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Book Review: Scotland’s Hidden History (by Ian Armit) : BH

8/12/2001 • British Heritage Book Reviews, Reviews

Scotland’s Hidden History, by Ian Armit. Published by Tempus Publishing, Inc., an Imprint of Arcadia Publishers, 2 Cumberland Street, Charleston, South Carolina 29401, 888-313-2665 $29.99, hardcover. 160 pages.

When travellers to Britain think of prehistoric monuments, many undoubtedly see mental images of the Stonehenge and Avebury stone circles and mistakenly believe that southern England is the only place to go if you’re interested in exploring Britain’s Iron and Stone Age past. But when it comes to spectacular ancient monuments, no place in Britain can boast of a richer collection than Scotland.

In Scotland’s Hidden History, Ian Armit takes readers on a tour of 100 of these far northern sites. Interspersed with his easy-to-read narrative of Scotland’s prehistory, Armit describes locations nearly, but not quite, as famous as England’s great monuments, including Skara Brae, the Ring of Brodgar, Maes Howe and Callanish, but also many lesser-known tombs, domestic settlements, forts, farms, and towers.

Each of these sites represents a fascinating glimpse into the life of the prehistoric people who inhabited the land now known as Scotland. But in addition, Armit uses them to tell a story. He observes that these people and their descendants have lived in this land for as much as 10,000 years, but that conventional histories must ignore all but the last 1,000 or so of these due to the lack of written records. To fill this void, he uses his 100 selected archaeological sites as clues to the vast unrecorded history of Scotland.

The story that the physical remains tell us speaks of a population initially of hunters scratching out a day-to-day existence dominated by the need to track and kill wildlife for food, or to gather edible plants that grew wild.

By about 4000 BC Neolithic farmers began to cultivate the land, enabling the previously nomadic tribes to settle down. Whereas the hunter-gatherers of the earlier age left few traces, the farmers left behind a variety of structures that give insight into their mode of living. Armit includes the houses at Eilean Domhnuill and the tomb of Barpa Langass, among several other sites, to reconstruct the prevailing values and beliefs of the early farmers.

As populations continued to increase, conflicts between tribes became an ever more commonelement of life, and by the Iron Age, forts like those at The Chesters and Dreva Craig give ample evidence of the growing need for self-defense.

Later still, relics such as the Antonine Wall document Scotland’s transition from prehistoric obscurity into the age of recorded fact, completing a fascinating journey through 9,000 “dark” years.

Bruce Heydt

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The Passing of Blades

   It wasn’t Eadwine’s place to ask questions, an irony considering her line of work. She adjusted the hempen robes more tightly around herself as a soft breeze drifted through the marble hall, royal guards bowing with respect while still keeping a hand firmly on the hilt of their swords. When she was still young, Eadwine had considered it a sign of rudeness to hold such doubt after all she had done to achieve her position, but after seeing first-hand the level of destruction a true Shapeless could unleash, she found herself on-edge every time she stood near someone with a weapon. The door opened as she approached, an Elf with a somewhat downcast expression and three layers of dark furs over his noble robes stepping out into the hall. Revulus appeared to be alone, a surprise considering how inseparable he appeared to be from his mistress; Eadwine found herself wondering if there was something to this meeting, but hurriedly pushed such stray thoughts from her mind. Traitorous thoughts.
   “Lady Eadwine.” Revulus said as he bowed awkwardly, pausing midway to visibly overcompensate his show of respect. She found herself similarly uncertain how to reply, considering the Elf’s baseborn status despite holding such favour from the Lord Navigator herself. Still, the fact remained they were within Eadwine’s Court, which gave her enough standing to wave aside any social anxiety.
   “Revulus,” She replied curtly, settling with a stiff nod. “Out on your own I see.”
   The Elf glanced back with an uncomfortable expression; just what had he discussed with the Lord Inquisitor? “I am on an errand for my lady, she is currently indisposed with matters of Court.” He explained, hastily adding “Apologies lady, but I must be returning.” as he bustled past her. She watched him go, looking from behind like an overgrown displacer beast, hunching deep in his furs. Strange, the hall didn’t feel so cold to her, but considering his birth and dark skin, she assumed Revulus must have lived a childhood amongst his kin out in the Nesting Sea. As she turned back to the door, she almost knocked unconsciously, but held herself back just in time and pushed the oak double-doors open.
   Delaryn stood, hands clasped behind his back, regarding the intricately painted map of The Empire. She had once heard it described as his ‘only treasure’, and it was hard not to see why, it was as much a masterpiece that blended the arts of calligraphy, cartography, and watercolours, while also being enchanted to update itself with shifting boundaries, newly established cities, and other such changes. She walked up to his side and regarded the map, wondering what in particular had garnered his attention this time; often he liked to test her in this way, giving her a chance to guess at what was on his mind at any given time. She tried to see if any changes had occurred, perhaps a new city on the frontier or a development from the border skirmish between Baron Iliphel and Baroness Vessa, but nothing struck her as noteworthy.
   Delaryn suddenly interrupted her thoughts with a question. “Tell me Eadwine, what makes an empire strong?”
   Eadwine blinked, looking up at the towering Eladrin peering down at her. As always, he favoured her with a an almost fatherly smile, though his eyes betrayed no shred of warmth, the sharp grey irises like shards of ice flecked with dirt. Feeling uncomfortable at the gaze, she turned back to the map and considered the question.
“I suppose an empire’s strength is dependent on its people.” She replied after a brief period of silent contemplation.
   “An interesting idea,” Delaryn nodded, stroking his beard as he considered her answer. “Yet the people can also act as its weakness, can it not? The larger an empire grows, the more it must inevitably rely upon gathering disparate cultures. Consider the current Kenku revolutions, for example. Would we not be stronger if we had remained in the Feywild, a singular people under the Eladrin banner?”
   “You have a point there.” Eadwine conceded, biting back the counter-argument formulating in her head and bowing in deference to Delaryn. He walked over to the large table and poured a bottle of violet wine into two cups.
   “You’re close, a people are certainly an important factor to a strong empire,” Delaryn explained, returning to the map and handing her one of the cups. “However I believe it to be but one element of what is truly important.” He paused for dramatic effect, taking a sip of the wine and gazing at her with those horrible eyes of his.
   “Unity, my dear Eadwine. That is what differentiates an empire of strength and authority from the empire of chaos and squalor. It was easy before The Crossing, our singular identity acted as the force to unify us under a powerful kingdom. In some ways becoming an empire has crippled us, left us scrambling to return to those halcyon days of unity. In our grand history as a true empire, we have had but one period of true unity. Do you know what it is?” She felt his gaze upon her like hands roughly intruding upon her skin and repressed a shudder, shaking her head in the hope he would look away once more.
   “The great irony is that it was the Tieflings, our most hated foe, who truly unified us as an empire,” He explained, his eyes drifting back up to the map. “Hate is a powerful force, if you can use it wisely. Eladrin, Kenku, Human, even the ever-reclusive Dwarves, all unified against a single foe. The day the last bastion of the Tieflings fell was the last day I truly felt any modicum of pride for our empire. Another great irony, I suppose. In defeating the greatest threat to our might, we hastened our own stagnation. A stagnation I intend to overturn.”
   “You intend to declare war?” Eadwine whispered before she could stop herself, wincing at such a mistake. Fortunately Delaryn seemed too enthused by his own proselytization that he gave it no mind.
   “Oh yes, though not against the Tieflings,” He smirked, taking another sip of the wine. “No sense in rallying against such a tattered force, and it would undermine years of dutiful post-war propaganda. No, the enemy that will unify us once more is one that has sent far too long thumbing its nose at us. They hold the one who killed our prince, the symbol of our holdings in this land, and refuse to recognize that justice must be served.”
   Eadwine’s eyes went wide as she realized what he referred to. “The Free City? But why? Surely the risks involved…” Delaryn turned, the smile gone in an instant, and she knew she had gone too far. He took a slow draught of his wine, emptying the cup, and tossed it to the side, letting it shatter on the floor.
   “It is not your position to understand my methods, Eadwine,” He said, placing a hand on her shoulder; she could feel the force in the grip, knowing he could crush her shoulder if he but willed it. “You are a tool to further my plans, nothing more. Now go, tell The Drifter I have need of his skills once again.”
   He let go and smiled again, a smile that somehow filled her with more dread than his words. She allowed years of training to still the raging tempest in her heart, bowing deeply and exiting the room with all the decorum she could muster. It was only until she was far away from his room that she finally let go and allowed the tears to fall.
   Delaryn watched the sunset from his private terrace, basking in the radiant beauty of Thronerock’s many under-spires as they were cast in an orange hue. Sun, star, moon, earth. The four pillars of the empire he loved; it was impossible to mistake the vision as anything but a message from Corellon. No, not a message, a warning. The empire was in danger, the pillars under strain from so many enemies, some seen and others in the shadows. He would do Corellon proud, he would protect his empire. And if thousands had to die in the name of unity, so be it.

