Tag Archives: book

James Risen Will Not Be Required to Reveal His Sources for "State of War"

Mother Jones

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC “-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN” “http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40/loose.dtd”>

From the New York Times:

Preet Bharara, the United States attorney in Manhattan wants to force Richard Bonin, a longtime producer for “60 Minutes,” to testify next month at a terrorism trial over bombings by Al Qaeda in 1998. One of the two defendants, Khaled al-Fawwaz, is accused of running Al Qaeda’s media office in London. Prosecutors want Mr. Bonin to discuss his dealings with the group’s media office in an unsuccessful effort to interview Osama bin Laden in 1998, officials and others briefed on the case said.

Wait. What? Al Qaeda had a media office?

In other, better news, Eric Holder has decided not to subpoena New York Times reporter James Risen in an effort to force him to reveal the sources for his book, State of War. “If the government subpoenas Risen to require any of his testimony,” a Justice Department official said, “it would be to confirm that he had an agreement with a confidential source, and that he did write the book.” I don’t know how Risen feels about that, but it’s obviously much less pernicious than threatening jail time for refusing to identify a source.

This comes via Doug Mataconis, who argues persuasively that the arbitrary nature of federal prosecutions against reporters for refusing to reveal a source is exactly why we need to pass some kind of federal shield law for reporters. Even if it turned out to be weaker than many of us would like—pretty much a dead certainty, I’d say—at the very least it would provide some consistent guidance for both judges and media members.

Original article:  

James Risen Will Not Be Required to Reveal His Sources for "State of War"

Posted in FF, GE, LG, ONA, Uncategorized, Venta | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on James Risen Will Not Be Required to Reveal His Sources for "State of War"

100-Plus Photographers Capture 49 Cities

Mother Jones

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC “-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN” “http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40/loose.dtd”>

Take a quick look at The World Atlas of Street Photography and you’ll see right away that editor Jackie Higgins worked from a rather loose definition of the genre. Which isn’t not necessarily a bad thing for a book billing itself as a “World Atlas.” You want to give readers a full range of what exists under a broad definition of street photography, right?

Like any compilation work, though, the book is a mixed bag. A follow-up to The World Atlas of Street Art and Graffiti, it pulls together work by living photographers who do street photography in one form or other. Some you’ve undoubtedly heard of, but there are plenty you haven’t, and a number of notable street photographers whose work isn’t included. That’s where the “World Atlas” thing causes a bit of trouble. No Robert Frank? No Anders Petersen or Morten Andersen? No Jacob Aue Sobol? Bruce Davidson? Maybe these people didn’t want to take part. Or maybe the editors didn’t feel they should be included. And really, anyone familiar with the genre would come up with an entirely different lineup. Such is the nature of these sorts of books. Let’s be honest: Part of the draw is the chance to nit pick.

From “A City Refracted,” 2012–2014. Graeme Williams

Mumbai, India, 2007–2013. Maciej Dakowicz


The book is broken down by location, and Higgins makes a valiant effort to truly make it a worldwide survey. With more than 100 photographers shooting in 49 cities, there’s a great geographic and stylistic distribution. You have Martin Parr in Dubai, Wim Wenders in Houston, Pieter Hugo in Lagos, Trent Parke and Narelle Autio in Sydney, Alex Webb shooting Istanbul, David Goldblatt in his native South Africa, and much more.

All of the work is from existing, if not previously published, projects, such as Luc Delahaye’s L’Autre (a series of candid portraits from the Paris Metro), Nikki S. Lee’s performance art “Projects” series masquerading as street photography, and Michael Wolf’s Transparent City project.

From “Ramos,” Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 2009–2012. Julio Bittencourt

Fenchurch Street, 11 a.m., from “London’s Square Mile,” 2006–2013.
Polly Braden

A few bodies of work feel imitative, or leave you with that feeling of “Hell, I can take photos at least as good!” It’s a refrain you often hear from people who have been to an exhibit of Garry Winogrand, or of any street photographer, for that matter. I wouldn’t say that about Winogrand, but there are enough projects in this book that make me think, “Why was this included?” to leave me with an uneven feeling about the book.

At the same time, some of the work truly inspires. Alex Webb’s groundbreaking juxtapositions and Daido Moriyama’s contrasty explosions of black and white expand the boundaries of the street photography genre. Then there are photographers who push the envelope of what is even considered street photography, like work from Doug Rickard’s “A New American Picture,” a series of images lifted from Google Street View.

