text:
I teach courses in Linguistics and Artificial Intelligence at Utrecht University.

BA Artificial Intelligence

  • KI2V13007      Computationele Linguistiek (Computational Linguistics, course coordinator)
  • KI1V13004      Inleiding taalkunde voor KI (Introduction to Linguistics for AI)

BA Linguistics

  • TW2V13002    Taal en Computer (Language and Computation)

MA Artificial Intelligence

  • INFOMMAIR    Methods in AI Research
  • INFOMEPL       Experimentation in Psychology and Linguistics

Research MA Linguistics

  • TLRMV16102   Phonology: Typology and Acquisition

Elective Digital Humanities

  • TL3V13001      Digital Tools and Methods

Past courses:

I previously worked in the Department of Linguistics at New York University (2013-2015) where I created and taught the following new courses:

  • LING-GA-3250  Computational Methods for Linguistics
  • LING-GA-2945  Statistical Analysis in Linguistics
  • LING-UA-24      Patterns in Language (with Lucas Champollion)

Other courses I have taught in the past:

  • Taal en Leren (Language Acquisition. MA Taal, Mens en Maatschappij), Utrecht University.
  • Language Typology, Sounds and Acquisition (MA Educatie en Communicatie EN), Utrecht University.
  • Learning to Speak: The First and Second Language Acquisition of Sound (with Lisa Davidson), New York University.
  • Seminar in Phonology (with Maria Gouskova), New York University.
  • Phonological Acquisition in Optimality Theory (with Rene Kager), Utrecht University.
  • Optimality in Linguistics: Theory and Acquisition (with Tom Lentz), Utrecht University.


Content-Type: application/http; msgtype=response

WARC-Identified-Payload-Type: text/html

WARC-Truncated: length

WARC-Type: response

text:
Kevin Durant has agreed to sign with the Golden State Warriors, making a team that won an NBA-record 73 games last season even better and devastating their top rival in the process. He announced the news on The Players Tribune.

Durant will sign a two-year, $54.3 million contract with a player option after the first year, according to ESPN’s Marc Stein. That’ll allow him to make more money by signing a long-term deal when the salary cap jumps next year.

Durant will leave Oklahoma City after nine seasons as a star. The Thunder missed a trip to the NBA Finals last playoffs when the Warriors came back from a 3-1 deficit to win the conference finals. Ultimately, Durant decided that if he couldn’t beat them, he would join them. Between Durant and Stephen Curry, the two have combined to win the NBA’s last three MVP awards.

“I am also at a point in my life where it is of equal importance to find an opportunity that encourages my evolution as a man: moving out of my comfort zone to a new city and community which offers the greatest potential for my contribution and personal growth,” Durant wrote. “With this in mind, I have decided that I am going to join the Golden State Warriors.”

 That doesn’t mean Durant’s move to the Bay Area will be simple. The Warriors will expect more passing and sharing than Durant has ever faced throughout his career, and there simply won’t be quite as many touches for him throughout the season with Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green. Golden State plans to let Harrison Barnes walk in restricted free agency, but Durant’s 30.6 percent usage rate last season dwarfs Barnes’ 15.9 percent. Everyone will have to sacrifice.

Still, be careful not to overthink this. Durant is one of the three or four best basketball players in the world and he’s joining another one of the top three or four players. It’s already nearly impossible to stop Durant or Curry right now on their current teams. Trying to prevent both of them from scoring? That’s the stuff horror movies are made from

Durant’s decision is a surprise, even though he had reportedly landed on Oklahoma City and Golden State as his two choices after going through a round of meetings. In New York, Durant met with those two teams, as well as the San Antonio Spurs, Miami Heat, Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Clippers. Still, throughout the meetings, the Thunder were considered the front-runners to retain Durant, explained by the fact that they met with Durant twice — first, on June 30, and last, on Sunday.

A phone call from Warriors executive board member Jerry West may have swayed Durant’s decision. The 78-year-old NBA legend told Durant how the eight times he lost in the finals (in nine appearances) still bother him to this day. Since Durant has said repeatedly that this free agency decision will be based on winning rings, it’s understandable that he would ultimately pick the Warriors.

Golden State is the immediate championship favorite for next season, even if they likely fail to repeat a 73-win season while Durant adjusts to his new team. After LeBron James led the Cavaliers to the first win after going down 3-1 in NBA Finals history, the Warriors will be looking for revenge.

Durant missed most of the 2014-15 season after undergoing surgery on his right foot, so there were questions about whether he’d be the same after getting healthy. Durant answered them by putting together the second-best season of his career. He averaged 28 points, eight rebounds and five assists in 36 minutes per game while shooting 50 percent from the floor and 38 percent from beyond the arc. He also quieted any concerns about his durability by suiting up for 72 regular season games and 18 playoff matchups.

The Thunder looked a step or two below the Warriors and the Spurs in the West for most of the season, but found another gear in the playoffs, in no small part thanks to Durant. They eliminated San Antonio in the conference semifinals in six close games and pushed Golden State to seven games. Durant was especially great against the defending champions on the defensive end, showing that he can be a two-way force instead of just an elite scorer.

But late-game execution plagued the Warriors as they blew a 3-1 lead and lost the conference finals. Durant struggled greatly to score in the clutch, as the Thunder’soffense devolved into isolation plays against a set defense. At the time, despite the obvious heartbreak, Durant looked at the bright side:

“There are no moral victories in our locker room after the game,” Durant said. “We’re all upset. We wanted to get a chance to play for a championship in The Finals, so that hurts. But when you sit down and look back at what happened throughout the season, you can be proud of not just the players, but everybody in the organization from the top to the bottom.”

Despite expressing nothing but positive feelings towards the Thunder franchise, speculation about Durant possibly leaving in free agency never quieted down. The case against staying in Oklahoma City was based on the front office’s inability to put together a deep supporting cast around its two superstars, as well as Billy Donovan’s failure to rein Russell Westbrook’s worst tendencies and install a more creative offense. A change of scenery didn’t seem out of the question. Durant was in play.

Over the past few days, the Celtics brought Super Bowl-winning quarterback Tom Brady to help sell Durant on what it’s like to play (and win) in Boston. The Clippers reportedly “blew away” Durant in their meeting. Gregg Popovich kept the Spurs’ pitch short, reportedly just two hours, which is a selling point in itself. Miami’s pitch was led by Pat Riley, always a salesman.

But in the end, the Warriors won out by sending a contingent including Stephen CurryAndre IguodalaKlay ThompsonDraymond Green, Steve Kerr, general manager Bob Myers and owner Joe Lacob. That recruitment team may be as hard to beat as the actual basketball one, and Durant gave in. Now, the biggest question is how many times people can debate whether or not this team is the greatest in NBA history before they’ve even played a game together.

And is it? Is this the greatest team to ever play this sport? That’s not an anointment that can be made in July, but it sure looks like they could be.

Join The Conversation

warcinfo:
robots: classic
hostname: ip-10-147-3-28.ec2.internal
software: Nutch 1.6 (CC)
isPartOf: CC-MAIN-2018-09
operator: Common Crawl Admin
description: Wide crawl of the web for February 2018
publisher: Common Crawl
format: WARC File Format 1.0
conformsTo: http://bibnum.bnf.fr/WARC/WARC_ISO_28500_version1_latestdraft.pdf


text:
Download Electronic Dance Music

Electronic dance music is a broad range of percussive electronic music genres made largely for nightclubs, raves, and festivals. EDM is generally produced for playback by disc jockeys who create seamless selections of tracks, called a mix, by segueing from one recording to another. EDM producers also perform their music live in a concert or festival setting in what is sometimes called a live PA. In the United Kingdom and in continental Europe, EDM is more commonly called ‘dance music’ or simply ‘dance’. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, following the emergence of raving, pirate radio, and an upsurge of interest in club culture, EDM acquired mainstream popularity in Europe. During the mid to late 1990s, despite the initial success of a number of dance acts in the United States, acceptance of dance culture was not universal, and mainstream media outlets remained hostile to its music.


text:
Sunday, January 15, 2012

The Thelma & Louise Party or When did the GOP go from being merely stupid to downright suicidal?

