text:
Professor Kelley Calvert on the Gulf Stream
Photo: Hope in Disenchantment
Though fewer images of the BP oil spill are showing on our televisions, there is a serious aftermath facing the communities in the Gulf Coast. In the final weeks of summer, Professor Kelley Calvert drove across the country to see first-hand the current status of the spill and to learn more about how such spills affect us all.
In an article for the Monterey County Weekly, Professor Calvert shares her experiences and describes the results of the spill, encouraging us to consider the consequences of such a spill on our own coast:
"Monterey's Sea Otter Project reports that a single oil spill could wipe out the entire California sea otter population," she writes in the Monterey County Weekly.
The article also features a MIIS alum, Allison Ford, who currently works at the Hammond Oiled Wildlife Center. Ford has worked at the center for nearly three months now and makes several important points regarding the spill's environmental impacts: "The Gulf is accustomed to some amount of oil in its ecosystem, [but] this amount is unprecedented," she says. "The dispersants are a totally foreign chemical, and we don't know how it will impact the Gulf."
The implications of the oil spill are both local and global in nature. While it is absolutely necessary to worry about our backyard (and Bay), as international citizens, we should also concern ourselves with environmental justice aspects of the issue. The Gulf spill has had immediate impacts on areas in the south of the US, but the impacts of oil production exist globally. In Nigeria, for example, more oil is spilled annually than what was spilled after the Deepwater Horizon accident.
For more information, pictures, and videos about the spill, take a look at Professor Calvert's blog, Hope in Disenchantment.
This entry was posted in News on September 17, 2010 by Tamara Wik.
TIJ 25th Anniversary Symposium on Translator and Interpreter Education
On June 20, 2010, the MIIS Translation and Interpretation Program in Japanese (TIJ) program held its 25th Anniversary Symposium on Translator and Interpreter Education at the International House of Japan in Tokyo.
The 4-hour symposium began with greetings and a presentation by Professor Kayoko Takeda, entitled "The Future of Translator/Interpreter Training at Higher Education" and included the history of TIJ. Dr. Winter then gave a short talk about how TIJ began at the Monterey Institute.
Following the presentation, an Interpreter Panel consisting of three alumni and one former visiting scholar and moderated by Takeda discussed the current interpreting markets and what they expect of interpreter education programs in the future.
The was also a Translator Panel moderated by Professor Tanya Pound, consisting of three alumni and one former visiting scholar, which similarly discussed the current translation markets and what they expect of translator education programs.
A teacher panel was also moderated by Takeda, which included four current and former MIIS faculty members, an alumnus, and a Translation and Interpretation agency rep. They discussed the future of translator/interpreter education in response to the discussions by the previous panels.
The symposium resulted in many good discussions, including an interesting discussion of how machine translation, translation tools, and crowd sourcing may affect the practice and training of translators.
The 108 attendees were comprised of 44 alumni, 3 faculty (Takeda, Pound, and Winter), 9 prospective students, 1 staff member (Leah Gowron), and 51 guests, including former faculty members and visiting scholars, university professors, translators and interpreters, and TI agencies. One notable attended was Mr. Koichi Ishiyama (Midd 1969), a renowned author of very popular Japanese – English dictionaries.
Many of the attendees enjoyed the symposium so much that they asked when another similar event would be hosted, and some alumni started discussing the possibility of organizing a TI seminar series in Japan. After the symposium was completed, more than 50 people attended a reception at a restaurant in Roppongi.
The symposium could not have been such a success without the help of sponsors Honda Kaihatsu Kogyo and Creer and Communicators and we thank them for their support!
This entry was posted in Events, Interpretation, Translation, Translation and Localization Management and tagged international, Interpretation, kayoko takeda, MIIS, symposium, tanya pound, TIJ, Translation on September 14, 2010 by Tamara Wik.


text:
package com.sematext.hbase.hut;

import org.apache.hadoop.hbase.KeyValue;
import org.apache.hadoop.hbase.client.Delete;
import org.apache.hadoop.hbase.client.HTable;
import org.apache.hadoop.hbase.client.Put;
import org.apache.hadoop.hbase.client.Result;
import org.apache.hadoop.hbase.client.ResultScanner;
import org.apache.hadoop.hbase.util.Bytes;

import java.io.IOException;
import java.util.ArrayList;
import java.util.Arrays;
import java.util.Iterator;
import java.util.LinkedList;
import java.util.List;

/**
 * HBaseHUT {@link org.apache.hadoop.hbase.client.ResultScanner} implementation.
 * Use it when scanning records written as {@link com.sematext.hbase.hut.HutPut}s
 * TODO: needs refactoring: extract base class ResultScanner "wrapper" independent on the actual data source
 */
// TODO: refactor to accept arbitrary {@link Result}s provider (currently
//       inheritance used to override default source)
public class HutResultScanner implements ResultScanner {
  private final ResultScanner resultScanner;
  private final ResultsAccessor resultsAccessor;
  private Result nonConsumed = null;
  private final UpdateProcessor updateProcessor;
  private boolean storeProcessedUpdates;
  private final HTable hTable;
  // Can be converted to local variable, but we want to reuse iterable instance
  private IterableRecords iterableRecords = new IterableRecords();
  // Can be converted to local variable, but we want to reuse processingResult instance
  private UpdateProcessingResultImpl processingResult = new UpdateProcessingResultImpl();

  private int minRecordsToProcess = 1;

  public HutResultScanner(ResultScanner resultScanner, UpdateProcessor updateProcessor) {
    this(resultScanner, updateProcessor, null, false);
  }

  public HutResultScanner(ResultScanner resultScanner, UpdateProcessor updateProcessor,
                          HTable hTable, boolean storeProcessedUpdates) {
    verifyInitParams(resultScanner, updateProcessor, hTable, storeProcessedUpdates);
    this.resultScanner = resultScanner;
    this.resultsAccessor = new ResultsAccessor();
    this.updateProcessor = updateProcessor;
    this.storeProcessedUpdates = storeProcessedUpdates;
    this.hTable = hTable;
  }

  public void setMinRecordsToProcess(int minRecordsToProcess) {
    this.minRecordsToProcess = minRecordsToProcess;
  }

  protected void verifyInitParams(ResultScanner resultScanner, UpdateProcessor updateProcessor, HTable hTable, boolean storeProcessedUpdates) {
    if (resultScanner == null) {
      throw new IllegalArgumentException("ResultScanner should NOT be null.");
    }
    if (updateProcessor == null) {
      throw new IllegalArgumentException("UpdateProcessor should NOT be null.");
    }
    if (storeProcessedUpdates && hTable == null) {
      throw new IllegalArgumentException("HTable is null, but access to it required for storing processed updates back.");
    }
  }

  @Override
  public Result next() throws IOException {
    Result firstResult = nonConsumed != null ? nonConsumed : resultsAccessor.next();
    nonConsumed = null;

    if (firstResult == null) {
      return firstResult;
    }

    Result nextToFirstResult = resultsAccessor.next();
    if (nextToFirstResult == null) {
      return firstResult;
    }

    boolean mergeNeeded = isMergeNeeded(firstResult.getRow(), nextToFirstResult.getRow());
    if (mergeNeeded && minRecordsToProcess > 2) {
      // fetching (minRecordsToProcess)th to see if there are at least minRecordsToProcess records to merge
      Result nth = resultsAccessor.getNth(minRecordsToProcess - 2);
      if (nth == null || !isMergeNeeded(firstResult.getRow(), nth.getRow())) {
        resultsAccessor.advanceThruPrefetchedWhileOriginalKeySame(minRecordsToProcess - 2, firstResult.getRow());
        return firstResult;
      }
    }

    if (!mergeNeeded) {  // nothing to process
      nonConsumed = nextToFirstResult;
      return firstResult;
    }

    iterableRecords.init(firstResult, nextToFirstResult);
    // TODO: allow decide to skip merging at processing time

    Result result;
    // hook for fast-forwarding thru records with particular original key in case no need to merge them
    // TODO: modify API of processor to return true/false instead of extra method?
    // TODO: adjust API of updateProcessor.isMergeNeeded method (add offset/length params) to avoid creating extra objects
    boolean isMergeNeeded = updateProcessor.isMergeNeeded(HutRowKeyUtil.getOriginalKey(firstResult.getRow()));
    if (isMergeNeeded) {
      processingResult.init(firstResult.getRow());
      updateProcessor.process(iterableRecords, processingResult);

      result = processingResult.getResult();
    } else {
      // actually this should be ignored, as the hook for skipping processing is for compaction job only
      result = firstResult;
    }

    // TODO: allow client code specify skipping this?
    // Reading records of this group to the end
    while (iterableRecords.iterator.hasNext()) {
      iterableRecords.iterator.next();
    }

    if (isMergeNeeded && storeProcessedUpdates) {
      // TODO: handle empty processing result better, code refactoring needed
      if (!processingResult.isEmpty()) {
        storeProcessedUpdates(result, iterableRecords.iterator.lastRead, iterableRecords.getFetchedRowKeys());
      }
    }

    // TODO: if result is empty we should not return it, but rather fetch next
    return result;
  }

  protected boolean isMergeNeeded(byte[] firstKey, byte[] secondKey) {
    return HutRowKeyUtil.sameOriginalKeys(firstKey, secondKey);
  }

  protected Result fetchNext() throws IOException {
    return resultScanner.next(); // TODO: make sure caching is used to reduce RPC requests number
  }

  @Override
  public Result[] next(int nbRows) throws IOException {
    // Identical to HTable.ClientScanner implementation
    // Collect values to be returned here
    ArrayList<Result> resultSets = new ArrayList<Result>(nbRows);
    for(int i = 0; i < nbRows; i++) {
      Result next = next();
      if (next != null) {
        resultSets.add(next);
      } else {
        break;
      }
    }
    return resultSets.toArray(new Result[resultSets.size()]);

  }

  @Override
  public Iterator<Result> iterator() {
    // Identical to HTable.ClientScanner implementation
    return new Iterator<Result>() {
      // The next RowResult, possibly pre-read
      Result next = null;

