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SpriteCoin Ransomware is a kind of very dangerous Ransomware virus that is classified as file encryption threat. This harmful malware infection has been programmed by the professional hackers in order to blackmail innocent users and force them to pay money. It mostly target Windows OS based computers and is capable to sneak in your system without even your permission. Once installed, it will create a complete havoc in your PC. Spritecoin Ransomware virus will encrypt all your important data using a very powerful cryptographic algorithm and makes your files completely inaccessible. It demands money for the access of your important data. The sole motive of this destructive threats is your money and hence it will compromise your system quite severely. Long time presence of this hazardous threat can ends up with deleting all important files from your hard drive. So, it is certainly very important to remove SpriteCoin Ransomware virus at the earliest.
SpriteCoin Ransomware demands the money through a very scary text file that will appear on your system automatically. It threatens the victims that all your important data has been encrypted and the only possible way to restore your files is to pay money. Moreover, it also warns that if the money will not be paid quickly then you will never be able to access your files again. However, it has been seen that ransomware viruses does not decrypts victims data even after payment. What's more, paying money may even encourage the creators on SpriteCoin Ransomware virus to perform further crimes in your system in order to earn more. Hence, in order to access your files you will have to remove SpriteCoin Ransomware completely from your Windows system as soon as possible. Once the threat is removed then you can easily restore all kinds of encrypted files using a powerful and effective data recovery tool.
Phase 1 :- Remove SpriteCoin Ransomware From PC
Phase 2 :- Restore Data Encrypted By SpriteCoin Ransomware
Phase 1
How To Remove SpriteCoin Ransomware
Method 1 : Remove SpriteCoin Ransomware Automatically With SpyHunter (Easy, Safe and Convenient Recommended for All Users.)
Method 2 : Delete SpriteCoin Ransomware Manually (Requires Technical skills. Recommended for Professionals Only.)
Method 1 : Remove SpriteCoin Ransomware Autometically With SpyHunter
Method 1 : Remove SpriteCoin Ransomware Autometically With SpyHunter
You can use the best and most powerful anti-malware software to remove SpriteCoin Ransomware from your computer. it is one of the most dominant, strongest and convenient to use utility which can easily detect and get rid of all kinds of noxious malware and spyware threats completely from your windows PC. It quickly scans your entire computer and detect all harmful threats and viruses. It is quite effective with rootkits and keyloggers. It not only removes SpriteCoin Ransomware from your PC but also protect your computer from other threats.
SpyHunter gives real-time protection to your system from all types of malware, spyware, viruses, Trojans, Ransmoware and worms. It can work with all versions of Windows Operating system. SpyHunter malware scanner is also too good because it is users friendly and interactive graphical users interface that make free the users to use all its marvelous features easily without any essential technical skills. You can download the trial version of SpyHunter Malware Scanner on your system to scan your computer for viruses. If it is able to detect SpriteCoin Ransomware on your PC and then register the software to remove infection completely.
Guide To Remove SpriteCoin Ransomware With SpyHunter Malware Scanner
Step 1:– Click the below Download button to download SpyHunter Malware Scanner on your computer.
Step 2:- Now run the installer file and install SpyHunter in your computer.
Step 3:– Click on Scan Computer Now! Button to start a fresh scan of your PC.
Step 3:– SpyHunter will detect all harmful threats and viruses on your system.
Step 5:– Finally click on Fix Threats button to remove all viruses from your computer including SpriteCoin Ransomware.
Method 2 : Delete SpriteCoin Ransomware Manually
Warning! Manual option involves modifying registry, deleting processes, restoring browsers, uninstallting application forcefully and other tricky as well as lengthy process. Hence, if you are not technically sound then things can turn nasty for you resulting in further system damage. So, using method 1 (Automatic Removal) will be a very good option for you to uninstall SpriteCoin Ransomware virus from PC.
Step 1 :- Boot PC In Safe Mode With Networking To Remove SpriteCoin Ransomware
- Restart your computer and continuously press F8 key to enter boot menu.
- The Advance Boot Menu will appear on your computer screen with following boot option.
- Safe Mode.
- Safe Mode With Networking.
- Safe Mode With Command Prompt.
- Select Safe Mode With Networking Option by using arrow keys on keyboard.
- Login your system with Administrator account.
Step 2 :- Terminate SpriteCoin Ransomware Related Process
- Press Ctrl+Shift+ESC keys together and Launch Windows Task Manager.
- Go to Process Tab and Search process related to SpriteCoin Ransomware and click End Process.
Careful! Choose the process wisely.. If you end any wrong process unintentionally then you can be in big trouble.
Step 3 :- Uninstall SpriteCoin Ransomware From Control Panel
From Windows XP
- Click on Start button and choose Control Panel.
- Select Add or Remove Program option.
- Choose SpriteCoin Ransomware and click on Remove option to uninstall this threat.
From Windows 7 & Vista
- Click on Start Menu and select Control Panel option.
- Now select Uninstall a program option under Program section.
- Select SpriteCoin Ransomware from the list of all installed application and click Uninstall tab.
From Windows 8
- Move you cursor to lower-left corner of system screen and click Start button.
- Go to the search box and enter Control Panel.
- From the list of all installed program Find and uninstall SpriteCoin Ransomware completely.
From Windows 10
- From Start Menu and select Settings option.
- Now click on System option.
- Go to Programs and Feature option in Control Panel window.
- Here find and remove SpriteCoin Ransomware virus related application.
Step 4 : Remove SpriteCoin Ransomware using MSConfig
- Click Windows + R buttons simultaneously..
- Type msconfig command in Run box and press Enter.
- Go to Startup tab and uncheck all entries from unknown manufacturer.
Step 5 : Remove SpriteCoin Ransomware Related Entry Files From Registry Editor
- Press Windows and R button together.
- Type "regedit" in Run and click OK button
- Find and delete following entries.
HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwareMicrosoftInternet ExplorerMain "Default_Page_URL"
HKEY_LOCAL_Machine\Software\Classes\[SpriteCoin Ransomware]
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\[SpriteCoin Ransomware]
Step 6 :- Delete Malicious Extensions from Browsers
For Google Chrome
- Click on Chrome menu icon from upper right corner.
- Now select Tools option.
- Choose Extension and select all malicious extension created by SpriteCoin Ransomware.
- Click the Trash icon to delete that very extension from your PC.
- Click Remove if the confirmation dialogue appear on your screen.
From Firefox
- Click on the menu icon and select Add-ons.
- Select Extension from the Add-ons Manager Tab.
- Now delete all unwanted extension from the extension list.
- Hit Remove or Disable button to delete malicious extension from your Firefox.
From Internet Explorer
- Click the Tools button and select Manage add-ons option.
- Click on Toolbars and Extension option and select the extension you want to remove.
- Hit remove option and click close button.
Microsoft Edge
Well, Microsoft Edge browser does not features extension, hence you will need to restore the default search engine and homepage in order to delete SpriteCoin Ransomware.
Reset default search engine and homepage
- Click on More (…) icon and Go to Settings.
- Select a Specific Page or Pages.
- Click on Custom and enter the desired homepage address.
Phase 2
Phase 2 : Restore Files Encrypted By SpriteCoin Ransomware
Well, there are multiple ways to decrypt your important data that has been encrypted by SpriteCoin Ransomware virus including paying ransom, restoring backup, restoring system on previous date etc. However, paying option is really the one worst option to restore your file as even if you pay the money SpriteCoin Ransomware is not going to decrypt your files completely. If you have a proper backup file then you can easily restore all your important data. In case if there is no backup file available then you can also try system restore method in order to get your encrypted files back. However, if you are technically not fluent and does not have enough experience in data recovery then the best way to decrypt your important data is to use Automatic Data Recovery Tool in order to restore files that has been locked by SpriteCoin Ransomware.
Decrypt Files With Autocratically With Data Recovery Pro
Data Recovery Pro is a professional utility to restore all kinds of lost, deleted, encrypted, inaccessible data from Windows computers. It provides a set of very cool and amazing features. This utility can easily restore all your important files in just few steps. It supports a wide range of file formats and is also capable to decrypt file that has been encrypted by SpriteCoin Ransomware. The best benefit of using this amazing utility is that you will get the complete access of all your important data without paying any money to hackers. Additionally, you does not even need any kind of technical skills in order to use Data Recovery Pro. Therefore, it would be sensible to use this amazing utility to decrypt all your important files instead of paying a huge amount of money to hackers.
Steps To Use Data Recovery Pro
Step 1:– First of all download the Data Recovery Pro software on your computer.
Step 2:– After installing the programs, click on Start Scan button to run a full scan of your computer.
Step 3:– When software detects all files then click on Recover button to get back your data.
The post SpriteCoin Ransomware Removal Guide – Recover Encrypted Files appeared first on Remove Malware From PC.
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|California 2nd Amend. Political Discussion & Activism Discuss gun rights activism and 2A related political topics here. All advice given is NOT legal counsel.
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Will strict gun laws reduce the number of homicides in the United States?
I'm writing a paper about how I believe stricter gun laws will not reduce the number of homicides in United States.
It's an argumentative paper.
I need help on key points and maybe some links to articles where they discuss this subject.
The key points I already have.
1. Not constitutional
2. Only law abiding citizens will follow the law.
I just need a couple more
WTB: Wilson Combat, Les Baer, and TRP with half light rail.
How about this: The US localities with the strictest gun laws have the highest rates of gun related homicides
NRA lifetime member
2AF Defender member
When did I go from being a "citizen" to a "taxpayer"?
Jon Lovitz: I cant wait to go to a hospital run by the DMV!
Look at the 10 year federal AWB and the stats surrounding it...
Science is like an inoculation against charlatans who would have you believe whatever it is they tell you.
Neil deGrasse Tyson
It certainly worked in Aurora.
It certainly worked in Ft Hood.
When are delusional liberals going to finally accept they have blood on their hands -
Due to the murders committed under the fantasy of "gun free safe zones".
God will judge those responsible for delivering rooms full of unarmed, defenseless murder victims -
May they and those who support their false agendas burn in hell...
$500 Donation to any Veterans Charity - Plus $500 Gift Card to any gun store: Visit 2nd Amendment Mortgage / www.2AMortgage.com
Any efforts to reduce "gun violence" are an amoral perversion and a political distortion of issues aimed at limiting a citizen's freedom to self-determination because the real issue should be to reduce violence not so-called "gun violence". Likewise any silly statistic showing a reduction in "gun homicides" due to increased gun control is nonrepresentational since what matters should be the amount of homicides, not what means was used to commit them.
In England and Scotland, due to lack of guns, they all stab each other with blades.
In China, due to lack of guns, madmen hatchet kindergarten children in their classrooms.
First, you have to define what are strict gun laws.
Laws aimed at criminal misuse that are enforced should reduce crime because we should be taking violent predators of the streets.
Now if the strict gun laws are designed so that they are obeyed only by potential victims(law abiding citizens), then the answer is pretty obvious.
Here is a resource, use it, www.gunfacts.com
Guy Smith runs this site, updates annually, should be able to answer many questions.
The problem with current gun laws is that they are relatively ineffective in the United States due to lack of consistent gun laws across all state lines. Couple that with the fact that there are around 310,000,000 firearms in the hands of civilians right now, and laws limiting access do little to reduce availability. The only way that the government could stem the number of firearm related homicides (other than through societal changes), is to do a door to door militaristic confiscation of every residence in the US.
Even doing this will have little effect on the overall homicide rate in the US. Humans are fragile creatures and it takes little damage to our bodies to kill us. I trained for 3 years on how to injure and kill with just my hands and feet. If someone wants to murder someone else, they could always find some way. Most murders in the US are domestic situations anyway where the victim and the murderer know each other, and therefor have regular access to each other.
FBI crime statistics prove a big, definite, NO.
In Glock We Trust.
I would cite Washington DC as a prime example of how strict gun laws have either no effect, or the opposite effect on crime. DC has one of the highest crime rates in nation.
Sent from free America otherwise known as Utah.
Look at homicide rates per capita in countries that do not allow private ownership of firearms. If people can't shoot each other they will club/stab/chop/choke/drown/beat/whatever each other to death.
Personally I think a firearm is a poor tool for homicide, too loud and leaves too much forensic evidence.
If you want a picture of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face forever.
Government Official Lies
. F r e e d o m . D i e s .
In Glock We Trust.
In addition, you may want to look at some statistics about the types of guns used in crimes. Where they legally owned/possessed by the bad guy? What about stolen? Do they currently conform to the state/federal laws (ie fully automatic garage-conversions or high caps in CA)?
Compare gun crime vs gun ownership trends.
Check the links in my forum signature. They may also help.
WTB: multiautomatic ghost gun with a .30-caliber clip to disperse with 30 bullets within half a second. Must include shoulder thing that goes up.
Guns & homicides from bullets have nothing to do with each other. Criminals commit crimes not tools. America has a societal problem, not a gun problem. In fact America needs more guns not less. America's societal problems can be traced to TV & the public school systems, which are both the responsibility of parents. Parents are failing their kids & our society. Criminals are rewarded & citizens are punished in the US. Follow the money & all shall become clear.
If you want a picture of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face forever.
Government Official Lies
. F r e e d o m . D i e s .
What do my fellow calgunners think would actually deter crime?
My ideas
-Death penalty for crimes commited with guns (exceptions for lawful self defense) as in felony assault with a weapon, robbery, etc...
-Statewide shall-issue CCW with national reciprocity, with a 10 year prison sentence for anyone caught with a gun and no CCW. (exceptions for travel, and securing firearms misunderstandings...big difference between a gun in its case unlocked, and one on a KKK members belt or in his glove box loaded.)
-Must register your weapons if you live in high crime areas. dont like it, move out.
Thinking about gun control overall, here's an analogy: Stabbing a blade through the heart of a cancer patient is, arguably, an effective way to ensure he won't die of cancer. Doing a biopsy and excising the tumor is nearly as effective at stopping cancer, and has the added benefit of not killing the patient.
Here's another: Drunk drivers kill about the same number of people every year as the number of firearms homicides. There is not widespread calls to ban cars or alcohol. Instead, we do all sorts of intervention and education to would-be drunk drivers, and we accept that the risk attendant in relatively free access to both cars and alcohol is that a certain percentage of irresponsible people will drive drunk. (Interesting side note: I was recently involved in a fundraising event at which alcohol was served. Our local police department had an officer there administering voluntary EPAS screenings to attendees. Fully 2/3 of those who attended voluntarily submitted to screening, and some of the attendees were not drinking.)
