text:
#Google riffs on #Kaku ... and #Huxley and #BraveNewWorld
Ross Douthat gives us his overview of Google's Project Glass, which appears to be the search giant's riff on Kurzweilian futurist Michio Kaku's Internet contact lenses. The first three-quarters of this is almost certainly Douthat's best column ever. I don't agree with everything in it, but I think he's certainly right to raise the issue of social dystopianism, even if it's overblown.
I think it is overblown, but, contra the Clay Shirkys of the world [mentioned by name], it's not nearly as overblown as they claim. Douthat's onto something. And, beyond the dystopian, anti-cokmmunal angle is the one of pure egotism, and the money to drive early purchasers of something like this type of technology.
Sadly, Douthat doesn't go into that, and hence, his last one-quarter of the column falls short.
He, probably rightly, worries about what the government might do with this, while saying it's probably not a lot.
But, like all big-business friendly, big-money friendly conservatives, on such a dystopianly empowering technology like this, Douthat's playbook comes entirely from George Orwell and "1984" and not at all from Aldous Huxley and "Brave New World."
The hell with Washington, which probably couldn't manage the flood of data. What about Google?
Rather than Google spitting out Groupon type coupons on your smartphone, what if they pop out on your eyeballs' viewing area? Or Google says, "based on previous Google Glass viewing, you should buy this." Just imagine what Marky Mark Zuckerberg and Facebook would want to do, speaking of anticommunitarianism in the "real" world.
Douthat could have done soooo much more with this. And didn't. You actually maybe should be MORE scared than he is.
Labels: Douthat (Russ), Facebook, Google
at Saturday, April 14, 2012 0 comments Posted by Gadfly Links to this post
Obama and April-June
The current calendar quarter, so political analysis says, is key to Barack Obama's reelection. It's nothing special about Obama, but that the second quarter, fourth year, of a president's term is the matter of focus for voters.
And why? Especially if an economy is struggling, and there's a first-term incumbent in the White House, the opposition's candidates are generally (this year being somewhat an exception) talking about said economy in the primaries. Which means the president has to be either engaging in actual economic stimulus, or the appearance of doing so, while also "managing expectations."
So, file Obama's signing of the craptacular JOBS Act, guaranteed to open the doors for new orgies of destabilizing speculation, under the "appearances" theme. Look for other stuff under either appearances or "managing expectations," since the GOP in the House won't do anything and the GOP in the Senate will filibuster.
Of course, Obama is too weak-kneed to do a Harry Truman and call Congress into special session, and Harry Reid is too weak-kneed to force Senate Republicans to engage in an actual filibuster.
So, when you ask how our government got this dysfunctional, it's not just that Republicans made it happen. Democrats let it happen.
Meanwhile, 2.5 months of White House economic PR ahead.
Labels: 2012 presidential election
Ads: The latest #Facebook fun
Great. Now Facebook is going to steal a page from, or give a hat tip to, the likes of Groupon and put ads in everybody's news feeds.
A friend of mine there has asked why I don't like Timeline at all, and I've explained that it's because we don't know what Facebook will do next. And, this illustrates that.
The story points out that we should be more careful than ever what we "like." Thank doorknob I've never "liked" a corporate product other than Hatch green chile. I won't even do something like that in the future.
The story neglects to warn us about "checking in" to places via FourSquare, Yelp or other programs that will post that, though. And, don't you know that FB will "spit out" an ad as soon as you do that?
Another FB friend of mine recommends Firefox with AdBlock (noting it's better than Chrome's efforts -- probably because Google has commercial reasons not to make Chrome's ad-blocking work too well).
I do normally use FF. But ... That said, since this is going to be in news feeds, I'm not sure Ad Block will work. Or, if it does for now, FB will work to find a way around it.
Speaking of, now that Google Maps can even map the inside of many major malls, speculation has been that it would do something different on smartphones with precise GPS. I think that speculation should probably start ramping up now.
I work at the fifth-worst job/career
In case you've not heard about it, newspaper journalism was listed by some career site earlier this week as the fifth-worst career in the U.S.
Throw out my best newspaper job, at a group of suburban Dallas weeklies before they went belly-up (which of course ties to why newspapers are getting ever worse) and I easily believe it.
Last two papers?
A national chain that believes Facebooking everything is the "answer" for driving both website and mobile app advertising sales, even though the website is still free and, IMO, the disparity between mobile-based ads and traditional online ads will not be a long-term deal.
And currently, a paper with "old-school" newspaper vets, Type A male yellers, the senior of whom, I think, believes this Texas Hill Country town can be a new Fredericksburg, when it won't. Sorry. Ain't. Gonna. Happen.
And, it works on the "margins" as far as staffing size, even for today's newspaper world, to boot.
That's even as the national chains continue to engage in forced furloughs, job cuts, or both, at the reporter/editor level at local newspapers, while simultaneously paying out bigger bonuses to top brass precisely for making those cuts.
And that's the dirty secret of why top brass of most national chains have no interest in a nonprofit newspaper incorporation bill, should one ever get real consideration by Congress. They'd rather skim now, and "apres moi, le deluge," than engage in responsible management. Local operations, meanwhile, continue to dream of "new angles" while stretching themselves ever thinner between hardcopy, traditional web, and mobile content delivery, while barely having the staff to do justice to hardcopy coverage.
Sure, lots of college students still study journalism. They may believe the myths of liberal media. They may be clueless about the business-side issues. They may be in love with online journalism while remaining clueless to the fact that about nobody's figured out how to monetize it yet.
And, while they're still taking journalism classes to be a new exploitable crop, and others, formerly in the traditional biz, now work at various demand mills, the fifth-worst ain't going to get much better. It's that simple.
Kids in J-schools should be required to take a class in newspaper business management first. Second, they ought to be disabused of much of their belief in the "liberal media," if they hold it for good, unlike Faux News types.
As for the current disparity between traditional web ad rates and mobile-specific ad rates, reportedly as high as 5-1? Within in a decade, that difference will be no greater than 2-1, driven primarily by greater use of mobile devices, greater competition for eyeballs, etc.
Remember how much higher traditional web ad rates were a decade ago? The same things drove them down as will drive down mobile rates.
The Net, in its various delivery forms, has just the opposite problem as old newspaper media. You got plenty of room for editorial content, of course, but, because of ephemeral attention in many cases, there's limited "space" for ads. Plus, add in ad-block software, etc., and web rates plummeted.
I have no doubt that for both Android and iOS for Apple, somebody will invent the equivalent of ad-block programs, too. It's going to happen.
Oh, and as for the current locale, that's not just my opinion.
Labels: newspapers, online newspapers
Does the 2012 election matter?
On economic issues, at least, Naked Capitalism's Matt Stoller has an emphatic No. And, he's right.
Take the "recovery." How many progressives bemoan how much of the recovery, so far, has gone to the 1 percent, or even more, the 0.1 percent, without mentioning who is president, and without asking if Obama's been part of the problem? (Stoller has a post on just that issue, too.)
And, Matt Taibbi has yet more reason to be disappointed in Preznit Looking Forward. The JOBS Act seems intentionally designed to produce some of the types of speculation that caused the Great Recession.
Actually, the election DOES matter if you see this and know it's time to think outside the two-party box.
Soon, we won't compare income inequality to the Roaring 20s, but to the 19th century and the Gilded Age.
Free trade with South Korea with a backdoor for China is bad enough. But, Columbia? Yeesh.
Oh, and if unions would think Green rather than Democrat (and environmentalists would stop exploiting eager young workers at times) we could get out of that two-party box better.
So long, PBS as we know it?
A San Francisco public TV station WANTED to run political ads. That's problem No. 1.
So, it sued the FCC after being fined for so doing.
Now, the biggie. A three-judge appellate court group (in what's supposed to be a liberal appellate circuit) said, on 2-1 vote, the FCC was wrong.
The court said the political ads are in "public interest." And, since politics is, in some nebulous way, nonprofit, the court let stand bans on for-profit ads.
Can, and will, PBS simply jerk this station's license/franchise? Or, if not immediately jerk, at least non-renew? Unfortunately, Wikipedia says its already NOT a PBS affiliate. Nonetheless, the ruling could have fallout at PBS stations, too. And NPR, of course.
Labels: FCC, PBS
#ALEC - let's not praise #McDonald's #Coke #Pepsi
So what if McDonald's is the latest corporation to leave the American Legislative Exchange Council, the Koch Bros' legislative policy/sausage making/policy shop, after Coke, Pepsi, Kraft, the Gates Foundation, etc.
The real issues are three.
1. What the hell were folks like McDonald's and Coke doing with ALEC in the first place? Especially given the propensity of, say, a MickeyD's to run minority-themed commercials during sports events, this was rank hypocrisy. Not just hypocrisy, but rank hypocrisy.
2. Given the anti-labor stance abroad of a company like Coke, isn't it rank hypocrisy to now act like it "cares" here in the U.S.?
3. Why has it taken progressive groups this long to lean this hard on ALEC member businesses? Now some, from this big list, may not be "leanable." But surely, others are. My answer? Progressives get their own donations from these companies, or at least from their foundations, and so don't want to bite the hand that feeds them. (These are often the same "progressive" groups that are behind $24K jobs running "district offices" at 60 hours a week, a pay vs. time scale that would be paying minimum wage, if on wage with time-and-a-half for overtime, rather than salary.)
