text:
I just installed something called the April 2008 Software Update on my HP MediaSmart Home Server. HP provided the following information about this update:
As you may have seen, the HP MediaSmart Server software update was live for a few hours yesterday. This update provides customers with enhanced media streaming via Packet Video, server-side anti-virus from McAfee, prepares MediaSmart Servers for 64-bit support (requires the upcoming PowerPack 1 release from Microsoft) and contains a few other minor updates. The customer response in terms of downloading the update was exceptional.
Unfortunately, we started seeing install process inconsistencies in certain customer environments that had not arisen in our testing.
As a result, we have temporarily removed availability of the update in order to quickly assess and fix these issues. We expect to have a new installer in a short period of time and the upgrade should be back up and available in the very near future. Thanks to everyone for their continued patience – we know there is high customer interest in this update.
We will continue to update this site when new information is available.
Hmm. I'm pretty sure mine installed correctly. Certainly, the server is up and running and appears to be in good health.


text:
We've sort of known that Kim Dotcom was launching Megabox from the remains of Megaupload but we didn't know exactly what it was. Now that Dotcom has leaked a video about the service, we have an idea: a music service that wants to destroy labels and put the artist in charge.
This ain't piracy. Megabox, which is supposed to launch later this year, is a music service that sounds like a lot of other music services but gives more money directly to the artist... or something like that. The idea is to give free music away and then compensate the artist with advertising revenue. TorrentFreak explains:
This revenue comes from the Megakey application that users have to install. Megakey works like an ad blocker, but instead of blocking ads it replaces a small percentage with Mega's own ads. Those who prefer not to install the app have the option to buy the music instead.
Installing the Megakey app makes the music free, those who don't install the app, have to pay for the music. Most of the revenue will go to the artist and Megabox will only take a small share. Like a reverse record label, I guess. [TorrentFreak]

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Ask any pop-culture minion of today, or a Hollywood celebrity this question and you will not only get a very emphatic no, but you might see someone cringe and begin to accuse you of being a flaming homophobe.
The proof that homosexuality and now, the justifications to support it have become perverted is found in a headline contained in Irelands Independent. ie that says "Homophobia 'insults God', says Archbishop of Dublin."
In fact, the bible this Archbishop should be reading says exactly the opposite. Homosexuality is an insult to God, not homophobia. But the very word 'homophobia' has run its course and is now being used by devils themselves to justify anything that comes to the minds of fallen men and women. It is a word so overused it is now being abused as a prop for the prurient, pathetic, and pathological perverts of the last days.
The new 'phobophobes' – Not everyone has drunk the Kool-Aid
The justifications for the rise in the homosexual lifestyle have become so acrid that the very term 'homophobic, is worn out and is quite ready for a re-tread, or even better – a discard.
We are now approaching the peak in pop-culture indoctrination by the LGBT and now, what was once used to explain the cause of someone's disagreement with a lifestyle has become an indicator of an entirely different thing, even without reference to the Bible.
Succinctly, now, because of the overuse of the term, to be labeled a homophobe doesn't mean you are afraid of homosexuals or homosexuality it now means; you are not afraid of homosexuality – at all. It means you stand with a view that you need not back down from, realizing that by whatever criterion you have made your decision, you have as much right to hold your view as any opposing view.
Shame, guilt, and fear need not be part of a well-founded and defensible alternate view regardless of how unpopular it may be. You may not like eggs, but no one has the right to call you an eggophobe. If you don't care to have your house burglarized, are you a burglarphobe? Where does this nonsense end? Political activists have no special set of rights to categorize you into any pigeonhole based on your preferences, viewpoints, or fundamental beliefs.
If we choose to take our position on homosexuality from the bible, now the entire picture changes. Now, we have stepped up a notch from constitutional rights to a higher code of conduct derived from a higher authority. Here, we must recognize that if LGBT doesn't recognize our constitutional first amendment rights, then our biblical view will not be regarded either – so what!
Would it be productive to start calling those who balk at our viewpoint – Christophobes or biblephobes? Would it be more honest, to look at their arguments as, pure, socially crafted, last days pop-culture nonsense – or in the very simplest of terms – pure baloney?
Twisted laws, pop-culture acceptance, and the LGBT agenda still do not trump the Bible
Acceptance of the LGBT agenda depends on low information sheep being fed lies and a constant barrage of pop-culture color and confusion. It is aided by the pack of jackals known as Hollywood celebrities, apostate clergy, political philanderers, and constitutional cop-outs. But science, nature, common sense, and of course the bible stands unmoved even if unheeded.
When the lies begin to lose mileage, a new angle is introduced. LGBT began to lose ground across the nation for a while but came back with the "born that way' whopper. Even the mentally handicapped are forced to admit that if even one homosexual walks out of the lifestyle, then this argument collapses on itself. Hundreds of former gays have done so and that should be enough to mute the argument. Now, it's a total LGBT effort to block sex change therapy state by state.
The belligerence and fury with which the LGBT now attacks its more vociferous opponents is just a hair away from a policy of, accept our lifestyle, or we will kill you. How long will it be before those who kill others might begin to use the defense – we were born that way and walk away without a hitch?
Born this way doesn't seem to be calling for any blacks to change to whites or Italians changing to Frenchmen, but no one said that the LGBT agenda made any sense to start with. Perhaps we could extend the whole flowery fantasy to our pets. Maybe our cats were really born as dogs. Maybe our horses are really snaking in the wrong body. The identity crisis might extend to all flora and fauna. Maybe flowers want to be fish and birds want to be lions.
What kind of surgeons and medical experts will it take to make these kinds of changes?
The Bible does more than note the immorality of homosexuality – It says, it will bring judgment
The thing about demonically inspired pop-culture trends is that some manage to run out of steam and pass away in time; other trends linger long enough to waste a large part of society. Still, others are so serious that they spell the end of a nation or a crushing of its entire social structure as in ancient Rome, Greece, or even Nazi Germany.
For example, rap music influence managed to create an entire generation of foul-mouthed, gun-toting, crotch-grabbing illiterates who can only read on a fourth-grade level. Now, many of them must be placed on the rolls of the nanny state as they enter their mature years. The nation suffered a loss but kept going.
With the LGBT efforts, success will bring far more serious consequences.
As we approach the days of the well-predicted rule of the antichrist it may be safe to say that the Homo-agenda will stay on to the last day, but at what price to the nations?
Three distinct passages that say the homo-agenda will bring severe and summary judgment to nations in the very near future
One of the ways homosexuals and those who support their deviant lifestyles slither out from facing the seriousness of their perversion is to label the biblical message against homosexuality as an ancient moral code with no connections to modern times.
This wrenching of the truth is bad enough but then comes the discovery that the message of future judgment also warns against the practice of homosexuality. In fact, it labels the perversion as one of the chief causes for God to enter into judgment against individuals and nations who sanction and exploit this major form of immorality. Prophecy is pre-written history and is as sure as the rising of the sun.
The first prophetic warning is contained in the book of Joel. Almost every word in this book has to do with future events. The passage that marks homosexuality cannot be mistaken for any other time period but the very last days of time. The references to the slaughter in the valley of Jehoshaphat, the complete barrenness of Egypt, and the darkening of the sun and the moon are all part and parcel of the second coming prophecies of Jesus Christ.
All this takes place when Israel has returned to her homeland (1948) and is in control of Jerusalem. So what precipitates these judgments – see it for yourself.
"And they have cast lots for my people; and have given a boy for a harlot, and sold a girl for wine, that they might drink." (Joel 3: 3)
The second, often overlooked warning of judgment is found in the passage Barack Obama declared was obscure, even though he quoted from the book of Romans in his recent address at the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington D.C.
In a long list of sins said to arise as the last days approach the perversion of same-sex partnering is fully described and condemned. What doesn't get as much notice is that such sinfulness is practiced in defiance of the promise that it will be judged. The last verse of the entire passage brings it all home.
"Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same but have pleasure in them that do them." (Ro 1: 32)
Third, is a passage that jumps ahead, beyond the coming judgments, to a time that immediately follows the second coming of Christ. It is a time when the King is crowned and seated on the throne in Jerusalem and is ruling the entire earth which will then be called the 'kingdom of God.'
Conspicuously missing among the inhabitants are those labeled 'the effeminate.' To wit:
"Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God." (1 Co 6: 9-10)
Sodom and Gomorrah – Coming to a Neighborhood Near You!
Ascribing Leviticus 18: 22 and 20:13 as well as the entirety of Romans chapter one to some ancient and outdated code of conduct is an expedition into high stupidity. The destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah is only a preview of what God will finally do.
All cities will undergo the same fate according to the scriptures. In the very last judgment known as the 'seventh and final vial of wrath,' every city on the earth will undergo the same fate as Sodom and Gomorrah.
They will not fall for ignoring an ancient and outdated code of morality, but for a refusal to reckon with a God-given rule and concomitant severe warnings against all forms of sexual deviance the chief of which is homosexuality.
"And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done. And there were voices, and thunders, and lightning; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great. And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell…" (Rev 16: 17-19)
Michael Bresciani – First Published February 14, 2014
A Sobering Moment in the Midst of June's Endless Flood of LGBTQ Pride
To read more articles in the "Best of the Archive Series" click here.


