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Mission: Impossible - Fallout Trailer Proofs That Tom Cruise Still Got It
Posted: May 16 2018, 5:56am CDT | by Luigi Lugmayr, in Latest Movie News
Paramount released a new trailer for 2018 Mission Impossible movie.
Mission: Impossible - Fallout will be even more action-packed than the previous Mission Impossible movies. The just-released trailer for the 2018 Mission Impossible movie is incredibly densely packed with action scenes. You see Tom climb up on a rope attached to a flying helicopter, escape out of a crashed helicopter, jump out of a window, smash up a bathroom with a guy and much more. Watch the Mission Impossible trailer below.
The good thing is that Mission: Impossible - Fallout is in movie theaters on July 27, which is soon. This is not that far out. It's going to be summer blockbuster. Ethan Hunt and his IMF team, along with some familiar allies, race against time after a mission gone wrong in this new chapter. There is nothing really new on the core premise.
Directed by Christopher McQuarrie, Mission Impossible Fallout stars besides Tom Cruise, Rebecca Ferguson, Henry Cavill, Vanessy Kirby, Michelle Monaghan, Angela Bassett, Simon Pegg, Alec Baldwin and Ving Rhames.
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Pangya Golf with Style, Fantasy Courses Hours of Fun
Game Reviews Reviews
There's still around two months until anything else good gets released for the Wii and having finished Super Mario Galaxy, I decided to find another game to play.
Pangya started off as a free and downloadable online Korean PC game from Ntreeve Soft but later, Tecmo decided to take the game and reproduce it adding in their own animations and storyline to create a single player experience on the Wii. I haven't played the online game but I can say "Pangya Golf with Style" is certainly fun.
The first thing you'll notice is that you can't just "wag" the Wiimote to swing the golf club this time unlike in Wii Golf so, it takes some time to adjust to the controls. You really have to swing well with a full follow through or your shots can go wide. There's other ways of moving the Wiimote if you don't want to spend time mimicking a real golf swing but it's up to you to find the best way. There is also the option to play the traditional way with buttons but, that kind of defeats the point of buying the game for me which was to get something fun that made use of the Wii controls.
The next thing you'll notice is this is not ordinary golf. It's Pangya Golf where you play in a world full of beautiful fantasy courses and where special shots and items can be used.
In single player mode, there's a variety of choices. You can play through the different character storylines, a stroke play tournament, or a one v one match. The storylines which were never in the original MMO game can take a few hours to finish for each character and can also be hilarious as the cast meet for a match. Even the caddies have a nice touch because each character will have something to say whenever you just happen to be aiming in their direction such as "You can't hit me" and will have their own little reaction too.
After a few lines of dialogue and a short real-time cutscene, the goal is to win more holes than your opponent. You take shots in turn and unfortunately, there's no way to skip watching the computer play their shot. In the case where you and your opponent have won the same number of holes, you're going to have to decide a winner by Pang Points.
Pang Points are the currency of the game and are awarded for good shots such as hitting the ball dead centre, over drives or scoring below par. You can then spend these points on items such as new clothing or potions that can lower the wind speed. You should see some of the crazy club set designs. From regular clubs to melee weapon set! Only in fantasy Pangya golf.
Just like Sony's "Minna no Golf (Everybody's Golf or Hotshots Golf)", there's plenty to customise your character with. Apart from making your character look different and tweaking your stats, the items are also required for unlocking some of the many side stories each characters have too so you can expect Pangya to last for a very long time.
And if you enjoy Manga style artwork, you'll find plenty of that in the unlockable gallery too. You purchase some Dolfini tickets and literally turn a little lottery container to try and collect the 300+ pictures. Something that wasn't in the Japanese version of this Wii game but was added to the Western versions. Some of the Korean drawn artwork is amazingly well done.
On the multiplayer side of things, up to four players can take turns swinging on chosen courses or if you want something a little more out of the norm, you can try and see who hits the most balloons. The latter isn't very exciting to be honest because it lacks atmosphere and the balloons can be hard to hit. It would have been great if they included online play and let players take shots simultaneously just like the PSP's Everybody's Golf 2. That way you don' t have to be bored waiting for your turn.
Pangya sports (no pun intended) some great visuals such as the golden orange Autumn scenery of the Sepia Wind Course, backed up with some great catchy soundtracks. Or how about a course full of floating platforms like Cecilia's navy ship? Its characters are uniquely animated and are sure to entertain during the short cutscenes. This game definitely has style.
However, under all that beauty the game does have its share of problems and I could probably say a bigger share than the average game.
The AI is pretty inconsistent as many other reviews have highlighted. Sometimes they can be right on the spot with their shots while other times, they just love to throw the ball into the O.B. areas constantly. And as I've mentioned earlier, you can't skip watching your opponent take their shots so you can imagine how long the waiting can be. Be prepared to make several attempts to defeat the computer players if you're unlucky enough.
Camera also needs some work because a lot of the times it ends up focusing on the ball from behind objects that obstruct your view. Fortunately, this only happens after you've taken a shot. There was also one more glitch I came across twice that was pretty serious. While playing the game for many hours, the AI's shots got stuck in a tree for a few minutes before the game moved on. I thought the game would just get stuck there.
Lastly, slowdown is very evident too. Often you'll see the game slowing down while the CPU is thinking or, when too many effects or objects are on screen.
To be fair, only the inconsistent AI can ruin your enjoyment of Pangya Golf with Style. The other glitches don't crop up often enough to annoy you. If you can get by the learning curve of swinging the Wiimote when you first load up the game and enjoy the idea of fantasy golf then, I'm sure this game will entertain you well over the 20 hour mark. It's become my new "casual" game I leave in my Wii in place of Wii Bowling!
Pangya Golf with Style 2 is out now and I hope it offers just as great an experience.
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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GHP 1500 Concrete pump — The GHP 1500 is a 3 cu. yd. per hour shotcrete machine. It features a 1.5" supply hose outlet that makes it easy to handle, and is our favorite pump for building small domes. (Michael South)
Affordable, easy to maintain, portable, these are just a few words to describe the advantages of our peristaltic concrete pumps. We have designed three different models of our concrete pump, specifically for use in the dome building industry, but can be used for grout and more.
The Monolithic Vibrating Screen
The goal of Monolithic Equipment Manufacturing is to design and create equipment and supplies that make dome building easier. Our new Vibrating Screen definitely makes concrete mixing and spraying much smoother.
More about Concrete Pumps
All concrete pumps are not created equal! But they play a very important – you might say "integral" – part in Monolithic Dome construction. Consequently, in this section we include articles that present a very brief history of concrete pumps, the advantages and disadvantages of peristaltic pumps and hoses, and what Monolithic recommends based on years of experience in using concrete pumps.
The Monolithic EHP 1500
The Monolithic EHP 1500 Peristaltic Carrousel Pump is an excellent, small line electric hydraulic shotcrete pump for stuccos and concrete. It is made from the toughest materials available at an affordable price. The unit is designed for maximum capacity and minimum maintenance.
GHP 2000 Concrete Pump
This is our two inch concrete pump. It features a 20 HP Honda gas engine, a hydraulic cooling system, a direct drive gear box system, and a pump speed of up to 6 yards per hour.
Monolithic Equipment Manufacturing introduces an improved version of its popular, gas-powered, concrete and shotcrete pump. This lightweight concrete pump is run by a highly-reliable Honda power pack. It's a sturdy workhorse made better with the added improvement of a direct drive to the carousel.
A Super Gymnasium: Gladiator Coliseum
Once the 2000 residents of Italy, Texas, where Monolithic is headquartered, passed a $2 million bond for a Multipurpose Center, administrators began researching popular construction of school facilities. Superintendent Mike Clifton said, "Of course we were all familiar with the domes. We had a good overview. But we really had to see for ourselves, so we visited Thousand Oaks — a dome already operating — and we came away convinced."


