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In the early 1800s, the United States was on its way to becoming an established nation on the global stage. It had won its independence, was forging stronger diplomatic and commercial ties with its European counterparts, and was expanding rapidly on its own territory. And it certainly didn't hurt national solidarity to have the battle victories of the War of 1812 on the young nation's side. The U.S. was playing with the big boys, and it wasn't doing all that poorly.
Then came the American Civil War. Suddenly, the groups of interest had shifted. It was no longer "us" against "them" in the sense of America against the world. It was now us against what used to be us as well—but was now rapidly becoming a "them." Even after the war's end, the newly reunited country was more wary than it had ever been; after all, group antipathies are much easier to create than they are to eradicate.
But eradication is not impossible; it just might have to be achieved through more creative means. I wrote last week about the approach of the Robbers Cave study: the creation of superordinate goals that unite former rivals for a single cause. In that piece, I also promised to follow up on the research into group formation and solidarity: what works, what doesn't, and how that can all play out in the real world. And what better setting for a view of group dynamics in play than early America, the days when the United States, while independent and thriving in many respects, was still far from having the sort of national coherence, solidarity, and pride that is so characteristic of a full-fledged nation—especially in the aftermath of its civil war?
There is nothing quite like conflict for creating quick group coherence. Muzafer Sherif realized that when he put his two groups of young boys in overtly competitive situations. The United States realized the same benefit with the Revolutionary War, the Barbary wars of the early nineteenth century, the War of 1812, the Mexican-American War in the mid 1840s. But then, the dynamic got turned on its head: a civil war divided the same groups that needed—and urgently, at that—to be cohesive. What now?
A common finding of psychology studies of group solidarity is that, when no real conflict exists, artificially created conflict can do the trick—and do it nearly as well as the real thing. Take something known as the minimal group paradigm, a concept that basically says exactly what it is: a way of creating groups, and cohesive groups at that, by using something as minimal as possible to tie them together.
One of the most famous approaches is known as the Dot Estimation Task. The setup is simple. You show a bunch of people some dots, be it on a computer screen or a piece of paper, and ask them to estimate how many dots they're seeing. You then tell them—completely arbitrarily—that they have either under- or over-estimated the actual number. And then comes the kicker: you tell them that under- and over-estimation is a trait, and that they belong to a group of other understimators or overestimators, respectively. That's it. That's the whole thing.
What happens next? Over and over, researchers have shown that under- and over-estimators start bonding with their fellow group members (and remember, not only is the trait nonexistent, but the division itself is bogus; people are randomly assignment to a group regardless of how many dots they think they saw), deciding in their favor over their out-group members (the other estimators), and generally behaving as if the division were a real one indeed.
Now, here comes the really fun part. In recent takes on the paradigm, psychologists haven't just divided people into under- and over-estimating buckets. They've also given those buckets an (again arbitrary) social status. A 2006 experiment told participants that overestimators were actually more accurate than underestimators on the task—and that this accuracy seemed to relate to other tasks as well. Participants then rated both their own and the other estimator group on 24 unrelated traits and finally, completed measures of social esteem and social identity.
Not only did people evaluate their newly acquired in-group more favorably than their newly-minted competitors, but those who thought themselves to be of higher status (the overestimators) exhibited a larger bias than their underestimating counterparts. What's more, the more positively the in-group was evaluated, the higher was the social esteem of its individual members—and the higher their subsequent social identity. And here's the crucial part: social esteem wasn't a result of intergroup bias as such; instead, it resulted from in-group favoritism, with enhanced social identity as a result.
What does that mean, exactly? It doesn't matter how negatively you view those others, nasty and under-estimating as they may be. What matters is how positively you view your own group, how much you relate to your shared link, be it dot estimation ability or otherwise. And the more neutral the preliminary ground—no one, it seems to me, has any preconceptions or grudges about dots and their relative frequency on a page—the easier it is for that ground to suddenly appear common and inviting.
Now, rewind to America's post-Civil War landscape. Something was needed to bring the country back together—and that something had to be a something that was neutral enough to make for quick and fertile ground for in-group identification, a special nineteenth century Dot Estimation Task, if you will. And that minimal group paradigm of choice emerged soon enough, as none other than the idea of the Great American Novel, or the GAN. Is it a coincidence that the concept of the GAN was born in 1868, just a few years after the American Civil War—or is there something more to the timing?
The GAN had no precedent. There wasn't a history of Great National Novels, with capital letters, of one Great Work to unite a country. Plenty of great works had been written and acknowledged as such, but there had never been a rush to crown one of them the defining work of the nation that birthed it, for all time and all people. In that sense, the GAN was a first.
And think how clever was the choice of unifying matter: this group paradigm (for that, I would argue, is precisely what it was) wasn't created on a point of contention, on anything that could reignite the old bitterness or enmity, anything that could serve as a reminder of national divisions. Instead, it was about culture, it was about literature, it was about overall national greatness of pen and spirit, a greatness that would define the country and set it apart from the rest of the world. It was, in other words, the perfect superordinate goal, to put it in Sherif's terms. A single cause that could appeal to all alike, could be aspired to by all alike, and would, in its definition, contain within itself the entirety of the nation and its people (for that, at the onset, was the plan for the GAN: it had to be a great novel that was of national, and all-inclusive national at that, scope).
Consider, too, how the idea of the GAN was taken up and framed in the national discourse of the time. In 1915, Virginia Frazer Boyle was asked her opinion on the GAN. She was, after all, the "Poet Laureate of the Confederacy," no less. (As in, really, that was her title; the constitution of the United Confederate Veterans was amended to include the role, with the sole purpose of appointing Frazer to it.) In her estimation, the GAN would emerge definitively from the South. Why? Because the South could boast "the purest Americanism and the purest English speech in America." It had "very little immigration" and was "remote from foreign literary influences." In short, the people of the South had "kept [their] Americanism."
While Boyle's view flies in the face of everything that many consider the very essence of American—pluralism, diversity, meeting of cultures—today, just look at how it's formulated: it's "us" against "them," the pure America, the purest speech, the most pristine position away from that nasty "other", foreign influence. And in formulating her opinion of the GAN in such stark terms, she wasn't alone. In 1916, the writer Robert W. Chambers (who happens to be directly descended from Roger Williams, the founder of Providence, Rhode Island) weighed in: "I think American writers should be encouraged to take up their work uninfluenced by foreign experience, teachings, and viewpoints."
The minimal group paradigm, working like a charm. A common, American culture, against those tricky foreign influences. Writers whose main claim to greatness is their nationality and their ability to remain true to their national spirit, free from infiltration by the Other.
And while the GAN has surely developed since then, is it at all surprising that it was originally formulated as it was, not in terms of literary greatness but in terms of sheer Americanness? In a new country, with new prerogatives, the GAN accomplished something important. It may have been something of a necessity, even, a way of creating the essential group cohesion that had gone missing in the wake of extreme civil conflict. W. H. Auden describes the emergence of a distinct American voice as responding to "a feeling that the current modes of expression are no longer capable of dealing with their real concerns." And that's exactly what had happened. Not only was America a new country—and a democracy, a new form of government and way of being at that—but it was a country under threat of losing its identity, the group status and internal unity that was so essential for standing up to foreign influence.
Perhaps the reason the GAN never emerged in the Old World to begin with, why it is so distinctly American in its nature, is just that: there was never a pressing need for it elsewhere. There was enough shared culture and history to create national identity aplenty. And so, Great Novel was enough; it didn't need to go further. (And how fitting that the only other GAN-like instances, according to Harvard GAN scholar Lawrence Buell, are the Great Australian Novel and, in the nineteenth century, a single Great Italian Novel: both cases of young nations, just created in the case of Australia, just unified in the case of Italy, who had to somehow define and assert their oneness and existence.)
Literature as a unifying national force: it's far from a revolutionary idea. But tread with care. Unlike dot estimation, it's not quite as innocuous; it can be very much the double-edged sword. Just think: the first ever contender for the status of GAN was Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin. It also happened to be, in Abraham Lincoln's apocryphal words, that little book that was responsible for starting that big war.
Foels, R. (2006). Ingroup favoritism and social self-esteem in minimal groups: Changing a social categorization into a social identity Current Research in Social Psychology, 12 (3)


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Forget Harvard. Look at Long Island University. And St. Francis College. And Brooklyn Law School.
Brooklyn officials, seeking to stimulate economic development in the borough's fast-growing Downtown, pointed out yesterday that the area has become a haven for the college crowd.
It's already home to 57,000 students at such schools as LIU, the Polytechnic Institute of NYU, St. Francis College, Brooklyn Law School, the New York City College of Technology and SUNY Empire State College.
In other words, more students are packed in there than in even Cambridge, Mass., home of Harvard and MIT.
"We haven't done the best job of engaging these institutions," admitted Tucker Reed, president of the Downtown Brooklyn Partnership. "We plan to stress the tremendous assets these local institutions are in promoting the area for commercial development."
The push dovetails with a report issued by Borough President Marty Markowitz showing Downtown added 12,000 private-sector jobs from 2003 to 2010, an 18.4 percent jump.

subset: commoncrawl


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Am in the process of adding some of my paintings to my ETSY shop. Thought I'd post them here as well. You may have seen these, but maybe not. Two of my favorite cat whimsy paintings on 140 pound watercolor paper…
Treat Time? is done in acrylic paint on 8″ by 5″ watercolor paper.
The Babysitter is watercolor and ink on 140 pound watercolor paper measuring 8″ x 8″
Have a great day.


