He couldn't die. He had finals.
When he slipped on the antifreeze in the crosswalk while trudging the last mile to homeroom, the lowrider pickup truck full of stoned football players pulped his midsection.
His last thoughts were whether or not he could make up the SATs, and a confused, distant realization that he'd forgotten to take out the trash before he slogged the last cup of coffee and bombed it out of the line of sight of the house to light a grateful Marlboro.
The thought kept slipping away and coming back, pulsing through his brain as the will to power rose slowly, with in-between scenes strobing into repressed memory. The sealant on the casket-liner was still fresh when he got the get-up-and-go. He had a hard head. His teachers were always telling him that he could move mountains if he just buckled down and did it. But it was touch-and-go for a while.
When he got back home, he half expected his parents to ream him out and make him get a summer job to pay for the funeral. Under better circumstances, he'd probably agree.
School the next day was heaven.
He smoked a joint with the security guard in the morning, and learned gory strike songs from Bloody Mingo County, West Virginia. Filled with smoke and bravado, he rose during the morning announcements and roared that high school had nothing to do with reality, that what people managed to actually learn on their own would be their only salvation.
But he was drowned out when the students mechanically, somnambulistically began to rise and pledge the flag before Mrs. Johnson's Prozac hand could twitch out 9-1-1.
Swami-like, he scryed for the pregnant transfer student who sat behind him, and showed her incontrovertible evidence, in symbols so personal to her that she could only gasp, that she didn't have to abort if she didn't really want to – that she could, in fact, get state aid to stay in school and be moving on with college in a year and a half if she just patched things up with her mom and looked for the information in the right places. The girl kissed him on the cheek, leaving him to puzzle and predict.
At lunch, he went for a walk downtown to clear his head and caught the principal staggering out of the Pipe Room Bar. He and Dr. Robertson revolving-doored it back in and had a beer in the back room. They also had a very nice chat about arts funding, the U.S. Constitution as it applied to minors, and kids who had to turn their T-shirts inside-out because the administration didn't like to think about what the existence of a band like the Dead Kennedys might mean for their own worldview that went as far as the Allegheny Ridge.
He showed the principal some Bible passages that the good doctor was less than familiar with, the introductory notes from Charles Fort's New Lands, and a Harlan Ellison short story called "Eidolons." The principal left the bar snarling, fragile, hypoglycemic and possessed ... and cackled quietly, shaking a fist at the sky.
But a white light kept blurring the edges of his vision through the sunglasses he somehow managed to get away with wearing in sixth-hour study hall. A timeless, hazy glow kept pulling him forward from his seat and the old tenured bat on duty at the desk there in Room 54 grated: "Siddown if ya don't have a pass."
"Lookit him drawin' pictures," the diamond dog behind him whispered through her gum. "I bet he's on acid."
Mrs. Garver was later to bail from the room and make a hysterical conference call from the office to her two estranged sons, sobbing that it was never too late to patch things up if they'd only listen.
But he did not see that. He was in English class, analyzing Jesse Glass' poem, "Gnosis-M,'' watching with delicate hunger the looks of rapt understanding on the faces of all those rich idiots.
This was what he came back for, the priceless sanguine apocalyptic light in all their eyes.
And then Uriel was smirking like LL Cool J beside him, straightening his skinny black tie with the little sickle for a tack.
"Pass from the nurse," the archangel whispered. "Show's over. But don't trip. You gonna see some things you'd never believe. It's off the hook."
So, shrugging, he let it go, let it pass, let it wash away. When they got to the lobby, he found that he was strong enough after all to not look back.


Free up space in /boot – Ubuntu or Debian – svAbhishek & more!
svAbhishek July 21, 2015	 Hacks & more!
Today, Ubuntu, prompted me to free up space in my boot folder, so that it can update my kernel.
What did I do? I just deleted files and had free space. Sounds simple right?
But, /boot can be a bit complicated to deal with and if an important file is deleted, you will never be able to boot your computer (don't worry you actually don't have to install your OS again).
So, there were too many files in the /boot folder. But I know that, I can use only 1 version of the kernel and boot files right? So what were all the other versions for?
BTW, use uname -r in your terminal to list out your current kernel version.
To find out the kernel versions that are installed but are not in use, type the following command in your terminal.
This worked like a charm for me. In case of issues, please let me know in the comments below.
Previous PostMy first 'real' post!


Despite American sanctions on Iran, the Middle Eastern government has declared that it will continue to run nuclear missile weapons testing. Recently, the country has made several attempts at strengthening its military. Considering the global community's concerns about the instability of the Middle Eastern region as well as fears about what problems could arise as a result of a strong Iranian military these attempts have all been met with international discouragement. The nuclear program in Iran is regulated through a series of international agreements. Despite this, the Iranian government was found to have been testing a multitude of medium-range ballistic missiles, also revealing a new destroyer with radar-evading capabilities, raising concern of potential surprise attacks. The United States had recently been instructed by the United Nations to mind its sanctions on the state of Iran to ensure that these do not have unintended negative consequences on the social, economic, and physical well-being of the Iranian people. However, news of the most recent round of nuclear testing prompted the American State Department to reinstate oil and financial sanctions on the country.
In response to the announcement made by the United States government regarding the return of these sanctions, President Hassan Rouhani announced that Iran has no intention to adhere to the sanctions due to the drastic effects which it would have on the country's economy. The animosity between the two countries is reminiscent of Cold War-era tensions between the United States and the former Soviet Union. A nuclear arm's race in today's politically unstable climate would pose large threats to the progress of world peace. The current events suggest that policies towards global disarmament should be more ubiquitously enacted. Yet, as long as the world's most powerful countries continue to promote and strengthen their military capabilities, developing countries will continue to follow suit in order to achieve a similar level of status. With the world's collective military power and global political tensions on the rise, it is unsettling to consider that countries continue to develop their weapons of mass destruction.
It is critical that the United Nations continues to be an advocate for human rights and global peace and security, and with the United States being at the forefront of the institution, it would go a long way for the country to lead by example and cease the development of its own nuclear arsenal. Countries such as Iran do not have any incentive to discontinue their own attempts to increase the strengths of their military when other countries are refusing to do the same. There is potential for a turning point if the global community can come to a consensus on nuclear disarmament and work towards an arms-free planet.


