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After winning the NFC Championship against the San Francisco 49ers in January 2014, Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman was interviewed by Fox Sports correspondent Erin Andrews. When asked about his reaction to the game, he replied, "I'm the best corner in the game. When you try me with a sorry receiver like [Michael] Crabtree that's the result you're going to get. Don't you ever talk about me." His response took the reporter by surprise and sparked an immediate flood of racist responses on Twitter consisting of, but not limited to: "Richard Sherman's an ignorant ape," "I can't wait till manning [sic] and the rest of the [Denver] broncos [sic] light Richard Sherman up# shut up you dumb [n–ger]" and "Richard Sherman deserves to get shot in the [f–king] head. Disrespectful [n–ger]." The responses, more severe than Sherman's initial rant, reduced the elite cornerback from Compton (with a BA in Communications from Stanford) to a "cocky [n–ger]."
Later, when asked to respond to his postgame comments, Sherman answered, "It was loud, it was in the moment and it was just a smart part of the person I am. I don't want to be a villain because I'm not a villainous person." The fact that Sherman admits he was reacting to the emotions of the moment should not be the takeaway, but rather, how quickly a black male can go from an athlete hero to an athlete villain. This is merely the newest episode in a long history of public backlash directed at black male athletes. Muhammad Ali was stripped of his heavyweight title after openly refusing to enlist in the Vietnam draft; Tommie Smith and John Carlos received crushing criticism after their black power salute during a 1968 Olympics medal ceremony (the immense lack of support locked Carlos out of job opportunities and resulted in his wife's suicide); and Curt Flood, the first baseball player to openly push for free agency was demoralized by the media and forced to flee the country. Even Hank Aaron received loads of hate mail and death threats as he passed Babe Ruth's homerun record.
Sherman's comments may not have been political, but his display of confidence is because it points to a black male identity that is not full of humility or subservience. There is a larger framework at play that says black athletes are not smart players; they are freakishly talented. They should not be outspoken; they should all be students of Jackie Robinson, the quintessential cheek-turner (who was anything but passive in his personal life). Black athletes are heroes only when they conform to parameters set up by white patriarchal society. This translates into everyday life: black male identity is defined by white patriarchy. In order to talk about this identity more clearly, it will be useful to analyze two rape scenes in The Man Who Cried I Am, by John A. Williams and Lonely Crusade, by Chester Himes. Through these scenes, the root of black male identity will be investigated; additionally, Ruth's character in Lonely Crusade will aid in the exploration of black female identity.
In order to begin, it is important to locate identity in American patriarchal society. According to Audre Lorde's essay, "Age, Race, Class and Sex: Women Redefining Difference" she identifies what she calls a "mythical norm," describing it as a norm "which each one of us within our hearts knows 'that is not me.' In america [sic], this norm is usually defined as white, thin, male, young, heterosexual, christian, and financially secure." This norm is more exclusive than inclusive, but it is also a norm that black male identity is in constant conflict with because it is impossible to achieve.
Both male characters in The Man Who Cried I Am and Lonely Crusade attempt to reach this "mythical norm" and fail. Max cannot be a successful black writer and be allowed to live out his years in a healthy marriage with a black woman (Lillian) or a white woman (Margrit). He has to fight other black writers for notoriety; he is locked out of promotions and livable salaries as a news correspondent. Even at the pinnacle of success (becoming one of three speech writers for the president) he is held back from attempting to gain progress for black people. He is told to wait, that real success comes from politics and manipulation. Max's mentor, Harry Ames, gives him nuggets of advice at the beginning of the novel. He encourages Max to push the envelope in his writing; the very act of a black man writing is political because it is an intellectual act that challenges white notions of blackness. It challenges that mythical norm:
It must be pretty awful for a white man to learn that one of the things wrong with this society is that it is not based on dollars directly or alone, but dollars denied men who are black so dollars can go into the pockets of men who are white. It must make white men ponder a kind of weakness that will make them deny work to black men so that work can be done by men who are white. How it must anger them to know finally that we know they deny women who are white to black men, while they have taken black women at will for generations.
Max's success reaches an impasse when he realizes he can no longer function as a black man in the United States. His paranoia hits critical levels when he uncovers King Alfred, a government plot to deport all black persons back to Africa. White men will not share success or wealth with black men; the only solution is to physically force them out of the country. With this new knowledge, Max is chased down by FBI agents and shot while at the same time dying from prostate cancer.
Lee in Lonely Crusade comes up against similar barriers. He is a college-educated black man who cannot find work and as a result, he is unable to support his wife, Ruth, and she is forced to seek employment. This generates resentment inside Lee, who fails to fill the role of provider. His marriage to Ruth continues to suffer even after being offered a job as a union organizer. He is unable to reclaim male dominance in the home, so he seeks it out with a white communist woman, Jackie, but it is short-lived. In the end, he fails to organize black workers and is wrongfully charged with murdering a cop. Earlier in the novel, he is offered a job by the company owner Louis Foster. The job pays well, but also requires Lee to sellout to the union. Lee refuses the opportunity for success at the expense of being subservient to whites. Even before meeting Foster for dinner at his outrageously lavish plantation-style home, he asks himself what kind of black identity he should present to this rich white man:
How should he act in Foster's presence? –like the timid Negro son of domestic servant parents; or the reserved and quiet Negro college graduate, picking his chances to speak, weighing his words for the impression they might make; or as the blustering unioneer, walking hard and talking loud and trying to give the appearance of being unafraid?
Lee is aware of the role he will have to play to impress Foster, but he cannot allow himself to accept a job that would deny him his male pride. This is the kind of decision both Max and Lee are forced to reconcile with: black male success only comes at the hands of white manipulation. Both men, who are college-educated and capable human beings, are unable to achieve a life of self-earned success as heads of households. They are only presented with two options: poverty or emasculation.
These feelings of emasculation are important when discussing black male identity because they directly affect both men's relationships with women. Max and Lee each commit rape. For Max, it happens as a soldier in WWII, cruelly eliciting sex from an older, starving Italian woman. For Lee, it occurs in the opening chapter of the novel; racism denies him his manhood, so he sought it out by raping his wife. However, these men are also chasing a myth in the act of rape by attempting to possess a manhood that does not exist. They are performing the role of the black rapist, a role that Angela Davis criticizes in her essay, "Rape, Racism and the Myth of the Black Rapist." She argues that the role of the black rapist must be seen through a historical lens, that this identity was created at the height of lynching just after the Civil War: "lynchings were represented as a necessary measure to prevent black supremacy over white people—in other words, to reaffirm white supremacy." However, in order to keep this power structure intact, a myth needed to be created. The most successful myth consisted of protecting white women's bodies from black rape. Davis goes on to explain that "the majority of murders did not even involve the charge of rape. Although the cry of rape was involved as the popular justification for lynching in general, most lynchings took place for other reasons." What were these other reasons? According to Davis, "whoever challenged the racial hierarchy was marked a potential victim of the mob…from the owners of successful black businesses and workers pressing for higher wages to those who refused to be called 'boy' and the defiant women who resisted white men's sexual abuses." The accusation of rape became a justifiable reason to punish blacks who refused to exist within the framework of white supremacy.
In the examples of Max and Lee, their desire to reclaim manhood through rape is a conditioned desire that forces them to believe that in order to achieve male dominance, they must rape. As a result, they are acting within the parameters of white patriarchy. For Lee, his problems stem from the fact that "he always found it more satisfying to reject the conditions of existence prescribed for him by white people than to accept them" but he could not stop himself from "…conjuring up visions of rebuffs, humiliations, sneers, scorn, rejection, exclusion—all the occupational hazards of a black face." For him, the hostility of whites, "their antagonisms [felt] hard as a physical blow…their vile asides and abusive epithets…cut like a knife" and become the main source of self-hatred and feelings of emasculation. His inadequacy is fueled by white society and so is his desire to rape Ruth.
For Max, however, the situation of rape is much more complicated. His rape act occurs in Italy during WWII. As a black officer, he is constantly emasculated by the white military authority, but he is also surrounded by young black men who are constantly dying: "man after man was killed and replaced. Another Jones, another Jackson, another George Washington Roosevelt Brown; another Chicago accent, another Alabama accent, and the days humped together." Black soldiers were not trained as well as white soldiers and died more frequently and they were not permitted to be treated for battle fatigue. Additionally, any mistakes made during battles could be pinned on black soldiers: "the ugly word cowardice began to sweep into the testimony and a chorus was taken up. The Buffaloes were cowards…A number of Negro officers were broken and stockade when the verdict, Guilty of Cowardice in the Face of the Enemy, was handed down by an all-white panel of officers." Max often used black frustration to motivate his soldiers by telling them that:
What you got to remember is that nobody here likes us; nobody here wanted us. If you've read the papers, you know that our own colonel can't make up his mind about us. And if you haven't read what the General said, I'll tell you: niggers ain't shit. You remember that; otherwise you're going to end up in some American cemetery laid down in the middle of the pretty green hills and your name's going to be in a three-by-five index file—and that place might be segregated. Let's go.
To get soldiers angry about their demoralized role in American society is to get them to fight to stay alive, but also to fight to prove that they are worthy of being alive, of being men.
Consequently, Max succumbs to these same frustrations. He approaches a large, older woman in desperate need of food and offers to pay her for sex: "he didn't know what was wrong with him. Battle fatigue, maybe, but that only applied to white soldiers…Maybe, Max, thought, what I need right now is a great big whopping piece of pussy." His solicitation of sex is verbally abusive: "roughly Max thrust cigarettes at her. 'Amore. Love. We make-a da love, hah, fatso?'" When they agree on five dollars as the acceptable price, the woman covers her face and "Max smiled. Let her be ashamed. She needs the money. I need the pussy. Capitalism in action." Max is familiar with the exploitive nature of white capitalist society and he uses it to his advantage in this moment:
"Tuo nome?" the woman said. She didn't know whether to keep her eyes open or closed now.
"Nome?" Max said. "Name, oh, name. Aw, what the hell do you care," he grunted, unbuttoning his pants and pushing them partway down. "Just call me Joe. Joe!"
Hurt, the woman turned her head and closed her eyes. Why did he have to be so cruel? He didn't look like a cruel man. Wars, they did that to men…and to women. She put her hands over her ears and bit her lower lip as the black American plunged brutally into her.
Max's rape act is a psychological response to cruelty that has been done to him as a black soldier just as Lee's rape act reflects his feelings of self-hatred from living in an oppressive white world. However, Max takes these injustices further when he recounts the same experience in a war novel that brings him his first bit of literary success. However, the story changes: "the fat woman became a young, almost innocent farm girl with whom the hero of the novel, a corporal, had fallen in love. The novel ended with the white MPs catching the corporal and the girl in a barn and killing them and covering them with hay and horse manure." It is imperative that we take a moment to analyze what has just occurred in Max's reimagined war story.
Before we examine the reasoning behind the changed story, let us take a look at the story itself. The main character is a low-ranking noncommissioned officer who becomes enamored with a young white farm girl. From his experience as a black man in American society, Max knows this story will not end well. His character and the lover are both killed by the Military Police and buried, not in dirt, but horse manure. If we translate this story into an American narrative, it might look something like this: educated unemployed black man becomes romantically involved with virginal white girl, is wrongly accused of rape and is lynched by a white mob and castrated. Max transforms a common reality into a tragic war story, but what is also interesting to note is that in Max's version, the white girl is killed too. In war, her purity is not protected. She is the enemy to the white military authority because she is not American and she has lost her innocence to blackness. In American society, her purity would have been defended and upheld.
Now, let us examine the changes that were made. The fat woman is turned into a young, white, innocent farm girl. This fictional girl does not coincide with Max's war experience of unattractiveness, starvation and desperation, but it fits into the white woman trope more relatable to American readers. Max's character is heroic, but as we have seen from the initial scene, there is not much that is heroic about Max's actions. However, hero implies an inner-goodness; Max wants his readers to see his black character as honorable. Lastly, in the reimagined story, the character and his lover are killed not by MPs, but white MPs. In this version of the story, white authority is the villain. They destroy both lovers and humiliate them in their death by burying them in horse manure. In the initial story, Max is not harmed. In fact, he urinates in the abandoned house after he is finished with the Italian woman, discovers blood in his urine and is discharged after being diagnosed with jaundice, in which he says to the other black soldiers: "I'm out of this shit, make it on your own." Max is not interested in heroics and he is not interested in the unity of a larger group of disenfranchised black men.
This new story actively follows not only a false reality, but a false black identity. Max's character is innocent, but this does not coincide with what it means to be a black man in American society. In the real version of the story, Max is implicated at the start because he is chasing an identity already defined by white patriarchy. His rape act is an extension of that implication. After reading the novel, his editor called the story "Daring. Honest. Dynamic." Max sees this glowing response as "all the words and phrases that would be sent to echo in his ears for all the years he would be writing." His altered narratives play into a larger body of expected literary narratives, but more importantly, they fall right into an expected black male literary narrative: black man as victim. As a result, Max implicates himself twice over, first, by rewriting a personal experience to fit a more ideal storyline and again by publishing yet another story about a victimized black man.
If these rape acts point to a black male identity that is reinforced by racism in American society, how does black female identity fit in to these oppressive parameters? As much as black men chase a false identity that keeps them subservient and criminalized, what does that mean for black women? In the introduction to Lonely Crusade, Graham Hodges gives a quick analysis of the opening rape scene by stating that "the violence of her life has given Ruth a 'beaten whorish look.' But Ruth withstands the beatings, 'allowing him to assert his manhood with this queer, perverted way, because all of the rest of the world denied it'" and he follows this explanation with a sentence at the beginning of the next paragraph that proclaims: "Ruth is an heroic woman." This raises the question: what makes Ruth heroic, the fact that she endures rape or the fact that she sticks around long enough for Lee to realize she is his "true life-partner?" For Max, in The Man Who Cried I Am, his heroic war story character is dependent on innocence, but for Ruth, her heroic nature is dependent on her ability to endure sexual abuse long enough for Lee to accept her as a life-partner.
Black female identity is an inauthentic identity because it is tied up in an inauthentic black male identity. This is true for Ruth, who Lee deeply resents because she has to work to support them. Therefore, he has to rape her to maintain dominance over her. Interestingly enough, Ruth is more than willing to accept this abuse because she knows that white patriarchy has left her husband impotent. The real problems between Ruth and Lee occur when she refuses to quit her job after he is hired as a union organizer. The relationship becomes more troubled when Lee does not take the better job offered to him by Foster that would allow her to quit her job and become a proper wife. Ruth is not able to uphold her female identity if Lee is not willing to let go of his pride for the good of the marriage. Again, Ruth's identity is dependent on Lee's decisions. Additionally, Ruth believes in a different false black identity. She imagines "a tall, strong, handsome Negro, as brave as any knight, who would come to her and take her and love her and cherish her and protect her; who would make his way through the world with her always at his side and never be afraid of white people." This imagined black identity is the polar opposite of the black identity created by white patriarchy and just as unrealistic.
As their relationship continues to deteriorate, Ruth attempts to return to the power structure she has grown accustomed to in her marriage to Lee. She cannot quit her job to make him feel like more of a man or transform into a white woman (later, she puts on white powder to make her complexion look whiter); instead she offers herself up as an object for him to take his frustrations out on. She tells him "you can beat me, darling, if that will make you feel any better." Lee does not accept this proposition because abuse no longer satisfies him. However, Ruth does not realize this until the end of the novel:
There had been the sublime joy when she had first learned that she could absorb his hurts—the great feminine feeling of self-immolation when he struck her, the sharp hurt running out of his arms and into her body.
Then came the slow knowledge that this was not enough—that what she could give him as a sponge for his brutality to rebuild his ego would never be enough.
Ruth fails as a wife, not because of her inability to boost Lee's ego through abuse, but rather, because the system set up by white patriarchy does not allow her husband's identity to function the way it should. He cannot make it as a black man, therefore, she cannot make it as a black woman and being a black woman means being an heroic punching bag.
To understand how black female identity functions, it will be useful to return to the act of lynching. In American Anatomies, Robyn Wiegman sees lynching as a moment of feminization by saying that "in the lynch scenario, the stereotypical fascination and abhorrence for blackness is literalized as a competition for masculinity and seminal power" so that in order to successfully demoralize the victim, he must be feminized. As a result, castration must happen so that "the mob aggressively denies the patriarchal sign and symbol of the masculine, interrupting the privilege of the phallus…" and in this way, the victim is no longer a man or a citizen. This means that black women, who are not capable of being masculine, mean even less to white patriarchy. According to Wiegman "…it is in this context that we can understand the absence of the African American woman from the culture scripting of the rape mythos, for her reproductive value, historically appropriated as part of the master's property rights, reconfigured into the post Emancipation era into no white phallic value at all." If black female identity does not figure into white patriarchy, it could be argued that their identity falls to the mercy of black male identity. This means that in order to uplift themselves, they must help uplift black men.
One of the ways in which black women worked to uplift black men was to campaign against lynching. Angela Davis credits black women as the group that pioneered the anti-lynching movement long before the Association of Southern Women for the Prevention of Lynching was established. Black women understood their lack of value long before white women realized their passive role in perpetuating the black rapist myth that resulted in numerous lynchings. Davis goes on to ponder why so many instances of rape go unreported by arguing that "many of these unreported rapes undoubtedly involve Black women as victims: their historical experience proves that racist ideology implies an open invitation to rape." Ruth understands that her role as a black woman is invariably tied up in abuse because black female identity is tied up in abuse. Moreover, according to Audre Lorde, because black women have understood this better than any other group "we have recognized and negotiated these differences, even when this recognition continued the old dominant/subordinate mode of human relationships, where the oppressed must recognize the masters' difference in order to survive." Ruth accepts abuse because she sees it as a tool for survival. If her identity means nothing else, it at least requires her to do what is necessary: to function in a world that attributes no value to her as a human being.
The claim has been made that, as Americans, we live in a post-racist society. However, in this supposed post-racist society, housing projects still exist (Diana Ross was born into a project home and Ludacris was born into one 40 years later). White flight still exists; Quicken Loans owns the majority of downtown Detroit as white businesses continue to vacate the city. In a post-racist society all-white grand juries do not elect to indict white cops who murder black citizens (Michael Brown, Eric Garner). Audre Lorde feared that "our children will be dragged from a car and shot down in the street, and you will turn your backs upon the reasons they are dying." This is not a fear that should exist in a post-racist society, or any society. Professional football players who raise their fists in solidarity with Michael Brown protestors should not be publicly intimidated into apologizing by an over-militarized police force. In a post-racist society, the white response to a black kid being shot several times by a cop in broad daylight should not be a resounding: if you don't break the law you won't get killed. We will not live in a post-racist society until we start examining the larger system at hand, a system that says, according to Chris Rock: "if you fraudulently sell cigarettes the cops will literally kill you but if you fraudulently sell mortgages you will get a bonus." A post-racist society starts by eradicating the problems of living under an oppressive society, not by blaming racial violence on worn-out black stereotypes created by a white patriarchal system; it is a problem we still have not properly tackled.
Fall 2014


