text:
OpEdNews Op Eds 3/22/2009 at 23:06:59 H2'ed 3/22/09
WPost Elitists Feel for Wall St. Brethren
By Robert Parry (Page 1 of 1 pages) (View How Many People Read This) 1 comment
consortiumnews.com March 22, 2009
One interesting trait of elitists is that they show remarkable class solidarity, often more so than people of lesser means. Which may help explain why the Washington Post's editorial writers penned three editorials last week decrying the populist outrage over the AIG bonuses.
Yes, the Post gave a nod of understanding to why the American people are furious over the idea of giving $165 million in bonuses to executives in the American International Group's financial products division after that bunch helped set in motion the economic catastrophe which is driving millions of people around the world out of their jobs and homes and into poverty and destitution.
Also, the bonus money comes from the U.S. taxpayers who were forced to pony up about $173 billion to prevent the insurance giant from collapsing and possibly wreaking more havoc.
The very idea that super-rich executives living in mansions and enjoying pleasures and perks beyond the comprehension of the rest of us must be, in essence, bribed to stay in their jobs to clean up the mess that they created goes beyond galling to being unpatriotic, almost treasonous.
At a time when the United States is involved in two wars--demanding extraordinary sacrifices from soldiers and their families--and when American autoworkers are reworking their contracts to reduce their pay and surrender benefits, what is one to make of pampered executives insisting on lucrative bonuses to get them to stay on to undo some of the damage they caused?
One might lock them in a room and make them watch the HBO movie, "Taking Chance," a story of a Marine colonel (played by Kevin Bacon) accompanying the body of Chance Phelps, a young Marine killed in Iraq, home to his family in Dubois, Wyoming. What is so touching is how average Americans show heartfelt respect for Phelps's sacrifice as they encounter his casket.
Or maybe the Wall Street bankers should watch the opening 20 minutes of "Saving Private Ryan" as U.S. soldiers come under withering German fire as they storm the beaches of Normandy on D-Day. One might hope that today's privileged elites might get a taste of what real sacrifice is, not just surrendering a million-dollar bonus. But probably not.
When I think of these "masters of the universe," I recall the $2 million birthday bash that Tyco CEO Dennis Kozlowski threw for his wife on the island of Sardinia. Tyco's shareholders footed half the bill for the party that featured an ice sculpture of David with expensive vodka flowing out his penis and a birthday cake shaped like a woman's breasts with sparklers on top.
Though Kozlowski did go to jail for looting his company, President Barack Obama is right when he says that the "dirty little secret" is that most of the recent financial gamesmanship was "perfectly legal." Most of America's hot-shot hedge-fund managers and Wall Street investment bankers operate in a world of either light regulation or little expectation of accountability.
In that sense, they are very much like the Washington Post's neoconservative editorial writers who swallowed George W. Bush's Iraq War deceptions whole, demeaned Americans who dared to challenge the lies, and suffered no consequences for being wrong. [For details, see Consortiumnews.com's "WPost Is a Neocon Propaganda Sheet."-]
Entitled Elites
If you're part of the elites--whether on Wall Street or at the Washington Post--you're apparently too big or at least too important to fail. You see yourself as part of a "meritocracy" that attended the right schools and knows so many of the right people. You're entitled.
So, it should have come as no surprise when editorial-page editor Fred Hiatt and his team penned three separate editorials bemoaning the angry populism that greeted news of the AIG bonuses.
The first editorial on March 17, entitled "Bonus Blowback," purported to share the public's outrage but came down on the side of paying the bonuses. "We hope that the President is setting the stage to do whatever it takes to answer legitimate protests about AIG without adding to the existing dangers or jeopardizing the necessary rescues of the banking sector still to come," the Post said.
The next day in an editorial called "The Big Bash," the Post expressed stronger annoyance with the "'populist' backlash" against the AIG bonuses. The Post wrote:
"No matter how morally satisfying, taking back bonuses now "would probably accelerate the exodus [of AIG executives], with the likely effect that the country would lose much more money on AIG than it would otherwise. ...
"The relevant policy question here is not whether we feel like spending $165 million on bonuses; it is whether doing so will help wrap up the AIG rescue as cheaply and quickly as possible."
By March 20, the Post editorialists were starting to fume, equating the irresponsibility of AIG's risky bets on derivatives with the angry reaction from politicians and their constituents over the bonuses.
Defending the Bonuses
In an editorial entitled, "Washington Gone Wild," the Post chastised Congress for trying to recoup the taxpayers' money by imposing a 90 percent tax on bonuses at firms that took significant government bailout funds.
"By changing the terms of a deal months after it was entered into, Congress will show the government to be an unreliable partner, further draining confidence from the financial system and endangering long-term recovery," the Post wrote, noting that "when then-Treasury Secretary Henry M. Paulson Jr. pressed many of those firms to take the funds last fall, government interference in their compensation systems was not part of the deal."
The Post argued that it was time for politicians to show courage, stand up to angry voters, and defend the bonuses.
"Elected officials have a responsibility to lead, not just to pander; to weigh what makes sense for the country, not just what feels good," the Post wrote. "The bonuses paid at AIG represent less than one-tenth of 1 percent of the bailout provided so far; recouping those funds will have no discernible fiscal effect.
"But it will help drive away the best talent at the firm, and despite all the glib messages of "good riddance,' that is a strange action for an owner--and the American public now owns AIG--to take. But the real damage goes well beyond any effect on AIG."
The Post said the American people must face up to the fact that Main Street can't function without Wall Street:
"The economy continues to suffer from a shortage of credit. The government needs financial institutions--including relatively healthy ones--to take public funds that will then be lent to responsible businesses and consumers."
The Post also wagged a finger at the White House.
"Rather than bringing reason to the debate, President Obama has stoked the anger," the Post complained. "Perhaps Mr. Obama believes that only by lining up with an angry public now can he persuade it, and Congress, to approve the hundreds of billions more he will need to right the credit system.
"But he might have expressed his sympathy with public anger over irresponsible behavior in the financial sector while also steering the government in a more constructive direction. The absence of backbone on either end of Pennsylvania Avenue this week could carry a steep price."
Taking on Friends
While the Post editors may have a point about political pandering, they might have directed more of their outrage at their fellow elitists on Wall Street, perhaps telling them that it's way past time to recognize that their extravagance is a huge part of the problem.
For each multi-million-dollar bonus, for each lavish party, for each pricy commode, for each sleek corporate jet, for each luxury car snapped up by a 28-year-old hedge fund manager, that is money not going to build a new factory or finance vital research and development--which is, after all, why companies go to Wall Street, seeking funds to expand or to modernize.
Rather than respect its role in the American economy, it is Wall Street that has "gone wild."
It has operated under the maxim: "the closer you are to the money, the more you get to keep." That attitude is now engrained in the culture of the financial circles. These guys have convinced themselves that they are worth the tens of millions of dollars that they are sucking out of the productive economy.
As messy as outbursts of populism might be, they often are a necessary corrective to a system that has ceased to function as it was intended.
But the Post's editors are too cozy with their brethren on Wall Street--they may share too much of what might be called a class interest--to understand how justifiably angry Americans are, furious at both the financiers who took the economy over the cliff and at the politicians and pundits who bogged the nation down in the bloody quagmire of Iraq.
Somehow, the United States must achieve accountability from all these sectors for their many sins of recent years. Not getting that accountability may be the biggest risk of all.
Robert Parry broke many of the Iran-Contra stories in the 1980s for the Associated Press and Newsweek. His latest book, Neck Deep: The Disastrous Presidency of George W. Bush, was written with two of his sons, Sam and Nat, and can be ordered at neckdeepbook.com. His two previous books, Secrecy & Privilege: The Rise of the Bush Dynasty from Watergate to Iraq and Lost History: Contras, Cocaine, the Press & 'Project Truth' are also available there. Or go to Amazon.com.
Robert Parry Social Media Pages:
Robert Parry broke many of the Iran-Contra stories in the 1980s for the Associated Press and Newsweek. His latest book, Secrecy & Privilege: Rise of the Bush Dynasty from Watergate to Iraq, can be ordered at secrecyandprivilege.com. It's also available at
Related Topic(s): Accountability; Class; Compensation; Congress; Elitism; Journalists-Journalism; Media Washington Post; Paulson; Populism; Presidency; (more...) Wall Street Bonuses, Add Tags (less...)
The CIA/Likud Sinking of Jimmy Carter
What Did US Spy Satellites See in Ukraine?
Ron Paul's Appalling World View
Ronald Reagan: Worst President Ever?
The Disappearance of Keith Olbermann
A Perjurer on the US Supreme Court
"In his new book, Bottom-Up, Rob Kall's exploration of top-down and bottom-up forces in our culture, our brains, and our planet provides a deep insight into the challenges we face. He offers pathways we can use to create the changes we need to break free of the war economy and build local peace economies."
Jodie Evans, cofounder of Code Pink and Chair of the Women's Media Center


