text:
Add Your Pet Experience to Animal-World!

Join the conversation: Striped Raphael Catfish
Pet Information: Striped Raphael Catfish
* Connecting with Facebook - Allows you to:
- Add Quick Links
- Receive Notifications
- Browse your comments.
- Upload photos in your post

One moment please...

Reply to this Comment:

"We have a raphael cat fish that lived under a rock for two years and then one morning I noticed that Our Large Parrot had collapsed the rocks from digging I didn't have a net at the time and I actually forgot about him then 5 months later we were draining the tank and I remember him I was like omg. He is gonna look nasty when my Bf lifted the rock he was still alive I never felt sooo bad but he's still going strong now lol."

To prevent spam, please answer this simple math problem:

18 - 16 = ?

We will include your name next to your comment.
*Your email address will be used only if we need to contact you regarding your comment.
(It will not be displayed on the website nor will it be available on the internet)

Connect with us on Facebook Watch us on YouTube Follow us on Twitter

Content uploaded to by a User is subject to the following restrictions and provisions: by uploading and/or posting any Content to the Site, you grant a perpetual, nonexclusive and royalty-free right to use the Content and the name that is submitted in connection with such Content; reserves the right to moderate, remove or delete any Content uploaded by any User for any reason, with or without notification to the uploading User; and, User is solely responsible for any Content uploaded to and agrees to not upload any content which is unlawful, defamatory, pornographic, indecent, lewd, threatening, fraudulent, invasive of privacy or otherwise objectionable.


Content-Type: application/http; msgtype=response

WARC-Type: response

text:
Animanga Wiki

2,474pages on
this wiki
Add New Page
Ga-Rei.png (download) (230 × 323 pixels, file size: 126 KB, MIME type: image/png)

Appears on these pages

  • Ga-Rei

    The Enchained Spiritual Beast Ga-Rei (喰霊, Ga-rei), also simply known as Ga-rei, is a...

File history

Click on a date/time to view the file as it appeared at that time.

current18:56, January 9, 2012Thumbnail for version as of 18:56, January 9, 2012230 × 323 (126 KB)Bereisgreat (wall | contribs)==License== {{Fair use}} Category:Logo Images

Ad blocker interference detected!

Wikia is a free-to-use site that makes money from advertising. We have a modified experience for viewers using ad blockers

Wikia is not accessible if you’ve made further modifications. Remove the custom ad blocker rule(s) and the page will load as expected.

warcinfo:
robots: classic
hostname: ip-10-145-167-34.ec2.internal
software: Nutch 1.6 (CC)/CC WarcExport 1.0
isPartOf: CC-MAIN-2017-17
operator: CommonCrawl Admin
description: Wide crawl of the web for April 2017
publisher: CommonCrawl
format: WARC File Format 1.0
conformsTo: http://bibnum.bnf.fr/WARC/WARC_ISO_28500_version1_latestdraft.pdf


text:
Ninja Scroll Quotes

Anime News Network : Jubei is wandering noble sword for hire but when a chance meeting leads him to save young ninja woman from rape he makes enemies with a group of demonic humans. Jubei and the woman part ways but later a government spy forces Jubei to join up with her again and investigate the mysterious death of an entire village. The investigation reveals a conspiracy involving the demons and a man from Jubei’s past who is supposed to be dead. As they get closer to the truth the demons close in on them and pretty soon Jubei finds himself in a deadly fight with many super strong inhuman opponents.

Everywhere you go, the sky is the sky and people are people.
Jubei Kibagami (Ninja Scroll)


text:
Log in

"History is a vast early warning system. " Norman Cousins

External Services:
  • anjou@livejournal.com
I have been out of touch for quite awhile but intend to make up for my absence. Unfortunately, this lj is taking a different turn from past postings. I apologize in advance. If you wish to 'unfriend' me, I will understand. This lj has become an acquired taste, and not for everyone. If you wish to 'friend' me, I must warn you that I may not be able to respond in a timely manner to your postings. Thank you for your understanding.

Two favorite quotes:

"Each time someone stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope to humanity."

Robert F. Kennedy, American Senator, 1925-1968

"Life must be understood backwards. But it must be lived forward."

Søren Kierkegaard

"Anna aikaa naurulle, sillä se on sielun musiikkia. Leikkimielisyydelle, sillä se on ikuinen nuoruus. Rakkaudelle, sillä se on Luojan lahja."

"Give time for laughter for it's music of the soul. For playfulness for it's eternal youth. For love for it's a gift from God."

Mediocre people talk about people. Intelligent people talk about things. Brilliant people talk about ideas.

Things I detest: gossips, people who curse, and online stalkers
abnormal psychology, afghanistan, alexander pope, alien abduction, alternate realities, anasazi, ancient egypt, andre norton, archetypes, aristotle, athens, bds, beowulf, black holes, bohm, bohr, bronte sisters, carl sagan, christianity, civil war, clifford simak, cmx, collective unconscious, cosmos, dead sea scrolls, death, deux ex machina, e=mc2, ectropy, einstein, empathy, entropy, enya, eppu normaali, esp, etruscans, evolution, fate, finland, frank herbert, galileo, george bush, gettysburg, ghosts, gnosticism, god, grand canyon, holocaust, hospice, huns, hypnosis, hypothesis, infinity, iran, iraq, isaac newton, john donne, john milton, joshua chamberlain, jrr tolkien, kant, keskiyön aurinko, kierkegaard, king arthur, king henry v, kokopeli, korean war, lake travis, legends, leonidas, lotr, lourdes, machiavellian, macrocosm, mars, martin luther, meditation, merlin, microcosm, mikko hyppönen, minoan civilization, mithraism, myths, nanjing, nasa, neocon, nietzche, obe, odin, oracle of delphi, paradise lost, persians, philosophy, physics, plato, psychiatry, psychology, quarks, ray bradbury, reincarnation, relativity, religion, romans, runes, sailing, santa barbara, sartre, scrying, sedona, serendipity, seti, seventh sense, sibelius, soul, sparta, star trek, star wars, stargate, stephen hawking, stephen king, string theory, sumerians, suomi, synchronicity, tao, tarot, tesla, the mind, the silmarillion, thebes, thermopylae, ufos, united kingdom, usa, vietnam war, vikings, voltaire, walt whitman, wicca, william butler yeats, winter war, witches, wmd, wot, writing, wwi, wwii, wwiii, zen


text:
A Note from the Dyers…

The beauty of hand-dyed yarn is that each skein is unique. We try to keep our photos as accurate as possible, but the colors on the screen of your device may display differently. Also, we create our formulas to be as consistent between dye lots as the dyes themselves will allow. Within dye lots we take extra care to make sure the skeins match, but between dye lots we can make no guarantees that the colorways will be exactly the same. This is the same disclaimer you’ll find on many of the big hand-dyed yarn brands.

As a small indie dye studio, we not only dye the yarn, but we handle customer service, which means that the e-mails you receive are typed by the same hands that handle each of your skeins with care. This makes for a more personal relationship between us and our customers, and that’s something special you don’t have with the big yarn brands. We hold ourselves to a high standard, but we cannot make that standard one of perfection. We do the best we can to the glory of God, and that standard has served us well. If you are dissatisfied with your yarn, please let us know. All we ask is that your words be seasoned with the knowledge that we work hard to create beautiful things and support our family. Thank you.

Browse our ever-growing palette…

Click the tabs above for various viewing options.

Grays & Blacks

{ last updated September 2015 }

note: I am in the process of creating new colorway photos that more accurately represent each colorway. This is a work in progress, so please bear with me while I try different things!


text:
Saturday, July 09, 2016

Nikau Palms.

 Berries on our Nikau Palms . ( Rhopalostylis sapida )  I have yet to see a Keruru ( NZ native wood pigeon ) eating them but they do look tempting.

 At P and Q yesterday several ladies had finished charity quilts to give away.
 I have started mine but it will not get finished till we have a UFO weekend in a fortnight.
 My friend D had finished these 2 attractive table runners.
 Another friend N had almost finished this  garden quilt  that she is going to give to the gardener of our recently passed away member M. It is made mainly with some of M's fabric. So that is a nice gesture.
 It is made from a set of 6 panels. The other 2 are on the back.

1 comment:

Pam said...

Very lovely. I'd never heard of... can't remember the name, but that palm tree. Yes, it's nearly 5 years since we met and so Nicky is nearly 5. Can't believe it! And yes, we're awaiting the arrival at the end of the month of Peter and Amy's first baby (daughter), our third grandchild. And we're only 35... aren't we??


text:
How much does it cost to get from 50 to 70 prayer on RuneScape?

1,069,910questions on
Add New Page
Talk0 Share

Depending on which bones you are using (dragon bones are fast, but expensive. Regular bones are the most cost efficient) it will cost everything from 2 to 10 million gp.

Ad blocker interference detected!

Wikia is a free-to-use site that makes money from advertising. We have a modified experience for viewers using ad blockers

Wikia is not accessible if you’ve made further modifications. Remove the custom ad blocker rule(s) and the page will load as expected.


text:
What is electronic check?

1,069,910questions on
Add New Page
Talk0 Share

This question is awaiting an answer...
Please leave this field blank unless you are answering the question. Do not ask questions you already know the answer to. Thank you.

Ad blocker interference detected!

Wikia is a free-to-use site that makes money from advertising. We have a modified experience for viewers using ad blockers

Wikia is not accessible if you’ve made further modifications. Remove the custom ad blocker rule(s) and the page will load as expected.


text:
Anti-Evictions Bill – A major challenge for the government

On the day when activists from the Home Sweet Home campaign are due to meet Minister Coveney the Anti-Austerity Alliance has called on the government to take radical measures to stop people becoming homeless. The Anti-Austerity Alliance has said that the AAA-PBP Anti-Evictions Bill, which will be debated on January 17th, represents the type of [...]

Why the hospital trolley crisis isn’t a ‘perfect storm’

Why the hospital Trolley Crisis isn't a perfect storm but an ongoing emergency Anti-Austerity Alliance spokesperson on Health,Mick Barry TD (Cork North Central), has said that the Winter Initiative launched by Minister Simon Harris has failed as 612 people are stuck on trollies in hospitals across the country. He said that Minister Simon Harris' claim [...]