Via Milton Wolf

In the final scene of Thelma & Louise, when Detective Hal Slocumb realizes that the two desperate demoiselles are about to drive off the edge of the Grand Canyon, he runs after them in a futile attempt to stop their senseless suicide. When I first watched that scene, twenty years ago, my primary emotion involved the tragic loss of that '66 Thunderbird. Now I think I finally understand the impotent despair the film's screenwriter, Callie Khouri, was attempting to convey when she sent Slocumb on his hopeless sprint. Witnessing the GOP contests in Iowa and New Hampshire has been much like watching Louise stomp on the accelerator of that beautiful car. It's so easy to foresee the slow-motion descent into the electoral abyss and so seemingly impossible to prevent what should be an unnecessary tragedy.

From Mike (Winner of the Benchmade knife).

Can you see any difference regading those who will be pulling the strings?

Childish "Paternalism" and fear of Ron Paul

Kent for Liberty
Verbatim Post

Most of the people I interact with in real life call themselves "conservatives". You and I both see the falsehood there. However, recently in The Libertarian Enterprise, L. Neil Smith spelled it out a little more clearly than I had ever seen done.

It inspired me to make the diagram which accompanies this post. (You can click on it to make it easier to read.)

The description of "Paternalism" fits the "conservatives" in my life to a "T".

And, it shows why they are scared of Ron Paul. He doesn't allow them to be bullies by proxy- using the military force of the US government to impose their own version of the "Paternalism" corner of the triangle on those who already have their own version of that same corner imposed on their own society. A Ron Paul presidency would get in the way of the chest thumping and swaggering.

I don't need a president or a government. I have no use for discredited myths and delusions such as The State. I don't need Ron Paul to be president over a government I have long since withdrawn consent from. But I do wonder if these "conservatives" would actually prefer to have 4 more years of Obama over Ron Paul. They will never admit it, but I think- judging by their actions and reactions- they would. They are hypocrites and crybabies. I wish I would live to see them all grow up and get over it.

When you consider the amount of vitriolic debate that goes on amongst gun enthusiasts, considering caliber selection and firearms selection, in regard to the “ideal” survival firearm paradigm, it’s no surprise that someone wrote a book to help narrow the selection. Between the hundred year-old debate on the weakness of the 9mm Parabellum, versus the manliness and obvious lethality of the .45ACP, and the current, equally absurd arguments regarding the Kalashnikov platform versus the AR-15/M-16 platform, these conversations go on, and on, and on, ad nauseum. So, we have two notoriously famed books, considered by many to be the ultimate references on the subject: Survival Guns by the late, famed survival writer Mel Tappan, and Boston’s Gun Bible (BGB) by “Boston T. Party,” of the “Free State Wyoming Project, in attempts, decades apart, of solving the dilemma of “what is the perfect firearm?”

(I never got the opportunity to meet Mel Tappan, as he died when I was a very, very young child. I have met Boston, in passing, at the range, although I haven’t seen him shoot, as he seemed far too busy telling the shooters how to shoot, instead. So, my implied critique of their work, in this article, is not intended as a personal attack.)

Boston, to his credit does state, in the book, that BGB is “a catalog of one civilian’s experience and opinions.” Unfortunately, he then goes on to demonstrate that, he knows exactly nothing about personal combat. After explaining his lack of professional credentials in the military or law enforcement, he asks, “So, what? Did you learn to drive from Al Unser?”

How is this a demonstration of ignorance? Driving your personal vehicle, in daily traffic, in accordance with the rules of the road, is not at all comparable to racing a Formula One racecar around the track at Indianapolis Speedway at 200-plus miles per hour. The skills necessary are similar, but the level of expertise required is not at all similar.

On the other hand, shooting a roomful of MS-13 home invaders, confronting a barricaded active shooter at your local shopping mall, or repelling an armored, jack-booted swarm of Stasi-wannabe storm troopers at a VCP, requires not only the same skill sets, but at the same level, as those required by a Ranger Regiment gunfighter kicking in a door in Khandahar, or an SF soldier clearing a cave complex in the Hindu Kush. Ultimately, while many of the political and philosophical arguments laid out by Boston, and Tappan, for that matter, are inarguable, their dogma surrounding firearms selection is flawed, due largely, to their lack of real-world experience.

There is a reason that this type of manual is not being written by veterans of Special Operations units. It’s simply not necessary. The arguments concerning caliber and weapon selection are, ultimately, nothing more than gun tabloid marketing nonsense. An 18Bravo, Special Forces Weapons Sergeant learns to operate, maintain, and train others to operate, a broad variety of individual small arms from around the world (as a personal example, over the course of my career in SF, I worked with the M9, P35 BHP, 1911A1, Glocks, SIG-Sauers, Makarovs, Tokarevs, and several variations of different revolvers; Uzi, Skorpion, M3 “Grease Gun,” Thompson, M12, PPSh41, MP5, and other sub-machine-guns; and HKG3, FN/FAL, M14, AK-variant, M1/M2 carbine, Enfield .303, and 1903 Springfield rifles, amongst a host of others). When conducting UW or FID missions, an 18B will learn, quickly, that the caliber of individual small-arms really does not matter. The manufacture and model of the weapon can make a difference, but ultimately, the only thing that matters is the man holding the weapon and his level of training.

Ron Paul at 20% now in SC

Via Bazz

Israel creates a super PAC to attack Ron Paul

Via Bazz

William Dorsey Pender Civil War (Sic) Roundtable

Via Kenneth
Ed Bearss speaking at the Roundtable on Stonewall's Valley campaign. He spoke to 6 roundtables on his North Carolina Tour.

Obama Proposes New Department of Corporate Welfare

Via Cousin John

Townhall Finance
Verbatim Post

Tad DeHaven is a *budget analyst at the Cato Institute.
* As was I, once upon a time.
Vietnam Babylift, My Story

Contrary to what various news outlets are reporting, President Obama is NOT proposing to cut government. The administration is proposing to take four independent federal agencies that specialize in corporate welfare – along with the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative – and combine them with corporate welfare programs at the Department of Commerce to form what would I would argue should be called the Department of Corporate Welfare.

According to reports, this rearranging of the deck chairs would save $300 million a year. That’s peanuts. Worse, those alleged savings will be of no consequence to taxpayers as there is nothing to suggest that the president intends to cut overall spending for the agencies comprising the new bureaucracy. That portends bigger government, not smaller. The president is trying to sell the American taxpayer a false bill of goods.

The president’s proposal is also an attempt to counter the perception – an accurate one – that the administration’s policies are detrimental to commerce. But corporate welfare is detrimental to commerce because the market distortions it creates hinder economic output. Making it easier for select businesses to help themselves to taxpayer-financed subsidies would only perpetrate the same sort of crony capitalist schemes that gave us Solyndra and the Chevy Volt.

Of course, no transparent attempt to appear “business friendly” would be complete without a bone toss to the Small Business Administration. The “bone” this time is the president’s intention to elevate the head of the SBA to the Cabinet. As I discuss in a Cato essay on the SBA, rather than helping small businesses compete against big businesses, the SBA’s loan guarantees mainly help a tiny share of small businesses compete against other small businesses. In reality, the biggest beneficiary of the SBA is the banks, which reap the profits from the loans guaranteed by the agency.

Finally, Republican policymakers talk a good game about cutting government, but they often hide behind calls for making the federal government “more efficient.” Now that the president has seized a political opportunity to sing from the GOP’s hymnal, it’ll be interesting – if not entertaining – to see how Republican policymakers respond. To avoid embarrassment, I recommend offering specific spending cuts.

Emerson: Obama Pass on Radical Islam Hurts

By: Henry J. Reske and John Bachman

President Barack Obama refusal to admit that America’s real enemy isn’t al-Qaida but radical Islam legitimizes groups that believe there is a conspiracy against Muslims, leading terrorism and national security expert Steve Emerson tells Newsmax.TV.

Emerson charged that Obama had taken the easy path by identifying al-Qaida and not confronting the larger issue.

“Mr. Obama, before he was president and as president, only says that al-Qaida is the enemy that’s it,” the Newsmax contributor said. “Al-Qaida isn’t the enemy. Al-Qaida is a subset of the enemy. Radical Islam is the enemy and they won’t admit that. There’s a big issue here.

