text:
I owe the discovery of Uqbar to the conjunction of a mirror and an encyclopedia. The mirror troubled the depths of a corridor in a country house on Gaona Street in Ramos Mejia; the encyclopedia is fallaciously called The Anglo-American Cyclopaedia (New York, 1917) and is a literal but delinquent reprint of the Encyclopedia Britannica of 1902. The event took place some five years ago. Bioy Casares had had dinner with me that evening and we became lengthily engaged in a vast polemic concerning the composition of a novel in the first person, whose narrator would omit or disfigure the facts and indulge in various contradictions which would permit a few readers—very few readers—to perceive an atrocious or banal reality. From the remote depths of the corridor, the mirror spied upon us. We discovered (such a discovery is inevitable in the late hours of the night) that mirrors have something monstrous about them. Then Bioy Casares recalled that one of the heresiarchs of Uqbar had declared that mirrors and copulation are abominable, because they increase the number or men. I asked him the origin of this memorable observation and he answered that it was reproduced in The Anglo-American Cyclopaedia, in its article on Uqbar. The house (which we had rented furnished) had a set of this work. On the last pages of Volume XLVI we found an article on Upsala; on the first pages of Volume XLVII, one on Ural-Altaic Languages, but not a word about Uqbar. Bioy, a bit taken aback, consulted the volumes of the index. In vain he exhausted all of the imaginable spellings: Ukbar, Ucbar, Ooqbar, Ookbar, Oukbahr . . . . Before leaving, he told me that it was a region of Iraq or Asia Minor. I must confess that I agreed with some discomfort. I conjectured that this undocumented country and its anonymous heresiarch were a fiction devised by Bioy's modesty in order to justify a statement. The fruitless examination of one of Justus Perthes' atlases fortified my doubt.
The following day, Bioy called me from Buenos Aries. He told me he had before him the article on Uqbar, in volume XLVI of the encyclopedia. The heresiarch's name was not forthcoming, but there was a note on his doctrine, formulated in words almost identical to those he had repeated, though perhaps literally inferior. He had recalled: Copulation and mirrors are abominable. The text of the encyclopedia said: For one of those gnostics, the visible universe was an illusion or (more precisely) a sophism. Mirrors and fatherhood are abominable because they multiply and disseminate that universe. I told him, in all truthfulness, that I should like to see that article. A few days later he brought it. This surprised me, since the scrupulous cartographical indices of Ritter's Erdkunde were plentifully ignorant of the name Uqbar.
The tome Bioy brought was, in fact, Volume XLVI of the Anglo-American Cyclopaedia. On the half-title page and the spine, the alphabetical marking (Tor-Ups) was that of our copy but, instead of 917, it contained 921 pages. These four additional pages made up the article on Uqbar, which (as the reader will have noticed) was not indicated by the alphabetical marking. We later determined that there was no other difference between the volumes. Both of them (as I believe I have indicated) are reprints of the tenth Encyclopaedia Britannica. Bioy had acquired his copy at some sale or other.
We read the article with some care. The passage recalled by Bioy was perhaps the only surprising one. The rest of it seemed very plausible, quite in keeping with the general tone of the work and (as is natural) a bit boring. Reading it over again, we discovered beneath its rigorous prose a fundamental vagueness. Of the fourteen names which figured in the geographical part, we only recognized three—Khorasan, Armenia, Erzerum—interpolated in the text in an ambiguous way. Of the historical names, only one: the impostor magician Smerdis, invoked more as a metaphor. The note seemed to fix the boundaries of Uqbar, but its nebulous reference points were rivers and craters and mountain ranges of that same region. We read, for example, that the lowlands of Tsai Khaldun and the Axa Delta marked the southern frontier and that on the islands of the delta wild horses procreate. All this, on the first part of page 918. In the historical section (page 920) we learned that as a result of the religious persecutions of the thirteenth century, the orthodox believers sought refuge on these islands, where to this day their obelisks remain and where it is not uncommon to unearth their stone mirrors. The section on Language and Literature was brief. Only one trait is worthy of recollection: it noted that the literature of Uqbar was one of fantasy and that its epics and legends never referred to reality, but to the two imaginary regions of Mlejnas and Tlön. . . . The bibliography enumerated four volumes which we have not yet found, though the third—Silas Haslam: History of the Land Called Uqbar, 1874—figures in the catalogs of Bernard Quartich's book shop[1]. The first, Lesbare und lesenswerthe Bemerkungen uber das Land Ukkbar in Klein-Asien, dates from 1641 and is the work of Johannes Valentinus Andrea. This fact is significant; a few years later, I came upon that name in the unsuspected pages of De Quincey (Writings, Volume XIII) and learned that it belonged to a German theologian who, in the early seventeenth century, described the imaginary community of Rosae Crucis—a community that others founded later, in imitation of what he had prefigured.
That night we visited the National Library. In vain we exhausted atlases, catalogs, annuals of geographical societies, travelers' and historians' memoirs: no one had ever been in Uqbar. Neither did the general index of Bioy's encyclopedia register that name. The following day, Carlos Mastronardi (to whom I had related the matter) noticed the black and gold covers of the Anglo-American Cyclopaedia in a bookshop on Corrientes and Talcahuano. . . . He entered and examined Volume XLVI. Of course, he did not find the slightest indication of Uqbar.
Some limited and waning memory of Herbert Ashe, an engineer of the southern railways, persists in the hotel at Adrogue, amongst the effusive honeysuckles and in the illusory depths of the mirrors. In his lifetime, he suffered from unreality, as do so many Englishmen; once dead, he is not even the ghost he was then. He was tall and listless and his tired rectangular beard had once been red. I understand he was a widower, without children. Every few years he would go to England, to visit (I judge from some photographs he showed us) a sundial and a few oaks. He and my father had entered into one of those close (the adjective is excessive) English friendships that begin by excluding confidences and very soon dispense with dialog. They used to carry out an exchange of books and newspapers and engage in taciturn chess games. . . . I remember him in the hotel corridor, with a mathematics book in his hand, sometimes looking at the irrecoverable colors of the sky. One afternoon, we spoke of the duodecimal system of numbering (in which twelve is written as 10). Ashe said that he was converting some kind of tables from the duodecimal to the sexagesimal system (in which sixty is written as 10). He added that the task had been entrusted to him by a Norwegian, in Rio Grande du Sul. We had known him for eight years and he had never mentioned staying in that region. . . . We talked of country life, of the capangas, of the Brazilian etymology of the word gaucho (which some old Uruguayans still pronounce gaúcho) and nothing more was said—may God forgive me—of duodecimal functions. In September of 1937 (we were not at the hotel), Herbert Ashe died of a ruptured aneurysm. A few days before, he had received a sealed and certified package from Brazil. It was a book in large octavo. Ashe left it at the bar, where—months later—I found it. I began to leaf through it and experienced an astonished and airy feeling of vertigo which I shall not describe, for this is not the story of my emotions but of Uqbar and Tlön and Orbis Tertius. In the Islamic world, there is one night, called the Night of Nights, when the secret doors of heaven open wide and the water in the jars becomes sweeter; if those doors opened, I would not feel what I felt that afternoon. The book was written in English and contained 1001 pages. On the yellow leather back I read these curious words which were repeated on the title page: A First Encyclopedia of Tlön. Vol. XI. Hlaer to Jangr. There was no indication of date or place. On the first page and on a leaf of silk paper that covered one of the color plates there was stamped a blue oval with this inscription: ORBIS TERTIUS. Two years before I had discovered, in a volume of a certain pirated encyclopedia, a superficial description of a nonexistent country; now chance afforded me something more precious and arduous. Now I held in my hands a vast methodical fragment of an unknown planet's entire history, with its architecture and its playing cards, with the dread of its mythologies and the murmur of its languages, with its emperors and its seas, with its minerals and its birds and its fish, with its algebra and its fire, with its theological and metaphysical controversy. And all of it articulated, coherent, with no visible doctrinal intent or tone of parody.
In the "Eleventh Volume" which I have mentioned, there are allusions to preceding and succeeding volumes. In an article in the N. R. F. which is now classic, Nestor Ibarra has denied the existence of those companion volumes; Ezequiel Martinez Estrada and Drieu La Rochelle have refuted that doubt, perhaps victoriously. The fact is that up to now the most diligent inquiries have been fruitless. In vain we have upended the libraries of the two Americas and of Europe. Alfonso Reyes, tired of these subordinate sleuthing procedures, proposes that we should all undertake the task of reconstructing the many and weighty tomes that are lacking: ex ungue leonem. He calculates, half in earnest and half jokingly, that a generation of Tlönistas should be sufficient. This venturesome computation brings us back to the fundamental problem: Who are the inventors of Tlön? The plural is inevitable, because the hypothesis of a lone inventor—an infinite Leibniz laboring away darkly and modestly—has been unanimously discounted. It is conjectured that this brave new world is the work of a secret society of astronomers, biologists, engineers, metaphysicians, poets, chemists, algebraists, moralists, painters, geometers. . . . directed by an obscure man of genius. Individuals mastering these diverse disciplines are abundant, but not so those capable of inventiveness and less so those capable of subordinating that inventiveness to a rigorous and systematic plan. This plan is so vast that each writer's contribution is infinitesimal. At first it was believed that Tlön was a mere chaos, and irresponsible license of the imagination; now it is known that is a cosmos and that the intimate laws which govern it have been formulated, at least provisionally. Let it suffice for me to recall that the apparent contradictions of the Eleventh Volume are the fundamental basis for the proof that the other volumes exist, so lucid and exact is the order observed in it. The popular magazines, with pardonable excess, have spread news of the zoology and topography of Tlön; I think its transparent tiger and towers of blood perhaps do not merit the continued attention of all men. I shall venture to request a few minutes to expound its concept of the universe.
Hume noted for all time that Berkeley's arguments did not admit the slightest refutation nor did they cause the slightest conviction. This dictum is entirely correct in its application to the earth, but entirely false in Tlön. The nations of this planet are congenitally idealist. Their language and the derivations of their language—religion, letters, metaphysics—all presuppose idealism. The world for them is not a concourse of objects in space; it is a heterogeneous series of independent acts. It is successive and temporal, not spatial. There are no nouns in Tlön's conjectural Ursprache, from which the "present" languages and the dialects are derived: there are impersonal verbs, modified by monosyllabic suffixes (or prefixes) with an adverbial value. For example: there is no word corresponding to the word moon, but there is a verb which in English would be to moon or to moondle. The moon rose above the river is hlör u fang axaxaxas mlö, or literally: upward behind the onstreaming it moondled.
The preceding applies to the languages of the southern hemisphere. In those of the northern hemisphere (on whose Ursprache there is very little data in the Eleventh Volume) the prime unit is not the verb, but the monosyllabic adjective. The noun is formed by an accumulation of adjectives. They do not say moon, but rather round airy-light on dark or pale-orange-of-the-sky or any other such combination. In the example selected the mass of adjectives refers to a real object, but this is purely fortuitous. The literature of this hemisphere (like Meinong's subsistent world) abounds in ideal objects, which are invoked and dissolved in a moment, according to poetic needs. At times they are determined by mere simultaneity. There are objects composed of two terms, one of visual and another of auditory character: the color of the rising sun and the faraway cry of a bird. There are objects of many terms: the sun and the water on a swimmer's chest, the vague tremulous rose color we see with our eyes closed, the sensation of being carried along by a river and also by sleep. These second-degree objects can be combined with others; through the use of certain abbreviations, the process is practically infinite. There are famous poems made up of one enormous word. This word forms a poetic object created by the author. The fact that no one believes in the reality of nouns paradoxically causes their number to be unending. The languages of Tlön's northern hemisphere contain all the nouns of the Indo-European languages—and many others as well.
It is no exaggeration to state that the classic culture of Tlön comprises only one discipline: psychology. All others are subordinated to it. I have said that the men of this planet conceive the universe as a series of mental processes which do not develop in space but successively in time. Spinoza ascribes to his inexhaustible divinity the attributes of extension and thought; no one in Tlön would understand the juxtaposition of the first (which is typical only of certain states) and the second—which is a perfect synonym of the cosmos. In other words, they do not conceive that the spatial persists in time. The perception of a cloud of smoke on the horizon and then of the burning field and then of the half-extinguished cigarette that produced the blaze is considered an example of association of ideas.
This monism or complete idealism invalidates all science. If we explain (or judge) a fact, we connect it with another; such linking, in Tlön, is a later state of the subject which cannot affect or illuminate the previous state. Every mental state is irreducible: the mere fact of naming it—i.e., of classifying it—implies a falsification. From which it can be deduced that there are no sciences on Tlön, not even reasoning. The paradoxical truth is that they do exist, and in almost uncountable number. The same thing happens with philosophies as happens with nouns in the northern hemisphere. The fact that every philosophy is by definition a dialectical game, a Philosophie des Als Ob, has caused them to multiply. There is an abundance of incredible systems of pleasing design or sensational type. The metaphysicians of Tlön do not seek for the truth or even for verisimilitude, but rather for the astounding. They judge that metaphysics is a branch of fantastic literature. They know that a system is nothing more than the subordination of all aspects of the universe to any one such aspect. Even the phrase "all aspects" is rejectable, for it supposes the impossible addition of the present and of all past moments. Neither is it licit to use the plural "past moments," since it supposes another operation. . . . One of the schools of Tlön goes so far as to negate time: it reasons that the present is indefinite, that the future has no reality other than as a present memory[2]. Another school declares that all time has already transpired and that our life is only the vague and dim memory, no doubt fractured and false, a reflection of an irrecoverable process. Another, that the history of the universe—and in it our lives and the most tenuous detail of our lives—is the scripture produced by a subordinate god in order to communicate with a demon. Another, that the universe is comparable to those cryptographs in which not all the symbols are valid and that only what happens every three hundred nights is true. Another, that while we sleep here, we are awake elsewhere and that in this way every man is two men.
Amongst the doctrines of Tlön, none has merited the scandalous reception accorded to materialism. Some thinkers have formulated it with less clarity than fervor, as one might put forth a paradox. In order to facilitate the comprehension of this inconceivable thesis, a heresiarch of the eleventh century[3] devised the sophism of the nine copper coins, whose scandalous renown is in Tlön equivalent to that of the Eleatic paradoxes. There are many versions of this "specious reasoning," which vary the number of coins and the number of discoveries; the following is the most common:
