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19:00:09 02/05/12
GOP Debates Exposing Conservative Dislike of Romney, Not So For '08 Dem Field
[LESS INFO] 0 VIEWS | ADDED 19:00:09 02/05/12
So Romney and his PACmen spent over fifteen million dollars worth of smear ads against Newt Gingrich in Florida to seal the deal of beating him in the third primary. Romney was upbeat afterward, but many movement conservatives were not.
Jonah Goldberg: What is Wrong With This Guy? >
Congratulations to Mitt Romney for his big win last night. It was a win that, Romney supporters hoped, would help bury concerns about his ability to seal the deal to do what it takes. But I’m not so sure. If you’re a straight-laced grown-up with money to burn, burying Newt Gingrich shouldn’t be that hard. Romney talked about the economy, Newt about lunar statehood (which I favor!). Romney drowned Gingrich in negative ads and Gingrich supplied endless fodder for the accurate ones and plausibility for the inaccurate ones. Was that really the test of his political chops everyone is saying?As a bunch of us have been writing around here for a while, the under-emphasized dynamic in this race isn’t that Romney isn’t conservative enough (though that’s obviously a real concern out there) it’s that he’s simply not a good enough politician.
Jonah and many other conservatives are really pissed that Mitt on the next day said that he's ' not very concerned about the poor.' >
“I’m not concerned about the very poor. We have a safety net there,” Romney told CNN. “If it needs repair, I’ll fix it.
Oh, dear. That wasn't too bright. Bill O'Reilly was trying to downplay this flub on The Factor by saying the Democrats will seize on any single word by Mitt that they can take out of context to smear him. Nice try, Bill. It was a bonehead move. >
But great politicians on the morning after a big win, don’t force their supporters to go around defending the candidate from the charge that he doesn’t care about the poor. They just don’t.
You would think after all the rigorous training Mormons are known to subject their children to when it comes to speaking to large groups of people at a young age and then sending them out on two year conversion missions to hone their craft of convincing people to like them, Mitt is one big flop in that category. Unlike his father, who was legendary for his two years in European mission work, Romney just has a problem with connecting and he's making his base nervous.
A recent Pew Poll shows Mitt's unfavorable rating is up to 47% . I believe the GOP thought that having so many debates would give them a chance to constantly bash President Obama without supplying much substance other than lunar bases, hating the gay, electrocutions and building electric fences against Latinos, but what has happened is America is watching and the GOP is being hurt by the added attention. Many republicans really dislike Romney, but view him as the only one to able challenge Obama. I still am surprised by this poll since the country is suffering from the 2008 global financial meltdown. And before Florida's results were in the GOP elites were freaking out over Gingrich's rise and then his attacks of their anointed one.
I know many progressives are feeling very antsy right now with these GOP circus debates and primary days dominating the news cycles so I did a little research into how our base felt about our candidates to contrast the GOP contest at about the same time. Democratic voters were very pleased with the field of candidates that were running for election.
via Gallup Politics on 02/03/08 >
The new poll indicates that whatever the outcome, Democrats nationwide will be equally satisfied with their nominee. They show equal levels of enthusiasm for the prospects of Clinton and Obama each being on the ballot in November. In addition, they are no more likely to believe one of the candidates is more electable in the fall than the other.
Specifically:
Fifty-five percent of Democrats (including independents who lean to the Democratic Party) say they would vote for Obama "enthusiastically" in November were he the Democratic nominee; 53% say the same of Clinton.
Forty-five percent of Democrats think Clinton has the better chance of beating the Republican candidate for president in November; 43% choose Obama.
By contrast, Gallup finds more lopsided attitudes among Republicans -- working strongly in McCain's favor. Republicans are less enthusiastic about voting for each of the leading potential nominees than the Democrats are about theirs; however, McCain is the clear leader on this score over Romney. McCain also beats Romney handily in perceptions of which of the two has the better chance of winning in November.
In the Florida returns there is another troubling number that was revealed about Mitt and the rest of the current field. >
Another warning sign for Romney: Nearly 4 in 10 GOPers want someone else to run: And this also has to worry Romney and his team a bit, too: 38% of Florida Republican primary voters said they’d like to see someone else run for the GOP nomination, versus 58% who said they’re satisfied with the field. It’s a striking number, because these are Republicans who TURNED OUT and voted.
38% are hoping for a brokered convention I guess. Wow. Things are tough in this country and many on our side have been very disappointed, but if we elect a phony conservative like Romney at this point in time, the middle class may never, ever recover. GOP unrest is a good thing.
5 Views
20:00:00 12/19/11
Havel the Dissident: A Legacy Worth Claiming
[LESS INFO] 5 VIEWS | ADDED 20:00:00 12/19/11
Former President Havel addresses a European cultural congress on the economics of culture
On a warm evening in 1991, a colleague and I found an out-of-the-way café in the old part of Prague. Two men with blank expressions stood outside. The interior was dim and close, with room for only eight or nine tables. The place was almost empty. Just a sleepy waitress, a bartender polishing glasses, and a single patron who sat alone drinking wine and chain-smoking cigarettes.
The President of Czechoslovakia wasn't reviewing official papers. He was reading a book, a startlingly un-Presidential act to our American eyes. My companion, a neoconservative State Department official, already admired him for defying and defeating a Communist state. He'd impressed me by bringing a writer's sensibility and an affinity for true underground culture to his role as head of state.
Václav Havel even tried to appoint Frank Zappa as his Minister of Culture. "We're not rock musicians," Zappa told a reporter back in the sixties. "We're electronic social workers." The State Department wouldn't let Zappa assume the post, but Havel had made his point to the Czech public by offering this apparatchik's position to the composer of songs like "What's the Ugliest Part of Your Body?" ("Some say your nose, some say your toes, but I think it's your mind .")
We never spoke to Havel that night. It didn't seem polite to offer anything more than the curt nod of acknowledgement any café patron gives another at that hour. But Havel spoke to us, to all of us. And on the occasion of his death, the real lessons of his life's work are in danger of being lost.
Today we're told that the Occupy movement is too idealistic, too naïve. Naïve? Try Havel's words if you want naïve: "May truth and love triumph over lies and hatred."
Think of that as the Velvet Revolution's "one demand."
Portrait of the President as a Young Freak
As millions of people know, the underground playwright Havel first made his political mark in Charter 77. That group was formed to defend the Plastic People of the Universe, a banned and imprisoned rock band working in the Zappa mold of musical dissonance and cultural dissidence.
The Occupy movement is not on the cultural fringe, despite what its detractors say. But Havel's movement began as a Yippie-like creature of the underworld. Charter 77 rarely had more than a thousand members. It was a strange blend of political idealism and the hippie subculture where people proudly labeled themselves "freaks" to the conventional world. Despite its later alignment with economically conservative forces, it was more Allen Ginsburg than Alan Greenspan.
And it was created to defend the Plastic People of the Universe, whose grating music makes Occupy's drum circles seem like a children's choir serenading the bored residents of a home for aging veterans.
Words
Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité - what wonderful words! And how terrifying their meaning can be! Freedom in the shirt unbuttoned before execution. Equality in the constant speed of the guillotine's fall on different necks. Fraternity in some dubious paradise ...
Havel addressed the liberal democratic West on words in the 1970s, noting that the suppression of speech can give language enormous power: >
I ... live in a country where a writers' congress speech is capable of shaking the system ... a manifesto served as one of the pretexts for the invasion of our country one night by five foreign armies ... a system in which words are capable of shaking the entire structure of government, where words can prove mightier than ten military divisions.
When a system has become inflexible and is in danger of collapsing, what it fears most is words. Think about that the next time you see a phalanx of cops tear down a tent city on television.
Havel had been burned by language, too: >
The same word can at one moment radiate great hope, at another it can emit lethal rays ... true at one moment and false the next, at one moment illuminating, at another, deceptive. On one occasion it can open up glorious horizons, on another, it can lay down the tracks to an entire archipelago of concentration camps.
And as we approach an election year that will be filled with the rhetoric of freedom, this observation still resonates: >
The same word can at one time be the cornerstone of peace, while at another time machine-gun fire resounds in its every syllable.
Control
In 1975 Havel had the presumption to write directly to Czechoslovakian head of state Gustáv Husák with a few suggestions. There's more than a passing resemblance between the fear-driven Communist society Havel condemned in that letter and the financial anxiety many Americans endure today: >
The technique of existential pressure is ... universal. There is no one in our country who is not, in a broad sense, existentially vulnerable. Everyone has something to lose and so everyone has reason to be afraid. The range of things one can lose is broad, extending from the manifold privileges of the ruling caste... down to the mere possibility of living in that limited degree of legal certainty available to other citizens.
Today, one out of two Americans lives in financial insecurity. Even many upper-middle-class citizens live from month to month, just one layoff notice away from medical bankruptcy or home foreclosure.
"Everyone has something to lose," observed Havel.