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|Own your ow legal marijuana business
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Marihuana, A Signal of Misunderstanding - The Report of the US National Commission on Marihuana and Drug Abuse
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Real trees might trump fake trees in being green, but nothing beats building a Christmas tree from recycled bottles. These wonderful recycled Christmas trees are popping up in Paris and you can build one yourself.
Meet Microsoft's New Surface Laptops
The bigger versions in Paris are actually a promotion by DesignPack Gallery to push these home models out (and to spread the word on recycling, of course). The message is to collect bottles and re-use them in unique ways, like making Christmas trees.
I think they look great and all you need is cardboard to build it! And, well, a hundred bottles of Sprite. [DesignPack Gallery via Recyclart via Notcot]


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I'm not liking the farming mechanic. It seemed like a good idea on paper but in practice, it's just tedious and exploitive. Here's how I'd like to see it work:
Some planets would have a Arable land tile including all starting planets. Building on these tiles produces food.
The tech tree would have a path for players who want to get the most out of those resources to get a lot of food. The arable land resource be destructable -- you can destroy it (like you can any resource btw) to put something else there. This would make food take its rightful place as an important strategic resource rather than one that is simply produced by min/maxing.
What are your thoughts?
So it would be a special resource, ala monsantium or such?
Can't say I like that idea. Food isn't a strategic resource that is super rare... And making it so, means even more problems with map balancing.
I'd argue for a background mechanic for food. Where a planet simply produces x food based on class. No buildings at all. Or with this foundation, now you can have special farmable resources that create flat food quantities.
You're now free to build cities from your global good supply that's automatically being harvested .I suspect that helps with the AI since there is nothing to min max.
Certain techs can increase the food generation from certain class planets (youre genetically engineering better plants etc.).
Continuing on this...
Planet Class/3 = Food
Extreme Planet Class/5 = Food
Occasional resource improvement
= Total food supply
Techs give some bonuses to the formulas. Rebalance the city food costs, etc.
Lower pop to production bonuses since we've reopened so much land for development as factories etc. As desired .
Sorry Gauntlet, but I don't like your approach very much. That would lead to a more or less inevitable food income for that you cannot and don't have to do anything, that's not what I want to see in a strategy game. I want to work for food, possibly sacrificing something else.
Frogboy's suggestions sounds better, but still doesn't feell right. I have to think a bit about that ...
I really like the idea! Especially with the separate tech tree witch would also bring much more tactic in the game. Very important for me is the question how the AI can handle this. Would it easier to give the AI the skill to handle this mechanic than the current mechanic?
S'all good. I just agree with Frogboy about it currently being tedious.
And yea... It's mostly not fun and not interesting to place farming improvements. Special resource tiles don't force a interesting decision really... So like... What's the point of placing at all?
There is still some interesting strategy to where you put your cities though, just like now.
I'm interested in what you come up with though!
Frogboy,my thoughts are probably more complex than what you will be wanting to implement.One of the things that really turns me off of this game is the strategic resources and how they are pure and total luck. If I need Monsantium, and there is no monsantium on any of the planets that I can even invade (yes I've had this happen) then guess what... a whole branch of the game is pointless.
So my suggestion. Make every strategic resource build-able projects. Rather than having it be completely and totally random, tie the resources to tech advancement and planet type. Make them expensive and a cap of 2 or 3 per planet... But as to the overall food... I agree with Gauntlet. Food, Money, and Production and Moral should be the basic always generated things each planet has by default. Building a factory increases your productionBuilding a Farm increases your foodBuilding too many factories should decrease your food (in theory) just like having too many people stresses your morale. Food is already set up as a global currency. just make it more... heck the Iconians have bio-ships... make a biofabricator or something that does both food and production.Or the frogs have hot springs that are morale and food... etc etc....The biggest issue that food has is that UNLIKE Wealth and production which are increased using the space harvested resources... Food can only be improved using the much much more rare resources.Change that and it's fine.
I think that would be fairly difficult to communicate to players.
Let me think about how to mix your idea up with mine.
True. It would be very difficult to communicate. I suspect that's a big reason pop to production is 1 to 1 .
I suppose planets could be a bit more complicated, but easier to communicate...
Each planet having two or three stats...
1) Size. Physical space
2) Adaptability. Food, Pop Cap
3) Influence. Natural bonus to morale and influence due to unique planetary features (it's pretty?)
More complicated, but you can just display these straight, rather than a formulas occurring behind the scenes.
Gauntlet03 makes a fair point: it's a bit strange that you can have a population on a planet but that population can't make any food. Should there be a certain level of food production that's automatic? I think the idea of food production being tied to Planet Class makes sense (further tied to planetary types and traits).
Obviously, if you want to grow your population - and obviously increase production - that's the reason for farms etc.
One little mechanic you might like - or might like not - to consider if you're talking about food as a resource:
Food is now a global resource - you can have Food Planet 1 and as long as that's making enough chow, you can food your 8 planet empire.
Except if the Drengin destroy the ships that are transporting it...
I appreciate this might be difficult to implement (should a player have to build Food Ships? Have to build Escorts? Hit Points? etc) but it's another path to conquest: starve Planet 5 out by killing the Food Ships from Planet 2 and wait for the white flag. A much more aggressive version of Embargo, which just stops trading with other civilizations. It means you don't need to invade - or at least buys time to get ready to invade and obviously weakens Planet 5's defence.
Ultimately, I honestly don't see food being something people ship to a planet... I think planets grow that food locally no matter what. It's not a difficult enough problem to grow food in contained environments or engineer the organism for the environment.
Trade space on those freighters will be reserved for rarer resources and premade goods.
Of course... My race just eats people when times get tough... So I'm biased.
It goes a little in the direction of Distant Worlds where the private sector is orderd to transport all the different resources and people between your planets ?
I don't understand the food mechanics at all so I just play synthetic.
Like when I build farms my population still won't grow past 3. Does food do anything at all?
It gives food. A currency spent to produce cities which increase Pop Cap and provide great bonuses. Pop contributes to raw production.
I'm of two minds. First, I'm fine with the system as is. However the AI doesn't handle it well and I often trade them food tech just to see if they'll put it to use.
City building is a two step process and the first step brings you no value at all so I think that stalls the AI. I can build a semi-circle of farms around a tile in preparation for the city I'll then be able to build within them and get the pop cap bonus from having farms around the city. This is backwards to how other hubs work.
I think the only thing having specific tiles for food will do is make the AI incapable of building anything else there, so they'll be forced to build for food. This could also be done by making the AI think of city placement first and be inflexible in that decision. Pick a tile either with a population bonus and/or a lot of surrounding tiles (consider future terraforming if there's not good options) and decide this WILL be a city and god damn any improvement that gets in its way! Then either build farms around the tile or use some isolated tiles for farms. The AI may have an easier time with food if it ignores the fact that it is empire wide and assumes a planet will need its own supply rather than waiting for somewhere else to produce it.
Ok i understand the food mechanic. I think it makes it unfair to be organic. I even liked it better in 3 classic where farms increased population with a little bit of food per turn. I stopped playing the krynn over this. I basically play the slyne. Needing to mine promethium over a period of turns is a lot easier than flat food. I dont like the ops suggestion of not fixing this by making food a resource. I think that a farm producing 0.1 per turn at least puts this on par with 0.1 promethium per turn with the starbase concept. Having to build a constructor for this is minor.
Today I'm unfortunately too ill to contribute much more since I have to go to bed now.
Only one thing: Food should not directly be dependent on planet class. Normally a planet is more or less suited to grow food according to it's type (snow ball not as good as gaia world), so it should have a base factor for food production that is multipled with the effects of all food improvements that you chose to build on tiles. There can still be special resources that provide more food on a single tile if used in that way, but that should not be the only places you can grow food.
One step further you could say that for every race the "ideal" conditions to grow food are different, but I fear that would lead to too much effort to implement.
Apart from that, I like the idea to carry around resources like in Distant Worlds since to would have to build up a working logistics chain to supply a big empire, but here also I fear that won't ever be implemented because it's too much effort (and would make another type of game out of GC III).
I think the supply chain has to remain abstract unless we want to return to constructor spam days lol.
But you can represent it in small ways... For example a siege mechanic for planets that lowers or servers their connections to the empire etc.
I don't think I like the idea of a special food resource tile. It's not like you're digging food like ore out of one specific restricted location on a planet. The current system of building farms for food makes more sense and personally I don't really find it any more tedious than building factories for production.
Allow every planet with oceans one or more tiles of water developable uniquely for fishing or fish farming based upon the size of the planet. The AI would only have one choice with the development of the tile- Food.
You could name the improvement a Fishery, it Stocks the worlds oceans with Fish.
The solution also brings a little more realism into the game considering the amount of reliance Earth has upon her oceans for food.
Well the Issue is a currency used to build population which in turn rewards the player or ai with production.
I hate to ask but how did we do population and production in GC II? Can this mechanic be simplified yet still offer the player another lever to pull to get results in game?
How about you get a minimal amount of food with the capital. Each tile has a certain amount of food capability which would work as a multiplier for whatever food building you put on it. Some tiles are real low or zero (desert or similar) and some are high (good farmland). As you build food capable buildings on it, you get more but based on the original food capability. So a desert planet will have few tiles that can make food and each one does not have a high capability. Gaia planets would have mostly farmable tiles and each one would have a high capability. You might even have some planets with no food capability beyond the capital itself. Here you might could build very special buildings that gave some food or add the ability to grow food as part of the economic space stations. You can build other buildings on the farmland but you get no food, only whatever the building is made to create such as production. If you destroy the building, you could go back to farming on the land maybe at a reduced level since you may have messed it up giving it a reduced food capability from the original amount. You could even have technology that improves this food capability over time.
Did you really think the answer was going to be "no, food doesn't do anything"?
Well yeah. I'm actually an AI so the concept of food confuses me.
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text:
In the case of Poedua, we want to remove the varnish layer because it is very discoloured and has been applied extremely unevenly, which has become more apparent as the discolouration has progressed. Similar to the effects of surface dirt, the discoloured varnish present has diminished the tonal ranges of the painting.
The first step is to characterise the varnish and work out how many layers are present. There are several techniques available to us including, exposing the painting to ultraviolet light and taking cross-sections of the paint and varnish layers. Looking at the painting under UV lamps causes specific auto-fluorescence in different materials which helps us with identification. The varnish layer on Poedua fluoresced a bright green colour, indicating a natural resin such as dammar or mastic. This wasn't surprising to us since both are common varnishes that we might expect to find on a work such as this.
Cross-section analysis involves the sampling of a microscopic piece of the painting, usually taken from an area of existing damage. This sample is set in a polyester resin and ground down with fine sand paper. The cross-section is then examined using a compound microscope where we can see the building up of paint layers by the artist, surface coatings and later additions. From the cross-section we took from Poedua we can see that there is only one varnish layer apparent.
Varnish layers become increasingly difficult to remove the older they are. This is due to alterations in their chemical structure that occur over time. The solvents that conservators use to remove varnishes are carefully tested in a similar manner to the surface cleaning testing. We use a variety of solvent mixtures and different preparations and combinations including enzymes, soaps and gels. Their effectiveness builds further on our knowledge about the varnish layer we are dealing with. Solvents work by penetrating the varnish layer and swelling the film, bringing the resin into solution and allowing it to be removed from the surface. After initial testing, we select the most appropriate solvent or solvent mixture and test this in the various areas of the composition. Constant care and attention is crucial during this process because the varnish layer is usually the last layer before the paint film is encountered.


