This diary is intended to be a preliminary, but substantive, test of the Google Language Tool.  

Promoted by afew

This request is made to gather test data for a computer project I'm working on.

Thank you for your participation.

Since the release was not copyrighted it is presented in full.

(Behind a subscription wall.)

This is an election year in the US and today 22 states are conducting their primary.  While I am loathe to post US-centric diaries on ET the international interest in the next President of the US nudges me to post this diary.

Plus it will quarantine the comments thus preventing infection on the Open Thread & etc.

Why should ET be any different?

Instead of giving percentages I will give my top 3 predictions and why I put them there.

from the diaries. Use as a results thread when they come out. -- Jérôme

I have attempted to highlight the most important parts of the process.

The Iowa caucuses meet, precinct by precinct, to elect delegates and alternates to the county convention.  At the county convention delegates are elected to the district convention who elect delegates to the state convention who elect delegates to the National Nominating Convention.    

Naturally, other business happens at those other conventions but this thing is long enough.  

It has been suggested having an ET Meet-Up in Albuquerque, New Mexico.  

This diary is posted to answer three questions:

1.  Is there enough interest to have a Meet-Up in Albuquerque?

2.  When?  

3.  What should we do?

Prognosis:  food prices will rise.

Well, they did.

pat, pat, pat myself on the back.

Now that the 2007 agricultural year is almost over, where do we stand?

Promoted by Colman

1.  Were large commercial companies prejudicial to the public interest?

2.  Should all the commercial companies be disbanded, or their activities merely limited?

3.  How could this limitation be achieved and the abuses by the commerical companies suppressed?

Diary rescue by Migeru

The bursting of the global liquidity bubble is only one of the affective factors the globe will be facing over the next umpty-umph years.  Given my -- obsession? - with Models I thought it might prove interesting if we put our collective heads together and compiled a list of other affective factors and trends that we will be facing over the next 20 years.

From the diaries - whataboutbob

I was rummaging through the internet and ran across something that blew my mind.

With carryover stocks of grain at the lowest level in 34 years, [as of June 16, 2006, grain stocks rose in October 2006 to the lowest level in 25 years and have now fallen back again] the world may soon be facing high grain and oil prices at the same time. For the scores of low-income countries that import both oil and grain, this prospect is a sobering one. (...)

Farmers are facing a record growth in the demand for grain at a time when the backlog of technology to raise grain yields is shrinking, when underground water reserves are being depleted, and when rising temperatures threaten to shrink future harvests.

From the diaries, with format edit ~ whataboutbob

I've got 12 pieces ready for sale and I'm celebrating by getting throughly roasted on, what is affectionly known in the States as, "Three-Buck Chuck" wine.

As a result of imbibing 2 bottles I'm feeling particularly revolutionary and ...

there has been a call for more diaries (the fools, the fools) ...

here goes ....

1.  When you were a student was Model building discussed in any of your classes?

2.  Was structured instruction, such as classes or seminars, offered?  Was such instruction required?

3.  Was Logic, Epistemology, Mathematical Philosophy, or Systems Theory taught, required, or suggested?

4.  Does the organization you now work for support, defined broadly, education or training in any of the above?

As all the gnomes are tucked into their little Euro-Beds, dreaming their Euro-dreams, and Jerome a Paris is now Jerome a Las Vegas - doing important Jerome a International Banker & Energy Whiz stuff ....

THIS IS OUR MOMENT