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Jul 31, 2012 1:06 PMPublication: The East Hampton Press
Obama Fundraiser Is Planned For August 24
By Shaye Weaver
A star-studded fundraiser for President Barack Obama's 2012 reelection campaign is planned for August 24 on the East End, falling almost seven weeks after a controversial Mitt Romney fundraiser at David Koch's home in Southampton Village.
While the president himself is not scheduled to show, according to Southampton Town Democratic Committee Chairman Gordon Herr, Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. will be there.
The event, called "East End for Obama," will be held at the home of Ellen Chesler and Matthew Mallow on Ocean Road in Bridgehampton, and will be hosted by actor Nathan Lane. James Taylor will also play a selection of songs for attendees.
While not as pricey as the $50,000-per-guest Romney event, which angered many and spurred a protest outside of the event, tickets to the Obama fundraiser are $500 for those under 30, $1,000 for a general ticket, and $2,500 for a preferred ticket, which includes a photo reception with Mr. Biden. For those who would like to be named "co-host," contributing $10,000 will buy a photo opportunity and a name listing on the invitation.
Other "honored" guests include U.S. Senators Kirsten Gillibrand and Frank Lautenberg, and U.S. Representative Tim Bishop.
Mr. Herr expressed his excitement about the event. "The fact that this event is being held on the East End confirms the fact that the East End plays an important role politically and economically in Suffolk County, Long Island and New York State," he said in an email on Tuesday. "Furthermore, the Obama administration recognizes how vitally important it is that Congressman Tim Bishop is reelected in November."
While Mr. Biden's visit to Bridgehampton is for business, it is most likely that he will enjoy a little down time on the East End as well. The Bidens are known to vacation in Southampton and usually stay at philanthropist and technology entrepreneur David Bohnett's estate on First Neck Lane in the village.
Gee, only a week's gross salary.
Where do I sign up?
By Mr. Z (11847), North Sea on Jul 31, 12 1:24 PM
Looking forward to our president being reelected. Romney really made a fool out of himself in England and Israel, and I think things will start to get easier. If the radical right congress would cooperate and work with the President, then we could get the economy going again.
By Steven (113), Westhampton on Jul 31, 12 1:26 PM
Miss K., summertime, philathome, marybmary, Crewlot
Really, so in your opinion the only thing preventing an economic recovery is lack of cooperation from congresS?
By RealityFirst (597), Bridgehampton on Jul 31, 12 4:20 PM
it may not be the only reason, but an obstructionist congress certainly doesnt help
By tm (174), mtk on Jul 31, 12 4:30 PM
Obstrucitonist? Oh, you mean the OPPOSITION party voted into to counter Obama's policies?
What happened during Obama's first two years in which the Democrats controlled the White House and both houses of congress? I guess it was the Democrats obstructing then, huh?
I'm just waiting for the next derivatives crash.
Fun fact of the day: derivatives trading was legislated to be exempt from gaming laws, as there is no physical difference between say racetrack betting, and how many hedge funds make their money.
You said it, Steven. Romeny has proved himself incapable of diplomacy. When you are the president you cannot just throw red meat to your base, you must be able to communicate to everyone. Romney is a teabag puppet and he and his buddy Randy the Outsourcer will finally be gone after this election.
By progressnow (556), sag harbor on Jul 31, 12 2:21 PM
Miss K., philathome, marybmary
Diplomacy to leftists like you means turning your back on our allies and apoligizing to the people who'd love to watch America burn.
Obama and Bishop will lose, and you'll have to be medicated for the next four years.
He most certainly did. Most ineffective President in US history. He couldn't get anything done even when he had the House and the Senate. He will lose a close vote, but he will lose. Can't wait.
By dnice (2346), Hampton Bays on Jul 31, 12 8:28 PM
Still gnoring your disabled charge, eh phil? Aren't you supposed to be working at 4:49PM?
By RealityFirst (597), Bridgehampton on Aug 1, 12 4:51 PM
This comment has been removed because it is a duplicate, off-topic or contains inappropriate content.
By HBPatriot (19), Hampton Bays on Aug 2, 12 5:32 PM
Ahhh - you "for the People" posters! You're very funny! That's a lot of money to pay to go meet our "Have I mis-spoken again?" VP and "Local Candidate". If, indeed, Tim Bishop, the VP and the President had ANY idea of how to "get the economy going again" - I dare say it would have been done. Perhaps even without adding a "tax", or a "penalty" or whatever you want to call it on the "middle class".... A "status" i worked hard to acheive but am losing every day thanks to our President. Thank goodness ...more voting is FREE!
By Board Watcher (534), East Hampton on Jul 31, 12 2:35 PM
bigfresh, jams
are you going to pretend that democrats are the only ones with high priced fundraisers?
i dont like them either, but al least be honest.
It's the Democrats and their Occupy Wall Street allies(you know, rapists, violent anarchists, the "you owe me for breathing" crowd etc) that are up in arms over money in politics...well, at least when it's Republicans raising more money in a given year.
Obama can't run on his record. He accomplished NOTHING but running up the debt. It will be a campaign of hate and fear. I can see it GOP hates the poor, women, they are racists, elitists, blah blah blah.
By razza5350 (1911), East Hampton on Jul 31, 12 3:38 PM
Will be? Thats what it is now. Shills like progressnow have been portraying conservatives as pure evil, suitable only for the ovens in "reeducation" camps.
Cambodia, Vietnam, The Soviet bloc, Cuba... tens of millions of humans exterminated or forced to live in misery, brought to you by leftists.
The debt was already rung up.
We just finally got to see the receipt...
Jul 31, 12 5:13 PM appended by Mr. Z
Communism was like any other system with a leader who was drunk with power. It had nothing to do with politics, and everything to to with despotism.
The debt has increased by over 40% in the last 4 years, the defecit for the year is at 1 trillion and Obama care will cost 2.7 trillion over the next 10 years.
BUT, what type of regulation?
Sandy Weil actually admitted that TBTF was a "poor" structure.
When corporates pay 20K a year, how can you NOT expect there to be a "welfare class". Rationally looking at the cost of healthcare, it's almost like they strategize it that way, to perpetrate class warfare between the "middle class", and the "poor"...
No young grasshopper.
People cannot be trusted.
Laws were enacted after the "Great Depression" to save "capitalism" from itself. Those laws were repealed, and oddly enough, things got more expensive. Figure that, eh?
Leaving the bankers in charge, is like letting the fox guard the henhouse.
SHNative
You just made all of those numbers up.
By PJC (5), Westhampton on Jul 31, 12 10:34 PM
Will those same protesters be in attendance? Thought not, since they are all liberal democrats looking out for their next handout!
By Walt (292), Southampton on Jul 31, 12 4:23 PM
What's the point if Obama will not be there?
By EastEnd68 (888), Westhampton on Jul 31, 12 4:34 PM
The obstructionist congress is the only thing controling Obama from being worst then he is. But I must say Obama at his worst is better than Romney. Thank God we have a congress controling these officals.
I can't stand Obama, but it does seem like the country does best when congress and the white house are split.
Jeremiah Wright, Phil Ayers, Tony Rezko, Eric Holder. No visit ti Israel but a speech in Cairo in favor of the Muslim Brotherhood. Non existant job growth, trillions in NEW debt. You didn't build that! Yea Barry!!!!!!
By bigfresh (4666), north sea on Jul 31, 12 5:19 PM
Trillions in offshore tax dodging havens too...
Those who clothe themselves in "good deeds", are well camoflauged.
We need to turn our pitchforks and torches in the proper direction.
That would be the direction of the Federal Reserve, and Wall St.
You're only dealing with the stooges in any other direction.
"The good of the many, outweighs the good of the one, or the senseless selfishness of a few...". I hope...
Obamas not attending because there's not enough wealthy people attending. Wait until he's out of office making millions a year as a private citizen. His private finances will follow the other wealthy folks of this country.
By realistic (472), westhampton on Jul 31, 12 7:04 PM
Only $2,500 to have my picture taken with the village idiot. I think I'll pass.
Let's round up the protesters. Bus them in. Get as outraged at this dinner as you did when Romney was in town. Wait, the President will be a no show? No tv coverage? Never mind.
By auntof9 (159), Southampton on Jul 31, 12 8:41 PM
Maybe if enough people showed, it would be camerawothry.
Make it a huge "melting pot". Everyone make your own sign. Doesn't have to name a candidate, if it's how you feel strongest. Your best slogan. Whatever pi$$e$ you off most. Write about it.
It's too late to organize formally and assign public parking spots, but park as far away as you reasonably can, and walk there. Maybe pocket a marker, and come up with your "peace" along the way.
I guess I'm hoping auntie ...more is wrong, and you all draw your own media attention...
Can I ask a question?
Since we have a "Like" button...
Can we get a "Hate" button?
Haha, great idea!!
Hey Mr. Z, could the new button tone down the rhetoric a bit, and be a "Dislike" button? Think about it . . . when you build the die to be cast for all to use in the future.
We are all shipmates in the same vessel.
By PBR (4956), Southampton on Aug 1, 12 11:51 AM
Sorry if z was guilty of "baiting"...
By Mr. Z (11847), North Sea on Aug 1, 12 8:41 PM
Whoops, guess I missed debate.
By PBR (4956), Southampton on Aug 2, 12 6:27 AM
Folks helping to re-elect an ineffective president who has been a complete failure. Obama=continued failing national economy (south fork excluded) and more money and troops dedicated to useless wars that do nothing to protect us. On the other hand, there is Romney, who is a best, the lesser of two evils. RON PAUL spoke the truth, but his ideas make to much sense to appeal to all the kool-aide drinkers. These folks who continue to worship Obama puzzle me even more than those who see Romney as some ...more great alternative.
By louse pt. (143), springs on Jul 31, 12 10:35 PM
Those of you who protest our President just don't seem to get it. The way this country has turned since the Civil Rights Law passed is just sad. I think it was inevitable. The southern white males just will not accept a black man or woman in any sort of power. It is that simple. It saddens me to know that a family in Little River, South Carolina is teaching their little girl to "cal that man what he is. He is a nig... Say it! That' what he is" this happened in 2011. I didn't dare say anything ...more to that bigger than me white angry father.
But since we moved south of the Mason-Dixon line I learned a lot. Things I did not want to admit when I lived there in SHampton. Just sick at heart.
By summertime (589), summerfield fl on Aug 1, 12 10:49 AM
PBR, philathome
Welcome to my world, summertime...
By Mr. Z (11847), North Sea on Aug 1, 12 10:41 PM
Your experiences are the exception and not the rule, Summertime and you damn well know that.
Heer's a test for you, without googling it, where is the Mason-Dixon Line?
By Phadreus1340 (144), Southampton on Aug 2, 12 9:40 AM
Mr. you took the wrong line with me. The Mason Dixon line, just in case some others besides you need to be informed, is along the line of southern Pennsylvania and northern Maryland. That is what I learned in school with Mr. Cassidy. And appareantly you have not lived among the 99% in North Carolina like I did in the 1990's. And you have not lived among the folks in the county south of Ocala Fla. You have no idea what these people believe. My husband and I could tell you a lot about the education ...more in these states.
By summertime (589), summerfield fl on Aug 2, 12 7:31 PM
philathome
Only the dumb and naive think that a politician can help us. Both parties are incompetant and are directed to help themselves. Goverment is the problem not the solution!
By chief1 (2800), southampton on Aug 1, 12 5:47 PM
Joe Biden: Proof that even an idiot can succeed in America.
By MickNY (43), East Hampton on Aug 2, 12 7:09 AM
Comment removed before censor has the chance!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
By patrickstar (67), hampton bays on Aug 2, 12 9:33 AM
No don't blame liberal ideas. The illegal immigration problem costs us 700 billion a year, and the welefare handout program costs us 400 billion. All ideas of liberals and our lazy policies
By chief1 (2800), southampton on Aug 2, 12 10:03 AM
Ronald Reagen gave amnesty to three million illegals.
By Mets fan (1501), Southampton on Aug 4, 12 7:20 PM
A study conducted by a hispanic organization? Let's face it no one knows how many illegal immigrants are currently in the US. Any such study is laughable with no validity whatsoever.
By razza5350 (1911), East Hampton on Aug 7, 12 11:13 PM
Phil. Just curious. How do the people putting these figures together determine how many illegals are living in this country and how many are working?
By razza5350 (1911), East Hampton on Aug 9, 12 12:30 AM
Print something on paper and it becomes a fact? Is that how it works? I am not saying you are wrong or right I am merely asking a simple question. How did they come up with the number 11 million (True fact is no one knows)? If the group conducting the study can demonstrate what data and research they used it would make your blanket statement more plausible.
By razza5350 (1911), East Hampton on Aug 10, 12 8:18 AM
Where in my posts did I say 10% of the population are illegal immigrants? My point is no one knows. I don't care who is providing these so called studies. I have yet to see a study that explains to me how they came up with these numbers. You keep saying you can find "similar numbers from other sites" but you cant explain to me how they came up with these figures. Until you can I will assume they were plucked out of thin air and are not valid
By razza5350 (1911), East Hampton on Aug 10, 12 11:01 AM
All of you folks that love Romeny and the adlepated tea party should move the the villages in Fla. In that community of 96,000 souls there in one newspaper, one tv chanel, and one radio station all so censored that only republican view points are printed and spoken. Sounds like heaven huh? And ONLY Republicans are allowed to attend events wherein the speaker is a Republican. When GWB was wined and dined there the protestors were held 2 miles away and kept under strict control by the police. Any ...more one that did not have a ticket could not get in and to get the ticket you had to proove you voted Republican. No I am not telling fibs. And Yes the citizens living there are able to buy other papers and can get the 100+ chanels on TV and they do have access to good papers like The New York Times. and The Wall Street Journal. No we do not live there but my husband is there every day. for coffee at Panera's.
Condi Rice, Herman Cain, Colin Powell or Col. West would all make great presidents, race has nothing to do with it. One can be against the Almighty Barak strictly on the basis of his failed policies and extreme left wing idealogy without being a racist.
By bigfresh (4666), north sea on Aug 2, 12 8:10 PM
Quit your charade bf. Your racism pours through your posts. Be a bigoted man and just own it. His failed policies don't look like it hit here. Everybody is cranking out here. If you don't tap into the money coming here, you are stupid or lazy. Stop complaining with a loaf of bread under each arm about Obama's policies. Life is pretty sweet here and businesses are raking it in.
The Villages sound like heaven-all that plus golf everyday.
By EastEnd68 (888), Westhampton on Aug 4, 12 7:57 PM
Google it and get their video promo. we did and we visited.
By summertime (589), summerfield fl on Aug 8, 12 9:08 AM
Business in our very insulated corner of the world is doing well thanks, In spite of Obama's dismal record . Chalk it up to the resilience of entrepeneurs and the 1%ers who choose to live here. Having a Marxist in the White House who started His career in the home of a domestic terrorist is no way to run a country. Addind 5 trillion of NEW DEBT will hurt our economy in the long run, He has no clue when it comes to business and what has made our country strong over the years.
It's sad when ...more those on the left play the race card against anyone who dares to disagree with Him. Why defend Him on his record? Tough to do.
By bigfresh (4666), north sea on Aug 5, 12 7:26 AM
What's sad is how you fail to understand the complexity of our economic system. Business out here "doing well" is an illusion. It is the result of a host of welfare programs for the "elite". More cash has been printed in the last ten years than ever before, and there is more "wealth" in existence than there ever has been in recorded history. Since 2001, $5,000,000,000,000 has been printed and simply created out of thin air. That's a more than quintupling of the money supply since ...more 1980. Roundabout 1919, one loaf of bread cost a single German mark. Within four years, the same loaf of bread cost 100 billion marks. For a similar example, the price of fuel here has roughly quadrupled in twenty years.
These enormously wealthy people hold the enormous amount of currency they do because it was supplied by the Federal Reserve, courtesy of the Treasury, i.e., government welfare.
If you take some time to study the Weimar Republic, or the Great Depression in ANY historical detail, you would see the parallels, and "Catch-22s" many of us with broad minds do.
The problem is not Obama, the problem is not Congress, it's the people pulling their strings. Including yours. Propaganda is such an ugly weapon, and lobbyists are such an ugly tool...
By Mr. Z (11847), North Sea on Aug 5, 12 8:47 AM
Well said, Mr. Z.
The Obama vs. Romney debates here and elsewhere assume that the President is in charge. He is not! In fact, the President has very little power to change policy.
He can set the tone for the country, and suggest and cheer lead for certain policies. But the real power lies deeper than most people would want to know or admit.
The old term "Military Industrial Complex" sheds some light. The term "Cheney/Bush I/Bush II Cartel" illuminates a bit more. And so ...more forth . . .
Underlying all of these hidden "powers that be" is a sinister and dark force of unbridled greed and avarice, which in time will reap the fruits of what it has already started to sow.
So it shall be.
"welfare programs for the elite" what a joke. More class warefare BS from Z. The major reason we keep printing money is two fold. 1. We need to devalue the dollar to remain competitve globally. 2. We spend to much as a country. If we didnt print more money we would be bankrupt.
Yeah lets raise taxes, watch us fall of the fiscal cliff, see more rich people give up their citizenship, and watch unemployment really go through the roof. Great idea.
By razza5350 (1911), East Hampton on Aug 6, 12 9:03 AM
Well razza...
When is the last time you received a 400K loan that did not have to be paid back if you failed?
Well, it's almost equivalent to the 3M plus loans the "elite" received post baillout.
How do you like your "crow"?
Aug 6, 12 9:13 PM appended by Mr. Z
BTW razza, we are already "bankrupt". The Federal Reserve has already indefintely suspended payments due from the Treasury...
Maybe this is a little off topic, but I just read an interesting story about Tim Bishop. Tim seems to think its ok to pay his young daughter Molly 150k for fundraising a year. I've voted for Tim for the fact I thought he being an East Ender he could help raise money for projects here. It seems he is yet again raising money for his family as he did when he was at Southampton College. At Southampton he had more than 10 family members on the payroll. doing God knows what. This report about Tims daugter ...more was written by a non partisanl watch dog group so don't say it's a republican smear. Tim has said in the press his daughter is off limits, and doesn't think it's fair to bring this up. Just another politician who can't see right from wrong shame on you Tim.
By chief1 (2800), southampton on Aug 5, 12 8:22 AM
Do you realize the best way to observe the Universe, is as far away from "civilizaton" as possible?
For Mr. Z I heard on the news this am that one of the "reporters" stationed at the olympics said he'd rather stay over there until Nov. 10 or so. This campaign season is really nutty.
I say congress should WORK 5 days a week, they work only 3 days in these past sessions. They have accompolished nothing to help move this country forward and they shut down business while the people in the west fry.
My prayers go out to those folks suffering from heat, bad air, loss of crops, loss of homes ...more from uncontrolled fires.... and y'all sit there in comfort in the most expensive living conditions and wonderful weather and all you can do is complain about a president who has shovled against the bs.
He at least is trying to help the devastated farmers.
Why does that extended vacation not surprise me?
I can't say expatriation hasn't crossed my mind now and then...
They blocked the jobs bill? The goverment has gone another 3 trillion in debt trying to create jobs and it is questionable wether they have created any. Maybe it's time to let the private sector create them.
By chief1 (2800), southampton on Aug 9, 12 11:01 PM
bigfresh
The private sector asked for, and received a "tax holiday" so as to create jobs.
They proceeded to pocket the windfall profit, and lay people off.
By Mr. Z (11847), North Sea on Aug 10, 12 5:30 PM
That story has been debunked there Phil. On to the next Daily Kos or Huffington Post talking point. You have to keep up, you're usually better than this.
By bigfresh (4666), north sea on Aug 10, 12 7:03 AM
Bigfool, captn crunch, cheif0, et al, I cannot wait till November 7 to hear your sobbing! I know you want nothing more than to be like Mitt, but don't give up, you'll never have his money, but you sure do whine like him!
By witch hazel (224), tatooine on Aug 10, 12 5:13 PM
"...what they should be doing instead is hammering Romney on the missing returns, yes, but focusing even more on the returns he did release. We've known for seven months now, for instance, that Romney paid $3 million in federal taxes in 2010 on $21.7 million in taxable revenue, an effective tax rate of 13.9 percent. Which, as most people know, is less than half the rate most people pay on their income tax.
When Romney released these numbers, he said they were "entirely legal and ...more fair," and added, "I'm proud of the fact that I pay a lot of taxes."
The Romney tax returns are a prime example of our increasingly two-tiered bureaucratic system, in which there is one set of rules for poor and middle-class people, and another set of rules for people like Mitt Romney."
~ Matt Taibbi, Rolling Stone 8/9/12


