A small, metal butterfly pin sits snug on her left shoulder, piercing through the peach fabric. Pink gemstones fill the wings and body of the butterfly, providing a subtle accent. Two other similar pins rest in the fabric, one hanging below her chin while the other keeps hidden under a layer of fabric on her right shoulder.
For Ibtisam Ostham, senior in electrical engineering, this square piece of fabric — her hijab — keeps her protected and is a symbol of her devotion to God.
Ostham began wearing her hijab when she was 9 years old, although she would often still take it off while at home or playing with friends. By the time she hit 13, she had made the decision to cover her body permanently. Ostham said she was encouraged by her mother to wear a hijab, but the decision was ultimately Ostham's to make.
Both her mother and younger sister wear a hijab, as well as many other members of her extended family, all of whom live back home in Malaysia. She has not been home for two years.
"At first it comes naturally because all of the people around me were wearing a hijab," Ostham said.
Today, her hijab is wrapped in what she describes as the most simple way she knows how. She is just attending class, which warrants no extravagant wrapping or ornamentation. She owns more than 20 different hijabs, all of which consist of different colors, fabrics and sizes. The only skin that shows is on her face and her palms.
She said she easily sticks out in her program in electrical engineering. Not only is she a woman in a male-dominated program, but her hijab makes her even more easy to spot in a crowd. She isn't the type to skip class, but this gives her all the more reason not to.
Black fringe hangs from the bottom of her navy hijab and brushes along the front of her shirt. It is one of her favorites, a gift from her aunt. A magenta floral pattern creeps up the back of the shawl but stops midway before reaching her shoulders. Sometimes she looks up hijab tutorials on YouTube to try out a different style, but not today.
Ras Atiqah Mohd Rosli, senior in economics, is the youngest child in her family and is no stranger to being far from home.
She transferred to Iowa State three years ago from her home in Malaysia, but has been away from her family since she was 13. Rosli left home at age 13 to attend a boarding school located five hours away from home for the next five years. After that, she spent the next two years doing college preparation three hours away from home.
She currently serves as the president of the International Student Council and dreams of going to work for the U.N. in the future.
For Rosli, wearing a hijab is a sign that she has submitted herself to God and her religion. Not only that, but keeping covered is a sign of modesty.
But Rosli can't recall the first day she began wearing a hijab. It was not significant, just another day, but she does remember finally making the decision. 13-year-old Rosli was not pressured by her family or school, but knew the decision she would make would be a permanent one.
Students sometimes tell others they wish they could tell these women that they don't have to keep covered when they come to the United States, said Christopher Chase, senior lecturer in philosophy and religious studies.
After talking with many women, Chase said he believes wearing a hijab is actually very liberating and empowering to these women.
The excess fabric wrapped around her head plunges beneath the neckline of her shirt. Sprinkled throughout the fabric is a metallic silver floral print.
Ghinwa Alameen aims for comfort, not fashion.
Alameen is from Syria and teaches Arabic at Iowa State as a lecturer in world languages and cultures. Before coming to the United States, Alameen taught in Syria and is now in her 18th year of teaching.
She began wearing her hijab during high school. When she told her parents, they encouraged her to take a while to think through her decision, as it was a big decision for a young girl to make. Alameen stressed that the decision to wear a hijab is a very personal one for every woman.
Before moving to the United States in 2005, she said she had a lot of concerns about the way she would be treated.
"When I came here and all you know about the United States is what you hear on the news," Alameen said. "It was the post-9/11 world then, so you would hear a lot of stories about how it was hard to be a woman in the United States who was covered."
After living in Iowa for a few years, she said those fears faded away. Although students still sometimes ask her about her hijab, she said she finds that younger children are often the ones with questions to ask.


Lee Hall's article inside this Act•ionLine features an interview with two remarkable veterinarians who live by their principles, and advance the interests of individual dogs and cats.
In contrast, the February 2004 telecast of the 128th Annual Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show was six hours of unabashed preservation of the old guard — the "reputable" dog breeders who tinker with genetics, and call it "art" to alter the look or function of a particular dog breed for commercial purposes.
The revolting banter of the dog show's announcers included their views of the attributes of some 152 breeds of dogs entered into one of seven groups: Sporting, Hound, Working, Terrier, Toy, Non-Sporting and Herding.
Most Act•ionLine readers may be unaware that the Italian Greyhound falls under the Toy breed group. One such animal's head appeared from the opening of her owner's fawn-colored fur coat during an HBO-TV interview about the Westminster Dog Show on Feb. 26, 2004. The dog's owner explained that she had special mink coats and diamond necklaces made for her Italian Greyhound. Some show dog owners use private jets to transport their dogs to shows, and expect to spend $100,000 a year on a show dog.
"Bred to go after fox and vermin" described the smooth- and wire-haired Fox Terriers. "A companion gun dog" summed up an English Springer Spaniel. "A specialist on raccoon" was the Black and Tan Coonhound, judged for both attitude and show quality on the green-carpeted Madison Square Garden floor.
By 9:00 pm, Feb. 10, 2004, the second day of the dog show, a dozen pair of $2,000 aluminum and steel grooming scissors were sold to Westminster attendants. The scissors, made in Japan, "cut like a knife through butter," the salesperson quipped – perhaps struggling to explain why any rational person would countenance such a purchase. If that leaves you mystified, be assured that it is just the beginning. Show announcers informed us that $21 billion is spent on pet care by U.S. residents each year, a point not lost on Pedigree dog food, a presenter of the Westminster Dog Show.
Dogs admitted to the Westminster are registered by the American Kennel Club (AKC), which simply means that the parents were of the same breed. The AKC registers dogs and gives them "papers" which help to sell them in pet shops or at breeders' kennels. The AKC does not inspect kennels, nor does it vouch for the health or well-being of a puppy. The AKC has no idea whether the dog at the Westminster sleeps on a comfortable bed or lives a life of perpetual confinement, exposed to the elements in the cages of a breeder. In either situation, a dog can be accompanied by AKC papers.
FoA's investigation into puppy mills has revealed that virtually all of the purebred puppies sold in pet stores originate from what are commonly called puppy mills. Pet shop employees routinely deny that they purchase from mills, or brokers that trade in puppy mill animals. They claim that they purchase puppies from "reputable breeders" and that the AKC papers prove it.
In 2003, the AKC registered 917,247 new dogs. Stay tuned for Summer 2004 Act•ionLine for FoA's view inside one Kansas puppy mill.


Soutee continues down the long highway from Memphis to the Crescent City.
With no way to reach his mysterious lady friend, is the money gone forever?
Soutee pursues justice and a little big of pleasure as he heads down to the deep south.
Dale Wiley is a Missouri attorney who has had a character named after him on CSI, owned a record label, been interviewed by Bob Edwards on NPR's Morning Edition and made motorcycles for Merle Haggard and John Paul DeJoria. He has three awesome kids and spends his days working as a lawyer fighting the big banks.


