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Archive for the Giuliani Category
Ron Paul: The World Is Watching
Posted in activism, alternative, alternatives, American politics, analysis, Chavez, civil liberties, common ground, conservative, corporatism, crisis of democracy, democracy, Democrat, democratic deficit, Democratic Party, Dennis Kucinich, empire, FDR, fiscal conservative, Giuliani, Global War on Terrorism, globalism, globalization, imperialism, libertarian, libertarianism, people's movements, police state, political economy, politics, Republican Party, right, right wing, Roosevelt, the right, U.S., war on democracy with tags democracy, empire, freedom, peace, police state, Ron Paul, U.S., war on January 7, 2008 by jtoddring
As a Canadian, and a neighbour to the most powerful nation on Earth, I watch, as most Canadians and many around the world do, U.S. politics with trepidation and skepticism, and with the emergence of Ron Paul, with some hope.
I can tell you this. Many, many people in Canada and world-wide would be delighted and profoundly relieved to see a U.S. president come to office who decisively and firmly renounces imperial warfare as well as the rapid slide into a transnational police state of profoundly anti-democratic corporate oligarchy.
Every intelligent and informed observer now knows what is no longer deniable. The drift toward the destruction of freedom and constitutional democracy is conscious, deliberate, multi-national and definitely real. Ron Paul is the only US presidential candidate with any integrity in terms of these two most critical issues: protect constitutional democracy, and end imperial warfare. It is inspiring that he has generated such enormous grassroots support.
It seems Ron Paul has proven the power of the internet. Through the net, a grassroots political campaign can generate tremendous popular support, and also raise enough campaign funds that corporate boot-licking can be done away with. I sincerely hope he wins. And by the looks of polls and grassroots fund-raising, he just might. He gets it right on the two most critical issues. That makes him hands down the best candidate. The rest are sadly, corporate hacks. If in doubt, watch these two videos.
http://www.democracynow.org/2008/1/3/vote_for_change_atrocity_linked_us
It seems the world is indeed watching, and surprisingly, the support for Ron Paul has started to go global. While Clinton, Obama and other US presidential candidates inspire tentative hope at best, if not profound skepticism or dread aversion, Ron Paul is inspiring a passion for true democracy around the world.
I should say that I am not a supporter of the Republican or Democratic parties of the US, as they are two wings of the party of, by and for the corporate elite. This man, however, is an exception to the rule. In terms of rigid categorical thinking, and the ability to recognize exceptions to the rule, I think of a statement by Ralph Waldo Emerson, "A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds." Ron Paul is an exception who merits strong support, whatever your habitual allegiances may be. If constitutional democracy is not protected, the possibilities for a liberal, democratic, or left-inspired future of solidarity and justice are narrowed. Wherever you are on the political spectrum, right, left, liberal or conservative, if you value democracy or freedom, take a look at Ron Paul.
I would prefer a New Deal populist democrat who realizes the need to get firm with the corporate powers in order to preserve democracy, freedom and the well-being of the people – someone closer to a Hugo Chavez, but the US presently has no such figure on the horizon. Given what we have to work with, preserving constitutional democracy against the encroachments of corporate power, and stopping the mad and potentially apocalyptic thrust of imperial warfare, become the most urgent of concerns. All other issues become secondary in light of these. I would even say that I think Ron Paul's vision is very limited. It is still the case, however, that he is the only candidate in this possibly pivotal election that will uphold the basics of constitutional democracy and freedom from imperial or police state warfare. First things first.
The only candidates that I have seen that inspire any sort of confidence in me personally, for the two primary reasons stated above, or for any criteria, are Democratic candidate Dennis Kucinich and Republican candidate Ron Paul. Kucinich, like Ron Paul, is the exception to the rule. These are the only two that voted consistently against war in Iraq, as well as against the crushing of democracy through the Patriot Acts and Military Commissions Act. Both have won in all polls following debates – which shows where the hearts and minds of the American people lie. A decent Republican – yes Dorothy, there apparently is such a creature – and a decent Democrat – also a rarity: maybe these two should be running mates – it's not the right versus the left that is most central, but democracy versus corporatocracy.
Ron Paul may be one more spark, and possibly a critical one, in a new global spirit of democratic revolution. Yes, I said revolution. what we need now is a new wave of democratic revolutions, world wide. Corporatocracy is taking deeper hold. Its credibility is shattered globally, thus it seeks to consolidate power while it can. What that entails should be obvious to any who know their history. Speak now, or watch the horror. Get informed. Get behind him. Support authentic democracy in the world's remaining superpower, or bear the consequences. The choices are becoming rather stark.
Copy, embed and share these videos. Speak up my friends. The alternative is interrogation centers, destruction of democracy, and a brutally integrated global corporatocracy. Imagine Charles Dickens' era, wedded to an Orwellian dystopia. This is where the global corporate elite are taking us. Ron Paul is one possibly major bulwark against the current drift, and a spark toward a world worthy of the future.
"Whether it's the war against poverty, drugs, terrorism, or the current Hitler of the day, an appeal to patriotism is used to convince the people that a little sacrifice of liberty, here and there, is a small price to pay. The results, though, are frightening and will soon become even more so."
– Congressman Ron Paul, December 9, 2003
Please watch these video shorts. The American empire is too powerful to ignore. We must take an interest.
Bill Maher's new hero
Experience and knowledge with integrity: macroeconomics
Ron Paul Rising
Stop Dreaming
Lest there be any question as to the stakes:
Olbermann: The Death of Habeas Corpus
Related essays and posts:
Ron Paul: Honest Abe Lives
http://jtoddring.blogspot.com/2007/04/ron-paul-honest-abe-lives.html
An Outbreak of Democracy in America?
http://jtoddring.blogspot.com/2007/05/outbreak-of-democracy-in-america.html
My Buddy Obama
http://jtoddring.blogspot.com/2007/04/my-buddy-obama.html
http://jtoddring.blogspot.com/2007/04/on-libertarianism-right-left.html
Supplemental:
http://jtoddring.blogspot.com/2007/04/earth-101-essential-reading.html
Posted in Barack Obama, conservative, constitution, corporate rule, Democrat, Dennis Kucinich, election, fascism, freedom, Giuliani, Hilary, police state, politics, Republican, Ron Paul, U.S. on April 11, 2007 by jtoddring
"Congress' premier defender of the Constitution"
Why on earth would a left libertarian who admires democratic socialist Hugo Chavez favour a conservative Republican candidate? The answer is simple: I see no other contender who is willing to seriously challenge the drift toward fascism. The preservation of constitutional democracy is the first and most urgent task at hand. All other issues can be debated once the basics are secured: preserve democracy.
"Ron Paul stands for populist ideals that the country is screaming out for after seven years of hell under Bush.
Paul unites opposition to the war and the police state at home across the entire political spectrum…from libertarians through anti-war Democrats.
Ron Paul is a constitutionalist who votes based on principles that support our rights as individuals.
But it is how he does is that makes him a HERO. He consistently stands undaunted in the face of opposition. He is dedicated to protecting "the good." He is uncompromising in his standards, valiant in his efforts, and he does it all with a quiet nobility that is inspiring. He does what is right. He tells us the Truth. It is this that defines him as a HERO for our times."
I would urge all who oppose the slide into corporatocracy and a police state to stand up now, speak up now, across the spectrum, from liberal and progressive to conservative or libertarian, social democrat or libertarian socialist – all who oppose tyranny and who would prefer democracy to fascism – and support Ron Paul. The stakes are high, and the time is short.
Texas Congressman Ron Paul has announced he is running for U.S. President in 2008: I think he would be far superior as a president than either Bush was, or Hilary Clinton would be.
Bush goes without saying. Hilary Clinton has expressed her support for expanding the Middle East war into Iran. She has consistently voted in favour of massive funding for unconstitutional imperial war in the Middle East, thereby helping to get thousands of Americans and hundreds of thousands of Iraqis killed, while bankrupting the country. She also voted in favour of the draconian and dangerous Patriot Act. She boldly voted to limit the Military Commissions Act to 2011. What's four years of abuse of power among friends?
Barrack Obama is admired by many, but I could not possibly support such a man who would speak against war, and simultaneously continue to fund it, voting in favour of over $580 billion for military appropriations in 2006 alone – much of this specifically targeted to increased funding for the war in Iraq.
On December 21, 2005, Senator Obama voted in favour of the $450 billion Defense Department FY 2006 Appropriations Bill – including $50 billion specifically tagged for continued war in Iraq and Afghanistan. On May 4, 2006 Senator Obama voted in favour of $67 billion in "emergency supplemental appropriations" for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. On June 15, 2006, Senator Obama voted in favour of $70 billion in "emergency supplemental appropriations" for the "Global War on Terrorism." On June 22, 2006, Obama voted in favour of over $500 billion in military spending for the fiscal year of 2007.
Now that I know the voting record of Hilary and Obama, whenever I think of either of these two "doves" I think of the line by The Who: "Meet the new boss – same as the old boss" (Won't Get Fooled Again).
If we are to judge by action – by his voting record – and not just by words, Obama is full of shit; to be blunt. His words speak of peace, but his actions speak clearly of deferential and timid support for continued wars of empire. This man either has no spine, or else no integrity. I wouldn't elect Obama to watch my dog for the weekend. He says one thing, and votes another. I would love to be shown wrong on Obama, but presently these seem to be the indications.
Even more fundamentally, Obama voted on March 2, 2006 – along with Hilary Rodham Clinton – to make 14 provisions of the Patriot Act permanent. This man is no patriot. Nor is he a democrat. This man, along with Hilary Clinton, voted in favour of legislation that can only be described as thoroughly anti-democratic, unconstitutional, draconian and, frankly, fascist. We cannot afford to see such wolves successfully masked as sheep. Democrats should be the first to reveal the true nature of such false-hope candidates and corporate lap-dog technocrats in drag as champions of freedom.
If I am wrong somehow on Obama, I would be glad to be enlightened. However, it seems he, like Hilary, is a lackey for the military-industrial complex, war-profiteers, oil barons and Washington chicken-hawks. Unless there is reason to believe otherwise, from what I can see now, I would hate to see this man elected or re-elected to any high office, let alone President of the United States.
As far as I am aware, there is no-one running for the next U.S. presidential election that merits support, other than Ron Paul, with the possible exception of Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) – a New Deal Democrat, reminiscent of FDR.
A former mayor of Cleveland, Ohio, Dennis Kucinich has voted against the Military Commissions Act, the Patriot Act, and the exorbitant funding for adventurous neo-colonial wars. Perhaps a two-party ticket is in order. "The Democracy Ticket." Paul and Kucinich: uniting the sane from the Republicans and Democrats in 2008. This might be a possibility worth pursuing. I'm not sure if they would be willing to run together, but if so, it could be a winning combination. The campaign focus: end the wars of empire, and restore the Constitution. Unfortunately, differences over immigration and gun control, among other issues, would likely prevent such a liberal-conservative alliance between Paul and Kocinich. I say unfortunately, and this must be emphasized, because these are the only two candidates I know of that seem willing to stand up to the assault on civil rights and constitutional democracy.
Ron Paul voted against the Orwellian Military Commissions Act of September 2006. He voted against the Patriot Act in 2001, and again in 2005 – on three separate occasions – as well as in 2006. If there is any measure of a federal U.S. political candidate's integrity in defending constitutional democracy, it is this: unwavering opposition to these two terrible anti-democratic, unconstitutional pieces of authoritarian legislation. Obama and Hilary both fail this test.
Ron Paul also voted to close the infamous School of Americas – the largest terrorist training center in the hemisphere, operating out of Fort Benning Georgia, whose graduates have gone on to join and lead death squads throughout Latin America, and who were among those responsible for the assassination of 9 Jesuit priests as well as Archbishop Romero in El Salvador. This man will help fight terrorism – by ceasing to fund it. If you want a true defender of democracy and freedom, here is the real McCoy.
While most of Congress is unaware of, or silent about the Security and Prosperity Partnership, Ron Paul is speaking out and standing up for sovereignty and democracy.
"NAFTA's superhighway is just one part of a plan to erase the borders between the U.S. and Mexico, called the North American Union. This spawn of powerful special interests, would create a single nation out of Canada, the U.S. and Mexico, with a new unelected bureaucracy and money system." – Ron Paul
The Democratic Party hates Ron Paul because he's Republican; the Republican Party hates Ron Paul because he does not tow the party line in prostrating before the military-industrial complex, serving the interests of the corporate elite, paying homage to wars of empire, or backing the rush to implement fascist legislation in the form of the Patriot Act and Military Commissions Act. The grassroots, however, love him – across the political spectrum, from conservatives and libertarians, to anti-war democrats, to all those who oppose the slide into a police state.
All those who prefer genuine democracy and the rule of constitutional law to fascist corporate oligarchy, would be wise to support this humble Congressman. He may well be this era's Honest Abe: a liberator of the country. If he succeeds in exercising the popular will and ending the imperial wars abroad, as well as the slide into a police state at home, he will have been, truly, a liberator of America.
Ron Paul is a true grassroots hero, in that he is willing to back the people with authentic and substantial support for the constitution, the struggle to preserve democracy, and the opposition to imperial wars – all of which, the majority of Americans clearly want. It will take more than one person to change the course of American society, as it always has. Even if that person holds the highest office in the republic, there will need to be a mass movement, not just to get a better president elected, but to get the job done: to halt the drift toward fascism and to restore democracy, freedom and human rights in America.
Paul is a Republican conservative reminiscent of Eisenhower. Like Eisenhower, he recognizes the grave danger of the military-industrial complex. Taking up where Ike left off, it is no longer sufficient to warn against the possible abuse of power and encroachment on democratic powers, of the military-industrial complex. It is now clearly time to rein it in. Ron Paul stands in this tradition, and is prepared to take the efforts to rein in this beast, to the next step. The plug must be pulled on the corporate military complex. Ron Paul is the only candidate I am confident will do just that.
Paul has 37 years of political experience, and currently sits on the House Financial Services Committee, the House International Relations Committee, and the House-Senate Joint Economic Committee. He knows the political arena.
Paul will have to run a broad-based grassroots campaign to win, as the corporate media are sure to try and shoot him down, or shut him out, while the Republican Party machine is unlikely to support a maverick who repudiates the corporate subservience of the party, and fiercely opposes their agenda of "war without end" overseas and an authoritarian surveillance state at home.
There may be issues where I disagree with Ron Paul, but he is right on the two biggest ones, in my mind: end the wars of empire abroad, and stop the destruction of civil rights and democracy at home. If there is any other candidate who shows spine enough to deal with these two most pressing issues, they should be supported. Presently, only Ron Paul evokes confidence with regards to these most critical issues.
Ron Paul is a conservative libertarian. If I were to put a phrase or a label on my political views, I would have to say they are libertarian socialist. The differences between a conservative libertarian perspective and that of a libertarian socialist are significant, but there is common ground as well. Libertarians have a deep skepticism about excessive concentrations of political power, as did Thomas Jefferson – they are not great fans of bureaucracy, authoritarianism or elitism, to say the least. Libertarians on the right have traditionally questioned state or governmental power – that is, concentrations of political power – while libertarians on the left have questioned not only concentrations of political power, but also excessive concentrations of economic power. Thus, while there may be natural common ground, libertarians of the right and the left have been historically estranged, barely communicating, if at all. However, recent trends have narrowed the divide.
What the right still fails to recognize – although this is changing – is that since the fall of the Soviet bloc, the left has abandoned what little remaining allegiance it had to bureaucratic big government, and now leans very strongly to a left libertarian perspective, advocating freedom, diversity, and limited government that is in close contact with the grassroots. Thus, there is more common ground between the right and left now than the right has recognized.
Likewise, the right is coming to realize that excessive concentrations of economic power are also threats to freedom, just as are excessive concentrations of political power. Jefferson and Lincoln – one a Democrat, one a Republican – both realized this very clearly. Now the grassroots right is beginning to realize it as well. This new tendency within the right offers the possibility for a greater basis of understanding between right and left. The left also does not yet recognize the narrowing gap between the two polarities.
While the left has largely rejected the big government bureaucratic paradigm, the right, at least at the grassroots, is coming to view the current threat to democracy and freedom as a threat waged by a combination of elitist, authoritarian government, aligned with a growing concentration of corporate power. The grassroots right now speaks of the present emergence of corporate fascism – a terminology that should be familiar to the left. The gap is indeed narrowing. It is now a struggle not so much between left and right, as it is between all those who prefer democracy to fascism – and this is the vast majority – and the few who are willing to side with an emerging corporatocracy.
It is important that the left and the right both understand this. We need a coalition that spans the political spectrum – from right to left – of all who would stand now to preserve constitutional democracy. If we fail to recognize the urgency of such a union, we will fail, and we will see fascism take hold. It may be unthinkable, but the unthinkable is taking place. We had better form a union of diverse groups and individuals to preserve democracy, freedom and human rights, or we will lose them all.
I'm not a conservative, nor a Republican party fan, but if there is going to be a conservative wing to U.S. politics – which of course there will be for a long time – there should be a representative who's at least sane, who's not on a corporate payroll, and who is not a military-industrial complex lackey. Ron Paul for President – now!
And for a running mate? If not Dennis Kocinich, then Robert Bowman. Fair trade, non-interventionist, anti-corporatist conservative. I didn't know there was such a creature, but there is. He's the real deal. Ron Paul and Robert Bowman would make a stellar team. I hope the Ron Paul campaign team will give this idea some serious thought. It could be a powerful alliance. It could be an alliance to successfully defeat the threat to democracy. The threat at home, that is.
We must now end the left-right alienation. It is in some senses a false polarization. Yes, there are very real and important issues on which there is serious divergence, but there is common ground between traditional conservatives, traditional liberals, right libertarians, left libertarians and democratic socialists. The common ground is that we all prefer democracy to fascism – whether it is the corporate fascism that is arising, or any other kind of totalitarian regime. It is neoconservatism and neoliberalism, which are two sides of the same corporate boot-licking coin, that has to be defeated now. It is the preservation of constitutional democracy that must come first. Afterwards, we can debate the rest of the issues. Democracy and human rights are fundamental.
The real division, the one that matters most, is between the neoconservatives and neoliberals on the one hand, who promote and support a corporatist regime both domestically and world-wide, and all those who prefer and support constitutional democracy. Traditional liberals and conservatives, progressives, libertarians of the right and left, as well as social democrats, must get together now to stop this slide into fascism and corporate rule.
Let's get it together on the major issues; the rest we can debate later. First things first: we must preserve democracy and stop the slide into corporate fascism. We must first rein in the military-industrial complex, and the corporate powers more generally. Once that is accomplished, we can debate the rest of the issues `till we're blue in the face. Until that is done, debate is largely irrelevant, because corporate fascism rules.
So long as the neoconservatives are in power in Washington, or their neoliberal "opponents" in the Democratic Party – Kerry, Edwards, Hillary, Obama et al. – the nightmare will continue to unfold.
With Ron Paul or Robert Bowman in the White House – and ideally both – I could envision a safe and prosperous, sane and just – albeit conservative – America. This would be a tremendous relief, not only to the great majority of Americans, but to the world.
Left/right debates can resume once we've secured the basics: the safeguarding of constitutional democracy. Until then, we need to get together, across ideological and party lines.
Support Ron Paul! Stop corporate fascism now! Yes, we are heading in that direction, and no, there seems to be no-one else in the U.S. Presidential race that will halt this slide into a very dark time.
If you like the corporate lobby, the military-industrial complex, unending bloody, costly and dangerous imperial wars, the destruction of civil rights and freedom and the slide into a police state, vote for Hilary or Obama, or any of the other Republicans or Republican look-alikes. If you prefer peace, freedom and constitutional democracy, there seems to be only one choice: Ron Paul.
Ideological rigidity won't help us now – not that it ever has. There is a war on democracy, in case anyone has missed this fact. What we need now is a coalition of all who oppose the drift into oligarchy and the destruction of constitutional rights and freedom. Come on people now, let's get together.
"I have a dream. I want to re-instate the Constitution." – Dr. Ron Paul
Vote Ron Paul For President 2008 – video short
Can it get any more clear? Ron Paul stands up to speak against war in Iraq, while Democrats – who now control Congress, and have the ability to pull the plug on this ongoing tragedy – continue to fund the war. Ron Paul clearly stands out. And what an overtly Orwellian speech by a Democrat to follow him!
Defund the War by Rep. Ron Paul – video short
Even Conservatives Hate Republicans Now
YouTube – Texas Republican slams Bush "demented philosophy of conquest"
Congressman Ron Paul on Iran Situation (3-15-06) – video short
Gulf of Tonkin 2: Iran – video short
YouTube – Ron Paul on Interventionism
YouTube – Congressman Ron Paul (R-TX) on House Iraq Resolution
YouTube – Ron Paul vs. Congress: Don't regulate the Internet
Presidental candidate Ron Paul to 'reinstate Constitution' – video
YouTube – Ron Paul on the North American Union
YouTube – Ron Paul Confronts the Federal Reserve
Ron Paul Supporters at Anti War Rally – video
Ron Paul Officially Runs For President – C-SPAN Part 1 of 4
The Original American Foreign Policy – by Ron Paul
Rep.Ron Paul on Iran: The Next Neocon Target « Dissident
*YouTube – Ron Paul Revolution – Phoenix
Ron Paul voted against the Patriot Act, opposes the draft, advocates the abolition of the income tax, urges the re-introduction of the gold standard, and stands against initiatives to strip the U.S. of its sovereignty such as CAFTA and the FTAA [as well as the secretive SPP].
Ron Paul has consistently upheld his commitment to civil liberties and slammed the militarized police state that Bush has created.
Paul has been in and out of Congress since the 70's and is universally hated by the Republican elite, who routinely back Democrats against him just to try and get him out of office. The former Vietnam flight surgeon is the perfect candidate for President and activists from every corner of every political persuasion should mobilize now in an attempt to help Paul shatter the power monopoly of the Republican and Democrat establishment who have worked together for decades to slit America's throat in the interests of power, greed, and ego.
Paul was one of only a handful of Republicans to vote against the illegal invasion of Iraq…In bucking a trend, Paul was anti-war long before the majority of the country came around to a similar way of thinking following the catastrophe of the occupation.
While Democrats soft-peddle and cozy up to Bush, creating phony arguments about the level of troop presence in Iraq and ignoring the majority will of the country to bring the troops home immediately, Ron Paul's opposition to unnecessary wars of intervention has remained steadfast throughout his entire political career.
If a gargantuan effort is made from now until the end of 2008 to heighten Paul's media profile and forward him as America's last hope, he truly has a significant chance of giving Jeb Bush, Rudy Giuliani or whichever elitist puppet the Republicans choose to put forward a real run for their money.
With the favor of the political landscape continually swinging away from the scam repeatedly run by the Republicrats and Democans, we should really start off on a positive footing and consider the fact that Ron Paul, though still an underdog, has a real chance of becoming the next President."
– Ron Paul – America's Braveheart


