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Johannesburg, South Africa's commercial capital, is home to some of the best furniture factory shops in the country. The factory shops found in different parts of this metropolis serve people from various parts of South Africa. They also cater to the broader region of Southern Africa. We have searched for some of the best factory shops in Johannesburg were you are bound to find a great deal at any time of the year.
Calgan Recliners Factory Shops
Whether you are looking for a recliner for yourself, or you want to shake things up at your parent's house, the Calgan Recliners Factory Shop is the place where you need to be. From this furniture factory shop, you can get both single seat recliners and recliner suites. It also supplies suites to the export market. Calgan Factory Shop has been operating since 2000. Over the years, the business has gained a great deal of experience in the industry.
Location: This factory shop has a number of outlets across South Africa. In Johannesburg, find them at number 10 Martin Street in Selby.
Telephone: + (27) 11 241 4800
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
Furniture Clearance Factory Store
To check how good a furniture factory shop is, checking what those who have bought furniture from it think about it. All reviews about the Furniture Clearance Factory Store depict a store where you will find the best there is. The staff members are described as not only being patient but also professional and reliable. Other customers indicate how they were impressed with the workmanship shown in the furniture they bought.
How do the people the Furniture Clearance Factory Store manage to sell such beautiful quality stuff at such affordable prices? The answer is simple, they manufacture their own furniture and then sell directly to the public without going through a middleman.
Location: Find the Furniture Clearance Factory Store at number 49 Woburn Avenue in Benoni.
Telephone: + (27) 81 766 9600
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
House of Motani
The House of Motani uses four words that everyone who is looking for furniture wants to hear when describing their products: craftsmanship, quality, and design excellence. The people at this factory shop call themselves trendsetters in South Africa by thinking in a progressive way that looks into the future. In Africa, this is the largest independent manufacturer of furniture. So you can expect to benefit from the economies of scale which allow them to sell their furniture at the lowest price possible. If you want to know the philosophy behind this furniture outlet, listen to what the founder of this business has to say: "We offer lifestyles, not just pieces of furniture".
Location: 43 Ramsay Street, Booysens, Johannesburg.
Telephone: + (27) 11 493 7721
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
Baby Furniture Direct
If you are one of those parents that want the best for their baby you should know about the place they call Baby Furniture Direct. From this factory shop, you will not only find a broad range of furniture for your little one, the members of staff will always be available to offer tips and advice. Some of the pieces you will get from here include the Two Tone Compactum, the French Sleigh Cot, the Eco Tiffany Cot, and the Bubble Cot among many other products that will ensure your infant is always comfortable.
Location: Building 3, 2nd Floor, Room 102, Kramerville Corner, 16 Desmond Street, Kramerville.
Telephone: + (27) 82 761 2707
Email: email@example.com
Rochester Factory Outlet
Rochester is a well-known name in South Africa's furniture industry. The business has been in the South African furniture industry since 1994. Their promise is that the furniture you get from them is not only timelessly elegant, it is also of the highest quality but still coming at prices that are affordable. While many shoppers would like to own a piece of furniture from this store, they often have to forego the luxury because they do not have the money to buy from the regular store. This doesn't have to be the case anymore as you can now buy from their factory shop located at the Southgate Value Mart. This factory shop ensures that everybody can now benefit from this store's philosophy: "it's not just furniture, it's Rochester".
Location: Southgate Value Mart, Rifle Range Road, Johannesburg South.
Phone: + (27) 10 005 0829
Furniture Factory
One thing you should know about the Furniture Factory is that everything they sell is made to order only. What this means is that they don't spend resources making stuff that will sit there and cause the rest of the things they sell to be expensive. This factory shop has been in operation since 2007. The company was initially started with the aim of manufacturing custom-made lounge suites only. However, it has now grown to include furniture for all parts of your home. The people at this factory shop promise that no order is either too big or too small. Every piece that leaves this shop undergoes a 12 point check to ensure that it is of the highest quality.
Location: Midrand Johannesburg
Telephone: + (27) 11 468 1440
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
Furniture Liquidation Warehouse
There is one thing that you will be sure of when you visit the Furniture Liquidation Warehouse; everything must go. The promise that the people at this factory shop make is that they transform houses into homes. They promise that their business operates on a promise: to deliver the best value at the lowest price possible. From this factory shop, you can lay bye for up to six months and be guaranteed that the price will not go up. The shop boasts that it has over 2000 products available. They deliver everything you buy here to your doorstep. If you don't know exactly what you want, speak to one of their knowledgeable members of staff.
Location: Corners Main Reef and Crownwood Road, Crown Mines Johannesburg
Telephone: + (27) 11 830 1784


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How many of us can honestly say that we've never raided the fridge at 3 a.m., egged on by an uncontrollable hunger for ice-cream? Doing this once or twice is fine, but new research says that if you make this a habit, you could be in trouble.
High blood fat levels are associated with both heart disease and diabetes. These diseases are associated with a lifestyle where humans ignore the signals of the biological clock, and eat in the evening and night.
Eating late at night increases the risk of heart disease and diabetes by raising levels of harmful blood fats, warns new research.
Shift work, in particular, is triggering the killer illnesses by leading to people eating their meals at the wrong time of day, according to the study from the National Autonomous University of Mexico.
Th elate-night snacking is a strange habit, and there are various theories as to why so many of us are inclined to raid our cupboards and fridges past our bedtime. A previous study has suggested that our craving for certain types of food — those rich in starch, salt, and sugars — late in the evening may be explained by our ancestors' needs.
Main author of the study explained that early humans did not know when and where their next meal would come from, so binge eating late in the day where possible allowed their bodies to store the energy needed for survival.
But now, our snacks are driven more by pleasure than by necessity, so their effects are much less wholesome. Researchers agree that caving in to your munchies and eating late in the evening leads to negative health outcomes, such as a heightened risk of obesity.
Again,this may not only be tied to the snacks' nutritional value, though; it might also be linked to how our bodies are programmed to work, and how our circadian or internal clocks function. Our bodies are adjusted to the natural day-night cycle, and so they tell us when we should eat, sleep, and be active.
Moreover,if the circadian clock is ignored, health and well-being are also impacted. For instance, it was found that eating outside the normal waking and activity hours may cause excess weight gain.
And now, emerging research from the National Autonomous University of Mexico in Mexico City suggests that late-night eaters may also be predisposed to diabetes and heart disease.
The new research, which was led by Prof. Ruud Buijs, suggested that"upturning" eating habits dictated by our biological clocks can lead to heightened blood fat, or triglyceride, levels. This, in turn, is linked to metabolic and heart diseases.
The new findings of the latest research work were published in the popular journal Experimental Physiology.
We should stop 'eating at times when we should sleep'
In this study Prof. Buijs and team led a series of experiments in rats, focusing on blood triglyceride levels and the impact of the circadian clock on their fluctuation.
While following their tests, the scientist team noted that when fed at the beginning of their normal rest interval, the animals displayed substantially higher triglyceride levels.
But if fed at the start of the period when their bodies were normally fully active, however, the rats did not experience the same sharp increase in blood fats.
Furthermore, following these experiments, the researchers chose to remove the part of the animals' brains that is largely responsible for regulating circadian rhythm, so that they could see whether that would impact the results.
Generally, in the brains of humans and other mammals, the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN)is tasked with keeping body clocks up and running and in sync with each other.
After the scientists removed the SCN from the rats' brains, they noticed that no matter when the animals were fed, their triglyceride levels no longer fluctuated.
Thus, the researchers concluded that if we"mess" with our normal circadian rhythm on a regular basis — for instance, by eating late at night — the way in which our bodies respond could be affected. In the case of heightened triglyceride levels, it might give rise to diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
Prof. Buijs and colleagues warn that these dangerous inverted patterns are now fairly common "in westernized countries (where late-night dinners are habitual)and in night workers." So, night owls, beware: it's best to eat early, and not to cave in to the midnight munchies.
"The fact that we can ignore our biological clock," adds Prof. Buijs, "is-important for survival; we can decide to sleep during the day when we are extremely tired or we run away from danger at night."
"However, doing this frequently — with shift work, jet lag, or staying up late at night — will harm our health in the long-term especially when we eat at times when we should sleep.
When should we eat our meals?
The best times to eat meals are the regular ones. Nutritionist Dr Kristin Eckel Mahan says that the best eating schedule is one in sync with circadian rhythms and your 'activity levels.'
She says that our bodies are most 'sensitive' to insulin - which helps us break down glucose - earlier in our day. We don't really get an uptick later on, our insulin sensitivity 'wanes as the day progresses.'
'Somebody that has a late chronotype' - tending to stay up late and get up late- 'is going to be shifted a few hours later than someone who gets up early,' Dr Eckel Mahan says.
But, whenever you getup, do eat breakfast, research says. People who at a big breakfast had 33percent lower blood triglyceride levels than people who at a big dinner,according to a 2013 study.
Circadian rhythms influence our metabolism and hunger, and eating influences our circadian rhythms. Another study showed that our bodies are able to process or 'burn' more calories at 8am than they are at 8pm. This puts people who do nigh tor rotating shift work at a distinct metabolic disadvantage.
But, Dr. Eckel Mahan says, people doing night or shift work should still eat in the active phase of their day, rather than the light one.
'The brain clock should be sort of in sync with the light-dark cycle,' and our activity and eating schedule should be in sync with the two, she says.
But for people who can't have it all, better to follow the activity phase than the light clock.'It's the idea of alignment: eat in your active phase, not your resting phase,'says Dr Eckel Mahan.
Key findings from the study
- The body is less able to process triglycerides when we eat at the wrong time, the study found
- Triglyceride build-up in the blood increases our risk of developing heart disease and diabetes
- The researchers found that when they took out the part of the brains of rats that regulates the biological clock, when they ate made no difference to triglyceride buildup in their bloodstreams
- Night and rotating-shift workers are particularly at risk because their eating schedules are inevitably out of sync with their biological clocks

