5 月 2nd, 2010 by thomassharp1969

Abstract graphic architectural design by Lightroom Presets

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PC ProSchools

3 月 24th, 2010 by thomassharp1969

PC ProSchools

Just before I neglect this with all that may be heading on, I came throughout a brand new useful resource in town when I'm speaking my certification examination last week (or was it the week prior to?).  I had been hunting online for any place to carry my check when the “PC ProSchools” link came up being a possible analyze web site.  It turns out it can be truly close to me (I-96 and East Beltline) and is really new (as well new for Google Maps - about a 365 days aged).

I thought I realized of a lot of the Microsoft instruction amenities in town and had in no way observed of them.  I got to my experiment about 15 minutes early and they were fully booked so I started asking about their plans and reading a few of their materials.  I ended up obtaining a tour from the amenities and programs by a guy named Richard Fera (who was actually valuable).

They had a terrific coaching lab (room for 50 at fresh machines, dual projectors, dual stations within the back again on the area for far more trainers (three trainers accessible at a entire course)).  They had an open lab and what looked like a server place / wiring closet (which turned out being an “advanced lab” area).  Their concentrate is about the infrastructure side (i.e. the MCSE route) on getting the servers up and operating and all kinds of troubleshooting.  They will not offer you packages for software growth (i.e. the MCPD route).  So they had in no way noticed of the experiment I was having nevertheless it was really clear that their testing lab obtained pretty a bit of use.

They are a Microsoft Platinum Partner provider for training (which says a lot about volume, graduation price, certification rate, and placement price (>70%)).  It's an interesting design mainly because they operate it type of like one thing among a technical trainer (i.e. giving a single category at a time) including a institution (full-blown multi-year plan).  They provide you with an intense one-year routine that is open to any high-school graduate who meets some fundamental requirements.  The courses are either M/W or T/Th (with a number of Fridays thrown in for test-prep and labs) from five:30-10:30, which can be pretty a tad of work.  But from the end you ought to have your MCSE.

Add to this that they also do placement and also have projects hunting for people - placed 48 of the lass type of 50.

Reading through this post it sounds type of like an advertisement, but it really definitely isn't.  I'd write about any new useful resource type, university, book, and so on. that might be practical to folks accomplishing what I do (or supported the servers I must operate on) and do that pretty frequently.  If I knew another person who was excited about servers and hardware, and looking for any job not having committing 2-4 a long time to classes, this seems like the sort of thing you'd have to have to hold you on monitor and get it accomplished speedily.  It is an choice well worth checking out at lowest.

Do you think you're certainly one of hundreds who feel as if they’re stuck in a dead conclusion job? Perhaps you devote numerous several hours on  a daily basis wondering how you can escape and move on to something better. If not a prosperous occupation, at smallest something much less stressful and far far more fulfilling. You’ve witnessed the commercials about the many opportunities in IT, but is it in your case? Can you definitely succeed in this type of field?

The reply is really a resounding yes. It is presently considered one of the fastest rising fields for the job marketplace. Right now is the great time to jump in and turn out to be an IT specialist.  Computer Proschools can help you get there.

Authorities predict that virtually fifty percent on the workforce from the United States are going to be employed in industries where IT services are abundant. It is currently evident as many organizations nowadays rely on technologies to purpose much more efficiently and hold up using the fierce competition. The IT business can provide you with the power to receive employment where by you're financially rewarded and respected for ones abilities, some thing we all want and deserve.

Under we have listed some facts regarding the IT industry for ones evaluate. This data must grant you an idea on how to come across that effective profession you’ve been seeking for.

Careers in IT are envisioned to raise at a amount of 36% more than the following 10 years

The IT domain accounts for an estimated 25% on the jobs designed from 2002 on the recent day

Computer-related projects are among the very best 20 best developing professions inside the United States. This range is predicted to enhance far more than twice as rapid as other occupations

It is been noted that IT jobs present the highest earnings of all of the 20 fastest rising professions.

It is considered one of the fasted developing parts of employment from the region. This domain continues to present programs to thousands as many from the contracts developed for IT go unfilled as a consequence of the lack of competent candidates.

The chances in Information Technological know-how are endless as this domain can only enhance. Just evaluate what we’ve previously witnessed so far. In the quick amount of time, it might be you reaping the rewards of this booming sector. With a number of nearby institutions and on-line courses like Desktop Pro Colleges, getting started has for no reason been less difficult.

Easily hop around the net, confer using a handful of pros and take on the very first move in the direction of establishing your new occupation.

What is Help Desk?

A Guide Receptionist counter profession presents the foundation to explore other gratifying careers in pcs. You never have to have preceding laptop or computer experience to begin your instruction and in just ten brief weeks you can be commencing your new vocation! If you'll need a fast solution…get trained…and get doing work!

Aid Cubical is usually a necessary department at just about every corporation that uses computer systems. Nowadays that is essentially just about every firm, creating Assist Receptionist counter a recession proof profession! Help Desk technicians respond to phone calls and e-mail messages from consumers searching for aid with laptop or computer difficulties. Let’s say an accountant suddenly can't access payroll details that is saved on the personal computer program. This accountant would speak to you and it would be your responsibility to troubleshoot and repair this difficulty. In responding to these inquiries, help-desk technicians have to listen meticulously on the purchaser, ask questions to diagnose the character of the difficulty, and then patiently stroll the customer by means of the problem-solving steps.
Have the appropriate instruction rapidly in order to begin making the appropriate money more quickly.

Our Computer Help Workplace software can take on your do the job experience as well as your current talents, and blend it with an education and learning focused on among the speediest growing occupations from the U.S. in just ten weeks. Like a Microsoft IT Academy which has a tested and comprehensive plan we can transform you into a remarkably sought soon after Assist Cubical Professional with sector standard certifications. This system is 100% on the web in order to carry on to function though in school. And our outcomes speak for themselves.

The U.S. Dept of Training National Center for Schooling Statistics tells us that a four yr higher education record now will take 6 years with a 57% graduation fee and also a two yr community college/tech institution now calls for 3 several years with an alarming 23% graduation amount. Regrettably, many of us do not have that form of time to start out generating the funds we must survive. And who would like to danger those odds of completing the program? Our graduation costs are above 80%.
Carry the earliest action toward getting back on observe.

