text:
Whatever happened to "blowback"?
March 22, 2017 at 8:02 pm	(apologists and collaborators, conspiracy theories, Galloway, Jim D, John Rees, Lindsey German, London, murder, reactionay "anti-imperialism", relativism, Stop The War, SWP, terror, tragedy)
There was a time when no Islamist terror outrage was complete without an article published within a day or two, from Glenn Greenwald, Mehdi Hasan, Terry Eagleton or the undisputed master of the genre, Seamus Milne, putting it all down to "blowback". Such articles usually also claimed that no-one else dared put forward the "blowback" explanation, and the author was really being terribly brave in doing so. No such articles have appeared for a few years (the last one I can recall was after the Charlie Hebdo attack), so here's my idea of what such a piece would read like today:
LONDON – In London today, a police officer was stabbed to death and pedestrians killed by a car driven by a so-called "terrorist". Police speculated that the incident was deliberate, alleging the driver waited for some hours before hitting the pedestrians
The right-wing British government wasted no time in seizing on the incident to promote its fear-mongering agenda over terrorism, which includes pending legislation to vest its intelligence agency, CSIS, with more spying and secrecy powers in the name of fighting ISIS. A government spokesperson asserted "clear indications" that the driver "had become radicalized."
In a "clearly prearranged exchange," a Conservative MP described the incident as a "terrorist attack"; in reply, the prime minister gravely opined that the incident was "obviously extremely troubling." Newspapers predictably followed suit, calling it a "suspected terrorist attack" and "homegrown terrorism." A government spokesperson said "the event was the violent expression of an extremist ideology promoted by terrorist groups with global followings" and added: "That something like this would happen in London shows the long reach of these ideologies."
In sum, the national mood and discourse in Britain is virtually identical to what prevails in every Western country whenever an incident like this happens: shock and bewilderment that someone would want to bring violence to such a good and innocent country, followed by claims that the incident shows how primitive and savage is the "terrorist ideology" of extremist Muslims, followed by rage and demand for still more actions of militarism and freedom-deprivation. There are two points worth making about this:
First, Britain has spent the last 16 years proclaiming itself a nation at war. It actively participated in the invasion and occupation of Afghanistan and was an enthusiastic partner in some of the most extremist War on Terror abuses perpetrated by the U.S. Earlier this month, the Prime Minister revealed, with the support of a large majority of Britains, that "Britain is poised to go to war against ISIS, as [she] announced plans in Parliament [] to send CF-18 fighter jets for up to six months to battle Islamic extremists." Just yesterday, fighter jets left for Iraq and the Prime Minister stood tall as she issued the standard Churchillian war rhetoric about the noble fight against evil.
It is always stunning when a country that has brought violence and military force to numerous countries acts shocked and bewildered when someone brings a tiny fraction of that violence back to that country. Regardless of one's views on the justifiability of Britain's lengthy military actions, it's not the slightest bit surprising or difficult to understand why people who identify with those on the other end of British bombs and bullets would decide to attack the military responsible for that violence.
That's the nature of war. A country doesn't get to run around for years wallowing in war glory, invading, rendering and bombing others, without the risk of having violence brought back to it. Rather than being baffling or shocking, that reaction is completely natural and predictable. The only surprising thing about any of it is that it doesn't happen more often.
The issue here is not justification (very few people would view attacks on civilians and police officers to be justified). The issue is causation. Every time one of these attacks occurs — from 9/11 on down — Western governments pretend that it was just some sort of unprovoked, utterly "senseless" act of violence caused by primitive, irrational, savage religious extremism inexplicably aimed at a country innocently minding its own business. They even invent fairy tales to feed to the population to explain why it happens: they hate us for our freedoms.
Those fairy tales are pure deceit. Except in the rarest of cases, the violence has clearly identifiable and easy-to-understand causes: namely, anger over the violence that the country's government has spent years directing at others. The statements of those accused by the west of terrorism, and even the Pentagon's own commissioned research, have made conclusively clear what motivates these acts: namely, anger over the violence, abuse and interference by Western countries in that part of the world, with the world's Muslims overwhelmingly the targets and victims. The very policies of militarism and civil liberties erosions justified in the name of stopping terrorism are actually what fuels terrorism and ensures its endless continuation.
If you want to be a country that spends more than a decade proclaiming itself at war and bringing violence to others, then one should expect that violence will sometimes be directed at you as well. Far from being the by-product of primitive and inscrutable religions, that behavior is the natural reaction of human beings targeted with violence. Anyone who doubts that should review the 13-year orgy of violence the U.S. has unleashed on the world since the 9/11 attack, as well as the decades of violence and interference from the U.S. in that region prior to that.
Second, in what conceivable sense can this incident be called a "terrorist" attack? As I have written many times over the last several years, and as some of the best scholarship proves, "terrorism" is a word utterly devoid of objective or consistent meaning. It is little more than a totally malleable, propagandistic fear-mongering term used by Western governments (and non-Western ones) to justify whatever actions they undertake. As Professor Tomis Kapitan wrote in a brilliant essay in The New York Times on Monday: "Part of the success of this rhetoric traces to the fact that there is no consensus about the meaning of 'terrorism.'"
But to the extent the term has any common understanding, it includes the deliberate (or wholly reckless) targeting of civilians with violence for political ends. But in this case in London, it wasn't civilians who were really targeted. If one believes the government's accounts of the incident, the driver attacked pedestrians at random, but his real targets were in uniform. In other words, he seems to have targeted a policeman– a member of a force that represents British imperialism.
Again, the point isn't justifiability. There is a compelling argument to make that police officers engaged in security duties are not valid targets under the laws of war (although the U.S. and its closest allies use extremely broad and permissive standards for what constitutes legitimate military targets when it comes to their own violence). The point is that targeting soldiers who are part of a military fighting an active war is completely inconsistent with the common usage of the word "terrorism," and yet it is reflexively applied by government officials and media outlets to this incident (and others like it in the UK and the US).
That's because the most common functional definition of "terrorism" in Western discourse is quite clear. At this point, it means little more than: "violence directed at Westerners by Muslims" (when not used to mean "violence by Muslims," it usually just means: violence the state dislikes). The term "terrorism" has become nothing more than a rhetorical weapon for legitimizing all violence by Western countries, and delegitimizing all violence against them, even when the violence called "terrorism" is clearly intended as retaliation for Western violence.
This is about far more than semantics. It is central to how the west propagandizes its citizenries; the manipulative use of the "terrorism" term lies at heart of that. As Professor Kapitan wrote in The New York Times:
Even when a definition is agreed upon, the rhetoric of "terror" is applied both selectively and inconsistently. In the mainstream American media, the "terrorist" label is usually reserved for those opposed to the policies of the U.S. and its allies. By contrast, some acts of violence that constitute terrorism under most definitions are not identified as such — for instance, the massacre of over 2000 Palestinian civilians in the Beirut refugee camps in 1982 or the killings of more than 3000 civilians in Nicaragua by "contra" rebels during the 1980s, or the genocide that took the lives of at least a half million Rwandans in 1994. At the opposite end of the spectrum, some actions that do not qualify as terrorism are labeled as such — that would include attacks by Hamas, Hezbollah or ISIS, for instance, against uniformed soldiers on duty.
Historically, the rhetoric of terror has been used by those in power not only to sway public opinion, but to direct attention away from their own acts of terror.
At this point, "terrorism" is the term that means nothing, but justifies everything. It is long past time that media outlets begin skeptically questioning its usage by political officials rather than mindlessly parroting it.
(c) Glenn Greenwald, Mehdi Hasan, Patrick Coburn, Seamus Milne, George Galloway, John Rees, Lindsey German, Peter Oborne, the SWP, Stop The War Coalition, etc, etc.
kb72 said,
& when will Will Self pop up calling the police who shot the terrorist "murderers"?
The poor fella was doing it for allah. Not his fault. He should have been taken prisoner and given a nice cell in prison with the home comforts in compliance with EU regulations.
Mick said,
Indeed. Old Corbyn says police should refrain from shooting terrorists, even when said terrorists are out for police blood.
The Left believe in two wrongs making a right when it suits them. Hence their 'f**k tha police' attitudes, for example, when cops dare to fight rioters.
I've a feeling this was supposed to be ironic but given the pile of embedded hyperlinks, such quackery is meant in earnest.
Yup, it's the old battered wife syndrome from left wing crackpots again. 'Meh, you deserved it, bitch.'
Islamic whackjobs (as the IRA ones before them) are not morally equivalent to Western democratic nations observing the rules of war, and embarrassed when individual abuses come to light. People in the Left prove themselves verminous again in their hypocrisy, as Western civilian conurbations are legitimate targets for war, with murderous terrorists mere 'freedom fighters'. However, when Western armies bomb the crap out of some tyrant, or send Islamic extremists to summer camp, leftists call those war atrocities.
Everything is warped and twisted to be blamed on the West, or Israel. Especially Israel. The Left and Islamists both have anti-West agendi. The Left are too crooked and devious to be trusted with blame games, especially with pre-emptive strikes. It really was believed that WMDs existed but the dossier was beefed up beyond most recognition, just to sell it to the Left. (Remember, 'Always defend the oppressed, if if they are oppressors too' – Stop The War coalition diktat.)
"I've a feeling this was supposed to be ironic but given the pile of embedded hyperlinks, such quackery is meant in earnest": does everything have to be spelled out to you in words of one syllable, Mick?
Mind you, I needn't have bothered with this spoof (largely based on a piece by Glenn Greenwald, by the way), in the light of what the UK Socialist Worker has to say:
https://socialistworker.co.uk/art/44314/After+Westminster+attack%2C+unite+against+racism
You're way too convincing to be stuck here on the Web!
GLAZING THE LONDON EYE
Of course that triumphant breakthrough statement giving voice to the collective only goes to reinforce the argument being advanced by Conallia Yobko and her valiant conleague on RT that representative democracy of a sort which has never worked in the territory these days under the same management as itself, a curious high-maintenance way of doing, just lets such things happen. Look what happened to Weimar democracy!
Do you know that Bertrand Russell and his pal Clive Bell argued for pacifism after 1914 with for an argument the assumption that no harm would be done were Kaiser Bill &co. to have control of French channel ports and far as Brest? Wilhelmine Germany would unopposed settle down and self-democratise as a natural process. It would take even more courage to repeat that claim nowadays.
See the prompt action, executed with subtle discretion, silently taken against people whose groans should no more be heard than their words, and who would break up the careful order maintained in happy modern Putaningrad, with its centuries of tradition, and whose extension across the wider landscape would rule out all that messy sort of thing. Instead of global warming there would be a whiteness of snow, over all Ire.
(tm) Girn Glenwind, Mahdi Hateson, Scatrick Poburn, Shamus Allmine, Gallus Goreaway, Roan Grease, the SWP, Toe The Stop Coalition, etc, etc.
Leftists are simply barmy. They pretend to be political parties when they're just tinpot trade unionists in a dummy election, or cheerleaders for Sharia Law yet having no intention of being oppressed by it.
Alan Bennett professes a love for treason, so as not to be confined by stuffy tradition. But where treason is the short route to domination by foreign killers, leftists are criminally moronic in not seeing that far ahead.
They hate us more than they see any danger in their pet psychos, the big freakazoids!
secretunderstanding said,
I'm almost tempted to post this deadpan on Facebook and see who takes it at face value, but then that would depress me too much.
Rilke said,
Too little judgment and even less analysis, coupled to too much opinionated gibberish here. Get back to posting pieces that stand proper commentary and proper analysis Jim and get rid of the ranting nutters. You are going down the nick!
The Left's grand corridor echoes with this exact noise in real life.
Solidarity with all the Victims and their Loved Ones. | Tendance Coatesy said,
[…] Shiraz Writes, […]
Bang on cue the SWP writes,
We do not know the motivation of this particular attack. But it is inescapable that the war, torture, plunder and invasions backed by the British parliament and the government's allies have created the conditions in which such horrors are certain to take place.
The shattering of Iraq and Afghanistan, the oppression of the Palestinians and many other imperial projects cast long shadows.
Their mirror on the far-right are also trying to make political capital out of the tragedy.
Poland's prime minister drew a link on Thursday between an attack in London targeting the British parliament and the European Union's migrant policy, saying the assault vindicated Warsaw's refusal to take in refugees.
Warsaw is RIGHT to block unchecked migrants – even the EU says virtually all aren't refugees and we know a whole mess of terrorists are mingled in.
But hey, that's diversity, isn't it Left. The French PM and Mayor of London says we just have to take it all on the chin! Even where we don't know the motivation for yet another of these atrocities – supposedly – Coatsey says we can blame Britain anyway. So it's business as usual for the treacherous Left.
And incidentally, Islamofascists were the same old murderers before Isreal needed to defend itself, before despots needed to be overthrown in their terrorist harbours and before various other baddies needed a clout 'round the ear. They were the same old murderers as far back as Muhammad led them personally in the rape of Mecca.
It's this huge holohoax-style denial of psychotic realities that make lefties so dangerous on both communism and offensive Sharia both. Still, at least they celebrate both together in this centenary year of Lenin's power grab.
And we DO know who did it – a jihadist, as the PM herself verified. And now the same thing has been tried in Antwerp.
The Left have to struggle to see what the ruddy BENELUX countries have done to deserve such, in Red eyes, justified and valid retribution. So they stick with the 'holohoax' theory, saying that jihad only means a voyage of enlightened discovery!
Poor little Sharia-whackjobs, nobody understands them. That's the real problem for the noisy left!
The motive is religious nutterdom and martyrdom. The left do not get it they think it is capitalism to blame although islam was invented 7th century ad.
Your pal Farage got it completely wrong, when cynically and dishonestly trying to claim (on Fox News in the US) that the attack had something to do with immigration (the killer was – like Farage himself – born in Kent). Farage is an anti-British, lying asshole and probably a paid agent of Trump and/or Putin: if he's not being paid, then he's simply an unpaid lying, racist, semi-fascist useful idiot.
If, according to the SWP, these attacks and crimes are 'inevitable' and 'certain' and they truly believe in what they say; why do the they not commit suicide or deliberately maim their bodies and get it over with quickly?
Some lefties actually did – they became human shields for Saddam Hussein!
Davis said,
First of all, my solidarity with the victims in this terrorist attack (Btw one of the victims seems to be of Spanish origins -Family living in Galicia, where I'm from-). Of course, the usual and unfortunately expected pavlovian reaction and tics coming from some left (The SWP always at their best in those cases, nothing new), it's a real pity, sometimes they really become a living caricature which seems to come from the mind of a right-wing nutter (like the usual couple of comentators around here). If we continue this way we will have extreme right and people like Putin, Trump or Erdogan for decades….
That's right, I AM YOUR FUTURE! Now bow before your king before I give you more SWP!
As we see here, the PC left only show but a glimmer of realising their booberies, though not to correct them. So in even Merkel's eyes, Multiculti will continue to fail. They just think they weren't efficient enough, so they really will see more bogeypersons like Trump coming up.
And the pure ones will still see absolutely no logic in being rejected themselves.
"Solidarity with the victims in this terrorist attack ": agreed! I trust it's clear that that was the spirit in which I posted this spoof article.
Not like you tae take the piss Jim. Always thought you were a typical leftie devoid of humour!
Calm down Mick. You write with the ugly, exaggerated and incoherent style of a drunken town clerk.
It is not the fault of any on the left that you happen to suffer from an over-excitable sensorium, mother-fixation sexual neurosis and lack a verbal sphincter. You must make your paragraphs more interlaced and coherent and reduce the oddly punctuated curiously paratactical sentences.
D+\C- Must try harder.
I'd rather be a drunk town clerk, enjoying the sup of ambrosia and paid for by the taxpayer, than a totown Marxist, ascribing ills to people they don't agree with.
In Russia, people like me were put in locked hospitals because of people like you. So I'm rather glad to enjoy the pleasures of a left torn by its own real manias, I'm afraid.
Matthew Thompson said,
Rather than being "blowback" from the invasion of Afghanistan in 2001 or Iraq in 2003 as the SWP claim in their usual Procrustean fashion, the Westminster attacker fits the classic profile of such people: petty criminals of North or West African origin who have experienced police harassment and/or racism, not particularly religious or deprived and converted/radicalised in or just after their release from prison.
That's an interesting point but it's still one which deflects the blame a bit for left wing dog whistle fans. 'I KNEW the white man was the real terrorist again!'
Even if, as lefties assume, the black guys are harassed by default, it still misses how the criminal was a slimeball in the first place and having it in him to commit this atrocity at all.
Also, lefties who adopt the attitude of 'whitey was bound to bring it on himself' is racist against both blacks and whites. Racialising everything on principle kicks innocent whites – virtually all of us – and just assumes blacks are so weak that they'll flip at the drop of a hat.
Shame on the left! Shame on it, eh McPherson.


