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Balancing act: keeping a tot on your net worth

Adding up your liabilities and subtracting them from your assets can be a worthwhile exercise to determine your overall financial health

Although calculating your “net worth” has lost its credibility somewhat since the days of the boom – remember Bank of Ireland’s infamous assertion that there were 33,000 millionaires in Ireland? – it can nonetheless be a worthwhile exercise to determine your overall financial health.

Put simply, working out your net worth involves adding up all your liabilities, and subtracting them from your assets. Just like a company’s balance sheet, if you come out with a positive figure, you’ll know that at least you’re going in the right direction. Conversely, if your liabilities are greater than your assets, you will have a negative net worth.

Be prepared, however, to see a lower figure than you might have envisaged. Since the peak in 2007, the net wealth of Irish households has fallen by about 37 per cent – no surprise given the impact of falling house prices.

Why bother with your net worth?
It’s not worth getting too excited about your overall net worth figure. Sometimes it can appear inflated while at other times it might look at little lean. What is useful, however, is the insight it gives you into how your debts weigh up against your assets, and whether or not you’re moving in the right direction.

It can also be informative to do the exercise after an interval of several years, to evaluate your financial progress over this time – and those currently with a negative net worth, thanks to the impact of negative equity, might get a more favourable outcome as a result.

When completing the questionnaire be realistic and base your figures on today’s asset values – not on how much you actually paid for them, or how much you wish they were worth. Your recently submitted property tax valuation should come in handy in this regard – or perhaps it might pose a moral dilemma. Do you choose the figure you submitted to the Revenue, which was at the lower end of the scale, or the higher figure which you think it might actually sell for?

Benchmarking your net worth
Given that everyone has different financial priorities, working out where you fit in may be of interest.

The Central Bank asserted last month that we’re each worth about €101,962 (on average) – and the good news is that it’s on the rise. Net household wealth increased by 1 per cent during the last quarter of 2012, according to the bank, adding about €2,000 to each household worth.

In the US, CNN Money provides an interesting calculator at: This shows you how you stack up against other people of a similar age/income bracket. For example, if you are 35, you will see that the median net worth for your age is €51,575; if you’re 65, you should expect a substantially higher median net worth of €232,000.

Alternatively, if you query it based on your income, you’ll get a different take. An income of €70,000, for example, corresponds with a net worth of €168,500, while a gross income of €150,000 means your net worth could be as high as €1.1 million.
your net worth
Knowing what your net worth is can give you a good view on your overall financial health but, more than that, it should be put to good use by working out how to improve it.

Obviously, the easiest way to improve it is to increase your assets, but unless you’re expecting property prices to rocket, it’s best to also look at reducing your liabilities.

Reducing your debt
The easiest way to reduce your debt, and one which doesn’t require any additional contributions from you, is to switch to a lower interest rate.

While your hands might be tied when it comes to switching mortgages in the current market, you might be able to find another provider if you have other personal debt piling up, such as credit cards and personal loans. For example, if you save with a credit union, you could try and switch a personal loan from a bank to them, if the rate you are offered is lower.

If it’s a credit card that is proving to be troublesome, you could try seeking out a provider that offers an interest-free introductory period. At the moment, Permanent TSB is the only credit card provider doing so, although AIB does offer a special rate (3.83 per cent for 12 months), as does Bank of Ireland (3.9 per cent) and Ulster Bank (3.9 per cent).

These providers will, however, only want to take on what they perceive to be “good” customers, so if you are in arrears or have missed repayments, you might find it difficult to switch.

The other option is to increase your repayments, but this may be difficult at a time when there are so many other pressures on your finances.

Increasing your savings and investments
Just like restructuring your debt can reap rewards, so too can paying closer attention to your savings and investments strategy. If you have money lying in an account earning little in interest, it really is time to get it working for you.

If it’s your “rainy day” account, which you are nervous to lock away for a long time, you can get a better rate of return – and still have easy access to it – by taking it out of your current account where it’s possibly earning a rate of about 0.01 per cent.

KBC Bank for example, offers a rate of 2.6 per cent on its instant access account, while Rabodirect offers 2.25 per cent. On this basis, the opportunity cost of leaving €20,000 in a current account is about €500 a year.

For regular savers, the best rates on the market currently come from KBC and Permanent TSB, which both offer 3.5 per cent on amounts up to €12,000 and €50,000, respectively.

Rein in your purchases
The more money you put towards the “asset” side of your financial statement, the less important the liabilities side, and the stronger your overall financial position will be.

In this regard, consider every significant purchase you make carefully. When it comes to cars, for instance, the advice is to buy one that lasts and lasts. Only when it’s ready to fall apart should you consider buying a new one, given the level of depreciation.

However, if you like the certainty offered by a newer vehicle, you can keep your balance sheet in good order by saving to buy a new car every few years, rather than taking out a personal loan.

This will reduce your overall expenditure by about €4,000 for example, based on a loan of €12,000 over five years on a fixed rate of 12.6 per cent.

Invest all windfalls
If you’re lucky enough to come into money – be it a raise at work, winning the lotto or an unexpected gift or inheritance – don’t be tempted to fritter it away.

Spending it on essential items that you previously couldn’t afford is one thing, but upgrading your television or your money- guzzling car with your windfall is quite another. Invest the money instead. This will help the asset side of your balance sheet grow.

This advice also extends to those fortunate homeowners on a tracker mortgage. If you are benefiting from the recent 25 basis point cut in European interest rates, don’t be tempted to spend the extra money left in your bank account (about €45 on a €300,000 mortgage). Instead, if you can afford it, keep your repayments at their earlier, higher level.

Based on the aforementioned €300,000 mortgage, an extra payment of €45 a month would take 18 months off the term of your mortgage and save you about €4,000 in interest if you were to keep it up over the life of the mortgage.

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Kacaniklic's winner eases Fulham's relegation worries

Fulham 2 WBA 1:Fulham eased their relegation worries as Alexander Kacaniklic’s second-half goal earned them a shock win at high-flying West Brom.

The Cottagers had slid towards the bottom three after winning only one of their previous 12 games but were well worth their second away success of the campaign.

Dimitar Berbatov’s seventh goal of the season gave Fulham a half-time lead, and although Romelu Lukaku levelled after the break, Kacaniklic restored the visitors’ advantage. It enabled Fulham to complete their first ever Premier League win at the Hawthorns at the seventh attempt and a double after the 3-0 win at Craven Cottage in September.

Albion struggled to produce the form which had taken them into the top half of the table, despite the efforts of on loan Chelsea striker Lukaku and fit again midfielder Youssouf Mulumbu.

Fulham knocked the ball about in confident fashion in the early stages with Kacaniklic prominent.

Steve Sidwell made a run towards the West Brom box unopposed but his shot flew well wide while three corners in quick succession were comfortably dealt with by the home defence.

Albion struggled to find any initial momentum and it was 20 minutes before they threatened, with Gareth McAuley heading past the post from a Chris Brunt free-kick. Fulham keeper David Stockdale then raced off his line to save at the feet of Lukaku after he had exchanged passes with Zoltan Gera.

Crucial tackle

West Brom finally woke from their slumbers and Lukaku bore down on goal after shaking off the challenge of Sascha Riether, but Sidwell made good ground to put in a crucial tackle.

Then a mistake by Brunt left the former Manchester United striker with a clear run towards Ben Foster but he shot over the bar.

But Berbatov made amends after 39 minutes by putting Fulham ahead. Ashkan Dejagah turned inside Liam Ridgewell before squaring the ball across the box to Berbatov, whose first time shot flew past Foster.

Lukaku needed only three minutes of the second period to bring West Brom on level terms. Marc-Antoine Fortune spread the ball out wide to Billy Jones, who skipped past Sidwell before crossing invitingly for Lukaku who made no mistake from close range.

The home side were revitalised but after 57 minutes Fulham regained the lead against the run of play through Kacaniklic’s third goal of the season.

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Golfing in Limerick City Area

Browse our directory of Golfing in Limerick City Area by selecting from the links below:

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Greeks Told Time Is Money
Greek PM Samaras Faces Stiff Headwind In Pleas For More Time

The statements coming out of Germany are intended to tell Greek PM Samaras not to imagine renegotiating bailout.

Contact Editor
Amiel Ungar,

Antonis Samaras
Antonis Samaras

The Greek government of Prime Minister  Antonis Samaras is effectively being told by its EU partners that time is money.

The Greek Prime Minister had sought to achieve greater wiggle room in the austerity that he must impose on this countryman by seeking more time – approximately 2 years – to administer the harsh medicine.

