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Mary Oliver published over 25 books of poetry and prose, including Dream Work, A Thousand Mornings, and A Poetry Handbook. She won the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry in 1983 for her book American Primitive. Her final work, Devotions, is a curated collection of poetry from her more than 50-year career.
Krista Tippett, host: Mary Oliver died this week. She's been one of our greatest poets, beloved and often quoted by people across ages and backgrounds. And so this hour, we're revisiting the rare interview she granted us in 2015 — on the world and poetry and the life behind her writing.
Ms. Oliver: Sure. I was 10, 11, 12 years old, but I kept at it — with my pencil I've traveled to the moon and back. Probably a few times.
Mary Oliver was born in 1935 and grew up in a small town in Ohio. She won the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award, among her many honors — and published numerous collections of poetry and also some wonderful prose. She lived and wrote for five decades in Provincetown, Massachusetts on Cape Cod, and her poetry is vivid with a sense of place. After an illness and the death of her longtime partner, the photographer Molly Malone Cook, Mary Oliver moved to southern Florida. That's where I visited her.
Ms. Tippett: The question I always start with, whether I'm interviewing a physicist or a poet is — I'd like to hear whether there was a spiritual background to your early life, to your childhood. However you would define that now.
Ms. Oliver: Well, I would define it now very differently from when I was a child. I was sent to Sunday school, as many kids are. And then I had trouble with the resurrection. So I would not join the church. But I was still probably more interested than many of the kids who did enter the church. It's been one of the most important interests of my life and continues to be. And it doesn't have to be Christianity. I'm very much taken with the poet Rumi, who is Muslim, a Sufi poet — and read him every day, and have no answers but have some suggestions. I know that a life is much richer with a spiritual part to it. And I also think nothing is more interesting. So I cling to it.
Ms. Tippett: Right. And then you talk about growing up in a sad, depressed place, a difficult place. You don't belabor this, I mean, and in other places — there's a place you talk about you were one of many thousands who've had insufficient childhoods. But that you spent a lot of your time walking around the woods in Ohio.
Ms. Oliver: Yes, I did, and I think it saved my life. To this day, I don't care for the enclosure of buildings. It was a very bad childhood for everybody, every member of the household, not just myself, I think. And I escaped it, barely, with years of trouble. But I did find the entire world in looking for something. But I got saved by poetry. And I got saved by the beauty of the world.
Ms. Tippett: Yeah. And there's such a convergence of those things then, it seems, all the way through in your life as a poet.
Ms. Oliver: Yes, it is a convergence. And I have a little difficulty now having lived for fifty years in a small town in the North. I'm trying very hard to love the mangroves. [laughs] It takes a while.
Ms. Oliver: Yes, I just sold my condo to a very dear friend this summer. And I bought a little house down here, which needs very serious reconstruction. So, I'm not in it yet. But sometimes it's time for the change.
Ms. Oliver: Well, as I say, I don't like buildings. The only record I broke in school was truancy. I went to the woods a lot with books. Whitman in the knapsack. But I also liked motion. So I just began with these little notebooks and scribbled things as they came to me and then worked them into poems later. And always I wanted the "I." Many of the poems are "I did this. I did this. I saw this." I wanted the "I" to be the possible reader, rather than about myself. It was about an experience that happened to be mine but could well have been anybody else's. That was my feeling about the "I." I have been criticized by one editor who felt that "I" would be felt as ego. And I thought, no, well, I'm going to risk it and see. And I think it worked. It enjoined the reader into the experience of the poem. I became the kind of person who did the walking and the scribbling but shared it if they wanted it.
Ms. Oliver: Listening to the world. Well, I did that and I still do it.
Ms. Oliver: Oh, now? I very much advise writers not to use a computer.
Ms. Oliver: …because I'd get up at five, and by nine I'd already had my say.
Ms. Oliver: What is that from?
Ms. Oliver: [laughs] It's been awhile.
Ms. Tippett: It's great. But you say — you promise — it learns quickly what sort of courtship it's going to be. You're saying that the writer has to be kind of in courtship with this essential, but elusive, cautious, as you say, cautious part. And that if you turn up every day, it will learn to trust you.
Ms. Tippett: Yes, and that's the creative process.
Ms. Oliver: That is the creative process. It's also true that I believe poetry — it is a convivial and kind of — it's very old. It's very sacred. It wishes for a community. It's a community ritual, certainly. And that's why, when you write a poem, you write it for anybody and everybody. And you have to be ready to do that out of your single self. It's a giving. It's always — it's a gift. It's a gift to yourself but it's a gift to anybody who has a hunger for it.
Ms. Tippett: Right. And I wonder if it's something about this process you describe where you've applied the will, but also the discipline, to reach and also make room for something that's very deep in us. Right? I love this language, "this wild, silky part of ourselves." I don't know, maybe the soul.
Ms. Oliver: It's become a nasty word lately.
Ms. Oliver: Because it's used — it's become a lazy word. It's too bad.
Ms. Tippett: It's cliched. The silky part, let's just call it that. But I mean, so if you — when you offer that, poetry does create a way to offer that in a condensed form, vivid form.
Ms. Oliver: And very often it — it was Blake who said, "I take dictation." With that discipline and with that willingness and wish to communicate, very often things very slippery do come in that you weren't planning on receiving them. But they do happen. I have very rarely, maybe four or five times in my life, I've written a poem that I never changed. And I don't know where it came from. But it does happen. It happens among hundreds of poems that you've struggled over.
Ms. Tippett: And also, when you talk about this life of waking up in the morning and being outside in this wild landscape with your notebook in your hand and walking. It's so enviable, right? But then I know, when you're in The Poetry Handbook, there's the discipline of being there, but there's also the hard work of rewriting. And, as you say, some things have to be thrown out.
Ms. Oliver: That's an interesting word. Somebody once wrote about me and said I must have a private grant or something, that all I seem to do is walk around the woods and write poems. But I was very, very poor. And I ate a lot of fish. I ate a lot of clams.
Ms. Tippett: Right. And I realized that you actually — you weren't just walking around the woods, you were gathering food in those early years: mussels and clams and mushrooms and berries. Although you gave voice to this kind of really lavish, even ornate beauty that you lived in that was your daily — that was really your mundane world.
Ms. Oliver: That's how I saw it. Yes, that's true.
Ms. Tippett: So there's a question that you pose in many different ways, overtly and implicitly, you know, "How shall I live?" In Long Life you wrote, "What does it mean that the earth is so beautiful? And what shall I do about it? What is the gift that I should bring to the world? What is the life that I should live?" Which really is a question of moral imagination. And it's the ancient essential question. But I wonder how you think about how that question emerges and is addressed distinctively in poetry and through poetry. What does poetry do with a question like that, that other forms of language don't?
Ms. Oliver: I think I would disagree that other forms of language don't. But poetry has a different kind of attraction.
Ms. Tippett: I'm Krista Tippett, and this is On Being. Today, revisiting my rare conversation with the poet Mary Oliver, who died this week.
Ms. Oliver: Yeah. Well, you know, and it is. We all wonder, "Who is God? What's going to happen when we die?" All that stuff. And I don't think it's — maybe it's never nothing. I'm very fond of Lucretius.
Ms. Oliver: Lucretius says just everything's a little energy. You go back, and you're these little bits of energy, and pretty soon you're something else. Now that's a continuance. It's not the one we think of when we're talking about the golden streets and the angels with how many wings and whatever, the hierarchy of angels. Even angels have a hierarchy. But it's something quite wonderful.
The world is pretty much — everything is mortal. It dies. But its parts don't die. Its parts become something else. We know that when we bury a dog in the garden and with a rose bush on top of it. We know that there is replenishment. And that's pretty amazing. What more there might be, I don't know. But I'm pretty confident of that one.
Ms. Tippett: And again, do you think spending your life as a poet and working with words and responding to the world in the way you have as a poet gives you tools to work with? Because putting words around God, or what God is, or who God is, or, I don't know, heaven — it's always insufficient.
Ms. Oliver: It's always insufficient, but the question and the wonder is not unsatisfying. It's never totally satisfying. But it's intriguing. And also what one does end up believing, even if it shifts, has an effect upon life that you live, the life that you choose to live or try to live. So it's an endless, unanswerable quest. I find it endlessly fascinating. And I think also religion is very helpful in people not thinking that they themselves are sufficient, that there is something that has to do with all of us that is more than all of us are.
Ms. Tippett: I love that. And I have to say also, to me, it was just — it's so perfect. It kind of was like, what's the point of bringing 50,000 new words into the world? This says it all.
Ms. Oliver: I have had a rash, which seems to be continuing, of writing shorter poems.
Ms. Oliver: It probably is an influence from Rumi, whose poems are — many of them are quite short. But if you can say it in a few lines, you're just decorating for the rest of it. Unless you could — intent makes something more intense, but if you said what you want to say, you're not going to make it more intense. You're just going to repeat yourself. So I've got a poem that will start the next book. I think it goes like this: "Things take the time they take. Don't / worry. / How many roads did St. Augustine follow / before he became St. Augustine?" Same kind of thing. What else is there to say?
Ms. Oliver: That's four lines, and that's not a day's work. But the poem is done.
Ms. Tippett: And it speaks so completely perfectly to the "I" who's reading the poem. Even though it's about St Augustine, but it's about all of us. Right?
Ms. Oliver: Yeah, and people do worry that they're not wherever they want to go. And St. Augustine, I just read a biography of him. He was all over the map before he settled down.
Ms. Tippett: I'd like to talk about attention, which is another real theme that runs through your work, both the word and the practice. I know people associate you with that word. But I was interested to read that you began to learn that attention without feeling is only a report. That there is more to attention than for it to matter in the way you want it to matter. Say something about that learning.
Ms. Oliver: You need empathy with it rather than just reporting. Reporting is for field guides. And they're great. They're helpful. But that's what they are. They're not thought provokers. They don't go anywhere. And I say somewhere that attention is the beginning of devotion, which I do believe. But that's it. A lot of these things are said but can't be explained.
Ms. Tippett: I think that your poem "A Summer Day" is, maybe, one of the best known.
Ms. Tippett: "The Summer Day" — in sixth grade. And so she came home reciting this poem and I felt really embodying it. And we actually played it in the show. Anyway, I brought it because I wanted you to hear it. So remember, she's not reading it. She'd learned it.
Ms. Tippett: But so many young people — young and old — have learned that poem by heart, and it's become part of them.
Ms. Oliver: One thing about that poem, which I think is important, is that the grasshopper actually existed. And yet I was able to fit him into that poem. And the sugar he was eating was part of frosting from a Portuguese lady's birthday cake, which wasn't important to the poem. But even seeing that little creature come to my plate and say, I'd like a little helping of that. It somehow fascinates me that — that's just personal for me that it was Mrs. Segura, probably her 90th birthday cake or something.
Ms. Oliver: And he'd say, "Oh, Hi Mary. How's your work going?" And I'd say, "Pretty good. How was yours?" And it was the same thing. There was no sense of eliteness or difference, and that was very nice. In fact, it is a funny story. When the Pulitzer Prize was announced, which I didn't even know they'd turned the book in for, I was, at that time, as the whole town was doing, going out to the dump most mornings, which was a mess — that was before they cleaned up — to buy shingles. I was shingling the house or some kind of thing. And a friend of mine came by — a woman who's a painter. She said, "Ha, what are you doing? Looking for your old manuscripts?" [laughs] It was very funny.
Ms. Tippett: After a short break, more conversation with the late Mary Oliver. You can always listen again, and hear the unedited version of every conversation I have on the On Being podcast feed. Now with special occasional bite-sized extras — wherever podcasts are found.
I'm Krista Tippett, and this is On Being. Today, remembering the great poet Mary Oliver who died this week. We're revisiting the rare interview she granted us in 2015 on the world and poetry and the life behind her writing. She won the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize among her many honors, and her poetry is beloved by people across ages and backgrounds. Later in life, she moved from Cape Cod to Florida to be close to friends, and that's where we visited her.
Ms. Tippett: I wanted to also name the fact that as you said before, you're not somebody who belabors what is dark, what has been hard. I think it's important and maybe helpful for people, because there's so much beauty and light in your poetry, also that you let in the fact that it's not all sweetness and light. And you did that a lot in the Dream Work book. And those poems are notably harder.
Ms. Oliver: I did. And a lot of — you know, I didn't know at that time what I was writing about. I really had no understanding.
Ms. Oliver: And I — it's a she. And that's perfect biography, unfortunately — or autobiography. But I couldn't handle that material except in the three or four poems that I've done — just couldn't.
Ms. Oliver: That's how I felt, but I didn't know I was — certainly, I didn't know I was talking about my father. Children forget. They don't forget, but they forget the details. They just don't know why they have nightmares all the time. It's very difficult.
Ms. Oliver: Well, we do carry it. But it is very helpful to figure out, as best you can, what happened and why these people were the way they were. It was a very dark and broken house that I came from.
Ms. Oliver: "…had we loved in time." Yeah, well, he never got any love out of me — or deserved it. But mostly what makes you angry is the loss of the years of your life, because it does leave damage. But there you are. You do what you can do.
Ms. Tippett: You have such a capacity for joy, especially in the outdoors. Right? You transmit that. And it's that joy — if you're capable of that, how much more of it would there have been?
Ms. Oliver: Well, I saved my own life by finding a place that wasn't in that house. That was my strength, but I wasn't all strength. It would have been a very different life. Whether I would have written poetry or not, who knows? Poetry is a pretty lonely pursuit. And, in many cases I used to think, I don't do it anymore — but that I'm talking to myself. There was nobody else that in that house I was going to talk to. It was a very difficult time and a long time. And I don't understand some people's behavior.
Ms. Oliver: Lucretius just presents this marvelous and important idea that what we are made of will make something else, which to me is very important. There is no nothingness — with these little atoms that run around too little for us to see. But, put together, they make something. And that to me is a miracle. Where it came from, I don't know. But it's a miracle, and I think it's enough to keep a person afloat.
Ms. Tippett: [laughs] Let's talk about your last couple of books, which also are an insight into you at this stage in your life. And then I'd love for you to read some poems. You have said that you were so captivated. That you were — I don't know if you've said this that way, but it seems to me you've kind of written about being so captivated by the world of nature that you were less open to the world of humans — and that as you've grown older, as you've gone through life, what did you say, you've entered more fully into the human world and embraced it. Is that a good…?
Ms. Oliver: It was a passage of time. It was a passage of understanding what happened to me and why I behaved in certain ways and didn't in other ways. So it was clarity.
Ms. Tippett: You wrote really beautifully about the death of Molly, who you shared so much of your life with. You wrote, I don't know, I'm finding my notes, "The end of life has its own nature, also worth our attention." I liked that line. In some ways, it feels to me when I read your poetry of the last couple of years that that's really this territory you're on, or at least part of it.
Ms. Tippett: But it's a different chapter.
Ms. Tippett: There's that poem "The Fourth Sign of the Zodiac" in the new book.
Ms. Oliver: Yeah. How does that start? Which one is that? Oh — that's one of the poems about cancer.
Ms. Oliver: Sure. Oh, where'd I put my glasses? There they are. Yeah. The fourth sign of the zodiac is, of course, cancer. Oh, that's what I meant.
These four poems are about the cancer episode, shall we say? The cancer visit? Did you want me to go on to these others?
"The question is, / what will it be like / after the last day? / Will I float / into the sky / or will I fray / within the earth or a river — / remembering nothing? / How desperate I would be / if I couldn't remember / the sun rising, if I couldn't / remember trees, rivers; if I couldn't / even remember, beloved, / your beloved name.
"3. / I know, you never intended to be in this world. / But you're in it all the same. // So why not get started immediately. // I mean, belonging to it. / There is so much to admire, to weep over. // And to write music or poems about. // Bless the feet that take you to and fro. / Bless the eyes and the listening ears. / Bless the tongue, the marvel of taste. / Bless touching. / You could live a hundred years, it's happened. / Or not. / I am speaking from the fortunate platform / of many years, / none of which, I think, I ever wasted. / Do you need a prod? / Do you need a little darkness to get you going? / Let me be as urgent as a knife, then, / and remind you of Keats, / so single of purpose and thinking, for a while, / he had a lifetime.
Ms. Tippett: There are some of your poems, and I think "The Summer Day" is one and "Wild Geese" is another, that have just entered the lexicon.
Ms. Oliver: Yes, three: "The Summer Day," "Wild Geese," there's one other. I can't remember, but I would say is the third one. But I don't remember it.
Ms. Tippett: If you think of it, tell me. So "Wild Geese" is in Dream Work, and I've heard people talk about that, "Wild Geese," as a poem that has saved lives. And I wonder if when you write something like that — I mean, when you wrote that poem or when you published this book, would you have known that that was the poem that would speak so deeply to people?
Ms. Oliver: Yes, and not every line is that way. I was trying to show the variation. But my mind was completely on that. At the same time, I will say that I heard the wild geese. I just started out to do this for this friend and show her the effect of the line end is — you've said something definite. It's very different from enjambment. I love all that difference. And that's what I was doing.
Ms. Oliver: Yeah, I was trying to do a certain kind of construction. Nevertheless, once I started writing the poem, it was the poem. I knew the construction well enough that I didn't have to think about, just if I need an end-stopped line here or… It just worked itself out the way I wanted for the exercise.
Ms. Oliver: Sure. That's kind of a secret. But it's the truth. "Wild Geese." I actually thought it was — oh no, there it is. 14, you're right.
Well, it's a subject I knew well, a lot about.
Ms. Tippett: It was just there in you. It was there in you to come out.
Ms. Oliver: Yeah. It wasn't dictated, but — that's what Blake used to say. And that's just a way of saying you don't know where it comes from. But if you've done it lot — and lord knows when I started writing poetry, it was rotten.
Ms. Oliver: Sure. I was 10, 11, 12 years old, but I kept at it, kept at it, kept at it. I used to say, with my pencil I've traveled to the moon and back. Probably a few times. I kept at it every day. And finally you learn things.
Ms. Tippett: I'm conscious that I want to move towards a close. I'd like to hear a little bit more — you've mentioned Rumi a few times. In A Thousand Mornings, you say, "If I were a Sufi for sure I would be one of the spinning kind." And that's clear. Actually, it makes so much sense from how you were always on the move even as a teenager.
How do you think your spiritual sensibility — and here we are again with that tricky word. But how is your spiritual — I don't want to say how is your spiritual life. I mean, you've said somewhere you've become more spiritual as you've grown older. What do you mean when you say that? What's the content of that?
Ms. Oliver: I've become kinder, more people-oriented, more willing to grow old. I always was investigative in terms of everlasting life, but a little more interested now, a little more content with my answers.
Ms. Tippett: There's this poem, the second poem in A Thousand Mornings, which is your 2013 book, which also to me just kind of says it all. What's the point of the — "I Happen to Be Standing." Would you read that one?
Ms. Tippett: [laughs] Yes you are!
Ms. Tippett: Mary Oliver died this week. Her many honors included the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry. She published over 25 books of poetry and prose including Dream Work, A Thousand Mornings and The Poetry Handbook.
You may know that we usually post the unedited interview behind each week's episode. The 90 minutes we originally recorded with Mary Oliver contains so many lovely moments, including more of her ruminations on her move from the landscape of Cape Cod to that of Florida and on her love for the dogs in her life.
Ms. Oliver: Well, Rilke wrote a poem — some friend of mine did a painting of it, of just a picture of a dog. And the quote is "the soul for which there is no heaven." Well, no thank you. I mean, there are going to be trees in paradise, as we're going to have fun imagining it, whether it exists or not. Dogs are certainly going to be there. Poor little burros and donkeys, after all the work they've done in the world? Good heavens, yes.
Ms. Tippett: Special thanks this week to Ann Godoff and Liz Calamari at Penguin Press and to Regula Noetzli at the Charlotte Sheedy Literary Agency.