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Cholera hits Central African Republic
Via Africasia.com: Cholera epidemic hits Central African Republic: Minister. Excerpt:
A new cholera epidemic has hit the Central African Republic and has already claimed at least 10 victims in the south, health minister Jean-Michel Mandaba said Friday.
His comments came the day after a health services source sounded the alarm that cholera had killed six people in the Limbo region, 20 kilometres (12 miles) from the capital Bangui.
"The government of the Central African Republic would like to officially declare that there is a cholera epidemic in the (southern) health zones of Ombella-Mpoko and Lobaye, leaving at least 10 people dead," Mandaba said.
The minister called for calm and urged the local population to go about their usual business while "scrupulously respecting basic hygiene and cleansing measures."
September 30, 2011 at 07:28 PM in Cholera | Permalink | Comments (0)
UK: Reaction to the E. coli news
Via The Guardian, an op-ed: Lift the cloak of secrecy around this E coli outbreak. Excerpt:
An eight-month outbreak of an uncommon type of E coli food poisoning left 250 people ill and one dead, with cases continuing to emerge until July of this year – but the public has only been told now. After six months of investigation by the Health Protection Agency, which has only just acknowledged the outbreak, the infection has ultimately been linked to people handling loose raw leeks and potatoes in their homes.
This news reveals a little bit about food-borne risks and a great deal about the politics of food safety in Britain. The Food Standards Agency was created to provide the public with high standards of food safety and ways of setting and enforcing those standards that commanded public trust and confidence. Grounds for such trust have been seriously undermined.
The politics of these events are fascinating. First, the way in which the problem was handled in Whitehall was complicated by internal squabbles: who was in charge: the Food Standards Agency or the Health Protection Agency?
Despite both being directly accountable to the minister for public health, Anne Milton, they were at loggerheads. Responsibility for investigating outbreaks of bacterial food poisoning lies with the HPA, but the FSA insisted that communications with the public and the media on all matters of food safety were solely its responsibility. Thursday's belated press release came from the HPA, though it did include a comment from the FSA, albeit a fatuous one.
The HPA had a difficult task to try to locate the source of the infection. It knew about 250 cases, although there must have been far more; public health microbiologists suggest that fewer than 10% of cases are formally reported. Cases were widely dispersed across Britain, though a large majority were female. The HPA concluded that the infection was probably transmitted in soil contamination on vegetables, but the original source of the infection remains unknown.
Sources within the FSA suggest that the recent experience in Germany, when an outbreak of E coli was misleadingly attributed to Spanish cucumbers – resulting in significant losses to Spanish farmers and threats of litigation – that the organisation was wary; but that suggestion is unconvincing. The German problem emerged in June, while the decision not to tell the British public must have been taken either at the end of 2010 or early this year.
The FSA's line is that it did not wish to say anything publicly until it has something "useful" to contribute, but useful to whom? The evidence suggests that it did not want to scare the public and disrupt normal commerce, nor did it wish to reveal how little it knew and how weak its control over microbiological food safety really is.
September 30, 2011 at 05:46 PM in E. coli, Food security | Permalink | Comments (1)
Pakistan: 150 dengue deaths in Punjab
Via the Daily Times: Dengue claims four more lives in Lahore. Excerpt:
LAHORE: The uncontrolled dengue epidemic claimed four more lives on Friday.
A woman Uzma Tariq, 35, of Sanda, Abdur Rehman, 55, of Mozang, Zahid Bashir, 35, Kacchupura, Shaukat, 50, of Township, Yaseen, 15, of Sahiwal, Iqbal, 60, of Township and Asma, 17, of Ichra passed away in different hospitals.
The virus has so far afflicted more than 20,000 people in Punjab alone while some cases have also been reported from Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces.
The Health Department of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has released fresh figures on dengue fever in the province. The updated report issued on September 29 revealed that the overall total number of suspected cases reported so far was 377, out of which 173 were confirmed as dengue positive with only 6 deaths till date in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Likewise on September 28, 8 suspected cases were reported wherein 3 cases were confirmed while one patient was admitted and 7 patients were discharged after treatment.
Dengue has affected both rich and ordinary citizens with some senior civil and military officials also falling prey.
In Punjab 11,584 cases of dengue have been reported out of which 10,244 are in Lahore. The total number of deaths in Punjab touched 150, of which 110 deaths occurred in Lahore alone. Many patients falling sick in other cities have been shifted to Lahore because of the better treatment facilities.
Authorities in Lahore have blamed the crisis on prolonged monsoon rains and unusually high seasonal temperatures. But the people said the outbreak was an example of government inefficiency, citing failure to take preventive measures to kill off the mosquitoes and lengthy power cuts as the reason behind the epidemic.
People said that there were many factors contributing to the dengue fever.
September 30, 2011 at 05:25 PM in Dengue | Permalink | Comments (0)
CIDRAP: Study suggests 1918 flu waves were caused by 'distinct' viruses
A fascinating report from CIDRAP by Robert Roos: Study suggests 1918 flu waves were caused by 'distinct' viruses. Excerpt
A new analysis of influenza outbreak patterns in several navies in 1918 suggests that the first and second waves of the pandemic were caused by "antigenically distinct" viruses, a conclusion that runs counter to some other recent studies that have tried to discern why the second wave was so much more deadly than the first.
A team of Australian and American researchers, writing in The Lancet Infectious Diseases, says its analysis suggests that those who were infected in the mild first wave, in the spring or summer of 1918, remained susceptible to infection in the deadly second wave in the fall, but were protected from death.
If this is true, "the two waves of infection were probably caused by antigenically distinct influenza viruses—not by one virus that suddenly increased in pathogenicity between the first and second waves," says the report by G. Dennis Shanks, MD, of the Australian Army Malaria Institute, and colleagues.
This conclusion contrasts with a study published last week, in which US researchers examined preserved lung specimens from 68 US soldiers who died in the pandemic between May and October of 1918. They found that earlier and later cases featured the same type of lung damage, and they concluded that the pandemic virus was circulating by May.
The new findings also contrast with those of a 2008 study that covered similar ground. In that one, US researchers examined data mainly from US Army camps and found that soldiers who were infected in the first wave were both less likely to be infected and less likely to die in the fall onslaught of flu.
Sifting naval records
Researchers have been trying for years to explain the puzzling pattern of the 1918 pandemic, in the hope of drawing lessons for pandemic preparedness today. The Lancet report notes that the 1918-19 pandemic had three waves: one in the spring and summer of 1918 that was "highly infectious but clinically mild," one in the fall that was highly infectious and caused far higher mortality, and one in the winter of 1919 that was smaller and less deadly than the fall episode.
"The three waves of infection are often assumed to share the same viral cause; however, little objective evidence supports this notion," the report says.
The researchers studied illness records for the crews of ships in the British, Australian, US, and Japanese navies in 1918, and also looked at morbidity and mortality records for some island residents. They focused on ships' crews because of their homogeneous composition, isolation at sea, and consistent record keeping.
Nearly all ships had flu outbreaks, but few had deaths, the team found. However, the ships that did have deaths tended to have many, mostly during the second wave. Citing previous work, the authors say an estimated 1.1% of US Navy personnel died during the pandemic.
One ship that exemplified the general pattern was the USS Salem, which patrolled the Caribbean, according to the report. In February 1918 the ship had a flu outbreak that affected many of the crew but caused no serious complications. Then in September and October, during the second wave, 13% of the crew got sick, but all survived.
A contrasting example was the USS Pittsburgh, which patrolled the Atlantic off South America in 1918. When the ship docked in Rio de Janeiro in early October, 663 sailors—about 80% of the crew—contracted flu, and 59 of them died. Those deaths accounted for nearly half of all flu-pneumonia deaths on US Navy cruisers that year.
"In general, naval warships that had high mortality during the second wave were not affected by the first wave because of their relative isolation (eg, in the southern hemisphere)," the report says.
US military personnel in Hawaii offered another example, the researchers found. Many of the sailors and soldiers there had a mild flu-like illness in mid-1918. Later in the year, when the second pandemic wave hit, only one US sailor in Hawaii died of flu and pneumonia. A similar pattern was seen in a US Army camp in Puerto Rico.
Click through to the CIDRAP page to read the whole article and access the Lancet abstract.
September 30, 2011 at 04:26 PM in ILI, Pandemics | Permalink | Comments (0)
Brazil announces troop pullout of Haiti
Via The Guardian: Brazil announces troop pullout of Haiti. Excerpt:
Brazil's defence minister has confirmed the country's troops will begin a partial withdrawal from Haiti next March, amid growing criticism of the United Nations stabilisation mission there.
Celso Amorim told the senate foreign affairs committee on Thursday that 257 Brazilian troops, out of a total of 2,200, would leave the country as part of UN plans to reduce its numbers by 1,600.
"We should not stay in Haiti for ever, nor do we wish to – this is not good for the Haitians or for us," he said. "But we will also not leave in an irresponsible manner. It is very important that the withdrawal is not seen as Brazil disengaging. We all agree that a gradual reduction is necessary."
A few years ago the Brazilian soldiers that have led the UN force in Haiti since 2004 took journalists and politicians on photo-opportunity tours of Port-au-Prince's gang-free slums, which were occupied after former president Jean-Bertrand Aristide was forced from power. During a 2007 visit, one former UN military commander in Haiti said the UN's presence had helped transform Port-au-Prince into a "Disneyland".
In an interview, Luiz Carlos da Costa, then deputy special representative of the UN secretary general in Haiti, said the UN mission, known as Minustah, had helped bring "a situation of greater stability".
The earthquake in 2010, in which Costa and an estimated 200,000 Haitians were killed, changed everything. More UN troops were sent to the country but resentment at their presence grew following a cholera outbreak and a recent case of alleged sexual abuse.
September 30, 2011 at 01:07 PM in Cholera, Disasters, Politics and health | Permalink | Comments (0)
Mexico: 114 dengue cases in Querétaro
Via UPI.com: Registra Querétaro, México 114 casos de dengue. [Querétaro, Mexico reports 114 dengue cases] Excerpt, with my translation:
El central estado mexicano de Querétaro registra 51 casos confirmados de dengue, dijeron hoy autoridades sanitarias.
The central Mexican state of Querétaro has recorded 51 confirmed dengue cases, health authorities said today.
Del total de casos, 39 se ubican en la capital y el resto en Arroyo Seco.
Of that total, 39 are in the state capital and the rest in Arroyo Seco.
Según la Secretaría de Salud del Estado de Querétaro (Seseq), a día de hoy suman 114 casos probables de esta enfermedad, desde que inició el brote.
According to the state secretariat of health, as of today there have been 114 probable dengue cases since the outbreak began.
Meanwhile, Florida reports two confirmed dengue cases and the Paraguayan Senate has been closed for anti-mosquito fumigation.
Indonesia: Don't drink Jakarta's water
Via The Jakarta Globe: Drink Despite Human Waste in Jakarta Water Source: Fauzi. Excerpt:
Jakarta's water may or may not be contaminated by the gastric bacteria E. coli, depending on who's speaking. After a water provider complained that Jakarta's water source was heavily polluted, the city administration has claimed that it can "guarantee" the capital's tap water is clean.
"PDAM Jaya [the city water utility], working with Paljya and Aetra, took random samples to check water safety," Jakarta Governor Fauzi Bowo said at City Hall on Friday. "The results were all good, so we can be certain that [the] tap water is safe."
The water is free of E. coli, the government claims, because two private operators treat it before it leaves their plants in accordance with clean water standards.
Fauzi's reassurances followed a complaint by Bekasi water provider Tirta Bhagasasi on Thursday that the water source used to produce tap water for Bekasi and Jakarta was heavily contaminated with human waste, as indicated by a high E. coli level.
The Bekasi River was used as a dumping place for septic tank pumping businesses, Tirta Bhagasasi's director of water supply, Wahyu Prihantono, said. The illegal dumping occurs at night, and so far officials seem unable or unwilling to prevent it.
On Sept. 19, Bekasi's Environmental Management Agency (BPLH) revealed that several key measures of environmental health in the Bekasi River were far below standard, and that the river had experienced fish kills.
The BPLH's Dadang Hidayat said the water was significantly acidic at about pH 4.6, with a high biological and chemical oxygen demand — a pollution indicator.
Besides the organic material dumped in the river, he suspected "rogue factories" disposed of chemical waste in the river.
The governor tried to play down the news.
September 30, 2011 at 10:30 AM in Cholera, Diarrhea, E. coli, Gastroenteritis, Water security | Permalink | Comments (0)
Pakistan: UN takes note of dengue
Via the UN News Centre: Thousands of dengue fever cases emerging in Pakistan, UN reports. Excerpt:
More than 12,000 cases of dengue fever and 125 deaths linked to the disease have been reported across Pakistan so far this year, with the majority occurring in Punjab province, the United Nations World Health Organization (WHO) said today.
WHO is supporting sub-groups that have been formed by Pakistani authorities to respond to the epidemic through case management, community mobilization, vector control and public awareness campaigns, the agency's spokesperson, Tarek Jasarevic, told reporters in Geneva.
He said WHO has also been facilitating and supporting dengue case management training at the district level in several provinces. A WHO expert on the disease arrived in the country last week to provide technical guidance on dengue fever control.
A dengue fever booklet for teachers has been printed and is being circulated. WHO has also circulated new clinical case management guidelines drafted by Pakistani doctors on the basis of a retrospective study of Pakistani hospital data and global and regional experiences.
Last year, 11,024 confirmed cases of dengue fever and 40 deaths were reported in Pakistan, but this year the number of cases has climbed to 12,466.
September 30, 2011 at 09:38 AM in Dengue | Permalink | Comments (0)
Indonesia: Bird flu spreads in Poso
Via Ida's Bird Flu Information Corner, a VOA News report: Poso, Central Sulawesi ::: Bird flu spreads in Poso. Excerpt:
Bird flu infection apparently has spread to Central Sulawesi. There is no culling action reported here. -adm-
Poso – Official of Livestock Service in Poso regency, Central Sulawesi province, confirmed the sudden death of chickens recently was because of bird flu H5N1 infection. Bird flu was examined on dead chicken samples from several sub-districts in Poso. Examination was conducted in field and confirmed by veterinary disease investigation center in Maros.
September 30, 2011 at 07:50 AM in H5N1 | Permalink | Comments (0)
Panama: Hospital says it has no KPC cases
Via La Estrella.com: Clínica Hospital San Fernando afirma que no tienen casos de KPC. [San Fernando Hospital Clinic affirms it has not cases of KPC] Excerpt, with my translation:
La Clínica Hospital San Fernando salió al paso de una nota de prensa del Ministerio de Salud (MINSA) que indica de un caso de un paciente con la bacteria KPC procedente de esas instalaciones médicas alegando que los resultados fueron negativos.
San Fernando Hospital Clinic has denied a news release from the Ministry of Health indicating that a patient with KPC had left the clinic; the clinic says the patient's test results were negative.
En un comunicado, firmado por el doctor Edgardo Fernández, director médico y Elisa de Lewis, gerente general, se aclara que este paciente crónico de muchos años de evolución, fue admitido a finales del mes de agosto y durante su corta estancia en nuestro hospital, todos los exámenes (cultivos) que se le tomaron resultaron negativos.
A statement signed by Dr. Edgardo Fernández, medical director, and Elisa de Lewis, general manager, said that the patient, with a longstanding chronic condition, was admitted late in August. "During a short stay in our hospital, all tests on the patient had negative results."
El paciente fue trasladado al Hospital Santo Tomás para continuar su terapia y en dicho Hospital los cultivos iniciales resultaron también negativos.
The patient was moved to Santo Tomás Hospital to continue treatment, and in that hospital the initial tests were also negative.
September 30, 2011 at 07:42 AM in Antibiotic resistance, Klebsiella, Nosocomial infections | Permalink | Comments (0)