He was rebuffed in no uncertain terms by German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble, who said that more time meant more money and Germany had already gone to the limit in staking a Greek recovery. The minister distinguished between helping the Greeks and throwing money "into a bottomless pit."

As Samaras is slated to meet this weekend with both German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande in an attempt to plead his case, this rebuff  has put him on notice not to get his hopes up. Hollande and Merkel are meeting beforehand to shore up a common position on the Greek crisis.

The longer the Greek problem remains unresolved, the harder it will be to set things right as Germany is about a year away from a general election and German patience with European bailouts is wearing thin.

A formal answer to Athens is going to be delivered next month, when the troika of the International Monetary Fund, the European Commission and the European Central Bank has completed its assessment of how well Greece is doing in implementing the conditions that it took upon itself to secure a bailout. However, German opinion has hardened. The head of the Christian Democrats in the Bundestag, Volker Kauder, remarked that a renegotiation was to all extent a third aid package - and as far as he was concerned there was no room for maneuver.

An additional complication for the Greeks is that the contraction of the Greek economy as a result of the austerity has made the goalposts more distant. Samaras was complaining about having to cut expenditures by €11.5 billion,  but the decline in tax receipts means that he will end up having to chop €14 billion.


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Department of Information Technology

Projects (Draft)

Projects involves programming, instrumentation and measurements on wireless and mobile devices. You develop a prototype application, evaluate some protocol etc. They can be complemented with a more theoretical part, which means that some team members in the project group write a report (i.e. term paper) on the project topic by reviewing the existing literature. It could be a good idea to divide the project team members over the practical and theoretical study/analysis parts. All members collaborate to solve the overall task.

Projects are carried out in groups of 3-5 students. Groups that combine the project with a theoretical study are carried out in groups of 4-7 students.

The process of choosing and distributing projects begin February 28, even if the actual project work does not begin until end of March. Teams can be formed before the introduction lecture.

Project selection

You need to team up with fellow students for a project. There are two options for selecting a project. The first is to pick one from the following list or to suggest your own project. For the listed projects we will apply the first-come-first-served principle.

Your project selections are submitted as an email to no later than 16:00 on March 8:th. Include in the email:

  • Name of the project.
  • Contact person with email address.
  • Name of team members and email addresses.
  • Optionally - alternative projects (ranked) - if your selection is already booked.

If you propose your own project you also need to include:

  • Brief description of what the project is about (possibly including the subject of the theoretical study)
  • Brief description of the approach
  • How the different subtasks will be divided among team members
  • How the project will be presented at the end of the course (e.g. demo)
  • Hardware and software requirements

All proposed projects are normally limited to one of the following areas:

The supervisor team will review your selection/proposals and give you feedback on these no later than March 12:th.

I do not have a team

In some circumstances you cannot comprise a team but know what project you want to do. Then write us an email with your selection and preferably alternative projects and we will try to match your interests against other students.

Due to limited resources in terms of lab space, hardware and supervisors, we cannot guarantee that everyone will be able to do the project they have ranked highest. We will, however, do our best to meet everyone's preferences.

  • February 28 - Projects introduction lecture
  • March 8:th at 16:00 - Deadline for project proposals, both your own as well as from the list
  • March 12:th - Feedback on your own project proposals from the supervisor team
  • March 15:th at 08:00 - Deadline for revised project proposal
  • March 26:th - Project starts

Updated  2012-02-27 08:41:38 by Per Gunningberg.


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BASTA COSI' - NEGRAMARO ft. ELISA - lyrics translation video

elisa toffoli - english language
"Basta così" (We must stop here) is a song by the Negramaro Band, singing along with Elisa Toffoli.
The Negramaro band, is one of the biggest bands of Apulia, a region in southern Italy, which in recent years, is becoming a kind of factory Italian singers and bands.
In this song two lovers decide to stop their relationship, a painful decision, but that somehow has to be taken.

This song, published in May 2011, despite not having sold a lot - came only 7th in the ranking of sales of singles in Italy - is still played by the Italian radio, maybe because it's just a beautiful song.
Here is the song "Basta così", with subtitles in English version and Italian:

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A Blaze of Glory

With A Blaze of Glory, Jeff Shaara returns to the Civil War with a vibrant re-creation of one of the war's bloodiest engagements-the Battle of Shiloh.  It is the first in what is said to be "a trilogy of lesser known battles of the Civil War."  If you have an American history fan at home, this newly published book is a must.

My son picked it up for our trip to the beach and devoured it.  Like Shaara's other novels, A Blaze of Glory dramatizes the events of the battle through the voices and thoughts of the Officers, senior and junior alike, conscripts and enlisted men on both sides of the conflict.

Here's how the book begins:

February 22, 1862

“Keep those men out of there! They will not pass!”

Seeley’s words were harsh, loud, the men around him doing all they could to obey. The shotguns hung by each man’s side, and the lieutenant felt a shaking nervousness, was not ready to give the order that would point the long guns at these civilians. Like him, most of these troopers had never fired their weapons at anything but crude targets. Now the targets were men, surging toward him through the darkness, pushing their way toward the gaping doorways of the supply depot, a massive warehouse close to the river. Seeley had positioned his six horsemen in an even line, to block the way of the crowd, but the crowd was a mob, desperate and mindless, their goal the precious food and bundles of supplies that lay in the warehouse. A few cavalry meant nothing at all, and quickly the mob pushed into them, some slipping past, between the horses. He felt his own frustration rising, could feel the tinderbox explosiveness of the mob, and he shouted out again, could not help the higher pitch, his voice betraying the fear.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

If so, you may want to give The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows a try.  It a story told through the written correspondence between a young author, Juliet Ashton, and many of the residents of Guernsey, an island in the English Chanel.  It is perfect for young adult and adult readers alike.

Guernsey was occupied by the Nazi's during WWII.  One evening when a dinner party runs late, a group of islanders is caught out after curfew.  Thinking quickly, Elizabeth, our heroine, tells the soldiers that they are a literary society and the soldiers escort the party home.  To keep up the ruse the group continues meeting and soon finds that they love books and that the society meetings have become a place of warmth and hope for these isolated islanders.

When one of the literary society members, Dawson, receives a copy of a Charles Lamb book with Juliet Ashton's name in it, he begins a correspondence with her, hoping to find more of Charles Lamb's work.  In short order, Juliet's imagination is captured by the people writing the letters to her and she decides to make them the subject of her second novel.

Once on the island, Juliet is swept up into the literary society and the lives of its members.  When asked about what books mean to her, Juliet simply replies, "So far my only thought is that reading keeps you from going gaga.”

And why Potato Peel, too?  One of the members of the group insisted that he would only attend if refreshments were served.  This was an available dish during the occupation and so the standard fare of the meetings.

Turtle in Paradise

It fascinates me how often children were sent away from home in our recent past because of overwhelming events.  As I discussed yesterday, the children of London were sent to the country side and abroad to avoid Hitler's bombs.  During the American Depression, many children were sent to live with relatives so that their parents could both work to make ends meet.  In Jennifer L. Holmes' novel Turtle in Paradise, we find one such child.

Turtle, the main character of the novel, is sent from her home in the city to live with her Aunt in Key West, Florida in 1935.  Never before has she seen such a strange place. The landscape, flora, fauna and people are completely unfamiliar. It is nothing like her home.  She also finds the behavior of her cousins to be much different than the behavior expected from her while living in the homes her mother cleaned.  The island is replete with mystery, adventure and discovery.  There is even a gentleman everyone calls simply "the writer" living in the town with lots of cats.  Can you guess who that might be?

She does have one thing in common with the people of Key West.  Everyone is poor.  Many of the people are relatives, including a grandmother whose house is full of treasures.  And everyone loves Shirley Temple.  Turtle, however is not Shirley Temple.  She looks at the world with the eyes of a child who knows struggle. Turtle can best be described by the quote found on the back of the book:

Folks have always told me that I look like Momma. Our eyes are different, though. I think the color of a person's eyes says a lot about them. Momma has soft blue eyes and all she sees are kittens and roses. My eyes are gray as soot, and I see things for what they are.

This is a great book for a child new to chapter books.  It is a Newbery Honor Book.  As for its merits as historical fiction, Jennifer L. Holmes does a terrific job of combining her family lore with America's past.

The Romeo and Juliet Club

I just finished a sweet novel called the Romeo and Juliet Code by Phoebe Stone.  A few of the 5th graders at school had requested it, so I added it to my reading list.  The cover art suggests more romance than it delivers, but for this fan of historical fiction, this novel hit the mark.