Anti-Eviction Bill moved in Dail

Today in the Dáil, Ruth Coppinger TD moved the Anti-Evictions Bill 2016 at first stage, on behalf of AAA-PBP. The Bill will be voted on in Private Members’ Time on the Dáil’s first day back on 17th January. The Bill will ban what Threshold have called ‘dubious evictions’ where landlords claim to be selling a [...]


text:
Punctuated Equilibria

by Wesley R. Elsberry

Last updated: 19991224

Punctuated Equilibria

  1. Foreword
  2. Summary of Punctuated Equilibria
  3. The species problem and paleontology
  4. Patterns of speciation from neontological study
  5. Application of neontology to paleontology
  6. PE vs. Phyletic Gradualism
  7. Common errors in discussion of PE
  8. References
  9. Acknowledgements
  10. Glossary

There are few components of modern evolutionary theory which seem so prone to misinterpretation as Niles Eldredge and Stephen Jay Gould's theory of punctuated equilibria (PE for short). In this matter, the person attempting to come to a better understanding of punctuated equilibria will find that he or she may be hampered by the popular writings of those same authors rather than helped. As in most cases, the primary literature remains the best source of information.

Those who have obtained most or all of their information from popular descriptions almost always come to a mistaken view of what PE is or says. PE really is not that complex a theory, so my personal opinion is that the popular treatments (even those from the originators of the theory) have tended to be misleading, usually by omission.

This revision changes a few things about the FAQ. I have added a glossary for brief expansions upon biological jargon. The section on species and paleontology corrects a possibly misleading use of the term "paleospecies". The original document is now in HTML format, which provides an easy way to get at the glossary. For those reading printouts, a "[gl]" sequence indicates that the preceding term has a glossary entry. Unfortunately, I have not yet had time to expand the FAQ to incorporate a summary of the extended discussion of PE in the biological literature.

Summary of Punctuated Equilibria

Meta-summary: PE is the application of Mayr's theory of allopatric speciation in peripheral isolates to the fossil record.

The features that make up Punctuated Equilibria as described by Eldredge and Gould are as follows:

  1. Paleontology should be informed by neontology. (The study of fossils should take note of and be done with reference to the study of living organisms.)
  2. Most speciation is cladogenesis rather than anagenesis. (When a different species arises, in most cases that species is a daughter species that splits off from a parent species where both may exist at the same time, and not usually a species transforming its entire population into what is recognized as a distinct species.)
  3. Most speciation occurs via peripatric speciation. (Speciation occurs most often in a population that is isolated from the parent species, and most commonly also located at some extreme of range of habitat.)
  4. Large, widespread species usually change slowly, if at all, during their time of residence. (The residence time of a species refers to how long the species persists in the geological column.)
  5. Daughter species usually develop in a geographically limited region. (The population that gives rise to a daughter species occupies a small part of the total range of the parent species.)
  6. Daughter species usually develop in a stratigraphically limited extent, which is small in relation to total residence time of the species. (The time required for speciation to occur is a smal fraction of the total time the species exists and this limits the time that a speciation event occupies in the geologic column.)
  7. Sampling of the fossil record will reveal a pattern of most species in stasis, with abrupt appearance of newly derived species being a consequence of ecological succession and dispersion.
  8. Adaptive change in lineages occurs mostly during periods of speciation.
  9. Trends in adaptation occur mostly through the mechanism of species selection.

The theory of Punctuated Equilibria provides paleontologists with an explanation for the patterns which they find in the fossil record. This pattern includes the characteristically abrupt appearance of new species, the relative stability of morphology in widespread species, the distribution of transitional fossils when those are found, the apparent differences in morphology between ancestral and daughter species, and the pattern of extinction of species.

PE relies upon the insights of study of modern species for its principles. These studies indicate the importance of consideration of geography and interspecies interactions upon predictions of the distribution and abundance of transitional specimens. While Eldredge and Gould acknowledge that geological processes contribute to the "gappiness" of the fossil record, they also assert that PE is by far the more important consideration in that regard.

The species problem and paleontology

Paleontologists have to recognize species from their fossil remains. The problem of "What is a paleospecies?" led Niles Eldredge and Stephen Jay Gould to propose the theory of punctuated equilibria. The term "paleospecies" makes explicit the distinction between the classification of species from fossil remains and the process of recognizing species in modern populations. This problem involves geology, taphonomy, taxonomy, and -- though often ignored -- geography. Of course, Eldredge and Gould don't then define "paleospecies", but rather identify the search for a definition as an insoluble problem: the essence of species lies in the nondimensional character of the category, but any definition of paleospecies must take time into account.

Mayr's Biological Species Concept uses the criterion of reproductive isolation to distinguish species in modern populations. Paleontologists who pursue taxonomic endeavors (which includes most of them) have to classify their finds generally based upon morphological features. The rareness of preservation of tissues containing DNA, or even of soft tissues, limits the range of diagnostic characters which may be utilized. The paleontologist has no access to such information. (Whether modern biologists really do have access to that information is a matter of some debate in the literature.)

The fossil record is incomplete. This incompleteness has many contributing factors. Broadly, one can divide these into geological and biological factors. Geological processes may cause confusion or error, as sedimentary deposition rates may vary, erosion may erase some strata, compression may turn possible fossils into unrecognizable junk, and various other means by which the local fossil record can be turned into the equivalent of a partially burned book, which is then unbound, pages perhaps shuffled, and from which a few pages are retrieved. Beyond geology, there remains taphonomy -- the study of how organisms come to be preserved as fossils. Here, there are further issues to be addressed. Hard parts of organisms fossilize preferentially. The conditions under which even those parts may become fossilized are fairly specialized. Changes due to permineralization occur over time. All this results in a heavily skewed distribution of even what *parts* of organisms become fossilized, and that affects which features of morphology are available for use in classification. The issue of geography enters into all this, as a consequence of the fact that living lineages occupy ecological niches, and those niches are bound to certain features of geography. Biological issues include the mode of speciation typical for each group, its preferred habitat (an interaction of biological and geographical issues), and behavior which might impact the probability of fossilization.

Paleospecies, then, have to be recognized as species from morphology alone, where the available morphological characters are drawn from a skewed distribution, the pattern of fossilization is skewed, and the geographic correlates of fossilization are limited in extent. Eldredge and Gould contend that what has to be approximated is the concept of a biospecies in the paleontological framework.

Patterns of speciation from neontological study

Eldredge and Gould's insight into paleontological processes was to derive their understanding from living biological species. In this manner, it can be made clear what PE means for the distribution of speciation events seen in the fossil record.

Application of neontology to paleontology

Now we are ready to apply these concepts from the biology of extant organisms to that of fossil organisms. This proceeds on the simple inference that past life went about its business in much the same way as present life does.

Some of the predictions of Punctuated Equilibria are as follows:

PE vs. Phyletic Gradualism

Punctuated Equilibria could have been advanced simply upon the basis of features of geology, taphonomy, geography, biology, and taxonomy. However, that is not how Eldredge and Gould chose to do it. Instead, they codified what they saw as an inaccurate and incorrect "picture" of the fossil record, labelled it as "phyletic gradualism", and demonstrated that their "picture" of "punctuated equilibria" was to be preferred on several points.

The essential features of "phyletic gradualism" are described by Eldredge and Gould.

In this Darwinian perspective, paleontology formulated its picture for the origin of new taxa. This picture, though rarely articulated, is familiar to all of us. We refer lo it here as "phyletic gradualism" and identify the following as its tenets:

(1) New species arise by the transformation of an ancestral population into its modified descendants.
(2) The transformation is even and slow.
(3) The transformation involves large numbers, usually the entire ancestral population.
(4) The transformation occurs over all or a large part of the ancestral species' geographic range.

These statements imply several consequences, two of which seem especially important to paleontologists:

(1) Ideally, the fossil record for the origin of a new species should consist of a long sequence of continuous, insensibly graded intermediate forms linking ancestor and descendant.
(2) Morphological breaks in a postulated phyletic sequence are due to imperfections in the geological record.
[End quote -- E&G 1972]

While it is nice to have terminology by which obtuse opponents of a theory may be conveniently labelled, there is no actual point to even bringing up "phyletic gradualism" in establishing PE.

Eldredge and Gould quoted from Darwin in their 1972 paper to establish their concept of phyletic gradualism. They claim that Darwin set the task of later workers to search out confirmation of phyletic gradualism. That view is not supported by reference to Darwin's original works.

Nothing can be effected, unless favourable variations occur, and variation itself is apparently always a very slow process. The process will often be greatly retarded by free intercrossing. Many will exclaim that these several causes are amply sufficient wholly to stop the action of natural selection. I do not believe so. On the other hand, I do believe that natural selection will always act very slowly, often only at long intervals of time, and generally on only a very few of the inhabitants of the same region at the same time. I further believe, that this very slow, intermittent action of natural selection accords perfectly well with what geology tells us of the rate and manner at which the inhabitants of this world have changed.
[End quote -- Charles Darwin, OoS 1st Edition 1859, p.153]

The above quote from Darwin also shows that Darwin did not embrace three of the four antecedent conditions that Eldredge and Gould specified for phyletic gradualism, and the single one that Darwin did embrace is also a tenet of any theory of speciation. Some people may embrace phyletic gradualism, but it is incorrect to attribute the concept to Charles Darwin. The quote above is noteable on several points. The "free intercrossing" bit is easily recognizable as a forerunner of the concept of gene flow, though Darwin was probably concerned there with blending inheritance. Darwin makes explicit that there is no constancy of rate implied with the comment on intermittent action. Darwin also recognized that change would be more likely to occur in a sub-population. Whether Darwin meant by "of the same region" much the same thing as the modern concept of allopatric speciation is disputable, although passages from his "B" notebook on species transmutation show that Darwin was guided in his thoughts on the importance of isolation to the production of new species in much the same way that Mayr was - by consideration of species found on islands.

Darwin did think that a daughter species arose from a population of the parent species. So do punctuated equilibrists. Darwin did think that the transformation would be slow, but he did not think that it would be "even". Darwin did not think that the transformation would involve large numbers, and certainly not the entire parent population. Darwin did not think that the transformation would occur across the entire ancestral range.

