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Altaic Languages
George Starostin
"Altaic" is a common term applied by linguists to a number of language families, spread across Central Asia and the Far East and sharing a large, most likely non-coincidental, number of structural and morphemic similarities. At the onset of Altaic studies, these similarities were ascribed to the one-time existence of an ancestral language—"Proto-Altaic," from which all these families are descended; circumstantial evidence and glottochronological calculations tentatively date this language to some time around the 6th–7th millennium
The debate over the nature of the relationship between the various units that constitute "Altaic," sometimes referred to as "the Altaic controversy," has been one of the most hotly debated topics in 20th-century historical linguistics and a major focal point of studies dealing with the prehistory of Central and East Eurasia. Supporters of "Proto-Altaic," commonly known as "(pro-)Altaicists," claim that only divergence from an original common ancestor can account for the observed regular phonetic correspondences and other structural similarities, whereas "anti-Altaicists," without denying the existence of such similarities, insist that they do not belong to the "core" layers of the respective languages and are therefore better explained as results of lexical borrowing and other forms of areal linguistic contact.
As a rule, "pro-Altaicists" claim that "Proto-Altaic" is as reconstructible by means of the classic comparative method as any uncontroversial linguistic family; in support of this view, they have produced several attempts to assemble large bodies of etymological evidence for the hypothesis, backed by systems of regular phonetic correspondences between compared languages. All of these, however, have been heavily criticized by "anti-Altaicists" for lack of methodological rigor, implausibility of proposed phonetic and/or semantic changes, and confusion of recent borrowings with items allegedly inherited from a common ancestor. Despite the validity of many of these objections, it remains unclear whether they are sufficient to completely discredit the hypothesis of a genetic connection between the various branches of "Altaic," which continues to be actively supported by a small, but stable scholarly minority.
Berber-Arabic Language Contact
Maarten Kossmann
Since the start of the Islamic conquest of the Maghreb in the 7th century
Linguistic influence is found on all levels: phonology, morphology, syntax, and lexicon. In those cases where only innovative patterns are shared between the two language groups, it is often difficult to make out where the innovation started; thus the great similarities in syllable structure between Maghrebian Arabic and northern Berber are the result of innovations within both language families, and it is difficult to tell where it started. Morphological influence seems to be mediated exclusively by lexical borrowing. Especially in Berber, this has led to parallel systems in the morphology, where native words always have native morphology, while loans either have nativized morphology or retain Arabic-like patterns. In the lexicon, it is especially Berber that takes over scores of loanwords from Arabic, amounting in one case to over one-third of the basic lexicon as defined by 100-word lists.
Early Modern English
Terttu Nevalainen
In the Early Modern English period (1500–1700), steps were taken toward Standard English, and this was also the time when Shakespeare wrote, but these perspectives are only part of the bigger picture. This chapter looks at Early Modern English as a variable and changing language not unlike English today. Standardization is found particularly in spelling, and new vocabulary was created as a result of the spread of English into various professional and occupational specializations. New research using digital corpora, dictionaries, and databases reveals the gradual nature of these processes. Ongoing developments were no less gradual in pronunciation, with processes such as the Great Vowel Shift, or in grammar, where many changes resulted in new means of expression and greater transparency. Word order was also subject to gradual change, becoming more fixed over time.
Ferdinand de Saussure
John E. Joseph
Ferdinand de Saussure (1857–1913), the founding figure of modern linguistics, made his mark on the field with a book he published a month after his 21st birthday, in which he proposed a radical rethinking of the original system of vowels in Proto-Indo-European. A year later, he submitted his doctoral thesis on a morpho-syntactic topic, the genitive absolute in Sanskrit, to the University of Leipzig. He went to Paris intending to do a second, French doctorate, but instead he was given responsibility for courses on Gothic and Old High Gerrman at the École Pratique des Hautes Études, and for managing the publications of the Société de Linguistique de Paris. He abandoned more than one large publication project of his own during the decade he spent in Paris. In 1891 he returned to his native Geneva, where the University created a chair in Sanskrit and the history and comparison of languages for him. He produced some significant work on Lithuanian during this period, connected to his early book on the Indo-European vowel system, and yielding Saussure's Law, concerning the placement of stress in Lithuanian. He undertook writing projects about the general nature of language, but again abandoned them. In 1907, 1908–1909, and 1910–1911, he gave three courses in general linguistics at the University of Geneva, in which he developed an approach to languages as systems of signs, each sign consisting of a signifier (sound pattern) and a signified (concept), both of them mental rather than physical in nature, and conjoined arbitrarily and inseparably. The socially shared language system, or langue, makes possible the production and comprehension of parole, utterances, by individual speakers and hearers. Each signifier and signified is a value generated by its difference from all the other signifiers or signifieds with which it coexists on an associative (or paradigmatic) axis, and affected as well by its syntagmatic axis. Shortly after Saussure's death at 55, two of his colleagues, Bally and Sechehaye, gathered together students' notes from the three courses, as well as manuscript notes by Saussure, and from them constructed the Cours de linguistique générale, published in 1916. Over the course of the next several decades, this book became the basis for the structuralist approach, initially within linguistics, and later adapted to other fields. Saussure left behind a large quantity of manuscript material that has gradually been published over the last few decades, and continues to be published, shedding new light on his thought.
Genealogical Classification in Historical Linguistics
Søren Wichmann
Different methods exist for classifying languages, depending on whether the task is to work out the relations among languages already known to be related—internal language classification—or whether the task is to establish that certain languages are related—external language classification.
The comparative method in historical linguistics, developed during the latter part of the 19th century, represents one method for internal language classification; lexicostatistics, developed during the 1950s, represents another. Elements of lexicostatistics have been transformed and carried over into modern computational linguistic phylogenetics, and currently efforts are also being made to automate the comparative method. Recent years have seen rapid progress in the development of methods, tools, and resources for language classification. For instance, computational phylogenetic algorithms and software have made it possible to handle the classification of many languages using explicit models of language change, and data have been gathered for two thirds of the world's language, allowing for rapid, exploratory classifications. There are also many open questions and venues for future research, for instance: What are the real-world counterparts to the nodes in a family tree structure? How can shortcomings in the traditional method of comparative historical linguistics be overcome? How can the understanding of the results that computational linguistic phylogenetics have to offer be improved?
External language classification, a notoriously difficult task, has also benefitted from the advent of computational power. While, in the past, the simultaneous comparison of many languages for the purpose of discovering deep genealogical links was carried out in a haphazard fashion, leaving too much room for the effect of chance similarities to kick in, this sort of activity can now be done in a systematic, objective way on an unprecedented scale. The ways of producing final, convincing evidence for a deep genealogical relation, however, have not changed much. There is some room for improvement in this area, but even more room for improvement in the way that proposals for long-distance relations are evaluated.
Georg von der Gabelentz
James McElvenny
The German sinologist and general linguist Georg von der Gabelentz (1840–1893) occupies an interesting place at the intersection of several streams of linguistic scholarship at the end of the 19th century. As Professor of East Asian languages at the University of Leipzig from 1878 to 1889 and then Professor for Sinology and General Linguistics at the University of Berlin from 1889 until his death, Gabelentz was present at some of the main centers of linguistics at the time. He was, however, generally critical of mainstream historical-comparative linguistics as propagated by the neogrammarians, and instead emphasized approaches to language inspired by a line of researchers including Wilhelm von Humboldt (1767–1835), H. Steinthal (1823–1899), and his own father, Hans Conon von der Gabelentz (1807–1874).
Today Gabelentz is chiefly remembered for several theoretical and methodological innovations which continue to play a role in linguistics. Most significant among these are his contributions to cross-linguistic syntactic comparison and typology, grammar-writing, and grammaticalization. His earliest linguistic work emphasized the importance of syntax as a core part of grammar and sought to establish a framework for the cross-linguistic description of word order, as had already been attempted for morphology by other scholars. The importance he attached to syntax was motivated by his engagement with Classical Chinese, a language almost devoid of morphology and highly reliant on syntax. In describing this language in his 1881 Chinesische Grammatik, Gabelentz elaborated and implemented the complementary "analytic" and "synthetic" systems of grammar, an approach to grammar-writing that continues to serve as a point of reference up to the present day. In his summary of contemporary thought on the nature of grammatical change in language, he became one of the first linguists to formulate the principles of grammaticalization in essentially the form that this phenomenon is studied today, although he did not use the current term. One key term of modern linguistics that he did employ, however, is "typology," a term that he in fact coined. Gabelentz's typology was a development on various contemporary strands of thought, including his own comparative syntax, and is widely acknowledged as a direct precursor of the present-day field.
Gabelentz is a significant transitional figure from the 19th to the 20th century. On the one hand, his work seems very modern. Beyond his contributions to grammaticalization avant la lettre and his christening of typology, his conception of language prefigures the structuralist revolution of the early 20th century in important respects. On the other hand, he continues to entertain several preoccupations of the 19th century—in particular the judgment of the relative value of different languages—which were progressively banished from linguistics in the first decades of the 20th century.
Historical Developments from Middle to Early New Indo-Aryan
Vit Bubenik
While in phonology Middle Indo-Aryan (MIA) dialects preserved the phonological system of Old Indo-Aryan (OIA) virtually intact, their morphosyntax underwent far-reaching changes, which altered fundamentally the synthetic morphology of earlier Prākrits in the direction of the analytic typology of New Indo-Aryan (NIA). Speaking holistically, the "accusative alignment" of OIA (Vedic Sanskrit) was restructured as an "ergative alignment" in Western IA languages, and it is precisely during the Late MIA period (ca. 5th–12th centuries
(a) We shall start with the restructuring of the nominal case system in terms of the reduction of the number of cases from seven to four. This phonologically motivated process resulted ultimately in the rise of the binary distinction of the "absolutive" versus "oblique" case at the end of the MIA period). (b) The crucial role of animacy in the restructuring of the pronominal system and the rise of the "double-oblique" system in Ardha-Māgadhī and Western Apabhramśa will be explicated. (c) In the verbal system we witness complete remodeling of the aspectual system as a consequence of the loss of earlier synthetic forms expressing the perfective (Aorist) and "retrospective" (Perfect) aspect. Early Prākrits (Pāli) preserved their sigmatic Aorists (and the sigmatic Future) until late MIA centuries, while on the Iranian side the loss of the "sigmatic" aorist was accelerated in Middle Persian by the "weakening" of s > h > Ø. (d) The development and the establishment of "ergative alignment" at the end of the MIA period will be presented as a consequence of the above typological changes: the rise of the "absolutive" vs. "oblique" case system; the loss of the finite morphology of the perfective and retrospective aspect; and the recreation of the aspectual contrast of perfectivity by means of quasinominal (participial) forms. (e) Concurrently with the development toward the analyticity in grammatical aspect, we witness the evolution of lexical aspect (Aktionsart) ushering in the florescence of "serial" verbs in New Indo-Aryan.
On the whole, a contingency view of alignment considers the increase in ergativity as a by-product of the restoration of the OIA aspectual triad: Imperfective–Perfective–Perfect (in morphological terms Present–Aorist–Perfect). The NIA Perfective and Perfect are aligned ergatively, while their finite OIA ancestors (Aorist and Perfect) were aligned accusatively. Detailed linguistic analysis of Middle Indo-Aryan texts offers us a unique opportunity for a deeper comprehension of the formative period of the NIA state of affairs.
The Language of the Economy and Business in the Romance Languages
Franz Rainer
The expression language of the economy and business refers to an extremely heterogeneous linguistic reality. For some, it denotes all text and talk produced by economic agents in the pursuit of economic activity, for others the language used to write or talk about the economy or business, that is, the language of the economic sciences and the media. Both the economy and business contain a myriad of subdomains, each with its own linguistic peculiarities. Language use also differs quite substantially between the shop floor and academic articles dealing with it. Last but not least, language is itself a highly articulate entity, composed of sounds, words, concepts, etc., which are taken care of by a considerable number of linguistic disciplines and theories. As a consequence, this research landscape offers a very varied picture.
The state of research is also highly diverse as far as the Romance languages are concerned. The bulk of relevant publications concerns French, followed at a certain distance by Spanish and Italian, while Romanian, Catalan, and Portuguese look like poor relations. As far as the dialects are concerned, only those of some Italian cities that held a central position in medieval trade, like Venice, Florence, or Genoa, have given rise to relevant studies. As far as the metalanguage used in research is concerned, the most striking feature is the overwhelming preponderance of German and the almost complete absence of English. The insignificant role of English must probably be attributed to the fact that the study of foreign business languages in the Anglo-Saxon countries is close to nonexistent. Why study foreign business languages if one own's language is the lingua franca of today's business world? Scholars from the Romance countries, of course, generally write in their mother tongue, but linguistic publications concerning the economic and business domain are relatively scarce there. The heterogeneity of the metalanguages used certainly hinders the constitution of a close-knit research community.
Language Revitalization
Aidan Pine and Mark Turin
The world is home to an extraordinary level of linguistic diversity, with roughly 7,000 languages currently spoken and signed. Yet this diversity is highly unstable and is being rapidly eroded through a series of complex and interrelated processes that result in or lead to language loss. The combination of monolingualism and networks of global trade languages that are increasingly technologized have led to over half of the world's population speaking one of only 13 languages. Such linguistic homogenization leaves in its wake a linguistic landscape that is increasingly endangered.
A wide range of factors contribute to language loss and attrition. While some—such as natural disasters—are unique to particular language communities and specific geographical regions, many have similar origins and are common across endangered language communities around the globe. The harmful legacy of colonization and the enduring impact of disenfranchising policies relating to Indigenous and minority languages are at the heart of language attrition from New Zealand to Hawai'i, and from Canada to Nepal.
Language loss does not occur in isolation, nor is it inevitable or in any way "natural." The process also has wide-ranging social and economic repercussions for the language communities in question. Language is so heavily intertwined with cultural knowledge and political identity that speech forms often serve as meaningful indicators of a community's vitality and social well-being. More than ever before, there are vigorous and collaborative efforts underway to reverse the trend of language loss and to reclaim and revitalize endangered languages. Such approaches vary significantly, from making use of digital technologies in order to engage individual and younger learners to community-oriented language nests and immersion programs. Drawing on diverse techniques and communities, the question of measuring the success of language revitalization programs has driven research forward in the areas of statistical assessments of linguistic diversity, endangerment, and vulnerability. Current efforts are re-evaluating the established triad of documentation-conservation-revitalization in favor of more unified, holistic, and community-led approaches.
Languages of the Balkans
Victor A. Friedman
The Balkan languages were the first group of languages whose similarities were explained in modern linguistic terms as a result of language contact rather than as a result of descent from a common ancestor. Nikolai Trubetzkoy coined the term Sprachbund 'linguistic league' (as opposed to Sprachfamilie 'language family') to describe this relationship. Balkan linguistics, as both a subset of and precursor to contact linguistics, is, at its base, an historical linguistic discipline. It seeks to explain similarities among the relevant languages as the result of diffusion rather than of either transmission or of putative universal, typological properties of human language (which latter assumes parallel developments whose causation is ahistorical, i.e., unconnected with either contact or ancestry). The relevant languages are, with the exception of Turkic, all part of the Indo-European language family, but they belong to five distinct groups that are known to have been separated for a significant length of time (presumably millennia). Moreover, for four out of five Indo-European groups as well as for Turkic, there exists documentation that goes back more than a millennium, and in some cases several millennia. The Balkan languages are thus the oldest example of a well-documented and still living Sprachbund.
The primary questions that Balkan linguistics seeks to answer are these: What are the results of language contact in the Balkan languages, and how did they come about? The Balkan languages are traditionally defined as Albanian, Modern Greek, Balkan Romance (Romanian, Aromanian, and Meglenoromanian), and Balkan Slavic (Bulgarian, Macedonian, and the southernmost dialects of the former Serbo-Croatian). In recent decades, it has been recognized that the relevant dialects of Romani, Judezmo, and Turkish and Gagauz also participate in at least some of the convergent processes that are taken as definitive of the Balkan linguistic league. While the language family is defined by regular sound correspondences, which in turn help define shared morphology and a core lexicon, the Balkan linguistic league is defined principally by shared morphosyntactic developments and a shared lexicon of borrowings often called "cultural." In the Balkan linguistic league, phonological developments are sometimes shared among different languages at the dialectal level, but there are no such features that characterize the Balkan languages as a group. Just as in the language family not every diagnostic item is represented in every branch, so, too, in the Balkan linguistic league not every feature is equally represented in all languages and dialects.
Among the most characteristic morphosyntactic features are the following: (1) replacement of infinitives by analytic subjunctives, (2) the use of a particle derived from etymological 'want' to mark the future, (3) replacement of synthetic gradation of adjectives with analytic constructions, (4) replacement of conditionals by anterior futures, (5) resumptive clitic pronouns for certain direct and indirect objects, (6) various simplifications in the declensional system, (7) postposed definite articles (for Balkan Slavic, Balkan Romance, and Albanian), (8) grammaticalized evidentials (Balkan Slavic, Albanian, Turkic, and to some extent Balkan Romance and Romani). While some of these convergences began in the ancient or medieval periods, the Balkan linguistic league took its definitive modern shape during the centuries of the Ottoman Empire (14th to early 20th centuries).
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I am 37 years old and happily married for 9 wonderful years. (We have been together 14 wonderful years). I teach Kindergarten & love it. Scott & I have had our ups and downs along with a lot of heartache along our road of dealing with infertility. In Dec. of 2006 after our Frozen Embryo Transplant during our IVF cycle we became pregnant with our miracle baby. August 4, 2007 I gave birth to Isabelle Grace Collins. We had been hoping & praying for her for a long time and she was finally in our arms. Life is great with her in our lives. This blog documents our journey of my 9 month pregnancy and now our lives with Izzie.
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Money and clothes aren't everything. Except when they help further research and patient services at the Barbara Davis Center for Childhood Diabetes.
And both came into play at a membership tea hosted by The Guild of the Children's Diabetes Foundation. President Judy McNeil accepted a check for $2,463 sent by Rozemerie Cuevas, whose designs were featured at the guild's 2010 Brass Ring Luncheon, and her husband, Thomas Cuevas-Otero, of JC Collections. The money represented a percentage from a trunk show and sale held the day after the show. A second check for $688.50 was presented on behalf of Denise Leigh of Skea Limited, a sophisticated winter sportswear company in Vail.
The 75 guests then were treated to a special presentation by Ann Walters, who was raised in Englewood and now lives in Waterville, Kansas, where she owns a store called Anntie M's Attic and lectures on the history of fashion.
Walters shared an appreciation and remembrance of her grandmother's life in the late 1800s. From her grandmother, Walters said, she developed a love for women's fashion and respect for the impact women have on the nation's history. She illustrated her talk with items from the mid-1800s through present, including steel corsets, hats lined with bamboo and dresses with dozens of eyelets that needed to be laced up.