“What they’re doing is essentially legitimizing the whole spectrum of Muslim Brotherhood groups that dominate the radical world that believe that there is a conspiracy against Islam. … This delusional notion that somehow the West is involved in a war against Islam since 1095 the year of the first Crusades.”

Emerson noted that while al-Qaida remains a major threat overseas, it has not been involved in the majority of attempted attacks in the United States, something the administration refuses to acknowledge.

“There’s been an exponential growth in the number of individual attacks — planned attacks — not orchestrated by al-Qaida or any group, but people who are what they call lone wolves or radicalized, whatever,” he said. “The real bottom line is that al-Qaida is really no longer the major issue in terms of … the United States. Seventy percent of all planned Islamic attacks in the last 5 years have not been orchestrated by a-Qaida. And yet this administration won’t utter the term radical Islam. It says the only problem’s al-Qaida.”

Emerson rejected arguments by some in the Islamic community that many of the threats should not be taken seriously and that the perpetrators are troubled individuals.

“It’s funny,” he said. “If the United States does something like four soldiers urinate on Taliban corpses, it’s exemplary of the entire U.S. military by these same Islamic leaders,” he said. “But if a militant Muslim terrorist plans an attack here, somehow he’s deranged and not motivated by radical Islam. These people are apologists.”

“When you say Muslim pushback, pushback is by the Muslim Brotherhood front groups’ infrastructure in the United States. They dominate 99 percent of the leadership here, unfortunately. So they disenfranchise a lot of moderates. Unfortunately, as is the case overseas, they’ve got the money, the organization, they were here first in 1963, set up organizational front groups, grew all around the country, and now they under the cover of being Islamic civil rights groups like CAIR: the Council on American Islamic Relations.”

The Shapeshifting Obstetrician or Ron Paul is a dangerous man.

Taki's Magazine
Verbatim Post

Ron Paul is a dangerous man. He is many things to many people. There is the very real suspicion that Paul is something more than what he seems. He is not to be trusted.

Ron Paul changes minds. He is a confounder of the worst sort. People who call themselves Republicans hear him and approve. His silver tongue likewise deceives people who would classify themselves as Democrats. Those who denote Libertarian on their identification cards flock to his clarion call. So too the unaffiliated and independents. Paul has the strange ability to coalesce seemingly disparate philosophies. He is the bane of clerks in states from east to west, as people supposedly settled in their parties switch and alter and reorder their beliefs and their registrations. He holds a dangerous power.

“There is the very real suspicion that Paul is something more than what he seems.”

Ron Paul makes political “independents” meaningless. For the past thirty years Americans have been informed that independents are vital to modern electioneering. Variously termed “soccer moms,” “NASCAR dads,” and “Reagan Democrats,” this steadily enlarging group has proved itself crucial to success—except in Ron Paul’s case. When the Des Moines Register recently reported that 42% of Paul’s Iowa supporters described themselves as “independents,” this class of voters became worthless. Every pundit said so, from Fox News to MSNBC. Paul effectively made the most essential political assemblage in modern history meaningless overnight. Astonishing.

Ron Paul controls the airwaves. Whenever a US soldier who has a positive impression of Paul is interviewed live on television, the signal will automatically encounter difficulty. If the anchor is a former reporter for The Jerusalem Post such as Wolf Blitzer and the soldier is a decorated corporal who states that “Israel is more than capable of taking care of itself,” the feed will immediately go dead. There will be no ready explanation for this occurrence.

Ron Paul can alter comedy’s principles. Should a single supporter who is not officially affiliated with his campaign in any way create a humorous satire of a rival candidate who was once the US Ambassador to China, this is not merely a joke, it is a hate crime worthy of a special United Nations tribunal.

Ron Paul mystifies otherwise intelligent people, especially college-educated people, and they immediately go wistful and quiver with empathy as they think of long-passed family members of the “eccentric uncle” variety. Such voters are not moved by Paul’s message of fiscal responsibility nor his mantra that civil rights, so long as practiced with civility, are none of the government’s business. No, these voters are all agog with nostalgia. They are unconcerned the nation is rapidly approaching bankruptcy. Theirs is a simple reverie for long-gone relatives of whom Paul reminds them. They are led by their hearts and we must pay no attention to whatever facts and figures they give to justify their enthusiasm for Ron Paul, as these genuine folk are merely masking the emotional hold he has over them.

Ron Paul is a verbal magician. By his very use of otherwise ordinary words he transforms vocabulary into a strange tool which speaks in code to the land’s moral trolls and fifth columnists. When Paul advocates “responsibility,” it means “racism.” When Paul says “defense,” it means “isolation.” When Paul recommends “constitutionalism,” it means “anarchy.” It is little wonder his message seduces so many easily obfuscated souls.

Ron Paul is a trickster, a chameleon, a veritable familiar if you will, modeled after the Salem type of old. He confabulates and stupefies and befuddles. He alters all, and one is well advised to be through with him before making the grave mistake of listening to a single concept he has to convey.

Besides, come November there will be ample alternatives. Voters may then choose a presidential candidate who believes in a military budget which is roughly two-fifths the entire world’s, who thinks it is the state’s province to compel its citizens to purchase a historically voluntary service under pain of imprisonment, and who’s confident that whatever the Federal Reserve (AKA Goldman Sachs) dictates is precisely what America and the world needs to do.

That both candidates will agree on these precepts is in no way detrimental. Such a condition is actually better for voters, as it serves to make their selection all the easier absent any true distinction between the two. As long as things don’t change, one could say the choice will be as simple as black or white.


text:
Monday, January 14, 2013

It's not going to be just the youngsters

- photo sent in by RJIII

Matter of fact I think the youngsters are going in the minority...... at first. It's going to be us old farts that have memories of the way it used to be 40 years ago, just as the way it was our fathers and grandfathers that remember how it used to be before us and so forth.

Going off on a tangent now:

Granted, things weren't perfect back in the 60s, 70s and early 80s - far from it - but we had a hell of a lot more freedoms then than we do now. I can remember getting a shotgun for my 16th Christmas in 1975, then later that day slinging it across my shoulder and proudly walking a few blocks to my best friend's house to show it off. The neighborhood reaction? Smiles, admiration, and congratulations.

I can remember having to do a report in 7th grade English class on something that I was interested in. My subject was ballistics. My grade was an A+ and my teacher asked if he could go skeet shooting with me and Pops the next weekend. He had a beautiful Remington 101 over and under and was a better shot than we were.

I remember when I got out of the Army in 1981 and walking into a sporting goods store and buying a 30-30 to hunt with. In and out of the store in 5 minutes with my new rifle. Matter of fact, I got an email from Mile-Hi last week telling me about a Remington 870 Wingmaster that his Dad just gave him, said it was bought in a liquor store just up the road from us in Escalon in the 1970s. Yup, bought in a liquor store.

I can remember going into Barbour's Bait and Tackle here in Ceres when I was 10 or 12 with Cousin Ronny and buying a half a box of 22LR, the old man counting them out for us, for a quarter and then going to the property across the street and shooting jackrabbits.

And it wasn't just guns - seatbelts in a car were usually found behind the seat, you could buy cigarettes for your folks with a note from them, folks could stop in the middle of a country road and visit without getting tickets for blocking traffic even though there wasn't any, parents could punish their kids without worrying about gov't interference, all the neighborhood markets would let you run a tab until payday, driving kids to school every day for their safety was unheard of, schoolyard arguments were settled with a fistfight after school with the worst injury being a bloody nose, and *a man's Word meant something.

*I witnessed many a transaction at the Marshall Stockyard as a child when $40,000+/- cattle exchanged hands with a hand shake only.  Unfortunately this was marred once when Pete Stansberry let a Yankee from PA take a lot which was never reimbursed.  It broke him, a stalwart of the community.  Rest In Peace, Sir.

Magazine Clips

The Founders’ Second Amendment

Do Americans have a constitutional right to bear arms? Or is this power vested solely in government? Recent years have seen a sea change in scholarship on the Second Amendment. Beginning in the 1960s, a view emerged that individuals had a “right” to bear arms only in militia service—a limited, "collective" right. But in the late 1980s Dr. Stephen Halbrook and a handful of other scholars began producing an altogether persuasive analysis that changed thinking on the matter, so that today, even in canonical textbooks, bearing arms is acknowledged as an individual right.