text:
Tag Archives: XBox One
Shovel Knight – Computer, 3DS, PS Vita, PS3, PS4, XBox One, WiiU
Posted on January 9, 2017 by jplaj
Shortly, all games will legally require artwork wherein all the game's characters stampede outwards from the box in dramatic recreation of either the Big Bang or a Kool Aid commercial.
Shovel Knight? Meh. Might as well see what all the fuss is about.
If you haven't heard of Shovel Knight by now, then congratulations for having successfully avoided the wave of fan-made, kickstarted indie games that constantly threaten to take the game industry by storm and put an end to the soulless vacuum of triple-A games developed by people who know what they're doing. Okay, so that's a bit harsh, and I've said before I'm convinced that Shigeru Miyamoto is the only one who actually knows how to make a game, and anyone else with a modicum of success has just blundered upon it accidentally, enabling them to go on to make other games that have a chance of being good. Sort of a video game evolution, like a dolphin who manages to survive global warming because some random mutation made it enjoy swimming around in boiling Coke. While the indie movement is praised as revolutionary, I suspect it's simply spreading out funds, talent and attention and it won't stop until every game out there is as bland as Call of Duty, Madden and Rock Band. (At that point, no doubt, developers will want to capitalize on the craze of blandness and come up with games that creatively put instruments in the hands of football teams and make them go out and fight brown people.) Don't believe me? Ask yourself why we have a thousand TV channels that all show reality TV, or why we have hundreds of musical genres that all suck.
Still, in spite of the musical smegma and TV programming that will shortly be replaced by high-definition mirrors, every so often we get something good. Likewise, in the world where everyone with a "Unity for Dummies" book is trying to publish a reinvigorated spiritual successor to what they view as the under-appreciated adaptation of Where's Waldo for the NES, sometimes a game comes along that shines so brightly in the sunrise that the world stops and turns in unison to gaze on the wonders that private developers have wrought into being.
Shovel Knight is not that game.
Honestly, I'm not even sure if this is a screenshot from the game or if there's been some expansion released.
Let's start with the formalities. Shovel Knight takes place in a world where brutal violence by an elite aristocracy is looked on as cute and quirky, so long as the knights are paired up with mundane objects or themed personae rejected by the worst of indie comic book villains. Fresh off a marathon of indie horror movies, Shovel Knight fights with a sharp wit and an undeserved feeling of righteousness and indignation for those who lead a morally inferior lifestyle. Just kidding! He bludgeons his enemies on the head with a shovel. Having shoveled on my own once or twice, I can say those things don't like to cut through grass roots without the weight of an obese manatee pushing down on them. A knight fighting with a shovel may sound cute, but we're talking about a painful and slow death here. At least with a razor-sharp broadsword, your enemies will suffer clean deaths, bleeding out in moments. Anyway, Shovel Knight has a friend named Shield Knight. Shield Knight, presumably pissed off that she got saddled with the same character class as Goofy from Kingdom hearts, ditches the loser who would swagger onto the battlefield with a paintbrush after watching The Karate Kid. Then a bunch of other knights appear and…something. I guess Shovel Knight feels the need to prove the tactical superiority of yard work.
Okay, on the surface, I'll give it this much; Shovel Knight is brilliantly conceived, well-executed, and hits on most of the right retro qualities to potentially make it a fun game. The game feels like Capcom's Duck Tales more than anything else, although the stage layouts feel more like Mega Man, the overworld map is in the style of Mario 3, and there's a town with simple quests Shovel Knight can accept, kind of like…Wikipedia goes with The Adventure of Link. Why not? Sounds good. I admit that during the first stage, I had a lot of fun learning the ropes, digging crap out of the ground, and hopping around on my pogo-shovel without questioning it any more than I did the fact that Scrooge McDuck apparently uses a pogo-stick as a cane. After the tutorial stage, I moved onto the town, thinking it could be really fun trying to collect special items in each stage and trade them for equipment and upgrades. Brilliant! Finding a way to expand on retro games without losing the 8-bit feel!
Then I spent an hour and a half trying to get through the next stage without snapping my 3DS in half.
The other trend spreading like gonorrhea through the fan-rom-hack and indie-game community is to make games hard. Really hard. Like, hard enough that when you beat them you feel a wave of remorse for working on the game with a dedicated passion that you could have used to cure cancer or reverse climate change. After all, the harder the game, the better, right? Why can't every game be Kaizo Mario?
Let's talk. Hard games aren't inherently good games. Some good games are hard. Some hard games are good. The reason people make hard games isn't because they're more fun to play, it's because they're easier to make. I always questioned why Bowser didn't knock down some of the platforms over his lava pits, or why he didn't just build a wall around the first level to prevent Mario from reaching the flagpole. (Although, economic experts in the Mushroom Kingdom suggest the wall would cost billions of dollars to build, staff and maintain, and it wouldn't stop Mario from entering level 1-2 on a legal visa and overstaying his visit) These things would have been really easy to do and they would have made the game impossible—which means best game ever, right?
This looks exciting. Too bad I couldn't make it that far.
No. See, it takes nothing to hack Castlevania to put a boss rush in level one. But does the player have the skill right off the bat (heh, heh) to deal with five bosses at once? Do they have the equipment and power-ups necessary? How many paths can the player take to avoid damage—too many and the game is boring, too few and they won't be able to progress, get frustrated, and stop playing the game. Making a game hard is easy. Making a game difficult and playable takes skill and effort. Shovel Knight? It's fun, has game play about as challenging as Duck Tales, and seems well-designed. And if you die, there are no checkpoints. If you spend ten minutes on a level and fail, you have to spend another ten minutes just to get another chance to practice what you screwed up. And this breaks the game, raising it to frustration-level hard. I've had this complaint before. After proving to the game that you can accomplish something, you shouldn't have to keep doing it. If Shovel Knight were math, you could get a problem on your differential calculus homework wrong and it would send you back to Kindergarten to teach you how to count to ten.
If you want a good example of a game that is so hard it is literally impossible, but done so well that people can't get enough of it, I'm sure whatever device you're reading this article on has some version of Tetris.
Gladly.
Posted in 3DS, PC, Mac, Android, other non-consoles, Shovel Knight, Uncategorized, WiiU, XBox One	| Tagged 3DS, PC, PS Vita, ps3, PS4, Shovel Knight, Wii U, XBox One	| Leave a comment
South Park: The Stick of Truth – PS3, PS4, XBox 360, XBox One
The world of RPGs is in dire peril. The once-noble Square-Enix has abandoned its loyal subjects and now appeals to the lowest common denominator. Sacrificing gameplay, story and style, they have heaped enough muscles onto their protagonists that each one qualifies as its own Olympic wrestling team and armed them with enough firepower to give the NRA spontaneous orgasms. Meanwhile, Nippon-Ichi floods the market with games written as though someone had copy-pasted a bunch of fan fiction pdf files and didn't notice that the formatting fucked up. These games consist of one bombardment of verbal diarrhea after another that connect repetitive and clunky battle systems that work as well as an NES with broken connector pins…after someone threw it into the Grand Canyon. Bethesda offers us reprieves with an occasional Fallout or Elder Scrolls title, but these come only slightly more frequently than a nun and have so many bugs that the games require heavy fumigation. But in our hour of need, two warriors emerge from the darkness, standing tall over everything we've lost. Armed with nothing but their wits, a love for RPGs, and a virtually unlimited amount of financial support based on the success of a major TV series running for nearly two decades, Trey Parker and Matt Stone stepped forward to give us their role-playing masterpiece, South Park: The Stick of Truth.
Beat up the homeless so they leave town. If South Park doesn't have homeless people, they'll look more compassionate.
The game gives you control of The New Kid, also known as Douchebag, who arrives in South Park just in time to be swept up in a long-term game between Stan, Kyle, Kenny and Cartman, that more resembles a minor gang war than a 4th grade playtime. Cartman leads the humans as the Grand Wizard of the Kingdom of Kupa Keep (KKK), who possess the Stick of Truth, the most macguffiny macguffin ever conceived for fiction. Whoever controls the Stick, they say, controls the universe. You'd think that control of the universe would include the power to keep the KKK's rival faction, the Drow Elves, from stealing the Stick. But of course that's the first thing that happens, giving Douchebag the impetus to begin his quest.
The Grand Wizard of the KKK, using fire to smite his foes.
It's sad for me to say this, but a game that lets you fart into your hand and throw it at enemies is better than anything that Square-Enix has put out in at least ten years. But it happens. Frequently, actually. Because parodies have to be so tuned into the tropes, characteristics, and weaknesses of their genre, they often become paragons of what they're mocking. When I first saw the Venture Bros., I felt like re-watching Johnny Quest, only to find out the series developed plot less than an episode of Scooby Doo and oozed enough racial superiority to bleach the Klan's linens. I've read that Parker and Stone are huge fans of classic RPGs, which goes a long way to explaining why so many elements that frustrate players don't appear in Stick of Truth. Random battles happen only enough to stay interesting, and the type of enemies vary enough that you don't get into the standard RPG pattern of taping down the X button and going outside to mow the lawn. Many games use backtracking like a bra—the padding makes it look bigger and better, but once you strip if off you're left with a deep-seated disappointment. Stick of Truth, on the other hand, has a fast travel service, but I found myself opting to walk across the map because it had enough interesting things going on in the background. But this begs the question, if the South Park creators know what players want because they are fans of RPGs, what exactly do full-time game developers do for fun?
The game focuses heavily on story and plays like an extended episode of South Park. Playing to their strengths as writers, Parker and Stone have found new and interesting ways to incorporate their brand of humor that should have gone stale in 1998. They do avoid their usual satirical style, most likely so that the game has a shelf life longer than grocery store sushi, but do rely heavily on social media trends like Facebook and Twitter. They also center a quest around Al Gore's search for Manbearpig, their rather embarrassing comment on climate change denial, but I can forgive this. Like drunken antics at a college party, we can look back and admit something might not have been a good idea, but was still funny as hell.
If there's one complaint I have about the game—and I can't believe I'm saying this—it's the overly complicated fart mechanics. Trying to pass its gas off as a magic system, farting works more akin to Skyrim's dragon shouts. Each of the four flatulent skills you learn requires a specific combination of inputs with the right and left control sticks. Holding the right stick in the down or up position allows you to change direction, tune a frequency, or steer with the left control stick, and you can let rip your attack, unleashing chemical warfare in the form of deadly gases, by changing direction with the right stick at the right moment. Farting in the Stick of Truth demands precision, the type you need to throw a hadouken fireball while tuning radio dials, adjusting rabbit ear antennas, and filing your taxes all at the same time. Fortunately, the game only requires you to fart in one or two battles, and it's a lot easier to do it on the map, so I didn't have to worry.
Yup. This is happening. And it's a GOOD game, remember.
There are other problems, to be sure. The game feels too short, and a little sparse on available quests. You have companion characters to use in battle, the four main stars, Butters and Jimmy, but halfway through the game, they kind of peter out and don't help much in battle other than to use items. But that problem corrects itself by making the game progressively easier as you learn how to use the battle system, eliminating most of the challenge even on the highest difficulty setting. But still, I can't praise this game highly enough. It shows us what PS3 era RPGs could have been, if only game developers weren't sitting around like corporate monkeys, throwing their feces at traditional players in hopes of selling something to any moron with an xBox and a copy of FIFA 2013. The industry's behavior almost sounds like an episode of South Park…
Posted in PS3, PS4, RPG, RPGs, South Park, Uncategorized, XBox 360, XBox One	| Tagged ps3, PS4, RPG, South Park, Xbox 360, XBox One	| 1 Comment
Lego Jurassic World – 3DS, PS3, PS4, XBox 360, XBox One, PC
Clever meme…
We here at RetroCookie pride ourselves in our preservation of vintage games, which compels us to give credit to game makers who do the same (although don't ask us what compels us to speak in the Royal We, as we still have much evidence to support the idea that we only have one body and very little control over household pets, let alone entire nations). To that end, I've covered modern 3DS games such as the Majora's Mask remake, the Ulitmate NES remix, and even newer games based around the charm of the classics, such as the Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds. With that spirit at heart, I'd like to introduce a new 3DS game to the notches on my belt, Lego Jurassic World, which falls under the retro gaming category for reasons I will expound upon now.
A needlessly huge cast of characters in which more than one person will routinely dive up to their ankles in shit deeper than Spielberg's first plan for Jurassic Park 4!
(Don't rush me! I'm still thinking!)
Okay, you caught me. I just don't have a PS4 or a WiiU. But with games like Bravely Default and Link Between Worlds on the horizon, and all my other NDSs worn almost to the breaking point, I figured a 3DS would be a wise purchase. Plus it doesn't have creepy, voyeuristic tendencies like the XBox One. So to tell the truth, I own that one modern game system, and I do occasionally play it, and I struggle to get through games quickly enough to write a weekly entry with enough time left over that I don't have to give my students lessons on metaphor and character development in Bubble Bobble. So this week, I give you Lego Jurassic Park, a coincidentally perfect game for playing in the ten minute breaks between classes.
…whassaaaa!!
If you read my review on the Lego Star Wars games, you'll know the series has one or two issues with originality in game play. Inevitably, the games degrade into a process of collecting studs to purchase unlockable characters which help you collect more studs, and I strain to think of anything that such a cyclical experience might augment other than a walk down a moebius strip or a finely tuned, professional relationship with a prostitute. However, like the prostitute, Lego games may need to offer something other than a sense of humor and playing fast and easy if they want to keep my interest and coax me out of 20 bucks for cab fare. (Ah, comparing Legos to professional sex workers. It's times like this that I wish anyone actually read this blog.)
I want a good clean fight. No bites below the…uh…belt?
Don't get me wrong, though, there is something very zen about the act of romping through tropical environments, smashing everything into a zillion tiny lego bricks at the slightest touch, especially considering that realistically your characters would spend five minutes prying each piece loose with a butter knife that won't fit into the crack and walking away with sore hands. Lego Jurassic World takes this stud collection (and as I say that I resist the urge to continue making sex worker jokes) very seriously. Traveller's Tales games has always treated combat in their Lego series as more of an irritating formality, like renewing your driver's license, waiting for a waiter before eating at Old Country Buffet, or telling your friends that their newborn babies don't look at all like someone dipped George W. Bush in a bathtub full of Nair. In Lego Jurassic World, though, they have almost eliminated combat entirely, save for a few levels in Jurassic Park II and III where you punch a few compies and trample a few InGen workers with a stegosaurus.
Goin' down to Nublar, gonna eat a lot of people.
That last bit, though, adds a much needed touch of originality to the series. In addition to wandering around as your choice of any of a million worthless characters (When the novelty of playing as Dino Handler Bob loses its lustre, spice it up by having an affair with Dino Handler Vic!) , the game also lets you control most of the movies' animals. Furthermore, you can unlock access to the Hammond Creation Lab, where you can play with genetic coding to mix and match different features into custom dinosaurs, thus proving that Traveller's Tales missed the point of all four movies about as much as those people who think Harry Potter promotes devil worship. Certain secrets actually require this genetic Frankensteinery, as do two bonus areas that allow players to take full control of hungry dinosaurs as they eat, trample, gore, or hawk poisonous loogies at unsuspecting park staff.
Must drive faster…must escape terrible addition to poorly adapted Michael Crichton novel…
Lego Jurassic World has more of a puzzle-oriented design than other Lego games. Normally, puzzles would earn the game a black mark by its name, followed by a swift hammer blow to the cartridge and, if I feel especially generous that day, a steady stream of urine. However, puzzles in this game simply means picking the right character to activate whatever interactive element might block your path at any moment, more of a formality than a puzzle: "Hello, there, Jake. Do you have a character willing to dive head first into this steaming pile of triceratops shit? Oh, I'm sorry. Here, fill out these forms and pay a small fee to unlock a character with a severe hygiene deficiency, then come back on a later playthrough." Now, my regular readers (almost typed that with a straight face) might remember my Twilight Princess review where I described such mechanics as needlessly enforcing a developer mandated sequence of events without actually giving the player anything fun to do. Well…okay, so I have a point, and that point still stands here.
However, I played this game through to completion, so it must have some strong points. Earlier, though, I mentioned that Traveller's Tales previously treated (and other companies still do) combat as a requirement for games, as though making a game without some type of fighting would create a vacuum that would implode, sucking the console, player, and northern hemisphere into oblivion. And since there's no combat in oblivion, they'd like to avoid that. But as it turns out, games don't need violence (I know…crushing news to all those bloodthirsty Tetris fans.), and Lego Jurassic World seems to have figured out how to replace that. Stud collecting, for one–simple, yet fun, and for whatever reason human beings have brain signals that light up on hearing a pleasing sound and watching dozens of small objects transmogrify into a score total ratcheting ever upwards. The humor, of course, makes us wait for the next cheeky thing the game will do–I'd recommend the game entirely based on the talking raptor scene from JP3. Also, did I mention you get to rampage as dinosaurs? Those segments might feel short and underdeveloped, but it does include a minigame that lets you target-spit at Newman from Seinfeld.
Hello, Newman!
Posted in 3DS, Jurassic Park, Lego, PC, PS3, PS4, XBox 360, XBox One	| Tagged 3DS, Jurassic Park, Lego, PC, ps3, PS4, Xbox 360, XBox One	| Leave a comment

