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Tag: Las Vegas Massacre
The Liberal Redneck on America's Obsession with Guns
Bruce Gerencser October 10, 2017 Politics 2 Comments
Trae Crowder, also known as the Liberal Redneck, takes on America's obsession with guns.
The Thoughts and Prayers App: Letting People Know You "Care"
In light of all the thoughts and prayers recently sent into the ether world over the horrific mass shooting in Las Vegas, Nevada, I thought it would be "cool" to share an app I found that will help people share their "I really care" posts on social media. My thoughts and prayers are with you as you use this app. 🙂
Gun Violence: Let's Stop Blaming Evil When People Do Bad Things
Bruce Gerencser October 4, 2017 Religion 16 Comments
Comic by Bigfoot Justice Comics
People are scrambling to find words to best describe the murderous actions of Stephen Paddock in Las Vegas last Sunday. What is known so far is that Paddock was a rich white guy who liked to gamble and was, at times, verbally abusive towards his girlfriend. At a loss to figure out why Paddock did what he did, the talking heads on Fox News have searched high and low for the answer, going so far as to blame his actions on his lack of religious faith. Other talking heads, missing the forest for the trees, wondered brainlessly out loud about whether it was time to increase security in hotels. How in the world did Paddock get so many guns into the hotel? they ask. Duh, geniuses, in his luggage and bags. Sean Hannity blamed the lack of firearms in the country concert crowd, not thinking about how having loaded handguns would have stopped Paddock from spraying the crowd with bullets shot from semi-automatic/automatic weapons hundreds of yards away. Blame. Blame everyone and everything except the one common denominator in EVERY mass shooting — handguns, assault rifles, and high-capacity magazines. Guns don't kill people, people do. Or so goes the droning NRA mantra, anyway.
The latest person being blamed for the Las Vegas carnage is an entity called EVIL. Evil, much like Satan/Lucifer/Devil, is a religious construct meant to explain why people do bad things. Evangelicals believe all of us, from the moment our father's sperm united with our mother's egg, are sinners. We don't become sinners, we are sinners. Thanks to Adam and Eve, who disobeyed God by eating fruit from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil®, all of us, by nature, are sinners. But when it comes to really, really bad shit — gays getting married, women having abortion, Bill Clinton getting blow jobs in the White House, and Steven Paddock killing and maiming hundreds of people — many Evangelicals blame evil. It's evil, not guns, that commits mass murder. Of course, Evangelicals — who are overwhelmingly Republicans — forget Mr. Evil when people fly planes into buildings. Then it is Muslims doing all the killing. They seem to have no problem determining who or what is behind such terrorism. However, when it comes to gun violence, many Evangelicals are deaf, dumb, and blind.
Tweet by right-wing Kentucky Governor Matt Bevin
Evil is not to blame for America's problem with mass shootings — guns are. Jesse Berney, a writer for Rolling Stone, had this to say about blaming evil for what happened in Las Vegas:
It's easy to call acts of horror "evil." It's comforting to ascribe an external, unknowable motive to events so terrible we can't imagine a motivation.
The human mind is incapable of imagining what would drive a man to haul an arsenal of high-powered weapons into a hotel room, knock out a couple windows, murder dozens of people and injure hundreds more by spraying them with gunfire. So we call it evil. That settles that.
President Trump called the shooting in Las Vegas that left at least 59 dead and more than 500 injured "an act of pure evil," and who's to argue with him? If evil exists in this world, surely indiscriminately murdering faceless strangers from 300 yards away qualifies. Whatever drove Stephen Paddock to that hotel room that night would fall under any reasonable definition of evil.
But what if evil doesn't exist in this world?
Of course people do terrible things. Examples are easy to find, from our own regrets to the most unimaginable cruelties. Paddock murdered dozens of people. The government of Myanmar, led by a Nobel Peace Prize winner, is engaged in a brutal genocide against an ethnic minority. Every day children are exploited and abused. The world is an abattoir of violence and cruelty if you choose to do nothing but focus on the terror we visit on each other.
But evil? Evil as an independent reality, a thing-in-itself that urges people to action? "Evil" not as judgment of Paddock's actions but as an explanation of them? That's a fantasy, and it absolutely will lead to more shootings like these, more deaths.
When elected officials like Trump rely on "evil" to explain away mass shootings, they are following a deliberate strategy. Republicans know wall-to-wall coverage of these events are the best opportunity gun control advocates have to draw attention to the issue and save lives. But the GOP – beholden to the overhyped power of the National Rifle Association – have just one goal: pass zero bills restricting gun sales in any way. (In fact, the Republican leadership in the House is currently considering a bill that would make it easier to purchase both silencers and armor-piercing bullets.) They follow a few strategies like clockwork.
There are calls not to "politicize" these tragedies. They say it's too soon, that it dishonors the victims and their families to bring politics into the discussion.
They claim specific gun laws wouldn't have stopped this individual tragedy, because it's not the right gun, or the perpetrator would have passed a background check – as though stopping some future mass shootings isn't worthwhile if we can't stop them all.
They claim criminals intent on breaking the law will just ignore gun laws anyway, as though that doesn't apply to every law ever passed.
And they call these events "evil" to make them seem random and unpreventable. You can't fight evil, after all. It's invisible, incorporeal. It's the perfect foil for politicians who don't want to do anything. What are we going to do, pass a law to make evil illegal?
But the problem here isn't evil. It's not the devil. It's us: human beings. We have motivations and justifications and rationalizations and reasons for everything we do. We don't know why Stephen Paddock murdered those people. Maybe we never will. And maybe the sensible laws we could pass, like universal background checks and a ban on all assault weapons, wouldn't have stopped someone so wealthy and motivated to commit horror. But it could stop someone else. It would save lives.
Blaming evil is an excuse to do nothing in the face of tens of thousands of gun deaths a year. Only a fraction of those deaths are the result of mass shootings like in Las Vegas. We can and should work to reduce all gun deaths, from suicides to accidents to crime-related deaths to massacres like Sunday's. That means passing laws that keeps guns out of the hands of people who shouldn't have them. The only other option is to do nothing.
Almost 35 000 people a year are killed with firearms in the United States (and thousands more are wounded). Many of these deaths are suicides. Nineteen children a day are killed or maimed by gunfire. More people are killed by guns each year than are killed in automobile accidents. Government at every level has seen fit to regulate automobile use, hoping to reduce deaths and injuries from auto accidents. Remove automobiles from the equation and what happens? (Think real hard on that one, gun-lovers.) If guns are removed from the gun violence equation or restricted, guess what happens? Less gun violence, as Australia will attest.
What follows is a list of mass shootings I compiled from several recent news articles:
Fort Hood, November 5, 2009 — 13 dead, 30 wounded
Edmond, Oklahoma, August 20, 1986 — 14 dead, 6 wounded
San Bernardino,California December 2, 2015 — 14 dead, 22 wounded
San Ysidro, California, July 18, 1984 — 21 dead, 19 wounded
Killeen, Texas, October 16, 1991 — 23 dead, 27 wounded
Sandy Hook Elementary School, December 14, 2012 — 26 dead, 2 wounded
Virginia Tech University, April 16, 2007 — 32 dead, 17 wounded
Orlando,Florida June 12, 2016 — 49 dead, 58 wounded
Las Vegas,Nevada October 1, 2017 — 59 dead, 527 wounded
Tucson, Arizona, January 8, 2011 — 6 dead, 11 wounded
Seal Beach, California, October 12, 2011 — 8 dead, 1 wounded
Oakland, California, April 2, 2012 — 7 dead, 1 wounded
Aurora, Colorado, July 20, 2012, 12 dead, 58 wounded
Oak Creek, Wisconsin, August 5, 2012, 6 dead, 3 wounded
Minneapolis, Minnesota, September 28, 2012 — 6 dead, 2 wounded
Brookfield, Wisconsin, October 21, 2012 — 3 dead, 4 wounded
Washington, DC, September 16, 2013 — 12 dead, 3 injured
Isla Vista, California, May 23, 2014, 6 dead , 7 wounded
Charleston, South Carolina, June 18, 2015, 9 dead
Chattanooga, Tennessee, July 16, 2015, 5 dead, 3 wounded
Roseburg, Oregon, October 1, 2015, 9 dead, 9 injured
Colorado Springs, Colorado, November 29, 2015, 3 dead, 9 wounded
Comic by David Horsey
What's the common denominator is these stories? Evil? White guys? Buildings? No! Guns — handguns, long guns, assault rifles, high-capacity clips. And what has Congress done about these mass shootings? Nothing, absolutely nothing. Fearing being primaried by right-wing, NRA-moneyed, Jesus-loving, flag-waving challengers, Republicans refuse to even talk about passing meaningful gun law reform. And sadly, many Democrats are no better. Fearing losing their seats to Republican challengers, Democrats cower in shameful silence before the gun lobby.
The United States has been fighting the war on terror for sixteen years. Congress has seen fit to give the US military trillions of dollars to fund the war on terrorism, all because 3,000 people died on 9/11. Yet, during this same time period, almost 500,000 people have died through gun violence and over a 1,000,000 people have been wounded. And Congress has done what, exactly? Nothing. If Trump and congressional Republicans have their way, current gun laws will be loosened, making it easier for people who shouldn't own firearms to have them Earlier this year, Congress made it easier for people with mental illness to purchase a gun. Even worse, Congress is contemplating abolishing the law that makes silencers illegal. Imagine how much damage Paddock could have done if his guns were equipped with shot-muffling silencers.
I am done listening to people who won't or can't see that we have a huge problem with gun violence in this country. I refuse to spend one more moment listening to people who think less regulation and more guns is the answer. Call me a pinko liberal or a Communist, I don't care. I plan to do everything in my power to force government at every level to restrict gun sales and ownership. Some currently available firearms should be made illegal — assault rifles in particular. People shouldn't be permitted to hoard firearms as Stephen Paddock did. LIBERALS ARE COMING FOR OUR GUNS! Gun rights activists scream, and my response is this: YES, WE ARE! It is high time we put an end to the gun culture in America with its attendant violence, carnage, and death. If Western nations such as Britain and Australia can strictly regulate firearms and drastically reduce gun violence, so can the United States. Whether we have the courage to do so, remains to be seen.
Bruce Gerencser, 60, lives in rural Northwest Ohio with his wife of 39 years. He and his wife have six grown children and eleven grandchildren. Bruce pastored Evangelical churches for twenty-five years in Ohio, Texas, and Michigan. Bruce left the ministry in 2005, and in 2008 he left Christianity. Bruce is now a humanist and an atheist. For more information about Bruce, please read the About page.
Bruce is a local photography business owner, operating Defiance County Photo out of his home. If you live in Northwest Ohio and would like to hire Bruce, please email him.
No More "Thoughts and Prayers." It's Time to Address the Murderous American Gun Culture
Another mass shooting in America, this time in Las Vegas. Senseless carnage and death, perpetrated by a nondescript white man using semi-automatic rifles armed with high capacity magazines to rain terror down on the heads of concert-goers. Billed as the worst mass shooting in American history — surpassing the Pulse Night Club massacre — the shooting has aroused social media, filling it with comments from people who, not knowing what else to say, utter the most empty, worthless phrase ever to fall from human lips — my thoughts and prayers are with the victims of ____________.
I understand why people use the thoughts and prayers line. When faced with human savagery and carnage, we search for something, anything to say that might bring the slightest comfort to those harmed by violence. Uttering these words makes us feel better, right? There's nothing more we can we do for the victims of terrorist attacks or hurricanes, so we throw some empty words towards the sky, knowing that, based on past events, our words will do nothing to change what happened. No matter how many good thoughts or prayers we send out into the netherworld, nothing changes. Why is this? Millions of Christians believe their prayers are heard by God, ignoring that the fact that he never answers them.
What did prayer do for the victims of recent hurricanes? Countless prayers were uttered for the victims in Puerto Rico, and what did God do? Nothing. Mass murderers continue to mow down their victims with impunity. Prayers are uttered. God will do nothing as the next murderer or terrorist plans to maim and murder countless people. As far as I can tell, the only prayers answered by God were those prayed by Evangelicals during the 2016 presidential election. God indeed heard their prayers, blessing America with the forty-fifth president of the United States — Donald Trump. Outside of Trump's election, God seems to be sitting on sidelines as his creation is ravaged by global warming, war, famine, drought, terrorism, and gun violence.
At the heart of the Las Vegas mass shooting is America's insane love of guns — more specifically, our worship of a deified interpretation of the Second Amendment. Mention regulating the sale, type, and use of firearms, and the NRA crazies come out of the woodwork to defend their right to own firearms without ANY restrictions (even though recent studies suggest that a majority of gun owners support stricter gun laws).
Gun lovers, using a faulty understanding of the Second Amendment, demand the right to buy and sell guns at will. (Please read Gary Wills' insightful article on the Second Amendment, To Keep and Bear Arms.) Attempts to restrict gun sales and use are met with hysterical cries about liberals and communists coming to take away our guns! During the 2016 election, right-wingers talked about using "second amendment remedies" to violently overthrow the federal government if the wrong people were elected. The right man won, and as thanks for helping him get elected, Donald Trump loosened gun laws, making it easier for mentally ill people to buy firearms.