Unemployment costs are hitting record large amounts and our country is struggling out of an financial recession; you cannot afford to wait any longer. Regardless of whether you have by now been laid off, dread the reduction of your respective job or just want in making a adjust, a fresh occupation is usually yours! It is possible to be in your approach to the job that presents the salary and protection you need.

See for your self by registering for an informational seminar full with routine and tuition details. Merely click about the “Attend Job Revival” button and you’ll be in your way!

Laptop or computer ProSchools Graduation Good results
Desktop ProSchools, a Microsoft Academy, is proud to announce its earliest graduating school of 2008. In 2007 in excess of 300 IT Specialists graduated from Laptop or computer ProSchools' Guide Desk/MCSA plan.

FOR Immediate Release
PR Log (Press Release) – Apr 18, 2008 – Above 150 graduates and their guests filed in to the Region Inn & Suites in Brookfield, WI on a cool spring evening to celebrate a six month journey to becoming an IT professional.

Last August, students in record 183 began their journey at the Brookfield Campus of Personal computer ProSchools, a Microsoft IT Academy licensed by the Wisconsin Educational Approval Board and accredited by ACCET.   Record 183 contained manufacturers, construction workers, secretaries, retail representatives and office workers. All committed to changing their lives and becoming  Assist Workplace Analysts, Network Administrators or Computer Technicians to name just a couple of and on March 20, 2008 they were a person action closer.

The Commencement ceremony began which has a Welcoming Address from Campus Director Laura Polancich. Polancich, whose primary responsibility at Laptop or computer Pro Schools is to provide task placement providers was proud to congratulate the additional than 50 percent on the graduating school that had by now secured a job inside the high paying IT marketplace and made a commitment to continue assisting those still searching. Following Vice President of Educational Providers, Kate Pelchat, presented an Executive Address and congratulated the type for their hard work and dedication. Pelchat compared the graduates’ journey at Desktop Pro Educational institutions towards the CAT5 cable they had been given at their initial orientation highlighting the ups and downs and even the knots at times and shared a quote from Ernest Hemmingway that “It is good to have an end to journey in direction of nevertheless it is the journey itself that matters inside conclusion.”

Lead Instructor Mick Brentar stood ahead of the type for his final lecture, so to speak. He challenged them to continue learning always and explained how proud he is to now call them colleagues inside IT Market.
The Keynote Address was delivered by Ricardo Monteen, a Support Table Manager at Manpower Corporation plus a former graduate of Laptop or computer ProSchools from 1 365 days ago. He chronicled his journey, sharing how different his life is now. It was a entire circle moment for everyone as Monteen explained how he had just hired four Pc Pro Schools graduates for his Support Cubical team.

The mood was substantial as the evening concluded which has a punch and cake reception where by families, graduates and faculty shared memories; all knowing that the sum of a journey is a different perspective of home and for all that perspective is very different 6 months later.
Graduate Wendy Tokarz shared “Being able to graduate with my course and conquer such a challenging goal feels wonderful. My family and friends are so proud of me. It is just great!”

At the time of this publication, less than a person month later, more than 75% of these graduates, including Tokarz have been offered IT positions and have begun enjoying the gains of their new careers.

Personal computer Pro Schools an ally in improving computer system entry among people with disabilities

Last Spring, New Horizons Un-Limited (NHU) had the good fortune of meeting Laura, the Campus Director of Pc Pro Schools’ Brookfield campus, at a Brew City HDI chapter meeting. At the meeting, NHU expressed a need to have for volunteer technicians to assist with their computer system refurbishing and assist desk activities. Seeing this opportunity as a approach to give back, while also supporting the career goals of her students, Laura easily recruited students to aid NHU.

Over this past 12 months, NHU has welcomed virtually a dozen Laptop or computer Pro Educational institutions students as volunteers. Though all with the student volunteers have had a solid technical foundation, quite a few of them had been lacking that all important pro encounter to guide them win their dream employment.

What NHU supplies in knowledge towards students is exceeded by what they, as volunteers, have contributed to NHU's software. They have expertly refurbished dozens of computers, which, in turn, have been donated to dozens of individuals with disabilities that would not have otherwise been able to afford a home personal computer.

Just like NHU's student volunteers, the individuals that receive the refurbished computer systems are trying to increase their lives by means of technological know-how. A computer system means a lot more to them than most of us could ever imagine.

To numerous of NHU's recipients, a laptop or computer stands out as the tool they need to pursue their dream work and ultimately their own financial freedom.

NHU's refurbishing routine is operate entirely by volunteer technicians. It merely would not be feasible without the expertise and dedication of their volunteers.

NHU's most recent group of volunteers is going to be graduating from Desktop Pro Educational facilities in just weeks. It's NHU's hope that the expertise the students have received will help the students reach their job goals.

NHU would like to extend a special thank you to Craig, Dan, Fred, Jim and Jonathan for their dedication to seeing that all persons, no matter their revenue, may have entry to a home personal computer.

Pc ProSchools Unveils New Website
Cutting edge engineering illustrates a clear picture of this state-of-art Microsoft IT Academy. Computer ProSchools, Inc. is excited to announce its new website located at www.pcproschools.edu.

FOR Fast Launch
PR Log (Press Launch) – Apr 23, 2008 – Since 1994 Desktop ProSchools has been providing IT education inside Milwaukee region. Above the many years, Computer ProSchools expanded operations opening campuses in Green Bay, WI and Madison, WI. In 2006 and 2007 the campuses in Grand Rapids, MI and Indianapolis, IN respectively opened. “As we grow we desire to present a consistent brand image,” explains CEO James Brent. “When you enter a Starbucks, you immediately know exactly where you're by reason of the colors and décor and their promotional items and website carry this same feel and image.” 

Earlier this 12 months Computer ProSchools hired InovaOne, a full-service strategic consulting corporation specializing in creative design and production, media delivery and comprehensive outsourcing services located in Roswell, GA, to create a whole new branding concept. In addition for the website, InovaOne developed a different logo, classes colors and promotional materials to present a consistent image at the five Laptop or computer ProSchools’ campuses located throughout the Mid-West.

“The objective of our new website is to provide prospective students while using initial details so they may be excited to take the up coming action and schedule a campus visit” shares Vice President of Marketing and Admission, Wendy Mirenda.  “When we initial started talking to InovaOne I had been impressed with how they used high-tech avenues to present their messages. As being a state-of-the art Microsoft IT Academy, I thought we need to be accomplishing that.”  And the new website does just that! www.pcproschools.edu offers interactive videos to highlight all that Personal computer ProSchools has to provide. In addition, a prospective student can examination their own IT knowledge via the Computer system Knowledge Assessment or sign up to visit a campus appropriate as a result of the website.