PrincessFuton PrincessFuton


Civilization is game based on the history of the world. You start off as a leader of a small neanderthal, nomad tribe which is looking for a place on this planet to start its first settlement. From here, you try to build an empire that can last through the ages. You have scientists that try to achieve new discoveries or new technology which you can then use. Your decisions on what the Scientists can research make very large changes between one possible future and another. Not only that, but you have to handle properly what ideas your tribe knows now. You start with only two types of people you can send out from your town or towns. You can send out Militia (cheap and fast to make, are pretty weak fighters, but still are your only chance at defense at the beginning of the game). You can also send out Settlers (these are pretty dynamic), which can do one of several things. The main 2 screens that you use the most are the Main Map screen and the Town screen. In the Main Map, you manipulate your units, look around your known part of the world, and control main game functions. In the Town screen, you control aspects of the town and choose what the town builds. Can also manipulate how the town farms, and how much food, water, fish, oil, diamonds, gems, and ore that the town brings in. Much food comes from ripe and irrigated lands, especially if those lands have Game in them. (Game means animals that can be hunted for food).

You usually will use troops to discover new parts of the world. At the beginning, you can only see a small square around your first group of settlers, but as you move around in the map, those black unknown squares become known territory. Beware, there are other civilizations out there trying to do the same thing. Gameplay changes as you discover more things, then makes a drastic change when you meet other civilizations. When you meet other civilizations, things come to war, peace, treaties, spies, Diplomats, stealing technology, encouraging other civilization’s cities to go under revolt, political chaos, restoring or making new order, and more. Messengers from one republic to another. While doing all that you did before and more. Soon, you have a magnificent empire  with all sorts of towns that you have to worry about; and the way the game leads you in the comfortable learning curve, you are surprised that you could probably remember specific things about all of the 50+ towns that you have. Technology goes with learning the alphabet, establishing writing, and building literacy which gives birth to messengers and diplomats. There are also the wheel, automotion, and mathematics… in which the first and the third would allow the use of catapults, because your men need mathematics to understand the true theory of projectile motion.

When you learn those, you can have catapult units attack other towns and such, but are easily taken out by decent ground troops. Some discoveries make others obsolete. The game goes on an on, getting more complex as it goes, even to the age of the space race Yes, for those of you who are into nuking people, they go as far as nuclear weapons and a bit past them. The music is as nice as it gets for this kind of game. It’s decent, but not earthshattering, but the music is very appropriate during the beginning and introduction sequences. You also have the main theme of your tribe or civilization play when certain special events happen to you. There is sound in the game, as you hear a digitized sword clashing sound when two units fight, or the sound of workmen and woodworkers when a new development is built in a city for example. The game also includes a full Civilization Encyclopedia, which tells you about all aspects of the game, aspects of the various technologies and things people can learn, often with picture illustrations (some which look quite nice with a gradient blue background) and comparisons to how this was achieved or what significance this had in Real Life Earth History. Civilization and especially the AGA version is one of the greatest simulation game releases for Commodore Amiga and worth downloading.

More news: Generation Amiga magazine


There has been a groundswell of effort by the U.S. Government to address growing cybersecurity risks in industry sectors from finance to energy. This first week of National Cyber Security Awareness Month has brought with it a continuation of the Government’s effort to provide cybersecurity guidance to industry.  This most recent effort is focused on the medical device arena with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Service’s (“HHS”) release of a guidance document entitled “Content of Premarket Submissions for Management of Cybersecurity in Medical Devices.

The goal of the HHS guidance document is to encourage medical device manufacturers to address cybersecurity issues early during design and development of the medical device.  With this in mind medical device manufactures can develop a set of controls to assure security and maintain functionality and safety of medical devices, to avoid potential risk of patient illness, injury or death.

The HHS guidance document has its foundation in the Framework for Improving Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity released earlier this year (previous article at 7-8) and recommends that manufactures consider that framework’s core functions, namely “Identify”, “Protect”, “Detect”, “Respond”, and “Recover”. In the context of the HHS guidance document these functions can be summarized as follows:

  • Identify: identify the risks associated with the device (e.g., is it a network connected device, does it have accessible data ports, where will it be used);
  • Protect: provide the appropriate level of security for the risk (e.g., limit access, use strengthened passwords, use physical locks) and provide justification for the chosen security functions;
  • Detect: implement device features that allow security compromises to be detected;
  • Respond: provide a response plan to end users regarding actions to take following detection of a cybersecurity breach; and
  • Recover: provide a method for retention and recovery of device configurations.

The HHS guidance document concludes with recommendations regarding what information manufactures should provide in their premarket medical device submission related to cybersecurity, including:

  • “hazard analysis, mitigations and design considerations” regarding the cybersecurity risks associated with your device;
  • a “traceability matrix” linking your cybersecurity controls to the considered risks;
  • a summary describing a plan for providing software updates and patches to maintain device safety and effectiveness;
  • a summary describing a plan to prevent introduction of malware from the point of origin to the point at which the device leaves the manufacturer’s control; and
  • device instructions for recommended cybersecurity controls in the given environment (e.g., use of firewalls or anti-virus software).

The HHS guidance recommends that this information should be provided in the following premarket submission: Premarket Notifications, De novo submissions,  Premarket Approval Applications, Product Development Protocols, and Humanitarian Device Exemption submissions.

While the HHS guidance document does not establish legally enforceable responsibilities, device manufactures should take notice.  A failure to pay heed may result in inadequate cybersecurity measures that most importantly may risk harm to patients, but also may damage the company’s reputation and create increased liability risks should a breach occur.


How Fast Can the Economy Grow?

The recession may be ending (and may, in fact, have ended, according to the majority of economists recently surveyed by the Wall Street Journal) but, as Friday’s consumer confidence report suggests, the uncertainty about the course of future growth is far from resolved. The most recent consensus forecast from the panel assembled for the monthly Blue Chip Economic Indicators does suggest a nice bounce back into positive growth territory, bringing to an end a four-quarter run of gross domestic product (GDP) contraction.

What remains interesting, however, is the range of disagreement about just how fast the recovery will be. The upper and lower black lines in the chart above delineate the 10 most optimistic forecasts (the upper lines) and the least optimistic forecasts (the lower lines) among the Blue Chip panel’s 51 economists. Most interesting is the fact that some collection of theses economists are, in any given quarter, guessing that growth will not break a 2 percent annual pace before we exit 2010.

That uncertainty is compounded by an even more consequential uncertainty, lucidly emphasized recently by Menzie Chinn (here, here, and here): How fast can we grow before straining the economy’s capacity? In other words, is slow growth the best we can expect given the economy’s current potential?

The output gap—the difference between the current level of GDP and estimated potential—has long been standard fare in policy analysis. Over at iMFdirect, the International Monetary Fund’s blog, Ajai Chopra explains why we care:

“What would be merely a curiosity during better times—after all, potential output is a largely abstract concept measuring the level of output an economy can produce without undue strain on resources—has become a particular worry in the context of the global economic crisis…

“Right now, budget planners across Europe are scrambling to estimate the strength of the blow the crisis has dealt to public finances, and not knowing the growth potential of their economies greatly complicates their task. If they overestimate potential growth, they would underestimate the need for fiscal adjustment once the crisis has dissipated, raising thorny issues of fiscal sustainability in the longer run.

“Central bankers, too, are looking for guidance on the path of potential output. Their decision on when to start winding down current crisis policies depends on the difference between potential and actual output, the so-called output gap. If the output gap is closing faster because of a drop in potential, policymakers might decide to increase interest rates a little earlier and a little higher to prevent  inflation from rising.”

Economists also do not lack methods for estimating the output gap and, just in case the field is not crowded enough, Atlanta Fed economist Jim Nason has done some investigating of his own. Jim looked at a variety of statistical estimates of the output gap and arrived at what is now a pretty familiar conclusion. To wit, there is substantial variation in output gap estimates across the different methods, and I do mean substantial: The gap estimates for the second quarter of 2009 range from –0.5 to nearly –11 percent depending on which method is used. In other words, some methods imply the gap is very large, others say the gap is rather small.

I am tempted to invoke the ancient economists’ chant, “noh-bah-de-noz,” but real-life policymakers don’t have that luxury. So we delve in the details and try to sort out what seems like the best approach. (If you have a technical bent, you can do the same with Jim’s estimates by following this link.) As we sort it out, though, Ajai Chopra gives some sound advice:

“As for central bankers, they should also act on the information they have, although researchers such as Athanasios Orphanides (now Governor of the Central Bank of Cyprus and member of the ECB’s Governing Council) have sensibly suggested that central banks should tread carefully by reducing the importance of the output gap in their decision making.