Havel's description of his 20th Century Communist society echoes our own: >
The more completely one abandons any hope of general reform, any interest in suprapersonal goals and values, or any chance of exercising influence in an 'outward' direction, the more one's energy is diverted in the direction of least resistance, that is, 'inwards.'"
People today are preoccupied far more with themselves ... They fill their homes with all kinds of appliances and pretty things, they try to improve their accommodations, they try to make life pleasant for themselves, building cottages, looking after their cars, taking more interest in food and clothing and domestic comfort ...They turn their main attention to the material aspects of their private lives.
Havel concluded that "Despair leads to apathy, apathy to conformity, and conformity to routine (political) performance - which is then quoted as evidence of 'mass political involvement.'"
Ambition
Havel understood the psychology of greed and power, too. From his letter to Husák: >
If it is fear which lies behind people's defensive attempts to preserve what they have, it becomes increasingly apparent that the chief impulses for their aggressive efforts to win what they do not yet possess are selfishness and careerism.
It is not surprising that so many public and influential positions are occupied more than ever before by notorious careerists, opportunists, charlatans, and men of dubious record.
From Prague to Washington, from Moscow to lower Manhattan, the opportunities change. But human nature never does: >
Seldom in recent times has a social system offered scope so openly and so brazenly to people willing to support anything as long as it brings them some advantage; to unprincipled and spineless men, prepared to do anything in their craving for power and personal gain; to born lackeys, ready for any humiliation and willing at all times to sacrifice their neighbors' and their own honor for a chance to ingratiate themselves with those in power.
Technocracy
It's a historical irony that those who claim they'll govern with the most efficiency usually wind up governing with the least effectiveness. Today corporate-funded politicians from both parties argue that the country should be led by "technocrats' who'll govern without messy "ideologies."
That's a false premise Havel knew well. He called it the "process by which power becomes anonymous and depersonalized, reduced to a mere technology of rule and manipulation."
Washington's technocratic "bipartisans" dream of a world where, in Havel's words, the "professional ruler is (seen as) the 'innocent' tool of an 'innocent' anonymous power ... legitimized by science, cybernetics, ideology, law, abstraction, and objectivity - that is, by everything except personal responsibility to human beings as persons and neighbors." Havel's Prague is our Beltway: >
States grow ever more machinelike; people are transformed into statistical choruses of voters, producers, consumers, patients, tourists, or soldiers, (where) in politics good and evil, categories of the natural world and therefore obsolete remnants of the past, lose all absolute meaning (and where) the sole method of politics is quantifiable success.
Havel condemned a system of state-orchestrated political theater, and the self-perpetuating failures of imagination which mistook the indifferent and pro forma participation of its citizens for genuine democracy. And he saw its universal nature: >
(It) has a thousand masks, variants, and expressions. Essentially, though, it is the same universal trend ... the essential trait of all modern civilization, growing directly from its spiritual structure, rooted in it by a thousand tangled tendrils and inseparable even in thought from its technological nature, its mass characteristics, and its consumer orientation.
"The contemporary concept of 'normal' behavior is," Havel wrote, "deeply pessimistic."
Responsibility
"I favor 'antipolitical politics,'" said Havel, "politics not as the technology of power and manipulation, of cybernetic rule over humans or as the art of the utilitarian, but politics as one of the ways of seeking and achieving meaningful lives, of protecting them and serving them." >
I favor politics as practical morality, as service to the truth, as essentially human and humanly measured care for our fellow humans.
None of us--as an individual--can save the world as a whole, but . . . each of us must behave as though it were in his power to do so.
Decades later he said this to the leaders of Western countries: >
Today, more than ever before in the history of mankind, everything is interrelated ... Because of this, the future of the United States or the European Union is being decided in suffering Sarajevo or Mostar, in the plundered Brazilian rain forests, in the wretched poverty of Bangladesh or Somalia.
Havel had glaring faults. American neocons offered him small favors during his final rise to power. He reciprocated, consciously or unconsciously, by aiding their destructive military ventures and adopting their foolish economic policies. He succumbed to the politics of personality, both his own and those of the leaders who courted him. But it would be a shame if that's all the world remembered.
Havel seemed unhappy in the role of leader. It's possible than he lost sight of his deepest insights, his truest gifts. It was the outsider Havel, the dreamer of the impossible, the surrealist and absurdist, we should remember. That's the Havel who can and should inspire dissidents everywhere.
"Is the human word truly powerful enough to change the world and influence history?" he once asked. With his life and his words, Václav Havel gave us his answer. He showed us the power in each individual and the responsibility that accompanies that power.
At his best, and above all else, Havel was a dissident outsider who realized his power and used it. Now it's our turn.
7 Views
03:58:48 09/25/11
Meet the new Freddie Mercury...
[LESS INFO] 7 VIEWS | ADDED 03:58:48 09/25/11
Throughout the day yesterday, my Twitter and Facebook feed EXPLODED with links and posts about my buddy Marc Martel of the band Downhere who uploaded a video to YouTube a few days ago which went viral. And by viral, I mean more than 1.5 Million views in less than 3 days! The video he submitted is a recording of himself singing a cover of the Queen song Somebody to Love as part of the Queen Extravaganza competition. Queen drummer/songwriter/singer Roger Taylor launched the competition only a few days ago in honor of the 40th Anniversary of the band Queen and offers the opportunity for winners to tour in the Queen Extravaganza Live Tour in early 2012. Music fans worldwide have suddenly discovered what we downhere-fans have known for years: that Martel's Freddie Mercury impression and likeness are beyond stellar. However it's not just an impersonation - Marc's actual singing voice lends itself not only to Mercury, but in the early days of downhere, he was often compared to the likes of Bono of U2 and even former DC Talk member Kevin Max. (I really should dig up a copy of Downhere's cover for U2's Beautiful Day ; my husband and I preferred it over the U2 version, but I know that's a bit sacrilegious to say out loud.) Marc has even ventured into singing opera in the past few years, which may seem a little farfetched for a rocker, but as one commenter stated, "This guy is the Swiss Army knife of singing!"
Though it may seem like videos go viral all the time, Marc stated in an interview with WGBL that the reporter he talked to from the Wall Street Journal on Friday said it truly isn't that common. Nonetheless, views today (Saturday) have grown to more than 1.8 Million total views, and strangely enough many fans including myself have noticed the YouTube counter seems to get "stuck" on the play count for several hours before jumping up again.
I have known the members of Downhere, Marc, Jason, Jeremy and Glenn, for about 10 years now, ever since a friend at Word Records introduced me to them and asked me to edit a promotional music video for their first album release. From the moment I first heard clips of their to-be-released debut until now, they have been my absolute favorite band. I've always told them that someday I expected them to get a big break like Christian rockers Switchfoot did in 2003 when their fourth studio album suddenly sold 2.6 Million copies after being marketed to the mainstream music industry. While this is certainly not the same story, Marc's new-found fame will certainly prove to enhance the awareness of Downhere . Over the years I have heard SO many new fans discover Downhere's music and say things such as "WHY aren't you all better known? This band has so much talent!" However, I also believe that God has used their journey to keep them grounded as the most down-to-earth set of performers that I have ever encountered. Not a concert goes by where they don't spend at least 30-45 minutes after the show in the lobby greeting every single fan who wants to meet and talk with them. This deep connection to their concert goers has established a grassroots fan base for them that has grown and sustained them as a band over a decade when many Christian performers have come and gone.
FINALLY an opportunity has arisen that will shine the spotlight on these guys who spent 9 of the past 10 years touring North America in a 15 passenger van. Media coverage by outlets such as The Wall Street Journal, CNN, Huffington Post , and the CBC to name a few, has just started. Whether Marc gets a chance to perform with Queen in early 2012 or not is yet to be seen, but many fans feel it would be a travesty otherwise.
Marc's Original Audition video: (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dREKkAk628I)
Amazing "Mashup" video with Marc and Freddie Mercury singing simultaneously: (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jPhkfk8EBsI
CBC interview: (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gV1-9TeMS4w%feature=share)
GREAT Radio Interview out of Chicago: http://twt.fm/491745
Celebrity Values article: http://celebrityvalues.com/marcmartel.html
CNN clip: http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/tech/2011/09/23/ctw-han-viral-videos.cnn?hpt=hp_c2
Marc Martel Facebook Fan Page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Marc-Martel/283556381655697
18 Views
23:13:54 03/25/11
HOME - Instrumental in the Style of Michael Buble
[LESS INFO] 18 VIEWS | ADDED 23:13:54 03/25/11
"""Home"" Music by M. Buble, Foster-Gillies and A. Chang Just thought I'de do this song for people who are away from home, working on Cruise ships or overseas. They leave behind their families, often for 6 mths or more at a time . Children grow up with an absent Mom or Dad because they are away to earn a living and that is sad in a way : Lyrics: Another summer day Has come and gone away In Paris and Rome But I wanna go home Mmmmmmmm May be surrounded by A million people I Still feel all alone I just wanna go home Oh, I miss you, you know And I've been keeping all the letters that I wrote to you Each one a line or two ""I'm fine baby, how are you?"" Well I would send them but I know that it's just not enough My words were cold and flat And you deserve more than that Another aeroplane Another sunny place I'm lucky, I know But I wanna go home Mmmm, I've got to go home Let me go home I'm just too far from where you are I wanna come home And I feel just like I'm living someone else's life It's like I just stepped outside When everything was going right And I know just why you could not Come along with me 'Cause this was not your dream But you always believed in me Another winter day has come And gone away In even Paris and Rome And I wanna go home Let me go home And I'm surrounded by A million people I Still feel all alone Oh, let me go home Oh, I miss you, you know Let me go home I've had my run Baby, I'm done I gotta go home Let me go home It will all be all right I'll be home tonight I'm coming back home * I do not take claim to any of the original materials used in this video. All rights are reserved by the respective record company's and artists."