Appold Street, 6 p.m., from “London’s Square Mile,” 2006-2013. Polly Braden

The Wall Street Guy, New York City, 2008 (from “Stolen Moments,” 2008–present).
Yasmine Chatila

Shanghai, China, March 2011. Ying Tang

All that said, there’s a lot of amazing photography within these 400 pages. And the brief history of street photography for different cities is a great touch. Some of the best work, however, seems overly familiar—though to a nonphotographer it may not. Aside from that, the range of photographers represented seem to tilt more heavily toward the museum or ArtForum set: fine-art type photography that just happens to be set in the streets. And that’s not really my bag. But there’s also a lot that is totally up my alley. Like I said: mixed bag.

Even if I wasn’t overly wowed by the broad overview, I can understand what the book is trying to accomplish. Like most surveys, it’s a fine enough introduction to the current state of street photography in all its forms. The write-ups offer a quick background on each photographer and their included body of work, enough to provide a great starting point.

But if you’re seeking a deeper dive into the masters of the genre, you might want to check out the truly excellent Bystander: A History of Street Photography, by Joel Meyerowitz and Colin Westerbeck; Leo Rubinfien’s recent, massive Garry Winogrand book; the new Robert Frank book; and the reissue of Henri Cartier-Bresson’s monumental Decisive Moment.

Moorgate Station, London, UK, 2005. Matt Stuart

From “Rio: Entre Morros,” Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 2010. Claudia Jaguaribe

Original post – 

100-Plus Photographers Capture 49 Cities

Posted in Anchor, FF, G & F, GE, LG, ONA, Pines, Radius, Uncategorized, Venta, Yale University Press | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on 100-Plus Photographers Capture 49 Cities

Robert Frank’s Photos of America Still Feel As Poignant As They Did 60 Years Ago

Mother Jones

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC “-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN” “http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40/loose.dtd”>

On November 9, photographer Robert Frank turns 90. While turning 90 is worth celebrating, what’s even more impressive is that the work he created 60 years ago continues to resonate so strongly today. Frank’s photos of the postwar United States still feel incredibly fresh, even if they bear the weight of history—and even if their details (the clothes, the cars, the hairstyles) seem so dated.

By the time Frank’s now-landmark book The Americans hit US bookstore shelves in 1959, he turned his attention from photography to filmmaking. The negative reaction his debut book received didn’t exactly inspire Frank to keep shooting. Nevertheless, 10 years after it was first published, The Americans became a tour de force in photography, its influence growing exponentially over time.

New York City, 1951 Cantor Arts Center at Stanford University, gift of Raymond B. Gary

For the most part, the work Frank made before and immediately after shooting The Americans has remain unseen. Recent curatorial work led by Sarah Greenough at the National Gallery of Art started to correct that. She and other curators printed and exhibited photos that didn’t make the cut for The Americans or that were otherwise shot around the same time period but not part of the project. Greenough’s massive and massively awesome Looking In: Robert Frank’s The Americans, published in 2009, went a long way to provide a fix to all who craved more Robert Frank. And most recently, the new book Robert Frank in America expands on the known photos that Frank shot during this time. In America proves to be an excellent companion to Greenough’s book, particularly for those who can’t seem to get enough Robert Frank. Or, if Looking In‘s almost 400 pages feels daunting, this book is a bit more digestible.

New York City, early 1950s Courtesy Cantor Center for Arts at Stanford University, gift of Bowen H. McCoy

Beaufort, South Carolina, 1955 Cantor Arts Center at Stanford University, gift of Raymond B. Gary

With images largely culled from the impressive collection of Frank photographs at Stanford’s Cantor Arts Center, this new exhibit and catalog showcases 130 images. You’ll recognize 22 of them from The Americans; the rest, however, are more or less unknown photos shot by Frank in the 1950s. These photos stand up with the best of his work.

Iowa, 1956 Cantor Arts Center at Stanford University, gift of Bowen H. McCoy

En route from New York to Washington, Club Car, 1954 Cantor Arts Center at Stanford University, gift of Raymond B. Gary

Hollywood, 1958 Cantor Arts Center at Stanford University, gift of Bowen H. McCoy

As an introduction to Frank’s images, Peter Galassi, former chief curator of photography at New York’s Museum of Modern Art, examines the photographer’s work from 1947 through the early ’60s. In his essay, Galassi shows Frank’s evolution as a photojournalist and puts his work in context with other photographers of the era, notably his protégé Ted Croner‘s blurry, energetic images of New York City at night, Alexey Brodovitch’s frenetic ballet photos, and Sid Grossman‘s photos of the gritty streets of New York. Thankfully, the essay avoids falling into the trap that too many catalog/photobook essays do: being overly academic, dense with critical-theory jargon. It’s smart but clear, full of well-presented (and well-illustrated) information.

