text:
\section{Introduction}

A set of simple closed curves on a surface is said to fill if it cuts the surface into topological disks and once-punctured disks. Any such filling set must contain at least two curves; by a simple topological argument (see for instance \cite{ts}) if two curves fill, they must intersect at least $|\chi|$ times, where $\chi$ is the Euler characteristic of the surface. So if we bound the number of times they can intersect and increase the complexity of the surface, we will need more curves; but how many? The main goal of this paper is to give an answer to this question.

For closed surfaces of genus $g$, it is known \cite{app} that the number $N$ of curves in a filling set of curves that pairwise intersect at most $k$ times satisfies
$$N^2-N\geq\frac{4g-2}{k}.$$
Moreover the bound is essentially sharp.

In this paper we study finite type surfaces of negative Euler characteristic and with punctures. Somewhat surprisingly, the bounds we obtain differ depending on the parity of $k$, the number of times curves are allowed to pairwise intersect. For even $k$, we obtain a similar result to the one for closed surfaces mentioned above.
\begin{thmintro}\label{thmintro:even}
Let $S$ be a surface with at least one puncture and let $k$ be a positive even integer. Any filling set of curves on $S$ pairwise intersecting at most $k$ times has cardinality at least $N$, where $N$ is the smallest integer satisfying
$$N(N-1)\geq \frac{2}{k}|\chi(S)|.$$
Furthermore, if $g(S)\leq 1$ then there exists a filling set of curves pairwise intersecting at most $k$ times of size $N$. However if the surface has genus at least two then there exists a filling set of size less than
$$
\sqrt{\frac{2|\chi(S)|}{k} +\frac{1}{4} }+ 6
$$
\end{thmintro}
Note that the above formulas determine the order of growth (in function of the Euler characteristic) of a minimal filling set (the leading term being $\sqrt{\frac{2|\chi(S)|}{k}}$).

In contrast for odd $k$ we show that the order of growth is different; to explain our result we need to talk a little bit about a related problem. We denote $M_g(k)$ the {\it maximum} number of curves that pairwise intersect at most $k$ times on a closed genus $g$ surface.  Determining $M_g(k)$ is a surprisingly hard problem. Although bounds are known (see the work of Przytycki in \cite{przytycki}  and also Aougab in \cite{aougab}, Juvan--Malni\v{c}--Mohar in \cite{jmm}, and Malestein--Rivin--Theran \cite{mrt}) even the rough order of growth of $M_g(k)$ is not known. For $k=1$, its growth in terms of the genus is known to be somewhere between quadratic and cubic. This somewhat mysterious quantity appears in our next theorem.

\begin{thmintro}\label{thmintro:odd} Let $S$ be a surface of genus $g$ with at least one puncture. Then a filling set of curves pairwise intersecting at most $k$ times has cardinality at least $N$, where $N$ is the smallest integer satisfying
$$\frac{k}{2}N(N-1)-\frac{N}{2}\left(\frac{N}{M_g(k)}-1\right)\geq|\chi(S)|.$$
\end{thmintro}

Note that the order of growth is really different from the one in Theorem \ref{thmintro:odd} because of the extra term $-\frac{N}{2}\left(\frac{N}{M_g(k)}-1\right)$.

In light of the problem of determining and realizing the quantity $M_g(k)$, when $k$ is odd we are not able to give explicit constructions for small filling sets of curves pairwise intersecting at most $k$ times that match our lower bound, with one notable exception.

When $g=1$ and $k=1$, it is not difficult to show that $M_g(1) = 3$. Using this, when the surface is a punctured torus and $k=1$ we can prove a precise result.
\begin{thmintro}\label{thmintro:torus}
Let $ \delta_1,\hdots,  \delta_N$ be a filling set of curves that pairwise intersect at most once on a torus with $n$ punctures. Then
$$
N \geq \sqrt{3n}.
$$
Conversely for a torus with $n$ punctures, there exists a filling set of $N$ isotopically distinct simple curves $ \delta_1,\hdots, \delta_N$ that pairwise intersect at most once with
$$
N \leq \sqrt{3n+1}.
$$
\end{thmintro}

The results described up until now are purely topological. One motivation for understanding the topology of curves that pairwise intersect at most a small number of times comes from the study of {\it systoles} on surfaces. A systole is a shortest closed non contractible curve non isotopic to boundary. For any given Riemannian metric, systoles intersect at most twice (and at most once on a closed surface). An important class of metrics is complete finite area hyperbolic surfaces; we consider systoles on these.

In particular, we can ask what happens to our previous bounds if one requires that the curves be systoles and we show that the growth of the lower bound is very different.
\begin{thmintro}\label{thmintro:systoles}
Let $S$ be a hyperbolic surface of signature $(g,n)$ and systole length $\ell$. If $\gamma_1,\dots,\gamma_M$ is a filling set of systoles, then
$$M\geq \frac{2\pi(2g-1)+\pi(n-2)}{4\ell}.$$
\end{thmintro}
We also give examples of constructions of surfaces with a filling set of systoles of cardinality linear in the Euler characteristic, showing that the order of growth of Theorem \ref{thmintro:systoles} is roughly correct.

The paper is organized as follows. In Section \ref{prelim} we give the main definitions and prove Theorem \ref{thmintro:torus}. In the subsequent section, we prove Theorem \ref{thmintro:even}, treating separately the constructions for the case of spheres, tori and higher genus surfaces. Theorem \ref{thmintro:odd} is proven in Section \ref{odd} and the final section is dedicated to the lower bounds on the number of filling systoles.

\section{The case of genus $1$}\label{prelim}

In this section we introduce some of the objects of interest and illustrate our objective by proving Theorem \ref{thmintro:torus}. Although it is relatively straightforward, it contains many of the main steps that will be used in the sequel.

A simple closed curve is {\it essential} if it is not homotopic to a point or to a puncture. Throughout the paper, by {\it curve} we will mean a simple, closed, essential curve.

A set $\Gamma$ of pairwise non-homotopic curves on a surface $S$ {\it fills} if the complement $S\setminus \Gamma$ is a union of disks and once-punctured disks. A {\it $k$-filling set} is a set of pairwise non-homotopic curves which fill and pairwise intersect at most $k$ times.

With this notation, Theorem \ref{thmintro:torus} can be restated as follows.

\begin{theorem}\label{thm:torus}
Let $ \delta_1,\hdots,  \delta_N$ be a $1$-filling set on a torus $T$ with $n$ punctures. Then
$$
N \geq \sqrt{3n}.
$$
Conversely for $T$ a torus with $n$ punctures, there exists a $1$-filling set of cardinality $N$ with
$$
N \leq \sqrt{3n+1}.
$$
\end{theorem}

\begin{proof}
We begin by recalling the well-known fact that for $n=0$ (or $n=1$), there can be at most $3$ topologically distinct curves that pairwise intersect at most once. Associated to $T$ is the torus $T^{0}$ obtained by forgetting the punctures of $T$. This map acts on curves of $T$ sending them to curves on $T^{0}$ and is called the forgetful map. Note that if two curves on $S$, say $\delta$ and $\tilde{\delta}$, intersect at most once, their images on $S$ do as well.

Now given a set of curves $ \delta_1,\hdots,  \delta_N$ that pairwise intersect at most once, let's consider the curves obtained on $T^{0}$ via the forgetful map. The image consists in at most three curves. Let's denote these curves $\alpha, \beta$ and $\gamma$ (if the image is smaller, we arbitrarily choose the remaining curves so that they intersect at most once). We can split the the curves $ \delta_1,\hdots,  \delta_N$ into three sets depending on whether they are preimages of $\alpha$, $\beta$ or $\gamma$. Up to renumbering, let's assume that the preimages of $\alpha$ are
$$
\delta_1,\hdots,\delta_a,
$$
those of $\beta$ are
$$
\delta_{a+1},\hdots,\delta_{a+b},
$$
and those of $\gamma$ are
$$
\delta_{a+b+1},\hdots,\delta_{a+b+c}
$$
where $N=a+b+c$.

Observe that $\inter(\delta_i,\delta_j) = 1$ if and only if $\delta_i$ and $\delta_j$ are the preimages of different curves among the set $\alpha,\beta,\gamma$. As such the total number of pairwise intersections among the curves $\delta_1,\hdots,\delta_N$ is
$$
a b + bc + a c.
$$
We can assume no intersection points coincide on $S$; by an Euler characteristic argument the number above is also the number of connected components of $T \setminus \{\delta_1,\hdots,\delta_N\}$. As there must be at least as many connected components as punctures we obtain:
$$
n \leq a b + bc + a c.
$$
Via Lagrange, the quantity $ab + bc + ac$ is maximal among all $a,b,c$ satisfying $a+b+c=N$ when $a,b,c$ are equal. Thus
$$
n\leq \frac{1}{3} N^2
$$
which proves the first assertion.

Note that if $N$ is not divisible by $3$ we can get a slightly better bound. Indeed, in this case the maximum that can be achieved is $\frac{N^2-1}{3}$ (for instance for $a=\lfloor\frac{N}{3}\rfloor$, $b=\lfloor\frac{N}{3}\rfloor+1$ and $c=a$ or $b$, depending on whether $N\equiv 1$ or $2$ modulo $3$). So in this case we get
$$n\leq \frac{N^2-1}{3}.$$

To prove the second assertion it suffices to reverse engineer the above process. Consider a torus $T$ with three curves $\alpha,\beta$ and $\gamma$ which all pairwise intersect at most once. We begin by choosing the minimal $N$ satisfying the above inequality and take $a:=\lfloor{\frac{N}{3}\rfloor}$ parallel copies of $\alpha$, $b:= \lfloor{\frac{N}{3}\rfloor} + d$ parallel copies of $\beta$ and $c:= \lfloor{\frac{N}{3}\rfloor} + d'$ parallel copies of $\gamma$ where $0\leq d,d'\leq 1$ are integers and $a+b+c =N$. We now have a collection of $N$ curves on $S$.

Now as above, the number of connected components of the complementary regions to all of the curves is $a b + bc + a c$. We place at most one puncture in each of the connected regions for a total of $n$ punctures. The result is an $n$-times punctured torus with a filling set of curves that satisfies the desired inequality.
\end{proof}
\section{The topological setup: case $k$ even}\label{even}
In this section we will always assume $k$ to be an even positive integer.