Overall, the new website offers general info about Personal computer ProSchools, a series of student achievement stories shared directly from the students themselves in the video testimonial format, Vocation Companies and IT Market Information tabs providing insight into how Laptop or computer ProSchools gives students that winning advantage inside speediest growing sector in the US. Another added benefit will be the new Employers page wherever IT managers and employers can come across out additional and get in touch with us directly to hire an example of our graduates.

Laptop or computer ProSchools also switched for the .edu website address from the preceding .com address. This address is exclusive to educational institutions, requiring evidence of your accredited status before even securing the entire address. Right after achieving accreditation with ACCET last yr Computer ProSchools certified for this educational based address line. “We’re an accredited institution,” explains VP of Training, Kate Pelchat, “we must be letting the general public know that via the use of the .edu address.” Visitors familiar with using the original website will now purely be redirected automatically towards www.pcproschools.edu website.
For additional details on Laptop or computer ProSchools visit www.pcproschools.edu. For much more facts about InovaOne visit www.inovaone.com.

3 月 10th, 2010 by thomassharp1969

Insurance by roksoslav

via this post

HONG KONG, Mar 10, 2010 (Enterprise WIRE) — A.M. Finest Co. has put the economic strength report of A- (Excellent) and issuer credit score ranking of “a-” of Tenet Insurance policy Business Ltd (Tenet) (Singapore) below evaluation with optimistic implications.

The ranking actions comply with the current announcement of the acquisition of Tenet by Sompo Japan Insurance Inc. (Sompo Japan). On March eight, 2010, Sompo Japan entered into an agreement with Hwa Hong Corporation Ltd and Hwa Hong Capital (Pte) Ltd to buy 100% on the issued ordinary and desired shares of Tenet for an aggregate money thing to consider of SGD 95 million (USD 67.8 million). The transaction is contingent upon regulatory approvals and is expected to be completed from the end of June 2010.

The positive status implications consider the prospective synergistic achieve to Tenet in terms of superior economies of scale via resources sharing at the same time as pricing and reinsurance negotiation capabilities. Sompo Japan believes that the acquisition will boost its infrastructure platform in Southeast Asia and its industry presence in Singapore. Tenet's underwriting portfolio is complimentary to that of Sompo Japan Insurance policy (Singapore) Pte Ltd, which predominantly concentrates on Japanese associated big commercial dangers. For your fiscal year ended December 2009, Tenet posted a positive net revenue of SGD 9.five million (USD 6.8 million) from a loss of SGD 4.3 million (USD three.0 million) in 2008.

The scores will continue being below assessment pending the successful completion of the acquisition and a.M. Best's discussions with management related to the company's future operating technique when it comes to enterprise mix, underwriting tactic, expense policy and capital framework.

For Best's Credit history Scores, an overview with the status procedure and score methodologies, please pay a visit to www.ambest.com/ratings.

The principal methodologies utilised in determining these scores, which include any supplemental methodologies and elements that may perhaps are actually considered, might be identified at www.ambest.com/ratings/methodology.

Founded in 1899, A.M. Best Business is really a global full-service credit history rating organization dedicated to serving the financial and health and fitness care service industries, as well as insurance plan firms, banks, hospitals and wellbeing care process companies. For far more info, pay a visit to www.ambest.com.

Resource: A.M. Greatest Co.  link

Hype alert: Why cyberspace isn't, and will never be, nirvana

2 月 20th, 2010 by thomassharp1969

After two decades online, I'm perplexed. It's not that I haven't had a gas of a good time on the Internet. I've met great people and even caught a hacker or two. But today, I'm uneasy about this most trendy and oversold community. Visionaries see a future of telecommuting workers, interactive libraries and multimedia classrooms. They speak of electronic town meetings and virtual communities. Commerce and business will shift from offices and malls to networks and modems. And the freedom of digital networks will make government more democratic.

Baloney. Do our computer pundits lack all common sense? The truth in no online database will replace your daily newspaper, no CD-ROM can take the place of a competent teacher and no computer network will change the way government works.

Consider today's online world. The Usenet, a worldwide bulletin board, allows anyone to post messages across the nation. Your word gets out, leapfrogging editors and publishers. Every voice can be heard cheaply and instantly. The result? Every voice is heard. The cacophany more closely resembles citizens band radio, complete with handles, harrasment, and anonymous threats. When most everyone shouts, few listen. How about electronic publishing? Try reading a book on disc. At best, it's an unpleasant chore: the myopic glow of a clunky computer replaces the friendly pages of a book. And you can't tote that laptop to the beach. Yet Nicholas Negroponte, director of the MIT Media Lab, predicts that we'll soon buy books and newspapers straight over the Intenet. Uh, sure.

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What the Internet hucksters won't tell you is tht the Internet is one big ocean of unedited data, without any pretense of completeness. Lacking editors, reviewers or critics, the Internet has become a wasteland of unfiltered data. You don't know what to ignore and what's worth reading. Logged onto the World Wide Web, I hunt for the date of the Battle of Trafalgar. Hundreds of files show up, and it takes 15 minutes to unravel them–one's a biography written by an eighth grader, the second is a computer game that doesn't work and the third is an image of a London monument. None answers my question, and my search is periodically interrupted by messages like, “Too many connectios, try again later.”

Won't the Internet be useful in governing? Internet addicts clamor for government reports. But when Andy Spano ran for county executive in Westchester County, N.Y., he put every press release and position paper onto a bulletin board. In that affluent county, with plenty of computer companies, how many voters logged in? Fewer than 30. Not a good omen.

Point and click:
Then there are those pushing computers into schools. We're told that multimedia will make schoolwork easy and fun. Students will happily learn from animated characters while taught by expertly tailored software.Who needs teachers when you've got computer-aided education? Bah. These expensive toys are difficult to use in classrooms and require extensive teacher training. Sure, kids love videogames–but think of your own experience: can you recall even one educational filmstrip of decades past? I'll bet you remember the two or three great teachers who made a difference in your life.

