Start playing Candy Crush Saga today - loved by millions of players around the world. With over a trillion levels played, this match 3 puzzle game is one of the most popular mobile games of all time! Switch and match Candies in this divine puzzle adventure to progress to the next level. Get that sweet feeling when your quick thinking and smart moves are rewarded with delicious rainbow-colored cascades and tasty candy combos! Take on this deliciously sweet Saga alone or play with friends to see who can get the top score! Candy Crush Saga is completely free to play but some optional in-game items will require payment. By downloading this game you are agreeing to our terms of service; Candy Crush Saga features: ● Tasty ways to play: Target Score, Timed Levels, Drop Down Mode and Order Mode ● Collect sugar drops to progress along the Sugar Track for super sweet surprises! Free Games - Download Free! All Games are 100% Free Full Version. New Free Game added every 60 Hours. No payments, No time limits! Play free game downloads. Big Fish is the #1 place to find casual games! Safe & secure. Games for PC, Mac & Mobile. Helpful customer service! Download free games on Origin now. Play free PC demos, betas and full game trials before you buy! Stay connected with our online free to play games. The Best Free Games app downloads for Windows: Euro Truck Simulator 2 Clash of Clans Grand Theft Auto: Vice City 1.1 patch Candy Crush Saga for Window. ● Spin the Daily Booster Wheel for a delicious prize ● Unwrap delicious environments and meet the sweetest characters ● Tasty Candies, wrapped and striped Special Candies, Color Bombs and various other magical boosters to help with challenging levels ● Thousands of the best levels in the Candy Kingdom with more added every 2 weeks for your entertainment ● Leaderboards to watch your friends and competitors! ● It's easy to sync the game between devices and unlock full game features when connected to the Internet Visit if you need help! Follow us to get news and updates; facebook.com/CandyCrushSaga Twitter @CandyCrushSaga Have fun playing Candy Crush Saga! Hold world record for most points scored in one game with no BOOSTERS. Scored over 2, 000, 000 points in one game! Love your, that is why I am also letting you know that I have been hacked and they have completely modified your game! Access to my Boosters are controlled, gold bars, basically the standard benefits of the game have been changed. I am showing a MAC, not Android system and a different IP! YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT THESE THINGS. Thank you again for the great game. I would appreciate a followup. Hold world record for most points scored in one game with no BOOSTERS. Scored over 2, 000, 000 points in one game! Love your, that is why I am also letting you know that I have been hacked and they have completely modified your game! Access to my Boosters are controlled, gold bars, basically the standard benefits of the game have been changed. I am showing a MAC, not Android system and a different IP! YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT THESE THINGS. Thank you again for the great game. I would appreciate a followup. Currently at level 2772. I lost over 100 boosters because the game needed to be reinstalled because of issues. The game is totally addictive. I only gave it 3 stars because it's a resource hog, boosters are not transferable across devices, behavior of the fish is irritating, and there are too many timed levels. I think the fish should be programmed to swim where they are most needed or controllable. Timed levels cause stress which defeats the purpose of playing which is fun and relaxation. Just started playing again and I like some of the new things going on. BUT I still feel the same about the lives. All the lives I had saved up in MY MESSAGES are gone.WHY????? So candy crush SUPPORT will give me the LAME ass EXCUSE that you can only have 5 lives at a time. Well if they are sent to me and I dont use them because they are in MY MESSAGES that means I should be able to use them when im ready. Well I guess not because it done happened again this is the 3rd time in this game and it happened to me in pet rescue. WELL I TELL U WHAT U GETE NO LOVE FORM ME UR SUPPORT FUDGING SUCKS LEMONS. I can't use my extra moves that people send me. Also when I use my specials (fish, wheel) they give it to me one time and that's it, where when I play on the actual computer(not the app) they give my the gifts numerous times throughout that play. It's hard enough to get the gifts you need from your spins. I really don't think it's fair to I have to be robbed of them. Now I try and finish the universal love levels to get bonus candy and I finish all 3 levels and reach all of the requirements and they tell me i didn't reach the requirements. I thought it was a glitch but I finished it over 6 times and it still won't let me complete levels. Description 'In pretty much every treasure hunting adventure movie there’s one specific scene in which the plucky hero finally gets his hands on the treasure but then has to navigate a maze of booby traps in order to get out alive. Temple Run is this scene and nothing else. And it’s amazing.' - SlideToPlay.com From the makers of the award-winning best-seller Harbor Master® comes the most exhilarating running game on the App Store. Test your reflexes as you race down ancient temple walls and along sheer cliffs. Swipe to turn, jump and slide to avoid obstacles, collect coins and buy power ups, and see how far you can run! REVIEWS 'Best endless running game in the App Store You'll love every minute.' - AppleNApps.com Voted by TouchArcade Forums as Game of the Week One of TouchArcade's Best Games of the Month 'Most thrilling and fun running game in a while, possibly ever.' - TheAppera.com 'A fast and frenzied iPhone experience.' - IGN.com 'Very addicting definitely a very different running game.' - Appolicious.com FEATURES * Simple swipe and tilt controls that are easy to use and just feel right * Level up your character and use crazy powerups * Original 3D running mechanic combining turning, jumping, sliding and tilting - the first of its kind! * Play as 7 different characters! * Game Center Leaderboards and Achievements to compete with your friends * Incredibly fun, just one more time, endless game play!
0 Comments
UpdateStar is compatible with Windows platforms. UpdateStar has been tested to meet all of the technical requirements to be compatible with Windows 10, 8.1, Windows 8, Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows Server 2003, 2008, and Windows XP, 32 bit and 64 bit editions. Simply double-click the downloaded file to install it. UpdateStar Free and UpdateStar Premium come with the same installer. UpdateStar includes such as English, German, French, Italian, Hungarian, Russian and. You can choose your language settings from within the program. • • • • 75 168 29 119 1108 Website This article contains, written from right to left with some letters joined. Without proper, you may see unjoined letters or other symbols instead of. This Pin was discovered by Torrent Oyun. Discover (and save!) your own Pins on Pinterest. Torrentz will always love you. © 2003-2016 Torrentz. Download the free trial version below to get started. Double-click the downloaded file to install the software. This article contains. Without proper, you may see unjoined letters running left to right or other symbols instead of. Sindh (: سنڌ;: سندھ) is one of the, in the southeast of the country. Historically home to the, it is also locally known as the Mehran. Sindh is the third largest province of Pakistan by area, and second largest province by population after. Sindh is bordered by province to the west, and Punjab province to the north. Sindh also borders the Indian states of and to the east, and to the south. Sindh's landscape consists mostly of alluvial plains flanking the, the in the eastern portion of the province closest to the border with India, and the in the western part of Sindh. Is noted for hot summers and mild winters. The provincial capital of Sindh is Pakistan's largest city and financial hub,. Sindh has Pakistan's with being its that hosts the headquarters of several. Sindh is home to a large portion of Pakistan's industrial sector and contains two of Pakistan's commercial seaports, and the. The remainder of Sindh has an agriculture based economy, and produces fruit, food consumer items, and vegetables for the consumption other parts of the country. Sindh is also the centre of Pakistan's pharmaceutical industry. [ ] Sindh is known for its which is strongly influenced by, an important marker of Sindhi identity for both Hindus (Sindh has Pakistan's highest percentage of residents) and Muslims in the province. Several important shrines are located throughout the province which attract millions of annual devotees. Sindh's capital, Karachi, is Pakistan's most ethnically diverse city, with, or descendants of those who migrated to Pakistan from after 1947 and throughout the 1950s and 1960s, making up the majority of the population. Karachi and other urban centres of Sindh have seen ethnic tensions between the native Sindhis and the Muhajirs boil over into violence on several occasions. Sindh is home to two – the, and the. Contents • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Etymology The word Sindh is derived from the term Sindhu (literally meaning 'river'), which is a reference to. The official spelling 'Sind' was discontinued in 1988 by an amendment passed in. The who conquered Sindh in 325 BC under the command of rendered it as, hence the modern Indus. The ancient Iranians referred to everything east of the river Indus as hind. When the British, they applied the Greek version of the name Sindh to all of, calling it India. Is derived from an acronym, in which the letter 'S' stands for Sindh. Excavated ruins of, Sindh, Pakistan Sindh's first known village settlements date as far back as 7000 BCE. Permanent settlements at, currently in, to the west expanded into Sindh. This culture blossomed over several millennia and gave rise to the around 3000 BCE. The Indus Valley Civilization rivaled the contemporary civilizations of and in size and scope, numbering nearly half a million inhabitants at its height with well-planned grid cities and sewer systems. The primitive village communities in were still struggling against a difficult highland environment, a highly cultured people were trying to assert themselves. This was one of the most developed urban civilizations of the ancient world. It flourished between the 25th century BCE and 1500 BCE in the Indus valley sites of and. The people had a high standard of art and craftsmanship and a well-developed system of quasi-pictographic writing which remains un-deciphered. The remarkable ruins of the beautifully planned towns, the brick buildings of the common people, roads, public baths and the covered drainage system suggest a highly organized community. According to some accounts, there is no evidence of large palaces or burial grounds for the elite. The grand and presumably holy site might have been the great bath, which is built upon an artificially created elevation. This indigenous civilization collapsed around 1700 BCE. The cause is hotly debated and may have been a massive earthquake, which dried up the Ghaggar River. Skeletons discovered in the ruins of Mohen Jo Daro ('mount of dead') were thought to indicate that the city was suddenly attacked and the population was wiped out, but further examinations showed that the marks on the skeletons were due to erosion and not of violence. Part of a series on. • • • Early history The ancient city of, identified with modern /, was capital of the, and finds mentioned as a major trading center. Sindh finds mention in the Hindu epic as being part of. Sindh was conquered by the in the 6th century BC. In the late 4th century BC, Sindh was conquered by a mixed army led by under. Alexander described his encounters with these trans-Indus tribes of Sindh: 'I am involved in the land of a lions and brave people, where every foot of the ground is like a well of steel, confronting my soldier. You have brought only one son into the world, but everyone in this land can be called an Alexander.' The region remained under control of Greek satraps for only a few decades. After Alexander's death, there was a brief period of rule, before Sindh was traded to the led by in 305 BC. During the rule of the Mauryan Emperor, the spread to Sindh. Mauryan rule ended in 185 BC with the overthrow of the last king by the Dynasty. In the disorder that followed, Greek rule returned when led a invasion of India and annexed most of northwestern lands, including Sindh. Demetrius was later defeated and killed by a usurper, but his descendants continued to rule Sindh and other lands as the. Under the reign of many Indo-Greeks followed his example and converted to Buddhism. In the late 2nd century BC, tribes shattered the Greco-Bactrian empire and invaded the Indo-Greek lands. Unable to take the, they invaded South Asia through Sindh, where they became known as (later ). By the 1st century AD, the annexed Sindh. Under were great patrons of Buddhism and sponsored many building projects for local beliefs. Were also found in large numbers in Sindh. Country of was in southern Sindh. The Kushan Empire was defeated in the mid 3rd century AD by the of Persia, who installed vassals known as the in these far eastern territories. These rulers were defeated by the in the late 4th century. It then came under the after dealing with the Kidarites. By the late 5th century, attacks by tribes known as the Indo-Hephthalites or Hunas () broke through the Gupta Empire's northwestern borders and overran much of northwestern India. Concurrently, ruled parts of the region for several centuries. Afterwards, Sindh came under the rule of Emperor, then the around 478. The Rais were overthrown by Chachar of around 632. The dynasty ruled a vast territory that stretched from in the north to the, Alor was their capital. Arrival of Islam. Expansion during the Umayyad Caliphate, 661–750 In 711, conquered the Sindh and, bringing societies into contact with Islam. Was an unpopular Hindu king that ruled over a majority and that and his kin were regarded as usurpers of the earlier Buddhist, a view questioned by those who note the diffuse and blurred nature of Hindu and Buddhist practices in the region, especially that of the royalty to be patrons of both and those who believe that Chach may have been a Buddhist. The forces of Muhammad bin Qasim defeated in alliance with the and other regional governors. In 711 AD, led an force of 20,000 cavalry and 5 catapults. Muhammad bin Qasim defeated the, and captured the cities of, Multan and. Sindh became the easternmost State of the and was referred to as 'Al-Sindh' on Arab maps, with lands further east known as 'Hind'. Muhammad bin Qasim built the city of as his capital; the city then produced famous historical figures such as, Abu Ata al-Sindhi, and. At the port city of most of the embraced Islam and became known as Sindhi Sailors, who were renowned for their in navigation, geography and languages. After Bin Qasim left, the ruled Sindh through the. By the year 750, (modern ) was second only to; Sindhi sailors from the port city of Debal voyaged to Basra,,,,,,,, and (where Sindhi merchants were known as the ). During the power struggle between the Umayyads and the. The Habbari Dynasty became semi independent and was eliminated and Mansura was invaded. Sindh then became an easternmost State of the ruled by the until the. Mansura was the first capital of the and the last of the Habbari dynasty. Muslim geographers, historians and travelers such as,,,,,,,,, and wrote about or visited the region, sometimes using the name 'Sindh' for the entire area from the to the. Soomra dynasty period. Main article: When Sindh was under the, the Arab was in control. The Umayyads appointed as the governor of Sindh. Habbaris ruled Sindh until defeated the Habbaris in 1024. Sultan Mahmud Ghaznavi viewed the to be the caliphs thus he removed the remaining influence of the in the region and Sindh fell to Abbasid control following the defeat of the Habbaris. The Abbasid Caliphate then appointed from; 'Soomro' means 'of Samarra' in Sindhi. The new governor of Sindh was to create a better, stronger and stable government. Once he became the governor, he allotted several key positions to his family and friends; thus Al-Khafif or Sardar Khafif Soomro formed the in Sindh; and became its first ruler. Until the the Soomro dynasty was the Abbasid Caliphate's functionary in Sindh, but after that it became independent. When the lost ties with the Abbasid Caliphate after the Siege of Baghdad (1258,) the Soomra ruler Dodo-I established their rule from the shores of the to the in the north and in the east to and in the west to Pakistani. The were one of the first indigenous Muslim dynasties in Sindh of origin. They were the first Muslims to translate the into the. The Sammas created a chivalrous culture in Sindh, which eventually facilitated their rule centered. It was later abandoned due to changes in the course of the Puran River; they ruled for the next 95 years until 1351. During this period, Kutch was ruled by the, who enjoyed good relations with the Soomras in Sindh. Since the lost its support from the Abbasid Caliphate, the Sultans of wanted a piece of Sindh. The Soomros successfully defended their kingdom for about 36 years, but their dynasties soon fell to the might of the 's massive armies such as the and the. Samma Dynasty period. Main article: According to Dr. Akhtar Baloch, at, the migrated from during the and settled in Sindh and. The Little Ice Age is conventionally defined as a period extending from the sixteenth to the nineteenth centuries, or alternatively, from about 1300 to about 1850. According to Professor Baloch, the climate of Balochistan was very cold during this epoch and the region was uninhabitable during the winters so the Baloch people emigrated in waves to Sindh and. Mughal era In the year 1524, the few remaining Sindhi welcomed the and dispatched his forces to rally the and the, braches of a Turkic dynasty. In the coming centuries Sindh became a region loyal to the Mughals, a network of forts manned by cavalry and musketeers further extended Mughal power in Sindh. In 1540 a mutiny by forced the Mughal Emperor to withdraw to Sindh, where he joined the Sindhi Hussein Umrani. In 1541 married, who gave birth to the infant at in the year 1542. During the reign of, Sindh produced scholars and others such as, and and the Mughal chronicler and his brother the poet was a descendant of a Sindhi Shaikh family from Rel, Siwistan in Sindh. Abu'l-Fazl ibn Mubarak was the author of (an official biographical account of Akbar) and the (a detailed document recording the administration of the Mughal Empire). Carved a (imperial province), covering Sindh, called after its capital, out of, further bordering on the Ajmer and Gujarat subahs as well as the rival Persian. During the Mughal period Sindhi literature began to flourish and historical figures such as, and became prominent throughout the land. In 1603 visited the State of Sindh; at he was generously welcomed by the locals after the death of his father. Shah Jahan ordered the construction of the, which was completed during the early years of his rule under the supervision of. During his reign, in 1659 in the Mughal Empire, of Thatta created a with Arabic and Persian inscriptions using a method. Sindh was home to very famous wealthy merchant-rulers such as Mir Bejar of Sindh, whose great wealth had attracted the close ties with the Sultan bin Ahmad of. In the year 1701 the were authorized in a by the Mughal Emperor to administer Sindh. From 1752 to 1762, collected or tributes from Sindh. Maratha power was decimated in the entire region after the in 1761. In 1762, brought stability in Sindh, he reorganized and independently defeated the and their prominent vassal the Rao of Kuch in the and returned victoriously. After the annexed, the Kalhora Dynasty supported counterattacks against the Sikhs and defined their borders. In 1783 a firman, which designated Mir Fateh Ali Khan Talpur as the new of Sindh, and mediated peace particularly after the and the defeat of the ruling by the Talpur baloch tribes. Of merchants in the. Talpurs The Talpur tribe migrated from Dera Ghazi Khan in Punjab to Sindh on the invitation of Kalhora to help them organize unruly Baloch tribes living in Sindh. Talpurs, who learned the Sindhi language, settled in northern Sindh. Very soon they united all the Baloch tribes of Sindh and formed a confederacy against the Kalhora Dynasty. The Talpur Baloch soon gained power, overthrowing the Kalhora after the to conquer and rule Sindh and other parts of present-day Pakistan, from 1783 to 1843. Forces led by General overthrew the Talpur Baloch in 1843. Sindh became part of the in 1909. In 1802, when succeeded as the Talpur, internal tensions broke out in the state. As a result, the following year the declared war on Sindh and, during which took a leading role causing much early suspicion between the of Sindh and the. The made its first contacts in the Sindhi port city of, which according to a report was: 'a city as large as London containing 50,000 houses which were made of stone and mortar with large some three or four stories high. The city has 3,000. The textiles of Sindh were the flower of the whole produce of the East, the international commerce of Sindh gave it a place among that of Nations, Thatta has 400 schools and 4,000 at its docks, the city is guarded by well armed '. British and forces under General arrived in Sindh in the mid-19th century and conquered Sindh in February 1843. The Baloch coalition led by under was defeated at the during which 5,000 Talpur Baloch were killed. Shortly afterward, commanded another army at the, where 5,000 Baloch were killed. The first helped the British in their conquest of Sindh. As result he was granted a lifetime pension. A British journal by Thomas Postans mentions the captive Sindhi: 'The Amirs as being the prisoners of 'Her Majesty'. They are maintained in strict seclusion; they are described as Broken-Hearted and Miserable men, maintaining much of the dignity of fallen greatness, and without any querulous or angry complaining at this unlivable source of sorrow, refusing to be comforted'. Within weeks, Charles Napier and his forces occupied Sindh. After 1853 the British divided Sindh into districts and later made it part of 's. Pioneered the Sindhi Muslim against the British Raj. He was hanged on 20 March 1943 in, Sindh. His burial place is not known. During the British period, railways, printing presses and bridges were introduced in the province. Writers like compiled and traced the literary history of Sindh. Who spoke three languages:,, and English Although Sindh had a culture of religious syncretism, communal harmony and tolerance due to Sindh's strong Sufi culture in which both Sindhi Muslims and Sindhi Hindus partook, the mostly Muslim peasantry was oppressed by the Hindu moneylending class and also by the landed Muslim elite. Sindhi Muslims eventually demanded the separation of Sindh from the Bombay Presidency, a move opposed by Sindhi Hindus. Another campaign in the early 20th century which attracted Sindhi Muslims was the, for which support had been generated by the Sufi pirs of Sindh. In that time period Sindh emerged at the forefront of the Khilafat cause. By 1936 Sindh was separated from the Bombay Presidency. Elections in 1937 resulted in local Sindhi Muslim parties winning the bulk of seats. By the mid-1940s the Muslim League gained a foothold in the province and after winning over the support of local Sufi pirs, came to have the support of the overwhelming majority of Sindhi Muslims for its campaign to create Pakistan. Independence of Pakistan At the time of Partition there were 1,400,000 Hindu Sindhis, dominating the province's upper middle class. There was very little communal violence in Sindh, in comparison to Punjab. Communal violence in, in India, in December 1947 led to Muslim refugees crossing over the Thar Desert to Sindh in Pakistan. This sparked riots in Hyderabad and later in Karachi, although less than 500 Hindu were killed in Sindh between 1947-48 as Sindhi Muslims largely resisted calls to turn against their Hindu neighbours. Hundreds of thousands of Sindhi Hindus fled to India. The arrival of Sindhi Hindu refugees in the Indian town of sparked the March 1948 anti-Muslim riots there which led to an emigration of from Godhra to Pakistan. Indian Muslims from the United Provinces, Central Provinces and Bombay continued migrating to and settling in Sindh's urban centers throughout the 1950s and 1960s. Population Demographics. Main article: Sindh Demographic Indicators Indicator Statistic Urban population 49.50% Rural population 50.50% Population growth rate 2.80% Gender ratio (male per 100 female) 112.24 Economically active population 22.75% Historical populations Census Population Urban 1951 6,047,748 29.23% 1961 8,367,065 37.85% 1972 14,155,909 40.44% 1981 19,028,666 43.31% 1998 29,991,161 48.75% Sindh has the 2nd highest out of all of Pakistan's provinces at 0.628. The 1998 Census of Pakistan indicated a population of 30.4 million. According to 2011 estimates the population of Sindh increased 81.5% to a total of 55.24 million since the census of 1998. Sindh was the second largest gainer of population after during this period. Just under half of the population are urban dwellers, mainly found in,,,,, and. Is the sole official language of Sindh since the 19th century. [ ] The Sindhis as a whole are composed of original descendants of an ancient population known as, sub-groups related to the origin are found in interior Sindh and to a lesser extent Sindhis of origins. Sindhis of Balochi origins make up about 30% of the total Sindhi population (although they speak Sindhi Saraiki as their native tongue), while -speaking make up over 19% of the total population of the province while are 10% and represent 7%. According to Dr. Akhtar Baloch, at, the migrated from during the. The Little Ice Age is conventionally defined as a period extending from the sixteenth to the nineteenth centuries, or alternatively, from about 1300. To about 1850, although climatologists and historians working with local records no longer expect to agree on either the start or end dates of this period, which varied according to local conditions. Professor Baloch said the climate of Balochistan was very cold and the region was inhabitable during the winter so the Baloch people in waves migrated and settled in Sindh and. See also: and Islam in Sindh has a strong Sufi ethos with numerous Muslim saints and mystics, such as the Sufi poet, having lived in Sindh historically. One popular legend which highlights the strong Sufi presence in Sindh is that 125,000 Sufi saints and mystics are buried on near. The development of Sufism in Sindh was similar to the development of Sufism in other parts of the Muslim world. In the 16th century two Sufi tareeqat (orders)- Qadria and Naqshbandia- were introduced in Sindh. Sufism continues to play an important role in the daily lives of Sindhis. Sindh also has Pakistan's highest percentage of residents, with 8% of Sindh's population overall, and 11.6% of Sindh's rural population, classifying itself as Hindu, and over 40% of residents in identifying themselves as Hindu. The communal harmony between Sindhi Muslims and Hindus is an example of Sindh's