We begin by proving a lower bound on the number of curves in a $k$-filling set of curves on any punctured surface.
\begin{theorem}\label{thm:lower_even}
Let $S$ be a surface with at least one puncture and of negative Euler characteristic. Any $k$-filling set of curves on $S$ has cardinality at least $N$, where $N$ is the smallest integer satisfying
$$N(N-1)\geq \frac{2}{k}|\chi(S)|.$$
\end{theorem}

\begin{proof}
Suppose $\{\gamma_1,\dots,\gamma_m\}$ is a $k$-filling set of curves on a surface $S$ of signature $(g,n)$. Up to homotopy, we can assume no three curves intersect in the same point and each intersection is transversal. This implies that the curves define a $4$-valent graph $G$ on $S$, with the intersections as vertices and edges given by the arcs of the curves. Denote by $v(G)$ and $e(G)$ the number of vertices and edges of $G$, and by $f(G)$ the number of connected components of $S\setminus G$. By the hand-shaking lemma, since $G$ is $4$-valent, we have
$$e(G)=2v(G).$$
Any two curves pairwise intersect at most $k$ times, so the number of vertices satisfies
$$v(G)\leq k {m\choose 2}=k\frac{m(m-1)}{2}.$$
Moreover, since the set of curves is filling and the surface has $n$ punctures, there are at least $n$ connected components of $S\setminus G$, i.e.\ $f(G)\geq n$. By computing the Euler characteristic of $S$ as $v(G)-e(G)+f(G)$ and using the estimates on $v(G)$ and $f(G)$ we obtain the desired lower bound.
\end{proof}

\begin{rmk}
Note that the lower bound of Theorem \ref{thm:lower_even} holds for odd $k$ as well, but, as we will show later, for $k$ odd we can get a better bound.
\end{rmk}

We begin with the case of the sphere - in this case we can show that the lower bound of Theorem \ref{thm:lower_even} is sharp.
\begin{theorem}\label{thm:spheres}
Let $S$ be a sphere with $n\geq 4$ punctures. There exists a  $k$-filling set of curves on $S$ of cardinality $N$, where $N$ is the smallest integer satisfying
$$N(N-1)\geq \frac{2n-4}{k}.$$
\end{theorem}

\begin{proof}
Fix $k$; we start by constructing the set of curves in the case in which
$$n=\frac{k N(N-1)+4}{2}$$
for some integer $N$.

Consider the rectangle $[0,k\pi]\times [-1,1]\subseteq \mathbb{R}^2$ and the graphs of the functions $f_s(x)=\sin(x+s\varepsilon)$ for $s\in\{0,1,\dots ,N-1\}$ and $\varepsilon$ small. Note that we can choose $\varepsilon$ small enough so that any two of the above graphs intersect exactly $k$ times and there are no triple intersections (as in Figure \ref{fig:sine}).
\begin{figure}[H]
\includegraphics{cylinder.pdf}
\caption{The graphs of $f_0, f_1,f_2$ and $f_3$ on the rectangle $[0,12\pi]\times[-1,1]$}\label{fig:sine}
\end{figure}
 Consider the cylinder obtained by identifying $(0,t)$ with $(k\pi,t)$ for any $t\in[-1,1]$. On this cylinder, the graphs project to $N$ curves, all pairwise intersecting exactly $k$ times, with no three curves intersecting in the same point. We glue disks to the two boundary components of the cylinder to obtain a sphere. As in the proof of the lower bound, we consider the graph $G$ induced by the curves on the sphere. Again it is $4$-valent, so $e(G)=2v(G)$. Since all curves pairwise intersect exactly $k$-times and no three curves have a common intersection, we have
$$v(G)=k {N\choose 2}=k\frac{N(N-1)}{2}=n-2.$$
Since $2=\chi(\mathbb{S}^2)=v(G)-e(G)+f(G)$, the number of connected components of the complement of $G$ is
$$f(G)=2+v(G)=n.$$
So we add a puncture to each connected component. This gives a $n$-punctured sphere with a $k$-filling set of the desired size.

Now consider $n$ not of the form $\frac{k N(N-1)+4}{2}$ for any $N$. Then there exists an integer $N$ such that
\begin{equation}\label{eqn:boundN}
\frac{k (N-1)(N-2)+4}{2}<n<\frac{k N(N-1)+4}{2}.
\end{equation}
We construct a sphere with $N$ curves pairwise intersecting $k$ times as in the previous case. The difference is that this time we have less cusps than connected components. To be sure that no two curves are homotopic, it is enough to place a single puncture to separate the first curve from all of the other curves, then a puncture between the second and the subsequent curves and so on. Hence it is enough to have $n\geq N-1$ punctures and this inequality holds via the lower bound in \ref{eqn:boundN}. So again we obtain a filling set of curves of the right size.
\end{proof}

With the same techniques we can prove a similar statement for tori.

\begin{theorem}
Let $T$ be a torus with $n\geq 1$ punctures and $k$ be even. There exists a $k$-filling set of curves on $T$ of cardinality $N$, where $N$ is the smallest integer satisfying
$$N(N-1)\geq \frac{2n}{k}.$$
\end{theorem}
\begin{proof}
The proof is essentially the same as for spheres. The only difference is that instead of gluing two disks to turn the cylinder with the curves into a sphere, we glue its two boundary components to get a torus.
\end{proof}
To prove the result in the case of surfaces of genus at least two we combine the idea of the construction in the cases of spheres and tori and a known result about $k$-filling sets on closed surfaces from \cite{app}.
\begin{theorem}\label{thm:genus}
Let $S$ be a surface of signature $(g,n)$, with $g\geq 2$ and $n\geq 1$. For any even $k\geq 2$, there is a $k$-filling set on $S$ of size $N$ satisfying
$$\frac{5}{2}+\sqrt{\frac{1}{4}+\frac{2|\chi(S)|}{k}}\leq N<6+\sqrt{\frac{1}{4}+\frac{2|\chi(S)|}{k}}.$$
\end{theorem}

\begin{proof} We construct a $k$-filling set of the desired size.\\
Consider the closed surface $S^0$ obtained by filling in the punctures. By a result in \cite{app}, we know that there exists an $k$-filling set $\mathcal{C}^0$ of cardinality $x$ or $x+1$, where $x$ is the smallest integer satisfying
\begin{equation}\label{eqn:boundx}
x(x-1)\geq \frac{4g-2}{k}.
\end{equation}
The construction in \cite{app} has most curves that pairwise intersect exactly $k$ times. In fact, the curves are constructed algorithmically and this property is true for all but (possibly) the final two curves in the construction. Pick a curve $\gamma$ from the construction that is not one of the final two and replace it with a thin cylinder with a set of $y+1$ curves (as in the construction of Theorem \ref{thm:spheres}). We obtain set of curves $\mathcal{C}$ of cardinality $x+y$ or $x+y+1$. Choose $y$ to be the smallest integer such that $S^0\setminus \mathcal{C}$ has at least $n$ connected components. Since at least $x+y-2$ curves of $\mathcal{C}$ pairwise intersect exactly $k$ times, the number of components of $S^0\setminus \mathcal{C}$ is at least
$$2-2g+k{x+y-2\choose 2}.$$
So we choose $y$ to be the smallest integer such that
\begin{equation}\label{eqn:boundy}
2-2g+k{x+y-2\choose 2}\geq n.
\end{equation}
Using the two inequalities \ref{eqn:boundx} and \ref{eqn:boundy}, one can compute that $x+y$ satisfies
$$\frac{5}{2}+\sqrt{\frac{1}{4}+\frac{2|\chi(S)|}{k}}\leq x+y<5+\sqrt{\frac{1}{4}+\frac{2|\chi(S)|}{k}}.$$
Set $N=|\mathcal{C}|$; we know that $N=x+y$ or $x+y+1$. Moreover, the complement of  $\mathcal{C}$ is a union of disks. We want to place at most one puncture per connected component. By construction, we have enough components. Also, all curves are pairwise non-homotopic, except possibly for the $y+1$ in the thin cylinder. To be sure these are pairwise non-homotopic, it is enough to have at least $y$ punctures, i.e.\ it is enough to have $n\geq y$. This is true if $y=0$ or $y=1$ (by assumption). If we have only two punctures, it is enough to have two curves in the cylinder, so $y\leq 1$. This means that if $y=2$ or $y=3$, we must have had $n\geq 3$. So if $y\leq 3$, the condition $n\geq y$ is satisfied.

Assume now $y\geq 4$. By the minimality of $y$, we know that
$$2-2g+k{x+y-3\choose 2}< n$$
which implies, using inequality \ref{eqn:boundx} and basic computations
$$n\geq 2+\frac{k}{2}(y-3)^2+\frac{k}{2}(y-3).$$
So it is enough to have
$$2+\frac{k}{2}(y-3)^2+\frac{k}{2}(y-3)\geq y,$$
which holds, under our assumption $y\geq 4$.

Thus we can add punctures in chosen connected components and we obtain a filling set of size $N$.
\end{proof}

\section{The topological setup: case $k$ odd}\label{odd}
In this section we will always assume $k$ to be an odd positive integer.

A {\it $k$-system} on a surface $S$ is a set of curves which pairwise intersect at most $k$-times. We set $M_g(k)$ to be the maximum cardinality of a $k$-system on a closed surface of genus $g$.

\begin{theorem}
Let $S$ be a surface of signature $(g,n)$, with $g\geq 1$ and $n\geq 1$. Then a $k$-filling set has cardinality at least $N$, where $N$ is the smallest integer satisfying
$$\frac{k}{2}N(N-1)-\frac{N}{2}\left(\frac{N}{M_g(k)}-1\right)\geq|\chi(S)|.$$
\end{theorem}

\begin{proof}
Let $\Gamma=\{\gamma_1,\dots ,\gamma_N\}$ be a $k$-filling set on $S$; up to isotopy we can assume that there are no triple intersection points and all intersections are transverse. As in the proof of the lower bound in Theorem \ref{thm:torus}, we consider the associated surface $S^0$ obtained by forgetting the punctures and the forgetful map $\pi:S\rightarrow S^0$. Let $\delta_1,\dots,\delta_M$ be the isotopy classes in $\pi(\Gamma)$ and consider the families $\mathcal{F}_i=\pi^{-1}(\delta_i)$. Note that if two curves in $\Gamma$ belong to the same family $\mathcal{F}_i$, they are isotopic on $S^0$, so they can only have an even number of intersections. Since $k$ is odd, this means that they intersect at most $k-1$ times. Let $a_i$ be the cardinality of $\mathcal{F}_i$.