I still have them all somewhere, in boxes, collecting dust faster than value. The Ken Griffey Jr. Upper Deck rookie, the 130 different Nolan Ryan cards, the complete 1989 Hoops set (with the David Robinson rookie), and several others I really can't remember right now.
I used to spend untold hours sifting through them, looking up the values in Beckett's Price Guide, visiting card shops, flipping through commons to complete sets, looking for patterns in Topps' rack packs (I scored many a Jim Abbott rookie with this technique), chewing that ancient bubble gum (I bought a pack of 1983 cards once and chewed the gum…it was horrible), and keeping track of the total value of my collection with a Lotus 1-2-3 spreadsheet on my dad's 286. It was a lot of fun at the time (as the Web is fun for me now); I guess that's about all one can ask for from a hobby.
I've been opening a pack every few days since they arrived. Smell is the sense most powerfully associated with memory, so getting a whiff of that cardboard is really sending me back. Like a wine connoisseur, I can even smell the difference between each brand of card; the smell of Topps cards holds the strongest memories for me…the 1989 Topps set was my favorite. I opened the '87 Topps packs with a fellow ex-collector, but when we tried to chew the gum, it tasted like the cards and turned to a muddy dust in our mouths. But that was mostly what happened even when the gum was new, so we were unsurprised.
Because of the aforementioned slump in the baseball card collecting economy, the card packs I ordered were the same price I paid for them as a kid (factoring for inflation), even though they're almost 20 years old and way more scarce. Back then, I used most of my $5/week allowance on cards, and it took weeks and months of patience to buy enough packs to complete a set, procure that Griffey rookie card, or amass enough Mark McGwires to trade to a friend for a desired Nolan Ryan.
As an adult, I have the cashflow to buy any card I want whenever I want (within reason). Or several boxes of cards, so as to compile complete sets instantly. Or I can just purchase the complete sets and skip the intermediate step. I could buy an entire box of 1989 Upper Deck packs — at $1.25 per pack and nearly impossible to find in rural Wisconsin, an unimaginable extravagance for me as a kid — right now on eBay. When I think about the financial advantages I now have over my 16-yo self in collecting the same exact cards, I feel like the NY Yankees (and their monster payroll) competing in a Single A league. It's unfair and even thinking about collecting cards in that manner takes a lot of the fun out of it for me. If I do start collecting cards again, I'm going to approach it like I did back then: by hand, a little at a time, and treating even the essentially worthless commons with care. Unless Nolan Ryan is involved…in that case, the sky's the limit, although I might have to sell my bicycle to get it. In the meantime, I'm waiting for the next household footwear purchase so I can put my newly purchased cards in the shoe box for safe keeping.
I don't think it would be any surprise to learn that collectible card games started to take off as baseball cards were on the decline. You get the same thrill of "the open", plus you can do things with the cards afterwards. Not to mention that they're appreciating in value faster. Wizards of the Coast (WOTC) really clued into a potential market with Magic, and now they're riding that donkey like it's going out of style.
The World of Warcraft CCG is going to be even bigger than Magic, since some cards will grant items in the MMORPG as well. That's going to be a massive draw.
I am amazed at the cards' drastic decline in value. Of course as any investment broker will tell you, high-risk investments require cool nerves to ride out dips in value over a long period of time. Hopefully, they will appreciate again.
I just bid on a box of 1986 Topps cards. I was also a big fan of the 1987 wood-grained cards, but 1986 was the classic year for me.
change the word "baseball" to "hockey" and Topps to O-Pee-Chee in the above and it's pretty much my story, only Canadian.
Yeah, I just recently had a similar experience dipping into my large box of basketball cards from the late-80's and early-90's and finding the brunt of them to be worthless, including my factory-sealed collection of Upper Deck's first foray into basketball.
1) We here commenting aren't the only ones who were collecting then — almost every town had a hobby shop.
2) We knew from the stories on TV and from our parents and from Beckett's that cards from decades past were now extremely valuable, and, like all young solipsists, assumed that the same would apply to ours in the future. Of course, it turns out that *everyone* was saving their cards and leaving packs unopened, making the whole endeavor futile.
I kinda had the feeling when I was collecting that it would lead to naught, financially, but I did while away many an hour in backwoods Maine trading cards with my closest friends. The time I spent on it was only second to playing Nintendo.
I used to collect a lot of different cards until at the age of 15 I realized what an insane activity it is. Cards were like some weird drug and the baseball card companies knew how to get you addicted. I recall thinking what if they had card collections for something as assinine as trees (e.g The Larch card) or cereals. It was as meaningless as baseball cards really. I never picked up another card. Nor will I.
I used to collect a lot of different cards until at the age of 15 I realized what an insane activity it is.
No more insane than collecting anything else.
Unless you loved trees. Baseball cards are wonderful. Buy them for an investment? Insane. As a hobby? A look back at your childhood? Wonderful. You can treat it as crack if you want to. Mine brought me, and still do, nothing but joy.
Such a great post. Immediately took me back to those days.
I was a slow learner back then. I would consistently scrounge up $5 or $6 to buy a wax pack hoping to find that coveted Canseco rookie from an open box. I never realized that the dastardly old men who ran those shops had removed the pack already because it was in a predictable spot in each box. Best I could ever make out was a Kal Daniels Rated Rookie.
Sheer poverty forced me to abandon my Canseco pursuit and settle on the Bash Brother value play - McGwire. Oh, the irony.
I have to say though, I took the same nostalgic trip recently when I bumped into Jose Canseco at a Grammy party in LA. I humbly recounted to him the tale of my futile efforts to acquire his rookie card and what a fan I was. He totally blew me off.
It was at that moment I took some guilty pleasure in noting that Jose's professional value has essentially depreciated along the same trajectory as the cards themselves.
When I was in deep into baseball cards (mid to late 70s) I became convinced that my grandmothers attic 10 miles from Fenway held untold millions in Ted Williams baseball cards. So I spent a weekend in 100 degree heat crawling through the attic doing a crime scene worthy search of the premises, looking for my dad's card collection. I found two cards, Johnny Van de Meer, and Gus Bell - both 1954 IIRC.
I still have those cards, plus about 7000 others, more or less organized in boxes in the back of the closet. Every once in a while a pull them out and sift through. I tried to get my son into baseball cards, and although he is a big baseball fan, his interest never really extended beyond collecting cards of his favorite team.
I used to save up my money and buy a box of wax packs when the card show came to the local mall. I think it was the early 90's, I went and bought a box of donruss cards, and the burly card shop owner told me about a promotion where ryne sandberg had signed something like five cards and they were randomly in packs.
My mom always let me open one pack on the spot, and the first card in the pack was a signed ryne sandberg card!!! I felt like charlie opening up a wonka bar, except that i was a cardinals fan and refused to collect cubs players. Sold it to the card shop owner on the spot and after a series of lucky investments (and 10 years) it turned into a big part for the down payment on my house.
I think it all went downhill with the creation of crad grading service companies.
It takes the phun out of it.
I can still remember my 2 year old sister cutting my 1975 Topps cards in half before dinner one day. Robin Yount,George Brett, nooo not my Steve Swisher !!!!!!
She did get over the limp ….
actually, I'm still looking for the Carl Yastrzemski baseball card from 1973 when he had big sideburns.
Great post. I used to get the complete set of Upper Deck cards each year. The first one was 1989, I believe, and contained the Ken Griffy Jr. rookie card. They're piled in a room somewhere… I'm hoping the market swings back around, but that seems unlikely with the current steroid situation in baseball. Kids and adults are looking elsewhere for roll models and heroes.
Another card collecting highlight was a Michael Jordan rookie card for baseball (I wish I had the basketball one) when he played briefly for the Chicago White Sox.
And, of course the day I dropped my Chris Webber rookie card between the wood slats of the deck and lost it forever. Not a big deal now, but I went to the Univ. of Michigan and was kind of fond of it… until we found out he was getting paid to play and sent us into sanctions-ville.
Great article, brings back lots of memories for me. The first set I remember putting together by myself was 1986 Topps (although it was '89). I loved the chunky black border and bright lettering at the top.
My brother was into baseball cards and, by association then, so was I. We used to play a baseball card board game. Jose Canseco and George Brett always had to be on my team.
After not thinking about baseball cards for over a decade, a couple years back, I randomly decided I had to have the Topps 2002 Oakland A's team set. It took a whopping $1 to purchase this gem. And the Wally Szczerbiak rookie card.
I've been winding my way through a similar experience, though I have been mixing nostalgia (1987-1989 Topps and 1989 Upper Deck for me) with packs of newer sets (somewhat at random, just to get a sense of the hobby right now).
My wife thought it was particularly peculiar when I announced to her that I intended to hand-collate a set of 1989 Upper Deck out of packs slowly over the next year or so. And so I shall, with a few eBay purchases.
Cards still make a great gift for a 5-9 year old baseball fan. Opening up a complete box on your birthday from the year you were born is a big thrill, investment value aside. My son (6) loves to "trade" cards with me, where we put together packages (all pitchers, all phillies, all lefties) and negotiate meaningless deals with each other. Collecting and organizing stuff will always be fun for a certain kind of kid.
The death of sports card collecting has been documented and analysed many times before. The Christian Science monitor just covered this last August, for one. This topic was also covered in a Washington Times article from last July.
Basically I think three things came together to kill the industry: technology, industry stupidity, and Magic: the Gathering.
Baseball cards, by themselves, aren't much fun. There are more interesting ways (at least flashier, anyway) and interactive ways for teens to spend their time and money. Video games — especially Madden/FIFA/etc — and fantasy leagues satisfy the craving to collect and control your favorite players and teams way better than cardboard ever could. And collecting friends on Myspace doesn't usually cost you any money.
Collecting the players you wanted, let alone a team or — god forbid — a set was made incredibly difficult by gigantic set sizes (800 cards!?), ridiculous rarities (plus a dozen or more ultra-rare chase series rarities within the set) , shrinking pack sizes (I swear I saw a TOPPS pack the other day that had 4 cards for $5.), and confusing product lines (do you collect Triple Threads, Finest, Bowman, Co-Signers, Chrome, or Series line of baseball cards? and that's just from TOPPS!) .
Finally, collectable/trading card games had almost all of the appeal (they mostly don't have professional athletes' pictures on the cards) of sports cards, but also had the bonus that you could do something with them besides look at the pretty pictures. The industry hasn't succumb to customer-hating stupidity too badly. Well, at least Magic hasn't, though it does have premium foil chase cards and it's most recently released set is a pretty blatent money grab. Magic is still priced competetively at just under $4/pack of 15 cards (that's a bit more than $2 in 1986 dollars), it has a reasonable release schedule of new sets, and sets are sized such that they aren't futile to attempt to collect. The Vs. game from Upper Deck is excellent. Yu-gi-oh and Pokemon are more customer hostile than Vs. or Magic but still have a long way to go to be in the same order of magnitude as TOPPS.
Jason, pre-war cards are the way to go. Trying to find these bring back the excitement of back of the 1980s and early 90s when the '87 Fleer and '84 Donruss were supposedly scarce.
I bought a box this spring with the intention of starting to collect again. I think I am going to stick with hunting down the older cards. Cards, and all of those damned "flashy" inserts these days lack that certain je ne sais quoi.
My father and I collected for about a decade, from the early '80s until I went to college in the early '90s. We started just collecting Phillies from all eras. That led us into the Tobacco cards from the late 19th and early 20th century. They were truly works of art.
Like must suckers, we have our case of unopened 1987 Topps sitting in the attic. But we also have an unopened pack from 1970 until about 1990. We put together a complete T-201 set.
We were friends with a number of dealers who we would run into at the different shows. We even traveled to the "National" in Anaheim in '84 and again in Chicago in '89.
Collecting with my dad are some of my best childhood memories.
It almost seems like there is a current wave of appreciation, as epitomized at the Baseball Card Blog, for appreciating the photography and graphic design of the cards. I started collecting in 1979, when I was eight, and I remember going to card shows and being fascinated by cards from previous years, with features like "all-star rookies" that were discontinued by the time I started collecting. Also, for a young kid like myself, those older cards were like a baseball history lesson, seeing players that I only knew as veteran stars pictured as younger men in different uniforms.
As for the cards' value, it seems like an important factor is getting the cards graded. If you look at ebay, cards that are rated as 9's or 10's by the grading companies can fetch something approaching those Beckett book values, whereas ungraded cards aren't worth nearly as much. Maybe this doesn't hold true for more recent years.
I was a wheeler and dealer in the late '80s while in high school in the Bay Area. Had a table at many big conventions in town, attended the National a few times, and subscribed to the real Bible of the scene, the weekly Sports Collectors Digest rag. Then the summer before college, a neighbor broke into my place and lifted a few key cards from my dear project, a 1969 Topps complete set in NM to MT range, and I completely lost interest in baseball cards after that. Sold the 250,000 cards I owned over the next year (1990), apparently just before the market really tanked, and I then had a little bit of savings to pay off first year of college tuition.
Regarding the scarcity of 1987 wax packs, etc: The height of popularity for baseball cards was in 1987 or 1988. Topps printed scads more of their cards in that range — 1984 to 1990, perhaps 1991 on — than ever before. And, although I'm guessing at this point because I didn't follow the scene after 1990, if the market nosedived, the demand and therefore production must've also nosedived… so today's non-waxies are probably scarcer.
I found this book once in a flea market ages ago. It's the best baseball card book ever, guaranteed to strum your nostalgic strings until you're a blubbering mess: The Great American Baseball Card Flipping, Trading and Bubble Gum Book.
The (mostly) entertaining people at Page 2 recently came together to indulge on the nostalgia as well: A Pack of Baseball Memories.
Another article posted yesterday on the same subject can be found here on Slate.
Great job at bringing back scenes so familiar to so many of our memories. In my case collecting in northern MN, the chance to go to actual card stores was rare, and so nothing beat the thrill of pulling a coveted card from the pack.
Ha, try reading the first line of your post, self.
Regardless of my obvious skimming of the intro, good post.
Here in the UK, the equivalent I guess would be Panini football (soccer) stickers… they were a huge craze during the the 86/87 and 87/88 seasons for kids my age (born '78)… they even banned them in schools as they caused too many playground fights.
Everyone remembers: "got got got got NEED got got… etc". Some classic haircuts and ugly footballers… the thrill of finding a 'silver' team badge. I think the reason I learnt my 12-times table so well was because the packs cost 12p. lol.
Hehe… talk about a blast from the past. I was a huge baseball card collector in the early 90s. I would spend all of my allowance each week buying packs of Donruss, Tops, Upper Deck, Leaf, etc. packs of cards… I'd even go to Baseball Card shows. I finally stopped collecting around the age of 15, when comics became my new interest. Ah, those were the days.