text:
One of my earliest memories is of Election Day, 1984.
I was a five-year-old future voter, and my Dad took me along to the polls when got home from work. My dad is a retired social studies teacher, so it's no wonder he instilled in me a sense of civic duty early on by dragging me to polls on Election Day.
I remember my dad chatting with the election judges, most of whom were familiar faces after years of voting in the same place. I remember following him into the tiny little booth with the blue curtain. I remember back then the ballots were punch cards, and you slipped the yellow card into a box that held it in place, then you used these little metal punch things to punch the hole next to the candidate of your choosing. To me the whole process seemed so important, even then.
Elections Day has always felt sacred to me, from those early days of watching my dad punch his ballot, to my first vote for president in 2000, to today.
So much hinges on this one day of the year. From the future of a local school to the future of our country, Election Day is the day we as citizens get to play a critical role in the outcome.
My hope is that voters still feel at least some sense of civic pride on Election Day, even after all the millions of dollars spent on TV attack ads, all the thousands of campaign fliers which filled up our mailboxes, and the dozens (or more) phone calls from campaigns, pollsters and activists.
Our politics are far from perfect and there are plenty of reasons for people across the political spectrum to complain these days. No matter what the outcome, a large portion of our state and our country are not going to be pleased with the result. We are a polarized electorate, perhaps more so than at any other time in our recent history. But my hope is that when the dust settles tomorrow, we can move forward as community, a state and a country with the goal of trying to do more to understand the other side. My hope is that regardless of who our president, or governor, or senator or next county commissioner is on Jan. 1, that we as a citizenry will vow to work harder to be more civil, to focus more on solving problems that affect us all, and to care more deeply for each other. Because regardless of who our elected officials are, at the end of the day we're all still in this together.


