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The bottomline is this: all things must somehow come together for the good of the student. The constant pulls and tugs, the incessant massaging of egos, the jockeying for relevance ... it all means nothing if students at day's end aren't being provided the tools needed to make tomorrow's world a better place.
Toward this end, MPR works diligently to foster a positive image for the University through the constant gathering and incessant dissemination of information about events, people and programs. This is accomplished by a variety of methods, ranging from the traditional news release, published and online magazines to the use of online media management and social media.
The Office also serves as a resource point for media personnel and the community. Moreover, it provides support to university publication development, as well as other varied special services campus-wide (i.e., announcements, photography, resolutions, special recognition, etc.), limited only by the cycle of available resources.Among MPR's seven main goals are the following: 1) To provide media sources with ongoing information about the people, programs and services of the University; 2) To build relationships with media personnel that posture the office as the key source for information; 3) To develop innovative advertising concepts for use in print and broadcast media; 4) To continue to work closely with the Telecommunication Center/WJAB-FM in the furtherance of its marketing efforts and proven expertise in the broadcast arena; 5) To continue to aggressively seek out news and story possibilities and to develop and disseminate them to media sources with minimum delay; 6) To continue to increase the availability of published materials about the University; and 7) To continue to build effective internal and interoffice relationships.
The Office maintains a repository of images which document a plethora of University activities and events. These images are offered freely and extensively. Moreover, a more comprehensive range of the various functions of this unit are listed in the sidebar to the right.
For more information, contact MPR at email@example.com.
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text:
Listen to today's episode of StarDate on the web the same day it airs in high-quality streaming audio without any extra ads or announcements. Choose a $8 one-month pass, or listen every day for a year for just $30.
You are here
Transit Treasures
No one's ever seen the planet known as HD 209458b. It's so close to its parent star that it's impossible to see through the star's glare. Even so, we know a lot about it. It's about two-thirds as massive as Jupiter, the giant of our solar system. Its atmosphere contains oxygen, carbon, and other elements, and winds at the top of the atmosphere blow at about 4,000 miles an hour. And the atmosphere is being blown into space by the nearby star.
We know all of this because the planet "transits" its parent star -- it passes across the face of the star as seen from Earth.
Astronomers have already discovered dozens of planets with the transit technique, and they expect to find many more. A NASA space telescope known as Kepler is looking for transits in more than 150,000 stars, and its observations may already hold the discoveries of hundreds of new worlds. Eventually, Kepler should also find Earth-like planets in Earth-like orbits.
When the transits are combined with other observations, they can reveal a planet's size, its mass, and its distance from its star. And by measuring changes in the properties of the star's light during a transit, astronomers can determine whether the planet has an atmosphere, and even what the atmosphere contains.
And future transit observations may reveal even more -- from the presence of moons and rings to details about a planet's shape and its interior -- all without ever seeing the planet at all.
Script by Damond Benningfield, Copyright 2010
Today's program was made possible in part by a grant from NASA.
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subset: commoncrawl


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Well, just when you thought the legal ramifications of Facebook usage couldn't get more exhausting, here comes another bizarre twist.
Six employees say Sheriff B. J. Roberts of Hampton, VA, fired them for supporting an opponent in his 2009 re-election bid. The workers sued, saying their First Amendment rights were violated. One of the workers clicked Like on the opponent's Facebook page. Unfortunately, it's that guy's case that's hitting a speed bump. Because he didn't actually say anything.
Public employees are allowed to speak as citizens on matters of public concern, but Judge Raymond A. Jackson of Federal District Court ruled that clicking the Like button did not amount to protected speech because no words were involved. He wrote "Simply clicking a button is different and does not warrant First Amendment protection."
Clearly, I'm going to have to reconsider some of my favorite emoticons.
Full Bio
Toni Bowers is the former Managing Editor of TechRepublic and is the award-winning blogger of the Career Management blog. She has edited newsletters, books, and web sites pertaining to software, IT career, and IT management issues.


text:
5 Linux Network Monitoring Tools
Ping and EtherapeLinux networking monitoring tools work on all networks-- Linux, BSD, Mac, Unix, and Windows. Paul Ferrill introduces new admins to a basic monitoring toolkit.
Monitoring traffic on your network is only as important as the data and computers you want to protect. Understanding how to do basic network troubleshooting will save you both in wasted time and money. Every Linux operating system comes with a number of command line tools to help you diagnose a network problem. In addition, there are any number of open source tools available to help you track down pesky network issues.
Good Old Ping
If you're uncomfortable using the Linux command line from a terminal, you might as well stop reading at this point or at least skip to the other applications. In reality, there's nothing to be afraid of when it comes to the Linux command line, especially when it comes to diagnosing a network problem. Most commands simply display information that can help you determine what's happening. Some will require root permissions or at least the ability to issue the sudo command.
First and foremost is the ifconfig command. Typing this at a command prompt will display information about all known network devices. In the example below you can see eth0, lo and wlan0. These correspond to a wired Ethernet device (assigned address 192.168.1.2), the lo or loopback connection, and a wireless Ethernet device (address 192.168.1.102). It also shows the mac address of the device (HWaddr) and some statistics about the traffic. This should be your first command if you're having network troubles to see if you have a valid IP address and if you see any traffic counts or errors.
The ping command should be your second tool of choice to determine if your computer is communicating with the outside world. Issuing a ping command to a known address (like 220.127.116.11) will quickly show if you have connectivity or not. It will also show you the time it took for the ping command to complete. Typical ping times for a DSL-type connection should be somewhere around 50 ms.
After the first two you should probably use the route command. This will show a list of IP addresses including the Destination and Gateway addresses connected to each interface along with some additional information including a Flags column. This column will have the letter G on the line associated with your default gateway. You can use this address in a ping command to determine if your machine has connectivity with the gateway.
EtherApe is available for download from the Ubuntu Software Center. It uses GNOME and libpcap to present a graphical map of all network traffic seen by the selected interface. After installation you should see the EtherApe icon under the Applications / System Tools menu. When we ran it this way, it wasn't able to open any of the network devices as this requires root access. We were able to get it to run from the command line using sudo as follows:
$ sudo etherape
Once you have the program running it should start displaying a graphical representation of the traffic seen on the default Ethernet interface. You can select a specific device if your computer has multiple Ethernet interfaces using the Capture / Interfaces menu. EtherApe also has the ability to view data from a saved pcap file and show traffic by protocol.
- Skip Ahead
- 1. Ping and Etherape
- 2. Ping and Etherape


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I can't remember if I've mentioned it already, but I'm taking this year off from teaching to pursue a master's degree full-time in curriculum and instruction. This is the time of the semester when all of my major projects are starting to be due. Here's what I'm working on:
1. An article on working with gifted readers that I'm going to try to get published. It seems as though gifted students are quite neglected in the education system these days between NCLB, a shortage of funding, and inadequate teacher training. Recent reports from the Fordham Foundation and NAGC reveal that the needs of our nation's brightest students aren't being met. I'm researching specific considerations to take into account when teaching reading to these students in the regular classroom. It's shocking how little has been written about the topic relative to other issues in reading.
2. An action plan for building teacher-driven study groups for professional learning in schools. It's the major project for my course on shared leadership between teachers and administrators.
3. A case study of two readers that I worked with for a few days last month. The emphasis is on reading comprehension generally and identifying the main idea specifically.
4. A paper on the role of expectations in "good teaching." I'm also updating my website as a companion piece to show my ideas in practice.
5. A self-evaluation and action plan for becoming a better reading teacher.
6. A plan for my "Instructional Dream" for integrating technology in my classroom. I'm going to write about the potential for using Google Wave in writer's workshop. I got my invitation last week, and while I'm still trying to get the hang of it, I'm blown away by its potential as a collaborative learning tool in the classroom.
So that's what I've been up to lately. As I finish these projects, I'll be happy to share any useful resources and findings.


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NORTON, Mass. – For the first time in program history, the MIT women's basketball team defeated a nationally-ranked opponent as it edged out No. 22 Wheaton College, 60-59, in a NEWMAC contest on Thursday night. Junior Mari Kordell (Ijamsville, Md.) paced the Engineers (6-6, 3-4 NEWMAC) with 17 points and added four assists and four rebounds in handing the Lyons (12-1, 7-1 NEWMAC) their first loss of the season.
MIT sophomore Sabrina Drammis (Hilton Head Island, S.C.) registered her fifth double-double of the season on 12 rebounds and 10 points. Senior Rachel Hunt (Arlington Heights, Ill.) produced eight points, six boards, and three blocks as junior Michelle Battipaglia (Katonah, N.Y.) recorded seven rebounds, six points, and two steals. Sophomore Maya Ramachandran (Fremont, Calif.) tallied six points, six rebounds, two blocks, and two steals while freshman Liana Ilutzi (East Hanover, N.J.) notched eight points and two assists. Sophomore Durva Bhandare (North Brunswick, N.J.) rounded out the squad with five points, four rebounds, and two assists. As a team, the Engineers held an 18-5 margin in points off turnovers by capitalizing on 17 miscues by the hosts.
Wheaton scored the first six points of the game but MIT responded with three-pointers by Kordell and Bhandare which eventually resulted in a 14-8 lead for the Engineers after 5:40 elapsed. The Lyons countered with a 9-1 run to go in front; however, Battipaglia drained a pair of free throws to even the score at 17 with 9:15 on the clock. Two more ties followed before free throws by Ramachandran and Kordell gave the Cardinal and Gray a 25-22 edge with 5:06 left in the half. Wheaton then replied with a 10-3 run to end the frame with a 32-28 lead.
The Lyons' advantage reached six points on three occasions early in the second stanza, the last at 38-32 following almost five minutes of action. MIT mounted a 13-1 run that began with a Drammis free throw and was capped with two of her layups, putting it ahead, 45-39, at the halfway point. Wheaton generated nine unanswered points in a span of two minutes; however, a trifecta by Ilutzi sparked a 13-4 run that gave the Engineers a 58-52 cushion with 2:36 to go.
In less than a minute, Wheaton narrowed the gap to one (58-57) courtesy of two free throws and a three-pointer. After two missed free-throw attempts by MIT and a Wheaton layup that was off the mark, Kordell was sent to the charity stripe where she converted both ends of a one-and-one with 40 seconds left. The Lyons quickly drove to the basket, sinking a layup after 11 seconds expired.
Kordell tried to give the Engineers some breathing room but her pull-up jumper in the middle of the lane rimmed out with 18 seconds remaining, setting up what proved to be Wheaton's final possession of the night. MIT stymied the Lyons' offense, forcing it to call a timeout with 5.3 ticks on the clock. Following the break, Wheaton drove to the basket but Hunt blocked the layup with just over a second left as the ball bounced towards the far sideline as time expired.
The Engineers conclude their NEWMAC road trip on Saturday, Jan. 11 at Clark University.


