text:
It Is Better To Offer No Excuse Than A Bad One
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ByConcomitant
This headline is a quote by George Washington, but it is also friendly advice to Keith Jackson of the Daily Record in response to his 'exclusive' today on the reasons Derek McInnes turned down Rangers.
May I begin by drawing people's attention to two statements by the same organisation on what was essentially the same subject matter:
Aberdeen FC Statement 14th June 2017:
https://www.afc.co.uk/2017/06/14/club-statement-management-team/
"The club can confirm that early this afternoon Sunderland FC agreed to meet all the contractual obligations for both Derek McInnes and Tony Docherty and they have, reluctantly, been granted permission to speak with both of them about the vacant managerial position at Sunderland.
Aberdeen FC will be making no further comment at this moment in time."
Aberdeen FC Statement 5th December 2017
https://www.afc.co.uk/2017/12/05/club-statement-18/
"Aberdeen Football Club has announced this evening that Rangers have contacted the Club asking for permission to speak to Derek McInnes and that permission has been refused."
It is clear from the first statement there are contractual obligations that, when met, mean the club must allow their manager the option of dialogue with interested parties, however reluctant the club may be.
Although money is not mentioned, contractual obligations can only relate to the commitments on either side to terminate the agreement and these are usually financial. In the case of an interested suitor, it would be expected of them to pay this on behalf of the employee.
There is no mention of contractual obligations in the club statement on 5th December, from which one can only infer that Rangers either refused, or were in no position to meet, the financial commitments required. Aberdeen FC therefore exercised their right to refuse permission to speak to McInnes, a position they are perfectly entitled to maintain until such time as Rangers agree to meet all contractual obligations, just as Sunderland did.
The story for the press to pursue is obvious yet Keith Jackson wants to have us believe that the McInnes decision -and ultimately it was his decision – has nothing to do with money. Jackson even suggested that an offer of £1m up-front was on the table in a piece that was published on Wednesday:
In it, Jackson states;
"Dons chairman Stewart Milne made his hardball position clear last night after booting out an official approach from the Ibrox club – and turning down a cheque for £1 million in compensation."
I'm not entirely sure what Mr Jackson means by an 'official' approach, I would have thought 'formal' to be more apposite but it's a moot point in the grand scheme of things. Fact is, Jackson didn't think long and hard enough about this statement because it contains not one, or two, but three glaring inaccuracies.
Mr Milne did not 'boot out' any approach – official, formal or otherwise. If Rangers had met the necessary contractual obligations then Aberdeen FC could not have refused McInnes the opportunity to speak to Rangers – that would have been a breach of contract on the club's part and McInnes could sue.
Mr Milne is not 'playing hardball'. Playing hardball is about getting what you want. Mr Milne already has what he wants. He doesn't need to play hardball – it is Rangers who, if they cannot afford the compensation or wish to alter the terms of the compensation, would need to attempt to play hardball. Jackson has this the wrong way around – a common failing when trying to justify a lie and pursue a biased narrative.
I don't dispute that Rangers offered to pay £1 million in compensation, but I do not believe for one millisecond that it would be paid in a single instalment either by cheque, cash or bank transfer because the audited accounts published last month prove that such a commitment would not be possible. A shortfall of £4m was required in soft loans to see out the current season, with monies required immediately, and a further £3.2m after June 18. Furthermore, these figures did not consider the additional cost of a change of management at the club/holding company/engine room subsidiary/call it what you will.
It's rather telling that Mr Jackson makes no mention of this £1m cheque in his 'exclusive' today. Instead, he offers another inaccuracy. He says';
"When Milne made it clear he was unwilling to grant the move his blessing – and that McInnes would have to rip up his contract to pursue a return to Ibrox – the ex-Rangers player was boxed into a corner."
Mr Milne is in no position to grant a move, whether with his blessing or otherwise. There is a binding contract in place and only if contractual obligations are met then – as is glaringly obvious from the Aberdeen Club Statement of 14th June – Mr Milne would have to, albeit reluctantly, allow the manager to speak to the other club, just as he did in the case of Sunderland. He cannot box his manager into a corner. There is no decision for Mr Milne to make if the requisite compensation is agreed to be paid in full to terminate the manager's contract with Aberdeen FC.
More plausibly, Rangers could box McInnes into a corner. The job is his if he wants it, but he will have to resign his position to take it because Rangers won't meet the contractual obligations. Once again Jackson has it the wrong way around because he is lying and pursuing a biased narrative.
Any reasonably minded follower of Scottish football knows why McInnes is not going to Rangers. It's all about the money – or the lack of it – and no amount of lying or high-level fantasy by award winning journalists will alter that prosaic fact.
Concomitant contributor
Despite over 30 years in exile I'm still as passionate about our national game as I ever was. It breaks my heart to see it being destroyed by those in power - the SFA, the SPFL, the Scottish media and in some cases the clubs.
779 Comments so far
StevieBCPosted on1:26 am - Jan 2, 2018
Just a wild idea…
But, what if King declared himself bankrupt?
[Well in a court recently, he did claim he was 'penniless'].
Of course anyone who knows of the glib and shameless one would assume King would have assets hidden, or in his wife's name – a la wee Bazza?
Would bankruptcy effectively kill off the TOP sanctions?
At this point it seems that King's reputation is ruined in Scotland – and with the bears and even with the SMSM?
King's time is up playing charades as 'the Rangers saviour', and he must – you would think – be thinking about preserving his remaining wealth as he approaches retirement…?
DarkbeforedawnPosted on3:41 am - Jan 2, 2018
As a member of The Tartan army I have always hated Hampden. It's the worst stadium to get too, has the worst atmosphere and the worst places to view a game. My preference would be Murryfield but I would settle for alternatives between the other major stadium. I don't like going to Celtic Park for Scotland games (the rangers fan in me) and I can see why Celtic fans wouldn't want to go to Ibrox. Pittodrie is far to far to travel for me so Murryfield would seem the obvious. As a regular rugby goer I love the atmosphere in Murryfield and the transportation there is easy for almost everyone to get too.
Stevie BC, the issue with declaring himself bankrupt is it stops him holding any director role in a company in the UK and possibly South Africa. I can't see him doing that "for the sake of the club". I think like Murray before him he likes the limelight. He knows very well the best option for the club would be resign as any acting party in the club and still provide the soft loans. It would take all scrutiny away from the club and could leave the chairman role to someone more respected such as Alistair Johnston. That would stop the risk of the TOP ruling having such a huge impact on the club. It's the selfless and obvious choice to make and he could still be seen as the saviour from abroad saving the club through loans, but he wouldn't get the same exposure he so much craves. His defiance is what will lead to his downfall and his selfishness could lead lead to the downfall of the club.
AllyjamboPosted on7:24 am - Jan 2, 2018
DarkbeforedawnJanuary 2, 2018 at 03:48
Hi, DBD, and a Happy New Year to you.
While your recent posts have been pretty good, showing a realistic approach to what's happening at your club, might I ask how it could be that the chairman of RIFC's selfishness, and I presume you include his dishonesty in that, could lead to your club's downfall, if, as you've previously claimed, the club is separate from the company? Surely, in your belief structure, it would only be the company, TRFC Ltd, that would 'fall down', and the club would just sit around, responsible for none of the inherent financial chicanery of the 'overspend our way to success' ethos that permeates at Ibrox, until some new 'football company' is set up to carry the can again!
I know it's a bit early in the year to reintroduce the OC/NC debate, but I am wondering if you've, perhaps, come to realise that the idea that a football club can, for some skewed reason, escape the consequences of it's own greed, is pretty ludicrous?
upthehoopsPosted on8:52 am - Jan 2, 2018
On this day in 1971, the Ibrox disaster happened during a Rangers v Celtic game at Ibrox. 66 fans died in a crush. Some of us remember that day, some of us may even have been there, while some of us would not even be on this earth at the time.
We are all football fans. Nobody should go to a football match and never return home. Rest in Peace.