The intro also includes a detailed map of Frank’s travels across the United States from the late ’40s through the early ’60s—before, during, and after his Guggenheim travels, when he shot the work for The Americans. The map provides corresponding location and date information to photos in the book. It’s a real treat for photo nerds.

The Americans famously has only 83 carefully edited and sequenced images. In America has 130 photos grouped together by subject. It’s a more obvious way of looking at the photos, but doesn’t diminish the overall greatness of the book.

Detroit, 1955 Cantor Arts Center at Stanford University, gift of Bowen H. McCoy

Florida, 1958 Cantor Arts Center at Stanford University, gift of Bowen H. McCoy

Lusk, Wyoming, 1956 Cantor Arts Center at Stanford University, gift of Bowen H. McCoy

New York City, 1949 Cantor Arts Center at Stanford University, lent by Peter Steil

As great as the photos are, the strength in this book particularly lies in the additional context it provides for Frank’s work, and for the work in The Americans. Seeing that he didn’t just one day pick up a Leica, hop in his car, drive around the United States, manically edit photos to produce The Americans is instructive, even with all we know about Frank today. Putting his evolution in context, as Galassi’s illustrated essay does, then diving into the exceptional photos makes this book (and exhibition) worthwhile. It’s a perfect way to celebrate Robert Frank’s 90th birthday.

Robert Frank in America is on display at the Cantor Arts Center at Stanford University until January 5, 2015. The accompanying 200-page exhibition catalog is published by Steidl.

View the original here: 

Robert Frank’s Photos of America Still Feel As Poignant As They Did 60 Years Ago

Posted in alo, Anchor, FF, GE, LAI, Landmark, LG, ONA, Radius, solar, Uncategorized, Venta | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Robert Frank’s Photos of America Still Feel As Poignant As They Did 60 Years Ago

Arizona School District Cutting Contraception from High School Biology Text

Mother Jones

Via Steve Benen, here’s the latest from Gilbert, Arizona:

School district staff here will “edit” a high-school honors biology textbook after board members agreed that it does not align with state regulations on how abortion is to be presented to public-school students.

….The book in question, Campbell Biology: Concepts & Connections (Seventh Edition), has a chapter that discusses abstinence, birth-control methods, tubal ligations and vasectomies and drugs that can induce abortion.

….The board made its decision after listening to a presentation from Natalie Decker, a lawyer for Scottsdale-based Alliance Defending Freedom….Decker did not recommend a way to change the book but said it could be redacted or have additional information pasted in. “The cheapest, least disruptive way to solve the problem is to remove the page,” board member Daryl Colvin said.

This whole thing is ridiculous, and the prospect of taking a razor blade to p. 547 of this textbook is cringe-inducing. Hell, as near as anyone can tell, the book doesn’t even violate Arizona law, which requires public schools to present child birth and adoption as preferred options to elective abortion. Apparently there are just some folks in Gilbert who don’t like having the subject presented at all.

Still, ridiculous as this is, I do have a serious question to ask. I checked, and this is not a “Human Sexuality” text or a “Health and Family” book. It’s straight-up biology: photosynthesis, genes, evolution, eukaryotic cells, vertebrates, nervous systems, hormones, the immune system, etc. etc. So why, in a generic biology textbook, is there a special boxed page devoted to specific technical means of contraception in human beings? That really does seem like something pasted in to make a point, not because it follows naturally from a discussion of reproduction and embryonic development in class Mammalia.

So….what’s the point of including this in the first place? To annoy conservatives? To satisfy some obscure interest group? If this book were used in a sex ed class, that would be one thing. It would clearly belong. But in a standard biology text? I don’t really get it.

See the original post:  

Arizona School District Cutting Contraception from High School Biology Text

Posted in FF, GE, LG, ONA, Scotts, Uncategorized, Venta | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Arizona School District Cutting Contraception from High School Biology Text

Jon Stewart Talks to Atul Gawande About Death, Dying, and Ebola

Mother Jones

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC “-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN” “http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40/loose.dtd”>

Jon Stewart had Atul Gawande, the fabulously talented writer and surgeon, on his show yesterday to laugh in the face of death. Gawande’s new book, Being Mortal, is a must-read for anyone who doesn’t want to die in an ICU. It tackles the thorny subject of how the medical profession has failed badly when it comes to the needs of the dying, or, as Gawande put it to me a few hours before the Daily Show taping, “We have medicalized aging, and that experiment is failing us.” Let’s hope this book makes a difference when the time comes.