Nevada, home to the latest mass shooting, has some of the loosest gun laws in the nation. I am not suggesting that stricter laws would have kept Steven Paddock from murdering and wounding hundreds of concert-goers. No single event can be used to justify stricter (or looser) gun laws. We can, however, take a big step backward and look at gun violence in general and begin asking questions about how best to lessen violence perpetrated by people with handguns, long guns, and semi-automatic weapons. Doing nothing is no longer an option — a refrain I have been singing for the past decade.
First, voting Americans need to understand that only seven percent of gun owners belong to the NRA. Now, this doesn't mean that non-NRA gun owners don't support the NRA's agenda — many of them do. What it does mean is that the NRA plays a larger-than-life part in the gun law debate. Certainly, the NRA and its constituents deserve a place at the table, but it is time for Americans to see that the NRA is more of a chihuahua than a pit bull. Once our political leaders realize this, they will quit fearing NRA retribution if they support strengthening gun laws.
Second, I would like to see the United States adopt similar gun laws to those found in England or Australia. I realize that gun laws must be changed incrementally, but surely our political leaders can stop their bickering long enough to enact meaningful, progressive gun law reform that protects the right to own firearms, while at the same time strengthening gun registration laws (requiring ALL guns to be registered), putting an end to unregulated private gun sales, unregulated gun shows, and the sale of military (and military-like) firearms and accessories.
Australia strictly regulates gun sales and ownership, restricting firearm use to:
Sport/target shooting
Professional hunting
Handgun or clay target shooting (including licences held on behalf of juniors)
Employment as a security and/or prison guard
Official, commercial or prescribed purpose or for a purpose authorised by an Act or Regulation.
England, which has the one of the lowest gun homicide rates in the world, has strict gun control laws. According to Wikipedia:
Fully automatic (submachine-guns, etc.) are "prohibited weapons" and require explicit permission from central government to permit ownership. Generally, such permits are not available to private citizens. Semi-automatic rifles over .22 in (5.6 mm) and pistols are similarly "prohibited", although there are exceptions for short barrelled breech-loading semi-automatic and revolver pistols for use for the humane dispatch of animals (classed under section 5). There are also very limited exceptions for pistols both to preserve firearms of historic or technical interest (classed as section 7 firearms) and to enable use by elite sports teams. Semi-automatic shotguns are restricted to a magazine capacity of no more than two shot and is held under section 2 of the Firearms Act, although a 'multi-shot' shotgun can be owned under section 1 (restricted firearms and ammunition) of the Firearms Act. Where the term 'multi-shot' is used, this refers to either a Semi-automatic or pump action shotgun with no restriction on magazine capacity. All other rifles and their ammunition are permitted with no limits as to magazine size, to include: target shooting, hunting, and historic and muzzle-loading weapons, as well as long barrelled breachloading pistols with a specific overall length, but not for self-defence; however if a home-owner is threatened they may be used in self-defence, so long as the force is reasonable. Shotgun possession and use is controlled, and even low-power air rifles and pistols, while permitted, are controlled to some extent. A Firearm Certificate issued by the police is required for all weapons and ammunition except air weapons of modest power (of muzzle energy not over 12 ft·lbf (16 J) for rifles, and 6 ft·lbf (8.1 J) for pistols). Shotguns with a capacity of three rounds or less (up to guns with a magazine holding no more than two rounds, in addition to one in the chamber) are subject to less stringent licensing requirements than other firearms and require a shotgun certificate; shotguns with higher capacity require a Firearm Certificate.
Possession of a live firearms round can lead to severe penalties. Live firearms ammunition, other than most shotgun ammunition, may only be purchased and possessed with the authority of a Firearm Certificate. Shotgun cartridges can be possessed by anybody over the age of 15 but no licence is required to hold such ammunition so long as the cartridges contain 5 or more shots. However, a licence covering possession of a firearm capable of firing shotgun ammunition is required for purchase.
The droning tropes of the NRA — if you outlaw guns and only outlaws will have guns, guns don't kill people, people do, to name a few — must be met with deaf ears, If we can regulate everything from automobiles to soda pop, surely we can come up with new laws and regulations that make it harder for mass murderers and garden variety killers to obtain firearms. I see no justifiable reason for Americans to own semi-automatic, high capacity magazine military-style weapons, nor do I see any reason for ordinary citizens to have access to concealed carry permits.
Nicholas Kristof had this to say today about the Las Vegas massacre:
After the horrific mass shooting in Las Vegas, the impulse of politicians will be to lower flags, offer moments of silence, and lead a national mourning. Yet what we need most of all isn't mourning, but action to lower the toll of guns in America.
We don't need to simply acquiesce to this kind of slaughter. When Australia suffered a mass shooting in 1996, the country united behind tougher laws on firearms. As a result, the gun homicide rate was almost halved, and the gun suicide rate dropped by half, according to the Journal of Public Health Policy.
Skeptics will say that there are no magic wands and that laws can't make the carnage go away. To some extent, they're right. Some criminals will always be able to obtain guns, especially in a country like America that is awash with 300 million firearms. We are always likely to have higher gun death rates than Europe.
But the scale is staggering. Since 1970, more Americans have died from guns (including suicides, murders and accidents) than the sum total of all the Americans who died in all the wars in American history, back to the American Revolution. Every day, some 92 Americans die from guns, and American kids are 14 times as likely to die from guns as children in other developed countries, according to David Hemenway of Harvard.
So while there's no magic wand available, here are some steps we could take that would, collectively, make a difference:
1. Impose universal background checks for anyone buying a gun. Four out of five Americans support this measure, to prevent criminals or terrorists from obtaining guns.
2. Impose a minimum age limit of 21 on gun purchases. This is already the law for handgun purchases in many states, and it mirrors the law on buying alcohol.
3. Enforce a ban on possession of guns by anyone subject to a domestic violence protection order. This is a moment when people are upset and prone to violence against their exes.
4. Limit gun purchases by any one person to no more than, say, two a month, and tighten rules on straw purchasers who buy for criminals. Make serial numbers harder to remove.
5. Adopt microstamping of cartridges so that they can be traced to the gun that fired them, useful for solving gun crimes.
6. Invest in "smart gun" purchases by police departments or the U.S. military, to promote their use. Such guns require a PIN or can only be fired when near a particular bracelet or other device, so that children cannot misuse them and they are less vulnerable to theft. The gun industry made a childproof gun in the 1800's but now resists smart guns.
7. Require safe storage, to reduce theft, suicide and accidents by children.
8. Invest in research to see what interventions will be more effective in reducing gun deaths. We know, for example, that alcohol and guns don't mix, but we don't know precisely what laws would be most effective in reducing the resulting toll. Similar investments in reducing other kinds of accidental deaths have been very effective.
These are all modest steps, and I can't claim that they would have an overwhelming effect. But public health experts think it's plausible that a series of well-crafted safety measures like these could reduce gun deaths by one-third—or more than 10,000 a year.
It's too soon to know what, if anything, might have prevented the shooting in Las Vegas, and it may be that nothing could have prevented it. In some ways, these mass shootings are anomalies: Most gun deaths occur in ones or twos, usually with handguns (which kill far more people than assault rifles), and suicides outnumber murders.
But in every other sphere, we at least use safety regulations to try — however imperfectly — to reduce death and injury.
In every other sphere, we at least use safety regulations to try to reduce death and injury, Kristof said, and he is exactly right. We need to do something besides sending up more meaningless thoughts and prayers. Change requires forceful, meaningful, bipartisan action. And if our elected officials refuse to act, we need to shame them out of office, replacing them with legislators that put people over ideology and value saving lives over collecting donations.
I am not anti-gun. For many years, I was a gun owner. My brother is a retired police officer, and my father was an auxiliary sheriff's deputy. My father was a lifelong gun owner and seller. Dad owned a gun store in Arizona, and frequented gun shows to buy and sell firearms. As a teenager, I manned many a gun show sales table. I am sympathetic towards private gun ownership. That said, I am also sickened by the carnage and havoc perpetrated by people who were able to buy firearms and ammo with minimal or no regulation. Nineteen children a day are wounded or killed by firearms. In 2013, there were 73,505 nonfatal firearm injuries and 33,636 deaths due to "injury by firearms" — more deaths than by car accident. Enough of the carnage! No more thoughts and prayers! It's time for action. The NRA will certainly object, but it is time for thoughtful, caring Americans to ignore their protestations, and work towards putting an end to gun violence.
Quote of the Day: It's Time to Politicize the Terror Attack in Las Vegas by Tim Dickenson
Bruce Gerencser October 2, 2017 Politics 0 Comments
Cartoon by Clay Jones
On Sunday night, a domestic terrorist, using weapons suited for battle, took aim from the 32nd floor of a Las Vegas hotel and rained bullets down on a country music festival – killing at least 58 people, wounding more than 500 others and sending a crowd of 22,000 fleeing in panic.
The headlines scream "worst gun massacre in modern history" – and indeed, the massacre surpasses the death toll at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando just last year.
But Las Vegas was also the third deadliest modern terror attack on American soil, trailing only 9/11 and the 1995 bombing of the federal building in Oklahoma City.
America needs to confront this terrorism – and the forces that enable it.
Some definitions of terrorism hold that the violence must be perpetrated toward a political end. We do not yet know the motive behind the targeting of defenseless civilians at a music festival. The alleged gunman, 64-year-old Stephen Paddock, is dead, and the logic of his attack may have died with him. But if a man who brings more than a dozen weapons into a hotel room for the express purpose of exterminating innocent civilians – and prompting tens of thousands of others to flee for their lives – does not qualify not a "terrorist," then the word has lost any functional meaning.
Mark Kelly – the retired Navy captain and astronaut and husband of former Rep. Gabby Giffords – underscored this idea on Monday. "This is the worst-case scenario. It's haunted our dreams, that we would wake up to the news of a massacre like this: weapons of war, in the hands of a determined killer, with a tactical advantage. This was an ambush if there ever was one," he said. "This was domestic terrorism."
The Las Vegas massacre also plainly qualifies as an "act of terrorism" as defined by Nevada law – encompassing "any act that involves the use … [of] violence which is intended to: Cause great bodily harm or death to the general population."
The category error – labeling terrorism as "gun violence" – has dire consequences. America is at war with terrorism. We have made peace with gun violence.
In this country, we move heaven and earth to root out terrorism. We've launched trillion-dollar wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Our Congress passed the the USA Patriot Act, and we have curtailed our Fourth Amendment rights – trading freedom for FISA warrants and other encroachments of a surveillance state. We endure the indignities of airport scanners and pat-downs, and perform the security ritual of removing our shoes and belts at TSA checkpoints.
But when terrorists attack with high-capacity rifles, our moral clarity – and our national will to action – falters. Part of this category error is driven by racism. We call white shooters "lone wolves" and not "terrorists." Regardless, we are enduring terrorist attacks on our own soil. They are hitting soft targets: schools, nightclubs and now music festivals.
Despite the carnage, we have done nothing at the federal level to restrict access to war-bred assault rifles and high-capacity magazines. This is a political problem, not a Second Amendment question. Despite what the NRA claims, U.S. courts have repeatedly held that these weapons are not constitutionally protected.
America's national inaction comes in the face of our enemies laughing at us. Al Qaeda and other Islamist groups have openly called on would-be jihadists to build an arsenal by exploiting America's lax gun laws, as I detailed after the Orlando attack:
"A terrorist manual discovered in Afghanistan in the early 2000s titled 'How can I train myself for Jihad' encourages would-be terrorists to obtain military-grade weapons in America: In 'some states of USA,' it reads, 'it is perfectly legal for members of the public to own certain types of firearms. If you live in such a country, obtain an assault rifle legally….'
"A 2011 Al Qaeda recruitment video included similar advice: 'America is absolutely awash with easily obtainable firearms. You can go down to a gun show at the local convention center and come away with [an] assault rifle, without a background check, and most likely without having to show an identification card. So what are you waiting for?'"
America's soft underbelly is vulnerable to terrorist attack because of the political power of the National Rifle Association. Full stop.
And we have never had a president more indebted to the NRA than Donald Trump. Trump took office thanks to more than $30 million in NRA spending on his behalf. Appearing at the gun lobby's national convention earlier this year, Trump thanked the NRA and promised to advance its agenda. "You came through for me, and I am going to come through for you," he said.
On Monday, President Trump piously quoted the Bible and condemned an "act of pure evil." But he made no promise of federal action or intention to prevent future bloodshed. The president only directed that "our great flag" be flown at half mast. In the War on Terror – as prosecuted at home, against those who would commit atrocities with guns – the president might as well be waving a white flag of surrender.
— Tim Dickenson, Rolling Stone Magazine, It's Time to Politicize the Terror Attack in Las Vegas, October 2, 2017