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


*The news story published on The Times of India, quoting CPPR Chairman, Dr. D. Dhanuraj's comment on Motor Vehicles Department's decision to stop issuing new permits for diesel and petrol autorickshaws and promote CNG-powered vehicles.
KOCHI: The decision to stop issuing new permits for diesel and petrol autorickshaws and promote CNG-powered vehicles has met with stiff resistance from those promoting public transport systems. They say the decision would adversely affect the last-mile connectivity as autorickshaws play a significant role in this sector.
The move is believed to have increased the use of two-wheelers and private cars.
According to motor vehicle inspector Bijulal P Ram, "the problem is not pollution, but traffic congestion".
The policy makers should focus on making improved mobility as their goal.
"Only by improving the last-mile connectivity, can we provide seamless flow of traffic," he added.
operating CNG-powered vehicles, are moving to hydrogen-CNG, which is considered a cleaner version of CNG.
*This news story can be also read at The Times of India's website.


text:
Q: Oracle SQL,range between 1-1000 I have a table containing numbers, range between 1-1000 they are unique, but I need to identify which of the number are missing in the range 1-1000 from the table using Oracle SQL,
1,3,4,5,6,8,9,10
result 2,7
Could anyone help with a script or URL to a script.?

A: You could use:
select level from dual
connect by level<=1000
minus
select mycolumn from mytable

EDIT:
To find out which numbers are missing from the sequence without hardcoded 1000:
select level from dual
connect by level < (select max(mycolumn) from mytable)
minus
select mycolumn from mytable

A: Try:
select a.check_number
from (select level check_number from dual connect by level <= 1000) a
where not exists
(select null from myTable t where a.check_number = t.lookup_number)

A: with numbers as (
   select level as i
   from dual
   connect by level <= (select max(some_number) from your_table)
)
select nr.i as missing
from numbers nr
  left join your_table yt on yt.some_number = nr.i
where  yt.some_number is null;

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


In 2012 the evaluation of the race will be based on the achieved race standings.
The evaluation will start with machine-check, where the teams have to introduce the vehicles and answer the questions of the jury concerning the pneumobiles. The reception of the vehicles is made for two reasons.
To decide if the vehicle suits the published requirements of competition and if it can get a permission to take part in the race. To check the safety regulations. If the team does not pass this point, it can be excluded from one of the races.
To evaluate the technical content of the vehicle and compare it with the other vehicles.
We are going to check the technical details based on the downloadable check-list, concerning the points 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13 of the "Technical specification of task". In case of deviation, the jury is entitled to exclude the vehicle from one or all of the races.
Teams have to introduce the vehicle in motion (one air-bottle will be provided for this task), and have to present the process of planning and building on a poster in max. 5 minutes. Detailed information regarding its content will be published later.
The vehicles have to make the longest possible distance with one charged pressure bottle. The pressure-reducer will be set on 10 bar. Planned length of the race track is 640 m.
The vehicle shall be driven by all the members of the team in minimum 3 relays. (All 4 members, or at least 2 members one after the other in a relay.) This means that the vehicle shall stop during the race and move on after the change of drivers. First change can happen in the first lap. It is compulsory to pass at least one lap between two changes. The change may happen only on a specified section of the race track. Team members may stay on the race track.
The vehicle shall perform minimum 2 km as achieved distance! - This is the minimum requirement of the race category!
In case of not reaching above goals, the result of the team will not be evaluated in this category. There are 6-10 vehicles on the track at the same time in this race. Vehicles shall be removed from the race track with the assistance of team members, so that it hinders other participating vehicles as least as possible. Vehicles can start one after another with time-delay. The achieved distance is measured by the outside points of the front of the vehicle. Communication between the driver and other team members is optional and free. The final result and place of this category will be determined on the basis of the measured distances made by the teams fulfilling above requirements.
The vehicle shall run one full round on the speedway in the shortest time with a filled air bottle. The planned length of circuit is about 250-300 m, on which there will be placed some obstacles to make the run more complicated and require smartness from the teams. The pressure-reducer will be set on 10 bar. The competitors shall drive 2 laps continuously, and the summarized time of laps will be measured and evaluated as the result in this category. The vehicle has to speed up before crossing the start-line in order to have comparable lap times.
Team members are not allowed to stay on the race track. Vehicles should pass the finish line by their own energy. There is one vehicle on the track at the same time in this race. The ranking will be made based on the summarized lap times of the teams.
The "Best Pneumobile of Rexroth 2012" title will be granted to one of the winners of the race categories by the joint decision of the jury and the management of Bosch Rexroth companies.
Extra prizes can be set out based on sponsors' offers later. The difference between the - in the documentation - calculated achievable highest speed/biggest distance and the measured data will be checked, and the team with the smallest difference will be awarded.
Mounting of the new air bottle on the vehicle is only possible after the total exhaust of the pneumatic system (puffer container, heat-exchanger). This will be checked at start. The engine may run already before the start.
Announcement of results will be organized on site right after the competition.


text:
package com.intellij.ui.components.breadcrumbs;

import com.intellij.openapi.editor.markup.EffectType;
import com.intellij.openapi.editor.markup.TextAttributes;
import com.intellij.openapi.util.registry.Registry;
import com.intellij.ui.ColorUtil;
import com.intellij.ui.paint.EffectPainter;
import com.intellij.ui.paint.RectanglePainter;
import com.intellij.util.ui.AbstractLayoutManager;
import com.intellij.util.ui.JBInsets;
import com.intellij.util.ui.MouseEventHandler;
import org.intellij.lang.annotations.JdkConstants.FontStyle;

import java.awt.Color;
import java.awt.Component;
import java.awt.Container;
import java.awt.Dimension;
import java.awt.Font;
import java.awt.FontMetrics;
import java.awt.Graphics;
import java.awt.Graphics2D;
import java.awt.Insets;
import java.awt.Rectangle;
import java.awt.event.InputEvent;
import java.awt.event.MouseEvent;
import java.util.ArrayList;
import java.util.function.BiConsumer;
import java.util.function.Function;
import javax.swing.JComponent;
import javax.swing.border.AbstractBorder;

import static javax.swing.SwingUtilities.isLeftMouseButton;