See original:  

Jon Stewart Talks to Atul Gawande About Death, Dying, and Ebola

Posted in Anchor, FF, GE, LG, ONA, Radius, Uncategorized, Venta | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Jon Stewart Talks to Atul Gawande About Death, Dying, and Ebola

George R.R. Martin Has 2 Words for People Scared He’ll Die Before Finishing "Game Of Thrones" Series

Mother Jones

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC “-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN” “http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40/loose.dtd”>

Game of Thrones author George R.R. Martin is 65 years old. Because of this, some of his fans are deeply worried that he won’t finish writing his A Song of Ice And Fire fantasy book series (which began in 1996, and is the basis for the hit HBO show) before he dies. (See: the case of fellow fantasy author Robert Jordan.)

Well, he was asked about this during a recent interview with Swiss newspaper Tages-Anzeiger. Here’s his response:

Well, I find that question, you know, pretty offensive, frankly, when people start speculating about my death and my health. So, ‘fuck you’ to those people. Laughs.

You can watch the “fuck you”—and Martin’s accompanying flipped middle finger—here.

This isn’t the first time Martin has addressed this concern among his readers. In 2012, he wrote a blog post trolling his fans who are so obsessed with the series that they routinely berate him for working on other projects. It reads:

Reading. I just finished THE KING’S BLOOD, the second volume of Daniel Abraham’s “Dagger and Coin” series. Books like this remind me why I love epic fantasy. Yes, I’m prejudiced, Daniel is a friend and sometime collaborator… but damn, that was a good book. Great world, great characters, thoroughly engrossing story. The only problem was, it ended too soon. I want more. I want to know what happens to Cithrin, and Marcus, and Geder, and Clara. And I want to know NOW. God damn you, Daniel Abraham. I know for a fact that you are writing more Expanse books with Ty, and more urban fantasies as M.L.N. Hanover, and doing short stories for some hack anthologist, and scripting some goddamn COMIC BOOK, and even sleeping with your wife and playing with your daughter. STOP ALL THAT AT ONCE, and get to writing on the next Dagger and Coin. I refuse to wait.

“Fuck you” is more succinct.

(h/t Gawker)

This article – 

George R.R. Martin Has 2 Words for People Scared He’ll Die Before Finishing "Game Of Thrones" Series

Posted in Anchor, FF, GE, LAI, LG, ONA, Radius, Uncategorized, Venta, Vintage | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on George R.R. Martin Has 2 Words for People Scared He’ll Die Before Finishing "Game Of Thrones" Series

An Economist Answers Some of My Questions About "Capital in the 21st Century"

Mother Jones

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC “-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN” “http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40/loose.dtd”>

On Thursday I posted a couple of very rudimentary comments regarding Thomas Piketty’s blockbuster new book, Capital in the 21st Century. I had questions about Piketty’s estimates of r (return on capital) and g (economic growth) in the past and—much more importantly—how they were likely to play out in the future. But all I had were amateur musings because I am, after all, only an amateur.

However, yesterday Brad DeLong tackled some of the questions I asked in a far more rigorous and disciplined way, teasing out a lot of unstated implications along the way—including the importance of various measures of r and how they relate to the probability of increasing future wealth concentration in the real world. It’s a long post, and complex in places, but highly recommended. If you’re willing to work your way through it, DeLong provides a framework for thinking about Piketty’s model that helps you start to make sense of both the book and its conclusions.

POSTSCRIPT: I’ve gotten a couple of questions about why I seem unduly skeptical, or even harsh, about Piketty’s book. It’s obviously a landmark work, I don’t really mean to be unfair. But it’s a book with innovative and untested ideas that has obvious appeal to anyone left of center, and I think this is precisely the time to avoid unquestioning hosannas. Affinity bias makes us all sympathetic to Piketty’s arguments, and that’s why we should instead question it carefully and thoroughly.

See more here – 

An Economist Answers Some of My Questions About "Capital in the 21st Century"

Posted in alo, FF, GE, Landmark, LG, ONA, Uncategorized, Venta | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on An Economist Answers Some of My Questions About "Capital in the 21st Century"

Quiz: Who’s More Metal, the Cat or the Owner?

Mother Jones

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC “-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN” “http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40/loose.dtd”>

Metal Cats, a new book that compiles photos of headbangers with their felines, made us wonder: Who’s more metal, cat or owner? Take the quiz below, featuring some of the book’s photos, to find out.