subset: commoncrawl


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Jackie MacdonaldOwnerCall us now
From £14.95 per hour
Fill in the contact form below and we will get in touch with you to discuss your requirements
Have you been looking for some of the highest quality cleaning services in Cambridge? If the answer to that question is yes, you need to contact Jackie from Well Polished Cambridge. She is a dedicated individual, situated in the heart of Cambridge, who can provide you with fully insured, experienced and professional cleaners of the highest standards. If you would like any more information regarding the services that Jackie provides, she would be more than happy to help you.
Here at Well Polished Cambridge, Jackie fully appreciates how important it is to find the perfect cleaner for every client. This is because each client has their own individual needs which is why she offers you the flexibility to enjoy the important things in life. Jackie, and her team, hold great pride in sustaining their exceptional reputation for customer support and reliability. Her team also makes sure they reveal all costs and prices up front, ensuring that all customers are not misled by any hidden costs that other firms often include.
As a business, Well Polished understand it can be very daunting allowing a stranger into your home for the first time. This is why Well Polished cleaners go through full training with experienced supervisors prior to joining the team. No matter whether you are looking for regular weekly clean or you simply want to get your home in order for a special occasion, the team would be more than happy to help you. Rest assured that your assigned cleaner will be insured, reference checked, experienced and professional.
Since Jackie took charge of the cleaning services offered in Cambridge and the surrounding areas, she has received an amazing response from her clients. She also realises the importance of establishing a good relationship with her clients, whilst making sure her team are always completely happy. Her aim is to continue to grow and provide excellent services to which her customers have become accustomed.
To fully understand our cleaning services in Cambridge, the Well Polished Cambridge page is where you need to visit. On the other hand, if you would like to have an in-depth chat with Jackie regarding the wide range of services she provides, please feel free to telephone 01223 855417 or simply complete the contact form on our website and someone will get back to you as soon as possible


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Nail polish base coat
Regular price $16.00
Our fast drying base coat allows you to have a long-lasting manicure without compromising the health of your nails.
Fortifying and protecting, our base coat acts as a nail hardener while protecting the finished manicure from chipping and peeling.
Key ingredients
Garlic oil (odor free)
Garlic oil has the power to prevent nails yellowing and helps your nails to stay in health! In fact, garlic is fortifying and hardening so your nails won't break easily.
Why I am KIND
Be kind to the tips of your nails, yes, it's possible!
The majority of nail polish sold in pharmacies and supermarkets contain multiple toxic ingredients that can be harmful to you. In addition, although this information is often silenced, many nail polishes contain ingredients from animals.
Our nail polishes are 10-FREE, means they don't contain any of the 10 chemicals we usually find in regular nail polishes. They exclude formaldehyde, formaldehyde resin, toluene, camphor, DPB, xylene and paraben, perfumes and animal products from its list of ingredients.
Butyl Acetate, Ethyl Acetate, Nitrocellulose, Adipic Acid/Neopentyl Glycol/ Trimellitic Anhydride Copolymer, Acetyl Tributyl Citrate, Isopropyl Alcohol, Stearalkonium Bentonite, Acrylates Copolymer, Styrene/Acrylates Copolymer, Silica, Benzophenone-1, Trimethylpentanediyl Dibenzoate
- Avis
- Des questions
Tout simplement parfait
Ce vernis de base facilite vraiment l'application du vernis, en plus de durcir les ongles, qu'il soit appliqué seul ou non!
Ce vernis de base facilite vraiment l'application du vernis, en plus de durcir les ongles, qu'il soit appliqué seul ou non!
I used this product about 5 times so far. I've seen an improvement in the texture and strength of my nails. Will definitely keep using!
Très pratique, sèche rapidement!


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Core inflation compares exclusively regulated prices and administrative measures in taxes, while net inflation also ignores development in food prices.
Compared to February, the March core inflation impacted the aggregate inflation with 0.14 percentage points (p.p.); while the regulated prices and indirect taxes have not impacted the aggregate inflation. The food prices impacted the core inflation by 0.03 p. p. and the net inflation impacted the core inflation by 0.11 p. p.
Consumer prices kept falling for the fourth consecutive month y-o-y, the SITA newswire added. In Q1, consumer prices fell by 0.4 percent y-o-y, but rose slightly month-on-month (0.1 percent for March, compared to February).
"The reasons for the March rise in prices, or rather decline of their y-o-y decline can be found in food prices and lower fuel prices," UniCredit Bank macro-economic analyst Ľubomír Koršňák wrote. "The demand inflation remained relatively stable in March. Prices of market services – without imputed rental – and marketable goods – without fuels – remained unchanged in March, and compared to the same period of 2014, were also higher by 0.8 percent UniCredit Bank calculation), just like they were in February."
Koršňák added that for the future, there is no greater engine of inflation; and this state should remain during most of this year. Inflation should oscillate around zero (or rather slightly below zero) for most of 2015. The acceleration of y-o-y growth of prices is expected only towards the end of this year, Koršňák concluded. Despite the mild decline in prices in Slovakia, it cannot be called harmful deflation that would lead to a deflationary spiral.
The March decline in prices was milder than in the beginning of 2015, Jana Glasová, Poštová Banka analyst, wrote. She joined Koršňák in the opinion that crude oil prices impacted the development most, including the fact that they have already started increasing on world markets – which again impacted Slovak prices. The continuing decline in food and non-alcoholic beverages' prices can be ascribed to the regional crisis in Ukraine and EU sanctions against Russia.
The prices of goods and services in Slovakia will not grow this year either, Glasová concludes, adding that free train rides will push the prices in transport down until November when the effect of y-o-y price decline will fade away. The main factors impacting the inflation in Q2 will be the reviving economy, falling unemployment rate, growing salaries and free monetary policy of the European central bank.
The growth of revenues in industry in Slovakia gained momentum in February, increasing 8.3 percent; while in January it was o 2.4 percent, according to SITA. Revenues grew in mining, delivery of power, gas, steam and cold air; in industrial production; in water management and waste disposal. Month-on-month, the revenues of industrial businesses grew in February by 2.6 percent (mostly in production of vehicles; of metals and metal constructions; on PC and electronic products; and in electric facilities; while declining in chemicals). Also construction, transport and storage rose, while the revenues in the IT sector declined y-o-y but rose m-o-m.
14. Apr 2015 at 13:19 | Compiled by Spectator staff


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Weekly special coming soon
Jennie's Diner
Many restaurants are sleek, a little mysterious and minimalistic. But what's the fun in that when everyone's doing it!? Our restaurant is loud with colour, old school and lively. Making it easy to relax and enjoy the atmosphere.
Licensed outdoor patio: May-Fall (weather permitting)
What We Offer
All day breakfast, lunch and dinner, a full bakery with cupcakes, bread, jam and more. And if you really love us, show it off with some of our merchandise! T-shirts, lanyards, air-fresheners and mittens available.
They Said It First
It is a very clean place and the service is awesome and the cooks are very good. I come here often and have found my new 2nd home you could say. Jennie is very good at what she does and does it well hats off to her. Great job keep it up. – DAVID
Contact Us
Hours of Operation:
Mon-Sat: 8:00am-4:00pm
Sunday: Closed
Holidays: Closed


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Wat are the engg colleges that can take e with dis 95.1%ipe marks in chennai and bangolere
We are leading educational consultant from Bangalore.
For further details visit our website www DOT sikshacareers DOT page DOT tl
or call us at
Siksha Careers
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Lo Brusc Châtaignier - 500g
|Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
|Country of Origin
|Lo Brusc
|Honey Source
Lo Brusc
Several years ago, a distinguished gentleman brought us a jar of honey from his recent trip to Provence. After tasting this amazing honey we packed our bags and headed to Haute Provence to meet the producers.

During our visit we met both Jean, who runs the miellerie and Estelle his sister who helps keep things running smoothly. Since that first meeting, we've been bringing the Lo Brusc honeys into our store and each delivery is another opportunity to relive that visit.

Customers reviews
Maria de Lago
Chataigner (chestnut) honey
My first taste of chestnut honey from France was this past weekend when I received a gift of a jar of Chataigner honey. It was absolutely superb! This honey is not for the faint of palate, but if you like strongly flavored honey with a hint of umami & bitter, this is for you. For me, there was a lingering deliciousness of black locust blossom fragrance as well.


