/paste and spotlight search via
jailbreaking my phone being resourceful.
Bottom line is I was really, really stoked when I first saw the Pre announced and now that I've finally gotten my hands on it I was a little let down. But to be fair I'd probably need to use it for real for a few days to give it a true review. In Apple land we'll have to see how AT&T responds to demands of current customers and I'm interested to see their explanation of why they're neutering tethering for now even though the rest of the planet gets it out of the box. For now, I'll stick with my 3G and be happy.

subset: commoncrawl


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News tagged with aggressive behaviour
Sorry, no news articles match your request. Your search criteria may be too narrow.
In psychology, as well as other social and behavioral sciences, aggression refers to behavior between members of the same species that is intended to cause pain or harm. Predatory or defensive behavior between members of different species is not normally considered "aggression." Aggression takes a variety of forms among humans and can be physical, mental, or verbal. Aggression should not be confused with assertiveness, although the terms are often used interchangeably among laypeople, e.g. an aggressive salesperson.
There are two broad categories of aggression. These include hostile, affective, or retaliatory aggression and instrumental, predatory, or goal-oriented aggression. Empirical research indicates that there is a critical difference between the two, both psychologically and physiologically. Some research indicates that people with tendencies toward affective aggression have lower IQs than those with tendencies toward predatory aggression. If only considering physical aggression, males tend to be more aggressive than females. One explanation for this difference is that females are physically weaker than men, and so need to resort to other means.
This text uses material from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA


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CAIRO — In the month before attackers stormed U.S. facilities in Benghazi and killed four Americans, U.S. Ambassador Christopher Stevens twice turned down offers of security assistance made by the senior U.S. military official in the region in response to concerns that Stevens had raised in a still-secret memorandum, two government officials told McClatchy.
Why Stevens, who died of smoke inhalation in the first of two attacks that took place late Sept. 11 and early Sept. 12, 2012, would turn down the offers remains unclear. The deteriorating security situation in Benghazi had been the subject of a meeting that embassy officials held Aug. 15, where they concluded they could not defend the U.S. diplomatic compound in Benghazi. The next day, the embassy drafted a cable outlining the dire circumstances and saying it would spell out what it needed in a separate cable.
"In light of the uncertain security environment, US Mission Benghazi will submit specific requests to US Embassy Tripoli for additional physical security upgrades and staffing needs by separate cover," said the cable, which was first reported by Fox News.
Army Gen. Carter Ham, then the head of the U.S. Africa Command, did not wait for the separate cable, however. Instead, after reading the Aug. 16 cable, Ham phoned Stevens and asked if the embassy needed a special security team from the U.S. military. Stevens told Ham it did not, the officials said.
Weeks later, Stevens traveled to Germany for an already-scheduled meeting with Ham at AFRICOM headquarters. During that meeting, Ham again offered additional military assets, and Stevens again said no, the two officials said.
"He didn't say why. He just turned it down," a defense official, who asked not to be identified because of the sensitivity of the subject, told McClatchy.
The offers of aid and Stevens' rejection of them have not been revealed in either the State Department's Accountability Review Board investigation of the Benghazi events or during any of the congressional hearings and reports that have been issued into what took place there.
Stevens' deputy, Gregory Hicks, who might be expected to be aware of the ambassador's exchange with military leaders, was not asked about the offer of additional assistance during his appearance before a House of Representatives committee last week, and testimony has not been sought from Ham, who is now retired.
Both Hicks and Ham declined to comment on the exchange between Ham and Stevens. Hicks' lawyer, Victoria Toensing, said Hicks did not know the details of conversations between Stevens and Ham and was not aware of Stevens turning down an offer of additional security.
"As far as Mr. Hicks knows, the ambassador always wanted more security and they were both frustrated by not getting it," she said.
Some Republican lawmakers expressed surprise when told that Stevens had turned down such an offer.
"That is odd to me because Stevens requested from the State Department additional security four times, and there was an 18-person special forces security team headed by Lt. Col. Wood that Gen. Ham signed off on that the State Department said no to," said Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., who has been among the most vocal critics of the Obama administration on Benghazi. "The records are very clear that people on the ground in Libya made numerous requests for additional security that were either denied or only partially granted."
But a spokesman for Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., the chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, indicated that some lawmakers may have been aware of Stevens' exchange with Ham.
"Decisions conveyed by Ambassador Stevens were made on behalf of the U.S. State Department," the spokesman, Frederick Hill, said in an email. "There were certainly robust debates between State and Defense officials over the mission and controlling authority of such forces. The lack of discussion by the public (Accountability Review Board) report about the role interagency tension played in a lack of security resources remains a significant concern of the Oversight Committee."
One person familiar with the events said Stevens might have rejected the offers because there was an understanding within the State Department that officials in Libya ought not to request more security, in part because of concerns about the political fallout of seeking a larger military presence in a country that was still being touted as a foreign policy success.
"The embassy was told through back channels to not make direct requests for security," an official familiar with the case, who agreed to discuss the case only anonymously because of the sensitivity of the subject, told McClatchy.
Still, the offer from Ham provided Stevens with a chance to plead for more assistance, an opportunity he apparently did not seize.
Congressional hearings into the Benghazi attacks – there were in fact two, one on a compound often referred to as the consulate, where Stevens and State Department computer specialist Sean Smith died, and a second hours later on a nearby CIA annex, where two security contractors, former Navy SEALs Glen Doherty and Tyrone Woods, were killed – have focused primarily on the events during the night of the attacks and subsequent statements by Obama administration officials.
There have been fewer questions, however, about the months leading up to the attack and how the State Department, the CIA and defense officials addressed a growing security problem. Among the questions that have not been probed is why the Benghazi mission, with its large CIA contingent, remained open when other Western countries, most notably Great Britain, had pulled out of Benghazi in the weeks preceding the attacks because of security concerns.
Officials have publicly referred to Ham's phone call before. In his Feb. 7 testimony before the House Armed Services Committee, Army Gen. Martin Dempsey, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the military was aware of the Aug. 16 cable and that someone had turned down Ham's offer.
Referring to the cable, Dempsey said: "I was aware of it, because it came in, in Gen. Ham's report. Gen. Ham actually called the embassy to, to see if they wanted to extend the special security team there and was said – and was told no."
Dempsey said the State Department never requested more from the military.
"We never received a request for support from the State Department, which would have allowed us to put forces on the ground," Dempsey told the committee.
The Aug. 16 cable remains classified. But Fox News has quoted liberally from it, reporting that State Department officials convened a meeting a day earlier to discuss security, which the cable described as "trending negatively."
"RSO (Regional Security Officer) expressed concerns with the ability to defend Post in the event of a coordinated attack due to limited manpower, security measures, weapons capabilities, host nation support, and the overall size of the compound," the cable said, according to Fox News.
The Accountability Review Board investigation, commissioned by then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and released in December, placed blame for the Benghazi attack in large part on the State Department for not answering repeated calls for more security.
But the report also is peppered with references to Stevens and how well the embassy made the case to Washington for more security. In a news conference at the time of the release of the board's finding, Adm. Mike Mullen, one of the board's two chairmen and a former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, referred to the failing of the embassy.
"As the chief of mission, he certainly had a responsibility in that regard, and actually he was very security conscious and increasingly concerned about security," Mullen said. "But part of his responsibility is certainly to make that case back here, and he had not gotten to that point where you would, you might get to a point where you would be considering, 'It's so dangerous, we might close the mission.' "
The embassy Stevens oversaw in Tripoli "did not demonstrate strong and sustained advocacy with Washington for increased security" in Benghazi, the report stated.
Traditionally, State Department officials have depended on the State Department's own Diplomatic Security Service, local police and military forces and security contractors to secure embassies around the world. U.S. military personnel at embassies consist usually of Marines whose job it is to guard the perimeter of a compound and to protect classified documents and equipment inside. It is rare that U.S. forces would be called upon to guard embassy personnel traveling outside embassy grounds.
Any increase in U.S. military force would have required State Department approval. It's unknown if Stevens might have passed on Ham's offer and been turned down, or whether he believed that the security team Ham offered would not provide the kind of security he needed.
Officials familiar with the exchanges between Ham and Stevens said they did not know whether Ham offered any other support than the security team.
"It was a brief conversation," the defense official said.
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*Garbage Customers: Normal residential garbage service will resume tomorrow. Please call 668-5423 if you have any problems or questions.*
We are still working to clear roads and restore power, and our storm recovery continues. When and if you travel, please pay attention to the roadways.
*Stay up to date with the latest updates on our City of Moultrie Facebook page.
On December 13, 1879, a preliminary county seat charter was adopted and A.C. Butts donated 50 acres in the center of the county for an administrative concentration point. It was named Moultrie, after General William Moultrie, a Revolutionary War hero.
By 1900, through the work of businessmen, bankers, and speculators, the county was on the road to becoming a farmer's paradise. Land was cleared and development companies began dividing the one-time forested area into farm tracts. Experienced farmers from North Georgia and the Carolinas were invited to come and develop the land. The county's agriculture industry thrives today.