If you are looking to purchase a new set of tires for your truck or SUV, then you have come to the right place. Truck tires differ vastly from conventional tires in terms of their features and applications. With the variety of truck and SUV tires available these days, the selection is also definitely challenging. Thankfully, we have compiled a list of the best truck tires based on different metrics.
Before we review the best truck tires of 2019, let's discuss the factors you need to consider before purchasing.
The first thing you must be familiar with is the type of truck tires available in the market. Every tire has its own characteristics, limitations and performance.
Truck tires are generally divided into 3 types: All-Season Truck Tires, All Terrain Truck Tires, and Mud-Terrain Truck Tires. The majority of trucks are factory fitted with the best All Season truck tires. As the name suggests, they are built to do the job in all types of road conditions. However, they lack the performance and precision offered by All-Terrain or Mud Terrain (see below).
The Best Mud-Terrain truck tires are optimized to offer superior off-road performance. This does not mean you cannot use them on the road. It is just that they are designed to give maximum performance in difficult off-road environments. However, if you are someone who spends 80% of your time offroad, you should opt for the mud-terrain tires. These best pickup truck tires are visibly distinct; they feature aggressive tread pattern and mega sipes as well as stone and mud removers that help eject debris picked from mud.
The type of tires you should choose for your truck or SUV depends on your use. However, if you want to mount up a single set of tires and forget about them, go for all-season. And if your time is divided on and off-road, or places where the road conditions are not ideal, choose all-terrain tires. Finally, if you want the best off-road performance, the mud-terrain tires are ideal. Their tread pattern and the tire compound are tailor-made to perform in the most challenging conditions.
Depending on the size of your truck, you need a pair of tires that fit your truck. And do not commit the mistake of purchasing small or large size tires. They put your life in jeopardy.
Unlike traditional tires, the tread of truck tires is deeper and cover more area. This enables the tires to dig into the terrain, offering excellent traction. This is perfect for paved terrains.
Aspect ratio represents the tire's sidewall as a percentage of the width of the tire. However, if you drive a 12-wheeler, it is important you go for tires with a larger aspect ratio, normally between 65 and 75.
Now that you know what to look for when purchasing a fresh set of rubber, let us review the best truck tires of 2019.
Nitto's Terra Grappler is a set of all-terrain tires which perform fabulously off-road and in all weather conditions. Since their introduction in the market, and they continue to top the charts in various magazines because of the tremendous balance they provide in both wet and dry conditions. Moreover, the sipes are big and deep, organized meticulously to remove water and debris.
The tread rubber compound is robust and thick, thus avoids punctures and wear & tear. Simply put, the Terra Grappler is also fantastic multipurpose truck tires.
These tires offer better grip and traction than many other all-terrain tires.
The reason why we like the Goodyear Wrangler is pretty simple – they also have some of the best tread design, optimized to perform in mud, snow, pavements and just about anywhere. However, the best part is, these tires are virtually noiseless and offer better fuel economy. All in all, this is achieved by the compact lug spacing, which also lowers rolling resistance. These are also lightweight, which makes them the best truck tires on highways.
Lightweight and noiseless. They hit home with most mid-sized and large trucks.
The Hankook DynaPro ATM RF 10 is formidable in its appearance and which is not the only reason why we label it as the best off-road truck tires. Because of ruggedness and strong rubber compound, the tires are immune to puncture. Moreover, the treads are deep, complemented by two-step sipes. The ATM RF 10 has a 7-8% wider footprint, which improves road grip.
Our pick for the best truck tires for offroad owing to the wider footprint.
The Firestone Destination resembles military style tires. The focus is to improve off-road driving in challenging environments. The treads are extra-large to cut through wet terrain while the sturdy shoulder lugs offer precision around corners. The durable rubber compound is highly resistant against aquaplaning.
The tires are constructed using Dura-loc technology to withstand damage from curbs as well as resisting highway hazards.
Our second all-terrain entry in the list is Cooper's Discoverer A/T3 Traction Radial Tire. The reason for picking this tire is simple – we found its performance exceptional on both off and on road at very a low price point. With the Discoverer, you do not have to worry about potholes or pieces of rubble in your way. The silica-based tread compound helps to eject rubble.
The dual draft tread combined with a broken rib center enhances traction without compromising on handling. All in all, these are excellent on and off-road tires by Cooper.
Best on and off-road tires on a budget. Silica-based tread compound to maneuver wet surfaces, dual draft tread, 5-rib design, and the broken center rib.
Your truck is huge, so it is imperative you park it in space from where you can take it out easily. As you leave the truck, be sure to always turn around and have a good look at your truck. Sometimes, we are guilty of leaving on the flashlights and indicators.
Imagine you are in the middle of a journey and heading toward a destination, which is another 100 miles away. The last thing you want in such a scenario is to run out of fuel or suffer oil leakage. Before starting your journey, and always make sure you check your truck's transmission oil, brake oil, radiator coolant, and the condition of tires as well as estimate the amount of fuel you will need. Remember, if your truck trailer encounters a problem, you cannot tow it!
Before going out on a long itinerary, make sure you do not consume any drugs or alcohol. They can also severely impair your judgment, leading to a major catastrophe.