Labels: Hypocrisy alert
#FDA: #CAFO needs scrips for antibiotics
Well, it certainly didn't take long for the Food and Drug Administration to follow its marching orders from a federal district judge and rule that farmers and ranchers would need prescriptions from veterinarians to give their animals antibiotics.
Now, the $64,000 question: Will this do much to cut the use of antibiotics, especially in concentrated animal feeding operations, to a point to where animals use significantly less than the current 80 percent of antibiotics in America?
My prediction?
This may well bring the issue of overuse of animal antibiotics some additional attention, but it probably won't put much more than a modest crimp in their use. I wouldn't be surprised if official, legal use isn't cut a fair amount, but that a black market of sorts, either through unscrupulous vets here in the U.S., or else from smuggling from abroad, doesn't fill much of the void.
And, as to that, how tightly is the FDA, which in the case of we humans, relies on Big Pharma to police itself on the testing side, and has about zero authority over doctors on the prescribing side, going to police large-animal vets? How much will farm-state Senators push to cut its funds for any such policing?
Even without that, here's about how toothless the FDA can be:
Initially, the F.D.A. is asking drug makers to voluntarily change their labels to require a prescription; federal officials said that drug makers had largely agreed to the change. If some fail to impose the restrictions, the agency will consider a more forceful ban, Mr. Taylor said.
The reason for the reliance on voluntary efforts is that the F.D.A.'s process for revoking approved drug uses is lengthy and cumbersome, officials said. The last time the F.D.A. banned an agricultural use of a medically important antibiotic against the wishes of its maker, legal appeals took five years. In this case, hundreds of drugs are involved, each with myriad approved uses in various animals.
In short, your healthy steak will be promoting antibacterial resistance for, oh, 20 years or so from now.
Of course, with the FDA making its ruling, this could possibly open the door to private lawsuits against CAFOs. THAT might change the score.
Labels: CAFO, FDA
#Apple loses - and #Amazon wins? on #infowars battle
I agree with Wired: Jeff Bezos should send AG Eric Holder a Christmas card. Bezos and his Amazon are possibly the single biggest winners from the DOJ's antitrust lawsuit against Apple.
Bezos is even smart enough to have an anti-Steve Jobs, low-key reaction:
Officially, Amazon's response to today's news is fairly measured. "This is a big win for Kindle owners, and we look forward to being allowed to lower prices on more Kindle books," writes Amazon spokesman Drew Herdener in an e-mail.
Wired spills out the details.
Since nobody can conduct "most favored nation" deals with publishers, Amazon wins the price-setting war due to its Walmart-like volume.
Second, Amazon looks like a white knight, at least to readers.
Third, because of 1 and 2, Amazon will probably become even more Walmart-like in price setting.
Losers? Besides Apple, possibly book authors. Very possibly Barnes & Noble and others who can't keep up.
Possible losers? We the readers. Definitely we the readers who want to avoid escalation of the infowars. This will certainly give Amazon more leverage with the Kindle, and the Kindle Fire. Expect to see Bezos do a lot of "bundling," and per the Walmart analogy, some loss-leader deals, even.
Labels: Amazon, Apple Computers, infowars
There is NO shortage of #STEM students
It's become a meme, especially in the not-so-hallowed halls of Congress, that the U.S. faces a growing brain drain in domestic Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, or STEM students. The "answer," from our business-friendly leaders of BOTH major parties, is to .... give more visas to international people.
Reality? This is business as usual by business as usual (along with academia becoming more and more business as usual):
Simply put, a desire for cheap, skilled labor, within the business world and academia, has fueled assertions—based on flimsy and distorted evidence—that American students lack the interest and ability to pursue careers in science and engineering, and has spurred policies that have flooded the market with foreign STEM workers. This has created a grim reality for the scientific and technical labor force: glutted job markets; few career jobs; low pay, long hours, and dismal job prospects for postdoctoral researchers in university labs; near indentured servitude for holders of temporary work visas.
Note that I mentioned this is bipartisan evidence-distorting. The story cites Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-Wall Street) as one of the people leading the charge on this issue.
Solution? One commenter to the story has it at least somewhat right: Unionization.
Labels: bipartisan economic policy establishment
Is #naturalgas not a good 'bridge fuel'?
There's a very interesting article to that end at Climate Progress. Joe Romm says that without carbon-dioxide pricing, i.e., things such as a tax, and, without taking more steps to cut methane leakage from pipelines and other spots, it's probably only about 20 percent better than gasoline/petroleum as a bridge vehicular fuel and longer-term bridge to replace coal for electric generation.
Now, it is by Joe Romm, who is somewhat apocalyptic on climate change issues. But, the leakage concern comes from an outside journal, first. Second, the worry that we will eventually get a bunch of LNG or CNG vehicles rolling off the lines in Detroit is a legitimate one. Obama's tougher EPA CAFE standards have loopholes for alt-fuel vehicles. I expected Detroit to look at E85 cars given the government's push for more ethanol, but, the natural-gas angle makes sense too, since fracking of shale fields is spreading to more and more states, and exploiting the loophole would scratch a lot of backs.
So, give it a good read. It may not be too apocalyptic.
Labels: carbon dioxide emissions, climate change, natural gas
#NPR pulls a #Kucinich
In 2004, in his first quixotic presidential run, Dennis Kucinich brought a flip chart onto an NPR interview.
We could all hear the chart pages flapping, Dennis, but that was it. You weren't on PBS.
Well, per friend Leo Lincourt, NPR did the same to itself today. He said that, in a broadcast story about Mustafa Kamal Mustafa, also known as Abu Hamza al-Masri, about the legality of his extradition from the UK to the US that it said listeners could easily recognize him by the hook on his left hand.
Well, NPR went one better than Kucinich.
First, unless al-Masri had been extradited to an NPR studio and was banging his hook on a table, that was a Kucinich fail.
Second, per Google images, his hook is on the end of his right arm, not his left. So, NPR batted 0-for-2. That said, Reuters also got that one wrong, saying he has hooks on both arms.
Oh, the often maligned Wikipedia has it right, too.
Labels: Kucinich (Dennis), NPR
MLB turns into Big Brother on Castro
MLB has found a way to trump Bud Selig's stupidity of a second wild card. The Miami Marlins have given manager Ozzie Guillen, long known for his off the wall outbursts, a five-day suspension for his comments about Fidel Castro.
My question, first, is did the Marlins act alone? Or did Cuban-Americans of an older generation thraten a boycott? Did Bud push the Marlins? It's too bad there's no real appeals process on this, so we could put Bud on the spot.
Second, given this, why didn't the White Sox suspend him longer for one or another of his antigay (or seemingly so) comments?
Third, will Ozzie finish out the year as manager?
Fourth, maybe the comment "offended" some people, but can anybody find anything factually incorrect?
Sixth, a statement ... all you older, tea party type Cuban-Americans? Get over it.
Labels: Castro (Fidel), Cuba, MLB
Brooks, Cowan, tag-team economic stupidity
David Brooks, riffing on Tyler Cowan, claims that a new American economic boom is around the corner. Not necessarily immediately, but in a decade or two.
Are they right?
Even if not all wrong, they're not as right as they think they are. With Brooks, of course, that's no surprise. And, on a more intellectual level, it's really not a surprise of Cowan. I'm realizing just how much of a libertarian he is, and how he's willing to let his thinking be driven by this.
Let's go to Cowan as the source of what needs to be refuted, starting with this:
To put it simply, the closer other nations come to our economic level, the more they will want to buy our stuff. Indeed most of those nations are growing rapidly, so we can expect their attentions to shift toward American exporters. The leading categories of American exports today—civilian aircraft, semiconductors, cars, pharmaceuticals, machinery and equipment, automobile accessories, and entertainment—are going to be in the sweet spot of growing demand in what we now call the developing world.
On traditional manufacturing, China's already shown plenty of penchant for stealing know-how, design blueprints and many other things. Add that to its growth in military aircraft, there's nothing to stop China from building civilian planes that it at least deems worthy for its interior market, and sooner rather than later.
Semiconductors? Cowan must be dreaming here.
Pharmaceuticals? In the last decade, they've been more and more outsourced to India, at least generics. Name brands likely will be soon enough.
Entertainment? Bollyworld will continue to grow, not shrink. Ditto for Chinese-made entertainment. And Bollywood at least will probably find a growing market outside of India, due to the English-language factor.
Cars? China is continuing to expand its domestic manufacture, like Cherry Motors. And Cowan acts like he's never even heard of India's Tata. Then, he adds the part about Japan losing its creative edge here. Excuse me? Never heard of Prius? Which is going to become a whole line of Toyota's?
Meanwhile, it's nice, or "nice," to see that Cowan is not only a libertarian of sorts, he's a libertarian hawk:
As a major exporter (among other strengths), the United States can be expected to maintain and even extend its investments in its Navy and Air Force. The current defense budget austerity won't last very long, meaning, among other things, that it won't be a fun time to be a pirate.
Austerity? In the middle of fighting one land war in the "war on terror" and giving open ends to the actual military departments, and private mercenaries, to fight more? Austerity?
And, it's even more "nice" to see that, in terms of hard-heartedness, Cowan is a libertarian indeed on the home front. He talks about what all the above (whether he's right about it or not) will mean for American jobs:
