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Anglers are catching great keeper tautog in the Bay and off coastal shores. The fish are biting Asian and green crabs. The fall tautog season is here. Go out and fish. Don't forget to explore and discover your own spots. Tautog are generally anywhere there is structure… rock clusters, jetties, docks, wrecks, humps, etc.
Tautog regulations. In Rhode Island tautog have to be sixteen inches or more. The catch limit for recreational anglers from August 1 to October 14 is three fish/person/day. The limit jumps to six fish/person/day on October 15 through December 15. However, there is a ten fish per boat limit during all periods. The boat limit does not apply to charter and party boats.
Boat placement is important. Use electronics to find structure, estimate wind/drift direction and anchor up current from where you want to fish and drift back to the spot as the anchor is setting. Once in position, fish all sides of the boat casting a bit to cover as much area as you can. If still no bites, let some anchor line out a couple of times to change your position, if still no bites it is time to move the vessel.
The bite. Feel the bite… tap, tap and then get ready for a tug of war. Captain George Cioe said, "I believe with the first tap the tautog is positioning the bait for consumption." So at the second tap I raise the rod up firmly feeling for the weight of the fish (no need to jerk the rod up hard). Once the fish is hooked, keep the rod up and pressure on so the fish is not able to run for cover.
Where to fish, what type of bottom? From shore, look for rocky coastline like Beavertail Point on Jamestown, locations off Newport, Point Judith and off jetties at South County beaches. From a boat, I have had good luck at Plum Point light, rock piles off Narragansett, the jetty at Coddington Cove in Middletown, General Rock in North Kingstown (we found a great tautog bite at General Rock the past two weekends with fish to 21 inches), Hope Island, around Brenton Reef in Newport, Whale Rock, Ohio Ledge in the East Passage, Nebraska Shoals off South Kingstown.
Bait and chumming. Asian and green crabs (with legs taken off and cut in half) are baits of choice. Chumming for tautog will enhance your catch dramatically. Kevin Bettencourt from the East Bay Anglers said, "Chumming is a critical part of tautog fishing. If you want to land numerous tautog you must establish an effective chum line. This can be accomplished with grass shrimp or crushed Asian or green crabs. Don't be afraid to feed them! If you don't, they won't stick around long!"
John Stavrakas of Wakefield, RI lands 221 lbs. Mako shark
John Stavrakas and his Wakefield, RI neighbor John Ott caught a 221 lbs. Mako shark last week. John said, "We set up a chum slick for shark on the warm side of a temperature break at the Suffolk (Wreck) and drifted across the break… We caught two nice blue sharks when Mr. Mako showed up… We didn't realize it was a Mako at first - we thought it was another blue… then he took off. I thought I was going to get spooled… We decided to chase this fish… (after a good fight) we put a flying gaff in him and the harpoon. Dragged his tail through the tuna door and tied him down."
StriperFest 2012 in Falmouth, MA this weekend
On Saturday, September 29th at 1:00 p.m., anglers will gather to celebrate another successful striped bass season at On The Water Magazine and TV's StriperFest. The event will be held at Falmouth Marina Park and include live music by the Deepwater Blues Band, Budweiser beer, tasty Black Dog fare and games and attractions for the whole family. The event celebrates the end of the 2012 Striper Cup, a five-month long fishing tournament that attracted thousands of anglers from New Jersey to Maine to compete for over $150,000 prizes. Bonus Day, Friday, September 28th, noon to 5:00 p.m. with ongoing seminars and demonstrations. Visit www.onyhewater.com.
DEM offers saltwater surf-casting and fly-fishing workshops, programs… even a safari
DEM's Aquatic Resource Education program is offering introduction workshops to saltwater surf-fishing and fly-fishing, a fly-fishing trip via train around Aquidneck Island, and fly-tying workshops. Contact Kimberly Sullivan at 401.539.7333 or firstname.lastname@example.com for information.
"Surf Fishing: The Basics, an introductory course was held Wednesday, September 26.
"Introduction to Saltwater Fly-Fishing" Saturday, September 29, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the US Fish and Wildlife Service's Kettle Pond Visitors Center, Charlestown.
Learn about fly-tying, casting techniques, and knot-tying. $35 per-person.
"Fly-Fishing Express," a fly-fishing safari around Aquidneck Island on the Old Colony Train Saturday, October 27, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Stop at remote public access fishing areas. Learn about the best flies to use and fly- fishing tactics. For advanced beginner, intermediate and advanced fly-fishing anglers. Bring chest waders, other equipment provided, $35 per-person.
"Fall Fly-Tying 2012" sessions held on six Mondays beginning October 22 to December 17 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the North Kingstown Community Center.
Learn beginner and intermediate fly-tying techniques for fresh and saltwater fishing. $5 for each class or $25 for all six sessions.
Where's the bit
Tautog fishing improving. Angler Ken Robinson said, "We double anchored on the (Brenton) Tower hump … all tolled we caught about six tautog, three BSB and a half dozen scup… Oh and of course the striped bass." Ken's fishing partner Paul landed a 42 lbs striped bass that hit a crab while tautog fishing. Max DiStoto caught a 6 lbs. tautog in the Nebraska Shoals area said Al Conti of Snug Harbor Marina, South Kingstown. John Littlefield of Archie's Bait & Tackle, East Providence said, "Customers are catching small tautog at Conimicut Light, no large ones yet."
Striped bass. Bob Masse limited out on striped bass at Block Island while fishing with friends Saturday. Angler Mike Swain of Coventry said, "We fished the Bay for stripers Friday night and did not have any luck." Al Conti of Snug Harbor Marine, South Kingstown said, "The bass bite slowed this weekend at the Southwest Ledge off Block Island… the fish are there, the divers are getting them… there is just so much food around that you have to be fishing when they're feeding."
Albert and Kevin Bettencourt of East Providence are catching midsized bass at night during tide changes drifting eels.", said John Littlefield of Archie's Bait.
Offshore. Barry Bordner of South Kingstown landed a 300 lbs. bluefin tuna this weekend at the BD Buoy south/southeast of Nantucket said Al Conti of Snug Harbor. Reports of one giant hook-up at the Mud Hole this weekend.
Green bonito and false albacore fishing is excellent all along the RI coast from Westerly to Newport. "Albies (False Albacore) and Green Bonito are all over the place… (anglers) all along the coast are having a blast with them." said Al Conti of Snug Harbor.
Bluefish. "The past couple of days the schools (of bluefish) have been circling the waters just southwest of the "T" wharf (Prudence Island). No frenzies yet but they have been consistently hitting bright plugs and ignoring natural colors." said angler Bill Houle, Jr. of Warwick.
Atlantic menhaden. John Littlefield of Archie's Bait & Tackle said, "There are a million pogies in the Providence River… both small and large ones… a customer said you could have walked across them this weekend, but no fish chasing them."
Scup. Scup bite strong a the East Fishing grounds, Brenton Tower area and in the Bay. Max DiStoto caught a 3½ lbs. scup this weekend at Nebraska Shoals.
Captain Dave Monti has been fishing and shell fishing on Narragansett Bay for over 40 years. He holds a captain's master license, a charter fishing license, and is a member of the Rhode Island Marine Fisheries Council. Your fishing photos in JPEG from, stories, comments and questions are welcome… there's more than one way to catch a fish. Visit Captain Dave's No Fluke website at www.noflukefishing.com; his blog at www.noflukefishing.blogspot.com or email him at email@example.com.


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Sex-Linked Inheritance Problem Set
Problem 9: Tracing the inheritance of the human X chromosome
Women have sex chromosomes of XX, and men have sex chromosomes of XY.
Which of a women's grandparents could not be the source of any of the genes on either of her X-chromosomes?
A. Mother's Father.
University of Arizona
Updated: July 15, 1999
Contact the Development Team

subset: commoncrawl


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ISBN: 978-0-745-64352-6 March 2009 Polity 176 Pages
In this concise and beautifully written introduction to the politics of the veil in modern societies, Christian Joppke examines why a piece of clothing could have led to such controversy. He dissects the multiple meanings of the Islamic headscarf, and explores its links with the global rise of Islam, Muslim integration, and the retreat from multiculturalism. He argues that the headscarf functions as a mirror of identity, but one in which national and liberal identities overlap, exposing the paradox that while it may be an affront to liberal values, its suppression is equally illiberal.
Veil: Mirror of Identity will illuminate, challenge and provoke readers, and will make compelling reading for scholars, students and general readers alike.
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Table of contents
Preface viii
1 The Islamic Headscarf in Western Europe 1
2 The Pupil's Headscarf in Republican France 27
3 The Teacher's Headscarf in Christian–Occidental Germany 53
4 The Extreme Headscarf in Multicultural Britain 81
5 Liberalism and Muslim Integration 107
Notes 127
Bibliography 141
Index 151
Times Higher Education
"The strength of this book lies in the comparison of three states' responses to the headscarf issue, providing a thorough account for a reader new to this subject."
"Joppke's Veil retrieves a topic subjected to clichéd overkill for genuine scholarly analysis. It is erudite, readable and unrivalled, a no-punches-pulled critique of the relationship between Islam, gender and liberalism. Informative, thought-provoking and powerful, it reaches new heights and is a must-read for the informed, or bemused, about Islam in the West."
Paul Statham, University of Bristol
"All of the trademark features of Joppke's style are in evidence here: a talent for linking empirical and normative questions in a sophisticated yet clear way; an ability to synthesize a wide range of literature and sharply formulate the key issues; and a willingness to challenge and indeed provoke his readers."
Rogers Brubaker, University of California
"Veil is a highly original and systematic analysis of one of the major problems which Western, especially European, societies are confronting. It is an outstanding contribution, and should be of great interest to sociologists, political scientists and historians."
S. N. Eisenstadt, Van Leer Jerusalem Institute
"One of the most difficult issues for a liberal state is to consider the conflict between religious freedom and liberal values. Written with pace, authority and wit, Christian Joppke provides the reader with a deeper understanding of western Europe's struggle with manifestations of religious identity."
Kamal Ahmed, Equality and Human Rights Commission
What's New


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Manchester City defender Karim Rekik has signed a new long-term contract
Promising Manchester City defender Karim Rekik has signed a new long-term contract at the Etihad Stadium.
Last Updated: 05/12/12 2:18pm
The 17-year-old went on loan to Portsmouth in March and won admiration for his performances despite the club's subsequent relegation to League One.
"It was a very easy decision to make, City is a great club with a great future for me," said Rekik. "I can develop as a player and a person at this club and that's why I decided to stay.
"It feels like family inside at City, everybody is nice and they all speak to me so it was very easy for me to settle in. It definitely gives you a boost in confidence to be given a contract considering that we won the league last year.
"That was a great experience for me and I really hope to be a big player for City one day.
"If I train against those players it's great for me, it's fantastic to play against these great players and it can only help me learn.
"I've been out for three months with a back injury but I feel 100% and I'm happy to be back and playing. I'm delighted to be staying at City."