Stephen Halbrook’s The Founders’ Second Amendment is the first book-length account of the origins of the Second Amendment, based on the Founders’ own statements as found in newspapers, correspondence, debates, and resolutions. Dr. Halbrook investigates the period from 1768 to 1826, from the last years of British rule and the American Revolution through to the adoption of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, and the passing of the Founders’ generation. His book offers the most comprehensive analysis of the arguments behind the drafting and adoption of the Second Amendment, and the intentions of the men who created it.

With the recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling in District of Columbia vs. Heller upholding the Second Amendment as protecting an individual right to bear arms, The Founders’ Second Amendment could scarcely be more timely as the authoritative book on the subject.

Arguments for gun ownership: The right of rebellion isn’t actually one of them.

Via Don

The renewed debate over gun rights that has followed the massacre of elementary schoolchildren in Newtown, Conn., has included scrutiny over why gun advocates believe they need a right to bear arms. Among the reasons: Many advocates believe that individual gun ownership helps preserve American liberty, making government fearful of trampling on rights of its citizens. If government goes too far, the argument goes, Americans have the right to revolt by force.

Is that argument correct? Or does it belong to fringe gun enthusiasts?

                                                              More @ Herald and News

Patriot Groups To Burn Obama In Effigy On January 19, 2013

Burning an effigy is so 1776, right? Right. As the American colonists burned an effigy of King George III, so Americans of the 21st century will burn an effigy of Barack Obama this coming Saturday and just so no one can play the race card, they will be burning an effigy of Bill Clinton as well and that particular fire will be started by Miami’s “Michael the Black Man,” who has called for “good people Latin, Black and White to unite.”

So where did such a thing come from? Well it isn’t new. Recently burning an effigy of George W. Bush by a crowd of hundreds occurred in Montreal, Canada.

Pakistani’s have burned Barack Obama in effigy. Afghans have burned an effigy of Obama. Now Americans are set to do the same in protest to Obama’s attacks upon the Constitution, the Bill of Rights and the American people.

But this is all about reliving the past, while looking to the future. For it was our forefathers who did the same to an effigy of King George iii for far less than what today’s politicians are doing to the American people.

John Attarian, writes an excellent analysis of the situation between today and the time of the Revolutionary War and I think presents a fair and accurate depiction of King George III, which is well worth your time to read. He writes:

How to Marry a Third-World Woman And Live Happily Every After--Somewhere Else

Some years ago, encouraged by readers, I decided to write a book with the above title, and then decided I'd rather do other things, like drink red wine and sit with Vi on the roof-top patio and supervise the sunset. I mean, what if it didn't do it right? So I didn't finish the book. But I had knocked out a few chapters, and now I figure I'll post them occasionally when I can't think of anything else.

Chapter One

Why would a man deliberately set out to marry a woman in the Third World—or, if you prefer, the “developing world”? For any of several reasons, which men talk about in private but not when they might be overheard:

(1) North American women (say these men) have been so corrupted by angry feminism that they have the appeal of a menopausing crocodile with the hives. Yes, there are gradations, and many exceptions, but you don’t find out whether she is an exception until, if she isn’t, it is too late. And yes, the men having these views often have had bad experiences, and remain angry. Nonetheless they tend to have similar opinions:  The average American woman these days is charming as a hung-over ferret but less useful (ferrets kill mice).  We all know the signs. There are the frequent complaints about sexism, discrimination, machismo, the throwaway snotty remarks about the male ego, immaturity, and fear of commitment (they have the last one right, God knows). You get the feeling that too many gringas are coiled like rattlesnakes, looking for slights about which to be enraged. Together these constitute what I think of as “the chip.”

“The life of an ant and that of my child should be granted equal consideration.”

Via The Daily Timewaster

Old, but first I've seen it. Where do these people come from?

Ding Dong

Political correctness has run amok. Conversations have, by necessity, become so careful and bland as to often be virtually meaningless. Often without rhyme or reason, I find myself tiptoeing around verbal eggshells lest I risk someone taking offense where absolutely none is intended. The simplest, most innocent-seeming words no longer have simple, innocent meanings.

Political correctness started with human-based movements of the 60’s (most notably Civil Rights and Women’s Liberation). It has led to a radical change in our lexicon, changing or eliminating words that were once considered either gender neutral or meant no offense. But someone (the proverbial “they”) glommed onto them as referring to gender, so they had to be eradicated. Take, for instance, a word like “chairman.” It used to refer to a person who heads a board or committee, but because of the suffix “man,” the “movement” deemed it sexist. So it was replaced by “chairperson” or worse still, the gender neutral piece of furniture, “chair.” (I might understand if the pronunciation had emphasized the second syllable, but it’s pronounced chair-muhn. Most peoples’ spelling is so poor these days, would most even notice that it includes the word “man?”)

But I jest—and this is a serious topic. You are most likely wondering what, if anything, this has to do with dogs and dog training. My point is that the political correctness of the “rights” and “liberation” movements of the 60’s has morphed into and taken over animals. More importantly, if we dog lovers are not diligent, aware, and prepared to fight, we face serious dangers.

Huell Howser dead at 67

Such a shame. I watched him religiously every week when I lived in California. One time he gave a speech for the UDC, United Daughter's of the Confederacy, in Burbank which I attended and regaled with stories of his Southern childhood. He was a good eater.:)

A great post over at Ace's reminded me that a local fixture on California TV recently passed away, the amaz'in Huell Howser.   Huell, who Ace calls the world's oldest toddler, hosted a show that travelled over the state and did cute little programs about points of interest, but it was Huell's ability to express what to anyone else would be an absurdly enthusiastic interest in even the most banal of things that made the show great.

I recall one show where he was visiting a boiling mud pot somewhere, and he kept commenting on how really amaz'in the absurdly boring mud holes were.  It got funnier the longer he did it with a straight face.

Here is one episode where he loses control over brine flies:

Huell was one of the really good guys.  I can't believe he was well into his sixties, given his childlike enthusiasm for just about everything, and we will very much miss the big fella.

What happened?

Was this the part of Civil Rights Dr. King put his life on the line for?

What happened? Two main things caused this: the Great Society (which economically emasculated the black man and destroyed black families by subsidizing bastardy and unmarried mothers, and the War on Drugs (which was racist from the get-go, btw) made crime pay very, very well, and continues to lock up black men at a horrendously disproportionate rate. The spin-off of that? The glorification of 'gangsta' or 'thug' culture, from the fashion (droopy pants, since no belts are allowed 'Inside') and prohibition-related violence.

Any idiot with half a brain could have predicted that this was a likely outcome of the social policies of the late 1960's and early 1970's, carried through to this day. Of course, our Rules aren't just ANY idiots, now are they? Or *he speculates, adjusting his tin foil hat* did they actually WANT this outcome, where the majority of black men are under the 'control' of the penal/legal system? I sometimes wonder....

Oh, and another 'unintended consequence' of those two things? Black men come out of prison MUSLIM at very high yeah, we're creating our own home-grown fifth column of Islamists with our oh-so-enlightened policies.

Thank you, Oligarchs who Rule Us! Pity most of the bastards who set this up are already dead, and the rest won't ever get the piking they so richly deserve

Mystical, Magical & Magnificent Monasteries in Meteora (20 Pics)

Via dashing

In Meteora, Greece, six magnificent monasteries still exist, precariously perched atop 1,300 feet high sandstone pinnacles. Hermit monks constructed the first monastery before nuns came to build too. Access to each monastery was crazy, a leap of faith, climbing rocks, and ladders lashed together or large nets until the ropes would break. The bizarre but beautiful monasteries of Meteora are centuries old and isted by UNESCO World Heritage.

 Meteora Greece

More @ Love Those Pics

Breitbart poll results: 100% believe in the right to bear arms

Via Don

Last week, TheBlaze invited you to participate in an online survey about guns, gun ownership, and the current debate about limiting or changing what is allowed by the Second Amendment. Our readers delivered almost 5 million responses to the 106 questions in the survey.