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Last week, we heard that Emma Stone and Andrew Garfield were "on a break", and immediately we were hit with the hope that they might still patch things up. However, according to Us Weekly, their three-year relationship is really "finished", with sources alleging that Emma was the one to call it off.
A source told the publication: "It's finished. It's not just a break. She ended things and moved back to Los Angeles."
Well, isn't that just the kind of news that can really spoil your week? Meanwhile, a second insider told Us that "he'd been in a dark place for months, getting into his role," before adding: "He wasn't being the best partner".
Andrew has been filming Silence in Taiwan since January, and has reportedly lost 40 pounds in preparation for the role. It's not the first time that a source has mentioned his intense commitment to the movie, with another telling People: "He's thrown himself in the project to the detriment of all else".
We're still holding out for these two to make up in a romantic movie-like fashion - after all, they've been our favourite loved-up couple for a long time.


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PROMATECT fire-proofing panels
Products: PROMATECT H, PROMATECT L
These are refractory silicate panels (PROMATECT H) and silicate-cement panels (PROMATECT L) featuring excellent insulating properties. No emission of harmful vapors or smoke during fire.
Applications: fire protection for steel structures.
Fire resistance: from R15 to R240
- Outstanding durability for long-term protection
- Very agreeable appearance
- Easy to apply and workable
- Moisture resistance
- No supporting structures required for steel post or beam enclosure
CONLIT 150 system
The CONLIT 150 non-flammable mineral wool panels are available in two types: CONLIT 150 P without lining and CONLIT 150 A/F with aluminium foil lining.
Applications: fire proofing of steel structure components inside buildings
Fire resistance: from R30 to R240
- High protection efficiency
- Easily workable material
- Simple assembly using an adhesive or steel pins
- No supporting structures required for steel post or beam enclosure


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|Do The Swim by Little Nell
103 views
|Up the Chastity Belt
86 views
|Spice World
81 views
|Monty Python's Meaning of Life
78 views
|That '70s Show
74 views
|Zucchini Song by Tim Curry
63 views
|Couldn't Have Said It Better by Meat Loaf
58 views
|Sweet Transvestite / Time Warp Medley by 2008 Australian Cast
55 views
|A Christmas Carol
55 views
|Hammer House of Horror
47 views
|Rock Follies of '77 (Sandra Eating) - 2 minutes 2 seconds (540x422, 25 fps, 13.6 MB). Little Nell as secretary Sandra LeMon obsesses on food while chatting with her boss Kitty Schreiber, in the fourth episode of the Rock Follies of '77 television series.
|Rock Follies of '77 (Sandra Tapdancing) - 1 minute 9 seconds (540x422, 25 fps, 7.7 MB). Little Nell as secretary Sandra LeMon tapdances around while chatting with The Little Ladies, in the second episode of the Rock Follies of '77 television series.
|Saturday Night Live 1987 (Teeny Cafe) - 32 seconds (540x454, 30 fps, 3.6 MB). Little Nell makes a cameo appearance in the twelth season of Saturday Night Live with host Garry Shandling, originally airing on May 16th, 1987. In this clip from the "Teeny Cafe" skit, they reference her popular New York City nightclub Nell's which was well-known for denying entry even to the famous.
|Spicks and Specks (2008-07-16) - 1 minute 9 seconds (636x344, 25 fps, 7.7 MB). "Nell, a lot of people would know you as Little Nell." "I grew." Guest panelist Nell Campbell is introduced on ABC's "Spicks and Specks" in Australia, a music-themed television quiz show. They talk about how she was originally cast for the part of Columbia in The Rocky Horror Show, and show a clip of her tapdancing during Time Warp in The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Originally aired on July 16th, 2008.
|Do The Swim (2008-07-16) - 3 minutes 49 seconds (636x344, 25 fps, 25.6 MB). "If ever you've seen one of those blooper TV shows from the '80s, there was a clip of Nell singing Do The Swim... can you explain what happened?" Guest panelist Nell Campbell talks about the repeated wardrobe malfunctions in her 1975 appearance on the London Weekend Show (which she can't actually remember the name of) for ABC's "Spicks and Specks" in Australia, a music-themed television quiz show. They then have a fellow (male) panelist re-enact what this might have looked like, in lieu of showing the actual clip. Hilarious! Originally aired on July 16th, 2008.
|Do The Swim (London Weekend Show) - 2 minutes 56 seconds (540x358, 30 fps, 18.2 MB). Little Nell has her famous swimsuit "wardrobe malfunction" (several times... you just can't keep the girl covered) while performing part of Do The Swim, in 1975 during the closing credits for an episode of The London Weekend Show. This is the original uncensored version of the video, which was shown as an outtake on the 1977 BBC show It'll Be Alright on the Night. The clip made the rounds in the U.S. as well, including TV's Bloopers & Practical Jokes with Dick Clark.
|Kid's Good (Rock Follies of '77) - 1 minute (540x422, 25 fps, 6.7 MB). Little Nell as secretary Sandra LeMon sings a mental duet (a la Shock Treatment's "Duel Duet") with her boss Kitty Schreiber, in the fourth episode of the Rock Follies of '77 television series.
|Stilettos and Lipstick (London Weekend Show) - 2 minutes 42 seconds (540x367, 30 fps, 18.3 MB). Little Nell performs "Stilettos and Lipstick" in its entirety in 1975, for an episode of The London Weekend Show that was talking about the U.K.'s denim craze at the time. This is the same television show that featured her famous Do The Swim swimsuit wardrobe malfunction.
Copyright © 1997 - 2022 Shawn McHorse. Send comments to email@example.com.


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Corporate information
Company Overview
Teletalk Bangladesh Limited is a public limited company, registered under the Registrar of the Joint stock companies of Bangladesh. Total shares owned by the Government of the Peoples Republic of Bangladesh.
We continue to grow and engage our customers through our clear commitment to offering high quality products and services as well as leading customer retention and loyalty programmers. Teletalk continues to be a part of the revolution that's connecting millions of Bangladeshi people and around the world.
Teletalk Bangladesh limited was established keeping a specific role in mind. Teletalk has forged ahead and strengthened its path over the years and achieved some feats truly to be proud of, as the only Bangladeshi mobile operator and the only operator with 100% native technical and engineering human resource base, Teletalk thrives to become the true people's phone – "Amader Phone".
Basic objectives for which the Company was formed are highlighted here under
- To provide mobile telephone service to the people from the public sector
- To ensure fair competition between public and private sectors and thereby to safeguard public interest
- To meet a portion of unmitigated high demand of mobile telephone
- To create a new source of revenue for the government.
Incorporation of Teletalk
Teletalk Bangladesh Limited (the "Company") was incorporated on 26 December, 2004 as a public limited company under the Companies Act, 1994 with an authorized capital of Tk.20,000,000,000 being the only government sponsored mobile telephone company in the country. On the same day the Company obtained Certificate of Commencement of Business.
Company's Network Expansion
Teletalk Bangladesh Limited has continually expanded its network, to better accommodate its growing customer base as well as to keep the promise of providing better service. As of now, Teletalk has already established its network foothold in 64 Districts, 402 Upazilas, and most of the highways. Teletalk is continuing its network expansion to reach more corners of Bangladesh.
Scope to be explored
m-Governance is derived from e-governance refers to government's use of information and communication technology to exchange information and services with citizens, businesses, and other arms of government. Teletalk is ready to provide with the help of third party software, mobile interactivity for the citizens of Bangladesh with m-Governance. This may includes, but not limited to
- Mobile based Live Citizen Reporting Solution
- Mobile User Info bank (Database of Mobile Users of Bangladesh)
- Agriculture information services for the farmers and also for the end users, like product price in different parts of the country.
- Product ID for all consumer products/ Organization.
- Interactivity between Government and the Citizens.
Possible departments who will be directly benefited from the above services are
- Police.
- Rapid Action Battalion
- Fire Service
- Agriculture Department.
- Election Commission
- Health Services.
Mission & Vision
To innovate and constantly find new ways to enhance our services to our customer's current needs and desires for the future. Our vision is to know our customers and meet their needs better than any one else.