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My friend and Genea-Blogger Dear MYRTLE had an interesting Blog recently.
Using custom report features of your genealogy program
In that blog entry, she had this question:
We are new to Genealogy and have Ancesrtry.com and Family Tree Maker.
This is a question that I am sure must have been answered a million times but we have not been able to find a solution doing Google searches. We would like to use Excel to help sort out what we know and don't know from the tree that we have built so far.
Is there any software that will download an existing gedcom file onto an Excel spreadsheet?
I thought, that is exactly what I am doing for this project. So, why not share it here.
Since I know very little about David Ridgely Howard, I wanted to see if the Census Records could help me build what his family might look like, using Census Records, since other records were not helping me identify his parents. The census would help build households that my subject was in in various census years. Hopefully, one of them would give clues to his parents. As census years progress, relationships could be established within the Household. So, I wanted to build an EXCEL file, as was indicated in Dr. Tom Jones' discussion on Inferential Genealogy.
Since I use Family Tree Maker, Version 2011, and the question was the same, here is how I created my EXCEL file. Please keep in mind that I didn't start out with this file, but I had data in my genealogy program file.
The key for me was to use a feature of Family Tree Maker and that is for the program to assign, with some user control, a PersonID. I did that, and each PersonID will begin with DRH (David Ridgely Howard), there is a reason for me to do that, which is not important (yet). So that I can see the PersonID in my file AND in EXCEL.
In Family Tree Maker I went to the Publish Workspace, Person Collection, and selected Custom Report.
This will allow me to select the information that I want in EXCEL.
When I brought up the Custom Report the first ICON when that screen opens is Items to Include. Clicking on that ICON will bring up this screen.
I included the Name, PersonID, Birth, Marriage, and Death FACTS. I wanted the EXCEL file to have the Name format to be Last Name, First Name, Middle Name. As that will be the first column in EXCEL.
Selecting name, in the above screen, then Name Options, I select Last, First, Middle to get the output of the Name in the format I want.
Here is what that report looks like in Family Tree Maker. My subject is in the red box. All I have at this point is his Name, the PersonID that Family Tree Maker generated for me, Birth and Death Dates.
That's a good start and will help generate an EXCEL file so that I can track the Census Records. I select Include All in the Right Hand Panel in the Publish Workspace for the Custom Report. (won't show all of the Family Tree Maker screen, as that can be a topic of my other blog)
With that report on my display, I click on Share, and select Export to CSV, a format that EXCEL can read and understand.
I want the data to appear in Columns, That is one row per person. So the first button, is selected.
Once exported, you are given the option to Open the file. Here it is in EXCEL. You can see David listed. So, my data is now in EXCEL to do what I want. Maybe not in the format that I want, but the main pieces of information is there.
I made some changes in EXCEL, like moving the PersonID column from the 2nd column to the first column. Normal Cut / Paste features in EXCEL were used. I did, but really didn't have to, split up the Name from one column to three. Over time, I knew that the exact wording of the names would change over time.
For David, he is DRH001, I changed DRH1 to DRH001, because of the way EXCEL sorts. I wanted the FACTS to be in a column followed by the Date of that Event (or Fact), followed by the State, Place that it occurred and a description as provided by Family Tree Maker.
All of this was a little extra work, but the Sorting in EXCEL and Filtering that you can do with EXCEL it was worth the extra time to reformat what Family Tree Maker had provided.
I knew the Birth and Death Dates for David, so I entered those Facts with Dates. In Family Tree Maker when a Census Record is used, the Residence FACT is used to record where the person was in the Census. Above you can see that I have gathered the 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1900, and 1910 Census, but haven't found (yet) the 1920 Census. He died in 1927.
I added the Residence FACT dates If I hadn't found them yet, so in looking at this spreadsheet I can tell I need to look for that.
Using the Sorting and Filtering capability of EXCEL I can see households over time. Who is in the household, who is not in the household, then later the Relationships.
I won't post more about that, as what is really an EXCEL lesson or two, and that isn't the purpose of this Blog.
I wanted to track females, over time, in Census Records. The first thing I did was to put a background color for them.
In this example, I do not know her birth Surname. For unknown names, I enter 5 underscores "_____". I know her birth and death year AND when she got married. So, for the Census years before she was married, her surname has those 5 underscores. There are ways to find that information, but for this spreadsheet I wanted to be reminded visually that I need to look. Since she married a Howard, and I found her in the 1880 Census, just after her marriage, I changed her unknown surname to Howard. I know here death date, so I also have a visible reminder that I need to find her in those census records.
I thank Dear MYRLE for posting the question and I hope I have provided an answer to the question asked. I know that this spreadsheet, generated by Family Tree Maker has really helped me with this project.


