text:
Has Taif Outlived its Function?

The state in Lebanon is actually civil, but we should purify the constitution from some of Taif’s digressions. (Photo: Marwan Bu Haidar)
Published Tuesday, April 9, 2013
Politicians throw around several givens inspired by the post-Taif constitution. One group insists on its application and another believes now is the time to surpass it. However, discussing this agreement is at the heart of building a civil state and it’s a taboo that needs to be broken. Has Taif outlived its function?

The Taif agreement modified some of formal regular state functions. In principle, it was not a constitutional endeavor, but a political consensus. When the MPs went to the Saudi city of Taif, they were chaperoned by the Syrians, Saudis, and Americans. Negotiations by the sponsors preceded the amendment of each particular term or phrase. This led to the inclusion of vague references, which also contradict the spirit of the constitution.

To say, for example, that “[Lebanon] is a final homeland” is a cause of bewilderment: Is there any other country in the world whose constitution includes such a phrase? In fact, the mere mention of this phrase assumes that the situation could be otherwise.

Additionally, the mention of “coexistence” has no meaning or place in a constitution. Coexistence between who? Between citizens? Such a presumption cannot be included in a constitution.

One of the most prominent additions to the constitution are the words “Christian” and “Muslim.” This is a strange contradiction, since sects are entities that exist by law. Even on the level of terminology, there is no Christian sect and Muslim sect, but 18 sects. This is in addition to the use of the poetic phrase “spiritual families” to denote religious communities in the section on the Senate.
This means that a political statement was squeezed into the constitution, which is supposed to represent a pact of sorts. The text is suffering from interferences that make it hybrid, inapplicable, and incoherent.

The Taif Agreement is a bad arrangement that led to the wedging of political slogans in the constitution based on a consensus to end the war. Such statements are alien to a constitutional text.

In practice, Taif validated the sectarian nature of the state. Before Taif, the constitution did not mention the sects in terms of political representation. Although sectarian considerations were always present in its application, mainly in allocation of parliamentary seats, they were only inscribed in the constitution in Taif.

In reality, the agreement was interpreted through providing certain sects, headed by particular political forces, particular positions and pieces of the state. However, the system could not have functioned unless they all handed the ruling authority to a foreign side. Regional consensus gave this power to Syrian security officials, until changes in the arrangement led to their departure and disrupted the whole mechanism. Taif was interrupted by the lack of foreign rule.

Can the Taif Sensibilities be Surpassed Today?

We should ask a different question. Do sects exist as historically and socially independent entities that can form a state? If the answer is yes, then one might be able to speak about coexistence and dialogue between civilizations, in fact, even about federalism.

However, scientific analysis forces us into another direction. Most of those who lived within Lebanese territories, when they were being demarcated, were in fact farmers in isolated mountain regions within the Ottoman Empire. Throughout history, central authorities were not interested in running their affairs directly or taxing them.

These communities were marginal in the general environment so the Ottomans left them to their own devices, since the cost of their management was higher than the revenue they could have produced.
Lebanon’s sects are similar to the bedouin and Kurdish tribes. They are political and social formations similar to groups that are not a priority to central authorities, leaving them to fight among each other. Such segments lack civil power inside the center of power, therefore keeping its social relationships intact to protect itself.

From this perspective, sects seem like the continuity of strong family relations in societies where the central authority of the state has not intervened. If we do not have the courage to create a deep, overarching framework for a state, the situation will remain as is.

The main taboos that we must break are those that block the horizon of the civil state. The state in Lebanon is actually civil, but we should purify the constitution from some of Taif’s digressions.

Charbel Nahas is an economist and the former telecommunications and labor minister of Lebanon.

This article is an edited translation from the Arabic Edition.

The views expressed by the author do not necessarily reflect Al-Akhbar’s editorial policy.

River to Sea Uprooted Palestinian
The views expressed in this article are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of this Blog!

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text:
Prevot schedules two trips

USC four-star defensive end commit, Torrodney Prevot from Houston (Texas) Alief Taylor is a very humble young who doesn't really keep up with his stats. It is more important that he do his job.

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text:
Tag Archives: how to order vegan at a restaurant

Guest Blogger: VeGAL – Meatus Interruptus!

22 Dec

Please say hello to our newest guest vegan blogger Andrea. Andrea is the author of VeGal. Here she is in her own words, ” I’m a long-time plant-based endurance athlete, raising 3 sons on my own, completed 39 marathons/ultras, and a runner for Oiselle Volee team.”

You can find Andrea blogging at: VeGAL. Connect with her through social channels: Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Greetings VeGALs and plant fans!  If you are a mainstream vegan like me, then chances are you deal with the issue
of animal byproducts being randomly placed in your plant foods on an ongoing basis when dining out. Chefs/cooks/food preps simply cannot help themselves when it comes to adulterating the foods from nature that we love so much.  In their eyes, they feel they are enhancing the flavor whereas we can all agree it only detracts from
the true essence that plant-based cuisine has to offer.  On many vegetarian/vegetable menu items, no where does it even indicate that there will be animal-based foods added to the dish, which is surprising nowadays with so many food allergy concerns.  For instance, it is often the case where I order a garden salad that is listed as having only lettuce, cukes, carrots, tomatoes (and other “safe” ingredients) and when it arrives, it is laden with shaved/sprinkled parmesan cheese.  I have learned to ask for salads now with no cheese, egg or bacon even if it is NOT listed on the menu. Sadly enough, there are still some naive food servers/preps out there that still have no idea what the term “vegan” actually
refers to so often times I choose the old “food allergy” excuse to drive home a point, especially when at an unfamiliar place. Don’t get me wrong…I wear my vegan identity with pride but when it comes to ordering my meal, I go to great lengths to get the order right and even then, I have to send it back due to error half the time!!!

A while back, I had written an article for VegginOutAndAbout.com, where I’m a staff writer/contributor that discusses hidden animal products in our foods, if you would like to refer to that, like chicken broth, fish stock, beef stock, milk, whey, egg yolks, egg wash, oyster sauce, anchovies, parmesan cheese, butter, casein, gelatin, etc. Many restaurants, especially chains, have an allergy menu available either on location or online which can be very helpful in providing insight into non-vegan foods we assume to be safe. It isn’t always easy, and sometimes next to impossible to find a vegan/vegan-friendly joint and the majority of our family/friends are typically omnivours so we must settle on mainstream, trying to make the best of it without drawing too much attention to ourselves.

Just this past weekend, my running partner and I were in Cocoa Beach, FL to run the Space Coast Marathon (as pacers) for our third year in a row.  A few days before the race, we looked over the dinner menu online for Fat Kahunas, a small bar/restaurant we’ve had our eye on for a few years.  The menu seemed very welcoming and the location, ideal to watch a nearby Friday night street party, so we were excited to check it out.  As soon as we were seated, we were served fresh home made hummus with olives and warm tortilla chips.  I would’ve been perfectly content eating that all night, washed down by a draft beer, of course.  But I chose to order the grilled vegetable tacos, minus the red and green peppers (I always lie and say I’m allergic since I just plain don’t like ’em), add avocado instead as my entree.  As an experiment of sorts, I refrained from mentioning the word “vegan”  while I made sure that there was NO cheese or sour cream also due to “allergies” and the waitress said NO problem.  The menu said it comes with a
teriyaki glaze which sounded safe enough for me.  So….as she sets my beautiful plate down before me, veggie soft tacos accompanied by coconut rice, black beans and fresh salsa, I noticed a red/orange sauce strewn across the entire dish, along with the teriyaki glaze.  I was immediately suspicious of a mayonnaise presence as the server explained that the chef uses his own “secret sauce” for an added touch. I only wish I would’ve snapped a photo of it! My fear was
confirmed…the sauce was mayo-based, probably mixed with sriracha…something I do with my vegan “Just Mayo” all the time. Our server apologized and offered to prepare another plate that was “vegan.”  Yes, she actually used the word after all that lol.  In the end, the food was scrumptious, especially the coconut rice, and the restaurant was very accommodating.  I schooled the server about Just Mayo being egg-free and “safe” for all patrons without compromising taste.  She said she would relay that to the chef!

As our post race meal, we headed back south to Delray Beach, FL, along famous Atlantic Avenue, to a preferred hang
out of ours, Budda Sky Bar, a departure from our usual post race beer/french fries reward. We were famished and in desperate need of fried food so we ordered vegetable spring rolls in addition to their divine mushroom dumplings and stir fried string beans.  However, much to our chagrin, when spring rolls arrived, they were nothing more than veggie egg rolls, which of course are made out of egg wonton wraps.  I proceeded to taste the inside and was unsure of the
filling.  I have encountered the  “inadvertent meat eat” with dumplings in the past so I grew weary of the contents, which looked an awful lot like ground chicken or pork.  It’s hard to distinguish ground meat!  The chef actually came out and insisted there were only vegetables, no meat inside but when we remarked how they were egg rolls, not spring rolls, there was no changing his mind about that.  He brought us a fresh batch of the same to be sure and said it’s definitely tofu inside and that he said he tries to season it so well so that it tastes like chicken, which makes it taste
better…yes, those were his words. Needless to say, I stayed away from the egg rolls altogether and embraced all the wonderful veggie options this Japanese restaurant has to offer.  Essentially, the chef’s opinion is much like so many others…everything tastes better with animal products in them.  We know better!!!

