text:
Washington (CNN) - Although the overall health care reform bills passed by the House of Representatives and the Senate are unpopular, many of the provisions in the existing bills are extremely popular, even among Republicans, according to a new national poll.
A CNN/Opinion Research Corporation survey released Wednesday also indicates that only a quarter of the public want Congress to stop all work on health care, with nearly three quarters saying lawmakers should pass some kind of reform.
Twenty-five percent of people questioned in the poll say Congress should pass legislation similar to the bills passed by both chambers, with 48 percent saying lawmakers should work on an entirely new bill and a quarter saying Congress should stop all work on health care reform.
"Many provisions of those bills are popular, particularly restrictions on health insurance companies," says CNN Polling Director Keating Holland. "Roughly 6 in 10 would like a bill that prevents insurers from dropping people who become seriously ill or denying coverage to people with pre-existing conditions. Seven in 10 favor requiring large and mid-sized companies to provide health insurance to their employees. Those proposals are popular among Republicans as well as Independents and Democrats. A cap on medical malpractice awards – something on the GOP's wish list that is not in the current legislation – is also popular."
According to the survey, Americans are split on a public option, and they don't like the idea of requiring everyone in the U.S. to have health insurance. The poll's release comes one day before a critical televised health care summit hosted by President Obama that will include top Congressional Democrats and Republicans.
The survey indicates nearly half of all Democrats say Congress should pass legislation similar to the bills passed by both chambers, with nearly 4 in 10 Democrats saying Congress should start from scratch and just 1 in 10 saying lawmakers should stop all work on health care.
A majority of Republicans questioned, 54 percent, want Congress to start from scratch, with just under 4 in 10 saying lawmakers should halt work on health care reform and just 6 percent saying Congress should pass into law the current legislation.
Fifty-two percent of Independents want Congress to start work on a new bill, with 27 percent saying lawmakers should stop all work, and 18 percent saying that the current legislation should be passed into law.
The CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll was conducted February 12-15, with 1,023 adult Americans questioned by telephone. The survey's sampling error is plus or minus 3 percentage points for the overall survey.
Health care overhaul is badly needed, in the COST of service. But to require all to carry insurance is crazy. Figure it out. Assume the average income is $30,000 gross and the the monthly health care insurance is $700. What does that leave for ALL the other family needs? $21,600. Now there are taxes, housing, food, and etc. What is wrong with this PICTURE? Insurance companies have become greedy. And our federal reps.???? They have great benefits-–what do they care? Let them be middle America and see. They haven't a clue.
This proves to me that such polls should have been taken during August and other months when the Tea Party took over the media's attention and wouldn't go away.
Because Americans are stupid, and believe whatever their TV tells them to believe. Have a nice day, consumerbots!
After Al Qaeda killed nearly 3,000 Americans, on Sept 11, we went to war and spent hundreds of billions of dollars ensuring that this would not happen again. Yet every two months, that many people die because of our failure to provide universal insurance — and yet many members of the GOP want us to do nothing?
More great work from CNN's progressive pollsters! Those focus grouped questions make it next to impossible to see that only 24% of America supports ObamaCare as written..
This just goes to show you how well the republican propaganda machine works – or just how gullible Americans are for being against a health bill but agreeing with many or most of the provisions in it.
Here's an idea. How about dropping the rule that health insurance is required for everyone. BUT if you opt to not get insurance and then need medical care...you're out of luck. NO medical care for you unless you have the money to pay for it. The insured should not be forced to pay higher prices to make up for your unpaid bills.
Americans don't seem to understand that you can't force insurance companies to deny pre-existing conditions with out requiring that everyone by insurance. If we did that, everyone would wait until they got sick to get insurance and it would raise the rates of people who have insurance. Ending Recession and the denial of those that have pre-existing conditions is SO IMPORTANT! It is worth it to have a mandate to address those problems.
I support tort reform, but am opposed to a blanket ceiling on payments, for example, should doctors remove a good leg, a good eye, or a good kidney, etc., a limit of only $250,000 would be insufficient. Unfortunately, most who are pushing for reform take the superficial view.
"You can get everything in life you want if you will just help enough other people get what they want."-Zig Ziglar
Star over people, you're wasting time.
Start over from scratch???? Talk about wasteful spending!!
Starting over would be a great example of wasteful spending and wasted time. There's no reason to start over when MANY of the agreed upon elements are already there. Move ahead, get a decent start on a larger reform and add in elements each year as people begin to see what the benefits are.
They need to start over! What is amazing is that most of these so-called provisions do not start for close to 8 years! The taxes, however, will start right away. How is this going to benefit anyone! Why is this Government not listening to America?
I believe in the public option and universal coverage. Anything less is a failure. If Bush could get tax cuts for the rich and fund two senseless wars from the Democrats, why can't Obama get these?
It does not surprise me that many Americans would not favor these. We are a country that seems to think that others are not supposed to have the same things that we as indivduals feel entitled.
Old foggies in the Deomcrat Party need to get moving on healthcare reform, gay marrige, student loan reforms or we will lose young voters.


text:
Actor Rainn Wilson describes the work that inspires him outside "The Office." Watch CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute, hosted by Anderson Cooper, live on Sunday, December 11 at 8 p.m. ET.
Filed under: CNN Heroes
Anderson Cooper goes beyond the headlines to tell stories from many points of view, so you can make up your own mind about the news. Tune in weeknights at 8 and 10 ET on CNN.
Questions or comments? Send an email
Want to know more? Go behind the scenes with AC361°

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Lately I've been slagging the Olympus EM5-2. Talking trash about it's feeble video performance. But that's kind of silly given how good the camera is as a day-to-day shooter. I worked in the studio this morning, both shooting new EM5-2 video tests but also working on editing a video project we shot earlier in the year on a GH4. After I hit the point where I was uninterested and antsy I grabbed the new EM-5/2 and carefully placed a venerable classic lens on the front of it. The lens I wanted to shoot with today is the 60mm f1.5 Pen FT lens that was made by Olympus for their series of half frame cameras back in the early 1970's.
I went into the I.S. menu and dialed in the nearest focal length (65) so I could take advantage of the 5 axis image stabilization and then I set the camera for focus peaking. Parked the car at one side of downtown and walked all the way east and then came back all the way west. After a week of photographic people in close quarters it was a nice change to take a stab at shooting buildings. With the 60mm f1.5 hanging in around f4 and f5.6 I was amazed (as usual) at the amount of detail that this optic delivers. It's really amazing to realize how good optics could be back then.
The camera is delightful to shoot with. Every control is exactly where I would have designed it to be. The exposure, for the most part, is right on the money and the look of the files is gratifying.
At some point I decided to try the HDR function as it was sitting right there in the middle of the menu. It works well and I am happy with the results. They aren't garish as so much HDR can be (is). At one point I called HDR "technicolor vomit" but the Olympus implementation makes me re-think the whole subject. It's more subtle and more mature.
As for the camera....I like it so much that I'm planning to take all four of my EM5's to my favorite camera store for consignment at which time I'll pick up a second EM5-2 body. Cameras are like rattlesnakes; they always like to travel in pairs...
When I got home from shooting in the downtown area we got phone call from our son, Ben. He's a freshman at Skidmore College in N.Y. It was great to talk to him. Last semester he made the Dean's List with a 4.0. I didn't think he would hit us with another piece of good news in such short order but he's been hired by the college to be a peer mentor in the philosophy department for his sophomore year. I think it's rather rare for a freshman to be asked and I couldn't be prouder of him. That good news certainly takes the sting out of my recent camera video tests.... :-)


text:
After Flipboard and CNN today announced that personalised magazine app Flipboard was buying Zite from CNN, I had a chance to talk with Flipboard CEO Mike McCue and CNN's digital head KC Estenson about the deal (pictured here looking chummy around the time they announced the news).
The two wouldn't say anything directly about the price of the deal, or any other terms, except to question that CNN itself reported the $60 million figure (a question that has since turned into a statement that the figure is inaccurate, with some suggesting no cash was exchanged). Nor would they comment on a question I'd asked them about whether part of the financial terms included CNN investing in Flipboard, although a later story in Bloomberg, unconfirmed by the companies, noted just that.
What they did talk about was some of the germination behind the deal, the fate of Zite, and a bit about how the two will work on advertising together. Key to the ad agreement is that CNN and Flipboard are working together on ads for CNN content on Flipboard — but also for across other parts of the Flipboard experience.
And lastly, no one's sweating over Paper.
So, who approached whom?
McCue: It was really down to Quincy Smith [Flipboard investor and former president of CBS Interactive], who I like to call "the deal whisperer." KC could see how important this technology would be for digital content. And I wondered how we could partner with CNN. Quincy introduced us and ultimately we came up with this.
Estenson: We actually met on Tinder. (Funny guy.) I look at this as doubling down on news aggregation and personalised news. Flipboard is a bulletproof product on a big growth path. That was the impetus for me looking to reach out to Mike.
Tell me a bit about what happens to Zite.
McCue: Over time Zite is getting closed down, but it will be a seamless transition path for the user base, which includes my own mother.
The tech that powers all of the discovery in Zite will be integrated into Flipboard in the coming weeks and months. People will notice a significant increase in discovery on Flipboard as we roll this out.
Zite has the ability to teach itself what you like as you use it and we are integrating that capability as well. This is important because as we add thousands of new content publishers they will create content of different kinds. We will enable that content to be more readily discoverable by curators.
Can you comment on the terms of the deal? CNN itself reported a value of $60 million.
Estenson: We're not confirming the number. What I can say is that we bought Zite outright. We advanced it in meaningful ways and it's much stronger than when we acquired it, and that enabled us to align in a very strategic long-term agreement.
Is CNN taking a stake in Flipboard as part of this?
Estenson: We're not commenting on any details of the deal, but Mike has agreed to take me out on a date.
Can you tell me anything about comparative user numbers?
McCue: We don't disclose active users in detail but we do have well over a 100 million activated users and growing very fast. Engagement is extremely good.
Estenson: We're not breaking out numbers but Zite more than tripled in size in the time that we had it. It's a meaningful user base but Flipboard's hand here was to leverage the capabilities of the UI behind the Zite product.
Tell me more about how the advertising will work.
Estenson: The way that this partnership is structured is how Flipboard works with all publishers. There are different arrangements for web share and so on.
Everyone gets to sell this inventory and premium ad executions, but also we will be partnering with Flipboard on new things that are not exclusive to CNN. That's the key thing. Flipboard has a powerful and unique ad execution and we can help them scale to more users and grow that exposure.
McCue: We are trying to create a platform and ecosystem where publishers feel good about the platform. You've got to figure out really great content as the whole world moves to mobile. We format and optimise their content and then we make that content discoverable by repackaging in different ways based on human and algorithmic decisions.
How have ads been performing to date on Flipboard?
Ads perform incredibly well. We're finding Gucci and Bottega Veneta and other luxury names are buying really beautiful ads, like the ones you'd see at Vogue. Some just value having those ads be seen [as in a magazine] but of course with Flipboard you can also tap to enter a "native" experience with a curated ad opening up more content, such as catalogues. Then you can create your own look books from those.
In terms of our click-through-rates, we are seeing 3 percent and sometimes quite a bit higher, some 7-10 percent depending on the native elements.
Do you feel threatened at all by Facebook's Paper?
McCue: No. I see it as a different way of letting you look at Facebook. It was inspired by a lot of what we've done and it does some content stuff on the side, but it's not very deep or very broad. What most people do on Flipboard is use it to discover things they really love. Paper doesn't really do a lot of that. It's interesting for Facebook but not taking the world by storm, so we don't see it as any threat whatsoever. Those who use Paper probably still use Flipboard.
Interestingly, we've seen an acceleration of downloads since the Paper announcement as some have discovered us as a result.
More acquisitions coming up? More consolidation to come in the personal newsreader/magazine space?
McCue: We're on the lookout for other teams so that certainly could happen.