A few years ago, my mom planted a little tree in her front yard. Last summer, she had me up on a ladder pruning it back. She didn't realize when she planted the tree that it was right underneath the power line to her house!
Trees and power lines can create problems when they occupy the same space. This can be prevented by planting trees that won't grow near the lines (are you listening, mom?!). We call it "right tree in the right place." This might mean planting trees away from power lines, or it could mean planting trees that will not grow tall enough at maturity to reach the power lines. These trees are referred to as understory trees because in the forest they grow under the canopy of taller trees. Some understory species are oriental cherry, crabapple, eastern redbud, hawthorn, Japanese maple, dogwood, amur maple, tatarian maple, serviceberry, silver bell, and tree lilac.
When large trees near power lines need to be removed, replacing them with understory trees can ease the loss. A study in Pennsylvania (Flowers and Gerhold, 2000) found that people generally liked the replacement understory trees, and recognized the need to replace older, deteriorating trees with smaller, more power-line friendly types of trees.
Understory trees might be perceived as an imperfect solution. People enjoy taller trees that can form a canopy over-arching a street. Taller trees provide more shade and can combat the urban heat island effect. In urban areas where there is little room for tall street trees, there can be more capacity to plant shade trees on private property.
Many people have asked me, "Why don't they just bury the power lines?" It comes down to cost. According to Electric Light and Power, underground lines cost about $1.5 million per mile to set up, which is about five times that of overhead lines. Utility infrastructure is heading in that direction though. All new developments in Connecticut are required to build underground utility lines. It will be a long time until all the lines are underground, if ever, and in the meantime we need to focus on the trees.
More information about tree planting around power lines can be found here.
Reference: Flowers, D. E., & Gerhold, H. D. (2000, November). Replacement of trees under utility wires: impacts attitudes and community tree programs. Journal of Arboriculture 26(6): November 2000.


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Премія «Старт» — російська премія, що вручається письменникам-фантастам за найкращу дебютну книгу, написану російською мовою. Письменник отримує премію під час урочистої частини щорічного фестивалю фантастики «Аеліта» у Єкатеринбурзі.

З 1989 по 1994 рік лауреатів премії визначали за результатами голосування серед клубів любителів фантастики. З 1997 року вибирати авторів найцікавіших дебютних книг стали професіонали: письменники-фантасти, редактори, літературні критики.

Премія вручається з 1989 року.

Автором і творцем призу був Віктор Васильович Саргін, єкатеринбурзький майстер-каменеріз, який готував для «Аеліти» всі призи. Згодом вид призу змінився, його стали робити інші майстри.

Лауреати премії
 2011 — Віталій Абоян за роман «Древо Війни»;
 2010 — Ілля Тьо за цикл романів «Твердий Космос»;
 2009 — премія не присуджувалася;
 2008 — Сергій Палій за роман «Виворіт»;
 2007 — премія не присуджувалася;
 2006 — Ірина Олов'яна за книгу «Маленький диявол»;
 2005 — Лора Андронова за книгу «За велінням Грому»;
 2004 — Олексій Іванов за збірку «Кораблі і галактика»;
 2003 — Віталій Каплан за роман «Корпус»;
 2002 — Леонід Каганов за збірку «Комутація»;
 2001 — Віктор Бурцев за роман «Алмазні нерви»;
 2000 — Наталя Резанова за збірки «Відкритий шлях» і «Остання фортеця»;
 1999 — Андрій Плеханов за роман «Земний безсмертний»;
 1998 — Михайло Тирін за збірку «Тінь покровителя»;
 1997 — Андрій Валентинов за першу трилогію роману-циклу «Око сили»;
 1996 — премія не присуджувалася;
 1995 — премія не присуджувалася;
 1994 — Андрій Щербак-Жуков за збірку «Казки про дивну любов»;
 1993 — Сергій Лук'яненко за збірку «Атомний сон»;
 1992 — Олександр Тюрін і Олександр Щеголєв за збірку «Клітка для буйних»;
 1991 — В'ячеслав Рибаков за роман «Вогнище на вежі»;
 1990 — Андрій Столяров за збірку «Вигнання біса»;
 1989 — Борис Штерн за збірку «Чия планета?».