/**
 * @author Sergey.Malenkov
 */
public class Breadcrumbs extends JComponent {
  @SuppressWarnings("FieldCanBeLocal")
  private final MouseHandler containerMouseHandler = new MouseHandler(event -> getCrumb(event.getX(), event.getY()));
  private final MouseHandler componentMouseHandler = new MouseHandler(event -> getCrumb(event.getComponent()));

  private BiConsumer<Crumb, InputEvent> hover = ((crumb, event) -> hovered = crumb);
  private BiConsumer<Crumb, InputEvent> select = ((crumb, event) -> selected = crumb);

  private final Font[] cache = new Font[4];

  private Crumb last;
  private Crumb hovered;
  private Crumb selected;

  public Breadcrumbs() {
    addMouseListener(containerMouseHandler);
    addMouseMotionListener(containerMouseHandler);
    setLayout(STATELESS_LAYOUT);
    setOpaque(true);
  }

  public void onHover(BiConsumer<Crumb, InputEvent> consumer) {
    hover = hover.andThen(consumer);
  }

  public void onSelect(BiConsumer<Crumb, InputEvent> consumer) {
    select = select.andThen(consumer);
  }

  public boolean isHovered(Crumb crumb) {
    return hovered == crumb;
  }

  public boolean isSelected(Crumb crumb) {
    return selected == crumb;
  }

  public boolean isAfterSelected(Crumb crumb) {
    if (last == null || isSelected(last)) return false;
    for (Crumb current : getCrumbs()) {
      if (current == crumb) return false;
      if (isSelected(current)) break;
    }
    return true;
  }

  public Iterable<Crumb> getCrumbs() {
    return getComponents(this, Breadcrumbs::getCrumb);
  }

  public void setCrumbs(Iterable<? extends Crumb> crumbs) {
    ArrayList<CrumbLabel> labels = getComponents(this, Breadcrumbs::toCrumbLabel);
    last = null;
    int index = 0;
    if (crumbs != null) {
      for (Crumb crumb : crumbs) {
        if (crumb != null) {
          last = crumb;
          if (index < labels.size()) {
            labels.get(index++).setCrumb(crumb);
          }
          else {
            CrumbLabel label = new CrumbLabel();
            label.setCrumb(crumb);
            label.setBorder(STATELESS_BORDER);
            label.addMouseListener(componentMouseHandler);
            label.addMouseMotionListener(componentMouseHandler);
            add(label);
            index++;
          }
        }
      }
    }
    while (index < labels.size()) {
      labels.get(index++).setCrumb(null);
    }
    select.accept(last, null);
    revalidate();
    repaint();
  }

  @Override
  protected void paintComponent(Graphics g) {
    // this custom component does not have a corresponding UI,
    // so we should care of painting its background
    if (isOpaque()) {
      g.setColor(getBackground());
      g.fillRect(0, 0, getWidth(), getHeight());
    }
    super.paintComponent(g);
  }

  protected void paint(Graphics2D g, int x, int y, int width, int height, Crumb crumb) {
    int scale = getScale(this);
    EffectType type = getEffectType(crumb);
    Color color = getEffectColor(crumb);
    Color background = getBackground(crumb);
    if (color != null && type != null) {
      EffectPainter painter = getEffectPainter(type);
      if (painter != null) {
        if (background != null) {
          g.setColor(background);
          g.fillRect(x + 2 * scale, y + 2 * scale, width - 4 * scale, height - 4 * scale);
        }
        Font font = getFont(crumb);
        if (font != null) {
          FontMetrics metrics = g.getFontMetrics(font);
          if (metrics != null) {
            int descent = metrics.getDescent();
            int baseline = y + height - 2 * scale - descent;
            if (painter == EffectPainter.STRIKE_THROUGH) descent = metrics.getAscent();

            g.setColor(color);
            painter.paint(g, x + 5 * scale, baseline, width - 10 * scale, descent, font);
          }
        }
      }
      else if (type == EffectType.ROUNDED_BOX) {
        RectanglePainter.paint(g, x + scale, y + scale, width - 2 * scale, height - 2 * scale, height / 2, background, color);
      }
      else if (type == EffectType.BOXED) {
        RectanglePainter.paint(g, x + scale, y + scale, width - 2 * scale, height - 2 * scale, 0, background, color);
      }
    }
    else if (background != null) {
      g.setColor(background);
      g.fillRect(x, y, width, height);
      if (isSelected(crumb)) {
        paint(g, x, y, width, height, crumb, scale * 2);
      }
    }
    else if (isSelected(crumb)) {
      paint(g, x, y, width, height, crumb, scale * 2);
    }
    else if (isHovered(crumb)) {
      paint(g, x, y, width, height, crumb, scale);
    }
  }

  protected void paint(Graphics2D g, int x, int y, int width, int height, Crumb crumb, int thickness) {
    if (thickness > 0) {
      Color foreground = getMarkerForeground(crumb);
      if (foreground != null) {
        g.setColor(foreground);
        g.fillRect(x, y + height - thickness, width, thickness);
      }
    }
  }

  protected Color getMarkerForeground(Crumb crumb) {
    if (!Registry.is("editor.breadcrumbs.marker")) return null;
    Color foreground = getForeground(crumb);
    if (foreground == null) return null;
    double alpha = Registry.doubleValue("editor.breadcrumbs.marker.alpha");
    return ColorUtil.toAlpha(foreground, (int)(alpha * foreground.getAlpha()));
  }

  protected Font getFont(Crumb crumb) {
    Font font = getFont();
    if (font == null) return null;

    int old = font.getStyle();
    if (font != cache[old]) {
      for (int i = 0; i < cache.length; i++) {
        cache[i] = i == old ? font : null;
      }
    }
    int style = getFontStyle(crumb);
    if (style == old) return font;

    Font cached = cache[style];
    if (cached != null) return cached;

    font = font.deriveFont(style);
    cache[style] = font;
    return font;
  }

  @FontStyle
  protected int getFontStyle(Crumb crumb) {
    TextAttributes attributes = getAttributes(crumb);
    return attributes == null ? Font.PLAIN : attributes.getFontType();
  }

  protected Color getForeground(Crumb crumb) {
    TextAttributes attributes = getAttributes(crumb);
    Color foreground = attributes == null ? null : attributes.getForegroundColor();
    return foreground != null ? foreground : getForeground();
  }

  protected Color getBackground(Crumb crumb) {
    TextAttributes attributes = getAttributes(crumb);
    return attributes == null ? null : attributes.getBackgroundColor();
  }

  protected Color getEffectColor(Crumb crumb) {
    TextAttributes attributes = getAttributes(crumb);
    return attributes == null ? null : attributes.getEffectColor();
  }

  protected EffectType getEffectType(Crumb crumb) {
    TextAttributes attributes = getAttributes(crumb);
    return attributes == null ? null : attributes.getEffectType();
  }

  protected EffectPainter getEffectPainter(EffectType type) {
    if (type == EffectType.STRIKEOUT) return EffectPainter.STRIKE_THROUGH;
    if (type == EffectType.WAVE_UNDERSCORE) return EffectPainter.WAVE_UNDERSCORE;
    if (type == EffectType.LINE_UNDERSCORE) return EffectPainter.LINE_UNDERSCORE;
    if (type == EffectType.BOLD_LINE_UNDERSCORE) return EffectPainter.BOLD_LINE_UNDERSCORE;
    if (type == EffectType.BOLD_DOTTED_LINE) return EffectPainter.BOLD_DOTTED_UNDERSCORE;
    return null;
  }

  protected TextAttributes getAttributes(Crumb crumb) {
    return null;
  }

  private Crumb getCrumb(int x, int y) {
    return getCrumb(getComponentAt(x, y));
  }

  private static Crumb getCrumb(Component component) {
    CrumbLabel label = toCrumbLabel(component);
    return label == null ? null : label.crumb;
  }

  private static CrumbLabel toCrumbLabel(Component component) {
    return component instanceof CrumbLabel ? (CrumbLabel)component : null;
  }

  private static Component toVisible(Component component) {
    return component.isVisible() ? component : null;
  }

  private static Component toVisibleAndValid(Component component) {
    return component.isVisible() && component.isValid() ? component : null;
  }

  private static <T> ArrayList<T> getComponents(Container container, Function<Component, T> function) {
    synchronized (container.getTreeLock()) {
      int count = container.getComponentCount();
      ArrayList<T> components = new ArrayList<>(count);
      for (int i = 0; i < count; i++) {
        T component = function.apply(container.getComponent(i));
        if (component != null) components.add(component);
      }
      return components;
    }
  }

  private static Dimension getPreferredSize(Iterable<Component> components) {
    Dimension size = new Dimension();
    for (Component component : components) {
      Dimension preferred = component.getPreferredSize();
      size.width += preferred.width;
      if (size.height < preferred.height) {
        size.height = preferred.height;
      }
    }
    return size;
  }

  private static int getPreferredHeight(Component component) {
    Font font = component.getFont();
    if (font == null) return 0;

    FontMetrics metrics = component.getFontMetrics(font);
    int height = metrics != null ? metrics.getHeight() : font.getSize();

    Insets insets = getCrumbInsets(null, getScale(font));
    return insets.top + insets.bottom + height;
  }

  @SuppressWarnings("UseDPIAwareInsets")
  private static Insets getCrumbInsets(Insets insets, int scale) {
    if (insets == null) insets = new Insets(0, 0, 0, 0);
    insets.top += 2 * scale;
    insets.left += 5 * scale;
    insets.right += 5 * scale;
    insets.bottom += 2 * scale;
    return insets;
  }

  private static int getGap(Component component) {
    return 10 * getScale(component);
  }

  private static int getScale(Component component) {
    return component == null ? 1 : getScale(component.getFont());
  }

  private static int getScale(Font font) {
    return font == null ? 1 : getScale(font.getSize());
  }

  private static int getScale(int height) {
    return height <= 10 ? 1 : (height / 10);
  }

  private static final AbstractBorder STATELESS_BORDER = new AbstractBorder() {
    @Override
    public Insets getBorderInsets(Component component, Insets insets) {
      return getCrumbInsets(insets, component == null ? 1 : getScale(component.getParent()));
    }
  };

  private static final AbstractLayoutManager STATELESS_LAYOUT = new AbstractLayoutManager() {
    @Override
    public void invalidateLayout(Container container) {
      getComponents(container, Breadcrumbs::toVisibleAndValid).forEach(Component::invalidate);
    }

    @Override
    public Dimension preferredLayoutSize(Container container) {
      ArrayList<Component> components = getComponents(container, Breadcrumbs::toVisible);
      Dimension size = getPreferredSize(components);
      size.width += components.size() * getGap(container);
      if (size.height == 0) size.height = getPreferredHeight(container);
      JBInsets.addTo(size, container.getInsets());
      return size;
    }