On Tuesday, X crosses a deserted road and loses nine copper coins. On Thursday, Y finds in the road four coins, somewhat rusted by Wednesday's rain. On Friday, Z discovers three coins in the road. On Friday morning, X finds two coins in the corridor of his house. The heresiarch would deduce from this story the reality—i.e., the continuity—of the nine coins which were recovered. It is absurd (he affirmed) to imagine that four of the coins have not existed between Tuesday and Thursday, three between Tuesday and Friday afternoon, two between Tuesday and Friday morning. It is logical to think that they have existed—at least in some secret way, hidden from the comprehension of men—at every moment of those three periods.
The language of Tlön resists the formulation of this paradox; most people did not even understand it. The defenders of common sense at first did no more than negate the veracity of the anecdote. They repeated that it was a verbal fallacy, based on the rash application of two neologisms not authorized by usage and alien to all rigorous thought: the verbs to find and to lose, which beg the question, because they presuppose the identity of the first and of the last nine coins. They recalled that all nouns (man, coin, Thursday, Wednesday, rain) have only a metaphorical value. They denounced the treacherous circumstance "somewhat rusted by Wednesday's rain," which presupposes what is trying to be demonstrated: the persistence of the four coins from Tuesday to Thursday. They explained that equality is one thing and identity another, and formulated a kind of reductio ad absurdum: the hypothetical case of nine men who on nine nights suffer a severe pain. Would it not be ridiculous—they questioned—to pretend that this pain is one and the same? They said that the heresiarch was prompted only by the blasphemous intention of attributing the divine category of being to some simple coins and that at times he negated plurality and at other times did not. They argued: if equality implies identity, one would also have to admit that the nine coins are one.
Unbelievably, these refutations were not definitive. A hundred years after the problem was stated, a thinker no less brilliant than the heresiarch but of orthodox tradition formulated a very daring hypothesis. This happy conjecture affirmed that there is only one subject, that this indivisible subject is every being in the universe and that these beings are the organs and masks of the divinity. X is Y and is Z. Z discovers three coins because he remembers that X lost them; X finds two in the corridor because he remembers that the others have been found. . . . The Eleventh Volume suggests that three prime reasons determined the complete victory of this idealist pantheism. The first, its repudiation of solipsism; the second, the possibility of preserving the psychological basis of the sciences; the third, the possibility of preserving the cult of the gods. Schopenhauer (the passionate and lucid Schopenhauer) formulates a very similar doctrine in the first volume of Parerga und Paralipomena.
The geometry of Tlön comprises two somewhat different disciplines: the visual and the tactile. The latter corresponds to our own geometry and is subordinated to the first. The basis of visual geometry is the surface, not the point. This geometry disregards parallel lines and declares that man in his movement modifies the forms which surround him. The basis of its arithmetic is the notion of indefinite numbers. They emphasize the importance of the concepts of greater and lesser, which our mathematicians symbolize as > and <. They maintain that the operation of counting modifies the quantities and converts them from indefinite into definite sums. The fact that several individuals who count the same quantity would obtain the same result is, for the psychologists, an example of association of ideas or of a good exercise of memory. We already know that in Tlön the source of all knowledge is single and eternal. In literary practices the idea of a single subject is also all-powerful. It is uncommon for books to be signed. The concept of plagiarism does not exist: it has been established that all works are the creation of one author, who is atemporal and anonymous. The critics often invent authors: they select two dissimilar works—the Tao Te Ching and The Thousand and One Nights, say—attribute them to the same writer and then determine most scrupulously the psychology of this interesting homme de lettres. . . .
Their books are also different. Works of fiction contain a single plot, with all its imaginable permutations. Those of a philosophical nature invariably include both the thesis and the antithesis, the rigorous pro and con of a doctrine. A book which does not contain its counterbook is considered incomplete.
Centuries and centuries of idealism have not failed to influence reality. In the most ancient regions of Tlön, the duplication of lost objects is not infrequent. Two persons look for a pencil; the first finds it and says nothing; the second finds a second pencil, no less real, but closer to his expectations. These secondary objects are called hrönir and are, though awkward in form, somewhat larger than the originals. Until recently, the hrönir were the accidental products of distraction and forgetfulness. It seems unbelievable that their methodical production has been going on for a hundred years, but this is what the Eleventh Volume tells us. The first efforts were unsuccessful. However, the modus operandi merits description. The director of one of the state prisons told his inmates that there were certain tombs in an ancient river bed and promised freedom to whoever might make an important discovery. During the months preceding the excavation the inmates were shown photographs of what they were to find. This first effort proved that expectation and hope can be inhibitory; a week's work with pick and shovel did not mange to unearth anything in the way of a hrön except a rusty wheel of a period posterior to the experiment. But this was kept in secret and the process was repeated later in four colleges. In three of them failure was almost complete; in a fourth (whose director died accidentally during the first excavations) the students unearthed—or produced—a gold mask, an archaic sword, two or three clay urns and the moldy and mutilated torso of a king whose chest bore an inscription which it has not yet been possible to decipher. Thus was discovered the unreliability of witnesses who knew of the experimental nature of the search. . . . Mass investigations produce contradictory objects; now, individual, and as far as possible spontaneous, jobs are preferred. The methodical fabrication of hrönir (says the Eleventh Volume) has performed prodigious services for archaeologists. It has made possible the interrogation and even the modification of the past, which is now no less malleable and docile than the future. Curiously, the hrönir of second and third degree—the hrönir derived from another hrön, those derived from the hrön of a hrön—exaggerate the flaws of the initial one; those of fifth degree are almost uniform; those of ninth degree become confused with those of the second; and those of the eleventh have a purity of form not found in the original. The process is cyclical: the hrön of the twelfth degree begins to fall off in quality. Stranger and more pure than any hrön is, at times, the ur: the object produced through suggestion, brought into being by hope. The great golden mask I have mentioned is an illustrious example.
Things duplicate themselves in Tlön; they also tend to become effaced and lose their details when they are forgotten. A classic example is the doorway which survived as long it was visited by a beggar and disappeared at his death. At times, some birds, or perhaps a horse, have saved the ruins of an amphitheater.
Postscript (1947)
I reproduce the preceding article just as it appeared in the Anthology of Fantastic Literature (1940), with no omission other than that of a few metaphors and a kind of sarcastic summary which now seems frivolous. So many things have happened since then. . . . I shall do no more than recall them here.
In March of 1941 a letter written by Gunnary Erfjord was discovered in a book by Hinton which had belonged to Herbert Ashe. The envelope bore a cancellation from Ouro Preto; the letter completely elucidated the mystery of Tlön. Its text corroborated the hypotheses of Martinez Estrada. One night in Lucerne or in London, in the early seventeenth century, the splendid history has its beginning. A secret and benevolent society (amongst whose members were Dalgarno and later George Berkeley) arose to invent a country. Its vague initial program included "hermetic studies," philanthropy and the cabala. From this first period dates the curious book by Andrea. After a few years of secret conclaves and premature syntheses it was understood that one generation was not sufficient to give articulate form to a country. They resolved that each of the masters should elect a disciple who would continue his work. This hereditary arrangement prevailed; after an interval of two centuries the persecuted fraternity sprang up again in America. In 1824, in Memphis (Tennessee), one of its affiliates conferred with the ascetic millionaire Ezra Buckley. The latter, somewhat disdainfully, let him speak—and laughed at the plan's modest scope. He told the agent that in America it was absurd to invent a country and proposed the invention of a planet. To this gigantic idea he added another, a product of his nihilism[4]: that of keeping the enormous enterprise a secret. At that time the twenty volumes of the Encyclopaedia Britannica were circulating in the United States; Buckleyy suggested that a methodical encyclopedia of the imaginary planet be written. He was to leave them his mountains of gold, his navigable rivers, his pasture lands roamed by cattle and buffalo, his Negroes, his brothels and his dollars, on one condition: "The work will make no pact with the impostor Jesus Christ." Buckley did not believe in God, but he wanted to demonstrate to this nonexistent God that mortal man was capable of conceiving a world. Buckley was poisoned in Baton Rouge in 1828; in 1914 the society delivered to its collaborators, some three hundred in number, the last volume of the First Encyclopedia of Tlön. The edition was a secret one; its fourty volumes (the vastest undertaking ever carried out by man) would be the basis for another more detailed edition, written not in English but in one of the languages of Tlön. This revision of an illusory world, was called, provisionally, Orbis Tertius and one of its modest demiurges was Herbert Ashe, whether as an agent of Gunnar Erfjord or as an affiliate, I do not know. His having received a copy of the Eleventh Volume would seem to favor the latter assumption. But what about the others?
In 1942 events became more intense. I recall one of the first of these with particular clarity and it seems that I perceived then something of its premonitory character. It happened in an apartment on Laprida Street, facing a high and light balcony which looked out toward the sunset. Princess Faucigny Lucinge had received her silverware from Pointiers. From the vast depths of a box embellished with foreign stamps, delicate immobile objects emerged: silver from Utrecht and Paris covered with hard heraldic fauna, and a samovar. Amongst them—with the perceptible and tenuous tremor of a sleeping bird—a compass vibrated mysteriously. The princess did not recognize it. Its blue needle longed from magnetic north; its metal case was concave in shape; the letters around its edge corresponded to one of the alphabets of Tlön. Such was the first intrusion of this fantastic world into the world of reality.
I am still troubled by the stroke of chance which made me witness of the second intrusion as well. It happened some months later, at a country store owned by a Brazilian in Cuchilla Negra. Amorim and I were returning from Sant' Anna. The River Tacuarembo had flooded and we were obliged to sample (and endure) the proprietor's rudimentary hospitality. He provided us with some creaking cots in a large room cluttered with barrels and hides. We went to bed, but were kept from sleeping until dawn by the drunken ravings of an unseen neighbor, who intermingled inextricable insults with snatches of milongas—or rather with snatches of the same milonga. As might be supposed, we attributed this insistent uproar to the store owner's fiery cane liquor. By daybreak, the man was dead in the hallway. The roughness of his voice had deceived us: he was only a youth. In his delirium a few coins had fallen from his belt, along with a cone of bright metal, the size of a die. In vain a boy tried to pick up this cone. A man was scarcely able to raise it from the ground. It held in my hand for a few minutes; I remember that its weight was intolerable and that after it was removed, the feeling of oppressiveness remained. I also remember the exact circle it pressed into my palm. The sensation of a very small and at the same time extremely heavy object produced a disagreeable impression of repugnance and fear. One of the local men suggested we throw it into the swollen river; Amorim acquired it for a few pesos. No one knew anything about the dead man, except that "he came from the border." These small, very heavy cones (made from a metal which is not of this world) are images of the divinity in certain regions of Tlön.
Here I bring the personal part of my narrative to a close. The rest is in the memory (if not in the hopes or fears) of all my readers. Let it suffice for me to recall or mention the following facts, with a mere brevity of words which the reflective recollection of all will enrich or amplify. Around 1944, a person doing research for the newspaper The American (of Nashville, Tennessee) brought to light in a Memphis library the forty volumes of the First Encyclopedia of Tlön. Even today there is a controversy over whether this discovery was accidental or whether it was permitted by the directors of the still nebulous Orbis Tertius. The latter is most likely. Some of the incredible aspects of the Eleventh Volume (for example, the multiplication of the hrönir) have been eliminated or attenuated in the Memphis copies; it is reasonable to imagine that these omissions follow the plan of exhibiting a world which is not too incompatible with the real world. The dissemination of objects from Tlön over different countries would complement this plan. . . .[5] The fact is that the international press infinitely proclaimed the "find." Manuals, anthologies, summaries, literal versions, authorized re-editions and pirated editions of the Greatest Work of Man flooded and still flood the earth. Almost immediately, reality yielded on more than one account. The truth is that it longed to yield. Ten years ago any symmetry with a resemblance of order—dialectical materialism, anti-Semitism, Nazism—was sufficient to entrance the minds of men. How could one do other than submit to Tlön, to the minute and vast evidence of an orderly plant? It is useless to answer that reality is also orderly. Perhaps it is, but in accordance with divine laws—I translate: inhuman laws—which we never quite grasp. Tlön is surely a labyrinth, but it is a labyrinth devised by men, a labyrinth destined to be deciphered by men.
The contact and the habit of Tlön have disintegrated this world. Enchanted by its rigor, humanity forgets over and again that it is a rigor of chess masters, not of angels. Already the schools have been invaded by the (conjectural) "primitive language" of Tlön; already the teaching of its harmonious history (filled with moving episodes) has wiped out the one which governed in my childhood; already a fictitious past occupies in our memories the place of another, a past of which we know nothing with certainty—not even a that it is false. Numismatology, pharmacology and archeology have been reformed. I understand that biology and mathematics also await their avatars. . . . A scattered dynasty of solitary men has changed the face of the world. Their task continues. If our forecasts are not in error, a hundred years from now someone will discover the hundred volumes of the Second Encyclopedia of Tlön.
Then English and French and mere Spanish will disappear from the globe. The world will be Tlön. I pay no attention to all this and go on revising, in the still days at the Adrogue hotel, an uncertain Quevedian translation (which I do not intend to publish) of Browne's Urn Burial.
1. Haslam has also published A General History of Labyrinths.
2. Russell (The Analysis of Mind, 1921, page 159) supposes that the planet has been created a few minutes ago, furnished with a humanity that "remembers" an illusory past.
3. A century, according to the duodecimal system, signifies a period of a hundred and forty-four years.
4. Today, one of the churches of Tlön Platonically maintains that a certain pain, a certain greenish tint of yellow, a certain temperature, a certain sound, are the only reality. All men, in the vertiginous moment of coitus, are the same man. All men who repeat a line from Shakespeare are William Shakespeare.
5. There remains, of course, the problem of the material of some objects.
Jorge Luis Borges
Classics Stories
1 thought on "Tlön, Uqbar, Orbis Tertius – Jorge Luis Borges"
Hrönir FTW!


