5/31/2013

Easy To Be Critical

Forbes Thought Of The Day


It is much easier to be critical than to be correct.”

— Benjamin Disraeli








Outraged People to the Left of Us

Outraged People to the Right of Us

Volleyed and Thundered

The Times They Are a Changin


The Chicago Sun Times laid off all of their staff photographers.
The Sun Times was well known for the quality of their photos. They will rely instead on photos taken by reporters and of videos.


"The Chicago Sun-Times laid off its entire staff of photographers Thursday and plans to use freelance photographers and reporters to shoot photos and video, the newspaper said. A total of 28 full-time staffers received the news at a morning meeting, according to sources familiar with the situation."

    'Chicago Sun-Times' lays off all photographers; union to file charge

    USA TODAY ‎- 18 hours ago
    The union representing laid-off photographers at the Chicago Sun-Times plans to file a bad-faith bargaining charge with the National Labor ...
  1. Chicago Tribune (blog)‎ - by Robert Channick‎ - 9 hours ago

    1. Local Resident, Sun-Times Photographer Talks About Lay-Off ...

    1. algonquin.patch.com/.../huntley-resident-suntimes-photographer-talks-ab...


    1 hour ago – Michael Smart, a staff photographer at the Elgin Courier-News since 1988, was one of 28 Sun-Times photographers laid off on Thursday, ...

    1. Guild representing laid-off Sun-Times photographers plans ...

    1. www.bizjournals.com/chicago/.../guild-sun-times-photographers-nlrb.ht...

    3 hours ago – After the Chicago Sun-Times laid off their entire photography staff, the Newspaper...

    1. Chicago Sun-Times lays off photo staff - chicagotribune.com

    1. www.chicagotribune.com › BusinessChicago Breaking Business



    1. 22 hours ago – The Chicago Sun-Times laid off its full photography staff Thursday morning, a spokesperson for the newspaper said.

      1. The Chicago Sun-Times Laid Off Their Entire Photography Staff ...

      1. www.theatlanticwire.com/.../05/...sun-times-laid...photography.../65747/

      14 hours ago – Arguing that print reporters and freelancers can replace a staff of nearly 30 professional photographers, the Chicago Sun-Times laid off their ...

      1. Chicago Sun-Times lays off photography staff - Yahoo! News

      1. news.yahoo.com/chicago-sun-times-lays-off-photography-staff-1759160...

      22 hours ago – The Sun-Times Media announced today that they laid off their entire full time photography …more staff at the city's tabloid newspaper, and its ...

      1. Chicago Sun-Times, sister papers said laying off all ... - UPI.com

      1. www.upi.com › Business News

      13 hours ago – The Chicago Sun-Times and its affiliated suburban newspapers have chopped their entire photography staff, Crain's Chicago Business ...

      1. Sun-Times photographer talks about being laid off - DailyHerald.com

      1. www.dailyherald.com/article/20130530/business/705309866/

      23 hours ago – Sun-Times Media, parent of the Chicago Sun Times and several suburban newspapers, eliminated 20 to 30 photographers from its staff. After a ...

      1. A Sun-Times Vet on the Paper Laying Off Its Photo Department ...

      1. observer.com/.../a-sun-times-vet-on-the-paper-laying-off-their-photo-de...

      17 hours ago – The Sun-Times laid off its entire photo staff of about 20 employees this morning. Instead of full time photographers, the paper will go with more ...

      1. Laid off Sun-Times photographers' reactions from Billy Goat - YouTube

      1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0TKK7ujFy0&feature=youtube...

      13 hours ago – Reactions from a gathering of recently laid-off Sun-Times photographers at the Billy Goat Tavern on Lower Michigan Avenue. For more video ...
     