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These super-simple, but super-scrumptious, Low-Carb Classic French Chocolate Pots, contain only two ingredients! Decadent and impressive enough for a make-ahead dinner party dessert, you can also easily whip some up to grab straight from the fridge as a mid-week treat. Or use as a handy fat-bomb to adjust your macros on a keto diet.
Category: Chocolate
HAPPY EASTER: Recipe for White Chocolate Sauce for Fish
From Bean-To-Bar & Beyond: 8. What's New in Chocolate?: Unusual Cocoa Beans!
To wrap up my miniseries about what's new in bean-to-bar craft chocolate, here's some news about chocolate being made with very unusual cocoa beans. In fact, one of these chocolates is made from beans that aren't cocoa at all! This post brings to an end my mini-series on what's new in chocolate. It will also be the last 'From Bean-to-Bar & Beyond' post for a while, although that will continue as an occasional series. Look forward to a complete change with some very visual blogging about some completely different topics in my next few posts.
From Bean-To-Bar & Beyond: 7. What's New in Chocolate: Is Unsweetened Dark Milk Chocolate the Next Big Thing?
From Bean-To-Bar & Beyond: 6. What's New in Chocolate: Craft Chocolate Bars Containing Alternative Milks And Sweeteners
When I started researching what's new in chocolate for this blog miniseries, I was astounded at just how many craft chocolate bars containing alternative milks and sweeteners are around now. And the types of milk and sweetener used are going to make a big difference to the taste of a craft chocolate bar whose only other ingredient is cocoa beans. If you're lactose/cows' milk intolerant; avoiding over-processed sugars in your diet; or just fancy trying something quirky and new; then you might want to look out for some of the craft chocolate bars containing alternative milks and sweeteners that I talk about here.
From Bean-To-Bar & Beyond: 5. What's New in Chocolate: 'Raw' & 'Virgin' Chocolate
Against the backdrop of a growing raw food movement, it's not uncommon now to see 'raw' chocolate on shop shelves alongside regular chocolate. That is, at least in health food stores in big cities. But what exactly is 'raw' chocolate? What on earth is 'virgin' chocolate?!! And where can you buy them? Find out in this next post in this week's miniseries about what's new in chocolate.
From Bean-To-Bar & Beyond: 4. What's New in Chocolate: Experiments in Cocoa Bean Fermentation
What's groundbreaking in chocolate right now? What's the next big thing going to be? This is the first of several posts this week about what's new in chocolate. They cover what are no doubt only a handful of fascinating global chocolate innovations from the last few years. Some of the chocolates are rare, and/or won't be to everyone's taste. But if you're an adventurous chocolate connoisseur and you can find them, you might well want to give some of them a go!
From Bean-to-Bar & Beyond: 3. How to Become a Chocolate Maker
Have you always dreamt of a career change? Want to become a chocolate maker, but don't know how to start? And how do you make great chocolate, and become commercially successful? In this third blog in my 'From Bean-to-Bar & Beyond' series, here's what one chocolate maker told me about how he started his company.
From Bean-to-Bar & Beyond: 2. Craft Chocolate Making
Welcome to the second of my 'From Bean-to-Bar & Beyond' blogs, all about really good quality craft chocolate. In this one I give you the info about how craft chocolate making happens, as told to me by Conner Haines, owner of the UK-based Mayhawk company. And if you want to read my first blog instalment about ingredients in chocolate alongside this, you can find it here.
From Bean-to-Bar & Beyond: 1. Ingredients in Chocolate
I can't tell you how excited I get about really good quality bean-to-bar chocolate! But what exactly goes into it to make it so good? I visited Conner Haines' craft chocolate factory - Mayhawk - to find out. This article is just the first instalment of my 'From Bean-to-Bar & Beyond' series running for the rest of this month. It'll give you the answers to questions including: how is craft chocolate made from bean-to-bar? How do you become a chocolate maker? What's the next big thing in chocolate going to be? And many more.
Woohoo, It's Chocolate Competition Entry Time!!
Woohoo, it's chocolate month on Santé Bon Viveur, and it's chocolate giveaway time! This random prize draw competition is easy to enter, and you can make up to three entries. There's a chance to win one of 10 limited edition sets of best quality, small-batch, craft chocolate, courtesy of the Mayhawk Company.


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Nowadays, a lot of homeowners find metal carport installation simple enough to tackle all by themselves without the assistance of professionals. Lots of people utilize metal carports to their vehicle storage needs for protective and valuable cover. If you are looking for a metal carport installation services then you can visit at https://www.swisscarport.ch/de/.
The shield can be put up, removed, as well as moved easily and quickly if required. In fact, carport installations are lots simpler compared to the amateur craftsman could believe. Metal carport kits are available very readily and the directions aren't as daunting nowadays as they formerly were previously.
The worth of a metal carport is quite appealing to the consumer together with prices starting as low as a few hundred dollars. Most installation guidelines include a few steps including the assembly and anchoring from the bottom railings.
Then, you assemble the trusses. After that, you attach the trusses into the bottom rails. Once the trusses are mounted, you join the sheet metal cover and side panels to make the structure of your selection.
Straightforward metal carport install kits are probably most reliable for keeping a majority of weather-related problems apart from the vehicles and equipment that are parked inside, especially in case you purchase the type that includes the peak-shaped roof that creates a snow and rain runoff.
Because it's also exceptionally resistant to pests such as termites, metal is really a good stuff. As it is also exceptionally resistant to fire damage.


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To our clients, partners, employees, friends, families and well wishers,
In a few days, 2017 comes to a close and we change over the calendar to 2018. And we are eager to experience what the coming year has in store for us. The journey in this last year – the challenges, pitfalls and scenic views from atop the technology peaks we've conquered – has been phenomenal. We would be failing short if we did not commend our global teams for their razor sharp focus and exceptional execution of growth strategies. Indeed, 2017 has been a year of accelerated growth and development for Mitra Innovation.
In 2017 Mitra Innovation grew by 300% – by far, one of the fastest growing tech services firms in the world. We have more than doubled our strength, from 100 to over 200 members in our team. We received partner certification status from one of the leading global Web Services Provider: Amazon Web Services. We are now an ISO certified organisation; certified by the acclaimed British Standards Institutions. We've built countless apps, integrated complex systems and performed digital transformations for many clients.
We are on par with leading WSO2 partners, and now we are making crucial breakthroughs in the fields of Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence for businesses. Next year we will continue to make progress in terms of business development, customer acquisition, technological advances and increasing the strengths of our teams.
As we wind down our operations for 2017 and renew our energies for 2018, it's also a time to say a great big thank you to each and everyone who has been with us along our journey. From our families who have provided us with unconditional moral and emotional support, to our colleagues and team mates who have always rushed in to help when the going gets tough, to our partners who continue to provide us with expertise and lastly, but not least – our customers, who have always believed in our teams and continue to provide us with opportunities for further innovation and growth.
On behalf of everyone at Mitra Innovation, we would like to say a big thank you and wish you and yours a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.


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Everyone seems to be jumping into touchscreens after the huge success of the iPhone, as seen in the HTC Touch and Nokia's Series60 touchscreen version. And now it seems that LG's in on it too.
The picture here shows a concept design of the LG Touch, a mobile phone and PDA with an equally cool docking station. Like the Prada phone from the same company, this concept handset has no noticeable protrusions, which makes it look like a small monolith. It has a secondary LCD along its top edge that displays essential information like new message alerts. The docking station not only lets you sync and charge, but also displays a virtual keyboard for data entry.
For some reason, this concept device has green lights running around the handset. Even the wires on the headset is not spared from the neon invasion. It's as if Kryptonite has been pumped into the handset for power--Superman should steer clear and go for a Samsung instead. All in all, it's a very pretty concept, though we don't see anything really useful or groundbreaking about the ideas. As Apple has clearly shown, anyone can make something look good, but interface design is the killer app.
(Source: Crave Asia)


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Puzzling properties of massive early-type galaxies (ETGs) emerge when studying their spectra at near-infrared (NIR) wavelengths. Massive ETGs show strong CO absorption features in their H and K band
Studying the universe needs a major effort of scientific research and in the development of astronomical instruments.
Astrophysical research is the main objective of the IAC and corresponds to the Research Area the elaboration and development of Research Projects in the field of Astrophysics and related areas.We aim to strengthen and consolidate the position of the IAC as an international reference centre for research in Astrophysics. On regard of the research activity, it results in an effective increase in scientific production and international impact in recent years.
In order to advance observational astrophysics needs new instruments at the forefront of technology, which offers a constant challenge to produce new development in technology which can often be applied to many other fields of general utility.


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New Releases
Here are our newest products!
Please remember that all of our items are made in small batches and will only be available if they are in stock. Once they have sold out, they are gone, so buy them when you see them! Your pet will thank you for it!


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"I Belong To The Sea", Acrylic on Canvas, 24" x 36" by Ocean,
One of her "Women in White at the Sea" series, and each painting
has its' own accompanying poem written by Ocean on the back
of the painting.
"I Love It!" by Ocean- Acrylic on canvas, 16" x 20"