Try as we might, we will always face challenges when it comes to plant-based, cruelty-free meals but as more and more
foodies turn to plants, more and more folks in the food industry will catch on. It’s a trend that’s here to stay.  We must remain positive as well as patient in our endeavors and not get discouraged every time we have to send a meal back. Each time that we do, it actually sends a message to both chefs and servers to think outside the box, be creative, go beyond the animal byproducts,  Even if a server seems to be aware of the term “vegan,” they may not have a
clear understanding of what that actually means.  We have to simply be specific when ordering and ask questions for clarification. And just maybe, we’ll make a few of them go plant-based all the way!


text:
Iced tea, popular throughout the U.S.

I was leading the way late Monday afternoon in a two-pickup-truck convoy to a landfill with a soft brown couch filling up most of the bed of my truck, drinking some cold iced tea out of a big cup on a hot summer day after loading up the two vehicles and heading out while helping a good friend move away.

The big United Van Lines moving truck was gone, on its way to Florida.  This was all that was left, things to be tossed out.

My radio was tuned to a favorite classic rock station.  A song or two into the drive, a tune came on that just seemed to fit a “natural playlist” that fit the mood perfectly, with my friend and his family all moving clear across the country.

The tune was written for the songwriter’s children, but it could fit people of many different ages given the same circumstances, asking the question, “What’s a good way to say farewell … for now?”

And there it was, on the radio, almost like it was planned that way at that very moment.  I had to smile as the song played …

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A survey of 1,000 small business owners in Australia shows that 52% of them will consider replacing their accountant if they did not transition to the Cloud. Of the younger small business owners (ages 18-34), 72% of them said they would leave their current accountant if they failed to adopt the Cloud.

Now, accountants, before you rush into the Cloud, there is something you need to think about--what are you going to do about keeping your client's data in the Cloud secure? Security is the number one issue to think about when adopting the Cloud. As an accountant, you are responsible for your client's most personal details. Thanks to Viivo, security is something you don't need to worry about. When you save a file to your Dropbox, Viivo encrypts it immediately. The only people who will have access to your files are those you choose to share them with. Download Viivo today so you can Cloud in Confidence.


text:
Early enrollees lead Wakes class

Wake Forest began celebrating its 2013 recruiting class before National Signing Day when Demon Deacon commitments Ford Howell, Marquel Lee and James Looney enrolled in January, making them eligible...

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text:
Saturday, April 26, 2008

Zip. Buzz. Hum.

At the entrance to the Reifel Island bird sanctuary, there is a house and lawn to the left, possibly a caretaker's cottage. Shrubbery and a rail fence hides it from the public areas, but just at the corner of the storefront, a 2-metre length of bare rail gives a glimpse of the lawn and the water beyond.

When we arrived, a photographer was set up with his tripod there, and we went over to see what he was aiming at. Hanging just inside the fence is a hummingbird feeder; a pair of birds were taking turns at it.

I couldn't decide which photos were the best, so I'm posting half a dozen.

Somebody had attached a few branches to the bottom of the feeder, to be used as perches.

Blurry. Those wings move at up to about 80 beats per second. The camera just can't keep up.

This one is red (with green splotches) all over.

Perched. Green shoulders. The collar, or gorget, looks black at this angle.

White belly on this one.

Look at those wings go!

I assumed this was a mated pair, and tried to see if I could identify their sexes. The more I looked, the more confused I got.

Here are a couple of descriptions; you may have better luck than I did.

From Hummingbird Pictures Guide:
The male is rufous (brownish red) on all sides with a white breast and bright orange-red gorget(throat). The female rufous hummingbird is green above, rufous on the sides, white beneath, and has orange-red spots on the throat patch ... with rufous coloring at the base of its outer tail feathers, black in the middle, and white at the tip.

Adult male: Non-iridescent rufous crown, tail, and sides; back may be rufous, green , or some of each; bright orange-red gorget, white breast....
Adult female: Green back and crown, white breast, streaked throat, rufous sides and base of tail feathers, white tips on outer tail feathers.

If this is a mated pair, they probably have a walnut-sized nest somewhere in the trees over the house,
"built with moss, lined with plant down, covered on the outside with lichen and bark, and held together with spider webbing." From Bird Web.

Hard to imagine. When I was a kid, a hummingbird got inside the wood shed, and was caught in a spider web. Mom freed it, but without restraining it herself, first. The panicked bird escaped, flying straight through the open door into the house. I remember Mom and Dad chasing it around from window to window, trying to throw a kitchen towel over it to hold it down. It took a long time.

When they finally caught it, Mom held it in her hand a minute to let it calm down, then took it to the back porch and released it.

I wonder, now, if the poor bird was just trying to harvest spider web for a nest.

1 comment:

  1. Hi Susannah,

    Thanks for the comment on the cajeta post :)

    I loved these hummingbird photos. As you know, my nickname is "hummingbird" (hence my site's name) and these photos are gorgeous.

If your comment is on a post older than a week, it will be held for moderation. Sorry about that, but spammers seem to love old posts!

Also, I have word verification on, because I found out that not only do I get spam without it, but it gets passed on to anyone commenting in that thread. Not cool!


text:
Trouble in the trenches

It's no secret why the Husky defense has been gashed for 507 yards per game this season. With zero sacks and only 11 tackles for loss through four game, both ranking them dead last in college football, they are losing the battle in the trenches. With that kind of production – or lack there of – you will not win many ball games.
"We need to step it up – all of us," said sophomore defensive tackle Cameron Elisara who is second behind only Daniel Te'o-Nesheim on the defensive line with 10 tackles. As the pressure to win grows, so does the need for the men in the trenches to produce more. Next up is an Arizona team that is averaging 423 yards per game ranking them No. 32 in the country. Last season the Wildcats hung 535 yards on the Huskies and quarterback Willie Tuitama accounted for 510 of those through the air. If Washington has any chance to pull off the upset down in Tucson, the defensive line must improve quickly. But is that possible?
"I'm hoping there is a big burst coming," expressed Elisara. "It should be coming because people are fed up with what is going on. A lot of us are ready to snap."
Defensive line coach Randy Hart has confidence in his young line and sees talented players who will be good in the future. Unfortunately for the Husky coaching staff, improvement can't wait until the future and Hart doesn't expect things to be fixed overnight.
"I don't know if a light bulb is going to go off," explained coach Hart. "I think as strength improves, as fundamentals improve, as the mental awareness improves, and as seeing the expectations improve they will gradually get better."
But will gradual improvement be enough to stave off the critics and cool head coach Tyrone Willingham's hot seat? Can a defensive line dependent on quality playing time from four freshmen and two sophomores produce enough to win now?
"There is plenty of time ahead but we are not thinking about ahead we are thinking about right now," said Elisara. "We have no idea what is going to happen in the future but we can control right now. It's right now that has been killing us and it's right now that we need to change."
The problem is inauspicious for a Husky team searching for a quick fix, as only Te'o-Nesheim notched a start in 2007 and the obvious inexperience has reared its ugly head often in 2008. Consider that one of the most productive players has been senior defensive tackle Johnie Kirton who was lining up at tight end only a season ago and the troubles in the trenches are understandable. Even though coach Hart asserted the defensive line has no young players, only freshmen, he and the rest of the team admit important experience was lacking.
"It's experience," said 6-foot-3, 350-pound true freshman tackle Alameda Ta'amu. "Although we may big freshmen coming in, you can't make up for guys that have been in there for years. It's kind of hard."
Coach Hart has been around since the days of Don James and understands this young group can only gain the lessons needed by playing.
"There is so much going on they haven't experienced," said Hart. "So much of it is new to them. I have seen it but they haven't. As a result it's just about letting them get the experience and enjoy the experience."
Enjoyment can be hard to invoke as loses mount and fingers are pointed in your direction early in your playing career.
"They are not seeing many positives and they aren't seeing themselves making great plays," explained coach Hart. "At one time they thought from watching it on television it was easy – but in person it's not so easy. They get frustrated but again I'm not frustrated so I need to carry that lack of frustration through to them and just keep working with them."
One thing the young players are working hard to improve is their strength. Physical limitations can be just as stunting to a young lineman's success as mental ones. The three true freshman receiving significant playing time this season were all heavily recruited and project to be standout players. That is why physically they can hold their own against some of the opponents they face, but they are not close to reaching their full potential.
"Some of them are as strong as the guys they are playing with," explained coach Hart. "They hold up in there as well as they can."
Eilsara agrees and doesn't envy the position the young linemen are in.
"Physically they are right up there with any of the other guys I have played against. They are ready to go, but they are still dealing with the high school transition. I don't know how it is for them, but I know it would still be a weird thing for me going into only my fifth week of playing football at this level. I think they are making the transition and they will be good players."
For many of the young players the frustration is intensifying, as there own expectations along with those of the fans are not met. But players like Ta'amu see the game slowing down and understand that with more playing time will come better results.
"All games are slowing down as we're going along. This game compared to our first game was way easier. We'll be good pretty soon," Ta'amu said. "Physically, I think the freshman; we're ready to play. But mentally, experience-wise, we're not there. Just certain steps we mess up on. Being in a certain gap and making the wrong step... I guess the people that have more experience gain more leverage on that. I mean, a lot of the freshmen, we go in there and want to do our assignment and not mess up. We're told to clog a hole or get in a gap and if we get in the backfield, we think too much. The sacks have been hard to get."
The answer is simple yet perhaps impossible to obtain before it is too late. In the mean time coach Hart knows the only thin they can do.
"Just keep working – keep banging away."
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text:
Today, naked celebs. Tomorrow, contractors?

Let’s face it: As trusted and credentialed government contractors that handle demanding cybersecurity, data centers, personal devices at work and cloud computing, most of us feel that our level of competence and sophistication is much higher than most Hollywood celebrities like Jennifer Lawrence, Rhianna, and Kate Upton using the iCloud.

