text:
Canada's official telecommunications regulatory agency is unhappy about the Canadian Broadcast Standards Council's recent decision that the unedited version of the Dire Straits song "Money for Nothing" is "unacceptable for broadcast." The CBSC, which represents 760 private Canadian radio/television license owners, made that call earlier this month in response to a complaint that the tune includes three references to an offensive word.
We're confident that you can figure out which word that is from this excerpt:
The little faggot with the earring and the make-up / Yeah, buddy, that's his own hair / That little faggot's got his own jet airplane / That little faggot, he's a millionaire
But on Friday, the Canada's Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission sent the non-governmental CBSC a letter noting that the agency has received around 250 comments from Canadians, "most of which have suggested that the CBSC made an incorrect decision, and many of which have urged the Commission to take corrective action."
Would the council give more thought to "the context of the particular wording in the song's theme and intended message"—and very, very soon please?
Extremely offensive
As in many regions in United States, Canada has a broadcast association with a Code of Ethics, except Canada's is much tougher. It includes a "human rights" clause that calls upon broadcasters to ensure that their fare "contains no abusive or unduly discriminatory material or comment which is based on matters of race, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, marital status or physical or mental disability."
On February 1, 2010, the CBSC received a complaint via its Web form that the Newfoundland station OZ FM had broadcast the unedited Dire Straits tune. "I am aware of other versions of the song, in which the word was replaced with another, and yet OZ FM chose to play and not censor this particular version that I am complaining about," the message explained. "I find this extremely offensive as a member of the LGBT community."
When this was brought to OZ's attention, the station issued a response noting the song has been played across Canada "countless times in its original form" for over 25 years. The original version is "regarded by many as an historically successful and essential rock hit," the reply concluded.
This did not appease the complainant, who reiterated the protest to the Council. And so the Atlantic Panel of the CBSC deliberated over whether "Money for Nothing" violated its code. It did, the Panel eventually decided:
"[L]ike other racially driven words in the English language, 'faggot' is one that, even if entirely or marginally acceptable in earlier days, is no longer so," the final statement explained. Thus the song had fallen "into the category of unacceptable designations on the basis of race, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, age, gender, sexual orientation, marital status or physical or mental disability."
Who is speaking?
An uproar followed this decision, which was defended by Helen Kennedy, Executive Director of Egal Canada, an LGBT human rights group. The song "perpetuates the stereotype, it's negative and it's offensive. If you look to the origin of the word, it's disgusting," Kennedy told the Associated Press.
It's also worth noting that there is a version of the single that leaves out the offending second verse in its entirety. It was an "official" version of the song from Warner Bros., and is included on a couple of compilation albums issued by the label.
But many Dire Straits fans argued that the CBSC took the song's lyrics completely out of context. They were joined by the editors of Xtra, a Canadian gay/lesbian news service.
"Let's just get this out of the way immediately: the use of the word 'faggot' in 'Money for Nothing' isn't offensive," the news site's January 14 edition argued. "The song is written from the point of view of a working person complaining about the easy life of rock stars."
Indeed, the lyrics are the commentary of a bitter kitchen appliance installer who, watching an MTV rock video, ruefully admires the fortunes of pop music gods.
"I shoulda learned to play the guitar," he laments. "I shoulda learned to play them drums." Look at that performer "up there," he grimly laughs—"he's bangin' on the bongos like a chimpanzee / Oh, that ain't workin' / That's the way you do it / Get your money for nothin' and your chicks for free."
"Money for Nothing" is sung "from the perspective of a homophobic dick," Xtra concedes, "but it certainly doesn't glorify him or his detestable opinions. Rather, it ridicules his viewpoint."
We'd like to clarify
Now, Canada's government broadcast/telecommunications commission has asked the Standards Council to consider this argument. The Commission is also a bit miffed that many of the complainers wrote in under the impression that it made this call (i.e, that this was "government censorship"), rather than the CBSC.
Meanwhile, the Council has put out an "important clarifications" page on its "Money for Nothing" ruling in response to the considerable heat it's getting for the move.
"The Atlantic Regional Panel did not ban the song," the page insists. "The CBSC has no authority to ban any song. Nor would it have any interest in doing that." The Panel simply concluded that the word in question was "inappropriate for radio broadcast, and that principle applies to spoken word or musical broadcasts."
But while the CBSC advisory insists the decision doesn't "ban" the song, it adds that "there is no problem for broadcasters to play any edited version of the song or to mute the offending word," suggesting that the unaltered tune is indeed prohibited among its members.
Whatever you think of this brouhaha, it's pretty obvious that Canada's official broadcast regulator would like it to go away. "It would be appreciated if the CBSC could consider this matter as expeditiously as possible and issue its reconsidered decision promptly," the Commission wrote to the broadcasters.


text:
In reaction to the announcement that climate change legislation is delayed by the United States Senate, perhaps indefinitely, David Waskow of Oxfam, made the following statement:
"It is critical that the US pass legislation to deal with the oil spill and impacts on communities in the Gulf Coast, but the world cannot stand to hear, again, that the Senate will not act on climate change. While Senators go on their summer break, millions of poor people on the frontlines of climate change around the world can't take a break from the droughts and floods made worse by climate pollution."
"Without a commitment that the United States will work with other countries to solve the climate challenge and build resilience to its consequences, we cannot move forward globally. All eyes are on the US to show leadership. Failure on this critically important issue is just unacceptable, but the Senate has failed to match the leadership in the House and the Obama Administration has abandoned the helm."
"Time is ticking away. We urge President Obama to lead and Senators to get back to work determined to deliver legislation that cuts harmful pollution and invests in the resilience of poor communities on the front lines of climate change."
Contact information
Laura Rusu, +1 202 459 3739, email@example.com
Laura Rusu, +1 202 459 3739, email@example.com

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Remember when we talked about what you're supposed to do after a car accident? Here's a tip: not this. Definitely not this.
A road rage incident in Los Angeles led to a fight in the middle of the street between two older men in shirts and ties, one of whom is an attorney and one of whom is a retired LAPD cop, according to KTLA. And when two old guys in ties fight each other in the middle of the street, it's every bit as ridiculous as you'd expect.
The news stations reports that attorney Randalf Kincaid, driving the light blue Volkswagen Beetle, and the retired officer in the BMW both exited the San Diego Freeway when a confrontation ensued over some unspecified act of road rage. The fight was then captured on (unfortunately portrait) video shot by someone in a Honda.
In it we see Kincaid throw a punch at the ex-officer and then turn to get back in his Beetle after some words are exchanged. But very few cops, active duty or otherwise, are going to let you get away with punching them, so the former officer puts Kincaid in a chokehold and takes him down to the ground.
That was a nice takedown there. You can tell he's had training.
The retired officer then placed Kincaid under citizen's arrest until police arrived to take him into custody on battery charges, the TV station reports.
And what we're left with is an absurd fight that seems like something out of a Will Ferrell movie. Maybe it's that mustache on the ex-cop.
Hat tip to Automatch in Oppo-land!


text:
With literary texts, there may well be certain limitations because there will often be creative use of structures. However, I don't see that this would necessarily be a problem- it depends on the choice.
I've just downloaded the Kurt Vonnegut. Most of the examples seem fairly clear for article usage. There will be cases with articles where there is more than one possibility for an answer- for instance, in the third paragaph, line 6, the text has 'from the crewmen and planes', but it would be possible to have 'and the planes'.
On a presentational point, when I choose the wrong answer, the text automatically adds the correct choice. Would it be possible to signal to the user that they have made an error?
Student or Learner