      // return true if there is another item pending, false if there isn't.
      // this method is where the actual advancing takes place, but you need
      // to call next() to consume it. hasNext() will only advance if there
      // isn't a pending next().
      public boolean hasNext() {
        if (next == null) {
          try {
            next = HutResultScanner.this.next();
            return next != null;
          } catch (IOException e) {
            throw new RuntimeException(e);
          }
        }
        return true;
      }

      // get the pending next item and advance the iterator. returns null if
      // there is no next item.
      public Result next() {
        // since hasNext() does the real advancing, we call this to determine
        // if there is a next before proceeding.
        if (!hasNext()) {
          return null;
        }

        // if we get to here, then hasNext() has given us an item to return.
        // we want to return the item and then null out the next pointer, so
        // we use a temporary variable.
        Result temp = next;
        next = null;
        return temp;
      }

      public void remove() {
        throw new UnsupportedOperationException();
      }
    };
  }

  @Override
  public void close() {
    if (resultScanner != null) {
      resultScanner.close();
    }
  }

  static class UpdateProcessingResultImpl implements UpdateProcessingResult {
    private KeyValue[] kvs; // TODO: consider using a List
    private byte[] row;

    public void init(byte[] row) {
      this.row = row;
      this.kvs = new KeyValue[0];
    }

    @Override
    public void add(KeyValue[] kvs) {
      // TODO: not efficient! underlying kvs array will be expanded multiple times instead of onces
      for (KeyValue kv : kvs) {
        add(kv);
      }
    }

    // TODO: revise this method implementation, it can be done better (and/or more efficient)
    // TODO: compare with add(byte[] colFam, byte[] qualifier, byte[] value) method, possible option for refactoring
    @Override
    public void add(KeyValue kvToAdd) {
      overrideRow(kvToAdd, row);

      // TODO: do we really need doing merge here? Won't it override things automatically? Also: we compromise support of multiple versions here
      boolean found = false;
      for (int i = 0; i < kvs.length; i++) {
        KeyValue kv = kvs[i];
        // TODO: make use of timestamp value when comparing?
        // TODO: use KVComparator?
        if( Bytes.equals(kvToAdd.getFamily(), kv.getFamily()) && Bytes.equals(kvToAdd.getQualifier(), kv.getQualifier())) {
          kvs[i] = kvToAdd;
          found = true;
          break; // TODO: do we need to update here other KeyValues (or just most recent one)?
        }
      }
      if (!found) {
        kvs = Arrays.copyOf(kvs, kvs.length + 1); // TODO: looks like not vey optimal
        kvs[kvs.length - 1] = kvToAdd;
      }
    }

    // TODO: revise this method implementation, it can be done better (and/or more efficient)
    @Override
    public void add(byte[] colFam, byte[] qualifier, byte[] value) {
      // TODO: do we really need doing merge here? Won't it override things automatically? Also: we compromise support of multiple versions here
      // TODO: Defer merging to getResult method?
      boolean found = false;
      for (int i = 0; i < kvs.length; i++) {
        KeyValue kv = kvs[i];
        // TODO: make use of timestamp value when comparing?
        if(Bytes.equals(colFam, kv.getFamily()) && Bytes.equals(qualifier, kv.getQualifier())) {
          KeyValue merged = new KeyValue(row, colFam, qualifier, kv.getTimestamp(), value);
          kvs[i] = merged;
          found = true;
          break; // TODO: do we need to update here other KeyValues (or just most recent one)?
        }
      }
      if (!found) {
        kvs = Arrays.copyOf(kvs, kvs.length + 1); // TODO: looks like not vey optimal
        kvs[kvs.length - 1] = new KeyValue(row, colFam, qualifier, value);
      }
    }

    // TODO: revise this method implementation, it can be done better (and/or more efficient)
    @Override
    public void delete(byte[] colFam, byte[] qualifier) {
      // TODO: Defer merging to getResult method?
      for (int i = 0; i < kvs.length; i++) {
        KeyValue kv = kvs[i];
        // TODO: make use of timestamp value when comparing?
        if(Bytes.equals(colFam, kv.getFamily()) && Bytes.equals(qualifier, kv.getQualifier())) {
          // TODO: looks like not vey optimal
          KeyValue[] newKvs = new KeyValue[kvs.length - 1];
          System.arraycopy(kvs, 0, newKvs, 0, i);
          System.arraycopy(kvs, i, newKvs, i + 1, newKvs.length - i);
          kvs = newKvs;
          break; // TODO: do we need to update here other KeyValues (or just most recent one)?
        }
      }
    }

    public boolean isEmpty() {
      // TODO: can row be actualy null?
      return kvs == null || kvs.length == 0 || row == null;
    }

    public Result getResult() {
      // Result object relies on kvs to be sorted
      Arrays.sort(kvs, KeyValue.COMPARATOR);
      return new Result(kvs);
    }
  }

  private class ResultsAccessor {
    private LinkedList<Result> prefetched = new LinkedList<Result>();

    public Result next() throws IOException {
      if (prefetched.size() == 0) {
        return fetchNext();
      }

      return prefetched.pollFirst();
    }

    // TODO: rename to smth like "get (but don't fetch) Nth from ahead"
    public Result getNth(int i) throws IOException {
      if (prefetched.size() < i) {
        for (int k = 0; k < i - prefetched.size(); k++) {
          Result next = fetchNext();
          if (next == null) {
            break;
          }
          prefetched.add(next);
        }
      }

      if (prefetched.size() < i) {
        return null;
      }

      return (prefetched.get(i - 1));
    }

    public void advanceThruPrefetchedWhileOriginalKeySame(int maxToAdvance, byte[] hutKey) {
      // TODO: any faster way?
      for (int i = 0; i < maxToAdvance; i++) {
        Result res = prefetched.pollFirst();
        if (res == null) {
          return;
        }

        if (!HutRowKeyUtil.sameOriginalKeys(hutKey, res.getRow())) {
          // stop and put back the element
          prefetched.addFirst(res);
          return;
        }
      }
    }
  }

  private class IterableRecords implements Iterable<Result> {
    // reusing iterator instance
    private IteratorImpl iterator = new IteratorImpl();

    // retrieved rows
    private List<byte[]> fetchedRowKeys = new ArrayList<byte[]>();

    // Accepts at least two records: no point in starting processing unless we have more than one
    public void init(Result first, Result nextToFirst) {
      this.iterator.firstRecordKey = first.getRow();
      this.iterator.next = null;
      this.iterator.exhausted = false;
      this.iterator.lastRead = null;
      this.iterator.doFirstHasNext(first, nextToFirst);
      this.fetchedRowKeys.clear();
    }

    public List<byte[]> getFetchedRowKeys() {
      return fetchedRowKeys;
    }

    private class IteratorImpl implements Iterator<Result> {
      private byte[] firstRecordKey;
      private Result next; // next record prepared for fetching
      private Result lastRead;
      boolean exhausted;

      private void doFirstHasNext(Result first, Result nextToFirst) {
        try {
          next = first;
          // we start directly with the last steps of hasNext as all other conditions were checked in resultScanner's next()
          // Skipping those which were processed but haven't deleted yet (very small chance to face this) -
          // skipping records that are stored before processing result
          while (HutRowKeyUtil.sameRecords(first.getRow(), nextToFirst.getRow())) {
            next = nextToFirst;
            nextToFirst = resultsAccessor.next();
            if (nextToFirst == null) {
              return;
            }
          }

          nonConsumed = nextToFirst;

        } catch (IOException e) {
          throw new RuntimeException(e);
        }
      }

      // return true if there is another item pending, false if there isn't.
      // this method is where the actual advancing takes place, but you need
      // to call next() to consume it. hasNext() will only advance if there
      // isn't a pending next().
      @Override
      public boolean hasNext() {
        if (exhausted) {
          return false;
        }
        if (next != null) {
          return true;
        }
        try {
          Result nextCandidate = nonConsumed != null ? nonConsumed : resultsAccessor.next();
          if (nextCandidate == null) {
            exhausted = true;
            return false;
          }

          // TODO: nextCandidate.getRow() reads all fields (HBase internal implementation), but we actually may need only row here
          boolean mergeNeeded = isMergeNeeded(firstRecordKey, nextCandidate.getRow());

          if (!mergeNeeded) {
            nonConsumed = nextCandidate;
            exhausted = true;
            return false;
          }

          // Skipping those which where already processed but hasn't
          // been deleted yet to keep results consistent.
          // There's tiny chance for that: may occur because writing processed interval's data
          // and deleting all processed records in the interval is not atomic.
          // Also allows not to delete records at all during compaction
          // (in case we want and able to process them more than once).
          while (lastRead != null && mergeNeeded && !HutRowKeyUtil.isAfter(nextCandidate.getRow(), lastRead.getRow())) {
            nextCandidate = resultsAccessor.next();
            if (nextCandidate == null) {
              exhausted = true;
              return false;
            }
            mergeNeeded = isMergeNeeded(firstRecordKey, nextCandidate.getRow());
          }

          if (!mergeNeeded) {
            nonConsumed = nextCandidate;
            exhausted = true;
            return false;
          }

          next = nextCandidate;
          nonConsumed = null;

          // Skipping those which were processed but haven't deleted yet (very small chance to face this)
          // skipping records that are stored before processing result
          Result afterNextCandidate = resultsAccessor.next();
          if (afterNextCandidate == null) {
            return true;
          }

          while (HutRowKeyUtil.sameRecords(nextCandidate.getRow(), afterNextCandidate.getRow())) {
            next = afterNextCandidate;
            afterNextCandidate = resultsAccessor.next();
            if (afterNextCandidate == null) {
              return true;
            }
          }

          nonConsumed = afterNextCandidate;

          return true;
        } catch (IOException e) {
          throw new RuntimeException(e);
        }
      }

      // get the pending next item and advance the iterator. returns null if
      // there is no next item.
      public Result next() {
        // since hasNext() does the real advancing, we call this to determine
        // if there is a next before proceeding.
        if (!hasNext()) {
          return null;
        }