The class of elite labor will grow, and protest against the "one percent" will seem anachronistic. ... (S)ignificant segments of the American workforce are likely to continue suffering falling real wages, even in a time of rising export prowess. ... We will continue to cut a proverbial "deal with the devil", in which ever more jobs will be created in the relatively protected service sectors, while much of the economic dynamism and income gains will accrue to the capitalists, CEOs and managers who dare to export.
And here's the kicker. This is all happening because we're not libertarian enough:
A lot of people complain about this deal from both sides of the political spectrum, but few observers are willing to countenance a truly open, competitive set of educational, governmental and health care institutions as a remedy. Libertarian-leaning recommendations for open competition everywhere may or may not be acceptable to us, but they have a bracing way of pushing the truth before our eyes.
Of course, for Cowan, this too is OK, because he's a (mildish) sort of Internet utopian. He's nowhere near Ray Kurzweil, but he does believe that the Internet is going to transform, for the economically better, the net income bottom line for many.
I hadn't read Cowan in much depth very often before now. And, I likely shan't in the future. In fact, I think I have a mild loathing for the man
Labels: Brooks (David)
#SamHarris: behavioralist
John Horgan just nailed it. And just "nailed" Sam Harris. He's the modern day version of B.F. Skinner in his ardent, even strident, denials of the existence of free will:
He is a throwback to the old behaviorists, who pretended that subjective, mental phenomena—because they are more difficult to observe and measure than planets and protons—don't exist.
And, if that's not enough, Horgan fires both barrels, again, with perfect accuracy:
Dwelling on Harris depresses me. All that brainpower and training dedicated to promulgating such bad ideas! He reminds me of one of the brightest students I've ever had, who was possessed by an adamant, unshakable belief in young-earth creationism. I did my best to change his mind, but I never succeeded. I probably won't change the minds of Sam Harris and other hard-core determinists either, but it's worth a shot.
Now, not all Gnu Atheists reject free will, but it's getting to be an ever-more-common stance. And, Horgan's first comment, at least, is applicable to them, too.
That said, Harris is also, per Horgan, a kind of voyeuristic thrill to watch digging ever deeper into the same holes. I'll probably engage in more of it, tho not to the point of spending money on a 96-page "book."
My own thoughts on how free will VERSUS determinism is a totally false dichotomy are here.
Now, to the degree that it seems, at least, that a fair amount of leading light Gnu Atheists have a prediliction for determinism, the question is, why? It seems to go hand in hand with scientism, in Harris' case. And, some leaning that way seems to be another "joy" of many Gnus.
Harris himself, with an undergrad degree in philosophy, theoretically has no excuse, unless, like Horgan's creationist, he slept through half his philosophy classes.
As for Gnus in general, I think scientism is the fundamental "ism" of it as a movement, or social-cultural group structure (can't call it a religion!) for many.
I'll probably have further thoughts down the road.
Labels: free will, Harris (Sam), New Atheists
Hypocrisy alert, Glenn Greenwald division
Greenwald has spilled cyberink in more than one Salon column, bemoaning that he and his Brazilian boyfriend can't get married in the U.S.
Well, behind the gay rights push in that same Brazil is a rising wave of homophobia, homicidal at times. I had no idea that conservative evangelical Christianity was also on the rise there.
Now, for Greenwald to not talk about this might be more ironic than hypocritical.
But, even more hypocritical? Noted civil libertarian and free speech advocate Greenwald has never written about Brazil's attempts to criminalize homophobic speech.
And, Greenwald can be black-and-white on civil liberties issues, even ones where there's a LOT of gray, such as deinstitutionalization of the mentally ill.
Therefore, it's not hypocritical on my part at all to say that, if Glenn's going to be black-and-white elsewhere, why can't he be on Brazil trying to criminalize hate speech?
I know the U.S. isn't perfect on gay rights, either de jure, or de facto, as a Tyler Clementi or Matthew Shepard shows. But, it sounds like we might still be ahead of Brazil overall. And, on "hate speech" issues too.
On Brazil and gay issues, I'll also venture that other factors are involved. The homophobia probably splits somewhat on class lines. And, Brazil definitely has bigger socio-economic class divides than the U.S. It probably, sweetness and light aside, still has bigger racial class gaps, too.
And, for new readers here, this isn't the first time I've "called out" Greenwald on civil liberties issues. I have a long post here about other blind spots of his, especially re the ACLU and its selective support for civil rights, board purges and more, as documented here.
That's not to say Greenwald doesn't do a lot of good stuff. His latest column, about documentary filmmakers becoming deliberate U.S. government snooping targets, allegedly as part of the War on Terror, but really as part of the War on Leaks, is great. That said, just once, I'd like to see him reference the Center on Constitutional Rights or some other group in addition to the ACLU.
It's like the environmental movement. The ACLU is the equivalent of the Sierra Club or some other "Gang Green" group. Glenn has a platform to give attention to newer, sometimes fiestier groups, such as the Center for Constitutional Rights. And he won't. I know, because I've emailed and tweeted him about it. I don't know WHY, but he won't.
And, at the same time, one should remember another thing about Greenwald. Good progressives should note that he's still an economic libertarian at heart, as his ardent love for Ron Paul shows. It's very relevant to link this year, because as I noted, Greenwald's love for Paul didn't mention Paul's strong antigay history. That his libertarianism usually trumps all, even with a weird twist like this, doesn't surprise me, from what I know of him, which is more than you see in his columns and books.
Labels: Brazil, Civil liberties, Greenwald (Glenn), homophobia
Freedom of petition and the bipartisan police state
Having been in Denver in 2008, the day before the Democratic Convention assembled, in part to officially nominate Preznit "Looking Forward," and having already seen freedom of petition restrictions there, I agree with this column that this is another area where we have bipartisan collusion moving us closer to a police state in some ways.
But, Barack Obama in 2008 could have said something to the DNC, or the Democratic mayor of Denver, John Hickenlooper, to try to get the Denver PD to ease up. True, it wasn't as bad as the GOP convention in Minneapolis, but it was bad enough.
And now, this:
Tampa, Fla., which will host the Republicans from Aug. 27 to 30, and Charlotte, N.C., which will host the Democrats from Sept. 3 to 7, are already following the trend. Charlotte has adopted an ordinance that expands the power of the local police to detain, search and arrest persons in its downtown core. (The Charlotte ordinance also bans camping on city-owned property, a clear response to the Occupy movement.)
The DNC got Charlotte to deliver more union-contracted jobs for the convention. The DNC, with Obama's weight behind it, could speak out about the new ordinance, too. But hasn't.
And, lest Dems protest too much that "at least he's not Bush," the columnist continues about Preznit "Looking Forward":
(To be clear, policies seeking to marginalize dissent do not have a partisan cast. Under the Obama administration, would-be protesters in Manhattan and Austin, Tex., have been prevented — on pain of arrest — from demonstrating near presidential events.)
That's our "constitutional lawyer" president ... again, not really caring about the Constitution.
I wish the "Democrats right or wrong" types would at least be more honest about this. Say that you're going to vote for him in spite of this, because you can't pull the third-party trigger. (And make that statement without bashing people like me who WILL pull the Green trigger.)
Just be more honest than the preznit you're voting for. Is that too much?
Labels: First Amendment, Obama (Barack)
#TigerWoods could be fined
Of course, the PGA never makes discipline public, but, if Tiger does have to face the music for kicking his club Friday, let's hope it's a big slapdown. Maybe, per Dan Wetzel, he'll learn to check his temper more. Or, maybe not, and the tail end of his career will remind us more and more of Tom Weiskopf. That said, it would be fun to see Tiger chunk his whole bag in a creek.
Anyway, he's toast for this year's Master's, and not going to finish fourth or even close. He's not back yet.
Indeed, he had his worst professional finish ever at Augusta. Meanwhile, we had a great tournament, complete with playoff, which I wanted "Shrek" to win, but Bubba Watson was also a fine winner. It was competitive all around, including Phil Mickelson making a boneheaded drive followed by a far more boneheaded decision on the fourth hole. Option 1 was to go back to the tee and take the one penalty stroke. Option 2, IMO, was to hit from his lie after the drive, but, left-handed, his normal way, unless the thicket behind him really was that, that bad. In either case, he likely posts a 5, not a 6, and has less distance to close down the stretch.
Well, Tiger probably still believes in himself more than Sergio Garcia. And, without being New Agey, I'll say that Sergio probably is right -- if he doesn't believe he's capable of winning a major, he'll probably continue to short-circuit himself.
USGS links quakes, fracking
The United States Geological Survey has officially connected rising numbers of earthquakes in certain parts of the country to rising fracking for oil and gas.
Now, there's three or four notable caveats to this.
1. The correlation is, to date, still statistical but not causal;
2. The severity of the earthquakes has not been that great;
3. Even a causal correlation is likely to not be strong.
Nonetheless, it should give us all further food for thought. Including the Obama Administration's Department of the Interior and relevant state departments.
But, it likely won't. The Oklahoma state seismologist, per the story, is among those pushing back.
Beyond the story are other issues, though. Microquakes might explain fracking water's migration into drinking water sources, among other things.
Labels: fracking
#Google riffs on #Kaku ... and #Huxley and #BraveN...


