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- Canadian artist Shary Boyle had the National Gallery's help this year in fundraising for her pavilion, which cost 1.5 Million. That's pretty cheap—the United States would not even disclose how much was spent on their Pavilion in 2011—and that's evidenced by their opening, which will host…a cash bar? Canadian culture does not yet understand the power of philanthropy. [The Globe and Mail]
- After 20 years, Paul McCarthy's goat finally got tired of being dry-humped. The sculpture's motor died two weeks ago. [In The Air]
- Andrew Russeth may see more art than Jerry Saltz. He's recommending the ICP's Triennial, therefore I will go see it. [Gallerist]
- Artist Rirkrit Tiravanjia on Art Basel Hong Kong. "When bankers get together they talk about art," he said. "When artists get together, they talk about money." So, this is the state of the blue chip art world; removed from reality. [Bloomberg]
- Andrew Goldstein interviews Jesper Just on his new multi-channel film installation at the Danish Pavilion. Just uses a replica city of Paris, located just outside the Chinese city of Hangzhou as his subject. We gave Just's show at Nicolai Wallner a mixed review when we visited Copenhagen last year, so we're looking forward to seeing what he does in Venice. Interestingly, the artist collaborated with the New York-based design firm Project Projects to produce an accompanying graphic campaign for "Intercourses" that will run online and as posters in the cities of New York, Hong Kong, Copenhagen, Paris and Shanghai [ArtSpace]
- A brilliant metaphor: Running up that escalator. [The Medium]
Wednesday Links: Running Up an Escalator
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Q. I can't receive or send email. What's causing this?
A. If you are unable to receive email, your mailbox could be full. In order to check this, please go to our Webmail site and login here with your user ID (the part before the @gol.com in your email address) and password. Also make sure you select "IMAP" as the login type as opposed to the default setting "POP".
Once you have logged in to the site, you should be able to see the amount of data being used by the Inbox and other folder in the top right hand corner of the screen. If you can't see this, please go to "Options" in the Webmail site and then look for "Disk & Folder Options". Here, change the "Show quota" option to "in message listing" and then save the changes by clicking on the "Apply' button in the bottom left hand corner of the screen.
If the amount of space you are using exceeds 100MB (100,000KB) then you will need to delete some email from the Webmail site to clear up space. After doing this, email should start arriving to you again within 60 minutes.
If the mailbox was full but you are still unable to send email, please refer to our FAQ about this here
If you continue to have problems sending or receiving mail after checking the mailbox isn't full and that you have the correct settings, please contact us.
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The City of Arcata is monitoring COVID-19 and is working with, and following all recommended guidelines from, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the California Department of Public Health and the Humboldt County Department of Health & Human Services.
The spread of COVID-19 is a rapidly evolving situation, and the City is dedicated to keeping the community safe and informed during this unprecedented time.
There are currently 10 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Humboldt County. The City of Arcata is actively working with Humboldt County health agencies to protect our community, prepare for more local cases and assist in maintaining the health and safety of our region.
Humboldt County Public Health officials are currently ascertaining whether one active case of COVID-19 infection in Humboldt County could be the first instance of community transmission, meaning the source of infection is unknown. More information will be provided by the County here as it becomes available.
The City will continue to closely monitor the situation and is prepared to implement protocols as risk of COVID-19 exposure increases in Arcata and greater Humboldt County.
Updated information will be provided here as it becomes available.
UPDATED: Wednesday, March 25, 2020 at 5:30 PM
In the strictest response to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States so far, the Governor has ordered all California residents to shelter in place until further notice. This order is to ensure the maximum number of people self-isolate to the greatest extent possible, while allowing essential services to continue, in order to slow the spread of COVID-19.
California residents may leave their homes to seek or provide essential services such as obtaining medical care or supplies, grocery shopping, refilling prescriptions and caring for an ill family member. Those who leave their homes are expected to maintain social distancing guidelines and keep a distance of 6 feet away from those not in their household.
For answers to frequently asked questions about essential services pertaining to this order, please click here.
Click here to see the order in its entirety.
Failure to comply with any provisions of this order constitutes an imminent threat to public health. The order carries the force of law and breaking it could result in a misdemeanor.