 

http://www.newsweek.com/id/106554

Liberalism is a very serious mental disorder

12 月 28th, 2009 by thomassharp1969

link


Posted on 28 December 2009

blacks
The proposal would trade labs seen as benefiting white students for resources to help struggling minority students.

Berkeley High School is considering a controversial proposal to eliminate science labs and the five science teachers who teach them to free up more resources to help struggling students.

The proposal to put the science-lab cuts on the table was approved recently by Berkeley High’s School Governance Council, a body of teachers, parents, and students who oversee a plan to change the structure of the high school to address Berkeley’s dismal racial achievement gap, where white students are doing far better than the state average while black and Latino students are doing worse.

Paul Gibson, an alternate parent representative on the School Governance Council, said that information presented at council meetings suggests that the science labs were largely classes for white students. He said the decision to consider cutting the labs in order to redirect resources to underperforming students was virtually unanimous.

Science teachers were understandably horrified by the proposal. “The majority of the science department believes that this major policy decision affecting the entire student body, the faculty, and the community has been made without any notification, without a hearing,” said Mardi Sicular-Mertens, the senior member of Berkeley High School’s science department, at last week’s school board meeting.

Sincular-Mertens, who has taught science at BHS for 24 years, said the possible cuts will impact her black students as well. She says there are twelve African-American males in her AP classes and that her four environmental science classes are 17.5 percent African American and 13.9 percent Latino. “As teachers, we are greatly saddened at the thought of losing the opportunity to help all of our students master the skills they need to find satisfaction and success in their education,” she told the board.

The full plan to close the racial achievement gap by altering the structure of the high school is known as the High School Redesign. It will come before the Berkeley School Board as an information item at its January 13 meeting. Generally, such agenda items are passed without debate, but if the school board chooses to play a more direct role in the High School Redesign, it could bring the item back as an action item at a future meeting.

School district spokesman Mark Coplan directed inquiries about the redesign to Richard Ng, the principal’s assistant at Berkeley High and member of the School Governance Council. Ng did not return repeated calls for comment.

Keywords: african american, berkeley science labs, black, blacks, education, failure, government run education, government school, government schools, help, latin, latinos, liberal racism, liberalism, liberals, political correctness, public education, public school, public school failure, reverse racism, reverse racists, stupid, white, whites

Yikes

12 月 10th, 2009 by thomassharp1969

A Boutte woman has been charged with battery after she allegedly poured a pot of boiling grits on her boyfriend while he slept.

St. Charles Parish Sheriffs Sgt. Dwayne LaGrange says 44 year old Carolyn Brown (pictured above) was angry after her boyfriend broke up with her.

According to LaGrange, the victim had just gotten home from work, and after a heated argument he went off to bed.

“She came into the room and apparently dumped a huge pot of hot grits on the victim,” LaGrange said.

The victim told police he felt a sharp pain, but didn't know what had happened

“He felt a very, very hot sensation with a lot of burning,” according to LaGrange.

Investigators say that after wiping off the steaming grits, a relative rushed the man to the hospital where they treated him for second degree burns to his face, chest and arms.

Police later picked up Carolyn Brown, who fled the residence, and booked her with second degree battery.

Portal Wars Heat Up: MSN Gets Local News Clips From NBC And Hearst

Especially local news. On Monday, local site Outside.In disclosed a $7 million round, with CNN as an investor and partner. Newly public AOL owns local network Patch and plans on rolling out thousands of sites. …

12 licensees for Terminal Reality's Infernal Engine // News

Since the launch of the Infernal Engine in February 2009, Terminal Reality has notched up more than a dozen licensees, it…

Stocks in the news: Costco, AOL, Citigroup, Ciena — DailyFinance

Latif Lewis Business news editor and management columnist. Anthony Massucci Senior writer and tech columnist. Doug McIntyre Business and investing news writer and editor. Michael Mercurio Managing Editor. Todd Pruzan Features editor …

Bosworth had come to North Korea with the aim of convincing the country to restart six-party talks that was directed towards culminating the nuclear power programme of the communist state. He had arrived North Korea on 8th December. The talks included six countries namely South Korea, North Korea, US, China, Japan and Russia.

A sort of tea party movement may be breaking out today in the least likely of all places.

The unseen pillars of Korean society are its ajummas. “Ajumma” — literally “aunt” — is one of those wonderfully untranslatable Korean words — more colorful than “hausfrau,” less derogatory than “fishwife,” and probably not too far from “yenta.” In South Korea, “ajumma” is an inglorious term most associate with gargantuan red sun visors, bright lipstick, baggy clothing, and an oblivious, pushy determination that draws the scorn and admiration of anyone who has ever been in an ajumma’s way. My Korean wife has called “ajumma” The Third Gender. In “A Nation of Sheep,” Eugene Lederer observed ajummas fleeing south over the snow and ice in flimsy slippers, with all their valuables on their backs, and concluded that they had “no nerve endings.” I met one ajumma on Cheju Island who made her living by rising before the sun and carrying 40 pounds of snacks and drinks 180 feet up the side of this crater to sell to exhausted climbers a third her age (the woman was in her 70’s, so technically, she was really a halmoni).

There is steel under those garish colors, for the ajumma is also legendary for her determination to pay any price or bear any burden for her family. Today, South Korea’s Chosun Ilbo reports that North Korean ajummas are leading the popular resistance to Kim Jong Il’s Great Confiscation, a canceling and reissue of the national currency that wiped out the savings of millions of families and threatens to plunge North Korea back into famine just as winter begins. Then, North Koreas died passively by the millions. Collectively, the survival strategies of those who remained formed an underground market, operated largely by North Korea’s ajummas. And this time, the ajummas are fighting the suppression of their survival strategy by forming something of a North Korean tea party movement:

“The women are tough and defiant,” a source said, “and now they are angry. Markets are turning into places of protest against North Korean leader Kim Jong-il.” The women gather to accuse the authorities, defying threats of arrest. [Chosun Ilbo]

These developments extend a trend we’ve begun to see in the last year — ajummas as leading dissenters against the world’s scariest, most totalitarian regime (see here, here, and here).

AFP, picking up the Chosun Ilbo story, adds:

Open Radio for North Korea, a broadcaster and website that collects information from informants there, said two money-changers were executed on Friday in Pyongsong near Pyongyang for illegally exchanging currency.

