text:
SPLC is back protecting the world from me
A reader emails:
Southern (possibly) Poverty (of thought?) Law (!?) Center (?):
http://www.splcenter.org/blog/2008/07/25/extremist-steve-salier-is-source-for-cnns-black-in-america-series/
Here's the real story on the SPLC.
By Steve Sailer on 7/26/2008 43 comments Labels: SPLC
MSM starts to notice Obama's biography gap
Gabriel Sherman's article "End of the Affair" in The New Republic recounts a lot of gripes reporters have with the arrogance and secrecy of the Obama campaign. Most of it is the usual dull whining, but this is interesting:
"Reporters who have covered Obama's biography or his problems with certain voter blocs have been challenged the most aggressively. "They're terrified of people poking around Obama's life," one reporter says. "The whole Obama narrative is built around this narrative that Obama and David Axelrod built, and, like all stories, it's not entirely true. So they have to be protective of the crown jewels." Another reporter notes that, during the last year, Obama's old friends and Harvard classmates were requested not to talk to the press without permission."
Better late than never, I suppose ...
By the way, can you imagine being asked not to talk to the press about some guy you went to school with without his permission?
Shiller: The New Cosmopolitans
A friend recommends economist Robert J. Shiller (who called the housing bubble years ago more energetically than just about any other prominent economist) article from 2006 on "The New Cosmopolitans."
Sorry, I've been sick
Sorry about not answering emails for 36 hours, I've been sick.
Sailer on CNN.com on Obama
CNN.com runs an article by John Blake, "Could an Obama Presidency Hurts Black Americans," which adapts quotes from my first Obama article, back on January 2, 2007 in VDARE.com:
Steve Sailer, a columnist for The American Conservative magazine, wrote last year that some whites who support Obama aren't driven primarily by a desire for change.
They want something else Obama offers them: "White Guilt Repellent," he wrote.
"So many whites want to be able to say, 'I'm not one of them, those bad whites. ... Hey, I voted for a black guy for president,' " Sailer wrote.
Sailer cited another reason why many whites want Obama as president:
"They hope that when a black finally moves into the White House, it will prove to African-Americans, once and for all, that white animus isn't the cause of their troubles. All blacks have to do is to act like President Obama - and their problems will be over."
It wasn't my most sophisticated take on Obama, but here's the context from my VDARE article, "White Guilt, Obamania, and the Reality of Race," for the quotes in the CNN article:
The Barack Attack phenomenon is similar to the Colin Craze of 1995. Of course, General Powell had better qualifications. He'd been intimately involved in managing a successful national enterprise, the Gulf War of 1991. And he had articulated a thoughtful, cautious policy for when and how to conduct military operations, the Powell Doctrine, the wisdom of which subsequent events have only underlined.
Supporting Obama for President, like supporting Powell a decade ago, is seen by many whites as the ultimate in White Guilt Repellent.
It's important to understand, however, that White Guilt is very different from, say, Catholic Guilt, which consists of straightforward feelings of personal moral failure.
In comparison, I don't recall ever meeting any white person who personally felt guilty for the troubles of African-Americans. But I've known many whites who want to loudly blame other whites for black difficulties.
Some whites at least heap guilt upon their own ancestors, but many who publicly proclaim the reality of White Guilt aren't averse to noting that their own forefathers arrived at Ellis Island long after slavery was over.
In other words, White Guilt is just another ploy in the Great American White Status Struggle. Minorities are merely props for asserting moral superiority over other whites.
Finding and punishing Guilty Whites has become a national obsession. One notorious current example: the framing of the Duke lacrosse players by Durham district attorney Mike Nifong (with the enthusiastic assistance of the New York Times) in the endless hunt for what Tom Wolfe called "the Great White Defendant."
So, many whites want to be able to say, "I'm not one of them, those bad whites, like that guy on Seinfeld. Hey, I voted for a black guy for President!"
Plus, I suspect there's an even more hidden reason many whites wish Obama is elected President: They hope that when a black finally moves into the White House, it will prove to African-Americans, once and for all, that white animus isn't the cause of their troubles. All blacks have to do is to act like President Obama—and their problems will be over!
It's a seductive vision. And it plays right into our national dream that race is just skin deep, that it's all in our heads, that the solution for all racial conflict is simply thinking right thoughts, etc. etc.
"All blacks have to do is to act like President Obama—and their problems will be over!" is funnier with an exclamation point.
Somebody better tell David Brock at Media Matters right now, so he won't lose any time getting his panties in a twist again over somebody daring to quote me.
$1.25 per gallon
The Honda Civic GX runs on compressed natural gas, which supposedly only costs about the equivalent of $1.25 per gallon of gasoline. Downsides include the tank only holds the equivalent of eight gallons of gasoline, so range is half of the gasoline version. And if you run out between the rare CNG filling stations, you'll need to be towed to one. Plus, you only get 113 horsepower, instead of the 140 in the basic gasoline Civic. And the MSRP is a hefty $24,590, a couple of thousand more than the 110 horsepower Civic Hybrid.
My question is whether this is one of those rare cases where it pays more to get in early on a new technology. If 15 years from now, half of America is driving around in a compress natural gas vehicle, will the current large price gap between CNG and gasoline narrow considerably due to more demand for CNG?
By Steve Sailer on 7/22/2008 24 comments Labels: Cars
Obama wants to escalate in Afghanistan
In September 2001, I advocated overthrowing the Afghan government in punishment but not trying to transform the country as well (arguing my case in the guise of a review of "The Man Who Would Be King"). Remind me again, though, what exactly are we doing there seven years later that we've now got to do more of it, according to Senator Obama?
Sen. Barack Obama, on his first and likely only overseas trip as the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, has remade the campaign's foreign policy playing field, neatly sidestepping Republican charges that he has been naive and wrong on Iraq and moving to a broader, post-Iraq focus on Afghanistan and Pakistan. ... Chief among them, he said, are the "need to refocus attention on Afghanistan and to go after the Taliban, including putting more troops on the ground, and to put more pressure on Pakistan to deal with the safe havens of terrorists."
Do we have any sort of offer on the table to the Taliban (e.g., hand over Osama and Mullah Omar and change your name to something else, and we'll go home and let you locals duke it out in your time-honored manner)? Or is it our national grand strategy to be screwing around in Afghanistan until the whole place finally calms down, which will be the day after the sun explodes in 5,000,000,000 AD? (Your Lying Eyes argues the case for Afghan Ennui here.)
And do we really have any clue what to do with Pakistan? The last thing I remember was everyone in the U.S. media announcing, right after Benazir Bhutto's assassination, that the whole place was about to explode in chaos. But then it more or less didn't, at least compared to how chaotic it normally is. So, does Obama have some special insight into how Pakistan works (perhaps from spending a couple of weeks there 25 years ago?), or is he as clueless as, apparently, everybody else in America is about the place?
By Steve Sailer on 7/22/2008 20 comments Labels: foreign policy, Obama, war
Obama's paper trail
I hear Stanley Kurtz has been in Illinois digging up Obama's paper trail for upcoming articles in the Weekly Standard and National Review. I have no idea what he's found, but it's certainly about time that somebody went looking.
By Steve Sailer on 7/22/2008 6 comments Labels: Obama
A reductionist theory of humor
Why do we laugh?
Lots of theories have been constructed to answer this question, but most haven't been terribly successful because we laugh at so many different things. (Here's a New York Review of Books essay on some of them.) So, let me try out a two-stage theory, which I haven't actually tested yet against all the different kinds of humor, but it may be promising:
Stage One: Let's start out with a negative but useful definition of humor: it's not serious.
The more something seems serious but is not serious, the funnier it is.
King Lear topples rigidly to the ground -- uh-oh, that's serious. Buster Keaton topples rigidly to the ground -- oh, good, that's not serious, ha-ha.
A young husband and wife get into an argument over who, exactly, is the father of her unborn child. Generally speaking, that's not funny. It's serious.
A young husband and wife get into an argument before her parents come for dinner over whether you should set the salad fork to the right of the main fork or across the top of the plate. They start yelling, but eventually start laughing at themselves for yelling because it's a silly thing to get worked up over. It's not serious.
Laughter happens more in public than in private. To say, as readers often do, that A Confederacy of Dunces or Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas are "laugh out loud funny" is to admit, via the logic of the exception that proves the rule, that the great majority of books don't provoke loud laughter in solitary readers. In contrast, to say that the recent Katherine Heigl romantic comedy "27 Dresses" is "laugh out loud funny" is ho-hum praise because any movie labeled a comedy is supposed to set the audience in the theatre off laughing.
Public laughter can serve as an expression of relief and mutual reassurance that something that could be serious -- e.g., the bride's bedraggled ex-boyfriend crashes into the church just before she says "I do" to the rich guy who doesn't really love her -- isn't serious, it's just, say, romantic comedy behavior. Weddings are almost omnipresent in movie comedies these days because we have so few formal ceremonies anymore where A. Americans are supposed to act like proper protocol is all-important; and B. It really isn't.
In mildly stressful social occasions, such as at cocktail parties, people laugh constantly at things other people say that aren't very funny. (Social scientists have taped and transcribed run-of-the-mill repartee and it's usually pretty dire). When my feeble witticisms elicit constant giggling, that is people laughing to reassure each other that it's not serious.
That's laughing-with-you humor, which isn't normally terribly funny to an outside observer. Professional comedians tend to use laughing-at-somebody humor, which often is. The point of hostile humor is to show us (the audience) that they (the objects of ridicule) aren't serious. They are ridiculous. It's reassuring.
Top comedians, of course, tend to be notoriously hostile. In the 1990s, a friend once had dinner with Jackie Mason, who spent the entire evening complaining morosely about how Ed Sullivan had ruined his career in 1964. (That's pretty funny, but only because it wasn't serious: Mason went on to have a highly successful career, and thus it was funny that he was bitterly lamenting the incident 30 years later. If he had never gotten another break, it wouldn't be funny, it would be sad.)
Perhaps the positive feeling we enjoy when something is funny has evolved as a sort of brain candy to reward us for realizing when something is not serious. Hunter-gatherers can better afford to be ornery because they can just leave when other people get on their nerves too much. Settled humans living in dense populations need other mechanisms for coping with frustrations, such as a sense of humor to reward them for deciding something isn't really a big deal. Thus, we are primed to search out funny experiences.
Stage Two: Assuming that we evolved a craving for the feeling that's something is funny, then that kind of positive reinforcement could then have evolved to apply to other helpful things. For example, pattern recognition is, generally speaking, a good thing from a Darwinian point of view. So, it's not surprising that a lot of humor involves pattern recognition.
Q. How many lesbians does it take to screw in a lightbulb?
A. That's not funny!
That was funny the first time you heard it (1983) because it crystallized for you something you'd observed evidence for -- that lesbians are likelier to be humorless and irritable -- but hadn't yet recognized consciously. Like a trainer teaching Shamu a new trick at Sea World, your brain tossed you some brain candy as a reward for noticing something new. The joke is not very funny now, however, because you already knew lesbians tend to be like that. (By the way, here's a hilariously unfunny Wikipedia article on Lightbulb Jokes.)
So, that's the theory. Does it account for all types of humor? Well, you can more or less extend stage two indefinitely: Puns are funny because our brains reward us for noticing ... uh ... incongruity. Or maybe our brains toss us some brain candy for noticing that things that seem alike (e.g., homonyms) might not be actually alike (i.e., puns are the inverse of pattern recognition humor).
Of course, like most Darwinian explanations, this starts getting unfalsifiable the more you push it.
But that leads to the question:
- If pattern recognition is funny;
- And if Steve Sailer is good at pattern recognition (e.g., this blog post);
- Then why isn't Steve Sailer funny (e.g., this blog post)?
For example, consider my 1994 article "Why Lesbians Aren't Gay," which includes a table of three dozen traits upon which lesbians and gay men tend to differ. This prodigious exercise in pattern recognition includes bits and pieces that could be incorporated into dozens of stand-up comedy routines and Saturday Night Live skits. But my article on the whole isn't funny. Indeed, it tends to get readers angry.
Lots of funny people read my stuff (e.g., Stephen Colbert or one of his writers), because I'm good at coming up with the raw material for observational humor. But, I generally don't choose to be very funny myself.
How come? Well, I suspect there's a conflict between the Stage Two type of humor (pattern-recognition) and Stage One ("It's not serious").
The problem is: I am serious.
An observational comedian says, "Have you ever noticed ..." and then mentions something paradoxical. "Why is that?" he adds with a look of exasperation and confusion, and then rushes on to some other wry observation.
With me, though, the question "Why is that?" leaves me dead in my tracks, goggle-eyed in fascination. "I bet I can figure that out," I say to myself, even though nobody cares. It's already been established that it's not serious and that's enough for most people. Me, I've got to be Mr. Explainer.
I can be funny in short bursts (here's a 1992 American Spectator parody I wrote that was pretty funny at the time), but I find it hard to maintain the needed level of scattershot hostility for too long. I'm too empathetic toward people (at least those below the top 0.001%), too interested in understanding what makes them tick, too disinterested and philosophical to be terribly funny.
SWPL: Internships
Christian Lander writes:
In most of the world when a person works long hours without pay, it is referred to as "slavery" or "forced labor." For white people this process is referred to as an internship and is considered an essential stage in white development. ...
You would assume that the most sought after internships would be in areas that lead to the greatest financial reward. Young White people, however, prefer internships that put them on the path for careers that will generally result in a DECREASE of the material wealth accumulated by their parents.
For example, if you were to present a white 19 year old with the choice of spending the summer earning $15 an hour as a plumber's apprentice or making $0 answering phones at Production Company, they will always choose the latter. In fact, the only way to get the white person to choose the plumbing option would be to convince them that it was leading towards an end-of-summer pipe art installation.
It's interesting how the upper middle class has increasingly barricaded off entry into a lot of different occupations by insisting upon unpaid internships, which discourages young people who need the money from a summer job.
Now that his Stuff White People Like book has been on the NY Times bestseller list for a couple of weeks, I'll finally mention that, not surprisingly, Christian was a veteran iSteve.com reader from way back.
By Steve Sailer on 7/21/2008 27 comments Labels: stuff white people like
Hair of the dog that bit us
A reader comments:
"My fiancee is a successful real estate broker here in Orange County, CA. She attends industry meetings twice or more a week. She tells me that the "hot topic" in real estate sales circles is how the US must import more Asians, Hispanics, and other foreigners to get us out of the housing slump."
By Steve Sailer on 7/21/2008 15 comments Labels: immigration, real estate
The funny thing about the fashionable Toyota Prius is that it would get good gas mileage even it weren't a hybrid. It has a very aerodynamic shape that provides a reasonable amount of interior room. Take out the weight added by the battery and electric motor, but keep things like the modest 0-60 acceleration, the use of aluminum rather than steel in places, and the real time miles per gallon gauge and you'd still have an efficient economy car. (And since the Prius has been built in Japan rather than America, you'd get Lexus-quality factory workmanship.)
But nobody would buy it. After all, the Prius is very similar in shape (just smaller) to perhaps the most unfashionable car of the decade, the Pontiac Aztek (introduced in 2001, now discontinued). The picture above is of an Aztek, not a Prius.
Conversely, nobody gets very excited over the Honda Civic Hybrid, because it doesn't look like you're saving the world by driving it. It just looks like you're some loser who can only afford a Civic. In contrast, when you are driving a Prius, everybody can instantly recognize it's a hybrid.
Basically, people choose cars to advertise themselves on the mating market. That's fine, I've got no problem with that ... except for the tens of millions of car-buyers who aren't supposed to be on the mating market because they're already married. Consider all the soccer moms who refused to buy aerodynamic minivans because they're too mom-shaped. Instead, they bought squared-off SUVs, which get much worse mileage than minivans of similar capacity, because they felt they made them look sexier.
So, you have to give Toyota a lot of credit for figuring out how to trick us knuckleheaded Americans into wanting to eat our vegetables.
By Steve Sailer on 7/21/2008 19 comments Labels: Cars, environment
The circular logic of the bubble economy, 2002-2007
Hire illegal aliens to build new houses in the exurbs for people wanting to get their kids out of school districts overwhelmed by the children of illegal aliens.
It's the road to national prosperity. What could possibly go wrong?
By Steve Sailer on 7/21/2008 2 comments Labels: illegal immigration, real estate
NFL IQs: The Picture
Graphical data analyst Ben Fry takes some old data provided by NFL scribe Paul Zimmerman of Sports Illustrated on the average Wonderlic IQ test scores by position of draft prospects (which I'd published in VDARE in 2003) and plots it with offense in blue, defense in red, and the radius of the circle proportional to the scores.
You can convert them to IQs assuming that 21 correct answers = 100 and add or subtract 2 IQ points for each answer above or below 21. So, quarterbacks averaged 24 right for a 106 IQ. Tailbacks averaged 16 for a 90.
Don't get too excited about minor differences between positions: I've seen other listings of averages by position and they differed slightly. But the overall pattern was the same.
Marginal Revolution explains the graph as "The closer you are to the ball, the higher your score."
Okay, but why is that?
Because the closer you start out to the ball at the time of the center snap, the more crowded the field is around you. So, close to the ball, the more important upper body strength is and the less important footspeed is. If you are the center, say, there just isn't much room to run and you don't have anywhere in particular to go. You might dash a few yards forward to block the middle linebacker or backpedal a few yards to protect the quarterback, but that's about it. On the other hand, if you are a defensive lineman, you want to get to the quarterback before he releases the ball, so footspeed is important on defense. A defensive end might take the long way around and sprint 20 yards to sack the quarterback.
Upper body strength is relatively equally distributed between the races, but footspeed most definitely is not. So, tailbacks, wide receivers, and defensive players have a need for speed, so they are disproportionately black. I haven't checked recently, but in most recent years since Jason Sehorn's retirement, none of the 64 NFL starting cornerbacks at the start of the season were white, and none of the 32 starting tailbacks were white. (For some reason, this never gets as much publicity as the perceived lack of black quarterbacks.)
As we all know, there is about a 15 point difference IQ gap between whites and blacks, so positions that are black dominated tend to have lower average IQs than positions that are more integrated (or that are white monopolized, such as placekicker and punter).
Another (also oversimplified, but useful) way to think about it is like this: talents are arrayed in a pyramid, with only a few people at the top.
Imagine you have a whole bunch of guys who are about 6-5 and 280 pounds. You then sort them by 40 yard dash times. The handful of extremely fast ones at the top of the pyramid of footspeed are assigned to play defensive end because they have the best chance of sacking the quarterback. The pretty fast ones in the next layer down play defensive tackle because they might sack the QB.
That leaves a lot of not very fast big guys to play offensive line. At any level of footspeed in the lower part of the pyramid, there are more people than at the top of the pyramid.
So, to differentiate among the average speed guys, you start looking more at other skills.
First, you tell them to gain 40 pounds because for pass-blocking you need inertia more than acceleration. Not surprisingly, lots of them find that why, yes, they can eat more pancakes if it means a chance to play in the NFL.
So, now you have a whole bunch of 320 pound guys who aren't that fast. So, you look for the ones who are coordinated and relatively nimble and send the clods home. And then you look at the ones who have a lot of desire, who can play through pain, and so forth and so on.
Somewhere along in there, you look at IQ, which is useful in learning the playbook, in learning to play other positions in the offensive line, in keeping out of jail, in not getting caught taking steroids, and so forth.
Overall, because there are more people physically able to play offensive line, there is more selection pressure on non-physical attributes, such as IQ.
That then allows coaches to devise more cognitively difficult tactics for offensive linemen to execute than for defensive linemen, which in turn reinforces the need for IQ among offensive linemen. Or perhaps causality runs more in the opposite direction and the offensive line is inherently more IQ demanding than other positions. It's kind of a chicken or egg problem.
But the important thing to keep in mind is that IQ is a relatively minor factor in the NFL relative to the ability to generate force: mass times acceleration. If you are over 220 pounds and can run the 40-yard-dash in under 4.40 seconds but have an 80 IQ, they'll try to explain the playbook to you very slowly. There are 150 million people in America with 3 digit IQs, but only a tiny number of them have the combination of size and speed to play in the NFL.
By Steve Sailer on 7/20/2008 24 comments Labels: IQ, Sports
The Mortgage Bubble: The Diversity Cover Story
From my new VDARE.com column:
Traditionally, markets work by balancing greed and fear. Why was greed allowed to outrun fear so badly this time?
One clue comes from looking at the places with the sharpest decline in home prices, such as California, South Florida, Arizona, and Nevada. For example, the median price of homes sold in California last month was $328,000, down 31.5 percent from a ridiculous $484,000 in June 2007. Almost 42 percent of all homes sold in California were in foreclosure.
Why did the housing bubble get out of control in many heavily Hispanic regions?
Because many important people wanted it to.
A widely overlooked reason behind this economic disaster is that the politicians, real estate interests, and financiers told the public that they weren't speculating wildly on the insane hope of home prices rising forever. No, they were actually helping minorities share in the American Dream!
A percipient April 13, 2007 article in the nonprofit San Diego Voice by Kelly Bennett, Foreclosure Wave Said to Hit Latinos Hard, reported:
"This decade, a national push to increase homeownership among Latinos coincided with one of the longest, most dramatic periods of appreciation for home values. Latino mortgage and real estate professionals put forth aggressive outreach campaigns in the community, while lenders reached out to huge, untapped sections of the market by loosening qualifying standards. …
"Because a widened lending gate allowed many more Latinos and other minorities into the housing market than had entered previously, lawmakers and special interest groups championed the lenders' efforts to extend homeownership to those groups." …
Diversity served as the perfect politically correct excuse for rampant irresponsibility. It gave insiders a rationale for putting their thumb on the scales of the vast lending market in the sacred name of anti-discrimination. Who dared be so racist as to argue that blacks and Hispanics should get fewer loans per capita because they were less likely to pay them back? That's "the soft bigotry of low expectations." …
Today's San Diego Union Tribune article sums up what will be the verdict of history on America in this decade:
"Typically, a severe housing slump is preceded by a recession and job losses, but that is not the case this time around, [John Karevoll of DataQuick] said. 'So now all us number crunchers are scratching our heads. This wasn't caused by a recession, but by stupidity.'"
But it's not just the fault of stupid borrowers, although a national policy of importing more of them by not enforcing the immigration laws clearly worsened the problem.
Stupidity extended all the way up the hierarchy—and that was intentional.
Political correctness makes people stupid, so diversity provided the ideal cover story for financial crime of the century.
By Steve Sailer on 7/20/2008 7 comments Labels: real estate