As in the proof of Theorem \ref{thm:lower_even}, we consider the graph $G$ induced  by $\Gamma$ on $S^0$. Again it is $4$-valent, thus $e(G)=2v(G)$ and $f(G)=\chi(S^0)+v(G)\geq n$. We have
$$
v(G)=\underbrace{\sum_{i=1}^M\left(\sum_{\alpha,\beta\in \mathcal{F}_i}|\alpha\cap\beta|\right)}_{\stackrel{\mbox{\small intersections between curves}}{\mbox{\small in the same family}}}+\underbrace{\sum_{i<j}\left(\sum_{\alpha\in\mathcal{F}_i,\beta\in \mathcal{F}_j}|\alpha\cap\beta|\right)}_{\stackrel{\mbox{\small intersections between curves}}{\mbox{\small in different families}}}
$$
By what we said before, the intersections $|\alpha\cap\beta|$ in the first sum are bounded by $k-1$ and the ones in the second sum simply by $k$. So
$$
v(G)\leq\sum_{i=1}^M\left(\sum_{\alpha,\beta\in \mathcal{F}_i}(k-1)\right)+\sum_{i<j}\left(\sum_{\alpha\in\mathcal{F}_i,\beta\in \mathcal{F}_j}k\right)
=(k-1)\sum_{i=1}^M{a_i\choose 2}+k\sum_{i<j}a_ia_j$$
By Lagrange, $(k-1)\sum_{i=1}^M{a_i\choose 2}+k\sum_{i<j}a_ia_j$ is maximized for $a_1=\dots a_M=\frac{N}{M}$. Using this and the fact that $M\leq M_g(k)$ we get
$$v(G)\leq \frac{k}{2}N(N-1)-\frac{N}{2}\left(\frac{N}{M_g(k)}-1\right).$$
Combining this estimate with $\chi(S^0)+v(G)\geq n$ we obtain our claim.
\end{proof}

\section{Systoles of punctured surfaces}\label{systoles}

In this section we prove bounds on how the minimum number of filling systoles grows in function of the number of punctures of a (finite area complete) hyperbolic surface. Our bounds will show that, like in the case of closed surfaces (see \cite{app}), the topological condition of intersecting at most once or twice is very far from the geometric condition of being systoles.

\begin{theorem}\label{thm:systoles}
Let $S$ be a hyperbolic surface of signature $(g,n)$ and systole length $\ell$. If $\gamma_1,\dots,\gamma_M$ is a filling set of systoles, then
$$M\geq \frac{2\pi(2g-1)+\pi(n-2)}{4\ell}.$$
\end{theorem}

\begin{rmk} Theorem \ref{thm:systoles}, together with the systole bounds in \cite{schmutz} and \cite{fp}, implies that if $g$ is fixed and $n$ goes to infinity, then $M\geq An$, for some constant $A$. If $n$ is fixed and $n$ goes to infinity, $M\geq B\frac{g}{\log g}$, for some constant $B$.
\end{rmk}

\begin{proof}
The main idea is to use the isoperimetric inequality of the hyperbolic plane.

Consider a hyperbolic surface $S$ with $n$ punctures and its set of filling systoles $\gamma_1,\hdots,\gamma_M$ of length $\ell$. We begin by considering the unique hyperbolic metric $S'$ with cone angle $\pi$ in every puncture conformally equivalent to $S$ outside of the cone angle points. This surface is uniquely determined by the conformal structure of $S$ (see Troyanov \cite{troyanov}) and via the Pick-Schwartz inequality (see Troyanov \cite{troyanov2}) enjoys a certain number of properties. All closed curves on $S'$ are of length strictly less than the corresponding curves of $S$ and in particular
\begin{equation}\label{eqn:S'}
\ell_{S'}(\gamma_k) < \ell_{S}(\gamma_k)=\ell
\end{equation}
for all $k=1,\hdots,M$.

Because the curves $\gamma_k$, $k=1,\hdots,M$ fill $S$, they also fill $S'$. Cutting along the curves then produces a collection of polygons, each with at most one cone point in its interior. We want to apply the isoperimetric inequality of the hyperbolic plane to this set -- but the cone points are an obstruction.

To get rid of this obstruction we perform the following covering operation on those with a cone point of angle $\pi$: a polygon with a cone point of angle $\pi$ is the quotient of a centrally symmetric polygon by an involution so we replace is by its double cover which is a genuine hyperbolic polygon. We now have a full collection of hyperbolic polygons $P_1,\hdots,P_p$.

By the isoperimetric inequality the boundary lengths of the polygons satisfy
$$
\sum_{k=1}^{p} \ell(\partial P_k) > \sqrt{\area(S')^2+4\pi\area(S')}>\area(S')=2\pi(2g-1)+\pi(n-2)
$$
We'll now look at how the sum above relates to the sum of the $\ell_S(\gamma_k)$s. Using inequality \ref{eqn:S'}, fact that each $\gamma_k$ contributes exactly twice to the length of the filling set and finally the fact that the length of a $\partial P_j$ may have been doubled, we have:

$$
\sum_{j=1}^{p} \ell(\partial P_j) \leq 4 \sum_{k=1}^{M} \ell_S (\gamma_k)=4M\ell.
$$
Putting the two inequalities above together gives the result.
\end{proof}

Actually, the growth of the lower bound in Theorem \ref{thm:systoles} is roughly correct. Indeed, we can construct families of surfaces with a filling set of systole growing linearly in $g+n$.

The first example is the family of surfaces $\{S_{g,n(g)}\}_{g\geq 2}$ constructed in Lemma $3.5$ of \cite{fp}. For every $g\geq 2$, $S_{g,n(g)}$ has genus $g$, $n(g)=46(g-1)$ cusps and an ideal triangulation where all but one vertex have degree $6$ and the remaining vertex has degree $12g-6$. Systoles correspond to edges between two vertices of degree $6$, so one can show that there are $36g-54$ systoles. As these correspond to all edges of the triangulation, except the ones incident to a single vertex, they fill. Moreover, an explicit computation shows that the length of a systole is precisely $\arccosh 3$ (and thus independent of $g$). Note that Theorem \ref{thm:systoles} gives, for these surfaces, that a set of filling systoles on $S_{g,n(g)}$ must have at least
$$\frac{25\pi}{2\arccosh 3}(g-1)$$
so the construction gives surfaces with less than twice the necessary amount of curves.

The second example is a family of spheres with a filling set of systoles of cardinality equal to the set of punctures.
\begin{prop}
For any $n\geq 4$, there is a $n$-punctured sphere with a set of filling systoles of cardinality $n$.
\end{prop}
\begin{proof}
Consider an ideal maximally symmetric $n$-gon in the hyperbolic plane. In the Poincar\'e disk model, we can think of it as the $n$-gon with ideal vertices $v_k=e^{i\frac{2\pi k}{n}}$, for $k$ from $0$ to $n-1$. Take two copies of it and glue them such that the endpoints of orthogonals between two non-consecutive sides are identified. In particular this means that the orthogonals give simple closed geodesics on the sphere. We will show that these are the only systoles. Since there are $n$ of these curves and they fill the surface, this concludes the proof.

Consider the center of the polygon (in the Poincar\'e disk model this is the origin). To compute its distance $d$ to any side, consider the right-angled triangle given by the orthogonal from the center to a side, the geodesic from the center to one of the two vertices of the side and the part of the side from the vertex to the foot of the orthogonal. By hyperbolic trigonometry, the distance $d$ satisfies
$$\cosh d=\frac{1}{\sin\frac{\pi}{n}}.$$

\begin{figure}[H]
\begin{center}
\begin{overpic}[scale=1]{systoles.pdf}
\put (20,10) {$d$}
\put (17,24) {$\frac{\pi}{n}$}
\put (69,13) {$d$}
\put (84,12) {$d_k$}
\put (73,26) {$\frac{\pi k}{n}$}
\end{overpic}
\end{center}
\caption{Computing $d$ and $d_k$}
\end{figure}

Consider now two non-consecutive sides $a$ and $b$. Suppose $k-1$ is the minimum number of sides between them. Then the smallest angle between the two orthogonals from the center to $a$ and $b$ is $\frac{2\pi k}{n}$. These two orthogonals and the common orthogonal $d_k$ between $a$ and $b$ determine a pentagon with four right angles and and a $\frac{2\pi k}{n}$ angle. By taking the orthogonal from the center to $d_k$, we cut the pentagon into two quadrilaterals with three right angles and a $\frac{\pi k}{n}$ angle. By hyperbolic trigonometry, we find that
$$\cosh\frac{d_k}{2}=\cosh d\sin\frac{\pi k}{n}.$$
In particular, if $k>k'$, $d_k>d_{k'}$ and two non-consecutive sides which are adjacent to the same side are closest to each other than any other two.

Consider now any simple closed geodesic on the surface. It cannot be contained in one of the two polygons, otherwise it would be contractible. So it needs to cross two sides. It cannot cross only two consecutive sides, otherwise it would be homotopic to a cusp. Hence it needs to cross two non-consecutive sides, so it contains at least two arcs of length at least $d_2$. Moreover, it is of length exactly $2d_2$ only if it is given by exactly two orthogonal between sides adjacent to the same side.