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Judge Dismisses Kobe Bryant Criminal Case
EAGLE, Colo. – The criminal case against Kobe Bryant (search) case collapsed Wednesday as prosecutors dropped the sexual assault charge against him, saying they had no choice because the NBA star's accuser no longer wanted to participate.
Bryant, whose trial had been days from opening arguments, responded with an apology to the woman who had accused him and whose civil suit for damages is still pending.
"Although I truly believe this encounter between us was consensual, I recognize now that she did not and does not view this incident the same way I did," Bryant said. "I now understand how she feels that she did not consent to this encounter."
The woman's attorney, John Clune (search), said she has been through an extremely difficult time since she alleged she was raped, and that she was disturbed by a series of courthouse mistakes that included release of her name and medical history. She has been the subject of death threats and relentless media coverage in the high-profile case.
"It is in her sincere belief that when this case ends, she does not want to be brought back into the criminal process," Clune said.
"The difficulties that this case has imposed on this woman the past year are unimaginable."
The dismissal marks a dramatic but not entirely unexpected turn in the high-profile case against one the NBA's brightest young stars. For months, prosecutors had insisted they had a strong enough case to win a conviction beyond a reasonable doubt, but legal experts said their case was greatly weakened when Bryant's attorneys convinced the judge to allow some evidence about his accuser's sexual history.
Outside the courthouse, District Attorney Mark Hurlbert (search) said the decision to drop the case "is not based upon a lack of belief in the victim — she is an extremely credible and an extremely brave young woman."
"A trial can be traumatic for any victim of any crime, more so with the victim of a sexual assault, and even more so with the victim of a sexual assault whose victimization has been subject to worldwide scrutiny," Hurlbert said.
With the parents of the 20-year-old alleged victim looking on, District Judge Terry Ruckriegle (search) threw out the case under a deal that means no charges will be refiled. Neither Bryant nor his accuser were in the courtroom.
Prosecutors dropped the case after spending at least $200,000 and just days before opening statements were scheduled to begin on Tuesday. Jury selection was scheduled to wrap up this week.
Bryant, 26, has said he had consensual sex with a then-19-year-old employee of a Vail-area resort where he stayed last summer. Had he been convicted, the Los Angeles Lakers (search) star would have faced four years to life in prison or 20 years to life on probation, and a fine up to $750,000.
Bryant apologized to the victim "for my behavior that night and for the consequences she has suffered in the past year."
"Although this year has been incredibly difficult for me personally, I can only imagine the pain she has had to endure," said Bryant, who also apologized to her family, his family and friends and the citizens of Eagle.
Bryant said the civil case against him "will be decided by and between the parties directly involved in the incident and will no longer be a financial or emotional drain on the citizens of the state of Colorado."
"I also want to make it clear that I do not question the motives of this young woman," Bryant said. "No money has been paid to this woman. She has agreed that this statement will not be used against me in the civil case."
Larry Pozner, a former president of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, said although Bryant's statement was apologetic, he did not think it suggested an interest in settling the civil lawsuit.
"I would have guessed today would have been a global settlement (covering both cases)," he said. "If it isn't, it's because the defense has told them, `We aren't paying you very much, and if you want to continue, bring it on."'
Legal experts said a series of court rulings hurt the prosecution's case, including a decision allowing the woman's sex life in the days surrounding her encounter with Bryant to be admitted as evidence. This was expected to bolster the defense contention that she slept with someone after leaving Bryant and before she went to a hospital exam — a potentially key blow to her credibility.
The pending civil case would have also allowed defense attorneys to argue the woman had a financial motive to accuse Bryant of assault. Bryant's defense team has long argued she falsely accused him to gain the attention of a former boyfriend, and that she was given nearly $20,000 from a victims' compensation fund.
Attorneys for the accuser complained of several damaging accidental releases of information in the case by court officials. The accuser's name was accidentally released at least twice.
Ruckriegle admitted mistakes had been made and took full responsibility. But he also blamed Colorado lawmakers for slashing the budgets of the state courts system, saying less staff and more work "was bound to result in mistakes."
Defense attorneys had asked the judge to dismiss the assault charge hours before it was dismissed, saying prosecutors had refused to turn over details that could suggest he is innocent. Court rules require prosecutors and defense attorneys to exchange evidence and witness opinions before trial, a process called discovery.
In a motion, defense attorneys said a forensics expert whom prosecutors had once planned to call as a witness had information that "undermined the accuser's allegations and the prosecution's case." The judge set a deadline for prosecutors to respond, but the move was moot a short time later.
The accuser's lawsuit, like the criminal case, accuses Bryant of attacking her in his room at the Cordillera resort near Edwards, causing her emotional and physical problems that linger to this day.
The attorneys accused Bryant of flirting with the woman, a front desk employee, during a tour of the resort. After the two ended up in his room, they began to kiss. Investigators have said the encounter turned violent after flirting by both Bryant and his accuser, and that she told Bryant "no" at least twice.
In the civil suit, the attorneys said at some point during the kissing "Bryant's voice became deeper and his acts became rougher" as he began to grope the woman. She asked him to stop, but Bryant allegedly blocked her exit, grabbed her and forced her over a chair to rape her. Bryant's hands were around the woman's neck, the attorneys said — "a perceived threat of potential strangulation if she resisted his advances."