Most water sports lovers agree that surfing is fun and exciting. Aside from these, the waves also pose a sense of challenge that entices many people to give it a try—see if it's something they can be good at.
To get started with this sport, however, you'll need the right equipment. There are many different types of surfboards and you would want to choose one that suits your level the best.
If you are new to surfing, we've narrowed down the list for you. Here's our review of the best surfboards for beginners to help you choose the right one.
Not all boards are created equal and most people have a preference—but it all boils down to one common denominator: You'll need a well-performing surfboard.
For beginners, choosing something that can ensure easy maneuverability and stability is key. It'll help you learn faster and make the activity safer for you as well.
The  SBBC 8' Verve Soft Top Surfboard is an entry-level board produced by South Bay Board Co. The foam top makes surfboard paddling easy, beginner-friendly, and stable.
With the SBBC 8' Verve, a beginner in surfing doesn't need to worry about hitting the board should they fall. The soft top protects you from light injuries which are pretty inevitable for beginners.
The foam is designed with the company's custom Fingerprint texture IXPE foam. The texture removes the need to wax the board, allowing it to stay clean for long.
Furthermore, it is not skin abrasive compared to the croc-skin or diamond-textured foam. The fingerprint texture also has the added benefit of a stronger and natural grip to the deck.
Each component and material in the surfboard services a purpose—primarily, for enhancement of style and durability.
Take the Triple Stringer System of the 8' Verve surfboard for example. The material is heat compressed and custom molded with EPS closed cell foam, preventing water from being absorbed in the foam.
You can have fun while learning to surf with this surfboard's rounded mini-log nose and rounded tail which is designed for speed and stability.
Users of the 8' Verve surfboard find it stable, solid, and the soft top firm and well built. Most users claim the board to be buoyant and light, giving the feeling of falling into the right wave.
Lastly, the double concave design lets water pass through channels to the board's fins. The result? Optimum surfboard performance.
The  SBBC 7' Ruccus Soft Top Surfboard is another South Bay Board Co. product designed for beginner surfers (50 to 150 lbs weight).
Regular surfers who are at casual wave ripper level can also get plenty of use from this board.
The Ruccus makes it easy for novice surfers to catch waves in the initial whitewater stage. Beginners need not worry about the surfboard's dimension of 84" x 22" x 2.85". The board is light and buoyant which makes it easy to paddle.
A feature which accounts for its enhanced durability is the Slick Hard Bottom made of HDPE plastic. The bottom is also reinforced with Plastic Diamond Weave designed to disperse impact on the surfboard.
This surfboard design adds style and stability. Whatever your surfing level, you'll find the shape of the board gives you comfortable speed and smooth turns.
Want to catch your surfing experience on video? The SBBC 7' soft top Ruccus has an FPS Action Camera Mount when out in the water.
Beginners who use the SBBC 7' Ruccus claim they find it easy to maneuver the surfboard. Others praise the high quality materials and its solid construction.
The affordable cost makes this board a favorite among beginners.
A surfboard designed for small adults and kids, the  Liquid Shredder 70 FSE EPS/PE Soft Surf BoardI is both light and soft.
This board belongs to the FSE foamie series and has a size of 7' x 20". It's suitable for a rider with a weight capacity of 140 lbs.
The size of the board makes it perfect for novice surfers. A smaller adult or a kid would find it difficult to practice and handle a big surfboard.
Note that any difficulty experienced during the learning stage will have a great impact on the beginner's progress.
The Liquid Shredder is heat laminated and comes with an EPE soft foam deck and EPE core. These features ensure that the board is 100% waterproof.
Furthermore, the EPE offers enhanced comfort coupled with an anti-slip texture when the board is wet.
The board's bottom is made of polypropylene (PP) which also features a slick surface. The board is also equipped with wooden stringers which provide surfers with that desired rigidity.
Most adults who buy this board for their kids comment on it being lightweight and very easy to carry. Many have observed their kids becoming more enthusiastic about learning simply because the board is convenient and easy to master.
The  Wavestorm 8' Surfboard is known for its soft board and well-performing features ideal for those learning to surf.
Beginners in surfing will enjoy riding this board as it is light yet provides ample stability. It's easy to transport too.
The surfboard's design is Wavestorm's pride and uses their Graphic Film Technology (GFTTM). The board's pinstripes will last long and will not fade even when exposed to UV rays. This board will keep its appearance for quite a while, that's for sure.
This product is also known for durability due to its HDPE component. The HDPE adds strength to the bottom skin, furthering its durability and resilience against wave impact.
Handling the board is convenient too, as it comes equipped with strong extruded polystyrene. The 3 marine-ply stringers system makes handling of the board comfortable.
If you want more stability, the Wavestorm 8' is for you. The board has an EBS cross link on deck and rails which enhances the board's stabilization. It will not break easily and also comes with strong bolted components.
If you are the kind of novice surfer who wants to constantly challenge themselves, it also comes with a pre-installed ankle leash which is removable.
Wavestorm 8' surfboard users find this model adequate for beginners. Users trust the durability of the materials and the overall design. In terms of price, they're quite happy with the value this board provides for how much it costs.
The  California Board Company (CBC) 7' Surfboard is a favorite choice for beginners in surfing.
The board is made of high-density EPS core which accounts for its durability and lightweight.
The EPS core also contains a heat laminated feature which makes the board's core 100% waterproof. The board's bottom was also given the same treatment, allowing the surfer a clean and quick slice through the water.
It comes with a tri-fin system designed for easy maneuverability, allowing surfers to catch waves with ease and handle turns smoothly. If you are a beginner, these are important to get you off the right track.
The CBC 7' foam surfboard's shape is custom-molded consisting of 3 layers of laminated wood stringers with a waterproof resin coating. This feature makes this surfboard a favorite among beginners as the board remains buoyant even when water condition is choppy.
This surfboard model weighs 8 lbs and is suitable for a surfer with a weight capacity of 210 lbs.
You can forget about the board while surfing and focus on learning as it comes with a surf leash, a double swivel rail, and a padded ankle strap.
CBC 7' foam surfboard users find this particular model versatile and stable. The design and construction of the board make it worth the money—as it isn't that hefty of an investment. Novice surfers also claim that the board is an ideal platform to practice pop-ups.
For a beginner in surfing, it's important to look beyond the cosmetic appearance of a board. Shape and size matter here and can affect how well or how badly your lessons go.
Keep in mind that each piece on a surfboard has a function. Knowing the basics will not only help you better understand how a surfboard works, but it can also improve how well you use it. Shall we discuss further?
The present-day surfboard is a far cry from the wooden planks which were used by Hawaiians approximately 3,000 years ago.
The modern surfboard is stronger, lighter in weight, and many are handmade by experts out of foam then coated with fiberglass.
Needless to say, surfboard tech has progressed a lot and is constantly improving as well.
The deck is the surfboard's top side. It is where you stand to surf or lay to paddle.
Surfers often use a traction pad to give them extra grip.
From the deck, there is a slight chamber running from the rail to the middle and back to the rail. This construction is the domed deck which offers easy rail-to-rail movements.
There is another type of deck known as the flat deck.
The nose is the front part of the surfboard. It is the first 12" from the tip of the board.
The shape can be pointed or rounded, depending on the type of surfboard, and influences maneuverability and paddling.
Some surfers use a surfboard nose guard to protect the board from dings and impact from other boards.
The tail is located at the back of the surfboard, the 12" portion starting from the very end.
There are different shapes and each one is designed to enhance performance.
You will often find a small cup on the tail and this is called a leash plug.
When checking out tails, remember that angular tails provide sharper and more pivotal turns. Tails that are round provide smoother turns.
It is the shape of the tail that gives you the hold and release control on the surface of the wave.
The edge of the surfboard is referred to as the rails.
The rails span the area from the nose to the tail; it is also where the bottom and the deck meet. The shape of the rails also affects the board's performance.
Novice surfers may take the rails for granted. However, professional surfers know the design of the rails help maneuver turns through the water, add flotation, and catch speed.
A stringer adds rigidity and stiffness to the surfboard. It is a thin wood strip located at the center of the board, running from nose to tail.
The stringer's width varies depending on the type of board.
For a novice surfer, choosing the right surfboard is important. The wrong board could impede your surfing progress and discourage you from surfing.
When choosing a surfboard, consider your weight, level of fitness, and age. The equation to remember is: more age + more weight + less skill = a slightly larger board.
Also, the beach where you surf and the type of waves you are likely to encounter should factor into your decision.
The surfboard should mirror what you are now and not what you want to be.
Expect to ding and scratch your board as a novice surfer. At this initial stage of your surfing, an expensive board will scratch and dent as much as a cheap one.
So, looks should not matter; ignore small dents and yellowing. But, avoid delamination and dents that show foam.
It's not about looking cool. This is about learning to the appropriate equipment. Always pick a surfboard that gives buoyancy and easy paddling.
An appropriate size for a beginner should be 7' long (or a foot taller than you are), approximately 19" to 21" wide, and 2" to 3" thick.
The board depends on your size, therefore, pick one you can carry with ease and maneuver in the water.
The first times you surf, you should not worry about the tail's shape. And, the number of fins on your surfboard should not be a cause for worry.
During the first 3 to 6 months of your learning, you will not be performing maneuvers. So, there is no point in being concerned whether your board is a pintail, a swallow, or has no fin at all.
As a matter of interest, the surfboard with 3 fins makes for the easiest turn and is the most functional board for intermediate and advanced surfers.
Also referred to as "foamies", soft surfboards provide a novice surfer with advantages.
The soft board's size and stability make it easy for a beginner surfer to catch waves, do pop-ups, make the most of practice time, and experience less fall.
How well you learn surfing depends on your choice—a bad pick increases difficulty. Always consider the aforementioned factors and don't just purchase one based on aesthetics.
When you're confident in your skills, that's when you invest in something that not only works well, but also looks good.
The surfboards reviewed are for kids and adult beginners; but, you still can use these surfboards as you level up on surfing. Of the five products reviewed, we favor the  SBBC 7' Ruccus Soft Top Surfboard.
The design of the Ruccus makes learning to surf fun which is great for motivating you to persist with the sport.
The high quality materials used are intended to provide beginners what they need to facilitate their learning progress.
What is more, the board comes at an affordable price compared to other products reviewed.
All that aside, we also like the fact that it comes with an FPS Action Camera Mount. Most beginners would want to capture the experience on video—and this nifty little addition makes that easy to do. A small bonus, but a truly functional one.
We hope our review of the boards helps you arrive at an informed decision in choosing the best surfboard for beginners.