pluralistic and tolerant Sufi culture. Main article: (Arabic script: سنڌي) is spoken by more than 27 million people (in 2016) in the province of Sindh. Sindhi (like ) is an, both are linguistically considered to be the daughter languages of. And have also influenced Sindhi which also accommodates substantial, and words. Sindhi is written in a modified. Today, Sindhi in Pakistan is heavily influenced by with more borrowed Perso-Arabic elements, while Sindhi in India is influenced by Hindi and borrows more elements from Sanskrit. Key dialects of Sindhi include,, Memoni, Lari, Vicholi, Utradi, Macharia and Dukslinu (which is spoken by Sindhi Hindus). Other languages Other languages in the province include and (sometimes called just Parkari); a language spoken by only 250,000 natives of Sindh according to a 1995 estimate. Only 7.3% of people 's residents are Sindhi-speaking. Karachi is populated by who speak. Other immigrant communities in Karachi are Pashtuns from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjabis from Punjab and other linguistic groups from various regions of Pakistan. Geography and nature. Peninsula of Manora Sindh is in the western corner of South Asia, bordering the in the west. Geographically it is the third largest province of Pakistan, stretching about 579 kilometres (360 mi) from north to south and 442 kilometres (275 mi) (extreme) or 281 kilometres (175 mi) (average) from east to west, with an area of 140,915 square kilometres (54,408 sq mi) of Pakistani territory. Sindh is bounded by the to the east, the to the west and the in the south. In the centre is a fertile plain around the. In The province is mostly arid with scant vegetation except for the irrigated Indus Valley. The dwarf palm, Acacia Rupestris (kher), and () trees are typical of the western hill region. In the Indus valley, the (babul) (babbur) is the most dominant and occurs in thick forests along the Indus banks. The (neem) (nim), Zizyphys vulgaris (bir) (ber), Tamarix orientalis (jujuba lai) and (kirir) are among the more common trees. Mango, date palms and the more recently introduced banana, guava, orange and are the typical fruit-bearing trees. The coastal strip and the creeks abound in semi-aquatic and aquatic plants and the inshore Indus delta islands have forests of Avicennia tomentosa (timmer) and (chaunir) trees. Water lilies grow in abundance in the numerous lake and ponds, particularly in the lower Sindh region. Indus river dolphin Among the wild animals, the (sareh),, wild sheep ( or gadh) and are found in the western rocky range. The is now rare and the extinct. The (large tiger cat or fishing cat) of the eastern desert region is also disappearing. Occur in the lower rocky plains and in the eastern region, as do the striped (charakh),,,, and. The Sindhi phekari, red lynx or Caracal cat, is found in some areas. Phartho (hog deer) and wild bear occur particularly in the central inundation belt. There are bats, lizards and reptiles, including the cobra, lundi (viper) and the mysterious Sindh of the Thar region, which is supposed to suck the victim's breath in his sleep. Some unusual sightings of Asian cheetah occurred in 2003 near the border in. The rare find Sindh's warm climate suitable to rest and mate. Unfortunately, it is hunted by locals and foreigners. Crocodiles are rare and inhabit only the backwaters of the Indus, eastern Nara channel and Karachi backwater. Besides a large variety of marine fish, the plumbeous dolphin, the beaked dolphin, rorqual or blue whale and skates frequent the seas along the Sindh coast. The Pallo (Sable fish), a marine fish, ascends the Indus annually from February to April to spawn. The is among the most endangered species in Pakistan and is found in the part of the Indus river in northern Sindh. And occur particularly in the central inundation belt. Although Sindh has a climate, through its coastal and riverine forests, its huge fresh water lakes and mountains and deserts, Sindh supports a large amount of varied wildlife. Due to the semi-arid the left out forests support an average population of jackals and snakes. The established by the Government of Pakistan in collaboration with many organizations such as and support a huge variety of animals and birds. The in the Kirthar range spreads over more than 3000 km 2 of desert, stunted tree forests and a lake. The KNP supports, (urial) and along with the rare leopard. There are also occasional sightings of The Sindhi phekari, ped lynx or Caracal cat. There is a project to introduce and too in KNP near the huge Hub Dam Lake. Between July and November when the winds blow onshore from the ocean, giant turtles lay their eggs along the seaward side. The turtles are protected species. After the mothers lay and leave them buried under the sands the SWD and WWF officials take the eggs and protect them until they are hatched to keep them from predators. Lansdowne Railway Bridge Sindh lies in a to region; it is hot in the summer and mild to warm in winter. Temperatures frequently rise above 46 (115 ) between May and August, and the minimum average temperature of 2 °C (36 °F) occurs during December and January in the northern and higher elevated regions. The annual rainfall averages about seven inches, falling mainly during July and August. The southwest monsoon wind begins in mid-February and continues until the end of September, whereas the cool northerly wind blows during the winter months from October to January. Sindh lies between the two —the southwest monsoon from the Indian Ocean and the northeast or retreating monsoon, deflected towards it by the —and escapes the influence of both. The region's scarcity of rainfall is compensated by the inundation of the Indus twice a year, caused by the spring and summer melting of Himalayan snow and by rainfall in the monsoon season. Sindh is divided into three climatic regions: Siro (the upper region, centred on ), Wicholo (the middle region, centred on ), and Lar (the lower region, centred on ). The passes through upper Sindh, where the air is generally very dry. Central Sindh's temperatures are generally lower than those of upper Sindh but higher than those of lower Sindh. Dry hot days and cool nights are typical during the summer. Central Sindh's maximum temperature typically reaches 43–44 °C (109–111 °F). Lower Sindh has a damper and humid maritime climate affected by the southwestern winds in summer and northeastern winds in winter, with lower than Central Sindh. Lower Sindh's maximum temperature reaches about 35–38 °C (95–100 °F). In the Kirthar range at 1,800 m (5,900 ft) and higher at and other peaks in, temperatures near freezing have been recorded and brief snowfall is received in the winters. Major cities. Main article: The of Sindh is a and consists of 168 seats, of which 5% are reserved for non-Muslims and 17% for women. The provincial capital of Sindh is. The is led by who is directly elected by the; the serves as a ceremonial representative nominated and appointed by the of. Most of the influential Sindhi tribes in the province are involved in. In addition, Sindh's politics leans towards the and its political culture serves as a dominant place for the in the country. The province's trend towards the and away from the can be seen in nationwide, in which, Sindh is a stronghold of the (PPP). The has a limited support due to its. In metropolitan cities such as and, the (another party with the support of ) has a considerable vote bank and support. Minor leftist parties such as also found support in rural areas of the province. In 2008, after the public elections, the new government decided to restore the structure of Divisions of all provinces. In Sindh after the lapse of the Local Governments Bodies term in 2010 the Divisional Commissioners system was to be restored. In July 2011, following excessive and after the political split between the ruling PPP and the majority party in Sindh, the MQM and after the resignation of the MQM Governor of Sindh, PPP and the Government of Sindh decided to restore the commissionerate system in the province. As a consequence, the five divisions of Sindh were restored – namely Karachi, Hyderabad, Sukkur, Mirpurkhas and Larkana with their respective districts. Subsequently, two new divisions have been added in Sindh, Banbore and Nawab Shah/Shaheed Benazirabad division. Karachi district has been de-merged into its 5 original constituent districts namely,,, and. Recently Korangi has been upgraded to the status of sixth district of Karachi. These six districts form the Karachi Division now. Main article: Sr. Navalrai Market Clock Tower Hyderabad Sindh has the in Pakistan. A 2016 study commissioned by Pakistan Ministry of Planning found that urban Sindh and northern Punjab province are the most prosperous regions in Pakistan. Its GDP per capita was $1,400 in 2010 which is 50 per cent more than the rest of the nation or 35 per cent more than the national average. Historically, Sindh's contribution to Pakistan's GDP has been between 30% to 32.7%. Its share in the service sector has ranged from 21% to 27.8% and in the agriculture sector from 21.4% to 27.7%. Performance wise, its best sector is the manufacturing sector, where its share has ranged from 36.7% to 46.5%. Since 1972, Sindh's GDP has expanded by 3.6 times. Endowed with coastal access, Sindh is a major centre of economic activity in Pakistan and has a highly diversified economy ranging from heavy industry and finance centred in and around Karachi to a substantial agricultural base along the. Manufacturing includes machine products, cement, plastics, and other goods. Sindh is Pakistan's most natural gas producing province. [ ] Agriculture is very important in Sindh with,,,,,, and as the most important crops. The largest and finer quality of rice produced in district [ ] Sindh is the richest province of Pakistan in natural resources of gas, petrol, and coal. [ ] Education. Karachi Year Literacy rate 1972 37.5% 1998 45.29% 2008 60.7% 2012 69.50% The following is a chart of the education market of Sindh estimated by the government in 1998: Qualification Urban Rural Total Enrollment ratio (%) — 14,839,862 15,600,031 30,439,893 — Below Primary 1,984,089 3,332,166 5,316,255 100.00 Primary 3,503,691 5,687,771 9,191,462 82.53 Middle 3,073,335 2,369,644 5,442,979 52.33 Matriculation 2,847,769 2,227,684 5,075,453 34.45 Intermediate 1,473,598 1,018,682 2,492,280 17.78 Diploma, Certificate. 1,320,747 552,241 1,872,988 9.59 BA, BSc. Degrees 440,743 280,800 721,543 9.07 MA, MSc. Degrees 106,847 53,040 159,887 2.91 Other qualifications 89,043 78,003 167,046 0.54 Major public and private educational institutes in Sindh include. Main article: The traditions of Sindhi craftwork reflect the cumulative influence of 5000 years of invaders and settlers, whose modes of art were eventually assimilated into the culture. The elegant floral and geometrical designs that decorate everyday objects —whether of clay, metal, wood, stone or fabric— can be traced to Muslim influence. Though chiefly an agricultural and pastoral province, Sindh has a reputation for, pottery, leatherwork, carpets, textiles and silk cloths which, in design and finish, are matchless. The chief articles produced are blankets, coarse cotton cloth (soosi), camel fittings, metalwork, lacquered work, enamel, gold and silver embroidery. Hala is famous for pottery and tiles; Boobak for carpets; Nasirpur, Gambat and Thatta for cotton and khes. Other popular crafts include the earthenware of Johi, the metal vessels of Shikarpur, the, embroidery and leather articles of Tharparkar, and the lacquered work of Kandhkot. Prehistoric finds from archaeological sites like, engravings in graveyards, and the architectural designs of and other tombs have provided ample evidence of the people's literary and musical traditions. Painting and calligraphy have developed in recent times. Some young trained men have taken up commercial art. [ ] Cultural heritage. Sindhi women collecting water from a reservoir on the way to Mubarak Village Sindh has a rich heritage of traditional handicraft that has evolved over the centuries. Perhaps the most professed exposition of Sindhi culture is in the handicrafts of, a town some 30 kilometres from. Hala's artisans manufacture high-quality and impressively priced wooden handicrafts, textiles, paintings, handmade paper products, and blue pottery. Lacquered wood works known as Jandi, painting on wood, tiles, and pottery known as Kashi, hand woven textiles including, susi, and are synonymous with Sindhi culture preserved in Hala's handicraft. The Small and Medium Enterprises Authority (SMEDA) is planning to set up an organization of artisans to empower the community. SMEDA is publishing a directory of the artisans so that exporters can directly contact them. Hala is the home of a remarkable variety of traditional crafts and traditional handicrafts that carry with them centuries of skill that has woven magic into the motifs and designs used. Sindh is known the world over for its handicrafts and arts. The work of Sindhi artisans was sold in ancient markets of Damascus, Baghdad, Basra, Istanbul, Cairo and Samarkand. Referring to the lacquer work on wood locally known as Jandi, T. Posten (an English traveller who visited Sindh in the early 19th century) asserted that the articles of Hala could be compared with exquisite specimens of China. Technological improvements such as the spinning wheel () and treadle (pai-chah) in the weaver's loom were gradually introduced and the processes of designing, dyeing and printing by block were refined. The refined, lightweight, colourful, washable fabrics from Hala became a luxury for people used to the woolens and linens of the age. The ajrak has existed in Sindh since the birth of its civilization. The colour blue is predominantly used for ajraks. Sindh was traditionally a large producer of indigo and cotton cloth and both used to be exported to the Middle East. The ajrak is a mark of respect when it is given to an honoured guest or friend. In Sindh, it is most commonly given as a gift at Eid, at weddings, or on other special occasions like homecoming. Ralli Non-governmental organisations (NGOs) such as the World Wildlife Fund, Pakistan, play an important role to promote the culture of Sindh. They provide training to women artisans in the interior of Sindh so they get a source of income. They promote their products under the name of 'Crafts Forever'. Many women in rural Sindh are skilled in the production of caps. Sindhi caps are manufactured commercially on a small scale at New Saeedabad and Hala New. These are in demand with visitors from Karachi and other places; however, these manufacturing units have a limited production capacity. Sindhi people began celebrating Sindhi Topi Day on December 6, 2009 to preserve the historical culture of Sindh by wearing Ajrak and Sindhi topi. Ronnie Vernon said: Hi Does Colorvision show the driver as supporting 64-bit? The only real option you have is to check with the manufacturer for any known issues with this driver when installing on Windows 7. Hope this helps. Ronnie Vernon MVP I put the link there to answer this in advance. Clicking above on the link shows the following text: Installer for Spyder2express 2.3.5 Requirements: Windows XP, Vista Features: If you are running Windows XP x64 and you purchased the retail product that does not include 64 bit support then please download and install this version. There are no new features in this release. Fixes: Added 64-bit Spyder driver to support Windows 64-bit systems. Compatible with Microsoft Vista. Be sure, as already mentioned, that you have the latest driver version which supports x64. I had a similar problem with a Spyder3Elite. The driver did not install correctly. The solution I found was: 1. Install the software package. Connect the Spyder. It was recognised but the driver had problems. X-Rite i1Profiler V1.4 adds scanner profiling to i1 Profiler software. Works with transparency and reflective scanners to create accurate ICC profiles. In Device Manager, uninstall the Spyder and also check the box to remove the driver. Rescan for devices. The Spyder was recognised but no driver found. Right click on the Spyder and update the driver from C: Program Files (x86) Datacolor Spyder3 Driver. You may find your Spyder2 driver at C: Program Files (x86) Colorvision Spyder2 Driver or some other similar location. Alex T said: Hello, When booting have you gone to the Advanced Startup Options and selected the option to not force Digitally Signed Drivers? Try that and see if the software will install without forcing Digitally Signed Drivers. Regards, ~Alex T.~ ~Windows Desktop Experience MVP~ My installation of Windows 7 BSOD's every time I try to enter that mode. It happens so quickly; I've yet to be able to see the name of the file in order to post on this forum about that topic. I'll try Dominic's suggestion; but I THINK I already did that. Vikram aur betaal torrent download. Click here to get file. Vicky aur vetaal episode 1 full 15 november 2015. Vikram betal srisingher rajya labh bangla cartoon video animation for kids youtube. Video thumbnail for vicky and the best place to hangout! Vikram betal baital pachisi screenshot. The first ladies with abu sandeep. Aug 21, 2013 - 23 min - Uploaded by Rai SamVikram Aur Betaal Part 01. God, i used 2 fight with my parents 2 c this serial, cant belive v. Search results for: vikram aur betaal tv serial torrent download and torrent les invincibles s03e01 and torrenttanya.podzone.net. Vikram aur betaal poster vikram aur betaal apk screenshot. Vikram aur betaal apk screenshot. Vikram aur betaal apk screenshot. Vikram aur betal video download vikram aur betal video 1.0.0 android free download mobogenie.com. Vikram aur betaal t. Serial poster. Vikram aur betaal in hindi download vikram aur. Vikram and Betaal. Depicts three aspect of human society: 1. 'The Vikram'Who are working honestly for betterment of human race, setting up examples through their bravery, compassion for human race and knowledge a selfless one. 'The Betaal' Who are fearless,powerful, good by heart and deed but not accepted in society,because of their background or just don't want to part of society because of bad experiences. The mendicant' Opportunist most cruel and meanest. Who took the advantage of both to rule the world. That is what is today's world all about. These stories tell about human behavior, give glimpse, about the mystery of life.These stories introduce you with sense of bravery, justice, compassion, respect, sense of justice and teaches you about principles and karma. This event written by 'Mahakavi Somdatt' is a precious gift to human society. Great, learning. Hot spots Hot spots Hot spots Hot spots. 1 name brand watches under 100$ 2017-2018; 2 best watch movies online 2017-2018. Posted Tuesday, 22 September 2015 When Apple made a phone, it turned out it wasn’t really competing in the handset business; it was competing for the next dominant personal computing platform. The more I think about an Apple car, the more I think that it might be the basis of their future “computing environment”: a space that is completely aware of and responsive to its occupant(s). In that sense it might be more of a long-term competitor to the Amazon Echo (and whatever Android variant Google is pitching at the same space) than to Tesla’s cars. From this perspective, maybe the thing that’s kept the AppleTV on hold for so long is that they were trying to go down this road, but they kept failing to pull it off (to their standards) in the living room. Perhaps they learned a few things along the way. Just a thought. Addendum Three points for clarification: • I’m actually not claiming that an “Apple Personal Space” is either the focus of any initial product or any concrete long-term plan. The iPhone almost ran the iPod operating system, and it doesn’t seem like Steve envisioned the success of the App Store (and thus iOS as a platform). I’m pointing out that Tesla focuses on cars, Uber focuses on transportation, and Google focuses on technology, while Apple focuses on experiences. If they trap a user in a physical bubble, it’s in the company’s DNA to turn that bubble into the world’s most carefully studied and controlled experience. • Obviously the iPhone upended the incumbent handset industry, so Nokia certainly saw Apple as a competitor. But I doubt Apple ever viewed Nokia that way, because they never saw Nokia as competing in the personal computing business. The competitors were Microsoft and Google: Apple was after the growth of a new industry; the sales in an existing one were collateral damage. • If Apple’s first offering is disruptive, it will most likely be due to innovations they bring to the auto manufacturing process (and are thus relatively invisible to consumers). Any truly compelling mass-market “computing environment” would evolve iteratively over years. Posted Saturday, 28 February 2015 The old “” joke/commentary didn’t sit right with me the first time I read it, and after stumbling across it again I now see why. Among other things: It’s a complaint without a solution. I’ve never met anyone in the software industry who is happy with the hiring process, and that includes everyone who’s designed the process. Nobody seems to have a solution to separating the potential stars from the mehs, and anyone who claims they do either doesn’t have enough perspective to understand the difficulty of the problem (young interviewers who have been trained in one particular hiring style seem to be blessed with the arrogance of blind faith), or they’ve perfected the art of hiring the mediocre (a sufficiently rigorous process can probably rule out almost all the disastrous hires, but will likely also lose a few starsand it’s finding the stars that is the problem). Pouting that interviews suck without suggesting any improvements is just childish, and doubly so if you’re complaining not about the bizarre “puzzle question” or “culture fit” interviews, but about being questioned on knowledge and experience. Technical interviews can be annoying and they can be done badly, but I’d still much rather work in an industry that does tech interviews than one forced to rely solely on CV reviews and personality-driven poking at “soft skills”. Engineers aren’t carpenters. There’s always a terrific slight of hand going on when software developers try to draw analogies to other fields. Blue-collar credentials and being treated like a unique, creative, and highly-paid professional just aren’t compatible. “Programmers” are the architects and structural engineers who design the buildings; they get programming languages and frameworks and IDEs to hammer the nails. I have no doubt that the industry is full of coders banging out one CRUD app after another, but their work bears a lot more relation to architects customizing a house design to a particular site (or, a better analogy, 19th-century railroad engineers applying the standard truss designs to design bridge after bridge) than it does to contractors framing house after house based on the designs they’re handed. The exceptions—coders who really want nothing more than to follow some formula and take no responsibility for the result—are exactly who interviewers are trying to weed out. It’s disrespectful to carpenters. Of course, there are carpenters who are creative craftsmen of the first order. Those aren’t the guys you’re going to bend over backwards to hire to frame your walls. The whole story seems to be built on the premise that the only skill a carpenter has is the ability to drive a nail straight, making any notion of an “interview” farcical. (Returning the first point, I suppose the implication is that driving a nail is the of carpentry.) The interviewee is worse than the interviewer. Let’s just cover the first few questions: So, you’re a carpenter, are you? How long have you been doing it? If the only way you can describe your work is “I’m a programmer. For ten years now.” then I just don’t believe you. Yes it would be friendlier if the interviewer led a bit with “What kind of work have you been doing?” or “Tell me about some of your favorite projects.” but you’ve got to meet a weak interviewer in the middle. The main premise of this complaint about programming interviews is that a programmer is a programmer is a programmer, and the details don’t matter, and that’s straight-up bullshit. Have you worked on high-performance systems? Distributed applications? User interfaces? Large-scale software? There’s a hell of a difference between a framer, a cabinet-maker, and a furniture-maker. As an interviewer I’m open to the idea that someone good at any one of these probably has great potential for any of the others, but if you’ve got nothing more to say about your career than that you’ve done general things in a general sort of way, you can’t exactly blame me for taking my own direction on what details I’m going to dig into. First of all, we’re working in a subdivision building a lot of brown houses. Have you built a lot of brown houses before? I don’t see a lot of brown paint in the world. Some, but not much. There is, however, a lot of brown stain, and brown shingling, and brown brick. And all those kinds of brown would seem to be of major interest to a carpenter: if something is being stained instead of painted then I’d think that would affect the choice of wood. Maybe even how it’s joined. I don’t know; I’m not a carpenter. Questions like this are exactly how a good interviewer separates a blinkered newbie from an expert with perspective. If you’re building a software library that will be called by a UI, then responsiveness matters. If you’re writing an order processing system open to the public, then you need to consider denial-of-service issues. If the overall software system will be distributed, then the architecture needs to take rollout into consideration. Shrugging off context is only a professional qualification for field-goal kickers. What about walnut? Have you worked much with walnut? In this hypothetical, we’re talking about a job building houses. Houses are most commonly built using platform framing of stud walls made from spruce, pine, or fir. Relatively cheap. Walnut is an expensive hard wood. I don’t think it’s used much (if at all) for stud wall construction, but it is occasionally used for post-and-beam construction, which involves either metal brackets or traditional cut joinery, and for nonstructural finishings. Any real carpenter would know the differences between varieties of wood, between the two major types of wood construction, and between the different roles wood can play in a project. And he’d definitely know which projects he’d worked on that involved which. If a programmer walked into an interview and gave answers this evasive about how many projects he’d done in Java, he’d be an obvious no-hire. Not having certain experience is one thing; not even knowing what experience you have is another matter entirely. We can argue about the extent to which an employer should balance hiring for existing skills and hiring for potential to learn, but you can’t claim the latter unless you can point to prior success at learning new skills. The punchline is not a joke. The punchline is that the interviewer hires a car salesman who’d sold brown cars with walnut interiors. I’m with the interviewer on this one. Our hypothetical carpenter was effectively arguing that even if he’d only ever hammered together pine stud walls he could easily learn to do finish carpentry with walnut for a client very particular about his browns. If learning this stuff