text:
HONG KONG, April 26 Beijing on Monday barred popular elections for Hong Kong's chief executive in 2007 and ruled out any expanded voting by the general public for the legislature in 2008, in the latest in a series of moves to restrict democracy here.
The decision angered democracy advocates here, who promised street demonstrations, and drew sharp criticism from the United States and Britain, which said Beijing was eroding the autonomy of Hong Kong that it had pledged to preserve.
Beijing has been intervening increasingly in the territory's political affairs. It has now made clear that it intends to give Hong Kong's people a very junior role in decisions about how to open the electoral system in the future.
Bill Rammell, the British foreign office minister for China and Hong Kong, called in China's ambassador in London to complain about the move, saying in a statement that it was "inconsistent with the `high degree of autonomy' which Hong Kong is guaranteed under the Joint Declaration." The declaration, by Britain and China in 1984, cleared the way for Hong Kong's transfer to Chinese rule.
China's leaders are tightening controls here after a series of developments that began with a march by 500,000 people last July 1 to protest stringent internal-security legislation.
In November elections for neighborhood councils, pro-Beijing parties were trounced by pro-democracy parties, suggesting a grim future at the polls for Beijing's allies. Finally, Taiwan's politicians moved further toward independence, making Hong Kong less useful as an example of how Taiwan might someday be reunited politically with the mainland.
The Basic Law, the legal framework governing Hong Kong, says that democratic changes can begin in 2007. But at a meeting in Beijing on Dec. 3, President Hu Jintao of China ordered Tung Chee-hwa, Hong Kong's chief executive, to stop preparations for those changes.
Through February and March, Beijing resorted to the tactics of the Cultural Revolution in denouncing democracy advocates as "clowns" and "traitors."
On April 6, the Standing Committee of China's Parliament, the National People's Congress, which is controlled by the Communist Party, ruled that no moves to change election laws here could even be started without prior approval from Beijing.
Under the Basic Law, the general public is already scheduled to elect half the legislature's members in the next elections, to be held in September. Many here had expected Beijing to increase this proportion in 2008 as a small, conciliatory gesture.
But on Monday the Standing Committee ordered that the ratio remain fixed. If more democratically elected seats are added, the committee said, more seats must also be added for so-called functional constituencies.
Those seats represent specific industries or professions, like banking and accounting, that tend to follow Beijing's wishes closely. In some of those constituencies, fewer than 100 people are allowed to vote, most of them tycoons with big investments on the mainland.
The Standing Committee also declared Monday that no changes would be allowed to the provision that the Chinese government inserted into the Basic Law after the military crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrators at Tiananmen Square in Beijing in 1989.
That provision says bills backed by the Beijing-selected chief executive of Hong Kong need only a simple majority to pass, while bills and amendments introduced by members of the legislature must clear a much higher hurdle: the support of a majority of the democratically elected members plus a majority of the members representing functional constituencies.
Despite the Standing Committee's actions, democracy advocates still could win a majority of the legislature's seats in the September elections by taking almost all of the publicly elected seats plus a handful of seats in certain functional constituencies. That would produce the first pro-democracy legislative body in the People's Republic of China since the Communists took power in 1949.
The Bush administration, eager to enlist Beijing in curbing North Korea's nuclear weapons program, has been cautious about assailing China's increasingly hard line here. On Monday, the White House spokesman, Scott McClellan, remained somewhat muted, saying, "We continue to stand on the side of democratic reforms, as outlined in the Basic Law."
James R. Keith, the United States consul general here, took a tougher stance.
"The central government's decision to limit the debate on constitutional development here in Hong Kong by ruling out universal suffrage in 2007 is disappointing," he said Monday afternoon. "The Hong Kong people have not yet reached a conclusion on their own. The imposition of the central authority's outcome on a debate that has not yet occurred in Hong Kong is an erosion of the high degree of autonomy that the Basic Law and the Joint Declaration guaranteed."
Jackie Hung, the financial secretary and chief spokeswoman of the Civil Human Rights Front, a coalition of pro-democracy groups, said she hoped foreign governments would put steady pressure on China to tolerate more democracy in Hong Kong.
Mr. Tung, the Hong Kong chief executive, defended the latest decision by Beijing, saying it was "conducive to the long-term interests of Hong Kong."
Ma Lik, the chairman of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment of Hong Kong, the biggest pro-Beijing political party, said in a telephone interview that Beijing's decision made sense to him because "stability is more important than radical change."
Beijing officials have called for an end to the active discussions of democracy here.
Donald Tsang, the chief secretary and Hong Kong's second-ranking official after Mr. Tung, said Monday that further democracy proposals by the public should be confined to the possibilities offered by Beijing's decision.
But Christine Loh, the chief executive of the Civic Exchange, a nonprofit research group here, said that while Beijing had the ability to ban formal changes in Hong Kong, it would have a harder time trying to silence the debate. "You still have a corner of China where the high-level officials of China have made a decision and it's not going to be obeyed," she said.
In a clear indication of concern about the potential for further demonstrations, Mr. Tung said at a news conference, "I'd like to urge various sectors of the community to be calm and rational."
Democracy advocates are planning demonstrations on June 4, the 15th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square crackdown, and on July 1, which is a public holiday to commemorate the transfer of control of Hong Kong to China in 1997 but is now seen largely as the anniversary of the huge protest last year.
Mr. Tung subsequently withdrew the security legislation, which had been strongly backed by Beijing.
Mr. Tsang said there might be room for broadening the number of people who can vote in some of the functional constituencies.
The number of members of the Legislative Council elected by the general public is rising, to 30 of 60 in the September elections from 24 out of 60 in the current session of the legislature, under a schedule set before the transfer to Chinese rule. Mr. Tsang and Mr. Ma said it was important to see how this worked instead of planning a further increase in 2008.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Folly to Be Wise
1953 film by Frank Launder
Frank Launder
James Bridie (play)
John Dighton
Sidney Gilliat
Elizabeth Allan
Roland Culver
Edward Chapman
Martita Hunt
Thelma Connell
Temple Abady
British Lion Film Corporation
19 January 1953 (1953-01-19)
Folly to Be Wise is a 1953 British comedy film directed by Frank Launder and starring Alastair Sim, Elizabeth Allan, Roland Culver, Colin Gordon, Martita Hunt and Edward Chapman. It is based on the play It Depends What You Mean by James Bridie. [1] The film follows the efforts of a British Army chaplain attempting to recruit entertainment acts to perform for the troops and the complications that ensue when he does. [2] The title is taken from the line by Thomas Gray "where ignorance is bliss, 'tis folly to be wise".
Having recently taken over the role of Entertainments Officer at an army camp, the army chaplain Captain William Paris (Sim) is disheartened that so few of the troops turn out for an evening of classical music. He visits a local pub, "The Rose and Crown", and finds the place packed with soldiers, including his own driver. He resolves to try and secure something more entertaining for the troops and decides to copy the idea of a brains trust, as in a popular BBC radio programme, where panellists answer questions from the audience.
With the help of Lady Dodds, Paris manages to gather together a group of local notables. These individuals each prove to be mildly eccentric. The group includes the opinionated Professor Mutch, who is a popular radio personality on BBC radio, and his friend the oil painter George Prout and his wife Angela. Arriving at the Prout's house, Paris interrupts Mutch and Mrs Prout who are about to embrace. Then meeting Mr Prout, he soon finds him a cold man who verbally abuses his wife. The 'brains trust' panel is rounded out by the hard-of-hearing Doctor McAdam and the chippy local Labour MP Joseph Byres.
With the help of his secretary, Private Jessie Killigrew, the chaplain manages to organise the event. The hall is relatively well filled. Trying to avoid anything controversial, Paris forbids any discussion of politics or religion and begins with some innocuous questions about cows chasing after trains and if the Moon is inhabited. Things soon become heated when Mr Byres, the local MP, takes offence at comments directed at him and threatens to start a fight. Having only just averted this, a question about marriage from Killigrew reveals the fragility of the Prouts' marriage. Fearing any controversy, Paris quickly announces that it is time for the interval.
As word spreads around the camp of the goings-on, the second half begins with the room completely packed. Paris tries to steer the debate back to harmless questions about bluebottles, but Killigrew interrupts and demands an answer to her earlier question about marriage. As the Prouts begin arguing once again, Mrs Prout admits that the Professor is her "lover". At this, the whole event threatens to descend into anarchy despite Paris' attempts to maintain order. Desperate to restore a sense of propriety, he draws the proceedings to a close, and announces that next week they will return to classical music with a string quartet. A soldier stands up and thanks the chaplain for providing such entertainment and asking if the 'brains trust' can be made a regular feature, to rapturous applause.
Worried about Mr Prout, who has disappeared and has been drinking heavily, the others follow him back to his house, where they mistakenly come to believe that he is going to throw himself over the cliffs, whereas he is merely planning a bit of quiet painting. Meanwhile, the Professor has revealed himself to be an inherently selfish man, while Mr Prout is suddenly far more reasonable. He and Mrs Prout soon resolve their differences, and he tries to be a little more considerate to her.
The film ends with the string quartet playing once more and Paris sitting in an almost empty theatre.
Alastair Sim - Captain William Paris [3]
Elizabeth Allan - Angela Prout
Roland Culver - George Prout
Colin Gordon - Professor James Mutch
Martita Hunt - Lady Dodds
Janet Brown - Private Jessie Killegrew
Peter Martyn - Private Walter Glekie
Miles Malleson - Doctor Hector McAdam
Edward Chapman - Joseph Byres MP
Cyril Chamberlain - Drill Sergeant
Michael Ripper - Drill Corporal
Robin Bailey - Intellectual Corporal
Michael Kelly - Staff Sergeant
George Cole - Audience spokesman (uncredited)
Maria Charles - WRAC Corp soldier (uncredited)
Martin Boddey - Brigadier (uncredited)
The film was shot at Shepperton Studios and made by the British Lion Film Corporation. James Bridie wrote the screenplay, adapting it from his own play. Alastair Sim had previously produced the play in a 1944 run at the Westminster Theatre and was a driving force behind bringing it to the screen. [4] Launder was encouraged to make the film by Alexander Korda. [5]
The play was broadcast live by BBC Television on 25 June 1946. [6]
A contemporary New York Times review described the film as a "cheerful British import". While noting that the film did not "succeed in building into towering proportions the fragile theme of what makes a marriage tick" the cast had made it "all worth while". The review praised the performance by Alastair Sim in particular. [7]