text: KMWorld 100 Companies That Matter in Knowledge Management Mar 1, 2012 Hugh McKellar This article appears in the issue March 2012 (100 Companies) [Vol 21, Issue 3] Twelve years ago, when we published our first list, a host of vendors were attempting to serve the business community by layering bell upon whistle upon bell, hoping something might gain traction. Those were the earliest days of irrational exuberance, and many startups were targeting a developing knowledge management market, but merely making empty promises of true solutions. You likely remember those days-some of the software was simply breathtaking in its design but lots of shine with little substance.So, because we were taking the lead in defining the knowledge management market, we created our first list of 100 Companies That Matter. We assembled a team of judges comprised of colleagues, analysts, system integrators, theorists, practitioners and a few select users to identify companies that were providing true solutions to real and profound problems and challenges.Everyone involved in the judging process has his or her prejudices, of course, but we set those aside (for the most part) and assembled the list you see here, 100 companies whose products and services best meet the needs of our readership. I'm sure not all of you are familiar with each company, but I'd wager you're knowledgeable about a good majority of them. And I promise that each of you can find a solution to critical business problems through the products and services of at least one of these companies.And, as we keep reminding, we view knowledge management not as an application per se, rather a commitment to help harvest an organization's collective intelligence to best serve its entire constituency chain.To be sure, these aren't the only companies that "matter," but these 100 companies have demonstrated an unwavering commitment to their customers by helping to harvest an organization's collective intelligence in order to best serve its entire constituency chain.View from the TopWe encourage you to visit the Web sites of the 100 companies we listed. You'll see why we selected these companies. You can hear from the companies themselves in the special View from the Top section. Here, CEO and other top officials share their vision of the knowledge economy and how their solutions allow their customers to reach their goals.A2iA — Natural handwriting recognition, intelligent word recognition (IWR) and intelligent character recognition (ICR) technologies.ABBYY USA — Optical character recognition, document capture and language software for both PC and mobile devices. To Learn more, read ABBYY USA President and CEO Dean Tang's View From the TopAccellion — Enterprise-class, secure file sharing solutions for mobile-enabled organizations.AccessData — Digital investigations and litigation support.Accusoft — Document, content and imaging solutions. To Learn more, read Accusoft Founder, President Jack Berlin's View From the TopAcquia — Products, services and technical support for the open source Drupal social publishing system. To Learn more, read Acquia CEO Tom Erickson's View From the TopAlfresco — Open source enterprise content management system developer for Microsoft Windows and Unix-like operating systems.Altep — Document management, electronic discovery and litigation support.AnyDoc Software — Automated document, data capture and classification solutions. To Learn more, read AnyDoc Software President, Samuel L. Schrage's View From the TopAppian — Business process management software, including solutions for mobile devices, cloud computing and social business.Apple — Business and consumer software and hardware.ASG Software Solutions — Professional services and software solutions for management of metadata, applications, operations, content, performance, security, management and infrastructure.Attensity — Social analytics and engagement solutions.Attivio — Integration of enterprise search, business intelligence and analytics.AvePoint — Enterprise-class governance and infrastructure management solutions for SharePoint.BA Insight — Integrated search technologies and search-based applications that help organizations fully leverage SharePoint and FAST Search across the enterprise and in the cloud.Bamboo Solutions — Software to help organizations save significant time and money by deploying and managing applications, data and users on SharePoint.Box — Online file sharing and cloud content management services.BP Logix — Business process management solutions designed to provide the critical data needed to run businesses.Brainware — Intelligent data capture and enterprise search solutions. To Learn more, read Brainware President James Zubok's View From the TopBridgeline Digital — Web experience management and interactive technology solutions that help organizations optimize business processes.Citrix — Virtualization, networking, collaboration and cloud technologies.Clarabridge — Sentiment and text analytics software.Concept Searching — Software products that deliver conceptual metadata generation, auto-classification and powerful taxonomy management. To Learn more, read Concept Searching CEO/CTO's John Challis's View From the TopConnotate — Web data monitoring and collection for the business user.Consona — Customer service and support solutions built around an enterprise scale knowledge management platform.Content Analyst — Search and analytics for unstructured text. To Learn more, read Content Analyst President & CEO Kurt Michel's View From the TopCopyright Clearance Center — Solutions that simplify the licensing of content that lets businesses and academic institutions quickly get permission to use copyright-protected materials, while compensating publishers and content creators for the use of their works.Coveo — Modular and scalable enterprise search platform that indexes information stored in various repositories throughout the enterprise.Datawatch — Information analytics systems through data extraction from static, but content-rich, sources. To Learn more, read Datawatch President & CEO Michael Morrison's View From the TopDigital Reef — Software for e-discovery and digital information governance.eGain — On-premise or cloud software for knowledge-powered, multichannel sales and service.Ektron — .Net Web content management integrated with marketing optimization and social software.EMC — Information infrastructure technology and solutions that enable organizations to transform the way they compete and create value from information.eTouch — Enterprise consulting services.Exalead — Search-based application platform for business and government.Exsys — Software that provides non-programmers a new way to build interactive Web applications. To Learn more, read Exsys President Dustin Huntington's View From the TopFirstRain — Semantic categorization analytics.FTI Technology — E-discovery software and services. To Learn more, read FTI Technology Global Practice Leader Seth Rierson's View From the TopGoogle — Technology solutions for search, voice, analytics, documents, geospacial applications, etc.HiSoftware — Content-aware compliance and security solutions for the monitoring and enforcement of risk management and privacy guidelines across digital environments.Hivemine — AskMe social business software. To Learn more, read Hivemine CEO Peter Holland's View From the TopHP/Autonomy, an HP Company — Enterprise infrastructure software designed to help organizations derive meaning and value from information and mitigate the associated risks.IBM — Complete portfolio of enterprise content technologies and solutions.iDatix — iSynergy document management solution designed to solve transactional and paper-based problems in accounting, human resources, customer service and operations. To Learn more, read iDatix CEO Steve Allen's View From the TopIGLOO Software — Social business software.IntelliResponse — Software platform that allows customers and service agents to ask questions in natural language.ISYS Search Software — Embedded search and universal information access solutions. Jive Software — Social networking, collaboration software, community software, and social media monitoring.JustSystems — Content life cycle solutions.K2 — Process-driven applications.KANA — Solutions that unify business process, case and knowledge management for customer service organizations.Kapow Software — Automated data integration.kCura — Web-based platform servicing the analysis, review, and production stages of the e-discovery reference model. To Learn more, read kCura President & CEO Andrew Sieja's View From the TopKnowledgeLake — Document imaging related products and solutions for SharePoint.Kofax — Data capture and workflow solutions.LucidWorks (formerly Lucid Imagination) — Apache Solr/Lucene open source enterprise search technology.MarkLogic — Purpose-built database for unstructured information. To Learn more, read MarkLogic EVP & COO Keith Carlson's View From the TopMetalogix — Content life cycle management solutions for SharePoint. To Learn more, read Metalogix VP of Global Marketing Mandy Sadowski's View From the TopMicrosoft — Complete software solutions for home and office.Mindbreeze — Enterprise search, information access and data cognition. To Learn more, read Mindbreeze Managing Director Daniel Fallman's View From the TopMoxie Software — Enterprise social software for employee and customer engagement.NavigationArts — Enterprise Web design and development. To Learn more, read NaviagationArts CEO Leo Mullen's View From the TopNewsGator Technologies — Enterprise social computing solutions with direct integration with SharePoint's collaboration platform.Noetix — Instant operational reporting and packaged analytics for Oracle applications. To Learn more, read Noetix President & CEO Morris Beaton's View From the TopOpenText — Collaborative commerce solutions for e-business that enable users to extend and build BPM, CRM, SCM and ERP applications.Oracle/Endeca/FatWire — Integrated business software and hardware systems.Percussion — Web content management and marketing solutions.Pingar — Solutions to transform unstructured data into business intelligence.piXlogic — Search engine that automatically analyzes and searches images and video based on their visual content. Project Performance Corp. — Consulting firm addressing the energy, environment, financial, healthcare and insurance industries. To Learn more, read CEO Mike Freeman's View From the TopQontext is now AutoDesk — Social collaboration software.Quest Software — Solutions for application management, database management, Windows management and IT management.Raytion — Solutions for enterprise search, digital archiving, portals and collaboration.Recommind — E-discovery, enterprise search and information governance.Reprints Desk — Solutions for companies to obtain and use scientific, technical and medical literature.RightAnswers — Knowledge management, self-service and knowledgebase development tools.Rivet Logic — Solutions for content management, collaboration and community. To Learn more, read Rivet Logic President and CEO Mike Vertal's View From the TopRSD — Software for business information delivery, content and records management, and document archiving and retrieval. To Learn more, read CEO Pierre Van Beneden's View From the TopSAP — Enterprise software for managing business operations and customer relations.SAS Text Analytics — Unstructured content solutions using linguistic rules and statistical methods to automatically assess, analyze and act upon the insight buried in electronic text.SDL — Solutions to deliver a targeted customer experience. To Learn more, read SDL CEO John Hunter's View From the TopSearch Technologies — Search engine implementation and tuning.Sherpa Software — E-mail management software specifically designed to address archiving, e-discovery, PST management and compliance requirements for Lotus Notes and Microsoft Exchange. environments.Sitecore — Content management software that integrates with marketing automation, intranet portal, e-commerce, web optimization, social media and campaign management technologies.Siteworx — Solutions for search, analytics, Web content management and Web strategies. To Learn more, read President Tim McLaughlin's View From the TopSmartlogic — Taxonomy management and automatic classification.Socialtext — Social networking software for microblogging, blogs, wikis, profiles and social spreadsheets.SpringCM — Cloud-based enterprise content, document and workflow management.StoredIQ — Range of integrated solutions for fast response to litigation and investigations. To Learn more, read StoredIQ CEO Phil Myer's View From the TopSymantec — Security, storage and systems management solutions.Synaptica — Tools to help streamline and automate building and deploying taxonomies.Telligent — Enterprise social community and work force collaboration software.TIBCO — Infrastructure software for companies to use on-premise or as part of cloud computing environments.Traction Software — Social software platform.Vivisimo — Search and information optimization solutions. Wall Street Network — Knowledge management for SharePoint. To Learn more, read Wall Street Network COO & CFO Kristina Mazelis's View From the TopWorkshare — Document collaboration software.ZL Technologies — Corporate archiving solutions for e-discovery, records management, regulatory compliance, corporate governance, and storage management.ZyLAB — E-discovery and information management solutions.