26 Views
22:30:00 03/15/11
Our Studio Guest: Felix Matthes from the Institute for Applied Ecology
[LESS INFO] 26 VIEWS | ADDED 22:30:00 03/15/11
One person who's just come back from Japan is Felix Matthes from the Institute for Applied Ecology here in Berlin. Mr. Matthes, you were on the 28th floor of a high-rise in Tokyo when the earthquake struck. What was your experience? Felix Matthes: It was one of the worst experiences I've ever had in my life. I'd just finalized my presentation and then the building started to swing. And the whole conference room with 200 participants slipped from the left to the right and all the loudspeakers were falling down. It was depressing. DW-TV: Were you terrified? Felix Matthes: That's not the right word, 'terrified'. It was depressed and, to some extent, there was no alternative. It was wait and see -- and wait for the next experience. DW-TV: When did you find out this is the big one? Felix Matthes: That was the immediate reaction of all the participants, because all the Japanese people who are used to living with earthquakes -- even in such buildings -- said they'd never experienced this before. [They said] this must have been heavier than any earthquake which happened before there. DW-TV: And what sort of information were you receiving on the state of the nuclear reactors in the quake zone? Felix Matthes: This information started to be delivered from Saturday noon. Before all the news was about the earthquake, about the tsunami. At noon on Saturday we got the first news that there is a major problem in several of the nuclear power plants. DW-TV: "Back to our energy expert now...Mr Matthes, the Japanese have one of the most advanced nuclear power programs in the world. What would they do without it?" Felix Matthes: I think they have frankly the same share of nuclear energy generation we had a couple of years ago in Germany. This share of 30 percent is a result of the situation that Japan is poor in energy resources. So they have focused 1) very heavily on energy efficiency and 2) on nuclear power, but with the reprocessing of nuclear fuel which is the main difference to how we are using nuclear power here. DW-TV: Now we'd seen a resurgence in support for nuclear power as a clean energy source over the past few years. Is that over now? Felix Matthes: I think the dream of clean nuclear power has come to an end. There is a risk -- a tremendous risk -- related to this technology, and I think we are facing a further decline of this type of use of energy. DW-TV: When you say 'we', what about Germany's situation?" Felix Matthes: I think in Germany we had a major revision of the nuclear policy last autumn when the lifetime of the nuclear plants was extended. I think that will come to an end and the nuclear phase out in Germany will go much quicker than we'd assumed during the last couple of months. DW-TV: Mr Matthes what do you think? How is Japan coping with the immediate effects of the widespread power outages, for example?" Felix Matthes: Well, it's difficult to say, because it will heavily depend on the scope of the nuclear disaster. I think there will be heavy economic damage during the next couple of months, but then we will see heavy investments and building up the new industries etc. etc. But the problem is that all of these will be financed by debt and debt will be a heavy burden for future generations, also in Japan. DW-TV: Well as far as the future goes, does Japan have any alternative to nuclear power?" Felix Matthes: They have. They have a huge potential for renewable energy, wind energy etc. At least they have comparable structures to those we have here, so they could go the same way: phase out nuclear; increase the share of renewable energies, and increase the level of energy efficiency. There IS an alternative. DW-TV: So, would you say Japan's gone down the WRONG road with its energy policy? Felix Matthes: I think partly, yes, because they had huge progress in energy efficiency. But with regard to the energy industry, they relied on these heavy giants which never were ready to invest in new energy sources and that may have been one of the huge problems with Japanese energy policy. DW-TV: OK, well the debate over atomic energy suddenly heats up again. The search for alternatives, though, has been going on for a long time now. We've seen a huge surge in green energy in Germany. Would you say it's enough though? Felix Matthes: It has been an ambitious strategy. We have now the goal of the government to deliver 80 percent of power production in 2050 by renewable energies. And if we combine energy efficiency and renewable energies then we could reach at least a fully renewable economy by the middle of the century. That's ambitious and a lot of additional efforts will be needed, but I'm really convinced that the experiences from the last days, especially in Japan, will fuel this trend significantly. DW-TV: Now we're already seeing a major boost in the shares of those renewable energy companies. Is that a clear sign of what's to come?" Felix Matthes: The interesting point is that we see new players in the market. And if we see new players in the market that means there is a future market that industry can rely on. That's one of the signs which makes me very optimistic on this. DW-TV: Mr. Matthes, thank you very much for coming in. (Interview: Ben Fajzullin)
10 Views
22:30:00 03/15/11
Our Studio Guest Felix Matthes From The Institute For Applied Ecology
[LESS INFO] 10 VIEWS | ADDED 22:30:00 03/15/11
One person who's just come back from Japan is Felix Matthes from the Institute for Applied Ecology here in Berlin. Mr. Matthes, you were on the 28th floor of a high-rise in Tokyo when the earthquake struck. What was your experience? Felix Matthes: It was one of the worst experiences I've ever had in my life. I'd just finalized my presentation and then the building started to swing. And the whole conference room with 200 participants slipped from the left to the right and all the loudspeakers were falling down. It was depressing. DW-TV: Were you terrified? Felix Matthes: That's not the right word, 'terrified'. It was depressed and, to some extent, there was no alternative. It was wait and see -- and wait for the next experience. DW-TV: When did you find out this is the big one? Felix Matthes: That was the immediate reaction of all the participants, because all the Japanese people who are used to living with earthquakes -- even in such buildings -- said they'd never experienced this before. [They said] this must have been heavier than any earthquake which happened before there. DW-TV: And what sort of information were you receiving on the state of the nuclear reactors in the quake zone? Felix Matthes: This information started to be delivered from Saturday noon. Before all the news was about the earthquake, about the tsunami. At noon on Saturday we got the first news that there is a major problem in several of the nuclear power plants. DW-TV: "Back to our energy expert now...Mr Matthes, the Japanese have one of the most advanced nuclear power programs in the world. What would they do without it?" Felix Matthes: I think they have frankly the same share of nuclear energy generation we had a couple of years ago in Germany. This share of 30 percent is a result of the situation that Japan is poor in energy resources. So they have focused 1) very heavily on energy efficiency and 2) on nuclear power, but with the reprocessing of nuclear fuel which is the main difference to how we are using nuclear power here. DW-TV: Now we'd seen a resurgence in support for nuclear power as a clean energy source over the past few years. Is that over now? Felix Matthes: I think the dream of clean nuclear power has come to an end. There is a risk -- a tremendous risk -- related to this technology, and I think we are facing a further decline of this type of use of energy. DW-TV: When you say 'we', what about Germany's situation?" Felix Matthes: I think in Germany we had a major revision of the nuclear policy last autumn when the lifetime of the nuclear plants was extended. I think that will come to an end and the nuclear phase out in Germany will go much quicker than we'd assumed during the last couple of months. DW-TV: Mr Matthes what do you think? How is Japan coping with the immediate effects of the widespread power outages, for example?" Felix Matthes: Well, it's difficult to say, because it will heavily depend on the scope of the nuclear disaster. I think there will be heavy economic damage during the next couple of months, but then we will see heavy investments and building up the new industries etc. etc. But the problem is that all of these will be financed by debt and debt will be a heavy burden for future generations, also in Japan. DW-TV: Well as far as the future goes, does Japan have any alternative to nuclear power?" Felix Matthes: They have. They have a huge potential for renewable energy, wind energy etc. At least they have comparable structures to those we have here, so they could go the same way: phase out nuclear; increase the share of renewable energies, and increase the level of energy efficiency. There IS an alternative. DW-TV: So, would you say Japan's gone down the WRONG road with its energy policy? Felix Matthes: I think partly, yes, because they had huge progress in energy efficiency. But with regard to the energy industry, they relied on these heavy giants which never were ready to invest in new energy sources and that may have been one of the huge problems with Japanese energy policy. DW-TV: OK, well the debate over atomic energy suddenly heats up again. The search for alternatives, though, has been going on for a long time now. We've seen a huge surge in green energy in Germany. Would you say it's enough though? Felix Matthes: It has been an ambitious strategy. We have now the goal of the government to deliver 80 percent of power production in 2050 by renewable energies. And if we combine energy efficiency and renewable energies then we could reach at least a fully renewable economy by the middle of the century. That's ambitious and a lot of additional efforts will be needed, but I'm really convinced that the experiences from the last days, especially in Japan, will fuel this trend significantly. DW-TV: Now we're already seeing a major boost in the shares of those renewable energy companies. Is that a clear sign of what's to come?" Felix Matthes: The interesting point is that we see new players in the market. And if we see new players in the market that means there is a future market that industry can rely on. That's one of the signs which makes me very optimistic on this. DW-TV: Mr. Matthes, thank you very much for coming in. (Interview: Ben Fajzullin)
2 Views
02:00:00 02/18/11
Atlas Shrugged: Coming to a theatre near you
[LESS INFO] 2 VIEWS | ADDED 02:00:00 02/18/11
As if the book weren't sloggy enough to read, now you can catch the movie -- Part I, anyway. The trailer was unveiled at CPAC last weekend, much to the delight of randy Randians, who cannot wait for it to hit the big screen. Yes, Ayn Rand's dog of a book has now been made into a movie -- at least, part one of a movie.