text:
Q: How to handle dataframe skipping column in output if None? Dataframe is missing column in output. How do I handle this?
My code is as below:
import pandas as pd
from selenium import webdriver
from bs4 import BeautifulSoup as bs

browser = webdriver.Chrome()

class GameData:
    def __init__(self):
        self.date = []
        self.time = []
        self.country = []
        self.league = []
        self.game = []
        self.home_odds = []
        self.draw_odds = []
        self.away_odds = []

    def append(self, score):
        pass

def get_urls(browser, landing_page):
    browser.get(landing_page)
    urls = [i.get_attribute('href') for i in
            browser.find_elements_by_css_selector(
                '.next-games-date > a:nth-child(1), .next-games-date > a:nth-child(n+3)')]

    return urls

def parse_data(html):
    df = pd.read_html(html, header=0)[0]
    html = browser.page_source
    soup = bs(html, "lxml")
    cont = soup.find('div', {'id': 'wrap'})
    content = cont.find('div', {'id': 'col-content'})
    content = content.find('table', {'class': 'table-main'}, {'id': 'table-matches'})
    main = content.find('th', {'class': 'first2 tl'})

    if main is None:
        return None

    count = main.findAll('a')
    country = count[0].text
    game_data = GameData()

    for row in df.itertuples():
        if not isinstance(row[1], str):
            continue
        elif ':' not in row[1]:
            country = row[1].split('»')[0]
            continue
        game_time = row[1]
        game_date = row[1].split('-')[0]
        score = None
        if score is not None:
            return row[3]
        game_data.date.append(game_date)
        game_data.time.append(game_time)
        game_data.country.append(country)
        game_data.league.append(count[1].text)
        game_data.game.append(row[2])
        game_data.score.append(score) #This should be score if available else NaN
        game_data.home_odds.append(row[4])
        game_data.draw_odds.append(row[5])
        game_data.away_odds.append(row[6])

    return game_data

if __name__ == '__main__':

    start_url = "https://www.oddsportal.com/matches/soccer/"
    urls = []
    browser = webdriver.Chrome()
    results = None
    urls = get_urls(browser, start_url)
    urls.insert(0, start_url)

    for number, url in enumerate(urls):
        if number > 0:
            browser.get(url)
        html = browser.page_source
        game_data = parse_data(html)

        if game_data is None:
            continue

        result = pd.DataFrame(game_data.__dict__)

        if results is None:
            results = result
        else:
            results = results.append(result, ignore_index=True)

The [score] column does not have data. How do I handle this?
I would like to return NaN if no value and if present, return value. The above code is skipping the column altogether. How di i handle it?
Since SO wants me to explain further and since I have mostly code, I would like to know ho do I build this dataframe correctly?

A: You are setting score as None and then immediately checking if it is not None, which of course it is.
You could try :
from math import nan
score = row[3] if row[3] else nan
game_data.score.append(score)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


The lords and captains of the late King Daradja now swear their allegiance to Artesia, who is hesitant to claim the throne for herself. Rumors are appearing that the Thessid Emperor, Akkalion, has become a Worm King whose body lives on for centuries only by the efforts of magic and blood. Now Artesia must join forces with Awain and the middle kingdoms in order to keep Thessid from taking over the world. But she marches on a difficult path, where events of the past threaten to stop her dead.
Picking up after the events of Artesia, this saga of knights and kingdoms, witches and warriors, is for mature readers.


text:
/**
 *
 */
package com.baidu.rigel.biplatform.tesseract.model;

import java.io.Serializable;
import java.util.ArrayList;
import java.util.HashSet;
import java.util.List;
import java.util.Set;

import com.baidu.rigel.biplatform.ac.annotation.GsonIgnore;

/**
 * 维值树
 *
 * @author xiaoming.chen
 *
 */
public class MemberNodeTree implements Serializable, Comparable<MemberNodeTree> {

    /**
     * serialVersionUID
     */
    private static final long serialVersionUID = 8511984568585171226L;

    /**
     * name 维值name
     */
    private String name;

    /**
     * uniqueName 维值UniqueName
     */
    private String uniqueName;

    /**
     * caption 维值的显示名称
     */
    private String caption;

    /**
     * children 维值的子节点
     */
    private List<MemberNodeTree> children;

    /**
     * parent 维值的父节点
     */
    @GsonIgnore
    private MemberNodeTree parent;

    /**
     * ordinal 排序
     */
    private String ordinal;

    /**
     * querySource leafId对应的查询的源信息(SQL表示事实表的字段)
     */
    private String querySource;

    /**
     * hasChildren 是否有孩子
     */
    private boolean hasChildren;

    /**
     * isSummary 是否是汇总节点
     */
    private boolean isSummary;

    /**
     * 节点实际查询使用的叶子ID列表
     */
    private Set<String> leafIds;

    /**
     * construct with
     *
     * @param parent
     */
    public MemberNodeTree(MemberNodeTree parent) {
        this.parent = parent;
    }

    public MemberNodeTree() {
    }

    /**
     * getter method for property name
     *
     * @return the name
     */
    public String getName() {
        return name;
    }

    /**
     * setter method for property name
     *
     * @param name the name to set
     */
    public void setName(String name) {
        this.name = name;
    }

    /**
     * getter method for property uniqueName
     *
     * @return the uniqueName
     */
    public String getUniqueName() {
        return uniqueName;
    }

    /**
     * setter method for property uniqueName
     *
     * @param uniqueName the uniqueName to set
     */
    public void setUniqueName(String uniqueName) {
        this.uniqueName = uniqueName;
    }

    /**
     * getter method for property caption
     *
     * @return the caption
     */
    public String getCaption() {
        return caption;
    }

    /**
     * setter method for property caption
     *
     * @param caption the caption to set
     */
    public void setCaption(String caption) {
        this.caption = caption;
    }

