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Guest post: Psychiatry – an Industry of Death

When I heard one of my acquaintances was heading to Los Angles, I sent him to spy on the Psychiatry – an Industry of Death Museum in Los Angeles.  Here is his report:

Visit to Psychiatry – an industry of death

It’s official; Psychiatrists are all murderers, rapists, extortionists, fraudsters and the scum of the Earth – so say the Citizens Commission on Human Rights.

I am not a Psychiatrist and have no medical training.  My interest in the Museum came about as a result of a very close relative having had the following treatments (not necessarily in this order) for depression about fifty years ago: insulin induced coma, LSD treatment, ECT with and without aesthetic, and a frontal lobotomy procedure (not transorbital).  Fortunately today my relative is alive, well and active and has no depression apart from that caused by England’s performance in the recent World Cup!

The Museum is situated along Sunset Boulevard but not in the best area of this long road.  It’s actually a rather run down white painted single story building which could be mistaken for a shop.  Next door is parking lot and there was a discarded sofa on the sidewalk opposite.

Inside, the entrance was smart with a large curved reception desk with low level glass.  I was warmly greeted by an English lady who asked me to sign the visitor register and state my profession.  Along side the register book was a sign stating that they had the right to refuse entry – I decided not to ask if this would apply to psychiatrists!

I was invited to enter through the door to the left, which turned out to be a padded cell with bench seats, to watch an introductory video.  My greeter then mentioned, by way of casual conversation, that twenty million children are prescribed mind altering drugs each year and then asked if I knew how ECT came about.  Actually, following a very informative visit to an abattoir, I did know this.  In 1938 Dr. Ugo Cerletti became interested that pigs were prepared for slaughter by being electrically shocked through the temples. This rendered them unconscious but did not kill them, and they could survive the shock if allowed to recover. Since this was the days before ethics committees, he was then able to try this out on his patients.

This introductory films were called “Psychiatry’s Destructive Agenda” and “Psychiatry’s Path of Destruction”.  Each was hard hitting and very compelling watching with a fast talking commentator who had a voice was just right for the CCHR’s apocalyptic message.

Following the padded cell, the museum tour consisted of 14 different areas each with an on-demand video.  Here they are together with their CCHR summary:

1 – An Industry of Death
Governments, insurance companies and private individuals pay billions of dollars each year to psychiatrists in pursuit of cures that psychiatrists admit do not exist.  Psychiatry’s “therapies” have caused millions of deaths.

2 – Origins of Psychiatry
From its beginnings in the 1700s, using the practices of confining, restraining and isolating people with mental problems in institutions, psychiatrists have cashed in on human misery.

3 – Man Redefined
Redefining man as an animal without a soul, psychologists and psychiatrists thought man could be manipulated as easily as a dog could be trained to salivate at the sound of a bell.

4 – Psychiatry: The Men Behind the Holocaust
The Nazis killed millions.  Their justification was psychiatry and psychology’s theory of eugenics – that certain people were inferior and should be exterminated and their kind bred out of the race.  These architects of the Holocaust were never brought to justice.

5 – Psychiatry: Creating Racism
From apartheid in South Africa to the Ku Klux Klan and experiments on minorities in the United States, the most brutal racists were inspired by eugenics which justified injustice, inhumanity and denial of human dignity to millions.

6 – Soviet Psychiatry
Men fight and die for the right to speak and act freely.  Psychiatry conspired with those in power in Communist Russia to strip the rights of political dissidents and to define their “search for justice” as a mental disorder to justify their imprisonment.

7 – Brain Damage:  Psychiatry’s Miracle Cure
If an ice pick were accidently shoved behinds someone’s eyeballs, or they were jolted by 120 or 240 volts, leaving them convulsing and barely breathing, they would be rushed to hospital.  To a psychiatrist, these acts are “treatment”.

8 – Drugging for Profit
Psychiatric drugs are not designed to cure, but to suppress symptoms’ and physically damage the person taking them.  Claims of safety and efficacy are made with each new “miracle pill”; its dangers only later exposed.  Psychiatric drugs kill.

9 – Psychiatric Coercion and Restraint
Today, psychiatrists’ use of physical and chemical restraints in mental institutions is a very lucrative procedure.  Admitting that death is often inevitable from such procedures, psychiatrists literally get away with murder.

10 – Psychiatric Criminality
Working in a “profession” made up of people who commit rape, extortion and fraud, many psychiatrists have received prison sentences and civil fines.  Minimally, ten percent of psychiatrists sexually assault their patients, with one out of 20 victims a minor.

11 – Inventing Mental Illness
Psychiatrists charge huge sums of money to insurance companies, governments and anyone else who will pay to “treat” made-up mental disorders.

12 – Kids in Psychiatry’s Cross Hairs
Millions of children are given psychiatric labels for normal childhood behaviour and prescribed psychiatric drugs that drive them to commit violent acts and suicide.

13 – Psychiatry: Hidden Influence
Psychiatry has pushed its agenda of control, power and domination onto an unsuspecting society for over 60 years, infesting the fields of law enforcement, education, medicine, politics and many others.

14 – CCHR: Restoring Human Rights and Dignity to Mental Health
Psychiatrists act above the law – locking people up with no trial, stripping them of their human rights while enforcing unwanted treatments.  The Citizens Commission on Human Rights has exposed, fought and won against psychiatry’s violations for over 36 years.

I need hardly write that these videos were less than complementary about psychiatrists.  They are available from CCHR for about $16 or free from the CCHR site if you register (why would you do this?).  You can also view the complete series online.

Each area had artefacts and photo images related to the video theme.  There were loads of photographs as well as examples of whips, torture boxes, and ECT equipment.  Drugs samples were displayed next to reports of their gross sales.  I now know that Marilyn Monroe had seen a psychiatrist the day before she died.  But was that relevant to her death? – we will never know.

I spent three hours at the museum and watched all the videos and exhibits.  During my afternoon visit I was aware of one other visitor who didn’t seem to activate any video panels.  I imagine that the visit would be less interesting if several people were activating adjacent videos simultaneously due to the noise generated.

When I left the exhibition area I was asked for my thoughts.  I complimented the quality of the exhibits and video.  I then explained that I was disappointed that CCHR had decided to present the information without any attempt at a balance view.  It might be true that Psychiatrists in the United States have the ability to milk medical insurance via the DSM and disbursements but this must also be true of other areas of their medical system (I recently was charged $400 for a week’s course of antibiotic pills which in the United Kingdom are available for £0.28 each).  Other countries have different reimbursement systems.  Was it not obfuscation to point out that using X-rays it was not possible to see any evidence in the brain of a so called mental condition but a broken bone shows up clearly?  And to describe a person with Bipolar Disorder as having normal ups-and-downs is surely a misrepresentation?

During my three hour stay I was bombarded with negatives statements and images about psychiatrists.  It would seem reasonable to suppose that at least a percentage of the profession provide a valuable service to patients, allowing them to live useful lives but no such information was presented which I found off-putting in the extreme.

I was also concerned about the use of video chips, such as those from the 2006 American Psychiatric Association Convention, where interviewees stated that they had not been able to cure any of their patients.  I have a suspicion that these remarks were taken out of context.

Finally, as the CCHR has a close relationship with the Church of Scientology, I was surprised that there was no obvious mention of this organisation during my visit.

17 Responses to “Guest post: Psychiatry – an Industry of Death”

  1. Christopher Crook says:

    Rather disturbed to read in Richard Bentall’s ‘Doctoring the Mind’ that gas chambers were built in German psychiatric hospitals before they were used in concentration camps.

  2. Zarathustra says:

    @Christopher Crook

    Yes, but that wasn’t because they were psychiatrists. It was because they were Nazis.

  3. JustAGal says:

    When you mentioned the church of scientology it explained it all

    An extreme group who are anti psychiatry (Even Ritalin)

  4. Jean Davison says:

    I wouldn’t want to endorse the church of scientology but that doesn’t mean that everything they say about psychiatry is wrong. Who can deny that psychiatry doesn’t exactly have a history to be proud of? I do think we should be concerned about things such as the over-medicating of children (and adults), and we need to consider carefully in what other ways psychiatry might be doing harm (as well as good).