Home Business Tips Why Selling Beer Will Always Fetch Money.
Why Selling Beer Will Always Fetch Money.
God forbid, if they are killing people at Yaba bus stop in Lagos, people will drink beer at Jibowu in the same Yaba. There can never be enough beer parlours. More people are drinking and people are drinking more.
You do not believe me, go and have a look at the Profit and Loss account and the Balance sheet of Nigerian Breweries and Guinness. You cannot blame people drinking, things are hard and believe it or not, Nigerians are happy people. We know how to make ourselves happy and that is why we are tolerating all these inept governments.
In this biz, the day you open you start making money. Get your shop, two sets of tables and chairs. The joy is that you can take the drinks on credit and pay the following day. If you do not have a freezer, start with buying of ice blocks.
watch TV drink less. Because they have to use their eyes, TV takes their attention from the beer but good music stimulates drinking.
A generator will improve sale and luckily, there are small ones going for about N10, 000. Location must be accessible by car. In addition, you have to be nice to people.
Nobody wants to spend his money under stress when he made the money under stress. Support it with pepper soup to demand….Fish, Snail, Snake, yes Snake pepper soup. Study your customers they may like Cowhide with pepper.
Before you introduce a product, ask your customers. Do not be a jack-of- all-trades. If you want to pick fish, pick fish. Unless you are a limited liability company, you will need to join their association in your area, but then why not.
MARKETING. No fuss, the best advertisement is the word of mouth. Tell friends to tell their friends. As long as your service is good, they will come. If you do not see a regular customer for two days, phone him. The profit on a bottle will take care of that and he will drink more than a bottle when he resurfaces. Such customer will be glad you recognize him. Everybody wants to be recognized you know. During festivities, give presents to regulars.
CAVEAT. Never argue with a customer who has had one bottle too many. Placate him. Do not ever argue with any of them, drunk or not. In the beginning, if you drink beer, God save you, because it is only God who can save you. If you drink a bottle of Guilder, you have taken the profit on six bottles. Reserve your drinking until when your business can afford it. Do not inflate your customer's bill. Be careful on cigarettes, it causes arguments. When in doubt, resolve in favor of your customer. He will come back. A liquor licence is necessary.
Next articleHow To Be A Brain Box Engineer.