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Question: I know there is a dispute in the Gemara regarding ayin hara, the evil eye. Can you discuss the origin of it?
Ben Glassman
(Via E-Mail)
The Halacha: The Mechaber (Choshen Mishpat 267:18) rules: "If one found a wool garment he is to shake it once in 30 days [as long as it is in his safekeeping pending its eventual return to its rightful owner], but he should not shake it by means of a stick [i.e. by hitting it] nor should it be done with two people holding it. He should spread it on a bed only for its own need but not for its need and his need. Should he happen to have guests, he should not spread it, even for its own need, for perhaps it will be stolen."
The Discussion: The above halacha is based on a mishnah (Bava Metzia 29b). The mishnah states: If one found a garment, he should shake it once in 30 days. He should shake it for its own need but not for his honor (benefiting from both its beauty and utility – to use it as a bedspread or even a wall hanging). The Gemara (infra 30a) states that if shaking it helps the garment and him at the same time, it is permitted. Indeed, the Gemara notes that if he spreads it on a bed or on a frame, it is prohibited if he does so solely for his own need but permitted if he does so for its need (in order that it be aired out properly). However, if houseguests arrive, it is prohibited because of ayin hara or possible theft.
The Rambam (Hilchot Gezela v'Aveidah 13:11) codifies this halacha and explains that someone who finds a lost object is required to examine it in order that it not become destroyed due to lack of use, as the verse states in Parshat Ki Teitzei (Deuteronomy 22:2): "Ve'im lo karov achicha elecha velo yedato va'asafto el toch beitecha ve'haya imcha ad drosh achicha oto va'hashevoto lo – If your brother is not near you and unknown to you, then you are to gather it into your house and it shall remain with you until your brother inquires after it and you return it to him." It states "and you return it to him," which means take care of it and keep it in returnable condition. How so? If one found a garment of wool, he should shake it once every 30 days but not with a stick nor together with someone else. He may place it on a bed for its need but not for its need and his need. If houseguests arrive he is not to spread it out before them lest it be stolen.
We see that both the Rambam and the Mechaber cite only the Gemara's second reason – fear of theft – and make no mention of the Gemara's first reason – fear of the evil eye.
The Aruch Hashulchan (Choshen Mishpat, Hilchos Hashavat Aveidah 267:11) similarly cites the halacha, but he adds that the founder may leave it spread out when guests come if he knows they are people of integrity since there is no concern for theft or an evil eye. Thus, we see that an evil eye is perhaps a matter of concern.
Indeed, the Bach to the Tur (C.M. ad loc.) explains that the Rambam and the Mechaber only mention theft and not ayin hara because the former concern is easier for the general populace to understand. (The Rif and the Rosh mention both reasons of the Gemara in their codification of the halacha.)