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Meow Monday + $100 Gift Card Giveaway
Monday, December 5, 2016
Monday, December 5, 2016
Tweeted – https://twitter.com/AlinaConn/status/805770634957586432
apicazo at umich dot edu
Fresh water, good quality food, clean litter box daily and regular visits to the vet. And it has worked – healthy, happy, playful kitties!!!
I take my cat to the vet once a year and give him high quality food.
Most definitely ensure that my li'l one goes in for their yearly check up. I also exercise my kitty inside the house.
apicazo at umich dot edu
tweet – https://twitter.com/yarbr012/status/805762508220928001 yarbr012 at gmail dot com
I make sure my cat has a fresh water supply daily, feed her cat food with wholesome ingredients, and regularly take her to the vet. yarbr012 at gmail dot com
I make sure to regularly check Pinkie out myself, feed him the best, and shower him with love to keep him in tip top shape.
Our Siamese cat Beyoncé uses S'wheat all natural cat litter which was recommended at the Humane Society when we rescued her. Most importantly, lots of cuddle time, keeps pets happy and well! Merry Christmas!
Seeing your cats makes me miss mine. I had 2 called Mouse and boots.
I make sure to feed my cat a healthy diet and get yearly checkups.
Go to the vet regularly, seek their medical advice- not dr. Googles
Pumpkin gets wellness cat food which has ingredients I like and yearly checkups.
Mr Jack gets homemade Cat food. It's much healthier.


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40,00 €
Prices incl. VAT plus shipping costs
Cheeky hildren's backpack with a sheep design
With the Green Shape label, we offer functional, environmentally-friendly products made from sustainable materials.
The german, state seal Grüner Knopf (Green Button) distinguishes textiles which have been manufactured in accordance with particularly high social and environmental standards. Read more about Grüner Knopf.
- Wir setzen uns für gute Arbeitsbedingungen und faire Löhne für alle ein. Wir sind Mitglied der Fair Wear Foundation (FWF) und verpflichten uns, die Arbeitsbedingungen in allen Produktionsstätten kontinuierlich zu verbessern. Diese werden regelmäßig kontrolliert. VAUDE hat mit dem Leader Status den höchsten Status als FWF-Mitglied erreicht.
Ready to ship today. Delivery time appr. 2-5 work days.
Product Description
Cheeky hildren's backpack with a sheep design
- anatomical, easy-adjust shoulder straps with a sternum strap
- cute, kid-friendly animal design
- with recycled materials (recycled PET, recycled hemp)
- eco-friendly production
Kid friendly and practical – that's clearly the Flocke, a friendly and practical sheep backpack for school or other adventures. Another highlight: it combines a robust 600D material (50 % recycled PET bottles) with natural materials (70 % recycled hemp and 30 % organic cotton). Its anatomical shoulder straps are truly comfortable on the way to kindergarten or a small mountain tour, the sheep's nose can also be folded upwards to accommodate a change of clothing or other accessories underneath. The two outer mesh pockets provide a home for a water bottle and rain jacket along with everything else they'll need on the go – and the main compartment zip is kid-friendly too. With reflective elements. This product is made with eco-friendly, water repellent Eco Finish and is manufactured without the use of fluorocarbons (PFC). The VAUDE Green Shape label stands for environmentally-friendly, functional products made from sustainable materials.
Developed for
Kids – Active Outdoors
Further applications
On the Go, Travel
- Model: 14311
- Weight: 220 g
- Volume: 6 l
- Dimensions: 29 x 21 x 17 cm
Complete your outfit
Features & Technologies
- Easy Fit shoulder straps are kid-friendly
- easy grip zip
- 2 side mesh pockets hold small water bottles
- wet rain jackets can be stored under the fold-up nose
- secret pocket below the nose
- reflective elements
- loop for hanging
- name label inside
Material overview Main fabric: 100% Polyester (thereof 50% recycled); 600 D Polyurethane coated 50% recycled; Contrast fabric - Face: 70% truehemp (recycled), 30% Cotton (organic); Membrane: 100% Polyurethane; 1000D PU laminated; Lining: 100% Polyamide; 200 D Polyurethane coated.
Any questions?
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Featuring wire partition cage, mezzanine, metal shelving, in plant office building and custom stairway
At Pallet Rack Systems, we began as an installation company in 1971. We've been managing projects with over a million square feet warehouse. Our install crews are highly trained to install pallet racks, shelving, mezzanines, modular offices and warehouse storage systems.
This project includes:
- Wire partition cage
- Mezzanine
- Metal shelving
- In-plant office building
- Custom stairway


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1757's 11th Annual Turkey Shoot
Sunday, November 22nd
9 AM Shotgun
4 Person Scramble
The Turkey Shoot Includes:
8 AM Hot Breakfast
18 Holes & Cart Fee
Hole in One Prizes
Prizes, Two Flights
Lunch & Awards Ceremony
Free 10-12 Pound Turkey!
Turkey Shoot Info
Celebrate Thanksgiving
Start your Thanksgiving week off right with our Annual Turkey Shoot!
Enjoy 18 holes at our award winning
golf course!
Free Turkey!
Every player gets to take home a free 10-12 pound turkey.


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All the dogs my family owned when I was growing up were outside dogs, with a giant, sun-hammered yard in which to do their business. It was my job to pick up the desiccated, hard little nuggets they left for me, but I hardly ever had to see the things get made.
So the strange divination that is required for a city dog to go is an entirely mysterious process to me. She noses around in various piles of leaves and near trees, around lampposts and gateposts, up and down blocks and blocks worth of sidewalks until she finds the magical spot, and even then she checks and double checks (her hindquarters all the while twitching into hunch in anticipation of what's to come), making absolutely sure she's got the precise square quarter-of-a-foot to do the deed she must do.
Monday, December 29, 2014
Who Knows How She Knows?
Posted by Scott Lee Williams at 10:52 PM
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Imagine your wedding shopping made easy!
We're in an age were everyone loves convenience. Well, some smart soul has brought the idea of convenience to one of the most stressful and time-consuming jobs ever made… wedding shopping and planning! London has opened it's first department store exclusively for weddings, and we love it! The Wedding Gallery is the ultimate place for engaged couples looking to plan a luxury wedding without having to traipse around hundreds of shops. Find everything you are looking for from venues to dresses and everything in between. Forget having to visit a million different shops and websites, and instead take advantage of everything being under one roof.
Lose yourself in a world of luxury. Peruse the designer dresses and shoes, and enjoy testing different perfumes and makeup brands. Industry experts will talk you through the planning process in a "unique end-to-end" experience. Honestly, you can get it all done in one place! The dream! Plan a visit by making an appointment and immerse yourself in a luxurious, relaxing and creative environment that is perfect for planning your big day.
Here are the things you can tick off your to do list:
The Dress
Menswear/ Rentals
Hair and Beauty
…and everything in between!
The Wedding Gallery, is upend and luxurious… which we know means costly. So it's perfect for bride's and grooms who want a statement wedding day but all the glitz and glamour! We think that someone should open another department store but couples on a budget… don't you? We're sure someone will think about it soon, just imagine how much of a hit it would be!
What do you think?
Do you like the idea of everything under one roof? Or do you enjoy visiting different places for what you need? We know a lot of people enjoy the shopping process, but we also know there are plenty of people who don't! Which are you? Drop us a comment in the space below and let us know your thoughts!


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By providing quality and compassionate care, we strive to make every patient's experience a positive one, without the delay, pain, and anxiety of typical hospital emergency room visits. Our staff is committed to providing the same level of care they would want for their own families. Our patients routinely compliment us on their experience, and this affirmation of patient satisfaction in our facilities makes us proud! We encourage qualified applicants to submit their resumes to email@example.com.
Austin Emergency Center offers an opportunity for emergency medicine physicians to work in a locally-managed, growing organization, founded, designed, built, and operated by local Emergency Medicine physicians. Benefits include: paid malpractice insurance, state-of-the-art emergency centers, concierge patient care emphasis, and emergency medicine practice without hospital bureaucratic constraints.
Partnership Opportunity: Work in a locally-managed, growing organization, founded, designed, built, and operated by local Emergency Medicine physicians.
We offer a range of partnership opportunities, designed to fit the needs of most physicians: these range from a moderate-level buy in, with minimal shift commitment; to minimal buy in, with a moderate shift commitment.
Currently the Austin Emergency Center enterprise has 18 partners with financial equity stakes in the various emergency room facilities.
(Currently Accepting Applications for PRN, Days, Nights, and Weekends) Responsible for greeting patients and or guests in a professional, friendly and courteous manner. Register emergency center patients by obtaining accurate patient demographic and financial information.
Currently accepting applications for PRN days, nights and weekend shifts. The registered nurse will assess patients related to chief complaints and medical needs. Administer nursing care to ill and injured patients both pediatric and adults. Administer medications and treatments per physician's orders. Provide information on health maintenance, disease prevention and follow-up through discharge instructions and planning.
We are accepting resumes for Out of Network (OON) Accounts Receivable Representatives for our 4 locations in beautiful Austin TX. We have openings for all positions in the Accounts Receivable Department; experienced PFS, coders, posters and biller/collectors.
These positions come with competitive pay and benefits. This is a remote position, our team works from their home.
If you are a self-starter and are comfortable in a fast-paced environment, please submit your resume to firstname.lastname@example.com