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The next morning there wasn't a cloud in the sky. Before packing up I sat and watched the sunrise. This had been one of my favorite campsites so far, mostly because it had been so quiet during the night, only about one car on the road every ten minutes, and I was able to sleep well.
I had seen on the map that I was headed for a lake called Altinapa that day. I figured I would end the day at the lake and camp there for the night, continuing into Konya the next day. But when I got there I found Altinapa was a work-only reservoir supplying water for the city of Konya (approx population 1 million). It was surrounded by a barbed wire fence.
Then I decided that I'd better try to get to Konya in one day rather than the two I had planned. To continue the descent into Konya I had to climb back out of Altinapa. The climb was on a traffic-friendly road—two-lanes in each direction. But it was very steep with no shoulder on the side where I walked. So I had a choice—1) either cross the road and walk up the hill on the other side with my back to the traffic, breathing the exhaust fumes of slow trucks as they labored past me up the hill, or 2) I could walk facing the traffic on the side with no shoulder. There was a guard rail on that side with a twelve inch ledge I could walk on but the ledge dropped off into a canyon. I chose to walk on the ledge. Then I climbed precariously uphill, one foot ahead of the other, holding desperately to the guard rail on the ledge while balancing with my backpack. On one side, the on-coming traffic screamed past me down toward the lake and on the other side a steep ravine threatened to swallow me. Also, I was tired and thirsty and hadn't eaten real food for a couple of days. But there was no way I could stop.
While I balanced along that ledge, I thought of this one woman who was following my walk on Facebook, ecstatic for me that I had seven months of walking across this beautiful country that she, also, had "vacationed" in. Hers was the Turkey of Blue Tour Cruises, beautiful bays, crystal clear water, snorkling, beautiful mountains, Izmir, ancient churches and mosques. And here I was hot, sweaty, starved, and thirsty, trying not to lose my balance while treading on a precipice at the edge of a busy highway. I was very cranky about then and wanted to shout at her, Woman, you do not understand. I am not on vacation here. My experience of Turkey is completely different from anything you imagine!
But I did make it to the top of the ridge. The shoulder began to widen out a little, and I started to calm down as I crested the ridge and began a nice wide descent into Konya.
Toward the end of the descent I rounded a curve and a view of the city of Konya opened up. The sight of this city that contained a population of one million people overwhelmed me! I used to think a city of this size was just one small part of a larger city. Now a million is a sprawling megalopolis. I've become such a hick!
By the time I entered Konya I felt I could go no further until I found some water and hopefully some food. I also had an urgent need for a bathroom since it was no longer appropriate to pull off the road and use the nearest tree.
I stopped at the very first fountain I could find and filled up my water bottle. Then I rested a bit, sitting on my backpack and drinking my water. I thought, Thank God! I had reached Konya and the walk was one-third over. While I was sitting on my pack drinking my water, a car stopped by the side of the road and a family got out. One of them was holding a plastic bag, and they began routing through their trunk for some food, probably for me. Then they came over to where I sat, greeted me with smiles, and handed me the plastic bag now filled with semi-rotten fruit. It was the first food I'd seen in a while!
I rummaged through that bag and ate every morsel of whatever I could find that was least rotten. That fruit—God bless them!—got me far enough into the city where I could get some more substantial fare.
God knows what I must have looked like and smelled like to the family who stopped. I'm sure I was white and stiff-lipped like I get around the mouth from fatigue and hunger. Also, I had not showered for several days, was just coming out of the rain, and had been stuffing wet wool into my pack.
I made it into town and found a mosque where I could use the bathroom. Then I found a bakkal where I stocked up on some snacks and hopped a bus to the city center where I got myself a room at the Ogretmen Evi. I had a room to myself but a shared shower.
I stripped off my clothes, wrapped myself in a towel, and took a long, hot shower, my first shower since Beyhsehir. The hot water cascading down over me made me feel happy.
I didn't know how really bad I'd smelled until I walked back into my room! It was horrible. It smelled like a wet yeti in there. I'd stuffed my sweat-soaked, rain-soaked wool clothes and underwear back into my backpack where they had been heating themselves up for a few days.
Konya, the home of Rumi and the whirling dervishes and many other famous spots, is both a religious and tourist center of the Middle East. I had planned to spend a couple of days touring around. But that is not what happened. As soon as I smelled that backpack and its contents I picked up my phone and called a friend in Istanbul.
"Hey," I said to her. "I'm coming to Istanbul tomorrow. Are you there? I would like to come and visit." I did need to go to Istanbul anyway to get paperwork started for my visa. I might as well go a little early and do some laundry.
She said she was there and that was fine.
I hung up the phone. Now I was clean and my city clothes were reasonably clean though my backpack smelled like hell. So I walked out into the town to finally get myself some real food at about 7:30 p.m. I was really going to feast! But I found every place closed for the religious holiday, not just the restaurants but the bakkals were closed too. I walked around for awhile and finally found one market that was open. They didn't have much supply left but I found some salami, a carton of yogurt and a loaf of white bread and paid for it, feeling like I had food fit for a king. Then I walked back to the Ogretmen Evi, sat cross-legged on my bed, and stuffed myself with salami, using pieces of bread to scoop the yogurt out of the carton.


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DisplaySearch has released their information on worldwide LCD TV shipments (from manufacturers, as opposed to the sales by retailers) for the first quarter of 2009, and the trend is familiar. The number of units shipped — 26.7 million — was up 27% compared with the first quarter of 2008, but the revenues actually declined 1% for the same periods. In other words, what the increased consumer demand added with one hand, the lower prices took away with the other.
One thing missing from these numbers a breakout by size of the TV set. I would not be surprised to find that many of the additional units sold this year were smaller sets with lower prices. This would help increase the count without adding as much revenue. The fact that prices continued to plummet last year, however, is a much bigger factor behind why the manufacturers are making less money even though they are selling more TVs.
Note that some sources are indicating price increases for LCD TVs this year; some predict increases of as much as 30%. I don't see that happening. It's very hard to take back a price cut once it's out there in the market, and there are many hungry manufacturers out there willing to keep prices as low as possible so that they can stay in business. I don't expect yet another year of 20% to 25% price cuts, but I also don't expect to see prices rise a lot this year, either.
There are two other interesting numbers in the DisplaySearch results. Plasma TVs accounted for 2.8 million unit shipments, which is about one tenth the number of LCD TVs shipped. That's only a 1% increase over the same quarter last year, which means that LCD technology is increasing its lead in flat panel TVs. The other fact might come as a surprise in to U.S. consumers where the flat panel technology rules supreme; about 13.7 million picture tube (CRT) TVs shipped worldwide in the first quarter of 2009. That's neary five for every one plasma TVs shipped, and more than half the count for LCD TVs. So while pictures tube sets may be forgotten, they're not gone yet.


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Anarchy Apiaries
Gleanings from 2009 – Bee brave. Bee a leader.
About as bad as it can get
For a year without tomatoes, I've had some of the best tomatoes of my life (from out of state). Some great seeds were saved in a tough year. Who says you have to do better each year, all the time? That doesn't sound sustainable.
I am thankful for the rain. Yes, that's right. The terrible stress and depression of watching so many bees go hungry has abated as the season nears its end. The communities I live in have helped me through it. I harvested no honey and did feed 1200 pounds of sugar, just taking the edge of hunger off of the 300-some top bar hives. I do not like to feed bees - consider how the ph balance is alterered to favor disease (the real killer of hives, not the varroa mite). Feeding bees as a general practive lets them grow to depend on it. This year, however, feeding was necessary to keep a core population alive. Several still will not make it, some will go south, but the remaining core population will be robust and stronger for surviving a tough season. The bees will be OK, and next years queens will carry on these tested genetics. The more bees die, the more they live. We are always safe.
The more I see the less I know... (continued)
We had many great events this year. Another fantastic Beekeepers Association of Northern Dutchess (B.A.N.D.) annual potluck and several other field days and meetings full of laughter. We had the first Northeast Treatment Free Beekeeping Conference, which was a huge success, and the second one in the southwest hosted by Dee Lusby. I was able to spend some time this year out with Dee's bees, whom she visits not 5-6 times a year- a truly less-invasive beekeeping. Some splits were made to replace dead hives, but in some locations where all hives were seen flying, Dee would call out, "Everyone back in the truck!" and we were off to the next yard, not even taking a peak in the boxes, and not to return for another few weeks or months. Just let em swarm or fail. Why not?
I was impressed. I hold on to commercial habits of control, needing to SEE, needing to split the bees before they split themselves. The results are not negative per se: this year I wound up with having a lot of hungry mouths to feed rather than just a few hungry mouths to feed. But I have seen untouched hives that have carried honey over from last year, swarmed, and will make it through this one without feeding. I continued doing some live bee removals - some interesting hives to add to the gene pool. In general, I think I'll be controlling less, letting a few more swarms go. After four years of no treatments and seeing low low mite and disease levels, it's time to let more hives grow up. My thanks to Dee.
Humans vs. Robots
Beekeeping is an irrational activity. Perhaps this becomes clearest when watching grown people risk their lives crawling out on tree limbs to retrieve swarms. Not so immediately apparent are the daily, irrational struggles of running a bee business. The bees are up against a lot right now. Pesticides that don't show immediate effects, malnourishment from pervasive monoculture farming and lack of forage, and inbreeding from select industry interests. Add piss poor weather on top of that. The struggle is in staying calm under this sense of urgency.
Humans are not rational beings. Love is not rational. Logic is the way of the machine and its state of order. Our school system is merely a battery charger for this machine. We are taught to quell our desires and become obedient and impotent. First you have a teacher, then you have a boss. You can join the legions of shoppers that drive this system, but efficiency does have its hidden costs. A major one being our country's loss of the ability – even the knowledge - to feed itself. Another one being the permeating FEAR. Another one being the death of the pollinators.
In school I was never taught the difference between a maple and an oak. Until I started keeping bees, I didn't even know that these trees bloomed. I was taught to compete, accumulate, and be an alienated individual first and foremost. It becomes a lonely, degrading lifestyle for too many who go alone with it. There are of course exceptions, but the trends are not looking good. If it weren't for bees and their bridge back to health and acceptance, I'd still be lost. Many I know have found similar paths now to join in solidarity. As friends in Ithaca organized a support group to the southwest this past month, I thought of the cultural appropriation of the Hopi and Navajo in Black Mesa, AZ, when their children were forced into white boarding schools for years at a time. Peabody Coal continues to strip away their culture and means of livelihood as well as the resources of their ancestral homeland. As we all go forward, we need positive alternatives to this appropriation.
It's easier to start right than fix what has gone awry
This year we saw proposals for applications of imidacloprid (IMD), a systemic pesticide shown in unbiased studies to harm honey bees, to maple trees (the most important and nutritious pollen in the northeast) on National Forest land in Massachusetts. The application of this long-lasting and understudied chemical is to combat the Asian Longhorn Beetle. If left unchecked, this beetle would likely destroy many trees, as the woolly adelgid is doing to the eastern hemlock, or the pine beetle to the Ponderosa in the northwest (a frequent scapegoat for the clearcuts). In a similar desperate act a century ago, the Forest Service cut down all the American Chestnuts as the blight spread. How many of those trees, the Redwoods of the East, would have shown resistance, as a few remaining do now? How long until the beetles and adelgids and who-knows-what develop resistance to the systemic pesticides and the government resorts to even more deadly poisons?
As John Muir was losing the policy battle to protect our National Forest land from logging and development, he must have foreseen such problems. The theft of the forests' nutrients, as well as air and water pollution, affect the immunity of the ecosystem, the superorganism. The insects are opportunists – just symptoms of these deeper causes. Like western medicine, like western science for that matter, we try to point a finger at a symptom, call it the cause, and then "nuc the enemy" with some kind of big band-aid to cover the cancer. The enemy is us. Duh.
IMD is now banned in France, Italy, Germany, and Slovenia. Each country has studies that show its toxicity to honey bees. We know nothing of its effects on other pollinators. (We know frighteningly little about pollinators in general.) The so-called Environmental Protection Agency in the US has reviewed it and is not taking any action, but they do take funding from Bayer CropScience. Beekeepers everywhere are pissed. Many of us wrote to the EPA, to no avail. What can be done? For starters, do not use this product! Know what is being applied not only to your food but also your lawn and your pets. Do not use IMD or other systemic products such as Gaucho, Assail, Merit, or Advantage. What you choose to eat, buy, or use everyday is more important than any ballot or vote. The government won't stop it; it is up to us to protect the bees as our forests fall into a deeper morass. Folks are listening to beekeepers these days. Let them know what's up and how pissed off the bees are about it. Bee bold.
When I travel through the Catskills, our own National Forest land, I can't even find a free place to camp. I don't ask anything from those hills. Some people with power are asking everything, even our clean water. It is worth fighting to prevent the horrible effects from the proposed natural gas drilling. Check out www.shaleshock.org.
Think about the honey bees. They represent a wildness. Unlike the rest of agriculture, bees were untamed until about 150 years ago, when Langstroth came around. He had a neat idea and we learned a lot, but that knowledge has not led to wisdom. Bees still have this wildness under the surface of all these university, Haagen-Daas-funded breeding programs. They still have resilience despite organophosphate, essential oil, or formic acid exposure. Consider raising your own local queen bees. Consider moving towards not putting dopes in your beehives. I'll help you and share the steps that have liberated my bees from the rest of the industry and the artificial crutches.
Don't Shut Down
My farmer friend Cliff Middleton has 5 acres in Miami-Dade county in Florida. The amount of regenerating food grown on that 5 acres- the longans, lichi, bananas, etc., but especially the tubers like the cassava and bonianta- could feed 100 people FOREVER. Cliff works a lot with kids, asking first, "What is the most important thing people do?" Sooner or later... eventually, growing food comes up. He then has everyone make two lists: one being everything you use, buy, eat, and throw away, the other list being everything you grow, nurture, give, and create. Generally, the first list is so long, the second one isn't even gotten around to. What's on your lists? As Cliff points out, the one group of people in the US who do have it the other way around are migrant workers, the most underpraised people who provide for everyone else's list. Read Cliff's book "Hard Seed" at www.homegrowngreens.com.
We can turn this thing around
What we can teach the kids is everything. Experience a farm. Let them know they have the right to tend to and protect the land where they live. They can make their own decisions. Their happiness is most important, and happiness doesn't come from taking things from other people but by giving. Don't have any kids? Well, as it turns out, all kids are our joint responsibility. We can turn it around in just one generation. We have to. This is evolution.
It is great to bee alive. As the waves of reflection wash away the anguish of this year, I'll be finding that sought-after zen, redoing this entire website, editing some great new video footage, working on some articles and the 2010 Anarchy Apiaries Almanac. (Those of you who have ordered it, please bee patient, it's on its way!) I've also promised for a few years now to put up the dimensions of the top bar hives, which I still need to measure. I'll also be sharing with you an idea for the "Anarchy Hive," which may or may not be totally legal. For right now, I'm busy gluing in 16,000 popsicle sticks. Keep posted, as I'll be doing some talks up and down the east coast this winter. Hope to see you there and that it gets rowdy.
Bee a leader!