HD Camera for Android is a photo camera application, which will allow us to take pictures, record videos and capture panoramic images. At the level of features, the application offers virtually the same as the camera app that is installed by default on any Android device.
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HD Camera for Android is a good camera application, which offers all the features that an app of this type should, including the possibility of taking photos with the volume down button.
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Kris Jenner gushes over Khloe Kardashian's new NBA beau
Meet Khloe's new baller BF
It's official, Kris Jenner can't help but admit Khloé Kardashian's new romance with NBA star Tristan Thompson is adorable.
"They're really cute", the 60-year-old Momager, told People at the Beverly Hills benefit, the Brent Shapiro Foundation for Drug and Alcohol Prevention Summer event.
We all know that winning your mum's approval on anything makes life a lot easier, so we bet Khloé is over the moon!
Despite the Kardashian sisters unpromising run with pro ballers in the romantic department, with Khloe's failed marriage to Lamar Odom and Kim's to Kris Humphries, Kris believes that 25-year-old Cleveland Cavaliers player Tristan is a good match for her daughter.
"You know, she's having a good time, he seems like a really nice guy," said the reality star. "I think just with any relationship, just in life, I think it's about chemistry and about values and about you know, about how two people get along."
The two lovebirds shared a Snapchat video, of a heated smooch at Kanye West's Miami concert last night.
So there you have it, Kris says yes and we do too!
Words: Zoe Madden-Smith
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Somadrone / Ellll
€10/€8
Irish producer Somadrone has been making electronic music since 1997. Member of Dublin's cult band, Redneck Manifesto, Somadrone has produced four records and has toured in both Europe and the US. His last record, Depth of Field received critical acclaim and was compared to the likes of Ryuichi Sakamoto, David Sylvian and Brian Eno. His latest record, The First Wave, recorded between 2010-2013 in San Francisco, Dublin and Brooklyn NY, incorporates analogue drum machines, synthesizers, guitar and vocals that results in a cross-pollinating, genre-less, electronic sound-scape.
For the show at the Joinery, Somadrone will be playing a completely improvised show with two synthesizers, a drum machine and some echo machines.
"The giants of 20th century minimal composition — Philip Glass and Steve Reich — are obvious influences here, but O'Connor is no mere copyist" – Irish Independent 4/5.
"Detachment that we find in Steve Reich or Brian Eno circa Music for Airports" – Wire Magazine
https://iamsomadrone.com
Cork producer Ellll uses heavily manipulated samples, minimal beats and dark textures. Drone, noise and sparse beat orientated sounds.
Ellll''s somber, minimal approach to electronics has drawn comparison to Pan Sonic and Andy Stott's quieter moments.
https://soundcloud.com/ellll
Irish producer Somadrone has been making electronic music since 1997. Member of Dublin's cult band, Redneck Manifesto, Somadrone has produced four records and has toured in both Europe and the US. His last record, Depth of Field received critical acclaim and was compared to the likes of Ryuichi Sakamoto, David Sylvian and Brian Eno. His latest record, The First Wave, recorded between 2010-2013 in San Francisco, Dublin and Brooklyn NY, incorporates analogue drum machines, synthesizers, guitar and vocals that results in a cross-pollinating, genre-less, electronic sound-scape. For the show at the Joinery, Somadrone will be playing a completely improvised show with two synthesizers, a drum machine and some echo machines. "The giants of 20th century minimal composition -- Philip Glass and Steve Reich -- are obvious influences here, but O'Connor is no mere copyist" - Irish Independent 4/5. "Detachment that we find in Steve Reich or Brian Eno circa Music for Airports" - Wire Magazine "https://iamsomadrone.com":https://iamsomadrone.com Cork producer Ellll uses heavily manipulated samples, minimal beats and dark textures. Drone, noise and sparse beat orientated sounds. Ellll''s somber, minimal approach to electronics has drawn comparison to Pan Sonic and Andy Stott's quieter moments. "https://soundcloud.com/ellll":https://soundcloud.com/ellll Irish producer Somadrone has been making electronic music since 1997. Member of Dublin's cult band, Redneck Manifesto, Somadrone has produced four records and has toured in both Europe and the US. His last record, Depth of Field received critical acclaim and was compared to the likes of Ryuichi Sakamoto, David Sylvian and Brian Eno. His latest record, The First Wave, recorded between 2010-2013 in San Francisco, Dublin and Brooklyn NY, incorporates analogue drum machines, synthesizers, guitar and vocals that results in a cross-pollinating, genre-less, electronic sound-scape. For the show at the Joinery, Somadrone will be playing a completely improvised show with two synthesizers, a drum machine and some echo machines. "The giants of 20th century minimal composition -- Philip Glass and Steve Reich -- are obvious influences here, but O'Connor is no mere copyist" - Irish Independent 4/5. "Detachment that we find in Steve Reich or Brian Eno circa Music for Airports" - Wire Magazine "https://iamsomadrone.com":https://iamsomadrone.com Cork producer Ellll uses heavily manipulated samples, minimal beats and dark textures. Drone, noise and sparse beat orientated sounds. Ellll''s somber, minimal approach to electronics has drawn comparison to Pan Sonic and Andy Stott's quieter moments. "https://soundcloud.com/ellll":https://soundcloud.com/ellll
Irish producer Somadrone has been making electronic music since 1997. Member of Dublin's cult band, Redneck Manifesto, Somadrone has produced four records and has toured in both Europe and the US. His last record, Depth of Field received critical acclaim and was compared to the likes of Ryuichi Sakamoto, David Sylvian and Brian Eno. His latest record, The First Wave, recorded between 2010-2013 in San Francisco, Dublin and Brooklyn NY, incorporates analogue drum machines, synthesizers, guitar and vocals that results in a cross-pollinating, genre-less, electronic sound-scape. For the show at the Joinery, Somadrone will be playing a completely improvised show with two synthesizers, a drum machine and some echo machines. "The giants of 20th century minimal composition -- Philip Glass and Steve Reich -- are obvious influences here, but O'Connor is no mere copyist" - Irish Independent 4/5. "Detachment that we find in Steve Reich or Brian Eno circa Music for Airports" - Wire Magazine "https://iamsomadrone.com":https://iamsomadrone.com Cork producer Ellll uses heavily manipulated samples, minimal beats and dark textures. Drone, noise and sparse beat orientated sounds. Ellll''s somber, minimal approach to electronics has drawn comparison to Pan Sonic and Andy Stott's quieter moments. "https://soundcloud.com/ellll":https://soundcloud.com/ellll Irish producer Somadrone has been making electronic music since 1997. Member of Dublin's cult band, Redneck Manifesto, Somadrone has produced four records and has toured in both Europe and the US. His last record, Depth of Field received critical acclaim and was compared to the likes of Ryuichi Sakamoto, David Sylvian and Brian Eno. His latest record, The First Wave, recorded between 2010-2013 in San Francisco, Dublin and Brooklyn NY, incorporates analogue drum machines, synthesizers, guitar and vocals that results in a cross-pollinating, genre-less, electronic sound-scape. For the show at the Joinery, Somadrone will be playing a completely improvised show with two synthesizers, a drum machine and some echo machines. "The giants of 20th century minimal composition -- Philip Glass and Steve Reich -- are obvious influences here, but O'Connor is no mere copyist" - Irish Independent 4/5. "Detachment that we find in Steve Reich or Brian Eno circa Music for Airports" - Wire Magazine "https://iamsomadrone.com":https://iamsomadrone.com Cork producer Ellll uses heavily manipulated samples, minimal beats and dark textures. Drone, noise and sparse beat orientated sounds. Ellll''s somber, minimal approach to electronics has drawn comparison to Pan Sonic and Andy Stott's quieter moments. "https://soundcloud.com/ellll":https://soundcloud.com/ellll Irish producer Somadrone has been making electronic music since 1997. Member of Dublin's cult band, Redneck Manifesto, Somadrone has produced four records and has toured in both Europe and the US. His last record, Depth of Field received critical acclaim and was compared to the likes of Ryuichi Sakamoto, David Sylvian and Brian Eno. His latest record, The First Wave, recorded between 2010-2013 in San Francisco, Dublin and Brooklyn NY, incorporates analogue drum machines, synthesizers, guitar and vocals that results in a cross-pollinating, genre-less, electronic sound-scape. For the show at the Joinery, Somadrone will be playing a completely improvised show with two synthesizers, a drum machine and some echo machines. "The giants of 20th century minimal composition -- Philip Glass and Steve Reich -- are obvious influences here, but O'Connor is no mere copyist" - Irish Independent 4/5. "Detachment that we find in Steve Reich or Brian Eno circa Music for Airports" - Wire Magazine "https://iamsomadrone.com":https://iamsomadrone.com Cork producer Ellll uses heavily manipulated samples, minimal beats and dark textures. Drone, noise and sparse beat orientated sounds. Ellll''s somber, minimal approach to electronics has drawn comparison to Pan Sonic and Andy Stott's quieter moments. "https://soundcloud.com/ellll":https://soundcloud.com/ellll