Hours before the State issued order, the Humboldt County Department of Public Health put an order in place that directs all individuals living in Humboldt County to shelter in place beginning midnight, Friday, March 20. Given that the San Francisco Bay Area is experiencing outbreaks of COVID-19 with extensive community spread, Humboldt County recognizes the imminent threat presented to the public's health.
For answers to frequently asked questions about the County order, click here. To read the county order in full, click here. For more information from Humboldt County Department of Health & Human Services, please click here.
Updated information will be provided as it becomes available.
Please click here for the latest local updates from the Humboldt County Department of Health & Human Services or to sign up to receive Humboldt County Health Alerts.
Community members may also contact the County directly by emailing email@example.com or calling 707-441-5000.
For medical advice or questions regarding COVID-19 testing, contact Humboldt County Public Health by emailing firstname.lastname@example.com or calling 707-445-6200.
This City of Arcata GIS team put together a dashboard of real-time maps and data that shows world's current COVID-19 status (provided by John Hopkins University), in addition to weather, traffic, natural disasters and PG&E power outages. Browse and explore the Arcata Community Real-Time Dashboard to see how GIS data is helping us gain a better understanding of our world and make more informed decisions. This application currently works on desktop computers using supported browsers such as Chrome, Firefox, Safari or Microsoft Edge.
The City has decided to cancel most meetings and scheduled all events as a precautionary measure to slow the spread of COVID-19.
Meetings scheduled will take place will be held via teleconference.
Arcata City Council will hold a special meeting regarding COVID-19 on Thursday, March 26 at 6 PM.
Americans with Disabilities Act Accommodations:
In collaboration with state and federal recommendations that support efforts to prevent or slow the spread of COVID-19, Arcata City Hall will have limited access to the public beginning Wednesday, March 18. Face to face interaction with City staff will only be available by appointment.
To continue to serve the public during this unprecedented time, the City has made the following adjustments:
Water & Sewer Billing
Water, Sewer & Recology Service
Building & Engineering
Community Development Planning
Public Transportation
Arcata Police Department Services
Environmental Services & Recreation
City Manager's Office
City Facilities Staff are dedicated to following protocol recommended by the CDC by disinfecting City Hall public and open office areas regularly, and Department staff is completing additional surface disinfection on an as-needed basis.
All members of the community are highly encouraged to follow social distancing guidelines currently recommended by the California Department of Public Health at all City facilities and public spaces. For more information on these guidelines, please click here.
Meal Resources for Children
Humboldt County Office of Education School Meal pick up times and locations for all children under 18, can be found here.
Local Senior & High Risk Community Resources
Food Storage
Small Businesses
Financial Assistance
Access to capital programs remain in place, including special disaster assistance at the state and federal levels.
Please remember these basic steps to prevent the spread of respiratory illnesses like COVID-19:
For more detailed information on COVID-19, please click here.


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Witch at Large: Ruminations from a Grey Perspective
Seeing Paganism in terms of being a movement, explorations of our history, societal context, comparisons to other religious movements, and general Pagan culture.
The Times They Are a-Changin'
Earlier this week The Wild Hunt blog featured a report on CoG's recently concluded MerryMeet/Grand Council, complete with photos of the new National Board. What a change from my day!
There was a time when Witches (and Wiccans) kept deep within the broom closet, for all manner of reasons, most involving fear of discrimination at work, school, or housing.
I remember the first MerryMeet held on the East Coast in the mid-eighties, at Rowe Camp & Conference Center in Massachusetts. That was when I first met some of the wonderful folks at the then-Northeast Local Council: folks from NECTW, EarthSpirit, and the then-Lone Star LC from Texas, among many others. At that MerryMeet I saw my first tea dance. It seemed to have a very New York flavor, especially with BrightShadow[1] in leathers.
I distinctly remember at the follies, the time when members from all over show their talents. A Witch from Seattle (who shall still remain nameless unless when he reads this, he gives me permission to name him) played guitar and sang; someone took a photo. The second he finished his song the musician tromped up an aisle in a rage toward the person with the camera and grabbed it away from him. I don't know if he took the film canister or what – this was, of course, many years before digital cameras or the Internet. What I, as a newish Witch brand new to East Coast Pagandom, I do remember was shock. Of course, I knew well enough at that time not to name names or take photos. I was mildly surprised to see someone taking snapshots, but to me it didn't seem to really matter in this instance because it was only a photo of a man in street clothes singing and playing guitar, with nothing indicative of witchiness visible in the shot.