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As you may have noticed, my posts have been a little thin on the ground lately. I'm planning to remedy this when the project I'm working on slows down enough for me to catch my breath!
In the meantime, here are some posts I've written for my British Council blog:
Staying motivated and avoiding burnout as a teacher
Thoughts on using a coursebook
An activity I use again and again
I also thoroughly recommend checking out the other blogs in the series. There are some great posts by Lizzie Pinard, Larry Ferlazzo, Sandy Millin, Ceri Jones and many many more..


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TLV2462 Rail-to-Rail Op Amp - Dual - 2.7-6V @ 80mA Output
When you need to amplify, filter, add, or otherwise manipulate analog signals you'll certainly want an operational amplifier at your side. This is our favorite hobby op-amp, which we use in our kits!
It's DIP package so very easy to work with on a breadboard or perfboard. It has two amplifiers inside. It can run from voltages as low as 2.7V and up to 6V. It has rail to rail input and output, which is a common problem for beginners who don't know how to bias op amps (cheaper op-amps such as the LM358 can't handle a full range of input voltage!) 6 MHz gain bandwidth & 1.6 V/us slew so you can drive fairly fast signals. Best of all it has a beefy output that can push up to 80mA, so you can drive small speakers and headphones directly.
Great for amplifying audio, conditioning sensors, buffering analog signals, etc.


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Accountant In Centre Island
What is Financial Accounting and What to Look for in Centre Island?
Garcia & Associates, C.P.A. PLLC, a trusted Nassau County accounting firm provides financial services for individuals and businesses in Centre Island and surrounding areas. We are dedicated to three underlying principles: professionalism, responsiveness and quality. Our team of accounting professionals are happy to answer your questions about how we can be your trusted partner for all your financial accounting needs. Our accountants are known for their quality of service. When you are searching for an accountant in Nassau County call the team at Garcia & Associates, C.P.A. PLLC.
Factors to Consider when Choosing Financial Accounting Services
Financial accounting is a specialization area of accounting that keeps track of a company's financial records and transactions. Transactions are recorded, summarized and presented in financial reports financial statements as they are related to a particular business. The information is presented to stockholders, suppliers, banks, employees, government agencies, business owners and other stakeholders of the entity of interest.
Financial accounting and financial reporting are commonly used synonymously. Nassau County businesses of all sizes can benefit from the services of a firm that specializes in this area of accounting. When looking for an accountant in Centre Island you want to be sure they have the experience for your needs.
There are common rules known as accounting standards and generally accepted accounting principle (GAAP) since these financial statements are used by a variety of people. The Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) is the organization which develops the accounting standards and principles in the United States. A corporation whose stock is publicly traded must comply with the reporting requirements of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) as well.
Types of Financial Statements Accountants Prepare
After careful preparation these general-purpose financial statements may be generated:
- Income statement also known as an earnings statement or profit and loss statement (P&L)
- Statement of cash flows also referred to as a cash flow statement
- Statement of comprehensive Income
- Balance sheet also referred to as a statement of financial position
- Statement of stockholders equity
Income Statement
The income statement reports profitability of a company during a specific period of time. Main components of this statement are revenues, expenses, gains, and losses. If a corporation has publicly traded stock, the earnings per share of common stock are reported on the income statement.
Statement of Cash Flows
The statement of cash flows deals with the change in a company's cash and equivalents during the time specified in the heading of the statement. There are three parts to this statement: 1- operating activities, 2- investing activities, and 3- financing activities.
Operating activities explains how a company's cash and equivalents have changed due to operations. Investing activities refer to transactions involving long-term assets. Financing activities report things such as cash received through the issuance of long-term debt, stock issue, or money spent to retire long-term liabilities.
Statement of Comprehensive Income
Covering the same period of time as the income statement, the statement of comprehensive income contains two major sections:
- Net income (taken from the income statement)
- Other comprehensive income (adjustments involving foreign currency translation, hedging, and post-retirement benefits)
Comprehensive income is the sum of these two amounts. The amount of other comprehensive income is added/subtracted from the balance in the stockholders' equity account Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income.
Balance Sheet
The balance sheet is organized into three parts:
1- Assets
2- Liabilities
3- Stockholders' equity at a specified date
The company's assets include such things as cash, accounts receivable, inventory, prepaid insurance, buildings, and equipment.
Liabilities are obligations that are due at the date of the balance sheet. These often include the word "payable" in their title (Notes Payable, Accounts Payable, Wages Payable, and Interest Payable).
Stockholders' equity is defined as the difference between the amount of assets and the amount of liabilities.
Statement of Stockholders' Equity
The statement of stockholders (shareholders) equity lists the changes in stockholders' equity for the same period as the income statement and the cash flow statement. These changes will include items such as net income, dividends, other comprehensive income, repurchase of common stock, and the exercise of stock options.
An accountant in Centre Island will be able to explain these in detail and how they affect you. When finding an accounting firm in Nassau County it is important to find an accountant who can advise you on your personal tax account as well as business. Being armed with this knowledge and experience helps them advise you better with your financial situation.
The Difference Between Financial Accounting and Other Types of Accounting
Financial accounting represents only one area in the field of business accounting. Managerial accounting is yet another area. Managerial accounting provides financial information to a company's management. Generally this information is internal and primarily used by management to make decisions.
There are other areas of the accounting field such as cost accounting, tax accounting, and auditing.
Looking for quality professional financial accounting near Centre Island?
If you are looking for a trusted accounting partner in Nassau County the team at Garcia & Associates, C.P.A. PLLC is happy to take your call. Our accountants provide personal and professional attention to discuss your tax and financial situation. Please give us a call at 718-533-0300 or visit https://www.garciagroup.com and submit our online contact form.
- Learn more about Centre Island, NY 11771
- Open a Centre Island, NY map
- Find the Centre Island, NY United States Post Office
- Locate nearby Centre Island, NY pharmacies
- View the current Centre Island, NY weather report
- Browse a list of Centre Island, NY public and private schools
- Centre Island, NY is located in Nassau county in New York State


