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It seems like there's a lot of confusion out there about exactly what "dynamic range" is. It's just a not-very-good term for how much subject luminance range that a given film or sensor can capture at one go.
It gets back to looking at the world. For any given framing of the world in a camera viewfinder—call it a "view"—the subject within the frame will have a certain range of luminances. Let's say your view contains both a tree trunk in shadow as its darkest object and a patch of sunlit grass as its brightest object. Photographers tend to measure what Phil Davis called this subject brightness range (SBR) in stops (as you know, the term refers to a halving or doubling of the amount of light or the exposure). If the subject—your chosen view of the world—has a measured seven stops of difference (two to the seventh, or 1:128) between these darkest and lightest subject areas, then the SBR for that view is 7 stops.
An imager (film or sensor) typically has an engineered-in maximum capacity to record a range of brightnesses. That's what's known as its "dynamic range." (I'm going to go ahead and abbreviate dynamic range as "DR" here, but note that in sensitometry, DR means density range.) The important part of D(ynamic)R is not its absolute specification—although more is generally better and less is generally worse—but how well it matches up to the subject you're trying to record.
Different scenes or subjects can have different brightness ranges. If you put a gray cat in front of a gray concrete wall in open shade, you might have an SBR of only two or three stops. Any currently available film or digital sensor will have no trouble recording that entire range of brightnesses. And note that this doesn't depend on the actual tone of the subject: white cat on white background, black cat on black background, doesn't really matter: each might have an SBR of two or three stops. What we're looking at is the range of relative brightnesses within the view. If you have a high-contrast subject—say, bright sunlit snow and an open barn door showing its dark, unlit interior in the same view—the SBR might be 10, 12, or 14 stops or even more.
The popular way of graphing SBR and DR these days is with the histogram. (Traditionally, it was with curves, originally called "H&D" curves, for Hurter and Driffield, who first devised the method of plotting density against exposure.) In a histogram, an SBR that fits within the DR will show all of the tabulated frequencies contained entirely within the display. As you know, this provides you a bit of leeway in exposure—you can move the "lump" of the histogram a little more to the right or a little more to the left and still have all the information there, enabling easy adjustment in post processing.
Here's a very low-contrast view (i.e., a scene with a low ratio of subject luminances) and its histogram. You can see that all the values of the scene "fit" within the DR of the camera sensor. In fact, I have room on both the left and the right, so I could have given more exposure or less exposure and still captured all the information in the scene. (That's called "exposure latitude.")
Now, typically, as long as the subject brightness range is equal to or less than the dynamic range of the sensor, you don't have problems. It's when the SBR exceeds the DR that you run into problems. That's when you've got a histogram that jams up against both the left and the right sides.
Here's an extremely high contrast view (a scene with a high ratio of subject luminances). This greatly exceeds the capture device's dynamic range, meaning that you can't get adequate detail in the shadows and the highlights simultaneously.
Those are both very extreme cases, of course.
In this pedestrian but more typical situation, the camera is confronting a scene with an SBR that it simply doesn't have enough dynamic range to cope with. So the auto-exposure has done what good AE is supposed to do: it splits the difference and hopes for the best! In this case, it's given a visually realistic value to the shadowed area of the building exterior because that's what takes up most of the central part of the frame. But the highlights are much too light and you can't see much inside the open doorway at all.
You have several ways of dealing with the issue when you're on the scene making the photograph: you can expose more, to get more shadow detail, like so:
This gives you a decent amount of shadow detail through the open doorway, but at a rather heavy cost—you lose half the picture to overexposure! Even the shadowed half of the exterior is much too light.
Or you can expose less to get more highlight detail—that is, expose the brightly-lit parts of the picture properly—and let the shadows fall where they may, like so:
In this case, not only do you lose any detail inside the open doorway, but the shadowed area of the building is much too dark—far darker than the subjective impression the eye might have of open shade.
So in this case, with this scene and this camera in this particular mode (ISO 200 JPEG), you really don't have enough dynamic range to record even just the shadowed and sunlit portions of the outside of the building—never mind the interior of the garage.
Don't get me wrong—dynamic range isn't just a problem with digital. Photographers have been struggling with these issues since Talbot pointed his camera at the sunlit wall of his manor house. It's just that digital is more frustrating because it has less DR than many commonly available films did—and many films had too little, too.
Any technical property can be exploited...
I should mention here, too, that like any other technical property of photography, low DR can be accommodated aesthetically and used to good artistic effect.
Magnum photographer Alex Webb, for one, often photographs in bright tropical locales with transparency (a.k.a. slide or chrome) film that probably has no more than five stops of range. But his pictures don't typically have dynamic range problems per se. Or, I should say, if they do have such problems as a disinterested technical matter, they don't as an artistic matter. Many chrome shooters traditionally had no choice but to let all the low values go to solid black—so they learned to accommodate to this and use the black shapes as graphic elements. An example is the shot below by David Alan Harvey, from the book Divided Soul.
This shows even less DR than the last (lowest) garage shot. But the photographer has anticipated this—he knows what his materials are going to do—and he's used it to good effect.
At the other extreme, virtuoso black-and-white large-format photographers such as Ray McSavaney can create gorgeously nuanced prints from subjects with SBRs of as much as 20 stops. Don't try that at home, grasshoppahs.
A big source of confusion is the range of the display media, whether it's printing paper or a monitor or anything else. You'll constantly come across people saying that since a certain range is all you can display, then that's all the DR you can have, or can use, or whatever. Not so. Any subject brightness range can potentially be represented accurately and proportionately within a given display range—as long as you captured the brightness levels of the subject correctly relative to each other in the first place.
Where the display's range of values comes into play is in its representation of relative values in smaller areas within the image, also called "local" contrast. On a piece of paper—let's just deal with that for the moment, for simplicity's sake—you can record a range of tones from the "Dmax" (maximum black) to "paper white"—and no more. Everything has to be represented within that scale. As a general rule, paper has a much more limited range of brightnesses than most scenes do. And if your scene had, say, four or five more stops of range than your film or sensor can record, what's your "capture system" going to do with that extra information? Basically, it "dumps" successively more information into nearly featureless black or nearly featureless white (as demonstrated in the garage shots above). But what that does to the information that's left—the information that it does record, typically at only one end or in the middle of the scale—is that it increases its contrast, so that it looks more vivid. Conversely, when you take a scene with a high SBR, record it with a device with a suitably high DR, and compress it into your Dmax-to-paper-white display range, you can show all the tones relative to each other with accuracy, but your local contrast will diminish.
In order to "fit" high-SBR scenes into the image file, you have to have a capture device with high dynamic range. But the greater the SBR you capture, the lower the local contrast will be in any given part of the image once you try to match it to the limited range of the display. Again, that's because you're only recording relative values. And it's why some people can look at an illustration like Fuji's F200 high-DR-mode simulation (shown below again for reference) and actually prefer the left-hand version; it's because it has higher local contrast, even though it has less information in both the highlights and the shadows. (Look at the lit side of the frontmost whole column facing us, for example. See how the contrast of the bricks or stones is higher in the picture on the left that has the lower DR?)
So why, then, if people like higher contrast in the midtones, do photographers want devices with greater dynamic range?
The answer comes down to two things. The first is options. Creative options. Having more information in the file to start with simply gives you more creative and interpretive options for the end result. In the Fuji example, if you start with a file that looks like the one on the right, you can create the picture on the left. But if you start with a file that looks like the one on the left, you can't create the picture on the right. (You can try, using things like Shadow/Highlight in Photoshop and the Recovery slider in ACR or Lightroom. But, as most of us know all too well, those are of limited value if your SBR has exceeded the DR of your camera; you can't recover information that isn't in the file to begin with.)
The second reason is that for those who love photography because of its power to show what the world looks like, adequate DR is a critical tool in the service of realism.
State of the art
Many DSLRs have good but not great dynamic range, and so far the improvements have tended to be slow and incremental. The Sony A900 has limited high-ISO ability, but the very best dynamic range of any digital camera I've used yet. But even the mighty A900 is not perfect. (Although I think it could easily handle the garage test shot scene above without convoluted post-processing antics. At least the exterior.)
The Fuji F200 EXR sensor is interesting simply because Fuji seems to be the only company actively addressing the DR problem with sensor architecture (or at least, it's the only one telling us about it). The company made an earlier try with the Super CCD SR sensor in the S3 and S5, with marked but mixed success. The EXR sensor is another avenue of approach to the same goal. The F200, as the first EXR-sensor camera, will be the first implementation of Fuji's latest ideas on the subject, and as such will be interesting to investigate.
Remember, though, with a camera that has high dynamic range, you don't necessarily have to accept the full-range result—just as you don't have to "overcook" an HDR image that merges two separate exposures until it looks completely unrealistic. When you don't have adequate dynamic range to begin with, though, you're out of luck. From a single file, you can always get less; you just can't always get more.
Oren Grad contributed to this article and Ctein and Carl Weese read early drafts and helped with useful suggestions. Thanks to all three.
Postscript: There are a fairly large number of issues related to this subject. For instance, how to choose a camera with good DR; how to get better DR from the camera; "fixing" pictures using software; ways of reducing the contrast in the scene to match the sensor you're using, for instance with lighting; the effects of using raw capture; cases in which you want and expect to lose highlight or shadow detail; techniques to restore mid-tone contrast to a high-DR image; selective area contrast enhancement; multi-exposure HDR; and so on. In this particular essay, which is pretty long for a TOP post already, I didn't want to stray too far from the basics—can't write a textbook in a single post. However, I get the feeling this is a general topic we might well revisit. —MJ.