But is it really so?

Can we say, as a community of practice, that the cloud is 100 percent secure (public, private or hybrid) by simply relying on universally accepted encryption protocols?

In my opinion, the answer is No. As government contractors, we are guardians of much more than personal photos and ergo our need to be vigilant as big data and cloud become consumerized.

In fact, I strongly believe that without aligning organizational behavior, user behavior, business processes and the application of proper information security protocols, we should not be surprised if a major government contractor or government agency cloud will fall victim to a Hollywood-type hacker attack.

It may not be cyber terrorism, but it may just be incompetence.

Let’s use some common sense and take advantage of the cloud, but make sure we follow the golden rules, which apply to our data centers and enterprise IT.

With the phenomenon of bring your own device (BYOD), you should treat your device like your house. You don’t invite in strangers, you always lock your doors and windows at night.

Your device is tied to you, protect it like you protect yourself

On any device where you consume sensitive or company related data or email:

  • Add a passcode lock to your device if email is resident on it.
  • Disable automatic cloud backup applications
  • Update your devices often to keep up with security updates
  • Never store passwords, enter it every time you connect to a service

Do not open unfamiliar emails and do not click unknown links and avoid connecting to unknown or unsecured wireless networks.

You wouldn’t tell a stranger your home address. Treat the networks you connect to as either friends or strangers and trust accordingly.

For any apps, sites, or services, use two-factor authentication, two-step verification, SSL or VPN whenever possible

  • Minimize the use of Wireless. Turn off Wi-Fi and Bluetooth when not in use.
  • Avoid connecting to unknown or unsecured wireless networks. Turn off automatically connections to networks.

For any questions use alternate information if you can remember it. E.g. if you know that your first car was a Ford Explorer, but you know you actually wanted a Chevy Trailblazer, use that as your answer.

With passwords:

  • Use strong passwords and don't reuse them.
  • Do not use any popular or simple passwords.
  • Do not use the same password for different accounts.
  • Change your passwords every 6 months.

For security questions and answers:

  • Make sure answers are strong and not easily guessable
  • Do not use info that can be identified through social media or research

About the Author

Tony Crescenzo is the CEO of IntelliDyne LLC.

Reader Comments

Fri, Sep 5, 2014 Jenna Martinos Mclean, VA

Tony Crescenzo is right. Too often, we think of the Cloud as secure by default. It isn't. Good tips on good house keeping and reminder for all of us to stay vigilant.

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text:
Tony Abbott’s blood oath to repeal tax in trouble…. (reprint)

For over a year now I’ve been arguing Abbott and the LNP have a growing problem on their hands. Their opposition to the carbon price (Ax the tax!) and Abbott’s “Blood oath” is a trap they have made for themselves.  While ditching a price on carbon may be to the liking of far-right-wing columnists such as Andrew Bolt and eccentric mining billionaires, it turns out the vast majority of business in Australia is happy with an emissions trading scheme (see below).

While “Ax the tax”. “Ju-liar” and “Ditch the Witch” were effective (but ugly) slogans they lacked substance. Simple opposition and the proposed Direct Action Policy are now being seen as lacking substance. Abbott has a growing problem, and it is a problem of his making.

I suspect the vicious opposition to the “carbon tax” will prove to have been useful in giving the Coalition a useful short-term tactical advantage, but in the end a strategic blunder. China and now America are now moving towards more vigorous action. This now leaves Australia and Abbott the laggards. The world is moving, and Abbott is still thinks it is 1955.

My advice: watch this space.

I’m growing increasingly confident that Abbott may have to breach his “blood oath”. The moment Abbott baulks he is in deep trouble: the hypocrisy will be obvious to all.

Here’s another thought…  imagine what Malcolm Turnball, the man Abbott deposed with the backing of climate sceptics, is thinking after watching the return of Kevin Rudd.

Still busy with work and study however I thought it worth while reprinting the following from The Conversation which supports my contentions.

Coalition plays chicken with first non-core promise

By David Adamson

Australian climate change inaction is often excused with “unless China and the US do something, why should we?”. But, with China’s recent introduction of a cap-and-trade system and Barack Obama’s move against the “Flat Earth Society”, the rules of the game have radically changed – globally and locally.

The Coalition, still tipped to win the Federal election, may find the game has also changed for its Direct Action policy as domestic pressure heats up too.

Calls to keep carbon pricing have begun emanating from the business community, with many in favour of international emissions trading. This week, the industry group Businesses for a Clean Economy released a survey that showed only 3.3% of the 180 business respondents didn’t want a carbon price. Another 3.3% were unsure. Energy suppliers are also reportedly nervous about the Coalition’s policy, calling for more detail.

In the face of such global and local ructions, the Coalition’s Direct Action policy and the dismantling of the carbon price policy is likely to be one of the first “non-core” policy shifts after the release of the inevitable white paper excesses, when the true cost of purchasing the current property rights are realised.

Core of the matter

Every new government has a set of ideal policies that it sells to get elected. However, the difference between the rhetoric and reality of election promises has been defined by the idea of “core” and “non-core”, made infamous by John Howard. And I predict that the Coalition’s stated abolition of the carbon price is a furphy.

There are two ways to deal with a good that creates externalities in policy. The first is to create a market-based solution where a price is introduced, which allows the market to build in the real cost of the resource usage. This is done primarily via a tax or a transferable right to pollute such as a cap & trade system. The market responds to this by either introducing greater efficiency and/or passing the price of this increase along the consumption chain.

This system is improved by adding a supply constraint (below current levels), which prevents the resource being consumed at the same previous rate and allows the consumer to bear the cost. This then allows enterprise to determine the best use of the resource at the least cost. By allowing trade between larger groups – like a multinational trading system – greater savings are made.

The second approach is the command and control. In this case, the policy determines the ideal world and sets rules for individuals – like cash for clunkers. This mechanism then by-passes the market, preventing enterprising individuals from adapting to the new state of the world at the least cost solution.

The coalition has announced that it wishes to abolish the market system in favour of the second approach, calling the policy Direct Action. “Action” may signify something is happening, but the system creates far greater public costs and business uncertainty.

Business deals with markets daily: they know that prices rise and fall. They know how to manipulate markets to their advantage and that their portfolio of rights to pollute has a value. This market value then provides a degree of certainty about how they conduct business and, through time, the scarcity value of these rights increases, especially when stock is removed from the market. Even in the depressed carbon market, these rights have a value that business can leverage.

Command and control

The problem with command and control is that if the first command step doesn’t work, then another command is issued, and so on. In this case, a degree of uncertainty exists for long-term investment, either about providing the service that allows control and/or wondering which new command may impact on their business structure.

The Chinese government realised that their former approach of command and control was the least efficient system and launched a cap and trade system on June 18. The US proposed policy is one of command and control that directly targets those who emit CO2; however, the desire for bilateral cooperation allows for the inevitable switch towards trading permits.

But what is clear is that the world has turned on a dime in a matter of weeks, with a radical shift in the rules of the global Climate Change game and a redrawing of the line between rhetoric and reality on local carbon pricing.

David Adamson does not work for, consult to, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has no relevant affiliations.

The Conversation

This article was originally published at The Conversation.
Read the original article.

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5 thoughts on “Tony Abbott’s blood oath to repeal tax in trouble…. (reprint)

  1. uknowispeaksense says:

    Abbott takes the whole core/non-core promise to a whole other level. Essentially, his whole election platform is now based on promises (core/non-core???) to look at everything, send some things to commissions, send others out for reviews, produce a few white papers etc. So not only has he not made any actual detailed policies public, voters are being asked to “trust me, I’ll have a look at it…maybe.”

    It is shameful and sad that ~50% of the voting public are prepared to accept him on his word…to do something…maybe, without actually knowing what that is. Lenore Taylor has a list of these “figure it out later” ummm policies.

  2. Steve says:

    Speaking as a business man, (our business started on July the third 1990, so today is its 23rd birthday) I would like to state that I am strongly in favour of retaining the carbon tax.

    • Watching the Deniers says:

      Likewise, working in private sector I can confirm the thinking of many is the same.

    • Steve says:

      But will Kevin Rudd (The Adelaide Sunday Mail, 14/7/13) abolish the carbon tax in favour of fast tracking an emissions trading scheme?
      I prefer the tax.

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Anish Trivedi sentenced to six months in prison

Anish Trivedi—a former investment banker who gave up Wall Street to host radio, anchor television and run a media company; writer of two plays (Still Single and One Small Day), and a regular contributor to magazines like GQ and Elle—gets his 15 minutes of infamy for a 2006 column in the Bombay tabloid, Mid-Day.

Facsimile: courtesy The Indian Express

Photograph via Facebook

  1. mysore peshva

    ridiculous… the court has committed a vile atrocity against the freedom of speech and expression guaranteed in article 19(1)(a) of the indian constitution.

    i have no doubt that this uneducated judgment will be reversed on appeal.

  2. Imam Siddique

    Shocking and deeply disturbing…preposterous!

  3. CC

    As a member of the legal fraternity I am pained by this ridiculous ruling. If at all you must have reservation base it on economic criteria and not on caste.