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9:00 pm
Equitrekking "Spain" Equitrekking host Darley Newman rides at Cortijo El Esparragal, an estate and working farm outside of Seville that dates back to the Bronze Age. On prize-winning Andalusians, Darley learns the purpose and history of the Spanish Vaquera style of riding. Next, she enjoys a sunset ride outside of Segovia and visits the castles and Roman aqueducts in this central region. D
9:30 pm
Jacques Pepin: More Fast Food My Way "Smooth Food" Daughter Claudine joins Jacques in the kitchen. He uses local blue cheese for mini savory cheesecakes on arugula, and makes tapioca banana coconut pudding.G
10:00 pm
America's Test Kitchen from Cook's Illustrated "Cool and Creamy Desserts" Host Christopher Kimball visits Toscanini's to learn the secrets behind professional ice-cream making. Next, test cook Bridget Lancaster shows Chris how to make the Best Homemade Ice Cream. Then, equipment expert Adam Ried reveals his pick for the top ice-cream makers, and tasting expert Jack Bishop challenges Chris to a tasting of vanilla beans. D
10:30 pm
Mexico -- One Plate at a Time with Rick Bayless "From Lobster to Chocolate Clams: A Delicious Feast in Magdalena Bay" Rick and local guide Luis Garduno of REDTours venture out on a skiff to learn about sustainable fishing on Magdalena Bay. They catch up with local lobster fishermen and learn about sizing lobsters. Then they watch as clam divers haul up the local chocolate clams from the bottom of the bay. D
11:00 pm
Caprial and John's Kitchen: Cooking for Family and Friends "Decadent Organic Dairy" On a visit to an Oregon organic dairy, Caprial and John come across products that lend amazing flavor and aroma to their creations: mushroom dip with truffle oil, basil sour cream dressing and grilled lamb chops with cumin yogurt sauce.G
11:30 pm
Rick Steves' Europe "Vienna and the Danube" Rick takes in the city's wealth of elegant gardens, great art and fine music. He travels along the Danube River and hikes through the Baroque Melk Abbey.G


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Some time ago I found a tree with notes for David Gamble (my 3rd great-grandfather) of Heard County, Georgia. The story goes that an unknown Union soldier died at the well of David Gamble. This soldier had been with General McCook during his raid through that area of Georgia and even though David and his wife, Anna, had lost two sons who fought for the Confederacy [I've only been able to prove one son died in the war but it's possible there were two], David built this soldier a coffin using planks from his barn and buried him in nearby Adamson Cemetery. Now granted this particular tree acknowledged that the notes came from another tree but went on to say that this event "is recorded in "Sherman's Horsemen, Union Cavalry Operations in the Atlanta Campaign" by David Evans.
Wow! A source in an on-line tree.
I made note of the book in my to do list for David Gamble and filed the story in my head. In June, I was in Heard County, Georgia and visited the Adamson Cemetery where David and Anna Finney Gamble are also buried. I saw the grave of this unknown Union soldier. In addition to an unknown soldier marker, there are two big concrete slabs with a poem written by Nathaniel R. Adamson inscribed in the concrete. The story seemed to be accurate. Right?
|Unknown Union Soldier's Grave, center with flag
"The sun was at its zenith when one of the dismounted men staggered and collapsed with a mournful cry. Some of his comrades gingerly picked him up and carried him into J. C. Gamble's yard, just west of a little settlement called Glen. Gamble offered what assistance he could, but the stricken trooper never regained consciousness and soon died."
So, I guess you see my problem - the source material doesn't back up the story.
Now David did have a brother named James but he had died in Tallapoosa County, Alabama in 1856 so he couldn't be this J. C. Gamble, besides his middle initial was A. David and his sons (none with initials J. C.) were the only Gamble's in Heard County, Georgia and nearby Randolph County, Alabama in the 1860 and 1870 census so I have no clue who J. C. Gamble might have been (or if the author just made a mistake with the name).
The only thing I'm sure of is this soldier is buried in the Adamson Cemetery. Check back tomorrow for Tombstone Tuesday with a transcription of the poem inscribed on his grave.


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Wed. Feb. 6, 2013: Three Stocks to Watch Today
Dow Jones' John Shipman joins the News Hub to share with investors why he's watching stock from Zynga, Time Warner and CVS in the markets today. Photo: Getty Images.
This transcript has been automatically generated and may not be 100% accurate.
... the the ... I'd tell us what what other three stocks are you looking well of course is going to ... gotta love it and she shouldn't with their earnings in the stock was up about one percent premarket and it's really looks like a story ... of just to prove wasn't as bad as some evening of what was going ... to be on the part that has prevailed for saying that the same time the issue being ... did it did mean strategic challenge it's very competitive ... in the age of mobile to to to get games that are really popular was and is hard for them when or on Facebook writes was absolutely and and so they're having on you know ... the struggle to ... come up with compelling games ... from their bookings the money basically myth making and selling virtual goods in ads ... was down on their revenue is basically flat ... and of the live still losing money but they're trying to branch and a camel lenient and some other areas and ... I guess it you know in the story that I was in the paper and or were we focus on the Newswire ... I there was a poll for many analysts basically saying that they're they're still not they're not dead yet so you know the confusion idea where expectations are ... another when you're looking at is that time Warner Time Warner looks like you are like Disney May Hit ... Another All-Time High Over hit an all-time high in offering for pre solid there of that that the there were a little bit of the flip side is The and that their revenue was basically flat ... but their earnings were for each drawn in and ... it's it fits in with this thing that we've seen ... of companies basically go ... cutting costs are holding down costs in order to ... meet their profit targets for growth earnings ... in and out that Stephen Lee what you know we heard last week that the on time ... publishing unit is laying off a bunch of people so ... clearly other was watching them get their costs very closely they're okay last two wickets CVX correct CVS so just this sort of just doing what they need to do was a retailer of in the true earnings the greater profits and most of what's coming what ... that role well ... other ... third-quarter was on the pharmacy fantasy Benefit Services site ... so um it ... looks like CVS stock is gonna be a little bit similar to the way Walgreens was just read Anupreeta sales number ... ok ok John Shipman thank so much