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text: We had an adventure getting to Denver this year. We were scheduled to arrive Wednesday night but due to computer issues we weren't able to leave until Thursday. Then on Thursday our flight was delayed so we missed most of the bull show but what is important is we made it! Once we got here I ran up to the hill to watch the rest of the show while Crystal went to work in the Vita Ferm tent down in the yards. The bull show was a sight with many bulls that had an opportunity to win. The pen and carload shows were yesterday and the increase in numbers did not decrease the quality of the cattle. Very competitive show from top to bottom. Management practices become very apparent in the yards but they all have some good to them, to me it matters if they will do what you want them to once they get home. The National Sale was held in the arena this year and boy oh boy was it a hit! The arena was packed and some great Hereford cattle were sold. We bought a small share in a bull and I will post the video of him selling below. We are very excited to get back to the real world and figure out what cows we are going to breed him to. We have been snapping pictures and I will share a few today but many more once we get home. Female show is today and looks to be a great one.


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Earthquake Buildings
The new data comes as the region's housing prices are climbing faster than almost anywhere else in the country, fueling concerns about gentrification leading to displacement. (AP Photo/Don Ryan, file).
Portlanders struggling to afford their housing have migrated to the city's outskirts and suburbs over the past decade, new Census data show.
Households that spend more than 30 percent of their income on housing, a traditional measure of affordability, are becoming increasingly concentrated in certain neighborhoods.
What's more, the increase has occurred in areas with fewer services and that are far from the region's economic centers.
The U.S. Census Bureau data comes as the region's home prices are climbing faster than almost anywhere else in the country, fueling concerns about gentrification leading to displacement.
"The center is becoming wealthier, and the push is to the edges," said Lisa Bates, an associate professor at Portland State University who studies housing policy. "Post-recession housing prices have gone through the absolute roof, and you have lower income people moving to outer east Portland."
East Portland near 82nd Avenue has seen an outsized increase in cost-burdened households. That could compound the problems resulting from a longstanding lack of investment in the area, where poor infrastructure and transit can make it difficult to get to jobs that are farther away.
Fewer homeowners were cost-burdened in 2015, contributing to a decline in cost-burdened households across the region. Strict mortgage lending practices put in place after the housing bubble collapsed prevent most who can't afford a home from buying one.
But renters are increasingly cost-burdened because they're susceptible to short-term changes in housing costs.
The 30 percent figure has historically been a rule of thumb used to gauge housing affordability. But it doesn't necessarily capture the full picture of people struggling under high housing costs, Bates said.
"When you're low-income, that 30 percent threshold might not be a reasonable amount," she said. "If you counted it backward from everything you need to buy, you might you have much less than 30 percent of your income left over."
Local and state officials are considering policies intended to mitigate the crisis, but which risk exacerbating it further if they serve to restrict the supply of new homes.
One such policy, called inclusionary zoning, goes back before the Portland City Council next week. (A hearing set for Thursday was canceled due to weather.) It calls for all major apartment developments throughout the city to include units affordable to households making less than the city's median income.
-- Elliot Njus
Mark Friesen and Melissa Lewis contributed to this report.


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https://youtu.be/B4alQz9Om2oHOLY COW! Jerome Hudson delivers both barrels against Jessie Williams' rant at the BET awards.
Watch this video…and listen to a brilliant and powerful black man take a stand against the carnage that has spawned the "Black Lives Matter" movement.
Hudson is a man among boys as he delivers a message that needs to be heard.
Drop mic.
Where were all the social justice warriors when all this carnage was taking place? They were not planning stop the violence rallies in gun control cities like Chicago. Oh NO! They were off climaxing all over their keyboards celebrating Jessie Williams' speech as some sort of profile in courage, well it wasn't.
It was a perpetuation of cowardice, meanwhile, they were dozens, if not hundreds of families all across this country grieving the loss of life and those bodies, many of them black, were sent to the morgue by black killers.It would have been courageous for Jessie Williams to stand up in an auditorium full of affluent and influential black celebrities to challenge black men to marry the mothers of their children.
It would have been courageous for Jessie Williams to challenge black people in gun control cities like Chicago to stop inflicting violence on one another, but no, Jessie Williams was too busy decrying the invention of whiteness and its perpetual oppression of black people.
Listen up Jessie, and all you social justice warriors alike, it is not whiteness and racism that is the root cause of the carnage and self sabotage in black America.
Yes, 50 years ago Jessie, it was white racists dressed in white hoods and members of the Ku Klux Klan who stalked and terrorized black neighborhoods, but today, it is us, Jessie, people who look like me and you who are terrorizing and stalking and killing our own people with heartbreaking regularity.
So I challenge you, Jessie Williams, if black lives matter…truly…stop wallowing in black victimhood and handing guilt driven excuses to white liberals and join me in an effort to save as many black lives as we can.
Jerome is the kind of man terribly needed in America. Sure, because he is black, but even more because he gets it. Young blacks need a brave man like this to look up to. They've been lied to and sold down the river by the likes of Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton.
This is the future of black America and an inspiration to all…white, black, or mixed. A true blue American hero.
Send this to a friend