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Images courtesy of Milk Makeup
Milk Makeup Is Getting Serious About Skin Care
The brand has finally launched its first traditional cleanser
by Tanisha Pina
If the neon packaging, high-shine pigments, and cyber-cool makeup looks are the first things that come to mind when you think of Milk Makeup, you wouldn't be alone. The brand has positioned itself as the free-spirited, rebellious, and 100 percent vegan alternative to the Glossier's of the world since its 2016 debut, largely due its color cosmetic and makeup offerings. But the brand makes good skin care, too, and today it pushes even further into the category with the launch of Milk Makeup's Vegan Milk Cleanser — its first-ever traditional version of the product to hit the market.
Available for $30, the four ounce, translucent yellow tube and the milky, gel-cream inside it, was formulated to be a gentle albeit effective go-to, making all of the typical promises — like that it'll wash away dirt, makeup, and impurities, and do so without stripping the skin. It's packed with an antioxidant-rich blend of argan milk, grape-seed oil, and olive-derived squalene to seal in moisture, as well as fig milk, shea butter, and oat milk to soften and comfort. The hero ingredient, desert milk, is proprietary to the brand — infused with Kalahari melon, baobab, jojoba, and aloe vera, all of which thrive in desert climates thanks to their water-storing abilities, that make for a hydration all-star in a cleanser. According to the brand, it's ideal for dry-to-normal skin types, and especially those with sensitive skin.
Nearly an identical ingredient list can be found in the brand's newly-launched Vegan Milk Moisturizer ($38), which debuted back in January; much like the cleanser, it's the brand's first traditional offering in the category. (Cleansers and moisturizers have been a part of Milk Makeup's lineup only in stick form previously.) According to Milk Makeup co-founder and COO Dianna Ruth, who oversees all of the product development for the brand, both products were the result of community feedback.
"We just felt, about a year and a half ago, that we didn't really have a basic moisturizer," Ruth tells NYLON. "It was something we felt like we all needed in our routine." Interested to see if a traditional, milky, lathering cleanser was even of interest to the brand's consumers, the web and social teams ran surveys on their respective channels, offering what Ruth called surprising new information. "They all were coming back saying that their skin was sensitive, and that they wanted something new. I was so surprised reading this data because you know, you wonder how or why sensitive skin is a trend." The team found consumers' skin was becoming more and more sensitive as a result of a few things, like over-cleansing, using harsh products too often, and the usual culprits like stress and travel. "That was the culture we were seeing form in our community."
Around the same time, Ruth was also noticing the rise of milk alternatives, sharing that even at her office at Milk Studios, the coffee bar had suddenly switched to only oat milk and almond milk. She applied the trend — brewing in the food-world for years — to the brand's formulation process for both the Vegan Milk Moisturizer and Vegan Milk Cleanser.
The final result is two sensitive-skin approved products that fall in line with the rise of not only milk alternatives and more gentle formulations for the products consumers are putting on their bodies, but the stark data that concludes skin-care is far outpacing the growth of color cosmetics today. According to Ruth, the brand will move through 2020 keeping both major categories a priority, with complexion and color launches in the pipeline, along with a "unique" body product slated to launch before summer.
"We always think of ourselves as a lifestyle brand," says Ruth. "Anything you would ever want to have in your bag, be it a cleanser or moisturizer, we always want to be open to offering those products."
Emma Chamberlain Is The New Face Of Lancôme
Otherland's New Candle Collection Is A Sensory Time Capsule Of The '90s