But on the view of all the species of a genus having descended from a single parent, though now distributed to the most remote points of the world, we ought to find, and I believe as a general rule we do find, that some at least of the species range very widely; for it is necessary that the unmodified parent should range widely, undergoing modification during its diffusion, and should place itself under diverse conditions favourable for the conversion of its offspring, firstly into new varieties and ultimately into new species.
[End quote -- Charles Darwin, OoS 1st Edition 1859, p.391]

It is difficult to extract meaning from the above without recognition that Darwin was well aware of the importance of geographical distribution in the production of new species.

Only a small portion of the world has been geologically explored. Only organic beings of certain classes can be preserved in a fossil condition, at least in any great number. Widely ranging species vary most, and varieties are often at first local, -- both causes rendering the discovery of intermediate links less likely. Local varieties will not spread into other and distant regions until they are considerably modified and improved; and when they do spread, if discovered in a geological formation, they will appear as if suddenly created there, and will be simply classed as new species.
[End quote -- Charles Darwin, OoS 1st Edition 1859, p.439]

The above quote comes from the famous section on the imperfection of the geological record. However, Darwin makes it clear that geographic location makes a difference in the finding of intermediate forms. "Both causes" in the above could not make discovery of intermediate links less likely if Darwin expected the transformation of the entire parent population. It is important to note that Darwin incorporates both geological and biological causes into his discussion.

Gould has said that history cannot be done on the basis of selective quotes and qualifying footnotes, but rather must be a matter of general tenor and understanding. It appears that general tenor supports the view that Darwin was never a proponent of phyletic gradualism, whatever less perspicacious interpreters might have themselves believed Darwin to have meant. That "gradualist" interpretations are not the sole interpretations extant can be verified, ironically, from an anti-evolutionary source. One anti-evolutionary text file which can be found on various SciCre bulletin boards involves quoting Leon Trotsky extolling the punctuational nature of Darwin's theory, with the apparent aim of guilt-by-association.

There have been persons who have advanced positions that could more or less be termed "phyletic gradualism". A feature of Gould and Eldredge 1977 is the discussion of various purported examples of change in the phyletic gradualist mode. Of many examples, G&E only found one to meet their criteria for establishing phyletic gradualism. Most examples were disputed by G&E because the original work ignored the geographical dimension.

In looking over the exchanges early in the history of PE as a theory, it is difficult not to be disturbed by how misapprehension of "phyletic gradualism" generated many responses to the promulgation of PE. It is also clear that the looseness of reference to "phyletic gradualism" adopted by Eldredge, Gould, and others who became known as "punctuationists" may have fostered these misapprehensions. In almost all cases where the word "gradualism" appears in the PE literature, the concept being referenced is actually "phyletic gradualism". But "gradualism" was already long current in the biological literature as the antithesis of "saltationism", and this ambiguity seems to have led to the paleontological equivalent of Abbott and Costello's "Who's on First?" sketch. Because "gradualism" was attacked in PE articles, responses demonstrating non-saltational speciation in the fossil record were advanced. These were dismissed as not meeting the criteria of "phyletic gradualism" by punctuationists. In many cases, the entire issue was caused by a failure to disambiguate.

Richard Dawkins has a chapter in "The Blind Watchmaker" which goes into some detail on how "phyletic gradualism" is in many ways a strawman of Eldredge and Gould's creation. It is a recommended read.

While "phyletic gradualism" is plainly defined and discussed in the writings of Eldredge and Gould, it is less commonly correctly referenced. Eldredge and Gould are among the culprits in this, as they refer to "phyletic gradualism" simply as "gradualism" in an apparent attempt at economy of expression. This is unfortunate and misleading, since "gradualism" already has meaning for biologists, and when Eldredge and Gould inveigh against "gradualism", many mistakenly believe them to be opposed to the other gradualism. That gradualism is expressed by Mayr as non-saltational change in populations.

I have been asked what my opinion is of the significance of Eldredge and Gould's explication of "punctuated equilibrium". While I disagree with the way the idea of PE has been presented and hyped, I feel that PE is indeed a significant theoretical advance. That doesn't mean that I think it is *entirely* novel, nor that others had not presaged various parts of it before Eldredge and Gould published in 1972. However, Eldredge and Gould *deserve* credit for developing the theoretical part fully and for clearly presenting the coherent framework with all its pertinence to paleontology, which had not been done before. They took the various pieces of the puzzle and put them together in a way that has proved fruitful for research, and that is an entirely laudable thing, fully worthy of our admiration. The application of work from neontology to paleontology is not something that has happened with great regularity, nor is it some simple straightforward mapping that can be or is achieved by just anyone. At least, the simplicity and straightforwardness only becomes apparent *after* the work has been completed. At least one early reviewer of my FAQ seemed to be let down by the manner in which PE can be stated and derived logically with just a handful of premises leading to the conclusions. I think that is one of the strengths of how Eldredge and Gould formulated PE, though.

Now, it has also been my continuing contention that Eldredge and Gould unnecessarily excluded Charles Darwin as one of the intellectual forebears whose work held components of PE. This is, I've come to appreciate, a separable concern. It does not really detract from their achievement in framing PE as a theory in paleobiology. However, it does mean that I take somewhat more skeptically various pronouncements that they made concerning who may or may not have had earlier glimpses of the modern theory of PE. Darwin did not have a complete theory for PE in the way that Eldredge and Gould do. Darwin did, however, identify species arising in geographically local variants as a major reason why transitional sequences would be rare. Darwin did not stress stasis, but I have found no evidence to support the contention that he advocated constant rates of change in *each* lineage, either. Those passages that are quoted in that regard all refer to natural selection's actions across all species, not the action of natural selection within a single lineage. It is my opinion that the work of Charles Darwin, when considered in context and in totality, is far closer to expressing a view or "picture" of fossil history in line with PE than it is to PG. This is not to say that others have not concluded otherwise, merely that I disagree with their analysis. I'll point out that one of the quote-bytes floating around on SciCre bulletin boards comes from Leon Trotsky, who wrote notes concerning Darwin's origin of species that eerily express a view consonant with PE, but which Trotsky simply reports as being Darwin's view. (The SciCre'ists use this, of course, as guilt-by-association.)

"The Darwinian theory of the origin of species encompasses the entire span of development of the plant and animal kingdoms. The struggle for survival and the processes of natural and sexual selection proceed continuously and uninterruptedly. But if one could observe these processes with ample time at one's disposal a millennium, say, as the smallest unit of measure one would undoubtedly discover with one's own eyes that there are long ages of relative equilibrium in the world of living things, when the laws of selection operate almost imperceptibly, and the different species remain relatively stable, seeming the very embodiment of Plato's ideal types. But there are also ages when the equilibrium between plants, animals, and their geophysical environment is disrupted, epochs of geobiological crisis, when the laws of natural selection come to the fore in all their ferocity, and evolution passes over the corpses of entire plant and animal species. On this gigantic scale Darwinian theory stands out above all as the theory of critical epochs in plant and animal development." - "Portraits, Personal and Political", by Leon Trotsky. George Breitman and George Saunders, eds. New York : Pathfinder Press, 1977.

[End quote - http://www.nettrade.com.au/kyurhee/00061.htm]

Common errors in discussion of PE

Many errors can be found in discussion of the concept of PE. G&E 1977 point out several of these.

PE is not mutually exclusive of phyletic gradualism. Gould and Eldredge take pains to explicitly point out that PE is an expansive theory, not an exclusive one (1977). Gould and Eldredge explicitly validate Ozawa's 1975 paper on forams as demonstrating an instance of phyletic gradualism.

PE sometimes is claimed to be a theory resting upon the lack of evidence rather than upon evidence. This is a curious, but false claim, since Eldredge and Gould spent a significant portion of their original work examining two separate lines of evidence (one involving pulmonate gastropods, the other one involving Phacopsid trilobites) demonstrating the issues behind PE (1972). Similarly, discussion of actual paleontological evidence consumes a significant proportion of pages in Gould and Eldredge 1977. This also answers those who claimed that E&G said that PE was unverifiable.

PE is essentially and exclusively directed to questions at the level of speciation and processes affecting species. The basis of PE is the neontological theory of peripatric speciation. The criteria by which "punctuations" are recognized by Gould and Eldredge involve temporal issues and geographic issues. PE is not expected to be as useful at lower or higher levels of change.

PE is by no means either synonymous with "saltationism", nor did Gould's essay on Richard Goldschmidt "link" PE with Goldschmidt's "hopeful monster" conjecture. Gould wrote an article that has caused much confusion. "Return of the hopeful monsters" sought to point out that a hatchet job had been done on some of the concepts that Richard Goldschmidt had formulated. The discussion of systemic mutations as mutations which affect rate or timing of development has caused many people to assume that Gould was somehow linking PE to this concept. A close reading of the article shows this to not be the case.

Gould and Eldredge did not specify any particular genetic mechanism for PE. PE does not require large scale mutations.

PE is not a saltational theory of evolution. The emphasis upon applying consequences of peripatric speciation to paleontology shows this critique to be unfounded. PE is no more saltational than peripatric speciation is in study of modern organisms.

The objection is raised that since PE says that phyletic gradualism (PG) is rare, then PE conceptually disqualifies the idea that one can find transitional sequences linking species, where the transitional sequence is fine-grained or as one objector put it, finely graduated. The objection is based upon a misunderstanding of what PE implies.

Eldredge & Gould's brief is not against *finely (graduated | graded) transitional sequences* (FGTS), it is against FGTS which are interpreted as showing anagenetic change without appropriate reference to geography and stratigraphy. This further set of restrictions is important, but overlooked by those who believe that accepting PE means rejecting the idea of transitional sequences. E&G argue against "phyletic gradualism" (PG) as typifying the mode of evolutionary change seen in the fossil record. E&G (and other proponents of PE) often refer to PG confusingly as "gradualism". Gradualism, though, is a separate and distinguishable concept.

Some seem to think that E&G banished phyletic gradualism as existing. E&G did not do that. Gould and Eldredge 1977 takes critics to task for implying that they did so. (The critics may not agree that they were mistaken; it is an arguable point.) G&E 1977 specifically validate an example of phyletic gradualism in the fossil record.