text:
Melanie Spiller and Coloratura Consulting
On Music
On Writing
Off Topic
About and
Copyright 2020 Melanie Spiller. All rights reserved.
The Codex Calixtinus (12th century)
Spiller and Coloratura Consulting
Also known as the Book of St. James (
Liber sancti Jacobi
The Codex Calixtinus is dedicated to the apostle James the Greater and contains a huge assortment of music
from the 12
century. It was commissioned by Pope Calistis II (also known as Calixtus II, 1065-1124), who
was pope from 1119-1124. The collection was completed around 1137 or soon after 1139. A complete
edition in three volumes was published by Walter Muir Whitehill and Dom Germain Prado in 1931. This
edition includes facsimiles, notes, and transcriptions of all the musical parts of the manuscript. (I want this.
Please take up a collection and buy this for me. I didn't find it on Amazon.) In 1922, the music alone was
transcribed and published by Peter Wagner. (I would also be very happy to have this. Also not listed on
The Codex was dedicated to St. James, as I mentioned. After his martyrdom, the body of St. James was
moved from Jerusalem to Galicia, Spain, where he had spent time preaching and where he is now venerated
(under the name Sant' Iago or Santiago) as patron saint. According to tradition, his body was miraculously
translated into some other substance than flesh and bones during the trip. His relics are in the Cathedral of
Santiago de Compostela, an Atlantic coastal town in the extreme northwest corner of Spain, built over his
gravesite in 1078. Every year, there are massive pilgrimages to this Cathedral.
In 1993, UNESCO placed the Spanish section of the pilgrimage on the World Heritage List, adding the French
section in 1998.
The Codex is an illuminated manuscript. The order of songs was probably chosen by the French scholar
Aymeric Picaud (dates unavailable) and the principal scribe was called "Scriptor I" in the text itself, which
implies that another scribe was expected. Experts say that the whole collection is in a single hand, so I guess
Scriptor I worked alone in the end.
Whoever the scribe was, he wasn't a student of the (then) new art of music notation. He knew nothing of
alignment, and it's hard to tell when the organum parts converged. It's also clear that the pieces were meant
to be learned by rote and performed from memory. Performers of the time didn't read the music off the
page, even in rehearsal; sheet music was considered more of a souvenir or art object than a working tool.
In addition to the music, the collection was an anthology of background detail and advice for pilgrims
following the way of St. James from Jerusalem to Spain. It's a proper tour guide, with descriptions of the
route, including works of art to be seen along the way, and descriptions of local customs. The collection
includes sermons, reports of miracles, and liturgical texts associated with James.
There's a copy of the Codex Calixtinus at St. James' shrine at Compostela, which has been one of the great
pilgrimage spots in Europe since late-medieval times. The Codex is particularly lavish, with many special
features. One of these is an appendix of a dozen parchment leaves containing two dozen polyphonic
compositions, some of which were specially written for the Office of St. James, and others that were
borrowed from the common monastic repertory of southern and central France.
For many years, there was a false assumption that the very first three-part polyphonic setting appeared in
the Codex Calixtus. But the piece, called
Congaudeant catholici,
actually had the third part written in as a
discant (a high, floaty bit) rather than a third composed part. The discant was written in red on the same
staff as the tenor (the slow chant on the bottom) by some later scribe. If it were really sung in three parts as
written, there would be more dissonance than is found in polyphony from the period, although that might
not be a deterrent to doing it that way. At the time, a discant only had to go nicely with the tenor line, not
necessarily with the melismatic upper voice. Singers probably chose to sing one part or the other—not all
three at the same time.
Along with that interesting three-part piece, one of the oldest collections in the Codex is the Marial Tropers.
It's one of only two that have survived from this early period of music development.
Three parts of the Codex contain music: Book I and two appendices. Let's look at the whole collection.
There are five volumes, totaling 225 double-sided folios. Its oversized pages were trimmed during
restoration in 1966. Each folio displays a single column of thirty-four lines of text. Book IV was torn off in
1609, possibly by accident, possibly by theft, or possibly by decree of King Philip III (you'll read more about
him in a moment). It was reinstated during the restoration in 1966.
Book I contains the liturgies and comprises almost half of the codex. There are sermons and homilies, all
about St. James, including descriptions of his martyrdom. Included are "special" pieces of music along with
the Ordinary (Kyrie, Sanctus, etc.) liturgical chants for the festival. The Offices, Masses, and Processions of
the festival are liberally supplied with tropes, which are embellishments added to the music of a Mass in the
Middle Ages. The music was written in Aquitainian neume notation (a form used in northern France and
There are also pilgrim's songs, which would have been sung on the road to and from Compostela as well as
in the cathedral. Most pieces from this period are anonymous, but the Calixtine (isn't that a fun word?)
specimens have the names of their composers appended. Most of them are French archbishops and
bishops, but according to one source, the attributions are apocryphal. It's thought that at least 12 of the 14
Spanish pieces were written under strong French influence.
Calixtus' (probably fraudulent) letter occupies the first two folios. It claims that he collected many
testimonies on the good deeds of St. James over the course of 14 years. He also describes how the
manuscript survived fire and water damage. The letter is addressed to the holy assembly of the basilica of
Cluny and to Archbishop Diego of Compostela (c1069-1149). There's more on this in a minute.
The first six pieces of music in the Codex are organum (two lines of parallel melody), the remainder are
conductus (two lines of divergent melody). There is only one example of imitation (see my blog, Composer
Biography: Johannes Ciconia (c1370-1412) for more on imitation) in the whole collection. It probably wasn't
accidental, but also, it was probably very much a new style of music. The imitation included is of the type
called "interchange," where two voices produce essentially the same melody, taking turns. Later, imitation
developed into form known as the
, and eventually became the form known as a canon. Imitation
appears in the Codex in a conductus piece called
Ad superni regis decus
(to the glory of the heavenly king).
In the 13
century, the forms of music organum and conductus would become clearly different, but in the
century, the two words were used interchangeably. The Codex provides examples of the beginning of
the bifurcation. In conductus, the tenor line was not necessarily a previously known melody, such as a chant.
In fact, composing something new for conductus was a rule. The upper part moved in parallel steps with the
tenor line, forming a sort of chordal harmony (not in modern terms—chords hadn't been invented yet), like
faux bourdon. Sometimes the upper voices split a note's duration and sang two or three against a single
melody note. That's as fancy as it got in the 12
century, though.
The local liturgy for St. James included in the codex are Matins responsories, a gradual, and an alleluia,
which are provided in chant form (one melodic line, no harmonies) and appear early in the Codex. The two-
line versions of the same chants are in the organum style.
Book II is an account of 22 miracles across Europe attributed to St. James during his life and after.
Book III is the shortest book and describes moving St. James's corpse from its original tomb in Jerusalem to
the new one in Galicia. It also describes the custom started by the first pilgrims of gathering souvenir
seashells from the Galician coast. The scallop shell is a symbol for St. James.
Book IV is falsely attributed to Archbishop Turpin of Reims (d.800), who is commonly known as Psuedo-
Turpin. In fact, it's the work of an anonymous 12
century writer. It describes Charlemagne (742-814)
coming to Spain, his defeat at the Battle of Roncevaux Pass (778), and the death of the knight Roland (d.778,
and a frequent subject in troubadour and minstrel songs). The great king and conqueror Charlemagne had a
dream in which St. James appeared, urging him to liberate his (St. James') tomb from the Moors and
showing him the direction to follow using the route of the Milky Way. That's why, in Spain, the Milky Way
has an alternate name, Camino de Santiago.
The chapter also includes an account of Roland's defeat of the giant Saracen Ferragut (dates unavailable, but
in the 9
century) and the legend of Santiago Matamoros (St. James the Moorslayer), which was an early
example of Catholic propaganda to recruit for the military Order of Santiago, formed to protect church
interests in northern Spain from Moorish invaders. This order was also closely associated with the Crusades.
The legend got out of hand and became an embarrassment, portraying St. James as a bloodthirsty avenger
800 years after his death. King Philip III (1578-1621) ordered that the section be removed, and for a while, it
circulated as a separate volume. Despite this, there are still statues and chapels in the churches and
cathedrals along the way applauding St. James the Moorslayer.
Book V is a pilgrim's guide, advising where to stop, which relics are the good ones, which sanctuaries to visit,
which inns serve bad food, and the various commercial scams to be aware of, including churches holding
false relics. This book is a marvelous insight into who a 12
century pilgrim might have been. It also
describes the city and its cathedral. Some of the earliest Basque words and phrases of the post-Roman
period are also recorded in it.
Both appendices were compiled in the cathedral town of Vezelay by around 1170 and shipped or carried
down to Compostela as a gift to the shrine. One of the reasons for associating the manuscript with a fairly
northern point of origin is its use of the word "conductus" in place of "versus." Another is the inclusion of
standard Mass and Office items in polyphonic elaboration along with the more usual tropes and verses in
monody (chant). These settings consist of six responsorial chants.
A full transcriptions was done by Walter Muir Whitehill in 1932, and published in Spain along with a
musicological study by Dom German Prado and a study of the miniature illustrations by Jesus Carro Garcia.
But the story of the Codex isn't all rainbows and unicorns.
A letter from Pope Calixtus that provides the preface to the book is thought to have been forged. You see,
Calixtus died 11 years before the collection was begun. The earliest known edition dates from 1150 and was
lost until 1886, when the Jesuit scholar Padre Fidel Fita (1835-1918) found it. A second copy was made in
1173 by a monk named Arnaldo de Monte. This version is known as the Ripoli (after the monastery in
Catalonia by the same name) and is now stored in Barcelona. In the 12
and 13
centuries, there were
copies all over the place, from as far away as Rome and Jerusalem. It was particularly popular at the Abbey
of Cluny, another sacred location to which pilgrims progressed in the Middle Ages.
In a 1972 article, Christopher Hohler (1917-1997) said that the book was meant to be a grammar book,
being in deliberately bad Latin. He claims that it's a classic nomadic French teaching technique, to have the
students correct the bad grammar. It wasn't at all about collecting the music or providing a travel guide,
according to Hohler.
The Codex was stolen in 2011. Spanish police thought that it was an inside job or that the manuscript was
hidden somewhere inside the cathedral. Rumors abounded that it was an attempt to embarrass cathedral
administration over lax security or that perhaps it was some sort of grievance. One year and one day after its
disappearance, the Codex was found in the garage of a former employee, along with several other items of
worth. The book was undamaged and is back on display at the cathedral.
"Music from the Earliest Notations to the Sixteenth Century," by Richard Taruskin. Oxford University Press,
Oxford, 2010.
"Early Medieval Music up to 1300," (Volume II of New Oxford History of Music), edited by Dom Anselm
Hughes. Oxford University Press, London, 1954.
The Norton/Grove Concise Encyclopedia of Music," edited by Stanley Sadie. W.W> Norton & Co., New York,


text:
The charge of water leak repair has different factors to consider. There are needed specialized equipment along with techniques to identify the spot of the leakage. This particular job alone might cost approximately $120 to $400. You can find agencies that provide a flat rate for their solutions for around $125. Nevertheless, it may well go up to $380 since there are companies that offer water leak detection in Itasca with their repair services. The cost is more likely to rise should there be a need to use a jackhammer on the concrete in order to fix the dripping water line. The leak detection charges range from $400 to $900 at the very least. There are scenarios when there is a need to fix a leak in a very particular area and set the new water pipe on top of the ground. In this case, the re-routing for the brand-new conduit might cost approximately $250 to $650, but it may go as high as $800 to $3000. But this may rise based on the difficulty of the issue and area rates. The truth is, it could go all the way to $5000. For a slab leak repair which is a bit difficult due to the disintegrated plumbing system and the need to replace the piping, you will probably have a pricier expense at approximately $136 to $136.
Estimated final cost for leak detection
|Fair Price
|Leak Labor
|2 Hours
|Totals - Cost to Find Plumbing Leaks - 1 Leak
|Average Cost Per Leak


text:
Search through more than 50,000 user-created Webmixes to add to your account. You can get all updates from the original creator or you can claim the Webmix as your own!
Number of followers
Webmix type
Promotion, festivals, radios, magazine and more!
This webmix includes educational resources, tools, and supportive sites for teaching art and music to K-12 students
No description
music/entertainment webmix
Sites for K-5 General Music
Music Teacher Links
Music Festivals by Darius Rafieyan
This is a collection of music technology apps. Some I use in class, others I found via Symbaloo. You may copy, share or download this WebMix for yourself.


