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Tuesday, 15 December 2009
Didn't Finish the Book...
So, here goes...
'Chapterhouse: Dune' – Frank Herbert (Ace)
How long have you left it, between books, when reading a series? You're normally looking at a couple of years between books being published (with some notable exceptions) and that's not too much of a gap really. Twenty years though...? I was about fourteen (maybe a bit younger) when I read Frank Herbert's 'Heretics of Dune' and never got round to picking up 'Chapterhouse: Dune'... until now.
Here's a book where you really need to have recently read the rest of the series if it's to make any sense at all. I had no idea what was going on! This is a book that I will no doubt re-read once I've been back over the rest of the series but when will I have the time to do that...? I don't know. In the meantime, 'Chapterhouse: Dune' has gone back on the pile.
'The Templar' – Paul Doherty (Headline)
Here's the Amazon blurb...
1095 and crusading fervour has swept Europe. Christ's fief of Jerusalem has been seized by the Infidels. The Frankish Knights of the West are to march east to liberate the Holy City. Hugh de Payens and Godefroi of St Omer, the soon-to-be founders of the Templar Order, and Hugh's younger sister, Eleanor, leave the security of their homes in Burgundy, France, with a plan to join Count Raymond of Toulouse's army, and march across the known world to Jerusalem.
Follow the crusaders as they march through Europe into the glories of Byzantium and onto Syria and witness the hardships, bloodshed and trickery they encounter on their treacherous travels to the Holy Land.
I was after something a little different and 'The Templar' sounded like it could fit the bill nicely. It's a real shame then that the book was so dry, in tone, that I ran out of steam trying to read it. While there was a real sense of history to the work I didn't get the feeling that the same level of attention was being paid to the characters. The pace was a little too slow for my liking as well although I did expect it seeing as the author is dealing with the mass migration of thousands of people!
I know someone who will like 'The Templar', and its sequel, but it wasn't for me...
4 comments:
- SQT said...
A "couldn't finish list" is a good idea. I have so many that I start but don't connect to.
- 15 December 2009 at 01:05
- Anrake said...
That's too bad about Chapterhouse. I thought it was quite good actually. I hope you have a chance to go back and read the series again. Just a couple years ago I read all the available Dune books at that time through the House series and Legends. Compared to the sludge churned out by Brian and Kevin, any original Dune book looks like a masterpiece... My policy has always been to finish any book/series once started, but maybe that's a waste of time.
- 15 December 2009 at 04:03
- Pedro Fontela said...
I have a similar opinion to Anrake, I really liked the Dune books and I think they're definitely worth the effort of re-reading the series – bear in mind that I'm a fan of the entire series, even the Prelude and Legend books (the quality might be inferior to the original books but they're still enjoyable).
- 15 December 2009 at 13:22
- Salt-Man Z said...
I'm not sure that rereading all 5 prior Dune books is necessary to understanding Chapterhouse. Certainly Heretics is required reading, as Chapterhouse is basically a sequel to that book, but I'm not convinced that anything before that is an absolute must.
I can see an argument being made for God Emperor, but really, that's probably as far back as you need to go.
- 15 December 2009 at 16:14