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Why Heisenberg can't stop atomic collapse
A heuristic argument to show that hydrogen atoms are stable and have a minimum energy level is wrong. I will assume undergraduate level quantum mechanics in the discussion.
IntroductionThere's a popular argument used to explain why atoms are stable. It shows there is a lower bound on the energy level of an electron in the atom that makes it impossible for electrons to keep "falling" forever all the way down to the nucleus. You'll find it not only in popular science books but in courses and textbooks on quantum mechanics.
A rough version of the argument goes like this: the closer an electron falls towards the nucleus the lower its potential energy gets. But the more closely bound to the nucleus it is, the more accurately we know its position and hence, by Heisenberg's uncertainty principle (HUP), the less accurately we know its momentum. Increased variance in the momentum corresponds to an increase in kinetic energy. Eventually the decrease in potential energy as the electron falls is balanced by an increase in kinetic energy and the electron has reached a stable state.
The problem is, this argument is wrong. It's wrong related to the kind of heuristic reasoning about wavefunctions that I've talked about before.
Before showing it's wrong, let's make the argument a bit more rigorous.
Bounding wavefunctions
The idea is to show that for any possible normalised wavefunction ψ of an electron in a Coulomb potential, the expected energy is bounded below by some constant. So we need to show that
is bounded below where
and p is momentum.
Consider a wavefunction that is confined mainly around the nucleus so
The first fact we need is that Heisenberg uncertainty principle tells us that
If the wavefunction is spread out with a standard deviation of a then the electron is mostly around a distance a from the nucleus. So the second fact is that we can roughly approximate the expected value of 1/r as 1/a.
Combine these two facts and we get, roughly, that
MIT, which may have come directly from Feynman's Lectures on Physics.
The problem
We'll use a wavefunction like this:
where ψ1 is normalized and peaked near the original and ψ2 is our shell of radius l. Assume no overlap between ψ1 and ψ2.
In this case you can see that we can make
as large as we like by making l as large as we like while still leaving us free to make the central peak whatever shape we want. This means that the estimate of
coming from HUP can be made as small as we like while making the central peak as close to a Dirac delta as we want. Informally, HUP controls of the overall spread of the wave function but not the spread of individual peaks within it.
But wait, we know there is a lowest energy state...
Yes, the energy of a wavefunction in a Coulomb potential is in fact bounded below. After all, atoms are stable. But the Heisenberg uncertainty principle doesn't show it. The inequality in HUP becomes an equality when the wavefunction is a Gaussian function. It provides a good bound for functions that are roughly Gaussian, ie. that form a single "lump". But it provides only weak bounds for wavefunctions with multiple peaks and in this case it's not the appropriate tool to use.
The Heisenberg uncertainty principle is an inequality about ordinary functions interpreted in the context of quantum mechanics (QM). The field of functional analysis provides many such inequalities. A great paper by Lieb, The Stability of Matter, gives an inequality due to Sobolev that can also be interpreted in the context of QM. Sobolev's inequality is more appropriate when considering the hydrogen atom and it gives a good lower bound, demonstrating that the hydrogen atom is stable after all.
But wait, the Heisenberg uncertainty principle argument gives the right energy...
Getting a correct answer doesn't always justify the methods. I can give at least two reasons why the original method appears to work.
1. The HUP gives a good bound for wavefunctions that are roughly Gaussian. The lowest energy level for the hydrogen atom is given (very roughly) by such a function. So an estimate based on HUP should be roughly correct. However, HUP alone can't tell us that the lowest energy state is Gaussian. The argument is only useful if we can get this information from somewhere else.
2. You can get an estimate for the lowest energy level of the hydrogen atom (assuming it exists) by dimensional analysis. Invalid physical arguments that are dimensionally correct will often give the correct result because there is only one dimensionally correct expression possible.
But wait, it's just a heuristic argument...
Heuristic arguments are crucial to physics. But when similar heuristic arguments give opposite results they become problematic. In particular, it's no good saying an argument is inexact or qualitative when it gives a bound on the energy that isn't just off by an order of magnitude, but completely fails to give a bound at all. Part of the issue here is that the Coulomb potential goes to infinity as r goes to zero and so more care is required. The HUP argument above can be adapted to give good results when the potential is bounded below, for example it gives a reasonable estimate for square wells.
But there may be a clever way of using HUP to bound the energy that I haven't seen. If you can see it, please tell me.
But there may be a clever way of using HUP to bound the energy that I haven't seen. If you can see it, please tell me.