    If I had never experienced psychiatry from the receiving end (1968-1974) I think I, too, would have dismissed all this as unfair and unbalanced. But now, while I don’t agree with (or know enough about) some of it, I have to say that, unfortunately, a lot of it does make chilling sense to me in the light of my experiences.

    Btw, I did admire the psychiatrists on the clip who had the honesty and insight to admit what they don’t know. But, yes, I suppose they were quoted out of context – as their patients often are.

  5. Christopher Crook says:

    @ Zarathustra
    ‘Doctoring the Mind’ has interesting overview of Modern Psychiatry’s founders who were German, and it’s most shameful episode when the Nazi’s pursued the biological model of psychiatry to suit their vile agenda. To clarify: the biological model of psychiatry, which is dominant today, suited the Nazi’s vile agenda.

  6. S. says:

    I think you could have spared yourself the trouble of going, because it is common knowledge that Scientology is strongly opposed to Psychiatry and to expect anything but a vile attack is frankly naive.

    However, I do think there is a lot going on in Psychiatry, that could use some criticism and rethinking, but I am very wary of people who criticise it from this position, because it simply does not allow them to be even close to objective.

  7. Neuroskeptic says:

    “‘Doctoring the Mind’ has interesting overview of Modern Psychiatry’s founders who were German,”

    The founders of pretty much everything were German (or Austrian). Modern physics for example – Einstein, Born, Planck, Heisenberg, Boltzmann… etc. Germany had a very strong scientific establishment 100 years ago.

    The founders of non-biological psychiatry – Freud, Jung, etc. – were mostly German/Austrian as well.

  8. Christopher Crook says:

    @ Neuroskeptic
    ‘Doctoring the mind’ is a book about modern psychiatry and therefore mentions German psychiatrists such as Emil Kraepelin. It is not a book about modern physics and therefore doesn’t focus on the German physicists you refer to.
    The Nazis were German but I am not suggesting:
    a) I hate Germans
    b) Psychiatrists are Nazis
    I am merely pointing out, like Richard Bentall, that there were some psychiatrists who were Nazis who were German.
    Make of that what you want.

  9. I think it’s hilarious that Godwin’s Law was invoked almost immediately.

  10. Christopher Crook says:

    eh? Have you forgotten what the original post was about? Area four of the museum tour is called: Psychiatry – the men behind the Holocaust. So it’s not really surprising we are discussing Nazis, is it? I don’t think we’d be discussing them if the post was about cheese and biscuits. Not yet, anyway.

  11. Cara says:

    I went to this museum today and was very frustrated throughout. What’s most frustrating is that it minimizes the potential that exists in psychiatry for good. Some of what they state and portray is true, but taken out of context. Other parts are true and have since been blasted by the fields as horrible mistakes that we must never make again. I got my PhD in psychology this past year, and we look at historical mistakes as lessons to learn from. Why was this not mentioned? Additionally, various correlations between medication use and subsequent behavior is hardly evidence that they “lead to violence and suicide” as the videos suggest. For example, one case report was of a teenager who went to the doctor because she was having trouble sleeping. Upon further examination, she was diagnosed with depression (not surprising since difficulty with sleep is a symptom of depression – my guess is that exam revealed many more symptoms). She started Prozac and a week later killed herself. What they do not state is that depression leads to suicide. Further, most anti-depressants take 6-8 weeks to take effect. Thus, it is highly likely that she was still depressed a week later and the depression led to suicide since the Prozac had not kicked in yet.

    That’s just one example of the lopsided presentation of “evidence.”

    What is sad about this is that there are problems in psychiatry. It is not perfect. But instead of blasting the entire field and manipulating facts to support that view, it would be much more helpful to take the history as lessons and look at the bad (and good) that psychiatry has created and how we can maximize the good and minimize the bad. But that is not their interest. Despite calling themselves a human rights group, they are not for human rights or else they would recognize the suffering of millions of people and the need for some type of help. Yes, this should be done in an ethical way, and yes there have been major mistakes in history. But that does not mean that the entirety of the field is bad. It has helped millions. I have many patients of my own who would vouch for that fact.

    Every field has made mistakes. Medicine as a whole has had some major bad moments. Still does. Yet we still go to medical doctors.

    I agree with the disappointment of the lopsided presentation. I did know what I was getting into before going, so I was not surprised. Just sort of sad that people really believe that and don’t find out real facts.

  12. Red says:

    While I am not a fan of Scientology, there can’t be any “profession” that has destroyed more people mentally and physically than psychiatry. Bankruptcy, loss of social contacts, isolation, devastated creativity, soul rape, loss of privacy, loss of physical health, decades of forced mental confusion, the personal that “will follow you wherever you go”, despicable Big Pharma drugs and yes, SUICIDE! How anyone can give this crackpot profession a passing grade is beyond me. The people that defend this New Age medical conspiracy ought to spend some time being harassed, surveilled, followed and bugged by psychiatry. Wow! That should change the opinion these Pollyanna hopefuls have of Dr. Brutal. Psychiatry has unfettered police powers and police protection. Sounds like a recipe for virtually anything goes no matter how embarrassing, demeaning or soul destroying it might be. Yes, the world would definitely be a better place without psychiatry. Hats off to this museum. It’s a well deserved broadside to a vile and wicked soul destroying profession. Big Pharma life destroying pills anyone???

  13. human says:

    At least there is someone, some organisation that is prepared to stand up against the might of psychiatry and all those good people who, in turning blind eyes, consign maybe millions of people to their dooms.

    Having been abused and exploited by a psychologist, this individual’s employer, the NHS, refused to even look at the evidence we have (including absolutely irrefutable digital records of the individual propositioning me). The individual continues to be protected by the NHS.

    Instead of thanking me for alerting them about the dangerous employee, suspected of having exploited others too, they have gone out of their way to silence and denigrate me.

    I know of someone who was serially abused by two psychiatrists. It’s taken this person over a decade to fight her case. She has at last been vindicated, the psychs have been struck off. No doubt she has a huge damages claim to be paid – complete with gagging order.

    However, the sheer active malevolence she’s encountered from the psychs’ employers and other ‘caring’ agencies has crucified her.

    Since my abysmal experience I have discovered, much to my horror:

    - that abusive psychs are more common than not

    - there is a massive number of neglected or abused and conveniently drugged up patients out here

    - psych diagnoses are based on virtually no scientifically robust evidence

    - the cover-ups are legion

    - patients have no protection whatsoever (even recorded evidence makes no difference)

    - once you get dragged into the psych system you might as well forget that you were once a human being with rights, a good reputation, friends, a decent life

    Before you denigrate the organisation that runs this museum, what are all you good psychs and good people doing about all this corruption and human destruction?

  14. S. says:

    re: human

    I think you are commiting a logical fallacy here, because you essentially say, that your own bad experience and that of your friend are enough to question the existence of psychology and psychiatry both. Because if you hadn’t noticed, that is what Scientology is essentially saying. They question the existence of mental disorders and mental illness, therefore they attack anything to do with them. If you want to have a discussion about bad psychiatry or bad psychology, bad therapy etc. OK. That is absolutely acceptable and legitimate. I would even go as far as saying that we NEED to have a discussion about what is going wrong and how to prevent it. I study psychology and I am fairly critical of a lot of practices and aspects of it. But! But to essentially dismiss the studying of the human mind and side with a defamation campaign against science and medicine based on a cult is just not a way to do it.

  15. fxh says:

    CCHR is wholly owned, run and manipulated by Scientology.

    It is a front for their recruitment and claims for respectability.

    There are plenty of legitimate criticisms to be made of psychiatry none of them will come from CCHR.

    CCHR has always hijacked legitimate patient’s rights groups and rendered them ineffectual because Scientology does not want to reform and improve it wants to recruit and make money.

