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NEW YORK (AP) — Election officials were ordering generators, moving voting locations and figuring out how to transport poll workers displaced from coastal areas as Tuesday's presidential election became the latest challenge for states whacked by Superstorm Sandy.
The storm, which devastated East Coast communities with power outages, flooding and snow, had already disrupted early voting in parts of Maryland, West Virginia, New Jersey and North Carolina. With less than a week to go before the general election, officials in the hardest-hit states were scrambling to ensure orderly and fair balloting in places still dark or under water.
Few expected the tight presidential contest between President Barack Obama and Mitt Romney to be affected by voting problems caused by the storm.
Communities along Lake Erie in top battleground Ohio have lost power, but election officials said early voting continued to be robust. The states crippled most by Sandy — New York, New Jersey and Connecticut — are largely Democratic and considered safely in Obama's camp.
But Connecticut has a competitive race to replace retiring Sen. Joe Lieberman, New York has several closely watched House contests, and all three states have other races whose outcomes could rest on voter turnout.
Michael McDonald, a professor of public affairs at George Mason University in Virginia who studies turnout, said a calamitous weather event right before a presidential election was unprecedented. McDonald said that in such a tight presidential race any turnout diminished by Sandy could make a difference in the overall popular vote.
"It's unlikely disruptions from Sandy would affect the outcome of the election within those states," McDonald said. "But if those voters, who are mostly Democrats, end up being subtracted from the national popular vote, you'll get a lower vote share for Obama than he would have received if those people had voted."
With every state along Sandy's destructive path using electronic voting machines, election officials were pressing local electric companies to make restoring power a priority to places that were to serve as polling places.
"We've provided lists of poll sites to local utilities, and some of the voting machines do have battery backup," New York State Board of Elections spokesman Tom Connolly said. "We are also planning to get generators to polling sites, but it's not like we have an unlimited supply of generators."
Elected leaders across the states affected by Sandy were taking different approaches to the impending vote tallies.
In hard-hit New York City, Mayor Michael Bloomberg referred all voting-related questions to the city Board of Elections. But he said recovery crews were working hard to restore electricity to schools, many of which serve as polling places. Voting should proceed smoothly in those places, he said.
"There are some where there were transformers in the basement that were damaged ... the Board of Elections will have to find alternative locations," Bloomberg said at a news conference.
Elections spokeswoman Valerie Vazquez said officials were determining the condition of polling places around the five New York boroughs even as the storm stripped power from the agency's headquarters, forcing workers into temporary office space.
"Our trucks are loaded and ready for delivery of all voting materials and equipment once we know that sites have not been damaged," Vazquez said. Elections officials, she said, "will be working around the clock and through the weekend to make sure that all voting sites receive everything they need to be up and running on Election Day."
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie has refused to talk about voting plans at his storm briefings, focusing on rescue and recovery efforts instead.
"Right now I'm much more concerned about preventing any other loss of life, getting people to safe places, and then we'll worry about the election. The election will take care of itself," he said.
Republican Secretary of State and Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno said that county clerks' offices have been ordered to remain open this weekend to help process mail-in ballots. The deadline for when clerks may accept mail-in ballot applications was extended until the close of business Friday. Voters must return them no later than the close of the polls Tuesday.
New Jersey's largest city, Newark, is under a state of emergency. At least half its residents don't have power and three people have died as a result of the storm. At a news conference Thursday, Mayor Cory Booker said he's had preliminary conversations regarding Election Day but does not yet have a plan for getting people to the polls.
"I have a lot of faith in the power of this democracy, the resiliency of our communities and that when Election Day comes we will make a way for people to vote," Booker said.
County election officials along New Jersey's storm-battered Atlantic Coast were taking it upon themselves to assess the damage to polling places and determine contingency plans.
Michael Kennedy, the Democratic registrar for the board of elections in hard-hit Cape May County on the Atlantic Coast, said many polling places would have to be combined. "It's still a pretty big mess out there. Some of them are under water and out of power," Kennedy said of the polling sites.
Kennedy said he was also concerned about having enough volunteers to staff the sites. "A lot of our poll workers live on barrier islands and were relocated because of the storm," he said.
In Connecticut, Gov. Dan Malloy signed an executive order extending the voter registration deadline until Thursday — it had been Oct. 30 — to accommodate people affected by the storm. Connecticut's strict voting rules — the state does not have early voting, and residents can only request an absentee ballot if they are out of the area — added urgency to the task of preparing polling places.
Secretary of the State Denise Merrill was holding daily conference calls with some 260 local election officials to determine their needs, her spokesman, Av Harris, said.
"Could some polling places be moved? Yes. There are procedures in place, and people are volunteering to help out," Av Harris said. "This is New England, people help their neighbors. That's the best way to get through this."
Associated Press writers Geoff Mulvihill and Katie Zezima in New Jersey and Jennifer Peltz in New York contributed to this report.


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hello all,
I havn't posted in a while but I have written a little program to help with ripping DVDs. It's for use with DVD::Rip by Joern Reder. And it queues up the projects so you can leave your computer running over night.
The program is written in python and pretty thoroughly commented (though all in one file). I hope someone finds this useful. Note: I applied for a SourceForge project space, bur for now, here is the code:
MD5: 0ab561032354c2e2261838524637d65f
update: The project is now on sourceForge. Please submit bugs as you find them
The program is licensed under the GPLv3 so I encourage you to do what you like with it. And Please feel free to comment if you have any problems, I'll respond quick, promise :)
Dvd::Rip Queue 0.1 Beta
hello all,
Posted on Thursday, June 12, 2008
Tags: dvdrip, queue, sourceforge

subset: commoncrawl


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Just popped into Durslade Farm, just outside Bruton in Somerset, home of the new Hauser + Wirth gallery. The Guardian are talking about it as the "new Guggenheim". We shall see. Whatever artworks it will host, it is a wonderful design project, with the 19th century farm buildings being lovingly and imaginatively restored to provide gallery spaces, all being done to an incredibly high standard.
|Jo walking down the newt fencing
|Jo with Alice Workman, gallery Director
|Sporobolus clumps escaping into the walkway
|Positioning artworks using 2D representations.
If you like my blog, why not check out my e-books, which are round-ups of some writing I did for Hortus magazine back in the early 2000s, along with an interview with the amazing Beth Chatto. You can read them on Kindle, or Kindle packages for smartphones or the computer. You can find them on my Amazon page here. You will also find my soap opera for gardeners - currently running at eight episodes.


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Jack Nicholson has long been rumored to have bedded more than 2,000 women — a mighty feat for any man. But according to the 75-year-old actor, that number has been greatly exaggerated over the years.
"I am an extreme person. If someone says, 'Jack, you are a womanizer,' I don't deny it. But the life of a gigolo always ends badly," the Oscar winner tells The UK's The Sun. "That is one of the reasons I feel uncomfortable about all that 'sex legend' stuff."
"There are also women I have seen, intimately, for a very long time over my life," he adds. "Unexpected, perhaps, but true."
Nicholson — who has enjoyed high-profile relationships with Anjelica Huston and Janice Dickinson, among others — insists he's much more mellow than he used to be. "Anger has always been a problem and every once in a while I just have to let it out. I always regret it later. After a couple of hours I calm down and think, 'What way could I have solved that problem other than blowing up?' I should have learned how to do that long ago and that would have made my life easier — with less apologizing."
The Bucket List actor adds, "I have been in a lot of therapy over the years and have found it has helped. The therapist I use in Los Angeles says to me, 'Jack, you are one of the best patients I've ever had.' And I say, 'Why is that, Sidney?' He says. 'You usually know what your problem is, you do what I tell you and that's the end of the therapy.'"
In hindsight, Nicholson wishes he would have been a more involved parent to 48-year-old Jennifer (with ex-wife Sandra Knight), 22-year-old Lorraine and 20-year-old Raymond (with ex-girlfriend Rebecca Broussard) and 32-year-old Honey (with ex-girlfriend Winnie Hollman). (Actress Susan Anspach has said her son, Caleb Goddard, was fathered by Nicholson, but the One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest star has not confirmed her allegation.)
"I didn't see enough of my eldest daughter because I was trying to make a career," he tells The Sun. "I have a daughter, Lorraine, and a son, Raymond, with whom I was able to spend much more time."
Over the years, the Shining star has picked up a few words of wisdom he often imparts on his three children. "I give out advice all the time. I say, 'Do not lie, do not steal and do not be afraid.' Especially, the last one. Fear stops us doing things," the actor says. "I also say it's the things that you do not do in life that cause regret."
For access to all our exclusive celebrity videos and interviews – Subscribe on YouTube!