text:
What angered the Al-Azhar sheikh?
Mashari Althaydi Thursday 02 March 2017
Who is responsible for interpreting Islam? How can one deprive extremists and terrorists from the weapon of religion, which they wield at all people including Muslims?
Whose task is this? The obvious and quick answer is clerics, religious scholars, jurists and muftis. We say so considering that the issue is religious and those are the people specialized in religion.
Is this true? I will try and answer this in a while. These questions crossed my mind as I read the comments of Al-Azhar Sheikh Doctor Ahmed al-Tayeb during a conference organized by Al-Azhar on Tuesday. Tayeb said: "Exonerating religion from terrorism is no longer enough.
It is sad to picture the Islamic faith as the fire igniting wars thus leading people to conclude that Islam is behind explosions at metro stations, at the world trade center and at churches in the East and the West. It is both catastrophic and terrifying the manner in which this faith has been understand and this is due to deceitful misinterpretation of religious texts at the hands of a criminal few with a rifle taken on rent.
We are faced with a problem that has historic, social, economic, psychological, media and political dimensions. The religious side is only part of the answer
Mshari al-Thaydi
"Exonerating religions from terrorism is not enough. We must take the initiative and get in touch with the disturbed reality and provide the necessary preparations to end tensions between religious leaders as there are no justifications for them," Tayeb added.
Tayeb is right that clearing religion from terrorist criminals and extremists – even those who do not carry arms – is no longer enough. Allow me to add, it is also not effective.
Culture of extremism
Is it not enough because of clerics' little activity in warning of the culture of religious extremism and terrorist rhetoric, which tempt some people to join groups like ISIS and al-Qaeda or the Houthis in Yemen or the Popular Mobilization in Iraq? Or it's not due to this little activity and few statements but related to their effectiveness and influence? When it comes to Muslims, I think that the point from which we launch this confrontation against terrorism and extremist ideology is wrong.
If your work has a faulty beginning, you will inevitably reach wrong results no matter how active you are. On the level of strategy and wars, it's said: War is too important a matter to be left to the military. I say addressing extremist religious rhetoric, the father of terrorism, is too important a matter to be left to the clerics and sheikhs alone.
We are faced with a problem that has historic, social, economic, psychological, media and political dimensions. The religious side is only part of the answer. This is another topic, which I may return to later.
The article was first published in Asharq Al-Awsat.
Saudi journalist Mshari Al Thaydi presents Al Arabiya News Channel's "views on the news" daily show "Maraya." He has previously held the position of a managing senior editor for Saudi Arabia & Gulf region at pan-Arab newspaper Asharq al-Awsat. Al Thaydi has published several papers on political Islam and social history of Saudi Arabia. He appears as a guest on several radio and television programs to discuss the ideologies of extremist groups and terrorists.
Trump vows to 'extinguish' ISIS, protect US from 'radical Islamic terrorism'
The revolt of radical European Muslims against their parents
Saudi deputy crown prince: Iran represents three main ills of region
Radicalization of youth as a global challenge