        // if we get to here, then hasNext() has given us an item to return.
        // we want to return the item and then null out the next pointer, so
        // we use a temporary variable.
        lastRead = next;
        next = null;
        fetchedRowKeys.add(lastRead.getRow());

        return lastRead;
      }

      @Override
      public void remove() {
        throw new UnsupportedOperationException();
      }
    }

    @Override
    public Iterator<Result> iterator() {
      return iterator;
    }
  }

  private void storeProcessedUpdates(Result processingResult, Result last,
                                     List<byte[]> rowsInBetweenInclusive) throws IOException {
    // processing result was stored in the first record of the processed interval,
    // hence we can utilize its write time as start time for the compressed interval
    byte[] firstRow = processingResult.getRow();
    byte[] lastRow = last.getRow();
    Put put = createPutWithProcessedResult(processingResult, firstRow, lastRow);
    store(put);
    deleteProcessedRecords(rowsInBetweenInclusive);
  }

  // TODO: move this method out of this class? (looks like utility method)
  static Put createPutWithProcessedResult(Result processingResult, byte[] firstRow, byte[] lastRow) throws IOException {
    // adjusting row, so that it "covers" interval from first record to last record
    byte[] row = Arrays.copyOf(firstRow, firstRow.length);
    HutRowKeyUtil.setIntervalEnd(row, lastRow); // can row here remain the same?

    return createPutWithProcessedResult(processingResult, row);
  }

  private static Put createPutWithProcessedResult(Result processingResult, byte[] row) throws IOException {
    Put put = new Put(row);
    for (KeyValue kv : processingResult.raw()) {
      // using copying here, otherwise processingResult is affected when its
      // keyvalues are changed. TODO: think over better approach? Previously same kv was used and things went well
      byte[] kvBytes = Arrays.copyOfRange(kv.getBuffer(), kv.getOffset(), kv.getOffset() + kv.getLength());
      KeyValue toWrite = new KeyValue(kvBytes);
      overrideRow(toWrite, row);
      put.add(toWrite);
    }
    return put;
  }

  void store(Put put) throws IOException {
    hTable.put(put);
  }

  void deleteProcessedRecords(List<byte[]> rowsInBetweenInclusive) throws IOException {
    deleteProcessedRecords(hTable, rowsInBetweenInclusive);
  }

  // NOTE: this works only when rows has the same length, and doesn't invalidate row cache
  static void overrideRow(KeyValue kv, byte[] row) {
    // TODO: Does it makes sense to check if there's need for overriding first? Will it be more efficient?
    System.arraycopy(row, 0, kv.getBuffer(), kv.getRowOffset(), row.length);

  }

  public static void deleteProcessedRecords(HTable hTable, List<byte[]> rowsToDelete) throws IOException {
    long now = System.currentTimeMillis();
    List<Delete> deletes = new ArrayList<Delete>();
    for (byte[] row : rowsToDelete) {
      // We set timestamp explicitly to avoid spending time/resources on figuring out it on server-side
      // which can hurt performance
      Delete d = new Delete(row, now, null);
      d.setWriteToWAL(false);
      deletes.add(d);
    }