Yesterday's blog quiz invited you to guess which TV show I'll soon be appearing on.
CakeEating is right. I'll be appearing in the second hour of the season premiere of Beauty and the Geek, which begins at 8 ET/7CT tonight (Wed., Jan. 3), on the CW network (a union of the old WB and UPN networks).
When I was first asked to do the show, I didn't even bother replying. I'd never heard of it, and from the title it didn't sound worthwhile. Then I mentioned it to Levitt, who told me that it's a really good show and that I'd be an idiot to not do it. He was right — at least about it being a really good show. I watched a few DVD's of last year's episodes, and was pretty much transfixed. It's a reality show produced by Ashton Kutcher, who also made Punk'd, but it is not at all? mean-spirited. If, like me, you've never heard of the show, it's described here as "Pygmalion meets Survivor with Punk'd overtones, and manages to win kudos for cultural insightfulness." I'm not supposed to say anything about the content of the show, but the L.A. Times already has.
So congratulations to CakeEating, who'll be getting a signed copy of Freakonomics for the first correct answer. MelloYello9838 will also get a book; he/she was randomly chosen from everyone else who also had the right answer but wasn't first.
Sweet!! That's what I get for waking up early and watching too much Top Model, I guess. Thanks so much. Where do I send my info?
Truly, this is the high point in my life.
Thats funny. I actually watched Beauty and the Geek, and was pleasantly surprised at the quasi social engineering issues raised by the show. They tried very hard to help the geeks deal with their social anxiety issues in a touching way. Also, the beauties were much smarter than most people would have expected.
I just finished your book, read it in one night, could not put it down. Very interesting concepts.
I found the parts about gangs and education especially informative. My mom has been an educator for over 30 years and I will definatly be recommending your book to her. Keep up the good work, glad to see you guys blog quite frequently.
I thought that "Beauty and the Geek" was too obvious an answer, I've seen dozens of ads for the show and they always show one of the girls using a copy of Freakonomics as a sunshade. Silly me.
Wow, now that you mention it, I do remember seeing that in a promo for the show. Good catch.
I like the idea of having quizzes with prizes on your blog, but isn't the prize a little inefficient? I would assume that the majority of the people that frequent this blog have already read Freakonomics, so you're offering a prize that people don't really want. (As we all know, a 2nd copy of a book suffers from very diminishing marginal utility.) And the "signed" copy doesn't add much more value, given that you've already offerred the signed bookplates for free on the blog previously.
I'd like to think that a blog devoted to economics could avoid sufferring from such an inefficiency. Could you consider offerring a different prize? Perhaps a copy of superfreakonomics, when it comes out? (Of course, I can ignore the possibility that irrationality may lead winners to discount the value of a gift that comes in the future, since all readers of this fine blog surely know better).
wow, and I said Identity, with the added comment that it was pretty easy. Guess I shouldn't speak so soon next time.
A spare copy of a well liked book is always useful. It's always easier to talk to a friend about the particulars of a book if you have an extra copy to press upon her.
Wow. I bet that was painful.
Doh! I have to start watching more CW. Looks like most of your comments got edited out, but good job anyway, Mr. Freakonomics...Author.
That was a funny episode. You are an awesome sport Stephen! I still can't believe the ex Hooter's waitress interview went that well. Did it really go that smoothly or did editing just make it look like that?
I forgot all about your appearance until my watch was watching the latest episode on DVR. It's unfortunate that we didn't get to hear much from Stephen (or "Mr. Freakonomics Author" as one contestent called him).
My *wife* was watching, not my watch.
I also thought Dubner meant he was one of the geeks. Sort of disappointing.


text:
Persist or produce: a community trade-off tuned by species evenness
Rohr, Rudolf P. Department of Biology—Ecology and Evolution, University of Fribourg, Switzerland
Saavedra, Serguei Department of Environmental Systems Science, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich, Switzerland - Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Switzerland
Peralta, Guadalupe Centre for Integrative Ecology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand
Frost, Carol M. Centre for Integrative Ecology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand
Bersier, Louis-Félix Department of Biology—Ecology and Evolution, University of Fribourg, Switzerland
Bascompte, Jordi Integrative Ecology Group, Estación Biológica de Doñana (EBD-CSIC), Calle Américo Vespucio s/n, Seville, Spain
Tylianakis, Jason M. Centre for Integrative Ecology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand - Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, Ascot, United Kingdom
The American Naturalist. - 2016, vol. 188, no. 4, p. 411–422
English Understanding the effects of biodiversity on community persistence and productivity is key to managing both natural and production systems. Because rare species face greater danger of extinction, species evenness, a measure of how similar abundances are across species in a community, is seen as a key component of biodiversity. However, previous studies have failed to find a consistent association of species evenness with species survival and biomass production. Here we provide a theoretical framework for the relationship among these three elements. We demonstrate that the lack of consistent outcomes is not an idiosyncratic artifact of different studies but can be unified under one common framework. Applying a niche theory approach, we confirm that under demographic stochasticity evenness is a general indicator of the risk of future species extinctions in a community, in accordance with the majority of empirical studies. In contrast, evenness cannot be used as a direct indicator of the level of biomass production in a community. When a single species dominates, as expressed by the constraints imposed by the population dynamics, biomass production depends on the niche position of the dominating species and can increase or decrease with evenness. We demonstrate that high species evenness and an intermediate level of biomass production is the configuration that maximizes the average species survival probability in response to demographic stochasticity.
Département de Biologie
RERO DOC 277615
DOI 10.1086/688046
ber_ppc.pdf: 1