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06/21/2018 | 10 Interesting Facts About Ants
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Few creatures seem more mundane than the ant. Of all the insects in the world, they're probably the ones you're most accustomed to seeing. After all, they're everywhere. No, seriously: the BBC calculated that there are approximately 100 trillion ants in the world. The only continent where ants aren't everywhere is Antarctica… and it's hard to blame them for that.
For how ubiquitous ants are and how unassuming they seem, we'd forgive you for finding them kind of boring. Compared to some of the weirder, wilder insects, ants are just kind of… there--or so you might think! In reality, ants are some of the strangest, most fascinating creatures on the planet. Seriously! Don't believe us? Here are ten of the most unusual facts about ants to prove our point. You'll never look at the freakishly strong, ancient "superorganisms" (their actual name!) the same way again.
There are over 12,000 different ant species around the world.
That's a big number. None of these 12,000 ant species behave exactly the same way, either. In North America, we have the common carpenter ant, which bores through wood to make hollow living spaces. South America's bullet ant gets its name from its sting, which is so painful it feels like getting shot. South India's honeypot ants store honey gorge themselves on so much honey that you can see it inside them.
Those are just three ant species! Make no mistake, either: the other 11,997 each have their own freaky thing going on, too.
Compared to many other insects, ants have very long lifespans.
When you imagine the lifespan of your average insect, you probably think in terms of days or weeks. That's about right for some species of ant, but not all of them. Queen ants of the Pogonomyrmex Owyheei species, for example, can live for up to 40 years. Yowza.
Relative to their size, ants are one of the world's strongest creatures.
An ant, on its own, can carry an object that weighs fifty times its own body weight. That's like a 250 pound person lifting a 13,000 pound African Bush Elephant on their own. When they work in groups, ants can lift even larger weights.
Ants don't hear - at least, not the way we do.
Ants don't have ears or auditory canals like mammals do. Instead, they "hear" by feeling vibrations in the ground. Ants use specialized sensors on their feet to feel and interpret vibrations. They can even "talk" to each other by purposefully making vibrations for other ants to pick up on.
Ants are social insects.
Ants live in colonies called formicaries. These colonies adhere to a highly-specialized caste system, wherein each class is dependent on the others. Queen ants lay eggs, worker ants build and attend to the queen, and soldiers defend the colony from invaders.
Some ants make soccer ball-sized nests by sewing leaves together.
Weaver ants work together (of course) to build these unusual nests. They link their legs together to pull and bend leaves into the positions they want. Then, they use their own larvae to create the silk they'll use to "stitch" the leaves together.
The largest ant colony ever was over 3,500 miles wide.
The "supercolony" was discovered by Swiss, French, and Danish scientists in 2000. The Argentine ant (Linepithema humile) colony stretched from northern Italy across France, all the way to the Atlantic coast of Spain.
This colony was actually the result of two distinct supercolonies that collided and ended up combining into one. You could call it a "super-supercolony." The nation-spanning nest houses millions of queens and billions of workers.
Ants are pretty smart!
Many ant species have as many as 250,000 brain cells in their tiny heads. They are widely considered the world's smartest insects.
Ants are as old as dinosaurs.
A study conducted by scholars at Harvard and Florida State found that ants have existed for over 130 million years.
An ant species holds the record for fastest bite in the animal kingdom.
The appropriately-named trap jaw ant can close its jaws at up to 140 miles per hour. Ouch.
Here's a bonus eleventh fact: having an ant infestation in your business can be a troublesome burden. That one feels a little obvious, so here's another: the pros at Assured Environments can take care of ant infestations of any size or severity. If ants have made a nest in or around your property, give us a call. We can help you get them out and keep them out.


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In match number 14 of the T20 Mumbai League 2019, Shivaji Park Lions (SPL) face Triumphs Knights MNE (TK MNE) in a Group B fixture at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. Triumphs Knights MNE are placed fourth in the points table after registering their first victory of the tournament with a 38-run win over Eagle Thane Strikers. If you are looking to for live streaming online and free telecast of the Shivaji Park Lions vs Triumphs Knights (SPL vs TK MNE) match, then scroll below for all the information. T20 Mumbai League 2019 All Teams Squad: Full List of Players Participating in the T20 Tournament.
TK MNE had lost their opening two matches against Akash Tigers and SoBo SuperSonics before opening their points account in the third game. They have two points from three games so far. An all-round performance from Akash Parkar, who scored a quick-fire 34 runs from 20 balls and gave away just 21 runs in his four overs for one wicket, saw the Triumph Knights overcome Thane Strikers.
Shivaji Park Lions, on the other, have struggled to get going. They have lost both of their matches in the tournament but have played one less game than the rest. SPL are placed last in the point standings. They have suffered narrow defeats in both of their matches and will look to open their points tally with a resounding victory. T20 Mumbai League 2019 Schedule: Complete Fixtures, Match Dates, Timetable and Venue Details of the Cricket League.
When to Watch SPL vs TK MNE Live Action? Know Date, Time & Venue Details:
SPL vs TK MNE is the 14th match of T20 Mumbai League and will be played on May 20, 2019 (Monday). The match will begin at 07:30 pm IST (Indian Standard time), 02:00 pm GMT. The match between Shivaji Park Lions and Triumphs Knights MNE will be held at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai.
SPL vs TK MNE Live Streaming, Live Telecast Online & Live Score Updates
Star Sports has got the broadcasting rights for live coverage of T20 Mumbai League 2019 matches in India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Maldives, and Bhutan. SPL vs TK MNE is the 14th Mumbai T20 match and can be viewed on Star Sports 2, Star Sports 2 HD and Star Sports 3. With Star Sports owning the broadcast rights, the live streaming of Shivaji Park Lions vs Triumphs Knights MNE, T20 Mumbai League 2019 match will be available on Hotstar mobile app and official website.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 20, 2019 06:50 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).


