Buddy Greene at Carnegie Hall [via Jock Miller]

Necessity Is The Mother Of Invention

HAPPY NEW YEAR - YEAR OF THE WATER DRAGON

THE DEVIL IN THE DETAILS [via Steven Kates]

Try and guess what this commercial is for … BEFORE it ends …



Dirt Devil-The Exorcist from MrPrice2U on Vimeo.

Killer Whale Luna Mimics Boat Sounds [via Nina Reznick]

Meet Luna, a remarkable whale. Separated from his family when he was just two years old, this orca whale lived alone off the coast of Vancouver Island, Canada. There, in 2001, Luna became known for interacting with local boaters. The amazing video above captures Luna swimming right next to a boat and mimicking boat noises. Luna's sounds are almost indistinguishable from those of the boat's engine. 

Video ABOVE courtesy of TheWhaleMovie.com

Useful Graphs

Unusual and Wonderous Places [via Nina Reznick]

Jeff Rivera Interviews Producer Morris Ruskin for Author Learning Center

Producer of over forty five films Morris Ruskin has made Shoreline Entertainment the go-to company for film sales. From Glengarry Glen Ross to The Maid, Ruskin has built a reputation for not only being a producer who can get films made under budget but also one of the most accessible executives in the industry.

Jeff Rivera sits down with Ruskin in the Rogers & Cowan offices to discuss his latest animated 3D film called The Living Corpse.

In their video interview, Ruskin tells with Rivera what it took to pull this film together over the course of four years.

E-Newsletter - January 2012

For the cost of one yoga class, you can change a life.