Back to guns: The problem we're trying to solve is the behavior of people with violent tendencies and/or mental illness and who are willing to break the law. Therefore, the solution should come from providing interventions targeted toward mental illness and violent tendencies - and, to the extent possible, limiting those interventions to those willing to break the law. When you decouple these issues from the emotion of guns, the solutions proposed by the gun control groups would be utterly irrational if translated to any other problem domain.
Tammy (in Santa Barbara County)
Blog: www.momwithagun.com
"Courage is the price that life exacts for granting peace." ~ Amelia Earhart
"Experience is what allows you to recognize a mistake the second time you make it." ~ Unknown
Google "Gun Control crime rates" or something like that. I remember reading an article once where they stastically came up with the amount of increased homicides due to gun control. It tracked homicides before major gun control laws took place and compared them to national average trends to come up with a statistical number of increased homicides due to stricter gun control laws... the results were shocking. The thing that pisses me off is the one off movie theater shootings that kill 20 people or so but if you look at the statistics, gun control has killed thousands per year, that's something that isn't reported because theres no drama behind it.
They should pass a law making suicide illegal and then we'd automatically reduce gun deaths in America by 50%.
Oh wait, suicide is already illegal. Maybe we should pass another law making suicide by gun "double illegal". Yeah, that will fix it....
Gun violence in America is a societal problem, not an inanimate object problem or a law problem. Too many untreated and ignored mentally disturbed people, too many children without good role models, too many homes with no one available to teach kids right and wrong and to discipline them and teach them actions have consequences.
"You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means."
"What we get away with isn't usually the same as what's good for us"
"An extended slide stop is the second most useless part you can put on a 1911"
"While Ruger DA revolvers may be built like a tank, they have the aesthetics of one also,
although I suppose there are a few tanks which I owe an apology to for that remark"
John Lott's book, more guns less crime, is about $5 on Amazon for the ebook. If you prefer your electrons dispensed by iProducts, there is an app for that.
He has spent almost 20 years on your issue, and I find his footnoting very helpful from a research perspective.
Nationwide Master List of Current 2A Cases, courtesy of Al Norris @ TFL.
Reloading Clubs: SF, East Bay
Case Status: Peña v. Cid (Handgun Roster). SF v. 44Mag (Mag Parts Kits). Bauer v. Harris (DROS Fees). Davis v. LA (CCW policy). Jackson v. SF (Ammo/Storage). Teixeira (FFL Zoning). First Unitarian v. NSA (Privacy). Silvester (Waiting Period). Schoepf (DROS Delay). Haynie (AW ban). SFVPOA v. SF (10+ mag possession ban). Bear in Public: Drake (3CA); Moore (7CA); Richards, Peruta, McKay (9CA).
As 2A supporters, we need to be honest, and acknowledge there is unfortunately not enough research or data to assert that armed neighborhoods are safer than unarmed ones, or that the rate of LTCs has a deterrent effect. Just not enough data, not enough scientific research, and way too many other factors at play. Lott's research is impressive but also controversial. Correlation and causation are two different things.
However, I know this: gun control doesn't work.
Like many on this board, I come from a country where there is strict gun control - France. Like a lot of those countries, strict gun control was imposed after World War 2, when civilians were ordered to surrender or register certain classes of firearms. Even among resistants, a lot of people didn't want to bother with paperwork, and sometimes chose to give away whatever rifle they had gotten parachuted over, or pistols stolen from the Germans. I suppose at the time, it was a way for some people to turn the page. They didn't see the value in it.
Getting a shotgun in France is easy if you have a hunter's license (and there are a lot of French households with legally owned shotguns, or old shotguns who have been handed from one generation to the next, and are often not registered - ask me how I know). Getting centerfire rifles or handguns is a lot more paperwork, and requires a license, membership with a club validating your permit everytime you shoot, and so on (that said, ironically, I know French people who legally own full auto ARs).
Now, for a very long time, the truth is that gun control actually did work in France, in the sense that there was very little violent crimes compared to the US. And very few gun-related deaths. The crime rate is higher for petty crimes, but much lower for murder, armed robbery, and so on.
So an argument could be made that in those countries, gun control worked. Guns were very difficult for criminals to obtain, making it harder to commit violent crimes.
But things quickly changed when the Iron Curtain fell. I remember going to Romania in January of 1990 and meeting soldiers trying to sell their AKs (for ridiculously high prices, BTW).
And a lot of Eastern European countries have now joined the EU, making it easy to truck merchandise from one end of the continent to the other.
The result? Some gangs in Western Europe now have relatively easy access to AKs. The Arab Spring will no doubt also facilitate the smuggling of more illegal guns from the Middle East and Northern Africa to Europe.
There are also a lot of militaria collectors in Europe who regularly break the law to get some items that are regulated or prohibited.
Now the bad guys over there have fire superiority. But even if getting a shotgun is still within reach for the average citizen, getting access to any other kind of weapon is very difficult. And forget about LTCs.
Things are changing in some countries. The firearm legislation in France is under review and some legislators are pushing for less paperwork and making it easier for law-abiding citizens to acquire them. Not sure if that will happen under the current government, but it could happen within years.
Now some of my friends in Europe (or antis in the US) sometimes tell me "Well you're acknowledging that gun control regulation did work in Europe, so why are you opposed to it here?"
And to me the answer is obvious and twofold:
1. The RKBA is in the US Constitution. Period. It's not in those other countries. Which is why, by the way, I don't like it when people transpose US issues to other countries, and vice-versa. It is a fundamental American right.
2. Historically, this country has been built with guns. It doesn't matter if you're Howard Zinn or Burton W. Folsom Jr., all historians will agree that they played a huge role in building this country. There are hundreds of millions of them. There is no way you can have gun control in this country on an even practical level. So deal with it.
To me, that settles it. I don't need any argument dealing with crime vs. gun control. It doesn't matter. There are plenty of very safe neighborhoods, some where everybody's got a gun (legally), and others where almost nobody does. And there are plenty of crappy neighborhoods where people can carry legally, or where gun control is very strict. It's not the legislation that really has an impact here, it's other factors: unemployment, poverty, education, population make-up, lack of LE, lack of services, etc.
If you start using statistics to make that point, the other camp will have just as many to throw at you. You're not going to convince them.
Just tell them this: there already are plenty of guns out there. Some in the hands of criminals (the minority), and most in the hands of law-abiding citizens. There is no way any amount of gun control is going to make a difference. You want less crime? Work on what causes crime. Hint: it's not guns.
Rant over. Back to work.
WTB: French & Finnish firearms. WTS: raw honey, tumbled .45 ACP brass, stupid cat.
All one need do is point to the places with the strictest of gun control, Chicago, DC, New Youk city, UK, Mexico, Australia. Did murder/violent crime vanish over night by banning firearms?
Did murder/violent crime exist before the invention of firearms?
Clearly.....firearms are not the variable that is the driving force behind violent crime. Removing that variable has been shown to have at least no effect, or actually causes a slight decrease in violent crime.
But one must always remember.....gun control isn't about guns....it's about control.
"Freedom begins with an act of defiance"
Quote for the day:
Imagine a world where no laws exist and everybody gets along. That world would be called Utopia. Of course, we all know that world does not exist. So the next-best world is a world where everyone obeys all laws. But we know that does not happen either.
Laws were made because society decided that something someone did was wrong. In order to prevent anyone else from doing that same something, laws were put into place. The human nature of it all though, even though laws were erected, that something the someone did is still going to occur even if the laws were not put into place.
I was born and raised (till 14) in the counrty when population had NO gun at all. VERY few people had permits to own a side by side or an over and under.
VERY few had permits to own .22LR target style pistols and rifles. SINGLE SHOT ONLY.
I must say that as a teenager , while walking in the park in the evening or hanging out somewhere, the chance of getting shot was almost ZERO.
Once while walking with a friend , we were jumped by 3 guys .
My friend picked up a rock, I had about 5 years in martial arts at that time.....
There was fight. We won . Everyone walked away alive. ( I had a black eye
In that society, having a pocket knife AND some skill in boxing or karate made a BIG difference.
Because NO ONE (only police) had a gun.
Do we WANT or CAN we have that kind of society here in US?
In my opinion its a NO on both.
Would a society that is REALLY gun free have less GUN violence?
In the same way that You dont have to worry about 3 feet of snow in San Diego... LOL
In USA private ownership of firearms is a part of our history. And for sure will (and has to be) be a part of our future.
Last edited by ap3572001; 11-08-2012 at 10:50 AM..
Logic and statistics beat (attempted) logical gun control arguments hands down. Unfortunately, gun control isn't logical.
The battle isn't between statistics, it's between statistics and raw blind emotion.
Won't help your paper much, but it might be worth a mention.
I'm not allowed to leave "provocative" pro-firearm stuff lying around when some of my in-laws visit, but I have started serious discussions when I left a paper "School Football Should Be Banned" lying around. The paper argued that as football kills something like ten times as many kids as do guns, then maybe football should be banned. That was about the only mention of guns, the rest of the article was about the statistics of sport-related deaths in schools. I had all the in-laws saying "Surely this is a joke, it can't be true?" My reply was that the statistics and facts were true, the headline was pointing out the disparity of treatment between sports and firearm deaths. Sadly, I no longer have that paper, but it kind of snuck in and attacked their beliefs insidiously from behind, without even appearing so to do. That, I think, is a good way of going about it.
Shakespeare had a similar idea in Marc Anthony's funeral speech in Julius Caesar.
John -- bitter gun owner.
All opinions expressed here are my own unless I say otherwise.
I am not a lawyer and this is not legal advice.
Last edited by Glock22Fan; 11-08-2012 at 11:00 AM..
Anyways, good luck.
"...What in the world is a moderate interpretation of a constitutional text? Halfway between what it says and what we'd like it to say?"
-A. Scalia 2005
The only way to answer this empirically is to compare homicide rates in a country before and after guns were outlawed. What this will reveal, I believe, is that places like the UK, where everyone knows they have a lower homicide rate than the US (presumably because they have strict gun control), always had a lower homicide rate than the US, even when guns were legally available there.
What you want to do is compare homicide rates before and after gun control was enacted.
At one level it's a lame argument anyway. Homicide rates are caused by big social conditions and history, not by whether this tool or that one is legally available. For example, I think if you look at the historic violent crime rate in the US you will find it correlates very closely with the proportion of young males in the population (which explains why, for example, the crime rate was so bad in the 1970s and has been declining since then). If this correlation is relevant to cause, then how does it look if gun control is introduced just as the proportion of young males in the population begins to decline? Yep, it looks like the lower crime rate is a result of the gun control law.
So even if you compare homicide rates in the UK before and after gun control was introduced, you may still see changes in the crime rate that could be due to other factors.
John Lott is an interesting resource, but be very careful with him: he has been caught fudging his numbers. I would no sooner name him as an authority than I would Michael Bellesiles, for fear of tainting my entire thesis.
The largest mass shooting in modern history happened in a country with strict gun control. Columbine happened during the AWB. Sweden has more guns per capita than the U.S., but a far lower homicide rate. England banned guns in 1997, they still have gun crime, and now you're much more likely to be stabbed there.
Vote for pro-gun candidates, or lose your rights, and the rights of future generations. That's it. The end.
"No one said life would be easy".
I noticed something kind of shocking, many (not all) shootings involve the person killing themselves afterwards. and in the case of a recent one, the guy was out on parole.
How can you legislate a crazy person especially when they are going to just end their life after said act. In that case, sure gun crime couldnt have been prevented. But as is said many times over in this thread its really a violence problem. And crazy can pick up an ice pick just as easy as a gun.
I think its important to understand something. Yes, a gun ban will stop all gun crime, but It cannot stop crime. They will still happen. And honestly, I carry a gun for the one in a million chance I am victimized by a group of people and have no hope of protecting myself or my family without it.
But I am glad so many of you realize that guns do make crime easier, we just all understand that its a necessary evil and in fact is less evil than kids sports, drunk drivers, and even smoking.
I am convinced there are far more guns per capita in the US than in Sweden. But that doesn't change anything anyway. This Swedish tragedy was an outlier, an anomaly. It can't be used by either side to make a point.
WTB: French & Finnish firearms. WTS: raw honey, tumbled .45 ACP brass, stupid cat.
Or are you one of those guys who considers Norway to be part of Greater Sweden? My Norwegian friends warned me about people like you!
WTB: French & Finnish firearms. WTS: raw honey, tumbled .45 ACP brass, stupid cat.
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Hemingway's BoatPosted: December 11, 2011 Filed under: Book Discussions | Tags: Biography 1 Comment
Hemingway's Boat, by Paul Hendrickson
This book concentrates on Ernest Hemingway's life from 1934 to 1961. It has a unique angle in that instead of focusing on the famous author, it involves his fishing boat, the "Pilar". The book initially talks about where the boat was built, who built it, what materials were involved, how much Hemingway paid for it, etc. But it is about so much more than that. It talks about Hemingway's love of deep sea fishing and the huge blue marlins he catches from the Gulf Stream. He entertains many famous guests aboard "Pilar" and was clearly happiest when he was at sea. Hemingway's Boat also talks about the people in Hemingway's life, such as a drifter who became his apprentice for a summer, and his youngest son, who was most like him but also the most troubled. You see Hemingway's physical and mental decline after he could no longer fish aboard his beloved boat. A great book for Hemingway buffs; extraordinarily well written.
One Comment on "Hemingway's Boat"
Joel is right – this is the best and most readable book on Hemingway in a long time. Each chapter, you might say goes off on a tangent but then it burrows down into the subject and surfaces in the present. For example, the author visits the site of the now defunct Brooklyn shipyard where the boat was built, checks its tax returns, and interviews the owner's surviving son.
I kept expecting the story to level off and take a broad academic view but it never did. The crack-up and suicide was a bummer though but I doubt it will come as a surprise to most readers.