The regime tried to soothe its angry subjects by last-minute adjustments to the limits on the amount of their savings they were allowed to exchange. Today, it is promising them a pay raise by paying them their old wages in the new, lower denominations. That amounts to an immediate hundred-fold pay raise, but in currency that’s less trusted than ever, still chasing after too little food to go around — in other words, guaranteed hyperinflation. The only thing that would make matters even worse would be destroying the makeshift market distribution system that’s been keeping North Koreans alive for the last decade:

According to North Korea Intellectuals Solidarity (NKIS), a decree has been handed down saying that selling rice in the jangmadang has been banned and that any rice on sale will be confiscated.

The NKIS source explained, “New market management regulations have been received by local people’s committees, and instructions ordering a crackdown on the markets have been forwarded to the National Security Agency.”

Indeed, side effects of the market crackdown have already been reported. Good Friends, a Seoul-based NGO, has released a story claiming that, “In the Kangan-dong jangmadang in Sooncheon in South Pyongan Province, the rice price, which used to be around 16 won per kilogram (in new won), rose to 50 won on the 3rd.”

Furthermore, despite the fact that the authorities have already announced that the rice price would be pegged at the level it was immediately after the July 1st Economic Management Reform Measure in 2002, 45 won, by the 7th it had risen to more than 80 won. [Daily NK]

The irony of this is the initial speculation by some analysts that the Great Confiscation was designed to halt hyperinflation. In fact, the real purposes seem to have been fundamentally political — the enforcement of dependency by robbing citizens of their personal savings and suppressing the markets where they buy their food.

North Korea’s ajummas won’t bring down Kim Jong Il alone, but they are breaking new ground in transforming discontent into dissent, and bringing it out into the open. It’s hard to say whether this will lead to something like our own tax revolt centuries ago, but then, as now, it is pocketbook issues that have the greatest power to mobilize people to the extraordinary courage it must take to risk a fate like this.

TNL

St. Charles Parish shérifs Sgt. Dwayne LaGrange dit 44 ans Carolyn Brown (photo ci-dessus) était en colère après que son fiancé a rompu avec elle. Selon LaGrange, la victime venait de se rentre du travail, et après une violente dispute, il alla se coucher. "Elle entra dans la chambre et apparemment sous-évaluées d'un immense pot de gruau chaud sur la victime,« Lagrange dit. La victime a déclaré à la police qu'il avait ressenti une vive douleur, mais ne savait pas ce qui s'était passé "Il se sentait très, très chaude sensation avec beaucoup de combustion", selon Lagrange. Les enquêteurs disent que après avoir essuyé au large de la semoule à la vapeur, un parent de l'homme se précipita à l'hôpital où ils l'ont traité pour des brûlures au deuxième degré au visage, au torse et les bras. La police a finalement ramassé Carolyn Brown, qui a fui la résidence, et réservé son avec la batterie au deuxième degré.

This looks….LEETT

12 月 9th, 2009 by thomassharp1969

Ubisoft has announced a patch to fix a number of issues experienced by gamers in their brilliant stealth-em-up, Assassin's Creed 2.

The following “situation specific” fixes will be included in the patch:

  • Glyph: After the player has resolved a glyph (when the unlock code message appears), if the player presses A and B (for 360, X and O on PS3) repeatedly and quickly, the video will appear in full screen, and he will get stuck in “the truth menu”.
  • Fast Travel: Some feedback states that Ezio loses the ability to interact with the fast travel stations.
  • Free roaming/Parkour: In extremely rare occasions a bug allows Ezio to walk on air.
  • Auditore Cape: When first equipping or re-equipping the Auditore cape, users in the Villa become notorious even if the cape description says otherwise.
  • Altaïr’s armour: While wearing Altair's armour the game crashes when performing multiple consecutive double assassinations.
  • Toscana: The game occasionally crashes if the player dies in Toscana, the player is stuck in the animus loading screen.
  • Water: Ezio and NPCs may get stuck beneath map if pushed in water.
  • Animus Loading Screen: There were reports of the game crashing while the player is in the Animus loading screen

The patch also resolves a number of mission specific bugs:

  • Sequence 06 Mission 02: An extremely rare issue could make the game freeze while Ezio is fighting the guards.
  • Sequence 07 Mission 02: Sometimes the civilians knocked down by Rosa could “float”.
  • Sequence 07 Mission 07: When the user is in an open conflict, under specific situations the game crashed.
  • Sequence 08 “Venezia”: If a player desynchronises during the flying machine sequence, the player sometimes spawned near Leo's workshop and not on the tower.
  • Secret Location: “Vizitatione”: The user remains stuck after locking onto the agile guard with the gun.
  • Sequence 11 Mission 05: The user cannot continue gameplay after quitting and loading the game. They are stuck in the hideout.
  • Sequence 14 Mission 02: The user falls through the texture if he is hit with rocks by the guards while climbing .

The update, which also includes 5.1 LPCM sound support, will be available this Friday via Xbox LIVE.

 

A few weeks ago, Computer Choppers teased us with an image of the shell of it’s 24k Gold PS3.  At that time nothing was known except that it was a PS3 Slim dipped in 24k gold.  Today, Computer Choppers has released it’s 24k Gold PS3 to the world and been kind enough to supply us with some information.

The 24k gold PS3’s are now available and can be ordered like any of their other products.  Units start at $4,999, come with 2 24k gold controllers, and a 1 year warranty(just in case).  Customers who purchase one of these can get custom logos in chrome, black chrome, 24kt gold, white gold, rose gold, or platinum.

If customers would like to take things a step further and make theirs a little more unique, they will be allowed to create a PS3 logo with diamonds or almost any exotic material.  No word on how much extra that will cost you, but I’m sure it will.

There is a “jeweled” limited edition PS3 on the way for those seeking something more extravagant and limited.  Computer Choppers told us, “The limited edition model will be released in the coming weeks, unfortunately not in time for the Christmas holiday.”  By limited there will only be a few of these “jeweled” PS3s made.

We believe these will be the five 24kt Gold & Diamonds PS3 slims we were told about a few weeks back. We’ll let you know when those come around.  Those will probably be a bit more pricey, but for those who can’t afford those, the $5000 model is perfect for you!

More Photos:

Start-Up Promises More Game Realism

Posted on December 9, 2009, 4:39 pm, by admin, under Tech.

Engineers Say Technology Will Speed Production of Film-Like 3-D Images

A start-up founded by former Apple Inc. engineers said it has developed technology that could bring film-like realism to computer games and change the way movie makers and other design professionals work.