text:
Home » N.Ireland » CAP issues discussed at North South Ministerial Council meeting
CAP issues discussed at North South Ministerial Council meeting
Agriland Team
Nov 18, 2020, 6:33pm
The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Charlie McConalogue, attended the Agriculture Sectoral meeting of the North South Ministerial Council (NSMC) today (Wednesday November 18).
The meeting which was held via video conference, was also attended by Minister for Community and Rural Development Heather Humphreys, who spoke on rural development matters.
This was the first NSMC Agriculture Sectoral meeting since 2016. The meeting was chaired by Northern Ireland Minister for Environment, Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Edwin Poots, who was accompanied by the Northern Ireland Minister for Infrastructure, Nicola Mallon.
Agenda for the Agricultural Sectoral
Topics on the agenda included developments and collaboration under the agreed areas of co-operation: animal and plant health; EU funding; CAP issues; and rural development.
Each sector considered the implications of UK withdrawal from the EU and how north-south approaches to Covid-19 could contribute to the promotion of economic and social recovery.
The council noted the work being carried out to prepare for the end of the transition period and agreed to further investigate the potential for co-operation to address specific challenges which may arise in the sector.
CAP issues
The NSMC noted that the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) intends to launch its Future Agricultural Policy Framework for Northern Ireland in the coming months.
The meeting noted the simplifications DAERA intends to make to the rules governing Direct Payments for the 2021 scheme year, and the longer term approach to support payments being considered by DAERA.
The council also noted the future plans being developed by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) for the agri-food sector under the latest CAP proposals.
Minister McConalogue said that he "welcomed the return of the NSMC meetings, which are a valuable opportunity to note the on-going north south co-operation and collaboration on the many important issues that affect our agri-food sectors".
"The forum is particularly important in the context of the UK withdrawal from the EU and the Covid-19 pandemic, both of which present immediate challenges for us all," he added.
Minister Humphreys said she "was delighted to have another productive engagement with Minister Poots today, at which we reiterated our shared desire to increase cooperation on issues concerning rural development".
Both our governments are fully committed to improving the lives of people living and working in rural areas, particularly in border regions, and on ensuring that rural communities can continue to make substantial contributions to our overall economic and social wellbeing.
"I look forward to further cooperation with Minister Poots and between our departments on our many areas of common interest, including on programmes such as LEADER and PEACE PLUS and exploring the significant opportunities ahead of us related to digital connectivity and remote working," she concluded.
The North South Ministerial Council
The council was established under the Good Friday Agreement to develop consultation, cooperation and action within the island of Ireland.
The NSMC Agriculture Sector is one of the agreed areas of cooperation which meets to make decisions on common policies and approaches in areas such as CAP issues; animal and plant health policy and research; and rural development.
agricultural sectoral Charlie McConalogue north south ministerial council
NI-bred Simmental stock are 'first choice' for Swiss and German customers
New suckler payment for Northern Ireland could be worth up to £160/cow

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Tarrocanus är ett släkte av spindlar. Tarrocanus ingår i familjen krabbspindlar.

Kladogram enligt Catalogue of Life:

Källor

Krabbspindlar
Tarrocanus

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
John W. Rogers Jr. gives $10.5 million to fund student scholarships, career paths
A $10.5 million gift from University Trustee John W. Rogers Jr., LAB'76, will support a scholarship fund for Laboratory Schools students and establish a professional development program for under-resourced College students to pursue careers in finance. This raises Rogers' total giving to the University of Chicago and its affiliated Laboratory Schools to $15 million.
Of the new gift, $4 million is a bequest to the John W. Rogers and Victoria Marie Rogers Scholarship Fund, a part of the University's endowment that is used to provide scholarship support at the Laboratory Schools, which Rogers has been involved with for more than 40 years.
"The Laboratory Schools and the University of Chicago teach students how to think while respecting different points of view and different experiences," said Rogers. "It's part of what makes them such great places."
Rogers, the chairman and CEO of Ariel Investments, served on Laboratory Schools' board from 1987 until 1994, the same year he was honored with the Laboratory Schools Distinguished Alumni Award. He returned to the Laboratory Schools board in 1998. President Robert J. Zimmer appointed Rogers to the role of the Laboratory Schools chair in 2009, and in Rogers' roles as chair and Lab+ Campaign co-chair, he has helped the Laboratory Schools raise $80 million.
"John Rogers has contributed his time, energy and unbridled enthusiasm to our community," said Beth A. Harris, interim director of the Laboratory Schools, who has known Rogers since they served on the board together. "Once again, his generosity is helping to make our schools stronger. His bequest will help to provide an experience that he so valued to outstanding students—ones who might not otherwise be able to benefit from a Lab education."
Another $4.5 million of the gift will establish and endow the Ariel Investments Internship Program in Finance, an extensive series of new programming that will encourage students from low-income families and racial and ethnic minorities to pursue career paths in the finance industry. Specifically, the gift will expand opportunities for minority students to obtain paid internships at endowment, foundation and non-profit investment offices. Rogers believes this aspect of the program sets it apart, as it will allow more minority students to pursue careers in an industry that traditionally has lacked diversity.
"Many groups have historically been underrepresented in the finance industry," Rogers said, "and none more than blacks. For example, a recent study showed blacks as holding only 1 percent of top investment roles," he noted.
"This program will not only enable students to learn about career paths within different endowment and foundation and non-profit investment offices, but will expose them to opportunities within the different types of firms managing a vast range of traditional and alternative asset classes on their behalf," Rogers said. "The University of Chicago has a large population of bright, talented and diverse students who can make a difference in the field, and I am very proud to support this initiative," he added.
Rogers' gift will support career advising, professional development workshops, networking opportunities and funded internships for College students.
"The University of Chicago has a deep commitment to diversity and equality of opportunity," said Meredith Daw, executive director of Career Advancement. "Because of John Rogers' gift, more students than ever will be able to go after their dreams and find meaningful careers, regardless of their background."
The gift also includes a portion of unrestricted support. In recognition of Rogers' support and the groundbreaking public service of his late parents, the University named Rogers Family House in the Campus North Residential Commons.
Get more at UChicago news delivered to your inbox.
John W. Rogers , Laboratory Schools , Board of Trustees , Career Advancement , The University of Chicago Campaign: Inquiry and Impact
Rev. Otis Moss Jr., Rev. Otis Moss III to speak at MLK commemoration
Lisa Wedeen - "Authoritarian Apprehensions"
Big Brains podcast
How Google and Facebook are ruining capitalism
Only at UChicago
"The Keller Center will serve as a leading destination for innovative policy thinking."
—Dean Katherine Baicker on opening of new home of Harris School of Public Policy
UChicago, Field Museum scientists discover oldest material on Earth: 7-billion-year-old stardust
Around UChicago
saving cultural heritage
Quantum loop provides testbed for quantum communication technology
Ka Yee C. Lee named provost of University of Chicago
String Quartet Quatuor Diotima appointed UChicago ensemble-in-residence
Surprise ceremony welcomes student into University of Chicago's incoming class
What's at stake with a Trump impeachment
"What really surprised me ... was the emotional investment people had in the semicolon."
—Cecelia Watson, AM'05, PhD'11
the world by 2030
What will the next decade bring in science? Four UChicago scientists speculate


text:
package com.github.fabienbarbero.pickr.activities;

import android.content.Intent;
import android.os.Bundle;
import android.support.design.widget.NavigationView;
import android.support.v4.app.FragmentTransaction;
import android.support.v4.view.GravityCompat;
import android.support.v4.widget.DrawerLayout;
import android.support.v7.app.ActionBar;
import android.support.v7.app.AppCompatActivity;
import android.support.v7.widget.SearchView;
import android.support.v7.widget.Toolbar;
import android.view.Menu;
import android.view.MenuInflater;
import android.view.MenuItem;
import android.view.View;
import android.widget.ImageView;
import android.widget.TextView;

import com.github.fabienbarbero.flickr.api.entities.BaseUser;
import com.github.fabienbarbero.flickr.api.entities.Contact;
import com.github.fabienbarbero.flickr.api.entities.Photo;
import com.github.fabienbarbero.flickr.api.entities.Photoset;
import com.github.fabienbarbero.pickr.Constants;
import com.github.fabienbarbero.pickr.R;
import com.github.fabienbarbero.pickr.fragments.ContactsFragment;
import com.github.fabienbarbero.pickr.fragments.FavoritesFragment;
import com.github.fabienbarbero.pickr.fragments.FlickrFragment;
import com.github.fabienbarbero.pickr.fragments.GalleryFragment;
import com.github.fabienbarbero.pickr.fragments.PhotosetsFragment;
import com.github.fabienbarbero.pickr.tasks.UserPhotoLoader;

public class FlickrActivity
        extends AppCompatActivity
        implements NavigationView.OnNavigationItemSelectedListener,
                   PhotosetsFragment.OnPhotosetListener,
                   GalleryFragment.OnGalleryPhotoListener,
                   FavoritesFragment.OnFavoritePhotoListener,
                   ContactsFragment.OnContactsListener,
                   SearchView.OnQueryTextListener
{

    private DrawerLayout mDrawerLayout;
    private FlickrFragment mCurrentFragment;
    private BaseUser mUser;

    private final FlickrFragment mGalleryFragment = new GalleryFragment();
    private final FlickrFragment mPhotosetsFragment = new PhotosetsFragment();
    private final FlickrFragment mFavoritesFragment = new FavoritesFragment();
    private final FlickrFragment mContactsFragment = new ContactsFragment();

    @Override
    protected void onCreate( Bundle savedInstanceState )
    {
        super.onCreate( savedInstanceState );
        setContentView( R.layout.activity_flickr );

        // configure the action bar
        Toolbar toolbar = findViewById( R.id.toolbar );
        setSupportActionBar( toolbar );
        ActionBar actionBar = getSupportActionBar();
        actionBar.setDisplayHomeAsUpEnabled( true );
        actionBar.setHomeAsUpIndicator( R.drawable.ic_menu );
        actionBar.setHomeButtonEnabled( true );

        mDrawerLayout = findViewById( R.id.flickrDrawerLayout );
        NavigationView navigationView = findViewById( R.id.flickrNavView );
        navigationView.setCheckedItem( R.id.nav_gallery );
        navigationView.setNavigationItemSelectedListener( this );

        mUser = (BaseUser) getIntent().getSerializableExtra( Constants.PARAM_USER );
        boolean isMe = getIntent().getBooleanExtra( Constants.PARAM_IS_ME, false );

        // Configure navigation header
        View headerLayout = navigationView.getHeaderView( 0);
        TextView userNameTextView = headerLayout.findViewById( R.id.userNameTextView );
        ImageView userInfoImageView = headerLayout.findViewById( R.id.userAvatarImageView );
        userNameTextView.setText( mUser.getName() );
        new UserPhotoLoader( userInfoImageView, mUser ).execute();

        Bundle fragmentBundle = new Bundle();
        fragmentBundle.putSerializable( Constants.PARAM_USER, mUser );
        fragmentBundle.putBoolean( Constants.PARAM_IS_ME, isMe );
        mGalleryFragment.setArguments( fragmentBundle );
        mPhotosetsFragment.setArguments( fragmentBundle );
        mFavoritesFragment.setArguments( fragmentBundle );
        mContactsFragment.setArguments( fragmentBundle );