Della was born in Veria, Greece (near the birthplace of Alexander the Great). At a young age she developed her painting talent. In high school, Della entered a watercolor landscape competition which included students from all over Northern Greece. She won first place… That's where it all began.
Before making the U.S. her new home, Della spent time in France studying psychology, literature and French philosophy. After her studies she travelled to South Africa, joined a local modeling agency and was shortly discovered by Wilhelmina Model Agency and began modeling all over the world.
However, Della missed having time to paint. She moved to New York and began studying under modern art teachers, Richard Pousette D'Art and Bruce Dorfman, for five years in the New York Art Students League. Della was essentially left alone to create her own works. She was noted for the strong subliminal meaning of the paintings and was given the nickname "warehouse of ideas" by fellow students and teachers. Della also took intensive classes in Faux Finishes at the Elizabeth O'Neil Foundation in Palm Beach.
Renta, Bill Blass, Fabrice, Bob Mackie, and Nightline by Della Roufogali). She still kept on painting, primarily in her studio in Palm Beach.In 1997 she was asked to donate one of her paintings for an auction to benefit AIDS research. The charity flew to New York, where they picked a painting from her studio in the City. In attendance was one of the heads of AmFAR. It was suggested doing a whole show around a collection, where proceeds would go to AmFAR. Della's career as an artist began at this junction. The "Hermaphrodite" appeared for a two-week run at the New World Arts Center in Soho, in May 1997.
After September 11, Della moved to her motherland, where she started building a house in Mykonos Island, with a studio to herself. Since 2004 she spends there most of her summer months, where she paints and does her arts and crafts. In the winter months she lives in Athens where she writes books. Fall and Spring she spends in New York.
In 2002 she published her autobiography "…this is why". In 2005 she published her novel "beautiful as a lie". And this year she is coming out with two new self-helping books, one for teenagers and one for ageless women. Currently she is working on a painting called "The Map Of My Life" and is working on two new novels.
By now she has developed her own strong path of meditation.