Sim was nominated for a Best Actor BAFTA for his role as Captain Paris, but lost to Ralph Richardson for his performance in The Sound Barrier . [8]
Alastair George Bell Sim, CBE was a Scottish character actor who began his theatrical career at the age of thirty and quickly became established as a popular West End performer, remaining so until his death in 1976. Starting in 1935, he also appeared in more than fifty British films, including an iconic adaptation of Charles Dickens' novella A Christmas Carol, released in 1951 as Scrooge in Great Britain and as A Christmas Carol in the United States. Though an accomplished dramatic actor, he is often remembered for his comically sinister performances.
John Francis Junkin was an English actor and scriptwriter who had a long career in radio, television and film, specialising in comedy.
George Edward Cole, OBE was an English actor whose career spanned 75 years. He was best known for playing Arthur Daley in the long-running ITV comedy-drama show Minder and Flash Harry in the early St Trinian's films.
Martita Edith Hunt was an Argentine-born British theatre and film actress. She had a dominant stage presence and played a wide range of powerful characters. She is best remembered for her performance as Miss Havisham in David Lean's Great Expectations.
Wilfrid Hyde-White was a British character actor of stage, film and television. He achieved international recognition for his role as Colonel Pickering in the film version of the musical My Fair Lady (1964).
Bryan Forbes CBE was an English film director, screenwriter, film producer, actor and novelist described as a "Renaissance man" and "one of the most important figures in the British film industry".
Doctor in the House is a 1954 British comedy film directed by Ralph Thomas and produced by Betty Box. The screenplay, by Nicholas Phipps, Richard Gordon and Ronald Wilkinson, is based on the 1952 novel by Gordon, and follows a group of students through medical school.
Colin Gordon was a British actor born in Ceylon.
James Bridie was the pseudonym of a Scottish playwright, screenwriter and physician whose real name was Osborne Henry Mavor. He took his pen-name from his paternal grandfather's first name and his grandmother's maiden name.
David Graham is an English retired actor. He is best known for voicing the Daleks in Doctor Who, Gordon Tracy, Brains, Aloysius Parker and Kyrano in Thunderbirds and Grandpa Pig in Peppa Pig.
Mr. Topaze is Peter Sellers' directorial debut in 1961. Starring Sellers, Nadia Gray, Leo McKern, and Herbert Lom. His son Michael Sellers plays in the film in the role of Gaston. The film is based on the eponymous play by Marcel Pagnol.
Laughter in Paradise is a British comedy film released in 1951. The film stars Alastair Sim, Fay Compton, George Cole and Guy Middleton. The film was remade as Some Will, Some Won't (1970).
Maurice Elvey was one of the most prolific film directors in British history. He directed nearly 200 films between 1913 and 1957. During the silent film era he directed as many as twenty films per year. He also produced more than fifty films - his own as well as films directed by others.
The 6th British Academy Film Awards, retroactively known as the British Academy Film Awards, given by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) in 1953, honoured the best films of 1952. The Sound Barrier won the award for Best Film.
Quiet Wedding is a 1941 British romantic comedy film directed by Anthony Asquith and starring Margaret Lockwood, Derek Farr and Marjorie Fielding. The screenplay was written by Terence Rattigan and Anatole de Grunwald based on the play Quiet Wedding by Esther McCracken. The film was remade in 1958 as Happy Is the Bride.
Pot Luck is a 1936 British comedy film directed by and starring Tom Walls. The screenplay is by Ben Travers based loosely on his 1930 stage play A Night Like This. It also featured Ralph Lynn, Robertson Hare, Diana Churchill and Martita Hunt. The cast included members of the regular Aldwych Farce company.
Seven Keys is a 1962 British crime thriller directed by Pat Jackson and starring Alan Dobie.
Left Right and Centre is a 1959 British satirical comedy film directed by Sidney Gilliat and starring Ian Carmichael, Patricia Bredin, Richard Wattis, Eric Barker and Alastair Sim. It was produced by Frank Launder. A political comedy, it follows the events of a by-election in a small English town.
Dear Mr. Prohack is a 1949 British comedy film directed by Thornton Freeland. It is a modern-day version of Arnold Bennett's 1922 novel, Mr Prohack, as adapted in the play by Edward Knoblock. It stars Cecil Parker, Glynis Johns and Dirk Bogarde.
The Scottish actor Alastair Sim (1900–1976) performed in many media of light entertainment, including theatre, film and television. His career spanned from 1930 until his death. During that time he was a "memorable character player of faded Anglo-Scottish gentility, whimsically put-upon countenance, and sepulchral, sometimes minatory, laugh".
↑ "Folly to Be Wise". 6 December 1953 – via www.imdb.com.
↑ "BFI | Film & TV Database | FOLLY TO BE WISE (1952)". Ftvdb.bfi.org.uk. 16 April 2009. Archived from the original on 13 January 2009. Retrieved 15 July 2012.
↑ Folly to Be Wise (1952) - IMDb , retrieved 6 August 2020
↑ "Folly to Be Wise | Britmovie | Home of British Films". Britmovie. Retrieved 15 July 2012.
↑ Harper & Porter p.98
↑ "It Depends What You Mean · British Universities Film & Video Council". bufvc.ac.uk.
↑ "Movie Review - - Article 2 -- No Title; ' Folly to Be Wise,' Cheerful British Import, Has Its Premiere at Art and Beekman Theatres - NYTimes.com". movies.nytimes.com.
↑ "BAFTA Awards". awards.bafta.org.
Harper, Sue & Porter, Vincent. British Cinema of the 1950s: The Decline of Deference. Oxford University Press, 2003.
Folly to Be Wise at IMDb
Films of Frank Launder and Sidney Gilliat
Gilliat only
Writer only
Red Pearls (1930)
You'd Be Surprised! (1930)
Lord Richard in the Pantry (1930)
Bed and Breakfast (1930)
Third Time Lucky (1931)
The Ringer (1931)
The Ghost Train (1931)
The Happy Ending (1931)
A Gentleman of Paris (1931)
Rome Express (1932)
Falling for You (1933)
Orders Is Orders (1933)
Friday the Thirteenth (1933)
Jack Ahoy (1934)
Chu Chin Chow (1934)
My Heart is Calling (1935)
Bulldog Jack (1935)
King of the Damned (1936)
Where There's a Will (1936)
The Man Who Changed His Mind (1936)
Strangers on Honeymoon (1936)
Take My Tip (1937)
A Yank at Oxford (1938)
Strange Boarders (1938)
The Gaunt Stranger (1938)
Ask a Policeman (1938)
Jamaica Inn (1939)
The Girl in the News (1940)
Mr. Proudfoot Shows a Light (1941)
Kipps (1941)
Launder only
Under the Greenwood Tree (1929)
Children of Chance (1930)
The W Plan (1930)
The Middle Watch (1930)
How He Lied to Her Husband (1931 short)
Hobson's Choice (1931)
Keepers of Youth (1931)
The Woman Between (1931)
Children of Fortune (1931)
After Office Hours (1932)
Josser in the Army (1932)
Old Spanish Customers (1933)
You Made Me Love You (1933)
For the Love of Mike (1932)
Hawley's of High Street (1933)
A Southern Maid (1933)
Those Were the Days (1933)
Happy (1933)
Get Off My Foot (1935)
The Black Mask (1935)
Emil and the Detectives (1935)
So You Won't Talk (1935)
Mr. What's-His-Name? (1935)
I Give My Heart (1935)
Educated Evans (1936)
Where's Sally? (1936)
Don't Get Me Wrong (1937)
Oh, Mr Porter! (1937)
A Girl Must Live (1939)
Inspector Hornleigh Goes To It (1941)
We Dive at Dawn (1943)
Ring of Spies (1964)
The Last Coupon (1932)
Two Thousand Women (1944)
The Wildcats of St Trinian's (1980)
Writers only
Facing the Music (1933)
Twelve Good Men (1936)
Seven Sinners (1936)
The Lady Vanishes (1938)
Inspector Hornleigh on Holiday (1939)
They Came by Night (1940)
Night Train to Munich (1940)
The Young Mr. Pitt (1942)
The Green Man (1956)
Directed together
Partners in Crime (1942 short)
Millions Like Us (1943)
The Great St Trinian's Train Robbery (1966)
Directed by Gilliat
The Rake's Progress (1945)
Green for Danger (1946)
London Belongs to Me (1948)
State Secret (1950)
The Story of Gilbert and Sullivan (1953)
The Constant Husband (1955)
Fortune Is a Woman (1956)
Left Right and Centre (1959)
Only Two Can Play (1962)
Endless Night (1972)
Directed by Launder
I See a Dark Stranger (1946)
Captain Boycott (1947)
The Happiest Days of Your Life (1950)
Lady Godiva Rides Again (1951)
Folly to Be Wise (1952)
Geordie (1955)
Blue Murder at St Trinian's (1957)
The Bridal Path (1959)
The Pure Hell of St Trinian's (1960)
Joey Boy (1965)
Producers only
The Smallest Show on Earth (1957)
Ooh… You Are Awful (1972)
Films by Alexander Korda
As director
Watchhouse in the Carpathians (1914)
The Duped Journalist (1914)
Tutyu and Totyo (1914)
Lyon Lea (1915)
The Officer's Swordknot (1915)
White Nights (1916)
The Grandmother (1916)
Tales of the Typewriter (1916)
The Man with Two Hearts (1916)
The One Million Pound Note (1916)
Cyclamen (1916)
Struggling Hearts (1916)
The Laughing Saskia (1916)
Miska the Magnate (1916)
St. Peter's Umbrella (1917)
The Stork Caliph (1917)
Harrison and Barrison (1917)
Faun (1918)
The Man with the Golden Touch (1918)
Mary Ann (1918)
Ave Caesar! (1919)
White Rose (1919)
Yamata (1919)
Man of Gold (1919)
Neither at Home or Abroad (1919)
Number 111 (1919)
The Prince and the Pauper (1920)
Masters of the Sea (1922)
A Vanished World (1922)
Samson and Delilah (1922)
The Unknown Tomorrow (1923)
Everybody's Woman (1924)
Tragedy in the House of Habsburg (1924)
Dancing Mad (1925)
Madame Wants No Children (1926)
A Modern Dubarry (1927)
The Stolen Bride (1927)
The Private Life of Helen of Troy (1927)
Yellow Lily (1928)
Night Watch (1928)
Love and the Devil (1929)
The Squall (1929)
Her Private Life (1929)
Lilies of the Field (1930)
Women Everywhere (1930)
The Princess and the Plumber (1930)
The Men Around Lucy (1931)
Rive gauche (1931)
Marius (1931)
Longing for the Sea (1931)
The Golden Anchor (1932)
Service for Ladies (1932)
Wedding Rehearsal (1932)
The Private Life of Henry VIII (1933)
La dame de chez Maxim's (1933)
The Girl from Maxim's (1933)
The Private Life of Don Juan (1934)
Rembrandt (1936)
That Hamilton Woman (1941)
An Ideal Husband (1947)
As producer only
Men of Tomorrow (1932)
That Night in London (1932)
Women Who Play (1932)
Strange Evidence (1933)
Counsel's Opinion (1933)
Catherine the Great (1934)
The Private Life of the Gannets (1934) (short)
The Scarlet Pimpernel (1934)
Sanders of the River (1935)
Wharves and Strays (1935) (short)
The Ghost Goes West (1935)
Miss Bracegirdle Does Her Duty (1936) (short)
The Fox Hunt (1936)
Things to Come (1936)
I Stand Condemned (1936)
Men Are Not Gods (1936)
Forget Me Not (1936)
The Man Who Could Work Miracles (1936)
Fire Over England (1937)
I, Claudius (1937) (unfinished)
Elephant Boy (1937)
Farewell Again (1937)
Storm in a Teacup (1937)
Action for Slander (1937)
Knight Without Armour (1937)
The Squeaker (1937)
The Return of the Scarlet Pimpernel (1937)
Paradise for Two (1937)
The Divorce of Lady X (1938)
The Drum (1938)
South Riding (1938)
The Challenge (1938)
Prison Without Bars (1938)
Q Planes (1939)
The Four Feathers (1939)
The Rebel Son (1939)
The Spy in Black (1939)
The Lion Has Wings (1939)
21 Days (1940)
Conquest of the Air (1940)
The Thief of Bagdad (1940)
Old Bill and Son (1941)
Lydia (1941)
To Be or Not to Be (1942)
Rudyard Kipling's Jungle Book (1942)
The Biter Bit (1943) (short)
The Shop at Sly Corner (1947)
A Man About the House (1947)
Mine Own Executioner (1947)
Night Beat (1948)
The Winslow Boy (1948)
The Fallen Idol (1948)
Bonnie Prince Charlie (1948)
That Dangerous Age (1949)
The Last Days of Dolwyn (1949)
Saints and Sinners (1949)
The Cure for Love (1950)
The Angel with the Trumpet (1950)
The Bridge of Time (1950) (short documentary)
My Daughter Joy (1950)
The Wooden Horse (1950)
Seven Days to Noon (1950)
The Wonder Kid (1951)
Mr. Denning Drives North (1952)
Outcast of the Islands (1952)
Home at Seven (1952)
Who Goes There! (1952)
Cry. the Beloved Country (1952)
Edinburgh (1952) (short documentary)
Road to Canterbury (1952) (short documentary)
The Sound Barrier (1952)
The Holly and the Ivy (1952)
Twice Upon a Time (1953)
The Captain's Paradise (1953)
The Man Between (1953)
The Heart of the Matter (1954)
The Teckman Mystery (1954)
The Man Who Loved Redheads (1955)
Three Cases of Murder (1955)
A Kid for Two Farthings (1955)
Summertime (1955)
Storm Over the Nile (1955)
Richard III (1955)
Smiley (1956)