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Clear Ocean Group
Clear Ocean Group was founded out of necessity. Our Founder, Amanda Grover, relocated from NYC to PR in 2017. During her relocation, Amanda encountered the same roadblocks that frustrate most people moving to an island that can often seem foreign when compared to other states. After successfully navigating the roadblocks herself, Amanda began helping friends relocate to Puerto Rico and became a licensed real estate broker in PR. Clear Ocean Group was officially launched.
In the beginning, Clear Ocean Group was focused as an exclusive buyer's brokerage for families relocating to PR for the Act 20/22/60 tax incentives. Since then, Clear Ocean Group has grown and expanded to become a full-service real estate brokerage firm focused on luxury real estate in Dorado Beach and San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Buying and selling real estate in Puerto Rico can be an overwhelming experience with many obstacles and unfamiliarities. Our clients rely on us to make the experience seamless; whether that includes introducing and explaining the different neighborhoods within Dorado Beach and San Juan, reassuring where market value is, explaining the legal and financial process, avoiding shady real estate brokers, making the right third party connections (lawyers, accountants, inspectors, specialists, etc.), or ensuring title is clear and properly recorded, we hold your hand every step of the way.
We are honest. We are trustworthy. We are discreet.
Amanda Grover - Founder
As the Founder of Clear Ocean Group, Amanda has closed over $50 million in sales in the first half of 2021 alone becoming a staple of the Puerto Rico real estate scene. She has helped many families relocate to the island and understands what top industry standards are expected.
Amanda Grover graduated with a degree in Economics from Columbia University where she served as Senior Class President. She began her career as a paralegal at a law firm working on cases involving trusts and wills, contracts, and litigation. She then transitioned into the finance realm where she was a senior recruiter at a top-tier executive search firm placing experienced investment professionals with large hedge funds and private equity firms. In 2017, she moved from Manhattan to Puerto Rico with her husband and the expectation of leaving after three years. They've since welcomed a beautiful daughter and enjoy PR so much that they have no plans to leave.
Amanda Grover
Founder/Agent
amanda@clearoceangroup.com
As the Founder of Clear Ocean Group, Amanda has closed over $100 million in sales over the past 12 months becoming a staple of the Puerto Rico real estate scene. She has helped many families relocate to the island and understands what top industry standards are expected.
We are specialized agents for Act 60 families relocating to Dorado Beach and San Juan, Puerto Rico. Act 60, formerly known as Act 20 and Act 22, comprises tax incentives from the Puerto Rico government to attract businesses that export services and individual investors to move to the island of Puerto Rico.
Dorado Beach, Puerto Rico
info@clearoceangroup.com
Lic # E-363
Clear Ocean Group is the leading luxury real estate brokerage firm in Puerto Rico.


