text:
Q: Y is path connected iff $f,g$ are null homotopic then f,g are homotopic I have to show that $Y$ is path-connected if and only if: if X is any topological space and  $f,g: X\to Y$ are nullhomotopic, then $f,g$ are homotopic.
I understand that if Y is path-connected then $f,g$ are homotopic, but how can I show the other direction.
Couldn't we just add a single point to $Y$ so that it's not path-connected?

A: For the other direction take $X=\{pt\}$ for two point $x,y \in Y$ define the maps
$f_1(pt)=x$ and $f_2(pt)=y$. From this conclude that $Y$ is path connected.
For any other space $X$ just take constant maps.
If we add another point $pt'$ to $Y$ then we will have another map $f'(pt)=pt'$ and this map won't be homotopic to any other map

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Central Cal BMW Riders - Cycle Specialties Shop Ride to ??
Cycle Specialties Shop Ride to ??
Shop Ride Sunday January 27th!
John is going to lead a beautiful ride on the last Sunday of the month. He hasn't decided if this will be a coast run or perhaps a ride up to Mariposa for lunch. We are going to wait and see what the weather looks like before deciding.
Meet at Cycle Specialties between 8:00-9:00AM for coffee and doughnuts. Ride starts at 9:00AM. Please arrive with a full tank of fuel.


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Q: In Python, how do I delete directories from a set comparison? Comparing 2 sets of Directories - delete folders that do not match I have a directory 1 that has new files and a directory 2 that has the same files but older. I want to move any folders that do not exist in either Directory 1 or Directory 2 and ONLY save files that match both locations:
Here's my code:
def removeOldDirs():
    dir1 = os.listdir('/directory1')
    dir2 = os.listdir('/directory2')
    dir1 = set(dir1)
    dir2 = set(dir2)
    oldFolders = set(dir2).difference(dir1)
    os.chdir('/')
    shutil.move(oldFolders,'/old')
    print os.listdir('.')

I am expecting for the folder names that do not match in either directory to move to the '/old' file directory.  I am getting an error saying
TypeError: coercing to Unicode: need string or buffer, set found
coercing to Unicode: need string or buffer, set found
Is there a more 'pythonic' way of doing this? Should I make a system call instead?

A: shutil.move takes two arguments: the src file/directory and the destination file/directory.
If you have a list (or in your case set) of files/directories, you can just do:
for od in oldfolders:
   shutil.move(od,"/old")


For ages, gold has been the symbol of that which is most valuable. Gold's ability to remain untarnished with the passage of time has rendered it a representation of all that endures. And its beauty, rarity, and utility have made gold synonymous with all that is treasured.
One can't help but be similarly awed by the fragrant gold dust that is the culinary spice called turmeric. The spice comes from the rhizomes — stems that grow horizontally under the ground — of a perennial flowering member of the ginger family with the same name. The rhizomes are dried and then ground into the powder we know as an exotic seasoning for Indian and other cuisines.
Although the health-giving properties of turmeric have long been known and utilized in Ayurvedic medicine, it is only recently that its uses have been subjected to the scrutiny of modern science.
Why has it taken so long for the Western world to recognize turmeric's amazing benefits?
Intrigued by what Wilde has to say? Listen to the Live Foreverish podcast of Life Extension®'s Dr. Michael Smith, with featured guest Christian Wilde, as they discuss "Spicing Up your Life with Turmeric," by visiting LiveFOREVERrish.com.
Perkins K et al. J Evid Based Complementary Altern Med. 2017 Jan;22(1):156-65.
Daily JW et al. J Med Food 2016 Aug;19(8):717-29.
Wojcik M et al. Oxid Med Cell Longev 2018 Mar;2018:9698258.
Chen M et al. Neural Regen Res 2018 Apr;13(4):742-52.
Lopresti AL. J Psychopharmacol. 2017 Mar;31(3):287-302.
Karimian MS et al. Curr Phram Des 2017:23(17):2462-73.
Qin S et al. Nutr J 2017 Oct;16(1):68.
Saeidinia A et al. Pharmacol Res 2018 May;131:112-19.
Zheng J et al. Front Pharmacol. 2018 May 9;9:472.


Who Will Cut Back the Hedge?
One of my earliest memories is my mother gathering my sisters and me around her and reading the Bible and our Sunday school lessons, and then praying with us. I am so thankful for my godly heritage and the privilege of being raised in a Christian home.
I thank the Lord for what He has done for me. I was born in Pusan, Korea. Though my parents were not Christians, they were honest and tried to raise their children to be good people.
What a joy it is to know that Jesus loves me! Throughout my life, I've had opportunities to prove His love over and over again.
It was back in 1974, in a little church in Fort Smith, Arkansas, when Jesus transformed my life. I was a miserable young mother at the time, having failed to find the happiness I longed for in life.
My parents divorced when I was very young, and I grew up without a father. My mother worked to support my sister and me, so she couldn't always keep an eye on what we were doing.


Thank you, Ontario, for an amazing competition. See you next year!
The Ontario results have been posted.
Videos & photos for Ontario will be available the week following the competition.
The Ontario Hall of Fame videos have been posted.


text:
Q: Access Nested Data from JSONField in Django I have the following model:
class BaseTransaction(models.Model):
    """Model to store JSON data"""
    name = models.CharField(max_length=255)
    json_data = JSONField(null=True)

If I create an instance with the following data:
 base_transaction = models.BaseTransaction.objects.create(
            name="Test Transaction",
            json_data={{"sales": 3.24, "date": "2020-06-05"},
                       {"sales": 5.50, "date": "2020-06-04"},
                       {"sales": 256.53, "date": "2020-06-02"}}
        )

How would I access the second row of data without a key? Or is this the wrong format for JSON? I am using this format because the original data is from a CSV and this is how it converts to JSON.

A: No, the above structure is not inJSON format. You can always validate if it's JSON or not using JSON Formatter  & Validator
You would want to restructure is according to the rules of JSON, and manually if that can be done so. Once it's in JSON format, you can access the second row without keys using a for loop and a counter, e.g.
counter = 0
for (key in obj) {
    counter+=1
    if (counter == 2):
        # Do anything
    else:
       print("Key: " + key)
       print("Value: " + obj[key])
}


text:
'One match, one chance': South Korea eye Brazil World Cup upset
05 December, 2022, 08:35 am
Last modified: 05 December, 2022, 08:41 am
Paulo Bento resigns as South Korea boss following Brazil loss
Brazil hampered by injuries ahead of last-16 South Korea match
Japan and South Korea's knockout qualification underlines Asia's rising power in football
Hwang Hee-chan the hero for South Korea as they gatecrash Uruguay's last-16 berth by beating Portugal 2-1
Loss to Ghana 'totally unfair', says South Korea assistant coach
After an extraordinary group phase that saw former winners Brazil and Argentina defeated by low-ranked opponents, plus Belgium and Germany eliminated, South Korea see this World Cup as their best chance in decades to make their mark.
Photo: Reuters
Wild cards South Korea say they have nothing to fear and nothing to lose when they take on five-times champions Brazil on Monday, with their sights set on another giant-killing feat in a World Cup where big names have taken a beating.
"Every match, every minute is very valuable and precious. The entire team has great morale, great teamwork " said wingback Kim Jin-su.
"We all have truly wanted to get this far and we are all really thirsty for this."
South Korea have pedigree, having dumped former champions Germany out of the group stages in the 2018 World Cup. As co-hosts with Japan in 2002, they reached the semi-finals, knocking out Italy and Spain along the way.
Known for lethal counter-attacking and indomitable spirit, South Korea looked to be heading for elimination but delivered a surprise stoppage-time winner in Al Rayyan on Friday to beat Portugal and reach the last 16.
Monday's match against injury-hit Brazil is their first in the knockout rounds since 2010 and only their third overall.
Kim said there were a few injury concerns among the South Korean squad, but the team were well-prepared, capable and confident.
"Of course tomorrow will be a very challenging match. We really want to show everyone what we've got and show what we've been waiting 12 years for," Kim said.
"Our fighting spirit will be important and we have to sacrifice ourselves for the team."
South Korea's Portuguese coach Paulo Bento complained about a gap of just 72 hours between matches and said his team had physical and emotional fatigue, compared to a Brazil who had a squad with enough depth to rest players.
He said he was expecting Brazil to take the game to South Korea but was confident his players could keep them at bay.
"We're up against world-class players we are not intimidated," he said. "In our squad we have world-class players."
"One match it's not an entire tournament, we have one chance... Most important is we show we are a team that wants to win, wants to compete and fight until the last whistle," he said.
"Based on that, everything is a victory."
FIFA World Cup 2022 / Football
South korea football team / Paulo Bento
Avik Anwar wins race 6 of VW Polo Cup in India
Shanto, Burl, Mushfiqur help Sylhet down Chattogram in Mashrafe's 100th BPL game
Shorna Akter nominated for MVP award of Under-19 Women's T20 World Cup
United States to host next year's Copa America
Sabalenka subdues Rybakina to win maiden Grand Slam
'Game of small margins': Heartbreak for Khulna as Comilla clinch last-ball thriller