    @Override
    public void layoutContainer(Container container) {
      ArrayList<Component> components = getComponents(container, Breadcrumbs::toVisible);
      if (!components.isEmpty()) {
        Dimension size = getPreferredSize(components);
        Rectangle bounds = new Rectangle(container.getWidth(), container.getHeight());
        JBInsets.removeFrom(bounds, container.getInsets());
        int count = components.size();
        if (count == 1) {
          if (bounds.width > size.width) bounds.width = size.width;
          components.get(0).setBounds(bounds);
        }
        else /*if (bounds.width < size.width) {
            }
            else*/ {
          int gap = getGap(container);
          for (Component component : components) {
            Dimension preferred = component.getPreferredSize();
            component.setBounds(bounds.x, bounds.y, preferred.width, bounds.height);
            bounds.x += preferred.width + gap;
          }
        }
      }
    }
  };

  private final class MouseHandler extends MouseEventHandler {
    private final Function<MouseEvent, Crumb> function;

    MouseHandler(Function<MouseEvent, Crumb> function) {
      this.function = function;
    }

    @Override
    protected void handle(MouseEvent event) {
      if (!event.isConsumed()) {
        Crumb crumb = null;
        BiConsumer<Crumb, InputEvent> consumer = null;
        switch (event.getID()) {
          case MouseEvent.MOUSE_MOVED:
          case MouseEvent.MOUSE_ENTERED:
            crumb = function.apply(event);
          case MouseEvent.MOUSE_EXITED:
            if (!isHovered(crumb)) consumer = hover;
            break;
          case MouseEvent.MOUSE_CLICKED:
            if (!isLeftMouseButton(event)) break;
            crumb = function.apply(event);
            if (crumb != null) consumer = select;
            break;
        }
        if (consumer != null) {
          consumer.accept(crumb, event);
          event.consume();
          repaint();
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


This entry was posted in Angel Messages and tagged Angel Messages, Angel Messages A Wing and A Prayer, Angel Messages April 20 2018, Angel Messages Two songs of the heart, Annette Rochelle Aben Communicates, Divine Guidance, moving forward. Bookmark the permalink.
That it is, until we step back into our memories.
It does always move forward – a reason to do so as well, and to value each day and make the most of it!


Neville Jewell, 52, has been missing from the Cypress Mountain area for "an undetermined amount of time."
Sep. 22, 2015 8:00 a.m.
White Rock hiker Neville Jewell is missing near Cypress Mountain.
West Vancouver Police and North Shore Search and Rescue are searching an area near Cypress Mountain for a missing White Rock hiker.
Neville Jewell, 52, has been missing for "an undetermined amount of time" according to a WVPD news release, though CTV News reported he had been missing for nine days as of Monday evening. It was not immediately clear why he was not reported missing earlier.
On Sunday, police were notified by Cypress Mountain staff of an abandoned vehicle in the parking lot, which investigation revealed to be registered to Jewell.
West Vancouver Police had no updates on the search by Peace Arch News press deadline Tuesday morning, and referred requests for information to the department's online news release.
Search-and-rescue crews from throughout the Lower Mainland – joined by Jewell's family – continued to search for the missing man Tuesday.
North Shore Search and Rescue noted, on the organization's Facebook page, noted Jewell has a Welsh accent, in case anyone has spoken to him.
Police said Jewell is not considered to be one to stay away longterm, nor was he believed to be equipped to stay in the wilderness for a long period of time.
"We think he may have carried some water and a small snack, something of that nature, but we don't believe he had any intention of staying out overnight," Peter Haigh of North Shore Rescue told CTV News.


text:
Everything, handled with care
Moving & Storage Services
Art Services & Storage
Interior Designer Services
Famous paintings virtual gallery
The difference is...
Everything,
handled with care
Cadogan Tate moves and stores personal possessions, commercial assets, valuable works of art and priceless furnishings for individuals, companies, auction houses, galleries, collectors and interior designers the world over.
Each task we undertake, large or small, is approached with the same, singular promise in mind.
A Presidential move
What does it take to move the 44th President of the United States and the First Family out of the White House on inauguration day? Follow our team during one of the most remarkable and demanding moves we have performed in the last 40 years.
Find out more about...
Cadogan Tate provides premium moving services for private individuals and their families and for businesses, large and small.
With more than 40 years experience in managing moves, we have the expertise to safely pack, move, store and unpack for those moving home or workplace across town or to another part of the country. For overseas moves to or from any worldwide destination, we have the knowledge and expertise to manage your move, including Customs clearance if required.
We plan every move with meticulous attention to detail. Every transition - between homes, cities, countries and continents – is handled by our professionally trained staff, dedicated office teams and uniquely experienced packing and moving crews, working with industry-leading tailored systems and technologies.
Around the world, every moment of every day, works of art are being moved safely and securely by Cadogan Tate.
From simple pieces travelling from gallery to collector, to record breaking buys leaving elite salerooms for new destinations on the other side of the world, or exhibitions of priceless masterpieces moving to the next landmark on their global travels, Cadogan Tate are trusted by discerning Institutions and Private Collectors alike.
We work with many of the world's leading interior designers and architects, taking care of their logistical needs and leaving them free to concentrate their creativity on realising remarkable interiors.
However fantastic a concept, ambitious the scale, or demanding the whims or expectations of your client, Cadogan Tate has the resources and experience to look after the collection, consolidation, storage, shipping and installation to sites in any location around the world.
We work with many of the world's leading collectors, galleries, interior designers and households, to store their treasured possessions in our high security storage facilities located in many of the world's leading art centres.
Whether you need an individual work of art, a collection or the contents of your home or business premises stored for short or long-term storage our facilities in London, Paris, the Côte d'Azur, Dubai, New York, Los Angeles, Miami and Chicago offer a range of options to meet your needs.
Our business and our reputation are built on providing exemplary service to discerning clients. We truly believe in this, and execute our operations accordingly. Don't take our word for it, see what the likes of Vogue and The Telegraph have to say about us...
Take an inside look at Cadogan Tate's participation in the Royal Rickshaw Reception at Lancaster House for the Travels to My Elephant conservation campaign.
Cadogan Tate was founded in 1977 by Rohan Masson-Taylor. We started out as a fine art mover, but have since developed into a multi-service logistics organisation. Today, despite fierce competition and two recessions, we are one of the best known, and most highly regarded moving companies in the world.
Cadogan Tate is founded on a single-minded promise, guiding everything we do and setting us apart from our competition.
Five core values form the cornerstone of our business. These inform our decisions, shape our approach and guide every member of our team as they go about their job.
Judge for yourself
Discover how Cadogan Tate delivered exceptional service to meet actual customers' needs.
Cadogan Tate offers a global service with depots and state of the art storage facilities in key strategic locations
around the world.
Click on a location to view the contact details of that depot.
London North West
London South West
Select Location Chicago Côte d'Azur Dubai London South West Los Angeles Miami New York Paris
We are members of, and meet the exacting qualities demanded by, a host of respected industry bodies and international standards awards.
Top 10 countries for expat salary packages in 2020
There are numerous incentives to relocate abroad for work purposes, but often the driving factors are financial gain and career progression. When looking for opportunities that offer the best earni... read more...
Expat's Guide to Health Care in Abu Dhabi
Here at Cadogan Tate we have helped many expats with their move to Abu Dhabi and the United Arab Emirates, and we can fully understand why it is such a popular part of the world to live in. A thriving... read more...
Anti Modern Slavery Policy
Storage & Viewing
Packing & Case Fabrication
Worldwide Collections & Consolidation
Shipping & Customs Agent
Storage & Online Inventory
© Cadogan Tate 2020
Badbot Fields
If you see these fields, something is wrong.
Badbot seed
Badbot hash
Badbot catch
Enquiry type * Please select ... Home MovesInternational Home MovesBusiness Moves Interior Designer ServicesArt Services
Our agents will respond during our office hours Monday to Saturday 9am to 6pm
Our agents will aim to respond to your email within 24 hours


This part is universal and does not have vehicle specific fitment. Please contact us if you need assistance.
ARP's heat-treated 8740 chrome moly wheel studs are a much-needed replacement for any car engaged in oval track or drag racing competition. They have a tensile strength of 190,000 psi and are able to easily handle the tremendous acceleration shock loads (shear) and lateral forces (elongation) found in racing. The studs are sold in packs of 5 and are cadmium plated for extra durability. Nuts not included. Now available for all popular applications, including General Motors, Ford, Honda and Chrysler replacements, as well as for oval track racing and aftermarket street and strip axles.
These Studs were bought so I could run slicks up at the strip. It is a pain to install these in the front due to taking the whole hub off, but once it is off it is easy. I love the way they look will the stock 05-06 rims. Also you will need to get open ended lug nuts the stock close end will not fit anymore.
Great product and well trusted for racing. Backorder was a pia, but was kept up to date on the status of the product. Customer service was very helpful.
I bought some s2k AP1 wheels from my friend and the rear didnt fit, had to install a quarter inch spacer and ran out of stud. These worked great but had to do minor cutting on the backing plate of the rear.
This is the only stud i use for racing. Other studs do not seat right and may come loose. When loose and you hit the brakes the roter cuts the studs and your wheel comes off.
GOOD PRODUCT ALL AROUND VERY PLEASED AND HAVE ALWAYS HAD GOOD FAITH IN ARP. GREAT FOR SLICKS AT THE TRACK WOULD RECOMMEND TO ANY STREET/TRACK TUNER.


text:
Muerte de un viajante o La muerte de un vendedor (en inglés: Death of a Salesman) es una obra teatral del dramaturgo y escritor Arthur Miller. Es vista por muchos como un ataque al sueño americano de progresar en la vida sin considerar los principios éticos, en contraposición a la tragedia de Aristóteles.

Recibió el premio Pulitzer en 1949, además del premio Tony y el premio de la crítica en Nueva York.