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Discounters aim to ease big bank pain points: Mayers
By Adam MayersPersonal Finance Editor
Wed., May 18, 2016timer3 min. read
Canadians are a loyal bunch when it comes to their banks. They carp about the fees, but they love the success of the Big Six: the stability, the familiarity, the ever-increasing profits and higher dividends.
Financial stocks make up 37 per cent of the value of shares traded on the S&P TSX Composite index, so pretty well every portfolio has one or two banks in it. The top two Canadian stocks owned by the Canada Pension Plan are RBC and TD Bank, worth about $2 billion at current prices.
But while the banks have been the slam-dunk investment choice of the last 25 years, they are surrounded by disruptive technologies that are chipping away at their business. They still have huge advantages and big profit potential, but the going will be tougher.
Secular trends that worked for them may not continue. Favourable regulation which kept out competition is one. Another, is that since the early 1990s, they profited enormously as inflation and interest rates fell. Mortgage lending boomed and profit margins grew. But inflation and rates don't have much more room to fall.
The maturing of the baby boom brought an expansion into wealth management. The banks began offering advice and then bought stockbrokers to earn a fee from buying and sell the securities. Now, low-cost investment advice is on the rise.
The banks have always bet on the full service umbrella – bringing you into the house and then cross-selling everything from credit cards to American cash for your Florida holiday. The tradeoff for the convenience has been that they don't offer the best rates for anything.
The disruptions are getting more pronounced in basic banking, the bread and butter of the business.
A recent report by consultant PwC, a firm which provides tax and advisory services to large companies, found Canada now has 80 financial technology firms. These startups may one day be the next Big Six bank.
They're going after "customer pain points with innovative, easy-to-use and cost-efficient solutions," the report found. The companies offer banking on the go through mobile payments, or ways to bank that don't include the big banks.
In addition to companies offering apps – think Apple Pay – there are plenty of players now providing online banking with low, or no fees with better interest rates. They're cheaper because they don't have branch networks. Some don't even have bank machines.
Best known is Tangerine, purchased in 2012 by Scotiabank, the former ING Direct has about 2 million customers.
Another is PC Financial, owned by Loblaws, but operated by CIBC. It was launched in 1998 and also has more than 2 million customers. EQ Bank entered the fray in January.
Oaken Financial a brand of Home Trust, a TSX-listed company through Home Capital Group launched its business in 2013.
Everyone will now have to make room for Zag Bank, owned by the Desjardins Group. Zag has been easing its way into Ontario after testing its strategy in western Canada for the past year.
Zag was acquired by Desjardins in 2011. Desjardins is the largest association of credit unions in North America and sees Zag as a way to grow an outside-of-Quebec banking presence.
Zag stepped up its Ontario profile during this year's RRSP season and CEO David Raju says you'll be hearing more from him this fall.
"You won't see flashy advertising and fast-changing products that fizzle out," he says. "Just plain vanilla, uncomplicated banking."
But be warned: Zag's year-long, 2.5 per cent offer on a savings account, expires June 1. Raju says the rate will fall, but won't say to where.
But, he adds: "We're here to stay."
It's messages like that, on all fronts, that are giving Canada's banking giants pause for thought as they look to the future.
More columns by Adam Mayers
Adam Mayers writes about investing and personal finance on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Have a question? Reach him at amayers@thestar.ca