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In cookbooks, health food stores and alternative health clinics, the word is getting out: Acid is the latest dietary villain.
It's not necessarily the acid in foods like tomatoes and lemons that supposedly cause the trouble. Instead, a growing number of people claim that meats, wheat, soda, coffee, alcohol and processed foods of all sorts produce acid in the body after they've been digested. The acid, in turn, is said to fuel health problems including arthritis, obesity and cancer.
Naturally, there's an antidote for all of that acid. Proponents of the so-called alkaline diet claim you can stay healthy simply by eating at the other end of the pH spectrum. The diet is based on the belief that fruits, vegetables and grains including millet and barley can ward off health problems by making the body less acidic and more alkaline.
There's no doubt that replacing burgers and potato chips with fruits and vegetables is good for you. But some experts say that the theory behind alkaline diets doesn't jibe with basic facts about nutrition and physiology. "It's good advice based on a bogus premise," says David Heber, professor of medicine and chief of the department of clinical nutrition at UCLA. As he explains, the body carefully controls its acid balance after every meal. "No matter what you eat, the pH of your blood is going to stay the same."
Such doubts haven't done much to slow a growing industry based on alkaline eating. "I get plenty of challenges from doctors," says Vicki Edgson, a London-based nutritional therapist and coauthor of the cookbook "Eating the Alkaline Way." "They wonder where I'm getting my information." Undaunted, Edgson says that an alkaline diet can help fight a wide range of illnesses. Many of her clients, she says, have been able to stop taking medicine for diabetes, arthritis and other ailments. "I'm not saying the diet is a cure for arthritis," she adds, "but if you give the body what it responds best to, it works phenomenally."
The cookbook includes many recipes for indisputably healthful meals — Edgson says she's especially fond of the quinoa and cranberry burgers — along with some questionable assertions. Among other things, the book says that humans have a hard time digesting meat, a claim that Heber and many other nutrition experts say is untrue. "As I often tell my vegetarian friends, people are omnivores," Heber says.
"Eating the Alkaline Way" also offers a handy chart that identifies foods and beverages as either very acid-forming, mildly acid-forming or alkaline. Some foods that generally have a healthy reputation — including kidney beans, yogurt and chickpeas — land in the acidic category. The roster of supposedly alkaline options includes soy beans, lemons, tomatoes, olive oil, raw goat's milk and apple cider vinegar.
The book doesn't provide sources for this information, although Edgson says some of the material came from "The pH Miracle," a book by Shelley Redford Young and Robert O. Young first published in 2002.
Supplement companies have joined in the alkaline craze. Take, for example, Smooth 8 Purify Water Drops, a highly alkaline (purported pH of 9.9) liquid suspension of potassium and magnesium that, according to the website, "neutralizes body acidity" and "helps flush acid and toxins from the body." Users are instructed to add 10 to 20 drops of Smooth 8 to any beverage.
Smooth 8 founder Keven Suttle says that an alkaline body is a healthy body. "Disease can't live in an alkaline environment, but they thrive in acid." Suttle says that acid-causing foods lead to obesity because the body puts on layers of fat to protect itself. He also says that many tumors can grow only in acidic environments.
Ian Robey, a research assistant professor at the University of Arizona Cancer Center, says that there's some early evidence that large doses of alkaline substances, such as sodium bicarbonate, might be able to slow some cancers, at least in mice. But there's a big difference between sodium bicarbonate and a so-called alkaline diet. And while he and other scientists are continuing to study how tumors respond to changes in pH, he cautions against jumping to conclusions. "I would be skeptical of anyone making outright claims that acidic foods promote cancer," he says.
Heber says there's a grain of truth to the claim that acids from foods can affect health. Diet can change the pH of urine, he says, and urine that's too acidic can put a person at risk for kidney stones.
Taken together, the claims in favor of alkaline diets show "a misunderstanding of physiology," Heber says. He finds the idea that people could slim down by alkalizing their bodies ridiculous. "It reminds me of [the novel] 'The Road to Wellville.' People will try anything to lose weight."


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For information on exhibition and sponsorship opportunities at the convention, contact Sharon Cordesse at email@example.com
Download the OSCON Sponsor/Exhibitor Prospectus
View a complete list of OSCON contacts
In these sponsored sessions, OSCON Java sponsors and exhibitors will discuss their products & services in detail. Those interested in learning more about the product or service are encouraged to attend. These sessions are open to all attendees with a badge.


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Soviet/Russian Aviation and Space Collectibles
Rare pieces, once owned by cosmonauts, pilots, museums, engineers, designers and officials of the USSR and Russia. I have literally thousands of unique items that commemorate the glorious accomplishments of Soviet/Russian aerospace history.
This site presents unique items from an extensive collection built during many years and first presented to Western collectors in 1990. Several artifacts in the collection are flown in space, received as gifts from cosmonauts. I have designed and produced flight emblems and patches for friends- cosmonauts to use on Soyuz and ISS flights. Unique Space Art performed by famous Soviet cosmonauts-artists A.Leonov and V.Dzhanibekov presented in collection as well. There are one of a kind presentation souvenirs,models and medals from launch team officers of Cosmodrome Baikonur;presentation models of production and experimental aircraft, custom hand made by actual aircraft producers model departments.


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Message Board
Myron Levoy Message Board
Talk about the novels, new and used books that Levoy has written!
Author Levoy's Book Reviews
Alan and Naomi
Alan Silverman worries that he's too different from the other boys. He studies, he's not the bravest boy in the neighborhood. His only friend is Shaun Kelly. So, when his parents ask him to spend time with Naomi Kirshenbaum, he's horrified. Naomi is crazy. She escaped from the Nazis in France. She doesn't talk, she's scared of everything, and she spends all her time tearing pieces of paper to shreds. What will Shaun say when he finds out Alan is s...
Kelly 'n' Me
Fifteen-year-old Anthony Milano spends his summer playing his guitar in Central Park trying to earn enough money to help his alcoholic mother keep their run-down apartment. One August afternoon he meets Kelly Callahan, a beautiful young street performer with an incredible voice. The two form a successful singing act and soon fall in love. But when Kelly reveals she plans to run away to San Francisco to escape her controlling parents, her need to leave...


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I have written about this famed street food/hawker food dish (known locally as Penang Hokkien Mee) a couple of times; you can check out my previous entries here and here.
This time I added extra toppings on my prawn noodles with fresh water prawns. In Malaysia, we call this "加料"/"Gar Liew"/"Keh Liao"–which means you pay extra for more toppings…
This prawn noodles dish is the bestest hawker food dish EVER! The satisfaction of slurping down a bowl of this piping hot and prawnylicious noodles is simply beyond my English vocabulary.
Want to try out Malaysian hawker food? Check out the following recipes on Rasa Malaysia:
- Penang Assam Laksa (Hot and Sour Noodles in Fish Broth)
- Char Hor Fun/炒河粉 (Malaysian fried flat noodles with gravy)
- Nasi Lemak (Coconut Milk Rice with Anchovies Sambal)
- Penang Chee Cheong Fun (Steamed Rice Rolls with Shrimp Paste)
- Indian Mee Goreng / Indian Fried Noodles


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The Economy Slumbers as Power Eludes Bangladesh
|Photo Copyright of Jugantor
Have you ever tried explaining to non-economists what the consequences of resource misallocation can be for the economy?
What will happen if you invest enough in some sectors and too little in others? The answer is likely to be that you have enough production in sectors where you got your investments right and too little in the under-invested sectors. That may be correct in some cases, but it ignores the interdependence between the adequately invested and underinvested sectors. As a result, you may have too little production in the sectors where you have invested enough because you have too little production in the sectors you have neglected to invest.