Guess which day it will be released? That's right, April 15th. I'm not sure who the backers of the film were, but it's fair to assume at least some of them are the usual suspects, given the ridiculous assertions on the film's website about the relevance of Atlas Shrugged to today's society : >
Ask yourself: What would happen, if our producers disappear - Steve Jobs, Sergey Brin and other industrialists fall off the radar, their companies shuttered and their creative genius no longer powering America? The answer lies in Atlas Shrugged Part I.
For the millions around the world who have read Rand's books, for those curious about her controversial philosophy, and for the uninitiated, and skeptical - the film, which only covers the first third of the book, is an opportunity to a faithful adaptation.
Rand's unique literary genius - which we hope to make accessible to a broader audience via film - is to show the price to be paid by the individual and society when the tragic words " from each according to his ability, to each according to his need " are carried out.
Gotta say, I don't think of Sergey Brin or Steve Jobs as industrialists, at least not in the Ayn Randian sense of things.
This movie is just part of a larger strategy, one that Sarah Palin articulated when she told Sean Hannity that "pop culture is the influencer in this country ". As much as I hate to admit it, she's on the mark with that, which is why her little reality show and Bristol Palin's Dancing with the Stars appearances gave me heartburn. We're a country that loves stupid more than serious.
We have a coordinated attack on liberal values being mounted via popular culture, and this movie is just another weapon in the box. Early reviews on it are terrible, but I guarantee you it will spawn a cult of Rand-ites who memorize every word and cling to it like a religion. If it was good enough for L. Ron Hubbard, why not Ayn Rand?
Maybe I'll be less cranky about this when polls show people engaging in even a minimum of knowledge about the world they live in and the country they inhabit. I expect that to be about the time icicles drop on Satan's head. Start the countdown clock.
2 Views
17:12:37 01/08/11
Paladinette Introduces “Jobless Talk Rant” to 99er Nation
[LESS INFO] 2 VIEWS | ADDED 17:12:37 01/08/11
Yesterday, Paladinette Introduced “Jobless Talk Rant” to the 99er Nation. Jobless Talk Rant is a YouTube version of the opening remarks of her BlogTalk Radio Show, which airs Fridays at noon Pacific called Jobless Talk.
Jobless Talk was the first BlogTalk Show dedicated exclusively to “the stories of the unemployed, benefit extensions, Washington inaction to help the jobless millions, the out of control US unemployment rate and what Congress is not doing to help the 99er Nation.”
The 99er’s Rant can be found on ThePaladinette’s YouTube Channel http://www.youtube.com/user/ThePaladinette?feature=mhum and her show is even available free on I-Tunes. As She put it in yesterday’s show “I am even on Itunes Isn’t that a HOOT! Itunes.apple.com/bw/podcast/paladinette-blog-talk.../id373134073 free Podcast downloads you can schedule to automatically go into your I-TUNES PodCast Library!”
Yesterday’s Jobless Talk Show was the first of the New Year and came after a two week Holiday hiatus, since December 17, 2010.
This first installment of the Jobless Talk Rant comes in 2 parts (seen below) and is focused upon stirring the 99er Nation out of their apathetic and often self-deprecation lethargy after the long, unfruitful Tier 5 fight in 2010.
> “Actually I am trying to stir up 99ers from their sadness and Depression. What is happening to the 99er Nation is SHAMEFUL - but the shame is on Washington NOT the 99ers. Whether or not you agree with everything I write or opine that makes no difference to me - what matters is that I/We can agree to disagree and still stand in brother/sisterhood rising up to take our rightful place and demand what we have a right for - SURVIVAL! VIVA la 99er Nation, Arise and stand proud of what you have come through with NO HELP from Washington - only us helping each other!” Yesterday’s episode of Jobless Talk was the first of the new 2 hour format and was full of inspiring ideas, personal stories and poignant - In Your Face Style Paladinette is well known for employing.
> “Honestly I am not here to molly coddle anyone. I cannot and likely will NEVER understand anyone in our situation NOT being thrilled over the good fortune bestowed upon another down and out American. Some folks were actually pissed off at me at the end of last year because I found a benefactor to keep this show on the air. Now I will never understand not being absolutely THRILLED over the blessings God bestows on a fellow human being struggling to survive. Do not allow anyone to make you feel less than INCLUDING yourself.”
One of the most important suggestions she makes during this diatribe of a 99er Wake Up Call is to STOP fighting amongst themselves and remember everyone is human, makes mistakes and does their utmost best to lead the 99er Nation to what they need from Washington, in the form of more UI benefits NOW and a robust Jobs bill very soon.
One of the “Key STRATEGIES” she lays out in both her show and yesterday’s rant is:
> All of you need to:
GET over to U-Cubed [ http://www.unionofunemployed.com ] and sign up it is free and Rick Sloan who runs it is so smart about Washington and how it works. He has a long history and background in advocating for working class America with his involvement in IAM union. This man is so smart and U-Cubed will be a mover and shaker this year in the 99ers fight. How many people are represented in the 99ers union group what 20,000 or more? > I say stay with the 99ers union thing but also Get on U-Cubed now, today. When you get there, send me a friend request Paladinette . We need an army of folks fed up enough to take this fight to victory. I assure you that 20K people - ready to fight for survival of the 99ers under the leadership of Rick Sloan will make a HUGE difference and expedite the reward of our efforts. > So - spread the word. Get the word out to all the groups, blogs social networks, FB pages, radio shows, unemployed friends, pass out flyers if that is they only way you can help. Tell your friends and family to join you in this fight. It will help educate them, inspire you and positive energy attracts like energy. The power of like-minded people coming together for a good cause simply has to spawn something good.
The time to hide in your homes behind your computers is transcending into a call for more visible involvement. Hold your elected officials accountable. They put us in this mess and I for one intend to be politely in their face until we get what the 99er Nation needs to survive and eventually thrive. We will not be ignored any longer.
So I ask you How bad do you want to survive? Do you want it bad enough to pitch in and leave comfortable and apathy AND your ego at the door? Well now is the time and today is the day!
>
I will NOT GIVE UP OR GIVE IN! Nor will I stop trying new things that have the potential to effect the CHANGE necessary to help the 99ers - What you think of me personally is really none of my business. RATHER It is what we can accomplish together that is important the rest is distractions and immaterial crap!
SO I ASK You all out there in Unemployed America once AGAIN
Who is with me?
PLEASE SPREAD THES LINKS AROUND the Blogosphere wherever Jobless Americans may roam http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AKaCkUJCbLw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zFegx5f_KOk
[The donation button below is for me, Paladinette. If you like what I write please donate so I can keep on fighting for the 99ers! Thank You!]
5 Views
21:30:57 12/16/10
Why filibuster reform is vital: The Founders' intent was for the Senate to be a majority body, not a supermajority
[LESS INFO] 5 VIEWS | ADDED 21:30:57 12/16/10
[From Fix The Senate Now : Interview with a senator who likes how it dysfunctions.]
Quietly behind the scenes in the Senate, Democratic senators are working to prepare a package of filibuster-rules reforms , led in particular by Sen. Jeff Merkley of Oregon and Sen. Tom Udall of New Mexico .
This morning I sat in on a conference call with Merkley and Udall, who explained how they were planning to roll out a framework for other senators to examine soon. (Here's Dave Weigel's report .) Certainly the urgency to do so has only been heightened by events of the past few days, with Republicans using the filibuster to effectively forestall any action by the Senate in the lame-duck session beyond extending the Bush tax cuts -- including approval of the START treaty, DADT repeal and the DREAM Act.
Fundamentally, as these events have demonstrated, Republican abuse of the filibuster has rendered the Senate into a body in which only the supermajority rules. Considering that it was clearly never designed to be anything other than a majority-rule body by the Founding Fathers, it's a pretty classic case of hypocrisy for Tea Partying right-wingers who love to parade their love of the Founders whenever possible.