Cluster OnePosted on10:35 am - Jan 2, 2018
It would take all scrutiny away from the club and could leave the chairman role to someone more respected such as Alistair Johnston.
You do know Alistair Johnston.was on the board during the EBT years and Johnston admits the other ongoing tax probe could leave Rangers with a bill they cannot afford to pay.
AllyjamboPosted on10:53 am - Jan 2, 2018
DBD, though I used your above post to highlight the impossibility of separating club from company, I have to agree, to some extent, with the thrust of the post. While I am not sure that by declaring himself bankrupt that King could escape the wrath of the TOP and CoS, he isn't going to do anything for the benefit of your club if it doesn't benefit him, or save him, at the same time.
That said, however, King's 'ownership' of the NOAL Trust was established in court to the judge's satisfaction, and I doubt that he would get away with making further loans to RIFC plc through it or any other hidden avenue, once declared bankrupt. Indeed, despite my limited knowledge of bankruptcy laws, I am certain that King (or anyone else) can't just announce bankruptcy and clear themselves of all fiscal responsibilities, they have to prove they have no money to meet their debts, and as far as we know, King doesn't have any – and if he had, the court would make sure the funds in his NOAL Trust would be used to meet them, as far as possible, with, I am sure, an investigation into what other (disguised)investments he holds. One thing's for sure, he would not be allowed to 'lend' any money to RIFC/TRFC, and, if he does, indeed, have substantial debts, his creditors might well force the return of his existing RIFC loans to meet his debts.
One thing's for sure, the law will not allow someone to avoid the consequences of breaking the laws and regulations of the land by availing one's self of the laws of bankruptcy! While a little tax cheating scrote like Barry Ferguson might get away with transferring his assets to his wife, just prior to receiving his tax bill, King and his money are already on the court's radar and I doubt that even his Masonic connections would be enough to let him get away with further fraudulent behaviour.
Something I am sure of, and has to be considered before wondering if bankruptcy is a way out for both/either King or RIFC, and that is – you have to have debts that you demonstrably can't meet before you can petition for bankruptcy. Unless King has very substantial debts, that outweigh, at least, the funds held in the NOAL Trust, then he has no grounds to declare himself bankrupt.
upthehoopsJanuary 2, 2018 at 08:52 29 2
On this day in 1971, the Ibrox disaster happened during a Rangers v Celtic game at Ibrox. 66 fans died in a crush. Some of us remember that day, some of us may even have been there, while some of us would not even be on this earth at the time. We are all football fans. Nobody should go to a football match and never return home. Rest in Peace.
Wow! I know we are not meant to put much store on the thumbs up or down, but two people have given thumbs down to this post! Who on earth could find fault with a post respecting the dead from the Ibrox disaster?
It kind of confirms my belief that there are people coming onto this site who don't read the posts, but are assigned with the task of creating the appearance that there is some disagreement with posts that mostly criticise Rangers(IL) and TRFC and hit the TD button without thought.
Alternatively, of course, it could just be that others, like myself, have difficulty hitting the correct symbol on tablets or mobile phones, I certainly hope that is the case here.
Thanks to Upthehoops for reminding us of that sad day, something we should do every year as a mark of respect for those who died on Scottish football's worst day.
upthehoopsPosted on12:42 pm - Jan 2, 2018
ALLYJAMBOJANUARY 2, 2018 at 11:07
A bit puzzled at the thumbs down myself A.J, but there's nowt queerer than folk as they say!
Big PinkPosted on1:54 pm - Jan 2, 2018
I suspect the TDs are not from SFM folk (remember the ratings are available to all manner of trolls). It is a disgusting world-view if made in earnest. A shocking way to score a point if not.
jimboPosted on2:01 pm - Jan 2, 2018
The thumbs down misuse mystifies me. It happens often. I wish we had a simple LIKE button with no dislike option. You either vote for a post in a positive way or scroll past. I know it would sacrifice the option of registering a strong disagreement in points of principle, but worth it I think.
It would take away the perverse satisfaction of these trolls. Besides, our great posters are very able to counter any dubious posts with logical counter arguments. (Which can then be LIKED)
Just dawned on me it might be easier to just disable the thumb down button rather than introducing a LIKE button.
HomunculusPosted on2:34 pm - Jan 2, 2018
Our hero, and he really is a hero is at it again with his self-effacing prose.
"I cover every issue and more often than not you will read it here first. If I were a Superhero and not a mere blogger I would literally champion the oppressed. However as one who believes that the pen is mightier than the sword I revert to keystrokes. I have never had a tattoo but if I ever decided to go down this route I would choose the Palestinian flag. However as this might offend one of my my best friends, Max in Tel Aviv, I continue to demure."
I'm assuming he means demur, however he could well be a shy, modest lady.
The heroism continues
"When it comes to murderers who remain at large this site will continue to hold the most the most odious mass murderer since Pol Pot, Tony Blair, to account. Given half a chance I would fell him with a single head-butt or induce irreparable damage to his frontal lobes with an upward punch to his nose. Suffice to say I have sufficient training in martial arts to make this blow count. People like Blair are immune to the pen. This lily livered pansy deserves the sword."
Can you guess who it is yet.
AllyjamboPosted on2:38 pm - Jan 2, 2018
Big PinkJanuary 2, 2018 at 13:54
AJI suspect the TDs are not from SFM folk (remember the ratings are available to all manner of trolls). It is a disgusting world-view if made in earnest. A shocking way to score a point if not.
_________________-
I didn't, for a moment, suspect they were from anyone who posts here, even the more prolific troll posters are better than that, I am sure.
For some time now I have had the feeling that there is someone, or some people, coming on here and just TDing a number of posts without bothering to read their content, either out of malice or as some sort of concerted effort on behalf of people with reason to dislike our message. It really is quite strange how, suddenly, a number of posts receive one, two or occasionally three thumbs down in very short order, and often posts like uth's, that could offend no one, receive these petty TDs as a result.
I can honestly say that I have never read anything from our regular, or occasional, posters that might suggest they would TD anything relating to that terrible day. I include, of course, all supporters of Celtic and RFC/TRFC who have, over the years, made their arguments on SFM. My experience of Celtic supporters talking of that day is one that leaves me certain in the knowledge that only the basest of their support (and we all have them) were not badly effected by the disaster and in full sympathy with the deceased, their families and the wider Rangers support.
I can still remember that night, sitting in the Queens Arms in Edinburgh, watching the death count rising on the TV, waiting for one of our mates we knew was at the game, getting more and more nervous until he appeared. It had a lasting effect on me.
easyJamboPosted on3:33 pm - Jan 2, 2018
Allyjambo January 2, 2018 at 14:38
My one overriding memory of the Ibrox disaster was that of the five schoolkids aged between 13 and 15, all from the village of Markinch in Fife, who lost their lives. I lived just a few miles away and was only 15 myself, at the time.
I remember those losses having a huge impact on the local Fife schools and communities.
tonyPosted on3:37 pm - Jan 2, 2018
that jj needs medical help
You guessed, what gave it away.
pretty sure it was the drivel
Not the humility then.
jean7brodiePosted on4:18 pm - Jan 2, 2018
I am utterly heartbroken re the TDs given to any post about the Ibrox Disaster. I could weep for those so twisted as to do this.
Historical / hysterical January transfers:
Jean-Alain Boumsong (Rangers to Newcastle £8m, 2005)
This was a strange signing on many levels, with Newcastle paying Rangers £8m for Boumsong's services just a few months after he'd been available on a free.
The Newcastle manager? G. Souness!
(Think he received an EBT after it)
is that his superhero name
woodsteinPosted on5:00 pm - Jan 2, 2018
Can you guess who it is yet
Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche, the madman.
He has a logo already
dom16Posted on5:22 pm - Jan 2, 2018
BP & Tris – can you switch off the "snow" please?
Dom16, Was thinking about Christmas decorations today. I took mine down. Most neighbours have done the same. Nowadays with the huge build up to Christmas from November we are ready to put it behind earlier than in the past. It used to be customary to keep decorations up until 5 Jan. 'Epiphany Eve' or 'twelfth night'. It's good to see them go up but good to see them put away for another year!
(Merry Christmas).
Radio Clyde has broken down
New blog up by guest blogger David Low