Designed for electric guitar players, the iRig Micro Amp from IK Multimedia is a small combo amp that can deliver 7.5W when battery powered and 15W when plugged into a wall. It does all of this through its custom-voiced 4" speaker, making it a louder than the little package lets on. It also gives you three channels of varying distortion: clean, drive, and lead.
On the amp itself, you'll find controls for gain, bass, mid, treble, volume, and channel selection. Plug-in your headphones, or loop in your favorite mobile device through 3.5mm I/O located on the top of the amp, right next to the 1/4" instrument input. Want to power a louder speaker? You can do so through the 1/4" speaker output on the rear of the amp, which can handle impedance loads between 4 and 16 Ohms.
Pair the amp with your iPhone, iPad, Mac, or Windows Machine, and you can make use of many AmpliTube amp/cab simulations, which are often utilized in the creation of records. 10 amps and 26 stompbox models form the included AmpliTube CS app can be used with this amp. If you're using a computer, you can play through nine amps and 10 stompbox models. More amps, stompboxes, and rack effects can be secured from IK Multimedia. Some include licensed recreations of Fender, Mesa Boogie, and Orange amplifiers, as well as the rigs of Jimi Hendrix, Slash, and others.
Thanks to the micro-USB connection you can interface with software apps as well as your computer's DAW. So, you can use the iRig Micro Amp to busk on the street, then take it into your home studio to record right into your computer.
The combo amp comes with a lightning to micro-USB cable, a USB Type-A to micro-USB cable, a thread for mic stands, and six AA batteries. A dedicated power supply is available separately.
iRig Micro Amp unlocks 10 amps and 26 stompbox effects in AmpliTube CS for iPhone or iPad, and includes AmpliTube 4 for Mac/PC for 9 amps and 10 stomps.
Box Dimensions (LxWxH) 10.9 x 8.7 x 7.4"


Need For Speed Most Wanted is an open world racing game set around Fairhaven, racing against numerous opponents at the same time as trying to out drive the cops chasing you. It is the nineteenth instalment in the series.
Discover the open roads of Fairhaven in the fastest most beautiful cars in the world, including BMW's Ferraris and Porches, and upgrade them as you go along.
Speed around Fairhaven finding secret locations shortcuts and jumps.
As you gain speed points you increase your speed level and even better unlock modifications for your cars. As you modify your cars you will enhance your car and improve your drive.
Because need for speed most wanted records everything you do it means that you can have challenges against your friends and try to outdo each other by trying out time trials in Fairhaven, you can send challenges to your friends even when they are not online.


In-character journals can be posted inside. Please see our URL!Journal Guidelines!URL for more information.
Here is where you can find any and all mail, from community bulletins to owl post to notes passed in class.
Hogwarts Professors can post homework assignments that students can complete IC to earn house points. Once the due date passes, assignments are archived.