“More generally, policymakers—be they in the central bank or in the ministry of finance—would do well by communicating their assumptions about potential output growth to the public.”

With that in mind, I will leave you with the recent communication on the subject offered by Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta President Dennis Lockhart:

“Many observers see substantial slack in the economy that could persist for some years. Economists’ more formal term for slack is “output gap.” We at the Atlanta Fed see a meaningful output gap developing, but in our view it is smaller than would normally be associated with the weak pace of growth we expect over the next couple of years because all the obstacles to the natural pace of growth already mentioned have brought down the economy’s potential for the medium term.”

So, as President Lockhart indicates, mark us down, for now, on the low end of output gap scale.

Update: The San Francisco Fed’s John Fernald and Kyle Matoba offer some related thoughts in the newest edition of the Bank’s Economic Letter (hat tip to Econbrowser).

By David Altig, senior vice president and research director at the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta

Originally published at Macroblog and reproduced here with the author’s permission.


Lutheran Church of Finland

Finland Table of Contents

Religious life in Finland since the Protesrant Reformation has been dominated by the Lutheran Church of Finland. For most of this period, almost all Finns belonged to it. In the late 1980s, about 90 percent of the population were members, and an even greater number participated in its rituals. During the time of Swedish rule, the church was the country's state church, and it was part of the national government, subordinate to the Swedish king. Even when headed during the nineteenth century by Russian tsars of the Orthodox faith, the Lutheran Church remained a state church. Since 1809, however, it has had to share this distinction with the Orthodox Church, which had followers in the eastern province of Karelia.

The Ecclesiastical Law of 1869 gave the Lutheran Church a measure of independence from the state by allowing it a representative body, the Synod, that could decide many important church matters on its own. When Finland became independent, the church gained a greater degree of autonomy, although it still was subject to state supervision. The president, for example, decided who was to become a bishop, using a list of three candidates submitted by the Lutheran Church. In 1943 the formation of its own central administration, separate from the Ministry of Education, meant the church was largely self-sufficient. Some practical matters, such as levels of church taxes, salaries and pensions, or reorganization of church districts, were still decided by the government or required its approval, but in many other matters the church set its own course.

A study commission of 1977 recommended a greater separation of church and state as a goal for Finnish society. The next decade's discussion of abolishing the presidential selection of bishops was one example of efforts to realize this goal. The gradual movement away from the national government meant that the Lutheran Church of Finland, although still a state church, was more independent than the other Lutheran churches of the Nordic region. This independence was so marked that students of religion commonly regarded it not so much as a state church, but as a folk church that served all Finns, members and nonmembers alike.

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Source: U.S. Library of Congress


Mexico - México - Aculco - Up to 500 citizens - Loma Alta Cabresteros

Loma Alta Cabresteros - México

Facts about Loma Alta Cabresteros

Location of Loma Alta Cabresteros

Loma Alta Cabresteros is located in the municipality of Aculco in the Mexican state of México with the GPS coordinates:
Longitude (dec): -99.851944
Latitude (dec): 20.150833

Height over sea level of Loma Alta Cabresteros

The locations medium height over sea level is 2350 meters.

Population in Loma Alta Cabresteros

The over all population of Loma Alta Cabresteros is 246 persons, 127 of them are male and 119 of them are female.

Age distribution

The population of this place consists of 119 minors and 127 adults, with 15 of them being 60 years and older.

Indigenous population of Loma Alta Cabresteros

Social structure

A legal claim on health care and social insurance benefits have 99 citizens of Loma Alta Cabresteros.

Economic situation

In Loma Alta Cabresteros exist about 57 households.

Of these households 57 are common houses or apartments, 5 are without floor and about 4 consist of one room only.

34 of the normal households have sanitary installations, 52 are connected to the public water supply, 53 have access to electricity.

The economic situation allows 1 households to own a computer, 14 own a washing machine and 48 households are equipped with one ore more televisions.

School and education in Loma Alta Cabresteros

Besides the 13 analphabets aged 15 or older, about 1 minors between 6 and 14 are not visiting a school.

9 inhabitants of the population of 15 years and older did not visit a school and 78 persons did not finish the school. 41 visited only the 6 years lasting primary school, 11 visited and finished the college or similar scholar institutions.

A total of 15 aged 15 to 24 years visited a school, the medium time school is visited through the whole population is 6 years.

Map of Loma Alta Cabresteros

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Grammar test 34 of 82: Adjectives English Grammar in Use / A Practical English Grammar

Score: N/A

Question 1 of 10: You're not _________ as you think, darling.

Very Good! Correct.

Sorry, Incorrect.

Correct answer: as subtle

Explanation: For comparisons with the positive form of an adjective, we use AS ... AS in the affirmative, and NOT AS/NOT SO ... AS in the negative: "You are as smart as your sister." "This is not as/so scary as I imagined."

2. english exercises / grammar test / learn english grammar/ english online: This is the _______ extreme to which I'm willing to agree to.

(a) furthest

(b) farther

(c) farthest

(d) further

Answer: A

Grammar rules: Both FARTHER/FARTHEST and FURTHER/FURTHEST can be used when speaking of physical distance: "My house is farther/further than yours, but Peter's is the farthest/furthest."

FURTHER can be used to mean "extra/additional": "further supply," "further discussion" (and other abstract nouns, such as "information/instruction/delays/demands/etc.").

FURTHEST can be used similarly with abstract nouns: "This is the furthest point reached in our research so far."

3. english exercises / grammar test / learn english grammar/ english online: Which sentence is NOT correct?

(a) He's bound that he'll get sick after getting drenched.

(b) According to her contract she's bound to record a new album this year.

(c) I don't have a map; I'm bound to get lost.

(d) If you don't study for your exam, you're bound to fail.

Answer: A

To express the speaker's opinion, we can use CERTAIN or SURE with an infinitive. BOUND is also possible:
"They are certain/sure/bound to be late."

"Subject + CERTAIN/SURE + THAT-clause" is used to express the subject's opinion:
"They are certain that they will be on time."
BOUND can't be used with a THAT-clause.

CONFIDENT can be used with a THAT-clause ("They are confident that they will be on time"), but it can't be followed by an infinitive.

SURE, CERTAIN and CONFIDENT can be followed by "OF + noun/pronoun/gerund": "You can't be sure of victory/winning yet."

"BOUND + infinitive" can also mean "under an obligation": "According to your contract you are bound to send the manuscript by May 15."

4. english exercises / grammar test / learn english grammar/ english online: Girls can be _______ in science too.

(a) interested

(b) interesting

Answer: A

Grammar rules: Participles, both present (with an "-ing" ending) and past (ending with "-ed"), can be used as adjectives.

Remember that present participle adjectives, such as "exhausting," "boring," "interesting" etc., are active and mean "having this effect," while past participle adjectives, such as "exhausted," "bored," "interested" etc., are passive and mean "affected in this way."

Example: "The movie was fascinating" (present participle adjective) BUT "The audience was fascinated" (past participle adjective).

5. english exercises / grammar test / learn english grammar/ english online: What a strange way _________ to your garden!

(a) tended

(b) tending

(c) to tending

(d) to tend

Answer: D

Grammar rules: "Pronoun + BE + adjective + noun + infinitive" is a construction that can be used with adjectives concerning:

"That was a clever thing to do."
"It was a useful advice to share, thank you."

Such comments can be also expressed as exclamations:
"What an extraordinary feat to witness!"
"What a strange thing to say!"

In expressions of disapproval, the adjective can be sometimes omitted: "What a way to speak to your elders!"

6. english exercises / grammar test / learn english grammar/ english online: The girl appeared _______ so I tried to comfort her.

(a) sad

(b) sadly

Answer: A

Grammar rules: Link verbs, such as appear, feel, get/grow, keep, look, make, smell, sound, taste, and turn, are used with adjectives of quality. However, they can also be used as regular verbs and are in such cases modified by adverbs, not adjectives.

See the difference between:
- He looked angry (=He appeared to be angry)
- He looked angrily at his brother ("looked" is used as a deliberate action and modified by the adverb "angrily")

- She felt sick.
- She felt gingerly around her for the missing pin.

7. english exercises / grammar test / learn english grammar/ english online: Which sentence is correct?

(a) The blue and yellow and white towel is mine.

(b) The large, plushy and colorful towel is mine.

(c) The blue, yellow and white towel is mine.

(d) The blue and yellow, white towel is mine.