text:
GTVd Demos
A list of all official demos which are available through GTVd (34,024).
Need some help or information? Click me.
What you see here is a list of demos available in the entire GTVd system.
If you have an own gtvd-install running you can pull any official demo to yours - provided another node with that demo is online to send it to you.
Deleting demos from one of your system is only possible through the server-specific demolist.
An error occured while processing your request
The error has been logged and we'll look into it, please check back later.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
PetSmart: Pampered Pooches = Profits
PetSmart now has a new trick up its sleeve: five-star pet hotels.
PetSmart, the largest chain of pet supply stores in the U.S., is undeniably a market force to be reckoned with. Pet parents have been pulling dog biscuits and kitty litter off PetSmart's shelves since the company opened its doors in 1987. Since then, the retail conglomerate with more than 38,000 employees has expanded its predominantly "dog-centric" products and services to meet the needs of customers with cats, horses, fish, birds and more.
The first in-store PetHotel opened in 2002 and has proven to be PetSmart's fattest cash cow, as it can increase individual store revenue by 29 percent.
The five-star quality boarding exclusively for dogs and cats offers salon luxuries that compete with those of people hotels: a shampoo, massage and blow dry package, hair brushing, nail trimming. Holiday waiting lists have exceeded 400, and due to robust demand, PetSmart plans to add more PetHotels, growing its current 90 to 292 by 2010. Ultimate build-out is expected to be 540.
"(PetHotels are) on fire now," says PetSmart Chairman and CEO Philip L. Francis.
But market dominance isn't guaranteed or permanent. Despite soaring success with PetHotels and a revenue of $4.3 billion in 2006, PetSmart recently reported sales and earnings will be lower than predicted for 2007. It forecasts third-quarter earnings of 17 to 20 cents per share, with yearly earnings coming in at $2.02 to $2.07 per share. That's down from initial earnings predictions of 21 to 23 cents per share in the third quarter and $2.08 to $2.10 per share for the year.
Hence the importance of PetHotels to PetSmart's bottom line. Francis says he anticipates pet parenting will peak in 2020. As a result, PetSmart started a two-year market research endeavor to discover other industry needs it can meet. He says PetSmart might provide in-home and in-office services in the future, such as poop scooping and aquarium care in places of business.
"Success" is a word that takes on a different meaning depending on who you ask. Francis summed it up in three letters: TLC, or total lifetime care for the pet and parent.
The company's nonprofit PetSmart Charities Inc. started in 1994 and is fundamental to PetSmart's overall mission, as its adoption programs help alleviate pet overpopulation. PetSmart has saved more than three million lives to date, or one life every two minutes, through adoption programs such as the one in which Francis got his own dog, Bit O'Honey, a mixed breed third in line to be euthanized.
Despite PetSmart's positive impact on pet adoption, it has received criticism recently because it's considering selling rabbits, one of the most abandoned animals in the U.S.
From July to December 2007, 25 PetSmart stores out of about 1,000 sold rabbits as part of its own study to learn if this is a feasible new market. Based on findings, PetSmart may decide to sell rabbits at specific locations. "There are no adoptable rabbits in some towns," says Francis, explaining the company's decision.
PetSmart wouldn't release the locations of all test stores, but confirmed three are in Arizona: Phoenix, Glendale and Tucson.
Kim Dezelon is director of fundraising for the Brambley Hedge Rabbit Rescue in Phoenix and is also a PetSmart shareholder. The nonprofit has been adopting out rabbits through PetSmart for more than a decade, placing more than 1,700 rabbits in homes.
"If consumer demand was so strong, we could have worked with (PetSmart) more closely to meet that demand with the rabbits at our shelter," Dezelon says. "We are extremely disappointed. We've had a long standing relationship with PetSmart."
But Francis says no determination of the pilot program's future has been made and all considerations will be taken.
"We're in the information gathering stage," he says. "Nobody knows the truth. When we know it, we'll act responsibly. We're (making) enough financially, we don't have to grub for every penny."
To learn more about PetSmart PetsHotel, visit petshotel.petsmart.com.