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Nyjah Huston: 'Til Death
Nyjah Huston comes through with very heavy new section, 'Til Death, captured in excruciating high quality by Ty Evans. Fair play to Nyjah, you can't really front on anything in this, he certainly put in the work – some of those slams are a pretty uncomfortable watch.
This video part ties in with the new Nike SB Nyjah, a shoe you can read more about below:
"I was around 5 years old when I first tried skateboarding. I was so young, but that's literally all I wanted to do. I loved it so much. I never wanted to play any other sports. There was one time, pretty soon after I started skating, that I tried rollerblading. I hated it. I took the skates off so fast and I was so mad. I just wanted to skate every single day.
I'm 23 now, and so stoked to have my own signature Nike shoe, the Nike SB Nyjah. Obviously, Nike SB has only done this with a few people in skateboarding (Eric Koston, Paul Rodriguez, Stefan Janoski), all legends, so I just feel completely honored to be included in that group.
The most important thing to me was immediate break-in and longevity because I like to skate my shoes for a long time. The front had to be thin and close to the foot to give you better connection to your foot and better connection to the board. You need your shoe to feel worn in but still maintain the right flick and feel right on your board. No one wants a stiff, bulky, thick, puffy shoe anymore.
The solution suggested was a new material rubber upper, and I thought it was sketchy at first. I expected we'd go with suede because that's what I've always skated in. But we tried it, and it was so legit. Honestly perfect. It's really thin, so it only takes a day or two to really break in. But it takes a long time to rip and I think that's important for kids out there. They want to be able to skate in their shoes for a while.
Some people will still be sketchy about the material, but I also think they're going to want to try it out. And I think it's definitely what will surprise people the most about the shoe, because even though it's so thin it skates really well, and it lasts.
Also, it's super comfortable. I wanted it to be something that I also love to wear all the time. In the past, I'd have a certain skate shoe and then I'd put on, like, a chill shoe after. I would skate the Blazer Vapor then wear Janoskis when I was chillin'. I wanted this to be both."
Via. Nike SB
nyjah huston
First Look: Nike SB Nyjah
"I would skate the Blazer Vapor then wear Janoskis when I was chillin'. I wanted this to be both."


text:
'Some of these things are true and some of them lies. But they are all good stories'
I Will Find You: A Reporter Investigates the Life of the Man Who Raped Her
Joanna Connors
'More chilling than a horror film and more thought provoking than an HBO doc …I Will Find You is at once hard to read and even harder to put down' Cosmopolitan
The powerful, unflinching and deeply humane story of a journalist's quest to uncover the life of the man who raped her twenty-one years before
Joanna Connors was thirty years old when she was raped at knifepoint by a stranger.
After this horrifying trauma, she became afraid of everything – flying, driving, travelling in a car while someone else drove. She had children, but hovered over them constantly, terrified about what might happen to them as well. Then, when her daughter was sixteen, Joanna began to confront the fear that had ruled her life ever since that day, and decided she needed, finally, to understand.
In an act of breathtaking humanity and pioneering journalistic courage, she went in search of the story of her own rapist, determined to find out who he was, where he came from, what his life was like – and what leads a person to do something as destructive as what he did to her.
The result of her investigation is I Will Find You, a shocking, moving memoir and a brave, timely consideration of poverty, race, class, education – and how life shapes who we become.
Reviews of I Will Find You: A Reporter Investigates the Life of the Man Who Raped Her
'Brutally affecting. Connors' story illustrates how inextricably our lives – and those of our children – are entwined with the lives of others' Guardian
'(An) unflinching, riveting memoir…Spare, lucid and even funny at times, this account of learning to live with suffering is nothing short of haunting' Mail on Sunday
'Challenging, moving . . . Connors takes a hard look at assumptions we make about victims and perpetrators' Sunday Times
'Deeply humane and harrowing' Boston Globe
'Magnificent, necessary, unflinchingly honest' Jon Krakauer
'Raw, compelling, deeply affecting' Polly Vernon
'Is it possible to call the story of a violent rape and its haunting aftermath a thing of beauty? This lucid, powerful memoir becomes its own form of redemption, as a seasoned reporter turns her gaze on her own life and that of her rapist's. A profoundly moving, important and, yes, beautiful book' Dani Shapiro, author of STILL WRITING
'The most important book on rape since Susan Brownmiller's AGAINST OUR WILL. Honest and strong, riveting and terrifying, heartbreaking and utterly unsentimental. This book will change lives and minds' Mary Doria Russell, author of THE SPARROW
'A hard-to-read book that is impossible to put down. I am in awe of Connors's courage and inspiring compassion. A testament to the power of forgiveness and a hard-earned grace' Thrity Umrigar, author of THE SPACE BETWEEN US
'A sobering, masterful, and meticulously researched exploration of the crime but with a twist: Connors plumbs the depths of her attacker and the culture of violence that made him a rapist. Understanding radiates from every page in prose that is crisp and full of unexpected notes of grace' Beth Macy, New York Times bestselling author of FACTORY MAN
More from Joanna Connors
I Will Find You: In Search of the Man Who Raped Me
I Will Find You


For a substitute, refer to DM-PSU-8-PLUS.
Provides a reliable centralized power source for up to 8 PoDM powered devices. Designed for use with any card-based DigitalMedia™ switcher with DM 8G+® I/O cards installed.
The DM-PSU-8 provides power for up to eight PoDM powered devices. It is designed to install at the central switcher location, occupying just a single rack space and requiring just one AC power outlet. Each of its eight POWER ports connects to the POE IN port of a DMC-4K-C input card, DMC-4K-C-DSP input card, or DMC-4K-CO-HD output card. A full 15.4 Watts is supplied by each port to handle eight Class 0-3 PoDM devices simultaneously. Connections between the DM-PSU-8 and switcher are made using ordinary CAT5e cables terminated with RJ45 connectors (not included). Front panel LEDs indicate when each port is supplying power to a PoDM powered device.
The DM-PSU-8 is also compatible with HDBaseT® specifications, and may be used to power PoH (Power over HDBaseT) powered devices that are connected to the DM switcher in the same manner as a PoDM powered device. PoDM is intended specifically for use with DM 8G+ based systems.
Note: The DM-PSU-8 is not compatible with PoDM+, and is not capable of supplying power to PoDM+ powered devices. For applications requiring a PoDM+ PSE, use the Crestron CEN-SWPOE-16 or similar 802.3at Type 2 Class 4 compliant PoE+ PSE.


In addition to the Customer profile information you capture for your Customer database, your system can also allow you to manage your Customers ability to use the system for managing their own Appointments. Here is a list and definition of additional Customer profile fields so you understand how they further customize your scheduling system.
The Account field is used for Customer account numbers, membership numbers, or any other unique identifier you use for your Customers.
If any data is entered into the Alert field, a red exclamation point will display next to the Customer's name on the Appointment grid. You can then roll your cursor over it to see the data you had entered in the Alert field.
The purpose of this field is to quickly alert you to any key information about a particular Customer. Examples might be a Customer with a high no-show rate, or a Customer who is a late payer or had a check bounce. It could be an alert about a Customer who is difficult to deal with.
If this field is set to "no" for a Customer, that person will not be allowed to log into the Customer View portion of the system. If they try to log in, the system will display a message saying they are not authorized to log in.
One way of using this field is to turn on the preference to require Customers to be "approved" before being able to log in and make Appointments (preference #2 in the Customers section of Settings). So, when a Customer registers, normally they can log in immediately and can create Appointments. But, if you have this preference set to "yes", the system will not allow them to log in until you change their Allow To Log In value to "yes".
This field can also be used to disallow certain Customers from making Appointments. An example would be if a Customer has an overdue balance and you want to prevent them from making Appointments until their balance is paid. You would set their Allow To Log In field to "no" to temporarily stop them from accessing the Customer View.
The Assigned To field can be used if you would like to assign Customers to Staff Members.
One important preference related to this field restricts a Customer from booking Appointments with Staff Members other than the one to whom they are assigned (preference #11 in the Customer View section of Settings). If this is set to "yes", when the Customer logs into the Customer View they will not be able to select a Staff Member; their assigned Staff Member will be preselected for them.
Two preferences in the Staff Members section of Settings (preferences #1 and #2) deal with controlling if Staff Members can view Customers assigned to other Staff Members and if they can view unassigned Customers.
If the Customers of your organization are businesses and you prefer to access their data by company name as opposed to a person's name, you can turn on preference #4 in the Customers section of Settings. By turning on this preference, you Customers will be listed by their business name (Company Name) in the Select Customer drop down list when making Appointments.
Even if you don't turn on this preference, you can still use the Company field as part of the data you keep on your Customers.
The system generates a unique number for every Customer created. This is how the system identifies the Customer profile. If you have a need for having access to this unique number, enabling this field allows for that.
This field is not editable; you cannot change the unique number assigned to the Customer.
When you first create an account, the system automatically creates three statuses: New, Active, and Inactive. You can add as many Customer statuses as you like via the Lists > Customer Status Types section of Site Administration. You can edit the name of the three default statuses, and, while it is possible to delete one of these three, it is not recommended, because parts of the system rely on these types. For example, preference #7 in the Customers section of Settings allows you to hide Inactive customers from the Customer drop down list when making appointments. You would have to use the default Inactive Customer Status provided by the system for this feature to work correctly.
The Customer Type field is completely user-defined. You can make the values for this field anything you like. When it displays in Site Administration, it displays as a drop down list. To create the values for this drop down list, click on the Lists tab. Next, click on the Customer Type link on the left side of the page. Examples of Customer Types might be: "VIP" and "Regular customer". Or, for a physical therapy business, they might be: "Work-related injury" and "sports injury".
To create a new Customer Type, click the Add New Customer Type button from this page. Enter the name in the description field and Save.
One way to use this information is in report. For the Customer Report, you can filter by Customer Type, so you can run a report showing all Customers of a certain type.
The Gender field is a drop down list that includes 2 options: Male and Female.
The Lead ID Types, or Heard Via Types field is used to track how customers found out about you or your business. This field displays to the user as a drop down list. You can add as many entries to this drop down list as you like. To do so, click on the Lists tab, then, click on the Heard Via? Types link on the left navigation.
You can also run a Customer Report filtered by the Heard Via? Type field. This would allow you to see which Customers found you by which type.
The Okay To E-mail field, along with the Okay to Mail, Okay to Call, and Okay to Contact fields are informational-only. There are no system processes that factor in this information. For example, if you have the Okay to E-mail field set to "no" for a Customer and you send out a mass e-mail (via the Customer Reports E-mail feature), it does not refer to the Okay to E-mail field. All of these field types are yes/no selections, not free text fields.
The Signup Date is the registration date for the Customer. If you create the Customer in Site Administration, their Signup Date is the date you created them. If you are using the Customer View part of the system and a Customer registers, the date they register is recorded as their Signup Date. This cannot be edited.
Any of the default fields can be changed to a field name of your choice. To do so, click on the Settings tab > Customer Fields/Terms, and change the Display Name of the field you would like to modify. Please be aware that some fields like First/Last Name, Address, City, etc are specifically formatted in other areas of the system like reports and receipts. We recommend using the fields that are not generally tied together when customizing the Customer Fields/Terms section of preferences.
If you need additional fields outside of the ones listed, please contact our technical support department.
"You are currently not authorized to log in" message. What does that mean?
I am not able to see and utilize the DISCLAIMER functionality in any of the settings. I have the "pet" function turned on.
Myra - The Disclaimer field has been removed from the Customer Fields/terms section because it would not keep customers from scheduling if left unchecked. The best field to use instead is the "Allow Customers To See" field because it will keep customers from logging in if they select the "No" option.
I am unable to locate the "alert" customer field anywhere under the client tab. Where do I find it to input data?
Thanks for letting us know. I'll add a support ticket for you to find out what happened and give you access to the Alert field.
How do I show the customer address on the mobile app? And also how do I set it where only the working hours are displayed and not the shade areas where when we are closed.
Unfortunately, it is not currently possible to only show the available hours when viewing schedules, or customize the appointment page to include the customer address information. Sorry for the inconvenience this may cause when using the mobile application.
We have a few different property managements that use use to clean their many different locations. Is there a way to have them listed as a customer and use more than one address?
Thanks for your comment! It sounds like you are currently required to create multiple profiles for your clients (one for each of their locations) to indicate what location the team assigned to the appointment will need to go to. Unfortunately, we don't have a specific feature designed to solve that issue.