    hTable.delete(deletes);
  }

}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Front Page » Archives » November 2012 »
Allen West Files For 'Recount' in FL-18, But Only for Early Ballots and Only in St. Lucie County
Supporters of controversial Repub and Dem opponent Patrick Murphy deserve full hand-count of all ballots in all FL-18 counties...
By Brad Friedman on 11/14/2012 6:53pm PT
A court hearing has been set for Friday in St. Lucie County, Florida, to hear arguments by Republican Rep. Allen West, who is now seeking a recount of all Early Voting ballots cast in the county.
Over the weekend, some 800 votes simply appear to have vanished from the tally in Florida's 18th District razor-thin U.S. House race between West and his Democratic opponent Patrick Murphy (D), after an unexplained partial re-tally of ballots cast during the last three days of Florida's eight days of Early Voting in the county, one of three that make up the new FL-18.
With very good reason, West is demanding that all Early Voting ballots be re-tallied in St. Lucie, on the heels of the unexplained "issues" with memory cards in the Diebold electronic optical-scan tabulators that county officials cited vaguely as the reason for Sunday's partial re-tally.
Where the extreme and extremely controversial West and his supporters have claimed the election is being "stolen" on behalf of Murphy --- a claim for which we are aware of no actual evidence --- The BRAD BLOG has now twice reported in great detail (first here and then here) on the oft-failed, easily-manipulated electronic systems, made by three different companies, in each of the three different counties (St. Lucie, Martin, and Palm Beach) that now constitute FL-18.
Why West has failed to demand a full hand-count of all ballots, in all three counties, as opposed to just the Early Voting ballots in St. Lucie, is a question that West's campaign has yet to resolve for us. Our queries to the campaign, to date, have gone unanswered.
Whether a hand-count, versus another machine count by the same faulty machines, is even allowable in Florida, remains to be seen, since the state's Republican-majority legislature, following the 2000 Presidential Election debacle in the state, insanely mandated that paper ballots, once tallied by a computer, could not be examined by hand.
A mandatory "recount" (a re-tally by the same machines) is required in Florida when the margin between the two top candidates is 0.5% or less. The margin in FL-18 is now just 249 votes shy of that threshold.
Given that 800 votes seem to have simply disappeared without explanation --- Murphy lost 667 and West lost 132 votes during Sunday's partial re-tally, decreasing Murphy's lead over West by 535 votes in a race where just 1,907 votes (out of some 330,000 votes cast), or 0.58%, now separate the two --- and given that the different tally occurred while re-scanning the very same ballots on the very same machines, it's almost beyond comprehension that both parties, at this point, aren't calling for a full, public hand-count of all paper ballots in all three counties in hopes of determining who really won and who really lost the race.
At this point, who knows if the machines were right the first time they tallied the same ballots, or the second time they tallied the same ballots, or, for that matter, either of the times they tallied the same ballots? Anybody else without a partisan dog in this hunt, other than us, beginning to see the problem here?...
Article Categories: Diebold/Premier, Election Irregularities, Florida, Election Reform, Election Fraud, Paper Ballots Legislation, U.S. House, Election 2012, Allen West, Patrick Murphy
Hundreds of Votes Disappear After 'Partial Recount' on Faulty Tabulation Systems in FL-18 U.S. House Race Between West and Murphy
Republican West gains 500 votes after memory card 'issue' on Diebold op-scan systems prompts partial re-tally in St. Lucie County
West and supporters cry foul, charge election being 'stolen'...
By Brad Friedman on 11/12/2012 12:34pm PT
On Sunday, election officials in St. Lucie County, Florida re-tallied votes from the last three days of Early Voting, citing what county officials described cryptically as "an issue with the memory cards that record the ballots when they're fed through the machines originally."
Among the races which saw a partial re-tally of paper ballots, as they were sent through the same optical-scan systems which scanned them the first time, was the contentious and very close U.S. House race in Florida's new 18th Congressional district. As The BRAD BLOG reported in detail late last week, Democratic candidate Patrick Murphy was said to have been leading Republican Rep. Allen West in the race by a very slim margin --- just .78% at the time --- after initial Election Day tallies in all three counties which comprise the new district. The extreme and often extremely controversial, far Rightwing West currently represents Florida's 22nd District, but is now running in the new, redistricted 18th.
Following Sunday's re-tally, both candidates reportedly lost votes. West lost 132 votes while Murphy lost an extraordinary 667, for an overall pickup by West of some 535 votes.
On Friday, Murphy was said to have been leading West --- whose attorneys have already been in court, unsuccessfully demanding that voting systems and paper ballots be immediately impounded --- by just 2,456 votes out of approximately 318,000 tallied at the time.
After Sunday's partial re-tally, Murphy is still said to be leading West, according to the Florida Division of Elections website, but by just 1,907 votes. The current .58% margin of difference puts West just barely outside of the .5% margin that would trigger an automatic "recount" (albeit by the same faulty machines) in the state of Florida.
In our report on Friday, supporting West's demand for a hand-count of all paper ballots in the race, we detailed the three different electronic tabulation systems used in each of the counties --- St. Lucie, Martin and Palm Beach --- which now comprise FL-18, and how each of those systems have a long track record for failure during elections, mistallies and the ability to be easily manipulated by both hackers and election insiders alike.
Following the partial re-tally on Sunday, West's attorneys and supporters were predictably outraged and claiming, without presenting any actual evidence to support them, that "liberals" and/or St. Lucie's Supervisor of Elections Gertrude Walker, a Democrat, was attempting to "steal" the race...
Article Categories: Diebold/Premier, ES&S, Election Irregularities, Florida, Sequoia Voting Systems, Election Fraud, Paper Ballots Legislation, U.S. House, Election 2012, Dominion Voting, Allen West, Patrick Murphy
NJ Orders Paper Ballots for Powerless E-Voting Sites, (Insanely) Allows for Voting by Email, Fax
ALSO: NY, CT, PA, VA and OH polling sites struggle to get back on line after Superstorm Sandy and in time for Election Day...
By Brad Friedman on 11/3/2012 11:47pm PT
[This article cross-posted by Salon...]
Since both before Superstorm Sandy hit, and after, we've been reporting on concerns in states where voters are forced to vote on electronic voting systems on Election Day and, thus, could be kept from being able to cast a vote at all in this Tuesday's Presidential Election should power be unavailable at polling sites.
We've noted that voters simply cannot cast a vote at all on such systems when the power is out, and that it's just one more reason why no American should ever be forced to vote on the 100% unverifiable voting systems, incredibly, still in use across most of states such as New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia and parts of Ohio which were all hit hard by the storm, along with New York, Connecticut and elsewhere.
We've got a bit of good news to report today, for some of the voters whose ability to vote at all has been imperiled by this inexcusable, completely foreseeable failure by public officials who have long ago been warned about this possibility and yet refused to do the sensible thing and move to a verifiable paper ballot system to avoid it.
The news is more encouraging in states like NY and CT, where officials respect voters enough to allow them all to vote on paper ballots, even when natural disasters haven't struck...
Article Categories: Election Irregularities, Ohio, Election Reform, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Voting System Certification, Virginia, New York, Connecticut, Paper Ballots Legislation, Touch-Screen DREs/BMDs, Election 2012, Chris Christie, Jon Husted
Someone Else 'Gets It', When It Comes to the Need for Transparent, Hand-Counted Elections
By Brad Friedman on 9/9/2012 10:44am PT
I'm in a TV studio all day today, so largely off grid. But I wanted to take a moment to at least point you towards Lambert Strether's very smart and very welcome piece on "What voting can look like", wherein he points to Canadian elections and German elections and, yes, The BRAD BLOG's own piece on "Democracy's Gold Standard", to make the case for hand-marked paper ballots, hand-counted at the polling place, with results posted at the precinct before they are moved anywhere.
He gets it. So, thank you, sir. Please go read him and a show a little love for one of the few folks in a busy election season who has bothered to stop and take notice of the forest for the trees, and the effect that track-conditions can and will have on the horse races themselves (yes, races, as there are many more elections than just a Presidential one this year!), even as everyone else in the media is largely obsessed only with the latter.
* * *Please support The BRAD BLOG's fiercely independent, award-winning coverage of your electoral system, as available from no other media outlet in the nation, with a donation to help us keep going (Snail mail, more options here). If you like, we'll send you some great, award-winning election integrity documentary films in return! Details right here...
Article Categories: Election Reform, Election Fraud, Paper Ballots Legislation, Election 2012, Canada
EXCLUSIVE: Voting Machine 'Sleepovers' in Alaska Pose Serious Risk to Today's Primary Election
Same vulnerable systems set for use in 24 states this November...
Apparently, they never learn. Or they just don't care.
It's Primary Election day in Alaska today, with voters heading to the polls to cast mostly paper ballots for U.S. House of Representative candidates, state House and Senate candidates and two ballot measures (one concerning property taxes and another concerning new Alaska Coastal Management Program standards for the review of projects in coastal areas.)
While turnout is expected to be low, at least the Diebold optical-scan machines are fully rested and ready to go after their lengthy "sleepovers" at poll workers' houses in the days prior to today's elections! Yes, the state of Alaska still sends their incredibly vulnerable Diebold optical-scan systems home with poll workers days before the election, where they can do whatever they like with them, so they can bring them to the polls on the morning of Election Day.
For example, here's a photo of one of those machines that will be in use today, as obtained from an Alaskan source over the weekend by The BRAD BLOG. The machine appears as if it has received a full going over at the workshop of one of the poll workers who enjoyed the time spent with their machine during the several days of "sleepover" over the past week...
Alaska, like some 24 states across the country, still uses the exact same system which was used to flip an entire mock election in Leon County, FL in such a way that only a manual hand-count of the paper ballots would have revealed that the results had been reversed after the machine's memory card was accessed and manipulated by a computer security expert. The haunting event was revealed in the climactic final scene of HBO's Emmy-nominated 2006 documentary Hacking Democracy. [The full scene is also embedded below.]
The photo above from an Alaskan poll worker is the same system seen being hacked in Leon County, FL in the HBO film. The only difference is that Diebold removed their name from many machines afterward, given the hit their company took when their then CEO promised to deliver the state of Ohio to George W. Bush in a Republican fund raising letter before the 2004 election.
Of course, there are "tamper-evident" security seals placed over some of the most vulnerable parts of the optical-scan systems, and those could never be defeated without leaving visual clues behind, right?
Well, funny thing. In Alaska, when a security seal is discovered broken on their tabulation computers --- if they are discovered broken --- poll workers are instructed to simply replace it with another one and start the voting, as both several poll workers, as well as an Alaska election official (who has now been fired) confirmed with The BRAD BLOG. Several seals, the now former Alaska election official told us when she still had a job, are provided to poll workers to make replacing broken seals very simple, as seen in this next photo...
Article Categories: Diebold/Premier, Election Irregularities, California, Alaska, Election Fraud, Paper Ballots Legislation, Accountability, Election 2012
Federal Judge: OH Must Count Provisional Ballots Cast at Wrong Place Through No Fault of Voters
OH Sec. of State Husted quickly becoming more Blackwell than Brunner...
Otherwise valid provisional ballots cast at the wrong precincts in Ohio, through no fault of the voters, must be counted, according to a ruling issued by a federal judge on Monday.
The decision, which otherwise seems like common sense, comes in the wake of tens of thousands of provisional ballots going uncounted after the 2008 Presidential election thanks to a provision in Ohio law which discards such ballots, even in the case where a poll worker has improperly instructed a voter to cast his or her ballot in the wrong place.
The ruling is a defeat for Ohio's Republican Sec. of State who, after working towards inclusiveness and voting rights earlier in his tenure, seems to have taken a hard right turn in many of his decisions of late, as the Presidential Election nears.
As we noted last month, an investigative report by the Cincinnati Enquirer's Barry M. Horstman found that some 40,000 provisional ballots cast in the 2008 general election were never tallied, even though many of them were cast in the right polling place, but at the wrong "precinct" table, as precincts have been combined into the same building over the years in the Buckeye State.
A voter might line up to vote at the wrong table/precinct, for example, only to be told they weren't found on that precinct's voter rolls and, rather than be directed by the poll worker to the correct "precinct", instructed to cast a provisional ballot at that table instead. That vote, before Monday's ruling, under existing Ohio law, would go uncounted. Many of those provisional ballots were cast in predominantly Democratic-leaning counties.
The Enquirer warned in their report last month that "tens of thousands of ballots are likely to be disqualified" once again in the key swing-state, during the 2012 Presidential election unless the provision was changed, as recommended by state election officials after the 2008 election.
On Monday, U.S. District Judge Algenon L. Marbley, citing Bush v. Gore of all things, ruled against Ohio Sec. of State Jon Husted (R), whose spokesman responded: "We respectfully disagree with the judge's ruling and will likely appeal."
Marbley found that Husted's belief that such ballots should not be counted "belies a fundamentally misguided view that the state need not protect the right to vote of individuals who, for any number of reasons, are required to cast a provisional ballot"...
Article Categories: Election Irregularities, Election 2004, J. Kenneth Blackwell, Election Reform, Election 2008, Paper Ballots Legislation, Jennifer Brunner, Election 2012, Jon Husted
RNC Delegate Moves to Require Paper Ballots in Republican Party Platform, Sees Motion Gutted
I actually feel sorry for Pat Kerby, the Republican delegate to the Republican National Convention from Nevada who attempted to add an amendment calling for paper ballots --- so nobody would have to trust in the "voter machine fairy" --- at the RNC's Platform Committee on Tuesday.
The poor fellow seemed to want the right thing, but by the time other members of the Committee amended the amendment, several times over, the original was completely gutted in favor of electronic computer tallies with no actual way to verify the accuracy of those tallies.
It seems the good-natured Kerby never knew what hit him, as he generously supported each change to his amendment, deferring to others who appeared to know more about voting, like fellow committee member Kansas Sec. of State Kris Kobach (responsible for the state's polling place Photo ID restrictions to help curb non-existent polling place voter fraud in Kansas, as well as serving as the author of Arizona's infamous anti-immigrant "Papers Please" law, most of which was found unconstitutional by the U.S. Supreme Court recently.)
It was a good idea, but Kerby wasn't clear on the exact language he needed to use and that opened up the door for others on the committee --- who have more confidence in unverifiable electronic voting machines than in paper ballots --- to completely gut the original amendment, compared to the one originally introduced during the proceedings.
Kerby's initial amendment read as follows:
We recognize that paper ballots are the best way to insure [sic] a fair election. "Let ambition counter ambition," as Madison said. When all parties have representatives observing the counting of ballots in a transparent process, integrity is assured. We strongly suggest that all electronic voting systems have a printed paper ballot so that preliminary electronic results can be verified by a hard count of paper ballots.
While (most) electronic voting systems don't print "paper ballots" in general --- they print so-called "Voter-Verifiable Paper Audit Trails" (VVPATs) which may or may not reflect the actual intent of the voter, may or may not be verified by the voter as accurate, and are not actually counted by anyone, in any case (the internally recorded electronic results are used instead) --- it seems as if Kerby had the right idea, in general. At least as he offered a perfect description of his reasons for wanting to add include the amendment in the party's platform...
Article Categories: Paper Ballots Legislation, Touch-Screen DREs/BMDs, RNC, Republicans, Bush Legacy, Kris Kobach
UPDATE: Gubernatorial Recall Ballots Saved from Destruction in Waukesha County, WI - For Now...
State and local officials confirm the public records have been moved to off-site storage, though they remain in the custody of County Clerk Kathy Nickolaus...
The ballots cast in Waukesha County during the June 5th Gubernatorial recall in Wisconsin appear to be safe from destruction at the hands of one of the nation's most notorious election officials.
In our exclusive exposé earlier today, we detailed the threat made by the infamous Waukesha County Clerk Kathy Nickolaus to "destroy" the county's ballots from the historic recall election between Gov. Scott Walker and Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, as early as noon today, in apparent contravention of state law. The threat to destroy the ballots was made even as they (and the rest of the ballots cast in the election across the state) are still subjects of public records requests by a number of citizen groups attempting to verify the otherwise completely unverified results of the race by examining the ballots by hand for the first time.
Nickolaus had denied the request by the largest group attempting to oversee the results of the election, and informed the requesters (see our previous article for her full responses): "Unless I receive a court order by noon on Monday, August 13, 2012 directing otherwise, I will proceed to retain or destroy the election materials from the June 5, 2012 Recall election according to state statute and GAB guidelines."
Her arbitrary deadline, the citizen auditors charge is in contravention of state public records statutes requiring 60 days after a request has been denied, before action can be taken. The BRAD BLOG has been able to confirm the legal 60 day requirement with several state officials today. Nickolaus' July 17th denial to grant the requesters access to the ballots means that, by law, she is barred from destroying the public records until at least September 15th.
After our story was published this morning, folks in WI seem to have sprung into action, leading the County District Attorney, the Waukesha County Corporation Counsel (who serves as Nickolaus' attorney) and the state's Government Accountability Board (G.A.B.) to respond with confirmation that the ballots in question will not be destroyed at this time, and were, instead, being moved from the Clerk's office, where they have been since the election, to off-site storage as of this afternoon.
"It would not be proper to destroy such materials at this time," County D.A. Brad Schimel confirmed to The BRAD BLOG late this afternoon, noting that "no records would be destroyed today, nor would they be destroyed until at least 60 days after the denial of the public records request"...
Article Categories: Election Irregularities, Election Reform, Wisconsin, Paper Ballots Legislation, Accountability, Election 2012, WI Recall Elections, Scott Walker
EXCLUSIVE: Infamous Waukesha, WI Election Clerk Threatens to 'Destroy' Historic Walker Recall Ballots Amid Statewide Public Hand Count Effort
Bi-partisan citizen effort to oversee completely unverified June 5th results 'illegally' blocked by Kathy Nickolaus...
[LATE UPDATE:The recall ballots from Waukesha County have been saved from destruction, for now. Full details posted in our follow-up now here...]