text:
Tough Budgeting Places National Weather Service In an Uneasy Orbit
Almost a year after Congress learned of a budget scandal at the National Weather Service, lawmakers are still trying to get a realistic estimate of what it costs to run the nation's first line of defense against the effects of hurricanes, tornadoes and winter storms.
The National Weather Service has struggled in recent years to find money to operate a nationwide network of forecasting offices while also adding new technology intended to improve predictions. That's raised doubts about the reliability of a program that produces about 1.5 million forecasts and 50,000 warnings a year, aiding citizens who may be in the path of dangerous storms, farmers trying to protect crops and airlines planning their daily schedules.
The administrator and chief financial officer of the National Weather Service resigned last year after the discovery that millions of dollars had been shuffled without notice from technology accounts in fiscal 2010 and fiscal 2011. The money was used to cover shortfalls in forecasting offices, where salaries are the key cost. There has been no allegation that anyone profited personally from these actions, described in a later investigation as "colorizing" or "washing" money. But agencies are not supposed to take such actions, called reprogramming, without consent from Congress.
Now, the agency's budget is something of a mess and congressional appropriators have demanded that the NWS give them at least a timeline for when it will be able to deliver a realistic budget. When President Barack Obama signed the fiscal 2013 spending package (PL 113-6) into law March 26, he triggered a 30-day deadline for the agency to deliver a report to Congress with detailed information about how it will prevent future unauthorized shifting of money between accounts.
"Concern remains that the inappropriate movement of funds within the NWS could have jeopardized the NWS' ability to accurately forecast the weather and that these actions may negatively impact the NWS' ability to make forecast improvements in the future," appropriators said in a report that accompanied the spending package. "In addition, dissatisfaction remains with NOAA's failure to determine the true costs necessary to support NWS operational needs."
With the sequester stripping $85 billion from federal operating expenses by September, the weather service is facing the June 1 start of the hurricane season with some delays in the development of newer computer systems and a hiring freeze in place. The union representing the agency's forecasters says that will exacerbate the short staffing that's already led to fatigue and constant shift-switching at the network of 122 forecasting offices.
This short staffing comes even though the Weather Service has benefited from some relative congressional generosity in recent years. Appropriators last year signed off on a $36 million reprogramming request for the NWS after the improper budgeting was made public, a financial move that made official more reductions of technology accounts in order to prevent furloughs. For fiscal 2013, the appropriators provided the National Weather Service with $926.1 million, a $34 million increase. The bulk of the weather service budget always goes toward the Local Warnings and Forecasts base budget — $655 million in the case of fiscal 2013.
Even amid the current budget crunch, the House lawmaker with direct responsibility for the weather service's parent Commerce Department has implored the department to make certain the nation's forecasting offices have the money they need to help the public cope with tornadoes, hurricanes and other storms.
"This committee will be prepared to reprogram," Rep. Frank R. Wolf, R-Va., chairman of the House Commerce, Justice and Science Appropriations Subcommittee, said at a March 5 hearing. "They should look far out on the horizon. We can find other programs to take it from. No one should be able to say that there have been damages, loss of life or anything because the weather bureau says, 'We don't have the money.'"
Wolf's Senate counterpart, Barbara A. Mikulski, D-Md., has long worried that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has let its focus on troubled satellite programs overshadow its needs for weather-forecasting operations. Mikulski, who has proposed moving management of the satellite program to NASA, is an ardent booster of Maryland-based NOAA's forecasting unit.
"Many people don't realize that the wonderful weather reports they get in their communities come because of the NOAA weather administration," Mikulski said in 2009. "We all love The Weather Channel, but The Weather Channel depends on NOAA."
Rep. Chaka Fattah of Pennsylvania, the top Democrat on the House Commerce, Justice and Science Appropriations Subcommittee, says he is confident Congress will get better information on the weather service's needs for the next budget cycle. To Fattah, the NWS is one of the federal agencies on the front lines of major battles between Democrats and Republicans over the size of the federal government and the programs the public depends on.
"The question is, are we willing to make the decisions needed to fund them," Fattah said.
The National Weather Service employees union argues that the program's employees already have seen the effects of restrained domestic spending. Excluding supervisors, the size of the weather service's workforce has dropped by 193 people since 2010 to 3,684, according to the union.
"Even on fair weather days, offices report overtime and temporary promotions to fill the gaps, leaving forecasters fatigued from working off rotation shifts or shifts with a quick turnaround," Daniel Sobien, the union president, said in a statement. "In one office, it was called, 'a scheduling nightmare in which no one works their regular schedule anymore.'"
Sobien said in an interview that short staffing is affecting the quality of the forecasts. The agency has support in Congress, he said, but faces challenges within NOAA.
"For some reason, they weren't asking for enough money all along," he said. "NOAA has a lot of competing interests and its own priorities."


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"The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed (and hence clamorous to be led to safety) by menacing it with an endless series of hobgoblins, all of them imaginary." ~ H.L. Mencken
A Review of 'Geauxing Galt'
Column by Eric Field.
Exclusive to STR
Libertarians often use fiction to share ideas, more so than perhaps any other philosophical group. I have friends who tell me that Atlas Shrugged or The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress were intellectual turning points. That these novels challenged their notions of right and wrong. That fiction is what began their process of self-study which led to the ultimate conclusion of some form of libertarianism. Fiction has a special power, leading one to examine their underlying premises, allowing for the discussion of aspects of culture that are often taboo in polite company. Jason Garey's Geauxing Galt is the latest example in the long line of libertarian fiction.
The Author
Jason Garey is a 28 year old professional soccer player from Louisiana. Garey earned the Herman Trophy for best collegiate soccer player while attending the University of Maryland. He went on to play professional soccer. All of which is fairly typical stuff for a professional athlete.
Off of the field, Jason Garey is anything but a stereotype. For instance, Garey is an activist involved in non-governmental conservation projects protecting Louisiana's wetlands. Garey is also a self-described libertarian and Ron Paul supporter. Jason began writing as a hobby to fill time on soccer road trips, mostly because he did not like video games. Garey wrote his first novel while convalescing from surgery during the winter and spring of 2012.
Geauxing Galt deals with a multi-decade struggle between two New Orleans men, the protagonist, Wyatt Bourgeouis, and the antagonist, Harry Maddow. Wyatt Bourgeouis is a Randian hero in the mold of Howard Roark. Harry Maddow is a caricature of the modern bureaucrat, consumed by his own sense of importance and entitlement. The story begins with the two as prep school classmates; Wyatt is an athletic, intelligent, and hardworking young man, while Harry is the spoiled only child of the Mayor of New Orleans.
Wyatt spends his college summers interning with the crew of an offshore oil company, performing the assorted odd jobs and learning everything he can about the oil business. Along the way, Wyatt develops a strong work ethic and sense of obligation to his coworkers, as well as the technical knowledge required of an entrepreneur. After graduating college, Wyatt and his friend, Tim Hebert, form their own oil firm. Wyatt Oil is famously successful, ultimately becoming the largest oil firm in Louisiana.
Harry Maddow spends the majority of his 20s finishing his bachelor's degree. Maddow finds a mentor in Dr. Robert Ayers, a social progressive and fictional Dean of the Tulane University School of Sociology. Under Ayers, Maddow comes into his own, becoming a civil servant with the Louisiana Department of Environmental Protection. Maddow climbs the bureaucratic ranks, ultimately becoming head of the Louisiana Environmental Department.
Wyatt and Harry's careers bring them into competition. Harry lobbies for regulations which drive the majority of oil companies out of business. Maddow succeeds in eliminating all oil businesses in Louisiana, except for Wyatt Oil. Wyatt and Harry's conflict comes to a head during a public debate on the morality of taxation. The debate ends with Wyatt making an impassioned argument for free trade and property rights, but realizes that the state will continue destroy his business. Bourgeouis "Geauxs Galt" and abandons modern civilization, waiting for an opportunity to resume his business in a free society. At this point, the novel is far from over, but to explain anymore would ruin the story for the reader.
Bourgeouis is an intelligent, hardworking, innovative man devoted to the goal of creating the largest oil company in the State of Louisiana. Bourgeouis is a sort of male Dagny Taggart, a man consumed by the goal of becoming the best in his career field. Bourgeouis is very much the Randian hero, an idealized businessman just a little bit too professional and single-minded to be believable.
Harry Maddow is the son of the New Orleans mayor and member of a prominent Louisiana political family. Maddow is less a Randian villain than an overt critique of modern civil service bureaucracies. Maddow plays a character that doesn't actually do anything, beyond creating obstacles for the most productive members of society. Much of Maddow's inner monologue might come across as cliché, except that Maddow's monologue resembles much of the mainstream American argument for statism.
Geauxing Galt is an enjoyable story. I found myself drawn into the story, concerned with how events would affect the characters of the novel. Garey's novel is well written, especially when compared to similar self-published novels. My only criticism is the level of character development. Most characters are allegories of virtues and vices, as opposed to being completely believable human beings. Garey's character development resembles that of Ayn Rand's novels, where human ambiguity is avoided in order to explicitly advocate for specific virtues.
Similarly, readers of Strike The Root might criticize the apparently minarchist ideals of the novel. Jason Garey set out to use the vehicle of fiction to argue for a free society, a task that he accomplishes. Throughout the novel, his heroes engage in business practices bordering on agorism, ultimately creating businesses that exist outside of any state's law. Much like Atlas Shrugged, Garey's book is an argument for freedom that allows the reader to draw the ultimate conclusions.