text:
To avoid bending stress, a suction cup can be fitted with a ball joint.Read more
To avoid bending stress, a suction cup can be fitted with a ball joint.
It depends on the weight of the product that should be lifted and how many suction cups that can be used for the object. Calculate the weight to be lifted per suction cup and then take the weight multiplied with the gravity force (g = 9,81) and you have the lifting force needed in Newton (N).
Our recommendation is to start at the application listing to find the products we recommend to different applications. If you have questions please do not hesitate to contact our partners to find the optimum solution.
Please see our storage guidelines:
Storage guidelines of suction cups and rubber products (pdf)
All suction cups not in contact with an object (open) will draw in a lot of air and demand a larger pump than actually necessary. By using different valves, such as piSAVE® sense, in the suction cups, the suction cups will be normally closed until they come in contact with the handled object. Only the cups needed in the specific lifting cycle will be open and flow air. Please see the video piSAVE® sense.
DURAFLEX® is a patented material specially developed to feature the elasticity of rubber and the wear resistance of polyurethane. The DURAFLEX® material is mark-free.
Use our guide to get recommendations or leave your details and we'll get in touch!
Different product types can't be compared. Do you want to remove the existing products?


text:
(JTA) — An Iranian Jewish real estate investor in Los Angeles was found guilty of fraud after he was accused of stealing $21 million from clients.
Ezri Namvar, 59, was convicted May 19 in Los Angeles federal court on four counts of wire fraud and faces up to 80 years in prison. Sentencing is scheduled for August.
Namvar is accused of misusing $21 million of the $25 million garnered from the real estate transactions of four clients of his Namco Financial Exchange Corp. The clients had deposited the money with the company until it could be reinvested.
Members of the Persian Jewish community in Los Angeles also are suing Namvar for hundreds of millions of dollars that he was supposed to invest. They say Namvar took the money and created a Ponzi scheme in order to use the funds for personal expenses, including his brother's wedding.


text:
Few modern authoritarians are more image-conscious than Vladimir Putin. For 12 years, we have been treated to the macho displays of the Russian leader as action hero/adventurer: the judo black belt; the shirtless outdoorsman; the deep-sea diver; the motorcycle enthusiast; and most recently, the (slightly softer) supposed savior to a flock of endangered cranes. Less well-known is how carefully scripted Putin's appearance on Russian television can be, with regime spin doctors dictating media coverage down to the minute. The Kremlin is probably a more poll-driven institution than anything you'll find in Washington, D.C.
That's why the Russian president's decision on Friday to sign a piece of legislation forbidding the adoption of Russian children by American citizens appears at first blush to be so oddly tone deaf. The Russian bill will immediately block the adoption of 46 Russian orphans whose applications were nearly complete. It is in retaliation for a U.S. law that targeted corrupt Russian officials who had a connection to the imprisonment and death of Sergei Magnitsky, a lawyer and whistle-blower who had uncovered a massive tax fraud implicating senior Russian officials and police officers. So, with the stroke of a pen, Putin appeared to be rushing to defend venal and most likely criminal Russian officials at the expense of dozens of orphans, not to mention the thousands of other Russian children who would eventually be taken in by American families. The ghastly conditions in Russia's overburdened orphanages are no secret to Russians. (There are an estimated 120,000 children eligible for adoption. Last year, Americans adopted 1,000 of the roughly 10,000 children who found homes.) No one has ever accused Putin of being a warm, father-like figure. Now he just seems mean.
The idea that Putin ending adoptions to American parents is a significant blow to U.S.-Russian relations is ridiculous. It is a heartbreaking and cruel decision for those children and the families that were only weeks away from welcoming them, but the reality is that this political tit-for-tat won't spill over to strategic considerations regarding Iran, Syria, and maintaining supply lines in Afghanistan. What it does tell you is how puny Vladimir Putin has become.
For Putin, the world changed on Sept. 24, 2011. That was the day Russia's then-President Dimitri Medvedev announced that Putin would be returning for a third presidential term—and millions of Russians felt like they had been duped. Although people had openly speculated about Putin's position during all four years of Medvedev's presidency, it was now clear that Putin had always been in charge and that the Medvedev years were merely a ruse for Putin to remain in power without rewriting the country's constitution. (The document allows for no more than two consecutive terms, but it doesn't bar a president from serving additional terms. One change that was made early in Medvedev's tenure, however, was that presidential terms in office were expanded to six years.)
The Russian leader's popularity plummeted as people came to terms with the prospect of 12 more years of his rule. That popularity has never bounced back. Russians began to describe Putin as the modern incarnation of Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev. A Photoshopped image of an aged-looking Putin dressed in one of Brezhnev's old uniforms went viral. When two months later Russia's Duma elections were clumsily rigged—again, videos of ballot stuffing and other violations quickly spread online—disgust with Putin and the regime reached a tipping point. That's when tens of thousands of Russians took to the streets of Moscow, chanting, "Russia without Putin!"
What we have seen of Putin in 2012 is nothing like the strong, unassailable leader of his earlier years. He had come to power promising to be a powerful defender of Russian sovereignty; now he hoards orphans to score a political point that inadvertently demonstrates how little leverage he actually has. Putin is the leader of a regime that appears insecure, nervous, and thin-skinned.
His first response to the sight of tens of thousands of his fellow citizens denouncing his government's corruption was to lay blame for the protests on Hillary Clinton, the sort of oddball conspiracy theory you expect more from a Muammar Gaddafi or Bashar Assad. Since returning to office, Putin has implemented a wide-ranging crackdown on dissent, including blocking websites, broadening the definition of treason, and reinstating libel as a criminal offense. A crucial part of this new wave of repressions has had one common denominator: anti-Americanism. That is why the Kremlin now requires local nongovernmental organizations that receive foreign funding to register as "foreign agents." That's why the U.S. Agency for International Development was forced to suspend its operations. Faced with mounting dissatisfaction, Putin's regime has increasingly turned to the old canard of the most paranoid dictatorships by attempting to drum up fears of an external (typically American) threat.
Putin's decision on Friday to deny his country's most helpless citizens a better future is the most craven example of his desperate search for a cure to his own sagging popularity. Russians see the Kremlin's new anti-corruption crusade—a number of senior officials, including the defense minister, have been caught in the dragnet—as the empty populist gambit that it is. Corruption is Russia's most durable currency; a campaign to end graft can only go so far before it becomes a threat to the entire political system.
The bad news for Putin is that his xenophobic, anti-American displays no longer work on a population that increasingly views him as illegitimate. Indeed, nothing he has tried yet has succeeded in reversing public opinion. His approval ratings in the past several months are his lowest yet. And this newest gambit will surely fail to sway public opinion. His own foreign minister, education minister, and a deputy prime minister spoke out against the legislation before he signed it. An online petition in an opposition newspaper garnered more than 100,000 signatures against the measure.
No doubt most of these people are moved simply by their compassion for these children and the fact that they will be denied an opportunity for a better life abroad. Some may more than empathize. In a poll taken shortly before Putin announced his intention to return for a third term, 22 percent of Russians said they wanted to move overseas, the largest percentage since the collapse of the Soviet Union. On some level, they may feel like orphans, too.


text:
I build stuff on the InternetMetaFilter is my most famous site, since it's rather large and has been around for over 10 years. It's a community weblog, and one of the very first blogs to feature things like comments and multiple authors. Since it started in 1999, the site has grown to include the popular question and answer forum Ask MetaFilter as well as areas for musicians to share their work among other things.
Fuelly is a social website that lets you share and compare your fuel economy with others. Prospective car buyers in the market for a new vehicle can browse any and every car in the system to see real-world mileage numbers from drivers. Those looking to increase their economy can track their mileage at the pump using SMS or the mobile web app. There is also a forum for users to talk to each other and a list of tips to save fuel.
I sometimes fancy myself a writer
A Whole Lotta Nothing is my personal blog, one I've been writing since early 2001. Follow along to stay up to date on the things I'm thinking about, the things I'm enjoying, and as of late, the progress of my brain tumor. I also post daily links to interesting sites using pinboard.
Twitter has almost single-handedly killed my daily blogging, so I post quite a bit on Twitter where I go by the handle of: @mathowie.
I've also written and contributed to several books and I've written for the New York Times.
I love photography
Back in 2003, I started a daily photoblog called Ten Years Of My Life with the intention of sharing photos from my life for the following ten years. After about two years of daily posting, I had a daughter and it sucked up all my free time so the site went on hiatus for a year or two. I recently relaunched it as a gallery of my favorite photos as they come in.
My Flickr account is where you will find thousands of photos uploaded to the service since 2004. You will also find my collections of sets including loads of bike races and general cycling photos, as well as photos of my family and friends, and shots from around the backyard.
I like bikes. A lot.
Buy Local Cycling is an Oregon-based bike team I sponsor. The team is focused on riding bikes built with as many locally-built, owned, and sourced parts as possible. Our team of about 15 riders races at cyclocross and mountain bike events across the Pacific Northwest.
You can also become a fan of our team on Facebook.