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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Capthysq is a fungal symbiote developed by Tuablin.
The spores enter the host by inhalation or injection after which they make their way to the host's brain. They attach to the frontal lobes, growing and displacing them. Though lowering the intelligence, it bequeaths to the host an immunity to tranquilizers and boosts endurance.
Tuablin uses this on their slave shock troops. Fungi can be removed only by surgery or by radiation.
This page was last modified on 28 March 2019, at 16:08.


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Off the beaten track in Northern Laos | TravelGumbo
Off the beaten track in Northern Laos
Adventure TravelAsiaDestinationsFood and FoodwaysLaos
Jill's Scene 4/23/155:00 AM
Where's that, most people asked when I told them we were off to Laos. And that about sums up the attraction -- I like getting off the beaten track, at home and abroad.
Laos is landlocked. It's a developing country. Most of the population live in rural villages. Although the government is communist, religion is tolerated. The north is mainly Buddhist and Animist. In short, Laos is about as different from my home, here in New Zealand, as it's possible to get.
(Street vendor in Luang Prabang)
(The morning market, Luang Prabang)
Laos shares its borders with China, Myanmar, Cambodia, Thailand, and Vietnam. That's a lot of neighbours to keep in with, which hasn't always been easy, possibly still isn't. Laotian history, like its countryside, is dramatic. In recent times it has included colonization by the French, the Indo-China wars, civil wars, the overthrow of the monarchy, establishment of the communist regime and the ensuing diaspora of the HMong people.
One of the first things I noticed is that there were children everywhere. Despite the poverty, despite the malnutrition, they spoke to me of hope for the future.
(Children in an Akha Village, near Luang Namtha)
There's no getting around the fact that Laos is a developing nation, and one of the poorest in Southeast Asia. Many people rely on subsistence farming. Food supply, especially in rural areas, is insecure.
Nevertheless, Laos is rushing as fast as it can in to the 21st century. And why not. I don't think it's for westerners to criticise that.
(Rice distribution in Nong Khiaw)
The best bits
I'm a slow traveler. I like to soak in as much as I can, to take the time to build connections, no matter how short-lived, or tenuous. For me, a month was only just long enough to explore Northern Laos.
It was an experience that was one highlight after another. Here are the best of the best:
Best sunset
In a country that takes the everyday and makes it spectacular, one sunset stands out. It was our last night in Luang Prabang. We watched from the banks of the Mekong, near the confluence with the Nam Pak River.
(Sunset over the Mekong)
Even the rain in Laos seems exotic.
(Rain on the Mekong)
Best boat trip
Travel by boat on the rivers was the easiest way to get around. Although, I would never have said that at the beginning of our trip - I'm no boat lover. But it wasn't long before I came to look forward to our time on the water. Each trip was memorable. The best of the best was the seven hour journey up the Nam Ou River from Nong Khiaw to Muang Khua.
(Nong Khiaw, Northern Laos)
I thought I was in for a numb backside, a headache from the thrum of the engine, and a chill from which I'd never recover -- it was very cold. What I got was all those things (okay, okay, the chill didn't last that long!) plus seven hours of just me, my husband, the boat driver, the occasional villager hitching a ride, and the jungle. I took very few photos. I looked and I looked and I looked some more. And in that looking I realised, not for the first time and probably not for the last either, that it's too easy in my day to day life to get preoccupied with the wrong things.
Sadly, because of dam construction which was well under way in January, that particular trip, in the way we did it, is likely already a thing of the past.
(Boat on the Nam Ou River)
(The Mountains of the Nam Ou)
The best food
Laos food has a reputation for complex flavours with a strong French influence. My favourites are simple. Noodle soup at breakfast time.
And in the evenings, for dessert, coconut dumplings. They're best straight from the griddle - piping hot. They were readily available near the night markets in Luang Prabang and Luang Namtha.
(Noodle soup for breakfast)
(Coconut dumplings)
Stand-out spiritual moments
There were many prayerful moments during our trip. One of the most powerful was Tak Bat in Luang Prabang. The centuries old ceremony, during which the monks receive alms from the faithful, takes place every morning at dawn. There's a bit of controversy about this - mostly to do with the behaviour of tourists. Not all of us are polite or respectful. Nevertheless, for me there's a consolation in knowing that everyday the monks and the believers, despite the intrusions of foreigners, continue the traditions.
(After Tak Bat, Luang Prabang)
Best bus trip
Muang Khua to Oudamxay.
This was our first trip on a local bus. It was crowded. It was slow. It was bumpy. It took about four hours and I was pleased to arrive. Nevertheless, I was glad of the chance to see Laos daily life up close. But most of all I was grateful to the bus station manager in Muang Khua for his kindness, for his patience, and his helpfulness. He was eager for us to enjoy our time in his country - an attitude that was typical of our encounters with the locals.
(The bus station at Muang Khua)
Why Laos?
Since coming home people have often said to me: Oh, travel must be cheap in Laos.
And it can be, depending on where you stay and what you do, but that's not a good reason to visit this country.
Go for the challenge. If you're the reflective sort you'll see things that make you review your most basic assumptions.
(Houses in Muang Khua)
Go prepared to learn. The version of history I remember and that I was taught, growing up during the Vietnam war, is not the version the people of Laos experienced. This small town, like so many others, was pulverised. Realising that was humbling. And shocking.
(The main street, Muang Noi, Northern Laos)
If you're a nervous traveler, like me, go prepared to be scared witless. I was reasonably often. Things like rickety bamboo bridges and wobbly planks raise my blood pressure but then again I've considered renaming my blog: The trials of a timid traveler. Kidding, just kidding.
And, if you do enjoy getting off the beaten track, go prepared to be uncomfortable.
The rewards, as they say, speak for themselves.
(Fishing boats on the Mekong)
Personal blog http://jillscene.com
Twitter @jillscene
Tags: Laos, boat, Food
Travel LuverMember
An awesome place! An amazing journey!
How developed was the tourist infrastructure? Was it hard to get around? What guidebook did you use?
Jill's SceneMember
Hi there, Travel Luver, Thank-you for your comment. Laos is an awesome place, indeed!
In the main tourist centres of Northern Laos, especially Luang Prabang, I found the tourist infra structure to be well developed. In the smaller towns, and away from the usual tourist route, there were very few hotels but Guest Houses were common.
Getting around included river travel and local buses. I found river travel the most comfortable although the boats were sometimes crowded. I've seen some blogs where travellers complained about the difficulty of getting on and off the boats; a reasonable level of agility is required.
The local buses were always crowded. And they were slow. Some roads were in reasonable condition. Many were very potholed. We were there in the dry season which made getting about easier. We were told by other travellers that in the rainy season some of the roads are impassable. The way we did it, making it up as we went along, getting around required taking the time to research the options. It did have its challenges, especially as we don't speak Laos and often the local people didn't speak English.
We used the latest Laos Lonely Planet Laos and found it reliable. We booked most of our accommodation through Agoda as we went along, one to two days at a time.
Thanks, Jill! That's very helpful info.


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text:
The Burn with Jeff Ross: Returns January 8th
by Trevor Kimball, December 17, 2012
Comedy Central will premiere the second season of The Burn with Jeff Ross on Tuesday, January 8th. The cable channel ordered six new half-hour episodes in mid-November.
Here's the press release:
BURN, BABY, BURN!
THE SECOND SEASON OF "THE BURN WITH JEFF ROSS" PREMIERES ON COMEDY CENTRAL(R) TUESDAY, JANUARY 8 AT 10:30 P.M. ET/PT
Premiere Episode Panelists Include Anthony Jeselnik and Lisa Lampanelli
"The Burn with Jeff Ross" Episodes will be Available Day After Air in HD on iTunes, Xbox, Sony PlayStation, Amazon, Samsung and Vudu
NEW YORK, December 17, 2012 – The Infamous "Roastmaster General," Jeff Ross, is back on COMEDY CENTRAL and better than ever in the second season of the weekly half-hour topical series "The Burn with Jeff Ross," premiering on Tuesday, January 8 at 10:30 p.m. ET/PT. Guest panelists in the premiere episode include Ross' friends and fellow comedians Anthony Jeselnik and Lisa Lampanelli, both well-known for their roasting prowess.
The weekly series picks up where the Roasts leave off: Ross and a panel of guest comedians skewer the week's pop culture topics in-studio, and hit the streets on the "Roaster Coaster" to take aim at "Public Enemies" like drunks, hipsters and zombie lovers. Other segments include "Friendly Fire," in which Ross knocks on celebrity front doors, camera in tow; and "Too Soon," featuring commentary on the (extremely) recently departed. "The Burn with Jeff Ross" premiered its first season in August and averaged 1.0 million viewers per episode.
Leading up to the on-air premiere of season 2, "The Burn with Jeff Ross" Web site will feature preview clips, ticket links for show tapings and daily blog posts via a new Tumblr page launching in December. Fans of "The Burn" will also be able to interact with Ross via COMEDY CENTRAL social media platforms and an on-site Twitter module. Fans also can follow Ross on Twitter @realjeffreyross. Additional plans for engaging fans of The Burn online are in the works. Each episode of "The Burn with Jeff Ross" will be available the day after air in HD on iTunes, Xbox, Sony PlayStation, Amazon, Samsung and Vudu.
Having headlined the last nine COMEDY CENTRAL Roasts, Ross has roasted the likes of Roseanne, Charlie Sheen, Joan Rivers, Pamela Anderson, David Hasselhoff, and Donald Trump. As a stand-up comic, Ross has appeared on dozens of TV shows, including "The Late Show with David Letterman," "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno," "Jimmy Kimmel Live!," "Conan," "Last Call with Carson Daly," "The View," and "Real Time with Bill Maher." He also continues to perform regularly for American men and women in uniform stationed all over the world.
In film, Ross has appeared in the Farrelly Brothers' "Stuck on You," Paul Weitz's "American Dreamz," and the critically-acclaimed comedy, "The Aristocrats." Ross has co-written a film with producer Art Linson, "The Comedian," starring Robert De Niro and Kristen Wiig, and directed by Sean Penn. Ross' directorial debut, "Patriot Act: A Jeffrey Ross Home Movie," nabbed the best feature film award at the Montreal Comedy Festival. Ross' first book, "I Only Roast the Ones I Love: Busting Balls without Burning Bridges," is now available in paperback from Simon Spotlight Entertainment, a division of Simon & Schuster.
"The Burn with Jeff Ross" is executive produced by Ross, Mike Gibbons, Chris McGuire and Tagline Television's Willie Mercer and Amy Zvi; and directed by Jay Karas. Jim Sharp and Gary Mann are the Executives in Charge of Production for COMEDY CENTRAL.
Available on-air, online and on-the-go, COMEDY CENTRAL (www.cc.com) is the #1 brand in comedy and is owned by, and is a registered trademark of, Comedy Partners, a wholly-owned unit of Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIA and VIAB).
More about: The Burn with Jeff Ross, The Burn with Jeff Ross: canceled or renewed?
Comedy Central Announces Mid-Season Schedule: Tosh.0, Workaholics, Burn with Jeff Ross
The Burn with Jeff Ross: Season Two Renewal from Comedy Central


We have been looking at this report, and have this initial response.
other frameworks), and vulnerabilities in individual apps.
reference mentions "hundreds of vulnerable apps."
> code as far as the SOP is concerned.
> 'setNativeToJsBridgeMode' and 'setJsToNativeBridgeMode' functions.
> public API, but they are not protected by the SOP.
might be considered a non-security bug.
additional CVE assignments are possible.
> event-based bridges even when confined in an iframe.
Use CVE-2014-1881 for this first issue.
> bridge are available, and malicious code can access them directly.
Use CVE-2014-1882 for this second issue.
> from loading unauthorized content as, for example, an ad in an iframe.
> navigation event and checks the whitelist before allowing navigation.
> This event is not triggered for iframe fetches and XMLHttpRequests.
> Therefore, this defense fails to guarantee NoLoad.
seem to be referenced in the apachecordovaphonegap-bypass.txt summary.
entirely in the direction of blocking too much.
> inject malicious scripts into whitelisted origins.
considered a security enhancement, not a vulnerability fix.
whitelist file would be considered a security enhancement.
> implementation of whitelisting had been correct.
of assigning 2124 CVE IDs.
best considered a security enhancement.
would be considered a security enhancement.
> Web side must be authenticated by unforgeable capability tokens.


Banker & Tradesman published an article by Lynette Paczkowski discussing implications that a recent Massachusetts Appeals Court ruling holds for contractors. The Appeals Court found a contractor responsible for roof leaking and building code violations resulting from roofing work, despite the fact that the homeowners not only incorrectly described past work on their roof, but also forbade the contractors from testing the roof to prevent a building code violation. In light of this ruling, contractors in Massachusetts should make sure that their contracts contain provisions allowing projects to be left unfinished in the event that property owners make requests conducive to building code violations.
Read a reprint of "Contractors Violate Building Code While Adhering to Client Requests" HERE.
Lynette Paczkowski is a zealous advocate and trusted advisor, with experience representing clients from various industries including construction, utility, professional services, real estate, non-profit, and education, as well as individuals, in litigation matters and litigation-avoidance strategies. Lynette has significant experience at the trial and appellate levels in the state and federal courts of central Massachusetts and MetroWest handling civil litigation matters, including in the areas of construction litigation, land use disputes, and tort-related claims.