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America is in the midst of the biggest energy boom since Texas' 20th Century Gusher Age. All over the country, new drilling techniques have created an abundance of cheap natural gas. With domestic production at more than 25 billion cubic feet per day, prices are as low as they've ever been.
So why aren't we all driving natural gas powered cars like Iran, Pakistan and Argentina, the world's top natural gas vehicle (NGV) users? I tried out a natural gas-powered Ford F250 last month, asking myself the same question. Here's what I found out.
Even if it seems to make little sense that we're still using foreign oil when there are thousands of trillions of cubic feet of natural gas sitting in shale below the U.S. of A, there are at least two strong reasons why we aren't using more of it. First, no one (well, except maybe T. Boone Pickens, but he was mostly just talking) has stepped up to the plate to take on an entrenched oil industry by investing in natural gas infrastructure. Oil still makes people money. That's the market side of things.
Then there's the part that has to do with human health, the environment, and a little bit of math. Gas companies say drilling is perfectly safe, and while it may not be the worst thing we've ever done to get fuel, there are more and more cases of drilling harming the environment and affecting people's health. Plus, when we begin crunching numbers, it raises a big question: is natural gas actually that cheap to produce? It uses a lot of water, and with no pipeline infrastructure, transportation costs money and adds to air pollution.
As you know, we at Jalopnik love our cars and trucks, but we also like to think about what driving will look like in the future. Because, as we've all seen in recent years, even the coolest car doesn't do you much good if you can't afford to fill it up. But if we can get cheaper fuel without making ourselves sick, and build cars and trucks that run on it without breaking down, we might have something.
America's got gas
Compressed natural gas (CNG) use in passenger vehicles is already widespread in parts of the world where the fuel's lower cost drives motorists to have their cars converted. As of 2010, countries in Asia and the Pacific have increased NGV use by 42 percent since 2000. China and India have the fastest growing fleets there, but Latin America's CNG use is also on the rise, and in Europe, Italy has been using NGVs since 1930. The Mediterranean nation, not often known for being cutting edge in anything other than race cars, fancy shoes, and political scandals currently has more than 700,000 NGVs on the road compared to America's 120,000 or so.
Here in the U.S., we don't tend to like drastic departures from the status quo. Natural gas has expanded in more or less unnoticed ways — it's replacing coal in a lot of electric power plants, and has made its way into many U.S. cities' bus and municipal truck fleets. This is a good thing. The U.S. Department of Energy says natural gas burns much cleaner than coal or oil — producing about 70 percent less carbon emissions — and estimates that replacing 3.5 million oil-burning heavy duty vehicles (trucks) with CNG-powered ones by 2035 would reduce oil consumption by 1.2 million barrels per day. Score one for the "we're too dependent upon foreign oil" crowd.
Oil prices have risen over the past several months. Have you noticed at the pump? I have. It costs more than $40 to fill up my old crapcan '80s Subaru. Natural gas, on the other hand, is cheap and plentiful. But the glut of gas on the market from so much drilling has caused a couple of problems. First, its price has dropped so low that energy companies are turning back toward oil, and profit. Second, there isn't enough space to store it all because we haven't invested in pipelines and storage tanks.
The question of whether or not natural gas is actually cheaper than oil depends a lot upon who you're asking for numbers. With a huge supply sitting right beneath our feet, it's easy to say NGVs are the way to go. Well, until you start considering the real cost of production. As it stands now, most natural gas is transported by tanker trucks — a lot of tanker trucks. Trucks are also used to carry the water used in the hydraulic fracturing process, which involves pumping a high pressure mix of mostly water and a cocktail of chemicals that help break up shale to release tiny gas bubbles. Most fracked wells use a few million gallons of water each to get gas out of the ground. According to Pro Publica there are 424,216 gas wells in the U.S. (click on their interactive map to find out how many are in your state), and many are in remote locations reached by long stretches of desolate highway. That's a lot of fuel used and truck exhaust spewed into the air.
But transporting oil from overseas also costs money. Daniel Whitten, Vice President of Strategic Communications at Washington, D.C.-based America's Natural Gas Alliance, said, quoting more DOE stats, that because 98 percent of the natural gas used in the domestic market comes from North America, it could be used to reduce America's dependence upon foreign oil, which would in turn cut shipping costs from wells half a world away. It's a popular argument in his circle.
Daniel Lashof, director of the Natural Resources Defense Council's climate and clean air program, suggested that as far as cars and light trucks go, American natural gas would be consumed more efficiently by using it to produce electricity that would then power electric and plugin hybrid vehicles.
"Natural gas companies are trying to expand their markets because they're running out of storage space," he said. "There are benefits to giving consumers options other than oil and breaking the monopoly of oil companies on transportation, but the question is, how much oil are you really displacing?"
Would a huge pipeline network get rid of the truck problem? Maybe, but someone would have to try it to find out.
What's Wrong With My Water?
Spurred by economical hydraulic fracturing, natural gas drilling has boomed over the last decade, and state and federal regulators have had to scramble to keep up. In the case of energy production, regulation is a good thing, though. Drilling creates jobs, but before getting carried away by the golden calf, don't forget that it has, when unchecked, contaminated water supplies, polluted the air, and caused health problems.
The way hydraulic fracturing works is pretty straightforward. The producer will drill to depths often exceeding a mile, then inject high pressure water laced with a thin slurry of chemicals to help break apart the shale and release tiny gas bubbles, which then come back out of the well at high pressure. It usually goes off without a hitch, but when it doesn't the volumes of gas, water and chemicals these companies are dealing with make catastrophe almost inevitable.
The water that comes back out of each well brings with it gas, water, minerals — often radioactive ones — and fracking fluid, which many states don't require companies to disclose the contents of. Underground gas leaks have caused groundwater contamination and surface explosions in some areas. Fracking juice and radioactive water have also been a problem, although gas companies seem to be making a better effort to keep that stuff out of rivers and groundwater. Regardless, people tend to freak out anytime a gas field is proposed near a residential area. They're legitimately concerned. Pennsylvania, for example, is still cleaning up its Industrial Age extraction and milling messes, and people there are wary that the state's 53,000 and counting gas wells might leave the same legacy.
"It's an industry that's expanded rapidly around the country, and a lot of families are concerned about their health," said Amy Mall, one of NRDC's senior policy analysts. "We don't think the rules are strong enough, and the industry shouldn't be expanded until the right rules are in place."
What's it feel like to drive a CNG truck?
Some in the auto industry see dollar signs in the potential to produce CNG-powered passenger vehicles. The Big Three all either offer or will offer bi-fuel pickups — that can switch back and forth between CNG and gasoline — and Honda has a CNG powered Civic on the market. (Most natural gas powered passenger vehicles are retrofitted, not factory built, at this point.) According to DOE testing, burning natural gas produces a fraction of the greenhouse gas of gasoline combustion, but with a 3 percent reduction in power.
I drove a bi-fuel Ford F250 set up by Arian, Mich.-based Venchurs Vehicle Systems last month at the Easter Jeep Safari in Moab, Utah, and really couldn't tell the difference between when it was running on gasoline and when it was running on CNG. Other than the fact that it was painted with a park ranger scheme that scared the crap out of an RV camper (who, by the look on his face, must have been doing something wrong) when I pulled in alongside him on the banks of the Colorado River, it felt like a normal truck. The gasoline tank is in the normal place, and compressed natural gas goes in a tank in the bed-mounted tool box. With both tanks filled, it has a 650-mile range.
"It's an industry that shows a lot of promise, but it's over promised and under delivered," said Jeff Wyatt, VVS's CEO, adding that they've seen interest from natural gas companies wanting fleet vehicles for use on gas fields, as well as limited interest from a park agency or two. "We're going the other way and asking people to try this."
It's a fact that natural gas vehicles produce less greenhouse gasses than either gasoline or diesel cars and trucks. But clean or no, some concerns have naturally been raised about a major shift to CNG. The most obvious one has to do with refueling. Most gas stations are equipped to gas up gas burning cars and trucks. DOE's Alternative Fuel Data Center lists 1,000 CNG refueling stations in the U.S. as of April 2012, but only 46 percent of them are currently open to the public. Also, that's less than 1 percent of the total number of filling stations nationwide. Of course, if the CNG ball gets rolling and someone invests in refueling infrastructure, that could all change.
Wyatt said he thinks gas drilling companies are being pretty up front about wanting to be as clean as possible, but either way, he sees a future in building CNG vehicles. His company worked with Ford to develop a truck that burns CNG as efficiently as possible, in order to avoid the guesswork inherent in many retrofits. They've created something so OE, nobody could tell the difference, aside from the weird refueling socket next to the gasoline filler nozzle.
If CNG passenger vehicles take off, it will be the biggest change in fuels since people switched from horses to cars. But as with railroads and gasoline powered automobiles, CNG's success depends as much upon vehicle manufacturers as it does on drillers and infrastructure investors. We won't be using gasoline forever. CNG vehicles work, and can even be beautiful. We just have to decide whether or not we want them.
I'm keeping my fingers crossed for some sort of CNG powered plugin hybrid. Think about it: it would get you from A to B, wouldn't pollute too much, and would pollute less than a straight gas-burner. Because at the end of the day almost everyone in America, even environmentalists, drives cars. If we can drive without using too much of our resource, and within the guidelines of clean air and water standards, it could be a better way to get around.
Photo credit: Getty Images, Associated Press, Wikimedia Commons, Harry Wagner/Kahn Media


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At Albuquerque Florist, Inc., we specialize in the finest flowers, backed by service and individual attention that has remained unsurpassed for over 40 golden years. We carry a vast selection of fresh flowers, green and blooming plants, dried and silk arrangements, balloons, gifts & plush animals as well as fruit & gourmet baskets, something for every budget. From a single rose to the most stunning wedding ensemble, our skilled staff of professional designers can make all of your special moments truly unforgettable. We have 2 NE Albuquerque locations to serve you at San Mateo Blvd and Juan Tabo Blvd. Also serving all Lovelace Hospitals, Presbyterian and University of New Mexico hospital.
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How to force a local DNS resolver to be used using resolvconf
I know it has been a while, but after reading a blog post by Anand Kumria over at planet.debian.org I decided to have a quick look at one of the problems he described.
Basically, Anand wants to force the local resolver to be used for each and every network connection, may that connection be established manually or via NetworkManager. He wrote that fixing this configuration for every new connection manually is tedious, and I fully agree on that. So here is a solution to do this all automatically, using resolvconf:
After installing the resolvconf package every time /etc/resolv.conf is to be updated resolvconf takes care of that. Using the files in /etc/resolvconf this process can be controlled and the resulting file modified to fit one own's needs.
So at first we would like the local resolver to be used for every connection. This works by simply adding the "nameserver 127.0.0.1" directive to the /etc/resolvconf/resolv.conf.d/head file. Simple as that. Every time /etc/resolv.conf gets generated the contents of the head file are actually used as /etc/resolv.conf's header.
Using this method the local resolver is used for every connection. But Anand wanted to use only the local resolver and discard any resolvers possibly obtained via DHCP for example. Guess what, this is also possible using resolvconf.
Adding TRUNCATE_NAMESERVER_LIST_AFTER_127="yes" to /etc/default/resolvconf does exactly that. Now every nameserver directive after the 127.0.0.1 one is ignored and will not make it into /etc/resolv.conf. You can of course add more nameservers to the head file above the 127.0.0.1 directive.
Problem fixed I guess.
Don't forget to re-connect to the network or manually force re-creation of /etc/resolv.conf so the changes you made get populated. I really hope this is of use to some of you facing similar problems.