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The story is basically Sailor Moon crossed with Captain Planet with a dash of Pokemon/Neopets thrown in for good measure.
Younger kids 10-13 will probably enjoy this more than teens or adults. I truthfully was a bit bored by the predictable storylines and blunt moral messages, but still, I would definitely put this in the hands of younger kids.]]>
Enter the Red Witch and the Red King. The resurrection of the Red King means the failure of the group, unable to keep the ritual from taking place, and to add insult to injury he is resurrected into Thomas' body.
However, an opportunity also appears with this resurrection, the Red King is now mortal.
I think I've mentioned before that Baltimore is a more bleak worldview than Hellboy, there are very few jokes (in fact, I can't remember the last bit of humor, even black humor, I've seen in this comic). I think that the Mignola, Golden, etc. crew have been moving in this direction in most of their works, from Hell on Earth BPRD, Abe Sapien's new series and Hell Boy in Hell, failures abound, the planet is not saved, the heroes do not come out on top, the monsters win. But, we fight on.]]>
I really liked the subdued feeling of the whole thing, even when the characters have to fight, it seems like they see it as something inevitable they just have to get through. Just the way life would seem after dealing with a tragic loss.
Which is what the story is basically about, a teenaged guy dealing with the death of a loved one. When he channels his feelings into music and suddenly becomes the focus of a rock cult, it's not what he'd intended.
Interesting story, loved the artwork, overall, I'd recommend this for people who enjoy slightly weird, stories about young kids figuring things out, like Sam Alden.]]>
The dude takes solace in relating his troubles to his mom, whose skeleton he keeps in his nightstand. But one morning he awakens to find his mom's bones gone. Therefore to get her bones back and take revenge on his father, the lumpy, yet skeletal, hero must go underground...into Hell.
The story goes through a lot of increasingly strange scenarios as he searches for his mother's bones and eventually there is a healing, and he's able to reconcile himself to the fact that his mum has moved on.
It's a humorous story, with lots of weird crap going down, nice illustrations and a quick read. Not really creepy in the slightest, the the dude's pasty white lumpy body is a little off-putting. Fans of Cartoon Network's Adult Swim might find this similarly entertaining.]]>
This is a beautifully illustrated film noir take on the Snow White story and I liked it. It was sparse with text and plentiful with panel after panel of gritty, dazzling art that spoke for itself.
I'm not generally a fan of fairy tales, especially the ones that Disney has pretty much taken over, such as Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast and of course Snow White. So, I don't often find myself picking up books that are interpretations or even inspired by these too often told tales.
However it found it's way into my request list, I actually enjoyed the experience of reading this book, even though it really didn't bring anything new to the story, which stayed very true to the outline of Snow White, but the illustrations and the window into this Depression era world of street kids, follies, and abandoned buildings was very enticing and helped it to become more than just another Snow White.]]>
Do you know about Margaret Sanger? Think again! I was familiar with her from American history classes in high school, but the depth that Jones delves into her history here will keep even those who feel they know enough about the birth control rights pioneer interested.
Interspersed between sections of Sanger's biography the author goes into her own history with women's rights activism, protesting and struggles. And, I feel it's especially interesting to consider these things and the history of women's battle over control over their own bodies now, when those rights have been brought up again and again in presidential campaigns.]]>
Negative Space conjectures that a tentacled...species of creature (which no doubt will be compared to genitals) are disturbed when man encounters them at the bottom of the sea. These creatures feed off of negative emotions and they can't get enough. In fear we decide to monetize this relationship by creating a company whose mission is to find 'empaths' (or emotional people...but seriously, who isn't emotional? Let me post a digression here:
I was recently at a speaker event where the speaker talked about how hard the world was on sensitive people. The speaker compared themselves, and other sensitives, to the canary in the coal mine. While the rest of us non-feeling insensitive people go on with our lives unaware of turmoil, the canary withers, trying to warn us that the pain of the declining bee population will soon be our pain. They suffer, while the 'normal' population is ignorant and happy. Sensitives are necessary to show what poisons our world and get us to realize we need change.
I can't say that I was enamored of this theory,that, in my opinion, was very discriminatory. I, personally, am the type of person who prefers to keep my emotions under the surface. I am anti-canary, you'd never know by looking at me what I was feeling, my heart is decidedly not on my sleeve. Does that make me the opposite of sensitive? Does that make me insensitive? Does that make me less likely to recognize things that are poisoning the world? I don't think so. I just means that I choose to feel things and react to things differently.
If I wail and cry about something, does that make me more emotional, or does it just make me more visibly emotional? Do I need someone else to witness my emotions to validate them? If I cry about the dying bees, does that help the bees? What if I don't cry about the bees or the polar bears or the eagles or the whales, but instead donate time or money to causes to support changes? While the canary sits in it's cage emoting, I elect to act instead. End diatribe.
Sorry about that, that's been in my head for a while and this comic spurred it to come out, because I think many people have had a similar idea that informs the plot of this comic. The idea that someone out there has it out for you. That someone out there is causing crappy things to happen to you. I think many people have had that thought. I used to blame stupid crappy things that happened to me on a guy I made up called Hans, whose job it was to drive me insane. In this comic it is only sensitive people who are targeted by a group that is quite plainly paid to drive people into despair.
That's the basic premise here, plus some tentacled monsters. The tentacle monsters find human grief, depression and other negative emotions very tasty. If we don't supply enough they will rise from the deep and wreak havoc upon the world. So a company was created to find especially emotionally resonate people, empaths, and make them miserable, the desired end result to drive them to suicide. Objects involved in emotionally fraught times, (such as means of suicide, bomb fragments, sunken planes, etc.) are valued by the tentacled beasts.
So our main character is a Native American guy, who is pretty depressed because among other things, his father killed himself, he's all alone, he hasn't written anything good, and his life is a series of bad jokes. All, of course, caused by this unscrupulous company. He's finally chosen to end his life, but of course, he's got writers block for his suicide note.
Then he gets caught up in a revolutionary group that wants to detonate a happiness bomb in the citadel of the tentacled creatures, thereby destroying them. He just needs to think of one happy thought. (Like Peter Pan).
It wasn't bad, but it wasn't particularly good either. Also the design of the evil monsters was a bit insultingly a toothed vagina. Can't dudes come up with anything more original?
We stand On Guard on the other hand was really more about an alternate Canada than America. War has been declared on our neighbor to the north and Canadian citizens must flee into the Northern Territories to escape. Our main character has been living in the woods on her own for years, ever since her brother saved her life by surrendering to American forces while she ran. Living near Yellowknife (the capitol city of the Northern Territories) she's been left in relative peace, until now. Now in a few short hours she meets up with the last of a rebel force and takes on the might of the American military forces.
What is this war about? What is it always about? Resources! It turns out that the real reason behind the American invasion had little to do with terrorist threats. And did I mention the giant robots? There are giant robots, virtual reality torture and slavery is back! Isn't the American future just the greatest...(too bad it's actually not that easy to emigrate to Canada, you actually need a reason beyond, "I don't like who got voted into the Oval Office.")
I loved the strong characters throughout, though the character development wasn't great across the board, but still most characters got at least some depth added to them.
Overall, very well done. Something to read on Guy Fawks day.]]>
I would use this telephone/future transportation thing all the time.
And I really wanted to like Mystery Girl. I liked the idea, I liked the first few pages I read, but everything went downhill pretty fast. 16% of this 100 page comic book featured nudity, stripping or character postures that looked straight out of porn. Sure you could argue about that 5 page fight sequence when one of the police detectives, discovered passed out naked on his bed (with porn visible on his computer screen) and a fight ensues. However, there was a narrative reason created in that scene for why the man was naked (how much sense it makes is up to the reader to decide), but in scene after scene women are depicted naked for only the reason that they're sex workers, so they're always naked.
Which brings up another interesting point. Of the prominent characters in the comic who were women, half of them were sex workers. And only background characters (often older women) did not conform to the body type of a model sports illustrated model. Why were so many of the characters not only strippers, but also sex workers?
Ok, so let's just say that Trine has ties in that industry and so friends, but don't they ever just wear casual clothes? Apparently not. In another scene one of these women is drawn in a shirt in one panel, but in the next panel where she's sticking her body out a window to yell down at another character she has taken her shirt off. The only conclusion is that the artist wanted to draw big pointy boobs and pander to the male gaze, while alienating and devaluing/dehumanizing women.
Add to that a ridiculous plot involving sociopath hitman (how original), a clueless scientist girl, and a plot to hide a secret diamond mine that was discovered when an expedition uncovered mammoth remains in Russia. (The diamonds were apparently discovered buried in snow, already cut and glowing). The whole thing culminates with a woolly mammoth ride. I'm being serious here. Yeah.]]>
It seems the group uses their arcanic captives to create something called lilium, a substance they use to gain powers...but what does it do to them, are they really still human?
Maika willingly allows herself to get taken in order to find answers and get revenge for her mother's death by the hands of the Cumaea.
This would be a great choice for those who are looking for a world to really sink your teeth into, there is a lot here, and even though readers will start off a bit off-kilter, not knowing who the 'bad guy' is or which side of the war they're on, Maika is a sympathetic character readers will want to see through the end.
That said, for readers looking for a story that reaches a conclusion or something they can read and get in one sitting, this may not be their particular cup of tea, there are way more questions cropping up than answers and with text heavy pages, readers really have to invest time in if they plan to get anything out.]]>
In this volume Finn and Jake become secret agents and discover that "The One True King" of Ooo is raising an army of bears in a plot to overthrow Princess Bubblegum.
There is also some confusion caused by Magic Man, and some interaction for the reader, but it doesn't turn out how it usually does with Magic Man.
Keep your eyes peeled for Finn as a Candy Person, Jake's impersonation of Pepp But and Marci's most adorable bat creature form ever.
Lately I'd picked up the Sunday Comics section of the newspaper and been saddened deep inside for the lack of quality there. Picking up any Adventure Time comic is like returning to the good old days of comics, only better.
I feel a little sad that newsprint is no longer a good source of comic goodness as it was back in the days of Calvin and Hobbes...but maybe that's just a nostalgia for a time I never really knew.
AT still provides me with that nostalgic feeling of reading with a grin on my face. It doesn't follow strips like Calvin and Hobbes did, but the way Finn and Jake play off of each other and the adventures and scrapes they get into and out of remind me a lot of the young boy and his tiger friend.]]>
For me, this was a comic about a super hero (really it could be any of them) trying to have a normal life. The Vision feels it's a little different for him, though, because even his 'humanity' is in question. Not just that he shouldn't be living with the normals as a superhero, but should he even be allowed to own property? Are he and are his family members human enough to warrant a place at the table?
The Vision and his family's main goal is to become more like humanity, therefore embracing illogical notions and practicing other human traits as if humanity is a skill that can be mastered. However, if you believe to err is human, then the Vision and his family already meet the requirements, as they make many mistakes in their attempt to assimilate.
The end of the comic features a character who'd looked into the future saying that Vision was going to be a problem, because from now on he'd do anything for his wife and children's happiness. "He will kill you. He will kill your families. He will raze the world." What goes unsaid is that now the rest of the team of super heroes will be after the Vision to kill him and his family...because they will do anything for their families too.
For them protecting their families, which as super heroes could involve vendettas against them, casualties among their normal neighbors, destroying entire cities, would also come first right? So why is it so terrible that the Vision would do the same?
I feel like this comic is both making fun of someone 'different' trying to have the same experience as the majority as well as labeling that attempt as dangerous to the majority. It immediately made me think of the gay marriage debate, which also made fun of images of two people of the same gender marrying, as well as putting forth the view that somehow such a marriage would threaten and endanger the 'institution of marriage' for the majority of straight marrying people. This feels like the same thing. Because the Vision is different, he and his family should not be allowed to the same rights as 'humans.' Many would think that putting a comic on the same level as the gay marriage debate is taking things too seriously, but comics are political statements just like everything else and this one is ascribing danger to difference and reading that gives it strength.
Don't subscribe.]]>
The premise is that two people, who just happened to be standing on the same hillside, were killed (accidentally?) and replaced with robots by some unknown alien entity. The two, one a middle-aged man prematurely aged by illness who is generally despised and treated poorly by everyone in his life and a high school student who is popular and well liked among his peers, continue on with their lives, soon to discover new abilities.
Although his appearance hasn't changed Inuyashiki, the middle-aged man, is completely healed of his illness. He also has the ability to heal others of any illness, wound or disease. Shishigami, the young boy, takes the opposite path and uses his powers to kill randomly, invading homes and cruelly taking the lives of the inhabitants, be they young or old.
The two are complete opposites, one, young beautiful and beloved by all. The other ugly, old and despised. Then again, are they really so different? Both are witness to bullying and each seems to grapple with the issues of why some people are given power while others are trod upon. Inuyashiki breaks down when he is called a hero, feeling that he doesn't heal people as a hero would, just because it's the right thing to do, but because he needs to assert his own humanity, afraid that he is now nothing but a machine.
Shishigami too struggles with his transformation. While he obviously feels superior to humans, when he finds out his mother has cancer his world is shattered and he starts to reassess what he wants, even dreaming about being human again.
Like Death Note, there is a fight between two forces, though it's less about morality/ethics and more about two flawed individuals given immense powers, but no direction or explanation. It's an interesting and suspenseful story, can't wait to read the next volume.]]>
Have you ever wondered what would have happened if Fox had better protected his little sister and been abducted in her place? What about if the Ghostbusters hadn't crossed the streams allowing Gozer (in Stay-puft form) to rule the world? What about if the Teenaged Mutant Turtles all got brainwashed to work for Shredder?
Read those stories and more in Deviations! I found the Ghostbusters deviation the most amusing, especially since I'm not as familiar with some of the others, like TMNT, GI Joe and Transformers, but it's worth a look for fans!
Abe Sapien Vol. 7 The Secret Fire - Michael Mignola:
Oh Abe. You've been told by various people, over and over, again to go back to your team and yet you doggedly kept pursuing the truth further and further from it. Finally in this volume a girl, speaking in an ancient language, convinces him to return.
It's not that I haven't enjoyed Abe's adventures and the various characters he has met through his wanderings, and the creatures he's fought along the way...but I felt like the story was in stasis, neither Abe nor us readers was moving forward in the plot.
Here's hoping that we'll all be getting some answers in the next volume.]]>
Blood Feud is the first of the Lovecraft inspired comics I read, and I was disappointed in that interpretation. H.P. Lovecraft has been called the father of Horror, his stories influence the genre as a whole and some of it's most well known authors, such as Stephen King. However, I've found that the closer one draws to Lovecraft's themes of cosmic horror the more most writers fall away, not realizing what really makes Lovecraft's world so horrifying.
Why is it that some horror writers want to switch out the uncaring universe of powerful alien entities for the staid and dull devils of human creation? One of the most frightening things is that the horrors are cosmic not earth bound. There is no way for humanity to control what happens, or hope to even comprehend it, we exist as a by-product, and our actions make little difference to our place in the greater scheme of things, we are small and insignificant.
In Blood Feud two clans, the Stubbs and the Whatelys have been at each others throats for generations. No one can quite remember why or what started it, but the fight between the two families is well known throughout the Ozark town of Spider Creek. And now the mutated Whatelys are about to take it up a notch.
Our main character is just a regular guy, with his regular guy friends, and then there is the token girl, a grad student studying the ty-ran-tu-lah migration that happens in Spider Creek. The action kicks off pretty quick in the story. The boys are sitting around playing poker when suddenly token girl bursts onto the scene to report a wounded man in the woods.
It's one of the Stubbs family and he's in a bad way, muttering about 'blood feuds' and everyone being dead. So our MC and Jack (another guy who kinda shows up at poker night, and looks much more like a Football player than MC, but all we know about him is that he likes science fiction) head out to the Stubbs place to check on the family.
The entire family have become vampires, even the baby. It turns out that the Whatelys summoned a 'master vampire' who went out and turned this entire family. Even the baby. What a monster. Also, the vampires themselves have the comical look of killer naked mole rats, with their ridiculously exaggerated pointy teeth, gorilla arms and cankles. There's a bit where they hide in the church and token girl sees that MC is desired by another female and becomes more interested in MC. Of course the other woman is sweet, simple and chubby and wearing androgynous clothing, unlike token girl who wears skin tight pants and tank top on her improbably proportioned body. Our MC is such a MAN. All the token girls want him.
Anyhoo, the MC takes care of it all and saves token girl. The end. Yeah, this comic is casually sexist, spat in the eye of Lovecraft and didn't make the most sense.
Our MC is the dude with the evil smile on the right. Despite the fact that there are many poisonous snakes and some churches that still practice snake rituals in the Appalachians and the fact that some of the dudes do have a snake-like jaw and teeth, snakes are not mentioned in this story.