        // Show first fragment
        showFragment( mGalleryFragment );
    }

    @Override
    public boolean onCreateOptionsMenu( Menu menu )
    {
        MenuInflater inflater = getMenuInflater();
        inflater.inflate( R.menu.menu_flickr, menu );

        SearchView searchView = (SearchView) menu.findItem( R.id.searchField ).getActionView();
        searchView.setOnQueryTextListener( this );

        return true;
    }

    @Override
    public boolean onOptionsItemSelected( MenuItem item )
    {
        switch ( item.getItemId() ) {
            case android.R.id.home:
                mDrawerLayout.openDrawer( GravityCompat.START );
                return true;
        }
        return super.onOptionsItemSelected( item );
    }

    @Override
    public boolean onQueryTextChange( String newText )
    {
        return false;
    }

    @Override
    public boolean onQueryTextSubmit( String query )
    {
        if ( mCurrentFragment == null ) {
            return false;
        }
        mCurrentFragment.searchQuery( query );
        return true;
    }

    /**
     * Show a fragment in the main view
     *
     * @param fragment The fragment to display
     */
    private void showFragment( FlickrFragment fragment )
    {
        if ( fragment.equals( mCurrentFragment ) ) {
            // Already displayed
            return;
        }

        FragmentTransaction transaction = getSupportFragmentManager().beginTransaction();
        transaction.replace( R.id.flickrFragmentsLayout, fragment, fragment.getClass().getSimpleName() );
        transaction.commit();

        getSupportActionBar().setTitle( fragment.getTitle() );

        mCurrentFragment = fragment;
    }

    @Override
    public boolean onNavigationItemSelected( MenuItem menuItem )
    {
        // set item as selected to persist highlight
        menuItem.setChecked( true );

        // close drawer when item is tapped
        mDrawerLayout.closeDrawers();

        switch ( menuItem.getItemId() ) {
            case R.id.nav_gallery:
                showFragment( mGalleryFragment );
                break;
            case R.id.nav_albums:
                showFragment( mPhotosetsFragment );
                break;
            case R.id.nav_favorites:
                showFragment( mFavoritesFragment );
                break;
            case R.id.nav_contacts:
                showFragment( mContactsFragment );
                break;
        }

        return true;
    }

    @Override
    public void onPhotosetSelected( Photoset set )
    {
        Intent intent = new Intent( this, PhotosetActivity.class );
        intent.putExtra( PhotosetActivity.PARAM_SET, set );
        startActivity( intent );
    }

    @Override
    public void onGalleryPhotoSelected( Photo photo )
    {
        Intent intent = new Intent( this, GalleryPagerActivity.class );
        intent.putExtra( GalleryPagerActivity.PARAM_PHOTO, photo );
        intent.putExtra( GalleryPagerActivity.PARAM_USER, mUser );
        startActivity( intent );
    }

    @Override
    public void onFavoritePhotoSelected( Photo photo )
    {
        Intent intent = new Intent( this, FavoritesPagerActivity.class );
        intent.putExtra( FavoritesPagerActivity.PARAM_PHOTO, photo );
        intent.putExtra( FavoritesPagerActivity.PARAM_USER, mUser );
        startActivity( intent );
    }

    @Override
    public void onContactSelected( Contact contact )
    {
        Intent intent = new Intent( this, FlickrActivity.class );
        intent.putExtra( Constants.PARAM_USER, contact );
        startActivity( intent );
    }

}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
3 Injured in Collision at Sycamore Canyon Boulevard and Quail Run Road in Riverside
3 Injured in Riverside Car Crash at Sycamore Canyon Boulevard and Quail Run Road 3 Injured in Collision at Sycamore Canyon Boulevard and Quail Run
3 Injured in Riverside Car Crash at Sycamore Canyon Boulevard and Quail Run Road
Riverside, California (April 30, 2018) – According to a local news source, three people were injured in a two-vehicle collision in Riverside on Friday evening.
The accident occurred at about 9 p.m. in the area of Sycamore Canyon Boulevard and Quail Run Road.
Riverside Fire Department officers responding to the incident found two vehicles with major damage at the scene. The vehicles were blocking the intersection.
One woman was reportedly ejected from the vehicle after the collision. It was not immediately clear if the woman had been wearing a seatbelt.
The woman, believed to be in her 30s, was hospitalized with major injuries.
Two other people sustained major injuries and were transported to a local hospital for treatment.
1 Injured in Two-Vehicle Collision in Bay Point
Two-Car Accident on 215 Freeway near Central Avenue in Riverside


A bridge in Mandalay: rickety infrastructure makes Myanmar prone to greater damage in disasters. Credit: Fawzia Sheikh/IPS.
YANGON, Jan 11 2014 (IPS) - As Myanmar nurses a fragile democracy after long years of military rule, a new danger has reared its head. Climate change, say experts, has the potential to spur migration and exacerbate conflict in the country.
NGOs point out that more than five years after Cyclone Nargis killed 146,000 people and severely affected 2.4 million, inhabitants of the Ayeyarwady Delta are yet to find their feet.
Dr. Lynn Thiesmeyer, vice-president of the Environmental and Economic Research Institute of Myanmar, says the sheer number of livelihoods left in tatters made a rebound difficult.
Delta residents who lost farms to salinisation or lost a season's crop with no money to plant a new one "either subsist on debt or occasional day labour," said Thiesmeyer, who has knowledge of recovery operations and the status of disaster management plans in the region.
Another option, she said, was for family members to move to newly established Export Processing Zones, known as free-trade areas.
After Cyclone Nargis, the Myanmar government organised recovery initiatives in the form of community-based projects in many districts, but little could be implemented due to lack of resources, including money and trained personnel, she said.
"The government did ensure that everyone received radios and knew how to tune into emergency news. But escape from another storm would still be problematic given that they would need to travel by boat. What they really need is shelters," Thiesmeyer told IPS.
Since Cyclone Nargis – the most devastating natural event for Myanmar in recent years – local and international NGOs have accelerated efforts to counter climate related impacts.
The pivotal question is how the next major natural disaster will now affect Myanmar's social and economic progress, with a civilian government having come to power in 2011.
These include coastal erosion, vulnerability to more frequent and severe weather events such as cyclones, extensive and unpredictable drought in the dry zone, and heavy precipitation leading to flooding and landslides in mountainous areas, she said.
"We can't be complacent and we need to prepare," said Win Zin Oo, humanitarian emergency affairs director at the NGO World Vision Myanmar.
The "hard evidence" suggesting the elusiveness and complexity of natural disasters came last spring when Cyclone Mahasen was tracked to Myanmar, he argued. The country was spared the brunt of the damage that was largely borne by other countries in South and Southeast Asia.
He said the most prominent hazard within the last two years has been flooding, which hurt local livelihoods and social stability.
World Vision offers communities both disaster preparedness and disaster risk reduction (DRR), and has assisted residents affected by Cyclone Nargis, the Shan State earthquake, the Ayeyarwady flood and the Kayin State flood.
Win Zin Oo said that after the Nargis disaster, his NGO realised that aid coordination among response stakeholders is still challenging, but DRR, including community-based initiatives, may significantly curb the negative effects of climate-related events.
According to Dear Myanmar, a Yangon-based NGO focused on environment-friendly agriculture, the main roadblocks to adequate preparation include the lack of meteorological news in the country, limited advance warnings, and the failure of some residents to consider disaster forecasts seriously.
Yarr's organisation, along with a Yangon-based NGO called ALARM, offered a programme known as the Myanmar Leadership Institute on Climate Change last February to 45 government officials from 12 different ministries and departments. Homegrown organisations and institutions are trying to boost the country's resilience.
At the government level, Myanmar chose the coastal provinces of Tanintharyi and Ayeyarwady in December for a pilot project to integrate disaster and climate risk management into regional development plans for 2014-2015.
Dr. Win Myint, director of the NGO Environmental & Economic Research Institute in Yangon, also initiated a revitalisation project after Cyclone Nargis to support farmers with technology and rehabilitate damaged soil.
Working with the Asian Institute of Technology, administrators of the programme chose nine families in 11 villages, targeting landless, poor residents and women in particular. Some wanted to raise pigs or livestock to sell, or to fish for shrimp or grow vegetables, he noted. The NGO then offered the families training and materials to fulfil their goals.
In another example of an NGO aiding local livelihoods, Dear Myanmar has been promoting sustainable agriculture among the farming community.
The organisation offers a monthly knowledge-sharing programme that teaches farmers how to use organic fertiliser which, it argues, is better than methane producing chemical pesticides that harm soil quality and hasten climate change.
Chemical fertiliser gets washed away during severe weather and is not conducive to food security for the local population, Nyan Lin, founder of Dear Myanmar, told IPS.
The devastation brought on by Cyclone Nargis forced the Myanmar government to accept international assistance. Experts argue that it also mobilised local actors to play a crucial role in strengthening the state against catastrophe.
Despite these efforts, the final report of George Washington University's Myanmar Leadership Institute on Climate Change offered a caveat: "Climate change is a new and unpredictable threat to the transition process.


There is a lot we don't know about Multiple Sclerosis. Most of the useful information – what the causes are or how to cure it, for instance – remains unknown. Scientists theorize that it may be an autoimmune disease that attacks the myelin sheaths covering nerve endings causing them to degrade and send pulses to the pain center of the brain.
Mindy Eisenberg's life has been touched by the disease from an early age. Now, she's trying to do something about it. She started her Yoga, Spirit and Wellness and the Yoga Moves MS movement to help combat the disease.
Multiple Sclerosis, or MS, is a terrible, debilitating disease that affects millions of Americans. It can cause numbness or weakness, rigidity, loss of vision, painful spasms that have feel like electric shock, tremors, and an unsteady gait. It takes a toll on the mind, as well. Patients are plagued by anxiety, fatigue, and depression. Exercising, or even just an increase in body temperature, can set off an attack.
But there is a silver lining – because it's such a emotional and physical drain – not to mention, costly, Mindy set her sights on coming up with a way to help – not to cure the disease, unfortunately – but to help alleviate the pain associated with the symptoms. And she does it for very little recognition and a smile.