Now, on to the main point: It *is* possible to have finely graded transitional sequences in the PE mode, and it *is* possible that FGTS showing PG may be found. E&G 1972 present two sequences showing PE-type FGTS from the authors' own fieldwork, and G&E 1977 point to several sequences showing PE as well. What distinguishes a PG FGTS from a PE FGTS? A PG FGTS samples will show the changes over the whole range of the parent species, and will show the same rate of change in characters throughout the transition. A mismatch in geographic range seen for the change and the parent species, or an indication that collected specimens had no per-specimen information on geographic siting is enough to disestablish a sequence as showing the *characteristics of* PG. A difference in rate of change of a character during the transition period is enough to disestablish a transitional sequence as showing the *characteristics of* PG. Disestablishing a sequence as showing the characteristics of PG does not necessarily disestablish the sequence as showing the characteristics of descent with modification linking two species. It is a necessary, but not sufficient, condition that a sequence show descent with modification between two species to be considered an example of PG or an example of an observed transition under PE.

In contrast to a PG FGTS, a PE FGTS will be restricted to some relatively small region of the entire range of the parent species, will take place in a small fraction of the total residence time of the parent species, and will result in at least some time of overlap between the parent species and the daughter species to indicate cladogenesis has occurred. As I have noted above, E&G 1972 discusses two fine-grained transitional sequences as examples of transitions in the PE mode on pp.98-108, and G&E 1977 cites other researchers' examples of transitionals in the PE mode approvingly.

What does all this mean for the conceptual status of transitional fossil sequences? First, accepting PE's conclusions means that one views PE as the mode of evolutionary change, and not that it is exclusive of PG. Fossil evidence may be found which comports more closely with PE than PG, or vice versa. The classification takes place on a case by case basis. PE's claim concerns the relative frequency with which one will find examples of PE as compared to PG. Second, any finely graded sequence linking two successive species *is* a transitional sequence; the only question is whether its geographic, morphological, and stratigraphic characteristics argue for *classification* as an example of PE or as an example of PG.

Dawkins, Richard. 1986.
The Blind Watchmaker. New York, New York: W.W. Norton Co.
Eldredge, N., & Gould, S. J. 1972.
Punctuated equilibria: an alternative to phyletic gradualism. In: Models In Paleobiology (Ed. by T. J. M. Schopf).
Gould, S. J., & Eldredge, N. 1977.
Punctuated equilibria: the tempo and mode of evolution reconsidered. Paleobiology, 3, 115-151.
Gould, S. J. 1980.
Return of the Hopeful Monster. In: The Panda's Thumb. New York, New York: W.W. Norton Co. pp. 186-193.

Chris Colby provided a cogent and detailed critique of the first draft, pointing out the "gene flow vs. homeostasis" argument in E&G 1972 among many other points. Many of his points remain to be incorporated, which says more about the extent of my free time rather than the importance of those points.

Chris Nedin suggested several changes incorporated here, including expansion of the discussion of Darwin in relation to phyletic gradualism. I still need to check out "The Beak of the Finch" for examples of (relatively) rapid evolutionary change.

I thank the Oxford Text Archive for providing a free etext of "Origin of Species", first edition. This makes looking up interesting passages much easier than in the paper versions.

The condition that exists when two populations are separated geographically.
:Peripatric Speciation:
A short synonym for the Theory of allopatric speciation by peripheral isolates. This synonym is used in preference to the longer term in the FAQ.
The condition that exists when two populations share the same geographic range or a significant region of overlap.
The study of fossilization processes.
:Theory of allopatric speciation by peripheral isolates:
The theory that most speciation events occur when a small population at the periphery of a geographic range acquires reproductive isolation from the parent species.


text:
Tuesday, August 19, 2008

Ben Frost - Theory Of Machines

Ben Frost - Theory Of Machines

Ben Frost. Theory Of Machines. Great album. The opening title track, however, is stellar. It starts with fluttery muted piano and some soft guitar drone. Then the low rumbly bass comes in, creating something like a beat, albeit a very slow one. Eventually, an actual beat comes, with snare, cymbals and such. Everything morphs and builds and fades, creating a superb wall of noise, only to drop out into shimmery nothingness. And contrary to how pitiful my words sound in describing "Theory Of Machines," this is truly one of the most gorgeous songs I've heard all year. And for that reason alone, Theory Of Machines is worth every dime spent on it.

But there's still 4 more tracks left to enchant you and they sure do their job. The rest of the album is a bit more industrial sounding than "Theory Of Machines." A little darker and bleaker, with less pretty drones. The majority of the instruments sound like various drum machines and other electronics, with the occasional guitar. But Theory Of Machines does have a nice variety, nothing ever gets tiring. There are both bits of abrasive, scratching distortion and soothing strings and electronic beeps. Plenty to keep you engaged all throughout.

"Stomp" is almost the epitome of the sound found on Theory Of Machines. It's like the kind of song that would be playing while Deckard is searching through sketchy alleys looking for a rogue andy in Blade Runner. Come to think of it, if Vangelis had opted out of doing the soundtrack to Blade Runner, I think Ben Frost would have been a perfect fit (ignoring time lines). And maybe he should do one anyway, in his free time. It would give the movie a much different feeling than from Vangelis' music, but I'm sure it would totally kick ass.

Of course, it's worth mentioning that Ben Frost is from Iceland, mostly because it's always worth mentioning if someone's from Iceland. Speaking in generalities, this is the darkest thing I can ever remember hearing come from Iceland. That is, everything except the last song, "Forgetting You Is Like Breathing Water" (great title, btw). It's totally everything you would expect to hear form Iceland, pretty and filled with strings. It's certainly a strange way to end Theory Of Machines but maybe Frost is trying to say that while machines can go bad and do wrong, eventually everything turns out OK. At least, I hope that's what he's saying, because that would be cool.

Theory Of Machines is out now on Bedroom Community Records and the artwork is really fantastic. The inside sleeve folds out to see (who I assume is) Ben all tied up, hanging upside down. Lots of great photography and liner notes; definitely worthy of purchase.

No comments:


text:
Monday, August 22, 2005

Great Blue Heron

Oddly enough, after I mentioned the Great Blue Heron in my post yesterday, I began to recall that we had tried to take some photos. Sure enough, there were a few on Cuppa's camera. While this isn't exactly a close-up, it isn't so very terrible either.

It will serve a nice reminder for us of many enjoyable bicycle trips out to The Grove. Last year, we rode the trail, but this year we have discovered a route that allows us to travel on paved but lightly travelled country roads. Pedalling on pavement is easier and faster than on trails, and it's a lot less dusty and grimy too.

The river that you see in this photo is a human-made, or at least human-enhanced, drain (or ditch). The water is always brown, but, for some mysterious reason, it turned out blue in this picture — without any Photoshop contrivances on my part — for a change.

As I wrote yesterday, we usually call a loud and cheery greeting to this heron, who is almost always poking about or very close to this very spot. S/he must wonder about the sanity of these boisterous humans shouting from their odd, two-wheeled contraptions, but we like doing it. We should be able to make a couple of more trips before moving day, and we'll continue to greet the bird cheerily.

The funny thing is that I almost feel sentimental about this impending loss (i.e. not encountering the heron any more), for I suppose that I am letting this encounter represent the many bicycle trips which we have enjoyed so very much. I am not overly lugubrious about leaving this locale, but I am a tiny bit wistful about forsaking this bicycle route, not to mention this Great Blue Heron.

It has been our wonderful privilege to ride out to the shores of beautiful Lake Huron. It's just about the right distance for us, and the destination can't be beat — Lake Huron and Tim's. I'm pretty darn positive that we won't find a better route in our new location, but we'll make the best of whatever we are afforded, and we'll endeavour not to cast too many comparative backward glances.

Dale said...

"... we won't find a better route in our new location ..."

You'll have to define "better", AC. Who knows what delights await you at your new home? You may be pleasantly surprised!

Christi said...

I must have missed the day that you said you were moving. Why are you moving?

Heather said...

Yeah, I'd miss the blue heron too. But perhaps there's a new bird - and perhaps even a birdhouse full of them - awaiting your arrival.

PBS said...

Aww, it's OK to miss the good things! But there will be other (and maybe even better) things in your new locale. Plus the adventure of exploring a new place!

methatiam said...

Thanks for visiting my site, I thought perhaps I'd return the visit. I've read Cuppa's entries on the move and know you're both getting anxious, but there's more to find ahead.

Lynn said...

A long time ago, when I lived in Iowa and I was a 60 mile a week runner, my running route was 12 miles out and back on a deserted gravel country road between cornfields. I startled a fox one time and watched him run a mile across a harvested cornfield faster than I thought possible. One day I sheltered underneath a small bridge crossing a small creek because there was tornado near by. One cold and rainy November night a guy drove by me in a harvester and asked me if I was training for the Olympics.

When I go back to Iowa now, I often drive a recently built four lane highway crossing my old running path. I love looking down my old deserted road towards the horizon when I do. I still recall each rise and dip in my gravel road after all these years.

I hope you always remember the old paths you have ridden. Good luck on your move, and happy trails in your new place.


text:
Sunday, November 15, 2009

B2B Marketing Trends From Eloqua Experience 09 Via Twitter

Earlier this month I left my newborn and poor wife at home for an unforgettable week at Eloqua Experience in San Francisco. This sold out event brought together some of smartest marketers from all over the world. While there were a few keynote speakers, the conference focused on having the Eloqua community share their experiences so we could all learn from each other.

The main difference this year from last year was that we not only shared our knowledge and insights with each other but with the power of Twitter, we could share these with the rest of the globe. This made the event even more exciting as tweeters could listen to speakers, engage other tweeters, tweet their experiences, and see what others were tweeting about all at the same time! To better understand, how Eloqua pulled this off, see: Social Media Buzz at a Live Event. The result was better than Eloqua could ever have expected. The content generated by the event attendees was almost as good as the content from the speakers themselves. Why? Because it’s real. It’s in the moment. What better way to get in the heads of those that attended than by reading their actual thoughts.

EE09_Eloqua_Experience_TwitterWhile I could write a number of blog posts on my own findings from this event, I decided to let Twitter write the post for me. Of course, I did sift through over 1,000 tweets for trends as well the most memorable tweets. The Eloqua product was much discussed at the event but I’ve excluded those tweets here as this post was focused on learnings for B2B marketers that goes beyond Eloqua. I hope you enjoy it and I encourage you to follow the Tweeters that I mention below. They are some of the best and brightest out there. And if you’re mad that I forgot a important moment or missed a cherished tweet of yours, add a comment at the bottom.