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Carter's Cartesian Paraphrase and "Operational Autonomy": The Carter-Bostrom Anthropic Principle, the Principle of Mediocrity, and "Being No One. . ."
Tim Clark, Concordia University and
Hexagram: Institute for Research/Creation in Media Arts and Technologies
Journal of Evolution and Technology -
Vol. 17 Issue 1 – March 2008 - pgs 59-70
This paper examines Yilmaz, Ören and Aghaee's outline of present research efforts into the development of simulations that "represent the behavior of active (human) entities in the world." The paper argues that the Carter-Bostrom formulation of the anthropic principle provides a more functional set of theoretical, and pragmatic proposals to frame the issue of the simulation of human sociocognitive activity than the now standard conjunctive phrases "cognitive simulations," "Strong Artificial Intelligence," and "Strong Machinic Consciousness." More importantly, the principle of "anthropic entity(s)" was, in its original cosmological form, developed within the global context of evolutionary theory. Consequently, as an evolutionary principle, it may provide a more comprehensive, explanatory context with which to frame the possible emergence of the first fully operational artificial simulations. In its present formulation, however, the anthropic principle is insufficient with respect to two interlocking issues that are of foundational importance to the successful development of simulations. These are the principle of "operational autonomy," and a credible, theoretical response to two of the most generic, identitarian properties of (human) personhood: the folk psychological belief in "our" substantive, autonomous identity as persons possessing the property of being the person whom we experience as "me" or "I"; and the autocentric preclusion of the emergence of the concept of personhood to other forms of emergent, anthropic entities.
In particular, the work of Michel Foucault and Thomas Metzinger, Director of the Theoretical Philosophy Group at the Johannes Gutenberg Universität Mainz, may provide for just such theoretical augmentations of the anthropic principle.
Introduction: Intelligent agents, simulation, and gaming
To begin, some quotes:
Recent trends have made it clear that simulation model fidelity and complexity will continue to increase dramatically in the coming decades. For example, the beginning of the mission to build a simulated brain is already announced (Graham-Rowe, 2005). (Yilmaz, Ören, Aghaee 2006: 340.)
Using intelligent agents in simulation models is based on the idea that it is possible to represent the behavior of active entities in the world with their own operational autonomy. (Yilmaz, Ören, Aghaee 2006: 340.)
The factors that may affect decision making of agents, such as personality, emotions, and cultural backgrounds, can also be embedded in agents. Additional abilities of agents are needed to increase their intelligence and trustworthiness. Abilities to make agents intelligent include anticipation (proactiveness), understanding, learning, and communication in natural and body language. Abilities to make agents trustworthy as well as assuring the sustainability of agent societies include being rational, responsible, and accountable. These lead to rationality, skillfulness, and morality (e.g., ethical agent, moral agent). (Yilmaz, Ören, Aghaee 2006: 344.)
The rise of the thesis of S (W)AI[1] during the twentieth century is hardly surprising, given a situation where the primary exemplar for "intelligence" was human sociocultural, linguistic, and cognitive activity. A seminal example of this process of equivocation can be found in the opening paragraph of the document, A Proposal for the Dartmouth Summer Research Project on Artificial Intelligence, which was submitted to the Rockefeller Foundation in 1955, with a request for the funding to set up a conference. The document announces: "The study will proceed on the basis of the conjecture that intelligence (which is reserved for humans) can in principle be so precisely described that a machine can be made to simulate it" (McCarthy et al.: 1955).[2]
Some 51 years later, we find the computer scientists and software engineers, Yilmaz, Ören and Aghaee, announcing a similar objective concerning the development of "intelligent agents in simulation models." Setting aside the theoretical and pragmatic difficulties, and the immense ethico-juridical and theological issues that such a project engenders, this research raises foundational questions with regard to the nature of this "operational autonomy."
"Large Number Coincidences": Selection effects and the Principle of Mediocrity
In 1973, the theoretical physicist and cosmologist Brandon Carter presented his now famous (or infamous) paper, "Large Number Coincidences and the Anthropic Principle in Cosmology" (Carter 1974), at a conference to mark the five hundredth birthday of Nicholas Copernicus. The paper was ostensibly written to critique "Dirac's Large Number Hypothesis" (Dirac 1937),[3] which had been proposed by the English cosmologist Paul Dirac. In actuality, however, Carter had also directed his critique at one of the foundational principles of modern cosmology, the Generalized Copernican Cosmological Principle (Rudnicki 1995). A modern derivative of Copernicus' argument that relative to any given planetary body, the observable universe will be approximately the same, the "Generalized" version asserts that from any given point the observed universe is homogeneous and isotropic in nature. Or, conversely, according to the Principle of Mediocrity, there is no privileged point x, such that any observation(s) made from x will be privileged over any observations made from point y.
The later work of the Princeton theoretical physicist R. H. Dickie set in motion serious questions about the sustainability of the Generalized Principle. In a letter to the editor of the journal Nature, entitled, "Dirac's Cosmology and Mach's Principle," Dickie reviewed the (Hermann) Weyl | (Arthur) Eddington | (Paul) Dirac debate over the derivation of a set of extremely large dimensionless numbers with regards to specific physical and astrophysical properties of the universe. What was important about the pure numbers for the gravitational coupling constant G, the Hubble age of the universe T, and, the mass of the universe M relative to its visible limits was that all had surprisingly, numerologically coincidental orders of magnitude. Why? Dickie's response was contained in a brief letter published in a 1961 issue of the journal Nature where he offered[4] what Carter would formulate as the argument from the "anthropic principle."
Dickie noted that if there is, as Dirac had argued, an underlying causal connection between the three numbers with respect to the physics at the quantum and cosmic levels, then for this argument to hold, one would have to hypothesize that this connection was "independent from time." The issue of the value of T was significant because Dirac had argued that, given the evolutionary nature of the universe, it must be expected that each of the pure numbers would vary over time. Dickie suggested that if one were to assign a random value to T taken from a large number of possible values, then "the present (actual) value would have a low a priori probability." Consequently, the present correspondence between the numbers "would have been highly unlikely." Dickie's proposal to resolve the issue was to argue that, given the relative evolutionary age of the universe, T cannot take on a large range of values insofar as they are limited by a time-constrained, reciprocal inter-relationship between the physico-biological "requirements to make physicists" (Dickie 1961), and the presence of these same physicists to carry out the required observations. As Abraham Zelmanov proposed in his dissertation, Chronometric Invariants,
The Universe has the interior we observe, because we observe the Universe in this way. It is impossible to divorce the Universe from the observer. The observable Universe depends on the observer and the observer depends on the Universe. If the contemporary physical conditions in the Universe change then the observer is changed. And vice versa, if the observer is changed then he will observe the world in another way. So the Universe he observes will be also changed. If no observers exist then the observable Universe as well does not exist. (Zelmanov 1944.)
In 2004, at a Colloquium held at the Collège de France, Carter reflected back on his 1974 paper on "Large Number Coincidences"(Carter 2004). He used the occasion to propose a revised definition of his original formulation of "the Anthropic Principle" in light of the history of sometimes highly controversial interpretations of his proposal. In his 1974 paper, he had provided for both "Weak," and "Strong" versions of the Principle. As he stated, "these predictions do require the use of what may termed the anthropic principle to the effect that what we can expect to observe must be restricted to the conditions necessary for our presence as observers" (Carter 2004). In its "Weak" formulation, his statement asserts the trivially self-evident claim that to make any observations there has to be an observer, be that "observer" an instrument or a physicist, and of course, the presence of an observable. However, his formulation could also be interpreted as a Strong version of the principle that appeared to permit far less defensible claims such as Zelmanov's, "If no observers exists then the observable Universe as well does not exist."
In light of these issues, Carter explicitly reformulated it as a Bayesian "microanthropic" principle which asserts as follows:
the a priori probability distribution for our own situation should be prescribed by an anthropic weighting, meaning that it should be uniformly distributed, not over space time (as the ubiquity principle would require), but over all observers sufficiently comparable with ourselves to be qualifiable as anthropic.[5]
The Oxford philosopher and mathematician Nick Bostrom later reformulated Carter's concept of "observer(s)": any given "observer(s) in any particular brain state (subjectively making an observation e)" (Bostrom 2005). Another of Bostrom's revisions was a strengthening of the Bayesian, probabilistic mode of statistical analysis with the addition of the "Self-Sampling Assumption" (SSA): "One should reason as if one were a random sample from the set of all observers in one's reference class" (Bostrom 2002). The SSA foregrounds the two central theoretical assumptions of the Anthropic Principle. The first is the use of Bayesian, probabilistic analysis, while the second is the epistemological concept of "observer(s)." The second is the most crucial component because the reference class of the concept can include any entity that functions in an observational mode, be it an instrument or a "physicist."[6] The most important member of the class is, as Bostrom notes, any "brain state (subjectively making an observation e)." This class is the foundational premise of the Anthropic Principle – the Argument from the First Person.
Carter's "Paraphrase" and the (Anthropic) Argument from the First Person
In the same 1974 paper, Carter, as a concluding codicil to his formulation of the Strong Principle, paraphrased Rene Descartes' famous assertion concerning reasoned thought as, "I think therefore the world is such as it is" ("cogito ergo mundus talis est") (Carter 1974: 294).
For Descartes, indefeasible epistemological claims must arise from the methodical, universal application of a hyperbolic, skeptical interrogation of the contents of, and relation between, introspective, self-reflective consciousness (res cogitans) and sensate experience of the body and the external world (res extensa). Application of hyperbolic skepticism can call into question the contents of all introspective and sensate experience; however, the very activity of the cogito is its own guarantee, since to deny the presence of the act of thinking would be to generate a logically contradictory claim. As Descartes notes, "So that it must, in fine, be maintained, all things being maturely and carefully considered, that this proposition (pronunciatum) I am, I exist, is necessarily true each time it is expressed by me, or conceived in my mind" (Descartes 1901).
The core of Descartes' project was initiated in the great section of the First Meditation, where he laid out the sceptical arguments concerning dreaming and non-dreaming states, and, of course, the penultimate, unbounded argument from the "Evil Genius," or the Argument from Theocentric Stability.[7] Using reasoning founded on the Thesis of Similarity with respect to the traditional Platonic argument from "epistemically distinct worlds" (Newman 2005), Descartes concluded that the Evil Genius argument was false. He argued that the sensate world, and its relation to the methodic process of thinking, were grounded in a theologically-based denial of the possibility of error and certainty. Speaking of the deity whose existence he believed he had demonstrated, Descartes wrote,
it follows that existence is inseparable from him, and therefore that he really exists: not that this is brought about by my thought, or that it imposes any necessity on things, but on the contrary . . . the necessity of the existence of God, determines me to think in this way. (Descartes 1901.)
Consequently, at the center of First Person (Anthropic) experience is the perpetual presence of deconstructibility – of systemic doubt and error. This is the case because if there is no other (third person) ground than the activity of the cogito, then any first order knowledge claim(s) and consequent derivations drawn from these initial claim(s) must, themselves, be subject to second order constraint of the very activity of the cogito: the presumably untranscendable limiting condition on all first order experiential activity.[8] Bostrom puts this well:
Observation selection effects are an especially subtle kind of selection effect that are introduced not by limitations in our measurement apparatuses but by the fact that all evidence is preconditioned on the existence of an observer to "have" the evidence and to build the instruments in the first place. (Bostrom 2005)
To understand the problem of error and systemic doubt is to understand that Descartes confronts two correlative epistemological issues: naive realism; and the problem of first person to third person data.[9] These two issues are structurally interrelated. The success of resolving the latter issue is derivative of our success in theoretically exposing the naivety of humanity's everyday sense of reality with regards to consciousness' interaction with the world. One might call this naivety the taken-for-granted nature of phenomenal experientiality, in that what "I" or "we" experience is what we experience. Eo ipso, two of the most important and difficult theoretical issues to emerge from Descartes' work are, can one autonomize folk psychological understandings of self-consciousness from naive realism, and two, if one is to argue successfully that one can, then that success is contingent upon the further success of the attempt to reground the argument for the presence of an autonomized self-consciousness in third person data.
Famously, Descartes' realization also represented the strong – metaphysically dualist – principle of the irreducibility of the contents of mind, inasmuch as mind cannot be framed in terms of theoretical (machinic-physicalistic) explanations, or conversely, the non-extensibility thesis: that theoretical explanations cannot be extended to consciousness (res cogitans), inasmuch as they are restricted to the domain of nature (res extensa).[10] In the setting of contemporary philosophy of mind, the Australian philosopher David Chalmers has remarked, with regards to the non-extensibility thesis, that there is an "explanatory gap . . . between the functions and experience," with respect to the apparent dualism between the naive realism of first order, conscious experience and machinic-physicalistic explanations of human phenomenal experientiality.
This remark occurs in Chalmers' seminal 1995 paper, "Facing Up to the Problem of Consciousness," where he addresses the nature of qualia, the sense that when we are given explanations in terms of the physics of light, of neurobiology, of the constructionist mediation of discursive systems, we are still left with "our" experience of the seamless, immersive sense of being in the world. As Chalmers notes,
Why is it that when electromagnetic waveforms impinge on a retina and are discriminated and categorized by a visual system, this discrimination and categorization is experienced as a sensation of vivid red? We know that conscious experience does arise when these functions are performed, but the very fact that it arises is the central mystery. There is an explanatory gap . . . between the functions and experience, and we need an explanatory bridge to cross it. A mere account of the functions stays on one side of the gap, so the materials of the bridge must be found elsewhere. (Chalmers 1995.)
"Are You Living in a Computer Simulation" and the question of autonomy
In 2003, the Swedish philosopher Nick Bostrom published his paper, "Are You Living in a Computer Simulation?" (Bostrom 2003). In his conclusion, he notes as follows:
Based on this empirical fact, the simulation argument shows that at least one of the following propositions is true: (1) The fraction of human-level civilizations that reach a posthuman stage is very close to zero; (2) The fraction of posthuman civilizations that are interested in running ancestor-simulations is very close to zero; (3) The fraction of all people with our kind of experiences that are living in a simulation is very close to one. (Bostrom 2003.)
Bostrom's paper has generated much controversy, especially given its somewhat science-fiction-like quality. The paper itself is part of a larger debate concerning "Doomsday," or human extinction, scenarios that have their roots in Carter's work, in particular his 1983 paper, "The Anthropic Principle and its Implications for Biological Evolution." I will not rehearse Bostrom's argument, nor necessarily agree, or disagree with the paper's conclusions; rather, I will remark on two unmentioned reasons that I suggest underwrite some of the resistance to the very idea that human beings could, in actuality, be simulatable, if we define simulation as our development of artificial entity(s) that operationally achieve sociocognitive parity with humans. The first is the threat that such a possibility poses to two of the most generic, identitarian properties of personhood – the belief in our substantive, autonomous identity as persons possessing the property of being the person whom we experience as "me" or "I." The second is "our" autocentric relationship to other forms of living, and emergent entities.
"Operational Autonomy," "Being No One" and the Principle of Mediocrity
Imagine a given person x, negotiating the contingencies of a posteriori experience – what Alan Turing called the "Informality of Behavior." That is, they live one day out of all the days that constitutes their life; a day being normatively defined as a 24-hour day starting at 12:01:01 AM and ending at 11:59:59 PM. Formally, they have to negotiate a given set B ÊÊ(A È A-) where B is the subset of all possible decision scenarios that must be made on, for example Thursday, March 27, 2007, and where (A È A-) represents the totality of all possible implemented and unimplemented decisions. Furthermore, whatever decisions are decided and acted upon by x, these decisions will be a function of: one, intentionalized, and, non-intentionalized (unconscious) mental processes and two, third person, contingent events occurring during Thursday.[11] Therefore, given that (A È A -) delineates N possible epistemic alternatives, B represents a potentially infinite set of alternatives.
We certainly have at our disposal a number of meta-analytical frameworks to select from as we attempt to understand how x negotiates the day of Thursday, March 27, 2007. For example Michel Foucault's work provides a potentially very important framework because his radical nominalism underscored the a priori, interlocking (theoretical) constraints of discursive "formations," "enunciative fields" and the ever present movement of power relations – the "micro-physics of power"[12] – each of which provides explanatory support for a constructionist, socio-political understanding of a history that both enables and constrains human "operational autonomy."
What certainly would not be present is any appeal to the traditional epistemic descriptions of phenomenological experientiality, empiricist theories of referentiality, or the naive realism of the folk psychological categories of "personality," "emotions," and "learning" deployed by Yilmaz, Ören and Aghaee. Furthermore, in Foucault's case, the use by each person of the term "I" has no function other than its indexical, enunciative role as nominative and objective personal pronouns spread out on the plane of discursivity and power relations. Notwithstanding its genuine explanatory potential, a theory like Foucault's cannot satisfactorily take into account any everyday situation where each human person must be functionally autonomous. Foucault's formulation of the concept of freedom with respect to human action is simply not plausible as it stands.[13]
Any theory of "operational autonomy" must envision modes of autonomous human action that take into account the theoretical pragmatics of decision procedures that our everyday lives require for us to function in the first place. Furthermore, Foucault certainly would not have accepted the commensurable position that human discursive, socio-political, and quotidian history are embedded in, and constrained by the evolutionary history of a specific anthropic entity referenced by the species-determinate class "human beings(s)."[14]
Notwithstanding these points of dispute concerning positions like Foucault's, there is a significant point of intersection between his nominalist critique of the Cartesian-Kantian, autocentric tradition of the transcendental "I," and, one of the most interesting neuro-philosophical bodies of work to emerge in recent years on the question of consciousness and self-consciousness. Thomas Metzinger, Director of the Theoretical Philosophy Group at the Department of Philosophy of the Johannes Gutenberg-Universität, Mainz, has remarked, "The 'phenomenal first-person perspective' is one of the most fascinating natural phenomena we know, and in a certain sense we are this phenomenon ourselves" (Metzinger 2004a).