    /**
     * getter method for property children
     *
     * @return the children
     */
    public List<MemberNodeTree> getChildren() {
        if (this.children == null) {
            this.children = new ArrayList<MemberNodeTree>();
        }
        return children;
    }

    /**
     * setter method for property children
     *
     * @param children the children to set
     */
    public void setChildren(List<MemberNodeTree> children) {
        this.children = children;
    }

    /**
     * getter method for property parent
     *
     * @return the parent
     */
    public MemberNodeTree getParent() {
        return parent;
    }

    /**
     * setter method for property parent
     *
     * @param parent the parent to set
     */
    public void setParent(MemberNodeTree parent) {
        this.parent = parent;
    }

    /**
     * getter method for property ordinal
     *
     * @return the ordinal
     */
    public String getOrdinal() {
        return ordinal;
    }

    /**
     * setter method for property ordinal
     *
     * @param ordinal the ordinal to set
     */
    public void setOrdinal(String ordinal) {
        this.ordinal = ordinal;
    }

    /**
     * get leafIds
     *
     * @return the leafIds
     */
    public Set<String> getLeafIds() {
        if (this.leafIds == null) {
            this.leafIds = new HashSet<String>();
        }
        return leafIds;
    }

    /**
     * set leafIds with leafIds
     *
     * @param leafIds the leafIds to set
     */
    public void setLeafIds(Set<String> leafIds) {
        this.leafIds = leafIds;
    }

    /*
     * (non-Javadoc)
     *
     * @see java.lang.Object#toString()
     */
    @Override
    public String toString() {
        return "MemberNodeTree [name=" + name + ", uniqueName=" + uniqueName + ", caption=" + caption + ", children="
                + children + ", parent=" + (parent != null ? parent.getName() : null) + ", ordinal=" + ordinal
                + ", leafIds=" + leafIds + "]";
    }

    @Override
    public int compareTo(MemberNodeTree o) {

        return this.ordinal.compareTo(o.getOrdinal());
    }

    /**
     * get querySource
     *
     * @return the querySource
     */
    public String getQuerySource() {
        return querySource;
    }

    /**
     * set querySource with querySource
     *
     * @param querySource the querySource to set
     */
    public void setQuerySource(String querySource) {
        this.querySource = querySource;
    }

    /**
     * get hasChildren
     * @return the hasChildren
     */
    public boolean isHasChildren() {
        return hasChildren;
    }

    /**
     * set hasChildren with hasChildren
     * @param hasChildren the hasChildren to set
     */
    public void setHasChildren(boolean hasChildren) {
        this.hasChildren = hasChildren;
    }

	/**
	 * @return the isSummary
	 */
	public boolean isSummary() {
		return isSummary;
	}

	/**
	 * @param isSummary the isSummary to set
	 */
	public void setSummary(boolean isSummary) {
		this.isSummary = isSummary;
	}

}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


I made spaghetti and meatballs the other day and then the seemingly impossible happened. I had meatballs left and no more noodles! Fortunately I just made a loaf of bread, so I made myself a meatball sandwich. The bread I made was the egg free version of Pamela'a Gluten Free Bread Mix. I still had some spaghetti sauce left (from a jar) and poured that on top.
1/2 tsp McCormick's California Style onion powder with white and green onions and parsley (If you can't find this, you can use 1/2 tsp onion powder and 1/2 tsp parsley. It's cooking- the seasoning doesn't have to be exact :-)).
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Crush the Rice Chex until they are fine crumbs. Combine with all the spices. Put all the meat in a bowl and pour the spices and crumbs on top. Mix with your hands until completely combined.
Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil and form into 1 1/2 inch meatballs and leave at least 1/2 an inch between each. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes or until cooked through. Cut one in half to make sure.


Personalized portraits give you the opportunity to capture a treasured personal moment and preserve it as a work of art. Submit a high resolution photo of the person or persons you would like drawn and I will create a 11"x14" pastel drawing just for you! Send your photo to me at moreart@jillraefinallyart.com. Please do not send blurry photos, or images from a distance.
The price for your pastel portrait will be $185.00 for the first face, and an additional $75.00 for each additional face. This price includes a $75.00 non-refundable fee. Shipping & handling costs are an additional $9.50 along with any applicable tax. If you are unsatisfied with the art, return it within 30 days for a refund minus the $75 deposit. You pay all shipping and handling costs for returns. The drawing will be made on quality textured pastel paper and sent inside an acetate bag for protection. Allow 3 to 4 weeks for portrait to be created.
A $75, non-refundable, deposit is due at the time of order. When your portrait is completed I will contact you via e-mail and ask you to make your final payment of the remainder of the balance including shipping and handling ($9.50) and taxes. When making this payment you will return to this page. Your personal portrait will be shipped as soon as payment is confirmed.


Looking to keep your outerwear as on point as the rest of your outfit? Don't worry we've got you covered. Shop the newest collection of this season's coats to cover you for every occasion. Keep warm in puffer jackets, faux fur and parka coats to keep your street style on point no matter the weather. For those slightly warmer months, we've got the right jacket to keep you on trend. Denim, biker and bomber jackets will keep your layering game sizzling.


text:
Warning Signs on George Clooney You Have To Know
by ennialba · January 19, 2023
Tarantino's surprisingly fantastic functionality is a large portion of this, operating so properly off Clooney as he smashed his way onto the massive screen, under no circumstances to appear back. The trio, who had others additional info with them for their day at sea, was all smiles as they lounged on the water. Prieto, 43, wore a black-and-white dress for the outing, perfectly coordinating with her 59-year-old husband, who sported all black. Meanwhile, Clooney kept points casual, wearing a dark shirt and sunglasses. This as President Biden bestowed lifetime awards on a handful of them who had been honored at the White Residence.
Like zombie flicks, every single actor ought to do a three-hour drama about a genuine person. Pitt does an fantastic job portraying the real life of Heinrich Harrer, even though he can never ever very nail the accent. He does give the Austrian mountaineer enough depth to make us care about what happens during the final climb. Pitt has no correct to be as very good as he is in this thriller from Dominic Sena.
George Clooney Reviews & Guidelines
No actor is helped by lazy writing, but that does not look to be the complete trouble right here. As delightful as Clooney and Roberts may possibly have been in Ocean's Eleven and Twelve, as the estranged but electric Danny and Tess, this time they give the impression of running by way of shtick that is only presumably adorable. Or, at the extremely least, there is an work getting produced to make them superior.
With 1 heist beneath his belt, he could now up the quirks of his character although nevertheless remaining the very same Rusty Ryan we know and really like. It is a shame the rest of the film can not live up to the excellent of Oceans Eleven. Pitt and Jolie displayed additional chemistry in Doug Liman's action flick than they did in By the Sea, and there is no denying how a lot exciting they are having. It rubs off on the audience when these married spies go head-to-head in a battle of wits, appears and machine guns.
Irrespective of whether or not you or one of your roommates is a member of the LGBTQ+ community, you'll obtain yourself laughing at how the show turns each day occurrences into comedy gold. This is a Steven Spielberg classic that feels like a Disneyland ride and beautifully encapsulates the excitement that the imagination of youth can bring. Get your gang collectively to watch the adventure-comedy "The Goonies" on HBO Max. Next up for the "Ocean's" franchise is a prequel reportedly set in the 1960s.
If you assume acting is all Kaitlyn Dever is about, you would be incorrect. They lately released their initial single, Raleigh, and have styles on generating additional. The Dever Sisters are really active on social media as they are out and about advertising their music. Over the series' final three seasons on Fox, Kaitlyn Dever was a lot more miss than hit. In Season eight, that dropped down to two episodes and in the final season of the series, Dever was in a position to contribute to only three episodes. For years, Kaitlyn Dever was most effective recognized to all as Eve Baxter, the youngest daughter to Tim Allen's Mike Baxter in the hit Tv series, Last Man Standing.
Their privilege comes from either one or both parents who are famous names. This is how the kids get an advantage over other people in a profession and are referred to as nepotism babies, or nepo infant. She has both Instagram and Twitter accounts and keeps them relatively up-to-date. She incorporates her household in some of her posts, as you can see below. When The Information of Life ended in 1988, it wasn't the finish of McKeon's career. For the next decade, Nancy McKeon was a steady face on tv.
How George Clooney can Save You Time, Stress, and Money.
She is a retired experienced wrestler and an American political Executive. Linda became the president of WWE in 1993 and in 1997 she was appointed the CEO. She created her departure from the organization and joined politics in 2009. In the following couple of years, she contested as a Republican candidate in senate elections, nonetheless, lost each occasions. However, Fleishman Is in Trouble's eighth and final episode, "The Liver", can't match the explosive energy of "Me-Time".
The majority of fans loved the post, describing it as "too bloody funny" and other folks urged him to become Prime Minister and stated they would "not skip commercials like this". "I have lots of nepo baby pals whom I respect, but I can not stand listening to you examine yourself to me. I know it is not your fault, but please, appreciate and know the place you came from," Ceretti added. Although she didn't name anyone, Ceretti called out a particular "nepo baby" by means of Instagram stories, which many assumed was a reference to Lily-Rose Depp's interview.
Quite a few web sites have listed Clooney's Casamigos tequila as a single of the greatest tasting tequila in the market place. Last night, Amal and George Clooney offered style and film fans the fantastic Hollywood ending for a late summer date evening. The Clooneys have spent a great deal of this month in Lake Como, Italy, but tonight's outing was particular, as they dined at Hotel Daniele in Venice, where they have been married in grand fashion practically three years ago. For the occasion, the world's most well-known human rights attorney dressed to impress in a strapless polka-dot frock by Ermanno Scervino.
On Wednesday, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg told investors on the company's second-quarter earnings contact that the enterprise planned to a lot more than double the quantity of suggested content in Facebook and Instagram feeds by the end of subsequent year, Insider reported. On Monday, Kardashian and her sister Kylie Jenner – who is the most-followed lady on Instagram – begged Adam Mosseri to rethink the video plan next. But users have stated they are sick of possessing random strangers' posts foisted on them, and that they only want to see their contacts. Mosseri said this shift is occurring in response to user behavior and added that folks whose screens were altered were aspect of a test group, ahead of a wider rollout.
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