(function($)

function make_default_how_you_did_html(nCorrect, nQuestions)
var answersWord = nCorrect === 1 ? ‘answer’ : ‘answers’;
return ‘You got ‘ + nCorrect + ‘ ‘ +
‘correct ‘ + answersWord + ‘ out of ‘ + nQuestions + ‘ questions’;

function make_default_how_you_did_htmls(nQuestions)
var ret = [];
for (var i = 0; i <= nQuestions; i++)
ret.push(make_default_how_you_did_html(i, nQuestions));

return ret;
}

$.quiz = function(quiz_data, results_data, options)
var container_elem;
var self;
var cover;
var cheater_answer_tracking = [];
var answer_tracking = [];
var how_you_did_element;

var quiz =
defaulting_behavior_on : true,
defaulting_flag : ‘!default’,
container : ‘quiz_container’,
not_finished_html : undefined,
cheating : false,
possible_display_elements :

name : ‘backgroundimage’,
finder: function(container)
return container.find(‘.’ + this.name);
,
create_element : function(slide)
if (!slide) return ”;
return $(‘<div class=”‘ +
this.name +
‘” style=”background-image: url(” +
slidethis.name +
”); height: 100%; width: 100%;position:absolute;z-index: -1″>’
);
}
},

name : ‘topimage’,
finder: function(container)
return container.find(‘.’ + this.name);
,
create_element : function(slide)
if (!slidethis.name) return ”;
return $(

);
}
},

name : ‘topvideoembed’,
finder: function(container)
return container.find(‘.’ + this.name);
,
needs_aspect_ratio : true,
create_element : function(slide)
//check aspect ratio
if (!slide.topvideoembedaspectratio) return ”;
return $(” +
slidethis.name + ”
);
}
},

name : ‘title’,
finder: function(container)
return container.find(‘.’ + this.name);
,
create_element : function(slide)
if (!slidethis.name) return ”;
return $(‘

‘ +
slidethis.name + ”
);
}
},

name : ‘middleimage’,
finder: function(container)
return container.find(‘.’ + this.name);
,
create_element : function(slide)
if (!slidethis.name) return ”;
return $(

);
}
},

name : ‘middlevideoembed’,
needs_aspect_ratio : true,
finder: function(container)
return container.find(‘.’ + this.name);
,
create_element : function(slide)
//check aspect ratio
if (!slide.middlevideoembedaspectratio) return ”;
return $(” +
slidethis.name + ”
);
}
},

name : ‘subhed’,
finder: function(container)
return container.find(‘.’ + this.name);
,
create_element : function(slide)
if (!slidethis.name) return ”;
return $(” +
slidethis.name +

);
}
},

name : ‘text’,
finder: function(container)
return container.find(‘.’ + this.name);
,
create_element : function(slide)
if (!slidethis.name) return ”;
return $(” +
slidethis.name +

);
}
},

name : ‘bottomimage’,
finder: function(container)
return container.find(‘.’ + this.name);
,
create_element : function(slide)
if (!slidethis.name) return ”;
return $(”
);
}
},

name : ‘bottomvideoembed’,
needs_aspect_ratio : true,
finder: function(container)
return container.find(‘.’ + this.name);
,
create_element : function(slide)
//check aspect ratio
if (!slide.bottomvideoembedaspectratio) return ”;
return $(” +
slidethis.name + ”
);
}
}
],

init : function(quiz_data, results_data, options)
self = this;

if (options)
for ( var option in options )
selfoption = optionsoption;

}

if (typeof(quiz_data) === ‘string’)
// is a google spreadsheet.
// Will call init_data in a callback
self.load_from_google_spreadsheet(quiz_data);
else
if (!results_data)
results_data = make_default_how_you_did_htmls(quiz_data.length);

self.init_data(quiz_data, results_data);
}

return self;
},
init_data: function(quiz_data, results_data)
self.quiz_data = quiz_data;
self.results_data = results_data;

self.calculate_aspectratios(quiz_data);
self.create_cover();

for ( var i = 0; i < self.quiz_data.length; i++ )
self.append_question(i);

self.append_how_you_did_section();
self.update_how_you_did_element();
self.preload_answer_images();
},
append_how_you_did_section: function()
how_you_did_element = $(”);
cover.append(how_you_did_element);
,

load_from_google_spreadsheet: function(spreadsheet_id)
Tabletop.init(
key: spreadsheet_id,
proxy : ‘https://s3.amazonaws.com/mj-tabletop-proxy’,
callback: function(data)
var quiz_data = self.make_quiz_data_from_spreadsheet_data(data);
var results_data = self.make_results_data_from_spreadsheet_data(data, quiz_data);
self.init_data(quiz_data, results_data);

});
},
calculate_aspectratios: function(data)
for (var i = 0; i < data.length; i++)
var row = datai;
for (var k = 0; k < row.possible_answers.length; k++)
var answer = row.possible_answersk;
self.find_aspectratio_for_each_type_of_video_embed(answer);

self.find_aspectratio_for_each_type_of_video_embed(row.question);
}
},

find_aspectratio_for_each_type_of_video_embed : function(slide)
for (var i = 0; i < self.possible_display_elements.length; i++ )
var display = self.possible_display_elementsi;
if ( display.needs_aspect_ratio && slidedisplay.name )
slidedisplay.name + ‘aspectratio’ =
self.find_aspectratio(slidedisplay.name);