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Guyana Environmental Protection Agency
The Environmental Protection Agency was established on World Environment Day, June 5, 1996
The Act mandates the Agency to oversee the effective management, conservation, protection and improvement of the environment. It also requires that the Agency takes the necessary measures to ensure the prevention and control of pollution, assessment of the impact of economic development on the environment and the sustainable use of natural resources.
The Agency's work enables Guyana to contribute to global and national environmental protection and conservation. As part of its work the Agency implements education, regulation and enforcement programmes and uses partnership and collaborative approaches to strengthen the impact of its interventions.
The mission of the Environmental Protection Agency is to "take measures necessary for effective protection and management of the natural environment, coordination of conservation programmes, sustainable use of natural resources, assessment of the impact of development activities on the environment and the integration of appropriate environmental provisions into development planning".
The functions of the Agency are stated in the Part II 4 (1) of the Environmental Protection Act. These can be classified broadly as being regulatory, coordinating, and the promoting of public participation in environmental protection.
As part of its regulatory functions, the Agency enforces the Act (No. 11, 1996) and its amendments and the Environmental Protection Regulations (2000), to ensure that measures for environmental protection are integrated into development activities.
The Agency also coordinates the sustainable use and conservation of Guyana's natural resources. Both the coordinating and regulatory functions of the Agency are complex, spanning a range of inter-connected issues and requiring collaboration with private, public sector and non-governmental organizations.
In carrying out its function to promote the participation of the public in the process of integrating environmental concerns in the planning for sustainable development the Agency provides information to the public on environmental development projects, issues and problems. The public is also made aware of the procedures and processes that are followed in permitting developments and investigating infringements of the Act.
The work of the Agency is conducted by three technical Divisions, namely, the Environmental Management, Natural resources Management, Education and Information and Training. The Administration Division of the Agency provides the required administrative support to the technical Divisions and equips them with the tools required to conduct the work of the Agency.


text: November 6, 2018 0 Posted by: MBI-NETWORK Our Founder - Vimala's Blog Tags : brain development, brain plasticity, Preemies, premature babies, scientific studies, skin-to-skin contact For newborns, skin-to-skin contact with parents and caregivers helps shape how their brains respond to touch, a sense necessary for social and emotional connections. A lot of previous research has linked skin-to-skin touch with developmental benefits for both premature and full-term babies, ranging from improved growth and sleep to better motor development. Research has also tied breastfeeding and other forms of supportive touch to less discomfort during from needle sticks and other painful medical procedures. Using Infant Massage practices such as Resting Hands and Touch Relaxation can help infants learn to relax in the face of stress. In this study, researchers tested how 125 premature and full-term infants responded to gentle touch. Overall, the study found that preemies were more likely than the full-term babies to have a reduced response to this contact. Preemies who had more gentle contact with parents and caregivers had a stronger response to touch than the preterm infants who didn't get this type of support. The preterm babies who had more exposure to painful medical procedures also had a reduced response to touch. In the International Association of Infant Massage (IAIM), there is a specific protocol used with premature infants to help them receive touch and communicate with their parents. Lead study author Dr. Nathalie Maitre of Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio says, "Our findings add to our understanding that more exposure to these types of supportive touch can actually impact how the brain processes touch, a sense necessary for learning and social-emotional connections. What is surprising is that painful procedures which are known to impact the processing of pain in the brain also impact the processing of touch, in a negative way," Pregnancy normally lasts about 40 weeks, and babies born after 37 weeks are considered full term. In the weeks immediately after birth, premature babies often have difficulty breathing and digesting food. They can also encounter longer-term challenges such as impaired vision, hearing, and cognitive skills as well as social and behavioral problems. The preemies in this study were born between 24 and 36 weeks gestation, while the full-term infants arrived between 38 and 42 weeks. They all participated in the touch experiment before they were discharged from the hospital where they were born. Newborn development, especially in the first few months, is heavily shaped by touch and sound, as the visual system is still very immature. Touch is a way for infants to learn about their surroundings and an early way to communicate with their parents. To evaluate how newborns respond to touch, researchers exposed all of the infants in the study to a light puff of air and a "fake" puff of air and measured their brain responses. Researchers chose a puff of air because it does not generate enough pressure to activate any pain receptors, Maitre said. If the infant brain can respond to this touch, babies can also learn how to tell the difference between different textures, for example the difference between their mother's skin and a hard object, or even their father's stubbly cheek and their sister's soft one. Preemies who were in the NICU and spent more time in gentle contact with parents and caregivers had a stronger response to touch in the experiment than the preterm infants who didn't get this gentle contact, researchers report in Current Biology. However, the more painful medical procedures those premature infants had to endure, the less their brain responded to gentle touch later. That was true despite the fact that the babies were given pain medications and sugar to make those procedures easier to endure. One limitation of the study is that researchers couldn't control for opiate use, because all infants undergoing painful procedures received some type of analgesia, the authors note. Researchers also lacked data on the intensity of pain infants might have experienced during different treatments or tests. Still, promoting gentle touch for all newborns especially preemies—may help develop building blocks needed for cognition, behavior and communication, the authors conclude. IAIM Infant Massage Instructors are trained to teach parents to "dialogue" with premature infants in a specific way, introducing them to soothing touch and parents' loving hands and voice. Posted by: MBI-NETWORK November 6, 2018 0 0 602 Previous Story WHO'S BETTER AT BABY TALK, MOM OR DAD? Next Story INFANTS CAPABLE OF COMPLEX BABBLE MAY GROW INTO STRONGER READERS Author MBI-NETWORK Related Posts June 5, 2019 PARENT'S BEHAVIORAL CORRECTIONS TUNE INFANT'S BRAIN TO ANGRY TONE Read More May 19, 2019 RESEARCHERS STUDY INFANT-DIRECTED SINGING Read More April 10, 2019 BABIES REMEMBER POSITIVE EXPERIENCES OVER NEGATIVE ONES Read More


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Thuggish Vityaz Chekhov is Interested in Signing Alex Ovechkin
On Monday, we detailed how Dynamo Moscow, Alex Ovechkin's former Russian Super League team, was not terribly interested in bringing back one of their most famous sons if a NHL lockout forced a cancellation of all or part of its 2012-13 season. Dynamo's president Arkady Rotenberg told R-Sport, "If we really need [Ovi], maybe we will offer the money. But I don't think we need him."
Well, Vityaz Chekhov, a team better known for its fists, habitual losing, and owners with questionable connections, wants Alex Ovechkin to know that Hey, we're interested.
Read More


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There's a reason old hardware doesn't get new software upgrades. Like the iPhone 3G's iOS 4 update, this unofficial Ice Cream Sandwich update for the Android phone that started it all, is, well... crippling.
Still, it just goes to show what's possible when developers put their heads together. Where I couldn't stand to use anything that unbelievable slow, I tip my hat to them in admiration for their perseverance. [XDA Developers via Engadget via Gizmodo UK]
Our newest offspring Gizmodo UK is gobbling up the news in a different timezone, so check them out if you need another Giz fix.


text: I've been trying to understand why I've been having so much problems with postfix since I installed ISPConfig and created mail-accounts through it. It turns out ISPConfig doesn't make an entry with only the domain which is demanded when using smtp-auth etc. A line like this should be added by ISPConfig when creating the first account on a new domain: "example.com" That's all that's required but without it all you'll get is a whole lot of 554 : Relay access denied


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Poston & Associates , Stephine Poston
Poston's clients include the American Indian Gaming Center, National Indian Gaming Commission, National Congress of American Indians, Walmart, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Poston is now Historically Underutilized Business Zone (HUBZone) and Economically Disadvantaged Women-Owned Small Business (EDWOSB) certified.
In 2018, Poston & Associates was named a finalist for the American Small Business Championship. Some of Poston's proudest achievements include helping to launch the Inaugural Native Women's Business Summit in April 2018; acting as the lead public relations point for the Pueblo of Tesuque in a campaign to protect sacred land; and increasing Santa Clara Pueblo's voter turnout from 30 percent in the 2008 primary to nearly 70 percent in the 2008 general election.
"There are so many incredible initiatives happening in Indian Country and I often get the privilege to positively impact the narrative in a positive way," says Poston.
Poston is no stranger to seeking out resources to amplify her success. She's a graduate of the Small Business Administration's Emerging Leaders Program, where she learned about the Procurement Technical Assistance Center and SCORE.
Poston meets with her SCORE mentor, Dar Johnson, every four to six weeks. Johnson has helped Poston get her financials in order, freeing her up to direct her time and energy to what she's best at — communications. Johnson is also helping her pursue federal government contracts and has encouraged her to gain 8(a) certification, which would make her eligible for a wide range of support from the Minority Business Development Agency.
Stephine Poston loved working for the government of her tribe, the Pueblo of Sandia. However, after 11 years on the job, she simultaneously hit the glass ceiling and decided she wanted more time to spend with her children. So in 2002, she launched Poston & Associates, a full-service communications firm specializing in tribal and government issues. Poston says that running Poston & Associates allows her to pursue her passion: "honor[ing] tribal communities by showcasing their authentic narrative through inspiring marketing, public relations, strategic facilitation, training and event planning."