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I remember being in high school and trying to do a report over Rivers Cuomo. His Wikipedia page was a great source for me and so I used it for my report. My teacher did not have the same sentiment as me. She expressed ideas that are very similar to those discussed in Henry Jenkins' article titled "What Wikipedia Teaches Us About New Media Literacies". He analyzes the purposes of Wikipedia and with his lecture in mind, I looked at the Wikipedia page for Graceland, the album by Paul Simon. This page discusses the awards won by the album, those credited, some album background and the track listing, but is not a scholarly source or an unflawed source because of the concept of collective intelligence.
Having reviewed the information present on the Wikipedia page, I feel that the viewers are not getting the full picture of the album. The background information on the album does touch on his failure with the album Hearts and Bones and his peaked interest in the Boyoyo Boys, but does not discuss the trouble he encountered and how crazy people thought he was for wanting to go to Africa and search out their best musicians to feature on the album. Also, I feel as though the reader is limited because Wikipedia is not capable of providing information and a link to the Boyoyo Boys, which was a trigger for the entire album.
Now the question of whether or not this Wikipedia page represents the idea of collective intelligence arises. Jenkins defines collective intelligence as "the ability to pool knowledge and compare notes with others towards a common goal". I analyzed the history of edits to find that 580 revisions have occurred on the page from mostly everyday users, which exemplifies collective intelligence.
In the article I found issues that have occurred on the page based on it's ability to pool knowledge from everyday people. Things throughout the history were labeled red, which stands for a deletion. This really helps to understand why some teachers and educators may "worry that youth aren't developing an appropriate level of skepticism about the kinds of information found on this particular site" (Jenkins). If Wikipedia has to worry about deleting certain edits, than it is good to be weary of what may be a falsity on a Wikipedia page.
This one stood out to me. This edit was deleted based on the fact that the username and profile of this editor could not be traced. Had I been reading this page before the users edit was removed, I would have been presented with potentially misleading information about the album.
Overall, Wikipedia is an educational source and a good example of the idea of collective intelligence, but it is a common space for knowledge and, due to this, needs to sometimes be taken with a grain of salt or used as a starting point for research on a topic.
Works Cited:
"Graceland(album)".Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Web. 13 February 2014.
Jenkins, Henry. "WHAT WIKIPEDIA CAN TEACH US ABOUT THE NEW MEDIA LITERACIES (Part one)". Web log post. Confessions of an AcaFan. N.p., 27 June 2007. Web. 13 February 2014.


text: joewrightgm 387 Posted April 12 So I'm stoked for clone wars and doing a CIS army. however the issue that I see with the CIS main tank, the AAT is how long the thing is; according to the Star Wars.com database, it's 9.19 meters long, making it longer than the AT-ST is tall (8 meters)! The TX-225 is only 7 meters long (Rogue one visual guide). it would either need a small pizza sized base or be on the long base for the TX-225 and hang over all the edges. this seems to be a problem with all the CIS vehicles, as they are all bloody huge; the hail fire droid's wheels are as tall as an AT-ST, as is the homing Spode droid. Thoughts on if we'll even see these on the table? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites


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The biggest thing missing from 2015's redesigned Apple TV was support for 4K video, the new HD standard that offers four times as many pixels as normal 1080p HD. The competition had it. Apple did not.
That changes this week with the Apple TV 4K, which costs $179 and supports 4K and high dynamic range (HDR) video.
A few people got a chance to test the Apple TV 4K early, and their reviews are mostly positive. It sounds like a great option if you have a lot of movies stored in your iTunes library and a TV set that supports 4K and HDR. Still, there are a lot of cheaper options from competitors like Roku, Google, and Amazon.
Here's a taste of what people are saying about the new Apple TV 4K:
Devindra Hardawar of Engadget says Apple's 4K movie pricing is cheaper than other digital services. Plus, movies he already purchased in iTunes were automatically upgraded to 4K for free:
You'll find Apple's first batch of 4K HDR films in their own section on the iTunes store. So far, the selection includes some major new releases like "Wonder Woman", "Baby Driver", and "Alien Covenant". Notably, they're mostly selling for $20, with a few older titles going for $15. Walmart-owned Vudu, which has been selling and renting 4K films for years, currently has those titles for $30. Even the rental prices for 4K are lower on iTunes -- $5 versus $10 on Vudu. And, just as Apple promised, several films I previously purchased on iTunes -- "Star Trek Beyond", "The Lego Movie", and "Kingsman" were automatically upgraded to 4K HDR.
Nicole Nguyen of BuzzFeed says the Apple TV 4K is best for people who have a high-end TV setup and want to do more with the device than just watch videos:
Sure, the Apple TV 4K offers some extra bells and whistles, like being able to control your smarthome, download third-party apps (like Panna, a cooking app, or Zova, a fitness app), or view iCloud library photos on the big screen. But the bottom line is: If you just need something to stream on-demand content from providers like Hulu, Netflix, HBO Now, or Amazon Video, the Roku ($60-$100), Fire TV Stick ($40; the Fire TV with 4K Ultra HD is currently unavailable), and Chromecast ($35 to $69) have got you covered.
Lisa Eadicicco of Time says the real key feature isn't 4K, but high dynamic range (HDR) support:
Yes, 4K is a huge pixel leap over 1080p, but the bigger change here is arguably HDR, which fundamentally changes how colors and contrast ratios work. I noticed this most when watching a scene in Netflix's Marvel superhero mashup The Defenders, in particular a scene that has Alexandra (played by Sigourney Weaver) sitting in a sun-filled room enjoying a private performance by the New York Philharmonic. She's wearing an off-white blouse with beads arranged in an argyle pattern. Viewing the show in HDR, I was able to tell that her outfit was champagne-colored, whereas it looked blandly white in the non-HDR stream. The difference may seem trivial, but illustrates the way HDR can tease out subtle hues ostensibly truer to a scene.
Nilay Patel of The Verge liked the Apple TV 4K, but said it needs to do more to justify the price:
For Apple to justify the Apple TV 4K's $179 price tag against the apps already built into your TV and those very popular cheap streaming sticks, it needs to offer a perfect utopia of the best technical capabilities, a complete content catalog, and a simplified interface. I know a lot of video nerds, and all of them were hoping the Apple TV 4K would be the One True Box. That's what Apple does: it rolls in and confidently fixes complicated tech problems with elegant solutions.