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You are born in a country. You are a citizen of that country, and you don't give it much thought. It's like the air that you breathe.
And then the country disappears.
Everything that you took for granted has vanished. The ground beneath your feet has shifted irreversibly. Your national identity is up for grabs.
When Yugoslavia fell apart in the early 1990s, most people simply became citizens of what had once been constituent republics: Croatia, Bosnia, and so on. But for some, it was not a simple process at all.
In Slovenia, for instance, a significant minority of the population did not successfully make the transition. After the country's independence, citizens of other former republics living in Slovenia had six months to file for citizenship. More than 25,000 failed to do so and, through an administrative decision, were denied residency in the land where some had lived virtually their entire lives.
They had once been Yugoslav, and they were not deemed Slovene. They fell between the stools, and the fall was a hard one.
Eventually, this group of people came to be known as the Erased. They are a diverse group. Many were born outside of Slovenia; some did not have personal documents; some did not know about the option to file for citizenship; some felt that they should not have to do so.
Irfan Besirovic was born in Bosnia and came to Slovenia when he was only a year old. Slovenia is the only land that he remembers.
This is his story.
The Interview
When did you first come to Ljubljana?
In 1963.
You were quite young.
I was five years old. Before that, our family lived in Pivka, a small Slovenian town. I came to Slovenia when I was one year old.
How was your early life when you were in school? Was it generally a happy time?
Until the breakup of Yugoslavia, it was generally a happy period. I finished school, made a family, had a job. My life was generally stable until the breakup of the country.
I went to a Slovenian school. When my family came to Slovenia, we were one of the first families to come from the south. There were not so many people coming to Slovenia from other parts of Yugoslavia in those days. In my primary school, there were only two families from Bosnia. The school was in Trnovo, near the Ljubljanica River. I didn't have any problems because of my origin.
You didn't experience any discrimination growing up?
From time to time we were called "Bosnians." But everyone was a Bosnian in those days: the Serbs, the Macedonians, the Bosnians. The word didn't have a bad connotation until after independence. After independence, they called all the people from the other side of the Kolpa River (a river bordering Slovenia and Croatia), from the republics south of Slovenia, they called such people "chifuti" or "chefurji."
What does "chifuti/chefurji" literally mean?
It comes from "Chifuti", which is another word for "Jew." But here in Slovenia the word means Bosnian.
How did you think of yourself in those days: as Slovenian, Yugoslav, Bosnian?
We considered ourselves Yugoslavs. We didn't know about republican citizenship. Whenever you were asked, you responded, "Yugoslav."
Do you remember where you were when you heard about the fall of the Berlin Wall?
I was in Ljubljana. It was in the media a lot that the Berlin Wall fell. We said, "Finally, the Germans have joined their nation together. It's great that that happened." But then, all the other countries around here fell apart.
Was there a point at which you were worried that the situation in Yugoslavia would end up as a war?
No, never. When a Slovenian came to Bosnia or a Bosnian went to Slovenia, they were accepted. There was eating and drinking, and everyone did it together. I never imagined that a war would happen here in Yugoslavia.
What did you think when Slovenia declared independence?
I was not surprised. Everything had already started in the 1980s. There were signs, like the young people in Slovenia boycotting the shtafeta — when young people carried a baton in a relay race through all of Yugoslavia and gave it to Tito on his birthday, on May 25. Later, the Slovenian Communist Party left the party's Central Committee. So, it was not a complete surprise. But no one thought it would end in this way.
Do you remember when Tito died?
I remember it well. I woke up with a terrible toothache. I went to work and told my boss. He told me to go to the dentist. On the way to the dentist, I heard that Tito died. So I went to the café bar Slon. There was really sad music, and all the people there were crying. The whole moment was really sad. Everyone was on the street in Ljubljana. Everyone was crying, regardless of nationality.
Were you sad too?
Tito meant something to us then. So, yes, I was sad, I had been a soldier. I had carried the shtafeta. I watched his train leave when he went to Romania. I was part of youth brigade when Tito visited along with an African president. It was 1976, and I was able to say hello to him.
Do you feel the same way about Tito today as you did back then?
I still respect Tito. But my feelings have changed a lot. There is too much nationalism — not only here but all over Yugoslavia.
Can you describe the moment that this process of erasure began and how you felt about it?
When they made a hole in my identity card, I didn't know what that meant. They told me that I was erased from the registry of permanent residents, and I had to arrange my status as foreigner. I didn't know what the extent of the consequences would be, not until I had health issues and I couldn't go to the doctor because they wouldn't treat me, not until my domestic situation worsened and I had an argument with my wife because I wasn't earning any money and I couldn't be an equal part of the community. Only then did I realize what the consequences would be. Without documents I couldn't go to the doctor. Without papers, I couldn't get a job.
I went to the Red Cross, and they said they couldn't help me because I wasn't a refugee, I wasn't anything, I wasn't entitled to any help. And then all my problems started. I broke up with my partner. I was homeless.
A couple years later, I met a person and made arrangements to stay at his place. I worked as a waiter at his restaurant. But I didn't get a paycheck. I also took care of his baby and his grandmother. I roasted pigs. I cleaned. I did everything. But I wasn't paid.
Before the erasure, I worked as a waiter. After I finally got citizenship in 2004, I got work in a construction company. I had to get a job quickly. But after a month at that job, the vein in my leg burst, so I was on sick leave.
Your health is better now?
It's better, but it's not okay. I still have problems with wounds on my legs. Some are healed, some are still open. They can't discover where the veins are blocked. But even if they do, and they do the operation, there's a risk that I could be an invalid. So the health consequences are long-lasting.
After the erasure, you knew very few people in the same situation.
Until 2002 when I joined the Association of Self-Organized Erased, I knew a couple people. I wasn't aware that there were thousands of Erased. Only through this association did I learn about this. At the beginning, the official number of Erased was 18,000. Then the government admitted that it was 25,000.
What was your reaction when you learned there were so many people in the same situation as you?
Personally it was easier to know that the number was so huge. It was a relief that the public was becoming more aware of the Erasure. If we were fighting together, we could get something done about this issue.
It's been nearly a decade of activity on this issue. How would you evaluate this work?
It's been quite hard. There were a lot of provocations from a lot of people But overall, I would say that it was a success. We proved that it was the state's fault, not our fault. And the European Court of Human Rights has proven/confirmed that.
Can you give an example of a provocation?
From the ordinary people, it was: "What do you want, you Bosnian? Just go back!" From the side of the politicians, they spoke of aggressors against Slovenia. They said that these illiterate cleaning ladies should just be put on trains and sent back.
These were provocations in the media or said to you personally?
Ordinary people said these things to me personally, but politicians said this in the media.
What did people say when you told them that you'd been in Slovenia since you were a baby?
When they heard the stories of me and others, the reactions changed. There is quite a lot of support now. When I meet someone who saw me on television, they tell me, "Good job, this is how it should be done." So, it has changed on an everyday level. But some politicians haven't changed.
Has this movement inspired other Slovenians to fight for their rights?
Yes, more and more people are fighting for their rights. The most important message is that if you don't fight for your rights, if you stay at home and don't fight, nothing will happen. It's a really important part of this movement that it's been inclusive. We weren't just struggling for the Erased. We were fighting also for the rights of Roma and the LGBT community.
You've taken on a leadership position of the movement. How has that been?
I took over the function of president of our association two years ago. The public is quite fond of me, I think, because I choose my words carefully. I don't attack ordinary people. I only attack the politics. So, it's been a good experience to gain some recognition from the public. At first, when I took over this job, I was afraid of what would happen. There wasn't so much support in the public. But now, I'm swimming in it. It's no problem.
Was the decision of the European Court a surprise for you?
In 2010, when the first verdict was issued, I was really surprised. Then when the Slovenian government made a complaint, I was hoping that it would be positive in the end. When the court issues something positive the first time, it's a bigger surprise if the decision isn't positive the second time around. So I was more surprised after the first verdict in 2010 than the more recent one in 2012.
Do you think the Slovenian government will abide by the decision?
The Slovenian government must abide by the verdict. It has until June 26 to come up with a plan for compensation. Otherwise, the court will decide what kind of compensation will be made for the Erased. And just yesterday, a new commission was announced to come up with this compensation plan. The chief of the commission is the general secretary of the ministry of the interior. So I'm quite sure that they're working on it. I just don't know what the final result will be.
Will there be a representative of the Erased on the commission?
For now, I don't know, because this is new information. But there should be a representative from one of the two associations of the Erased. We should decide our conditions. It's not good when someone else decides that for us. Someone who was not erased cannot know what it was like to be Erased and what the compensation should be.
Are there major differences of opinion between the two associations of the Erased?
There's a difference of methodology. The other association is fonder of negotiating behind the table and taking the legal path. Our organization is more for actions, demonstrations, and a more public way of struggling, though of course we also support the legal path. If we didn't do demonstrations and hunger strikes, I'm sure that the European Court decision wouldn't have been made. The legal case at the European Court was also a result of the actions of our association.
Using your own example, can you explain how the compensation might work?
I always say that there is no money in the world that can compensate for lost health, for lost work, for lost contact with my child. There should also be moral compensation. This would be punishment, prosecution, for the people guilty of the erasure.
Do you think that will happen?
Not in Slovenia. Compare the situation of the tycoons in charge of privatization who drained the companies before they went bankrupt. If they have not been punished for what they did, then the people responsible for the Erased will not be punished either.
Do you think the Slovenian public will accept the compensation? Or are they saying that Slovenia just doesn't have the money for this?
I think that the people are divided. There are forums where many people speak against the compensation. But many people say, "Finally the situation is resolved and people should get compensation."
The biggest problem is that the politicians are inflating the amount of money for compensation. Then the people are afraid of such a high amount, such a big hole in the budget. We need to know that not all Erased had equal damage. Some were erased for a year, some for five, some for 20. If we don't give the same compensation to everyone, if we do it case by case, then the compensation won't be so high. Also, some Erased are prepared to receive a certain amount of money each month – maybe 300-400 Euros per month — for the rest of their life. So it doesn't mean a lot of money at once.
This may take years to figure out, especially if it's case by case.
Of course it will be a complex process if it's case by case. And each person must prove the damage.
There is also a large number of Erased who never asked for permanent residency. The opportunity to get permanent residency is open only for another year. And I'm worried that many people will not get that status. So it's not clear whether they will get compensation.
And then there are all the people who died. I don't know what will happen with them and their families.
But Slovenia will have to make the compensations. If it doesn't, there will be a sanction. The government can't say it doesn't have the money. That would be like if I have to go to the prison and I say that I don't have the time to do that!
In addition to compensation, what are the other unfinished tasks for your association?
If Slovenia provides compensation, it would be the end of the fight for the Erased. The only thing left would be maybe punishment of the guilty. The official statutes of our association say that it will function until the violations are corrected. Compensation would mean that the violations are corrected. But we can still go on with the struggle — just not within the association. We can struggle on behalf of other peoples' human rights.
What do you think of the current political and economic situation in Slovenia — the economic crisis, the corruption trials?
There is corruption everywhere in Slovenia, in all spheres. We all know that this corruption has been happening for 20 years. Only now is it coming out in public. We also know that without this corruption the economic crisis wouldn't be so big.
In terms of the political crisis, one huge problem is that the opinion of voters is not respected. The prime minister is on trial and still his situation doesn't change. Other people in parliament have been accused of various crimes but they don't leave their seats. They simply don't respect the will of the people.
Until this generation of politicians passes, nothing will happen.
Many of the services that Slovenians have enjoyed over the last decades are being gradually taken away. Someone told me that they thought that the average Slovenian is now beginning to feel what the Erased felt.
What's your opinion of that?
It's not just a reduction in public services. It's also fewer jobs. So, people in this situation will face something similar to the Erased, though it will be a bit better for them since they will receive some social benefits. But it is quite obvious that this policy is ruining the state. I can't remember before, in former Yugoslavia, when so many people were unemployed and hungry. In a year or two, there will be more homeless people who can't afford electricity, rent. I think that the future is bleak.
Ljubljana, October 18, 2012
Interpreter: Sara Pistotnik
Interview (2008)
I came here when I was one year old, from Bosnia. I've lived all my life in Slovenia. I've never really had any connection with Bosnia again.
I was erased 30 years later after I came to Slovenia. This is how it happened:
There was a period of time when the government was accepting applications for citizenship. Just before this period, I had a major car crash. It was on December 31, 1990. I was in a coma. I'd broken my pelvis. I'd bit through my tongue. During all of 1991, I was in hospital and undergoing rehabilitation. In April 1991, I received my identity card without a problem. I needed this for the health insurance. The term for applying for Slovenian citizenship lasted from July to December 1991. During this period, I went to apply for citizenship. But the employee at the unit told me that I'd already missed the term.
Then, in March 1992, I got an invitation from the administrative unit saying that I must go there and arrange things. The clerk asked me if I had Slovenian citizenship. I said no, but it's being arranged. The last time they told me I'd missed the term. This clerk said that I must give her my ID card. She took it and made a hole in it so that it wasn't valid any more. It was like this for many people: all the documents of the Erased just expired. But for other citizens of Slovenia, their old passports were valid again. Anyway, she gave me back my ID.
I was living at the time with the mother of my son, who was born in 1991. We broke up after the Erasure. In March and April 1992, I had no place to live. I was homeless. I had no papers, no documents. All the Erased at that time were hiding and were afraid to tell anyone that they didn't have status. I knew that there were other people like me because my brother was also Erased. I heard from him from time to time, but not regularly, because we were all afraid. For almost one year, I was homeless. Sometimes I slept at my friend's, but this was not a permanent solution. I was also sleeping outside. I spent the winter in basements.
I had surgery after the car crash, and they put a piece of metal inside my pelvis. But they made a mistake and cut the nerve. Later they were afraid to take out the metal because there might be something wrong with the nerve and I might become paralyzed. But the problem was that my body was rejecting this metal. In the early 90s, I began to get open wounds all over my body. Also in the 1990s, I survived thrombosis. I didn't have health insurance. One of the side effects was that I almost lost sight in my right eye. I still don't see well on that side, but it's better than it was before.
I had been a waiter all my life. I knew many people and many people knew me. In 1993, I ran into a man that I had known before. He took me home. He gave me a job as a waiter in exchange for shelter and food, but I didn't get any pay. This lasted for two years. Then in 1995, inspectors closed down the restaurant, and I was again on the street. This lasted for a few months. But it was the summer, so sleeping on the street was easier. Then I ran into another person and arranged to work as a waiter under the same conditions: in exchange for food and shelter. This restaurant was in a poor part of Ljubljana where many Erased lived. I was in contact with people in the same situation as me but we didn't know it.
My first problem with the police came in 2002. They came to the bar at 7 a.m. and started to ask for documents. I didn't have documents. They asked me for my name. They asked for my ID card. Since it was not valid, they took me with them to the court. They wanted to deport me. But the judge said that there was no need to deport me. The police put me in a detention center anyway and told me that they were going to deport me to Sarajevo.
"I have no connection to Sarajevo," I said.
"It doesn't matter," they said. "We'll leave you at the airport there."
I stayed overnight at the detention center. I talked with the social worker, who told me to call a lawyer and the restaurant owner. They came and signed a guarantee that I will stay at a friend's house. But the police still wouldn't let me out of the detention center. The next day, the social worker came and said, "What are you doing here?" She called the police inspector. After two more hours of waiting, they released me. For the next two years, I had to go back monthly to get a stamp at the detention center. I could move around in the area of the city where I was living.
After two years, the police returned. They told me that my staying in Slovenia had expired and they were there to bring me back to the detention center. In 2003, the law was passed for the Erased to get Slovenian citizenship. It was easy for some, and not for others. If you could prove that you had stayed in Slovenia between 2003 and 2004, you could qualify. I told the police that I'd applied for citizenship. They said, "We will check," even though I had confirmation from the ministry that I'd applied. I had to call the lawyer again. We went to the Ministry of Interior to get the original confirmation that I'd really applied. They said that until the procedure was approved or not, I could stay in the country. And then they left me in peace.
On October 13, 2004 I finally got Slovenian citizenship. I could finally get health insurance, but my problems were far from solved. I could move around freely, and I could get treatment for my health problems. I also could get a proper job. I found a job in construction. I worked for one month. Then a vein burst in my leg because the job was too strenuous and the veins could not take all the pressure. I lost almost a liter of blood on my way to the hospital. I didn't have supplemental insurance on top of the basic insurance that doesn't really cover anything. They just cleaned the wound. After one month, after I arranged for the supplemental insurance, I was able to get proper treatment. But I was in and out of hospital for the next few weeks. I had a problem with my eye. I was told my kidneys and lungs were weak. I spent two years on sick leave. After that, the construction firm couldn't find me any work. The unemployment office couldn't find me any work.
I've been part of the Erased movement since 2002. I've been in all the actions, demonstrations, and hunger strikes. It was not clear at first that the situation was so terrible, that there were so many Erased. After I was first on TV, all these guests that I'd been serving at the restaurant started to tell me that they were in a similar situation.
In the beginning our goal was to get back our status and our permanent residency. Some have gotten this status, some have not. Personally, if they would recognize all those years of my being Erased, I could accumulate enough of a working period so that I could retire. But I have this hole in my biography.
As for compensation, even if I get 5 million euros, that will not bring back my health. The only thing I wish for is that the people responsible for the Erasure, and for prolonging the Erasure, are convicted, that the Erasure is recognized as a crime.
(photo of Irfan Besirovic by Niels van Tomme)