is so easy, then I’d rather hire someone who understands what the goal is of finish carpentry. And ideally someone who showed some interest in the project and the skills required to do it, not just the job. The whole anecdote smacks of entitlement. Given all of the above, the true subtext of this “joke” is that calling yourself a programmer entitles you to a job. But the really galling part is that the “calling yourself a programmer” bit needn’t even require relevant programming skills or experience. It’s effectively a declaration that “programmers” are a different class of people in possession of some unquantifiable gift, and it’s beneath them to justify their value. It’s “I’m smart; pay me” brattiness. Posted Friday, 23 January 2015 The costumes may change, but remains remarkably relevant. No need for a full play-by-play; we can skip straight to the awards. Best national theme winner: Germany A wall! Runner-up: Canada Slightly overplayed the hockey theme by turning her vagina into the goal Loser: France Throwing on a beret does not a national theme make. Best non-national theme winner: Venezuela Did not expect anyone to be able to pull of a “tree” theme this well. Loser: Gabon This is what I expected a tree theme to look like. Dishonorable mention: Tanzania Rope? That’s your theme? Disney princess audition winner: Spain Runner-up: Ethiopia Disney with scissors winner: Lithuania “Is that today?” winner, who put her outfit together from what the other girls could spare: Kosovo Runner-up: Colombia Average-looking lady in supermarket “winner”: New Zealand Runner-up: Nigeria Honorable mention: Slovenia Lost the award with those shredded arms. Hat-based hobbling winner: Peru “I don’t have the confidence to pull this off” winner: Jamaica Runner-up: Nicaragua Of course, there are a few categories that certain countries continue to dominate: Pedophile winner: still Croatia In the running: St. Lucia Disqualified for actually turning me on. And for hedging her bets by qualifying for the hat-hobbling category. Loser: Mauritius “Doesn’t realise she’s being graded on this” winner: still Curacao Unfair advantage winner: still Greece “Pretty sure your national costume is actually a woolen jumper” winner: still Ireland “National character goes back no farther than the mid-oughts” winner: still Serbia Could we be witnessing the start of a generation-long leadup to contention in the hat-hobbling category? Serbia plays the long game No national character winner: still Belgium Any country on earth could have gone with this. And lack of arms doesn’t count as character. I’m forced to admit that again this year, there are a few outfits I actually don’t mind: Actually kind of nice winner: Haiti Overall hotness trumps the cheesy leaves. Runner-up: India More nudity going on here than you notice at first glance. Honorable mention: Kazakhstan Beautiful fashion-wise. A little more skin next year and you’ve got a chance, Kazakhstan. Finally, we have a couple of new awards for 2015: “They have black people?” winner: Switzerland Runner-up: Singapore “What’s with the rabbit?” winner: Hungary. Posted Tuesday, 10 July 2012 There’s a specific form of logical fallacy or cognitive bias that I’ve never seen explicitly listed in collections of such. It is related to the and to the bias. I call it the fallacy of causation, or the fallacy of the single cause. I don’t think we’re wired very well to reason about outcomes that result from many different inputs. My experience is that most people have a natural intuition that every event can be traced back to a prior event that caused it. This is even seriously proffered as a self-evident axiom of our reality: the “there is no effect without a cause; there is no creation without a creator” trope is a standard justification for creationist stonewalling. What is notable is that we are biased to think in terms of a single prior event as a cause. When there is a scandal or disaster we immediately try to find a villain. Inevitably the media seizes upon a single person, or a cohesive group all of whom are described as conspiring together to cause the event. Blame seldom (if ever) falls on multiple completely independent villains: the finger should point in one direction and one direction only. In addition to this, we seem to naturally want to mark people as either responsible or not responsible for some outcome, with little space for gradations of responsibility. This is used just as often for exoneration as for vilification: disasters involving bureaucracies are often chalked up to “systemic problems”, with every actor claiming that because they weren’t completely responsible for the disaster they can’t take the blame. It should go without saying that such an intuitive model is fundamentally wrong—every event has many causes, and responsibility for an outcome is shared by many people whose choices led to that outcome—but that doesn’t make it any less appealing. Religion, our legal system, and Freudian analysis all seem to be built upon the assumption of single causes. In many cases I’m sure the assumption of single causes is a reasonable simplification, but such simplifications become less tenable for outcomes dependent on complex interactions between multiple actors. As society has become more complex, outcomes only seem more dependent upon more complex interactions between more actors. Job Creators The meme that has brought this to mind lately is use of the euphemism “job creators” in place of “rich people”. The idea seems to be that someone making a million dollars a year (the modern definition of “millionaire”) is likely to hire a maid, a nanny, a personal assistant, etc.; a middle-class family making under a hundred thousand dollars a year is unlikely to have any full-time employees. Giving a millionaire an extra few hundred thousand a year might mean they hire a new chauffeur, and that certainly feels like “creating a job”. Giving a few hundred families an extra thousand a year would likely mean only that they have a few more meals a year out at a restaurant; the few minutes of work each such meal creates for waiter, busboy, and cook don’t have quite the same resonance. A single rich person gets to claim the title of job creator all on their own; middle-class families earn the title as a group as thus nobody claims it at all. (Note that one need not take a stance on trickle-down economics to note the asymmetry of the “job creator” label. All I claim is that extra middle-class income clearly creates some jobs; whether the effect is larger or smaller than the same total sum distributed to wealthier families is a question for economistsalthough I can’t pretend I don’t have my own expectations on the matter.). • My main problem with creationism is not religious, but intellectual. Saying that complex intelligent creatures were created by another complex intelligent creature is no more interesting than explaining that people give birth to other people. Creationism is thus not an intellectual theory; it’s an excuse to stop thinking about the issue of origin. • I’m explicitly addressing personal income here. While the profits of small businesses can be taxed at the same rates as individual income, the term “job creators” is being applied to individuals, not businesses. (Given that employee salaries are not taxed as profit, any connection between tax on profits and hiring by businesses is much less direct.). Posted Monday, 27 February 2012 MG Siegler recently that the reason Android is having some success against the iPhone but little against the iPad is because of support from mobile carriers. John Gruber linked to Siegler’s piece,: My hypothesis has long been that Android has very little traction in and of itself. What has traction is the traditional pattern where customers go to their existing carrier’s retail store to buy a new phone, listen to the recommendations of the sales staff, and buy one of the recommended phones There is no such traction for the idea of going into your phone carrier store and buying a computer. That’s why carrier-subsidized netbooks didn’t take off, and that’s why carrier-subsidized Android tablets haven’t either. I don’t disagree with the idea that the sales dynamics for phones and tablets are different, but I’d come at it from a different angle. The reason the iPad is so dominant in the tablet space is precisely because of the biggest criticism it got before launch. Nobody needs one. Everyone these days needs a mobile phone. In fact, most people need one that can also do email and Facebook as well. This is true of people who don’t have much interest in phones, or technology in general. It’s even true of people who actively dislike their phones. Having a smart phone is the price of living in modern society. Nobody needs a tablet. You’re not excluded from modern society if you don’t have one. If you actively dislike using a tablet, then you won’t use one. When I was interviewing at Apple, there was one thing that one of the senior engineers in the iOS group said to me that I’ll never forget. We were talking about how management and engineering work together, and he was telling me that sometimes it goes wrong: so we were working on what became MobileMe, and management came up with a set of features, and everyone knew that they could be implemented, and we did our best to implement them. But when we gave what we built to users, they weren’t delighted. It was a problem. Management wasn’t happy, and engineering wasn’t proud of the product, and everyone was trying to figure out what went wrong I don’t think that phrase—“[users] weren’t delighted”—would have come out of the mouth of an engineer at any other company. It wasn’t meant as a euphemism; his entire point was that the product was good but not great, and that the company couldn’t figure out how a network synchronization system could delight users, no matter how well it was implemented. When I mentioned his phrasing later this engineer claimed he hadn’t realized he’d said those words. He didn’t even see why they might sound odd. In his world, success was measured by user delight. Everything else was a side note. The point is that more than any other technology product I’ve ever seen, the success of the iPad stems from user delight. Other products from PCs to laptops to digital cameras to mobile phones have solid practical justifications behind them. I have no doubt that we’ll get there with tablets—someday a tablet will be as indispensable as a laptop—but that’s not the situation today. I’ve only played with display models of Android tablets in stores for a few minutes at a time, and I haven’t tried the newest batch running the latest software version, but the big difference between Android and iOS for me is that Android has never made me grin. Even if an Android tablet were as good for web browsing and email and reading as an iPad, I still don’t think it would crack today’s market. If you want somebody to slap down $500 for a gadget they know they don’t really need, you have to make them grin. Postscript I think this model also offers a useful way to look at Amazon’s Kindle. I don’t think the hardware or software have put many grins on many faces, but the e-reader market has had practical selling points from the start. Amazon isn’t going after user delight; they’re just trying to suck less. Posted Sunday, 26 February 2012 Is there any better demonstration of scientific culture, and the ways it differs from other fields, than the faster-than-light neutrino flap? Consider: • Some scientists notice a pattern in their data that looks a little odd. • They are unable to explain the pattern using existing laws of physics, and come up with a new theory to model the pattern. The new theory contradicts some of the foundations of modern physics. • This new theory is shared with the scientific community. • Other scientists are extremely skeptical of the new result, but don’t dismiss it out of hand. • The community considers how the experiment could be replicated, what weaknesses and sources of error exist, and how those issues could be addressed with further experiments. • The follow-ups demonstrate that the original data was probably flawed, and identify the likely cause. • Experimentalists learn a little bit more about avoiding similar sources of error in the future. This is precisely the process that happens every day in scientific research. The ideological commitments, grandstanding, and rhetoric that are the hallmarks of both political debate and the humanities are the exception in the sciences, not the norm. Posted Sunday, 19 February 2012 Just a couple of quick thoughts after reading Sven Schmidt’s, and then getting and installing a for my own personal email: • My biggest motivator for using encrypted email isn’t privacy (or paranoia); it’s politics. The TSA and other agencies consider any attempt to retain privacy strong evidence of terrorist activities. By using encryption—particularly for completely mundane correspondence—you strengthen the culture of privacy among honest citizens. (I’m not suggesting that the case for privacy is entirely clear-cut and won’t dwell on the complexities of the arguments here. Suffice it to say that I believe protection from unreasonable search and seizure is one of the the things the US Constitution did get right.) • If Apple really does consider itself in competition with Google, then privacy tools are weapons Google can’t defend against. Gmail loses all value to Google if all its messages are encrypted such that only the sender and receiver can read them. Apple Mail loses nothing if encrypted mail becomes the normin fact pervasive use of certificates, keychains, and encryption all increase people’s reliance on personal computing devices at the expense of stateless web interfaces. Posted Wednesday, 01 February 2012 A few days ago, the Wall Street Journal published written by a collection of scientists claiming distortion of science in support of climate alarmism. I don’t necessarily agree with everything they wrote, but their central point seemed quite sensible: whether or not “drastic actions on global warming are needed” is not something on which all scientists agree. I’d go farther and say that it’s clearly not even a scientific question; it involves a great deal of politics (i.e. How do we balance different values as a society) and economics (how will various types of “drastic actions” affect our ability to address these different values). But the main thrust of the letter is that a climate change orthodoxy is being imposed upon the scientific community to support this political stance. The letter provides a few examples. The Journal has since published, which I will attempt to translate for ease of comprehension: Do you consult your dentist about your heart condition? In science, as in any area, reputations are based on knowledge and expertise in a field and on published, peer-reviewed work. If you need surgery, you want a highly experienced expert in the field who has done a large number of the proposed operations. Science is based on appeal to authority. But all those signature drives that claim to establish a “consensus” on climate change by collecting names from anyone with a higher degree? Those still count. You published “No Need to Panic About Global Warming” (op-ed, Jan. 27) on climate change by the climate-science equivalent of dentists practicing cardiology. Science is also based on ad-hominem attacks. While accomplished in their own fields, most of these authors have no expertise in climate science. The only people allowed to comment on “climate science” are those who publish papers supporting drastic action on global warming. Neither physicists nor meteorologists may comment. Nor may statisticians, geologists, or chemists. The few authors who have such expertise are known to have extreme views that are out of step with nearly every other climate expert. Nor may anyone who fails to bow to the climate change orthodoxy. There is an overwhelming consensus among those who agree with that consensus. This happens in nearly every field of science. For example, there is a retrovirus expert who does not accept that HIV causes AIDS. And it is instructive to recall that a few scientists continued to state that smoking did not cause cancer, long after that was settled science. There have been cases when the prevailing interpretation of the data has turned out to be right, and those who questioned it were wrong. Climate experts know that the long-term warming trend has not abated in the past decade. The warming trend has not become less intense or widespread in any way whatsoever. In fact, it was the warmest decade on record. We don’t know what a warming trend is. Observations show unequivocally that our planet is getting hotter. And computer models have recently shown We created an imaginary world where the following is true: that during periods when there is a smaller increase of surface temperatures The warming trend has become less intense in some areas. Or less widespread but just as intense. Or less intense and less widespread. Warming is occurring elsewhere in the climate system, typically in the deep ocean. Such periods are a relatively common climate phenomenon, are consistent with our physical understanding of how the climate system works, and certainly do not invalidate our understanding of human-induced warming or the models used to simulate that warming. The orthodoxy is that global warming is happening even when you can’t see it in surface temperatures. Pointing out that you can’t see warming in surface temperatures will be interpreted as a denial of this orthodoxy. Thus, climate experts also know what one of us, Kevin Trenberth, actually meant by the out-of-context, misrepresented quote used in the op-ed. Trenberth was lamenting the inadequacy of observing systems to fully monitor warming trends in the deep ocean and other aspects of the short-term variations that always occur, together with the long-term human-induced warming trend. There is data we don’t have, and we wish we had it. But we don’t need it because we know exactly what it is. It’s “data” in the same sense that a computer program is the planet Earth. The National Academy of Sciences of the U.S. (set up by President Abraham Lincoln to advise on scientific issues), as well as major national academies of science around the world and every other authoritative body of scientists active in climate research have stated that the science is clear: The role of scientific bodies is to craft simple nuance-free statements on behalf of their members. Please ignore that the op-ed to which we are responding opened with Nobel Prize-winning physicist Ivar Giaever rejecting such a statement (and resigning from the relevant society in protest). The world is heating up and humans are primarily responsible. We are equally certain of global temperature trends and their precise causes. Impacts are already apparent and will increase. Reducing future impacts will require significant reductions in emissions of heat-trapping gases. “Apparent”, “increase”, and “significant” may be interpreted by politicians as required. Research shows that more than 97% of scientists actively publishing in the field agree that climate change is real and human caused. Research shows that 97% of papers published by climate-change research journals do not go out of their way to claim that climate-change research is unimportant. It would be an act of recklessness for any political leader to disregard the weight of evidence and ignore the enormous risks that climate change clearly poses. Anyone who disagrees with our values or economic priorities is reckless. In addition, there is very clear evidence that investing in the transition to a low-carbon economy will not only allow the world to avoid the worst risks of climate change, but could also drive decades of economic growth. Climate scientists are well qualified to make macroeconomic predictions. Posted Monday, 16 January 2012 My were my. Like last year, I don’t have many unique insights into the next twelve months. Unlike last year, however, I’m not going to try quite so hard to pretend I do. Here are six modest predictions for 2012: 1. Apple releases iPad 3 I feel almost silly doing the prediction since all the rumor sites are already treating all these details as a given, but I’ll repeat them anyway, partly because I very often don’t believe many of the things spouted by rumor sites: the iPad 3 will be released around March or April, and the major new feature will be a retina display (i.e. Double the resolution of the current crop of iPads). I don’t have any real prediction on whether LTE support will be available, but I’d bet slightly against it. Price of gold way down This is my major financial prediction for 2012, and for once I’m actually backing it with nontrivial amounts of my own money—I’m shorting gold. I currently work in a building with a lot of people with strong backgrounds in finance. They all tell me I’m wrong and give a number of compelling reasons for the price of gold to keep rising. And yet every such argument both assumes the efficient markets hypothesis and utterly negates it. What’s more, all the worries I hear about inflation—even from those who make their living in finance—seem to completely misunderstand what the Federal Reserve does (and tries to do). Gold can’t continue to outperform everything forever. My personal bet isn’t restricted to 2012 (I’m willing to wait two or three years for the price to collapse), but I think chances are good that the slide will begin this year. Microsoft and RIM get new CEOs. There are three items here, so note that I’m predicting that neither Jim Balsillie nor Mike Lazaridis will be CEO at RIM by the end of the year. I’m also taking another stab at Balmer stepping down, which I’ve been predicting for a while. I have difficulty understanding how management teams so demonstrably unable to navigate the current technology landscape have survived so long. So for the record, this is a prediction based on lack of understanding. Always a solid foundation 6. Obama wins Meh; what do I know about politics. But it seems to me that a rich corporate candidate is quite vulnerable to Obama’s populist style. I don’t think “government is always job-killing” is going to fly in this election cycle, and without that the Republicans are in trouble. Posted Friday, 06 January 2012 This site is clearly in need of some serious updating (in terms of both content and layout—I only recently discovered the atrocious rendering under IE). Hopefully I’ll manage to get around to that at some point soon. For now, however, I’m just back for my oh-so-brief annual self-shaming: I’m reviewing the results of my. Patriots win Super Bowl (difficulty 0.6) Not so much. Celtics or Heat win NBA Championship (difficulty 0.5) Also not so muchalthough I was much happier seeing the Mavs win than I would have been getting the prediction right. I think the lesson from the above two is that I just shouldn’t make predictions about major sports outcomes. It’s a mature enough market already, I have nothing in particular to add to the conversation, and there’s no fun or glory in getting it right, anyway. Live and learn. Weakened filibuster and secret holds in US Senate (difficulty 0.4) I haven’t been following politics as closely in 2011 as in some prior years, but I don’t think this happened either. In fact it appears that the Senate is even using a new procedural trick to prevent recess appointments. 