text:
Blogs - Clock - Desteni's Enemies List: An Inherent Contradiction.
Author: Clock (Show other entries)
Date: Jul 01, 2013 at 10:07
By Muertos
(not by Clock)
So far I've posted two blogs about the strange South Africa-based conspiracy cult known as Desteni. After only two blogs, audio versions of which I posted on YouTube, I found my YouTube account listed in a topic on the Desteni forums entitled "Suggested Ban". The purpose of this list is obvious: these are users who the Desteni cult wants banned from YouTube for criticizing them. Plain and simple, it's an enemies list.
Desteni also has a Facebook enemies list. I'm not on it yet, but I expect I will be soon enough.
I was introduced to the phenomenon of conspiracy cults' enemies lists last fall, when my name suddenly appeared on a similar list maintained by the Zeitgeist Movement. (It's here). That list was largely the brainchild of former Zeitgeist spokesperson Neil Kiernan Stephenson, "VTV." VTV and other Zeitgeist boosters consistently denied that it was an enemies list--according to them the reason for the list was to warn Zeitgeist members about people who would try to friend them on Facebook and steal their personal information. Not only did I never do this, but I've never once attempted to "friend" a Zeitgeister on Facebook at any time. My only crime against the Zeitgeist Movement was speaking out against them, pushing back against their conspiracy theories, their ideology and their reflexive attacks against anyone who criticizes them.
I've wound up on Desteni's enemies list for doing far less than that. My residence on the Zeitgeist enemies list came almost eight months after I posted my first blog highlighting the primacy of conspiracy theory ideology to the Zeitgeist Movement. By contrast I've been publicly critical of Desteni for barely two weeks. Yet, not only is my YouTube channel listed on Desteni's roster of users they want to try to ban, but I am the specific subject of a topic on the Desteni forums where prominent spokesperson Darryl Thomas has announced that he intends to refute one paragraph of my anti-Desteni blogs each day.(http://deconstructingmuertosdaily.wordpress.com/) The charge the Destenians level against me, predictably, is "hate speech." I challenge anyone to find a single example of "hate speech" as that term is defined by any jurisdiction where "hate speech" is prohibited by law. It's very clear that Desteni is totally and deliberately misunderstanding the concept of "hate speech" by construing it as encompassing any statement about their group that they don't agree with.
At least I have good company. Desteni's enemies list is literally hundreds of entries long and growing by the dozens every time it's updated. As I stated in my first blog about them, they are extremely aggressive in trying to silence their critics. Unlike Zeitgeist, who cloaks their enemies list in paragraph after paragraph of bold-faced disclaimers about why it's supposedly not an enemies list, Desteni makes no such attempts. They're very forthright about going after their critics, going so far as to have a stickied topic on their forum with instructions to cult members about how to get people banned from YouTube.
There are two points I want to make about enemies lists. The first is that the very existence of these lists is wholly incompatible with the notion of friendly movements based on social justice that preach prescriptions for a better and more harmonious world--which both Zeitgeist and Desteni profess to do. Destenians supposedly value doing "what's best for all" and insist that their program will help the entire earth enjoy newfound respect and the maximization of human potential. The very notion that a group with those professed goals would keep--much less make public--a list of enemies to be retaliated against for their viewpoints is totally inconsistent with the reasons these organizations say they exist. Simply put, any group preaching peace, love and a better world that also has an enemies list should be automatically suspect.
The second point is that enemies lists seem to be yet another hallmark of cults who seek to control what is said about them, and more importantly, what their own members hear. The paradigm example of a cult's enemies list is Scientology's practice of labeling detractors as "Suppressive Persons" or SP's. Most SP's are family members of current Scientology members who don't support the group and are likely to encourage their loved ones to leave--hence Scientology's doctrine of "Disconnection," where a cult member is ordered to sever all ties to the SP. Naturally this practice is believed to inure to the benefit of the cult member, who will no longer receive negative feedback from the critic.
Exactly the same dynamic is at work in both Zeitgeist and Desteni. Zeitgeist's enemies list is specifically promoted as being for the "protection" of cult members, with the transparent fiction of preventing evil trolls--the word Zeitgeist uses to refer to critics--from stealing members' personal information. Much of Desteni's advice to followers similarly seeks to minimize criticism--Destenians call it "backchat" and urge their followers not to pay attention to it, despite the obvious hypocrisy that they pay a great deal of attention to it. Desteni, however, also seems interested in lashing out at those non-members who criticize them. A common tactic is to pretend they're "protecting copyrighted material," which is why unfounded DMCA claims are a favorite tool of the Destenians to target materials, especially videos, that they don't like.
Two weeks ago, I venture to say no one in Desteni had ever heard of me. The fact that I have been targeted so swiftly and vehemently is itself, I believe, a piece of evidence that tends to indicate the controlling and authoritarian nature of this group. I'm taking precautions to make sure my blogs and videos will be mirrored and continue to be available, in the event that Desteni pursues their threats to ban me. Should they decide to make an attempt to silence me, rest assured that that attempt will fail. In the meantime, it's worth thinking about why a group that claims to be for the benefit of mankind goes on the attack so quickly and with such gusto. I propose that Desteni's attack is inherent in the nature of its organization and ideology. This is a group that cannot permit dissent, and which profits from the effort to push back against dissenters. It's easier to maintain cohesion within the group, after all, if its members can be united in the struggle against a common enemy.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Get 15% discount using code PCNFIPS2019 to book here!
Opal Group's Financial Innovation and Payments Summit will address the enterprising and adoption of innovative payments solutions and practices. This conference will gather leading players and thought leaders who are creating the landscape for the future of the industry. Uniting executives in the payments realm, stakeholders from corporate end-users, financial and technology services organizations will discuss and explore the key issues and opportunities today.


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High Rate of COVID-19 and COVID-19 Deaths in Mesothelioma Patients
A recently released study of the impact of COVID-19 on Spanish mesothelioma patients revealed that nearly one in five contracted the disease, and of those affected, three out of four died. The research was presented at the IASLC 2021 World Conference on Lung Cancer.
Barcelona Hospital COVID-19 Study Followed Patients with Pleural Mesothelioma
The study of the effect of COVID-19 on patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma was conducted by Dr. Susana Cedres of Vall d´Hebron University Hospital and the Institute of Oncology in Barcelona, Spain. She reviewed the medical records of 38 patients diagnosed with the rare, asbestos-related disease, looking at demographics, comorbidities, cancer treatment history and whether they were diagnosed with COVID-19.
She found that positive RT-PCR tests confirmed that seven mesothelioma patients had been infected with COVID during the pandemic. All had epithelioid histology for mesothelioma and suffered a variety of comorbidities including chronic obstructive disease, hypertension, and ischemic heart disease. The median age was 62, four of the seven were men, some had previously been smokers and some had never smoked. Some were taking anticoagulants or aspirin. Two had been being actively receiving cancer treatment at the time of their COVID-19 diagnosis, and three of those diagnosed were asymptomatic. Four had symptoms, including fever and dyspnea. In total, six of the seven were hospitalized for a median of 12 days, with all requiring oxygen and four developing bilateral pneumonia.
Four out of Seven Mesothelioma Patients Died of COVID-19 Infection
Of the seven mesothelioma patients diagnosed with COVID-19, five died. Four died of their infection. Notably, the median overall survival from time of diagnosis with mesothelioma was 17.8 months, but only 0.4 months from the time of their COVID-19 diagnosis, suggesting that patients with mesothelioma are particularly at risk from the virus. A study of COVID-19 and mortality among malignant pleural mesothelioma patients was conducted in the United States with similar results, showing that the virus created significantly worse outcomes.
Speaking of her group's results, Dr. Cedres said, "From our experience, 18% of patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma were diagnosed of COVID-19 infection during the pandemic, and these patients suffered a very high mortality rate of 54 percent. I urge health care services to pay particular attention to patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma while managing COVID-19 infections."
If you or someone you love has been diagnosed with malignant pleural mesothelioma it is essential that you take every precaution available to protect yourself against COVID-19 and other additional risk factors. For more information, contact the Patient Advocates at Mesothelioma.net today at 1-800-692-8608.


"While money is not absolutely essential to your experience, to most people, money and freedom are synonymous. And since an intense awareness of your right to be free is at the very core of that which you are, it follows, therefore, that your relationship withmoney is one of the most important subjects of your life experience. And so, it is no wonder that you have such strong feelings about the subject of money.
"It is our expectation that as you ponder these cards every day, a new point of attraction will begin to be activated within you, bringing not only more money into your experience, but evidence of your absolute freedom as well."