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Migrants in Spain could soon benefit from a European Union-backed program aimed at helping migrants by bringing helpful information to their fingertips via technology.more
'France is in distress. There is a kind of rage out there,' says Christiane Taubira. The country's black justice minister, 62, is now the most popular left-wing politician in France.more
The anti-immigration PVV is drawing up legislation which would ensure Zwarte Piet, Sinterklaas's (Santa Claus') servant, remains black and that songs remain unmodernised.more
France's centre-Right parties have grabbed back control of the second house of parliament, the Senate, after three years with a Left majority – but the big talking point for most was the Front National winning two seats for the first time.more
A radical demographic shift means that Britain's ethnic minority vote may determine the outcome of the 2015 election, according to research.more
Somalis in Cardiff, Wales have deep roots in the area, sharing their heritage, is becoming increasingly important to them.more
The first black minister in any of the devolved UK administrations - in this case the Welsh assembly - says parties need to mobilise and recruit from ethnic minoritiesmore
The riots in Sweden that broke out in May shocked the world. Sweden was the last place most people expected scenes of this kind. More community police officers are needed, a minister says, officers like Togo-born Rissa Seidou who know the area and its residents.more
The future site for the United Kingdom's first national Black Heritage Centre in the heart of Brixton, was dedicated in June. The centre will promote a greater understanding and enjoyment of Britain's Black cultural heritage when it opens, officals say.more
Economic migrants from Africa have been coming to Portugal for more than 50 years but they have rarely encountered such challenging times.more
Singer Eunice Olumide - sweeTs, of the popular hip-hop duo NorthernXposure - like others is working towards a multicultural Scotland.more
A work-in-progress documentary Black Russians: The Red Experience, examines the lives of Black American professionals who left their homeland for the Soviet Union in search of an ideal and saw Stalinist Russia as a promised land.more
The city of Northampton in the East Midlands region of England is home to the UK's largest concentration of Malawians. Discover their stories here.more
For much of the last year, Italian filmmaker Fred Kuwornu has been on the road with his movie "18 Ius Soli" to raise awareness of the law which forces the Italian-born children of immigrants to apply for citizenship at 18.more
The reign of Elizabeth I saw the beginning of Britain's first black community. It's a fascinating story for modern Britons.more
An EXCLUSIVE interview with UK Member of Parliament, David Lammy, who represents the London area where riots sparked last July. Topics include problems facing people of colour in his area and the possibility of a black Prime Minister in his lifetime.more
Rapper and activist Fofo Adom'Megaa aka Rost worked closely with French president Francois Hollande to make sure his party didn't forget about people on the country's housing estates. His exclusive interview here.more
The slave trade once made the people of Nantes rich, but the French city covered up its dark history for decades. It recently erected a memorial to the victims in a project believed to be the first of its kind in Europe.more
Black and mixed-ethnic Britons are less satisfied with their lives on average than the UK population as a whole, a survey suggests.more
Somalis have lived in Britain for hundreds of years. Somali seamen are said to have fought in the battle of Trafalgar. But as a group, they still struggle to find their way.more
African immigrants in Greece, like Tanzanian-born Irene Thawe, face a difficult life, one worsened by the country's economic crisis.more
This episode of the series examines, the pressure Africans in Europe feel to earn money and send it back home, driving some of them to the dark underworld of drugs and prostitution.more
French activist and media personality Rokhaya Diallo, 33, is a new force in the country's media. She is also the creator of Les Indivisibles (The Indivisible), an organization which uses humour to fight racism. Each year it presents its annual Y'a Bon Awards, which highlights the most racist statements of the year.more
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Young Austrians of African origin say they are rejected by both societies. Vienna-born of Ghanaian descent, 25-year-old Kofi Akwanpa, describes living between two cultures.more
Ricardo Lumengo made history on Oct. 21 2007 when he was elected Switzerland's first-ever national parliamentarian of African origin. Since then, the lawyer has been transformed into a prominent public figure in the Alpine country.more
Despite recent racial unrest in Italy, African communities continue to forge ties in the 'bel paese.' Many West Africans are making the multicultural area around Viale Gramsci in Modena, northern Italy home.more
The constant fear of being attacked in the street or anywhere has become a way of life among Africans living in Russia - the majority of the attacks are racial motivated. "Street Life Moscow: Strange Land, An African in Russia" examines the lives of those who face the problem.more
A CNN profile of Jean Léonard Touadi, the first black member of the Italian parliament.more
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Italy has elected its third black member of parliament, a Congo-born university lecturer and TV immigrant show journalist who is perhaps best known as Rome's public-safety pointmmore


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Overweight Dogs
Overweight Dogs – Health Issues
When we think of dogs we tend to think of agile creatures that love to exercise and play, have speed and power, and are sleek or cuddly. However, just like humans and other animals, dogs are creatures that can be prone to weight problems, some breeds far more than others.
Most dogs love their food and treats, and although most love to exercise and play there are also those that are quite happy to toast their paws in front of the fire and play the "couch potato" whenever given the chance. And, of course, the combination of lack of exercise and over-feeding can lead to a very fat little dog.
Avoiding obesity in your dog
Some dogs can be far more susceptible than others to weight gain, and for dogs this can result in a range of associated health problems. Weight gain can not only make your dog miserable, but reduce his quality of life, and even reduce his lifespan.
This is why it is important for responsible owners to monitor and maintain a healthy weight for their dogs, and in the event of weight gain to take action in order to try and get their weight back on track.