text:
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text:
- News
- Business
- Sports
- Entertainment
- Lifestyle
- Health
- Travel
- Technology
Britain's royal family carried out 1,000 fewer engagements last year than in 2012 as the Duchess of Cambridge's pregnancy, the Duke of Edinburgh's illness and Prince Harry's tour of Afghanistan took their toll on public appearances.
The calendar year of 2013 was always expected to be less busy than the previous year because the Queen's Diamond Jubilee and the Olympics made 2012 an exceptionally hectic year. In the event, illnesses and absences also combined to reduce royal engagements by a quarter, or 1,061 appearances.
The Duchess of Cambridge, who carried out 111 public duties in 2012, could manage only 44 last year, as she spent much of the year on maternity leave. Her husband carried out 26 fewer engagements.
The Duke of Edinburgh, who managed an impressive 325 engagements in 2012, managed just 184 last year because of his convalescence from abdominal surgery carried out in June. The Queen had a rare week of cancelled engagements in March after being treated for gastroenteritis, and her cousin Princess Alexandra, who had 110 engagements in 2012, could carry out only 28 last year after she fell ill with polymyalgia rheumatica, an inflammation of the muscles.
The illnesses of older members of the Royal family will inevitably increase the pressure on the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry to help shoulder more of the workload.
The Duke and Duchess are poised to have their busiest year to date, including a month-long tour of Australia and New Zealand in April, though aides said there had been no arm-twisting to persuade them to take on full-time royal roles.
The figures, complied by Tim O'Donovan, an amateur royal statistician, from announcements in the daily Court Circular, show that the Prince of Wales was the busiest member of the Royal family. He carried out 537 engagements last year, 83 more than his sister the Princess Royal, who is often described as the family's hardest-working member.
Mr O'Donovan, of Datchet, Berks, said raw statistics did not tell the whole story. "The reason the Princess Royal has that reputation is because she gets out and about more than the Prince of Wales," he said. "Last year the Prince did 161 official visits but had an awful lot of meetings in London, whereas the Princess carried out 248 visits." He added: "They really do work incredibly hard … We're very lucky to have them."
The Daily Telegraph
The Queen UK 344 Overseas 0 total 344
Duke of Edinburgh UK 180 Overseas 4 Total 184
Prince of Wales UK 442 Overseas 95 Total 537
Duchess of Cornwall UK 175 Overseas 71 Total 246
Duke of Cambridge UK 62 Overseas 0 Total 62
Duchess of Cambridge UK 44 Overseas 0 Total 44
Prince Harry UK 27 Overseas 25 Total 52
Duke of York UK 262 Overseas 68 Total 330
Earl of Wessex UK 258 Overseas 87 Total 345
Countess of Wessex UK 133 Overseas 95 Total 228
Princess Royal UK 432 Overseas 22 Total 454
Duke of Gloucester UK 201 Overseas 21 Total 222
Duchess of Gloucester UK 124 Overseas 8 Total 132
Duke of Kent UK 178 Overseas 20 Total 198
Princess Alexandra UK 28 Overseas 0 Total 28
Total UK 2,890
Total overseas 516 Total all 3,406
The Queen UK 425 Overseas 0 Total 425
Duke of Edinburgh UK 323 Overseas 2 Total 325
Prince of Wales UK 480 Overseas 112 Total 592
Duchess of Cornwall UK 185 Overseas 91 Total 276
Duke of Cambridge UK 52 Overseas 36 Total 88
Duchess of Cambridge UK 75 Overseas 36 Total 111
Prince Harry UK 27 Overseas 34 Total 61
Duke of York UK 381 Overseas 55 Total 436
Earl of Wessex UK 251 Overseas 180 Total 431
Countess of Wessex UK 169 Overseas 155 Total 324
Princess Royal UK 485 Overseas 81 Total 566
Duke of Gloucester UK 257 Overseas 80 Total 337
Duchess of Gloucester UK 127 Overseas 19 Total 146
Duke of Kent UK 192 Overseas 47 Total 239
Princess Alexandra UK 107 Overseas 3 Total 110
Total UK 3,536
Total overseas 931 Total all 4,467
What's On Tonight for


text:
May 31. 2006-The Last Thirty Miles
Sailing the last thirty miles back to Seattle was fun in the old days, back when we did that trip three or four times a summer. You picked a weekend when there was a big flood tide on Sunday, and, after a week in the islands, you'd hit Point Wilson on the return trip about 11:00AM, when the sea breeze is starting to fill in, and you could set the kite and jibe on each bend of the Sound, and come all the way home going eight knots. It was glorious.
We used to drink on that trip, and arrive at Shilshole bay in the late afternoon tired, sunburned, and slightly drunk, with wine or rum bottles rattling around in the aft cockpit like trophies. It might have affected our judgment. I remember one time when we came steaming into Shilshole on port jibe, pole on the headstay, going 10 knots, rounded down right at the north entrance, dropped the kite and sailed in under main, excited and jubilant, only to find the marina filled with boats with people sitting in the cockpits, afraid to go out because the wind was too strong. We didn't even notice it.
The ship traffic on Puget Sound wasn't too bad either, although I remember one time when I was down below yelling on the radio at a tow boat skipper who came out of his lane to cut the corner at Double Bluff and left us nowhere to go while Judy sat topsides watching helplessly as the spinnaker wrapped itself four times around the headstay.
No mostly there was plenty of room to avoid the ships.
Not like Singapore. The last thirty miles here won't be exciting sailing. It is hot alright, hotter than summer in Seattle, but the wind just isn't here. And the ships come by about one every 5 minutes. You have to be sharp to dodge them just right.
Today we are coming into Singapore, and we do have the tide with us, but we are motoring, or else we wouldn't get there by night fall.
At least we're here.
Singapore Flag
Fred & Judy, SV Wings, Singapore
PS: Since I wrote the above we had a nice little squall blow through, 25 knots, and we had a pleasant sail, if not exciting. We arrived in Singapore at 16:00, cleared customs, and we are in a marina at Sentosa Island, Singapore
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Labels: sailing


text:
Fiddler Tower is a new home design in the Cottage Collection. Your personal style & amenities are encouraged be added to further customize your house, learn more.
Herrington Homes Office/Design Center:
110 Dungannon Blvd. Unit 160
Wilmington, NC 28403
Mailing address:
P.O. Box 538 Wrightsville Beach, NC 28480
Hours: 8:00am to 5:00pm.
Office: 910-399-5688
For Sales: Contact Mary Johnson: 910-442-7544


text:
We watched TRON tonight and I thought I had read something about a sequel, so I checked youtube.
Click the pic to watch the trailer:
The music at the end of the trailer felt like something from the golden age of John Carpenter/Alan Howarth. It's by a group called The MCP9000.
My latest obsession:
Click to hear a remix of the track.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Tron Legacy
We watched TRON tonight and I thought I had read something about a sequel, so I checked youtube.
6 comments:
- GhoulishCop said...
That's cool they brought back Jeff Bridges for the part. I remember that original movie was so cutting edge at the time. Does it seem somewhat hokey now with all the advancements in technology?
- February 25, 2010 at 10:46 PM
- JHMDF said...
It has a real Final Fantasy vibe to it. I dig it.
- February 25, 2010 at 11:48 PM
- Rot said...
I was pretty surprised at the effects in the original. I sat down telling myself to get ready for some really distractingly bad effects, but I guess it was the design and the directing that made it anything but that. I saw the film when I was in grade school ONCE and it was crazy how much of the film I remembered.
The director of the new TRON is going to helm the remake of THE BLACK HOLE too. I dig. I dig.
- February 26, 2010 at 7:13 AM
- jpg526 said...
I've watched this on xbox live multiple times..its gonna look sick when it hits Blu-ray. Rot is right..the music is great.
- February 26, 2010 at 8:19 AM
- The Gill-Man said...
This truly looks amazing. I'm pleased to see that they're keeping the aesthetic of the original, while making it more sleek and modern.
An update of the Black Hole? Excellent!
- February 26, 2010 at 9:20 AM
- Jay's Shadow said...
Wow, I felt like I was in grade school again....I remember when my dad came home from the movie rental store with it and I was like I was on a huge sugar rush!
- February 26, 2010 at 3:40 PM