2011 predictions not going at all well. Immigration reform passed (difficulty 0.8) Listen, if you’re going to get your predictions wrong, you may as well make outlandish predictions. Charges brought against Assange in US; he avoids extradition (difficulty 0.6) Well he avoided extradition, so that’s something. The US seems to be happy just letting the WikiLeaks thing blow over. As even before making the prediction, it’s entirely possible that WikiLeaks made it easier for governments to hide information in the future, not harder. IPad remains most popular tablet (difficulty 0.3) Low difficulty, but I nailed it. Want commentary? Provides far more cogent analysis of the iOS and mobile marketplace than I ever could. New iPad released (difficulty 0.3) I listed a low difficulty, but I did nail all the details: released around April with a camera but no retina display. My accuracy on computing-related predictions is marginally better than my foresight regarding sports or politics. Blackberry loses spot as most popular mobile OS (difficulty 0.7) Oh what a difference a year makes. RIM went from to. In the same time iOS grew slightly from the mid- to the high-20s, and Android appeared to gobble up most of what RIM, Microsoft, and Symbian dropped: that platform went from 23 to 46 percent of the market. Clearly tech industry predictions are my sweet spot. Ballmer no longer CEO of Microsoft (difficulty 0.7) I was wrong. But, seriously? Are the shareholders of Microsoft just as complacent as the company’s management? I admit Metro looks good, but MS has lost every shred of leadership and credibility at this point. Another good year for stocks (difficulty 1.0) I predicted 13500 for the DOW, 3150 for the NASDAQ, and 1500 for the S&P 500. Actual opens on the first of the year: 12400 (8.15% below prediction), 2660 (15.56% below prediction), and 1280 (14.67% below prediction). My “partial credit” formula scores this as a hit at difficulty 6.2, which seems a tad high for me. It wasn’t a particularly good year for stocks (but nor was it an atrocious one). Final tally Definitely hit three, definitely missed five, and two were middling. In truth, I should have seen this coming; I felt pressure to publish 2011 predictions and so I forced myself to a lot of guesses I didn’t feel very confident about. Under 50% again. Live and learn. Posted Saturday, 10 September 2011 Let the objectification begin! (/continue!) Miss Albania, Xhesika Berberi I hadn’t realized Prince of Persia was set in Albania. Miss Angola, Leila Lopes A blue christmas tree adorned with plastic dolphins. Interesting choice. Miss Argentina, Natalie Rodriquez You’re not going to convince me this dress wasn’t ruined by a producer backstage who said “whoah; way too much cleavage. Let’s just stuff a few feathers down there” Miss Aruba, Gillain Berry “I don’t actually have the confidence to pull this off. Whatever.” Miss Australia, Scherri-lee Biggs Trying to come up with snarky comment that in no way mentions camels or their feet. Miss Bahamas, Anastagia Pierre I do have the confidence to pull of Miss Aruba’s outfit, but I was on a budget. Miss Belgium, Justine De Jonckheere This contest unfairly discriminates against countries with no character. Miss Bolivia, Olivia Pinheiro Is she trying to further emphasize those creepy eye things on either side of her head by squinting? Questionable strategy. Miss Botswana, Larona Motlatsi Kgabo I don’t know; it’s a shovel or something. Let’s just say this costume doesn’t conjure the care-free self-indulgence of some of the other costumes. Miss Brazil, Priscila Machado I’m not even going to pretend those aren’t stripper boots. Miss British Virgin Islands, Sheroma Hodge Least functional hat ever. Miss Canada, Chelsae Durocher I like the headdress, but the gown looks suspiciously like it was made from 80s-era Star Wars footie pajamas. Miss Cayman Islands, Cristin Alexander The outfit does a good job of delaying the realization that this contestant is about as a attractive as the average woman at an upscale suburban supermarket. Miss Chile, Vanessa Ceruti Oh, mad props to Vanessa, who is definitely my favorite so far. She heard “National Costume” and decided “Halloween” is close enough. “Sexy trapped Chilean miner” is a solid costume choice. Miss China, Luo Zilin “I’m got a rockin’ bod under here. Trust me.” Miss Colombia, Catalina Robayo I’m starting to suspect that each contestant was forced to use exactly the same amount of fabric, so if they wanted to be naked they needed to find something else to do with the material. Miss Costa Rica, Johanna Solano Some contestants go for care-free, others go for “I will chain you to an altar, slice you open, and eat your heart.” Yes this thought turns me on. Miss Croatia, Natalija Prica Miss Croatia is apparently hoping that most of the judges are pedophiles. Miss Curacao, Eva Van Putten Does she know she’s being graded on this? Miss Cyprus, Andriani Karantoni There are a few Disney auditions thrown in every year. Miss Czech Republic, Jitka Novackova “If you make me angry, I turn green and it fits!” Miss Denmark, Sandra Amer Cleavage is make-or-break in a Disney audition. Miss Dominican Republic, Dalia Fernandez It’s like she’s a mermaid, except dressed in a stupid outfit! Miss Ecuador, Claudia Schiess I didn’t realize that “plastic-man arms” was a real fetish, but I think I have it. Miss Egypt, Sara El Khouly Interesting cross between Cleopatra and Beethoven. Miss El Salvador, Mayra Aldana “The next person to offer to help me find my sheep gets punched in the balls.” Miss Estonia, Madli Vilsar “National costumes? Buy me something pretty.” Miss Finland, Pia Pakarinen “I’m hot too, but I’ll at least make a gesture. They’re kind of like fins, right? As in Finland?” Miss France, Laury Thilleman Is she really bribing the judges with cupcakes? Miss Georgia, Eka Gurtskaia Once you convince yourself there’s an army of midgets under there waiting to swarm the stage, you can’t stop thinking about it. Let’s move on. Miss Germany, Valeria Bystritskaia She got a tip from Miss Croatia about the pedophile judges. Miss Ghana, Erica Nego Another victim of the fabric quota system. Miss Great Britain, Chloe-Beth Morgan Listen, the fabric thing was a joke. If you want to wear a miniskirt, then just wear it. This is getting ridiculous. Miss Greece, Iliana Papageorgiou “Austerity measures meant I got nothing but a sheet. But we all know I won this round anyway. I respect Miss Curacao for not even trying to beat me.” Miss Guam, Shayna Jo Afaisen Late in the design stage, it became clear that the “Guam” message had been somewhat diluted by the commitment to mermaid authenticity. Miss Guatemala, Alejandra Barillas “Is the pirate craze still going on, or am I five years late?” Miss Guyana, Kara Lord “Yeah, sticks coming out of my neck and a coiled snake on my head. Why are you looking at me like that?” Miss Haiti, Anedie Azael “My mother made it for me. The dress has handles, see?” Miss Honduras, Keilyn Gomez The fabric quota has been lifted! Miss Hungary, Betta Lipcsei Purple vampire bunny outfit. Miss India, Vasuki Sunkavalli Apparently Miss India’s costume. Let’s just assume that she was going to wear a leather bikini and stripper boots, give her an A, and move on. Miss Indonesia, Nadine Alexandra I actually really like this. Got to start rationing the snark. Miss Ireland, Aoife Hannon I was sure the national costume of Ireland included a thick woolen sweater Miss Israel, Kim Edry “Our national costume is a set of army fatigues, so I just decided to do a second eveningwear round.” Miss Italy, Elisa Torrini “This way I can spill tomato sauce on myself and nobody will know.” Miss Jamaica, Shakira Martin “It looks a lot better if you’re high. But doesn’t everything?” Miss Japan, Maria Kamiyama “I’m a geisha, but I’ll still cut you! [giggle]” Miss Kazakhstan, Valeriya Aleinikova This is just close enough to a nun’s habit that I refuse to find it sexy. And I find everything sexy. Miss Korea, Sora Chong You know how on diorama day at school there was always that one kid who showed up not realizing the project was due, and he had to throw something together from whatever all the other students could spare from their dioramas? Plan ahead next time, Sora. Miss Kosovo, Aferdita Dreshaj This must be a trick of the light, because I know no Miss Universe contestant would wear shorts. This is a sad day for pageantry. Miss Lebanon, Yara El Khoury-Mikhael Someone said something stupid and got sent to the corner Miss Malaysia, Deborah Henry Hey Deborah, could you get that book from the top shelf? Just reach way up there. Yeah, just like that Miss Mauritius, Laetitia Darche She knows nobody knows shit about Mauritius. We’ll take her word that that’s their national costume. Miss Mexico, Karin Ontiveros What’s sexier than a giant skull? Nothing, that’s what. Miss Montenegro, Nikolina Loncar “Well if Miss Greece is going to win, then this should get me second, right? Oh.” Miss Netherlands, Kelly Weekers A lot of girls would actually wear that crown. I respect Kelly for knowing her place as a servant and sticking with the toy boat as headgear. Miss New Zealand, Priyani Puketapu “Blankets for sale! Ten dollars each! Blankets for sale!” Miss Nicaragua, Adriana Dorn We’re blurring the line between hat-wearing and hobbling at this point. Miss Nigeria, Sophie Gemal Is the Nigerian national costume really “Twizzlers”? Miss Panama, Sheldry Saez The gray feathers look too much like Doctor Octopus’s adamantium arms for me to offer any fashion commentary. Let’s just say that if Spider-man wants to get from the Atlantic to the Pacific he should take the long way around. Miss Paraguay, Alba Riquelme Fail on cleavage. Fail on shoes. Fail on sexy shoulders. Alba is not winning this contest; that’s for damn sure. Miss Peru, Natalie Vertiz Excellent combination of skin, cheap souvenir art, and weaponry. Miss Philippines, Shamcey Supsup It’s like a poorly-dressed princess decided to frolic in a pile of autumn leaves. Miss Poland, Rozalia Mancewicz Another Disney contestant. Hard to judge the cleavage from this angle, but I’ll be generous and offer a solid B. Miss Portugal, Laura Goncalves “We all know Miss Greece is going to win, so I just threw on something colorful from my closet.” Miss Puerto Rico, Viviana Ortiz An awesome body and terrible taste. You’re looking at Rob’s target dating demographic. Miss Romania, Larisa Popa Is she trying to dress like both a vampire and his bloody virgin victim? Miss Russia, Natalia Gantimurova I like to imagine that she’s naked under that hat. Miss Serbia, Anja Saranovic Serbia gained independence in 2006, so witness the exotic fashion stylings of the mid-oughts! Good to see that in their five years they’ve managed to come up with a couple of logos and a flag, though. Five or six centuries and this is going to be a really good look. Miss Singapore, Valerie Shu Xian Lim Anyone else get the feeling that we caught her halfway through a magic trick, and she’s about to step aside to reveal that the assistant who just stepped behind her is now gone? Miss Slovak Republic, Dagmar Kolesarova She got everything at Primark for under £20. She’s totally ready for the “national costumes” bop. (Apologies to all the non-Oxonions who have no idea what I just said.) Miss Slovenia, Ema Jagodic “I’m hot. That’s all that matters.” Miss South Africa, Bokang Montjane “You may be hot, but I know what I’m doing. Judges: vote for me and I will rock your worlds.” Miss Spain, Paula Guillo “I’m too good for pageants, and I refuse to be gawked. How the hell did I get here?” Miss Sri Lanka, Stephanie Siriwardhana In mourning apparently. Lucia, Joy-Ann Biscette “I was expecting the wings to be bigger. Whatever.” Miss Sweden, Ronnia Fornstedt “The backstage producer made me put on underwear. What a bitch.” Miss Switzerland, Kerstin Cook She was planning on entering the Disney category, but after seeing Miss Sweden she grabbed a pair of scissors and spiced it up a little. Miss Tanzania, Nelly Kamwelu Who says national costumes have to be about the past? This will totally be the national costume of Tanzania in the year 2782, when swords and sorcery rule the earth. Miss Thailand, Chanyasorn Sakornchan The costume is all well and good, but let me just interject here with a more general statement on fashion: pantyhose are awful. Just a terrible, terrible invention. But pantyhose are an affront to all that is right and good about women’s fashion. Thank you for your attention. Miss Trinidad & Tobago, Gabrielle Walcott Gabrielle is the clear winner of this year’s “mostly naked with a feather or fabric background” contest. Thanks for playing, rest of South America and the Caribbean. Miss Turkey, Melisa Asli Pamuk Another Disney princess with a pair of scissors. Miss Turks & Caicos, Easher Parker That country is made up. No wonder she got her outfit out of a dumpster. Virgin Islands, Alexandrya Evans And this year’s loser of the “mostly naked with a feather or fabric background” contest. Failure from the knees up. Miss Ukraine, Olesia Stefanko If I want a girl with turnips hanging from her belt, I’ll give you a call, Olesia. But don’t wait by the phone. Miss Uruguay, Fernanda Semino Did we catch her adjusting her codpiece? Miss USA, Alyssa Campanella Sexy Napoleon! Miss Venezuela, Vanessa Goncalves The dragon theme is compelling but not overdone; the hat is indulgent but not ridiculous or distracting; the body is smoking. Winner of the “random mythical creature” costume contestunless Miss Greece’s goddess outfit counts. Miss Vietnam, Hoang My Vu I’d like to ring her gong, if you know what I mean. No; seriously—I used to be a percussionist and I enjoy ringing gongs. But after that some sex with Miss My Vu would be nice, too. Posted Sunday, 14 August 2011 Three questions: • Would the absence of social media have prevented these riots? • Would copycat riots in cities beyond London (and in different corners of London) have occurred without television and newspaper coverage? • Does organization via social media instead of traditional word of mouth make it easier or harder to track down and prosecute “organizers”? And one for Nick Clegg: • Do the Lib Dems intend to remain part of a government that claims the right to prevent citizens from communicating with each other? Posted Thursday, 11 August 2011 There’s been plenty of digital ink spilled over the patent system in the wake of Google’s on the matter. The conversation seems to move pretty fluidly between discussion of patents in general and discussion of software patents. My understanding is that the portfolio Google is complaining about involved more than just software patents, but I may be wrong; the point is that arguments about software patents is at least partially orthogonal to the Google situation. Like the vast majority of software engineers I know, I’d much prefer that software were not patentable. But my main complaint with those defending the status quo is over arguments like this (quoted ): Nobody has ever told me exactly why the patent system is fundamentally broken. Whatever the underlying point, this is a textbook example of framing the discussion such that major catastrophic problems are necessary to overturn a product of history. In my experience, “fundamental” is an extremely ambiguous term, particularly where brokenness is concerned. By some definitions, any problem that can be hidden, at least temporarily, does not count as “fundamental”. Arguing that something is broken can degenerate into a whack-a-mole game, where you point out a negative consequence of some issue you consider fundamental, a way to hide that particular manifestation is devised, another similar negative consequence of the same issue is discovered, and another patch devised, and so on. Finding bugs is almost always harder than fixing them, so there’s a serious asymmetry of effort here. If the rules are that we play until someone is exhausted, the defender will inevitably win. After all, the defender is happy to invest their time in a system they want and expect to continue on to the future; if the attacker wins the argument and the “fundamentally broken” system is scrapped, then they get no benefit from all the investment they’ve made understanding the system. This situation arises in everything from terrible software architecture to ad-hoc reasoning frameworks. But as for software patents, the focus of the argument shouldn’t be on whether a system for software patents could be fixed; it should be on whether there is any value to software patents at all. The patent system was created as a way to foster innovation, at the price of a well-understood evil: monopoly power. There’s never been any debate that patents have negative consequences. Thus it’s worth asking what the positives are. I can’t speak to drug patents, or manufacturing patents, or wireless technology patents. Maybe in those fields a big chunk of innovation is performed for the purpose of getting patents. But I’d argue that there is more innovation in software than in every other field put together—new algorithms, human interfaces, programming languages, and engineering methods are being experimented with constantly. And 99.9% of all this innovation never gets patented in any way, shape or form. I don’t mean that 99.9% isn’t patentable; I’m saying that 99.9% of software that probably could be patented under the current system—precisely the types of innovation the patent system was created to reward—isn’t patented. Thus the absolute upper limit on what we’d lose without software patents is 0.1% of innovation. But I’ll go farther than that. I have never encountered a single piece of software that was created primarily for the purpose of claiming patent rights. The vast vast majority of the 0.1% of software that does get patented—and quite possibly all of it—would still have been created if there were no patent rights to software. Companies file patents on software they happen to have built for other reasons; they don’t build software to file patents. Software patents are “fundamentally broken” because they do harm, and they provide absolutely no benefit whatsoever. As has been pointed out so often, the monopoly rights granted by patents actually stifle innovation, and in software there is no increase in innovation to even slightly counterbalance this. The contribution of software patents is net negative to innovation. When Google writes a letter to Congress demanding legislation to prohibit the patent office from issuing any software patents in the future, and invites other large tech companies to sign it, then they’ll have claimed the high ground on the patent issue. Until then, they’re just whining because they lost the last round in a game they’re perfectly happy to play. Update 2011-08-16 At risk of sullying my opinion with facts, I’ve stumbled across detailing a few actual numbers for software patent filings. Posted Saturday, 30 July 2011 Most of the coverage of the current debt limit debates that I’ve seen has suffered from what I consider the single greatest problem with mainstream news reporting. It focuses so much on the here and now that larger story lines are overlooked. Again and again I’ve heard the situation called “crazy” and the politicians completely incompetent. There’s no question that they’re playing a very dangerous game, but I think some of the underlying reasons are quite sane. While both parties agree that the debt limit should be raised (the Tea Party crowd are a lunatic fringe not worth considering to be rational actors here), there is also general consensus that entitlement reform (e.g. Social Security) has been put off for far too long. Arguments that either of these is a partisan issue don’t really hold up; every rational actor in Washington, and every economist, agrees. The trouble is that entitlement reform is normally impossible for politicians. Anybody who votes for cutting Social Security benefits is vulnerable to outsiders who claim they would have opposed such cuts. The current “crisis” looks like it’s shaping up to be the perfect (potential) solution. If the only possible way to avoid catastrophic default is to set up a deal guaranteeing major spending cuts, but deferring the details of such cuts until later, and making the default source of cuts entitlements, then everyone can credibly claim that they never supported cutting entitlements at all. When later negotiations to find other cuts fail and entitlement spending goes down, both parties can blame “partisan gridlock” for what happened. Americans tend to loathe Congress (approval ratings are currently around 20%, with 70% disapproval), they simultaneously like their own congressional representatives (who usually have quite good approval ratings). A “blame the system” excuse is thus a perfectly reasonable re-election strategy, and the most rational approach to passing unpopular but necessary legislation. Obviously this is wildly inefficient. Obviously it’s a way to end up with cuts that haven’t been thought through (in fact that’s an important part of the strategy). But it’s not crazy and it’s not incompetent. It balances short-term political incentives and long-term national priorities. Note that I’m not directly suggesting that the rancor is pure theater to cover for Machiavellian back-room dealing. I think the rancor is real, and much of the confusion is real, and the danger of catastrophic economic consequences is real. But there’s a reason (beyond suicidal stupidity) that fiscal conservatives starting wielding the debt limit as a weapon, and there’s a reason politicians will (hopefully) be able to converge on some very unpopular cuts in a last-minute cloud of calamitous panic. There is a way out of this everyone can live with. Finally, I should point out that my argument above doesn’t mean the process really arrives at something resembling a “moderate consensus”. There’s been a huge amount of collateral damage in the attempt to make any progress at all on the unpopular entitlement consensus, and it’s been inflicted primarily by those on the right of the debate. It’s still entirely possible that the attempt at progress still fails, while the collateral damage still takes place, and the nation really does hit the debt limit. So there will almost certainly be huge amounts of blame to spread around. I’m just arguing that there’s substantially less pure unadulterated crazy than most of the headlines would suggest. Posted Saturday, 30 July 2011 I moved into a small unfurnished apartment in Brooklyn a few months ago, so I had a relatively blank slate to start from in setting up a work area. I’m in the company office most days, but try to work from home one day a week, in addition to the hours I spend working at home on nights and weekends. One major factor in my setup is that I’m in a studio apartment. While I think I have plenty of space for one person, there isn’t room for lots of semi-redundant furniture. Ideally, I wanted one good surface I could use for computer work, for pencil-and-paper scribbling, and for dinner. (My semi-annual moves have also converted me somewhat to the “minimalist” philosophy. I’d rather have one good table and one good reading chair than a whole stack of mediocre furniture.) I tend to spend long hours working at the computer, and I can’t entirely dismiss the about sitting for long periods. I’ve also been through one (thankfully minor) bout of RSI when I was younger, and the universal piece of advice I got from everyone—doctors, computer users, and musicians—was that variety of posture is the best way to avoid recurrences. I thus decided that I wanted to try a work setup that allowed me stand for at least part of the day. My basic setup looks like this: The table is about 41 inches (104 cm) high, which is about right for a standing desk for most people. I’m fairly tall, a keyboard right on the table surface is perfectly usable when standing but still a few inches below what I’d need for the recommended 90 degree elbow angle. I wouldn’t want a higher table, but raising the keyboard with a few books is trivial. Table The table itself is an IKEA with a countertop. I particularly recommend the Utby frame: unlike standard IKEA table legs, this is good tubular steel fully cross-braced at both the top and the bottom with good quality hardware; it provides a very solid platform with no wobble at all. What is more, the crossbar at the bottom of the Utby frame is a sturdy and convenient footrest when standing or working from a high chair. Monitor Of course the most striking thing about my setup is probably the arm I’m using to mount my monitor: The articulated part of the arm is an, however that arm comes with a very short mounting post (the pipe sticking straight up from the desk) which leaves the monitor much too low for work while standing. Claims you can replace the provided post with your own length of pipe, but their post is of a very hard-to-find diameter, and it screws into the desk clamp using a different kind of threading than any pipe I could find in any home improvement store. I even showed the bits to a machinist in the neighborhood, and he said it would be next to impossible to find an off-the-shelf replacement, and that any custom solution (welding on an extension, or machining a custom thread onto a piece of cut pipe) would be prohibitively expensive. After a few emails to Ergotron, they finally agreed to send me the longer post from their for nothing more than the price of postage. I appreciate their customer service, but it’s a huge shame that this longer post isn’t normally available to the general public, even as a special-order part. The articulated arm provides movement in all directions, and a 14-inch (35 cm) vertical height range. Mounted at the top of the longer post, this lets me position my monitor either right down at desk level or at full standing height: It also lets me swing the monitor right out of the way, leaving the table clear for other uses: The one catch to mounting the monitor post to the desk is that you need a relatively big lip to the table top. This is yet another advantage of the IKEA frame+countertop setup over standard tables: I could simply mount the countertop asymmetrically to the frame, leaving a big lip on the left-hand side and a smaller one on the right. The monitor itself is a. It was relatively cheap (under $200) and meets my needs, but it’s definitely not a high-quality piece of hardware: the integrated speakers are weak and sound tinny, and I consider the text all over the front ugly and distracting. What’s more, there’s no integrated webcam or microphone, so this is definitely not a videoconferencing setup (I need to pull the laptop out for Skype and Facetime calls). If Apple ever comes out with a desktop retina display, I might consider paying the premium to replace this piece of commodity kit. Computer I wanted to keep my work surface as clear as possible, so I came up with a way to mount my laptop under the table. I bought a large from, sawed off the shelf mounting arms, and used the little plastic loops The Container Store hands out for free at the counter to screw the basket to the underside of my table: A basket an inch shallower would be a bit better, but I’ve never encountered any problems with my knees knocking against it so the current setup is fine. Sliding the laptop into position and attaching power, monitor, and sound cords is hassle-free. Obviously I could do something about cleaning up the messy cables, but I don’t have to look at them when I’m working so they don’t bother me. Standing and sitting As you can see in the background of the first photo, I also have a couple of “bar height” IKEA chairs (the ). I did sit on these to work for a few weeks, but hours and hours of shifting around on one eventually works the joints a bit loose, leading to some worrying play in the legs. After tightening the hardware back up they seem perfectly sturdy again (and are great so far as guest and dinner chairs), but I’m glad to have moved on to something else for working. Standing right on my wooden floor left me a little sore, so I bought a cheap: It was the lowest-end option I could find, yet it works great—a bit of texture feels nice in bare feet, it’s soft enough to eliminate the soreness, and it’s held up perfectly to abuse under my work chair, so I never need to bother moving it. My chair itself was my primary indulgence, and the purchase I was most worried about, because I didn’t even get to see it in person before ordering (and waiting over a month for delivery). It’s a: I’ve only had it for a few weeks now, but so far I’m very happy with it. It was expensive, but it definitely feels like the highest-quality piece of furniture I’ve ever used, and that includes the Aeron chairs I’ve had at various offices. It’s clearly a stool, not a typical chair, and it’s quite big—its shape is a triangle over two feet (60 cm) to a side, with the corners cut off. The size was the biggest surprise to me, and is a huge advantage. In addition to perching on a side or sitting on the chair like a saddle, it’s even big enough for me to sit on cross-legged, which is how I end up spending much of the day. The versatility fits my goals perfectly: I change postures constantly throughout the day, switching as soon as I start to feel at all uncomfortable, but I never need to interrupt my work to do so. In terms of design, it’s also worth noting that the chair is perfectly symmetrical. As you can see, there’s a lever for height adjustment under the corner. In fact, there is such a lever under each of the three corners. There’s no “correct” orientation of the seat and it rotates freely, so there’s nothing to think about when hopping on. I hadn’t even realized that rotating your chair the right way round before sitting in it presented any cognitive load at all until I didn’t have to worry about it. I got the “high cylinder” model, which allows seat heights from 33 inches (84 cm) at the top, higher than the Heriksdahl chairs and perfect for working, all the way down to 22 inches (56 cm), the height of a “normal” chair, which is an astonishing range. The foot ring height is also fully adjustable, and the foot ring is easily strong enough to take my full weight with no give at all. I also got “gliders” instead of caster wheels, and this is a crucial feature: a high stool with wheels would be unusable for perching. In fact, working on gliders at home and casters at work has made me think that I might choose gliders for my next office chair; any chair on wheels (which are always free to pivot, regardless of whether you’re rolling or not) provides a much less stable platform. Again, I hadn’t realized the annoyances that come with standard office chairs until they were taken away. Whiteboard Of course, every geek needs a whiteboard. Luckily, I have a wall facing my little work area but no other part of the apartment, so I was able to mount a (and an additional ) without it intruding on any other spaces. (It does overlook this space when it’s a “dining area”, though, which is a bit of a shame.) Here’s a view from the opposite side of the table from the other photos. Posted Friday, 17 June 2011 David Pogue of the Samsung Chromebook, but does like the attempt: For now, though, you should praise Google for its noble experiment. John Gruber: Would everyone have praised Apple for its “noble experiment” if the $500 iPad had been too big and heavy, felt like it was worth only $180, and was “a 3.3-pound paperweight” when offline? This is the big leagues. There is no credit for trying. That’s not just glib, it also ignores the fact that Apple did create a device that was too big, too heavy, and too expensive, with crucial make-or-break features that just didn’t work. It was called the Newton. And I suspect even Gruber would concede that Apple deserves at least some praise for that effort, which probably nudged the industry further along on a number of fronts. A dismal failure as a product, but an interesting and educational failure. Taking Gruber’s side, however, times are different now. The Newton wasn’t trying to replace anything; it was an entirely new category. The Chromebook is going head to head with both the iPad and the laptop, both robust and popular products. It’s one thing to release a product and have customers realize that it isn’t good enough for them to use much. It’s quite another to ask them to choose it over an alternative and leave them crippled as a result. By this logic, the pre-iPad tablets could still merit praise even if they did suck. And if the iPad had sucked, it also could have been worthy of praise—I suspect that Gruber himself might have given Apple the same kind of kudos that Pogue offers Samsung/Google. In a post-iPad world, however, there’s no A for effort. The expensive and flaky horseless carriages of the early 1900s do merit praise for blazing what turned out to be a crucial trail; those that came after the Model T don’t. Posted Saturday, 15 January 2011 My, but I’ve delayed long enough. Time to come up with some predictions for 2011. As usual, I’m assigning difficulties between 0 and 1 to each prediction. Patriots win Super Bowl (difficulty 0.6) One of the things that makes the NFL so compelling is that even an overwhelming favorite seldom has a better than 70 to 80 percent chance of winning any given game (see, for example, ). As a result, even if one team is clearly better than all others, the chances of winning two playoff games and the Super Bowl are slim. My difficulty is roughly in line with the 8-5 odds given by professional sports books. Celtics or Heat win NBA Championship (difficulty 0.5) I wanted to just predict a Celtics championship, but they only have a realistic chance if they’re healthy for the playoffs. Again, my difficulty is vaguely in line with the current betting odds. Two quite boring predictions, I know, but these are the only sports I’ve been following lately. Weakened filibuster and secret holds in US Senate (difficulty 0.4) The public is getting a bit tired of the partisan gridlock (even those who like the results), and there’s currently a political situation that makes changing the Senate rules feasible: the minority party in the Senate controls the House, so there’s no danger of legislation being passed against party policy, and they are also threatening to become the Senate majority in the near future, so weakening the power of the minority is appealing. I expect the Democrats to pass rules changes weakening the filibuster somewhat (e.g. Requiring 40 votes to extend debate instead of 60 votes to close it) and limiting secret holds by individual senators. Immigration reform passed (difficulty 0.8) Despite the inflammatory rhetoric surrounding immigration, I think it’s one of the few issues where the two parties agree that reform is needed, and I (perhaps naively) believe that Congress does want to demonstrate some significant accomplishments during this session, before the 2012 election wars. The current system of allocating a tiny quota of green cards by lottery is absurd on a number of levels; a points-based system more like Bush’s old proposal seems like it could pass. Charges brought against Assange in US; he avoids extradition (difficulty 0.6) Building an espionage case against Julian Assange and in the US seems straightforward. I seriously doubt that countries are in the habit of granting extradition for such cases, however. Whatever happens with the sexual assault charges, I expect that Assange can avoid his US legal troubles by simply staying out of the US. Technology 6. IPad remains most popular tablet (difficulty 0.3) 2011 will finally see some competition for the iPad. That competition will appeal only to those with religious objection to Apple, however. (The iPad’s price, in particular, leaves very little room for competitors.) 