President Donald Trump is heading just north of the Illinois border Thursday to break ground for a massive Foxconn electronics factory that could bring 13,000 jobs to Wisconsin, but also faces opposition from environmental groups and Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan.
Madigan is expected to file a lawsuit in the coming weeks challenging a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency rule change allowing the Taiwanese manufacturer to skirt air pollution standards for a plant planned for Racine County.
"We are concerned that air quality will get worse rather than better if the Foxconn facility is built as proposed and the EPA allows Wisconsin to weaken the clean air standards," said Howard Learner, executive director of Environmental Law and Policy Center, a Chicago-based environmental protection and economic development advocacy organization.
Armed with years of air quality testing and other evidence, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency tentatively concluded late last year that most of southeast Wisconsin needs to take more aggressive action to reduce lung-damaging smog.
The decision infuriated Gov. Scott Walker, a former Republican presidential candidate who had wooed Foxconn Technology Group to Racine County a few months earlier with $3 billion in financial incentives, promises to relax state environmental laws and access to Lake Michigan water for a sprawling new electronics factory, just north of the Illinois border in an area with some of the state's dirtiest air.
Walker and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources blame Chicago for making the air unhealthy to breathe in parts of the state. "Wisconsin is not the issue," a Walker spokeswoman said. But an EPA analysis of industrial pollution, traffic patterns and weather shows Wisconsin is at least partially responsible for its own smog problems.
Within the next three months, the same regional EPA office that prepared the Wisconsin analysis will make a final decision about how much — or how little — Foxconn and other companies must do to curb smog-forming pollution. Only now the Chicago-based office is led by Cathy Stepp, a former top aide to Walker who spent the past three years urging EPA officials to exempt Wisconsin from the smog regulations.
Walker once said he chose Stepp to lead the Natural Resources Department because she has a "chamber of commerce mentality." During her six-year tenure at the state agency, Stepp rolled back enforcement of environmental laws, cut funding for scientific research and scrubbed references to human-caused climate change from the department's website.
She also has been an enthusiastic backer of Walker's Foxconn incentives, calling the planned liquid crystal display factory a gift to an area she represented as a Republican state lawmaker during the mid-2000s.
Asked by the Tribune if she has a conflict of interest in her new job at the EPA, a spokesman emailed a one-sentence statement announcing that Stepp will recuse herself from any involvement in the Wisconsin smog case after consulting with the agency's ethics office. Her staff declined to make Stepp available for an interview.
Former top EPA officials from the Obama and George W. Bush administrations welcomed Stepp's decision. But they still are concerned that the Trump administration will undermine the health-based smog standards as part of a broader attack on clean air and water regulations, noting that EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt already has attempted to delay the regulations from taking effect.
"You might be able to play politics when you represent a state, but when you are at EPA your mission is to protect public health," said Mary Gade, who played a major role in earlier initiatives to improve Midwest air quality as head of the Chicago EPA office under Bush and the Illinois EPA director in former Republican Gov. Jim Edgar's administration.
Janet McCabe, who helped develop the new smog standards as the U.S. EPA's assistant administrator for air and radiation in the Obama administration, said the smog regulations have withstood several court challenges and are grounded in well-documented medical research.
Smog, also known as ground-level ozone, is formed by a reaction between sunlight and pollution from car tailpipes, power plants and factories, fumes from volatile solvents and gasoline vapors. Breathing even low levels can inflame the lining of the lungs and trigger asthma attacks; long-term exposure can cause heart disease and shave years off of lives.
After a scientific review required every five years by the federal Clean Air Act, the Obama EPA tightened the national smog standard in 2015 to 70 parts per billion, down from the 75 ppb limit set during the Bush administration.
Average smog concentrations in all of the Wisconsin areas targeted by the EPA exceeded the new federal limit during the past three years, according to state monitoring data. Smog levels peaked at 83 ppb last year in Racine County and averaged 75 ppb between 2015 and 2017.
To help clean up the air, Foxconn's new factory and existing sources of smog-forming pollution likely would need to install more effective pollution-control equipment, scale back production or broker emissions-trading agreements with cleaner facilities.
Walker, who is seeking re-election this year, has urged the Trump administration to reverse the Wisconsin smog designations. If he succeeds, it would amount to another break for Foxconn, a Taiwan-based company that Walker and the Republican-controlled state Legislature already has cleared to dig up environmentally sensitive wetlands and exempted from a thorough study of how the factory's pollution will affect the surrounding area.
"We can protect our natural resources and support job creation at the same time," said Amy Hasenberg, a Walker spokeswoman, citing Foxconn's promise of thousands of new jobs and the state's earlier efforts to reduce smog-forming pollution.
Illinois, meanwhile, has said it agrees with the EPA that Chicago and most of the suburbs should remain on the agency's list of areas with dirty air, which will require the state to expand its smog-fighting efforts. Reducing pollution locally also will aid Wisconsin and other downwind communities, just as required "good neighbor" efforts in other states help Illinoisans breathe easier.
It's a new day for the environment, and not in a hopeful sense.
A steel company's request to Indiana authorities for "confidential treatment" when it dumped toxic metal into Lake Michigan last month is a worrisome sign that under the Trump administration we will be told less and less about threats to our environment.
Everyone, from environmental activists to ordinary Chicagoans who care about the safety of their drinking water, had better become much more vigilant.
The request came from U.S. Steel in an Oct. 31 letter to the Indiana Department of Environmental Management after chromium leaked on Oct. 25 from a company facility on the shore of Lake Michigan. Just six months earlier, a similar leak from the same plant fouled a river tributary that feeds into the lake.
The request for secrecy — to keep you in the dark — apparently worked. A Chicago Tribune review of online press releases shows that neither state officials nor the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency informed the public about the potentially hazardous leak.
The critical importance of leveling with the public in such matters also is illustrated by a new Better Government Association review and Associated Press investigate report of leaks from local nuclear power plants. The BGA and AP learned that radioactive material continues to leak from Exelon's Illinois nuclear power plants. The leaks were properly reported, but we now are confronted by an EPA boss, Scott Pruitt, who takes a skeptical view of environment protections. We have less confidence that Pruitt's EPA will partner with the public, and not with the despoilers of the environment, when such leaks occur.
According to the BGA report, radioactive waste continues to leak from the nuclear power plants more than a decade after chronic leaks led to a $1.2 million government settlement and the company promised to guard against future accidents. Exelon says the amounts were too little to be a health risk, but the leaks remind us our air and water can quickly become tainted to the point of hazard. We need both industry and authorities to be in the vanguard of protecting the environment.
Clearly, we all deserve to know promptly whenever there is a leak of toxic industrial substances that could endanger public health. In the case of U.S. Steel's recent leak of chromium, the Halloween Day letter surfaced only because it was seen by law students from the University of Chicago who were tracking pollution violations. If data about the leak had been released promptly, independent scientists could have assessed it and made recommendations. That is how the public is protected.
Why didn't U.S. Steel or the Indiana Department of Environmental Management, an agency considered lax by environmentalists, inform the public? Why didn't U.S. Steel report the leak to the National Response Center, which keeps local officials posted about spills and leaks? Embarrassment is not a sufficient reason for secrecy.
Howard A. Learner, president and executive director of the Environmental Law & Policy Center, said the handling of the U.S. Steel leak is a sign that the EPA under Pruitt is signaling to companies that it is indifference to such environmental threats.
We pay for cops to deter crime in our city, and we pay federal inspectors and scientists to keep monitor spills and leaks that might endanger our health.
When it comes to our environment, the Trump administration is sending ominous signals.