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Beauty Is Not A Novel Phenomenon---The Craze To Be Beautiful Has Been A Part Of All Civilizations
Beauty products and beauty tools have been found in graves of women buried thousands of years ago in Ancient Egypt. There are even elaborate beauty prescriptions written by contemporary influential women. The Egyptians were certainly the masters when it comes to getting rid of fine line and wrinkles from the face, and they did it in their own typical way.
Egyptian queens are known to have their own secret prescriptions to a beautiful skin. This was a time when the citizen at the lowest rung of social hierarchy had access to olive-oil in order to take good care of their skin and hair. The famous queen Cleopatra is even believed to have penned a book detailing her secrets on how to get a beautiful and radiant skin. Egyptians are known to have discovered secrets to get rid of wrinkles, stretch-marks and even scars. Cleopatra is believed to have used a face-pack made from crocodile dung and donkey's milk.
But beauty secrets could never remain confined to the Egyptian civilization. The ancient Greeks took the use of honey and olive-oil in their cosmetics. A mixture of white lead and olive-oil was used to brighten up the skin.
The Britishers looked up to their ideal in the Queen, Queen Elizabeth when it came to looking good. The latter was considered as a symbol of beauty. Contemporary women did whatever they could to be like their monarch. They went to all extents to get the pale and clear complexion of the queen.
They rubbed their faces with raw egg whites in the belief of the colour of the skin identifying with the white. They took to consuming arsenic to lend a white glow to their skin.

