Author: Serkadis

PalArch’s Journal of Archaeology of Egypt/Egyptology, 7(3) (2010)

Nicholas Warner about Schijns, W. With contributions from O. Kaper & J. Kila. 2008. Vernacular Mud Brick Architecture in the Dakhleh Oasis, Egypt and the Design of the Dakhleh Oasis Training and Archaeological Conservation Centre. – Oxford, Oxbow Books (Dakhleh Oasis Project Monograph 10)

Much has changed in the environment of the Dakhleh Oasis since the research published in this monograph was carried out in 1997, but this does not diminish its value. Rather it emphasizes the need for further thorough documentation of traditional habitats in Egypt before they dissappear entirely, swept away by a tide of structures of concrete, steel, fired brick and cheap limestone blocks.

Egyptology News Blog, Andie Byrnes

See update below. Well, well, well. You may recall back in 2008, when EA used annoying DRM on Spore, consumers revolted by giving the game one-star reviews on Amazon. There was some controversy when Amazon deleted some of those reviews — but it claimed it was just a glitch (the algorithm treated so many rapid one-star reviews as an attack of some kind). However, it’s now become quite popular when someone selling books or games does something stupid, for people take to Amazon to express their displeasure in one-star reviews.

So what’s happening with Assassin’s Creed 2 — the Ubisoft game that is using incredibly annoying DRM and has had trouble keeping its servers up. Well… reader Aaron points out that for the PC version of the game Amazon appears to be showing no reviews at all. Either it deleted them or has proactively blocked the reviews. Of course, the reviews somehow are magically working for the PlayStation3 and Xbox versions of the game… Funny how that works.



Update: Some are pointing out that since the PC version isn’t officially released until tomorrow, that could explain the lack of reviews on Amazon. They also note that elsewhere, such as in the UK, there are numerous angry one-star reviews…

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Darengo Publications.

No web address currently available but orders and enquiries can be made to Daniel Jacobs, PO Box 48462, London SE15 5XW, UK or by email to [email protected].

Thanks to Geoffrey Tassie for forwarding me the details, as follows.

Oxfordshire Communications in Egyptology 7

THE SALAKHANA TROVE
Votive Stelae and Other Objects from Asyut

by TERENCE DuQUESNE

with the collaboration of
Sabah Abdel Razek, Edmund S Meltzer, Janet M Johnstone & Geoffrey J Tassie

Darengo Publications
large format (A4), 668 pages, profusely illustrated
casebound in buckram, gold blocked
publication date: March 2010
UK £150.00. ISBN 1-871266-26-2

The fruit of fifteen years’ research, this new book documents the 600 votive stelae and other objects discovered in 1922 in the Salakhana tomb on the Western Mountain of Asyut in Middle Egypt.

The tomb belonged to Djefaihapy III, nomarch of Asyut during the XIIth Dynasty, and was later used either as a shrine for votive offerings or as a depository for them.

Though it was an Egyptological sensation, the find was overshadowed by the discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb, and the Salakhana stelae lay forgotten in the vaults of Cairo’s Egyptian Museum until the current project was initiated in 1995.

The stelae and figurines of the Salakhana trove date from early Dynasty XVIII to the Late Period, most of them falling within the Ramesside period. They provide a unique record of personal life and religion in Asyut during this period and represent a cross-section of society in that city. Donors came from almost all social strata and include, unusually, a number of women who dedicated stelae on their own initiative.

Most of the stelae were dedicated to Upwawet, the local god of Asyut, or to his little-known consort Hathor of Medjed, but various other deities were also honoured.

The Salakhana stelae provide entirely new information on private worship in Middle Egypt and on the employment and social status of the devotees, and many of them are of special artistic interest. Despite its neglect hitherto, the trove is an unparallelled resource for the study of the social and religious history of New Kingdom and later Egypt.

The book provides a detailed introduction to the Salakhana trove, followed by a comprehensive catalogue of the objects, including transcriptions, transliterations and translations of texts, and photographs of most of the stelae.

In supplementary chapters, Edmund S Meltzer covers the palaeography and grammar of the objects, Geoffrey J Tassie provides an in-depth analysis of the hairstyles and hair adornments depicted on the stelae, and there is an extended essay on male and female clothing by Janet M Johnstone. Each of these chapters makes a new and important contribution to the dating of Egyptian objects.

Egyptology News Blog, Andie Byrnes

Google / AFP

The 19th-century synagogue of Maimonides in Cairo’s ancient Jewish quarter reopened Sunday after a nearly two-year restoration by Egyptian authorities, participants at the opening told AFP.

They said some 150 people attended the opening, including Yitzhak Levanon and Margaret Scobey, the ambassadors of Israel and the United States respectively.

About a dozen rabbis from Israel and abroad also were at the ceremony.

“When I first set foot here only five years ago, the synagogue was in ruins and its roof opened to the sky”, said Rabbi Andrew Baker of the American Jewish Committee (AJC).

Baker praised Egyptian authorities for recognising that Jewish religious sites are also an integral part of Egyptian heritage and Egyptian culture, and for leading the restoration project, the AJC said in a statement.

Egyptian officials were absent from the ceremony, and Culture Minister Faruq Hosni explained that was because Sunday’s opening was a purely religious ceremony.

Egyptology News Blog, Andie Byrnes

drukware.nl

Thanks to Andre Veldmeijer for the following details.