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It has been very quiet around here, but with good reason. I needed time to sort out priorities and directions, some good, some bad. I feel I owe you all an explanation. It's not coming yet. Today, I have something much better...
It's with pride and excitement that I introduce you to my beautiful friend's new blog:
Nicolette Hegyes: illustration, adventures and everything along the way...
You know what they say... Gentlemen prefer blondes
She has beauty, she has grace, she's Miss United... wait, no... but seriously, the beauty and grace thing!
Nicolette is one of the most stylish young ladies you will meet, though her blog showcases another one of her enviable talents: her artwork. Her illustrations are stunning; a perfect combination of whimsy and realism. For a few years, I've been blessed with amazing Christmas and birthday cards (see below) and one very, very beautiful hand-painted silk scarf (one of my most prized possessions). Just recently, she's begun selling her work. If you're interested, contact her through her blog.
"Foxy lady" birthday card
One of my favourites
Beautiful floral details
Check out Nicolette's blog to brighten up your winter days and let me assure you, I am still kicking, but probably in a different way than I did before. Things have been murky and odd, but there's something on the horizon and I think it will be good.
Love x


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SOURCE: Juniper Research Limited
January 21, 2014 04:00 ET
Phablets, Smartphones With Displays 5.6 Inches and Above, Forecast to Flourish in Far East & China*
Phablets, Smartphones With Displays 5.6 Inches and Above, Forecast to Flourish in Far East & China*
HAMPSHIRE, UNITED KINGDOM--(Marketwired - Jan 21, 2014) - New findings from leading hi-tech analysts, Juniper Research, reveal that the Phablet, once perceived to have limited potential, will ship over 120 million units by 2018, rising from an estimated 20 million in 2013.
The device will find particularly receptive markets in East Asian territories such as South Korea -- with gamers who desire a larger surface to play on, and China -- where content streamers will benefit from a higher quality screen.
Range Expansion
The new report, Tablets, Phablets, Hybrids & eReaders: Market Strategies & Forecasts 2014-2018 notes that the Phablet market could become a growth area for established smartphone vendors, allowing them to build flagship phablet models targeting tech heavy demographics.
As evidenced by the recent entry of new vendors, including Nokia, Alcatel and Intex, the Phablet market will likely grow from both ends of the price spectrum with established global brands predicated to focus on higher price points allowing local players to gain a foothold in the lower end.
An Android & Windows Opportunity
The new report notes that the OS market for Phablets will be dominated by two major players, Android and Windows. The Windows ecosystem will be driven by Nokia's Lumia range, which is anticipated to find success in the more affluent demographics of developing nations. Meanwhile, the Android ecosystem will be driven by the latest in Samsung's Note series in developed markets as well as local vendors such as Intex.
However, this dynamic could change dramatically if the rumours of an Apple Phablet, which meets Juniper's definition of a 5.6 inch display, were to be realised.
The complimentary whitepaper, 'Phablets . . .a Phabulous Future?' is available to download from the Juniper website together with further details of the full report.
Juniper Research provides research and analytical services to the global hi-tech communications sector, providing consultancy, analyst reports and industry commentary.
*Juniper acknowledges that the frontier for what is considered a larger screen is constantly moving forward and that a 5-5.5 inch display is likely to become fairly standard amongst ultra-premium smartphones. Accounting for this, Juniper's boundary for phablets differs from other analyst houses.
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Rooting is the word which is synonymous with Android smartphones. You can improve the performance of your smartphone by rooting it. Rooting is basically gaining the super user rights on your Android so you can take complete control of your phone. Refer this article to know more benefits of rooting.
There are many apps on the Google Play Store that are compatible only with the rooted Android. Here is a list of top 5 apps which is a must have for any Android user with a rooted phone.