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
JIPEL Blog 2017-2018 / Trademark
Gucci is Ghosting and Louis is Lunging: An Examination of Disparate Luxury IP Enforcement Strategies
by Staff Editor · October 18, 2017
These days it seems that nothing is safe from millennials. The running joke is that strengthened by their addiction to avocado toast, and with all of their free time due to unemployment, millennials have started a killing spree against wholesome staples like napkins, cereal, and "Breastaurants." I will be focusing on the replies from one of the "murder victim" industries, luxury goods. While luxury brands have seen a market increase of 4% in the beginning of 2017 (primarily due to the Chinese economy), the industry dipped last year and is acknowledging the growing need to reach out to the millennial consumer base. Two brands, Gucci and Louis Vuitton ("LV"), have responded differently to millennial culture, particularly within their IP strategy.
Brand IP strategy can be seen as a way to maintain competitive advantage through monopolistic protection of trademarks, but it is also a method of protecting brand image. Much like copyright can be used to supplant the United States' paltry artistic moral rights, trademark law allows companies to dictate how others' use and talk about brands, with only a few exceptions. Gucci and Louis Vuitton both employ this strategy through disparate means. Louis Vuitton is one of the most aggressive brand protectors in the industry. They gifted us a seminal parody case in trademark law due to their stiff upper lip, Louis Vuitton Malletier S.A. v. Haute Diggity Dog, LLC. In this case, Louis Vuitton sued dog toy manufacturer Haute Diggity Dog for their "Chewy Vuitton" line of toys, mimicking Louis' purses. The court ruled it a parody, due to the toy brands' commentary on the absurdity of the fashion industry, which was a major win for parodists and cemented LV as someone who "cannot take a joke."
In recent years LV has been steadily hypervigilant in its pursuit against alleged infringers and diluters. As the previously linked article by Bill Donahue explains, there has been a string of cases, some more successful than others, in which LV has sued for an appropriation of their famous monogram. In 2012, the brand sued Warner Brothers for the use of a fake LV bag in "The Hangover Part II," which was dismissed under the Rogers test championing the First Amendment. LV was more successful in 2008, when it sued Sony for featuring the monogram on a dashboard of a pink Hummer in Britney Spears' "Do Something" video. They also succeeded in their suit against Hyundai over a Super Bowl ad which featured the print on a basketball. Most recently, in the case that provoked the judge to make the "cannot take a joke comment," LV sued canvas tote company "My Other Bag…" that used images of famous bags printed on cheap shopping totes, which the company now calls a parody (no doubt due to risk-averse lawyer demands.)
Donahue ends his article with a discussion on trademark strategy as a decision about prioritization and hypervigilance, particularly whether or not brands are losing a sense of proportionality. This may be true, but I see this trend as less about general strategy and more about the specific retaliation of luxury against mass culture, particularly millennial mass culture. Most of the aforementioned adversary parties are accessible to the millennial consumer base (though millennials are killing cars so maybe Hyundai is out of luck). These are all parties, Britney included, that have consistently appealed themselves to the current mass culture generation. Much like when Cristal champagne tried to distance itself from the hip hop community, or more recently when Burberry and Rolls Royce sued rappers for using their trademarks within their names and album artwork, LV is perhaps trying to distance itself from what it perceives as low culture.[1] This hypothesis is all the more supported by the fact that most of these suits contained dilution by tarnishment charges.
Conspicuously absent from the list of lawsuits is one against the rapper Gucci Mane. And while some fashion law blogs are anxiously anticipating the potential lawsuit, Mr. Mane's name appears to be safe. In fact, Gucci generally has been comparatively quiet on the trademark lawsuit front. This year, they are the defendant in a declaratory judgment brought by Forever 21, in which Gucci is now a counterclaimant on grounds that the fast fashion retailer is infringing and diluting their signature green and red stripes. One may argue that this is a rebuke of a cheap millennial beloved retailer, however, the answer to the complaint only mentions tarnishment once, so it is most plausibly just a case of infringement. Gucci does of course care about the traditional trademark monopoly view in their IP strategy. Most famously, they sued Guess over the use of their Quattro G design, a suit that Gucci won, though on the likelihood of confusion as opposed to dilution claims.
Instead of railing against millennial culture, it appears that Gucci is trying to embrace, if not co-opt it. Gucci is inviting artists and Instagram influencers to collaborate on both promotion, as well as design. Most famous is their collaboration with skateboarder/Gucci-collector turned street-artist, GucciGhost. He rose to fame reinterpreting the Gucci logo into street art, but instead of suing him for infringement, Gucci brought him in to help design a new collection. Gucci's creative director, Alessandro Michele, has proactively sought out artists in Internet Culture and developed the idea of "new romance," a combination of high and low, vintage and new. Not all of their forays into millennial culture have been met with such aplomb. They are running an artist-generated meme campaign surrounding their luxury watches to, in Michele's words, "engage with a wider creative community than that which traditionally locates around the world of fashion." Although on its surface it may be an interesting attempt to democratize the luxury fashion industry, some say it's not worth the cringe. Outside of criticism, Gucci's campaigns seem to be working. Anecdotally, their success is apparent through the ubiquity of the Princetown slide, but factually Gucci has had a 43.4% increase in comparable revenue for the first half of 2017, with 50% of all sales to customers aged 35 and under.
It is unclear whose strategy is better, LV's or Gucci's, for long-term growth. Both companies are currently doing well financially, though it is possible that Gucci is cementing its status as a trend and soon oversaturation will occur. After all, LV is part of the "holy trinity" of handbag brands (the other two Chanel and Hermès), and that does not appear to be changing any time soon. Perhaps LV is actually protecting its status as a classic by distancing itself from the millennial consumer market and pursuing trademark appropriators aggressively. Despite what their penchant for tarnishment claims and overly belligerent litigation may tell us, it is still clear that they are feeling some squeeze. LV is famous for their innovative collaborations, the most recent of which is with hype-beast millennial brand Supreme.
[1] Neither rapper mentioned in these suits decided to appear in court. The artist FKA Burberry Perry changed his name to TG Perry and Rolls Royce Rizzy also decided to change his name to Royce Rizzy. It is unfortunately unclear if these artists would have won the lawsuit, though the explicit nature of several songs on Rizzy's album were mentioned in court arguments.
Evelina Yarmit is a J.D. candidate, 2019, at NYU School of Law.
Trademark Litigation in the Shadow of B&B Hardware
Celebrity Rights and Retail Appropriation
Pretty in Millennial Pink: Glossier's Battle to Protect its Signature Pink Pouch
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text:
Ray Rice: I haven't lost a step for Baltimore Ravens
Published: Nov. 7, 2013 at 09:55 a.m.
Updated: Nov. 7, 2013 at 10:51 a.m.
There are many reasons why the Baltimore Ravens' defense of their Super Bowl hasn't gone as planned. The struggles of Ray Rice are right near the top of that list.
Rice has fallen off a statistical cliff in his sixth season. The three-time All-Pro enters Week 10 with 259 yards on 97 carries, numbers that yield a scary bad 2.7 yards-per-carry average. Pro Football Focus ranks Rice as the game's worst halfback this season.
What gives? Has Rice, at 26, lost a step?
"Everybody has these situations," Rice said, via the Ravens' official website. "A down year is not going to make or break me as a person. I've been through a lot worse than averaging what I'm averaging in carries. I got broad shoulders. I'll take it."
"If you watch the film, you'd understand that we've been playing pretty good fronts," he said. "We've got eight games left, and that's my focus now."
Rice insists he's physically healthy. He suffered a hip flexor strain in Week 2, and it was clear the injury affected his explosiveness. He said before his Week 9 matchup against the Cleveland Browns that he was feeling better than he had all season. Then he went out and finished with 17 yards on 11 carries.
It was the fifth game this season in which Rice was held to 36 yards or fewer on the ground.
"I've been working on my health. My health is there," he said. "And now it's time to keep pushing for these next eight games, and win the ones that we have at home."
Rice should have some opportunities to get going in the next two weeks. His assignment against the Cincinnati Bengals got a lot less daunting when Geno Atkins went down with a season-ending knee injury last Thursday. That's followed by a date with the Chicago Bears, a run defense that made Brandon Jacobs look formidable this season.
If the old Rice is going to show up, it should happen soon.
The latest "Around The League Podcast" previewed "Thursday Night Football" and "stuck a fork" in the Raiders' 2013 chances.