The beginning of the story reminded me of The Secret Garden.  A young independent girl ends up in the home of unknown relatives.  She has no friends and believes making any in Bottlebay, Maine is unlikely.  There is even a sick boy locked up in a room.  But the story quickly becomes its own.  While our main character reads The Secret Garden herself, her own story is revealed.

Felicity Bathburn Budwig, a perhaps neglected, but definitely adored daughter, is delivered to America by her parents to escape the bombs of London.  In the six months that proceed the bombing of Pearl Harbor, we have a chance to see our culture through the eyes of this British child.  Many of the historical elements of the novel are revealed through her own experiences, which include becoming an essential part of the Bathburn clan and stirring the soup (or pot) on more than one occasion.  The main plot revolves around 7 letters, 6 of which Felicity is determined to read and decipher.

Mystery, Romance, War....What's not to like.

One more thing about books and movies

After my post yesterday, I started wondering why I believe it is so important to read the book before I see the movie.  As I considered it, I realized it is because I love details and a beautifully crafted phrase.  As I mentioned, my son didn't read the Hunger Games, and still hasn't, but he kept coming to me, so that I could fill in the gaps left by the film.  After we covered the more complex themes, I finally told him, "If you want details, you need to read the books yourself."

The well written lines of a novel give me an opportunity to participate with the author in crafting the story.  I get to create the images in my mind and step into the world the author has created.  I bring my own experiences to bear and the story comes to life in a unique way.  When I see a movie, most of the decisions are made, down to the swelling music that hopes to dictate my mood.

I mentioned a few movie adaptations that I loved yesterday.  Off the top of my head, I can quickly think of three books for children whose adapted movies don't do the novels justice:

The Waterhorse by Dick King-Smith
The Dark is Rising by Susan Cooper
Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson

Do an experiment as a family.  Read the Books. Watch the Movies. Then, let  me know if I was right or wrong.  Happy reading and watching!

Hunger Games- Book or Movie?

I love books, but do have a few favorite screen adaptations- Little Women with Katherine Hepburn, The Prince of Tides and Wuthering Heights among them.  When it comes to my son, I long ago created a rule that he needed to read the book before he saw the movie.  This started because of Harry Potter, but has generally served us well.  That is, until the Hunger Games was released into theaters this spring.

Dystopian literature isn't his thing.  I am sure I have mentioned he consumes fantasy and historical fiction at an alarming rate, but rarely has he picked up a dystopian novel.  At 11 he prefers his villains to be obvious and the plots and settings to be other worldly.  As a result, he never even asked to read the Hunger Games. But when the movie came out, he was desperate to see it with the rest of his friends.  I broke my rule.  I let him see the film.  I answered all of his questions, as I had read the entire series.  Seeing the movie did not make him want to read the book.  And this is why I made my rule in the first place.

And now what do I think of the books. Suzanne Collins is a great writer.  The themes are complex and skillfully constructed, but may be difficult and alarming, particularly for the youngest of readers.  The book is targeted to "Older Readers" but, I realize that once something is popular it is hard to hold kids back, especially if they are begging to read.   Parents have asked if they should let their child read the book.  And my advice to these children's parents, and any other, is that you should read it first yourself. You know your kid.  Reading the novels will help ascertain your child's readiness and equip you to answer any questions they might have.

One other note:
If you read the first book you should read them all:  The Hunger Games, Catching Fire, and Mockingjay. Together they have a very powerful message about human's ability to survive.

The Night Tourist

There is an outlet mall that feels like a ghost town on the way to Jekyll Island from Savannah,Ga.  I like to stop there because they have a Gap store and I always find jeans that fit me.  This year one of the store fronts had be taken over by a discount book retailer.  Elated by the discovery, I headed right to the hardback books for kids and young adult.  They were priced 4 for $15.  I found Odd and the Frost Giant by Neil Gaiman, a few of the Redwall books my son needed for his collection and a copy of The Night Tourist by Kathrine March.

I was pleased with my haul.  Hardbacks can be hard to find, as they quickly go out of print in favor of the more affordable paperback versions.  The Night Tourist is a book I have been longing to add to my own collection.  Jack Perdu, the book's protagonist, is an exaggerated caricature of my son--smart, introverted and usually found with his nose in a book.  While reading a book, Metamorphoses in Latin, in the middle of a cross walk, Jack is struck by a car.  It is a nearly fatal accident.  His father sends him to a doctor in New York City to be examined.

This trip sets off a series of events that are exciting and mysterious.  He makes an unexpected acquaintance at Grand Central station and with her explores parts of New York City he never imagined existed.  After meeting Euri, who is a ghost, Jack is convinced he can locate his dead mother and be reunited.  If you or your reader find this book as interesting as I did, you may want to try the sequel, The Twilight Prisoner.

Vacation Time is here!

I am getting ready to leave for vacation tomorrow. My beach reading list consists mostly of books for grown ups, so I won't be posting for a while. I will be back at it June 18th.

Check this out!

My post yesterday inspired my husband to put down his iPad and pick up a Ray Bradbury novel.

Ray Bradbury on Book Burning!

Ray Bradbury, author of Fahrenheit 451, died this week.  While I am only an occasional reader of science fiction, preferring fantasy to possible reality, this is one of my favorite authors of the genre.   I must say that it is a cherished moment when I am able to talk with a high school student about their required reading list and hear them complain about Fahrenheit 451.  Usually the conversation goes something like this--"Why is a book called, Fahrenheit 451?"  I answer, "That is the temperature at which books will burn." With this I am left to only assess the wonder on the student's face.  Is it shock, awe, confusion, or disgust?

If you have an older reader, who is a rebel of sorts, why not introduce them to some of the best titles that have been banned and yes burned over the centuries.  Right here in America, titles such as Adventures of Huck Finn, Blubber, Catcher in the Rye, As I lay Dying, the Bible and Beloved are on the top of most lists you will find.  Bradbury can be found on these lists as well.

My seventh grade book club read Something Wicked this Way Comes by Ray Bradbury to kick off this past school year. The kids learned a lot about friendship, family and self by discussing Will, Jim, Charles and Mr. Dark.  If you haven't given this book a try, read it with your older readers.  You will never look at youth or a merry-go-round the same way again.

For a different look at Something Wicked this Way Comes, check out the authorized adaptation in a graphic novel format by Ray Bradbury and Ron Wimberly.

Odd and the Frost Giants

I was never a big fan of Mythology.  I read the requisite stories, which as I recall did not include any Homer.  Honestly, I have trouble keeping track of Roman vs. Greek Gods.  On the other hand, my son and his friends cannot get enough of Gods and Goddesses and Warriors and Maidens.  In early elementary, he devoured the traditional versions of the myths. Now, with the help of Rick Riordan, these ancient stories are colliding with modern day life and have expanded to include the Egyptian Gods and Goddesses as well.

And now the Norse myths are finding their way into our lives.  While I have not seen the movies, I understand Thor makes a great showing in both the movie named for him and the new Avengers movie.  His long time enemies the Frost Giant are also introduced.

If you have an early reader at home, who loves Thor, I have just read the perfect book for you.  Odd and the Frost Giants by Neil Gaiman is a surprisingly warm tale of a boy named Odd.  Like many of the protagonists we have discussed here, Odd is orphaned when his Viking father perishes at sea.  This is only the beginning of Odd's bad luck. It continues with some other unlucky defining moments (which I will leave out here so as not to spoil this elegant tale) until Odd meets three companions: an eagle, a bear and a fox.  The quartet embarks on a journey that is filled with magic, adventure and compassion as they travel between the land of humans, Midgard, and the City of  the Gods, Asgard.

Inspired by traditional Norse mythology, this quiet novel is perfect for a child who is mastering chapter books.  The chapters are short and include detailed pencil drawings by Brett Helquist, illustrator of Lemony Snicket's  A Series of Unfortunate Events.  It has quickly become one of my favorites.

"The Frost Giant's gone," said Odd.  "I made him go away."

"How?" asked the eagle.

 "Magic," said Odd, and he smiled and thought, If magic means letting things do what they wanted to do or be what they wanted to be....  (excerpt from Odd and the Frost Giants by Neil Gaiman)

Killer Angels

My son, Miller, has chosen Jeff Shaara's new novel Blaze of Glory for his beach novel this summer.  It is the first installation in a new series about the Battle at Shiloh fought during the Civil War.  He first fell in love with this genre when he read Michael Shaara's, father to Jeff, Pulitzer Prize winning novel, Killer Angels. This novel tells the story of the Battle at Gettysburg and would be good for older readers (7th-12th).