Over the years since then, photos of outgoing and newly elected Board members have been taken, but only for those in the photos and for CoG's archives. A couple of years at PantheaCon former National First Officers were rounded up for photos. Again, these photos were taken with cameras that had film. I do have some of them. They're especially valuable to me because some of those pictured have departed this plane. I would publish them here if I were able to contact everyone shown, but alas! some appear to be unreachable.
* * * * *
I also remember how the Reclaiming role of Dragons originated. We used to meet at Ocean Beach in San Francisco on the Solstices. We purified with a ritual plunge in the Pacific,[2] then returned to a bonfire[3] for the ritual. The bonfire attracted other beachgoers, particularly drunks in search of a good party. Sometimes the media would get wind of this gathering, drawing unwanted cameras and reporters.[4]
Back in our Reclaiming Collective meetings, when we debriefed and critiqued our rituals, we came up with a role[5] to address such potential intrusions. I named that role Dragon, but in more traditional Wiccan traditions, the role of border-keeper is usually assumed by a tyler (from the Masonic term)[6] or Man in Black. A comparable role in Dianic Craft is Guardian
* * * * *
Also back in those days, one needed to warn one's children of speaking freely about their parents' religion. I did so. My daughter was a friendly, chatty girl, and I knew it would be easy for her to mention something about home and her mom's being a Witch that would only encourage teasing and maybe even ostracism. Further, for many of those years I was a single mother, a situation that made me feel more vulnerable when it came to potential harassment. So, but for hanging with the children of Witchen friends, she learned to be discreet about the witchy goings-on at home.
The fact that I was known in the Craft by a Craft name rather than my mundane name helped us maintain a more conventional image. Still, I hated to have to do this. What other religion requires that its children hide? For that matter, what other religion doesn't teach its children? This is fodder for a different feeding, but suffice it to say that back then Witches were discouraged from involving their children. The Craft, with its secrecy and mysteries,[7] was considered not suitable for children. I'm happy that Pagan/Witchen culture has changed in that regard. Now there are Spiral Scouts, children's programs at festivals, teen camps, and the like. Not to mention CoG's Hart & Crescent Award[8] for Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts and other youth groups and their leaders.
There were good reasons for maintaining anonymity back then. Today I'm glad to say there are far fewer. This is due, in large part, to the work over the years of CoG and other groups, as well as to individuals who have a public face, whether using a Craft name or not. The day when CoG can proudly and openly publish the names and faces of its National Board officers has arrived. Praise be!
[1] Publisher of the wonderful Enchanté: The Journal for the Urbane Pagan, with its serial "All My Avatars." Old issues may be available from purveyors of used books.
[2] I know this sounds as though it would be wicked cold, but it really wasn't so bad. For one thing, the water felt warmer at Midwinter than at Midsummer, at least to me it did. Besides, one only plunges for a brief moment, than towels off, dresses, and gathers round the bonfire.
[3] There's a wonderful photo by Michael Rauner of this bonfire, sans people, in Visionary State: A Journey Through California's Spiritual Landscape, by Erik Davis.
[4] The same thing happened at one of the early Spiral Dances held at the SF Hall of Flowers. The place was over-packed with people, and along came a crew from the SF Chronicle newspaper. Volunteer Sipko skilfully sent them away.
[5] We devised other roles, too, such as Graces, tales of which may be told another day.
[6] Over the years, my late friend Grey Cat and I discussed these differences. IIRC, she wrote about tylers in Deepening Witchcraft: Advancing Skills & Knowledge.
[7] A big topic I plan to discuss in a subsequent blog.
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Great art deserves to be on canvas. Unlike cheap posters and paper prints that require additional framing, giclee canvas artwork offers the texture, look and feel of fine-art paintings. This artwork is crafted in the USA with artist-grade canvas, professionally hand-stretched and stapled over North American pine-wood bars in gallery wrap style.