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It's presented as archival footage of Tony Stark conceptualizing and sketching the first Iron Man suit in 'StarkPaint' on his 'Starkintosh'. But this lovely speed painting clip is actually Apple fanatic Matt Pearce working in MacPaint on a 1984 Macintosh.
The results are no less impressive, though. Pearce creates a pixelated work of art on what is now considered ancient hardware and tools, while the majority of us couldn't create something remotely as lovely using the latest versions of Photoshop and Illustrator on a shiny new MacBook Pro. [YouTube via TUAW via The Verge]

subset: commoncrawl


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Please sign in to view pricing and inventory.
Part #80306
Please sign in to view pricing and inventory.
- Design Flexibility to Meet Any Budget. MainStreet™ offers consistent quality, good looks and is the ideal choice for homeowners looking for value with the benefits of a premium panel.
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- RigidForm™ 160 technology has been tested* to withstand wind load pressures up to 160 mph
- DuraLock™ post-formed lock design 9/16" panel projection
- .042" thickness
- Virtually maintenance free, never needs painting
- Class 1(A) fire rating
- Lifetime limited warranty
- *Single 8" Woodgrain Clapboard only available in Colonial White
Product Specifications TableProduct DetailsApplicationVinyl SidingCollectionMainStreetColorHeritage CreamManufacturer's Color Code11Exposure8 in.Product / Material CompositionVinylProduct CategoryLap SidingProduct ClassVinyl SidingProduct ProfileDouble 4 DutchlapStyleDutchlapSurface TextureWoodgrainDimensionsDimension8 in. x 12 ft. 6 in.Length12 ft. 6 in.Width8 in.Height8 in.Thickness.042 in.WarrantyWarrantyLifetime LimitedVendorVendor NameCertainteed Siding


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Jean-Michel Basquiat (French: [ʒɑ̃ miʃɛl baskija]; December 22, 1960 – August 12, 1988) was an American artist. Basquiat first achieved fame as part of SAMO, an informal graffiti duo who wrote enigmatic epigrams in the cultural hotbed of the Lower East Side of Manhattan during the late 1970s where the hip hop, punk, and street art movements had coalesced. By the 1980s, he was exhibiting his neo-expressionist paintings in galleries and museums internationally. The Whitney Museum of American Art held a retrospective of his art in 1992.
Basquiat's art focused on "suggestive dichotomies", such as wealth versus poverty, integration versus segregation, and inner versus outer experience. He appropriated poetry, drawing, and painting, and married text and image, abstraction, figuration, and historical information mixed with contemporary critique.[3]
Basquiat used social commentary in his paintings as a "springboard to deeper truths about the individual",[2] as well as attacks on power structures and systems of racism, while his poetics were acutely political and direct in their criticism of colonialism and support for class struggle.[3] He died of a heroin overdose at his art studio at age 27.[4]
On May 18, 2017, at a Sotheby's auction, Basquiat's 1982 painting, also untitled, created with oil stick and spray paint and depicting a skull, set a new record high for any U.S. artist at auction, selling for $110,500,000.


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Gleam and Luster Shimmer Brick
Be an instant sensation with the Shimmer Brick's four beautiful colors. Swirl them together for a captivating all-over glo or use each color individually to highlight and define face, cheeks and eyes Available in gleam and luster. Benefits: Exclusive antioxidant blend of vitamins A, C, E and green tea extract
Directions: Swirl together for a captivating glo or use individually to create endless dazzling looks.


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Github and POD
If you look at the Github README formatting guide you will notice a feature request for POD that yours truly left there 10 months ago.
Recently I noticed that POD's on Github were being rendered now (which may have been the case for quite a while and simply passed me by!). For eg. chromatic's Modern Perl Book outline.pod.
So I added a README.pod to my Builder repo on Github and it works taking precedence over the plain README when rendering the repo landing page.
So no need to resort to using Markdown or Textile… its POD all the way! Hats off to Github for adding POD.
This is the README.pod I ended up with after a few trial attempts:
=head1 Builder Build XML, HTML and (eventually!) other outputs in blocks =head2 VERSION version 0.04 This distribution includes the following modules: Builder (0.04) Builder::Utils (0.02) Builder::XML (0.02) Builder::XML::Utils (0.02) =head2 SYNOPSIS Using building blocks to render XML, CSS, HTML and other outputs. use Builder; my $builder = Builder->new; my $xm = $builder->block( 'Builder::XML' ); # example 1 $xm->parent( { isa => 'Mother' }, $xm->child( 'Hi Mum!' ) ); say $builder->render; # <parent isa="Mother"><child>Hi Mum!</child></parent> # example 2 $xm->parent( sub { for my $say qw/Mum Dad/ { $xm->child( "Hi $say" ); } }); say $builder->render; # <parent><child>Hi Mum</child><child>Hi Dad</child></parent> =head2 INSTALLATION To install this module, run the following commands: perl Build.PL ./Build ./Build test ./Build install =head2 DEPENDENCIES This module requires these other modules and libraries: Carp =head2 SUPPORT AND DOCUMENTATION After installing, you can find documentation for this module with the perldoc command. perldoc Builder =head2 COPYRIGHT AND LICENCE Copyright (C) 2008,2009 Barry Walsh (Draegtun Systems Ltd) This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the same terms as Perl itself.
Update 08-Dec-2009: I've now amended the GitHub README formatting guide wiki to show that POD is now a supported format
John permalinkDecember 3, 2009 9:07 pm
POD is pretty easy to write, but I don't like reading it in my text editor (that is, while I'm editing it). Much happier with Markdown (plus Pandoc-enhancements (tables, for example)).


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by editor | 8th July 2013 10:00 pm
Every revolution in history has had its counter-revolution. Internal and external forces ally, as they did in Egypt to abort the January 2011 revolution. In this revolution on 30 June 2013 they failed and they will continue to fail because the Egyptian youth both men and women who are rebelling against the Muslim Brothers , have learned the lessons of the past. Their consciousness has deepened with organization and unity.
Thirty four millions men and women went out into the streets and squares. They were determined to topple the religious government under the control of the Muslim Brothers as well as all who support them at home and abroad. They wanted to expel all who use religion for economic and political gain and to oust Morsi. The will of the people is more powerful than military, police, religious or economic weapons. Here is the lesson of human history. There is no principle higher than truth and sincerity in the quest for freedom, justice and dignity.
The Muslim Brothers' rule tried to divide the people into believers and heretics, but it failed. It tried to encourage its supporters to attack the demonstrators, but it failed. The power of the millions was like the sea that protects itself with its own strength and its tremendous waves that sweep away the jinn and the ghosts. The age of jinn, spirits and nonsense has ended. The light of knowledge, truth, love and creativity are increasing day by day.
Muslim Brothers militias killed young men and women, but the multitudes in the streets, in the neighborhoods and in the countryside kept growing. They were not afraid of the bullets, they did not retreat one step but kept advancing until they toppled the regime.
And yet, the imperialists and the Americans claim that this was not a revolution that demands a new legitimate regime but merely a crisis.
We need a new constitution that will realize the principles of the revolution: equality for all without distinction of sex, religion or class. We should not rush to presidential and parliamentary elections. We should not put the cart before the horse. We must not repeat mistakes.
Democracy is more than elections. Legitimacy means the power of the peoples more than the ballot box.
We need a communal, revolutionary leadership and not a single leader. The Muslim Brothers armed militias fired on the people and the revolution turned to the national army and the army responded. The police served the people and not the regime. This is a historical revolution and not a coup d'etat or protest movement or outraged uprising. It is a revolution that will continue until all of its goals are realized.
On July 5, I watched a group of American men on CNN threatening to cut off aid to the revolutionary Egyptian people. And I laughed out loud. I hope that they cut off this aid! Since the time of Anwar Sadat in the 1970s, this aid has destroyed our political and economic life. This aid helps the U.S. more than anyone else. This aid that goes directly into the pockets of the ruling class and corrupts it. This aid has strengthened American-Israeli colonial rule in our lands. All that the Egyptian people have gained from this aid is more poverty and humiliation.
NAWAL EL SAADAWI is the author of Women and Sex, Woman at Point Zero, The Fall of the Imam, Memoirs From the Women's Prison and A Daughter of Isis
Source URL: https://globalrights.info/2013/07/the-peoples-revolution-in-egypt/
Copyright ©2023 Global Rights unless otherwise noted.