Killer Angels is wonderfully written. I read it last spring as we were driving to Pennsylvania to see the battlefield at Gettysburg for ourselves. The dialogue flows authentically and gives you a more intimate look at many of the biggest names of the Civil War.  Shaara relies heavily on the actual military personnel that were known to be present during the four days of battle.  He focuses on many of the key assaults, like Little Round Top, that determined the final outcome of what we have come to call simply Gettysburg. There is but one fictional character in the story-Buster Kilrain.  He is assigned to Joshua Chamberlain during Little Round Top and proves a friend and worthy warrior. Buster is a beautifully imagined and developed character.

If you haven't made your summer plans yet, you might consider checking one of the many Civil War Battlefields that are part of the national and state park systems.  It is the 150th anniversary of the beginning of the war, so all of the associated parks have special events planned.  If you are making your way to Gettysburg or Shiloh, pick up the Shaara's novels for a little insight and adventure.

Gettysburg Novels
  • Gods and Generals
  • Killer Angels
  • The Last Full Measure
  • Blaze of Glory


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ICTs for a Sustainable World #ICT4SDG

RRS-13-Americas Fellowships

Recognizing the difficulty faced by the low income countries, the ITU offers one partial fellowship per eligible country on the Americas Region, with priority to requests from the Least Developed Countries (LDCs).

Partial fellowship request form is available here; it should be submitted before 8 June 2013.


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Arrests over video game robbery

Three teenagers have been arrested after a man was stabbed and robbed of a copy of Grand Theft Auto V less than two hours after buying the game in north London.

View all 3 updates ›

Video game robbery victim 'stable' after attack

The victim was targeted after he left an Asda store just an hour and 20 minutes after the game went on sale. He was hit with a brick, stabbed and stripped of his mobile phone, watch and his copy of Grand Theft Auto V during the attack on Princes Avenue in Colindale.

The victim had been shopping and was on his way home when he was hit with a brick.

He was then stabbed and robbed.

The man is recovering in hospital where he is said to be in a stable condition.

– Met Police statement

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:: Library ::

Civil Engineering Department Library

 The civil engineering department located west of the main building has an area of more than 380 square meters. See  library plan.

 Library Plan

 This library, containing more than 12000 volumes, is the richest library on the university campuses.  The hours of operation for students are  from 7:30 to 1800. The school has a spacious well-equipped central library with separate hallways, conference rooms, references, reports, and seminars.    This library is well equipped with open shelves,  secured by a network camera.

  The library activities are summarized as follows:

  a) Supporting and ordering the requested internal and external books based on the registered credits.

  b) Participating in 50 internal and 145 external Latin publications.

  c) Providing guidance for students in finding their desired references.

  d) Providing a system for copying  references.

  e) Providing classification, subscription of contents, and new book registration  according to L.C.

 A central library system  is available for all libraries in the university.  Books are deposited digitally and a unique code is allocated to each book, allowing easier access to books in any library equipped with this system.   Instructions to using this service can be found here at Http://dl.iust.ac.ir For non IUST students, the system will consider the user as a guest, and will continue to  access the requested information, revealing information including details about the author, date of publication, translator, etc.  The system will also inform the user of the book availability, allowing the user to reserve a book when it is not available at the requested time.

 - Ghadir Support

 The Ghadir Support system, moderated by the Ministry of Science, Research, and Technology, grants  graduated alumni  of governmental universities, access to borrow resources from public universities that participate in the program.

 The library has the following thesis topic papers on file:

  - Soil and foundation with 150 titles.

  - Structure with 210 titles.

  - Earthquake engineering with 100 titles.

  - Road problems with 152 titles.

  - Transportation with 107 titles.

  - Hydraulic with 110 titles.

  - Construction management with 58 titles.

  - Environmental problems with 50 titles.

  - PhD references with 50 titles.

 Comments and Questions, Thank you for your cooperation.

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  2- What attenuation laws have you used in the paper. (logic tree)

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  6- Please do not clean the sign? until I see the material.

  7- Why have you  created tables in a and b forms, why not a new number? (Table 1b)

  8- Page 10 is not clear,  too much cross descriptions.

  9- U in equation 16 should be in the y form

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Home » Tag Archives: Stellar SpeedUp Mac

Tag Archives: Stellar SpeedUp Mac

How to Speed Up Your Mac Machine

Macs are one of the most popular systems used all across the globe as users’ rely on their security, reliability, and advanced mechanisms. However, as sophisticated as they are, there are tendencies for it to turn sluggish, therefore, impacting its overall performance. Among several reasons, one that is prominent is the presence of junk files on your Mac. Such a …

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Thursday, June 11, 2009

JAL to extend unpaid leave

JAL is extending its unpaid leave program to September due to the weak demand in air travel. So far JAL has approved 925 staff's unpaid leave application this year, including 55 this month and 100 next month. They are not accepting application for August and September.

With 49,112 consolidated employees (as of Dec 31 2008), only 925 has taken unpaid leave? That's 1.88% of their employee. Doesn't look like their staff are so keen of the program. So how much can this actually save? Well, JAL declined to give an estimate. But I guess any saving could help given how bad the economy is (there were only 33 passengers on a 767-300 from Osaka to Taipei the other day).

Source: Bloomberg

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2010 Dodge Journey

Find Another Dodge Journey
16 CITY / 23 HWY
Overall Quality
Overall Performance and Design
Predicted Reliability

New in 2009, the Dodge Journey is a midsize crossover utility vehicle sharing platforms with the Dodge Avenger. The standard Journey is fitted with a 4-cylinder engine, but those wishing for more power will seek the 3.5-liter 6-cylinder (standard on the all-wheel-drive variants), which has been recalibrated for slightly better fuel economy in 2010. As it debuted in 2009, there are only a few changes for the 2010 model year.
  • 3.5-liter 6-cylinder engine retuned for improved fuel economy
  • New \"ECO\" light on the dashboard to help maximize efficiency
  • Brakes on all models have been upgraded
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Jeep is stalling! I have no idea why -
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post #1 of 7 Old 01-16-2009, 04:52 PM Thread Starter
Renegade 91
Registered User
1991 YJ Wrangler
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Mass
Posts: 24
Jeep is stalling! I have no idea why

Lately i have been driving around in my YJ. and when I would come to a stop then give it a little gas to start moving the rpms would drop down, then go back up. It didn't seem like such a big deal. But now my jeep will stall out instead of the rpms going back up! The jeep will also always start back up after about 5 or 10 minutes. Im taking it to a mechanic monday, but i would like to get an idea what is happening.

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post #2 of 7 Old 01-16-2009, 11:05 PM
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Just a question. Have you "Seafoam'd" it?
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post #3 of 7 Old 01-17-2009, 10:42 AM Thread Starter
Renegade 91
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1991 YJ Wrangler
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what does that mean?
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post #4 of 7 Old 01-17-2009, 07:31 PM
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1995 YJ Wrangler
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Its got a 4.0. I dont think they came with carbs.
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post #5 of 7 Old 01-17-2009, 08:57 PM
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1988 YJ Wrangler
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Location: Londonderry, NH
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Try some dry gas if you haven't already. If it just started doing this lately you might have ice build up.
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post #6 of 7 Old 01-17-2009, 10:11 PM
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1994 YJ Wrangler
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Bakersfield, ca
Posts: 55
Don't know much about the 4.0...but is sounds like your Idle Air Control valve has taken a large dump.

My Son's Wrangler (I wrench it)
1994 2.5L AX-5
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post #7 of 7 Old 01-17-2009, 10:18 PM
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1999 XJ Cherokee
Join Date: May 2008
Location: Bangor
Posts: 82
as a mechanic myself, i'd venture to say it could be a couple of things, IAC/TPS is most likely, if you've replaced those check your fuel filter (not sure if it's serviceable, mine is not), i've seen cars that crank and run fine until they get warm, die, and you can't crank them for an hour or so just due to the fuel filter putting too much strain on the fuel pump. If that doesn't do it, I may be able to help you if you can provide a little more info (what have you replaced recently, et al)

"Don't ask questions you don't know the answer to."
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Axle Swap from narrow track to wide track - Page 2 -
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post #16 of 20 Old 04-28-2013, 09:06 PM
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The T18 doesn't have synchros in first gear. Only second through fourth.

You would have had to move the perches for any '76 and up axle since the frame width at the rear is different.