So I asked them about whether they intended to use the Founders' intent as a kind of marketing point for their plan. Here's what they said:
>
Udall: That point is very much talked about. And it was not that long ago that there were major pieces of legislation in which the public discussion always was, 'Can we get 51 votes to pass this?'
We had controversial Supreme Court justices -- for example, Clarence Thomas -- who was passed through without a supermajority. There was no cloture process or extended debate requested by those who opposed him.
It was considered a privilege to exercised -- that is, the privilege of delaying the Senate so that you could continue to make your points was considered a precious privilege to be exercised upon very rare occasion. That social contract has been eliminated. And members of the Senate are ready to make their objection to the regular order of 51 on everything, and often many times on a single bill, and that has done what you've just described, which is it has turned the Senate into a supermajority body. And for all those who say, do not disrupt the tradition of the Senate, the response is, the tradition of the Senate has never been for it to be a supermajority body.
Merkley: To give you one little factoid here: When Lyndon Baines Johnson was in the Senate, the time he was the Majority Leader from 1954 to 1961, in that entire six-year period, he only attempted to cut off debate, filing cloture, one time. The last two years, Harry Reid had to do that 84 times.
So we've taken something that was an extraordinary rare expression of opposition -- where you went down to the floor and you did everything you could to persuade the American people and your own constituents as to your point of view -- now we don't do that. Now the only filibuster -- the only filibuster I think I've really seen, a true filibuster in the Senate tradition, in the two years I've been here is what happened with Bernie Sanders in the last couple of days, where he took the floor for approximately eight hours or more to actually talk about the tax package.
Most of the time, we see this in a secret way, when you look at C-SPAN2 and you're looking at the Senate, you see a quorum call, the post-cloture debate time -- that time is not being utilized for debate, and that has rendered the Senate a broken institution.
Merkley also talked about the dysfunction that occurs after a cloture vote -- that is, a vote to end the debate and thus the filibuster -- fails to reach the 60-vote threshold: >
Merkley: You can think of a cloture vote that fails as the following: 41 senators have said they want to continue debate. When that happens, under current rules, we do not have ongoing debate. People just leave the floor and we are let with a quorum call. There's nothing to compel senators to actually engage in the debate that they have said they want to have. There are a number of potential rules that could be used that exist currently, but each of them is trumped by some other procedural mechanism. And that's why you don't see continuous debate after a cloture call. ...
The advantage of continuous debate is that it honors the purpose of the cloture vote, which was to have debate. The other advantage is that it says to the American people: 'Here is my position. This is why I'm not ready to have a vote yet. This is what is most important. Here is my case.' In other words, senators stand on the floor, literally stand on the floor and make their case to the American public. And the American public and their colleagues can say, 'You're a hero' or 'You're a bum.' And provide that kind of feedback to all of the senators, who will have to vote on a subsequent cloture vote at some point down the line. And if no one has anything left to say, then the whole purpose of the post-cloture debate is concluded -- that is, if no senator at some point is ready to continue the debate, then we should automatically go to a majority vote.
This would get rid of many of the frivolous objections. And just to give you a sense of this -- we just had a food safety bill in which three filibusters were launched, delaying the work of the Senate by three weeks. Each objection to the regular order creates a one-week delay and a 60-vote hurdle. And yet that was on a bill that had substantial bipartisan support, it was not, if you will, one of the bills that has grave national consequences one direction or the other. So if, on a simple, ordinary bill, you can have three cloture motions, you can imagine the type of delay that has resulted in we have no appropriations bills, why we don't have a budget that was debated, and so on and so forth. Why so many House bills come here to die.
Aas Greg Sargent reports today, there is some quiet momentum building in support of these reforms, especially given the galling impotency of the past couple of weeks: >
The key thing that's happening is that groups pushing to reform the filibuster are now laying down a clear roadmap to action, and are setting their sights on clearly defined common-sense reforms that seem eminently achievable if enough political will gathers to make them happen. For instance, a range of lefty groups and powerful labor unions like AFL-CIO and SEIU recently spelled out a statement of core principles that would form the bedrock of reform.
The underlying ideas here are twofold: First, there's Senator Tom Udall's insight that each Congress has the power under the Constitution to set its own rules. And second, Senator Jeff Merkley, one of a new crop of younger reform-minded Senators, is getting traction with a proposal of simple, achievable reforms to encourage as much open debate as possible, mainly by forcing Senators to actually filibuster.
Of course, as anyone even casually familiar with the inner workings of the Senate will tell you, the best-intentioned ideas can -- and often do -- disappear without ever getting acted on, for reasons that no one can explain. But it's certainly noteworthy that a real movement seems to be taking shape to prevent that from happening this time around.
Tom Harkin is predicting some serious fireworks on Jan. 5 : >
Senate Democrats will make a dramatic effort to reform the rules of the chamber when the next Congress begins, one of the body's primary filibuster-reform advocates said Wednesday morning.
Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), who has championed a weakening of the procedural mechanism that allows the minority party to hold up legislation, predicted "fireworks" on Jan. 5, 2011 -- the day on which the Senate can, he argued, revamp its rules by a simple majority vote.
"There could be some fireworks. There could be some fireworks on January fifth," Harkin said at a pro-reform event sponsored by several like-minded organizations. "I'm going to be there. I'm armed. I'm armed with a lot of history, and I know the rules, and I know the procedures too, so we will see what happens on the fifth."
"[Former Sen.] Robert Byrd in 1975, the last time that last time that we changed the rules and [brought the filibuster threshold] from 67 [votes] down to 60, actually stated on the floor that a majority, 51 senators, could change the rules. And that's what we intend to do and that is what we are working on right now. We are coming on the fifth to basically send a motion to the vice president ... that will change the rules and there is a procedure to provide 51 votes to do that. Robert Byrd said that in 1975 and that's what we are going to try to do."
Essentially, that path to reform requires Vice President Joe Biden -- who supports weakening the filibuster -- to rule on the first day of the next session that the Senate has the authority to write its own rules. Republicans, presumably, would immediately move to object, but Democrats could then move to table the objection, setting up a key up-or-down vote. If 50 Democrats voted to table the objection, the Senate would then move to a vote on a new set of rules, which could be approved by a simple majority.
Keep your fingers crossed. And call your senators and buck them up.
1 Views
20:30:34 12/16/10
The Crying Game
[LESS INFO] 1 VIEWS | ADDED 20:30:34 12/16/10
Okay, I admit it: I'm a weeper. I cry during abandoned dog commercials, the final scenes of "Field of Dreams" and "Marley and Me" and honestly, pretty much all other times. My kids laugh at my tendency to go to tears. But for as much as I cry, I do have the ability to hold it together in a professional setting. I have never once cried in an office or work setting.
But curiously, John Boehner feels no similar need to button up his emotionality and there are videos galore of him tearing up on the House floor. It's so ubiquitous that the progressive blogosphere even dubbed him "Cryin' John Boehner".
But now the traditional media is noticing it too...and they're beginning to wonder if Boehner is tough enough for the job : >
I’m sure we’ll get used to having a speaker of the House who weeps a lot.
That would be John Boehner, the new guy.
“He is known to cry,” the outgoing speaker, Nancy Pelosi, told Deborah Solomon in The Times Magazine. “He cries sometimes when we’re having a debate on bills.”
Pelosi, of course, does not cry in public. We will stop here briefly to contemplate what would happen if she, or any female lawmaker, broke into loud, nose-running sobs while discussing Iraq troop funding or giving a TV interview.
(Pause)
O.K., moving forward.
Boehner is a gravel-voiced Ohioan who wears snazzy suits and hangs out a lot with lobbyists. One of the few cheery prospects the new year holds for Democrats is his upcoming demonization, since there is no such thing in 21st-century America as a loveable leader of the House of Representatives. Unless America is totally won over by the idea of a Sobbing Speaker.
Can you imagine the field day that the right wing noise machine would have had if Nancy Pelosi teared up as much John Boehner? The mind reels. >
The most arresting moment came when Boehner told Stahl he can no longer make visits to schools, or even look at the little kids on the playground, because he immediately starts crying.
That had me alarmed. I thought there was going to be some terrible story about an ailing child that would then force me to have warm and sympathetic thoughts about John Boehner.
But no. The reason, Boehner finally choked out, was because “making sure these kids have a shot at the American dream, like I did, is important.”[..]
“I spent my whole life chasing (sob) the American dream,” he told the cameras. “Put myself through school, working every rotten job there was ...”
The American Dream has had such a bad year. During the campaign, it was tossed around by billionaire candidates who insisted on telling groups of underprivileged children that they, too, could someday own a mega-yacht or run a slimy but extremely profitable health care corporation.
Now, John Boehner is blaming the Dream for making him howl like an abandoned puppy.