One of the most notorious election officials in the nation may be mercifully retiring at the end of this year, but that hasn't stopped her from attempting to block citizens hoping to oversee the accuracy of their own elections in one of the most right-leaning counties in Wisconsin, following one of the most contentious elections of the year and certainly in state history.
Waukesha, WI County Clerk Kathy Nickolaus had, at one time, after the repeated controversies around her failed administration of several elections, promised to step aside and allow her deputy to administer the June 5th recall elections, only to reverse course weeks later. Now, clearly back in the saddle, she has notified an Election Integrity group which has organized hand-counts across the state, that she was preparing to "destroy" the paper ballots cast in the election before they can be hand-counted by the group, unless she receives a court order to do otherwise by noon today.
She had previously informed the group that she was denying them access to examine ballots on the basis that she found their request to be "overly burdensome" on her office. In her response she also added her personal opinion, for some reason, that she does not "believe the public records law should be utilized for the purpose of allowing citizens to conduct hand recounts of an election, especially one in which there was such a large quantity of votes cast."
Among reasons for concerns about the June 5th recall election results are recent failures by similar electronic tabulation systems, same-day Exit Poll results reported by all of the news networks indicating a much closer race in the contest between Gov. Scott Walker and his Democratic opponent, Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, as well as discoveries that have been made by the group over the past several weeks during their examination of ballots and poll-tapes in several counties.
So far, according to group's organizer, they have been allowed to examine ballots in 10 other counties across the state, with another 15 counties already scheduled for examination in the coming weeks. In a number of those counties, the group has explained to The BRAD BLOG, hand-counted tallies "have differed, sometimes significantly, from the recorded numbers," tallied on Election Night by the computer tabulation systems.
But Nickolaus, as has been her practice during her controversial tenure, appears to be taking a different tack from many of her fellow County Clerks, by denying access to hand examinations of the ballots and, worse, she is now threatening to destroy them entirely, save for a court order and despite provisions in the state law requiring the retention of those public records for at least 60 days after the denial of the request.
Nickolaus' threat to destroy the paper ballots and other elections records, as sent to the organizers of Hand-Count Votes Now! (HCVN) coalition in a series of emails obtained by The BRAD BLOG, flies in the face of state statutes which apply to public records, according to contentions made in response to Nickolaus by the group and their legal advisers. HCVN has been working for several weeks, as have several other organizations, in their effort to count ballots by hand in each of the Badger State's 72 counties in an unprecedented statewide public records oversight project.
The effort, the groups charge, is necessary, given the lack of verification of Election Night computer tallies on systems which have reported incorrect "winners" in the past, as recently as March of this year, when the nearly-identical systems to those used in Waukesha named a number of losing candidates to be the "winners" in Palm Beach County, FL. In that case, it was only a partial post-election hand-count examination of paper ballots by the local Supervisor of Elections which revealed that the computers had gotten the results entirely wrong, leading to a complete hand-count and the results of several municipal elections being overturned as a result...
Article Categories: Election Irregularities, Florida, Election Reform, Sequoia Voting Systems, Wisconsin, Paper Ballots Legislation, Election 2012, WI Supreme Court Election, WI Recall Elections, Scott Walker
40,000 Uncounted Provisional Ballots in Ohio in 2008, Many Unnecessarily So, Finds Paper
Will GOP Sec. of State Jon Husted correct that in 2012?...
Setting aside for a moment whether or not the ballots of Ohio voters were and are counted accurately, a new investigative report by the Cincinnati Enquirer's Barry M. Horstman finds that some 40,000 provisional ballots cast during the Buckeye State's 2008 Presidential election were never even counted at all.
Worse, thousands of them, as the paper details, were disqualified due to no fault of voters...
Each election year, Ohio residents cast thousands of ballots that are not counted.
Despite efforts to simplify the state's voting to avoid widespread discarding of ballots, it could happen again in November's presidential race.
The Enquirer, during a weeks-long examination of the state's electoral procedures, found that voting - America's most precious right and the foundation for all others - is a fragile civic exercise for many Ohioans.
A confusing maze of state laws, administrative directives and court rulings on voting procedures, errors - by voters and poll workers alike - and other factors cause large numbers of ballots to end up in the electoral trash can every year, particularly in urban counties.
In Hamilton County alone, hundreds of votes are routinely disqualified in major statewide elections because they are cast in the wrong precinct, often only feet from the correct location. Hundreds more votes have been tossed out for another relatively minor miscue: voters' failure to seal an inner envelope containing their absentee ballot.
The report goes on to warn that, unless there are changes made to the state's election laws and procedures --- including the implementation of changes recommended by state election officials after the 2008 contest --- "tens of thousands of ballots are likely to be disqualified" in the key swing-state, once again, during the 2012 Presidential election...
Article Categories: Election Irregularities, J. Kenneth Blackwell, Ohio, Election Reform, Election 2008, Paper Ballots Legislation, Photo ID Laws, Election 2012
If You're Not Concerned About Election Integrity in 2012, It's Because You're Not Paying Attention
Or, 'Still Whistling Past Democracy's Graveyard'...
In case you're wondering, it's not just The BRAD BLOG trying to warn folks on the Right, Left and everywhere in between of the pending disasters of our oft-failed, almost always wholly-unverified and quickly disappearing system of once-overseeable, theoretically-democratic system of electoral self-governance.
As Steven Rosenfeld, veteran journalist of the 2004 Ohio mess, writes this week at Alternet in "Not Again! How Our Voting System Is Ripe For Theft and Meltdown in 2012" [emphasis added]:
"We need good technology and we need good laws," said Barbara Simons. The retired IBM computer scientist and nationally known expert on voting technology is co-author of a new book, Broken Ballots: Will Your Vote Count? which details America's history of voting machinery and election administration, and concludes that many states have neither good technology nor good vote count rules.
"We are running elections in this country as if we are still in the 19th century," she said. "The results are announced and there is no verification. At minimum, we should be doing manual post-election ballot audits for all major elections whether or not the results are close, because there even could be a major problem with an election with a wide margin."
Rosenfeld covers a lot of ground in his piece, so you should read it in full.
That said, as much ground as he covers, he and the experts he quotes still manage to understate the concerns, while failing to define what, in nearly a decade on this beat we have found, so far, to be the only apparent solution: Hand-marked paper ballots counted publicly, by hand, on Election Night, at the precinct, in front of all parties, observers and video cameras, with decentralized results posted at those precincts, before ballots are allowed to move anywhere.
You have been warned. Again.
Now back to your bickering about off-shore bank accounts and "socialism", or whatever it is you feel your time is better spent on between now and November 6.
Article Categories: Election Irregularities, Election Reform, HAVA, Election Fraud, Paper Ballots Legislation, Touch-Screen DREs/BMDs, Barack Obama, Mitt Romney, Democrats, Republicans, Election 2012, Bush Legacy
Guest Hosting 'Malloy Show' Tuesday!
TONIGHT: FL's illegal voter roll purge; CO's exempts ballots(!) from public records requests; MUCH MORE!...
LIVE! 9p-Mid ET (6p-9p PT), Call-in#: 877-520-1150
[Now UPDATED with audio archives below!]
Mike's off this week, so we're back as guest host for the nationally-syndicated Mike Malloy Show ever night this week, over your public airwaves, on the Internet (streaming links below) and on SiriusXM ch. 127!
As usual, we'll be BradCasting, LIVE from 9pm-Mid ET (6p-9p PT), coast-to-coast and around the globe from L.A.'s KTLK am1150 in beautiful downtown Burbank. Join us by tuning in, chatting in, Tweeting in and calling in! Our LIVE chat room will be up and rolling right here at The BRAD BLOG, as usual, while we are on the air. Please stop by and join the fun while you're listening! (The Chat Room will open at the bottom of this item a few minutes before airtime, see down below, just above "Comments" section.)
Scheduled tonight:
ION SANCHO, Leon County, FL's legendary Supervisor of Elections (the one who was placed in charge of the 2000 Presidential "Recount") on Gov. Rick Scott's latest attempted voter purge, the DoJ challenge against it, new election and registration rules in the Sunshine State and much more that you need to know about in the key swing state before this year's Presidential Election!
JOHN TOMASIC, journalist for The Colorado Independent on the state's new law which, incredibly, exempts ballots from public records requests, so they are no longer accessible for citizen oversight!
PLUS! The latest news on a possible recount in the WI recalls, Desi Doyen with the Green News Report and much much more as usual! Along with your phone calls over your public airwaves at 877-520-1150 and your tweets to @TheBradBlog!...
The Mike Malloy Show is nationally syndicated on air affiliates across the country and also on SiriusXM Ch. 127. You may also listen online to the free LIVE audio stream at our Sante Fe affiliate KTRC 1260, or our Minnesota affiliate KTNF 950 (use code 55447 when asked). Also, you should be able to listen live at WhiteRose Society if the radio gods are with us.
POST-SHOW UPDATE: Today's show includes one seriously righteous rant. I thnk i dang near busted a vessel. But, as you'll see if you listen to the commercial-free archives below, I had little choice. You'll probably enjoy it. (Sickos!) Listen to the entire show now below...and I'll see ya here same Brad Time, same Brad Station tomorrow night!...
Article Categories: Election Irregularities, Florida, Election Reform, Colorado, BRAD BLOG Media Appearance, Election Fraud, Rights And Freedoms, Wisconsin, Paper Ballots Legislation, Voter Registration, Mike Malloy, Election 2012, Rick Scott
A Few Concerns Emerge as Voting in WI's Historic Gubernatorial Recall Election Officially Begins
Some early voters turned away, others to have their ballots 'remade' by poll workers without them on June 5th...
"Last night," Daily Kos blogger "Wisco Wherls" wrote today, "I felt like an atypically politically-motivated little kid on Christmas Eve waiting to receive the only gift I asked for: a chance to reclaim our Wisconsin from tyranny."
Wisco was so excited about the first day of Early Voting in the Badger State's historic recall elections of Republican Gov. Scott Walker, Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch and four Republican state Senators, that he (or she?) "ascended the front steps [of the Middleton City Hall] at 7:40 a.m., five minutes earlier than the building was even scheduled to open," in order to be among the first to cast a vote for Tom Barrett for Governor and Mahlon Mitchell for Lieutenant Governor.
Wisconsin voters were supposed to be able to cast early, in-person "absentee ballots" beginning today, according to state law and a memo sent to the state's Municipal Clerks [PDF] last week by the Government Accountability Board (G.A.B.), the state's top election agency. But, alas, Wisco would leave disappointed this morning --- unable to cast what he/she had hoped might even be the first recall vote cast in the entire state --- after being told (inaccurately) that absentee ballots for Early Voting had not yet arrived at the Middleton municipal City Hall.
"I left my phone number and received confirmation that they will supposedly call me as soon as the ballots arrive," Wisco wrote today. "I guess that's what I get for getting my ass out of bed early for once. Nothing like waking up on Christmas morning only to find a lump of fucking coal in your stocking."
The blogger, appropriately enough, described the situation as "unequivocally unacceptable."
But we may have some good news for Wisco Wherls and the rest of Wisconsin's voters. The problem that he/she ran into may have been only an isolated incident, and the result of a miscommunication at the Middleton City Hall, at least according to a statement we received from the G.A.B. late today, after we'd inquired about the reported problem.
Though there remain other concerns with the way Municipal Clerks are handling the delay in the printing and receipt of official absentee ballots, which had not yet arrived at some municipalities around the state in time for the first official day for Early Voting...
Article Categories: Election Irregularities, Wisconsin, Paper Ballots Legislation, Accountability, Election 2012, WI Recall Elections, Scott Walker
'The BradCast' on KPFK: E-Vote Fail in Palm Beach (and Beyond); Pepper Spray in Santa Monica (and Beyond); Green News; and 44 Years Since MLK...
Today on KPFK/Pacifica Radio's The BradCast I spoke to Pamela Smith, President of Verified Voting Foundation and Dan McCrea, President of the Florida Voters Foundation about the recent mess in Palm Beach County, FL where the electronic Dominion/Sequoia optical-scanners declared several losing candidates as the "winners" in a March 13th election. It took approval of a court to carry out a hand-count last weekend to determine the real winners of the elections.
So do either Smith or McCrea have confidence that the same problem hasn't already occurred or won't occur again in the 14 states (including many swing states and even Wisconsin) which use identical computer systems to tabulate votes? Do they think enough is enough and it's time to simply hand-count paper ballots, as per "Democracy's Gold Standard"? You'll have to listen to find out.
We were also joined by Margo Paez, just back from Santa Monica College, with her report on the outrageous pepper spraying of students (and one toddler) there last night; Desi Doyen with the latest Green News Report and a remembrance of MLK who was assassinated in Memphis 44 years ago today as we find ourselves still in much the same fight for civil and human rights all of these decades later (hat-tip Tony Sorrentino and Desi Doyen for the really cool, and touching, montage!)...
Download MP3 or listen online below [appx 58 mins]...
P.S. Reminder: We don't post all of The BradCasts here, but you can subscribe to the RSS feed to get all of our weekly shows as soon as they're archived, or you can visit the KPFK archives page for the show anytime.
Article Categories: Election Irregularities, Florida, BRAD BLOG, Election Reform, BRAD BLOG Media Appearance, Rights And Freedoms, Wisconsin, Paper Ballots Legislation, Environment, Education, Election 2012, KPFK, Occupy Wall Street, MLK, Jr., BradCast
Voted Ballots 'Remade' by Election Workers in WI After Being Printed Too Wide for Optical-Scanners
During yesterday's Wisconsin primary election, a number of paper ballots were sent out in several counties that were reportedly too wide to be tabulated by the computerized optical-scan systems used to tally ballots in the state. The same exact thing happened just two weeks ago during the Illinois primary sending election officials into a panic and causing delays for some voters.
Then, as now, the problem has been chalked up to a paper-cutting error by the printers. Perhaps that's true, perhaps it's not. We'll take them at their word, barring evidence to the contrary. Innocent errors can and do happen.
But whether that's an accurate explanation or not, one way in which the failure was dealt with in both Illinois and Wisconsin continues to be extremely troubling and, frankly, offense: the practice of election workers manually "remaking" the ballots of voters after the election, in ostensible secret, and before they are tabulated...
Article Categories: Election Irregularities, Election Reform, Illinois, Election Fraud, Wisconsin, Paper Ballots Legislation, Election 2012
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
TEPCO net loss may top $12.4 billion: report
By Taiga Uranaka
TOKYO (Reuters) - Tokyo Electric Power Co likely made a net loss of more than 1 trillion yen ($12.4 billion) in the year that ended on March 31, the biggest ever for a non-financial Japanese firm, after booking costs to scrap nuclear reactors and writing off tax assets, the Nikkei newspaper said.
Tokyo Electric <9501.T> will sell assets worth about 500 billion yen, the paper said, to help cover costs from the crisis at its Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, which was crippled by a massive earthquake and tsunami two months ago and is still leaking radiation.
The government is close to finalising a scheme to help Asia's biggest power firm meet compensation claims from those who were forced to evacuate their homes or businesses near the plant, or whose livelihoods have been harmed by radiation fears.
Under the scheme, a government-backed fund would be set up to meet the initial flood of compensation claims, funded in part by contributions from other nuclear plant operators but with no preset limit on Tokyo Electric's burden.
Tokyo Electric said on Wednesday that it accepted conditions for government assistance proposed by Trade Minister Banri Kaieda the previous day, including no ceiling on the utility's liability, further cost cuts and restructuring, and prompt compensation payment.
The government will also set up an independent committee of legal and accounting experts and business managers to oversee Tokyo Electric's business.
"The scheme is likely to be what the market has expected, with bond holders to be protected and no cap on Tokyo Electric's liabilities," said Kazuya Nakamura, deputy general manager at Norinchukin Zenkyoren Asset Management.
"Now, the market's attention will shift to how much Tokyo Electric's actual liabilities will be," he said.
Tokyo Electric is expected to finalize its accounts for the year ended in March once the scheme is officially approved, and announce its earnings later this month. The earnings announcement has been delayed due to uncertainty over its liabilities and how it will finance compensation.
JP Morgan has estimated the company will incur losses of 2 trillion yen ($24.7 billion) in the financial year that began on April 1 due to the compensation burden, while Bank of America-Merrill Lynch said the bill could reach $130 billion if the crisis drags on.
BURDEN SHARING
Tokyo Electric has estimated the cost of scrapping four damaged reactors at the Fukushima plant at 600 billion yen and it plans to book the amount as an extraordinary loss for the financial year that just ended, the Nikkei said.
It also plans to book a one-time charge to write off deferred tax assets of about 480 billion yen, the paper said.
The scheme under consideration by the government would require Tokyo Electric to reimburse the compensation fund over several years or even decades from its annual profits, while the government would shore up the company by buying preferred shares if necessary, sources familiar with the matter have said.
Tokyo Electric and its creditor banks have been pushing for a compensation plan that would include substantial government help, capping the utility's liabilities and protecting its shareholders and bond owners.
They argue that, given the sheer volume of Tokyo Electric bonds, it is essential to prevent a cut in its credit rating to junk status, which could wreak havoc not only with other utilities' bond issues but with the entire bond market.
Tokyo Electric is the biggest corporate bond issuer in Japan, representing about 8 percent, or about 5 trillion yen, of the 70 trillion yen Japanese corporate bond market.
Trade Minister Kaieda also on Tuesday called for cooperation from the utility's creditor banks, without giving details, but an executive at one top bank said it would not accept a reduction in interest payments or a partial debt waiver.
"If Tokyo Electric makes such a request, it would trigger a credit event and the company would be seen as going into default. Neither the company nor the government would want that to happen," the executive told reporters late on Tuesday, speaking on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter.
"What Tokyo Electric needs most from the banks now is to keep its loan balance maintained," the executive added.
The utility's main creditor bank Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corp <8316.T> and other lenders provided 1.9 trillion yen in emergency loans to the company in the immediate aftermath of the nuclear crisis.
(Additional reporting by Krishna N Das in Bangalore; Editing by Edmund Klamann)