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post #17 of 20 Old 04-28-2013, 11:21 PM
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Location: Clarks Summit
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My '79 frame rotted out. 15 years after I put a 'glass tub on it. I lucked out and found an immaculate '86 roller w/a D44 rear. I do NOT like the WT look at all. Pa, or at least the inspection stations near me, have strict laws about wheels sticking out beyond the flares, so 11.50s are about the limit. My 12.50s throw crud from a wet spot on the road all over my CJ, which I keep immaculate....when running!
I beat the snot out of my stock 20 (airborne etc) w/o any failures behind a warmed 304. I read all the "bad" things about the 20 rear and how the 44 was such a great improvement. I should have welded the tubes, trussed it and put in 1 pc axles. Selling the D44 would have covered alot of the 20 upgrades. Luckily it had HD tie rods, but even though I had the axles COMPLETELY apart to re-gear and add a tru-trac....I forgot to swap over my 6 bolt Warn premium hubs. Now I have a killer axle set w/cruddy plastic 5 bolt stock hubs. D'OH!

I've also learned that sometimes... when people don't agree with you .... its best to hold them down and kidney punch them till they agree with you
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post #18 of 20 Old 05-02-2013, 08:42 AM
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What about shock mounts? Do you have to change them or can you run the shorter shock mounts on the frame?

1978 CJ5 5.0HO/T177/D300, '86 D30/D44 WT axles, 'glass body, 31x10.5 BFG A/T, TDK galv'd frame - DD and weekend toy

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post #19 of 20 Old 05-02-2013, 01:04 PM
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Originally Posted by Cutlass327
What about shock mounts? Do you have to change them or can you run the shorter shock mounts on the frame?
If you use the spring plates used with NT axles you can keep the same shocks and frame mounts. If you mount the lower end of the shock on the WT axle tube mount you either need to get shorter shocks or replace the frame mounts with the taller variety.

'84 CJ-17: 17" stretch, locked Toy axles, 5.5" lift, FI, AX15, D300 w/twin sticks, boatsides & junk.
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post #20 of 20 Old 05-02-2013, 02:26 PM
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Posts: 447
Originally Posted by bobged1 View Post
I just swaped the narrow tracs out of my 75 for wide tracs out of an 84 and did have to mount new spring mounts on the rear I have a T18 4 speed I had 4:27 in it and went to a 2:73 so I could drive it faster than 45 miles per hour plus the ring and pinion in the front was gone. Now I am shifting different does the T18 have syncronizers in it
Are you gonna get rid of those 4.27's? I'm looking to regear.

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Heroes and the Stories Worth Reading

"In order to preserve the vigor of the moral faculty, it is of the utmost consequence to keep young people as ignorant as possible of the crimes that are generally thought most disgraceful to human nature. Suicide, I believe, is often propagated by means of newspapers. For this reason, I should be glad to see the proceedings of our courts kept from the public eye when they expose or punish monstrous vices." --Benjamin Rush*

We've all heard far more than necessary about Cho Seung-Hui; frankly, I think a brief mention of his name in the bottom corner of some newspaper article would have been enough. "Murderer identified as Cho S. &c; senior at VA Tech" covered all the information anyone other than his poor parents needed to hear. Heaven knows, keeping the information to that sentence might have offered them some much-needed mercy.

The current journalistic culture of "too much information", which has so willingly provided us with the ability to peruse the internal workings of a diseased mind, only arouses morbid curiosity. "But it raises awareness", someone will say. Sure it does--especially in those most likely to repeat such a crime by imitation. If anybody wants awareness, a simple list of warning signs of such mental disorder will suffice. Awareness itself is no cure, anyway, but that's a subject for another time.

Here are the real stories of the Virginia Tech shooting, the ones worth telling and re-telling. You've heard them, I'm sure, but here they are again:

Professor Liviu Librescu, survivor of the Nazi Holocaust, barricaded a classrom door with his own body and told his students to flee. His intervention allowed several young people to escape through the windows before he was gunned down. He died on Holocaust Remembrance Day, giving his life to save others.

Ryan Clark, resident adviser in the dorm where the shooting began, in the words of one friend "would do anything to help [his friends]..." He died coming to the aid of another student.

Zach Petkewicz is still alive, as are all the other members of his class--because upon hearing the shots come closer, he came out from behind the teacher's podium, where he'd initially hidden, and got his fellow students to help him push a table against the door. The gunman managed to crack the door just enough to empty a clip of bullets into the room, but Zach and the others continued to push against him. After reloading, Cho went looking for easier prey, leaving Zach's class unharmed.

Those are the people we should hear most about; theirs are the minds that should be brought to public attention and revealed for awareness' sake. They--like Columbine student Cassie Bernall, who admitted her faith in God despite the gun held to her head, and who died at the hands of Cho's idea of a martyr and hero--are the people we should remember.

Just one more thing: The most insightful piece I've seen on the Virginia Tech shooting yet is this little post on grieving by Kathy Shaidle, a conservative Christian commentator from Toronto. Though she doesn't write gently, she put down some real truth in this article. Give me "Amazing Grace" over "My Heart Will Go On" any day.

* from "An Inquiry into the Influence of Physical Causes upon the Moral Faculty", 1786; quoted from Benjamin Rush: Signer of the Declaration of Independence by David Barton, 1999 WallBuilders Press, p. 122

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New Silhouette Post

My article for this month is in here at Silhouette. Happy reading to those who choose to check it out :-)

The article did not come easy this time, perhaps because with the other pieces I had a distinctive idea that I felt strongly about. This one feels a bit more random, and I edited it quite a bit for overstatement.

Maybe I should start taking ideas for next month now, instead of putting it off till the last weekend again. Anybody have suggestions? Feel free to use the comment box!

  1. Hi! Sorry I had to leave so early without responded to you about the Harry Potter thing. I went I vacation. Now, do you want to talk about it???

  2. Sorry you had to come back to my blog to get my response, Jennifer.

    Wow, I'm not exactly sure what to think, but I do have to gather my thoughts a little bit more. I kind of have to go right now too. I'll have something for you in a little bit...

  3. Hmm... Jennifer, I have what I was going to say, but with what you are telling me, I'm still trying to decide if I should defend my ideas or go down defenseless. I think I will check out the links you gave me before I do anything else.

    I have some question though. That interview with JKR- Is there someplace on the internet I can go to read it? And what Bible verses were in the 7th book? Thanks.

  4. Haha... This is funny. You finally found out my age! Don't worry about tuning down your debate level though; I'll finally have something to back up my opionion once I check out the interview and some other things. Thanks. GOD bless.

    RC Hammer

  5. Just to let you know that I am still taking part in our debate; I've working on a response. I was working on it yesterday, and I hope to continue working on it today. I'm adding all of the facts that I can come up with (while trying to make them make sense.) That's why it's taking so long.

  6. OK, I'm just about to post my part in the debate. Don't be imtimidated. It's a long one!

  7. Jennifer, everything you have told me has really got me thinking. If you get all of the facts and compare together, they both say something different- It’s like everything I know on this topic is on a different side. The first side is that Harry supports witchcraft, and the other side says he doesn’t. And no matter how much you analyze the information, they keep coming back to the same roots, the roots that disagree with each other. Now, I’m not exactly sure that you know what I mean, so I will give you a few examples.

    JKR uses Bible verses in her 7th book, which probably means she supports the Bible and it’s ideas. But then, the Bible does say no sorcery, and if she really believes GOD’s word, why would she disobey it by making the hero of her mega series a sorcerer?

    Another example is, some Wiccans don’t think Harry has anything to do with the Craft (the comments you showed me.) But I’ve found that others do believe Harry Potter fans the flame of witchcraft. How about this: “it is good to see that the best selling series of books in the Western world is such a positive tale about witches and wizards.” -The Children of Artemis (a witchcraft and Wicca web site (http://www.witchcraft.org/pastnews.html)) That Wiccan certainly made it clear that he believes that Potter supports Wicca.

    Those are just a few of the “examples” that I have been pondering.

    Out of all of my pondering, however, even though things are a little bit mysterious and double sided, I think I am going to stick to my conclusion that Harry Potter promotes witchcraft (primarily to children). I’m not saying I have anything against Rowling, and I’m not claiming that she is what she isn’t. I just think that she has accidentally created a series that, like it or not, makes magic look like an ideal practice to many people. I’m not even saying that she intends this. Even if she writes of “unreal witchcraft”, I think it could still spark an interest of real magic in her fans, which could then lead to them looking up magic on the computer or in the library… Which could lead to a chain of unfortunate events. The way I see it, the books make magic look like a fun and harmless practice , one that’s ideal to check out. And the books make muggles look like sad, unenlightened people, who are left out of the light. (To be fare, I will have to say that there are some Muggle exceptions. )

    Now, I think you understand what I’m getting at, but I’m sure you have some objections. How about, “You have no real proof that people get inspired to do magic through HP, RC!” Well, gospel singer, Christian Berdahl and his wife, Coby took a video camera and microphone to Stadium 12 in Lodi California, to interview those who just saw Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets as a documentary on Harry Potter. This is just one interview they took, but the results in this are surprising.