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11. Mike Smith, Falcons
Smith is another coach who did an excellent job cleansing the stains of the guy who came before him. Between Michael Vick and Bobby Petrino, there were a lot of bad vibes in Atlanta that Smith had to dispose of before he could build a respectable franchise. As Mark Bradley of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution put it recently, Smith is the best coach in Falcons history by a huge margin. He's the only coach to ever lead the franchise to consecutive winning seasons. But to move up on this list, he needs to win a playoff game. No more excuses. It's been a difficult season for Smith, who had a scare in mid-December when he checked into a hospital with chest pains. But the pressure of the postseason is unforgiving. For all the talk that Matt Ryan is on the verge of becoming an elite quarterback, he still has zero playoff victories.
Kevin C. Cox, Getty Images
Copyright © 2018, The Baltimore Sun, a Baltimore Sun Media Group publication | Place an Ad


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Team Trinity B5M Precut Chassis Protective Sheet (Black Carbon)
|Low Price:
|Low Price:
This is an optional Trinity "Black Carbon" Precut Chassis Protective Sheet, intended for use with the Team Associated B5M and B5M Lite 1/10 2WD Buggies.
Made from thick vinyl material and die cut to correct chassis dimensions, Trinity Protective Sheets help maintain the fresh look of your expensive chassis by creating a barrier between your chassis and the ground. This barrier helps stop the dirt and debris on the surface from slowly grinding away your aluminum or carbon fiber chassis and causing premature wear and tear.
Protective sheets are highly recommended with any new chassis (as well as used) and should be replaced when noticeable wear occurs.
This sheet is also available in "White Carbon" - Part# TRITEP3016.
This product was added to our catalog on July 30, 2015