subset: commoncrawl


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Do you have Campanula persicifolia var. planiflora 'Coerulea' currently in stock at the nursery?
They are fully to half hardy and are grown in the sun or shade. Most of the species will prefer moist but well drained soil. Delicate flower colours are preserved best in shade.
You can propagate by softwood or basal cuttings in the summer or by seeds or division in the autumn or spring.
Pests, diseases or disorders
Is prone to slug attack and rust may be a problem in autumn.


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text: The threat landscape is expanding. Devices are proliferating, allowing more access points for potential breaches. In this short video, Jeff Carpenter, authentication security expert from Crossmatch, explains the fatal flaw in traditional authentication technology and how to overcome it – using a mix of modern, composite authentication factors that include behavioral and biometric factors. Eliminate passwords!


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Derick age 75 – Sutton, Surrey
Result: 9 shades lighter.
Treatment: 1 hour Laser + Home Maintenance Whitening Kit
Staining: Tobacco, Coffee, Red Wine, general food staining.
Derick full of charisma, with a great zest for life – is 75 years young. He is an Ex- Smoker and loves his coffee and booked in with Sparkly Whites to improve the stains on his front teeth. He was very realistic knowing with age your enamel gets thinner and your teeth lose their brightness and will never look as white as they did, when we were young.
He underwent the 1 hour power laser and was ecstatic at the results he received in such a short time. He left with a Home Maintenance Whitening Kit, and two weeks later he came in for a post treatment consultation – noting his teeth on the VitaShade guide had brightened up another shade 2 shades. Please note all laser treatments can only whiten your front ( top & bottom) 18-20 smile teeth (those you see when smiling) this varies from person to person depending on your mouth cavity size. Applying whitening gel too far back, runs the risk the gel coming into contact with your gums and potentially causing sensitivity & temporary gum burns. To whiten further back Custom Trays are highly recommended.


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Our men's 2nd team are competing in the Midlands 2A tier and in the Midlands Conference Cup.
Men's 2nd Team Players:
Upcoming League Fixtures:
Wednesday 15th October, 4:00 pm – University of Leicester 1st (home)
Wednesday 22nd October, 2:00 pm – University of Warwick 2nd (away)
Wednesday 5th November – Oxford University 2nd (home)
Wednesday 19th November, 1:00 pm – Loughborough University 2nd (away)
Wednesday 3rd December – Coventry University 1st (home)
Wednesday 28th January, 4:00 pm – University of Leicester (away)
Wednesday 4th February – University of Warwick 2nd (home)
Wednesday 11th February, 5:00 pm – Oxford University 2nd (away)
Wednesday 25th February – Loughborough University 2nd (home)
Wednesday 11th March, 1:00 pm – Coventry University 1st (away)
To follow the men's 2nd team go to: fixtures & results
To find the addresses for away matches, go to this site as well.
Upcoming Conference Cup Fixtures:
Round of 32: Bye
Round of 16: Wednesday 26th November (home) – TBD
Quarterfinals: Wednesday 18th February
Semifinals: Wednesday 4th March
Finals: Wednesday 18th March
To see the Midlands Conference Cup draw & results go to: knockout draw


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Author: Frederick Law Olmsted
Source: http://www.archive.org/details/cottonkingdomtra00olms
Frederick Law Olmsted (1822–1903) is best known as landscape architect with designs in parks in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Chicago, Boston, and the grounds of the Capitol in Washington. However, before his embarking upon his career as the nation's foremost landscape architect, he was a correspondent for the New York Times. It was under its auspices that he journeyed through the slave states in the 1850s. His day-by-day observations—including intimate accounts of the daily lives of masters and slaves, the operation of the plantation system, and the pernicious effects of slavery on all classes of society, black and white—were largely collected in The Cotton Kingdom. Published in 1861, just as the Southern states were storming out of the Union, it has been hailed ever since as singularly fair and authentic, an unparalleled account of America's "peculiar institution." These writings are of enormous value for anyone who wants to study the African-American slavery period.
Further formats are available at: http://www.archive.org/details/cottonkingdomtra00olms


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May 29, 2002
SANTA CLARA, Calif. - Chris Denker, Colorado State University's new women's basketball coach, Wednesday announced the appointment of two assistant coaches to his staff: Jeff Dow and Benita Martin.
Both Dow and Martin were assistants the past two seasons at SCU under Denker, who guided the Broncos to a pair of postseason tournament appearances and a 41-18 (.695) two-year record.
Prior to his two seasons at Santa Clara (2000-01, 2001-02), Dow was the interim head coach at the University of Texas-San Antonio (1999-2000). He was also an assistant coach at Cal-Irvine (1996-99), where he was on the same staff for two seasons with Martin. From 1992-96, he was an assistant coach at New Mexico State, during which time the Aggies were 81-38 (.681), won a Big West Conference Championship and played in the WNIT. He began his coaching career at the University of Oregon from 1989-90 as a graduate assistant, and later served as an assistant coach at Texas A&M University-Kingsville and for one season was the team's interim head coach. Dow earned a bachelor's degree in 1988 and in 1991 obtained a master's degree, both from Oregon.
Martin spent the 2000-01 and 2001-02 seasons at Santa Clara after having coached from 1997-2000 at Cal-Irvine. Martin spent the 1996-97 season as an assistant coach at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and from 1993-96 was an assistant coach at the University of Northern Colorado. During her time in Greeley, the program had a pair of firsts: the Bears were ranked nationally and earned an NCAA Tournamentberth. Martin entered the coaching ranks at Metro State in Denver as an assistant from 1990-93 and had a 60-22 record that included back-to-back winning seasons.
Martin formerly played at Denver East High, then earned junior college All-American honors in 1988 at Barton County Community College in Great Bend, Kan. She earned honorable mention All-Big Eight honors in 1990 at the University of Colorado, leading the Buffaloes to an unbeaten conference record and No. 9 national ranking. Martin obtained a bachelor's degree in 1992 from Colorado, and a master's degree in 1996 from Northern Colorado.