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Trending: Pope Benedict XVI
Catholic movie reviews - Iron Lady, Extremely Loud, The Grey & more
Looking for a movie this weekend? We've got new reviews of two oscar-nominated pictures and two brand new releases.
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
By John Mulderig, Catholic News Service
NEW YORK - Few events in recent history have exerted as deeply personal an impact on the lives of millions of Americans, and of people across the globe, as the attacks of 9/11.
So it's odd and a little baffling that a film based on our national tragedy of a decade ago should register -- for most of its two-hour-plus running time, at least -- as uninvolving.
By Catholic News Service
Catholic movie reviews - Haywire & Red Tails
Looking for a movie for the weekend? This week we've got reviews of two big Hollywood action movies.
By John P. McCarthy, Catholic News Service
NEW YORK - With the fairly suspenseful but frequently brutal thriller "Haywire" (Relativity), filmmaker Steven Soderbergh tries his hand at action-oriented espionage. Stylish and spare, the result plays like the work of a talented yet restless director ticking another genre off his list.
Music ministry aims for the 'fleshing out of Catholic culture'
TORONTO - Musician Susan HooKong-Taylor is doing everything she can in her music ministry to build up the body of Christ.
One way is through a Catholic arts initiative called The Beads.
"The Beads is an initiative that allows people to connect and then to express, to experience and to share a culture of life through the arts," HooKong-Taylor told The Catholic Register.
By Vanessa Santilli-Raimondo, The Catholic Register
Catholic movie reviews - The Artist, The Devil Inside, Contraband, Joyful Noise & more...
- NEW YORK - At a time when Hollywood movies tend to get louder and more offensive, "The Artist" (Weinstein) is a breath of fresh air -- without uttering a word. Who knew a modern-made silent movie could be so charming and entertaining?
French director Michel Hazanavicius displays a flair for re-creating the techniques of old Hollywood, from the lively musical score and use of intertitles to the dramatic lighting and good use of the studio back lot. He also draws from his actors the pure emotions that can be evoked with a simple expression or a single tear.
In this unique film, the sounds of silence ring loud and clear.
It's 1927, and George Valentin (Jean Dujardin) is a dashing star of the silent screen. In the style of Douglas Fairbanks, he plays every role with panache: the handsome lover, the swashbuckling hero, the athletic comedian with a sidekick Jack Russell terrier (who nearly steals the movie).
Outside the premiere of his latest film, "A Russian Affair," Valentin bumps into an adoring fan, Peppy Miller (Berenice Bejo). The paparazzi do their thing, and soon newspaper headlines blare, "Who's That Girl?"
The notoriety gives Miller the confidence to pursue her acting dream. She auditions at Kinograph Studios, run by Al Zimmer (John Goodman), and lands a bit part in Valentin's next movie. They dance, and the attraction is powerful.
Valentin's sourpuss wife, Doris (Penelope Ann Miller), suspects an affair and leaves him. Far more loyal to the star are Jack (the canine) and Clifton (James Cromwell), his valet.
"The Artist" branches into two stories, as it chronicles the rise of the ingenue and the decline of the star. Hollywood is changing fast; silent films are being phased out for "talkies," and fresh pretty faces like Miller's are preferred to Valentin's dated charms.
Abandoned by Zimmer and the studio, Valentin goes his own way, financing his own silent movie (a flop) while Miller becomes a major star. He never begrudges her success, even as he sinks deeper into debt and despair.
To her credit, Miller, though seduced by fame and fortune, never forgets the kindly man who gave her her first big break in show business.
"The Artist" is pure cinematic magic, at turns zany and hilarious, sad and affecting, uplifting and inspiring. Regrettably, the elements listed below prevent it from being enjoyed by the entire family, for the joyous and (largely) wholesome film that it is.
The film contains one obscene hand gesture and two scenes of attempted suicide. The Catholic News Service classification is A-III -- adults. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is PG-13 -- parents strongly cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13.
NEW YORK - Divas duel and a red-state Romeo and Juliet fall for each other in "Joyful Noise" (Warner Bros.).
Though it gives a pass to an incidental out-of-wedlock fling, and showcases some humor and vocabulary that make it unsuitable for youngsters, writer-director Todd Graff's otherwise uplifting celebration of traditional values emphasizes trust in God and illustrates the positive effects of compassionate and forgiving behavior.
Set in the small, recession-ravaged fictional burgh of Pacashau, Ga., this vibrant, faith-driven blend of comedy, drama and music focuses on the sometimes raucous, but ultimately friendly rivalry between Vi Rose Hill (Queen Latifah) and G.G. Sparrow (Dolly Parton), two leading members of a local church choir.
Just as their ensemble is preparing to compete in the higher rounds of the singing competition from which the film takes its title, G.G.'s husband, Bernie (Kris Kristofferson), the chorus' long-standing director, suddenly dies. In his place, the pastor (Courtney B. Vance) appoints, not G.G. herself, but her nemesis, Vi Rose.
While the two jostle over whether to alter the group's repertoire and performing style -- despite her enduring love for her late spouse, it's G.G. who urges innovation -- G.G.'s free-spirited, mildly prodigal grandson Randy (Jeremy Jordan) returns to town. There he's promptly wowed by another of the chorale's stars, Vi Rose's strictly reared daughter, Olivia (Keke Palmer).
Despite his reputation as a wayward kid, and his taste for such dubious musical selections as a rap tune called "I'm 'n Luv (Wit a Stripper)," Randy proves himself, in most respects, a model teen.
Not only does his relationship with Olivia unfold in a respectful and restrained manner, but he also takes the opportunity to befriend Olivia's vulnerable brother, Walter (Dexter Darden), whose Asperger's syndrome renders him an outcast. Additionally, though Randy has a fistfight with a competitor for Olivia's affections, he later reconciles with the lad in an exemplary manner.
(With a kind of Andy Hardy, let's-put-on-a-show inevitability, all three of the aforementioned characters turn out to have musical gifts that are eventually deployed for the greater glory of God and the exultation of Pacashau's Divinity Church Choir.)
Though burdened with a difficult lifestyle -- she's effectively separated, against her will, from her absent Army officer husband, Marcus (Jesse L. Martin), and works long hours as a nurse -- Vi Rose's faith never falters. She gives eloquent expression to it both in no-nonsense dialogue and in song; her rendition of the traditional spiritual "Fix Me, Jesus" is one of the movie's emotional highlights.
Catholic viewers may be a bit put off to find Vi Rose, G.G. et al. eventually competing against a choir from "Our Lady of Perpetual Tears." Whether this conflation of two genuine Marian titles -- Our Lady of Perpetual Help and the lesser-known Our Lady of Tears -- is intended as a passing satire on Catholic devotions, or merely arises from unfamiliarity with them, is difficult to determine.
In terms of the broad patrimony of Christian faith and Gospel values, however, "Joyful Noise" is unapologetically, unabashedly affirmative to a degree rarely seen in contemporary Hollywood offerings.
The film contains a premarital situation, occasional sexual references and jokes, about a half-dozen crude expressions and some crass language. The Catholic News Service classification is A-III -- adults. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is PG-13 -- parents strongly cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13.
NEW YORK - "The Devil Inside" (Paramount), so we're told, is a film the Vatican doesn't want you to see. If so, perhaps there's a "Da Vinci Code"-like conspiracy afoot intended to save you 12 of your hard-earned, economic-downturn dollars.
Those foolhardy enough to insist on wading through this cheap, inept piece of storytelling will experience an eye-poppingly bad, grotesque little horror outing. And that's not to mention the consistent spewing forth of lazy, sullen antagonism toward the Catholic Church.
The uninformed bias on display, in fact, can be compared not only to the turgid fantasies of Dan Brown but to the loopy visions of anti-Catholic cartoonist and tract churner Jack Chick. Thus one character declares, "In the eyes of the church, what we're doing is wrong; that's how we know it's so right!"
Keen to learn what provoked her mother Maria (Suzan Crowley) to murder two priests and a nun during an exorcism 20 years earlier, plucky documentary maker Isabella Rossi (Fernanda Andrade) jets off to Rome in search of answers, accompanied by her faithful cameraman Mike (Ionut Grama)
While this could be the premise for a faith-friendly (and genuinely terrifying) offering, instead director William Brent Bell, who co-wrote the screenplay with Matthew Peterman, opts to place a mix of poor theology, bizarre conspiracy theories and downright nastiness into the mouths of two rogue priests who ally with the duo of filmmakers in their quest for "truth."
Said clerical types -- Ben (Simon Quarterman) and David (Evan Helmuth) -- are renegade exorcists who step in when the "institutional," "bureaucratic" church is too cowardly, hypocritical or just plain stupid to grant the possessed the rites that will set them free. Ben -- an unshaven, twentysomething Englishman who seems permanently on the edge of forming an "Occupy Vatican City" movement -- is particularly outspoken with his prejudices.
Such bigotry is never challenged. Nor does it ever seem to occur to anyone on screen that the church might have good reason to be wary of granting exorcisms. If performed on someone who is mentally ill -- as opposed to genuinely possessed -- after all, the ritual could potentially cause significant further psychological damage.
The film's opening proudly proclaims that the Vatican didn't assist in its production. That's all-too obvious, given the numerous inaccurate portrayals of both doctrine and practice. These range from made-up rites of exorcism to a blatant misrepresentation of the theology of baptism.
Another distortion is the supposed principle of "demonic transference," whereby an evil spirit can jump from one person to another in a flash, almost like a satanic form of the flu. Carried to farcical extremes, this idea has far less to do with Catholic teaching than with advancing the movie's halting plot.
Other entries in the genre -- such as 1973's "The Exorcist" and the more recent "The Exorcism of Emily Rose" -- inspired fear through implication and tension. Bereft of such subtlety, "The Devil Inside" resorts to loudly cracking bones, enormous amounts of blood and bouts of obscene language -- with results more risible than terrifying.
Don't say Mother Church didn't warn you.