Egyptology News Blog, Andie Byrnes

drhawass.com

A number of golden artifacts found in the burial chamber of Na-Sa II in Bahariya Oasis, including golden nail stalls, a heart amulet in the shape of one of the names of King Apries, a djed-pillar amulet, bracelets, and other amulets.

Egyptology News Blog, Andie Byrnes

World Beach Project

Egyptology News Blog, Andie Byrnes

Article Tags: You could not make it up

Former Vice President Al Gore says critics of his global warming warnings are part of a “massive, organized campaign.”

Gore was asked if it’s “quite different to be Al Gore today” compared to three years ago, before people started to lose interest in the climate issue and before heavy criticism of his global warming warnings.

Click source to read more, and the answer is yes….we are paid millions to report these articles and even more to bring you snow and rain and whatever you think we do and we do it just to bring down the climate science industry. Mr Al Gore science has to stand up to fact NOT fiction.

Source: newsmax.com

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Filed under: Safety, Toyota

In a video webcast for the media that concluded a just a few moments ago, Toyota hit back at the “simulated unintended acceleration” demonstration that was shown by ABC News late last month. When we saw the original report, we postulated that the condition Gilbert produced may not be representative of a scenario that can actually happen in the real world, and judging by Toyota’s findings, we were right.

As reported on Friday, Toyota went to an independent testing firm called Exponent to attempt to replicate the results from the Gilbert study. Dr. Shukri J. Souri of Exponent acknowledged that Gilbert did indeed create a scenario that produced what looked like a valid accelerator pedal signal to the electronic engine management system. But before demonstrating how the test was performed, Souri explained how the pedal sensor wiring works and showed how the connector is constructed. As we expected, Gilbert’s testing methods and ABC News’ report are very much in question. Make the jump for our full breakdown.

[Source: Toyota]

Tired of Toyota recall news? Try out the recall-free version of Autoblog.

Continue reading Toyota hits back at David Gilbert’s “no fault code” demonstration

Toyota hits back at David Gilbert’s “no fault code” demonstration originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 08 Mar 2010 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Job Fair

More than 65 potential employers will converge at Harper College on Friday, March 12 for a Spring Job Fair aimed at giving area residents another shot at employment amid a downturned economy. The annual, free event runs from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the lower level of the College’s Wellness and Sports Center, Building M, on the main campus, 1200 W. Algonquin Road in Palatine. The Fair, sponsored by Harper’s Career Center and the Daily Herald, will boast representatives from a wide range of career fields, including public safety, finance, healthcare, sales and marketing. Attendees should bring plenty of resumes. Other tips for acing the Fair, and more details – including a complete list of employers – can be found at www.harpercollege.edu.

Media Note: Harper College has a career coach and other experts available to provide tips regarding navigating the daunting world of Job Fairs, writing winning resumes, acing on-the-spot interviews and other general job-nabbing skills. Reporters can contact Erin Brooks, Media Relations Specialist, at 847.925.6159 or [email protected], for interviews.

Law Enforcement Expo

Representatives from area law enforcement agencies – including the Illinois State Police, Cook County Sheriff’s Police and the Palatine and Schaumburg police departments – will visit Harper College on Monday, March 15 to offer an overview of what it takes to be an officer. The event – timed to align with St. Patrick’s Day, a holiday that typically generates more traffic fatalities – will highlight Harper’s law enforcement programs and offer a real look at law enforcement careers at a time when popular shows like CSI and Law and Order dramatize the profession.  “We believe in these careers, and we know how important they are,” says Harper Officer Thomas Koch, who helped organize the event. “Particularly in a time when people are really looking for jobs, we want to let them know the great opportunities available in law enforcement and what requirements are necessary to land a job.” The Palatine Police Department’s traffic, canine and crime scene units will be showcased, and Harper’s own police department will highlight its services and demonstrate “Fatal Vision” goggles that replicate a person driving while impaired. The Law Enforcement Career and Traffic Safety Expo runs from noon to 1:30 p.m. Monday, March 15 in the Student Center (Building A main floor), and is free and open to all. Enrollment in Harper’s law enforcement program is up 13 percent this spring, compared to spring 2009. The College recently partnered with Northern Illinois University to offer a Bachelor of Applied Science in Management with a public safety emphasis – a degree attainable completely on Harper’s campus. For more on Harper’s law enforcement programs, visit www.harpercollege.edu.

Press Contact: Erin Brooks, Media Relations Specialist, 847.925.6159, [email protected].

The Real Rain Man

In 1988, the Tom Cruise and Dustin Hoffman hit “Rain Man” put a Hollywood spin on the life of Kim Peek, the inspiration for the Oscar-winning film about a savant and his brother. Dr. Darold Treffert knows the real-life story. Treffert, a Wisconsin-based autistic savant expert who studied Peek and appeared in a later documentary called “The Real Rain Man,” will share pieces of the real tale – and information on autism – at a free Harper College lecture at noon Monday, March 15 in the College’s Performing Arts Center. Treffert is a psychiatrist, autistic spectrum disorders specialist and an internationally recognized researcher on savant syndrome. In 1989, he published “Extraordinary People: Understanding Savant Syndrome,” considered the first comprehensive book on savant syndrome. His new book, “Islands of Genius: The Bountiful Mind of the Autistic, Acquired and Sudden Savant,” will be released in April. He has appeared on Oprah, Sixty Minutes, Today and Larry King Live. His Harper appearance will include video clips, a question-and-answer period and a book signing. The College also will offer a free screening of “The Real Rain Man” at 12:10 p.m. Tuesday, March 9 in Room A242b in the Student Center, on the main floor of Building A. One of the world’s most famous savants, Peek originally was diagnosed as severely mentally retarded, and his parents were advised to institutionalize him. At the time of his recent death, he had memorized more than 9,000 books. Hoffman won an Oscar for his Peek portrayal. Harper’s psychology faculty is supporting the film and lecture by encouraging students to attend; one professor is bringing 80 of his students to a screening. Call 847.925.6100 for more information.