I have added a page listing polls on support for Scottish independence here (and linked from the sidebar). It's a question that produces some wildly differing responses, allowing people to argue that the polls show almost anything they want. It tends to be asked about in at least four different ways, they all show different things and pollsters aren't consistent over time in what they ask, so it's hard to pick up a trend. So, what can we tell about the actual state of public opinion?
When respondents are asked to choose from a broad range of options – complete independence, increased powers for the Scottish Parliament, the status quo or the abolition of the Scottish Parliament – we almost always find that complete independence is only the preferred option of somewhere between a quarter and a third of people in Scotland. The favoured option is nearly always to retain the Scottish Parliament but give it increased tax raising powers. This is one instance were the same question can be tracked over time, since it is asked every year in the Scottish Social Attitudes Survey. The most recent figures show 23% of people in favour of independence, 55% in favour of a Parliament with tax raising powers, 8% in favour of the status quo and 10% in favour of the Scottish Parliament being abolished and a return to Westminster rule.
The only question that consistently produces a plurality in favour of Scottish independence is in response to the straightforward question of whether respondents are in favour of Scotland becoming a country independent of the UK. Responses vary over time, but more often than not the balance is in favour of independence.
These have been quite simple questions though – independence or not. Questions that have given respondents more technical or more tightly defined options, asking them to say how they would vote in a referendum to chose between an independent Scotland outside of the United Kingdom, or retaining the Scottish Parliament as it is now, have tended to show a slim overall majority opposed to independence with support for full independence down to around a third.
Two possible explanations for the difference suggest themselves to me. Firstly I suspect that the straightforward "do you support independence" style questions are getting an emotional, gut response driven by patriotism. They are people saying that Scotland is a country in its own right, rather than people thinking about the constitutional arrangements for governing that country. The other possiblity that strikes me is the mention of the Scottish Parliament – in the simpler questions it is a choice between an independent Scotland or some unspecified alternative…when the alternative is spelt out as being the existing Scottish parliament, some respondents are presumably of the view that they are happy with that.
What is the best representation of Scottish opinion? Well in many ways they are just measuing different things – it can be both true that the preferred option is a Parliament with tax-raising powers, but given a forced choice between independence or the status quo people would plump for the latter. In practical terms though public support for Scottish independence is important purely because the day may come when people in Scotland vote on it in a referendum, and since the SNP last year set out what sort of question they would ask in a referendum, we can see what people think about that.
Referendum voting intention polls this far out aren't particularly reliable – like general election polls they can only tell us how people would vote if there was a referendum tomorrow…and there isn't. In real life if there was a referendum tomorrow there would have been a couple of weeks of campaigning beforehand and who knows how opinion would have changed once people considered the arguments. For now though, polls using the sort of wording that the SNP have suggested for a referendum show a lead for NO voters, though varying in size between 20 points and a narrow 4 point lead. Given the underlying preference for a beefier Scottish Parliament over full independence, I'm more inclined to believe the former, but who knows what would happen during a campaign.
If it is true that a majority of the Scottish people want the existing Parliament-within the Union, but with more powers and fiscal autonomy-this would appear to be what the Scottish Tories are also in favour of……but it seems that the antipathy to voting Conservative does not permit the Scottish voter to make the logical step…..prefering perhaps to have "their own" in charge in the shape of SNP……who presumably would be very happy with de-facto independence whilst protesting the while about still being tied to The Union.?
…Meanwhile, as Annabelle Goldie takes the Scottish Conservatives in a direction she perceives as popular ( correctly so if Anthony's analysis is to be believed)….David Cameron supports The Union whilst, so far as I am aware, saying nothing about fiscal autonomy….and yet it must be Conservative to the core to believe that Scottish MSP's shouldhave to go and ask Scottish voters ( and not English ones) for the taxes , which they want the autonomy to spend in Scotland.
There are lots of strange tensions in this Pandora's Box of Scottish Devolution.
Thank you for this new service Anthony. We really do need to keep a proper, professional record of these findings somewhere on the net.
Stuart – I'll have missed tons from pre-2006. This is only a compliation of the polls easily found on the websites of the main pollsters.
I've always wondered why the English are never asked about Scottish independence. It's as though in a marriage, only the wife was allowed to decide whether to divorce or not.
I suspect that as the Scots get more and more privileges over England (student fees, police pay etc etc), which is perceived to be at English expense, there could be a growing majority of English people in favour of Scottish independence!
I watched the BBC News at 10 pm tonight, and Scotland got two mentions.
English Council tax to rise by 4%+, Scotland's to be frozen and 20,000 Police officers march over their backdated pay award, Scotland's police had theirs back dated.
Expect the fireworks to start in the Sunday paper.
Oh and the SNP's budget got through to the next stage, all be it by 4 votes. Still not bad for a minority government.
Your latest comments at 11.54pm are exactly what will bring the SNP down eventually / treating the handouts as if they are desrved by Scotland & can be spent to humiliate the Englsh government & gain popularity with the Scottish electorate – arrogance and flipant remarks based on English tax payers money will back fire on you – expect any future Tory government to placate the Englsih electorate as that is where their base is as yours is in Scotland – a tiny part of the UK !
It's all about perception and particularly public perception.
Look at the polls where the Barnet formula is asked about, the results are stark and consistent.
People in England and in particular those parts where the Tories are strong believe Scotland doesn't deserve the money it gets. The same polls show equally that the majority of Scotland's voters think the opposite.
In a political sense it doesn't actually matter who is right, people will react on their beliefs.
So come the weekend we can expect those in the London press to say " Whinging subsidy junky jocks", and the reaction in Scotland to be " We pay our way it's you that are stealing from us". Not particularly nice but predictable.
As Matthew Paris said " Whenever I hear of a wave of public indignation, I am struck by an inner calm".
That's one of the reasons Brown and Cameron are both in their own ways cautious about addressing the Barnet formula.
It wouldn't get Labour enough extra votes where it needs them and it would almost certainly cost them dearly in Scotland where they are more and more reliant on the seats they have .
For Cameron it would go down well in seats he will probably win anyway but could see him wiped out again in Scotland and that would undermine them as a unionist party for no real gain.
As importantly if we know anything about public reactions then when the government makes a change the reaction of those not effected tends to be muted, even if they agree with it, while the reaction of those who lose out tends to be fury.
So an English reaction to any funding change would probably be a short " about time too" with no substantial or long term gain for those introducing it, while the Scottish reaction would be akin to Poll Tax Mk2.
If I seem to be being flippant it's because all this seems blindingly obvious and predictable.
Even if I was being off hand about it at the end of the day what's wrong with a flippant post, this is a Blog after all not a Government White Paper.
All very well said Peter. Especially about the losers being far more concerned about a change than the winners.
If Cameron gets elected PM then he should go one of either two ways w.r.t. Scotland.
1: Create a referendum and push for its independence.
2: Avoid doing anything (like poll tax) to piss off the Scots and try to get back in their good books again.
There are a lot of people in Scotland who if not in Scotland could naturally be Conservatives. If Scotland is to stay in the UK then the next Tory government probably should try and appeal to them and avoid doing anything (like changing the Barnett formula) to wind them up further.
The poll and yoour analysis suggests that Scotland is edging further away from the idea of full independence: at the same time they want more power to the Scottish Parliamnet. Probably one factor is that they see more money coming their way by this.
If so then things are not much different elsewhere in the UK. That is exactly what many regions,and local Parishes. want. However Scotland and Wales have a mandate for that in the form of the "Parliaments" and constitutions (if that id the right word to use)that reprisent them.
Central Government should take the opportunity to improve local accountability and democracy all round.
It is those English regions which are really forgotten about…..
Sorry – off topic, but the Inde is reporting some polling results relating to Cameron/Osborne versus Brown/Darling. It seems to be a poll based on 118 business men. An odd number? Well, an even number – but you know what I mean. Part of a larger poll to be released or just a [small] Comres tangent?
Are we not due a Comres poll?
The results were not good for Brown. Wosre for Darling – but I am not sure you can base much on the evidence of 118 people. Then again I don't suppose you try and round up 2000 business men.
I don't have complete figures, only the tops and bottoms of tables.
However, those figures don't really tell you much about who's subsidised and who's subsidising. For that, we need to look at tax revenues raised and spent.
Scotland raises the most revenue for the UK, outside of London.
So Scotland "cost" the English tax-payer ~£38 per Scots, or ~£3.80 from every Englishman's pocket, in the year 2005-06. Now that oil is $100/barrel (twice what it was 05-06), things may well be different.
The big drains on England are Northern Ireland, North-East and North-West England (~£2000), and Wales. Scotland's £38p/c drain is about 4% of revenues raised in Scotland, and quite frankly is of very little consequence to the rest of the UK.
On the Scottish side too when people talk about how hard-done to they are by the Union they always look at how rich the South East is.. never at Liverpool or Blackburn.
Shouldn't that be Barnett formula…. too much West Wing I fear.
IMHO the whole point of society is that to some degree those areas with more money help pay for those with less to have essential services… otherwise what is the point, regardless of whether it is the North of England or Ireland….
IF £7 billion is 6% of Scottish GDP then Scottish GDP is £116 bn, of which £45.3 bn would be 37.5% where as you have it as 57.7%.
Even if Scottish GDP was only a little over £100 bn your percentage figure would make public expenditure something like £60bn.
ZX's figures for just over 5 million Scots give expenditure and revenue of of about £48 bn each, so you can't both be right.
It would also help people posted where you got these figures from.
Wolf-I think that's a little hard on Northern Ireland !!-they have been in a state of war for thirty years, which only ended last year.
Compared with Wales who's last war was 523 years ago-and Scotland 262 years ago-the level of public expenditure to GDP in the latter two is the "problem"-not in Northern Ireland.
"… fiscal autonomy for Scotland would not assist the development of Scotland's economy. It would achieve exactly the opposite. In the latest fiscal year for which figures are available, 2003-04, the Government Expenditure and Revenue in Scotland (Gers) report shows public spending in Scotland by the UK government and Scottish Executive totalling £45.2 bn. Scotland's tax revenue, however, is estimated at £34.0bn. This results in a massive fiscal deficit for that year of £11.2 bn, 12.9% of Scottish GDP.
These numbers do not include any revenues from the North Sea, which politically and legally are allocated to the UK as a whole. But if they did, on the basis of GDP allocation, the deficit would still be huge at £10.8bn, 12.2% of GDP. Or, on the basis of Scotland receiving 75% of the oil revenues, the deficit would be lower, but still unacceptably high at £8.0bn, 7.7% of GDP.
Note that that table is on a basis "adjusted" for intra & inter national comparison.
The Public Exp & Revenue figures are from the same source that Ian McMillan used-GERS.
-yes it does look odd-maybe its not in sync with the main figures-I don't know-but it's not germane to the key point & figures used by MsMillan & quoted by me.
Scotland received 30% more public money than England in total. She also received more money than EVERY SINGLE ENGLISH REGION in 2005/6 and will do for the projected 2007 figures*. Despite being the third richest region (out of 12) it receives the second largest handout.
Since 1998 Scotland has received £60bn more than England**. This would pay for England's entire schools and universities budget, so think how far it goes in a country a tenth of its size.
These figures ignore "invisible" spending (the army, civil servants, Queen, Dome and Cross Link etc) which, if counted, would put London ahead of Scotland in terms of public spending. However, these invisible earnings contribute nothing to welfare spending, but it does add fuel to house price inflation etc.
Who subsidises whom is impossible to calculate because all the figures are not available. However, one could argue that diverting resources from a poorer area (say Wales) in order to augment services in a richer area (Scotland) is actually a subsidy.
In Northern Ireland, Wales, North East England, Scotland and North West England, public spending as a share of regional GDP is not only far higher than the national average of 44.1 per cent, it is higher than in any EU or OECD country – at, respectively, 70.5, 64.3, 63.0, 55.6 and 54.0 per cent*. Well over half the economy in those areas is funded by the taxpayer. In London and the South East, by contrast, public spending accounts for under a third of GDP, in the East of England it is 38.3 per cent and in the South West, 42 per cent. According to cebr, the gap is widening, not shrinking.
I don't know what elements in the CEBR table "adjustments" for comparison make it come to 57.7%-but it matters not to me since I was using that table for the purpose it was compiled-international comparison.
If £11bn is 13% of GDP in 2003-4, then GDP then would be £85bn, which makes your £45bn figure 53% of GDP.
On 75% of of revenue cutting the deficit by £3bn, Scottish GDP climbs to £104 bn.