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Rather nice set of 5? registered design number 681307 February 1922 all are etched Stuart England but not all have the design number etched on the base. See a lot with the Stratford rings but not with etched/cut pattern.Just under 4" high, being more of a tumbler shape would they maybe come from a water set with a jug perhaps? rather than a decanter. Any help regarding pattern, possible age, I realise they were made any time from the registration date onwards but maybe someone can narrow it down with the style.http://picasaweb.google.com/107067405711297858658/Stuart#Chris :sun:
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How to Make a Zero-Waste Lunch Kit
Reduce your waste when eating on the road by making a zero-waste lunch kit. Wisebread gives suggestions on what reusable and travel-friendly products to get, such as stainless steel drinking straws, utensils attached to metal rings, and collapsible bowls and plates. And for special occasions, get some squishy travel shot glasses for cocktails on the go. [via Lifehacker]
Related: Serious Green: Plastic-Free Ways to Transport Your Lunch


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As our involvement in Iraq has wound down, a few loose ends remained. The most important was the status of Ali Mussa Daqduq. Daqduq is a Hezbollah operative, apparently directed by Iran, who was responsible for the capture, torture and murder of five American servicemen. Under the status of forces agreement, he was to be turned over to Iraqi authorities, and could only be removed from that country with the permission of its government. A number of conservative activists and politicians campaigned to retain custody of Daqduq and bring him to Guantanamo Bay or another suitable venue for trial. A correspondent forwarded this email:
I know Captain Dan Fritz, Jake Fritz's brother. He's been to our house in Morgantown — in fact, one year to the day after Jake was abducted and murdered in Iraq.
I know Noala Fritz, Jake's mother, from Verdon, Nebraska. She is one of the most humble, down to earth, pleasant people you will ever meet. Jake's father, Lyle, a Marine and Viet Nam vet, passed away in June of this year. Together, they raised one of the most patriotic, caring, and giving families in America.
I write you to seek your assistance in stopping this absolute lunacy and ultimate travesty of justice that is about to occur. Please, contact anybody and everybody you can, and enlist their support in stopping Daqduq's release from happening. Use the power of the internet, social media, or whatever means available, and get people to speak up. Leverage what you can (political parties, TEA parties, prayer groups, etc.) to let our Congressmen and Senators in DC know of our interest to stop the release of this calculated, cold-blooded murderer.
The Fritz's are a family that has seen more than its share of suffering, and is "all in" on the War on Terror. We owe it to them, and to Jake's honor, to see that his killer faces justice.
Thank you for your engagement — there is little time to act.
All such pleas fell on deaf ears, and the Obama administration turned Daqduq over to the Iraqis, despite widespread predictions that they will send him to Iran, where he will receive a hero's welcome and soon return to the fight. The Wall Street Journal reported:
U.S. officials have feared turning [Daqduq] over to Iraq would lead to his release without trial.
The Obama administration "sought and received assurances that he will be tried for his crimes," a White House spokesman said. "We have worked this at the highest levels of the U.S. and Iraqi governments, and we continue to discuss with the Iraqis the best way to ensure that he faces justice."
We will see. My guess is that Daqduq will be released and will be lavished with wealth and honors until we encounter him on a battlefield once again. My own view–call me a Neanderthal–is that things never should have gone this far. If Daqduq is who we think he is, and to my knowledge there is no dissent on that point, he should simply have been shot, long ago.


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Ghana World Cup winger Adomah returns to Middlesbrough despite Nottingham interest
Albert Adomah will not be concerned about interest from Nottingham Forest when he gets his pre-season officially under-way with Middlesbrough this afternoon.
The Ghana international, given an extended break because of his World Cup experience, has been the subject of two offers from Forest already this summer amounting to around £1.5m.
But Boro rebuffed both bids, coming just 12 months after arriving for around the £1m mark from Bristol City, and they are only prepared to listen to offers well in excess of the price they paid.
Aitor Karanka, the head coach, is happy to have Adomah back in his squad and, due to his training schedule in Brazil with his country, he has returned to training in fantastic shape.
After two days of training, the first a double session, at Rockliffe Park, Adomah is expected to be involved at Spotland today when summer signing Kike makes his first appearance on English soil in a Middlesbrough shirt against Rochdale.
Adomah is looking forward to getting back to work.
He said: "The more you enjoy it, the longer your career will last. These maybe only pre-season games, but we'll still have supporters watching, so we have to do our best. There is a game to be won for momentum if nothing else."
Slow movement on the transfer front means Boro are weaker than at the end of last season.
While they have lost Danny Graham, Marvin Emnes, Lukas Jutkiewicz, Jozsef Varga, among others, from their squad, Kike is the only new face.
The Spanish striker, a £2.7m buy from Real Murcia, has settled in after meeting up with his new team-mates on a week's long training trip to Marbella, but Karanka needs further additions.
Sources close to the club have revealed there are a number of discussions taking place between clubs and potential targets, but nothing is particularly imminent at this stage.
The likeliest deal at the moment is the return of Kenneth Omeruo. The Nigerian has told Karanka that he is happy to return for a further loan from Chelsea and he should be in involved when Villarreal visit the Riverside a week today.
For more Ghana football news visit www.ghanasoccernet.com


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PoLAR: Political and Legal Anthropology Review
PoLAR: Political and Legal Anthropology Review
Vol 41(2 Issues in 2018 ) Print ISSN: 1081-6976 Online ISSN: 1555-2934 Impact Factor: .604
Publication of the Association for Political and Legal Anthropology, PoLAR publishes cutting-edge work in the field of political and legal anthropology, broadly defined. This innovative interdisciplinary publication features articles on such issues as nationalism, citizenship, political and legal processes, the state, civil society, colonialism, postcolonial public spheres, multiculturalism, and media politics. In addition to articles, PoLAR publishes syllabi, symposia, book reviews, methodological pieces, narratives of teaching strategies, research notes, and interviews. PoLAR is published semiannually.


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Because the first time went so well, Madonna is again assuming directing duties for a feature film project, this time centering on the story of King Edward VIII. It's true: Even Madonna's movies have now affected an English accent.
From The CBC by way of Variety:
The royal drama, titled W.E., will chronicle the life of the British monarch who abdicated the throne to marry American divorcee Wallis Simpson.
According to the report, Vera Farmiga — the Oscar-nominated "Up in the Air" actress — has put herself in line to portray Simpson.
A different report says Madonna also wrote the script after doing extensive research on the couple…
The twice-divorced singer is also set to appear on the upcoming NBC reality show The Marriage Ref, in which couples take their arguments to a panel of guest "referees."
She's going on "The Marriage Ref"? Oh, that'll be swell. "Why don't you two simply resolve your differences by spending seven weeks in Corsica with Gwynnie Paltrow? That's what I would do."
I'll give Madge this: the subject matter of Edward VIII is pretty ripe territory for a movie. Edward is the only British monarch to renounce the throne in modern history, and he chose love over power. Not a bad storyline to pursue. And, like Wallis Simpson, Madonna is twice divorced. So perhaps she sees parallels in her life with that character. Perhaps this also means she intends to marry Prince William. LOOK OUT, KATE MIDDLETON! MADGE IS GUNNING FOR YOUR MAN! SHE'LL EAT YOU ALIVE!
The last film project in which it can be said that Madonna excelled was "Evita," a performance that won her a Golden Globe award. Like this project, "Evita" was a film and role very close to both Madonna's heart and her life story. So perhaps the story of Edward and Wallis Simpson will align with her sensibilities and produce something successful.
Then again, it's Madonna. So cross your bra cones.


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I am passionate about being intentional during the holiday season to cultivate simplicity and special family traditions in order to tune our hearts towards our Savior and focusing not upon ourselves but upon the glorious gifts that we are blessed with each and every day. It is easy for the holiday season to get incredibly busy with activities, outings, and gift shopping, and miss out on the more important work of preparing our hearts for the Lord's coming. I am certainly guilty of this. I am thankful for the grace and strength that God freely gives to help us stop the madness, search our hearts, and begin to make practical steps towards refocusing our hearts.
This year I came across a cute thankfulness wreath pictured in a recent edition of Family Fun magazine that I was inspired to make for our own use. It was super easy to make. You only need a 12-inch styrofoam wreath, fall colored cardstock (or construction paper works too!), and about 1/4 yard of fabric cut into thin strips (about 2 inch strips works best I discovered). I took each strip of fabric and wrapped it around the wreath and secured it with straight pins. Then, I cut out leaf shapes on the cardstock and folded each leaf in half for added dimension and pinned them around the wreath with more straight pins. Each night as we prepare our hearts for thanksgiving, we will take our wreath down from the wall and write on a leaf the things each of us our thankful for.
To take just a few moments on a regular basis to think upon what we are grateful for during this month of preparation for Thanksgiving is really precious, especially as you hear the small voices of little ones whispering their thanks and recording it upon our wreath. Oh to keep our hearts focused on the goodness of a Mighty God who loves us. I need grace each and every day to keep my eyes upon the Lord rather than my failures and problems. This simple practice is just one way to get our eyes off ourselves and on One far more worthy of our gaze.
For further inspiration, visit: 5 Meaningful Things to Do In Preparation for Thanksgiving. Looking for a quality picture book read aloud for Thanksgiving? Check out our favorite: Squanto and the Miracle of Thanksgiving.


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Facilitrain needed a new web page design and created a contest on 99designs.
A winner was selected from 14 designs submitted by 4 freelance designers.
We provide customised training and consulting solutions that are creative, dynamic and that motivate individuals to improve performance.
Facilitrain specialises in the delivery of training and consulting in:
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• Communication techniques
• Instructional Design for in-house programs
We provide blended learning solutions, in sales and service, for face to face and over the phone interactions.
Facilitrain is recognised for its personalised service and its ability to manage projects of all sizes. This includes national training programs and campaigns as well as one-on-one coaching.
As a boutique training company we are able to provide end to end solutions, from training needs analysis, instructional design, facilitation and coaching.
We are strongly focused on providing training and consulting solutions that are creative, dynamic and that motivate participants to implement skills and techniques covered in the programs.
We are proud that our business is based on referrals, recommendations and repeat business. We have happy clients.
Our facilitators are:
• dynamic
• youthful
• experienced
• credible
• encourage learning to build capability
• support participants through the change processes and
• they will challenge people to stretch themselves to achieve new and existing goals
Medium to large corporate companies.
Who we've worked with:
Facilitrain and the consultants we partner with have worked with an enormously diverse range of blue chip organisations in the following industries:
• Financial Services and Planning
• Professional Services
• Telecommunications
• Energy
• Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG)
• Retail
• Consumer Healthcare
• Pharmaceuticals
• Security
• Information Technology
• Human Resources
• Building
• Manufacturing
• Not for Profit
Some of the organisations we have worked with:
• Deloitte Australia
• Allianz
• National Australia Bank
• American Express (Hong Kong, Singapore, Australia)
• ICICI Bank (India)
• Toyota Financial Services
• AAS Superannuation.
• Vodafone
• Coles Myer
• Unilever
• British American Tobacco
• Unilever
• Goodman Fielder
• General Pants
• Blackmores
• Kimberly Clark
• Boral
• Stramit
• Brickworks (Austral Bricks)
• Philips Lighting
• Chubb
• Powercor
• Salmat
• SalesForce Australia
• Variety, The Children's Charity
We need a website that looks corporate but that has a funky edge.
We want all the usual pages:, Home, About Us (also our philosophy, our consultants), Our Services, Our Clients / Testimonials, Contact Us and we want to showcase our telephone scripts (which will link to another webpage eventually) - see attached
We have a logo (see attached) which is fairly simple. We don't want music or flashing screens but something that will make people want to read about us and then act.
Happy for you to play with the logo if you need to.
Very keen to have a white background (works well for training)