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Germany, Norway pledge funds for crisis-hit Lake Chad region
Germany and Norway have pledged more than $150m of additional aid for Africa's Lake Chad region, where millions of people are facing a humanitarian crisis driven by violence, poverty and climate change.
The promises came as an international donor conference aimed at stabilising the states bordering the lake - Niger, Nigeria, Chad and Cameroon - went under way in Germany's capital, Berlin, on Monday.
Around 2.3 million people are displaced and more than 10 million are dependent on humanitarian aid in the region, according to the German foreign ministry.
"We stand together so that the region of the Lake Chad, the economic hub between Nort h Africa and sub-Saharan Africa, does not turn into a hub for terrorism, crime, and human trafficking," German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas told the conference, which was co-hosted by Germany, Nigeria, Norway and the United Nations.
"Until 2020, we will allocate an additional 100m euros ($116m) in humanitarian assistance," he added.
Haas underlined the importance of regional cooperation and promised that Germany would increase its assistance for these countries.
The German government has also vowed to provide a further 40m euros ($46m) for security projects.
For her part, Norwegian Foreign Minister Ine Eriksen Soreide said that Oslo planed to "further increase our humanitarian support to over $40m for the next three years".
"We need to ensure that the situation remains on the international agenda. We must do more, and we must do it together. We must continue to strengthen the humanitarian response in accordance wit h humanitarian principles to protect and to assist people in need," she said.
Aid agencies say more than 10 million people in the Lake Chad region need urgent humanitarian aid and protection [File: Reuters]
The territory around Lake Chad is difficult to access and the majority of the aid must be delivered by heavy armed convoys and staff transported by costly helicopters.
The UN estimates it needs $1.6bn to offer life-saving aid for the region in coordination with humanitarian actors.
A donor conference in Oslo last year ended with a pledge by 14 countries to give $672m in aid, well below the $1.5bn sought.
The region is suffering from a long-running armed campaign by the Boko Haram armed group and the climate change-induced shrinking of a lake that once sustained milli ons.
Boko Haram took up arms in 2009 in pursuit of a caliphate in northern Nigeria but the fighting has since spread to neighbouring states bordering Lake Chad, with frequent suicide bomb attacks.


On the eve of her 30th birthday, Lisa Aihara wasn't expecting to receive any cards. Instead, she was getting ready to send cards out - hundreds of them - as she put the finishing touches on everything for the launch of her very own greeting card business.
It all started one year prior, when she made her first card for a coworker's birthday, to her coworker's pure delight. Or maybe it started in college, when she fell in love with telling stories as a literature major. Or maybe it started as a child, when she never stopped drawing, doodling and crafting, and even started to learn Photoshop at the age of 10.
Lisa believes it was a lifelong journey that brought her to this point. Regardless of when it started exactly, her greeting card business Fiber & Dye officially launched on her 30th birthday, August 13, 2016. But it hasn't been all daisies and sunshine.
The biggest challenge to launching her card line—or at least the most obvious one—was her job. Her full-time, demanding, 9-5 (plus some) digital marketing career. But let's be upfront. This isn't one of those stories where the hero quits her boring, meaningless day job to follow her dreams. Lisa likes her job, and she worked damn hard to get where she is. When it came to following her dream, though, the time commitment was daunting, as it had been for several of her previous projects that didn't get as far as Fiber & Dye.
It was that attitude that really opened the door for Lisa. Screw expectations, screw the norm, screw the competition. She had a vision and a mission, and she was going to see them come to life. It's this vision that drew us to Lisa. Her entrepreneurial spirit and dedication to bringing her creativity to life is something that we at LUNA admire and respect.
And she's not just making normal greeting cards, after all. Every card that Lisa designs has a specific person in mind.. She creates cards that are more fun to read aloud than they are to just read in your head. Oh, and she writes cards that swear… a lot.
Lisa will be the first to tell you, she isn't special. Those who know her best might disagree, but Lisa is just a regular person, and that's what she wants anyone thinking about following their dream to know. No, it won't be easy. Yes, you can do it, and you'll be so glad you did.
Amid all the craziness that is running a card design business after hours out of her home, she considers it the best thing she's ever done. Her husband and roommates don't quite feel the same way about what it's done to the dining table, but they're more than supportive, and the coffee table has never seen so much love.
On whether Lisa will ever quit the 9-5… well, she's not quite sure. She has a career that she loves, a passion project she loves and a life that she loves. And for anyone who thinks there's not enough time for all that—frankly, she DGAF.


Kosher: Y'all do not defile YOURselves with the eating thereof so the Torah teaches us here. (Don't go your own way in your zeal to eat but go HaShem's way.) Aharon's sons, in their zeal went their own way to offer to HaShem instead of the Way of Hashem.
Amen, well and tenderly presented. Thanks..
Thank you for sharing these inspiring messages. They are always extremely well presented and to the point.
Could you please stop the music while the rabbi speaks we would like to concentrate on what he trying to say but the music is interfering.
Thanks for the feedback! We will try to fix this issue going forward.


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UL in Canada Named to 2021 List of Best Workplaces for Women
UL, the global safety science leader, announced that UL in Canada has been named on the 2021 list of Best Workplaces™ for Women by the Great Place to Work® Institute Canada, a global authority on high-trust, high-performance workplace cultures.
According to Nancy Fonseca, senior vice president of Great Place to Work Canada, with women representing close to 50% of the Canadian workforce. "Creating great workplaces for women isn't political or trendy, and it's not a women's issue. It's a business issue. Our research shows that when women have a great experience at work, their male colleagues are more likely to have a great experience, too. And trust seems to be the insulating factor," said Fonseca.
The list is based on direct feedback from employees of the hundreds of organizations that were surveyed by Great Place to Work. The data has a 90% confidence interval and a plus or minus 5% margin of error. To be eligible for this list, organizations must be Great Place to Work- Certified™ in the past year, headquartered in Canada and have a minimum of 15 female employees, and at least 90% of employees must agree that people are treated fairly, regardless of their gender. Great Place to Work determined the best based on the overall Trust Index score from female employees.
UL's female workforce in Canada, including scientists, laboratory technicians, engineers, corporate staff, field inspectors, managers and leadership, provided high marks for UL's culture in diversity and inclusion in the Trust Index survey, making UL in Canada a top workplace for women.
Haya Soghrati, UL's engineering leader in Toronto agrees with the recognition. Soghrati, providing testing and inspection services for the construction and building envelope industry, has been with UL in Canada for the past two years and feels that UL offers a great opportunity for women in a science and engineering-based industry. "UL provides the support and guidance to women that enables us to grow and succeed. In my case, I was given the opportunity to be part of an innovative team, use my experience to help develop and grow a new business unit, and contribute as a thought leader to the building and construction industry," said Soghrati.
"We are honored to receive this amazing recognition as we continue to seek to achieve gender parity and create an equitable environment for our women colleagues within UL," said Joe Hosey, vice president and general manager of UL in Canada. "This recognition also helps build momentum around our recently released diversity, equity and inclusion commitments to increase gender representation within leadership and throughout UL by 2025."
2016 AD North American Meeting Highlights Programs to Help
AD, the largest contractor and industrial products wholesale buying group in North America, recently hosted 1,000 attendees at the AD Electrical North American Meeting. The event attracted 144 first time attendees and representatives from over 331 companies in the United States, Canada and Mexico…
Read More 2016 AD North American Meeting Highlights Programs to HelpContinue
Acuity Brands Virtual Trade Show
Covid-19 has brought on an unprecedented time in the electrical industry creating new challenges, but also creating new opportunities to connect with the customers.
Read More Acuity Brands Virtual Trade ShowContinue
Eaton Conducts "Understanding Your Options" Seminars
Electrical contractors from the Burlington, Oakville, Hamilton and Niagara regions in Ontario attended an "Understanding Your Options" seminar sponsored by Eaton and held in Burlington on November 17…
Read More Eaton Conducts "Understanding Your Options" SeminarsContinue
Inaugural Supply Chain Conference a Success for EFC
With the new year ahead and the ever-changing demands of the industry, EFC's inaugural Supply Chain Conference couldn't have come at a better time.
Read More Inaugural Supply Chain Conference a Success for EFCContinue
Standard Contributes to New habitat for Humanity Home in Ormstown
Kim, Kevin and their five children were handed the keys to their new home in Ormstown on September 28, 2017 in an atmosphere of happiness and excitement. The STANDARD team contributed a day's work assisting the family build its house as part of the Habitat for Humanity Build Day.
Read More Standard Contributes to New habitat for Humanity Home in OrmstownContinue
$120,000 : 52 Scholarships: EFC Scholarship 2015 Program
The Electro-Federation Canada (EFC) scholarship program has been supporting students for over 20 years. In 2015, EFC and its members and participants will provide students with $120,000 in funding across 52 scholarships. Students receiving scholarships are also introduced to EFC members through visits to their offices and facilities to learn about the many opportunities that exist. The electrical & electronics industry offers great jobs, competitive salaries & benefits and aggressive career paths.
Read More $120,000 : 52 Scholarships: EFC Scholarship 2015 ProgramContinue


For further information or questions you may have please feel free to contact our JCF representatives listed below. Your inquiries are important to us and we will get back to you as soon as possible.
Also, please check out our FAQ page for answers to many commonly asked questions. Thank you!