Press Contact: Terry Karow, Marketing and Public Relations Specialist, 847.925.6627, [email protected].

Urinetown

Harper College will offer six public stagings of Urinetown, the Tony Award-winning, go-green satire about the fallout from a drought and a water shortage. Showtimes are 8 p.m. Friday, March 12, Saturday, March 13, Friday, March 19 and Saturday, March 20 and 2 p.m. Sunday, March 14 and Sunday, March 21 in the College’s Performing Arts Center. Urinetown, written by Greg Kotis, draws on his experience as a student traveling Europe on a tight budget; in Paris, he encountered pay toilets and had to limit his bathroom trips for lack of cash. The musical tells the story of a town where a water shortage has made private toilets unthinkable. Instead, all restroom activities are conducted in public toilets controlled by a corporation that requires them to pay for restroom use or be banished to the Urinetown colony. “The reality of Urinetown is that it slyly explores issues that are so fundamentally part of the American fabric,” says Harper Professor Laura Pulio Colbert, who is directing the play. “It is exuberant, ridiculous satire at its finest.” The play, which won three Tony Awards, also lampoons the Broadway musical form itself. Tickets are $15 for general admission, with discounts available for students and seniors. For tickets and more information, call 847.925.6100 or visit www.harpercollege.edu/boxoffice.

Press Contact: Terry Karow, Marketing and Public Relations Specialist, 847.925.6627, [email protected].

Folk/Jazz Collision

Folk music typically conjures up images of simple stories and simple tunes, sparsely accompanied by guitar or banjo and easily sung by anyone listening. Jazz, a uniquely American musical form, is characterized by complex melodies, involved harmonies and complicated organizational schemes. Harper College will show you what happens when the two meet at a musical crossroads. The College will host well-known Chicago folk musician Rick Neeley and renowned jazz pianist Ken Spurr at Folk/Jazz Collision, part of Harper’s Made in America music series. Members of The Ken Spurr Trio and Rick’s Neeley’s backup band also will join in the performance. The concert is at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, March 13 in Room A238, on the main floor of Building A on the main campus, 1200 W. Algonquin Road in Palatine. Tickets are $19 for general admission, with discounts for students and seniors. Free parking is available in Lot 2. Advance ticket purchases are recommended. Call 847.925.6100 or visit www.harpercollege.edu/boxoffice. Made in America is sponsored by Harper’s Community Music Center and features music born in the United States. For more information on the series, visit www.harpercollege.edu.

Press Contact: Erin Brooks, Media Relations Specialist, 847.925.6159, [email protected].

Inside the ’60s

Many books have been written about the Fab Four and Paul McCartney, but few know the ex-Beatle as well as Barry Miles, a close personal friend and the author behind “Many Years from Now,” a biography based on hundreds of hours of exclusive McCartney interviews conducted over five years. Miles, who’s also written books about Allan Ginsburg, Jack Kerouac and William Burroughs, has an insiders’ knowledge of the music that rocketed The Beatles to worldwide fame – from where McCartney was when he penned the hit “Here, There, and Everywhere” to the powerful role that improvisation played in so many of the foursome’s tunes. This month, Miles will bring his insight to Harper College for a public talk. The London resident will speak about the swinging British scene of the 1960s – the decade The Beatles took by storm – and its cultural impact at an appearance at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, March 11 in Harper’s Building J Theatre. Tickets to Miles’ talk are $10 for general admission, with discounts available for students and seniors. For tickets and details, call 847.925.6100 or visit www.harpercollege.edu.

Press Contact: Terry Karow, Marketing and Public Relations Specialist, 847.925.6627, [email protected].

Free Ultrasounds

The Harper College Diagnostic Medical Sonography program is seeking volunteers interested in receiving free ultrasounds. Available tests include obstetrical ultrasounds (participants must be at least 18 weeks pregnant; they will receive a copy of the images), carotid artery ultrasounds (participants must be at least 50 years old), venous ultrasounds of the lower legs (participants must be at least 18 years old) and echocardiograms (participants must be at least 18 years old). All exams will be performed by students on state-of-the-art equipment, under the supervision of a registered Diagnostic Medical Sonographer. The free tests, lasting about an hour each, are non-diagnostic. Volunteers will not receive a medical report, but will be instructed to follow up with a doctor if abnormalities are suspected. Volunteers are needed through May 1. Ultrasounds have been used since the 1950s and have no known harmful effects. Harper’s program conforms to all patient safety regulations. To schedule a free ultrasound appointment, call 847.925.6104.

Press Contact: Erin Brooks, Media Relations Specialist, 847.925.6159, [email protected].

Photo Opportunities

Event: “Tide of Poseidon” massive balloon art aerial sculpture

Date: 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays through Thursday, March 18

Location: Art Exhibition Space, Room C200, Building C

Event: Spring Job Fair, featuring more than 65 employers (large crowds anticipated)

Date: 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday, March 12

Location: Wellness and Sports Center, lower level of Building M

Event: Law Enforcement Career and Traffic Safety Expo, featuring area police departments

Date: Noon to 1:30 Monday, March 15

Location: Student Center, main floor of Building A

Event: Lecture by Dr. Darold Treffert, autistic savant expert

Date: Noon on Monday, March 15

Location: Performing Arts Center

Event: Computer Kids Program. Elementary District 21 students whose parents are in Harper literacy courses are able to learn digital concepts and computer technology in this new class.