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Whether your needs are small or large, Florabunda is dedicated to providing its customers with the highest standards for quality products, reliability, availability and service. We know these are key factors to the success of any business and at Florabunda, we are committed to these standards and strive to achieve results that are mutually beneficial for us and our customers.
Being involved with the warmth and beauty of living plants and appreciating the value they add to our world of steel and concrete is gratifying in itself. It is an opportunity indeed to offer this service to our fellow man and to earn a living at the same time.
We are proud of our industry, our company and most of all, the fine people who have placed their confidence and trust in us our customers and employees.
Who We Are...
Since 1975, Florabunda has been dedicated to providing the finest interior foliage, decorative containers, hard goods and services to interiorscapers, florists, designers and landscapers throughout Texas.
Through years of constant growth and development, Florabunda has evolved from its humble beginnings as a department within The Spencer Company to become a limited liability company and the premier wholesale tropical plant nursery in the greater Houston area.
Our mission is simple...to provide a service that will delight our customers, develop our employees and enhance our built environment.
123 N. Drennan Street | Houston, Texas 77003 | 713-222-9496


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Displaying 1 - 20 of 24 results
From vigilante to lawgiver
Moses' brief and violent encounter with the Egyptian taskmaster in Exodus reads like a crime report or movie script: Moses … went out to his brothers and saw their labors. He saw an Egyptian man striking a Hebrew man, one of his brothers. He...
Bible Review, February 2003
Exorcising Demons
Pazuzu...Lamashtu...Khatyu...Sheseru...Sasam...Lilith...Asmodeus...Beelzebub.... Names to conjure with. Literally. Years ago, when I was a student at Harvard, my teacher Frank Moore Cross raised a puzzling question: Why do demons—so prominent...
Bible Review, October 2004
Yohanan Aharoni—The Man and His Work
Research in the land of the Bible has suffered a heavy loss in the untimely death of Yohanan Aharoni, chairman of the Department of Archaeology at Tel Aviv University. To his associates he has bequeathed the task of continuing and summarizing...
Biblical Archaeology Review, December 1976
Shasu or Habiru: Who Were the Early Israelites?
It is time to clarify for BAR readers the widely discussed relationship between the habiru, who are well documented in Egyptian and Near Eastern inscriptions, and the Hebrews of the Bible. There is absolutely no relationship! The first...
Biblical Archaeology Review, November/December 2008
Did Moses Have Horns?
Michelangelo's monumental Moses immediately captures the attention of visitors to the church of St. Peter in Chains in Rome. The sculptor has created a vision not merely of the lawgiver, but of Israel's God as conceived by pre-modern...
Bible Review, February 1988
Inside, Outside: Where Did the Early Israelites Come From?
Before they settled in the hill country of Canaan, where did the earliest Israelites come from and what was the nature of their society? The Bible is very clear. They were pastoral nomads who came from east of the Jordan. Much of the...
Biblical Archaeology Review, November/December 2008
The Saga of Eliashib
Office files found of commander of fort at Arad
Over 20 years ago, I was excavating a room on the south side of the Israelite fortress at Arad—it was the 1964 season—when...
Biblical Archaeology Review, March/April 1987
Bah, Humbug!
A scholar rips Handel's Messiah
Every December, concert halls and churches throughout the English-speaking world resound with the strains of George Frederic Handel's mighty Messiah. For centuries, music lovers have gone home humming the arias and choruses that Handel's...
Bible Review, December 2002
"Eves" of Everyday Ancient Israel
Women are vastly underrepresented in the Hebrew Bible. Named men outnumber women by about ten to one. And the women who do appear are mostly exceptional or elite women, not the majority who were farm women. Not only are women underrepresented...
Biblical Archaeology Review, November/December 2014
Crosses in the Dead Sea Scrolls: A Waystation on the Road to the Christian Cross
The relationship of the Dead Sea Scrolls to early Christianity has absorbed scholars since the dramatic discovery more than 30 years ago. Early, exaggerated commentaries which, for example, stated that the Teacher of Righteousness was Jesus...
Biblical Archaeology Review, November/December 1979
Is Psalm 45 an Erotic Poem?
You probably know the old joke about the psychiatrist who gave his patient a series of Rohrschach tests. The patient identified every single inkblot pattern as depicting a man and a woman copulating. The doctor then pronounced his official...
Bible Review, April 2004
Who Wrote Second Isaiah?
The Book of Isaiah contains the most astounding prophecy in the Hebrew Bible. Ostensibly, the Prophet Isaiah, who flourished in the eighth century B.C.E., according to Isaiah 1:1, accurately foresaw events that occurred a couple hundred years...
Bible Review, October 2003
Was There a Seven-Branched Lampstand in Solomon's Temple?
Did Solomon's temple contain a seven-branched lampstand known as a menorah? Most people answer this question with an automatic "of course." But the Biblical text is not so clear. The...
Biblical Archaeology Review, September/October 1979
Santa and His Asherah
The ancient Near Eastern roots of American Yuletide customs are manifold and fascinating. I will concentrate here on just two major points: that the Christmas tree was originally a symbol of the Canaanite goddess Asherah and that Santa Claus...
Bible Review, December 1998
Arad—An Ancient Israelite Fortress with a Temple to Yahweh
The Israelite fortress at Arad is unique in the Land of Israel. It's the only site excavated with modern archaeological methods that contains a continuous archaeological record from the...
Biblical Archaeology Review, March/April 1987
The Private Sign of the Covenant
And God said to Abraham, "As for you, you must keep my covenant, you and your seed after you throughout their generations. This is my covenant ... every male of yours must be circumcised. When you circumcise your foreskin flesh, it will...
Bible Review, August 2004
Digging the Talmud in Ancient Meiron
The Talmud is, after the Bible itself, Judaism's most significant and revered collection of sacred writings. Although the Talmud was in fact written and compiled between the Second and Fifth centuries A.D., rabbinic tradition holds that...
Biblical Archaeology Review, June 1978
Finders of a Real Lost Ark
American archaeologists find remains of ancient synagogue ark in Galilee
When we returned to Nabratein in upper Galilee for our second excavation season in June 1981, we were unaware of a movie called "Raiders of the Lost Ark." This may be difficult to believe, but it is true. Day by day we excavated in the clear...
Biblical Archaeology Review, November/December 1981