The San Francisco company, Caustic Graphics Inc., plans to exploit a technique called ray-tracing that generates extremely accurate three-dimensional images. Ray-tracing is a mainstay of Hollywood studios, but remains out of reach for most PC users. A single image can take hours to generate; rendering a film can take months on hundreds of server systems.

Computer games and other PC software typically rely on a technology called rasterization. Though the results keep getting more realistic, developing an interactive form of ray-tracing has been a longtime quest in the computer industry.

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Caustic Graphics’ technology helps computer-generated images look more like photographs.

Caustic, whose name refers to light rays reflecting off a curved object, says it is close to achieving that goal. The company says its software and chips allow graphics chips to carry out ray-tracing calculations at a 20-fold speed-up compared with existing PC hardware. It said it expects to deliver chips by early 2010 that will be about 200 times faster.

In a demonstration, Caustic executives manipulated a photo-quality image of a sports car, removing components and changing lighting and background settings to change reflections on the vehicle’s surface.

“It’s the first honest acceleration of ray-tracing I’ve seen,” said Jon Peddie, a market researcher in Tiburon, Calif., who specializes in graphics technology.

Caustic faces many challenges. They include larger competitors and the need to persuade PC users to buy a second add-in card containing its chips, in addition to conventional graphics accelerators.

Caustic is largely the brainchild of James McCombe, a 26-year-old native of Northern Ireland who worked on graphics technology used in Apple’s iPhone and iPod. He left in 2006 with two other Apple engineers to form Caustic, a closely held company that employs 35 people and has raised \$11 million.

Mr. McCombe said graphics chips have hundreds of specialized calculating engines that are particularly good at rasterization, which converts three-dimensional models into pixels on a computer screen. Ray-tracing, by contrast, emulates the ways light rays bounce off objects in a scene. Graphics chips can’t easily handle those complex calculations, which require extensive communication between processors. Caustic has developed ways to keep data flowing to them efficiently, Mr. McCombe said.

Armed with the technology, Caustic executives say, designers who now work with the software equivalent of stick figures could manipulate realistic designs — without having to stop to render their images periodically. “This would really represent a breakthrough for us,” said Ron Frankel, president of Proof Inc., which develops “pre-visualizations” to show film directors and designers how movie scenes might be shot.

The company hopes to initially target architects, engineers and animators, and later entertainment applications on PCs and gaming consoles. Mr. McCombe expects accelerator cards using its chips to cost about the same as existing graphics accelerators, adding that its circuitry eventually could be combined with graphics chips. High-end graphics cards typically cost several hundred dollars.

But exploiting Caustic’s chips will require modifications to existing ray-tracing programs. Other companies, meanwhile, are finding ways to do ray-tracing using the microprocessors in PCs, rather than graphics chips. One is Bunkspeed Inc., which has a program called HyperShot that can make photo-quality images from three-dimensional computer models.

Philip Lunn, Bunkspeed’s chief executive, says that Caustic also faces potential competition from larger chip makers that include Intel Corp. and Nvidia Corp. The latter is collaborating with Mental Images GmbH, a software maker Nvidia acquired in 2007, to accelerate ray-tracing using graphics chips.

Mr. McCombe “is one of the smartest people in the business,” says Rolf Herken, Mental Images’ chief executive and chief technology officer. But “whether Caustic will have an impact on the design of future chips, that is an open question,” he added.

Write to Don Clark at don.clark@wsj.com

Portland based Mac software company Panic finally launched their own blog and it rocks. Their latest blog post imagines what it would have been like if Panic were around in 1982 and their apps were actually Atari 2600 video games. To illustrate this concept, they created wonderful artwork which is available through their store.

Clearly “inspired” by existing Atari 2600 games, with cringe-inducing graphics (at one point, a tester confused a smiley face for a wagon wheel) and inscrutable gameplay (”Rotate joystick to fire!”, read the manual of one), the games, once thought to be the savior of the company, almost heralded its demise.

via Phillip Bowden

When it comes to video entertainment, my daughter still prefers wholesome sports, arcade and music-themed games. But many young children and teenagers are attracted to the over-the-top characters, graphics and game play found in action-thriller titles better suited for older players.

The Web site for Common Sense Media, which offers guidance on the content of movies, music and video games, offers a list of the 10 “cool” games kids want, but parents may want to veto:

A lot of this season’s most talked-about games include ones with excessive violence, negative role models, extreme gore, sociopathic behavior and other things that have been proven to have a negative effect on children.

Various studies have linked video game violence to increased aggression and excessive game playing to lower grades. But there is also no denying the dramatic and technical appeal of many of the new games on the market. A game like Dragon Age: Origins, from Electronic Arts, has won rave reviews in the gaming community for its movielike images and engaging story line. But the game is rated M for mature audiences of 17 or older, with intense violence, blood and sexual content. As the trailer shows, the game features combat, decapitations and swords plunged into the chests of both people and dragons.

To learn more about video games and ratings, go to the Web site of the Entertainment Software Rating Board. Here are 10 of the most popular games not to give to children, based on advice from Common Sense Media:

Assassin’s Creed II: Realistic action and historical accuracy, but the player takes on the role of an assassin who relies on an arsenal of weapons.

Borderlands: Strong language, human enemies used as target practice, mature humor and lots of blood and gore.

Brutal Legend: A violent cartoon fantasy action game that includes the use of a double-sided axe to hack at demonic armies.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2: Contains an optional level where the player can go undercover as an enemy terrorist.

Dead Space: Extraction: Blood spurting out of victims’ bodies, human carcasses littering the floor, blood-stained walls and floors, and copious screams of torture put it over the top.

The remaining five games on the list are:

  • Dragon Age: Origins
  • Grand Theft Auto IV: The Ballad of Gay Tony
  • Demon’s Souls
  • Left 4 Dead 2
  • Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars

To see the full list, more detailed game summaries and 10 alternative games that are more appropriate for teenagers, read the full story on the Common Sense Web site, “10 Cool Games That Are Uncool for Kids.”

What do you think of the Common Sense “don’t buy” list? Do any of these games appear on your child’s wish list? Have you played them yourself? Please join the discussion below and offer your own insights and reviews about popular video games.