YouTube needs to continue regulating their content in a fair way because the internet is already home to enough danger.
YouTube has removed 58 million videos in just three months, according to a CNET article on . The motive behind filtering out these videos is to remove any that violates YouTube's policies or extremist content, which includes spam and adult content.
Despite the regulations YouTube has set for its content creators, the platform has found an overwhelming number of people uploading content that is objectionable. The desire to keep YouTube a safe place is understandable, but given that it has over a billion users makes it hard to regulate.
YouTube is a place that anyone can access and it is important to make sure it remains a safe place where people are free to use it as a creative outlet for the right reasons.
The benefits to taking down videos deemed unethical is to lower the incentive that others will re-upload the same videos. But there is also a political factor that supports the removal of videos. For example, some people have been known to post content onto YouTube supporting terrorism. This is never OK.
People can also search for trigger words and enter into a whole world of explicit and supremacist content.
If a video gets removed, there is a reason. If someone disagrees with that, YouTube is not the place to upload their videos.
Some argue that freedom of speech plays a role in uploading what you want on your own channel, which is understandable, but what YouTube tolerates on its platform ultimately reflects on the company's bigger image. Taking the steps towards creating a safe community is vital towards YouTube's continuing success and the safety of its users.
By eliminating videos that go against YouTube's guidelines, people will be able to use the platform in the ways that it is meant to be used. It will allow users to roam safely on the site without running into content that the average person would not want to see.
It also sends the message that if someone is to use their YouTube channel to promote hate or violence, it will not be tolerated.


For millions of people, that means it's the perfect time for a fun and leisurely winter getaway in Florida. While the state offers a host of great cities in which to escape winter such as Miami, West Palm Beach, and Orlando, don't overlook the state's largest city, Jacksonville. While sometimes passed over in favor of better known destinations, Jacksonville in fact offers a wealth of great attractions to discover, beautiful weather, and abundant sunshine, even during the dead of winter. Here at Carl's Van Rentals, we offer a fantastic way to get into and all around Jacksonville at an affordable price for a great winter getaway.
Jacksonville hosts a wide array of great attractions that make it the perfect place for a winter vacation.
Visitors can explore great cultural institutions like the Cummer Museum of Art, the Museum of Science and History, and the Museum of Contemporary Art Jacksonville. Check out dining, shopping, and entertainment options galore at Jacksonville Landing, relax at Kathryn Abbey Hanna Park, and much more!
Carl's Van Rentals, as always, offers the best way by far to get into and all around Jacksonville. Our conveniently located Jacksonville location holds a wide selection of quality van rentals to choose from at very affordable prices, including comfortable passenger vans and spacious minivans. No matter what your budget is or how large or small your party is, Carl's Van Rentals is always the way to go when it comes to getting into and all around Jacksonville economically, safely, and conveniently.
Be sure to contact Carl's Van Rentals today at (800) 565-5211 to learn more about Jacksonville, its wealth of great attractions, and our great deals on affordable, reliable van rentals. With so much to see and do, Jacksonville is the perfect place for a fun and relaxing winter getaway.


The United States and its allies will step up pressure on Iran to agree to a "first step" in negotiations on its nuclear program during a fresh round of talks Thursday and Friday in Geneva.
A senior U.S. official, speaking to reporters on Wednesday said negotiators from six world powers are ready to offer "limited, targeted and reversible" sanctions relief in response to agreement by Iran to start rolling back activities that could be used to make weapons.
The official said both sides are coming to the table Thursday with an understanding of what they want from each other as a "first step" — and what they are willing to give in return. She asked for anonymity as a condition for participation in her briefing.
"For the first time, Iran appears to be committed to moving this negotiation process forward quickly," the official was quoted by Reuters as saying, adding: "nothing is yet agreed to (and) there are gaps between the two sides which remain quite real."
But in a nod to skeptics in Congress, she emphasized that any economic relief given Iran can be canceled, should Tehran renege on commitments it makes in Geneva. And she said the six powers were looking to test the durability of any initial nuclear limits Iran agreed to by waiting — possibly for as long as for six months — after such agreement before any sanctions relief kicked in.
After nearly a decade of deadlock, Iran seems more amenable to making concessions to the six countries seeking to ensure it doesn't develop nuclear weapons: the United States, Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany. New reformist President Hassan Rouhani has indicated he could cut back on the nuclear program in exchange for an easing of crippling economic sanctions.
But factions both in Iran and in the United States are demanding their own interests be met first — and fast. Iranian hard-liners want significant sanctions reductions in exchange for scaling back enrichment, while some U.S. lawmakers want the enrichment to stop altogether in exchange for loosening sanctions. In the talks this week, negotiators will face strong pressure from both camps even as they try to find common ground among their own positions.
The talks concern the size and output of Iran's enrichment program, which can create both reactor fuel and weapons-grade material suitable for a nuclear bomb. Iran insists it is pursuing only nuclear energy, medical treatments and research.
Another official from one of the delegations negotiating with Iran said easing core sanctions on Iran's oil industry and finance sectors are not on offer unless Tehran makes sweeping concessions — something it is not likely to do at this round. He also demanded anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss negotiating points.
'One of the biggest challenges in this week's talks on Iran's nuclear program will be winning over two tough audiences that won't be at the table: hard-liners in Tehran and Washington.
Both the U.S. administration and Iran's clerical leadership are urging critics at home to support the talks. In Tehran on Sunday, Khamenei asked Iranians not to "weaken" the negotiators. And Deputy U.S. State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf said Monday: "The U.S. needs to speak with one voice when we're sitting down at the table."
In Washington, the White House is trying to tamp down an effort in Congress to impose new sanctions on Iran, which could derail the talks.
In Tehran, Iran's Revolutionary Guard leaders have been mollified somewhat for now by supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's suggestion that he will give Rouhani only a limited time to negotiate an end to the sanctions. Underscoring the support that the hard-liners enjoy in Tehran, tens of thousands marked Monday's anniversary of the 1979 storming of the U.S. Embassy with chants of "Death to America!"
Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, the country's senior negotiator, told Iran's Press TV on Wednesday that Tehran viewed this week's round of talks as a test of the world powers' seriousness.
"The Geneva talks will be a measure to test the P5+1 group and in these negotiations the level of their political will to reach a resolution will be put to test," Araqchi said, according to Reuters.


text:
Beebeomyia är ett släkte av tvåvingar. Beebeomyia ingår i familjen Richardiidae.

Kladogram enligt Catalogue of Life:

Källor

Tvåvingar
Beebeomyia

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Like her parents, a social activist, but in cinematic style
By Carrie Seidman , Herald-Tribune
/ Monday, April 16, 2012
Most of the documentary films Rory Kennedy has made have shed light and understanding on social issues in an effort to provoke awareness and solutions. AIDS, poverty, domestic abuse, political corruption and addiction are just a few of the challenging subjects her films have tackled.
Rory Kennedy at the SFF "In Conversation with..." session Monday night./ Photo by Rod Millington
"My brother Chris would say I make two kinds of films -- depressing and more depressing," said Kennedy during an "In Conversation With..." session led by Sarasota Film Festival Director Tom Hall Monday evening. "But I feel if you can channel an energy that enables folks to participate and get involved in an issue, you can really have an impact toward changing things."
That has been the driving impetus for the majority of her projects, Kennedy told Hall and a rapt audience gathered in the Sarasota High School auditorium, and it is an advocacy position she feels comfortable with as long as the filmmaker establishes and reveals her position from the outset.
""Probably the network news isn't very objective either -- especially if it's Fox," she added, revealing her deep Democratic roots.
Which is not to say the end projects always resemble her starting vision. Kennedy says that her process involves continually asking "what the film itself wants to be," which can sometimes radically change her approach.
For instance, she has twice set out to make a film about welfare reform and its effects on different populations, but both times the story she found through her filming brought her to a different focus. "American Hollow" turned into a film about poverty and "Boy's Life," a depiction of mental child abuse.
Her newest film, "Ethel," about her famous mother, is a very different sort of picture -- more personal, less political -- but it also underwent a change from her initial concept, Kennedy said.
Rory Kennedy, left, and Ethel Kennedy, from the film "Ethel," pose for a portrait during the 2012 Sundance Film Festival. Rory Kennedy will attend the Sarasota Film Festival. (AP Photo/Victoria Will)
When she first broached her mother about participating in the project, she evisioned a much shorter film that would be set in the present day. However, after going through reams of archival footage, home movies and family photographs, she expanded the circumference of the film to include interviews with several of her siblings and the length to stretch to more than an hour and a half.
"I looked through many documentaries made about my father and my family to understand how it had been done before and how I could do it better," she said.
Kennedy said that wading through all the visual documentation of her parents' extraordinary life was a wonderful experience, but also a painful one.
"Part of my resistance was that there is a lot of sadness to our story and it's not necessarily our nature to revisit that," she said. "But as I gained confidence in the story, I felt it was really important to share my mother's story and how it interwove with history."
Ethel Kennedy, notoriously reluctant to grant interviews or talk about the past, agreed to participate only "because Rory asked me to," her daughter said. The filmed interviews took five days.
"She really doesn't like talking about herself ever, she's not particularly reflective and she doesn't like cameras on her," Rory Kennedy said. "Frankly, she doesn't even like her name, so every time she hears the name of the film, she cringes. But she never complained and she was willing to answer every question."
That included the most wrenching question of all, about her husband's death, to which Ethel Kennedy responds with an agonized pause before asking to move on to another subject.
"Some interviewer asked me why she didn't answer the question, but she does in a very profound way, both with her facial expression and by her wanting to move on," Kennedy said. "That's the way she goes through life."
Once she had "locked" on the film, she sent copies to her siblings and sat down with her mother in person to view it. No one asked for changes and they were all "amazingly supportive and wonderful," Kennedy said.
She also eventually showed it to the two oldest of her three children, 9-year-old Georgia and 7-year-old Bridget. (She also has a son, Zachary, who is 4.)
"First I asked Georgia and she thought it was great. So then I asked Bridget and she said, 'Well, first I was like, 'Huh?' and then I was like, 'What?' and then I was like, 'I'm going to sleep,'" said Kennedy, laughing.
Carrie Seidman
Carrie Seidman has been a newspaper features writer, columnist and reviewer for 30 years...and a dancer for longer than that. She has a master's degree from Columbia University Journalism School and is a former competitive ballroom dancer. Contact her via email, or at (941) 361-4834. Make sure to "Like" Arts Sarasota on Facebook for news and reviews of the arts.
Families set sail for Labor Day Regatta at Sarasota Sailing Squadron
Ringling Underground postponed
Top 5 Things To Do Today 8/31