text:
We use cookies to understand how you use our site and to improve your experience. This includes personalizing content. By continuing to use our site, you accept our use of cookies and revised privacy policy
If you have never had an account or you are not sure if you've used this site before, please create an account here.
Forgot your password? You may request a reset by clicking here.If you are unable to enter your username or password below, you will need to accept this website's cookies policy to proceed. Please contact SGIM National office at firstname.lastname@example.com with any questions.
Don't forget to complete your submissions & sign up to be a peer reviewer for this year's #SGIMMountainWest Regiona… https://t.co/mmJmL7ZgE6
Follow SGIM on Twitter: @SocietyGIM
Masks Lower Wearers' Exposure to Viruses, Experts Propose
Follow SGIM on Facebook: SocietyGIM
A core goal of SGIM is to foster professional interaction among leading academic researchers and general internists. Whether in-person or online, SGIM has the mechanism for you to connect with other professionals within your field including national meetings, regional meetings, and other CME opportunities.
Follow SGIM on LinkedIn: SocietyGIM
© Society of General Internal Medicine | SGIM
1500 King Street Ste 303 Alexandria, VA 22314


text:
Methanol is an important primary chemical product, used as a chemical feedstock for production of a range of important industrial chemicals, primarily acetic acid, formaldehyde, methyl methacrylate and methyl tertiary-butyl ether (MTBE). Methanol is also used directly as a fuel or in fuel blends (e.g. in M85 consisting of 85% methanol and 15% gasoline). As fuel, methanol can be used to fire rapid-start utility peak-shaving combustion turbines; to substitute for or blend with gasoline to power vehicles; to be converted to gasoline via the ExxonMobil methanol-to-gasoline (MTG) process; or to be converted to dimethyl ether (DME) to power diesel engines.
Most methanol is made from syngas. About 55-65% of global methanol production uses natural gas feedstock, about 30-35% uses coal, with the rest using coking gas and other feedstocks. (Alvarado M. Methanol Industry Overview, 35th World Methanol Conference, Berlin, Germany 2017). In 2021, worldwide methanol production reached 107 million metric tons.
Process Chemistry
Catalytic conversion of hydrogen (H2) and carbon monoxide (CO) from coal-derived syngas into methanol can be done with conventional gas-phase processes, or with a liquid phase methanol (LPMEOH™) process developed by Air Products and Chemicals. The reactions of interest are:
All three reactions are highly exothermic. The conventional commercial gas-phase process carries out the conversion in fixed-bed reactors at high pressure. Depending on the catalyst supplier, the synthesis reaction is normally carried out at about 600 to 1,700 psig and 400 to 600°F. Substantial process gas recycle of H2 rich gas moderates the temperature rise across the adiabatic reactor. CO concentration at the reactor inlet is normally limited to about 10-15%, after dilution with recycled H2.
Catalyst systems used for methanol synthesis are typically mixtures of copper, zinc oxide, alumina and magnesia. Recent advances have also yielded a possible new catalyst composed of carbon, nitrogen, and platinum. This catalyst is based on an earlier catalyst created by Dr. Roy Periana of the Scripps Research Institute. This newer catalyst is a solid material that is suspended in sulfuric acid to aid in the catalysis. The material is easily recyclable as it can be filtered from the acid.
Of the three methanol synthesis reactions, the latter is the well-known water-gas-shift (WGS) reaction. Since the H2/CO ratio in syngas from slagging gasifiers typically ranges from 0.3 to 1, extensive water gas shift is required to meet the stoichiometric H2/CO ratio of 2 for full conversion to methanol.
Examples of Technology and Plants:
Methanol production from syngas is a commercially demonstrated technology, using both natural gas and coal as feedstock. The current world-class methanol plants are typically in the order of 2,000 to 2,500 metric tons per day (t/d). Larger-scale (5,000 t/d) single train methanol process technologies are being offered. Major technology providers include:
From 2011 to 2014, nearly 11 GWth syngas capacity for methanol production started up at several new coal or lignite gasification-based plants in China.
|References/Further Reading
Liquid Fuels