This picture is awesome

12 月 3rd, 2009 by thomassharp1969

Possibly The Greatest Single Picture Of All Time

We entered a period of extended mental paralysis after first seeing this picture. First, chocolate-covered bacon on a stick. Second, Monster truck smashing circle-track racer. Finally, American flag. Daytona's Sports Bar in Des Moines, Iowa, you're awesome. [Imgur via Reddit]

Send an email to Ben, the author of this post, at Rot13.write('<n uers=”znvygb:ora@wnybcavx.pbz”>ora@wnybcavx.pbz</n>');ben@jalopnik.com<span style=”unicode-bidi:bidi-override;direction:rtl;”>< moc.kinpolaj@neb > moc.kinpolaj@neb</span>.

Can anyone tell me why the CA HOA doesn't like solar panels?

12 月 1st, 2009 by thomassharp1969

Even as California and the federal government encourage solar power, homeowners often have to fight homeowners associations for their right to install the systems.

Solar panels

Mike Bartz, back to camera, and his brother Bradley install solar panels to power a pump for a hot tub in Palos Verdes Estates. (Jay L. Clendenin /os Angeles Times / November 20, 2009)

Ready to chuck his electric bills, Camarillo resident Marc Weinberg last year asked his homeowners association for permission to put solar panels on his roof.

When the Spanish Hills Homeowners Assn. said no, Weinberg sued the group. Under the state's Solar Rights Act, he argued, a homeowners association can't unreasonably block solar installations.

Weinberg won, and the Spanish Hills Homeowners Assn. was ordered to not only permit the solar panels but to cover the tens of thousands of dollars that Weinberg had spent on legal fees. Since last fall, when he installed a double row of matte black panels, three other homes in the hilltop neighborhood of luxury estates have added panels.

“We didn't set out to be green activists,” said Weinberg, 39, a real estate attorney. “That's not where we're coming from. We honestly looked at it from a financial standpoint.”

Whether motivated by pocketbook or environmentalism, similar battles between homeowners groups and property owners are cropping up across the state as the installation of solar systems becomes more affordable and utility costs rise.

Homeowners boards insist that they are protecting property values by enforcing rules that govern everything from paint color to how early trash bins can be set out for collection. But residents say their right to invest in alternative energy trumps the sensibilities of neighbors who don't like how the panels look.

Results of the battles have been mixed even as the nation is being urged by the Obama administration to embrace alternative energy.

Santa Clarita homeowner Marty Griffin put solar panels up anyway after his homeowners association rejected his application. The Tesoro Del Valle Homeowners Assn. sued him, and in early November a jury told Griffin the panels should be moved to a more discreet spot on his property.

Solar installer Bradley Bartz earlier this year threatened a Palos Verdes commun- ity group with legal action after it denied three clients permits to install solar panels. He filed a claim against the city of Torrance after it rejected another client's application. In all four cases, Bartz said, he prevailed.

Homeowners' main defense is the Solar Rights Act, adopted by California in 1978 to protect consumers' right to install solar energy technology. The law makes it difficult for homeowners groups to reject solar energy equipment unless it creates a safety hazard or a modification can be made without great cost.

Now, solar advocates are pushing for a federal version of the California law. Energy legislation that moved through the House earlier this year included a provision that would make it illegal for HOA rules, leases or private contracts to prohibit the installation of solar systems.

It's uncertain whether the Senate will keep the language in its version of the bill, said Raymond Walker, a government affairs spokesman for Standard Renewable Energy, a Houston-based solar installer. As debate continues, solar industry advocates are forming a lobbying group to make sure their voices are heard, Walker said.

Industry officials say fewer regulatory hassles would speed the growth of jobs and move the nation closer to energy independence, he said.

“We want to make this into a real industry, and we're trying to make sure the regulatory landscape is clear so this can take off,” he said.

Homeowner and commun- ity groups haven't taken a position on the bill yet. Commun- ity Associations Institute, an education and advocacy group based in Alexandria, Va., said such “green issues” arise regularly in the estimated 300,000 community groups nationwide.

The institute advises striking a balance between conservation and aesthetics, said spokesman Frank Rathbun.

Advocates say those who invest in alternative energy should be applauded instead of punished. They ultimately benefit ratepayers by reducing demand on the state's grid, said Adam Browning of Vote Solar, a San Francisco-based nonprofit that promotes the use of solar energy.

“It's somebody doing their part to reduce peak load,” Browning said. “That's the most expensive electricity utilities have to buy.”

California two years ago launched a $3.3-billion effort to increase the use of solar statewide, offering rebates and tax credits to consumers who install energy systems. Since then, the number of homes and businesses with installed solar has more than doubled, growing from 23,000 in 2006 to 52,700, according to the California Public Utilities Commission.

The cost of small solar systems declined 9% in the last year and larger installations have fallen 13%, the PUC said in an October report. Still, the state is far from being on track to its goal of adding 3,000 megawatts in solar panels by 2016, sufficient to power 600,000 homes.

If you’re someone that knows that they have an interest in solar electricity and in introducing this energy to their own life, then one explanation is likely due to the cost comparison for solar electricity that you have done. When you see the difference of the computed price of solar power compared to what you are paying for electricity now, there’s actually no requirement for any questions, as you can see the enormous difference and see where you are going to be saving here.

There are a few things to take into consideration when you are looking at the estimated cost of solar energy. For one thing, yes there is going to be an initial cost which you are going to have to factor in to the estimated cost of solar energy, but then at the same time, this is going to more than pay itself off within as little as a few months, once you are utilizing the solar energy instead of regular electricity.

This is very important when looking at the estimated cost of solar energy, because there are so many people out there right now who are interested and eager to make the switch, but who are not sure that they want to spend that initial money and are worried that they are not going to be getting their money’s worth. Well as long as you choose the right equipment, and your solar energy system is set up properly, then you are not going to have to worry about this and you will be able to save money immediately after you have it set up.

What You Need

To get started and use all that solar electricity has to offer you, the very first thing that you’re going to need to do is get the equipment that’s required to line up your own solar power system right at home. Naturally the solar energy panels are the key part, because these are going to be what fundamentally are trapping in or harnessing the energy of the sun, in order that it can then be transformed into energy that you may use.

Typically the bigger solar cells you have, the better off you’re going to be, as the more energy you’ll have and that the more things that you’ll be in a position to power. So be sure you think about all this when thinking about the approximate value of solar power.

Lowest prices ever on Solar Powered Outdoor Lighting, grab yours now while they last at DIY Solar Power For Homes.