In describing consciousness as a natural phenomenon, care must be taken in how we are too interpret this phrase: it is quite easy to infer a folk psychological reading that references an experience to which we attribute existential substantiveness. Like Foucault, Metzinger denies that any naïve readings of "things" indexed by the personal pronouns "I," "you," "we," "she," or "him" have any ontological status. As the title of his most recent monograph makes clear, "we" are "No One" (Metzinger 2004b).[15] Metzinger describes his approach theoretically as PSM (the "phenomenal Self-Model): a "virtual" "simulation" or "avatar" that is systemically generated at the operative level of the neurobiological, neurocomputational, and functionalist activity of the brain. As a "pre-reflective," evolutionary development, this "episodically active representational entity" permits "us" to experience the world phenomenally as a non-representational, immersively transparent experience. Accordingly, it generates an illusionary (virtual) experience of a "singular, temporally extended experiential self" functioning in the world.[16]
Metzinger argues that we can never, under "traditional" folk and philosophical conditions, convert acts of self-reflexive introspection into meta-reflective acts of self reflection on first person consciousness, insofar as its nature is "nonconceptual," "subdoxastic" and "phenomenally transparent." Consequently, "we" are, by definition, always fundamentally in error with regards to some aspect about our(selves) and the world. Metzinger states:
What makes a phenomenal representation transparent is the attentional unavailability of earlier processing stages in the brain for introspection. The instruments of representation themselves cannot be represented as such, and hence the system making the experience, on this level and by conceptual necessity, is entangled in a naïve realism: In standard configurations, one's phenomenal experience has an untranscendably realistic character. (Metzinger 2004b.)[17]
Setting aside the issue of whether Metzinger's arguments are sustainable as philosophical proposals, his work is now playing a major theoretical role in the "Cronos Project" that is being funded by the Engineering and Research Council (UK).[18] Headed by Professors Owen Holland and Tom Troscianko, the project has an "adventurous" research objective: it seeks to develop the first robotic entity to display Strong Machinic Consciousness (SMC). Whether this project will fail or not is, for me, not the question that must be addressed since there is a far more profound issue that we all may have to face. The history of (S)AI research is riddled with repeated failure that has become one of a number of contributing factors fostering the continued presence of an autocentric belief in our own uniqueness. Granting the fact that from an evolutionary standpoint "we" are extremely rare, this fact can not then be used to support the stronger claim that "we" are absolutely unique.
As Carter realized, the Generalized Copernican Cosmological Principle was having a detrimental effect on cosmological research, hence his counter proposal of the Anthropic Principle. It is important to understand that this did not sideline the Principle of Mediocrity. The point of the Anthropic Principle is that it was not proposed to establish our uniqueness, but rather to note that, as a particular type of evolutionary, Anthropic entity, we must take into account the selection effects being human has on research. One interpretation of the Mediocrity Principle is that there is no privileged Anthropic entity x, such that x can be privileged over Anthropic entity y. I strongly suggest that what we may, conditions permitting, have to confront critically is the emergence of new forms of anthropic entities, be they robotic, or, as Yilmaz, Ören and Aghaee note, simulable "agent societies (that) include being rational, responsible . . .accountable . . . trustworthy . . . an ethical agent, moral agent."
I recommend that anyone who maintains a strongly skeptical position with regard to the arguments of Yilmaz, Ören and Aghaee read the 2006 report, "Roboethics Roadmap," issued by the European Robotics Research Network from which, to finish, I quote:
In terms of scope, we have taken into consideration – from the point of view of the ethical issues connected to Robotics – a temporal range of a decade, in whose frame we could reasonably locate and infer – on the basis of the current State-of-the-Art in Robotics – certain foreseeable developments in the field. For this reason, we consider premature – and have only hinted at – problems inherent in the possible emergence of human functions in the robot: like consciousness, free will, self-consciousness, sense of dignity, emotions, and so on. Consequently, this is why we have not examined problems – debated in literature – like the need not to consider robots as our slaves, or the need to guarantee them the same respect, rights and dignity we owe to human workers. Likewise, and for the same reasons, the target of this Roadmap is not the robot and its artificial ethics, but the human ethics of the robot's designers, manufacturers and users. (Veruggio 2006: 22.)
It is the first time in history that humanity is approaching the threshold of replicating an intelligent and autonomous enitity. This compels the scientific community to examine closely the very concept of intelligence – in humans, animals, and of the machines – from a cybernetic standpoint. (Veruggio 2006: 7 and 22.)[19]
[1] S(W)AI, or the principles of Strong and Weak Artificial Intelligence, were first proposed by the American philosopher John Searle to distinguish between Weak AI and Strong AI which, in his seminal 1980 paper "Minds, Brains, and Programs," he described as follows: "according to strong AI, the computer is not merely a tool in the study of the mind; rather, the appropriately programmed computer really is a mind."
[2] This was also the first time that the phrase "Artificial Intelligence" appeared in print. However, neither McCarthy nor Alan Turing was responsible for the birth of the neural computational thesis. It was first presented in the paper by McCulloch and Pitts, "A logical calculus of the ideas immanent in nervous activity" (1943).
[3] Dirac (1974) states: "The Large Numbers hypothesis asserts that all the large dimensionless numbers occurring in Nature are connected with the present epoch, expressed in atomic units, and thus vary with time. It requires that the gravitational constant G shall vary, and also that there shall be continuous creation of matter. The consistent following out of the hypothesis leads to the possibility of only two cosmological models. One of them, which occurs if one assumes that the continuous creation is a multiplication of existing matter, is Einstein's cylindrical closed Universe. The other, which occurs if one assumes the continuous creation takes place uniformly through the whole of space, involves an approximately flat Minkowski space with a point of origin where the Big Bang occurred."
[4] 4 The Russian physicist and mathematician Abraham Zelmanov was the first to propose a modernist version of the argument from anthropic experience (see Rabounski 2006). The Serbian physicist Milan Cirkovic traces the conceptual framework for anthropic arguments back to the work of Empedocles of Acragas "(sixth to fifth century BC) " (see Cirkovic 2002).
[5] There is little doubt that Carter's Bayesian formulation was drawn from Bostrom's work given the citation of Bostrom's work (see Bostrom 2005).
[6] The SSA must be premised, a priori, on the existence of an observer who is, by definition, epistemologically-constrained. Hence, Bostrom's important addition of SSA to Bayesian analysis. See the following section on Descartes for a detailed elaboration of the problematics surrounding the role of the observer.
[7] Michael Hanby notes that "Descartes' fundamental principle negates the traditional God only to reconstruct him as a causal hypothesis and guarantor of clear and distinct ideas."
[8] It is important to reiterate the foundational role that Descartes gives to his reconstructionist program through his pivoting of the project on first person, epistemic experientiality – each individual person's first hand, or "first person" interaction with the world. Thus anyone who initiates an epistemological investigation of the world must, by definition, commence from their individuated cognitive activity, and, there must, by definition, exist the philosophical possibility that, in the face of the methodological application of systemic skepticism, there are object(s) or event structure(s) in the world that are the cause of experiences in the first place. And further, they must presume that they, as humans, are capable of rationally substantiating their experiences of this "world."
[9] The most succinct contemporary formulation of the "problem" is given in (Chalmers 2004): "The task of a science of consciousness, as I see it, to systematically integrate two key classes of data into a scientific framework: third-person data, or data about behavior and brain processes, and first-person data, or data about subjective experience. When a conscious system is observed from the third-person point of view, a range of specific behavioral and neural phenomena present themselves. When a conscious system is observed from the first-person point of view, a range of specific subjective phenomena present themselves. Both sorts of phenomena have the status of data for a science of consciousness."
[10] An extremely influential variant of this tradition is represented by the work of Michel Foucault. The major difference is, of course, Foucault's rather behaviorist principle of "exteriority" which jettisons the Cartesian theory of mind. As is well known, Foucault argues that we do not have a "mind" at all.
[11] For example, tripping over an ant. No matter how remote, or absurd, the possibility of someone actually tripping over an ant is, this scenario is logically possible. One cannot, in the face of the principle of contingency, assert a priori what will, or will not occur on that Thursday.
[12] The phrase "micro-physics of power" was first used by Foucault in Discipline and Punish: The Birth of the Prison (English translation 1977). This is one of a complex series of second-order explanatory concepts that Foucault used to explicate the inter-relationship between persons, as discursive-physicalistic entities, and the pragmatics (political) power as a "micro" localized, historical process.
[13] This is hardly surprising, given Foucault's longstanding, critical interest in Kant's anthropology. We should remember that Foucault's 1961 doctoral dissertation, "Introduction to Kant's anthropology from a pragmatic point of view," was supervised by the French philosopher and physician Georges Canguilhem, one of the most important, and influential, neo-Nietzschean philosophers of science, and, most crucially, of biology, in the twentieth century.
[14] Foucault's work is not the only theoretical model for articulating a structural relationship between Metzinger's proposals concerning the primacy of phenomenal experientiality and the materiality of a history that is embodied in discursive, institutional, and productive practices that also frame human action. Clearly, the work done, and being done in the cognitive sciences, analytic philosophy, and the neurosciences is of enormous importance. There is, though, a poor, if not non-existent, understanding of the constitutively functional role of the complexities of the various, and, at times, incommensurable histories that are also evolutionary determinants in the emergence and ongoing socio-cognitive life of humanity. What Foucault's work does provide is one alternative to understanding how these "histories" operate with respect to the issue of cognition and the world. A prime indicator of this problem is the ever-present referencing in Metzinger's work of the inter-locking precepts of folk psychology and naive realism. As discussed later in this paper, Metzinger is quite cognizant of the problematics of "getting around" these precepts if his arguments are to be sustained. The difficulty is that the precepts mask a highly problematic form of explanatory reductionism when it comes to understanding the mediative force of the discourses, institutions, and the "micro-physics of power" in the life of humans. It is clear that a great deal of the literature that Metzinger is steeped in views this "force" as either non-existent or a mere "naïve" "folk" add-on, or worse, as an epiphenomenon of the neurocomputational, informatic and neurobiological functionality of the brain, rather than as the determinative constituents of our understanding of the nature of mind and its interface with the world.
[15] This rather dramatic title has led itself to some misunderstanding of Metzinger's work. He himself has stated that the title of an earlier work – Subject and Self-Model: The Perspectivalness of Phenomenal Consciousness Against the Background of a Naturalist Theory of Mental Representation – is better suited as a description of the content of Being No One.
[16] The distinction between consciousness and self-consciousness is essential to Metzinger's theory. Phenomenal experientiality is comprised of immersive consciousness (PSM) and, self-consciousness as directed intentionality, what he refers to as the "Phenomenal Model of the Intentionality Relation (PMIR)."
[17] There is little question that attempting to formulate a theoretical, naturalistic (evolutionary) model of first person consciousness leads to some very difficult epistemological and methodological problems for Metzinger. As he states, "In standard configurations, one's phenomenal experience has an untranscendably realistic character." The key phrase here is "In standard configurations." It is important to note that Metzinger explicitly locates his work within the historical context of the objectives of the high, eighteenth-century scientific Enlightenment. In particular, this involves an historical, if not utopian, vision of the progressive amelioration and development of the human condition through the accumulation of scientific knowledge. But, as Metzinger himself noted with regard to a foundational, initial point for some of the philosophical framework for the Enlightenment, the Cartesian program for the revealing, in its full transparency, an ontology of the content, if not nature, of self conscious identity – such a project is always "entangled in a naïve realism." The issue is how Metzinger resolves the problem of disentangling "naïve realism" from his own theoretical model for phenomenal consciousness. His response is implied by the phrase "In standard configurations," by which he refers to traditional practices that have been endemic to philosophy such as phenomenological, discursive, logical, and, of course, metaphysical analysis. Metzinger first, and foremost, structurally harnesses these traditions directly to the rapidly emergent, post-war disciplines of the cognitive and neurosciences, and to philosophies of mind strongly constructed around computationalist-functionalist and neural-computationalist explanatory models. While there is nothing new in this, he has also, more radically, immersed himself in the research areas of psychiatry, neuro-psychiatry, and neurology in order to develop and test his PSM model, based on the methodological and operational premise that one can reverse engineer his models in light of experimental work into the etiology of a number of severe cognitive and psychiatric disorders where our normative personal, inter-personal, and inter world modes of cognition have been seriously disrupted, or worse, completely collapsed.
[18] However, I recently met Dr. Holland at a conference in Prague where he told me that the project is on hold because his present funding has run out.
[19] Notwithstanding Dr. Veruggio's predictive remarks concerning humanity's "approaching the threshold of replicating an intelligent and autonomous enitity," this observation cannot be taken a face value. As I have already mentioned, the history of (S)AI claims and predictions is littered with failure, backpedaling, and programmatic restructuring. Whether these entities will actually emerge depends on the resolution of a number of extremely complex scientific and philosophical issues, and must be also weighed against a host of economic, socio-political, ethical, and ecological factors that could militate against their successful development. In the section of his book titled "Is artificial subjectivity possible? Could there be non-biological phenomenal selves?", Metzinger considers in some detail the theoretical and methodological constraints that would have to be in place to achieve, or not achieve, SMC. During this review, he addresses what he refers to as the "Big Technological Dream" (620). In his discussion of the possibility of the successful implementation of SMC, at least in the short term, he also underscores emerging work in the research areas of "cognitive robotics" and "hybrid biorobotics" that may eventually be successful. Setting aside the question as to whether these efforts will achieve success, Metzinger, more importantly, asks why we should even consider going forward with this research: "Put very simply, we would dramatically increase the amount of suffering, misery and confusion on the planet . . . it is not at all clear if the biological form of consciousness, as a desirable form of experience, an actual good in itself, something that one should keep on multiplying without further thought" (620) … "Phenomenal experience is not something to be unconditionally glorified. Among many other new properties, biological self-consciousness has brought an enormous amount of misery … into the world, an ocean of phenomenal suffering, which was simply not there before. As one of my students once put it: 'The universe may be a good place for evolution, but not such a good place for individuals'" (623).
Bostrom, N. 2002. Anthropic Bias: Observation Selection Effects in Science and Philosophy. New York: Routledge.
Bostrom, N. 2003. Are You Living in a Computer Simulation? Philosophical Quarterly 53: 243-55.
Bostrom, N. 2005. Self Location and Selection Effects: An Advanced Introduction. URL www.nickbostrom.com.
Carter, B. 1974. Large Number Coincidences and the Anthropic Principle in Cosmology. In Confrontation of Cosmological Theory with Astronomical Data. Proceedings of the Symposium, Krakow, Poland, September 10-12, 1973. Ed M. S. Longair. (A75-21826 08-90) Dordrecht: D. Reidel Publishing Co.: 291-98.
Carter, B. 2004. Cosmology: Facts and Problems. Colloquium, College de France.
Carter, B. and McCrea, W.H. 1983. The Anthropic Principle and its Implications for Biological Evolution [and Discussion]. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series A, Mathematical and Physical Sciences, 310(1512): The Constants of Physics (Dec 20, 1983): 347-63.
Chalmers, D. 1995. Facing Up to the Problem of Consciousness. Journal of Consciousness Studies 2 (3): 200-219.
Chalmers, D. 2004. How Can We Construct a Science of Consciousness? In Michael S. Gazzaniga, ed., The Cognitive Neurosciences III. (Cambridge, MA and London: MIT Press): 1111-1121.
Cirkovic M. 2002. Ancient Origins of the Modern Anthropic Cosmological Argument. Astronomical and Astrophysical Transactions, Vol. 22, No. 6, December 2003, pp. 879–886.
Descartes, R. 1901. Meditations on First Philosophy. John Veitch translation of 1901. Home page Descartes' Meditations. URL http://www.wright.edu/cola/ descartes/ Meditations II, 3.
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Dirac, P. A. M. 1974 Cosmological Models and the Large Numbers Hypothesis Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. Series A, Mathematical and Physical Sciences, Vol. 338, No. 1615 (Jul. 16), pp. 439-446.
Dreyfus, H. L. and Paul Rabinow. 1983. Michel Foucault: Beyond Structuralism and Hermeneutics. Second edition. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Foucault, M. 1977. Discipline and Punish: The Birth of the Prison. Translated by Alan Sheridan, London: Allen Lane, Penguin. First published in French as Surveiller et punir (Paris: Gallimard, 1975).
Graham-Rowe, D. 2005. Mission to build a simulated brain begins. New Scientist. June. Retrieved from URL http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn7470.
Hanby, M. 2003. Augustine and Modernity. London: Routledge.
McCarthy, J., Minsky, M. L., Rochester, N. and Shannon, C. E. 1955. A Proposal for the Dartmouth Summer Research Project on Artificial Intelligence. John McCarthy, Department of Mathematics, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire.
McCulloch, W. S. and Pitts, W. 1943. A logical calculus of the ideas immanent in nervous activity. Bull. Math. Biophys. 5: 115-33.
Metzinger, T. 2004a. The subjectivity of subjective experience: A representationalist analysis of the first-person perspective. Revised version in Networks 3-4: 33-64.
Metzinger, T. 2004b. Being No One: The Self-Model Theory of Subjectivity. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
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Rabounski, D. 2006. Zelmanov's Anthropic Principle and the Infinite Relativity Principle. Progress in Physics 1: 35-37.
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Veruggio, G. (2006). Euron Roboethics Roadmap. Euron Roboethics Atelier Genoa, 27 February - 3 March.
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It has been a trend this month that Major League Soccer players are moving back to the Premier League on a temporary basis.
New York Red Bulls striker Thierry Henry is on the verge of a two-month loan deal at Arsenal for example, while La Galaxy midfielder Landon Donovan has already completed his temporary switch to Everton.
The latest to return to England is Donovan's Galaxy team-mate Robbie Keane. The Republic of Ireland striker is back at his former club Tottenham to maintain his fitness in the MLS off-season.
However, he may not be at White Hart Lane long as Aston Villa – who have constantly been linked with the former Wolves man – eye a two-month loan deal for the 31-year-old.
Alex McLeish is worried about his team's lack of goals this season – they have only scored 11 goals in 10 home games for example – and would love to have Keane in his ranks.
Competition for Keane's services is likely to be fierce though with Newcastle United and Everton also in the market for a striker.
Alan Pardew in particular will surely make a move for Keane. Leading scorer Demba Ba is set to leave for the African Cup of Nations later this month and Keane, as a proven Premier League scorer, would be a perfect replacement on a temporary basis.
Then, Everton are always in the market for a forward capable of scoring goals. Defender Leighton Baines is actually their leading scorer, so Keane linking up with his LA Galaxy team-mate Donovan might be the way to go for David Moyes.
One thing for sure, it seems certain that Keane will not spend the next two months training with Tottenham.
In other transfer news, the Darren Bent to Liverpool rumour is extremely interesting.
With Luis Suarez set to miss eight games and Kenny Dalglish always keen to splash the cash on Englishman, reports of a £24m bid certainly seem possible.