text:
By thirstyinla On December 31, 2020 · Add Comment · In Books, Events, Stories
Joe Gardner, 22, Jerrys and Terry in "Soul" | Photo: Pixar
"After a year of pain and loss, it's time to unite, heal, and rebuild."
~ President-Elect Joe Biden on Dec. 26, 2020
As this post goes live, more than 300,000 Americans have died from COVID-19 – a horrible statistic that doesn't come close to conveying the grief of countless family members and friends. We have a long road ahead to climb out of the dumpster fire that was 2020 – no one is naive enough to think that everything will suddenly be fine at 12:01am on Jan. 1, 2021. President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris will be able to drop "elect" from their titles when they're sworn in on January 20, and hopefully that will galvanize our collective journey out of the wilderness.
We will always look at 2020 as one of the worst years of our lifetimes, but throughout the pandemic, I've been so lucky to have family, friends, and much more to keep me going. The following isn't a "Best of 2020" list so much as "Things That Helped Me Get Through 2020."
Take care, stay safe and healthy, and here's to a better and brighter 2021!
The hospitality industry was devastated by COVID-19. Across the country, tens of thousands of bars and restaurants were forced to close – many will never reopen. The heartbreaking losses in LA included Bibo Ergo Sum, Here's Looking At You, Ma'am Sir, Beverly Soon Tofu, and Pacific Dining Car.
Bars and restaurants have demonstrated their resiliency throughout the pandemic – adapting to confusing opening/closing orders; launching cocktails to-go and food pickups/delivery; renovating spaces for outdoor dining; all while keeping the health and safety of staff and customers at top of mind.
With no support coming from the government, unemployed hospitality workers turned to national organizations like the USBG, Another Round Another Rally, and the Restaurant Workers' Community Foundation for financial assistance. Locally, Va'La Hospitality launched the nonprofit No Us Without You to provide meal kits to undocumented back-of-house workers.
Art Beyond the Glass joined the effort in April with the COVID-19 Relief Fund, which supports bartenders suffering financial hardship due to loss of employment or reduced work hours. Beginning with a $12,000 seed donation from Bacardi, we've since provided micro grants to more than 180 bartenders across LA County. The fund is still accepting applications, and we encourage anyone who hasn't done so yet to fill out the form.
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Sipping at Home
Along with countless other events this year, the ninth annual Art Beyond the Glass was canceled. Instead of our flagship event, we hosted a virtual telethon called Sipping at Home on May 3. The 12-hour telethon streamed live on The Hospitality Life Twitch and Facebook channels, while viewers sipped Cocktail Kits created by dozens of LA bartenders. Sipping at Home kicked off with a "Coast to Coast Martini," featuring ABTG co-founder Zahra Bates and alums from across the country; then yours truly and ABTG Production Manager Clare Ward took turns co-hosting the telethon. It wasn't the same as an actual ABTG, but it was a blast, and best of all proceeds went to the COVID-19 Relief Fund.
Melrose Umbrella Co. Thanksgiving Dinner
Friendsgiving & Festivus
The holidays are always a tough time for bartenders, who are usually working hard during one of the busiest seasons of the year instead of spending time with friends and family. Because of COVID-19, there would be more bar "orphans" this year than ever. In collaboration with USBG SoCal, ABTG gave away hundreds of meals and gift bags for Friendsgiving and Festivus – it was our way of saying "thank you" to the community that has given us so much.
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Last month, mi hermano en cócteles, Dave Stolte successfully closed the Kickstarter campaign for the 3rd Edition of his acclaimed cocktail book, Home Bar Basics (and Not-So-Basics). For the book's 10th anniversary refresh, Dave collaborated with Jason Schiffer (Tradecraft Hospitality Collective) to create a new and expanded edition with more than 200 recipes for cocktails, sodas, syrups, cordials, liqueurs, and infused spirits.
Nearly 600 backers pledged more than $40,000 on Kickstarter, exceeding Dave's goal by over $10,000. Those that pledged "The Works" received a signed copy of the book, a custom "Drinkify Me" portrait, and the iconic "four families" t-shirt.
If you missed out on the Kickstarter, not to worry: the 3rd Edition is now available at the Home Bar Basics website.
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Along with Home Bar Basics, several new cocktail books were added to the home library, including:
Unvarnished – In proper Fear and Loathing style, The Varnish proprietor Eric Alperin and co-author Deborah Stoll reveal what the "glamorous" life of a bar owner is really like. Of course there are cocktail recipes, but the book's focus is on stories that range from hilarious to poignant.
The Craft of the Cocktail – Originally published in 2002, Dale DeGroff's landmark book gets a major update with 100 all-new recipes (for a total of 500!), liquor brand recommendations for each recipe, and King Cocktail's perspective on the changing cocktail landscape.
Drink What You Want – In his foreword, Jim Meehan describes Drink What You Want as "the coming-out party the genre desperately needs." Newbies and cocktail geeks alike will enjoy the 60+ recipes and easygoing approach of John deBary, who began his career at PDT, became the Momofuku group's bar director, and is now CEO of Proteau and co-founder of RWCF.
Drinking French – For now, the 160 recipes featured in Drinking French will have to stand in for a trip to Paris. Author David Lebovitz – who worked at Chez Panisse for nearly 13 years before moving to Paris in 2004 – encourages readers to vicariously experience the café culture that he eventually fell in love with: "You can recreate the feeling and flavors of a French café at home, no matter where you live."
Good Drinks – In the summer of 2018, Julia Bainbridge crisscrossed the country to gather nonalcoholic recipes from bartenders. The 50+ recipes are organized by occasion – brunch, a lazy weekend afternoon, happy hour, a leisurely dinner, or a quiet nightcap. There's also an extensive pantry section, tips for sourcing ingredients, and a list of bars to visit (when we can travel again).
Spirits of Latin America – Speed Rack co-founder, Ivy Mix shares her passion for Latin American spirits and drinking culture with 100+ recipes from her Brooklyn bar Leyenda, along with cocktails inspired by her travels.
The United States of Cocktails – No other book will make you long for the open road like Brian Bartels ultimate bar crawl, which features more than 100 cocktail recipes from all 50 states (and the District of Columbia). Prompted by Brad Thomas Parsons, Bartels posted a Spotify list "to honor a lot of the music I listened to while traveling, researching, writing, and post-publication of The United States of Cocktails."
These selected books are just the tip of the (clear) iceberg – as he does every year, Alcademics founder Camper English has posted a comprehensive list of cocktail books published in 2020.
Prince – "Sign O' the Times" Super Deluxe Edition
An unexpected benefit of the numerous deep cleanings during lockdown was getting reacquainted with my vinyl collection – mixing for hours was a salve for the soul, and a reminder of so many friends and good times from the DJ years.
Celebrated every April by vinyl nerds around the world, Record Store Day changed its format this year from a single event to three monthly "Drops." Inspired by RSD, I put the band back together for this year's edition of Booze and Vinyl, a wildly eclectic collection of albums and paired cocktails from bar industry friends in LA and across the country. As always, there's so much music I hadn't heard before – check out the Spotify playlist, which clocks in at 15 hours!
For diehard Prince fans like yours truly, Christmas arrived in September with the release of Sign O' The Times Super Deluxe Edition, a mindblowing 13 LP / 8 CD collection that includes the remastered album, 63 unreleased tracks from The Vault, 120-page hardcover book, and a live concert DVD – the New Year's Eve show at Paisley Park was the only time that Prince and Miles Davis shared the stage. Much love to my brother Andrew for the best gift ever!
A dear friend, Chuck Taggart launched a weekly streaming radio show, Safe at Home which airs live every Saturday at 1pm Pacific. Archived shows are available at Mixcloud. Chuck is a former DJ at KCRW and KCSN – his euphonious voice and wide-ranging music selection is just what you need for a Saturday afternoon.
And speaking of KCRW, a shout-out to their Program Director of Music, Anne Litt for hosting Morning Becomes Eclectic and helping to keep me (and millions of other listeners) sane during the pandemic.
Boba Fett, The Mandalorian and Fennec Shand | Photo: Lucasfilm
Staying safe at home during the ongoing pandemic is a great reason to chip away at the endless queue list, which continues to grow with the deluge of new and returning series.
The Mandalorian Season 2 (Disney+) – SPOILERS AHEAD: Yeah yeah, Grogu aka Baby Yoda aka The Child is adorable. But "Chapter 14: The Tragedy" made me feel like a kid again with the return of BOBA FUCKING FETT. Robert Rodriguez directed the best episode of The Mandalorian to date, which not only brings back the legendary bounty hunter (played by Temuera Morrison) but also new fan favorite Fennec Shand (Ming-Na Wen). Peyton Reed (Ant-Man, Ant-Man and the Wasp) directed the thrilling season finale – Luke Skywalker himself saves the day, and the post-credits scene announces a new Boba Fett series and features a cameo by Melrose Umbrella alum Rachel McDermott!
Bosch Season 6 (Amazon Prime, April) – Bosch has no equal in its authentic use of LA locations, and in the early weeks of the pandemic it was especially emotional to see places that we weren't able to visit in person. The series' penultimate season debuted in April, which was perfect timing for those of us that needed to catch up – guilty as charged. (Was I the only one that yelled at the screen when Titus Welliver guest starred on The Mandalorian?)
The Boys Season 2 (Amazon Prime) – Diabolical! This satire of the superhero genre is loads of fun, and Season 2 ratchets up the action, bloodshed and razor sharp social commentary. The Boys made Barack Obama's year-end list of favorites, which delights me to no end.
David Attenborough: A Life on Our Planet (Netflix) – In his intro, the legendary naturalist calls this documentary his "witness statement" – a retrospective of his extraordinary career, an unflinching look at humanity's devastating impact on nature, and a message of hope for the future.
Doom Patrol Season 2 (HBO Max) – You know you're in for a different kind of comic book series when a recurring character is a sentient, genderqueer street – yes, street – named Danny. Doom Patrol wears its weirdness on its sleeve, and thankfully Season 2 loses none of that while exploring deeper emotional issues within the dysfunctional team of oddball heroes.
The Flight Attendant (HBO Max) – Kaley Cuoco is fantastic in the title role of Cassie Bowden, a hard-partying flight attendant who wakes up in a hotel bed next to a dead body and can't remember what happened. Lots of fun twists and turns as Cassie tries to solve the murder, with help from her best friend Annie (Zosia Mamet, who steals every scene she's in).
Great Pretender (Netflix) – If you're a fan of cinematic cons and heists like the Ocean's movies and The Sting, then Great Pretender is the anime series for you. Capers are grouped into "Cases" – Season 1 was released worldwide in August and featured Cases in Los Angeles, Singapore and London. Season 2 is a nine-episode Case that's mostly based in Japan. With its 23-minute episodes, breezy style and saturated color palette, Great Pretender is perfect for a weekend brunch binge. And try to find a better end credits – go ahead, I'll wait.
Kingdom Season 2 (Netflix) – I'm not much of a fan of the zombie genre, but I was hooked on Netflix's first Korean original series from the get-go. Set during the Joseon period, Kingdom tells the story of the Crown Prince as he battles a deadly plague spreading across the country (sound familiar?) and struggles to save the royal dynasty from being overthrown. Season 2 was released on March 13, just days before LA went into lockdown.
Lovecraft Country (HBO) – Anchored by stars Jurnee Smollett and Jonathan Majors, the pendulum for this wildly uneven series swings from "OH SHIT" awesome to "WTF just happened?" confusion. Lovecraft Country is never less than interesting to watch, and when an episode sticks the landing it's irresistible.
Perry Mason (HBO) – Another series that makes great use of LA locations, Perry Mason is set in 1932 and tells the origin story of the famed defense lawyer, played by a superb Matthew Rhys, as he works to solve a sensational child kidnapping and murder. Originally intended to be a limited series, Perry Mason was renewed for a second season in July.
The Queen's Gambit (Netflix) – Making chess exciting is no small feat, and The Queen's Gambit boasts the most memorable games since Steve McQueen and Faye Dunaway flirted with each other in The Thomas Crown Affair. The Queen's Gambit features an exceptional performance by Anya Taylor-Joy as the orphaned chess prodigy, Beth Harmon along with gorgeous Mid-Century fashion and production design. Taylor-Joy's star continues to rise with the recent announcement that she'll play Furiosa in George Miller's Mad Max: Fury Road prequel.
Top Chef: All-Stars LA (Bravo) – For its 17th season, Top Chef returned to Los Angeles for an All-Stars edition that brought back cheftestants from previous seasons. World-famous LA locations are featured throughout the season, but for gourmands the second episode is really worth watching – it's an homage to beloved food critic Jonathan Gold.
The Umbrella Academy Season 2 (Netflix) – The misfit siblings have to prevent the apocalypse again, but this time they're trapped in 1960s Dallas, and the assassination of JFK is just days away. In many ways, Season 2 is a big step up from the series' debut season. The Umbrella Academy has been renewed for a third season, which is great because Season 2 ends in a cliffhanger!
Warrior Season 2 (Cinemax) – Based on a concept by Bruce Lee, and executive-produced by his daughter Shannon Lee and Justin Lin, Warrior is a spectacular tale of the Tong Wars set in San Francisco's Chinatown in the 1870s. For this Chinese American, there was no greater joy than watching the Asian lead actors kick ass through the series' 20 episodes. Season 2 takes the martial arts action and production design to another level, especially the mind-blowing ninth episode, appropriately titled "Enter the Dragon." Warrior will be available on HBO and HBO Max starting Jan.1, 2021 which should mean that it will get the wider audience that it deserves. Cinemax has ceased production of original programming, so here's hoping Warrior eventually finds a new home for its third season.
Like concerts, performing arts, and sports, there's nothing like the communal experience of watching a movie in a packed theatre. We won't really be able to do that for the foreseeable future, but at least we have the convenience of streaming films from the comfort of home.
Soul (Disney+) – Pete Docter has directed some of Pixar's most beloved and acclaimed films, including Monsters, Inc., Up and Inside Out. He may have topped himself with Soul, which he co-directed with Kemp Powers. The stellar voice cast includes Jamie Foxx, Tina Fey, Graham Norton, Rachel House, Alice Braga, Richard Ayoade, Phylicia Rashad, Donnell Rawlings, Questlove, and Angela Bassett. Soul's message about living life to the fullest is one we all need to hear, while the Big Questions it asks are presented with stunning visuals, Pixar's trademark humor, original jazz songs by Jon Batiste, and an ethereal new age score by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross.
Da 5 Bloods (Netflix) – Delroy Lindo gives the performance of his career in Spike Lee's epic Vietnam War drama, which stars the late Chadwick Boseman as the fallen squad leader that the surviving "Bloods" are searching for, along with a buried cache of gold. Released in June, the movie's nod to the Black Lives Matter movement could not have been more timely.
Extraction (Netflix) – Chris Hemsworth stars as a black market mercenary in the most-watched original film in Netflix history, which has a sequel in development and a potential cinematic universe according to the Russo Brothers. Some of the action sequences are among the best in years, though the sheer amount of relentless violence borders on numbing.
First Cow (Showtime) – The New York Film Critics Circle named First Cow the Best Film of 2020, and it's been popping up on numerous critics' best of 2020 lists, which is how I stumbled on this gem. Set in the Oregon Territory circa 1820, First Cow is the story of two outsiders who form an unlikely friendship and hatch a money-making scheme that involves the title bovine. Kelly Reichardt's minimalist style asks you to recalibrate your usual viewing habits – she takes her time in telling her story, and if you can shut out the distractions for a couple of hours, you'll be rewarded with a sublime frontier tale that will linger with you long after you've watched it.
Hamilton (Disney+) – Originally scheduled for an October 2021 theatrical release, Hamilton was moved up to Fourth of July weekend, and according to Variety it's the most-streamed film of 2020. For fans of the blockbuster musical, watching the original Broadway cast perform at the Richard Rodgers Theatre in Midtown Manhattan will be a welcome trip down memory lane. And those that have never seen Hamilton will experience the next best thing to being in the theatre audience.
Ma Rainey's Black Bottom (Netflix) – Based on August Wilson's play of the same name, Ma Rainey's Black Bottom stars Viola Davis as the "Mother of the Blues" and in his final performance, Chadwick Boseman as trumpeter Levee Green. Davis is commanding in the title role, but watching Boseman – who died of colon cancer in August – railing at God in an incendiary monologue, it's impossible not to think that he's speaking as himself, instead of Levee.
Mank (Netflix) – Directed by David Fincher from a screenplay by his late father Jack, Mank stars Gary Oldman in the title role as Herman J. Mankiewicz, the infamous screenwriter of Citizen Kane. The film oozes Oscar bait, from historical figures like Marion Davies (Amanda Seyfried), Louis B. Mayer (Arliss Howard), and William Randolph Hearst (Charles Dance), to the striking black and white cinematography by Erik Messerschmidt. Incredibly, the evocative period score by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross was recorded remotely during the pandemic.
The Old Guard (Netflix) – Charlize Theron as the leader of a team of immortal mercenaries? Yes please!
Small Axe: Lovers Rock (Amazon Prime) – Amazon is reportedly going to campaign Steve McQueen's five-part film anthology for the Emmys in 2021, but that didn't stop the Los Angeles Film Critics Association from naming Small Axe the Best Film of 2020. The second film in the series, Lovers Rock is centered on a house party, so obviously I had to watch that one first. Like the other films, Lovers Rock is inspired by true stories of West Indian immigrants in London – in this episode, it's a 1980s "blues party" that's a must-see just for the extended "Silly Games" sing-along.
The Vast of Night (Amazon Prime) – Andrew Patterson makes a sensational directorial debut with this old school sci-fi film that evokes The Twilight Zone and early Spielberg, as our young heroes investigate a mysterious radio signal in 1950s New Mexico.
Cary Elwes and Robin Wright in "The Princess Bride" Reunion
"THE PRINCESS BRIDE" REUNION
Fezzik: Why do you wear a mask? Were you burned by acid, or something like that?
Man in Black: Oh no, it's just that they're terribly comfortable. I think everyone will be wearing them in the future.
In September, fans of The Princess Bride were treated to a marvelous virtual reunion of the original cast in support of Wisconsin Democrats. Mandy Patinkin was the MVP of the live table read, which featured Cary Elwes and Robin Wright, who looked like they time traveled directly from 1987 and into the Zoom; Chris Sarandon, Christopher Guest, Wallace Shawn, Billy Crystal, and Carol Kane. Guest stars included Rob Reiner as the Grandfather, Josh Gad as Fezzik, Eric Idle as the Impressive Clergyman, Whoopi Goldberg as the Ancient Booer and the Mother, and Jason Reitman as the narrator.
LAKERS & DODGERS
On January 26, the world was stunned by the news that Lakers legend Kobe Bryant had died in a helicopter crash along with his daughter, Gianna, and seven others. His memory carried the team through a season like no other, and on to the franchise's 17th championship. A year that began with tragedy ended with the presentation of the Lakers' championship rings on opening night of the 2020-21 season on December 22 (!).
Sixteen days later, the Dodgers won their seventh World Series championship – the franchise's first since 1988. According to Wikipedia, it's the shortest timespan for two championships in the same city. Minutes after the final out, landmarks across LA, from City Hall to the Santa Monica Pier, were lit up in Dodger Blue.
We weren't able to watch the Dodgers and Lakers in person, or gather with friends to cheer for the home teams on the road to victory. But Angelenos can always look back at October 2020 with pride, even in a terrible year that had precious few moments to celebrate.
All the Booze That's Fit to Print: The Best Cocktail Books of 2013
LA Hearts NY Raises $5000 for USBGNY Sandy Relief
Tagged with → art beyond the glass • booze and vinyl • clare ward • cocktail book • coronavirus • covid-19 • dale degroff • dave stolte • eric alperin • film • home bar basics • los angeles • music • prince • TV • usbgla • vinyl • zahra bates