text:
The Clarendon Institute (or the Clarendon Press Institute) is a building in Walton Street, central Oxford, England.

In 1891, Horace Hart (1840–1916) of the Clarendon Press (now Oxford University Press) proposed an institute to provide a place providing relaxation and further education facilities for staff at the Press. He planned a gymnasium, library, and reading room, and to provide teaching of French, German, Greek, Latin, mathematics, and shorthand.

The building was designed by H. W. Moore and built during 1892–93. It cost £5,000 to build.

The Clarendon Institute now houses the Oxford Centre for Hebrew and Jewish Studies, (an independent centre of the University of Oxford), the British Inter-University China Centre, the Centre for Linguistics & Philology, and the Leopold Muller Memorial Library.

In 2016, the building suffered a fire.

References

1892 establishments in England
Buildings and structures completed in 1893
Buildings and structures in Oxford
Buildings and structures of the University of Oxford
Libraries in Oxford
Libraries of the University of Oxford
Oxford University Press

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Mississippi hunter bags 'exceptionally rare' white turkey
The turkey's beard was black, but its spurs and nails were white. Experts say the animal is 'exceptionally rare.'
Mississippi hunter bags 'exceptionally rare' white turkey The turkey's beard was black, but its spurs and nails were white. Experts say the animal is 'exceptionally rare.' Check out this story on wisconsinrapidstribune.com: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2019/03/25/hunter-bags-bizarre-white-turkey-mississippi/3270087002/
Brian Broom, Mississippi Clarion Ledger Published 2:18 p.m. CT March 25, 2019 | Updated 2:25 p.m. CT March 25, 2019
Spring gobbler hunting can be feast or folly, requiring luck, skill and a sense of humor. David Sikes
JACKSON, Miss. — Color variations certainly exist among wild turkeys, but what this hunter harvested may be among the most unusual ever taken in Mississippi.
"I've been having him on camera all year since back in October," said Hunter Waltman of Kiln. "My neighbor told me about him.
"When I bought the property he said he'd seen a white gobbler out there before. He's been hanging around for three years."
After waiting hours, Hunter Waltman of Kiln harvested a white gobbler he'd been watching since October. (Photo: Special to Clarion Ledger)
The bird's plumage was solid white. His spurs and nails were white, too. His beard was black. His eyes were the same as a normal turkey, so that ruled out albinism. He was an anomaly in the world of turkeys.
Waltman had to work on the opening day of turkey season, March 15, and had a softball game that Saturday, so he wasn't able to hunt. On that Sunday, though, he and friend Toby Cagle of Saucier were were ready to match wits with the mature bird.
"We got there about 30 minutes before daylight," Waltman said. "I knew where he was at; where he was roosting and stuff."
The bird gobbled on his roost, but when he flew down, he went silent and didn't respond to calls. After about an hour and a half of silence, the two figured the gobbler they were after was gone.
"We got up to leave and we saw him," Waltman said. "He was fanned out 80 yards from us."
'Buck of a lifetime': Indiana hunter freezes deer to avoid poaching charge. It didn't work.
A waiting game
Waltman and Cagle also figured out why the bird stopped gobbling.
"He got with three hens," Waltman said. "When he got with the hens, he shut up."
At 80 yards away, the gobbler was too far to shoot, so the hunters sat back and watched the show.
"We watched him run around with the hens for about two hours and he finally bred them," Waltman said. "When he got through with the hens he made a B-line straight to us."
Waltman was just as anxious as the gobbler.
"It was at about 60 yards," Waltman said. "I was second-guessing myself. I was using my buddy's gun and he said it was good at 50 to 60 yards, so I went ahead and shot."
The gun's pattern held up at 60 yards and the bird dropped. Waltman was shaken by the experience.
"Man, it was awesome," Waltman said. "I was shaking I was so nervous. It was one of the hardest turkeys I've ever killed."
Hunter Waltman's gobbler had white spurs and claws. (Photo: Special to Clarion Ledger)
The gobbler sported a 9¼-inch beard. Both of his spurs measured just over an inch. Waltman estimated it weighed between 17 and 18 pounds.
Two deer with one shot: She's a 101-year-old hunter and she's still going strong
Domestic or wild?
When a photo of the bird was posted on social media it was met with a mix of reactions. Some congratulated Waltman on taking such an unusual gobbler, while others said it was someone's pet or domestic livestock. Waltman said it was neither.
"I took it to a taxidermist in Louisiana and he said it was 100 percent wild turkey," Waltman said.
Bob Eriksen, a certified wildlife biologist and Natural Resources Conservation Service technical service provider, agrees.
"The naked head and neck do not appear to be as ornate as one would expect in a domestic turkey gobbler," Eriksen wrote in an email. "Even in a first-generation cross between an eastern wild turkey and a domestic bird, there would be evidence of domestic traits such as a very large, ornate head and neck and an excessively large dewlap. In addition, an F1 would exhibit short lower legs that would be heavier than those of a wild eastern."
Instead of a cross with a domestic turkey, Eriksen said he believes it is partially albino. Also known as leucism, it is a genetic abnormality that causes animals to be pale or spotty in color. It is unlike true albinism because it causes a reduction in multiple types of pigment, not just melanin.
"Often this trait is expressed with patches of color as in a piebald deer, but this specimen does not exhibit patches," Eriksen said. "Occasionally, piebald deer are reported without brown patches but the eye and hoof color is retained as normal."
In addition to the bird's feathers, Eriksen said the legs suggest leucism rather than a crossbreed.
"The legs are thin and long — definitely not exhibiting domestic traits," Eriksen said. "The scale color is pink as it is in adult eastern gobblers, but the toenails and spurs are pinkish white which also suggests partial albinism. Based on these characteristics it appears to me that we are looking at a specimen of a partial albino eastern wild turkey gobbler, unusual indeed."
But just how unusual?
Adam Butler, Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks Wild Turkey Program coordinator, said he has never heard of or seen a wild white turkey in Mississippi, much less one that managed to survive to adulthood.
"I would say it's exceptionally rare," Butler said. "I would assume that occurs in one out of several hundred thousand individuals."
'Zombie' deer disease: Will deer with chronic wasting disease attack humans?
Follow Brian Broom on Twitter: @BrianBroom
An elephant minder feeds a white elephant in the compound of Upatasanti Pagoda on July 16, 2018, in Naypyitaw, Myanmar. Aung Shine Oo, AP
People take souvenir photos inside the installation 'Fading colors and Glow' by the Berlin base art group 'Tape That' during an art exhibition in Taipei, Taiwan on July 16, 2019. Ritchie B. Tongo, EPA-EFE
Jack Heely, 5, of Alexandria, Va., plays with a toy space helmet as he arrives as one of the first visitors to view Neil Armstrong's Apollo 11 spacesuit after it is unveiled at the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum on the National Mall in Washington on July 16, 2019. Andrew Harnik, AP
Andrew Short of the US rides his Husqvarna Rally 450 during the tenth stage of the Silk Way Rally 2019 from Jiayuguan to Dunhuang in Gansu province on July 16, 2019. Damien Meyer, AFP/Getty Images
Palestinian Hamas security forces march during a graduation ceremony for 45 police officers, at Al-Rebat College Police Academy, in Gaza City on July 16, 2019. Hatem Moussa, AP
North Koreans perform during a mass game performance of "The Land of the People" at the May Day Stadium in Pyongyang, North Korea on July 16, 2019. Vincent Yu, AP
German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Prime Minister of the Republic of Moldova Maia Sandu sit during a reception with military honors at the Chancellery in Berlin, Germany on July 16, 2019. Hayoung Jeon, EPA-EFE
Fishermen chat as garbage fills the waters around their boats at a fishing port in Banda Aceh on July 16, 2019. Chaideer Mahyuddin, AFP/Getty Images
Gwen Carr, mother of chokehold victim Eric Garner, left, speaks outside the U.S. Attorney's office as Garner's widow Esaw Snipes listens at right on July 16, 2019. Federal prosecutors won't bring civil rights charges against New York City police officer Daniel Pantaleo, in the 2014 chokehold death of Garner, a decision made by Attorney General William Barr and announced one day before the five-year anniversary of his death, officials said. Richard Drew, AP
Rescuers carry out a survivor from the site of a building that collapsed in Mumbai, India on July 16, 2019. A four-story residential building collapsed Tuesday in a crowded neighborhood in Mumbai, India's financial and entertainment capital, and several people were feared trapped in the rubble, an official said. Rajanish Kakade, AP
A man walks at the scene of a small private plane An-2 that crashed into house in Novoshchedrinskaya, Russia on July 16, 2019. Musa Sadulayev, AP
Indian snake catcher, Mohammed Saleem, catches a king cobra snake at a house on the occasion of the world Snake day in Bhopal, India on July 16, 2019. Sanijeev Gupta, EPA-EFE
Swimmers reach for drink bottles while competing in the men's 10km open water swim at the World Swimming Championships in Yeosu, South Korea on July 16, 2019. Mark Schiefelbein, AP
Morning fog is seen over the Allgaeu landscape near Biessenhofen in southern Germany shortly before sunrise on July 16, 2019. Karl-Josef Hildenbrand, AFP/Getty Images
Read or Share this story: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2019/03/25/hunter-bags-bizarre-white-turkey-mississippi/3270087002/
Dog killed in second Wood County wolf attack in a week