}
},
find_aspectratio: function(videoembed)
var height = videoembed.match(/height=”d+”/);
if (!height
height = parseInt(height0.replace(/height=”/, ”).replace(/”/, ”), 10);

var width = videoembed.match(/width=”d+”/);
if (!width || !width0)
console.log(‘Your video embed code needs a width.’);
return ”;

width = parseInt(width0.replace(/width=”/, ”).replace(/”/, ”), 10);

return (height / width)*100;
},
pull_answer_value_from_spreadsheet : function(row, value, wrong_number, correct)
correct = correct ? ‘right’ : ‘wrong’;
if (rowcorrect + wrong_number + value && rowcorrect + wrong_number + value !== self.defaulting_flag)
return (rowcorrect + wrong_number + value);

if ((self.defaulting_behavior_on && rowcorrect + wrong_number + value !== self.defaulting_flag) ||
(!self.defaulting_behavior_on && rowcorrect + wrong_number + value === self.defaulting_flag)
)
return (rowcorrect + value && rowcorrect + value !== self.defaulting_flag ?
rowcorrect + value :
(row’answer’ + value && row’answer’ + value !== self.defaulting_flag ?
row’answer’ + value :
row’question’ + value
)
);
else
return ”;

},
get_possible_answers : function(row, is_correct)
var possible_answers = [];
var right_or_wrong = (is_correct ? ‘right’ : ‘wrong’);
if (rowright_or_wrong)
possible_answers.push(self.make_possible_answer(row, ”, is_correct));

for (var i = 0; i < 10; i++ )
if (rowright_or_wrong + i)
possible_answers.push(self.make_possible_answer(row, i, is_correct));

}
return possible_answers;
},
make_possible_answer: function(row, row_number, is_correct)
var right_or_wrong = (is_correct ? ‘right’ : ‘wrong’);
var answer =
answer: rowright_or_wrong + row_number,
correct: is_correct
;
for (var i = 0; i < self.possible_display_elements.length; i++ )
var display_element = self.possible_display_elementsi.name;
answerdisplay_element = self.pull_answer_value_from_spreadsheet(
row, display_element, row_number, is_correct
);

return answer;
},
make_quiz_data_from_spreadsheet_data: function(tabletop)
var i, j, sheetName, data;
var quiz = [];

// Find a sheet that _isn’t_ named “Results”.
for (sheetName in tabletop)
if (tabletop.hasOwnProperty(sheetName) && sheetName !== ‘Results’)
break;

}

data = tabletopsheetName.elements;

for (i = 0; i < data.length; i++)
var row = datai;
var possible_wrong_answers = self.get_possible_answers(row, false);
var possible_right_answers = self.get_possible_answers(row, true);

var right_answer_placement = [];
for (j = 0; j < possible_right_answers.length; j++)
right_answer_placement.push(
Math.round(Math.random() * possible_wrong_answers.length)
);

// IMPORTANT TO SORT THIS. rather than check if a value is in, we only check the first
right_answer_placement.sort();

var possible_answers= [];
var right_answers_placed = 0;
for (j = 0; j <= possible_wrong_answers.length; j++)
while (j === right_answer_placementright_answers_placed)
//push right answer
possible_answers.push(possible_right_answersright_answers_placed);
right_answers_placed++;

if (j === possible_wrong_answers.length)
continue;

possible_answers.push(possible_wrong_answersj);
}

var question =
question :
,
possible_answers : possible_answers,
rowNumber : row.rowNumber – 1
};
for (j = 0; j < self.possible_display_elements.length; j++)
var display_value = self.possible_display_elementsj.name;
question.questiondisplay_value = row’question’ + display_value;

quiz.push(question);
}
return quiz;
},
make_results_data_from_spreadsheet_data: function(tabletop, quiz_data)
var ret = make_default_how_you_did_htmls(quiz_data.length);

var data = tabletop’Results’ ? tabletop’Results’.elements : [];
for (var i = 0; i < data.length; i++)
var index = datai.numberofrightanswers;
if (index) index = parseInt(index, 10);
if (!isNaN(index))
if (!retindex)
console.log(“Invalid number of correct answers: ” + index);
else
retindex = datai.html;