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9 January
Club Newsletter Out Now
Click here to read our latest club newsletter.
2 April
PayPal membership payments now up and running
You can now pay for your favourite German Pinscher club membership using PayPal via the Membership page.
11 March
Best of Breed Crufts 2014
Congratulations to Julian Neame's Aritaur Gene Genie 'Jack' on his Best of Breed Crufts 2014 win! Video of the Working Group at Crufts German Pinscher featured towards the end at approx. 9:39
2 March
New Website Launched
Welcome to the new German Pinscher Club of Great Britain. We hope you enjoy using the site and find the information useful. Feel free to get in touch if you have any questions.


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Labor Board Reintroduces Ambush Election Rules
On February 4, 2013, the National Labor Relations Board ("NLRB") announced it would reintroduce procedures designed to speed up the union certification processes. The proposed amendments are similar to those first proposed in June 2011, referred to by some as the "ambush election rules". The June 2011 rules were successfully challenged in District Court for having been adopted without a validly constituted quorum and invalidated. The Board's appeal of that ruling was dismissed, pursuant to a joint stipulation, on December 9, 2013.
D.C. Circuit Rules Recess Labor Board Appointments Unconstitutional
The United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit ruled Friday, January 25, 2013, President Barack Obama's National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) appointments were unconstitutional when he bypassed Senate confirmation to fill vacancies, also known as recess appointments, as the Senate was not in recess.
Acting General Counsel Includes Front Pay in NLRB Settlements
Acting General Counsel of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) Lafe E. Solomon issued Memorandum GC 13-02 on January 9, 2013 modifying existing Board policy to now permit Agency settlements to include front pay. The memorandum confirmed the long standing favoritism of Agency settlements towards reinstatement; however, it acknowledged that parties and discriminatees routinely negotiate a waiver of reinstatement in return for a monetary amount.
National Labor Relations Board Releases Fiscal Year 2012 Data
The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) recently released information regarding its activities during Fiscal Year 2012. The NLRB issued 341 decisions in contested cases for the year, including 277 in unfair labor practice cases and 64 in representation cases. The Board's activities also included new rules involving several controversial areas. Most notably, the Board finalized the so-called Speedy Election rule, which is currently suspended due to pending court challenges.
District Court Dismisses NLRB Secret Ballot Amendment Challenge
Recently four (4) states (Arizona, South Carolina, South Dakota and Utah) enacted secret ballot elections amendments to their state constitutions designed to protect an employee's right to vote by secret ballot for employee representation. The amendments guarantee when local, state or federal labor law permit or require elections, designations, or authorizations for employer representation, an employee's right to vote by secret ballot.
Labor Board Acting General Counsel Issues Social Media Guidance
On May 31, 2012, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) Acting General Counsel Lafe E. Solomon issued a third report related to social media. Memorandum OM 12-59 acknowledges that employee use of social media relating to the workplace is increasing, and as a result employers have implemented new policies governing social media concerns, the report contains a proper policy and six incidents of overbroad policies.
D.C. District Court Rules Labor Board Lacked Authority to Issue New Election Rules
The National Labor Relations Board's new elections procedures have been a concern for many employers and, despite going into effect on April 30, 2012, have been the subject of an ongoing legal challenge. While the D.C. District Court refused to issue an injunction prior to April 30, 2012 to prevent the new rules from going into effect, the Court indicated a decision on the current legal challenge would be rendered before any representative elections using the new procedures could be conducted.
DC Circuit Temporarily Enjoins Labor Board's Posting Rule
On April 17, 2012, the District of Columbia Circuit Court of Appeals granted the National Association of Manufacturer's (NAM) emergency motion for an injunction pending appeal. NAM is appealing the district court's decision that held the National Labor Relations Board had authority to issue the notice posting requirement rule.
S.C. District Court Finds Posting Rule Exceeds Authority
With the notice posting requirement set to take effect on April 30, 2012, court decisions continue to emerge regarding the legality of the posting requirement. On April 13, 2012, the United States District Court for the District of South Carolina held the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) exceeded its authority in promulgating the notice posting requirement. The district court granted summary judgment in favor of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and South Carolina Chamber of Commerce by finding the NLRB violated the Administrative Procedure Act by putting the posting requirement into effect. This posting requirement has and will continue to face legal challenges around the nation.


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Adding to what has already been a wild week in federal politics -- and it's only Tuesday morning -- Coalition colleagues George Christensen and Russell Broadbent are at each other's throats over Islam in Australia.
Broadbent, the Liberal member for McMillan, made a withering speech in the House of Representatives on Monday night decrying Christensen, the Nationals member for Dawson, and One Nation leader Pauline Hanson for "peddling policies of fear and division".
"A bit of humble representation from the powers that be wouldn't hurt. It's time for us to rise above the politics of fear and division because our love of diversity, difference, and freedom will endure," he said.
"Our love of the rule of law, respect for one another, tolerance for one another will endure."
In a long speech, Broadbent said he regretted not speaking up against Christensen in September, when the Queensland MP echoed One Nation by calling for restrictions on Muslim immigration and stoked fears about Sharia law.
"That I did nothing, said nothing when my turn on the adjournment did come, is not something I can be proud of. Controlling my tongue on the basis that saying what I thought would only result in the Member for Dawson receiving more attention than his contribution deserved, was not the right thing to do," Broadbent said.
The public spat between Coalition colleagues will be yet another headache for Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, who is already facing off constant pressure from dumped predecessor Tony Abbott as well as continual niggling from the conservative wing of his party. The marriage equality plebiscite was defeated in the Senate overnight, which will again put pressure on Turnbull to move to a free vote on the issue -- which his conservative colleagues won't agree to.
Broadbent took aim at Hanson's maiden speech, in which Broadbent said she "played on the fears of those Australians feeling economic and social exclusion" and made "bogus claims" about "dangerous Muslims who were arriving with their violent extremism." Broadbent spoke of the "the unfortunately different views that exist on my side of politics."
"Only 1.9 percent of Australians gave their first preference to One Nation party. Family First, the Australian Democratic Party and Nick Xenophon Team all received greater vote than One Nation. Why then is someone on my side of politics cuddling up to Hansonite rhetoric?" he said.
"Those propositions and policies will only hurt the Coalition parties in the long run in the same way the once great Labor party now is the captive of the Greens relying on their preferences to win 31 of their seats in this house."
On Tuesday morning, Christensen returned fire on his Coalition colleague, saying Broadbent was a "politically correct hand wringer" and "part of the elitist set here in Canberra".
"Islam is a religion and we have freedom of religion in this country. Radical Islam or Islamism is an ideology and a dangerous one at that. Nowhere in the speech Mr Broadbent has criticised me for will anyone find any criticism of Islam," Christensen said.
Interestingly, there was one thing both men agreed upon.
"All of us in the parliament should reflect on our relationship with the Australian people. Right now it's broken," Broadbent said in his speech.
"This is why many people are coming to the conclusion that politics is broken: MPs of all political persuasions don't listen much at all to the public's concerns and they hardly ever act upon them," Christensen said.


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There is so much doom and gloom going on that I have to inform you all that I have made a conscious decision a couple of weeks ago to stop listening to the news...
Now I have to admit that I haven't managed this 100% yet, but I have certainly restricted my time listening to it to a minimum and feel much happier for it! Whilst I appreciate that this might make me a lot less interesting as a person being clued up as I am (or like to think I am) about most things, it certainly is a step in the right direction so that I have less to worry about.
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Sajid Javid, he's the Communities secretary by the way, has announced this week in the Conservatory party conference that all Letting agents in the country are to be registered and regulated under new legislation soon to be introduced. I certainly feel that this is a good thing.
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Hi everyone,
Ok, so I know that the headline may not mean much to you but please bear with me for a few minutes as if you are, have been, or are thinking of becoming a client of ours, then there is a change happening within the industry that will almost certainly prove to be of relevance to you either now or in the future.
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Purplebricks last Wednesday night on prime time TV rejected claims that it has led vendors 'up the garden path'. On the Watchdog programme on BBC1, one seller complained that their Local Property Expert was in fact based 30 miles away. Another complained that the Purplebricks advert on TV said it would "'old her hand', but it had not. The vendor went on to sell through a high street agent. Other parts of Watchdog focused on how sellers who deferred payment have to sign up to a credit agreement with Close Brothers, saying they had not been warned about this.
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I sometimes lose the will to live, again, when I hear that Nottingham City Council are applying to the Government for permission to set up yet another TAX on landlords…what the hell is going on and when will all this stop?