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Accountability and Responsibility
Robert Gregory
Accountability and responsibility are related ideas that are central to political, constitutional, and institutional arrangements in Western liberal democracies. However, political elites in non-democratic systems are generally not held accountable by citizens through such arrangements, and accountability is primarily a means of securing the compliance of state functionaries to the will of these elites. In liberal democracies the terms "accountability" and "responsibility" are often used in common discourse as if they were synonyms, but they are not. The former is a concept that embodies a number of different types, with a common theme of answerability by an accountor to an accountee, usually—but not necessarily—in a hierarchical relationship designed to ensure compliance and control. Responsibility, on the other hand, speaks of the associated but different domain of individual moral choice, where often conflicting duties of obligation are experienced by those in official positions. Beginning in the 1980s, the so-called new public management movement, which brought major changes to many Western systems of public administration, sought to enhance the accountability of public bureaucrats, especially their answerability to their elected political superiors. The effects have been mixed and uncertain, often with unintended consequences, such as the reinforcement of risk aversion and blame shifting and gaming behavior. The quest for accountability is inherently a political process, in which "holding to account" may often depend much less on any forensic determination of specific culpability and much more on evidential and political disputation, where the search for the "truth" is highly—and increasingly—contestable.
The Advocacy Coalition Framework
Paúl Cisneros
This is an advance summary of a forthcoming article in the Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Politics. Please check back later for the full article.
Paul Sabatier and Hank Jenkins Smith introduced the Advocacy Coalition Framework (ACF) in the late 1980s, to refine the theoretical and methodological tools available for the study of the policy process. In the past two decades, the framework has grown in use outside the United States, and it is now applied to study a broad range of policy arenas in all continents. ACF scholars have created a core community that regularly synthetizes findings from applications of the framework, giving the ACF the form of a true research program.
The ACF has three principal theoretical domains: advocacy coalitions, policy subsystems, and policy change. Expectations about the interactions between and within these domains are contained in 15 main hypotheses. The ACF posits that advocacy coalitions and policy subsystems are the most efficient way to organize actors interested in the policy process for empirical research. The policy subsystem is the main unit of analysis in the ACF, and there are four paths leading to policy change. The aspect that has received more attention in existing applications is the effect that external events have on policy change, and some areas in need of refinement include: policy-oriented learning, interactions across subsystems, the theoretical foundations to identification of belief systems, and how the interactions between beliefs and interests affect coalition behavior.
Advocacy Coalitions in Foreign Policy
Jonathan Pierce and Katherine Hicks
The advocacy coalition framework (ACF) was developed to explain policy processes where contentious coalitions of actors seek to translate competing belief systems into public policy. Advocacy coalitions may include interest groups, members of the media, scientists and academics, and government officials that share beliefs about a public issue and coordinate their behavior. These advocacy coalitions engage in various strategies using resources to influence policy change or stasis. As part of this process, advocacy coalition members may learn within and/or across coalitions.
This framework is one of the most prominent and widely applied approaches to explain public policy. While it has been applied hundreds of times, in over 50 different countries, the vast majority of ACF applications have sought to explain domestic policy processes. A reason for the paucity of applications to foreign policy is that some ACF assumptions may not seem congruent to foreign policy issues. For example, the ACF uses a policy subsystem as the unit of analysis that may include a territorial dimension. Yet, the purpose of the territorial dimension is to limit the scope of the study. Therefore, this dimension can be substituted for a government body that has the authority or potential authority to make and implement foreign policy. In addition, the ACF assumes a central role for technical and scientific information in the policy process. Such information makes learning across coalitions more conducive, but the ACF can and should also be applied to normative issues, such as those more common among foreign policy research.
This article introduces the ACF; provides an overview of the framework, including assumptions, key concepts and theories, and transferability of the ACF to foreign policy analysis; and discusses four exemplary applications. In addition, it proposes future research that scholars should explore as part of the nexus of the ACF and foreign policy analysis. In the final analysis, the authors suggest the ACF can and should be applied to foreign policy analysis to better understand the development of advocacy coalitions and how they influence changes and stasis in foreign policy.
Agenda Setting and the Policy Process: Focusing Events
Thomas A. Birkland
This is an advance summary of a forthcoming article in the Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Politics. Please check back later for the full article.
Agenda setting is a crucial aspect of the public policy process. Sudden, rare, and harmful events known as focusing events can be important influences on the policy process. Such events can reveal current and potential future harms, mobilize people and groups to address the policy failures that may be revealed by such events, and open the "window of opportunity" for intensive policy discussion and potential policy change. But focusing events operate differently at different times and in different policy domains. While the idea of focusing events is firmly rooted in Kingdon's "streams approach" to the policy process, focusing events are an important element of most contemporary theories of the policy process. But not every event works as a focusing event. The process by which a focusing event can yield policy change is complex and involves attention to the problems revealed by the event, as well as evidence of learning from the event on the part of policy makers. While focusing events are important, in many ways the concept remains underdeveloped, with few researchers seeking to understand the dynamics of these important events.
Arms Control and Arms Reductions in Foreign Policy
Harald Mueller
Arms control is a strategy by governments to overcome the security dilemma with institutionalized cooperation. It comes in three versions, arms control proper, with stability as the main objective; non-proliferation as a sub-category of arms control, so understood with the main objective being to preserve the distributive status quo concerning certain weapon types; and disarmament, with the objective to eliminate a specific weapon type. Confidence building is a crosscutting functional concept lumping together many different measures that can serve all three versions.
Arms control does not reject self-help as a basis of national security, but entrusts a significant piece of it to cooperation with potential enemies. Hence, arms control—with the exception of unilateral, hegemonic arms control imposed on others, and of non-proliferation for preserving an existing oligopoly—is a difficult subject for realism and neorealism, but also for post-modernism. It presents a solvable puzzle for rationalists and no problem at all for constructivists who, to the contrary, can dig into norms, discourses, and identities.
Concerning stability and change, arms control can be looked at from two opposite perspectives. Since it aims at stability, critical security approaches have labeled it as a conservative, status quo orientated strategy. But there is also a transformational perspective: arms control as a vehicle to induce and reinforce a fundamental redefinition of the relationship between states. Naturally, the concept of disarmament shows the greatest affinity to the transformational perspective.
A related issue is whether arms control is a result of political circumstances, a dependent variable without a political impact of its own, or whether it has causal effect on interstate relations. Constructivism proposes a dialectical relationship in which arms control and broader policy influence each other. From this reflection, the question of the conditions of success and failure flows naturally. Conducive interstate relations (or extrinsic shocks), technology, domestic structures, learning, leadership, perception, and ideology have been candidates for the independent master variable.
Three models tackle the relationship of arms control and historical time: the enlightenment intuition of steady progress; a series of waves, each of which leaves the world in a more cooperative state than the previous one; and the circle—arms control ebbs and flows alternatively, but achievements are fully lost in each ebb period.
We can distinguish four arms control discourses: arms control as the maiden of deterrence; arms control subordinated to defense needs; arms control under the imperative of disarmament; and arms control as the instrument of human security, the survival and well-being of human individuals, notably civilians.
As with all politics, arms control involves justice issues: the distribution of values (security/power), access to participation in decision making, and the granting of recognition as legitimate actor. Arms control negotiations are ripe with justice claims, and failure through incompatible justice demands happens frequently. Also, emotions play a key role: frustration and ensuing resentment, anger, and existential fear can prevent success. Finally, compassion, empathy, and trust are ingredients in successful arms control processes.
Civil Service Systems
Vainius Smalskys and Jolanta Urbanovič
Civil service consists of civil servants and their activity when implementing the assigned functions and decisions made by politicians. In other words, it is a system of civil servants who perform the assigned functions of public administration. The corpus of civil servants consists of people who work in central and local public administration institutions. The concept and scope of civil service in a particular country depends on the legal framework that defines the areas of public and private sectors and their relationship. In many countries, civil service consists of an upper level, a mid-level, and civil servants who work for coordinating, independent, and auxiliary institutions. However, the scope of civil service in different countries varies. When analyzing/comparing civil service systems of different countries, researchers often categorize them as Western European, continental European, Anglo-American, Anglo-Saxon, Eastern European, Scandinavian, Mediterranean, Asian, or African.
All European Union member states can be classified into two groups: the career system—dominant in continental Europe, with the prevalence of traditional-hierarchical public administration, rational bureaucracy, and formalized operational rules—and the position system—dominant in Anglo-Saxon countries, with the prevalence of managerial principles, pragmatic administration, and charismatic leadership. Neither of the two models exists in pure form. If features of the career model dominate in the civil service of a country, it is identified as a country with the career CS model; if elements of the position model dominate the country is identified as a country with the position civil service model. An intermediate version of this model, characteristic of a number of countries, is the mixed/hybrid model.
Many civil service researchers claim that in the case of two competing systems of civil service—closed (the career model) and open (the position model)—reforms of the open civil service system win. It has been argued that the organizing principles of the open, result-oriented civil service system (the position model), which is under the influence of "new public management," will permanently "drive out" the closed, vertically integrated and formal procedure-oriented career model. Scholars argue that civil servants of the future will have to be at ease with more complexity and flexibility. They will have to be comfortable with change, often rapid change. At the same time, they will make more autonomous decisions and be more responsible, accountable, performance-oriented, and subject to new competency and skill requirements.
The Common Foreign and Security Policy
Hylke Dijkstra and Sophie Vanhoonacker
The member states of the European Union (EU) coordinate, define, and implement foreign policy in the context of the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP). This policy area, often referred to as EU foreign policy, has a broad scope covering all areas of foreign policy and all questions relating to security and defense. The CFSP is supported by a unique institutional framework, in which member states diplomats and officials from the EU institutions jointly make policy. It is led by the High Representative, who is the "face and voice" of EU foreign policy, and supported by the substantial European External Action Service and 140 EU delegations in other countries and international organizations.
Because foreign policy is normally the business of sovereign states, the exceptional nature of the CFSP has long been a subject of inquiry. The CFSP has particularly puzzled advocates of the traditional theories of European integration and international relations, who have failed to appreciate what the EU does in the field of high politics. Given the absence of formal diplomatic recognition and a strong reliance on the resources of the member states, the EU is still not a full-fledged actor, yet it has a strong international presence nonetheless. Its presence and the gradual increase in "actorness" have also raised questions about whether the EU presents a different type of actor, a civilian or normative power, which derives its influence from non-traditional sources of power.
Under the assumption that the EU has some actorness, the Europeanization of foreign policy has become an area of interest. Member states can act through the EU structure to achieve more impact internationally, can adjust national foreign policy on the basis of EU positions, and are socialized into greater European coordination. The relationship between national and EU foreign policy is thus a significant topic of debate. Finally, governance perspectives increasingly provide insight into the organization of the CFSP. How the member states and the EU institutions collectively coordinate, define, and implement EU foreign policy is not only an important question in itself but also matters for policy outcomes.
The Common Security and Defense Policy
Simon Duke
The European Union's Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) is scarcely two decades old, yet a considerable and diverse body of literature has emerged during this time. CSDP can best be thought of as the functional crisis management end of the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP), of which it is an integral part. It covers both the military and civilian aspects of crisis management, with the majority of overseas missions being civilian in nature. Yet, it is the growth of the military dimension that has spurred extensive debate about the nature of the EU's actorness and whether it can still be thought of as a civilian power par excellence. Much of the research has been driven by the application of the main theoretical approaches in international relations to CSDP. The result is an extensive, but occasionally cacophonous, body of literature. Given the relative youth of CSDP there are inevitably gaps in the literature, especially the question of how CSDP relates to other policy fields in the external relations of the EU and whether the "D" in CSDP will remain indefinitely silent.
Comparative Public Policy
Guillaume Fontaine
Comparative public policy (CPP) is a multidisciplinary enterprise aimed at policy learning through lesson drawing and theory building or testing. We argue that CPP faces the challenge of conceptual and analytical standardization if it is to make a significant contribution to the explanation of policy decision-making. This argument is developed in three sections based on the following questions: What is CPP? What is it for? How should it be done? We begin with a presentation of the historical evolution of the field, its conceptual heterogeneity, and the persistence of two distinct bodies of literature made of basic and applied studies. We proceed with a discussion of the logics operating in CPP, their approaches to causality and causation, and their contribution to middle-range theory. Next, we explain the fundamental problems of the comparative method, starting with a synthesis of the main methodological pitfalls and the problems of case selection and then revising the main protocols in use. We conclude with a reflection on the contribution of CPP to policy design and policy analysis.
Courts and Social Policy
Jeb Barnes
How do courts affect social policy? Answering this question is deceptively complex. Part of the challenge stems from the sheer scope of contemporary judicial policymaking, particularly in the United States, where litigation reaches into nearly every nook and cranny of the American welfare state and casts a shadow on policy issues ranging from marriage equality to healthcare reform. Another obstacle is that scholars remain deeply divided on fundamental questions about the nature of judicial decisions and how their policy effects should be studied. These disagreements, in turn, have engendered three very different approaches to studying the role of courts in social policy that often talk past each other. The dominant approach views judicial decisions as prescriptive rules—legal commands from the bench—and asks to what extent do judicial decisions change policy? This view implies that judicial decisions are "treatments" whose efficacy should be tested by measuring shifts in policy outcomes from the pre- to post-treatment period or across treatment and control groups. An alternative tradition envisages judicial decisions as a potential resource, which can be used by activists as leverage in building movements and pursuing agendas in multiple forums. Here, the core question is not whether court decisions produce abrupt policy shifts, but how activists use them to challenge the status quo, mobilize interests, and generate pressure for policy change. A third approach sees legal precedent as a constitutive framework that shapes and constrains policymaking and its politics over time. The test for whether law matters under this approach centers on the degree to which judicial decisions influence the developmental trajectories of policy and politics, which includes consideration of paths not taken in the policymaking process.
That is not to say that the literature is wholly discordant. Despite their significant conceptual differences, these approaches tend to converge on the general idea that judicial policymaking shares many attributes with other policymaking processes: the implementation of judicial decisions, like statues and regulations, is contested and subject to capture by sophisticated interests; litigation, like lobbying, is a form of mobilization that seeks to translate policy grievances into effective political demands; judicial precedents, like other policies, generate policy feedbacks. Identifying similarities among judicial policymaking and its counterparts is a signature achievement in the study of courts and social policy, which has largely dispelled the "myth of rights" and simplistic notions that the law is somehow removed from politics. Yet it arguably has an unintended effect. Normalizing judicial policymaking—making it seem like other types of policymaking—threatens to render it less interesting as a distinct topic for research. This article suggests the time has come for all of the various research traditions in the field to return to foundational questions about what makes judicial policymaking distinctive and systematically study how these particular tilts and tendencies influence the continuing colloquy that drives the policymaking process.