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Wellness Natural Grain Free Wet Canned Cat Food, Chicken Pate, 3-Ounce Can (Pack of 24)
Wellness Complete Health Natural Grain Free Wet Canned Cat Food Recipes are healthy, natural cat foods for adult cats with excellent sources of protein and essential fatty acids for complete and balanced nutrition. They're made with high quality proteins, are free of added growth hormones and steroids and also include other key ingredients like sweet potatoes and carrots, essential vitamins and minerals, and fresh, whole cranberries and blueberries which are added to help maintain proper urinary tract health. In addition, hydration is extremely important to a cat's overall health and since cats do not have a strong thirst drive, Wellness Complete Health wet canned cat food recipes are a delicious and healthy way to increase your cat's moisture intake.


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Time Travellers worldwide prepare for Leap Second, on June 30th. Look before you leap!
Survivors are probably already aware how Earth's atomic clocks create a time gap of about 2 milliseconds every day. And that time tinkering scientists store up these milliseconds until they have an entire second to put back in the time continuum, creating an ideal time travel opportunity for any trained time tripper with an atomic device.
Tomorrow this will happen at 7:59:59 (EDT), or one second to midnight Universal Standard Time.
So what exactly do you need to leap on this timely opportunity? A simple can of Chernobly or a shiny Delorian?
The exact requirements remain a closely guarded secret, but true rumors today describe this: if you are IN THE AIR ie: leaping, at the EXACT moment the second is added, then you can land WHEN you want.
Easy right? In this case, all you ready need is an atomic clock monitor and a good pair of shoes. Just jump high enough and time it right and you'll come down when you want.
But how do you control when exactly? That's the real trick. What separates the true time travelers from the rest of us. And what if you live in a place that used to be the bottom of a lake or an ocean? Times can be tough!
There are other dangers. In 2008, the last leap second, there were reports of would-be leapers injured on so-called "time travel trampolines." Sure trampolines extend your air time which helps ensure a big jump, but what happens when you land BEFORE the trampoline was invented? Not to mention if you get stuck in the springs? Broken legs, that's what.
And then how do you leap back? A lot of survivors forget about this. Without an atomic clock handy, how will you ever get back to tomorrow?
Even with your own atomic wrist-watch, it could still be a year and a half before the next leap second. Do you really want to spend a whole year and a half fighting dinosaurs? Laugh if you want, but it has happened on these pages before.
So please remember to look before you leap. And please leave any tips you hear for the rest of us.


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I want to live in a world where my existence is just accepted. I don't want to have to undergo drastic physical or neurological changes to be perceived as a normal part the world. When I imagine myself in an inclusive and accepting world, I see myself as me unchanged, still disabled but simply in a world where that does not matter.
And yet this is not what people think I should see. This is evidenced by this video, produced for World Down Syndrome Day
In the video, a narrator talks about her life aspirations and goals while the actor Olivia Wilde lives them out. The implication is that the narrator cannot do those things for some reason. That reason is revealed at the end to be because she has Down Syndrome (DS). The narrator concludes with "This is how I see myself, how do you see me?"
The intent of the video is to convey that people with DS should be able to do all of the things talked about in the video. Unfortunately the way that message is delivered is deeply misguided.
It frames the narrator as wanting not only to be accepted and to have opportunities but seeing herself achieving them without Down Syndrome. It looks a lot less like the intended "I want to have what you have" and more like "I need to be fundamentally different to achieve acceptance and opportunity".
It suggests (though the producers object) that people with DS should want to be Olivia Wilde rather than themselves. From a larger standpoint it says that disabled people generally should see themselves as not being disabled.
It is unfortunate that the producers of this video felt that it would be more effective to have a nondisabled celebrity play out the life and dreams of someone with DS. Besides completely missing the mark on their stated intentions, the people who produced this video lost the opportunity to model how acceptance and inclusion can look.
The video Would have been far more poignant and entirely less infuriating if it had shown the narrator engaging in the activities she described rather than Olivia Wilde.
The use of Olivia Wilde completely undercuts not only the need for disabled people to have opportunities and acceptance because no one questions a beautiful celebrity being able to do those things. People do however regularly question not only whether disable people can do something but whether they should be allowed to.
Sure the nondisabled viewer may finish watching that video and think "of course people with DS should be able to do all those things" but the sentiment isn't likely to lead to action because without a clear guide what passes for acceptance and opportunity will be defined by nondisabled people. I promise you it will not look like the images of Olivia Wilde with someone with DS swapped in.
It's interesting that this video came out around the same time as the short film "Guest Room" starring Lauren Potter did.

Guest Room from Joshua Tate on Vimeo.

This film clearly illustrates why relying on giving nondisabled viewers "the feels" is not going to be effective because it shows so clearly how the reality of people with DS makes nondisabled people uncomfortable. Not just people like the woman in the hair salon who utters "you're so good with her" but the people closest to the protagonist and her boyfriend. His parents are really uncomfortable with the idea of the two of them becoming parents. Particularly if the baby also ends up having DS (for more on why "Guest Room" is amazing click here).
Charities and nondisabled advocates have been exploiting people's immediate gut reactions for decades. It is really easy to get people to think "of course the narrator should be accepted". It is a far harder thing to actually get them to actual acceptance.
This is why it is so important to actively confront the real discomfort that society has with the reality of the full participation of disabled people in all aspects of life, as "Guest Room" does brilliantly. It is also equally important to model and show disabled people participating and being accepted.
When we dream about a better more inclusive reality, we shouldn't show the status quo and suggest that people who don't usually fit in should have that too. We should show a world where they actually do.
Or is that really too hard for you to imagine?


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Air Conditioning & Heating of Houston Co.
The Coolest HVAC in Houston, Texas
Houston's leading provider of HVAC services is Air Conditioning & Heating of Houston Co. We offer a wide variety of services including HVAC repair, HVAC installation and HVAC contractor services. Our experienced team is committed to providing the best service possible to our customers. We offer a 100% satisfaction guarantee and are committed to providing the best prices for our services. If you are in need of HVAC services, please contact Air Conditioning & Heating of Houston Co. today. Thank you for your interest in our company!
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Houston ( (listen); HEW-stən) is the most populous city in Texas, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the Southern United States, and the sixth-most populous in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in 2020. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the seat and largest city of Harris County and the principal city of the Greater Houston metropolitan area, which is the fifth-most populous metropolitan statistical area in the United States and the second-most populous in Texas after Dallas–Fort Worth. Houston is the southeast anchor of the greater megaregion known as the Texas Triangle.Comprising a total area of 637.4 square miles (1,651 km2), Houston is the ninth-most expansive city in the United States (including consolidated city-counties). It is the largest city in the United States by total area whose government is not consolidated with a county, parish, or borough. Though primarily in Harris County, small portions of the city extend into Fort Bend and Montgomery counties, bordering other principal communities of Greater Houston such as Sugar Land and The Woodlands.
Neighborhoods in Houston, TX
Acres Homes, Bellaire Junction, Boulevard Oaks, Braeburn, Braeswood Place, Brentwood, Brooke Smith, Central Northwest, City Park, Cloverland, Crestwood/Glen Cove, East Downtown, East Houston, Fort Bend Houston, Fourth Ward
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Our Newest Profiles


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Switching to dark mode
Switching to light mode
|Porsche CS Cup - Thruxton
The use of any team names, words, trademarks, logos, or photos have been used for Descriptive Purposes only and not to show endorsement or permission to use. We are not affiliated with, nor do we have any licenses or strategic alliances with any sporting team or sporting association. All and any copyrights, trademarks, trade names used with this application are for descriptive purposes only. All trademarks, logos and copyrights are property of their respective owners. RFACTOR2, STUDIO397 and related logos are trade marks of Studio 397. All rights reserved. This application is unofficial and is not associated in any way with the Studio 397 group of companies.