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Lipscomb's Lady Bisons beat Troy 1-0 in eight innings in game one, but lost game two 6-0 in an Atlantic Sun doubleheader played Friday evening.
The opening game was the first conference defeat for Troy this season.
The games, the first under interim head coach Cheryl Smith, were played at Tennessee State University due to field conditions at Crockett Park .
In game one Lipscomb starter Danielle Catalano held Troy to only five hits. She struck out eight and did not walk a batter. Catalano raised her record to 6-7.
In the eighth inning Kate Richards slammed a double down the left field line. The next two batters were out, setting the stage for Jessica Wilson who lined a shot to left center to score Richards with the game winner.
Jocelyn McCallum pitched the opener for Troy , allowing only three hits and striking out nine while walking four.
In game two Troy pitchers Kacie Flinn and Michelle Grinage combined to hold the Lady Bisons to only five hits in a 6-0 win.
Flinn stuck out two batters and allowed four hits. Grinage gave up one hit, but did not record a strikeout.
Troy scored one run in the second, four in the third and one in the sixth. Allison Tyree pitched five innings for the Lady Bisons, allowing eight hits and five runs, one earned. Catalano came back to pitch the final two innings, giving up one run on two hits and striking out two.
Troy is 31-16, 7-1 in the A-Sun. Lipscomb is 16-17, 3-3 in the conference.


text:
Preserved: Mango Lime Jam
Capture the best of your seasonal produce for later.
Get the Recipe
While there is no doubt that I am the gourmand in our relationship, my husband has introduced me to a few foods that I have come to love, like full sour pickles, chocolate egg creams, chicken liver mousse, and mangoes. Of course I'd had mangoes before, but usually in sorbet or as part of a fruit salad. It wasn't until I met my husband that I experienced the pleasure of eating a fleshy, ripe mango cut straight from the core, juice dribbling down my chin. This recipe condenses all those delicious mango flavors into a bright, not-too-sweet jam.
Every March I get a major case of spring fever. I can't wait for the sun, the warm breeze, and the lazy afternoons at the beach that seem to be just around the corner. One way to satisfy my craving for the tropics? Mangoes, which are now in peak season. Juicy and almost buttery in texture, mangoes have a sweet, tropical flavor with notes of fragrant honey.
For this recipe, I paired mangoes with zippy lime juice and a bit of clover honey. The fruit is simmered for only a short time, which helps to preserve the bright, fresh flavors. This is a perfect jam to welcome the spring season. It reminds me of all the sunny days ahead. Try it with croissants, blueberry scones, or banana bread.
Get the Recipe
About the Author: Lucy Baker is a food writer and the author of The Boozy Baker: 75 Recipes for Spirited Sweets. She is currently at work on a second book about homemade food gifts. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband and dachshund.


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Monday, June 09, 2008
Go With Your Gut
The Conservatives have their rapid response people, do the Liberals have the capability to get the message out to riding members in a hurry? If someone becomes aware of a gas station running these ads, then the local riding should be made aware, with an instant mass email to all Liberals in that area. Include the phone number, the address and suggestions to "protest" the running of these ads. You send out an email to 3 or 4 hundred party members, I suspect a few will make a call, show up at said gas station, whatever.
These ads are apparently targetting Ontario, not exactly Conservative country. How much pressure would it really take for an individual gas station to conclude the ads aren't worth the hassle? Couple that with possible media involvement, and running those ads would like economic suicide. If the Liberals could network some kind of co-ordinated response, it is sure to get noticed, with the potential to have these cheesy ads blow up in the Conservatives faces. I'm sure I could get together a few local Liberals, some placards, give the local paper a call and head down to the gas station. "I want gas, not hot air", "Harper in bed with big oil", "Boycott the propaganda pumps". Sounds like fun.
17 comments:
- Anonymous said...
Easier -- print a label "Harper Lies!" and stick it to the pump.
- 2:31 PM, June 09, 2008
- Steve V said...
That's vandalism :) Although, I thought of that ;)
- 2:41 PM, June 09, 2008
- sassy said...
Conservatives flout sign laws via Kady at Macleans.
- 2:42 PM, June 09, 2008
- bigcitylib said...
Yeah, this whole scheme of theirs seems to be falling apart pretty quick. As sassy notes, a scheme like theirs would probably be illegal in TO.
- 2:51 PM, June 09, 2008
- ij said...
Easier still --- Buy a minimum of gas, if this is what activates the message, proceed to pay and declare you will never buy gas at this particular station again. This can be done relatively politely and framed as a message for those higher-ups who decided to have these political messages displayed.
- 3:33 PM, June 09, 2008
- Anonymous said...
My husband was going to get me to find out which stations were carrying the ads so he could avoid them, but he's so angry at being insulted by a bunch of 12 year old IQ's he wants to go personally - if they have the ads - he's going to tell the owner - I will not buy gas here today or ever and he's going to tell the man/woman behind him he's not buying here because these ads are paid for the "oil companies" by the Conservative party - and he refuses to give big oil more money.....hopefully the man/woman behind that one will follow.
- 3:37 PM, June 09, 2008
- JK said...
Earned media look up the term liberals. Your doing a good job.
Plus love how your oh, so smart leader brought this up in QP today.
Who the heck is advising liberals?
- 4:33 PM, June 09, 2008
- Steve V said...
"Who the heck is advising liberals?"
I wonder if it's the same guy who told Flaherty it would be a good idea to attack Ontario?
- 4:57 PM, June 09, 2008
- Steve V said...
Or, maybe it was that guy that devised the closed door meeting with reporters before the Elections Canada search warrant was released? Now, that guy is a keeper!
- 5:00 PM, June 09, 2008
- Möbius said...
Where do you think all of the fuel you pour into your SUV comes from?
You can't really screw Big Oil, cuz they refine it all.
- 7:08 PM, June 09, 2008
- Steve V said...
How enlightening. I didn't know that. Geez.
- 7:42 PM, June 09, 2008
- Möbius said...
How enlightening. I didn't know that. Geez.
Apparently not, if you want to boycott some poor sap selling gas for the evil Big Oil companies. If you want to hurt them, use less oil.
- 7:47 PM, June 09, 2008
- Steve V said...
Doesn't that hurt the poor sap too? Nice logic.
- 7:48 PM, June 09, 2008
- Miles Lunn said...
The ads seemed a bit over the top. If I was filling up my pump and saw such an ad, I would make me less likely to vote for that party not more likely. Besides if I were a gas attendant I would refuse to run them as they are so annoying I could see someone smashing them. Besides, I highly doubt they will run them in the Downtown Toronto area near where I live. They will probably place them in ridings they either narrowly won or narrowly lost.
- 10:22 PM, June 09, 2008
- Steve V said...
"If I was filling up my pump and saw such an ad, I would make me less likely to vote for that party not more likely."
Miles, there is also the danger of becoming the "tacky" party. I mean, sure the first ads worked, but the last few have basically gotten lost (Kyoto's dog blog?), and you start to see a pattern, which ultimately doesn't really reflect postively on the messenger. We've already seen that voters, particularly women, view the Cons as aggressive, bullying and mean-spirited. I fail to see how this approach helps them in addressing their own weaknesses. At best, it's really a draw, whatever "damage" the inflict, is offset by a cementing. I don't think they get it, I think they believe this is all brilliant.
- 10:58 PM, June 09, 2008
- Möbius said...
If I was filling up my pump and saw such an ad, I would make me less likely to vote for that party not more likely.
But would you drive less, walk more, and use less oil?
Not likely.
- 7:33 PM, June 10, 2008
- Möbius said...
Doesn't that hurt the poor sap too? Nice logic.
The saps make their money on the Timmie's coffee and groceries, not the gas.
Have you never worked in retail?
- 7:35 PM, June 10, 2008


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text: Me and wifey are sick since yesterday. High fever (my fever reached 38.1 degrees; hers is 39.8!). Joint and muscle pains. Severe headache. Classic case of trancazo. I attribute it to our last-day tour of White Beach (Station 3 to Station 1) when the El Niño was at its zenith. And we swam on the cold, clear waters of Boracay from time to time during that long walk. Overfatigue with heatstroke? Bad idea. So don't ever try doing that when you go there.