Before we break down some of the significant facts from this poll, let’s remind you of the make-up of a typical Blaze reader (statistics culled from last year’s poll that generated over 3 million responses).
  • 100% believe in the right to bear arms
  • 85% are at least 35-years
  • 80% are homeowners
  • 78% have children
  • 76% are married
  • 73% served in the U.S. military or have an immediate family member serving
  • 71% of the respondents are male
  • 66% own dogs  (36% have cats)
  • 63% have more than one gun
  • 54% read more than 12 books a year
  • 52% have taken a firearms safety class
If you take all of that data into account, the typical Blaze reader is a married man, a reader, over 35, who has a house, kids, dogs, and at least one gun.  However, it should be noted that readership has expanded significantly since last year.

Last week, the typical Blaze reader (and many others) gave us some clarity on how they feel about the Second Amendment. We began our survey with 20 questions and then invited you to submit your own. In the end, we approved an additional 86 questions for a total of 106. Those questions triggered 4,876,394 responses.

More @ Breitbart

Hundreds rush to gun store in hopes of buying AR's

A controversial gun sale caused a traffic jam on the Berlin Turnpike in Newington well before 9 a.m. as people stood in line outside Hoffman's Gun Shop hoping to get their hands on a semi-automatic rifle value bundle.

Hoffman's Gun Center & Indoor Shooting Range was selling only 100 of the Smith & Wesson M&P15 Sport value packs, and that had people lined up in droves.

The gun itself has been the target of a lot of controversy, and many lawmakers are looking to ban it and other semi-automatic rifles.

But it's what came in addition to the rifle that has people talking. Both the ammunition and the magazine have come under fire this week.

According to an advertisement, Hoffman's was selling the value pack – which included the Smith & Wesson model M&P15 Sport, 10-round semi-automatic rifle, two 20-round boxes of .223 ammunition and a MagPul 30-shot magazine – for $839.

Newington police were called to direct traffic as gun buyers hurried to get their hands on the deal, one that has people on both sides of the gun control debate talking.

"We heard about the special," said gun buyer Jeff Smith. "They got 100 assault rifles in, and they're impossible to get."

More @ 3

Kentucky Sheriff to Feds: 'You Are Never Going to Pull Guns Out of Jackson County'

As I wrote on Jan. 11, Jackson County Kentucky Sheriff Denny Peyman has made it clear that gun laws which violate the United States Constitution or the Kentucky Constitution will not be enforced in his county.

On Jan. 12, he followed this up with a press conference in which he explained that a Sheriff's powers are predominant over the powers of federal and state agents. When he says these things he drives gun-grabbers batty because he says them with the conviction that rests on knowledge, and he has no intention of backing down.

During the press conference, he took time to explain his powers as sheriff:

    I am responsible for the people inside this county. I am the highest elected official in this county, and this is the only opportunity the people have to speak for themselves and say 'this is what we want.'

    I can ask federal people to leave, they have to leave. I can ask state people to leave, they have to leave. ...[And] it doesn't matter what [new laws] Obama passes, the sheriff has more power than the federal people.

More @ Breitbart

NC: Student at historic all-women’s college wants to stay at school after adding penis

An undergraduate student at a small women’s college in North Carolina is seeking permission to stay at the school — and live on campus — after she undergoes gender reassignment surgery in February, which will finalize her transformation into a man.

Officials at the school, Salem College, are now considering the thorny issue, reports the Winston-Salem Journal.

Michelle Melton, Salem’s director of communications, would not identify the transgender student. She cited federal privacy laws, as well as the school’s confidentiality policies, according to the Journal.

Founded in 1772 by Moravians, Salem College is a private liberal arts school in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. It’s the 13th-oldest college in the country, and the oldest female educational establishment that remains a women’s college.

Bill Clinton’s awarded Three Pinocchios on mass shootings statement

“Half of all mass killings in the United States have occurred since the assault weapons ban expired in 2005, half of all of them in the history of the country.
— Former president Bill Clinton, at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Jan. 9, 2013
A colleague spotted this eye-popping statistic by the former president and wondered if it was correct.

 President Clinton signed the assault weapons ban into law in 1994, but it expired after 10 years and was not renewed. Even supporters have said it was riddled with loopholes, limiting its effectiveness. But the rash of mass shootings in recent years, including the Newtown tragedy, have provided new impetus for a renewed ban.

 So let’s dig into the data and see what we find.

Free Guns America Calendar plus opposes in-state transfer legislation

At GunsAmerica, though it would be great for business and for the business of our gun dealers, we oppose legislation banning the in-state private transfer of firearms. Registration always precedes confiscation, and though the NRA may dance around it, that is what making every gun transfer go through an FFL dealer actually comes down to. With modern OCR software your 4473 forms will turn into government data on every gun in the country, and the founding fathers would roll over in their graves at the thought of that.

 If you only want one calendar and you don't want to spend the $20 on 5, you can download the PDF of the file we sent to the printers for free and have it printed at your local FEDEX Office or something for probably only a few bucks. It is 18x24, and it has 1/4" bleeds built into the file. It is 55 meg to download, so it'll take like a week if you are still on dialup. On broadband it shouldn't be that long.

Poll: More Than Four in Five Americans Support Major Limitations on Abortion

A poll conducted for the Knights of Columbus has found that the number of Americans who favor significant limitations on abortion has risen in the last year to over four out of five.

Of those surveyed, 83% now think abortion should have more severe restrictions, up from 79% last year. Fifty-six percent of respondents are either completely against abortion or only think it should be legal in cases of rape, incest, or where it would save the mother's life.

More than a quarter (27%) think abortion should never be performed after the first trimester, and another 6% would ban it after six months.

Only 11% favor abortion-on-demand at any time. Fifty-eight percent of respondents thought abortion was “morally wrong”, while 84% thought laws should be passed protecting the mother and the child.

Knights of Columbus Supreme Knight Carl Anderson said:

More @ Breitbart

Rubio Outlines Bold Plan Giving 12 Million Illegals Legal Status

 Image: Rubio Outlines Bold Plan Giving 12 Million Illegals Legal Status

U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio is developing a wide-ranging immigration reform plan — including steps to give more than 12 million illegals currently in the U.S. legal status — in an effort to seize the initiative on a contentious issue that polls show is hurting the Republican Party with the nation’s rapidly growing Hispanic population.

Rubio laid out the broad outline of his plan in an interview with the weekend edition of the Wall Street Journal, at the same time President Obama announced he would push a comprehensive immigration plan of his own this March.

Surprisingly, both hold similar goals – creating a process in which undocumented workers in the U.S. can gain status and at the same time create a potential path to citizenship at some point in the future.

New York’s Democratic Sen. Chuck Schumer predicted immigration will soon take center stage in Washington, sweeping other issues to the side.

“This is so important now to both parties that neither the fiscal cliff nor guns will get in the way,” Schumer, who heads up bipartisan Congressional efforts on immigration, told The New York Times.

Republican lawmakers have told Newsmax that Rubio’s plan could pass muster, even with immigration hardliners, if the plan included a significant restitution for illegals to pay and began taxing them for their work here.

Critically, Republicans want to ensure newly documented workers don’t get citizenship too soon, with many advocating a minimum 10-year window before newly legal residents could acquire citizenship.

More @ Newsmax

Journal News Gun Map Leads Criminals to a House Where Break-In, Attempted Theft of Firearms Reported

Via Angry Mike

A burglary has been reported on Davis Ave. in White Plains, New York that evidently ties into The Journal News gun maps. It is reported that the burglar used The Journal News’ interactive gun map to target a home included on the map. Luckily the gun was locked up and no one was hurt.

“The Journal News has placed the lives of these folks at risk by creating a virtual shopping list for criminals and nut jobs. If the connection is proven, this is further proof that these maps are not only an invasion of privacy but that they present a clear and present danger to law-abiding, private citizens. Former convicts have already testified to the usefulness of the asinine Journal News ‘gun maps’ yet the reckless editors are evidently willing to roll the dice, gambling with the lives of innocent local homeowners,” said Senator Greg Ball.

...Ball will be publicly unveiling Senate bill (S2132) [that] would protect lawful gun owners, including thousands of retired and active law enforcement and victim of domestic violence survivors, from having their information publicly disclosed.

“The same elitist eggheads who use their editorial page to coddle terrorists and criminals are now treating law abiding citizens like level three sexual predators... Publishing this information on a website, as we have evidently just witnessed in the recent attempted gun burglary, provides criminals with a map of where they can steal firearms from lawful owners for later use in the commission of crimes. This legislation is critical,” said... Ball.