Answer: C

Grammar rules: When there are several adjectives, "and" is placed before the last one. With attributive adjectives, "and" is mostly used for colors ("a red, blue and white umbrella"). With predicative adjectives, there are no such restrictions ("The car was new, red and shiny").

(a) Empty the room appears.

(b) The room appears empty.

(c) The room empty appears.

(d) The empty room appears.

Answer: B

Grammar rules: Adjectives of quality, unlike all the other types of adjectives, have two possible positions in a sentence:

1. BEFORE the NOUN they modify (in this position, they are called attributive adjectives): "a tiny kitten," "a fast car."

2. AFTER a VERB such as:
a) be, become, seem: "She was happy," "You seem angry."
b) appear, feel, get/grow (=become), keep, look (=appear), make, smell, sound, taste, turn: "The water tastes funny," "I feel sick."
(In this position, adjectives are called predicative adjectives, and the verbs used in this way are called link verbs or copulas.)

9. english exercises / grammar test / learn english grammar/ english online: It's awful ________ in such a filthy place.

(a) to living

(b) living

(c) to live

(d) lived

Answer: C

Grammar rules: "IT + BE + adjective/participle + infinitive" can be used with adjectives and participles that show reactions or feelings:

"It's strange to think of him as a murderer."

"It was interesting to see the pyramids."

- FUN and A RELIEF can be used in a similar way:
"It was fun/a relief to leave the house for a bit."

For some adjectives, such as LOVELY, INTERESTING, MARVELOUS, NICE, WONDERFUL, etc., it's possible to add FOR + object:
"It was lovely for us to go out without children for once."

"IT + BE + adjective/participle + noun + infinitive" is also possible with the above adjectives/participles:
"It was a horrible thing to say."

(a) A bad cook can ruin even the best recipe.

(b) A cook bad can ruin even the best recipe.

(c) A cook is bad and can ruin even the best recipe.

(d) A cook is bad so can ruin even the best recipe.

Answer: A

Grammar rules: Some adjectives change their meaning depending on their position in a sentence:
- in expressions such as "bad sailor," "good swimmer," "big eater," "small farmer," "heavy drinker," "light sleeper," "old friend" etc., adjectives "good/bad," "big/small," "heavy/light," and "old" can't be used predicatively without changing the meaning: "a good swimmer" is someone who swims well, not a swimmer who is a good person.

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EA SPORTS™ unveils revolutionary set of game-changing innovations for FIFA 13

Electronic Arts Inc. today unveiled five game-changing innovations that will bring revolutionary changes to EA SPORTS™ FIFA 13 along with the largest and deepest feature set in the history of the franchise.

Ibrahimovic dribbles the ball

The most sophisticated artificial intelligence ever achieved for the FIFA franchise will drive FIFA 13 on HD consoles and PC. All-new Attacking Intelligence enables players to analyse space, work harder and smarter to break down defenses, and think two plays ahead. Players now possess the intelligence to create, curve, or alter runs to capitalize on openings as they occur, make runs that pull defenders out of position to open passing channels for teammates, and better position themselves for new attacking opportunities.

In FIFA 13 every touch matters with the most comprehensive and intuitive dribbling system ever developed. Inspired by the world’s best footballer, Lionel Messi, Complete Dribbling enables players to face their opponent and use precise dribble touches combined with true 360° mobility with the ball, so it’s easier to be more creative and dangerous in 1v1 opportunities. Players change direction quicker, are more explosive accelerating with the ball, and are more effective shielding defenders for longer stretches. FIFA 13 1st Touch Control transforms the way players control the ball, eliminating near-perfect touch for every player on the pitch, and creating variety and uncertainty around ball control. Factors such as defensive pressure, trajectory of the ball, and velocity of the pass now impact a player’s first touch, creating more opportunities for defenders to win back possession.

Messi avoids tackle

The second generation of the Player Impact Engine expands physical play from just collisions to off-the-ball battles between players. Defenders push and pull for position, and use their size and strength to win possession or force opponents into poor touches and decisions before the ball arrives. FIFA 13 Tactical Free Kicks provides the tools to create dangerous and unpredictable free kicks utilising the most skillful players on the pitch. Position up to three attacking players over the ball and utilise dummy runs and more passing options to create elaborate free kicks. Opponents can counter by adding or subtracting players to the wall, creeping the wall forward, or sending a bullet man to intercept the pass or block the shot.

FIFA 13 will also feature:
·         Complete authenticity with more than 500 officially licensed clubs.

Aguero dribbles the ball

FIFA 13 will be available in stores world-wide this fall for the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system with PlayStation Move support, Xbox 360® videogame and entertainment system with Kinect™, PlayStation®Vita handheld entertainment system, Wii™, PC, PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system, Nintendo 3DS™, PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) system, iPhone®, iPad®, iPod® touch and other mobile platforms. The game has not yet been rated.


Linking the collective-distributive opposition and the telic-atelic opposition
Lucas Champollion
October 2016

I suggest a constraint that prevents 'for'-adverbials and noun phrases headed by 'each' and 'all' from participating in cumulative readings with noun phrases in their syntactic scope. In all cases, the verbal predicate needs to apply to certain smaller subevents of the event it describes. I suggest that this constraint is also the reason why 'for'-adverbials reject telic predicates, why 'each' rejects collective predicates, and why 'all' rejects certain collective predicates but not others. All these items can be seen as distributive. What distinguishes them semantically is the nature and size of the level at which they distribute: 'For'-adverbials distribute down to shorter intervals; 'each', to atoms; and 'all', to subgroups.
Format: [ pdf ]
Reference: lingbuzz/002985
(please use that when you cite this article)
Published in: 46th Annual Meeting of the North East Linguistic Society (NELS 46)
keywords: distributivity, collectivity, telicity, atelicity, aspect, cumulative readings, for-adverbials, semantics
previous versions: v1 [May 2016]
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Sunday, February 13, 2005

Reflections on Values without Religion

Religious people may argue over what values are important, but they can argue there is authority in the scriptures that go with their religion for whatever values they do take seriously. Typically, it is taken to be true that these scriptures were dictated by god or at least by the founder of the religion, a semi-divine personage lost in the mists of time. Since these scriptures also form the basis of regular services and rituals, they have a built-in status that texts that are clearly not taken as divine do not possess.

Thus those of us who are not religious, though we may adhere as strongly to values, have a less direct means to assert the truth of these values or to “derive” them for those who don’t necessarily yet agree with them. It doesn’t matter if, say, some philosopher has worked out a moral system, because there is seemingly no imperative for anyone who disagrees with the system to take the philosopher to be correct. (Of course, it is also true that religious people don’t agree on moral matters; some self-styled Christians are hung up on certain prohibitions found in the Old Testament, whereas others like the New Testament’s Sermon on the Mount much more. Still it seems many people find their position strengthened if they can somehow locate it in Scriptures of ancient lineage, rather than in modern secular works.)

Some non-believers still look to religious traditions to justify the values they hold, on the basis, apparently, that these values have stood the test of time. But this must be a highly selective process. After all values commonly accepted today, such as the evil of slavery or women’s rights, are quite new compared to the lifetimes of most religious traditions. Other traditions of great lineage, such as burning heretics at the stake, are equally rejected by most people today.

What these simple reflections force me to conclude is that religion by itself is not the source of currently held values, even for religious people. If we could ascertain the real source or sources, why could we not derive our values from them directly?

Religious people sometimes take the view that a scientific approach, including evolutionary theory, leaves us with the notion that life simply emerged accidentally and therefore is without meaning. That ignores the fact that human actions are normally meaningful. How did meaning arrive in a random sort of world? Quite simply, humans or proto-humans invented meaning, just as we invented gods.

We didn’t invent meaning all in one fell swoop; rather, as social forms change, new kinds of meaning can be invented. Thus, in a hierarchical pre-market economy, it was possible to accept inequality. But because a money-based market economy is fundamentally associated with a notion of equality in the marketplace, the equal status of all humans seems to arise as a clear corollary, at least for some people. Later on the notion of equality itself became a powerful corrective to the market economy that perhaps gave rise to this ideal. Hence such notions as opposition to slavery, feminism, rights for the propertyless, and even socialism may have emerged from the very nature of capitalist markets.

But that story is probably incomplete. Equality as a notion takes more than the existence of markets. One has to recognize that humans are all basically alike. Where does that come from? I think it derives from the experience that different people can understand one another, in other words from the experience of empathy resulting from the ability to translate between different languages, as well as between different conditions in the same culture. The notion of consumer sovereignty that capitalism potentially implies works with the emergence of widespread travel, bi-lingual dictionaries, print, and also notions of biological connection, as well as experiences of empathy between members of close-knit communities to create a broader empathic sense. From that greater empathy, values that previously were confined to narrow communities, such as prohibitions against killing, can now be applied more broadly.