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Harry Morgan Biography
Harry Morgan(Harry Bratsburg)
Born: 4/10/1915
Birthplace: Detroit, Michigan
Television and film character actor equally adept at dramatic and comic characterizations, Bratsburg originally wanted to be a lawyer but changed his life direction to acting. He started on the New York stage around 1937 under his real name, but changed it when he entered films. Though he continued to work in film he is best known for his prolific television career, spanning some 10 series, including December Bride (1954–61), Pete and Gladys (1960–62) a spin-off of the Bride series, Dragnet (1967–70), M*A*S*H (1975–83) for which he won an Emmy for his portrayal of Col. Sherman Potter, and 3rd Rock from the Sun (1996– ). His films include Inherit the Wind (1960) with Spencer Tracy, Frankie and Johnny (1966) with Elvis Presley, Support Your Local Sheriff (1969) with James Garner, and Dragnet (1987) with Dan Aykroyd.
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|Electronic Copyboards
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Its major advantage is that it makes it easy for the participants to focus on the discussion at hand without worrying to take down notes. They'll be able to get a copy of the notes later. 3M, Panasonic, Plus and PolyVision specialize in the manufacturing electronic copyboards.
Popular copyboards are Panasonic's UB-5310, UB-7325, UB-5338C and UB-5838C, Plus's CR-5 and M-12S, Polyvision's Copycam-Pro Copy Board, and 3M's DB578 Digital Interactive Whiteboard and Electronic Copyboard.
Presentation tools assist in conducting presentations. Presentation equipment includes interactive whiteboards, electronic copyboards, interactive panels, interactive plasma displays, educational tools and software, bluetooth and USB tablets, multimedia projectors and document cameras.
AVerMedia, 3M, Epson, Boxlight, eBeam, Elmo, Hitachi, Lumens, Mimio, NEC, NextWindow, Numonics, Panasonic, Plus, PolyVision, QOMO, Quartet, Qwizdom, RM EasiTeach, Samsung, Teamboard and Wacom specialize in presentation tools.
Popular products are Elmo's P10S and CO-10, eBeam's Edge, AverMedia's AVerVision SPB370, 3M's SCP712 and SCP716, Hitachi's CP-X5 Digital Projector and CP-X2011 LCD Projector, Lumen's DC120 and DC166 Document Camera, Mimio's Mimio Pad Wireless Tablet and Mimio Interactive, NEC's Digital Projector NP310 and NP110, NextWindow's PC Touch (1900 Series), Display Touch (2100 Series) and Optical Sensor (2500 Series), Numonic's Intelliboard Interactive Whiteboard 77 and IntelliMonitor 19 Inches LCD Panel, Panasonic UB-T780 Interactive Whiteboard, Plus's Color CopyBoard CR-5, Polyvision's TS 620 Interactive Whiteboard and ēno Classic 2610 Interactive Whiteboard, QOMO's QD8000 document camera and QPC30 portable document camera, Quartet's IdeaShare Interactive Whiteboard Q8000 and Q8500, Qwizdom's Q7 Presenter Tablet and Q5 Presenter Remote, and Wacom's Cintiq 21 Pen Display.
|Panel Size
|35.8"H x 51.2"W
|Effective Reading Area
|35.4"H x 50.4"W
|Number of Panels
|2 inch Grid
|Endless in one direction (Horizontal scrolling)
|Drive Method
|Motorized / Manual
|Reading Method
|CIS (Contact Image Sensor)
|Reading Illumination Light Source
|Reading Resolution
|Main scanning direction (vertical sheet surface) 50 dpi
Sub scanning direction (horizontal sheet surface) 50 dpi
|Reading Time
|Approx. 15 s
|USB Ports
|3 Ports: Type B for PC and Type A for Printer and for USB Flash Memory
|Saved Output File Format
|Saved Output Resolution
|2458 × 1728 dots (fixed)
|External Memory Type
|USB Flash Memory
|External Memory Compatible FAT types
|External Memory Interface
|USB 1.1 or USB 2.0
|Compatible Printers
|InkJet Printers: HP PCL3e & PCL3 gui compatible (with some exceptions) (See printer list)
|Printing Resolution
|300 dpi or equivalent
|No. Print Colors
|2 grayscale
|Printer Interface
|Conforming to USB 2.0 standards
|Used for the timestamp and for file dating properties
(Includes backup battery for when there is a loss of power.)
|PC Connection
|Images can be acquired and device settings made via USB (using a browser)
|AC Power Adapter
|Input: AC100–240V/50–60 Hz, Max 0.75 A
Output: DC 12 V, 3.0 A
|PC Consumption
|In standby: 3W, During operation: 12W (not including printer)
|30 ~ 85% (with no condensation)
|Operating Environment OS
|Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional (Service Pack 4 or Later) /
Windows XP (Home Edition/Professional Edition (Service Pack 2 or Later) /
Vista (32 bit) / Windows7 (32 bit / 64 bit) / Mac OS X 10.5 or later
|Web Browser
|Windows: Internet Explorer 6.0 or Later
Macintosh: Safari 4 or Later
*With Adobe Flash Player 10 Installed
|Installation Method
|Wall Mount or Floor Stand
|External Dimensions (Without Marker Tray)
|39.4"H x 58.3"W × 3.5"D
|External Dimensions (With Floor Stand )
|76.6"H x 58.3"W × 26.6"D
|Main Unit Weight
|33 lbs
|Floor Stand Weight
|23 lbs
|Markers (Black, Red), Eraser, AC Power Adaptor, USB Cable (9 ft Length), User's Manual, Assembly Set-up Manual, Wall Mounting Brackets.
|Optional Accessories
|Rolling Floor Stand (Part #42-3084), Printer Shelf
|*1. The height is adjustable at 68.8, 72.7 and 76.6 inches.
*2. The value indicated for "H" (height) is the maximum height.
*3. Not including the weight of the printer.
*4. USB Memory device not included. The memory capacity corresponds to 32GB or Less.
- Please note that for quality improvement purposes, specifications and design are subject to change without prior notice.
"I wanted a Cintiq 21ux and nobody seemed to have them.. One company said they had 40 in stock so I ordered it from them and when it didn't come I had to call them and the told me it might be a few more weeks.. Clary BM was upfront and honest with me about ship dates and I wasn't jerked around. When Alex said it would be available for shipping- by golly he was right on, and I got the Cintiq in a matter of a few days.. Happy to do business with Clary Business Machines!"
"This is used by a group of Business Analysts currently designing a new workflow solution for our firm (major project). Since we use process maps as our basic work tool, this board was exactly what was needed to create and maintain our maps from design sessions. We determined that 80% of the normal whiteboard work had to be repeated a some later date. Now we simply pull up the clearly dated map copy for comparative work purposes, I calculated that it would take only 35 saved hours for the board to pay for itself. After a week of heavy use, it looks as though we will save around 12 hours per week by circulating copied maps. This will improve communication (same map and notes for all), improve meeting attention (no note taking), and reduce backfill reviews. Now the only problem we have is that other areas of our IT Department want to use it. Chuck Haag Vice President Process Development Unit national Default Exchange"
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Frank Murphy
|Frank Murphy
|Former Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court
From: January 18, 1940 – July 19, 1949
|Franklin Roosevelt
|Pierce Butler
|Tom Clark
|56th Attorney General of the United States
From: January 2, 1939 – January 18, 1940
|Franklin Roosevelt
|Homer S. Cummings
|Robert H. Jackson
|35th Governor of Michigan
From: January 1, 1937 – January 1, 1939
|Leo J. Nowicki
|Frank Fitzgerald
|Frank Fitzgerald
|59th Mayor of Detroit
From: September 23, 1930 – May 10, 1933
|Charles Bowles
|Frank Couzens
|Roman Catholic
|Military Service
|United States Army
| Captain
| World War I
World War II
William Francis (Frank) Murphy (April 13, 1890 – July 19, 1949) was a jurist and politician. Most notably, he was an Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court, the 56th United States Attorney General , the 35th Governor of Michigan and the 59th Mayor of Detroit, Michigan. He was also the Governor-General of the Philippines, taught at the University of Detroit Mercy for five years and served as a captain in occupied Germany during World War I.[1]
During his tenure as attorney general, he enacted the first civil rights law in the Justice Department.[2]
As a Politician
Mayor of Detroit
Murphy became Mayor of Detroit during the first years of the Great Depression.[1][3] He combatted this reality by convincing industrialists to turn over their factories to be converted to boardinghouses for the homeless, and allowed delinquent property owners to pay their taxes over a seven-year period.[1] He also notably set up apple vendors - where the elderly or handicapped bought apples for 2 cents, and then resold them for a nickel - at the program's peak, 650 Detroiters were supporting their families by selling apples.[1]
Murphy organized meetings of mayors from across the nation - this would lead to the establishment of the U.S. Conference of Mayors - he would be their first president;[3][4] this group convinced Congress to provide direct federal aid to the cities.[1]
Governor-General of the Philippines
As a reward for campaigning for Franklin Roosevelt, Murphy was appointed to be Governor-General of the Philippines. There he attempted to guide the Philippines' transition from a territory to a commonwealth.[1][5] He enacted minimum wage laws and supported women's suffrage.[5] Murphy was a popular leader - in 1935 he became the first United States High Commissioner of the Philippines.[6]
Governor of Michigan
Murphy returned from the Philippines to run against incumbent Frank Fitzgerald for the Governorship of Michigan - he won by a narrow margin. When Murphy took office, more than 100,000 General Motors workers were in the third day of a sit-down strike in Flint.[3] On January 11, 1937, policed stormed the protestors, leading to a brawl that ended with 27 injured.[1] Murphy called in the National Guard to protect the protestors, ignored a court order to remove the strikers and served as a mediator between the United Auto Workers and GM; on February 11 he announced an agreement had been made.[1]
Murphy would later do away with the spoils system and install a civil service system.[1] He lost his re-election bid to the same man he had defeated - Frank Fitzgerald.
Career in law
U.S. Attorney Eastern District of Michigan
Murphy served as a United States attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan from 1919-1922. He won all but one of the cases he prosecuted.[1]
Recorder's Court Judge
From 1923 to 1940, Murphy served as a Recorder's Court Judge. He presided over the famous Sweet murder trials - Dr. Ossian Sweet, an African-American, had been charged with the murder of a white man who was shot outside of his home. (Sweet was acquitted after a second trial.) Gary Maveal of the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law noted that "Murphy's fairness to the prosecution and defense was remarkable; his fairness to the defendant was unique for the times."[3]
Murphy changed the bail system so that the poor could more easily make bond and established an independent traffic court.
Attorney General
President Franklin Roosevelt nominated Murphy to serve as the United States Attorney General in 1939; there Murphy established a Civil Liberties Section in the Criminal Division of the Department of Justice.[3] He cracked down on liberal corrupt political machines in Kansas City and Philadelphia.[1]
Tenure on the Supreme Court
President Roosevelt again called Murphy to service - this time to serve on the Supreme Court, possibly to remove the chance of Murphy challenging him in a political race.[1]
|"The law knows no finer hour than when it cuts through formal concepts and transitory emotions to protect unpopular citizens against discrimination and persecution."
— Frank Murphy, Falbo v. United States dissent
As a jurist, he was a strong advocate of civil rights and distrustful of government power. This view led to perhaps his best known opinion - a dissent in the case Korematsu v. United States, which controversially held as constitutional the internment of Japanese-Americans during World War II. Murphy referred to the ruling as the "legalization of racism", saying, "Racial discrimination in any form and in any degree has no justifiable part whatever in our democratic way of life ... All residents of this nation are kin in some way by blood or culture to a foreign land. Yet they are primarily and necessarily a part of the new and distinct civilization of the United States. They must accordingly be treated at all times as the heirs of the American experiment and as entitled to all the rights and freedoms guaranteed by the Constitution."[7] Murphy also used the phrase "the ugly abyss of racism" - the first time the word "racism" was used in a Supreme Court opinion.[1]
Murphy consistently voted in upholding First Amendment claims. He voted with the majority to end compulsory flag saluting in schools in West Virginia State Board of Education v. Barnette and he wrote the majority opinion protecting labor union picketing in Thornhill v. Alabama.[5]
In 1949 Murphy dissented in Wolf v. Colorado - where the majority ruled that the Fourth Amendment was not applicable to the states - in that evidence obtained in violation of the Fourth Amendment can be used in state trials. Murphy wrote that the opinion allowed "lawlessness by officers of the law".[5] In 1961, the Court would adopt Murphy's view and overturn Wolf in Mapp v. Ohio, establishing the exclusionary rule for states.[5]
During Court recesses, Murphy's desire to be part of the war effort led him to serve as an infantry officer in Fort Benning, Georgia.[2]
Murphy's health rapidly declined in his 50s - unable to sleep well and pain-ridden, he became addicted to Demerol and Seconal. When doctors ceased writing prescriptions for him, he purchased the drugs illegally through middlemen. In his last year on the Court he was frequently absent and frail; he ignored calls to step down. On July 19, 1949, Murphy died of a coronary thrombosis.[1]
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 Richard Bak. (Frank) Murphy's Law (English). Hour Detroit.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Frank Murphy (English). Oyez.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Gary Maveal. Michigan Lawyers in History--Justice Frank Murphy, Michigan's Leading Citizen (English). Michigan Bar.
- ↑ Past Presidents (English). The United States Conference of Mayors.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 Francis William Murphy - Court, Michigan, Justice, Civil, Supreme, and Rights (English). law.jrank.
- ↑ William Francis "Frank" Murphy (1890-1949) (English). The United States Government.
- ↑ Murphy, Frank (12-18-1944). TOYOSABURO KOREMATSU v. UNITED STATES. (English). public.resource.org. Retrieved on 02-23-2011.