As such the curves we are considering are the only systoles.
\end{proof}

\bibliographystyle{alpha}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaArXiv


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This guide helps you deploy System Center Service Manager 2010 SP1 in one of several different scenarios. The scenarios range from a simple one-computer scenario to a four-computer scenario that is designed to support production-type environments. In addition, this guide shows you how to register a Service Manager management group with the Service Manager data warehouse so that you can generate reports. You have the option of deploying the Self-Service Portal so you can provide access to Service Manager through a Web browser. To improve performance and provide for redundancy, you can deploy additional secondary Service Manager management servers.
It is assumed in this guide that you are installing Service Manager SP1 on a computer where no previous version of Service Manager is installed. For information about upgrading System Center Service Manager 2010, see the System Center Service Manager SP1 Upgrade Guide (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=198070).
This guide also describes how to find and read the Setup log if you encounter issues when you deploy Service Manager. And finally, information about backing up Service Manager management server encryption keys is also included. After you run Setup, the Encryption Key Backup and Restore Wizard starts automatically.
Contains preliminary information you must consider before you can deploy Service Manager.
Describes the prerequisite checker that runs as a part of the setup procedure.
Describes how to deploy Service Manager in one-server, two-server, and four-server topologies.
Provides information that you have to consider when you install Service Manager in a Hyper-V virtual environment.
Describes how to run the Data Warehouse Registration Wizard to register the Service Manager management group with the Service Manager data warehouse management server. Registering with the data warehouse enables you to run reports.
Describes how to deploy and troubleshoot the Service Manager Self-Service Portal.
Describes how to install additional Service Manager management servers to improve performance.
Describes additional steps you must take when deploying either an additional Service Manager management server or Self-Service Portal in an environment with a disjoint namespace.
Describes how you can configure Windows Server 2008 Network Load Balancing with Service Manager.
Describes how to use the Encryption Key Backup or Restore Wizard to back up and restore encryption keys.
Describes how to resolve an indexing issue in SQL Server 2008 SP1 in an environment where you create, or plan to create, knowledge articles in any language other than English.
Describes the logs files that are created when you install Service Manager and how you can use these logs to troubleshoot deployment issues.


text:
Augustana's emergency preparedness team and Rock Island public safety leaders accept state award.
College recognized for emergency preparedness efforts
Augustana College was recognized today for its emergency preparedness efforts by the Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA) and National Weather Service - Quad Cities office.
IEMA Director James K. Joseph commended the college for achieving the agency's Ready to Respond Campus designation and Steve Kuhl, meteorologist-in-charge of the National Weather Service - Quad Cities office, awarded the college StormReady status.
Augustana is one of only four Illinois colleges and universities to be recognized by IEMA as a Ready to Respond Campus.
"Augustana has been steadfast in its desire to be as well prepared as possible for an emergency situation," said Dr. Evelyn Campbell, vice president and dean of student life at Augustana. "We are grateful for the support of so many outside of Augustana, including the guidance we have received from IEMA and the National Weather Service, and the support of first responders throughout the Quad Cities, who have helped us prepare our campus community for any potential emergency."
Jim Fobert, Rock Island Fire Chief, and Jeff VenHuizen, Rock Island Police Chief, also were in attendance at today's ceremony. The college continues to work closely with both departments, among other local agencies, on emergency planning and preparedness.
Augustana conducts emergency drills each academic term, focusing on a variety of hazards that could confront the college. During these drills and in case of an real emergency, important messages are sent to students and college employees through a text message system. To sign up for the text messages go to www.augustana.edu/e2campus. The system is voluntary and there is no charge to use the system other than your mobile phone provider's normal fee for text messaging.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Managers often fail to utilize one of their best weapons against discipline-related lawsuits – the manager's unofficial employee file. There are many reasons this happens – the matter seems trivial, the conversation was informal, or the manager is busy. Regardless, a failure to create a paper trail of significant interactions with an employee can come back to haunt us, particularly when it's time to lower the boom on an unproductive or insubordinate employee.
Employee files should be kept on everyone a manager manages. This file should be kept in a locked cabinet in a supervisor's office; if a manager uses a computer to type his/her notes, they should not be on a shared drive. These notes are for the supervisor's eyes only.
These employee files are extremely beneficial for keeping information chronologically up to date. When counseling is necessary, or performance appraisals or due, we'll have information at our fingertips and need not rely on our past memory. This can also help us avoid the recency effect, i.e., the tendency to rely only on the most recent information when giving a performance review.
Virtually all managers give their employees oral notice about poor performance or minor misconduct. This notice can range from correcting an employee's performance to noting an employee was tardy to verbally "warning" an employee that certain conduct is inappropriate and will not be tolerated. These warnings, given contemporaneously can be very effective in showing performance problems because of their immediacy. In fact, in cases where a manager contends that an employee had "some type of performance problem almost every day," documentation of exactly these kinds of problems can be the most useful evidence.
Effective managers use different formats when taking notes for their employee file. In addition to documenting specific conversations, some managers keep lists of critical incidents (good and bad) that happen – accomplishments and contributions, problem areas and errors, and strengths and weaknesses. It can also be useful to keep track of an employee's stated goals, ambitions and aspirations.
Be as close in timing to the incident as possible. Ideally conversations should be documented on the same day they occur.
Create a context for your conversation. Include the date of the conversation, the manager's name and title and the employee's name and title.
Stick to the facts. Write down exactly what you said and exactly what the employee said.
Include the "take away." State the action plan you told the employee, being clear about the expectations you set for the employee to follow.
If the conversation is a verbal warning, document this. In particular, be sure that you make notes of conversations even when it involves a meeting in which you presented the employee with a written disciplinary document or action plan. The document you gave the employee does not reflect the entire conversation about the issues discussed.
1. Focusing only on the negative. Managers are often taught that documentation is for problems and, as such, fail to keep track of the positive. Not only can this skew an employee's performance appraisal, juries don't like to think that a manager is gunning for an employee.
2. Exaggerating. In an effort to highlight their concerns, managers often use dramatic words such as "always" and "never," when documenting performance concerns. However, in reality, these can undermine your credibility (the employee is sure to point out the one time s/he was on time or exceeded expectations) and hurt you in court. It's much more effective to stick to the facts to get your point across (Joe was late by at least 15 minutes on 13 out of the past 14 work days).
3. Over-documenting. A manager who documents everything may be perceived as harassing an employee through micro-management. While this isn't against the law, anyone reviewing a file that apparently documents every insignificant detail is more likely to conclude that the organization is not a nice place to work or that the documenter has a clear agenda. This is especially true when a manager has over-documented one employee's performance, but has provided relatively little documentation regarding other employees.
HR managers can play a critical role in helping their managers develop a documentation system that includes informal conversations, contributions and problems. Obviously, no manager should document every conversation with an employee. But where a problem exists that would justify discipline if it was recurring, some type of written documentation is needed.
This past Easter weekend, my seven-year-old finally asked me the dreaded question, 'Mum, is there really an Easter bunny?' There I was, stuck on the horns of a dilemma. To be honest, I'd never felt completely comfortable misleading my son, yet it was wonderful to see him hugging the man-disguised-as-the-Easter-bunny at egg hunts and building strategies about ways to catch him delivering presents. So, I rationalized that the end justified the means.
However, coming clean on the subject of the Easter Bunny is small potatoes in comparison to giving a bad performance review. Let's face it, sometimes it's hard to tell the truth – especially when it's negative – which is why so many managers put off addressing performance management problems and why so many bad employees don't get fired.
Problem 1: The manager feels dependent upon the employee.
Sometimes, a poorly performing employee has some special talent or connection that makes them seem indispensable. In today's tight lab our market, many managers continue to put time, money and energy into marginal staff members because they fear they won't be able to find more competent ones.
Solution: Look at the big picture.
In truth, there is a huge performance gap between high and low performers in any organization – 30%-50% percent for unskilled jobs and up to 1000% for highly technical ones.
Poor performers, regardless of their technical merit, never justify their costs. To avoid this trap, recruiters should develop, and maintain, ongoing relationships with top recruiting sources. Keeping abreast of the job market, and keeping managers in the loop, can keep a manager from rationalizing his discipline avoidance with a 'half the work of a technical genius is better than none' argument.
Problem 2: The manager confuses discipline with punishment.
Managers don't want to be put in the role of punitive parent or heavy-handed school principal, verbally rapping their misbehaving employees on the knuckles.
Managers who have this attitude generally don't have the necessary performance management skills to apply positive and corrective discipline. When used appropriately, your discipline system doesn't focus on punishing an employee for misdeeds, it provides a concrete opportunity for employees to take personal responsibility for their own behavior.