We at Transforming Image offer the best skin tightening services in Scottsdale!
Sagging skin is typically formed when you lose a lot of weight quickly, or the levels of collagen and elastin fibers in your skin drop drastically. Without enough collagen and elastin, our skin is unable to maintain its normal shape, which leads to loose or sagging skin.
Our muscles gradually weaken as we age, which then allows fat to accumulate in certain areas.
As we get older, or during a significant drop in weight, these fibers in our skin tend to break down, leaving our skin susceptible to stretching and sagging.
This can be an unpleasant surprise, especially if you have been trying to lose weight for some time.
What Causes Skin to Sag?
Some people are simply more prone to having saggy skin on certain parts of their body.
This occurrence can cause puffiness that turns into saggy tissue.
Dry skin can cause fine lines and wrinkles on your skin that may turn into sagging skin over time.
Chemical peels can be used as they cause chemical burns that peel away the outer layer of your skin so new, healthy skin can grow. This type of peels is most commonly done after the sagging skin has been removed surgically.
Laser resurfacing technology is also very efficient as its intense beam of light can vaporize skin tissue. This method is best combined with other resurfacing treatment such as surgery or peels.
If you are looking to tighten facial skin or seek a sagging skin treatment that will do wonders for your figure and your face, get in touch with our team at Transforming Image.
With all Before and After images, stock photos, patient testimonials or reviews shown on the site, no claims are made that results are typical. Results vary with each individual patient, and results cannot be guaranteed. All Before and After images and patient testimonials are Transforming Image patients; however, all photos, testimonials and stock photos are shown for informational purposes only. All patient testimonials are individual patient opinions and do not represent claims or guarantees of results by Transforming Image Center for Face & Body.


All images copyright Miguel A. Martinez. All rights reserved.
Hello my name is Miguel Martinez and welcome to Crush Vision Photography, where I showcase the best of my photographic work and demonstrate my ability in creating great photographs. I've received my education in photography at College of the Canyons. Since 2010, I've been creating photographs to astonish my clients and spark interest in future clients.
While in college, I have received all the knowledge there is to know about photography. Subjects ranging from camera controls, composition, lighting, shooting weddings and events, color, portraiture, photojournalism etc. I have put everything into practice for countless hours until I finally perfected it enough, before I even considered to provide it as a service. I offer my service to those who expect the best for those once in a lifetime moments. I do not settle for less and neither should you. Now you finally found a passionate photographer that you can trust and consistently provide you with you with great results.
I believe photography is more than just capturing moments. I go beyond the thought, which has helped me create great photos with meaning. When I first started being a learning about photography I didn't know exactly why I wanted to pursue such a career up until recently. I discovered my passion upon looking through old photographs of my family. It was then that I realized I wanted to be a photographer for the reason of wanting my clients to one day look at their photos and say to themselves, "I lived a beautiful life."
Thank you, for your time and consideration. I hope to work with you soon and provide you with a great photography experience.
Have faith in my vision.


text:
Being Bold and Naïve | Sarah Moshman | Virtual Power Lunch
March 18	@ 12:00 pm	– 1:00 pm
TeamWomen is partnering with Preferred Speakers to offer an inspirational event with documentary filmmaker and TV producer Sarah Moshman.
Born and raised in Evanston, Illinois, Sarah will take us through how her love of filmmaking began, and how the camera gave her a voice and courage she hadn't yet discovered. Sarah took her passions to film school, moved out to Los Angeles, and landed her very first job on the hit ABC show, Dancing with the Stars. While the job had its perks — 20 million viewers and a slew of celebrity talent to work with — Sarah felt like something was missing in her career and life. She set out to pursue her dream of making documentary films that can uplift, inform, and inspire.
Sarah will recount her experience of making her first film, The Empowerment Project, which shines a light on extraordinary women across the US — from a pilot to a mathematician, athlete, astronaut, four-star admiral, and many more. With humor and authenticity, Sarah will share the stories of these incredible women and share clips from her films to truly immerse the audience in these stories.
Sarah will then take us through the once-in-a-lifetime journey of her second film, Losing Sight of Shore, which follows the unbelievable true story of four brave women who set out to row across the Pacific Ocean — from America to Australia, over 8,000 miles! She will explain the risk she took in making the film, as well as the extreme dangers the crew faced on the voyage across the sea. Ultimately Sarah's wildest dream came true — she sold the film to Netflix worldwide, and the film can be seen today in over 190 countries.
With a unique mix of entrepreneurial spirit and a drive to change the way the world perceives women, Sarah will entertain, enlighten, and encourage you to live your best life.
https://teamwomenmn.org/event/being-bold-and-naive-sarah-moshman/
« Yoga in the Gardens
Yoga in the Virtual Garden – Arboretum »


Zero-footprint Tourism through Architecture and Engineering based on natural raw materials.
Swallows, suggests a new model of touristic accomodation implementing innovative construction systems. Through sophisticated design and engineering provides an excellent and competitive-cost construction solution, with a highly efficient life-cycle regarding sustainability, energy consumption, CO2 emissions and its environmental imprint in general.
Tourism is responsible for up to 27% of Greece annual GDP and about 60% of new constructions (Source: INSETE). The construction sector is responsible for 38% of all CO2 emissions and for 40% of worldwide energy usage, with estimations that by 2030 emissions from commercial buildings will grow by 1.8% (Source: USGBC). Through sophisticated design and engineering Swallows is creating buildings for touristic accomodation with a highly efficient life-cycle regarding sustainability, energy consumption, CO2 emissions and its environmental imprint in general.


text:
CMA Songwriter Series at the Museum
« "We are the Music Makers: Preserving the Soul of America's Music"
A Place for All People Poster Exhibit »
Doors: 8:30 p.m.
Concert: 9:00 p.m.
Tickets: $25 includes taxes/fees
(Note: Tickets to this show are very limited in number. Order early!)
Since 2005, the CMA Songwriters Series has spotlighted the amazing talents of the country music songwriter community in the United States and abroad. The critically-acclaimed series will bring it's show to the Birthplace of Country Music Museum on September 8.
CMA Awards winner Tracy Lawrence, along with CMA Awards nominees Barry Dean and Luke Laird, are the artists chosen to perform during the Bristol leg of the CMA Songwriters Series tour.
The CMA Songwriters Series is in its 12th season kicking off the first show of this year at indigo at The O2 in London during the C2C Festival followed by its debut appearance at SXSW at the Paramount Theatre in Austin, TX. Since 2005, the CMA Songwriters Series has presented more than 90 shows in 15 cities including Austin, Belfast, Chicago, Dublin, London, Los Angeles, New York, Paris, Phoenix, and Washington, D.C. at the renowned Library of Congress.
For more information, click here to visit the CMA Songwriters Series website.