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Difference between revisions of "Chappaquiddick incident"
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[[File:Chappaquiddick Kennedy Car 25.jpg|right|300px|thumb|The Dyke Bridge at Chappaquiddick Island, with Senator Ted Kennedy's car on the shore below, July 19, 1969]]
[[File:Chappaquiddick Kennedy Car 25.jpg|right|300px|thumb|The Dyke Bridge at Chappaquiddick Island, with Senator Ted Kennedy's car on the shore below, July 19, 1969]]
'''Chappaquiddick''' is the name of a small island, about six square miles, just off of
'''Chappaquiddick''' is the name of a small island, about six square miles, just off of Martha's Vineyard south of [[Cape Cod]], [[Massachusetts]]. Most of it is conservation land held by the Trustees of Reservations, a private organization.
==The death of Mary Jo Kopechne==
==The death of Mary Jo Kopechne==
Revision as of 23:39, 15 June 2019
Chappaquiddick is the name of a small island, about six square miles, just off of Martha's Vineyard south of Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Most of it is conservation land held by the Trustees of Reservations, a private organization.
The death of Mary Jo Kopechne
It is most famous as the location of an event known as the "Chappaquiddick incident," or simply "Chappaquiddick." The narrow bridge connecting Chappaquiddick Island to Martha's Vineyard was the location of the death of a young woman, Mary Jo Kopechne, in a car driven by Senator Ted Kennedy on July 19, 1969. This became one of the most famous political events of the late 20th century and likely prevented Ted Kennedy, the brother of President John F. Kennedy, from ever becoming president himself.[1]
Kennedy's statement to police
This was the statement given by Ted Kennedy to Police Chief Dominick Arena the morning after the accident:
- "On July 18, 1969, at approximately 11:15 PM in Chappaquiddick, Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts, I was driving my car on Main Street on my way to get the ferry back to Edgartown. I was unfamiliar with the road and turned right onto Dike Road, instead of bearing hard left on Main Street. After proceeding for approximately one-half mile on Dike Road I descended a hill and came upon a narrow bridge. The car went off the side of the bridge. There was one passenger with me, one Miss Mary ________ [Kennedy did not know how to spell the woman's last name], a former secretary of my brother Sen. Robert Kennedy. The car turned over and sank into the water and landed with the roof resting on the bottom. I attempted to open the door and the window of the car but have no recollection of how I got out of the car. I came to the surface and then repeatedly dove down to the car in an attempt to see if the passenger was still in the car. I was unsuccessful in the attempt. I was exhausted and in a state of shock. I recall walking back to where my friends were eating. There was a car parked in front of the cottage and I climbed into the back seat. I then asked for someone to bring me back to Edgartown. I remember walking around for a period of time and then going back to my hotel room. When I fully realized what had happened this morning, I immediately contacted the police.[2]
New York Times alleges coverup
In 1979, a New York Times editorial observed:
- More important now than the loose ends of his unsatisfying accounts are the reasons they were left so loose. If Mr. Kennedy used his enormous influence to protect himself by leading a cover-up of misconduct—and the known facts lead to that suspicion—there would hang over him not just a cloud of tragedy, but of corruption, of the Watergate kind.[3]
According to the testimony of the other party-goers, Kennedy left the party at around 11:15 or 11:30, and party guest Mary Jo Kopechne asked for a ride back to her hotel. Kennedy drove his mother's 1967 Olds 88. A deputy sheriff later testified that he saw Kennedy's car on Dyke Road at 12:40 am, and that the driver sped off when he approached it.
Edward M. Kennedy's account
According to Kennedy, he made a wrong turn onto an unlit dirt road that led to Dike Bridge, a wooden bridge angled obliquely to the road with no guardrail, and drove over its side. The car plunged into tide-swept Poucha Pond (at that location a channel) and came to rest upside down underwater. Kennedy later recalled that he was able to swim free of the vehicle, but Kopechne was not. Kennedy claimed at the inquest that he called Kopechne's name several times from the shore, then tried to swim down to reach her seven or eight times, then rested on the bank for several minutes before returning on foot to Lawrence Cottage, where the party attended by Kopechne and other "Boiler Room Girls" had occurred.
According to one commentator, his route back to the cottage would have taken him past four houses from which he could have telephoned and summoned help; however, he did not do so.
"I will take care of the accident"
According to their later testimony, Gargan and party co-host Paul Markham then returned to the pond with Kennedy to try to rescue Kopechne. Both of the other men reported that they also tried to dive into the water and rescue Kopechne multiple times. When their efforts to rescue Kopechne failed, Kennedy claimed that he said to the others, "You take care of the other girls and I will take care of the accident". According to Gargan and Markham, they then returned to the cottage and told the women nothing, at Kennedy's request. According to Gargan and Markam's testimony, they assumed that Kennedy was going to inform the authorities once he got back to Edgartown, and thus did not do so themselves.
Abandons the scene
Kennedy decided to return to his hotel; however, the Edgartown-Chappaquiddick ferry (which connects Chappaquiddick to the rest of the island) had shut down for the night, so Gargan and Markham drove Kennedy to the ferry crossing and Kennedy then swam across the 500-foot channel, back to Edgartown, where he fell asleep on his hotel bed at around 2 am.
Back at his hotel, Kennedy complained at 2:55 am to the hotel owner that he had been awoken by a noisy party. By 7:30 am the next morning he was talking "casually" to the winner of the previous day's sailing race, with no indication that anything was amiss. At 8 a.m., Gargan and Markham joined Kennedy at his hotel where they had a "heated conversation", even though the ferry operator did not see them take the ferry to get to Edgartown. The three men subsequently crossed back to Chappaquidick Island on the ferry, where Kennedy made a series of phone calls from a payphone by the crossing to his friends for advice; he again did not report the accident to authorities.
Did not report accident resulting in death for 10 hours
Earlier that morning, two fishermen had seen the overturned car in the water and had called the police. A diver was sent down and discovered Kopechne's body. The diver later testified at the inquest that Kopechne's body was pressed up in the car in the spot where an air bubble would have formed. He interpreted this to mean that Kopechne had survived for a while after the initial accident in the air bubble, and concluded that
|Had I received a call within five to ten minutes of the accident occurring, and was able, as I was the following morning, to be at the victim's side within twenty-five minutes of receiving the call, in such event there is a strong possibility that she would have been alive on removal from the submerged car.
Police checked the car's license plate and saw that it was registered to Kennedy. When Kennedy, still at the pay phone by the ferry crossing, saw that the body had been discovered, he crossed back to Edgartown and went to the police station: Gargan simultaneously went to the hotel where the Boiler Room Girls were staying to inform them about the incident. Kennedy discussed the accident with several people, including his lawyer and Kopechne's parents, before discussing it with the police the next morning.
Ted Kennedy is still sometimes referred to sarcastically as the Hero of Chappaquiddick.
See also
- ↑ NewsBusters; Flashback: John John Was No 'Sun God,' Chappaquiddick Was a Kopechne Tragedy
- ↑ http://www.ytedk.com/chapter6.htm
- ↑ "The Legacy of Chappaquiddick," The New York Times, November 7, 1979, p. A30
External links
- Mary Jo Kopechne, The Patriot Post


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We are the oldest and most accomplished Honor Society at Baruch College, having meaningfully served the college and the community for more than 80 years. Our society is exclusive to Baruch and is not part of a national organization. As such, our current and former members have a very close relationship to this organization. The society is run by students who want to make a difference in the community and improve the quality of life at our college. Concurrently, they make lasting friendships with fellow honor students and develop essential leadership skills.
Sigma Alpha Delta's history began originally in 1932 with Sigma Alpha, the first Honor Society in Baruch College. The Delta Chapter for evening students was created in 1959. Both Sigma Alpha and its Delta chapter have been come to be collectively known as Sigma Alpha Delta Honor Society.
The Sigma Alpha Delta Honor Society seeks to provide continuous support for its members in their pursuit of academic excellence, valuable communitarian contributions and sustainable networking opportunities, all with a focus on diversity and for the betterment of present and future generations.
- Develop leadership skills
- Provide a family environment for both prospective and inducted members
- Provide opportunities for professional development and networking
- Encourage personal growth
Sigma Alpha – Honor and Service Society at Baruch College was born to it in 1932 as an elite honor society. At the time, the college was called "The School of Business and Civic Administration" until 1953 when it was renamed to Baruch College. Back then, the college was part of The City College of New York (CCNY) which had two branches, one uptown and one downtown. The "downtown campus" was located in the landmark 18 Story building on the corner of 23rd St and Lexington Ave, New York City, which now is a part of Baruch. Thus the downtown campus was known as The City College's "School of Business and Civic Administration", as above, and was founded in 1919. It, in turn, replaced the previous name of "The Free Academy" that was founded in 1847 which was the first free public institution of higher education in the nation.
Sigma Alpha Honor Society's mission was twofold, one complementing the other. Its first purpose was Scholarship. The College's best students who excelled in academics were brought together through the society where they could socialize and form lasting friendships. Sigma Alpha's second and more important purpose was Service. Its members would use their acumen, combined with good character, to help other school members in whatever way possible and to better their environment. The combination of these two functions was to make Sigma Alpha over the years more integral to the infrastructure of Baruch College than any other society and unique in its mission.
Sigma Alpha's constitution stated (taken from the Lexicon 1959):