I'm switching teams this month. I'll be working out of the DRW New York City office in the near future. I've been with my current team for almost 2 years, and I've learned plenty of valuable lessons. I'm not sure if the most valuable take-away centers around Compatible Opinions on Software; however, it's definitely the take-away that seems to remain in the fore-front of my memories.
The guys I work with in the DRW CT office are truly talented. Each individual on my team is someone I would consider to be a great software developer. As a result, we don't tend to have discussions on issues that where one answer is clearly right and another is clearly wrong. Instead, we often find ourselves in situations where one or more individuals have differing opinions and a "correct" answer cannot be found. Despite everyone being an excellent developer, several members of the team have incompatible opinions on software.
Here's the net result: Quality software. We aren't talking about a problem that caused projects to fail. On the contrary, our customer is very happy and the team is largely happy with the product we deliver. Unfortunately, as a teammate puts it, I seem to be immune to complacency. Even though things are good, I wont be satisfied until they are great. And, I feel that incompatible opinions on software is our largest production thief.
For the majority of my career I've believed - if I work on a team of excellent developers everything will simply fall into place. I now believe that being technically excellent is only the first requirement. I also believe that you can have two technically excellent people who have vastly different opinions on the most effective way to deliver software.
Two developers who prefer a powerful language may or may not be more productive than two developers who prefer a powerful IDE. However, both of the previous pairs will be more productive than one developer who prefers a powerful language teamed up with one developer who prefers a powerful IDE.
I'm not talking about people who love IntelliJ but are perfectly willing to learn emacs. If you're open to working in emacs then you have a compatible opinion with an emacs zealot. I'm talking about people who have tried the opposing point of view and still have a strong opinion that it's not the best way to deliver software. Putting those people on the same team only ensures a never-ending battle about why things aren't as good as they could be.
Of course, having differing views can be a good thing. Diversity ensures all kinds of benefits. I'm not suggesting that you rid yourself of all diversity. However, for the sake of productivity, I suggest that you do your best to avoid working with someone who has both an opposing view and is as inflexible as you are on the subject. The more central the subject is to the project, the more likely it is that productivity will be lost.
Let's get back to a concrete example. For me personally, I strongly prefer Clojure to Java. That's not to say that Java doesn't have it's place, it does. But, if both languages are valid choices, I'll always opt for Clojure. Given that opinion, I'm more effective if I'm working with someone else that prefers Clojure to Java. The language decision is important to me, very central to the project, and likely to be an ongoing issue.
Building off of the previous example, I don't personally care if we use IntelliJ or Emacs. As long as the IDE or editor choice is a reasonable one, I'm happy to use whatever someone else on the team prefers. I welcome diversity on compatible opinions. In fact, it's likely that diversity on compatible opinions will lead to greater productivity as better solutions are found.
So what can you do? The obvious answers: I've started making a list of opinions that I'm less flexible about. If I'm interviewing for a teammate, I'll ask questions to ensure we have compatible opinions on software. If I'm interviewing for a new job, I'll ask the interviewers about their opinions on software. To a certain extent I've always asked these questions, but I think I'll have better results if I identify which of my opinions I'm less flexible about and focus a bit more on ensuring that there aren't any conflicts.
If you already have a team in place and aren't looking to leave it's a bit harder to resolve incompatible opinions on software. Depending on the size of your team, you may be able to split the team up into smaller groups of people who have compatible opinions on software. Obviously, this will depend on having enough people to allow for a split, and having software that can be logically divided. If you can pull this off, you also get the nice benefit of seeing the results from doing things differently, without having to change your approach until it makes sense for you.
At this point I've worked on three different teams that achieved a level of productivity greater than that of any other teams I've been a part of. Of course, there are several factors that contributed to the success of all three teams. However, all three teams had compatible opinions on software, and avoided an entire class of problems that erode productivity. You'd have a hard time convincing me that those two things weren't somehow related.
Recently, I wanted to add some specific behavior to my Clojure application when any uncaught exception occurred. This is easy enough by calling the setDefaultUncaughtExceptionHandler (sDUEH); however, it's worth noting that the sDUEH takes a Thread.UncaughtExceptionHandler argument. Clojure has no problem giving you access to inner classes, but the syntax is slightly different: Outer$Inner in Clojure is the same as Outer.Inner in Java.
It's easy to use the REPL and determine if you have things correct.
This works without issue, because java.lang is (generally) available in Clojure.
If you want access to an inner class that is not in java.lang you'll want to import it directly. For example, the following REPL session shows how you can access the ThreadPoolExecutor.DiscardPolicy class.
Returning the entire class in the REPL should suffice as proof that everything is working fine; however, the code below is a brief example of using Thread$UncaughtExceptionHandler in a larger context.
As you can see from the command-line output, the exception is handled by the proxy of Thread$UncaughtExceptionHandler.
The fnil function was added to Clojure in version 1.2. The fnil function is a great addition that allows you to write code that works for all cases where an argument isn't nil, and handle the case where it is nil.
From the documentation: The fnil function takes a function f, and returns a function that calls f, replacing a nil first argument to f with a supplied value.
A simple example is working with + and nil.
As you can see, the + function throws an exception if an argument is nil; however, we were easily able to create our own new+ function that handles the first argument being nil.
In isolation, it might be hard to see how this is valuable. However, once combined with high order functions it's easy to see the benefit.
Several months ago I wrote about composing functions and used the update-in function as my final example of what I thought was the best implementation. What I didn't address in the blog entry was how to handle the first update.
As you can see from the following code, the first update will fail if a default value isn't populated.
At the time of the writing Clojure 1.2 was not production ready, and I used a definition of update-score that was much more verbose, but did handle nil.
While the above code works perfectly well, it's obviously not nearly as nice to read as the example that doesn't need to concern itself with nil.
However, Clojure 1.2 is now production ready and the fnil function is available. As a result, you can now write the following version of the update-score function that is obviously preferable to the version that uses the or function.
I'll admit that fnil wasn't my favorite function when I first found it; however, it's become indispensable. Looking through my code I find (fnil + 0) and (fnil - 0) a few times, and I definitely prefer those to the versions that use the or function.
Clojure provides a few different options for creating functions inline: fn (or the #() reader macro), partial, and comp. When I first got started with Clojure I found I could do everything with fn and #(); and that's a good place to start. However, as I produced more Clojure code I found there were also opportunities to use both partial and comp to create more concise code.
The following examples are contrived. They will show how partial and comp can be used; however, they aren't great examples of when they should be used. As always, context is important, and you'll need to decide when (or if) you want to use either function.
The partial function takes a function and fewer than the normal arguments to the function, and returns a function that takes a variable number of additional args. When called, the returned function calls the function with the specified args and any additional args.
The partial function can often be used as an alternative to fn or #(). The following example shows how you can use either #() or partial to multiply a list of integers by .01 (convert pennies to dollars).
In a straightforward example, such as the one above, it's really up to you which you'd prefer. However, if you want to specify a predicate that takes a variable number of args then the case for partial starts to become a bit more noticeable.
I haven't come across an example yet that made me think: The partial function is definitely the right choice here! However, I have passed around a few functions that had several arguments and found I prefer (partial f arg1) to #(f arg1 %1 %2 %3) and #(apply f arg1 %&).
The comp function takes a variable number of functions and returns a function that is the composition of those functions. The returned function takes a variable number of args, applies the rightmost of functions to the args, the next function (right-to-left) to the result, etc.
In a previous blog entry I used comp to return the values from a map given a list of keys. Below you can find the same example that shows the definition and usage.
As you can see from the example, comp creates a function that takes a map and a sequence of keys, calls select-keys with that sequence, then calls vals with the result of calling select-keys. As the documentation specifies, the functions are called from right to left.
In general I find myself executing some functions directly with some data. In that case I generally use the -> macro. For example, if I already have a map and I want a list of the keys I'm probably going to write code similar to what's found below.
However, there are times when you need a function that is the composition of a few other functions. For example, taking a list of numbers, converting them to strings, and then converting them to keywords.
The same thing can be done with #(), as the example below shows.
While the code above works perfectly well, I definitely prefer the version that uses the comp function.
Like so many other functions in Clojure, you can get by without partial and comp. However, I find my code more readable and maintainable when I use tools specifically designed to handle my current problem.
Clojure provides the get and get-in functions for returning values from a map and the select-keys function for returning a new map of only the specified keys. Clojure doesn't provide a function that returns a list of values; however, it's very easy to create such a function (which I call select-values). Once you have the ability to select-values it becomes very easy to create a function that applies a function to the selected values (which I call apply-values).
The select-keys function returns a map containing only the entries of the specified keys. The following (pasted) REPL session shows a few different select-keys behaviors.
The select-keys function is helpful in many occassions; however, sometimes you only care about selecting the values of certain keys in a map. A simple solution is to call select-keys and then vals. Below you can find the results of applying this idea.
The select-values implementation from above may be sufficient for what you are doing, but there are two things worth noticing: in cases where you might be expecting an empty list you are seeing nil; and, the values are not in the same order that the keys were specified in. Given that (standard) maps are unsorted, you can't be sure of the ordering the values.
An alternative definition of select-values uses the reduce function and pulls the values by key and incrementally builds the (vector) result.
The new select-values function returns the values in order and returns an empty vector in the cases where previous examples returned nil, but we have a new problem: Keys specified that don't exist in the map are now included in the vector as nil. This issue is easily addressed by adding a call to the remove function.
The implementation that includes removing nils can be found below.
There is no "correct" implementation for select-values. If you don't care about ordering and nil is a reasonable return value: the first implementation is the correct choice due to it's concise definition. If you do care about ordering and performance: the second implementation might be the right choice. If you want something that follows the principle of least surprise: the third implementation is probably the right choice. You'll have to decide what's best for your context. In fact, here's a few more implementations that might be better based on your context.
Pulling values from a map is helpful, but it's generally not the end goal. If you find yourself pulling values from a map, it's likely that you're going to want to apply a function to the extracted values. With that in mind, I generally define an apply-values function that returns the result of applying a function to the values returned from specified keys.
A good example of this is returning the total for a line item represented as a map. Given a map that specifies a line item costing $5 and having a quantity of 4, you can use (* price quantity) to determine the total price for the line item.
Using our previously defined select-values function we can do the work ourselves, as the example below shows.
The example above works perfectly well; however, applying a function to the values of a map seems like a fairly generic operation that can easily be extracted to it's own function (the apply-values function). The example below shows the definition and usage of my definition of apply-values.
I find select-keys, select-values, & apply-values to be helpful when writing Clojure applications. If you find you need these functions, feel free to use them in your own code. However, you'll probably want to check the comments - I'm sure someone with more Clojure experience than I have will provide superior implementations.