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Best haunted English manor movie
"The Innocents" (1961) is the rare psychological horror film that can be enjoyed afresh each time you see it. It's a tense, exquisite rendering of Henry James's "The Turn of the Screw," the tale of a governess ( Deborah Kerr) at a secluded country estate who becomes convinced that her two young charges ( Pamela Franklin and Martin Stephens) have fallen under the spell of ghosts. The director, Jack Clayton, understands the Jamesian power of suggestion. He etches whole sexual histories in facial shifts and single strokes of dialogue. He also suffuses the material with a palpable creeping terror possible only in the movies. This is one of the few James adaptations that clarifies the source without simplifying or vulgarizing it. Clayton and his screenwriters (William Archibald, Truman Capote and John Mortimer) tell the story from the nanny's perspective, and take their emotional pitch from her fervor and excitability. It's a tribute to the brilliant, inventive black and white cinematography of Freddie Francis, and to Kerr's eloquent tremor of a performance, that when the heroine witnesses apparitions, they're immediately credible to the audience. The filmmakers, though, never downplay her peculiar Victorian mixture of propriety and romanticism, her willingness to be "carried away." And as the children, Franklin and Stephens embody the kind of precocious, eerie high spirits that could be construed as "corruption." The governess sights the ghosts at all hours, but the ambiguities reach their fullness in the dark. The whole movie is frighteningly beautiful: a night-blooming flower.
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Feb. 20, 2008
While the 2007 Bisons relied primarily on a youthful freshman class to propel them to their first appearance in the Atlantic Sun conference tournament, the 2008 team will have no such obstacle.
This season when the Bisons take the field, only two members of their team will not have college baseball experience. Of the ten additions, eight are transfers, and only two are freshman.
"It is an unusual recruiting year for us considering we got started a little late with this year's incoming freshman class," Head Coach Jeff Forehand said. "We have one freshman, two after we had a walk on player join the team.
"When you talk about eight transfers, one thing that we gained was experience, but also you bring people in that come from different systems. I have always thought that we could have some success by bringing in some experience, some players that were already seasoned into the college baseball game, and I think that we did that with some impact with some guys that will come in and immediately contribute."
The Bisons were fortunate this season, as they will return every position player except one, center fielder Casey Bond.
The infield will remain largely the same this season. Junior Branden Cadavid will return as the starting third basemen, although transfer Brad Gooch is also expected to see a lot of playing time.
The team's shortstop last season, Ben Williams is expected to make the switch to second base this season, to make room for senior transfer Jorge Gutierrez at shortstop.
"Guitierrez will be a huge addition to our team, not only experience wise because he's been around the block, spent two years at junior college and a year at UAB before deciding to spend his fifth year with us," Forehand said. "He brings us a lot of experience and a lot of leadership to the team."
At first base, the Bisons will return a member of last season's Atlantic Sun All Freshmen team, Ryan Wilkins. Junior Justin Sanders is also likely to see a lot of time at first.
Junior Caleb Joseph will return for his third season as the Bisons' starting catcher. Jay Moreland, a transfer from Vanderbilt University, will serve as Joseph's primary back-up.
"Jay is a solid, solid catcher," Forehand said. "We were in need of finding that depth behind the plate."
In addition, Logan Hosteetler, a freshman could also see some time at catcher this season.
"Logan is a guy that looks to give us depth behind the plate and hopefully hold onto and lock down that catching position and stabilize that for many years to come as we bring him in to give us more depth behind the plate," Forehand said.
In the outfield, last season's starters Shane Simpkins and Allen Bolden will be joined by senior transfer, Blake Bratcher.
"He is going to give us some depth in the outfield and also be another impact player to come in and hopefully immediately put our team in a better position because he has some experience too," Forehand said.
The Bisons also brought in Channing Brown, a transfer from Chandler Gilbert Community College in Arizona to provide some depth in the outfield.
"Channing is another key addition to our outfield," Forehand said. "We are slim in the outfield in number. Channing brings a lot of power to the lineup and a chance to earn some playing time in a thin outfield to give us some depth."
Senior Jared Picchiottino or Sanders will likely receive most of the starts at designated hitter this season, although both are likely to see time on the field as well.
After relying on strong pitching last season, the Bisons return the majority of their pitching staff. Rex Brothers, last year's A-Sun Freshman of the Year will return to the weekend rotation along with Taylor Merry, another member of last season's All Freshman team. Joining them will likely be Austin Peay transfer, Mike Dunn.
"He is also a one year player with a lot of experience from a good Austin Peay team," Forehand said. "He comes off of that and transfers to us and looks to hopefully make an impact on the weekends for us, hopefully every weekend, and pitch a lot of innings for us."
To go along with that, the Bisons will welcome back Josh Smith and Mike Zenko off of injuries, two players who could also receive some starts for Lipscomb.
"Josh Smith comes back to our pitching staff after having Tommy John surgery and having to sit out last season after a solid freshman year," Forehand said. "He sat out all of last year and it looks like he is going to be back in some shape to contribute some key innings. We look forward to having him back with the kind of year he did have his freshman year and hopefully he is ready to improve on that.
"Zenko is also coming back after an injury. He never really got started on his college career because he has had so many injuries. He came out of high school injured and has spent two years here, fighting through the injury bug. He looks to also fight for some key innings."
To go along with their strong starting rotation, the Bisons are excited about the depth of their bullpen as well this season. Charles Williams and Brandon McClurg are two more pitchers who could work both as starters and relievers. McClurg may even see some time in the closer role.
Another likely candidate at closer is right-handed, side-armer Kyle Tognazzini.
"We have a pretty deep pitching staff that coach wheeler and myself feel could pitch us deep into games," Forehand said. "Ten to twelve guys will likely receive the bulk of the innings."
With their cast of experience players, both returning and transfers, the Bisons are confident that 2008 could offer a return trip to the conference tournament.
"The bulk of our team from last year is back with us adding some depth and experience from these older guys, I really feel like we have a blend and a mix that is going to be really solid," Forehand said.
"One thing I told our team back in the fall is that there is only one person our team that has not played college baseball. We went from a very inexperienced team last year, with a lot of freshman having to play and pitch. We go into this year, with the freshman from last year having a year under the belt, and some of the additions we brought in, giving us a veteran team to be excited about."
By Krissy Wade


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After kicking away Sunday's game at Yankee Stadium, the Mets are in Chicago tonight to face the Cubs.
When you look at Mets' history they've have periodic rivals. In 1969 and again in 1973, the Cubs were a big deal on their schedule. There's also been the Pirates, the Braves and the Phillies.
One of my favorite sports books is "The Year the Mets Lost Last Place,'' which documented a three-series stretch in 1969. Every now and then I'll pick up the book and start to read. It always is fresh.
Mets at Cubs used to be in the afternoon, but that's another lost tradition. Night games at Wrigley Field? I still don't like it.
Here's tonight's line-up:
Jose Reyes, SS
Daniel Murphy, 1B
Carlos Beltran, RF
Jason Bay, LF
Justin Turner, 3B
Willie Harris, CF
Ronny Paulino, C
Ruben Tejada, 2B
Jonathan Niese, LP
COMMENTS: The first game after Fred Wilpon threw Reyes and Beltran under the bus. Not inaccurate comments, but it does make you wonder what the agenda is here.


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My interest in genealogy started when I was a child. My dad's mom use to tell me that the family history book had been burned in a fire, but she knew we were related to Daniel Boone. I never forgot that, nor have I ever found the connection haha. Along with doing genealogy I spend a lot of my time doing photo restorations, namely for victims of Sandy through Care for Sandy, and also of family photos that I add to the books I write on our family history.
21 February 2011
Genealgy is shifting. Where do you stand.
Way in on where you think the genealogy world is going. It's moving fast toward technology based research. Are you following suit? What are the draw backs? What are the advantages?
My response to Randy's post was: "I'd say I'm probably in the Techie group. Again it has a lot to do with one point you made we have families, work full time jobs, and only go to repositories as a last resort, in my case I'd like to go much more, but time is the issue. I think technology is the one thing that is making this hobby/profession more available to the younger everyday working class person. We don't have the luxury of time due to retirements, but we need information, usually quickly so we can keep the momentum. I am looking forward to more records available online. I use every source I can find online to help with my researches, and at times even gracious lovely volunteers who have more time then I or are in a location I can not afford to travel too. But we must still be careful to source everything and research thoroughly."
What do you think?
Tough lengthy another great read on the subject, written by Greta Toward a Genealogical Democracy . I couldn't have said this better myself. So I'll let you read her post. She makes some great points and pulls from others who have posted on the subject.
Here's my view. We all play a roll in genealogy. Some traditionalists my not embrace Techies and visa verse, but if they would look at it this way maybe they could. As a Techie I truly appreciate the traditionalist who is most likely retired and has more time on their hands to go to a facility and volunteer their time to find records that I would otherwise never find either because of geographic location or time. I'm a mother of three with a full time job. What research I'm able to do is generally online, with some small portions of time at local repositories, but with out the traditional genealogist there are so many records I may never be able to find. They are important to me. In return I have those that have appreciated my knowledge of computers and online research to help them quickly and easily compile what they have gathered. If we realize that we all serve a purpose and embrace each other strengths instead of criticising then we may accomplish more.
2 comments:
- Marian Pierre-Louis said...
I'm probably a rare and unusual breed. I'm a techie whose research is primarily in undigitized deed and probate records. I can see both sides but anyone who is a nay sayer against technology is just holding progress back. I think it happens every time there is a technological shift that impacts a large population. Bring it on but understand that everything is not digitized - yet.
- Territory Mom said...
Hi, I am working on a post about a dear lady who died in our community. I found your site while searching for her family history. She was the great grandaughter of Jesse Chisholm. Here is her obit: http://www.parksbrothersfuneralhome.com/


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LINTHICUM, Md. (AP) - Southwest Airlines is launching three international routes from Baltimore Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport.
Service for flights to Aruba, Montego Bay and Nassau will shift Tuesday from AirTran Airways to Southwest.
Paul Wiedefeld, chief executive officer for BWI Marshall, says it marks an important first step as Southwest official makes the move to the international market. He says the airport looks forward to working with Southwest in coming years as the airline grows its international service.
International passenger traffic has grown in recent years at BWI Marshall. In 2012, international passengers grew by 21 percent.
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text: Whether you're looking for fabrics and finishes or sports and entertainment literature, we have made it easily accessible. We have compiled all of the most useful and important information under one roof. Start your exploration here using the navigation on the left. If you need any help or additional information, feel free to contact your sales representative.