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With the same name we have two artist in here!
The country is a huge fan of Rúzsa Magdi's voice, and Ruzsa Magdi, who creates symphonies in fashion designing.
The destiny get them together and the biggest corporation was the CD Release Concert in the Palace of Arts in Budapest.
Get the the full DVD in the new album of Rúzsa Magdi and see the wonderful Madleine Couture dresses designed by Ruzsa Magdi!


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Donnie Vie
|Birth name
|Donald Edwin Vandevelde
|March 29, 1964
|Years active
|Associated acts
Donald Edwin Vandevelde (born March 29, 1964), better known by his stage name Donnie Vie (and occasionally Don E. Vie) is an American musician, singer, and songwriter. He is best known as the main songwriter and lead vocalist of the rock band Enuff Z'Nuff.[1]
Their Atlantic Records debut spawned the hits "Fly High Michelle" and "New Thing," both of which charted in Billboard's mainstream rock songs chart.[2] Over their 25-year career, Enuff Z'Nuff has produced a discography of 16 international releases and has played on Late Night with David Letterman.[3] In May 2013, Vie left the band.[4]
Vie started his solo career in 2003 with the release of his album Just Enough![5] His most recent studio album of new compositions is Beautiful Things, which came out this year in the U.S. in July.


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Our hand care patients think the comprehensive Hand Care at Fort HealthCare is great. And, we think they are pretty great, too. Helping patients every year, here are just a few of the many success stories to share:
On October 1, 2013, Dr. Bruno performed a procedure on my hand as a treatment for Dupuytren's contracture. On October 31, I was released from care with no restrictions. I am writing today to express my sincere appreciation for the outstanding service, care and kindness delivered by Dr. Bruno, his nurse Lisa and super therapist Kelly Brunson. Thanks to the entire staff at Fort HealthCare. Keep up the good work.