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The struggle in Melody: Songs of Loyalty
[Sunday, December 02, 2012 21:32]
By Tsewang Rigzin
His Holiness the Dalai Lama, in his closing remarks at the recently concluded Second Special International Tibet Support Groups Meeting, stated that the "younger generation of Tibetans in Tibet these days have much stronger determination as compared to earlier generations." I have no doubt that His Holiness the Dalai Lama is absolutely correct given the fact that 76 out of 85 (89.4 %) cases of self-immolations till date have been carried out by the new and younger generation Tibetans, who are below 40 years of age.
What makes younger generation of Tibetan more determined, courageous and patriotic? The obvious answer is because of Chinese atrocities and short sighted policies such as enforcing cultural homogeneity to blur ethnic Tibetan Identity, demographically flooding Tibet with Han Chinese through the 'Go west' campaign, rewriting history to justify their claim over Tibet and maintaining political repression through arbitrary arrests, imprisonment, torture and killings. But there is another less obvious yet very important cause which I believe contributes in making this new generation of Tibetans more determined, courageous and patriotic. This cause, I believe are the 'Songs of Loyalty-(La-Gyei-Lu-Yang),' that are being sung by many brave and patriotic artists in Tibet. I strongly believe these songs have played noteworthy role in bringing about a sense of inclusive nationalism and pride in being Tibetan amongst many Tibetans in Tibet and in Exile.
Music has played important role in many different social and political movements and history bears witness to this. Many songs with meaningful lyrics have been a catalyst of change in many countries. For instance, the 'Singing Revolution' in the late 1980's, in which people demonstrated through spontaneous singing of patriotic songs and hymns that were strictly forbidden, eventually lead to the restoration of independence in the Baltic States from erstwhile USSR. In the case of China, Cui Jian's 1986 song '
Nothing to My Name
' which was referred to as 'the most influential song in history of China' was popular with protesters in Tiananmen Square. Cui Jian performed the song live at the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989 and many protesters sang 'Nothing to My Name' in unison to give voice to their rebellion against the government, and their desire for democracy and personal freedom and thus it became an unofficial anthem for Chinese youth and activists during the protest. Such examples are many. These songs play an important role in social movements as it evokes a sense of displeasure with existing social and political system and inspires the listener to raise one's voice. As Fred Stanton rightly puts it, "political songs have purpose that goes beyond entertainment – they are songs specifically useful for building a political struggle, not just to uplift the soul as any good song should do. People want to hear them at rallies, picket lines, etc., to use them to fan flames and educate and recruit to a movement."
In the history of Tibet's political struggle, particularly from late 1980's, music has been effectively used as a vehicle to spread social and political messages, explicitly or implicitly, and has played a significant role in evoking a strong sense of inclusive nationalism, loyalty and pride in being Tibetan, and thus inspiring many the younger generation of Tibetans like me. There are ample of cases to justify this claim. It is said that Tibetan protesters, who were arrested and thrown into military trucks during the peaceful protest that erupted in Lhasa on 27th of September and 1st October, 1987, were defiantly singing patriotic song (s) in unison with high spirit while being taken away to prison.
The written statement left behind by Martyr Jamphel Yeshi before he immolated himself for the cause of Tibet this year in March in New Delhi, reflects the fact that he drew inspiration from the lyrics of patriotic songs sung in Tibet.
The point number two of his five-point
final statement
in Tibetan is same with that of a lyrics of a song called "
Call for Loyalty, La-Gyai-Rey-Boe
", which was composed and sung by Khatak Phuntsok Topgyal from Tibet. The third point of his statement also seems inspired by another song by the same singer called "
Without Freedom- Rang-Wang-Mey-Na
In another case, monk Chime Palden, who immolated himself along with Tenpa Dhargyal on 30th March 2012, was earlier arrested and detained in Lhasa for about a month in 2010 over the possession of a picture of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, a Tibetan national flag and a popular nationalistic song called "
Sound of Unity – Thundrel-Kyi-Rangdra
", sung by another famous singer in Tibet, Shertan. I was told by one Tibetan who came from Tibet recently that they often go for a sort-of-prayer-picnic on mountain tops but many times end up with crying altogether after singing such songs.
Although many of such songs use metaphors and ambiguities, suggesting political meanings to avoid potential consequences, however many singers risk their lives by using lyrics that are more explicit and vocal in their expressions of political statement. Consequently, many have faced ruthless actions.
On 3rd November 2008, T.A.R. Propaganda Bureau chief, Cui Yuying stated: "It is necessary to struggle against infiltration by the Dalai Clique in the ideological sphere by eliminating and cracking down on nationality cultural products with the nature of politically separatist reactionary views which mislead the public."
There is a long list of Tibetan singers and lyricists who have been arrested and jailed for singing what the Chinese call 'reactionary and counter-revolutionary' songs. The most recent is the case of Chogsel, a Tibetan singer from Kham Nagshoe, who was arrested on 18th August 2012 on charges of "threatening social stability" and "inciting the separation within nationalities" through his songs. He has been banned from singing. Just a few days before that another well-known Tibetan singer Achok Phuljhung was arrested by Chinese authorities on 3rd August 2012 for his newly released album, "We who are burdened, Khur-Gi-Non-Pai-Nya-Tso." The album contains many strong lyrics with explicit political meanings in praise of the Dalai Lama, Sikyong Lobsang Sangey and Tibetan self-immolators. Some of the songs from his album are, "
Good Teacher- Lama Sangpo
", "
Dream - Milam
", "
We have support- Nya-Tsor-Gyap-Kyor-Yoe
" and "Heros- Pa-Goe-Tso" A portion of the lyrics from his song "
Heros- Pa-Goe-Tso
" reads,
"Oh, Martyrs, whose motivations are pure and noble,
For the freedom of people of Snow-Land (Gangchen Pa)
You burned your precious body to the fire
Ae-Ma, I shall forever sing for your praise and Memoriam"
Another case of such arrest is that of Tibetan singer Lolo, who was arrested on 19th April 2012. His arrest came months after he released an album titled "
" target="_blank">Raise the flag of Tibet, sons of the snow
." A portion of the title song of the album reads,
"To secure the independence of Tibet
To resist the Red Chinese leader
Through the truth of Middle path
Children of the snow land, raise the Tibetan flag"
Not only have the Chinese authorities arrested singers and lyricists but they in many cases, they have also arrested common masses for storing such songs and videos on their mobile phones and other devices, especially post the 2008 uprisings in Tibet. According to the
Radio Free Asia
, in April and March 2012, around a dozen Tibetans were detained in Markham for storing a song in praise of the Dalai Lama in their mobile phones. There are also many cases of punishments and fines imposed by local Chinese authorities on shop keepers and restaurant owners for singing such song in their commercial establishments.
For me, it is very difficult to select a few songs from the many that have motivated me. Nonetheless, I am going to discuss with you some songs that I have drawn inspiration from. The common theme around these songs are; Tibetan's faith in His Holiness the Dalai Lama, the sadness of his absence and hopes for his return to Tibet, the sufferings of Tibetans in Tibet, pride in being Tibetan, preservation of cultural heritage, and determination to resist the Chinese occupation of Tibet.
Songs in praise of and sadness in the absence of His Holiness the Dalai Lama top the list. There are hundreds of songs with this theme. One that immediately comes to my mind is "
Divine bird of Peace- Shedei-Lhaja-Karpo
" sung by famous Amdo singer Shertan. In this song of praise for His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Shertan uses 'white divine bird' as a metaphor for the Dalai Lama. Another strong metaphorical song which expresses the sadness of absence of the Dalai Lama and aspiration for his return to Tibet is "
A Phone call – Khapar-Thong-dhang
" sung by famous female singer Lhakyi. I was told that this song was once played in every corner of Barkhor Street until it was officially banned. A portion of the lyrics from this song reads,
A phone call, a phone call,
A phone call from top of Snow Mountain,
It said that Snow-lion is returning,
Let's rejoice, the people of Snow land,
For Tibetans of home and abroad will reunite soon.
One strong song that I believe strongly reflects the sadness and suffering of Tibetans is "
Torture without trace – Ma-kha-Mey-Pei-Char-Dhung
" sung by Tashi Dondup who was arrested on 3rd December 2009 and later released on 7th February 2011 after serving 14 months of his 15 month sentence. His album became very famous. Five thousand CDs were sold out immediately within a few days of its release, before Chinese authorities banned the album. A portion of the lyric from this song reads,
"First, a sad tune for my brother hasn't returned from afar
Second, the pain because there is no harmony for people
Third, the occupation and denial of freedom for Tibetans
These are all torture without trace."
Other songs from the same album are equally vocal and strong in its explicit political messages, including, "
No regret – Gyoe-Pa-Mey
" and "
Another song by yet another brave singer which strongly reflects a Tibetan's determination to safeguard one's cultural heritage and deep aspiration to see the Dalai Lama is "I will not die – Nya-Mei-Chei." A portion of the lyrics reads,
"I won't die even my life span ends,
Until the opportunity is not materialised for seeing
The Lama of peace and non violence who
Went abroad for the sake of sentient beings
I won't regret even if am killed
To extend the hands to restore
The sacred texts, culture and the wealth
Which had been burned with hatred."
The message of protecting one's own cultural tradition is another important theme of these songs. The newly released, "
Have you given it a thought, people of snow land? – Samlo-Ae-Thang- Gangchen-Pa
" is one such song. Gepe, the singer of this song from Amdo, is believed to have "disappeared without a trace" after releasing this album recently. Portion of the lyrics from this song reads,
"Oh Gangchenpa, the people of snow mountains,
Did you ever give a thought?
That the script and language of Tibet
And Tibetan ways of life are
Like souls of Tibetan people.
Are you studying them, young Tibetans?
In another song by the same singer, "
I can't be defeated – Pham-Mey-Sei
" evokes a tremendous sense of pride in being Tibetan. A portion of the lyrics reads,
"Born in Tibet by virtue of good karma and prayer,
Raised by grateful parents as their own eyes,
I, the son of snow, with youthful physique,
Will parade turquoise mane of a white snow lion,
I, the disciple of Avalokateshvara, will never be defeated
For I am the golden banner of victory,
By considering the law of Karma I took the Middle Way
And with love and compassion in my mind I keep my words"
The message of this song very much imbues a sense of pride in being Tibetan and boosts the morale of listeners in this onerous struggle of justice against the might of China. The list of such songs is long and I, for one have been very much motivated and inspired and more importantly it evokes my sense of inclusive nationalism and responsibility that I owe to my people and nation and in our struggle for freedom. I strongly believe these songs have played an important role in making many Tibetan youths like me, more determined, courageous and patriotic.
Someone once truly said, "When you are happy, you enjoy the music. But when you are sad you understand the lyrics."
Sometime back, I was travelling in a taxi with some of my relatives who had come from Tibet on a pilgrimage to India and I asked them to sing a song. One of them told me, "Now, I hardly remember any songs as it has been many years, since 2008, that we stopped singing!"
This response still echoes in my heart. Tibetans in Tibet haven't enjoyed music for long, yet they have well understood the lyrics.
Acknowledgement: I would like to thank my fried Tsering Samdup, a PhD Candidate at Central University of Tibetan Studies, Sarnath for helping me with translating some of the Tibetan lyrics to English.
The writer is a developmental professional based in Delhi. He can be reached at firstname.lastname@example.com. Article submitted by the author.
The views expressed in this piece are that of the author and the publication of the piece on this website does not necessarily reflect their endorsement by the website.
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text: Show Hide image Politics 18 October 2012 Labour isn't working Sign-up The re-education through labour system (known in Chinese as laojiao) is a form of punishment with "Chinese characteristics". It can be handed down without a trial or prosecution and defence. The public security authorities can deprive a citizen of personal freedoms in the name of the so-called re-education through labour committee and impose up to four years of forced labour and ideological education at camps designed for the purpose. In 1991, China's State Council published a white paper, The Condition of Human Rights in China, claiming that laojiao was an administrative punishment, not a criminal one. The Chinese government based the system on the experience of the Soviet Union. In 1957, the State Council issued the Decision on the Re-education Through Reform Question. It ruled that the government would gather and discipline "counter-revolutionaries" who could not be sentenced, and other "bad elements", to prevent them from "spreading feelings of dissatisfaction" or "sabotage". This is considered the beginning of laojiao. As the class struggle intensified, "rightists" were included as targets for re-education through labour. After the "Reform and Opening Up" in 1979, the government included petty offenders who could not be criminally sanctioned. Over the past decade, more and more dissidents and people who have petitioned the authorities have been re-educated. The system is increasingly becoming the method of choice for "maintaining stability". The Chinese government has never published annual numbers of people re-educated through labour. The Public Security Bureau's Regulation on State Secrets and the Specific Scope of Each Level of Secrets in Public Security Work specified that "unpublished overall national, provincial, autonomous regional and municipal status and statistics of re-education through labour and juvenile discipline are state secrets". But, in 2003, the ministry of justice, in its Strategic Plan for Aids Prevention and Control, revealed that at the end of 2001, there were 340 re-education through labour camps in the country. Altogether, they enrolled 317,000 people for re-education, and the average re-education period was a year and seven months. Re-education through labour cases are a sensitive area for the media. Either they cannot report on them, or they have to self-censor reports strictly. With the ubiquitous use in China of the "we media", such as microblogs, many very absurd cases of re-education through labour have been spread widely on the internet. Two of these cases are from Hunan Province. Tang Hui, from the city of Yongzhou, the mother of an "11-year-old girl forced into prostitution", was taken away on the morning of 2 August 2012 by about a dozen special police. On that day, they decided to re-educate her for one year because she had petitioned the authorities, accusing the police of "disturbing public order" by shielding a criminal. From Changsha, 25 people who had been evicted from their properties knelt before the national flag in Tiananmen Square in the summer of 2011. Twenty-one of them were accused of "causing chaos and disturbing the social order of Tiananmen Square" and were re-educated through labour. Four of them were sentenced. Ill-humour Two other cases are from Chongqing and date from when Bo Xilai, the now-disgraced politician, was in power. Two Chongqing citizens who did not know each other, Fang Hong and Peng Hong, commented or forwarded cartoons on a microblog, and the authorities judged it as sarcasm and slander of the "red-song-singing and anti-mafia campaign". They were re-educated through labour for one and two years, respectively. A relative of Fang Hong's had asked the human rights activist Xu Zhihong for legal assistance. He rushed to Chongqing, only to discover that the relative had been disappeared. It was only after Bo Xilai's downfall that these two cases could be appealed and rectified. There is continual discussion about such cases in every circle of society, with harsh criticism. However, considering "stability as the top priority", the stability maintenance authorities of the central government want to preserve re-education through labour as a tactic for social control that is simple in procedure and powerful as a deterrent, as do the local governments. They are opposed to reforms of the system. This was also the main reason why the draft of the "Illegal Behaviour Rectification Law", which is a plan to replace the system, has been stalled for eight years by the standing committee of the National People's Congress. Li Fangping is 38 years old. He graduated from the Graduate School of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences with an LLM degree. He is a lawyer at the Beijing Ruifeng Law Firm and specialises in criminal defence. In 2007, along with 68 other Chinese scholars and lawyers, including Mao Yushi, he signed and published an open letter to the State Council calling for abolition of the re-education through labour system. Subscribe £1 per month This article first appeared in the 22 October 2012 issue of the New Statesman, Ai Weiwei guest-edit SUBSCRIBE More