text:
Q: No subtitle stream Hi guys!
I try to get the subtitle working in chromecast app.
I'm using HLS streams and my m3u file has a subtitle specified but when I check streamCount on protocol I only recieve one stream which is a "video/mp2t" stream.
Maybe this isn't supported but I read in the release notes that subtitle now was actually supported?
The video plays as it should so all the playback is working, can't just enable the subtitle!
All help is welcome :)
M3U file for playback
#EXTM3U
#EXT-X-MEDIA:TYPE=SUBTITLES,GROUP-ID="subs", NAME="Norsk", DEFAULT=YES, FORCED=NO, URI="-- m3u8 url --",LANGUAGE="nb"
#EXT-X-STREAM-INF:SUBTITLES="subs", PROGRAM-ID=1,BANDWIDTH=210000, RESOLUTION=320x180, CODECS="avc1.66.30, mp4a.40.2"
-- m3u8 url --
#EXT-X-STREAM-INF:SUBTITLES="subs",PROGRAM-ID=1,BANDWIDTH=383000,RESOLUTION=480x270,CODECS="avc1.66.30, mp4a.40.2"
-- m3u8 url --
#EXT-X-STREAM-INF:SUBTITLES="subs",PROGRAM-ID=1,BANDWIDTH=658000,RESOLUTION=640x360,CODECS="avc1.77.30, mp4a.40.2"
-- m3u8 url --
#EXT-X-STREAM-INF:SUBTITLES="subs",PROGRAM-ID=1,BANDWIDTH=1387000,RESOLUTION=960x540,CODECS="avc1.77.30, mp4a.40.2"
-- m3u8 url --
#EXT-X-STREAM-INF:SUBTITLES="subs",PROGRAM-ID=1,BANDWIDTH=2394000,RESOLUTION=1280x720
-- m3u8 url --
#EXT-X-STREAM-INF:SUBTITLES="subs",PROGRAM-ID=1,BANDWIDTH=64000,CODECS="mp4a.40.2"
-- m3u8 url --