Jumping the wrong fence = hilarious.:)

Via NC Renegade


text:
Tuesday, January 10, 2017

CA has descended to this level: Unbelievable: S.F. has new data-driven solution to old S.F. problem: human excrement

Via comment by Badger on  Tech Founder: Middle America Is Too ‘Violent, Stup..

 I lived on Turk for a short when it was disintegrating, but this takes the cake.

San Francisco is taking a new data-driven approach to a longtime city problem: human excrement.

For decades, feces on streets and sidewalks has been one of the biggest quality-of-life issues for San Francisco residents and visitors, particularly in the hard-edged Tenderloin, home base for many of the city's homeless and the nonprofits that provide them clothes, addiction help and meals.

Now, after a chorus of complaints and a month spent mapping the highest concentrations of human excrement in the Tenderloin, the Department of Public Works on Tuesday will roll out the city's latest approach: mobile bathroom stations at the three most well-used areas.

Each station will include two specially outfitted portable toilets, a sink, a needle disposal bin and a dog waste station, all mounted on a flatbed trailer.

"We're championing our residents' right to clean streets and a safe place to do their business with dignity," said Supervisor Jane Kim, who represents the area and has been pursuing a public toilet program since fall of 2012.

More @ SF Gate

See ya–Signed C.S.A.

A fellow by the name of Marcus Ruiz Evans was on Fox’s Tucker Carlson program recently. He offered his stance on secession vis-à-vis California’s consideration. His position stood apropos for the Golden Bears because the Supreme Court in its Texas vs White decision of 1869 had offered a loophole bearing on the people’s consent to secede.

This bears, of course, on any understanding that Texas vs White had any legality in the first place in a “reconstructed” government of Southern states. The loophole was that secession could be legal and appropriate as long as the people of the other states approved it. This also was Evans’ justification for California seceding today (the other people say it’s okay) as opposed to the South’s in 1860-61.

According to Evans the South had not asked permission and anyway the South did not like equal rights for minorities (his words). Neither did the South want a good partnership with the North. And to top it off the South, as well, seceded violently. He is inaccurate in each and every. . . , but it doesn’t matter. Something can always be right for California or New York but never can it be right for Texas or Mississippi.

Trump meets with billionaire founder of China's Alibaba: Ma shared how Alibaba will create 1 million U.S. jobs

Via Billy

Trump meets with billionaire founder of China's Alibaba

President-elect Donald Trump met with Alibaba founder Jack Ma on Monday and promised that the two would do “some great things.”

"We had a great meeting,” Trump told reporters in the lobby of Trump Tower, according to pool reports. “And a great, great entrepreneur, one of the best in the world. And he loves this country and he loves China."

Ma, who is the richest person in Asia, told reporters that the two discussed how to help small businesses in the U.S. sell agricultural products to consumers in Asia.

Before the meeting, a spokesman for Alibaba said that the plan would help create 1 million new jobs in the U.S.

More @ The Hill

One Last Treasonous Act=> Obama Approves Uranium Shipment to Iran – Enough to Build 10 Nuclear Weapons

Via Billy

Obama Iran

How Much More Damage Will Obama Inflict On the World Before he Leaves Office?

Apparently Barack Obama wasn’t satisfied with the disasters in Syria, Iraq, Libya, Yemen, Russia, Ukraine, etc., now he’s approved a uranium shipment to Iran.

Obama approves uranium shipment to Iran — Enough to build 10 nuclear weapons.

This comes on the same weekend that Iranian vessels threatened US ships in the Persian Gulf.

Obama approved of a “huge” uranium transfer to the Iranian regime — enough for 10 nuclear bombs — to keep Iran “committed” to nuclear deal.

In order to keep Iran in compliance with the international deal Obama is purchasing their excess heavy water.

Reporter and Iranian expert Omri Ceron reported.

Assange slams 'so-called intelligence report' on Russian hacking

Via Billy

 Assange slams 'so-called intelligence report' on Russian hacking

WikiLeaks head Julian Assange slammed Friday's intelligence report on Russian hacking, saying during a Monday morning press conference that it lacks any supporting evidence.

"Most of this so-called intelligence report is not even fabricated. It does not make assertions that rise to the level of fabricated," Assange said during the media event, streamed live via Periscope audio.

More @ The Hill

Rand Paul rolling out ObamaCare replacement this week

Via Billy

 Rand Paul rolling out ObamaCare replacement this week

Rand Paul (R-Ky.) is pledging to roll out an ObamaCare replacement bill this week as GOP lawmakers rush to nix the healthcare law.

The Kentucky senator argued Monday that the law must be replaced with "real market reforms."
Paul's legislation comes as the Senate is expected to pave the way this week to repealing the healthcare law.

Paul is leading a small but growing number of GOP lawmakers concerned about repealing the Affordable Care Act without a replacement plan hashed out.

More @ The Hill

Proof: Trump never mocked a disabled reporter

Via Daughter Virginia

Dated, but the Useful Idiots are running with it again.

This is not new. In fact, it’s almost two months old. I guess I never heard about it until now because it’s not been widely distributed apart from the timeline featured on Catholics4Trump and the people who used that information to produce this video.

But even if it’s a tiny bit dated, it deserves attention now for a lot of reasons.

You have probably heard the story that Donald Trump made fun of a New York Times reporter for his disability, mocking his physical movements during a stump speech. You probably saw a video clip that seemed to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that this is what Trump was doing.

More with video @ Canada Free Press

Former CIA Director: Obama Sanctions Will Have Almost Zero Impact On Russia

Via Billy

Former CIA Director Michael Morell said the Obama administration’s sanctions directed at Russia for allegedly hacking U.S. political institutions will accomplish virtually nothing and are essentially meaningless.

In an interview with The Cipher Brief published Wednesday, Morell, who served as former acting CIA director in the Obama administration, stated bluntly the new sanctions are “both confusing and weak.”

Tech Founder: Middle America Is Too ‘Violent, Stupid And Racist’ For New Jobs

Via Billy

 Put her in a pig pen and after getting muddy, she would blend right in.

 One Silicon Valley executive had a few choice words to describe Americans living in the heart of the nation, and they were not flattering.

 Melinda Byerley, MBA and founder of Timeshare CMO, a Silicon Valley-based tech start-up, tweeted out Saturday afternoon describing what middle America could do to “get more jobs in their area.”

Byerley says that the first thing those in middle America need to realize is that “no educated person wants to live in a shithole with stupid people.” Particularly, in a “shithole” filled with people who are “violent, racist, and/or misogynistic.” In Byerley’s opinion, “big corporations,” do not consider moving to the heart of America because “those towns have nothing going for them.”

Holding Obamacare Repeal Hostage for Replace Guarantees Its Defeat

Via Mike

After six years of pushing for a repeal of Obamacare, some on the right are now critiquing Congress’ effort for repeal. Their arguments do more to confuse the issue than to present a viable path forward for eliminating the harmful effects of this law.

Congressional Republicans appear set to finally repeal Obamacare using reconciliation, a process that allows them to overcome a Democratic filibuster in the Senate and pass budget-related legislation with a simple majority of the chamber’s members.

The repeal bill would include a transition period to give Congress time to debate how best to replace Obamacare with a series of patient-centered reforms, each of which would address specific problems in the health care system.

But critics of this approach derisively dub it “repeal and delay” and assert that it is based on a fatally flawed strategy that inevitably presents the GOP with several insoluble problems.


text:
you're reading...

Montenegro invaded over 12 thousand hectares of land to Kosovo

  • 24 June 2015 – 15:42
  • Sanie Joseph

The demarcation of the border with Montenegro, has expressed concern to the citizens of Kosovo, especially the residents of trevës Rugova, whose lands are coming under discussion between Kosovo and Montenegro.

They even said that if Kosovo authorities accept the technical line of the border between Kosovo and Montenegro, which was presented by Montenegro, then the war will be shooting from an residents, as they say, affect more than 12 thousand Kosovo hectares of land, which lie mostly in the municipality of Peja, Istok and Decani.

Montenegrins, border demarcation seems to have come to an end, but as such it takes a good part of Kosovo territory in the municipality of Peja.