Learn What You Need to Know About Microsoft's End of Support for Internet Explorer in 2016.
Get Answers. Schedule an appointment with your Account Manager.
As "Your IT Department," Networks of Florida employs proactive measures to assist all of our clients in defining and helping them understand and mitigate the risks associated with the End of Support for Microsoft products. Networks of Florida is reaching out to you today to advise and define what this means to you and your business.
For clients that have very few restrictions on the version of Internet Explorer that they can use, this may not have an impact. However, for clients that access websites critical to their daily business with known restrictions on the supported versions of Internet Explorer, this may present some significant challenges in the near future, limiting Networks of Florida's ability to take corrective action when problems occur.
What Do You Need To Know About "End-of-Life"?
As of January 12, 2016, all versions of Internet Explorer older than Internet Explorer 11, will be "End of Life".
These versions will no longer be available for download and installation. We will only be able to install the current version on rebuilds or new computers.
Microsoft depends on the developers of websites to become current with their support of the browsers as they develop the websites.
Microsoft Support Lifecycle policy provides consistent and predictable guidelines for product support availability from its release to the end of its life. By understanding the product support availability, customers are better able to maximize the management of their IT investments and strategically plan for a successful IT future.
What is the Microsoft Lifecycle Support policy for Internet Explorer? Internet Explorer is a component (defined as "a set of files or features that are included with a Microsoft product, whether it is shipped with the product, included in a product service pack or update, or later made available as a web download for the product") of the Windows operating system and follows the Support Lifecycle policy for the product on which it is installed.
What is Included in the Standard Support Lifecycle?
Minimum of five years of Extended Support for Business and Developer products, and the Windows operating system.
The newest Internet Explorer offers improved security, increased performance, better backward compatibility, and support for the modern technologies that power today's websites and services. Microsoft encourages customers to upgrade and stay up-to-date on the latest browser for a faster, more secure browsing experience.
What Versions of Internet Explorer Will Continue to Have Support Through 2016?
It is vital that customers running on an older version of Internet Explorer – such as Internet Explorer 8 on Windows 7 Service Pack 1 (SP1) – plan to migrate to one of the above supported operating systems and browser combinations by January 12, 2016.
What Else Do You Need to Know About Microsoft's Lifecycle Deadlines in 2016?
Products whose support lifecycle ends on or before January 12, 2016, are not impacted and therefore not represented in the list.
Internet Explorer is a component of the Windows operating system and the most current version will continue to follow the specific support lifecycle policy for the operating system for which it is installed.
The latest version of Internet Explorer will continue to follow the component policy, which means that it follows the support lifecycle and is supported for as long as the Windows operating system for which it is installed on.
Enterprise Mode for Internet Explorer 11 offers backward compatibility for customers whose enterprise line-of-business (LOB) application has a dependency on a version of Internet Explorer that is about to reach End-of-Life. This software, which Microsoft is committed to continually support, enables customers to run many legacy web applications once they upgrade to a more modern browser.
While most customers are already using the latest version of Internet Explorer, Networks of Florida has found that there is still fragmentation across the install base which poses problems for web developers and support staff. The simplest way to address this discrepancy is by upgrading to the most recent version of Internet Explorer, which will only increase performance, improve security, improve backward compatibility, and support for the modern web technologies that power today's websites and services.
Make Sure to Update Your Internet Explorer Before the Deadline!
Networks of Florida can address any question you may have, and will ensure your migration process is simple and stress-free. For additional questions or to schedule an appointment with your Account Manager, please email us at info@nof.com or call us at (850) 434-8600 today.


In the 91 years of my life, which is to say since the end of the First World War, the United States has spent an inordinate amount of manpower, money and matériel fighting six major wars. Two of these, Vietnam (1962-1975) and Iraq (2003-2010) never should have been fought. Three of our six large-scale wars were what might be called "good wars": World War Two (1941-1945), in response to a surprise attack by Japan, and the two wars sanctioned by the United Nations--the Korean War (1950-1953) that masqueraded as a "police action" and the Gulf War (1991) to eject Saddam Hussein's forces from Kuwait.
The war in Afghanistan began in 2001 as punishment for a crime--the crime that has come to be known as 9/11--and for harboring a criminal. Unfortunately, we failed to catch the arch-criminal we sought, Osama bin Laden, who managed to slip away from Tora Bora to a prepared hideout in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas in Pakistan beyond our reach. In August of 2009 you told the Veterans of Foreign Wars convention, "This is not a war of choice. This is a war of necessity." There are many who would disagree with you.
In March of 2009, you authorized the doubling of the number of troops in Afghanistan to 68,000. Last December, you revealed to the cadets at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point--and the world--your decision about the direction the war in Afghanistan would take on your watch. The two massive escalations of the war you announced in March and December nearly tripled the American commitment to the conflict. No wonder the war in Afghanistan is now being called "Obama's War." So far the escalations have not resulted in any of the predicted benefits.
Since 2001, a total of 952 U.S. soldiers have been killed in Afghanistan, In 2009 alone, 317 U.S. soldiers died there, more than double the number killed in 2008. itself the previous record high. Britain lost 108 soldiers in Afghanistan in 2009, the most it has seen killed in one year since the 1982 Falkland Islands War with Argentina. Officials are predicting that 2010 will be even worse in terms of the overall death toll.
With 68,000 American troops "in country" in Afghanistan, you had four choices open to you. (1) You could withdraw immediately, which would have made the Pentagon and the war hawks unhappy. (2) You could have kept the number at 68,000 and announced a gradual withdrawal. (3) You could have increased the number of troops in Afghanistan to 108,000 by giving Gen. Stanley McChrystal the 40,000 troops he requested. (4) You could have given General McChrystal fewer than 40,000 troops.
Finally revealing your decision at West Point, you said, "I have determined that it is in our vital national interest to send an additional 30,000 U.S. troops to Afghanistan." Again there were many who did not agree with you. You added, "After 18 months, our troops will begin to come home." In making this announcment, you chose the fourth course--a compromise and a cop-out. What you did not address was the key question: Can there ever be any victory in Afghanistan?
The decision about how many troops to send was never of consequence. We simply do not have enough troops to make a difference in the military outcome in Afghanistan. The huge size of that country, the mountainous nature of the terrain and the broad territory effectively controlled by the Taliban instantly dilute the effect of 30,000 additional troops. A truly serious effort would require a surge more on the order of ten times that many--a force we do not possess. Your troop surge only makes strategic sense if it is intended to strengthen our position politically as a preliminary to negotiating with the Taliban, but that Machiavellian tactic seems not to have been your intention.
Even the leaked report of General McChrystal gives evidence of muddled thinking. It says on page 2-20, "The campaign in Afghanistan has been historically under-resourced and remains so today. ISAF (International Security Asistance Force) is operating in a culture of poverty. Consequently, ISAF requires more forces." It goes on to say, "The greater resources will not be sufficient to achieve success, but will enable implementation of the new strategy. Conversely, inadequate resources will likely result in failure. However, without a new strategy, the mission should not be resourced."
In plain English, the above contorted passage says, in effect, "If you don't send more troops to Afghanistan, we will fail. But you shouldn't send more troops unless and until we adopt a new strategy, which we don't have. And even if you do give us the troops we want for the new strategy we don't have, they won't be enough to achieve success."
Someone on General McChrystal's staff contributing to this report has confused the strategic and the operational levels of war. The report does not offer a new strategy but a new operational plan. How the war is fought (by following classic counter-insurgency doctrine) is operational, not strategic. The U.S. must indeed find a new strategy, because the current strategy depends on an Afghan state that simply does not exist. Yet the report offers no new strategy. No wonder you, as President, may have been confused and so compromised on the numbers.
What Can this New "Surge" Accomplish?The answer to this question is, "Very little—except for the troops to assume a defensive posture and try to stay alive." In order to keep casualties low and acceptable to the public back home, Gen. Stanley McChrystal will be forced to adopt a static "fortress" strategy and withdraw forces from outlying outposts to a few cities.
The Taliban's counterstrategy will be (1) to abandon those areas we strengthen and fortify; (2) to immediately take control of areas that no longer have an American presence; (3) to bottle up the Americans and make life miserable for them in their fortresses (including Kabul) with sudden "hit-and-run" raids and suicide bombers, while harassing and cutting the supply lines to and between the fortresses with daring ambushes and roadside IEDs.
You had two choices: get in deeper or get out. Unfortunately, not being given to making bold, sweeping decisions (your appointments bear this out), instead of a daring Hail Mary pass and a damn-the-torpedoes pull-out, you punted, deferring a decision until the summer of 2011, at which time you will be faced with the same decision again in a position no more advantageous than today. But casualties and costs will have risen, making another deferment of a fact-based decision even more difficult and more expensive. And you seem to have closed your eyes to the impossibility of making an effective force of an Afghan army riddled with illiteracy, drug abuse, low pay and a 25 percent rate of desertion (often to the enemy) and at the same time expecting it to be loyal to the flagrantly graft-ridden and corruption-plagued Karzai government.
Our constitution makes the President the Commander-in-Chief of the nation's armed forces. This arrangement made eminent good sense when the inevitable first president was heroic Gen. George Washington. In today's complex and hostile world, the President must rely on his military chiefs for guidance. This results in an awkward, if not peculiar situation in which the military advises the President about the course of action the military will then take in carrying out the President's orders.
A major problem arises because the generals in the Pentagon, busy bucking for promotion, have yet to realize that the world and warfare have changed. Since the end of World War II we have seen the decline of the power of nations in all parts of the world and the rise of transnational, non-state forces. As many as 30 nation-states have either failed, as have Somalia, Afghanistan and Zimbabwe, or are failing in the sense that they cannot provide even the most basic services to their citizens. Respected Israeli military historian Martin van Crefeld has said in The Transformation of War that what has changed is not so much how war is fought but who fights and what they fight for.
First Generation Warfare: Tactics of line and column developed in the age of the smoothbore musket. Example: The American Revolution.
Second Generation Warfare: Tactics of linear fire and movement with great reliance on indirect artillery fire. Example: The First World War.
Third Generation Warfare: Tactics of infiltration to bypass and collapse the enemy's combat forces rather than seeking to close with and destroy them and defense in depth. Example: German Blitzkrieg in the Second World War.
Fourth Generation Warfare can be traced to the Cold War, as major powers attempted to retain their grip on restive colonies. Unable to mount direct combat against strafing fighter planes, bombing planes, tanks and machine guns, non-state entities use tactics of secrecy, terror, and confusion to overcome the technological gap.
Fourth generation warfare often involves an insurgent group or other violent non-state actors trying to implement their own government or reestablish an old government over the current government, as in Afghanistan. The aim is to force the state as adversary to expend manpower and money in an attempt to establish order, ideally in such a highhanded way that it merely increases the level of civic disorder, until the state surrenders or withdraws. Afghanistan is a perfect example.
Fourth Generation warfare is definitely more than just an untested theory. It is a stark reality. Our generals still place great faith in technology and the ability to deliver the heaviest firepower on targets by plane or drone-fired missile, basically a holdover from the First World War. This is a classic example of Second Generation tactics, as created by the French General Staff, even though we are engaged in a Fourth Generation conflict. The Taliban, very definitely a low-technology force, today claims control over about 80 percent of Afghanistan, an increase from the 72 percent estimated in 2008.
Editor's Note: This is the third of four letters to President Obama on the war in Afghanistan.