Having started with the assertion that religious people have an easier time asserting values than non-religious ones because they can seemingly derive those values from readings of scripture, I now must assert something in stark contradiction. Values that supposedly arise from scripture actually come from social, technological and scientific developments. Scriptures are red herrings that cannot actually teach values from scratch, because by themselves they could teach absolutely anything.

For what it may be worth, my own remembered story may be an example of this. As a small child, I was read the Ten Commandments. One of them struck me with especial force: “Thou shalt not kill.” Because I liked that one so much, I felt an allegiance to all the rest. But the commandments themselves don’t explain why I liked that particular one so much. Opposition to killing already resonated deeply for me. I would have to say this was partly a result of having been born during WWII and hearing very early about the Holocaust, but also out of some very basic sense of empathy. Anyway, this Commandment always seemed much more important to me than any of the others; it led me to pacifism and opposition to capital punishment, values that have endured far longer than any general allegiance to the other commandments.

If empathy remains the basis of worthwhile values, then what is important is instilling empathy, not instilling religion per se. Bible stories told to small children might help do that under the right circumstances, but other stories and other media are potentially still more potent. Even news stories such as those of the Indian Ocean tsunami can have a very powerful effect.

Empathy is not everything. Religion is very often called upon for providing strength for dealing with major turning points in life, especially with the most final one — dying. The fundamental horror of death is, I think, the sense of an abrupt end. Many religions attempt to ease that fear by suggesting that there is no end, that life somehow endures in some other plane. But a similar sense of continuity can be gained by reflecting on the fact that we live in a world of shared meanings and empathy, which implies that our minds interpenetrate; to some degree we each continue to live in the minds of others. That awareness can be a balm as much as the notion of an afterlife lived in some weird other world, or even in weird reincarnation in this one.

For now, I will end these reflections. They are highly incomplete, but still I think they point to the possibility of a renewed and strong pride in a non-religious source of values.

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Thursday, 30 June 2016

Donizetti - Poliuto (Glyndebourne, 2015)

Gaetano Donizetti - Poliuto

Glyndebourne, 2015

Enrique Mazzola, Mariame Clément, Michael Fabiano, Ana María Martínez, Igor Golovatenko, Matthew Rose, Timothy Robinson, Emanuele D’Aguanno

Opus Arte - Blu-ray

Donizetti's rarely performed Poliuto takes place in ancient times, in Armenia in 259 AD, but Mariame Clément's production establishes the context and what is at stake immediately in the first scene, without having to explain the background. In a more modern setting a group of Christians who could be any oppressed group of people are skulking around trying to hide their activities from the watchful authorities. One, scarred on his chest, shows that they are prepared to suffer for their beliefs, even to martyrdom, which would be the case if they were caught.

The setting and the tone is established in a manner that is admirably concise and direct for a work that is lean and to the point also. A few subsequent scenes build on this. Nearco, the leader of the Christian 'cult' prohibited by the law on pain of death, wields a blade and seems to initiate a baptism of blood with a new convert, Poliuto. Adding to the tension at this early stage with some typically operatic romantic complications, Poliuto confesses to Nearco that his nervousness is not entirely due to taking part in a forbidden ritual, but that he's also concerned that his wife might be unfaithful.

Although the situations are familiar and conventional, Poliuto is not the familiar Donizetti of racing rhythms and flowing bel canto melodies. The tone from the outset is more sombre, or at least played as such here, the music more closely aligned and matched to the subject with all the variety of situations that this entails. There seems to be justification for this, the conductor Enrique Mazzola bringing out the delicacy of the arrangements in the beauty of the melodic line, but also finding the dramatic undercurrents within it that connect and bring about sharp changes of tone.

It's the kind of flow that should enable Paolina, Poliuto's wife, to move away from dark suspicions about her husband's involvement with this dangerous sect to accepting the message of love they preach in the aria 'Di quai soave lagrime'. The tone switches immediately again with the news that the Roman general Severo has not been killed in battle as she believed. Severo is indeed Paolina's lover, or was previously before she married Poliuto. Her emotions then are mixed and conflicted, relief and joy that the man she once loved has not died turning quickly to concern about facing up to those feelings.

Donizetti similarly runs through the emotional gamut as it affects Severo, returning in glory to a triumphal chorus (that anticipates the one in Verdi's Aida) and then stepping outside it to consider his own feelings at this moment. The handling of these mixed and conflicted sensations is masterful, but the opera of course is devised to incorporate such a wide range of dramatic colour, one that would be developed further in the grand opéra tradition when Poliuto, after being rejected by Naples for depicting religious martyrdom on the stage, was rewritten and expanded as Les Martyrs for Paris.

It's not a bad idea then to play down the excesses of the melodrama in the staging, and Mariame Clément keeps the Glyndebourne production uncluttered and uncomplicated. Tall, stone pillars move to hide and conceal, as well as giving a sense of cold, immovable determination that could be applied to each of the conflicting forces and beliefs within the work. A few necessary props are used and there are some projections; a forest, clouds crossing over and closing down moods, even opening out to show, for example a processional cavalcade of official cars marking Severo's return.

The settings and projections are mostly well-judged, complementing the music as well as the manner in which Donizetti - in his usual fashion - tightens the screws, darkening the mood and quickening the pace. If occasionally tensions seem to be slightly released, it's only to provide enough slack to ramp them up even further, ending each of the acts with rousing finales and culminating in a position where the eventual martyrdom becomes as agonising as it is inevitable. The direction keeps all of this under control without unnecessary overemphasis, or at least thankfully with nothing that matches or surpasses having the Romans dressed in pseudo-Nazi uniforms.

That feels like something of a misstep, and I'm not sure the analogy is a helpful one, but it isn't taken much further than that. It's not that the work can't support such interpretation. The use of religion as a tool to control the masses and satisfy their bloodlust in order to further political interests is touched upon here in the libretto, but it's not developed any further than this. Despite some attempt at modernisation and universal application, the martyrdom of its adherents at the conclusion ensures that the Christian sacrificial outlook dominates and scarcely leaves room for any other interpretation. Donizetti's writing here is powerful enough that you can even hear strains of Violetta's lament 'Ah! Gran Dio! morir si giovane' from La Traviata at the conclusion. Verdi evidently learned much from this work.

The strength of Poliuto's musical and dramatic content and the force that it asserts is backed up by a strong cast of singers. Michael Fabiano - seen at Glyndebourne last year as Alfredo in La Traviata - is particularly good as Poliuto, the American demonstrating a robust tenor voice that is also capable of finer expression. Ana María Martínez is a little bit stretched on occasion by the high note demands of Paolina, but handles a challenging role well. The baritone role of Severo could probably use a little more depth and gravity, but it's sung with a lyrical character by Igor Golovatenko that emphasises the romantic nature of the role a little more. Matthew Rose however puts plenty of weight and gravity behind Callistene the High Priest to balance the range and tone of voices in the work, as does Emanuele D’Aguanno's Nearco for the tenor voice.

The accompanying documentation on the Blu-ray disc and in the booklet give more detail on the work and its presentation at Glyndebourne. There's a short interview with Mariame Clément in the booklet and a longer filmed interview where she talks about the political and personal drama in Poliuto and the inspiration for the production design. It's clear that the decisions for presentation of this work were all based around making an unfamiliar work easy to follow as well as remaining faithful to its intent. Enrique Mazzola also gives his perspective on this in a behind the scenes feature leading up to the premiere. The booklet also contains a synopsis and a fascinating essay by Roger Parker on the genesis and composition of Poliuto as well as its part in Donizetti's flirtation with French opera.

The presentation on the Blu-ray disc itself is of the usual high standard, the transfer coping well with the dark on-stage lighting and colouration. High Definition uncompressed LPCM stereo and DTS HD-Master Audio 5.1 surround tracks are included. The surround track sounding a little more echoing, while the stereo track is a little more direct and clear. There is a wonderful depth and roundness of tone that allows scenes such as the Act II finale to come across with tremendous impact. Subtitles are in English, French, German, Japanese and Korean.

Links: Glyndebourne


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Research Tutorial

You’ve just been asked by the scariest professor in the college to give a very short presentation and turn in a brief write up of an issue. To make matters worse, the professor has given you the topic of global warming. The only thing you know about global warming is the handful of comments you’ve read on Twitter or random sites online or as taglines on cute pictures of polar bears on Facebook.

Scariest of all, the professor recently failed your friend when he finished his own presentation and gave him a big lecture. The professor claimed that your friend used someone else’s materials and he did something called PLAGIARIZING. You don’t want to get into trouble. You want to do the right thing. But, how?

Well, just what the heck is plagiarism anyway?  Plagiarism takes place when a writer or a speaker uses someone else’s’ words or ideas without giving credit to the source.  The basic idea here is that when you find ideas online or in a book, you need to let the professor and the reader where you found that information.