The film contains anti-Catholic animus, a fallacious presentation of church teaching and practice, implied acceptance of abortion, rare but intensely gory violence, a few uses of profanity and frequent rough and occasional crude language. The Catholic News Service classification is O -- morally offensive. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is R -- restricted. Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian.
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy
NEW YORK - There's a double agent on the loose, and seemingly no one can be trusted in "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy" (Focus), a faithful adaptation of John le Carre's best-selling 1974 novel.
Swedish director Tomas Alfredson ("Let the Right One In") sets a deliberately slow pace, especially for an espionage thriller, demanding the viewer's full attention as he introduces pieces of the puzzle and juggles multiple characters and story lines, many told in flashback. It's a journey that's labyrinthine and sometimes confusing, disturbing and often gruesome, and it leads to a morally ambiguous resolution.
The time is 1973, more than 25 years into the Cold War between East and West. At Britain's Secret Intelligence Service, code-named "The Circus," panic is rising. The chief, known as Control (John Hurt), fears that a double agent has infiltrated the highest ranks of the organization and is feeding vital state secrets to the Soviets.
Determined to ferret out the "rotten apple" and plug the "leaky ship," Control dispatches one of his agents, Jim Prideaux (Mark Strong), to Hungary to meet someone who claims to know the mole's identity. The rendezvous is a disaster, and Control lays the blame on his top lieutenant, George Smiley (Gary Oldman), who is consequently sacked.
Smiley, a deep thinker and man of few words, is not out of work for long, though.
Unbeknownst to Control and his colleagues at the Circus, Smiley is rehired by the government to find that troublesome traitor. He identifies four high-ranking Circus suspects: Percy Alleline (Toby Jones), code-named "Tinker"; Bill Haydon (Colin Firth), the "Tailor"; Roy Bland (Ciaran Hinds), the "Soldier"; and Toby Esterhase (David Dencik), the "Poor Man."
Gaining the help of younger agent Peter Guillam (Benedict Cumberbatch) -- who has issues of his own -- Smiley embarks on a sophisticated game of cat and mouse, revisiting the demons of his own past while uncovering the hidden lives of his fellow spies.
Things go from simmer to boil when a rogue agent named Ricki Tarr (Tom Hardy) contacts Smiley and claims to have vital information -- even though Tarr himself was once suspected of being a double agent.
With its stimulating conversations and lengthy ruminations, "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy" is more cerebral than graphic. But the inclusion of the elements listed below nonetheless severely circumscribes its appropriate audience.
The film contains bloody violence including gunplay and torture, a scene of nonmarital sexual activity, brief rear nudity, a homosexual reference and some profane and rough language. The Catholic News Service classification is L -- limited adult audience, films whose problematic content many adults would find troubling. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is R -- restricted. Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian.
NEW YORK - Movies set in criminal milieus are often less than life-affirming because of the nature of the felonious activity being depicted. Yet there's something especially dispiriting about a crime thriller that only succeeds in being gritty on the surface because it doesn't follow through on its own logic.
In the case of "Contraband" (Universal), a movie that promptly bogs down in a sea of expletives, the protagonist is an ex-smuggler who not only thwarts the bad guys while miraculously avoiding harm, but has no compunction about enjoying ill-gotten plunder. This revelation doesn't qualify as a plot spoiler since the story follows a very predictable trajectory.
Moreover, considering all the vulgar language and violence one must endure before the falsely happy ending, the morally suspect message ultimately transmitted by "Contraband" amounts to adding insult to injury.
Mark Wahlberg plays putative hero Chris Farraday. Chris and his best friend, Sebastian Abney, (Ben Foster) are celebrated in New Orleans crime circles as "the Lennon and McCartney" of smuggling. That's in the past, however. When the movie begins, Chris has quit the racket, started a legitimate alarm installation business, and moved to a quiet parish with his wife, Kate (Kate Beckinsale), and their two young sons.
When Kate's little brother, Andy (Caleb Landry Jones), lands in hot water while trafficking cocaine, Chris decides he must pull one more job to raise the funds Andy owes drug dealer Briggs (Giovanni Ribisi), who threatens the entire Farraday family. Reuniting with some of his old associates, Chris joins the crew of a container ship and heads to Panama where there's a stash of counterfeit greenbacks waiting for him to smuggle into the United States.
Sebastian stays in New Orleans and vows to protect Kate and the boys.
Based on the 2008 Nordic thriller "Reykjavik-Rotterdam," "Contraband" features energetic cinematography and ample heist tension. But Baltasar Kormakur, who produced and starred in the original, directs this Hollywood reboot without taking advantage of Big Easy atmospherics, exploiting the relatively novel shipboard setting, or revealing the ins and outs of high-seas smuggling. Plot twists are telegraphed and many of the supporting performances are over the top.
Adults who fancy hard-boiled crime flicks might be willing to withstand the nonstop obscenities (which threaten to sink the picture even before the opening title sequence concludes), if Chris' repudiation of the criminal life wasn't so short-lived and insincere.
Aaron Guzikowski's script, however, shows him profiting from the escapade, and unrealistically avoiding any lasting damage, thus sending the message that crime does pay if you're clever enough. We're asked to believe that the ability to outwit the authorities and your fellow thugs renders a person immune from moral corruption.
The film contains skewed values, much lethal but only moderately graphic violence, one instance of drug use, some profanity and pervasive rough, crude and crass language. The Catholic News Service classification is O -- morally offensive. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is R -- restricted. Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian.
More 'Angels' in actress Roma Downey's future
WASHINGTON - Just when you might have forgotten about the family-friendly television series Touched by an Angel, series star Roma Downey is tweaking the concept.
Downey, a Catholic, has created a DVD animated series called Little Angels. The premise is that twin siblings are visited by eight child-size angels who are ordinarily stuck on the walls of their bedroom but who come to life after the twins' mother tucks the kids in for the night. The angels take the children on life-lesson-learning adventures. Downey provides the voice of the children's mother.
By Mark Pattison, Catholic News Service
Catholic movie reviews - War Horse, Tintin, Chipmunks and more
January is always a great time for movies and we've got reviews of seven of the most popular current releases.
"War Horse" (Disney)
Epic screen version of Michael Morpurgo's 1982 novel, previously made into a successful stage play, about an English farmer's son (newcomer Jeremy Irvine) who trains and cares for a thoroughbred horse that his father (Peter Mullan) misguidedly buys just to thwart the local squire (David Thewlis).
Creating Nativity likened to chess match
Creating a sculpture is like playing a game of chess, said sculptor Tim Schmalz of his expanding clay Nativity scene.
"Your opponent does one move and that will determine your move," said Schmalz. "And with doing a multi-figured sculptural scene like this, I have to react with the central piece… I have to monitor what person plays what role within this drama."
Schmalz worked on his sculpture of baby Jesus, Mary and Joseph at the sixth annual Friends of the Crèche International Convention in November and is currently working on adding the three wise men, shepherds, an angel and animals to the scene. He hopes to have the sculpture completed by Christmas.
This week's movie reviews - Sherlock Holmes, Mission Impossible
It's a big weekend at the movies, check out reviews of two of the most notable releases from a jam-packed festive season.
Andrea Rebello's art gives meaning to prayer
TORONTO - For Andrea Rebello, singing sacred hymns is a way to express her love for God.
"(Singing) is an expression of how I like to pray," said Rebello, cantor and music director at St. Clement Church. "Through the arts, we can really communicate our prayer and love of God, and our faith and devotion."
Rebello has been doing plenty of praying lately, as she has just recorded a CD, Venite Adoremus, with some of those songs on the playlist at a Christmas concert she was to perform Dec. 17 at St. Clement Church. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to the parish.
By Sheila Dabu Nonato, The Catholic Register
Deacon pens prayer through poetry
TORONTO - For Toronto Deacon Anthony Pignataro, penning poems is merely a form of prayer and service to others.
Writing poetry is "another way of serving others as you disseminate the work and share it," he said.
Drawing from his ministry as a deacon and 20 years of "inspirational walks through his garden," Pignataro has just published his first book of poetry, personal essays and meditations, From Under a Linden Tree, published by Sarum House.
Artists lend their talents to help Aid to Women
TORONTO - Singers, dancers, musicians and artists lent their talents to raise about $4,000 to support the pro-life charity Aid to Women at a Dec. 8 fundraiser at the El Mocambo nightclub.
The event was held on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception.
"The owner of El Mocambo is a Marian devotee and he loves Mary and so he loves to donate his club on Marian feast days to causes that understand those feast days," said Elena Repka, event organizer and vice-president of Aid to Women's volunteer board of directors. She asked that the club owner not be named to respect his privacy.
This week's movie reviews - New Year's Eve, The Sitter
The Sitter
Felony child endangerment presented as "life lessons" constitutes the theme, such as it is, of "The Sitter" (Fox).
Director David Gordon Green and screenwriters Brian Gatewood and Alessandro Tanaka run the gamut of degradation, tossing in some racism for good measure.
A five-person journey to find the spirit of Christmas
This Christmas season, the stories of five diverse people and their journey to the Holy Land to discover the season's true meaning is airing on CTS's Journey to Christmas.
The goal of the four-part documentary series was to discover if there was more to Christmas than is typically experienced in North America, said producer Karen Pascal.
"We're so caught up in the commercialism and the busyness and the gift-giving and I think the true meaning of Christmas has become something really distant," said Pascal.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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A computer programmer, sometimes referred to as a software developer, a software engineer, a programmer or a coder, is a person who creates computer programs — often for larger computer software.