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The Rich Kid
An essay
"But We Were Feeling Happy"
A review of Keith Oatley's Emotions: A Brief History
Housing: Who Is Responsible?
A review of Finding Room: Policy Options for Canadian Rental Housing Strategy, edited by J. David Hulchanski and Michael Shapcott
Ninety-Seven Years and Counting
A review of John Kenneth Galbraith: His Life, His Politics, His Economics, by Richard Parker
Choosing Supreme Court Judges
An essay
Blue Met
A pictorial review
Going Home Again … or Not
A review of Bharati Mukherjee's The Tree Bride
A Strange and Evocation Quest
A review of Summat Else, by Royston Tester
John Stuart Mill versus the Supreme Court of Canada
A review of L.W. Sumner's The Hateful and the Obscene: Studies in the Limits of Free Expression
Deep-Sea Utopias
A review of Breathing Underwater: The Quest to Live in the Sea, by Joe MacInnis
The Corporation Dilemma
A review of Wade Rowland's Greed, Inc.: Why Corporations Rule Our World and How We Let It Happen
Harmless Dragons
A review of Here Be Dragons: Telling Tales of People, Passion and Power, by Peter C.Newman
The Glamour of Lost Causes
A review of Empires at War: The Seven Years' War and the Struggle for North America 1754–1763, by William M. Fowler, Jr.
Tom Pokinko
Tom Pokinko is a graphic artist based in Montreal. His work has appeared in The Progressive, Clamor and Fine Books & Collections (formerly OP Magazine), as well as with the United Nations Association in Canada. His online portfolio can be seen at <www.tompokinko.com>.


text:
To demonstrate our commitment to Health, Safety, Environment and Quality (SHEQ), we shall strive for excellence in all we do by recognising the impact that our activities may have on people and the environment. We shall implement and maintain the activities of the company in such a manner, as to prevent harm or damage to persons and property respectfully.
To achieve this vision, we at HWT are committed to the following:
- Implementing safety, health, environmental and quality management systems
- Identify, eliminate or minimise potential sources of harm or risk arising from all our activities
- The prevention of injuries and diseases by complying with Safety, Health, Environmental and Quality legislation and standards
- Informing and appropriately training all employees and contractors on safety, health, environmental and quality matters
- Continually improving our Safety, Health, Environmental and Quality performance
- Ensure as far as reasonably practical, that the appropriate resources are available to effectively implement the policy
- Review our policy on a regular basis
- Communicate the SHEQ policy to employees and contractors
Andrew Hulsman
Managing Director/Owner
31 October 2011


text: New 100% Cotton Dresses @ MISS MOSS, Milton by siobhan | Apr 16, 2013 | Fashion, Miscellaneous Moss, Miss Moss Shop | These fabulous dresses are the latest lovelies in our Milton, NSW, retail store. These items are 100% cotton, fair trade, handmade and feature wood block printing. These are very simply designed with a slight 50s vibe. Twist and twirl, anyone? Shanghai Dress, Red. 100% cotton. Twist & Twirl Dress, Blue. 100% Cotton. Twist & Twirl Dress, Navy. 100% Cotton.


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Blog Post
2013 a big year for privacy? You ain't seen nothing yet!
If you thought that 2013 was a big year for privacy, then prepare yourself: it was only the beginning. Many of the privacy stories whose winding narratives began in 2013 will continue to take
Blog Post
In search of global privacy compliance
In the same way that most activities involving data are global, complying with the rules and regulations affecting those activities is a markedly global endeavour. Whether we are talking of
Blog Post
Shifting sands - From consent to user accountability
My colleague Phil Lee in an earlier blog (http://privacylawblog.ffw.com/2013/a-brave-new-world-demands-brave-new-thinking) pointed out that we are entering a brave new world and that it demands brave
Blog Post
Legislative realism needed
One thing that is clear in the context of the ongoing EU data protection reform is that speculation is rife. Everyone seems to have a view on what will happen. Most people seem to think that the
Blog Post
Cyber: Safety first!
In case you haven't noticed, the European Institutions (as well as the UK Government and those on the other side of the pond) have been ramping up their digital agendas in recent months, each seeking
Blog Post
German Federal Court: "send-to-a-friend" emails are SPAM
In a recent decision of 12 September 2013 (court ref. I ZR 208/12), the German Federal Court of Justice ruled that e-mails sent via "send-to-a-friend" functionality on websites must be considered
Blog Post
If I'm not mistaken, that's a breach….
Last year the UK Information Commissioner (ICO) issued 25 fines (22 of which were for data security breaches). This year ICO has issued 16 fines so far. We'll have to see what happens in the next
Blog Post
In defence of principles-based regulation
When the European Commission published its proposal for a new regulation aimed at rejuvenating the 1995 Data Protection Directive in 2012, there was one major feature that stuck out above everything
Blog Post
EU Parliament delivers - The world awaits (1)
They said it couldn't be done. A draconian initial text and 4,000 suggested amendments to digest made the task so difficult that many experts had already given up hope. However, today the European
Blog Post
The Commission combats the EU Data Residency rumours
Last week, the European Commission published a memo entitled 'What does the Commission mean by secure Cloud computing services in Europe?'. The memo stems from the Commission's 2012 strategy


text:
Rubin et al.: Perioperative Visual Loss in Spine Fusion Surgery: Ischemic Optic Neuropathy in the United States from 1998 to 2012 in the Nationwide Inpatient Sample, p. 457
Todd: Good News: But Why Is the Incidence of Postoperative Ischemic Optic Neuropathy Falling?, p. 445
Anesthesiology. Anesthesiology 2016;125(3):A13-A17. doi: https://doi.org/10.1097/ALN.0000000000001293.
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Your doctor will likely recommend surgery to remove the tumor and/or radiation to shrink the tumor. Your doctor might recommend chemotherapy after surgery (called adjuvant chemo), depending on the size of your tumor.
You may receive one or a combination of these options during the course of your treatment.
Select the options you would like to discuss with your doctor.
Generous support for the My Lung Cancer Treatment Planning Tool made possible by Lilly Oncology.


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Analyst Research
Gartner: 2018 Market Guide for Vulnerability Assessment
Insights and ideas to help you evaluate vendors and improve your security program.
Organizations seeking to evaluate vulnerability assessment solutions turn to the "Gartner Market Guide for Vulnerability Assessment" for expert help in navigating the market. Tenable is pleased to provide a complimentary copy of the report.
According to Gartner, "the vulnerability assessment (VA) market is mature, but is being challenged by the need to cover changing device demographics and emerging technologies and better represent true risk." Gartner addresses these considerations and others in the 2018 Market Guide for Vulnerability Assessment, providing insights that will help you evaluate vendors and improve your security program.
Topics covered:
- The scope of the market for vulnerability assessment solutions, common use cases and challenges
- Recommendations for identifying requirements and vendor selection criteria
- Changing device demographics and other trends impacting the market and effective vulnerability management practices
- Mapping of vendor capabilities to the challenges facing enterprise security teams
Register today to receive your complimentary copy of the report.
Source: Gartner Market Guide for Vulnerability Assessment, Craig Lawson, Prateek Bhajanka, 19 June 2018
GARTNER is a registered trademark and service mark of Gartner, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the U.S. and internationally, and is used herein with permission. All rights reserved.


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Search & Read
ShiningWorld Reader
Self Is Formless
Thomas: Hello, Sundari, it's Thomas again, just emailing you to express my thoughts and ruminations.
Yes, the "dark night of the soul" moments are just phases in life that this jiva must pass through.
Sundari: The "dark night of the soul" is identification with tamas, the guna energy of concealment, dullness, depression. All jivas are subject to all three gunas all the time, until self-knowledge has removed all ignorance and the mind rests predominantly in sattva. As the self, you are triguna-atita, beyond the gunas. Until all ignorance is removed by self-knowledge, the mind will constantly cycle through all three gunas, with one or two predominating, usually rajas and tamas. All three gunas produce very predictable thoughts. I strongly suggest that you read James' new book on the gunas, The Yoga of the Three Energies.
Thomas: Death is just the end of the dream, that in which the character's movie has ended. Every stage and age within the jiva's life is just parts of the play working itself out. There's no need to worry about anything whether one is alive or dead, because everything will always take care of itself as long as one follows dharma and acts appropriately.
Sundari: There is never anything to worry about as the self, because you are unborn, and therefore you never die. And as the jiva (enlightened or not), there is never anything to worry about alive or dead, because Isvara takes care of the Field of Existence perfectly – and you have NO control over it. You only have control over your own subjective reality of thoughts/feelings – that is ALL.
Thomas: As one generation of jiva ends, a new group of jivas emerge and work out their roles within the field, and something new appears over and over again and again, and recycles continuously. New appearances, new generations, new ideas, etc. But it will always remain as nothing more than a projection. There will never be a time when we won't have our artists, spiritual leaders, celebrities, friendly bartenders, etc. It's just a new projection over and over again.
Sundari: Correct. There is an over-abundance of identities to assume in mithya. What matters is knowing what your svadharma (inborn character) is as a jiva so that you can follow your nature, enlightened or not. When you do know who you are, you are never identified with your nature as a jiva, but you do honour it in keeping with the rules of the Field of Existence.
Thomas: It's consciousness putting on new costumes within every stage of life to play their parts out and have its drama and entertaining experiences. It is a never-ending movie.
Sundari: It make look like it, but consciousness does not "put on new costumes." All forms in the field are Isvara, awareness + Maya, appearing in constantly changing (apparent) forms. No form is conscious, although the light of consciousness (you) shining on it makes it look like the form is conscious. Consciousness is always the formless behind the form.
Although the form arises from consciousness, is made up of consciousness and dissolves back into consciousness, consciousness itself never enters form. Maya makes it look like it does – but it does not. All the substance (prakriti/the five elements) that matter is made of actually has no substance, because consciousness is not a "thing," an object, although it is that which makes all form possible.
Thomas: I guess being enlightened means just understanding the whole play of Maya as nothing more than a mere dream.
Sundari: Yes. "Enlightenment" means you are no longer identified with the jiva, and therefore no longer subject to the gunas, although as a jiva you never leave the apparent reality. As the self, you never entered it. All matter arose from you in the role of Creator, Isvara. So moksa is 100%, 24/7 discrimination between you – satya/consciousness – and that which arises in you – mithya, the jiva + the world.
Thomas: It's the ultimate dream in which consciousness and its sense perceptions make the experiences seemingly real, forgets itself and identifies with the character who forgets that every stage in the dream is just a mere role in which it is acting in.
Sundari: Ignorance is very intelligent and very seductive. And very tenacious. The senses are in mithya, they are the instruments of knowledge for the jiva, part of the five sheaths, therefore they belong to the field, Isvara/Maya. But consciousness does not have sense perceptions. Maya makes it look like the self forgets itself, but that is an impossibility, because the self is the substrate – it is ALWAYS conscious. If it was not, and it could "forget" itself, even for a nanosecond, otherwise this whole movie would instantly end. It is only an apparent forgetting because this movie, this play or dream, is NOT real. It is a superimposition onto awareness – a mirage.
Thomas: It's funny knowing how almost everything in this jiva's blueprint has been planned out and all the actions, thoughts and emotions he finds himself in are just arising from the unmanifest.
Sundari: True. It's like a computer game, all the moves the jiva can make are already programmed.
Thomas: My question is, once this jiva works out all its karma, how will it guarantee that it won't be reborn again and that if it does get reborn again to work out its few karmas that it will seek out enlightenment with its spiritual vasanas once more?
Sundari: Who guarantees what? It is the ego, the limited self who needs guarantees. In mithya there are no guarantees, ever. As the self, you do not need guarantees, because there is no world, no ignorance and no jiva for you. I have answered this issue of yours about reincarnation at length, several times for you already. As the self, you are never "reborn," because you are never born. Therefore, as the jiva who has actualized the self, you do not worry about dying or being reborn, because you know you are unborn.
And as the self, you are not the jiva, so you have no karma, no binding vasanas. And you will definitely NOT be seeking enlightenment when you know that you are the light. What difference does it make anyway if you are reborn as the jiva once self-knowledge has actualized if you know none of it is real? Why are you worried about the world if you know it is not real?
Thomas: Perhaps everything is encoded within the space-time continuum, and that this play of Maya and its history and jivas will appear over and over again.
Sundari: Basically correct, but remember, there is no such thing as time, past, present or future, no space, no change and no causality. These are all objects known to awareness. The power of Maya to delude is so pervasive and persuasive that it makes the changeless appear to be changing, i.e. it creates the apparent reality – all the forms we see and experience as real. Causality is another word for Isvara/Maya. It causes the universe in conjunction with awareness.
Time has no objective reality. It is the distance between a memory of an event and another memory or current experience. Yet as the jiva, we cannot step "out of time," because we do not stop experiencing as long as the body is alive. The essence of the experience of events (time) is stored in the causal body by Isvara, the vasanas, enlightened or not. How we relate to experience is determined by the level of self-knowledge or lack of it. You, awareness, the changeless, observe time, space, experience and are unaffected by it. Nothing ever happens, for you.
Thomas: Because we know that karma and vasanas are impersonal, eventually Isvara will cook up some new play and we'll all be back here engaging the drama of life. What do you think?
Sundari: WHO will be back? If you are still identified with the jiva, then that vasana load will be back when "you" die. For the living without self-knowledge, death is as certain as is birth for the dead.
What I think is that you still have a satya-mithya confusion.
~ Love, Sundari