Посилання
 Положення про премії «Старт»
 Сторінка премії на сайті «Лабораторія фантастики»

Старт
Старт
Нагороди за алфавітом

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Designer Feature
Love Heals
[Designers Gunnar, Elise, and Adriana]
At Ode, we call it a "Power Piece." A Love Heals necklace makes you feel like a warrior, an adventurer, an artist, empress, and philanthropist. Family owned and hand-made in America, Love Heals is a company committed to creating the kind of beauty that gives back.
For every piece sold, 10 fruit-bearing trees are planted in Ethiopia. Co-founder Gunnar Lovelace (yep, real name) has also formed partnerships with organizations committed to ending child slavery and child blindness. How good can a company get?
Well, they keep getting better. Recently, Love Heals added Maria Angela Perna to their creative design team. Perna has worked as a Senior Designer, creating collections for the likes of Alexander McQueen, Jean Paul Gaultier, Fendi, Versace, Etro, Kate Spade, Calvin Klein, Sergio Rossi and YSL. She brings just another element of power to the already inimitable collection. Ode couldn't be happier about our long-term relationship with the heart, spirit, and beauty of Love Heals.
Come find your Love Heals Power Piece at Ode.
The Dire Honeys
The Dire Honeys are as American as trucks and pie. Part sugar, part salt-of-the-earth, this folksy trio plays the kind of music that gets to down to the root of what makes one swoon and cry. Mia Valentini, Vanessa Kerby, and Lena Schmid (even their names are dreamy) got decked out in Ode attire and trekked into the swampy, mosquito-infested road for a photo shoot at dusk. The light was right, the music dulcet, the jokes a little dirty. There was a tart sweetness to the air. We don't blame the bugs for wanting a bite.
Vanessa Kerby
Escape. Friendship. Art. New Skills. Songs. 2 liter bottles of wine.
MV: Being outside. Sweat. Labor. Mud. The best food I've ever eaten. The best sleep I've ever had. I'm a farmer.
Mia Valentini
MV: I find inspiration from my cat. Edward. She's a girl.
VK & MV: Shitty men.
If I wasn't doing this, I would be...
MV & VK: Having band practice.
LS: Painting.
MV: Farming.
What's your favorite line from a movie, song, or book?
LS: I'm not sure, because Van Morrison just mumbles all the time. But everything he says on the album Astral Weeks is my favorite.
VK: "It's never too late to have a happy childhood." – Still Life with Woodpecker.
"Here's to swimmin' with bow-legged women!"-Quint from JAWS .
MV: "Ever dance with the devil in the pale moon light?"- The Joker from Batman
"I will drink your MilkShake!" – There Will be Blood
Lena Schmid
MV: A pair of boots- tan.
What's the first line in a book about your life?
LS: "She was crying in her car, again."
MV: "My mama always said, no one's gonna love you till you learn to love yourself."
VK: Flubber.
MV: Flabbergasted, because my friend Tobin, when we were in first grade, said it was his favorite word and it always stayed with me. Though It took me a few years to differentiate it from flatulent, I think that is why it stuck. And Pamplemousse. It's fun to say.
LS: I don't have a favorite word. However, my least favorite word is pocketbook. Specifically when my mom says it in reference to whatever bag I'm carrying.
What's your go-to "happy" song?
VK: FATS DOMINO.
LS: My go-to happy song is "Get Rhythm" by Johnny Cash. Or "Come Go With Me" by the Del Vikings.
MV: I don't necessarily go to a "happy" song, but genre. I love New Orleans Jazz.
What's the best advice you've ever gotten?
LS: My painting teacher once cornered me behind my giant painting and insisted I buy a truck. I did, and it has worked out really well.
MV: This too shall pass. Good or bad.
VK: "Don't let it bring you down, it's only castles burning.." Neil Young
When was the last time you laughed so hard you cried?
LS: Last week in the car with Vanessa. She was doing the best, most pathetic impression of a cat in heat. The mewling and yeowling was outrageous.
*The Dire Honeys will be performing at Ode on August 9th, from 6-8pm as a part of our "Sugar, Love, & Honey" Birthday Bash.
Clothing: Ode. Styling: Kristin Kelly. Makeup: Jenessa Cintron. [Chattman Photography]
Philip Kruta of Whisk
How did we manage to snag a high-demand culinary genius to whip--or "whisk"--up a birthday dessert for Ode this Arts Night out? We've got connections (thanks, Thea!). Philip Kruta is co-owner of Whisk, a Boston-based pop-up dining experience wherein the menu, the place, and the concept up is ever-changing. Trained in Fundamental French and European Pastry, in addition to working at L'Espalier, one of Boston's most prestigious kitchens, Chef Kruta knows his stuff. Not to mention that he and Whisk co-owner Jeremy Kean were recently the recipients of the Zagat's "30 under 30" award. We can't wait to taste what sweet innovation Philip has in store for us on Friday!
I faked a job interview for a pastry chef position and spent the two weeks before starting reading culinary school text books!
I love the creativity, using ingredients as material to make edible art. Seeing people eat my food inspires me to make the next plate!
I would say nature is the most inspirational for me, I look to organic creations and replicate their beauty in my food, everything should look natural, as if it just fell onto the plate, perfectly arranged.
Tiramisu with almonds and golden raisins. Photo via Whisk's Instagram
White chocolate mango semifreddo, mango jam, honey caviar, and strawberry paper.
Photo via Whisk's Instagram
What is your dream project?
I'm living the dream right now, running my own exclusive tasting restaurant in Boston's North End!
I plan to publish some cookbooks, run a tasting restaurant, and open a breakfast place that also serves as a cooking school!
Cooking...
The dream coat. Color: technicolor
Slower is faster.
For more information on attending a tasting dinner check out http://www.whiskboston.com.
* Join us on Friday, August 9th, from 6-8pm for our "Sugar, Love, & Honey" Birthday Bash. Philip from Whisk Boston will be here serving a special dessert created just for you!


text:
Q: looping a div by using jquery jQuery(document).ready(function($) {
    $('#LM_MM_Plus_Icon').click(function(){
        $('#LM_MM_New_Div').append($('#LM_MM_Plus_Icon_Block').html());
    });
});

In the above function whenever I click on LM_MM_Plus_Icon the html in LM_MM_Plus_Icon_Block will appended to LM_MM_New_Div (which is a empty div).
The user can click any number of times on LM_MM_Plus_Icon, so that the html will be appended to LM_MM_New_Div. But what I need is every time the user clicks on LM_MM_Plus_Icon, a new LM_MM_New_Div has to be created and the html to be appended in to it.
Currently all the html is appending to one single LM_MM_New_Div.

A: Try this approach instead:
function addBlock() {
  var block = $('

'),
      content = $('#LM_MM_Plus_Icon_Block').html(),
      deleteBtn = $('<button class="LM_MM_Delete">Delete Me</button>');
  block.html(content).append(deleteBtn).appendTo('#container');
}

$('#LM_MM_Plus_Icon').click(addBlock);
$('#container').on('click', '.LM_MM_Delete', function() { $(this).parent().remove(); });

Here's a working fiddle: http://jsfiddle.net/YM68Z/
With deletion: http://jsfiddle.net/YM68Z/1/

A: You can not use same Id for multiple Div use class instead
jQuery(document).ready(function($) {
$('#LM_MM_Plus_Icon').click(function(){
     $('
').append($('#LM_MM_Plus_Icon_Block').html());
     $('
').insertAfter($("body").find(".LM_MM_New_Div:last"));
});});

A: You should :

*

*clone your #LM_MM_Plus_Icon_Block element

*remove its id (to avoir duplicates)

jQuery(document).ready(function($) {
    $('#LM_MM_Plus_Icon').click(function(){
        $('#LM_MM_New_Div').append(
            $('#LM_MM_Plus_Icon_Block')
                .clone()
                .removeAttr('id'));
    });
    $('body').on('click', '.LM_MM_Remove_Icon', function() {
        $(this).closest('.LM_MM_Div').remove();
    });
});
#LM_MM_New_Div {
    width: 200px;
    border: 1px solid grey;
}
#LM_MM_Plus_Icon_Block {
    display: none;
}
.LM_MM_Div {
    border: 1px solid grey;
    margin: 3px;
}
#LM_MM_Plus_Icon,
.LM_MM_Remove_Icon {
    cursor: pointer;
}

<button id="LM_MM_Plus_Icon">+</button>

    Content
    <button class="LM_MM_Remove_Icon">x</button>

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
dogre
=====

Bah, just a backup to github.
Ogre3D in D language. Use at your own risk.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


New Peugeot Boxer Professional CanDrive Flexi 17 seat School Minibus in Aluminium metallic silver paint finish with alloys.
You CanDrive this Minibus on a car licence, no D1 required (conditions apply).
Fully maintained lease to include full maintenance, servicing, breakdown cover, tyre replacement and puncture repair, annual MOT and road tax costs covered.
Price is based on a 5 year leased with a contract mileage allowance of 25,000.
IVA certified and first registered as a Minibus.
4 way heated electric wing mirrors, electric windows, glazed heated rear doors, reverse parking sensors, central locking, integrated touch screen sat nav, c/d player USB input, DAB radio, cruise control and air conditioining.
Glazed all round including 2 x vented, slide opening windows.
14 x M2 tested/certified rear saloon seats, fitted with red 3 point all age adjustable seat belts, anti vandal ABS plastic seat backs and finished in Peugeot trim to match the driver and front passenger seat.
Side step under sliding door entrance with twin full height handrails and courtesy panel.
4 x rear removable seats to accommodate luggage space or occassional carriage of a wheelchair user.
4 way opening coach style pop up roof vent.
Option extras can include overhead parcel shelves for extra storage space, reverse parking camera.
Purchase this Minibus from £25,995 vat or lease from as little as £14 vat per day over 5 years.
Minibus leasing, long term hire and minibus contract hire options (with or without servicing) are available on this Peugeot Boxer 17 Seat Minibus.


We provide listeners with comprehensive information on important issues in Indonesia that can impact business. Each episode will feature discussions among LEXICO Indonesia colleagues or interviews with special guests such as lawmakers, key government officials, top business leaders and various experts. The podcast is available on all your favorite podcast apps.