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Jan. 16, 2012
Fullerton, Calif. - Single-game tickets for the upcoming 2012 Cal State Fullerton baseball and softball seasons will go on sale, Tuesday, Jan. 17, at Noon PST at fullertontitans.com.
The 2012 home baseball schedule will consist of 30 regular season games at Goodwin Field - home for the four-time national champions - featuring non-conference weekend series with TCU, Utah Valley, Long Beach State ad Oral Roberts and home conference bouts with Cal State Northridge, UC Davis, Cal Poly and UC Riverside.
Get your single-game baseball tickets for as low as \$8/\$6* (youth and senior) for general admission seats, \$10 for reserved seats and \$15 for box seating. You can always be purchased over the phone or at the box office located at The Titan House, but by ordering online, you can pick our your specific seat or seats and purchase them in the most convenient way, right from your computer or smart phone.
Season tickets as well as "Friday Night Lights" and "Any Given Sunday" packages are also available, but you must call or come by the Ticket Office at (657-278-CSUF) to arrange your purchase.
* Prices increase for premium games for general admission (\$10/\$8 - youth and senior) and reserved (\$12) seats.
The softball schedule will consist of 28 home dates and will feature the Titans taking on UCLA and Maine at home before hosting two of the country's biggest tournaments in the DeMarini Invitational (Mar. 3-6) and the Judi Garman Classic (Mar. 14-18) at Anderson Family Field.
Single-day passes for the 11-team DeMarini Invitational will be \$12/\$10 (youth and senior) while the 16-team Judi Garman Classic will be \$16/\$12 (youth and seniors). All other home games are just \$8/\$6 (youth and seniors). The Titans will play host to Big West foes UC Santa Barbara, UC Riverside, Long Beach State and UC Davis in 2012.
The softball team will kick off the 2012 spring season as they host the nationally-ranked UCLA Bruins at 6 p.m. on Feb. 15. The following week, baseball will be back home after opening the season in Florida, to host the nationally-ranked TCU Horned Frogs Feb. 24-26. Game times will be 7 p.m., 6 p.m. and 11 a.m.
Make your plans today to join us all season long.


text:
U.S. oil and gas producer Linn Energy will buy Berry Petroleum for $2.5 billion in stock, raising its output by about a third and boosting its oil reserves in Texas, California, Colorado, and Utah.
The acquisition, Linn's largest, will raise the proportion of oil in the company's reserves at a time when gas prices have fallen due to oversupply from North American shale fields.
The deal was valued at $4.3 billion including debt, the companies said in a joint statement on Thursday.
Linn's shares rose 4 percent to $38.52 in early trading. Berry's stock rose 18 percent to $45.76, the second-highest percentage gainer on the New York Stock Exchange.
Houston-based Linn has made a series of acquisitions in the past two years in pursuit of output growth. Chief Executive Mark Ellis told Reuters last March that the company would spend up to $2 billion a year on deals.
The company bought natural gas reserves in Kansas from BP for $1.2 billion last year, and followed that up by acquiring the British company's gas acreage in southwest Wyoming for $1.03 billion.
Gas prices, however, have been depressed as the advent of new drilling methods such as hydraulic fracturing has created excess supply in North America.
By adding Berry's reserves in California, the Permian Basin in Texas and the Rocky Mountain region, as well as acreage in Utah's Uinta Basin, Linn will increase its liquids exposure to 54 percent of reserves from about 46 percent as of Dec. 31.
The addition of Denver, Colorado-based Berry's properties would also bring in about 240 million cubic feet equivalent per day (mmcfe/d) of production, raising Linn's total output by 30 percent, the companies said.
Ellis has called his company "commodity agnostic" when it comes to acquisitions. Linn has greater access to capital than many of its rivals due to a str1509739ucture allowing it to reduce its tax burden by passing on most of its cash flow to unitholders.
"Linn is not done with acquisitions and the market should extrapolate that to other potential targets such as Whiting Petroleum," said Robert W. Baird & Co. analyst Ethan Bellamy. Whiting shares were down 1.5 percent at $47.88.
The deal is the first acquisition of a public C-corporation by an oil and gas producer structured as a master limited partnership (MLP) or a limited liability company.
Unlike C-corporations that are taxed separately from their shareholders, MLPs are exempt from paying corporate income tax and distribute most of their earnings directly to investors.
"Expect other small- and mid-cap exploration and production C-corps to rally," said Bellamy.
Premium Deal
Berry will be converted into a limited liability company under the deal, allowing Linn to own Berry's assets in a pass-through entity without any immediate payment of tax.
The companies said the transaction was forecast to add more than 40 cents per unit in the first full year following closure, expected by June 30.
Linn will recommend that its board increase the current quarterly distribution to 77 cents per unit, from about 72 cents per unit, effective the third quarter.
Berry shareholders will receive 1.25 shares of LinnCo, a company set up by Linn to raise money for acquisitions and other purposes. LinnCo, which went public in October, only owns Linn units and has no assets or operations.
Berry shareholders will get an equivalent of $46.24 per share based on LinnCo stock's closing price of $36.99 on Wednesday. This is a 19.8 percent premium to Berry's closing price of $38.59.
The company had 54.15 million shares outstanding as of Oct. 26.
Linn's offer is higher than Berry's intrinsic value of $44.06 per share as measured by Thomson Reuters StarMine.
The StarMine model is a measure of a stock's current value when considering analysts' growth estimates for five years, and then modeling the typical growth trajectory over a longer period of time.
"Linn is simply taking advantage of (a) disconnect between Berry trading at 5.6 times 2013 enterprise value/earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) versus Linn at 8 times enterprise value/EBITDA," Tudor Pickering analysts said.
Citigroup Global Market advised LinnCo, while Latham & Watkins was the legal adviser to Linn and LinnCo. Credit Suisse Securities advised Berry, and Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz was the legal adviser.


text:
A U.N. resolution on war crimes perpetrated during Sri Lanka's civil war with ethnic Tamil rebels has threatened the stability of India's coalition government as a key regional ally pulled out of the alliance Tuesday in protest against New Delhi's position on the resolution.
Demonstrators hold placards during a protest against Sri Lanka government in the southern Indian city of Chennai on March 4, 2013
Three Years After Civil War Tamils In…
Photos Show LTTE Leader Prabhakaran's…
The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), based in the southern state of Tamil Nadu, urged India's Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government to introduce a stronger language into the resolution, including the use of the word "genocide," to denote the alleged atrocities committed by the Sri Lankan forces against Sri Lanka's ethnic Tamil population.
DMK's demands also include that the U.N. Human Rights Council (UNHRC) resolution lead to the formation of an international inquiry into the alleged war crimes and that the Indian government pass a resolution in the parliament condemning the war crimes.
DMK chief M Karunanidhi said the government "did not even consider" the amendments (to the resolution) proposed by the party, at a press conference in Tamil Nadu's capital city, Chennai.
"So, a situation has arisen where the alliance will not benefit Eelam Tamils (Tamils living in Sri Lanka) in any way. Despite this, if the DMK continues in the Union government, it will be a grave injustice. So, the DMK has decided to pull out of the government and the UPA," Karunanidhi was quoted as saying by the Times of India.
However, the DMK chief added that his party would reconsider its decision if the government heeds to its demand and adopts a resolution in the parliament, condemning the Sri Lankan government for alleged war crimes and genocide, the report said.
Finance Minister P Chidambaram, who met Karunanidhi Monday night, said there was no crisis and the "government is absolutely stable, it will stay in power," the Hindustan Times reported.
Chidambaram said the government was deciding its position on the U.N. vote and was consulting its allies on a resolution by the Indian parliament.
The government, which needs the support of 271 MPs to stay in power, continues to enjoy the support of at least 280 MPs. Elections are due next year.
The issue of alleged war crimes committed by the Sri Lankan government in the final five months of its quarter century old civil war against the LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam) militants, which ended in 2009, has long presented a tricky situation for the Indian government as it needs to balance the desire for close ties with the neighboring nation, while accommodating the demands of Indian Tamils.


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Dierks Bentley, Willie Nelson + More Set for 2012 Johnny Cash Music Festival
Dierks Bentley, Willie Nelson, the Civil Wars and Rosanne Cash are all set to perform at the second annual Johnny Cash Music Festival. The event is scheduled to take place on Friday, Oct. 5 in the Man in Black's home state of Arkansas.
John Carter Cash, the Man in Black's son, spoke about the lineup and what each person who is scheduled to perform means to his father's legacy. At the press conference, he said, "Rosanne will be there to represent the family. And Willie Nelson was a dear, dear friend of my father and is very close to our family. He will do a great job along with Dierks Bentley and the Civil Wars. It is a blessing to be back and see the dream continue to become a reality."
Rosanne Cash was too ill to travel to attend the press conference, but she will be on hand at the big event.
The second Johnny Cash Music Festival will be held at Arkansas State University's Convocation Center. Want more info? Go here.
Proceeds from the event will benefit the restoration of Cash's boyhood home, which is located in Dyess, Ark. and is pretty much an American cultural landmark. Approximately $1.4 million has been raised so far for the restoration. This year would have marked Cash's 80th birthday. He passed away in 2003.