M3U file for subtitle
#EXTM3U
#EXT-X-TARGETDURATION:30
#EXT-X-VERSION:3
#EXT-X-MEDIA-SEQUENCE:0
#EXT-X-PLAYLIST-TYPE:VOD
#EXTINF:30.00000,
KOIF43000411AA0.webvtt
#EXTINF:30.00000,
KOIF43000411AA1.webvtt
#EXTINF:30.00000,
.... and so on

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
IAAF World U20 | Salmon flies into 400mH final as fastest qualifier
Published:Thursday | July 12, 2018 | 12:31 PMRaymond Graham
Female team captain Shian Salmon was in immaculate form earlier today at the IAAF World Under 20 Championships in Tampere, Finland.
Salmon produced a commanding run in the semi-finals of the Women's 400m hurdles, advancing as the fastest qualifier for tomorrow's final.
The Hydel High student was quickly away from her rivals to score a convincing win in 56.29 seconds.
World leader and IAAF World Under 18 champion Zeney Van Der Walt was the second fastest qualifier, after winning her heat in 56.72 seconds.
There was some disappointment for Jamaica, as IAAF World Under 18 silver medallist Sanique Walker, who was down to face the start in the third semi, did not show up due to an injury.
«Paul makes Windies Test debut
IAAF World U20 | Williams misses out on 400m medal»