Many businesses eagerly obsess over things like generating traffic, boosting conversions or making their site look appealing, but very few actually consider the credibility of their website.
Does website credibility even matter? Apparently, it does. Research shows that 34% of consumers cite a store's reputable brand name as their main reason for shopping with a brand. Studies have also been published that reveal a correlation between brand credibility and consumers' decision to purchase from a brand. In short, the more credible your brand, the more sales it will generate.
Available data shows that 78.9% of websites have no SSL certificate or an invalid SSL certificate. This is quite interesting, especially considering the fact that having an SSL certificate won't just boost sales and traffic but it will also boost your credibility.
Research has shown that enabling SSL on your site — having that "HTTPS" in front of your website address and having visitors' browsers show them a green padlock whenever they visit your site — can boost conversions by as much as 87%.
PaperCheck experience an 87% increase in signups after enabling SSL on its site.
Central Reservation Service (CRS) experienced a 30% increase in sales simply by enabling SSL.
Fitness Footwear, Ltd. experienced a 13.3% drop in cart abandonment and a 16.9% increase in sales after enabling SSL.
As you can see from the above examples, enabling SSL will always translate to sales; when people see the padlock and green bar, they feel more secure when performing transactions on your site and they naturally trust you more. The improved perception of your credibility eventually affects your sales.
Very few businesses have a security trust seal on their website, and the consequence is that they are losing a lot of sales. Research shows that a whopping 48% of people will not fully trust a website that does not use a security trust seal. In fact, it was revealed, that people trust a site that has a trust seal over a site that has been used in the past by a friend, colleague or family member.
This makes sense considering the fact that the web is infested with viruses, and we pretty much hear about new hacks on a regular basis. Having a trust seal shows that your site has been vetted by a third-party security company, that your site has met some standards, and that users can securely perform transactions on your website.
That said, the most trusted trust seals are Norton (at 35.6%), McAfee SECURE (at 22.9%) and the TRUSTe (at 13.2%), respectively.
Research shows that testimonials and word of mouth recommendations influence up to 50% of all purchasing decisions, yet only a third of businesses actively seek customer testimonials.
There's a popular saying that nothing attracts a crowd like a crowd. No one wants to be a lone wolf. This fact is actually rooted in psychology, and it has to do with how our brain is wired. According to a study published in the journal Current Biology, it was observed that the area of our brain that is associated with reward is more active when others agree with our opinions. The psychological explanation of this is due to mirror neurons in our brain; a mirror neuron is a neuron that "fires both when an animal acts and when the animal observes the same action performed by another." Psychologists have observed the presence of mirror neurons in humans too, and it's been established that the mere act of seeing others do something can influence us to do the same.
Famous psychological studies such as Jenness's 1932 Conformity experiment, Sherif's 1936 Autokinetic Effect Experiments and Asch's 1955 Conformity Experiments all point to the fact that, even if people already hold a view about something, hearing a group of people hold a different view is likely to make them gravitate towards the group's view. This, in essence, is the science behind testimonials; the fact that other people — like potential users of your brand — trust and recommend your brand is enough to make people trust you, too.
Just like testimonials, user generated content has also been observed to boost credibility and, as a consequence, improve sales.
In 2009, clothing brand Burberry launched The Art of the Trench — its website that allows users to upload and comment on pictures of people wearing Burberry products. The social proof effect of this was so significant that it resulted in a 50% year-over-year increase in sales following the launch of the site.
Coca Cola first launched it's "Share a Coke" campaign in Australia in 2011 — it's campaign that brands Coke bottles with customers' names and then asks them to share pictures of their personalized coke bottle on social media. This was immensely successful, and, seeing the success of the campaign, Coca Cola expanded it to the United States and other parts of the world. The results? A 2% increase in Coca Cola sales in the U.S. after more than a decade of dwindling revenues.
Greek yogurt company Chobani leveraged user generated content in 2009 when it asked loyal customers to submit videos and images praising its yogurt. The content was then extensively promoted by Chobani. The result was a whopping 225.9% increase in revenue between 2009 and 2010.
User Generated Content is one of the best forms of credibility booster for your business. Not only does it tell people that a lot of others use your products and services, it actually lets those using your products and services tell the world in their own voice how amazing you are.
We're growing increasingly impatient, and a lot of research attests to this fact. Perhaps the most notable is a 2015 study by Microsoft Corporation that surveyed 2,000 people and studied the brain activity of 112 other people with electroencephalograms (EEGs). It was observed that our attention span has shrunk massively from the 12 seconds it used to be in the year 2000 to 8 seconds now. In contrast, we have a shorter attention span than a goldfish — which has an attention span of 9 seconds.
What does speed mean for credibility, however?
A whopping 51% of shoppers will abandon a purchase due to slow site speed.
88% of shoppers are unlikely to return after a bad experience.
Around half of shoppers develop a less positive perception of the company involved.
More than a third of shoppers will tell others about their disappointing experience.
This, in turn, results in great brand damage and seriously affects your credibility.
While seemingly simple, boosting your site speed is one of the best things you can do to boost your website and brand credibility. The solution, therefore, is to tweak your site for improved performance or get a better web host. We are suggesting InMotion Hosting, here's why.
Research has shown that one of the greatest ways to ensure compliance is a request coming from an authority source; in fact, it was observed that most people will comply with instructions from authority figures even if it means causing fatal harm to someone else. Imagine getting advice from your doctor, lawyer or a law enforcement agent; how serious are you going to take their words compared to someone else's?
Perhaps the most famous study on compliance and obedience to authority was The Milgram Experiment. The experiment was conducted by Yale University psychologist Stanley Milgram with the objective of observing people's reaction when asked to do something by an authority. It involved ordinary people who were invited, through a newspaper advert, to administer electric shocks to other people "like them" based on instructions from an authority figure. It was observed that, even after the people who were being electrocuted were no longer responding (an indication that they might be passed out or dead), a whopping 65 % of participants in the experiment continued to administer the shock as long as they were instructed to do so by the authority figure. This goes to show how much we trust and are willing to do something, often without questions, if asked to do so by an authority figure.
A more recent, and relatable, experience of the influence authority endorsement can have on credibility is "The Oprah Effect." Basically, anything Oprah endorses turns to gold. More recently, her simply buying a stake in the Weight Watchers brand increased its stock value by 170% almost overnight.
Want to boost credibility on your website? Get an authority figure to endorse you.
A careful look at most websites reveals few negative or even slightly unpleasant things people are saying about the brand — as if it's all perfect. While it's only natural to want to highlight the best things people are saying about your brand, it is not necessarily the most prudent thing to do in terms of credibility. Research by Reevoo found that bad reviews can improve conversions by 67%; visitors are more likely to trust your brand if they see a balanced combination of good and bad things people are saying about you. It was also observed that as many as 30% of people suspect censorship or fake reviews when they only see positive things about you.
Tuscan, a wine that costs $60 per bottle, experienced a 5% spike in sales after a popular reviewer likened its aroma to stinky socks.
Shake Weight, a vibrating dumbbell, wasn't only widely ridiculed in the media, but it was at a point called "the most ludicrous fitness gadget of all time" by one newspaper. The result? Over $50 million in sales.
Marketing experts Jonah Berger, Alan T. Sorenson and Scott J. Rasmussen, in an experiment observing sales pattern of around 250 works of fiction reviewed in the New York Times from 2001 to 2003, found that bad reviews caused sales for books by unknown authors to rise by an average of 45%.
Whether it has to do with your endorsement of other brands or endorsement of your brand by others, letting people see a few "not-so-positive" things that have been said about you will go a long way to boost credibility.
For the owner of an e-commerce website, credibility is of utmost importance in terms of increasing sales. These 7 tips neatly do the trick. Do you have any advice you could add to this list?
John Stevens is an hosting expert and CEO at Hosting Facts. When he's not reviewing his favorite web hosts, he's probably strategizing how to make his beards grow longer.


Expressionist Artworks are valuable, have merit, or are significant because they convey or evoke feelings or moods.
Instrumentalist Artworks are valuable, have merit, or are significant because of what they do. They perform something thought to be an importand function. An artwork might be persuasive in getting people to think or behave in certain ways.
Imitationist Artworks are valuable, have merit or are significant because they show objects or situations in ways that they actually exist in the real world.
Institutionalist Something is called an artwork because the artist intends for it to be an artwork. The artist places the work in a context in which people who work with art (curators, critics, art historians, and so on) will see it and treat it as art.
Linguistic Tied to "language communities" or cultures. Art, like language, depends on systems of symbols. We understand it according to how familiar we are with the symbols that it contains. Emphasis is on how it is we express and interpret meaning in art.