text:
31243, Hymns, Once in Royal David's City, no. 205
1. Once in royal David's city
Stood a lowly cattle shed,
Where a mother laid her baby
In a manger for his bed:
Mary was that mother mild,
Jesus Christ her little child.
2. He came down to earth from heaven,
Who is God and Lord of all,
And his shelter was a stable,
And his cradle was a stall;
With the poor, and mean, and lowly,
Lived on earth our Savior holy.
3. And our eyes at last shall see him,
Through his own redeeming love;
For that child so dear and gentle
Is our Lord in heav'n above,
And he leads his children on
To the place where he is gone.
Text: Cecil Frances Alexander, 1818-1895
Music: Henry J. Gauntlett, 1805-1876
Luke 2:4-7, 11-12
Mosiah 3:5-8


text:
To preserve, protect, maintain and enhance the city's parklands and recreational facilities and engage people in leisure activities that contribute to their quality of life.
North Shore Aquatic Complex
$4.50 Child (Age 3 to 12)
$5 Adult
All Other Pools
$2 Child (Age 3 to 12)
$3 Adult
Nine pools to choose from. Red Cross certified lifeguards, locker rooms, tables and chairs, wading pool, diving board, and giant flume slides. Please contact each pool for pricing and reservations.
Come prepared to swim for all classes including the first day. We suggest bringing 2 towels, warm clothes to change into, your books, pen, pencil to each class. We also suggest bringing lunch, drinks and snacks.
North Shore Aquatic Complex is located on the St. Petersburg waterfront. Features a 50 meter, temperature regulated pool with diving board, 25 yard training pool with zero depth entry, a play pool with a giant flume slide, splash pad, and accessible zero depth entry. Home of St. Petersburg's master swim program.
1227 43rd St. S.
St. Petersburg, Florida 33711
(727) 893-7730
602 14th St. S.
St. Petersburg, Florida 33705
(727) 893-7635
6739 Dr. Martin L. King St. N.
St. Petersburg, Florida 33702
(727) 893-7440
1025 26th St. S.
St. Petersburg, Florida 33712
(727) 893-7725
1450 60th Ave. S.
St. Petersburg, Florida 33705
(727) 893-7745
2331 60th St. N.
St. Petersburg. Florida 33710
(727) 893-7723
4142 Shore Acres Blvd. NE.
St. Petersburg, Florida 33703
(727) 893-7752
7883 26th Ave. N.
St. Petersburg, Florida 33710
(727) 893-7636


text:
The Writers.net directory (http://www.writers.net) and the forum accounts (http://www.writers.net/forum) have been separated and the log-in procedure for the forums has changed.
You will now need to sign-in using your username and password, instead of your email address. If you are unsure of what your username is, you can submit a request to recover your password and it will be sent to you.
The login procedure for your writers.net directory account remains the same as it was prior .
Also, your Writers.net forum and directory account is no longer linked together. You will have to login and manage each account separately.
If you had an account prior to the split your password and other information should be the same, but it is recommended that you clear your site cookies to avoid any login issues. For information on how to clear cookies, please visit this link.


text:
Friday, March 16, 2012
My favourite fish salad, using smoked seabass
There's a smoked fish salad that I've been making for years. Here's the routine. On a Saturday morning, the kids and I (and usually my K. as well) head to the local farmers market, Viimsi Taluturg. There are several stalls selling excellent fish, and one of them, Pepe Kala, sells excellent hot-smoked seabass. It's my choice of fish for this salad, although other smoked specimens would work just as well.
We head home, unpack our lot. I'll open the paper-wrapped smoked seabass and start cleaning the fish. I must work quickly here, or otherwise our 3-year old daughter eats most of the fish and I'll have none left for making the salad (she loves fish!). I'll then mix the salad (recipe below, of course) and enjoy. Sometimes we eat it as it is, sometimes we put that on top some toasted rye bread (photo above), sometimes we use it as a filling for paper-thin crepes, sometimes we enjoy it with some just-out-of-the-oven jacket potatoes. It's versatile and it's delicious.
Will keep well in the fridge (covered, of course) for a few days.
Smoked Fish Salad
(Maitsev suitsukalasalat munaga)
Serves four
1 medium-sized smoked fish (hot-smoked seabass is good)
4 eggs
1 or 2 (red) onions
handful of fresh dill and chives
some mayonnaise and/or sour cream
freshly ground black pepper
Hard-boil the eggs, then cool under cold running water. Peel the eggs, and smash with a fork in bowl.
Peel the onion(s), chop finely.
Clean the smoked fish carefully, discard the skin and bones. Chop the fish into smaller pieces.
Finely chop the herbs.
Mix the eggs, onions, smoked fish and herbs in a bowl. Fold in just enough mayonnaise or sour cream (or indeed, both) to bind the ingredients.
Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
1 comment:
- Jeff @ Cheese-Burger.net said...
I did not know that you can make a smoked fish salad. But looking at the photo, it does look very delicious.
- 4:58 pm, March 17, 2012
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)


text: Book Club May 22 Join the American Club of Lyon to see more information and to get full access to the website. If you are already a member, please contact us to find out how to obtain full access to the website.Existing Users Log InUsernamePassword Remember Me Forgot password? Click here to reset


text:
Federal Reserve Chairwoman Janet Yellen's task in two days of testimony to Congress will be to keep the market focused on the fact that rates will likely remain low for some time to come without appearing to badmouth the economy.
Yellen will testify to the Joint Economic Committee on Wednesday at 10 a.m. Eastern and the Senate Budget Committee on Thursday at 9:30 a.m.
"There are few more effective ways to to trample on any 'green shoots' that might be cropping up than to have the central bank deliver dour pronouncements about the state of business conditions," said Lou Crandall, chief economist at Wrightson ICAP.
Yellen is expected to be pressed for her views on the weak first quarter gross domestic product report and the strong April nonfarm payroll data.
The market would love to hear about possible tweaks to the Fed's exit strategy but may have to wait until May 22 when the minutes of the latest policy meeting are released, Crandall said.
The Fed signaled that it discussed the exit because it took the trouble to publicly give notice that the first day of their last policy meeting on April 29-30 was also technically a meeting of the Fed Board of Governors. Under the Fed's sometimes arcane rules, the Fed board has some sole responsibilities in the exit, for instance the setting of the interest rate on excess reserves.
Rep. Kevin Brady, a Republican of Texas who is chair of the Joint Committee, said in an interview with MarketWatch that he will press Yellen to begin hiking rates "sooner rather than later."
"I am concerned the Fed will look to delay normalization rather than move it forward," Brady said.
Yellen won't face overly hostile questions as Republican fury at the Fed has eased, said former Congressional Budget Office Director Douglas Holtz-Eakin and now president of the American Action Forum, in an interview.
"I think the heat has come down between the Fed and Republicans," Holtz-Eakin said.
Tempers flared in the fall of 2010 when the Fed began discussing a second round of bond purchases which to Republicans appeared to be timed to help Democrats.
— Greg Robb
Follow Greg on Twitter @grobb2000
Follow Capitol Report @capitolreport
More must reads on MarketWatch:
What two senators plan to ask Yellen
David Einhorn wasn't impressed after dinner with Ben Bernanke


text:
SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Jacksonville stymied Lipscomb's bats Saturday as the Dolphins prevailed 7-1 in the Atlantic Sun Softball Championship at Cyrill Stadium.
The Lady Bisons were only able to squeeze out two hits in the first six innings against A-Sun Pitcher of the Year and the Tournament's Most Valuable Player Sarah Sigrest.
Shortstop Courtney Billington hit a solo home run with one out in the seventh inning over the left field fence scoring the Lady Bisons' only run of the afternoon.
Catcher Mollie Mitchell opened the second with a single to left field and right fielder Caroline Mason had a leadoff single to center field in the fifth. Lipscomb's only other batter to reach base was center fielder Breanna Thurman who reached on an error in the third.
Sigrest (26-5) struck out six in her complete game effort and did not issue a walk.
Whitney Kiihnl (20-11) started for the Lady Bisons but encountered troubles early. Amanda Schmidt hit her first home run of the game, a two-run shot, in the first inning.
In the third inning Karson Tuck doubled in two runs for Jacksonville giving them a 4-0 lead.
After Kiihnl issued two walks to open the fourth frame, Ali Watson was brought in to replace her. She induced three ground outs to end the inning.
In the sixth a two-out error extended Jacksonville's time at bat. Schmidt capitalized on the Lipscomb miscue and hit a three-run blast to give the Dolphins a 7-0 advantage.
Only two runs scored by the Dolphins were earned. Lipscomb entered the tournament with the sixth best fielding percentage in the nation. They committed five errors in their last two games though.
Kiihnl gave up five hits and four runs, two earned, in three innings pitched. Watson tossed three innings allowing four hits and three runs, all unearned.
Mackenzie Tucker and Kiihnl received All-Tournament honors.
Lipscomb ends the year at 30-20. Jacksonville earns an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament with the victory. The Dolphins improve to 43-14.