Strictly speaking all we can say from the experiments is that what we see at the far end is what we would see if the photon had taken a single path. What actually happens in between is not directly knowable Because it doesn't affect anything. And that is where your argument falls down - this phenomenon doesn't help your argument in the OP.
Edited by PaulK, : Provide reason for edit here.
Strictly speaking all we can say from the experiments is that what we see at the far end is what we would see if the photon had taken a single path.
Edited by Admin, : Ask question.
[qs] Strictly speaking all we can say from the experiments is that what we see at the far end is what we would see if the photon had taken a single path.
First, it didn't appear to post, and then when it did post, I tried editting it, and it wouldn't edit, and also, none of these posts contain my whole post either. It's strange. We'll see if this post works, but to be honest, I can't spend a lot of time here today.


Max Lowenstein is a socio-legal academic and law lecturer with a passion for exploring comparative criminal justice. His research/teaching interest areas include: Criminal Law Comparative Law Sentencing Law Evidence Law Public Law Legal Practice skills Jurisprudence As part of his research and teaching efforts he has travelled widely in Europe to the Netherlands, Denmark, Germany and England to both expand his knowledge of criminal justice issues and to share his ideas with fellow academics at conferences.
When not teaching or doing research work, Max enjoys swimming and the gymnasium, playing cricket and tennis, and attempting to cook various culinary delights. He particularly enjoys interacting with new people and cultures, and feels that this aids his understanding of world issues in the criminal justice field.
His detailed CV is available upon request at his email address.
Lowenstein, M., 2016. "Riot Sentencing Remarks: Qualitative analysis of the English Judicial Perspective.". Internet Journal of Criminology.
Lowenstein, M., 2013. Towards an understanding of judicial denunciation:Relating theory to practice by comparing the perceptions of English and Danish lower court judges when sentencing minor theft offenders. Criminology & Criminal Justice, 13 (1), 21-35.
Lowenstein, M., 2010. An irrelevant media when sentencing? – Comparing the perceptions of English and Danish lower Court judges when sentencing theft offenders. In-Spire: Journal of law, politics and societies, 5 (2), 35-48.
Lowenstein, M., 2008. Book review: Prosecutors and Prosecution. Lisa Frohmann (eds), The International Library of Essays in Law and Society, Ashgate Publishing Ltd, 2008. Hardback (xxiii + 632 pp). Mountbatten Journal of Legal Studies, 12, 24-28.
Lowenstein, M., 2015. Sentencing Young Offenders. Exploring Sentencing Practice in England and Wales. 251-262.
Lowenstein, M., 2015. Sentencing Young Offenders and Young Adults. Exploring Sentencing in England & Wales. London: Palgrave Macmillan.
Lowenstein, M. and Bonello, J., 2017. "Co-Created Mooting: From guidance to application.". In: BCUR Conference 2017 18-20 April 2017 Bournemouth University.
Lowenstein, M., 2016. "Emotional justice beyond the Courts?: Facilitating participant satisfaction and emotional understanding within English Neighbourhood Justice Panels (NJP).". In: The Sentencing & Penal Decision-making Europe Group (ESC) Symposium 21-22 May 2015 Barcelona, Spain. Stratchclyde University. Available online at: http://www.strath.ac.uk/sentencingeurope.
Lowenstein, M., 2016. "Judicial Communication in the English Youth Court: Expressing sentencing explanations to young offenders." Supported by an SLSA Small Research Grant (2014). In: SLSA Annual Conference 5-7 April 2016 Lancaster University, Lancaster.
Lowenstein, M., 2016. "Legal Skills Development: The Mooting Learning Journey from Preparation to Presentation.". In: CELebrate Conference 2016 20 April-21 June 2016 Bournemouth University.
Lowenstein, M., 2013. "Instilling trust in punishment through judicial denunciation of youth offenders? - Filling current knowledge gaps.". In: European Sentencing & Penal Decision-Making Symposium, (ESC Working Group), 18-19 April 2013 Dublin.
Lowenstein, M., 2013. Understanding judicial denunciation of youth offenders: Scoping the current knowledge gaps. In: SLSA Annual Conference March 2013 University of York.
Lowenstein, M.. Understanding riot denunciation - Critically comparing judicial commentary on State and Offender blameworthiness. In: SLSA Annual Conference April 2012 DeMontfort University, Leicester.
Lowenstein, M.. How best to punish theft offenders: Comparing English judicial perceptions towards their sentencing aims. In: SLSA Annual Conference April 2012 Sussex University.
Lowenstein, M.. Sentencing decisions together or alone? - Comparing the working practices of English and Danish judges in their respective lower Courts. In: IAIP Spring Conference, 'Crime, Criminalistics and Criminal Psychology' March 2011 VU University, Amsterdam.
Lowenstein, M.. Meaningful student engagement?: Student perceptions towards voluntary external activities within their legal education. In: Learning in Law Annual Conference: Experiencing Legal Education January 2011 University of Warwick.
Lowenstein, M.. Sentencing with or without the media - Comparing judicial perceptions on the media influence in England and Denmark. In: Cambridge Criminology Conference September 2010 Institute of Criminology, University of Cambridge.
Lowenstein, M.. Sentencing deliberations together or apart? – Comparing how English and Danish lower Court judges influence each other when sentencing theft offenders. In: European Society of Criminology Annual Conference September 2010 University of Liège, Belgium.
Lowenstein, M.. The media and local public influence – Comparing English and Danish lower Court judges when sentencing theft offenders. In: European Society of Criminology Annual Conference September 2010 University of Liège, Belgium.
Lowenstein, M.. Judicial discretion on theft offenders in an age of reformists – Comparing England and Denmark. (1832 – 1866). In: ICOSS Conference September 2010 University of Sheffield.
Lowenstein, M.. Judicial debate behind closed doors? Comparing how English and Danish judges influence each other when sentencing theft in the lower courts. In: SLS Annual Conference September 2010 University of Southampton.
Lowenstein, M.. What impact does the media and local public have on judging in English and Danish lower Courts? In: British Society of Criminology Annual Conference July 2010 University of Leicester.
Lowenstein, M.. Judging in English and Danish Courts – Gaining a comparative understanding. In: Research & Enterprise Conference May 2010 Southampton Solent University.
Lowenstein, M.. Comparing judicial peer influences in England and Denmark – What future reforms does this suggest? In: SLSA Annual Conference April 2010 University of the West of England, Bristol.
Lowenstein, M.. What relevance does the media and local public have on judging? – Comparing the responses of English and Danish Judges when sentencing theft in the lower Courts. In: Justice, Media and Public: Changing Public Perceptions in the New Media Landscape March 2010 Keele University.
Lowenstein, M.. Comparing judicial decision making: Why analyze English and Danish sentencing approaches. In: Showcasing research: A postgraduate conference on criminal law, criminal justice and community justice October 2009 University of Birmingham.
Lowenstein, M.. Theft: A Critical Comparative Analysis of Judicial Discretion at the Custody Threshold in England and Denmark. In: SLSA Annual Conference April 2009 DeMontfort University, Leicester.
Lowenstein, M.. Comparative law teaching and research: opportunity or an unnecessary adversity? In: ALT Annual Conference April 2009 Tropen Institute, Amsterdam.
Lowenstein, M., 2017. "Evaluating Restorative Justice (RJ) in Dorset – Neighborhood Justice Panels (NJPs).". Dorset PCC. Available from: https://dorsetpccpolice.s3.amazonaws.com/Documents/Working%20in%20Partnership/Independent%20Neighbourhood%20Justice%20Panel%20Evaluation/NJP%20Dorset%20FINAL%20report%202016-06-03.pdf.
Lowenstein, M., 2015. 'Riot', Westlaw Insight Encyclopaedia. Sweet & Maxwell Publishers.
Lowenstein, M., 2016. "Judicial communication in the English Youth Court: Expressing sentencing explanations to young offenders.". SLSA. Published.
Visiting Socrates Scholar 2008/9 University of Copenhagen, Faculty of Law, Denmark.
Bournemouth University, Faculty of Science & Technology - MSc Forensics Program, lecture on: Evidence Law: The Expert Witness on Trial.
	BBC Radio Solent – 04/04/13 Sentencing for Murder/Manslaughter The Mick Philpott manslaughter a justified 15 year minimum sentence?
Research Reviewer Sentencing Council, London.
Lecturer and Tutor for Introduction to Law (English Legal System, Tort Law) on FdA Business and Managament Programme at the Guernsey Training Agency University Centre.