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Kline, Franz
Kline, Franz, 1910–62, American painter, b. Wilkes-Barre, Pa. He studied (1937–38) in England, then settled in New York City. His first works were representational, often portraying the industrial landscapes of Pennsylvania's coal and steel towns. From 1950 on, however, Kline created large canvases of dynamically painted abstractions—shafts of jutting black on fields of scumbled white. His works often recall Chinese calligraphy but he himself denied Asian influence. His subsequent works, sometimes with notes of bright color, established his reputation as one of the most important figures in abstract expressionism.
See museum catalogs ed. by C. Christov-Bakargiev et al. (2004) and R. S. Mattison and I. Sandler (2013); memoir by F. Dawson (1967); H. Gaugh, The Vital Gesture: Franz Kline (1985).
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2023, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.
See more Encyclopedia articles on: American and Canadian Art: Biographies


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Morgenthau, Henry, Jr.
Morgenthau, Henry, Jr., 1891–1967, American cabinet officer, b. New York City; son of Henry Morgenthau. He became interested in agriculture and bought a farm in Dutchess co., N.Y., where he became an intimate of Franklin Delano Roosevelt. In 1922, Morgenthau purchased the American Agriculturalist, a leading Eastern farm journal. After Roosevelt's election (1928) as governor of New York, he appointed Morgenthau chairman of the state agricultural advisory committee and later made him state conservation commissioner. When Roosevelt became President in 1933, he appointed Morgenthau chairman of the Federal Farm Board and governor of the Farm Credit Administration. Upon the illness of William H. Woodin, Morgenthau was named (Nov., 1933) Undersecretary of the Treasury. As Secretary of the Treasury (1934–45), he administered federal tax programs that raised unprecedented revenues, supervised the sale of over $200 billion worth of government bonds to finance America's defense and war activities, and advocated international monetary stabilization. Toward the end of World War II, Morgenthau outlined his plan for controlling Germany by converting it from an industrial to an agricultural economy. The plan was briefly considered but never put into operation. Morgenthau was influential in formulating postwar economic policy at the Bretton Woods Conference, which set up the International Monetary Fund and the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (the World Bank). After resigning as Secretary of the Treasury, Morgenthau became involved in philanthropic activities.
See J. M. Blum, From the Morgenthau Diaries (2 vol., 1959–65) and the condensed version, Roosevelt and Morgenthau (1970); A. J. App, Morgenthau Era Letters (1986).
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2023, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.
See more Encyclopedia articles on: U.S. History: Biographies


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a better view of the world
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text: The Elisabetta Franchi headquarters was founded in 2008 in the building of an old pharmaceutical company. Based on the model of a simple box, the 6,000 m² building featuring modern and functional beauty is immersed in the Bolognese countryside and stylistically represents the peculiar characteristics of the brand: consistency, precision and doggedness. Glass, metal and wood blend together to define the shapes and spaces of the structure. Made with simple and essential materials, it is balanced through the use of light that reflects the materials starting with the external façade in glossy black aluminium, which gives a spectacular and functional effect to the entire complex.The two-year restyling fully respects principles of eco-sustainable architecture, giving a new splendour to the previous structure and allowing Elisabetta Franchi to express two other passions that she has in addition to fashion: architecture and design.


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Olivia Bouler doesn't have time for anything else these days except to draw and paint. But that's OK for the artistic fifth-grader, because everything she does is for the birds.
The Islip, N.Y., girl, who turns 11 on Friday, has raised an estimated $80,000 by sending her sketches and paintings of birds to people who donate to organizations helping with relief efforts in the Gulf of Mexico spill disaster.
"I do some in the mornings and some in the afternoons, and weekends are really the time for me get cracking at them," Olivia told msnbc.com on Thursday in a telephone interview as she and her parents were headed to the Gulf for a visit.
Olivia came up with the idea to help birds in the Gulf four days after the Deepwater Horizon rig exploded on April 20, killing 11 workers and triggering the nation's worst oil spill. Olivia's father's family grew up in Alabama, and she has spent vacations in the Gulf.
"Olivia heard about the oil spill and she immediately thought of the birds. She's a bird lover. She knew they were nesting and she knew the spill would bring an incredible change to their habitat," said her mother, Nadine Bouler.
So Olivia wrote to the National Audubon Society, saying she would like to help by doing drawings and giving the wildlife conservation group any money she raised. She signed it, a bit precociously, "Olivia Bouler, 11 years old and willing to help."
Thus was born Olivia's "Save the Gulf" campaign. In addition to purchasing one of Olivia's drawings, the Audubon Society collaborated with Olivia's family to create a fundraising program whereby Olivia sends one of her original paintings to anyone who donates to any of several organizations helping wildlife in the Gulf.
AOL got on board, giving Olivia her own artist's gallery on its site and donating $25,000 to Audubon in her name.
Olivia creates her artwork with heavy stock paper, Ebony pencil and watercolors. She has sent out about 150 original illustrations so far and has capped the number at 500, after which contributors will receive limited edition prints, says her mother.
The Audubon Society is overseeing the donation process.
According to wildlife officials, hundreds of pelicans, gulls, sandwich terns and other birds in the Gulf have been have been collected alive with visible oil; more than 100 oiled birds have been found dead. The numbers are expected to rise dramatically as oil blankets the sea, marshalands and the coastline.
"I really wanted to help the birds and I'm really lucky Audubon found out," Olivia says.
It takes Olivia between 15 and 30 minutes to do a drawing. Between that and media queries, there isn't much time for anything else.
"It's really crazy how many people want my drawings," Olivia says.
"I really don't mind the publicity. I don't say I love it. I don't crave it but I don't say I hate it either." At school, she says, "some kids are jealous and some kids are like,' Can I have your autograph?'"
Adds her mother, "She knows it's for a good cause. She didn't get into this to be a celebrity. She just wanted to raise some money and awareness."
Olivia's interest in birds transcends the Gulf. "I want to be an ornithologist," she says matter-of-factly.
Meantime, she says, you don't need artistic talent to pitch in with spill-relief efforts. "Try your best. You can do anything to help."


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Temperature stations are known to be affected by numerous forms of inhomogeneity. Allowing for such inhomogeneities is an interesting and not very easy statistical problem. Climate scientists have developed some homemade methods to adjust for such homogeneities, with Menne's changepoint-based algorithm introduced a few years ago in connection with USHCN among the most prominent. Although the methodology was entirely statistical, they introduced it only in climate literature, where peer reviewers tend to be weak in statistics and focused more on results than on methods.
Variants of this methodology have since been used in several important applied results. Phil Jones used it to purportedly show that the misrepresentations in the canonical Jones et al 1990 article about having inspected station histories of Chinese stations "didn't matter" (TM- climate science). More recently, the Berkeley study used a variant.
Anthony has today drawn attention to a statistical discussion of homogenization procedures, in which Demetris Koutsoyannis is a a coauthor.
In commentary on USHCN in 2007 and 2008, I observed the apparent tendency of the predecessor homogenization algorithm to spread warming from "bad" stations (in UHI sense) to "good" stations, thereby increasing the overall trend.
I requested a copy of Menne's algorithm at the time of its introduction, but was refused. While information on the algorithm has subsequently improved, I haven't subsequently had occasion to re-visit the issue. At the time, I observed:
Menne's methodology is another homemade statistical method developed by climate scientists introduced without peer review in the statistical literature. As a result, its properties are poorly known.
I expressed a particular concern that Menne's algorithm might be spreading UHI warming at low-quality stations to better-quality rural stations through biased detection of changepoints. In a comment on the Berkeley study,which used a similar method, I noted their caveat that the methodology had not been demonstrated against systemic biases (such as widespread UHI)
however, we can't rule out the possibility of large-scale systematic biases. Our reliability adjustment techniques can work well when one or a few records are noticeably inconsistent with their neighbors, but large scale biases affecting many stations could cause such comparative estimates to fail.
In a post on the application of changepoint methods to radiosonde data, I cited Sherwood's similar criticisms of changepoint methods for homogenization, noting that his criticisms were similar to mine on USHCN adjustments:
Finally, when reference information from nearby stations was used, artifacts at neighbor stations tend to cause adjustment errors: the "bad neighbor" problem. In this case, after adjustment, climate signals became more similar at nearby stations even when the average bias over the whole network was not reduced.
Working through the homogenization algorithms is not a small job and, unfortunately, it's one of many issues that I haven't pursued. Nonetheless, I've continued to be somewhat wary of changepoint algorithms as an automated method of curing defective data. My own instinct, based on practices of geologists, is that, for practical purposes, it's best not to assume that all data is of equal quality, but to work outwards from the "best" data, "best" being in terms of ex ante standards. In the case of temperature data, long rural stations with known and consistent measurement methods.
I do not plan to parse the new study or to examine the impact of the biases identified in this study on the major temperature indices. It is evident to me that it is presently warmer now than in the 19th century – a point that has never been disputed at this site. However, the statistical properties of changepoint methods deserve very close examination, and the new study by Sterou and Koutsoyannis will help to mitigate the neglect thus far of this important issue by the "community".