text:
10 Tips for the Media on How to Stop Screwing Up HIV/AIDS Coverage
December 10, 2010
As an action-packed year for the HIV/AIDS community draws to a close, TheBody.com takes stock of 2010 in a new series of articles, "HIV/AIDS Year in Review: Looking Back on 2010 (and Ahead to 2011)." Read the entire series here.
As 2010 comes to an end, let's take a look at how the media has covered HIV. There is a lot to sort through. Some of the media's work is good. A lot is bad.
This year, we saw a number of medical breakthroughs that made headlines: The discovery of two rare human antibodies that kill 90 percent of all HIV strains, which could provide the basis for a vaccine. The first-ever successful clinical trial of a microbicide, which could bring us one step closer to women being able to have more control over their sexual health. And the finding that pre-exposure prophylaxis can reduce HIV infections among gay men.
This year also brought major events that got heavy news coverage: The XVIII International AIDS Conference in Vienna. The first-ever national HIV/AIDS strategy for the U.S. The return of U.S. AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP) waiting lists, which had been empty, but are now full again. A harsh reminder that you can be imprisoned and potentially executed for being gay in certain countries. And a confirmation that poverty is the top risk factor for HIV among heterosexuals living in inner cities.
On the pop culture end, HIV was also present. Part of the porn industry temporarily shut down when adult film actor Derrick Burts tested positive. Project Runway's Mondo Guerra disclosed his status on air. The Other City, a documentary about HIV/AIDS in Washington, D.C., debuted to rave reviews. And on World AIDS Day, celebrities "died" on social media, only to have some billionaire "resuscitate" them when it looked as if they might not be able to raise enough money to do so through smaller donations.
And while people living with HIV don't always make the headlines, this year some did -- for being famous or just infamous. Choreographer Bill T. Jones won his second Tony for the Broadway hit Fela! And in December, Jones, who has been positive since 1985, was awarded, along with Oprah Winfrey and Paul McCartney, the 2010 Kennedy Center Honors. Steven Slater, a JetBlue flight attendant, ejected himself from a plane when he got fed up with unruly passengers. (For some odd reason, the media felt the need to play up his HIV-positive status when reporting on the incident.) And Nadja Benaissa, a German pop star, branded the phrase "HIV criminalization" into the world's vernacular -- for better or for worse. In August, she was found guilty of causing bodily harm to an ex-boyfriend for having unprotected sex with him, not disclosing that she had HIV, and ultimately infecting him with the virus.
But even in the wake of all of this, the media still doesn't report enough about the global pandemic and, most importantly, there are not enough stories exploring the U.S. epidemic. (Newsflash: AIDS is still a huge problem here in the U.S.) And when the media does tackle AIDS in America, too many times it borrows from FOX News' playbook of sensationalism, fabrications and one-sided narratives.
Just how many down low and criminalization stories can a person take?
We do acknowledge that there are certainly difficulties in covering HIV -- the lack of staff reporters who are knowledgeable about the subject; dwindling budgets; smaller, overworked staffs; and the fact that HIV doesn't exactly garner the most page views or magazine/newspaper sales -- but that still doesn't let the media off the hook.
Something's got to give.
This article was provided by TheBody.
Add Your Comment:
(Please note: Your name and comment will be public, and may even show up in
Internet search results. Be careful when providing personal information! Before
adding your comment, please read TheBody.com's Comment Policy.)