text:
Now, I'm no Sheila Jeffries, so I would never suggest that pornography straightforwardly teaches us how to perform our sexuality. However, despite mainstream industrial heterosexual porn making a point of marking itself off as a pornotopic 'fantasy space' in both narratives and aesthetics, I would argue there is certainly an interaction between the doings of porn and the doings of sex and sexuality in the real world.
One such interaction is the construction of what a fuckable body looks like. The bodies in mainstream industrial heterosexual porn are clearly and inarguably depicted as being sexually attractive, because sex happens with them and to them, and it happens quite a lot. These bodies tend to have a particular look: smooth and glossy, well-toned and willing, pliable, flexible, strong, with various kinds of semi-realistic extensions in hair, nails, breasts and cock. The body of a mainstream porn actor is an obviously constructed one. These bodies are almost cyborg-like, as close to CGI as living, dying flesh can be. These bodies also have little or no pubic hair, especially, but not exclusively, the women's bodies.
Big tits and nice arses as signifiers of female sexual attractiveness have a long history, but the routine equating of female sexual attractiveness with genital hairlessness is far shorter and more curly. Exactly why the mainstream porn body is predominantly a hairless one is, unsurprising enough, contentious. Many critics of porn have suggested that the lack of pubes speaks to the paedophillic desires of your average porn consumer. Indeed, the idea of young or 'barely legal' bodies is a familiar trope in mainstream porn. However, pubic hair can start to grow on girls as early as nine, and will most usually be in place by the time they are 16. The desires of mainstream porn are not for a childish, prepubescent body. This can be evidenced through the fact that although the women of mainstream porn lack pubic hair, they most usually do have fully developed breasts. I'm not saying that mainstream pornography and mainstream beauty culture's obsession with adolescent sexuality is unproblematic, merely that it doesn't explain the lack of pubic hair in the genre.
Instead, the lack of pubic hair in porn can perhaps be more convincingly argued to be a result of pornography's forensic interest in genitals and their interactions. In porn, the camera is always a part of the sexual exchange, and the removal of pubic hair allows the camera close, clear representation of the workings of orifices. In other words, the equation of genital hairlessness with sexual attractiveness and activity is a post-industrial desire that has been created by what cameras want and can do.
Nonetheless, even without cameras trained upon them, women outside the porn industry now routinely remove their pubic hair. You could think of this as part of 'raunch culture' if you like, for, as critics such as Ariel Levy have pointed out, many women who wish to be either sexually active or attractive work towards a self presentation that echoes the stylings of porn. Waxing is a relatively low risk and low energy way of getting at least one of the attributes of a porn body: compared to the hard physical exercise and the surgical interventions that build the superhuman bodies of porn, waxing is cheap, bearably painful, and there is little risk of permanent deformity.
Of course, the total removal of pubic hair (aka the Brazillian or the Sphynx) has a history longer than the history of electronically recorded pornography. And in recent times, the spread of the Brazillian probably has more to do with women watching Sex and the City – in which Carrie Bradshaw was depicted as happily getting a Brazillian way back in the year 2000 – than it does with women watching a whole lot more porn. Back then, removing one's pubic hair still had the risqué thrill of doing something that obviously signaled an interest in the type of liberated, aspirational sexuality that Sex and the City preached. That genital hairlessness was a signifier of such liberation can at least in part be ascribed to a greater familiarisation with the aesthetics of porn. And Sex and the City's presentation of waxing was so influential that in the 13 years since that particular episode went to air, pubic hair has disappeared at such a rate that pubic lice are now dying out through loss of habitat.
Because removing pubic hair has now become a mainstream activity, there has emerged a countercultural interest in depictions and enactions of female sexual activity that are done with one's pubes still on. For the porn industry, this means that there has been a rise in 'hairy girl' or 'natural' porn. The owners of sites such as Abby Winters and Feck have done very well out of their representations of 'amateur' models who are, to quote Abby Winters, 'Happy, healthy and natural . . . full bush, no piercings, no tattoos'.
Smut-maker and hairy girl model Gala Vanting has worked for Abby Winters, where she was asked to cover up her tattoos in order to have footage taken of her full bush. She has also worked for local porn makers Feck, and has cammed and modeled for numerous hairy girl websites. She believes that her audience's interest in pubic hair is fuelled by a number of factors, one of which is that they believe it is 'natural'.
'One guy told me that he likes bush because that's how we are born,' she says, 'which gives me a picture in my head of a baby with pubes …' She observes that many clients are nostalgic for bushy 1970s porn. She also says that many clients express the idea that the having of more hair means that a girl is more 'animalistic' – hence, more interested in having a strong bestial desire to actually have sex.
Truly, there is a history of people with a fetish for pubic hair, as can be evidenced by a quick browse of Krafft-Ebing's seminal work on sexuality and fetish, Psychopathia Sexualis, or Freud's work on fur and velvet fetishes. But because hairless genitalia abound in the real world, the meaning of an interest in pubic hair has changed. In pornography, and maybe even in real life, pubic hair has become a signifier that the woman who owns it is 'deviant', freed from the 'conventional oppressions' of society in general and the 'beauty myth' in particular. This means she could well be 'intelligent' and 'independent' and 'real', and even a little bit 'dirty', and so more 'genuinely willing' to engage in 'natural' sexual activities – including the making of electronically recorded pornography. As you can see from the italic marks I've scattered like so many stray pubes, there are a lot of dense concepts at work here. And that's a big cultural load for a few square inches of bush to carry.
Interesting ideas there, Helen. As a completely lateral thought… is the shaving of pubic (and armpit) hair by women somehow akin to facial shaving by men, another odd custom that goes in and out of fashion? Why does the common clean-shaved face preserve the hair-line of prepubescent males? I suspect this whole thing starts and ends beyond the confines of porn and reflects something deeper… but no idea what!
Good point Ian! There are also very few beards in mainstream porn: I think this is because they also block the view. I think the general way body hair is dealt with has a lot to do with ideas of being 'natural' and 'animalistic', and the further we want to position ourselves away from being what we are (which is almost naked monkeys), the more we remove our body hair. And, yes, beards seem to be connected to 'thoughtfulness' and 'naturalness' in the same way that lady's lower beards are. . .
I think this normalising of a lack of pubic hair extends in all sorts of ways. As a woman with a healthy bush, I remember being anxious when I was pregnant and seeing an obstetrician for the first time. I seriously thought she might find it odd to have to deal with my pubes. This might seem extreme, but there you go. The absurd Tori Spelling once boasted in an interview of how her husband had to maintain her pubic hairlessness during pregnancy because she couldn't see or access the area sufficiently. Similarly, the 'restoration' of the female body after child bearing can often include the resumption of a vigorous hair removal program; once the unavoidably mammalian task of birthing is done, women can resume the animal-denial process again. Personally, I find it all ridiculous and find men who favour hairless vulvas to be deeply suspect. But that's just my personal take on it, of course.
Great article Helen, and this is a discussion that has been popping up with increasing frequency in the past couple of years. In Germany where I've been living, there is a common perception among many of my friends that the hairlessness craze only emerged there in the mid-late 1990s, or post-unification. This in itself is a fascinating factoid, and one that I've been meaning to pursue in more detail. Also fascinating is the fact that hairlessness, which is popular amongst both men and women from 'ethnically German' backgrounds (for want of a better term!) across all social classes, is especially popular in the lesbian community. The common homophobic and sexist insult "hairy lesbian" simply doesn't wash there at all.
Having read the opening line "Now I'm no Sheila Jeffreys… However…" My hackles stood on end.
But I seriously enjoyed this piece.
I see parallels between porn actors and athletes, both of whom decorticate to emphasise their physique and performance.
I don't believe the phenomenon is limited only to women, but I won't go further into that to avoid a TMI moment.
Great article. The hairlessness bit is not just porn though, is it, and (here I go being a goddamn gender leveler, which I do not particularly want to be) is not just women either. Invariably mens' genitalia & arses are similarly waxed clean, unless they are bears in gay porn, for example. Indeed, in mainstream media as is often now commented, mens' bodies tend to be as hairless as women's. So, perhaps what started as a predominantly female (pre)occupation & persecution, if we must, is now equally a male thing and has enslaved us all! Funny how patriarchy has a way of biting back.
For instance, when I get my back waxed monthly (have done for nearly two decades), I have increasingly noted the women waxing me now suggest the back,crack & sack package as well. That's after I've turned down the chest wax; thankfully, there does not seem to be a synonym for chest that ends with ack. I decline, largely out of anxiety about pain, but they tell me a great many man desire it. That suggests to me that their male and female partners also desire it, if not insist on it. Would I go the whole package if a partner insisted on it? Only if she knocked me out with Oxycontin first. So, when it comes to the carpet matching the curtains, I prefer Venetian blinds and polished floorboards.
Your athlete comparison is really spot on, I think, and sport as a cultural movement has a similarly troubled relationship to what is a 'natural' and 'healthy' body. Yes, in porn and IRL there is certainly an increasing prevalence of lack of pubes in mean. I've heard that this has something to do with the idea that lack of pubes makes your cock look bigger. As you can tell, I TMI a fair bit. I could also write a fair bit of the changing phsyique of men in mainstream industrial porn in a post Viagra industry.
I've had so many discussions (and sessions and ticket sales) about my body hair that removing it would probably cost me my livelihood. Consumers and clients of the sex industry seem to have a deeply personal investment in the choices of providers / performers about what in pedestrian society is a 'personal choice'. Here's a great discussion on a site run by Feck, about this very topic: http://forum.ifeelmyself.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=789 which provides some insight from the consumer's POV…
Yeah, what the fuck's going on down where the sun never used to shine: Coital warming?