Here is part of what your friend turned in for his assignment:

Global warming is a big problem. The world’s 6.5 billion people pump into the earth’s atmosphere twice the amount of carbon dioxide in the world’s forest and oceans can naturally absorb. The remaining carbon dioxide stays in the atmosphere and traps heat in a phenomena known as the greenhouse effect.

Well so what’s the problem? Your professor asked how your friend knew that the amount of carbon dioxide was double what the earth could absorb. Your friend did not know. He told the professor that these were his own words and he did his research online.

Alright, let’s look again at the passage and figure what the problem was. Well the first sentence was written by your friend. The underlined portion was actually copied and pasted from an article by Patrick Gonzales. Your friend simply took Gonzales’s words and put them into his paper. Big Mistake!

Well at least you know what plagiarism means, but how can you avoid it if you’re supposed to do research on global warming? You know very little about it. That professor is certainly making you warm right now. But what can you do? Why can’t you just grab an online research article and use it?

Is using another source always theft or plagiarism? The answer is more complicated than you might imagine. It’s not always as simple as shamelessly stealing somebody else’s work. But before we explore the forms of plagiarism in more depth, let’s be clear why you should care about plagiarism.

It’s not just an issue for evil college professors. Plagiarism is important for several reasons, and we’ll look at just a few.

Number 1

Yes you do want to avoid getting into trouble with the shadowy professor. You need to get a good grade and your need to get credit for the assignment. Your future career depends on completing your education. And, plagiarism is a serious issue of Academic Dishonesty and Misconduct.

Number 2 - Theft

Your friend did write some of the words he used in his assignment. The person who did the hard work of writing was Patrick Gonzales. Gonzales also allowed his work to be published online. This takes a great deal of effort. You probably worked hard for your car or your phone. Imagine if someone took from you and used it without your permission. The thief or borrower did not ask you. And, they did not have to work at all for the object. That’s pretty terrible, right?

Number 3 - Credibility

It’s important to use your own ideas and explanations in your writing. However; it’s very useful and sometimes necessary to bring in outside experts or sources to help you make your point. I mean you don’t know how much sea ice has melted or if it is melted at all.

The author we mentioned earlier, Patrick Gonzales, has this information. You can use his words if you give him credit. When you do this correctly, writing begins to sound more believable because you are not relying solely on you own thoughts.

Okay, there are two basic types of plagiarism; intentional and unintentional. Intentional plagiarism is unfortunately what your friend did. He copied and pasted someone else’s work into his project. When asked about it, he told the professor the words were his own. He knew what he was doing was dishonest by using Gonzales words to improve his own writing. That’s pretty cut and dried.

Unintentional plagiarism is when you use someone else’s words and do not properly give credit or are unaware of how to correctly bring in an outside source. The good news here is that you will learn about how to effectively handle sources in your college courses. Mind you, if you get it wrong, it’s still considered plagiarism and has to be fixed. But this doesn’t involve being dishonest and trying to cheat. Even the mean old professor will probably help you sort this out if you asked early in the semester for help.

Avoiding plagiarism

You’ve found several sources for your project and plan to use them in your presentation and as part of the written part of the assignment. You know enough about plagiarism to know that you must give an author credit. This is where things get tricky. There are essentially, three ways to research material to avoid plagiarism.

Method Number 1: Summary

You’ve found a great passage from a source that covers some of the material you want to have in your presentation. However; the passage is very long and you don’t want to have to put the entire passage in quotes. You definitely don’t want to plagiarize. A summary might be a good option for you. A summary is a short restatement of the material in your own words. It should be much shorter than the actual material being used. For example, a summary of an entire chapter can often be summarized in about a paragraph.   The goal of the summary is to mention all the main points so that the reader has a general idea about the material without getting into all the details.  The idea here is to put the material in your own words and give credit to the source.

Let’s look at a simple example. The following material is from Mary Lou Constantine’s, Climate Change Will Force the Relocation of Animal Species. Now take a look at a possible summary. Note that the summary is much shorter and gives the author credit at the end. It also does not use the language from the source.

One way of doing a summary, is to pretend you are explaining to a friend what the source was about and you only have one minute to do it!  The key is to put the material in your own words and then give credit to the author.

Method Number 2: Paraphrase

A second tool for handling material and avoiding the perils of plagiarism is to paraphrase. It very similar to a summary. However; the length of paraphrase does not need to be shorter than the original source. Again, you need to put the author’s ideas into your own words but also give credit to the author.  Do NOT copy the structure or wording of the source.

Let’s look at another example from Mary Lou Constantine’s Climate Change Will Force the Relocation of Animal Species. Now let’s look at one possible paraphrase. Notice that the paraphrase captures the meaning of the meaning of the material but does not use the structure or the words of the source.

Method Number 3: Quotation

Perhaps the simplest way to avoid the ire of the professor and his wrath is to simply quote a source. We’ll go into the specifics of how to quote in depth later. But the process for now is relatively simple. All you have to do is introduce the author and then state the quote.

Consider this example of Fred Warmington’s, He’s Warming Up to the Orb. Here’s one way to quote the author effectively. Note that the author is introduce in the sentence. This gives the credit to the author and keeps your project safe from being accused of plagiarism.

Well Oscar Wilde once wrote, “there is not sin except stupidity." That may or not be true, but one thing is certain, plagiarism is stupid. You steal someone else’s which leaves you stupid. And you stupidly assume you won’t get caught. The truth is there’s a whole lot of tools out there to combat plagiarism. You will be busted. You also can no longer claim ignorance of what constitutes plagiarism. Thanks to this video. Your professors never believe that excuse anyway.

There are also consequences.  You may flunk your class, get kicked out of school, be publicly shamed, get sued, or lose your job. Don’t join the growing wall of plagiarism shame.

(Video provided by the PGCC English Department)

Library Terms

It's important to understand library terms in order for you to do your research. If you have questions about the terminology used in the tutorial you can check this Glossary of Library Terms.

Abstract:  A summary or brief description of the content of another long work. An abstract is often provided along with the citation to a work.

Annotated bibliography: a bibliography in which a brief explanatory or evaluate note is added to each reference or citation. An annotation can be helpful to the researcher in evaluating whether the source is relevant to a given topic or line of inquiry. The Cornell University Libraries provide an online guide on How to Prepare an Annotated Bibliography or try the OWL: Online Writing Lab at Purdue University

Archives: 1. A space which houses historical or public records. 2. The historical or public records themselves, which are generally non-circulating materials such as collections of personal papers, rare books, Ephemera, etc.

Article: A brief work—generally between 1 and 35 pages in length—on a topic. Often published as part of a journal, magazine, or newspaper.

Attachment: A separate file (e.g., text, spreadsheet, graphics, audio, video) sent with an email message.

Authentication: A security process that typically employs usernames and passwords to validate the identity of users before allowing them access to certain information.

Author: The person(s) or organization(s) that wrote or compiled a document. Looking for information under its author's name is one option in searching.

Bibliography: A list containing citations to the resources used in writing a research paper or other document. See also Reference.

Book: A relatively lengthy work, often on a single topic. May be in print or electronic.

Boolean operator: A word—such as AND, OR, or NOT—that commands a computer to combine search terms. Helps to narrow (AND, NOT) or broaden (OR) searches.

Browser: A software program that enables users to access Internet resources. Microsoft Internet Explorer, Google Chrome, Safari, and Mozilla Firefox are all browsers.

Call number: A group of letters and/or numbers that identifies a specific item in a library and provides a way for organizing library holdings. Three major types of call numbers are Dewey Decimal, Library of Congress, and Superintendent of Documents.

Catalog: A database (either online or on paper cards) listing and describing the books, journals, government documents, audiovisual and other materials held by a library. Various search terms allow you to look for items in the catalog.

Chat: A type of communication from person to person through typed messages, via computer or mobile device.

Check-out: To borrow an item from a library for a fixed period of time in order to read, listen to, or view it. Check-out periods vary by library. Items are checked out at the circulation desk.

Circulation: The place in the library, often a desk, where you check out, renew, and return library materials. You may also place a hold, report an item missing from the shelves, or pay late fees or fines there.

Citation: A reference to a book, magazine or journal article, or other work containing all the information necessary to identify and locate that work. A citation to a book includes its author's name, title, publisher and place of publication, and date of publication.

Controlled vocabulary: Standardized terms used in searching a specific database.

Copy card: A card that enables its user to print from a computer, or to make copies of a document at a photocopy machine. Student ID cards sometimes serve as copy cards.

Course management system (CMS): Integrated online applications that allow users to view and complete class materials and post messages, which facilitate discussion beyond the classroom. Also referred to as a “Learning Management System” or “Course Management Software.”