Social Media And B2B Marketing

Social media played such a major factor at this event. This post as an example, was written from the product of social media (Twitter). At Eloqua Experience, there was a focus on helping marketers better understand the different aspects of social media, how to better leverage social media, and why they need to leverage it. One of the memorable moments on Day #1 was at the social media training session when all of students needed to set up a Twitter account (if they didn’t have one) and tweet using the #EE09 hash tag. It actually caused Twitter to block the IP address at the hotel from accessing Twitter for a short period of time due to the amount of new Twitter accounts generated. Those at the event felt proud that they’re collective voice reverberated across the internet – powerful stuff!

David Meerman Scott was a fantastic speaker and adding all the golden nugget tweets from his presentation wouldn’t due it justice. I have added a few though.

Here is a small taste of what was discussed:

tracyekraft: Social Media Revolution at Eloqua Experience learning how to be better w/social media. #ee09

EricHorton: Twitter just blocked the IP for the #ee09 Twitter training session. How will new users learn to reap the benefits from Twitter?

jocebrown: Social's big impact in B2B marketing will be in how you interact with customers and develop advocates and relationships - Laura Ramos #EE09

stevewoods: Thought leadership and credibility, NOT community size are main drivers of why ppl engage in online communities - @lauraramos at #EE09

chadhorenfeldt: Track social media engagement, not ROI @lauraramos #EE09

edthewebguy: #ee09 steve woods - if facebook was a country it would be the 4th most populous

rhonda: #EE09 It's not about controlling the message it's about getting information out there. @dmscott

Bpoz: @dmscott: lose your fear of social media and lose control of your marketing. #EE09

tillatorrens: New Rule by @dmscott - EARN attention by publishing your way in - via YouTube, blogs, etc #EE09

chadhorenfeldt: #EE09 @dmscott borrowed this from @yoda to describe new rules of marketing: u must unlearn what u have learned

The Marketing Organization

While many of my conversations are focused solely on technology, it’s the people and process that are the building blocks of a successful marketing organization. The tweets below focus mostly on the session held by Tony Jaros from SiriusDecisions and some additional tweets from the Omniture session who use much of what SiriusDecisions preaches. The marketing organizations that have the right people and are using the best practice strategies will have the most success. As an example, SiriusDecsions focused on the concept of what they called the Demand Center.

lauraramos: #EE09: Tony Jaros of Sirius Decisions talks about the gap in marketing skills, not the technology or relationship with sales.

lauraramos: #EE09: Now need 2 worry about how 2 facilitate demand through the entire waterfall. Don't sell yourself short by thinking it's anything less

lauraramos: #EE09: Best marketing organizaitons will see the biggest change at the bottom of the waterfall. Waterfall is center of all marketing.

jocebrown: Neither a white paper not a product is a need to be solving a problem....cannot continue to be tactically focused #EE09

lauraramos: #EE09: Quality marketing talent must support a wide variety of disciplines. Silos must go. Marketing automation experience will be key.

jocebrown:Frightening number of B2B marketers self taugh with no budget for training according to Sirius....huge performance gap #EE09

lauraramos: #EE09: The Demand Center is a center of excellence for program creation but with advisory, technical, and execution around buyer's journey.

jocebrown: It's the people and process not the technology that is stalling sophisticated nurturing and scoring - Laura Ramos #EE09

lauraramos: #EE09: Omniture organization looks like: Audience Program Mgmt, Offer Development, Channel Execution, and Marketing Operations supports all.

lauraramos: #EE09: 1: Sales engagement means taking in sales language: what do we contribute to the pipeline, how many sales accepted oppty do you need?

paynejoe: Avg CMO tenure 22 mnths. BUT if the CMO has a demand generation or sales enablement background he/she is 2 times liklier to make 5yrs #ee09

Measuring Marketing Effectiveness

This was definitely a hot topic and Eloqua was lucky to not only have speakers like Laura Ramos and Tony Jaros but also CMOs from its customer base. A theme across many of these discussions was the need for marketing to demonstrate its impact to the rest of the business. This doesn’t just mean the pipeline influenced from a lead nurturing program but also can mean the effectiveness of lead scoring to the sales team.

lauraramos: #EE09: all this [marketing] activity amounts to 18 to 30% of the pipe. Must look at influence in the waterfall, even if marketing doesn't source it.

lauraramos: #EE09: @siriusdecisions Marketers must measure the performance of demand creation, not of marketing.

SuaadSait: Benchmarking marketing statistics is NOT what matters, Baseline YOUR mktng data & set goals to grow as a commitment per @lauraramos #EE09

jocebrown: Nurturing value measured in pipeline velocity - Drew Clarke IBM #EE09

rhonda: #ee09 Drew Clark on measuring nurturing: what type & how many activities lead participates in, what their role is in opp & in account.

lauraramos: #EE09: Waterfall + database segementation shows Omni needed to acquire 150K more names to feel the model. Content choice: research survey.

lauraramos: #EE09: Omniture measures conversion across channel and pipeline. Lets them know where to invest marketing programs and why.

rhonda: @pteshima #EE09 ?'s CMOs ask: What initiatives drive ROI, how does sales & mktg funnel look, r my strategies working, how do I benchmark?

rhonda: #EE09 Scott Sheppard shares great ideas on rolling out lead scoring to your sales team: videos, distribute custom reports & driving adoption

Marketing Tactics

If you ask many marketers, one of the main reasons they came to Eloqua Experience was to pick up a few tips that they could take home with them and implement right away. This could mean learning how to clean your data so that it could be easy to segment off of or something simple as creating a control group that you send no marketing communication to and measuring how it fairs to the rest of the database. It’s very powerful when marketers themselves can share their results and let you know what is working and what isn’t.

jill_rowley: @lauraramos - content needs to be about me and my needs, not you and your products, your awards. #EE09 #Eloqua

JenPumpItUp: Session tip: How good is your lead scoring program? Only as good as your sales team buy-in. Make sure they're a part from the start. #EE09

rhonda: #EE09 marketers shld work w/ the sales team to help define a qualified lead for scoring... But DON'T ask them to help you prioritize assets!

rhonda: #EE09 Incorporate time frame into ur scoring model to ensure recency is reflected in the "value" of the lead.

rhonda: #EE09 Sales adoption of lead scoring is a paradigm shift-if rep reluctant, push adoption not just from top but via success of their peers.

lauraramos: #EE09: Omniture says realtime alerts increased contact ratios by to 100X and increased opportuntiies generated by 21X vs. no tools/process.

jfernandez: I love the idea of misspellings within automated e-mails from Sales Rep to add a touch of authenticity. Brilliant stuff, @Omniture. #EE09

Eloqua: Omniture: EVERY email must be personalized and relevant. #EE09

gclarkmt: Mikel Chertudi says Omniture only saw a 3% drop in conversions with their really long contact form versus a short form. #EE09

gregforrest: Omniture says do less programs and make them better - get more out of them. #ee09

tmcmullen: favorite idea of the day - create a control group when testing marketing campaigns/effectiveness #ee09

hallim: #EE09 data cleansing - tactics to support the overall strategy of demand generation and qualified leads into the sales pipline

chadhorenfeldt: - Great Eloqua data quality dashboard in Eloqua by @gregforrest #EE09 #b2b #marketing

jill_rowley: Tony Jaros from SiriusDecisions says something like....Lead nurturing turns garbage into gold. #EE09 #Eloqua

Until Eloqua Experience 2010…

I hope you enjoyed some of these tweets as much as I did and if you were at Eloqua Experience, I hope these tweets bring back some good memories. To end this post, I want to highlight some of the true marketing rock stars that were at the event. These people were the finalists for the Markie awards. Here is Tweet from the Markie awards ceremony celebrating the achievements of the finalists:

stevewoods: Was a fantastic evening! Congrats all! RT @chadhorenfeldt: - The Eloqua Markies finalists #EE09

For more information on the winners, see: Winners of the 2009 Markie Awards where you can learn more about the categories, the winners and why they won.

Be sure to add comments on your favorite tweets or moments at EE09. Looking forward to Eloqua Experience 2010!

Chad H.

PS: For videos from the event and some of the sessions I mentioned above, check out the Eloqua YouTube Channel. For more pictures, Check out the Eloqua Fanpage on Facebook

PPS: I would like to thank every tweeter at the event – you made this post possible. Believe me, it was hard choosing who to include! I would especially like to thank @lauraramos, @jocebrown and @rhonda who I used extensively.

PPPS: I did mention that this post was not on the Eloqua technology but I did want to give a shout out to the Pedowitz Group and its Sweet Platform that captured all of the tweets from the event in Eloqua and made it possible for me to analyze them. Very nice add-on and a big thank you.

David Meerman Scott said...

I had a great time at EE09. I'm so glad that I arrived early and stayed for the entire event - there were many excellent discussions.

The addition of the Twitter feeds and hashtag made for an excellent "back channel" for the event. I enjoyed watching what was going on. Most conferences are not using hashtags, so I was really pleased to see one used at EE09.

And I gotta say, there is nothing better than finishing a presentation and then finding over 100 tweets that had been sent while I was on the stage so I can get a real-time indication of what the audience thought. great!

Thanks for including information about me in your writeup.

Best David

Chad H said...

No problem David. It was a pleasure to hear you speak and I was inspired by your efforts. I always laugh now when I see a website with "those people" on it.

Thanks for stopping by and adding your say.

Stephen said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Alexander said...

Great post very interesting

Successful B2B Marketing said...

I enjoyed your writings..I want to implement your all suggestions in my mail marketing...great work.keep sharing.

business marketing automation said...

Thanks for the post. After reading it, it sparked a thought in my head. Social media is a way to get your prospects and customers to do marketing for you. If you read some of the tweets, the majority of them advocate features or strategies. It's more educational but the "container" for the posts is still Eloqua. Very nifty approach.

Related Posts Widget for Blogs by LinkWithin


text:
Monday, May 25, 2009

As Seen In My Travels

One thing you may not know about me is that these days I spend all of my work travel time in a small middle-of-nowhere town in Kentucky. It's a nice little town and the parts not covered in fast food restaurants and bait shops is very quaint.