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The Grand County Transportation Special Service District's (GCTSSD) board voted 4-0 on June 17 to commit $10,000 in mineral lease funding to the study, with chairman Pat McGann abstaining. In a separate 4-1 vote, the board approved a draft interlocal agreement to participate in the study, subject to further reviews of a final proposal; McGann voted against the majority.
While the $10,000 allocation is not a direct burden on taxpayers, Grand County Council chairman Lynn Jackson acknowledged that it could have been spent on different transportation projects throughout the community.
"It's not taxpayer funding, but it is lease money that they could have used for other transportation stuff," he said June 24.
In the past, Jackson has said that no county contributions would be required to fund a study of potential roads or pipeline routes between Grand County and the Uintah Basin. But after thinking it over, he said he believes that the transportation district can strengthen the county's voice in the process by contributing financially to the proposed study.
"If we put a little bit of money in … we've got some direct involvement," Jackson said. "It's still pretty miniscule, but it does give us more direct skin in the game here."
The study is expected to cost about $644,700, and the draft agreement states that Utah's School and Institutional Trust Lands Administration (SITLA) would cover $300,000 in study costs over two fiscal years. The Uintah Transportation Special Service District would chip in nearly $220,000, while Uintah and Duchesne counties — along with one of Duchesne County's special service districts — would contribute smaller amounts.
According to the draft agreement, the bulk of the study would consider whether a potential transportation corridor between Uintah County's southern border and Interstate 70 in Grand County is viable. It would also look at the corridor's potential benefits to the region's energy and tourist industries, as well as the possible impacts that increased development and traffic could have on the surrounding environment.
An earlier version of the draft indicated the study would focus solely on a controversial route through narrow and archeologically rich Sego Canyon near Thompson Springs. But that language was stricken from the draft that the GCTSSD's board approved, and a majority of board members are happy with the change, according to McGann.
"Most every one of them were in favor of it because it got it away from Sego Canyon," McGann said.
Jackson said the study, if approved, would still take a look at the Sego Canyon route. But it would also focus on an alternative corridor through Hay Canyon to the east.
"We're not taking Sego out of the study, but we're including Hay Canyon, too," he said.
A closer look at the Hay Canyon corridor would likely examine the possibility of building a cut-off road to Cisco instead of continuing the route to an existing Interstate 70 exit near the Utah-Colorado state line.
Jackson estimates that the spur route could knock about 25 to 30 miles off a one-way trip between Moab and Vernal. It could also hasten the development of rail facilities in the Cisco area, according to McGann.
Although McGann personally supports the concept of building a pipeline along the Hay Canyon route, he has gone on record against the idea of a new Book Cliffs highway.
He fears it could fragment the region's roadless areas and wilderness study areas, while promoting the development of projects like U.S. Oil Sands' proposed PR Spring tar sands mine.
"I guess my main concern is that we could open that country up more than we should open it up," he said.
Like other critics of non-conventional fossil fuel projects, McGann believes it is hard to justify the energy-intensive process required to develop eastern Utah's tar sands.
"That influences my thinking on these roads," he said.
Energy development is a driving force behind the feasibility study idea.
A 2013 report from the Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) found that the Uintah Basin must make significant improvements to its transportation infrastructure in order to keep up with projected industry growth.
According to the report, existing oil and gas pipelines in the Vernal-area basin are already at or near capacity. Traffic on several major routes will grow to the point that it will limit oil and gas production in Uintah and Duchesne counties by 2020, the report said.
While a Book Cliffs highway or pipeline could potentially help meet the regional industry's shipping needs, some GCTSSD board members believe a new route would also expand opportunities for tourism and outdoor recreation, according to McGann.
"They feel that it will bring other forms of commerce into the county if the road or transportation corridor is built," he said.
But building either route would be expensive.
Preliminary estimates from a separate and ongoing UDOT study of the Uintah Basin's transportation needs found that a new route through Hay Canyon would cost $137 million, according to Jackson. That compares to an estimated $307 million price tag for an improved road through Sego Canyon, he said.
At this point, McGann isn't sure who would shoulder the costs to build and maintain either one of those potential routes.
"It's not at all clear how these roads [would] be funded or maintained in the future," McGann said.
That's one question that the study could answer. Among other things, it would consider how much revenue could be generated if the county imposed friction fees on every barrel of oil that passed through the corridor.
GCTSSD Trustee Robert Knight said that he and other board members ultimately want more information before they vote on a final draft agreement to proceed with the study.
"We would like to see what is going to be presented to the lawyers," Knight said June 23.
If all seven participating entities sign off on a final draft, Jackson said they must still vote on and then submit a formal request for study proposals. Assuming that the project goes out to bid later this summer, the study is expected to be finished by Dec. 31, according to the draft agreement.


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Laura Story at the Howard Center
Top HeadlinesDate: March 20, 2013
Contact: email@example.com
Website: howard.andrews.edu
Phone: 269-471-3560
Award-winning Christian singer/songwriter Laura Story will be performing at the Howard Performing Arts Center on the campus of Andrews University on Sunday, April 7, at 7 p.m. Her single "Blessings" reached the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Christian Songs chart in 2011, making her one of the few female Christian artists to do so.
Story has garnered much recognition for her contributions to the Christian music community. She has been nominated for 13 GMA Dove awards and has won three. Some of her best-known songs include the popular praise songs "Indescribable" and "Mighty to Save." Many Christian artists have covered her work including Chris Tomlin and Avalon.
Despite the accolades and recognition Story has received for her work, she continues to remain humble and to trust in the Lord's guidance of her life and ministry. "Mine is not the perfect voice or the perfect life," she explains. "My life is as messy as the next person's, and God is using me to speak to the church."
Tickets for Laura Story can be purchased by calling the Howard Performing Arts Center box office at 269-471-3560 or 888-467-6442. Tickets for reserved seating are $25, faculty and staff tickets are $20, and Andrews University student tickets are $10. Special rates apply for groups and Flex Series tickets. Tickets are also available online at iTickets.com. Learn more by visiting www.howard.andrews.edu.