A programmer is someone who writes/creates computer software or applications by providing a specific programming language to the computer. Most programmers have extensive computing and coding experience in many varieties of programming languages and platforms, such as Structured Query Language (SQL), Perl, Extensible Markup Language (XML), PHP, HTML, C, C++ and Java.

A programmer's most often-used computer language (e.g., Assembly,  C, C++, C#, JavaScript, Lisp, Python, Java, etc.) may be prefixed to the aforementioned terms. Some who work with web programming languages may also prefix their titles with web.

Terminology
There is no industry-wide standard terminology, so "programmer" and "software engineer" might refer to the same role at different companies. Most typically, someone with a job title of "programmer" or "software developer" might focus on implementing a detailed specification into computer code, fixing bugs, and performing code reviews. They might have a degree in computer science, an associate degree, or might be self-taught or attended a programming boot camp. Someone with a job title of "software engineer" is expected to understand software engineering principles, more advanced mathematics, and the scientific method, and may be required to have a degree in software engineering, computer engineering, or computer science. Some countries legally require an engineering degree to be called an engineer. In companies that make a distinction, software engineers might have broader and higher-level responsibilities, like designing or architecting new programs, features, and platforms; managing the software development lifecycle including design, implementation, testing, and deployment; leading a team of programmers; communicating with business customers, programmers, and other engineers; considering system stability and quality; and exploring software development methodologies.

History

British countess and mathematician Ada Lovelace is often considered to be the first computer programmer, as she was the first to publish part of a program (specifically an algorithm) intended for implementation on Charles Babbage's analytical engine in October 1842. The algorithm was used to calculate Bernoulli numbers. Because Babbage's machine was never completed as a functioning standard in Lovelace's time, she never had the opportunity to see the algorithm in action.

In 1941, German civil engineer Konrad Zuse was the first person to execute a program on a working, program-controlled, electronic computer. From 1943 to 1945, per computer scientist Wolfgang K. Giloi and AI professor Raúl Rojas et al., Zuse created the first, high-level programming language, Plankalkül.

Members of the 1945 ENIAC programming team of Kay McNulty, Betty Jennings, Betty Snyder, Marlyn Wescoff, Fran Bilas and Ruth Lichterman have since been credited as the first professional computer programmers.

The software industry

The first company founded specifically to provide software products and services was the Computer Usage Company in 1955.  Before that time, computers were programmed either by customers or the few commercial computer manufacturers of the time, such as Sperry Rand and IBM.

The software industry expanded in the early 1960s, almost immediately after computers were first sold in mass-produced quantities. Universities, governments, and businesses created a demand for software. Many of these programs were written in-house by full-time staff programmers; some were distributed between users of a particular machine for no charge, while others were sold on a commercial basis. Other firms, such as Computer Sciences Corporation (founded in 1959), also started to grow. Computer manufacturers soon started bundling operating systems, system software and programming environments with their machines; the IBM 1620 came with the 1620 Symbolic Programming System and FORTRAN.

The industry expanded greatly with the rise of the personal computer (PC) in the mid-1970s, which brought computing to the average office worker. In the following years, the PC also helped create a constantly growing market for games, applications and utility software. This resulted in increased demand for software developers for that period of time.

Nature of the work
Computer programmers write, test, debug, and maintain the detailed instructions, called computer programs, that computers must follow to perform their functions. Programmers also conceive, design, and test logical structures for solving problems by computer. Many technical innovations in programming — advanced computing technologies and sophisticated new languages and programming tools — have redefined the role of a programmer and elevated much of the programming work done today. Job titles and descriptions may vary, depending on the organization.

Programmers work in many settings, including corporate information technology (IT) departments, big software companies, small service firms and government entities of all sizes. Many professional programmers also work for consulting companies at client sites as contractors. Licensing is not typically required to work as a programmer, although professional certifications are commonly held by programmers. Programming is considered a profession.

Programmers' work varies widely depending on the type of business for which they are writing programs. For example, the instructions involved in updating financial records are very different from those required to duplicate conditions on an aircraft for pilots training in a flight simulator. Simple programs can be written in a few hours. More complex ones may require more than a year of work, while others are never considered 'complete' but rather are continuously improved as long as they stay in use. In most cases, several programmers work together as a team under a senior programmer's supervision.

Types of software
Programming editors, also known as source code editors, are text editors that are specifically designed for programmers or developers to write the source code of an application or a program. Most of these editors include features useful for programmers, which may include color syntax highlighting, auto indentation, auto-complete, bracket matching, syntax check, and allows plug-ins. These features aid the users during coding, debugging and testing.

Globalization

Market changes in the UK
According to BBC News, 17% of computer science students could not find work in their field 6 months after graduation in 2009 which was the highest rate of the university subjects surveyed while 0% of medical students were unemployed in the same survey.

Market changes in the US
After the crash of the dot-com bubble (1999–2001) and the Great Recession (2008), many U.S. programmers were left without work or with lower wages. In addition, enrollment in computer-related degrees and other STEM degrees (STEM attrition) in the US has been dropping for years, especially for women, which, according to Beaubouef and Mason, could be attributed to a lack of general interest in science and mathematics and also out of an apparent fear that programming will be subject to the same pressures as manufacturing and agriculture careers. For programmers, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Outlook predicts a decline of 7 percent from 2016 to 2026, a further decline of 9 percent from 2019 to 2029, and a decline of 10 percent from 2021 to 2031. Since computer programming can be done from anywhere in the world, companies sometimes hire programmers in countries where wages are lower.  However, for software developers BLS projects for 2019 to 2029 a 22% increase in employment, from 1,469,200 to 1,785,200 jobs with a median base salary of $110,000 per year. This prediction is lower than the earlier 2010 to 2020 predicted increase of 30% for software developers. Though the distinction is somewhat ambiguous, software developers engage in a wider array of aspects of application development and are generally higher skilled than programmers, making outsourcing less of a risk. Another reason for the decline for programmers is their skills are being merged with other professions, such as developers, as employers increase the requirements for a position over time.

See also

 List of programmers
 List of programming languages
 Software development process
 Software engineering
 Systems architect
 Video game programmer

References

Further reading
 Weinberg, Gerald M., The Psychology of Computer Programming, New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1971
 An experiential study of the nature of programming work: Lucas, Rob. "Dreaming in Code" New Left Review 62, March–April 2010, pp. 125–132.

External links
 The US Department of Labor description of:
 Computer programmers
 Software developers

Computer occupations
Software industry
Information technology

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Riyadh-based cement producer, Yamama Cement, has suspended operations on a number of its clinker production lines in response to soft demand for cement in Saudi Arabia.
According to a release to the Saudi Stock Exchange (Tadawul), the company has shut production lines one to five, resulting in a reduction in clinker capacity of 5600 tpd.
Clinker stocks had been rising in Saudi Arabia, following a significant deterioration in cement demand since the end of Eid in September on the back of government austerity measures and weak private sector demand.
According to cement industry analysts, IA Cement, cement demand will continue to weaken in 2017, falling 4 – 5%.


1 Make the tabernacle with 10 curtains of very good material, white, blue, purple and red. Tell a wise worker that he must make pictures of angels in the curtains. 2 All the curtains must be the same size, 12½ metres long and 1¾ metres wide. 3 Join five of the curtains together. Do the same with the other five curtains. 4 On the edge of the last curtain in the set, fix rings of blue material. Do the same thing on the last curtain of the other set. 5 Make 50 rings on one curtain and 50 rings on the last curtain of the other set. Make the rings on one curtain opposite to the rings on the other curtain. 6 Then make 50 small pieces of gold to fasten the curtains together. Then the tabernacle will be one piece of work.
7 Make 11 curtains from goat's hair to cover the tabernacle. 8 All the curtains must be the same size. They must be 13½ metres long and 1¾ metres wide. 9 Fix five of the curtains together to make one set. Fix the other six curtains together to make a second set. Hang the sixth curtain over the end curtain of the first set. This will be at the front of the tent. 10 Make 50 rings of material along the edge of the last curtain in the first set. Then make 50 rings along the edge of the last curtain in the second set. 11 Then make 50 small pieces of bronze. Use them to fasten the tent together. Then the tent will be one piece of work. 12 The curtains for the tent will be longer than the curtains for the tabernacle. The extra half of the curtain will hang at the back of the tabernacle. 13 The curtains of the tent will be half a metre longer on both sides. The extra material will cover the sides of the tabernacle. 14 Use red sheep skins to cover the tent. Then use badger skins to cover the sheep skins.
15 Make boards out of acacia wood for the tabernacle. 16 Each board must be 4½ metres long and ¾ of a metre wide. 17 Make two extra pieces on each board, next to each other. Make all the boards of the tabernacle like this. 18 Make 20 boards for the south side of the tabernacle. 19 Then make 40 pieces of silver, with a hole in each piece. The boards will stand in the holes. There must be two holes for each board. The extra pieces on each board will fit into the holes. 20 Make 20 boards for the north side of the tabernacle 21 and 40 pieces of silver, two under each board. 22 Make six boards for the west end of the tabernacle. 23 Then make two boards for the corners at the back of the tabernacle. 24 You must fix them together at the lower edge and at the top. Use a ring to fix them together. Make both the corners the same. 25 So there will be 8 boards and 16 pieces of silver, two under each board.
26 You must also cut pieces of acacia wood to fix across the boards of the tabernacle. Cut five pieces for the boards on one side 27 and five pieces for the boards on the other side. Cut five pieces for the boards on the west, at the far end of the tabernacle. 28 The piece of wood in the centre must reach from one end to the other. Fix it at the middle of the boards. 29 Cover the boards with gold and make gold rings. These rings will hold the pieces of wood that you fix across the boards. Then cover the pieces of wood also with gold.
30 Make the tabernacle the same as the plan that I showed to you, on the mountain.
31 Make a curtain out of blue, purple, red and soft white material. A wise man must put into it a picture of angels. 32 Hang it up with gold rings from four sticks of acacia wood. Cover these sticks with gold. Then fix them on four pieces of silver that have holes in the centre. 33 Hang up the curtain and put the Ark of the Covenant behind the curtain. So the Holy Place will be separate from the Most Holy Place. The curtain will hang between them. 34 Put the special lid on the Ark of the Covenant, in the most Holy Place. 35 Put the table outside the curtain on the north side of the tabernacle. Put the lampstand on the opposite side of the tabernacle, on the south side.
36 Make a curtain for the door of the tent. Make it out of blue, purple and red material and out of special white material. Someone who can do wise work with material must make the curtain. 37 Make gold rings for this curtain and make five sticks out of acacia wood. Cover the sticks with gold and make five pieces of bronze to hold them.