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Bombay Burger Bar
143 S. California St.
$5 – $12
The folks at Bombay are really onto something. With the arrival of Chef Andy Brooks and his creative burger menu, this bar, known mostly for its drinks and music, is now getting all sorts of new foot traffic: hungry Venturans and loyal fans of Chef Andy Brooks (formerly of Restaurant Brooks), curious to see what this burger bar is all about.
We stopped in for dinner and drinks early one Saturday night. Though it was quiet when we arrived, by the time we left a few hours later, the restaurant was full and vibrant with the sounds of a rock band that had recently taken to the stage.
Now before we get started, let's get one thing straight: this is not your typical bar food. Sure, burgers are the backbone of the menu, but these aren't your average burgers and they aren't topped with your average ingredients. They even come served on tin pie plates — just another small touch that adds to the dining experience.
All of the burgers at Bombay are made with 100 percent Angus chuck, and all the toppings, sauces and sides are housemade. Bread options are from La Brea Bakery, and include brioche or whole wheat buns. Even the veggie burger is made in house, and the fries and onion rings are painstakingly hand-cut. Dipping sauces like chive ranch dressing and coffee barbecue sauce — yes, those are homemade, too.
So if you're not salivating already, get ready, because I'm about to lay it all out for you. First, let's talk about the Beach Breakfast burger — topped with Applewood smoked bacon, Hass avocado, a fried egg, Tillamook aged cheddar, and a maple aioli. The burger is tender and pink, the brioche bun soft and sweet, and the whole thing is infused with the comfort of breakfast. You get the salty smoke of the bacon, and the egg yolk slowly draping over every morsel, and then you get the unique maple flavor infusing every bite. This is where breakfast meets burger. You are now in heaven.
Switching gears, another favorite from the new menu is the Upstream burger — a salmon burger with some serious Asian flair. Moist on the inside, crispy on the outside, it is topped with Vietnamese pickled vegetables, arugula, cilantro, shredded carrots, and finished with a chili garlic lime sauce. It's punchy with hints of ginger, vinegar and citrus, mellowed out by the silky sweet sauce. This burger will knock the socks off any pescatarian or meat lover you may know.
And then there's the hotdog — not just a Nathan's hot dog, but a foot-long Nathan's hot dog, wrapped in that same Applewood smoked bacon and tucked into a sweet Hawaiian roll. The whole thing is topped with roughly chopped onion and tomato and served with roasted red pepper ketchup and feisty whole-grain mustard. We enjoyed dipping the dog in both sauces.
Other burger options include the Nacho Volcano burger topped with crispy tobacco onions and jalapeño jack lava sauce, a turkey burger topped with crispy mozzarella and arugula, and a garden burger topped with the signature chi-chi sauce.
With our sandwiches, we munched on an order of onion rings, served with that chive ranch sauce. Puffy and light brown, they look like little donuts with their doughy batter. (Think thick egg batter like you often find on a good chile relleno.) Unusual in that the end goal isn't a shatteringly crisp or dark brown exterior, these rings are delightful in their individuality, and surely some of the best I've ever tasted when dipped in the tangy, bright sauce.
Now let's talk drinks. Unfortunately, on this particular night, the bar staff was struggling with some issues with the taps. First it was a Guinness that just didn't taste right. After sending that back and requesting a Fat Tire, a sad looking flat beer arrived at the table. Our server couldn't have been more gracious and apologetic; and after a visit from the bartender, who took the drinks off our tab and assured us they were calling the technician to check the tap lines, my dear and thirsty husband settled on a Lagunitas IPA, in a bottle. Third try is the charm, perhaps.
I enjoyed a margarita made with agave syrup and top-shelf tequila (discounted to $4.50 because I also ordered a burger from the "Add a drink and save" menu). It went down fast. Later in the evening, I ordered a glass of zinfandel — and boy was this a generous pour. Bombay offers a full cocktail list, and for those not drinking there are homemade organic sodas.
All in all, with its exposed brick walls and barstools upholstered with red leather, Bombay has a cool vibe going on. Each table is topped with a bin full of ketchup, mustard and a roll of brown paper towels, a bit of foreshadowing of the serious chowing and drippy burger goodness that lies ahead.
Check out my food tasting tours at www.venturafoodtours.com, where you'll find information on our walking tours, gift certificates and upcoming special events.


text: In this episode Lidia and Tanya embark on a whirlwind tour of New York City. Tanya takes viewers to Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty, and Lidia brings viewers to Union Square Market, where she shops for the makings of an Italian-American picnic. Lidia prepares a delicious Fried Zucchini Prosciutto; a Scallion and Egg Sandwich; and a Celery, Artichoke, and Mortadella Salad.


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Scenario: There are different mappings of UIDs and GIDs between hosts that would like to have NFS share.
Is there workaround without changing number mapping on hosts ?
Is there a way to "hardcode" mapping of username/groupname <-> uid/gid. (for example on client side to map local uid 3333 top remote uid 2222 and local gid 999 to remote gid 888 ? )
I know about trick with mapping everyone to "nobody" or making
chown uog+rw -R .... I am interested in solution where user UX in group GX creates files and directories as GX and UX and other GY, UY creates as GY UY... maybe some idmapd might be helpful ?
If there is no other option, how to securely change number UID and GID on all those hosts to make them consistent ?


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In Search of the Novel: About the Series
Support Materials
The support materials for In Search of the Novel are available here for download in PDF. Please note that these PDF files contain some blank pages. Leave these pages in when making copies for your group, as it preserves the correct page numbering.
You will need a copy of Adobe Acrobat Reader to read these files. You can download it for free from Adobe.
- Introduction
- Workshop 1 Who Owns the Novel?
- Workshop 2 Whats the Story?
- Workshop 3 Are Novels Real?
- Workshop 4 Where Do Novels Come From?
- Workshop 5 Why Do I Have to Read This Book?
- Workshop 6 What's In It for Me?
- Workshop 7 Who Am I in This Story?
- Workshop 8 Am I Getting Through?
- Appendix A Student Exercises for Writing Fiction
- Appendix B Reading Assignments
- Appendix C Works Cited and Excerpted


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Create an Account - Increase your productivity, customize your experience, and engage in information you care about.
Show All Answers
Weekly collection of garbage (green roll-out cart and bags placed beside it), yard debris, and C&D debris. Monthly collection of recyclables (blue roll-out cart), such as clean glass, plastic, paper, and cardboard. Seasonal bulk leaf collection from December through January. City-wide vector control, which is the control of mosquitoes and other pests with the application of pesticides and larvacides.
No. Currently, residential electric bills are an average of 13.8% higher than Duke Energy Progress.


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The recent The Arcade Operators Union Entertainment Expo featured a slew of prize machines - and things that can be won from said prize machines.
No, you cannot win booth companions. Sorry.
It's all relative, but the biggest news from the show was the public airing of Tekken Tag Tournament 2, which seems to be coming together nicely. The new Gundam pods and fighting game AQUAPAZZA also look pretty cool.
More photos on Kotaku Japan (here and here), Game Watch Impress (here, here, here, and here) and Gigazine.