text:
Angels in the Gloom
Author: Anne Perry
Series: World War One Series #3
Narrator: Michael Page
Unabridged: 11 hr 36 min
Format: Digital Audiobook (DRM Protected)
Genre: Fiction - Suspense
Angels in the Gloom is an intense saga of love, hate, obsession, and murder that features an honorable English family—brothers Joseph and Matthew Reavley, and their sisters, Judith and Hannah. In March 1916, Joseph, a chaplain at the front, and Judith, an ambulance driver, are fighting not only the Germans but the bitter cold and the appalling casualties of the Battle of Somme. Scarcely less at risk, Matthew, an officer in England's Secret Intelligence Service, fights the war covertly from London. Only Hannah, living with her young children in the old family home in tranquil Cambridgeshire, seems safe.Appearances, however, are deceiving. By the time Joseph returns home, rumors of spies and traitors are rampant in Cambridgeshire. And when the body of a savagely murdered weapons scientist is discovered in a village byway, the fear that haunts the battlefields settles over the town—along with the shadow of the obsessed ideologue who murdered the four siblings' parents on the eve of the war. Once again, this icy, anonymous powerbroker, the Peacemaker, is plotting to kill.Perry's kaleidoscopic new novel illuminates an entire world, from the hell of the trenches to a London nightclub where a beautiful Irish spy plies her trade; from the sequestered laboratory where a weapon that can end the war is being perfected to the matchless glory of the English countryside in spring. Angels in the Gloom is a masterpiece, steeped in history and radiant with truth. It warms the heart even as it chills the blood.
A Gambling Man
False Witness
Tom Clancy Chain of Command
Marc Cameron
Sometimes the personal story of a particular author seems almost as intriguing as the books they write. Such is the life of British author Anne Perry (aka Juliet Marion Hulme). As a child Hulme was very ill with tuberculosis and ended up being fostered out by a family in the Caribbean. She did get better, and the family moved to a private island in New Zealand, where she describes her life as a Swiss family Robinson type existence. She became ill again and during her bouts of illness through her teen years, she missed most of her childhood education. However, her mother had prepared her by teaching her how to read and write by the time she was four. Her heart always seemed to be in writing.
At the age of 15, Juliet and her best friend plotted and killed her friend's mother. The three went for a walk in the park and Hulme dropped a stone, causing the mother to bend over to pick it up, and her friend hit her own mother on the head with a half brick. They had planned on the strike killing her, but they had to strike her 20 times before she was dead. The girls were put on trial and each served five years in prison. It is said that they never saw each other again after being released. For many years, nobody connected author Anne Perry as the teen murderer, Juliet Hulme. In 1994, the film Heavenly Creatures, portrayed Hulme and her friend Pauline Parker with characters being played by Kate Winslet and Melanie Lynskey respectively.
Perry's genre of writing covers Victorian Era Detective fiction for the most part. Her novels have been centered around two main characters, Thomas Pitt and William Monk. She has published 47 novels and several collections of stories.
World War One Series Bundle
Get 5% off your total order by adding 3 or more audiobooks from World War One Series
World War One Series #3
No Graves As Yet
Shoulder the Sky
Or Choose Any 3 Audiobooks From This Series >
{"id":"847","ean":"9781597100168","abr":"Unabridged","title":"Angels in the Gloom","subtitle":"","author":"Anne Perry","rating_average":"3.76","narrator":"Michael Page","series_id":"45","ubr_id":"847","abr_id":"0","ubr_price":"19.99","abr_price":"0.00","ubr_memprice":"12.99","abr_memprice":"0.00","ubr_narrator":"Michael Page","abr_narrator":"","ubr_length":"Unabridged: 11 hr 36 min","abr_length":"Abridged: "}


Our 420 is a unique shoe with an exotic upper of shiny, pearly stingray leather. The eye-catching material defines this stingray shoe, a truly stunning item of luxury footwear. The upper is handcrafted from ray fish, one of the best-suited fish leathers to shoe production. This leather looks strikingly different to all other leather styles. The rough and pearly surface makes it ideal for products requiring a sure grip or rugged durability. Stingray shoes are characterised by a yellow dot in the middle of the toecap, where the ray's sting was located.
The typical Derby lacing is made up of uniformly black-coloured calfskin and the understated lacing helps show off the ray fish leather. Our rough stingray shoe is very easy to care for and be maintained in top condition with regular application of a damp cloth. Clear wax will also beautifully emphasize the leather's pearly structure, too.
The black colouring reduces the extravagance of this stingray leather on the hand, and lends it a more subtle elegance on the other. The stingray shoe is the ideal choice for both combinations with a suit and other dark cloth tones.
This stingray shoe is for men with a sense of both fashion and tradition or, simply put, anyone who loves distinguished shoes.
This favourite men's shoe in Europe can be worn everyday and is a comfortable all-rounder. With the traditional open three-hole lacing this luxury stingray men's shoe is the ideal companion for almost any occasion.
This last is known for being slender and pointed at the front, which finely rises at the sides. This feature ensures adequate width at the ball of the foot. Recommended for those with average insteps.
Our fully-dyed stingray leather is sourced from Asia. It is taken, as its name suggests, from the stingray. Prized for its pearly texture, stingray leather is extremely hard to the touch, long-lasting, and easy to care for.


Be the first to share your favorite memory, photo or story of Tommy . This memorial page is dedicated for family, friends and future generations to celebrate the life of their loved one.
Tommy Lee Howard, 76, husband of Annette Ard Howard, passed away Thursday, September 27, 2018, at his residence.
Mr. Howard was born in Andrews on February 2, 1942, a son of the late Louis Javel Howard and Lottie Mae Moore Howard. Tommy grew up in Andrews and graduated from Andrews High School. He was owner and operator of Howard Timber Corporation and a member of the South Carolina Timber Producers Association. Tommy's main goal and hobby in life was always to be a logging man. He was well known and loved in the Andrews area and in the logging industry.
In addition to his parents, Tommy is predeceased by; a brother, Clarence Howard.
Surviving are: his wife of Andrews; two daughters, Lisa Howard Thompson (Mark) of Andrews; and Deborah Howard Antley (Gene) of Lexington; four grandchildren; Josh Thompson (Miranda); Jodi Thompson, and Marina and Reilly Pitts; two great-grandchildren; Liam and Bentlee Thompson; and a sister, Marjorie Howard Foley (Larry) of St. Paul, NC.
Funeral Services will be two o'clock Sunday, September 30, 2018 in Happy Home Original Free Will Baptist Church. Burial will follow in Andrews Memorial Cemetery.
The family will receive friends Saturday evening, September 29, 2018, from six until eight o'clock in the Andrews Chapel of Mayer Funeral Home.
To send flowers or a remembrance gift to the family of Tommy Lee Howard, please visit our Tribute Store.
"Email Address" would like to share the life celebration of Tommy Lee Howard. Click on the "link" to go to share a favorite memory or leave a condolence message for the family.


His mother's surprised laugh got caught in her throat along with all her emotions, so instead of speaking, she pulled Art into her arms for a fierce hug. "Watch your language," she chastised him without quite sounding like she meant it.
"I'm still your mother, eyes open or shut, mister, and don't you forget it!" She tousled his hair in a way she knew he hated. "And if you talk like that around me again, I'm telling my mommy on you, got it?" Art's mother punctuated this threat with a decidedly childish sticking out of her tongue which prompted her son to laugh.
"That would be easier to explain to your grandparents," his mother admitted.


This industry leading product now in its fourth generation has proven itself in thousands of applications over the last two decades. It is easy to understand, easy to install and easy to use. No external devices are required for programming. All included options, timer values and input/output configurations are addressed directly from the buttons on the face of the controller. There are multiple inputs (some programmable) for activation, safety and operation. This is a proven product with a history for reliable door service that will make any facility productive.
The DG1215 is not available, but it can be retrofitted with a DG1200 and a dual voltage transformer. Compatible with existing DG1215 control panels and full conversion instructions are included.
Dealers - Please Call (847) 608-9500 for Current Pricing & Availability.


Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a leading cause of blindness and progressive loss of central vision in the elderly population. The important factor of AMD pathogenesis is the degeneration of retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells by oxidative stress. Inactivation of PTEN can disrupt intercellular adhesion in the RPE cells, but the mechanism of oxidative stress is less known. Here we presented evidence that UVB-mediated oxidative stress induced apoptosis in ARPE-19 cells. Downregulation of the expression of PTEN in UVB-irradiative RPE cells triggered DNA damage and increased the level of UVB-induced apoptosis by activating p53-dependent pathway. However, overexpression of PTEN increased cell survival by suppressing p-H2A in response to DNA damage and apoptosis. When using Pifithrin-α (one of p53 inhibitors), the level of p53-dependent apoptosis was significantly lower than untreated, which suggested that p53 was possibly involved in PTEN-dependent apoptosis. Thus, it elucidated the molecular mechanisms of UVB-induced damage in RPE cells and may offer an alternative therapeutic target in dry AMD.


text:
RuPaul's Drag Race Season 14 episode 14
3 mins ago – Uploaded by Beyondthewanderlust: RuPaul's Drag Race Season 14 episode 14 on TelecomTV Mobile For some more news when it comes to /Beyondthewanderlust/ RuPaul's Drag Race Season 14 episode 14 in video form, just check out the latest at the bottom of this article! 'Beyondthewanderlust' After you watch it, remember to subscribe Beyondthewanderlust and then also view our RuPaul's Drag Race Season 14 episode 14 playlist.
RuPaul's Drag Race – Episode 14
RuPaul's Drag Race Season 14 Episode 14 Episode 14
Are you ready for an all-new episode of RuPaul's Drag Race tonight? Below is all you need to know so you can keep up with RuPaul's Drag Race – Episode 14 clan and not miss any of the drama that'll unfold in Season 14, episode 14.
Watch Now: RuPaul's Drag Race 14×14 Free online streaming
Title: RuPaul's Drag Race
Episode: S14, E14 'Episode 14'
Watch Now – Stream/OD: 123hdmoviescom
Synopsis: RuPaul's Drag Race season 14, episode 14 is titled 'Episode 14'
Join RuPaul, the world's most famous drag queen, as the host, mentor and judge for the ultimate in drag queen competitions. The top drag queens in the U.S. will vie for drag stardom as RuPaul, in full glamazon drag, will reign supreme in all judging and eliminations while helping guide the contestants as they prepare for each challenge.
RuPaul's Drag Race Season 14 Cast:
RuPaul,
Michelle Visage,
Carson Kressley,
Ross Mathews
RuPaul's Drag Race Vote:
ID TMDB: 8514
Vote: 7.8/10 by 153 user
What will be going down tonight 'Episode 14'?
We can't wait to find out! "RuPaul's Drag Race 14X14" Let's find out with synopsis info, tune-in details, and more!
Don't miss out on the all-new episode of RuPaul's Drag Race. You can catch up on cwr-crb, but you can also watch live with the following details:
As happy as we are that our favorite RuPaul's Drag Race series 14 is back, we haven't forgotten that it's ending soon! Let's just say we are not ready! What was your favorite moment from last week's episode? What are you the most excited to see tonight?
Will you be watching the "RuPaul's Drag Race s14~e14" live or catch it later this week? We always tune in live so we can watch along with all the fans.
iCarly Season 2 Episode 1 Premiere
My Liberation Notes Season 1 Episode 1
© 2022 Beyond The Wanderlust|ProPhoto Custom Blog Designed by Dawn Alderman Design


text:
Q: User topic management using Kafka Stream Processor API I have just started my hands dirty with kafka. I have gone through this. It only says data/topic management for kafka stream DSL. Can anyone share any link for same sort of data management for Processor API of kafka stream? I am specially interested for user and internal topic management of Processor API.
TopologyBuilder builder = new TopologyBuilder();

// add the source processor node that takes Kafka topic "source-topic" as input
builder.addSource("Source", "source-topic")

From where to populate this source topic with input data before stream processor starts consuming the same?
In short, can we write to kafka "Source" topic using streams, like as producer writes to topic? Or is stream only for parallel consumption of topic?
I believe we should as "Kafka's Streams API is built on top of Kafka's producer and consumer clients".