  16. nessa says:

    I’m not a fan of scientology, but it doesn’t mean that CCHR are wrong with what they say about psychiatrists. I were wrongly diagnosed of having schizophrenia when in fact i’ve temperol lobe epilepsy. All what most psychiatrists do is jot down symptoms and push drugs on to people. I were badly done by them, i got treated like how the nazis treated the jews. It were all about GREED of giving me ECT and perscribing medications etc……

  17. end run says:

    Psychiatry is all bullshit. So is Scientology. The fact that Scientology is all bullshit with its beliefs about mental health does not render it unable to observe the concurrent fact that Psychiatry is brutal bullshit. I experienced this fact at age 11. It is all coercive and a nightmare, and it is entirely exploitive and does not give a real crap about anyone==PERIOD.
    And it seeks to expand is national and international scope by rendering every person in the world “mentally ill”, drugging them, and thus becoming even more filthy rich than the rife insurance fraud the profession and entire mental bullshit industry thrives upon. Movements to get rid of this or at least radically reform it DESERVE TO SUCCEED. There can be an intellectual satisfaction yes, among folks who have never experienced what Psychiatry is and does. Evil needs to be called by its right name, and regardless of Scientology, the basic underlying fact remains WHOLLY CORRECT that not only is Psychiatry bullshit, it is brutal, destrctive, injurious and potentially and realistically life-threatening. For that, anyone with any sense, and any hear and soul need be willing to forgive the situation that it is a lunatic religious cult which uses extreme phrases to describe correctly what the mental schmental bullshit industry is and does to people, including peers it does not like!!(see Dr. Harold Mandel’s story on the internet, it will blow your mind!!)

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From Educator To Educated - My Lessons Learned As a Workshop Photographer

From Educator To Educated - My Lessons Learned As a Workshop Photographer

As many of you may know if you follow me on social media, I teach workshops and give lecture on photography and retouching all over the United States. Through prepping each workshop, I sharpen my knowledge and become fluent in the material I’m teaching. However, without fail, I always learn a million new things when teaching each workshop.

And I’m not talking new ways to light, pose or retouch, I’m talking about things about my market, my peers and how things are done differently from person to person. You see, as photographers, you don’t really get the opportunity to see eachother work. With the exception of workshops, tutorial series and the occasional Creative Live, we’re left guessing on how to properly work with, light, and edit subjects to help create our art. As a workshop educator, I’m afforded the luxury of teaching, while remain a fly on the wall to a dozen different photo shoots throughout the day. Here are some of the things I’ve learned as an educator in this industry.

We’re All Oblivious When It Comes to Business

I teach workshops predominantly relating to lighting and retouching, though I encourage all of my students to ask questions throughout the workshop about anything related to photography. Without fail, the conversation eventually makes its way to business practices and making a living as a photographer.

While I pride myself on knowledge relating to client interaction, lighting, and retouching, I’ve found that generally people are most impressed with my ability to run a photography business full time. This industry is filled with far more weekend warriors than full time photographers, though many of them are trying to find the bridge from one to the other. I give them the same advice time and time again, and just simply encourage them to make the leap.

There is no guide book on how to run a successful business, and there is no one secret on how to get booked with photo shoots 5 days a week. You simply have to fight for it. The best advantage I have against other photographers in this industry is that I don’t have a nine to five I need to report to five days a week. My success as a businessman is solely dependent on the time I can invest in it.

People Can't Bridge The Gap With Client Interaction

Another thing I've realized, is that people think there is a secret to client interaction, that there is a single sentence of phrase that can be said when photographing someone, that'll instantly make them comfortable in front of a camera. Sadly, like all things, there aren't cheat codes. I tell people, there is no such thing as client interaction, only people interaction. If you want people to feel comfortable in front of your camera, you need to make them feel comfortable with you, and you with them. Want to know about client interaction? Then understand social interaction. Read books like "How to Win Friends and Influence People," and most importantly, find authenticity in your intentions.

Right And Wrongs Don't Exist

Perhaps my most staggering findings is that there is a million different ways to do the same thing. I like my lights close to my subject, and I like my modifiers large and circular in shape. I teach this practice at my workshops and watch students awkwardly fumble through this technique and idea. Eventually, I step in, swap out the octabank with a small softbox, and tell them "Do it how you naturally do it, and then let's maximize your technique."

It helped me understand that there are no rights or wrongs when it comes to technique. I love my off camera lighting, and will become a pack mule when working on location. That doesn't mean that there aren't people who work in natural light and do it brilliantly. I love to have my modifiers larger than life, making kites while outdoors on location. That doesn't mean bare flashes can't create some masterful results. I have become obsessed with large sensors and ridiculous dynamic range, but I'm still forever envious of those who can create exceptional art with nothing more than an iPhone.

So this is exactly how I approach my workshops. I tell people that I'll teach them what they need to know, and then together we can use those tools to help develop their own style. I'm not teaching workshops that show you how to shoot like me, I'm teaching technical skills that will help you develop how you want to shoot, without any limitations to your own knowledge. Shameless plug incoming....

Photography Workshops

Techniques Can Be Taught, Style Cannot

Which brings me to my next point, Only techniques can be truly taught. When starting on my workshops and eventually tutorial series, I got asked a question by many that sank into my brain, and scared the hell out of me. The question --

If you're teaching photographers the secret to your style, won't you lose your edge in the market?

This question rotted in my stomach for a long time, and made me second guess the nature of my workshops. My instinct was to withhold some information at my workshops, like I had some signature shortcut that was worth its weight in gold (There is no such thing). But it wasn't until I released every little piece of information that I knew, that I learned, there are no secrets.

My photos don't look the way they do because of a confidential light placement, or a top secret curves adjustment in Photoshop, they look the way they do because they're an extension of who I am and the experiences I've had in life. That is something that can not be replicated in an 8 hour class - or an 8 week internship for that matter.

And that statement rings true still today. I can have a student take a photo in the same location as me, using the same makeup artist, wardrobe stylist and light settings. The end result is that we're going to get different photos. No one can effectively replicate your style (assuming you have one), so there is no sense in hiding that from the world.

And that is where I sit right now. I'm teaching workshops because each and every time, I learn something from them. Even as the instructor, I become better familiarized with the technical jargon, and gain a better understand of the concerns and techniques of others in the industry. A workshop is only as good as the class it contains, and the class is only as good as their willingness to learn - myself included. None of us are masters, and regardless of your time in this industry, you have something to both learn, and something to teach.

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David Vaughn's picture

Great points, especially the one about getting clients comfortable in front of the camera. In my experience, the hardest part if you're not an extrovert who can make conversation with a brick wall is breaking down the wall that says "I am photographer, you are client."

A lot of the time I'll try to be very casual and friendly but my subject. client will still be stand-offish even when we're just chatting because...idk...I guess they see the photo shoot as a kind of professional transaction instead of as a laid-back experience.

However, some photographers seem to just know how to make people loosen up and get comfortable. I think that's where this idea of a "cheat" comes from. Some people just have all the rights pieces of the puzzle (the look, personality, business sense, method of shooting) that seems to make interacting with their subjects seem like a piece of cake...And a lot of photographers are just mystified by these individuals.

At least that's the way I see it: There's not a cheat sheet but some people just have a knack for it more than others, and as such, people begin to believe there is some sort of secret to it. the Right and Wrongs Don't Exist heading, the first sentence reads"... there is a million different things to do the same thing." I don't want to be that guy but it did stand out....

Zach Sutton's picture

Thanks for the read and kind compliments David!

While I agree with the getting clients comfortable point you have, I think it's still something that comes with practice. When I started out, I was pretty terrible with client interaction. I made a lot of mistakes in my early days, and through trial and error, I learned how to better associate with my clients.

Certainly some of us are better at conversation than others, but I still think a lot of that comes with practice. It's hard to challenge yourself in this field, but I really think it's something you need to push to become better at if you want to up your photography game. I tell people who are uncomfortable around clients (or people in general), to force yourself into those situations. Talk to strangers on the street, at a coffee shop, and at the grocery store. Put yourself in those situations until they feel more like a habit and less like a chore. Then, I think at least, you'll find that it's even easier to do that when you have someone in front of your camera.

Ralph Berrett's picture

Really solid article, I might have to show up to one of your workshops, nah I am not that cruel. ;)

Like most profesional photographers I started in high school and study photography in college, well to be fair, I majored in photojournalism minored in photography. That was par for the course if you wanted to work for a daily paper. ;)

When I mention schools or workshops to some photographers they would get defensive and say' "You can't teach talent". I answer you can "teach technique and skill sets".