text:
Home/News/Interview with Doug Stetson, President of FreeFall
An Interview with Doug Stetson, President of FreeFall Aerospace:
"My Dad was in the Air Force so we moved around a bit, but mostly I grew up in Southern California. We spent a few years at Edwards Air Force Base when I was little so I got to see a lot of flight tests of cool planes back in the 1960's. I think that's what got me hooked on aerospace. I followed through with that in college at Stanford University. I also earned a degree in Physics and then a Master's in Aeronautics and Astronautics. We lived near Disneyland so I worked there during a few summers when I was home from college. I drove the Jungle Cruise boat so I could tell dumb jokes and shoot at the hippo."
What was your previous work experience?
"My first real job was at JPL starting in 1983 doing mission design, orbital mechanics, and spacecraft systems engineering for future solar system exploration missions. After a while I went to Washington DC for a few years as manager of advanced studies for the planetary program. When I returned to JPL I took on a number of program management roles, the last one being manager of the Solar System Exploration Program Office which focused on mission development, strategic planning, and new technologies for planetary exploration."
What were some of the cool projects you worked during your 25+ years at JPL?
"Most of the missions I worked on never actually flew, which is just the way it is in space science – you develop investigations and projects and propose them up the chain at NASA, and ultimately they make a selection based on science priorities, risk, and budget. But we always learned a lot by designing new missions and they frequently led to new technologies that would eventually get developed. I spent a lot of time on the Cassini mission to Saturn, which was launched in 1997 and just completed its mission last year. My primary role was the initial design of the orbital tour of the Saturnian system with flybys of the various moons, and that was a great job and very satisfying to see it actually take place.
Over the years I worked on concepts for missions to all of the planets as well as comets and asteroids, including the Galileo mission to Jupiter some of the early Mars orbiters and rovers. I kept on with some of that work as a consultant after I left JPL. We just finished a proposal to send a drone to explore Titan, which is the largest moon of Saturn. It's one of two finalists in the latest competition for major NASA missions, and if that's selected it will be the coolest one ever!"
What is FreeFall and how was it started?
We like to say that our business is "moving data", and of course these days there is a huge amount of data to move every day. And the vast majority of that data moves through antennas at one point or another, so in a nutshell we're an antenna company. As part of my consulting business I had started working with Chris Walker, who is a professor of astronomy at University of Arizona. Chris had developed the concept of highly efficient spherical reflectors for his research projects, and he realized that this technology could greatly improve the data return capability of small spacecraft. I had just finished working on the LightSail project that deployed a solar sail from a small spacecraft, so I was interested in the challenges as well as the potential of this technique. So one weekend I got on LegalZoom and formed an LLC and we were off and running. Since then we've grown a lot and morphed into advanced antenna technology for not only satellites, but also ground stations and 5G internet wireless applications. I still have a picture of the whiteboard on which we roughed out the first ideas for the company in August 2016, and we really had no idea where that would lead.
What's been challenging, and what are some of the key accomplishments so far?
What hasn't been challenging? There's a whole bunch of things that I either didn't anticipate, or at least didn't appreciate how significant they would be. There's intellectual property, which we're fortunate to have but brings a lot of complexity and expense. There's finding office space and equipment, which of course you need but that's not cheap either. There's finding the right employees, which is absolutely critical but not easy. The list goes on and on and it seems like there's something new every day. But even so I'd say we've had a lot of success so far. Most of the potential customers we're spoken to seem to be excited about our technology and understand that there are huge benefits to moving more data better, faster, and cheaper, which is what we're trying to do. We're building our prototypes that will demonstrate these new techniques and they should be ready for full-scale demonstration in just a few months. And we've got a great group of people who are totally committed to what we're doing and really enjoy working together, and for me that's what makes it all worthwhile. Yes it's a challenge, but I've learned a lot and it's fun coming to work every day.
Any other advice you would give entrepreneurs?
Don't try to do everything yourself. There's just too much and you'll go crazy and then you'll go nowhere. Concentrate on finding the right small team and trust those people to do their jobs, so you can focus on setting the vision and guiding the company, finding customers, and raising money. Without those three things you're finished before you start. And don't become what I call a "self-licking ice cream cone", which is a company that's in business just to stay in business. Be sure you're solving an actual problem and providing real value to your customers, and have a plan for growth and development of your business and your team. That's what will make it satisfying and successful in the long run.
Hear Doug Stetson describe FreeFall's disruptive antenna technology to show how innovation can arise in unexpected ways and lead to new products and perspectives at:
StartUp Coffee
Wednesday December 19th, 2018
Connect Coworking: 33 South 5th Avenue, Tucson, Arizona 85701
Doug Stetson at Arizona Technology Council event. Photo by Tj Roxas Photography
By freefallaero| 2018-12-13T22:06:04+00:00	December 13th, 2018|Categories: News|Tags: 5G, antenna, Chris Walker, Doug Stetson, JPL, space, StartUp Coffee|0 Comments
UA-focused venture fund invests in advanced antenna maker


text:
A Brief History of Walking Food Tours in New York City and Beyond
Samantha Shankman, Skift
Walking food tours meet travelers' growing desires to escape tourist zones for neighborhoods, discover local cuisine, and meet the residents that frequent these stops on a daily basis.
— Samantha Shankman
First Free Story (1 of 3)
Join Skift Pro
More travel executives get their mission-critical industry news from Skift than any other source on the planet.
Traveling in the name of food is a common activity today with travelers scouring Yelp reviews, heading into locals' kitchens, and hopping on tours in search of authentic dishes and experiences.
Food tours are just one of the many activities available to foodie-minded travelers, but the Internet has significantly decreased the barriers to entry suggesting that anyone with at least a handful of favorite restaurants and a free afternoon could start marketing and selling their own tours. However, an easy start doesn't equal easy success.
Scott Newman, the CEO of online ticketing platform Zerve, traces the start of the walking food tour phenomenon in the U.S. to Wok Wiz in San Francisco and Savory Sojourns in New York, which launched in 1984 and 1996, respectively. Both tours now sell tickets through Zerve.
Today there are at least 500 businesses hosting walking or driving food tours in the 32 cities where Zerve operates. There are, of course, hundreds and perhaps thousands more in the U.S. and abroad.
In 2003, when the company first started selling food tours for Foods of New York Tours, phone representatives had to describe what a food tour was to customers, Newman says.
Fast forward to 2014 and Food Tours of New York sold approximately 34,900 tickets in one year. In that time, hundreds of new food tours have also cropped up around it.
As was discussed in Skift's recent trends report "The Rise of Culinary Tourism," the introduction of the Food Network, the emergence of a celebrity chef culture, foodie blogs and social media all increased travel consumers' awareness of different cuisines and cultures and their desire to experience them.
Growth Factors and Challenges
Tour companies no longer have to be listed in a Lonely Planet or Frommer's book, print expensive brochures for hotel lobbies, or even befriend hotel concierges to be recognized. Starting in the late 1990s, entrepreneurs could begin marketing themselves directly to consumers through search engines and social media, Newman says.
Foods of New York Tours founder Todd Lefkovic says almost all of its marketing spend, 95 percent, and bookings, 99 percent, are online. The company continues to invest 5 percent of its marketing spend on post cards despite just 1 percent of bookings coming through that means.
Skift has previously written about the factors leading to a growth in tour entrepreneurs and the challenges they still face, including insurance regulations and licensing exams.
Another challenge is scale. Turning a one-man show into an actual business is a challenge that the best food tour entrepreneurs eventually face. Lefkovic says that the best tour guides are really actresses and actors who show up for a performance and then leave.
"There's few barriers to entry," says Scott, "but there are big barriers to success."
Deal Sites
Listing tours on discount websites like LivingSocial or Groupon is another common method for attracting new customers and building brand awareness.
In 2014, LivingSocial offered nearly 130 deals for food tours from 60 merchants. The food tours' focus varied from chocolate and cupcakes to BBQ and pizza in cities across the U.S., according to a company spokesperson.
The food tour deals sell at a quicker pace, on average, than other LivingSocial deals. For example, approximately 30 percent of all available vouchers are sold on the third day that a deal is live. Discounts can be as much as 50 percent off the original cost.
Groupon also offers deals for food tours, which are primarily sourced through acquired startup SideTour. Although the site was unable to provide statistics, a spokesperson says that foraging experiences tend to do particularly well.
Newman has previously referred to the deals sites as "crack" that tour entrepreneurs often can't get off while making slim to no profits.
Tags: food and drink, nyc, tours
Photo Credit: A tourist eats a hot dog in New York City. Jan-Erik Finnberg / Flickr
Free Report: The Rise of Food Tourism
Twitter | 2 hours ago


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Uzbek presidential agency proposes legalizing domestic crypto trading
A major governmental agency in Uzbekistan seems to be rethinking its stance on cryptocurrencies.
The National Agency for Project Management under the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, or NAFT, issued an official document proposing several amendments to licensing procedures for crypto trading.
NAFT proposed to officially allow local residents to conduct "all types of crypto exchange trades involving crypto assets and tokens in exchange for the national currency and the foreign currency." The authority stressed that crypto investors would trade and invest at their own risk.
The proposal also aims to establish processes for the registration, issuance and circulation of digital assets, authorizing licensed crypto companies in Uzbekistan to issue their own tokens. According to official records, the proposed amendments are open to discussion until May 14, 2021.
The latest news shows an apparent change of heart toward cryptocurrencies at the NAFT. In late 2019, the agency banned the country's residents from purchasing cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin (BTC) . Despite barring crypto purchases, the authority reportedly still allows locals to sell their crypto holdings.
In January 2020, Uzbekistan debuted its first regulated cryptocurrency exchange, Uznex, which is only open to non-residents. The platform was launched by Kobea Group, a technology company from South Korea acting as a tech adviser to the government of Uzbekistan.
AsiaCryptocurrenciesCryptocurrency ExchangeGovernmentLaw


US biotech company Biogen has exercised the option of a one-off payment to Swiss developer Neurimmune. If Biogen's Alzheimer's candidate Aducanumab is approved, the sales-related payments to Neurimmune will thus be reduced by 5%.
Aducanumab (BIIB037) is a human recombinant monoclonal antibody (mAb) derived from a de-identified library of B cells collected from healthy elderly subjects with no signs of cognitive impairment or cognitively impaired elderly subjects with unusually slow cognitive decline using Neurimmune's technology platform called Reverse Translational Medicine (RTM). Aducanumab is thought to target aggregated forms of beta amyloid including soluble oligomers and insoluble fibrils which can form into amyloid plaque in the brain of Alzheimer's disease patients. Based on pre-clinical and Phase 1b data to date, treatment with aducanumab has been shown to reduce amyloid plaque levels.
Biogen licensed aducanumab from Neurimmune under a collaborative development and license agreement in 2007.


Marc Malek M.D. serves the gorgeous Scottsdale, Arizona area and has been a premier plastic surgeon for decades. As one of the top specialists in plastic surgery, he is regarded by numerous patients for his artistic attention to detail. He analyzes the unique body plan of each patient and develops the most appropriate treatment.
He attended medical school at the University of Arizona and then continued on to the University of Missouri in Kansas City, where he obtained his general surgery residency. He completed his fellowship for Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at Wake Forest University, Bowman Gray School of Medicine.
Dr. Malek possesses a successful history in performing aesthetic, reconstructive, hand, and microsurgery. His professional standing is certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery and he is a member of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, American Medical Association, and the Arizona Medical Association. His treatments combine clinical expertise and cosmetic artistry to deliver the highest quality results.
Patients under Dr. Malek's care have a number of options in treatment, including facial surgery, tummy tuck, and breast augmentation. Different cosmetic procedures can be integrated to deliver a unique and fantastic result. He understands the patients' perspective in achieving the body they want. He encourages patients to understand their physician and communicate constantly to achieve the best possible results.