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New legislation would grant amnesty to former Irish troops who deserted and fought with the Allies during World War II. Upon their return home, these troops were called deserters and blacklisted.
The Defence Forces (Second World War Amnesty and Immunity)Bill 2012 would give protection for former soldiers. The bill would grant amnesty and immunity from prosecution to 5,000 Irish soldiers who fought with the Allies. Bill 2012 was first introduced to the Dail in December of 2012.
The Irish Examiner reports officials hope the law will be enacted by the end of July. Defence Minister Alan Shatter is expected to make an official statement when the law is enacted. Shatter had made an apology to the former soldiers earlier. The government apologised in the summer of 2012 for the way soldiers were treated after World War II. Shatter has also called the soldiers idealists and stated that people's understanding of history has matured. Shatter has said that it is time for understanding and forgiveness.
Ireland was neutral during World War II. The Irish Defence Forces had 42,000 serving personnel during the war and an estimated 7,000 left. Most of them joined the Allied Forces. About 2,500 were either apprehended or returned to their unit and faced a military tribunal.
About 5,000 were dismissed under the Emergency Powers Order in 1945 or the Defence Forces (Temporary Provisions) Act in 1946. The Emergency Powers Order enacted automatic dismissal for deserters and those absent without leave. The Order denied soldiers the right to be tried for accused offences and to provide a defence against the allegations.
Special powers later known as the starvation order, barred these men from state jobs and they were refused military pensions. Anti-British feeling was still high and desertion was and still is considered a serious offense. Returning soldiers also faced widespread discrimination within their communities and many of those who had fought decided not to return to Ireland.


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MOON Cafe "Happy Hour" drinking glass for your home, bar, garage or just about anywhere. Fill it up with a tall cold beverage on ice for a smooth refreshing feel. Base diameter measures 60mm (2.4") and the brim (top) of the glass measures 90mm (3.54") across. Glassware shipped carefully boxed and packed.
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One tank trip: Frida & Diego exhibit at Art Gallery of Ontario
TORONTO – They stand side by side in the photo: he, a great bear of a man, his thumb tucked jauntily into the waistband of his trousers; she, a bird of a woman, leaning into him. This image of Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo, giants of the Mexican art world in the 20th century, is the first thing that meets your eye in the new exhibition showcasing their works at the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO).
"Frida & Diego: Passion, Politics and Painting" brings together more than 80 works by Kahlo and Rivera, and more than 60 photographs. Taken from three private collections of Mexican art, the Museo Dolores Olmedo, Colección Gelman and Galeria Arvil, the exhibition features Rivera's early paintings in Europe, his later portraits and landscapes, as well as nearly a quarter of Kahlo's body of work.
But this is a show with a difference. As Dot Tuer, cultural historian and professor at OCAD University, Toronto, and guest curator of the exhibition, explains: "In other exhibitions ... the works were not shown together. Frida was on one side of the gallery, and Rivera on the other, treating them as quite distinct." Tuer was determined to put the two artists together. In the process, she became interested in both the affinities and the differences that shaped their creative vision.
What they have in common is neatly summed up by the title of the exhibition: passion, politics and painting. Their personal relationship was tempestuous. They were married, divorced and remarried, and both had affairs along the way.
They were both profoundly influenced by the two great revolutions of the early 20th century, the Mexican Revolution of 1910-20 and the Russian Revolution of 1917, and they became committed communists and socialists.
And then there's the painting.
Rivera and Kahlo shared a vision of Mexico's rich cultural past and its social development and greatly respected each other as artists, but they expressed their vision in very different ways. Rivera's output was huge, both in size and in number: he painted more than 60,000 square feet of murals alone, and he painted the people. "Mexican mural painting made the masses the hero of monumental art," he said. "That is to say, the man of the fields, of the factories, of the cities, and towns." And, as Tuer says, he was the most famous artist in the world in 1931, even more famous than Picasso. Kahlo's body of work is much smaller. Her paintings are intimate and autobiographical. The Surrealist movement embraced her in the 1930s, but she was not well known in the art world during her lifetime. Today, the pendulum has swung; the cult of Frida is everywhere, and Diego has lost his luster.
Rivera was born in Guanajuato, Mexico, in 1886. A gifted artist, he won a scholarship in 1907 to study in Spain. He later moved to Paris, where he rubbed shoulders with artists like Picasso, Braque and Modigliani. In 1921, he went back to Mexico to take part in a program of public mural art, painting more than 200 large frescos, including those in the Ministry of Education in Mexico City.
Kahlo was born in 1907 in Mexico City. Her father was of German origin and her mother was born in Oaxaca State of mixed Spanish and indigenous descent.She had polio as a child, and when she was 18, a horrific streetcar accident changed her life, crushing her plans of becoming a doctor and sending her spiraling down into a vortex of suffering, from which she never fully recovered.
Kahlo was 22 and Rivera 42 when they married ("A union between an elephant and a dove" was how Kahlo's parents described it). They lived for a time in Detroit, where Rivera painted a huge mural for the Garden Court of the Detroit Institute of Arts, before returning to Mexico. As Kahlo's health worsened in the 1940s, she spent much of her time at the Casa Azul, her much-loved family home, and it was here that she died in 1954. Rivera died three years later.
Tuer's main aim as curator is to give a sense to a North American public of the dynamic cultural and political arena that these artists worked in during the 1920s and 1930s. Her second aim is to tell the story of Rivera and Kahlo together. "I wanted to counter the way in which Frida's pain becomes the focus of her creative vision and Rivera is positioned as a monster who caused her suffering. From my point of view," she says, "they were soul mates. They were the most important people to each other, but they were very complicated human beings."
The exhibition has been arranged in more or less chronological order, showing the story of the two artists unfolding before you. Rivera's early European works fill the first two rooms. He was immersed in cubism at that time, and many of these paintings reflect the spacial distortions and multiple view points of the cubist style.
In 1921, Rivera went home to paint the walls of Mexico. Would he have been a better artist if he'd stayed in Europe? No, says Tuer. "What Mexico gives him is a stage, a context. It gives him his subject matter and it gives him an inspirational structure. The European works are very accomplished, but they're somehow unmoored from his homeland." And although he was a wonderful easel painter, she says, the murals are his masterpieces.
Rivera's 1943 "Calla Lily Vendor" is just one example in the exhibition of his powerful easel paintings, but we get only a tantalizing glimpse of his mural masterpieces. There is a reproduction of one of his best-known frescoes with Kahlo handing out arms to the people of Mexico; a video and some interactive views of his murals; and a detail from a 1931 fresco, "Flower Festival: Feast of Santa Anita," which celebrates Mexican culture and rituals.
Another room is filled almost entirely with Kahlo's self-portraits. These paintings are heartbreakingly personal, many of them portraying her with animals and dolls amid lush vegetation and often reflecting her mixed heritage – part European and part indigenous. In these paintings, Frida emphasized her trademark unibrow—that single sweep of eyebrow extending from temple to temple. It has become part of her persona, the image she constructed for herself to mask her suffering.
The focus of the exhibition may be on Kahlo and Rivera's relationship and their artistic commitment to post-revolutionary Mexico, but there's no hiding Kahlo's pain: "I suffered two grave accidents in my life," she said. "One in which a streetcar knocked me down. The other accident is Diego." She was tormented by Rivera's infidelity and her inability to have children. She repeatedly and courageously painted her pain: in "Henry Ford Hospital" of 1932, you see the miscarriage that almost killed her, and "The Broken Column" of 1944, painted shortly after she underwent spinal surgery, shows her in a body brace, her spine a crumbling column.
Archival photographs bring to sparkling life the couple's tortured but passionate relationship. They pose for the camera: Frida stands in traditional Mexican dress with flowers in her hair, and Diego sits, holding a hat; they kiss, Frida with a cigarette in her hand, Diego with a gas mask in his; they demonstrate at a rally with their fists in the air. The earlier photos show us the public image that Kahlo worked so hard to create – her glamorous appearance, her flamboyant Mexican clothing, her love of communism – but later photos show her in hospital or in bed, revealing, like so many of her paintings, her pain and vulnerability.
The final room features an ofrenda, a traditional Mexican home altar made to honor the dead during Day of the Dead commemorations. This was created by Mexican artist Carlomagno Pedro Martinez, who hails from Oaxaca. Towering over the ofrenda are five papier mâché effigies or Judas figures created by Shadowland, a Toronto Island-based theater company. Rivera and Kahlo famously had Judas figures in their home as part of their Easter traditions; two of the huge figures at the AGO represent skeletons of the artists themselves.
The Frida & Diego experience doesn't end when you leave the exhibition space. The AGO's FRANK restaurant is offering a series of innovative Mexican-inspired prix-fixe lunch and dinner menus, rotating every two weeks for the duration of the exhibition. And that's where the artistry of Yarymowich comes into the picture. Yarymowich has been with the AGO since 1996, initially with Agora Restaurant and more recently with FRANK. This restaurant is named for Frank Gehry, the architect who designed the extensive renovations to the AGO that were completed in 2008.
Executive Chef Anne Yarymowich explains: "What we like to do ... is to extend the experience of the gallery visitor who has gone to see the exhibit, to extend the flavors and the textures of the work in the exhibit." Yarymowich's team busied themselves over the summer preparing, vacuum packing and freezing local corn.
In their dishes, the corn and other locally grown vegetables like poblano peppers and tomatillos are married with the flavors of Mexico.
She also said the Frida cookies are a big hit. "We were just having fun with that. When we had Picasso here (the AGO's last blockbuster exhibition), I did a little gingerbread man with a striped shirt, and they said we had to have a Frida cookie." So visitors can enjoy a spicy cookie in the shape of Frida's head and torso with their margaritas.
The cookies are also available at the Espresso Bar, giving you another reason to visit the airy Galleria Italia, that splendid Gehry-designed space made of wood and glass running the entire length of the front façade of the building.
If Dot Tuer's aims in putting Frida & Diego together are realized, the North American public will get a new perspective on the complexities of the Frida and Diego story. This version of their story will be on view at the AGO until Jan. 20.
If you go:
Art Gallery of Ontario, 317 Dundas St. West, Toronto (www.ago.net; 877.225.4246). The gallery is open Tuesday and Thursday-Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.; Wednesdays until 8:30 p.m. Closed Mondays.
VIP Hotel Packages are offered by nearby hotels such as the Delta Chelsea (from $189 for one night's accommodation and two adult tickets to the Frida & Diego show), the Sheraton Centre Toronto and the Westin Harbour Castle Hotel.
Full details and online booking is available at www.ago.net/hotels.