    While videotape was rolling, Coby asked some questions of an upper class mother, her 12-year-old son and her 16-year-old daughter about the Harry Potter movie they had just seen.

    Coby: “Did you like the movie?”
    Son: “Oh, yeah it was cool.”
    Daughter: “Yeah, cool.”
    Mother: “It was fun… it was fine.”

    Coby: “What did you like most about it?”
    Son: “All the magic and stuff… you could like get even and get back at people who you didn’t like or something.”
    Daughter: “Yeah, the magic… It would be cool to have powers like that.”

    Coby: “What does mom think about all of this?”
    Mother: “Oh, it’s fine and harmless fun for kids… I mean the books are great and my kids enjoy reading them. And they are both reading the same books and we are able to talk about them… so I like that.”

    Coby: “If there was a real Hogwarts School would you want to go?”
    Son: “Oh, yeah!!
    Daughter: “Yeah, I’d go too!!”

    Coby: “Since you have been reading about this stuff, have you ever tried magic or learning spells?”
    Mother: “Oh NO!”
    Daughter: “Yeah, I…”
    Mother interrupting: “BETTER NOT!!!”

    The daughter smiled and shrugged at Coby as the mother said, “Let’s go!”

    This is one of many others interviews that day…

    I have some more incidents where kids have been inspired by Harry Potter. (These are kind of scattered from all over but) many kids have told how they are mesmerized by Harry (if you want the links just ask me). How about these:

    “I like what they learned there (at Hogwarts) and I want to be a witch.”
    - Gioia Bishop, ten years old

    “I thought the story really made you feel like you could be a witch or wizard.”
    -Lily, eleven years old

    “I think Harry Potter is absolutely fine!… I like how they (Harry and his friends) can use witchcraft for fun/good purposes.”
    -Devon, eleven years old

    “The book made me want to go to Hogwarts. Hogwarts is a school for teaching magic. I would like to learn magic, but I haven’t gotten my invitation yet.”
    -posted on www.amazon.co.uk, age unknown

    “I wish Hogwarts were real because then I could go and learn magic instead of quadratic equations.”
    -Mairead, thirteen years old

    This kind of curiosity (in my opinion) could lead to kids stumbling upon real magic and real witchcraft. The promise to learn magic just like their hero, Harry Potter, would do the trick. You see what I mean by “unreal magic leading to real magic?”

    Even if JK Rowling is what she claims, and her books “meaning” are what she claims, there are still way to many things considerable for me.

    This next part has less to do with my topic, but I thought I would back up what I said about Rowling doing “research” in some references to Wicca. These are some… minor details.

    Do you remember in Order of the Phoenix when Arthur Weasley is attacked by Voldemort and rushed to the hospital? Harry goes there and…

    “Arthur Weasley?” said the witch, running her finger down a long list in front of her.

    “Yes, first floor, second door on the right. Dai Llewellyn ward.”

    Hmm… Dai Llewellyn ward? Did you know that Llewellyn is the name of one of the largest publishers in the modern world! I question why JK would research that just to put such a bold reference to Wicca in her book? Or maybe she didn’t research it. Maybe it was just a coincidence. Hmm… Don’t know.

    How about this. In the Sorcerer’s Stone, Harry gets a list of books that he is required to pick up for Hogwarts. The list:
    The Standard book of Spells (Grade one) by Miranda Goshawk
    A History of Magic by Bethilda Bagshot
    Magical Theory by Aldabert Waffling
    One Thousand Magical Herbas and Fungi by Phyllida Spore
    Magical Drafts and Potions by Aresenius Jigger

    Aldabert Waffling… Sounds like a nice name. Wait! He’s a real person. Yes, Waffling was a French pseudo-mystic who claimed to foretell the future and read thoughts. He also did plenty of other nasty things like giving away parings of his nails and locks of his hair as powerful charms and building an alter… FOR HIMSELF!!! Again, I find it strange that JK would put this in her book if she claims she has nothing to do with the Craft. But, that doesn’t really prove anything at all. I’ll use one more example of real references to witchcraft.

    Near the end of Sorcerer’s Stone, Harry and Dumbledore have a conversation:

    “But your friends-Nicholas Flamel-”

    “Oh, you know about Nicholas?” said Dumbledore, sounding quite delighted.

    Nicholas was a real person. He was a French Alchemist who is said to have successfully made the Philosopher’s Stone in the late 1300’s. Many alchemist believe that since he created the stone, he has never died. This is mysterious to me. Why would things like this be in the books? I’m not accusing JK at all. Just as you have giving me things to think about and consider, I am giving you things to think about and consider. Yes, these examples mean nothing now, but what if they really do? It’s just a lot to ponder. I mean, really, why research these things and put them in books that assumingly are about “unreal magic.” I don’t know.

    I have strayed very far from my original topic in these last few paragraphs, so let me remind you of the one thing that I am saying: Unreal magic (in the books), can make HP fans have the desire to learn real magic. This, undoubtedly can lead them to falling into Wicca and becoming witches and wizards, who perform spells, like, of course, Harry Potter. I believe this is happening today, and the results are strong. This is my side of the debate.

    With that said, I don’t really have much left to say. I know I have been pushing my ideas very hard… When you are a 12-year-old Muggle (I’ll be 13 this September!) you have to consider everything! Forgive me for any spelling or grammar mistakes. I hope you understand my concept. -RC Hammer

    Fiction is like a spider web, attached ever so lightly perhaps, but still attached to life at all four corners. Often the attachment is scarcely perceptible. -Virginia Woolf (I882-1941); British Novelist, Essayist

  8. RC, first I want to let you know that I'm quite impressed by how well you have thought this through. I also think that we can agree to disagree about this, and that is fine. But I would like to respond to some of what you said, particularly since you posted it on my blog, as there are people reading my blog that might be concerned by some of what you mentioned.

    First of all, I do not deny that JK Rowling did some research on magic. Rather, I think that was necessary in creating the type of fantasy world she created. As a matter of fact, I did a certain amount of research myself because of the accusations made against the books, and in the process learned about Nicolas Flamel. She makes references to several real people and events, most of which are either entrenched in legend or rather unlikely to begin with. The most common, and perhaps the best-known, of the names she uses in the books is to the Merlin of Arthurian legend. The point here is that she is using myth, not reality.

    With Adalbert Waffling, whose name is mentioned as an author of a book, my research tells me that there is a fair amount of unknown in his story. I will not claim conclusive proof by use of the internet this late at night, but as far as I can tell, Waffling was a heretic spoken of only in the letters of St. Boniface, and his last name isn't too certain. Again: myth, not reality.

    As a matter of fact, despite the superficial references, the very nature of the wizardry in Harry's world bears no connection at its root to real witchcraft. I went to the link you gave me and honestly it looks like whoever wrote that didn't bother to read the books. Frankly, it sounded exactly like Laura Mallory, only from the opposite perspective.

    Witchcraft and other pagan religions, at least in modern form, are spiritism and naturism. That is clearly portrayed at the link you gave me. Wiccans, as I understand it, traditionally believe that "all paths [religions] are equally valid"; however, as a group they have a goddess or god-and-goddess-based theology. The occult in general is based around either nature worship or spirit worship or both. You will find none of this in Harry Potter. (I don't know if you read my Silhouette post on Harry Potter, but as I said there, Rowling actually pokes fun openly at things like fortune-telling, a practice to which plenty of superstitious people in America give credence.)

    What you have in Harry Potter is a sort of combination between science and super-power. Children have an inherited genetic ability to perform magic (Muggle-born kids with magic have a witch or wizard in their ancestry somewhere). It is taught in Hogwarts and other magic schools like we would learn math and science and history and art. Kids at Hogwarts also do not celebrate Wiccan holidays like Imbolg and Samhain; they celebrate Christmas and Easter (though the Christian background of those holidays is not stated openly--again, Rowling is not making an evangelical campaign out of her stories).

    That there are some children who check into real magic because of Harry Potter, I admit--yes, I do. I have several thoughts on this. First, as the teenage witch whose articles I read pointed out, people who come into paganism because they read Harry Potter or watched Sabrina the Teenage Witch don't stick around; they drop out when they realize they're not going to be learning telepathy, etc.