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Earinus är ett släkte av steklar som beskrevs av Wesmael 1837. Earinus ingår i familjen bracksteklar.

Kladogram enligt Catalogue of Life och Dyntaxa:

Källor

Externa länkar

Bracksteklar
Earinus

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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Anisocerus is een kevergeslacht uit de familie van de boktorren (Cerambycidae). De wetenschappelijke naam van het geslacht werd voor het eerst geldig gepubliceerd in 1830 door Lacordaire.

Soorten
Anisocerus omvat de volgende soorten:
 Anisocerus scopifer (Germar, 1824)
 Anisocerus stellatus Guérin-Méneville, 1855

Boktorren


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Home Center Well Census Bureau Indian Country tour kicks off with a blessing
Census Bureau Indian Country tour kicks off with a blessing
Joseph Boven
The U.S. Census Bureau kicked off its 2010 Census "Tribal Road Tour" this week with a Native American ceremony blessing the Bureau van. The ceremony took place beside the Denver Art Museum's "Wheel" exhibit, a piece inspired by Native American architecture and the Big Horn medicine wheel in Wyoming.
The Indian Country Counts tour of what the Census Bureau calls the "Denver Region" will cover Arizona, Colorado, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah and Wyoming– a region spanning roughly 10,000 miles.
Jared Ewy, media specialist for the Denver Regional Census Center, told the Colorado Independent that the Indian Country Tour serves a double purpose.
"We are doing this not just to get the word out about the census but also to help offer to the rest of the country exposure to the rich cultural heritage that exists in the region."
According to the Bureau, the region of the tour is home to 91 tribes that make up 76 percent of reservation population in the country.
Kathy Lacy, regional director for the Census Bureau, said that the road trip was a new idea.
"This is part of continued effort to promote and continue to work with our 91 tribal nations in our region."
Lacy reiterated the significance of the census.
"How do you know the needs of your community unless you know what your community looks like?" she asked. She said that it's essential that Native Americans receive equal access to federal programs and funds.
Amadeo Shije, tribal partnership coordinator for the Census Bureau, said that tribal nations rely on federal funds the same as do states and other municipalities across the country. But he said tribal communities often receive less than they are eligible for because the population has been difficult to count. "There has always been an undercount on Indian lands."
"My job is to go out and encourage tribal members to partake in the census count because it is federal monies for the tribal nations. If we do our job correctly we should not have an undercount."
The blessings
Andy Cozad, spiritual leader for Kiowa Native American church, conducted the ceremony. He explained that the blessing was a silent prayer to the creator to provide "good fortune for days to come." Kiowa believe there is one creator, no matter how people refer to it, and that life is a blessing bestowed by the creator.
Richard Silversmith, from the Denver Christian Indian Center, lead a Christian prayer. He told the Colorado Independent that the census is important because "it brings central data to the community planners and leaders… and scripture says we have to supply for the widows, the poor, the children and surprisingly the aliens in our midst." He said special emphasis must be placed on the poor.
From Denver, the tour headed to New Mexico where it will stop this week at Ohkay O' Wingeh casino in San Juan Pueblo and at the Zia and Santo Domingo Pueblos.
Amadeo Shije
Andy Cozad
Jared Ewy
Kathy Lacy
Richard Silversmith
tribal road tour
wheel exhibit
Littwin Columns
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Littwin: Trump lawyers still pushing citizenship question — and they still can't say why
Judge nixes citizenship question on Census, but immigrant groups are 'skeptical and very afraid'


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Research IT
Datacenter Shared Services
Datacenter Shared Services is a campus initiative to consolidate campus server rooms and data centers into shared data center facilities.
Offering a backup solution for departmental desktop and laptop machines, including Windows, Mac, and Linux operating systems. This solution provides backup of files via a cloud provider with users able to register up to 5 devices and receive unlimited cloud storage.
Google Apps @ Illinois
Google Apps @ Illinois is a suite of communication and productivity applications that provides email, online document collaboration, file storage, chat, and calendar services to University of Illinois faculty, staff, and students.
Illinois Campus Cluster Program (ICCP)
The Illinois Campus Cluster provides access to computing and data storage resources and frees you from the hassle of administering your own compute cluster. Any individual, research team, or campus unit can invest in compute nodes or storage disks or pay a fee for on-demand use of compute cycles or storage space. Staffing and shared infrastructure fees are partially subsidized by campus to help keep your costs as low as possible.
Office 365 provides students, faculty, and staff with free, cloud-based access to download a suite of services from Microsoft, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, and OneDrive.
Click here to download and get started with Office 365.
U of I Box
U of I Box is a secure cloud-based storage service available to all students, faculty, and staff. U of I Box's built-in features allow for files to be easily stored, edited, and shared from any device that has a web browser.
Virtual hosting provides infrastructure and control to IT professionals to host virtual machines, operating systems or applications that are installed on software that acts like computer hardware. Customers have the same experience on a virtual machine as they do using an actual machine.
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PlayStation Plus could turn into Game Pass soon
According to Bloomberg, Sony is working on a competitor to Xbox Game Pass. This new service could enrich the PlayStation Plus and make PS Now disappear.
It's an understatement to say that Microsoft is having resounding success with its Xbox Game Pass. Available on PC, Xbox consoles, and cloud gaming, the subscription provides access to a large catalog of games for a monthly subscription (which can be obtained at a low price). On opposite, Sony would prepare in the shadows a competing service.
One year with the Xbox Series X: my PS5 and my Switch are collecting dust
War of the damned
Code name: Spartacus. This is in any case what Bloomberg reports, claiming to have been able to consult various documents internal to Sony. According to this information, the PlayStation Plus could be transformed to come to shade the Game Pass. The PlayStation Now for its part, the brand's home cloud gaming service, would disappear to be only one component of this subscription.
These would actually be three different subscriptions, not just one. The first offering the same benefits as the current PlayStation Plus, namely the possibility of playing online as well as free games offered each month. The second would give access to a large catalog of PS4 games and "eventually»PS5. Finally, the third would add to that demos, the possibility of playing in streaming and a catalog of classic games PS1, PS2, PS3 and PSP. A point that is reminiscent of Nintendo and its Switch Online + Additional Pack offer with access to Nintendo 64 and MegaDrive games.
Peplum +
Still according to Bloomberg, Sony is currently working hard to develop its cloud gaming offer. If the PlayStation Now offer has the merit of existing, it remains very small and still technically insufficient to compete with the largest on the market, like Nvidia and its GeForce Now (which has just launched its RTX 3080 offer ).
This change of offers at Sony is supposed to take place in the spring of 2022. To be continued.
The Game Awards 2021 winners: It Takes Two is the 'Game of the Year'
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Fortnite Green Goblin and other Marvel characters would appear in the Battle Royale according to leaks
Free Fire weekly agenda from January 19 to 25 with all these news


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Mauritius, Mauritius Academy of Science (MAST)
Mauritius Academy of Science and Technology has been a member since 2005.
In 2006, a group of concerned scientists and technologists of wide experience met for the first time at the Mauritius Research Council to discuss ways and means to set up an Academy of Science for Mauritius. The objective of the academy was to act like an independent high-level think-tank on science and technology issues that affect the country, and to advise those in government and the private sector accordingly. The academy was to be purely a scientific and technological organization having membership of local and diaspora Mauritians. The Academy was formally launched in 2007.
MAST activities are organized by an executive council of 11 members, renewed by election at an assembly every two years. True to its mission of strengthening the dialogue between scientists and policymakers, the MAST Council took the decision to constitute a working groups with the objective to discuss global themes with a national focus leading to policy recommendations, so that science can contribute to sustainable development. Examples of themes that have been discussed are 'Food security', 'COVID-19 pandemic', 'Science, Technology and Societal Issues' and 'Science Education in the broad context of STEM'. In each case, a policy/strategy paper was issued. Since 2007, MAST has been issuing an online newsletter and an annual or biennial journal.
In addition to ISC membership, MAST is a member of NASAC and the IAP, and participates regularly in their actions. MAST also keeps close working relations with several academies of science, such as ASSAf, INSA, AAS, The Royal Society, l'Academie des Sciences de Paris, amongst others.


So I have opened this thread for those who want to discuss my series of 10 Days of Basic Programming. If you have any questions or need more personalized help feel free to post.
I might also put some programming tasks here for practice.
Do you know any well constructed resources that cover piping, fuzzing, firmware dumping, or rop programming? Do gaming homebrew coders or reversers use tools like IDA Pro? If so, how do they go about setting it up to decompile the necessary files to achieve code execution. Are there ways to tell if a file that has been found during a firmware dump have root access(I assume those are the necessary files needed to be reversed in order to achieve arbitrary code execution)? Sorry for so many questions, I have been using gaming homebrew since ps1, I just really want to contribute to the scene.
Game development and game hacking (or hacking in general) are two completely different worlds where completely different knowledge and tools are used. The tools to use and the documentation is scattered all around the internet, I can answer and help with specific questions of problems, but nothing as generic as game development or hacking, there's just too much to talk about.
I would like to ask, I haven't read any of the other days of programming, and I wonder, I am a financial analyst...far away about programming, but I would like to learn some basics about programming, could I star here?...I mean, I have zero knowledge, of this mean that you need basic knowledge, which is logical.
I really appreciate your hard work on this, since I am one of those who just enjoy the work and effort of the developers.
Well now would be a good moment to read my 10 Days of Basic Programming tutorial. It covers all the basic stuff you need to know about programming.
It's been a while since I was forced to leave the programming world. Due to a physical condition it has been almost a year since I stopped studying programming. Now here's the thing: I came across your article by coincidence and as I was reading the begining I found it interestting as a review. So i did what I was set do do for almost a year, getting back to programming. It is not the first time in my short adventure in the programming world that I have to stop for a long period of time. First time it happened to me, I went to a job interview to do a Java test, eventough I wasn't dealing with it for an year or so. The result was a complete disaster. It only means that I know how much trouble can come by leaving programming for a few months.
I understand that you're in college, well so am I (at least I hope to get back next September). I have a few questions that I would like to ask you but I would rather to do it in private at this point (if you don't mind that is).
Anyway Acid_Snake, the thing with the code happenns in the ternary operator line. Somehow the parsing is not done properly. Went to stackoverflow, got some explanations but the major flaw in that line of code I can't understand why it happens. Like i told you, I've an iproved version of code that I'm going to post just as soon as you reply to this one.
About the article itself, what caught my attention was that I read somewhere that this was a tutorial for beguinners, who wanted to become game programmers or something like that. Surprise, it got me back on my desk typing code. For that I thank you.
If there's a way to send PM, please alow me to do so. My only interest is programming and maybe you can point me in the right direction of what I have been searching for years. And for that I will thank you.
Acid_Snake wrote: Well now would be a good moment to read my 10 Days of Basic Programming tutorial. It covers all the basic stuff you need to know about programming.
I gotta finish the series, been busy lately.
Acid_Snake wrote: I gotta finish the series, been busy lately.
I learned more in one weekend with 10DoBP than I did over the course of a year in traditional university CS classes.
Just thought I would chirp in and express my thanks; pretty sure I'm not the only one who feels this way.