  4. sanjiv bhandarkar

    The biggest tragedy of this country that we call India is definitely not the one which Trivedi is so cynical about in his article rather the illiteracy shown by the likes of him in understanding the real situation. I do not know the reaction of Tariq Ansari to the Khairlanji Killings or for that matter the “wierd” judgement of the High Court in lowering the sentence of the Khairlanji accused from gallows to life..However, Ansari is earnest in likening the sentence awarded to Trivedi as an imminent situation putting the freedom of speech in great perils. The blanket castigation which Trivedi hurls on the SC/STs, my dear Ansari is more degrading than calling the whole of the Muslim populace in our country as “Pakistanis”…it is one thing to cast aspersions on ones patriotism and another to deny the elementary dignity of Humanity and thats what Trivedi indulges in…Does Trivedi has any definitive survey which establishes his assertions????To indulge in namecalling for Govt servants/employees is one thing but to put the blame on a whole community for all the ills of Governance more than proves that Trivedi intellectually has still to grow beyond his diapers…My only concern is why Ansari is hellbent on shifting from his boxers to diapers in his bid to support Trivedi????Had it been England or US Trivedi would have been out of the public life forever…But we are in India where sub-standard grown up juveniles riding high on fictitous stereotypes, dreamt of in thier glasshouses go on babbling to pamper thier king size egos & also thier brethrens…I am afraid the size of this “intellectual” tribe is not less….The judgement of the court will be a good lesson to all those who are prone to get into such intellectual stupor…. to keep thier eyes wide open and see the things as they are and not what thier castiest ego dictates………

  5. jay kay

    This priviliged a-hole Trivedi described blamed ALL the ills of corporates today an scheduled castes and categorized them as ‘lazy little sh*ts’ – which is exactly the same terms the British used to describe them – just think if a Britisher said what he said, he’d lose his job! Anish tarred an ENTIRE section of society with his brush – but of course he is against reservation – it would mean that windbags like him that spend most of their lives in foreign shores spending daddy’s money and who are supremely out of touch with the masses will be denied jobs due to someone who is probably has less degrees (due to him not having the cash to stump for donations) but will in all probability be a harder worker. In mean, in all MY experience, it’s the so-called scheduled castes who are the hardest workers while all the people like Mr. Trivedi mill about and coast through life doing nothing. At least prison will teach him some humility. Isn’t that right, Anish?

  6. dave becktold

    Mr Trivedi was my room mate at the University of Southern California. I know him as an honorable gentleman. I use his surname respectfully. Cleary Jay, you have racial problems and have trouble dealing with people that have succeeded in life. Attacking mr. Trivedi’s dignity and integrity have nothing to do with the issues. Racism only proves your ignorance. Your ignorance may only coax uninformed and misinformed Indian citizens. I am not of Indian Heritage, but i’ve lived in your country many times. (not as a tourist, or employment) I came to learn India’s fantastic ability to rise above obscurity and sincerely share joy at another citizens success story. Do you not know that mr trivedi has helped hundreds of homeless and needy fellow citizens? Did you not know he prays for the less fortunate. You have no credibility. I’m sorry to say this but you sound like a jealous, bitter, old woman. I think your dull witted vendetta sounds more subjective and personal than objective and realistic.

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2012 Top Contributor Awards

Recognizing our community rockstars and legends! These noble individuals have selflessly given in the pursuit of community and open source excellence.

Jan Geißler

After school, Jan Geißler worked for about 10 years as a Chef in different Restaurants varying from traditional regional to fine dining. Along the way he played in a semi-professional rock band, which occupied the rest of his life.

Getting tired of working on weekends, public holidays and every night Jan decided at the age of 30 to do a fresh start in a different industry, so he began an apprenticeship as application developer at OScomputing AG in Frankfurt am Main. From that time on his focus has been building Web Applications in Java-Environments. Jan started using Liferay with Version 6.0.6, when a customer had requirements which Liferay nearly met. From that time on his company began to focus on using Liferay as a Portal Container and has developed various custom made solutions for different customers.

Jan started posting in the Forum to get help, because at that time the documentation was kind of not there. Now he tries to help other people, because he knows how difficult it can be starting to work with Liferay. He is also a big fan of OpenSource Projects, because they give you the possibility to participate, and you can always dig through the code to see why something is not working as expected.

Aniceto P Madrid

Aniceto Pérez y Madrid is CEO and founder of Innovasoft Proyectos y Servicios, based in Madrid, Spain. He started working with Liferay since version 4.2.

Aniceto has been focused in Liferay portlets using JSF technologies and Vaadin, and lately with Liferay MVC portlets. He has also worked with other plugins: ext, themes, services, and hooks, mainly to add or customize Liferay funcionality.

The long expertise in Java and other related technologies has led Aniceto to debug Liferay Portal source code. This and the launch of Marketplace and some customer requests have led Aniceto to actively contribute to Liferay in some areas, and also to be involved with the Liferay developer community, not only in the development area but also with active participation in Liferay Forums.

One of Aniceto's target is to replace current web platforms with Liferay and portletize customer bussiness apps because with Liferay a lot of work is already done. Not an easy task.

Another area of Innovasoft Proyectos y Servicios current activity are real estate, statistics and project management and retail mainly as web applications.

Aniceto has a Master in Communications by the Escuela Superior de Ingenieros de Telecomunicacion, Madrid 1983. He worked in digital radio communications, hardware, firmware, systems and softwate design, development, testing and integration. He founded Innovasoft Proyectos y Servicios in 1996 as a Software Consulting company for long-term relationship with customers. That strategy has soften the cuts due to current financial crisis.

David Kubitza

David came to Liferay while comparing different portal systems for his master's thesis in 2012. At first he didn't know anything about Liferay, and found it in the Gartner Magic Quadrant for Horizontal Portals. David works with different open source programs and always loved the way open source projects and communities work together, and so was very interested in Liferay.

Because Liferay has a community version that's free to use, David used it for a first try and was excited about it. David wrote his thesis at a mid-sized company and had to convince them. He showed them his first try with Liferay and the company decided to fund a prototype of it in using Liferay EE 6.1 GA1 as a test with a demo license. At the end of David's thesis they decided to start working on the production system with Liferay. Because of different requirements David had to do lots of different things in Liferay and also found lots of bugs. Coming from other open source projects, David is a regular IRC user and so visited the #liferay IRC channel to discuss bugs, features etc., get some help, and give some help back to other users.

Prakash Khanchandani

Prakash Khanchandani is currently working in Fulcrum World Wide as a Senior Liferay Developer, creating liferay portlets and mentoring team members to pick-up Liferay.

Prakash has been working in Liferay since 2009, starting with version 5.2 CE and has gone  through upgrades of 6.0 CE to EE --> 6.1 GA1 EE --> 6.1 GA2 EE.

Prakash has always been a believer in increasing knowledge & expertise through sharing and he really like the healthy atmosphere of the Liferay community's sharing and open source philosophy where everybody benefits. Hence, he tries to share whatever he has learned from the community and give it in one form or the other through liferay forums, wikis and through other sites like stackoverflow.com [Prakash's profile].

Prakash graduated from Mumbai University, India, in Electronics and Telecommunication Engineering and started his career in 2007 with programming in C, C++ and Java.  For the last 4 years he has only been working on developing Java Web applications using frameworks like Struts 1.3, Spring, Hibernate and now portal development with Liferay.

Victor Zorin

Victor Zorin, an Enterprise Architect of MyOffice24x7, (also is known as a rocket scientist due his to PhD in Aerospace Technologies), based in Australia, started working with Liferay 8 years ago on Version 3.

Victor has implemented a number of mission-critical real–time solutions across many industries. These include defence, aviation, telecommunication, financial services, security, international trade, small and medium Enterprises. Most of his attention is now in the area of developing applications that enable effective use of Liferay Portal for Business, and not just as CMS/collaboration/intranet tool. Let Liferay be a better version of SAP!!!

Victor enjoys working for and with Liferay Community with active participation in the forums, mostly in the development area. When Victor is dead tired he can be found walking the streets of Bayside, drinking long black in the local cafés and sailing his 470 in Port Phillip bay.

Jignesh Vachhani

Jignesh has been involved with Liferay from the start of his career in 2008. Gradually, his interest increased toward Liferay with his experience. Initially Jignesh learned a lot and in fact is still learning from Liferay's Blogs, Wikis, and Forums.  He then started to contribute his own knowledge to the community using forum posts (more than 700 of them). Jignesh is also member of BugSquad.

Apart from his contributions on liferay.com, Jignesh has also started a blog  at www.liferaysolution.com around 2 years ago, sharing useful Liferay development tricks faced during project execution.  The blog currently  has more than 100 blog posts and more than 250,000 visitors (some of which are regular visitors). Jignesh is also an active member of LIUG (Liferay's India User Group) and recently coordinated a meetup in Ahmedabad area. He also guides and encourages other interested liferay developers to participate in liferay collaboration activity, especially within his organization (and Liferay partner, CIGNEX Datamatics) since 2008. Jignesh has been involved in more than 13 Liferay projects (from the US, UK, EMEA, and APAC) as a Liferay tech lead and have provided predominant solutions.

Jignesh completed his Bachelors of Engineering in Computer Science in 2008 from Faculty of Technology (DDU, Nadiyad), and wants to contribute as much as he can to the Liferay platform directly or indirectly using liferay.com and its collaboration activity.

Jelmer Kuperus

Since 1999, Jelmer Kuperus has been a Java Developer working for Orange11, a Dutch company. Jelmer is well known and very active in the security community and has discovered and reported security issues in notable software products such as Internet Explorer, Windows Media Player, Shockwave Flash, Acrobat Reader, ICQ, Winamp and many others.