    5/28/2013

    Nice Sunset Tonight





    Support Our Troops


    Memorial Day Downtown Sarasota - Passing Out Support Our Troops Boxes




    MOAA Sarasota Chapter set up a tent at the end of the parade route at the park where the Memorial Day event was held, and passed out Support Our Troops boxes for citizens to use to send care packages to troops in Afghanistan. The boxes are US Post office boxes. We include information about what items the troops need in Afghanistan and what the addresses are for the units we support. People fill up the boxes and mail them to the troops.


    Thanks again to all who took the time to work the Parade this morning. It was truly a success because of your support. We passed out 1000 boxes and still ran out at the roundabout with a block left. If only a small percentage of these boxes arrive in the hands of an active service man or woman....it is well worth the effort.

    Hope to see you at our next event.

    Mike & Patt Staley






    5/27/2013

    Memorial Day May 27, 2013




    Remembering our grandparents, parents, and friends who served their country.



















    ON MEMORIAL DAY, WE REMEMBER AND LOOK TO HONOR VETERANS FOR GENERATIONS TO COME

    by Melissa Thompson

    This Memorial Day, let's focus on its true meaning: remembering the men and women who died serving our nation's armed forces. It's about coming together to honor those who gave their all.
    Whether it was 100 years ago or last week, we remember them. They are the few who willingly step into harm's way for the majority of us and pay the ultimate sacrifice for doing so.
    From the entire team at The Patterson Foundation and on behalf of our community, know that while these courageous men and women are gone, they are never forgotten.
    Click here for a list of local Memorial Day remembrance events and here for local parades. Our Legacy of Valor team members will be on hand at several events in the Sarasota and Venice areas to share more information about our campaign to honor veterans and their families.
    On May 26Legacy of Valor partners the Jacobites Pipe and Drum Band and The First Brass will host a Memorial Day concert and will be collecting cellphones to benefit 
    A Memorial Day ceremony will be held at Sarasota National Cemetery on May 26 at 1:00 pm, 9810 State Road 72, Sarasota, FL 34241 or call (941) 922-7200 for more details.
    Melissa Thompson | May 24, 2013 at 12:00 am | Tags: Memorial DaySarasota National Cemetery | Categories: Sarasota National Cemetery | URL: http://wp.me/p28bFy-VX
    Comment   See all comments

    5/26/2013

    What Will They Think of NEXT?

    NASA to Print Pizzas; Free Delivery Unlikely

    (Photo: Neven Mrgan)
    In our podcast “Waiter, There’s a Physicist in My Soup!,” we talked to  Pablos Holman at Intellectual Ventures about food printers (we’ve also blogged about organ printers and meat printers). Now NASA is funding an Austin, Tex., company that is working on a pizza printer. From CNET:
    Systems and Materials Research recently received a $125,000 grant from NASA to make a pizza. OK, it’s a little more complicated than that. Contractor already created a proof-of-concept printer that can print chocolate onto a cookie. His next goal is to print out dough and cook it while printing out sauce and toppings.
    Contractor isn’t just planning to use cartridges full of red sauce, but rather the building blocks of food products. Cartridges full of powders and oils could be combined to make different foods. These cartridges would have extremely long shelf lives, making them appropriate for feeding astronauts during long-distance space travel.
    “The way we are working on it is, all the carbs, proteins and macro and micro nutrients are in powder form. We take moisture out, and in that form it will last maybe 30 years,” Contractor told news site Quartz in an article posted Tuesday.

    5/24/2013

    East Coast, West Cosat – What About Our Coast?

    by Pete Saunders - From the Urbanophile

    Here's another nice entry from Pete Saunders, a Chicago urban planner. If you haven't checked his stuff out before, be sure to pay a visit to his blog Corner Side Yard 
    Most Americans take it as an article of faith that there’s a strong connection and relationship between the major cities of the East and West coasts. Indeed, there may be 3,000 miles separating New York from Los Angeles, or San Francisco from Washington, but psychologically the cities each seem to be more connected to each other than, say, Dallas to New York or Atlanta to San Francisco. Of course, in the minds of the coastal crowd, the rest of the nation has become “flyover” country. That wasn’t always the case. How exactly did that happen?