text:
Outdoor dining makes everything taste better!
Made from quality Amish craftsmanship and custom made at the time of order, our poly outdoor furniture is made from 95% recycled material. Poly lumber makes for strong, comfortable furniture without the hassles typically associated with upkeep. It's easy to care for, needs no painting, and can withstand harsh weather.
Available in a wide variety of juicy rainbow colors or natural finishes.
DIMENSIONS: 44"W x 64"L x 39"H


text:
Searching for a truly gourmet meatloaf
Finding the right answer to reader requests sometimes sends me on a culinary treasure hunt.
One reader wants to find a "truly gourmet meatloaf that guests will rave about." Meatloaf just doesn't seem to fall into the gourmet category, but if you know of one that does, please let us know.
When I think of meatloaf, the Blue Plate special comes to mind. What makes a meatloaf gourmet? My first priority with anything I cook is flavor. Some cooks seem to think that a beautiful presentation is more important, but I can remember times when a dish looked great, but after one bite I set it aside.
The following meatloaf is country music star Miranda Lambert's all-time favorite. She recalls her mother, Bev, pulling a stool up to the kitchen counter when Miranda was a small child and making this tasty delight. It also was the favorite "birthday dish" for her and her brother when they were small.
That says a lot, because most youngsters don't seem to like meatloaf. Think about it - if, as a youngster, you were asked to choose a favorite dish, would it be meatloaf? Personally, I can think of many foods I would pick over meatloaf.
To add an adult touch to this simple meatloaf, how about some bourbon mushrooms? I thought about adding some of the mushrooms to the meatloaf, but changed my mind because some people might not like them. Having them plated around the meatloaf would be best for those who might want just a taste of the mushrooms. By the way, these mushrooms would be a good side dish for almost any kind of meat.
I didn't find gourmet meatloaf on my treasure hunt, but I did find many "special gems" like the following recipes in the interesting cookbook written by Kelly Alexander, "Southern Living ... No Taste Like Home," published by Oxmoor House in 2013. It is a wonderful book to have in your collection.
2 lbs. lean ground beef
1 lb. ground pork sausage
18 saltine crackers, crushed
1/2 green bell pepper, diced
1/2 onion, finely chopped
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon yellow mustard
1/2 cup firmly-packed brown sugar, divided
1/2 cup ketchup
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine first eight ingredients with 1/4 cup brown sugar just until blended. Place in a lightly greased 11 x 7 inch baking dish. Shape into a 10 x 5 inch loaf. Bake for 1 hour. Remove from oven and drain. Stir together the ketchup and remaining brown sugar. Pour over meatloaf. Bake for l5 minutes more, or until a meat thermometer inserted into thickest portion registers 160 degrees. Remove from oven and let set about 20 minutes. Remove from baking dish or pan before slicing.
1/4 cup butter
1/4 olive oil
2 lbs. assorted mushrooms, sliced
1/4 teaspoon table salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 cup bourbon or chicken broth
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
Cook mushrooms with salt and pepper in butter and olive oil in heavy skillet over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, 12 to 15 minutes, or until tender and almost all liquid is evaporated.
Remove from heat and stir in bourbon or chicken broth. Return to heat and cook 2 to 3 minutes until slightly thickened. Reduce heat to low and stir in garlic, parsley and thyme. Cook 1 minute longer.
- Prudence Hilburn has won more than 30 national cooking awards and written several cookbooks, including, "Simply Southern and More." Write her at email@example.com or visit www.prudencehilburn.com.


text:
Police arrest 13 in diesel smuggling raid
,Johor police chief Kamarul Zaman Mamat says the gang bought diesel across the state before selling it to local and international markets. – The Malaysian Insight file pic, July 3, 2022.环球ug代理(www.ugbet.us)开放环球UG代理登录网址、会员登录网址、环球UG会员注册、环球UG代理开户申请、环球UG电脑客户端、环球UG手机版下载等业务。
POLICE arrested 13 men on suspicion of diesel smuggling and seized 138,000 litres of the fuel in a raid at premises in Sungai Bauk, Tanjung Belungkor, Kota Tinggi, on Friday.
Johor police chief Kamarul Zaman Mamat said all the suspects, comprising four local men and nine foreigners aged 18 to 62, were arrested at 11pm in Op Bersepadu Kontraban.
He said the gang bought diesel across the state before selling it to local and international markets, including foreign merchant ships, at a price of about RM3.50 per litre.
"They operated every three days by selling diesel on the black market at a higher price.
"The gang was detected a month ago and the premises (raided) was a transit point for the smuggling of subsidised diesel," he told a media conference after the raid yesterday.
Kamarul said police also seized a foreign tanker, four cargo tanks, four fuel suction pumps, two generators, a Toyota Vios car and diesel worth RM386,400, all estimated to be worth RM14.4 million.
One of the suspects has a previous conviction under the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952 and the case was being investigated under section 21 of the Control of Supply Act 1961, he added. – Bernama, July 3, 2022.


text:
NEW YORK, NY (April 24, 2013)–Seven-time Grammy-winning singer, songwriter, actress and entrepreneur Gloria Estefan, Cuban-American pop/hip hop singer and songwriterKat Dahlia, Grammy-winning musician and San Antonio native The Chris Perez Project, andBillboard Latin chart toppers 3BALL MTY are the latest additions to the line-up for FESTIVAL PEOPLE EN ESPAÑOL Presented by Target. The multi-faceted celebration of Hispanic entertainment and culture is set to take place this Labor Day weekend (Saturday, August 31 and Sunday, September 1) inSan Antonio, Texas. Concert tickets start at just $30.00, and are available now through Ticketmaster.
These acts join a musical line-up that already includes Mexican singer and international superstar Alejandro Fernandez;award-winning and chart- topping Puerto Rican reggaeton duo Wisin y Yandel; singer, songwriter and actressDemi Lovato; award-winning singer/songwriterJencarlos Canela; Texas native Mexican-American Tejano musician Bobby Pulido; and Mexican singer Frankie J.
"Performing in San Antonio for Festival People en Español is a true homecoming for me," said Gloria Estefan. "My roots run deep in San Antonio, and I'm looking forward to performing at Festival. It gives me the opportunity to reconnect with my fans in San Antonio and from all across the country."
TheFESTIVAL PEOPLE EN ESPAÑOL 2013 performance breakdown is as follows:
Saturday, August 31:
Gloria Estefan, Alejandro Fernandez, Bobby Pulido andJencarlos Canela.
Sunday, September 1:
Demi Lovato, Wisin y Yandel, The Chris Perez Project, Frankie J, 3BALL MTY and Kat Dahlia.
A mix oflive performances each evening at theAlamodome and free open-to-the-public daytime activities at The Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center, this year'sFestival PEOPLE EN ESPAÑOL Presented by Targetwill be produced by the legendary, 19-timeGrammy Award-winning, musician andproducer, Emilio Estefan. Festival PEOPLE EN ESPAÑOL's free, open-to-the-public daytime events offer a wide range of activities that celebrate the best of Latino culture and community. Additional musical performances; Q&A sessions, celebrity meet& greets; sessions with leading industry experts on topics ranging from fashion to wellness; and a sampling of favorite brands through special on-site consumer experiences round out the day time events at the convention center.
TV hostess, model, actress Marycarmen Lopez will serve as host for all the daytime activities and Kat Dahlia will join night time performers Canela and Pulido who will all serve double duty also appearing at the festival's daytime events. In addition, Chiquis Marin, eldest daughter of the late, beloved banda and norteña singer-songwriter, actress, television producer, entrepreneur Jenni Rivera and author/early childhood expert Jeannette Torresjoin previously announced daytime participants: journalist and talk show host Cristina Saralegui; Mexican model, singer, actor Rafael Amaya; Venezuelan model and actress Marjorie de Sousa; actor, singer, rapper and dancer Adam Irigoyen, best known as Deuce Martinez on the Disney Channel original series "Shake It Up";leading journalist and TV host Myrka Dellanos; motivational speaker, columnist, author and radio hostMaria Marin; and celebrity trainer Jose Fernandez. Festival PEOPLE EN ESPAÑOLdaytime events are free of charge and tickets are not needed to attend.
Meanwhile,Festival PEOPLE EN ESPAÑOL islooking for bloggers to report on the weekend's activities. One confirmed winner will receive a trip for two to festival including hotel accommodations and airfare. The winning blogger will also receive two standard concert tickets for each night of the festival; front of stage access to live tweet one artists' performance; one video interview with a selected artist, which will be posted on PeopleEnEspanol.com with a link back to blogger's site; one press Credential granting access to Festival PEOPLE EN ESPAÑOL Press Room to conduct red carpet interviews; and promotion of the blogger's web site/blog via the brand's Twitter, Facebook and Instagram pages with messaging. Note: The winner's blog posts and festival activities will be managed by a PeopleEnEspanol.com editor. Full details on the blogger contest and all rules and regulations can be found at http://www.peopleenespanol.com/festival/festivalblogger
The presenting sponsor for Festival PEOPLE EN ESPAÑOL 2013 isTarget and major sponsors includeCoca-Cola, Jeep andMundoFox. Official sponsors are HBO Latino, Pine Sol, the City of San Antonioand the San Antonio Convention and Visitors Bureau.
About PEOPLE EN ESPAÑOL:
PEOPLE EN ESPAÑOL was launched in 1996 as a special issue, and today has become the top-selling Hispanic magazine in the United States. Published 11 times a year, PEOPLE EN ESPAÑOL's guaranteed circulation is 540,000 and reaches over six million readers every month with its editorial mix of Hispanic and popular entertainment, fashion and beauty trends, and compelling human-interest stories. PEOPLE EN ESPAÑOL delivers original editorial content that captures the values, contributions and impact of today's Hispanics in the U.S. PEOPLE EN ESPAÑOL celebrated its 15th anniversary in 2011. For daily news, photos, exclusive behind-the-scenes video and celebrity scoops, visit www.PeopleEnEspanol.com.