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One New Year's resolution worthy of consideration is an annual rebalancing of investments in our IRAs and other retirement plans. While almost every mutual fund invested in stocks is showing gains for the year, some have done better than others -- some far better, like health care and technology funds up more than 50 percent. Selling portions of some of our relative winners and adding more to the shares of our relative losers is counterintuitive, but we just have to hold our noses and take the plunge.
Here's why. History is full of examples in which substantial gains of one or more funds at the expense of the rest has been offset by the mirror opposite within a few years. One of the purest examples was the performance back in 1999 of large company growth funds that averaged a 60 percent return that year. Small company value-oriented funds earned almost exactly zero.
The following year, small-cap funds were up 30 percent and large-cap growth funds had lost 30 percent. Large cap continued to lose substantial amounts in the following two years while small-cap value funds consistently racked up 20 percent annual gains for the next three years. They weren't alone. Real estate investment trust funds, virtually ignored during the final years of dot-com mania, came roaring back with 20 percent annual gains for the early half of the 2000 decade.
So what's an investor to do after experiencing a year of roughly 30 percent gains in most stock investments? After all, the S&P 500 gained 32 percent for the year. Step one is to dismiss any thought that we had anything to do with whatever success we enjoyed. We can't confuse brains with a bull market. If we deserve any credit at all, it was that we had the discipline to stay the course through the downdraft and enjoy what history has shown to be the inevitable snap-back following a crash.
Reviewing my own collection of investments, I find only two that stand out as losers to any substantial extent. One is Vanguard Precious Metals and Mining (VGPMX), which has really been struggling over the past three years. It lost 35 percent last year alone, and over the past three years has dropped 55 percent of its previous value. In the two years prior to that, however, it gained 150 percent of its value after having lost 56 percent the year before that ... and so on. Obviously, this fund is volatile, but it offers a great candidate for rebalancing.
The second rebalance candidate is the REIT fund in our company 401(k) plan. This fund type, in general, has not lost money over the past three years but they have generally lagged the rest of the other fund types. In 2013, the total return of our Vanguard REIT Index fund (VGRSX) was just 2.43 percent.
If my objective is to have 3 percent of my total portfolio invested in precious metals and 5 percent in real estate funds, then I would have to take a few chips off the table of my biggest winners -- health care and technology, both up about 52 percent last year -- and add those dollars to my two losers. This gets me back to my original percentage objective.
It's heart-rending to deprive our deserving winners of even a few bucks, but anytime I have failed to do this in the past, I have always been disappointed. Inevitably, the next phase of the cycle boosted the values of previous losers at the expense of former winners.
One of the key attributes of systematically rebalancing is that you can let simple math do the work. You don't have to second-guess, as an amateur, where you think gold or real estate values might be going next. After all, even the experts who claim to know these things rarely get it right. The Swiss National Bank lost $16 billion on its gold reserves last year. Just know that reduced values below a pre-set portfolio percentage amount deserve to be replenished, and the opposite applies when winners exceed what you determined had been your pre-set percentage maximums.
You only have to rebalance once a year, which makes it even easier, since it can be stressful to actually pull the trigger. To the question, "Are we making money here, or just fooling around?" the answer is that we are adding about one half to one full percentage point per year to our average annual rate of return -- while reducing volatility of the entire portfolio. Most important is the fact that we are doing something methodical and constructive rather than destructively responding to some knee-jerk reaction.