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As long-time readers know, I despise people who knowingly put out false medical information. (Search "Maloney" or "Moritz" for examples of my fact-filled anger.) It's irresponsible. It's dangerous. It's stupid. With the Republican War on Science, the American education system, and wide-spread religious belief, scientific facts don't need more bullshit artists out there. To do away with alternative and integrative 'medicine' practitioners would be nothing short of wonderful. These people promote unproven procedures and drugs that do nothing beyond the placebo effect. It's awful and they all ought to be ashamed.
Unfortunately, shame isn't something TV personality Dr. Oz feels easily. He recently tested grocery store apple juices for arsenic levels and determined that there was a dangerous level present. School districts have already taken apple juice off school menus. Parents are alarmed and others are concerned. "Arsenic! Why, that sounds awful! Destroy all the apples!" Except Dr. Oz, a promoter of quackery, failed to distinguish between organic and inorganic arsenic. The former is considered safe at relatively high levels whereas the latter is not. Oz just found the sum total and reported that figure (and, as it turns out, inaccurately anyway). Doctors around the country are calling on Oz to correct his fundamental error. In fact, the FDA sent him this letter before the infamous episode aired:
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is aware that EMSL Analytical, Inc. has obtained and tested 50 samples of retail apple juice for total arsenic content on behalf of Zoco Productions. It is our understanding that, based on these test results, you will assert during an upcoming episode of The Dr. Oz Show that apple juice is unsafe because of the amounts of total arsenic found in the samples.
We appreciate that you have made the results of these tests available to us. As we have previously advised you, the results from total arsenic tests CANNOT be used to determine whether a food is unsafe because of its arsenic content. We have explained to you that arsenic occurs naturally in many foods in both inorganic and organic forms and that only the inorganic forms of arsenic are toxic, depending on the amount. We have advised you that the test for total arsenic DOES NOT distinguish inorganic arsenic from organic arsenic.
The FDA has been aware of the potential for elevated levels of arsenic in fruit juices for many years and has been testing fruit juices for arsenic and other elemental contaminants as part of FDA's toxic elements in foods program. The FDA typically tests juice samples for total arsenic first, because this test is rapid, accurate and cost effective. When total arsenic testing shows that a fruit juice sample has total arsenic in an amount greater than 23 parts per billion (ppb), we re-test the sample for its inorganic arsenic content. The vast majority of samples we have tested for total arsenic have less than 23 ppb. We consider the test results for inorganic arsenic on a case-by-case basis and take regulatory action as appropriate.
The analytical method for inorganic arsenic is much more complicated than the method for total arsenic. You can find the method that FDA uses to test for inorganic arsenic at this web address:
The FDA believes that it would be irresponsible and misleading for The Dr. Oz Show to suggest that apple juice contains unsafe amounts of arsenic based solely on tests for total arsenic. Should The Dr. Oz Show choose to suggest that apple juice is unsafe because of the amounts of total arsenic found by EMSL Analytical, Inc.'s testing, the FDA will post this letter on its website.
People tried to prevent this information from being released. A number of independent labs have confirmed the safety of the apple juice Americans are buying, including the batch tested by Oz. Doctors are calling on Oz to retract his statements. At no point has it been unclear that misinformation and fear is all this quack is spreading. But has that caused Oz to correct his horribly flawed report? Nope:
Tim Sullivan, a spokesman for Oz's show, said in an interview: "We don't think the show is irresponsible. We think the public has a right to know what's in their foods."
"The position of the show is that the total arsenic needs to be lower," he said. "We did the tests. We stand by the results and we think the standards should be different."
What a load of horseshit. The show is obviously irresponsible. It just wants to create a stir because it knows its audience consists of many mothers with young children or grandchildren, many of whom drink apple juice. This is about ratings, pure and simple. Oz's test was flawed because he did not understand the difference between arsenic types. He should have known that prior to even thinking about doing any tests, he was told as much by the FDA, and now every doctor and lab in the country is telling him again. The fact that he would stand by the horseshit claim that he's just looking out for the public makes him a piece of shit.
Filed under: News, Pure bullshit | Tagged: Arsenic, Dr. Oz, FDA, Inorganic, Organic |


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Counting Twitter mentions would have you believe that Ron Paul is the most popular Republican candidate in the ongoing U.S. primaries. Umm, right.
But some social media analysis of politics is going beyond that. A partnership between Facebook and Politico announced today is one of the more far-reaching efforts. It will consist of sentiment analysis reports and voting-age user surveys, accompanied by stories by Politico reporters.
Most notably, the Facebook-Politico data set will include Facebook users' private status messages and comments. While that may alarm some people, Facebook and Politico say the entire process is automated and no Facebook employees read the posts.
Rather, every post and comment — both public and private — by a U.S. user that mentions a presidential candidate's name will be fed through a sentiment analysis tool that spits out anonymized measures of the general U.S. Facebook population.


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I'm back to the writing routine for The Way of St. Frances: From Florence to Assisi to Rome and wanted to share some of the helpful info I've learned that might not make it into the book. One example is the graphic above of the many walks of St. Frances in and around Assisi.
As I've said before, my completed book will be the first one that actually guides pilgrims on every step between Florence, Assisi and Rome. The almost-complete guidebooks are Franziskusweg, a German book (in yellow above), along with the German language Outdoor Guide by the Dutchman Kees Roodenburg (not shown). Both of these guidebooks have pilgrims taking a train for the first day out of Florence and then taking public transport the last day or two into Rome. This is too bad, since there are good walking routes at both ends.
Another popular English (plus Italian and German) guidebook is by Angela Seracchioli (in purple above). Her thick and well-researched book covers the distances between La Verna and Poggio Bustone. The Via di Francesco (dark blue) of the Umbrian Tourism Department also starts at La Verna then continues on to Rieti, where the Via di Roma (light blue) picks up for the last 100 or so kilometers.
The Cammino di Assisi (in green) is a popular route among Italians that begins with non-Frances sites at Dovadola and then finishes at Assisi. There are several smaller routes as well, like the Holy Valley routes near Rieti and the Sentiero Francescano della Pace between Assisi and Gubbio.
The challenge I faced was to find a single route that actually has pilgrims walking on foot each step of the way between Florence, Assisi and Rome. This required some scouting and help from locals who know these routes well. The resulting route is marked above in red and, modeled after the Camino de Santiago in Spain, is doable in 30 days.


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Blunt, James Gilpatrick
Blunt, James Gilpatrick, 1826–81, American physician and Union general in the Civil War, b. Hancock co., Maine. He practiced medicine in Ohio and later in Kansas, where he became associated with John Brown in antislavery activity. Blunt served in the Union forces throughout the war and was made a brigadier general in 1862. The border region of Kansas, Missouri, and Arkansas was the principal scene of his activity. He was victorious at Old Fort Wayne (Oct., 1862) and at Cane Hill (Nov., 1862). With Gen. F. J. Herron, he drove back T. C. Hindman at Prairie Grove (Dec., 1862). In 1864, Blunt was instrumental in repulsing Sterling Price's raid in Missouri.
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2023, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.
See more Encyclopedia articles on: U.S. History: Biographies


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Powered by the soul of GSX-R
GSX-S1000F, a comfortable package built for serious on-road pleasure. Meet the road with legendary performance.
Legendary Performance
From the DNA of a supersport legend comes the GSX-S1000F, a motorcycle built for real-world excitement. Beneath the slim fairing of this thrilling machine are the genuine engine and main components of the world-beating GSX-R1000. All in a comfortable package built for serious on-road pleasure. Meet the road with legendary performance.
Performance Unlimited
The GSX-S1000F is powered by a street-tuned version of the four-stroke, liquid-cooled, DOHC, 999cc, inline-four engine that became a legend in the 2005 GSX-R1000. The newly honed engine delivers smooth throttle response and immediate, controlled acceleration, so the sport rider experiences adrenaline-rushing performance.
Compact, Lightweight Chassis
Suzuki designed a new chassis in a compact, lightweight package that makes the GSX-S1000F agile and fun to ride. Every aspect of the chassis reflects a focus on great handling and control in real-world conditions from city streets to twisty mountain roads. The main frame helps to ensure nimble handling and great roadholding.
High Performance Braking Technology
The GSX-S1000F has the same top-of-the-line radial-mount Brembo monobloc calipers as the GSX-R1000. The calipers each have four opposed 32mm pistons acting on a 310mm floating-mount disc for strong stopping power.
KYB Inverted Front Forks
Newly specified 43mm KYB inverted front forks give a ride that is sporty yet plush. They have fully adjustable damping, rebound, compression and spring preload.
Advanced Rider Technology
The GSX-S1000F is equipped with some of the most advanced rider technology available, including an Advanced Traction Control System², Low RPM Assist and Suzuki Easy Start System.
Engine Type
4-stroke, 4-cylinder, liquid-cooled, DOHC
Displacement CC
Bore X Stroke
73.4 mm x 59 mm
Compression Ratio
12.2 : 1
Max Power Output
110.00kW @ 10000rpm (149.56ps)†
Max Torque
108.00N.m @ 9500rpm (79.66lb.ft)†
Transmission Type
6-speed constant mesh
Dimensions LxWxH
2115 mm x 795 mm x 1180 mm
1460 mm
Seat Height
810 mm
Ground Clearance
140 mm
Kerb Weight
214 kg
Tyre Size Front
120/70ZR17M/C (58W) tubeless
Tyre Size Rear
190/50ZR17M/C (73W) tubeless
Brakes Type Front
Disc, twin
Brakes Type Rear


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Created Equal: Clarence Thomas in His Own Words
Created Equal: Clarence Thomas in His Own Words
Special | 1h 55m 21s | Video has closed captioning.
Although Clarence Thomas remains a controversial figure, loved by some, reviled by others, few know much more than a few headlines and the recollections of his contentious confirmation battle with Anita Hill. Unscripted and without narration, the documentary takes the viewer through this complex and often painful life, dealing with race, faith, power, jurisprudence, and personal resilience.
Aired: 05/18/20
Expired: 06/01/20
Buy Now:
Problems Playing Video? | Closed Captioning