Jelmer has been using Liferay on commercial projects since 2010, but begun his Liferay Community involvement as early as 2004, providing feedback to the open source community on ways to improve its architecture and security. He is very active on the forums (with 1000+ posts, most of which answers to questions posted in the development category), and has filed numerous bugs in JIRA, some of which are security related and include contributed patches that resolve the issue. He participated in the 100 papercuts program, and is always willing to help out on IRC when he has the time, and has also contibuted to Juan Fernández' WordPress Importer Portlet, and most recently has been working on a Liferay plugin for Gradle.

Tejas Kanani

Tejas Kanani has been involved with the Liferay Community since 2009. He initially started with version 4.4.2 and is now using Liferay 6.1. He is active in BugSquad and also a member of Liferay India User Group(LIUG). He loves the open source concept and always admires it. Tejas is always ready to help contribute to the Liferay community via forums or directly with individual whenever needed. He has also started a Liferay blog, to which he is constantly adding useful stuff regarding Liferay. He always trys to learn new things out of Liferay. Tejas has started his professional career from day one with Liferay.

Tejas is currently associated with CIGNEX DATAMATICS. He is leading Liferay projects as a Team Lead. He has completed his Bachelors in Computer Science from Dharmsinh Desai University in 2008. Tejas has worked in many different kinds of Liferay projects in various industries such as Healthcare, Intranet Portal, Educational Portal, Media, etc.

Amit Doshi

Amit's interest in Liferay came when he joined CIGNEX DATAMATICS in 2010. He is a member of the Liferay India User Group(LIUG). He started with Liferay version 5.2 and is now using 6.1 He loves to share knowledge with community via the Liferay Forum and also started blogging in Liferay. He has worked on many integration projects with different open source products and also has good knowledge of building corporate intranets.

Amit graduated from Saurashtra University in 2008 holding a Bachelor degree in Computer Science. He comes from the background of Java and J2ME, with the last 4 years spent developing Java Web and Mobile based applications. Amit is currently Leading a team with a web based application based on Liferay.

Hitoshi Ozawa

Hitoshi is involved in the BugSquad, Community Verifier program, and has created over 145 Japanese wiki pages, several English wiki pages, over 400 pages of Japanese documentation, and has developed Japanese localized version of Liferay, and is currently the top forum poster with over 3800 posts. Hitoshi has come to know Liferay while searching for an open source project to create DCI architecture platform - the next generation architecture proposed by Trygve Reenskaug, the father of MVC architecture. Hitoshi is also a committer with several other open source projects and is integrating them with Liferay to develop DCI platform.

Hitoshi is currently employed by OGIS-RI as an open source evangelist and senior consultant. Prior to OGIS-RI, he was a general manager of a largest e-learning venture in Japan where he was able to half IT cost while drastically improve system availability by strategic outsourcing. He has written several best selling computer books and articles in Japan as well as research papers on SOA.

David Nebinger

David stumbled upon Liferay in 2006 while looking for an open source portal platform for an intranet application implementation. He started with version 4.2 and went through the version 5 and 6 upgrades. David enjoys helping others on the forum, and does so in the spirit of open source. At times, his sense of humor takes some time to recognize and master. One of David's goals is to try and learn something new from Liferay every day.

David graduated from Bowling Green State University in 1995 w/ a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science. He comes from a background of C, C++, and Java, with the last 10 years spent developing Java web applications (the last 6 of those years solely on the Liferay platform.)

Juan Gonzalez

Juan's interest in Liferay came when started his current job in the health car sector in Spain, in 2008. Since then, Juan has tried to understand the platform and apply the best practices he's learned from the community, while at the same time tirelessly giving back as much as possible. Juan has even helped developed some Liferay features, such as Video/Audio preview, and has also maintained patch sets for the Community Edition.  Juan is especially interested in open source, and participates and contributes wherever possible. Apart from Liferay, Juan has contributed to other open source projects, such as JSF Openfaces and Oviyam. Juan also favors Java EE standards, and is a Sun Certified Java Programmer and Sun Certified Web Component Developer, and is studying for the Java Architect certification (Oracle Certified Master).

Juan has participated in e-government projects for Spain, and is now working for his local health care public service (in a hospital) developing some projects. Juan holds a degree of Bachelor Science in Computing from University of Wales.

Drew Blessing

Drew Blessing is an avid participant in the Liferay community. He is involved in the BugSquad, Community Verifier program, and enjoys helping other community members on the message boards and IRC. Drew became familiar with Liferay in late 2010 and is working to integrate other open-source products with Liferay Portal to create a custom learning environment for students. As part of this initiative, Drew is leading two new community projects.

Drew graduated from Chadron State College in 2010 with a degree in Information Management Systems and is currently pursuing a Master's degree in Management of Information Systems. He is a Linux System Specialist at Educational Service Unit #10 in Kearney, Nebraska. Drew enjoys programming and has experience in a wide range of languages including PHP, Java and Perl.


text:
Ohio Books And Authors

The Ohioana Book Festival is Saturday, May 8 at the Ohioana Library and State Library building at 274 E. First Avenue in Columbus.  It promises to be an exceptional day, beginning at 10 a.m. and running until 4:30 p.m.  There will be readings from authors, a chance to get books signed by authors, the presentation of awards to young writers, and a series of panel presentations.

All of the panel discussions look interesting, but some in particular have caught my eye.  One is Mentors & Muses:  The Writers and Books That Inspired Me, in which David Catrow and Martha Moody will discuss books and writers that inspired them.  In my view, when people start talking about their favorites of anything, it is usually revealing.  Another presentation that looks interesting for the same reason is How We Write, What We Write, in which Lisa Klein and Lucy A. Snyder will discuss their creative processes.

Ohio is full of really good writers, and the Ohioana Book Festival is a good way to get to know some of them.  Information about the 2010 Ohioana Book Festival is available here.

Another Dog Bites Man Story

Florida Governor Charlie Crist, who went from having a commanding lead in the polls to getting clobbered in the Republican primary contest for the U.S. Senate seat from the Sunshine State, has announced that he will run as an independent.  Of course, the fact that Crist was likely to get walloped in the primary wasn’t the motivating factor.  Rather, it was about “principle.”  In his statement announcing the decision, Crist said that, for him, it is all about “public service” and “putting the needs of people first.” Seriously, he said that — and apparently was able to get it out with a straight face, without dissolving into uncontrollable laughter about the obvious absurdity of his self-serving statement.

There is nothing surprising about this, of course.  Indeed, everything about the story is predictable.  Crist’s decision was not a difficult call because, as any rational person knows, every politician is just about getting himself or herself elected and then reelected.  When you have the itch to be in The World’s Greatest Deliberative Body, party affiliation doesn’t mean squat.  Arlen Specter showed that recently, and Crist confirms it.  Also predictable is the reaction to Crist’s announcement.  Republicans are outraged that Crist — that unprincipled hack! — would shed his party affiliation so casually.  Do you think they were outraged when Joe Lieberman decided to run as an independent in a bid — and a successful one at that — to keep his Senate seat, or when Congressman Parker Griffith from Alabama recently changed his allegiance from Democrat to Republican?

If I were a Florida voter, I wouldn’t vote for Crist — not because he has jettisoned his party affiliation, but because his change has exposed the naked truth.  What does Charlie Crist believe in?  Why, he believes in nothing other than Charlie Crist.  He’s now established that his interests come before everything else.  Why would you want someone like that to represent your State in the Senate?

The NCAA Tournament Expands

The NCAA has decided to expand — ever so slightly — the NCAA Basketball Tournament field, from 65 to 68 teams.  Starting next year, there will be four “play-in” games instead of just one.

I suppose this is a compromise solution, between people who wanted an 80- or 96-team field and those who would prefer to leave the Tournament the way it is.  I think making the Tournament much bigger would have been kind of silly, so I am glad the NCAA Board of Directors resisted that temptation.  As it is, I kind of scratch my head at the arguments about whether a “bubble” team from a “power conference” that couldn’t even finish above .500 in conference play should make the Tournament.  If you can’t even win a majority of the games in your conference, why should you be playing for the NCAA championship?  For that same reason, I also like the NCAA Board’s idea of the play-in games not being limited to just small-conference teams.  Why shouldn’t a “power conference” team or two have to play their way in, just like the small fry?

The linked article also notes that, in 2011, every game in the NCAA Tournament will be available for viewing, live, across the country.  The games will be broadcast by CBS, TNT, TBS, and truTV.  That news will cause every sports fan to ask one question:  “What the heck is truTV, and do I have it on my basic cable?”

Debt Commission Deception

The Debt Commission established by President Obama to recommend ways to reduce the federal deficit has begun its discussions and deliberations.  Its first meeting produced the expected round of sound bites.  Erskine Bowles, one of the chairs, said the federal debt is “like a cancer” that would “destroy our country from within.” Fed Chair Ben Bernanke said the federal budget is on an “unsustainable path.” And, with the Commission’s discussions taking place against the backdrop of plummeting credit ratings for EU countries like Greece, Portugal, and now Spain, the debt reduction effort in America should have a special urgency.

So why does the concept of a Debt Commission leave me cold?  Because I think the Debt Commission is just another exercise in deception.

Recently, we have seen what Congress can do when it tries.  I agree with at least one part of Richard’s recent post — if you are going to control Congress, at least try to do something with that control while it lasts.  The dogged Democratic efforts to pass the “health care reform” legislation shows what Congress and the Administration can accomplish when they are fully committed to doing so — even though, in that case, I strongly disagreed with the solution.  If Congress has the will to enact a bill that is thousands of pages long, that regulates and restructures an enormous and extraordinarily complex slice of our economy, surely Congress could substantially reduce the deficit through a similar effort.  What the Debt Commission really tells us is that Congress doesn’t have the stomach for that deficit reduction effort.