Problem 3: The manager feels sorry for the employee.
Perhaps the manager knows about a tough family situation or a recent divorce and doesn't want to pile one problem on top of another.
Solution: Refer to appropriate resources.
It's often the best managers that fall into this trap; because they genuinely care about their employees, they may become overly involved in their employees' personal lives or emotional difficulties. As a result, it may be easier to make excuses for the poor performer rather than get him or her the professional help they need.
Managers can help avoid this trap by having a conversation with the employee about the employee's observations of how well he/she is doing. Most people who can give an accurate assessment of their own work performance can identify areas needing improvement. Meet with the employee on a regular basis to assess his/her work more frequently and give immediate feedback. Urge the employee to use support facilities and help with the emotional/psychological aspects of the situation.
Problem 4: The manager has never told top management about the problem and/or convinced them of how serious it is.
Solution: HR needs to be involved.
Inform your manager as soon as an employee's performance seems to call for intervention, even if you want to try to handle it alone. Review with your manager the criteria by which you ruled out unfairness factors as causes for unacceptable performance. Recount what you have done so far, and ask for coaching. Also, ask your manager to collaborate on a timetable for (a) ruling out all unfairness factors, (b) coaching and counseling the poor performer, and (c) taking action to separate should performance not improve.
Problem 5: The manager feels responsible for the employee's poor performance.
For some managers, admitting that an employee has not met expectations signals some kind of failure for the manager. Could they have been so desperate to fill the position that potential problems were ignored during the interview or when references were checked? Often, managers blame themselves for a staff member's failure, and are willing to do almost anything to insure the employee's success.
First of all, it is impossible to completely predict a problem employee during the recruitment process – although there are some good clues. Some people are experts at creating a good impression, only to show little substance after they're hired. Secondly, if your manager did err during the recruitment, learn from it. Perhaps your managers would benefit from interview skills training. Much better for a manager to learn from his or her mistakes than to pay penance by continuing to suffer a poor performer.
The costs of keeping poorly performing employees are significant. The direct costs include lost sales, customer dissatisfaction and damage to your reputation. Employees who have to pick up the slack feel resentful and lose their motivation. In addition, the manager loses any leg to stand on when it comes to expecting other employees to perform to reasonable standards.
Imagine what would happen if another manager confronted a different employee on anything.. say, poor attendance, drug use or even sleeping on the job? The employee could simply point to the poor performer and say, 'As long as you let him get away with that, you can't make me do anything': the poorest performing employee always sets performance standards.
Managers can preach excellence but if an obvious problem is ignored, the words become an empty joke.
While a comprehensive treatise on effective discipline is beyond the scope of this article, there are a few rules of thumb worth keeping in mind when gearing up to face a problem employee.
Check for mixed messages. Is your compensation package consistent with your performance goals? If, for example, you financially reward employees for individual effort or encourage your sales staff to compete against each other, the odds are any attempt to create a productive team will fail. Employees who have unrealistically high performance goals may find that their ability to achieve them suffers when they take time out to help others. Before performance problems can be resolved, make sure that the formal culture is in sync with the informal culture.
Communicate credibly. All employees – especially workers with performance problems – need a steady stream of communication with their managers to get feedback on their performance. Managers must be specific about the changes they want, and gain commitment from the employee about specific actions and time frames for which they'll be held accountable. Vague advice – 'call me with any problems' – doesn't work, especially if the manager is usually unavailable when the employee calls. Managers need to ensure that they are available – in person, by phone, by e-mail, etc. – at times that work for both manager and employee.
Document, document, document. Be especially factual and concise in your interactions with anyone regarding the matter, regardless of what their job title or stated organizational role. Anything you do or say, including to peers and other employees, can be used to support a grievance or appeal. Therefore, it is best to start a written log of everything you do or say about a performance problem. If things improve, file the log. Do not discard it.
So, I confessed, feeling a little sad and a little relieved, and he looked just as I'd imagined he would – a little sad and a little older.
Telling the truth can be difficult but it does have its rewards. Ideally, the primary objective of a performance improvement/ disciplinary conversation is to gain the employee's agreement to change behavior and return to fully acceptable performance, just as telling your child a difficult truth helps build a foundation of trust and credibility. Even when mum isn't ready to give up the Easter bunny.
Employees who "get no respect" are future plaintiffs, particularly when they're being fired. In fact, the results of structured interviews with 996 recently fired or laid-off workers (Administrative Science Quarter, September 2000) found that the way an employee was treated at the time of termination had nearly twice as much effect as any other variable in predicting who would sue for wrongful termination and who would not; less that half of one percent of the respondents who felt they had been treated with "very much dignity" at their time of dismissal filed claims in comparison to 15 percent of those who said they had "not at all" received respectful and dignified treatment at the time of termination.
What employees were told when they were let go was also important. Less than 2 percent of terminated employees who were given an accurate and honest explanation of why they were being fired filed wrongful termination claims. In contrast almost 20% of employees who were given no explanation (or this was the first time they were hearing it) filed a claim.
Looking at the reasons employees file wrongful termination lawsuits (and why they don't) offers us some insight into how our employees expect to be treated while they're still working for us. Basically, our employees want us to be FAIR. In particular, they feel entitled to two things from their managers – interpersonal sensitivity and accountability. In other words, employees believe they deserve to be treated politely and respectfully (regardless of the circumstances) and they expect truthful explanations for actions and decisions that that affect them personally.
There are some good psychological reasons why our employees want to be treated this way. For example, research has consistently shown that people who are treated with dignity emerge from experiences – even painful or negative ones – with a sense that they have been treated fairly. And being treated fairly helps us not take the negative outcome quite so personally; when we're disciplined for something we've done, we can handle it. When we're treated like a bad or insignificant person, it's a different ball game.
Jurors apparently agree. In my experience, jurors in employment lawsuits are much more motivated to punish an employer whom they believe has been rude or insensitive during a tough time they are to reward a plaintiff whom they like or feel sorry for. In fact, jurors don't even have to like, respect, or empathize with a plaintiff if they feel indignant about how an employer handled a termination, layoff or discipline decision.
The good news is that the employer (and, in particular, the immediate supervisor) who treats employees fairly throughout the employment process has a great advantage not only in terms of reducing the likelihood of employees filing claims, but in defending the ones that are filed.
While no one is happy about being terminated, it's the way it's handled that most often gets the litigation ball rolling. Employees who are fired without warning, who are, without cause, marched out the door by security, or who learn about it through a nasty email are employees with an axe to grind. And there are plenty of lawyers to help them grind it. "It's not FAIR" is the battle cry of the legal war zone.
Of course, not all mistreatment is intentional. Few managers are trained in how to communicate around discipline and termination and, as a result of their own discomfort, may come across as emotionally uncaring or cold (or take the chicken's way out and communicate it from a distance). Let's hope employers wise up to the fact that a manager who doesn't know how to deliver bad news – a skill that can be easily learned – can be as detrimental to the workplace as one who makes bad decisions.
There I was, stuck on the horns of a dilemma. To be honest, I'd never felt completely comfortable misleading my son, yet it was wonderful to see him hugging the man-disguised-as-the-Easter-bunny at egg hunts and to strategize about ways to catch him delivering the basket. I loved revisiting how magical the world appeared when I thought the Easter bunny was real. So, until now, I'd justified trading a little deception for some short-lived magic.
If coming clean about the Easter bunny can cause a grown woman to break into a sweat, imagine the anxiety managers often feel about discussing poor performance. Let's face it; sometimes it's hard to tell the truth, especially when it's negative and most especially when you actually like the person you need to give negative feedback to. This is one reason why incompetent or ill-equipped employees don't get fired.
Part of the problem is that some managers believe they have two options; a) ignore the problem and spare the employee's feelings (and their own), or b) devastate the employee (and stress themselves out) by lowering the boom. Few of us want to hurt the feelings of people we like, which is why option A is so seductive.
Communicating your genuine liking for the employee is a great way to assure the employee that both of you are on the same team and still get the reality of his/her performance across. And, should the employee fail to improve, it's less likely that s/he will take a termination personally.
She was silent for a minute and then, looking at me squarely in the eyes, said, "Yes, I do. I kind of know already, mom; I just want to hear it from you." So, I fessed up, feeling a little sad and a little relieved. And, she looked just as I'd imagined she would – a little sad and a little older.
Telling the truth can be difficult but it does have its rewards. Ideally, the primary objective of a performance improvement / disciplinary conversation is to gain the employee's agreement to change behavior and return to fully acceptable performance. Just as telling your child a difficult truth helps build a foundation of trust and credibility. Even when the parent isn't ready to let the Easter Bunny go.