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text:
Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight
From Quotes
Give me a fruitful error anytime, full of seeds, bursting with its own corrections.Vilfredo Pareto
Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight (2007-), created by Joss Whedon, is a spin-off comic book, based on the television series of the same name about Buffy Summers, a teenage girl chosen by fate to battle against vampires, demons, and other supernatural foes. She is often aided by her Watcher and her loyal circle of misfit friends, the Scooby Gang. The comic series deals with her continued quest battling against the forces of evil, beginning roughly 18 months after the final television episode.
- 1 The Long Way Home
- 2 The Chain
- 3 No Future For You
- 4 Anywhere but Here
- 5 A Beautiful Sunset
- 6 Wolves at the Gate
- 7 Time of Your Life
The Long Way Home
Part 1
- Buffy [first words, narrating]: The thing about changing the world... Once you do it, the world's all different. Everybody calls me "ma'am" these days.
- Buffy [re: her two decoys, narrating]: The guys figured I was a target, set up two other slayers to be me. One's underground. Literally. One's in Rome, partying very publicly -- and supposedly dating some guy called "The Immortal". That part was Andrew's idea. He did research on the guy, said it would be hilarious for some reason. Here at command central, not so much with the hilarious. More with the "what the Hell am I doing?"
- Xander [narrating]: I used to be in construction. Pay was good. Hours were way better than this. They even ended occasionally. But when duty calls... you don't exactly get to screen.
- Renee: Mister Harris, we've got a development with the Barcelona squad. Vamp nest looks a lot bigger than they thought.
- Xander: How many in the squad?
- Renee: Seven. Donna's running them, but they're pretty green.
- Xander: Andrew's still working Southern Italy -- tell him to pick his ten best, hop over.
- Renee: Roger that.
- Xander: Tell him ten best. Not ten best dressed. We don't want another Orvieto.
- Renee: Yes, Mister Harris.
- Xander: "Xander". Renee, I told you, it's "Xander". Or "Sergeant Fury."
- Renee: Wasn't Nick Fury a Colonel when he ran S.H.I.E.L.D.?
- Xander: I like him better in his Howling Commando days. But your nerd points are accumulating impressively.
- Renee: I try, Sergeant.
- [Buffy is taking on a trio of demons.]
- Demon: Thissss one... looks tasssty.
- Buffy: Thanks, I work out.
- ...
- Demon [to Buffy, who brandishes a large crucifix]: Sssstupid human, I am no vampire. You think I fear the cross?
- Buffy [impales him through the head with it]: Might wanna start.
- ...
- Leah: That were a wee bit repulsive.
- Buffy: Went okay. 'Cept I feel a little weird about using a crucifix to kill someone.
- Leah: Yeh dinno much about religion, do yeh?
- Xander [re: an unusual symbol]: I think it's a frown turned upside down. And then turned upside down again.
- Buffy: So you think it's a frown.
- Xander: Guy with a monocle frowning.
- Buffy: You're a terrible Watcher.
- Xander: I'm not a Watcher.
- Buffy: Well, clearly.
- [Dawn, who has grown to giant size, is sulking in the castle.]
- Buffy: You were dating a thricewise.
- Dawn: Kenny never said he was a thricewise!
- Buffy: I said he was a thricewise. Leah said he was a thricewise. Giles said he was a thricewise and he only ever met him over the phone!
- ...
- Dawn: I could swat you like a flea.
- Buffy: Your butt looks big in those giant pants.
- Buffy [narrating]: I miss my home. I miss my mom. I miss the gang. And churros. And sex. Great muppety Odin, I miss that sex.
Part 2
- Giles [narrating]: I used to be a Watcher. The organization existed since before there were cities. The Watcher's Council, always moving, always secret, but very much alive. There were hundreds of Watchers. And one Slayer. Scales have tipped of late.
- ...
- Giles [to the Slayers under his command]: I see some superior fighting out there. Technique and power that might just give Buffy Summers herself a run for her money. Impressive force. It is, of course, useless.
- ...
- Buffy [to the Slayers under her command]: One Slayer fighting alone is formidable. Two is formidabler. Or... three? Mega-formidable. And after mega, it goes to mondo, then super, hyper, beaucoup d', crazy, stupid... It gets exponentially prefixy. Leah, Rowena, Satsu. Would the three of you please kick my ass?
- [Leah, Rowena and Satsu rush her... and are swiftly dispatched by Buffy.]
- Buffy: So. Three perfectly valid avenues of attack, good form -- on three seasoned, well-trained corpses, one of whom, sidebar: has her best hair ever; Satsu, you're beginning to make me think I need a new look, see me after.
- [Xander and Dawn, who is bathing in a lake, discuss Buffy.]
- Xander: She doesn't hate you.
- Dawn: She does. She hates me.
- Xander: I say thee nay.
- Dawn: Fine. Nay. Buffy doesn't hate me. She just wishes I'd go away.
- Xander: She wishes you were at Berkeley getting an education in something other than stomping villagers, yeah. Doesn't mean she doesn't like having you around.
- Dawn: All she does is yell at me.
- Xander: And you, what, recite sonnets? Sisters fight. It's a rule.
- Dawn: What do you know? You don't have a sister.
- Xander: Have you seen this place? I got all my sister 'n' me!
- Dawn: Right. Buffy and all her new and improved Slayer sisters.
- Xander: Dawnie... don't roar a giant roar, but... did you make yourself big on purpose?
- [SPLOOOSH! A huge torrent of water hits Xander, soaking him.]
- Xander: You know I only have two of these outfits.
- [In a dream sequence, Buffy is being pulled out of a window by a magical force, and Xander's head is lying on the rug, seperated from his body.]
- Buffy: No, no, I can't go outside, I'm afraid of the dark.
- Xander: Buffy, you are the dark.
- Buffy: That's what I meant.
- Xander: This lint is so Scottish.
- ...
- Buffy: I make a wish that I don't fall I make a wish that I don't fall -- [claws pierce her hands and feet] AGGH! New wish! New wish!
- ...
- Buffy: I know you...
- "Demon": Yesss... Ssscream...
- [In reality, Amy Madison has Buffy bound to her bed and is poised to stab her in the chest.]
- Amy: I couldn't bear it if this was painless.
- Xander: Amy. Long time, no desire whatsoever to see.
- [Buffy requires a kiss of true love to wake her from her nightmare.]
- Xander: So this doesn't have to be someone she's in love with.
- Amy: No, I said. Just someone truly in love with her.
- Xander: But not friend-love.
- Amy: Right. Someone who wants to kiss her, like, they're passionate about her.
- Xander: And not a sister.
- Amy: Well, a twisted sister...
- Xander: Ha! But no, I hate you.
- Slayer: We're under attack! Full breach of the east wall!
- Xander: Who's breaching?
- Slayer: Living dead, sir.
- Xander: Man, Amy, you're doing all the classics tonight.
- Amy [surveying the battle between the Slayers and her army of Scottish zombies]: All that time underground with nothing to do but get stronger. A hundred Slayers and there's not one person here who can take me on.
- Willow [appears, floating before her]: As a friend of mine once said... I'd like to test that theory.
Part 3
- [The man in the long coat is revealed.]
- Buffy [narrating]: "My love." He called me "My love". And then I threw up in my mouth a little.
- Buffy: Ethan Rayne?
- Ethan: In the flesh, my love.
- Buffy: And again, a slight barflex. You have to stop calling me that.
- Ethan: It's an expression, pet. Like "pet".
- [Ethan explains the concept of dreamspace to Buffy.]
- Ethan: In brief. You are always dreaming every dream you could ever dream all the time. Even when you're awake, a part of you is always stirring that brew. Which one you choose to remember in the morning is based on wishes, anxieties – in your case, your collective Slayer memory and prophecies are mixed in as well. It's a vast and fascinating place. Everywhere you turn, a part of you. Want to see one?
- [He pulls the blackness back like a curtain… revealing a fantasy of Buffy, dressed as a nurse, chained to a nude Angel and Spike.]
- Buffy [panics, yanking the curtain back]: Gak! Neh! Ho. No. That's nothing… worth… [small] It's just… ah, been a slow year…
- [In reality, Willow and Amy duel whilst the Slayer/zombie battle continues below.]
- Amy: Oh, man, this craft is weak. Didn't you almost destroy the world one time? Now you can't even put up a fight! What happened?
- Willow: I saw the big picture. But, you, Amy… you're as self-involved as your mom was. You think I'm fighting you. I'm just absorbing your mojo. So I can decode it.
- [Willow casts a spell that causes the zombie hordes to stop, throw down their weapons… and bow.]
- Zombie [offers his hand to a wounded Slayer]: May I have this dance?
- Xander [from command central]: Ladies and other ladies… the Indescribable Rosenberg.
- [Amy blasts Willow with a powerful spell. Reeling from the shock, Willow's eyes and hair turn black, and she returns fire angrily.]
- Amy: Now you're starting to make this interesting. What else you got?
- Xander [into comm-link]: Say it with me now: Fe fi fo…
- Dawn [raising her giant-sized foot over Amy]: F%$#ing fum. [stomps her]
- Willow [containing the unconscious Amy]: Language, sweetie. How come you're a giant?
- Dawn: We totally have to talk. Are you evil again?
- Willow: It'll fade. She just really pissed me off.
- [Buffy, still in her mystical catatonia, reacts within her dreamspace to Willow's instruction for the person in love with her to come forward and kiss her.]
- Buffy: I have a funny feeling on my mouth.
- [In reality…]
- Buffy [jerking awake]: Cinnamon buns!
- Demon: We are not amused.
- Giles: No-one's exactly giggling on this side of the fence either.
- Demon: Three of our brood were slain!
- Giles: They broke protocol.
- Demon: They were lured out there!
- Giles: I think they were, yes. Someone engineered that conflict – and sacrificed two young men in the process. I think we need to know who.
- Demon: This symbol is meaningless to us. And we are not convinced this is not some Slayer trick. We have ever been enemies.
- Giles: And ever shall be. We'll come to grips one day, but on a day we choose. We'll not be led there like cattle.
- Xander: Well, this is really unimpressive. One attack by the undead and Renee has to take a nap, "Oh, I'm all run through with a broadsword, I have to lie around and heal…" Back in my day, which was about a week and a half ago, we took our lumps and we got back up and we cried like babies and quit and then put on weight.
- Renee: I should've seen 'em coming. They shoulda never got over that wall. We lost girls because of –
- Xander: Oh, are you still talking? You mess up, Buffy'll kick your ass. Assuming she's not in a mystical coma, in which case I or a qualified representative will kick your ass. You raised the call and you stood your ground. It was solid soldiering, so shut up and heal.
- Renee: You're so butch.
- Xander: Almost a kind of masculine vibe, don't you think?
- Buffy [catching up with Willow]: Well, how you been? How's Kennedy? Are you still –
- Willow: She died.
- Buffy [shocked]: Willow…
- Willow [quickly]: Oh no! She's fine! Mystical thing, only lasted a month. We're just taking it slow for a while. She's sort of in her own space, but it's cool. I always tell that wrong.
- [Willow has been tricked into teleporting to a military base, where she is mystically bound to an operating table.]
- Amy: Great big all-powerful earth-mother witch goddess… and she still falls for the rope-a-dope. Of course, we're contracted to bring in the Slayer, but I'm pretty sure she'll show. Too late, of course…
- Willow: "We"…?
- Amy's Boyfriend [lurking in the shadows]: I can't tell you how long I've waited for this. Well, I can. To the hour. Killing Buffy Summers is gonna be a party. She's pissed me off more than a little. But you, Rosenberg…
- [Warren Mears, skinless and wielding a bonesaw, enters the light.]
- Warren: …You really got under my skin.
Part 4
- Warren: [preparing to torture Willow.] "Bored now." Do you even remember that that's what you said? Last two words of my human life, so I remember probably better. You were upset. Kinda spiraling, is what they say. Which is, hey -- I'm not excusing where I was at, so don't think -- I mean you -- if Amy hadn't been watching you, she would never have started watching me. Watching over me. Do you know she had maybe a four-second window after my skin came off before I died of shock alone? That flash-paper disappearing trick was pretty hokey, we kid about that, but thinking on your feet? This is the girl. Her magic is my skin. That time we came up with the spell for you and your new girlfriend -- and hey, that was quick, I was still learning to walk again and you're already in the fresh trim... I remember thinking and it comes up again in this situation, I just have to wonder... [He holds a scalpel over Willow's eye.] Are you bored now?
- [Dawn, enraged, punches the outer wall of the castle, dislodging masonry.]
- Dawn: AAAAGGKH!
- Buffy: Dawnie, you know you're not as proportionally strong as you are large.
- Dawn: [clutching her bloodied knuckles.] I know! I just -- this really hurts -- I can't let something happen to her.
- Buffy: If they manage to re-open the portal --
- Dawn: I'm too big! I get it! I've been super-sized! I'm useless.
- Buffy: That's not --
- Dawn: Just bring her back. I trust you to do that, I do, Buffy, but do it. I'm not trying to slam you, I swear, but... Will is like a mom to me.
- [Later...]
- Xander: Oh I bet you loved hearing that.
- Buffy: [Picking who will fight alongside her.] Satsu. Get your favorite blade and be ready for anything and the mother of anything.
- Suit: We heard screaming.
- General Voll: And you've disabled our cameras.
- Amy: I know, I'm sorry, but guys: there is no way Buffy is not gonna come after this subject. You just have that big atomo-phallic thing pointed at the portal and you'll get your Slayer. She'll come after this witch like a dog after dogs$#%, I swear to God. But the witch belongs to my boyfriend. They have a history. She's kind of a history major.
- Buffy: Kill any demon you see. Humans you go for the wound unless they get stupid.
- Satsu: Humans?
- Buffy: Willow said Amy's magic was mixed with technology. You fight with me, not next to me, do I need to say that again?
- Satsu: No ma'am.
- Buffy: Did you bring any lip gloss?
- Satsu: Oh yeah.
- Buffy: I'm all cracky. [Satsu passes her a lip gloss, and she applies some to her lips.] We get Willow and we get out. If she can't leave for any reason then neither can I. If I tell you to bail you do it without a word, you get out and you regroup. [tastes lip gloss] Hnh. Cinnamon.
- [The soldiers fire a huge death ray through the portal... which is reflected on the Slayers' side by a huge mirror and sent back through the portal. The weapon is obliterated, scattering soldiers everywhere.]
- Xander: Magic. It's all done with mirrors.
- ...
- Officer [extinguishing a burning soldier]: Sound off! Who's hurt? Stay calm, dammit!
- Buffy [emerging out of the smoke]: No. Panic.
- Buffy [re: the military base]: You got any idea where all this is?
- Xander [via comm-link]: Yeah, G.P.S. is coming up... Wow.
- Buffy: Where are we?
- Xander [via comm-link]: About two miles south of Sunnydale.
- Buffy [narrating]: Sunnydale. Well. I'm the one who wanted to go home.
- Water Elemental: Your body is almost dead. You cannot come back from a natural death, dear. Not even you. Do you not fear?
- Willow: Did I ever tell you about my friend?
- Buffy: I like to think, in a way, that she's a part of me. That even when she's gone, a part of her is with me. [her eyes turn black] 'Cause it is.
- Warren: This isn't over, Slayer. [dematerialising with Amy] I just do not get tired of saying that...
- General Voll [revealing the meaning of the symbol on his chest]: Twilight. Is coming. For you, for all your monstrous spawn... it all ends very soon.
- ...
- General Voll: You've been to war with demons, with the First, but believe me you picked the wrong side. 'Cause God help us, if you win then you'll decide the world still isn't the way you want it and the demon in you will say just one thing. "Slay." We're not waiting for that to happen. We will wipe you out. Not just monsters anymore. It's you against the world. You're at war with the human race.
- Buffy: Oh. [pause] 'Kay.
The Chain
- Buffy Decoy #2 I tried to feel it. I tried to face the darkness like a woman and I don't need any more than that. You don't have to remember me. You don't even know who I am. But I do.
No Future For You
Part 1
- Faith: You've got apocalypse written all over your face.
- Giles: The only chance you have at finishing this Slayer is by getting close to her through subterfuge and cunning.
- Faith: Hey, I likes me some kink, but if you think I'm going downtown on this chick, you chose the wrong Chosen One.
- Faith: So. How we doing here?
- Giles: Five by Five.
Part 2
- Faith: Anyway, live and learn. Almost die and learn way more.
- Dawn: You don't understand, he was the only guy on campus who treated me like a friend, not a... a walking pair of boobs.
- Willow: Oh, sweetie. Don't talk like that. Boys are into you because of your legs, not those itty-bitty things.
- Genevieve [re: Faith smoking]: Mind if I bum a fag?
- Faith: What do I care? You can bum whoever you... oh.
Part 3
- Genevieve: The mighty Slayer who's the very fount of all our power is called Buffy. Can you believe it?
- Buffy: So you decided to start you own evil Slayer club? Why am I not surprised?
Part 4
Anywhere but Here
A Beautiful Sunset
- Twilight: The Chosen One. Always in pain...and always complaining.
- Twilight: One Slayer was all right, but all these girls...the world can't contain them. And they will suffer for that. I'll not kill you now. My first gift is my last. I know that you meant well. But you have brought about disaster. And it falls to me to avert it.
- Satsu: You were explaining how people who love you get hurt. Should I look out for that then?
- Buffy: So I can skip the PowerPoint presentation, huh?
- Satsu: Are you okay? That creep did such a number on you...
- Buffy: I'll heal. We'll heal.
Wolves at the Gate
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Time of Your Life
Part 1
- Buffy: Bad day. Started out bad, stayed that way.
- Buffy: Dawn? Are you sick? Can you stand?
- Dawn: I am standing!
- Buffy: You..You mean you...got shrunk?
- Xander: Wuzzis? Shrunk? Whuh?
- Buffy: Yey! Dawnie, yey?
- [Dawn's revealed to have turned into a centaur]
- Dawn: Neigh.
- Willow: She's never been in New York.
- Buffy: I'm the King Kong of the worrrrld!
- Willow: Or, apparently, a limo.
- Fray: This is toy! You think you can spin me with a half-coi glam of a slayer been dust more than two cen? You're lower than a lurk.
- Buffy: Uh...English?