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Report: Reducing Risks from Rapid Demographic Change
October 27, 2016 By Cara Thuringer
The world is undergoing a period of demographic transition which presents both opportunities and challenges for governments. A report by the Atlantic Council's Mathew Burrows, formerly of the National Intelligence Council, Reducing the Risks from Rapid Demographic Change, examines the changes in population structures across high-, upper-middle-, lower-middle-, and low-income countries.
Within each economic bracket, countries are facing a full spectrum demographic changes from youth bulges to aging, post-mature populations. Both come with a complex set of political, social, and economic questions surrounding health care, pensions and retirement, education, and security.
The report categorizes nations based on World Bank standards. High-income countries are primarily European Union countries, the U.S., and other advanced economies. Upper-middle-income countries include nations such as China, Iran, and most South American countries, whereas lower-middle-income countries are nations such as India, Nigeria, and many Central American countries. Finally, low-income countries are predominately located in sub-Saharan Africa.
These groupings match up relatively well with groupings based on demographic structures. The report relies on data from the International Futures system developed by the University of Denver's Pardee Center. Using this data, the Atlantic Council notes populations that have youthful (median age in the range of 15 to 25 years) or intermediate (25 to 35) age structures tend to be lower income. While those with mature age structures (median age between 35 and 45) and post-mature (45 to 55) tend to be higher income.
Beyond the Youth Bulge
The report notes that "civil conflict and instability – such as in the Middle East – are highly correlated with high birth rates and youth bulges." The United Nations is also concerned about the potential of persistently high birth rates to slow down development and threaten stability.
By mid-century, one in four workers will be African
But youth is as much a pathway to prosperity as a threat to stability. Large, young populations, if successfully educated and plugged into the workforce, can drive rapid economic growth. If fertility rates decline and economic opportunities are plentiful, countries can experience a golden opportunity called the demographic dividend. The ratio of people in the workforce increases relative to the number of dependents (the very you and very old), creating a surge in productivity.
A drop in fertility rates is essential to reaching the point where a demographic dividend is possible. In Africa, if "average total fertility rates drop to near replacement levels by 2035," the report estimates, then "Africans would just begin to enter their demographic dividend years, boosting growth potential and per capita incomes." If total fertility rates remain high or drop only very slowly, however, then there will not be a dramatic change in dependency ratio, leaving the demographic dividend out of reach.
For countries that do make these changes, getting certain education and economic policies right is the next step to achieving the demographic dividend. Ensuring access to education and vocational training should be a priority, as well as supporting the expansion of a job market capable of employing the vast population of working age people.
The consequences of not harnessing the demographic dividend are potentially serious. "A poorly educated African workforce has negative implications for long-term global growth potential," writes Burrows. By mid-century, one in four workers will be African, meaning the world will heavily rely on the talents and skills of the African workforce to drive the global economy.
The Aging Dilemma
Another hidden opportunity for countries yet to go through the demographic transition is the opportunity to plan for the eventual transition to mature and post-mature age structures. Unlike the high-income countries now faced with the novel problems of a smaller workforce and higher health and pension costs, middle- and low-income countries have time to explore policy options to soften the blow.
The strain of retirees on pension and health systems is becoming a greater and greater drain on state resources in many wealthy economies, like Japan, Germany, and China, which is aging very quickly because of the effect of the one child policy. "By 2030 labor is expected to make a net negative contribution in high-income economies and make an even greater negative contribution in upper-middle-income economies (especially China) in the decades to follow," the report finds. "To maintain the levels of growth enjoyed by countries over the past half century…productivity growth would need to increase at a rate of 3.3 percent a year, 80 percent faster than current levels."
The integration of migrants is easier said than done in today's political climate
Aging presents problems on two fronts: a smaller workforce and subsequent economic slowdown, and higher health and pension costs. The report lays out three policy options to address these: raising the retirement age, reforming pension systems, and decreasing barriers to migration to encourage an infusion of skilled labor from more youthful countries.
None of these policy options alone are an easy fix. The recent strategy of countries with mature and post-mature age structures has been to either raise retirement ages or to increase tax or contribution rates. In high-income countries, pension spending as a percentage of GDP is expected to increase by three percent by 2035, according to the report. For upper-middle-income countries, the increase will be closer to five percent.
However, these efforts will not be able to keep pace with anticipated growth in demand on pension and health services, Burrows says. And major restructuring of pension systems, such as a shift from defined benefit schemes to defined contribution schemes, could be ruinous for elderly populations. On an individual basis, many people do not plan for long lives after retirement. The report estimates that the global gap between retirees' savings and health care costs will grow to around $50 trillion by 2035.
Migrants could also rewrite the stories of aging populations. The report notes that in 2015, Germany admitted up to 1.1 million refugees, mostly from Syria and other conflict zones and most of them younger than the national median age of 46 (tied for Japan as the oldest in the world). That influx will actually reverse Germany's aging trend for the next few years, "which translates to nearly $140 billion more in GDP annually."
"Migration into societies with a declining labor force can relieve many of the economic and financial pressures associated with those declines so long as migrants can be economically integrated and productive," writes Burrows. But, as illustrated by the global refugee crisis, such integration is easier said than done in today's political climate and can present other social problems.
The overarching lesson of the report is that smooth demographic transitions require planning. The youthful populations of lower income economies require expanded educational opportunities, good economic policies, and access to health care to lead their countries to the promised land of the demographic dividend. Younger countries also have the opportunity to learn from the mistakes of older countries and design their pension and retirement schemes to avoid the most detrimental economic effects of aging.
The wealthier economies of the world will need to either radically adjust pension and health care policies or begin admitting more migrants to offset the economic drag of aging. Few will argue that longer lives, better access to health care, gender equality, and more widespread education – all factors that contribute to declining fertility rates – are a bad thing. But policymakers nevertheless have to deal with a major restructuring of their economies.
Sources: Atlantic Council, The Guardian, Politico, University of Denver, United Nations, World Bank.
Photo Credit: Mayday demonstration in Hamburg, Germany, May 2015, courtesy of flickr user Rasande Tyskar.
Topics: Africa, aging, Asia, China, demography, development, economics, education, Europe, featured, France, Germany, Japan, Latin America, Middle East, migration, North America, population, security, Syria, youth
http://www.stimson.org/experts/rcincotta Richard Cincotta
This review identifies two major drivers of fiscal insecurity from population aging (age-structural change moving to extreme post-maturity): (1) declining size of the potential workforce (working-age population); and (2) pension and healthcare needs for an increasingly large senior-elderly population. A third, rarely mentioned source, is also likely: the decline of both mental and manual skills as a large proportion of employed workers become middle aged (over age 45). Whereas experiential/supervisory skills become the most valuable at middle ages, virtually all studies of individual human aging show this type of deterioration of mental and physical skills,
The problem confronting "top heavy" age structures can be summed in a phrase: "We can't all be supervisors." How this factor will affect the "creative industries" is uncertain. We just don't know how many "creative people" we need to maintain those industries, and how to use lots of older people in a efficient manner. The idea of working into older ages is one that "sounds good" on paper, but turns out to be very costly and inefficient for firms, and makes it difficult to hire younger, more energetic, more technologically up-to-date, and more creative individuals (note: universities are rapidly becoming the poster child for these problems).