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Web ID: 8788283


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When you look at a PerformancePoint dashboard on a SharePoint site, you might see one or several items on it. Typically, but not always, the dashboard contains a scorecard, and some filters, charts and grids. Each scorecard and report is placed on the dashboard as a Web Part. You can navigate within a report or perform actions on the Web part itself. Dashboard can include more than one page.
The dashboard in the example below shows a filter, links to more pages, a scorecard, an analytic bar chart, a KPI details report, and a pie chart. Each scorecard and report is in a separate Web Part, each with its own menu. The controls for each Web Part are indicated on the dashboard page by a drop-down symbol ().
In some cases, the actions that you take in one Web Part affect the results that you see in another Web Part. In the example below, the results that you see in the KPI Details report apply to the item (COMPUTERS – target amount) that is highlighted in the Sales Amounts scorecard.
You can easily view and explore data by using the scorecards and reports that are on a dashboard. You can drill down (or up) in scorecards and analytic charts and grids to see lower (or higher) levels of detail and to change your view of the data in the reports. This is useful when you want to see more information than is currently displayed in the dashboard. You can also view each report in a separate window, export them to PowerPoint, or export them to Excel.
What do you want to do?
Navigate in a dashboard
The real power of a PerformancePoint dashboard lies in its interactivity. By moving around the dashboard and investigating each scorecard and report, you can get a very detailed picture of your organization's performance.
Moving around the dashboard
Use your cursor to select the scorecard or report you want to focus on. If the dashboard page is larger than your browser window, use the vertical or horizontal scroll bars to move the dashboard up and down or left and right. Right-click a report to see its shortcut menu. The example below shows the shortcut menu for an analytic chart.
Interacting with scorecards and reports
Most reports have some level of interactivity. For example, if you click a section of a pie chart, a new pie chart might open, displaying more detailed data about just the section that you clicked. If you click a cell on a scorecard that has a related KPI Details report, theKPI Detailsreport updates and displays details that pertain only to the selected cell. The KPI Detailsreport in the following example shows results for COMPUTERS, the item selected in the related scorecard.
Move between dashboard pages
If your dashboard contains more than one page, you can move from one page to another by clicking the page links at the top of the dashboard page. The dashboard in the example shown at the beginning of this article has three pages: Sales Amounts, Sales Margins, and Top Stores and Products. The links for those pages are at very top of the dashboard, next to the dashboard name. The current page is always shown in solid text, whereas other pages are shown in hyperlinked text.
Control my view of a scorecard or report
Each drop-down symbol on a dashboard is an indication that a menu or another control, such as a filter, is available.
Use filters to view just the data that you need
When you first open a dashboard that contains filters, you see a view that is based on the initial filter selections, but you can change the view by using filter controls. The example below shows two filters, one for time, and the other for products. You can change the Timefilter by clicking the drop-down symbol . This displays a list of all possible choices for that filter. If you choose another time period, all connected reports on the dashboard update to display information for that year. The selection in the example below is "Past Year."
To narrow your view even further, you can filter the view to just the product you are interested in, or you can compare performance of a specific product to all available products. In this example, All is selected and Computers andCameras & Camcorders are also selected. By making these selections, the user can compare the performance of computer sales and sales of cameras and camcorders for the past year against the performance of all product sales.
Tip: If you want to view data for all products, select All. If you want to view only certain products, clear the All check box and select just the product or products that interests you.
Use the Web Parts menu
Each Web Part has its own menu. Click the drop-down symbol in the upper corner of the Web Part to see the options that apply to the Web Part. The example below shows the available controls for a scorecard. You can open it in a new window, reset it to its original view, and, depending on the report type, export it to PowerPoint or Excel. If you have appropriate permissions, you can also use these controls to delete the scorecard, modify it, or change connections. Open in New Window is a very useful control because it allows you to work with the report in isolation, manipulate it without changing the original dashboard view, and see it in greater detail.
The following example shows the Web Part menu for a scorecard.
Explore data on the dashboard
A dashboard can contain one or more scorecards and other reports. What you can do in each report depends on the type of report it is. For more information on report types, see About PerformancePoint report types.