Course reserve: Select books, articles, videotapes, or other materials that instructors want students to read or view for a particular course. These materials are usually kept in one area of the library and circulate for only a short period of time. See also Electronic reserve.

Database: A collection of information stored in an electronic format that can be searched by a computer.

Descriptor: A word that describes the subject of an article or book; used in many computer databases.

Dial-Dial-up: A device using telephone lines that allows a computer to access the Internet or two computers to communicate.

Dissertation: An extended written treatment of a subject (like a book) submitted by a graduate student as a requirement for a doctorate.

Document delivery: A service that retrieves or photocopies information sources for library users. Some libraries restrict document delivery services to distance education students, faculty members, or graduate students.

DOI: Acronym for Digital Object Identifier. It is a unique alphanumeric string assigned by the publisher to a digital object.

Download: 1. To transfer information from a computer to a program or storage device to be viewed at a later date. 2. To transfer information from one computer to another computer using a modem.

E-book (or Electronic book): An electronic version of a book that can be read on a computer or mobile device.

Editor: A person or group responsible for compiling the writings of others into a single information source. Looking for information under the editor's name is one option in searching.

Electronic reserve (or E-reserve): An electronic version of a course reserve that is read on a computer display screen. See also Course reserve.

Encyclopedia: A work containing information on all branches of knowledge or treating comprehensively a particular branch of knowledge (such as history or chemistry). Often has entries or articles arranged alphabetically.

Flash drive: A small portable device for storing computerized information. A flash drive, sometimes called a thumb drive, can plug into the USB (Universal Serial Bus) port of any computer and store electronic information. See also Thumb drive.

Hardware: The physical and electronic components of a computer system, such as the monitor, keyboard, and mouse. Hardware works in conjunction with software.

High-speed access: Refers to the speed and efficiency of an Internet connection—which determines how long Web users must wait for a particular Web site to load, or appear on their computer after they click on a link to it. High-speed access is usually achieved by using a DSL line (digital subscriber line) or a cable modem to connect to the Web, as opposed to a dial-up line which results in a slower connection speed.

Hold: A request to have an item saved (put aside) to be picked up later. Holds can generally, be placed on any regularly circulating library material in-person or online.

Holdings: The materials owned by a library.

Hyperlink: An image or a portion of text which a Web user can click to jump to another document or page on the Web. Textual hyperlinks are often underlined and appear as a different color than the majority of the text on a Web page.

Icon: A small symbol on a computer screen that represents a computer operation or data file.

Index: 1. A list of names or topics—usually found at the end of a publication—that directs you to the pages where those names or topics are discussed within the publication. 2. A printed or electronic publication that provides references to periodical articles or books by their subject, author, or other search terms.

Instant messaging (IM): An Internet-based service allowing real-time, text communication between two or more users. Instant messaging is also known as chat, especially when more than two people are communicating.

Interlibrary services/loan: A service that allows you to borrow materials from other libraries through your own library. See also Document delivery.

Journal: A publication, issued on a regular basis, which contains scholarly research published as articles, papers, research reports, or technical reports. See also Periodical.

Keyword: A significant or memorable word or term in the title, abstract, or text of an information resource that indicates its subject and is often used as a search term.

Learning management system: See Course management system.

Limits/limiters: Options used in searching that restrict your results to only information resources meeting certain other, non-subject-related, criteria. Limiting options vary by database, but common options include limiting results to materials available full-text in the database, to scholarly publications, to materials written in a particular language, to materials available in a particular location, or to materials published at a specific time.

Link: See Hyperlink.

Magazine: A publication, issued on a regular basis, containing popular articles, written and illustrated in a less technical manner than the articles found in a journal.

Microform: A reduced sized photographic reproduction of printed information on reel to reel film (microfilm) or film cards (microfiche) or opaque pages that can be read with a microform reader/printer.

Modem: A device that connects a PC to the Internet and converts digital signals from the computer to a form that can be sent using a voice (analog sound signal) telephone line and vice versa.

Mouse: A device that allows the user to move and click the cursor on a computer screen for different functions.

Multimedia: Any information resource that presents information using more than one media (print, picture, audio, or video).

Newspaper: A publication containing information about varied topics that are pertinent to general information, a geographic area, or a specific subject matter (i.e. business, culture, education). Often published daily.

Online Public Access Catalog (OPAC): A computerized database that can be searched in various ways— such as by keyword, author, title, subject, or call number— to find out what resources a library owns. OPAC’s will supply listings of the title, call number, author, location, and description of any items matching one's search. Also referred to as “library catalog ” or “online catalog.”

PDF: A file format developed by Adobe Acrobat® that allows files to be transmitted from one computer to another while retaining their original appearance both on-screen and when printed. An acronym for Portable Document Format.

Peer-reviewed journal: Peer review is a process by which editors have experts in a field review books or articles submitted for publication by the experts’ peers. Peer review helps to ensure the quality of an information source. A peer-reviewed journal is also called a refereed journal or scholarly journal.

Periodical: An information source published in multiple parts at regular intervals (daily, weekly, monthly, biannually). Journals, magazines, and newspapers are all periodicals. See also Serial.

Permalink: A link that will return you to the same page every time you click the link.

Plagiarism: Using the words or ideas of others without acknowledging the original source.

Primary source: An original record of events, such as a diary, a newspaper article, a public record, or scientific documentation.

Print: The written symbols of a language as portrayed on paper. Information sources may be either print or electronic.

Proxy server: An Internet server that acts as a “go-between” for a computer on a local network (secure system) and the open Web. Often checks to determine “right of access” to the secure environment and speeds up requests by caching frequently accessed Web pages. Can also act as a firewall. See also Authentication.

Publisher: An entity or company that produces and issues books, journals, newspapers, or other publications.

QR code: Abbreviation for Quick Response code. A two-dimensional bar code that is made of small squares in a unique pattern. QR codes allow users to connect to additional resources through mobile devices.

Recall: A request for the return of library material before the due date.

Refereed journal: See Peer-reviewed journal.

Reference: 1. A service that helps people find needed information. 2. Sometimes "reference" refers to reference collections, such as encyclopedias, indexes, handbooks, directories, etc. 3. A citation to a work is also known as a reference.

Remote access: The ability to log onto (or access) networked computer resources from a distant location. Remote access makes available library databases to students researching from home, office, or other locations outside the library. See also

Renewal: An extension of the loan period for library materials.

Reserve: 1. A service providing special, often short-term, access to course-related materials (book or article readings, lecture notes, sample tests) or to other materials (CD-ROMs, audio-visual materials, current newspapers or magazines). 2. Also the
physical location—often a service desk or room—within a library where materials on reserve are kept. Materials can also be made available electronically. See also Course reserve, Electronic reserve.

Scholarly journal: See Peer-reviewed journal.

Search statement/Search Query: Words entered into the search box of a database or search engine when looking for information. Words relating to an information source's author, editor, title, subject heading or keyword serve as search terms. Search terms can be combined by using Boolean operators and can also be used with limits/limiters.

Secondary sources: Materials such as books and journal articles that analyze primary sources. Secondary sources usually provide evaluation or interpretation of data or evidence found in original research or documents such as historical manuscripts or memoirs.

Serial: Publications such as journals, magazines, and newspapers that are generally published multiple times per year, month, or week. Serials usually have number volumes and issues.

Software: The programs installed on and used by the components of a computer system (or, hardware).

Stacks: Shelves in the library where materials—typically books—are stored. Books in the stacks are normally arranged by call number. May be referred to as “book stacks.”

Style manual: An information source providing guidelines for people who are writing research papers. A style manual outlines specific formats for arranging research papers and citing the sources that are used in writing the paper.

Subject heading: Descriptions of an information source’s content assigned to make finding information easier. See also Controlled vocabulary, Descriptors.

Thumb Drive: See also Flash drive.

Title: The name of a book, article, or other information sources. Upload: To transfer information from a computer system or a personal computer to another computer system or a larger computer system.

Uniform Resource Locator (URL): The unique address for a Web page which is used in citing it. A URL consists of the access protocol (HTTP), the domain name (, and often the path to a file or resource residing on that server.

User ID: A number or name unique to a particular user of computerized resources. A user ID must often be entered in order to access library resources remotely.

Virtual reference: A service allowing library users to ask questions through email, text message, or live-chat as opposed to coming to the reference desk at the library and asking a question in person. Also referred to as “online reference” or “e-reference.”

Wireless: The name given to any electronic device that sends messages through space via electric or electromagnetic waves instead of via power cords.

Zip drive/zip disk: Devices used in the creation of compressed (or “zipped”) electronic information.