7. New iPad released (difficulty 0.3) Released around April; camera(s) included; otherwise very similar to the current model. I’d love to see a on an iPad and think that its new glass technologies might make it to the iPad (i.e. The display is directly on the back of the glass, and not under it like current laptops), but I don’t expect the resolution to change in this iteration. Blackberry loses spot as most popular mobile OS (difficulty 0.7) With the iPhone coming to Verizon there’s a very good chance that the iPhone will retake a lead over Android, but both platforms have far more momentum than the Blackberry. RIM is fighting to keep hold of its current (quite loyal) user base; Apple and the Android crowd are going after new smartphone customers. Ballmer no longer CEO of Microsoft (difficulty 0.7) It’s been a long time coming. There is no question at this point that Microsoft has lost its leadership position in technology. Worse, even among normal consumers its reputation is mediocre at best. The company is flailing in the consumer space, and its success is becoming more and more confined to the enterprise space. You don’t have to call this failure—when IBM made a similar shift to enterprise consulting its profits grew—but shareholders aren’t going to put up with a CEO who has squandered such a dominant position in so many markets. Financial 10. Another good year for stocks (difficulty 1.0) Europe may be facing some major institutional problems (more bailouts and defaults are inevitable, although none should be disastrous enough to allow anyone out of the Euro), but the US is looking pretty strong—even the employment numbers should finally start perking up in 2011. I expect another 15% rise across the board: Dow to 13500, NASDAQ to 3150, S&P 500 to 1500. As usual, I’ll take partial credit for this prediction: a hit at difficulty 1.0 if I’m within 1%, 0.7 if I’m within 10%, 0.5 if I’m within 20%, etc. (Difficulty is given by e^(0.03963(1 - percenterror)).). Posted Monday, 03 January 2011 Another year is dead and gone, so I suppose it’s time to review: 1. LeBron signed by Nets (difficulty 0.7) Wrong; LeBron James went to the Miami Heat, and only Chicago seemed at all competitive. On the bright side, I was right that he’d leave Cleveland. Semenya and Pistorius ruled ineligible (difficulty 0.4) Another swing and a miss. After a series of semi-secret tests and dealings, Semenya has retained all her medals and been cleared to compete. It’s possible that she’s agreed to undergo some form of treatment (as I suggested she might to regain eligibility), but I can hardly claim victory based on guesses about what’s going on behind the scenes. As for Pistorius, there was a devastating report from two of the scientists who helped to overturn his initial ban: they that the science shows his prosthetics give him as much as a 10 second advantage over normal runners in a 400-meter race. Despite this, I don’t believe any ban has been handed down—I haven’t been following the story closely, but I don’t think Pistorius has tried to compete against traditional runners this season, so the issue hasn’t arisen. Still, my prediction missed the mark. 0 for 2 so far this year 3. Obama ends “don’t ask don’t tell” (difficulty 0.7) Just got this one in under the wire: the DADT policy. Technically the military now has discretion to set its own policy and DADT is its legacy position (presumably to be phased out quite quickly), but the government policy is now over. Android becomes most popular OS; iPhone remains most profitable (difficulty 0.7) This was quite a vague prediction, and I came really close to getting it sort of right, but actually got it really, really wrong. The “almost right” part was that Android would catch the iPhone: showed a dead heat between Android and the iPhone, and if trends have continued then Android has already passed the iPhone in US market share. Even if a newer report could verify this, I never specified US market share only, so I’m only “almost” right here. The “really wrong” bit is that I completely ignored RIM’s BlackBerry phones, which still have higher market share in the US than either Android or the iPhone. AT&T loses iPhone exclusivity in US (difficulty 0.6) This is a tough one; Apple has inked the contracts with Verizon (amazingly enough, this “secret” information is so widely known that even I have inside sources to confirm it), but CDMA iPhones didn’t ship in 2010. Can we parse the words and say that AT&T’s “loss” occurred in 2010? Microsoft buys Pre (difficulty 0.9) I knew it was an outlandish guess at the time. My theory that Microsoft’s internal projects were doomed was heavily supported by the, however Windows Phone 7 has received quite positive reviews, so I no longer think technology is the main problem. What’s more, the Pre has lost what little momentum it had when I made the prediction. We’ll see how/whether that platform translates to tablets. In short, it was HP who snapped up Palm’s Pre platform, and even if it were up for sale today I don’t think it would be a good match for Microsoft. Apple Tablet released (difficulty 0.5) Considering how little we knew about the iPad at the time—and the number of different theories—you’ve got to give me credit for the specificity of my predictions here. I even hit the price range within $100 either side. Microsoft fades even more (difficulty 0.3) Keep in mind that the efficient markets hypothesis suggests this should have had a difficulty of 0.5. Yet it seems rather obvious in hindsight. Since last year Google’s share price has declined from $620 to $604 (-2.5%). Apple went from $215 to an astonishing $325 (+51%). Microsoft declined from $30 to $28 (-6.5%). I got this one right. ITunes gets live events (difficulty 0.7) I was wrong about this, and I think the reason I was wrong is clearer as the vision for the iOS platform has become clearer. While I still think that live events through iTunes would be a great feature, Apple seems comfortable with third parties creating their own streaming apps for DRM-laden media. I loathe that this means Flash on the desktop, but iPhone and iPad apps for watching live sports can be done decently, and iOS is more important to Apple right now than the desktop. As a result, there’s no great urgency for Apple to step in, and lots of worry from media companies about handing too much control to Apple’s media store empire. With the Apple TV starting to emerge as more than a hobby for Apple, however, I must wonder at what point the media companies start thinking that handing over some control and doing content delivery via iTunes would be worth avoiding the need to maintain their own apps (and distribution infrastructure) for four different platforms (Windows, Mac, iOS, and Apple TV). Price of gold declines (difficulty 0.5) My Microsoft prediction demonstrated by financial acumen; this prediction not so much. Gold was around $1100/oz when I made the prediction. It’s now around $1420/oz: a 30% rise. My conclusion is that I just have no idea how to value gold. All the major currencies are doing weird things I don’t understand right now, so I guess gold could keep going up. But it’s been going way up for a long time, so maybe it should come down. Stock markets perform well (difficulty 1.0) This one requires some arithmetic. I predicted rises of about 20% across the board: DOW at 12500, NASDAQ at 2700, S&P 500 at 1350. In fact, the DOW is at 11670 (6.7% below my prediction), the NASDAQ is at 2691 (just 0.3% below my prediction), and the S&P is at 1271 (5.9% below my prediction), for an average error of 4.3%. I call that pretty good, and according to my formula it counts as a hit at difficulty of 8.77. If I had written some bullshit explanation of my guess and avoided such round numbers for the targets then I’d look like more of an expert than all the investment advisors. Which, for all my ignorance, I probably am. Final tally I missed six (1, 2, 4, 6, 9, and 10), nailed four (3, 7, 8, and 11), and was kind of close on one (5). This is significantly below the 50% mark, but I focused on outlandish predictions for 2010, so I don’t feel that terrible about it. Live and learn. Posted Wednesday, 15 December 2010 I’d like to congratulate Oxford’s environmentalists for another outstanding effort at Christmastime carbon reduction. The between-term travel of Oxford’s huge student body causes an absolute explosion of emissions—a single return flight from Oxford to the US, for example, represents roughly 20% of an average person’s annual emissions—and so the focus that this period receives is well-deserved. Admittedly, making Oxford students feel more comfortable staying in town over the holidays isn’t nearly as difficult as forcing them to stop eating meat or switching the university to renewable energy. All it takes is a few well-circulated messages to organize get-togethers for the reduced population still in town, to help make them feel less isolated in a deserted university. Links with the various clubs representing overseas students are also easy to build. And of course students forgoing expensive airfares save quite a bit of money, some of which can be put toward one or two really memorable Oxford experiences. Who wouldn’t be a bit tempted by a formal Christmas day feast alongside fellow students in one of Oxford’s grandest halls? Most importantly, this is one of the rare opportunities when active participation by environmentalists willing to make a small personal sacrifice in service of the cause actually makes a difference—sustaining a community instead of condescending to one. Staying in town to organize (and socialize) instead of heading home for the holidays is a far cry from refusing to take hot showers or tumble dry clothes. Such organization, planned and promoted well in advance, certainly doesn’t stop every overseas student—or even a large proportion of students—from traveling home for the holidays. A small population, however, is happy to stay in town if there is a community to support them, and the emissions savings from even that small population is enormous when compared with the savings from other environmental initiatives. Kudos to an efficient, practical, and well-considered approach to carbon reduction. There is no such effort at Oxford; the environmentalists all hopped on their flights home to eat with the parents. Posted Wednesday, 08 December 2010 ( Preface: I use the term “social issues” here to refer generally to issues of concern to society, including everything from civil rights to economics to natural disasters. Such topics are sometimes categorized as either current affairs or political issues; I feel that both those terms carry baggage—reaction-driven in-the-moment decisions and electoral tactics, among other things—that is best introduced independently from the underlying issues.) As social issues have become an increasing focus of public attention—in some sense a new entertainment industry—there has been a trend towards “religious perspectives” on these issues. Religious advocates are quoted in newspapers, appear on talk shows, and even hold their own public meetings to discuss social issues. I’d like to take the opportunity to offer some nuanced and carefully considered advice to such advocates: Shut the fuck up. This isn’t a defensive attempt to silence those with whom I disagree. In fact, I agree with the doctrine of humanism which modern advocates publicly claim forms the core of their religions, and this doctrine is highly relevant to many social issues. What is more, I’m perfectly comfortable with advocates arguing ignorant anti-scientific rhetoric when they are given the opportunity; my expectation remains that the more explicit and well-understood such positions are the more they will fall out of favor. I’m advising religious advocates to shut the fuck up for a different reason: I find their marketing offensive. It’s one thing for the Pope to offer unhelpful or counter-productive advice on dealing with earthquakes; it’s quite another for him to embrace an earthquake as an opportunity to pitch his product. I totally get that he thinks his product makes the world a better place, and that it makes people happy, and that every single person would be better off if they bought it. But I suspect Steve Jobs feels the same way about his products, too. The most egregious cases of poor taste in marketing occur when it is the religion itself which has precipitated the problem under discussion. When discussing the abuse of children by priests, it only makes sense to invite someone from the Catholic church to participate. Appropriate participation, however, is limited to answering the concerns that are raised. Instead Catholic advocates consistently choose to argue that these incidents should not be “reasons to turn away from the Church”, digressing to long rants about all the good the church does. For all of Tony Hayward’s tone-deaf PR after the 2010 BP disaster in the Gulf, he didn’t try to turn every interview into a plug for big, gas-guzzling cars. Suppose a chainsaw is recalled because the chain occasionally comes loose and amputates a user’s limbs. This is not the time for the company spokesman to argue that amputation is no reason to turn away from the company’s chainsaws. It damn well is a reason, and we all know it. So shut the fuck up and tell us how you’re going to stop it from happening again. Even if the chainsaw is perfectly safe—the best chainsaw ever made, even—I’m not okay with chainsaw advocates in the news proclaiming “AIDS is terrible. We hate AIDS. Buy chainsaws.” If you can’t contribute to a discussion of AIDS without trying to sell chainsaws, then just shut the fuck up. Religion has sunk so low that we don’t even bother to register disgust at its marketing tactics any more. That says a lot about an industry that claims the moral high ground. Posted Friday, 03 December 2010 The news has been dominated this week by “cablegate”. In short, 250,000 classified reports from US diplomats to the US State Department were leaked to a group called, and WikiLeaks is publicizing the entire set. Although the policy revelations contained in the reports released so far have merely helped to confirm long-assumed truths of international diplomacy, the extremely candid assessments of foreign officials given by diplomats are quite embarrassing to all concerned. Many politicians and government officials in the US consider the release espionage (or even terrorism) and are demanding legal action. WikiLeaks’ Motivations The motivations of Julian Assange, the editor-in-chief and spokesperson of WikiLeaks, are described in he published in 2006. Assange begins with the premise that open, transparent government is good and that any form of secrecy is bad. The point of releasing an organization’s secret internal communications, however, is not that the release itself increases the organization’s openness—quite the opposite. Assange argues that releasing any secret information that becomes available forces the organization to become more closed, taking even more care than before to protect its secrets. This extra care reduces the efficiency of the organization, weakening it and making it more vulnerable to its “opponents”. The assumption seems to be that these opponents will be more open, and thus “better”. If these essays are accurate portrayals of Assange’s (and WikiLeaks’) motivations, then the direct goal motivating the release of US government secrets is not democratic reform of the US government. The goal is instead the weakening of the US government’s ability to do its job such that all opponents of the current regime—other nation-states, advocates of secession and internal revolution, and presumably also mundane electoral processes—are more likely to topple it. In this model, it doesn’t matter whether the contents of the diplomatic messages are inflammatory or not; it is sufficient merely to induce fear within the US government that future (possibly much more inflammatory) information will be disclosed. I consider it quite likely that Assange is simply wrong about the effects of such leaks. The key is to recognize that the only “opponent” of the current regime with any realistic chance of reforming/displacing it is internal democratic reform in favor of transparency, and I argue that these leaks have hugely weakened such a movement. The information released has repeatedly brought to public attention the benefits of occasional secrets. It is obvious, for example, that frank and detailed profiles of foreign leaders are useful, but equally obvious that these will frequently be unflattering and thus best kept private. The cables also reveal that Yemen was willing to cooperate with the US in attacking terrorist cells in its territory, but was unable to conduct such attacks itself and felt that allowing US attacks would make the Yemeni government look weak; they agreed to allow US attacks on the condition that the Yemeni government can claim responsibility—a compromise that few Americans, at least, would fault, but one dependent on the ability to keep secrets. Further, the cables demonstrate consistent best-faith efforts to consider all sides of nuanced cultural, political, and moral issues in ways that are simply not possible in public partisan political discourse. I expect the vast majority of Americans following the story in much detail would become less, not more, supportive of a fully-transparent US government. But perhaps more important is the number of Americans who really do follow such stories in any detail. It is disingenuous to claim that WikiLeaks is merely “releasing” information—they are actively driving publicity and press coverage of the information in a carefully-crafted media strategy. Despite the fact that the documents being released were classified, and despite the “government secrets!” hype that’s been drummed up, the documents released so far contain few if any genuine revelations, only embarrassing paper trails for information that’s always been available to journalists willing to cite “unnamed sources”; most of the interest in cablegate is actually interest in WikiLeaks itself, not the content of diplomatic cables. Assange’s philosophy that even leaks with no direct impact increase the fear of future leaks may in fact be exactly backwards: voluminous leaks with no impact could result in a public less interested in the content of future leaks, and the government’s discomfort may be slightly eased by the expectation that each future release from WikiLeaks is likely to receive less attention. Other justifications for leaking of government secrets A common political justification for WikiLeaks’ actions is that democratic governments must be held to account and that transparency is necessary for this to happen. My reading of Assange’s essays is that he does not see this as WikiLeaks’ primary role—he does not see such leaks as a sufficiently powerful tool to provide full transparency—but it is frequently given as a defense of leaking government secrets in general. Frankly, I’m still having trouble following the logic. Democratic governments are held to account by their democratic processes, which decide (among other things) what level of transparency to provide. More transparency potentially offers more accurate democratic decision-making, while less transparency could potentially offer increased governmental efficiency in some areas. The argument that democracy is unworkable without voter omniscience is one against democracy, not in favor of slightly more transparency. Posted Tuesday, 30 November 2010 It’s hardly a new phenomenon, but the public “debate” over health care reform in the US focused primarily on opposition that took the following form: • Misrepresent the new proposal. • Present existing problems as newly-introduced problems. • Provide no alternatives; suggest that the choice is between the current proposal and some abstract principled ideal (instead of the status quo). • Ignore (or misrepresent) approaches that have been robustly implemented elsewhere. I followed that debate in the US media, but I was living in the UK at the time and this rather unproductive rhetorical pattern—particularly tactic 4—was frequently cited as “typically American”. There seemed to be an assumption that British politics were less susceptible to such insular ignorance. It took less than a year, but we’ve already been provided with an example of the exact same tactics being used in an attempt to block policy reform in Britain, this time with respect to funding for universities. As a quick primer for non-Brits, university students currently pay only a fraction of the true university tuition cost—the balance is funded by the government. Further, students are entitled to government-provided loans for living expenses while they are enrolled at university. The new proposal is for students’ tuition fees (which would be capped at £9000 per year) to be paid by the government but recorded as a loan to the student. Every year after graduating the student would be obliged to repay a part of this loan dependent upon their income (anyone making under £21,000 need repay nothing in that year); after 30 years any outstanding debt would be forgiven. Under both current and proposed plans, government costs are paid out of the general budget (i.e. General tax revenue). As with the health care debate, this proposed policy shift highlights a number of interesting issues. What drives the real cost of a university education, and how can this be controlled? What motivates people to pursue university degrees, and what discourages them? Most importantly, what is the “value” of a university degree, whether economic, social, or otherwise? Is that value delivered primarily to the student, or is there an external benefit to society of having more graduates? How do these values differ between universities, courses, and students? I have read a fair amount about the new funding proposal, and I have not found a single discussion in the mainstream media about any of these issues. Instead, we have a parallel of the health care debate: • Plenty of implication that students will now need £9000 cash in hand to go to university. In fact, the new proposal reduces the money a student needs when they start university; the only increase is the amount they must repay afterwards. • Arguments that low-income students will be discouraged from attending university because they don’t want to get into debt. Low-income students are already piling up debt with loans for living expenses during university, and that’s not to even mention the years of real income students forsake by studying instead of working. These are not new problems, and it’s not at all clear whether the new proposal will make them worse or better. • Student protests are demanding that government retain “free education” for all students—despite the fact that education has never been “free” either for society as a whole ( someone is paying for it) or for students themselves. There is an attempt to make this proposal a referendum on the notion of social mobility, which everyone on every side of the debate supports anyway. • British awareness and understanding of the US univer. Bagua Circle Walking is the primary practice of the Bagua Monastic tradition. By Walking the Bagua Circle you rotate your body into the center of the circle and create a vortex of energy that moves up, down and through your energy body. Contents • • • • • • Origin of Ba Gua Nei Gong The primary internal exercise in Ba Gua