Sinopsis

El protagonista es Willy Loman, viajante y vendedor de profesión, de 63 años, un trabajador infatigable que siente que debería retirarse y vivir una bien merecida vida tranquila, rodeado de su familia y sus amigos. Willy piensa que si le gusta a la gente, todo es más fácil y triunfa en la vida; sin embargo, poca gente lo recuerda tras muchos años en el oficio. Willy inculca estos ideales a sus hijos, Biff y Happy, quienes lo siguen a ciegas hasta que un día Biff descubre a su padre ha engañando a su madre en Boston. Biff se enfada con su padre y se escapa perdiendo su oportunidad de ir a la universidad, lo cual le llevará a un gran resentimiento hacia su padre y a una vida alborotada que lo llevará a la cárcel.

Para poder pagar sus deudas Willy va a pedirle dinero a su jefe, Howard, pero este en cambio lo despide porque sus ventas en los últimos años han decaído considerablemente, así que recurre a pedirle ayuda a su vecino y único amigo, Charley. Este le ofrece trabajo, pero Willy lo rechaza porque aceptar ese empleo sería reconocer que estaba equivocado.

Mientras tanto, Biff intenta conseguir un empleo, pero no lo consigue y roba un bolígrafo del jefe de la empresa, y cuando se reúne con su hermano y su padre para hablar de lo que van a hacer en el futuro Willy pierde la conciencia y tiene alucinaciones. Happy y Biff lo abandonan en el restaurante y se van. Cuando vuelven a casa, Biff y Willy discuten y este en vez de escuchar lo que su hijo le dice piensa que Biff lo ha perdonado por el suceso de Boston y decide suicidarse para que Biff y Happy puedan cobrar el dinero del seguro de vida y empiecen una vida nueva como vendedores.

Solo su familia asiste al funeral. Es aquí cuando Biff se da cuenta de que ni él ni su padre son hombres extraordinarios y se desliga de los ideales de su padre, abriendo así la única vía esperanzadora de la obra. En cambio Happy no acepta que su padre estaba equivocado, y lo mismo ocurre con la madre, Linda, quien se pregunta donde están todos los amigos de su marido.

Personajes
 Willy Loman: es un fracasado obsesionado por alcanzar el éxito, devoción fanática que impone a sus hijos. Vive de falsas esperanzas e ilusiones; se autoengaña. Willy, un viajante de unos 60 años, ha desarrollado a lo largo de su vida una teoría propia acerca del atractivo personal y de gustarle a la gente: si gustas a la gente, todas las puertas se abrirán. Willy ha construido su vida en torno a este sueño. Pero para vivir de acuerdo con estas ideas, se ve obligado a contar muchas mentiras que acaban cobrando realidad en su mente: empieza a mentir acerca de su importancia en la empresa, aunque sabe que no es así. La necesidad de reforzar su personalidad lo llevará a cometer adulterio en uno de sus viajes a Boston. Desde muy pronto, Willy inculcó a sus hijos la idea de que había que gustarle a la gente, como si reconociese su fracaso y quisiera vivir sus ilusiones a través de ellos, especialmente de Biff, buen futbolista pero mal estudiante. Cuando suspende las matemáticas, Biff irá a Boston para que su padre convenza a su profesor con su encanto personal, pero allí descubrirá el adulterio de Willy, y lo rechazará y huirá. En los siguientes catorce años, Willy va encerrándose en sus sueños, por lo que no se da cuenta de que vive en un mundo ilusorio. Ridículo en ocasiones, a pesar de vivir en la falsedad, Willy será capaz de morir por sus sueños, lo que dota al personaje de un hondo patetismo.

 Linda Loman: Esposa de Willy, a quien ama y defiende aun con su enfermedad mental. Refugiada en la soledad y desamparada, vive en una burbuja. Linda Loman representa la eterna figura de la esposa. Willy a menudo se porta mal con ella, pero su vida gira en torno a su marido, puesto que siempre está dispuesta a creer en él. Linda también tiene parte de culpa en la tragedia de Willy, pues siempre que este hizo un intento por verse de manera más realista, Linda alienta su ego rechazando esas observaciones realistas y reforzando las ilusiones de su esposo sobre sí mismo, incluso cuando su hijos empiezan a ver la realidad sobre su padre. La vemos en los flashbacks remendando medias, para no gastar, pero sabemos que Willy regala medias nuevas a su amante, lo que refuerza su imagen de esposa sufriente.

 Biff Loman: Hijo de Willy. Desde que descubrió que su padre era infiel a su madre se muestra resentido con él. Intenta vivir una vida opuesta a la que le inculcaron. A pesar de que a lo largo de toda la obra Biff rechaza las ideas de su padre, cuando lo observamos con detenimiento, vemos que la oposición entre apariencia (parece no tener nada que ver con su padre) y la realidad es falsa: Biff ha vivido de acuerdo con las ideas de Willy. Por ello da mucha importancia a ese gustar a la gente, así que llegará a robar (lo que es tolerado por su padre), y no aguantará ningún trabajo e incluso pasa una temporada en la cárcel. El problema de Biff no es otro que el de haber asumido por completo los valores de su padre y no haber creado unos valores propios. Al descubrir el adulterio de su padre, se da cuenta de que Willy es un farsante, y su mundo se hunde. Durante catorce años luchará con las ideas paternas, hasta que se da cuenta de que ni él ni su padre son personas excepcionales, sólo gente normal, y empieza a ver la vida con realismo, lo que constituye el único hecho esperanzador de la obra.

 Happy Loman: El otro hijo, confuso y desorientado, obsesionado por tener éxito, secunda a su padre e intenta conseguir por todos los medios su aprobación. Desde pequeño, Happy se vio eclipsado por su hermano, aunque nunca expresó ningún tipo de resentimiento; sin embargo, intenta llamar la atención de su padre constantemente ("Estoy adelgazando" es la frase que repite), pues se siente abandonado. Cuando, en el restaurante, Biff le pide ayuda para comunicarse con su padre, se enfrenta a su hermano, pero será Happy el que negará ante las chicas que Willy es su padre, rechazándolo como Willy hizo con él. En el fondo, Happy es el más afectado por las ideas de su padre, pues no reconocerá que Willy estaba equivocado ni siquiera en el funeral.

 Charley: Parece una persona bastante inflexible que aparenta no preocuparse por nada, aunque intenta ayudar a Willy. Es claro con él y trata de abrirle los ojos a la cruda realidad. Aunque en las escenas retrospectivas los chicos lo llamen "tío Charley", no parece un familiar, sino un vecino y amigo, viejo conocido de la familia. Su función dramática es poner el contrapunto a las fantasías de Willy, pues él (igual que su hijo Bernard con respecto a Biff) es la antítesis de Willy Loman. Que este tipo de hombre, que no cree en el atractivo personal, haya triunfado, es más de lo que puede soportar Willy, porque significaría admitir que toda su vida y sus ideas han sido una falacia. Nuestro protagonista rechaza el trabajo que Charley le ofrece, aunque sabemos que todas las semanas le pide préstamos para saldar sus deudas. Al final, Willy, a pesar de que ha hablado a menudo contra él, se da cuenta de que el único amigo que tiene es Charley. Charley es la voz del realismo, que nos da una visión muy acertada de Willy; su función dramática consiste en mostrar la falsedad de las ideas del protagonista.

 Bernard: Es el hijo de Charley, y la antítesis de Biff. Es bueno con las matemáticas así que le ayuda pero Biff nunca va a sus clases de repaso con él. Bernard, a diferencia de Biff, tendrá éxito en la vida.

 Ben: Hermano de Willy, ya muerto, sólo aparece en las analepsis. Es una figura oscura que funciona como símbolo o ilusión más que como personaje. Ha triunfado económicamente en la vida. Representa para Willy todos los sueños que él no ha llegado a cumplir; por eso, cuando Willy se siente profundamente deprimido, cuando no puede hacer frente a los problemas de la vida, es cuando aparece Ben: por eso funciona como un símbolo de las frustraciones de Willy.

 La Mujer: es con la que engaña a Linda; solo quiere a Willy porque tiene éxito o al menos lo aparenta. Este siempre le regala medias nuevas.

 Howard: Es el jefe de Willy, y según dice este, es él quien le pone el nombre, aunque en realidad solo dice que le gusta ese nombre. Cuando Willy va a pedirle un aumento, Howard lo despide, cosa que llevaba intentando hacer durante un largo tiempo, porque sus ventas habían disminuido demasiado.

Estilo
Miller hace una constante, la cual es el uso de retrospecciones a lo largo de obra, en donde los personajes del pasado se inmiscuyen en la acción.

Esto proporciona una sensación de ensueño en el que el pasado explica y provoca el presente.

Temas
 La Sociedad de Consumo
 El idealismo del "sueño Americano"
 La derrota económica
 El vehemente culto hacia la estética
 Los errores de crianza paterna/materna
 La insignificancia de la virtudes y principios morales
 La distorsión del núcleo familiar
 Machismo

Representaciones destacadas

En inglés
 La obra fue estrenada en EE. UU. en el Teatro Morosco de Broadway el 10 de febrero de 1949. Dirigida por Elia Kazan e interpretada por Lee J. Cobb, Mildred Dunnock, Arthur Kennedy y Cameron Mitchell.

 En Londres se estrenó el 28 de julio de 1949, con un elenco formado por Paul Muni, Katharine Alexander y Kevin McCarthy.

 George C. Scott protagonizó la nueva versión para Broadway que se representó en 1975. El elenco se completaba con Teresa Wright, Harvey Keitel y James Farentino.

 De nuevo en Broadway en 1985, el montaje de Michael Rudman contó en el elenco con Dustin Hoffman como Willy Loman, además de John Malkovich (Biff); Kate Reid (Linda), y David Huddleston (Charley).

 Matthew Warchus dirigió una versión en el West Yorkshire Playhouse de la ciudad inglesa de Leeds, con Ken Stott (Willy Loman), James Purefoy, Jude Law y Ellie Haddington.

 Alun Armstrong encabeza el elenco de la versión de 1996 en Lyttelton (Londres).

 Brian Dennehy encabeza el reparto de la versión de Broadway de 1999.

 De nuevo en el West Yorkshire Playhouse se realizó un montaje en 2010, con la interpretación de Philip Jackson.

 Mike Nichols dirigió el montaje de Broadway de 2012, con Philip Seymour Hoffman como Willy, Andrew Garfield como Biff y Linda Edmond como Linda.