Holiday Special E Letter Happy New Year! SUCCESS STORY: Thanks to your continued support, YGB has increased our fund recipients to 81 people for 2012, 35 mothers and 46 children. With an extremely successful year in 2011, YGB now funds additional four children and one mother at Deenbandhu Trust Home, Karnataka. At NISHTHA in West Bengal, we were able to add 11 mothers and their 11 daughters to the 22 morhters and 22 daughters we already support. YGB's goal is to commit our funding to individuals, for 5 years so that they can make fundamental changes to their lives and build sustainable livelihoods through education and economic empowerment. Some of the new YGB fund recipients: Deenabandhu Trust Home, Karnataka, South India Ten years old Poornima came to Deenabandhu Trust Home last May, when her aunt could no longer financially care for her. Poornima's father deserted her mother and children, after her mother became mentally ill. Despite of this, Poornima is a sweet girl with a beautiful smile. She enjoys helping others especially with writing and reading. She is the first to pick up a broom if a room is dirty. Latha is a sensitive, sweet four year old girl who came to Deenabandhu last May. When Latha was a new born, her alcoholic father died. While living in poverty, Latha and her mother were rescued by Shaktidhama Women's Shelter. Eventually, her mother requested care from Deenabandhu which they now receive. NISHTHA: Tripuranagar Village, West Bengal Ninety per cent of the first 22 mothers who received micro loans from YGB in 2011 have repaid their loans and will receive a second cycle of loans in 2012. Before receiving funds fromYGB, only 50% of them had paid work. Now 95% are earning an income with a 77% increase of income. This success enabled us to fund an additional 11 mothers and 11 daughters in this same village, Without funding to secure education, here in this remote village of West Bengal, daughters are forced to marry at an age as young as 13. NISHTHA continues to provide necessary guidance and vocational training for mothers to start their income earning work with micro loans. Their daughters are provided with personal educational counseling as well as workshops on health and gender issues. YGB is delighted to work with these two NGOs in India who continue to send us regular reports with current status and photos of our fund recipients. YGB Global Calendar 2012 is still available for online purchase!! Yoga Gives Back's first global calendar appreciates and celebrates YGB's global yoga community. Included in the calendar are photos from our first successful global fundraiser, "Thank You Mother India." Over 750 people in 10 countries took part, and other events that were held throughout the world. Additionally, each month features portraits of women and girls from our partner organizations in India who are direct recipients of YGB funds. You can make a change, one calendar at a time. Press! ABC Chicago News feature YGB: 5:00pm, Thursday, Dec 29, 2011 A great piece produced by Sylvia L. Jones, at WLS-TV ABC 7 CHICAGO, with an interview of YGB rep Chelsea Mack. The special donation class by Colleen Rose at Yoga 360 was also covered. Thank you everyone!!! Exciting News! YGB is excited to have two new global representatives: One from the Netherlands and one from Brazil. Read more about our dedicated global team here. Janneke Verburg-Wiersma, the Netherlands "I've been in India many times and I love the country, but the poverty over there has made a big impact on me. It's really hard for us Westerners to imagine that you just don't have any resources or ways to make something of your life. I really believe in micro financing as a way to provide the necessary resources to people who need it, to enable them to change their lives. So I'm really excited that we can make a difference by getting the yoga community together (worldwide!) and we can start giving back! " Cacau Peres: Sao Paulo, Brazil “I think Seva is one of the best ways we have to show our love and compassion towards others. Yoga Gives Back is a wonderful opportunity to do Seva and show our gratitude for Yoga.” Write to us (info@yogagivesback.org) if you would like to join the YGB team in your area!!! Upcoming Events! Movie Night Series @ Rising Spirit Yoga, Wells River, Vermont January 27, 2012, 7:30 PM; Rising Spirit Yoga is hosting three special "Movie Night at the Studio" series to benefit YGB! Cost: $5-$10 Suggested Donation YOGAWOMAN : Yoga was brought to the West from India by a lineage of male teachers. Now there's a generation of women who are leading the way. February 24th: "YERT" 50 States. 1 Year. Zero Garbage? March 23rd: "ENLIGHTEN UP! "A Skeptic's Journey into the World of Yoga Special Donation Class@Laguna Yoga Shala, Laguna Beach, California January 29, 2012, Sunday, 9-10:30am; Itay Dollinger is teaching this special donation Ashtanga Led Class, organized by Neemu Murthy. YGB presentation and refreshments to follow. Thank you for this event! New Year's Special Class@ Infuse Yoga, Chicago January 1, 2012, 11:00 AM; By popular request, ring in 2012 with this dynamic class for all levels led by Meredith Wroblewski! In order to hold the appropriate space both physically and energetically, reservations are required. You are welcome to stay for brunch immediately following the class. A portion of the proceeds will benefit Yoga Gives Back! Class is $18 drop in ($20 with mat). Brunch is $5-$15 suggested cash donation. *Check www.yogagivesback.org for more upcoming events and details. Thank you for your support, which is making a difference one event at a time!!

IN THIS ISSUE SUCCESS STORY PRESS EXCITING NEWS UPCOMING EVENTS   FOLLOW Follow Yoga Gives Back on Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube!   JOIN Sign up to receive this e-newsletter. Email address:   DONATION Your donation helps Yoga Gives Back's campaign to alleviate poverty in India. To make a donation, click the link below.

Yoga Gives Back is a 501(c)(3) Non-Profit Organization. Questions, comments, want to get involved? Email info@yogagivesback.org. www.yogagivesback.org

Being Responsible [via Alex Cord]

Happy New Year!


As many of you know, I do like a good Scotch on the rocks.

Well, as the holiday spirit(s) will be flowing over the festivities I
thought I would share this with you all in the interest of acting responsibly.

Specifically, I would like to share an experience about drinking and driving.

Last night, I was out for a few drinks with some friends and had a few
too many Scotches. Knowing full well I may have
been slightly over the limit, I did something I've never done before -
I took a bus home. .!!

I arrived home safely and without incident, which was a real surprise,
as I have never driven a bus before and am not even sure where I got it..!!

FINGERS ON THE KEYS LISTENERS AT THE KEYHOLE [via Nina Reznick]

An Android app developer has published what he says is conclusive proof that millions of smartphones are secretly monitoring the key presses, geographic locations, and received messages of its users.