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text:
Twisted Metal Nintendo 64
If you grew up in the 90s, there's a good chance you spent hours playing Twisted Metal on your Playstation. The car-combat game was a hit for its over-the-top action and gory violence.
Now, the Twisted Metal series is making a comeback – this time on the Nintendo 64.
Developer Sony Interactive Entertainment has teamed up with Nintendo to bring the game to the classic console. The game is set to release in Japan on December 14, and it's sure to get fans of the series excited.
The Nintendo 64 version of Twisted Metal will feature 10 playable characters, each with their own unique vehicle. There will also be five battle arenas to duke it out in.
The game is being developed by the team behind the original Twisted Metal. This includes game director David Jaffe and producer Scott Campbell.
"It's been a long time since we've had the chance to work on a Twisted Metal game and we're excited to finally be able to bring the franchise back to its roots," said Campbell in a statement. "We can't wait to see how fans react when they get their hands on the game."
For those who never played Twisted Metal before, the game is a vehicular combat game in which players battle each other in a variety of arenas. The goal is to either deplete the other player's health or to destroy their vehicle.
The game is known for its over-the-top violence, as players can use a variety of weapons to take out their opponents. These weapons include machine guns, missiles, and even a chainsaw.
The Nintendo 64 version of Twisted Metal is sure to please fans of the series. The game is set to release in just a few weeks, and it will be interesting to see how it performs on the classic console.
See also Where To Find Nintendo Switch Serial Number
1 What consoles is Twisted Metal on?
2 How many Vigilante 8 games are there?
3 Why did Twisted Metal Get Cancelled?
4 Is Twisted Metal only on PlayStation?
5 Is Twisted Metal Black worth it?
6 Can I play twisted metal on PS4?
7 Is Twisted Metal Black multiplayer?
What consoles is Twisted Metal on?
The popular car-combat game Twisted Metal is available on a variety of gaming consoles. The original Twisted Metal game was released in 1995 for the PlayStation console. Subsequent games in the series were also released for the PlayStation, with the most recent game, Twisted Metal, being released in 2012. A remake of the original game, Twisted Metal: Black, was also released for the PlayStation 2 in 2001. Twisted Metal games have also been released for other gaming consoles, including the Xbox, the Nintendo Gamecube, and the Wii.
How many Vigilante 8 games are there?
There are a total of four Vigilante 8 games. The first game, Vigilante 8, was released in 1998 for the PlayStation and PC. The game was later ported to the Dreamcast in 2000. The second game, Vigilante 8: Second Offense, was released in 1999 for the PlayStation, Dreamcast, and Nintendo 64. The third game, Vigilante 8: Arcade, was released in 2007 for the Xbox 360. The fourth and most recent game, Vigilante 8: Reloaded, was released in 2014 for the PC.
Why did Twisted Metal Get Cancelled?
Twisted Metal was announced in September of 2018. The game was set for release in 2019, but it was abruptly cancelled in February of 2019. No clear reason was given for the game's cancellation, but there are several possible explanations.
The first possibility is that Sony decided to cancel the game in order to focus on other projects. This is the most likely explanation, as Sony has cancelled other games in the past in order to focus on other projects.
See also Ultra Age Nintendo Switch
Another possibility is that Twisted Metal simply wasn't performing well in testing. This is also a plausible explanation, as video games often get cancelled due to poor performance in testing.
Finally, it's also possible that the game was cancelled due to creative differences. This is the least likely explanation, but it's still possible that the game was cancelled due to disagreements between the developers and Sony.
Whatever the reason for the game's cancellation, it's a shame that Twisted Metal won't be released. The game looked like it would be a lot of fun, and it's a shame that players won't be able to experience it.
Is Twisted Metal only on PlayStation?
Twisted Metal is a Playstation exclusive franchise. The first game was released in 1995 and the latest game, Twisted Metal, was released in 2012. The games are car-combat games where players battle each other in various arenas.
There have been a few attempts to port Twisted Metal to other platforms, but they have all been unsuccessful. The most recent attempt was in 2011, when a company called Eat Sleep Play attempted to port the game to the Xbox 360. However, the game was cancelled due to licensing issues.
So, the answer to the question is "yes", Twisted Metal is only available on the PlayStation. However, given that the game is over 20 years old, it's likely that most gamers who are interested in it have already played it on PlayStation.
Is Twisted Metal Black worth it?
Is Twisted Metal Black worth it? This is a question that has been asked by gamers for years. The answer, however, is not so simple.
First and foremost, Twisted Metal Black is an old game. It was released in 2001, and it shows its age. The graphics are not particularly impressive by today's standards, and the gameplay is somewhat basic.
See also When Did Nintendo Switch Come Out
However, that does not mean that Twisted Metal Black is not worth playing. On the contrary, the game has a lot to offer. The campaign is lengthy and full of surprises, and the multiplayer mode is extremely fun and addictive.
In the end, whether or not Twisted Metal Black is worth it depends on your own personal preferences. If you are looking for a modern, high-quality game, then Twisted Metal Black is not the right choice. However, if you are looking for a classic PlayStation game that is still a lot of fun to play, then you will not be disappointed by Twisted Metal Black.
Can I play twisted metal on PS4?
Yes, you can play Twisted Metal on PS4. The game was released for the PlayStation 3 in 2012, and a port for the PlayStation 4 was released in 2016. The game is a vehicular combat game in which players drive around in cars and trucks, using weapons to destroy their opponents. The game has a single-player mode and a multiplayer mode.
Is Twisted Metal Black multiplayer?
Twisted Metal Black is a vehicular combat video game developed and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation. It is the fifth installment in the Twisted Metal series. The game was released in North America on February 17, 2001.
The game's story is that of a twisted competition hosted by Calypso, a malevolent deity who offers anyone in the world a chance to win their deepest desires, at the cost of their soul. The game features a variety of weapons and vehicles to choose from, as well as a variety of game modes.
The game has a multiplayer mode which supports up to four players.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJ9Iz7HhU-I&ab_channel=Nintendo


text:
/**
 * Created by andreas on 03.05.14.
 */

import Toast from '../components/Toast.jsx';
import globalStore from './globalstore.jsx';
import keys, {KeyHelper, PropertyType, SplitProperty} from './keys.jsx';
import base from '../base.js';
import assign from 'object-assign';
import LayoutHandler from './layouthandler';
import RequestHandler from "./requests";
import Requests from "./requests";
import LocalStorage, {STORAGE_NAMES} from './localStorageManager';
import splitsupport from "./splitsupport";

const hex2rgba= (hex, opacity)=> {
    let patt = /^#([\da-fA-F]{2})([\da-fA-F]{2})([\da-fA-F]{2})$/;
    let matches = patt.exec(hex);
    let r = parseInt(matches[1], 16);
    let g = parseInt(matches[2], 16);
    let b = parseInt(matches[3], 16);
    let rgba = "rgba(" + r + "," + g + "," + b + "," + opacity + ")";
    return rgba;
};

/**
 * a storage handler for properties and userData
 * user Data contain a subset of the properties - the changable ones
 * @param propertyDescriptions - a hierarchy of Property
 * @param properties - a hierarchy of Property (2 level..)
 *                     only for compatibility, if a description is set, this one wins...
 * @constructor
 */
class PropertyHandler {
    constructor(propertyDescriptions) {
        let self=this;
        this.propertyPrefix=KeyHelper.keyNodeToString(keys.properties)+".";
        this.propertyDescriptions = KeyHelper.getKeyDescriptions(true);
        this.getProperties=this.getProperties.bind(this);
        this.saveUserData=this.saveUserData.bind(this);
        this.getColor=this.getColor.bind(this);
        this.getAisColor=this.getAisColor.bind(this);
        this.incrementSequence=this.incrementSequence.bind(this);
        this.dataChanged=this.dataChanged.bind(this);
        this.resetToSaved=this.resetToSaved.bind(this);
        this.prefixKeys=[];
        for (let k in this.propertyDescriptions){
            let description=this.propertyDescriptions[k];
            if (description instanceof SplitProperty){
                this.prefixKeys.push(k);
            }
        }
        //register at the store for updates of our synced data
        globalStore.register(this,keys.properties);
        if (!LocalStorage.hasStorage()) {
            Toast("local storage is not available, seems that your browser is not HTML5... - application will not work");
            return;
        }
        this.incrementSequence();
        splitsupport.subscribe('reloadSettings',()=>{
            this.resetToSaved();
            this.incrementSequence();
        });
    }

    setPrefixKeys(prefixKeys){
        if (! (prefixKeys instanceof Array)){
            throw new Error("prefix keys must be an array");
        }
        let newPrefixKeys=[];
        prefixKeys.forEach((key)=>{
            if (key.indexOf(this.propertyPrefix) !== 0) key=this.propertyPrefix+key;
            newPrefixKeys.push(key);
        })
        this.prefixKeys=newPrefixKeys;
    }

    loadUserData(use_prefix) {
        let rt = {};
        if (use_prefix && !LocalStorage.hasPrefix()) return rt;
        let storageName = use_prefix ?
            STORAGE_NAMES.SPLITSETTINGS :
            STORAGE_NAMES.SETTINGS;
        try {
            let rawdata = LocalStorage.getItem(storageName);
            if (rawdata) {
                return JSON.parse(rawdata);
            }
        } catch (e) {
            base.log("unable to load user data from " + storageName)
        }
        return rt;
    }

    incrementSequence(){
        globalStore.storeData(keys.gui.global.propertySequence,
            globalStore.getData(keys.gui.global.propertySequence,0)+1);
    }