Use report shortcut menus
Each report on a dashboard has its own set of controls, most of which you access by right-clicking. You can, for example, right-click in any analytic chart or grid, select Report Type, and then change it to a different report type. Or, you can make some formatting changes or filter the data that you see. You can click specific data points, such as those on the following line chart, or click individual bars on an analytic chart to drill further into the data. You can also select a section of a pie chart to see greater detail or different detail. You can discover which elements are interactive by moving your mouse pointer around the report. When the pointer changes, it means you can click that item.
Right-click a value in the chart and select Drill Down To. This loads a list of available dimensions you can explore.
Scorecards are highly interactive, too. For example, you can right-click in various places on a scorecard, and depending on how the scorecard was set up, you can perform the following tasks:
Drill up and down to see higher or lower levels of detail
Filter data
Find the top ten in a category (like sales by channel, for example)
Analyze a data value in a Decomposition Tree
The following example shows a shortcut menu that you can reach on a scorecard by right-clicking.
Note: Occasionally, when you expand and then collapse multiple rows or columns in a scorecard, the expand/collapse functionality might not work as expected. If this occurs, use the Web Parts Menu to refresh the scorecard to restore it to its original display.
Undo changes for a chart that is opened in a new browser window
Click the Back button in your browser window. This undoes the last change you made to the view. Repeat till you reach the view that you want. This is useful if you made several changes to the report but do not want to reset the chart to the default view.
Tip: If the Back button is not active, the report is displayed in the default report view.
Reset the report view
You can reset a report to its original view by using either of the following methods:
If you are viewing the report in its original location on the dashboard , open the Web Part menu, and then select Reset View.
If you are viewing the report in a new browser window , click the Refresh button in the new browser window (or press F5). This not only resets the analytic chart to the default view that is shown in the dashboard but also resizes the chart to fit inside the new browser window.
Video: Explore data in PerformancePoint reports and scorecards
By watching this video, you will see how to investigate data in PerformancePoint reports and scorecards, how to drill into data, and how to filter it. It reinforces the information that is contained in this article.


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Retractable screens for oversized openings offer smooth operation and optimum control, featuring an integrated quick-release thumb latch for easy in and out access. These screens can span 24' wide openings that are up to 10' tall.
Motorized retractable screens by Phantom provide insect protection, climate control and solar shading without blocking your views. These screens can span 40' wide.


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I know that November is the "entrance month" to a season of joy and good will, so I am a little hesitant about posting this "Rant & Rave" entry. I also know that this rant is petty, unimportant, trivial, absolutely idiotic, and a "been-there, done-that" repetition entry, but last week, as I sat in my doctor's waiting room, I just kept wondering why they're never on time. I can totally understand it if the doctor is a surgeon, but I'm not as forgiving with doctors who don't have those types of emergency situations.
I think I didn't mind it as much before doctors decided that they all have to have televisions in their waiting rooms. I have written about this before, but since this is one of my petty pet peeves, here I go again. Every time this happens, I feel like I'm being "forced" to listen to mindless television shows while I try to write an entry, or get some other type of paper work done. (I can't retain what I read when I have a lot of commotion going on in the background, so I don't even bother reading.) Last week's "forced" television-watching included an old sitcom I never wanted to watch and a new sitcom I would never sit through at home. (And I mean NEVER on both counts!)
As I mentioned, I try to write my entries (usually the ones I post on my TV and Movies page) while waiting, so I have a notebook I always take with me. My problem is that I can't really concentrate while the television is blaring. It is such a distraction that I now carry earplugs in my purse. Yes, that's right, earplugs! They at least muffle the incessant noise so that I can concentrate.
Of course, none of this would be necessary if doctors ran their offices in a timely manner and didn't give two people the very same appointment time, or at least factored in more than ten minutes for each patient. I have two specialists who I see, and I can always bank on waiting at least one hour for each of them. And these are both doctors who advise their patients to be on time, or they will cancel your appointment and charge you a flat fee.
As I sat in that waiting room last week (with my ear plugs in) I could see that not one person was watching the television. One person was reading an old golf magazine, a woman was doing the puzzles in the local newspaper, four people were playing with their phones, and I was sitting there writing an entry long-hand. That's right >>> there were six patients ahead of me, and it was already an hour past my scheduled time.