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10 months ago
Friday, September 23, 2011
I Love to See the Temple
The prophet asked that we have a picture of the temple in each of our bedrooms. It may have taken me six months, but I now have pictures of my girls at the temple, thanks to my dad. I love them. I am glad that I was able to take my girls there. The temple is such a special place and Katarina could tell. I love that her favorite song right now is "I love to see the temple". I am grateful for the counsel of the prophet and that we can follow such counsel. I am also grateful for the wonderful blessings of the temple and the impact they have on my family. I am grateful that I get to have my precious little girls forever. I can't imagine life without them.
Posted by JVKsquad at 11:24 AM No comments:
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Katarina Loves to Sing
Here she is singing her favorite right now "I Love to See the Temple"
Last night she called up her Grandma and sang it to her over the phone. What a sweetie. Hard to believe she'll be 3 in less than a month!
Posted by JVKsquad at 9:40 AM 1 comment:
Friday, June 17, 2011
Portofino's in LA
I was going to try and do our whole trip in one big post, but I have decided to do it in a few small(ish) segments. This is our time at Portofino's, my grandma's favorite restaurant. She eats there every Monday with all the family members that want to join her. It was fun to be with everyone and enjoy the good food and good company. We sure love family traditions.
Her first taste of lemon. (Long Story)
Posted by JVKsquad at 7:12 AM No comments:
Thursday, May 12, 2011
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Zoo Trip
We got to go to the zoo today with our cousins Kayden and Kyler and with Grandma Peggy. We had a lot of fun a couple of rain showers mixed with hail.
Katarina got to go to the zoo last December with Grandma Mo. Every time that we pass the RiteAid in town she says, "Look, a waterfall, just like at the zoo." Well, since Jayme had never been to the Portland Zoo, and I hadn't been there since I was a young child, neither of us knew what she was talking about, until today. Behold the waterfall at the zoo.
They were training the otters.
We got to ride the train. This was a very big deal for Katarina.
Posted by JVKsquad at 7:55 PM 2 comments:
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Gifts from Hawaii
Grandma Peggy and Grandpa Reed just got back from their trip to Hawaii. They brought us all some gifts. Katarina loves her new "Hawaii Dress", and had a great time modeling it with her sister. Along with the dresses came the flower hair clips and some necklaces.
Daddy taught her how to pose doing the hula dance.
Katarina and Elyssa also got a quiet book about the ocean. They both enjoy looking at it.
Posted by JVKsquad at 8:04 PM 4 comments:
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Katarina got pink eye. We took her to the doctor and he said it was viral, but he gave us some medication anyway, just to make sure that she didn't get a secondary bacterial infection. The next day we noticed a big growth on her eye. The doctor said that it was either a reaction to the medication or to the infection, and since he didn't know which, we should stop the medication. The next day we noticed spots on her body. It turns out that sulfa drugs give her hives. We gave her benadryl to combat the hives, but that make her very excitable, which is somewhat normal in young children. After five days of hives, I have stopped giving her medication because she only has one or two little spots left. I hope they have run their cycle and we are done with the pink eye adventure.
Posted by JVKsquad at 1:27 PM 2 comments:
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The Oracle DBMS is a "legacy technology"
Relational database management systems like Oracle "should be considered legacy technology; [they are] more than a quarter of century in age and 'long in the tooth.'"
This is not from some random disgruntled crackpot. It's from Mike Stonebraker, a relational/SQL DBMS pioneer in the 1970s and the co-creator of the influential Ingres and Postgres DBMSs, written in his new blog.
Essentially, Stonebraker is saying that column-oriented databases are much faster than "traditional" RDBMSs, especially in OLAP and data warehousing applications. He claims that the new design (which is not really that new, since Sybase IQ and others already use it), combined with new compression techniques, result in performance that is 50 times better than row-oriented systems like Oracle.
But are column-oriented databases inherently faster, or is bad Oracle database design the root cause of the apparent difference?
Regardless, it turns out that Stonebraker has a new start-up whose product is (surprise!) a column-oriented DBMS. (I do like their clever slogan, however: "The tables have turned.") Obviously, he has a vested interest in the downfall of Oracle, DB2 and the like. But is his critique just marketing bluster, or does he have a valid point? The blogosphere reaction is mixed: some are certainly crying foul that he is just pushing his product, while others agree that the RDBMS is dead. Still others take the middle road, agreeing that a row-wise design is better for OLTP, while column-wise is better for OLAP.
One wonders what Chris Date thinks about this "progress"?
Cheers, Tim
netCustomer CEO makes case for third-party support
Oracle's charges of industrial espionage against SAP's TomorrowNow arm have brought third-party support vendors into the limelight. Users want to know if they're credible, if they're honest and if they can really save a company as much money on support costs as they say they can.
This week we asked Punita Pandey, the CEO of netCustomer, to make an argument for third-party support. Before Oracle acquired PeopleSoft, netCustomer provided support for PeopleSoft customers through a direct contract with the CRM giant. The firm has since parted ways with Oracle and now offers its support services as a third-party.
Give it a read and let us know if you think she makes sense. Also, we'd like to know if you or your company would ever consider going with a third-party support provider? Why or why not? And if you have gone with a third-party support provider like netCustomer, Rimini St. or TomorrowNow, what has that experience been like? I'm interested to hear your opinions, because I'm sure they'll be a big help as we continue to cover the Oracle-SAP case.
From Punita Pandey:
What's wrong with this picture?
You consumed a good chunk of your IT budget in buying an enterprise applications suite. You hired an IT consulting firm to implement the software. The implementation cost over 10 times what you paid for the software and took over a year to complete. Since the product had several shortcomings, you had to apply various patches, again using expensive IT consulting resources. Then you invested in upgrading your IT team skills to manage this applications environment. The vendor then asked you to upgrade to the next version to get all the features you had wanted. Again, the upgrade project chewed up a lot of time and money. Then you realized that several functions you needed were still missing in the latest version and you ended up customizing the code to suit your needs.
It took a few more years in building all the features you wanted and stabilizing the applications environment. Then you run into an issue and you call the vendor for support. As soon as the support person finds out that your issue may be located in the customized portion of the code, they wash their hands off. You also realize that you may not want to upgrade to next version of the software since you have spent all this time customizing the setup. Besides your applications environment is now stable and you do not want to deal with new bugs and instability that the new version will bring, not to mention the added cost of consulting services.
But you realize that you are still paying a hefty amount (up to 22% of your license fee) to the product vendor as support and maintenance fee.
And you wonder why?
In a scenario like this, won't you, the customer, think that you should a pay minimal fee for support and maintenance and be able to run your applications for as long as you want? After all these years in the software industry, won't you expect the product vendor to innovate on the support front so it is hassle free and cost effective? Won't you expect your IT consulting firm to offer you a pay-for-performance model and be able to deliver services on-demand without having to foot expensive hourly rates and travel expenses.
For years we have been behind-the-scenes support provider for several leading ERP vendors including PeopleSoft and JD Edwards. With the ongoing consolidation in the ERP space, we believe the time is right for us to offer our services directly to the end customers. After all, what's good for the goose should be good for the gander.
Are you afraid of hosted apps?
"Oracle on Demand," "software-as-a-service" (SaaS), "utility computing" — whatever buzzword you use, the long-hyped end of software finally seems to be gaining traction. Our recent survey of SearchOracle.com members revealed a surprisingly high 37% of you currently use hosted apps.
Does that concern you DBAs? Is this the beginning of the end of the in-house DBA?
For managers, Oracle's pitch is compelling:
With more than 1.7 million users, including enterprise customers with the most rigorous requirements, Oracle On Demand simplifies enterprise computing by reducing the need to handle software upgrades, patches, and the day-to-day maintenance required to keep customer solutions available and secure.
. . . not to mention a lower TCO, including no six-figure salaries to those pesky senior DBAs. It's the "best of all worlds" as the Oracle site melodramatically puts it.
Unfortunately for DBAs, SaaS is likely to grow in the forseeable future. Oracle's upcoming Fusion application suite is said to be heavily SOA- and SaaS-enabled. And Oracle is certainly not alone: other hosted apps include SAP's A1S, IBM, NetSuite.com, SalesForce.com, Workday.com, and many others. Gartner predicts that the industry will be worth $10 billion by 2010, with 30% of software delivered using a SaaS model. It's already a $400 million business for Oracle.
Worried yet? Perhaps you DBAs should think about moving to Austin, where Oracle's massive data center for hosted apps is located. The 10,000 Linux servers running 10g and 2.5 petabytes of storage there should keep you busy until this whole SaaS thing blows over . . . or not.
Do you think that Oracle DBAs' days are numbered because of the growth of On Demand? Or will it never really catch on due to security, reliability and customizability concerns? Do you think DBAs will always be needed, regardless of SaaS? Let's hear your thoughts.
What's your Oracle story?
Have you made an impact using Oracle in your organization? Have you accomplished any of the following tasks:
- Significantly improved database or applications performance
- Solved a major business dilemma or reduced budget spending
- Automated or eliminated repetitive tasks
- Generally think your Oracle work stands out from the rest of the pack
SearchOracle.com is planning a new case study series designed to spotlight Oracle professionals who have used Oracle in effective and innovative ways in various operating environments and industries, from government to education, healthcare to finance. And we want to hear from you.
If you would like to show off your Oracle accomplishments and how they have benefited your organization, e-mail us. Please include answers to the following questions:
- What was the initial problem you were faced with?
- Which Oracle products are you using?
- What does your setup/configuration look like? Have you brought innovation to your infrastructure?
- What technical benefits have you realized? Have you simplified or automated routine tasks?
- What financial benefits — departmental or company-wide — have you realized?
If you'd like some recognition from your boss, or bragging rights for your peers, send in your nomination today!
Looking forward to hearing from you,
Where's MY Oracle ACE award?
In case you missed the great discussion in the comments on my post from last week, "Oracle ACE program "almost completely worthless,'" check out some highlights from the fray:
Useless? Not really . . . you get a free pass to OpenWorld. –Laurent Schneider
Oracle may well believe that it is nothing more than a badge for those who advocate Oracle, etc. However, some ACEs obviously see it as a meaningful and well-deserved Oracle accreditation of their amazing skills . . . Now that the "truth is out there," I would expect any real Oracle pro who has an ACE award to send it back, and do something to rid themselves of the title. Including HJR! –John
I'm always suspicious of these self proclaimed 'gurus.' Most of them, in my experience, are your stereotypical glory hunters. The type who has to be the center of attention. "O look at me, I wrote a book" . . . "O look at me, I'm so underutilized at my job that I've had time to respond 5,000 times on OTN." Smug, arrogant, full of their own sense of self importance and quite irritating. –Steve
Last December I received an ACE award. I have no clue who nominated me, or on what basis I was rewarded an ACE award . . . My first reaction when I received this award was: someone is making fun of me, this cannot be true. –Jacco Landlust
In plain language, it used to be a requirement to have technical proficiency to be an ACE, but that requirement has been dropped and transferred to the ACE Director level instead. That is why I called my original piece 'Devalued.' It's got nothing to do with wanting to sneer at the peasants, look down my nose at people, etc. etc. It's just an observation that when I got my ACE it meant one thing and now it means something else. –Howard Rogers
Thanks to all for commenting on this issue, especially Howard who raised the topic in the first place.
Users sound off on Oracle support
Last week I asked Oracle users to write in and tell me what they think about Oracle's support services — and boy did they comply. Here are three of my favorite comments that came in which range from a very bad review of Oracle support to a very good one, with some interesting advice in between.
Which one of these guys do you agree with?
From Cliff Palmer:
"Oracle support is simply terrible. It takes days to get even moderately complex problems resolved, and the resolution is usually found by the customer, not the new hire with the metalink account that is a 'support analyst.'"
From Daniel Morgan:
"My experience with Oracle support over the years has run the range from 'they've got to be kidding' to 'fantastic.' For the last couple of years I have been extremely happy with Oracle support and the metalink services in general. What I have found is that most of the time when DBAs and developers complain about the service it is because they are either asking for a free tutorial (I bought the car please teach me how to drive it) or they didn't do their homework (what's an RDA?). DBAs who follow 'best practice' guidelines and present clear and coherent explanations of what is wrong and attach an RDA get good service from someone with an appropriate level of expertise. The other guideline I use, and teach, is when opening an SR always attach a spool file that demonstrates what you've done to define the scope of the problem."
From Roger Rosenblum
"My experience with Oracle Support is very positive. The SR's are addressed quickly (if not I am kept informed why not) and the staff are very professional, courteous and very knowledgeable. It's always a pleasure to work with them via web conference or email, or phone or just via the SR."
Oracle ACE program "almost completely worthless"
Howard Rogers at Dizwell Informatics claims, with a sort-of apology to everyone he's "unintentionally" insulting, that the Oracle ACE program, which used to mean something, "has been rendered almost completely worthless."
Says he:
There's a bunch of complete nobodies who nominated themselves for starters and got approved despite a paucity of any demonstrated technical skill or community contribution at all. […] In fact, it turns out that you can be a technically incompetent looney and still be an ACE, because all you now have to do to be an ACE is present a lot, write a lot, have OCP certification and be on the beta program … and there's no mention of anyone, anywhere actually vetting any of that writing or presentation for technical accuracy. […] I am reminded of the fact that there was once a time when, albeit briefly, OCP actually meant something, too.
Ouchy. Sounds like Oracle certifications and awards are undergoing something akin to degree inflation, whereby "degrees are conferred on people who have not learned all they should have learned in order to earn their degrees" – and furthermore, it eventually becomes a necessity to have these credentials as a baseline (just to get hired), so that more and greater qualifications are required in order to stand out from the crowd.
What do you think? Is the Oracle ACE designation effectively meaningless now? Does it say anything about real technical knowledge and ability?
Is Oracle supportive?
Over the past few months I've heard some mixed reviews from Oracle end users about Oracle's support services.
Some folks I've spoken with say they get upset with certain Oracle support representatives who seem to be inexperienced. One person even went so far as to say that he purposely tries to get his problems elevated quickly so he can move up the ranks of Oracle support personnel. Others have said that they're highly satisfied with Oracle on the support front.
Well, I'm writing a new article on the topic and I need to know what you think. Have you had a good experience with Oracle support overall or a bad one? Is Oracle support too expensive, or fairly priced? And would you ever consider going with a third party support provider like SAP's TomorrowNow arm for your support needs? Why or why not?
Post your comments here and I'll likely contact you to ask a few more questions for the article. Hope to hear from you soon.
— Mark
Oracle bigger than Microsoft? The crowd responds
The question of whether Oracle will become bigger than Microsoft has Oracle users talking. And it was a bit surprising to see so may readers responding to my recent blog post on the topic. It seems that Oracle CEO Larry Ellison's belief that his company will indeed overtake Microsoft caught the imaginations of more than a few. Here's a slightly edited sampling of what some of our readers had to say:
From Rishi Raj Rastogi:
"It depends on what Larry means by becoming bigger. In terms of revenue, yes, it is possible for Oracle to move ahead of Microsoft in a few years time looking at the acquisitions. But if you look at the popularity or even the brand recognition factor then Microsoft is way ahead and will stay ahead of Oracle for many years to come. The reason being is very simple – Oracle is into specialized softwares/packages and a common man using a PC may/may not be aware of Oracle, but Microsoft has the advantage of the Windows OS and MS Office suite, which makes it known to even a simple PC user."
From Sivadas Madhavan:
"I heard Larry Ellison speak at two Oracle OpenWorld conferences. Both times I came back thinking this guy has a chip on his shoulder. He simply hates being not as rich as Bill Gates. At least his yacht is bigger and better than Gates's if he has one. As for Oracle bigger than MS? It ain't going to happen anytime soon. Of course, Oracle can try to acquire MS. Now, won't that be exciting!
From Tim Smith:
"I have worked on SQL Server 2005 writing stored procedures and I have worked on Oracle 9i doing the same and I will take Oracle any day. It's the best. And all the applications and platforms that Oracle runs on makes it an awesome choice for companies of all sizes to use and grow with as the company expands. As far as Oracle getting bigger than MS, you bet it can! How many more new Operating Systems and Office suites can MS push out the door, with the advent of Open Source OSes and Offices? My bet is on Oracle.
From M. R. Wietelmann:
"It was not too many years ago that IBM was the dominant force in computers and IT. History has taught us anything can happen! Oracle PC's? Hmm."
Oracle on Linux vs. SQL Server on Windows?
Jack Loftus at the Enterprise Linux Log asks, "Does Oracle 11g mean more Linux?" I.e., why did Oracle choose to release the new Database 11g on Linux first? Sure, Linux is "here to stay" (blah blah), but can we dig a little deeper?
Loftus spoke to an analyst about whether Oracle is just "making bank off Linux" (a "huge moneymaker" for Oracle) or if it's positioning itself against Microsoft (whose SQL Server offering is hot right now). According to Forrester Research analyst Noel Yuhanna, Windows customers are a "lost cause" to Oracle – they're happy with SQL Server and aren't likely to switch. So Oracle may be angling for more Linux customers (and more Unbreakable Linux support revenue), while at the same time avoiding any more lost market share to Microsoft SQL Server.
Read Loftus's full post.
And if you're not totally sick of 11g yet, check out Eddie Awad's list of 40+ links to blogs on Oracle 11g.