text:
Our Verdict
Despite text messages, email and a constant stream of notifications, it's still pretty easy to forget things these days. TellMeLater from Sixfoisneuf42 is a helpful iPhone app that makes it easy to remember things by offering a simple yet effective take on task management.
Think of the $1 TellMeLater as a set-it-and-forget-it task management app. When you launch TellMeLater, you'll notice a large green New Reminder button at the bottom of the screen. It's easy to spot—it's the only button in the app.
Tap New Reminder to summon the reminder screen, where you can set new reminders or adjust existing reminders. Each reminder includes a due date and notification options. Local notifications are enabled by default. Additional notification options, including emails and reminder tweets, are available but disabled by default. You can save notification defaults for all reminders so you really only need to set notifications once.
TellMeLater handles due dates in the familiar "scroll wheel" template present in so many iOS apps. You can enter in single reminders or recurring reminders by the day, week or month.
While local notifications are helpful, TellMeLater really shines because of its support for email reminders. For example, if I want my girlfriend to remember to pick something up at the store, I can remind myself on my iPhone and send her an email in case she gets to the store before I do. The app will alert both of us at the same time since one notification is local on my iPhone and the other is sent to her email address. TellMeLater does not support email notifications to multiple addresses, however.
TellMeLater is a great little app for all those times you want to remember something later, especially while running errands. Its simplicity and ease of use make TellMeLater stand out as an effective time management app for iOS.
[Macworld contributor Brendan Wilhide covers the sports industry and social media on Sportsin140.com.]


text:
Board and Council Elections
Once a year, the XMPP Standards Foundation holds elections for its Board of Directors and for the XMPP Council. That time is now, so the XSF is actively soliciting people to stand for election. Here is the division of responsibilities between the two groups:
The Board provides business leadership for the XSF by handling things like fundraising, contracts, grants, legal issues, planning the XMPP Summit meetings, and choosing volunteers for various official posts such as the Secretary and Executive Director. Those who serve on the Board are not required to be elected members of the XSF.
The Council provides technical leadership for the XSF by managing the XSF's standards process, deciding which proposals to accept as official XEPs, voting on advancement of XEPs through the process from Experimental to Draft to Final, and providing oversight for the functions of the XMPP Extensions Editor and the XMPP Registrar. Those who serve on the XMPP Council are required to be elected members of the XSF.
If you are interested in standing for election, please visit http://wiki.xmpp.org/web/Board_and_Council_Elections_2009 and create a page about your candidacy by the close of business on Friday, September 11, 2009.