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About Me Normal guy, likes tech, health, some graphic design, create/eat food, and loves Cappuccino! singer/songwriter for "rf"
I'm going to study Medicine.
I'm going to open my own business and Non-Profit Organization in Guatemala City.
I'm hungry for a change in my life and in other people's life (and maybe a chocolate cake to relax XD).
� Paris, and so many more places around the globe!


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Home Solar BLM Charges Exorbitant Rent, Fees for Solar, Energy Storage Compared to Fossil...
BLM Charges Exorbitant Rent, Fees for Solar, Energy Storage Compared to Fossil Fuels
Susan Kraemer -
Energy developers on public lands pay rents to the the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). For solar, the 2015 per acre rates range from $16.50 to $6,897.20, and these rates go up every year. A solar project with energy storage can be equally expensive, especially when royalty-like fees are added to the bill. But the nationwide rent for oil and gas leases has been set at only $1.50 per acre per year since 1920.
The irony of the richest industry in the world getting such a sweetheart deal is not lost on Dick Bouts, energy program analyst at BLM.
"It's almost embarrassing what we charge," Bouts conceded in a conversation with Renewable Energy World. "It's certainly pocket change for these companies that will spend millions of dollars developing a lease to get it in production, and the rent is almost nothing."
What's worse; the oil and gas resource can only be extracted from the land one time and it's gone.
By contrast, any one acre of solar resource on BLM land will never be used up. The land that gathers solar energy could supply the Treasury for centuries.
Congress decides the rates
The oil and gas lease rates were set in law by congress in the 1920s under the Mineral Leasing Act and remain essentially the same today. It was initially $1, then after a token gesture of congressional objection in the 1980s, it was amended to $1.50 per acre annually for the first five years, and $2 an acre after that.
To raise rates for fossil extraction to be comparable with solar or wind rates would take another act of congress.
"It's really Congress that ought to be thinking about these things," Bouts said. "That there ought to be more consistency. They're both using federal lands and federal resources and there ought to be some comparability."
Legislation has been offered several times in the last fifteen years, but failed. So unlike with solar and wind, BLM cannot raise the oil and gas rate.
"Even if we were to try to do a rule making and try to raise the rate for oil and gas, BLM would get beat up so bad by the industry and by certain members of Congress," he said. "That would not be a good thing."
Congress granted BLM the right to set rates for new energy resources after a period of public comment in which renewable advocates and developers had their say. These much higher rents rise every year, and are based on population and GDP, to encourage renewable development on land with no economic value.
For example, it is much more expensive to develop on land Zoned 12 in Riverside County in Los Angeles – one reason that solar out in the desert produces electricity for so much less, as low as the 3-cents per kWh PPA that FirstSolar has just signed with NV Energy.
Royalties and per-MW fees
In addition to land rent, all energy sources pay a fee. For oil and gas, the fee is 12.5 percent of the value of the oil and gas produced.
Solar pays a per-MW fee, and the more capacity a solar project has; the more it pays for every MW installed. Solar with storage has a higher capacity factor (operates more hours per year than daytime-only solar PV) so the highest amount is paid by concentrated solar power (CSP) with storage.
According to BLM the MW capacity fee is: $5,256 per MW for photovoltaic (PV) solar projects; $6,570 per MW for concentrated PV and CSP (parabolic trough, power tower and solar dish/engine) projects without storage capacity; and $7,884 per MW for CSP projects with storage capacity of three hours or more.
The difference in the MW capacity fee for PV, concentrated PV, and CSP projects is dependent on the differences in the efficiency or capacity factor of each technology. These technologies include PV technologies (20 percent efficiency factor), concentrated PV and concentrated solar power without storage capacity (25 percent efficiency factor), and concentrated solar power technologies with storage capacity of 3 hours or more (30 percent efficiency factor).
Since adding storage adds capacity factor and since storage is the future of renewables, it is easy to imagine what the rates will be once solar PV is backed by batteries or CSP fully exploits its storage in this country.
BLM plans periodic reviews as capacity factors rise for the various solar technologies to update the MW capacity fee to reflect technology advances. It accounts for a normally expected phase-in period over five years similar to conventional power plants.
BLM said that in order to allow for a reasonable and diligent testing and operational period, BLM will provide for a five-year phased-in implementation of the MW capacity fee after the start of generation operations (at the rates of 20 percent the first year, 40 percent the second year, 60 percent the third year, 80 percent the fourth year, and 100 percent the fifth and subsequent years of operations).
An example in Nevada
Two developers with CSP storage in the U.S. – Abengoa and SolarReserve – have much more storage under development in Chile, up to 17.5 hours. SolarReserve's Crescent Dunes tower project in Nevada, the largest tower CSP to include storage in the world, has been operating since early this year. It has 10 hours of storage for night solar delivery to Las Vegas.
BLM rents are based on a federal mandate to collect a fair return for the public. All rents, royalties and solar capacity fees go into the Treasury.
SolarReserve's rent for 2015 at 2,094 acres multiplied by their Zone 3 rent rate of $68.98 in rural Nevada is $144,444. When the first year (20 percent) capacity fee is added, it totals $173,448 for 2015. The rate goes up each year.
SolarReserve CEO Kevin Smith was quite surprised to learn that oil and gas rents are so low at $1.50, and that the 12.5 percent royalty is virtually the only return taxpayers get.
"Wow, nice deal for oil and gas," he said. "So we, the citizens only get 12.5 cents per dollar on the value they extract?"
Land rented for solar could be filling the U.S. treasury for centuries after the oil and gas is gone, because subsequent solar farms could replace current ones.
"Oil and gas companies actually extract something from the ground; oil and gas, that theoretically is owned by the public," Smith said. "Not only are they using the land, but raiding it of something of value that was previously owned by us. But we are only 'parking' on land that likely has other little value; we aren't extracting the value."
Taxpayers pay for environmental work for oil and gas
In addition to land rents and capacity fees, environmental permitting is another part of the cost of developing energy. Wind and solar developers routinely pay for the extensive documentation required to get their environmental permits. Permitting a utility scale solar project in California, for example, can cost in excess of $5 million.
Yet here too, the fossil energy industry has had a sweet deal from the start. Traditionally, the BLM paid their way.
"Well it's just the way it's always been done," Bouts said. "They have been around a lot longer, and this is the way it's always been handled, so that is another thing again that oil and gas does not do."
Recently however, this practice has begun to wear a bit thin. The GOP congress has cut agency budgets, and with fewer staff, BLM has begun to balk. More frequently, an impatient oil or gas developer might pay for its own environmental review, just as solar and wind developers routinely do, just to get it moving.
"So now the oil and gas guys might pay for the [National Environmental Policy Act review], and we'll go to a third-party contractor to write the environmental analysis," he explained. "Just in order to get us to complete the process."
A possible way to a fairer deal for taxpayers?
As well as per-acre land rents, BLM charges a linear rent for rights-of-way when pipelines, ditches, produced water canals and all other energy pipelines (to deliver oil and gas) or transmission (to deliver solar and wind) cross BLM lands.
That charge is the only one that the BLM has been able to revise to an approximately equal cost for both temporary energies, such as oil and gas, and permanent energies, such as solar and wind; perhaps because the right-of-way till now has been neither a significant cost nor greatly lower.
"In 2008, a pipeline right-of-way was $17.23 per acre and an electrical line is $15.05 an acre," Jeannie Catellan, Land Law Examiner in Wyoming's BLM office, said. "So energy stuff was always only a little cheaper. But since 2009 now there is no differentiation; it is the same rate for pipelines as for transmission. The big difference is by county. One county now charges $45.90 per acre linear right-of-way, and in another zone just within our office it's only $8.04 per linear acre."
So at least linear pipeline land for oil and gas yields a rate about the same as transmission line land for solar and wind.
Yet congress continues to allow oil and gas to pay a 1920s era rent;
"There is no free ride for solar or wind," Bouts said. "You often will hear people say that somehow they get a free ride. Well it is actually the opposite."
Given that solar, especially CSP, competes with gas for utility contracts, you have to wonder how much gas would sell for if gas paid solar rates for land.
In the face of congressional inaction on this $1.50 rate, BLM appears to be doing what little they can to shift costs from taxpayers to the fossil energy industry, by at least nudging them to cover their own environmental research cost.
How 2016 might end $1.50 rates for oil and gas
In 2016, instead of raising the per-acre solar land rent again based on the same annual increases; BLM plans a change, according to Virginia Hoffman, Budget Analyst at the Idaho BLM.