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Why is the great rite, I asked myself, the chalice and the blade and not the cauldron and the wand? For truly the ecstasy of sex is alike to the fervent stirring of a wand in a cauldron and not at all like the stabbing of a knife into a cup. And now, years later, I collect an answer.
For like the maiden bleeds afore she can create life, so must ritual sacrifice let blood to make its will manifest.
The menstrual current underlies magic and this is why the price is blood. Because the woman must bleed before she can conceive.
For Eve the cost was blood.
For Cain the cost was blood.
Sarah gave her pagan idols blood.
Delilah gave Dagon blood.
And to this day, the witch knows the prices is blood. The original meaning of sacrifice is blood intrinsic to the menstrual current.
By Sara Star


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CARRIER MILLS, Ill. — Police who were eager to find who vandalized wet concrete in a southern Illinois community didn't need to do any super sleuthing to crack the case.
The Harrisburg Daily Register (http://bit.ly/1hNTB4B) reports that two juveniles quickly were identified as the culprits in Carrier Mills incident after they had written their names by their footprints in the fresh concrete.
The Saline County village's police chief, Chuck Rubright, admits "it wasn't hard to find them."
Rubright says the county opted not to prosecute the youths, and that filler will be used to fix the damage.
Information from: Harrisburg Daily Register, http://www.dailyregister.com


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Safe To Say He Made It: French Montana Making It Rain On White TV Show Host!
French Montana making it rain on VH1 TV show host "Jenny McCarthy" with Drita from Mob Wives
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Edward Gorey: The New Poster Book
Our love for Edward Gorey's illustrations begun many years ago. We stumbled upon a calender and fell in love with his quirky style, witty images, great concepts, and powerful storytelling. His latest book is a poster book - a wonderful set of 30 large reproductions. His art never ceases to inspire us and look differently at the world. Check out more samples from the book after the jump...
Edward Gorey didn't receive formal art education. He attended the School of the Art Institute of Chicago for just one semester. He claimed to have inherited his talents from his great-grandmother, Helen St. John Garvey who was a famous greeting card artist and writer in the 19th century. Gorey's art was always popular with children, but it is not something that he sought out. His unusual interests inspired many of his illustrations. Cats, tennis shoes, and fur coats are often present in his work.
Edward Gorey: The New Poster Book has a good sample of his work. It is not only beautiful to look at, it also highlights a variety of his illustration styles. A fun mixture of unique frames would be perfect for displaying these gorgeous reproductions.
The calender that we mentioned in the beginning of this post we kept for many years now. There is something about his art that makes you want to look at it and study in details over and over again.
If you are interested in getting the poster book visit the Pomegranate website. You can also order by phone. Call (800) 227-1428.
(Images: Edward Gorey: The New Poster Book)


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Math: The Math Forum: Teacher's Place
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- Database Provider: National Science Digital Library (NSDL)
Express Link (bookmark): http://www.galileo.usg.edu/express?link=mfte


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Dom Amore was named Connecticut Sportswriter of the Year in 2011 and 2012 by the National Association of Sportscasters and Sportswriters. He has been covering sports for the Courant for 25 years, and his work has been cited 11 times by the Associated Press Sports Editors.
Amore teaches sportswriting as adjunct professor of journalism at Southern Connecticut State University.
For the Courant, he has covered the Giants and NFL from 1992-99, the Yankees and major league baseball from 1999-2011. He has been a baseball Hall of Fame voter since 2007. He has covered eight Super Bowls and 10 World Series for The Courant.
Amore has been the UConn men's basketball beat writer...


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The Future of Recorded Music - Part 2
Just a week before the May 9 release of their two-CD set Stadium Arcadium, the Red Hot Chili Peppers found that the whole album had been leaked to the Internet, letting fans download it free from file-sharing sites. These days, of course, leaks are hardly novel - but the reaction of the band's bass player, Flea, was. On the band's Web site, he bemoaned not the possibility of lost sales, but the poor sound quality of the leaked version, saying fans would be hearing "a pale imitation" of the real recording.
Some fans questioned Flea's motives; after all, the Chili Peppers recently abandoned their "no-iTunes" policy, allowing their albums to be bought in compressed file formats. But his comments underscore the fact that as downloads start to replace CD sales, artists face myriad changes from both creative and business perspectives.
Track 1: Slipped Discs
Already several years in the making, the shift toward downloads has been gradual, in large measure because of the major record labels' initial reluctance to embrace it. Thanks to the success of portable music players (okay - Apple's iPod) and legal online music services (okay - Apple's iTunes, but also Napster, AOL Music Now, Sony Connect, Yahoo Music, and soon, MTV's Urge), online digital music sales are growing exponentially, while CD sales are slowing. Still, no one expects CDs to be replaced any time soon.
"We are clearly shifting to a digital-delivery environment, but it will take a little while to get there," says Thomas Hesse, president of Global Digital Business at Sony BMG Music Entertainment. "But it's realistic to assume that in five years, we'll be in the realm of 50% digital distribution."
Many artists are already seeing the handwriting on the wall. Ari Hest, for example, who'll release his second album for Columbia this fall, says the demise of the CD will come sooner than he initially thought. "If you asked me a couple of years ago, I would have said it would take another decade, but I don't think so anymore. It's becoming more frequent for everybody I know to get their music from iTunes and avoid CDs altogether."


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Style # 201232
Nautical-luxe stripes never go out of style! This bebe dress features a sexy elastic crisscross back, cool high-low hemline and soft drape. Try it with gold accessories and a pair of blue sandals.
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Elastic Back Stripe Hi-Lo Maxi Dress 4 4
This is a Must Have summer dress This is my first hi lo dress ever, i just dont like hi lo dress fit on my body except this one, when i saw this one just came out on the website, i know this is the one I should get. Anyways I just got this today and totally LOVE it, love how it fit, love the length. I got an XS (that is my normal size from bebe). Thank you BEBE :) For anybody concern abt should or should not wear bra, I think it's really up to you guys, I do wear a backless bra (got from Victoria Secret). I'm 32C, and I feel more comfortable with bra. May 23, 2013
Amazing, Sexy Dress!!!!! I just received this dress in the mail, and I am absolutely in love with it!! It looks even better in person than it does in the photo, and the back is to-die-for sexy!!! I'm small-busted, 32A, and it fits fine without a bra...and, since it's not at all sheer, I can get away with that. I ordered the XS, and it fits true-to-size everywhere. It's longer on me than on the model, since I'm only 5'4", and I actually prefer that it comes down to the back of my ankle, like a true maxi-dress. I am going to live in this one!! February 7, 2013
Sexy Back! Love this dress. Fits great! can be worn with a backless and strapless bra. Please make this in more colors bebe! Maybe Red/white Mint/white or Solid colors ( purple, red, mint, etc )while keeping the black back straps. February 1, 2013
Sexy! This dress is sexy casual or it can be dressed up with heels! If you have nice curves this dress will hug every inch of you in the right places. I am 5ft 1 and 111 lbs 32 D breasts and xs fits great. You cannot wear a bra with this dress so people with smaller busts may not like the fit. August 27, 2012
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