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Le Soula was created in 2001 as a partnership between UK wine importers Richards Walford and local biodynamic superstar Gérard Gauby, who had found a number of old and abandoned vineyards with great potential. It now has 27 hectares of vines situated in the deep south of France in the Agly valley in and around the village of St. Martin de Fenouillet. The winery itself recently moved about 5 miles to refurbished and larger premises at Prugnanes; a visible sign of success.
Historically the reputation of the Agly valley was for vin ordinaire defined by high alcohol and a quaffing rusticity. Now this area has become one of the most exciting wine making regions in France, where a new generation of ambitious producers are using biodynamics and making magnificent wines from indigenous vines – and Le Soula, with Gauby's guidance, have become one of the top exponents.
Le Soula make a simply stunning white wine but it is the red Soula Rouge that is featured here, an assemblage in 2005 of 25% ancient bush trained Carignan with 10% Syrah, 35% Grenache Noir and 30% Cabernet Sauvignon, grapes that are all native to this part of France. The exact blend differs annually, based on the harvest conditions and although it might be similar in make-up to those from the Southern Rhône, it reveals all the terroir and finesse of the Agly valley.
The vineyards are populated with vines of various ages, the majority old, some now approaching their doddery centenary. Precious little else will grow commercially amidst the stone outcrops and scratchy thin granite and schist soils of the garrigue at an altitude of between 350 and 550 metres. Le Soula can be translated from the local Catalan as "sunny†but altitude means that the heat of the day is leavened by cooler nights, so ensuring slow ripening – always good for the creation of complexity and the retention of refreshing acidity in the grapes.
Le Soula's winegrowing philosophy is to be as natural and "hands-off†as possible in the vineyard and the winery. Biodynamics is employed and they have now started on a journey to organic certification. Hence the fruit is handpicked and whole bunch fermented (stalks on) with wild yeasts. Extraction, the bane of so many modern warm-climate wines, is studiously avoided; the alcohol level of 13% is enough to balance the wine while leaving it easy to drink and a good match with food. As may be expected, there is no chaptalisation (the addition of artificial sugar), acidification or filtration.
After fermentation, a third of the wine is matured in 500 litre oak casks (30% of which are new), the rest aged in tank. There is therefore little overt wood influence. Final blending and bottling of this 2005 vintage took place after 18 months. Yields are usually low and in 2005 were 15 hl/ha, thanks to the exceptionally dry year – there's no irrigation here! Just 8,400 bottles were made.
At five years old, I think this wine is now showing at the best stage of its development, though it has several years ahead of it. There's a melding of primary fruit flavours but with the added complexity of some secondary development in bottle. It was decanted for an hour or so before serving as a precaution against the expected sediment.
In colour, a deep garnet core is attractively crimson edged. The nose has good intensity of red berry scents but with secondary notes poking through that will doubtless become more dominant over time. Earth, liquorice and tar show early after pouring, gamey hints appear if the wine is left longer in the glass.
This wine has restrained alcohol and a racy acidity that lends it a rather burgundian elegance and mouthfeel. A depth of red berry and damson fruit were perhaps to be expected, but the additional mulberry flavours were a pleasant surprise. On a long slow fade there is also a meaty and mineral complexity to tempt you back for more. Good concentration, balance and intensity mean that this is a stylish and exciting red wine.
Food wise, rack of lamb with plenty of rosemary works a treat. However, this versatile red wine will match a wide range of dishes, from charcuterie to winter stews.
Domaine Le Soula, Soula Rouge, Vin de Pays de Côtes Catalans, Roussillon, France, 2005. 13%. Biodynamic


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In the most famous Christmas light fight in America things are about to get really ugly — if they weren't ugly enough already. The City of Plantation, Florida has imposed every warning, fine and ordinance it can but the Hyatt Extreme Christmas display has not only endured it has grown larger. So the city is going to court to prove its case. According to local media a judge will hold a hearing on the matter June 4th.
Other Christmas light enthusiasts from around the country are watching and starting to sound off. Lon Wilkins, from Henderson, Nevada, operates a popular local display in his own neighborhood. "I was supportive of the Hyatts at first because they seem like nice people just trying to celebrate Christmas," Wilkins said. "But as we have watched this unfold it is clear they have been more about getting bigger and gaining more attention. They seem to have forgotten that the central message of Christmas is peace. If they cannot make peace with their own neighbors what are they all about anyway? I think it is all very sad."
The case is important because Christmas lights on a much smaller scale have become an issue in many communities and home owner associations across the country. During 2014 we documented several instances where even simple displays of Christmas were disputed by local ordinance. If the City of Plantation case against Hyatt Extreme Christmas is successful it may fuel further lawsuits against Christmas light lovers.
Plantation Mayor Diane Veltri Bendekovic, who celebrates Christmas, said she is concerned for the neighbors who she said are forced to flee their homes during the holiday season.
"Who is dealing with all the madness again? Us," said neighbor Dolly Imbert. "We have to go in and out of our houses. Where are my rights? It's not a normal situation. This is insane. It should not be happening, period."
The Hyatts were featured in 2013 on "The Great Christmas Light Fight" for their display that features moving characters, a movie screen showing a loop of films, a snow-blowing machine, flashing lights, and an occasional live Santa and "reindeer." Judges praised the "amusement-park" quality of their presentation, but the Hyatts lost the $50,000 competition to a family from Decatur, Ga.
The city filed a lawsuit in Broward Circuit Court in February 2014 to get the display halted. That case was halted due to an injunction filed by the Hyatts last November. That case gets its day in court now and observers predict the Hyatts are going to lose.
Bendekovic said she wanted the legal action to continue.
"What happens if the settlement falls through?" she said. "We're here to get the holiday display to [one compatible with] a residential one."
The Hyatts don't speak to the media unless it is to promote their display. They continue to make pleas and accusations on their website and Facebook pages. Some speculate that any lawsuit will be challenged in court and that the display will return this Christmas and for seasons to come as the battle takes place in the courts.
Local support for Hyatt Extreme Christmas is difficult to peg. While the display is no doubt wildly popular and draws huge crowds some think most of the monetary and vocal support for the Hyatts come from those who do not live in Plantation and who do not actually have to contend with the issue in their daily lives.
For the Hyatts the argument lies simply with their right to do what they want on their own property — an old argument without much teeth in countless cases with municipalities with zoning laws. The first amendment arguments actually make more sense — or would, if the city were demanding that no display be allowed at all. But that clearly is not the case as Plantation has said all along it just wants a Christmas light display that is on the level with other residences in the area.
Despite the debate the real costs are running up on all sides. Plantation claims it has spent thousands of dollars for police overtime and traffic control while the Hyatts are working under the burden of imposed daily fines of $250 and other fees in excess of $7000. Now attorney fees for both sides are added to the equation.
For the average home Christmas light enthusiast the case is being watched warily.
"We're concerned about this case," said Wilkins, who participates actively online with other Christmas light enthusiasts at PlanetChristmas.com, "Neighbor relations are an important part of what we do every year. There are ways to deal with this and some become so big or so popular that they have to get moved for the enjoyment of more people ultimately. Cities and residents can work together. But it appears all or nothing in the case of Plantation and the Hyatt display. It gives all of us a bit of a black eye because it makes all Christmas light enthusiasts look a little nutty and extreme. Most of us are not."