    /**
     * get the current active properties
     * @deprecated - expensive!
     * @returns {*}
     */
    getProperties() {
        return globalStore.getMultiple(keys.properties);
    }

    /**
     * save the current settings
     */
    saveUserData(data,opt_forPrefix) {
        let raw = JSON.stringify(data);
        LocalStorage.setItem(opt_forPrefix?STORAGE_NAMES.SPLITSETTINGS:STORAGE_NAMES.SETTINGS,undefined, raw);
        splitsupport.sendToFrame('settingsChanged');
    }

    setItem(obj,path,value,opt_skip){
        if (! obj) obj={};
        let current=obj;
        let parts=path.split('.');
        for (let i=opt_skip||0;i<parts.length;i++){
            let pk=parts[i];
            if (i < (parts.length-1)){
                if (typeof(current[pk]) !== 'object') current[pk]={};
                current=current[pk];
                continue;
            }
            current[pk]=value;
        }
        return obj;
    }
    savePrefixedValues(){
        let saveDataSplit={}
        let hasPrefix=LocalStorage.hasPrefix();
        if (! hasPrefix) return;
        for (let dk in this.propertyDescriptions){
            let v=globalStore.getData(dk);
            if (this.prefixKeys.indexOf(dk) >= 0){
                //in any case also write default values to prefixed settings
                this.setItem(saveDataSplit,dk,v,1);
            }
        }
        this.saveUserData(saveDataSplit, true);
    }
    dataChanged(storeKeys){
        let saveData={};
        let saveDataSplit={}
        let hasPrefix=LocalStorage.hasPrefix();
        for (let dk in this.propertyDescriptions){
            let v=globalStore.getData(dk);
            if (this.prefixKeys.indexOf(dk) >= 0 && hasPrefix){
                //in any case also write default values to prefixed settings
                this.setItem(saveDataSplit,dk,v,1);
            }
            else{
                if (v !== this.propertyDescriptions[dk].defaultv){
                    this.setItem(saveData,dk,v,1);
                }
            }
        }
        this.saveUserData(saveData);
        if (hasPrefix) {
            this.saveUserData(saveDataSplit, true);
        }
        this.incrementSequence();
    }

    getColor(colorName, addNightFade) {
        let rt = globalStore.getData(KeyHelper.keyNodeToString(keys.properties.style)+"." + colorName);
        if (rt === undefined) return rt;
        if ((addNightFade === undefined || addNightFade) && globalStore.getData(keys.properties.nightMode)) {
            let nf = globalStore.getData(keys.properties.nightColorDim);
            return hex2rgba(rt, nf / 100);
        }
        return rt;
    }

    getAisColor(currentObject) {
        let color = "";
        if (currentObject.warning) {
            color = this.getColor('aisWarningColor');
        } else {
            if (currentObject.nearest) {
                color = this.getColor('aisNearestColor');
            } else if (currentObject.tracking) {
                color = this.getColor('aisTrackingColor');
            } else {
                color = this.getColor('aisNormalColor');
            }
        }
    return color;
    }

    resetToSaved(){
        let self=this;
        let defaults=KeyHelper.getDefaultKeyValues();
        globalStore.storeMultiple(defaults,undefined,true);
        try {
            let ndata = this.loadUserData();
            let prefixData = this.loadUserData(true);
            if (ndata) {
                let userData={};
                for (let k in this.propertyDescriptions){
                    let v=KeyHelper.getValue(ndata,k,1);
                    if (this.prefixKeys.indexOf(k) >= 0){
                        let pv=KeyHelper.getValue(prefixData,k,1);
                        if (pv !== undefined) v=pv;
                    }
                    if ( v === undefined) continue;
                    if (v !== globalStore.getData(k)){
                        userData[k]=v;
                    }
                }
                globalStore.storeMultiple(userData, undefined, true, true);
            }
        }catch (e){
            base.log("Exception reading user data "+e);
        }
        globalStore.storeData(keys.gui.global.propertiesLoaded,true);
    }

    firstStart(){
        let changes={};
        for (let path in this.propertyDescriptions){
            let pd=this.propertyDescriptions[path];
            if (pd.initialValue !== undefined){
                changes[path]=pd.initialValue;
            }
        }
        globalStore.storeMultiple(changes);
        //set some initial properties
    }

    /**
     * verify the property data we have loaded from a file
     * raise an exception if invalid
     * the input expects the following form:
     * {
     *     "version":nnn
     *     "properties": {
     *         "layers.ais":true,
     *         ...
     *     }
     * }
     * With the keys below the properties are the flattened keys
     * without the leading "keys.properties"
     * @param data
     * @param opt_checkValues if set - reject on invalid values, otherwise correct them
     * @param opt_errorNonExistent treat non existing properties as error
     * @param opt_replacements an object with key/value, keys will be used for a $key$ replacement
     * @return the checked (and potentially corrected) flattend properties
     */
    verifySettingsData(data, opt_checkValues, opt_errorNonExistent,opt_replacements) {

        return new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
            let warnings=[];
            const eHandler=(txt,nonExistant)=>{
                if ((nonExistant && opt_errorNonExistent) || (! nonExistant && opt_checkValues)){
                    reject(txt);
                    return true;
                }
                warnings.push(txt);
            }
            if (typeof (data) === 'string') {
                try {
                    data = JSON.parse(data);
                }catch (e){
                    reject("unable to parse json: "+e);
                    return;
                }
            }
            let version=data.settingsVersion;
            if (version === undefined) {
                reject("no settings version found");
                return;
            }
            if (typeof (data.properties) !== 'object') {
                reject("no properties found");
                return;
            }
            const prefix = "properties.";
            let rt = {};
            let descriptions = KeyHelper.getKeyDescriptions(true);
            let promises=[];
            for (let dk in data.properties) {
                let key = prefix + dk;
                if (!(key in descriptions)) {
                    if (eHandler(dk+" is no existing property",true)) return;
                    continue; //silently ignore non existing
                    //throw new Error("no property dk is defined")
                }
                let des = descriptions[key];
                let v = data.properties[dk];
                if (opt_replacements && typeof(v) === 'string'){
                    for (let rk in opt_replacements){
                        v=v.replace('$'+rk+'$',opt_replacements[rk]);
                    }
                }
                let ov=v;
                switch (des.type) {
                    case PropertyType.MULTICHECKBOX:
                        if (typeof(v) !== 'object'){
                            if (eHandler("invalid type "+typeof(v)+" for "+dk)) return;
                        }
                        rt[dk]=v;
                        break;
                    case PropertyType.CHECKBOX:
                        if (typeof (v) !== 'boolean') {
                            if (typeof (v) === 'string') v = v.toLowerCase() === 'true';
                            else v = !!v;
                        }
                        rt[dk] = v;
                        break;
                    case PropertyType.RANGE:
                        if (typeof (v) !== 'number') {
                            v = parseFloat(v);
                            if (isNaN(v)) {
                                v = des.values[0];
                                if (eHandler("nan " + ov + "(=>"+v+") for " + dk)) return;
                            }
                        }
                        if (v > des.values[1]) {
                            ov=v;
                            v = des.values[1];
                            if (eHandler(ov + " to big (=>"+v+") for " + dk)) return;
                        }
                        if (v < des.values[0]) {
                            ov=v;
                            v = des.values[0];
                            if (eHandler(ov + " to small (=>"+v+") for " + dk)) return;
                        }
                        rt[dk] = v;
                        break;
                    case PropertyType.COLOR:
                        if (typeof (v) !== 'string') {
                            v = v + "";
                            if (eHandler("invalid color " + ov + "(=>"+v+") for " + dk)) return;
                        }
                        rt[dk] = v;
                        break;
                    case PropertyType.LIST:
                    case PropertyType.SELECT:
                        let found = false;
                        des.values.forEach((le) => {
                            if (le === v) found = true;
                        })
                        if (!found) {
                            v = des.values[0];
                            if (eHandler(ov + " is not a valid value (=>"+v+") for " + dk)) return;
                        }
                        rt[dk] = v;
                        break;
                    case PropertyType.LAYOUT:
                        promises.push(
                            LayoutHandler.loadLayout(v,true)
                                .then((o) => {
                                        let rt = {};
                                        rt[dk] = v;
                                        return rt;
                                    },
                                    (error) => {
                                        let e=dk + ": " + v + ": " + error;
                                        if (opt_checkValues) {
                                            return Promise.reject(e);
                                        } else {
                                            warnings.push(e);
                                            return {};
                                        }
                                    })
                        );
                        break;
                    default:
                        if (eHandler(dk+": cannot be set",true)) return;
                        break;
                }
            }
            Promise.all(promises)
                .then((values)=>{
                    values.forEach((v)=>{
                        for (let k in v){
                            rt[k]=v[k];
                        }
                    })
                    resolve({warnings:warnings,data: {settingsVersion:version,properties:rt}});
                })
                .catch((error)=>reject(error));
        })