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Review Group Week 169 - Final Crisis Aftermath: Run! #1
Hey you! Reader! Want to be a part of the GREATEST COMIC BOOK AND GEEK COMMUNITY on the web?! Well, they're not accepting new members, but we'll take anyone here, so why not sign up for a free acount? It's fast and it's easy, like your mom! Sign up today! Membership spots are limited!*
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Hey you! Reader! Want to be a part of the GREATEST COMIC BOOK AND GEEK COMMUNITY on the web?! Well, they're not accepting new members, but we'll take anyone here, so why not sign up for a free acount? It's fast and it's easy, like your mom! Sign up today! Membership spots are limited!*
*Membership spots not really limited!
by thefourthman » Fri May 08, 2009 5:29 pm
only if she brings happy endings this time.
by 48THRiLLS » Fri May 08, 2009 6:13 pm
This sounds pretty freaking cool and being the broke bastard that I am I definitely like the price.
by Eric Ratcliffe » Fri May 08, 2009 7:24 pmRun #1 by Matt Sturgess
Wow the human flame was actually just made into an interesting character. I cannot believe this. The calibur of writing on this book was high as each page really kept you guessing to see just how bad things would get. From meeting up with an old partner to mixing it up with his family, miller proves to be a scumbag, a smart man but definitely a scumbag.
The shootout at the fast food resturuant was the highlight of the issue though as it really kept me guessing just how bad things would get. God that mascot never saw it coming. Oh and the curveball with the family made me laugh pretty hard. Surprised the word asshole wasn't blocked out as it is in every other book. This is in line with secret six but the lead character plays more like a scumbag then even they'd be shocked at.
by ThrillHouse » Fri May 08, 2009 7:47 pmFor someone as potentially uninteresting as The Human Flame, I was surprised to be intrigued by him in Final Crisis: Run #1.
The issue starts off with a nurse being punched, has a burned mascot in the middle and a bicycle being stolen. All caused by the Human Flame. Matt Sturges is on writing duties here and walks a delicate line between over the top funny and annoying. But Sturges does it well and makes the Flame not only a giant asshole, but makes him a likable asshole.
Freddie Williams does an amazing job on art, providing great flame details and all the body hair a person could possibly want in a comic book.
A fun, yet quick, read. Final Crisis: Run #1 sets up what looks to be a fun mini.
by thefourthman » Fri May 08, 2009 7:56 pm
Really, Smart? I'd go for conniving, quick on his feet even. He is somewhat clever, but I think this was all set up for it to end badly for him and if he were smart, well it would end with him in Mexico drinking pina coladas on the beach, somehow I don't see this turning out this way.
I also just thought, just now, that it is possible that this is the first of the current revival of Crime Books making a real impact on Superhero books. This feels like a crime book with a few Capes thrown in. Miller even refers to his costume as a crime suit.
by KING King Impulse » Fri May 08, 2009 8:08 pm
Anyone that knows of Cape Lady hopes for her return every day.
Review to come sometime before Sunday, I want to get it done before the one day of the year I devote to sports.
by Punchy » Sat May 09, 2009 4:01 pmFinal Crisis Aftermath: Run! #1(of 6) - 'Step One: Make A Lot Of Enemies' - Sturges & Williams II
Story - Huh, this was actually pretty good. I'm known as one of the biggest Final Crisis haters on the site, that was just a truly awful comic, indicative of pretty much all that's wrong with modern DC Comics, and Grant Morrison's recent work, just dire. And for that reason I swore off getting any of these 'Aftermath' mini-series, no matter how good the creative teams were (And Sturges and Joe Casey are good writers, so that took some thought), and I was looking forward to a Final Crisis-free year, but no! DaringD had to go and choose one, and since I'm not a wuss like DeLarge who skips a week because he doesn't like it wah wah wah, I had to buy it, forced, with a gun to my head. You Bastards, you actually did it, you bastards.
But as I said, it was actually decent! Score one for you DaringD! The book stars Mike Miller, aka The Human Flame. Don't know who that is? He was that fat guy from Final Crisis who killed Martian Manhunter (Yeah, I know) and then got butt-raped into evil by Libra, he's got a moustache and fire powers. After a brief recap of that stuff, the book does what it says on the tin, as Mike run(!)s. He punches a nurse in the face, we see far more body hair than anyone could want, he tussles with the Kryzyzgznszztstsi Mob (That fake country was ridiculous! Is it from the 5th Dimension? Heh, Mxyzptlk humour), sets fire to a mascot, steals his daughter's bike and then blows up. Yeah, it's pretty awesome.
The thing I liked about this book was that it got down to business, it was like one continuing action scene, it didn't let up for a moment, even when you expected it to, you think, oh God, touching family scene, show he's not that bad a guy... no wait, he's a dick, yeah! Run! Too often these days DC books are too ponderous and deferential, not so here, since the book is about a villain, Sturges can play fast and loose with the character, and really have fun with it, the running interior monologue helped with this, getting Human Flame's perspective really colours events in an interesting way, this was very down and dirty for a DC book, and if you discount the flame suit and Green Lantern and Firestorm showing up, it could have been a straight action crime-story, what it reminded me off was high-octane movies like Crank (although probably more realistic, even with Green Lantern!), just a heap of mindless fun.
So there you have it, FCA: Run! is a pleasant surprise, turn off your brain, there's no pretentious channel-hopping multiverse bullshit here, just a bad dude doing bad things to bad people. It could be the kick in the nuts DC needs, and I am interested in seeing where it goes, the cover to #2 has a Nazi on it, so I expect shit to get weird, but I hope it doesn't lose it's pace.
Art - Freddie Williams II is a pretty unique artist, his faces look kind of weird, with really small eyes, but that doesn't matter, what matters is that the art is fast paced enough to go with the story, and I think it is. My only real complaint is the colouring where Firestorm is white for some reason. The white Firestorm is one dead Honky.
Best Line - 'It ain't just nipples, buddy!'
by Eric Ratcliffe » Sat May 09, 2009 9:47 pm
interestings thoughts lee, i agree completely.
by Starlord » Sun May 10, 2009 1:44 amRun #1
Have to pretty much agree with everyone so far. Hated Final Crisis with a passion, but this one issue actually made up for some of that. This is a character that has little if any real compassion for anyone (proven when he goes to visit his daughter and wife - best moment of the story for me). I love how this man who was such an intregal part of the murder of Martian Manhunter can actually come across as both cruel, cold, and calculating, and you still end up kind of rooting for the guy. That's a sign of a very good writer.
Story: 8
Art: 8
My Score: Let's say... 8
by guitarsmashley » Sun May 10, 2009 1:55 am
Carey is one of those whose work I've tried so many times and every time it's so flat here's hoping it's not a repeat experience.
by thefourthman » Sun May 10, 2009 7:14 am
YOu did find the one problem with the book. INdeed, Carey does suck, here's to hoping against odds. I mean Milligen is doing a good job on Hellblazer so anything is possible, right?
by guitarsmashley » Sun May 10, 2009 12:15 pm
I can't even bring myself to read the previews in all my fables books. I just look at it and say boring.
by Punchy » Sun May 10, 2009 12:32 pm
Surely that's not Carey's fault then, but Peter Gross, the artist (who I really like from Chosen)
by ****** » Mon May 11, 2009 11:03 amPimps!
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2007 Jeep Wrangler JK Buildup - Stimulus ProtectionPosted in How To on January 1, 2010
Jeep|o|nom|ics (jep-o-näm'iks) the act of spending a good portion of one's capital on aftermarket products, and/or modifications for one's Jeep, thereby enhancing both the Jeep's job performance and the economic health of companies offering the products and/or modifications in question. Also accounts for the acronym j.e.e.p. Just Empty Every Pocket.
Stim|u-lus Pack-age (stim'yoo-ls pak'ij) a gathering of quality products and/or modifications together for the purpose of stimulating the performance of the vehicle in question. A by-product of this packaging is stimulation of the bottom line of the companies offering involved products. It is hoped that no pork is installed during this packaging.
Back in the September 2009 issue of 4 WHEEL DRIVE & SPORT UTILITY MAGAZINE, we introduced Project Jeeponomics, a bright yellow 2007 Jeep Wrangler JK two-door. In that article, the installation and performance of an American Expedition Vehicle's (AEV) 3.5-inch suspension, coupled with 35-inch Interco M16 tires and AEV beadlock wheels were discussed. These modifications turned the Jeep into a more capable 'wheeler due to better ground clearance(s) and formidable tires. With these new abilities it quickly became apparent that its bright yellow body was in dire need of some armor to protect it from the new elements it was now capable of visiting. Heck, I even bashed in the dreadful front "rubber baby buggy bumper" setting up approach angle photos for that suspension article!
Besides its bumpers, the Jeep's most vulnerable areas were its rocker panels and rear corner panels. Along with adding armor to these areas, I wanted to open up the wheel wells to give the JK a lighter, airier look and get away from the multi-piece, massive O.E. fender flares that I knew, sooner or later, would get mangled by an errant rock or tree limb.
All of these bodily areas of concern are well covered by the aftermarket, with lots of different designs to choose from. In many cases it's a matter of personal preference as to what you want your JK to look like. In this article we'll look at the parts I chose, and point out a few reasons why, besides aesthetics, I feel they are a good choice for a JK owner who plans to use his Jeep hard.
As a quick overview, these are the body armor pieces I installed on Jeeponomics in the order I installed them. For details on each product and how it installed, check out the photo captions.
• AEV Rear Corner Guards
• Poly Performance High Clearance Rocker Guards
• Xenon Flat Panel Design Fender Flares
• Owner custom-designed and built front and rear tube bumpers
The other goody that's been installed on Jeeponomics to date is an AEV snorkel. Many people have commented that it's silly and/or stupid because, "you'll never drive in water that deep!" No, duh! Maybe the term "snorkel" is misleading and conjures up images of tropical fish and Hawaiian shirts. Oh well, that's what they call 'em all over the world, and in most places they are far handier for air filter longevity and keeping dirt out of your engine than they are for playing submarine. A snorkel might be good on a late model Jeep for the occasional big H2O splash, but since all of the vehicle's water sensitive electronics are cowl high, it would be pretty silly/stupid to expect the vehicle to be a boat.
However, in the dusty desert climate I live and 'wheel in, its amazing how much fine dirt that pre-filter, mounted atop that long tube, captures while following another rig for just a few miles. All that dirt would otherwise be trapped in the air filter, leading to poor fuel mileage and frequent filter cleanings or changes. Have I sold you on one yet? Like all of the stuff in this article, it's really a matter of personal preference. But it is cool to watch the dirt swirl around in the pre-filter while driving down the road!