text:
Sunday, March 04, 2007
What Colour do you like your Objects? Pink or Blue?
It would be interesting to see when the term was first used. It wouldn't surprise me if the first published use of the term was in the original Byte Magazine article on Smalltalk in August 1981. So OOP was born with Smalltalk. Before Smalltalk Simula extended Algol to allow data structures to contain function pointers, but this was seen as an extension of data abstraction, and the term OOP wasn't used.
In Alan Kay's keynote speech at OOPSLA in 1997 he talks about a blue plane and a pink plane. The pink plane represents ideas which are an incremental improvement of existing ideas. The blue plane which runs orthogonal to the pink represents revolutionary ideas that break the old way of doing things, setting you off in a new direction.
Since the creation of C++, OOP has born these two identities. Firstly a pink identity, where OOP is seen as an extension of the existing thing, this was the view of Bjarne Stroustrup and what lead to C++ and ultimately Java. Secondly there is a blue identity, where OOP is seen as a new thing, which breaks with the old and has new requirements all of it's own. This second identity is most closely associated with Smalltalk and Self. It has also influenced other OO languages like CLOS, Ruby and Python.
These two identities so happen to deal with types differently, and the difference between the two is often referred to as static versus dynamic, but in truth, this dichotomy is a false one. The difference runs much deeper. The real difference between the two stems from their goals and their vision.
The C++ goal was to introduce OOP like constructs to C in an efficient way. To do this Stroustrup avoided the garbage collection, byte code, VM and late-binding of Smalltalk and went back to the much simpler and efficient model presented by Simula. The strength with this approach is that C++ is very efficient, the downside is that C++ is decidedly pink.
Self built on the platform of Smalltalk in an attempt to push further into the blue plane. The goals of Self were:
* Objects that are tangible just like physical objects in the real world
* Objects that share uniformity, just like physical objects do (everything is an object)
* Objects that exhibit liveliness, removing the modal nature of programming (no edit/build/run cycle)
All these goals are characteristics of Smalltalk, but Self wanted to take these characteristics much further, creating a fully graphical programming experience, where objects could be handled and manipulated from a visual palette, just like physical objects in the real world.
You can see that this 'blue' vision is very different from the pink one. One of the most obvious consequences is that with Smalltalk and Self there is no difference between graphical objects on the users desktop, and 'programmable objects' in the programmers IDE. In a sense the desktop becomes the IDE and the IDE becomes the desktop. Following from this the distinction between programmer and end user starts to blur. Also the distinction between object and application disappears all together. Each object is an application in it's own right, even the benign Number object '1' or '3' is an entity that can be manipulated at runtime through it's own GUI. The VM contains a large collection of such objects and becomes more than just a runtime, it becomes a Graphical Operating System.
Infact the object instance '1' is more than just an application. It also encapsulates it's own server with it's own synchronous message queue and it's own virtual processor. Adopting this semantic view of OOP means the runtime is now analogous to a NOS (Networked Operating System) spanning several virtual processing nodes. This is the semantic goal of blue OOP and why Alan Kay used the analogy of the encapsulated biological 'cell' in his keynote speech. I will expand on this blue OOP vision in a future post. But as you can see pink OOP is very different from blue OOP and the difference has very little to do with types.
Revised 06/03/07: Replaced 'Real Objects' with 'Physical Objects' in line with the terminology used by the Self team - Thanx Isaac
27 comments:
- Usquebaugh said...
So what color is OO under CLOS?
- 8:02 pm
- Paul Beckford said...
Hi Alistair,
Good question. In some ways, I would say CLOS is blue. After all you can meet all the goals of blue OOP using CLOS, also CLOS satifies the blue criteria of being a 'new thing'. Generic functions were definately new when invented, and give a new spin to OOP which is not based on the idea of mesage passing.
On the other hand, I would say that CLOS is pink. With CLOS there is no encapsulation and anyone can access the insides of Objects. This 'feature' of CLOS has more to do with backward compatibility with "the old thing" Lisp then it has to do with the new idea of Objects and OOP. Also CLOS has none of the Smalltalk/Self 'built-in' features needed to manipulate objects in a visual tangible way.
So in short I don't know. Perhaps someone else with a stronger knowledge of CLOS and Lisp may offer an answer.
If I was forced to give a single answer, I would say that CLOS can be both pink or blue depending on how you choose to use it. This fits in with the Lisp culture of allowing maximum flexibility for the programmer. Lisp prouds itself in being anything you want it to be :^).
- 11:02 pm
- Isaac Gouy said...
So OOP was born with Smalltalk.
Yet another Alan Kay quote -
... to quote Goethe, we should "share in the excitement of discovery without vain attempts to claim priority".
The Early History of Smalltalk
"An object is an instance of a class declaration."
Class and Subclass Declarations
Do we need to bother about whether the term object-orientation would have come about without Dahl and Nygaard's talk of classes and subclasses and instances and objects?
Maybe we should just extend Ole-Johan Dahl's common-sense statement:
"The importance of the OO paradigm today is such that one must assume something similar would have come about also without the Simula effort."
The Birth of Object Orientation: the Simula Languages
- 9:55 am
- Isaac Gouy said...
* Create tangible objects as they exist in the real world
* Create objects that share uniform characteristics like objects do in the real world (everything is an object)
"The world does not consist of objects sending each other messages, and we would have to be seriously mesmerised by object jargon to believe that it does."
p6 Designing Object Systems
- 10:08 am
- Paul Beckford said...
I believe the label OOP was born with Smalltalk, yes. I could be wrong though. At least Alan Kay has publicaly claimed that he coined the term 'Object Orientation'. So the term OOP may have been applied retrospectively to Simula. In his 1997 OOPSLA Keynote Alan Kay refers to three pre-Smalltalk systems that he considered Object Orientated, Simula was one of them.
I checked the date on the Simula paper you supplied and it is dated 2001. If you could find a reference to the label OOP prior to Smalltalk, say when Simula-67 came out in 1967, that would be definitative proof, and Alan Kay's claim would be false.
The reason why I'm getting so hung up about a label is because the term has come to mean different things to different people and has ruthlessly been exploited as a marketing tool.
Any concrete information you can supply is gladly received. I'm up for learning!
- 10:16 am
- Paul Beckford said...
- This comment has been removed by the author.
- 10:23 am
- Paul Beckford said...
Whoops. I got the wrong quote.
"The world does not consist of objects sending each other messages, and we would have to be seriously mesmerised by object jargon to believe that it does."
I saw this one coming :^) The Self project wanted to give software objects some of the properties of real objects. They also noted that software objects had properties all of their own. This quote doesn't contradict what I am saying. The idea is to borrow traits and properties like direcntess, uniformity and liveliness from real world objects because it makes sense, and of course in a computer you can do things that you can't in the real world. After all a computer is a 'virtual world' :^).
I suggest you watch the Self video. Here is a link:
BTW. I'm more than happy to debate.
- 10:28 am
- Isaac Gouy said...
I checked the date on the Simula paper ...
Have you checked the date of "Class and Subclass Declarations" ?
...Alan Kay's claim would be false.
The reason why I'm getting so hung up about a label...
I think you need to re-read the Goethe quote and Ole-Johan Dahl's comment.
- 11:29 am
- Isaac Gouy said...
"real objects... real world objects"
What are they?
- 11:33 am
- Paul Beckford said...
- This comment has been removed by the author.
- 11:49 am
- Paul Beckford said...
...The labels Class and sub Class are not the same as OOP. Self has no classes but is still OOP. I agree that Simula probably coined the terms Class and Sub Class back in 1967.
...The properties Self suggest that objects should take from the real world are:
* directness
* uniformity
* liveliness
All three terms are explored in the video.
What is your difficulty with these properties for software objects?
... I'm sure that you don't need me to tell you what a real object is :^)
I'm failing to see the point you are making. Please be specific. Your posts thus far have been quite terse.
- 11:54 am
- Isaac Gouy said...
I agree that Simula probably coined the terms Class and Sub Class back in 1967.
And the terms object and instance used in that context, in the same paper?
Do we need to bother about whether the term object-orientation (or object-oriented) would have come about without Dahl and Nygaard's talk of classes and subclasses and instances and objects?
What is your difficulty with these properties for software objects?
"software objects"?
I've objected to objects as they exist in the real world and real world objects
... I'm sure that you don't need me to tell you what a real object is :^)
I don't know how to ask the question more directly - what are these "real objects" you keep mentioning?
- 12:08 pm
- Paul Beckford said...
Hi Isacc,
..I have been very specific. OOP is a label. It means different things to different people. For marketing people OOP means "goodness". The words object and instance haven't been exploited in the same way. Infact I'm sure the C reference manual uses the word "object" with no reference to OOP.
...I use the word real because that is exactly what I mean. They use the word real in the Self video about 10 times in the first 5 minutes.
I mean physical, tangible, solid objects. Which exhibit directness in the way you manipulate them, and are uniform in the sense that they all share common physical properties, and exhibit liveliness in the sense that they exhibit a single mode, the "alive" mode. They never go 'offline'.
Please suspend your pre-conceptions. Maybe you don't know what you think you do!
And how about watching the video?
- 12:33 pm
- Isaac Gouy said...
In fact I'm sure the C reference manual uses the word "object" with no reference to OOP.
And of course the difference is that in 1967 Dahl and Nygaard were talking about object and instance in the context of class and subclass - they were not talking about object files, they were explicitly talking about programming with objects ("an instance of a class declaration"). Why is that so hard to admit?
I mean physical, tangible, solid objects.
I guess the number 1 is not an object after all.
... exhibit liveliness in the sense that they exhibit a single mode, the "alive" mode. They never go 'offline'.
Grains of sand are alive? Rabbits are only ever alive? I don't think so.
Please suspend your pre-conceptions. Maybe you don't know what you think you do!
How ordinary - it's the other person who suffers from pre-conceptions and lack of knowledge.
"The world simply doesn't come all chopped up into nice neat
categories, to be selected among by peripatetic critters - as if
objects were potted plants in God's nursery, with the categories
conveniently inscribed on white plastic labels." Brian Cantwell Smith
- 2:18 pm
- Paul Beckford said...
Hi Isaac,
...You are not making much sense. I have conceeded that Simula is OOP, I'm saying that the term was coined much later with Smalltalk.
... No the reference to the term object I vaguely remember in C had to do with variables. I could be wrong so I won't dwell on it.
...I have said that the Self team noted that software objects aren't the same as real objects. In fact there is a neat clip at the end of the Self video where they demonstrate this :^)
What they do say is that it is desirable to borrow certain propeties from real world objects. Do you disagree?
...Finally, on the front of the paper you've quoted it says "Simulation Language" It doesn't say "Object Orientated Programming Language". You choose to ingore this evidence that suggests the term OOP came later :^)
...I take it that you still haven't watched the video. So I do not understand your interest. If you want to debate and exchange ideas fine. If something I've said has prompted an emotional reaction in you then...
- 2:40 pm
- Paul Beckford said...
Hi Isaac,
This exchange we have just had is a classic case of what Alan Kay calls instrumental reasoning. Your existing context of knowledge doesn't allow you to make the mental leap needed.
If I would have mentioned the 'desktop metaphor' and the idea of 'physical windows' and 'waste bins', and talked of 'killing a window', you wouldn't have a difficulty.
These same metaphors came from the desire for directness which the Self team wanted to bring to all software, not just the UI. These metaphors came from Xerox Parc and the Smalltalk team.
What I have suggested you do is keep an open mind and look at OOP afresh. None of the quotes you've cited contradict anything I have said. I am merely puting familiar ideas in a new context.
As for liveliness the meaning is clear. In the physical world there is no run and edit modes. You don't put your bed room in edit mode, freezing time whilst you 'edit', then start time running again once the room is nice and tidy!
Time never stops, and a dead Rabbit is an object that has come to the end of it's lifecycle and is waiting to be garbage collected :^)
- 3:12 pm
- Steve Zara said...
I have been having some thoughts about Alan Kay's idea of object 'liveliness'. I think he, and you, are stretching the metaphor too far. There certainly are 'edit' modes in the real world (you don't repair a car while it is moving, or make a bed while someone is lying in it).
There is no doubt that the 'liveliness' of objects in, say, Smalltalk, is great for prototyping and experimentation and debugging, but I think it is questionable about how useful it is in deployed applications. One of Kay's examples of things staying live was the internet (or whatever it was called years back). He describes how it stayed working even though all the hardware and software. However, I think what this illustrates is the exact opposite of what Kay seems to think it does: it shows the value of fixed interfaces and protocols. The internet would never have got going without agreed pre-arranged standards that all software and hardware conformed to. Without these standards, it would have been impossible to simply swap in replacement components. This is the exact opposite of late binding: systems have to conform (and be shown to conform) to interfaces before they are plugged in. The internet is also relatively inflexible in some ways, as illustrated by the issues with introducing new protocols like IP6.
And as for the definition of OOP; well I have always used the following definition- a system is OOP if it includes inheritance, polymorphism and encapsulation. I know Kay's definition is different, but does that matter? Even though he coined the term, surely what matters is to have a definition that is useful now. Kay's description of OOP seems to me to be too close to 'Actor'-based programming to be useful - it is too limiting.
- 4:19 am
- Paul Beckford said...
Hi Steve,
First thing to say... great comment. It is reasuring to see that people are still capable of thinking for themselves and original thought!
That said..
... Late-binding still requires standards. The difference is what you choose to standardise on. It comes down to the issue of dependency and coupling. The 'wider' your standard interface the greater the coupling between components in your system, and the more sensitive the interface becomes to change.
So the real issue with binding and coupling is how well it deals with change.
Mellor-Page Jones came out with a great book in the 80's on Structured Analysis and Design that gave an excellent treatment of the subject of coupling. The more bits of data you pass beween components the higher the coupling (dependency). Using this definition he went on to classify different types of coupling, stamp, temporal etc...
What the web does is create a generic (meta) interface in an attempt to reduce stamp coupling. Stamp coupling is where you put a large number of independent bits of data together in a common structure which is then passed across an interface.
REST has the idea of a Uniform connector that is used as a minimal interface. The HTTP Connector supports just 4 verbs (GET, POST, PUT, DELETE) all of which take a single parameter, a URL. The resource passed using this interface is self describing (mime-type, links, etc) so additional information can be gleamed from the document passed across the connector and does not need to be part of the connector interface. This additional data does not impact on the connector and is free to change at any time.
So with the web either the client understands the mime-type sent or it doesn't. If it does not then it, has the info on where to find a plug-in that does within the document passed (self describing).
The client can also use an agreed data representation to identify the structure of the document. The 'link' is the way the web navigates large data structures, again these structures are not fixed in by the connector interface, but self described in the document passed and changeable.
WSDL however is very different from REST. The structure of the data is defined in the Interface WSDL and is fixed. Should the data change, so must the WSDL Interface. So WSDL is very brittle.
Message passing works in a similar way as REST. Client and server agree a common generic messaging semantic: SEND(OBJECT, MESSAGE), the meaning of the message is part of the message itself. The server (OBJECT) either understands the message or it doesn't.
So the key to late-binding, is the creation of a loose coupled 'narrow' generic interface. This is the thing you standardise. The rest of the information needed to satisfy each request becomes part of the message itself and can change without impacting the messaging interface. If a receiver does not understand the message it can say so at runtime.
A poor description, but this is a deep issue.
- 6:24 am
- Paul Beckford said...
Hi Steve,
I found this wikipedia article on coupling. It describes stamp coupling and talks about messaging:
It covers the basics and helps explain what I was trying to say.
- 8:50 am
- Isaac Gouy said...
1) paul wrote No the reference to the term object I vaguely remember in C had to do with variables. I could be wrong so I won't dwell on it.
As you've already said that 'the C reference manual uses the word "object" with no reference to OOP', the puzzle is why you think mentioning that is relevant to a discussion of OOP.
You have conceeded that Simula is OOP; you have not conceeded that Dahl and Nygaard were using the terms object and instance in the same way that the terms would be used in Smalltalk.
2) paul wrote ... the Self team noted that software objects aren't the same as real objects. ... still haven't watched the video.
Previously paul wrote ... I use the word real because that is exactly what I mean. They use the word real in the Self video about 10 times in the first 5 minutes.
No Paul - "self; The Video" does not talk about real objects - you are completely wrong.
Randall Smith carefully says "physical world" "physical objects" "physical objects" "physical objects" "physical objects" "physical world" "physics of the real world" "physical world" ... "principles borrowed from the physical world" "physical world metaphor".
3) paul wrote ... choose to ingore this evidence that suggests the term OOP came later
I have no dispute with Alan Kay's claim to have invented the term object oriented programming.
You are the one who is "getting so hung up about a label" not me.
- 10:42 am
- Paul Beckford said...
Hi Isaac,
Well done! So you watched the video. Fantastic!
The word physical is a much better choice then the word real for what I was trying to describe. I'll update the post.
If this was your point, then thanks for the feedback.
BTW. What did you think about the video?
- 12:22 pm
- Isaac Gouy said...
steve wrote There certainly are 'edit' modes in the real world (you don't repair a car while it is moving, or make a bed while someone is lying in it).
You are right - we don't change the engine while the car is in motion. But you are wrong to suggest that activity represents the kind of edit mode discussed by Randall Smith and David Ungar.
If there was an edit mode then we'd step from the world into edit mode, the car would cease to exist, we'd edit the specification and then we'd step out of edit mode back into the world and create a new car with the new engine. That's what they mean by an edit mode.
steve wrote There is no doubt that the 'liveliness' of objects in, say, Smalltalk, is great for prototyping and experimentation and debugging...
also-known-as programming?
steve wrote definition of OOP ... I know Kay's definition is different, but does that matter? Even though he coined the term, surely what matters is to have a definition that is useful now.
More than that - what matters is to have a definition that is useful for what /you/ are trying to achieve (that might be different to what Alan Kay is trying to achieve).
- 3:35 pm
- Isaac Gouy said...
paul wrote This exchange we have just had is a classic case of what Alan Kay calls instrumental reasoning. Your existing context of knowledge doesn't allow you to make the mental leap needed
paul wrote What I have suggested you do is keep an open mind and look at OOP afresh.
Those comments are a classic case of arrogance - your presumptions about my knowledge are crass.
I went to see Randall Smith demo this stuff in the early '90s during the 10 years I was a professional Smalltalk developer.
- 3:43 pm
- Paul Beckford said...
My goal is to communicate and exchange ideas.
I went to see Randall Smith demo this stuff in the early '90s during the 10 years I was a professional Smalltalk developer.
Given your experience wouldn't it be a good idea to share it, and tell us what you think?
Throwing stones is easy. And given your tone so far I don't think its a good idea mentioning arrogance :^)
Seriously, why not tell us all what you think about my blue/pink distinction, and contribute in a positive way?
- 12:13 am
- Steve Zara said...
Isaac - I am talking about 'edit mode' in a general sense. I have to admit I am not familiar with Smith and Ungar. As I understand it, Kay's motivation for active objects with messaging was that 'systems should not have to shut down'. So what I described would seem to be to be the kind of editing implied by Kay - changing live objects. I am not convinced of the safety of working this way.
And, I don't think prototyping and experimentation is the same as programming in general. It is just one particular stage of it. I don't want things so flexible after deployment.
You make a good point about what we want to achieve. The think is, even after following his work for a long time, I really am not sure what Kay wants to achieve!
- 8:40 am
- Isaac Gouy said...
steve wrote ... what I described would seem to be to be the kind of editing implied by Kay - changing live objects.
Exactly! They are examples of not stepping into an edit-mode. Stopping a car to repair it is just one of the things we can do in the physical world - we don't step into an edit-mode to do it.
The question they asked is what might software development be like if we did enough magic to maintain the illusion that there was no edit-mode and no compile.
steve wrote I am not convinced of the safety of working this way.
Seems like you are using safety as a FUD scare-word - the programmer's version of bogey-man
steve wrote I don't want things so flexible after deployment.
Why? Which probably leads us back to - what do you mean by safety? ;-)
steve wrote ... I really am not sure what Kay wants to achieve!
Happily only people involved in Alan Kay worship need to bother about that - we can stick with figuring out what we are trying to achieve.
- 11:44 am
- Isaac Gouy said...
Paul wrote And given your tone so far ...
Given /your/ tone so far ...
Paul wrote ... why not tell us all what you think about my blue/pink distinction...
/Your/ distinction?
My mistake, I thought the video showed Alan Kay applying Arthur Koestler's distinction to the origin's of OOP.
- 12:03 pm