Oh snap! Maddow also suggests that perhaps if Boehner changed his policies, he'd have less to cry about . And while some other sensitive men might defend Boehner, there is also a growing whisper that his tears may be symptomatic of a larger problem : >
John Boehner’s latest public crying episode has gotten Capitol Hill talking, and some are speculating that there’s a simple explanation for the waterworks: He’s drunk. “For years, political professionals have quietly discussed Boehner’s drinking,” writes Matt Lewis of Politics Daily . “Some have told me off the record that his mannerisms remind them of that of an alcoholic.”[..]
So is the drinking to blame for the crying? Politico once noted that Boehner “cries more often later in the day,” and he often seems to slur his words right before such outbursts.
Well, he'd hardly be the first alcoholic in Congress, but I think there should simply be a rule: THERE'S NO CRYING IN POLITICS.
0 Views
21:04:41 12/07/10
How To Play Put You In A Song On Guitar
[LESS INFO] 0 VIEWS | ADDED 21:04:41 12/07/10
http://guitarharrisy.blogspot.com/2010/12/how-to-play-keith-urbans-put-you-in.html Other cool sites http://www.roarnomore.com/ http://therisingseed.blogspot.com/ http://worshipguitarriffs.blogspot.com/ Well here you come again and you’re lookin’ so fine You don’t notice me but it’s alright I’m just a guy who wishes that I could be your man someday Yeah a picture paints a thousand words it’s true But it’s still not enough for how I feel about you I wanna put you in a melody, I gotta set you to a groove I wanna put you in my car and drive And turn you up loud, roll down all the windows and shout it out I love this girl oh If I could press play, repeat how happy I’d be Wherever I’d go I’d have you there with me You’d be right where you belong I wanna put you in a song, oh oh oh Well I’d sing about your smile and your pretty blue eyes The way your hair shimmers in the sunlight It’d be so easy I’d just write it from my heart ‘Cause I gotta tell the world what you mean to me Wrap you up in a melody so you’ll be Stuck in my head all day ‘Cause you’re already there anyway, yes you are I wanna put you in my car and drive And turn you up loud, roll down all the windows and shout it out I love this girl If I could press play, repeat how happy I’d be Wherever I’d go I’d have you there with me You’d be right where you belong I wanna put you in a song And if I get it right everybody’d be singing along yeah And when they see you on the street they’ll say Hey ain’t you the girl in that song I wanna put you in my car and drive And turn you up loud, roll down all the windows and shout it out I’m in love with this girl Yeah if I could press play, rewind a couple million times Imagine for a moment that you’re all mine Every night I’d drive you home If I could put you in a Let me put you in a song Let me put you in a song Oh a pretty little song about you baby
5 Views
02:47:23 11/25/10
Hotfixes and Blue Posts
[LESS INFO] 5 VIEWS | ADDED 02:47:23 11/25/10
2 Sets of Hotixes
Something tells me we will see even more on the following days and maybe a tiny little bug fixing downloadable patch.
November 24
* Players should now be able to champion a capital city and earn reputation in Heroic and normal Wrath of the Lich King dungeons while wearing that city's tabard.
* Players are no longer required to discover Wrath of the Lich King dungeons before accessing them via Looking For Dungeon.
* Players should no longer be interrupted when eating or drinking in a Battleground before the battle starts.
* Many former Steamwheedle Goblins have switched over to the Gadgetzan faction. If a players happens to be "At War" with these NPCs, they will no longer attack in many areas.
* Collision has been removed from Argent Tournament banners so they can no longer block players.
* The door to the Alliance Keep in Isle of Conquest should again be closed at the beginning of the battle.
* Creatures spawned during the Hadronox encounter no longer award reputation.
* After changing races to tauren and learning the Sunwalker Kodo mounts, they continue to remain available after porting, zoning, and relogging.
* Trapjaw Rix no longer has a duplicate manifestation standing on top of himself.
* Players can no longer catch new high-level fish when fishing near level 80-85 zones unless the account is upgraded to Cataclysm.
Death Knight
* Death Strike now properly heals for 20% of the damage taken within the last 5 seconds, and Blood Presence now increases armor contribution from items by 30%, down from 60%.
Druid
* The heal from Gift of the Earth Mother when the druid casts Rejuvenate is now gaining the correct benefit from Improved Rejuvenate.
Mage
* Flame Orb will no longer attack PvP-flagged enemies unless the mage is already flagged for PvP combat.
Priest
* The Empowered Shadow buff is no longer granted when a player cancels the Shadow Orb buff. Mind Blast correctly removes the Shadow Orb buff and grants Empowered Shadow.
* The Glyph of Shadow Word: Death no longer provides the outdated 10% bonus damage to targets under 25% health when Shadow Word: Death is cast.
Warlock
* Bane of Havoc no longer persists when overwritten by another Bane.
Quests
* The quest "Reinforcements from Theramore" can now be obtained by Alliance players.
* Players no longer keep the invisibility aura and the Hunting buff after logging out while in the wolf vehicle on the quest "The Wolf and the Kodo".
* The quest "Diplomacy By Another Means" no longer auto-completes in the field.
* The spawn rate for Frostmane Scavengers in Dun Morogh has been substantially increased.
* Obtaining the achievement for completing quests in Silverpine now requires 55 quests, down from 60. The interface will still list it as 60 required quests until a client-side patch is applied.
* Players should no longer get stuck in a phased state when attempting to complete the quest "To the Rescue!"
* Players are now able to complete the quest “Uther’s Blessing” by using the item Chillwind Tribute at Uther’s Tomb.
* Horde players are no longer able to obtain the Stormpike Insignia Rank 2 from Lieutenant Haggerdin while on the quest "Infiltration".
* Experience granted by quests in Arathi Highlands has been increased.
November 23
* Alterac Valley, Isle of Conquest, and Strand of the Ancients should no longer attempt to place players in a level 80-84 bracket.
* Players should no longer be disconnected from a realm when attempting to take an item out of the mail which has been marked for deletion.
* The title "Champion of [guildname]" can no longer be improperly awarded to players.
* The amount of gold received when converting Battleground Marks of Honor above the honor cap has been reduced to the intended amount.
Druid
* The damage done by the following abilities has been reduced by approximately 17%: Mangle (Bear), Maul, Lacerate, Pulverize, Swipe (Bear), Thrash.
Hunter
* A second pet can no longer be summoned when the active pet is dead.
Mage
* Arcane Concentration will not go on internal cooldown when it fails to proc.
* The damage from Deep Freeze on stun-immune targets is now properly benefitting from Frostburn, including when increased by Mastery Rating on gear.
* Frostfire Orb now correctly triggers Ignite on critical hits.
* Pyroblast! made available by Hot Streak will no longer consume Clearcasting.
* When Scorch is cast by a mage who has Improved Scorch Rank 2, it will no longer consume Clearcasting.
* Shatter now only increases the chance for Molten Armor's damage to be a critical strike when the target is actually frozen, as intended.
Paladin
* Glyph of Light of Dawn no longer incorrectly reduces the healing of Light of Dawn.
Priest
* Prayer of Healing is now properly healing all of the target's party members, unless they are further than 30 yards away.
* Twisted Faith no longer gives a 4% damage increase to Mind Flay when Shadow Word: Pain is active on a target.
Rogue
* Envenom now properly scales with Potent Poisons.
Warlock
* Soul Fire will no longer consume both Empowered Imp and Soulburn when they are active. It will consume Empowered Imp and leave Soulburn still active.
Warrior
* Shield Slam's damage has been reduced by about 28% at level 15, with less, but still noticeable reductions at higher levels.
Quests
* The Wayward Fire Elemental is now properly tracked on the mini-map for the quest "Ice and Fire".
* Fishing daily quests in Stormwind and Orgrimmar have returned.
* Players will now reach their flight destination properly for the quest "Fuselight, Ho!"
* It is no longer possible to use all the charges on the Purified Moonwell Water at a single brazier for the quest "Dousing the Flames of Protection".
* The tauren quest "Heeding the Call" has been removed from the game and is no longer improperly still being offered to players.
Portals Removal - Explained
Portals are removed as we don't want you to have your hearth in an old city from an expansion you've outgrown just so you can have quick and instant travel anywhere you like. Those expansions had content that was far removed from things like auction houses and class trainers, and thus, contained portals. They were removed from those things because we didn't want the expansion content (which would hold the bulk of the playerbase) to in turn also remove them from the classic Azeroth world. That's no longer the case. Cataclysm has content near your faction capitals, which have auction houses and class trainers.
And for new characters leveling, who will eventually hit Shattrath and Dalaran, they now have auction houses and class trainers in place of portals.
As soon as you can fly in Azeroth this really does cease to be an issue. It will not be much different than flying from Borean Tundra to Ulduar.
I can see that since the OP is buried that enough people disagree with this being an issue, and for that I'm at least thankful that I'm not fighting a complete uphill battle in explaining it.
Read more...
Fix for Meta Gems
The current design has been reconsidered, so we're planning to revert gems that now require more blue than red gems back to their original requirements. Such a change can't be accomplished via a hotfix though, so we'll have to wait to revert these in a future patch.