text:
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The number of U.S. jobs openings fell in January from a three and a half year high. The modest decline suggests hiring could continue at its healthy pace but may not accelerate.
The Labor Department said Tuesday that employers posted 3.46 million job openings in January. That's down from 3.54 million advertised in December, the most since August 2008. The department revised data back to January 2007.
The figures follow a government report Friday that showed the economy added 227,000 net jobs in February. It was the third straight month of strong job gains.
There were still 12.8 million unemployed people in January. That means an average of 3.7 people competed for each open job that month, the lowest ratio in three years. Still, the ratio is usually around 2 to 1 in healthy job markets.
It generally takes one to three months for employers to fill job openings. More openings in December and January likely contributed to February's strong job growth. And they suggest hiring gains could continue to be above 200,000 a month in the coming months.
Job openings have rebounded 45 percent since the recession ended in June 2009. But they are still far below the pre-recession levels of roughly 5 million.
Manufacturers advertised more jobs in January than the previous month. Retailers, professional and business services, and hotels and restaurants posted fewer openings. Professional and business services include temporary help, but also higher-paid jobs such as accounting, engineering and legal services.
The unemployment rate stayed at 8.3 percent last month, after falling for five straight months. Some of that decline is because many of those out of work have given up looking for jobs. When people stop looking for work, they are no longer counted among the unemployed.
But much of the drop reflects a pickup in job creation. The economy added 734,000 net jobs from December through February, the best three months of hiring in two years.
Separately, more businesses plan to step up hiring this spring, according to a quarterly survey by the staffing company ManpowerGroup, released Tuesday. The group's employment outlook index rose to 10 in the second quarter, the highest since the final three months of 2008.
"Our survey data ... is particularly encouraging because the positive hiring intentions are widespread across states, regions and markets," Jonas Prising, ManpowerGroup's president of the Americas. "Positive hiring intentions tell us that employers are seeing increased demand for their products and services."
© 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Learn more about our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.


text:
Charlie Sheen: 'Challenge Me On the Facts'
Actor's first response since media firestorm over 9/11 comments
Paul Joseph Watson & Alex Jones/Prison Planet.com | March 24 2006
Listen to the Interview
Charlie Sheen has responded publicly for the first time since the media firestorm over his comments by challenging his detractors to debate him on the evidence of 9/11 and not issues relating to his personal life.
"I am an American citizen that loves my country and as a citizen with my passion for this great country I demand that I be challenged on the facts not on immature behavior from twenty years ago," said Sheen.
"If they continue to attack me personally it only gives credence to our side of the argument."
Sheen elaborated on how developments during the course of the week had unfolded and his reaction to them.
"All I can say is wow! Wow! this has been some kind of week I can tell you."
Sheen tipped his hat to A.J. Hammer and CNN's Showbiz Tonight for having the guts to cover the story and give 9/11 skeptics a balanced platform on which to discuss the issues. He called the CNN poll showing around 82% support his stance on 9/11 an "inspiration" and "staggering" but Sheen also outlined the fact that he was not entirely surprised by the outcome. Sheen said he was encouraged by the support shown on blogs and message boards across the Internet.
The poll directly contradicts a line of attack used on a Hannity and Colmes piece Thursday night which claimed that Sheen's views didn't reflect the mainstream of America. If we are to treat an 82% majority as the mainstream then that accusation is completely fraudulent.
Sheen addressed the attack pieces generated from his comments.
"The majority of them, in fact 90% of them, were attacking me personally, were attacking my credibility, were attacking my observational or talents of insight or observance and what they did not attack is the specific points that you and I raised, the points that generate the most controversy about the events," Sheen told the Alex Jones Show.
"For anyone to have any kind of opinion on something that warrants an opinion I guess you have to be squeaky clean."
Sheen made the point that the hit pieces singled out his quotes relating to his first reaction to 9/11, and in particular the suspicious collapse of the buildings, but deliberately avoided the hardcore evidence he later presented, making him appear uninformed when in fact he had documented why he had serious doubts about the official story.
"I was vilified for expressing my feelings about what I saw and I was demonized for expressing my gut reaction to what I saw."
Even so, both Dan Rather and Peter Jennings' gut instincts were that the collapse of the buildings looked like controlled demolition so Sheen is hardly on a skinny branch in simply stating what common sense told him at the time.
"When they pigeon-hole me into the tin foil hat wearing conspiracy knuckle-head brigade they don't mention those quotes by Peter Jennings and Dan Rather," said Sheen.
Sheen responded to the claims made by National Geographic producer Nicole Rittenmeyer aired by CNN on Wednesday night. Rittenmeyer insinuated that her conclusions on 9/11 were credible simply due to the fact that the series she produced had high viewing figures.
"This woman based all of her credibility on the ratings that the show received and I find that ludicrous because what that speaks to is people's interest. Whether you believe the official story or you're curious about an alternate viewpoint so she kind of shot herself in the foot talking about 'this is the base of my credibility', 'this is why I'm right, because a lot of people watched it', you know I could say the same thing about the reaction to my comments this week....but I'm not saying that I'm just here to remind people that the only credibility that I need is what I have and that is as an upstanding taxpaying American citizen who loves his country and who refuses to stand by as this level of insanity is blanketed over obvious truths."
Sheen reiterated his main focus as being on what caused Building 7, which wasn't hit by a plane, to become only the third steel building in history to collapse from fire damage (the other two being the twin towers). Photographs taken prior to the building's collapse show minor fires before it falls in a textbook demolition fashion.
"If there's a problem with Building 7 then there's a problem with the whole damn thing and guess what? There's a serious problem with Building 7," said Sheen.
Sheen demanded that Larry Silverstein, the owner of the WTC complex, explain what he meant when he told a September 2002 PBS documentary 'America Rebuilds' that the decision was made to "pull" the building, which is a demolition term for deliberate implosion.
"When someone makes a statement like that I think it warrants a follow up response," said Sheen.
"In fact you know what I'll come right out and say that I'm personally requesting a direct answer from Mr. Silverstein about what he meant....give him my number tell him to call me I'm just curious. Tell him to call CNN tell him to call somebody because you cannot make a statement like that and not follow it up, and not back it up and not explain it."
"Anyone that cannot view this as a controlled demolition, I would have to say that their chair was not facing the television. Anyone that can look at this and say 'yes, that is a random event caused by fire' really needs psychiatric evaluation," said Sheen.
Sheen challenged the mainstream media to run a poll on Building 7 asking if viewers believe from video evidence that the building was brought down by means of controlled implosion.
Sheen again underscored his challenge to his detractors to debate him on the evidence and not idle gossip about his private life and his family.
"I ask that they look at the evidence and they debate myself, yourself, people that support us on those specific issues. Not about me personally, not about what they think about me personally not about what they think they know about me personally, just about the facts. I issue that challenge."
Sheen expressed his excitement at the response that his stance received and hinted that this was only the beginning of the journey.
"It feels like you and I have started the revolution and God bless America," said Sheen in closing.
Infowars.com is Copyright 2006 Alex Jones | Fair Use Notice