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A Homeschool Update: Fall 2013
We've officially completed term one and moved on to term two.
I am both loving Ambleside and feeling absolutely overwhelmed by it.
These first 12 weeks have been a learning curve for both Piper and I.
There have been days that have been rich and beautiful and exactly what I want our homeschool to be.
There have been other days where I've wanted to throw in the towel and switch curriculum.
Thankfully, I am far too frugal to do that so we have plugged away day in and day out.
And I really think it will be worth it.
I should also add that we have continued to love Handwriting Without Tears.
Piper is printing things left, right and center and feeling very confident.
Using the Treadwell Primer for reading has turned out wonderfully despite my panic attacks over not having a full reading curriculum with all the bells and whistles this year.
I did add The Ordinary Parents' Guide to Teaching Reading to our schedule.
Although we do deal with phonics as we came upon various words in the primer, I felt following something systematically would help me feel confident we were staying on track.
MEP math has been amazing!
I still cannot believe it is free!
Piper has totally taken off with this program and LOVES doing math.
(Until we start a new concept. Then she despises it until that concept clicks. Then she loves it again...)
Home Art Studio has been such a blessing.
It is welcomed every other Monday with much excitement!
I love seeing the end product especially since I have nothing to do with it!
Piper follows the instructions herself and has created some really sweet art!
We have stayed pretty faithful to our artist and composer studies.
All of us really enjoy our tea times together listening to classical music and discussing a piece of art.
I am stunned by how involved the girls are in these discussions.
On the other hand, I have been less consistent with nature study and French lessons.
Considering how many other things we do in a week, I try not to be too hard on myself for slacking off in a couple of areas but I'm determined to improve.
I think it will help to schedule specific studies for our nature study day and to keep our French cd in the van.
They memorize oodles of songs that we play while driving around so I'm certain French songs will be no different!
My other goals are to pre-read everything and to be better at encouraging narration as well as interesting and thoughtful conversation afterwards.
I also plan to get our timeline going this term.
It's up!
Now I just need to get on the ball with adding to it as we read various history selections!
Both Piper and Taitum have been doing swimming lessons this fall.
They have loved it so much that I decided to allow them to do a second round of lessons.
Taitum completed her fall term dance class.
As usual, we were able to watch her on the last day of class.
It is so sweet to watch her move around, twirling and skipping and dancing to her heart's content!
Piper has been attending piano lessons.
We are looking forward to her first recital in a few weeks.
We have faithfully been attending our homeschool co-op every Friday.
This is the excitement of the week!
Taitum and Renly take part in a littles group where they sing songs, learn colors and play with other little ones.
Piper has enjoyed learning wilderness survival (the girl was building shelters, starting fires and using a compass!) and is now doing an art block where she has had a chance to try felting and chalk pastels, among other things!
I had intended to use the book Slow and Steady, Get Me Ready with Tait.
However, it just didn't work very well for us.
I need more of a daily schedule to stay on track so instead I started using God's Little Explorers Preschool curriculum.
It provides a 4 day schedule which includes simple yet enjoyable suggestions that are perfect for a preschooler and do-able for me!
Taitum loves having her own school time and is learning so much!
Piper and Renly often join us as well and so it becomes a family affair!
It is so nice to see them learning together!
Now we are looking forward to Christmas and all the preparation that goes with it!
We will continue with our usual school schedule but I am hoping to do a few extra Christmas related things each week.
I am debating doing Jesse Tree ornaments this year (as opposed to the paper ones they have colored in the past).
However I'm afraid it will be too much of a commitment since it would involve making 25 different ornaments!
I am really good at biting off more than I can chew!
So we may just stick with our usual Jesse Tree and do a few crafts as part of Truth in the Tinsel
Also, our homeschool group is doing a couple Christmas Around the World days which I am really looking forward to!
I know this was a long post!
But if you've made it this far thank you for taking the time to see what we've up to!
As I'm sure you can see, our days are busy and full and as a result my blogging has been at a minimum!
I hope a little update here and there will suffice!
I truly appreciate all your prayers, kind words and encouragement!
So to conclude, I'll leave you with a poem by Piper:
Taitum and Piper jump in the leaves
Inside for cocoa
Back outside to rake the leaves
Go for a walk
Sit by the fire
The End


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Two-year-old Liam Keogh drowned in a pool of water in the unfinished ghost estate of Glenatore, in Athlone, County Westmeath. It is believed he followed the family dog through the fence before getting into difficulty.
This tragic accident brings the fact that a vast number of ghost estates in Ireland have been let to fall into a dangerous state of neglect since the collapse of Ireland's economic property bubble.
Newstalk reported that the Irish Environment Minister, Phil Hogan, has asked Westmeath County Council for a full report into the ghost estate where a toddler was found dead.
A Garda (police) and Health Service Authority (HAS) investigation is also underway.
Fine Gael politician Michael Ring admitted the news brought tears to his eyes.
"[The family] are devastated", a source close to the family told the Irish Daily Mail. "They are a large family, real salt of the earth Athlone people. The whole community is in shock."
Shortly after midday on Thursday, the family realized the boy was missing and immediately launched a search party, along with neighbors.
"The dog came back to the house alone and was soaking wet, and the family figured the boy must have been near some kind of water, so they followed the dog back to where he had been, and they found him there through the fence," said the source.
On Thursday night the Westmeath County Council announced that the ghost estate is a Category Three estate and is the responsibility of developer Tony Diskin. Tragically, Diskin is a friend of the Keogh family.
Planning permission for the Glenatore estate was received in 2005. The estate consists of 66 terraced homes and apartments. Only five of these properties are occupied, according to the 2011 national house survey. The other buildings were either never started or are in various stages of construction.
Local councillor Kevin Moran said the family have always been careful not to let their son out of their sight. He said, "They always had an eye on him, the whole time. They had a big fence up in the garden and were so careful. It just makes the whole thing worse."
Liam's uncle, PJ Keogh, visited the site to show the officials the number of gaps the child could climb through.
His father, Wesley Keogh, now works in Wales and is no longer in a relationship with Liam's mother.
The family's neighbor, Maria Buckley, told the Irish Daily Mail, "She would never let him out of the house".
Buckley can see the fence from her sitting room. She said "My regret is I wasn't in the sitting room because I would have stopped him. If I was there and I had seen a small child, I would have gone after them."
Fianna Fáil councillor Aengus O'Rourke said "This brings into sharp focus the whole issue of ghost estates once again and how secure they are.
"If we are to look back at any of the programmes or comments made about ghost estates, you will see that it was said time and time again that they were an accident waiting to happen.
"It is time we put in more effort into ensuring that the money is made available to make those estates that are half-occupied safe.
"My thoughts and prayers go out to the family, who I am familiar with, after this terrible accident.
"I have a two-and-a-half year-old child and I know what it's like to be constantly watching a child of that age. What has happened is unthinkable."


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Think Doomsday Talk Is Silly? Not for the Kids
(NEW YORK) -- Most parents are accustomed to debunking the boogeyman or assuaging monster-under-the-bed fears, but the recent talk concerning the prediction of the impending End of Days has some moms and dads facing childhood anxiety of apocalyptic proportions.
Doomsday predictions often come and go without much attention from the public, but when Family Radio host Harold Camping set off a national campaign proclaiming May 21 as the beginning of the biblical End of Days, the American media took note, if only out of bemused curiosity.
Since the day came and went with seemingly no cosmic hiccup, Camping has now revised his prediction to say that the Rapture and end of the world will happen all at once on Oct. 21, triggering yet another countdown. And if Camping's October prediction is wrong as well, there's always the famed 2012 Mayan prediction of the end of the world to keep the talk of possible apocalypse buzzing.
While the majority of adults take no stock in these doomsday prophecies, all this talk of the world ending could be misconstrued by children, especially those in the 4 to 7-year-old range.
"It depends on how your children absorb media," said Dr. Wendy Sue Swanson, a pediatrician at Seattle Children's Hospital. "If they're plunked down in front of the TV hearing 'the end of the world' a bunch of times and then seeing photos of the Missouri tornadoes, it may come together in their minds as something real and scary. Kids of preschool age have a hard time determining reality from non-reality and their imaginations are on fire."
Though most kids probably won't take Camping's predictions to heart, how they take it depends largely on how their parents react to these happenings and what their parents' beliefs are about how the world will end, said Alan Hilfer, associate director of child and adolescent psychology at Maimonides Hospital in Brooklyn, NY.
"The kids are going to take whatever they take from this from their parents," Hilfer said. "If the parents are concerned, the kids will be concerned; if the parents are blasé and don't pay attention, the kids will take that attitude."
"If your parents were making plans for the end of the world, it very definitely affected your life," Dr. David Fassler, clinical professor of psychiatry at the University of Vermont Medical School said of Saturday's apocalypse prediction. If kids had friends or family members that actually believed the world was about to end soon, "I can imagine the whole experience may have been confusing and upsetting," he said.
But for parents who brush off these doomsday predictions but find themselves with a freaked out 5-year-old, pediatric experts give the following advice:
"Parents need to tell distressed kids that Camping is misguided and shouldn't be taken seriously," Hifler said.
"Don't cast off their concern, but use it as a time to explain that for scary things like natural disasters, there are things we do to keep ourselves safe," Swanson said. "We have emergency kits or store water in the garage. We brush our teeth and go to the doctor to make sure we're healthy. Give young children a sense of control over their lives.
"Ask them what about what they hear makes them nervous," she said. "Parents shouldn't assume that they know what's scaring their child; they should ask and let the child express that fear so it can be dealt with."
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