text:
Pony on Acid V2 - This little pony will add a little hitch to your giddyap! The clear base is loaded with iridescent green, blue, and gold micro glitters. The new dark horse to this V2 is an unbridled amount of scattered holo flake. If you loved Pony on Acid, you're going to gallop for V2!
Every bottle is created by hand with TLC.
★Please check Thermal and Solar polishes upon receipt. We will not be responsible if they lose transition over time★
★Don Deeva Polishes are hand mixed, meaning there may be slight variations in glitter/color between batches. Some glitters are heavier than others and can cause some glitter settlement. If this occurs a quick shake will fix any issues.
★For ease of removal when using glitter heavy polishes, try a Peel off base coat. We recommend always using some form of base coat whenever using polishes to ensure you are protecting your nails.
★All Don Deeva Polishes are "10 Free". This means they don't include the following yucky chemicals: Formaldehyde, Toluene, Dibutyl Phthalate (DBP), Formaldehyde Resin or Camphor.
★ Vegan and cruelty-free.
★List of ingredients: Butyl Acetate, Ethyl Acetate, Nitrocellulose, Acetyl Tributyl Citrate, Isobutyl Acetate, Isopropyl Alcohol, Adipic Acid/Neopentyl Glycol/Trimellitic Anhydride Copolymer, Silica, Styrene/Acrylates Copolymer, N-Butyl Alcohol, Benzophenone-1, D&C Violet #2, Stearalkowium Hectorite, Citric Acid.
★★Please Note - Solar and Thermal★★ These polishes need to be stored in a cool, dark space. Avoid leaving them in direct sunlight. Extreme temperatures, either way, can cause them to get sunburned which will kill the transition. Once they have been sunburned it will only stay in that one state and will no longer transition. If your polish gets sunburned there is nothing we can do. We suggest keeping them in a Helmer type unit.


text:
Unlock Me Bail Bonding
Bail bonds service in Salisbury, North Carolina
Bail Bonds and Warrant Services. For immediate assistance, call 704-431-6229 Available 24/7. Release your friend or family member without delay. We are "Here for your unplanned circumstance". NC Locations: Concord, Salisbury Statesville, Charlotte
Business Name:
Unlock Me Bail Bonding
130 W Kerr StSalisbury North Carolina 28144United States
About Salisbury
Salisbury is a city in the Piedmont region of North Carolina, United States; it has been the county seat of Rowan County since 1753 when its territory extended to the Mississippi River. Located 25 miles (40 km) northeast of Charlotte and within its metropolitan area, the town has attracted a growing population. The 2020 census shows 35,580 residents. Salisbury is the oldest continually populated colonial town in the western region of North Carolina. It is noted for its historic preservation, with five Local Historic Districts and ten National Register Historic Districts.
Neighborhoods in Salisbury, North Carolina
Alexander Glenn Neighborhood, Atwood Acres, Belmont, Brentwood Acres, Century Communities - Ashton Manor SF, City of salisbury, Clemmons West Neighborhood, College Downs, Corbin Hills, Country Club Hills, Country Club of Salisbury, Dan Nicholas Park, Downtown Salisbury Inc, Eaman Park, East Spencer
Things to do in Salisbury, North Carolina
Our Newest Profiles