SAN DIEGO—It's no secret: Autoimmune, inflammatory rheumatic disease raises a patient's risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD).
"We see this risk in lupus as well. Rheumatologists have become incredibly good at treating lupus, so very active, early disease doesn't take the lives of these patients, but as they live longer, heart disease is the reason for late deaths," said Dr. Mankad.3 Ankylosing spondylitis patients may have higher rates of vascular death because AS often causes aortitis and aortic regurgitation.4 Lupus elevates a patient's risk for pericardial effusion, which is often asymptomatic. Pericarditis usually happens during active lupus flares.
Antiphospholipid antibody syndrome, frequently seen in lupus, may cause valvular complications like Libman-Sacks endocarditis or nonbacterial thrombotic endocarditis (NBTE). Its bland lesions are filled with immune complexes, fibrin and platelet thrombi.
"Why are these lesions important to recognize? Because you must figure out the right valve replacement choice. We are talking about a young patient population in lupus, women who are potentially in their childbearing years," she said. Mechanical valves are preferable to bioprosthetic valves in this population, although it is important to carefully manage anticoagulation, especially if patients become pregnant.
Valve disease occurs in up to 20% of lupus patients and can worsen over time, she said. "This may be a population where we should be doing echocardiograms at baseline, although that's not part of the guidelines." Even healed lesions may lead to fibrosis later, she said.