text: Deciding to Store or Sell Grain November 25, 2012 08:24 PM Tweet TAGS: Marketing, Overseas December 18, 2014 By Jeanne Bernick Top Producer Editor Email Factor in all costs when deciding to store grain As farmers harvested a poorer-than-expected corn and soybean crop in 2012, many considered whether to hold the grain and hope for higher prices or sell it right out of the field. In most cases, farmers fared better by skipping storage and heading straight to the elevator, says Corinne Alexander, a Purdue University agricultural economist. "In short crop years, we tend to see prices peak either before or during harvest and decline through the remainder of the marketing year," Alexander says. "The market gave a strong signal to farmers to deliver early and at harvest because storage wouldn't be profitable." In typical years, on-farm storage can increase income by giving farmers more marketing options. The key is to consider all costs before making storage decisions. Fixed costs include depreciation, interest on average investment, insurance, taxes, and repair and maintenance. If grain can be stored in existing facilities, the ownership costs (depreciation, return on investment, maintenance and insurance) are not included in the analysis of whether to store grain, says Bob Wisner, an economist with the Agricultural Marketing Resource Center at Iowa State University. "Even if no money is borrowed, there is an interest cost for storing grain." Factor in Storage. "These costs are incurred whether grain is stored or sold from the field," he notes. "Therefore, they do not affect the annual decision of whether or not to store grain." If grain is stored commercially, the storage charge should be included because the charge is only incurred if grain is stored. Storage charges vary, but they are usually fixed for the first few months with an additional charge for each month thereafter. Some elevators charge a daily rate. Storing grain has many hidden costs, including depreciation, shrinkage and quality. Another example is the interest lost by having money tied up in stored grain inventory, Wisner says. "If a producer has a loan, the loan can be repaid with the proceeds from the sale of grain," he says. "So interest expense is reduced if the grain is sold at harvest." However, if the grain is stored, the loan is not repaid and interest continues to accrue. In that case, the cost of storing grain is the additional interest expense incurred. Even if no money is borrowed, there is an interest cost for storing grain, Wisner says. If the grain is sold, the proceeds can be invested in the business or placed in savings to earn interest. If the grain is stored, the amount of interest foregone is a cost of storage. Don't forget to include drying costs. Many producers dry farm-stored corn to about 13% moisture. The fuel and power required to remove excess moisture are storage costs. This process reduces the number of bushels and must factor into the equation. When determining whether to sell grain straight from the field or store it in hopes of increased profits, farmers must consider all costs, ranging from fuel for drying down grain to crop shrinkage, and from elevator charges to interest. To compute shrinkage for farm-stored corn, use a shrink factor of 1.25%, Wisner suggests. (Commercial elevators often use a shrink factor of 1.35% to 1.4%.) Multiply the extra points of moisture removed by the shrink factor and then by the current corn price. For example, the cost of removing two points of moisture for farm storage is 15¢ when corn is $6 (2 × 1.25% × $6 =15¢). The cost of aerating dried grain in storage should be included, and is estimated at 0.2¢ to 0.3¢ per bushel under good management. To help manage grain storage, many producers are turning to new integrated electronic-bin management systems. Karl Eshelman, who manages his family farm in Galveston, Ind., worked with OPI-integris to create a custom-built grain management system that helps him manage the nearly 373,000 bu. he stores after harvest. The system offers fully automated grain temperature and moisture monitoring, in addition to alarms, inventory monitoring and automated aeration. For years, Eshelman Farms' corn was coming in from the field with somewhere between 21% and 25% moisture and was dried using natural aeration. When corn came in too wet, they turned to their local elevator to dry it down. Technology Benefits. The combination of grain elevator costs and the reduction in quality resulting from increased handling was eating into profits. With the custom-built IntegrisPro system, Eshelman knows for the first time exactly what is happening inside his bins, thanks to real-time PC-based computer monitoring. Now he has the confidence to hold grain for the right market opportunity. In the short run, at a minimum, producers must cover variable costs. When considering those variable costs, don't forget "opportunity cost," or the interest on inventory. On-farm grain storage is all about the bottom line, offering flexibility for producers and the opportunity to capture a basis increase from harvest until some point in the future. Back to news


text:
There are just 10 shopping days left before Christmas—and even fewer before Hanukkah begins!
Skip the crowded malls and frenzied retail shops with this Green Gift Guide from the National Aquarium. These gift ideas are certain to excite and delight your loved ones, and every purchase you make supports the National Aquarium's mission to inspire people to enjoy, respect, and protect the aquatic world. No batteries or assembly required!
Behind-the-Scenes Immersion Tours
Gift Memberships
|Do you know someone who is passionate about animals, conservation, or someone simply looking for a year's worth of fun activities? Give your special someone the gift of an Aquarium membership—a unique present that can be enjoyed all year long!
Aquadopt an Aquarium Animal
|Give the gift that's always a hit with people of all ages: Aquadopt a dolphin, frog, puffin, shark or sea turtle! Aquadopt makes a great gift for a great cause—your symbolic adoption helps the Aquarium care for our 16,000 animals.
Give Local, Get Local with GiveCorps
Lilly Pulitzer limited-edition signature National Aquarium scarf
From Our Online Gift Shop: LEGO Atlantis Series
|Dive into a world of deep-sea adventure with the Atlantis LEGO collection—a perfect gift for your favorite little explorer!Buy Now »
From Our Online Gift Shop: I Am Not a Paper Cup
From Our Online Gift Shop: Poo Poo Paper Products
|100% recycled and odorless notepad made from the least likely resource, elephant poop—a practical gift for the eco-nut in your life!
From Our Online Gift Shop: Cool Green Stuff
|Where will design go next? Environmental conservation will empower new innovative thinking in the 21st century. This guide is a gallery of great recycled, sustainable products promoting a cooler, greener world.


text:
Corvette Forum's Holiday Gift Guide: International Aero Detailing Products
Every car care company thinks it has some kind of magic potion, but as far as detailing goes, International Aero defines overkill.
The company got its start detailing jets, and when you're working on something that costs a $100 million, you have to have your act together. Check out this line from the product description:
"AERO products have been designed to withstand the most extreme environments on earth. From airfield surface temperatures that can reach 120 F to a frigid -60 F at 50,000 feet above the earth."
So if you ever do spring for that flying car conversion, you can know that your car's exterior finish won't suffer. available at International Aero


text:
POMONA – 99 Cents Only Stores will sell 40-inch flat screen televisions for 99 cents to its first nine customers at a grand opening in Pomona a week from today.
The doors at 628 E. Arrow Highway will open at 8 a.m. and the first nine customers in line will get the TVs.
Commerce-based 99 Cents Only Stores operates 346 stores — 246 stores in California, 47 in Texas, 35 in Arizona, and 18 in Nevada.


text:
Most people across the pond probably haven't noticed but Western Europe was hit by a particularly murderous storm at the end of February. In the French department of Vendée, the waves, associated with high tide, broke through two centuries old sea walls and flooded residential districts, killing 35 and forcing hundreds to evacuate the area. Closer to home – at least mine – the sea overran the sea walls north of Saint-Nazaire, flooding many coastal villages and devastating the salt flats around the historical town of Guerande. Such storms are not uncommon in Western Europe. The last ones – Lothar in 1999 and the unnamed tempest which laid wast to Brittany in 1987 – were, if anything, more violent. What made Xinthia so efficient a killer was the combination of strong winds, high tide, badly kept sea walls and irresponsible mayors who allowed people to build one-story houses in areas below sea level. Sea level rise was also a factor, however, and that tells a lot about some of the challenges we will face as the age of exuberance ends.
Most of French sea walls were built during the reign of Napoleon, at a time when sea level was more than twenty centimeters lower than today. This is not, by the way an uncommon situation. The Galveston sea wall, for instance, was completed in 1903. The lands they protected were often coastal swamp or shoals, which, even at the time, were seriously threatened by erosion and storms. The sea level rise made them more vulnerable, and this vulnerability is bound to increase as the ongoing global warming – or weirding – slowly melts Greenland and Antarctic icecaps.
Of course, we won't see the tsunamis of Hollywood apocalyptic fantasies and we can be reasonably sure no dolphin will swim down the drowned streets of Paris or London any time soon. A sea level rise of two meters over the next 90 years is however clearly possible. James Hansen even suggests it could reach five meters. This doesn't sound a lot, but this would doom many coastal cities and force them to enclose themselves behind high walls.
Xinthia has made the French government, as well as local officials, to realize that something had to be done – or at least said – about the situation. The under-minister for Ecology, Chantal Jouanno, has announced a "sea wall plan", the objective of which will be to repair all French sea walls within five years.
And that is where peak energy comes into play.
Sea walls are very expensive – from $4,000 to $7,000 a meter – and it is highly doubtful that the cash-starved French state will able to find this kind of money. The situation will only get worse as we move farther down the slope of Hubbert's curve. Indeed, as the amount of net energy available to the society decreases, so will the part of which any state will be able to mobilize for any large project, until all available resources are used up by – mostly inadequate – maintenance operations and the capacity of the society to react to a major crisis becomes essentially zero.
The usual way out of this conundrum was for the state to borrow, but is is becoming more and more difficult as the burden of the debt becomes heavier and heavier. European regulations – and common sense - keep France from running too large a deficit, besides, France's public debt has reached 75% of Gross Domestic Product, a level even politicians deem unsustainable.
Another solution would be to give the job – or rather the responsibility not to do it – to local authorities. They are, however, as cash-starved as the state, as most of their resources come from it and are decreasing in real terms. Moreover, as most of them are small, they often lack the expertise to manage large projects and are more likely to yield to local lobbies.
A third option would be to trust corporations with the task of repairing and maintaining the seawalls, probably within the frame of some "partnership" or "public service delegation" contract of the same kind of those which are used for water distribution – at least in France. The chosen firm would keep the sea wall in working order and make the needed investment in exchange of the right to collect an often sizable fee from the protected population. Of course this will only work as long as the said population has enough resource for the firm to run a benefit. When it becomes too small or too poor, the corporation will be forced to curtail operations, investment will be stopped and maintenance reduced to a minimum until the inevitable happens. But of course, neither the state nor whatever local authority will be in charge of the work will be responsible.
The problem is that our societies is gradually losing the capacity to maintain the infrastructures fossil fuels enabled it to build, a situation which can only worsen with time. The sensible thing to do would be abandoning – gradually of course – non-crucial infrastructures and use resources thus spared to build simpler but more resilient systems, which could be managed by a poorer and more decentralized society. This is what suggested the President of the Vendée departmental council when he said the destroyed houses should not be rebuilt - which proves that even far right fundies can say intelligent things from time to time.
This is unlikely to happen, however, at least not in a concerted way. This is simply not compatible with the prevailing "progress ideology". What will happen is that states will try to put the burden – and the blame for failure – on somebody else's shoulders. Infrastructures, including sea walls will continue to quietly decay. System failures such as the one we experienced last month will become more and more common The population will slowly settle into a new normal of unreliable grids, broken roads and flooded streets while resource starved authorities will make up for their growing impotence by making noisy speeches about "sea wall plans" and the obvious inability of such or such local official – usually from an opposing party – to assume his responsibilities.
And of course, they will divert a significant part of whatever resources they are left into pointless but spectacular projects such as nuclear plants
Eventually infrastructures will be abandoned. Coastal plains will turn into shoals, swamps or even shallow gulfs. Poor, then not so poor, households will drop off the grid. More and more people will rely on local resources for food, but also clothing and transportation, then will take maintenance of locally vital infrastructures into their own hands, making the state more and more irrelevant in the process, and at the end a new, relocalized, society will emerge.
The problem is that it won't be painless. The progress ideology is simply to strong for authorities – whether national, local, or international – to plan for decline. Instead, they will suffer it, squandering their resources into delaying the inevitable, and ensuring there will be many more Xinthias.