On the basis of £104bn public expenditure drops from 53% to 43%, lower than your 44% for England and that's knocking the value of 75% of the value of the North sea reserves from England's GDP.
As to cutting public expenditure we need to start cutting it as a share of GDP, but we should do that by expanding the economy faster than public spending growth and that will take some time, but given what has happened elsewhere in Europe the EU tends to be flexible on that.
Both Germany and France have broken the rules in recent years and got no more than a slap on the wrist, and between a slowing economy, the bonds for the Northern Rock and the reclassification of PFI schemes over the next year or two the UK may be joining them.
The tax from North sea oil is variable, but as George Soros pointed out at Davos yesterday so is dependence on financial services.
Ms Goldie is the smartest Conservative leader we have seen since John Major. I think she will turn the former "and Unionist" party into one which will vote for the referendum, campaign (not too hard) against independence and regain respectability in coalition with the Nationalists in 2011.
The only thing that can restore the fortunes of the Scottish Conservatives is the Bavarian solution. They need independence, not for Scotland, just for the Conservative party.
So does Scottish Labour. If they had been able to distance themselves from Iraq, nuclear power and WMD and not had the Alpha-male baboons at the top of the tree telling those on the ground how to run the campaign,they would still be in government.
I think I might be about 23% in favour of independence myself.
What I'm certainly in favour of is better government and a parliament with the founding principles of the Scottish Parliament provides that. The other doesn't, and Donald Dewar told me half a century ago that a Home Rule parliament could be a model for the reform of Westminster.
What if Westminster doesn't reform?
SP sauce is a new brand in competition with another which has dominated the market for too long and is out of date in its governance structure.
The new brand has three times the customer satisfaction in surveys. If the old established brand was going to sharpen up its act and respond to the challenge effectively, it would have started before now, and there is no sign that the present management (or those who aspire to take over) have understood the problem or have soultions which they have the will to implement or would work. They are not organised for the modern world and the workers hang on to their traditional restrictive practices.
It's probably already too late to take control of the situation rather than just respond to events, but that's symptomatic of the underlying problem with the short-termism and of the management culture.
Scotland is not the second wealthiest region in the UK. Gross-Value-Added calculations provided by government statisticians show London with a GVA of 136, South-East England with 115, and Scotland with 99 (100 being the UK average). So the Scots are less productive with then the UK as a whole. [Source: The Economist].
Norther Ireland is a special-case. It's economy is so unbalanced that most Irish politicians wince at the thought of a United Ireland. Wales is a special case only in the eyes of the Labour Party. [If the IMF GDP-PPP/capita figures are any guideline the Welsh in Patagonia are probably better off then the Welsh! By-the-way, Scottish GDP-PPP/capita is only US$33,680 to England's 38,000 (Source: IMF/Wikipedia.] Whilst I despair of the Northern regions of England, intra-English funding should be an English matter and not one of governance by our Scottish lairds.
As to the Tories not touching Barnett so as to appeal to Scottish voters, get real! The arrogant voters of Scotland are better ignored. Come independence there will be 58 less opposition MPs (and one less "Scootish" Conservative and Unionist – oxymoron or what)in Westminster!
There is absolutely no doubt that Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are subsidized by the English taxpayer.
According to the Taxpayers Alliance if public spending was set at the same level per person in all 4 countries as the current level in England every English taxpayers annual tax bill would be reduced substantially.
Oil revenues are a red herring and have nothing to do with English taxbills being higher than they should be in order for this 'British' Government to spend more per person on the Scots, Welsh and Irish.
The Unions a joke, and a bad joke at that on the English.
The UK regional GVA figures are as follows.
of the UK are given in the table below.
When you see the whole table what shows up clearly is that it's London that skews the whole thing. Take out London let alone the S East and England falls from 102 to 94.
However, It should be remembered that over a decade and a half the UK population has increased by several million predominantly in the South and London while Scotland's has been largely static.
There has also been a property boom and a credit boom, so the question of how sustainable the current growth of the south east can continue.
Comparing Scotland to various regions can put things in perspective, but regardless with a per capita GVA of nearly £18,000 Scotland is more than economically viable. The trick is to have higher but sustainable growth.
Scotland has poor growth and needs to improve it, but I have my doubts about whether the last decade of debt driven growth is all it's been cracked up to be.
Do all the English nationalists want a retrospective referendum for the English people on Indian independence as well?
I wouldn't dispute that Scotland has higher public spending per capita than England, though the advantage has reduced under Labour, as it ought to under the Barnett Formula.
The question is, do Scottish voters want more powers to come from Westminster to Holyrood? The answer is yes. In 1997, 25% backed direct rule. A decade later, it's just 10%. Meanwhile, only 8% are still backing Donald Dewar's white paper. Everyone else wants more. Anyone spot a trend?
The meaning and consequences of independence are generally understood. But the devolution-plus option has not really been spelled out, has it? People want more is the main message from these polls. How far they go depends on many variables that will change over time.
Personally I think this whole argument is red herring, as I have implied above..
While we are on the subject though, the CIA Factbook estimate that primary energy production (Read oil and gas and associated industries)accounts for 10% of GDP.. that is also a subsidy!
services: 75.5% (2007 est.) – No ten percent Oil/Gas!
1.861 million bbl/day = 679.265 million bbl/year = US$61,133,850,000 p.a. ($90/bbl) or about £31,000,000,000 a year from an economy that is estimated at $2.472 trillion (or about 2.5%).
According to "The Economist" most of the UK's gas-fields reside in English waters, so any benefit is unlikely to sit well with the Holyrooders.
I would take the figures for the Northern English regions with a pinch of salts. I would hazard that the PPP-value is greater then the nominal value as, by all accounts, things are relatively cheap up north.
Anyhows…, lies, damned lies and statistics. As I consider myself a soul-mate of Peter Cairns – I'd love Scotland to be independent, the sooner the cheaper as far as England is concerned – I will retire from this debate. I remain to be convinced that England gains anything from this union.
The value of the North Sea oil and gas in GDP terms is not one years production at $90 bbl, but inclides all the income of all those involved, the infrastructure and supporting services. It's more than 2.5% although I am not sure it's 10%.
What it does do along with Scotland is knock probably between 11-14% off of UK GDP ( the CIA give a GDP not GVA figure)and that means that even losing Scotland a lot of Uk figures will get worse.
In terms of most trade it will help, for example a lot of financial services that take place between Edinburgh and London will suddenly show up on the balance of payments.
Conversely the Oil imports will go alarmingly in to the red and probably gas too because although the bulk ( about 75% I think) is in English waters you are already a net importer. Even if Scotland only gets 20% with less than 9% of the gas usage we'll be in the black.
I think the mostly likely result in the short term is that it would be broadly neutral for us both. it's like the Tory Labour debates of the last two elections.
A series of huge battles over £8-£16 bn over five years in cuts or increases dominated both campaigns but when set against annual government spending of near £500 bn.
In effect the figures we fought two elections over work out on an annual basis at less than the accepted margin of error in annual accounts.
I can assure you that the annual accounts of listed companies have zero margin for error.
Perhaps though you meant government departments like The Treasury-or The EU-yes a 3% margin of error would be a vast improvement for them.
Somewhere you commented on "Financial Services" being a more significant factor in UK GDP than is sometimes thought. ( cant find where now)-The Sunday Times Leader today puts the figure at 30%-now that is worrying I agree.
ps-I hope the leaks on Barvas Moor are correct !!
So no private company has ever came in under expectations, issued a profits warning, or ended the year on anything other than what they set out the April before… I don't think so Colin.
No set of accounts for any major body, public, private or charity ever comes in to the penny on what it had predicted a year before and to say that " the annual accounts of major companies have zero margin of error" is nonsense.
Like Government they account for every penny, but it's never as predicted 12 months before.
As to Barvas Moor, yeah it has apparently been turned down as just to big and on to sensative and unique a piece of land. It will probably come back scaled down again, but ever application has to be viewed on it's merits.
We've got a sort of "Whirl for Wind" version of the "Dash for Gas" with developers trying to put up the biggest number and size of turbine on the windiest cheapest land.
That's what happens when you decide to use the market to achieve strategic objectives.
I wasn't talking about expectations or forecasts-Companies get those wrong quite often-and politicians have made a profession out of getting them wrong-I was talking about accuracy of recording-ACCOUNTABILITY.
The concept that the Government ( you sensibly did not mention EU) "account for every penny" is risible.
Sir John Bourn, the Comptroller and Auditor General.
DEFRA, The Treasury etc etc have all had accounting black holes exposed. Any listed company with such an audit qualification would find the heavy mob from the LSE on their doorstep-and as for the EU-their accounts are qualified by their auditors every year-thanks to Commissioner Kinnocks best efforts .
The penny drops at last!-tell me about it!!!
It's not "the market" that's the problem -If their income was restricted to the wholesale market price of electricity none of them would be viable/built. Its the bloody stupid level of the ROC subsidy. ( Read House of Lords Select Committee Report on the scale of unneccessary & excessive subsidy).
BWEA have just published a report crowing about the profitability of the average 2MW turbine- £500,000 pa-for one turbine–of which £300k pa is subsidy-Capex payback in four years-21 years cash flow to count-yippee.
Which Scottish Politician was it who re-designated the Highlands & Islands from a Tourist attraction to a "Wind Resource" ?
God protect us from these people!
No it is the market. The wholesale price without ROC is just a different market, one that doesn't ask the polluter to pay.
If you don't have a problem with CO2 emissions, or for that matter coal dug by Colombian kids in slave conditions then fine, but a lot of people do.
Nuclear makes a lot more commercial sense in "the Market" if you keep the £75bn clean up costs off the balance sheet, but they shouldn't be.
Whether it be land fill tax, R&D credits or corporation tax, government actions both create and influence markets.
As to not accounting for every penny, you are aware of the fact that at this moment in time there probably isn't a bank in the western world that can give an accurate figure for their exposure to the sub prime collapse.
Hell Frances second largest bank managed to let someone gamble 50bn Euros and lose 4bn of it.
Anyone who thinks that large companies accounts are any better than Governments hasn't looked at the likes of Enron, Northern rock or indeed the millions and years spend trying to prove complex financial fraud cases.
By and large companies the size of governments use the same kinds rules and the same kinds of accountants, and they make the same kinds of errors.
That's hardly rocket science, just hard to believe for the people who see the world in terms of "The nasty big bad government spends all my money".
Absolute nonsense. Companies use double-entry book-keeping and abide by International Accounting Standards( except the Enrons with crap Auditors of course)-government departments don't.
One might observe that the authors of Enron style abuse end up in goal-their counterparts in government don't.In the EU it's worse-Commissioner Kinnock shot the auditor!!
Your banking analogy is entirely eroneous-the asset write downs post sub-prime are nothing to do with accurate accounting for transactions -they are to do with judgements about the book value of assets.
Soc Gen knew precisely how much they had lost-how they lost it is a function of their management systems-not their accounting systems.
" it costs consumers up to £510 for each tonne of CO2 emissions avoided through wind energy. The level of subsidy for onshore wind farms is very high and it distorts the market, making it more attractive to invest there than in other technologies " .
Reference your plea for a strategic approach-yes absolutely. It's what RSPB has been urging on Scotland's authorities for some time-If you made a start by banning any proposals for SPAs SSSIs RAMSAR sites etc it would surely save a lot of wasted time & money.The conservation criteria are already built into these protective designations.
Anyway I'm glad we are in agreement that the dash for windfarm subsidies in Scotland is out of control.And I agree with you that calm reflection and strategic thinking is required.Of course the State has a role to play-but the RO system as currently set up has been a disaster for environmentally sensitive places whilst achieving practically nothing in energy security or emission mitigation.
Personally-with some reservations-I think Carbon Cap & Trade is a way to drive the market in the right direction-provided ETS starts to auction permits & stop giving them away.
Agree with Peter about the "whirl for wind". It's quite extraordinary how these utterly useless wind turbine schemes have been pushed forward. The damage they do to the Scottish uplands and moorlands is immense – it's not so much the pylons themselves, but the infrastructure (roads, foundations etc) that are so appalling. Very much hope the Lewis proposals get thrown out – the only beneficiaries would be those getting rents; they'll do nothing to energise the local economy.
The other project that seems to be mesmerising Scottish politicians is Donald Trump's proposed golf complex on a sensitive site near the coast in Aberdeenshire. So far as I can tell it seems to be mainly a large housing development with the golf element (and promise of zillions of jobs etc) designed to persuade credulous politicians that they should overturn normal planning procedures to support it.