    Second, you argue specifically that there is a natural drift for young people reading Harry Potter into looking up real magick and thereby becoming interested in it, finally winding up involved. There's a certain sensationalism around magic and always has been, but I think the tradition towards vague paganism in Western culture has more to do with societal disenchantment with both God and atheism and less to do with any particular influence. People drifting into paganism that way are not people lovingly devoted to Jesus Christ. Paganism is like agnosticism and Buddhism and any of the other things people go to looking for peace. We believe Christianity is above these other things simply because as Christians we believe that God made the first move toward us.

    Third: the examples you cite, presumably from the book you picked up, look very much to me like they have either been lifted from context or gotten as a result of asking leading questions. The family interviewed directly by Coby sounded a bit messed up, to be sure, but asking a kid if they'd like to go to Hogwarts? If Hogwarts was a real place as described in Harry Potter, I'd go! It sounds like fun--much more fun, to me at least, than learning quadratic equations :-P But you will not find me attempting to join the local coven, not even to dance before the moon in a white dress (or whatever they do). Hogwarts has nothing to do with reality, and it does not contain the problems that Judeo-Christian traditions (the Bible and the Church) have with actual witchcraft.

    Finally, the failure to distinguish between reality and fantasy is the fault of management and education, not J.K. Rowling's books. Kids today have far too much access to information of all sorts, and without the wise direction that prevents them from improperly understanding what they hear. As you'll know if you've read my other Potter-related posts, I do not recommend these books for very young children; neither, I might add, does Ms. Rowling herself. (I can get you the link for this interview if you want it.) As a matter of fact, there are a lot of books I wouldn't give to small children with full freedom, including parts of the Bible.

    That kids read Harry Potter and do not know the difference between that imaginary world and weird websites they find on the Internet is a gross error on the part of their parents. That it ever happens in a Christian family is a travesty. Unfortunately, neither I nor Ms. Rowling have the ability to stop people from being stupid.

    I would never want to lead a child astray, so let me say again, clearly and unashamedly: Children should not have free access to things beyond their powers of discernment without the guidance of someone wise and mature. The Harry Potter books are PG books.

    That said, however: even though the Harry's world uses alchemical imagery, the basic principles inside it are generally in alignment with Christianity, not paganism. The idea of an ultimate, clearly delineated good and evil; the emphasis on courage, love, loyalty, self-sacrifice and trust; the value of repentance and choosing good, and the obvious parallels that are drawn, particularly in the last book--all these things say to me that these are books for Christians to read and read wisely, not to ban merely out of contention over terms.

Friendly comments are welcomed with fairy music, magic wishes, and possible unicorn sightings. Troll comments will be Transfigured into decent-looking rocks or Vanished. Spam comments will be shot down with blasters. You have been warned.

It is with much regret that I've set the monster Captcha guarding the gate. There just weren't enough blasters. I'm sorry. I hate it, too.


text:
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Podcast: Start-Up Nation for the Humanities

(January 13, 2017)

A different kind of Tzedakah: Organ donation in Jewish law

Zev Farber, a rabbi and Hebrew Bible scholar, discusses his latest book Halakhic Realities: Collected Essays on Brain Death and the forthcoming sequel Halakhic Realities: Collected Essays on Organ Donation, showcasing a textbook example of how Jewish law had to adapt to modern realities.

Source: Tel Aviv Review Podcast.


text:
On Law

In this issue

Jonathan Tobin: Defending the Right to a Jewish State

Heather Hale: Compliment your kids without giving them big heads

Megan Shauri: 10 ways you are ruining your own happiness

Carolyn Bigda: 8 Best Dividend Stocks for 2015

Kiplinger's Personal Finance editors: 7 Things You Didn't Know About Paying Off Student Loans

Samantha Olson: The Crucial Mistake 55% Of Parents Are Making At Their Baby's Bedtime

Densie Well, Ph.D., R.D. Open your eyes to yellow vegetables

The Kosher Gourmet by Megan Gordon With its colorful cache of purples and oranges and reds, COLLARD GREEN SLAW is a marvelous mood booster --- not to mention just downright delish
April 18, 2014

Rabbi Yonason Goldson: Clarifying one of the greatest philosophical conundrums in theology

Caroline B. Glick: The disappearance of US will

Megan Wallgren: 10 things I've learned from my teenagers

Lizette Borreli: Green Tea Boosts Brain Power, May Help Treat Dementia

John Ericson: Trying hard to be 'positive' but never succeeding? Blame Your Brain

The Kosher Gourmet by Julie Rothman Almondy, flourless torta del re (Italian king's cake), has royal roots, is simple to make, . . . but devour it because it's simply delicious

April 14, 2014

Rabbi Dr Naftali Brawer: Passover frees us from the tyranny of time

Greg Crosby: Passing Over Religion

Eric Schulzke: First degree: How America really recovered from a murder epidemic

Georgia Lee: When love is not enough: Teaching your kids about the realities of adult relationships

Cameron Huddleston: Freebies for Your Lawn and Garden

Gordon Pape: How you can tell if your financial adviser is setting you up for potential ruin

Dana Dovey: Up to 500,000 people die each year from hepatitis C-related liver disease. New Treatment Has Over 90% Success Rate

Justin Caba: Eating Watermelon Can Help Control High Blood Pressure

The Kosher Gourmet by Joshua E. London and Lou Marmon Don't dare pass over these Pesach picks for Manischewitz!

April 11, 2014

Rabbi Hillel Goldberg: Silence is much more than golden

Caroline B. Glick: Forgetting freedom at Passover

Susan Swann: How to value a child for who he is, not just what he does

Cameron Huddleston: 7 Financial Tasks You Should Tackle Right Now

Sandra Block and Lisa Gerstner: How to Profit From Your Passion

Susan Scutti: A Simple Blood Test Might Soon Diagnose Cancer

Chris Weller: Have A Slow Metabolism? Let Science Speed It Up For You

The Kosher Gourmet by Diane Rossen Worthington Whitefish Terrine: A French take on gefilte fish

April 9, 2014

Jonathan Tobin: Why Did Kerry Lie About Israeli Blame?

Samuel G. Freedman: A resolution 70 years later for a father's unsettling legacy of ashes from Dachau

Jessica Ivins: A resolution 70 years later for a father's unsettling legacy of ashes from Dachau

Kim Giles: Asking for help is not weakness

Kathy Kristof and Barbara Hoch Marcus: 7 Great Growth Israeli Stocks

Matthew Mientka: How Beans, Peas, And Chickpeas Cleanse Bad Cholesterol and Lowers Risk of Heart Disease

Sabrina Bachai: 5 At-Home Treatments For Headaches

The Kosher Gourmet by Daniel Neman Have yourself a matzo ball: The secrets bubby never told you and recipes she could have never imagined

April 8, 2014

Lori Nawyn: At Your Wit's End and Back: Finding Peace

Susan B. Garland and Rachel L. Sheedy: Strategies Married Couples Can Use to Boost Benefits

David Muhlbaum: Smart Tax Deductions Non-Itemizers Can Claim

Jill Weisenberger, M.S., R.D.N., C.D.E : Before You Lose Your Mental Edge

Dana Dovey: Coffee Drinkers Rejoice! Your Cup Of Joe Can Prevent Death From Liver Disease

Chris Weller: Electric 'Thinking Cap' Puts Your Brain Power Into High Gear

The Kosher Gourmet by Marlene Parrish A gift of hazelnuts keeps giving --- for a variety of nutty recipes: Entree, side, soup, dessert

April 4, 2014

Rabbi David Gutterman: The Word for Nothing Means Everything

Charles Krauthammer: Kerry's folly, Chapter 3

Amy Peterson: A life of love: How to build lasting relationships with your children

John Ericson: Older Women: Save Your Heart, Prevent Stroke Don't Drink Diet

John Ericson: Why 50 million Americans will still have spring allergies after taking meds

Cameron Huddleston: Best and Worst Buys of April 2014

Stacy Rapacon: Great Mutual Funds for Young Investors

Sarah Boesveld: Teacher keeps promise to mail thousands of former students letters written by their past selves

The Kosher Gourmet by Sharon Thompson Anyone can make a salad, you say. But can they make a great salad? (SECRETS, TESTED TECHNIQUES + 4 RECIPES, INCLUDING DRESSINGS)

April 2, 2014

Paul Greenberg: Death and joy in the spring

Dan Barry: Should South Carolina Jews be forced to maintain this chimney built by Germans serving the Nazis?