The New England Patriots have promoted assistant director of college scouting Monti Ossenfort to director of college scouting, according to ESPN Boston.
He replaces director of college scouting Jon Robinson who left in May to join the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as director of player personnel.
Ossenfort has been with the Patriots for 10 seasons.
He was an area scout, national scout and assistant director of college scouting.
He was a quarterback at Minnesota-Morris.


text:
Q: Mapping a map collection containing superclasses in Hibernate I am trying to map a map collection of String, SuperClass using XML mapping files. Here's what I have:
<map name="mapName" cascade="all-delete-orphan">
    <key column="ID" />
    <index column="KEY" type="string" />
    <one-to-many class="SuperClass" />
</map>

The SuperClass has (currently one but probably going to need some more in the future) a subclass that I'm going to call SubClass. So I have a bunch of SubClass and SuperClass objects in the map and when Hibernate attempts to search for them after adding them I get a

org.hibernate.StaleStateException: Batch update returned unexpected row count from update [0]; actual row count: 0; expected: 1

I'm pretty sure Hibernate is looking for classes of type SuperType when the objects in the map actually have some SubTypes as well.
Here's the gist of how the mapping was done for the hierarchy in case you need a better representation of what I'm talking about:
<class name="SuperClass" table="SUPER_CLASS">
    ...properties...
    (contains some <component> tags as well if it matters)
    <union-subclass name="SubClass" table="SUBCLASS">
        ...more properties...
    </union-subclass>
</class>


The Dry Cleaning Industry has developed a new cleaning system called Wet Cleaning. The Idea is to provide an alternative cleaning method to Dry Cleaning we apply Wet Cleaning as a secondary solution for garments with spots which can't be removed by Dry Cleaning. Wet Cleaning can be applied on fabrics like Cotton, Linen, Silk and light colored items. We get best results with casual cloths, jeans and khakis.


text:
Tally, Bloomington, MN
Alma Mater: Swarthmore College
< return to stories
As a CollegePoint Coach, I am fortunate to regularly get to know people from different walks of life across the country. Working with such a diverse group of students is the best part of the job because not I only do I have the opportunity to work with each student as they navigate the college application process in a way that fits with their individual passions and goals, I am also constantly learning about all kinds of things I would have never known from my students.
© 2023 Bloomberg IP Holdings LLC. All rights reserved.


Our complimentary customer events bring knowledge, networking, and collaboration to 40 cities nationwide.
ENGAGE will return in 2020 to the Gaylord Rockies Resort and Convention Center in the Denver area. Click the link below to sign up for the VIP list to get the latest updates.


text:
VanDweller Community Forums > Site and Forum Help > Vandwelling topics that don't fit in other areas
Full Version: Vandwelling topics that don't fit in other areas
Vandwelling topics that don't fit in other areas
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RESURGENT Pirates stormed into the SGB Premiership play-off mix after subjecting Leicester to a second hammering in a week.
The Dorset side grasped their first four-point away win of the season at the Paul Chapman & Sons Arena – the only venue outside Dorset they have triumphed at this year.
Five maximums in a row early on proved the cornerstone of Poole's 53-37 victory and Chris Harris and reserves Nicolai Klindt and Frederik Jakobsen scored superbly throughout.
A four-point salvo allowed Neil Middleditch's men to complete a remarkable jump from sixth to third in the league standings.
Team boss Middleditch told the Daily Echo: "It was a powerhouse performance. We hit Leicester hard early on and they didn't have an answer.
"They nibbled away but by then it was too late. The boys showed real intent.
"Everybody played their part and it was a very good team performance. Bomber (Harris) has certainly hit the ground running since joining us.
"His racing tonight was the best I've seen from him for a long time. The last time he was at Leicester he had four zeros!
Pirates quickly seized control as Brady Kurtz came out on top in an opening race in which Hans Andersen finished third.
And the visitors, who last week racked up no fewer than nine maximums against Leicester at Wimborne Road, then got back in the 5-1 habit.
Jakobsen and Klindt notched the first, before Richie Worrall and Kacper Woryna achieved the same feat at the expense of Josh Auty and Charles Wright.
Scott Nicholls tried everything to get past Jakobsen and frontrunner Harris but another away maximum was secured.
Still they kept coming. Kurtz and skipper Josh Grajczonek steamed home and then former Leicester flier Klindt and Harris forced Andersen into another third-place finish.
Poole had a 28-8 lead after six heats, prompting Andersen to take a tactical ride. But it was Nicholls who took the win as Lions finally grabbed their first heat advantage.
The hosts were on a 5-1 when the luckless Stuart Robson shed a chain and retired, which resulted in a shared heat.
And Pirates restored their 20-point lead when the hard-charging Harris beat Wright for speed in heat nine.
Leicester started a mini revival when Andersen and Wells bagged a first maximum.
Nicholls battled hard to get past Grajczonek in heat 11 but Poole's win was sealed thanks to a 4-2 led in by Worrall next.
The hosts got a rare heat advantage in heat 13 but Jakobsen and Klindt hit back in style.
And while Andersen and Nicholls earned a 4-2 in heat 15, it was too little, too late for the Lions.
Meanwhile, Poole's outstanding home fixture against Leicester has been rescheduled for Thursday, August 9 (7.30pm).
Leicester 37: 1 Hans Andersen (1*-1-1-3-3-3) 12+1, 2 Ricky Wells (2-r-3-2*) 7+1, 3 Charles Wright (0-1-2-2) 5, 4 Josh Auty (1-0-0) 1, 5 Scott Nicholls (1-3-3-1-1) 9, 6 Stuart Robson (1-r-1-0-1) 3, 7 Connor Mountain (0-0-0) 0.
Pirates 53: 1 Brady Kurtz (3-3-0-0) 6, 2 Josh Grajczonek (0-2*-2-2) 6+1, 3 Richie Worrall (3-0-1-3-0) 7, 4 Kacper Woryna (2*-2-0) 4+1, 5 Chris Harris (3-2*-3-2-2) 12+1, 6 Nicolai Klindt (2*-3-1-1-2*) 9+2, 7 Frederik Jakobsen (3-2*-1*-3) 9+2.
CHRIS Harris has enjoyed a dream start to his Pirates career.
Truro-born Harris opened up with a healthy nine points at King's Lynn – after which he confessed he felt he should have scored more.
And the three-time British individual champion followed that up with 11 paid 12 on his home debut against Leicester.
A 12 paid 13 haul at the Lions' den cemented Harris's status as the difference-maker in this Pirates septet.
With the play-offs now in range, the signing of the former Coventry star could yet prove another Matt Ford masterstroke.


Just found the blog app! Hooray!! We are back! We had a great year! We went to Israel, Arizona and Oregon a couple times and lots if fun places around our new city! I was pregnant most if the year and we now have our new baby boy who is one month today! Bryant Richard Newell born May 11, 2013 at 11:43 pm weighing 8 pounds 8 ounces and 21 inches long. He was two weeks early and he is an absolute joy! Isabella and Anderson are getting big and so much fun! Isabella is the best helper and Anderson is a happy little soul! Rich just received a promotion at work and I am so proud of him! We will hopefully be staying here for a while which makes me happy! We love Sacramento and the weather! I am a busy momma of 3 and so happy to be home with them!!


text:
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The power of Selfie lies in the fact that it uses a spectator's own borrowed phone – they're 100% sure there are no special apps, making it that much more magical! Perfect for any venue, Selfie is ideal for casual or professional settings. It is easy to do, with nothing added or taken away from their phone. It also leaves them with an unforgettable story and photo evidence of your amazing magic so that they remember you forever!