In NHL betting news, Sam Gagner was a member of 3 NHL teams on June 29. He started out with Edmonton, was then traded to Tampa Bay and ended up in Arizona. Edmonton originally traded Gagner to Tampa Bay for right-winger Teddy Purcell and the Lightning then decided to ship Gagner out to Phoenix along with right-winger B.J. Crombeen for a sixth-round pick in the 2015 NHL Draft.
Gagner said his emotions have been up and down since the deals took place. He stated that his agent told him there could be anther deal in the works once the trade with Tampa Bay was worked out. He admitted that he wasn't really prepared to be dealt twice in the same day, but at least he was warned that it was a possibility. After all was said and done though, it's remarkable that the Coyotes came away with two good players in Gagner and Crombeen and only had to part ways with a sixth-round draft pick to land them both.
The Coyotes bought out center Mike Ribeiro on June 27 and were looking for somebody to replace him in the lineup. Don Maloney, the general manager of Arizona, said the trade came together quite quickly and it was too good of a deal to turn down. The 24-year-old Gagner played 67 games with the Oilers last season and scored 37 points on 10 goals and 27 assists. He sat out the first 13 contests of the campaign due to a broken jaw he suffered in a pre-season game. Gagner has two years to go on his current contract which will cost the Coyotes $4.8 million per year towards the salary cap. He has 101 goals and 194 assists for 295 points in 481 career games, all with Edmonton.
Gagner was originally chosen with the sixth overall pick by the Oilers in the 2007 draft. His career highlight so far was an eight-point game (four goals and four assists) against the Chicago Blackhawks in February of 2012. Maloney said Gagner has the skill and character that his club was looking for and he's also getting better each year. The 28-year-old Crombeen adds some toughness to the Arizona lineup. He scored three goals and seven assists last season in 55 games and served 79 minutes in penalties. He's played 387 regular season NHL games and has 771 minutes in penalties.
Crombeen has one year to go on his current deal which will see him paid $1.15 million. He's scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent next summer. Maloney said Crombeen will fit in well with Arizona since he is a big, strong player who has a lot of leadership qualities both on and off the ice. The 28-year-old Purcell, who ended up in Edmonton with the Oilers, scored 12 goals and 30 assists for 42 points last season in 82 games. He is regarded as a tough competitor and has missed just three games over the last four years. He has two years to go on his current contract with the Oilers on the hook for $4.5 million towards the salary cap each year.
The Lightning also made another trade after dealing Purcell when they sent 29-year-old center Nate Thompson to the west coast to join the Anaheim Ducks. Tampa Bay received a fourth and seventh-round pick in next summer's NHL Draft for him. Thompson played 81 games with Tampa last season and scored 16 points on nine goals and seven. He has three years to go on his contract at $1.6 million each season.
In NHL betting news, Sam Gagner was a member of 3 NHL teams on June 29. He started out with Edmonton, was then traded to Tampa Bay and ended up in Arizona.


text:
You are here: Home / Family Tree / Italian Americans / Italian Americans
Family Tree, Italian Americans
The Italian Americans – La Famiglia
And They Came to Chicago traces the over 150 years of Italians settlement in Chicago, from early settlers who laid the foundation for burgeoning enclaves to contributions to business, politics, the arts and culture. Combining rare historical footage and images, interviews with prominent Italian Americans, authors and historians, and individuals who offer personal tales of growing up in Chicago's Italian neighborhoods, And They Came To Chicago journeys to the heart of one of the city's most vibrant, and misunderstood, communities for an unforgettable look at their rich and complex legacy.
Act I: Profiles Italian immigrants who settled in Chicago in 1850, early successes in business and subsequent struggles for acceptance in labor unions, the mass exodus of Southern Italians following Italy's unification and the World's Columbia Exposition in 1893.
Act II: The formation of Chicagos major Italian settlements including a look at Black Hand crime, religious institutions, the anti-immigrant backlash, Prohibition, World War I, and the trial and execution of Italian anarchists Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti.
Act III: The Great Depression and its impact on Italian communities, Italo Balbo's celebrated flight to Chicago during the 1933 Century of Progress, religious feasts, World War II and the Our Lady of Angels Fire on Chicago's Northwest side.
Act IV: The final segment looks at urban renewal's devastating impact on Chicago's Italian communities, the rise of Italian American politicians in the post-war era, the growing cultural divide between first- and second generation Italian Americans, media portrayals of Italian Americans, and how Italian Americans have maintained strong ties to their ancestral homeland.
Italian Americans (Italian: Italoamericani) are the United States citizens of Italian ancestry. Italian Americans are the fourth largest European ethnic group in the United States (not including American ethnicity, an ethnonym used by many in the United States; overall, Italian Americans rank seventh, behind German, Irish, African American, English, American and Mexican).
About 5.5 million Italians immigrated to the U.S. from 1820 to 2004. The greatest surge of immigration, which occurred in the period between 1880 and 1920, alone brought more than 4 million Italians to America. About 80% of the Italian immigrants came from Southern Italy, especially from Sicily, Campania, Abruzzo and Calabria. This was a largely agricultural and overpopulated region, where much of the populace had been impoverished by centuries of foreign misrule, and the economic measures imposed on the South after Italian unification in 1861. After unification, the Italian government initially encouraged emigration to relieve economic pressures in the South. In the U.S., most Italians began their new lives as unskilled, manual workers in Eastern cities, mining camps and in agriculture. Italian Americans gradually moved from the lower rungs of the economic scale in 1890-1910 to a level comparable to the national average by 1970. By 1990, more than 65% of Italian Americans were managerial, professional, or white-collar workers. The Italian-American communities have often been characterized by strong ties with family, the Catholic Church, fraternal organizations and political parties. Today, over 17 million Americans claim Italian ancestry.
Italians and their descendents in America helped shape the country, and were in turn shaped by it. No common identity is shared by all Italian Americans; rather, they are as diverse as the American population itself. They have gained prominence in politics, sports, the media, the fine arts, the culinary arts, and numerous other fields of endeavor.
History – Early period
Verrazzano's voyage of 1524.
Italians and their descendants played a key role in the discovery, exploration and settlement of the Americas. The fact that English is the language spoken in the United States can be directly attributed to England's claims in North America, based on the voyages of the Italian explorer Giovanni Caboto (John Cabot). The Italian explorer Giovanni da Verrazzano was the first European to enter New York Bay. The first Italian to reside in America was Pietro Cesare Alberti, a Venetian seaman who, in 1635, settled in what would eventually become New York City. A group of 200 Waldensians arrived from Italy in 1640 in search of a more hospitable place to practice their religion. The Taliaferro family, originally from Venice, was one of the first families to settle in Virginia.
These were joined by a small but steady stream of new arrivals, some of whom had been invited to come to America because they possessed much needed skills in agriculture and the making of glass, silk and wine. Others came because of their musical abilities as teachers and performers, such as the group of Italian musicians Thomas Jefferson invited to come to form a military band, which later became the nucleus of the U.S. Marine Band. Still others came as adventurers, explorers, military engineers, missionaries and political refugees.
These early arrivals settled in many different areas, but constituted a relatively small part of the American population as a whole. However, their contributions were very significant in the founding and settling of the country. Filippo Mazzei, a physician and promoter of liberty, was a close friend and confidant of Thomas Jefferson. He published a pamphlet containing the phrase: "All men are by nature equally free and independent", which Jefferson incorporated essentially intact into the Declaration of Independence. Italian artists and sculptors were brought to Washington to work on the new Capitol building and to create some of its major monuments. Constantino Brumidi created the frescoed interior of the Capitol dome, and spent the rest of his life executing still other artworks to beautify the Capitol.
Alessandro Malaspina (born: November 5, 1754 Mulazzo, Italy– died: April 9, 1810
Pontremoli, Italy)
Numerous Italians in the employ of Spain and France, whose territorial claims in America were based on the voyages of Italian navigators, were involved in exploring and mapping these territories, and in establishing settlements. Alessandro Malaspina explored and mapped much of the west coast of the Americas, from Cape Horn to the Gulf of Alaska. The southwest and California were explored and mapped by Eusebio Kino (Chino), an Italian priest. Henri de Tonti (Enrico de Tonti), together with the French explorer LaSalle, explored the Great Lakes region. De Tonti founded the first European settlement in Illinois in 1679, and in Arkansas in 1683. With LaSalle, he co-founded New Orleans, and was governor of the Louisiana Territory for the next 20 years. His brother Alphonse de Tonty (Alphonso de Tonti), with Antoine Cadillac, was the co-founder of Detroit, and its colonial governor for 12 years. The route to the source of the Mississippi was discovered by Giacomo Beltrami while exploring the territory that was later to become Minnesota.
Since France and Spain were Catholic countries, many missionaries were sent by the Catholic Church to convert the native population to Christianity and to provide for the spiritual needs of the settlers. Among these were numerous Italians. Alessandro Geraldini was the first Catholic bishop in the Americas. Father Francesco Bessani labored among the Algonquin and Huron Indians in the early 17th century. Later, Italian missionaries of the Jesuit and Franciscan orders, were active in many parts of America, and especially in the west. Italian Jesuits founded numerous missions, schools and five colleges in the west, subsequently to become Jesuit universities (San Francisco, Seattle, Gonzaga, Santa Clara and Regis). The Italian Jesuits also laid the foundation for the wine-making industry that would later flourish in California. In the east, the Italian Franciscans founded hospitals, orphanages, schools, and a college that later became St. Bonaventure University. Samuel Mazzuchelli, a missionary and expert in Indian languages, ministered to whites and Indians in Wisconsin and Iowa for 34 years and, after his death, was declared Venerable by the Catholic Church. Joseph Rosati was named the first Catholic bishop of St. Louis in 1824. Father Charles Constantine Pise, a Jesuit, served as Chaplain of the Senate from 1832 to 1833, the only Catholic priest ever chosen to serve in this capacity.
Francis Vigo, statue by John Angel dedicated to Francis Vigo on the waterfront of George Rogers Clark National Historical Park
Italian Americans served in the Revolutionary and Civil Wars, both as soldiers and officers. Francesco Vigo aided colonial forces during the American Revolutionary War by being one of the foremost financiers of the Revolution in the Northwest. Later, he was a co-founder of Vincennes University in Indiana. Six Italian Americans received the Congressional Medal of Honor during the Civil War, among whom was Colonel Luigi di Cesnola, later to become the first director of the Metropolitan Museum of Arts in New York.
The early arrivals were scattered throughout the country, with the largest concentration of Italian Americans being in the northeast. It was there that recognition of their common Italian roots and culture was the greatest. The first opera house in the country opened in 1833 in New York through the efforts of Lorenzo Da Ponte, Mozart's former librettist, who had immigrated to America. The first Italian American newspaper, "L'Eco d'Italia" was published in New York in 1849 by Francesco de Casale. The first Columbus Day celebration was organized by Italian Americans in San Francisco in 1869. Italian American involvement in politics had already begun. In 1837 John Phinizy (Finizzi) became the mayor of Augusta, Georgia. In 1880 Anthony Ghio became the mayor of Texarkana, Texas. Francis Spinola, the first Italian American to serve in Congress, was elected in 1887 from New York. An immigrant, Antonio Meucci, brought with him in 1845 a concept for the telephone. He is credited by many researchers with being the first to demonstrate the principle of the telephone; however, considerable controversy exists relative to the priority of invention, with Alexander Graham Bell also being accorded this distinction.
The main period of immigration
Mulberry Street, along which New York City's Little Italy is centered. Lower East Side, circa 1900.
The newly created Italian constitution, drafted after unification in 1861, heavily favored the North. This caused economic conditions to considerably worsen for many in southern Italy and Sicily. Heavy taxes and other economic measures imposed on the South made the situation virtually impossible for many tenant farmers, and small business and land owners. Multitudes chose to emigrate rather than try to eke out a meager living. Often, the father and older sons would go first, leaving the mother and the rest of the family behind until the male members could afford their passage.
From 1880 to 1920, an estimated 4 million Italian immigrants arrived in the United States, the majority from 1900 to 1914. Once in America, the immigrants faced great challenges. Often with no knowledge of the English language and with little education, many of the immigrants were compelled to accept the poorest paying and most undesirable jobs, and were frequently exploited by the middlemen who acted as intermediaries between them and the prospective employers. Many sought housing in the older sections of the large northeastern cities in which they settled, which became known as "Little Italies", often in overcrowded substandard tenements. About a third of the immigrants, so called "birds of passage", intended to stay in the United States for only a limited time, followed by a return to Italy with enough in savings to re-establish themselves there. While many did return to Italy, others chose to stay, or were prevented from returning by the outbreak of World War I.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italian_American