Date: 5 to 7 p.m. Mondays and Wednesdays through March 17.

Location: Harper College Northeast Center, 1375 Wolf Road in Prospect Heights

To Our Clients, Colleagues and Friends,

• Have you (1) noticed that there are earthquakes happening everywhere now, and not just Haiti and Chile , and (2) did you see the movie2012? Even if you’re the most rational person in the world, it’s hard not to wonder if something’s going on here. By the way, the special effects in 2012 are much better done than anything in Avatar.
   
• Go back to 1965. Maybe you were in high school, maybe weren’t even born. But if someone had invested in Berkshire Hathaway then, they would have averaged 22% a year for these 45 years.  The second best mutual fund (treating Berkshire like a mutual fund) was the Fidelity Magellan Fund which averaged 16.3%, and then the Templeton Growth Fund at 13.4%.   Assuming you put $60,000 into each of these funds back then, here’s what you’d have today:
   

There must have been at least one kid somewhere who had his Bar Mitzvah in 1965 and was given $60,000 of Berkshire Hathaway stock.  Even if it was just $10,000, he’d have $8.0 million today.

• Here’s an interesting quote from the Springfield ( Mass. ) Republican in 1865: “A billiard saloon, a restaurant and a Wells Fargo office are the first three elements of a Pacific coast or mining town.”  And no, we don’t go researching articles on banks from the 1860’s.  This quote is from the Wells Fargo calendar hanging in our kitchen. It hangs to the left of a spatula and just below a frying pan.
• Speaking of Wells Fargo, does anybody do a better job of showcasing their history as a part of their brand? We see too many companies and clients who don’t take advantage of great opportunities.  We spent several days at F&M Bank in Hannibal , Missouri in the fall. It’s a great bank with great people, but we think they could do some great marketing and have a real identity with the whole Mark Twain thing. Everyone who read Tom Sawyer or Huck Finn thinks of Hannibal as representing our deepest roots as Americans, and if we were a marketing firm, we’d almost do this one for free.
• While we’re on the subject, do you remember our writing about Cow Pasture Bank? What about Tomato Bank? Tomato’s an interesting name they could do a lot with, but the only time we saw them in the press recently was when they got a C&D last year.  Of course, even getting a C&D isn’t much news anymore. Sort of like dog bites man.
  A few years back we spent a day at Bank of Transylvania in Romania , home of who- else but Count Dracula himself.  We wanted to suggest they play up that connection (“If you don’t pay your mortgage by the 15th, we’ll bite you on the neck!”) but they were too intense and serious. And what about Mason-McDuffie Mortgage? In one form or another, they’ve been making mortgages in the Bay Area since 1887. Isn’t that a natural for a marketing campaign? Maybe have pictures of a Mason-Mac office from a hundred years ago with the heading “We’ve stayed in business since 1887 for one reason: We care about our borrowers.”  Something like that.
• Hundreds of banks cut or eliminated their dividends last year, but two of them raised their dividends twice in 2009.  They are 1st Source (SRCE) and Hudson City Bank (HCBK).  If you’re research-oriented, you might follow these stocks in 2010 and see how they perform relative to the bank indexes.  If you’re really research-oriented, you can see whether it’s ever permissible to use indexes instead of indices.  
• Another thing for those of you with two much time on your hands:   Credit Suisse has a loan of $10 million against Hugh Hefner’ Playboy Mansion ( 10236 Charing Cross Rd., Los Angeles , CA 90024.)  You could see if he’s current or not and maybe offer to buy the loan from Credit Suisse. We have clients who are highly liquid, and depending on the yield, it could be a good investment. As his new lender, maybe you could even get invited to some Playboy parties there.
  
  A mystery of the universe we’ll never understand is why 20-somethng models find the 80-something Hefner so attractive.
• We’ve written a few items we like so much we’re going to run them again.  We’ll re-run the one on Bob Gibson soon, and the one below is pretty interesting as well.
• Here’s Steve Dalkowski, the hardest throwing pitcher of all time.  Dalkowski played 9 years in the minors in the 1950’s and 60’s.  His fastball was around 106 mph, and his minor league coach (Earl Weaver) said he threw 110 mph. What kept him from the majors was a lack of control. In one game he struck out 24, but he also walked 18, hit four batters, and threw six wild pitches.  He once threw a no hitter but lost it because he gave up 17 walks.  In his nine year career, he averaged 13.8 strikeouts per game, better than pitchers like Randy Johnson or Nolan Ryan. 
  

In 1957 Dalkowski averaged 18 strikeouts per game.  The poor man won only one game, however, because he also averaged 21 walks and 5 wild pitches per nine innings. After his career was over, Dalkowski suffered from alcoholism, became a migrant worker, and today lives in a Connecticut home for people with alcohol-related dementia.  He’s 72 years old now and attends the occasional minor league game. Maybe we should all go visit him.