text:
Configuring Applications for OSSv4
From Open Sound System
Revision as of 11:19, 17 July 2009 by Cesium (Talk | contribs) (→General issues: Add ALSA emulation header)
Most applications should work with OSSv4 out of the box. However, sometimes distributions separate the OSS output plugins to another package, patch the software to use another sound API or neglect to compile OSS output support. This page will show how to tell some common applications to use the OSS API. There's no need to use any of these tips unless there's a problem. Headings prefixed with a distro name(s) are meant only for the named distro(s), though it may help other cases as well (e.g. most of the Debian advice is applicable to Ubuntu as well).
- 1 General issues
- 2 Specific applications
- 2.1 cmus
- 2.2 Ekiga
- 2.3 Enemy Territory - Quake Wars
- 2.4 esd/esound
- 2.5 Adobe Flash
- 2.6 fluidsynth
- 2.7 Gstreamer, required for Gnome Volume Applet
- 2.8 herrie
- 2.9 libao, including libao based like mpg321
- 2.10 mpd
- 2.11 mpg123
- 2.12 MPlayer
- 2.13 openal, including openal based like Quake4
- 2.14 Phonon
- 2.15 Pulseaudio
- 2.16 recordmydesktop
- 2.17 scummvm
- 2.18 SDL, including SDL-based like frozenbubble
- 2.19 skype
- 2.20 sox
- 2.21 wine
- 2.22 vlc
- 2.23 vmware
- 2.24 xine
- 2.25 xmms2
General issues
Getting system sounds
- KDE 3.x: Open the "Contol Center". Select "Sound & MultiMedia", "Sound System" and set up arts to use "Open Sound System".
- Alternatively, Open the "Contol Center". Select "Sound & MultiMedia", "System Notifications" and "Player Settings". Check "Use an external player", and select an OSS supporting player which support ogg files (ogg123 for example).
- KDE 4.x: See instructions for Phonon below.
- Gnome: This depends on version. First, select "OSS - Open Sound System" whenever possible under "Sound Preferences"(under "Devices" tab).
- Older Gnomes output system sounds via esd, so install esound (e.g. apt-get install libesd0 esound on Ubuntu), and restart Gnome.
- Newer Gnome use libcanberra. Typically libcanberra's Pulseaudio output module is already installed, so see Pulseaudio instructions. Once Pulseaudio is set up, system sounds should work. Alternatively, you can get/compile the libcanberra-gstreamer module, and follow gstreamer instructions.
- In Ubuntu 8.10, the desktop manager (gdm) uses an ALSA-only player (aplay) to play the startup/failed login sound. To fix this, edit /usr/lib/gdmplay and replace "aplay -N" with ossplay. For example:
#!/bin/sh /usr/bin/ossplay -q $@ 2> /dev/null
- All the quoted names may be different on other systems due to localization.
Midi applications
- To merely play MIDI files, software synthesizers (like timidity and fluidsynth) will work fine (They can play MIDI files directory to OSS output.)
- Other applications wishing to play MIDI which are not synthesizers themselves (like scummvm or tuxguitar) should be set to use (lib)fluidsynth or timidity.
- You may decide to load ALSA's sequencer modules. As long as modules which touch the hardware or modules which emulate oss (snd-mixer-oss, snd-pcm-oss) are not loaded, this is safe. Than you could load timidity or fluidsynth as ALSA midi sequencers, and have the apps use these. This is not needed to make libfluidsynth or timidity's server mode work though.
libasound.so.2 errors
- OSSv4.0 replaces libasound.so.2 with libsalsa, in order to allow some ALSA emulation. This may make some applications refuse to start with an "libasound.so.2: undefined symbol errors" error. (OSSv4.1 doesn't do this by default, and such errors probably have a different cause there). This can be fixed as follows:
- Often, applications link to libasound.so.2 via a sound plugin. Thus, installing the respective OSS compatible plugin for the app may fix this (e.g. libesd0 instead of libesd-alsa0 on Debian/Ubuntu), as the application doesn't depend on libasound anymore.
- If the method above doesn't help, you could just move libsalsa out of the way. It's rarely needed as the vast majority of apps can use OSS directly. This may require root permissions ("su" or "sudo").
- mv /usr/lib/oss/lib/libsalsa.so.2.0.0 /usr/lib/oss/lib/libsalsa.so.2.0.0.bak
- ldconfig
- Note that installing OSSv4.0 will recreate libsalsa, so if you removed it you may wish to do this again. This only applies to the v4.0 versions.
ALSA Emulation
- Another error which may happen is "ALSA lib pcm_hw.c:1240:(_snd_pcm_hw_open) Invalid value for card". This is emanating from the real libasound, and likely means that the program tried to use ALSA on a system with OSS installed. Unsurprisingly, the attempt failed.
- Making the application use OSS (per instructions in this page) is always the best fix. However, there are ways to emulate ALSA if there's no other choice, see Tips_And_Tricks#ALSA_Emulation.
Multimedia Keys
General OSS problems
- See Troubleshooting page
Specific applications
- Cmus' oss output plugin doesn't work with OSSv4, change to libao.
- In cmus, type ":" to activate commandline, and "set output_plugin=ao"
- Edit ~/libao or /etc/libao.conf to "default_driver=oss"
- Optional: Enable cmus' software volume control:
- Type ":" then "set softvol=true". Use + and - on the keyboard to change volume.
- Debian: install libpt OSS plugin (e.g. libpt2.6.1-plugins-oss).
- If Ekiga doesn't display the OSS device in the listing, you can add it manually using gconf-editor. The following keys should be changed:
- apps/ekiga/devices/audio/input_device
- apps/ekiga/devices/audio/output_device
- apps/ekiga/general/sound_events
- to a value of the form
- '/dev/dsp (PTLIB/OSS)'
- /dev/dsp can be replaced by other output nodes.
- The following terminal commands can be used to set up Ekiga:
$ gconftool-2 --set /apps/ekiga/devices/audio/input_device --type string "/dev/dsp (PTLIB/OSS)" $ gconftool-2 --set /apps/ekiga/devices/audio/output_device --type string "/dev/dsp (PTLIB/OSS)" $ gconftool-2 --set /apps/ekiga/general/sound_events/output_device --type string "/dev/dsp (PTLIB/OSS)"
Enemy Territory - Quake Wars
- Edit ~/.etqwcl/base/etqwconfig.cfg and change
- seta s_driver "alsa"
- to
- seta s_driver "oss"
- Debian: install libesd0 instead of libesd0-alsa.
Adobe Flash
- Flash V7 should be using OSS natively.
- Flash V9 and V10 require libflashsupport to output sound via OSS. Typically a 32-bit version of the library is required.
- Flash V10 64-bit Alpha version requires a 64 bit libflashsupport.
- OSSv4.1 tries to install a fitting libflashsupport automatically. However, some distros prefer removing libflashsupport from the package, using a separate package for it.
getting libflashsupport
- Debian/Ubuntu:
- Do not install libflashsupport package from apt-get. That packages only supports Pulseaudio, and should be removed if you have it.
- You can Install flashplugin-nonfree-extrasound package and this should work, but that package misses some fixes for OSS [1].
- Fedora: Versions 8/9 include a libflashsupport package which should be removed. That package only supports PulseAudio.
- Gentoo: Add net-www/libflashsupport to /etc/portage/package.keywords file and emerge using: USE="oss ssl" emerge libflashsupport . Restart browser and now it should work. You can ignore the other instructions.
- Arch: libflashsupport should be included in the oss package. If you installed OSS manually or the included libflashsupport fails, read on.
- There is a precompiled 32-bit library for Linux/glibc [2], and a precompiled 64-bit library for Linux/glibc [3]. If you decide to use this version, download it and skip to "installing libflashsupport" below.
- If none of the above applies/works for you should try to follow the instructions below.
compiling libflashsupport
- flashsupport.c is found in /usr/lib/oss/lib
- 64 bit users will require gcc multilib support, unless they are compiling a 64bit library.
- 64 bit Fedora users will not require "multilib" support but will need gcc-devel installed. Command would be, "yum install gcc-devel.i386" for Fedora 8 and above
- In Debian/Ubuntu - sudo apt-get install gcc-multilib
- 64 bit users will require gcc multilib support, unless they are compiling a 64bit library.
- OSSv4.0: Comment out "#define OPENSSL" by placing a '//' in front of that line.
- To compile: cc -shared -fPIC -m32 -O2 -Wall flashsupport.c -o /tmp/libflashsupport.so
- For a 64bit libflashsupport, omit "-m32" argument.
- Continue at "installing libflashsupport" below.
- flashsupport.c is found in /usr/lib/oss/lib
installing libflashsupport
- sudo install -s /tmp/libflashsupport.so /usr/lib/oss/lib
- sudo install -s /tmp/libflashsupport.so /usr/lib
- sudo ldconfig
- Restart browser
- If that above failed, make sure that there aren't any other copies of libflashsupport in the system which happen to be picked up by ldconfig / Flash. 'ldconfig -p | grep libflashsupport' command may prove useful. If you're a 64-bit user, make sure a copy of the file is in your 32-bit library directory (/usr/lib32 on Debian or /usr/lib on Fedora)
Alternatives to Flash
- If the above fails, than a Flash alternative can be used. This has the added advantage of these alternatives being free.
- gnash works for many flash videos.
- Debian: apt-get install apt-get install mozilla-plugin-gnash or apt-get install konqueror-plugin-gnash
- Use "-a oss" option.
- fluidsynth may use a fragment size which is too low for the soundcard (256 bytes in one case), which leads to a background crackling when playing. use "-z 1024" (or an other value) to fix this.
Gstreamer, required for Gnome Volume Applet
- Requires a gstreamer ossv4 compatible backend to be installed:
- Install a new version ( >= 0.10.7 ) of gst-plugins-bad:
- Debian: apt-get install gstreamer0.10-plugins-bad
- The command above won't work on Ubuntu Hardy - it uses an older version (0.10.6).
- Gentoo: emerge ebuild from unofficial overlay or from #232109.
- Or use precompiled patched gstreamer oss module:
- Install a new version ( >= 0.10.7 ) of gst-plugins-bad:
- Alternatively, OSS already supplies a native GTK mixer - ossxmix.
- Sound backend can only be selected before compilation, so you'll have to build in OSS support yourself. Fetch the source and do "./configure oss", followed by "make && make install".
libao, including libao based like mpg321
- Add the following line to ~/.libao
- default_driver=oss
- Debian, Ubuntu: These distros install a /etc/mpd.conf, which overrides ~/.mpdconf contrary to Unix conventions... You need to edit /etc/mpd.conf and uncomment the audio_output of type "oss" section.
- Debian: install mpg123 instead of mpg123-alsa
- write the following line to ~/.mplayer/config
- ao = oss
openal, including openal based like Quake4
- Write the following line to ~/.openalrc
- (define devices '(native oss))
- OpenAL Soft uses a different configuration method. Write the following to ~/.alsoftrc:
- [general]
- drivers = oss
- Phonon should automatically output via OSS. Configuration is different depending which backend is used:
- Xine backend:
- Old versions (KDE4.0.x) of the Xine backend didn't work with OSSv4. In that case use the gstreamer backend. In the newer versions, you should be able to prefer "OSS default output" in the KDE multimedia settings.
- Phonon might mistakenly think the default output has been disconnected - erase ~/.kde/share/config/phonondevicesrc if the OSS option isn't available and recheck multimedia settings again.
- GStreamer backend:
- You need the oss or oss4 gstreamer plugin installed. See gstreamer entry.
- Xine backend:
- Edit /etc/pulse/default.pa and
- Remove "module-hal-detect" (it won't detect OSS anyway).
- Uncomment "module-oss" line and add "mmap=0" at end.
- If "module-oss" line does not exist add the line below to default.pa:
- load-module module-oss device="/dev/dsp" sink_name=output source_name=input mmap=0
- This software supports either OSS or ALSA (set at compile time). Some distros set ALSA at compile time.
- Debian:
- Get the source of the package (apt-get source recordmydesktop) and the build dependencies (apt-get build-dep recordmydesktop).
- Edit debian/rules to provide --enable-oss=yes to configure.
- Build package with dpkg-buildpackage and (re)install it.
- You may wish to prevent upgrades from overwriting the package with the ALSA version: echo recordmydesktop hold | dpkg --set-selections (as root).
- Note that the used recording source should be set to 'vol' (if available) or 'loopback' should be activated (if available) in ossmix or ossxmix before starting recordmydesktop. If neither of these is possible, you can set recordmydesktop to use a vmix loopback device. See Tips And Tricks#Recording_sound_output_of_a_program.
- scummvm works fine, but midi output may need tuning.
- scummvm 0.11.0 supports midi output via timidity and also via fluidsynth.
- Start timidity -Od -ir 7777 and then run scummvm. Select "TiMidity" as a music driver.
- Alternately, if fluidsynth is compiled, you can select it as music driver. You need to add a soundfont entry to ~/.scummvmrc .
SDL, including SDL-based like frozenbubble
- Debian: install libsdl1.2debian-oss or libsdl1.2debian-all
- set SDL_AUDIODRIVER=dsp in the environment
- From 1.4 onward, Skype supports OSS using a separate OSS-enabled binary. The regular binary will not work!
- Arch: install skype-oss
- Ubuntu Intrepid: apt-get install skype-static-oss (from the medibuntu/multiverse repository)
- install static OSS version from skype [6] (Direct link to latest static OSS version: [7])
- Debian: install libsox-fmt-oss
- Debian: install libwine-oss.
- Select OSS driver in winecfg - audio tab. (In some cases winecfg will output ALSA lib errors - they can be ignored).
- Write the following line to ~/.vlc/vlcrc
- aout=oss
- Alternately:
- From VLC click tools --> preferences --> Audio
- From the "type" menu, select "UNIX OSS audio output"
- Autodetection doesn't work well with OSSv4. Edit the .vmx file and set
- sound.autodetect: False
- Write the following line to ~/.xine/config
- audio.driver:oss
- Install the OSS output plugin
- Ubuntu Intrepid: apt-get install xmms2-plugin-oss
- Modify the output plugin in the config file
- Replace alsa with oss in the output plugin configuration entry inside the xmms config file (which should be ~/.config/xmms2/xmms2.conf)