In a roundtable discussion on the topic “Demarcation Kosovo – Montenegro: Challenges, communication and transparency”, organized by QPZH, FES and the European College “Juridica”, on Wednesday, was disclosed numerous arguments which prove that limit how the They have been before and that Montenegro is trying to change, entering 12 kilometers inside Kosovo.

Rugova side residents have asked the deputies and other institutions of the State Commission member discharged for marking and maintaining the border, Murat Meha, because according to them it more protects the interests of Montenegro than Kosovo.

Sali Lukaj resident trevës Rugova said that if Murat Meha does not change, the Commission has nothing.

While Daut Morina, resident of Rugova, said the MPs to let them know that people are at war with the Montenegrin police.

Sir fought earlier, fought the last years. Montenegro burn us historically and we now forgive ground. We have no debt to anyone and we killed the Lord to do a thing. If this government agree with the government we are going to shooting from an in war. There we owe us, if the government owes let someone give behold its debt. People not entered in revenge to the ground. We are there every day and when they come to us have died with them. If you want to leave us with magistrates killed black page of the first and the last historically and for our future , “said Morina.

Ali Lajçi trevës representative of the residents of Rugova, presenting maps showing the division of Kosovo’s border with Montenegro, has accused the State Commission for marking and maintenance of the border with the state in question, that has deviation criteria.

 ” All state property, the property of user such as mountain character, then that property is property Taman certificates remain within Montenegro, a standard that is excessively exceeded. So state property is taken directly, set by Montenegro, to be a national border. Our committee also mean a slippage, he says it has received municipal cadastral base, of course, but these are not the municipal boundary but the state. State property such as the Lower Luka mountains, Strellci, Jubeniqit up to Sejnova are mountains that use our ancestors for centuries and there were there any members or Montenegrin user. Therefore these belong to us , “said Lajçi.

He said that the committee in question should be redesigned, as according to him, the committee approach is the exclusive interest of Montenegro.

Lajçi stressed that if Montenegro does not love this proposal then go on to use other mechanisms Arbitration possible, all international lines, as according to him, they are reasonable and the basic factor that limits can not move off the map.

Raxhep MP Selim, the Parliamentary Group of Vetevendosje! He said that the choice of this issue is very important and that it is not a matter that can be resolved today.

“It is about 7 thousand hectares in the Rugova, about 5 thousand 300 hectares in the Podgur therefore is not about a hill in a meadow. I believe that such an agreement will not be ratified by the Assembly of Kosovo, I hope so, I’m one of them, but not the only one, there are colleagues who will not accept, but it would be nice to not go there ” Rexhepi said.

Members of the State Commission for Border marking and maintenance of state, did not take the effort to listen to the demands of the residents of these areas. They invitation to participate in the discussion have responded with a “tip” of writing, nine pages, in which they shkrur debate has arisen over the demarcation of the border with Montenegro.

 ” The debate raised recently about the borders of Kosovo, which is set inaction on certain people is a topic that can not be done either daily politics nor patriotism can not be done, but this issue should be addressed publicly by professionals on the basis of relevant documents , “reads the information.

And for this information Selim MP said that it appears that this committee is a good lawyer that attitudes towards Kosovo Montenegro.

After several hours of discussion panel came up with the recommendation that if the parties have positions compatible and if not seen the successful completion of the demarcation line setting, we propose that this matter be transferred to the International Arbitrage.

Since the boundary line between Kosovo and Montenegro is working much earlier than the 1974 Constitution, the panel recommended that the Commission to comply with the relevant cartographic documents of the time.

Moreover, it is known that at the time border is not drawn by Albanian experts, is the military cartographic Specialized Center of former Yugoslavia. These topographic maps should be incorporated in the final decision of border demarcation between Kosovo and Montenegro to meet all the demands of both parties in the talks. Any intervention on the border between Kosovo – Montenegro in subsequent periods, without the presence of Kosovo working group seems to be unrecognized and insignificant, including a border line in 80 th (after the demonstrations of 1981) ” , it was recommended after discussion.

No comments yet.

Leave a Reply

Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in:

WordPress.com Logo

You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. Log Out / Change )

Twitter picture

You are commenting using your Twitter account. Log Out / Change )

Facebook photo

You are commenting using your Facebook account. Log Out / Change )

Google+ photo

You are commenting using your Google+ account. Log Out / Change )

Connecting to %s

Blog Stats

  • 104,683 hits

Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 408 other followers

%d bloggers like this:


text:
FSH 2017 - "Ohh yeahhh" since 2010

Formula Student Hungary was created in 2010, since than we can proudly say that we became one of most unique middle size events in the FS world. FSH 2017 is held in the Győr-Gönyű Harbor between the 17th and the 20th of August. To keep our familiar atmosphere, and the trademark Ohh yeahh feeling of FSH we will accept 30 combustion and 14 electric team registrations this year as well.

What are we famous for?
- Small size, compact event site, enough space but without long walks
- Family like "Ohhh yeahhh" atmosphere
- We live in  the FSH Hostel in the city of Győr
- We have an FSH Club for you to have fun after a long day
- Our award ceremony is always something special
- And next to all this we are running a professional event ;)

Come to us, to be a part of the FSH community, but how? Our registration is made up from 3 phases:

Pre-registration - until the 8th of January
Eastern European registration - on the 18th of January
World Wide registration - on the 20th of January

If words don't convince you, check out the FSH 2016 summary, and see yourself how it went ;).


text:
Guingamp Vs Marseille 2-0 Highlights Ligue 1

Goals [2 – 0]

  • Slovan Privat [72]
  • Nicolas Benezet [89]

Guingamp got the lead in 72 minute when Privat score the goal. Marseille unable to score any goal. Watch highlights to see all goals.

I follow almost every game of big clubs. I write and share latest news and previews for FullyFootball, other website, twitter and on Facebook page. You can contact me at [email protected] Below are my social profiles.

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published.

Check out FullyFootball Copyright and Privacy Policy | Contact | Home


text:
head-adjustable head-stationaryhead-adjustable head-stationary

Garage, Commercial, Basement, and Concrete Coatings

Garage Store is Chicagoland’s leader in the floor coating industry, with more garage, basement, exterior and commercial floors sold and installed than any of our competitors. Our garage flooring systems are high quality, stain-resistant and are easy to clean. Concrete is a porous surface that harbors dirt, bacteria, stains, and other hard to clean material; but with Garage Store flooring, you will have superior surface protection that will last a lifetime.

Garage Store concrete coatings expand the usefulness and functionality of any floor space. We are committed to providing individuals and businesses with safer, regulatory approved, commercial grade garage flooring systems.

Garage Store is unique because we will help you create a floor that’s just right for your garage or business. With various attractive colors and flake blends to choose from, Garage Store has a design to complement your personal style.

Decorative and Functional Living Space

Garage Store decorative floor systems transform hard to clean, easily stained, unattractive concrete floor space into elegant and durable living space. Whether it's your garage, basement, exterior or commercial floors, our coatings expand the usefulness and functionality of your space.

Keep your family safe and healthy

Garage Store is committed to providing you with safer and healthier living spaces. Homeowners not only want beautiful and easy to clean floors, but they also need floor surfaces that are safe to walk on; rain or shine; hot or cold. We offer various textured surfaces and anti-slip media options that are broadcast into the topcoat for maximum surface grip performance.

Qualified Professionals

Better Business Bureau
Professional Service Contractor
Angie's List Reviews
Barrington Chamber of Commerce
Des Plaines Chamber of Commerce
GOA Regional Business Association


WARC-Identified-Payload-Type: application/xhtml+xml

text:
How ebXML turns EDI processes into XML

The evolving Electronic Business using Extensible Markup Language standard can move existing electronic data interchange processes to an XML framework.

Two organizations that do business with each other can swap ebXML interface specifications and business terms, storing them in registries. EbXML also can smooth the way to agreements on security, transport and encoding protocols:
  • The Collaboration Protocol Profile and Agreement defines mutually accepted business arrangements.

  • The Messaging Service Specification defines the parties' messaging protocols.

  • The Business Process Schema sets constraints on predefined transactions, such as sales tax calculations.

For more information, check out the ebXML Technical Architecture Specification 1.0.4 by going to www.gcn.com and entering 179 in the GCN.com/search box.