text:
I've been a bit overwhelmed by the responses on the Decline and Fall of Warlocks in Cataclysm series. There are a lot of questions and points raised which modify my original outline to the point where it the topics need to adjust to suit. "No plan survives first contact with the enemy" and all that.
As such, I have found myself writing posts which I think are related to the main thesis, but where the data doesn't strongly support the central theme. Or, like in the following piece, I think the data is far more interesting for analyzing other classes than it is for Warlocks. I had hoped that analyzing the initial lack of appeal for Warlocks would yield some new insight into the class, but ultimately there are limitations on the publicly available data which outright prevent it.
This is a data-heavy post, which is pretty much the only reason I'm releasing it into the wild. All of the charts can be found in the 4.3.3 class distribution spreadsheet. If nothing else, this will hopefully prove a solid snapshot of class popularity at the end of an expansion.
One common theory I've heard about the scarcity of Warlocks is that it's because they're the evil class of Warcraft. They personify the ends justifying the means. They rationalize using the tools of the Burning Legion against everyone, without worrying that perhaps this really isn't a very good idea.
There are NO noble or virtuous Warlocks in lore, and Warlock characters aren't portrayed as good or nice in the World of Warcraft. At best, no one trusts them, and at worst, they're feared and reviled – and rightfully so! They consort with demons for fun and profit. They take delight in pain and torment. They are corruptors of the highest order.
And yet, they can also be the saviors of Azeroth.
Reconciling these two positions can, frankly, require some mental gymnastics.
Anti-heroes are a tough sell in a fantasy setting. Yes, there's some appeal for those who don't want to play a noble paragon or protector of the natural order, but it's a limited appeal. A class based on the worst villains of WoW isn't going to feed into people's desire to be a hero.
I think there's something to this idea that Warlocks are naturally an unpopular class at the character selection screen because they're the bad guys. Even Rogues – the other anti-hero class – are a bit easier to recast in a heroic light. Sure, they're ruthless and efficient, but you can picture them as secret government operatives, swashbuckling pirates, street urchins turned heroes. The noble Rogue is part of fantasy archetypes like The Gray Mouser or Bilbo Baggins; it's part and parcel of the AD&D-inspired syncretic fantasy legacy Warcraft is heir to.
Warlocks are either necromancers, crazy conjurers, or wizards who crossed the line with the Dark Arts. They have their own place in a fantasy setting, but not as heroes. So it's difficult, at character creation, to see how this character would appeal to a broad base of players.
The central questions of the previous posts in this series were concerned with the decline of the Warlock class over the course of Cataclysm. The revocation of the Simplicity Tax and additional complexity beyond the magic number introduced in Cataclysm created a situation of inelegant complexity without reward, which in turn led to a decline in Warlock popularity. These are based upon the significant changes to the class during this expansion.
The reason which I haven't considered that the class's character unduly affected it in Cataclysm is because I didn't see any real change in the portrayal of the class to account for its decline. In other words – Warlocks didn't get any worse in Cataclysm's story. Warlocks still don't have any sympathetic characters in Warcraft lore. All major Warlocks characters are unrepentant villains (Ner'zhul, Gul'dan) or they reform and renounce their fel ways (Drek'thar). None of this changed in Cataclysm.
That said, while I don't think that the idea of the class caused the Warlock to decline, I absolutely agree that it doesn't help its case to become popular.
Sadly, the data we have publicly available is limited and doesn't let us look at things like: out of every character rolled, how many people choose a Warlock? How much time do players spend considering the class on the creation screen versus other classes?
The majority of the data we've considered so far has focused upon the Warlock class at endgame, level 85. It's tempting to use popularity data from the leveling brackets (c.f. the second post in this series) to try to prove this point that players don't choose Warlocks at the creation screen. Looking at the leveling graph again:
The important data point is in the 10-19 bracket, where players have gotten over the level 10 hurdle and are showing enough interest in the game to commit to more than an hour or two.1 Warlocks show up with a resounding 21% deficit, and it gets worse from there. It's safe to say that they're not popular at creation, and that points to the class not having immediate appeal. They're the house in the nice neighborhood which lacks curb appeal.
But what's interesting is that they're about as (un)popular as Priests, and more popular than Shaman from 10-19! Heck, even Paladins – the most popular class in the game – are unpopular at that level, though they quickly make up ground. If it's the Warlock's evilness which dooms them to unpopularity, why are traditionally heroic classes also unpopular?
That doesn't make much sense, does it?
Well, no, it doesn't really.
The data in the 10-19 bracket represents the current number of characters in that bracket, not the sum of all characters who have passed through that bracket. It's correct to say that Shaman are not very popular in 10-19, but that might be because they're all moving on quickly to other levels.2 The shape of the line, and relative position, and how it ends up is more important for analysis than any specific intrabracket comparison.
Let's look at this by directly comparing Warlocks to another popular class as they level.
Both classes experience a decline between their 30s-60s, but Paladins gain in popularity as they level. They're almost twice as populous as Warlocks in Northrend.
When you hit Cataclysm:
Man, look at that hockey stick with the Paladin line! People love playing their Pallys at endgame.
Here are the numbers, which have also been added to the class distribution spreadsheet:
It's tough to say, definitively, that people aren't rolling Warlocks only because they're the evil class with this data. It's really tempting to say that because there's such a small difference between Pallys and Warlocks in the lower levels, it must be because they like them equally. This is probably false.
The key isn't in the 10-19 bracket and where they start – it's with the overall population of each class. Character creation encompasses all characters, not just a subset of those leveling. What we see with the above graphs is that players enjoy leveling Paladins to the endgame and playing them there. They're not rolling other alts, they level up and they play them. This is true to a much lesser degree with Warlocks, too – but the overall population of people who rolled a Paladin is much greater than the population of people who've rolled a Warlock.
In previous posts, I focused on endgame statistics – how many Warlocks were being brought to Heroic Raids, how many were getting 2200+ Arena ratings – which required focus on endgame, level 85 data. Determining if a class is over or underrepresented in Heroics/2200+ required a comparison between characters who could compete in an activity (because they were the correct level) and those who actually did. If we'd compared the total raiding population of a class to the entire class population, we'd draw the wrong conclusion. That's not right.
So, let's at total population data.3
Going back to the same source as the leveling data (Warcraft Realms), we get the following:
And let's look at that as a graph:
There are some surprising results when you compare this data to the level 85 data for other classes – Hunters, Rogues and Shaman especially – but it's not quite so revealing for Warlocks.
They're still at the bottom of the barrel. This shouldn't be surprising – leveling data puts them at low popularity, raiding data puts them scarce – but it's good to see the data match up from different sources.
Let's go ahead and compare the total population to the endgame populations.
This data is really interesting for other classes, but not really for Warlocks.
There are a few items to note:
- Hunters make up 12.3% of the overall population, #2 behind Paladins. Their leveling popularity translates into a sizable active character pool, but a comparably scarce population at endgame.
- Like Hunters, Rogues are more likely to be leveling than found at 85. This is probably due to the Legendary Carrot Effect. I think we'll need to see Rogue data at different times to see if this really held true for Cataclysm.
- Shaman are more likely to be 85 than leveling.
- The massive DK population in the 50s and 60s is statistically a blip due to low populations at those levels.4
This, sadly, doesn't really shed a lot of light on the question we're trying to answer – is the reason for the class's unpopularity because of their reputation as evil spellcasters, or because of other reasons?
We don't really know. All we can say with confidence is that Warlocks are unpopular from start to finish.
There are a few ways we could test the theory of evil:
- Add a major sympathetic Warlock character to lore in the middle of an expansion (to isolate it from expansion-basedclass changes) and see if popularity rises.
- Conversely, add more negative Warlocks to lore and see if class popularity falls. Or rises! It all depends on the character. (…I do not really recommend this.)
- Change the introductory class text and reskin the class to be a Friendship Wizard. See if people reroll to play with Rainbow Bolts.5
- Survey Warcraft players to determine why they did, or did not, roll a Warlock.
Aside from those suggestions, I think this specific theory of evil driving players away is unprovable with existing data. It's suggestive, and there's an argument to be made for it.
But we need more evidence.
(1) This data set is limited in a lot of ways – unfortunately we can't see how many Warlocks really get rolled at the character screen. We'll have to extrapolate initial character creation choice from the lowest level bracket, which isn't perfect – but we'll make due. ↑
(2) Scroll of Resurrection toons went through it REALLY FAST.↑
(3) This doesn't represent characters from all active subscribers, but a representative subset. When you look at the population of active characters across tracked realms, the sample size is statistically significant, so we can make due with it. This is one reason why I tend to deal with percentages instead of absolute character counts in this series.↑
(4) This shouldn't really be a surprise. Death Knights are well represented in the endgame, but their status as a "Hero Class" makes them ideal bankers on new servers. At least a life of service to Auctioneer Jaxon is a far better fate than serving the Lich King? ↑
(5) Mark my words, Friendship Wizards are going to dominate the DPS charts in the expansion after Mists. ↑


text:
The University of the West Indies
at Cave Hill, Barbados
NB: The Past Papers are in PDF format.
Adobe Acrobat Reader is required to view them. Click here to download »
Cave Hill, Barbados
Tel: (246) 417-4000 | Fax: (246)
© 2003 -
http://www.cavehill.uwi.edu. All Rights Reserved.
Disclaimer | Privacy Statement | Contact Us


text:
By the time this entry is posted it will be my birthday. And I will be 43 years old.
This one is hitting me kind of hard for some reason. I'm not really sure why….
Ohhhh wait. I know why.
Because DAMN it sure is close to 45.
Which is pretty damn close to 50.
It's all so pathetically cliché; I don't feel like I'm 43.
I don't feel like I was born in the flipping 60's.
I don't feel like I should need bifocals (which I absolutely do).
I don't feel like I should be in peri-menopause.
I don't feel like I should be getting night-sweats for no apparent reason – to the point I wake up dialing 911 for the fire department to douse the INFERNO that is surely raging in my bed.
I don't feel like crazy, wiry gray hairs should be popping up all over my body.
I don't feel like working out at least five times a week should enable me to only sort of maintain my current physique instead of actively improving it like it would have even five years ago.
I don't feel like when I dance in my living room my kids and nieces should recoil in horror and embarrassment and beg me to stop because I look like a such a dork, when I know damn well I look cool.
I don't feel like it should be necessary to don a huge floppy hat any time I'm near sunlight so that my ever-increasingly sensitive skin doesn't literally sizzle with Shar Pei sized wrinkles.
I don't feel like I should preemptively start adding "Bran" to my diet to stave off the "irregularities" I hear about in people my age on those God-forsaken daytime commercials.
I don't feel like my back and my knees should periodically give out on me…when I'm SITTING DOWN.
You get the picture.
I know. Small potatoes. Nitpicky stuff. I have no real complaints. That's a lie, I do. But I'm trying to keep them in perspective. I have the love of family and friends and three wonderful children, and I love them back. I recognize this post is excruciatingly petty. I'm nothing if not self-aware. I don't know…I guess 43 just seems like a crossing-over into the permanent "I could be your Mother" category. It's inane. Believe me, I know.
Honestly, the last time I had a problem with an age was when I turned…wait for it…………. 27. What a dipshit I was.
"Oh I'm so sad…I'm almost 30 and I haven't won an Oscar yet, or written my novel, or been skydiving…". Puh-leeze.
I still haven't done those things. Oi.
If I could go back and visit my 27-year-old self, I'd say "Hey, Dipshit, look…" and I'd show her the course of my life up to this point. Then I'd ask her, "Would you really change anything? Really?"
My 27-year-old self would ponder thoughtfully (after the near-stroke and freak-out of seeing my squinting, profusely sweating, hunched over future self) and say, "Are you fucking kidding me? Yes! Yes!!! Hell YES!!!….Wait, where are you going, Grandma? The "Golden Girls" isn't on for another hour! Come back here! Are you DEAF too….wait….!!!"
My future self would have been walking out the door into the time portal upon hearing that and flipping my past self the bird. I don't think I'd appreciate being the victim of my own caustic, taunting sense of humor.
And also because while I'd change a lot, and I mean a LOT about the course my life would take, 27-year-olds who are depressed about some day turning 30 are really just stupid.
Did I mention I have less patience now too?
I hope in sixteen years I can come back here, still relatively happy and healthy, and write about what a dipshit I am right now.
That would be pretty cool. Yeah, here's hoping.