}
}

return ret;
},
append_question : function(question_index)
var question_data = self.quiz_dataquestion_index;
var question_container = $(‘<li class=”question_container row-fluid question_’ +
question_index +
‘”>’
);
question_container.append( self.build_question_element_from_row(question_data) );
question_container.append( self.build_possible_answer_elements_from_row(question_data, question_index) );
container_elem.append(question_container);
,
build_question_element_from_row: function(row)
var question_container = $(”);
for (var i = 0; i < self.possible_display_elements.length; i++)
question_container.append(
self.possible_display_elementsi.create_element(row.question)
);

return question_container;
},
build_possible_answer_elements_from_row : function(question, question_index)
var answers_container = $(”);

function bindClick(question_index, answer_index, possible_answer)
possible_answer.bind(‘click’, function()
// was it the right answer?
var was_correct = self.quiz_dataquestion_index.possible_answersanswer_index.correct;

// Add correct classes to possible answers
answers_container.find(‘.selected’).removeClass(‘selected’);
$(this).addClass(‘selected’);
$(this).removeClass(‘possible_answer’);
answers_container
.find(‘.answer_’ + answer_index)
.addClass(
was_correct ? ‘correct_answer’ : ‘wrong_answer’
);

//track how many you got right the first time
cheater_answer_trackingquestion_index = was_correct;
if ( typeof(answer_trackingquestion_index) === ‘undefined’ )
answer_trackingquestion_index = was_correct;
cover.find(‘.question_’ + question_index).addClass(
‘first_guess_’ +
(was_correct ? ‘right’ : ‘wrong’)
);

self.update_how_you_did_element();

//show new slide
self.display_answer(self.quiz_dataquestion_index, question_index, self.quiz_dataquestion_index.possible_answersanswer_index);

// track that this was selected last
self.quiz_dataquestion_index.previously_selected = self.quiz_dataquestion_index.possible_answersanswer_index;
});
}

for (var i = 0; i < question.possible_answers.length; i++)
var answer_data = question.possible_answersi;
var possible_answer = $(” +
answer_data.answer +
”);
bindClick(question_index, i, possible_answer);
answers_container.append(possible_answer);
this.note_answer_images(answer_data);

return answers_container;
},
answer_images : {},
preload_answer_images: function()
for (var url in this.answer_images)
var img=new Image();
img.src=url;

},
note_answer_images: function(answer_data)
var image_elements = ‘backgroundimage’, ‘topimage’, ‘bottomimage’;
for (var i = 0; i < image_elements.length; i++)
if (!answer_data[image_elementsi]) continue;
this.answer_images[answer_data[image_elementsi]] = true;
}
self.possible_display_elementsi.name;
},
add_display_in_correct_place: function(container, place_in_display_elements, slide)
for ( var i = place_in_display_elements; i > 0; i– )
if (self.possible_display_elementsi – 1.finder(container).length )
self.possible_display_elementsi – 1.finder(container)
.after( self.possible_display_elementsplace_in_display_elements.create_element(slide) );
return;

}
container.prepend(
self.possible_display_elementsplace_in_display_elements.create_element(slide)
);
},
display_answer : function(question, question_index, answer)
var displayed_slide = question.previously_selected ?
question.previously_selected :
question.question;
var slide = container_elem.find(‘.question_’ + question_index + ‘ .question’);
slide.addClass(‘revealed_answer’);
for (var i = 0; i < self.possible_display_elements.length; i++)
var display_value = self.possible_display_elementsi.name;
if ( answerdisplay_value !== displayed_slidedisplay_value )
if ( !answerdisplay_value )
self.possible_display_elementsi.finder(slide).remove();
else if ( !displayed_slidedisplay_value )
self.add_display_in_correct_place(slide, i, answer);
else
self.possible_display_elementsi.finder(slide).replaceWith(
self.possible_display_elementsi.create_element( answer )
);

}
}
},

create_cover : function()
cover = $(‘#’ + self.container);
container_elem = $(”);
cover.append(container_elem);
container_elem.addClass(‘quiz_container’);
container_elem.css(‘padding’, ‘0px’);
,
update_how_you_did_element: function()
var right_answers = 0;
var user_answers = self.cheating ? cheater_answer_tracking : answer_tracking;
var unfinished = false;
for (var i = 0; i < self.quiz_data.length; i++)
if (typeof(answer_trackingi) === ‘undefined’)
unfinished = true;

if (user_answersi)
right_answers++;

}
var html;
if (unfinished && typeof(this.not_finished_html) !== ‘undefined’)
html = this.not_finished_html;
else
html = this.results_dataright_answers;

how_you_did_element.html(html);
}
};
return quiz.init(quiz_data, results_data, options);
};

$.fn.quiz = function(quiz_data, results_data, options)
if (!options) options = results_data; results_data = null;
if (!options) options = ; }
options.container = this.attr(‘id’);
this.quiz = $.quiz(quiz_data, results_data, options);
return this;
};
})(jQuery);

var quiz = jQuery(‘#quiz_container’).quiz(‘0Apogs1tjp7w0dEZLUnB3QTJYVVdjUDJMUTZXU2ZzMmc’);
Photos from Metal Cats by Alexandra Crockett, published by powerHouse Books.