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Cloud Companion
The Cloud Companion is a remote camera car that allows you to monitor your home!
Product Description
The Cloud Companion is a remote camera car that allows you to monitor your love ones at home while you are away!
Cloud Companion is ready for any mission – This awesome RC vehicle uses your iPad/iPhone/iPod or any Smartphone as the remote controller with a connection via Wi-Fi. It even has a built in Hi-Res camera which shoots a Live Video Feed to your Smartphone. You can record video and take pictures with the camera. The full function control allows you to move forward, backward, and turn left and right. The tilt angle of the camera is also controlled through your Smartphone so you can make the camera look straight or tilt up. All you need to do is download the free app from the Apple App or Android App store and you're good to go.
- Compatible with Apple or Andriod
- 3.7V/3000mAh LI-PO Battery
- 1.3 Megapixel camera
- 720P H.264 Video
- Live Photo Capture / Video with sound Recording
- Camera tilt up/down 40 Degrees
- Night Vision Feature
- 360 Degree foldable antenna
- Direct Remote distance 30 Meter
- 8 Hours Live view
- 2 Hours Vehicle operation
- Battery lights Indicator
- 4 way Control direction
- High rotational flexible, soft wheels
- Moves any surface 1 button easy setup via Wifi Wireless or wired charging
There are no reviews yet.