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U.S. Lawmakers Backing Keystone Pipeline Mull Next Steps
WASHINGTON, Feb 4 (Reuters) - A bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers voiced support on Tuesday for the Keystone XL crude oil pipeline, and did not rule out using legislation to force the White House to approve the Canada-to-Texas project.
Several U.S. senators and representatives encouraged President Barack Obama to bless TransCanada Corp's plan to build a line that would carry up to 830,000 barrels per day of oil sands crude from Western Canada and light, sweet crude from North Dakota to oil refiners in the Gulf of Mexico.
They were joined by Gary Doer, Canada's ambassador to the United States, and a number of business and labor leaders in an event at the U.S. Congress.
The U.S. State Department concluded last week that the pipeline would not spur oil sands development or unduly worsen climate change - two claims environmentalist foes of the project have made.
"It's past time for the president to approve the Keystone XL pipeline," Senator John Hoeven told reporters, arguing - as supporters have done for years - that the project would create jobs and lift economies along the pipeline route.
Lawmakers said they had not yet decided how best to push the project over the next three months, a period when eight different federal agencies have the opportunity to weigh in on the pipeline.
"Our coalition is going to be discussing a strategy," said Senator Mary Landrieu, a Louisiana Democrat who is expected to take over leadership of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee soon. "We will just take it a step at a time."
Landrieu and Alaska's Mark Begich are among the Democratic senators up for re-election in November who support the pipeline and are anxious for Obama to approve it.
In 2011, lawmakers passed legislation to force the White House to give a Keystone ruling. Obama rejected the proposal in early 2012 and TransCanada returned later that year with an amended route for the proposed pipeline.
Hoeven, a North Dakota Republican, said his congressional allies would take action "depending on what our coalition wants to do and is willing to do."
Congressman Lee Terry, a Republican from Nebraska, said he had not heard of any current push in the House of Representatives to again use legislation to push Obama.
"Anything is possible, but there is no discussion," he said.
Opponents of the pipeline have also been out in force since the State Department report was released. On Monday thousands of activists staged events around the country urging Obama to reject Keystone.
Generated by readers, the comments included herein do not reflect the views and opinions of Rigzone. All comments are subject to editorial review. Off-topic, inappropriate or insulting comments will be removed.
- Keystone XL Advances In US Senate, Faces Obama Veto (Jan 29)
- U.S. Lawmakers Backing Keystone Pipeline Mull Next Steps (Feb 04)
- TransCanada's Southern Keystone XL Leg To Be Completed Soon -Report (Oct 02)


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Tour Of Jay-Z and Beyonce's Possibly New Pennsylvania Mansion!
"Current owners of 16,000 square-foot estate on a 210 acre lot give a tour of what could be the new home of Beyonce and Jay-Z." - David
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50 Cent Tells A Latina Radio Host "Callete La Boca Puta. Mamame Juevo" (Shut Your Mouth B*tch. Suck My Balls In Spanish) & Calls Lloyd Banks Fake For Being Puerto Rican & Black But Cant Speak The Language + His New Movie Going Straight To DVD
G-unit speaking to 95.7
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In 1975, Congress introduced the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) as an incentive for folks to go to work and to help relieve the burden of Social Security taxes. This tax credit is designed for low-income workers, especially those with children. The amount of credit one can receive is on a sliding scale depending on the amount of earned income received and the number of children the taxpayer claims as dependents.
Continue Reading Below
For 2012, the maximum credit is as follows:
- $5,891 with three or more qualifying children
- $5,236 with two qualifying children
- $3,169 with one qualifying child
- $475 with no qualifying children
The nice thing about the EITC is that it's refundable, which means that if your tax liability is only $30 and the credit you are allowed is $5,030, you may receive a refund check for $5,000. This is how it got its nickname from some politicians as a "Reverse Welfare System."
According to the IRS, in order to qualify for the credit, you must meet the following requirements:
- Have a valid Social Security number
- Have earned income from employment, self-employment, farming, some disability plans, or another source
- Dividend, interest and capital gain income or other income from investments does not qualify as earned income and must be less than $3,200 for the year
- Don't use the married, filing separate filing status
- Be a U.S. citizen or resident alien all year or a nonresident alien married to a U.S. citizen or resident alien and choose to file a joint return and be treated as a resident alien
- Cannot be the qualifying child of another person
- Cannot file Form 2555 or 2555-EZ (related to foreign earned income)
- Your Adjusted Gross Income and earned income must meet the limits shown on the Income Limits, Maximum Credit Amounts and Tax Law Updates Page.
To qualify, your earned income and adjusted gross income for the 2012 year must be less than $45,060 ($50,270 married filing jointly) with three or more qualifying children, $41,952 ($47,162 married filing jointly), with two qualifying children, $36,920 ($42,130 married filing jointly) with one qualifying child, $13,980 ($19,190 married filing jointly) with no qualifying children.
Qualifying children are those who have valid Social Security numbers, under age 19 at year end, your child, stepchild, adopted child, grandchild, brother, sister, or other blood relation as described in the IRS code. Children also must have lived with you for more than half the year and if married, can't have filed a joint return except to claim a refund without having a filing requirement.
For more detailed information, check out Qualifying Child Rules on the IRS website.
Because there has been so much fraud and abuse associated with the EITC, the IRS requires preparers to submit Form 8867 – a due diligence questionnaire – along with the taxpayer's income tax return. If you self-prepare your income taxes, be sure to include this form with your tax return. Otherwise you will likely be audited or simply disallowed all or part of the credit. A number of individuals have written to me telling me of their nightmares in dealing with the IRS over this issue in order to get their tax refunds.