A: You can use JXL(Java Excel API) to write a producer which writes to a kafka topic from an excel file.
Then create a kafka streams application to consume that topic and produce to another topic.
And you can use context.getTopic() to get topic from which the processor is receiving.
Then set multiple if statements to call the process logic for that topic inside the process() function.

A: Yes, you have to use a KafkaProducer to generate inputs for the source topics which feeds the KStream.
But, the intermediate topics can be populated, via

*

*KafkaStreams#to

*KafkaStreams#through

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


MailChimp Auto-Subscribe gives you the ability to associate any Joomla User Field with any MailChimp Merge Tag quite easily.
If you navigate to the Plugin's Options and then select the "Settings" Tab you'll find the Data Map there.
As you can see in the screenshot above, there are two columns in this table.
The MailChimp Merge Tag Column: In this column you can fill in the name of the MailChimp Merge Tag which will hold the value of its related User Field.
If you want to know a bit more about MailChimp's Merge Tags take a look at MailChimp's official documentation on Getting Started with Merge Tags.


This means that the URL in question contains HTML which is not minified or could be minified further.
When building HTML pages and templates, developers tend to use spacing, comments and well-named variables to make code and markup readable for themselves. It also helps others who might later work on the assets. While this is a plus during development, it becomes a negative when it comes to serving your pages. Web servers and browsers can parse file content without comments and well-structured code, both of which create additional network traffic without providing any functional benefit.
This Hint will trigger for any internal URL which contains HTML that could be minified further.
<p>And I live in it. It's made of bugs and unminified HTML.
I often try to fill it up with swear words.
To solve this issue, you would need to use a HTML minifier to minify your HTML, which will automatically strip out the redundant elements. There are lots of online service for manually minifying your files - you paste your HTML into the service's UI, and it returns a minified version of the code (e.g. Minify Code).


When you are planning an important event, time is of the essence. You are being torn in a number of directions and do not have the ability to race all over the city and gather the necessary supplies and decorations to stage a successful affair. At PartyRentals.US, we help make your celebration as memorable as possible. We provide party rentals for all types of events, including private parties, weddings, and corporate gatherings. We offer services throughout New York City and Northern New Jersey and deliver rental equipment directly to your venue. For extra convenience, we arrive for pickup after your event has concluded. Our wide array of rentals allows you to fulfill all the needs of your celebration. We supply large catering equipment, tents, and the small details, including chair cushions. Our rental inventory is capable of handling intimate affairs or large events. We accommodate party and wedding planners, caterers, and residential clients. When you browse our catalog, which lists everything available for rent, you will enjoy a diversity of offerings and high quality products that will create the perfect NYC experience. If you have any questions or concerns, our friendly and supportive event specialists are at your disposal. These experts will ensure your celebration runs smoothly and is unforgettable. PartyRentals.US company is your one-stop rental supply store. Thanks to our helpful staff and assortment of inventory, you are sure to return time and time again for all your party needs.


Guest Post: Hockey-Mom turned Baker Babe!
Arty: The first thing that comes to mind when I think about Sandy is her beautiful sparkly eyes. Seriously, if you ever get a chance to meet her just bask in her eyes for a moment. Sandy is the type of person who immediately makes you feel warm and fuzzy. Part of the fuzziness is possibly due to the fact that she offered me some of the tastiest truffles at a point of starvation at CookieCon that not only tasted heavenly, but helped fuel me until dinner.
Who would have thought the ultimate Hockey Mom would become a Cookier? I sure didn't!
My youngest son Ryan was playing Ice hockey in Fresno, CA, and living with a billet family. I wanted to do something special for them and made a tray of gourmet chocolate covered strawberries. I brought it to a game and presented it to them. Other parents saw this and asked me to do something similar. And my little business, "Goodies by Sandy", began.
I slowly started adding more items to my repertoire, and one day a sweet friend asked me to do sugar cookies. I had never heard of "royal icing"…and what in the world was "meringue powder?" I became a frantic fanatic web searcher and stumbled upon Karen's Cookies, which was amazing! I ordered, asked, created, burned, threw away and started over so many times! I then found that if I added a bit of this and a pinch of that, my recipe did what I wanted – I found it, my sugar cookie!
Luckily, I had a built-in target audience – my weekly bingo group. I was allowed to sell cookies while I played bingo. It was a great way to test out what did and didn't work and what people liked and didn't. My cookies back then sure weren't too pretty, but they always tasted good.
I began trying lots of recipes and watching videos. I talked to other local cookiers (many that I met through a local competition) who even got together a few times to talk about business and share ideas. I shared my cookies with friends and started to have a small following on FB. Cindi from "Flour and Faith Bakery" shared information about CookieCon – WHAT?? – I needed that! I attended my first one and overload happened. I was not prepared, both mentally and financially, lol! I had the most amazing time, but realized I needed to figure out what I wanted to do with my business.
After the 1st CookieCon, I knew that I wanted to improve my skills but I also wanted to give back. I started baking for charity. I went back to my roots, incorporated chocolate covered strawberries, and added that element in all "goodies" that I created. Now I make chocolate covered strawberry cookies (similar to chocolate chip cookies), chocolate covered strawberry truffles, custom decorated sugar cookies that look and taste like chocolate covered strawberries, chocolate covered strawberry cupcakes and I always offer gourmet chocolate covered strawberries.
I am passionately working with charities close to my heart – most of them cancer related, as I am a uterine cancer survivor. I participate in an annual wine event as the dessert provider for The Ronald McDonald House; as the dessert provider for The Childhood Cancer Foundation of Southern California; sit on the Board of Directors of The Beloved Foundation (a local organization whose mission is to ease the burden of families who are struggling financially as a result of caring for a loved one with terminal cancer); sit on the Board of Directors of my family's charity in Colorado, "Joy's Kitchen" (a food rescue and food bank) which honors my mother who passed from cancer.
I enter competitions, just to make sure that I stay sharp and with it (also I am a competitive person – lol)! In our local Cakewalk (the local supply store) competition, I placed 2nd the first time I competed in cookies; I placed 1st in the second competition and won overall (over cakes, cake pops and cookies). I even met Chef Charity, one of my idols in the sugar world! When she came to my booth and asked for more of all of my cookies (I did a fruit stand theme with all sugar cookies tasting like their fruit) I was so honored! I also placed 1st in our local Orange Show cookie competition.
I do offer some custom orders, mostly for friends and family. I post specialty orders for holidays if I am feeling creative and my time allows.
When I went to my 2nd CookieCon, I wanted to share one of my other "goodies" and brought my snickerdoodle truffle. It is a super easy and a best seller of mine. I must admit to you, my sweet friends, I love to have this as an order, as I can whip it up quickly and always have the ingredients on hand.
I will close with, follow your heart, do what you love, always give back and make it a SWEET day!
Sandy's Snickerdoodle Truffles. I had one at CookieCon, and they are AMAZING!
In a mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar; add the cinnamon. Stir in the flour and mix until well incorporated. Add in the milk and creamer and mix well. If it is still too thick, add a bit more creamer – use sparingly until the dough pulls away from the bowl. Use a small scoop to roll into balls, and set on parchment covered cookie sheet and place in freezer. Freeze for about 30 minutes.
Melt the chocolate until smooth using whatever method you like. While that is melting mix together the sugar and cinnamon.
Take out the truffles and dip each one in chocolate and tap off excess chocolate and place on wax paper – lined cookie sheet. Immediately sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar mix. After they have set, place truffles in Tupperware to store in refrigerator. These will keep for about 4-5 days refrigerated (but they never last that long in my fridge lol).
Your attention Please….We have a visitor!


text:
The Casper Solution By Tony Duffy
Major Mike Collins is a retired SAS soldier trained as a sniper living in Johannesburg. He owns his own small security company and is bored. He gets approached by a mysterious, powerful man to head... More > up a small team of ex military specialists to rid the country of drugs and arms trafficking. He takes on the Nigerian Mafia as well as corrupt government officials in a no-holds-barred war. The action flows from Pretoria, Johannesburg and Durban, with car chases, gunfights and lots of action. It has all the elements of action, tragedy, love and humour. It is South African in flavour in both characters and plot. (eBook)< Less
Casper Solution By Tony Duffy
Major Mike Collins is a retired SAS soldier trained as a sniper living in Johannesburg. He owns his own small security company and is bored. He gets approached by a mysterious, powerful man to head... More > up a small team of ex military specialists to rid the country of drugs and arms trafficking. He takes on the Nigerian Mafia as well as corrupt government officials in a no-holds-barred war. The action flows from Pretoria, Johannesburg and Durban, with car chases, gunfights and lots of action. It has all the elements of action, tragedy, love and humour. It is South African in flavour in both characters and plot.< Less