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Very interesting article, thank you.
It's a topic I've been thinking about a lot recently. One day I happened to see the ingredients on the box of Windsor Table Salt in my kitchen and was astonished to see that it contained sugar, as well as salt, calcium silicate and potassium iodide. Why sugar??? I won't be buying it again, once this box is used up.


text:
01 Jul 2001 Where's the NAACP? by R.D. Davis
Reprints permitted provided source is credited.
The NAACP is not around to help Ron Greer, a black pastor and fireman in need of assistance. "Civil rights" organizations also weren't there for Pastor Reggie White, the former Green Bay Packer star, when he had his endorsement deals with Campbell's Soup and other products pulled. Obviously, civil rights for Christians is not a part of the NAACP's agenda.
Ron Greer is one of the most hated men in Wisconsin. It all started when a fellow fireman at the Madison Fire Department asked Ron what he thought about homosexuality. Drawing on his faith, Ron gave the fireman a Biblical answer – saying that homosexuality is a sin. That was all it took.
Liberal groups came after Ron in full force. More than 300 shouting left-wing militants held a wild, obstreperous protest outside the church of which he is pastor. They chanted anti-Christian slogans and threw rocks at the church's windows. Then these thugs rushed into church, shouting obscenities at Ron and the terrified church members. For their safety, five armed policemen had to escort Ron, his wife Rosalyn and their three sons out of the church.
The attacks did not stop there. A radical homosexual group from the local college campus vandalized their home in the middle of the night. They left pink triangles with vulgar homosexual references pasted to the walls and spread them all over their yard. Even worse, many local politicians also attacked the pastor for his beliefs regarding homosexuality. Wisconsin state legislators, county officials and city council members demanded that Ron be fired from at the Madison Fire Department – a job has held for 18 years.
Some insisted Ron apologize for his Biblical views and statements. Madison's lesbian fire chief suspended Ron for two months, and ordered him to take a brainwashing, pro-homosexual "diversity" training course. Ron refused to be brainwashed, and instead exposed favoritism by the fire chief toward homosexual firemen in the department. The fire chief retaliated by firing him.
Ron was fired after 18 years as a hardworking firefighter in his hometown simply because he spoke openly about his faith. He is yet another target of the left-wing radicals and their political allies who are waging an all-out war against Christians. Sadly, today's "politically correct" NAACP (the core organization) will not step in to protect the rights of Christians. But, if we have civil rights without Christian rights, we are systemically being enslaved to a godless master.
On February 20, 1993, the NAACP passed a resolution to support "the efforts to end discrimination against gay men and lesbian Americans in areas of American life." In essence, they are equating the gay rights movement to the early black civil rights movement. One is race-based, however, while the other is behavior-based. This policy is why the NAACP and other black civil rights organizations did not come to Ron's defense or to the defense of Ron or Reggie or any other black Christian who publicly acclaims that homosexuality is a sin. Have you ever heard Jesse Jackson take up their cause? I havn't.
Because he was fired, Ron could lose his home. But his hardships notwithstanding, Ron refuses to back down to these anti-Christian militants and to liberal politicians who believe that homosexual behavior should be considered normal. He is going to stand and fight. Ron and his lawyer are challenging his firing in a federal court in Wisconsin. The case may eventually end up going all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Ron is fighting not only to regain his own good name. He is also fighting to protect the constitutional rights of all Americans to openly express their faith without fear of being attacked. Will we help him?
(R.D. Davis is a member of the African-American leadership network Project 21 and a writer and radio talk show host in Huntsville, Alabama. He can be reached at [email protected].)
Note: New Visions Commentaries reflect the views of their author, and not necessarily those of Project 21.


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I've always been a sponge person. I know, they say they are germy and nasty, but nothing cleans up a sink or countertop like a sponge and I maintain that if you treat them right they are more hygienic than any old soppy rag hanging over the faucett. The thing is, though, that they are ugly. The cellulose ones that work the best have always come in assorted yucky colors. Emily discovered Trader Joe's sponges first and after using them at her house I am a convert.
This is how you buy them—in a package of twelve little compressed things that look like crackers. You soak it in water and it looks like this:
I have tall cupboards with top shelves that I can't quite reach. In my old house I had a stepstool that I used, but it was a pain. For one thing it was a finger pincher when you folded that step down and back up, and secondly it took up a lot of space. Look what I found a couple weeks ago.
OMop and is, indeed, superior. The handle is ergonomically curved with the oval grip. The business end is a little bigger and is grippy like velcro. In addition to the fibery covers that pick up all the disgusting hair and fluff from the corners, it comes with a microfiber pad for wet mopping that sticks by means of the grippy stuff and then peels off to be tossed into the washing machine and reused endlessly. Got it at Target. A little more expensive than the Swiffer, but oh, so worth it!
This next item actually was kind of expensive, but I love it, despite it's intended drudgery. This is my new ironing board.
here. There is a Rockler store here and they did not stock these, but were happy to order it for me and didn't charge me shipping. (this baby is heavy!)
walk-in closet.
And last, and probably least, I ran into K-Mart today to get some trash can liners and spotted this nice waste basket. It is perfect to use in our office for paper recycling. I love that it is shiny and black and a sleek, simple design. It has hand holes for carrying it, full of paper and catalogs, out to dump into the recycling bin. It will hold a lot. And it was cheap.
My needs are simple. I don't need fancy cars or expensive jewelry. Just give me nicely designed stuff for helping me get through the day.