In many ways Ansel Adams was right Photography is like music, learning the basic skills is like learning to play an instrument and read music. It does not not make you Joe Satriani but gives you a place to start.

When I first started shooting I hated shooting formal portraits. I decided on year that I would shoot as many formal portraits as possible for my assignments. I remember I drove my newspaper nuts that I decided to shoot formal portraits of all the candidates running for office instead of doing the traditional mugshot against the wall.

What was funny was I started to get request from the publisher to shoot portraits the editors and himself. I have now have shot corporate heads and am doing the 40 portraits in the next two weeks of the local 40 under 40.

The biggest thing I learned was not so much the lighting as being comfortable with the subjects and interacting with them. So not only do they like the work but the experience.

Fantastic Article! Under the heading "Techniques Can be Taught - Style Not"... perfect!

A girlfriend I was in business with for many years, hated the idea that I was always helping our clients and their art departments in the early days of Photoshop. I maintained (and to this day after we've parted) that it was and is just that part of me and my business that keeps my clients from straying too far or often.

IM(Humble)O, sharing your knowledge and expertise exudes confidence all by itself, without even having to open up your marketing-mouth to say, "I know what I'm doing" and come across as an arrogant know-it-all.

Brad Delaney's picture

Spot On Zach. I don't think you can teach " people " skills. The ability to help someone relax in front of a camera is something that is gleaned from experience. I spent 20 years teaching people how to work in a bar and it was a similar experience in that i could teach them how to throw, ice, bourbon & coke into a glass but i couldn't teach them how to relate to every single person that walked up to the bar. It was something that happened over time.

Anonymous's picture

After a few workshops, interacting with the photographers was the main point.
Talent can be developed or at least cultivated...
Ansel could have been a musician or Walker Evans a writer

Justin Haugen's picture

I think their is a niche for photographers who don't work well interacting with their subjects. Landscape!

There are the brooding photographer types who aren't much for people skills, and book clientele that aren't much for chit chat anyway.I'm pretty chatty, and I crack jokes, but this probably wouldn't bode well with quick assignments where your subject has 1 minute to stand in for like 5 frames (like celebrities or CEOs). There's probably room for a clinical approach and a less people friendly style.

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text:
Samsung Announces GALAXY Camera with WiFi

Samsung Announces GALAXY Camera with WiFi

Samsung today announced a WiFi version of the Samsung GALAXY Camera, building on their previously released GALAXY Camera 3G. Centered on the Android Jellybean 4.1 platform, the GALAXY Camera is a loaded point-and-shoot camera with a familiar, intuitive user interface and access to Android applications from the Google Play market. The GALAXY Camera is set to retail for $450.

Boasting a 21x optical zoom, 16MP backside illuminated CMOS sensor and 4.8-inch HD Super Clear Touch LCD, the GALAXY Camera is designed to make it easier to capture images, edit them with your favorite apps and then share over WiFi to family and friends.

The GALAXY Camera’s photo interface blends the capabilities of an advanced camera with an easy-to-use touch interface so users can learn and grow with their photography skills with each use. An innovative Smart Mode places camera settings at users’ fingertips, letting them fine-tune and adjust settings like shutter speed, aperture and exposure by simply manipulating sliders on the screen. The GALAXY Camera also offers a selection of different scene modes to help users define the appropriate settings for a particular scenario, whether they want to capture flowing waterfalls, an action-packed sports event, and more.

The Samsung GALAXY Camera (Wi-Fi) will be available later this month (April) for $449.99 direct from Samsung and authorized Samsung retailers. For more information on the Wi-Fi version of the Samsung GALAXY Camera and the full line of Samsung digital cameras, lenses and accessories, head on over to

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this was just announced today? ive known about this for at least a month. im calling bs.

when it can make phone calls, I'll buy one! Love my Note!

I wonder what the battery life is going to be like???


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Full Count
A Furiously Updated Red Sox Blog
WEEI.com Blog Network

Hudson also drawing interest from Sox

12.03.09 at 1:06 am ET

The list gets longer by the day — middle infielders who the Red Sox are kicking the tires on.

The likes of Adam Everett, Mark DeRosa, and Adam Kennedy are all names that have surfaced in the last few days as players the Red Sox have at least called about. And then, Wednesday night, MLB.com’s Ian Browne was the first to report that the Sox had also inquired about Placido Polanco, who, according to a source, was close to signing a deal to become the Phillies’ third baseman as Thursday approached.

So, who’s next? According to a major league source one name to add to the list is Orlando Hudson.

Like Polanco, Hudson is a Type A free agent who wasn’t offered arbitration by his team, which, in the 31-year-old’s case was the Los Angeles Dodgers. That was of some importance when evaluating the Red Sox’ interest, as they wouldn’t have to surrender a draft pick if a deal was struck.

Hudson, who has never played any other position but second base in his eight-year big league career, would only fit in the Red Sox’ plans if they made the move of playing Dustin Pedroia at short. It should also be noted that the Red Sox have shown interest in the smooth-fielding Hudson, who played four seasons in Toronto, three with Arizona, and last year with the Dodgers.

In 149 games with LA last season, Hudson batted .283, while winning his fourth Gold Glove in the past five seasons.

It still appears shortstop Marco Scutaro remains a top priority for the Red Sox. Scutaro, who was offered salary arbitration by the Blue Jays and would cost a draft pick if he is signed, turned down a two-year deal. It should be noted that such an offer by the Jays suggests that Toronto had no fears that the plantar fasciitis injury the infielder suffered at the end of the ’09 season was a concern for the future.

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Bethany Fitelson

Program Manager, Fuller Seminary Northern California MAT, 2012

Welcome to the Journey

Welcome to the Fall quarter at Fuller Northern California! I especially want to welcome our new students -- 40 of you in Menlo Park and 25 in Sacramento!

As I advised new students for the Fall quarter, I was reminded of my first quarter at Fuller in the Summer of 2006. I remember feeling excitement and anticipation, as well as anxiety about the unknown. I brought a pen and notepad to my first class, not sure how much I would take notes, and three hours later couldn't feel my fingers due to scribbling furiously. It was like drinking from a fire hose, but in a good way, as if you were parched from a long walk and then suddenly deluged.

I took the slow route to complete my degree: one class per quarter and six years start to finish. If you feel like the end of your degree will never come, trust me that the years will fly by faster than you think, and a lot of life is to be lived in the meantime. When I started my degree, I had been married two weeks; when I graduated, we had celebrated our sixth anniversary and our first daughter's first birthday. When I started, I was dabbling in many volunteer ministry roles, waiting to see what stuck; when I graduated, I had spent 8 years in high school ministry and felt my calling to love and serve teens affirmed over and over in my seminary studies.

One of the final courses of my MA in Theology degree was OT500 Writings as Introduction to the Old Testament with Dr. Brad Kelle. (Excellent course, excellent professor!) During the class session in which we compared Proverbs and Ecclesiastes, I had an epiphany. I realized that when I began my Fuller journey six years prior, I was more inclined toward the book of Proverbs. I took comfort in the black and white nature of Proverbs, in the perceived guarantee that if you act a certain way (do this, don't do that) life will work out just peachy. This was true of my theology as well, as I sometimes treat God like a cosmic vending machine. Put this prayer in, get this result out. But that's not the way life works, is it? Life is not black and white, but often we reside in shades of gray. Real life is more like Ecclesiastes: "All share a common destiny - the righteous and the wicked, the good and the bad…" (Eccl 9:2) The author of Ecclesiastes would say that we cannot guarantee life's outcomes, so stop trying to control God's will, live as wisely as you can and enjoy the journey.

Seminary study is also a journey rather than a destination. You will learn a lot, but your learning will not be finished when you graduate. Over six years of study at Fuller, I became more comfortable in the gray areas of both life and theology. God's perfect will is not reliant upon my perfect interpretation of his word, as if there were such a thing. God's truth can handle my doubts and questions that arise from church history scandal, Biblical text criticism, and my own personal ministry failings.