text: Recent Videos Recent BlogsGranite State Comic Conventionby ZeldaCroft - September 17, 2016Today I experienced my first convention: cosplays, panels, contests, and more. I kind of knew what to expect based of various tidbits I'd picked Read moreSketchbooks and Shelving and Pens- Oh My!by ZeldaCroft - September 16, 2016I recently went to a well-known artist haven: Michael's. Amidst the fragrant wood projects and fluffy brush bristles, one can't help but be Read moreSelf Healing Plastic?by ZeldaCroft - September 12, 2016Following up from the last blog, I think I may have found a solution to protect my desk. Apparently those mats I had seen other people use are Read more«1...910111213141516» InstagramLoad More...Follow on Instagram


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Magazine article Working Mother
Holiday Shortcuts
Article excerpt
Cooking up a thanksgiving feast can be fun, but when you have to work until 7 p.m. the night before, the mere idea of doing it all can make you crazy just thinking about it. Are takeout shortcuts legal? sure, says Gretchen paules, vp of marketing for Boston Market. here's how to save your sanity-and some time. 45 Minutes order heat-and-serve sides from a deli or restaurant. think mashed potatoes, yams and stuffing. peeling, dicing, slicing, baking and sautéeing-not today. 60 Minutes home-baked pie is dreamy, but store-bought desserts can be yummy and fast. Display on festive plates topped with fancy swirls of reddi-wip. 90 Minutes Buy a precooked bird. order it in advance and you won't have to clean, season, stuff, baste and clean up after. Just heat and serve. Now you're truly thankful.
Make Thanksgiving-or any meal-a chatty affair with these icebreakers for kids and grown-ups alike.
Fun Fakes
Have each guest say three things that happened to him or her this year-two real, one fake. …