Zhang (Eight Diagram Palm) is to walk in a circle holding fixed postures. This practice is known as Ding Shi Ba Gua Zhang. It is believed that Dong Hai Chuan, the founder of Ba Gua Zhang, synthesized the best of various martial styles in order to create Ba Gua. However the key element of this new style was the practice of walking in a circle while holding various postures that energize and strengthen the body while calming the mind and refining and purifying the spirit. It is believed that Dong studied with the Dragon Gate school of Daoism which practiced a form of Daoist circle walking meditation whose purpose was to open and harmonize the meridians of the body in order to promote health and focus and quiet the mind. Daoist practitioners used this practice, called “Rotating in the Worship of Heaven,” not for martial purposes, but to refine qi and spirit through external movement in order to realize internal stillness or emptiness (ie: the Dao). Purportedly Dong saw that this circle walking had value not only as a meditation and health exercise, but also as the foundation of an effective method of martial arts As a result the following statement is attributed to Dong Hai Chuan: Training in martial arts ceaselessly is inferior to walking the circle; In Ba Gua Zhang circle walking practice is the font of all training. Walking as Exercise Modern research has only recently confirmed something that the Chinese clearly knew over a thousand years ago – that regular moderate exercise enhances resistance to disease, improves emotional well-being and reduces the incidence and risk of high blood pressure, strokes and diseases like diabetes. Studies have shown that a moderate exercise like walking may actually produce greater results than more intensive cardio-vascular exercise. As proof some doctors point to the work of Hiroshi Nose: Hiroshi Nose, M.D., Ph.D., a professor of sports medical sciences at Shinshu University Graduate School of Medicine in Japan, who has enrolled thousands of older Japanese citizens in an innovative, five-month-long program of brisk, interval-style walking (three minutes of fast walking, followed by three minutes of slower walking, repeated 10 times). The results have been striking. “Physical fitness — maximal aerobic power and thigh muscle strength — increased by about 20 percent,” Dr. Nose wrote in an e-mail, “which is sure to make you feel about 10 years younger than before training.” The walkers’ “symptoms of lifestyle-related diseases (hypertension, hyperglycemia and obesity) decreased by about 20 percent,” he added, while their depression scores dropped by half. Walking has also been shown by other researchers to aid materially in weight control. A 15-year study found that middle-aged women who walked for at least an hour a day maintained their weight over the decades. Those who didn’t gained weight. In addition, a recent seminal study found that when older people started a regular program of brisk walking, the volume of their hippocampus, a portion of the brain involved in memory, increased significantly. Walking is also superior to many other forms of exercise, as it balances the musculature of the legs and utilizes the entire body through the natural oppositional movements of the arms and legs and their concomitant production of spiral movements through the torso, which in turn relaxes the diaphragm and engages the inter-costal and stomach muscles. This in turn stimulates the organs of digestion and improves circulation throughout the entire body. Qi Gong and Nei Gong: The Benefit of Internal Exercise Internal Exercises like Qi Gong and Nei Gong and martial arts like Tai Ji Quan, which feature slow deliberate movements performed in conjunction with deep breathing and focused mind-intention have been shown to produce a multitude of improvements in physiological functioning and resistance to disease: • One study showed that Qi Gong exercise has been shown to increase blood flow to the brain, creating improvements in symptoms such as memory, dizziness, and insomnia. • A study of people with high blood pressure showed that after 12 weeks of Qi Gong, blood pressure and cholesterol levels were lower. • A study in Korea indicated that regular practice of Qi Gong reduced blood pressure, as well as reduced cortisol levels. Cortisol is produced by the adrenal gland andis often referred to as the “stress hormone” as it is involved in response to stress. • In the treatment of asthma, self-applied Qi Gong led to significant cost decreases, such as reduction in sick days, hospitalization days, emergency consultations, respiratory tract infections, and the number of drugs and drug costs. • Unfavorable changes of sex hormone levels due to aging were retarded by regular practice of Qi Gong exercises. • Superoxide dismutase (SOD), an anti-aging enzyme that is produced naturally by the body, declines with age. SOD is believed to destroy free radicals that may cause aging. In one study the SOD levels of retired workers who did Qi Gong exercises showed that the mean level of SOD was increased by Qi Gong exercise. • A study sponsored by the National Institute on Aging and National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine compared the effects of Qi Gong and Tai Chi, on adults 60 and older, measuring their immunity to the Varicella Zoster Virus that causes shingles. After 12 weeks, the participants had raised their immunity to the virus. • Regular practice of Qi Gong can improve sleep and reduce daytime fatigue and drowsiness. • Qi gong and Tai Chi have been shown to reduce stress and psychological distress. • The practice of Qi Gong has been shown to reduce arthritis pain and stiffness in the joints. Regular practice of qi gong helped patients reduce their pain medication. • A clinical trial at Tufts Medical Center found that after 12 weeks of Tai Ji Quan, patients with Fibromyalgia, a chronic pain condition, did significantly better in measurements of pain, fatigue, physical functioning, sleeplessness and depression than a comparable group given stretching exercises and wellness education. Tai Ji Quan patients were also more likely to sustain improvement three months later. Meditation and Breathing The practice of Qi Gong and Nei Gong also involve control of the breath and a calm, relaxed and mind that puts aside distracting thoughts for the duration of the practice session. This has been labeled “the relaxation response” by researchers like Herbert Benson. Benson found that this mind-body state, common to various methods of meditation and exercises like Qi gong and Nei Gong, could counteract the harmful effects of stress and the flight or fight response. Many of the following conditions can be significantly improved or cured when people regularly engage in a practice that produces the “relaxation response”: • Constipation • Cardiac Arrhythmia • Herpes Simplex • Bronchial Asthma • Diabetes • Duodenal ulcers • Hypertension • Insomnia • Pain More recently The researchers report that those who meditated for about 30 minutes a day for eight weeks had measurable changes in gray-matter density in parts of the brain associated with memory, sense of self, empathy and stress. Brain scans taken before and after the participants’ meditation regimen found increased gray matter in the hippocampus, an area important for learning and memory. The images also showed a reduction of gray matter in the amygdala, a region connected to anxiety and stress. The slow rhythmic deep abdominal breathing common to Qi Gong and Nei Gong exercises is also an important element in their efficacy in promoting health and resistance to disease. Breathing “is” life. While we can go without food and water for days, we cannot go without breathing for even a few minutes. This most basic life rhythm has profound effects on the whole human organism. The movements of the diaphragm and ribs in inhalation and exhalation help the vena cava to return blood to the heart. Additionally, as the organs of digestion have direct and indirect attachments to the diaphragm, its piston-like action in breathing aids digestion and peristalsis. Even the kidneys move slightly with every breath. It is no surprise that impaired breathing can have profound affects on the functioning of the internal organs. It has been clinically shown that slow, even breathing at a rate of less than ten breaths per minute can modulate blood pressure. Regular practice of slowed breathing actually produced a drop in blood pressure of 20-30 points. The FDA has approved biofeedback-like devices that aid patients in slowing their breathing in order to treat hypertension. Other benefits of slow, relaxed. Deep breathing include reduced incidence of asthma and bronchitis as well as increased lung capacity and stamina. Circle Walking Nei Gong Ding Shi Ba Gua Zhang (the Nei Gong practice associated with the martial art Ba Gua Zhang) is unique as it combines the benefits of walking with the internal movements and deep abdominal breathing of Nei Gong and Qi Gong practices, and the relaxed and calm mind-intention associated with meditation and the relaxation response. Practitioners like Zhao Da Yuan and his teacher Li Zi Ming feel that Ba Gua is the ultimate Nei Gong exercise because it is the culmination of a tradition of Dao Yin (guiding, pulling and leading qi exercises), Tu Na (breathing exercises), Nei Gong (internal Exercises), Martial arts, Daoist meditation and Daoist alchemical practices, and other Yang Sheng (Life Nourishing) practices that date back at least as far as the early Han dynasty. Because of the late development of Ba Gua Zhang as a martial art (the founder, Dong Hai Chuan, lived from 1813 to 1882), it draws on all of these traditions and according to some experts incorporated the best methods from these various traditions into its techniques and training methods. Both Zhao Da Yuan and his teacher Li Zi Ming feel that the Circle walking practice of Ding Shi Ba Gua Zhang conforms more completely with the intrinsic movement of the universe and the natural world than other forms of exercise. To paraphrase Li Zi Ming: The movements of the celestial bodies in the universe contain both rotation and circulation. The human body is microcosm of the universe – a small heavenly circle. The theory of Ba Gua draws upon this observation of the heavenly bodies by using rotation and circulation through its walking and turning practice. This practice harmonizes the practitioner with the natural movement of qi of the universe. Ba Gua’s practice of walking and rotating therefore conforms to the natural principle of the world around us. By walking the circle and rotating the body, qi is aroused and circulates inside the body. This in turn strengthens the body, improves circulation and resistance to disease, and improves the functioning of the respiratory and digestive systems. Additionally it produces a unified strength that stems from the arousal of the qi. This strength can then be employed in the martial arts. Walking the circle as a Ba Gua Nei Gong practice is not simply walking. It combines the benefits of walking with Qi Gong, meditation. It also develops a refined strength that can be employed in martial arts and other physical activities. As the body turns, and rotates, the muscles, fascia and energy pathways of the body (the meridians) are stimulated by spiraling actions that engage the whole body. The deep abdominal breathing combines with the body alignments to connect the lower body to the waist and upper limbs so that the whole body can be sensed. Inside the mind is quiet and observant and outside there is movement and rotation. This creates a refined strength combined with internal relaxation, akin to the natural and relaxed strength of a cat. Perhaps this is why Ba Gua practitioners place such a premium on walking. Li Zi Ming summarized the importance of walking and in particular Ba Gua Circle Walking Nei Gong by simply saying: Hundreds of exercises are not as good as simply walking; Walking is the master of hundreds of exercises. [1] The Origins of Pa Kua Chang – Part 3, by Dan Miller. Pa Kua Chang Journal Vol. 4 May/June 1993. Pacific Grove, CA: High View Publications, p. 27 [2] What’s the Single Best Exercise? By Gretchen Reynolds Published: April 15, 2011 New York Times Magazine [3 Anti-Aging Benefits of Qigong, by Kenneth Sancier Ph. D., [4] Qigong Reduced Blood Pressure and Catecholamine Levels of Patients with Essential Hypertension, by Myung-Suk Lee, Myeong Soo Lee et als 2003, Vol. 12, Pages 1691-1701. [5] Multifaceted Health Benefits of Medical Qigong, by Kenneth M. Sancier, Ph.D. And Devatara Holman MS, MA, Lac J. Alt Compl Med. 2004; 10(1):163-166. [6] Anti-Aging Benefits of Qigong, by Kenneth Sancier Ph. D., [7] Effects of Qigong Therapy on Arthritis: A Review and Report of a Pilot Trial by Kevin W Chen and Tianjun Liu. Medical Paradigm: June 2004 – Volume 1, Number 1.; [8] Tai Chi Reported to Ease Fibromyalgia, by Pam Belluck. The New York Times, August 18, 2010. Ba Gua Zhang, Pa Kua Chang: Links, Bibliography, Resources, Quotes, Notes. Ba Gua 八卦 拳 Pa Kua Chang, Baguazhang, Ba Gua Quan Eight Trigrams Boxing - Internal Martial Art ( Neijia Quan) Walking the Circle Mind-Body Theory and Discipline Research by Michael P. Garofalo and Bibliography Baguazhang, BaGua, Pa Kua Chang, Eight Trigrams Boxing A Note to Readers: The website has been online continuously since 2001. In 2007, over 1,041,000 webpages (excluding graphics) were to readers around the world from the website. Since 2005, I have also provided an associated to point to changes and additions at the website:. Since Cloud Hands is a very well-established and stable website, it provides readers with a good and secure starting point for their online research into Taijiquan and Qigong. The Cloud Hands website is funded entirely by, with volunteer efforts. Unfortunately, as everyone knows, many other websites and webpages appear and then disappear from the Internet scene. Authors do not pay to keep up their web hosting services, loose a 'free hosting' option, change filenames, or decide to remove webpages for various reasons. Consequently, links to some good webpages become invalid and the files are no longer found on the Internet. You may find a some of these 'dead links' to nonexistent webpages cited below; and, there is no way to avoid this troublesome situation. For this reason, when you do find a good and useful webpage, be sure to save the webpage to a folder on your hard drive or server. I welcome and encourage your suggestions for how to improve this webpage. Your comments, ideas, contributions, and constructive criticism are encouraged. Send your suggestions to box. Yin Style BaGua Zhang. Subscribe for sessions to pass with guarantee. Also download and links for the next exam, after getting success in and, you can find an excellent job. Dutch website. Bagua Animals and. Instructional videotape by Jiang Jian-ye. Detailed instructions, repetitions, and demonstrations... By Tom Bisio. Denver, Colorado, Outskirts Press, 2012. Bibliography, 249 pages. - A Secret Skill of the Palace. By He Jinghan and David Alexander (Translator). Singing Dragon, 2008. With Feng Shui Values By Stanley Bartlett. European Yin Style Bagua Zhang. Comments and associations by Mike Garofalo. By Mike Garofalo. By John Bracy and Liu Xing-Han. Consulting editors: Li Zhong-Quan and Liu Men-Gen, Beijing, China. Berkeley, California, North Atlantic Books, 1998. Index, bibliography, notes, 139 pages. By Wang Shujin (1904-1981). Translated by Kent Howard and Hsiao-Yen Chen. Blue Snake Books, 2009. By Jiang Rong Qiao. Translated by Joseph Crandall. Introduction to BaGua Eight Changing Palms. 'Shihfu Mancuso, professor Kang GeWu and many others teach this series as a foundational form. Beautifully illustrated by famous martial 'artst' Zhou Yuan-Long.' Undated, no author. Some use for bibliographers. The most extensive collection of links and largest bibliography about Ba Gua Zhang on the Internet. By Mike Garofalo. Many useful links. By He Jinghan. Translated by David Alexander. (UK) Includes numerous translations of articles by He Jinghan. Comparison of styles. Numerous short articles, interviews, and information. Gerald A Sharp. Glendale, California. Shi Gung Black 14Kb Annotated index to scores of articles on BaGua.. By Ted Mancuso. Instructional DVD. Plum Publications, #. 'This DVD offers a course for learning the basics of Ba Gua, T'ai Chi's more advanced sister. It contains clear, detailed instruction. It has specific discussions of theory; not just a 'walk through' without background. Ba Gua is fast becoming as popular as T'ai Chi due to its modular method of practice. Tape #1 gives an over view with a huge amount of information including Chi Kung and Usage. Some topics covered: BaGua Theory: the components of BaGua, Circle Walking: BaGua's foundation, Chi Kung: Breath BaGua style, Basic Hand Changes: and spiral energy, Self-Defense Applications: with BaGua flavorBaGua Post Work: rarely seen, Complete 8 Changes: the 'Set', BaGua Patner Work: Duet practice.' By Liang, Shou-Yu, and Wu, Wen-Ching, and Yang, Jwing-Ming. YMAA Publication Center, 1994. Instructional videotapes are also available. Chinese Internal Martial Arts. Excellent introduction to the subject. Includes many translations of seminal Baguazhang texts and sayings. Index, glossary, appendices, lists of movements. Another excellent YMAA publication. This text includes many detailed charts of Baguazhang lineages. One reader is of the opinion that the '8 palms Master Liang presents comprises the basic Baguazhang set that seems to have been taught at the Central Kuoshu Institute at Nanking. The lineage is Fu Chen-Sung's, and the form is also known by the name of 'Old Eight Palms.' The 'Swimming Dragon' form presented seems to have come from Sun Lu Tang's lineage.' VSTLC., Basic Training, Qigong, and Eight Palms. Instructional VHS videotape. YMAA Publications, 1999. Performed and directed by Liang, Shou-Yu and Yang, Jwing-Ming. Swimming Body Bagua and its Applications. Instructional VHS videotape, 47 minutes. YMAA Publications, 1999. Performed and directed by Liang, Shou-Yu and Yang, Jwing-Ming. By Jiang Rong-Qiao. Translated by Joseph Crandall. 97 pages, 300 line drawings. Translation of the 1963 classic on the Old Eight Palms.: Bibliography, links, resources, quotes, and notes. Circle walking internal martial arts. By Michael P. Atlanta Marital Arts Directory Articles, history, information, an extesive list of, books, videos, products, news. Circle Palms by Fred Kaye. By Tim Cartmell. Excellent introduction, links, instructions. By Erle Montaigue. Bagua Zhang Volume 1: San Yuan Zhang. Instructional DVD (Region 2 Format), 90 minutes. Instruction by Jean-Jacques Galinier. Directed by Chirtophe Diez. School of Yin Fun lineage from Gong Bao Tian, Wang Zhuang Fei and his son Wang Han Zhi. Information, history, biographies, photographs, video clips, news, links, products.. The Brothers of Wu-Dang: T'ai Chi Ch'uan, Baguazhang, Xingyiquan and Qigong. Board Members:, Charla Quinn Ranch, and Steven Foster-Wexler. The work in the areas of Bend, Redmond, Sisters, LaPine, and Prineville. By Ma You-Qing and Liu Jing-Ru. Translated by Joseph Crandall. First St., Chico, California, 530-343-6551.. North Atlantic Books, 1990. Second Edition. ISBN: 155643085X.. John Baker.: Origins of the Circle Walk Practice in Ba Gua Zhang. By Dan Miller. From Pa Kua Chang Journal... 'This instructional DVD is for learning and reviewing a study of the fundamental set of Classical Cheng Style Ba Gua Zhang - 'The Eight Basic Palms', as taught by Cheng Style Ba Gua Zhang Grandmaster Liu Jing Ru, of Beijing, China. The Eight Basic Palms are demonstrated and taught along with their primary martial applications and a brief history of the art of Ba Gua is presented. This DVD is a companion to the book 'The Whirling Circles of Ba Gua Zhang' by and. ' The production quality of this video is poor: the camera is too far from the subjects, the area behind the teacher and student is lit up by a bright window, and the sound quality is poor. Classical Pa Kua Chang. By Jerry Alan Johnson and Joseph Crandall. Teaches Bagua Zhang in Portland, Oregon and Vancouver, Washington. Phone: 360-772-8418.. By John Painter. Unique Publications, 2007. By John Painter. Unique Publications, 2007. By Lu Shengli. Translated and Edited by Zhang Yun and Susan Darley. Berkeley, California, Blue Snake Books, 2006. General history and principles of 3 internal arts, basic movements, basic gongfu training techniques, and a detailed description with photographs of the Sixteen-Posture form (pp. (Ching Kung and Palm Changes). Instructional videotape presented by Sifu Frank Allen.: Bibliography, Links, Resources, Notes. By Dan Miller. From Pa Kua Chang Journal.. Dong Hai Ch'uan (1798-1879) Lived in Zhujiawu, south of Wenan County in Hebei Province was the founder of Ba Gua. Also called: Tung Hai Chuan.. Personal experiences of Sandy 'the Mystery Woman' during her Baguazhang training.. An Illustrated Training Manual of BaGua Zhang. By Liu JingRu and C. Plum Publications. By Troy Williams. The Walking Circle LLC, 2010. ' In this popular DVD, we ( and ) present three popular and widely practiced versions of 'Steady Posture Eight Palms' circle walking with Yi Jing (I Ching) correlations and fighting applications. It is good for all related internal martial arts, Yoga, Qi Gong, and meditation teachers and practitioners to learn and practice this arts that based on ancient Daoist Circle Walking. Walking in a circle and maintaining the internal principles give the practitioners practical health improvement and powerful self-defense techniques through the twisting, coiling and spiraling of the body, the circle walking palms sets are one of the trademark foundations that create the art of Ba Gua Zhang. This practice contains the seed elements of Ba Gua martial techniques as well as the method of understanding the Yi Jing in motion. Along with walking in a circle while holding the body in eight different positions also can be a receptacle for the deepest level of Taoist meditation.' The production quality of this instructional DVD is mediocre: many background noises distract the narrator's soft voice, the set needs more lighting. Refer also to their book:. Berkeley, California, Blue Snake Books, 2007. Illustrated with black and white photos. By Xie Peiqi. Translated by Andrew Nugent-Head. San Francisco, Association for Traditional Studies, Traditional Studies Press, 1995. Available from. Eight Healing Sounds of Yin Style Bagua. An instructional video/DVD by Dr. Part of the 13 volume DVD series on The Energy-Bodywork Basic Hand Techniques of Yin Style Bagua. 25Kb By Frank Granovski. Eight Storing Qi and Developing Sensitivity Exercises of Yin Style Bagua. An instructional video/DVD by Dr. Part of the 13 volume DVD series on The Energy-Bodywork Basic Hand Techniques of Yin Style Bagua. Translated by Andrew Nugent-Head. 2003 By Frank Granovski. Informative and detailed articles. By Michael Garofalo. Various charts with trigrams (B Gua) associations.. Presented by Jiang Jian-ye. Instructional VHS videotape, 120 minutes. Tai Chi, bagua, and xingyi sword forms.. Sichuan Province, China. 'Traditional Emei Wushu is both Buddhist and Daoist in nature as well as a mixture of internal and external martial arts. At the same time, the Emei school has extracted the essence of Shaolin, Wudang and other schools of Northern China.' John Painter. Instructional DVD, 45 minutes, 2007. Instruction by Master Helen Liang. Directed by Helen Liang.. Bruce Kumar Frantzis Energy Arts.: Esoteric Fighting Techniques and Healing Methods. By Jerry Alan Johnson. Pacific Grove, California, Ching Lien Healing Arts Center, 1994. Appendix, glossary, 316 pages. A detailed and informative book, with a strong Ba Gua emphasis. By Gao Ji Wu and Tom Bisio. New York, Trip Tych Enterprises, 2007. 570 photographs by Valerie Ghent. 'The Eternal Spring of Bagua's Basic Steps.' Art and translation by Yang Ying. Found in the magazine: Qi: The Journal of Tranditional Eastern Health and Fitness, Volume 16, No. 1, Spring, 2006, pp. The Method of Lu Shui-T'ien as Taught by Park Bok Nam. By Park Bok Nam and Dan Miller. Burbank, California, Unique Publications, 1999. 206 pages, 500 photos. Volume 2, 212 pages, 700 photographs. ISBN: Companion to these two books and language versions of the books. Lu Shui-T'ien (1894-1978). Books and videotapes available from, and others. Red Bluff, California, Yang Style Taijiquan (Standard 24, Traditional 108, Standard 32 Sword). I was fortunate to begin my formal studies in Bagua Zhang in October 2008 by joining with a group of students studying under the direction of in Chico, California. John Painter.. Detailed comments on Bagua stepping.. (Psyschology), L.AC. Wasah Institute, Vertical-Force, Santa Rosa, California. Address: Wasah Integrative Medicine, 1049 Fourth Street, Suite G., Santa Rosa, CA 95404. Phone: 707-815-4014. Guen teaches Dong Haichuan - Yin Fu - Gong Baotian - Gong Baozai style ba gua quan as well as Yang Shouzhong style tai ji quan. [, Ba Gua Quan Master, conducted by Robert Chu, L.Ac., QME, PhD.] The website includes a training schedule, articles, and information on Dr. Take a look at: Baguaquan Pao Chui, 2:24 min., Kent. Chico, California. Shifu Howard is a writer, educator, and martial arts instructor. Websites:, and. He teaches Wang Shujin's Bagua Zhang and Taijiquan. Teaches at the. Shifu Howard is the translator of the book 'Bagua Connected Palms' by Wang Shujin. Shifu Howard has produced numerous useful UTube videos on of Bagua Zhang, and these are. Kung Fu, Palo Alto, California 'Imagery for Taiji Stance and Stepping.' By Martin Mellish. Found in the magazine: Qi: The Journal of Tranditional Eastern Health and Fitness, Volume 16, No. 1, Spring, 2006, pp. Nine Dragon Jiulong Baguazhang. Articles, links, videos, and news from Sihing John Adams. Excellent overview. Discussion of the research on Bagua Zhang by the well known martial arts researcher and historian, Professor K'ang Ko-Wu in Beijing.. Translated by Andrea Falk. 300 line drawings, 200 photographs. John Adams Ph.D., D.T.C.M., D.M.Q. Pacific Grove, California.. By Paul Zabwodski. Numerous articles and photos.. USA Yongnian Taiji Center, located in Cleveland, Ohio.. Mike Garofalo was fortunate to begin his formal studies in Bagua Zhang in October 2008 by joining with a group of students studying under the direction of Shifu Kent Howard in Chico, California.. By Ted Mancuso. Santa Cruz, California, Plum Publications, 2012. Lian Zen Pu Eight Diagram Palm. By Li Zi Ming. Compiled and translated by Vincent Black. Fu Style Internal Martial Arts in Oakland. Bagua, weapons, taiji.. By Li Zi Ming. High View Publications, 1993. Books in Chinese.. By Zhang, Jie. Contributions by Richard Shapiro. Blue Snake Books, 2008. Glossary, xxix, 232 pages. Professor Zhang, is very knowledgeable about the philosophy, history, and art of Bagua Zhang, and has a deep appreciation for many aspects of traditional Chinese culture. This book provides a very good introduction to this style of Bagua in the line of Cheng Ting Hua, Liu Bin, and Liu Xing Han. After providing an informative introduction to the history and philosophy ( I Ching, Yin/Yang, Morality, etc.) of Bagua, Dr, Zhang gives clear instructions on circle walking, single palm changes, and twenty four movements of the eight animals. Emphasis is placed on a slow, rooted, and deliberate pace with enhanced awareness. The instructions are very clear and detailed, and keyed to accompanying black and white photographs. An unique part of this book are the sixteen Zhan Zhuang (standing meditation) exercises, and the considerable emphasis and explanations on inner work, chi gong, and mind training. Most of the emphasis in this book is on providing clear instructions on how to practice essential Bagua so as to stay fit, improve the mind, harmonize with nature, build strength and balance, and enhance one's understanding of Chinese philosophy. Zhang lived and worked his whole life in China, and published many books in Chinese. He currently teaches Chinese culture, calligraphy, chi gong, martial arts, and Tui Na massage in Seattle, Washington. A good book for older persons seeking a sound introduction to Bagua. By Sifu Frank Allen. Book, instructional videotape or DVD. Book by Tina Zhang. Chinese language website. The Master's Manual of Pa Kua Chang. By Jerry Alan Johnson. Ching Lung Martial Arts Association, 1984.: Internal Martial Arts Teachers of Tai Ji Quan, Xing Yi Quan and Ba Gua Zhang. Edited by Jess O'Brien. Berkeley, California, North Atlantic Books, 2004. Extended interviews with Tim Cartmell, Gabriel Chin, Gail Derin-Kellog, Bruce K. Frantzis, Paul Gale, Fong Ha, William Lewis, Luo De Xiu, Allen Pittman, James Wing Woo, Tony Yang, Zhao Da Yuan, and Albert Liu. Ontario, Canada. Presented by Dr. John Painter. Includes 'history of Baguazhang, Emei mountain, famous Baguazhang masters, articles from magazines, a catalog of Baguazhang videos and books, as well as links to certified instructors. Our Jiulong News has informative articles updated monthly and much more.' Instructional videotapes presented by Capt. John Painter, Ph.D. Lineage: Dong Haichuan (1804-1880), Yin Fu (1841-1909), Men Baozhen (1873-1958), Xie Peiqi (1920-2003), and He Jinbao (1955-).. If you teach Ba Gua Zhang please send information to. I also include teachers from Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia - the Greater Northwest, North America. (The Tao of Energy Enhancement. By Bruce Kumar Frantzis. Illustrated by Husky Grafx. North Atlantic Books, 1993. Second Edition. Oregon Yin Style Bagua Association. Sifu: Kevin Nakaji. Lion System of Yin Style Bagua. Lineage: Yin Fu, as taught by He Jinbao. The Bamboo Grove, 134 SE 2nd and Taylor, Portland, Oregon. 