Sure, we’ll hear the sound bites from the unelected, ultimately powerless people on the Debt Commission . . . and it will avail us naught.  Congress likes to giveth — a subsidized health benefit here, a new consumer financial regulatory agency there — but doesn’t like to taketh away.  Until circumstances force Congress’ hand, deficit reduction will always be on the back burner.

Something Similar to Alan Parsons Project (Pt. 3)

In addition to what Dad posted, here are some albums I think are similar to the Alan Parsons Project’s I Robot.

1. Jean Michel Jarre, Oxygene. Oxygene, released in 1976, is more electronic and less rock than I Robot, and it’s not exactly a concept album, but it has a similar sound and sensibility.

2. and 3. Pink Floyd, Animals and The Wall. Pretty much any Pink Floyd album from the 1970s is as close to Alan Parsons as you can get. In fact, Alan Parsons was an engineer for Dark Side of the Moon, so he probably influenced the sound for that album and was influenced by Pink Floyd’s sound. Like I Robot, both Animals and The Wall were concept albums and were also sort of funky.

4. The Who, Tommy. Tommy‘s sound is different than I Robot‘s because it was made in the late 1960s, but both are concept albums about an anguished protagonist and both have lots of good songs.

5. The Talking Heads, More Songs About Buildings and Food. This isn’t a concept album, but it reminds me of I Robot because it, also, seems to be a mix of new wave, electronic, classic rock, funk and disco. Actually, pretty much anything by the Talking Heads in the late 70s would qualify.

Massachusetts’ Offshore Wind Farm

I’m delighted that the federal government has approved construction of America’s first offshore wind farm, which will provide most of the power for Cape Cod, Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket.

The wind farm I pass on I-65 in Indiana (via Google search)

The project was held up for nine years, partly because locals complained that the turbines would be an eyesore. I don’t know what they’re talking about. Every time I drive from Ohio to Chicago I drive past a wind farm, and I’ve always thought the turbines were beautiful. The Times article says opponents fear they will be an “industrial blot,” but they’re one of the most sleek and graceful examples of industrialism I’ve seen. They’re sort of organic-looking, so they blend in well with nature, and their size and the speed of their turbines make them a magnificent sight. Also, they just look clean and harmless – instead of emitting smoke, they seem to emphasize the purity of the air – which is fitting for what is perhaps the cleanest and most harmless form of power we have.

The beauty of these things shouldn’t be an issue, anyway. What matters is that they provide clean energy. The wind farm’s opponents worry that the turbines will ruin the “pristine beauty” of their coast, but they will make their community’s environment more pristine than the hidden smokestacks currently used for power. The people of Massachusetts should be proud to be national leaders in adopting this form of power.

Greece Fire

Standard & Poor’s has cut Greece’s credit rating to “junk” status.  In so doing, the ratings agency indicates that it considers it unlikely that investors who purchase the bonds will ultimately be paid the principal amount of the bonds and all required interest payments.

What is the meaning of this for the United States?  The fact that some other country’s debt is considered likely to default is not earth-shaking news; this article notes that bonds issued by Egypt and Azerbaijan have the same rating that has now been assigned to Greece.  No, the risk is that Greece’s unrelenting troubles — and the corresponding reduction in the credit rating of Portugal — will inflame general investor skittishness about the massive governmental debt among European countries and the U.S.A.  If investors perceive greater risk of non-payment, they are going to insist on higher interest payments to bear that risk, and higher interest rates mean more deficits and a spiraling debt problem that becomes increasingly difficult to solve.  The yield on Greece’s 2-year bonds is now trading at about 15%.  Imagine if the United States, or debt-ridden states like California, had to pay 15% interest on their borrowings, and an ever-growing portion of the federal budget therefore had to be devoted to debt payments to overseas investors.

The lesson to be drawn from Greece’s predicament is that deficits must be addressed, non-essential spending must be cut, and budgets must be balanced.  As Greece has now demonstrated, constant deficit spending and borrowing is the path to perdition.


text:
Holiday Season

Ginger Bread CrewBaking with Jon Last weekend we made a gingerbread house and sugar cookies. This weekend is the ornament party. Holiday fun for all.

8 thoughts on “Holiday Season”

  1. hey lisa…great pics! lots on the docket today, but we’re hoping to make it over there for the OP prior to swooping nathan up for tonight’s aces game! cheri is working today (ugh!)…this is the bank’s busiest time of year, and our 12/19 departure for sonoma has pretty much doubled up her workload this coming week. anyhow, the boys and i will see you around 5 today…looking forward to it. l,d

  2. Sweet apron! I always feel like a professional when I put mine on…helpful for minimizing the grease spots on shirts too.

  3. So beautiful Lisa! Looks like you all had a great time. I haven’t started my holiday baking yet! I’m looking forward to it though!! Uncle Pete is doing better…I picked up a new pain medication for him yesterday and that has made a big difference. The first one they had him on was making him so sick. We just keep trying new things to make him comfortable…so thankful for the kids. I think next week we will be ready for visitors!!

  4. It’s good to here Peter is doing well. Pain meds can have tough side effects. Glad you found one that works. Gotta be able to sleep.

    Marina has strep throat so we will be postponing our ornament party until Friday.

  5. Sorry the ornament party was cancelled. With all the talk about “sweet” aprons I was looking forward to. Busting out my “dawn we now our gay apparel” jokes. Lord knows it is much more fun sharing that with a large group of people. Anyways…enough inappropriate holiday jokes, I hope that everyone has a safe and happy holiday season. I hope that your travel is swift and your vacation time is restful. We will miss you all.
    Love, Ben

  6. If last night’s visit is any measure, I’d say Marina is well along her way on the recovery trail. Looks like we’ll miss the rescheduled ornament party, but look forward to seeing the Wedin-Burpees in Sonoma Sunday afternoon. Wow! That’s like 5 days from now…guess I’d better start wrangling suitcases here.

    Looking forward to Florida pics and tales. Talked to Pete last night and it sounds like some good ones are in the hopper. Happy Holidays to all…l,j/d/gp

  7. I think saltwater gargle is the best thing for a sore throat, but I can’t imagine how you’d trick a kid into doing that.

    Now I know what to get Ben for Christmas…

Comments are closed.


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About Me

I built my first computer from a kit (a Microtan 65) when I was 12 years old. Since I couldn’t afford the BASIC ROMs at the time, I learned to program in 6502 machine code – I couldn’t afford an assembler either 😦

I work for Qualcomm Inc in the UK, and have worked on smartphone operating systems, NFC software and things which need to happen TrustZone (trusted environments, basically), as you can read on my LinkedIn profile.

Since my day job is about as stateful and imperative as things can possibly be, I have been dabbling in Haskell for a few years now as it is just about the most different environment imaginable. I got involved in wxHaskell a few years back because I wanted an excuse to write GUI tools for work using Haskell, and Gtk is not an option for us (for legal reasons – IANAL, but the people who tell me not to use GPL/LGPL are, so don’t flame me about it…)

I try to answer the occasional Haskell or C related question on Stack Overflow as well – you may find useful stuff which never made it to this blog.

I am married to a wonderful lady and have two fantastic sons and a beautiful baby daughter. This blog is not (and never will be) about them.

My ambition is to write my very own monad 🙂

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WordPress, you are getting on my nerves. I will find a way to comment!   24 comments

First you won’t let me post. When I get around that (thanks, MaryAnne!) you decide not to let me comment on posts. I can reply to my comments but not start any original comments.

So, let me just say this –

Kathryn Rubidoux – You stay safe – don’t rule out any option when it comes to lining up housing for yourself. Keep that blog open, and update it when you can, use the library or whatever resources you come across, but don’t give up on it, we do care about what happens to you and Liz. If the social worker doesn’t come up with anything, reach out to your local Domestic Violence prevention project, even if DV is not your issue, they will be able to point you toward other resources.

Some Daft Thoughts that is a powerful post, great response to a cad. glad you have unfriended him everywhere. I have not experienced that depression you experienced, but even without that, I knew enough to simply be sad that Robin Williams could not get the help he needed. To me, from out here, it seemed as if he never could align the love everyone had for his external self with the way he felt about his internal self. And as you say, if you get caught in that downward spiral soon, there is no option left. I am so glad that you did not go the same way he did, and you left me wondering – what helped you change things for yourself?

Now, on a happier note – Claire – I am loving the tales of your holiday – Malta looks intriguing – and that pool – ! I would have a hard time leaving it. Love the post to all the “serious” travelers!

And all of you who are posting about your knitting, crocheting, papercrafts and sewing – I love it all and think you are doing a great job. 🙂

Now, WordPress, please fix it so I can click on comment and actually comment, instead of writing a ton and then having you say “Sorry, could not post this comment.” it’s just plain rude.

Posted August 16, 2014 by salpal1 in what I am thinking about

Tagged with ,

24 responses to “WordPress, you are getting on my nerves. I will find a way to comment!

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  1. I think what helped me most was understanding what was wrong with me. When you’re stuck in depression, everything feels like it’s your fault. You brought it onto yourself, you’re not strong enough, you’re lazy, you’re not worthy of happiness etc. I went to see a psychologist because I got genuinely scared by my suicidal thoughts. My brain was pushing me into that direction but the rest of my mind and heart weren’t ready to submit to the disease. Like I said, I had moments where I saw clearly, where my friends’ love penetrated the haze in my head and allowed me to breathe.

    My psychologists explained to me how depression works and it helped me shift my perspective. I understood and acknowledged it WASN’T my fault. I got tips and exercises that helped my brain escape from the spiral. I started confiding in friends and explained what was up with me. I talked excessively, partially through blogging. Expelling my bad feelings to anonymous people was a way to unload negative energy. It’s like throwing up when you feel really sick and then you feel a bit better for a while, even if you get sick again later at that moment your stomach feels better.

    I had my ups and downs. I still do.Mid 2013 I started knitting and exactly a year ago I got together with my boyfriend too. I think these two things are what saved my life, or at least are the greatest contributors. My boyfriend didn’t question me, or try to fix me, or blamed me. He just let me explain and accepted it and treated me normally. He makes sure I know I’m loved and that I can talk to him without being judged. Not fearing to be rejected or ridiculed is possibly the greatest gift you can find in another human being when you’re struggling with this.

    Knitting gave me a sense of accomplishment. It’s easy to learn on your own especially with Youtube, and for the first time in a long time I didn’t feel like I couldn’t do anything. I’m knitting more difficult projects all the time, putting the bar higher, and I never feel like I fail. To me, knitting is a matter of “when can I do this?” as opposed to “can I do this at all?”. Finishing a dishcloth makes me feel like I can do and finish other things in my life too. Basically, I’m always a winner when I knit, and that mindset is SO INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT when you question your value in life.

    I also think that the act of knitting releases chemicals in the brain that stimulate feeling good, just like exercising does. The repetitive motions and being wholly focused on your project allow for little room to panic or dwell on bad thoughts, so it gives you a breather too.

    I think if I hadn’t had my boyfriend or my knitting, I might not be here today. They helped me see my illness for what it is. I will probably never be cured from it, but I have learned to manage it, and I hope that I will have many clear moments in my future that kick my depression in the face.

    • oh, I am so glad you were able to seek the help you needed – that the fright overcame the inertia caused by depression. And great to hear you ahve a boyfriend who gives you such loving support! knitting, of course, cures all ills. Except, perhaps, carpal tunnel. Thanks for the quick and open repsonse, I appreciate it. Your post was very powerful to me. Maybe some good will come from Robin Williams death, if it gets people talking and writing and understanding more about depression, if it helps one person get help. I can only hope.

      • I’m really glad it made such an impact! Honestly, that’s why I wrote it. it’s disturbing to me how people label depression and suicide when my first hand experiences with it are relatively dramatic and quite the opposite of what they claim. It makes me angry. I was afraid to speak up for so long because I feared of being dismissed and not taken seriously because of those attitudes, and I can’t even imagine how many people end up sinking so deep into this disease because they never reach out for the same reasons.

        Thank you too for sharing my post on your blog, even if it stems from a broken comment system!

  2. Perhaps there’s some help in the forums or support area to get you back commenting again…

  3. Oh! I’m also a bit of an IT nut, I may be able to help you with your commenting issue. Can you tell me what browser you’re using (Internet Explorer, Chrome, Firefox, something else)? Are you on a computer or on a tablet or phone? Do you get any error messages when you click on Comment? Does anything else happen?

    • I use Internet explorer, and as to what is happening now, no, no error message until I hit post. I have had a similar issue recently, where when I go to comment, it wants me to log into my account. I do, the comment won’t post. But today, they just aren’t posting at all. Any help would be appreciated.

      • Internet Explorer is notorious for having a lot of issues with sites. It basically interprets a site in its own way and not according to official standards, which creates issues. Basically when the site says “Display an apple” and IE says “No! I’ll display a pear!”. Does that make sense?

        I know you’re probably really used to IE but I recommend you try a different browser. Mozilla Firefox and Google Chrome are much better with following the rules and display what they’re being asked to display. If you keep having issues it might be worth a switch.

        IE is a nightmare for web designers and developers because it’s so unreliable, so I’m personally not fond of it. I use Chrome personally. If you switch you may need some time to get used to the new interface. If you have problems finding things, feel free to get in touch with me, I can help you out!

  4. Thanks! I will! And you and A should definitely plan a trip sometime. I think you’d love the old buildings.

  5. Try opening wordpress in a different browser and see if it acts differently.

  6. I’ve only had this issue with one blog recently where I couldn’t comment via the WP app. He would respond to my comments night they can’t be retrieved. The retrieval issue happened with another blog but I think that’s cuz I’m not a follower. In regards to the other WP blog, I had to add him via Bloglovin.

  7. Frustrating indeed. Hope you get sorted soon. All the best. 🙂 Have you tried changing to Google Chrome? It seems to work better for me at least.

  8. I had a wildly infuriating evening, hammering away obsessively at trying to insert photo’s in a blog…Internet Explorer says NO! I eventually switched to Mozilla Firefox, and all is sweet! I’m being dragged, kicking and screaming, into the 21st century!

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21st Century Spinning

Exploring a new age of an ancient skill

Knitting, photography and cats.

The ways of the whorl

wherever the spinning takes me

k n i t t i n g is my c h o c o l a t e

Mewkittie Creations

Wearable art and other interesting things.....

Textile & Pixel Design

Impeccable Knits: Shifting Stitches

classic cables with a modern twist

random posts about things I am doing or thinking

sewing, knitting and life

ericka eckles

handsewn bespoke and heirloom quality textiles

The Wisdom of Knitting

Miriam knits and thinks and seeks enlightenment in yarn

Celia Ladygarden's lifestyle for ladies

Trimming the bush of life...

My Rabbit Hole of Fibre Experimentation.

A Little More Abstract

Crafting For Those Dedicated to Experimentation

Knitting in New Guinea

A Linguist Takes on Life, Faith, and Cross-Cultural Living

random posts about things I am doing or thinking

Dramatic Lyric

A Soprano's view of life, music, and handcrafts

Here and There, Now and Then

Wanderings, musings, and knittings with a dollop of food and wine

Colette Blog

random posts about things I am doing or thinking

Ancient Arts Yarn

Nature | Inspiration | Glorious Colours!

alexand knits

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From An Abducted American In Thailand To Inside A $30m Phuket Home

Good morning, Bangkok!

This week has seen chaos in various proportions throughout the country: in the South, terrible floods have struck, while at home here in Bangkok, we’ve been struggling with almighty traffic scenes on Ratchadaphisek Road following the demolition of the Ratchayothin flyover.

We recognise that one of these things is worse than the other.

Exciting things to look forward to this month include new passenger boats on the Saen Saep canal, and Christmas cheese tarts at Pablo.

Treats indeed. Holidays are coming…

Here’s what else has been entertaining and enraging Bangkok this week.

American abducted in Thailand raises money to fly home

This is the story of a young American woman who was allegedly abducted from a bar in Thailand, tied up in a windowless room and attacked by a man in uniform, before throwing herself off a balcony, hiding in some bushes overnight and finally escaping.

The story as recounted on a GoFundMe page and on Fox17online is missing a lot of details, to say the least, although it appears that the victim refused to file a police report, and that she was denied her airline ticket back home when she arrived at the airport. As such, a GoFundMe page was set up to raise money for her and her travelling partner’s ticket back — it had raised close to $9k by the time it was closed to donors.

Bangkok most inexpensive and desirable city for SEA travellers

In frankly quite unsurprising news, Bangkok has been judged by TripAdvisor to be the most budget friendly and attractive city in Southeast Asia to spend a week in during high season, for other travellers based in Southeast Asia. A week here, including all expenses, was judged to cost in the region of 43,451 baht per person.

For budget chasers, apparently the cheapest high season week in Bangkok is the one beginning January 16th. Good to know.

14 people have died in floods in the South

This is the tragic news of the deaths of 14 people who have died due to various accidents relating to the heavy flooding seen in the South in the past week. Heavy rain has hit areas in Songkhla, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Koh Samui, Koh Phangan and more.

Look inside this $30m home on Koh Yao Yai

Breaking Bad star Aaron Paul booked an incredible Airbnb on Koh Yao Yai in Phuket for his wife’s birthday recently, and the pictures of this $30million home are now spreading around the travel blog-o-sphere. We’re usually ambivalent towards celebrity couples, but would not mind a night or two in this pretty sweet pad.

The best Bangkok restaurants of 2016

The best of Bangkok’s new openings this year from BK magazine, together with hints at those who’ll be lucky enough to be awarded one of 2017’s Top Tables. Is your favourite here?

Luxury Bangkok Airbnbs under $50

A little more property porn here — a collection of luxurious Bangkok condos found on Airbnb for under $50 a night. Bangkok’s hotels are notoriously cheap, but if you’d prefer to stay in the luxury of an entire property, you might find a bargain basement diamond in this list.

Forum Threads

A list of the most common scams in Thailand

We love Thailand, but it’s fair to say that there are a fair few scams doing the rounds that people stamped with ‘tourist’ all over them may fall prey to. This long Reddit thread uncovers all the scams that first-timers to Bangkok should be aware of to avoid peril on their holiday. Any to add?

What do you do in Thailand that you’d never do at home?

Thaivisa members list out the things that they routinely do in Thailand yet would never imagine doing back in their homelands. Answers vary from marrying a Thai girl and retiring before they die to thinking of themselves as a ‘hansum’ man.

Our favourite answer:

thai visa forum

A photo posted by Jassim (@jmj_ad) on

And that’s been The Week On Sukhumvit — see you next time!


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O.S. GT33 Petrol Engine With E-5030 Silencer

O.S. GT33 Petrol Engine With E-5030 Silencer

Brand: OS Engines

Part Number: L-OS38300

£365.39 Web Price RRP £419.99

Out of stock : Expected February 27th

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The second engine in the latest O.S. GT series of petrol engines is designed for the new class of models that are emerging onto the market that are specifically targeted at this size and type of engine. Many of these models are sleek in design, so O.S. has chosen a rear mounted Walbro carburettor with reed valve induction.