Quaintness should not be confused for interestingness, or bizarreness, or oddness. All in all it's kind of a bland place. Not that that's a bad thing. I've come to grips with the fact that I'm not likely to see a man in a pink sweatsuit with a pink sparkle scarf and pink platform heels strolling down Main Street as I so often do at home. I was prepared to think that fourteen antenaes stuck to the top of a truck was the height of crazy around these parts. Or so I thought.

Apparently, Kentucky likes to keep their interestingly bizarre oddities out of the city limits and on the shoulder of deserted windey mountain freeways.

Friday afternoon I was driving to the airport through the KY mountains --

just to be clear, I'm calling them mountains because they are large hills that the rented Ford Focus struggled to go up and down; but am not to confusing them with REAL mountains that would turn that Ford Focus back to the flatlands of Kansas in tears

-- when I crested a hill and BEHOLD! there, on the other side of the road stood a man in a Gorilla suit holding a sign that said "Monkey Love" in big red lettering.

What the Whaaa?

I looked about to see if there was a pet store or strip club or something he was promoting; no, nothing but trees and fake mountains as far as the eye could see.

I looked to see if he was hitchhiking; no, there was no monkey thumb or destination written on that Monkey Love sign. And what kind of person would pick up someone wearing a gorilla suit? That's a slasher movie waiting to happen!

I looked to see if there was any explanation at all why someone would be in a gorilla suit at 3 o'clock on a Friday afternoon in the middle of the nowheresville Kentucky mountains. As far as I could see there was none.

But that didn't make it any less awesome! And I tipped my cap to Kentucky for showing me that I should not just assume it's brand of wackos is any less ostentatious than those I am used to dealing with in DC. Well played, Kentucky. Well played.

Wednesday, May 6, 2009

Another Voice Mail From My Dad

Speaking of tightwad skinflints, your name came right to the top!

Have you noticed that if you go to your computer and type Oprah slash KFC and print you a coupon for a Free Kentucky Fried meal you get TWO pieces of grilled chicken TWO individual sides and a biscuit for NOTHING ... WITH JUST THAT COUPON????!?

I thought you'd like that.

Am I a lucky daughter or what? My Dad really knows what makes my day! I will do just about anything for free food. Free Scoop Day at B&J's? There. Free Slurpee Day at 7-11? There. Flap-jack Friday Free Breakfast? TOTALLY THERE!

NB: word on the street is that this is one of those limited time thingies.

PS and PNB: It was kind of a shizzy day with the rain and the traffic and the practically passing out on the treadmill. This voicemail was a real beacon of joy in the otherwise miserable news my blackberry has been passing along all day. Thanks Pop! And Thanks Oprah slash KFC!


WARC-Truncated: length

text:
Sorry, this listing is no longer available. Please try one of these, or search rentals in Richfield.

Search Rentals in Richfield
More suggestions:

3 bedroom home for rent
W 1000 N, Richfield, UT 84701

  • 3 bed
  • 2 bath
  • $700/mo.
  • 1,250 ft2

Map of W 1000 N, Richfield...

Nearby Transit

Nearby Schools

School data provided by GreatSchools

Features & Amenities

  • Brand new
  • Pool

This bright and open condominium has three bedrooms and two bathrooms. The living room has vaulted ceilings. The outside deck has spectacular mountain views. Built in 2006. Great condition. Washer & dryer are included. No pets/No smoking. One covered parking space and other open parking. $200 of $700 deposit is a Tenant Initiation Fee to ERA and is non-refundable.

Apartable Overview

This apartment is a 3 bedroom residence for rent for $700 monthly. The residence boasts a great location in Richfield. The residence includes brand new. The property features pool and you can move in on August 20, 2012.

This listing is no longer active as of November 1st, 2013.

Monthly Costs

Price $700
Included Utilities
Bottom Line Price $700

Move-in Costs

First month's rent $700
Deposit $700
Application fee
No Broker Fee $0
Estimated Move-In Costs $1,400

Leasing Info

Move-in Date August 20, 2012
Lease term 1 year
Pet Policy
Posted at August 14, 2012
Last updated July 21, 2013

This apartment is listed as a no fee apartment. That means that you should not be required to pay a broker fee of any kind. If this agent asks you to pay a fee, please flag them immediately.

Logo headshot default

Listed by
Property Manager

ERA Property Management

More Apartments for Rent in Richfield

You can also try more Richfield rentals by category:


text:
the time has finally come.

I so can't believe it's been 2.5 months since my last update here on Apartment #412. Time has flown by.

This may be a bit late, but I'm hoping you all had a very Happy New Year and that 2011 has been great so far.

If you follow me on twitter or read my other blog - which I have been updating - or if you've been a regular reader of this blog, you'll know that I've been preparing to move to India for the past several months to work as a paid volunteer at a non-profit organization.

Well, the time has finally come. My suitcase is (mostly packed) and in less than 3 days I'll be heading across the world to really start this new, yearlong adventure. I'm feeling a whole bunch of emotions that I can't even articulate.........nervous, excited, scared, anxious.....

So, that means this is the last post on Apartment #412 as this blog will now be going on hiatus. I don't know if I'll continue blogging here after my year in India; I'll cross that bridge when I get to it. For now it'll remain open to the public but by the end of the month I'll make it private....if I decide to continue on here once I return at that point I'll make it public again.

I hate to leave you all hanging (and I hope it doesn't look that way) but I really hope you decide to follow me over to my newer travelogue and come along on this journey, albeit viturally, with me. I'll be blogging my experiences, thoughts, tips, everyday stuff....and lots and lots of pictures.

Thank you so much for your readership over the past few years. It means more to me than you know.


text:
Monday, 9 February 2015

Ear Force One: Going Deaf When Flying!

When I left Seoul last December 2014 for my Christmas vacation in the Philippines, I knew I was in trouble. Days before I flew out, I caught a bad cold which I couldn't shake off even with my Korean doctor's medications. So, when the cold still persisted on the day of my flight, I rushed back to his clinic and told him I was flying out that night and I was worried, not because of my in-flight meal or a delay in my flight, but because of this nasal problem!

       (Watching TV while waiting at my Korean doctor's clinic)

Years ago, I had to cancel my flight to Jeju Island when I hurt my eardrums after some confined water scuba diving lessons I took in Suwon City, just south of Seoul. The same Korean doctor advised me from flying. During that time, I could even feel my eardrums tighten up just riding the building elevator. I learned my lesson that time.

This time, about nine hours before my flight, my doctor gave me additional medication and told me to get some candies to chew minutes before take-off and minutes before landing. As expected, all throughout the three-and-a-half hour flight from Incheon International Airport to Manila, I had to attend to my nose, but I made sure I had a lot of tissue with me. Ha-ha-ha!

And the worse happened.

      (Instead of a 'Mabuhay!', this sign at NAIA3 greeted me.                                      WTF, NAIA manager?)

My eardrums suddenly told me that the plane started its descent even before the pilot announced it. How? I could not equalize! I started to go deaf! During the flight, I had my earphones on to listen to some sleepy music. This time, the bass tones of the music were inaudible, and although I still could hear some passengers behind my seat talk, their voices sounded far and sounded like whispers. And the worst thing? I felt these invisible screws pressing into both ears. They were not that painful, but I was worried they'd rupture my eardrums! It was the same feeling when I scuba-dived, descending into the water and feeling the pressure against both ears, but this time, I wasn't wearing a wet suit; I was wearing a worried face for the whole 30 minutes until touchdown!

And when the plane landed at the Terminal 3 of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport, I couldn't celebrate my coming home! How could I? I was deaf!

        (Sad looking Christmas decors greeted me at NAIA3)

I couldn't wait to run out of the plane. I had to see a doctor. And since there was no line at the Immigration lane for "PWD/Senior Citizens", I went for it. I later realized this was my lane. 'PWD' means 'persons with disability': my eardrums were disabled!  Although it was Christmas time, the first words I spoke to the first three Filipinos at the airport (Cebu Pacific ground staff, the Immigration Officer and the Customs Officer) weren't yuletide greetings, they were "Meron po bang medical clinic dito sa airport?" (Is there a medical clinic in this airport?).

The Cebu Pacific staff didn't know; the Immigration Officer pointed me downstairs; but it was the Customs Officer (thanks to her!) who ushered me to the medical clinic just behind the Customs area. It was already 2AM (the Cebu Pacific flight from Seoul was delayed by 90 freakin' minutes!), and I was tired, sleepy and deaf!

Luckily, the medical staff, Nurse Perez and Doctor Gatmaitan (I hope I remember their family names correctly; they were on duty on December 21, early Sunday morning), were able to attend me. The doctor told me that I was lucky my eardrums didn't rupture, but they were inflamed. I told him I was going to take another flight (this time, a domestic flight to Bacolod) in three hours, and I was worried (again!). He gave me some decongestants.

And although the take-off my the last leg home was worry-free, the same thing happened to me during the last 20 minutes. My eardrums went crazy again and I had trouble listening to the murmurs and whispers on board, even though I was still chewing candies. So I just distracted myself with the glorious sight from my seat window: the dark skies gradually turning red and orange as Sunday morning started to peep in. And on the final minutes of the plane gliding over the low clouds and seeing those green plantations below, I was just happy I was home. Deaf or not, but I was finally home!

(Morning has broken...)

*  *  *  *  *  *

Here are some tips I found on the Internet when flying with cold:

1. If it's a slight cold, do take decongestants before flying. And bring a lot of tissues!
2. Chew some candies or gum minutes before take-off and minutes before the plane starts its the descent.
3. For babies and kids with colds, it's better not to let them fly because they may not know how to equalize. Do you ever wonder why kids cry a lot before landing? Maybe it's because they don't know how to equalize and they're experiencing a lot of pain. It's advised to feed them so that they would naturally suck in liquid which would aid in equalizing the pressure.
4. If you had injuries in your eardrums, do consult your doctor as they may worsen.
5. Do visit your doctor before and seek advice and medication if you're worried, like I was!
6. Immediately visit an EENT (ears, eyes, nose, throat) specialist after experiencing deafness during a flight. (After I arrived home, I visited one in Bacolod and he gave me antibiotics for my inflamed eardrums.)

Travel safe, everyone!

PS. Thanks to Dr. Gatmaitan and Nurse Perez of NAIA3!