This article is about the Dutch entrepreneur. For the locality in Sweden, see Nälden.
Nalden (born as Ronald Hans, in 1984) is a Dutch entrepreneur known for founding file-transfer service WeTransfer.
He is the co-founder of WeTransfer and Present Plus, and first gained his online reputation through his blog, Nalden.net.
Nalden is from the Netherlands and started building websites at the age of 13. A digital native, he became a blogger at 16, and six months later his blog was turning a profit.
During his time as a blogger, he collaborated with brands such as Nike (on campaigns such as New Masters and IAM1), Mercedes Benz and Vodafone.
His first start-up as an entrepreneur was the file-sharing service, WeTransfer, in 2009. In 2015, the business took its first round of investment, $25m, in order to innovate and expand in the US.
His digital design studio, Present Plus, is based in Amsterdam and London, and has created work such as the In The Studio series for The New York Times, featuring designers such as Rick Owens, Victoria Beckham, Donatella Versace and Alber Elbaz and The Creative Class series, featuring artists such as Damon Albarn and Stefan Sagmeister, for WeTransfer.
Nalden is a regular speaker on the topics of entrepreneurship, technology, the web and design.
^ Li, Charmaine. "The Story Behind WeTransfer". tech.eu. Retrieved 24 March 2015.
^ Amirtha, Tina. "How the Founder of WeTransfer Went From Blog to Startup". Fast Company. Retrieved 24 March 2015.
^ Olschewski, Felicitas. "Interviews: Nalden". Freunde von Freunden. Retrieved 24 March 2015.
^ Lunden, Ingrid. "WeTransfer, Funky Dutch Cousin Of Dropbox And Box, Gets $25M To Go Large In The U.S." Tech Crunch. Retrieved 24 March 2015.
^ Alderson, Rob. "Damon Albarn and Stefan Sagmeister interviewed for new Creative Class site". It's Nice That. Retrieved 24 March 2015.
^ Grunau, Evelyn. "A talk with Nalden: Today it's better to learn to code HTML than speak French". TEDx Amsterdam. Retrieved 24 March 2015.
^ "Experts: Nalden". The Next Speaker. Retrieved 24 March 2015.
This page was last edited on 29 July 2018, at 18:57 (UTC).


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An ulcer is a medical condition caused by a break in a bodily membrane.

Ulcer or ulceration may also refer to:
Ulcer (dermatology), a sore on the skin or a mucous membrane
Fear Factory or Ulceration, an American industrial metal band

See also
Ulcer index, a stock market risk measure or technical analysis indicator devised by Peter Martin in 1987

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Roberto Fortunato (amateurwielrenner), een Italiaans amateurwielrenner in de jaren 80.
Roberto Fortunato (beroepswielrenner), een Italiaans beroepswielrenner in de jaren 90.


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Cached Images
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.. _sec-imagecache-intro:

Image Cache Introduction and Theory of Operation
=========================================================

ImageCache is a utility class that allows an application to read pixels from
a large number of image files while using a remarkably small amount of
memory and other resources.  Of course it is possible for an application to
do this directly using ImageInput objects.  But ImageCache offers the
following advantages:

* ImageCache presents an even simpler user interface than ImageInput --- the
  only supported operations are asking for an ImageSpec describing a
  subimage in the file, retrieving for a block of pixels, and
  locking/reading/releasing individual tiles.  You refer to images by
  filename only; you don't need to keep track of individual file handles or
  ImageInput objects.  You don't need to explicitly open or close files.

* The ImageCache is completely thread-safe; if multiple threads are
  accessing the same file, the ImageCache internals will handle all the
  locking and resource sharing.

* No matter how many image files you are accessing, the ImageCache will
  maintain a reasonable number of simultaneously-open files, automatically
  closing files that have not been needed recently.

* No matter how large the total pixels in all the image files you are
  dealing with are, the ImageCache will use only a small amount of memory.
  It does this by loading only the individual tiles requested, and as memory
  allotments are approached, automatically releasing the memory from tiles
  that have not been used recently.

In short, if you have an application that will need to read pixels from many
large image files, you can rely on ImageCache to manage all the resources
for you.  It is reasonable to access thousands of image files totalling
hundreds of GB of pixels, efficiently and using a memory footprint on the
order of 50 MB.

Below are some simple code fragments that shows ImageCache in action::

    #include <OpenImageIO/imagecache.h>
    using namespace OIIO;

    // Create an image cache and set some options
    ImageCache *cache = ImageCache::create ();
    cache->attribute ("max_memory_MB", 500.0f);
    cache->attribute ("autotile", 64);

    // Get a block of pixels from a file.
    // (for brevity of this example, let's assume that 'size' is the
    // number of channels times the number of pixels in the requested region)
    float pixels[size];
    cache->get_pixels ("file1.jpg", 0, 0, xbegin, xend, ybegin, yend,
                       zbegin, zend, TypeDesc::FLOAT, pixels);

    // Get information about a file
    ImageSpec spec;
    bool ok = cache->get_imagespec ("file2.exr", spec);
    if (ok)
        std::cout << "resolution is " << spec.width << "x"
                  << spec.height << "\n";

    // Request and hold a tile, do some work with its pixels, then release
    ImageCache::Tile *tile;
    tile = cache->get_tile ("file2.exr", 0, 0, x, y, z);
    // The tile won't be freed until we release it, so this is safe:
    TypeDesc format;
    void *p = cache->tile_pixels (tile, format);
    // Now p points to the raw pixels of the tile, whose data format
    // is given by 'format'.
    cache->release_tile (tile);
    // Now cache is permitted to free the tile when needed

    // Note that all files were referenced by name, we never had to open
    // or close any files, and all the resource and memory management
    // was automatic.