text:
A very fast and simple javascript plugin to help you create a dynamic cascading grid.

[Click Here](http://heyadem.github.io/stackgrid/) for a demo.

## Getting started

First, include _stackgrid.adem.js_ in your project.

```html
<!-- Example HTML -->
<div id="grid-container">
  <div class="grid-item">...</div>
  <div class="grid-item">...</div>
  <div class="grid-item">...</div>
</div>

<!-- Scripts -->
<script src="js/stackgrid.adem.js"></script>
```

### Minimum CSS requirements

```css
#grid-container {
  position: relative;
}

.grid-item {
  position: absolute;
}

.grid-item img {
  width: 100%;
}
```

Make sure all the contents inside are fully loaded before initializing stackgrid.
This is to make sure stackgrid calculates the right height before plotting.

```javascript
var stackgrid = new Stackgrid;

// Configurate your stackgrid options here.
stackgrid.config.column_width = 240;

// One way to make sure everything is loaded is
// to wrap the initializer inside window onload.
window.onload = function() {

  // The initializer takes in two arguements:
  // the grid container selector, and the grid items selector
  stackgrid.initialize('#grid-container', '.grid-item');

};
```

## Config

The values shown here are the default values.

```javascript
stackgrid.config.columnWidth = 320;
stackgrid.config.gutter = 20;
stackgrid.config.isFluid = false;

// Currently there are two layout options: "ordinal", and "optimized"
stackgrid.config.layout = "optimized";
stackgrid.config.numberOfColumns = 4;
stackgrid.config.resizeDebounceDelay = 350;

// This method allows you to modify how each item is moved or animated.
stackgrid.config.moveItem: function(item, left, top, callback) {
  item.style.left = left + "px";
  item.style.top = top + "px";
  callback();
}

// This one allows you to modify how the container scales.
stackgrid.config.scaleContainer: function(container, width, height, callback) {
  container.style.width = width + "px";
  container.style.height = height + "px";
  // The callback function is important!
  callback();
}
```

## Reset and restack

If you change any of the configurations after the grid is initialized,
you will have to call the _restack_ method.

```javascript
stackgrid.config.layout = 'ordinal';
stackgrid.restack();
```

This won't work if you change something that affects the size of the grid item.
for that you will have to use the _reset_ method.

```javascript
stackgrid.config.columnWidth = 220;
stackgrid.reset();
```

You will also need to use the reset method if you add or remove a grid item.

## Append

Alternatively you can use the _append_ method to add new grid-item.
This way stackgrid will append it without having to restack the whole grid.

```javascript
// Get container.
var gridContainer = document.getElementById("grid-container");

// Create a new grid-item.
var gridItem = document.createElement("div");
gridItem.setAttribute("class", "grid-item");
gridItem.innerHTML = "blah blah";

// Append the new grid-item into container.
gridContainer.appendChild(gridItem);

// Append it to stackgrid.
stackgrid.append(gridItem);
```

That's it!