This recipe for cranberry-almond tarts is from New York City's How Sweet It Is bakery.
2. Place one disk of dough on a floured work surface, sprinkle dough with flour, and roll out to 1/4 inch thick. Cut out 25 to 30 circles using a 2 1/4-inch round cutter, re-rolling dough once if necessary. Place each circle in a 1 3/4-inch nonstick petit four brioche mold, gently pressing down on the bottom and sides. Place filled molds on a baking sheet; transfer to a freezer for 20 minutes.
3. Transfer baking sheet to oven and bake tart shells until golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Transfer tart shells, in their molds, to a wire rack to cool completely.
4. Place frangipane in pastry bag fitted with a small, plain round tip. Fill each tart shell with 1/4 teaspoon frangipane. Place tart shells, in their molds, on a baking sheet and transfer to oven. Bake until frangipane springs back when touched with your fingertip, 15 to 17 minutes. Transfer tart shells to a cooling rack; let cool completely.
5. In a large bowl, mix together cranberries, almonds, and enough caramel to hold cranberries and almonds together, about 1 cup. Remove almond tarts from their molds and place on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Spoon cranberry mixture on top of frangipane; transfer to oven and bake until cranberries just begin to pop, 6 to 8 minutes. Drizzle with caramel and serve.
If i were to go shopping for thaat mold. what is it called?
Also, you need to be careful about the shells browning too much, becasue they still need to go into the oven with the frangipane, and then again with the cranberry mixture. The frangipane recipe makes a lot; enough for at least 60-70, but probably more, considering you need only a 1/4 tsp of it for each shell. I formed the tartlets in advance, baked them, and put them in the freezer so I have them ready to fill when I need them. Hope this helps!
I made these for Christmas, and they were very tasty. However, also a lot of work making the shells. The recipe says to roll out the dough to 1/4" thick, but mine was definitely thinner than that, and a full recipe for the almond dough makes about enough for 30 tartlets (I can't remember exactly, but it doesn't make the 50-60 tartlets as stated in the recipe), so don't half the recipe!
I made these last night for my dinner party and they were a big hit. Definitely worth the effort.
I just finished the Almond Tart Dough recipe and I don't see any way I'm going to get 30 2-1/4" by 1/4" thick disks out of a whole recipe, let alone a half. Is this some kind of creative math? It didn't look 1/4" thick on TV. Also, I had to settle for brioche pans that aren't non-stick. With that powdered sugar in the dough, I get the feeling I'm headed for disaster.
Any good cookware store such as Williams-Sonoma or Sur la Table sells the mini brioche pans. I know they sell them in their stores and they should sell them on their website as well.
Just wondering if anyone has a source for the mini nonstick brioche pans?


text:
Q: Disable a textfield based on a autocomplete value React js - Material Ui I have 2  fields. The first one it's an autocomplete. The second one is a textfield.
My second field is disabled by default. I want to change it from disabled to enabled every time The user types and choose one option of my autocomplete.
I've tried with  using useState hook and  onChange to set and update the state of the field.This does not work though.
I've tried getting the input value with a ref in my autocomplete like the following:
inputRef={ref => { this.inputRef = ref; }}

And then appling it to the  textfield.
Nothing has worked.
Note:  my autocomplete is wrapped in a controller.
Help

A: I made a CodeSandbox trying to fix your problem - if I understood it correctly.
Try it and see if it makes sense:
https://codesandbox.io/s/frosty-wildflower-ckjnd?file=/src/App.js


We're winding down the school year here in the Pajonas household. This past week was lots of tales from school of cleaning out desks, compiling art to take home, returning books to the library, etc. Then we had a half day on Friday, the first of three to end the year. School is over on Tuesday, and though it means an end to some free time, I'm looking forward to it. I get to "sleep in" in the summer since camp doesn't start until 8:30am on most days. I'm looking forward to the extra sleep.
On the writing front, I continued to work on the Miso Cozy novella, MATSURI AND MURDER, all week long. I mostly hit my word counts for each day, and I'm on target to finish on time. I've enjoyed this story and the mystery, the change in location. I'm looking forward to publishing it for you all.
This weekend was lots of pool! Yay! The weather was fabulous so we were there both days. Today we celebrated Father's Day by going to the pool, treating my husband to a day where he had to do very little, and grilling outside. It was a great way to spend the day.
I love taking photos of wild mushrooms. This one is growing off the tree across the street from my house.
The deer have been around a lot lately.
Our CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) share started this past week! Lots of greens means lots of salads. Mmmm.
I had breakfast with a good friend of mine halfway through the week. These red velvet pancakes are so good.
My park has been so beautiful, so green.
I enjoyed some middle-of-the-day Ben and Jerry's this week.
Father's Day dinner was swordfish on the grill, corn on the cob, and dill potato salad.
And yes, my trips to the pool comprised of big floppy hats and long-sleeve SPF shirts.


Forgotten man Antonio Tarver: I've been shelved again, in no position to succeed!
Heavyweight contender Antonio Tarver should be mapping out his plan for a future shot at the top division title since his impressive knockout win over Johnathon Banks – but instead is in the dark about his next career move.
Tarver, who defeated pound for pound king Roy Jones Jr almost exactly 11 years ago, is undefeated since 2009 and has shown there is plenty more in the tank at 46 years of age. By his own admission to WBN, Tarver believes he has no prospects of ever fulfilling his dream of being crowned the world heavyweight champion.
The 'Magic Man' has consistently lobbied for a chance at Wladimir Klitschko in the past and backed it up by having his hand raised in the ring before calling out the Ukrainian. The talented veteran still finds himself up against roadblocks in his bid to share a ring with anyone holding a belt at 200 pounds plus, with seemingly no way of Tarver getting through anytime soon.
"After my last performance, which was a seventh round KO of Jonathan Banks, it appears I've been shelved by the big names again," Tarver exclusively explained to World Boxing News on Tuesday.
"I can't tell you how hard I've been training and working, but I'm being shown that there's really no interest of me challenging and or winning the heavyweight championship. Even after all the work, the time, blood, sweat and tears, I'm being shown that I still need a breakthrough in the boxing business – even at this point in my career.
"What I'm missing is a promoter who believes in me enough in me to put me in a position to succeed. I know how to win and I'm doing my part, but I get the feeling 'they' just want me to go away. 'They' are not willing to let me go out on my own accord or let the game retire me, which in turn gives me the opportunity to prove that once again they had it 'wrong' about me.
Despite winning a total of ten world titles in his career and without a loss in six years, Tarver finds himself ranked with only one of the five major boxing organisations – the WBA. That victory over Banks, who was number one contender with the WBC just a few years ago, seems to have gone largely un-noticed as Tarver waits patiently for his chance to finally land the opportunity to allow fiction to imitate reality.
Playing Mason Dixon in the 2006 'Rocky Balboa' movie saw Tarver portray the undisputed heavyweight champion to decent reviews, although the American's career has now sadly delved more into the lead character role of perennial underdog forced to sit back and wait for his big chance to shine.
With a bigger than life persona, on top of being an on-air TV personality, Tarver's story should be up there with the biggest in boxing and really have promoter's queueing around the block for the option of taking a former undisputed 175lb champion to the heavyweight title.
Tarver remains optimistic that his chance will come before he finally hangs up his gloves for good and won't be giving up on his attempts to break down the door just yet.
"I'd like to thank all my fans for their continued support. Keep me in your prayers as this is going to be a lot harder than I thought, but not impossible.
"I'd also like to thank Al Haymon and I promise my fans one more 'Magical' night in boxing," he added.


text:
Interviews: Writer
Writer (page 1 of 4)
Chelsea Austin
"The second you block out the noise and ask yourself who you want to be things change."
Jesus Canchola Sanchez
"The theme of the book is about finding the inner strength to be who you are and allowing children to play freely without judgment."
"I have wanted to climb Mount Everest."
Justin Sayre
"It's a labor of love and a way to put a stamp on the development of the show and who we were then."
JD Doyle
"I've been aggressively collecting music by LGBT artists since the 1990s."
Jeff Mann
"I've been a fan of Wuthering Heights since high school, and Heathcliff was a dark and tortured early role model for me."
Bruce Vilanch
"If we own it then they can't mess with it."
Craig Bennett Hallenstein
"I've always been a writer, but The Dolphin is my first major project to see the light of day."
"To me, there is something heart-stopping about seeing the present through the lens of the past, and vice versa."
James Magruder
"The ego, self-delusion and bravery required to be a stage artist in this country is perpetual comic gold."
Gregg Shapiro
"Because words are so important to me, I would have to say that singer/songwriters rank highest among my favorites."
Raymond Luczak
"What's so fascinating about Whitman is how much of a harbinger he was of not only the American identity but also of other identities."
Ralph Hamilton
"Joy and laughter are as much a part of life as grief and tears."
"I'm trying to incorporate all of the different elements of my work as a performer."
"The whole concept of the show was about being authentic and connecting with these songs."
Paul Lisicky
"I used to say I leap genres from book to book so I won't repeat myself, repeat the same atmosphere, voice, imagery. But this book was different."
Matthew Rettenmund
"I was obsessed with Madonna and Cyndi Lauper and all these `80s people."
Lyric Benson Fergusson
"I grew up with two amazing gay men who I considered my uncles."
Jarrett Neal
"For a long time, many issues concerning black gay men had been tugging at me, things I had observed and experienced."
"I keep joking that I'm a reincarnated gay man from the 1920s."
Steve Orlando
"We are looking to give a sort of icon to the queer community. It's vitally important that he's a gay man in the book. I can't discount that."
Christine Sneed
"I spend time with creative people whose sexual orientation is different from my own."