This is our prayer for those of you beginning your seminary journey this year. May your thirst for God be both quenched and intensified by what you learn. May your trust in the truth of God's goodness be strengthened in the midst of doubts and questions that arise from academic study, and may God stretch and grow you along the journey.

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Jan 292013

We’ve seen plenty of pictures of the all-touch BlackBerry Z10 that RIM is expected to unveil tomorrow (along with the BlackBerry X10 with QWERTY keyboard). Now comes a picture of the retail box you can expect that BlackBerry device to come in:

RIM BlackBerry Z10 retail packaging

The contents of the box were not revealed. Aside from the smartphone itself, it will likely contain the battery, a charger and USB cable, earbuds and the usual manuals (quick start guide and warranty).

All will be revealed very soon now. There is now less than 24 hours before RIM takes to the stage to unveil its new BlackBerry 10 devices.

Read more: CrackBerry

Jerome Skalnik

Jerome is Gadgetorama's founder and Editor. His interest in mobile devices goes back to the Compaq PC Companion C120 and there has not been a time since that he has not had a mobile device (or more) on him.

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Gamasutra: The Art & Business of Making Gamesspacer
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 Rift  MMO hit hard by layoffs at Trion
Rift MMO hit hard by layoffs at Trion
December 11, 2012 | By Frank Cifaldi

As much as one-third of the development team working on MMO Rift at Trion Worlds was let go on Tuesday, Gamasutra has learned.

An affected source tells us that the number of developers out of work today -- developers spanning several disciplines, including artists and designers -- numbers somewhere in the neighborhood of 40.

The company confirmed that there were layoffs today "in response to market conditions, product timelines and the natural evolution of our company," though refused to confirm either the number affected or whether it was the Rift team specifically.

The first expansion pack for Rift launched just last month. Trion does not share its subscriber numbers (or the sales of expansions such as this), but it may be worth noting that the expansion became accessible for free to lapsed subscribers just one month later as part of a promotion.

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Smurfs 2

a game by Infogrames
  • Sega GenesisGenesis
  • Educational/Kids
  • Platformer

Sorry, there was no Gamefabrique review found.

Smurfs 2 Downloads

Sega Genesis Smurfs 2 download

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The Smurfs
Gargamel has just perfected a terrible plot to kidnap ALL the Smurfs. Four of them have...
Mickey Mouse - Fantasia
You must guide Mickey through five lengthy levels based on settings from the film.
Tintin In Tibet
Tintin embarks on a quest to the country of Tibet in search of the legendary Abominable Snowman.
Spirou is a simple platform game, you're in a role of porter, jumping down the streets and...
Action in New York
In this shooter you are supposed to clean up the Big Apple from fish-like invaders from outer...
As Asterix, you are getting prepared to go on one of the most important journeys of your life.
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Rock, Paper, Shotgun Call For Worldwide Game Release Dates 161

deanbmmv quotes a plea from gaming site Rock, Paper, Shotgun for game makers to stop delaying game releases in continents with lower per capita cheeseburger consumption: "Crysis 2 comes out today! And Lego Star Wars III! Hooray! Except of course, only if you drawl your vowels. These two big games are out in America only today. Crysis 2 reaches Australia on Thursday, and the finally completes its journey to Europe by Friday. Lego Star Wars III: The Clone Wars is taking a three day journey to Europe to reach us by Friday, before then walking to Australia to eventually be released eight days after its US launch. We've had enough. ... There’s an internet now. It’s changed everything. Once we were separate nations kept apart by vast spreads of water. But the internet contains no oceans. The time was a game could come out in North America and we’d not hear about it until the boats arrived carrying news from the new country. But now we can see the Steam page, the giant clocks on the game websites counting down to a day that means nothing, the launch trailers and excitable press releases about something we can’t have yet."
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Rock, Paper, Shotgun Call For Worldwide Game Release Dates

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  • Who gives a damn. (Score:2, Interesting)

    by jpapon (1877296) on Wednesday March 23, 2011 @03:38AM (#35583362) Journal
    This is due to the distribution networks and traditional release days for games. Changing this would require a significant shift in infrastructure and all that nonsense. I'm sure it will inevitably happen, but there's quite a bit of inertia to overcome.

    Also, You have to wait *gasp* THREE WHOLE DAYS longer than Johnny over in the USA before you can play your game? Poor kid. Sometimes life just isn't fair.

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The most difficult thing in the world is to know how to do a thing and to watch someone else doing it wrong, without commenting. -- T.H. White


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Take the 2-minute tour ×
Arqade is a question and answer site for passionate videogamers on all platforms. It's 100% free, no registration required.

Possible Duplicate:
Is there a way to stop enemies from boarding?

Is there a way to avoid enemies intruders in my ship from invading it? If so, which upgraded helps that ?

share|improve this question

marked as duplicate by kotekzot, Jason Berkan, Mad Scientist, Private Pansy, Joe Wreschnig Oct 14 '12 at 10:46

This question has been asked before and already has an answer. If those answers do not fully address your question, please ask a new question.

We could, at the very least, have posted the link to the qs of which this is a duplicate, isn't it? –  Mugen Oct 30 '12 at 4:00

2 Answers 2

up vote 1 down vote accepted

I've successfully blocked a teleportation before with the use of two Ion Blasts combined with the Weapon Pre-igniter augmentation. Pause as soon as the fight begins, then direct both Ion Blasts at the teleporters. The first Ion Blast disables the shields, while the second disables the teleporter system.

share|improve this answer
Another method is start your cloaking device as soon as you see them about to leave their ship. Meanwhile your weapons will charge up. Direct everything you have at their tele system. –  Mugen Oct 30 '12 at 4:02

No, there is no way to stop intruders. If you're lucky you can disable their teleporter before they teleport.

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Now Loading or the week of April 29, 2012: Portable Punching Edition

by: Jeremy -
Rarely does a re-release of a game take the spotlight during a release week, but we have to make an exception this week. NetherRealm’s portable version of Mortal Kombat finally hits the Vita this week and the early word is that this is the ultimate version of the game. Don’t believe me, check out Cyril’s review of the game tomorrow morning here on the site.
Until then, take a look at your various options being released this week:

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Wesnoth 1.3.16 aka 1.4-beta3: Development Release

Wesnoth 1.3.16 is out. This is hopefully the last beta release before we start to get out release candidates. It includes some balancing changes and many bug fixes. To learn about the changes in this release, have a look at this forum thread. As with the last development releases, we continue to offer two versions of changelogs: a rather nice to read players changelog that only includes changes every player will probably notice and the (rather) complete changelog with (almost) all the details, which is likely to cause a serious headache…
At the moment none of the major binaries are ready. Once they are done you can find them at the download page. Please keep in mind that it is a development release which might include quite a few bugs. If you find one, please report it.
Update: The Windows and OpenSolaris binaries are now available at the download page.

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Thursday, February 14, 2008

Happy Valentines Day to my Love, Perennial of the Year - 2008

Geranium Rozanne! Isn't she a beauty? Rozanne is without doubt the longest-blooming perennial in my garden. She starts in May, and keeps going through October. Sometimes she even has a few precious blossoms in early November.
She has clusters of gorgeous, delicate, intricate violet-blue blooms. She's low-growing, and hardy in zones 5-8. Her oh-so-subtly variegated, deeply-cut foliage remains fresh throughout the growing season, and has lovely bronze fall color. Rozanne blooms in full sun through part shade, and she's beautiful in containers. She even loves the dry, maple-root infested, mostly shaded challenge I like to call my garden. She is one. tough. cookie. I can't think of a single reason not to grow this delicate, floriferous beauty. I'm in love.

  1. Thank you for visiting my blog and thank you for nice words :)
    I just saw picture of geranium rozeanne - she is really beautiful. I love geraniums - have few of them in may garden - they very dependable and easy to grow :)

  2. Hello Ewa,
    Thank you for visiting my blog! I'm so excited to have my first visitor!

    I love the perennial geraniums too. I have Johnson's Blue, which mostly blooms just in late spring and early summer in my garden, Geranium sanguineum striatum, which is light pink and blooms sporadically from late spring through fall, and another one that is bright pink. I'm not sure of the name of it. It has smaller flowers than the other ones and blooms less, but it's still really pretty.