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Bonawe Historic Iron Furnace
Britain's most complete charcoal-fuelled ironworks nestles in an idyllic setting at the head of Loch Etive, amidst Argyll woodland.
Bothwell Castle
Delve into a site that saw a great deal of action during the Wars of Independence with England. Bothwell Castle, built on a grand scale in the late 1200s, was hotly fought over.
Castle Campbell
Get up close to the Lowland stronghold of a powerful Highland clan – a forbidding fortress perched above Dollar Glen.
Craignethan Castle
Seek out the unusual defences of the last great private stronghold built in Scotland, including its rare caponier or shooting gallery.
Crossraguel Abbey
Contrast the peacefulness of the abbey with the conflict that the monks' loyalty to Robert the Bruce attracted.
Doune Castle
Marvel at the near-complete castle of 'Scotland's uncrowned king', set in lovely Stirlingshire countryside.
Dumbarton Castle
Visit a stronghold that stood at the heart of an ancient kingdom covering the area now known as Strathclyde.
Dunstaffnage Castle and Chapel
Admire the mighty MacDougall stronghold built on a huge rock above the Firth of Lorn, in later years a royal castle.
Inchmahome Priory
Cross Scotland's only lake to reach the peaceful, wooded island chosen as a monastic sanctuary.
Iona Abbey and Nunnery
Step off the foot ferry into one of Scotland's most sacred sites, founded by St Columba in AD 563.
Newark Castle
Contrast the beauty of this rediscovered treasure with the notoriety of its most famous noble resident.
Rothesay Castle
Survey a fortress famous for its long and close association with the Stewart kings of Scotland.


text: Advanced Urgent Care provides quality care and comprehensive examinations for individuals who have been involved in personal injury incidences (such as motor vehicle accidents, animal bites, slip & fall accidents, etc.). Our team of physicians and providers works closely with other health care specialists to ensure the best possible outcome from any personal injury circumstance. Close working relations with our neighboring physical therapy facility helps to advance and speed recovery, while continuing to provide appropriate oversight during the recovery process.


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"Charlotte is a fantastic agent who will be honest with you from the first time you meet her until sitting at the losing table! She sold our last two houses, one of which she helped us buy. I also worked with Charlotte helping her stage houses when I lived in the area and she helped me move furniture and do whatever it took to get that house ready for first impressions! Charlotte is hard working, honest, and knowledgeable of all the aspects of buying and selling. My husband and I highly recommend her as your agent!" – Sonya B.
Easy & Stress-Free
"As a first time home buyer, I was very worried about the process. However, from day one Charlotte found my comfort zone. She explained the entire process and made it easy to start searching. I never once felt unsure, uneasy, or uncomfortable after that initial meeting. Charlotte was also available to answer any questions and more times than I can count she provided excellent advice to get me moving in the right direction. She was able to put me in the house of my dreams within a month, and she still calls occasionally to make sure all is well. I can not give enough praise." – The Hodges
Finding Charlotte was a blessing!!!
"We found Charlotte on her website when we were planning to move to Georgia from Florida. We came up for a couple of days and she spent the entire time taking us to many homes. We loved the first home we saw and we were going to do a contract the next day. Charlotte called us at the hotel that night as she had been researching the home and found some road improvement issues that were coming in the future that would impact our home. Her honesty and integrity was appreciated. She looks out for her clients. We found an even better home the next day and went back to Florida. Charlotte handled the rest. All we had to do was show up for closing. She made everything so easy and effortless for us. She is the most knowledgeable realtor we have ever dealt with and believe me, you will be impressed. She was a godsend!!!" – The Burgers
Knowledgeable, Organized, Above & Beyond
"Knowledgeable, Organized, and Above & Beyond sum up our experience with Charlotte both with the purchasing and selling of a home. She can answer any questions you throw at her for any scenario, she remembers everything, and will do anything to help you accomplish your goal of
selling/purchasing. I would and have recommended her to anyone who asks for realtor services. She also has great partnerships with loan officers, law offices and any other expertise you may need through the process of selling/purchasing." – Jessica & Steve B.
Charlotte Sold Our House in 3 Weeks!
We could not be happier! We thought it would be difficult (if not impossible) to sell our house in "today's market" – however, Charlotte's marketing plan was tailored for just that. We were always kept "up to the minute" on any information concerning the sale of our house. From day one of listing to the closing date, we always felt as though Charlotte was working hard for us! She's a smart and hard working person who I would not hesitate to work with again!
A Great Real Estate Agent
"We just purchased a lake home on Lake Lanier with Charlotte's help. She provided a great primer on lake considerations and helped us rule out many properties without having to drive all over seeing them. We got a great feel for homes in our price range and were able to move quickly when we found just the right one. Charlotte is smart and high-service -a great agent!" – J&K in Suwanee


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We're not razing our land, leaving it to look like a gigantic parking lot. We've created a community reminiscent of old Chapel Hill, with low stone walls, graceful trees and beautiful homes. At Meadowmont, you get the whole package.
Part of the beauty of moving to Chapel Hill is the rolling landscape of the Piedmont region of North Carolina. With views atop Summit Park and the Hilltop Condominiums and the beautiful wooded estate homes located along Meadowmont Lane, each resident has every opportunity to soak in the serenity and breathtaking beauty.
How is the open space at Meadowmont different from other neighborhoods? We are going out of our way to ensure you love where you live — both inside your home and outside in the neighborhood.


text:
I flew into Las Vegas on Thursday and met Clarinda.
My phone decided to die on me on the plane, so once I got to the airport I had no way to get a hold of her! Thankfully I had my charger with me, but I could not find a working outlet to plug it into. After about an hour of walking around, I found an outlet that worked and I was finally able to reach her. That poor girl had been circling the airport, trying to get a hold of me for over an hour. I think she put about 20 miles on her car!
Needless to say, I don't think I made a very good first impression on her. Hopefully buying her dinner helped! ;)
She lives just minutes away from the strip, so this afternoon we went walking around it. It was awesome! It's so neat seeing all these places in person, after only having seen them in pictures or movies.
|The best tour guide ever!
|Cartoon, courtesy of George!
It's going to be incredibly cold, most likely in the teens for the start of the race. It starts in Utah and is at a high elevation. Brrrr!
My goal for my Chicago Marathon was 5:00, and that didn't happen. So I would love to redeem myself in this race. It is all downhill, so just maybe that'll be possible! No matter what, we're gonna have a blast and I'm so glad to have a great friend to run 26.2 miles with!