    Lots of factors helped to develop America’s west coast. Certainly the pioneer spirit that initially brought settlers west led to a strong sense of individualism and entrepreneurism that pushed development forward. The allure of the weather brought many transplants west. But I think the West Coast benefitted much more from the kinds of connections identified by Jim Russell at Burgh Diaspora (and now at Pacific Standard) – the West Coast had an effective talent attraction strategy, created strong bonds with the East Coast, and never let them go. It’s a lesson that the shrinking cities of the Rust Belt should heed and practice.




    Stuff


    1. Sometimes I'll look down at my watch 3 consecutive times and still not know what time it is.

    2. Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you realize you're wrong.

    3. I totally take back all those times I didn't want to nap when I was younger.

    4. There is great need for a sarcasm font.

    5. How the heck are you supposed to fold a fitted sheet?

    6. Was learning cursive really necessary?

    7. Map Quest really needs to start their directions on # 5. I'm pretty sure I know how to get out of my neighborhood.

    8. Obituaries would be a lot more interesting if they told you how the person died.

    9. I can't remember the last time I wasn't at least kind-of tired.

    10. Bad decisions make good stories.

    11. You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work when you know that you just aren't going to do anything productive for the rest of the day.

    12. Can we all just agree to ignore whatever comes after Blue Ray? I don't want to have to restart my collection...again.

    13. I'm always slightly terrified when I exit out of Word and it asks me if I want to save any changes to my ten-page technical report that I swear I did not make any changes to.

    14. I keep some people's phone numbers in my phone just so I know not to answer when they call.

    15. I think the freezer deserves a light as well.

    16. I disagree with Kay Jewelers. I would bet on any given Friday or Saturday night more kisses begin with Miller Light than Kay.

    17. I wish Google Maps had an "Avoid Ghetto" routing option.

    18. I have a hard time deciphering the fine line between boredom and hunger.

    19. How many times is it appropriate to say "What?" before you just nod and smile because you still didn't hear or understand a word they said?

    20. I love the sense of camaraderie when an entire line of cars team up to prevent a jerk from cutting in at the front.

    21. Shirts get dirty. Underwear gets dirty. Pants? Pants never get dirty, and you can wear them forever.

    22. Even under ideal conditions people have trouble locating their car keys in a pocket, finding their cell phone, and Pinning the Tail on the Donkey - but I'd bet everyone can find and push the snooze button from 3 feet away, in about 1.7 seconds, eyes closed, first time, every time.

    23. The first testicular guard, the "Cup," was used in Hockey in 1874 and the first helmet was used in 1974. That means it only took 100 years for men to realize that their brain is also important.


    5/23/2013

    High Stepping




    Wurzburg, Germany


    Pailon del Diablo, Equador


    Chand Baori fountain in India.
    These steps lead to a huge fountain built in the tenth century to collect rain in the region and accumulate them in temporary lakes. The structure has a total of 3,500 steps and down to a depth of 30 meters.

    Elbsandsteingebirge stairs in Schsische Schweiz, Germany.
    Some steps are cut directly into the rock of these mountains. Dating from the thirteenth century and were eroded by wind and water, but it remained being used daily by tourists. 487 steps, which have been restored in the eighteenth century to facilitate transit.

    Crack of Guatape in Antioquia, Colombia.
    Corner stone is a genuine monolith with a height of 220 meters. Cement stairs were built directly on the rock, filling the crack where the sides support the structure. To reach the top, you must climb the 702 steps.

    Haiku scale in Oahu, Hawaii.
    This extraordinary scale spanning 3922 steps, climbing and descending a hill of 850 meters. It was created to facilitate the installation of antennas in 1942. Largely made of wood, was modernized in 1950 with metal, but closed to the public since 1987.

    The Inca road in Peru.
    An ancient trade route that connects Cuzco to Machu Picchu town. There are miles and miles of stairs in some very unsafe places, such as for example the famous floating stage.