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Essen Motor Show. Spectacular performance festival from 3 to 11 December – Vintage cars in the Auto Motor Klassiek
From 3 to 11 December 2022, Messe Essen is the dynamic venue for a wonderful mix of classics and performance. Around 500 exhibitors transform Messe Essen into a paradise for sporty and regularly extensive modified motor vehicles. Again this year, the organizers will delight the audience with sports cars, tuning & lifestyle, motorsport and classic cars. Welcome to the Essen Motor Show.
The organizers have once again pulled out all the stops for the 54th edition of the Essen Motor Show. The car festival covers nine halls and brings together well-known brands such as BMW, Brabus, Continental, Hankook and Mercedes Fan World. Naturally, the Essen Motor Show will once again be the big stage for stars from motorsport and tuning: Visitors can expect Mareike Fox, Philipp Kaes, JP Kraemer and the Red Bull Driftbrothers, among others.
Tuning sector strongly represented
In addition to new and old vehicles, there are also a number of sales stands with fan articles, car parts, merchandise and accessories at the Autofestivalen. The tuning sector in particular will present many new products at the Essen Motor Show, such as suspension, wheels and tires. In addition, various sports vehicles from the car manufacturers will make the fans' hearts beat faster. Because that's what the emphasis is on: tuning and performance, both with classics and products with a much newer stature. And let's just say it: the tweaks to the naturally special vehicles sometimes go a long way!
Varied offer in nine halls
The Essen Motor Show's product range and program is spread over a total of nine halls. Halls 1 and 2 are reserved for, among other things, Classic & Prestige Salon by organizer SIHA. The manufacturers and suppliers present themselves in Hall 3. Hall 4 will be an event area with a BattleKart track where visitors can compete in electric karts. Fans of tuning and lifestyle will get their money's worth in halls 5, 6 and 7. And hall 8 is home to motorsport. Last but not least, visitors to Galeria can also look forward to a wide range of fan articles and car accessories.
50 Years John Player Special
Race fans will experience a special highlight in Hall 3 with the special show "Fascination Black & Gold – 50 Years of John Player Special". The exhibition features 15 exclusive Lotus racing team vehicles in the striking black and gold design, which harkens back to long-time sponsor John Player Special. At least as eye-catching are the approximately 150 extensively tuned passenger cars in tuningXperience in Hall 5. Here the spectrum ranges from volume models to show cars with an emphasis on classic vehicles and models built in Germany.
Note: ticket sales online only!
Tickets for this year's Essen Car Festival are exclusively available in the online shop on the Essen Motor Show website. Visitors can choose between a regular day ticket for 20 euros (reduced: 16 euros) and tickets for the exclusive Preview Day and afternoon tickets. The Essen Motor Show is open on Preview Day and weekends from 9am to 6pm, weekdays from 10am to 6pm. The preview day will also take place on December 2.
Image credit: ©Messe Essen
Also in Essen, it is impossible to ignore the performance branch of BMW. This BMW M2 increases the desire to send a nice game with. Beautiful!
Harley Davidson Breakout, a motorcycle pimped by Black Mountain Inc with a famous name
Airride, special paint, camber, Pegasus: this is the Porsche 356 Outlaw bt.
Lackas is a phenomenon in and around the Ruhrgebiet in Toyota and Lexus. In Essen you can see what that means. The photo shows the Toyota GT86, one of the few newer compact coupes.
Owner Christoph Filla next to his customized VW Typ2 T1. The cosmetic adjustments are special and personal. And the bus is also very peppery with a Porsche engine (280 DIN hp).
Left the factory in Wolfsburg in 1963 as a regular Dickholmer Beetle. Now completely pimped and adapted to the owner's taste.
The best-selling sports car in the world naturally also lends itself to performance-oriented and optical adjustments. Take this Ford Mustang, a stunning coupe that effortlessly carries on the Mustang tradition.
Kadet C GT/E. With polycarbonate windows and carbon bumpers
In this way, you ensure that your children do not make unnecessary purchases in games
Maybe Metacade is the right choice?