    I have to be careful of the squirrels when I plant new geraniums. They like to dig them up and carry them away!

    I have spent quite a bit of time today reading your blog and looking at your gorgeous pictures. Your gardens are very beautiful and inspiring!

  3. Yayyyy, so happy you're a blogger now. I'll be here every day so you better keep posting ;)

    Maybe I'll learn something about gardening!

  4. Hinsley!
    So cool to see you here! I didn't expect to have visitors so soon! And I especially didn't expect to have a future best-selling author visiting my little gardening blog! I am honored!

  5. Love the way your blog is coming together. Interesting links and articles.

  6. Thanks Mom! I'm having fun with it.

Thank you for stopping by! Comments are welcomed, and while I may not always respond here, I'm happy to pay you a visit.

While comments are invited, links to commercial websites are not, and comments containing them will be deleted.

(Note to spammers: Don't bother. Your comments are promptly deleted. Hiding in older posts won't help - they're moderated.)


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Monday, April 7, 2008

C.R.A.N.K. Mob March 08

C.R.A.N.K. Mob is a monthly bike ride responsible for maximizing the FUN quotient of the West Side bike scene. Some things you might see at C.R.A.N.K. Mob; bike riding, giant pizza, tall bikes, road bikes, cruiser bikes, wtf bikes, men dressed as women on bikes much too small, occasional outcast on rollerblades (one of my claims to fame), fireworks, loud music, portable dance parties, and often something completely unexpected. C.R.A.N.K. Mob is where the party's at.

To see more images from the last C.R.A.N.K. Mob check out my
C.R.A.N.K. Mob Flickr Set.

To read a full run down of the mayhem check out the two part post on Westside Bikeside, with written accounts, photos (yours truly included), and even video (in part 2). Besides being loads of fun, this past C.R.A.N.K. Mob produced loads of documentation.

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A place everyone should visit: Civil Rights Memorial Center

Filed in Gather Travel Essential by on May 11, 2008 0 Comments

It is modest in size.Â  Its message, however, is powerful and timeless.Â  The Civil Rights Memorial Center in Montgomery, Alabama, is a place everyone should visit. Built by the Southern Poverty Law Center and opened in 2005, the Center delves into the struggles and sacrifices of ordinary people in the U.S. Civil Rights Movement and calls on visitors to continue to work for justice, equality and human rights.

My daughter Pam and I visited the Center in April while traveling in Alabama and came away deeply moved.Â  The Center is located only a few blocks from the Alabama state capitol in Montgomery.Â  Standing in front of the Center is the stunning Civil Rights Memorial designed by Maya Lin, known for designing the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, DC.Â  The Memorial, which was dedicated in 1989, chronicles the events of the Movement between 1954 and the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King in 1968 and honors the 40 individuals martyred during that period.

This verse from the book of Amos quoted by Dr. Martin Luther King in his speeches, including the I have a dream speech, marks the Civil Rights Memorial located in the plaza in front of the Center. Water cascades over the 9 by 40-foot black granite wall while songs of the Movement play in the background. The Memorial is accessible 24 hours a day every day of the week.

Inscribed on a circular granite table fountain in front of the granite wall is a brief history of the Movement and the names of those killed in the struggle.Â  Water smoothly flows outward from the center of the circle.

The Civil Rights Memorial traces the history of the Civil Rights Movement in the United States beginning with the May 17, 1954, ruling by the Supreme Court outlawing school segregation.Â  I was ending my junior year in high school when that decision was made.

Pam and I circle the fountain reading the diary of events that began before she was born.

The ripple caused by Pam putting her hand in the water of the Memorial quickly smoothes out as the water flows over the record of events of the Movement during the 1960s.Â  I was a new mother in 1963.

We come full circle in the monument with the entry of Dr. Martin Luther King’s assassination on April 4, 1968.

I heard that Dr. Martin Luther King had been killed while I was driving to an adult education judo class at a local high school.Â  I was 31 years old and felt sick to my stomach with grief and a sense of helplessness.

After viewing the Memorial outside, we enter the Center.Â  The first room displays photos and newspaper reports relating to the Movement.Â  The exhibits are interesting and instructive, but it’s difficult to focus, because we’ve entered with a group of school children, and it’s hard to get close enough to read about the exhibits.Â

We follow the children into the theater where we see a documentary film of this historic era.Â  Pulling together the individual stories of the hate, brutality and murders during these crucial years into one narrative and showing the ramifications on the families and on society is potent.Â  I feel a deep emotional pain, not just the intellectual pain of a white Northerner that I had felt as I heard about these events as a young woman.Â  I choke up and tears blur my eyes.Â  When the lights go on, I notice that Pam’s eyes are also watery.Â

We move on to the next room, which is darkened, except for the Wall of Tolerance, a huge screen that flashes the names of the thousands of people from around the world who have pledged to fight injustice. The Wall is a magnificent testament to justice rolling down “like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream.”

The room gives me a pleasant surprise.Â  Years ago, I was a member of the Southern Poverty Law Center for several years, but quit when I retired and consolidated my charitable contributions.Â  One of the last mailings I received from SPLC solicited contributions for the Wall of Tolerance and noted that a contributor’s name would be added to the Wall.Â  I liked the concept of the Wall and sent in a contribution with my signed pledge.Â  Standing here in this room watching the names of people who had pledged to work for justice, equality and human rights flow down the screen, I remembered sending in my pledge and wondered if my name had been inscribed on the Wall.Â  I entered my last name and zip code into one of the interactive touch panels in front of the Wall to locate my name in the Wall’s registry.Â  Yes, it was there!Â  I looked up to see my name in large print floating down the screen.Â  A few feet to my left, Pam’s name also drifted down the Wall.Â  She had used the touch panel to join me and the thousands of others who have pledged, “to take a stand against hate, injustice and intolerance.”Â  To be part of something so true, so good, so grand and so universal is thrilling.Â

The backside of the entrance ticket notes what a signature on the Wall of Tolerance stands for.

The image

I sign the reverse side of the entrance ticket as a reminder of my pledge to work for justice, equality and human rights and keep the ticket as one of my life’s mementos.

Both emotionally drained and uplifted by our experience at the Center, Pam and I exit into a glorious Alabama day.Â  As much as has been accomplished by the Movement, the Center’s sign reminds us there is more to be done.

The march for justice, equality and human rights continues.

Dedicated with gratitude to the martyrs in the U.S. Civil Rights Movement and to their families and with hope to those who carry their work forward.

About the Author ()

I am a retired environmental, health and safety manager who has done some work in communications. I have a knowledge of and passion for sustainability issues. In temperament I am a peculiar mix of stable soul and free spirit.

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‘True Blood’ Season 5 Episode 9 Sneak Peeks: Decrypting Messages, Figuring Out What’s Real

True Blood season 5 continues this weekend with episode 9, “Everybody Wants to Rule the World.” Sookie is going to continue to investigate her parents’ deaths, especially after what she saw, and Eric is going to try to get through to Bill.

Season 5 Episode 9 “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” Clips

In the first sneak peek (below), Sookie reads out loud a newspaper article about her parents’ deaths. She didn’t know Dearborne found their bodies. She wonders if Gran was trying to tell her he knows something. Lafayette asks why the dead have to be so cryptic. He has a point: “It ain’t cute.” Will Dearborne put Sookie on the right track, or is he going to end up a dead end? She does have more information now than she did in the past, but will she get the final answer she’s looking for before the season ends? Could the season cliffhanger be Sookie facing off with the vampire who killed her parents?

The second True Blood season 5 episode 9 clip (below) shows Eric talking to Bill about the idea he presented at the end of the last episode (blowing up the Tru Blood factories). Bill says he’s not playing a game, but Eric tells him there aren’t any cameras around and he’s laying it on too thick. The others won’t buy Bill’s act for too long. Bill insists he saw Lilith, and Eric tells him they were high and they need to stay away from that blood. Bill tells him, “I’m lost. I don’t know who to trust.” Will Eric be able to get Bill back on track before it’s too late, or is Eric better off not spending time right now trying to? Will Eric end up standing alone against the others, or will Bill join him? Right now, it’s not looking like Bill would be much help, but it’s better to have him on Eric’s side than against him, especially if he’s going to keep spouting off ideas like blowing up Tru Blood factories.