Mayra Bitsko: Save me! An alien took over my child's personality

Frank Clayton: Get happy: 20 scientifically proven happiness activities

Susan Scutti: It's Genetic! Obesity and the 'Carb Breakdown' Gene

Lecia Bushak: Why Hand Sanitizer May Actually Harm Your Health

Stacy Rapacon: Great Funds You Can Own for $500 or Less

Cameron Huddleston: 7 Ways to Save on Home Decor

The Kosher Gourmet by Steve Petusevsky Exploring ingredients as edible-stuffed containers (TWO RECIPES + TIPS & TECHINQUES)

Jewish World Review

Hypercompetitive overachievers bet on their own academic success

By Matt Flegenheimer

http://www.JewishWorldReview.com | (MCT) He checked like the rest of the overachievers — updating the Web page day after day, scanning his transcript for those dreaded B-pluses tugging his grade-point average in the wrong direction.

By late May, rising University of Pennsylvania junior Nick Migliacci knew for sure: He'd scratched out a 3.2 (out of 4) GPA for the spring semester. So close.

"I mean, I got the grades," Migliacci recalled, sighing, "but lost the bet."

Since last fall, Migliacci has been wagering on his grades through a website called Ultrinsic.com, founded by former Penn student Jeremy Gelbart, 23, and longtime friend Steven Wolf, 27. The site offers two options: "rewards" bets that incentivize classroom success and "grade insurance," allowing students to short-sell their own academic prospects.

To the latter end, as hypercompetitive classmates scoured campus for an academic edge, Migliacci began his semester with a pre-emptive hedge: that he'd finish with a 3.0 GPA or lower.

"I wasn't wagering enough to motivate me not to do well," Migliacci said. "But at least I'd walk away with some money if I didn't."

Soon, thousands of students nationwide will have access to the same choice. After a soft launch at Penn and New York University last year, Ultrinsic is expanding to over 30 schools this fall, including Harvard University, Princeton University, Pennsylvania State University and the University of Southern California.

Now operating from an office in New York, the founders expect enrollment — over 500 through the spring, between Penn and NYU — to jump by about 100 per new school. (The company declined to discuss its financial history or expectations.)

Gelbart, who graduated from New York's Queens College in 2009 after transferring from Penn, and Wolf, also a Queens College alumnus, conceived the idea on a lazy Sunday afternoon at Penn a few years ago. Wolf, visiting for the weekend, offered to pay Gelbart $100 if he aced his exam the next day. Gelbart won the bet.

"Students like learning, but it's work," said Gelbart, president of Ultrinsic. "People want to see an immediate payoff for that hard work."

Most participants opt for success-based bets, Gelbart said, and not the grade insurance. This model of motivation, he said, compels students to assign proper value to long-term academic goals they may neglect — say, learning the material — by distracting them with short-term payoffs.

"The point of the site is to push yourself," he said.

Gelbart and Wolf set odds on a given wager according to an algorithm they've developed over the past two years. Among the factors: the student's academic history (account-holders must turn over a transcript copy when they sign up); the reputation of the course or courses in question; and how much money the student intends to put up — the more someone bets, the founders reason, the more likely he is to do well.

"It doesn't seem that difficult to beat the lines," said Migliacci, who, despite his GPA overstep in the spring, has made about $300 on the site. "I'm guessing they are just making money on people who bet according to which classes they want to do well in, not what the smart economic bet would be."

Indeed, to some experts, Ultrinsic's economics don't compute. How can the site know students better than they know themselves?

Andrew Postlewaite, a Penn game theory professor, says the company faces the classic insurance problem of asymmetric information.

"If people have a better idea whether they'll do well, they can use that to their advantage," he said.

Others in higher education are wary of the site's attitude towards academia.

"This is not what real education is about," said Barmak Nassirian, associate executive director at the American Association of Registrars and Admissions Officers. "They have come up with a shtick."

Dennis DeTurck, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Penn, says the venture reminds him of parents slipping young children a few bucks for bringing home an exemplary report card.

"I guess we like to think our students are a little more mature than that," he said.

For many students, having to surrender private academic records is a deal-breaker.

Others worry that the grade insurance option in particular will carry indirect, negative consequences if Ultrinsic spreads to their campuses. "What if a guy on my group project was betting against himself?" asked Caitlin Naylor, a rising senior at St. Joseph's University in Philadelphia.

Whether Ultrinsic constitutes a "betting" site, though, is a matter of debate.

Representatives from state offices in Pennsylvania and New Jersey had never heard of Ultrinsic; its validity, both said, fell outside their jurisdictions. Federal oversight of online gaming — which is technically illegal — remains spotty, though a bill sponsored by Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., to allow clearer regulations of Internet gambling was recently approved by the House Financial Services Committee.

Gelbart insists the site is more motivator than moneymaker.

"This is not in the same category (because) it's completely in the student's control," Gelbart said. "There are elements of chance, but if you study harder, you'll do well."

Ultrinsic's philosophy, Gelbart added, "is definitely going to be implemented in the future of education."

Those operating in the present of education remain unconvinced.

"By their logic, you should buy a hit on yourself," Nassirian said. "Would that motivate you to do well?"

Every weekday JewishWorldReview.com publishes what many in Washington and in the media consider "must reading." Sign up for the daily JWR update. It's free. Just click here.

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Comment by clicking here.

© 2010 The Philadelphia Inquirer.; Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.


text:
Rien ne vas Pluss?

Trolls, ye be warned.

The one or the other of you might remember a commenter who has been anything but a polite visitor.

Found first on VIN but quoting from northjersey.com:

A village man whom authorities say has ties to neo-Nazi organizations was arrested Wednesday by the New Jersey State Police and charged with threatening the director of the New York chapter of the Anti-Defamation League.

Jacques Pluss, 57, was being held at the Bergen County Jail in lieu of $25,000 bail, charged with bias intimidation, harassment, weapons possession and contempt of a judicial order, said acting Lt. Stephen Jones of the New Jersey State Police.

[. . .]

To give you some idea of what kind of charm Pluss has been on here, I looked up an older thread on which he left quite a few comments. Enjoy.

  1. Tom Morrissey

    1/27/2011 at 3:46 pm

    Chris Christie for president.

  2. themiddle

    1/27/2011 at 6:45 pm

    Amazing. We keep attracting these trolls who end up in trouble with the law.

    • froylein

      1/28/2011 at 10:51 am

      Does that explain Tom’s profession?

  3. Tom Morrissey

    1/28/2011 at 11:46 am

    I’ve helped lead police sweeps against trolls in my neighborhood.

  4. Jacques

    1/29/2011 at 6:15 am

    Ne pluss ultra

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text:
Prep Time: 1 Hour
Yields: 6 Servings

Although crawfish bisque is normally ground crawfish tails and seasonings stuffed into crawfish heads and cooked into a rich stew, there seems to always be a complaint from guests at the table. They seem to think that it takes too much time to get the delectable stuffing from those little heads as they eat. Well, here I have solved the problem by filling a single portion of catfish with an ample supply of stuffing. I recommend topping this dish with a 6-ounce ladle of Mr. Royley’s Crawfish Stew. This recipe can be found on my Web site or on WAFB’s seafood recipe page.

6 (5–7 ounce) catfish fillets
1 pound crawfish tails, chopped
¾ cup butter
½ cup minced onions
½ cup minced celery
½ cup minced green bell peppers
½ cup diced red bell peppers
2 tbsps minced garlic
1 egg, beaten
salt and cracked black pepper to taste
¾ cup Italian bread crumbs
¼ cup chopped parsley
¾ cup water
½ cup white wine
¾ cup melted butter
1 tbsp paprika
¼ cup chopped parsley
Louisiana hot sauce to taste

Preheat oven to 375°F. In a heavy-bottomed sauté pan, melt ¾ cup butter over medium-high heat. Add onions, celery, bell peppers and garlic. Sauté 3–5 minutes or until vegetables are wilted. Remove from heat and set aside. In a large mixing bowl, blend chopped crawfish tails and egg. Add cooked vegetables and mix well. Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle in approximately ½ of bread crumbs, blending well. Add remaining bread crumbs if necessary. Stuffing should not be too dry, however, it should hold together well when pressed between your fingers. Stir in parsley and blend well. NOTE: I suggest frying a small patty of stuffing in a skillet with 1 tablespoon vegetable oil to sample the flavor. Adjust seasonings if necessary. Place an equal amount of stuffing in center of each fillet, roll into a turban shape and secure with a toothpick. Place fish in baking pan then add water and wine. Drizzle turbans with melted butter then sprinkle with paprika, parsley, salt, pepper and hot sauce. Bake 20 minutes or until stuffing reaches 160°F.

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