En español
 En Chile se estrenó en agosto de 1950, por el elenco del Teatro Experimental de la Universidad de Chile, con la actuación de Anita del Valle, Roberto Parada, Domingo Tessier, Rubén Sotoconil y Jorge Lillo, entre otros
 En España se estrenó el 10 de enero de 1952 en el Teatro de la Comedia de Madrid, con traducción de José López Rubio, dirección de José Tamayo e interpretación de Carlos Lemos, Josefina Díaz de Artigas, Francisco Rabal y Alfonso Muñoz.
 Se volvió a representar en España en 1959 en el Teatro Español de Madrid, con Carlos Lemos, Asunción Sancho, José Rubio, Fernando Guillén y José Bruguera.
 Reestrenada de nuevo en España en 1985, en el Teatro Bellas Artes de Madrid, una vez más bajo dirección de Tamayo y con José Luis López Vázquez, Encarna Paso, Santiago Ramos, Miguel Palenzuela y Juan Calot al frente del cartel, música de Teddy Bautista y escenografía de Gil Parrondo.
 En 2001 se representó en el Teatro La Latina de Madrid, con dirección de Juan Carlos Pérez de la Fuente e interpretación de José Sacristán, María Jesús Valdés y Alberto Maneiro.
 En 2008 fue adaptada en Colombia por el director Jorge Alí Triana.
 En 2012 es adaptada en la ciudad de México por el director José María Mantilla.
 Se representa de nuevo en España en 2021, en el Teatro Infanta Isabel de Madrid, con interpretación de Imanol Arias, Jon Arias, Jorge Basanta, Fran Calvo y Cristina de Inza.

En otros idiomas
 Estrenada en Italia el 21 de enero de 1949, en el Teatro Eliseo de Roma, bajo el título de Morte di un commesso viaggiatore con dirección de Luchino Visconti e interpretación de Vittorio Gassman, Marcello Mastroianni, Vivi Gioi y Rina Morelli.

 El Teatro Hebbel de Berlín fue el escenario del estreno en lengua alemana en 1950, bajo el título de Tod eines Handlungsreisenden. Interpretada por Fritz Kortner (Willy), Fritz Tillmann (Biff) e Inge Keller.

 En 1961 la versión sueca En Handelsresandes död, dirigida por Hans Abramson.

 Estrenada en Francia en 1965, en el Théâtre de la Commune de Aubervilliers, fue dirigida por Gabriel Garran y contó en la interpretación con Claude Dauphin (Willy Loman), Héléna Bossis (Linda Loman), Gérard Blain (Biff Loman), Pierre Santini (Happy Loman), Pierre Vielhescaze (Bernard) y Juliette Brac (La Femme).

 En 2009 es adaptada en el Teatre Lliure de Barcelona por el director Mario Gas, en traducción al catalán (Mort d'un viatjant) de Eduardo Mendoza, con Jordi Boixaderas (Willy Loman), Frank Capdet, Maria Cirici, Carles Cruces, Pablo Derqui, Camilo García, Anabel Moreno, Guillem Motos, Rosa Renom, Raquel Salvador, Víctor Valverde y Oriol Vila.

Adaptaciones
 En 1951 László Benedek realizó una adaptación para el cine, protagonizada por Fredric March.

 En Estados Unidos se han producido cinco versiones para televisión de 1966, dirigida por Alex Segal, con Lee J. Cobb; de 1968, dirigida por Gerhard Klingenberg; de 1985 dirigida por Volker Schlöndorff, con Dustin Hoffman y John Malkovich; de 1996, dirigida por David Thacker; y de 2000, dirigida por Kirk Browning.

 En el Reino Unido se han grabado otras dos adaptaciones para la pequeña pantalla. La primera en 1957, con Albert Dekker y Vera Cook para la ITV; y ka segunda en 1966, con Rod Steiger y Betsy Blair para la BBC.

 Narciso Ibáñez Menta protagonizó la adaptación que hizo la televisión de Argentina en 1957.

 Las televisiones holandesa (De dood van een handelsreiziger) y finlandesa (Kauppamatkustajan kuolema) emitieron sendas versiones en 1961.

 En Alemania se emitió en televisión en 1963, con Leopold Rudolf y Charlotte Schellenberg. Posteriormente la cadena de televisión ZDF en 1968 emitió una nueva versión con el título Tod eines Handlungsreisenden, interpretada por Heinz Rühmann (Wily), Käthe Gold (Linda) y Christoph Bantzer (Biff).

 En español, para TVE, el programa Estudio 1 hizo una adaptación emitida en 1972 y protagonizada por José María Rodero, Juan Diego, Jaime Blanch, José María Caffarel, Charo López y Berta Riaza.

Referencias

Enlaces externos

 MILLER, Arthur: Muerte de un viajante.
 Traducción española de Jordi Fibla: texto, en PDF.
 Texto inglés, también en PDF.
 Representación ofrecida por TVE en la emisión del 10 de nov. de 1972 de Estudio 1, con el título La muerte de un viajante.
 Otra copia.

Véase también

 Adulterio en la literatura

Obras de teatro de Arthur Miller
Obras de teatro de 1949
Obras de teatro ambientadas en Estados Unidos
Obras de teatro adaptadas a la televisión

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


The Northwest Territories is a territory of Canada. At a land area of approximately 1,144,000 km2 and a 2011 population of 41,462, it is the second largest and most populous of the three territories in Northern Canada. Its estimated population as of 2016 is 44,291. Yellowknife became the territorial capital in 1967, following recommendations by the Carrothers Commission.
The Northwest Territories (also known as NWT; French: les Territoires du Nord-Ouest, TNO; Athabaskan languages: Denendeh; Inuinnaqtun: Nunatsiaq; Inuktitut: ᓄᓇᑦᓯᐊᖅ) is a territory of Canada. At a land area of approximately 1,144,000 km (442,000 sq mi) and a 2011 population of 41,462, it is the second largest and most populous of the three territories in Northern Canada. Its estimated population as of 2016 is 44,291. Yellowknife became the territorial capital in 1967, following recommendations by the Carrothers Commission.
The Northwest Territories, a portion of the old North-West Territory, entered the Canadian Confederation on July 15, 1870, but the current borders were formed on April 1, 1999, when the territory was subdivided to create Nunavut to the east, via the Nunavut Act and the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement Act. While Nunavut is mostly Arctic tundra, the Northwest Territories has a slightly warmer climate and is both boreal forest (taiga), and tundra, and its most northern regions form part of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago.
Our very last stop on our social media powered exploration of Canada and the United States took us to the remote northern territory of Nunavut in Canada.


A 501(c)3 honoring the legacy of SPC. Chris Patterson by supporting performing arts programs.
Learn more about the programs we support, and how to get involved.
A $1000 cash award given to a graduating senior at each participating high school.
This is the foundation's major semi-formal fundraiser, where every $1,000 raised supports another performing arts award.
Join us for our annual Spc Christopher Patterson Memorial Bike Ride as we ride to raise awareness for the Foundation and raise money to support the ideals of Christopher, "For God, For Country, For Music".
We run other special events and causes throughout the year. Follow us on Facebook for the latest news.


text:
How to stay on top in the career game
Ana Gonzalez Ribeiro
August 30, 2013 in Career
In today's market, more employees are boosting their education and training and implementing other career-enhancing strategies to stay relevant and to get ahead.
Clara Lippert Glenn, president and CEO of The Oxford Princeton Programme, a company with a U.S. office in New Jersey that provides energy training courses, says that in the last decade the number of professionals in the energy industry seeking advanced education and training has increased significantly. In 2007, 2,922 professionals took Web-based training courses at The Oxford Princeton Programme. In 2012, that number increased to 12,968.
Bob Makarowski, technology instructor at Baruch College in New York, agrees that more workers feel the need to update their skills as their career progresses.
"In my 20 years of teaching at Baruch College, I have seen a shift in the students attending evening and weekend professional courses who are willing to pay out-of-pocket costs. Unlike the 1990's when companies lavished employees with endless training perks, today's students are self-funded and driven by the realization that increased competence equals continued employment," he says.
Below are some ways that workers are staying relevant in their career by keeping up with their changing workplace.
More On Careers:
Ways to get free job training
Can ignoring social media kill career?
Salary and career advice
Create a news alert for
"jobs"
While seeking an advanced degree is one way for workers to boost their careers, certifications and discipline-specific training programs are more focused alternatives and often less costly, Makarowski says. For example, there are industry-standard certifications for desktop application development, stockbroker licensing, international trade, supply chain management, finance, real estate or bookkeeping, he says.
In his role, Richard Console Jr., managing partner of Console & Hollawell, a personal injury law firm in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, says he reads books about traditional marketing, Internet marketing, management and search engine optimization in addition to attending 12 to 15 hours in seminars of continuing legal education to expand his business skills.
"I attend seminars through the American Lawyer Academy, which I am a member of, where I meet with the heads of other law firms and their marketing departments to stay on the cutting edge," Console says. Since graduating law school, he's also expanded where he is licensed to practice law to enable him to bring in more clients.
Don't have time for continuing classroom education? Kevin Gazzara, senior partner of Magna Leadership Solutions LLC, in Phoenix, says when he found a mentor, it paid big dividends for him. The mentor, who he didn't identify, advised him to focus on expanding his skill set rather than on the next job opportunity. Eventually, it allowed him to move into a different career field with a work schedule that better fit his needs.
"A great mentor will help you stay focused on the long-term future. Otherwise, you are always caught up in the tactics, and you end up somewhere long term where you don't want to be," he says.
In addition to being mentored, becoming a mentor has its benefits. Gazzara says teaching what you've learned keeps you fresh and helps you realize how much you don't know as you try to educate others.
Who do you know?
Another way of putting your career on an upward trajectory is adding contacts in your field, says Caroline Ceniza-Levine, co-founder of SixFigureStart, a career coaching and consulting firm in New York. Such people might be helpful later in alerting you to job openings and recommending you, should you apply for a new job.
One way to increase your list of career contacts is to become a thought leader in your profession.
"Thought leaders publish, speak at conferences, and are active in professional associations and events. You want to be doing these things on a regular basis," Ceniza-Levine says.
Leslie Samuel, assistant professor of physical therapy and foundation science coordinator at AndrewsUniversity in Michigan, created a biology blog that is dedicated to making biology fun. Over time, he expanded his readership and started a website to teach biology that now gets 50,000 visitors per month.
To be sure, the website also has helped increase his exposure and reputation by helping him show what he's accomplished while distinguishing him from others.
"It's interesting to see that what you do online affects what you do offline, and there is a strong connection there. And, by doing something to stand out from the crowd, you are staying relevant," Samuel says.
Take time to network
Keeping up with your career can seem like a full-time job on top of your real full-time job. Dorie Clark, author of "Reinventing You: Define Your Brand, Imagine Your Future," says it's easy to stop attending outside networking events or making an effort to meet new people if you've been at a firm for a lengthy period of time. Eventually, most of the people you know are fellow workers at your company or in your industry.
Clark recommends building a network of trusted contacts who work at companies in a diverse range of fields who then could help you find your next career.
And traditional networking isn't the only way to advance your career. It is also helpful to develop your connections through social media networks, says Villanova University psychology professor Katina Sawyer. LinkedIn is a great tool for getting started, particularly for job seekers.
"You can always use your LinkedIn network to find a new job role. Being sure not to make assumptions about others and being open to different ways of doing things are the keys to collaborating and growing as an employee," Sawyer says.
Clark stresses the importance of social media for the 50-plus crowd. If you don't know what a hashtag is, it's time to find out.
"The online world has impacted almost every profession in some way, and if you're a worker over 50, there may be doubts about whether you're comfortable or familiar with these changes. Go out of your way to demonstrate your expertise with a robust LinkedIn profile, a blog or general familiarity with social tools," Clark says.
How to get your childhood dream job
5 best sectors for job growth
What is the ROI of your college degree?
10 dangerous jobs
Grads guaranteed jobs
Secure jobs with a future
How to turn an internship into a job
The million-dollar edge of a college degree
How mentors turn kids into successful adults
Hiring a career coach to launch 'You 2.0'
Extreme makeover: Resume edition
Recent grads, your bosses don't share your confidence in your abilities