'The Origins of Pa Kua Chang Part 1' in Pa Kua Chang Journal issue Volume 3, Number 1, Nov/Dec 1992; 'The Origins of Pa Kua Chang Part 2' in issue Volume 3, Number 2, Jan/Feb 1993; 'The Origins of Pa Kua Chang Part 3' in issue Volume 3, Number 4, May/June 1993. A message from grandmaster Frank DeMaria. American Center for Chinese Studies. By Master Eli Chaikin. History, mind, spirit, overview. Hsing-I Martial Arts Institute.: Bibliography, links, resources, quotes, and notes. Circle walking internal martial arts. By Michael P. By Peter Stafford. Pa Kua Chang: Fighting Systems and Weapons. By Jerry Alan Johnson.. High View Publications. Publisher/Editor: Dan Miller. All 38 issues from November 1990 to February 1997 on CD in PDF format. Distributed by,,. 'Finally available in CD-ROM format, the Pa Kua Chang Journal is a high-quality, advertisement-free scholarly journal, with history, lineages, training methods, and interviews with famous Pa Kua teachers in China and the U.S.' CD ROM runs the PDF files on Windows or Mac OS. Includes index. Over 1,000 pages of information. Master Park Bok Nam. Information, training and seminar schedules, links, videos, books.. Eleven Pa Kua Chang videotapes featuring Sifu Frank Allen. Berkeley, California, North Atlantic Books, 2003. Originally published in 1967, Tokyo. Sun Lu Tang's Circle Walking form on pp. Includes MPEG video. Pa-Kua Chang for Self Defence. By Lee Ying-arng and Te-hwa. China Hand KuFu Academy Chinese Martial Arts Library. Smith and Allen Pittman. Tuttle Company, 1990. By Francisco J. Vision Press, 1983. Gao style BaGua.. Ba-Gua Zhang Research and Boxing Association. Noted BaGau Master. Website of Sifu Park Bok Nam.. Instructional videotape by Cheng, Jian-Je. Sun style BGZ.. Internal Chinese Martial Arts Numerous BaGua instructional videotapes and books. Plum Flower Press, P. Box 843, College Park, MD 20741. Phone: 301-422-2474. FAX: 301-560-4502. Orders: 800-531-0693. Santa Cruz, California. Offers VCDs from Sun Jian Yun. Training: Nine Palace Training. By Dan Miller.. Developing Ba Gua Zhang's Striking Palm Techniques by way of Post Training Methods. By Xiao Dong Yang and Robert A. Figler.: Combat Secrets of Ba Gua, Tai Chi, and Hsing-I. By Bruce Kumar Frantzis. North Atlantic Books, 1998. Considerable attention is given to BaGua. Bibliography, quotes, links, notes. Bibliography, quotes, links, notes.. By Tina Chunna Zhang. Cheng Style Ba Gua Zhang. Instructional DVDs from and.. By Stephen L. Redding, Chico or Northern California. I am seeking a Ba Gua Zhang instructor!!! Write to 120Kb Bibliography, links, resources, quotes, notes. Recommended to me by Natasha. By Time Cartmell. Excellent introduction, links, instructions. Tim Cartmell 6Kb. By Michael Babin Discussion List. Lu Tang's Style of Baguazhang. Taught by Grandmaster Wing Lam. Dragon Ba Gua is the style taught by Sun Jian Yun. This DVD/video will reveal to you the eight animal forms of Dragon Ba Gua: Lion, Unicorn, Snake, Hawk, Dragon, Bear, Phoenix, and Monkey. In DVD or VHS videotape formats.. Taught by Grandmaster Wing Lam. The 8 sword techniques contain all the essences of the straight sword techniques. Each of the techniques can be combined with another, at different sequences, to create an infinite number of combinations of sword movements. The training requires the mind, the Chi, the body movements, and the sword to combine an integral unit. In DVD or VHS videotape formats.. Taught by Grandmaster Wing Lam. Dragon Ba Gua is the style taught by Sun Jian Yun. This DVD/video will introduce you to the basic principles of Ba Gua, along with its basic stances, theory and techniques. In DVD or VHS videotape formats.. Sun Lutan Bagua demonstrated by Andrey Fomichev, 2007. UTube, 3:01 min, color. Swimming Dragon bagua form.. By Master, Liang, Shou-Yu Liang, Dr. Yang, Jwing-Ming, and Mr. Wu, Wen-Ching. Boston, MA, YMAA Publications, Second Edition, 1994. Includes translations from Sun Lu Tang's 'The Study of Bagua Fist' (pp. Cartmell, Tim and Movement Names in English and Chinese. By Dan Miller. From Pa Kua Chang Journal. Staff, Stick, Pole, Gun: Guides, Bibliography, Resources. For Baguazhang staff., writer, and teacher.. Swimming Dragon. UTube, 3:12 min, color.. Plum Publications, CA.: Baguazhang, Xingyiquan, Taijiquan, and Qigong. Bibliography, Links, Quotes, Resources, Instructions.. Demo by Sifu Joshua Brown. UTTube, 3:09 min., Level 1. Presented by Jiang Jian-ye. Instructional VHS videotape, 120 minutes. Step by step instructions, multiple views, demonstrations.. BaGua Quan Xue and Bagua Jian Xue. By Sun Lutang. Translated by Joseph Crandall. Classical Baguazhang Series, Volume XIII. Pinole, California, Smiling Tiger Martial Arts, 2002. ISBN: 192904738X. Instructional DVDs presented by Johanna Zorya and Julie Hinder.: Lists, instructions, links, bibliography, quotes, notes. Grandmaster Sun Lu-Tang was an accomplished BaGuaZhang master. Includes some information about the Sun style of Baguazhang and Hsingyi. Research by Michael P. Research by Michael P. Garofalo, M.S. Webpage: 450Kb, June 2008. This webpage includes an introduction, information on the history of the Sun Taijiquan forms, a detailed bibliography, extensive links, references to video resources, a large collections of quotations about Sun Taijiquan, recommendations on the best media resources on the topic, and suggestions for learning the 73 competition Sun Taijiquan form. A detailed comparative list of the names of each of the 73 movements is, with source references, and the movement names are given in English, Chinese, Chinese characters, French, German, and Spanish. This webpage includes detailed of each of the 73 movements with black and white illustrations for each movement sequence along with commentary and comparisons. Many additional nomenclature lists and section study charts in the PDF format, photographs and graphics are also provided - over 1.3 MB of information. This webpage is the most detailed and complete document on the subject of the Sun Taijiquan Competition 73 Form available on the Internet. This document was published by Green Way Research, Valley Spirit Taijiquan, Red Bluff, California, 2008. Sun Style Baguazhang: The 10 Sun Style Palm Changes as described in Sun Lu Tang's book. The Martial Foundations of Baguazhang. Two instructional DVD's, 55 minutes each disk. Instruction in English.. Tan's Martial Arts World. Gao Style Bagua. By Liu Jingru. Terminology, TAGS, Search Terms: Ba (Pa) - Eight. Gua (Kua) = Diagrams or Tri-grams. Chang (Zhang, Ch'uan or Ch'uan) = Palm or Fist or Boxing. BaGua, Ba Gua Quan, Baguaquan, Bagua, BaGua, Ba Gwa, Ba-gua, BaGwa, Ba Kua, Cheng Bagua, Eight Diagrams Palm, Pa Kua Chang, PakKua, PaKua Chang, Pa Kau Ch'uan, Pat Kwa Chuan, Wudang Baguazhang, Wudang BaGua, Yin BaGua Bagua, Xingyi. Oakland and Berkeley. Winnipeg, Canada. Presented by Jiang Jian-ye. Instructional VHS videotape, 121 minutes. Step by step instructions, multiple views,demonstrations.. A 37 posture form created by Grandmaster Liu Jingru.. By Jiang Jian-ye. 'This introductory form comes from the system of Bagua founder Dong Hai-Chuan.' Detailed teaching of each form with numerous repetitions, and with applications at different speeds. Hand movements, stepping, and circle walking are all taught. Part 1 and Part 2 on VHS videotape or DVD format. New York, Capital District Tai Chi and Kung Fu Association of New York, 1997. Part 1, 97 Minutes, Color. Part 2, 97 Minutes, Color.. Form and Applications, Level 1. Parts 1 and 2 in either VHS videotape or DVD format. All hand forms, stepping techniques and circle walking are taught. Multiple repetitions from different angles. The traditional old form of Dong Hai-Chuan is taught... Form and Applications, Level 2. Parts 1 and Part 2 in either VHS videotape or DVD format. All hand forms, stepping, and circle walking are taught. Multiple repetitons from different angles. These forms were developed by students of Dong Hai-Chuan.. North Carolina. (Cheng Ying-Fan) 1813?- Southern City PaKua.. By Andrew Nugent-Head. Excellent article. By the Director, Association for Traditional Studies., Red Bluff, California. Mike Garofalo, Taijiquan Instructor. Mike Garofalo and a Bagua Circle Training Area VSCL = Library, Red Bluff, California Red Bluff, California. Chief Instructor: Mike Garofalo, M.S. Links, bibliography, and quotations. Links, bibliography, resources, quotes, and notes. Circle walking internal martial arts.. By Paul Crompton. Shaftesbury, England, Element Books, 1996. Glossary, resources, index, 163 pages. Healing Tao, Mantak Chia.. By Allen Pittman. Berkeley, California, Blue Snake Books, 2008. Good information on relating the concepts of the Ba Gua and I Ching to Chinese internal martial arts. Shujin's (1904-1981) Bagua Zhang Wang Shujin (1904-1981) Also know as Wang Heng Sun, Wang Chun-Ch'en. 1904 Wang Shujin Born in Tianjin, China. 1923 Began studies Xing Yi Quan and Bagau Quan with Master Zhang Zhao Dong (1859-1940). Wang Shujin always said that Zhang Zhao Dong was his best and most influential teacher. 1924 He converted to Yi Quan Dao (Constant Path), a Buddhist/Daoist sect holding to the Perennial View of the unity of religions and the universal Dao. Yi Quan Dao practices included mediation, vegetarianism, qigong, martial arts, and other Buddhist/Daoist practices. There are no reports of Wang Shujin having ever been married or having children. 1934 Studied Zhan Zhuang (Universal Post Standing), Great Achievement Boxing, and Yi Quan with Wang Xian Zhai. All of his martial arts students were required to practice Zhan Zhuang daily. 1938 Studied Sz Lianquan (4 connected fists),Yin Yang Bagua with Xiao Hai Bo. 1948 Moved to Taiwan. Lived in Tai Zhong, about 80 miles from Taipei. Founded the Chengming Martial Arts School in Tai Zhong. Was one of the top three leaders/priests of Yi Quan Dao who lectured/preached/organized widely in Taiwan and Japan. 1950 Studied Taijiquan with Chen Pan Ling. Learned the 99 step synthesized form, a Chen style of Taijiquan. Collaborated with Chen Pan Ling. 1952 Spent many years teaching internal martial arts in Japan from 1952-1978. He used his highly trained and unusual 5'8' and 260 lb body perform many stunning martial arts demonstrations and feats. He could absorb blows from the strongest of men without troubles, and repel and defeat all contenders. He defeated such noted opponents as Don Draeger, John Bluming, His large, muscular, and qi filled belly was used to perform numerous amazing feats of strength. His teaching emphasized post standing, basic forms repetition, sparring with 'Three Strikes/Techniques', relaxed naturalness, building Qi power. His Eight Secrets were: Three Ding (highest, outermost point), Three Kou (to clamp, compress), Three Yuan (to round, wrap), Three Min (alert, sensitive, quick), Three Bao (embrace, hold), Three Chuei (hang down, drop), Three Qu (to bend, curve), Three Ting (to straighten, pull up). 1959 Taught internal martial arts for 8 years at the dojo of Toyama Izumi, head of the Jodo Association of Japan. 1964 Taught with his student Zhang Yi Zhong (1921-) in Japan. Wang Shujin taught over 1,200 students in Japan. 1978 Published his book 'Linked Palms.' 1980 Published his book 'Swimming Body Palms.' 1981 Wang Shujin passed away in Taiwan at the age of 77. 1982 His top students continued his teachings: Zhang Yi Zhong, Wang Fu Lai, Huang Jin Sheng, Kohno Yoshikatsu. In 1978, Wang Shujin said, 'There is a saying: 'Establish virtue and honor as our guiding principle; and our will and purpose will be bound as metal to stone.' Thus I took the name of Shu-Jin (establish-metal “establish virtue like metal”) which has often been an inspiration to strengthen my resolve. I have practiced my art for these many years, avoiding social entanglements, following a strict vegetarian regime, meditating daily, practicing Buddhism, and, after my daily labors, practicing martial arts as my sole entertainment.' - Wang Shujin, 'Linked Palms,' Trans. Kent Howard Biographical Sources: Allen/Zhang 2007, 'Whirling Circles of Ba Gua Zhang,' pp. By Wang Shujin (1904-1981). Translated by and Hsiao-Yen Chen. Blue Snake Books, 2009. First Edition in Chinese, 1978. A famous Bagua Zhang teacher in both China and Japan. Wang Shujin's teacher was Zhang Zhao Dong (1859-1940), and Zhang's teacher was Dong Hai Ch'uan (1798-1879).. By Marnix Wells. Chen Pan-Ling taught Wang Shujin a 24 movement cane form. According to Kent Howard, Wang Shujin always carried a cane or walking stick with him, and he could use it effectively in martial applications. 4:38 Demonstration of Taiji and Hsing I By Kent Howard. (1921-) Student of Wang ShuJin. Zhang Zhao-Dong 1859 - 1940 Also known as Chang Chao Tung, Chang Chan-K'uei. Shifu Kent Howard's [baguaman8] Videos Online UTube: 3:41 minutes. 3:19 minutes. 7:32 minutes. 4:12 minutes. 8:33 minutes. 7:35 minutes. 8:16 minutes. 8:35 minutes. 4:53 minutes. 6:26 minutes. 4:41 minutes. 4:23 minutes. Demonstrated by Huang Jin-Sheng of Taiwan. 7:22 minutes. Demonstrated by Huang Jin-Sheng of Taiwan. 4:34 minutes. Demonstrated by Huang Jin-Sheng of Taiwan. 6;29 minutes. Demonstrated by Huang Jin-Sheng of Taiwan. A fine for Tai Chi Chuan books and videotapes. By Michael P. Garofalo, M.S. A comprehensive guide to the practice of the short staff, cane, jo, walking stick, gun, zhang, whip staff, 13 Hands Staff, and related wood short staff weapons. A detailed and annotated guide, bibliography, lists of links, resources, instructional media, online videos, and lessons. Includes use of the short staff and cane in martial arts, self-defense, walking and hiking. Separate sections on Aikido Jo, Cane, Taijiquan cane and staff, Jodo, exercises with a short staff, selected quotations, techniques, selecting and purchasing a short staff, tips and suggestions, and a long section on the lore, legends, and magick of the short staff. Includes 'Shifu Miao Zhang Points the Way.' Published by Green Way Research,, Red Bluff, California. Updated on a regular basis since October, 2008. Filesize: 365 Kb. Related to Mike's popular webpage on the.. By Jacques Moramarco, O.M.D., L. Ac., with Rick Benzel. Chicago, IL, McGraw-Hill/Contemporary Books, 2000. Resources, 213 pages. Chapter 6, pp. Berkeley, California, Blue Snake Books, 2007. Illustrated with black and white photos. Frank Allen and and Terri Ferrari offer numerous instructional DVDs on Ba Gua Zhang. 'This is the most complete book on the art of Ba Gua Zhang ever presented in English. It tells the story of the history and legends of the art and its most famous masters as well as presenting the basic training, Classical Cheng Style forms, fighting and weapon of Deer Horn knives of Ba Gua Zhang. The text also includes a new translation of the classic Ba Gua 36 songs and 48 Methods as well as the Daoist meditation roots of the art and the method in which Ba Gua becomes at its ultimate level a physical and energetic manifestation of the Chinese Classic of Change, the Yi Jing. This book will be of interest not only to practitioners and enthusiasts of Ba Gua Zhang, but also to everyone who is interested in the history, philosophy and methods of Chinese Internal Martial Arts.' Frank Allen and Tina Chunna Zhang have produced numerous instructional DVDs to support the teaching in this book. The authors have studied Ba Gua Zhang with Master Bruce Frantzis, Master Jiang Jian Yee, and Grandmaster Liu Jing Ru. There is an instructional DVD for this Ba Gua Zhang:. ' In this popular DVD, we ( and ) present three popular and widely practiced versions of 'Steady Posture Eight Palms' circle walking with Yi Jing (I Ching) correlations and fighting applications. Martial Arts Supplies, videotapes, DVDs. Hops, Seminars, Retreats in Northwestern USA Send information about your Bagua Workshops. Refer to my In Italian. In English Montreal, Canada A Daoist monk at the Baiyunguan temple in Beijing his Bagua stepping in one of the many courtyards tucked away in the compound. (1923-2003) Interviewed by Jarek Szymanski. Xie (TCM) is a Yin style BaGuaZhang teacher from Beijing. 18Kb Seattle, WA. Excellent resources and information. Yin style BaGua Grandmaster. The Legends of Thin Yin and Spectacles Cheng. By Frank Allen and Clarence Lu. Part I: Tung Hai Chuan and Yin Fu. Style Baguazhang. Instructor Richard Miller.. By Jarek Szymanski in 1999. Yin Fu (1841-1909) Yin Style, Dong-cheng Zhang (Eastern City Palm), Niu-she Zhang (Ox Tongue Palm) style. Lineage: Dong Haichuan (1804-1880), Yin Fu (1841-1909), Men Baozhen (1873-1958), Xie Peiqi (1920-2003), and He Jinbao (1955-). And Cheng Ting Hwa Martin Langemeyer. German language website. Presented by Dr. Webpages on history and structure of form. Yin Style Bagua Bear System, Volumes 1-10. Presented by Xie Peiqui and He Jinbao. Each DVD is over 2 hours long.. Instructional media. Yin Style Bagua Martial Arts Series. Produced by the. Demonstrations and instructions by He Jinbao. Voice over in English. Foundation static postures, walking routines, drills. He Jinbao in Yin Style Bear Posture A variety of instructional Chinese language VCDs taught by Yin Bagua Master Wang, Shang Zhi, Vice Chairman of Bagua Group of Beijing Wushu Association. Yin Style Bagua Dragon System, Volumes 1-10. Presented by Xie Peiqui and He Jinbao. Each DVD is over 2 hours long.. Instructional media. Yin Style Bagua Martial Arts Series. Produced by the. Yin Style Bagua Large Saber. Presented by Xie Peiqui and He Jinbao. This instructional DVD is 54 minutes long.. Yin Style Bagua Lion System, Volumes 1-10. Presented by Xie Peiqui and He Jinbao. Each DVD is over 2 hours long.. Instructional media. Yin Style Bagua Martial Arts Series. Produced by the. Baguazhang Yin Style Bear Posture Mike Garofalo practicing in a Bagua Circle Training Area Red Bluff, California Yin Style Bagua Phoenix System, Volumes 1-10. Presented by Xie Peiqui and He Jinbao. Each DVD is over 2 hours long.. Instructional media. Yin Style Bagua Martial Arts Series. Produced by the.. An interview with He Jinbao. Tai Chi Magazine. By Richard Miller. Translations by Garth Reynolds. Numerous instructional videotapes and books from Plum Flower Press. By Zhu BaoZhen. Translated by Joseph Crandall. Plum Publications. Instructional media. (1923-2003) Interviewed by Jarek Szymanski. Xie (TCM) is a Yin style BaGuaZhang teacher from Beijing. Gao style BaGua of Zong Wu-Men, Washington, D.C.. Zhang Zhunfeng's Gao style Bagua through the teachings of Luo Dexiu. Ba Gau Zhang, Eight Diagram Palms, Pa Kau Chang 'All power comes from the legs. Through the correct training of stepping, the martial artist will be able to make quick and agile transitions during combat. Victory in fighting depends on the proper use of footwork. There is an old Chinese martial arts proverb that states: 'To practice boxing without training the legs is a foolish and hazardous venture.' It is very important to develop the power and energy of the legs; only then can true martial power be cultivated.' - Jerry Alan Johnson,, p. 'The power of the eight diagram palms knows no bounds -- the palms seem to strike even before the hands move. When the hand threads upward, it's like a hundred birds paying tribute to the phoenix; when it threads forward, it's like a tiger swooping downhill. Walking round and round, he is like a stray wild goose that has drifted from the flock; but when the palms are thrust forward, they can move a mountain. Now dodging, now ducking, his body slithers in and out; using the opponent's force he delivers a counter, blow, with as little effort as pushing a boat down the stream.' - (1798-1879) 'Ba gua is most likely the only purely Taoist martial art. As such, it contains a great deal of original martial information that has not been changed or adulterated by time. Ba gua is considered by highly respected internal masters to be the most technically sophisticated and effective of the internal martial arts. Ba gua includes all the internal and external circling and spiraling techniques completely or partially absent in the linear martial arts. Ba gua is one of the clear antecedents of aikido, the major internal art of Japan, and includes the overt health and energy practices usually missing in aikido. Ba gua has the grace and beauty of the other internal arts, but its movements are done and normal and/or fast aerobic speeds, rather than in the slow motion of tai chi, which many martial artists shun. Ba gua include the complete spiritual tradition of the martial arts, which is found much less often in tai chi and hsing-i. Ba gua fulfills many of the reasons people like to do tai chi, but with heightened internal awareness and in a much more dynamic form of relaxation.' Frantzis, The Power of Internal Martial Arts, 1998, p. 'Pa Kau Chang is a complete and effective martial art system which utilizes natural and efficient physical skills and strengths and emphasizes the use of evasive footwork, powerful palm strikes, and turning and twisting body motions while maintaining whole body strength and mind/body unity.' - Dan Miller, Pa Kua Chang Journal: Vol. 'I believe the concept of 'center' in Jiulong and the Daoqiquan arts is broader than the concept of 'center of gravity' in mathematics/physics. In addition to your physical center of gravity, the 'centeredness' of your mind, your intent, and the state of your Song are part of the equation as well. If fear causes you to 'rise up' to flee, then fear has raised your center. And that's not necessarily bad, if your intent is to be light on your feet and run as fast as you can.' - Stewart Warren, # 1360, 31 Jan 2006 ' The post-Heaven form, commonly known as You Shen BaGwa or the Swimming Dragon Body Palm, was supposedly to have been developed in the Omei Mountain region. Master Liang Shou Yu of Vancouver, British Columbia writes: 'Its movements are light and swift. It is externally soft and internally hard. Movements are continuously changing directions, with no interruption. Its movements are like a swimming dragon.' This form too incorporates the pre-Heaven movements, but also incorporates some sound fighting tactics. Like Sun's form, it is not demanding on one's body; and the practice of these two forms is only slightly more demanding than the practice of a classical TaiChi Chuan form. It is interesting to note that Sun Lu Tang also taught this form. Another form Sun Lu Tang created was a lively, eight palm post-Heaven form performed around a circle. He also named this form, Swimming Dragon Palm. It should not be confused with the sixty-four palm, You Shen post-Heaven form.' - Frank Granovski, 'Cheng Tinghua styles of Baguazhang features movements that are executed in a smooth flowing and continuous manner, with a subtle display of power. Popular variations of this style include the Gao Yi Sheng system, Dragon Style Baguazhang, 'Swimming Body' Baguazhang, the Nine Palace System, Zong Changrong's style (probably the most common form practiced today), and the Sun Lutang style.' - 'As for walking around stupas, the stupa is your body and mind. When your awareness circles your body and mind without stopping, this is called walking around a stupa. The sages of long ago followed this path to nirvana. But people today don't understand what this means. Instead of looking inside they insist on looking outside. They use their material bodies to walk around material stupas. And they keep at it day and night, wearing themselves out in vain and coming no closer to their real self.' - Bodhidharma, 515 CE, The Zen Teaching of Bodhidharma, p. Translated and with an Introduction by Red Pine. One of many stories told about Bodhidharma, the first Zen Patriarch in China and the legendary founder of Shaolin qigong and gungfu, is that he spent seven years in seated meditation while facing a stone wall. Talk about 'wearing yourself out in vain!' Thankfully, monks thereafter were required to move about a bit more. 'Baguazhang is one of the more famous of the traditional Chinese martial arts that possesses many distinctive practice skill methods and its palm method changes unfathomably. It also has a good balanced reputation in the martial arts community. From the time of Qing Chengfeng (1851-1862), when Mr. Dong Haichuan (of Wen'an County in Hebei Province) introduced it until today, it has been practiced daily and enjoyed by martial artists in China and overseas. Baguazhang is an exceptionally beautiful martial art emphasizing the use of spiral movements and a sophisticated use of footwork and fighting angles. It makes the body extremely flexible and able to move with tremendous grace, speed and power. Bagua practice is vigorous and aerobic. Many consider Bagua to be the most advanced of the Chinese Martial Arts. The foundation of the system is a meditative circle walking practice and the 'Single Change Palm' which was developed in Taoist monasteries over 400 years ago. As a meditation practice, Bagua allows one to produce a stillness of mind in the midst of intense physical activity. This esoteric system at its highest levels becomes a method of manifesting the energetic patterns of change described in the I-Ching or Classic Book of Changes. Technically, the correct performance of this exercise increases the practitioner's energy through simultaneous circle walking, forms practice, and breath control. The practice of Baguazhang is very Zen-like in its approach to calming and focusing the mind. The basics are a series of movements done while walking in a circle. The goal of this exercise is for the individual to understand proper body alignment and relaxation. Once this practice is consistent, the movements become faster and more intricate with turning and twisting, moving the body in all possible angles and directions for fitness, centering and agility. Baguazhang uses quick footwork and turns as part of as its self-defense strategy.' - 'Tung Hai-Chuan (1813-18820 became a member of the Chuan Chen (Complete Truth) sect of Taoism. This sect was part of the Lung Men (Dragon Gate) school of Taoism which was originated by Chou Chang-Ch'uan. Interestingly enough, Chou also invented a method of meditation whereby the practitioner would walk in a circle and, wouldn't you know, this method was practiced by the Chuan Chen sect. Delving further into this Taoist connection, K'ang was able to find a section in the Taoist Canon which reads: 'A person's heart and mind are in chaos. 