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Medium: original lithograph. Printed in Paris by Mourlot and published by Pierre à Feu and Maeght Editeur for the Marcel Duchamp / André Breton project Surréalisme en 1947. Issued in a limited edition of 999. Size: 9 1/8 x 7 7/8 inches (232 x 200 mm). Signed in the plate, not by hand.


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AMD Adds Low-End Athlon 64 X2, Cuts Prices
By ExtremeTech Staff on August 1, 2005 at 9:20 am
Advanced Micro Devices released a dual-core version of its existing AMD Athlon 64 3800+ processor on Monday, cutting prices in the process.
The addition to the low end of the AMD dual-core desktop microprocessor line is AMD's first dual-core chip rated at the same performance level as one of its single-core offerings. The 3800+ X2 is priced at $354, about $25 higher than the single-core Athlon 64 3800+ and slightly less expensive than AMD's fastest single-core chip, the AMD Athlon 64 4000+.
In addition, AMD also cut the prices on several Opteron and Athlon 64 models. Among other cuts, AMD slashed the price of its fastest single-core Athlon 64, the 4000+, by 22 percent to $375. AMD's X2 line received more marginal reductions; the company reduced the price of the fastest 4800+ X2 from $1,001 to $902.
The price cuts also mean that the fastest single-core Athlon 64 is now sligtly more expensive than the cheapest Athlon 64 X2. AMD's previous strategy had been to separate the two processor families by a price delta of about $65.
AMD also made slight adjustments to the price of its mobile microprocessors. In the most dramatic change, AMD eliminated a category devoted to mobile versions of its Athlon 64 processor for thin and light notebooks, replacing them with the Turion processor the company launched specifically for that market in March. Turion pricing was also cut, with the largest drop reserved for the ML-40, which fell from $525 to $354, a difference of 33 percent.
In the enterprise space, AMD also significantly reduced the price of its single-core Opteron chips. AMD cut the price of the Model 152 from $637 to $417, a difference of 35 percent. The price of the Opteron Model 150 was cut a third from $417 to $278.
AMD also eliminated the Opteron Model 140 and Model 240 from its price list, a move that had been signalled in July, when the both of its low-end processors in the single- and dual-processor category were priced identically. Finally, the company also sliced the price of the Model 846EE and HE from $873 to $698.
All prices quoted represent lots of 1,000 units.


text:
LDA Press Releases »
CONNECTICUT DOCTOR PROTECTION BILL FOR... »
CONNECTICUT DOCTOR PROTECTION BILL FOR LYME SIGNED BY GOVERNOR RELL
Contacts: Maggie Shaw, Newtown Lyme Disease Task Force Lancaster60@aol.com
Pat Smith, President, Lyme Disease Association, Inc. Lymeliter@aol.com (www.LymeDiseaseAssociation.org)
Newtown, CT, JUNE 21, 2009 − Patient groups across Connecticut and the nation are elated by the June 21 announcement by Connecticut Governor Jodi Rell that she has signed the Lyme disease doctor protection bill, following its recent unanimous passage in both houses of the Connecticut General Assembly.
HB 6200 contains language that will protect Connecticut licensed Lyme treating physicians from prosecution by the State of Connecticut Medical Examining Board solely on the basis of a clinical diagnosis and /or for treatment of long-term Lyme disease. The bill provides the definition for Lyme disease which includes "the presence in a patient of signs and symptoms compatible with acute infection with Borrelia burgdorferi; or with late stage or persistent or chronic infection with Borrelia burgdorferi, or with complications related to such an infection." It also defines clinical diagnosis as determined by a physician "…that is based on knowledge obtained through the medical history and physical examination alone, or in conjunction with the testing that provides supportive data for such clinical diagnosis." In addition, it provides for updating the Lyme disease definition if other strains are found to cause Lyme disease.
This law resulted from months of negotiations between Legislative Leaders, the Connecticut Department of Public Health and the undersigned patient Groups. According to Maggie Shaw, Newtown Lyme Disease Task Force, who has been a leader in the Connecticut effort, "This law will be a relief to the families in CT who will finally be able to receive care in their own communities and their own state. One of the burdens of Lyme disease, finding treatment, will be lifted from their shoulders, as this law offers hope to residents that more physicians who are knowledgeable about Lyme disease will be encouraged to practice within the State of Connecticut."
Pat Smith, president of the national Lyme Disease Association, who has been working and meeting with legislators in Hartford to secure passage, commented on the new law: "Justice has been served. Human health has finally triumphed over vested interest in the Lyme capital of the world. Lyme patients and treating physicians in Connecticut can breathe a collective sigh of relief. For years, they have not only been battling the disease but also battling the politics which have prevented patients from getting treatment and physicians from treating. Governor Rell and the Legislature have come down on the side of the people."
The Groups extend their gratitude to Governor Jodi Rell and the General Assembly, and in particular, Representatives Jason Bartlett, Kim Fawcett, Chris Lyddy, and Peggy Reeves, and Senator Jonathan Harris and Representative Betsy Ritter, Co-Chairs of the Joint Public Health Committee. The support of patients, families, members of the Lyme community, the Connecticut Medical Society, Association of American Physicians and Surgeons, and the International Lyme & Associated Diseases Society was invaluable.
Connecticut becomes the third state in the nation to have a law that protects physicians who treat Lyme disease long term.
For wording on the bill, please go to http://www.cga.ct.gov/ HB6200 (File # 903).
Newtown Lyme Disease Task Force
Ridgefield Lyme Disease Task Force
Time For Lyme, Inc.
Lyme Disease Association, Eastern Connecticut Chapter
« CT bill passes Senate. Goes to Governor	» LDA Announces Lyme Disease Language in US House Appropriations Committee


In the interests of full disclosure, I was sent an ARC of this book by the publisher through NetGalley for review purposes. All my reviews, good, bad, or indifferent, are based on my own opinion and from my personal viewpoint. They are also spoiler free.
First things first. This is not a novel. It is a collection of curated posts from John Scalzi's Whatever blog.
If you have followed his blog since 2008, much of the book will not be new material. There are introductions to many of the posts with additional information and insights, however.
If you, like me, have only read the occasional blog post over the years, or none at all, you will find it at various times informative, educational, opinionated, interesting, not interesting, and sometimes a rant.
It is organized by topic, rather than timeline, which can be entertaining when the technology being discussed changes without warning. Although many of the topics are specifically related to writing and are directed at writers, as long as you are interested in how books come to be it is still definitely worth the time.
John Scalzi's precise use of language, in and of itself, made this a joy to read.


On January of 2017 was in a car accident on her way to work in McMinnville, OR. After being life-flighted to the local hospital, she was flown to Oregon Health and Sciences University in Portland, OR. She was comatose for one week, and contracted double pneumonia twice in her 6 months in ICU. We talk about depression, memory, and pain management. If you battle chronic pain, this is the podcast for you as Maddy is full of insights into pain management.


This yellow gold and white gold ring is a little bit subtle since it is non-etched. However since there are only 3 metals you can well see the pattern whether 3mm or 10mm! If you would like to see more definition in the pattern just ask us to lightly etch your ring (or standard etch).


Whether you are searching for a necklace to wear or to offer as a gift, this Tacori necklace will be an excellent choice. This marvelous necklace will flawlessly fit to your fashion lifestyle with its 18k yellow gold as its metal type.
C Sterling Jewelers is an authorized retailer of Tacori and many other finest jewelry brands in Perrysburg, OH. We offer a vast selections of jewelry in our store. If you need more information about this necklace with model number SN209Y, please to reach us or by clicking the quote request button above.