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Milwaukee – Cold air, significant cold air, is finally forecast to arrive for most of the northern United States in the days leading up to Thanksgiving. Our very warm Fall has meant little snow and even less Lake Effect Snow. We talked about this last week, when we published an article on the end of the mild fall weather. As stated in that article, the mild weather has been shared with many of Canada's cities.
The second half of November still shows the likelihood of colder temperatures – most likely a drop to normal levels and possibly below normal. By late November, that is cold enough for Lake Effect Snow. Do you live around the Great Lakes or know somebody that does? If they live on the leeward – south or east side of a Great Lake, they can get serious, monstrous snowfall. Just two years ago, November 2014, New York was hit with two big Lake Effect Snow events. Fig. 1 is a map of the first event that lasted from November 17th through 19th.
Fig. 1 Western New York LES Event
That bright bulls eye is just south of Buffalo, New York. South Cheektowaga was the epicenter with 66" of snow. Unbelievable! Now, I am showing you this because prodigious amounts of snow are possible in November and early December around the Great Lakes not because a comparable event is likely in ten to fifteen days. So, why does Lake Effect Snow occur and why are some events more significant than others?
Unique Geography Affecting Lake Effect Snow
Let's start with the base. This can only happen in a few locations in the world. You need open water on large lakes or oceans and you need incursions of very cold air – arctic air that is well below freezing. If you look at a world map, there are no locations in the southern hemisphere that qualify. In the northern hemisphere, North America has the Great Lakes and many Canadian lakes – Great Bear Lake, Great Slave Lake and Lake Winnipeg. In the United States, in addition to the Great Lakes, Lake Effect Snow has occurred on Great Salt Lake, Lake Champlain and even some of the bays along the east coast. In Europe and Asia, Lake Effect Snow has occurred over the Baltic Sea, Black Sea, Caspian Sea, Sea of Japan and Lake Baikal. However, most of these locations either are too far north and ice over for most of the season or are too far south and have very infrequent incursions of arctic air. Guess where in the world the lakes stay mostly, at least partially, ice free in winter and have frequent incursions of cold air? You only get one guess. Yes, the Great Lakes are very unique for fresh water and weather. There is no other location in the world that combines water, cold and prodigious snowfall, outside of mountains, like the Great Lakes. So, the first three ingredients are unique geography, large open water and frequent incursions of arctic air.
Temperatures and Lake Effect Snow
Now, we can dig a little deeper. Let's talk about temperatures. In a Lake Effect Snow Event, there are two critical temperatures – the arctic air mass and the water temperature. The greater the difference between the arctic air mass at about 4,000 feet and the surface water, the more energy is transferred from the water into the atmosphere. This occurs through evaporation of water from the lake and condensation into the cloud; the greater the transfer, the more significant the snow event. The greatest temperature difference is most likely in late Fall and early Winter, when lake water can still be in the 40s and 50s. Arctic air masses can be as cold as 0° to 10° degrees – a 40 to 50 degree difference. An atmosphere with such a change in temperature vertically is also called unstable or convectively productive. The air just above the water climbs very quickly when temperatures at 4,000 feet are much colder. This creates an even greater exchange of energy and moisture. Figure 2 shows the process of transferring water from the lake into the cloud and then onto the land through snow.
Fig. 2 Basic Lake Effect System
Winds Influence Lake Effect Snow
A second and very important step is the wind field from the top of the cloud down to the surface. The wind direction needs to be uniform. If the wind shifts significantly within the cloud, the snowflake process is disrupted. This results in cloudy skies and flurries – not significant snow. How the wind aligns with long axis of any of the lakes is also very important. Let me explain why. If the wind aligns with the long axis of the lake, more moisture is transferred from the lake into the cloud. In fact, for Lake Effect to be possible, a fetch of more than 60 miles is needed. Any distance shorter, results in clouds and flurries. If you look at figure 3, you can see that the most significant snowbelts are located at the end of the long axis of each lake – for example, northwest Indiana, western New York.
Fig. 3 Lake Effect Snowbelts
Not only are the most significant snowbelts located at the end of the long axis, but they also benefit from moisture from multiple lakes. If you live in Muskegon or South Bend, many of your Lake Effect Snow events gather moisture from Lake Michigan and Lake Superior. In Cleveland and Erie, you receive moisture from Lake Huron and Lake Erie. In Syracuse and Watertown, your Lake Effect Events can tap into moisture from Lake Superior, Lake Huron and Lake Ontario. If you live in southern Ontario, your snowflakes can originate from moisture gathered from Lake Superior and Lake Huron.
Topography Affects Lake Effect Snow
One last point to make about Lake Effect Snow: A significant increase in elevation in a snowbelt, enhances or increases the potential for snowfall. This is most notable in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and the Tug Hill Plateau of New York. These two locations, by far, receive the greatest annual Lake Effect snowfall. Hooker, New York holds the state record of 467" of snow and Hancock, Michigan holds the state record of 390" of snow. You can see these two bulls-eyes in the annual snowfall of the western and eastern Great Lakes found in figures 4 and 5.
Fig. 4 Western Great Lakes Annual Snowfall
Fig. 5 Eastern Great Lakes Annual Snowfall
As winter progresses, the water temperature cools and ice begins to form on the Great Lakes. This reduces the potential for Lake Effect Snow by February and March. Coinciding with the late season ice formation is Spring. The warmer season means fewer incursions of Arctic air.
So, what are some of the biggest snows? They happen from very cold air, warm waters, uniform wind direction and in locations with significant elevation. Christopher Burt, writes for the Weather Underground, and has researched these impressive Lake Effect records:
|Amount of Snow
|1 hour
|Copenhagen, NY
|2 hours
|Oswego, NY
|3 hours
|Valparaiso, IN
|16 hours
|Benetts Bridge, NY
|24 hours
|Montague, NY
And now that we are in the social media and digital age, we can see pictures like these:
Fig. 6 Photo: AP
Fig. 7 Photo: Cheryl Boughton
Fig.8 Photo: Michael Garood
What to Do
Hopefully, you understand some of the fundamentals of Lake Effect snow and why this is such a unique characteristic in the world. You should also now be aware that we are in Lake Effect Snow season. We have had a very warm Fall. The outlook for late November still shows colder air moving into southern Canada and the northern United States. It is now likely that the first significant Lake Effect Snow of the season comes during the week of Thanksgiving. Can you hear me Marquette, Muskegon, southern Ontario, Cleveland, Erie, Buffalo and Syracuse? If you live around the Great Lakes, you should finish prepping for winter. Again, it looks like it changes quickly in the next week to two weeks.
Meteorologist Mark McGinnis is on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter @fairskiesconsul


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In 2018, after 14 years with Kaiser Permanente, I joined Iora Primary Care. Already, this change is one of the best decisions I've ever made. My wife and two daughters regularly comment on how I'm happier, less grouchy, and don't get gloomy on Sunday nights anymore. I've always enjoyed going home from work, most recently to our little hobby farm on the river in Lyons CO, where we raise sheep, goats, chickens, bees and a new little pig. But now, surprisingly, I also look forward to going to work on a daily basis.
I came to Iora because of its mission to restore humanity to health care. I have been following Iora in the national press ever since the 2011 New Yorker "Hot Spotters" article (read it if you haven't!).
I've long been a student of health systems and policy, working for a Master of Public Health and an MBA in health administration. I served on the Board of Directors for the Permanente Medical Group and as Chief of a large primary care practice and a cluster of primary care practices serving over 100,000 patients. I've worked as the Medical Director of Prevention, responsible for the wellness of over 600,000 patients. I never thought I would leave my previous career…until Iora arrived in Colorado.
When the Arvada clinic had an opening for Practice Medical Director, I applied. I was immediately impressed by the man who would become my boss, Doug Golding, a very bright and thoughtful leader. More importantly, I was sold on working with the team of Health Coaches, Operations Assistants, Nurses, Nurse Practitioners and Behavioral Health Specialists that interviewed me. They asked insightful questions that made it clear that culture and mission were valued at Iora. They were bright, kind and passionate about taking care of patients. It was clear that this was an opportunity to work with a team where each member contributed as much as they could to the care of patients. In past roles, decisions had to be funneled through doctors who become a bottleneck for care.
Over the past month, I've found that this team truly lives by the Iora values; courageously and passionately caring for our patients, treating them with empathy. The team works to improve every day, acting with the humility to ask tough questions and challenge each other to improve. They continue to inspire me and challenge me to be better, making sure that we always address the issues most important to our patients. The team helps me to be truly present in interactions with patients. They support me in my learning and they allow me to support and teach them. We learn from each other.
The culture is collaborative rather than competitive, supportive rather than critical. This is unlike anything I've experienced in health care before. I recently attended a meet and greet with some of our current patients. I asked many of them, "What do you think about Iora?" About half of them became tearful as they described how they were treated with kindness and respect in a way that made them feel important. There was not a single complaint about the team, but they did ask that I would consider staying for a long time. That won't be a problem.
– Eric Harker, MD, MPH, MBA