Is a sharing economy the golden goose for India?
With the Fed holding rates once again there seems to be some optimism around the investment world at the moment. Speaking of strong sentiment, you may not be surprised to hear that tech firms are overtaking valuations of more traditional businesses. However, you may well be forgiven for thinking some stalwarts such as Goldman Sachs are just too valuable to be comparable – it may be time to think again. According to this article Jack Ma's Alipay may now be worth more than the mighty Goldman Sachs! Of course, the argument is privately funded companies may have inflated valuations and unrelastic price tags – which I can't necessarily argue with. However, there is no denying tech firms are catching up, and fast! On the topic of valuations, AirBnB are reportedly in a phase of fund raising at a potential $30 billion valuation. Why do I think this is significant – well mainly because I believe it proves there are many technology-enabled businesses like AirBnB which have a big part to play in the world of technology investment but my belief is more so in India. Nothing describes this better, from an India perspective at least, than terms like "sharing economy" or "gig economy". We strongly believe there is a massive opportunity in India in this space and at Earlsfield we definitely consider this area to have big potential.
We all know (mainly because I speak about it quite regularly) that internet adoption in India is happening mainly through the use of smartphones. That's why it's always encouraging to hear of new entrants into the smartphone production space in India. This time it's another Chinese manufacturer, Huawei, who are planning to start production in the month of October. Affordability is something that needs to be considered up front by these new and existing manufacturers alike. Samsung, who incidentally have the largest share of luxury handsets sold in India, for instance, this week announced the launch of mid-budget smartphones. Once the hardware supply is in place there is a natural need for affordable data packages and with RelianceJio initiative I reported a couple of weeks back there was inevitably going to be repercussions. Initially, there was some negative press, however, now there seem to be more positive moves by competitors. For instance, India's largest telecom service provider, Bharti Airtel has hit back by offering a new package including free data. It seems even international players are taking the challenge thrown down by RelianceJio seriously, with Vodafone India receiving an equity infusion from parent company, Vodafone Group Plc to, among other things, improve service quality. This seems to translate into the expansion technology deployment for 4G and 5G. What does this all translate into? Well, as regular readers of this post might be familiar, the ability to penetrate markets and create large market opportunities. A small example of this in the Indian digital classified industry which according to KPMG, is due to touch $1.2 billion in the next 4 years.
Something I've mentioned a few times in the past is that B2B is an market we believe has a lot of potential in India. It seems we are not alone in our estimation, as Alibaba ramps up its B2B commerce play in India. Some may question why India is attracting so many players/investors, such as Jack Ma/Alibaba. A reason may be the ability to set up a business with a skilled workforce at reasonable cost. Certainly, when Bengaluru (aka Bangalore) is mentioned in the same breath as Berlin and Beijing, among others, as one of the top five places in the world to launch a start up, they must be doing something right. Add to this the growing culture of purchasing online, one can see why India might just be moving towards something special.
There were two more stories this week which I simply had to leave until the end. Firstly, Apple is in talks with McLaren (yes the super car maker) for a potential acquisition to give the tech giant the car manufacturing expertise it perhaps lacks to make its secret car project a reality. What this does tell me above all else is that even the biggest tech players are willing to buy versus build when it comes to areas they lack expertise (hey, everyone can't be Elon Musk, now can they!). Secondly, and admittedly, more anecdotally, there are likely to be many entrepreneurs/founders out there who want to know what the 'secret sauce' is to get acquired. Well, wonder no more because Google believe to be 'acquisition ready' a business has to have focus and clear vision.


Don't miss out on recreational opportunities including an outdoor pool and a spa tub. This hotel also features complimentary wireless Internet access and complimentary use of a nearby fitness facility.
At Best Western Plus Palm Court Hotel, enjoy a satisfying meal at the restaurant. Quench your thirst with your favorite drink at the bar/lounge. Full breakfasts are served on weekdays from 7 AM to 11 AM and on weekends from 8 AM to 1 PM for a fee.
With a stay at Hyatt Place UC Davis in Davis, you'll be within a 10-minute walk of University of California Davis and U.C. Davis Conference Center. This hotel is 0.2 mi (0.3 km) from U.C. Davis Graduate School of Management - Gallagher Hall and 0.2 mi (0.3 km) from Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts.


Why has the world made men unable to be who they really are?
Why do men use ingrained behaviours?
Is it possible men use ingrained behaviours to avoid being their full potential because they fear rejection?
"Men are to learn that at the core of any issue is their deep issue of rejection. It is this that leads to them having an unconscious level of self-loathing and or lack of self-worth."
Men are able to have a deeper friendship with each other when they do not get stuck in their masculinity.
Why do men compete and women compare?
This is the first of five linked audio excerpts where four different men talk about their experience with food and body image. In this captivating talk James shares his experience as an AFL (football) player and how he ate huge amounts to be big and strong and how sick that made him.
In this amusing (and yet it is not really funny at all) second talk in a five part series on men and body image, Matt shares how he was always called skinny and the lengths he went to, to try and gain weight.
"A man identifies with his physical strength at a very early age. If this does not work, he will escape into his mind not long thereafter and use that as his strength. We ought to let our young boys feel who they truly are and NOT tell them what they need to be."


Just noticed this from datel design, it is a module that plugs into the bottom of your psp and adds motion control to a lot of psp games, looks like it uses a special menu to load the games. There are a lot of games that it seems to be compatible with. The manufacturer seems to do software updates from their website, so new games should work with it also.
So its like turning your psp into a ipod touch / iphone control system for psp games with does look cool.
As one of my favorite games on the psp is the locoroco series and does work with that, and as well some of the racing games that I play, so I have just ordered one they are £14.99 plus shipping. Hopefully this may make me use my psp again 🙂 So when I have received it will do a full review soon.
Update After i got the tiltfx i did have a few problems getting it to work as it does not work fully with CFW (custom Firmware), you can use in the software but when the psp resets to go into the game dosnt work, I have tried different options but still couldn't get it to work, Now in 2013 I dont use the psp directly anymore as I use a great emulator for android called ppsspp which on a modern phone or tablet works great and for horizontal movement can use tilt on android.


Please remember – if you don't receive a confirmation email or text when you book, then you haven't completed the booking process and no appointment has been made.
Physiotherapy Appointment costs: £50 for all appointments. Appointments cancelled within 48 hours of your appointment time will be charged at £30. Appointments cancelled within 24 hours of your appointment will be charged fully. Invoice for cancellations will be sent by email to your account from our Physio Inverness Paypal account and is payable by return.
Please note all appointments should be paid for in full at the time of attending for your appointment. (Cash/card/cheque all accepted).
For all back or leg injuries please bring a pair of shorts with you, and you will be able to get changed at the clinic.
Please wait in the Inverness ice centre's bar/meeting area (at the top of the stairs) until you are called for your appointment. You can watch the curlers and skaters show off their skills while you wait!
Please telephone the clinic direct to arrange an appointment before booking. (The corridor to the main physio room is too narrow for wheelchair access, so a different room is required to be booked out to treat patients in wheelchairs).
Please select the type of appointment you require below and choose a suitable time from the calendar.


Financial Advisors: How to Use an eBook to Generate More Leads - Financial Advisor Content | Wavelength Financial Content Inc.
Lead generation has never been easy for most financial advisors, but since the widespread adoption of the internet, it has gotten even harder. People don't have to call you or meet you in person any more to learn about their options. Instead, they can simply look for you and your competitors on the internet, anonymously, from the comfort of their home. And if your website doesn't capture their attention, they simply move on the next one.
So how can you capture a visitor's interest among all the other advisors? In today's digital world, one way you can stand out from the crowd is by offering something free before asking for their business. Many advisors do offer a free consultation, but that's a big commitment. People are concerned that once they talk with you they will be barraged with phone calls and emails.
How about offering something free that doesn't require them to lift a finger? Enter the eBook. Short for 'electronic book', an eBook is simply an educational piece on one topic. Fortunately, it is not a 150-page novel or something that needs to be exhaustive. Instead, it's usually somewhere between 12 to 30 pages. The subject should be something your firm has expertise on that directly concerns your ideal client.
In today's world of inbound marketing, people expect free stuff from the internet. So in today's world, we need to educate, not sell. Fortunately the e-book provides a cost-effective way to do just that, while building trust. Instead of printing brochures, cold calling and offering free seminars, we create digital tools that help us attract those who are in need of our services.
Or you can get far more specialized, if it relates to your specific clientele. Regardless, the topic should be something that is a big pain point for your target market.
Then, the E-book should obviously position your services, indirectly, as the solution to the problems outlined in the book. Since you're the author and are providing it free, be sure to include information at the end about your firm and services. This can also be a great place to offer a free consultation phone call or some other follow up step related to the book's contents. Once you've provided some value, no charge, you'll find that prospects will be far more likely to contact you.
But be careful to keep the book itself very neutral…it should not sound like any kind of sales pitch. Remember, you're the expert, so the key is, you should provide real advice. If your entire book just implies "hire us" that will be counterproductive. However, it is perfectly acceptable to recommend that they contact an experienced professional for help on certain issues. In fact, giving out tips on how to hire the right professional can be a powerful way to build trust with readers.
How extensive should the E-book be?
While you do want to provide value, you don't want to provide a complete do-it-yourself guide with every answer. Instead, you want to educate just enough so the prospect gains awareness along with some useful information. Then, when they need more help on that topic, hopefully, they'll think of your firm. After all, you literally wrote the book.
Remember that your main purpose for the E-book is to provide something of value in exchange for contact information. So you will want to require a user to submit contact information to download it. Because trust is a big concern for all of us on the internet, be clear on the offer page that their content information will be kept private and not shared. It's best to be totally transparent on what you are going to do with it, as people fear spam or unwanted phone calls from financial advisors.
So, E-Books are a tool that can help you generate leads by offering something free in exchange for contact information. What else is great about an E-book?
An E-book with your firm's name on it helps position you as an expert. This is a great differentiator, as not many advisors are using e-Books or regular books. Given that prospects want their advisors to be experts, this is an extremely valuable aspect of publishing E-books.
E-books can help boost your search engine rankings which make your firm more visible. How? First, google and the other search engines like websites that put out a lot of fresh, quality content. By adding content like E-books, you're going to get search engines updating their information more often, which usually helps your website rank higher.
Also, many times E-books encourage visitors to return, as they begin to see your website as a valuable resource. This increased traffic can lead to more visits, which can improve your search ranking.
Unless your E-book is time-sensitive, it can be reused (or updated) so should remain a viable offering in the future as well.
Once you've got your e-book written and had it professionally formatted, time to get it working for you. To do that, display it prominently on your website, social media and blog. Make it easy to see. Keep experimenting with colors and placement, if possible, to get the best results possible.
If you don't have that time or interest to create an E-book in-house, you can have one ghost-written for you. This is a great option for most busy advisors, but just be careful to buy from a provider who understands the industry and who can match the tone and personality of your firm.
But for a very small investment today, you can get a tool that can generate a return on investment many times over in the form of high quality leads for your firm.
Jeanne Klimowski is the founder of Wavelength Financial Content Inc. Wavelength is a provider of financial wellness programs and affordable financial content, including e-books, for the financial industry.