text:
Going out in style, the Lansing boys' swimming team wrapped up its regular season Wednesday; Pioneers play waiting game
Going out in style, the Lansing boys' swimming team wrapped up its regular season Wednesday.
In doing so, the team brought home a bunch of bronze medals. The Lions earned third overall at the Inter League Championships by accumulating 284 points, three shy of Coffeyville's 287.
St. James Academy won the 10-team competition with 354 points.
Highlights came from Jack Bresser, who captured third in the 200 free as Jake Hecht finished fourth, and Matt Holden, who won third in the 500 free. Chase Martin came in sixth in the same event.
Bresser also was third during the 100 back, where Holden placed fifth, and Dion DePaolis wrangled fourth in the 100 fly.
During the 200 IM, DePaolis touched in fourth place and Luke Lozenski was behind him in fifth. Stephen Szmed nabbed seventh in the 100 breast.
The relay team of Holden, Szmed, DePaolis and Bresser placed fourth in the 200 medley relay. As did the foursome of Bresser, Jake Hecht, Holden and DePaolis in the 400 free relay.
The Lions will now wait to see who qualified for state, which will be announced this weekend.
Waiting game for Pioneers
And now it's time to wait.
The Leavenworth boys' swim team participated in its final meet of the regular season Thursday at Lawrence Free State.
While the team only took seven kids, Pioneer coach Willis Willmeth was pleased with the results.
"We got our 200 medley relay a state consideration time so that was the biggest thing on the night," Willis said. "It was our fastest time of the year and whether we get into state, we'll find out Sunday."
The relay team was made up of Josh Camarena, Hunter Higgins, Carson Owens and Jacob Walker. Despite that, Leavenworth did not receive any other state consideration times out of the few events they participated in.
State qualifiers will be announced this weekend. Until then, the team must simply wait.
"The last three years we haven't had a single consideration time and right now we have six, with one of those being an automatic qualifier," Willis said. "So I'm excited. I told the kids that and now we just wait until we find out who made the cut."


text:
In the world of horticulture, Proven Winners is the botanical equivalent of Apple Corporation.
In the same way that Apple has revolutionized the computer and cellphone world with its mind-blowing creative, imaginative design and groundbreaking technology, Proven Winners has changed the way hundreds of our favourite plants are grown and marketed.
In the process, Proven Winners has become the dominant plant driving force in North America and has succeeded at not only changing our perception of plant quality and performance, but has expanded our understanding of how to make better and greater use of plants in the garden.
Twenty years ago, Proven Winners didn't exist. Today, it is impossible to walk into any garden centre in North America and not see tables filled with plants in the distinctive white PW pots with the colourful, deliberately oversized plant labels packed with information, poking out the top.
It all started back in 1992 when three of the largest nurseries in the U.S. - in California, Michigan and New Hampshire - decided to team up and concentrate on growing top-quality plants that had been patiently tried and tested and only then designated as worthy of being marketed as a plant brand.
Only plants that passed the vigorous testing were allowed to be called Proven Winners. Trialling each plant cost about $2,000. This was done both in North America, as well as in Germany and Japan.
Proven Winners expanded the program to include dozens of other nurseries, including many in Canada, with a proven track record for quality control.
But Proven Winners also took one other important step when it decided it needed to safeguard its investment by acquiring plant breeders' rights protection.
This cost about $5,000 a plant, but meant that from that moment, anyone producing or selling the plant would have to pay a royalty.
Another key element to the success of the plant line has been the introduction of white "branded containers" with black PW logo on the side to attract consumer's attention. These pots were introduced in a major way in 2010 and came with a nothing-sells-faster guarantee to growers.
The Proven Winners brand started with just four plants: Brachycome 'Ultra', Dianthus 'Sweetheart Cascade', Scaevola 'Blue Wonder' and Helichrysum 'Golden Beauty'.
While these were all excellent performers, they cannot hold a candle in the popularity stakes to the star-performance summer-colour plants that were to come, such as Argyranthemum 'Butterfly' (1995), Supertunia (super floriferous petunias in 2001), Superbells (calibrachoa hybrids in 2002), Euphorbia 'Diamond Frost' (2004), and Petunia 'Picasso in Pink' (2010).
Today, there are hundreds of plants in the Proven Winners program, including top-quality series of verbena, nemesia, diascia, osteospermum, coleus, impatiens, lantana, heuchera, ipomoea and sutera.
The program has since been expanded to add all sorts of favourite ornamental grasses, perennials and foliage plants, some of which have been promoted as part of a Fall Magic concept featuring ideal plants for winter containers.
But bestsellers are most improved varieties of old familiar favourites: petunia, nemesia, calibrachoa, osteospermums, lobelia and verbena.
This spring, Proven Winners will introduce 35 new plants, including a new set of dianthus called Fruit Punch, as well as various improved cultivars of some classic perennials and shrubs, including Viburnum carlesii 'Spice Girl', Hydrangea serrata 'Tuff Star' and Buddleia 'Lilac Chip'.
But the most exciting of Proven Winners' new introductions is a series of container plants that provide exceptional summer colour for balconies, decks and small-space patio gardens.
Velvet Skies is an exceptional colour combination being promoted to consumers "who want to include colour and reliable combinations in their outdoor living space."
It brings together Lobularia 'Blushing Princess' with Supertunias 'Mini Silver' and 'Royal Velvet' to create a bright bouquet of colours and textures.
Other highly rated introductions for summer containers include 'Double Plum', a new calibrachoa hybrid, with masses of tightly clustered reddish-purple blooms; 'Lemon Slice', a new calibrachoa (Superbells) hybrid that has bright yellow five-point crosses over white petals; and two striking forms of coleus (Solenostemon) called 'Keystone Kopper' (copper colour leaves) and 'Marooned' (deep burgundy leaves).
For gardeners who love blue flowers, there are two new offerings: 'Blue My Mind' a beautiful evolvulus hybrid, and 'Royale Silverdust', a fragrant blue-purple verbena hybrid.
Both look terrific in urns or vase-shaped containers.
Lobularia hybrids, which are exciting new forms of sweet alyssum, are also being presented as plants for creating fragrant billowing clouds of silver-lavender and white flowers. 'Snow Princess' has white flowers that slowly turn lavender-silver and turn even more lavender in bright light.
'Frosty Knight' produces a continuous abundance of white flowers and is another ideal plant to use in combination with petunias or calibrachoa in full sun.
Two other new sun-loving plants perfect for use in containers are improved hybrids of Lantana camera: 'Pina Colada', which has white flowers, while 'Berry Blend' has pink and yellow blooms.
All of these plants will be available at your local garden centre in May.
Backing proven winners in the world of horticulture
In the world of horticulture, Proven Winners is the botanical equivalent of Apple Corporation.


text:
Melbourne based artist Casey Jenkins is a self-described "craftivist" who founded Craft Cartel, an organization that seeks to combine crafting and political activism, in 2007. "Craft imbues you with power because you're forced to contemplate the issue you're addressing. It's very reflective in a sense of when you put that message out into the world, people know you must really care because you've devoted that much time to it," Jenkins says.
Jenkins' most recent performance project, "Casting Off My Womb" (Aussie TV calls it "Vaginal Knitting") involves the artist spending 28 days (the average length of a menstrual cycle) knitting from a new skein of wool that she has placed inside of her vagina each day. Jenkins explains that her performance would not be a performance if she didn't include menstruation. While she is menstruating, Jenkins says it becomes more difficult to knit because the wool is wet, and she has to tug on the thread a bit harder. Overall, though, she claims the process is slightly uncomfortable, but can also be arousing at times. For Jenkins, she enjoys that her performance associates the vulva – something that can be found offensive or vulgar or invoke a level of fear – with the comfort and warmth that knitting provides and evokes.
"The fact that [cunt's] considered the most offensive word in the English language is a real marker of the time that we're living and of the society's attitude towards woman. There's nothing possibly negative about it. It's just a deep, warm and delightful part of the female anatomy."
As Gawker notes, this performance is reminiscent of other feminist performance pieces like Yoko Ono's "Cut Piece," Carolee Schneeman's "Internal Scroll," or even Mary Kelly's pre- and post-partum documents, so Jenkins is not necessarily a trailblazer in the context of this aesthetic; however, that fact that pieces like this still shock and provoke viewers means that there is still much work to be done in the movement to empower women and destigmatize female anatomy. (via gawker and broadsheet)


text:
Sandtown Rd, Engadine, MI 49827
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