text:
Media Effects of Violent Video Games
Society should not focus their time trying to censor violent video games because the resulting media effects have not been properly researched and are not a pressing concern.
Cole Brossart
Violence has become a popular theme in video games since the 1970's. The idea of a first person interactive experience that involves shooting, beating, and killing has caused many to be repulsed and question the point behind these games. Violent video games emerged as a hot area of research nearly twenty years after they were first introduced. Scientists and game designers are still trying to fully understand the role of video games as a medium.
There have been many studies attempting to determine the media effects of video games. Media effects are a way of explaining the impact of mass media and media culture on the way an audience will think and act. Video games cannot be treated like other forms of media because they generate a unique player experience compared to watching a movie or reading a news article.
At the core of the violent video games debate, there is an inherent assumption that video games have enough influence change how we behave and teach us to hurt and kill. This has caused a massive generational panic to those who are unfamiliar with video games as a new, rising medium. Society should not focus their time trying to censor violent video games because the resulting media effects have not been properly researched and are not a pressing concern.
First, I would like to try and answer the question: Do video games have media effects? There is no simple way to answer this question; however, I think that it is obvious that video games do not have the power that most media portrays it to have. Extremists believe that violence in video games can turn young adults into psychopathic killers. This is clearly not the case and these people have zero evidence to back up their beliefs. I also do not believe that violent video games have no effect on the way we act because all media has a certain level of influence on all of us. I do not think it is possible to quantify the degree in which violent games can change a person because there has not been enough accurate research to theorize the actual media effects of video games.
Video games and other forms of violent media have been unfairly labeled as the cause of numerous recent school shootings because the government and press have convinced the public that video games have had something to do with the crimes under false assumptions. According to Henry Jenkins, professor at the USC School of Communications and Cinematic Arts, we are "in an era of 24 hour news, the networks already have experts on media violence in their speed dial, ready for them to arrive on the scene and make the same old arguments" (Jenkins). News stations are in a constant race to see who can get the story correct first. Furthermore, most video game players are under 40 years old, and most video game critics are non-game players and over 40. This leads to the spread of biased information that is often aimed to entertain the audience. I am sure that an article on how a video game gave a murderer the mindset to kill would make a much more intriguing story rather than the killer just being mentally unstable.
Accurate research done after these school shootings has proved that the moral fright over violent video games is purposeless. According to 2001 Surgeon General's Report, "the strongest risk factors for school shootings centered on mental stability and the quality of home life, not media exposure"(Surgeon General's Report). This is not saying that the school shooters did not play video games because that is probably not the case considering a survey in 2008 showed 97% of teens play video games, but it is saying that video games were not the reason the school shootings occurred (Pew Internet & American Life Project).
Most of the accurate research actually points in the other direction stating that video games do not contribute to youth violence and could possibly reduce it.
Federal crime statistics show that the rate of juvenile violent crime in the United States is at the lowest it has been in the past 30 years. In addition, minors who have been convicted of a crime consume less media before committing their crime than the average person in the general population (FBI Crime Statistics). This proves that there is no factual relationship between violent video games and adolescents performing violent acts because there is not only a downward trend in crime rates, but they are less influenced by media than the average citizen. Researchers have not only been able to disprove the panic of media effects, but as John Micklethwait points out, chief-editor in The Economist, video games could reduce violence in teens, "if games really did make people violent, this tendency might be expected to show up in the figures, given that half of Americans play computer and video games. Perhaps, as some observers have suggested, gaming actually makes people less violent, by acting as a safety valve" (Micklethwait). This was a major argument in sports violence considering many sports began as war games; however, they were argued to be ways to channel one's anger. I agree with Micklethwait that violence in video games is not a demanding concern because video games have not shown any relationship with youth violence and, similar to the sports violence argument, video games could be a way for adolescents to release bad energy in a safe, nonviolent way.
Many psychologists have developed theories to reason why some people deny that media effects are real even though the hard evidence does not point in their favor. Brad Bushman, Ph.D., a professor of Communication and Psychology at the Ohio State University, outlines many of these theories in an article on why people might deny media effects with the first argument being fallacious reasoning. Fallacious reasoning means that it is difficult to predict extreme events, such as murder, using any risk factor including violent media. His next theory was called cognitive dissonance reduction, or that conflicting thoughts cause psychological discomfort. This meant that people who enjoyed playing video games would never think of enjoying something that might be harmful; therefore, video games could never lead to violence. His last main point was described as the third person effect. The third person effect states that people believe that media has a much stronger affect on others than it does on themselves (Bushman). All of Bushman's intriguing arguments heavily rely on evidence that connects video game violence to real world violence.
My favorite answer to the question, "I've played violent video games for years. Why am I not a killer?" was actually by Bushman himself. He replied, " My answer is simple. You come from a good, stable home. You have friends. You weren't bullied in school. You have a healthy brain." At first this confused me because the rest of his article attempts to link playing video games to violence. I later realized that Bushman does think playing violent video games could be a contributing factor to violent acts, but he doesn't have any other evidence to prove this. He only has a clear idea of why people might deny any media effects at all. Knowing he did not have the data to back up his theory, Bushman believed that one of the linking factors of video games violence to real world violence could be the short term media effects of an increase in aggression and desensitization of one's psychological thoughts toward violence.
So what is the difference between long term and short term media effects? A study in 2002, headed by Joanne D. Altman, examined the relationship between playing violent video games and sensitivity to aggressive acts. The study conducted two experiments. In the first experiment, college students were randomly assigned to play more or less violent video games. Afterwards, they each read a series of criminal vignettes and assigned prison sentences to violent criminals. The second experiment was the same except the students were told to come back an hour later to assign prison sentences to compare the immediate vs. prolonged effects. The results of the experiment showed that only the male's sensitivity to acts of violence decreased after playing the video games and women's sensitivity to acts of violence increased over time after playing video games; however, that is not the conclusion I made from reading about this experiment. I think the method for testing sensitivity was imprecise because there was not enough repetition and specificity, and overall, this only proves that we do not understand the media effects of video games or know if they even exist at all (Altman).
One of the major ways that research on mass media effects is flawed is the inconsistent method of defining and measuring aggression. It is difficult to decipher if the majority of the studies are even testing the same phenomenon. It is clear to me that not all researchers agree with the experiments that attempt to correlate violent video games with an increase aggressive behavior. For example, a researcher named C.J. Ferguson, who published a paper proving evidence of bias in video game violence effects literature, argued that "most of the research employs unvalidated ad-hoc measures of 'aggression', which may result not only in skewed results for meta-analyses, but also in a measurement bias of affect - that is, that some other intense responses may be counted as 'aggressive' which may or may not reflect actual aggression" (Ferguson). Ferguson is not confident with any of the available connecting violent video games to aggression because all video games have such a unique experience that could potentially target fake or real aggression. The research has simply not been done properly yet.
Ferguson is not the only researcher to deny the aggression studies on violent video games. In a paper published on PBS called "Reality Bytes: Eight Myths About Video Games Debunked", Henry Jenkins argues that "the research could simply show that aggressive people like aggressive entertainment" (Jenkins). Jenkins' point is that people who are more aggressive after playing violent video games could have pre-existing aggression tendencies that are triggered by the game, rather than the aggression spurring from playing the game. This is another significant possibility that could refute many violent video games studies. Furthermore, studies use different violent games to measure for increase in aggression levels making any general statements about correlation between the two very challenging and fallacious. A paper written by Kyle Kontour on violent video games research gives an example of a game that is meant to target aggression called America's Army, which is a combat FPS made by the U.S. Army as a recruitment tool and to train their troops. This game was made to bring out aggressive qualities in the players because aggression is one of the characteristics that is necessary to be successful on the battlefield (Kontour).
Violent video games studies also fail to account for the media effects in a social setting where games are often played. For instance, people may get more attached to a game when they are playing against a friend. I am an extremely competitive person, and my experiences of playing FIFA with a group of friends can get very heated, very quickly. My aggressive behavior when playing with friends does not correspond to real anger; however, it is quite the contrary, more of a friendly competitive banter. In addition, violent video games studies believe it is reasonable to equate their studies in the lab to a social setting (Kontour). There are almost too many variables to give definitive proof that playing violent video games leads to any sort of change in behavior. (My theory from doing all of this research is that gaming and winning does not lead to violence, but gaming and losing does).
This brings me to my last question. Is violence in video games a problem that society should be focusing on? Video game violence is an incredibly interesting case study because it has the power to teach, which can be misconstrued in different ways. Both pro-videogamers and video game critics agree that video games have this power, but obviously disagree on the inspiration and influence of this power. For example, while critics might say that Grand Theft Auto players become more violent after playing the game, a video games advocate might argue that reckless driving leads to accidents, and the hard work and long hours it takes to complete the game shows that you are rewarded when you really stick with things. What is important to note is that these are all assumptions, and as explained by David Thomas in his paper about teaching with video games, the one thing we can never do is assume learning (Thomas). Therefore, I do not think society should be wasting its time and resources by devoting its attention to the media effects of video games, thinking that it will solve our problem of school shootings and reduce crime overall. The risk of identifying the wrong problem could potentially divert society from central issues such as poverty, education, and equality.
I still believe there should continue to be research in this area, but not to the extent it is now. I think it is important for future experiments to take into account the variables of playing a game, the effects of the game, and the game itself. New research should attempt to answer questions with more specificity such as: 1) What is the difference in behavioral effects of a game where there are short moments of gruesome violence as in Alien Isolation compared to Call of Duty where you shoot and kill thousands of people at a lower intensity? 2) Does the diegetic world of the game or the non-diegetic socio-cultural elements have greater impact on a player's behavior? In combination with a new direction of research, if the public begins to understand that media violence is a risk factor rather than a cause for real world violence, then society can dedicate its time to more prevalent real world issues.
Bushman. B. Why do people deny violent media effects?
http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/get-psyched/201302/why-do-people-deny-violent-media-effects
Deselms, J. L., & Altman, J. D. (2003). Immediate and prolonged effects of videogame violence. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 33(8), 1553-1563. doi:10.1111/j.1559-1816.2003.tb01962.x
Ferguson, C. J. (2007a). Evidence for publication bias in video game violence effects literature: A meta-analytic review. Aggression and Violent Behavior 12, 470-482.
Jenkins, H. (2004). Reality bytes: Eight myths about video games debunked. Retrieved November 30 2008, from 'The Video Game Revolution', http://www.pbs.org/kcts/videogamerevolution/impact/myths.html
Jenkins, H. A Few Thoughts on Media Violence http://henryjenkins.org/2007/04/a_few_thoughts_on_media_violen.html
Kontour, K. (2009). Revisiting violent videogames research: Game studies perspectives on aggression, violence, immersion, interaction, and textual analysis. Digital Culture & Education, 1, 6-30.
No correlation between game violence and real-world violence, says new study. http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/229452/No_correlation_between_game_violence_and_realworld_violence_says_new_study.php
Chasing the Dream. (2005, April 4). The Economist.
Do Violent Video Games Contribute to Youth Violence? - Violent Video Games - ProCon.org.
http://videogames.procon.org/view.answers.php?questionID=1608


Tropical Storm Michael hit Delmarva with heavy rainfall and strong winds overnight, causing delays throughout the region.
Indian River School District issued this notification: "Due to flooding and hazardous road conditions, parents living in the River Road and Delaware Ave areas of Oak Orchard must transport their children to the Indian River Volunteer Fire Company on Friday morning to meet the school bus. When dropping off their children, parents are reminded not to block the large bay doors at the front of the building."
Worcester County Public Schools: Two hour delay.
Due to flooding in the zoo, Not so Scary Halloween Happening on Saturday, Oct. 13, has been canceled. Tickets already purchased are good for Oct. 20.
Accomack County Public Schools: Two hour delay.