ABSTRACT: Kate O'Neil's colloquium explores how visualization tools and applications help scholars of global environmental politics and governance understand problems that are complex, linked, and cross-scalar–the critical characteristics of contemporary environmental problems. This talk applies a visualization approach to the politics of waste disposal projects as climate offsets within the Clean Development Mechanism. This preliminary case gets at unexpected linkages across climate and waste governance at the international level, and lets us start to see local impacts of global mitigation and market mechanisms.
BIOGRAPHY: Kate O'Neill is Associate Professor in the Department of Environmental Studies, Policy and Management at UC Berkeley, and the editor of the journal Global Environmental Politics. Her work currently is on the new global political economy of wastes.


text:
Q: Problem creating volatile table and inserting data - teradata I get an error 3707 whenever I try to execute that tells me that it is expecting something like a name or Unicode delimited identifier between the word 'I_SYS_CLM' and the integer keyword.  I tried deleting the integer after the I_SYS_CLM and it didn't help
CREATE VOLATILE TABLE ep_three , NO LOG
( I_SYS_CLM  integer

 , N_COV VARCHAR(10)

 , Q_DAY_DBY integer

 , Q_DAY_PRC_ELM integer

 , Q_DAY_BFT integer)

        ON COMMIT PRESERVE ROWS;

INSERT INTO ep_three

SELECT

 I_SYS_CLM  integer

 , N_COV

 , Q_DAY_DBY

 , Q_DAY_PRC_ELM

 , Q_DAY_BFT

FROM pearl_p.TLTC921_SMY

SELECT

 I_SYS_CLM

 , N_COV

 , Q_DAY_DBY

 , Q_DAY_PRC_ELM

 , Q_DAY_BFT

FROM pearl_p.TLTC921_SMY

A: Two problems:

*

*You have the keyword integer hanging out in your select statement, which is nonsense. Run the SELECT portion by itself and fix the errors to solve that in the future.

*You have the same SELECT statement listed twice, which doesn't make any sense.

Instead, just:
CREATE VOLATILE TABLE ep_three
    ,NO LOG (
    I_SYS_CLM INTEGER
    ,N_COV VARCHAR(10)
    ,Q_DAY_DBY INTEGER
    ,Q_DAY_PRC_ELM INTEGER
    ,Q_DAY_BFT INTEGER
    ) ON

COMMIT PRESERVE ROWS;

INSERT INTO ep_three
SELECT I_SYS_CLM
    ,N_COV
    ,Q_DAY_DBY
    ,Q_DAY_PRC_ELM
    ,Q_DAY_BFT
FROM pearl_p.TLTC921_SMY;

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Patient Experience Management–what is it?
I think sometimes the way providers like to assess the issue of Patient Experience Management (PEM) is by looking at how much money providers throw at the problem. I think some people think that if one provider has 2 call centers, and another provider has 3 call centers, that the provider with 3 must be more interested in taking care of the their patients, and might even be better at PEM. I don't support that belief. I think it can be demonstrated that the provider with the most call centers, and most Patient Service Representatives, and the most toys deployed probably has the most problems with their patients. I don't think it's a chicken and egg argument. If expenditures increase year after year, and resources are deployed continuously to solve the same types of problems, I think it's a sign that the provider and its patients are growing more and more dysfunctional.
PEM is such an easy way to see large improvements accrue to the provider, especially using social media.
Posted in CRM, crowdsourcing, Hospital, Patient Equity Management, Patient Experience Management, patient relationship management, PEM, PRM, Rants & Musings, Who's Running the Show?
I imagine you can easily integrate a patient sentiment data point in you call management system or contact center software. This would be a simple rating decided by the call center agent for the general sentiment positive or negative. Of course you could add neutral. Then you can quantify it and track any changes to other possible factors. Like a change in your appointment management process or revenue cycle process could trigger improvements or worsening of sentiment.


Three major operators in the end of life vehicle recycling sector are in talks over a potential merger by the end of 2018.
Car Transplants, Motorhog and DH Systems are in discussions about the merger to "combine their strengths" within the vehicle salvage, parts, technology and recycling industries.
All parties believe this will create "real benefit", creating an "unparalleled" offering to the insurance, bodyshop and vehicle disposal sectors.
The three companies however will continue to work directly with their existing clients whilst the merger discussions continue and talks are said to be 'complex'.
Car Transplant was founded in 1974 and is a family owned car dismantling company working out of five operating sites in the UK, with more than 8,000 vehicles.
Motorog describes itself as the largest combined motor vehicle salvage disposal and recycling company in the UK. It specialises in the compliant disposal of accident damaged vehicles on behalf of motor insurance companies and other similar clients in the vehicle and motor claim industry.
DH Systems Consultancy provides software solutions, mobile solutions and websites for the salvage and dismantling industry.
Richard Martin, managing director of Motorhog, said the move would be good for the industry and he looks forward to "exciting times ahead.
"This is great news for the salvage and dismantling industry here in the UK. Sharing our resources and knowledge can only help us support our clients more effectively," he explained.
A joint statement from the companies explained that the combined facilities, technology and geographical footprint from the companies will create a "unique and fully-integrated solution to the market".
The CARS end of life vehicle recycling show takes place near Coventry from July 11-12 at the NAEC, Stoneleigh. More details at Cars-Expo.