For Mother's Day, Derek made the most delicious Vegan Raspberry Lemon Tart. I was going through my photos and started drooling when I saw photos of the tart, so I had to share! (I may be hoping that a certain husband gets excited too and makes it again!) The recipe is from Chloe Coscarelli's cookbook Chloe's Vegan Desserts. I recommend her cookbook to anyone (vegan or not). Her desserts are so yummy and easy to make! The kids were on pins and needles waiting for their own piece of pie! Usually the kids only eat the top of a dessert and want more of the best part. But they devoured this Vegan Raspberry Lemon Tart. If you notice in this photo, Milo's plate is empty and he's eyeing Derek's plate. Sawyer just stole a bit from his plate too. I don't think Derek had any raspberry's in his first piece of pie after the kids were done!
Here's the recipe to try it for yourself!
To Make the Crust: In a food processor, process flour, sugar, and salt until combined. Add margarine and pulse until crumbly. Firmly press shortbread dough into a 9-inch tart pan. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until edges are golden. Remove from oven and let cool completely.
To Make the Lemon Custard: In a small bowl, throughly mix the soy milk and cornstarch with a fork and set aside. In a medium saucepan, whisk together coconut milk, sugar, and salt, and heat over medium-high heat just until boiling. Reduce heat to medium and slowly drizzle the cornstarch mixture into the saucepan, whisking continuously. Let cook until the mixture becomes very thick like pudding. Remove from heat, and stir in vanilla, lemon extract, and lemon zest.
To Assemble the Tart: Spread the custard evenly into the tart shell. Let cool completely then chill it in the refrigerator for 8 hours or overnight. Garnish with raspberries and dust with powdered sugar before serving.
P.S. If you make this you may find my family at your front door!