See original article: 

Quiz: Who’s More Metal, the Cat or the Owner?

Posted in Anchor, FF, GE, LG, ONA, Oster, Radius, Uncategorized, Venta | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Quiz: Who’s More Metal, the Cat or the Owner?

Incompetent Scheming Is Just as Bad As Competent Scheming

Mother Jones

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC “-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN” “http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40/loose.dtd”>

A couple of months ago I wrote about new evidence suggesting that several big Silicon Valley firms had explicitly agreed not to hire away each others’ workers. This case has now gotten more attention, and Tyler Cowen comments about it:

I would suggest caution in interpreting this event. For one thing, we don’t know how effective this monopsonistic cartel turned out to be. We do know that wages for successful employees in this sector are high and rising. Many a collusive agreement has fallen apart once one or two firms decide to break ranks, as they usually do. More follows about how this might play out in the real world

Cowen is an economist, and I don’t want to knock him for doing some economic analysis. Still, this is the kind of thing that gives economics a bad name. Who cares if this scheme was effective? Maybe it was the Keystone Kops version of collusion. What matters is merely that they tried. These companies felt perfectly justified in conspiring to hold down wages in a tight labor market. Like so many titans of capitalism, they think free markets are great just as long as workers who are in high demand don’t get any fancy ideas about what that means.

Throw the book at them. If their scheme didn’t work, it just means they’re incompetent plotters. But they’re plotters nonetheless.

Source:

Incompetent Scheming Is Just as Bad As Competent Scheming

Posted in FF, GE, LG, ONA, Uncategorized, Venta | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Incompetent Scheming Is Just as Bad As Competent Scheming

Take the Leap – Heather McCloskey Beck

READ GREEN WITH E-BOOKS

Take the Leap

Do What You Love 15 Minutes a Day and Create the Life of Your Dreams

Heather McCloskey Beck

Genre: Self-Improvement

Price: $0.99

Publish Date: October 1, 2013

Publisher: Red Wheel Weiser

Seller: Red Wheel/Weiser LLC


Go from thinking to doing–from imagining a new life to putting it into practice–starting right now. Inspirational author and speaker, Heather McCloskey Beck, wants you to know that there's nothing more important than figuring out what makes your heart sing and doing that–every day. We've been trained to think it's not &quot;responsible&quot; to think this way, that there are more important things to life than feeling fulfilled. Yet we yearn for a more creative, engaged life–to feel the rush that comes from doing what we love to do, without worry. Beck, a popular Huffington Post columnist and creator of the global peace movement, Peace Flash , offers guidance, stories, and dozens of practical suggestions for how to take the leap into the kind of life you've always dreamed of. If you've forgotten what makes you tick, Heather will help you find out. If you know what it is but aren't doing it, she'll help you clear a path. With Heather's help, you can take the leap from thinking about what life would be like if you could do what you love to doing it. Starting with just 15 minutes. Today. Heather McCloskey Beck is an inspirational author and speaker, musician and founder of the global peace movement, Peace Flash . Dedicated to creating Dynamic Peace within our world, Heather is a columnist for The Huffington Post and frequently speaks to audiences across the United States, and is now expanding her reach internationally. With a growing following on her Facebook pages that has surpassed One Million fans, Beck offers both virtual and on-site workshops and events to inspire people to create lives they truly love. If you would like to connect with Heather, you can visit her at her Facebook pages. Here are a few: www.facebook.com/HeatherMcCloskeyBeckAuthor, www.facebook.com/PeaceFlash, www.facebook.com/TaketheLeapBook Praise: &quot;Heather McCloskey Beck is a spiritual visionary. Read this book and feel your life transform in amazing ways.&quot; — Pat Benatar , four-time Grammy winner and author of Between a Heart and a Rock Place &quot;Heather McCloskey Beck rocks a great life. She walks it, she talks it—she's the real deal. When I first set eyes on her she absolutely glowed with vibrance, exuberance, and inspiration. If you want to be that kind of person, read this book. Heather will show you how to create a life that will make you feel joyful, inspired, and deeply fulfilled, every single day.&quot; — Colette Baron-Reid , bestselling author of The Map , CEO and Founder of The Invision Project

Source:

Take the Leap – Heather McCloskey Beck

Posted in alo, FF, GE, ONA, PUR, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Take the Leap – Heather McCloskey Beck