The advantage of spark ignition petrol engines over regular glow engines is the optimised ignition timing across the rev range that will not change as load goes on and off.

Like its bigger brother, the GT-55, the GT-33 is a purpose designed model engine and is not based on an industrial unit and just modified. The GT-33 has been optimised in both internal and external shape to provide class leading power and torque in a compact, light package.

Supplied with an E-5030 'Pitts' style silencer as standard, you can be confident that the final installation will be both convenient and unobtrusive yet deliver effective silencing with minimal power loss.
Weight 1120g (39.51ozs) w/Silencer
Weight 980g (34.57ozs) w/o Silencer
Displacement 32.98cc (2.013cu.in)
Bore 36mm (1.417")
Stroke 32.4mm (1.276")
Power Output 3.9PS @ 9,000rpm
Practical RPM 1,800 - 9,000
  • Brand: OS Engines
  • Part No: L-OS38300
  • Format: Petrol

Free UK Delivery!

This item is over £100, so qualifies for free standard UK shipping!

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Cover Plate Fixing Screw FL-70

Cover Plate Fixing Screw FL-70

Brand: OS Engines

Part Number: X-OS44407009

£3.33 Web Price RRP £3.50

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Two Simple UK Delivery Options

Royal mail at £3.50, or Express at £6.95.

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36NT Needle Valve Assembly

36NT Needle Valve Assembly

Brand: Evolution Engines

Part Number: EVO036874

£12.34 Web Price RRP £12.99

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36NT Needle Valve Assembly Specifications:
  • Engine Parts: 2-Stroke Glow

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Integrating the FCKeditor with Lenya

This document describes how to get the open source FCKeditor WYSIWYG editor working within Apache Lenya 1.2. (For Lenya 2.0 and beyond, see HowToIntegrateFCKEditor2.0.) FCKeditor is a browser-based web page editor written entirely in Javascript, superficially similar to the Kupu editor that comes with Lenya. FCKeditor is one of the most stable and mature such editor available, and its itegration into Lenya makes Lenya a more usable CMS.

These integration files are licensed under the same Apache license as Lenya itself. FCKeditor itself, however, uses the GNU lesser general public license, which is incompatible with the Apache license. For that reason, FCKeditor can't be distributed with Lenya itself.

  1. Lenya 1.2.4 or 1.2.x (may also work with older 1.2 versions). These instructions will NOT work with Lenya 2.0 (but see HowToIntegrateFCKEditor2.0).

  2. FCKeditor 2.0, 2.1, 2.2 or 2.3. You will download this as part of the installation below. NOTE: For FCKeditor 2.4 and beyond some very slight adjustments are needed along the lines of

Installation Instructions

1. Download This ZIP file contains everything needed to make FCKeditor work within Lenya (but does not contain FCKeditor itself), and extract it to your lenya/webapp/lenya/usecases folder. It will install a subfolder called "fckeditor" within that location.

2. If you're working with the binary copy of Lenya, move the FredSaveAction.class and UploadFredAsset.class files from the fckeditor folder into your build/lenya/classes/org/apache/lenya/cms/cocoon/acting/ folder. Or, if you're working with the Lenya source code, instead copy and into your existing src/java/org/apache/lenya/cms/cocoon/acting/ folder and rebuild Lenya.

3. Download FCKeditor from FCkeditor's ZIP file will contain everything within a starting "FCKeditor" folder, so just extract the contents of the ZIP file into your newly-created lenya/webapp/lenya/usecases/fckeditor folder.

4. Edit your /lenya/webapp/global-sitemap.xmap file, adding the following after the <!-- Editor BXE --> and <!-- Editor Epoz --> sections:

5. To add FCKeditor to your publication's Edit menu, edit your lenya/webapp/lenya/pubs/%PUB_NAME%/config/menus/generic.xsp file, adding a line like the following after the "Edit with BXE" line:

Limitations & Missing Features

1. You can only edit pages that are in the publication's default language.

2. Links are created absolute (starting with a slash), not relative, which means that you have to modify the export process if you export your files to static HTML.

3. <img> tags pointing to URL's outside of the site are corrupted when the document is saved.

4. Create Directory doesn't work.

5. File Upload doesn't (quite) work. Close, though.

6. Validation needs to be added to It is currently possible to introduce invalid XHTML into the source by cut-and-paste or editing in the source view. Such invalid text will result in an "<map:call function> did not send a response" error upon saving.

Also: There is probably a better way to get the lenya dc meta tags in the document when saving rather than hard coding them in the xsl file. The usecase-fckeditor.xmap file also needs to be cleaned up, and there are some unneeded files in the xslt folder generated by copying bxe folders.

Deleting What You Don't Need

There are almost 200 files that come with FCKeditor that you won't need for Lenya. You can leave them in place with no ill effect, or you can delete them to save space. All of the following files/folders under the fckeditor/FCKeditor folder can be deleted:

1. Any file or folder beginning with "_":

2. Any support files for other languages:

Making It Better

FCKeditor itself is highly customizable. You can control which tool icons are available, turning off any tools that you want to hide from your users, or even define entirly new toolbar sets. You can also set up special styles to appear in the Styles drop-down menu. Browse through some of the options in the fckconfig.js file to see what is available. BUT -- and this is important -- you should set all your preferences & customizations in the resources/invokeEditor.js file rather than the FCKeditor/fckconfig.js file so that you can later upgrade FCKeditor by just dropping a new version in place.

FCKEDITOR is fully internationalized, with dozens of language translations available, chosen automatically based on the web browser's default language. The Lenya/FCKeditor integration works just fine with your publication's default language. The use of languages other than your publication's default, however, is not fully supported yet.

Upgrading to a Newer Version of FCKeditor

Everything from the web site -- that is, the editor itself -- is kept inside our fckeditor/FCKeditor folder. So you can just drop in a new FCKeditor version into that folder without losing your settings and the special customizations that make FCKeditor work well with Lenya. But there is one thing inside the fckeditor/FCKeditor folder that must be added back after an FCKeditor upgrade: the "lenya" file browser. This is the fckeditor/FCKeditor/editor/filemanager/browser/lenya folder. Just remember to copy it back after upgrading FCKeditor and you'll be all set. If you don't do this important step, the "Browse Server" buttons won't work properly.

Developers: Understanding the Lenya/FCKeditor Integration

This section details exactly how the Lenya/FCKeditor integration works. You can skip over this section if you are just using FCKeditor. But if you're modifying or improving how FCKeditor works with Lenya, do read on...

The usecase-fckeditor.xmap file implements the "open" and "edit" usecases. "Open" opens the editor and reads in the file. "Edit" handles the save and cancel steps.

The usecase-fckeditor.xmap file also handles File Browser interactions, which include listing of files and folders on the server as well as file upload and folder creation. Technically speaking, these interactions are not real Lenya usecases, since they don't use the lenya.usecase parameter in the URI. This is dictated by limitations in the way FCKeditor forms the URI of its requests to the server. Such URI's start look like this:

Since FKeditor doesn't know how to formulate lenya.usecase parameters, we adapt the Lenya pipelines to FCKeditor rather than adapting FCKeditor to Lenya. We have incorporated these non-usecase interactions into the usecase-fckeditor.xmap file merely for convenience of packaging.

To satisfy FCKeditor's "FoldersAndFiles" request, we use separate pipelines for folders and files, using DirectoryGenerator on the content/authoring and resources/authoring folders, respectively, and then we aggregate those two results into one XML output stream.

File Browser

In FCKeditor, the "File Browser" is a collection html, javascript and icon files that create a pop-up window to let you select from files on the server, much like a File Open dialog box. The javascript code makes AJAX-like calls to the server, requesting an XML data stream that lists the files and folders that FCKeditor should display to the user.

We use Cocoon's DirectoryGenerator component to generate that XML data stream. However, because Lenya's URL's don't contain true file names (for a URI of /foo/bar.html, for example, the actual data file may be .../foo/bar/index_en.xml), a simple folder listing wouldn't allow the selection of CMS documents (although assets would be selectable). To enable selection of CMS documents (nodes in the site tree, or folders in the content/authoring area), we copied FCKeditor's "Default" file browser, named it "Lenya", and added [SELECT] links to the right of each folder name, with the links in the "foldername.html" form.

File browseer requests look something like this, where %PUB_NAME% is your publication name, and %DOC_ID% is your document ID:

The first part of that URI (/fckeditor/editor/filelmanager/browser/lenya/) comes directly from the filemgr variable in invokeEditor.js file. TODO: if %DOC_ID includes the _xx (language) ending then the formation of the directory name for DirectoryGenerator is incorrect. This needs to be fixed.

Lenya Toolbar

The "Lenya" Toolbar, defined in config.js, is a variation of FCKeditor's "Default" toolbar, with certain items removed. In particular, the "New" and "Template" tools are removed because they erase the contents of the editor without confirmation. Also removed are the form tools (checkboxes, radio buttons, etc), which are unlikely to be useful to most users. If you want to change the selection of tools available in the "Lenya" toolbar, just edit the fckeditor/resources/config.js file.

File Upload

This is implemented but currently broken. It's probably easy to fix.

Folder Creation

Within the File Browser, the user is offered the option to create a sub-folder within the currently displayed folder. This functionality is not yet implemented. One idea is to implement this to internally create a simple Lenya document (with corresponding site tree node and content directory), perhaps that automatically contains a list of the contents of its resource folder.

HowToIntegrateFCKEditor (last edited 2009-09-20 23:27:14 by localhost)