text:
Good Shepherd (movie review)
This very stylish piece plays it straight with our man Agent Buttercup, a shy guy, both ostensibly and for real, who turns his back on every one of his angels in exchange for some vaguely lewd Castle of Whispers (plus a haunting piano).
I was reminded of both eXistenZ and A Beautiful Mind (imagine oscillating between the two in some random sequence).
Other spins in this literature make it so much less of a guy thing. I contribute to this genre in part because of inbreeding: my Princeton's 2D (Class of 1980) was more coven-like than anything bonesmen (more of a Yale thing). But hey, this movie isn't about me, so I should just save it for my blogs, right?
De Niro both directs the film and plays Wild Bill Donovan, titular founder of the OSS, which later transmogrified post Truman, as we all know, to become the beloved Cold Warrior agency, since then eclipsed by this weird constellation of like sixteen little agencies around some D'ni in Uru (or whatever (I don't pretend to follow too closely)):
The Americans don't make out very well in this film. Agent Buttercup & Co. basically botch every operation they get close to, like the Russians are simply better at it and so? All water under the bridge by now; cold warriors having their fun in the sun.
I kept thinking of the Matt Damon character as a Sim, like you don't want too many of these guys in your reality (idiocrats, "pompous and faggy" (allusion)). Damon gets points for doing him so effectively (another "quiet American" you just want to scream at, tell him to get off the phone and get a life (like, you're married to Angelina for crying out loud)).
One of the most light hearted autobiographies I ever encountered was at a nearby coffee shop with this name. I don't know if it still has that bookish look any more (a passing phase), plus I know it no longer shows those Governor Schwarzenegger movies. Anyway, Salvador Dali's. Check it out sometime.
Wanderers: Barry is describing pre-WWII banking situations, leaving some guy to sleep it off in the vault.
I came in late, giving a heads up about another four-legged Wanderer candidate that might join us briefly. It's my practice to include non-humans in our gatherings.
We shall see. We also discussed fund accounting, vs. the more usual for-profit kind (DWA's specialty, and TBC's, is/was the former type of bookkeeping, used by many a 501(c)(3)).
We then broke out into some full blown kabbalah type conversation, lots of Hebrew letters (more unicode fun), thanks to Milt and his invited guest Ken. The Mayan and Wiccan calendars also received significant attention from the other end of the table. Portland is just like that.
I name dropped Stan Tenen but otherwise didn't have much to offer in this department. I've never read much Suarez, given all that time squandered on Synergetics (plus R&R).
The dog was beautiful. My sincere thanks to her handlers for sharing her with us.
from the OLPC Wiki
I was out stumping for Unicode again today, welcoming its centrality in the newer Pythons (3.x generation).
The XOs come with various swap-in keyboards, such as the one depicted above.
Consider the hexadecimal U+0436 for example, the lowercase letter Zhe (ж), 8th letter in the Russian alphabet: Python source code is now able to include that.
Showcasing Python's new internationalization features might be a theme at Vilnius again next year.
The agenda for this meeting remained volatile right up through the opening, oscillating somewhere between "open" and "programmed."
The Tiller video (Stanford emeritus, one of the Bleep guys) was somewhat Wanderers like, but the audience was more polite and deferential than is our wont, so after about 45 minutes we paused the DVD and went ape for a few.
Then I had to bow out (taking my Dell laptop which had been playing the DVD -- fortunately we still had Bill's), owing to this being that Thanksgiving Season again, and I have a great deal to be thankful for, even amidst sorrow, plus a lot of logistics to handle.
Yesterday I thought Glenn was appropriately skeptical of this cymatic "face" as they call it, which might actually be one of those grays, and cousin to the one on Mars.
This political ad by Mike Huckabee and his friend Chuck Norris is hilarious.
Thank you Trevor, for turning me on to the Ulam Spiral.
As I was saying, I have much gratitude to express, many lucky stars to thank.
Home Appliance Story
Les & Elise tackled my dishwasher problem with gusto. The thing had become anemic, only the bottom rack usable, and the heating element was looking pretty fried.
The Yellow Pages guy had failed to find the real problem, had charged me $70 anyway, whereas Les quickly got to the heart of the matter: the chopper blade had come off the circular pump intake mesh, leaving it to clog with grime, which explained the low water pressure. The plastic mounting post was irreparable.
Elise, a mechanic in her own right (she fixes old Volvos etc.), managed to track down and secure this obscure assembly, along with a new heating element, just minutes before Saturday closing time at a nearby supply depot.
The heating element came with a replacement circuit board controller and a warning to only install both, suggesting to Les there'd been some shortcomings in the previous programming i.e. I probably wasn't the first to experience a heating element melt down.
My only role in all this was to dash to the hardware store for a Torx screwdriver kit, and to hold the flashlight.
During final reassembly, Les and I took a time out to express our patriotic fervor regarding our privileged position as civilians in a society with its act together enough to make such repair stories possible.
I attributed our success as a culture in part to our willingness to rant against ourselves, often in the context of hard core trainings, illustrating with a five second Full Metal Jacket impersonation crossed with some football coach.
Les agreed, then told the story of this top manager he knew, who lived across from a high school and finally got tired hearing coaches screaming at their male trainees about their being "women" in the sense of incompetent sissies. She went over there and really gave 'em a piece of her mind, again making a positive difference to our culture.
Later, while Ruth and Tara played upstairs, the three of us watched a show about the Galapagos on the National Geographic channel, which is where Les & Elise got married. The dishwasher is working great now.
Defending the USA
At least the Pope is doing his job, coming out swinging against nuclear weapons across the board.
Inferior brands of pseudo Christian take a more forked-tongue approach: put the screws on Iran while hypocritically reserving the right to stockpile, not just nukes, but WMDs of all kinds, to be used not just in self-defense, but in preemptive wars of choice that pander to mob hysteria fanned by self-interested corporate media invested in war profiteering.
These hollow-voiced pundits and newscasters are selling out their country by turning it into a ridiculous paper tiger, worthy only of mockery and disdain.
Fortunately, the USA still has a few patriotic defenders able to rise above being cynical, manipulative losers. One or two of them might even get to be president someday.
An Evening of Meetings
Our Python Meetup at PDX Cubespace was quite successful, owing in part to our sponsor, Kavi, who provided some first class salad and pizza. We took some of the excess za over to the PHP group, meeting elsewhere in the building, returning the favor from last time.
Our featured talks: ReportLab, simplifying development, Django, and myself on open source in medical research.
My main point was to distinguish an open source process, which inherits from the liberal arts ethic (tipping my hat to Robert Lefkowitz here), from its fruits, which might be shared tools or standards.
Engineers have a tendency to actually brand their stuff "open source" these days, whereas the medical community has other shoptalks.
To some extent, merging the expertise of our communities is an exercise in translation.
Jeff clued me about some recent announcements from Google about its intent to make on-line medical record keeping more of a reality, with Microsoft making similar plans. Thanks Jeff.
The beer part afterwards was fun though I didn't drink any, sticking to champagne with orange juice (not necessarily any less caloric I realize). I had some good basic conversations about SQL Alchemy, Postgres and so on.
It's not my style to try to sound all-knowing in when geeks talk turkey. On the contrary, I'm more like the guy who asks "what's a turkey?"
Immediately following, I buzzed over to Wanderers to catch the tail end of Greg's presentation, but it was over already. I enjoyed some informal banter with my cronies before turning in.
Calling it "TechNation" (with or without a space) connects in esoterica to TechNate, a term of art in the Technocracy movement, about which most North Americans are clueless (hey, there's just no time to learn history -- though maybe this Hollywood writers' strike will open a window, by giving viewers more time to catch up on their nonfiction?).
Anyway, going back to the dot com boom and bust, I sometimes tell the story of how I was approached by some guy, early in the boom phase, suggesting I move to New York City and become the CEO for his startup. I looked pretty good on paper, plus had a web site pretty early, even some good press. I'd be like his trophy executive. Then, went the plan, once venture capital was secured and it was time to "go live," I'd be replaced with someone more savvy, no doubt one of my would-be recruiter's cronies, already waiting in the wings.
There might've been some real bucks in it for me, no question, but the prospect of leaving Portland was not appealing, plus when I got the guy's business plan in the mail, I could see through the jargon and buzzwords to another plain vanilla ISP, another Internet Service Provider. I just didn't like the hollowness of the hype, so said thanks but no thanks.
A disconnect I sense in the storytelling is most North Americans aren't up to date on this whole Open Source thing. Didn't Linux take a hit when the dot com bubble burst? Or if it didn't, don't we at least know that those scruffy hacker types, "dot commies" with pipe dreams of world domination, were forced to eat their own dog food, roll over and die?
How many on Main Street know the story of SCO, which tried to eat Linux's lunch, yet ended up delisted? How many know that IBM is a major contributor to the Linux kernel, or that Microsoft now sports a lot of Open Source DNA? If you still think it's scruffy hackers vs. Microsoft, think again. Of course those pathetic loser patent trolls in Texas still plan to put up a fight. I can't say I'm much interested in their sorry fate.
The story I tell goes more like this: lawyers still held enough cards to make the first dot com boom a Wall Street phenomenon, all about making money the old fashioned way, with lots of smoke and mirrors. Round two still involves mirroring, focusing, but engineers now hold enough cards to keep the smoke levels way down. Transparency in business processes is now part of what Open Source means. Investors should like this, though it'll mean a shakeout process as those over-depending on smoke get a taste of the competition. The result: a more robust economy, and not just in North America, not by a long shot.
I thought Harold Salzman of the Urban Institute did some significant backpedaling today, conceding most points his rhetorical opponents were making.
Salzman's view: the education situation may be dire, concerning, but it's not apocalyptic. Kids today know a lot more about computers than did kids thirty years ago. Compared to where we were, we're not all that different, on average -- never mind where the rest of the world is going, that's not what this study was about. "If my son or daughter is as informed and aware as I was, when I was his or her age, then things can't really be that bad" seems to be the attitude here. A semi-static picture should be no cause for alarm.
Yes, the cream of the crop is still pretty creamy, and given the intellectual squalor in which we live, there's really not that much demand for even more engineers, not counting those in the destruction business, of which there's a severe shortage right now (hence Stop-Loss). Destructive engineering is still a bonanza source of family wage jobs, thanks to myopic policymakers. Cruise missiles R Us.
Those disillusioned would-be design scientists might be more in demand in some other, more futuristic civilization, some parallel universe, one in which World Game was actually mentioned out loud (gasp!). Indeed, lack of hope in the future was cited as a major reason for students getting turned off, abandoning their hopes and dreams i.e. all that homework to what end, given global warming and the impending economic downturn? Fear over longing, once again (an old story).
So what's this Urban Institute anyway? Mostly middle of the road liberal types, of the kind who lost the War on Poverty, got us mixed up in Vietnam?
I liked Intel's Craig R. Barrett's thinking better: if we don't shape up, USAers will get creamed in the global jobs market. I think that's correct, but in the backs of their minds, some so-called liberals still just knee-jerk assume we'll have to write off the less privileged as unsalvageable. They then sugar coat their thinly disguised Malthusianism in various bureaucratic policymaking voices, like FEMA does when talking about those post-Katrina toxic trailers: all blather, and no action, because the mindset between the ears is quite broken.
Let's talk about "mental poverty" for a change, and acknowledge it might come dressed up in a suit and carry a briefcase, with fancy degrees and all the rest of it. Losers come in all stripes, don't they?
More Commenting on News
From the CBS News website:
"The image that's been portrayed is, we sat around the campfire and said, 'Oh, boy, now we go get to torture people.' Well, we don't torture people. Let me say that again to you. We don't torture people. Okay?" Tenet says.
"Come on, George," Pelley says.
"We don't torture people," Tenet maintains.
"Khalid Sheikh Mohammad?" Pelley asks.
"We don't torture people," Tenet says.
"Water boarding?" Pelley asks.
"We do not – I don't talk about techniques," Tenet replies.
"It's torture," Pelley says.
"And we don't torture people. Now, listen to me. Now, listen to me. I want you to listen to me," Tenet says.
My comments on Quaker-P (Sun Nov 4 10:41:21 PST 2007):
So was that all a lot of hooey? Why should we believe as he believes, right?
Another gestalt: if you use torture, you're simply not part of the CIA in Tenet's view. Something of a tautology perhaps? Doesn't he have the right to a view though, as an exDCI and all?
At some level we're each a walking microcosm. How you tell history is really a window into your own personal psyche no? This was Kierkegaard's point in his Concluding Unscientific Postscript I think.
This idea of an Objective Voice that narrates history from some omniscient God's eye view is a literary conceit. One may pretend to such a voice, but is it ever authentic?
These "objective stories" are a manifestation of people herding together, seeking comfort in a shared telling -- more Will to Power at work, to take Nietzsche's slant.