No comments:

Post a Comment


text:
Thursday, 12 March 2015

My Couple Of The Week: The Insadong Chestnut Vendors

To continue on with my 'person/s of the week' series, I feature this elderly couple at the Insadong area, next to the Anguk Station's Exit 6.

Last year, I stayed at a B&B nearby to spend a weekend at the Jongno area as a tourist. Yes, after living in Seoul for many years, as an assignment from the Seoul City government, I booked a room, and shopped and dined in the area like a real tourist.  It was a different experience trying to pretend like a real tourist after having lived in the city and roamed this area on several occasions over the years.

On that 'tour', I discovered a chestnut vendor selling cooked chestnuts at that exit near Anguk Station. That time, he was selling alone. This time, on this weekend when I ventured around Insa-dong, I looked for that stall and saw that there was an elderly Korean lady helping him; I presumed she was his wife. And since I haven't tasted chestnuts since Christmas, I had to buy a small pouch worth KRW5,000 from them.

I wondered how many hours each day they have to stand there out in the cold to even make break-even. But today, I was just happy to contribute to their business. In return, I was able to enjoy chestnuts again since Christmas.

So, on your next visit to Insa-dong, do wander around Exit 6 of the Anguk Station and buy some cooked chestnuts from the couple; they're my couple of the week.

  1. My request to all residents of Korea.
    My Filipino wife Teresita D Gabriel (nick name Thesz) She has runaway from me for past 2 months 15 days. I have information from some unknown sources. first one month 20 days she had lived with Bangladeshi man Sojol. Then she reported to some Migrant shelter and start living with Filipino man Rosar ( everyone knows him as Myor ). Or living with a Filipino man. If you know anything or have any information about my wife, please inform me. Any information will be highly confidential.I will be grateful to the informer for all the life. If the informer want anyaward I will definitely do that. My mobile number : 01086913227/010644711.
    Thanks, Rauf.

  2. FB Name:Ding An's Ursua Macaso, name:Randy U Macaso CP:639993451792, He was in Korea 1 month before demanding that he knows where is my wife now. She is living with Roxan. He is asking rewards from me. I am ready to give him. But How could I trust him. I want to pay him thru any of you living in Korea. He will give you the address and you will give it to me. And other things I don't know either my wife wants to come back to me or want divorce! If she wants divorce I don't want to meet her. Because in that case she will pubically insult me.Rouf


text:
 The Statistical Explanation of the Masses of Nuclides
San José State University

Thayer Watkins
Silicon Valley
& Tornado Alley

The Statistical Explanation
of the Masses of Nuclides

The mass of any nucleus is generally believed to be less than the sum of the masses of its constituent nucleons. This is called its mass deficit. This mass deficit expressed in energy units through the Einstein formula E=mc² it is called the binding energy of the nuclide.

The mass of a charged partcle such as an ionized atom can be determined by injecting it into a magnetic field and measuring the curvature of its path in relation to its velocity. To determine the mass of the neutral neutron another method must be used.

When a neutron and a proton come together to form a deuteron a gamma ray with energy 2.225 million electron volts (MeV) is emitted. Likewise when a deuteron absorbs a gamma ray of 2.225 MeV energy it breaks apart into a neutron and a proton. That energy is taken to be the binding energy of a deuteron and the mass of a neutron is computed from that value and the measured masses of the deuteron and the proton.

But consider the situation of an electron being absorbed by an ion. The electron would lose 27.2 electron volts (eV) of potential energy; 13.6 eV of that 27.2 eV would go into the emission of a photon of 13.6 eV energy. The other 13.6 eV would go into the kinetic energy of the electron in the atom into which it is absorbed. The potential energy loss is divided exactly equally between the emitted photon and the gain in kinetic energy because the electrostatic force is exactly a function of inverse distance squared. If one estimated the potential energy loss using only the photon energy there would be an erroneous underestimate. This may be what is involved with using the energy of the gamma ray emitted when a neutron and a proton form a deuteron. The mass deficit involved in the formation of the deuteron is equivalent to a loss of potential energy. Unfortunately, because the nuclear force is probably not an inverse distance squared force the division of the mass loss between increased kinetic energy and the energy of the emitted gamma photon is not equal and thus is unknown.

It is pretty certain that there are errors in the computed binding energies because there is one nuclide that has a negative computed binding energy. That nuclide is the berylium isotope Be5 with four protons and one neutron. Its computed binding energy is −0.768 MeV. Thus ΔK must be at least 0.768 MeV.

The measured masses can be recovered by adding the published binding energy of a nuclide to the sum of the masses of its nucleons with one proton having a mass of 938.27231 MeV and one neutron a mass of 939.56563 MeV. Regression analysis may then be used to find the values of proton and neutron mass that best explain measured masses assuming no mass deficits.

The form of the regression equation is

m(p, n) = mPp + mNn + u

where u is a random error term. Initially it is assumed that u has a variance that is independent of the level of m(p, n).

The results of the regression analysis are:

m(p, n) = 948.80708p + 945.58357n
               [7015.5]        [9964.1]

The coefficient of determination (R²) for this equation is 0.999999874 and the standard deviation of the random term is 50.5 MeV. The t-ratios for the coefficients, shown in the square brackets [ ], are so high that the probability that the correlation of m(p, n) with p and n is just due to chance is infinitesimally low.

However the problem is that the value for mN is significantly less than the value for mP. It is known that mN must be larger than mP because a neutron decays into a proton, an electron and a neutrino. The neutrino has negligible mass, but the electron has a mass of 0.511 MeV so the mass of a neutron must exceed that of a proton by at least 0.511 MeV.

There is a modification of the regression which is justified. The variance of the random variable u is likely proportional to m(p, n). Thus v=u/√m(p,n) would have a variance independent of the dependent variable in the regression equation The condition in which the variance of the random term is not independent of the level of the dependent variable is called heteroskedasticity. The adjustment is made to achieve homoskedasticity.

√m(p,n) = mPp/√m(p,n) + mNn/√m(p,n) + v

The results for this regression equation are:

√m(p,n) = 948.10438p/√m(p,n) + 946.23111n/√m(p,n)
               [7772.7]        [10813.9]
R² = 0.999999835

So again the estimate of mN is less than that of mP.

The regression coeficient for n can be forced to be equal to that for p by regressing m(p,n) on (p+n). That gives a mass of a nucleon equal to 946.91191 MeV. The R² for this equation is 0.999999866; almost as high as for the equation using two variables. The standard error of the estimate is only slightly higher (52.1 MeV) than the 50.5 MeV found for the two variable equation.

An adjustment for heteroskedasticity gives an estimate of the mass of a nucleon of 953.3 MeV.

Since there is an empirically known value for the mass of a proton of 938.27231 MeV it is appropriate to compute (m(p,n)−938.27231p) and regress this quantity on n. That procedure gives an estimate of the mass of a neutron of 952.9 MeV, quite a bit higher than the conventional value of 939.56563 MeV. The coefficient of determination for the equation is 0.999998898. Here is what a graph of the data looks like.

These results stem from the implicit assumption that there are no mass deficits for the nuclei.

The exercise found some interesting results but nothing that would replace the conventional esimateof the mass of a neutron.

HOME PAGE OF applet-magic
HOME PAGE OF Thayer Watkins,


text:
Monday, April 7, 2014

6 Common Symptoms of Dysgraphia

How do I know if My Child or Student Has Dysgraphia?

The National Center for Learning Disabilities defines dysgraphia as follows:

Dysgraphia definition
"Dysgraphia is a learning disability that affects writing, which requires a complex set of motor and information processing skills."

What exactly is dysgraphia?
Essentially, dysgraphia makes even the most basic form of writing difficult.  Many students struggle with spelling, getting their thoughts down on paper and basic writing skills.

Writing skills are a struggle for students with dysgraphia

People with dysgraphia have difficulties with processing what their eyes are actually seeing. This is known as visual-spacial difficulty.

Visual-spacial concerns with dysgraphia

Language processing is another area of concern. Dysgraphia sufferers have trouble making sense of what their own ears are actually hearing.

These issues affect organization, organizing words on a line or page, letters, and even numbers.

Dysgraphic students struggle with writing on lines

What are the symptoms and signs of dysgraphia?

  • Tiring quickly while writing
  • Poor handwriting, sometimes with a mix of print and cursive
  • Trouble thinking of words to write
  • Omitting or not completing words within a sentence
  • Trouble organizing thoughts on paper
  • Large gap between oral spoken language and written expression
*Additional signs and symptoms of dysgraphia can be found on the related paperwork, link here.

Interventions and strategies to address dysgraphia

What interventions and strategies can I do for my child with dysgraphia?

  • Use a pen or pencil that is comfortable for the student; you may need to try several before finding the one that works best
  • Use lined paper when possible
  • Model and practice proper pencil grip; be careful because habits form quickly and early
  • When learning letters, numbers or shapes, use oral sequences to help them memorize the exact formation; for example: letter c: start below the top, go up and touch the top, go around and back up
    Model proper pencil grip
  • Do not give up on practicing handwriting, but try using a computer keyboard or ipad to type
  • Provide students with a checklist of expectations (spelling, neatness, grammar, progression of ideas, etc.)
  • Reduce the amount of copying, especially from the board
  • Break assignments down into smaller steps and tasks
  • When appropriate, give alternate assignments that have a more hands-on approach
  • For writing assignments, allow students to begin by telling a partner what they will write about or drawing a picture before writing

*Additional interventions and strategies can be found on the related paperwork, link here.

If you have a student or child that is suffering from symptoms of dysgraphia, you may benefit from the Dysgraphia Intervention Kit.

Dysgraphia Intervention Kit

  • Dysgraphia information sheet
  • Dysgraphia Intervention and Strategy suggestions, complete list
  • Dysgraphia Intervention Checklist (editable and printable) to use with individual children, complete list
  • Dysgraphia Checklist: Ages 12 to Adult (editable and printable)
  • Dysgraphia Checklist: Ages 5 to 12 (editable and printable)
  • Dysgraphia Checklist: Ages Up to 5 (editable and printable)
  • Dysgraphia Student Intervention Log used for documentation and progress monitoring (editable and printable)
Dysgraphia Information

Do you have a child or student that suffers from symptoms of dysgraphia?  What interventions do you use to help them?  I would LOVE to hear from you!