text:
Anniversary Edition!
I Am, by marriage, second-generation thin crust pizza, spicy Italian sausage from a local butcher, whole milk mozzarella and pizza sauce that's not to sweet, not too tangy, not to salty. I am popcorn at 10pm with garlic salt and crushed black pepper, scrambled eggs most mornings, and breakfast in bed on my birthday. I am a cup of coffee snuck onto the bathroom counter while I'm in the shower. I am a late night mini DQ run accomplice.
I Am, by marriage, at the very top of a 14 thousand foot mountain. I am sitting at the UW Terrace with some kind of local brew in Madison, WI or at the New Glarus brewery with a $3 flight, or taking a lazy stroll on State Street after the Farmer's market when the weather is warm and I'm in a sundress. I am in the upstairs bedroom on the left, waking up on holidays to rolling hills, Palamita Pond and a little farmet outside frosted windows in Beloit, Wisconsin. I am our very first Indiana Avenue facing one-bedroom apartment just a few steps from the Canal and White River State park by foot. I am sitting on a fixed and treated deck, sipping a summer Shandy by the Monon, with a yard just mowed, twinkle lights on, and a grill cooking fat-tire brats in Carmel, Indiana.
I Am, by marriage, sister-in-law, daughter-in-law, aunt, niece, and cousin. I am Bucky the Badger and flip-flopper and Merlot Kathy and Indiana Ron/Wisconsin Ron depending on the score. I am Brookaliscious. I am a gold medal swimmer at an Olympic wedding! Most of the time, without even thinking before it slips out even at work, I am simply Babe, which is okay with me.
I Am, by marriage, always in style. The dress never makes me look fat, the hair always looks good, there is definitely a change in my arm muscles, and yes, I can have the last bite/piece/sip. I am good enough, cool enough, nice enough, honest enough, funny enough, pretty enough, smart enough and competent enough. I am known. I am forgiven. I am loved. I am "I will" and "I do" and "I now pronounce you man and wife!"
PS: Some friends have started doing this exercise with me, and I'm so thrilled it's catching on. Three friends means catching, right? I do these weekly on Sundays, except for today which is Monday, If you like it, please respond with your own answers. Wouldn't that be fun? (Yes, Brooke, that would be SO fun.)
Thanks to my pals who have responded- I love knowing who you are!
So tell me, everyone else, who are you?


text:
- This event has passed.
Sax Powerhouse IRWIN HALL featuring NYC jazz chanteuse MELANIE CHARLES
Friday, August 16, 2019 @ 10:00 pm - 11:00 pm$20 – $30
Book Now
Irwin Hall is an award-winning, internationally renowned Brooklyn-based musician. He is a master of the flute, clarinet, and especially his first love, the saxophone. He attended Princeton University on a full ride to study East Asian foreign relations. He learned Japanese and after graduating, moved to Tokyo to work as a research assistant to the Editor-In-Chief at a major Japanese newspaper. However, he was unable to resist his calling and soon returned to the siren that is jazz. Hall has toured and performed with Dee Dee Bridgewater, Melody Gardot, John Legend, Charnett Moffett, and countless more. He has played in cities around the world including London, Tokyo, Prague, New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Paris, Pori, Shanghai, and Melbourne and continues to perform and lead his own band.
Featuring an all-star jazz collective: Mike King (keys/drums); Julius Rodriguez (keys/drums); Eric Wheeler (bass)
Melanie Charles is electric on stage! Her creative fluidity embraces jazz, R&B, soul, experimental and her own Haitian roots. Her soulfulness stems from her roots in the church; her power from her training as an opera singer; and her sultriness is just Melanie. She has performed and recorded with the Gorillaz; appeared on Colbert's Late Show; and has graced the stages of the Blue Note, Lincoln Center, Nublu, Ronnie Scott's and other global venues.


text:
It's been a while since we offered a run-down of our ebook offerings (which can be bought from most major ebook retailers). We've published many more in the last six months. Here are seven of them, each with a representative passage:
(See part one of the series: the first 13 ebooks)
The Long Ships
Frans G. Bengtsson, introduction by Michael Chabon
"In his old age Orm used to say that this period in his life was lengthy to endure, but brief to tell of, for one day resembled another so that, in a sense, it was as though time was standing still for them. But there were signs to remind him that time was, in fact, passing; and one of these was his beard. When he first became a slave, he was the only one among them so young as to be beardless; but before long his beard began to grow, becoming redder even than his hair, and in time it grew so long that it swept the handle of his oar as he bowed himself over his stroke. Longer than that it could not grow, for the sweep of his oar curtailed its length; and of all the methods of trimming one's beard, he would say, that was the last that he would choose."
The Outward Room
Millen Brand, afterword by Peter Cameron
"She put her suitcase on a chair and went to the window. The sun. It came steadily through the window, making no shadows of bars. The key. It was to keep others out, not to keep her in. Whenever she wanted to, she could leave. She looked at the room, the green walls, the floor; she touched the white rough covers of her bed. Here, in this room, to stand, to move, to sleep. Here, perhaps, to live?"
The Dud Avocado
Elaine Dundy, introduction by Terry Teachout
"One of the things—one of the many, many, many things that fascinate me about myself—is how it is possible for me to know something without really knowing it at all. I mean I seemed to have known about queers all my life, I can't remember when I didn't, and I generally can guess who is. I mean, it's no traumatic shock for me or anything like that to discover that so-and-so actually is one—and yet, I swear, I was flabbergasted when I saw that club. There was a style of flirting along the bar where some sailors stood waiting to be picked up, that no starlet could hope to emulate. And the droves and droves. I had no idea there were so many. I just had no idea."
The Old Man and Me
Elaine Dundy
"Anyway here I was back again in Soho in this terrible dive the Crypt because what had happened was that the night before one of the Americans, down from Oxford, had said, 'Hey, someone gave me a list of literary pubs, did you ever? Isn't it straight out of Shakespearian times? They're in Soho, see, that's where all the you know, sort of odd-ball Greenwich Villagey Left Banky off-beat In-group types'—(that was the way he talked)—'oh, artists and painters and all that jazz are supposed to hang out. So why don't we give it a whirl, hey? Might be a fun thing.'
"So I went. I had nothing better to do, had I, except recount my money and repaint my finger-nails and die of frustration?"
The Singapore Grip
by J.G. Farrell, introduction by Derek Mahon
"The city of Singapore was not built up gradually, the way most cities are, by a natural deposit of commerce on the banks of some river or at a traditional confluence of trade routes. It was simply invented one morning early in the nineteenth century by a man looking at a map. 'Here,' he said to himself, 'is where we must have a city, half-way between India and China. This will be the great halting-place on the trade route to the Far East. Mind you, the Dutch will dislike it and Penang won't be pleased, not to mention Malacca.' This man's name was Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles: before the war his bronze statue used to stand in Empress Place in a stone alcove like a scallop shell (he has been moved along now and, turned to stone, occupies a shady spot by the river). He was by no means the lantern-jawed individual you might have expected: indeed, a rather vague-looking man in a frock coat."
After Claude
Iris Owens, introduction by Emily Prager
"Only a pathological martyr would cook in such weather. The heat sizzled over the filthy streets like an invisible mustard plaster. If you fancy cooked banana peel with pizza and eggshells, there was a feast in the gutter. There were a lot of drunken bums hanging around, competing for nickels with hippies in hair-shirts, rehearsing the plague. I dragged myself to Bleecker Street, holding my unmasked breath until I was in the sheltering arms of the A&P. It was freezing in there. I asked a mustachioed clerk where the cold cuts were hidden, but naturally he didn't speak a word of English. 'Cold cuts,' I shouted into his insane face. He laughed gleefully, as if I had proposed that we both crawl under the check-out counter and knock off a quickie."
Rogue Male
Geoffrey Household, introduction by Victoria Nelson
"This shooting trip of mine started, I believe, innocently enough. Like most Englishmen, I am not accustomed to enquire very deeply into motives. I dislike and disbelieve in cold-blooded planning, whether it be suggested of me or of anyone else. I remember asking myself when I packed the telescopic sight what the devil I wanted it for; but I just felt that it might come in handy."
*"Seven are the days of the week." From a song traditionally sung on Passover (which begins next Monday).


text:
North Korea ready to conduct nuclear test, US officials say
Specific intelligence indicators now show that North Korea is ready for its sixth underground nuclear test at any time, two US officials told CNN on Friday.
Recent satellite imagery indicates a potentially significant change at the Punggye-ri test site, the officials said. For weeks, satellites had observed extensive activity on the surface, including vehicles, personnel and equipment, as well as two tunnel entrances being dug out.
But the most recent imagery shows that activity has now stopped. That is a similar change in the pattern of activity just before previous tests, indicating all final preparations are now complete, officials said.
The South Korean government issued a statement Friday saying a test can happen as soon as North Korean leader Kim Jong Un orders it.
"It is assessed that North Korea is ready to carry out a nuclear test anytime if its leadership decides to do so," Lee Duk-haeng, spokesman for South Korea's the Ministry of Unification, said in a press briefing. He said that "South Korean and US intelligence authorities evaluate that North Korea is ready to carry out a nuclear test anytime on the leadership's decision."
North Korea also continues to move equipment and personnel that could be used to launch ballistic missiles, the US officials said. They caution, however, it's impossible for the United States to know when a mobile launch or an underground nuclear test will happen. North Korea has a history of moving military personnel and gear around to deceive satellites the regime knows are watching.
The United States is maintaining the presence of a WC-135 aircraft in the region that can conduct air sampling after a suspected underground test. In past instances of Pyongyang's nuclear testing, one of the first signs that an underground explosion has happened is seismic activity picked up by the US Geological Survey in the location of the North Korean test site.
All of this comes as the Trump administration is reviewing whether there are fresh options for dealing with North Korea, a situation that the Trump and Obama administrations have agreed is extremely difficult to manage.
Privately, US military commanders have said any preemptive strikes by the US would likely result in a North Korean attack on Seoul, leading to disastrous consequences.
On an overseas trip to Asia earlier this month, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson acknowledged in Tokyo, "I think it's important to recognize that the diplomatic and other efforts of the past 20 years to bring North Korea to a point of denuclearization have failed."
That sentiment was already expressed late last year by then-Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, who called the effort to get North Korea to give up its nuclear program "probably a lost cause."