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|2007-06-05, 09:05
|Link #1
Lost in my dreams...
Join Date: Jun 2006
Age: 32
Military, Authority & Decisions In MSLN series
Welcome to Military, Authority & Decisions In MSLN series discussion thread.
This thread is a place where you can discuss Military and Government related questions and issues in Nanoha-verse, such as the authority within TSAB, their military system, chain of command, etc ...
As usual, the Forum Rules must be followed. Specific rule to take note of:
If you come across any post that is problematic, please use the Report Post button () to inform the Moderators. Do not aggravate the problem by replying to it.
On a final note - This is a discussion thread, meaning that people are bound to disagree with you. Please be polite to your fellow members, and treat each other with mutual respect. Keep the discussion on topic, and above all - enjoy!
|2007-06-05, 09:10
|Link #2
~ I Do ~
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: In the XV-8A Spartan "00"
Age: 32
Well before we begin I'd like to say that Nanoha was right/Nanoha was wrong is getting tired. Let's try and unravel the big picture shall we? As in, how old is the TSAB? How does it work? What's the hierachy like? I'm sure things like this would have great pertinence to a Nanohaverse fanuniverse author like those who populate the FF and OC threads, myself included. Good chatting, and Safe Travels.
|2007-06-05, 09:23
|Link #3
~Night of Gales~
Join Date: Dec 2005
Let's see...
- Elite mages gets fast promotions. Higher ranks help.
- The 3 L.As were the foundation that shaped TSAB into what it is today. Whether or not they were the actual founders of TSAB, or did they just "modernize" a lesser faction(s) or maybe separate TSAB-ish organiztions into the gigantic dimensional administrator we know today...well, I'll leave that to the true blue moon-speakers.
- There exist a self-governed Belka region...whatever it implies. Vatican of Mid-childa? Doesn't that make Carim the Pope or something?...Cardinal Acous?
- Right-wing and left-wing politics. Typical. They're everywhere.
- Well, there's still some general confusion of ranks differentiation at times due to different military units as in the Air, Ground, Naval but the overall hierachy is generally the same as with regular militaries, like the JSDF. Though I wonder how far the 3 Admirals rank as in their Admiralship goes...Grand Admirals? Fleet Admiral?
- Balance of forces. Limiters allow leeway. They probably don't mind in general other than other forces losing their precious members due to being understaffed, but seems more like a loose regulation with appropriate measures.
- Nepotism has it's hands in TSAB politics.
- Validity of mage rankings. Clearly they play a role here and there, but generally, it's more like a take-for-benefits kinda thing since it's not Zafira's officially ranked due to his familiar status, and most likely military members generally get ranked accordingly based on test results and performance too, but they can take the test if they think they're capable of it.
|2007-06-05, 09:45
|Link #4
VxR Productions
IT Support
Mine in a flash
- TSAB age = MC Year
- TSAB was once an arm of the galactic military, now civilianzed, making the bureau look as professional as an established military of 500 years or more. Also includes the inclusion of military ranks into such an administrative office.
- 3 signs of the Bureau = still not determined.
- Belka administrative Region (BAR or VAR) = once a refugee zone given by MC...
- Midchilda is actually a fusion of 2 nearby space regions, thus arriving at a huge system of planets.
- Government if Royal-Parliamentary, borne from the two systems that once made up MC, with the real power in the hands of the Prime Minister while the designated Royal holds the third spot in government.
- Royalty and family run along matriarchal lines.
- TSAB is headed by a 11 person panel known as the board of directors- 1 of these slots is for the administrator of VAR and one is for the only military person in the entire bureau- occupied by the galactic military commander.
- More later
|2007-06-05, 09:49
|Link #5
~Night of Gales~
Join Date: Dec 2005
If it's the latter...I think we should only discuss presented facts here and base the discussions and speculation on them, really.
|2007-06-05, 09:55
|Link #6
VxR Productions
IT Support
- well since a group of that importance and caliber has to come from somewhere- not just set up and expect to fully function after less than a century. It takes time to develop a tradition, and the bureau seems to have that for an organization of that nature that is that young- so it has to come from somewhere.
- given the cirumstances and what limited facts we have, it's the most ideal theories that i have right now, but i'll let you guys put in and i'll comment.
|2007-06-05, 10:02
|Link #7
Secret Society BLANKET
Graphic Designer
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: 3 times the passion of normal flamenco
The USAF for example, is technically less than 60 years old, and yet it's importance in the United States Armed Forces is not to be underestimated. Of course, it had existed as the US Army Air Corp prior to the end of World War II, but that doesn't change the fact that as an organization the USAF is comparatively young to the other branches.
|2007-06-05, 10:08
|Link #8
VxR Productions
IT Support
@ LoweGear
That's exactly my view on the bureau
The USAF is one of the youngest branches of the US Mil, but it already has a 'tradition' (that aura that this branch is professional- like the army and navy- armies and navies have almost been hand in hand, and air forces came in when someone had the idea of trying to rule your enemies' sky). as the USAAC, it was just an extension of the USA during WWI- as a need to gain superiority over land and naval forces.
And the Marines would be another example of such 'young' organizations having 'the tradition'- they have been forged by war and subsequently, their need to fight in extreme situations.
|2007-06-05, 10:19
|Link #9
Secret Society BLANKET
Graphic Designer
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: 3 times the passion of normal flamenco
Hoping this'd serve as the baseline for when we refer to that "tradition" in future reference.
Last edited by LoweGear; 2007-06-05 at 10:30.
|2007-06-05, 10:34
|Link #10
illusion control
For a Bureau, the TSAB seems to have a much more streamlined bureaucracy than exists in the Real World. (Or maybe we just don't see the frantic paper-pushers in the background.)
One thing I've been wondering, and this may fit here and in the Magic And Technology thread: how does the TSAB keep its records? Is it stored in the Infinite Library, or somewhere else? In hardcopy? If so, is actual paper used, or synthetics?
(Anyone who's seen the clerical side of the military knows about the stupendous amount of paperwork required before a soldier is allowed to shoot even one bullet. Now imagine that for an interdimensional/interstellar bureaucracy, and imagine the number of trees required for the paper. I'm guessing synthetics.)
Also, on another note, is the Infinite Library completely under the jurisdiction of the TSAB, or only partly? Is access restricted, and what sort of information is inside (specifically, security clearances)? Or is everything in it declassified?
How far do the TSAB's powers run: are they a largely military force like the UN Peacekeeping forces, or are they also administrative (as the name suggests) like the UN itself? How closely does the TSAB parallel the UN?
|2007-06-05, 11:17
|Link #11
Join Date: May 2007
Location: England
Hard copy and digital data, I'd also assume. Books as we've seen, information lists and historical records organised by a sort of pseudo-SQL management database (Yuuno's "search magic" acting like a universal search engine), as well as video data with regards to episode 9 of StrikerS.
As for access restrictions, see first reply paragraph above.
|2007-06-05, 11:25
|Link #12
~Night of Gales~
Join Date: Dec 2005
There's one thing that generally bothers me about IL and by extention, Yuuno's general position within the TSAB.
I think it's safe to assume that Yuuno, being the database manager and chief librarian, and also a civilian-TSAB associated member has a certain degree of classified information management, among other things. At the very least, things like the theft of Jewel Seed could be revealed from Fate to Yuuno without any problems whatsoever.
It brings out the question of how much information does Yuuno actually control in general. Stuff like ancient history and stuff are naturally, probably under his complete jurisdiction, but what about more recent stuff? Or really sensitive ones? Unless Yuuno's position within TSAB is larger than what it seems, I highly doubt he's got too much leeway in certain things.
So, if IL is only the "safe" extention to the database of TSAB, bar a few things, then naturally there should be something like another sensitive database, probably under BoD's direct administration and control.
|2007-06-05, 11:36
|Link #13
Join Date: May 2007
Location: England
|2007-06-05, 12:04
|Link #15
Once and Current Subber
Join Date: Dec 2005
We can conclude a few things from observation of the TSAB and by comparing and contrasting them with what we know about various militaries.
First off, the TSAB is -emphatically- not a war-fighting military. That's not to say they never have, but if they have, it's far enough back that the NCOs and officers are from a new crop. When you look at things like the restrictions, limiting the available firepower to "prevent unit rivalry" and all that, well... those are not the sorts of concerns that affect a force going into the field for large-scale combat. (Indeed, real militaries specifically promote some healthy rivalry.)
TSAB in the field - that is to say, operating outside their domestic Midchildan territory - seems to look like the British Navy during the imperial period. Ships have a lot of autonomy, their captains are expected to uphold imperial policy and take initiative when out of communications range, and a little bit of irregularity is generally allowed so long as the results turned out to be good. They'll deploy forces to defend Midchildan interests, and protection of the locals is also a goal, though secondary - Lindy was about five minutes from turning Tokyo into a big-ass bay at the end of A's, for example.
TSAB at home looks and acts like the Japanese military. Not surprising, given the writers' cultural bias. Lots of training, disaster relief, assistance in law-enforcement tasks, not a whole lot of the boom boom.
|2007-06-05, 12:35
|Link #16
Once and Current Subber
Join Date: Dec 2005
Continuing on. ;p
We can -assume- that fighting is not the only goal for the TSAB's existence. (Were it so, why the HELL would they have banned conventional, non-magical weaponry?) One of its major aims is (almost certainly) to provide training, support, and direction to mages, who are after all a certain percentage of the Mid population in general. Mages are dangerous, they can hurt and kill people, they can break the law in all sorts of interesting ways, they can go set up pocket empires in "unadministrated" space, they can fly drunk... all that jazz. But a mage in the TSAB is a lot less likely to kill herself or others by accident, and much, much less likely to turn their powers to anti-social uses.
We can assume that an effort to "control" magic the way that some countries here control guns would fail outright. Nanoha plus a totally-unregistered device that Yuuno just happened to be carrying equals really powerful force of destruction, no? Furthermore, there seem to be a lot of Lost Logia-type artifacts floating around - even if most of them aren't all that dangerous, they keep turning up often enough that you'd have a steady stream of them to deal with anyway.
So why would a young mage want to join the TSAB?
- Respect. The TSAB's a real military in terms of ceremonials. You get a nice uniform, you get saluted, you're part of a team of people like you, the normal self-actualization stuff from the military.
- "Be all you can be." The TSA's a good source of training, they're actively interested in developing the potential of their mages, they're gonna provide you with a device and cartridges and all that. They'll teach you to fly, LITERALLY.
- Other options. Which is to say, -are- there any? We don't actually know how much of a role magic plays in the Mid civilian sector. We can safely assume that the medical folks use a lot. We know about Yuuno, but also that he's a little unusual. We know that there's a research establishment. And... what else? We -don't- know that it's used in everyday tasks like construction or manufacturing. Or even in sports. (Hell, do they have sports?)
If we assume that the TSAB also has "mage control" as one of their missions, this would account for things like limiters and not liking the idea of sticking too many powerful mages in one unit. Coup problems, possibly? They'd have a terrible time if Div 6 went rogue as constituted, and that's just a few girls and some support staff. If you loaded up a special air force unit with lots of AA and AAA mages, they would have a good chance of taking control and holding it long enough to push a coup through...
It's obvious that mage rank and military rank are not unrelated. Every high-ranking mage we know is an officer. (We can conclude that the usual difference between commissioned officers and enlisted personnel is simply not present in the TSA, or is not understood by the writers; certainly there's nothing to imply that ALL of the characters from A's have had, say, leadership training at an academy. OTOH, they could just be mustangs...)
It's also obvious that there are problems with the TSA's rank structure when applied to Our Heroes. Hayate's a Lt. Colonel at 19, for Christ's sake! In a conventional military, that's a slot for a veteran leader, at least in their late 30s or more likely late 40s. Granted that Hayate has a freakishly unusual amount of magical power, but assuming she stays healthy, she's almost certain to end up as one of the most senior officers in the TSAB. (On the other hand, it's entirely possible that her promotion had an extremely large amount of "by way of courtesy" - that is, she's a Lt. Col. because she wanted the job, they wanted to give her the job, and it was a Lt. Col. slot. Also, if they end up promoting Nanoha or Fate to Major, then Hayate would need to be a Lt. Col. for story reasons so she could keep out-ranking them... but that's still pretty stupid.)
So what's with the rank inflation? Well, for one, we've -never- seen an example of a mage being placed under the command of another mage with inferior abilities. It's entirely possible that mage rank is explicitly tied to military rank, and that passing a ranking test actually DOES get you "promoted". But then you're desperately short on officers, because after all, how many AAA-mages are in the service? Presumably not too many, if they're recruiting 9-year-old girls with that kind of potential and putting them straight into the line! ;P So at least theoretically, there are a number of officers who aren't super-skilled mages, simply to keep the table of organization filled.
Also, what about the enlisted personnel? Our B-rankers are all privates. The only other ones we know about are Rein (special case, but AA, right?) and Vice (who knows?), both at Master Sergeant.
|2007-06-05, 12:38
|Link #17
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: event horizon
|2007-06-05, 12:57
|Link #18
Once and Current Subber
Join Date: Dec 2005
Okay, force structure of the TSAB.
We know (from the manga) that "everybody" starts off in the Ground Forces. This is not actually true - certainly, Nanoha and Fate didn't start there - but we can assume that it's the normal point of entry for an enlistee.
So what do we know about them? What we've seen isn't all that impressive. Whatever unit size they're constituted as (I've seen battalions in the fansub, but I don't trust it to be accurate for things like that), they don't actually have all that much magical potential - Nakajima's unit was seriously augmented by Nanoha, Fate, and Hayate swinging by while on vacation.
This makes sense if you take into account that mages who reach A rank (often? always?) move into the Air Forces. So we would expect the Ground Forces to include a lot of trainees and low-potential mages. They're not that mobile. We can assume they have access to mechanized transport and possibly air transport, but we haven't actually seen anything like an APC. They're not the mages that get deployed to extra-dimensional work, anyway...
So your average officer in the Ground Forces can be assumed to have been promoted because of seniority, not pure potential; or else they're just an odd duck who refused transfer into the Air Forces.
The Air Forces are... well, we don't really know. About all that we know about these guys is that they can fly, and that they aren't fast-responders - they relieved Nakajima at the airport disaster only after Hayate and friends had essentially taken care of everything. We can presume that they're generally better-equipped and more powerful fighting formations than the Ground Forces. We can also assume they're not as numerous (just not that many mages at that rank), and that their command structure is a bit ponderous - if they were really quick on the draw, Hayate wouldn't have been impelled to set up her little Delta Force on the side. ;p
Finally, we have the enforcers. These guys are an odd little category - they seem to be the folks who get deployed externally, kind of like Marines in a way, but with more of an emphasis on individual action than anything you'd find in a modern military unit. There's a wide range of abilities here - you get crowds of them finished off by Precia and they don't even slow down the knights in A's, but on the other hand, Chrono and Fate are both enforcers, so presumably it's not totally unknown for them to have access to a few big guns. Can't say much more about 'em...
So yeah, Hayate's Div 6 is definitely filling the niche of a special-forces unit. We can assume that, because they're so -bad- at the whole training aspect, that there aren't actually any other special forces units in the TSAB hierarchy.
|2007-06-05, 13:25
|Link #19
Once and Current Subber
Join Date: Dec 2005
Japanese military, Cats, remember? "you just screwed up bad, trainee, I'm gonna hit you" is not frowned upon. Even the Signum Punch is within normal discipline.
We have to place Div 6's performance in light of the context - that is to say, in a 26-episode anime series. ;p Thus, having the opponents show up and do something, succeed (to show that they're not total incompetents, and thus dangerous enemies), and get away (so that we don't have a 13-ep series!) is totally understandable.
Given the rather huge deficiencies in intelligence that they're suffering under (total lack of knowledge about enemy intentions, force estimates, capabilities other than "yeah, okay, we've seen three types of drone", whereas same enemy can keep them under observation during action...), it's hardly a surprise that they're not acting in an optimal fashion anyway.
As far as the hotel, an actual military action would have been "clear the hotel, call in reinforcements". With the restriction of not suspending the auction or alerting civilians to incoming trouble, they did okay - they got diverted by the diversion because, well, what have they been DOING but fighting drones? Good thinking on behalf of the opposition, plus absolutely superior intelligence, and a very limited objective that was -not- what Div 6 was there to prevent, allowed a success there.
As far as the training problems go, absolutely, the objectives of the training exercises should have been stated up front. If it's necessary to take it slow and break in the trainees to prevent them from suffering physical harm, you -freaking tell them that-. Hell, Nanoha even has this nifty anecdote about how, despite her Ace of Aces and S+ and aura of absolute awesomeness, pushing it too hard almost killed HER, and hey won't you -look- at the scar! This, I think, is a failure caused by narrative demands, which is still kind of weak on behalf of the writers, but understandable - they can't "surprise" the viewer with the whole "Nanoha got shot up" thing if they explain it in advance. But still, poor form.
Tea's whole freaking out... well, I'll say going in that Tea's baggage is her own damn problem. But with modern special forces training, that shouldn't be any sort of problem whatsoever; NOBODY who gets selected for SEAL training thinks that they're average, it's part of the mentality you're instilling into the trainees. Nanoha, well, she doesn't know that, and she ought to - she's certainly presented as someone who's done her goddamned homework when it comes to training, and even if the TSA's totally ignorant on how to do this stuff, she happens to be "really good friends" with the world's greatest expert on the most comprehensive archives in existence. Presumably Yuuno could have dug up some US Army special forces training manuals, or someone else's equivalents; even if he didn't do so on his own accord as an excuse to drop in on Nanoha... ;p
But Nanoha obviously hasn't read anything on the topic, so either she's haring off in a completely different direction out of sheer pig-headedness, or we've run into a limitation of information the writers didn't have. I vote (b) here. They can't make Nanoha know something they don't know themselves, and let's be honest, the ins and outs of military training in a special forces unit are not a topic of general interest or something you'd find a lot of Japanese literature addressing!
However, the resolution was pure Nanoha - "you're not listening to me, so I shall pwn you until you shut up and listen for a second!" And it worked, again. ;p (I personally would have been happier with a discussion with everyone there, if only so Tea could say "wait, wait, who in here has been in a fight with Nanoha?!" and seen the hands go up...)
|2007-06-05, 15:27
|Link #20
Tell me who I am.
Join Date: Oct 2006
|Thread Tools