• We’d been mildly surprised that Comerica Bank hasn’t done any acquisitions of failed banks in Texas where they’re based, and then we saw that there just haven’t been many opportunities.  In the past two years, there have been only 7 Texas banks that have failed that could have been acquisition candidates. This compares to 31 in California , 72 in Georgia , and 83 in Florida .  Also, Comerica is a disciplined bank, and with such institutions, often the best deals are the ones you don’t do.
• As if we didn’t have enough to worry about, the January, 2010 Bulletin of Atomic Scientists estimated that Russia has 4,650 active nuclear weapons. What concerns us is that 40% are deemed to be protected by inadequate security systems. The Journal also says that many of the storage facilities are patrolled by guards who haven’t been paid in months, making them highly susceptible to bribes.  Scary.
• We were just asked the difference between a business model and an operating model. A business model is what business you’re in or want to or should be in.  An operating model addresses resources and capabilities you need to create value from that business. These are okay concepts, but you mostly see them used by consultants who don’t understand a business and resort to consultanese jargon,
• Here’s how Mark McGwire will finally get into the Hall or Fame.  The American people can be very forgiving, and the path to redemption goes like this:  After disgracing one’s self, the person must (1) disappear for several years, (b) then go public with a deep felt apology, and (c) then engage in some sort of worthwhile activity that shows you’re now a better person. Think of Richard Nixon. He never quite apologized, but he did go into exile and ultimately came back as an elder statesman and eminence grise.  In McGwire’s case, he pretty much vanished, made his apology, and will now work with younger players for the Cardinals.  Over time, people will forgive him his embarrassing testimony before Congress, and as long as the photo below is kept out of print, they’ll forget the steroids.  This is Mark and his bother Matt who’s obviously into steroids. 
  
  Although we’re not huge fans of plaid shorts, it’s quite obvious that Mark is a much better dresser than his kid brother.
  

• It’s time for a new movie survey!  Send in a list of your all time favorite cult movies, and we’ll run the ten most mentioned. As for what constitutes a cult movie, Justice Learned Hand once said “I can’t define a cult movie, but I know one when I see one.”  Send in those nominations today!
  
• We just read that there are 200 billion stars in our galaxy.  Ok, all you science majors, how many galaxies are there?
  
• Last week we started on some of the positive changes brought about by FNMA and Freddie Mac.  Here’s one that’s kind of interesting, but in the late 70’s, FNMA and Freddie Mac had different loan applications.  If you were a mortgage banker, it didn’t really matter since you weren’t allowed to sell to Freddie Mac anyway, but if you were an S&L (the S&L’s owned Freddie Mac then), you could sell to both Fannie or Freddie.  However, it was quite difficult because you had to know in advance whether the loan would go to Fannie or Freddie so you could use the correct loan app.   In about 1980-81 or so, Freddie Mac allowed mortgage companies to sell to them. Both companies eventually agreed on what we now know as the 1003, and having a nationally accepted loan app did make things hugely easier, and therefore, better for borrowers.
• If you look at a list of all the banks with C&D Orders, there’s Americana Community Bank in Sleepy Eye, Minnesota .  Someone with some marketing skills should be able to do something there, maybe change the name to Bank of Sleepy Eye.  It would certainly be more memorable than Americana Community Bank.
• The guys at Calculated Risk maintain a very good list of the banks under regulatory orders with links to each order. http://www.calculatedriskblog.com/2010/03/unofficial-problem-bank-list-at-641.html.  We look at it pretty regularly.
• Question: What American League team holds the record for the most consecutive wins?  Answer: It wasn’t the Yankees, the Red Sox, the Orioles or Detroit .  It was the Oakland A’s, winning 20 straight in August and September in 2002. They started the streak at 68-51 in third place, and when the streak ended, they were 88-51, in first place.  We saw every one of their home games during the streak, and those 21 days were more exciting than anything else we’d ever seen or read about in 45 years of following baseball.  Nothing came close or ever will again.
  
• Another way FNMA made it easier for consumers was to dramatically speed up the process in 1981.  That’s when they instituted delegated underwriting. Prior to this, you would process the loan and then mail it to FNMA and have them approve it. We’re not even certain that FedEx or UPS were around then!  But you’d mail the file to Fannie and they’d have something like 30 days in which to approve or disapprove the loan.  Can you imagine?
                                                  *     *

And when we wrote above that we just couldn’t see what those 20-something models saw in 80-something Hugh Hefner, we were just kidding.  No need to write us on that one.  Also, an interesting piece is attached on brokered deposits.

Garrett, Watts & Co.
Helping lenders increase revenues, control costs, and better manage risk.

• Mike McAuley   ([email protected] )
• Corky Watts      ([email protected]) 
• Joe Garrett      ([email protected] )

Article Tags: Headline Story, Tim Ball

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change was specifically designed by Maurice Strong as a political vehicle to further his objective of crippling the industrial nations

Scientists at the Climatic Research Unit (CRU) built a dam to contain a lake full of dirty water. Someone behind the dam drilled a hole and sprang a leak. The flow is small but growing and the color of the water gets dirtier and dirtier and the size of the hole will increase as the extent of the corruption expands. Now a second major leak has developed in a different area as people dig through the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Reports. The structure of the organization made this almost inevitable. However, the structure was necessary to achieve the political rather than a scientific goal.

Bureaucratic Structure

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) was specifically designed by Maurice Strong as a political vehicle to further his objective of crippling the industrial nations. An acknowledged master of bureaucratic systems he set up every segment of the organization for the maximum public relations effect. This meant emphasis on emotional impact, especially by exploiting fear. The first need was to direct and control the science. It was achieved at the 1985 meeting in Villach Austria chaired by Canadian bureaucrat Gordon McBean with Phil Jones and Tom Wigley from CRU in attendance. The second need was for maximizing the fear factor to force political action.