When I was a police officer, I had the opportunity to respond to accident scenes involving drunken drivers. I also had the very unpleasant task of notifying relatives of the death or serious injuries of their loved ones. In my opinion, drunken driving is the worst of all crimes.
When I was a police officer, I had the opportunity to respond to accident scenes involving drunken drivers. I also had the very unpleasant task of notifying relatives of the death or serious injuries of their loved ones. In my opinion, drunken driving is the worst of all crimes. It sickened me to observe the arrogant attitude of the typical drunken driver and the total lack of remorse about the mayhem he or she caused.
While driving under the influence (DUI) covers drugs and alcohol intoxication, the drunks are the worst. They are the most nasty and belligerent. It is hard enough to convict these societal parasites under the best of conditions without additional interference by wacko liberal judges who care nothing for the public welfare. Perhaps we need to check the drinking habits of the judges who serve in DUI courts. Actress Paris Hilton was already on probation for a DUI, and her violation of that "free gift" should have sent her to prison to serve her remaining three-year sentence.
I can assure you that being maimed and paralyzed by a drunken driver feels no better than being seriously injured by a robber's bullet. I respect the career criminal more than I do the DUI driver. I consider DUI a terrorist act. Similar to an act of terrorism, DUI consists of an explosive devise and a random slaughter of innocent civilians. I have a much greater fear of being injured or killed by a DUI driver than I do an Islamic terrorist.
Florida makes approximately 65,000 DUI arrests per year, and there are 1.5 million such arrests nationwide per year. It is rare that a DUI conviction leads to incarceration. Deaths and injuries are in the tens of thousands. When a death finally occurs, the charge is vehicular manslaughter. It should be murder.
DUI is no accident. DUI is a willful and reckless act by a selfish and self-absorbed individual. We could easily prevent 90 percent of DUI cases by simply incarcerating "first-time" offenders and not waiting until these individuals maim or kill someone before they are punished. "First-time offender" is really "first time" caught. You have to drive under the influence 100 times before you get stopped once. You can purchase a personal breathalyzer for $50 from Sharper Image. There is simply no excuse for DUI.
Our criminal justice system is overly balanced in favor of the guilty. Victims get little satisfaction and have little or nothing to say in the process. Most DUI cases are handled in county court, and prosecutors usually are inexperienced and waiting to be promoted to circuit court. The caseloads are high, and more than 90 percent of DUI cases end in negotiated pleas with a fine and probation.
A high school principal I know - I watched his soon grow up - knows too well the irony of our warped system of allowing drunken drivers to "beat" the courts. His son developed an alcohol problem after graduation from high school and was arrested more than once for drunken driving. His lawyer helped him beat his final DUI. I can assure you Glen will never be arrested again on a drunken driving charge. You see, Glen celebrated his court victory by hitting the bottle as soon as he left the courthouse. While driving home intoxicated, he lost control of his automobile and swerved head-on into an ambulance. He died at the scene and the passengers of the ambulance were seriously injured. By allowing DUI offenders to avoid responsibility for their actions, judges are hurting the public as well as the defendants.
Recently, a drunken illegal immigrant slammed his vehicle into an SUV and pushed it into an oncoming train in Land O' Lakes. Eight-year-old Kevin Bryant died and his mother suffered critical injuries. Eli Alvarez was charged with manslaughter. He should haven been charged with first-degree murder.
Miguel Garduno-Alvarez recently was sentenced to 7 1/2 years in prison for the vehicular manslaughter death of Haines City police Officer Phoenix Montana Braithwaite.
Douglas Alan Smith was driving drunk and 40 mph over the speed limit in Osceola County, resulting in one senseless death and one serious injury. His blood-alcohol level was 0.179.
A Syracuse judge recently sentenced a DUI offender to 20 years in prison after his seventh drunken-driving conviction.
It never ceases to amaze me how the offending DUI driver suffers the least injuries. They say that drugs and alcohol loosen the body?
We need to change our DUI statutes and make it a felony to drive under the influence. We also must attach mandatory jail sentences on "first offenses" without the ability of attorneys to negotiate lesser charges.
The courts claim the dockets are too crowded and that judges don't have the time to try all of the cases. The reason the courts are crowded is that most defendants are repeat offenders. If drivers knew with absolute certainty that any DUI conviction would lead to a lengthy prison sentence, most would not take the risk.
Dan Insdorf is a Winter Haven resident.


The Cotswolds is an area bounded by Bath, Oxford and Stratford-upon-Avon, and is world famous for the beauty of its towns and villages. In the Cotswold market towns and quiet villages and hamlets, you'll find plenty of places to visit and enjoy. The many attractions include museums and galleries, historic houses, gardens and wildlife parks.
The Cotswolds is also designated as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) which means it is recognised as containing some of Britain's finest countryside. As such it is protected as a special landscape of national importance. The Cotswolds AONB area covers 2038 sq kms (790 sq miles), of which some 80% is farmland.
The Cotswolds towns and villages such as Bourton-on-the-Water, Chipping Campden, Chipping Norton, Broadway, Stow-on-the-Wold and Moreton-in-Marsh are famous all over the world for their beauty and for being so 'typically English'. There is a wide range of attractions to suit all tastes. Exploring the real Cotswolds at any time of year is a rewarding experience, each season throwing a different light on the ever-changing scene.
Whether it's historic houses, parks and gardens or the Cotswold Perfumery there is something to entertain all the family.
From pub grub to high-end restaurants in scenic locations you will be sure to find somewhere which tantalises the taste buds.
Museums, historic houses, churches and concert halls you will not be stuck for things to see and do in Shakespeare Country.


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Q: "Sharp" transistor switching / minimizing fading effect I'm trying to build a 9V battery tester with Zener diodes. I am doing tests with an adjustable power supply.
With a 3904 transistor to do the switching it works ok, but the LED is fading on too slowly.
In this schematic it starts glowing at 9.2V and is fully on at about 10V.
How would I achieve a sharper switching, like the LED is fully lit at 9.2V and fully off at 9.1V?
The 3904 already has a high gain, but maybe I can use a different transistor to achieve this?

simulate this circuit – Schematic created using CircuitLab

A: It seems you are going to more trouble than its worth using a BJT. Why not try something like this instead: -

You may need to make the zener voltage 6.8 volts to get the same activation point and, it will be equally "sloppy" in fading-on rather than having a clear-cut on/off transition but, that's to be expected with imprecise components like Zeners and BJTs.

How would I achieve a sharper switching, like the led is fully lit at
9.2V and fully off at 9.1V?

If you want a better circuit you should use a comparator and voltage reference. The gain of the transistor has nothing to do with how your current circuit differentiated between on and off. Maybe use a comparator like the LM311: -

Image from here.
If you replace the NTC thermistor with a precision shunt voltage reference (many to choose from) and set the pot to the "trigger-point" of 9.15 volts then it should be very sharp in response. You can even use multiple comparators to get a "several" level deep LED response: -

Image from here.

A: If you do want stay with the BJR circuit, then you can get a sharper transition by:

*

*Add a R across the B-E of Q1 -- use 500 Ω (470 is available) . Now even small leakage in the zener won't directly turn on Q1 until it exceeds 0.6V/470Ω.
You'll need to reduce the zener BV. For a 9.1V threshold and 1k, 470 Ω  resistors, you'd need a zener of about 9.1-3*0.7 = 12 V.

*You can get a slightly sharper transition by also putting a resistor in parallel with the LED -- 10 kΩ is suitable.

A: If you really want to copy the schematic of a front-end of a comparator…
For the circuit to be practical - since it's battery powered - it should be micro power until the LED comes on. So you'll need quite a bit of gain.
I haven't tried it, but imagine that the circuit below would work or be a good starting point. The ratio of the resistive divider feeding the base of Q1 will require adjustment for sure. The circuit should consume <30uA at room temperature when idle (i.e. the LED is off), so it won't be killing batteries. The transistors can be general purpose small signal types, e.g. 2N2222 and 2N2907, ZTX455 and ZTX555, etc.
For extra credit, and a few more transistors, the Zener voltage could be used to stabilize the LED current, so at voltages above threshold, the brightness of the LED would be kept constant.

Q1-Q2 are a long-tailed pair fed by the Q6-Q7 current mirror. Q8 is a current source for the Zener. Q3-Q5 are gain stages for the LED.
I'm sure the room-temperature idle current could be lowered even further, but assembly would require extreme cleanliness - i.e. all flux would need to be washed off, and solderless breadboards and assembly with ungloved hands would not work all that great. Micro power solutions work great when integrated inside an IC, where contamination is controlled in the fab, and not on the bench where the IC may be put to use. In a bipolar IC, this could probably be made to consume 1-2uA at room temperature max, using a current sink as a load for the differential pair.
If I had to make a practical battery level detector circuit, I'd just use some micro power comparator with a built-in reference in a tiny package that consumes 1uA or less. Say LTC1540.
Now, perhaps you don't care about the circuit being micro power. In that case a push button "battery check" and any off-the-shelf integrated comparator+reference are plenty enough. Probably a TLV431 set up as a comparator, with LM334 as a current source to set the LED current, would do the job admirably and still below 100uA when the LED is off. It'll look like a discrete circuit, since both are 3-terminal devices :)
A good variant on the micro power theme would be a micro power flasher that flashes a red/green LED, with green indicating good battery, and red indicating need for replacement. Such circuits can have a very respectably low average current if you keep the LED flashes short and spaced apart. And it's lots of fun to design them from simple functional blocks with a bit more functionality than a discrete transistor.
3-terminal current sources and shunt regulators/comparators are extremely versatile building blocks, so if you have a bunch of them in your "handy parts bin", they can go a long way in solving common problems without a need for more specialized parts. That's especially true with component shortages: the jellybean parts are available just fine, from multiple sources. They take more effort to get going if you're not familiar with the "idioms" used in such designs. That's why I recommend old NatSemi and Linear Technology app notes. They are full of inspiration for such circuits.