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How to shop for baby dresses
If you've wanted a baby girl, one of the first things to come to mind when you discover you'll have one is shopping for baby dresses. But shopping for baby clothes can be harrowing. And so much more if you have to begin shopping for baby clothes in your third trimester.
Here are a few tips on how to shop for baby dresses and have fun while at it.
1. Ascertain that it's a girl: It is okay to wait awhile so that you are absolutely sure when you begin to shop. Technology can trick us too, so it's good to wait a few weeks before you launch out to buy baby girl clothes.
2. Make a list: Yes! Make a list of all the baby clothes for girls that you will need. Start from the top going all the way down to her feet. Your newborn baby clothes should include, among other things, hats, vests, t-shirts, socks, trousers, and of course beautiful baby dresses.
3. Make a plan: Don't expect to conduct all of the shopping for your baby girl's clothes on one day. This is a tiring task, and very involving, especially if the shops for newborn baby clothes are far and in between. You can plan to buy certain items on certain days, and go on ticking off the list as the days go by.
4. Involve your family and friends: These can be of great help to you when you are planning to shop for baby dresses. They could give you baby clothes for girls that their daughters have outgrown, or they could give you a heads up on the places where you can find good baby girl clothes.
5. Be true to your style: Although you plan to involve your family and friends in your purchase of baby dresses, it is good to remember that you are going to be the mother of the girl who will be wearing the pretty baby dresses that you buy. So don't buy something that you don't like, because most likely, you will not dress your baby in it – which can be a big waste of your time, energy and money.
6. Go for good quality: go for strong, durable and comfortable material, and watch out for colors that run, as you do not want any of those.
So now you have bought all the baby dresses you can think of, and you can't wait to try them out on your new born baby. What else do you need to do to ensure that the clothes remain in good shape?
Wash the newborn baby clothes following the instructions given by the manufacturer. Read all care labels well when caring for baby clothes to ensure they do not get spoilt. Baby girl clothes can be particularly prone to creases, so you need to be careful as you machine wash them. Baby clothes for girls also need to be washed in proper detergents and dried appropriately. This way, you can enjoy seeing your beautiful baby dresses on your even prettier baby girl!Read more about How to shop for baby dresses
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BROCKTON, Mass. ---- The Massasoit Community College softball team is set to begin the 2016 campaign with a doubleheader slated at Dean College on Thursday.
The Warriors will be led by first-year head coach Jordan McDermott, an East Bridgewater native who played collegiately at Bridgewater State.
McDermott inherits a team that went 5-15 a season ago and returns a pair on sophomore infielders in Kelly Cronin (Weymouth) and Sami Murray (Rockland).
Cronin, who is slated to start at shortstop for the Warriors, hit a team-best .381 during her freshman season and tied for a team-high with 11 RBI. Murray will be Cronin's double-play partner, manning second base after seeing time both in the infield and outfield last season.
The corner infield slots will showcase Ashley Westover (Stoughton) at first and Jacki Sloan (Rockland) at third, while Gabby Boutin (Middleboro) and Liv Curtin (Abington) will serve as the team's catcher and pitcher.
The outfield will feature three more newcomers in Payton Cavacco (Plymouth), Steph Collyer (Rockland) and Taylor Coletti (Whitman) will be on patrol.
The Warriors have 18 regular season games on the schedule, with the home opener slated for Sunday, a doubleheader against NHTI set to start at 2:15 PM.


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The soldiers of the 8th Virginia
The 8th Virginia was composed of ten companies. Each one was supposed to have 68 enlisted men led by four officers (captain, 1st lieutenant, 2nd lieutenant, and ensign). The overall regiment was commanded by three field officers (colonel, lieutenant colonel, and major) assisted by several staff officers (chaplain, adjutant, surgeon, surgeon's mate, paymaster, and quartermaster). One inherited company was composed men on 1-year enlistments that began in December of 1775. The other nine companies served 2-year enlistments, beginning in the spring of 1776 and ending at Valley Forge in the spring of 1778. An 11th company was raised to replace the 1-year men in 1777. Replacements recruited in 1777 served 3-year enlistments.
The 8th existed from December 13, 1775 to September 14, 1778 when it merged with the 4th Virginia and took that number.
I have posted an outline of the regiment's structure, listing officers and some enlistment (when I have written about them or heard from descendants). This is not intended to be a full "roster" of the regiment, but rather a look at its structure, origins, and organization.
Catching Eagles
Fifteen year-old William Eagle enlisted in the 8th Virginia on Christmas Eve, 1776. He was one of the first to sign up when the regiment came limping back to Virginia from its encounters with redcoats and (far more dangerous) malaria in South Carolina and Georgia.
Colonel Muhlenberg brought the regiment back home to refill its ranks. Hundreds of men had died, deserted, or been left behind. Recruiting had been easy ten months earlier. Now, with Washington fleeing the British across New Jersey and the effects of camp disease staring them in the face, few men were willing to sign up. The regiment was never again at full strength. After Valley Forge, the original enlistments expired and very few of those men signed up for another three years. After the Battle of Monmouth, the regiment was combined with 4th and the 12th Virginia regiments and then folded into the 4th Virginia. A year later, even that unit had to be paired with the 3rd Virginia.
William Eagle was one of the few who enlisted during the Revolution's darkest hour (literally two days before Trenton restored people's faith in the cause). Nearing the end of his three-year term, he was "discharged for inability" on September 1, 1779. Tradition has it that he had a broken arm. Whatever his injury was, it saved him from a repeat of the 8th Virginia's 1776 march to Charleston. This time, the entire Virginia line would be captured after the Siege of Charleston in 1780.
William Eagle's grave is by Eagle Rocks, a steep peak near the headwaters of the Potomac in West Virginia's remote Smoke Hole Canyon. Ross B. Johnston wrote in his book West Virginians in the Revolution that the veteran named his son George Washington Eagle, and nearly lost his life one day climbing his namesake peak in an attempt to capture some baby eagles.
John Duncan's Life of Indian Fighting
On March 5, 1833 an old man named John Duncan walked into the Franklin County, Illinois courthouse and applied for a Revolutionary War pension. His father, he said, had been killed by Indians in Washington County, Virginia, when he was nine or ten years old. He recorded his own 20-year story of virtually nonstop Indian fighting, including the famous Vincennes campaign led by General George Rogers Clark (younger brother of 8th Virginia Captain Jonathan Clark). "He never was regularly mustered into or out of service," he said. "He never was discharged regularly. He received some little pay, but does not now recollect how much. He is unacquainted with the names of any Regular or Continental officers or companies, nor ever served with any.... He never was regularly enrolled in any company or corps, unless it might be Genl Clark's or Col Hays's. He belonged to none at home. He has no documentary evidence of his service; he knows of no living witness who can testify personally as to his service...."
Duncan's life of fighting, colorful as it was, did not qualify him for a pension. Most of it happened after the war was over (he was about 18 at the time of the victory at Yorktown). The pension affidavit, however, is great reading for anyone interested in early frontier history. It was transcribed by C. Leon Harris and is one of thousands Harris and his partners at RevWarApps.com have transcribed and put online. These affidavits have long been largely ignored by historians, who have been suspicious of them as the late memories of old men eager for money. Viewed with a healthy dose of skepticism, however, they are a great resource to my research—especially when they corroborate each other or fill in blanks in the record. Duncan's affidavit can be read here. (Though he lived for a time in an area that recruited men for the 8th Virginia, Duncan was never connected with the regiment.)
Abraham Bowman Whiskey is named for the only field officer who commanded the 8th Virginia for its entire two-year existence. Originally distilled by his descendants, the whiskey is a good tribute.
Americans drank rum in colonial times. After the Revolution, however, they drank whiskey. Rum was made from Caribbean molasses, but whiskey was purely home-grown. "The Revolution meant the decline of rum and the ascendancy of whiskey in America," writes Mary Miley Theobald. "When the British blockade of American ports cut off the molasses trade, most New England rum distillers converted to whiskey. Whiskey had a patriotic flavor. It was an all-American drink, made in America by Americans from American grain."
Nowhere was whiskey more popular than on the Virginia frontier. Whiskey came to America with the "Scotch Irish" (Irish Protestants) who settled the frontier of Virginia, the same area that produced the 8th Virginia Regiment. They fought for the right to settle west of the Blue Ridge Mountains, which the King had forbidden. After the war, many of them led their families and neighbors into the woods of Kentucky. Abraham Bowman was among the very first to go. They began making whiskey out of corn, aging it in charred oak barrels, and (eventually) calling it "Bourbon."
Bowman was commissioned in 1776 to be the 8th Virginia's original lieutenant colonel. A year later he was promoted to colonel to replace Peter Muhlenberg, who became a general. The Bowmans were not Scotch-Irish; they were German—but after a generation or two there wasn't much difference. After a few more generations, the Bowmans were back in the Old Dominion, and opened a whiskey distillery the day after Prohibition ended. For many years it was the only legal whiskey distillery in Virginia. Today, you can take a tour and go home with a bottle of good Bourbon whiskey named after a true revolutionary hero.
The Cost of Fog and Drunkenness
October 4, 1777 was a bad day for the 8th Virginia and the Continental Army.
Colonel Bowman's men had seen combat, most notably at Brandywine—but disease and cold had caused more casualties than enemy musket balls or bayonets. The Battle of Germantown was different. Confused by fog and under the command an allegedly drunk major general, the 8th Virginia suffered severely on this day, 238 years ago.
At least one soldier, Henry Saltsman of Captain Croghan's company, was killed in the battle itself. Charles Sanders of Captain Stephenson's company was never seen again. At least ten and perhaps as many as sixty men were wounded. Another 25 men were captured, mostly in the companies commanded by captains Westfall, Slaughter, and Higgins.
Wounds in that era were not easy to recover from. In 1818 veteran Jonathan Grant reported that he "was wounded in the leg" at Germantown, "in consequence of which wound I am now rendered incapable of labouring for my support" and living "in reduced circumstances."
The men who were captured may have suffered the worst fate. They were carted off to the notoriously filthy and disease-ridden prison ships, where they were lucky to live more than another four months. The regiment's new lieutenant colonel, John Markham, was charged with "Having left the regiment I time of action ... and also, on the retreat of the same day" and with "Delay when ordered to support the advanced guard." A court martial unanimously found him guilty and he was cashiered. General Stephen was also tried but found innocent of being drunk during the battle. He was, however, found guilty of being inappropriately drunk at other times and of other misdeeds, and also cashiered.
[Post Updated 10/5/19]
Gabe Neville
is researching the history of the Revolutionary War's 8th Virginia Regiment. Its ten companies formed on the frontier, from the Cumberland Gap to Pittsburgh.
December 2019
© 2015-2019 Gabriel Neville