Machine-to-machine (M2M) communication is the communication or exchange of data between two machines without human interfacing. This usually includes serial connection, power line connection (PLC), or wireless communications in the industrial Internet of Things (IoT). The emergence of wireless has made M2M communication much easier and enabled more applications to be connected.
Growing advancements in the technology are the key factor attributing the growth of the healthcare M2M market. Increasing number of the patients in need of assisted living and rising demand for the wearable devices that allows consumers to track their fitness levels is anticipated to fuel the healthcare M2M market. It allows to bring down the administrative cost which is enhancing the growth of the healthcare M2M market. M2M plays a vital role in reducing the risk related to treatment and diagnoses, which is likely to drive the growth of the healthcare M2M market. However, the lack of standardized protocols in connectivity network security and in privacy is hindering the growth of the healthcare M2M market.
Geographically, global market is segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and the Middle East and Africa. North America healthcare M2M market holds the largest share in the global healthcare M2M market. The technological advancements are the major factors attributed the growth of the market in this region. The increase in the demand for digit M2M-based connections is adding fuel for the growth of the market in the region. The Asia Pacific healthcare M2M market is projected to grow at a faster pace over the forecast period.


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Q: Managing facebook invites with new API 2.0 on android I have seen some android apps around that are able to invite friends to the app and detect when these friends have accepted the request.
I have been reading a bunch of documentation there at facebook and I can see I just need to create a request dialog to let the current signed user invite people. The problem comes when I want to know if this invited people have accepted the invitation and have installed the app.
First of all, It seems that I can just use the invite api if I have a canvas application beside the android one (At least this is what the docs state when using new 2.0 api -> "The invitable_friends API is only available for games that have a Facebook Canvas app implementation using version 2.0 of the Graph API."). Does this need to be in production too? Or I can just leave the canvas application as a placeholder there at facebook developer portal and just use the android one.
Second, How am I supposed to query the information I need (check if the friend the user invited has accepted + installed my app)?

A: The solution is a bit more complex that what it seems. Here is an approach you can take to get this working:

*

*From inside your game, you can invite non-player friends by querying the Invitable Friends graph api call newly introduced in 2.0, and then creating a multi friend selector to invite those friends.

*Suppose a player accepts that request, and enters your game. Their URL will contain extra information (won't be just app.facebook.com/yourgame), so you have to use Deep Linking to parse that extra information, and know that the user came because YOU invited him (you can send data in the request to help you do this). After you do this, a server is needed with a backend to record that your friend accepted your request and is playing.

*Now, in the sender account, you need to query the server to see if any friend of yours accepted, and then give the appropriate message/reward.

Hope this clears up how to achieve this!