A: The answer was actually in the first comment by @tobalt, "For sharper switching your need higher open loop gain than a single transistor.", which you can in this case implement with transistors, as I was able to do in this case. But I'm not a professional, so I would like comments from professionals regarding things I didn't think about, or complications regarding to doing it this way. But I also haven't seen this construct around, which makes me also a little extra cautious. But here goes.
I was able to simulate in LTSpice a solution to your problem, as shown below. Both circuits were on the same schematic, had the same rate of rise in voltage, and therefore are directly comparable.  First your circuit for comparison:

Here is how I minimally modified your circuit to achieve your goals:

Here is the trace from running this in LTSpice. You should see the trace of your circuit in green, and the trace of my circuit in blue, with the voltage trace in red. Note how gradual the green trace is, and how steep the blue trace is:

As the two cross-hairs show, at 9.1 volts, it turns fully on in less than 30mV:

So the secret to this circuit is something like a comparator implemented by a three-transistor construct similar to a complementary Darlington, but powered from the rails instead of directly above or below.  Each NPN has a pull-down on the base, and each PNP has a pull-up on the base. Neglecting those allows leakage current from the Zener to turn on the "comparator" too early. When the smallest current succeeds in getting into NPN2, the LED turns fully on. It starts turning on around 200nA, and is fully on by 300nA.
Putting a potentiometer at R4 should allow you to calibrate it to work at exactly the voltage around 9.1 V that you want (within reason). If you want it to be permanent, use a 20-turn potentiometer, calibrate it, and add a bit of Loctite, nail-polish, or hot-melt glue to lock it in place.
It actually works out well that a 6.8 volt Zener is used, because that voltage has been proven to be relatively temperature-stable, which increases the stability of your circuit. The potentiometer is not temperature-stable, though.
Transistor beta is not a reliable parameter, but that is not a factor in this design because the total gain is something like 1,000,000 (one million!), and it doesn't really matter if the real gain turns out to be 900K or 1.1Meg - the calibration will easily adjust for that. Let us know if you build it!
Here's the source code for the file:
Version 4
SHEET 1 2280 772
WIRE -32 16 -48 16
WIRE 16 16 -32 16
WIRE 160 16 96 16
WIRE 288 16 224 16
WIRE 496 16 480 16
WIRE 544 16 496 16
WIRE 688 16 624 16
WIRE 896 16 752 16
WIRE 1168 16 896 16
WIRE 1328 16 1168 16
WIRE 1168 32 1168 16
WIRE 896 80 896 16
WIRE 928 80 896 80
WIRE 1040 80 1008 80
WIRE 1104 80 1040 80
WIRE 1328 128 1328 16
WIRE 288 144 288 16
WIRE 1040 144 1040 80
WIRE 1168 176 1168 128
WIRE 1168 176 1136 176
WIRE 1264 176 1168 176
WIRE -48 192 -48 16
WIRE 16 192 -48 192
WIRE 144 192 96 192
WIRE 224 192 208 192
WIRE 480 192 480 16
WIRE 544 192 480 192
WIRE 672 192 624 192
WIRE 832 192 736 192
WIRE 976 192 832 192
WIRE -48 208 -48 192
WIRE 480 208 480 192
WIRE 832 256 832 192
WIRE 848 256 832 256
WIRE 1040 256 1040 240
WIRE 1040 256 928 256
WIRE 1136 256 1136 176
WIRE 1152 256 1136 256
WIRE 1328 256 1328 224
WIRE 1328 256 1232 256
WIRE -48 304 -48 288
WIRE 288 304 288 240
WIRE 288 304 -48 304
WIRE 480 304 480 288
WIRE 1040 304 1040 256
WIRE 1040 304 480 304
WIRE 1328 304 1328 256
WIRE 1328 304 1040 304
WIRE -48 320 -48 304
WIRE 480 320 480 304
FLAG -48 320 0
FLAG -32 16 V1
FLAG 480 320 0
FLAG 496 16 V2
SYMBOL npn 224 144 R0
SYMATTR InstName NPN1
SYMATTR Value 2N3904
SYMBOL LED 160 32 R270
WINDOW 0 -50 31 VTop 2
WINDOW 3 0 32 VBottom 2
SYMATTR InstName D1
SYMATTR Value LXK2-PW14
SYMATTR Description Diode
SYMATTR Type diode
SYMBOL zener 208 176 R90
WINDOW 0 0 32 VBottom 2
WINDOW 3 32 32 VTop 2
SYMATTR InstName D2
SYMATTR Value KDZ8_2B
SYMATTR Description Diode
SYMATTR Type diode
SYMBOL res 0 32 R270
WINDOW 0 32 56 VTop 2
WINDOW 3 0 56 VBottom 2
SYMATTR InstName R1
SYMATTR Value 1K
SYMBOL res 0 208 R270
WINDOW 0 32 56 VTop 2
WINDOW 3 0 56 VBottom 2
SYMATTR InstName R2
SYMATTR Value 1K
SYMBOL voltage -48 192 R0
WINDOW 3 34 129 Left 2
WINDOW 123 0 0 Left 0
WINDOW 39 0 0 Left 0
SYMATTR InstName V1
SYMATTR Value PULSE(0 15 0 200ms 200ms 600ms)
SYMBOL npn 976 144 R0
SYMATTR InstName NPN2
SYMATTR Value 2N3904
SYMBOL voltage 480 192 R0
WINDOW 3 34 129 Left 2
WINDOW 123 0 0 Left 0
WINDOW 39 0 0 Left 0
SYMATTR InstName V2
SYMATTR Value PULSE(0 15 0 200ms 200ms 600ms)
SYMBOL zener 736 176 R90
WINDOW 0 0 32 VBottom 2
WINDOW 3 32 32 VTop 2
SYMATTR InstName D4
SYMATTR Value KDZ6_8B
SYMATTR Description Diode
SYMATTR Type diode
SYMBOL res 528 32 R270
WINDOW 0 32 56 VTop 2
WINDOW 3 0 56 VBottom 2
SYMATTR InstName R3
SYMATTR Value 1K
SYMBOL res 528 208 R270
WINDOW 0 32 56 VTop 2
WINDOW 3 0 56 VBottom 2
SYMATTR InstName R4
SYMATTR Value 48.4K
SYMBOL npn 1264 128 R0
SYMATTR InstName NPN3
SYMATTR Value 2N3904
SYMBOL pnp 1104 128 M180
SYMATTR InstName PNP1
SYMATTR Value 2N3906
SYMBOL res 912 96 R270
WINDOW 0 32 56 VTop 2
WINDOW 3 0 56 VBottom 2
SYMATTR InstName R5
SYMATTR Value 10K
SYMBOL res 1136 272 R270
WINDOW 0 32 56 VTop 2
WINDOW 3 0 56 VBottom 2
SYMATTR InstName R6
SYMATTR Value 1K
SYMBOL res 832 272 R270
WINDOW 0 32 56 VTop 2
WINDOW 3 0 56 VBottom 2
SYMATTR InstName R7
SYMATTR Value 22K
SYMBOL LED 688 32 R270
WINDOW 0 -50 31 VTop 2
WINDOW 3 0 32 VBottom 2
SYMATTR InstName D3
SYMATTR Value LXK2-PW14
SYMATTR Description Diode
SYMATTR Type diode
TEXT 974 320 Left 2 !.tran 0 127ms 119ms startup uic
TEXT 568 104 Left 2 ;100K\nPot.
RECTANGLE Normal 640 256 544 80 2

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Short-term– Write down one aspect of digital citizenship that you think is important to teach students and suggest a resource.
Long-term– Host a workshop on digital citizenship and e-safety to educate parents and fellow staff members.
Due to traveling, I am behind on posting the podcasts. I will try to get the podcasts up soon!
This is a commendable initiative. The notion of Digital Citizenship is considerably broader, but the focus on social networking skills is increasingly important as students get older and closer to the workforce. Better to do it right than try to fix up errors.
Have you come across real curriculum or support material to make it happen? Something concrete that can be shared?
This is an important goal, Shelly — thanks for your thoughtful video and prompts. Discussing Digital Citizenship and e-safety with students and parents is vital!
The wiki contains just 2 pages: one with ideas for Running a Workshop, and one with Links to Resources.
Thanks again — and good luck to all parents and educators working in this area.


text:
export = getWidth;

declare function getWidth(
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interface Settings {
    bold?: boolean | undefined;
    font?: "andale mono"|"arial"|"avenir next"|"avenir"|"comic sans ms"|"courier new"|"georgia"|"impact"|"open sans"|"tahoma"|"times new roman"|"trebuchet ms"|"verdana"|"webdings" | undefined;
    italic?: boolean | undefined;
    size?: number | undefined;
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


When your guests arrive, they'll be filled with awe and love at first sight over this "Cascade Lodge Collections" valance. Praise and applause will fill the air with Cascade Lodge madness take-over, hitting nature lovers everywhere! This valance comes with a distinctive pattern of streaming bear and acorns alternated with a decorative design. You'll find warm earth tones in cahoots with forest green and red borders, colorizing their way into perfect unison! Thunderous symmetry will capture imaginations with this scenic view, in bringing nature's envisages to life indoors. The scenery of your home will transpire imagery into experience, with the sunshine or the earth's rain.
The complete series is favored by outdoor lovers from all walks of life as they purchase the entire comforter set, sheet set, shams, accent pillows, window treatments, and bath linens to create the perfect rustic ensemble!
Rod pocket measuring 84" x 18"


^ Linzey, A. V. & NatureServe (Hammerson, G. & Cannings, S.) (2008年). "Marmota monax". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2008. International Union for Conservation of Nature. Retrieved 2009年1月6日.
^ Thorington, R.W., Jr.; Hoffman, R.S. (2005). "Family Sciuridae". In Wilson, D.E.; Reeder, D.M. Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 797. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC 62265494.
^ Chapman, J.A.; Feldhammer, G.A. (1982). Wild Mammals of North America, Biology, Management, Economics. Johns Hopkins University Press. ISBN 0801823536.
^ Woodchucks in Rhode Island. (PDF) . dem.ri.gov. Retrieved on 2011-09-15.
^ a b Owen, Lorrie K., ed. Dictionary of Ohio Historic Places. Vol. 1. セント・クレアショアーズ: Somerset, 1999, p. 328.


text:
Alcaracejos kan syfta på följande platser:

Spanien

 Alcaracejos (kommunhuvudort), Andalusien, Province of Córdoba,
 Alcaracejos (kommun), Andalusien, Province of Córdoba,

Robotskapade Spanienförgreningar


text:
Il chorizo al sidro (chorizo a la sidra) è una specialità della cucina asturiana, in cui i chorizo asturiani (una varietà di chorizo) vengono cotti nel sidro. Originario delle Asturie, il piatto si è diffuso nella cucina spagnola, e in particolare a Madrid, dove viene spesso servito come tapa in una pentola di terracotta, accompagnato da bevande tipiche come sidro, vino o birra.