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limit 100

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Complete your window dressing with our beautifully hand forged window cleat in our traditional black Beeswax finish. Although small in size, our cleats are made from the highest grade steel which gives them a wonderfully tactile, weighty appearance. The cleat can be fitted vertically or horizontally and used to hold the cord from any blind type.
At Jim Lawrence, we believe that beauty is in the detail, which is why we invest a lot of time and effort making sure that even the smallest of our fixtures and fittings look as good and are as high quality as our largest. Our cleats come in a variety of finishes to complement our gorgeous range of curtain poles and window furniture so that you can achieve a uniform look throughout your home.
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Los Cabos (the capes) is the name given for an area located at the tip of the Baja Peninsula, in Baja California Sur, Mexico, that includes the two towns of San Jose del Cabo and Cabo San Lucas and the area in between these two cities which is known as the Corridor.
The San Jose del Cabo Mission was founded about 1730 and at that time most of the inhabitants were Pericue Indians. As of 2005 there are about 50,000 people living in this town which was once called Mexico�s best kept secret. San Jose del Cabo still has quite a bit of Mexican flavor and not only has several high end hotels such as the Mayan Palace, Cabo Azul, Crown Plaza, Presidente Intercontinental, Royal Solaris, Barcelo and the One & Only Palmilla Hotel along the beach and the Tropicana and La Natalia in centro but also now hosts Puerto Los Cabos, a 2000 acre development which includes a new marina, several miles of beautiful beaches, 2 golf courses and several high end residential sub-developments.
There are many quality restaurants in San Jose del Cabo such as Tequila, La Panga, Damianas, El Chilar, Morgans, Tropicana, Ban Thai and there is an amazing art district that is located behind the church.
Cabo San Lucas is located at the southernmost end of the Baja Peninsula. While this famous city was once and still is noted as one of the best sport fishing spots on the planet it has now become a haven for people who want to have fun in the sun. Hundreds of bars & restaurants, many located right on the sand on Medano Beach, like The Office & Mango Deck, world class shopping malls, world class golf courses are just some of the many activities that draw tourists from all over the world.


Have you ever imagined how it would feel if the floor beneath your feet slipped? Literally? This incredibly scary, yet thrilling experience can now be enjoyed at the El Vuelo Del Condor in Banos. While Casa del Arbol (Swing at the end of the world) is quite famous, its sister swing is hidden amongst the green blanket that wraps the mountains. Claimed to be one of the best mountain swings, the view of the vast valley is terrifying, but exciting at the same time. Standing with a full body harness on a tiny plank, the countdown begins. And once the plank slips off, you dive into the canyon, swinging to and fro. This adrenaline rush is worth every penny. Go ahead and treat yourself with this rush.
Banos is replete with experiences which can be enjoyed with any of the Banos tours!
Want to plan a DIY trip? Use Banos trip planner for the same.
Book perfect hotels in Banos like La Casa Verde Eco Guest House, Napolitano Apart Hotel, Casa Giralda and La Villa Del PeÃıon Hotel & Spa..
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How popular is El Vuelo Del Condor?
People normally also visit 12 De Noviembre Park while planning their trip to El Vuelo Del Condor.
People also prefer to start their day with El Vuelo Del Condor.
We thought the swing was really fun and the staff was very professional and friendly. I knocked off a star because we thought it was a little expensive. The big swing was $20 and the small one was $10. For a family, that can really add up. The view is beautiful and it looks like they may be building more things up there.
I was very lucky to get clear skies. It was fantastic but do wait till the skies are clear. The view is great. The only thing bad is that the gear they give you is dirty. They do not clean it and it has the sweat of everyone else on it. Take a handkerchief with you and put it over your head before you put their helmet.
I think the place has potential. It is located in an amazing spot, with a great view but I don't think it offers a real or unforgettable experience. It's just a very big swing but nothing that you would miss if you don't do it.
Amazing experience for my husband and a thrill and joy for all of us to watch!! If you want adventure and high adrenaline, this is for you! And doing forget about the breathtaking views and forever memories and great shots!


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Each year, the CCTSI awards more than $2 million in pilot grants, microgrants, and pre-doctoral and post-doctoral research scholar awards. Learn more about each grant and how to apply.


text:
'use strict';

const jwt = require('jsonwebtoken'),
	uuid = require('node-uuid'),
	{ promisify } = require('util');

const extendSession = (session, data) => {
	return Object.entries(data).reduce((memo, [key, val]) => {
		if (typeof val !== 'function' && key !== 'id') {
			memo[key] = val;
		}
		return memo;
	}, session);
};

const serializeSession = (session) => {
	const result = {};
	Object.entries(session).forEach(([key, value]) => {
		if (typeof value !== 'function' && key !== 'id') {
			result[key] = value;
		}
	});

	return result;
};

// these are bound to the session
module.exports = (options) => {
	const RedisSetEx = promisify(options.client.setex).bind(options.client);
	const RedisExpire = promisify(options.client.expire).bind(options.client);
	const RedisGet = promisify(options.client.get).bind(options.client);
	const RedisDel = promisify(options.client.del).bind(options.client);
	return {

		// create a new session and return the jwt
		create: function (claims) {
			return new Promise(async (resolve, reject) => {
				try {
					const sid = uuid.v4();
					const token = jwt.sign(Object.assign({ jti: sid }, claims || {}), options.secret, { algorithm: options.algorithm });
					await RedisSetEx(options.keyspace + sid, options.maxAge, JSON.stringify(serializeSession(this)));
					this.id = sid;
					resolve(token);
				} catch (error) {
					return reject(error);
				}
			});
		},

		// update the TTL on a session
		touch: function () {
			return new Promise(async (resolve, reject) => {
				try {
					if (!this.id) {
						throw (new Error('Invalid session ID'));
					}
					await RedisExpire(options.keyspace + this.id, options.maxAge);
					return resolve();
				} catch (error) {
					return reject(error);
				}
			});
		},

		// update a session's data, update the ttl
		update: function () {
			return new Promise(async (resolve, reject) => {

				try {
					if (!this.id) {
						throw (new Error('Invalid session ID'));
					}
					await RedisSetEx(options.keyspace + this.id, options.maxAge, JSON.stringify(serializeSession(this)));
					return resolve();
				} catch (error) {
					return reject(error);
				}
			});
		},

		// reload a session data from redis
		reload: function () {
			return new Promise(async (resolve, reject) => {
				try {
					if (!this.id) {
						throw (new Error('Invalid session ID'));
					}
					let resp = await RedisGet(options.keyspace + this.id);
					resp = JSON.parse(resp);
					extendSession(this, resp);
					return resolve();
				} catch (error) {
					return reject(error);
				}
			});
		},

		// destroy a session
		destroy: function () {
			return new Promise(async (resolve, reject) => {
				try {
					if (!this.id) {
						throw(new Error('Invalid session ID'));
					}
					await RedisDel(options.keyspace + this.id);
					return resolve();
				} catch (error) {
					return reject(error);
				}
			});
		},

		toJSON: function () {
			return serializeSession(this);
		}
	};
};


One of our favourite chefs, Giorgio Locatelli, came to visit the school for a briefing about our #rhylkitchen project. He holds a Michelin star for his restaurant Locanda Locatelli in Marylebone. He will be helping in the school as part of the brilliant Adopt a Chef scheme. Sarah Howard and Helena Houghton also came for a tour of the school.