Library Terms Flash Cards

Some people find using flashcards to be helpful for learning definitions. If so, check out the Library Terms Flash Cards.

Multilingual Glossary for Today’s Library Users - Definitions

Multilingual Glossary for Today’s Library Users

If English is not your first language, then this resource will help you navigate the definitions of library terms in the following languages: English, Chinese, Korean, Japanese, French, Spanish, Arabic, and Vietnamese.


Thursday, November 3, 2011

I miss. I long. I thirst

for the warm candleglow
understanding interlocking
spilling golden on the contours
crevices of faces.

how they can twine
separate strands of their words,
the stars of their laughter,
and tears all into one braid.

for the resonating resevoir
of radar red intuition
pinning a million words to
one look or a single word.
how they can read
between and beneath
a well rehearsed script or a polished look

the way we give
words to our wounds
the way they listen to not just the words heard,
but the unsaid
morsels of moments that bring so much strength
layer by layer fueling each other with courage,
to find, to reach for who we really are
to live, to speak from the heart, unafraid

I miss. I long. I'm starved

for the feminine touch.


Capturing Requirements

I have written about a requirements gathering meeting with out client in my Software Maintenance blog. So I will not repeat a lot of the details here. However I did want to call to attention some details that might affect the success of our work.

The customer knows what the want business wise. However they do not know how to design or code the changes. That is why they have us. I keep hearing the customer try to understand the existing system, and design changes so their needs would be met. I continually attempt to focus our client into explaining to us what they business needs are. They are, after all, experts in their business.

Our customer has a lot of ideas about business needs in their head. At the meeting I attended, they were able to articulate many of those needs. This meeting was a precursor to the client formally requesting that we make a lot of changes to their software. I could not stress enough that they needed to write down the business rules for us. Unfortunately our requirements analysis team does not understand the customer yet. The requirements people are new. So we need the customer to write down their business needs. That is the only way we will have a chance to get the job right. The needs are extensive enough that just telling a few folks from our company about them will not do.


32 Following

That's What She Read

Red Dragon (Hannibal Lecter Series #1)

Red Dragon (Audio) - Thomas Harris Touted as the introduction of Dr. Hannibal Lecter, Thomas Harris’ Red Dragon is really one detective’s search for a new serial killer. Will Graham retired from the FBI to focus on his new wife and stepson, but when a mysterious serial killer strikes again, the FBI has no choice but to call back their best agent. Graham then uses his skills as an investigator and the power of the US government and their expertise at forensic evidence to track down this unknown foe. With very little in the way of clues, Graham knows it is just a matter of time before the Dragon strikes again. Can he do it?It has all the stereotypical elements that one would expect in such a novel. Graham is the disgruntled, depressed retired FBI agent who is called back into action as the only man who can help the Feds solve the mystery and catch the killer. Graham has a mystical ability to intuit answers to his questions, making him a legend among the Feds. The Dragon is an unassuming, quiet man – the kind the neighbors would never suspect – with all sorts of psychological Mommy issues, each presented to show the reader just how an innocent child can turn into a serial killer. There is even a plot twist that is meant to surprise readers into thinking it is all over. In reality, there are just one too many overdone plot elements to create a story that is as predictable as it is flat.The problem with such novels is that a reader can see the potential and struggles to reconcile the “if only” with the actuality of the story. Mr. Harris provides enough hints at Graham’s backstory to intrigue readers and to create the potential for depth of character, but he fails to go farther than those hints. A reader is frustrated with the idea that there is more to Will Graham than the book will ever express, and his entire character suffers from that lack of exploration. Similarly, Francis Dolarhyde’s past is tragic and, if explored in enough detail, could really make this sinister character much more sympathetic and therefore interesting. Instead, the details give just enough background for a reader to understand the psychological trauma to which Dolarhyde is exposed as a child but goes no further. In fact, his current mental state is never completely explored either, something that is particularly lacking given his anguish over Rita’s fate. All of these “what if” scenarios that a reader can so easily see do nothing but weaken an already frail storyline because they allow the reader to focus on the unfulfilled potential rather than on the story at hand.Fans of Dr. Hannibal Lecter will be disappointed at his lack of participation in the story. While it may be his introduction, Lecter is nothing more than a minor side character. He is supposed to provide similar support to Graham as he does to Clarice Starling in Silence of the Lambs, but in Red Dragon his contribution is even less involved. His crimes are never fully discussed, and his participation in the manhunt is limited to letters. Lecter remains nothing but a sinister but fairly ineffective figure in the background. It is a disappointment that Harris felt the need to use the Lecter name to entice readers to select the book and then make such a famous villain so conspicuously absent from the overarching story.Alan Sklar has a tremendous voice but one that is not necessarily conducive to a pleasant audiobook experience. His voice is too deep and gravelly to even begin to mimic female voices, so his come across as strained and slightly condescending. His distinction between male characters leaves a lot to be desired too since his very slight tonal modulations and pronunciations are too subtle to allow a reader to easily distinguish among them. His booming basso truly fits the vocalization of the Dragon though, which was a great counterpoint to the overall meekness and sycophancy of Francis. Unfortunately, a listener’s lack of enjoyment of the audiobook is as much the fault of the narrator as it is the fault of this mediocre story. Mr. Sklar works decently within the confines he was given. Some of that which is lacking is due to his performance, but a large majority of it is the ineffectiveness of the author’s own words.Red Dragon is a fairly poor example of a horror story. There is gore but it is rather subdued and exists as nothing but vague post-mortem descriptions. The story itself is predictable and anti-climactic. Character development is negligible as well. A reader does not get the chance to explore the psychopathy of the Dragon, and Will Graham’s seemingly psychic ability to hunt down killers is never fully explored. The entire story is very superficial and without a strong level of tension to maintain a reader’s interest. Those expecting to learn more about Hannibal Lecter will be disappointed at how little he appears throughout the novel. The entire story is disappointing for its lack of mystery and suspense. There are more suspenseful and better written horror mysteries out there to warrant keeping Red Dragon on a TBR pile.


Bard College Catalogue

Bard College Catalogue 2017-18

Bard College Catalogue 2017-18

The Orchestra Now

The Orchestra Now (TŌN) is a unique preprofessional orchestra and master’s degree program designed to prepare musicians for the challenges facing the modern symphony orchestra. Musicians receive three years of advanced orchestral training and take graduate-level courses in orchestral and curatorial studies, leading to a master of music degree in curatorial, critical, and performance studies. Bard faculty and guest scholars in music history, art history, and other humanities disciplines participate in the program’s seminars. Students in the program, based at Bard’s main campus in Annandale, receive full-tuition scholarships and fellowships for their experiential training in the orchestra.

TŌN performs concert series at Carnegie Hall and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, and in concert halls throughout the Northeast. Leon Botstein, president of Bard College, is the music director and principal conductor of The Orchestra Now. In addition, a roster of guest conductors and renowned instrumentalists participates in TŌN’s concert and rehearsal schedule. TŌN rehearses in the Richard B. Fisher Center for the Performing Arts.


Correlation Analysis Between IPC and IBEX 35

This module allows you to analyze existing cross correlation between IPC and IBEX 35. You can compare the effects of market volatilities on IPC and IBEX 35 and check how they will diversify away market risk if combined in the same portfolio for a given time horizon. You can also utilize pair trading strategies of matching a long position in IPC with a short position of IBEX 35. See also your portfolio center. Please also check ongoing floating volatility patterns of IPC and IBEX 35.
 Time Horizon     30 Days    Login   to change

IPC  vs.  IBEX 35

 Performance (%)

Pair Volatility

Given the investment horizon of 30 days, IPC is expected to generate 0.45 times more return on investment than IBEX 35. However, IPC is 2.24 times less risky than IBEX 35. It trades about 0.3 of its potential returns per unit of risk. IBEX 35 is currently generating about 0.0 per unit of risk. If you would invest  4,666,087  in IPC on June 16, 2018 and sell it today you would earn a total of  174,514  from holding IPC or generate 3.74% return on investment over 30 days.

Pair Corralation between IPC and IBEX 35

Time Period1 Month [change]
ValuesDaily Returns

Very weak diversification

Overlapping area represents the amount of risk that can be diversified away by holding IPC and IBEX 35 in the same portfolio assuming nothing else is changed. The correlation between historical prices or returns on IBEX 35 and IPC is a relative statistical measure of the degree to which these equity instruments tend to move together. The correlation coefficient measures the extent to which returns on IPC are associated (or correlated) with IBEX 35. Values of the correlation coefficient range from -1 to +1, where. The correlation of zero (0) is possible when the price movement of IBEX 35 has no effect on the direction of IPC i.e. IPC and IBEX 35 go up and down completely randomly.

Comparative Volatility

 Predicted Return Density

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