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A U.S. cybersecurity monitor on Monday described another breach of a voter election system just after after a leaked FBI report revealed two similar attacks.
In June, anonymous hackers stole administrative login credentials in an unnamed county that would have let them delete voter registration records and prevent citizens from casting ballots.
The information comes from the Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center (MS-ISAC), which monitors cyber attacks against state and local governments and shares information with the FBI. MS-ISAC is supported by the Department of Homeland Security.
The attack in June targeted a county election official through a phishing email, according to Brian Calkin, vice president of operations for the Center of Internet Security, which runs MS-ISAC.
In an interview, Calkin said the phishing email contained a malicious keylogger that stole the official's login credentials.
This gave the hackers administrative privileges to modify voter registration records in the county. If the records had been deleted, the affected citizens wouldn't have been able to vote, Calkin said on Monday. Fortunately, the attack was detected and no records had been found altered.
On Monday, Arizona's state government said that its voting system had briefly been taken offline in June due to an attack similar to what MS-ISAC found.
"A credential used by a county user to access the Arizona Statewide Voter Registration System was compromised by malware," said Matt Roberts, spokesman for the Arizona secretary of state's office, in an email. "This credential was leaked by a hacker."
Also on Monday, a leaked FBI bulletin revealed that hackers had recently targeted two unnamed state election systems. The FBI said one of the hacking attempts involved a SQL injection vulnerability, a common attack point in websites, and allowed hackers to steal voter registration records.
The FBI bulletin cites data pulled from MS-ISAC and warns election officials to be on guard against hacking attempts.
Calkin said MS-ISAC has detected a total of three states targeted in recent voting-related cyber attacks, but he declined to say which.
However, he noted that the SQL injection hack described by the FBI probably wasn't severe. Voter registration records are available to the public on request, so there's little need to steal them, he said.
"The more concerning part is the potential to possibly modify someone's voter records or delete them," he said.
Calkin couldn't say how often state election databases are targeted in cyber attacks. He also couldn't recall how hackers attempted to penetrate the election database in the third state.
"We see attacks literally every day, but it's not necessarily against voter registration information," he said.
The report of the intrusions comes as the FBI has been investigating hacking attempts into government groups. A high-profile data breach of the Democratic National Committee last month stoked fears that hackers may be trying to interfere with the U.S. presidential election. Some cybersecurity experts have blamed that attack on Russian state-sponsored hackers.
The FBI declined to comment on the breaches against the state election databases mentioned in its bulletin.
However, in addition to Arizona, Illinois is another state that has reported a recent hack of its election system. A data breach detected in July stole voter registration records for 200,000 people, said Ken Menzel, the general counsel of the state's board of elections.
Some of that stolen data includes driver license numbers and the last four digits of voters' Social Security numbers, he said. Most of the rest of the stolen data could be bought by a political committee for a small fee, Menzel said.


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Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad Scientist: Robert Zubrin
If you read our post on NASA's Mars simulation on Devon Island and felt the urge to follow (space)suit, you're in luck. The Mars Society, led by rocket scientist Robert Zubrin, is launching a four-month sim of its own next May, and it's looking for volunteers.
Six of the crew members will have to stay "in sim" for the duration - meaning that they'll follow the same procedures that a crew on true Mars would have to contend with. They'll have to wear bulky "spacesuit simulators" to venture outside the habitat, and be responsible for all the chores associated with daily life on another planet. A seventh volunteer will serve as a field support manager, taking care of the logistics and toting a shotgun when necessary to fend off polar bears.
While the NASA Haughton-Mars project does important geological work, the Mars Society sim (which is also a long-running program) focuses more on daily-life stuff: How much water would a Mars-dwelling astronaut use in a day?, Is a rover the best kind of transportation on the Martian surface?, and so on. My favorite result to come out of it so far is the discovery that "boredom shouldn't be a problem during future trips to Mars." Ya think?


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Behind the Iron Curtain: Western Music and the Soviet Collapse
The rise of Mikhail Gorbachev to General Secretary of the Soviet Union ushered in a time of general reform in Soviet Russia. This reform was not out of want, but rather out of necessity. The volatility of the international oil and natural gas markets, along with the ups and downs of the ever-struggling agricultural sector, put the very existence of the Soviet Union in jeopardy (Freeze 454-55). Gorbachev's attempts at reform forged closer relationships between east and west and opened the U.S.S.R. to certain aspects of western culture. One of the most important western influences on the culture and people of the Soviet Union at this time was western music. This mid 1980's were the first time in which western acts were allowed to tour in the U.S.S.R. and even in Soviet Russia itself. Western music encouraged and nurtured the new sense of freedom and individuality that was growing at the time. It also served as a means of protest against the failed Soviet regime.
Though the influence of western music on Soviet Society was perhaps at its zenith during the Gorbachev era, this does not mean that western music was previously unavailable or unpopular in Soviet Russia. From the 1950's onward there had been some form of a counterculture movement in the Soviet Union based around western Music. Soviet society was not immune to "Beatlemania" in the mid 1960's, which laid the foundation for future social unrest. As Mikhail Safonov states, "when a person had educated himself in the culture of the Beatles, he found he could no longer live in lies and hypocrisy" (Safonov). Western rock music continued to garner an underground following throughout the 1960's, 70's, and 80's. Russian musicians eventually began playing rock music themselves, "Rock 'n' roll entered the Soviet Union stage as an English phenomenon. The early rockers sang American or English songs, often not understanding what they were singing about" (Wells).
Though rock music continued to have an underground following in Russia, the Soviet government made continued efforts to eliminate it, due to its perceived subversive effects. A "blacklist" of banned (or "not recommended") musical groups, formally titled as "The approximate list of foreign musical groups and artists whose repertoires contain ideologically harmful compositions", was regularly updated and disseminated by the Komsomol, the Communist Party's Youth Wing (The Scotsman). A copy of the list circa 1985 and its english translation can be seen below.
Despite the previous efforts to contain and control the effect of western music in the Soviet Union, Mikhail Gorbachev's policies of detente, glasnost, and perestroika made western culture more accessible and desirable to the soviet population. Even before Gorbachev the musical barriers between east and west were being broken. In 1984 the metal band "Iron Maiden" became one of the first western bands to tour the Soviet bloc. Though the band did not play in Russia proper, they did play five shows in Poland and a handful of others in Hungary and Yugoslavia. The bands experience was captured as a documentary titled "Iron Maiden: Behind the Iron Curtain" (allmusic.com). Two years later the american artist Billy Joel went on tour in Soviet Russia. Playing shows throughout the Soviet state, including shows in Moscow, St. Petersburg, and Leningrad, Joel's tour was immensely popular with the Russian youth, many of whom now saw that there was nothing to fear from western culture. The live album "Концерт", the first live rock album ever recorded in Russia, captures one of the Leningrad shows on tape, along with the cheers and appreciation of the Russian people.
Russians themselves also began to make rock and pop music. The Gorbachev reforms brought much of the musical underground into the light of day. As James von Geldern says, "[n]ow the Moscow City Council and the Komsomol sponsored concerts, and rockers were even invited to play at the Victory Day celebration, the most traditional Soviet holiday" (von Geldern). Russian bands such as "Aquarium" found themselves embraced by the community that had previously persecuted them.
The sudden change in policy in regards to western music foreshadowed further reforms and the eventual dissolution of the Soviet Union. Day by day, the Soviet populace became more entranced by western products and culture, and the notions of individuality and freedom that were inspired by western music helped to shape the Russian state after the fall of communism.
Works Cited
Adams, Brett. "Iron Maiden: Behind the Iron Curtain." allmusic.com. 2014. http://www.allmusic.com/album/behind-the-iron-curtain-mw0000934838 (accessed December 5, 2014).
Freeze, Gregory L. Russia: A History. New York: Oxford University Press, 2009.
Safonov, Mikhail. "The Beatles: 'You Say You Want a Revolution'." History Today, 2003.
The Scotsman. "They were banned in the USSR." The Scotsman News. June 24, 2006. http://www.scotsman.com/what-s-on/music/they-were-banned-in-the-ussr-1-1412970# (accessed December 5, 2014).
von Geldern, James. "1985: The Leningrad Rock Scene." Seventeen Moments in Soviet History. 2014. http://soviethistory.macalester.edu/index.php?page=subject&SubjectID=1985tusovka&Year=1985 (accessed December 6, 2014).
Wells, Katie. "Rock Goes Russian." 20th Century Russia. November 17, 2014. http://blogs.lt.vt.edu/kwells/2014/11/17/rock-goes-russian/ (accessed December 6, 2014).
Yurchak, Alexi. Everything Was Forever, Until It Was No More. Princeton University Press, 2005.