The first problem that I dealt with concerning emergentism was the problem of how unconscious matter becomes conscious. I have previously argued against the idea that subjective awareness can arise from unconscious material. The idea is absurd since it implies that something can arise from nothing. That thought can arise from things that do not have it. The only way the emergentist can get around the problem is to say that matter has a rather quasi-supernatural ability to create consciousness out of nothing, which is a very extraordinary claim.
After all, suppose a person were able to go to any unconscious material and make it become conscious at will. That would be like going up to a scarecrow in a field or to a zombie of Chalmers' description (if one were to exist) and making these things suddenly become subjectively aware. This then would be an ability to create something out of nothing. It would be automatically creating the extra phenomena of consciousness in addition to the immediately pre-existing matter in motion within the environment.
In a similar way, if unconscious matter when assembled in a certain way automatically produces consciousness, then it would have to produce the mental phenomena out of nothing. Otherwise, if the matter just remains as originally assembled, in the form of the brain and/or other organs for example, without anything mental arising from it, then no thought and perception processes would take place.
People don't have the ability to make insentient things conscious at will. So why would unconscious matter have this ability to produce consciousness straight out of its absence? It seems impossible to overcome that difficulty. Now I am going to focus on another related problem in emergentism that is rarely addressed in discussions. This problem will also reveal just how ambiguous, vague and difficult it is to hold the materialist view that the brain is the conscious perceiver and thinker.
First of all, most philosophers of mind, including emergentists, want to say that in addition to mental states, such as sight, hearing, tastes, thoughts, emotions, memories etc., that there is an underlying bearer of these mental activities. It makes sense that if we have mental states that we also have something that has those mental states; or that there is a conscious subject or self that possesses our conscious states. If one has mental states then there is a conscious perceiver and thinker behind that subjective experience.
Secondly, both materialist and non-materialist approaches in the philosophy of mind agree that perception, awareness and thought depend on the brain and body being healthy and functional. There are, of course, different parts of the brain as modern neurology has illuminated that enable the different faculties of mind to operate well. The visual cortex of the brain, for instance, enables a person to have vision. The temporal lobe of the brain enables a person to hear and process language. The limbic system of the brain enables one to experience memories and emotions. It's evident that the mind depends on the brain in order to carry out its mental activities and to carry them out very well. So the question for the philosopher is this; is the brain the conscious subject? Or, is the brain only the instrument of the conscious subject?
The emergentist evidently wants to say that it's the brain that is the conscious subject. Now let us suppose this is true and that somehow the materialist can override the problem of getting consciousness out of unconscious material. Well, the materialist has, once again, another think coming [ed: sic, and funny]. If the conscious thinker and perceiver is something material like the brain then this problem immediately arises: how do the conscious states relate to the whole brain (or good portion of the brain) and to the various smaller parts of the brain? For instance, the emergentist wants to say that my brain perceives red, or thinks about Christmas. Does that mean there are electrons inside my brain perceiving red or thinking about Christmas?
Since the materialist identifies the conscious subject with a physical object and since physical objects are divisible and can (at least) almost always be divided and broken down into smaller and smaller parts, the question of how conscious states relate to the smaller elements of the brain becomes a big problem. For convenience, I will refer to this difficulty as the "divisible parts problem" in materialism. This problem was hinted by Leibniz. How does subjective experience relate to the smaller components of the brain if the brain is the conscious subject?
There are at least two possible answers the materialist can give to this problem: one, the emergentist can say that at a certain level, there is no consciousness and thought going on with the smaller parts of the brain like the subatomic particles that compose it as such. Strictly speaking with this alternative, while it may be correct to say that my brain perceives red or remembers an event, or thinks about Christmas, none of the miniscule parts like the subatomic particles are thinking, remembering or perceiving anything.
The other alternative for the materialist is to advocate a kind of panpsychist position and say that no matter how much one breaks down the brain into smaller and smaller parts, each conceivable part of the brain is subjectively aware at least at some level. Given this position, even the electrons, protons and neutrons inside the brain would be conscious and have a piece of my consciousness. Both of these possible answers have serious difficulties.
Now before examining both positions, let's be clear about one thing: consciousness is not the same thing as behaviors. While behaviors like talking, writing, facial expressions and bodily movements naturally manifest to us that a person is conscious, the subjective acts of awareness themselves (like seeing, hearing, touching, thinking, willing, remembering or imagining) are not the same things as talking, writing, moving limbs and making facial expressions. So the problem here is not whether we can have a material object that can act or behave intelligently like constructing a robot or computer that can project language and behavior well. Rather, it's whether a material object can effectively have subjective awareness and thought. Of course, we have robots nowadays that are programmed to behave in an intelligent manner but none of these machines have consciousness. So there's a big difference between the two.
Let's take the first possible answer that it is sensible to say that my brain bears my thoughts but not any of the miniscule components bear consciousness. This position may be explained by an analogy. Just as the Lego blocks may not each be cubed shaped, but the whole composition of them put together however may form a roughly cubed object, so it is the same with the brain having consciousness while none of its miniature parts have that trait. What is true of the parts is not always and necessarily true of the whole. Hence, we have to avoid the so-called fallacy of composition or always thinking that what is true of the whole is necessarily true of the parts. In this case, what is true of the parts, like the subatomic elements lacking consciousness is not true of the whole since the brain as a whole (or good macroscopic portion of it) is conscious. With this theory, consciousness simply emerges as an overarching property or phenomena from the brain as a whole. This is analogous to the saying that the whole is greater than the sum of the parts.
Is it possible that no matter how one breaks down the brain into smaller parts, one will always have a tiny conscious perceiver? It does no good to merely assert that the microscopic parts of the brain aren't conscious and then rebut all skepticism of it as a "fallacy of composition" particularly when it may be indiscernible what the relation would be between mental states and the miniscule parts of the brain. Besides not all reasoning from parts to wholes is a fallacy of composition. If each part of a chair were composed of iron then we would automatically know that the whole chair would also be composed of iron. It's that simple. The fallacy of composition only applies to scenarios where what is true of the parts is not true of the whole like assuming that since each brick is 3 inches by 5 inches wide that the whole wall of bricks is going to be 3 by 5 inches wide.
Secondly, if none of the miniscule parts of the brain are conscious then how is the whole brain or good portion of it going to achieve consciousness? It seems that if none of the parts of the brain are subjectively aware of anything then neither is the brain going to be aware of anything as well. We know that each Lego block lacks consciousness within a Lego castle. And we know that a Lego castle as a whole doesn't have consciousness either. What's true of the parts is also true of the whole in considering the Lego castle. So why would the brain be any different from an unconscious Lego castle? Why would it be the case that unconscious components create a conscious material thing while in other cases unconscious components don't create a conscious thing? Where is the explanation? If the living brain were to lack consciousness then naturally that would imply that none of brain's components have that trait either. So how can the brain be said to be "conscious" if none of its smaller parts have that feature?
Besides, if one starts with nothing but unconscious components then it seems one must end up with only an unconscious composite object, no matter how complex the assembled thing is as such [ed. see this on the abacus-as-brain]. No matter how one connects the unconscious Lego blocks, one is only going to get an unconscious object altogether whether it's a Lego castle or a Lego spaceship. In a similar way, if subatomic elements are unconscious, and are incapable of experiencing subjective awareness, then consciousness would never arise from the subatomic particles even when organized to form a brain. To get consciousness from parts that are incapable of having consciousness seems tantamount to getting something from nothing.
How is it possible to get consciousness out of bits of matter and energy that are incapable of having that attribute themselves? It's understandable how a set of Lego blocks can be used to form roughly a big cube even if not all the Lego blocks are cubed shaped. Each of the Lego blocks put together would contribute the overall cubed shape of the Lego configuration.
It's also understandable how other properties besides shape may arise with more complex material structures like "wetness" being felt with water. None of the water molecules taken individually have "wetness" since nobody can have a sensation of wetness from one water molecule. But several water molecules put together to form a drop of water can produce a sensation of wetness in our minds. Nevertheless, it doesn't seem to make sense how a collection of microscopic materials incapable of awareness and thought can somehow be put together and create something that's conscious. If none of the parts of the conscious self are aware of anything then how can the self be said to be conscious? I don't know what it would mean to say that the whole brain or a good portion of it is conscious but none of its microscopic parts are conscious any more than I wouldn't know the meaning of a Lego castle perceiving red colors while none of the Lego blocks perceive the red. No one has a clear idea of how such a relationship could work.
Perhaps the emergentist, for the all reasons mentioned above, may discard the position that the whole brain is conscious but none of its smaller parts are conscious and embrace the other alternative. The emergentist then can take the other position that no matter how one breaks down the parts of the brain there's always an individual conscious perceiver. If the emergentist takes this position, then her position seems to lead to panpsychism (the theory that all matter is conscious). After all, if electrons, protons and neutrons are capable of being aware of things at a certain level then why not say that all matter is conscious? So with this position, even the electrons are conscious and perceive something.
Can't We All Work Together?
But this position has problems as well. How would all these conscious, perceiving parts of the brain interact to produce unified conscious states? How would the subjective states of subatomic particles, for example, just "glue together" and form my unified conscious experience of several colors, sounds, dimensions etc.? Two persons have their separate brains in their separate spaces and their conscious experiences do not connect and form a greater level of thought and awareness. So why should microscopic bits of matter form greater levels of perception and thought by merely being put together in a certain way? This seems to be quite fantastic, if not impossible.
This problem can also apply to the former position mentioned above. The emergentist could say that while subatomic parts of the brain aren't conscious, that other larger units of the brain are conscious like brain cells. In which case how would these divisible units of the brain, whatever they may be, somehow connect and form greater levels of unified consciousness? This particular issue is sometimes called the "combination problem" and historically William James used it as an objection against panpsychism.
Regardless, how the materialist answers these problems, whether he accepts the idea that a whole object can be conscious while its parts aren't conscious, or the more panpsychist position that the whole and all conceivable parts are conscious, things even get more complicated when one seriously considers everyday acts of understanding and memory.
Memory and understanding are a serious puzzle regardless of how the materialist accounts for consciousness. For instance, one understands the truth that "2+2=4". If my brain is the conscious subject and if it's really my brain that understands "2+2=4" to be true then does that mean that there are subatomic particles in my brain that are each subjectively understanding "2+2=4"? If not, then how would my brain as a collection of subatomic particles be able to understand "2+2=4"? Or, if subatomic particles can understand simple mathematical truths then why would one need a brain to think and understand these same mathematical propositions? And the same can be said of memory, if one remembers a certain past event and if the individual atoms in the brain cannot remember anything by themselves, then how is the brain as a whole going to remember any event?
Moreover, because the materialist identifies the conscious self with a material object we couldn't even know what would constitute an "individual" conscious perceiver since material objects can (at least) almost always be cut down into smaller and smaller components. Do we have as many conscious perceivers as left and right hemispheres of the brain? As many conscious perceivers as there are brain cells? Do we have as many conscious perceivers as quarks in our brain? Regardless of how the materialist answers this issue, he would seem to be needlessly duplicating many conscious bits of matter just to explain our everyday experience and this isn't desirable if one tries to follow Ockham's Razor. And why do we need to hold that the conscious self is really divisible, in some form or another, into several conscious selves composed of matter?
The emergentist or property dualist view that the brain is the conscious subject, as one can see with careful reflection, is saddled with several difficulties. The problem is, in summary, if the conscious self is material then how would the conscious states relate to the whole and its parts? Would the whole brain or a good chunk of it be the only thing that's conscious? Or do we have a conscious subject no matter how much we break down the brain into smaller parts? Do we have good reason to believe that if none of the subatomic particles of the brain are capable of remembering and understanding concepts that the brain altogether will produce a person with memory and understanding? These questions are difficult to answer for the materialist. In my opinion, these problems reveal the fact that materialism undermines the notion of a bearer of consciousness altogether.
One serious advantage behind the idea that persons have a "soul" or an immaterial conscious self is that this notion avoids all these problems within emergentism. Because souls are not composite objects that can always be divided into smaller and smaller parts, and are not things that gain or lose parts throughout time, one doesn't have to face all these troublesome paradoxes that are within the standard materialist model.
So when one perceives a red apple, or understands "2+2=4" with the aid of the body, no one needs to worry about whether a tiny "particle" of the soul perceives the red apple, or understands the math, because it is senseless to say that the soul is a construct of smaller parts that are connected together and that can be gained or lost in time. An immaterial self cannot have "parts" like the way the brain or any material object does as such. When one perceives a color, or understands simple arithmetic it is simply the soul or mind that perceives the color, or understands the mathematical proposition, and it doesn't get complicated beyond that. With the notion of the soul, the mind would be a single unified, non-composite and indivisible bearer of consciousness that is not vulnerable to the "divisible parts problem" in materialism.
Of course, people can always raise objections to any idea including the idea of the soul or mental substance. But between the emergentist notion that the brain or body is the conscious subject versus the idea that the conscious subject is immaterial, I'd much rather endorse the notion of an immaterial conscious self and not have to deal with the mess of how can consciousness relate to a divisible, physical object as its bearer. Overall, one can see why I share in Leibniz's skepticism of the idea that a material object can be a bearer of consciousness.
Some night when I have insomnia, I'll pull this up. Philosophy like this always made more sense at 2 AM since sleep deprivation always helped philosophy look better.
"Overall, one can see why I share in Leibniz's skepticism of the idea that a material object can be a bearer of consciousness." Actually,no. There are shorter, more succinct ways of getting there. Philosophy is just soooooo wordy.
Is A Material Bearer of Consciousness Intelligible?
Yes, its's called a brain.
The first problem that I dealt with concerning emergentism was the problem of how unconscious matter becomes conscious. I have previously argued against the idea that subjective awareness can arise from unconscious material. The idea is absurd since it implies that something can arise from nothing.