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


If I were to write a thesis on my recent trip to Kauai, that would be the title.
The perfect blend of magik and majesty. Nature and nurture.
This time was different than last year when I was there.
And that was just the weather.
I went for a week long intensive of some of the deepest, most potent personal work I've done so far.
I was stretched -- in all the ways.
At the beginning of one ... See More of my initial fathomless dives, my guides gave me a navigational tip to support my experience.
They knew where I'd be going and what would be required of me to open into the transformation at hand.
This gentle Grace served as narrator, cheerleader, lover, and healer throughout the tight places and seemingly untraversable landscapes I encountered.
On Wild Soul Medicine Radio this week, I attempt to translate the depths of the wisdom of these four little words.
All of Life is really a game of Surrender.
Letting go of our ideas of separation and control.
Merging and melting back into the Flow that is our origin and our Home.
(43:20) Can We Surrender Our Comforts?
The ego has MUCH to say about this.
But, but, but… what about this and THAT and… not here…. No WAY!
And believe me, in my journeys I knocked on many, many doors to find a way this little gem DOESN'T apply.
So far, it seems to be the best advice I've ever received.
I'm still unraveling its wisdom and look forward to drinking deeper of this Medicine with you.
If you're not sure you can/will/or should listen this week.


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text:
Taken from Broker Agent Magazine 2007:
Constance Carter was busy instant messaging her escrow coordinator on her Blackberry, reminding Alison to take care of last minute details on a buyer transaction. Last May 23 was a work day like any other day except Constance happened to also be in labor with her third child and her husband, Warren was driving her to St. Joseph's Hospital in Stockton. Luckily, Constance had everything she needed to complete the transaction in the palm of her hand. Sitting in the conference room of her Brookside office today, she smiles and says, "I figured other people's lives don't stop just because I'm having a baby. I had this Blackberry when I was in labor with my second child, Warren, Jr. too." She demonstrates how she had tucked the Blackberry by her side while still typing on the keypad and says, "Alison and I were emailing files back and forth, going over the terms on a file like we always do, and reviewing files that needed signatures. I was in labor for six hours and Warren finally said to me, 'You have to put that thing down,'" she says laughing.
She took the next day off from work and a week later, she was out showing property to clients. June turned out to be a banner month for her as she recalls proudly, "I had eight escrows the following month."
She is driven to provide the kind of care and customer service she and Warren wished they had received when they bought their first home in Stockton nearly 8 years ago. She explains, "We were young and naïve at the time. I was 23 and Warren was 25." They started their home search in Manteca but the first agent only showed the Carters three of her own listings and told them to choose one. Not knowing that they had choices, they initially settled on one of the houses but then changed their minds after realizing it really wasn't what they wanted. "We wanted to cancel the escrow but we didn't know about contingency removals. In the end, the seller sued us for the $1,000 deposit and it ruined our credit for seven years."
Undaunted, they tried again and found another agent to help them. But as Constance remembers, "we would drive to Stockton from San Jose after work to be on time for our appointments but our agent would be an hour late."
They ended up buying a foreclosure but paid just as much as they would have for a non-foreclosure home. To add insult to injury, the home didn't have a stove, dishwasher or linen cabinets and the air conditioner didn't work. Smiling with the resiliency of a woman who knows how to roll with the punches, she adds "It didn't have a home warranty either."
She never forgot either experience, and years later, when she got into the real estate business, she vowed to always put her clients' best interests in front of her own.
"I can guarantee this – my clients will not lose their deposit. I will always look out for their best interest."
She once had the opportunity to work with clients who came to her after another agent failed to deliver on a "lease to purchase" program. The agent took their money after promising to repair their credit scores but as time went on, the clients realized that nothing had been done. "When they finally came to me, they were leery. They had already been through the mill and I had to work hard to regain their trust but I was able to align them with the right programs and they were finally able to buy their house."
She loves working with first-time homebuyers and she is quite knowledgeable on all the down payment assistance programs that provide grants to first-time buyers. "If I can help somebody, I am blessed in return."
She keeps up-to-date on different types of financing that enable buyers to obtain monthly mortgage assistance. "I'm on the Internet at 2:00 a.m. trying to find good programs for my clients." As an agent, she had to take additional training but she is able to offer the Monthly Mortgage Assistant program and various Fannie Mae programs for first time homebuyers with less-than-perfect credit. She's also very knowledgeable on CALHFA, and ACORN Housing programs. In this ever-changing market, she makes it a point to stay on top of available new products, such as the FIRST HOUSE program that was recently rolled out. "The sellers love it because they know we will sell their homes," she explains.
Born and raised in San Jose, Constance worked as an IT analyst in the Bay Area before deciding on a career in real estate. Not one to be content resting on her laurels, she also became licensed as a Broker in 2006. She credits her organizational skills and knowledge of Internet e-based marketing to her years working at companies like Cisco, Hewlett-Packard and AT&T. Throughout the interview, her Blackberry demanded her constant attention but her mind was always focused on the task at hand, even as she deftly responded to messages while holding the device discreetly under the conference room table. Laughing good-naturedly, she admits that she is addicted to instant messaging "but in a good way. Wherever I am, even if I'm in a meeting, I am responding to messages. My escrow coordinator and loan processor are always sending me things to review."
With the recent increase in foreclosures, Constance remembers a past client who initially called her from a postcard requesting a Comparative Market Analysis. After their initial meeting, Constance didn't hear back from her for two months. By the time she called Constance again, the property was near foreclosure and Constance sprang to action to bring her current on her mortgage. "She was a single Mom with a five-year old boy. She didn't have any family in the Valley, she was from the Bay Area." Constance listed the property and managed to find a buyer for the home before the foreclosure process ran its course. When it came time to close, "nobody helped her move" so Constance stepped in to assist even though Warren Jr. had just been born five months earlier. Physically exhausted by the move, she was glad she did it because "I felt compelled to help her. She still had equity in the property and I didn't want to see her lose everything."
In true PMZ fashion, real estate is a family affair for the Carter family. Her husband, Warren is also a Realtor and has recently started to take on property management duties. Sounding very much like a proud mother, Constance smiles and explains, "My daughter, Chayil comes in and she checks my mail and cleans my office. When I have clients coming, she sets up my files for me on the desk. She tells everybody in the office that she is my assistant. She even makes signs and puts her name on the office door." Shaking her head and laughing, Constance continues tongue-in-cheek. "There's no rivalry between her and Alison however, because Chayil says, 'Alison can fill in for me while I'm at school. I'll be back later.'"
Family time is movie night on Friday. Married since 1998, Constance and Warren love to spend time at home with their three children, Chayil, Warren Jr., and Kyren. In addition to attending festivals and doing fun things with the kids like taking them to amusement parks, "we also love to travel," Constance says and they managed to squeeze in four vacations throughout the past year. They went to Disney Land, cruised to Mexico, went to Houston, Texas and ended the year with a trip to Lake Tahoe in the winter.
For years, Constance played bass in various bands in Stockton and the Bay Area. Until her son, Kyren, was born, she also played at her church, Victory in Praise. But these days, between work and the kids, "I rarely have time to pick up and practice." She plans on teaching the kids to play when they get older. Chayil is already playing the piano, "so when the boys get old enough, one will be on the bass, and the other will be the drums, and together, we'll have a nice rhythm section band," she says dreamily of the future, a future no doubt as bright as her present.
Real estate Licensed in California & Georgia
Loan licensed in California, Virginia, Texas, Nevada, Florida, Arizona, Georgia


The Wytches are flying the flag for hard work, and doing things your own way.
The Wytches are certainly living by this idea. From low-key parties around London, touring the US and now recording with Bad Seed Jim Sclavunos - who Daniel describes as "kind of a headmaster", and "really funny and quite scary" - their second album 'All Your Happy Life' sees the band honing their DIY ethos, and capitalising on their fondness for hard work.
"We were on the last song 'Home' 'til 3 am," he continues. "We worked on it all day because Jim wouldn't let us go to bed until it was done, but we're really proud of that one now." Their producer certainly kept the band on a tight leash. "He was really cool, but he put us in all our place, especially Gianni [Honey], our drummer. Because he's a drummer as well, some of the things he came out with were quite funny.
"pull" text="All we've ever known is doing it ourselves.
The Wytches' album 'All Your Happy Life' is out 30th September.


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Juan Taylor
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Juan Taylor (@juantaylor0) is a writer who thinks. He is a writer of innovative Sci Fi and Fantasy.
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