Next year, the linear right-of-way rate will simply be doubled to become the new per-acre rate for solar.
The full schedule is not published yet, so it's too early to see how the change would affect utility-scale solar nationwide, but Hoffman looked up Zone 3, Nevada and said doubling the linear rate would come to about the same ($60.90) as the current per acre rate ($68.98) next year for Crescent Dunes, as one example.
Since the linear right-of-way rate is now the same for both pipelines and transmission; could BLM's doubling of the linear rate and calling it the land rate for solar next year be a Trojan horse towards ending the $1.50 land rate for fossil energy?
If shared right-of-way rates could be converted into land rates for solar – could they next undergo a similar conversion to become new land rate for oil and gas as well?
I'm no legal expert, but I wonder if that might not turn out to be a way to bypass a captured congress that can not stand up to the fossil industry? After all, BLM's mandate is to provide a fair return to the public from public lands.
This article was amended on Dec. 2 at 1:50 p.m. to say the oil and gas fee is 12.5 percent of the value of the oil and gas produced, not the cost the oil and gas sells for at wholesale.
Susan Kraemer
Susan Kraemer reports on renewable energy for CSP Today, Wind Energy Update, PV Insider and Renewable Energy World, and has written about renewables for Cleantechnica, Green Prophet and other sites.
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Henry said to me yesterday: Mum what did you want to be when you grew up?
Who knows where these questions come from, but the answer was straightforward, "I always wanted to be a writer." To which he said, "well you should write something then shouldn't you."
I have old notebooks full of lists.
Lists of who I wanted to be when I didn't know who I was. Remember nineteen? or hell, twenty-five? I kept a diary from the time I was twelve, almost daily until I was thirty, when I stopped. I ran out of words. In some ways I told myself I was too busy living to write about it. They are journals full of adolescent wordy sketches of who I thought I should be, wanted to be, didn't want to be. Heartfelt poetry. Heartbreaks and life-stopping crushes.
I'm a little bit terrified of that big box of journals. It moves around with us, and I guess one day I'll re-read them. Who really wants to get back inside their twenty-one-year-old head?
And am I a grown up yet?
I find myself rifling through notebooks, finding snippets of my Grand Plans. And I find myself genuinely surprised that actually in many ways I'm living pretty close to it.
I'm not really a person who asks someone what they 'do', I'm much more interested in what they're wearing.
*Eye roll*. I am the absolute least fashionable person ever. But if you'd told me at seventeen my passion would be for a dark swarthy man in checked shirts I'd have snorted impolitely. Tall, blonde, boho or with the band, I would have told you. Alternative. It was probably on a list.
I'm so not. I wish I was Pirate. SO Navy.
And as for what I'm doing. Trying to keep the washing under control. That wasn't on a list. Scraping playdough off the floor. Also not on the list. Staggering from another night of completely crap sleep, one sick child (poor chucking Tilds), one cold child (as firmly as I tuck in Henry's blankets…) and one teething child. Awesome!
Even so. I can see the dogs doing a check of the verandah in the dark, through the window. I have a sewing machine and a stash to bust and a kitchen with an oven and flour and sugar in the pantry and a bookshelf full of books and children (currently) asleep and a dark and swarthy absolutely beautiful Pirate (who think he's Navy) reading the newspaper on the couch.
And here I am. Writing.
So, you. What do you want to be when you grow up?
Lovely post. I often wished that I had kept my diary's from when I was younger or perhaps if I did re-read any of them know would I really :/ I don't keep anything like that now so my deepest thoughts are never uncovered.
Fi, this is fabulous. Can you tell us about the Pirate/Navy thing, please?
And can a medieval chickie blog about something foodie? Go on a crusade, perhaps, and write home?
Not familar with pirate vs navy – please explain!
It's funny how life turns out isn't it. I figured I'd be child-free and working overseas as a diplomat at 30. I'm not. And I'm happy I'm not.
I too would always have said writer but now, as a mother of three, my dream is honestly to be the mother I can be. I want to look back and know I made an effort at every turn to give each of my boys a life to cherish and to remember.
A teacher…did that. Traveler…good start. SCUBA diver…check. Mom….oh yes, the best part of what I do. I wanted to spend my weekends outside and live where the trees meet the sea. Who knew that would happen! Now I want to dabble in photography and become GOOD at it. I want to learn how to sew…well. I want to be a creative mom…total work in progress. I have to go change. diaper first.
Hope you enjoy as she already enjoys yours.
Sometimes I look at my life and think, if my 20 year old me could see me now, she would think that all her dreams came true. Not quite the way she intended, but via some long and circuitous routes. I'd like to think my 80 year old self will have the same experience.
Are you a rule-breaker or a rule-follower? Do you sail out on your own on potentially treacherous high seas or do you operate within a more typical set of plans? Are you disobedient and a risk-taker or do you like to be organised and predictable?
To be honest, I had those diaries, and I burnt them. Yep, a big old bonfire. Lots of people were shocked at my lack of sentimentality, but to me it felt like a massive relief. I'd been carrying them around in a box for a long time, from house to house, but never opening it. I knew that I used to write in those diaries when I was feeling passionate, whether it was anger, hapiness, heartache, whatever. I found the thought of all those emotions bouncing around in that box totally exhausting. It was so liberating to burn the damn things, I've not regreted that decision so far.
I kept a journal, just like you, faithfully from 12 to 30 (when children arrived). And just like you, they're in boxes somewhere, with all my history and passions, adventures, worries, sorrows, joys stored away. I've kept a sporadic journal for years, and have my little online world of words; I've written stories, essays, had some published, and yet all this time… I've been waiting to be a writer. Only to realise, with such clarity the other day, I am a writer already, have always been. It was a beautiful discovery.
I love your words here, Fi. I love the writer you already are.
I really enjoyed this post (and every other post – I read your blog every day). I'm 21, and I've just finished my degree in Professional Writing. I have no idea what my future holds but I'm hoping that I end up somewhere lovely like where you are now.
Hey cool! The where has less impact than the who. I'm so damn glad I picked the funny guy. Nice to meet you Tegan.
Fortunately, I've been blessed so far with my dream life: performing musician, music teacher, mentor, and married to an amazing guy who is also a musician! But I don't know if I've grown up yet…. how does one figure that out?
I too have kept diaries faithfully since I was about 11…the last few years have been a bit more sporadic, probably because I am happy, life is full and rich. If the 17 year old me could see me now, I think she would be very very happy. Even on the days I forget my umbrella and have to walk home in the rain, I am living a life I once upon a time could only have dreamed about.
Love this post Fi. In my twenties I rediscovered my teenage diaries and was so embarrassed and irritated by some of it that I threw some of them out! It makes me sad to think of it, I hope I'm more tolerant of growth and change now. Like so many others I definitely didn't want to be a housewife, but here I am choosing it now!!
oh glorious post. I have no idea about pirate/navy but get the idea. I so know what you mean. I don't like blue eyed men (hmm, except the one I am spending my life with) etc etc.
Oh, and with the writing. Yes, better get writing hadn't we!
Thanks, I needed an inspire.
I did the same. Why relive teenage angst? Now they're burnt and gone I still have the vague memories but not the details. Don't need them! I found it liberating.
Navy. Probably the Admiral. I always wanted to be right where I am now (though it looked a little different… my husband was supposed to be taller.. and never as perfect) but never believed I would get here. Chance meetings, questionable decisions and fate have led me here. Good fortune more than good management! Keep writing Fi, I'm waiting for that time machine tale…. modern woman sneezes in a cathedral and finds herself back in 1450 France… oh the intrigue! Will she find her way back to the 21st century? Or does her destiny lie in the past….? a must read!!
Every once in awhile my son will ask me what I want to be when I grow up…I am just happy that he thinks I can still be whatever I want to be, even at my age…almost 40, yikes!
This is a great post Fiona!
I always wanted to design wallpaper and textiles. It's still on my list and I am getting closer, but at a slower pace since the little person arrived in our life. Bravo to you for writing such such a great blog whilst juggling four pirates. Always a pleasure to read.


The Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning Code (MPC) empowers the Board of Supervisors to create a Planning Commission comprised of residents from the Township. The Planning Commission in Findlay Township is a 7 member board that was created in 1953. Members serve appointed 4 year terms and each year the Commission is appointed a solicitor by the Supervisors to provide legal advice on matters relating to the MPC.
The Planning Commission is responsible for preparation of the Comprehensive Plan for the Township, maintaining records of all meetings, making recommendations to the Board of Supervisors regarding the official map, preparing and recommending a zoning ordinance and Subdivision & Land Development Ordinance, reviewing and offering recommendations concerning development proposals of public, civic and private agencies.