## License

Stackgrid is licensed under the MIT license - http://opensource.org/licenses/MIT

Copyright (C) 2015 Andrew Prasetya

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


---Item has been professionally tested and inspected to function properly. The device has been reset to the factory default condition and is ready for use. ---This tablet is used and has some barely visible scratches on the screen and some minor scuffs on the back. ---Overall condition is good. Great working condition. ---It comes just by itself without the original box and additional accessories. ---Included: Acer Iconia One 10 B3-A30 32GB Tablet. ---Not Included: Original box, charger, and any additional accessories that originally come along with the tablet.
Z2760 (1.80 GHz). 64GB internal storage. High-brightness (350-nit), Acer CrystalBrite LED-backlit TFT LCD with integrated 5-point multitouch screen, supporting finger touch and image auto rotation (16:9 aspect ratio).
Processor Type: Cortex A35. ICONIA B3-A40-K5S2 Tablet. Display Screen Type: Active Matrix TFT Color LCD. Form Factor: Slate. Battery Chemistry: Lithium Ion (Li-Ion). TV Card: No. AC Adapter. Wireless LAN Model: MT6630.
SHOWS LIGHT SIGNS OF USE. ITEM WORKS PERFECTLY. It would be very much appreciated.
You are purchasing Qty 1 Tablet per "Buy it Now". Back silver screen has light scratches on it. We're easy to work, with just ask. Communication is key. Closed on weekends. Auctiva Free Image Hosting.
Acer Iconia Tab 8 Wi-Fi in good fully functional working order. • This tablet has been tested and is working good. -You must have wi-fi service to access the internet with the tablet. -This tablet has a screen protector.
Iconia One 7 B1-7A0-K78B Tablet. Form Factor: Slate. TV Card: No. Check-Out Now! AC Adapter. Wireless LAN Standard: IEEE 802.11b/g/n. Weight (Approximate): 9.52 oz. Depth: 7.4".
Acer Iconia W510 10.1" Touchscreen 32GB Tablet with keyboard and case. Condition is Used. Shipped with USPS Priority Mail.
Acer Iconia B3-A40 10.1" 1920x1200 display, Android 7.0, MT8167 1.5GHz System on Chip, 2GB RAM, 32GB eMMC Storage. 10.1" Android 32GB. UPC Number: 191114535257.
Model Acer Iconia One 7. Type Tablet. Manufacturer Color Black. Resolution 1280 x 720.
Acer Iconia One B1-7A0-K92M 7" Cortex A35 MT8167B 1GB RAM Android Tablet. OPEN BUT NEVER USED.
Acer Iconia One 10 B3-A40-K7JP 32 GB, Wi-Fi, 10.1 inch - White (Cortex A53. Condition is Used. Shipped with USPS Priority Mail.
Model: Iconia A1-810. This tablet is running android Jellybean 4.2.X and cannot be upgraded. Condition: This tablet is used, has been tested and is fully functional. GRADE A, This tablet may have one or two minor scratches on the screen that aren't noticeable with the display on.
With the Iconia One 7, life is bright. Brighter videos inspire creativity. Wireless LAN: Acer Nplify 802.11b/g/n. Battery Information. Battery Capacity 3700 mAh. Display Screen Type Active Matrix TFT Color LCD.
Works great, just wanted a windows 10 tablet, so I don't need this one.
Very Briefly Used! ACER ICONIA ONE 7 TABLET B1-730, 16 GB Wi-Fi in ORIGINAL BOX!
Briefly Used ACER ICONIA ONE 7 TABLET B1-730, 16 GB Wi-Fi in Box LEATHER CASE! Get a Grip & More. Weighs 1 lb.
Tablet is previously owned. Physical condition shows light wear from previous use, nothing that should affect the proper use of the tablet. Tested, reset and functional. What's Included?. What is the history of the item?.
Family Line Iconia. Storage Capacity 32GB. Touch Screen Technology Multi-Touch. Width 7.48in (19 cm). Exterior Color Black. Processor Manufacturer AMD. Height 10.83in (27.51 cm). Wireless capabilities WLAN 802.11b, WLAN 802.11g, WLAN 802.11n.
For Sale Acer Iconia Tab 8 A1-840 16GB, Wi-Fi, 8in - White. Acer Iconia Tab 8 A1-840. 16GB, Wi-Fi, 8in - White. Tested,Good Working Conditions.
Acer Iconia A1-830. Android 4.2.2. 1 x microSD SloW. Credit Cards.
Acer - Iconia One - 8 Tablet - 16GB - Wi-Fi - White. Make: Acer. Check with the manufacturer for more warranty information.
ICONIA B3-A40-K5S2 Tablet 10.1-in 2GB 32GB Android 7.0 Nougat 10.1in. Acer Iconia B3-A40 10.1" Android Tablet. Product Family: ICONIA B. Product Line: ICONIA. Manufacturer: Acer. Form Factor: Slate. Product Type: Tablet.
Acer Iconia One 8" Android Tablet 16GB B1-850 A6001 & Power Adapter. Condition is Used. Shipped with USPS Priority Mail.
---PLEASE KEEP IN MIND THAT THIS ITEM IS USED AND MAY HAVE SCUFFS AND SCRATCHES *SEE PICTURES* ---You will be getting an Acer Iconia One 8 B1-850 16GB Tablet. ---This phone 2 tiny scratches on the screen that don't interfere with tablet's usage. Other than that in perfect condition. ---Cosmetic condition: 8/10 ---Included: Acer Iconia One 8 B1-850 16GB ---Not Included: Original box, charger, manual, and any additional accessories that may come along with the tablet.
Included Wacom EMR (electro-magnetic resonance) stylus for natural writing and drawing. UPC Number: 191114676356.
Acer Iconia B1-710-L846 7 in HD Android Tablet w 8GB. Wireless LAN: Acer Nplify 802.11b/g/n. Color: Oceanic Blue. microSD Card. Green Compliance Certificate/Authority RoHS. Height 7.8". Physical Characteristics.


For less than one week in the summer of 2011, London blazed with riots, which sprawled throughout the capital and the nation. Police had shot dead Mark Duggan, an unarmed 29-year-old, in Tottenham, which prompted an eruption of property damage (an estimated $3.5 million worth), arson, and looting. Tabloid ink ran sticky with panic and racist, classist allusions to roaming packs of hooligans. The police cracked down hard: five days of chaos produced 3,100 arrests. The courts followed suit: a student was jailed for six months simply for looting bottles of water worth around $5 from a grocery chain.
And then there were the brooms. In the wake of the unrest, hundreds of well-meaning British civilians took to the streets, armed with brooms, to voluntarily sweep away the debris of the preceding rage-filled days. Keep calm and carry on. In-depth studies found structural racism, classism, and habitual police brutality to be among driving forces of the riotous rupture. But at the time a pernicious narrative insidiously emerged, pitting "criminal," "violent" rioters against the upstanding broom brigade who swept away the mess.
British Prime Minister David Cameron called the riots "criminality, pure and simple." There was nothing pure nor simple about the events of that August week. But wrongheaded politicians are not alone in seeking to reduce messy and complex events like mass riots into the "pure and simple" categories of "criminality" and order, violence and peace, goodies and baddies. All too often, rioting and looting get dismissed as the senseless counterpoints to peaceful protest.
We are seeing a similar line play out this week around the events in Ferguson, Missouri, where police shot dead a reportedly unarmed, black 18-year-old, Michael Brown. His body lay in the street for four hours before being removed. Police claim the teen tried to attack an officer in his car and grab his gun. Eyewitnesses countered this narrative, reporting that Brown was surrendering, hands in the air, when he was shot. Following a public vigil for Brown on Sunday, the St. Louis suburb was hit by rioting, looting, and confrontations with cops in riot gear. Confrontations with police and property destruction continued on Monday night.
In this instance, an interesting version of the "good protester"/"bad protester" fable is framing events. A number of reports suggest that the peaceful demonstration escalated into violence when police arrived in riot gear, aggressed demonstrators, and shot tear gas and "bean bag" rounds at gathered crowds — and, as photos attest, Ferguson is now a militarized police zone: cop cars guard the town's entrance; a journalist on the scene relayed to me that the media have been denied access to much of the area, wrapped as it is in police lines.
The fight for justice is a fight against the NYPD. Read more here.
At face value, this version of events blames police intervention in Sunday's vigil for a shift from peace to violence. This is an important recognition of the cops as violent instigators; not for the first time are we watching how excessively forceful policing stokes rightful rage in a crowd. But a misleading framework is established by a narrative that sees a peaceful situation made violent by police aggression. Condemning the police here (which we must, whole-heartedly) should not come at the cost of dismissing these riots as merely an angry reaction to an isolated incident. The predominantly young, predominantly black people of Ferguson who took to the streets and stores had ample cause to riot beyond one night of confrontation with militarized cops.
There's no mistake in blaming police for provoking more rage in Ferguson following Brown's death. But rather the error lies in asserting that a peaceful situation existed in the first place. Sunday night's rally may have begun calmly, but a context in which yet another young, unarmed black teen has been shot dead by police, and riot cops stand stationed to shutdown even a shadow of dissent, is not a context of peace. State violence prevails and sits heavily over Ferguson this week. Mourning residents have limited options: endure this savage status quo with quiet resignation, or, acknowledging that there is already a state of violence, they can fight back.
After Eric Garner's death, cops still won't do the right thing. Read more here.
To be sure, I am not lionizing all rioters. I will happily designate the cops as the villains in this scenario, and every scenario in which armed forces kill with impunity and use authority to harass, racially profile, and oppress. But that does not entail an unmitigated allegiance with every rioter, arsonist, or looter. My point, rather, is that I do not think this sort of disruptive activity should be demonized outright. Of course, riots can be racist, riots can be homophobic — they are not essentially one thing or another.
In a poor St. Louis suburb, where nearly a quarter of residents live below the poverty level, destruction is not so easily swept away. Michael Brown's parents have publicly called on residents to be peaceful. "Michael wouldn't have wanted violence," they implored. But even with this in mind, I don't decry the property destruction, the confrontation with cops (allegedly rocks were lobbed at officers), and I don't condemn the looting.
My opinions, of course, have zero material relevance to the people of Ferguson, I'm not there and cannot — would not — speak for them. But as I noted above, to urge that citizens remain "peaceful" all-too-wishfully asks for a peace that does not exist. Does it worsen such a situation to riot, loot, to be unruly and threatening? Black unarmed kids get shot dead and killer cops keep their jobs; it's already the worst.
Pacifists warn that violence begets violence, and maybe so, but police violence is profligate and ongoing regardless. As such, I find little problem (indeed, little violence) in inflicting smashes and burns on inanimate property in these blood boiling circumstances, especially when it is the property of cops and consumer capital. I personally am not burdened by criticisms that such riotous behavior does not achieve desired goals for peace. I haven't seen politicking, appeals to justice, nor ordered, permitted street marches achieve much in ending state-sanctioned brutality.
Police treatment of young black and brown men around the country has illustrated that living peacefully is not an option; a man can be choked to death by cops for allegedly selling single cigarettes on a street corner. If broken windows and smashed up police cars serve even as mere emblems that the status quo is already violent, that a shiny patina cannot hold, then such criminal acts are worthwhile for that reason alone. Property damage seems a most minimal manifestation of rage appropriate in response to a killing like Brown's, and a world in which such killings are possible and not-unique.
Commentary on riots, especially when carried out by young, black and poor people, often becomes hyper-critical of the various targets of damage. There is marginally more sympathy for the act of smashing a Walmart window than a local mom-and-pop set up. Certainly, I'd rather see a retail giant, famed for workers abuses, be smashed and burned than I would a small, local business. But above that, I privilege the political force of a riot over the preservation of shop windows. Collective fury, inscribed onto urban terrain in broken glass and fire, can be an assertion of presence and power in the face of authorities, which would rather these young people remain invisible, silenced, imprisoned, or dead. The disruption and destruction says it all, and needs little accounting for in this instance. Revolutionary theorist Frantz Fanon put it well: "When we revolt it's not for a particular culture. We revolt simply because we can no longer breathe."
Looting was a focus of coverage during the London riots, as well as during the 1992 Los Angeles riots following Rodney King's brutal beating by police, and during the brief but intense unrest in Brooklyn's East Flatbush after cops shot dead 16-year-old Kimani Gray last year. It adds a complicated layer to questions about the ethics of rioting. It would be simple to demonize looters here in order to preserve some sort of ideological purity for those vandals, destroying in righteous anger alone. But I'll leave it to David Cameron to deem things "pure and simple."
Renisha McBride's death and who gets to be a perceived threat. Read more here.
Arguments that looters distract focus from rage at killer cops may be valid. I would hope, however, that concern for people over property would see concern about looting pale in comparison to anger at police violence. Looting is consistently decried as opportunistic, but I'm not sure opportunism is always such a bad thing, especially for individuals and communities for whom opportunity rarely comes knocking.
On Monday night, a QuickTrip convenience store in Ferguson was gutted by fire after being looted. DeAndre Smith, a 30-year-old from Ferguson, told the St. Louis Post Dispatch what the destruction meant to him. "This is exactly what's supposed to happen when an injustice is happening in your community. when you have kids getting killed for nothing... I don't think it's over. I think they just got a taste of what fighting back means," he said.
No one can predict how long the rioting and police crackdowns will continue in Ferguson. U.S. municipal police forces have some talent for foreclosing long-term, street-based dissent. The boxy cityscapes of suburban America, with wide roads and flat expanses, as well as our sharply gridded metropolis lend themselves to control by law enforcement. In Athens, Greece, by contrast, winding alleys and tight webs of intersection, the very shape of the city and the layout of its neighborhoods provides a helpful terrain for continued unrest. Urban sprawl leaves U.S. towns like Ferguson in relative isolation, easily occupied and surrounded by police; the 1992 LA riots also played out in residential, migrant neighborhoods some distance from the city center — they were quelled in six days.
It is likely that Ferguson won't look like a war zone for very long. The LA Times' Matt Pearce, reporting from Missouri, told me that he had heard a rumor that demonstrators were considering taking up guns and the legacy of the Black Panthers is reportedly resonant in the beleaguered town (New Black Panther members are joining the Ferguson fight, reports have alleged.) But that does not mean that peace will be restored. There is no peace there, nor anywhere where deaths like Brown's are even possible.
We can continue to watch Al Sharpton speechify in front of weeping families, we could walk in somber marches, holding signs, we can wait for the next unarmed black kid to die by police bullet. We can fake the peace, but we should not be so blind to think that the "war zone" of police violence stops at the patrolled edges of Ferguson. I repeat here the words of late philosopher Bernard Williams, who noted that "to say peace when there is no peace is to say nothing." In Ferguson, with broken glass and fire, something is being said.