~jen :)


text:
View single post by jfritz
 Posted: Sat Apr 30th, 2005 06:04 pm
PM Quote Reply Full Topic

Joined: Fri Apr 29th, 2005
Posts: 5

I replaced the rear bearing assembly of the dryer,

THe old one was definately tight  and a bit bound up ...

I put it back together,.. fired it up,, it ran ok.... then I put a small load of clothes in it

and it wouldnt start.. it tried,, moaned and groaned.. for about 5 seconds

and siezed

About 10 minutes later I tried to start it again and it fired up....

and currently running,,, but I dont think its going to last long...

I surely dont think it would even start under a full load.....

Any other Ideas ?


text:
Jump to Navigation | Jump to Content
American Bar Association

Trial Evidence Committee

Is Eyewitness Testimony Inherently Unreliable?

By Aileen P. Clare – May 28, 2012

To those who follow crime and courts, the stories are familiar and unnerving. Cornelius Dupree spent 30 years imprisoned in Texas for a 1979 rape and robbery he did not commit, largely due to a single eyewitness identification. He was freed in 2011 through new DNA evidence. Derrick Williams of Florida was freed through DNA evidence after spending 18 years in prison for a rape based on eyewitness misidentification. Johnny Pinchback, a Texas inmate convicted of a 1984 rape based on eyewitness misidentification, was freed through DNA testing after 27 years in prison. Alvin Jardine was freed through DNA testing after serving 20 years jailed in Hawaii, again due to eyewitness misidentification. Of the 21 cases on the Innocence Network’s 2011 exoneration report, 19 wrongful convictions involved eyewitness testimony. Innocence Network Report, 2011. This is consistent with statistics showing that more than three-quarters of wrongful convictions later overturned by DNA evidence relied on faulty eyewitness evidence.

Even after hearing the statistics, we are reluctant to distrust a sincere eyewitness, but decades of research show that memory is neither precise nor fixed. For instance, we would expect a moment of high stress to focus the mind and sharpen recall, but the opposite is true. Violence, stress, and the presence of a weapon during an incident actually weaken memory. Racial differences between the witness and the suspect can impair identifications. Unconscious transference, or confusing someone seen in one place with someone seen in another place, is common. Identification can also be impaired by how long the witness is exposed to the suspect, the delay between the incident and the identification, and post-event information, such as feedback from the police or other witnesses.

Our evidentiary system presumes the reliability of eyewitness testimony unless it has been tainted by official action. Jurors, too, are mostly “not sensitive to the malleability of human memory” and tend to over-credit eyewitnesses. The challenge for criminal-justice systems is twofold: at the front end, minimizing circumstances that corrupt eyewitness accounts, and, at the trial stage, giving the jury the information it needs to critically assess the evidence.

System Variables: Things the Criminal-Justice System Can Control
In a recent watershed opinion, the New Jersey Supreme Court, after reviewing a special master’s record of 300 exhibits, including 200 scientific studies, thoughtfully divided the factors affecting eyewitness evidence into two categories: system variables and estimator variables. State of New Jersey v. Henderson, 27 A.3d 872 (N.J. 2011).

System variables are things that can be controlled by the criminal justice system. The predominant system variable is the photographic or physical lineup. Studies show that witnesses select the wrong suspect from a photo lineup roughly a quarter of the time. When the suspect is left out of a lineup, witnesses pick an innocent person more than a third of the time—even when told that the suspect may not appear in the lineup.

Lineups are responsible for many misidentifications, but there are practical steps that a law-enforcement agency can take to minimize error, and for litigants, the absence of these steps can raise a red flag.

Lineups should be blind or double-blind, meaning that the officer administering the lineup does not know who the suspect is. This removes the danger of unintentional suggestion. The officer should emphasize that the suspect may not appear in the lineup. The witness should not feel obligated or pressured to pick anyone.

Of course, lineups should be constructed so that the suspect does not stand out. Photos should have similar lighting, and headshots should be the same size. Errors tend to increase when there are too many photos to choose from; the optimal number seems to be six. Two suspects should not appear in the same lineup. Multiple viewings of the same suspect should be avoided.

The police should carefully avoid post-identification feedback or confirmation, which can create a false sense of confidence in a witness. If a witness hears that he or she did a “good job” picking a certain face, even the wrong one, she is more likely to repeat the mistake at trial. For the same reason, multiple witnesses to the same event should be told not to discuss the identification procedure among themselves.

“Show-up” identifications, where the police produce a single suspect for identification, are inherently suggestive, although sometimes necessary. The accuracy of a show-up identification diminishes quickly following an event, so show-ups should be used, if at all, within two hours of the event.

Estimator Variables: Things the System Can’t Control
Estimator variables are things that are beyond the control of the criminal justice system but can affect a person’s ability to perceive and recall.

A person under high psychological stress at the time of an event is less likely to make a reliable identification later. Studies of eyewitnesses, including one controlled study of military personnel, consistently show that high stress impairs recall and identification.

When a weapon is present during an event, it can distract the witness’s attention away from the suspect and lead to poor descriptions and misidentification later, especially when the event has a short duration. Weapon focus has been shown to decrease the accuracy of identifications by about 10 percent.

Other proven estimator variables reflect conventional wisdom. Distance, lighting, and how long a witness had to view the suspect are all important, as are the witness’s personal characteristics, such as age, race bias, or level of intoxication. Personal characteristics of the suspect, even something as simple as wearing a hat or different facial hair, have been shown to affect identifications.

Memory decay is inevitable and irreversible. The more time that passes between the event and the identification, the more likely a witness is to misidentify or fail to recall a suspect. This is an estimator variable, but the system can minimize its effect by staging identifications as soon as possible after the event.

Who Gets a Suppression Hearing? What If You Don’t?
The Supreme Court set the standard for suppressing eyewitness identification in 1977. Manson v. Brathwaite, 432 U.S. 98 (1977). It has remained virtually unchanged since then.

Under Manson, the court may grant a pretrial suppression hearing on identification if the defendant shows that the police used a suggestive identification procedure, such as showing the witness a single photograph of the defendant instead of a neutral photo lineup. At the hearing, the court weighs the “corrupting effect” of the suggestive procedure against factors affecting reliability: the witness’s opportunity to view the suspect, the degree of attention, the accuracy of description, confidence during the identification process, and the time between the event and the identification. The evidence should be suppressed only if there is a “very substantial likelihood of irreparable misidentification.”

Henderson modified this test for New Jersey courts. A New Jersey defendant still needs to show suggestiveness to get a suppression hearing, but he or she does not need to show that it resulted from police action. The state must respond with proof that the identification is reliable, taking into account system and estimator variables. The defendant bears the burden of proving misidentification. The court should suppress the evidence if it finds from a totality of the circumstances that there is a very substantial likelihood of irreparable misidentification. If the evidence is admitted, the judge should give the jury specific instructions grounded in science.

Several months after Henderson, the Supreme Court weighed in. In Perry v. New Hampshire, 132 S.Ct. 716 (2012), the Court reaffirmed Manson’s rule that the defendant must make a threshold showing of suggestive police action before getting a suppression hearing. Suggestive action by private actors, or the presence of other “corrupting” influences, does not warrant suppression as a matter of constitutional right.

It appears defendants outside of New Jersey may still have to show suggestive police action to suppress eyewitness evidence, but Henderson’s analysis and conclusions can inform the rest of us.

Educating the Jury
The Constitution, Perry said, protects against wrongful convictions not by barring questionable evidence, but by giving the defendant “the means to persuade the jury that the evidence should be discounted as unworthy of credit.” Although Perry reaffirmed the narrow suppression threshold, it acknowledged the high incidence of misidentification and encouraged defendants to challenge unreliable eyewitness testimony through the traditional means of cross-examination and compulsory process. Additionally, it said, defendants can move for exclusion on the non-constitutional ground that the evidence’s prejudicial effect outweighs its probative value.

Rules of evidence generally permit expert testimony if it will assist the jury and if it represents valid scientific or technical knowledge. Some courts are resistant to expert testimony on eyewitness identifications, questioning its scientific basis and perceiving it as an intrusion on the jury’s traditional role of weighing witness credibility. E.g.,United States v. Rodriguez-Berrios, 573 F.3d 55 (1st Cir. 2009); United States v. Smith, 122 F.3d 1355 (11th Cir. 1997). Five states—Kansas, Louisiana, Nebraska, Oregon, and Pennsylvania—have categorically excluded expert testimony on misidentification, but a substantial and growing number of jurisdictions are open to this kind of testimony where it is reliable and relevant. Ferensic v. Birkett, 501 F.3d 469 (6th Cir. 2007); United States v. Brownlee, 454 F.3d 131 (3rd Cir. 2006).

Regardless of jurisdiction, defendants can cite Henderson and the studies it cites for the proposition that scientific research on eyewitness evidence is now established and reliable. If relevant, expert testimony on this science should be among the devices that Perry promotes as safeguards against wrongful conviction.

Additional Reading
The Henderson court reviewed the law and science as well as any law review could, but for further reading, especially on the admissibility of expert evidence on this topic, see:

  • George Vallas, “A Survey of Federal and State Standards for the Admission of Expert Testimony on the Reliability of Eyewitnesses,” 39 Am. J. Crim. L. 97 (2011);
  • Margery Koosed, “Reforming Eyewitness Identification Law and Practices to Protect the Innocent,” 42 Creighton L. Rev. 595 (2009);
  • Bethany Shelton, “Turning a Blind Eye to Justice: Kansas Courts Must Integrate Scientific Research Regarding Eyewitness Testimony into the Courtroom,” 56 U. Kan. L. Rev. 949 (2008);
  • Brandon L. Garrett, Convicting the Innocent: Where Criminal Prosecutions Go Wrong, (Harvard Univ. Press 2011).

Keywords: litigation, trial evidence, eyewitness testimony, system variables, estimator variables

Aileen P. Clare serves as attorney advisor to the U.S. Probation Office in the District of South Carolina.

Copyright © 2017, American Bar Association. All rights reserved. This information or any portion thereof may not be copied or disseminated in any form or by any means or downloaded or stored in an electronic database or retrieval system without the express written consent of the American Bar Association. The views expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the positions or policies of the American Bar Association, the Section of Litigation, this committee, or the employer(s) of the author(s).