What do you think of the True Blood season 5 episode 9 sneak peeks from “Everybody Wants to Rule the World”?

Â© Meredith Jacobs 2012

About the Author ()

College graduate, television fanatic, writer.

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Joe Christopher, Analytics Director & Partner at Blast Advanced Media, approaches every project with a deep understanding of Google Analytics. Joe has an extensive technological background and proven experience that has earned him the title, "Mr. Master of Everything Web." He is a master of ASP.NET, MySQL/MSSQL, JavaScript, and many other programming languages and technologies. Joe also has a keen eye for website optimization with a focus on usability.

Joe graduated from California State University, Sacramento with a degree in Digital Multimedia. Always striving to learn more and enhance his skill set, you will probably find him with his nose in a book or reading up on his favorite tech blogs. Outside of geeky stuff, Joe enjoys trying new restaurants, mountain biking, and spending time with his lovely wife and family.

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Pope Francis Blesses Porn Actor's Parrot

When an Italian porn star brought his parrot named Amore to see Pope Francis on Wednesday, the pope treated the green bird with the dignity and respect owed to any parrot. The bird received a papal blessing.

Francesco Lombardi is a former male stripper and current star of erotic films, as well as being head of the city council in Trezzano, in Northern Italy. As Francis was making his rounds in St. Peter's Square, he apparently noticed Lombardi's bird and then circled back to bless the green parrot.

"Pope Francis, who I am in love with, called it 'a beautiful gift from God,'" Lombardi said, according to the ANSA news service. Lombardi's stage name is "Ghyblj."

Lombardi's next film is reportedly titled Lombardi, and will be directed by Tinto Brass—best known to American audiences for shooting Penthouse publisher Bob Guccione's 1979 horror orgy Caligula, which was written by Gore Vidal.

Amore the parrot climbed onto the pope's hand and said, according to Lombardi, "Papa!" This is the same thing Italians say when they see the pope, because in Italian he is called "Papa." We should not expect a parrot in Italy to say "pope," as English speakers do.

It had been a bad week for bird news from the Vatican, after white doves released as a symbol of peace were brazenly attacked by crows and seagulls. And Pope Francis once again showed his social media skills by turning a bad "trending topic" to good.

Pope Francis Blesses Porn Actor's Parrot

[Photos via AP.]


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Radiohead estimates doom record labels

Two weeks after Radiohead asked fans to pay only what they like before downloading their new album "In Rainbows," financial numbers are beginning to surface. So are the bloated carcasses of record labels. Why? Because though Radiohead will release the album on CD and with a label early next year, the band has—by all accounts—already cleaned up without having to share a pound.

According to one source close to the band, reports The Seminal, fans downloaded 1.2 million copies of "In Rainbows" through October 12, two days after its release. But you already knew Radiohead had a large fan base.

What nobody knew was whether fans would pay for a Radiohead album if they didn't have to. Certainly, the record labels had to be hoping they wouldn't. Too bad for the fat cats, because reports are that the average price paid for "In Rainbows" fell between $5 and $8. A low estimate of Radiohead's take in two days is $6 million. Sounds like bands with a following now have permission to skip labels.


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College Students: Your School Is Pimping You Out to a Bank

Why are banks so enthusiastic about marketing their products to college students? Because college students, like most young people, don't know shit about shit. But unlike most kids, they have some money (even if they borrowed it). That means they are easy marks, and lucrative ones. A college student might think: "My school will protect my financial interests." See? I told you they were easy marks.

A new report from the U.S. PIRG very clearly points out how many of our nation's largest and most respected universities are screwing their own students (further) by outsourcing basic financial operations to private banks. That means, quite simply, that instead of handling a fundamental element of its operations itself, the school essentially sells the right to exploit a captive audience—its students—to a third party, for a hefty sum. I cannot think of any circumstances under which this would ever benefit students financially.

Banks and other financial firms are taking advantage of a variety of opportunities to form partnerships with colleges and universities to produce campus student ID cards and to offer student aid disbursements on debit or prepaid cards. In addition to on-campus services, such as student ID functions offered on the card, some cards offer traditional debit card services linked to bank accounts; other cards provide additional reloadable prepaid card functions. The disbursement of financial aid and university refunds is the most significant partnership identified.

Yes: universities are tying student IDs to debit cards and even financial aid, and allowing banks to purchase the exclusive rights to "serve" students in these ways. By "serve" I mean "exploit." Because as any first-year business student knows, no bank will pay millions of dollars ("A new contract between Ohio State University and Huntington Bank includes $25 million in payments to the school over 15 years," for example) to obtain these rights unless they know that they will make more millions of dollars back. And they way they make those millions is by enticing unsophisticated young people into signing up for bank accounts with unnecessary fees ("including a variety of per-swipe fees, inactivity fees, overdraft fees, ATM fees and fees to reload prepaid cards"), and by marketing an entire universe of other financial products to them. This is the financial version of colleges selling Marlboro the exclusive rights to get students addicted to cigarettes. But potentially more expensive.

You, as a student, may say to yourself, "Hey, isn't the disbursement and administration of student funds a basic function of a school? Isn't it unethical for a university to outsource this merely to reap some short term cash, at the expense of the long-term financial health of its students? Particularly in a time of unprecedented and unsustainable student debt?" The answers are yes, yes, and yes. Talk to your school. (Or, preferably, yell at them.)

[US PIRG via NYT. Image via]


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Ed McMahon Has Been In the Hospital for Three Weeks, Someone Just Now Noticed

The 85-year-old Tonight Show sidekick and enormous check courier has been laid up in serious condition with pneumonia and other ailments, his rep announced today. And just when he was having a Cash4Gold comeback.

We're sort of curious when that delightful Super Bowl ad was actually filmed, because he seems pretty hale and hearty in it. I guess these things can come on pretty quickly. McMahon's spokesman remains confident about the Star Search host's condition, saying "Ed's a big, strong, hearty guy and his family and I are hopeful and optimistic about his prognosis." That he is! A bear of television! Plus he just had to sell his solid gold toilet and really deserves break.


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David Carradine Death Photo Rules Out Suicide

A Bangkok tabloid ran a photo of David Carradine's hanging body that was leaked to them in this morning's edition. The rather disturbing photo definitely shows the actor's hands tied above his head. There's something eerily off, here.

Carradine's death was originally thought to be caused by suicide, and then accidental autoerotic asphyxiation as well. Carradine's attorney has already cried out that both of these theories are wrong, and now, his family's trying to get the FBI involved to determine whether his death was actually accidental or the result of foul play. Results from a private autopsy - also enlisted by the Carradine family - won't be available for a few days.

Which American gossip outlets are running the photo? Not TMZ, who won't go Faces of Death for their readers, which is somewhat surprising, given the extent to which they typically peruse original material. Not P*r*z H*lt*n, who, besides not even being able to get Carradine's name right (writing it as "Robert Carradine") would have to incur the wrath of his righteous-outrage happy fans and the celebrities he kowtows to. They're going with the family's outrage angle instead, as most news outlets will. Via Keith Carradine, David's brother:

"The family wants it understood that, per attorney Mark Geragos, any persons, publications or media outlets will be fully prosecuted for invasion of privacy and causing severe emotional distress if the photos are published."

And no, we're not running the photo either. But one American outlet is: The Post Chronicle. It's - from what I can tell - an ad-heavy, shoddy news aggregation website based out of New Jersey. They've posted a photo of the newspaper, which, while still not a perfect picture, paints it pretty clearly. And this is how information that nobody else will want to touch - but still want to see - gets out.

We've linked to the photo below. The picture, while slightly blurred and a little shaky, is still obviously graphic, disturbing, and not something you really want to look at on a Sunday afternoon.