    }

    /**
     * upload settings to the server
     * @param data the settings data
     * @param fileName
     * @param opt_check check values before
     * @param opt_overwrite overwrite on server
     * @return {Promise<* | void>}
     */
    uploadSettingsData(fileName, data,opt_check,opt_overwrite){
        if (!globalStore.getData(keys.properties.connectedMode,false)){
            return Promise.reject("not in connected mode, cannot upload");
        }
        const upload=(data)=>{
            if (typeof(data) !== 'string'){
                data=JSON.stringify(data,undefined,2);
            }
            return Requests.postPlain({
                request:'upload',
                type:'settings',
                name: fileName,
                overwrite: !!opt_overwrite
            },data);
        }
        if (opt_check) {
            return this.verifySettingsData(data, true, true)
                .then((result) => {
                    return upload(result.data);
                })
        }
        else{
            return upload(data);
        }
    }

    exportSettings(current){
        let descriptions = KeyHelper.getKeyDescriptions(true);
        let values = {};
        if (! current) {
            let keys = Object.keys(descriptions);
            current = globalStore.getMultiple(keys);
        }
        for (let dk in descriptions){
            let des=descriptions[dk];
            let found=false;
            for (let k in PropertyType){
                if (PropertyType[k] === des.type && PropertyType[k] !== PropertyType.INTERNAL){
                    found=true;
                    break;
                }
            }
            if (! found){
                continue;
            }
            if (current[dk] === des.defaultv) continue;
            let okey=dk.replace(/^properties\./,'');
            values[okey]=current[dk];
        }
        return {settingsVersion:1,properties:values}
    }

    /**
     * create a list of properties (for the settings page)
     * with filtered properties from the input
     * @param propertyData
     * @param currentValues
     * @param opt_setDefaults if true it will set all values that are different from default
     * @return {Promise}
     */
    importSettings(propertyData, currentValues, opt_setDefaults) {
        return new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
            if (propertyData.settingsVersion === undefined) {
                reject("missing settingsVersion");
                return;
            }
            if (typeof (propertyData.properties) !== 'object') {
                reject("missing or invalid properties");
                return;
            }
            let newValues=propertyData.properties;
            let descriptions = KeyHelper.getKeyDescriptions(true);
            let values = assign({},currentValues);
            let newLayout;
            for (let dk in descriptions) {
                let des = descriptions[dk];
                let found=false;
                for (let pk in PropertyType){
                    if (PropertyType[pk] === des.type && des.type !== PropertyType.INTERNAL){
                        found=true;
                        break;
                    }
                }
                if (!found) {
                    continue;
                }
                let okey=dk.replace(/^properties\./,'');
                if (okey in newValues) {
                    values[dk] = newValues[okey];
                    if (des.type === PropertyType.LAYOUT) newLayout=values[dk];
                }
                else{
                    if (opt_setDefaults ){
                        values[dk]=des.defaultv;
                        if (des.type === PropertyType.LAYOUT) newLayout=values[dk];
                    }
                }

            }
            if (newLayout){
                LayoutHandler.loadLayout(newLayout)
                    .then((ok)=>{
                        resolve(values);
                    })
                    .catch((e)=>reject("unable to load layout: "+e));
                //load layout
            }
            else {
                resolve(values);
            }
        });
    }

    listSettings(opt_forSelect){
        if ( !globalStore.getData(keys.gui.capabilities.uploadSettings,false)){
            return Promise.resolve([]);
        }
        return RequestHandler.getJson({
            request: 'listdir',
            type: 'settings'
        }).then((json)=>{
            if (!opt_forSelect) return json.items;
            let rt=[];
            json.items.forEach((item)=>rt.push({label:item.name,value:item.name}));
            return rt;
        });
    }

    isPrefixProperty(name){
        if (! name || ! LocalStorage.hasPrefix()) return false;
        if (name.indexOf(this.propertyPrefix) !== 0){
            name=this.propertyPrefix+key;
        }
        return this.prefixKeys.indexOf(name) >= 0;
    }

    /**
     * get a list of property values for splitkeys
     * from the master
     * return them in the flattend structure with the keys being the store keys
     */
    getMasterValues(){
        let masterData=this.loadUserData();
        let rt={};
        this.prefixKeys.forEach((key)=>{
            let v=KeyHelper.getValue(masterData,key,1);
            if ( v!== undefined) rt[key]=v;
            else{
                let description=this.propertyDescriptions[key];
                if (description){
                    rt[key]=description.defaultv;
                }
                else{
                    rt[key]=undefined;
                }
            }
        })
        return rt;
    }

}

export default new PropertyHandler();

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


SPRING thru FALL: (April through October) We are open FOUR Days A Week: Saturday and Sunday, we open at 10:30 AM and last flight out about 4:00 PM. NO APPOINTMENTS NEEDED OR TAKEN, JUST WALK-IN, WE FLY FIRST COME FIRST SERVED. Thursday and Friday we are available by APPOINTMENT ONLY. Starting at 10:30 AM with last flight out about 4:00 PM. Please call or email to make a reservation FOR Thursday or Friday. We are closed on Monday through Wednesday.
WINTER HOURS: (November thru March) Saturday & Sunday flights only: We fly Saturdays & Sundays ONLY, (always weather permitting). No weekday flights. For passenger comfort, we do not fly the open cockpit biplanes if the temperature is below 65 degrees. The bitter-cold of the wind can be harsh, and we don't want passengers turning into icicles. We can fly the closed cockpit warbirds in the colder weather.
BY THE WAY... We only fly Weather permitting. That can mean extreme heat, gusting winds, rain, fog, cold - any of these elements - can affect our ability to fly. These conditions cannot always be forecasted in advance, and therefore if we must stop flights for any of these reasons, we apologize for the inconvenience. We get the weather forecast from the local news channels.


...that change your life forever.
Happy birthday to the sweetest girl in the world. A girl who has filled our life with so much joy and happiness. A girl who we love more than life itself.
Happy Birthday to Brynn! How awesome that you have pictures to look back and remember! I really hope that we can have someone to take pictures of us next time!
Yep, that made me tear up. Happy birthday to your precious girl!
Awwww! Best post ever! What beautiful pics!!
love the photos!! With Lexie we didn't get any :( I can't believe she's 2 already!!
She is gorgeous! Congrats and Happy Birthday to your beautiful girl!
Congrats! She's adorable! Lovely pics!


text:
Home » Blog » What creosote looks like after it's removed from a chimney [with video]
What creosote looks like after it's removed from a chimney [with video]
There are some things you have to see to believe.
Yes, this looks as unappealing and formidable as you might be thinking. It is creosote, the No. 1 nemesis in the world of fireplace and wood stove lovers. Chimney sweeps certified through the Chimney Safety Institute of America employ all sorts of pole-mounted brushes and rotary sweepers designed to knock out this very unwanted object.
The Chimney Safety Institute of America wants to show you some samples of creosote that were removed from the inner walls of a chimney.
MORE: CSIA's education director gets a hand on creosote, showing consumers how the black chunks formed. [VIDEO]
Creosote is residue, a by-product of combustion – the substances produced when wood burns. [These include smoke, water vapor, gases, unburned wood particles, hydrocarbon, tar fog and assorted minerals. As these substances exit the fireplace or wood stove, and when they flow up into the relatively cooler chimney, condensation occurs.]
Creosote is black or brown in appearance. It can be crusty and flaky…tar-like, drippy and sticky…or shiny and hardened.
"I've been asked a lot of questions about creosote," said Ashley Eldridge, CSIA Director of Education. "And while creosote has a bunch of different forms, most of them look much like this."
"It could be originally very dense and collecting in the chimney from incomplete combustion or especially high moisture content," Eldridge said. "As it is exposed to heat, it puffs up, like this …
"… It bubbles and boils and then turns to a wasp-nest like consistency. All of this material could have been consumed in the firebox if combustion were more complete. Instead, it's being deposited in the chimney and this is what supports chimney fires," Eldridge said.
MORE: Creosote has many forms, many levels of misery.
"This is what happens when the smoke cools and condenses inside the chimney," says Eldridge, holding up still another piece of creosote. "All the oils and all the moisture and all the smoke turn solid." [VIDEO]
"A lot of people think that only wood burners have to worry about having a chimney fire. This material (pictured below) was actually recovered from an oil flue, from an oil-fired appliance burning poorly," Eldridge says. "Subsequently it caused the chimney to catch on fire."
Creosote from an oil flue / chimney fire
"So it's important to reduce the volume of creosote that collects in your chimney, and certainly have it removed through sweeping on a regular basis," Eldridge says.
Certain conditions encourage the buildup of creosote. Restricted air supply, unseasoned wood and, cooler than normal chimney temperatures are all factors that can accelerate the buildup of creosote on chimney flue walls.
Does that sound like that's what has happened to your chimney? [Creosote can catch fire but may be difficult to extinguish.] You can find a CSIA Certified Chimney Sweep at csia.org/search. Use our free zip-code locator. You can also find a bevy of resources on that page.
MORE on CSIA's homeowner resources page: "The facts about chimney fires and why creosote builds up inside."