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Tuberville's challenge: Attract Cincinnati fans
CINCINNATI - Tommy Tuberville's next challenge is to turn Cincinnati's already successful football program into something interesting enough to bring out the crowds and get other conferences interested, too.
It would help if he stuck around for a while.
The 58-year-old coach from Texas Tech brought a high-profile name to the football program when he was hired as head coach on Saturday. His predecessors were up-and-comers - an assistant at Ohio State, two Mid-American Conference coaches - who used the job as a career launch point.
The Bearcats hope Tuberville helps them become more than just a stepping stone.
"His resume, his experience speak for themselves," senior quarterback Brendon Kay said. "I think it's going to allow us to buy into what he's selling right away."
Mainly, he has to sell the program.
The Bearcats (9-3) have won or shared the Big East title in four of the last five seasons under Brian Kelly, who left for Notre Dame after three years, and Butch Jones, who left for Tennessee on Friday after his third season.
Even though they've been a success on the field, they've struggled to fill 35,000-seat Nippert Stadium. They've had to settle being a low-profile championship team stuck in a conference that's coming apart because of defections.
The Bearcats even tried to leave a few weeks ago, lobbying the Atlantic Coast Conference. It chose rival Louisville instead.
Cincinnati still could jump to a bigger conference as realignment continues in the coming years. Tuberville's hiring gives it a recognizable face for the football program that could make it more attractive to outsiders.
"It certainly was not done with that intent," athletic director Whit Babcock said. "And I want our friends in the Big East to know we're happy to compete in the league and we want to win it. So no, it was not done with that angle in mind.
"But if it gives Cincinnati more visibility - a rising tide raises all the boats."
Tuberville wasn't turned off by Cincinnati's conference instability, insisting a winning program is attractive to any conference. There are suggestions that the NCAA will eventually wind up with super conferences.
"Things will change and they're going to change every day for the next few years, and everybody knows where it's headed," Tuberville said.
He went 20-17 in three seasons at Texas Tech, where attendance increased after he was hired. The school sold 46,565 season tickets for his first year, a school record. Babcock hopes that Cincinnati, which drew only 21,171 fans for the final home game this season, will see a jump in attendance as well.
Babcock was encouraged that approximately 1,000 fans showed up at UC's basketball arena for a pep rally welcoming Tuberville on Saturday night, chanting "Tommy T" when he was introduced.
"I hope it energizes the fan base," Babcock said. "He's a great promoter, one of the most laid-back CEO-type of leaders I've ever seen. But he can be fiery, too. I like it. Time will tell."
As for how long he'll stick around ...
The last three coaches all left after three seasons, moving onto to bigger programs and bigger paychecks. Tuberville left Texas Tech after three seasons, one day after telling athletics director Kirby Hocutt that he was committed to staying with the Red Raiders.
The cycle of having a coach leave as soon as he's had a few successful seasons has stamped Cincinnati as a career launching point, a place to build a reputation before moving on to something better.
Babcock is hoping that with Tuberville, that can change.
When Babcock called Tuberville - an acquaintance from their days at Auburn and his first choice to replace Jones - he got a good feeling about longevity right away.
"I didn't even have to ask about it," Babcock said. "He said, 'You know what? If I come there to be your football coach, I'll stay.' I didn't prompt it and I know it's certainly no guarantee, but I was happy to hear that even before I could ask the question."
Tuberville knew that Cincinnati was looking for someone who was willing to treat the place more like a home than a hotel.
"You can kind of read people's minds in our business and (know) what's going on and what's happened in the past," Tuberville said. "I don't know, it just kind of hit me what the feeling was, what his feeling was. You can tell, too, even though I'm over 1,000 miles away - the attitude of what's happened and how disappointed people are in not having consistency."
The Bearcats have had consistency with those four Big East titles in five years. What they need is a jump in attendance and a coach willing to stick around for more than a few years.


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Winter 2019
Magazine highlights
Spotlight Article:
Dust-Control Strategies for Energy Upgrades
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Decarbonizing Buildings for All
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© 2013 Devore Aviation Corporation of America.


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After making kale chips, I thought why not try making other veggie chips from some of my vegetables. After all, I've seen veggie chips in the stores and thought it would be fun to try make some. So far I've done yams, beets, carrots and red potatoes. Some of them I did in the dehydrator and some I did in the oven.
For all of them I used a mandoline. Mandolines are used for slicing things very thin. The one I got was not very expensive but does the job well. It has 4 settings with #1 setting slicing the thinnest and #4 the thickest and all of the settings still slice thinner than you could do with a kitchen knife. Not having used one before, I started using #1 setting which slices super thin. I then tried #2 setting which I liked better for the dehydrator and then used the #3 setting which worked even better for both the oven and the dehydrator. It was all an experiment. Here is how I did them:
I started using the #1 setting of the mandoline to slice the yams which was too thin. Hard to believe it can slice veggies that thin. More like shavings. One big yam filled 10 trays! I like the dehydrator for these as you don't have to watch them so closely and they keep their gorgeous color. After they were done, they were paper thin. Subsequent batches I used the #2 and #3 setting which were more like a potato chip in thickness.
After cutting the slices of yams, I put lemon juice on them, about a tablespoon of olive oil and massaged them in till everything is coated.
Then I put them out on the trays. You have to spread them out being careful to not overlap them so they can crisp up.I lightly put some crushed rosemary on some of them and just lightly salted all of them. The rest just had salt but no rosemary. Experiment. I set the dehydrator to 145-150°F for 2 hours and then turned it down to 135°F till the chips were crispy. Hard to say how long they take as it depends how thin you slice them and what temperature you use. It took 2 hours for super thin and maybe 4 hours for the #2 setting on the mandoline. They should be crunchy like potato chips.
I used the#2 setting on the mandoline but think you can use the #3 setting as well for a more substantial bite. I put lemon juice and olive oil on some of them and on some of them I dipped in a cane sugar solution to make the beets sweeter-no lemon juice on those. I saw that as an ingredient in the store bought chips but afterwards felt it is not really necessary. Put on trays and lightly salt them.
I used the #2-3 setting on the mandoline. Do the same as above with just olive oil and salt.
Red potatoes
For these I decided to try them in the oven as the thought of dehydrating raw potatoes didn't really appeal to me. They were easy. I sliced them in my mandoline using the #3 setting which works well. I think they need to be a little thicker when using the oven as it gets done faster than using the dehydrator.
When using the oven to dehydrate or baking the chips, you must really pay attention. If you do them in the oven, set your oven on 250°F (the lowest setting on many ovens). They cook pretty fast-about 45 minutes. You'll have to watch them closely towards the end so not to burn them. Some recipes say set your oven at 300-400°F but when I did that they burned very quickly and were inedible.
For these I put about a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar and olive oil massaged in, then spread them out single layer on cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and then added salt on some, salt and pepper on others and salt and smoked paprika on still others. I tried onions but they turned out kinda funky.
Here are the finished potatoes.