Preparazione
Il chorizo utilizzato nella preparazione del piatto è quello asturiano, che per sua natura è un chorizo affumicato. Di solito viene arrostito e poi tagliato a fette spesse mezzo centimetro, cuocendole nel sidro fino a quando non si ammorbidiscono leggermente. Dopo questa operazione, viene servito caldo su un piatto o, tradizionalmente, in una pentola di terracotta, con un brodo in cui si mescolano il grasso del chorizo e il sidro. Il condimento tipico sono le patate lesse, e le bevande che lo accompagnano sono il sidro stesso, la birra o il vino.

Note

Altri progetti

cucina delle Asturie
antipasti
secondi piatti
piatti a base di maiale


Don't miss one of the nicest unit in The Estates! This one bedroom, one bathroom with a loft condo in the gated community of The Estates @ Westbury. Open floor plan with vaulted ceilings brings in the extra light, and a fireplace for chilly winter nights. Master bedroom offers a walk-in closet. Enjoy the South Carolina weather on your private patio with lagoon view. Community features a fitness center and pool for your enjoyment.


text:
Course - Minneapolis - Fall 2021
MacPhail Community Youth Choir (MCYC)
Tuition: FREE!
The MacPhail Community Youth Choir (MCYC) brings together youth in grades 6-12 throughout the Twin Cities area for music and friendship. The choir is led by Twin Cities artist J.D. Steele, of the famous Steele Family, who brings his dynamic style and passion for music to the group, which is free and open to students of all skill levels and talents. This group of energetic young people performs many styles of music including jazz, gospel, pop and East African.
MCYC performs at exciting events and venues throughout the Twin Cities such as Diversity Days at Target Field, The Civil Society Superbowl Safety Party for Youth at the Cedar Cultural Center, Governor Dayton's Inauguration, and as an opening act for former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's lecture at Northrup Auditorium. A thrilling highlight for the choir in 2012 was the opportunity to perform at the Flint Hills International Children's Festival with Shangilia, a youth performance group from Nairobi, Kenya also under the direction of Steele. This exciting international project provide the MCYC youth the opportunity to engage with the youth choir in Kenya on a cultural and artistic level.
Weekly rehearsals are held at the Capri Theater in North Minneapolis on Saturdays from 10:00-12:00 beginning on September 11.
To learn how you can be a part of MCYC, contact Jon Iverson at 612.767.5506 or iverson.jon@macphail.org
From September 11, 2021 to January 29, 2022
Each Saturday from 10am to Noon
Except the following dates:
Saturday,November 27, 2021
Saturday,December 25, 2021
Saturday,January 1, 2022
Sat, Sep 11, 2021 10:00 AM 2 hours
Sat, Oct 2, 2021 10:00 AM 2 hours
Sat, Oct 16, 2021 10:00 AM 2 hours
Sat, Nov 6, 2021 10:00 AM 2 hours
Sat, Nov 13, 2021 10:00 AM 2 hours
Sat, Dec 4, 2021 10:00 AM 2 hours
Sat, Dec 11, 2021 10:00 AM 2 hours
Sat, Jan 8, 2022 10:00 AM 2 hours
Sat, Jan 15, 2022 10:00 AM 2 hours
Faculty member: J.D. Steele
10 years - 18 years
Program Method:
Ensembles, Choral Programs


Dubai Duty Free has changed profoundly in scale and sophistication from the fledgling start-up that commenced trading on 20 December 35 years ago. But one aspect of its business has remained constant – its leadership. Colm McLoughlin has been at the helm since the first day's trading and three and a half decades on he insists that he's as passionate about the business as ever. Certainly, his golden touch remains undiminished as sometime between the 35th anniversary on 20 December and New Year's Eve, the business will break through the US$2 billion sales barrier. Not bad for an enterprise that, in McLoughlin's words, "Buys things, adds something on and sells them." Martin Moodie reports.
Colm McLoughlin: Leader, legend, industry statesman.
And still the vision stays alive.
While I wait on the telephone line to be put through to Dubai Duty Free Executive Vice Chairman & CEO Colm McLoughlin, a holding tune plays down the line. It's not just any old tune. It's a song, in fact, co-written by McLoughlin to celebrate the retailer's 25th anniversary ten years ago. It's called Fly Buy Dubai, a catchy wee ditty that can be heard over the tannoy at Dubai Duty Free stores and even from giveaway gimmick pens that the retail veteran takes great delight in demonstrating.
As the Irishman from Ballinasloe, County Galway comes onto the line, I mention what I have just been listening to. "Can you imagine that 'Fly Buy Dubai' is ten years old now?" he asks with unmasked glee. I can, I reply, as he has played it to me so many times during the ensuing decade.
The anecdote's other revelatory aspect is the self-deprecation. "We messed about a bit more and ended up with the finished product" sounds remarkably similar to McLoughlin's now famous explanation (quoted at the original Trinity Forum in 2003) of Dubai Duty Free's astonishing success. "All we do is buy things, add something on and sell them," he told wide-eyed delegates, a mantra he repeated when attending the same event 15 years on in Shanghai this October.
"Our philosophy is to keep it simple," he says." Dubai Duty Free has, in fact, been keeping it simple for 35 years come 20 December but that adherence to basics has translated into one of the retail world's most impressive and enduring success stories. It's one that will be triumphantly underscored later this month as sales burst through the US$2 billion mark for the first time.
Colm McLoughlin has won wide recognition outside the duty free industry. In 2017 he received an Honorary Doctorate of the University from Middlesex University Dubai for his contribution to UAE society and outstanding service to the aviation sector.
In those 35 years McLoughlin has become the most recognised, most feted and most awarded figure in the global travel retail sector. But he's never, as they say, forgotten where he's come from – literally in the case of his Irish roots and more broadly in the sense of what a humble start-up Dubai Duty Free was.
The tale of how the Dubai government commissioned a consultancy team from Irish state-owned airports company Aer Rianta for a six-month contract to set up Dubai Duty Free in 1983 has been told many times. McLoughlin was, of course, part of that team, and famously made the fateful decision to stay on after the contract's expiry and lead the fledgling operation. He's never forgotten the roll-up-your-sleeves mentality that enabled his management and staff to cope with those challenging early conditions. I ask him for a single abiding memory from that first year.
"Can I give you two?" he replies. There he is again, adding something on.
"On the day before we opened, I will always remember being in a tunnel under the airport, standing on an empty oil barrel, giving a training programme to some Filipino staff who were going to be starting the next day. I was showing them, for example, what a US Dollar looked like, showing them what a Pound Sterling looked like, and wishing them well for tomorrow.
Colm McLoughlin is interviewed by Dubai broadcasting personality Phil Blizzard on the retailer's 35th Anniversary.
McLoughlin recalls how in the early days of Dubai Duty Free several travel retail executives had no idea where Dubai was, let alone that it was home to a thriving duty free retailer. That ignorance all changed one famous night in Nice, France in 1985 when the retailer won its first Frontier Award during the annual Tax Free show (before the event's subsequent move to Cannes).
The original travel retail Trinity: (Left to right) A flashback to 1985 as Dubai Duty Free senior executives George Horan (recently retired after 33 years' service), Colm McLoughlin and John Sutcliffe (still active in the business as a board member of Aer Rianta International-Middle East) celebrate the original Frontier Award, at the time a huge breakthrough for Dubai Duty Free.
McLoughlin has an uncanny memory for numbers and events, and reels off one achievement after another over the retailer's 35 years. "Winning all the awards we have won has been an incredible thing; our continuous growth along the years has been an incredible thing. We have had only one year in our history [1990, the year of the first Gulf War] when we did not beat the year before." Another memorable occasion came in 2002 when the retailer crossed one billion Dirhams in sale for the first time [this year that figure is set to reach around 7.5 billion Dirhams].
Pride of a nation: Colm McLoughlin receiving the Irish Presidential Distinguished Service Award in 2014 from Ireland's President Michael D. Higgins, with Taoiseach (Prime Minister) Enda Kenny looking on.
Staff matter to McLoughlin. So does loyalty – in both directions. His insistence on a strict internal promotional policy has meant that no senior executive has been employed from outside the company in 18 years. That philosophy, McLoughlin believes, has helped drive a sustained annual staff turnover rate of less than 6%, "which in most companies and certainly in this part of the world is unique".
Giving back to society is another bedrock. "Part of our essence that we have proven over and over again is to respect people and to give back a little bit," he says. The understatement once more is profound. Dubai Duty Free has given many hundreds of millions of dollars down the years, often to and through the Dubai Duty Free Foundation, a charitable entity created in 2004 that benefits from the whole-hearted support of McLoughlin's boss, H.H. Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President of Dubai Civil Aviation Authority and Chairman of Dubai Duty Free.
Much of the corporate philosophy stems, of course, from McLoughlin's own management beliefs. What then has been his mindset as he has begun each and every day over the past 35 years?
"Travel retail's most famous son and industry statesman [like] another Shannon Airport pioneer, Dr Brendan O'Regan." This moving tribute to the life and times of Colm McLoughlin was produced by The Moodie Davitt Report to mark his 70th birthday in 2013.
And how would he like to see Dubai Duty Free evolve in the very different world of post-2018 from that of 1983?
"Well, of course, things have to change continuously. There's always the question in the duty free industry about online sales taking over but that hasn't proven so to us as yet. We're going to do around US$20 million this year in our online business. I like it that things we're involved in now will continue. I want to see our Foundation flourishing. I want to see sporting activities that we're doing continue, and I want to see a continuation of our spend from our top line on marketing, promotion and sponsoring various things.
Colm McLoughlin ensured that Dubai Duty Free brought smiles to thousands of children's faces with this extraordinary donation of US$1.5 million to cleft charity The Smile Train in 2009.
The longevity of things. It's a telling phrase, reminiscent of one coined by veteran Irish professional golfer Des Smyth [who enjoys a particularly close relationship with Dubai Duty Free] who spoke during the recent Dubai Duty Free Golf World Cup of McLoughlin's "strong loyalty streak". Former suppliers and even fellow retailers would testify to it, often expressing admiration for being invited back to Dubai Duty Free functions year after year despite long having moved on in, or even retired from, their careers.
McLoughlin turns 76 next July, remarkable career longevity by any standards but particularly in a retail sector that so often churns and burns talent and can write off people as too old even in their early 50s. Does he still look forward with the same energy to starting every day?
Getting things done has been a constant now for 35 years in Colm McLoughlin's life. And one draws the inescapable conclusion that there is an awful lot of doing that still lies ahead.


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