text:
K9KnitKnots is an Etsy shop filled with all sorts of really unique, artsy, colorful, comfy handmade dog collars.
Take a peek at three of my favorite beaded designs:
Turquoise Blue Collar
Yellow Golden Abalone Collar
Navy Purple Iridescent Collar
(How easypeasy is that?)
A winner will be chosen by random the following day.


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December 06, 2012
February 16, 2014
Honolulu Museum of Art
Exhibition Overview
For more than 50 years Thurston Twigg-Smith, known affectionately as Twigg in the islands and beyond, has played a leading role in the development and appreciation of contemporary art in Honolulu. In 1961, as a young executive at The Honolulu Advertiser newspaper, he conceived and implemented the Honolulu Advertiser Gallery (HAG) as a space devoted to exhibitions of works by contemporary artists of Hawai'i. Concurrently, he began the Honolulu Advertiser Collection at Persis Corporation, purchasing works from the exhibitions, a collection which ultimately comprised over 3,000 works. HAG became the Contemporary Arts Center which led to the founding by Twigg and his late wife Laila of The Contemporary Museum (TCM), which opened to the public in 1988 at Spalding House in Makiki Heights. In 2011 TCM and the Honolulu Academy of Arts merged, forming the renamed Honolulu Museum of Art.
While Twigg had a collector's sensibility early on, assembling an unparalleled collection of rare Hawaiian stamps and covers, in the 1980s he and Laila began forming a personal collection of contemporary art, as well as expanding the Honolulu Advertiser Collection to include works by nationally and internationally known artists. Collecting continued to be an important focus with his wife Sharon from the 1990s to the present. Over the years, large numbers of works were donated to TCM and HAA, as well as to major museums elsewhere, first by Twigg and Laila, then Twigg and Sharon, and also, through Persis Corporation, by the Twigg-Smith family, who, following Twigg's leadership, donated works from the corporate collection.
Private collections usually reflect the personal interests and tastes of the collectors, which is true of the Twigg-Smith collection. The aim was never to have a formulaic collection that included one of this artist, one of that artist, according to the prevailing movements and names, but rather to have the joy of finding and putting together disparate works by artists from many places, from famous to emerging to unknown, always keeping an open mind and a curious eye. The collection includes works by minimal and abstract artists, but the overriding characteristics that are revealed in the selected works presented here from among nearly 2,000 works donated to the museum are summed up by the words "figurative," "narrative," "bold," "colorful," and "humorous" (often with an undercurrent of social/political meaning). The collection has been formed in a spirit of fun, yet with the serious purpose of creating a public resource of contemporary art for the community as well as for visitors from around the world.


text:
Most companies today have business relationships with multiple partners and collaborators. The number of strategic alliances across most industries, for example, has grown steadily over the past decade.
And a recent study has shown that 60 percent of companies worldwide now deploy outsourcing as a standard practice; an additional 19 percent say outsourcing is definitely in their future.
As executives adjust to the fact that relationship building is a significant part of their job description, they are running into the challenge that all relationships, human or corporate, encounter at some point: stuff happens—obligations can be misinterpreted; people don't always get along; expectations can conflict.


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Ramadan Mubarak
Ramadan is here again. Actually we are about 13 days in…so almost half way done.
And you're wondering what could I possibly doing that is new, right?
More pictures of dates and fried stuff?
An artistic shot of a glass of water?
Well I intend to host my very first Iftar.
I'm going to give people food to break fast.
Now my mom is not very happy about this.
She may not like the menu either.
But I had a plan…for how I could cook everything…bake bake bake…I really need a second oven…
However I was saved. I am outsourcing the meat and one side.
I am making one side and salad (well I informed my sister in law that she is making the salad).
I'm excited and petrified at the same time.
Wsh me luck!


text:
Selecting your vehicle's make, model, and year allows us to display only parts and items specific to your car's model and year.
Part# MCA5539
2 Reviews
OPGI Price: $6.99
Part Type: (A) Aftermarket product, usually an enhancement product
Years: 1964-1977
Sold As: EACH
Protect your car cover when not in use. This durable, sturdy storage bag is designed for use with all of the custom car covers that we offer.