Shocking David Carradine Hanging Photo Online
[The Post Chronicle]


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Harold Ford Compares Self to Bobby Kennedy, is Beset by Ghosts

Maureen Dowd's column yesterday was a predictably amusing interview with would-be Senator Harold Ford. The funniest line was his bizarre assertion that Eleanor Roosevelt opposed Bobby Kennedy's Senate run from beyond the grave.

"I'm not comparing myself to Bobby Kennedy by any stretch, but he was opposed by the liberal establishment, too," Ford said. "Eleanor Roosevelt was the biggest opponent to him running."

Let's unpack this: a) Harold is comparing himself to Bobby Kennedy. b) Harold is painting one of the most beloved and sanctified women in the history of the Democratic party, New York, and America as a villain. c) Eleanor Roosevelt had been dead two years when Kennedy ran.

But this is actually the most classic Harold Fordian line in the interview:

"It's so unfair how it's been characterized. I eat at places like the Coffee Shop more than I eat uptown."

Harold Ford has somehow confused The Coffee Shop—Union Square's overpriced, constantly packed restaurant staffed entirely by disinterested models—with an actual... coffee shop. Real coffee shops don't have cocktail lists, Harold. And they don't call their steak sandwiches "Churrasquino Carioca." You don't have to go uptown to be a rich, out-of-touch idiot!

The Coffee Shop has been added to the map.


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Kenya's 'Kill Me Quick' Moonshine Actually Kills People

Prohibition and "sin taxes" push many Africans to drink cheaper, locally produced moonshine. Some of it sounds pretty good, too, with 40% alcohol! But mix in some feces, cockroaches, and jet fuel, and you could wind up blind or dead.

A Guiness costs around $1.50 in Nairobi's slums, so many locals turn to chang'aa, or "kill me quick," for a cheap buzz. There are hundreds of illegal distilleries across the city and surrounding areas. A reporter for the Independent met some of the producers and hung out in bars in Kenya:

Down by the river, a breezeblock outhouse is used as a clandestine store for one of the larger batches. A mix of fecal water, rats and cockroaches spiked with formaldehyde from a nearby mortuary -– it's known to locals as "Hustle". Another brew, "Jet 5", takes its name from its magic ingredient: stolen jet fuel.

Mmmm, sounds tasty. And you just know that shit totally fucks you up! It's not just Kenyans producing this stuff, either. Many countries in Africa have a thriving illegal alcohol market:

The World Health Organisation believes that more than half of the alcohol consumed in sub-Saharan Africa is illegal. In Nigeria, the local specials include palm wines such as "crazy man in the bottle"; in Botswana there is fermented tho-tho-tho (the dizzy spell), in Zimbabwe the nightcap is "Scud"; and in DR Congo there's the plaintive kasiki (I regret).

But don't let moonshine with great names like Scud fool you, that shit can kill your ass. In Uganda in April, 80 people reportedly died after drinking banana gin, but not before going blind and suffering kidney and liver failure. And in two incidents in one Kenyan town, 200 people died from drinking methanol-laced chang'aa. Buyer beware.


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The last time the economy collapsed, CNBC money-clown Jim Cramer basically said, "Don't panic! Buy Bear Stearns! What could go wrong?" That advice didn't work out so well for him. So this time, he's modulating.

In the above exchange from this morning, CNBC anchor Simon Hobbs takes Cramer to task for suggesting that investors pull their money out of the financial sector based on fears that European banks may be running out of cash. If people take Cramer's advice, Hobbs says, "the rest of the equity investors will go, 'We're going to have a major implosion of a bank, with all the contagion risks that that involves'—and that is not going to happen here, Jim."

To which Cramer erupted in response: "I got crucified because I said that you could keep your money in Bear Stearns. I got crucified in this country. I learned my lesson, too."

Basically Jim Cramer has surveyed the vast stream of data available to him, applied his decades of experience and fingertip feel for financial markets, and decided to do the thing least likely to get him yelled at by Jon Stewart. You can't win, Jim Cramer! The reason you can't win is that you are a clown.

[via TVNewser]


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The CEO of Pizza Hut Took His Dates to Pizza Hut

David Novak is the CEO of Yum! Brands, the company that owns KFC, Taco Bell, and Pizza Hut. He is the man most directly responsible for populating the world with fast food restaurants. He is also a horrible date:

Q: Have you always been a fan of fast food?

A: Like many of our customers, I grew up with the brands. My family loved a bucket of Kentucky Fried Chicken. I took dates to Pizza Hut. When I was in college, every Sunday, I used to go and chow down on six or seven tacos, maybe eight (at Taco Bell).

Have you ever dated Yum! Brands CEO David Novak? If so, did he take you to Pizza Hut? Or is this all a big fake attempt to get in good with "the common man," who might think that it's "cool" to take a date to Pizza Hut? Send all Yum! Brands CEO David Novak dating stories and sex tapes to us at once.

[USAT. Photo: AP]


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ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — A person with knowledge of the deal tells The Associated Press that coach John Fox has agreed to a new three-year contract with the Denver Broncos.

The person, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal hasn't been announced, said the team ripped up Fox's 2014 contract and replaced it with a deal that runs through 2016.

GM John Elway said in early February that Fox would get a new deal this offseason.

Fox has gone 37-17 with three AFC West titles in his three seasons in Denver.

He overcame a heart operation in November to lead the Broncos to an appearance in the Super Bowl, where they lost 43-8 to Seattle.

AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org

Follow AP Pro Football Writer Arnie Melendrez Stapleton on Twitter: http://twitter.com/arniestapleton


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Don't throw out the good with the bad, security gurus say

Bruce Schneier

Cryptologists' faith in strong encryption has not wavered, even though terrorists and other malefactors can benefit from it.

'Infrastructure is used by good guys and bad guys,' said Bruce Schneier, chief technology officer of Counterpane Internet Security Inc. of Cupertino, Calif. 'There are so many more good guys than bad that we're better off with the infrastructure than without it.'

Schneier and Philip Zimmermann, creator of Pretty Good Privacy, talked about cryptography and security at the Black Hat Briefings last month in Las Vegas.

Zimmermann said he started working on PGP 'as a human rights project. I got the idea in the 1980s when I was a peace activist.'

PGP, a public-key encryption scheme for e-mail, works without a supporting infrastructure of certificates and authorities. As a standalone product, it depends on trust between users. The idea originally was to protect the privacy of activists who feared persecution by their governments.

But Zimmermann ran afoul of the U.S. government and faced a three-year battle over export restrictions when he tried to commercialize PGP in the 1990s.

'At no time did I deny that criminals would use PGP,' he said. 'That was the central argument in the debate. But we came to the decision that society is better off with strong encryption than without it, even though criminals would use it.'

Despite what he called an erosion of civil liberties in the name of security since Sept. 11, 2001, Zimmermann said he doubts government will restrict public use of strong encryption.

'I don't think that is going to reach critical mass in Congress,' he said. 'Things have changed too much.'

Schneier called concerns about the threat of strong encryption misguided. 'Most people are good,' he said, 'but there is a lot of bad security out there.'

About the Author

William Jackson is freelance writer and the author of the CyberEye blog.

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Gdado dice roller

(Provisional page)

Gdado screenshot

Gdado is a very simple application for rolling dice intended for roleplayers. It relies in a simple and clean user interface.

Gdado is free software, covered under the GNU General Public License. It is developped in the GNU/Linux system, but should work well in all systems where GTK+ is ported (even MS Windows).

Go to the download page.

  1. Go to the download page.
  2. Click download.
  3. Wait some time, if the download does not start, select another mirror.
  4. Un compress the tar.gz file.
  5. See INSTALL file.

Minimalist interface

Gdado screenshot

Different options for output

Gdado screenshot

Any number of dice and sides (i.e 32D1333)

Gdado screenshot

Gdado screenshot

Gdado screenshot

Languages supported:

Contact Logo


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All the Foam Fun That a Kid (or a Not-So Grown-Up Adult) Could Want

NERF 40th Anniversary Charity Giveaway

Here’s the deal – thanks to the good folks at NERF, we’ve got a bag-load of sweet foamy goodness to giveaway. We’re not giving it to you, rather to your favorite children’s charity. Whether it be local to your hometown or a nationwide cause, it matters not to us. So how does it work? Suggest...