text:
Storm Chasers Clashing, Scream 4?, Regis & Kelly Halloween, Survivor, Southland, & More - November 5, 2009
Movie box office numbers for last weekend. 1. Michael Jackson's This Is It - $23.2 million. 2. Paranormal Activity - $16.3 million. 3. Law Abiding Citizen - $7.4 million. 4. Couples Retreat - $6.4 million. 5. Where The Wild Things Are - $5.9 million. 6. Saw VI - $5.2 million. 7. Astro Boy - $3.4 million. 8. The Stepfather - $3.2 million. 9. Cirque Du Freak - $3.09 million. 10. Amelia - $3.03 million.
Michael Jackson's "This Is It" was a major winner last weekend at the box office worldwide. The movie drew $101 million worldwide which includes $23 million that it did here in the U.S. to finish at number one at the box office. I reviewed this last week and you really need to see it. It is incredibly produced!!
Awesome episode of Storm Chasers this past Sunday night. It saw a lot of clashing going on between teams while also members of teams clashed. Well, I thought that Sean and Josh had parted ways but it was just temporary until Josh got his new Vortex radar system up and running. Josh and Sean paired back up but things didn't set well when Josh talked at the big meeting of the TIV crew chasing with them but not being "formally" a part of the Vortex group. Yeah, I'd take that as a sort of insult too if I was Sean. Then, we have Josh and Reed clashing. Why? Well, Reed is working on his own radar system that picks up the wind from a different angle than everyone else. Reed's radar system is the only one that could interfere with their frequency range. From what I understand, Reed's radar works vertically while the others go horizontal. Josh kept trying to get the frequency number from Reed. If I was Reed, I'd be hesitant to give out information as well when I'm trying to accomplish the same goals as other chasers. I just never really know about Josh. I've never been much of a fan of his on this show. It seems like he misses more than he hits over the past couple of seasons of Storm Chasers. I've often wondered what Sean might be able to do paired up with someone else. Reed is definitely the front runner on the show with what he is able to accomplish. The clashing continued between members of the same team. Reed and Joel have not been getting along and Joel has been very iffy on whether to go chasing on various days. They were not getting along at all at the end of this episode. The TIV 2 is back out on the road as Sean has it improved and up and running. Awesome episode that really showed the competitiveness of what they are all trying to accomplish. Big things yet to come and I think we may see that on this week's episode.
I loved last week's Smallville. Clark and Lois trying out for morning TV and then doing a blind date segment for the show. That was a lot of fun!! The running commentary by Lois during Clark's date was hilarious. He ended up with a great girl and date so of course Lois had to compete. The counter to that was something that she didn't expect. Oliver taking her blind date's place and pouring his heart out to her. The ending of the episode did give us the big moment that we were teased about and that was the big kiss between Clark and Lois.
Live With Regis and Kelly had their annual Halloween show last Friday and it was a lot of fun. The theme this year centered around reality TV and had a lot of funny moments. The first costume appearance for Regis and Kelly was as Jon and Kate and was fun. I wondered who would be the first to do the balloon boy costume and there was Gelman and Art Moore. Lots of funny segments during the show spoofing several reality shows.
I had not heard about this but it looks like there is going to be a fourth movie from the Scream franchise of movies. It will be written by Kevin Williamson. Hmm, not sure how I feel about this. It could work. I just don't know where you take the story from here cause the third one kind of brought it all back full circle. I liked the first three but the original was easily the best one by far. This was the last series of films that I probably watched in the horror genre before I finally just outgrew it and didn't care to watch horror movies anymore. Well, except for me getting pulled in a couple of weeks ago staying up late watching Prom Night cause I couldn't turn it off waiting to see what happened. LOL. Would I give Scream 4 a look? I don't know. I think I probably would but would likely wait for a DVD release. Actually, the first Scream was the only one that I saw in the theatre of the three. I still have fun memories of me and my friends sitting in the theatre trying to figure out who the killer was. I think we had every character in the movie picked as the killer at one point or another. LOL.
The Survivor merge happened tonight and it was a mad scramble to see who would survive and who wouldn't. Russell was working people like crazy making deals and showing them the hidden immunity idol that he had. His original target was Laura and that was the plan to vote her out. However, plans changed during the immunity challenge. Immunity was won by a male and female. Both were won on the final shot in the Survivor T-Ball challenge. For the men, John won it. For the women, the winner was Laura. That meant a scramble to find out who to vote out from there. Russell wanted Monica to be the target to break that duo up. That didn't go over though. People started talking and word got out even more about Russell having the idol. Talk turned to flushing out Russell's idol and sending someone else home in the process. Well, Erik then made a statement to the Foa Foa members minus Russell about what he wanted them to do to save themselves. Yeah, they didn't take that well and strategy started flying on voting out Erik. At tribal council, Erik took shots at Foa Foa and how weak that he felt that they were. Russell and Erik both had immunity idols. Russell went ahead and played his idol cause he felt uncomfortable on his status in the game but said everyone knew that he had it anyway. Erik did not use his. Russell did not get a vote. Jaison got two votes. The other seven? They went to Erik and he was voted out. Wow, quite a turnaround there. Laura saved herself from going home and Erik basically talked himself into getting voted out.
Did anyone see the clip from The Today Show of Meredith Vierra working drive thru at McDonald's? It was a lot of fun and the customers mostly enjoyed it as well. Well, except maybe for that guy that she said looked like De Niro. LOL.
Jodie Sweetin of Full House fame now has a book out on her life and struggles. Jodie, of course, played the role of Stephanie Tanner on the show. In the book, she talks about her days on the show and moves on to the struggles of drugs in recent years. This is a book that I'd really like to read. I grew up watching that show every week and learned of the book in the last couple of weeks. I definitely hope to read it soon. The title of the book is UnSweetined.
After NBC dropped Southland, TNT has picked up the show and will air episodes in January against Jay Leno on NBC. Well, that sure is interesting, isn't it??!! Lots of people were upset over the network dropping the show especially after bringing it back for the new season.
Hey Party Of Five fans. Remember the house used for the show? Want to own it? Well, now you can. For $7.2 million, it is yours. LOL.
http://www.luxist.com/2009/11/01/party-of-five-house-estate-of-the-day/?icid=main%7Cmain%7Cdl3%7Clink5%7Chttp://www.luxist.com/2009/11/01/party-of-five-house-estate-of-the-day/
TV on DVD releases for Tuesday, November 10. Dawson's Creek (Full Series), JAG (Season Nine), Nash Bridges (Season Three), The Tudors (Season Three), The Untouchables (Season Three – Volume Two).
TV Line Of The Week: From Smallville.
"Congratulations Clark. You're dating Mother Teresa in six inch heels." – Lois to Clark as he is on his date after hearing all of the incredible things that his date has been doing with her life.
Twitter Update Of The Week: @darthvader
"I love Halloween. The only day of the year when I'm scarier with my mask *off* instead of on."
Video Of The Week: Meredith Vierra works the McDonalds drive thru.
Have a great weekend!! Take care and God bless!!


Copenhagen is a great city for art lovers and home to internationally acknowledged art museums attracting artist from all over the world.
Situated in scenic surroundings Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, a little North of Copenhagen, and ARKEN Museum of Modern Art, a little south of Copenhagen, are both havens for lovers of modern and contemporary art. Whereas The Danish National Gallery in central Copenhagen houses temporary exhibitions as well as three permanent collections of paintings and sculptures, graphic art and plaster casts. Below is the very best.
We also recommend our guides to art galleries, historic museums and design & architecture exhibitions.


It's true, it's true. I am going to show some of my photographs at the Boneyard this year. Thanks to my friend Ella, and some others, who encouraged me to do this. I needed to reset my head after the last year or two and driving in the country helped me do it. This, among other things, is the result.
I will be in the Taproom at 25 O'Clock (on Griggs, by the Boneyard in downtown Urbana, just west of Race Street. Just look for the purple and yellow building. Hours are 5 pm to midnight on Friday, April 5, and I think all day on Saturday, but will confirm. I am indebted to my beloved Tom Sheehan from 25 O'Clock for allowing me to do this. I will share the Taproom with Bree Sykes, and in the annex gallery, Jodi Birdwell, Ann Coddington, and Peg Shaw will be showing their work.
Here is the statement I wrote about my photos. Driving on all these backroads has been thought provoking to say the least.
Landscape is history made visible.
In a society that is ever more telling us not to accumulate, to unclutter, to look ahead, I am an inveterate collector and lover of things, and of looking back. I love the way our society and our history, both good and bad, are reflected in objects and our built environment. I find myself drawn to small towns and the remnants of all our pasts, both recent and long gone. I can feel the memories there, even though they aren't my own memories. Both loneliness and hope pull me to these landscapes. The innocent cheer of neon, the loneliness of abandoned buildings, and the quiet confidence of vernacular architecture, all these things compel me to document them, make me want to listen to them, to hear them.
It clears my head to drive on back roads. There is something to be learned from observing these landscapes. The layers of different times and businesses collide. The alienation and splintering of our society are laid out in front of our eyes. I drive through these towns and see POW flags in empty storefronts, occasionally a Confederate flag. Sometimes a car will pull over when I've stopped to take a picture. I get ready to apologize for trespassing or being in the way, but they are always there to see if I need help. Our society is laid out in front of me; as is the shift from small businesses, towns, and farms, to industrial agriculture, and the resultant economic changes and rural exodus.
These glimpses are much more than merely old buildings or signs. They make us question not only what happened in the past, but also what lies ahead.
I hope to see some of you at 25 O'Clock. A week from today.
We did another short little jaunt this week. Ernie had been reading a Route 66 book, so we kind of got the bug. We made a reservation at the iconic Wagon Wheel Motel in Cuba, Missouri and headed down. We thought about stopping at Ariston Cafe for lunch, but their sign is in the shop being fixed and we weren't really hungry yet....and it looked busy so I didn't feel guilty. We took the Interstate through St. Louis and then got off onto old Route 66 outside of town. The day was gorgeous....finally blue skies in my photos!
Look at my beautiful Ernie.
We got to Cuba and drove around a bit before settling into our motel. We had a drink at Frisco's which was lovely...and they had a train theme. In hindsight we should have had dinner there because I bet it was good. We went for the BBQ place next door to the hotel. I cheated somewhat on my diet and it was not worth it whatsoever. We have been spoiled by Black Dog. All I can say is that they were friendly and the food was cheap. Oh well.
The motel was perfect, absolute pristine, but not overly restored or modernized...just perfect. We snuggled in and slept well. The next morning I did something that I've been truly missing...I had a diner breakfast. Definitely not on my list of foods, but some times you just have to have two eggs over easy, hash browns and sausage. This time? The cheat was worth every bite. The night before I let my hunger get in the way, this time was a thoughtful cheating if that makes any sense. It tasted divine. We highly recommend Shelly's Route 66 Diner in Cuba, along with the beautiful Wagon Wheel Motel.
I had some ground bison, which I really love, and couldn't decide what to do with it. I decided I hadn't had an Indian-ish curry in awhile, so that's what I did. I browned the bison and threw in a bunch of spices....some Penzey's sweet curry, cayanne, coriandor, cumin, cinnamon, and ginger. Then I tossed in chopped sweet potato, kohlrabi, and broccoli. I poured in some freshly made coconut milk. I covered that and simmered (oh, salt and pepper too) until the vegetables were just done. Then I added in some frozen peas and a few handfuls of spinach. It was wonderful....rich and warm and spicy. It's not the most beautiful, but it was damned good.
A dreary day, but at least it is Spring. A few pictures from a short drive yesterday.
I eat a lot of fish these days. It can get expensive though, so I tend to buy a lot of frozen fish at Aldi's because much of it is certified by the Marine Stewardship Council (yay!). We restrict ourselves to that and manage to have cod, salmon, tuna, and scallops. However, once in awhile we splurge and get the Faroe Islands salmon...usually at Harvest Market, although other places, like Old Time Meat and Deli, also carry it. The Faroe Islands salmon is sustainably raised and has a luscious mouth feel (ok, it's probably fat) that the wild caught salmon doesn't have. We made some last night and it felt like the most luxurious dinner, even though it was really simple.
I made a marinade of coconut aminos (because I'm not eating gluten...you could use soy), fish sauce, sesame oil, apple cider vinegar, and lemon juice. No recipe, just dollops of each. You can't really go wrong with those ingredients. If I could eat garlic I would have of course included that. I could have thrown in some red pepper flakes too...just didn't think about it. I chopped up some fresh ginger, added it to the marinade, and poured it all over the fish. I turned the fish flesh side down in the marinade, and let it sit about half an hour. You could let it go longer but I didn't want the acids to change the texture of the fish, and beside...I was hungry. I chopped up some bok choy and sauteed it just a bit in some olive oil. Then we threw some sweet potato in salting water and set it to simmer. We managed to cook them to death as we were watching an episode of Shrill on Hulu (YES) so they were most definitely mashed. Often times I will add hot sauce and lime juice to them, but we left them plain with just a bit of salt and they were heavenly.
I dried the salmon skin off and put it skin side down in a hot cast iron skillet. I turned the heat down, in theory to let it cook slowly so the fat in the skin would render, making it crispy. I misjudged the heat a bit and got anxious about the skin burning so managed to grab it with my beloved fish spatula and hurl it onto the plate. It ended up being a bit of a messy plate...for life of me I can't make plates look pretty, but DAMN it was good. SOOOO good. Yet again, simple flavors win.
I saved a little piece of it and had it for breakfast with my smoothie today, and it was just as luscious. It's amazing what good clean food can do for one's mood.
Sometimes a delightful email just pops into my inbox. When that happens I am reminded that what I write here is really out there in the world. I mostly write for my own pleasure, for the chance to process what is going on in my life, but when someone reaches out to me in response to something I wrote...it's a whole nother pleasure. Connections like that are incredibly affirming, and I am so grateful for them.
I am in the process of cleaning out a filing cabinet and purging old records. I came across some of my note from Kinderhook, so I googled Dr. Dechow's name. I was go happy to read your recent blog about Dr. Dechow's house in Kinderhook.
We lived in Quincy, but I practically grew up in Kinderhook, as my Grandma lived right across the street from Dr. Dechow, and we spent a lot of time with Grandma Nellie Kinney. I spent many an afternoon with Grandma looking at all the trinkets in his wall. It's too bad that vandals have destroyed so much of it. Grandma was well known in Kinderhook too. She worked in Peck Mays grocery store and we used to go up there with her and could fill up a whole bag with penny candy for a quarter! She was also the Village Clerk in Kinderhook and was responsible for selling fishing licenses, reading the water meters and I remember going to the town pump house to put "chemicals" in the water - maybe chlorine??? I remember it smelled like bleach! Grandma used to have a little black bag with all of the town's papers in it that she would put out on the table, right by the door if there was a chance of a storm so she could grab it quickly if need be. We used to spend time with Grandma walking all over Kinderhook to read water meters.
I was born in Quincy, but in about 1956, we moved to Kinderhook for a year and lived in Dr. Dechow's house. My dad worked in Hull, Illinois for a masonry contractor, but then we built a house and moved to Quincy. I loved my Grandma and living right across the street was the BEST! I have inherited several pieces of furniture from Dr. Dechow's house, and they are treasures.
I always loved Kinderhook and have such fond memories. Thank you so much for your article and taking me down memory lane.
One other thing I thought of.....when we lived there, Dr. Dechow used to have a large cement fish pond, that was also made out of the same stone/rock that the wall was made of. It was probably 3 feet deep and located between the house and what is now the post office. When we moved in there, dad filled it with water and we had our own swimming pool. After a leak was discovered, and with dad being a brick mason, he had access to lots of sand. He turned it into a giant sand box! We were the envy of the neighbor kids! There were two old chicken houses also on the property. My mom scrubbed and scrubbed one of them and we turned it into a playhouse. Such wonderful memories. As I mentioned, I forwarded your blog to my sisters and brother. One of my sisters has already emailed me back and thanked me for the news. So, you have really made our day! Thanks again. Have a wonderful week.
She made my day...I was so tickled to have this story to round out my photos. You can feel the memories in the air when you drive around looking at these little towns, but they aren't my memories, so to have this one shared with me just gave me such pleasure. Thank you so much Kathy!
Here's a picture from Google Maps, showing the wall, the post office, and the house.
1. For some reason this little suggestion on Facebook really amused me. I want to know what it's about too.
2. Note: if you cook something in a cast iron pan for breakfast....try turning off the pan when you leave the room. It will make for a lot less smoke.
3. And lastly, a few more from our recent jaunt, although I won't show you the ones I'm thinking of for the show at 25 O'Clock!
This poor little school was just across from a pristine church. It was really cool but the sun was in the wrong place for the picture, so it doesn't totally capture it.
This one we took for Leo, and when I sent it to him, it merited a 'Wow, that's a rare find,' so I was happy.