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text:
University of South Florida Textbooks > A History of Architecture
A History of Architecture 2th edition
Authors:Spiro Kostof, Gregory Castillo, Greg Castillo, Richard Tobias
A History of Architecture Description
A History of Architecture 2 Edition When the late Spiro Kostof's A History of Architecture appeared in 1985, it was universally hailed as a masterpiece--one of the finest books on architecture ever written. Now, updated and expanded, this classic reference continues to bring to readers the full array of civilization's architectural achievements. Insightful, engagingly written and graced with close to a thousand superb illustrations, the Second Edition of this extraordinary volume offers a sweeping narrative that examines architecture as it reflects the social, economic, and technological aspects of human history. The scope of the book is astonishing. Kostof examines a surprisingly wide variety of man-made structures: prehistoric huts and the TVA, the pyramids of Giza and the Rome railway station, the ziggurat and the department store. Kostof considered every building worthy of attention, every structure a potential source of insight, whether it be prehistoric hunting camps at Terra Amata, or the caves at Lascaux with their magnificent paintings, or a twenty-story hotel on the Las Vegas Strip.


text:
Robert Todd Carroll
about the newsletter
SkepDic.com
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Skeptic's Dictionary Newsletter
Issue # 9
Subscribers 1,087
To unsubscribe e-mail quit@skepdic.com
(Past issues posted at http://skepdic.com/news/)
1) A new book
2) New or revised entries
3) Movie review: "Signs"
4) Responses to selected feedback
5) News
I'm working on a new book, and you can help. First, let me describe briefly--very briefly--what I propose to do, and why.
Of all the criticisms I have received over the past eight years, two recur more frequently than others. One type of critic tells me I'm right about everything except (fill in the blank with the writer's pet belief). This critic often begins as a fan, who has written something like:
You are undoubtedly one of the finest writers that I have ever had the pleasure of reading, combining rapier wit with compelling content, and, most importantly, putting a rather more realistic slant on the charlatans, buffoons, and frauds out there.
You are an inspiration. Keep up the absolutely sterling work.
Then I gore one of the fan's oxen and am relegated to the ash heap of burned-out and biased dunces.
The other type of critic chides, chastises, admonishes, reproaches, rebukes, and otherwise expresses serious disapproval of The Skeptic's Dictionary (SD) for its one-sidedness. (I explain why the SD is biased toward skepticism in the Introduction.) The new book will be a response to the second type of critic. The working title is Reasons for Beliefs. I propose to examine the strongest evidence and arguments provided by believers in such things as spirits, paranormal forces, energies that heal, etc., and contrast it with the evidence and arguments of skeptics. My goal will be to expose the fallacies, sophistries, and epistemological errors in the arguments of both sides, and to identify, wherever possible, those cases where the preponderance of evidence favors one side rather than the other. (I promise I will not simply reissue recycled materials and will probably end up offending as many skeptics as believers.)
Part of my research involves identifying major colleges and universities that have institutes or programs that focus on such things as "postmortem existence" (The University of Virginia), paranormal research (The Pennsylvania State University Paranormal Research Society), or both (The University of Arizona Human Energy Systems Lab and The Bigelow Chair of Consciousness Studies at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas). I'm also interested in university presses that publish such materials (University of Virginia Press and The University Press of Kentucky). If you know of other universities or university presses that are doing this type of research or publishing, I would appreciate hearing from you.
There are lists of college and university courses devoted to debunking spirit or paranormal claims at CSICOP's Young Skeptics Site and at Michael Shermer's Skeptic.com site (click on the "More" button under How to Create a Course in Skepticism). If you know of other such courses, I would also like to hear from you.
Finally, there are so many medical schools offering courses, programs, seminars, conferences, etc. on "complementary" or "integrative" medicine, that I don't require your assistance in identifying them at this time.
Thanks in advance to any of you who will help me in this matter.
2) New or revised entries in The Skeptic's Dictionary & Skeptic's Refuge
Since the last newsletter, I've
added a link in the Satan page to Ole Wolf's study of the Church of Satan,
added a link in the Satanic Ritual Abuse page to A. O. Lap's Satanic Media Watch and News Exchange (SMWNE), a comprehensive page on this issue,
added links on the Dianetics page to An Experimental Investigation of Hubbard's Engram Hypothesis (Dianetics) by Jack Fox, Alvin E. Davis, and B. Lebovit, and to Scientology Lies,
added a link on the crop circle page to the new CSICOP page on the subject,
added a link on the polygraph page to an article in the Washington Post that is critical of the polygraph and other "lie detectors."
I don't usually review movies, but M. Night Shyamalan and his movie "Signs" have aroused much more ire and praise than they deserve. I found the movie to be hilarious, but not one of the great comedies of all time. I certainly wouldn't bother seeing it again. But I got many good laughs, and I left the theater feeling I'd been well entertained.
Since the movie has been out for several weeks, I doubt if I am spoiling it for anyone by going into detail about certain features of the film. I'll begin by mentioning a couple of the things that made me laugh. First, the movie opens with music from an old Alfred Hitchcock film, the kind that reminds you of fingernails sliding down the blackboard while somebody skates over broken glass. One of the funniest scenes is the one where Mel Gibson (Graham Hess), Joaquin Phoenix (Merrill Hess, Graham's brother), Rory Culkin (Morgan Hess, Graham's son), and Abby Breslin (Bo Hess, Graham's daughter), make contact with the evil aliens who are about to invade the planet. They intercept the alien's telecommunication on a baby monitor. Even more hilarious was the scene where Merrill explains his understanding of what it means for everything to have a purpose. He was about to kiss some girl, he tells his brother, when he realized he was chewing gum. He turned away to take out his gum, and when he returned for the kiss, the girl had thrown up all over herself. He now understood what it meant to believe there are no coincidences. He had been saved from a face full of vomit. (For those who like logic, one of Shyamalan's premises is the false dilemma that either everything has a reason or everything is random. The truth is that even so-called random variations in evolution happen for various reasons.)
Some other laughs include a moronic recruiting officer for the U.S. Army who thinks the aliens are making crop circles as part of a reconnaissance mission, and the alien "army" itself which consists of some dimwitted creatures that look like swamp monsters. These alien soldiers can't figure out how to get out of a locked room, or into a boarded-up house. The only weapon they carry is poison gas they can expel from their fingertips. This lack of weapons might seem like a good thing to some people, given all the violence in most movies these days. But this is definitely not a film you should take the kids to, unless you want them to be afraid for the rest of their lives. It'll scare the hell out of them, and they'll worry about the end of the world every time they hear some nitwit claim that the latest terrorist attack or foreign invasion is a sign, predicted in the Book of Revelation or by Nostradamus. Anyway, there is some violence. An alien gets a couple of finger parts chopped off, and Merrill uses his baseball bat to pummel an alien to death. But there are no long scenes with space ships firing on earth, or with buildings and people being blown to bits. More surprising, however, is that none of the farmers in rural Pennsylvania--where this fiasco takes place--seem to own so much as a BB gun. Shyamalan seems to like to imitate (plagiarize?) other film makers, so I wonder why he didn't duplicate the scene from "Raiders of the Lost Ark" where Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford), armed with a whip, faces a foe armed with a scimitar. Indiana pulls out his pistol and shoots his opponent.
Many skeptics have criticized "Signs," saying that Shyamalan is exploiting the public's gullibility regarding crop circles and aliens. I don't think so. The crop circles and aliens are just props that frame the central theme, which is what John Hick calls "soul-making," and what many theologians refer to as a crisis of faith. Graham used to be a Protestant priest, but he lost his faith because his wife was killed when Ray (played by Shyamalan) fell asleep at the wheel, hit her with his two-thousand pound vehicle as she walked along the side of the road, and pinned her against a tree, nearly cutting her in half. Anyone who has read the book of Job will find Graham to be of little interest as a character. He's a dim bulb surrounded by night lights. He is proof that not all still waters run deep. This man is as shallow as a puddle after a heavy fog. He regains his faith when his son, who has asthma, doesn't die from an alien's poison gas because his lungs were closed due to his illness. This restores Graham's faith in his God, the same God whose plan includes sending the dumbest aliens in the universe to scare the hell out of earthlings, killing a few unlucky creatures who don't have asthma in the process. One good deed and all is forgiven. Graham puts on his black suit and white collar once again, ready to inspire his congregation to.....to what? One can only guess, but it is difficult to imagine him doing much more than passing on mundane drivel to an appreciative congregation.
The crop circles turn out to be navigation guides for the invading alien force. When thousands of them occur nearly simultaneously around the world, it becomes obvious that they are not likely part of a global hoax. They're used by Shyamalan to scare people, as are the aliens themselves. There is no attempt to explore, in any meaningful way, either crop circles or aliens.
I suppose the "deep" message of the film is that even if all crop circles made so far are the work of hoaxers, that doesn't prove that they can't occur as the work of aliens who might use them for navigation. And, just because it might seem that your wife died a senseless death doesn't prove that it really was senseless. (As Graham's wife is dying, she tells him to see and to tell Merrill to swing away. Graham first thinks these messages are the result of random firings in a dying brain, but later he connects them to his life near the end of the movie and sees their significance.)
In the end, the aliens retreat and go away. Their swamp men with single digit IQs were no match for the clever folks on earth, especially when earthlings discovered that water is lethal to the invaders. Why creatures intelligent enough to figure out how to get here, and who seem so skilled at reconnaissance, would choose a planet to invade whose surface is 70% water (poison to them), would be a great mystery if this weren't a Hollywood film. If the aliens came from another solar system, they would have overcome some obstacles a bit more trying than getting out of a locked room or getting into a boarded-up house. Outside our solar system, the nearest star is Alpha Centauri, which is about 4 light-years, or 24 trillion miles, away. Traveling at one million miles an hour, it would take more than 2,500 years to get here. To get here in twenty-five years would require traveling at more than 100 million miles an hour for the entire trip.* Our fastest spacecraft, Voyager, travels at about 40,000 miles an hour and would take about 70,000 years to get to Alpha Centauri.*
A number of critics have called Shyamalan the next Steven Spielberg, but I can't figure out why. Maybe it's because he has a knack for getting publicity and making profitable movies. It certainly can't be because they think Shyamalan has even a glimmer of Spielberg's originality. Although Spielberg's "Minority Report," a much better film than "Signs," was pretty shallow, too. Not only did "Minority Report" have a dumb (and-they-all-lived-happily-ever-after-because-most-paying-customers-like-it-that-way) ending, it failed to explore the issue of clairvoyance in any significant way. (For those who haven't seen "Minority Report," it concerns the use of clairvoyants, called "precogs" for their precognitive gift, a fortuitous consequence of their mothers being drug addicts while pregnant with them. They are drugged by the police and kept alive in a tank, where they are hooked up to monitors that allow detectives such as John Anderton (Tom Cruise) to detect crimes before they happen, and arrest pre-criminals and put them away before they commit their crimes.)
In conclusion, I don't think Shyamalan exploits the crop circle craze so much as he exploits the widespread fear that we are living in the end times. Just how frightened many people are became apparent to me after 9/11. Before 9/11, The Skeptic's Dictionary was getting just under 500,000 hits a week (including hits on graphics files). The week of 9/11, we got nearly 4 million hits a day, most of them on the Nostradamus page. (These days we average over 120,000 hits per week on html files.)
The letter below exemplifies my point about fear of the end times.
This may sound silly to you, but it is very serious to me. I told my parents that I might need a psychologist, or something like that, after watching things like the Learning Channel's "Doomsday Special," (or something like that). Shown two years ago, it stated that some Native American guy claimed that his "spiritual guide" told him that the United States would flood between 2002 and 2004. Also on this series, it claimed there is some Peruvian legend that our tools shall take revenge on us on December 2012. The last one sounded kind of silly, but on the Internet, some guy claims to have traveled to that year, and to have seen utter destruction.
Yes, you can tell me that I am some delusional loser, and I know that any of these events are highly unlikely, but there is always a "chance" that this might happen. Where do they come up with this stuff anyway? In my opinion, they should ban these things from television - forget "freedom of speech" - because young people, like I was at the time - 12-years old, might become seriously worried. This is an age when hormones do strange things to the brain, and I still worry if this were to happen. Why 2012? Why so close? I want to live a life! I want to get married. I couldn't care less if there were an afterlife - I want to DO GOOD WITH MY LIFE! I don't want to die at some assigned date.
My only comment is that it's too bad there isn't a Hell for people who harm children or fill them with fear.
Brent J. Murphy alerted me to Akashic University (AU), a virtual university that offers courses in such things as remote viewing, intuition, intuitive medicine, workouts for the soul, and astrology. In case you're interested, AU gives no college credit or grades for classes, and keeps no transcripts.
I wonder why, if remote viewing is real, the psychics who claim to have this power haven't located Bin Laden or his body. Nor have they located Jennifer Renee Short, the 9-year-old girl whose parents were murdered last week in Virginia. If this power were real, kidnappers wouldn't stand a chance.
Intuitive healers make some incredible claims. Below are some examples taken from the SD entry on intuitives:
Some, like Rachel Kohler, claim that their abilities allow them to make accurate diagnoses over the telephone. Some, like Linda Salvin, prefer the radio or the Internet, for their healings.
Some, like Judith Orloff, claim they can diagnose mental illness intuitively. She calls her ability "second sight" and has written some books about it.
Some intuitives call their work "science" and name their chicanery after themselves, such as the Barbara Brennan Healing Science. Barbara claims she can do Astral Healing, psychic surgery on your aura.
Some, like Dr. Carolyn Myss (she has a doctorate from Greenwich University in Intuition and Energy Medicine), have abandoned healing for less dangerous and more lucrative endeavors like giving lectures and workshops, and writing books. (Her web site says she's booked for the next two years.)
My intuition tells me that Akashic University has found a lucrative niche in the occult market.
Dan from Australia writes regarding the maker of the magical pendant discussed in the last newsletter:
"Harmonic Products" may well be the Australian outfit that makes a number of magic-aluminum objects, including the "EMPower Modulator." I reviewed the Modulator a little while ago.
His review is worth the read, if you're interested in pseudoscientific panaceas and how they're marketed to a gullible public and press.
On August 6th, I was interviewed by Perry DeAngelis of the New England Journal of Skepticism. The interview should be in their fall newsletter.
On August 15th, I was interviewed by Rainer Kayser for an article he is doing on conspiracy theories for a newspaper in Germany.
Jon Henrik Gilhuus notified me that the town council in Telluride, Colorado, has hired a shaman in a desperate effort to improve relations among its members. The shaman, being a wise man, found that the council chamber was full of negative energy. He then held a "smudging ceremony," which included the burning of imported menthol to get rid of the negativity. Kool.
Rob Beeston of SkepticWeb.com has a new Web site called DangerousIdeas.net. The site is devoted to answering a question often asked of skeptics: What's the harm? (in believing--fill in the blank with some paranormal, occult, superstitious, or pseudoscientific notion). Rob proposes to collect stories that show how such beliefs have led directly to not only loss of money, but to loss of lives as well.
David Martin sent us a link to a story about an alleged psychic who claims that a Pennsylvania law that makes fortunetelling a third-degree misdemeanor doesn't apply to him because he's a real psychic. The law, he says, only applies to fakes. The law does say that it is an offense to pretend to tell fortunes or predict future events. The alleged psychic says he's innocent because he wasn't pretending. Furthermore, he has many witnesses who will attest to his psychic powers. He's been in the business for fifteen years and has built up a small following, including a local constable. The arresting officer, who went undercover to catch his prey, wasn't impressed with his reading. "That's because he had his mind made up that I was a fraud," said the alleged psychic. "What qualifications does the police officer have to determine whether I'm a true psychic?" Let Judge Judy decide.
Corrections: Greg Griffeth noted that in the last newsletter I confused 'capital' and 'capitol.' (That's what I get for adding things after my editor, John Renish (whom I thank again and again), has made his corrections. For those who are interested, I quote the following from an excellent Web resource, Garbyl's Writing Center:
capital, capitol Frequently confused or misspelled. Capital is a city, the seat of government. Do not capitalize: Olympia is the capital of Washington. Capital city is redundant. Capital also refers to money. Capitol is the building in which the U.S. Congress or the state Legislature meets. Capitalize U.S. Capitol and the Capitol when referring to the building in Washington, D.C., and do the same when referring to state capitols: The Washington Capitol is in Olympia. Capitol building is redundant.
Of course, if I had enough capital, I wouldn't care about being redundant.
Feedback: If there is anything you would like to see added to the next newsletter, let me know. I make no promises except that I will consider all ideas. Write to feedback@skepdic.com
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