Nonsense. It's the configuration plus the application of power. A television in the off state is not really a television — just a potential one. Likewise, a CPU in the off state is not a computer. Turn it on and the computer suddenly appears — from nowhere in your view.
Are zygotes conscious? If not, when do they become so?
One serious advantage behind the idea that persons have a "soul" or an immaterial conscious self is that this notion avoids all these problems within emergentism.
So somehow the living brain is the only thing in the world which can interact with this soul? And only one in particular apparently. Why is that? It's the only thing which can interact with the immaterial? What's so special about it? Seems you have bigger problems to address other than emergentism.
In your television analogy, would not consciousness be the television show. The TV cannot create the show, and the show (airwaves or cable impulses) exists separate from the TV.
Yes, PK, exactly. Besides, DAV, where does this 'power' come from you speak of in your Television analogy? And who supplies it? And where does it go when we die?
But let's get to the Perfesser's real point- at what level of divisible matter does this consciousness emerge? Macro? Micro? If it emerges (from where?), then there has to be a point when/where it happens. When will the materialists be able to tell us?
Material objects are generally considered inert. Nonetheless, sometimes we speak of objects as 'movable' or 'immovable', e.g. a pebble and a mountain are both material objects. Yet a pebble is 'movable' whereas a mountain is 'immovable'. The notion of movability in the case of a pebble arises from its amenability size-wise to having motion imparted to it by us rather than out of any qualitative aspect of the pebble absent in a mountain. Therefore, when we impart motion to a pebble, although it is qualitatively the same motion as ours, that motion is non-causal because the pebble is not the source of the causality or intentionality of its motion. Rather, the causality and intentionality stems from ourselves, who have imparted our own intrinsic quality of motion to the pebble. Thus, motion, although an intrinsic quality of any cognitive system, can also be present non-causally in a system, i.e. in and of itself, possessing motion does not confer causality to a 'moving' system.
Similarly, we can account for the conception of causal and non-causal intelligence by postulating that, like motion, intelligence is also a necessary but not a sufficient condition for causal cognition, i.e. a truly cognitive system will certainly be intelligent but an 'intelligent' system need not necessarily be cognitive. As Briggs has implied, behaviour should not be confused with causality. The brain might appear to think but this is no different from the idea that a computer 'thinks'. The actual thinking belongs solely to the causal agent, the immaterial conscious self.
No. It isn't complicated enough to be conscious. Computers don't generate software either. They are simple examples of something appearing from configuration and application of power.
We know of nothing as complex as a brain. That doesn't mean consciousness isn't the result of complexity of configuration and power. If simple things can exhibit different properties with configuration and power, it's reasonable to assume more complex things can as well.
The argument based upon uniqueness (the brain's complexity) is a double-edged sword. This argument seeks to show that internal states subject to privileged access are brain states and, therefore, are physical states. It also claims that brain states are subject to privileged access in spite of being physical states because these brain states have something that no other physical states have, namely, a certain kind of complexity. While this is logically possible, the very structure of this argument is suspicious.
Whether or not brain states possess a certain complexity no other states have may be settled by science. However, if we suppose this to be true, how does this show that this makes them suitable candidates for privileged access? Due to the very nature of the case, this claim cannot be independently verified. As nothing else has this complexity nor privileged access, we are unable to verify by examining anything else whether this complexity has anything to do with being eligible for privileged access. One may make this claim but is it justified or merely an assumption? What if such complexity merely helps the brain states to be among the necessary conditions for some non-physical internal states that are subject to privileged access? So far as I know, no physicalist has produced any evidence to rule this out.
Whether or not brain states possess a certain complexity no other states have may be settled by science.
The states aren't complex. The brain is.
What is this "privileged access" you speak of?
I suppose a voodoo ineraction with an immaterial soul (which can only ineract with one particular living brain) is more satisfying to you.
Is that better? The physicalist/materialist identifies states of consciousness with the body, specifically, the brain. If one inserts the term 'brain' in the place of 'brain states', the point remains the same.
'Privileged access' means 'private cognitive states', i.e. the content of a cognition is known only to the cognizer and not to others. It can be argued that physical qualia can be perceived by oneself and others, whereas conscious states cannot (privileged access), therefore, conscious states are not physical qualia. There are, of course, counter-arguments but this would become too wordy at the present time.
One can conceive consciousness as a non-material energy to which the class of operators that effect changes in states of matter can belong. Consciousness and matter can be understood as two different energies. Energy by definition, is 'the capacity to perform work'. Matter is a form of energy, but is also seen to be inert. Therefore, we can define matter to be an energy which cannot actualise its capacity for work unless acted upon by an external cause. When we conceive consciousness as an energy form different from matter, we immediately see what can be the difference between them: since consciousness by nature has to be sentient, as an energy, it will not only have the capacity to perform work but also to actualise such work on its own and, naturally, it will also be able to cause matter to perform work.
Some concepts of causality can be presented to bolster the argument but, again, would take up too much space presently.
If you look at a running computer at a too low a level, you do not see the program changing states either. You see electrons zipping about, or gates switching between voltages. And as there is no way an electron or a voltage can compute, or even just add or compare, a computer cannot compute, or show a blog post like this, either.
So, by using the logic of this post, the post cannot possibly have been written, or read.
'Privileged access' means 'private cognitive states', i.e. the content of a cognition is known only to the cognizer and not to others.
A CPU has states inaccessible to outsiders and it's much simpler. So what?
It's already been shown to be more complex with lots of interconnected, much simpler neurons. Just like a CPU is largely a set of interconnected, simpler NAND gates. Better? I don't know. Just is.
It's the interconnections which transfer information. Consciousness is nothing more than self recognition. The brain is replete with recognizers. One or more which recognize self aren't difficult to imagine.
I don't believe that any recognizers in the brain have ever been isolated. Instead, their existence is postulated due to our reifying the brain as computer model. Hand waving arguments abound, but the consciousness recognizer hasn't been proven any more than voodoo you cite.
Ah, the brain. The magical organ that uses the organism. If English had an instrumental case, we would not confuse an instrument with an agent. After all, a paintbrush does not paint a wall no matter how long or complex the handle is.
There also seems some confusion between consciousnes, intelligence and other cognitive processes.
Do animals recognize food? Wouldn't that require a recognizer?
1) Do zygotes have consciousness? If not, when do they achieve it?
2) Why does this immaterial soul only interact with one particular brain?
3)Why is it only the living brain can interact with this immaterial soul? What makes it unique to this task?
Are animals conscious? They have sensitive soul and a soul is just a principle and not a material thing. Even a vegetative soul that plants have is immaterial.
Generally speaking, all forms are immaterial. So, what is special about the rational soul?
The soul does not interact with brain or anything else. The soul is, in Thomism, just the form of a an animal. Thus a dog has a dog soul, a cat has cat soul and a human has a human soul.
A form is what makes a thing the thing it is. A human is a human because he has a human soul or form. A form or soul is not a thing super-added to the material body.
Now, by this scheme, all humans have a soul or form-the human soul or form. But the question of individual soul, so important in religion, I have not been able to make sense of from this scheme.
Aren't you equivocating on the word "soul".
Does "soul" move the hand or does "mind"?
I mean, it is not the usual way of speaking. We move our hands or our minds direct the hands.
But it is never spoken that "souls move the hand".
"Every human being has an immortal soul" says the Catholic Church (CCC 366).
But if by Thomism, a soul is just the form of a body, either individually or species-wise, and a form is just the principle of life, then ALL FORMS are equally immortal. Or rather, the word "immortal" does not apply to forms at all.
Thus, the Church must be using the word "soul" in some other sense–not in the sense of "form of a body".
YOS didn't object so I stuck with it.
Materialists are necessarily irrational because the entire ideology is founded on the irrational assumption that everything that exists is caused by, or comes from, something that doesn't, or didn't, exist.
No, Sheri, it's not philosophy that is wordy and convoluted; it's the philosophists trying to make an "argument" out of a nonsense. Real philosophy is "the search for knowledge and understanding of reality using the scientific instrument that we call logic". It cannot be explained according to Materialistic/"empirical" precepts; logic, reason, cognition… are all metaphysical.
Ordinary commonsense observation makes it obvious to just about everyone (except those ensconced in their academic ivory towers which are fortifications designed to prevent the ingress of commonsense) that the difference between a live organism and a dead one is some immaterial (metaphysical) thing or stuff that makes physics and chemistry do what it never ever can, or ever does, do outside of a living organism.
As far as sentient material beings are concerned I have, and will, contend that the brain is only the physical organ that connects the physical world of sense and motor to the metaphysical mind. Any Materialist can take as many brains as he likes and mix them up however he likes but without the metaphysical "stuff" that is "life" it will turn into a putrid mess of chemicals returning to their natural inorganic state.
"Life" does not spontaneously erupt out of any combination of chemicals. It always (no exceptions) comes from a pre-existing life that can order material processes according to the design of that creature.
because a CPU has no cognitive states, what to speak of private cognitive states.
akinchana: The complexity of the brain could just as easily be a reason why it could not produce consciousness. As previously stated, the brain's uniqueness negates the examination of any other thing to prove whether it is or is not capable of producing consciousness. Therefore, this sort of argument rests on a shaky foundation.
Self-recognition is only one aspect of consciousness. Consciousness is at least a mixture of knowledge/data, intelligence/reasoning power, and self-volition. Matter is none of those things and the brain is made of matter.
The brain is an instrument of the conscious self just as much as any other part of the body, regardless of its apparent complexity. Put another way, physical objects exist within a room because I have a use for them. This is more evident than the idea that I exist in a room because the objects have a use for me!
Well done, akinchana, I hope that the foot you shot yourself in bears you a long lasting memory of the absurdity of relativism.
Mactoul: "Are animals conscious? They have sensitive soul and a soul is just a principle and not a material thing. Even a vegetative soul that plants have is immaterial.
akinchana: Not only animals but plants also, are conscious. According to the blossoming of their awareness, some can move and some cannot. To move requires awareness of a destination, some sort of incentive, and if the consciousness is very dim then no movement is required. The various bodily forms that we see are aggregates of matter that are appropriate to the immaterial soul's desire to exploit the different elements of matter (solids, liquids, fire, air) for the purpose of enjoyment (even though the inevitable result is suffering). We see that to interact with water, we need to use SCUBA equipment, whereas naturally occurring aquatic creatures already have the necessary equipment (body) to adapt to a watery environment.
The human form of life is the only material form that allows philosophical inquiry: "Who am I?" "What is my place in relation to the world?" "Does God exist?" The function of the human body compared to animal/plant bodies, is to ask and strive to answer these questions, otherwise it is wasted and one essentially leads the life of a sophisticated animal—sleeping, eating, mating and defending.
Humans sleep on soft beds, eat using fancy cutlery, mate in comfortable surroundings and defend by using their advanced brainpower to create horrific weapons of destruction and mass destruction. These are simply refinements of animal behaviour. If one wastes this precious gift of the human body in the pursuit of animal activities rather than spiritual inquiry then, unfortunately, one's life is for nought.
akinchana: Perhaps you could explain yourself a little better.
So, I assume that you agree with the assumption that something that does not exist can cause itself to exist?
I'm more than 60 years old. I'm tired of idiots.
Come up with a reasonable explanation of how something that does not exist can cause something to exist and I might be amused to argue with you.
You haven't explained the significant difference. They are "cognitive" in the brain because that's what brains do. Again, so what?
The corollary is that less complexity might. Conscious CPU's and TV's and all that.
You seem to be dong that all ny yourself.
Being aware of a rose as red is a determinate cognition. Here, the rose is the qualificand, the red colour is the qualifier and the latter is cognised as being inherent in the former. However, the qualificand/qualifier distinction is relative and may vary depending on the nature of the cognition. If instead of the cognition that the rose is red, what is cognised is that the red colour is in the rose, the red colour becomes the qualificand and the rose, or belonging to the rose, becomes the qualifier. A situation may be described and cognised in a number of different ways and the distinction between the qualificand and the qualifier will vary accordingly. Such fluidity of distinction is the main reason for the privacy of cognitive states. Only the cogniser knows the content of the cognition, i.e. what the qualificand is and what the qualifier is. Neuroscience has singularly failed to identify what precisely is the distinction between the qualificand and the qualifier of a particular cognition of a particular person at a particular time. Furthermore, the latest research, rather than clarifying the situation, widens the gap in understanding, unlike what happens in most other topics of research.
Also, if the qualificand and qualifier arrangements are material brain states, then one should be able to say that the qualificand (space-wise) is to the right, left, above or below the qualifier or vice-versa, but one cannot, as to do so would be nonsensical when speaking of cognition. The same problem arises if one says that the qualificand (time-wise) is before, simultaneous with or after the qualifier. Obviously, cognitions cannot be described in the same context of time and space as material brain activity can.
Perhaps one should try to resist the tendency to oversimplify the obstacles encountered when attempting to demonstrate that conscious/mental states are nothing more than a by-product of an aggregate of matter. It is not unreasonable to infer that a very complex arrangement of matter might be required to act as an interface between a conscious self and the world of matter, but that is far different from assigning causality to something inert, i.e. dead.
An afterthought: "Is heat a property of water?" Is this an unreasonable question? If not, then to question whether or not cognition/thought is a property of matter or an external substance, is also a reasonable inquiry.
The whole cosmos is an emergent property of consciousness. Looking for consciusness within or separate to things is an upside-down and inside-out view of reality.
Is there? I'm not aware of anything other than my sense impressions, my memories, and my thoughts about them. They aren't something *I* am conscious off, they *are* my consciousness.
Try removing your brain and seeing if you're still conscious. I can predict the outcome of this experiment with a high level of confidence.
I don't see why these are difficult questions. Can the individual components of a car work as a car? No. Can these same components when assembled into a car work as a car? Yes. We already know that specific mental abilities are located to specific areas of the brain and we can lose those abilities if these specific areas are damaged.
As a scientist, shouldn't you be more concerned with finding the truth, however messy, rather than just confirming your religious bias by picking an off-the-peg answer which really solves nothing anyway?
Perhaps you could suggest what experiment would disprove the existence of the soul?
I can easily suggest an experiment to disprove the existence of the soul.
Take any dead body, or any number of dead bodies, and put them anywhere you like and see if the, even ready present, concert of very complex proteins will turn itself into a wonderful new life form. If not it would be reasonable to claim that the complex organics in a live organism are the result of "life" and not the cause of it.
Your experiment wouldn't disprove the existence of the soul. Reading between the lines, it looks like a hopelessly confused attempt to disprove evolution and/or abiogenesis, but it wouldn't even disprove either of those.