The video was posted four days after Carrier IQ withdrew legal threats against Eckhart for calling its software a “rootkit.” The Connecticut-based programmer said the characterization is accurate because the software is designed to obscure its presence by bypassing typical operating-system functions.

2012

Happy New Year!

Join Michael Chearney At HIs Opening at the George Billis Gallery LA Saturday January 7th, 5-8 PM

So You Think You Can Dance [via David Angsten]

Incredible India

Merry Christmas!

Cajun Night Before Christmas

Why Iceland Should Be in the News, But Is Not [via Nina Reznick]

by: Deena Stryker, The South Africa Civil Society Information Service | News Analysis

(Photo: Páll Hilmarsson / Flickr)

An Italian radio program's story about Iceland’s on-going revolution is a stunning example of how little our media tells us about the rest of the world. Americans may remember that at the start of the 2008 financial crisis, Iceland literally went bankrupt. The reasons were mentioned only in passing, and since then, this little-known member of the European Union fell back into oblivion.

As one European country after another fails or risks failing, imperiling the Euro, with repercussions for the entire world, the last thing the powers that be want is for Iceland to become an example. Here's why:

Five years of a pure neo-liberal regime had made Iceland, (population 320 thousand, no army), one of the richest countries in the world. In 2003 all the country’s banks were privatized, and in an effort to attract foreign investors, they offered on-line banking whose minimal costs allowed them to offer relatively high rates of return. The accounts, called IceSave, attracted many English and Dutch small investors. But as investments grew, so did the banks’ foreign debt. In 2003 Iceland’s debt was equal to 200 times its GNP, but in 2007, it was 900 percent. The 2008 world financial crisis was the coup de grace. The three main Icelandic banks, Landbanki, Kapthing and Glitnir, went belly up and were nationalized, while the Kroner lost 85% of its value with respect to the Euro. At the end of the year Iceland declared bankruptcy.

Contrary to what could be expected, the crisis resulted in Icelanders recovering their sovereign rights, through a process of direct participatory democracy that eventually led to a new Constitution. But only after much pain.

Geir Haarde, the Prime Minister of a Social Democratic coalition government, negotiated a two million one hundred thousand dollar loan, to which the Nordic countries added another two and a half million. But the foreign financial community pressured Iceland to impose drastic measures. The FMI and the European Union wanted to take over its debt, claiming this was the only way for the country to pay back Holland and Great Britain, who had promised to reimburse their citizens.

Protests and riots continued, eventually forcing the government to resign. Elections were brought forward to April 2009, resulting in a left-wing coalition which condemned the neoliberal economic system, but immediately gave in to its demands that Iceland pay off a total of three and a half million Euros. This required each Icelandic citizen to pay 100 Euros a month (or about $130) for fifteen years, at 5.5% interest, to pay off a debt incurred by private parties vis a vis other private parties. It was the straw that broke the reindeer’s back.

What happened next was extraordinary. The belief that citizens had to pay for the mistakes of a financial monopoly, that an entire nation must be taxed to pay off private debts was shattered, transforming the relationship between citizens and their political institutions and eventually driving Iceland’s leaders to the side of their constituents. The Head of State, Olafur Ragnar Grimsson, refused to ratify the law that would have made Iceland’s citizens responsible for its bankers’ debts, and accepted calls for a referendum.

Of course the international community only increased the pressure on Iceland. Great Britain and Holland threatened dire reprisals that would isolate the country. As Icelanders went to vote, foreign bankers threatened to block any aid from the IMF. The British government threatened to freeze Icelander savings and checking accounts. As Grimsson said: “We were told that if we refused the international community’s conditions, we would become the Cuba of the North. But if we had accepted, we would have become the Haiti of the North.” (How many times have I written that when Cubans see the dire state of their neighbor, Haiti, they count themselves lucky.)

In the March 2010 referendum, 93% voted against repayment of the debt. The IMF immediately froze its loan. But the revolution (though not televised in the United States), would not be intimidated. With the support of a furious citizenry, the government launched civil and penal investigations into those responsible for the financial crisis. Interpol put out an international arrest warrant for the ex-president of Kaupthing, Sigurdur Einarsson, as the other bankers implicated in the crash fled the country.

But Icelanders didn't stop there: they decided to draft a new constitution that would free the country from the exaggerated power of international finance and virtual money. (The one in use had been written when Iceland gained its independence from Denmark, in 1918, the only difference with the Danish constitution being that the word ‘president’ replaced the word ‘king’.)

To write the new constitution, the people of Iceland elected twenty-five citizens from among 522 adults not belonging to any political party but recommended by at least thirty citizens. This document was not the work of a handful of politicians, but was written on the internet. The constituent’s meetings are streamed on-line, and citizens can send their comments and suggestions, witnessing the document as it takes shape. The constitution that eventually emerges from this participatory democratic process will be submitted to parliament for approval after the next elections.

Some readers will remember that Iceland’s ninth century agrarian collapse was featured in Jared Diamond’s book by the same name. Today, that country is recovering from its financial collapse in ways just the opposite of those generally considered unavoidable, as confirmed yesterday by the new head of the IMF, Christine Lagarde to Fareed Zakaria. The people of Greece have been told that the privatization of their public sector is the only solution. And those of Italy, Spain and Portugal are facing the same threat.

They should look to Iceland. Refusing to bow to foreign interests, that small country stated loud and clear that the people are sovereign.

That’s why it is not in the news anymore.

[via Nina Reznick]

New drug could cure nearly any viral infection
Researchers at MIT’s Lincoln Lab have developed technology that may someday cure the common cold, influenza and other ailments.

Anne Trafton, MIT News Office


Most bacterial infections can be treated with antibiotics such as penicillin, discovered decades ago. However, such drugs are useless against viral infections, including influenza, the common cold, and deadly hemorrhagic fevers such as Ebola.

Now, in a development that could transform how viral infections are treated, a team of researchers at MIT’s Lincoln Laboratory has designed a drug that can identify cells that have been infected by any type of virus, then kill those cells to terminate the infection.



The microscope images above show that DRACO successfully treats viral infections. In the left set of four photos, rhinovirus (the common cold virus) kills untreated human cells (lower left), whereas DRACO has no toxicity in uninfected cells (upper right) and cures an infected cell population (lower right). Similarly, in the right set of four photos, dengue hemorrhagic fever virus kills untreated monkey cells (lower left), whereas DRACO has no toxicity in uninfected cells (upper right) and cures an infected cell population (lower right). |



In a paper published July 27 in the journal PLoS One, the researchers tested their drug against 15 viruses, and found it was effective against all of them — including rhinoviruses that cause the common cold, H1N1 influenza, a stomach virus, a polio virus, dengue fever and several other types of hemorrhagic fever.

The drug works by targeting a type of RNA produced only in cells that have been infected by viruses. “In theory, it should work against all viruses,” says Todd Rider, a senior staff scientist in Lincoln Laboratory’s Chemical, Biological, and Nanoscale Technologies Group who invented the new technology.

Because the technology is so broad-spectrum, it could potentially also be used to combat outbreaks of new viruses, such as the 2003 SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) outbreak, Rider says. Other members of the research team are Lincoln Lab staff members Scott Wick, Christina Zook, Tara Boettcher, Jennifer Pancoast and Benjamin Zusman.

Read More

Thinking of our Louisiana roots and some great card-playing memories. [via Laurie Atchity]

Bourré (Booray)

Introduction

This gambling game is popular in Louisiana, USA. Although it is a trick-taking game unrelated to Poker, it has become known to Poker players in North America as an alternative choice in home Poker games. The game is of French origin. It is a descendant of Bourre, a three-card game which was popular in southwest France in the early 20th century, which was probably descended in turn from the Spanish game Burro ("donkey"). In the French game a player who plays and takes no tricks is said to be "bourré", and it is this term that gives its name to the Louisiana gameBourré, which is sometimes spelled with just one 'r': (bouré). Sometimes this is altered to "bourre" or "boure" by American writers unfamiliar with French accents, and often it is written "booray" or "boo-ray" which in American spelling approximates the French pronunciation of bourré.

The information on this page relies heavily on the book Bouré by Roy J Nickens (Baton Rouge, 1972) as well as correspondence from John May, Brad Duhon, Victoria Diemer and others.

Players and Cards

The game is best for seven players. In theory any number from two to eight can play, but with fewer than about five players the game becomes less interesting.

A standard international 52-card pack without jokers is used. The cards of each suit rank from high to low: A-K-Q-J-10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2.

Ante and Deal

Before the first deal each player must contribute an ante of one chip to the pot. Before subsequent deals, certain players may not have to pay an ante, depending on the result of the previous hand - see below.

Any player who wishes to may shuffle and the dealer has the right to shuffle last. The cards must then be cut by the player to dealer's right.

The dealer deals out the cards one at a time, starting with the player to dealer's left and continuing clockwise until each player has five cards. Cards are dealt face down, except for the dealer's fifth and last card, which is dealt face up. The suit of this card indicates the trump suit.

The turn to deal passes to the left after each hand.

Draw or Pass

Players pick up their cards and look at them, but may not show their cards to anyone else.

Beginning with the player to dealer's left, each player in clockwise order must declare whether he or she will pass or play, and if playing, how many cards he or she wishes to discard.

If you pass, you stack your cards face down in front of you.and take no further part in the play of the hand. You can no longer win the pot on that deal, nor can you lose any additional chips.

If you play, you may discard some of your cards face down, announcing how many you are discarding. The dealer then deals you an equal number of replacement cards from the undealt part of the deck. You may discard your whole hand of five cards if you wish to, or if you are happy with your original cards you may stand pat and play with the hand you were dealt, discarding nothing.

It may happen, especially in an eight-player game, that the dealer runs out of cards to deal before all the players who wish to play have been served with replacements for their discards. In that case the dealer gathers up all the discarded cards and passed hands from the players who have already acted (but not the discards of the player who is currently being served). These cards are shuffled and cut and used to continue dealing cards to replace any remaining discards.

If the turned up trump card is an ace, the dealer must play. There is no risk in doing so since the ace of trumps always wins a trick.

If only one player elects to play, all the others passing, the lone player is deemed to have won all five tricks by default, and this player therefore collects the whole pot without playing out any cards. If all players other than the dealer pass, the dealer should of course play and collect the pot.

You should be careful not to make any premature announcement or gesture indicating whether you intend to play or pass or how many cards you might discard, before it is your turn to act. The penalty is to forfeit your next turn to deal.

The Play

The player to dealer's left, or if this player has passed, the next player in clockwise rotation who is playing, leads to the first trick. Thereafter the winner of each trick leads to the next.

A card is led by placing it face up in the centre of the table. Each of the other active players (those who have not passed) in clockwise order must also play a card face up in the centre. When all have played a card, the trick is complete. It is won by whoever played the highest card of the trump suit, or if no trump was played, by whoever played the highest card of the suit that was led.

The play of the cards is governed by strict rules.

1. Players must always "follow suit" if able to - that is, all but the first to play to a trick must play a card of the same suit as the card that was led.
2. Any player who is unable to follow suit, having no card of the suit that was led, must play a trump if able to.
3. Subject to the requirement to follow suit, each player must play a card that beats the highest card so far played to the trick if possible.

A player who is unable to beat the highest card played to the trick, is still forced to follow suit if possible, and otherwise to trump. If the trick has already been trumped, and you are unable to follow suit, you must overtrump if possible, but if your trumps are not high enough to overtrump, you must still play a trump.

However, if you are unable to beat the highest card in the trick, you are under no obligation to play a high card, provided that you obey the rules of following suit or trumping. Example: spades are trumps and the queen of diamonds is led. The second player trumps with the four of spades. Playing third, you hold the ace and six of diamonds and some spades. You have diamonds so you are not allowed to trump, and therefore cannot win the trick. You can and should play your six of diamonds, not the ace. If the second player had played a diamond, you would have been obliged to play the ace of diamonds, to beat the queen.

A player who has no card of the suit led and has no trumps either can play any card, but of course cannot win the trick.

If the dealer is playing, the dealer's card that was dealt face up to determine the trump suit counts as belonging to the dealer's hand (except in the very unusual case that the dealer chose to discard it) and is played in accordance with the rules of play above.

A player who has three sure tricks irrespective of how the cards are played, and is therefore certain to win the pot, is said to have a cinch. In this case there are additional restrictions.

• If you have a cinch and it is your turn to lead, you must lead your highest trump.
• If you have a cinch and are playing on a trick to which another player led, and you are able to play a trump to the trick, you must play your highest trump.
• If you have a cinch and are playing last to a trick, there are no special restrictions - you must simply win the trick if you can, subject to the usual restrictions of following suit and trumping.

Note that your hand can be a cinch at the start of the play if you have a trump holding such as A-K-Q or K-Q-10-9-8. It can become a cinch later, for example if after winning a trick you have two sure trump tricks. Also, if you win the first three tricks, the cinch rules apply since you are sure to take the pot, and you must lead a trump to the fourth trick if you have one.

When you are required to play your "highest" trump because your hand is a cinch, the play of an adjacent trump - such as the King from Ace-King or the Jack from King-Jack when the Queen has already been played - is acceptable.

Payments

The player who wins most tricks takes the whole pot. To win the pot it is necessary to win more tricks than any other single player. Three tricks are always sufficient. The pot can be won with two tricks if three other players take one trick each.

If there is a tie for most tricks (when the tricks divide 2-2-1, and in the rare case of five players taking one trick each) no one takes the pot. This is known as a "split pot" but the pot is not shared out - it remains for the next deal and the new antes and any penalties are added to it.

Anyone who plays and takes no trick is said to have gone "bourré". These players must pay an amount equal to the whole contents of the pot. This payment forms part of the pot for the next deal.

A player who goes bourré does not have to place the normal one chip ante for the next deal. Also, if the pot is split, the players who tied for most tricks do not post an ante for the next deal. All remaining players pay one chip ante as usual.

In the following example the seven players are A, B, C, D, E, F and G.

Deal 1: All seven players ante so there are 7 chips in the pot. B, C, E and G play; the others pass. E wins 3 tricks, B and G win one each and C is bourré. E takes the 7 chips from the pot. C must pay 7 chips to the next pot. All players must ante for the next deal except for C. Therefore the pot now contains 13 chips.

Deal 2: With 13 chips in the pot, A, B, E and F play. The others pass. A and F take 2 tricks each, B takes one and E none. This is a spilt pot between A and F, so no one wins it. E has to add 13 chips to the pot, and B, C, D and G each ante one chip for the next deal, so the pot now contains 30 chips.

Deal 3: Only C, D and E play, and D wins all five tricks. D takes the 30 chips from the pot and C and E must each pay 30 chips to the next pot. In addition everyone C and E must pay an ante for the next deal, and the pot now contains 65 chips.

It should be clear from this example that the pot can sometimes build rather quickly, especially if more than one player is bourré or there is a split pot. For thisa reason the game is sometimes played with a limit. For example if the limit is 20 chips, then when the pot contains more than 20 chips, a player who wins takes only 20 chips from the pot, and a player who is bourré pays only 20 chips.

Any play that is not in accordance with the rules of play - such as failure to follow suit, failure to trump or failure to beat the highest card in the trick when able, is known as a renege. If the renege is not corrected before the next player plays a card, the penalty is to pay an amount equal to the size of the pot, exactly as though the player had gone bourré.

However, if having reneged you realise your error before the next player plays, you are allowed to recall your card and substitute a correct card. In this case you forfeit the right to win the pot, even if you take most tricks, and you forfeit your next turn to deal, but you do not have to match the pot (unless you win no tricks).

Variations

Double Ante

In this variation, all players pay an ante of one chip before the deal, and in addition, any player who decides to play must pay an additional chip to the pot. Those who pass do not pay this second ante - they just lose their first ante and forgo their chance to win the pot in this deal.

In the double ante game, it is normal to require an initial ante from all players, including those who paid for a bourré or were involved in a split pot on the previous deal.

Some play that the decisions whether or not to play and how many cards to draw are separated into two separate rounds. First each player in turn declares either "play" (paying a second ante of one chip) or "pass". After everyone has declared, there is a second round in which those who decided to play discard cards if they wish and are dealt replacements.

Separate Trump Card

Some play that five cards are dealt face down to each player, and then an extra card is dealt face up to determine the trump suit. There are two forms of this variation.

1. The turned up trump belongs to no one. It indocates the trump suit but cannot be taken or played by any player.
2. The turned up trump can be taken by the dealer if he or she decides to play. The dealer effectively has six cards; if for example the dealer discards four cards and elects to use the tuirned up trump, three replacement cards will be dealt to make up the dealer's five-card hand.

Simultaneous Declaration

Some play that instead of declaring in rotation, all players decide independently whether they will play or pass. Those who want to play hold a chip in their closed fist; those who pass hold an empty fist. All reveal their decisions simultaneously and then those who decided to play discard in rotation as ussual.

I suspect that this variation is not traditional in Louisiana, but was adopted by poker players, who use a similar method for declaring high or low in some hi-lo games.

Four card Bourré

Victoria Diemer reports that in Indiana, Bourré is played with just four cards dealt to each player, with a separate card that belongs to no one indicating the trump suit. Players must have at least one trump or at least one club (a "dirty club") to play, which costs one chip. After players have decided whether to stay, up to 3 cards can be discarded, but not all four. After the draw, players have another chance to pass; those who want to play must pay an additional chip. As usual the player who takes most chips wins the pot, and if there is a tie the pot is carried over to the next deal. Anyone who takes no tricks must match the pot for the next deal. The penalty for a renege is twice the pot.

Other Bourré Web Sites

Another description of Bourré is available on Wikipedia.

Rules of a simplified version of Boo-Ray can be found in Peter Sarrett's Game Report site, although in fact it is a trick taking game, unrelated to Poker.

TIME Magazine's Person of the Year: The Protester [via Nina Reznick]

The Protester   

By Kurt Andersen 

"Mohamed suffered a lot. He worked hard. But when he set fire to himself, it wasn't about his scales being confiscated. It was about his dignity."
—Mannoubia Bouazizi, Tunisia

Photograph by Peter Hapak for TIME

Once upon a time, when major news events were chronicled strictly by professionals and printed on paper or transmitted through the air by the few for the masses, protesters were prime makers of history. Back then, when citizen multitudes took to the streets without weapons to declare themselves opposed, it was the very definition of news — vivid, important, often consequential. In the 1960s in America they marched for civil rights and against the Vietnam War; in the '70s, they rose up in Iran and Portugal; in the '80s, they spoke out against nuclear weapons in the U.S. and Europe, against Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza, against communist tyranny in Tiananmen Square and Eastern Europe. Protest was the natural continuation of politics by other means.

And then came the End of History, summed up by Francis Fukuyama's influential 1989 essay declaring that mankind had arrived at the "end point of ... ideological evolution" in globally triumphant "Western liberalism." The two decades beginning in 1991 witnessed the greatest rise in living standards that the world has ever known. Credit was easy, complacency and apathy were rife, and street protests looked like pointless emotional sideshows — obsolete, quaint, the equivalent of cavalry to mid-20th-century war. The rare large demonstrations in the rich world seemed ineffectual and irrelevant. (See the Battle of Seattle, 1999.) 