text:
Telligent Systems, Inc announces the release of Community Server 2007
WEBWIRE – Monday, April 16, 2007
DALLAS, TEXAS, April 16, 2007 – Telligent Systems, Inc., a provider of web-based collaborative and social networking solutions, announce the release of Community Server 2007. Community Server is the award winning platform that powers some of the most demanding web communities. Telligent's Community Server includes integrated multi-user blogging, forums, file sharing, video-casting, podcasting, photo sharing, and social networking features along with an integrated set of tools for managing all of these applications and site users.
"Community Server 2007 will add value to any organization looking to connect with their customers, partners or even employees. With the new dynamic theme engine, Community Server is an ideal solution for enterprise, small business and even personal users." says Rob Howard, CEO of Telligent. ""For example, Community Server provides organizations such as MSNBC with simple collaborative solutions (blogs) for their highly visible properties such as The Today Show, Dateline, and many others." To see more examples of how Community Server powers well known social networking and collaboration sites go to http://communityserver.org.
Community Server's new dynamic theme engine makes changing the look-and-feel of a Community Server site unbelievably simple. Using what-you-see-is-what-you-get tools for changing page layout, selecting fonts and font sizes, color pickers and palettes, tools for managing site images, and new tools for exporting and importing themes – making sharing designs possible. For designers and non-technical users these tools will enable them to control the look and feel of Community Server without requiring knowledge of technologies like HTML or Cascading Style Sheets.
"We're also seeing a lot of penetration into Enterprise accounts, especially those already familiar with Microsoft's SharePoint," Says Tom Edwards, VP of Sales and Marketing. "SharePoint lacks many of the collaborative and social networking features that customers demand and we're more than happy to provide that solution. We've also seen a tremendous groundswell as customers move from early-adopters of open source technologies to commercially supported products."
"2006 was quoted as being the year of the blog", continues Rob, "we think 2007 will be the year of the community. More and more we hear customers telling us, 'We want to be the next MySpace and your software enables that'. Bottom line for us is that it's an exciting time for this new release!"
Community Server 2007 has a variety of license types for personal and commercial usage and is available at www.communityserver.org.
For more information on Community Server 2007, contact Tom Edwards (tedwards@telligent.com) or Rob Howard (rhoward@telligent.com).
About Telligent Systems, Inc.
Telligent Systems, Inc., founded in 2004, focuses on creating web-based collaborative solutions that are simple, easy to use, but deep in capabilities. In addition to software solutions, Telligent provides full turn-key design, implementation, consulting, and support services for organizations running Community Server or for organizations that need to better understand web communities.
Telligent Systems, Inc
Community Server
Tom Edwards
tedwards@telligent.com
Telligent Systems
This news content may be integrated into any legitimate news gathering and publishing effort. Linking is permitted.


There are many assumptions being made about the upcoming Ontario referendum. It is a panacea to some people to solve the ills of our society. It is a harmless change to our legislature according to some others. For people who know Canadian politics though it is neither a panacea nor harmless. It can send Canadian politics into a spiral from which it might never recover.
The referendum is a choice between first-past-the-post (FPTP) voting that we imported from England more than 200 years ago and proportional voting that has been used in many other societies that allow voting for almost as long. The basic difference between the two voting approaches is that FPTP is considered idealistic. It attempts to create a government of our best and brightest. It is designed to select the people whom we believe best represent us. It means we select the people to govern who are preferred by the largest number of voters.
The option proposed to Ontario voters is mixed-member proportional (MMP) voting. It is a form of proportional voting that allows some members of the legislature to be elected in enlarged FPTP constituencies and others to be selected from party lists based on the votes for each party. An even simpler explanation is that FPTP voting is based on individual candidates and proportional voting is based on political parties.
But the problem with this attempt at mirroring of society is that it is being done with political parties. Political parties in Canada do not all try to mirror segments of their society. Parties such as the Conservatives and Liberals had some of their roots in demographics in the past but today are based more on ideology.
Federally, the two best known parties with demographic bases are the Bloc Québécoise and the New Democratic Party. The Bloc is regional and tribal, based on the threat of separation from Canada. The NDP is socialist and union based and originated from a earlier class struggle in what has become a mainly class-free society.
Factions such as the Green Party see proportional representation in Ontario as their only entrée into the legislature and are making it their cause. Proportional representation is also supported by unionists who see it as an opportunity for short-term gains for the NDP. The requirement for a minimum of three per cent of the popular vote before seats are allocated is expected to keep out parties such as the Communists and Libertarians.
Most political observers see the results in the long-term of proportional representation as a potential splintering of the right-of-centre parties. They expect the hard-line religious right to give up on the Conservatives and Liberals and form their own parties. With the dominance of Roman Catholics in the Right-to-Life movement, this could be a separate party from the Protestant religious right. A growth in this factionalism could also lead to religious parties for the more extreme Muslim, Jewish and Eastern Orthodox sects that would put an entirely new complexion on Canadian politics.
While demographically based parties on religious or tribal lines are common in the rest of the world, this is not a road that most Canadians want to travel. Despite the bad example of ethnic infighting over riding nominations in the Toronto area over the last 20 years, Canada's political parties have tried to stay away from ethnic or religious manipulation in politics. A recent lapse in this regard was Conservative Leader John Tory's ill-conceived offer to support non-Catholic parochial schools.
Much is made of the desire of some people to have gender equalization in the Ontario Legislature. The NDP have promoted this by ensuring that there are almost equal numbers of male and female NDP candidates in Ontario's 107 ridings for this election. Nobody expects the results in the election for the NDP will be gender equal. Nor is the legislature likely to be gender equal. Hopefully, we will be represented by people of both genders, chosen for their abilities.