text:
The preposterous Houston tiger story » « Jordan Klepper visits the Arizona recount center
The New Yorker article on UFOs
The New Yorker has a reputation for being a serious magazine. It is famed for its rigorous fact-checking of its pieces. So when I came across an article in the May 10, 2021 issue titled How the Pentagon Started Taking U.F.O.s Seriously, I took the article seriously. My attitude towards UFOs is, I suspect, similar to that of many, deep skepticism about the claims that extra-terrestrials have visited us but that the issue is not worth the effort to look into and debunk each and every claim closely.
The piece by Daniel Lewis-Kraus is very, very long, even by New Yorker standards, and like many long-form pieces of this nature, it wraps the ostensible subject matter around a profile of a single individual. In this case that individual is a reporter Leslie Kean who has been writing about this topic for decades, has published a book on it, and had many pieces accepted in mainstream outlets like the New York Times. Lewis-Kraus gives her a lot of space to expound her views.
Kean seems to be a believer and has been pushing the government to both study Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAP, seemingly the preferred term to UFO of people who think there is something there) and to release all the information it has on the topic. The article provides plenty of examples of events that UFOlogists claim show that we have been visited, many more than I had been aware of. It appears that former Democratic senate majority leader Harry Reid and current Senator Marco Rubio seem to be sympathetic to the idea and have pushed for government funding to study it.
Lewis-Kraus seems impressed with Kean and the tone of his article varies between credulity to occasional mild skepticism. He mostly paints her as a dispassionate truth-seeker who is fighting the skeptical conventional wisdom but on occasion he suggests that she is a partisan who is dismissive of those who are skeptical of UAPs. Here is an occasion where Lewis-Kraus brings up the work of Mick West, who has been debunking many of the UAP claims.
During one of my phone calls with Kean—greatly pleasurable distractions that tended to absorb entire afternoons—I mentioned to her that I had been in touch with Mick West. It was the only time I had known her to grow peevish. "If Mick were really interested in this stuff, he wouldn't debunk every single video," she said, almost pityingly. "He would admit that at least some of them are genuinely weird."
One gets the sense that Lewsi-Kraus would like to think that there is some basis to these stories but he cannot quite cross the bridge and believe it. Take this passage:
Interstellar travel by living beings still seems like a wildly remote possibility, but physicists have known since the early nineteen-nineties that faster-than-light travel is possible in theory, and new research has brought this marginally closer to being achievable in practice. These advances—along with the further inference that ours is a mediocre or even inferior civilization, one that could well be millions or billions of years behind our distant neighbors—have lent a bare-bones plausibility to the idea that U.F.O.s have extraterrestrial origins.
Such a prospect, as Hynek wrote in the mid-nineteen-eighties, "overheats the human mental circuits and blows the fuses in a protective mechanism for the mind." Its destabilizing influence was clear. I would begin interviews with sources who seemed lucid and prudent and who insisted, like Kean, that they were interested only in vetted data, and that they used the term "U.F.O." in the strictly literal sense—whether the objects were spaceships or drones or clouds, we just didn't know. An hour later, they would reveal to me that the aliens had been living in secret bases under the ocean for millions of years, had genetically altered primates to become our ancestors, and had taught accounting to the Sumerians.
There were immediate rebuttals to the article by people who seemed to think that it was a poorly researched piece that did not deserve to be published, at least not in that form. These posts by Robert Sheaffer, who is quoted in the article, describes how many of the examples of UAPs (or UFOs) cited by Kean and printed without skepticism by the magazine have in fact been debunked and that some of the people mentioned were outright cranks. I was not aware of most of them but one name was familiar to me and that was Harold Puthoff, someone who has genuine scientific credentials and is described as a 'long time paranormal investigator'. I recalled how some decades ago he and his collaborator Russell Targ were convinced that Uri Geller had genuine psychic abilities, a claim debunked by the late James Randi. Other researchers failed to replicate Puthoff and Targ's remote viewing results that they claimed showed the existence of ESP.
That is the problem with fact-checking of the style adopted by the New Yorker. That process, as far as I understand it, is to make sure that the things that people are quoted as saying were in fact said by them. It does not necessarily look into whether what they said is true or not. That is the domain of the reporter and the editor and that level of skepticism seemed to be what this piece is lacking. Fact-checking is not equivalent to truth-checking.
I expect to see many letters to the editor in future issues taking them to task for this piece.
Media, Science
… but physicists have known since the early nineteen-nineties that faster-than-light travel is possible in theory, and new research has brought this marginally closer to being achievable in practice.
Uh, wowza. OK, I remember having heard of "tachyons", but even Wikipedia calls them "hypothetical particles" rather than theoretical. And achievable in practice? OMFSM, that is ridiculous.
Most UFO claims revolve around a few simple things:
Claims of distance, size and speed are inter-related. Get one wrong and your estimates of the others will also be wrong.
Photography artifacts. We are mostly past the era of film, but there are still such things as internal lens reflections, overloaded pixels, illusions of perspective.
When you look at all the things required for alien life to get here (evolution of highly intelligent, technologically advanced life which hasn't gone extinct, knowing that Earth is a planet worth visiting, the immense distances which are limited by the speed of light, etc.), you realize this is not something worth taking seriously.
"Possible in theory" sure is doing a lot of work.
physicists have known since the early nineteen-nineties that faster-than-light travel is possible in theory, and new research has brought this marginally closer to being achievable in practice.
Nonsense. He's talking about the Alcubierre drive, which would require matter with negative mass density. Recent papers have essentially reduced the amount of negative mass required. Er, yay?
Reginald Selkirk @1: This stuff has nothing to do with tachyons. First, tachyons have imaginary mass, not negative mass. Second, a theory with tachyons is unstable, and stabilizing the theory gets rid of tachyons (the Higgs boson is an example of a "stabilized tachyon", but it is certainly not a tachyon).
PZ Myers says
I saw one of the recent claims of a UFO photo that the military didn't immediately dismiss, and thought, "Bokeh. That's just bokeh." Do they have no photographers who can recognize a mundane photographic artifact?
brucegee1962 says
The most likely theory I've heard is that, since the technology that nowadays has become ubiquitous in drones isn't all that complicated, it was actually developed by our adversaries several decades before the general populace became aware of it. And based on the way we were acting at the time, they decided "Hey, if we make our flying surveillance platforms look like strange pyramids or saucers or globes, anyone who sees them will be dismissed as a crackpot instead of being taken seriously by the US military."
That would explain why they so often seem to be seen around military installations, anyway.
Paul Durrant says
The fact that most people now have a good quality video camera on them at all times rather debunks UFOs.
If they were a real phenomenon, one would expect the number of videos of them to have increased massively over the past twenty years. It hasn't.
Paul Durrant @7: If it's visible and hasn't been identified, it is a real phenomenon.
I've seen one myself (early 1980s), which doesn't neatly fit into any of the usual explanations. A light that could've been a high-flying plane except that, every few seconds it did a sharp turn, zig-zagging like that for a few minutes before speeding up and fading away rather quickly. No drugs or alcohol were involved, and I watched it with a friend.
One of the more interesting aspects of the experience was the casual, totally incurious dismissal by my housemates who had declined to come out and watch it. I see that as being just as stupid as saying "it must be aliens!".
I am watching the James Bond movie Never Say Never Again. The villain's yacht is named the Flying Saucer.
captainjack says
Interstellar travel of any kind is going to require really advanced technology and be massively expensive. So, if a civilization has that capability, being so far beyond ours, why would they come here? And if they did, having made that investment, why would they hide? Even allowing for the possible differences between us and an alien species, they must understand efficiency and economy. Coming all that way to just peep through our windows, makes no sense.
@2:
knowing that Earth is a planet worth visiting
Well no one is claiming they'll get everything right!
Pierce R. Butler says
brucegee1962 @ # 6: [drone technology] … was actually developed by our adversaries several decades before the general populace became aware of it.
Doesn't current drone technology depend deeply on GPS -- that is, a network of satellites in closely coordinated spatial positioning with extensive mutual communications? Pretty tricky to set that up without the military-industrial complex noticing…
JM says
@13 Pierce R. Butler: Most larger drones do because it's easy way to find your location and keep flight regulations. It isn't the only way to get location information and a spy drone is not concerned with keeping US flight regulation.
Plus a drone can use US GPS without giving away anything. The US GPS broadcasts the location and time information openly.