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Prepaid charge for checked baggage
When all the flights in one direction of your itinerary are operated by Finnair, you can save time and money with prepaid baggage for that journey. You can purchase up to three pieces of prepaid baggage at the time of booking or through Manage booking after your reservation has been confirmed. The maximum amount of baggage is 10 pieces.
Please note that if you did not purchase your ticket directly with Finnair and the journey includes flights to/from North America, you may not be able to pay for your baggage online.
Extra bags can be purchased up until 3 hours before departure. Fees are in euros or the equivalent local currency. For departures from Canada, the applicable fees are collected in Canadian dollars; from the USA, Vietnam or Israel in US dollars. When departing from India, local taxes add on to the fee.
Prepaid charge for checked baggage
Flights within Europe
€29 or 5,500 points, €36 or 6,900 points within 6 days prior to departure
Flights within Finland and Northern Europe*
€24 or 4,500 points, €29 or 5,500 points within 6 days prior to departure
Flights to/from North America**
€65/$70 or 12,700 points
Flights to/from Asia and the Middle East
€75 or 14,700 points, €85 or 16,700 points within 6 days prior to departure
Flights to/from Japan
€70 or 13,700 points
*Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania
**the USA, Canada, Mexico


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Off the field and on it, Johnny Manziel continues to be the most interesting athlete in college football.
In the second quarter of Saturday's Texas A&M-Alabama game in College Station, the Heisman Trophy winner made another Heisman worthy play. On third-and-8, Manziel made an amazing scramble to avoid a sack, maneuvering his way out of the grasp of 290-pound Alabama defensive lineman Jeoffrey Pagan, and somehow managed to throw the ball nearly 50 yards for a 12-yard gain.
Here's the full play:
Johnny did pay attention at the Manning Passing Academy!
— Jesse Yomtov (@JesseYomtov) September 14, 2013
And Manziel's reaction?


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Susan G. Komen LA County Collection
20% of the retail price of all the products in this collection can benefit Susan G. Komen LA County!
Susan G. Komen® is the world's largest breast cancer organization, funding more breast cancer research than any other nonprofit while providing real-time help to those facing the disease. Since its founding in 1982, Komen has funded more than $800 million in research and provided $1.7 billion in funding to screening, education, treatment and psychosocial support programs serving millions of people in more than 30 countries worldwide. For more about Susan G. Komen LA County, click here!
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Jurgen Klinsmann helped get them there, and a young squad did the rest to get their coach his first trophy with the United States courtesy of a 1-0 win over Panama in the final of the Gold Cup.
With Klinsmann sitting in a booth high above the playing field at Soldier Field, the Stars and Stripes overcame their coach's suspension and dominated their opponents to claim victory before a crowd 57,900 on Sunday afternoon thanks a solitary strike from Brek Shea, on 69 minutes.
The US have now won five Gold Cups, but this is the first trophy for their German coach, who took over the national squad two years ago and has the team headed in the right direction ahead of next summer's World Cup in Brazil.
Klinsmann was suspended for the match after getting tossed out of his team's 3-1 victory over Honduras in the semi-finals on Wednesday. In Klinsmann's absence, his two assistant coaches, Martin Vasquez and Andreas Herzog, handled responsibilities from the sideline.
Their first major coaching decision came in the 23rd minute when they subbed out Stuart Holden after the midfielder went down with a knee injury caused by a collision with Panama's Alberto Quintero. Holden, who has been battling knee injuries for the last two years, was replaced by Mix Diskerud.
Holden's injury, which is being called a sprained knee and will be reevaluated, overshadowed anything that happened on the field in a first half that was lacked any real scoring chances for the Americas.
But things would go much more smoothly for the hosts in the second half.
Playing with a sense of urgency, Landon Donovan nearly drew a penalty kick shortly after halftime when he kicked the ball into a defender's hand, but the referee decide it was incidental contact. Moments later, he headed a cross just wide of the goal.
With full momentum on their side, the much-anticipated goal would come with just over 20 minutes to go. Donovan whiffed on a cross from Alejandro Bedoya but the ball rolled to Shea at the far post for an easy tap-in goal.
Shea, who had recorded his first international goal earlier in the tournament, scored just 43 seconds after entering the match for Joe Corona.
After the goal, Klinsmann left his box and would appear on the pitch after the final whistle to celebrate with the mostly reserve side that proved how deep the U.S. player pool has gotten since the German trainer took over.
Via SyndiGate.info
Copyright © 2022 Goal.com All rights reserved.


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This video says about itself:
Mar 23, 2010
Me (Caitlyn/Genora100) and My BFF (Rachel/ilovesilverherocks, http://www.youtube.com/user/ilovesilverherocks) have to do a project on an Antarctic animal! we chose the blue whale!
From Wildlife Extra:
Researchers leave port to search for and tag Blue whales in Antarctica
Voyage in search of the world's largest creature
January 2013. A team of international whale researchers have sailed from Hobart in search of the biggest creature on Earth, the Antarctic blue whale. The scientists from Australia, United States, United Kingdom, Chile and New Zealand, will use newly-developed passive acoustic sonobuoy methods to track and locate the elusive animals across hundreds of kilometres in the Southern Ocean.
Australian Environment Minister Tony Burke said this is the inaugural voyage of the Antarctic Blue Whale Project which aims to estimate the abundance, distribution and behaviour of the species.
Mr Burke said "The Antarctic blue whale can grow to over 30 metres in length and weigh up to 180 tonnes, its tongue alone is heavier than an elephant and its heart is as big as a small car. Even the largest dinosaur was smaller than the blue whale. Despite their colossal size we know very little about the animals, including where they breed and feed, and how many remain in our oceans today after industrial whaling slaughtered more than 340,000 of them in the early 1900s."
The researchers will target areas thought to be frequented by the blue whales along the ice edge west of the Ross Sea. If survey methods are successful in locating the whales, photographs of the animals' flanks and biopsy samples will be taken to build individual sighting histories that will assist in estimating population size.
Satellite tags
The 18-strong team will also work from small boats in freezing Antarctic conditions to deploy satellite tags on the animals.
Not necessary to kill whales for research – Unlike Japan
Burke added "We then aim to be able to track their movements within their Antarctic feeding grounds and potentially further north to their breeding areas. This research shows, in contrast to Japan's so called "scientific whaling" program, that you don't have to kill these majestic creatures to get valuable information about them."
The project is a flagship program of the international Southern Ocean Research Partnership (SORP) involving ten countries – Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Chile, France, Germany, New Zealand, Norway, South Africa and the United States. SORP was initiated by Australia through the International Whaling Commission (IWC) to promote non-lethal research in the Southern Ocean.
"Today the Antarctic blue whale is classified as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and is of global interest as one of the most at risk baleen whale species in the Southern Ocean," Mr Burke said.
"The information gathered in this research will be supplied to the IWC to assist in the conservation and recovery of this iconic species."
Related articles
- Blue whales, new research (dearkitty1.wordpress.com)
- Blue whale barrel rolls (nmnh.typepad.com)
- Blue Whales Pirouette Before Engulfing Prey (livescience.com)
- Blue whales use ballet to trick their prey (msnbc.msn.com)
- Largest whale's acrobatic ambush (bbc.co.uk)


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Have you ever had a game that you just knew was going to take serious effort to complete, but you dug in for the long haul and stayed with it until the end? I'm not talking about the average (and tedious) 60-hour Japanese role-playing game (JRPG) or anything that's a simple matter of hours devoted. No, I'm talking about something that's really difficult, or something that presents some sort of extraordinary obstacle to overcome. Something like the video game equivalent of a brick wall.
For me, I've had two.
The first brick wall (believe it or not) was the original Mega Man on the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). It may seem a little ridiculous that this game was such a huge hurdle for me back in the day, but it's true.
Getting through the bosses was no big deal, but the fight against Rock Monster drove me absolutely crazy. The way that thing split up into small pieces and warped back and forth across the room just tore me apart, and with the game skills I had at that age, I just couldn't do it.
I don't think I've ever mentioned this to anyone before, but it took me about three years to get past that part. Of course, it wasn't three years of trying ten times a day every day. I'd put it down for a few months and play other games and then come back to it when the mood struck me, but I did not see credits roll on Mega Man until literally three years after I bought it.
… of course, after I finished it legitimately, I found out there was an exploit to get past the bastard by hitting him once and then rapidly pausing/unpausing the system. If I had known about it earlier, forget three years. I would have polished the game off in three days.
My other brick wall is Monster Hunter Freedom Unite on the PlayStation Portable (PSP).
If you read my blog regularly, then you already know that I'm a recently-converted fan of the series. Monster Hunter Tri on the Wii got a lot of things right for me, and I still had a bit of an itch to scratch after I polished it off. I knew the PSP games had a dedicated following, so I figured I'd jump onboard that train and kill more giant beasties while on the go. Immediately after starting, I was glad I did.
Despite enjoying it a great deal, Tri felt like a stripped-down, über-simplified kiddie pool compared to the amount of content I found in Freedom Unite. There are a ton more monsters, loads of new and different weapons, and a mountain of varied armor sets to collect. Interestingly, Freedom Unite also has tons of information, tutorials, training arenas and lots of other little bits that are completely omitted from Tri. When I saw how much was here, I was utterly amazed and quickly fell in love. Any way you slice it, Freedom Unite is just a better game, all-around.
Better all-around… except for the camera.
While it's clear that Capcom has made some concessions to PSP players (i.e.- slower monsters, lower difficulty) the fact is that Sony's handheld is physically lacking a second analog nub to handle camera duties and the Monster Hunter developers have never come up with a satisfactory workaround solution.
What are the options? Players either constantly click the left shoulder button to auto-center the camera directly behind their character, or they can control character movement on the nub with their left thumb while pushing left/right on the D-Pad with the left index finger. This tendinitis-inducing maneuver is "affectionately" known as the claw. Also, it's about four times more uncomfortable than it looks, especially in extended play sessions.
As I'm sure you can imagine, the giant hurdle to overcome with Freedom Unite is finding techniques and strategies to survive while dealing with the absurdly unsatisfactory camera system. If it was any other game I probably would have kicked it to the curb after an hour, but it's impossible not to acknowledge the amount of quality content in the title. It really is a fantastic game for players of a certain stripe, and if there was some solution to the camera dilemma, I'd easily rank it as one of the best games available for PSP.
Unfortunately, this is a game where even half-seconds count, and being unsure of whether a Tyrannosaurus with wings is on your right or your left is more than enough to trigger a "Mission Failed". Death by crappy camera is frustrating in the extreme, and I have questioned my own sanity more than once as to whether I'm really dedicated enough to see this game through. After forty hours, I think I am… although whether that means I'm sane or insane, I can't say.
So, what are your personal video game brick walls? I'd love to hear about 'em.
- So Videogames Ep. 329: Just So You Don't Know - March 24, 2023
- Dredge Review - March 23, 2023
- So Videogames Ep. 328: What About Marlene? - March 17, 2023