35 Views
22:30:00 11/23/10
Studio Guest: Karen Pittel from the Ifo Institute for Economic Research
[LESS INFO] 35 VIEWS | ADDED 22:30:00 11/23/10
Karen Pittel from the Ifo Institute for Economic Research is expert on energy, climate and exhaustible resources.DW-TV: Will Portugal be the next country to ask for a bailout? Karen Pittel: I guess if anybody asks next, it will be them. I'm not sure they will do it voluntarily. It's kind of like the Irish who had to be convinced to join. But I think theere would be pressing reasons for them to go under. DW-TV: The euro has taken a hit in all of this yet. Is the bad rep justified? Karen Pittel: I don't think so. I think those are temporary problems and not long-run problems. I think the Euro in itself is a good institution, a very valuable institution for Europe. I don't think it deserves the bad reputation it has by now. DW-TV: Is the European Union doing enough now to ensure that more debt crises do not occur? Karen Pittel: There's a couple of issues that are relevant here. With Greece, one didn't know for a long time that the situation was so dire. With Ireland, they were hoping to do it themselves and the country itself is not that bad, the economy isn't that bad. It's just the banks. With Portugal, they had to see it coming. They might be a little late in there. DW-TV: Some companies are trying to make a difference. For example in Recycling. But is it really worth it? Karen Pittel: It might not make the difference in terms of stopping climate change. But it's important to develop technologies that will help us to need less fossil fuels. Once we accomplish having a global treaty to reduce CO2 emissions, we need those new technologies in order to be able to still produce without using so much energy. DW-TV: The International Energy Agency: "We estimate extending Europe's plan to cut emissions from 20 to 30 percent would roughly equal China's two-week gas output," Europe can't really make a difference! Practically no global impact! Karen Pittel: It can't make a difference alone. I'm not denying that. It's like I said, when or if we have an agreement, we need the new technology. As long as we don't have this global agreement, then Europe alone won't make the difference. Especially because when Europe cuts back, not only is China increasing its emissions, but part of what is reduced in Europe will kind of switch to China and be produced there. DW-TV: There was a lot of public support and hope leading up to Copenhagen last year. Is that now lost? Karen Pittel: I don't think so. I think the expectations are still there, it's just that they're more realistic now. You don't go there and think you can change everything in 2 weeks. It takes more time. People sit down at the table now, they're more realistic, they know it will take more time. I've heard the word magic bullet, it's not going to happen, it's a step-by-step process. The goal has to be to get everyone into the fold. DW-TV: What are you expecting from the Climate Conference in Cancun? Karen Pittel: There's a difference between what I hope and what I expect. I'm expecting that they'll get closer but they won't be able. That's my sad prediction, they won't be able to complete a binding agreement at that conference. I hope their positions get closer, but I don't think there will be a binding agreement. Let's hope that history will prove me wrong. Interview: Brent Goff
13 Views
18:55:34 11/19/10
Healers and Cataclysm
[LESS INFO] 13 VIEWS | ADDED 18:55:34 11/19/10
Those of you who think Blizzard hate healers... really should read this
You may have heard that healing in Cataclysm is going to feel different. The role will be more challenging, particularly in terms of resource management. This won’t be news to a lot of regular forum readers, but I see enough “why nerf healers?” concerns that I thought it was still a worthwhile topic for an inaugural developer blog.
As a blanket statement, healer mana wasn’t a big concern in Wrath of the Lich King. You could run out of mana sometimes, but it really didn’t affect your spell choice in the way it did prior to Lich King. We think resources should be important, though. A lot of gameplay in a wide variety of games comes down to managing a limited resource, whether it's Vespene Gas in an RTS, ammo in an FPS, or even time in a puzzle game. Managing your resources well makes you a better player. Not being limited by resources can feel empowering over a short period of time, but only because it feels like you’re breaking the rules. In fact you are breaking the rules, and once those short periods of time have ended, a game can quickly lose its luster. Godmode isn’t nearly as compelling in the long term as it might seem at first glance.
Now, it is true that resource management is an even bigger part of the game for healers than it is for other roles. “Not fair!” you might be ready to cry. I used this analogy once before, and it seemed to resonate with lots of people, so I’ll use it again. Dealing damage is like a sprint. You typically want to go as fast as you can. Healing isn’t a race though -- it’s more like darts. You want to be as precise as you can. A big part of the healing gameplay is using the right tool for the right job. The resource cost of those tools is one of the things that differentiates them. Remove the resource constraint and you lose one dimension that differentiates the tools. Good healers used to pride themselves on keeping everyone standing up without running out of mana.
For a number of reasons, all of which were completely our fault, healers had too much mana regeneration in Wrath of the Lich King. Let’s look at the consequences of infinite mana for a moment.
For starters, those expensive, fast heals were never a difficult choice. Expensive doesn’t really apply in the absence of a cost, so they were just fast heals. Why wouldn’t you want to cast a fast heal? Healer gameplay became smaller because they had fewer options. Rather than choosing the right tool, everyone picked a spell such as Power Word: Shield, Flash of Light or Rejuv, and just used that spell. Over and over. We think a cornerstone of good gameplay is making interesting decisions. When your toolbox is too small (because the expensive or slow spells are immediately discarded as tools) then you are making fewer interesting decisions.
Second, since healers weren’t really running out of mana, we had to find other ways to make those raid encounters that were designed to be challenging actually challenging. That often came down to very high tank or raid damage. So now not only did healers not have much of a choice about which spell to use, but they also had to use that spell every global cooldown or risk someone dying. This made healing stressful without the reward of having made good decisions. If you healed the wrong target, hesitated for a moment, or had a laggy connection, then someone was going to die.
Third, anything that played off of mana regeneration, such as a talent, a stat like Spirit, or even a proc from a trinket, became undesirable. Furthermore, since mana wasn’t a concern, overhealing was also not a concern, and players did it with abandon. When everything is an overheal already, then stats like critical strike chance also become devalued.
Fourth, PvP balance suffered. When healers could easily heal anyone to full without fear of overhealing or running out of mana, then battles became very binary. You either killed someone or you didn’t. Nobody sat in a wounded state very long. There was no sense of a changing tide or someone coming from behind. Imagine a tennis match where the outcome of the first serve won or lost the entire match. We could have improved this situation by increasing health pools, which is exactly what we did for Cataclysm, but larger health pools with infinite mana would just make bosses feel unthreatening.
To be clear, we don’t want healers to constantly run out of mana. We want them to run out of mana when they don’t play well. And we don’t want them to always fail. But we do want them to feel good when they are challenged, and overcome those challenges to succeed. When someone is wounded, we want healers to consider whether to use a slow, efficient heal (because they aren’t in immediate threat of dying) or a fast, expensive heal (because they are). That’s called triage, and it was notably missing from the Lich King healing environment. We think triage will make healing more fun. We’re making this change not to make healers sad by nerfing them, but to make healers happy by making the game more fun for them.