Technorati Tags: diy, econ friendly, energy, family, green, home, home improvement, Home Improvements, how to, improvement, solar, solar power


Ameren to install solar energy systems (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)

Alternative Energy News RSS Feed Discuss Ameren to install solar energy systems (St. Louis Post-Dispatch) in the Alternative Energy Investments, News and Money Saving Tips forums; Ameren Corp. said it will install solar energy systems at its downtown St. Louis headquarters and one of its Illinois buildings to help determine the best way to utilize the …
Ameren to install solar energy systems (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)

Alternative Energy News RSS Feed Discuss Ameren to install solar energy systems (St. Louis Post-Dispatch) in the Alternative Energy Investments, News and Money Saving Tips forums; Ameren Corp. said it will install solar energy systems at its downtown St. Louis headquarters and one of its Illinois buildings to help determine the best way to utilize the …

Are you wondering how to build your own solar energy generator? Do you want to have your own creation start producing electric for you? Whether you want to power your television or want to power your home, you will discover all you need to make it happen. Sit back, read, and take action, and enjoy the benefits of free solar energy with your own solar power generator! As you read this article about how to build your own solar energy system, you will discover more about: * How To Build Your Own Solar Energy Power Generator – What You Need? * How To Build Your Own Solar Power Generator? * Scaling Your Solar Power Generator To Produce More Electric * How To Build Your Own Solar Energy Power Generator – What You Need? If you are wondering how to build your own solar energy power generator, there are a few things you will need. Each part needs to be a certain size for a specific job, so it is important to look at the specifications of parts before purchasing. First it is important to consider what kind of power you want to generate. Cost will be a major factor in your decision. However, whatever your budget, you can generate electric to meet your needs. Here is what you will need: – Solar Power Panels – Rechargeable Batteries (car batteries) – For DC – DC meter, such as a 12v DC meter – For AC – an inverter * How To Build Your Own Solar Power Generator? Once you have the parts, it is fairly easy to know how to build your own solar energy power generator. The solar panels are the parts that actually take the electric and convert into electricity. This electricity then needs a place to be stored. And here is where batteries are essential. The DC meter or inverter then takes this energy and outputs it in a usable fashion for your appliances. So in essence, the solar power panels connect to the batteries. From the batteries, a connection is made to the inverter or the DC meter, and there you go, you have DIY solar energy! * Scaling Your Solar Power Generator To Produce More Electric The solar power generator can be scaled to infinite degrees! It can be as simple as powering a television or go further and power your home! There are a few extra things that you will need to power your entire home with solar energy as its source, but realize that it is best to do that with the aid of a qualified electrician. If you require more power, you simply add more solar power panels or find ones with bigger surface areas and outputs. Also more batteries can store more energy, and the inverter can be purchased at larger sizes. You can easily find all these parts online.

The Pickens Plan is the brainchild of T. Boone Pickens and proposes a move to wind power to generate electricity. Rather than rely on natural gas to create electricity, the Pickens Plan offers an energy crisis solution: wind power. Currently, 22 percent of our electricity is generated by natural gas, according to T. Boone Pickens.

T. Boone Pickens

You might think T. Boone Pickens was running for president with the media attention he has managed to generate. He has recently appeared on CNBC, has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, and has tapped into a real energy source for a grassroots movement: social networking.

T. Boone Pickens has generated media and Internet buzz with his Pickens Plan Facebook group, a MySpace page, a Twitter feed, a YouTube channel, and his Ning group.

Who is this T. Boone Pickens that is promoting wind energy with the Pickens Plan? He is the and founder and chairman of BP Capital Management, and may is trying to transfuse the oil in is blood with wind, wind power, that is.

In the Pickens Plan, T. Boone Pickens has sound ideas, including the suggestion that moving to wind power will help reduce our reliance on foreign oil. While the presidential candidates are busy talking about what they will do when they take office, T. Boone Pickens is taking real action by asking citizens to sign on and support the plan.

On Board With Wind Power

In theory, my family has been on-board with Pickens before we heard about Pickens Plan or T. Boone Pickens' new social networking efforts. We are currently researching the feasibility and affordability of adding small wind turbines to our property.

There are many questions that we need to resolve, including, will our home town even allow us to put up wind turbines on the property? What will the neighbors say?

On Cape Cod, in Massachusetts, wind farms have generated lawsuits. The proposed wind farms in Nantucket Sound caused a lawsuit. When seeking more natural energy resources, people need to be concerned about the impact on the environment. Which impacts the environment more: finding alternative power including wind power as put forth by the Pickens Plan, or relying on fossil fuels which are costly and not friendly to the environment? The answers, for some people, are not simple at all.

Issues that may arise, like they did in Barnstable, Massachusetts include concerns about endangered species, higher energy costs and obstructed views. The concept of wind farms is not easy and breezy, it is as controversial as any other source of energy, especially when it is proposed in someone's back yard.

This debate has carried from large wind turbines, to simple clothes lines, in New England towns. One person's energy saver is another person's eye sore.

Sources

Patrick Cassidy “Wind farm foes dealt legal blow,” Cape Cod Online, http://www.capecodonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080622/NEWS/806220336/-1/SPECIAL01
Pickens Plan, http://www.pickensplan.com
Pickens Plan Facebook Page, http://www.facebook.com/pages/Pickens-Plan/30622359240

Heroin addicts beg to stay in afgan

11 月 23rd, 2009 by thomassharp1969

Heroin Addicts Pressure President To Stay Course In Afghanistan

Posted on 23 November 2009
Tags: , ,

November 19, 2009 | Issue 45•47

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LOS ANGELES—As the White House considers sweeping strategic shifts in the war in Afghanistan, heroin addicts across the nation called on President Obama Monday to stick with the current U.S. policy, which has flooded the world market with low-price narcotics. “There’s no need to change nothing, Joe Biden,” said addict Reginald “Bones” Dillow, who, when conscious, is an outspoken proponent of the U.S. military strategy that has resulted in a nearly 40-fold increase in Afghan opium production since the end of Taliban rule in 2001. “Everything is so cheap—it’s all totally fine like it is, right? Over there, I mean. Why would you want to…do the….” Obama is reportedly looking into economic incentives that would both persuade poor Afghans to cease opium cultivation and benefit chemically dependent Americans, the most promising of which involves constructing facilities in the war-torn country for the manufacture of methadone.