About the Author

Joab Jackson is the senior technology editor for Government Computer News.

inside gcn

  • ARL seeks private cloud to modernize IT infrastructure

Reader Comments

Please post your comments here. Comments are moderated, so they may not appear immediately after submitting. We will not post comments that we consider abusive or off-topic.

Please type the letters/numbers you see above


text:
Financial management program director retires

Financial management program director retires

Karen Alderman is leaving the Joint Financial Management Improvement Program'a program she led for seven years.

The 27-year fed said today was her last day. The Office of Management and Budget decided in December that the Chief Financial Officers Council would take over the duties of the JFMIP by early summer.

'All I can tell you is that it has been a thrill,' Alderman said in an e-mail to friends and colleagues. 'I have enjoyed the missions, the challenges and, most of all, the people.'

As JFMIP executive director, Alderman led the effort to improve agency financial management by issuing governmentwide financial systems requirements, testing and qualifying financial system software for federal use. JFMIP also maintained an ongoing database of financial data and best practices to federal and industry stakeholders.

Alderman is a Certified Government Financial Manager and earned a bachelor's degree in political science from Rosemont College of Rosemont, Pa. She received her master's in public affairs from George Washington University in Washington.

Alderman also worked in the Defense Department as director for Performance Measures and Results and Travel Reengineering. In that job, she implemented the Government Performance and Results Act and spearheaded the DOD Travel Re-engineering initiatives.

inside gcn

  • ARL seeks private cloud to modernize IT infrastructure

Reader Comments

Please post your comments here. Comments are moderated, so they may not appear immediately after submitting. We will not post comments that we consider abusive or off-topic.

Please type the letters/numbers you see above

More from 1105 Public Sector Media Group


text:
Corinne Charette

Canada's push to overhaul data centers and data management

Federal CIO Charette focuses on the next generation of electronic government

When Corinne Charette was appointed chief information officer of the Government of Canada in May 2009, she quickly discovered her responsibilities ran wide and deep. Charette's broad experience certainly helps, having held executive and information technology positions at Transat A.T., FINTRAC, the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, KPMG, IBM Global Services and Via Rail Canada. But the challenges are many. She spoke with GCN Editor-in-Chief Wyatt Kash recently about her focus on data centers, information management and the next generation of electronic government.

GCN: What are your top IT priorities right now for the Canadian government?

CHARETTE: We have a number of important priorities. I would say the top one of mine is a big push on horizontal initiatives across government to consolidate and renew the back-office systems as well as front-office systems — the ones that actually sustain or enable specific program delivery.

Because of fiscal constraint, demographic, workforce and other challenges, we’re looking to foster what we call clustering, which is a consolidation approach but not a centralization approach. For instance, we have a series of science departments that have clustered around a common HR solution. And we are trying to drive that model with a number of horizontal initiatives in finance, purchasing and so on.

In the HR space, we’re also working with one of our two major ERP solutions, customizing it to reflect our new common business processes for HR which will be used by all government departments and be reflected in a systems configuration which will become standard for the Government of Canada. So anybody (using an older system) will simply adopt this configuration, either for their own use – or by clustering with other departments and sharing…at a much-reduced cost. More importantly, it will also allow data interoperability of HR information across government.

What are some of your other priorities?

Another one is renewing our secure, online identification platform for the federal government. Canada was a pioneer in government online. We got out of the gate fast, enabling online service access securely. And that’s been great. But it’s a very fast-evolving technology. We are in the process of renewing that with a robust and a more cost-effective and more technologically flexible model. That’s a big effort because it’s used by more than 20 government departments and it is on a time-limited contract on our current platform.

Our third priority is in information management. We have a dated electronic-document record management platform, implemented independently across a government. But we also have departments which are still relying on file-and-print data stores or Outlook as an additional repository. So we are working on the roll out of our information management policy and record-keeping directive, with the view that four years from now we will have all government departments on a common, well-structured platform with good metadata, with a tie-in to our library and archival folks and digital repository, and with the ability to quickly and effectively determine — when information and documents are created — what information is of business value and must be kept, for how long, where and how?

Industry and governments are trying to reverse the growth of data centers. What steps are you taking?

We have, officially, about 140 data centers across the country running a wide range of applications. And we believe we have more single-purpose installations. There are a couple of issues with this. One, it’s very costly and secondly, with server virtualization and affordable bandwidth, it's no long necessary. So it’s a definite goal in Canada to reduce this dramatically over the next five years.

Do you have a target?

Well, for now it’s only a personal target, but I don’t see why we would have more than 10 across the country. It could be a little more than that. We’re doing this in three different waves. Right now, we’re at capacity. In some areas — for instance, in Ottawa, the national capital area — we have quite a concentration of data centers. And a lot of them are old and really taxed. So we have a very short-term remediation initiative to buy us time so that we’re able to continue until our two next initiatives come online over the next three to five years.

The second important initiative under way will have three agencies contracting individually in a shared facility, operated by the private sector, which will meet our Tier 3 [resiliency] requirements for data centers. We want to rely on the private sector more and more. This would be secure space outside of Ottawa proper, from a disaster recovery and a redundancy perspective — in another electricity grid…with space available starting January 2012.

And our third and most important initiative is we’ve just launched a cross-Canada study of all of our data centers to get a better handle on where they are, how much space is required and come up with a strategy to consolidate, over time. We’re looking to leverage the private sector’s expertise, as well as potentially partner with other provincial jurisdictions. It’s a capital intensive area and we’re not comfortable staying in this all by ourselves.

How do the prospects of cloud computing factor into your data center consolidation plans?

The federal government in Canada is very interested in cloud computing from two perspectives: One, from the perspective of a government-specific cloud [where] government departments — not all, but many — will go out and provision their own physical servers and/or create their own virtual servers. We believe that a governmentwide cloud would allow us to consolidate physical servers, which would have green sustainability benefits but will also help us to foster greater interoperability between systems and leverage expertise in virtualization, which is not necessarily available everywhere. We’re also looking at using public clouds outside of the government firewall, in cases where security is not an issue.

How are you approaching the need for better identity management and authentication?

Certainly at our federal level, secure employee access to government networks is already our standard policy and operating practice. And if we’re accessing government systems from outside of the firewall, it’s with PKI keys, so we’ll certainly continue that way. The challenge in Canada on identity management and authentication is to try to do what the U.S. Navy is doing, combining system and network access with physical access through a common, chip enabled card. We haven’t quite worked out the business case that’s required to do that but we are looking at it actively

From a citizen-to-government access, well, that’s our whole secure-channel, government online that we’re in the process of reprocuring — our next-generation online authentication services. The architecture [involves] a federated model with a broker that is able to accept secure external credentials. The problem we’ve been seeing is that the citizens who interact infrequently with government tend to forget their passwords. When they do, they turn around and reapply. It’s just inconvenient and inefficient.

What steps are you taking to make your systems more secure?

We’re tracking right along with the United States. Cybersecurity is a top priority for Canada and is addressed in Canada by two lead agencies. Cybersecurity of government systems is under my policy area and one of my responsibilities. Cybersecurity for Canada, writ large – for example when considering private-sector infrastructure and systems – is under the authority of Public Safety Canada. They are actively engaged in developing the cybersecurity strategy for Canada and it will reflect a lot of the same elements that the U.S. cybersecurity strategy has. We also work closely with Communications Security Establishment Canada, which is our equivalent of the NSA. They’re the ones that have the in-depth knowledge on the most current technology, different techniques and threats that may occur. And finally we have another center for Canada, out of the Department of National Defense, that monitors cyber activity and detects and reacts to incidents.

What else are you focused on?

Architecture is essential. But what’s important is also applying the architecture, as opposed to just conceptualizing it. So we are taking the government services reference model…and working at a more granular level on enterprise architecture for our information management program and security architecture for our security-related domain. We’ve got a long ways to go. We plan to roll out a series of pilots which support a common architectural platform and which will enable interoperability. It all starts with a strong, common enterprise architecture standard.

inside gcn

  • ARL seeks private cloud to modernize IT infrastructure

Reader Comments

Please post your comments here. Comments are moderated, so they may not appear immediately after submitting. We will not post comments that we consider abusive or off-topic.

Please type the letters/numbers you see above

More from 1105 Public Sector Media Group