text:
Tonight on a very special "To Catch a Predator"…
Dear Taylor Lautner lovers, counting down the days until he turns 18 (56),
What would happen if you had the opportunity to meet up with Taylor Lautner? Sarah (comment name SEM) shared with us a story of one lucky woman who did just that or so she thought…Call it fan fiction; call it a work of art; call it so realistic it's a bit disturbing; We just call it EPICNESS (and hope you don't call Chris Hansen on us).
To Catch a Predator
I arrived at the nondescript little house around 4 p.m. As I pulled my generic automobile into the driveway, I noticed I was shaking a little. Did I have a sense of foreboding? Did I suspect what trouble lay around the bend? Was I just super-uber excited about getting to meet Taylor Lautner?
It's hard to say. Sure, like any red-blooded woman I was thrilled about meeting the sexier half of Swiftner. But if I was being honest with myself, I did find it a little odd that I had met Taylor in a chat room a few weeks ago and was meeting him in person in what amounted to BFE, Middle America. It didn't seem logical that Taylor would live anywhere near there, but I figured with his money he might have properties all over the place. And it did have its charms. It was the kind of small town you'd see in a typical 1950s filmstrip about wholesomeness.
But I didn't feel wholesome. Who knows why. Maybe it was because I was meeting him for the first time at his home instead of in a public place. Maybe I was experiencing a sort of compulsory nervousness that accompanies all first dates. Or maybe it was the fact that the instant messages I had been sending the as-yet-underaged email@example.com for the last 6 weeks had been categorically debauched. Whatever it was, I was uneasy.
My jitters caused me to drop my tote bag on the way to the door. I told myself to get a grip. He's just another guy. He's probably nervous too. I rapped lightly on the door. There was no answer. I knocked a little harder. Nothing. What, does he think I can just use some tree limbs like the uneven parallel bars and then ricochet off the side of his house directly into his bedroom? I'm fast, but I'm not that fast. Finally I heard a young man's voice from inside the house.
"It's open. Just come on in."
Okay, he's not even gonna come to the door. I know he's underaged, but he's old enough to know what bad manners that is…
I opened the door and slowly stepped across the threshold. I didn't immediately observe anything out of the ordinary, though the décor was admittedly Spartan. Perhaps he had just recently moved in. Hanging in the hallway was a portrait of Taylor with what appeared to be a grandparent. He's sentimental… That's hott.
Looking for Taylor, I stepped into the kitchen. The plain pine cabinets, beige linoleum floor, and outdated appliances made the room appear dour despite the light color palette. In the center of the room was a plain pine island surrounded by wooden stools. Something about this house, especially this room, was familiar, but I couldn't pinpoint where I might have seen it.
Just then he called out from a room farther back down the hallway: "I'm just gonna throw a load of towels into the washer. I'll be right out."
This isn't right… Something is very wrong. Why hasn't he come out to say hi? Why is he doing laundry when he should be doing me? Why did that picture of he and his grandmother look like someone cut out one of Taylor's magazine covers and grafted it onto the picture that came with the frame?
At that moment he uttered the words that I immediately recognized as the harbingers of disaster:
"I made some sweet tea. Go ahead and pour yourself a glass. I'll be right out."
I realized instantly why the house was so familiar. About 3 things I was absolutely positive. First, I had not been corresponding with the real Taycob. Second, a part of my online conversations – and I didn't know how large a part – were going to be exposed on network television. And third, I was unconditionally and irrevocably busted.
Uh oh. Who caught her? Read on after the jump! Continue…
Tags: , Chris Hansen, Chris Hansen Fan Fiction, Chris Hansen is coming for you, fan fiction, LTT, LTT Fan Fiction, Taylor Lautner, Taylor Lautner fan fiction, Taylor Lautner turns 18, Taylor Lautner's birthday


text:
In a David and Goliath story of Saturnian proportions, the little moon Enceladus is weighing down giant Saturn's magnetic field so much that the field is rotating slower than the planet. This phenomenon makes it nearly impossible to measure the length of the Saturn day using techniques that work on other giant planets.
"No one could have predicted that the little moon Enceladus would have such an influence on the radio technique that has been used for years to determine the length of the Saturn day," said Dr. Don Gurnett of the University of Iowa, Iowa City. Gurnett is the principal investigator on the radio and plasma wave science experiment onboard NASA's Cassini spacecraft. The radio technique measures the rotation of the planet by taking its radio pulse rate — the rhythm of natural radio signals from the planet.
A new study of Cassini data reported this week in the online version of the journal Science, determined that Saturn's magnetic field lines, invisible lines originating from the interior of a magnetized planet, are being forced to slip relative to the rotation of the planet by the weight of electrically charged particles originating from geysers spewing water vapor and ice from Enceladus. These results are based on joint observations by two Cassini instruments — the radio and plasma wave instrument, and the magnetometer.
The neutral gas particles ejected from the geysers on Enceladus form a donut-like torus around Saturn. As these particles become electrically charged, they are captured by Saturn's magnetic field, forming a disk of ionized gas, or plasma, which surrounds the planet near the equator. The particles weigh down the magnetic field so much that the rate of rotation of the plasma disk slows down slightly. This slippage causes the radio period, controlled by the plasma disk rotation, to be longer than the planet's actual rotation period.
Scientists conclude the period Cassini has been measuring from radio emission is not the length of the Saturn day, but rather the rotation period of the plasma disk. At present, because of Saturn's cloud motion, no technique is known that can accurately measure the planet's actual internal rotation.
"We have linked the pulsing radio signal to a rotating magnetic signal. Once each rotation of Saturn's magnetic field, an asymmetry in the field triggers a burst of radio waves," said Dr. David Southwood, co-author, Imperial College London, and director of science at the European Space Agency. "We have then linked both signals to material that has come from Enceladus."
Based on the new observations, scientists now think there are two possible reasons for the change in radio period. The first theory is that the geysers on Enceladus could be more active now than in Voyagers' time. The second is that there may be seasonal variations as Saturn orbits the Sun once every 29 years.
"One would predict that when the geysers are very active, the particles load down the magnetic field and increase the slippage of the plasma disk, thereby increasing the radio emission period even more. If the geysers are less active, there would be less of a load on the magnetic field, and therefore less slippage of the plasma disk, and a shorter period," said Gurnett.
"The direct link between radio, magnetic field and deep planetary rotation has been taken for granted up to now. Saturn is showing we need to think further," said Michele Dougherty, principal investigator on Cassini's magnetometer instrument, Imperial College, London.


text:
By viewing our content, you are accepting the use of cookies. Please contact
us with any queries on information privacy.
More information
There are 10 websites starting with U
UberSpat is a new online debate community that allows users to present evidence in the form of articles and blog posts, much like people do on Digg. This evidence can be submitted in support or in opposition to a debate. This evidence is then rated by users. The best of the evidence floats to the top, thus allowing users to research topics, much...
UKfamily.co.uk is a brilliant new parenting website from Disney.
* Find down-to-earth advice from parents and experts, plus
useful sort-your-life-out tools that can help with everything from
pregnancy to puberty. You can personalise the site to fit your family
stage and get help with all the stuff that comes with being a parent.
* Join ...
UKMusic.com Upfront And Ruthlessly Independent
Unbridled Equine was established in 2006. We quickly learned it was hard to compete with the larger commercial tack stores online. After some diligent research we were able to determine the manufactures abroad of many of the well known brands. We are now able to sell the same products at a discount. By eliminating the overhead and costly markups...
Selected as one of the Top 10 Corporate Marketing Blogs worldwide, and
recently listed as a finalist for Best Business Blog in Canada,
Uninstalled has been Michael O�Connor Clarke�s online home since 2001. The first PR person to launch a blog, Michael is a veteran communicator and marketer, with more than 20 years' experience. Covering everyth...
Unitedcats.com is the cats' home on the web.Here you can make a website for your cat, take a look at other people's cats, pat the cats, post comments and communicate with other cat lovers. Unitedcats.com is free for everyone.Create a website for your catHere at Unitedcats.com you can create a detailed page for your cat - add his/her breed, date ...
Uniteddogs.com is the dogs' home on the web.Here you can make a website for your dog, take a look at other people's dogs, pat the dogs, post comments and communicate with other dog lovers. Uniteddogs.com is free for everyone.Create a website for your dogHere at Uniteddogs.com you can create a detailed page for your dog - add his/her breed, date ...
The Useful Social Media Blog featuring social media news from the event organiser and publisher. It encompasses the latest news, information, reports and updates including:ConferencesReportsFree briefingsPodcastsBranding opportunitiesKeep-up-to date reagrding the latest conferences from Useful Social Media at its site.
In 1995, we formed New Jersey Minority Educational Development (NJ MED), as a nonprofit organization to help develop practical solutions to the problems of minority youths development in public education, and to foster higher education and career pursuit aimed at enhancing positive growth within the minority community. We strongly ...
Utalkmarketing.com is the first free community site for marketers, by marketers. It�s for people who are passionate about marketing, whether you're a graduate trainee or a grizzled industry veteran.
Our mission is to fuel your passion for marketing by bringing the latest news to inform you, ads to inspire you, forums and comment to challenge y...
Social Media Portal - Mapping global social media, social networks and user generated content (UGC)
© Elemental Communications Ltd. All rights reserved |
Terms |
Privacy |
Accessibility |
FAQs |
Your Account |
Search |