    Wayna Pichu at Machu Pichu, Peru.
    Some steps cut into the rock which crown an ascent of 360 feet above the main city of Machu Pichu. In some sectors, the ascent is complicated, passing through narrow portions with small eroded steps. They allow only 400 tourists to climb daily, and shuts down access at 1 p.m.

    Cross Road ladder in Bermeo, Basque Country, Spain.
    This network connects with endless steps where Rocky is a small church dating from the tenth century, it seems to be of Templar origin. To reach the hermitage of San Juan de Gaztelugatze must climb 231 steps and there are gaps between steps are identified to be the footprints of St. John, which are assigned certain curative powers. For example, sit on them for healing, or touch the hat to cure headaches.

    Scale worm Taihang Mountains on the border
    between Shanxi and Henan provinces in China.

    This scale worm of approximately 100 meters was recently installed with the intention of attracting thousands of tourists to the beautiful Taihang mountains. Before climbing visitors are asked to sign a form assuring that are no heart or lung problems.



    5/21/2013

    World Population Projections



    The world population is estimated to number 7.086 billion by the United States Census Bureau (USCB).

    Current projections show a continued increase in population in the near future (but a steady decline in the population growth rate), with the global population expected to reach between 7.5 and 10.5 billion by 2050.[2][9][10] Various longer-term estimates predict further growth, stagnation, or even overall decline in the global population by 2150.[11] Some analysts have questioned the sustainability of further world population growth, citing the growing pressures on the environment, global food supplies, and energy resources.[12][13][14]


    1. World population - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_population
      The table below shows historical and predicted regional population figures in millions. The availability of historical ...
    2. Population growth - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

      en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Population_growth
      Annual population growth rate in percent, as listed in the CIA World Factbook (2011 estimate). Growth rate of world population (1950-2050). Population of the ...
    3. World Population Clock: 7 Billion People - Worldometers

      www.worldometers.info/world-population/
      World population has reached 7 billion on October 31, 2011. ... historical, and futureworld population figures, estimates, growth rates, densities and demographics.
    4. World Population - The Current World Population

      geography.about.com/od/obtainpopulationdata/a/worldpopulation.htm
      Discover the current world population and historic world population totals andgrowth since the year one, from your About.com Guide to Geography.
    5. World population may actually start declining, not exploding. - Slate ...

      www.slate.com/.../world_population_may_actually_start_declining_not_...
      Jan 9, 2013 – This is a counterintuitive notion in the United States, where we've heard often and loudly that world population growth is a perilous and perhaps ...
    6. Images for world populations growth

       - Report images
    7. Human Population Growth - - Population Reference Bureau

      www.prb.org/Educators/.../HumanPopulation/PopulationGrowth.aspx
      World Population Growth, 1950–2050. Source: United Nations Population Division, World Population Prospects, The 2008 Revision.
    8. [PDF]

      World Population Growth - World Bank

      www.worldbank.org/depweb/beyond/beyondco/beg_03.pdf
      factors to consider when thinking about development. In the past 50 years the worldhas experienced an unprecedented increase in population growth (Figure ...
    9. [PDF]

      UN “World Population to 2300” - the United Nations

      www.un.org/esa/population/publications/.../WorldPop2300final.pdf
      lation size and growth, and demographic indicators. The results from the most recent set of estimates and projections were published in World Population ...
    10. International Programs - World Population Growth Rates: 1950-2050 ...

      www.census.gov › ... › Data › International Data Base
      International Data Base (IDB) World Population Growth Rates: 1950-2050.
    11. World Population Growth History Chart - Vaughn's Summaries

      www.vaughns-1-pagers.com/history/world-population-growth.htm
      A summary chart of the world's population from 10000 BC to 2050 AD.
    12. News for world populations growth

      1. Population growth and climate change explained by Hans Rosling – video
        The Guardian ‎- 3 days ago
        Let me show you the world, says Swedish academic Han Rosling as he demonstrates the dynamics of population growth, child mortality and ...