2014 Tony Awards host Hugh Jackman (center) makes a surprise appearance at the Nominations Announcement, hosted by Jonathan Groff (l.) and Lucy Liu (r.) at the Paramount Hotel on April 29, 2014, sponsored by IBM. Photo courtesy of The Tony Awards.
A Gentleman's Guide to Love & Murder, with ten nods, led the nominations for the American Theatre Wing's 68th Annual Antoinette Perry "Tony" Awards®, announced today Lucy Liu and Jonathan Groff at the Tony Award Nominations ceremony at the Paramount Hotel, where 2014 Tony Awards Hugh Jackman also made a surprise appearance. The revival of Hedwig and the Angry Inch, starring Neil Patrick Harris, garnered eight. The 2014 Tony Awards, presented by The Broadway League and the American Theatre Wing, will be broadcast live from Radio City Music Hall on CBS, on Sunday, June 8th, 8:00 – 11:00 p.m. (ET/PT time delay).
The Antoinette Perry "Tony" Awards are bestowed annually on theatre professionals for distinguished achievement. The Tony is one of the most coveted awards in the entertainment industry and the annual telecast is considered one of the most prestigious programs on television.
Jeb Brown, Jake Epstein, Jessie Mueller, Jarrod Spector, Barry Mann, and Anika Larsen in Beautiful – The Carole King Musical.
Adam Jacobs and Courtney Reed in Aladdin.
This entry was posted on April 29, 2014 by Lia Chang in African American Artists, Entertainment, Events, New York, Theater and tagged 2014 Tony Award Nominations, 2014 Tony Awards, A Gentleman's Guide to Love & Murder, A Night with Janis Joplin, A Raisin in the Sun, Act One, Adriane Lenox, After Midnight, Aladdin, All The Way, Andy Karl, Anika Larsen, Anika Noni Rose, Audra McDonald, "Lady Day at Emerson's Bar & Grill", Backstage Pass with Lia Chang, Beautiful - The Carole King Musical, Brian J. Smith, Bryan Cranston, Bryce Pinkham, Bullets Over Broadway, Cabaret, Casa Valentina, Celia Keenan-Bolger, Charlotte Wilcox, Cherry Jones, Chris O'Dowd, Danny Burstein, Estelle Parsons, Harvey Fierstein, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Hugh Jackman, Idina Menzel, If/Then, James Lapine, James Monroe Iglehart, Jarrod Spector, Jefferson Mays, Jessie Mueller, Joan Marcus, John Patrick Shanley, Jonathan Groff, Joseph P. Benincasa, Joshua Henry, Kelli O'Hara, l Linda Emond, LaTanya Richardson Jackson, Lauren Worsham, Lena Hall, Les Miserables, Lia Chang, Lucy Liu, Machinal, Mare Winningham, Mark Rylance, Mary Bridget Davies, Mothers and Sons, Neil Patrick Harris, Nick Cordero, Of Mice and Men, Outside Mullingar, Paul Chahidi, Ramin Karimloo, Reed Birney, Richard III, Robert Schenkkan, Rocky, Samuel Barnett, Sarah Greene, Sophie Okonedo, Stephen Fry, Sutton Foster, Terrence McNally, The Bridges of Madison County, The Cripple of Inishmaan, The Glass Menagerie, The Velocity of Autumn, Tony Award nominations, Tony Awards, Tony Shalhoub, Twelfth Night, Tyne Daly, Violet.


The Fortnite Pop! Vinyl Figure Collection is now here! All of your favourite skins are now ready to be collected as Pop! Vinyl Figures! This Fortnite Brite Bomber Pop! Vinyl Figure comes packaged in a window display box and will look epic with any Pop! collection!
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text:
Storm Igor weakens over Atlantic
Hurricane downgraded to Category 1 but flooding and dangerous winds are still expected on the island of Bermuda.
Bermuda residents rushed to stock up on supplies preparing for Igor's approach across the Atlantic [Reuters]
Hurricane Igor has weakened to a Category 1 storm but remains on course for a direct hit on the island of Bermuda.
Residents were bracing for driving rain, dangerous winds and a powerful storm surge on Sunday as Igor was sweeping across the Atlantic Ocean.
The US National Hurricane Centre said Igor, now given the lowest grade on the on the five point Saffir-Simpson, was packing maximum sustained winds of 144km per hour.
Igor was located about 440km south of the British overseas territory early on Sunday. US forecasters said it would pass over or near the island at night or early Monday.
Residents have boarded up windows and stocked up on supplies such as gas, food and candles as forecasters said Igor was "expected to remain a dangerous hurricane".
It was expected to produce a dangerous storm surge with as much as 22cm of rain and large, destructive waves and flooding in coastal areas.
'Continue to pray'
Ewart Brown, the prime minister of Bermuda, said on Saturday that people were scared and would continue to pray as Igor was heading towards the island.
While the storm still had a Category 2 rating, he warned residents to prepare for "one of the worst hurricanes to ever threaten our shores", and urged them to "continue to pray that once again we will be spared".
"Our country and our people have throughout our history rarely faced the full fury of a storm of this magnitude," Brown said in the capital, Hamilton, after moving from his waterfront residence.
"It's being referred to as a killer storm, a monster storm, and although sometimes we realise that some of this might be done for television or radio value, we take it seriously."
The rocky island, which is a hub for the global insurance industry, is one of the world's most isolated yet densely populated islands.
Weatherproof structures
Bermuda's buildings are some of the most weatherproof in the world, weather forecasters and analysts say, which could help mitigate any storm damage.
However, the government's emergency agency has warned residents to prepare for a similar impact from Igor as the island experienced from the 2003 Hurricane Fabian, which killed four people and caused millions of dollars of damage.
Igor is one of several storms that have formed in the Atlantic this hurricane season.
The last time so many major storms churned in the Atlantic basin at the same time was in September 1998, when there were four hurricanes, including Georges, which killed more than 600 people and caused nearly $6bn in damage.


Water that is "alive" has many minerals and trace elements. The life of water is measured in its minerals and the way the water flows before we get to it. Nothing could be more alive than fresh sea water. Sea water contains sodium, combined as the chloride, calcium, magnesium and potassium; oxygen, nitrogen and carbon dioxide are dissolved gases.
Minerals are vital for the body. They help to maintain water balance and keep the pH of the blood and lymphatic systems stable, which is essential for healthy living.
Our sea water comes from the crystal clear waters of Studland Bay on the south coast of England.
Our supplier, Pete, is a good friend. He collects the water on the floodtide, giving us the cleanest possible product for use in our cosmetics.
Seawater is alkaline, and has a pH of around 8. It has an average of 3.33% of salt. This concentration varies from 2.9% in the polar seas to 3.55% at the equator.


Summarizing and responding to the texts of others is a very common assignment in academic writing across the disciplines. Such assignments allow writers to take part in important debates of concern in the university and beyond. For this essay, I want you to respond to ideas we will be reading, watching, and discussing in our classes.
Write a "summary/response" essay that includes (1) a summary of the event and (2) a response to that summary section in which you speak back to what is said in the research documents from your own critical thinking, personal experience, and values.
The summary (no more than two paragraphs) should be of passages in the documentary that relate most directly to your thesis (main point). The summary should do two things. It should summarize the main points of the documentary as a whole, and it should identify the specific passage or passages in the documentary you will be addressing in your response.
Once you have written the summary portion of the paper, you should assert your thesis and spend most of the essay defending it with "reasons" and "evidence." Make sure you examine the alternative viewpoints provided in the research documents in your essay. Showing differing viewpoints will give balance to your essay.
As you formulate your response, consider both the authors' ideas and the authors' rhetorical choices concerning audience, purpose, genre, and style. You may also wish to discuss how the author uses the rhetorical appeals (ethos, logos, pathos). Think of your response as your analysis of how the documentary tries to influence its viewers through the rhetorical choices the directors make and how your evaluation of the documentary and ideas has expanded and deepened your thinking.
It is especially important that you follow APA in-text citations when supporting your ideas in the paper. We will be going over this in class, but feel free to ask me if you have any questions as the in-text citations are a key skill to learn in academic writing. In addition, a References page should be completed as shown on page 191 in the Seagull Handbook.
One last bit of advice: this assignment is a common assignment in most disciplines. Summarizing and responding to a topic is an effective tool to demonstrate understanding of the material. However, this assignment is also challenging; it is not something that can be put together quickly and be effective. Over the next few classes, we will move through the steps of the process of putting this project together. It is important to stay on top of the work in order to be successful.