text:
Mario can't rescue the princess without his Fire Flower. Mega Man can't beat Dr. Wily without his Mega Buster. If you're going to save the world, you need the proper equipment–and a keyboard and mouse just won't cut it. Fortunately, you can get pretty much any mainstream console gamepad working on a PC, so you won't have to shell out megabucks for an X-Arcade TankStick to bring back your gaming glory days.
Current Controllers: Xbox 360, PS3, Wii
First off, if you haven't tried using your Wiimote on your PC, you're missing out. We've got a how-to on using your Wiimote with your PC already, but the abbreviated version is: Get GlovePIE.
Xbox 360 controllers also aren't too tricky to get working, since they're made by Microsoft. If you have one with a USB cable already, it should work when you plug it in, but if you'd rather not be tethered to your PC you'll need to grab an Xbox 360 Wireless Gaming Receiver ($25), which will let you use up to four Xbox 360 gamepads and headsets at a time so you can brawl with your buddies.
Stalwart Sony fans will have to install a driver for their PS3 pad–although the pad is automatically detected when you plug it in via USB, it won't work. You can find different homebrew drivers out there, but the most feature-heavy version comes from MotioninJoy, which supports both Sixaxis and DualShock 3 gamepads for Windows XP/Vista/7 (32-bit and 64-bit). MotioninJoy's instructions are a little tricky to follow, but here are the basic steps:
- Download and install the MotioninJoy package.
- Restart your PC, and press F8 during startup (after the BIOS is done loading, but before Windows starts) to open the Advanced Boot Options menu, and pick Disable Driver Signature Enforcement. (Doing this could potentially open up your PC to a security risk, so don't make it a habit.)
- Plug your PS3 pad in.
- Once you're done booting up, open the MotioninJoy folder in your Start Menu, right-click on Install MotioninJoy Driver, and choose Run As Administrator.
- Open the DS3 Tool app from the MotioninJoy folder and start configuring your PS3 gamepad. Bluetooth support is still a little bit shaky, but USB should work fine.
Classic Gamepads: PS2, SNES, Genesis, and Beyond
If you're looking to get your Playstation/Playstation 2 controller working, your best bet is a Playstation-to-USB converter, but if you pick the wrong converter you might notice lag or compatibility issues. The Stepmania.com Wiki has a good listing of these converters (as well as GameCube-to-USB converters), though it's written specifically with Dance Dance Revolution fans in mind.
Just don't grab one without reading a few reviews first. Generally, these will either have manufacturer-supplied drivers included on a disc or for download, and they'll be usable with any HID-compliant game software.
Even the grizzled gamers who just can't bring themselves to play an NES game with a Playstation pad have options. Though a handful of companies make updated versions of classic pads with dimensions similar to the originals, RetroZone caught my eye because it offers adapters for NES, SNES, N64, Atari, Vectrex, and Sega Genesis pads as well as converted NES/SNES USB pads if you don't have your old gear any more. The adapters typically run for about $22, while the pads are in the $35 range.
But what about gamepads for truly vintage legacy games (which might not support HID devices)? No gamepad how-to would be complete without a link to JoyToKey, a freeware utility that lets you take inputs from any USB gamepad and map them to keyboard inputs, so older PC games won't be left out from the action.
All you have to do is download JoyToKey, install it, plug in the gamepads you want to use, and assign each button to your desired keyboard input. It takes a little trial and error (the buttons are typically named unhelpful things like Button 1 and Button 2 instead of X and Y or Square and Triangle), so be prepared to spend a few minutes testing it.
Want to see a how-to for a gaming device that wasn't included here? Let us know in the comments!
Patrick Miller is a staff editor for PCWorld. Find him off-duty @pattheflip.


text: BOTHELL, WA - August 10, 2005 - Sonosite, Inc. (NASDAQ: SONO), the world leader in hand-carried ultrasound, announced today the appointment of Graham D. Cox as Vice President of its international business. Henry (Skip) A. Krause, who has led Sonosite's international division for the past two years, is resigning his position for personal family reasons, effective September 12, 2005."Skip has made significant contributions to expanding our presence into new international markets and successfully re-engineered our distribution in Japan," said Kevin M. Goodwin, Sonosite President and CEO. "We appreciate his efforts and wish Skip and his family all the best in the future.""We are fortunate to have an executive of Graham Cox's caliber and ultrasound experience who is well qualified to immediately assume leadership of our international business," Goodwin said. "Graham's proven leadership in establishing and growing our operations in Europe, Africa and the Middle East, provides an excellent base from which to lead and maintain our strong momentum in international markets."Currently Vice President and General Manager for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, Mr. Cox joined Sonosite in 1999 and was responsible for developing the company's sales and distribution infrastructure in those regions. Under his leadership, sales in these geographic areas rose from less than $3 million in his first year to approximately $40 million in the past 12 months, accounting for 30 percent of Sonosite's global revenue. Mr. Cox has established direct sales subsidiaries in the United Kingdom, France, Germany and Spain and manages over 50 distributor relationships.With the appointment of Mr. Cox, Sonosite's international headquarters will be based in the London area where he, and the company's U.K. subsidiary, Sonosite Ltd., are located. Mr. Cox's background in the ultrasound industry spans over 25 years. Prior to Sonosite, he worked with ATL Ultrasound, Inc. now part of Philips Medical Systems and Acuson Corporation, now part of Siemens AG. Mr. Cox received an electronic engineer education and holds an Executive MBA with Honors from the International Management Centers Association. About SonositeSonosite, Inc. (www.sonosite.com) is the innovator and world leader in hand carried ultrasound, with an installed base of more than 20,000 systems. The company, headquartered near Seattle, Washington is represented by seven subsidiaries and a global distribution network in over 75 countries. Approximately half of its revenues are generated from international markets. Sonosite's small, lightweight systems are expanding the use of ultrasound across the clinical spectrum by cost-effectively bringing high performance ultrasound to the point of patient care. The company employs approximately 450 people worldwide.


text:
You are here
Faced with a Growing Global Talent Pool, Governments Review their Strategies
As immigrant-destination countries emerge from the economic crisis at varying speeds, ensuring that the national labor force has the skills needed to fuel recovery has been high on the policy agenda. Migration has long been part of countries' skills strategies, but weak economies have created an additional impetus to maximize the economic benefits that skilled immigration can provide.
Tweaking Immigration Policies
Issue No. 6 of Top Ten of 2013
Governments across high-income countries continued to tweak their economic-stream immigration policies in 2013. Many of the changes aimed to make immigration systems more selective, focusing on admitting immigrants who provide the greatest economic return. Canada relaunched its points system with revised criteria that place more emphasis on Canadian work experience and offers of employment — both crucial factors in selecting immigrants who will integrate successfully. Language skills also receive more emphasis under Canada's new policy. The United States debated fundamental changes to its immigration system that would dramatically increase the number of skilled workers admitted for employment. Reforms proposed in both the U.S. House and Senate would make work-based immigration more selective by increasing the salary thresholds workers must earn to qualify. (See Issue No. 7: As Bill to Overhaul U.S. Immigration System Stalls in Congress, Immigration Reform Movement Broadens, Ups the Ante)Germany, meanwhile, relaxed visa rules for certain middle-skilled workers from outside the European Union, responding to industry concerns about shortages of workers with vocational skills.
Several countries introduced or revised immigrant investor and entrepreneur programs, including Ireland, the Netherlands, and Spain. (See Issue No. 3: The Golden Visa: "Selling Citizenship" to Investors) Canada launched a new "startup visa," an idea that has received press and advocacy attention during the last two years. The visa is designed to attract immigrant entrepreneurs who can secure funding from Canadian investors. Such investor and entrepreneur programs have become immensely popular over the past few years as governments seek to attract "high-value" immigrants they believe will boost economic growth and job creation in sluggish economies.
Leveraging Existing Skills
At the same time, several governments have introduced measures to make the most of skills in the existing immigrant population — including foreign-trained workers whose economic potential is often underutilized. Norway, for example, announced an action plan for the better use of foreign workers' skills, with several measures to help immigrants use skills they acquired abroad. And Germany's Länder are gradually implementing the 2012 Recognition Act, designed to simplify the process of having foreign qualifications assessed against German standards. Canada, meanwhile, introduced in May new requirements for immigrants to have their skills assessed before applying to come to Canada — a move that aims to reduce "brain waste" in the immigrant population and allow employers to access newcomer skills earlier and more fully.
Some governments also recognize foreign qualifications as a strategy for facilitating immigration itself, not just for aiding immigrant integration after arrival. In October, the European Parliament approved a suite of revisions to the European Union's rules for recognizing qualifications within Europe — the world's most extensive system for facilitating international mobility in regulated occupations, and one that receives tens of thousands of applications every year. Also in October, the European Union and Canada gave political approval to a trade agreement that brings a significant innovation to the world of international trade — a detailed framework for conducting and implementing "mutual recognition agreements" that make it easier for workers to take their professional qualifications across borders.
Efforts to maximize immigration's contribution to countries' human-capital pools are likely to remain a feature of immigration and skills policy for the foreseeable future. The economic premium on skills has increased substantially in recent years with the growth of knowledge-based industries and the gradual shift away from labor-intensive activities.
At the same time, the pool of global human capital from which governments and employers can choose continues to grow. Massive increases in high school graduations in China as well as rising wealth in emerging economies have fueled demand for international education as wealthy families invest in prestigious education abroad. In fiscal year 2013, the number of Chinese students coming to the United States alone hit a record high of 190,000; up from 153,000 the previous year and from just 22,000 in 2005.
- Filling Labor Shortages through Immigration: An Overview of Shortage Lists and their Implications
- Limited English Proficient Workers and the Workforce Investment Act: Challenges and Opportunities
- Canada's Immigration Policy: a Focus on Human Capital
- H-1B Temporary Skilled Worker Program
MPI Research
- Maximizing Potential: How Countries Can Address Skills Deficits within the Immigrant Workforce
- Building New Skills: Immigration and Workforce Development in Canada
- Tackling Brain Waste: Strategies to Improve the Recognition of Immigrants' Foreign Qualifications
- Recognizing Foreign Qualifications: Emerging Global Trends
- Credential Recognition in the United States for Foreign Professionals
- Eight Policies to Boost the Economic Contribution of Employment-Based Immigration
Canada's Venture Capital and Private Equity Association. Undated. Canada's Start Up Visa Program. Accessed November 11, 2013. Available online.
German Federal Ministry of Education and Research. 2013. Recognition of Foreign Professional Qualifications. Updated March 27, 2013. Available online.
Hawthorne, Lesleyanne. 2013. Recognizing Foreign Qualifications: Emerging Global Trends. Washington, DC: Migration Policy Institute. Available online.
Papademetriou, Demetrios G. and Madeleine Sumption. 2012. Attracting and Selecting from the Global Talent Pool — Policy challenges. Washington, DC: Migration Policy Institute. Available online.
U.S. Department of State. Undated. Nonimmigrant Visa Statistics. Accessed November 11, 2013. Available online.