The momentum in the second-degree murder retrial of Dennis Oland in the brutal beating death of his multimillionaire father has taken a turn — one which "favours" the defence, says Toronto criminal lawyer Christopher Hicks, who has decades of experience in defending clients accused of homicide.
Hicks, partner with Hicks Adams LLP, says Oland's second trial has seen the defence go on offence, "effectively building a case to discredit" the Crown's evidence.
Richard Oland, 69, was found murdered in his Saint John, N.B. office July 6, 2011. His son, Dennis, now 50, was charged two years later, and convicted in 2015. The New Brunswick Court of Appeal set aside the conviction in 2016 and ordered a new trial.
Sgt. Greg Oram has testified that Glen McCloskey, former deputy chief of the Saint John Police, sat on a piece of office furniture in Richard Oland's office prior to the forensic testing being completed on the first day of the investigation, the CBC reports.
Oram also told the court that he entered the crime scene, and came within two or three feet of the body and that he and McCloskey walked "through a significant amount, but not the entire office" before the head of the forensics unit returned to the crime scene and told them to get out.
The CBC reports that neither McCloskey, who was then the head of the criminal investigations division, nor Oram, at the time a constable with the major crime unit, were wearing protective gear. Oram did not testify during the first trial.
"The forensic unit, and only the forensic unit, should have suited up, and taken every precaution to protect the crime scene from contamination and to preserve the evidence. It wasn't done.
During his testimony, McCloskey said he made two entries into Oland's office, one out of "professional curiosity,'' The Canadian Press (CP) reports.
"Isn't it possible you could have stepped on a small piece of evidence, something you did not see, while you were in the office?'' defence counsel Alan Gold asked him during cross-examination.
"You are correct,'' McCloskey answered.
He also testified that he did not ask an officer to lie about his visits to the crime scene, CP reports.
But retired Staff Sgt. Mike King told the court that McCloskey did ask him not to reveal his visits to the crime scene, CP reports. King made the same claim during the first trial.
Former lead investigator Rick Russell, now retired, testified he remembered Const. Stephen Davidson telling him that he had checked the back door of the office building, and found it locked, the national news agency reports. However, both the prosecution and the defence said the two were never together at the crime scene, so that conversation could not have happened.
Under cross-examination, Russell admitted he was "mistaken,'' and apologized to the court.
The conflicting police testimony adds questions about the conduct of the police during the investigation, Hicks tells AdvocateDaily.com.
"This is a critical point because the defence is working on a theory of there being an alternate suspect," Hicks says.
Hicks also says the defence continues to advance the theory that Saint John police discounted all other possibilities after deciding early in the investigation that Oland committed the crime.
He points to new evidence entered at the second trial, that Gerry Lowe, now a Liberal MLA, told police he was across the street at Thandi's restaurant on either July 6, 2011, or July 5, 2011, sometime after 7:30 p.m., when he saw someone exit the 52 Canterbury St. office.
"Gerry Lowe, a respectable witness, came forward and said this is what he recalls, and this is never part of the investigation because, as the defence says, the police had tunnel vision, and were ignoring anything that didn't co-ordinate with their theory that the killer was Dennis Oland," says Hicks.
"Lowe's statement should have been videotaped and under oath or affirmation. This is a fundamental, and routine for investigators taking witness statements. Failure to do so is contrary to 20 years of jurisprudence from the Supreme Court of Canada," Hicks notes.
The CBC reports that the defence has entered into evidence a time-stamped security video that shows Lowe entering Thandi's on July 6, 2011, at 7:40 p.m., and exiting at 8:35 p.m.
"The defence is working very hard at discrediting the police investigation of the crime scene to show the examination of this tragic death was poor, and the officers who attended, were undisciplined," Hicks says.
"They are also working on this alternate suspect idea, that someone else did this, and the police missed it, a) because they mishandled the forensic scene, and b) because they had tunnel vision. They only saw Dennis Oland and dismissed any evidence to the contrary.