'Concentration on one thing makes the mind pure. If one aspires to reach the Tao, one should practice walking in a circle.' This bit of evidence inspired Professor K'ang Kuo of Beijing Wu to try and find out more about the circle walk meditation method practiced by the Chuan Chen Taoists. What he discovered was that this practice, which the Taoists called Chuan T'ien Tsun (Rotating in Worship of Heaven) is very similar in principle to the circle walk practice of Pa Kua Chang. Researching Wang Chun-Pao's book, 'Taoist Method of Walking the Circle,' K'ang found that while walking, the Taoists repeated one of two mantras. The first of these mantras was used in the morning practice and translates to mean 'When Rotating in Worship of Heaven, the sound of thunder is everywhere and transforms everything.' The second mantra was used in the evening practice and translates to mean 'When Rotating in Worship of Heaven, the great void saves us from the hardship of existence.' It was said that the practitioner should repeat the mantra with each movement in the circle walk practice so that 'one replaces one's myriad thoughts with a single thought in order to calm and ease one's mind.' The Taoists said that in walking the circle the body's movements should be unified and the practitioner strives for stillness in motion. This practice was described as a method of training the body while harnessing the spirit.' - 'The fighting concepts of Bagua Zhang are: never stop walking and never stop changing; always combine the qualities of soft and hard with thos of internal and external; appear suddenly and disappear suddenly; move close quickly and leave quickly; and never struggle directly with an opponent. If a movement seems difficult, change it so that it becomes easier; if a movement begins as direct, change it so that it comes from the side and vice versa.' - Lu Shengli, Combat Techniques of Taiji, Xingyi, and Bagua, p. 'The solo aspect of its circular solo practice is beautiful, yet exotic, full of graceful twisting movement, sudden stops and changes of direction, swooping and lifting actions as well as explosive hand movements. The functional aspect is harshly effective, without sporting elements as its martial effectiveness was refined by the many practitioners at the turn of the century who earned their living as personal bodyguards and merchant convoy escorts. Like the other internal arts, pa-kua emphasizes balance, natural breathing and relaxation, stability of stance, the development of twisting strength and internal power both for healing and martial purposes as well as the use of the mind to create intent and lead chi flow. Most defensive and offensive movements are done with the open hand; the horizontal energy of the twisting torso is emphasized; the weight of the body stays on the back foot when walking in a circle (though not necessarily when doing postures within each 'change'; the steps are rather tight, the knees staying in close proximity one-to-the-other; and, kicks are normally aimed low, to the ankles, shins and knees. The essence of the art is learning to be upright, stable and comfortable in your posture and body mechanics while cultivating the ability to change quickly to deal with the tactics of an opponent. The smaller student learns to evade strikes while counter-attacking and the larger learns to batter his/her way through the attacker's arms as a prelude to counter-attacking.' - Michael Babin, ' The distinctive trademarks of the Yin Fu style are the large number of percussive techniques, multiple quick-strikes combinations, explosive movements and very quick and evasive footwork. Yin Fu was said to 'fight like a tiger,' advancing forward and knocking his opponent to the ground swiftly like a tiger pouncing on its prey.' - Cardinal, 'Thus, the two major classical BaGwa solo exercises, the ones which were used a guides in developing new forms, where Yin Fu's, Mother Palms, and Cheng Ting Hua's, Old Palms. These were the standards. This is why such masters as Sun Lu Tang and Fu Chen Sung, students of Cheng, practised and taught the Old Palms form. However, since Yin Fu was Tung's longest and most skilled student, Yin's basic form was at a much higher level (or more difficult to learn and master). Nevertheless, the Old Palms form though simpler, incorporates effective combat techniques. Yin Fu emphasized punching and kicking etc., in his training and teaching, whereas Cheng Ting Hua emphasized close range contact utilizing Shway Zow (Chinese wrestling) and Chin Na (Chinese joint locking techniques). However, both of these masters' basic BaGwa was essentially the same.' - 'Based on my own research into this practice and my own study of baguazhang. Zhuan tianzun is a type of ritualized stepping (common in Daoist ritual practice, the most famous being the Yubu or Steps of Yu), specifically a ritual practice of circumambulation while chanting hymns that occurs during specific stages of the zhai ritual. Having studied baguazhang myself, I just don't see any connection whatsoever between the two except for the circularity; circumambulation is common in many religious traditions. I would love to be proven wrong, I never said that it is impossible that baguazhang stepping was perhaps inspired by this; however, I personally prefer the simpler explanation that circular stepping is an effective combative technique. Personally I believe that the only reason that a connection was made between the Zhuan tianzun practice and bagua stepping is that historians were attempting to justify the original myth that Dong learned bagua from some mysterious Daoists. This (the shadowy Daoist teacher) is a common device in Chinese popular hagiography and I personally believe it to be hyperbole.' -, A doctoral candidate studying Daoism 'Bagua zhang (八卦掌 in: bā gu� zhǎng) ( Pa Kua Chang, Bagua Quan, Pa kua ch'�an, Bagua, Pakua, Pakua boxing) is one of the three major, the other two of which are (形意拳) and (太極拳). The word 'baguazhang' literally means 'eight palm'. The trigrams refer to diagrams from the, one of the canons of. These diagrams in turn refer to eight animals, upon which in some styles of Baguazhang movements or fighting systems are based on. The trigrams and their corresponding animals in martial arts are: • Li (離) - Chicken (鷂) • Kun (坤) - (麟) (sometimes mis-translated as unicorn or Chinese unicorn) • Dui (兌) - Monkey (猴) • Qian (乾) - Lion (獅) • Kan (坎) - Snake (蛇) • Gen (艮) - Bear (熊) • Zhen (震) - (龍) (often translated as Chinese dragon) • Xun (巽) - (鳳) (often mis-translated as phoenix or Chinese phoenix).' - 'The distinctive trademarks of the Yin Fu style are the large number of percussive techniques, multiple quick-strikes combinations, explosive movements and very quick and evasive footwork. Yin Fu was said to 'fight like a tiger,' advancing forward and knocking his opponent to the ground swiftly like a tiger pouncing on its prey.' - 'Neigong, also spelled nei kung, neigung, or nae gong, refers to any of a set of, and spiritual practice disciplines associated with and especially the. Neigong practice is normally associated with the so-called 'soft style', 'internal' or 內家 Chinese martial arts, as opposed to the category known as waigong 外功 or 'external skill' which is historically associated with or the so-called 'hard style', 'external' or 外家 Chinese martial arts. Both have many different schools, disciplines and practices and historically there has been mutual influence between the two and distinguishing precisely between them differs from school to school. There is both martial and non-martial neigong. Well known examples of martial neigong are the various breathing and focus trainings taught in some traditional, and schools. An example of non-martial neigong is the discipline known as.' - 'Based on the spiritual principles of the ancient Taoist ('mystic scientist' who follow the Natural Way and Truth of the Universe) the core of the circle walking meditation practices teaches to 'seek stillness within movement.' By continuously stepping in circular patterns and going at varying speeds, one can train the body/mind to find a still point inside where everything feels centered balanced and effortless. Circle walking training also gives one the ability to transform negative/heavy energies into lighter more positive energies. The constant going around and around mimics a recycling plant that can filter-out impurities from dirty water and only leaves the pure clean drinking water. The resulting purified fluids and energies can then be stored back into one's navel center, called the lower tan-tien (the part of the body that functions as a human battery) for building-up immunity against disease and for increased physical-mental-spiritual capacity. Regular practice greatly facilitates a return to a more natural breathing rhythm, which has a strong calming affect over the whole body, if maintained for an extended period of time of 20-30 minutes. Additionally, this combined skill of practicing deep abdominal breathing while continuously rotating in circles naturally roots one to the earth, grounding and harmonizing one within one's immediate environment. This not only helps to bolster an individual's spirit but also naturally teaches one to respect the space and spirit of others, dissolving the ego's need for self-importance by softly going around and around in a circle.' - 'Legends are apt, however, to be as right in substance as they are wrong in detail.' Tawney 'One of the most important areas of this 'movement' is that we must learn to be still within every movement we make. This is called in Baguazhang, 'Clouds Following'. This means that whenever we make a movement, even a minute movement, or a large step, there must be internal stillness and equilibrium within that movement. In this way we are able to either continue with the attack or stop and go in another direction etc, instantly. This is also called the 'Bagua Post'. This gives the Bagua practitioner the upper hand where combat is concerned as we are always in control of our own body and movement and therefore in control of any attacker's body and movement. We are able to move at any time to change direction because no matter what foot we are standing on or what movement we are making, it has internal stillness enabling us to 'move without moving'. That is the reason why it is said of so many of the old Bagua masters that they 'seemed not to move, and yet his opponent was defeated'. His movement came out of stillness, like a tree rooted to the ground, its branches sway with the breeze but physically it is solid. And it is the same with Bagua, the only difference being that our roots are internal. In the beginning, we are taught to walk the circle very slowly. The reason is to gain the most important part of Bagua - internal stillness while moving. Every time we pass one foot by the other during walking the circle, we must scrape the moving foot past the standing foot and we must hear the sound of the trousers as they pass each other. As the foot passes and at precisely the same time that we hear that sound, we are 'still' within. To an onlooker, the movement will be seen to continue as if we are just walking. However, internally at that moment, we are rooted to the ground from the crown down to the standing heel and into the earth. So the internal movement will stop for a split second and then catch up with the physical step. In this way, we are able to also stop the physical step at any time, take it back, move it to the side, kick etc, without thinking about it and without losing balance, like a cat walking stealthily along, being able to change direction at any time.' - Erle Montagiue, 'Daoist Master Li, Ching-Yuen is said to have created Nine Dragon Baguazhang while studying at Emei Mountain in Sichuan Province. Li, Ching-Yuen was a controversial figure who was reputed to have lived to be one of the oldest men in the world. He claimed to have learned about longevity from another Daoist he met on the Emei Mountain in Sichuan province near the Tibetan border. The monk, according to Li, Ching-Yuen's story, was well over 300 years old, was as agile as a monkey, as strong as a tiger and as wise as a dragon. It is wise to remember the Chinese like most Texans love their tall tales and take every opportunity to exaggerate a good story often to and beyond it's credible limits. This ancient Daoist sage reputedly instructed Li, Ching-Yuen in his secret method of health nourishing martial art exercises based upon the wisdom of the Book of Changes (Yijing). Most likely this was a Daoist of the Long-Men sect who practiced a method of circle walking meditation combined with chanting and visualization. The art of Li, Ching-Yuen came to be knows by the Li family as Jiulong Baguazhang (Nine Dragon Eight Diagram Palm). Li, Ching-Yuen was a scholar of Daoism and the Yijing. He worked many years to create a method that contained strong emphasis on developing physical power (Li) through specific mind / body exercises. His method was to produce first (Waigong) external strength and then (Neigong) Refined mind /body power in conjunction with developing the powers of the mind (Yi) for the production of heightened life force (Qi) energy and longevity. It was truly a complete wholistic system.' - 'Energy exercises can de divided into two categories- 'Post-Birth' and 'Pre-Birth'. Post birth practices deal with developing the chi that you gain after leaving the womb that generated by breathing, eating, sleeping, and normal exercise, whereas pre-birth practices focus on generating the chi that you receive from the cosmic forces whilst in the womb. This pre-birth chi is incredibly strong and s responsible for giving a body abundant health and flexibility. When these pre-birth exercises are used correctly they can be used to heal disease, make a weak person strong, to restore elasticity to old, hard or scar tissue and to return the body to the state of a new-born baby, with the control and understanding of an adult. Walking the circle and repeatedly changing direction is the basic Ba Gua pre-birth chi practice and it is here that you tune into, open, heal, upgrade and strengthen all of your body's soft tissue, joints, fluids, organs, bones, systems, and sub systems. This takes time, energy, and practise and how far one takes this work depends upon the individual's intelligence, commitment and the effort that he or she can give to this ancient and profound Art. It is considered an Art because you can never make a perfect movement -it can always be improved. Also, because to watch the continuous circling, spiralling movements is a pleasure to the eyes.' - 'The above is a diagram depicting the use of sacred movements from the fifth century Taoist Rite of the Great Bear Polar circle. In Taoist practice, such sacred movements enhance the dancers to resonate with the circle of the cosmic forces. This embraces the central Taoist concept of human as microcosm mirroring the macrocosm. Taiji Quan movements evolved from this ancient lumbering gait of a bear, unfortunately due to the linguistic drift and misinterpretation, the Great Bear Polar Circle remains hidden for most practitioners. If one retraced to an older practice of the Five Animal frolics, one can still see the original lumbering Gait of a black bear frolic swaying side to side. If Taiji Quan did evolve from the Five animal frolics then the Taiji form must contain within its structure a Bear movement. It is my most sincere wish that you could discover it for yourself the Bear movement within the Taiji Form. Such discovery re-connects me to the ancient Complete Reality Sect of Taoist Ritual and opens my eyes to the depth of Taiji practice. That the very functioning of the Taiji form is a Shamanistic journey of recreating the Heavenly drama of the Ursula Major constellation which contained the Big Dipper. With the Great Bear Rite as part of my practice of Taiji movements, this transported my consciousness to a level that is universal. My body became part of the Cosmo. The movements took on a numinous quality. Sometime, when I practiced late at night I could almost hear the song of the stars. Suddenly, the meaning of Taiji—Supreme Ultimate revealed to me as the universal movements of unifying between human and the whole of the Universe. At that moment, my body became utterly transparent and different part of the body lights up. From my own meager experience of the Grand Ultimate—Taiji, I entered the vast field of Taoist Alchemical cultivation. It is this transformation from the profane physical movements into the sacred Taoist rite that the power of the Great Bear Step becomes so necessary.' - Sat Chuen Hon, Founder of Dan Tao, 2001. Also, refer to my webpage on the 'The Quan Zhen (Complete Truth) sect of Daoism was part of the Long Men (Dragon Gate) school of Daoism which was originated by Qiu Chang Chun. Interestingly enough, Qiu also invented a method of meditation whereby the practitioner would walk in a circle and, wouldn't you know, this method was practiced by the Quan Zhen sect. Delving further into this Daoist connection, Professor Kang Ge Wu was able to find a section in the Daoist Canon which reads: 'A person's heart and mind are in chaos. Concentration on one thing makes the mind pure. If one aspires to reach the Dao, one should practice walking in a circle.' This bit of evidence inspired Professor Kang to try and find out more about the circle walk meditation method practiced by the Quan Zhen Daoists. What he discovered was that this practice, which the Daoists called Zhuan Tian Zun (Rotating in Worship of Heaven) is very similar in principle to the circle walk practice of Ba Gua Zhang. Researching Wang Jun Bao's book, Daoist Method of Walking the Circle, Professor Kang found that while walking, the Daoists repeated one of two mantras. The first of these mantras was used in the morning practice and translates to mean 'When Rotating in Worship of Heaven, the sound of thunder is everywhere and transforms everything.' The second mantra was used in the evening practice and translates to mean 'When Rotating in Worship of Heaven, the great void saves us from the hardship of existence.' It was said that the practitioner should repeat the mantra with each movement in the circle walk practice so that 'one replaces one's myriad thoughts with a single thought in order to calm and ease one's mind.' The Daoists said that in walking the circle the body's movements should be unified and the practitioner strives for 'stillness in motion.' This practice was described as a method of 'training the body while harnessing the spirit.' When instructing his students Dong Hai Chuan was noted as saying, 'Training martial arts ceaselessly is inferior to walking the circle. In Ba Gua Zhang the circle walk practice is the font of all training.' Ba Gua Zhang instructors instruct their students to walk the circle with the spirit, Qi, intent, and power concentrated on a single goal. This is similar to the Daoist method whereby one clears the mind with a single thought. Although Ba Gua Zhang's circle walk practice trains footwork to be used in fighting, it also shares the Daoist's goals of creating stillness in motion and developing the body internally.' - Dan Miller,, Origins of the Circle Walk Practice in Ba Gua Zhang ning Circle Walking Practice BaGua Qigong, Eight Palms Circle Walking Practices Most Bagua Zhang books and instructional media offer some suggestions as to practices for beginners in Circle Walking, Bagua Qigong, Warming Up Routines, or (Standing Meditation). These suggested practices vary quite a bit as to specifics from teacher to teacher, although the purposes or intentions of such activities are often similar: warming up, simple walking practice, qigong. I have developed my own routine and ritual for home practice called. • • • • • • British business tycoon Peter Jones's attempts to launch a TV career in the U.S. Are already being ridiculed after a trailer for his forthcoming show sees him driving around in a car with the license plate 'SOB'. Jones, who shot to fame in the UK as a judge on Dragons' Den - similar to the U.S. Programme Shark Tank - is currently being splashed across American TV screens to promote his show Save Our Business. However producers have given the entrepreneur a car to drive into shot featuring the registration plate 'SOB' - an abbreviation for 'Son Of A B***h'. On this page you will find a link to download your eBook. It is hidden and not obvious to avoid automatic robot downloads and abuse. Find the download and read your eBook in PDF-format now! Pinnacle Game Profiler enables the use of virtually any game controller (gamepad, joystick, etc.) with any PC game. It's preconfigured for most game titles and. After signing a 'Golden Handcuffs' deal with ITV to appear as their new 'face' of business programming, on 21 September 2006 Jones appeared on GMTV to talk about Dragons' Den and his new ITV show Tycoon, produced by the Peter Jones Television company. The viewing figures were 2.1 million viewers, which was. Hard-nosed: Jones takes a tough-love approach to helping failing American businesses in his new U.S. Show Another viewer Kris Deutsch, also from LA, said: 'The trailer presents him as a SOB. What a ridiculous way to introduce him to people. 'He is meant to be a respected businessman. This is a real blooper. 'Surely someone at the network must have realized that.' The show begins on TNT later this month. A spokesman said: 'Peter Jones is a titan of entrepreneurship who has created a worldwide empire with more than a hundred businesses, both large and small. Jones, far right, with fellow dragons (L-R) Duncan Bannatyne, Hilary Devey, Theo Paphitis and Deborah Meaden on BBC's Dragons' Den 'In TNT's Save Our Business, Jones travels across America on a mission -- investing his time and expertise and putting his reputation on the line to save small businesses in trouble. 'Each week, Jones will assess the major problems facing a struggling company and design a plan to help save it from collapsing. 'During the first season of Save Our Business, Jones will lend his expertise and tough-love guidance to an online retailer of 'vintage inspired' woman's clothing, an indoor kids theme park, a karate school, a combination florist/wine store and a New York City bagel deli'. Tycoon peter jones pdf. Download tycoon peter jones pdf - a-pdf word to flashbook 1.3 - it is confusing should the government enforce anti smoking laws, and create new ones. Staff can do more with less, without added headcount or costs. Abbyy pdf transformer 3 keygen. Download tycoon peter jones pdf - java server. These 9 locations in All: Open to the public Book; Illustrated English Open to the public 119706; Nq 685.3103 K81 Book; Illustrated English Open to the public 001341; 685.3103 K81 Book; Illustrated English Open to the public NQ685.3103/1 Book; Illustrated English Open to the public 02061; HELD - Contact Library for access information Book; Illustrated English Open to the public Book; Illustrated English Open to the public.b16154277; held Book; Illustrated English Open to the public bslv Book; Illustrated English May not be open to the public (SFED)46135; held Book; Illustrated English. Bulgarian Master Shoemaker George Koleff has written some great books for the shoemaker, among them, The Boot and Shoe Designing Manual, Last Making and Designing Manual, a dvd on last making as well as a book on Ugg Boots - The Manual. Designing, Cutting and Grading Boot and Shoe Patterns, and Complete Manual for the Stitching Room. By an Expert of Thirty Years. By Charles B. IMPORTANT HELPFUL TIP: It is very important that once you cut out a full set, you flip your patterns upside down to get a full set of straps for the opposite foot. Otherwise you will end up making two left feet. 2.3 When cutting out your patterns try to be as neat as possible, you want to avoid jagged edges. Banana Accounting 8.0.4 is free to download from our software library. The file size of the latest installation package available is 95.4 MB. The program belongs to Business Tools. The software utilizes the Nokia Qt cross-platforms C++ framework. Relative to the overall usage of users who have this installed on their PCs, most are running Windows 8 and Windows 7 (SP1). While about 33% of users of Banana Accounting come from Switzerland, it is also popular in the United States and Lebanon. Banana Financial Accounting 7, de Opvolger van SpeedBalance 6, is nu te koop! Banana 7, geproduceerd door de makers van SpeedBalance, is de nieuwste update voor. The most popular versions among the program users are 7.0, 6.0 and 5.0. This PC tool can process the following extension: '.ac2'. This download was scanned by our built-in antivirus and was rated as clean. You can install this PC program on Windows XP/7/8 32-bit. Banana50.exe, Banana40.exe, Banana60.exe or Banana70.exe are the frequent file names to indicate this program's installer. This tool was originally designed by Banana.ch. Banana Accounting is a professional accounting tool for small companies, studios, private users, non-profit organizations, home owners associations, churches and many others. Your accounts are perfectly in order thanks to the possibility to edit the transactions. You may want to check out more software, such as Banana Accounting - Cash Book, Call Accounting Mate or Absolute Accounts, which might be to Banana Accounting. Free Download Koyla 1997 Full Hindi Movie 300MB. Pirates Of The Caribbean 3 At Worlds End Full Movie Download end full movie in hindi download HD Movie Flix - Pirates Of The Caribbean. A-Z Downloads 1.Full 3Gp Videos 2585-11169 2.Free 2016 Games 1781-6688 3.Full Mp4 Videos 1360-5258 4.Play This Video. Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of The Black Pearl Movie CLIP - Skeleton Crew|FULL HD| by JoBlo Movie Clips Download. Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl by DisneyMoviesOnDemand. Pirates of the Caribbean (Curse of the Black Pearl) - Opening Scene by marnieee. Movie Information Source: VCD Releaser Info: MovieLoverz Released On: 1 June 2007 Genre: Action / Adventure / Comedy / Fantasy Starcast: Johnny Depp, Geoffrey Rush, Orlando Bloom Size: 178mb Duration: 2hr 44min Description: After Elizabeth, Will, and Captain Barbossa rescue Captain Jack Sparrow from the the land of the dead, they must face their foes, Davy Jones and Lord Cutler Beckett. Beckett, now with control of Jones' heart, forms a dark alliance with him in order to rule the seas and wipe out the last of the Pirates. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |