HC Deb 28 June 1861 vol 164 cc46-61 46
§ Order for Committee (Supply) read;roceedings of a society advertised as the Garibaldi Fund for the Unity of Italy, which was presided over by the hon. Member for the Ayr District of Burghs, while other Members of the House were on the committee of management. He intended no disrespect to the Members of the House whose names he should have to mention, 47 nor did he desire to excite any angry discussion upon the affairs of Italy. The position of affairs in that country was much too critical for any hon. Member to desire to excite any great difference of opinion upon the subject, and it was on that account that he must protest against the conduct of certain hon. Members of that House in associating themselves with committees such as that to which he should have to refer. As to mere opinions upon foreign affairs, he might hold to old traditions and old monarchies, while other hon. Members of a more speculative turn of mind might prefer new alliances and young republics; but he trusted that the course which had been adopted by the committee, the conduct of which he was about to call in question, would meet with the reprobad recently on one or two occasions spoken of Austria in terms which were much more likely to be beneficial to this country than those which he adopted in the early part of last year. The advertisement of the committee to which he referred, and which appeared in the columns of The Times, was as follows:— Garibaldi Fund for the Unity of Italy.—Committee:—E. H. J. Craufurd, Esq., M.P., chairman; W. Coningham, Esq., M.P.; J. Stansfeld, Esq., M.P.; J. White, Esq., M.P.; Gore Langton, Esq., M.P.; P.A. Taylor, Esq.; W. Austin, Esq.; W. J. Linton, Esq.; Frederick Lawrence, Esq.; W. H. Ashurst, Esq., treasurer; and J. Sale Barker, Esq., hon. sec. It would go abroad that such a committee as that existed, and that Members of that House were members of it, and how prejudicial must that be to the interests of England in foreign countries! What were the objects of the Committee? The advertisement said— The emancipation of Italy has yet to be accomplished. One step towards it was made by the annexation of Tuscany and the Æmilia to Piedmont. The expulsion of the Bourbons from Naples and the extension of the Constitutional Government of Victor Emmanuel to Southern Italy, formed the second step. It yet remains to free Venetia and install the Italian Government at Rome. To promote this end the above committee has been formed at the desire of Garibaldi, and will act in concert with the Central Italian Committee at Genoa. Its object is to collect funds, and, in Garibaldi's own words, 'to take whatever steps may seem advantageous for vindicating to the British people the aims of the Italian patriots, and otherwise promoting the interests and independence of Italy.' ["Hear, hear!"] Hon. Gentlemen cheered that sentiment, and they had a perfect 48 right to hold that opinion as to what might be for the interests of Italy; but what he protested against was that a committee composed of these gentlemen should raise subscriptions to be sent to a country with which we were in strict alliance, in order to rob it of part of its territory. Last year the subject of another Garibaldi Committee was brought before the House by his hon. Friend the Member for the King's County (Mr. Hennessy); and he would prove, from the observations which were then made by the Solicitor General and the late Attorney General, that at any rate this committee must be considered illegal. The hon. and learned Solicitor General said— I do not deny that in the case of a foreign loan attempted to be raised here for the purpose of fomenting revolution in a foreign country in amity with us, the Court of Common Pleas, in an action on the contract, has held that the contract could not be enforced, being tainted with the character of illegality."—[3 Hansard, clviii. 1376.] That was a case in point; a fund was being raised for the purpose of exciting revolution in a foreign country with which we were in alliance. The late Attorney General (now the Lord Chancellor) spoke more strongly. He said— I quite agree, therefore, that according to the common law of England any subjects of the Queen who, either directly or indirectly, may supply money in aid of the revolt of subjects of any nation or Power with whom we are in alliance commit an offence at common law. …. An hon. Gentleman has said that the committee formed for the collection of subscriptions is open to an indictment for conspiracy. I must, however, observe that, according to the papers, almost the whole of that committee is constituted of foreigners. Now, I do not mean to say that the principle of the law does not extend its prohibition to all persons who are permanently resident in this kingdom, and who owe allegiance to, as they receive protection from, the Crown, but I do not believe that principle has ever been established upon authority."—[3 Hansard, clviii. 1381–1383.] It was evidently the opinion of Her Majesty's late Attorney General that the committee then complained of was only not illegal because it was composed of foreigners, but that a committee of Englishmen would have been decidedly illegal. How much stronger was the case when the committee was composed of Members of the House? He would not for a moment go into a discussion of the merits or demerits of the King of Naples or those of the Papal Government. All he desired wascarried out honestly and fairly. He simply said that we had no right to 49 interfere at all in the matter. Suppose a subscription was being raised to restore to their country the Princes of the House of Orleans—a family which had endeared themselves to the people of England by the nobility of their character and their benevolence — would not representations be made by the French Government, and would they not be attended to by that of England? But then it would be said the Government of France was a powerful Government, and one with which we could not trifle. Again, suppose the members of the French Senate formed themselves into a committee to collect money to revolutionize Ireland or the Ionian Islands, would not the English Government insist upon such a committee being broken up? Let them act on the Continent upon the principles of justice, and adhere strictly to a policy of non-intervention. More especially was that necessary now, for what had been the state of Italy since the death of Count Cavour? They read in The Times the other day that twenty-three men had been shot at Syracuse, that two villages had been burnt by the Piedmontese, that all the inhabitants had been deported, and that five had been shot. Outbreaks were occurring in every part of Italy. The present state of things was at once the eulogy and the condemnation of Count Cavour. It was the eulogy of his abilities as a Minister because he, and he alone, with the aid of Garibaldi, produced the revolution in Italy. It was his condemnation, because every Italian paper now stated that no dependence could be placed on the stability of affairs in Italy. With respect to Sardinia, what had they to trust to? Hon. Gentlemen thought that they had the support of The Times, the most influential paper in this country; but, although that journal was now favourable to what was called Italian unity, it on the 2nd of March last thus described the conduct of Sardinia during the last two years— An able publicist may convict Sardinia of a gross violation of Vattel or even of higher authorities. Sardinia entered into a war against Russia, not being a party to the Treaties respecting the Porte. Sardinia provoked Austria deliberately, and Austria fell into the trap laid by her enemy. Sardinia took advantage of the popular commotion to annex Tuscany and the Legations, although the Grand Duke and the Pope had taken no part in the war of 1859. Sardinia invaded the Papal States without a declaration of war and under a shallow pretext. Sardinia connived at the expedition of Garibaldi, and reaped the fruits of his daring enterprise. Sardinia is pro- 50 bably now meditating how she can reduce the most ancient Sovereignty in Europe to a name, and annex the city of Rome to her rapidly extending dominions. Finally, she threatens an attack on an empire with which she made a solemn peace less than two years ago, and does not conceal her desire to wrest the Province of Venice from its legitimate master. Every hon. Gentleman had a right to sympathize, if he chose, with the desire for what he (Mr. Cochrane) considered an impossibility—a united Italy; but with regard to a nation so important to this country, as the noble Lord had declared Austria to be, with whom we were so perfectly in accord as to wishes and objects that an eminent man remarked that the battles of Solferino and Magenta were as fatal to us as if fought on the soil of Sussex or Kent, he protested against any steps being taken to disturb what slight chance of repose existed in Northern Italy. The noble Lord's despatch to Sir James Hudson, written on the 21st of March, exhibited an admirable spirit. The noble Lord said— The obligations of the various States of Europe towards each other, the validity of the treaties which fix the territorial circumscription of each State, and the duty of acting in a friendly manner towards all its neighbours with whom it is not at war—these are the general ties which bind the nations of Europe together, and which prevent the suspicion, distrust, and discord that might otherwise deprive peace of all that makes it happy and secure. It is not without a purpose that I have made these general observations. My despatch of the 31st of August last need not here be repeated, but the sentiments there expressed continue to animate Her Majesty's Government. After the troubles of the last few years Europe has a right to expect that the Italian Kingdom shall not be a new source of dissension and alarm. Those were excellent sentiments. But, on the one hand, while Europe entertained expectations with regard to the Italian Kingdom, Italy had a right to require that those occupying high places in this country should not conspire to raise war against a country with which we were in strict allianceThe existence of any Society, formed for the purpose of raising funds to assist a revolutionary party in any Country with which we are in strict alliance, is —instead thereof.
It is hardly 51 necessary for me to answer the hon. Gentleman at any length. I thought some person who was more directly aimed at by the hon. Gentleman would have risen to speak with regard to this Garibaldi Fund. So far from being a revolutionary association, I believe the Purpose for which the Garibaldi Fund was set on foot was to support the Italian Government. I cannot say that I approve of it, or that I think it desirable to maintain that society, but I really do not think it is a matter which requires the attention of the House at all.
I really know so little about the society that I am unable to answer the noble Lord's question.
said, he thought inquiry perfectly unnecessary, as the Italian Kingdom had now been recognized.
said, he could not agree with the hon. Member, and he wished to point out one inconvenience which resulted to Englishmen from this direct violation of good faith, and the principle of non-intervention. The habit of foreign travel is known to be much improving, and to be most popular in this country. Many English families are in the habit of visiting the Austrian dominions, heretofore they had always been received with great courtesy and kindness, and were looked upon as friends and allies. But a great change has lately taken place. Since the establishment of societies, such as this one, headed by the five gentlemen already named, and since English travellers and writers have declared themselves to be such warm partisans of the enemies of Austria, and so openly express opinions antagonistic to the Austrian Government, and completely subversive of the existing state of things, they have ceased to be regarded as citizens of a friendly state. Recently an English gentleman and his family were exposed to great inconvenience. What was the history of the case? They wanted to proceed to a part of Austria little visited by travellers from the Kingdom of Sardinia, and, their baggage being subjected to a very close search, there were found 52 among it some photographs of Garibaldi. [Laughter.] Hon. Members might laugh, but it was really no joking matter for English travellers, as this party found—for they were immediately surrounded by police and treated with the greatest harshness. He believed they owed all this discomfort to the hon. Gentleman and his four colleagues; for the subscriptions to the Garibaldi Fund were for the avowed purpose of creating civil war; and this English family having been led by their natural admiration for a very remarkable individual to possess themselves of his likeness, were exposed to the suspicion of being agents of this improper and revolutionary society. He believed hon. Gentlemen who had become supporters of this society were merely actuated by a desire to see their names figuring in the public papers with that of a great man; and if any of them regarded the matter in any more serious light he would ask, did they believe they were going to take the Quadrilateral? The noble Lord at the head of the Foreign Office must surely feel that existence of such a society was contrary to his own sense of good faith and honourable English feeling, and he trusted that he would take steps to put an end to such a nuisance.
said, he felt it difficult to express in Parliamentary language his opinion of the answer which had been given by noble Lord. Could he mean to tell the House as a gentleman that he believed the only object of this society was to maintain the status quo in what was now called the Kingdom of Italy? A great many things were publicly said under the guise of debating dexterity which he would pay the noble Lord the compliment of declaring that he would shrink form averring in private. The character of the society was stamped by the name which he bore—that of Garibaldi—the most aggressive man in the world. What danger threatened the Kingdom of Italy that it could be said this was merely a defensive organization? The noble Lord, surely, had not heard the advertisement, which stated distinctly, "It yet remains to free Venetia and to instal the Italian Government at Rome". If that did not mean aggression against the Emperor of Austria and the Pope there was no meaning in the English Language. If the noble Lord heard the terms of the advertisement, he was still more astonished at the reply which he had ventured to give. We were 53 at peace with the Courts both of Austria and Rome. It was true the Queen had no regular representative at Rome, but there was a diplomatic agent, a near relative of the noble Lord, who resided on the spot, and practically there could be no doubt that the Pope was recognized as the lawful Sovereign of his dominions. The Emperor of Austria had a representative in London, and we had one in Vienna. Now, he maintained, without fear of contradiction by the hon. and learned Solicitor General, that any person within these realms, whether actually subjects of the Queen, or but temporarily resident beneath her sway, who levied money for the purposes of aggression against any Sovereign at peace with the Crown of England was guilty of an offence against the law of England. He would not go into the question of the state of Italy, for he hoped before the Session closed they should have an opportunity of discussing fully and fairly the important events which had taken place in that country; but he must observe that the noble Lord, when he detailed what he believed to be the state of things in the Kingdom of Naples, spoke doubtless what he believed, though it was the reverse of fact. To prove what he said he would quote an authority hostile to the Bourbons and the King of Naples, and friendly to the Revolutionary party; and he would ask the noble Lord whether in the letters of The Times' correspondent, who wrote in the strongest manner, not only as a partisan but almost as an advocate, proofs of the grossest oppression were not visible showing that Naples had been treated as a conquered country? It was perfectly untrue that the Piedmontese came as deliverers and were welcomed as such; everything which had transpired proved such a statement to be utterly false. They came there by false pretences, by treason, and corruption, and they kept down the people since their arrival by the rigour of military discipline and by the cruelty of military executions. They knew from the accounts sent home by The Times' correspondent, that there was anarchy in Naples and Sicily, and that in those countries there was no law at all. The loyal subjects of the King of Naples who endeavoured to maintain their rights were called "brigands;" but call them what they might, there was no doubt that the people were opposed to the Piedmontese, and that the latter had shot scores—hundreds of men for no crime but loyalty. It 54 was equally certain that the prisons were full. One viceroy after another had been sent from Turin to keep the peace in those countries, and yet there was no safety for life or property. That was the liberty which the noble Lord's friends had brought to the people of Southern Italy; that was the freedom which that people were forced to accept by the bullet and the bayonet. That the votes for annexation were mere folly and delusion was perfectly well known. The noble Lord was aware of it. He knew that they were worth as much as, and not more than, the votes received for the annexation of Nice and Savoy. Everything which had happened since the annexation itself showed how worthless was that ceremony of taking votes, and that the votes themselves did not express the feelings of the people. All that had occurred since showed that the people desired the return of the Sovereign, and they would yet see his return. The people were at present very cruelly treated; and, therefore, his observations bore directly on the Motion of his hon. Friend, because they went to show that if hon. Gentlemen to whom the Motion alluded were banded together for the purpose of aiding in the further conquest of Italy by the Piedmontese, they were banded together to extend the same system of cruelty, dishonesty, and revolutionary aggression which now prevailed in what was called the Kingdom of Italy, in Sicily, and Naples. The state of things now existing in the South of Italy could not last, and ought not to last. It was impossible to know anything of what was going on in that part of Europe without feeling that it could not last.
said, that with sincerity he could say that he was as ignorant as his noble Friend had professed himself to be of the organization, combination, and objects of the society to which particular reference had been made; but he must observe that the proposition contained in the Motion before the House was not directed in form, and ought not to be regarded as directed, against the particular society to which the hon. Member for Honiton had thought fit to call the attention of the House. It was what might be called an abstract proposition of international law, and it was to this effect—that the formation of any society established for the purpose of raising funds to assist any revolutionary party in any country with which Great Britain was in strict 55 alliance waHe ventured most humbly to express his opinion that it would be a mistake of the House to discuss that abstract question, and that it would be a still more grievous mistake for them to arrive at any such conclusion as that to which the hon. Gentleman invited them. The discussion of such a question could not possibly be attended with any good results, while it might be productive of the greatest mischief. By passing a Resolution to the effect suggested they would be simply and spontaneously giving a handle against themselves to foreign Governments. It was not the function of the House of Commons to be debating or deciding abstract propositions of law of any kind. There was much more useful business to which the House could apply themselves at the present moment; and whatever opinion he might entertain he would not be drawn into an expression of opinion on that abstract proposition.
observed that the hon. and learned Gentleman, however, unwilling he now appeared to be to vindicate English law, was certainly drawn into an expression of opinion on the subject last Session. The Solicitor General then told them what his opinion was; and when he (Mr. Hennessy) ventured to question the judgment of the hon. and learned Gentleman, every lawyer who took a part in the debate coincided with him in the opinion that the hon. and learned Gentleman had not pronounced what the law of England was on this important subject. Seeing that, for his part, he could not bow to the decision of the hon. and learned Gentleman, that this was not the time to discuss a question of this importance. He thought it was a fitting time; for they had had hon. Members of that House, they had had Ministers on the Treasury bench, upholding the doctrine that they might wage war against a State with which the Sovereign of Great Britain was in amity, and wage it in the most cowardly and underhand manner. That was a question of the deepest importance. He confidently stated again, as he had stated before, that the people of the South of Italy were in a state of siege—that martial law was in operation against them, and that the proceedings which had led to that unhappy position of affairs had been, to a great extent, promoted by the acts of this country. He thought it was of great importance to ascertain this— 56 whether the gentlemen who were subscribing money for Garibaldi were subscribing money to oppress the people of Southern Italy. He had on two or three occasions asked the noble Lord to give the House Whatever information he possessed about what was called the reactionary feeling of the people of Southern Italy. He certainly had not made a Motion; but he had asked the noble Lord for the papers on that subject, but he had not laid them on the table. It appeared to him that, on a matter of such grave importance, information ought not to be withheld by the Governe Government, they had been supplied with some by the correspondent of The Times, and he should quote a few passages from the letters of that gentleman, as they were the only authority they had in addition to the private letters which some hon. Members were in the habit of receiving. In quoting The Times correspondent he would be citing the authority of one who wrote in a spirit antagonistic to the ancient institutions of Italy, and in favour of the Piedmontese Policy. There were three particular stages of the revolution described in the correspondence to which he would ask the attention of the House. With reference to the popular feeling towards the King of Sardinia, The Times correspondent, under date November 23, used these observations, in speaking of his Majesty's entry into Naples— The unfortunate wretches cry out they are being invaded. This cry is eagerly taken up by the Tuscans and Lombards. Victor Emmanuel has not made that impression on the minds and hearts of the Neapolitans which might have been desired. …. It is a misfortune that it should be so in a man who presents himself in the new character of king of Italy. Alluding to the King's departure, the correspondent, in his letter of the 1st of December, remarked— The Renown and Hannibal fired a Royal salute to Victor Emmanuel. The bowsprit of the Admiral's vessel was manned. …. A few Neapolitans assembled in Santa Lucia to gaze, as it were, on a pretty sight. But there was no life, no enthusiasm. … They are still in their shrouds. …. A pretty danseuse, with a good ankle, would have driven them into fits. When a united Italy was proclaimed, and the People were told that for the first time they were free, how did they manifest their joy? In his letter of the 4th of June, the same correspondent stated— 57 The national fete is over, and were I an Italian, as, thank God, I am an Englishman, my blood would be at freezing point. This is strong language to use; but I get disgusted with the apathy and puerility, the impatience, and the egotism of the people, and long to seize them by the shoulders and shake them into some kind of life. …. Early in the morning the ships in the harbour were dressed. The forts and vessels of war fired salutes, in which the Exmouth joined, at midday, and the people were fairly in for their rejoicings. I went through the city to mark how far the counsel of the syndic to the inhabitants to hoist flags had been followed. Long rows of streets exhibited scarcely a banner. The Toledo had a fair sprinkling, and so had some of the side streets leading into the great artery. I remarked another fact, too, and it was that in private houses, with one or two exceptions, no preparations had been made for the illuminations, or, if any, just such as conventional usages appointed. The next extract which he would read to the House was one from a letter which had appeared in The Times within the last day or two. The House would recollect that it was not more than about six months since General Cialdini, when invading the country, proclaimed that he would shoot all who might be taken in arms fighting for their King. The Times' correspondent, however, in that day's paper (June 28), stated that the reactionary movements were increasing. He said— The reactionary disturbances—call them by whatever name you please—occastion much disquietude and increase in audacity.… . There are many here who affect to ignore or pooh-pooh them (though they admit their frequent occurrence) by saying that the bands are small and are always put down. Yet, however small they may be, they are found more or less in all directions; they increase and multiply, and show a general dissolution of society. … It was not long since the Piedmontese were repulsed in an action with these canaglia, and we have reports continually of the members of the National Guard being, shot, and lately a small detachment of them was massacred. …. Within the last few days the audacity of the bands has been shown within a few miles of the capital. In a discussion of this kind hon. Members may be reminded of an attempt at a subscription for the Italian cause, got up not in London but in Italy. How had that subscripton succeeded? He would refer hon. Members on this point to the same authority—The Times' correspondent—which ought to be regarded with so much veneration by hon. Gentlemen opposite— Dukes have put themselves down for 3s. 6d., Ministers (Piedmontese), at the most, for £1; and the vast majority of those whose voices were making the welkin ring with their sympathy and admiration of their brothers have not been ashamed to write themselves down for 4d., 6d., 8d.—aye, for the'feriti di Garibaldi.' The sum contributed cannot have been great. I cannot tell the gross amount; but I have published lists, and they 58 have been formed in the way I have described. I have no hesitation in saying that the foreigner has shown ten times the amount of substantial sympathy that the Neapolitans have shown. He met some English Garibaldian officers in Italy, and he heard one of them, an officer occupying a post of high authority, say that he was never more mistaken than he had been about the feeling of the people. He said that there was but one sentiment, indeed, among them, and that was detestation of the Piedmontese. Reference had been made to the presence of the British fleet; but when so much was said about the British policy of non-intervention, he must tell the House a story he heard, but for the precise accuracy of which he could not of course vouch, namely, that an aide-de-camp in the British Garibaldian's Legion, was in daily Communication with General Garibaldi on the one hand, and the British fleet on the other. The aide-de-camp in question was the eldest son of a Cabinet Minister, who presided over the department of the Admiralty. That the eldest son of one of the Queen's principal ministers should have acted as a military secretary or aide-de-camp to a Colonel in the Garibaldian Legion, and should still have held his commission in the 4th Dragoon Guards, was not creditable to Her Majesty's service, He regretted that the English people should thus take any share in the oppression of the people of Southern Italy, and he hoped that discussion would do something to inform and modify public opinions on the subject.
MR. SERJEANT PIGOTT
said, he should like to know what the House was called upon by this Resolution to do? Was it called upon to express its sympathy with the Government of Austria and Rome, or to affirm some plain constitutional principle, or was it intended to urge the Government to set the detective force to work to get up evidence for a political prosecution against the supposed offenders? He thought that the noble Lord ahad acted with sound judgment in refusing to be drawn into a discussion on the subject. If hon. Gentlemen opposite thought that the society ought to be prosecuted, it was open to them to collect evidence, to prefer a Bill before a Grand Jury, and to get a common jury, if they could, to convict. Those hon. Gentlemen might sympathize with Austria or Rome as much as they pleased, but they would 59 never induce an English jury to convict any one brought before them for subscribing to such a society.
said, he thoughtinterfere with advantage in the matter, or to institute a prosecution against the society. But the Government might interfere in an indirect manner—by the more open and decided expression of their opinion in that House against a course of conduct and policy on the part of private individuals which seemed likely, if it became general, to involve the country in great difficulties with foreign Powers. The tendency of that and all similar proceedings was to compromise the character of the country, and render England unpopular on the Continent. A great moral responsibility, therefore, rested on persons who set up this sort of private society to carry on a kind of buccaneering expedition. He trusted that they would succeed in eliciting from the Government some strong expression of disapprobation of that kind of private war-making. It was in itself a breach of the common law of the country, it led to a breach of the law of nations, and might mix up the country in a foreign, struggle which it might be our wish and policy to avoid. Suppose a society of the same kind was to arise for the purpose of taking a part one way or the other in the delicate and difficult questions now at issue on the other side of the Atlantic. In the present state of exasperated feeling against this country which at the present moment existed so causelessly in the Northern States, what would be said if a society, headed by a Member of Parliament, and containing other representatives of the people among its members, evinced a disposition to interfere on one side or the other? Why, such a society would defeat the whole policy of the Government, and probably plunge the country into a disastrous war. A course of conduct which would be wrong in that case was equally objectionable in the present instance. A policy of non-intervention in Italy was, he believed, the policy of England, and individuals were bound to concur in that general policy.
said, he did not suppose that the House would follow the course which it was now called on to take; and if the society to which he had the honour of belonging was so heinous in its character, the proper course of proceeding would be that which the law pointed 60 out. The hon. Member for Honiton (Mr. Cochrane) drew attention to a particular society, and asked the House to pledge itself to an abstract Resolution, which impliedly seemed to impute revolutionary designs to that society. The hon. Member, however, had stated no facts against the society, and, if the hon. Member had, he would not have entered upon his defence in that House, for it was not his duty to implicate the House in any expression of feeling, either of sympathy or otherwise, with reference to the policy which as a private member of society he thought proper to pursue. He felt grateful to the hon. Member for having so effectually advertised the society while laying no ground whatever for a Resolution condemnatory of it. He believed that the House would not be willing to entertain the suggestion made by the hon. Member, in language so vague and general that, if affirmed, it could lead to no practical result.
or Honiton were not withdrawn the House would be placed by it in rather a curious position. Hon. Members had listened to a speech and had heard an advertisement read, but he could not connect the Amendment with either one or the other. The few lines of which the Amendment consisted appeared to express something very like a truism, and he did not know whether the Government meant to negative that truism.
explained that the Government would vote in favour oft of the original Motion—namely, that the Speaker leave the chair—should stand part of the question.
observed that that was a way of getting rid of the difficulty by a sort of side-wind, but it was very like negativing a truism. In the existing state of things in the world he certainly did not think that it would be a very convenient course to negative a proposition such as that before the House, but upon the whole he thought it would be a good thing if it could be got rid of by a side-wind, in consequence of the way in which the question would be put.
said, he concurred with the hon. Member for Radnorshire (Sir John Walsh) that there was great inconvenience in the establishment of societies of the description referred to. He much regretted, therefore, tha should 61 last year have given it as his opinion that such societies were not absolutely illegal. He was glad to find that his hon. and learned Friend, who was undoubtedly a year older, had also become wiser, and had found out that it was no part of his duty to answer abstract principles of law. His sympathies were strong with the Italians in their attempt to maintain their liberties; but he supported the principle of the strictest non-intervention in these matters. He asked, however, if societies were formed to collect subscriptions to aid particular parties struggling in a foreign country, whether it could be said that strict neutrality was preserved in this country? Supposing such things to be permitted, societies might be established here avowing themselves the respective partizans of the American Northern and Southern States, and the result might be a struggle between the contending parties in this country. If the present proposition went to a vote he felt it would be impossible to negative a truism; and he thought the course suggested by the noble Lord would be the proper course to adop, but he trusted that the hon. Member for Honiton (Mr. Cochrane) would not insist on going to a division. The best way to avoid all misconception on the subject was, he thought, that his hon. Friend should withdraw his Motion.
, in explanation, said it was mistake to suppose that he had at any time pronounced an opinion in public as to the legality or illegality of such societies as those in question.
said, he would withdraw his Motion in deference to the general feeling of the House.
Back to THE GARIBALDI FUND.


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Max SPL 135 dB (0.5% THD @ 1kHz)
Equivalent noise level 23 dB
Signal to noise ratio 71 dB
Mic weight 510g / 17.99oz
"Right away I found that what it delivered was actually rather more useful than what I've got out of many other ribbon mics I've tried."
"I rarely use ribbons without a second brighter mic, but the X1R would have done fine as a single mic, particularly in a busy mix.”
— Scott Evans, Tape Op Magazine, Jul/Aug 2014
”And the X1 R ruled on bass! It produced huge low end, solid articulate highs, and not much in the mids — but it sounded cool.”
"The sE X1 R looks cool, the build quality is impressive and it does everything you could expect from a microphone of this type. It also comes closer to the traditional fat-and-treble-attenuated tone of old-skool ribbon mics than some of SE’s more cutting-edge ribbon designs."
Musicians and audiophiles all over the world turn to sE to get the sound they want, the way they want it. What’s your go-to gear?


The lockdown is upon us, and as is the case everywhere, local football has ground to a standstill.
This, to the frustration of the multitudes of fans, who not only appreciate the serious business side, but also enjoy a laugh at some of the antics the beautiful game sometimes provides.
The local game is no slouch, and has churned out some truly wacky characters and behaviours over the years. They range from the vintage stuff, such as when the time erstwhile Kaizer Chiefs and Bafana coach Frenchman Philippe Troussier, in a fit of pique, dumped a basket-full of bread rolls on players, including Doctor Khumalo, to the more recent baffling moment, when Mamelodi Sundowns defender Mzikayise Mashaba copped a ban after he 'substituted himself' at half time.
Mashaba reportedly spit his dummy after getting irritated by teammates who gave him a not-so inspirational pep-talk. Fast forward to the year 2020, when the all-conquering vuvuzela has been silenced by Covid-19, leaving a void for supporters to fondly remember some of the funny antics of PSL coaches.
Mosimane the achiever is just as compelling as Mosimane the unapologetic 'Chief Stirrer'. From the Mamelodi Sundowns coach's animated gestures on the sidelines during matches, to his constant jabs at opposition coaches, especially poor Ernst Middendorp, 'Jingles' is not only a national treasure, but a gift for journalists who often have to contend with seriously uninspiring sound bites.
The ever creative Mosimane has also coined the catchphrase "I've seen this movie before, you know the story", followed by 'I mean, really' which has quickly become part of the local football lexicon.
Being the master of the back-handed compliment Mosimane has said: 'Chiefs also have to play Orlando Pirates and us, so the title race is very much alive. They are on honeymoon but give them respect because they are scoring a lot of goals'. And this 'It's like we are at school, I'm doing more than 10 modules and you're doing three or four. At the end of the year you must pass because you did fewer modules than me'.
If more of us scribes took a page out of 'Stevovo's' page, our language skills would not be so distressing to our sub-editors. Komphela would always be remembered for the nugget about bikinis and statistics.
But he's come up with some beauties since, such as - 'Look, even if the landlord doesn’t renew the lease, the tenant who once lived in the house will still know exactly where the roof is leaking' which he said before his team Golden Arrows played his former team Chiefs'.
Right after he lost the match, the affable former Bafana Bafana captain said: 'The tenant who once lived in the house is the one who knows best where the roof is leaking. But sometimes, the landlord fixes the roof and the leak is hard to find'.
On a different occasion, Komphela said 'If you are given a task to build a castle out of plastic chairs, you put one on top of the other, and they pile high. They are not going to drop because they go high - they drop because you become anxious,".
Huntie will have a go at a player on the sidelines, on live television, basically anywhere he feels like it. But to his credit, he will willingly and publicly apologise to the wronged party. What the public is missing too is his long-running beef with Mosimane.
The duo have traded barbs over the years. A few years ago Mosimane likened playing at Bidvest Stadium to a visit to Stoke City - an English club that has for the longest time been infamous for their physicality and 'skop and donder' style of play.
Hunt and the students had the last laugh by winning the 2017 victory was labelled as a 'win of humility over arrogance'.
This season relations seem to have thawed a little, with Hunt refusing to be drawn into the drama around Amakhosi and Downs' title race. When it was suggested he may want to hand the championship to Chiefs just to spite Mosimane, Hunt paid his rival a compliment, saying 'Pitso doesn't have to rely on me, he knows he can do that for himself,".


To say we are busy would be an understatement. We have just enough time to take a deep breath before starting on the next project. This week we have gotten a lot done. Let me catch you up. The rain has started to trickle in, and we have planted all of our beans. The tank stands were finished and the 10,000-liter tanks have been safely put on the stand with rope and elbow grease.
Thankfully this water tank made it to the top safe and sound.
Farmers have to stick together. In many rural locations that's all the people there are anyway. I had the opportunity to visit a couple of farms and see what projects they had going. These visikeep a friendly vibe flowing through the different farms, but they allow for the exchange of ideas.
Oftentimes there is a those in the lab doing research. In many places around Uganda, innovation is coming from farmer-led initiatives. Even though these farmers may not have labs and expensive analyzing equipment, they do have great indigenous knowledge and note that both scientists and farmers can learn from and benefit each other. The key for this exchange of ideas and information to work is respect. Farmers and researchers must work together to feed the world.
My favorite part of the week was my visit to a coffee plantation.
A Perhaps the hardest relationship to maintain is between farm and community. One of the challenges we face at Lubbe is when to use a machine or human labor. It is very tempting to use one person to run a machine and do the work of 30-plus people, but unemployment in Uganda is high and jobs are often scarce.
If Lubbe uses a machine to do work, it cuts down on human labor costs, but also runs the risk of facing a very American problem: reliance on fossil fuels. It is a worrisome thought to me that our sustainability project is becoming more and more dependent on nonrenewable resources.
We had the opportunity to visit our neighbor at the farm next to us. We took a tour and asked many questions. This farm was not as mechanized as Lubbe but was employing more than 130 people. Not only was this farm able to gainfully employ and improve people's lives, they were also very profitable. This was one of the examples that proved to me the economic feasibility of employing a lot of people instead of machines.
I got in a few hours on the tractor this week.
One principle of sustainability is the idea of using resources wisely. In the case of Uganda, one of the resources is people, lots of people, who are looking for jobs. While the tractors are a convenient tool to have, often the operators are not trained properly and others are left jobless. On our visit to the neighboring farm, the manager mentioned that "Your output will only be as good as your input, ande making the business money, not the machines." If Lubbe wishes to make a difference in people's lives, it will be important to be continually looking after the needs of their workers. Lubbe has an opportunity to be profitable, employ scores of people and farm in an environmentally friendly manner, but there is still much work to be done.
lubbe farm


By Alaska Army National Guard Capt. David Bedard | 297th Regional Support Group Public Affairs on Jul 2, 2021 Comments Off on Musher thanks Arctic Guardians for Iditarod rescue
Alaska Photo By: David Bedard
JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska — When veteran Iditarod sled dog musher Aliy Zirkle woke up March 8, she didn’t find herself in a comfy bed. Instead, she awoke to the site of her dog team tangled in a tree springing from the frozen subarctic tundra.
“I remember thinking I wasn’t normal, like there was something going on,” she recalled. “And then I tried to get up and untangle [the dogs] from this tree, but I couldn’t use my whole right side. So I was obviously thinking I broke something, or I wasn’t really sure. One thing I did know was I knew I had to get to that cabin.”
For years people asked her if she was afraid while contesting what is called the Last Great Race, and for years she said no. Her ordeal less than 200 miles into the 2021 race changed that.
Afraid in the midst of her predicament, Zirkle would be saved through her grit, her dogs, the Rohn Roadhouse cabin, and Alaska Air National Guardsmen who came to her on the rotors of an HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopter.
Zirkle – accompanied by husband Allen Moore, Iditarod race director Mark Nordman, and personal friends – came to Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, June 28, 2021, to express gratitude and share her harrowing tale with the Airmen of 176th Wing who rescued her.
“I’m not clear of what happened,” Zirkle said. “Somehow my sled – which has plastic on the bottom of the runners – kind of got sideways, I think, and the dogs were probably traveling at 8, 9, 10, 11 miles per hour, and I would imagine that there was a rock in the ice – something in the ice – that made my whole sled kind of tip over, and I guess, they said I hit my head right here,” she said, pointing to the base of the back of her head.
Zirkle said the rest of the day was a blur, and she doesn’t remember how she got to the Rohn Roadhouse. She does remember race officials talking about her injuries, though she confused their chatter as a conversation about an injured dog.
Zirkle said the experience gave her an abundant appreciation for how the rescue triad of 210th, 211th, and 212th rescue squadrons serve Alaska by providing civil search and rescue.
“I think we realize, especially looking at the [Anchorage Daily News] and various front page news articles, it hits you personally how much you freaking do for the state/country,” she said. “Sometimes, you don’t realize how you are affected by another group of people until you are personally affected by that group of people, so I have been meaning to come here to humbly give you my gratitude.”
After 21 years of vying for sled dog racing glory, Zirkle said she is retiring and has run her last race. Through more than 20,000 miles of the Iditarod, she said she has learned much from the competition.
“It’s interesting; the Iditarod is like life,” she said. “You never kind of know what’s around the next corner. Sometimes it’s super easy, and you’re kind of skating through like, ‘Oh, where’s the next bump?’ And sometimes it throws you for the biggest curve in your life, and you’re like, ‘Wow, I wonder if I will be able to get up and go again.’”
Though missing victory by a whisker, the musher said she is more than happy with her racing career.
“People would say, ‘What regrets do you have in your Iditarod career, in your racing, in your choices in life?’” Zirkle explained. “And I will tell you right here and now, I have none. Everything that I have done, I have done with pride, with effort and with intention.”
At the conclusion of the meet and greet, event coordinator Senior Master Sgt. Corey Ercolani, 210th Rescue Squadron, expressed his appreciation of Zirkle’s candor and shared lessons learned.
“I would like to thank you for coming out,” he said. “I really appreciate it.”
Zirkle beamed with a smile and shot back, stunned at the hospitality of the unit who rescued her.
accident, iditarod, musher, national guard, rescue, zirkle
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« Something is indeed ‘scary’ here
Must read from Mike Vanderboegh » “assault weapons”People shouldn’t be opposed to cops having these weapons.
What people should oppose — strongly — is the guy across the street having one.
I’ve made pretty clear what I think of that position, and I think that on that (if not on much else), the gun blogging community as a whole is pretty well in agreement.
What I’m curious about now, though, is what the South Florida Sun-Sentinel editorial board thinks of that position in light of this information:
At the end of July a thief stole an assault rifle like this one from the unmarked SUV of Broward Sheriff’s Sergeant Richard Lacerra. According to documents from BSO, it was just one of a number of items stolen from the deputy’s car.
While that theft may be a concern, CBS4 News has learned that twice in the past month South Florida police officers have lost control of high powered weapons like these.
So let me make sure I have this right–the editors doesn’t want peaceable, responsible private citizens to have these firearms, but they do want such firepower in police cars, from which they are promptly removed by people who are by definition criminals–is that about right?
Time to reexamine that “plan,” maybe?
This entry was posted on August 8, 2008.


So I got myself a shiny new Revan, immediately fully g12+'d and triple zeta'd, and have begun running him in squad arena along with the "standard" team: Bastila, GMY, Jolee, and GK. Jolee and GMY meditation are zeta'd as well.
What I'm confused about is that Revan is widely reputed to be the anti-Traya, but I'm struggling to figure out how to beat a Traya team. The specific makeup is Triumvirate, Thrawn, and Sith Trooper.
And no matter who I choose, I end up getting my hits spread around when Marked drops because of the stupid Trooper. Between that and the massive crit avoidance from Traya, I just feel like I can't do enough damage to win.
I'm a fellow new Revan user. So hey! lol. Idk exactly but it might be strategy that needs to be tweaked. Idk. But to me it sounds like you might have a speed issue. What's your opponents speed (roughly. lol. Not exact numbers. Just a ballpark...) and what's your speeds? From what I hear you shouldn't hold back on speed for Revan. Put your fastest mods on him.
Don't'Getting Traya's unique of the field first is very useful. You can still have some problems if DN builds up a big enough health pool though. Thrawn isn't much of a concern. No matter who he fractures you can work through it.
I have only just unlocked him, but I understand that the team is a very mod specific team.
Because Jolee / Bastilla and GK are relatively pillow fisted you are reliant on GMY and JKR to do the killing. I understand for this reason that Offense secondaries as well as humongous speed are mandatory on JKR and GMY to allow them to do their thing.
Secondly, if you're mods are not perfect, you could consider removing a support for Ezra to give you that extra ezra's worth of killing.
Anyway, my Revan is at 275 before his leadership. GMY is at 249, Bastila 215-ish, GK and Jolee around 185. I'm not sure what the other guy's speeds are but they don't seem to be super crazy fast.
I'vOffense sets and primaries on GMY. You want his offense in the 6k range if you can get it there. Speed is important, but not as important as offense (6e offense square / triangle / cross with offense % secondaries on your arrow and wherever else you can get them - the secondaries bump up quite a bit once you 6e the mod).
Since his main competition is other Revans and Traya, critical hits are either hard to come by (Traya leadership, GK crit immunity, Jolee in general) or have consequences you don't want (trigger a taunt, potentially on a tank with retribution who gains more protection for counter attacking than the damage he takes).
I wouldn''re doing due to Traya lead.
If having trouble with Nihilus or Sion - remember that GMY's Battle Meditation gives Tenacity Up...which will almost always guarantee a resist on debuffs like Health Down and Fear.
.


The National Museum is not bad. But frankly, there’s not much else. A half day is enough. And a half day is how long I’ll be here. Lucky planning. And I was lucky that the cloud cleared.


For example he complained that the kids did not realize the value of money and would ask for really expensive jeans and stuff like that!He said he would buy jeans worth rupees 2000 or so but anything more expensive was not possible. I was really taken aback as I would often not buy jeans that is worth more than 2000!
Gradually talk shifted to owning a home in Mumbai he told me he was lucky as he had an ancestral property in Mumbai and he had a roof over his family's head. I don't know why I asked him the price of his property. It was probably the word ancestral that made me curious. He said his home was worth more than a crore of rupees now. He planned to buy two flats when he eventually sold it off!
That also made me think the way real estate prices are in India a lot of us can actually buy a home easily in other parts of the world!Look at the prices of property in Delhi now!According to my colleagues at the same price one could afford a home in some parts of UK as well!
I wonder if there would come a day when Indian property sites like Makaan.com etc would start giving property comparisons not only within India but abroad too. But whenever I think of real estate I am really scared that would we also see a crash in housing market like the US and other parts of the world?What do you think?
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but never think of changing themselves.
Morgan moved silently and put his strong arm around her to steady her. He whispered quietly as he guided her slowly out of the room. They found a quiet corner and Alice brought him up to date on Lovell’s condition.
They agreed and went in to collect the few belongings and check one more time on the sleeping Lovell. The lights were low and the room was quiet but for the gentle whirr and bleeping of the monitors. Morgan took Alice’s hand and soundlessly walked her out of the room.
How his own life had changed… “I wonder what Rowland Troy would think of his son, if he were alive to see me now?” he muttered to himself.
He let his thoughts drift back to the early days when a very young Morgan spent many hours in the workshop with his father and Sidney. Over in his own corner, tapping away or oiling his first tricycle, then came a two wheeler and eventually the gold star moment when given his own engine to work on. It may well have been oddments from an old retired engine, but it was His Very Own! He was imitating the actions of the men across the garage, who were the light of his life back then. The End is Never the End on August 29, 2014 by Grannymar.
The wife said, ” damned well he won’t ask for directions.
Thank you, Nancy L for this weeks special.
What did I steal? I hear you ask.
The answer is simple. It was a photo. A nice photo of someone I love.
One day a week or so ago, there were visitors to her place of work and my Elly being my Elly, was right there where it happened. The six Nations Rugby Cup, no doubt accompanied by some brawny players came to visit.
Me? I would be young enough to skip through the daisies!
There you go… ONE paragraph and it is all done and dusted! I actually wonder, how much of the above appeared when the good lady f? I know it proved incorrect in relation to the ‘change of life’ in my case, but then I always claimed that I did not have a text book body.
L, that Cecilia Gunther was writing to her little sister. Their mother died when they were young, so they grew up with no one to lead them through the hurdles of life or to give them any very personal advice.
This week we have the old spade Frank to thank for our Thursday Special.
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It’s a must-see event as everyone wants to know what will happen next.
Based on arbitration numbers, the 27-year-old stands to make $6.1 million in 2019. The caveat to all of this the Marlins still control the catcher’s contractt.


Catherine Roche, Wales-based artist, writer and lecturer.
In Sandy Island, catalogue to Tjibbe Hooghiemstra’s art exhibition.
I first met artist Tjibbe Hooghiemstra in Annamakerrig, Ireland, at the Tyrone Guthrie Centre in the early 1990’s. I was on a short writer’s residency having just returned from eighteen months in Amsterdam, where I’d been helping run a small theatre company in the old Jordaan quarter, our rehearsals punctuated by the chimes of Westerkirk and the tourists’ voices heading for the Anne Frank Haus. Rural Monaghan was a very different prospect after the frau-haus squat I’d been living in on the Singel opposite the floating flower market, and it was a joy to connect again with a Dutchman, especially one as talented and engaged as Tjibbe.
Catherine Roche’s words also resonate about my creative impulse and intentions behind some of the work I make. Often I embark on a project to learn more about a subject, or its possibilities in the human sphere, so I may understand more the potential of the world I live in. If this sounds esoteric or high-minded, it’s not intentional, merely a clumsy attempt to put words to why I do what I do. It isn’t for fame and certainly not for money (as a playwright I chose the wrong medium for financial remuneration…). It is out of curiosity, or a desire to experiment, to question and explore ‘what if…’ I often set myself a question, or a problem to tackle – and then off I go into the unknown territory, perhaps like Tjibbe or any other creative, making up the land I stand on as I go along.
As a farmer’s daughter, the herding metaphor about writing was very attractive and held some resonance….
I’m in the wintry midwest of America and recently discovered this extraordinary Wisconsin writer, publishing his first book in three decades, following a motorcycle accident when he became physcially disabled.
20 Questions… Clare George.
– Starting a novel. So much material is needed, and it takes so many false starts: in the case of my most recent novel, Things I’ll Never Tell You, about twelve years’ worth.
– Newton by Eduardo Paolozzi, outside the British Library. Luckily, I do own it, sort of.
– The attitudes I most dislike are the exclusive ones, such as that a writer needs to be a particular type of person, or that ‘literary’ works are intrinsically superior to those written within a genre.
– I’m trying to get started on a novel about a telepath. It started out as an exercise I set myself in using free indirect style after writing the last two novels in the first person, and has gone on to become an exploration of how dysfunctional it is to be constantly trying to examine people from the inside, which I find can get in the way of actual living.
– To become a better writer and enjoy myself while trying.
– A review of The Evangelist in The Independent on Sunday: ‘Few authors possess a grain of Clare George’s’ I quote it whenever possible. Especially on the school run.
– I’m not sure there’s much of a distinction between the creative life and other types of life. I find that I have at least as much in common with those pursuing other disciplines for their own sake, such as science or sport or even business.


Download "What s in a Step? Toward General, Abstract Representations of Tutoring System Log Data"
1 What s in a Step? Toward General, Abstract Representations of Tutoring System Log Data Kurt VanLehn 1, Kenneth R. Koedinger 2, Alida Skogsholm 2, Adaeze Nwaigwe 2, Robert G.M. Hausmann 1, Anders Weinstein 1, and Benjamin Billings 2 1 LRDC, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA 2 HCII, Carnegie-Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, USA Abstract. The Pittsburgh Science of Learning Center (PSLC) is developing a data storage and analysis facility, called DataShop. It currently handles log data from 6 full-year tutoring systems and dozens of smaller, experimental tutoring systems. DataShop requires a representation of log data that supports a variety of tutoring systems, atheoretical analyses and theoretical analyses. The theorybased analyses are strongly related to student modeling, so the lessons learned in developing the DataShop s representation may apply to student modeling in general. This report discusses the representation originally used by the DataShop, the problems encountered, and how the key concept of step evolved to meet these challenges. Keywords: Student modeling, educational data mining, tutoring systems. 1 The Pittsburgh Science of Learning Center DataShop The PSLC DataShop ( provides the following functions: (1) Data security with appropriate anonymity; (2) A standard, extensible representation; (3) Easy export to standard tools, such as spreadsheets and statistical packages; (4) Analytic tools specific to log data; and (5) Reification of the PSLC theoretical framework. This last goal is explained below. The DataShop grew out of Ritter and Koedinger s [1] standard framework for representing log data. Its analysis tools, which are described below, evolved from Anderson and Koedinger s early work on learning curves [2]. The DataShop is part of the PSLC LearnLab an internationally shared facility for doing in vivo experimentation ( Although the DataShop is in daily operation supporting thousands of students, teachers and researchers around the world, it is still developing in order to incorporate new kinds of student-tutor interactivity. We report on the representational challenges that have been faced. C. Conati, K. McCoy, and G. Paliouras (Eds.): UM 2007, LNAI 4511, pp , Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2007
2 456 K. VanLehn et al. 2 Three Levels of Description The log data are a chronological record of all the student s interactions with a tutoring system. These interactions are described at three levels: transactions, step histories and knowledge component applications. Each level is described below. The lowest level is the transaction [1], which is a communication between the student and the system. For instance, the following is a sequence of transactions in an algebra tutor: 1. The tool displays 2x(3-4x)-13 = x^2 + x + = ( x + )( x + ). 2. The student puts the cursor in the first blank and enters 8. The tutor tells the student that the entry is incorrect. 3. The student asks for a hint. The tutor tells the student Check your signs. 4. The student replaces the 8 with -8. The tutor tells the student that the entry is correct. 5. The student puts the cursor in the next blank and enters 6. The tutor tells the student that the entry is correct. The next level represents the log data as a sequence of episodes, called step-attempt histories [3]. Each episode is terminated by a step, which is a user interface action that is correct and advances the solution of the problem. The history of that step consists of the student s incorrect attempts at entering that step, help requests, hints, and any other transactions that might aid the student to make the step. For instance, in the list above, transactions 2 through 4 comprise the first step-attempt history; transaction 5 is the second one. This level of description assumes that only some user interface actions are steps, and that the correct/incorrect distinction makes sense for them. Thus, this level of representation has some theoretical commitments, but fairly weak ones. The third level of description is based on the PSLC theoretical framework, which assumes that domain knowledge can be usefully decomposed into knowledge components [4]. This is intended to be a generic, neutral term that covers many kinds of knowledge: procedural, conceptual, perceptual, etc. For example, in learning Chinese as a second language, a single knowledge component (KC) might represent a word s phonological, orthographic, and semantic representations, as well as the associations between them. In physics, Newton s third law might be represented as a single knowledge component. Most PSLC tutoring systems represent domain knowledge as KCs, and they label every step with the KCs that must be applied to generate that step. For instance, the step entered at line 7 above results from applying two KCs: the Distributive Law and Simplification. Thus, at this level of description, the log data are viewed as a sequence of knowledge component applications. 3 The DataShop s Analytical Tools We discuss only two tools, the Error Report and the Learning Curve generator, that illustrate the need for the three levels of log data description.
3 What s in a Step? 457 In its simplest usage, the Error Report is given a problem and prints a table that lists each step in the problem along with a summary of the students step-attempt histories. For instance, the error report for filling in the first blank of 2x(-4x+3)-13= x^2+, might state that: 69% of the students entered the correct response on the first attempt, 12% asked for a hint, 10% entered 8 and got the hint Check your signs, and 9% entered -4 and got the hint Hmm; not what I got. Please try again. Such error reports are useful for determining which common errors are not receiving pedagogically useful feedback. The Error Report uses only the step level of description. KC applications play no role in its reports, so a tutoring system that does not use KCs can still get Error Reports for its log data. Fig. 1. Learning Curve for the KC Select-Given-Value-Reason In our usage, a learning curve displays the students increasing mastery of a knowledge component over time [2, 5]. As a simple illustration, suppose we want a learning curve for a particular KC for a particular student. The tool first locates all the step-attempt histories corresponding to applications of that KC. For each history, it calculates the assistance score, which is simply the number of help requests plus the number of errors in that episode. For instance, for the first step-attempt history mentioned above (transactions 2 through 4), the assistance score is 2; for the second step-attempt history, the assistance score is 0. Then the Learning Curve generator plots a graph (see Fig. 1) where the points correspond to step-attempt histories, the y- axis is the assistance score, and the x-axis is ordinal and chronological (i.e., the Nth KC application is at x = N on the graph.) Theory suggests that the learning curve should start with large amounts of assistance on the first KC application, less on the second, and so on. Often the learning curve for a single student is too noisy to see such a pattern, so it is common to aggregate over all the students. In Fig. 1, for instance, the point at x = 1 has a y-value that is the average over all students assistance scores for their first application of the KC. 4 Representational Lessons Learned This section discusses representational lessons learned while trying to accommodate an increasing set of tutoring systems. When log data from VLAB, a simulated chemistry laboratory with a direct-manipulation interface (
4 458 K. VanLehn et al. were added to the DataShop, we had to allow multiple transactions to be associated with a single step. For instance, a single step heat beaker A should be associated with the three transactions: (1) removing a Bunsen burner from storage, (2) placing it under the beaker and (3) turning on the flame. More recently, we added the inverse capability: a single student transaction may be associated with multiple steps. When log data from Andes, a physics tutoring system ( were first added to the DataShop, each correct equation entered by the student was treated as a step. However, this made the error reports nearly useless because few students entered the same steps. For instance, one student might enter W_y = -W as one step and W = m*g as another. A second student might enter their algebraic combination, W_y = -m*g. Even if a problem needs only N primitive equations to solve it, most subsets of the set of N equations correspond to a possible compound equation. Thus, the error report for a problem with 10 primitive equations may have as many as N^2 = 1028 steps. Moreover, each would probably have just one or two step-attempt histories because only one or two students happened to enter exactly that algebraic combination of primitive equations. Fortunately, Andes decomposes a student equation into the primitive equations that comprise it. Each such primitive equation became a step in the DataShop representation. Thus, if the student entered W_y = -m*g, then this student action is associated with two steps, W_y = -W and W = m*g. That is, a single student transaction may be associated with multiple steps. The third major issue involves partitioning the transactions into step-attempt histories. We implied earlier that all the errors, help requests, and other non-step transactions that occurred between two steps became the step-attempt history for the second step. That is, the partitions were chronological. This does not make sense in some cases. For instance, suppose the student makes the error mentioned earlier by entering 8 in the first blank of 2x(-4x+3)-13 = x^2 + x +. The tutor gives the hint Check your signs, but the student does not fix the error. Instead, the student puts the cursor in the second blank and enters 6 which is correct. If we used only the chronological scheme, the error and the hint would become part of the stepattempt history for 6. This is wrong because the student actually didn t have any trouble entering the 6. An Error Report that showed -8 and Check your signs associated with the 6 step would be very confusing. On the other hand, a partition based on the location of the cursor at the time of the entry would assign the appropriate step-attempt histories to the steps of this problem. Chronology and location are just two cues that can be used for deciding how to partition the log data into step-attempt history. The situation becomes more complex when dealing with natural language tutoring systems. A single transaction, such as a student saying The block moves downward, speeding up, might be analyzed as two steps: The block moves downward and The block speeds up. We are currently evaluating multiple heuristics by comparing their performance with human coders [6]. These explorations should be useful not only to the DataShop, but also to other applications that do student modeling (e.g., [3]).
5 What s in a Step? Conclusions The central concept in the DataShop log data representation has turned out to be the step. It connects the transaction-level representation to the theoretically-derived KC level. The step level also provides a way for tutoring systems that do not have KC-level analyses to still get some use of the DataShop. However, the concepts of step and step-attempt history have evolved in subtle ways. Several years ago, step meant an actual student transaction that was a correct part of the solution to the problem, and step-attempt history meant all the non-step transactions that immediately preceded the step. Now there is no longer a one-to-one relationship between steps and transactions, and the transactions that comprise a step-attempt history need not immediately precede the step. A step is now defined as the smallest possible correct entry that a student can make. By smallest, we mean that the step cannot be re-expressed as two or more steps. Although the KC applications required to solve a problem are determined solely by the problem and the KC-level analysis of the task domain, the steps required to solve a problem are also a function of the user interface. For instance, in a natural language interface, when the student enters the baseball s velocity is 10 m/s at 30º, it corresponds to two steps: the baseball s velocity is 10 m/s and the baseball s velocity is 30º However, if the user interface were graphical instead, so that the student specifies the baseball s velocity by clicking and dragging out a vector, what was once a compound of two steps now becomes one, because in the graphical user interface, the vector drawing step cannot be decomposed. References 1. Ritter, S., Koedinger, K.: Towards lightweight tutoring agents, in Artificial Intelligence in Education. In: Greer, J. (ed.) Association for Advancement of Computers in Education, pp Charlottesville, NC (1995) 2. Anderson, J.R., et al.: Cognitive Tutors: Lessons Learned. The. Journal of the Learning Sciences 4(2), (1995) 3. VanLehn, K.: Intelligent tutoring systems for continuous, embedded assessment, in The future of assessment: Shaping teaching and learning. Dwyer, C.A. (ed.) (In press) Erbaum: Mahwah, NJ 4. VanLehn, K.: The behavior of tutoring systems. International Journal of Artificial Intelligence and Education, vol.16, (2006) 5. Cen, H., Koedinger, K.R., Junker, B.: Learning Factors Analysis A general method for cognitive model evaluation and improvement, in Intelligent Tutoring Systems: In: 8th International Conferenc. Ikeda, M., Ashley, K., Chan,T.-W. (eds.) pp Springer, Berlin (2006) 6. Nwaigwe, A., et al.: Exploring alternative methods for error attribution in learning curve analysis in intelligent tutoring systems. In: Proceedings of AI in Education, IOS Press, Amsterdam (In Press)


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AUTO RACING NOTEBOOK: Newgarden seeks 2nd title in 3 years in battle of Americans
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The Great American Country TV network recently announced the launch of Positively GAC, a two-hour block of videos with positive themes. The blend of positive country, contemporary Christian and Christian country formats will feature clips from artists such as Josh Turner, Mercy Me, Sherrie Austin, Steven Curtis Chapman and Buddy Jewell. The new program airs every Sunday 9 -11 a.m. EST.
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Country music and country fans lost a legend yesterday (Feb. 13, 2002) when Waylon Jennings died in his home in Phoenix, Arizona at the age of 64.
l [1]In his career which spanned over 30 years, Jennings recorded over 16 No. 1 country hits, 60 album[2].
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Top 5 Bars to Watch the 2012 World Series - As someone who has lived all over the country but never in a “baseball town,” I am stoked to see Midtown come alive as we root for and celebrate our friends in the City by the Bay. And if you’re not able to score tickets or a seat on the shuttle party bus to/from the city, here are my top five picks for the best bars to watch the games…Featuring KBAR, Firestone Public House, Golden Bear, Pour House & R15. Laura Braden on Girls on the Grid.
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inXile Forums • Importing portraits in console versions?Or more portrait options?
Hi everyone. I haven't been keeping up with things so I'm sorry if this is oldimport a portrait into the console version of the game...somehow. Or will there be more portrait options in the future?
Have the devs mentioned anything like that?Is there a portrait DLC pack or something?
Re: want to bump this. I also would like to know if there will be additional portrait made available for the PS4 version or maybe the ability to take a picture of the character model and use that as a portrait?
Re: ETA on the first DC patch?
Is there any chance the gameplay fix will incorporate some extra player portraits for the console version (since we're lacking both customs and snapshots)?
And they don't even make it so you can recreate 3d models manually that match the portraits...
The funny thing is there are other portraits in the game already but they're not in the character creator. There's a female Ranger in the very first area, outside the Citadel that has a portrait that looks better than any of the ones in the character creator. Why not just let us have them all (except Vargas and Angela Deth obviously)?
Is that a big deal?Why do they have to have a model to match each portrait?
I was just thinking about this the other day, are these features going to be added in a later update?
HudsI'm suspecting we'll never see this issue fixed, but I still hope for someday being able to play the game without "Ranger Team Circus-Freaks"


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Production has begun on Robert Stromberg's Maleficent - a Wicked style inversion of the Sleeping Beauty tale - and Disney have released the first image of Angelina Jolie in the title role.
With a support cast includMaleficent will tell the story of how the Sleeping Beauty villain was driven to evil in the first place.