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text:
On Thursday November 10th, 2022, Biotech Connections Los Angeles (BCLA) hosted an Ideation Panel in collaboration with Hero House and Nucleate at Hye Rise in Glendale. The Ideation Panel featured Lili Yang, Associate Professor in the Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Molecular Genetics at UCLA, Lucy Abgaryan, Co-Founder and CEO at GrittGene Therapeutics, Llewellyn Cox, CEO of LabLaunch, and Armine Galstyan, Principal at SmartGateVC. With over 60 attendees from academia and industry, we were able to facilitate a conversation surrounding how companies are founded and what it takes to transform a research idea into a successful startup.
The Ideation Panel began with a brief introduction from Oskar Sundberg, Co-Vice President of BCLA, Bryan Gerber, Co-Managing Director of Nucleate LA, and Armine Galstyan, Hero House who spoke about their work to enhance LA's biotech landscape. Following these introductions Armine transitioned into introducing our panelist and moderating the discussions for the day. Panel discussions were held for about 45 minutes where panelists had the opportunity to share their ideas on how to get involved in the ideation process, connect with like minded individuals, and the steps academia is taking/should be taking to bolster entrepreneurship among academics.
The overarching message of this panel, that resonated with all panelists, was networking. Regardless of your location, or career phase, people naturally will want to help and give guidance to push a good idea forward. Networking is essential for team building and finding like minded people to build a company with. If you are interested in pursuing entrepreneurship, LA is the place to be because it's extensive resources, funding and driven entrepreneurs.
The Ideation Panel concluded with networking and light refreshments where panelists and attendees had the opportunity to continue the earlier discussions on a more personal level.
We would like to thank the panelists for sharing their insights on the ideation process, as well as attendees, core sponsors, and team members for making this panel a great success! Subscribe to our monthly newsletter and follow us on social media for upcoming BCLA events to keep you connected with the Los Angeles biotech community.


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Molcajete - Mortar and Pestle - Mexican Molcajete. Molcajete or Mexican Molcajete - A large stone bowl or mortar and a pestle to grind chiles and spices. Molcajete's size may vary because of the stone, but it's usually between 7 .
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Define grindstone. grindstone synonyms, grindstone pronunciation, . A revolving stone disk used for grinding, polishing, or sharpening tools. 2. A millstone.


Did you know that nearly 2,300 Americans die each day from cardiovascular disease? That's one death every 38 seconds. You may even know someone affected by heart disease and stroke.
But, we can change that.
Since we're in the middle of American Heart Month, it's time to focus on your heart and doing the right things to keep it healthy.
In this article, we look at exercise for your heart and how you can prevent heart disease.
The most important thing you can do to take care of yourself is to make healthy choices. This means eating well and making small changes to your diet and lifestyle. It means exercising more and making it a daily commitment.
While you can't change things like age and family history, you can lower your risk of heart attack or stroke up to 80% by making exercise a part of your life.
Exercise keeps you fit and strong.
You need doctors less when you're fit and healthy.
Being active lowers blood pressure.
It boosts your good cholesterol levels.
Exercise improves blood flow and prevents bone loss that leads to osteoporosis.
It keeps your weight in check.
It can be hard to make a major lifestyle change. This is why we encourage you to make small, attainable goals in the beginning.
For example, if you'd like to run a 5K, you might start by walking and then by adding bursts of jogging into your walks. Then, you can build up from there, especially if you aren't currently physically fit.
Start thinking about what kind of exercise you might enjoy. Do you like to work out on your own, in a class or with a physical trainer? Where do you like to exercise? Inside or outside?
Ask yourself if some support and encouragement would help. Consider a trainer who can help hold you accountable and guide you on your journey.
You also want to check in with your doctor who can help advise you on your chosen activity level to make sure you don't have any limitations.
Aerobic exercise or cardio increases your heart rate and helps with your overall fitness. Examples might be climbing stairs, running, jogging, walking quickly, swimming or biking. You want to be able to talk to someone while you're doing it. If you can't, you're pushing yourself too hard.
Stretching helps you take care of your muscles and joints and improve flexibility. Gentle stretches are good after you've warmed up or finished exercising.
Strength training includes the use of weights, resistance bands, your own body weight (yoga/Pilates) and other exercise tools. You want to do this several times per week for the best results.
For a healthy heart, you want to aim for at least 150 minutes of exercise per week. This should be at least moderate activity.
Consider 30 minutes per day for at least five days per week. Of course, if you're just starting out, you can slowly build up to that.
As time goes on, you can increase the intensity and the length of your workouts. A physical trainer is especially helpful as he/she can make a plan for you and adjust it as your fitness level increases.
Remember that physical activity is virtually anything that makes you move your body and burn calories.
If the thought of committing to 150 minutes a week is overwhelming at first, it's worth noting that doing something is better than nothing.
You are on your own journey, and everyone has to start somewhere.
Even if you've been inactive for months or years, today is the day you can make healthy changes in your life and exercise for your heart.
Set your goal for today. Then, set another for tomorrow. You'll soon find that over time, your goal becomes attainable, and you feel immensely better.
It's not all or nothing. Decide today that something is enough.
Ready to get started? Reach out today to see how we can help.


text:
US war on terror has displaced more than 37 million people
Rupen Savoulian
Since 2001, the United States government has spent US$6.4 trillion to fund its overseas wars.
A new study, published by Brown University's Costs of War project, calculated that over the 19 years of the United States war on terror, more than 37 million people – a conservative estimate – have been displaced or forced to flee their homes. US wars launched in the name of combating terrorism have had a horrifically catastrophic impact on the nations involved.
War on terror begets more terror
9/11 three years on: 'War on terror' has not stopped terrorism
US-Australia 'mateship' built on white supremacy
The report, Creating Refugees: Displacement Caused by the United States' Post-9/11 Wars, lists the numbers of people displaced by US wars against numerous countries. The findings are summarised in Jacobin magazine as follows: "The interventions in Afghanistan have resulted in 5.3 million displaced people; Pakistan, 3.7 million; Iraq, 9.2 million; Libya, 1.2 million; Syria, 7.1 million; Yemen, 4.4 million; Somalia, 4.2 million; and the Philippines, 1.7 million.
"These numbers are "more than those displaced by any other war or disaster since at least the start of the twentieth century with the sole exception of World War II."
Professor David Vine, co-author of the report, said: "US involvement in these countries has been horrifically catastrophic, horrifically damaging in ways that I don't think that most people in the United States have grappled with or reckoned with in even the slightest terms."
The title of the report starts with the words "creating refugees". Australians need to bear in mind that the nearly two-decade US war on terror has generated millions of refugees – and the Australian government has essentially gone along with these horrific policies.
The mandatory detention of refugees fleeing war and ethnic conflict only compounds the suffering and psychological trauma of life in exile. Being torn away from one's home, family, social networks, occupation – this breakage cannot be adequately captured in numbers or statistics.
The late Edward Said summarised the experience of exile as follows: "It [exile] is the unhealable rift forced between a human being and a native place, between the self and its true home: its essential sadness can never be surmounted. And while it is true that literature and history contain heroic, romantic, glorious, even triumphant episodes in an exile's life, these are no more than efforts meant to overcome the crippling sorrow of estrangement. The achievements of exile are permanently undermined by the loss of something left behind forever."
One aspect of the global war on terror that is underreported is the staggering economic cost. Costs of War has documented that since 2001, the US government has spent $6.4 trillion dollars to fund its overseas wars. The Pentagon, and the Congress under all previous presidents, has provided an unending – and steadily rising – financial flow to ensure the continuation of overseas contingency operations.
This stands in stark contrast to the ongoing failure to rebuild the US territory of Puerto Rico, nearly three years after the devastation wreaked by Hurricane Maria. Puerto Rico is still struggling to rebuild its electrical and educational infrastructure. Reconstructing the decaying infrastructure of the US does not seem to be a priority for President Donald Trump's administration.
Grief is not a scourge to be inflicted on other nations. No one is denying the tragedy of human suffering experienced by New Yorkers on September 11, 2001. What is being disputed is the deliberate cultivation of selective sympathy by Washington – and its allies – which negates the enormous suffering of other, mainly non-white, nations. Selective sympathy is the hallmark of tribal white American nationalism.
Since the end of the Vietnam War, US authorities have assiduously cultivated the myth of the POW/MIA; our war dead are the only ones that matter. The millions of Vietnamese, Laotian and Cambodian war dead are deliberately excluded from a politicised memorialisation that privileges the mainly white, middle-class, military family aviators, to the exclusion of the non-white victims of the US war on Indochina.
The war on terror has gradually and surreptitiously mutated into a great power conflict. Inter-imperialist competition, in which the US is an active participant, has become the main military threat to humanity. In 2018, former US defence secretary and General James Mattis elaborated that interstate global competition with Russia, China, Iran and others is the new framework adopted by the US government, not the fight against Islamist groups.
Facing a growing ecological and humanitarian crisis, the uninterrupted spigot of funding for the US military needs to be turned off. By rebuilding a safer, sustainable economy, we can work towards societies that prioritise human and social needs above corporate profits. The US generals and war profiteers must be held accountable for their own actions, and made to pay the costs of rebuilding the societies damaged by their reckless policies.
Imperialism & war
Refugees & migrants
displaced people.
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Essential reading. Look forward to retrieving my copy from the letterbox each Tuesday. Stimulating reporting and analysis of local events and the best coverage of international developments in the Australian media.
Hall Greenland
Journalist, activist and former NSW Greens state convenor.