Source: canadafreepress.com

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Every so often we hear about a random blog or website that freaks out and claims that ad blockers are “stealing” or somehow damaging websites. But it’s quite a surprise to see a similar argument from a site like Ars Technica — one of the top techie sites out there, which is now owned by Conde Nast. Over the weekend, Ars wrote an odd post claiming that ad blocking “is devastating to the sites you love.” Ars decided to run an experiment where it blocked access to its content to any user using an ad blocker (with no warning or explanation). Not surprisingly, this pissed off a bunch of readers, and Ars now admits that it was a mistake in how it was handled — but that it still believes ad blockers are harming sites.

Frankly, such a position is insulting (though, even more insulting was the way Ars staff responded to complaints in its comments, dismissing people who don’t like their ads as not adding anything and actively telling them to go away). If you’re reading Techdirt, and the ads we serve are not good, you have every right to use an ad blocker. It’s your browser, do whatever you want with it. I, personally, do not use an ad blocker because I don’t find most ads annoying — but if you do, more power to you. You’re absolutely welcome here on Techdirt.

If the ads are bad, it’s bad for the advertisers

Back in December of last year, we signed an experimental ad deal to run a series of ads on the site, where a single advertiser would effectively have all the ads for a 24-hour period. As a part of that, there would be an ad at the top that temporarily “pushed down” the content for a few seconds, before pulling back up. Nothing was covered. Nothing prevented readers from getting the content. And the “pushdown” ad only showed once per visitor and never again. We went back and forth about it, but decided it was worth an experiment — especially since no content was blocked or covered. I won’t name the advertiser who was in the first test… but many of you did notice, and did not like it. We got a lot of complaints. So we killed the additional tests. I won’t lie: these deals were for quite a bit of money — a very large premium on the amount of money we typically make from advertising. But when we saw how annoyed our users were, we realized immediately what a bad idea this was and told the others who were scheduled to run similar campaigns, “sorry.” We gave up a lot of money to do so, but what it came down to in our mind was that it wasn’t worth it.

And when I say “wasn’t worth it,” I don’t mean just to us or our community — but to the advertiser. Most of the anger we saw over the original ad campaign wasn’t directed at us — it was directed at the company doing the advertising. So we told a bunch of companies willing to pay us a lot of money not that we didn’t want their money — but that they didn’t want to buy that kind of advertising, because it would only damage their own brands.

Advertising that works, not annoys

Now, compare that to another “project” that we did late last year. As you may recall, UPS sponsored me doing a series of “whiteboard videos” about topics that we regularly talk about here — one on the economics of abundance, one on the innovator’s dilemma and one on the difference between innovation and invention. Before releasing these, I was actually a bit nervous about how people would respond. But these videos, which were clearly labeled as being sponsored by UPS, actually were a huge hit, and we received lots of compliments about them. Even more interesting? Numerous comments on the videos thanked UPS for sponsoring them and making them happen.

A similar thing happened when we launched our IT Innovation website, sponsored by Sun and Intel. In that case, those two companies were sponsoring us to develop more general content around a topic that we (and many of you) found interesting. The editorial control was still entirely our own, but Sun and Intel received branding on the website, and the ability to offer up some whitepapers to download in the sidebar. The end result has been wonderful, and we’ll likely do similar projects in the future. Rather than annoying readers, we lined up everything in a way that benefited everyone. It really was a win-win-win sort of setup.

Those types of projects are the kinds that we love to do, and which add real value to the community and to the sponsors. Those are the types of things that we think all media publications should be looking at doing. Things that add value, not take it away. Oh, and if you’re a company that wants to do a project like this that gets people excited, rather than annoyed by your brand, feel free to contact us.

Don’t blame others for your failures

Mike Markson recently wrote up a blog post for entrepreneurs, talking about how every entrepreneur needs to learn the lesson that, whatever doesn’t go right is your fault. It’s a tough lesson for people (especially entrepreneurs) to learn. If you can’t raise money, don’t blame the investors. You were the one who failed to convince them. If you can’t make sales, don’t blame the sales people. You either hired the wrong sales people or didn’t put together a compelling enough pitch or didn’t have a good enough product. It’s your responsibility as an entrepreneur to fix things. And I’m not saying this as a third party: I’ve been in both of the experiences discussed in this paragraph, and had to learn not to blame others, because that is the natural tendency. But it’s not productive at all.

Along those lines, if you are running a media site, if you’re having trouble making money, it’s your fault. Don’t blame your readers. Don’t blame your community by telling them they’re “devastating” a site by blocking ads or failing to pay for a paywall. As the producers of that site, it’s your responsibility to do things to get that site paid for. If you don’t like what we’re doing on Techdirt, go ahead and block our ads. Sure, just like Ars, many of our ads are paid for based on impressions and we may make less money from those ads, but that’s our problem and the problem of advertisers who aren’t willing to do more unique, creative and compelling projects that benefit the community rather than annoy it. We want the advertisers, sponsors and partners we work with to get the best results possible in a way that everyone wins. And that’s not by forcing people who don’t want to see their ads to see them, or by pissing off our readers by blocking them if they use ad blocking. It’s by taking on the responsibility ourselves to put together compelling programs that make everything more valuable for all participants.