Adrian Arena started the International Human Rights Programme on joining the Oak Foundation as a Programme Officer in February 2003. In its first year of operation, the programme had an annual budget of USD 2 million and largely focussed on supporting international NGOs. Since then, it has expanded to a programme with seven staff and an annual budget of around USD 20 million, operating in diverse geographies with both local and international organisations.
Prior to joining Oak Foundation, Adrian spent three years as Deputy Secretary General of the International Commission of Jurists, a Geneva-based organisation that promotes the global rule of law with a particular emphasis on the independence of the judiciary. Here he was responsible for management and fundraising and learned first hand the challenges of being a grant seeker.
Adrian began his career in the Australian Foreign Service serving as a diplomat at the Australian Embassies in Tehran, Stockholm and Rome. He undertook a range of responsibilities including political and economic reporting, representation and immigration work.
A fluent Italian and French speaker who has also studied Farsi and Indonesian, Adrian holds a degree in Arts/Law from the University of Sydney. He is a keen cyclist.


Project Taco: A Los Angeles, CA Restaurant.
This fast-casual concept's Mid-City location features a myriad of crazy-creative tacos, including breakfast handhelds tossed with goat cheese crema and bacon. For lunch, go big ona Thai peanut chicken taco with a honey and chile-based sauce. Taco Tuesdays are a steal here; save a buck on each taco, or get three for $9.


The concept behind Jurassic Park may not be so far-fetched after all. Researchers recently said that they had found preserved organic protein (which might still have soft tissue inside) in a fossilized dinosaur bone unearthed in China, according to a study published in Nature Communications.
This is a big deal: Paleontologists found collagen (a protein found in all animal bodies that serves as a building block for organisms) preserved in the fossilized bones of a species of dinosaur known as a Lufengosaurus. This particular dinosaur is nearly 200 million years old. Still, if what they believe is inside this particular dinosaur bone is real, it is organic material — which means that there is something for other science teams to study and model. From there, they might be able to replicate the dinosaur DNA inside computer models.
Fossils are formed when an animal's remains turn into minerals. As they decay, they turn into inorganic material. But now, these results show, it's possible that organic material — perhaps even soft tissue — might actually reside inside these fossilized bones. The fact that any organic material, of any sort, was found at all is remarkable.
This doesn't mean we can bring dinosaurs back, the research team cautioned. DNA has a half-life of 500 years or so, and any organism's DNA is completely destroyed within 7 million years after its death. The DNA from the Lufengosaurusm is long gone.
Still, if what they believe is inside this particular dinosaur bone is real, it is organic material — which means that there is something for other science teams to study and model. From there, they might be able to replicate the dinosaur DNA inside computer models.
Meanwhile, a second study, led by famed paleontologist Mary Schweitzer, recently found collagen in a dinosaur bone that's 80 million years old. In previous studies, which some of her colleagues have fiercely debated, Schweitzer has discovered blood cells and soft tissue preserved in dinosaur fossils.
Why this matters: Both studies have led experts to finally acknowledge that soft tissues may, in fact, be preserved for very long periods of times, perhaps hundreds of millions of years.


A new research conducted by researchers at the Washington and Stanford Universities have suggested that the biggest extinction event in the world was triggered 252 million years ago due to global warming. Scientists revealed that the unexpected climate change resulted in the extinction of 95 percent marine life, and scientists call this event 'The Great Dying'.
The exact cause of this extinction event has been the debating point among environmentalists for many years, and now, the new research has apparently shed light on what had happened during the days of chaos, 200 million years before the dinosaurs were wiped out by a killer asteroid.
During the research, scientists ran models of the ancient earth, and later simulated the effects which global warming could bring about on the planet. Researchers found that 10 degree Celsius increase in global temperature drastically reduced the oxygen levels in the oceans by 80 percent.
Increase in temperature also increased the metabolism rates of animals, and as a result, they were in need of more oxygen for survival.
"The signature of that kill mechanism, climate warming and oxygen loss, is this geographic pattern that's predicted by the model and then discovered in the fossils. The agreement between the two indicates this mechanism of climate warming and oxygen loss was a primary cause of the extinction," said Justin Penn, a University of Washington doctoral student in oceanography and the lead author of the study, Eurekalert.org reports.
Scientists also revealed that metabolism of tropical organisms was adapted to fairly warm conditions where oxygen presence was less, and as a result, they successfully survived the adverse conditions by migrating to areas where they could live comfortably.
"Since tropical organisms' metabolisms were already adapted to fairly warm, lower-oxygen conditions, they could move away from the tropics and find the same conditions somewhere else," said Curtis Deutsch, co-author of the study.


text:
Rough Crossings: Britain, the Slaves and the American Revolution
by Simon schama
"Rough Crossings" is the astonishing story of the struggle to freedom by thousands of African-American slaves who fled the plantations to fight behind British lines in the American War of Independence. With gripping, powerfully vivid story-telling, Simon Schama follows the escaped blacks into the fires of the war, and into freezing, inhospitable Nova Scotia where many who had served the Crown were betrayed in their promises to receive land at the war's end. Their fate became entwined with British abolitionists: inspirational figures such as Granville Sharp, the flute-playing father-figure of slave freedom, and John Clarkson, the 'Moses' of this great exodus, who accompanied the blacks on their final rough crossing to Africa, wher they hoped that freedom would finally greet them. 'This brilliant book by the leading historian of our times about a subject of great significance will delight professional historians and entrance the reading public. "Rough Crossings" succeeds in all respects. It is a 'tour de force' and a landmark in historical scholarship.' - Trevor Burnard, "Times Higher Education Supplement". '...Schama's gift for plunging us into the very centre of the action, whether in Charleston, London or on the African coast, makes reading an exhilarating experience.' - Ellen Gibson Wilson, "Daily Telegraph".
Book Publisher: Bbc books
Best Sellers, Non Fiction,


Sidepulls (bitless style bridles) are becoming the choice for many horseman & women looking for alternatives to the bit. We offer many styles from the rope noses for more horses needing more nose pressure for control to flat leather for less pressure.
COB/SMALL/ARAB- Full crown length- (from where noseband fits all the way up the Side of head over poll/crown down the other side to noseband) range fit- 38-41", Browband- at longest point- 15 1/2-16", Noseband total circumference around rang fit- 20-24".
REGULAR HORSE- Full crown length- (from where noseband fits all the way up the Side of head over poll/crown down the other side to noseband) range fit- 41-44", Browband- at longest point- 17", Noseband total circumference around rang fit- 23-26".
LARGE HORSE/MULE- Full crown length- (from where noseband fits all the way up the Side of head over poll/crown down the other side to noseband) range fit- 43-46", Browband- at longest point- 18", Noseband total circumference around range fit- 24-28".
Originally the sidepull was designed as a training headstall and to give some relief from the bit when needed. Many riders are using them now in everyday riding. Many horses do very well bitless with sidepulls and hackamores.


I've added support for alpha sampling in textures. It's a really cool feature that works very well with geometry based toon shading.
Standard toon shading uses the one-directional gradient ramp lookup (stepping from white to black) that encodes the shadow. This feature extends the gradient in the second direction called the fresnel. Fresnel value is sampled based on the angle between the vector from the vertex to the camera and normal of the vertex. If this angle is equal 0 then material reads the value from standard shadow gradient.
This feature makes the gradient looks more noticeable when the normal of the mesh is not directed into the camera. Additionally, you can encode the rim light effect in textures.
It is something really cool and fresh! This generator created in blueprint allows you to easily create and test gradient texture. You don't need to use external tools to create gradient ramp anymore. Export-Import-Check-Export-Import-Check – forget about it 🙂 now you can just edit the gradient in real time in UE4 and tweak the results. Additionally, this generator supports two-dimensional textures that mean there are tools for encoding fresnel/rim/shadow.