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"Shaimiev said that millions of Muslims in Russia need contacts with the Islamic world"
The merits of the first president of Tatarstan remembered at the meeting of the Russia — Islamic World Strategic Vision Group
The fifth meeting of the Russia — Islamic World Strategic Vision Group took place in Ufa. The plenary part will be held today, and the day before there was a kind of rehearsal. Read about how Tatarstan found itself the centre of attention in the Bashkir capital, what are the merits of Mintimer Shaimiev and what Bashkirs smell like in the report of the correspondent of Realnoe Vremya.
In memory of Karim Khakimov
The fifth meeting of the Russia — Islamic World Strategic Vision Group headed by President of Tatarstan Rustam Minnikhanov has taken place in Ufa. This year the forum is held under the title 'To the 50th anniversary of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation. Interfaith harmony: the experience of Russia and the OIC member states'.
Supreme Mufti, Chairman of the Central Muslim Spiritual Board of Russia Talgat Tadzhuddin, Rector of the Russian Islamic Institute Artur Suleymanov and their entourage, shivering from the frost and cold wind near the building of the Russian Islamic University of the Central Muslim Spiritual Board of Russia, were waiting for the guests. On the outer wall of the university building, a memorial plaque was opened to the first plenipotentiary representative of Soviet Russia in the Arab countries, Karim Khakimov. Before the revolution, this building housed the madrasah 'Galiya', where in 1910-1911 the future 'Red Pasha' studied.
The opening ceremony was attended by religious figures of Russia, foreign diplomats, officials, public figures and relatives of Khakimov. The great-niece of the diplomat, Zarema Gindullina, was also seen. There was also another distant relative of Karim Khakimov — the famous Bashkir publicist Shamil Valeev, who heads the apparatus of the Public Сhamber of Bashkortostan.
"A whole galaxy of outstanding politicians and cultural figures of Russia studied in this madrassah. Khakimov was one of the brightest shakirds. This memorial tablet is dedicated to the bright memory of the diplomat. His name is remembered and respected in Saudi Arabia, Yemen and other countries of the Muslim world," said the supreme mufti.
After the plaque was ceremonially unveiled, everyone went to be photographed on the porch of the Islamic University. At the board, there left only relatives — Gindullinaa and Valeev who silently put flowers under the plaque.
Karim Khakimov made a significant contribution to the establishment of relations between the Russian Soviet Republic and the Muslim East. Thanks to his support, the State of Saud (present-day Saudi Arabia) was formed. He was arrested in 1937 and shot a year later. This was a blow to the friendship of the Soviet Country with the Muslim East. The play Red Pasha was staged, books were written, a documentary was filmed in honour of Khakimov. In Bashkiria, the conference Khakim Readings is held annually.
What do Bashkirs smell like?
Besides, two other Russian political figures were remembered on this day, thanks to whom our country's relations with the Islamic world experienced a renaissance. Yevgeny Primakov and Mintimer Shaimiev were at the origins of the Russia — Islamic World Strategic Vision Group. In the congress hall Toratau, where the working session of the forum was held, documentaries about them were shown. There is also held a photo exhibition dedicated to them.
It should be noted that Ufa was chosen as a host for this conference for a reason. Head of Bashkiria Radiy Khabirov offered his services for holding the meeting. And Minnikhanov agreed. By the way, some journalists expected the arrival of Ramzan Kadyrov, but the plans of the Chechen leader did not include Ufa on those days. Speaker of the Federation Council Valentina Matvienko, who was expected here, also did not come.
"The experience of Bashkortostan on interfaith and interethnic cooperation would be useful for members of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation," said the special representative of the Russian Federation to the OIC Ramazan Abdulatipov in an interview with the correspondent of Realnoe Vremya. "We have something to exchange, we have something to share and something to learn. With all the contradictions of our history, we have ensured the coexistence of our peoples and religions in a single state."
The most important achievement of Russia, according to him, is that everyone, regardless of ethnic and religious affiliation, feels himself or herself a full-fledged citizen of the country. He made a compliment to the inhabitants of Bashkiria.
"Ufa is an ancient civilization. I always repeat (the words of Leo Tolstoy — editor's note): "The Bashkirs smell of Herodotus." Here is an interesting experience, very beautiful people. It is important for us to show not only Moscow and St. Petersburg, but also our regions," Abdulatipov added.
A little of Tatarstan in the centre of Ufa
Perhaps, the largest delegation was from Tatarstan. There were Mufti Kamil Samigullin with other representatives of the Muslin Spiritual Board of Tatarstan, Rector of the Bolgar Islamic Academy Daniyar Abdrakhmanov (although he is a "Tatar" only recently, previously the head of the academy had worked in Ufa), Director of Khuzur publishing house Rishat Khamidullin, Metropolitan Feofan (Ashurkov) and Kazan journalists.
Moreover, the exhibition of Tatarstan Investment Development Agency was organized in the congress hall. Along the walls, there are stands announcing the upcoming KazanSummit 2020. As Ramazan Abdulatipov said during his speech, the forum in the capital of Tatarstan would be held "most likely in March". It will probably be the earliest Russia-Islamic World economic summit of the year. In past years, KazanSummit was held between April and June, with the exception of 2013, when it was held in October.
Khuzur publishing house also presented its products. The stand offered books in Russian, Tatar and Arabic. For example, the latest novelty — the tafsir (the translation of the meanings of the Koran) Qalam Sharif. Another pride of the Muslim Spiritual Board of Tatarstan (MSB RT) is the treatise Kitab Al-Tawhid (The Book of the Unity of God) by theologian Abu Mansur al-Maturidi.
Many foreign guests and Russian representatives proudly noted that they were friends with Mintimer Shaimiev, not forgetting to pay compliments to the first president of Tatarstan. For example, former Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu noted that it was the Tatarstan leader who helped him to ascertain that Russia would become a reliable partner of the OIC.
"Mr Shaimiev told me that millions of Muslims in Russia need such contacts with Islamic countries," Ihsanoglu said. "In the end, Russia became our observer. And when we held a forum in Sanaa, Shaimiev called me and invited to the opening of a mosque in Tatarstan. I said I was going to be in Yemen that days. And he sent a plane for me. For one day, I flew to Kazan, where the famous Kul-Sharif Mosque was built, and after the opening, I was taken back to Sanaa."
Metropolitan Feofan also spoke about Tatarstan and Shaimiev, once again reminding that "the republic is a laboratory of interreligious peace and cooperation".
From MSB RT — to 'Bashkir brothers'
Another religious figure of Tatarstan, Mufti Kamil Samigullin, was also given the floor. His speech was devoted to the presentation of the tafsir Kalyam Shareef. The Translation of the Meanings in Russian. Let us remind that a month earlier, Kamil khazrat presented in Moscow a similar work, only in the Tatar language (Kalam Sharif. Megnevi Terzheme).
The mufti noted that the spiritual administration attracted more than 40 specialists to work on the book. According to him, they took into account the mistakes of other translators, most of whom were not Muslims.
According to the Chairman of the MSB RT, this publication will be of interest to the general public of Russia. The same presentation is taking place in a week in Makhachkala.
Samigullin presented the first copy of the book to the Bolgar Islamic Academy, handing the publication to Daniyar Abdrakhmanov. He also gave attention to the co-religionists of Bashkortostan. He handed the sources of the tafsir (the files) over to the chairman-mufti of the MSB RT Aynur Birgalin.
"The related to us people lives in Bashkiria. We have almost the same language with the Bashkirs — we can easily understand each other," said Kamil khazrat, handing the gift to the Ummah of Bashkortostan.
He added that the initiatives of the Tatarstan muftiat can be adopted by the "Bashkir brothers", including in the preparation of translations of the Holy Scripture into their native language. Aynur Bergelin thanked the colleagues from Kazan for such a gift.


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Okay, so I was originally going to do a write-up on Lilly Mackenzie & The Mines of Charybdis in an upcoming post on graphic novels that I've been reading. But then I realized it didn't quite fit into that category. Written & drawn by Simon Fraser, The Mines of Charybdis originally appeared as a weekly web comic on ACT-I-VATE in 2009, and subsequently appeared in print as an eight part serial in the Judge Dredd Megazine. In 2011, Fraser released a limited edition trade paperback collection of the story, and I was fortunate enough to score a copy of that.
The Scottish-born Fraser is probably best known for co-creating with Robbie Morrison the swashbuckling Russian rogue Nikolai Dante in the pages of 2000 AD. Fraser has worked on a number of other features for that famed British anthology, including flagship character Judge Dredd. Among his other works was an excellent comic book adaptation of the Richard Matheson novel Hell House done with Ian Edginton at IDW.
Lilly Mackenzie is Fraser's creator owned series. Lilly is a sexy space adventurer, seemingly bubbly and carefree, but with a dark family past. Her best friend is Cosmo Judd, a brilliant scientist who happens to be a midget, and so is consequently underestimated by many people. Cosmo carries an unrequited attraction to Lilly.
The Mines of Charybdis sees Lilly attempting to track down her long lost, ne'er do well brother. The trail has led to the brutal mining world of Charybdis. The planet is surrounded by an EMP field, meaning that all electronic equipment does not work. Settlers and prisoners are sent down in unpowered space capsules, where they are expected to spend the rest of their lives. The only way of launching the mined ore & minerals back into space is via a mass accelerator. Due to the enormous acceleration needed to escape the planet's surface, this would kill any human beings attempting to travel on it.
In other words, Lilly and Cosmo need to find a way to sneak onto a planet with no advanced technology, find Lilly's brother in a desolate wilderness, and then come up with some sort of method of escaping the planet that won't leave them pulverized. The problem is pretty well summed up in an exchange between the two, when Lilly asks "Can't we just, I dunno, improvise something," and a disbelieving Cosmo shoots back "Improvise? Improvise what? Physics? Maybe Newton, Einstein and Sinclair got it wrong?"
Of course, Cosmo eventually does come up with a plan to get down to Charybdis safely and, in turn, theorizes a brilliant, yet incredibly dangerous, method of possibly getting the pair of them off the planet. Possibly, because even if he can get it to work, there's still no guarantee it won't end up killing the pair of them. And before they can even attempt this, they have to locate Lilly's brother while dealing with any number of desperate thugs and crooks who are imprisoned on Charybdis.
Fraser does a superb job of blending two often disparate aspects of science fiction, namely space opera and "hard science" speculative fiction. He appears to have conducted a thorough amount of research into physics to have devised Cosmo's ingenious scheme. Fraser also adds in what you might consider to be high-octane, adrenaline-packed action sequences, with Lilly doing some major ass-kicking. And at the same time, he makes sure to really develop his characters, to show the depths of their personalities.
It's unfortunate that economics only allowed Fraser to release the collected edition of Lilly Mackenzie & The Mines of Charybdis in a limited print run, because it is an excellent story, one I highly recommend. But you can read it in the pages of Judge Dredd Megazine #298 to #305. Those may be difficult to locate here in the States (you can always try to find them on Ebay or something) so if not, then definitely go to the ACT-I-VATE website and read it there. Fraser's sequel, The Treasure of Paros, is also online, along with various other excellent series by a number of talented creators.
In 2009, IDW published The ACT-I-VATE Primer, a hardcover anthology featuring 16 new stories. Among the creators whose work is featured in The ACT-I-VATE Primer are Dean Haspiel, Roger Langridge, Pedro Camargo, Molly Crabapple, Tim Hamilton, and Mike Cavallaro. Fraser's contribution was "When Lilly Met Cosmo," a prequel tale that reveals how Lilly Mackenzie and Cosmo Judd first met. It's a good story in an excellent collection of material, and I highly recommend purchasing a copy.