There’s lots of ways to value a community

And we value you as readers even if you’re not seeing any ads at all. That’s because you take part in the community. You share links to our posts. You comment. You tell others about what we’ve written — and that’s all incredibly valuable to us and the rest of the community — much more than any CPM value we’d get from a few extra ad impressions. If you don’t see an ad, that doesn’t mean you have no value. Quite the opposite.

Claiming that ad blocking is harming sites is like the recording industry claiming that piracy (or home taping) is killing music. Or it’s like the newspaper industry claiming that aggregators are killing them. It’s passing the blame. If you run a company, it’s your responsibility to put together a business model that works. And if people are somehow figuring out ways to do what they want where you don’t get paid, then it means you’re doing something that needs to change. A good business model is one where everyone is happy with the transaction, not one where one party feels forced or coerced into accepting something they don’t want.

So, let’s get past this idea of blaming others, and focus on building business models where everyone benefits.

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I was going to revisit Natanz in my 14th post on the Wonk, but something more interesting came my way. I could not help noticing that Dan Joyner, a member of the powerful International Law Association, has written a response of sorts to James Acton’s article Iran Violated International Obligations on Qom Facility (Proliferation Analysis, 25 September 2009).

In a nutshell, James argues that subsidiary arrangements in INFCIRC/153-type safeguards agreements are legally binding instruments, in essence contracts between the IAEA and the state. Dan, on the other hand, concludes that subsidiary arrangements may not carry any legal force, that they have a ‘non-binding legal character’.

To be clear, both James and Dan reaches the same conclusion, that Iran’s behaviour is a cause for concern. Dan, however, looks at the problem from a structural perspective, and readily agrees there are worrying consequences for the safeguards system if his interpretation is correct.

I would probably subscribe to the view that subsidiary arrangements are part and parcel of the safeguards agreement itself. Without them, the safeguards agreement would not be meaningful. Their legal force is not explicitly stated, but the safeguards agreement is littered with functional references to its subsidiary arrangements.

For instance, paragraph 32 requires the state to set up certain measures (such as procedures for taking a physical inventory), as specified in the subsidiary arrangements. Paragraph 39 states that “provision should be made for the possibility of an extension or change of the Subsidiary Arrangements by agreement between the Agency and the State without amendment of the Agreement”. In other words, that they can be changed without having to go through the ratification procedure again. In addition, like any other contract, subsidiary agreements enter into force (see paragraph 40).

As an intergovernmental organization, the IAEA has what we lawyers call “legal personality”. This means that it has right to enter into agreement with states or, for that matter, non-state actors. And it has the right, as any sovereign state has, to expect that agreements are kept. The question is whether Iran has kept its agreement with the Agency.

And that is something that is debatable.

Skip to 2:30 for the Wall Street Windows Phone 7 low-down.

The above video is an interesting look at the market’s reaction to Windows Phone 7.  Despite smartphones being a tiny segment of Microsoft’s business it appears that a favourable reception to its new mobile OS may have a disproportionate effect on how the company is viewed on Wall Street.

Filed under: Concept Cars, Geneva Motor Show, Technology, Hatchback, Kia, Electric

Apparently, we we missed at least one interesting machine from the recently concluded press days at the Geneva Motor Show. Kia showed off a battery electric version of its new Venga B-segment hatchback. Like the rest of Kia and Hyundai‘s hybrids and plug-in concepts either in production or recently shown, the Venga EV uses lithium polymer batteries, likely sourced from LG Chem. The battery pack is stored under the floorpan of the electric vehicle (EV).

The Venga EV contains 24 kilowatt-hours of battery capacity. The front wheels are driven by an 80-kilowatt motor packing a stout 206 pound-feet of torque. Kia says that the concept has about 112 miles of driving range and a 50-kW fast charge can provide an 80-percent recharge in as little as 20 minutes, while a full charge at normal power levels takes about eight hours. The rest of the details can be found in the press release after the break.

[Source: Kia]

Continue reading Geneva 2010: Kia Venga EV, sorry we missed you the first time around

Geneva 2010: Kia Venga EV, sorry we missed you the first time around originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 08 Mar 2010 13:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sometimes the path of Primal transformation includes a series of upendings. It’s in part a process of uprooting daily habits that don’t serve your well-being. Maybe it’s a re-envisioning of your identity from an unhealthy, tired, or otherwise plagued person to that of a strong, fit, confident individual. More than likely, it’s about overturning oft-taught if not long held conventional thinking about healthy living. When we embark on our Primal path, we likely anticipate at least some of these changes, but what about the conflict prompted by other people’s grappling with the Primal Blueprint as we reflect it? What is it about our Primal process that upsets other people’s apple carts and provokes sometimes exaggerated resistance? See what reader Evan has to say.

Dear Mark,

I’ve been following the PB for a year and a half now and am proud to consider myself a diehard. I’m stronger, fitter, leaner, and for the first time in years feel energized throughout the day. My problem is this: I have a brother who’s an MD and seems to take my bucking of conventional wisdom personally. Whether it’s dogging my diet or my workout, he’s never got a shortage of offhand comments every time we get together with the family. I stopped arguing with him a few months ago because it just seemed useless and I frankly don’t want to make tensions worse for my family. Care to show up at one of these dinners to take on my brother’s resentments? Barring that, do you have any advice for getting him off my back? Thanks and Grok on!