Ian explains the qualities of cabinets; what you want from your cabinets and your contractor. The quality of cabinets is varied. Let us help you get the most from your cabinets and cabinet hardware.
Cabinets come in different qualities, like cars, there is everything from the Kia Rio to the Lamborghini-Veneno - all share similar components but the difference comes in the details - here are some details to pay attention to.
Here is an easy way to see what you are getting - look at the sides of the cabinets and the back of the cabinets - cheaper cabinets are made of particleboard or particleboard coated with a melamine surface that could be a multitude of colors or imitate wood veneer. Better cabinets are made of plywood ½" or thicker – also be sure to ask about the formaldehyde content in the glue in the plywood – beware of imported, cheap high formaldehyde plywood.
Make sure you are getting ¾" plywood shelves – particleboard or MDF (medium density fiberboard) tend to bow with weight.
There are a multitude of drawers – we offer two types – dovetailed and engineered drawers – I tell my clients that our dovetailed drawers will last 300 years and our engineered drawers will only last 200 years – pay attention to what the drawers are made of – solid drawers that are dovetailed need to have nice tight joints – don't accept gaps – engineered drawers need to be made out of a quality plywood with matching edge banding – Hafele offers a quality metal drawer system for those wishing to stray from either option – they are nearly indestructible.
Maple, cherry, oak, hickory, birch and pine are standard American choices for cabinetry – if you wish to go to a veneered door and drawer front, the sky is the limit – opening the door to select cuts of veneer and even reconstituted veneers that are made of real wood that simulate the rarest of wood species without being a threat to our environment. Your better cabinets will offer you a multitude of options that will differentiate your kitchen from everyone else's. See examples of reconstituted veneers used in wall paneling.
Here is where the language of cabinetry can trip up a potential buyer – we speak in terms of raised panels, recessed panels(or flat panels), doors that are either raised or recessed panels with applied moldings, mitered doors or slab style doors. Quality is in the door and drawer front as this is what you mainly see – insist on tight joints, reveals and challenge your cabinet company to offer you something different and unique.
Here is where the consumer needs to ask questions – there are many options in finish and most consumers and builders don't understand this part of the game – the least expensive finish is a nitrocellulose lacquer and CAB Acrylic lacquers – this is a quick and easy finish that dries quickly but does not hold up – its average cost is less than $10 per gallon. A step up from this is a Pre-Cat Lacquer – again this is a less expensive alternative and does not involve the skill level or equipment needed to spray conversion varnish, which is a product that needs a catalyst and is extremely durable and requires a high skill level of finish and great equipment.
Disposal of finish is extremely expensive – ask your cabinet company how they are disposing of their waste – they need to have a special designated area for waste that is regulated by the EPA. Special disposal companies pick-up the waste and responsibly dispose of it – If you are a consumer or responsible builder, make sure to ask – this is a threat to our environment.
Pay attention to hinges and drawer slides – Hafele does a great job of offering quality choices at a multitude of price ranges – here are some options – side mount slides are generally the least expensive – here are some options that are less expensive but high quality – a step-up would offer you a full extension side mount slide – again here are some options – the best options now are the full extension undermount slides with a soft closing feature – these allow the hardware to be hidden and offer a self closing soft closing feature.
Hinges are the same – first, you have to choose between a hidden hinge or a decorative hinge – the decorative hinges come in a variety of finishes and styles and can enhance the beauty of your cabinetry. If you wish not to see your hinges, you can choose the hidden hinge or European cup style hinge – Hafele offers a quality but less expensive cup hinge that offers a great solution for less money. They also offer a higher quality hidden hinge that offers a multitude of adjustability and soft closing features.
This is where you can spend some money and get great returns on your investment – Hafele offers a multitude of options ranging in price ranges.
Perhaps the most overlooked and most important part of the equation is the installation. You can have great cabinets but a poor installation will ruin the quality of the cabinetry – it is imperative to have the installers work directly with the manufacturer – there are details that need to be communicated and most of the larger big box stores pay the installers per unit – try to avoid this and find a company that has a tight relationship with their installers and oversees the quality of installation.


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@b92english
"The indictment in 'carrot and stick' fashion intended for Belgrade"
I do not expect Hashim Thaci to be convicted of war crimes in Kosovo, David Stockinger, one of the officials of the Social Democratic Party of Austria, said
Source: Tanjug Monday, June 29, 2020 | 12:57
EPA-EFE/ Georgi Licovski
In his opinion, the publication of the indictment against Thaci presents a "carrot-and-stick" approach towards Belgrade, because the West, primarily the United States and the EU, want to reach a final solution to the Kosovo problem, with the ultimate goal of recognizing Kosovo.
He believes that Thaci will not be convicted, he said, as he had good relations with the West, as well as with current Western politicians and diplomats.
That was evident, Stockinger said in a statement submitted to Tanjug, during the presentation of his book "Hashim Thaci - New State, Modern Statesman" at the Vienna Diplomatic Academy two years ago.
He reminded that Thaci was a close ally, partly in friendly relations with many Western military and diplomatic representatives, who financed and equipped the KLA, because it served NATO as a cheap ground force in the war against the former Yugoslavia.
According to Stockinger, Thaci, with his network from the time of the war and support for the declaration of independence, rose to the top of the political scene in Pristina, a scene which, he notes, is dominated by former KLA leaders and their mafia structures.
"I don't believe, based on everything that has happened so far and with Thaci being familiar with everything, that he will be convicted," he said, noting that, in fact, if Thaci were convicted, many former Western politicians and soldiers would have to be convicted, including leaders such as Bill Clinton, Madeleine Albright, Joschka Fischer, Wesley Clark...
Stockinger says that the indictment against Thaci and others was unexpected for him, and he believes that the number of victims for which the KLA terrorist organization is responsible is far greater than the one mentioned in those indictments.
Stockinger says that the cooperation between NATO, the EU and Thaci has been very close for many years, and that Thaci possesses thorough knowledge on Western politicians and military leaders.
"Ukrainians retreated; Goal achieved"
The trial of Mika Aleksi� continues
Becker: Novak and Rafa are running out of time, new generations are coming
Stoltenberg calls for stronger ties with Japan
The EU will open its borders for the Serbian citizens as of tomorrow, July 1
Today, the EU Council adopted recommendations on the gradual opening of EU borders for citizens of 14 countries as of July 1, including Serbia and Montenegro.
Politics Tuesday, June 30, 2020 19:50 Comments: 0
Rama with footage from the KLA war: Serbs were not bombed by Thaci and Veseli VIDEO
Edi Rama posted a video of his speech in the Albanian Parliament on his Facebook profile after the indictment against Thaci and Veseli was published.
"As soon as Americans realized the dialogue will fail - Thaci indictment followed"
Hashim Thaci should resign if the indictment is confirmed in the Special Court in July, the American expert on the Balkans, Daniel Serwer, announced.
Politics Monday, June 29, 2020 09:30 Comments: 1
"If Trump wins, it will be easier for Serbia"
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic stated that if the current US President Donald Trump gets a second mandate, the position of Serbia would be somewhat easier.
Politics Sunday, June 28, 2020 10:01 Comments: 3
Vucic: I do not rule out the possibility of reintroducing the measures
Serbian President Vucic said from Brussels that the citizens of Serbia must be more responsible and disciplined when it comes to protection against coronavirus.
Politics Friday, June 26, 2020 13:27 Comments: 1
Vucic: I expect that Serbia will become a member of the European Union by 2026
Today, the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic, is visiting Brussels, where he is meeting with high representatives of the European Union.
Vucic met with Ursula von der Leyen, Oliv�r V�rhelyi, Miroslav Laj��k VIDEO / PHOTO
President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic, began his official visit to Brussels with a meeting with the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen.
"No doubt, he will be arrested if..."
Former Swedish Prime Minister Carl Bildt said that Kosovo President Hashim Thaci will be arrested if the indictment against him is confirmed
page 1 of 22 go to page
British warn - Prevent the new outbreak in Kosovo...
Vu�i�: This is a plan that is little talked about in the Serbian public VIDEO / PHOTO
Brnabi�: Extremely difficult topic for us; The question of mandate isn�t for me
Haradinaj: I did not want the news to be conveyed to Vucic
Media: Washington appalled by Haradinaj's attempt to pay for meeting appointments
Haradinaj: Vucic demands 950 square kilometres of Kosovo territory
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Revolutionary 3D cell-animation graphics further refined, and more game contents added! The next-generation fighting game "GUILTY GEAR Xrd -REVELATOR-" is now out on Steam!
Carrying on the legacy from 1998, comes the next addition to the "Guilty Gear" series! All visuals have been tweaked to the finest detail and hand-polished by the animation masters to produce the top quality hand-drawn anime effect! Game contents revamped to provide for gamers of all skill levels, you cannot miss out on this one!
In "REVELATOR" we have 6 new characters from the previous of the series, namely "Johnny", "Jack-O'", "Kuradoberi Jam", "Kum Haehyun", "Raven" and "Dizzy", coming to a total number of 23 playable characters!
*"Kum Haehyun", "Raven" and "Dizzy" can be unlocked by purchasing their respective DLCs. "Raven" can also be unlocked using in-game currency.
For players who already somewhat know their bearings in Fighting Games, we have the COMBO mode to teach all characters' worth of their combo potentials, and the MISSION mode to teach about the characters' general tactics and techniques. There's also the staple "TRAINING" mode, equipped with tons of features that allow you to recreate the situation of your choice, so as to allow you to train and research!
The well-received STORY mode is now back with more punch! Fully cinematic with the 3D graphics engine, explore the lore and find out.. the REVELATIONS of "Guilty Gear". There's also a short introduction to the past series at the start of the story mode, so players new to the series need not fret!