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S/S Trafik is one of Sweden's oldest and best-preserved steamboats. She made her first trip in 1892 connecting the west and the east side of Lake Vättern and has done so ever since. In the fast world of today, she serves as one of Hjo's major tourist attractions by offering visitors a glimpse of yesteryear.
The steamboat S/S Trafik was built back in 1892 and, at that time, she transported goods and passengers between Hjo and Hästholmen on the other side of Lake Vättern.
However, over time she only operated in the summer and, in 1959, services across Lake Vättern stopped altogether. Trafik was laid up in the harbor and even sank to the lakebed for a few weeks because she was in such poor condition.
Then "Sällskapet S/S Trafiks Vänner" (Friends of S/S Trafik) was formed. The association bought the steamboat in 1972 and began restoring her at the shipyard in Sjötorp.
Finally, in 1977, she could return to Hjo harbor and today she is considered one of the best-preserved steamboats in Sweden and is even listed. Furthermore, in 2013, the boat was awarded the Working Life Museum of the Year.
During the summertime, the old steamboat from 1892 Trafik operates June to August. You can make a day-trip to Vadstena and Ödeshög on the east side of the lake Vättern. Or you can choose to visit Island Visingsö.
Steamboat S/S Trafik is also offering jazz cruises where passengers can enjoy a magical evening on board listening to live music while cruising the waters of the lake.