In early 19^th century Vienna, one of the world’s largest and most well-known clinics in the world was among the worst institutions plagued by a widespread and puzzling “childbed fever” epidemic. The aggressive disease at one point killed 1 in 6 delivering mothers in his clinic. Pregnant women came in perfectly healthy but following childbirth were dead within a few days or less. For decades, the pandemic panicked women and eluded hospital staff, who responded to the continuing scourge by increasing ventilation and treating patients with practices like blood letting, leaching and mercury tonics (the discovery of germs not having been made yet).

Finally, an obstetrician and assistant administrator of the hospital, Ignac Semmelweis, made a startling connection. The proverbial light bulb went off when a colleague at the clinic died with the same fever symptoms after cutting himself while performing an autopsy. Semmelweis theorized that the professor’s cut was invaded by harmful “particles” from the corpse and eventually died from their effects. He then made the connection that medical students participated in autopsies the same days they helped deliver babies in the clinic. From there, he examined the rates of the adjoining midwife clinic, where the staff didn’t conduct postmortem examinations. The mortality rate in the midwife clinic was only a third of the mortality rate in the medical student wing. Upon investigating his theory with the implementation of new sanitation requirements, the mortality rate in the medical student clinic fell to that of the other clinic in only a month’s time. Clearly, hand washing and sanitization with a chlorine solution was the key to preventing the spread of disease. The discovery instilled a sense of relief but also the shocking revelation that doctors themselves had unwittingly caused so many patients’ deaths.

However, what happened afterward was the most surprising. A head administrator, Johann Klein, took Semmelweis’s discovery personally and renounced his findings. Klein believed Semmelweis’s argument was an attack on him, since he had instituted medical students’ participation in autopsies and had changed vaginal examination guidelines for obstetric patients. Semmelweis, a man whose efforts and scientific scrutiny had in essence discovered germ theory in its rudimentary parts and saved thousands of women’s lives, was discredited and pushed out of the clinic. His career continued for a time in Pest, Hungary, but never fully rebounded.

Semmelweis, for his part, had done relatively little to publicize his discovery. Although he and his students sent letters to well known obstetricians throughout much of Europe, he didn’t publish his findings until years later and only then attached to scathing personal criticisms of particular physicians and administrators. Victim to developing psychosis in his later years, Semmelweis was eventually institutionalized through his wife’s efforts and died from physical trauma after being beaten to death in the asylum.

It’s a dramatic story, to be sure, but an instructive one I think. This man had statistical evidence, scientifically sound support on his side, but the politics of the situation stalled progress. The threat of questioning authority and compromising professional reputations was finally too much to swallow. Semmelweis’s findings not only diminished the stature of the hospital administration, it brought down to earth the position – and astuteness – of physicians themselves. History has frequently revealed a sacrificial pattern when one person’s discovery takes on accepted wisdom. In short, it’s a game of kill the messenger.

In this reader’s case, I imagine it’s a similar phenomenon. Clearly, his brother has invested countless hours, thousands of dollars and invaluable credibility in his conventional medical education. He’s personally invested in the standard mindset of the medical establishment. Whether it’s a conscious realization or not, his professional integrity and authority are being questioned by his brother’s example – by his success, by his willingness to discern and embrace a health philosophy that diverges from conventional teaching.

My advice to Evan and all of us who meet with this kind of resistance is this: have patience and don’t take the bait. We don’t have to take the tension as personally as the other person does. Understand that our success upends their thinking, their lifelong efforts and maybe their sense of professional or personal expertise.

That said, let’s not make the same mistake as Semmelweis did in being overly modest in publicizing our genuine health discovery. There’s a difference in arguing to protect one’s own turf or pride and illuminating and sharing practices that can mean better health and well-being for people we know and love. Let your success and vitality speak for themselves, but by all means share your secret.

How do all of you share the love, so to speak? Tell your stories and offer your advice for Evan and others in the same boat. As always, thanks for the great questions and comments and keep ‘em coming!

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Related posts:

1. Dear Mark: Healthy Body Weight?
2. Dear Mark: Primal Personal Products?
3. Dear Mark: How to Stay Healthy in College

Filed under: Aftermarket, Coupe, Performance, Geneva Motor Show, Mercedes-Benz

It’s been several days since we left the Geneva Motor Show and we’re still finding cars that we somehow missed out on the floor. We especially don’t know how we managed to skip this bad boy in the Brabus booth, as it should have been nearly impossible to miss. It’s called the E V12 Coupe, and it’s got 800 horsepower. Enough said.

There’s nothing new about Brabus stuffing a V12 into an E-Class. They’ve been doing it since 1996, and have been making twin-turbo models since 2003. The latest version is based off of the new E Coupe, and it’s a much prettier car than the awkward looking E V12 Black Baron that we saw in Frankfurt. Fortunately it does share the same engine – a 6.3-liter twin-turbo V12 putting out 800 horsepower and 1047 lb-ft torque. Brabus quotes a 0-100 km/h time of just 3.7 seconds and a top speed of 230 mph, and judging from the performance of their previous cars we are inclined to believe them.

Besides the engine, the E V12 Coupe also comes with larger brakes, a Brabus-spec coilover suspension system, 19-inch wheels and more carbon fiber than you can shake a stick at. The front spoiler, grille, front and rear fenders, rear diffuser, intake system, interior trim and seats are all made from the lightweight material. What is all of this going to cost you? 478,000 Euros – approximately $650,000 using today’s exchange rate, or more than 13 E-Class Coupes.

[Source: Brabus]

Continue reading Super Coupe: Brabus E V12 now in two-door form

Super Coupe: Brabus E V12 now in two-door form originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 08 Mar 2010 13:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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