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Mild Ale or Mild, a malty, low-alcohol session beer, is one of England's most traditional beer styles. A beer uniquely suited to cask conditioning and dispensing through a hand pump, it is enjoying a revival thanks in part to the efforts of CAMRA and the Real Ale movement. Recently, a Mild Ale, Hobson's Mild, was named Champion Beer of Britain at the 2007 Great British Beer Festival. Rudgate's Rubby Mild also took the title in 2009.
- 1 History of Mild Ale
- 2 Modern Mild Ale
- 3 Types of Mild Ale
- 4 Brewing Mild Ale
- 5 Competition Styles
- 6 Brewing a Mild
- 7 Sample Recipe
History of Mild Ale
This section is a stub.
Mild is one of, if not the, oldest beer styles in the country. Until the 15th century, ale and mead were the major British brews, both made without hops. Hops were introduced from Holland, France and Germany after this time. This also started the trend on reducing the gravity of ale, as the Hop is also a preservative, and beers had to be brewed very strongly to try to help preserve them. The hop also started the rapid decline of mead, which is only made in a very few places today.
During the First World War, malt rationing and pressure from the temperance movement led to brewers rapidly reducing the strength. Following the Second World War, as prosperity returned, mild`s popularity as a cheap ale began to fade, not being helped by being kept badly in run down pubs as the Big Brewers began to heavily promote their keg lager brands. Coupled to this was a gradual, but steady decline in heavy industry in the North and Midlands of Britain, mild`s great marketplace.
By the 1970s, the keg lager boom had seen mild's share of the market fall to around 13% and it was a shame to see a bland gassy and overpriced product, which was generally weaker than the mild it was trying to oust, succeed in many cases.
Originally it used to be a young beer that needed aged beer added to it to take the edge of it. This used to be done by brewers. In the pubs they used to collect the slops (spills) from the bitters and add this to the Mild. Some of the less scrupulous pubs used to sell more of the slops than the Mild.
It has been a battle to keep Mild in the pubs. Dark Mild is generally specific to the North of England and Pale Mild started taking over, with the up surge of "real ale drinkers" and pressure from Camra it is just about hanging on. It is not seen as a trendy drink due to its low ABV, traditionally 2.8 to 3.2% but now seems to be increasing. It's good to have a choice
Modern Mild Ale
This section is a stub.
So what is Mild? It is a beer that has tastes and textures all its own. Usually dark brown in color it is less hopped than bitters and often has a chocolatey character with nutty and burnt flavours. The darkness of dark milds can come from the use of crystal or roasted malts, however the use of inverted sugar and brewer's caramel is also common. "Chocolate," "fruity," "nutty" and "burnt" are all tastes to be found in the complexity of milds; however, not all milds are dark. Yorkshire brewed Timothy Taylor's Golden Best is one of the best examples of a light-coloured mild, as is Bank's Original--the name changed from mild to try to give it a more modern image. In Scotland, 60/- ale is similar to mild (Belhaven's being a good example).
Milds today tend to have an ABV in the 3% to 3.5% range, with of course some notable exceptions. Many craft examples of milds have higher alcohol content. Historically, mild wasn't always weaker. In the latter half of the 19th century, milds were brewed to about the same strength as bitters as a response to the demand for a sweeter beer from the working classes, and in those days most bitters were around 6% to 7% ABV.
Types of Mild Ale
For the most part, the term "Mild" or "Mild Ale" is used to refer to a traditional dark mild. However, other colors exist.
Dark Mild
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Dark Milds are generally brewed and served in the Midlands and North of the England.
Pale Mild
This section is a stub.
Ruby Mild
This section is a stub.
American Mild
Mild ale is one of the few traditional English beer styles that does not have a corresponding "American" beer style. This is probably because of the nature of Mild. American versions of English beers tend to be more bitter and higher in Americanized hop character and alcohol; but low alcohol, low bitterness, and no hoppiness are the hallmarks of Mild. Most American brewers who have tackled the style have done so in a very traditional way. It remains to see whether the growing popularity of Mild in England will lead to the development of a uniquely American version. In the meantime, the closest equivalent of Mild on the American market is the American Bock, a darker, slightly maltier version of an American lager. Pennsylvania Swankey is another traditional American style similar to a Mild Ale but brewed with aniseed for a licorice-like flavor.
Historical or Throwback Mild
This section is a stub.
Brewing Mild Ale
This section is a stub.
Mild ale is one of the easiest styles to brew, especially for beginning brewers. Its low gravity and bitterness makes it especially suitable for doing a partial boil with extract and specialty grains. It is an excellent session beer, which can make a nice change from the higher-octane styles many homebrewers favor.
Competition Styles
Both the BJCP and the GABF style guidelines recognize at least one style of Mild for competition purposes.
BJCP Style Guidelines
The BJCP defines a style guideline called simply "Mild", but which truly encompasses only a dark English mild. Other styles of mild should be entered as one of the BJCP's specialty beer styles.
GABF Style Listings
The GABF guidelines list styles for pale and dark milds. Other styles of mild should be entered as one of the GABF's specialty beer styles.
English Style Pale Mild Ale
|English pale mild ales range from golden to amber in color. Malt flavor dominates the flavor profile with little hop
English Style Dark Mild Ale
|English dark mild ales range from deep copper to dark brown (often with a red tint) in color. Malt flavor and caramel are part of the flavor and aroma profile while, licorice and roast malt tones may sometimes contribute to the flavor and aroma profile. These beers have very little hop flavor or aroma. Very low diacetyl flavors may be appropriate in this low-alcohol beer. Fruity-ester level is very low.
Brewing a Mild
This section is a stub.
Sample Recipe
Recipe: Mild Mannered Ale
Asst Brewer: the dogs
Style: Dark Mild
TYPE: All Grain
Batch Size: 23.02 L
Boil Size: 30.52 L
Estimated OG: 1.034 SG
Estimated Color: 21.0 SRM
Estimated IBU: 23.7 IBU
Brewhouse Efficiency: 65.0 %
Boil Time: 60 Minutes
3.00 kg Pale Malt, Maris Otter
0.75 kg Crystal Malt - 60L (Thomas Fawcett)
0.15 kg Chocolate Malt (Thomas Fawcett)
30.00 gm Fuggles [4.50%] (45 min)
30.00 gm Fuggles [4.50%] (15 min)
1 Pkgs Nottingham (Danstar #-) Yeast-Ale
Mash Schedule: Single Infusion, Batch Sparge. - Hot
Total Grain Weight: 3.90 kg
Name Description Step Temp Step Time
Step Add 10.18 L of water at 81.3 C 70.0 C 60 min
A classic northern dark mild like my Granddad used to drink.


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Sports and music both generate heated debate and passionate opinions. What sounds good to one person sounds horrible to another. So, it's time to fire up the iThink and put my sports thoughts on shuffle.
This edition dedicates Lupe Fiasco's song "Superstar" to Patriots backup quarterback Ryan Mallett and his first-round arm talent. Mallett would do well to heed Lupe's words: "Want to believe my own hype, but it's too untrue."
I think the Patriots are on a mission to get something for Mallett before he leaves as a free agent (and a wasted third-round pick) after this season. There are lobbyists in Washington who wish they could spin as favorably as the Patriots and their national media supplicants are on Mallett's ability. The campaign continued Thursday night with the Patriots holding out Tom Brady in their preseason opener against the Washington Redskins with the dual purpose of protecting the franchise and showcasing Mallett.
I think it's incredibly hard to judge whether a quarterback can play in real games from faux ones. In 2008, Matt Cassel led the Patriots to just two field goals in 17 preseason drives. Then when Brady went down in the season opener, Cassel proved himself to be a competent NFL quarterback. But if Mallett were so good, don't you think that Bill Belichick would be fighting to keep him as Brady's successor, and not pumping Mallett's trade value the way it was getting pumped up around May's NFL Draft?
I think Jon Lester has played his last game as a Red Sox. The Fenway Fairy Tale of Lester returning in free agency sounds nice and would be welcome, but it's not going to happen. The only way Lester ends up back in Boston is if he or the Sox take their public relations posture and make it their actual negotiating stance. The Sox have to love, admire, and respect Lester so much that they're willing to give him a market-level deal. Lester has to take the discount he has alluded to in interviews and apply it to the negotiating table. Both sides are likely to find terms more to their liking elsewhere.
I think the Sox have to wean themselves off Daniel Nava. John Farrell's insistence on playing Nava over Mookie Betts, and starting Nava on Wednesday instead of Jackie Bradley Jr., is counterproductive. Betts was sent down Thursday, after starting two of the Sox' first five games since the Great Purge. Nava, not in the lineup Thursday, started four of those five. The 31-year-old Nava was great last year with an .831 OPS, but the Sox know his ceiling. They have to find out what Betts can be and whether JBJ can hit.
I think the calls for the Red Sox to avoid Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Matt Kemp like the plague were off base. If we were to believe that Grady "Griffey" Sizemore was going to revert to his 2008 self, then why is Kemp consigned to doom? Contract size should not dictate the ability to recapture form after career-threatening injury. Sizemore is hitting now with Philadelphia, but Kemp is raking. Since the All-Star break, he has a slash line of .344/.425/.672 in 18 games and has hit as many home runs as David Ortiz (6). His 14 homers on the season equal the Sox' outfield total.
Entering Thursday, there were 16 qualified outfielders in the majors with an OPS above .800. Kemp is one of them (.819). He has a higher OPS than Matt Holliday, Adam Jones, Alex Gordon, and Yoenis Cespedes.
I think the first NFL preseason game is overrated. Every year we get all excited for the return of NFL football and the first preseason game. Then you watch it. It's devoid of action, full of ennui, and a far cry from the regular-season product. It's like expecting to eat filet mignon and getting Steak-umm. Remember Zach Sudfeld, the tight end who was the star of last year's Patriots preseason? He is a paragon for reading too much into something that means so little.
I think NFL commissioner Roger Goodell whiffed on the Ray Rice suspension. The Guardian of the Game was defensive last Friday in Canton, Ohio, at the Pro Football Hall of Fame trying to justify his two-game suspension of Rice for being charged with an assault on his fiancee, now wife.
It came off as insensitive when Goodell cited Rice's status as a first-time offender of the league's conduct rules, as if Rog were saying that Rice had to have been involved in another domestic violence incident to warrant a harsher penalty. Goodell should have suspended Rice for six games, with the possibility (probability, really) of having the sentence commuted to three.
I think Baseball Hall of Fame ballots should be public. The National Baseball Hall of Fame and the Baseball Writers Association of America announced a series of changes to the voting process last month. They include voters having to sign a code of conduct and having their names made public.
As sportswriters, we constantly demand accountability for decisions and actions from athletes. It's hypocritical not to reciprocate that accountability, especially with something as important as the Hall of Fame.
I think Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Cary Williams is going to have a lot of balls thrown his way next week, when the Patriots and Eagles hold joint practices in Foxborough.
Williams, a former Baltimore Raven, called the Patriots "cheaters" last Friday, and said it's a fact that they haven't won a Super Bowl since "Spygate." Thanks for the history lesson, Cary. Belichick feigns that he doesn't hear this stuff, but he'll have Brady send a retort loud and clear.
I think it's all quiet on the West End front for the Bruins. The Presidents' Trophy winners are manacled by the salary cap. But no forward upgrades and resting on your roster equal a tough case for improvement.
Christopher L. Gasper is a Globe columnist. He can be reached at email@example.com. Follow him on Twitter @cgasper.