text:
Photodegradation of the electronic structure of PCBM and C60 films in air
Anselmo, Ana Sofia
Karlstad University, Faculty of Technology and Science, Department of Physics and Electrical Engineering. Karlstad University, Faculty of Technology and Science, Materials Science. (Materialfysik)
Dzwilewski, Andrzej
Karlstad University, Faculty of Health, Science and Technology (starting 2013), Department of Engineering and Physics (from 2013). (Materialvetenskap)
Svensson, Krister
Karlstad University, Faculty of Technology and Science, Department of Physics and Electrical Engineering. (Materialfysik)ORCID iD: 0000-0003-1711-5595
Moons, Ellen
Karlstad University, Faculty of Technology and Science, Department of Physics and Electrical Engineering. (Materialvetenskap)ORCID iD: 0000-0002-1609-8909
2016 (English)In: Chemical Physics Letters, ISSN 0009-2614, E-ISSN 1873-4448, Vol. 652, p. 220-224Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Fullerenes are common electron acceptors in organic solar cells. Here the photostability in air of the electronic structures of spin-coated PCBM ([6,6]-phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester) and evaporated C60 films are studied using ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy (UPS) and near-edge X-ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS) spectroscopy. After exposing these materials in air to simulated sunlight, the filled and empty molecular orbitals are strongly altered, indicating that the conjugated π-system of the C60-cage has degraded. Even a few minutes in normal lab light induces changes. These results stress the importance of protecting fullerene-based films from light and air during processing, operation, and storage.
Elsevier, 2016. Vol. 652, p. 220-224
Degradation; Fullerene; Photostability; Photovoltaics; NEXAFS
URN: urn:nbn:se:kau:diva-16111DOI: 10.1016/j.cplett.2016.04.003ISI: 000377204100042OAI: oai:DiVA.org:kau-16111DiVA, id: diva2:574995
The article was still in manuscript form in anna Anselmos thesis. It had then the title: Light-induced modification of the electronic structure of PCBM and C60 films
1. Materials aspects in spin-coated films for polymer photovoltaics
Open this publication in new window or tab >>Materials aspects in spin-coated films for polymer photovoltaics
Polymer-based photovoltaics have the potential to contribute to boosting photovoltaic energy conversion overall. Besides allowing large-area inexpensive processing, polymeric materials have the added benefit of opening new market applications for photovoltaics due to their low-weight and interesting mechanical properties. The energy conversion efficiency values of polymer photovoltaics have reached new record values over the past years. It is however crucial that stability issues are addressed together with efficiency optimization. Understanding fundamental materials aspects is key in both areas.
In the work presented in this thesis, the morphology of polymer:fullerene films and its influence on device performance was studied, as well as the effect of light exposure on the surface of fullerene films. Several polyfluorene copolymers were used for the morphology studies, where the effects of changing spin-coating solvent and of side chain engineering were investigated with dynamic secondary ion mass spectrometry (dSIMS) and near-edge X-ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS) spectroscopy. Polymer-enriched surfaces were found in all blend films, even in the cases with homogeneous distributions in the bulk. Side chain engineering of the polymer led to gradual changes in the compositional variations perpendicular to the surface, and to slight variations in the photocurrent. The electronic structure of the fullerene derivative PCBM was studied in detail and the spectroscopic fingerprint of the materials was analysed by comparison with theoretically simulated spectra. Photo-stability studies done in air showed that the surface of fullerene films underwent severe damages at the molecular level, which is evident from changes in the valence band and X-ray absorption spectra. These changes were explained by transitions from sp2-type to sp3 hybridization of the carbon atoms in the cage that resulted in the destruction of the fullerene cage.
Karlstad: Karlstads universitet, 2013. p. 88
Karlstad University Studies, ISSN 1403-8099 ; 2013:3
materials science, photovoltaics, conjugated polymer, polymer solar cell, bulk heterojunction, coating, morphology, fullerene, photostability, degradation, X-ray absorption spectroscopy, synchroton-based techniques
urn:nbn:se:kau:diva-16107 (URN)978-91-7063-475-8 (ISBN)
2013-01-25, 21A342, Karlstad University, SE-651 88, Karlstad, 13:15 (English)
Dastoor, Paul
University of Newcastle, Australia.
Karlstad University, Faculty of Technology and Science, Department of Physics and Electrical Engineering.
van Stam, Jan
Anselmo, Ana SofiaDzwilewski, AndrzejSvensson, KristerMoons, Ellen
Department of Physics and Electrical EngineeringMaterials ScienceDepartment of Engineering and Physics (from 2013)
Chemical Physics Letters


Although there are many seed preservation organizations and companies that market open-pollinated seeds, very little effort is made at actually providing a historical information. We believe that communication and community are as important to seed preservation as the physical work of growing and banking seeds.
Library - (Please also refer to "Catalog Scans" and "Library Donations") The "Library" is intended to be a physical space to house the collections of books, journals, company records and seed catalogs, as well as a virtual web space where the electronic forms of these materials can be accessed and referenced. This is to be the core function of this research Web site. Financial support would help to build the library facility and to procure and scan historically important horticultural documents. These document scans would then be made available.
[UPDATE 6/27/04] - The Futterman Collection - A *HUGE* donation of 31 boxes of books was made to the horticultural library by a lifelong collector and preservationist. Read more about it and learn how you can help get the information available for use by clicking here.
[UPDATE 03/18/08] - Although the library continues to grow, very little support outside of that from the Victory Seed Company has ever been realized. Progress is slow but continuing as resources are available.
[UPDATE 10/18/14] - The Rezelman Collection - We are honored to help the family preserve his agricultural library as well as his memory. Click here for a list of titles donated.
[UPDATE 6/28/17] - Very little progress has been accomplished. Donations of reference materials has all but stopped. With a decline in sales, the Victory Seed Company has not been able to subsidize any work beyond the scope of their core preservation mission. Roughly $40,000 is required to construct and furnish the library facility. Another $20,000 would be required to hire a temporary, part-time librarian to organize and catalog the collection and possible begin coordinating the digitization effort.
Seed Industry History Project - Along with documenting individuals important to the field of agriculture and the seed industry, this project would begin the process of following the genealogies of companies and organizations.
[UPDATE 2/10/07] - This work, although a background task, has begun. Several old companies have been researched. Instead of waiting until complete and thorough histories and timelines are written, we have decided to post them as "works in progress" and update as information is made available. Click here for more information.
Cultivar Database Project - This project would work to create a series of databases documenting the history and lineages of cultivated plant varieties. A powerful tool to plant historians.
Seed Bank of Genetic Material - The Victory Seed Company has initiated this project and is actively working at collecting, documenting, and preserving seeds of edible plant varieties. It is hoped that this can eventually be maintained under this organization. Timing will be determined by the "Legal" project below.
Legal - If you are a lawyer or accounting professional and would like to donate your time to help us through the process of becoming a non-profit, tax exempt organization, please contact us. This would allow up to apply for grants and be more appealing to donors. In this way, we believe that we could become a structured research organization with the ability to build a physical research library, seed bank, and compensating the necessary staff.
Internal Web Server - This would allow us better control to customize needs and in the long run, be less expensive than a hosted web service. An internal Web server would allow us to serve up images (without incurring bandwidth overuse fees), databases, creating user forums, etc. It would also allow us the ability to add storage space and other system improvements as necessary.
To make this project more reliable and perhaps more efficient, it will require computer hardware such as a low-end pc with large capacity hard drives, tape drive, media, and backup software. If we all wanted this to be extremely reliable, a mirrored server and large uninterruptible power supplies with generator backup would be necessary.
[UPDATE 10/14/03] - Finally, after over a year of starts and stops, a server is online. It is tiny, dated, slow and somewhat limited, it is never the less, running!
[UPDATE 10/25/04] - As a result of a recent computer system upgrade / shuffle at the Victory Seed Company' , a new (old) computer was donated to become the web server replacing the very old and dated server that we brought online last fall. It is not yet implemented as time has not been available.
[UPDATE 2/10/07] - The "new" server is now showing signs of age. It has been continuously powered up and operating for over five years. It sometimes "forgets" what it is doing and needs kick-started. Additionally, its hard drive storage capacity has been reached. New equipment will be acquired and installed as soon as resources (financial and human) are available.
[UPDATE 3/05/08] - The old server continued to limp along and was finally replaced with a server that has greater disk capacity, speed and memory. Additionally, operating system and other software upgrades were made.
[UPDATE 10/18/14] - The above is very out of date. The "new" server from 2008 died. Over the years, we did repair the old server, added a second DSL, and split the load between two servers. With the demise of the server and the cost to operate two high speed fiber internet connections, we decided to consolidate back onto one server, offloading some of the server traffic (mainly catalog file storage) to a hosted account off of the farm.
Internet Connection - This is a necessary part of the online library project and is being provided as part of the Victory Seed Company's network at no charge.
In about 2001, our local telephone service started offering a 6MB/384 kBps ADSL connection. We were one of the first customers to sign up and a beta tester for the service. To meet the demands placed upon the library's web server, we added a second DSL line of service in the mid-2000s, dedicated to the library. This was upgraded to a fiber optic high speed internet service in late 2012.
[UPDATE 10/18/14] - A dedicated server and internet connection is a costly configuration in both monthly expense plus management and hardware costs. Before all else, we have to be good stewards of our resources so that we can continue to perform our primary mission of seed variety preservation. Considering that we have been receiving little or no outside monetary backing for this project (please consider donating here) and that the economic times are greatly affecting cash flow, when the second server died this week, we had to make a difficult, but not very hard, decision to drop the dedicated line to the library's server.
Community Space - Along with providing a world-class information resource, we wish to create a means for connecting gardeners, researchers, organizations and others interested in the subject material. This can be accomplished through yet to be determined forum software.
[UPDATE 10/14/03] - One of the benefits of working in the Linux world is the environment of open license software. We were able to obtain and install (and learn) phpBB2. This is a forum software application that is full-featured and should serve the community well.
[UPDATE 9/1/06] - Due to a continual attack from spammers and a lack of human resources, we just could not keep up with the attention that the board required. It was turned off until we can upgrade our server and secondly research and implement a more secure and easier to manage board system.