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Fisker Karma Made A Successful Debut In Orange County
Fisker Karma, the world's first eco-chic, eco-friendly, luxury performance car was successfully revealed in Orange County at The Henry Samueli School of Engineering at UC Irvine on July 22.
The stylish, premium plug-in hybrid was introduced to Orange County's local markets, new retail networks and driving enthusiast at a private high style event.
Guests at the event were treated to live entertainment, gourmet hors d'oeuvres and information about Fisker Karma before the unveiling of the vehicle.
"We're delighted that so many excited spectators were able to join us for this spectacular event," said General Manager of Fisker of Orange County, Steve Rudkin.
Spectators had the opportunity to personally view the Fisker Karma up-close by having a chance to sit inside the Fisker Karma and take a detailed look at its interior and exterior.
"The feedback we've received has been extremely positive and we're excited for Fisker's future," Rudkin said.
The environmentally minded consumer interested in luxury electric vehicles inspired Fisker's Karma creation. The Karma features cutting-edge plug-in hybrid technology, penned as Q DRIVE, developed by Quantum Technologies, which consists of a small gasoline engine that turns the generator and charges the lithium ion battery pack, powering the electric motor and turning the rear wheels.
As a proud member of the Shelly Automotive Group and one of the largest Fisker centers on the West Coast, Fisker of Orange County loyally serves Orange County – including Aliso Viejo, Anaheim, Balboa, Brea, Buena Park, Costa Mesa, Corona Del Mar, Coto de Caza, Cypress, Dana Point, Dove Canyon, Foothill Ranch, Fountain Valley, Fullerton, Garden Grove, Huntington Beach, Irvine, Ladera Ranch, Laguna Beach, Laguna Hills, Laguna Niguel, Laguna Woods, La Habra, La Palma, Lake Forest, Los Alamitos, Mission Viejo, Monarch Beach, Newport Beach, Newport Coast, Orange, Placentia, Portola Hills, Rancho Santa Margarita, San Clemente, San Juan Capistrano, Santa Ana, Seal Beach, Stanton, Trabuco Canyon, Tustin, Villa Park, Westminster and Yorba Linda.
Fisker of Orange County also proudly serves Riverside, San Bernardino and San Diego County, Long Beach, Los Angeles and San Gabriel Valley.
www.fiskeroforangecounty.com
cambio climáticoCO2
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Join Michelle Berlin for a big dose of self-love in this delicious workshop! Thai Yoga bodywork comes from the lineage of Buddha and focuses on "metta" or loving kindness. This practice teaches us those qualities by connecting through the art of giving and receiving by combining passive yoga stretches, acupressure, traction and joint therapy, and relaxation techniques with an emphasis on destressing for these busy times. Open to all levels, no experience or partner necessary.
Saturday, Dec 15th | 1:30pm - 4pm. $40.


MY QUALITY TIME: The Toy Cellar in Historic Roscoe Village….OHIO…….
The Toy Cellar in Historic Roscoe Village….OHIO…….
A "hidden gem" in Roscoe Village is The Toy Cellar, located in the lower level of the Toll House.
The 40 year collection has over 600 vintage toys, many of which are demonstrated on weekends and I was there on a Saturday.
Meet Rick who graciously demonstrated several of the windup and gravity activated toys.
Rick told me the "most vintage" toy on display was made in the 1860"s. He then showed me the wooden rolling hoop. I can remember my father telling me the rolling hoop was something he played with as a child. In the West, the most common materials for the rolling hoops have been wood and metal. Wooden hoops, driven with a stick about one foot long, are struck with the center or the 2/3 point of the stick in order to ensure good progress.
Most of the toys were made in the good old U.S.A. and many of them were made right here in Ohio, Akron, Barberton, Kenton, Ravenna, Canton and Dayton.
During the world wars many of the toys originally made of metal were made of wood instead.
The collection is on loan to the Roscoe Village Foundation by a private collector.
No batteries in this collection. though Rick did show me an erector set that had a wind-up motor.
One last picture,this one from Wikipedia showing hoop rolling…….
Wow---That Toy Cellar must be awesome. Even in your photos, I recognized many of those old toys.. I'd love to see that place... NEAT.. Thanks for sharing.
Very interesting post. I have a cousin whose husband is a toy collector. He will love this post. I am sharing it on his wife's facebook page.
Fascinating Joe. I could have spent the entire afternoon there. What a fun day to share with us. Thanks!
What an amazing collection! WOW.
Really interesting!! Boom & Gary of the Vermilon River, Canada.
So many toys, a great variety.
Some of those toys looked familiar. How wonderful to be able to visit and hear all about those playthings. Better still to be allowed to play with them - just wishful thinking.
What an absolutely wonderful place! The exhibit looks amazing...I could absolutely get lost in there enjoying all those treasures!
You should have let me know you were nearby when you were here, my hubby and I would have met you somewhere!
That is definitely my kind of museum! My grandfather taught us to roll hoops, which he said was one of his only toys. He took the metal staves off of barrels to make them.
Side Bar Sunday At My Quality Time……………….


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Finnish education programme offers scholarships for Vietnamese high school students
Thursday, 18:45, 29/07/2021
Finnish educators are looking forward to welcoming more and more Vietnamese high-school students to study in their country, which is known as the world's happiest nation and for having high standard of education.
Peter Vesterbacka, FHSP programme manager (centre), with Vietnamese students who have qualified for the Finnish high-school scholarship intake 2021. (Photo courtesy of the Finland High School Programme)
The Finland High School Programme (FHSP), an initiative by Finest Future of Finland, a multi-national consultant company to promoting Finnish high school education in Vietnam and others countries in Asia, is providing hundreds of scholarships for outstanding international students, particularly those from Vietnam for the 2022 intake.
The 2022 intake has opened applications until September 30, 2021. It expects to welcome as many Vietnamese students as possible to join.
"The FHSP connects international students with Finland high schools and offers them opportunities to start their academic journey there. Students joining the programme will be sponsored with 100% of tuition fees for all high school years," said Peter Vesterbacka, FHSP programme manager and Finest Future Chairman.
Vietnamese students including those in the 9th and 10th grade, joining the scholarship programme will have free access to high school study, as well as enjoy the advantages of a high-quality curriculum and modern facilities in schools across Finland, according to the FHSP.
Parents sending their children to study in Finland can also apply for a resident permit to live with them during their high school years.
After completing the three-year education, the students are prioritised to have more chances to get free access to world-renowned higher education such as universities and appliant colleges. They can also choose to study in a high school offering a straight pathway to a partner university or stay and start working in Finland.
CEO of Finest Future Vietnam JSC Tuomas Tiilikainen said: "We are constantly building more partnerships with Finnish high schools as we want to provide this opportunity on a large scale in Vietnam."
Vietnamese Ambassador in Finland, Dang Thi Hai Tam who has especially supported the programme, highlighted the efforts by FHSP and the Finest Future team in helping Vietnamese students to access the Finnish high school education.
"To implement the FHSP is hard work. But within a year, Finest Future and its team had achieved very encouraging initial results. I say 'hard work' because high school age is a transitional milestone for every human being. Many parents think that this time is too early for their children to leave the family, especially in Asian culture which has long-term parental protection and not focusing on teaching children to live independently from a young age," said Tam.
"However, this is the time when you can acquire knowledge in a fundamental way, a big decision for your strength in your studies and career later. If you have access to a good education like Finland and have your own determination and motivation, I believe that participating in this programme will open up a bright future for you."
The high school programme is flexible, from two to four years, with 150 credits. After graduation, there are always open pathways for any student to get a permanent residency and become a Finnish citizen.
The programme successfully piloted the first version- FHSP 2021- when it welcomed about 16 Vietnamese and Uzbekistan students to study in Finland.
Seven Vietnamese students receiving the FHSP scholarships were selected from hundreds of candidates across the country. They have now arrived in Finland and are ready to prepare for their opening school year.
For more information about the programme visit the Finest Future website or email hello@finestfuture.org.
Finland is home to 380 high schools of equally top quality, regardless of the size and location of the school. All students will study with master-certificated teachers using innovative teaching methods, allowing them to have equal growth and gain an entrepreneurial mindset.
Tag: FHSP Finland High School Programme Vietnamese students scholarships
Scholarships for Vietnamese students in India announced
The Embassy of Vietnam in India, with support from the Centre for Indian Studies at the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics and the Centre for Vietnamese Studies in New Delhi, held a ceremony on March 17 to announce the Ambassador Scholarships for Vietnamese Students in 2021.
Russia grants 1,000 scholarships in 2021 to Vietnam
VOV.VN - The Russia Government has granted 1,000 scholarships in 2021 to Vietnamese citizens to pursue study at universities and research institutes in the Russian Federation.


Tweet Away at the Informatica Government Summit for a Chance to Win!
Where Were You on January 21, 2009?
...it's rare that the data about individuals is consistently accurate and complete from system to system. The ability to centralize all the data about individuals into a single, authoritative "record" is key to improving service delivery.
...is it possible that the government's "fear of commitment" is, in some ways, justified?
Is the Internet of Things relevant for the government?