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East Coast vs. West Coast Porchetta
On a cold December day in New York, I took the 6 train down from the Upper East Side to the Astor Place stop with porchetta on my mind. No, not Sara Jenkins' glorious Porchetta sandwich served at her sandwich spot so devoted to porchetta it's called, well, Porchetta. This time I was headed to Il Buco Alimentari e Vineria to try a porchetta sandwich that made a bit of a splash when it first appeared a year or two ago. Now the New York food media has moved on, as it tends to do, and that sandwich continues to be served with slightly less fanfare. I knew I had to give it a try before it disappeared entirely.


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Real Estate in Aruba
Aruba offers many different possibilities for owning real estate. One option is to purchase a home or condominium as a retirement property and rent it out when you are not on the island. This can be done through a reputable property management company, or a condominium community's own property management team. Whether you are looking to get the best price on your first home in Aruba or buy commercial properties, our real estate listings present you with the best introduction to new houses, apartments or condominiums.
Properties For Sale
Houses For Sale
We present a variety of houses for sale in Aruba covering beachfront properties, inland properties at various attractive locations on the island. Price ranges vary from under US$200,000 to over US$2.5million.
Condominiums For Sale
Aruba has some very attractive, luxuriously-finished and well-managed condominium complexes. Many of these are ocean view and have a variety of amenties within the complex. These properties are often excellent investment opportunities having good rental programs. Prices range from US$350,000 to over $1 million.
Land For Sale
Land in Aruba is of two types, the first being "leased land" which is land leased by the government to individuals usually for 60 years. The other type is "property land" which is freehold land. It is not uncommon in Aruba to find quite large plots of land available for sale.
Commercial Properties For Sale
People who would like to establish a business in Aruba usually asks for either commercial property for rent or for sale. These properties are often large in scope although occasionally smaller properties are available. The most popular areas are Oranjestad, the high-rise hotel area, and close to the harbour.
Residence Properties For Sale
There are several residential projects in Aruba, many of which are condominium complexes, while others are stand-alone villas. The best developed villa-style complex is the Tierra Del Sol community which has a wide variety of luxury villas and which is also the location of the famous 18-hole golf course with the same name. Other popular ones are the Oceania condominiums, Palm Aruba, Jardines del Mar and Oasis.
Vacation Rentals
Aruba Vacation Homes For Rent
As an alternative to hotel stays, many couples and families are opting to rent a house or villa for their vacation. This is a growing market and there are a wide variety of properties available.


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Center for American Progress
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Some utilities and coal companies are complaining that EPA's new pollution rules cost too much while they sit on more than enough money to comply, write Daniel J. Weiss and Matthew Kasper.
Tackling Climate Change and Environmental Injustice, Clean Energy, Conservation
Director, Media Relations
Download complete list of ACCCE companies' cash reserves (.xls)
By December 16 the Environmental Protection Agency will promulgate its final rule requiring coal-fired power plants to reduce their emissions of mercury, arsenic, acid gases, and other toxic chemicals. The EPA notes that these safeguards will reduce premature deaths by 17,000 people annually as well as prevent 12,000 hospital visits and 120,000 cases of aggravated asthma. The economic benefits could outweigh the costs by up to $14-to-$1.
Yet a concerted cadre of big dirty utilities and coal companies are doing everything in their power to scuttle or delay these essential safeguards 21 years after the Clean Air Act required them.
The American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity, or ACCCE, is a coal industry coalition leading the charge to block the mercury and air toxics reduction rules. These efforts include spending $35 million on misleading television ads. Its members include major utilities such as Southern Company and DTE Energy. Huge coal companies are also major ACCCE supporters, including Arch Coal and Peabody. Other members include railroads that haul coal.
ACCCE is a vocal opponent of the air toxics rule for utilities. They even have a "countdown clock" for the days until the safeguards are issued. Its members are primarily concerned that the air toxics rule "is the most expensive rule the EPA has ever written for coal-fueled power plants."
But this claim ignores the fact that the 22 ACCCE companies have nearly $18 billion in cash reserves, which should substantially ease their ability to withstand any economic impact of cleanup.
A Federal Reserve report released this month documented the massive cash reserves held by American corporations. The Wall Street Journal reported:
Corporations have a higher share of cash on their balance sheets than at any time in nearly half a century, as businesses build up buffers rather than invest in new plants or hiring.
The ACCCE companies are part of this cash-rich phenomenon. An analysis of the ACCCE member companies' 10K forms filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission determined that they had $17.8 billion in "cash and cash equivalents" on hand at the end of the last reporting period on September 30, 2011. (Two companies' last reports were from earlier dates.)
The nine ACCCE utilities that would have to reduce their emission of mercury, arsenic, and other cancer-causing pollutants have combined cash reserves of nearly $7 billion. The cash reserves of these nine companies is not much less than the $11 billion that the EPA estimates that all coal-fired power plants will spend to meet these new pollution-reduction standards. Seven of these companies are just a small portion of the 220 investor-owned utilities that produce nearly three-quarters of America's electricity. The other two companies are cooperatives.
Companies hold cash for various purposes. But whatever the reason these companies hold large reserves, they strongly suggest that the utilities possess ample financial resources available to invest in pollution-reduction equipment essential to protect public health.
And investing cash in pollution control will create jobs. An analysis by the University of Massachusetts determined that the air toxics utility rule combined with reductions of acid rain and smog pollutants from power plants under the cross-state air pollution rule would create 1.5 million jobs over five years.
Coal producers and railroads, too, are sitting on mountains of cash reserves to cushion any dip in coal consumption as some utilities rely more on cleaner fuels after the mercury rules take effect. Our analysis found that the ACCCE companies in these industries held a total of $5.4 billion and $5 billion in cash reserves, respectively. These resources are from seven coal companies and four railroads.
Coal-fired power plants are one of the largest sources of uncontrolled harmful air pollution in the United States. The EPA determined that:
Power plants are the largest source of several harmful pollutants. They are responsible for 50 percent of mercury emissions, over 50 percent of acid gas emissions, and about 25 percent of toxic metal emissions in the United States.
Yet ACCCE's member companies want to continue jeopardizing the public's health with this unfettered pollution. They have ample cash reserves to easily withstand any economic impact of pollution reductions. ACCCE and its companies are furiously pressuring Congress to block or delay the air toxics reduction rules. Congress must ignore their pleadings and allow these long-overdue health protections to take effect next month.
Daniel J. Weiss is a Senior Fellow and the Director of Climate Strategy and Matthew Kasper is an Energy intern at American Progress.
The positions of American Progress, and our policy experts, are independent, and the findings and conclusions presented are those of American Progress alone. A full list of supporters is available here. American Progress would like to acknowledge the many generous supporters who make our work possible.
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Main God : Lord Vishnu
Observed by : Hindus
Type : Religious, folk
Festival :
Time :
Vaikuntha Ekadashi falls during Dhanur solar month in Hindu calendar. Dhanur month or Dhanurmasa is known as Margazhi month in Tamil Calendar. Vaikuntha Ekadashi is Shukla Paksha Ekadashi out of two Krishna Paksha and Shukla Paksha Ekadashis in a month. Vaikuntha Ekadashi is observed according to Solar Calendar and because of that it might fall either in Margashirsha or in Pausha month in Hindu Lunar calendar. In Gregorian calendar there might be none, one or two Vaikuntha Ekadashis in a year.
Benefits :
Vaikuntha Ekadashi is also known as Mukkoti Ekadashi. It is believed that Vaikuntha Dwaram or the gate of Lord's inner sanctum is opened on this day and devotees who observe fast on Vaikuntha Ekadashi attain salvation by going to Heaven.
Vaikuntha Ekadashi is very important day for Tirumala Venkateswara Temple at Tirupati and Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple at Srirangam.
Vaikuntha Ekadashi is known as Swarga Vathil Ekadashi in Malayalam Calendar followed by people of Kerala.
Parana means breaking the fast. Ekadashi Parana is done after sunrise on next day of Ekadashi fast. It is necessary to do Parana within Dwadashi Tithi unless Dwadashi is over before sunrise. Not doing Parana within Dwadashi is similar to an offence.
Parana should not be done during Hari Vasara. One should wait for Hari Vasara to get over before breaking the fast. Hari Vasara is first one fourth duration of Dwadashi Tithi. The most preferred time to break the fast is Pratahkal. One should avoid breaking the fast during Madhyahna. If due to some reasons one is not able to break the fast during Pratahkal then one should do it after Madhyahna.
At times Ekadashi fasting is suggested on two consecutive days. It is advised that Smartha with family should observe fasting on first day only. The alternate Ekadashi fasting, which is the second one, is suggested for Sanyasis, widows and for those who want Moksha. When alternate Ekadashi fasting is suggested for Smartha it coincides with Vaishnava Ekadashi fasting day.
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