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|PWCC Special Interest Groups
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One of the things that sets PWCC apart from other networking associations is that we are made up of a diverse membership of professional women from a wide variety of industries. Because of this, some of our members have organized smaller Special Interest Groups ("SIGs") around a particular profession or business interest to take a deeper dive into common issues they may face. The PWCC Board of Directors encourages any idea for a SIG, so if you're interested in organizing one yourself for PWCC Members, please contact the Board President to present your idea. Here are the SIGs that are currently operating today.
Lawyers' Special Interest Group
The PWCC Financial Advisors Special Interest Group meets once per month to discuss various issues relating to financial planning, marketing, networking, etc. The Financial Advisors Group meetings are open to all PWCC members who are in the financial planning industry, who want to network with other financial planners to share their interests and experiences, and want to increase the value they receive from their general membership. Please contact Shannon Hahn or Elizabeth Kuroski for more information.


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Child sex ratio to worsen as patriarchal mindset spreading: Gender expert Bijayalaxmi Nanda
New Delhi, March 7 (IANS) A keen observer of India's fluctuating gender patterns has painted a grim picture of the country's falling child sex ratio (CSR), saying it could worsen in the 2021 census as the patriarchal mindset is spreading across India and is not just confined to the north.
"Earlier, it was an urban phenomena in northern states like Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh. But the patriarchal mindset is spreading across India — even in the east and northeast," author and teacher Bijayalaxmi Nanda who has been working on gender equality for about two decades, told IANS in an interview ahead of the launch of her book "Sex-Selective Abortion and the State" (Har-Anand/Rs 795/pp 343) on International Women's Day on March 8.
The teacher of political science and gender studies in Delhi University's Miranda House said the CSR will continue its falling trend of several decades in the 2021 Census. The sex ratio for children up to six years was 971 girls per 1,000 boys in 1981. It kept falling and was 945 in 1991, 927 in 2001 and 919 in 2011.
"There might be slight improvement in some states like Maharasthra and some districts in Haryana that were marked as worst performers due to the state's attention, but the overall figure is likely to be worse as several states, including Gujarat and those in the east, are experiencing a worsening scenario," said the mother of a daughter studying in the US and whose husband is a civil servant.
Nanda has incisively analysed the government's countering of gender discrimination in her book. Having been an activist for several years, she has critically examined the policies, programmes, laws and schemes that have been unveiled by the state to improve the situation.
"Though preference for a male child was there even in the east, better access, availability and affordability for sex-determination and sex-selective abortion is worsening the child sex ratio," said Nanda. "Rising aspirations, smaller families and easy access in rural areas have narrowed the urban-rural gap in CSR."
Overall, she felt the state has miserably failed in strictly implementing the laws as there is widespread violation of Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PCPNDT) Act across the country, including in the rural areas. "The doctors lobby is very strong and they have political blessings."
Nanda said while new reproductive technologies like sperm separation, diagnostic facilities and illegal abortion centres came up wherever there was demand for such services irrespective of the law, the growth of such facilities and rising affordability created its own demand where there was none.
"The law can at best control the supply side but it requires an attitudinal change for removing the demand for such services. And, the obstacles to mindset change relate to sexual insecurity among families for the girl child, marriage (an expensive affair) mandatory for respect of women and employment as many women are unemployable due to the low quality of their education," said Nanda.
"Instead of concentrating on just the numbers — improving the ratio — women should be valued as equal citizens. Slogans like 'Save your daughter' reinforce the stereotype that daughters are liabilities, (that) they need protection," she added.
At the same time, Nanda supported the second part of the "Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao" initiative that aims to generate awareness and improve the efficiency of welfare services intended for girls. "It's an interesting scheme that combines the element of law (PCPNDT) and education. But such schemes require dynamic leadership."
Nanda's recommendations follow a syncretic feminist perspective that emphasises on addressing the "3 As" for tackling the aversion to daughters — Assets, Autonomy of women and girls, and Ageing.
"She should have control of assets, property rights and employment for tackling the aversion for daughters and also protect them from violence. Her autonomy should be enhanced to provide bargaining power, right to assert, make choices, improve physical safety and mobility. And, finally, if we have social protection for the aged, it will remove the need for a son as the only source of support," said the researcher.
A holistic approach engaging all stakeholders is needed to show empathy towards women, to schools where the syllabus and teaching inculcate gender equality, to the wider society where a community consciousness is developed through dialogues and media messages, she said.
As to when the country can provide girls their rightful place, Nanda said: "We can just hope for the day when we stop seeing daughters as 'paraya dhan' and fathers start celebrating daughters."
(Manish Gupta can be contacted at [email protected])


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Residency training is changing at a rapid pace; that's why each year, ICRE adds new professional development events to its program, to keep PDs, PAs, PG Deans and other postgraduate faculty up to speed.
For those involved in accreditation activities within their respective institutions, don't miss Residency Accreditation Reform Town Hall: New Directions for the 21st Century on the evening of Friday, September 30. This special evening event will provide a rundown of the latest changes to accreditation systems, and explain how those changes will impact and benefit their work.
For those wanting to explore a high-profile MedEd topic in depth, ICRE's new Symposium Sessions will provide can't-miss professional development opportunities.
Related sessions offered during ICRE 2016 include:
- Symposium: Healthy healers, healthy workplace: Awareness to action
- Symposium: Outcomes-based education deserves outcomes-based accreditation: Accreditation for the 21st century
- Symposium: Mentoring: The journey between apprentice and mastery
Browse the ICRE 2016 program to find out more about the new workshops and sessions being offered during this year's conference.


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Sunday I was at this Hotspot in Amsterdam Remise47. Kevin was so lucky to have a free lunch for two there! He invited me, thank you for that Kevin!
Remise47 is located close to the 'Foodhallen' in Amsterdam-West. Outside in the garden, there is a big blue cow. This is their signature I suppose. It's easy to find the place by having this blue cow in front of the entrance. The building is a former tramdepot. We ate in the room where they used to take care of the trams and repair them.
What they say about the location:
"Surrounded by the newest hotspots for the culture lovers, foodies and fashionistas, Amsterdam West is the place to be."
We could choose anything from the lunch menu. We ate two courses lunch, but we ordered everything together. I chose the pumpkin soup (of the day) and parmaham with truffle mayonnaise, rocket salad, pine nuts and Parmesan. He chose the tomato soup and Poached egg with smoked salmon, Hollandaise sauce and English muffin.
In general they serve Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Cocktails and Bites. The menu has some typical Dutch food like "croquets", it's called "kroketten" in Dutch. They serve meat, fish and even vegetarian food.
Until the end of march (2016), they have a Promo Menu;
"We serve a new "urban bistro" lunch and dinner menu. To introduce this new concept we offer a special 3-course dinner* menu for only €22.5 in March."
This Urban-Bistro restaurant is very spacious, the high ceiling and windows makes it feel very relaxing and open to me. The history of the building is very special. During having food, it felt cool that people used to fix the trams in here. The decoration and interior of the restaurant is stunning. I've seen the newest interior trends like 'brass'. They had a beautiful red dress hanging in the red area of the building. I just had to show you! It was very pleasant to take pictures here. We loved the sign "Where am I" and the swing in front of it. Very funny. History and modern taste come together with good food. I thought it was absolutely fabulous. The hospitality was magnificent, the service great and the people polite. Just my kind of place!
Hotpot info:
Eat Your Heart Out
Bellamyplein 47
1053 AT Amsterdam
The Netherlands
+31 (0)20 8 208 675
+31 (0)20 8 208 675
Do you like the Hotspot in Amsterdam Remise47 and would you eat here?
Let me know in a comment below what you think of it, if you like.
Soon a new blog post about the Netherlands…
Greetings from the blue cow!!