text:
The QualityHealthcare Provider Of Choice For Our Communities
Book an Appointment - Phone 318-259-0008
Emergency Room Services – Ancillary Services, Including X-Ray, Respiratory and Lab – 3 Clinic Locations
An Introduction.
Our Services.
Our Services.
We at Jackson Parish Hospital are invested in caring from the heart every day of every year. Join us in thanking the many individuals who give their all to their neighbors. From providing medical care in our facilities to running vital programs in our community, we are committed to supporting the health and well-being in and around Jackson Parish Hospital. Jackson Parish Hospital serves our local community with excellent quality services with ancillary, emergency services, three clinic locations and swing bed availability.
We have multiple clinics to serve you. Click here to find out more about all of our locations.
Full Service Emergency Department. Our nurses provide patients with optimal nursing care in a safe environment.
Receive Quality Care without leaving the community. Board Certified Radiologist available 24/7
Full-Service local, state of the art laboratory
National Board Credential Respiratory Care Practitioners available 24/7 to serve you.
(Formerly Kid Med) EPSDT is designed to address physical, mental and developmental health needs for children at wellness screenings.
World Class Care
All of our providers at Jackson Parish Hospital are board certified, ranging from family practice to pediatric. We can meet all of your health care needs, from critical illness to wellness visits. So come let us take care of you.
Peace Of Mind
Here at Jackson Parish Hospital we are committed to your healthcare needs and want to be your full service provider.
Call 318-259-0008 to Book an Appointment at any of our clinics


text:
Specifically, to make sure that Joe Biden never, ever gets his hands on a firearm. Biden loves shotguns–nothing wrong with that, but it appears that every time he fires one, somebody's life is in danger. Here is the latest:
I did one of these town-hall meetings on the Internet and one guy said, "Well, what happens when the end days come? What happens when there's the earthquake? I live in California, and I have to protect myself."
I said, "Well, you know, my shotgun will do better for you than your AR-15, because you want to keep someone away from your house, just fire the shotgun through the door."
Off the porch, through the door–someone needs to tell Joe that you aren't supposed to pull the trigger unless you have some idea who or what you are shooting at. Maybe Congress could pass a law to the effect that all background checks must include an animated GIF of the proposed purchaser. If he looks like this, the application will be denied:
That GIF is courtesy of the Washington Free Beacon.
Still unexplained is why the Obama administration loves shotguns and hates AR-15s. Biden continued:
Most people can handle a shotgun a hell of a lot better than they can a semiautomatic weapon in terms of both their aim and in terms of their ability to deter people coming. We can argue whether that's true or not, but it is no argument that, for example, a shotgun could do the same job of protecting you. Now, granted, you can come back and say, "Well, a machine gun could do a better job of protecting me." No one's arguing we should make machine guns legal.
But a great many people think AR-15s are better for self-defense than shotguns. In fact, many police departments equip their officers with AR-15s, for precisely that reason. And more murders are committed with shotguns than with rifles, let alone a subset of rifles like semiautomatics or "black" rifles. So where does the idea come from that we have a constitutional right to own shotguns, but not semiautomatic rifles?
STEVE adds–the picture of the day:


text:
Free shipping on orders $60+
Adult Novelties | DG Novelties
Showing 1–16 of 228 results
Subscribe to the weekly newsletter for all the latest updates
This Website is intended solely for users who are 18 years of age or older and any access to the Website by anyone under 18 is unauthorized, unlicensed and in violation of this User Agreement. By viewing this Website, you represent and warrant that you are 18 or older and that you agree to and to abide by all of the terms and conditions of this User Agreement.
Copyright © 2004 – 2022. DG Novelties. All Rights Reserved
Username or email *
Password *
Fill out this contact form and our customer service representative will get in touch with you as soon as possible!
Tell us about yourself*
I agree to terms of service and privacy policy


text:
Open Full Navigation
- Plan Trip to Service
- Obituary/Notice
- Condolences and Tributes
- Light a Memorial Candle
- Service Details
- Send Flowers
- Place a Donation
- Memories
- Share
- Help Desk
- Book Of Memories
The lighting of a Memorial Candle not only provides a gesture of sympathy and support to the immediate family during their time of need but also provides the gift of extending the Book of Memories™ for future generations.
The Memorial Candle Program has been designed to help offset the costs associated with hosting this Tribute Website in perpetuity. Through the lighting of a memorial candle, your thoughtful gesture will be recorded in the Book of Memories and the proceeds will go directly towards helping ensure that the family and friends of Bruce E. Cooper can continue to memorialize, re-visit, interact with each other and enhance this tribute for future generations.
Thank you.
FrontRunner Professional
Website Provider


text: DUALFIX i-SIZE DUALFIX i-SIZE Turn every trip into something special Birth - 4 years | 40 - 105 cm | 0 - 18 kg Direction of travel 76 - 105 cm 40 - 105 cm Colour: Indigo Blue DUALFIX i-SIZE is the most flexible option for your child – from birth to 4 years (105 cm). The seat with 360 degree rotation offers ultimate comfort for parents and children and can be used rearward facing as well as forward facing. Plus, thanks to the lateral rotation to the open car door, placing and harnessing your child is child's play. All combined with a stylish and modern design and our expertise in child car safety – for your peace of mind on any journey. Good to know: The DUALFIX i-SIZE has been tested by Stiftung Warentest (06/2018) with a rating of "GOOD" and a grade of 2.1. JUMP TO ... DUALFIX i-SIZE Highlights Features Product Comparison Installation Reviews Questions & Answers Accessories DUALFIX i-SIZE In Stock Highlights Features Product Comparison Installation Reviews Questions & Answers Accessories


text:
Kit Includes:
Top & Base Coat, Applicator, 1g Chrome Powder. A stunning selection of Chrome Mirror Effect powder kits available. Why is Well Gel London Different.? 100% Toxin & Solvent Free No offending odour. 30 second cure time and 6 minute removal. Won't break down or damage your nail upon application or removal. Contains the naturally occuring protein Keratin to replenish & nourish your nail. Safe for expectant mothers (unlike other gel systems)WellGel London can last up to 4 weeks without fading. Diamond top coat offered which will increase the hardness, strength, shine, & longevity of the gel.


text:
Tue, Jun 21|
Santa Barbara
Primus has announced an extensive, 46-date, coast-to-coast extension of its wildly popular 'A Tribute To Kings' Tour, paying homage to pro-rock legends, Rush. The tour will make a stop in Santa Barbara at The Arlington Theatre on June 21, 2022.
Time & Location
Jun 21, 2022, 8:00 PM
Santa Barbara, 1317 State St, Santa Barbara, CA 93101, USA
About the event
"It's a story about gluttonous individuals sucking the colors out of the world," says Primus singer/bassist Les Claypool. "The overuse of resources by the greedy elite, and how the meek masses can overcome them in the end by unifying. It seemed pretty relevant these days." The tale Claypool is describing comes from a 1978 children's book called The Rainbow Goblins by the Italian author and artist Ui de Rico, and it forms the basis for the new Primus album coming out September 29, The Desaturating Seven. In the story—which is accompanied by stunning illustrations, done in oil paints on wood panels—seven goblins come to the valley where rainbows are born, intending to steal the rainbows and eat them. The valley, though, knows that the goblins are coming, and makes a plan to thwart the wicked creatures by hiding the rainbow. After the goblins are caught in their own nets, the flowers release the colors of the rainbow and drown the goblins, and in gratitude, the rainbow turns the flowers into beautiful birds who fly across the valley in freedom. "My wife got turned onto it when she was a kid, and we started reading it to my children when they were very young," says Claypool. "It became a bedtime story favorite. It always came across a bit frightening, like an old Grimm's fairy tale—a little dark and creepy, which seemed very much up my strasse." Claypool found particular inspiration in de Rico's paintings for The Rainbow Goblins. "The artwork is just amazing," he says. "There's a beauty but also a dark eeriness for this compelling, sinister story.
The paintings are incredible, vibrant, very unique looking—it's a good contrast between dark and light visually and also metaphorically. And there's always been a strong visual element to Primus." Indeed, taking inspiration from a wide range of sources was part of what made Primus one of the most distinctive, innovative bands of the 1990s. The trio's alt/punk/avant-garde/psychedelic/country attack, along with Claypool's surreal, fever-dream lyrics, resulted in some of rock's unlikeliest hits, including "Tommy the Cat," "Jerry Was A Race Car Driver," and "Wynona's Big Brown Beaver." The Desaturating Seven marks the return of the definitive Primus line-up—Claypool, guitarist Larry "Ler" LaLonde, and drummer Tim "Herb" Alexander—for its first album of original music since 1995. Starting as an underground phenomenon in San Francisco, the band's cult grew rapidly. Such albums as Sailing the Seas of Cheese (1991), Pork Soda (1993), and Tales from the Punch Bowl (1995) all went gold and or platinum, and Primus toured with some of rock's biggest names—U2, Jane's Addiction, Public Enemy, Rush—and headlined the third Lollapalooza festival. Alexander left and rejoined Primus several times, and Claypool alternated between the band and such other projects as Oysterhead (with Trey Anastasio and Stewart Copeland) and the Claypool Lennon Delirium, alongside Sean Lennon. In 2014, Alexander returned for the Primus & The Chocolate Factory with the Fungi Ensemble album, on which the group covered the iconic soundtrack to the 1971 film Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory. Staying in the fantasyland of children's stories, Claypool decided to tackle the adaptation of The Rainbow Goblins. "The challenge was to write music about goblins and rainbows and not come off overly clichéd," he says. "I didn't want to be overly literal either—there are very few straight-up lines from the book in the lyrics, more like hints at metaphors." He started off with the story's climactic moment, which became the nearly-eight-minute epic "The Storm." "I wrote that and recorded some bass and vocals, and I played it over the phone for Larry," says Claypool. "I worried that I was going too far down the 70's art/prog path, I didn't want it to come off cheesy. But he loved it, and then so did our manager, which inspired me to keep going." With that central piece down, Claypool started fleshing out the journey of the book, creating an introduction, "The Valley," that established some of the themes that thread through much of the music.
From there, it became a matter of working through the story and building a cohesive structure. "Originally it was going to be one giant piece, but some parts didn't match up," says Claypool. "You get these epiphanies and then you hit a wall—I was rolling along and then 'The Trek' really hung me up. 'The Dream' was an odd one, tough to wrangle, but a good contrast—very dark and sparse, then there are these big percussive hits and then at the end, away it goes, into this early Peter Gabriel-ish rhythm." Having to maintain a story line represented a new sort of challenge for Claypool's writing. "When you have a narrative, it puts up parameters," he says. "It gives you interesting jumping-off points, but it can also make it more difficult. Those confines can propel you forward or hold you back a little bit. But using someone else's art for inspiration certainly opens doors you wouldn't on your own." Musically, The Desaturating Seven led Primus back to some of the sounds and styles of their earlier days. "This record hearkens back to our prog roots—Rush, Yes, Crimson, all those things," says Claypool. "It's a little heavier than the last record, more intricate than anything we've done in a while." Which, he adds, made these songs ideal as a return to working with Tim Alexander on original material. "This stuff is totally In his wheelhouse," says Claypool. "Intricate and melodic drumming is what Tim does, what naturally comes out of him." From its inception, Claypool approached The Desaturating Seven music with an eye toward presenting it on stage. "As I was laying it out, I was already thinking about how it could be performed trunk-to-tail," he says. Now he's in the process of planning a tour that will feature a complete performance of the new record—a show with a set of Primus material and then "an entire set of Goblin Rock, with full production and fancy eye candy." For Les Claypool, sailing the seas of The Rainbow Goblins represents the completion of an idea he's been kicking around for a long time. "Twenty years ago, I thought it would be great to turn it into music someday, but I'm just getting around to it now," he says. "It was kind of a back-burner thing—but as I get older, I have to get through those, because at some point, I'm going to open up a hot dog stand and say goodbye." In the end, though, for all its specific requirements and obstacles, The Desaturating Seven came down to finding a way to let Primus be Primus. "Every time, it's like building the Golden Gate Bridge out of a pile of popsicle sticks," says Claypool. "You have a certain amount of sticks and you have to figure out how to make it work. But I've been working with these particular sticks for a long while, so I tend to know where to put them."


text:
Welcome to the RainwiseNet documentation Wiki. Here you will find all the information you need to get the most out of RainwiseNet and your RainWise weather station.
To get your data to RainwiseNet you will need a compatible RainWise weather station. Visit RainWise to see the latest available options.
Basic RainwiseNet is free and doesn't require a paid subscription. RainwiseNet Pro however gives you access to a variety of useful features and benefits. Graphs, reports, and alarms are included with a pro subscription. Graphs - Daily, weekly and monthly graphs for popular parameters. Custom graph option to select your own time period and up to two simultaneous parameters. Reports - Daily, Monthly and Yearly reports showing highs, lows and averages for each parameter. Reports can be exported and printed. Alarms - Configure high, low or rate of change alarms for most parameters. Receive notifications via email and or text message. Multiple alarms and multiple contacts are supported. We will continue to add and improve Pro features. They will become available as the are developed.
Purchasing a Pro Subscription - At this time we are offering annual subscriptions at $60 per year.
With the basic free version of RainwiseNet you may still download your weather data and export it to Excel. See the Download page for more information.


text:
Fast Blood
by Frightened Rabbit on FatCat RecordsReleased 22/11/2010
2010 saw Frightened Rabbit finally step into public view, with widespread touring and their acclaimed debut LP 'Sing The Greys' finally made widely available in Autumn 2007 in a revised and significantly revamped form. Following on swiftly with the 'It's Christmas So We'll Stop' 7" to round off the year, 2008 has already witnessed further live performances, and a batch of fresh material, delivered via their sophomore LP 'Midnight Organ Fight', and the preceding single 'Head Rolls Off'. 'Fast Blood', the second single to be taken from the album, is musically and lyrically redolent of the bands entire oeuvre, the song standing as comfortably alone as it does being the centrepiece to their album. Recorded by Peter Katis (Interpol, Mercury Rev), 'Fast Blood' is an emotionally fraught tale shot through with black humour; another epic slice of kitchen sink realism concerning romantic failure, relayed with a life-affirming intensity. The plaintive 'Soon Go' was self-recorded with Marcus Mackay and is exclusive to this release.
An unconventional three-piece with a defined personality, and a gift for being able to nail a near perfect pop song, Frightened Rabbit convey candid tales of ordinary folk with a wry, acerbic wit via an eloquent, emotive, modern garage-pop aesthetic. Comprising Scott (vocals, guitar), Billy (guitar, keys), and Grant (Drums, vocals), the origins of the band are rooted in 2003, when Scott began playing solo shows under the name Frightened Rabbit, with his brother Grant joining in 2004, and Billy completing the line-up in 2006. Lyrically ranging from incisive social commentary, to lucid, humourous explorations of interpersonal relationships, Scott's songs are essentially folk-tinged pop songs with more fervent ambitions. Somewhat atypically there is no bass, but crucially nothing is missing; Billy's second guitar augments or bolsters Scott's guitar/vocal hub, or drops an octave to add weight or bottom end. Grant's drum patterns are alternately or simultaneously physical and adroit, adding accent and eloquence to the score. But primarily, Frightened Rabbit is so much more than a sum of these parts, the band combining together to form something singular and complete.
Recorded over the space of two weeks, and mixed over the ensuing fortnight, 'Midnight Organ Fight' was conceived and realised in a much shorter time span than its predecessor, with the intention of creating a more coherent, 'pop' sounding album. Yet although musically more immediate, vitally, the band have not forsaken the personality or passion of any of their earlier recordings. Scott Rabbit expands: 'I feel the general FR weirdness is still apparent in the lyrics and this makes for an interesting sort of juxtaposition. It sounds kind of clean, but its actually pretty fucking dirty once you get listening. Saying that, i hope all the reasons why people loved Frightened Rabbit in the first place are still there, only they may have been amplified somewhat'.
Frightened Rabbit's live performances recall the ragged, muscular energy of punk three pieces such as early Sebadoh or Mission Of Burma, but the band nevertheless harbour a far more universal agenda.