There were a few exceptions, like the protests that, along with sanctions, helped end apartheid in South Africa in 1994. But for young people, radical critiques and protests against the system were mostly confined to pop-culture fantasy: "Fight the Power" was a song on a platinum-selling album, Rage Against the Machine was a platinum-selling band, and the beloved brave rebels fighting the all-encompassing global oppressors were just a bunch of characters in The Matrix. (See pictures of protesters around the world.)

"Massive and effective street protest" was a global oxymoron until — suddenly, shockingly — starting exactly a year ago, it became the defining trope of our times. And the protester once again became a maker of history. 

Read More

SKIN CONTROL [via Nina Reznick]

Breakthrough: Electronic circuits that are integrated with your skin

By Robert T. Gonzalez

A team of engineers today announced a discovery that could change the world of electronics forever. Called an "epidermal electronic system" (EES), it's basically an electronic circuit mounted on your skin, designed to stretch, flex, and twist — and to take input from the movements of your body.

EES is a leap forward for wearable technologies, and has potential applications ranging from medical diagnostics to video game control and accelerated wound-healing. Engineers John Rogers and Todd Coleman, who worked on the discovery, tell io9 it's a huge step towards erasing the divide that separates machine and human.

Coleman and Rogers say they developed EES to forego the hard and rigid electronic "wafer" format of traditional electronics in favor of a softer, more dynamic platform.

To accomplish this, their team brought together scientists from several labs to develop "filamentary serpentine" (threadlike and squiggly) circuitry. When this circuitry is mounted on a thin, rubber substrate with elastic properties similar to skin, the result is a flexible patch that can bend and twist, or expand and contract, all without affecting electronic performance.

This video demonstrates the resilience of the EES patch, and how easily it can be applied. The patch (comprised of the circuitry and rubber substrate) is first mounted on a thin sheet of water-soluble plastic, then applied to the skin with water like a temporary tattoo.

All images courtesy of John Rogers

READ MORE

TOO CORNY TO MISS PORCUPINE WON'T SHARE CORN ON THE COB [via Nina Reznick]

The Three Little Pigs

A teacher was reading the story of the Three Little Pigs to her class.

She came to the part of the story where first pig was trying to gather the building materials for his home.

She read. 'And so the pig went up to the man with the wheelbarrow full of straw and said: 'Pardon me sir, but may I have some of that straw to build my house?'

The teacher paused then asked the class: 'And what do you think the man said?'

One little boy raised his hand and said very matter-of-factly...

'I think the man would have said - 'Well, F#ck me!! A talking pig!'

The teacher had to leave the room.

Yoga Gives Back's First Global Calendar designed by Jonathan Mills!

Yoga Gives Back's first global calendar is now for sale here  http://www.yogagivesback.org/calendar.php.

Yoga Gives Back's first global calendar is created to appreciate and celebrate YGB's global yoga community, with photos from our first successful global fundraiser "Thank You Mother India" that involved over 750 people in 10 countries, as well as other events throughout the world. Each month also features portraits of women and girls from our partner organizations in India, where YGB sends funds directly.

You can support Yoga Gives Back's mission by purchasing this global calendar. We can make a difference if we work together.

Lots of great photos from "Thank You Mother India" events in 10 countries and more!!

Tom's work for homeless Dec 15-18

Welcome to the online home of The Giving Spirit, a tax exempt, Los Angeles-based non-profit organization helping and administering aid to the homeless community through direct volunteer interaction.

Have a heart. Lend a hand. Please sign up for our 13th Annual Holiday Reach-Out Event Thursday to Sunday, December 15th, 16th, 17th and 18th!

To register online CLICK HERE.

We’re banding together to assemble survival kits. We’re distributing them to our homeless neighbors throughout the community. And we simply can’t do it without your help!

To learn more, read our FAQs.

Don’t miss this chance to put your heart into action. Register today and make a life-changing difference!

Please visit our blog and join our community on Facebook to read more about our work and stay updated on our latest activities.  To see a time lapse video of the TGS volunteers in action, click here.

The Giving Spirit - What We Do