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Red Pepper Interview with Michael and Gary – Jan 2012
On its 75th anniversary, much attention was given to the Battle of Cable Street, where Oswald Mosley's blackshirts were prevented from marching through the predominantly Jewish working class East End of London. But Cable Street itself was the culmination of a wider tradition of direct physical confrontation with fascists both at the time and throughout most of the 20th century. We are happy to praise those who made a stand in the 1930s. But what of those who literally fought the fascists more recently, in the shape of the British Movement, the National Front or the pre-Griffin British National Party? The publication of Beating the Fascists: The Untold Story of Anti-Fascist Action (Freedom Press) has re-asserted the importance of this disparaged and neglected tradition. Michael Calderbankspoke with Gary and Andy, longstanding members of Red Action who helped to initiate AFA, about their controversial new book.
Michael: Maybe we could begin by talking about the history of physical confrontation with the fascists in Britain?
Andy: Well, if you're a Jew living in the 1930s or a working class Communist then it's in your face, you're dealing with Blackshirts who are on your street corner. It's something you've got to react to and deal with in the here and now. You've also got people looking at the wider strategic picture – what was going in Spain was very real, what was going on in Italy and Germany was very real – and people with foresight understood that if you don't put something in place to prevent that then you're going to be in trouble yourselves. After the war, when it was totally clear what fascism could lead to, you had the '43 group which, although it had CP members in its ranks, was largely an apolitical purely paramilitary body who would go round attacking the fascists. They were tough people, physically aggressive who had often served in the armed forces, many from Jewish backgrounds, who had seen a lot in their few years – these are young people – if you've been through that and don't understand it, you're never going to understand it. So people who have gone through that, seen it in the cinemas, or even in your own family over in Europe – and then you're just going out and minding your own business, and you see some geezer on a soapbox talkin' about the same stuff, it's gotta be obvious to you, yeah?
Gary: There's an example when a group of Jewish lads went past Mosley's secretary [Jeffrey Hamm] after the war speaking up at Jack Straw's Castle [near Hampstead Heath], and they were incredulous. I'm mean, here was the same old Jew-baiting going on after the war as you had before the war – with everything that had gone on! So they gave 'em a good shoeing and found: 'these fuckers are everywhere!' I mean, y'know, it's ridiculous, we're not havin' it. There was a huge strain of anti-Semitism in the British establishment that Mosley hoped to profit from but never did. And so when Jews who had just got back from the war met fascists on the street they weren't gonna petition the council to get see if they could do something! They were just gonna get on and do it themselves.
Andy: When people's whole family lines have been wiped out and turned to ashes, what are you gonna do with people like that, try and debate with them in that situation?
Gary: And they wouldn't wouldn't debate with you either, that's the point. If you went up to them and said, 'excuse me, I'm a member of the Jewish faith and could you…' [laughs] they're not gonna argue the point, you'd be hit be a cosh. But, you might not be out looking for any trouble particular, but they're there. And that situation doesn't go away, it's like that later on. You've gone to the football or something and you're standing next to some guy who gets a bottle smashed over his head, a black kid who they've chased down, do you stand back and say 'right we'll get onto the council to do something!'?
Andy: It'd depend what kind of circles you moved in to. I mean I don't want to generalise too much, but many of the people involved on the left at the time would have come up through a university background and lived in this sealed kind of world from what I could tell. But I didn't know, I didn't come from a political background. Everywhere I went I met these people, they were in your face. And Britain at the time was a violent and anarchic sort of place in some ways. I mean you'd go out round the pubs on a Friday night, have a disagreement, or you've gone to the football or a gig or something, and you run in to these geezers with all sorts of badges, handing out leaflets, maybe taking the band off the stage and attacking the band! I've seen that happen! It's not like you'd read in some textbooks about what should or shouldn't be done, it was an instinctive thing. These people are bullies, they're not people who can debate with. It's not alien if you come from that kind of background.
Gary: Yes, and the left has to understand that as soon as they appear, it's because your own side has been making mistakes. Fascists won't appear in very small numbers, they'll wait until it's right for them. I mean they look at it strategically as well, they'll take it onto a physical level when they think there's something for them to gain. So it's not a matter of waiting until they attack our people – we've got an investment in smashing up their meetings, their paper sales and the rest of it. You don't want to wait until they're some kind of respectable opposition. If it gets that far, you've already lost.
Michael: And at what stage, after the war, had the left started to fail in your view to such an extent that you started to see a fascist threat beginning to make its presence felt on the street?
Gary: Well, most of our people come into it from outside politics, with a completely fresh look, with no political hinterland at all. So there was a lot of cynicism from our side towards the existing organised left from a very early stage. I mean we supportedemotionally and intellectually the basis for the whole left concept, and there was some stuff happening from on the picket lines (which was where I was recruited) and on things like the right-to-work marches, but even in the mid-Seventies it wasn't clear cut and we certainly weren't winning. There was a real lack of leadership across the board, not just on the revolutionary left but across the entire labour movement. And at the same time as you had the start of the neoliberal stuff, you'd get the fascists upset at over-reaching in '79 thinking – let's not hang about let's go for it now. The whole Anti Nazi League Mark I was a huge success for the left and beat back the first wave of the National Front electorally. There was incredible resentment about that, and they lose a bit of what discipline they might have had. They could just attack anyone now. So, as Andy was saying, you could retreat into your sealed world. Or you could stay where you were and stand your ground. And they were – the arenas then football, gigs, street sales, their meetings, our meetings and the rest of it…
Andy: They were an extremely violent group of people. So if you're looking to organise, you're thinking, what streets can I walk round, what pubs you can go in talk to people, where can I talk about stuff on the football or at a gig? All that's contested territory. Are these aren't the kind of people who believe in freedom of speech, and I don't mean that in a metaphorical way, I mean literally! You'd get a glass smashed in your face. To me it'd become obvious. When their election campaign failed, there was people there who wanted revenge. And so all this territory needed to be fought for.
Michael: Reading the book, as we said in our review, some of the violence described is not exactly for the faint-hearted. And many people reading the book might be thinking, isn't there a danger of becoming just like them, being brought down to their level? What would you say to those who say, when you end up like two groups of thugs who are as bad as the other, you don't win the wider public around? Gary: Well, it wasn't always a pretty business, there's no denying that, but it's not a path we've just chosen for ourselves. They're the point of aggression, the tip of the spear. If you approach them you've got to be prepared for violence to be done to you. And if you know that in advance, if you're going to contest the territory you're duty bound to prepare to do violence to them it's as simple as that. In terms of complaints, we didn't get much complaints from the Jewish stallholders when the NF paper sale got scatttered from Chapel Market [Islington], in fact the police couldn't get a [single] witness to testify. But the pub landlord in King's Cross, the who was making literally a thousand pound [a week] from opening his pub to bonehead gigs for his mates like Ian Stewart [Donaldson, lead singer of fascist band Skrewdriver] was going to complain when the place – course he was. He wasn't interested in blacks or homosexuals getting attacked – which they did after the pub closed – he was after making money. He was raking it in! But when AFA marched through Bethnal Green, and into Whitechapel, it was like a siege had been lifted. Little Asian kids running about in the street – that was there
attitude to us!
Michael: Actually, reading the book, it struck me that – judging from the state's reaction – that's what they feared most. When it looked like it might have been possible to link up between white working class communities and black or Asian areas…
Gary: …on a political basis, yes. The state was concerned but the left weren't, what does that tell you? I mean the left wasn't trying to do what we were doing, not on an organised basis. But the state thought there's a germ here that might develop. Not good, not from their perspective. So did they say, we'll just see if we can put someone in and steer it a bit? No! They smashed it straight away, that was their approach. It's quite a useful little anecdote. 'You can do that there… up to a point…but you can't do it here. No way.'
Andy: I think we were conscious that we didn't want to get trapped in a siege mentality. Us looking after 'our' areas, the fash looking after 'theirs', the wars, us looking for them, them looking for us, we always wanted to break out of that. When RA [Red Action] helped to form AFA we tried to grow it as wide as possible within reason, and eventually when people tried to take politics back into the community, via the IWCA [Independent Working Class Association], that was our effort, we did what we always wanted to do, to go to working class communities and try to grow a political movement there. I mean we can argue the toss about how successful that was, but that would be a different debate. I'd never say it was entirely successful but I don't think it was a total failure either. We got some things very right, but you'd have to look at the time and the context, what we're up against, but that was us trying to put our vision of political organisation in working class communities into effect. And that was always our intention. We never thought 'wouldn't it be great if we could fight an ongoing war with a load of other people'.
Michael: I mean there would be that accusation, that you'd ended up participating in a sub-culture, that you'd have your sales, they'd have theirs, you'd have your bands, they'd have their bands, etc.
Gary: Well, let's look at the alternative. They have their subculture, you have nothing. They have their sales, you don't. They have their bands, you've got nobody. Then they have the football fans, and you have nobody. And they have the working class estates and you've got nobody….
Andy: And the thing is, in Islington with the IWCA, we always knew there'd be people with racist ideas on the estates, of course there are. We're living in the real world. But the one thing we knew is that we didn't have to keep looking over our shoulder, we could meet the people from the tenants' association in the local pub and talk about how to organise against plans to sell off social housing in the borough. So we needed that space to get on with doing what we wanted to do. I'd reject that idea that we got sucked into looking forward to the next confrontation with the fash, that was never our vision. Never. Now, if you're gonna ask me were there elements drawn to AFA who did get off a bit on the excitement or hanging around on the fringes, possibly. But every movement
gets that. And there weren't that many if you ask me. Certainly not amongst what I would call the leadership. That was never how we tried to shape the organisation, never how we sold it to people.
Michael: Without going into the various anarchist critiques – and in part for obvious reasons like you need people around you that you totally rely on and won't leave you in the lurch – it sounds like you had a pretty centralised model going on, with a definite core…
Andy: Actually AFA was very democratic, when compared with say the ANL. On the street if wasn't – couldn't be. But as a broader organisation it was very democratic in the way it operated, on political campaign work etc. Similarly with Red Action. We're a democratic organisation but when it came to the streets it couldn't be and everyone understood that. We had it opposite to the rest of the left from what we could see. We thought when it came to politics you should be democratic and open, but they couldn't take that, they had very tight control. But on the streets they'd say [in mocking tone], 'let's involve as many people as possible and everyone can come along to an open organising meeting', and we'd say 'that's ludicrous, who do you know is sitting there!' [laughter]. I'd say they'd got that the wrong way round.
Michael: I'm sure you've heard all this before, but the Leninist groups would say 'you are basically trying to substitute yourselves for the organised working class, setting yourselves up as a small urban guerilla army to be the noble defenders of the class instead of mobilizing those larger sections of society…'
Andy: That's just projection by them. No-one leafleted more working class council estates in East London than us. We organised all the carnivals [between the end of the ANL Mark I and the relaunched version], it was us that organised an exhibition that we invited schoolkids along to, there was this whole side of organising. Admittedly, that doesn't perhaps get as much prominence in the book. But there was a large amount of campaigning, and a lot of efforts made to reach out to movers and shakers among the black or Asian youth…
Michael: …at which point the state came in to stop it. Do you think there were intelligence agents operating inside AFA?
Gary: Undoubtedly they'd have tried. The problem was for them the 'split-screen' structure. You could say what you want in the organising meeting and try to steer it round. But on the streets it was top-down. They'd latch on but you could shake 'em off.
Michael: So you could spot who they were?
Andy: Sometimes. Who knows? Listen, if they could penetrate the IRA they could penetrate us. But do we think they managed to effectively push us off course? No, no. I
think we done what we wanted when we wanted to do it. We made decisions when we wanted to make them.
Gary: Yes, there's no evidence of that looking back with hindsight. I mean as you can tell from the book there's people there with a huge question mark over them. But in terms of the way things got done, no. Being hierarchical like that you couldn't slot somebody into a middle-manager type of position. But we were also democratic. It was asymmetrical so it worked really well. If it had been asymmetrical the other way around, as Andy said, we wouldn't have lasted out a weekend.
Andy: We'd have ended up in the same jail together!
Michael: And people did occasionally get jail terms…
Gary: But as the book explains, we'd go out of our way to avoid that at all costs. Out of fidelity to the volunteers if you like. I mean we needed people – we had people who worked full time but they were on the dole, they didn't get paid. And you're dealing with a finite number. So you had to maintain morale. And also, even simple convictions could – in time – lead to jail.
Andy: We were mindful, we learnt a lot from Ireland, right, that's a simple fact. And we learnt that if someone has been left adrift by the leadership having done something and copped time for it, and it seems like no-one gives a [toss] about them, how easy is it for the Old Bill to turn that individual. You've got to look after your people, do right by 'em, on the street, in custody…
Gary: There was this one time in Hammersmith with Martin Webster [leading NF activist] and when they fled his arse was still hanging out literally of an open door, and one black kid dragged an NFer out, and he [the NFer] got left behind on his own. Ended up in hospital without even a bunch of grapes! I thought that was terrible PR.
Andy: Never looked after their people. But it's a dog eat dog world for them.
Gary: They'd stand and fight individually, but they'd never look after each other. For us that was verboten. No-one got put in that position, in as much as you could.
Andy: We even went out of our way to help some people on the left avoid getting caught out by their own stupidity. We were doing surveillance around the time of the ANL relaunch in the East End, and they were gonna go out leafleting, and we knew that there were some well-known faces in the area. And we went down the ANL and said, 'this is not good right, we've seen certain people', and they said, 'nah, don't be stupid'. And people ended up in hospital. We said alright then, nothing we can do here, and got back in the car and [drove] off. And as we're driving down the road, the ambulances are already passing! And one of the guys who got injured quite badly came over to AFA straight after that.
Gary: The left often only really wanted to get involved when they thought it was in their interests to do so – and often they made a mess of things that had already been achieved.
Andy: Yes, when AFA organised the first major national march against the BNP in the East End – and it was really big, considering we were mainly based in Central London – it came on the radio and this woman came on and said it had been organised by the newly relaunched ANL! Seriously, they'd done all the organising!
Andy: That's why I never take it really seriously when people moan 'oh why didn't AFA work with other people' and all that. We did, we tried. The amount of time our people went to talk to them and try to get them involved, and say 'yes, OK, we'll give you two places on the committee as long as it does't ease anyone else out' and make it as broad as possible. And we were relatively successful. At one stage there were anarchists there – the Direct Action Movement – along with dogmatic Trotskyists, people like Workers Power, and they were all co-operating. Things weren't always smooth. But it went along, and it showed that we were able to show a level of political maturity that's rare on the left. Were the SWP prepared to come in on the same footing as us? Nah. They couldn't deal with that. But we had CP people involved, even individuals from the local Labour party.
Gary: Including at the rough end of it! Cos we'd go out in a group of 30 or 40 people and we'd have like 15 stewards there on the ground, while the rest could go up to the flats and do the political work, leafleting and what have you. So not everyone was expected to do the fighting, but there'd be people who wanted to campaign with us and supported what we were doing.
Michael: And were women involved, or was it all blokes? Gary: There were women at every level, every level. But particularly in the intelligence work. They'd go into pubs that fellas hadn't got the balls to walk into! They'd give you a whole run down of who was in there, what they were up to…
Andy: We tried using a geezer once, and all you got was 'there's fuckin' loads of 'em, but we could have 'em, we could do this and that'. Obviously working class women knew the score, got themselves dolled up – look the part – and engaged them in conversation and found out real stuff you wanted to know: who were the real movers and shakers, what were relations like between the fash and landlord and bar staff; how are the locals treating them, will the hangers on bolt, that sort of thing. Women would get that information, because they'd have far less of an ego. And that's why in West Germany when the police were fighting the Red Army Faction they said, 'shoot the women first'. The women were so effective, because they were colder and more logical and systematic in their thinking.
Gary: If they were ever rumbled – when they walked into a pub in jeans and jacket, maybe a little bit of eye-liner – if the fash did think they were after information, they'd
assume they were police. As long as they could hold their nerve they could get themselves out.
Andy: And horny fash can give up loads of information, rendez-vous points and all sorts to our people! (laughter) That's a fact. Human nature. But you need to be seriously talented people to do that kind of work – to tell us exactly what we need to know. And they were treated at all times as equals. The left would sometimes say 'any women involved are all like gangster's molls', all this insulting, patronising [rubbish]. The women didn't feel like that. It was just that the roles were different, a lot of the time their skills were better used elsewhere. But not all the time. Sometimes they were involved on the street, and that's a fact.
Michael: Clearly the nature of the far right threat has changed a lot since those days, with the changes to the BNP under the leadership of Nick Griffin. In the introduction of the book your talking at a point when the the BNP on are a high, after the European elections. Since then after the General Election it appears that – as an organisation – they don't seem to be in a position to go much further. So what threat do you see them posing today?
Gary: What you said there was important, 'as an organisation' – it doesn't take away from the support they've shown they can establish. I think with the BNP it's partly that they never had the experience of high political office, didn't have the opportunity. To begin with they didn't have the middle class types, they were having to fight for the same survival thing which we drew them into, they were all on the streets even Griffin. They were stuck in waiting rooms on stations on Stockport and all that – they never had the chance to step out of the scenario. Next thing, they're MEPs, they've dozens of councillors. Where have they done the planning for that? They're used to planning Blood and Honour gigs in backrooms of pubs in Deptford. Suddenly they're elevated. Not equipped – first thing. Second thing – they've felt the long arm of the state, no question. Inside, everywhere, every which way – diced and sliced – and at at the same time the key component was to decapitate the organisation, which they've failed to do, which was a key [state] objective. The BNP might limp along, but the die has been cast, right, in the sense that the radical alternative will come from the far right within the constituencies we've identified. The left has not done anything to address that – at all – in thirty years. They'd no appetite do that, less appetite to do it now, even. There's nothing on the left that could organise it on a national level. They've tried it – Socialist Alliance, Scottish Socialist Party, Respect and all that – they've nearly all fallen at the first hurdle, some of 'em didn't even get to the first hurdle! What does it tell you about Respect – talk about enclaves or sub-groups and insulating yourself! That kind of mindset was partly what we were fighting against, that you could retreat from your core constituency and fight somewhere else on identity grounds. We saw it coming. We said in 2001 that the BNP would prove that – in contrast to the left – they did have traction, could mobilise support in white working class communities. And in 2002, boom!
Where would the far right be if they had a free run at it for the last 30 years? Imagine if they never had to fight a war of attrition and could have brought in all the people with the organisational skills, the media skills and all that in? They've had none of that, the BNP leadership. They never got the head-space because AFA weren't going to give it to 'em. But imagine if they had a clear 30-year run like they got in France and a number other European countries where they've basically been unchallenged – with a free run, imagine where we'd be? If all the AFA stuff, all that ingenuity and effort, had been applied behind the BNP instead of against them!
Michael: There's another account of what cut across the rise of the BNP which I'm sure you won't like at all, namely that Searchlight and their allies in Barking and Dagenham managed to mobilise the existing community groups, trade unions, faith groups etc along with all the residual support that exists for the Labour party in order to unseat every single one of their councillors.
Andy: They had all those resources and completed a full circle – you had the state, so-called anti-fascist and anti-racist groups, religious groups and what have you – to reinstate the status quo. The status quo is back. Labour rules. Why did people vote BNP in the first place?
Gary: And also the BNP vote went up didn't it? That's the future you're looking at. Not that they've been unseated for now because Labour's woken up. Take the Isle of Dogs. We saw the portents were obvious a long way out. The ANL knocked out [Derek] Beacon…
Andy: …and they were actually popping champagne corks that night, the ANL. His vote went up!
Gary: That was the future – we could see it then; they [the BNP] could see it then. Like Barking and Dagenham it was just a technical knock out.
Andy: I mean Margaret Hodge, what does she stand for?! She's fine now. Everything's sorted. She's back in power, they've got all their councillors in – nothing to worry about. Thank you very much. So people have joined 'respectable' anti-fascism, the church, the local Labour party, the state, the police, the trade unions, using all the wealth, the resources, the intelligence to take back that seat that was needed. Now, I don't want the BNP to win in Barking and Dagenham or anywhere else. But don't let anyone try to kid themselves that that's any kind of victory for what I would call working class politics. Cos it ain't.
Gary: If it was the IWCA or the Socialist Party or something like it that had stopped the BNP in Barking and Dagenham that would be a different matter. Really something to celebrate, right? Not to bring it back to where it was originally.


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Finding Father Christmas
A Novella
Bestselling author Robin Jones Gunn brings readers a poignant Christmas novella about a woman, desperate for a place to belong, who finds herself in London a few days before Christmas, looking for the father she never knew.
In FINDING FATHER CHRISTMAS, Miranda Carson's search for her father takes a turn she never expected when she finds herself in London with only a few feeble clues to who he might be. Unexpectedly welcomed into a family that doesn't recognize her, and whom she's quickly coming to love, she faces a terrible decision. Should she reveal her true identity and destroy their idyllic image of her father? Or should she carry the truth home with her to San Francisco and remain alone in this world? Whatever choice she makes during this London Christmas will forever change the future for both herself and the family she can't bear to leave. Robin Jones Gunn brilliantly combines lyrical writing and unforgettable characters to craft a story of longing and belonging that will stay with readers long after they close the pages of this book.


text: Back Tracking Symptoms of Heart Failure If you have congestive heart failure (CHF), becoming aware of even small changes in your body can help you manage your condition. Here are common symptoms of CHF: Fluid retention. You may notice swelling in the lower half of your body, especially the feet and ankles, or weight gain. Weigh yourself every morning. Tell your health care provider if you suddenly gain two or more pounds in one day or four pounds in a week. Abdominal swelling or stomach pain. Shortness of breath or coughing. Your heart can't pump as efficiently as it should, so fluid can back up into your lungs. You may be breathless, which can cause you to wake up at night. Let your health care provider know if this occurs. Trouble sleeping. If you find yourself needing to use more pillows, or sleep in a chair rather than a bed to avoid trouble breathing, let your health care provider know right away. Fatigue. Blood flow to the muscles may be reduced. This may make you feel tired during the day. Take time to rest and talk with your health care provider. Nausea or loss of appetite. Not enough blood in your digestive system can make you feel full more quickly than usual or even sick to your stomach. Tell your health care provider. Disorientation, memory loss, or confusion. Fluctuations in the amount of sodium in your blood can cause confusion. If you or someone else notices this, talk with your health care provider urgently. Increased heart rate or heart palpitations. You may feel like your heart is racing or throbbing. To make up for the loss of pumping capacity, your heart beats faster.


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Editor's note: This review was written in July 2013 about the 2013 Ford Edge. Little of substance has changed with this year's model. To see what's new for 2014, click here, or check out a side-by-side comparison of the two model years.
The 2013 Ford Edge is a solid, if flawed, model in the highly competitive family SUV category. It rides and drives well, but is ultimately let down by the unreliability of its electronic gizmos.
Midsize SUVs are a common sight on American roads these days, having largely taken over for minivans as the top choice for family-hauling duties. In the Ford lineup, the five-seat Edge occupies the middle ground between the compact Escape and the larger Explorer and Flex. The Edge has been around a while, introduced for the 2007 model year and last given a major update for 2011, when it got a new front and rear end and an upgraded interior featuring Ford's controversial MyFord Touch multimedia system. No major changes were made from 2012 to 2013, but the popular SUV didn't really need any, as its update for 2011 prompted many automakers to scramble in an attempt to catch up. Now that so many competitors have come up with their own new models, we figured it was time to take another look at whether Ford's family-hauler is still fit for duty.
Power Aplenty & Choices Too
The Edge offers three engines — a level of choice uncommon in the American market. The base engine is a strong, 3.5-liter V-6 making 285 horsepower and available with either front- or all-wheel drive; a turbocharged, EcoBoost 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine is an extra-cost option on front-wheel-drive models only. The EcoBoost makes 240 hp but is meant to be a fuel economy champ instead of a torque monster. A Sport trim level is available, bringing a larger 3.7-liter V-6 out of the related Lincoln MKX and bumping horsepower up to 305, which can be channeled to either just the front or to all four wheels. All engines are mated to a standard six-speed automatic transmission, and the Sport model adds flappy-paddle manual shifters behind the steering wheel.
Our test model came with the 3.5-liter V-6 engine, which is a smooth and perfectly adequate motor to power the Edge around town and an even better one for highway motoring. Off the line, the Edge feels heavy, with acceleration coming in a smooth but unhurried wave. At highway speeds, the Edge requires a kickdown in the transmission to get adequate passing power but never feels lacking or underpowered. Long-distance interstate cruising is where the Edge truly shines, providing an amazingly smooth, quiet experience.
It's when the road starts to twist that the Edge feels out of its element. A vault-quiet ride in a straight line turns into a noisy venture through the curves, as the tire scrub in corners is loud and pronounced. Even low-speed tight curves send lots of noise up through the wheel wells. The SUV's weight feels even more pronounced in such conditions, too, with the Edge rolling on its suspension, feeling tippy and top-heavy. The truck has plenty of electronic safety measures to prevent rollovers and skids, but you'll quickly realize that this is not a vehicle made for driving with enthusiasm.
Fuel economy for front-wheel-drive models is rated by the EPA at 19/27 mpg city/highway for the base V-6 — not stellar by today's standards but not awful for the category. The turbocharged EcoBoost four-cylinder engine is meant as the fuel-economy option, rated a better 21/30 mpg, but it costs extra to get the EcoBoost motor, and spending more to save money makes it something of a wash.
The Edge's interior was updated for 2011, and it still looks and feels like a modern, quality setting. A soft-touch dashboard with respectable imitation-wood trim combined with leather seating on my test car to present an upscale environment. It's not as fancy as a Jeep Grand Cherokee, but it's not quite as low-rent as a Toyota Venza, either. What's curious is why Ford would pad things that rarely get touched, like the dashboard upper surface, but keep areas that contact body parts (like armrests and door panels where elbows lie) hard plastic. Overall, the interior material quality looks good. Unfortunately, it doesn't work as well as it looks.
Quibbles are numerous, starting with the elephant in the room: the infamous MyFord Touch system. Ford has done away with many of the switches and controls in the vehicle, replacing them with a touch-sensitive flat panel and voice controls for many systems like navigation, climate control and audio. Ford bills it as high technology, but in reality the touch-panel is simply cheaper to manufacture. The problem I have with the touch-sensitive controls is that you need to take your eyes off the road to use them nearly every time, both to ensure you're hitting the right spot on the console to turn on the climate control or switch on the defroster, as well as to make sure you're not accidentally hitting the wrong button. There is no tactile feedback, so you have to look to see if a corresponding light is illuminated. You can try to operate these systems with your voice, but in the Edge that worked maybe one attempt out of every three — a success rate backed up by others in our office. The whole thing just doesn't work as well as it should and remains a poor solution to a problem nobody had.
To Ford's credit, the company has realized that the touch-panel movement just isn't taking hold and has announced it plans to reintroduce buttons to models as they come up for redesign in the next couple of years. Finding oneself sinking rapidly through initial customer quality surveys can be a powerful motivating force, it seems. See the story on that here.
Seats are my next complaint, and it's a common one with Fords: The front seat bottoms are too short, lengthwise. They don't even extend to mid-thigh, making it feel like you're sitting on the edge of the seat all the time. I've had the same experience in the Fusion, Explorer and Taurus, as well, but oddly not in the Flex. There's also no lateral support in the Edge, meaning turns throw you against the door unless you brace yourself. The rear seat cushions are low and very pillowy, making passengers sit in a knees-up position that might get uncomfortable during a longer voyage. For some reason, Ford is using a European-style turn-signal stalk in some of its cars but not in others. When activated, it doesn't stay in position but rather bounces back to neutral, even if the turn signal is blinking. It's another cost-saving measure designed to communize parts among Ford globally, but it feels awkward and out of place on an American-brand vehicle. (Even most European luxury cars don't use it here.)
On the upside, a high seating position and lots of upright windows aid in viewing around the vehicle. Cargo room is average among competitors, with a spacious rear area that gets even bigger and more useful when the rear seats are folded. That action could not be easier to accomplish, with two buttons in the cargo area of our Edge Limited that motored the seatbacks down or up with a simple touch.
In National Highway Traffic Safety Administration crash-testing, the Edge scored better in side-impact crashes than in front impacts, earning three out of five stars in the frontal and four stars in the side impact. Regardless, the Edge earned a four-star overall rating. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety rated the Edge a Top Safety Pick, scoring it Good in all relevant tests. The Edge features dual-stage front airbags, front-seat side airbags and side curtain airbags for all passengers. Electronic stability control is standard, and a backup camera with backup sensors is optional. See the Edge's safety ratings here and all its safety features listed here.
Edge in the Market
Pricing for the Edge is typically on the higher end of the spectrum, as most Fords tend to be these days — before the common rebates are tacked on, anyway. Base price for the cheapest Edge, the SE trim, is $28,595, with the midlevel SEL trim ringing in at $31,995 (all prices include an $895 destination charge). All-wheel drive is a $1,950 option on every trim level.
My test car was a Limited trim with front-wheel drive and had an as-tested price of $37,125. Major options were a blind spot warning system for $480 and the voice-activated navigation system for $795. Features like dual-zone climate control, a backup camera, satellite radio, leather seating and power-folding rear seats are all standard on the Limited. See full pricing here.
There are a lot of contenders in the marketplace that are similar to the Edge in price and function. Main competitors are other five-passenger, front-wheel-drive, car-based SUVs like the Hyundai Santa Fe Sport, Nissan Murano and Toyota Venza, as well as more trucklike offerings such as the rear-wheel-drive Jeep Grand Cherokee. (See the Edge compared side-by-side with its main competitors here.) All of them offer similar amenities, some offer superior handling characteristics and fuel economy — and none of them feature the maddening MyFord Touch system or the touch-sensitive consoles. In fact, most now offer multimedia systems with voice commands that operate better than Ford's, which is ironic considering Ford was a pioneer in these systems. To its credit, the Ford is quieter than many of these competitors and features more engine choices as well. If you do opt for the Edge, just make sure it comes without MyFord Touch if you want to be satisfied with your purchase in the long run.


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Lexington, Kentucky Roof Contractor & Window Installation Services
Is it time for new or replacement windows and roofing?
The weather in Lexington, Kentucky can be unforgiving, leaving residents and business owners to scramble at the last minute to resolve issues with their roof or windows.
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What do you get with a replacement roof and windows package?
When you sit down with our project planner at your property or our offices in Kentucky no detail is left to chance. Therefore, if your goal is to save money, then our licensed window and roof contractors in Lexington will only show you options that make sense for your price range. Although we always attempt to save money for all clients, it is vital to note that safety and security are sincere concerns for our team. Therefore, we will always sell you something that will be able to stand up to the elements along with attempted theft or vandalism. So, whether you want the most deluxe windows and frames in the state or a roof that will last over 30 years, our experienced contractors will ensure that your home is adequately protected.


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New interdisciplinary Stanford University AI & Law research article: "The Right to Process Data for Machine Learning Purposes in the EU", published in Harvard Law School, Harvard Journal of Law & Technology (JOLT) Volume 34, Digest Spring 2021.
Please find a short abstract below:
Europe is now at a crucial juncture in deciding how to deploy data driven technologies in ways that encourage democracy, prosperity and the well-being of European citizens. The upcoming European Data Act provides a major window of opportunity to change the story. In this respect, it is key that the European Commission takes firm action, removes overbearing policy and regulatory obstacles, strenuously harmonizes relevant legislation and provides concrete incentives and mechanisms for access, sharing and re-use of data. The article argues that to ensure an efficiently functioning European data-driven economy, a new and as yet unused term must be introduced to the field of AI & law: the right to process data for machine learning purposes.
Data has become a primary resource that should not be enclosed or commodified per se, but used for the common good. Commons based production and data for social good initiatives should be stimulated by the state. We need not to think in terms of exclusive, private property on data, but in terms of rights and freedoms to use, (modalities of) access, process and share data. If necessary and desirable for the progress of society, the state can implement new forms of property. Against this background the article explores normative justifications for open innovation and shifts in the (intellectual) property paradigm, drawing inspiration from the works of canonical thinkers such as Locke, Marx, Kant and Hegel.
The article maintains that there should be exceptions to (de facto, economic or legal) ownership claims on data that provide user rights and freedom to operate in the setting of AI model training. It concludes that this exception is conceivable as a legal concept analogous to a quasi, imperfect usufruct in the form of a right to process data for machine learning purposes. A combination of usus and fructus (ius utendi et fruendi), not for land but for primary resource data. A right to process data that works within the context of AI and the Internet of Things (IoT), and that fits in the EU acquis communautaire. Such a right makes access, sharing and re-use of data possible, and helps to fulfil the European Strategy for Data's desiderata.
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Right to Process Data Data Sharing Access and Re-Use Ius Utendi et Fruendi Quasi Usufruct Locke Kant machine learning AI Intellectual Property European Data Act Training Datasets Database Rights copyright Trade Secrets Property Paradigm Public Domain open innovation
Thrilled to share that "The Right to Process Data for Machine Learning Purposes in the EU" has just been published in the Harvard University, Harvard Journal of Law & Technology Digest. Thank you to the JoLT editors for superb editorial support! https://jolt.law.harvard.edu/digest/The-Right-to-Process-Data-for-Machine-Learning-Purposes-in-the-EU
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QUESTION: In patients with acute lung injury or the acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), does mechanical ventilation with lower tidal volumes improve clinical outcomes?
Randomised (allocation concealed), unblinded, controlled trial with 28 days of follow up. The trial was stopped after 861 patients were enrolled.
10 university centres in the US.
861 intubated patients (mean age 51 y, 60% men) receiving mechanical ventilation who had an acute decrease in the ratio of partial pressure of arterial oxygen to fraction of inspired oxygen (PaO2:FiO2 ratio) to ≤300 (indicating onset of hypoxemia), bilateral pulmonary infiltrates on a chest radiograph consistent with oedema, and no evidence of left atrial hypertension for <36 hours. Exclusion criteria included <18 years of age, increased intracranial pressure, neuromuscular disease that could impair spontaneous breathing, sickle cell disease, severe chronic respiratory or liver disease, pregnancy, weight >1 kg per cm of height, burns on >30% of body surface area, bone marrow or lung transplantation, and an estimated 6 month mortality rate of >50%.
432 patients were assigned to lower tidal volumes (6 ml/kg of predicted body weight and an airway pressure measured after a 0.5 second pause at the end of inspiration [plateau pressure]) of ≤30 cm of water) and 429 were assigned to traditional tidal volumes (12 ml/kg of predicted body weight and a plateau pressure of <50 cm of water).
Main outcome measures
The primary outcome measures were death and number of ventilator free days before day 28.
Main results
Mortality was lower in patients treated with lower tidal volumes (p=0.007) (table⇓). The number of ventilator free days during the first 28 days was greater in patients in the lower tidal volumes group (p=0.007) (table⇓).
In patients with acute lung injury and the acute respiratory distress syndrome, mechanical ventilation with a low tidal volume resulted in decreased mortality and increased number of ventilator free days.
This study by the Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome Network supports the use of low tidal volumes in acute lung injury and ARDS, and is consistent with a previous trial.1 It differs from 3 previous negative trials2–4 by having a larger difference in tidal volumes between groups, and by having a more aggressive approach to correcting acidosis. This study provides important information about tidal volume size; however, further research is still needed to determine the importance of concurrent strategies such as positive end expiratory pressure (PEEP).
In this study, an equation based on sex and height was used to calculate a predicted body weight, which was then used to set tidal volumes. Obesity is a common problem; the use of measured body weight can inadvertently lead to the use of high tidal volume ventilation. Tidal volumes should be based on ideal versus measured body weight.
This information is relevant to nurses who care for mechanically ventilated patients. Through continuous monitoring, the nurse is positioned to identify the need for treatment changes and to communicate findings with appropriate members of the team. Low tidal volume ventilation should be initiated when the PaO2:FiO2 ratio is ≤300 in the presence of non-cardiac pulmonary oedema.
High peak airway pressures and inspired oxygen concentrations may pose additional risks for harm. The benefits achieved with low tidal volumes may be lost if the level of PEEP used is insufficient to prevent end exhalation closure of alveoli, and some patients may find low tidal volumes uncomfortable. Consequently, monitoring to ensure that prescribed ventilation is maintained, to identify additional risks (eg, increasing airway pressures), and to recognise the need for additional interventions (eg, treatment of acidosis, sedation) is important.
Source of funding: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.
For correspondence: Dr R G Brower, Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, 600 N Wolfe Street, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA. Fax +1 410 955 0036.
A modified version of this abstract appears in ACP Journal Club and Evidence-Based Medicine.


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Clever, clever Apple
Yesterday's WWDC keynote was full of surprises. It was notable not only for what it contained (updates to both iOS and OS X) but also for what it didn't contain (no new hardware). And while most of the commentary thus far has centred around the new features of Apple's two platforms, I think it's worth looking a little closer at what these features mean, especially as it relates to the competition.
Blurring the lines between desktop and mobile
Have you noticed that as we've embraced mobile devices like smartphones and tablets, we seem to be living in an increasingly fractured world? Yes, it's true that you can get to social networks like Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter easily from any device and there's no noticeable difference when switching other than screen size, but what about other tasks? We've been forced to find workarounds to overcome the fact that our so-called desktop machines (which more and more are laptops, not true desktops) and our mobile devices don't talk to one another. Evernote. Dropbox. Google Drive and Google Docs. Office 365. Gmail. As good and useful as these products are, they're band-aids. They exist because mobile operating systems and their desktop equivalents have never really known how to help users transition seamlessly between them.
What's peculiar is how accepting we users have become of this situation. Signing up for and managing a raft of products, services, accounts and passwords, all so we can keep our digital lives within easy access from whichever device we're working on.
Well, what if all of that went away?
It starts with iCloud Drive
If I were the CEO of Dropbox, yesterday's keynote would have sent a cold chill down my spine. That's because Apple's announcement of an extension to iCloud called iCloud Drive, is a direct competitor. Dropbox is great because it's simple. It is nothing more than a place in the cloud where you can store your files, retrieve them from anywhere and share them with anyone. The problem with simple though, is that it's easily duplicated and improved upon. Because iCloud Drive will offer the exact same feature set, but will also be a native component of both OS X and iOS, it will be easier to use than Dropbox. Especially if you work a lot in Apple's own suite of productivity tools: Keynote, Pages and Numbers (collectively known as iWork). And while Apple's pricing of iCloud Drive makes it more expensive on a per MB basis that Google Drive, it's cheaper than Dropbox. Can you guess which company Apple has targeted with this move?
It continues with Handoff
Of course, simply embedding a Dropbox knock-off into the OS isn't going to change anyone's world overnight (well, unless you're Dropbox's CEO), because being able to store files in the cloud isn't new and it wasn't hard to do prior to iCloud Drive. It's best to look at iCloud Drive as a highway or rail system. You need it to help people get from A to B, but without a car or train, it's only half of the solution.
The other half is breaking down the barriers between devices. If you're working on a proposal on your Mac using Pages and you've got to leave the office or home to make a meeting in an hour, why should you have to save your work and email it to yourself (if you haven't embraced the cloud yet) or save it to Dropbox (or even iCloud) and then retrieve that document on your iPad when you've boarded the subway? Or what about that detailed email you were in the middle of composing but weren't quite ready to send yet?
With Handoff—a feature that you will forget about almost as soon as you start using it—as long as you're signed in with your Apple ID, all of these activities will follow you from one device to another, as though you had never switched at all. At launch, Handoff will work with Apple's core apps like Mail, Safari, iWork etc., but developers will be able to add Handoff to their apps too.
Multiple, smart environments
Have you noticed the way that Microsoft put such a huge emphasis on making all of their versions of Windows 8 look and work similarly regardless whether you were using a full PC, tablet or smartphone? On the one hand, it creates a familiar environment on all of your devices. On the other hand, it completely misses the point. When it comes to smart devices, we need smart operating systems. That doesn't mean making all of these machines operate the same way, it means designing operating systems that make using these devices as easy and simple as possible. To achieve this, function must follow form, not vice versa.
Apple clearly gets this. Instead of doing a full revamp of OS X to make it a desktop version of iOS, or trying to cram a full version of OS X onto an iPad (ahem, Microsoft Surface), it's letting the devices themselves dictate the right user experience, while silently and invisibly connecting these disparate device in the background.
Continuity is one more reason to buy a Mac
While I absolutely believe that Apple has made these enhancements to help their customers further simplify their lives and eliminate some of the pesky irritations that our multi-device world has created, they've significantly strengthened the Apple ecosystem at the same time.
Because while iCloud Drive will offer easy access to cloud-stored documents for Windows users too, in order to benefit from the full package that Handoff offers, you'll need to own Apple hardware.
And while it's true that more and more people are beginning to work exclusively on tablets and smartphones, there's still plenty more who want a full PC. If that's you, and you don't yet own a Mac, Apple's Continuity (the name they've given the suite of products and services that enable this seamless switching process) is a compelling reason to buy one.
One more thing
There's a quote attributed to Steve Jobs that "a lot of times, people don't know what they want until you show it to them." It's been true of Apple's products more often than not. The iPod, iPhone, iPad… few of these were products that customers had been shouting for ahead of their debut, and yet, once they got their hands on them, they realized they were the products they wanted. Apple's new direction for software, in the form of Continuity, is another example of something that few people realized they needed or wanted (because we've all become so used to the band-aids). But I think that once people start using it, they'll wonder how they ever got along without it.


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January 31 @ 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm
|Recurring Event (See all)
An event every week that begins at 6:00 pm on Tuesday, repeating indefinitely
This group meets in room CB 221. Yoga is open to the community. The cost is $45 per 8-week session.


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Hawkeye Huey, who is still in kindergarten, received his first camera on a trip with his father, National Geographic photographer Aaron Huey.
The Instamatic camera launched Hawkeye's career as a photographer, taking him from Instagram star to the youngest person ever published in National Geographic, the "Today" show reported.
Two years later, Hawkeye is celebrating the release of his first book, "Cowboys Indians Hobos Gamblers Patriots Tourists & Sunsets." It's a fresh take on a classic subject — the American West — and features 120 images from the 6-year-old's many road trips with his father, who describes the book as the product of "true collaboration."


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Pontiac Township Caucus tonight
Despite missing an earlier publication deadline, the Pontiac Township Republican Party caucus will be held tonight after receiving an opinion from the State Board of Election Monday.
Township officials did not give the required 10-day caucus notice, however, it was published when a change of venue was announced late last week.
The caucus will be held at 6 p.m. tonight in St. Mary's Community Room. Registered Republicans who reside in Pontiac Township and plan to attend should use the entrance at 501 N. Chicago St.
There is one known race among township positions, and that is for township road commissioner. Supervisor Louis Lyons, who took responsibility for the publishing oversight, said the Board of Elections ruled the candidates knew well in advance the caucus date and change of venue as soon as it was made, making postponement unnecessary.


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지난달 2022 Nov. 1 ~ 30 다음달
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Visit three major sightseeing sites efficiently in Nagoya in one day
In this tour, you will visit Nagoya's three major sightseeing facilities very efficiently with a professional guide in one day. The amount of time spent at each location might be …
항구(나고야항)# Nagoya Castle # Toyota Commemorative Museum # SCMAGLEV and Railway Park
Guided Half-day Tour(AM) to Nagoya Castle & Tokugawa Museum and Garden
On this half day tour, you will be accompanied by a professional guide as you visit two historic places; Nagoya Castle and the Tokugawa Garden.
동부# Nagoya Castle # Tokugawa Garden # The Tokugawa Art Museum
Enjoy a Modern Kabuki Show with a complimentary drink in Nagoya
The show is based on a traditional Japanese myth featuring three gods who laid the foundation of this country, fighting against big Orochi dragons. Suitable for all ages and no ne…
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Nagoya Endoji Food and Cultural Tour
In this tour, you experience many aspects of this district. Historical temples and shrines dating back more than 400 years, nostalgic stores and restaurants from 80 years ago, and…
나고야역# Nagoya Endoji # Food # Cultural


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Wolf Blitzer delivers the most important breaking news and political, international, and national security stories of the day. Tune to The Situation Room weekdays 5-7pm ET on CNN.
An independent filmmaker teams up with 'Anonymous' in an effort to bring Ugandan warlord Joseph Kony to justice.
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The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer is the command center for breaking news, politics and extraordinary reports from around the world. Tune in weeknights from 5-7pm ET on CNN.
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Kyle Busch 2 for 2 at Dover with Nationwide win
Kyle Busch raced to his second victory of the weekend at Dover, taking the checkered flag Saturday in the Nationwide Series race to set himself up for a tripleheader sweep.
Busch followed his dominant win Friday night in the Truck Series with another stellar run in Nationwide. He led 124 of 200 laps for his 66th career victory in NASCAR's second-tier series. He has 134 wins spread over NASCAR's three major series.
Busch had a three-race sweep in 2010 at Bristol. He'll start second behind pole-winner Brad Keselowski on Sunday in the Sprint Cup race.
"We unloaded fast and I think we'll be OK tomorrow," Busch said.
Trevor Bayne was second, followed by Joey Logano, Matt Kenseth and Chase Elliott. Logano, the pole winner, had won the last four Nationwide races at Dover and would have tied a Nationwide record for consecutive wins at the same track with a victory.
But this one belonged to Busch. The only driver to sweep a weekend, Busch has been in this position before, but is just 1 for 8 in Cup races after winning the first two.
He was annoyed after rough practice and qualifying sessions left him feeling like perhaps he didn't have the car to win. Once the green flag dropped, Busch was behind a No. 54 Toyota he called "awesome."
"I didn't think it was, but it was," he said. "I never got the feel I was looking for during practice."
He found it when it mattered on the mile concrete track.


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The NSA Has Gathered 'Startlingly Intimate' Data On A Whopping Amount Of Ordinary Citizens
The National Security Agency has gathered "startlingly intimate" data on a vast number of ordinary citizens, according to a new report in The Washington Post based on documents provided by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden.
The NSA is far more likely to intercept conversations between ordinary internet users than terror suspects, according to the report, which was based off a four-month review of more than 160,000 emails and instant-message conversations, as well as 7,900 documents lifted from 11,000 online accounts.
The Post's report said that 9 out of 10 users found in the cache of the NSA's intercepted conversations were not the intended target. Many were Americans, and nearly half the files contained names, email addresses, and other "startlingly intimate" details of U.S. residents.
NSA analysts tried to conceal, or "minimize," about 65,000 references to these details to protect people's privacy. But the Post said it had found about 900 more additional email addresses linked to U.S. citizens that were not masked.
At the same time, the documents reveal the intercepted messages sometimes contained material of significant intelligence value. For example, the documents contain revelations about a "secret overseas nuclear project, double-dealing by an ostensible ally, a military calamity that befell an unfriendly power, and the identities of aggressive intruders into U.S. computer networks."
The Post didn't detail the specifics of these revelations to not interfere with ongoing operations.
The documents also disclose that months of tracking his communications led directly to the 2011 capture in Abbottabad of Muhammad Tahir Shahzad, a Pakistan-based bomb builder, and Umar Patek, a suspect in a 2002 terrorist bombing on the Indonesian island of Bali.
Other documents depict some intimate details about the ordinary daily lives of more than 10,000 people — telling "stories of love and heartbreak, illicit sexual liaisons, mental-health crises, political and religious conversions, financial anxieties and disappointed hopes."
The documents reviewed by the Post came from domestic NSA operations under the broad authority granted by Congress in 2008 with amendments to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, according to the Post. Since Snowden originally leaked material to journalists, intelligence officials have said these types of documents were far beyond what Snowden could have acquired.
Read the full story at the Post here.
See Also:
- Conservatives Are Purposely Making Their Cars Spew Black Smoke To Protest Obama And Environmentalists
- RANKED: The Best Smartphones In The World
- By 2045 'The Top Species Will No Longer Be Humans,' And That Could Be A Problem
SEE ALSO: SNOWDEN: Here's Everything We've Learned In One Year Of Unprecedented Top-Secret Leaks


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Our products are made of High Quality material and are of skin friendly. These can be worn over for whole day without any itching.
While we always tend to deliver the best to you , we wish you and your brother a Happy Rakhi / Raksha Bandhan.


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South Floridians are taking their New Year's resolutions seriously when it comes to debt: Average credit card balances dropped 12 percent in January from a year ago, according to the consumer website CreditKarma.com.
The average credit card debt was $5,410 in Broward and Miami-Dade counties, down $746 from January 2012 when it averaged $6,156, Credit Karma reported.
The average mortgage balance fell even more during the same time -- dropping $10,862 or 5 percent. The average home loan plunged from $205,809 to $194,947 in a year as some owners paid down their mortgages, Credit Karma found.
In fact, the entire state is in a mindset to pay down debt. Florida had one of the greatest declines in debt, dropping from $181,241 in the last three months of 2011 to $176,337 a year later. The national debt average at $186,785 is now more than $10,000 than Florida's.
Still, the housing bust and student debt remain a sore spot. Florida still has the nation's highest mortgage delinquency rate -- 12.47 percent at the end of the fourth quarter in December. The national average of 5.19 percent is less than half that.
Meanwhile, students loans in South Florida continued to rise even if they have dropped slightly in the state: The average debt load jumped 7 percent in a year to $31,852 last January in Broward and Miami-Dade counties, Credit Karma found. The state's student loan average is almost $3,000 less at $29,012, according to the website.
But rising student debt is not just limited to South Florida, said Kenneth Lin, CEO of Credit Karma.
"Student loan debt has been rising consistently across the country due to increases in tuition, prolonged unemployment which drives more people back into schools, and the increase of for-profit universities," he said in an email.
In fact, average college loan balances are now almost double the typical car loan debt in South Florida.
Auto loan balances grew nearly 6 percent in Broward and Miami-Dade with average balances at $16,629. That was up $904 from the average $29,599 a year ago.
Still, South Florida's average car loan balance was not increasing as fast as student loans.
Florida's car loan stayed basically the same, at $29,012, Credit Karma found.
email@example.com or Twitter @donnagehrke


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BYRON WIEN: The Big Risk To The Stock Market I've Been Warning About All Year Will Start To Hit Next Week (SPX, DIA, QQQ)
Blackstone vice chairman Byron Wien said in August that he was worried about the second half of 2013.
The veteran investment strategist is one of the most prominent proponents on Wall Street of the view that corporate profit margins are peaking, a phenomenon he believes will begin eating into earnings growth and become a negative catalyst for stock prices.
In January, Wien predicted that "a profit margin squeeze and limited revenue growth cause 2013 earnings for the Standard & Poor's 500 to decline below $100, disappointing investors" and causing the index to trade below 1300.
That obviously hasn't happened yet, but Wien thinks it could begin next week when the third-quarter earnings reporting season gets underway.
In his October market commentary, Wien writes:
The absence of bad news has caused investors to become optimistic. Looking at the sentiment data and reports of institutional investor polls in the United States and Europe, it is clear there is a widespread view that the world economy is improving and stocks are headed higher. This makes the market vulnerable to a shock of some kind. I have reflected on where that could come from and continue to believe earnings in the U.S. will be disappointing.
Profit margins are at a high and rising interest rates and other cost pressures should begin to show up in the third quarter reports. More than three-quarters of the companies providing guidance to analysts are encouraging them to adjust their estimates lower. Revenues so far this year have been disappointing, and that should provide a clue to possible earnings weakness as the year develops. Whether this will be enough to send the market lower remains unclear.
The yield on the 10-year U.S. Treasury note hit a multi-year high of 3.0% in early September, marking a 1.37% percentage-point rise in long-term interest rates since early May. The 10-year yield has since backed down to current levels around 2.65%, but remains significantly elevated from levels in the first half of 2013.
Wien and other adherents to the view that profit margins have peaked will finally get to test their thesis next week.
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text: Considering the way small devices are created, there are three types of small household home appliances. Items like toasters or coffee makers temperature anything. Items like meals blenders or floor cleaners shift something. A couple of kitchen appliances, such as hairdryers, do both. The electric circuits of all three varieties of home appliances are really… Continue reading Small Appliance Repair Service


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Status: Completed
In the hollow Mysterious Planet, seven kingdoms co-exist, all of them lit by the Sun's Blessing from the Kingdom of the Sun, in the middle of the planet. The light of the core sun is necessary for the continued existence of all the kingdoms. Yet, something is causing the Sun's Blessing to weaken. If something isn't done, it will be the end of life in the Mysterious Planet. Fortunately, the twin princesses of the Sun Kingdom, Fine and Rain, have been endowed with the magic of the Prominence, and are looking for a way to fix things.
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