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How do you complete your Quality Improvement Plan?
Is your Quality Improvement Plan (QIP) based on a needs approach or a reflective/assessment approach?
The introduction of the NQS has led quality improvement across the whole profession. Initially many of us had lots of issues to put in the QIP based on what we were not doing or the elements we weren't meeting. We often completed our QIP around the 'catastrophes' at hand or our imminent rating and assessment once we received 'the letter" to submit our QIP.
Many of us have now undergone assessment and are ready for our subsequent visit. So how are you reflecting, assessing and identifying strengths and issues with your team now? Are you including your team in the development of the QIP at all?
If Directors/Nominated Supervisors sit in an office and put into the QIP only what is not happening, how can improvement across the standards continue? How will educators learn, understand their practice, know how to improve or be acknowledged for the strength in their practice? How will they even know about the QIP, how the service meets the elements or how practice can be consistently embedded to the highest level possible?
Some educators say dedicating 5 to10 minutes a day to professional reflection is too much, but isn't that what passionate, dedicated professionals would do? After all how many educators have time to discuss their home life?
So please consider how your QIP is being developed. Do all of the team have input into how its development, and is everyone involved in reflecting across the standards and identifying their strengths and weaknesses. A collaborative approach will build knowledge, understanding and drive consistent improvement and embedded practice to meet 'exceeding' level expectations.
Next time an educator doesn't find 5-10 minutes a day to critically reflect on practice, explain why it is important and why their input is needed.
Val Tillett
Tagged as: FDC, kindergarten, LDC, OSHC, Preschool, QIP, Quality Improvement Plan
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America's Grim Options on North Korea
More serious options
Is it possible to actually reverse North Korea's nuclear weapons status without going to war -- a feat which no previous policy has come close to accomplishing? In my opinion, yes, but it will not be easy. It will require tremendous nerve -- one might even say audacity -- and a willingness to bring our full national power to bear, in the clear awareness that these steps could trigger the most serious escalation in international tension since the Cuban missile crisis. No previous administration has been willing to go that far, for good reason. But remember: the alternative we now face is to watch helplessly as Pyongyang sets up a global bazaar for nuclear warheads, with total impunity.
These options basically fall into three groups. The first two are similar: they involve putting serious pressure on mainland China to intervene with Pyongyang. There is absolutely no question that this could work: China holds the balance of power on the peninsula, and the PRC is North Korea's only international patron. Of course, this would require Beijing to change its policy; to date, the CCP regime has determined that North Korea should be maintained as a useful buffer against a democratic, U.S.-allied South Korea on its border. I, and a significant number of Chinese foreign policy experts, believe this policy to be absurdly outdated and contrary to China's true national interest. After all, China's relations with Seoul are excellent; Pyongyang's recalcitrance has caused endless grief for the PRC, including diplomatic humiliation and holding back the development of China's northeast region; and most of all, China could use a North Korean collapse as a lever to pressure Seoul to remove American troops from the peninsula (i.e., say, "the price of our non-intervention is that the U.S. must leave").
Nevertheless, speaking as someone who reads fawning pro-North Korean articles in the Chinese state media on an almost daily basis, it has become quite clear that Beijing will never cease to act as the North's chief shield and enabler unless it is made to pay a high price for doing so. Of course, putting pressure on the PRC has always been a difficult task, and never more so than now when the PRC is a superpower. But doing so is not impossible. There are two main ways. Both are high-risk, provocative moves with many obvious counter-arguments against them; but as I said, time has run out on the easy options.
Finally, before discussing specific measures, one must dispense with Beijing's occasional protestation that it is helpless to change North Korean behavior. This is totally false, and it is time to stop apologizing for the PRC's Korean policy, which has been consistently disastrous in its real-world effects ever since Communist China was founded. China is not only the DPRK's only military ally, but practically its only remaining commercial partner. Chinese trade and investment has been crucial in keeping the Kim system alive, especially since the conservative Lee Myung-Bak administration came into power in the ROK.
Most importantly, the PRC, unlike the U.S., has a diplomatic option with North Korea that is so powerful that it could virtually resolve the situation with a single phone call, as I suggested several years ago. Namely, Beijing could threaten to publicly abrogate its alliance with North Korea, placing the DPRK totally at the mercy of the U.S., ROK, and Japan. Many would argue that China could never publicly abandon an ally in this way. On the contrary -- the PRC, the most realpolitik regime in the modern world, has abandoned allies so many times that this is practically a standard practice for them: Mao snubbed the USSR to meet Nixon; Deng Xiaoping decided to do business with South Korea despite Kim Il-Sung's frantic requests to desist; Jiang Xemin abandoned Albania to support the Serbs during the Kosovo war; and Hu Jintao has displayed a notable lack of grief for the departed Saddam Hussein regime, as Chinese energy companies poured into Iraq in recent years. Indeed, so strong are the PRC's pragmatic tendencies that, although this possibility rarely occurs to Americans, one can plausibly argue that North Korea developed nuclear weapons primarily because it feared being abandoned by China, not because it feared a unilateral attack by the U.S.
Serious Option 1: Economic Sanctions on the PRC
The first basic option for putting serious, no-more-Mr. Nice Guy pressure on China is to threaten economic sanctions, such as: crippling tariffs on Chinese exports to the U.S.; an asset freeze; travel ban; etc. Now, anyone reading this can immediately think of at least ten reasons why such steps would be a terrible idea. So can I; believe me, as a business journalist covering China, I can see you those 10 reasons and raise you at least 20 more. But the fact remains, the PRC needs its $300 billion-plus in annual exports to the U.S. (around 6% of China's economy) a heck of a lot more than the U.S. needs its around $70 billion in exports to China (about 0.5% of the U.S. economy). Years of hand-wringing articles about our trade deficit with China may have conditioned Americans to believe that our pathetic inadequacy as an exporter is an entirely bad thing, but in this context -- using a trade cutoff as a threat -- it's actually beneficial, because it means that we have much less to lose from a breakdown in trade than China does.
Another destructive side effect of perspective-challenged journalism on China is that most Americans' perception of the power discrepancy between the two countries is fundamentally opposite to what it actually is. Not only is the U.S. economy still three times larger than China's, but the average American is far better cushioned against economic adversity than the average Chinese; 230 years of fairly steady economic growth have seen to that. Moreover, the U.S. economy is largely based on indigenous innovation, whereas China's is based on the deployment of foreign technology -- the supply of which would, at the very least, be drastically reduced by a serious economic dustup with the U.S.
Militarily, China is many years away from being in a position to take on the U.S., not least in nuclear arms. A nuclear arms race with America would cripple China financially. Beijing knows this, which is why its nuclear missiles function only as a deterrent force; if a nuclear exchange did take place at current warhead levels, the U.S. would be terribly bloodied, but China would cease to exist as a modern nation within hours of a nuclear attack on the U.S.
Another aspect of Chinese vulnerability is, as strange as this assertion may sound to American ears, political: Americans typically overestimate the CCP's political strength. U.S. administrations renew their mandate every four years; over the long term -- if not always in the short term -- this is a tremendous source of strength and stability for the U.S. But mainland China has never had a legitimately elected government (though Taiwan has). This means that the PRC regime depends on a limited set of options to maintain its popularity, which is constantly drained away by the gross corruption that is an ineradicable structural feature of China's current political system. The most important of these tools is continued economic growth. Beijing is already facing spiraling discontent in the form of public demonstrations; any serious breakdown in economic relations with the U.S. would almost certainly trigger a depression which could quite possibly lead to the end of the CCP's monopoly on power.
Serious Option 2: Permit Our Allies to Go Nuclear
Second, the U.S. could to threaten to allow its major allies in the region to match Pyongyang's procurement of nuclear weapons. This is something that, to date, the U.S. has always actively prevented; for example, in the mid-1970s, the U.S. pressured South Korea to abandon its own nuclear weapons program (Park Chung-Hee was feeling insecure after the U.S. pullout from Vietnam). North Korea, in its folly, has furnished the U.S. with the perfect political cover for this policy: it is absurd for the U.S. to accept a situation where China's ally has nukes, but America's allies don't -- we have every moral right to insist on parity.
Also, because the U.S. has three major allies in northeast Asia -- South Korea, Japan, and Taiwan -- this policy offers the advantage of having a built-in ratchet where the aggressiveness, risk, and likely effectiveness in influencing Beijing to change its policy increases with each step. The least confrontational version would involve threatening to place nuclear weapons under Seoul's control, something that would be practically impossible for the PRC to oppose under the current circumstances. This version is relatively low-risk because following through on the threat would do little to increase the risk of war (the two nuclear-armed Koreas would deter each other); however, at the same time, it would be highly detrimental to China's strategic position. For example, the prospect of entering any renewed conflict on Pyongyang's side would become dramatically more risky for Beijing if Seoul, in addition to the U.S., possessed nuclear arms.
A further escalation would be to accede to Japanese nuclear weapons status; Japan would hardly require assistance in this regard -- everyone in Asia knows that Japan could go nuclear on its own within a matter of one to two years at most. Also, it is probably unrealistic to equip Seoul with nukes and not Japan, for two reasons: first, Japan would greatly resent the diminished status that this disparity would imply; and second, given that North Korea's war plan (according to the late defector Hwang Jeong-Yop) involves a threat to nuke Japan, the Japanese have every right to deter Pyongyang by themselves, irrespective of U.S. policy.
The last stage in this three-step ratchet would be the riskiest and most aggressive, but also absolutely guaranteed to get China's attention, to put it mildly. This would be to raise the possibility of nuclear weapons in the hands of Taiwan. For the CCP regime, a nuclear Taiwan would be a bona fide foreign policy catastrophe, and Beijing will become apoplectic if this is even suggested.
Nevertheless, the truth is that being cornered in this manner is exactly what the CCP deserves. It has propped up the Kims and winked at North Korea's nuclear activities for decades; now that matters have deteriorated to the point where the core national interests of the U.S., South Korea, and Japan are imperiled, the time has come for Beijing to start feeling the heat as well. Ultimately, China must choose: does it want to reduce itself to the status of Kim Jong-Il's guard dog, even at the cost of wrecking its economy and losing Taiwan forever; or does it want to join the mainstream of world civilization -- a civilization it will certainly earn tremendous gratitude from by acting constructively (for once) to deal with the threat posed by the Kim regime?
Serious Option 3: Military Action
The third major option, of course, is military strikes. Many levels of action are possible, ranging from air strikes to destroy the North's nuclear facilities (the location of which is so well known that millions of Americans have seen them on Google Earth), up to and including an all-out war to finish off the Kim regime once and for all. Contrary to popular belief, there are also various intermediate military options. For example, the U.S. and its allies could introduce a naval blockade; conduct a limited "message-sending" land campaign that might occupy an offshore island; or, more aggressively, retake the city of Kaesong (which is just a few miles north of the DMZ, and is actually South Korean territory because it is south of the 38th parallel). The allies could also, in fairly short order, conquer a "security belt" north of Seoul, to alleviate the artillery threat.
Of course, war is horrific to contemplate: it has become almost traditional in the English-language press to use the word "unthinkable" to describe a breakout of full-scale hostilities on the peninsula. There are good reasons for this: northeast Asia is not some third-world backwater; it is one of the most developed and economically crucial parts of the world (save the North Korea-shaped void in its center), densely populated, and crammed with modern industrial infrastructure, including the Seoul, Pusan, Tokyo, Osaka, Tianjin, and Beijing metropolitan areas.
Most writers assume that any military action will quickly escalate into all-out war. It might; but then again, it might not. The Kims are totally amoral, but they are also totally corrupt, and not stupid. Kim Jong-Il knows full well that actually using his nuclear force will mean the end of his regime and quite possibly the death of himself and his entire family. Suppose the U.S. and ROK unexpectedly mount a snap land offensive to secure the artillery belt north of Seoul, along with air strikes against the nuclear infrastructure, while publicly announcing that the objectives are limited. The North will certainly resist conventionally -- something the U.S. can easily deal with -- but will it actually nuke Seoul? I find this doubtful. And even if such an attack was ordered, how would the weapon be delivered, with ballistic missile launch sites destroyed in the first few minutes of hostilities, and allied airpower roaming the skies at will?
In war, when you are winning, you can use that fact to extract concessions from the enemy. In fear of his own life, Kim Jong-Il might be made to see the wisdom of giving up his nuclear program, and accepting unrestricted weapons inspections, as a condition of a cease-fire. I do not relish the prospect of another extended period of UN inspections accompanied by lying and evasion; however, if this was accompanied by a militarily defanged DPRK with nuclear facilities in ruins, and a more secure South Korean capital, that outcome would be preferable to both the status quo, and a full-scale war that could end with the U.S. fighting China, as the previous Korean war did.
There is also the possibility that China may be actively planning to quickly occupy the North in the event of war -- it has already increased troop levels near the Korean border in preparation for this contingency. I do not believe that Beijing took this step because it actually wants to fight the U.S. and South Korea. Fundamentally, a war with the U.S. in Korea is not in the PRC's national interest; if China must fight the U.S., it wants the conflict to be over Taiwan, not Korea. Rather, I think Beijing's intention is to halt a total collapse of the North in any conflict and demand a cease-fire line that stops short of a total reunification of Korea.
To avoid a war with the PRC, I think the U.S. would accept such a proposal (though South Koreans would be livid), and Beijing would use its de facto control of the remaining North Korean territory to remove the Kims and place a compliant government in power, one which would abstain from WMD programs. This outcome would meet the security needs of the major powers; a continued division of Korea would be immensely tragic for the Korean people, of course, but South Korea would have a significant expansion of territory and population to console itself with.
It would not be easy for any presidential administration to execute these strategies. It will require nerve, a willingness to throw the dice to achieve a goal that is an urgent national security priority, a willingness to proceed in spite of criticism, and most of all, a tough-minded realism about the nature of the North Korean regime. Oddly enough, when one thinks of an American politician who has the necessary traits, the first name that comes to my mind is John McCain. A pity the senator is not in a position to use those qualities just when America needs them.