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When your fridge cools down less, it may be time to clean the condenser coils. This black coil is also known as the capacitor coil and is located on the back or bottom of your fridge. Whether you're using the built-in or jet cooler, these coils will collect dust and grime, making the fridge run harder over time.
As a result, more electricity is used to maintain temperature, which in turn damages other components such as fuses and motors. To avoid all of these downsides, standard refrigerator coils should be cleaned at least once a month by a professional team.
If you are looking for the best commercial refrigerator cleaning services then you can search the web.
Image Source: Google
In this way, you have a unit running at full efficiency at all times with little damage. Every year restaurants and supermarkets lose thousands of dollars simply because their fridges are not working as efficiently as they should. So, you can save money by cleaning the condenser coils.
Cleaning the condenser coils on your commercial refrigeration unit has never been easier. All you need is to hire refrigerator cleaning services who can do this job properly.
They use the latest technology and their extensive experience to offer reliable and cost-effective solutions to the customers. They also use the latest control and monitoring technology to ensure efficient maintenance.


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State University of New York – Westchester Community College, Center for Digital Arts
Peekskill, New York
Tuesday, October 22, 2013 7:00 pm
Introductory Talk by Festival Curator Liena Vayzman
Join us for a talk by Liena Vayzman and the screening of work from the Crystal Palace Experimental Film and Video Festival. This is a cutting edge film and video art presentation organized on the theme of the crystalline. This program will introduce audiences to up and coming and established avant-garde film and video artists. The crystal-themed, crystallizing, and multi-faceted video art and experimental films in this festival take as points of departure the cultural, scientific, spiritual, and mathematical associations of crystals, gems, and glass. Crystal balls and handmade prisms, shamanic journeys and Indian salt mines, psychedelic Crystal Light drink mix and Victorian animation, mirrors on 16mm and windows on HD — and even crystals grown on a celluloid filmstrip—all glimmer on our magic screen.
The first festival is originated at ArtSpace New Haven.
This event is open to the public and all enrolled students, but registration is required.


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Follow Addy and Dylan the Damselfish as they tour the largest reef in the world, The Great Barrier Reef, meeting all the fascinating creatures who call it home!
This podcast is ideal for those difficult situations where you need to entertain young ones without screens. Think bathtime, trips home from school, grocery shopping, or really any time you've got active minds.
Each episode aligns with various science learnings of the Australian National Curriculum (I'm looking at you, primary school teachers!), combining a teaching aid and calming tool for those post recess/lunch balls of energy! I recommend listening with their eyes closed, letting their imagination to transport them to the magical underwater world.
All sound effects and music obtained from https://www.zapsplat.com
Episode 5 – Animals in Disguise
Get out your magnifying glass, because Dylan and Addy are going to need some help finding the animals on this episode of Addy's Underwater Adventure! Dylan will introduce you and Addy to the Great Barrier Reef's animals in disguise, the Cuttlefish and Stonefish!
Australian National Curriculum: ACSSU002, ACSSU017, ACSSU044, ACSSU073, ACSSU043
Teaching resources:
Episode 4 – Marine Mammals
Dylan tracks down two very special animals to introduce to Addy: Dolphins and Whales. Find out what makes these marine mammals so special in this episode of Addy's Underwater Adventure.
Australian National Curriculum: ACSSU002, ACSSU017, ACSSU044, ACSSU043
Teaching resources
- Whales and Dolphins – Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority
- Echolocation and Whale Songs – Department of Agriculture, Water and Environment
- Teaching Unit – Department of Environment
Episode 3- The Misunderstood Sharks
In this episode, Addy discovers that sharks are much more than what's seen in the movies or on TV. Dylan introduces her to two very different, but fascinating sharks found on the Great Barrier Reef: the Epaulette Shark and the Black Tip Reef Shark.
Australian National Curriculum: ACSSU002, ACSSU017, ACSSU211, ACSSU073, ACSSU043, ACSSU094
Teaching resources
Episode 2 – Mutualism: Best friends on the reef
Join Addy as Dylan teachers her about mutualism, a common relationship in the animal world where both participants benefit from the other, just like best friends! Follow the pair as they meet three sets of best friends, and learn how they help each other survive on the Great Barrier Reef.
Episode infographic: Mutualism on the Reef
Australian National Curriculum: ACSSU002, ACSSU017, ACSSU211, ACSSU030, ACSSU073, ACUSS043
Episode Resources:
Episode 1 – The building blocks of the reef
On the first episode of Addy's Underwater Adventure, Addy meets Dylan the Damselfish, and is introduced to the surprisingly complex Coral!
Australian National Curriculum: ACSSU002, ACSSU017, ACSSU211, ACSSU030, ACSSU044, ACSSU073
Episode Infographic: Lego of the Reef- Coral
Episode Resources:
- Reef Facts – Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority
- Corals – Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority


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SHAUMBRA MAGAZINE: How and when did you find Crimson Circle?
MARY BETH: In March 2009 I met a Shaumbra guy who was interested in me, and he asked me to listen to a Shoud. So, the first Shoud that I listened to was Tobias' "It Doesn't Matter" and I was completely angry! Which was awesome, because nothing had moved me for years. I felt the wisdom of it, but of course, as the human, I thought "How can nothing matter?!" Then, a week and a half later, I went to my first Shoud in Denver. I remember it vividly because I flew into a blizzard! I stayed with a local Shaumbra in Coal Creek Canyon, and it was so snowy that hardly anyone showed up at the Shoud that month. So, it was an interesting weekend for sure! I literally have never missed a Shoud since that day.
SM: And you got over being angry about Tobias' message?
MARY BETH: I actually was thrilled that there was this feeling in me of something coming up. And then, when I went to the Shoud and met the people who were there, I absolutely knew "This is my family." Actually, one of the first people I met was Sart. He knew that I was new, came and introduced himself, gave me a huge hug of course, and we were friends ever since.
SM: You were hired very recently as a part-time staff member. What do you do for Crimson Circle?
MARY BETH: I am the Communications Coordinator – I love that! – and social media is a big part of my job. I'm here to help expand the communication from the Crimson Circle – about events and products and podcasts and all the different things that get produced – out to the world so that people can find it, interact with it, and enjoy it. A friend of mine said that I'm a "network magician" and it's a great title, because I've met thousands of Shaumbra over the years, from all over the world and I'm very good at keeping up with people and making sure that they're still with us – if they want to be. If they don't want to be, that's okay too, but I really like to include people. I also can feel the new wave of humans moving from Awakening to Realization and they will benefit so much from our stories.
SM: What skills did you bring to the job?
MARY BETH: In addition to this, I am also a life coach/teacher and I have a master's degree in counseling. I've always worked in the field of psychology and human personal development; focused on the transformative work of self-acceptance. For me, the internal work we're doing in coming to our Embodied Realization is the next level for humanity. I feel like this is where we're going – consciousness, expanding your consciousness, realizing that you're realized – and it's really taking all of the things that I've learned over the years, personally and professionally, and moving it into the next level. And, because I've spoken to thousands of clients over the years, I really have a lot of compassion for the new people coming into the Crimson Circle and the confusion that comes with what's happening to them, not understanding so many things, and feeling like they're all alone or there's something wrong with them when actually it's a natural process. Then you meet this group and realize "Oh, everything that you've gone through, other people are also going through and, in fact, it's completely normal given that this is your last lifetime." It's all coming home, and it's not easy, that's for sure, but it definitely helps to have a group of people who "get it." When you feel like you are seen and understood, it's a tremendously comforting to a human being.
Since I love to communicate, I used to have a podcast on the old Awakening Zone called, "Living Masters" where I interviewed Keahakers. It was a great way for others to hear stories from the journey. Again, knowing that others were going through similar experiences resonated with people. It came to a point where 1,000 people every month listened or downloaded the podcast and I received lots of positive feedback. I taught SES for many years and I also consider myself a bit of technology geek.
SM: What are your favorite parts of the job so far?
MARY BETH: It's only been three weeks but working for the Crimson Circle feels a little like trying to catch a speeding train! For me, the wonderful parts of the job are interacting with people, always. The staff is such a great team, everybody is just so welcoming and reaching out and able to help; and everything that gets coordinated, we're all together with it. It just runs so smoothly. It's like nothing I've ever experienced before, actually.
So, that's one part of it, and the other part of it is being able to come up with creative ideas. Again, I want to translate that welcoming feeling into the world of Shaumbra and the new people that are absolutely starting to find us, and I love that. I love being able to reach out and say something to someone or post something that makes somebody's day. That's just really, really fun to me.
SM: Is there anything about the job that you find challenging?
MARY BETH: It never stops! (laughs) I just realized I worked both Saturday and Sunday again, even though I wasn't really meant to. There's just stuff to do! And I actually don't mind it, but today I was like, "Okay Mary Beth, take a few hours and just chill." It just doesn't stop, there's so much work all the time. And it's to be expected with so much happening in this Realization season. It's fulfilling to do this work and I'm finding my flow with it.
SM: What do you feel passionate about?
MARY BETH: Personally, I feel passionate about life! Recently, I fulfilled a lifelong dream of moving overseas. So now I live in a little town just outside Amsterdam. And I know this is the most amazing time to be on the planet. It's an absolute privilege to be here with all of these things converging. I can't even wrap my mind around what is changing right now, and that just excites me like crazy – in addition to my own personal realization. Also, the fact that I can now feel the difference that our energies and our consciousness are making in the 3D world is just incredible. And, as more and more people become conscious and move into realization, many of the dreams that I felt over the years – why I'm here on the planet at this time – are starting to reawaken. Yeah, it's all just very exciting and I kind of love it all!