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State budget deal may include unpopular tax extensions
Hartford - As state budget negotiations draw close to a vote, compromises and deals are emerging that undoubtedly would not satisfy everyone.
One such provision may be that Millstone Power Station in Waterford might still have to pay an energy-generation tax, although at a reduced rate, through fiscal year 2014.
"Oh, I am not happy with that at all, no," state Rep. Betsy Ritter, D-Waterford, said on Tuesday. "We had hoped to be able to have the whole thing sunset as it was originally planned."
And although Gov. Dannel P. Malloy had said taxes wouldn't increase, the gross receipt tax at the gas pump is expected to rise to 8.1 percent from 7 percent as scheduled.
Leaders of the committees on appropriations and on finance, revenue and bonding have been meeting behind closed doors with the governor's staff to hammer out a budget deal.
On Tuesday, negotiations included how to place Medicaid spending, which is 100 percent federally funded, "off budget" without a vote on changing the language on the statutory spending cap. State officials also are considering using this year's surplus, which is expected to come from an increase in projected revenue from personal income tax and gift and estate taxes.
Kevin Hennessy, director of government affairs for New England for Dominion Resources, owner of Millstone, said it is hard to determine what the effect of the state budget would be on the company.
"We were disappointed when the governor proposed to extend the tax, happy when the legislature (finance committee) decided not to and now the two have to come together and work on the budget," Hennessy said.
He was scheduled to visit the Capitol Tuesday afternoon to speak with legislators, including state Sen. Andrea Stillman, D-Waterford. She was one of the main proponents of the finance committee bill, which proposed ending the tax as scheduled on July 1.
Finance committee co-chairman, state Rep. Patricia Widlitz, D-Guilford, said the budget is tentative at this point.
"If we do it (continue the energy-generation tax) at all, it would be at a very reduced rate and it would only be on the first year of the budget." Widlitz said.
The energy-generation tax brought in about $76 million annually, and Dominion paid about $43 million of the total. If the rate were decreased to bring in a total of $30 million a year, as some legislators have estimated, Dominion would pay $16 million to $17 million annually.
It's "obviously reduced from the almost $43 million we paid last year, but that is still a significant amount," Hennessy said.
Laurence Grotheer, Stillman's spokesman, said Stillman preferred not to answer questions about the energy-generation tax because "there are still so many moving pieces" and things might change by today.
Malloy said Tuesday that extending the tax in the upcoming two-year budget "is entirely possible."
Other taxes that might be extended in the final version of the budget include the 20 percent surcharge on the corporation tax and the cap on an insurance premium tax credit.
The finance committee's proposal to allow the gross receipt tax on gas purchased at the pump to increase to 8.1 percent also is likely to be a part of the final budget. Finance committee Republicans expressed frustration and said that if the state didn't take money out of the Special Transportation Fund and put it in the General Fund to cover operating expenses, the increase wouldn't be needed. The gross tax receipt increase was passed under Rell in 2005.
"We are allowing our gross receipt tax to go up effective July 1," House Minority Leader Larry Cafero, R-Norwalk, said Tuesday. "We are not doing a thing about it. We are going to take that extra money, which is $60 million extra a year. We are not going to see that money stay in the Special Transportation Fund because we are taking it out the back door to plug and balance the operating budget."
The public is disappointed in this practice, he said.
A projected surplus
On the spending side, there are discussions about using the projected revenue surplus from the current fiscal year as part of the upcoming budget.
The projected surplus for this fiscal year is $220 million, much of it from personal income, gift and estate taxes. It resulted from people making larger than expected taxable gifts in 2012 out of fear of the federal fiscal cliff, according to the Office of Fiscal Analysis.
"We do have a surplus," Widlitz said. "We have a projected surplus from this year's budget and all of those things go into the decision of how we develop the budget."
Malloy and the Appropriations Committee put forth budgets that would require changing what spending is counted under the state's spending cap. The statutory spending cap was put in place by the General Assembly in 1991 to tie the growth of the state's budget to personal income growth or the rate of inflation. In 1992, voters passed spending-cap requirements, and the 28th Amendment was added to the state constitution.
"We don't have the votes to amend the spending cap, it appears right now, so by taking some of these items off budget, it frees up space under the cap," Widlitz said.
Cafero said he would vote against increasing the spending cap if it came up for a vote, but at least the governor was honest about what he was trying to do, he added.
"Now they are saying we are just going to ignore it. That is a very different story," Cafero said.
The latest spending estimates for the two-year budget were $21 billion in fiscal year 2014 and $22 billion in 2015, from both the governor's and the Appropriation Committee's budget proposals.
"We have an outline of a budget in place," Malloy said. "There is still work to be done in the next day or so, but we are going to have a budget. We are not going to increase taxes as I have been telling you for nine or 10 months now, and we'll be in balance, and we will be GAAP compliant."
Freshman senator from Westbrook still opposed to gas tax hike
Waterford man on trial for setting fire, falsely reporting burglary


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North Main Street residents, merchants and property owners are encouraged to attend a public meeting Monday, March 11, when the new and improved sidewalk plans will be available for review.
North Main Street residents, merchants and property owners are encouraged to attend a public meeting Monday, March 11, when the new and improved sidewalk plans will be available for review.
"We'd like to explain to them what we're doing, then get their input, and field any and all questions," said Mark Rees, city engineer, who along with Brian Chaplin, city project manager, were out Thursday afternoon hand-delivering invitations to Monday's meeting which will begin at 5 p.m. in council chambers at city hall.
As they made their way around North Main, Rees and Chaplin reported that public response was positive.
"The reactions I got were pretty pleasant," said Rees. "They're upbeat and anxious for it to get started."
Rees only recently completed his review of the revised project plans.
"I'm pretty happy with it," he said. "We got the curbs out of the sidewalks, which was a main priority. We got all the ramps, railings, curbs and steps out of the intersections. That was a good bonus, too."
The plans call for raised intersections along North Main.
"That will be new to Hannibal, but I think we'll get used to them and eventually like them. That's in conjunction with the stamped and colored crosswalks that will be installed," said Rees.
Even if public support is strong Monday night, two hurdles will remain - approval by the Missouri Department of Transportation and the State Historic Preservation Office. Rees is confident both organizations will sign off on the revised plans.
"We've already gotten our HDDC approval of the concept plan and I think that was preliminary to getting the State Historic Preservation approval," he said.
The city's Historic Development District Commission unanimously approved the new plans at its February meeting.
Rees noted that the redesign work by Architechnics was completed well in advance of the 90 days stipulated in the contract approved by the City Council on Dec. 18.


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To take in the tumult provoked by the death of Arthur, Prince of Wales, the first born son of King Henry VII and of his wife, Elizabeth of York, early in 15th century Tudor England, combine the affection currently felt for Prince William with the fear for the future engendered by the death of John Kennedy. For over a century, England had been in the throes of the dynastic upheaval known as the War of the Roses. Rehearsing reversals of fortune between the warring houses of Lancaster and York is beyond the reach of most Americans. It's enough to know that when Henry Tudor seized the throne at the Battle of Bosworth Field, England prayed, and hoped, that the heir of this new house, himself a descendent of both Lancaster and York, would truly be a prince of peace. Modern media didn't exist, but the marriage of Arthur Tudor, Prince of Wales, to Catherine of Aragon, the daughter of King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain, only a few months before the prince's death, far exceeded anything that the Windsors have ever marshaled for their progeny.
Hope couldn't have been more hyped.
With that in mind, here's a vignette from Thomas Penn's new history, Winter King: Henry VII and the Dawn of Tudor England.
Late in the evening of Monday 4 April 1502, a boat docked at the landing stage at Greenwich, where Henry, Elizabeth and the royal household were in residence. It carried a messenger with urgent dispatches from Ludlow, under the seal of Prince Arthur's chamberlain, Richard Pole. Henry had retired for the night and the house was quiet; close counselors opened the letters. The prince of Wales had died forty-eight hours previously, in his chamber at Ludlow Castle. He had been taken ill nearly two months before, at Shrovetide, but his decline, when it came, had been swift and brutal. The likely cause ... was the sweating sickness, the lethal flu-like virus whose symptoms included a raging temperature, convulsing intestinal pain, asphyxiation and acute kidney failure. The counselors summoned Henry VII's confessor, one of the severe, grey-habited friars at the adjoining convent of Franciscan Observants. The following morning, 'somewhat before the time accustomed', he knocked discreetly on the door of Henry's privy chamber. Entering, he told all the servants present to leave, then turned to the king and broke the news: his dearest son was departed to God (70).
Knowing what this death meant to England, consider how the loss of any young son, newly married, would tear open the hearts of his parents. Here's what happened:
Henry's first instinct was to send for Elizabeth who, seeing her husband in 'natural and painful sorrow', comforted him. Her response was reassuring and rational. Henry should, she said, remember that he still had a 'fair and goodly' prince, and two fair princesses. Besides which, he still had her, and they could have more children: 'we are both young enough'. Finally calming, Henry thanked his wife, who returned with her ladies to her own apartments, where she broke down. The scene was replayed in reverse: now, it was Henry who came to console Elizabeth in 'good haste', out of 'true, gentle and faithful love', and who reminded her of the advice she had just given him (70-71).
What a beautiful phrase from the chronicle: out of "true, gentle and faithful love." Elizabeth sets aside her grief to comfort her husband, and, having been supported by her love, he then does the same. It's a wonderful image of Christ shepherding his own, through the love of others. In this case, devoted spouses.
We're quite accustomed to homilies that speak of ordained ministers as shepherds of their people — no doubt an effect of who preaches them — but Christ likens only himself to a shepherd; nowhere does the New Testament call its ministers shepherds. My purpose is not to denigrate ordained ministry. (Leaders are easy to lambaste; they lash themselves.) But I am suggesting that too much focus upon ordained ministry truncates the power of Christ's metaphor.
What does a shepherd do? Why did Christ liken himself to one? A shepherd protects and nourishes, as Christ does in the gospel, drawing his disciples away from the crowd and feeding them (Mk 6:31-32). Whatever leading occurs in shepherding, it happens in pursuit of those two needs, protection and nourishment. Leading is a means to an end. How sad that our homiletical tomes are stuffed with tales of shepherds as leaders, when the more humble, everyday vocation of the shepherd is to protect and nourish. Isn't that what Elizabeth did, without hesitation, for "the natural and painful sorrow" of her husband? Didn't Henry do the same with "true, gentle and faithful love?" How many such stories would we hear, on any given Sunday, if we asked each person present to stand in turn and tell the tale? Christ shepherds us all, through countless acts of human kindness at the hands of our fellows.
Monarchs and bishops lead. It's their God-given charge, but all Christians are called to shepherd, even if only one little lamb depends upon them. That lamb still requires nourishment and protection. It still needs "true, gentle and faithful love."
Rev. Terrance W. Klein