    ImageCache::destroy (cache);

.. _sec-imagecache-api:

ImageCache API
=========================================================

.. doxygenclass:: OIIO::ImageCache
    :members:

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Discussion in 'Market Predictions and Reports' started by MTnews, Mar 11, 2010.
U.S. December Trade Balance Revised to Deficit $39.90B from Deficit $40.18B; U.S. January Trade Deficit $37.29B; Compared to Consensus Deficit $41.0B; U.S. January Exports $142.66B, fell 0.3%; Imports $179.95B, fell 1.7%.
U.S. February 27 Week Jobless Claims Revised to 468K from 469K; U.S. February 27 Week Continuing Claims rose 37K to 4,558,000; U.S. Jobless Claims fell 6K to 462K in Week of March 6; compared to Survey of a decrease by 9K.
Advanced stock prices 1,781, declined stock prices 1,300, unchanged stock prices 109, stock prices hitting new highs 282 and stock prices hitting new lows 8. NYSE quotes for volatile stocks and market trends, as well as stock quotes, stock prices and stock symbols of Day Trading Stock Picks on the New York Stock Exchange stock market for Day Trading online and active Day Trading for those who are or would like to be Day Trading for a living: AIG shed 1.12, HOD 38.45, LOD 35.02, EOD 35.12; RTP shed 0.27, HOD 224.46, LOD 219.00, EOD 224.23; MA gain 0.59, HOD 250.50, LOD 246.14, EOD 250.19; CME gain 5.38, HOD 313.28, LOD 305.92, EOD 313.28; BLK shed 5.29, HOD 215.46, LOD 209.65, EOD 210.41; MW shed 1.28, HOD 24.14, LOD 22.90, EOD 23.55.
Advanced stock prices 1,516, declined stock prices 1,140, unchanged stock prices 154, stock prices hitting new highs 195 and stock prices hitting new lows 9. NASDAQ quotes, volatile stocks and market trends, as well as stock quotes, stock prices and stock symbols of Day Trading Stock Picks on the NASDAQ stock market for Day Trading online and active Day Trading for those who are or would like to be Day Trading for a living: HITK gain 1.15, HOD 27.00, LOD 25.77, EOD 26.65; AAPL gain 0.66, HOD 225.50, LOD 223.32, EOD 225.50; IMAX shed 0.16, HOD 17.60, LOD 15.03, EOD 15.86; FSLR gain 2.74, HOD 115.70, LOD 109.95, EOD 113.69; GYMB gain 5.09, HOD 51.94, LOD 49.15, EOD 51.38; BIDU gain 4.93, HOD 556.37, LOD 545.38, EOD 554.10; HOLX gain 1.73, HOD 19.56, LOD 17.40, EOD 19.28; GEOY gain 3.77, HOD 29.35, LOD 27.00, EOD 28.50; HOTT shed 0.30, HOD 6.56, LOD 6.10, EOD 6.25.
Advanced stock prices 268, declined stock prices 211, unchanged stock prices 49, stock prices hitting new highs 23 and stock prices hitting new lows 4.


text:
Tuesday, June 10 12:01 AM EDT
Apple Enters iLoo Fray with P4 Laptop
By Dale McFarland
Cupertino, CA - The ongoing cut-throat rivalry between Apple and Microsoft has been raised another notch this week.
Stealing thunder from Microsoft chairman Bill Gates, whose new MSN Radio Plus seeks to mimic the success of Apple's on-line "music store" iTunes, Apple chief executive Steve Jobs has introduced the Macintosh P4 laptop to compete with Microsoft's iLoo portable workstation.
Targeting the company's younger artsy market, the P4 maintains Macintosh's tradition of elegant simplicity, ease-of-use and cutting-edge product design.
The P4 offers larger storage capacity - the 64-oz. model will cost $2,995 - and comes in Indigo, Ruby, Sage and Snow (colors are subject to availability).
As always, Apple's strategy will be to appeal to people who "think outside the can."
Gates was in South Dakota last month, promoting his MSN Public Access Network (PAN). "It's important to make sure internet bathroom facilities become universally available," said Gates, who added that he spends "several hours a day" on the toilet.
The PAN was one of 14 that the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is donating to the Watertown Public Library.
Success of iTunes Proves that Apple Users will Overpay for Anything
Microsoft Nearing Completion on Death Star
Apple Faithful Ready "Ooohs" and "Aaahs" for Jobs
Apple isn't taking Microsoft's challenge to iTunes lightly. Jobs is currently in negotiations with Procter and Gamble to develop a waterproof wireless MP3 system for another huge crossover market: people who sing in the shower.
"It will be a marriage of karaoke and soap-on-a-rope," explained Hilary Rosen, chief executive officer of the Recording Industry Association of America.
This story originally appeared at The Specious Report
More Apple News


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H alal is the description given to food that receives specific treatment, in order to comply with Islamic religion and its rules about food. They follow the Islamic laws of the Sharia, which specifies, for all stages of the food preparation process, how Halal food is to be prepared. In this article, we will look at the Halal food market in Brazil.
As of 2010, there were officially around 35.000 Muslims in Brazil, representing a share of just 0,0002% of Brazil's population, although the Brazilian Muslim Association claims that there are in fact more than 1,5 million Muslims in Brazil. Most Muslims in Brazil are located in the states of São Paulo, Paraná, Mato Grosso do Sul and Rio Grande do Sul. Consequently the supply and demand of Halal food in these areas is higher. Despite Halal food traditionally only being consumed by Muslims and Adventists nowadays, others looking for alternative healthy and high-quality products are among those who are now purchasing Halal food products.
According to the Sharia, the Muslim's religious laws, the consumption of mineral products and toxic chemicals that may harm the Muslims' health is prohibited, along with the consumption of all plant products that present a hallucinogenic effect.
In cases of primary meat products, the date of slaughter, manufacturing and processing should also be specified on the product label.
Brazilian laws for slaughtering animals require that the animal be stunned before slaughter. Despite this, religious slaughter without stunning the animal is allowed in Brazil but only for companies that supply meat for export or consumption by religious communities. Even so, specific methods are required in order to minimize the animal's suffering and distress.
The Halal certification is valid for one year, and the whole process of certification may cost up to BRL 7.000.
Despite Brazil being one of the largest Halal food producers in the world, possessing over 300 industries' plants that are Halal certified, most of its production is exported to countries where the presence of Muslims is higher, especially to Northern Africa, the Middle East and South East Asia.
Brazil exported over USD 1,5 billion worth of Halal products in 2012, mostly poultry and meat. Brazilian exports of Halal food grew by more than 440% in revenue and 76% in volume between 2002 to 2012. In fact, in 2013 Brazil was the third largest Halal product exporter in the world, trailing only behind China and the United States, with around 33% of the total of Brazilian meat exports being Halal certified.
The international Halal market is expected to rise, with Islamic countries posting a growth rate in population of around 5% per year. This is pretty good news for the Brazilian Halal production plant, since Brazil is responsible for the production of over 38% of Halal poultry and meat consumed in the world and being the market leader.
Compared to the regular food market, Halal products represent a very small share and thus do not justify nor need large investment from companies. Despite this, it is still a good option to bet on these niches in order to differentiate a company in the market. This is especially valid for small and medium sized companies.


Time was literature ran on correspondence. Letters, packages, notes, slips and cards were profuse. They created the aptly named paper trail. They also contributed to the slush pile.
Much of this exchange of wood-sourced communication was de trop, but it reflected at least a patina of civility as gatekeepers in the world of letters – agents, publishers, administrators of competitions – dealt with those who thought they had something that merited admission to their wordy universe.
Of course demand and contact has changed substantially in all areas of life and nearly all of those dealing with authors, at whatever stage of their career, have eschewed the acknowledgement card, personal letter and rejection slip. The only news is good news. Advice that if you don't hear from someone within a period of time is sufficient to tell the aspirant that their work has not hit the mark. No indication that it ever arrived, let alone was read and found wanting, never mind the reasons.
Which means my recent return to poetry competitions has been, in part, a journey into the past. Some – not all – of the administration of these contests have a nostalgic feel: fill out a form, place it in one envelope with your name and the title of your poem; in another fold in your verse, with only the title, never your name; enclose a specified number of stamped addressed envelopes which should be marked with their possible purposes – acknowledgment, shortlist, results. And this is to be put into one large envelope with the cheque, usually for a sum in a single figure.
In one way it is quaint. In others it can create an unduly messy office for whoever is overseeing the process. Many competitions are overseen in the e-world. Does it create a smoother process? Probably. Does it attract a different kind of writer? I wonder. Are the pieces of better or lesser quality dependent on the procedures used? That is a question only the judges can rule on. However they decide to communicate their choices.