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03:02:15 09/27/10
El Telar Triqui The Triqui Weaving
[LESS INFO] 4 VIEWS | ADDED 03:02:15 09/27/10
Scroll Down for English Video Taller Manovuelta - Oaxaca Septiembre 2010 EL TELAR TRIQUI El tejer de las mujeres se hace cada vez mas constante, las abuelas, las hijas, las nietas tejen con sus hilos, con sus manos, con la palabra, tejen la resistencia, abriendo caminos con la digna rabia, camino andado tantas veces por ellas mismas, caminos que ahora se confunden con el rojo de sus huipiles por tanta sangre derramada, los huipiles son bordados y trabajados por manos de mujeres triquis, mujeres que junto con su pueblo han sido reprimidas, vejadas, hasta llegar al olvido de la mayor?a que vivimos en los suburbios de la ciudad enga?ados y enga?adas pensando que somos due?os y due?as de nuestras vidas, recibiendo lo que no necesitamos, sobreviviendo con lo que no queremos y olvidando nuestras necesidades. Olvido el mejor amigo de los que lo propagandizan, de los que reprimen y llenan de sangre los caminos dignos de San Juan Copala, los que averg?enzan a la tierra con cada acto de despojo, con violaciones, con asesinatos, ellxs y ellxs lxs que odian que el pueblo Triqui una vez mas se ponga frente a ellos para exigir justicia, para luchar por lo que les corresponde. Ellas las del huipil rojo, las de las trenzas, las del chamaco en el pecho, ellas las tejedoras, ellas, las mujeres Triquis se ponen de pie para exigir alimento para hijxs, esposos, madres, para los suyos, alimento necesidad b?sica para sobrevivir, y justicia para vivir. La necesaria b?squeda del sustento convierte a los matorrales en el mejor amigo para las mujeres Triquis, cuando el viento y el sol las descubren la b?squeda suele convertirse en una actividad peligrosa sujeta a violaci?n y muerte, como el muy presente 7 de septiembre de 2010 cuando Natalia Cruz Bautista y Francisca de Jes?s Garc?a mujeres Triquis que intentaban ir por alimento para sus hijos e hijas, fueron interceptadas de manera agresiva por paramilitares y una de ellas violada y la otra herida de bala en el hombro, ?se meten con nosotras por que saben que ya no tenemos miedo? nos dicen a un grupo de mujeres que fuimos en busca de unas entrevistas y regresamos con inmenso aprendizaje. Un grupo de mujeres con vestidos rojos resiste no solo en las calles, en sus caminos, en su comunidad, sino tambi?n en el z?calo de la ciudad de Oaxaca, ellas unas cuantas pero con la fuerza suficiente para organizarse y protegerse entre ellas, con la fortaleza y convicci?n que un desalojo ya es poco para tanta balacera en San Juan Copala, balacera a la que lxs ninxs han estado acostumbradxs desde hace meses, balacera que ha asesinado a compa?eros, compa?eras, esposas, esposos, hijas, hijos, costumbre que ha costado vidas, pero que ahora las mujeres triquis con todo su dolor, con toda su rabia luchan de manera pacifica, contundente y con fortaleza para romper el cerco medi?tico y paramilitar que obstruye el acceso de alimentos, de salud y educaci?n a San Juan Copala, las mujeres Triquis conocidas por sus huipiles rojos, y condenadas por generaciones a las vejaciones hoy est?n exigiendo su derecho a la libre autodeterminacion de los pueblos. En el Z?calo de Oaxaca las mujeres pasan y pasan visten de diferentes formas, algunas con lentes negros para cubrir los ojos del sol, unas desconcertadas observan a las mujeres Triquis en su andar, otras asombradas miran a lxs ninxs que juegan en las cercan?as del campamento de las mujeres Triquis, otras solo pasan sin observar, sin poner atenci?n a las demandas, sin mirarlas a ellas siquiera, distra?das y enga?adas por los amos del capital, por la cosm?tica que atenta contra su ser, por la moda que despoja los huipiles, otras indignadas convierten la lucha de las Triquis en las suyas, algunas con miedo de estar alg?n d?a en el lugar de ellas solo saludan y sujetan a sus hijxs de la mano. ?luchamos por que somos mujeres? dice una de ellas, mujeres que ya no est?n de acuerdo a seguir sometidas, mujeres que ahora son las proveedoras del alimento arriesgando as? su propia vida. Mujeres y hombres Triquis que a travez de los anos su lucha ha sido criminalizada, por los criminales que despojan, violan y asesinan a los indios e indias de sus tierras. Mujeres que hoy se levantan y salen de su comunidad no para huir, sino para dar a conocer su palabra y su resistencia, como pueblos indios, como pueblo Triqui, como madres, hijas, como mujeres. Por que en donde sea que sus pies las anden ellas seguir?n siendo Triquis, por que el rojo de sus hupiles es una inspiraci?n y una constante resistencia. Por que la justicia llegara para David Garc?a Reyes, Paulino Ram?rez Reyes, Antonio Cruz Garc?a, Rigoberto Ram?rez Gonz?lez, Teresa Bautista, Felicitas Martinez, Virginia, Daniela, Cleriberta Castro, Bety Carino, Natalia Cruz Bautista y Francisca de Jes?s Gracia, Jiry Jaakkola, Timoteo Alejandro, Antonio Ram?rez L?pez y Antonio Cruz Garc?a, Rigoberto Ram?rez Gonz?lez y Pedro Santos Castro, Celestino Hern?ndez, H?ctor Antonio Ram?rez y El?as Fern?ndez menor de edad (9 a?os). ENGLISH----- The Triqui Weaving The weaving of women has become more constant, grandmothers, daughters, granddaughters weave with their threads, with their hands, with their words, weaving resistance, opening roads with their worthy rage, moving forward for themselves as they have done so many times before, roads that can now be easily confused by the red on their huipiles (traditional indigenous dress) because of all of the bloodshed in their community, the huipiles (traditional indigenous dress) are embroidered and worked by the hands of the Triqui women, women that alongside their people have been repressed, humiliated, until reaching a point where the majority that live in the outskirts of the city have been misled and deceived thinking that we are masters and mistresses of our lives, receiving what we do not need, surviving with what we do not want and forgetting our needs. I choose to forget those that propagandize, those that repress and fill the dignified roads of San Juan Copala with blood, those that shame the land with each act of displacement, with violations, with murders, those that hate that the Triqui people will once again rise up and demand justice, fighting for what is theirs. The women of the red huipil (traditional indigenous dress), the women with their braids, the women with their baby by their breast, the weavers, the triqui women stand up to demand food for their children, husbands, mothers, for their people, food, which is necessary to survive and justice to live. The bushes become the Triqui women?s best friend because the necessary search for livelihood is a dangerous activity subjected to rape and murder, like on September 7th, when Natalia Cruz Bautista and Francisca de Jes?s Garc?a, both Triqui women, intended to go in search for food for their children were intercepted by paramilitaries aggressively and one of them was raped while the other was shot in the shoulder. ?They mess with us because they know that we are no longer afraid,? said a group of Triqui women to us who went in search of interviews and returned with immense learning. A group of women with red dress resist not only in the streets, in their journeys, in their communities, but also in the zocalo (city center) in the city of Oaxaca, there is only a few of them but they have enough strength to organize and protect each other, with the conviction that a forced removal from the zocalo (city center) is a small thing to endure because they have been enduring constant gun fire in San Juan Copala, gun fire that for months the children have become accustomed to, gun fire that has murdered comrades, wives, husbands, daughters, sons, a custom that has cost lives, but now the Triqui women with all their pain, with all their rage fight peacefully, in order to break the media blockade and paramilitary obstructing access to food, health services, and education to San Juan Copala, the Triqui women are known for their red huipiles (traditional indigenous dresses) and condemned for generations to abuse, today stand up to demand their right to self determination. In the zocalo (city center) of Oaxaca women that are dress differently walk by, some with black sunglasses to cover their eyes from the sun, some are bewildered and observe the triqui women, others are amazed and watch the children playing near the encampment of the triqui women, others walk by without observing, without paying attention to the demands, without even acknowledging them, distracted and deceived by the masters of capital, by cosmetics that threatens their being, by the fashion that strips them from the huipiles (traditional indigenous dresses), others become angry and make the Triquis struggle their own, some that fear that one day they will be in the same place as the Triqui women only greet them and hold their children by the hand. ?we fight because we are women?, said one of them, women who are no longer willing to remain subdued, women that are now the providers of food risk their own lives. For years the struggle of Triqui women and men has been criminalized, by the criminals that rape and murder the Indians from their land. Women that rise up now and come out from their communities not to run away, but to let their word and their resistance be known, like indians, like Triqui people, like mothers, daughters, like women. Wherever their feet takes them they will always be Triquis, because the red in their hupiles (traditional indigenous dresses) is an inspiration and constant resistance. Justice will come for David Garc?a Reyes, Paulino Ram?rez Reyes, Antonio Cruz Garc?a, Rigoberto Ram?rez Gonz?lez, Teresa Bautista, Felicitas Martinez, Virginia, Daniela, Cleriberta Castro, Bety Carino, Natalia Cruz Bautista y Francisca de Jes?s Gracia, Jiry Jaakkola, Timoteo Alejandro, Antonio Ram?rez L?pez y Antonio Cruz Garc?a, Rigoberto Ram?rez Gonz?lez y Pedro Santos Castro, Celestino Hern?ndez, H?ctor Antonio Ram?rez y El?as Fern?ndez who is a minor (9 years of age).
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11:36:34 07/24/10
THE YES MEN FIX THE WORLD - full film
[LESS INFO] 0 VIEWS | ADDED 11:36:34 07/24/10
THE YES MEN FIX THE WORLD is a screwball true story about two gonzo political activists who, posing as top executives of giant corporations, lie their way into big business conferences and pull off the world's most outrageous pranks. This peer-to-peer special edition of the film is unique: it is preceded by an EXCLUSIVE VIDEO of the Yes Men impersonating the United States Chamber of Commerce. Because the Yes Men are being sued for this stunt, p2p is the only way that this film will get seen. Please spread the word!"Great fun! It takes some nerve, not to mention diabolical intelligence... to pull off the elaborate pranks devised by the Yes Men." — New York Times"This is the year's top documentary film." — New Scientist"We think it is a serious matter when people willingly misrepresent themselves." — Exxon"We have been impersonating people in power in to make political points for over a decade. The Yes Men Fix the World is our second feature film. It's won a bucket of awards and accolades, but we're still broke. We are hoping that people who share it will donate some money so that we can do even more outrageous actions.How outrageous? Outrageous enough to get us sued! Not long ago The US Chamber of Commerce took us to court for impersonating them. That is why on this special p2p version of the Yes Men Fix the World, we have included an exclusive video that the US Chamber of Commerce does not want you to see. http://vodo.net/yesmenhttp://www.theyesmenfixtheworld.com