After waiting an hour and forty five minutes, I went out to the hallway and called my husband to complain. I don't know if it was because he really thought it was ridiculous that I had been waiting that long OR if it was because he simply didn't want to listen to me complain, but he suggested I leave. I cancelled my appointment, told the receptionist I would not be paying for the scheduled appointment, and left.
Lucky for me, I don't need a referral for my doctors, so I booked another specialist. And, double-lucky for me, they had an appointment available since someone else had just cancelled, so I didn't have to wait forever to get in. (I have already seen my new doctor.)
I usually don't "vote with my feet" but I'm glad I made that phone call back home so that my husband was able to give me the push to do something I have been wanting to do since 2007.
PS >>> Triple-lucky for me! My new specialist doesn't have a television in his waiting room!


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Create a Website Account - Manage notification subscriptions, save form progress and more.
In 1954, the residents of Webster Groves chose to organize as a "Charter City" with a Council-Manager structure. This means that there is a separation between the policymaking and administrative functions of government. The City Council formulates municipal policy and appoints the City Manager to manage the operations of the City. Usually, Councilmembers deal with the various city departments only through the City Manager. S/he is responsible for developing the annual budget, recommending options and solutions to issues identified by the City Council, implementing projects approved by the Council, and planning, developing and monitoring progress to meet current and future fiscal and operational needs of the City.
There are many different ways that cities can be incorporated and municipalities in St. Louis County represent a wide variety of governmental structures. There are 38 cities across Missouri with the Council-Manager form of government. In the St. Louis County area, Maplewood, Richmond Heights, Clayton, Olivette and University City have also adopted this structure, among others.
Show All Answers
When the Charter was adopted, it specified that Councilmembers should be elected "at large".
Webster Groves is a Charter city with a Council-Manager form of government. The Mayor, who is selected in a citywide election, is recognized as the legal and official head of government, representing the City at functions and chairing meetings of the Council. However, the Mayor has no veto power and the Mayor's vote on matters before the Council has the same weight as Councilmembers.
Per the City Charter, the Mayor receives $25 per council meeting, not exceeding $750.00 per year. Councilmembers receive $20 per council meeting, not exceeding $600.00 per year. Elected officials receive no additional compensation for attendance at boards and commission meetings or at public functions.


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No one seems to know who first coined the phrase "Harvey Scissorhands," the shorthand for Miramax cofounder and current Weinstein Company boss Harvey Weinstein that stems from his notorious tendency to require movies he's produced or acquired to be shortened, re-scored, and/or fundamentally restructured to his liking for theatrical release. The phrase apparently emerged out of the ether and became common parlance sometime after a Village Voice article cited the cuts made to early Miramax successes like The Thin Blue Line and Scandal. As many have noted, unusually severe editing has been a signature of Harvey Weinstein's work ever since the first Miramax hit he had a hand in shaping, 1982's The Secret Policeman's Other Ball, a 90-minute concert film spliced together from footage shot at two different Amnesty International benefits. Harvey himself has suggested that his knife-handed alter ego was born out of sour grapes; as he told Rolling Stone in 1997, "Harvey Scissorhands was a comment by our competition to say, 'Hey, filmmakers, don't go there, it's a scary place — they'll hurt your movie.'" But according to producer Stephen Woolley, quoted in Peter Biskind's 2004 American indie-film exposé, Down and Dirty Pictures, Weinstein embraces the legend. "I don't think Harvey for one minute sees it as being derogatory or negative, because he got results from doing it. 'Harvey Scissorhands' is a compliment."
Earlier this month at the Toronto Film Festival, Weinstein hogged headlines twice for the work of his dark half. At a public conversation moderated by Tina Brown, Weinstein boasted of his role in the editorial process on Martin Scorsese's Gangs of New York:
Marty presented the final cut of the movie and it's three hours and 36 minutes. If you thought there was action in Gangs of New York the movie, you should have seen that editing room! But we got the movie down to two hours and 36. The end of the story is that the movie was a big success, 10 Academy Award nominations and grossed $200 million dollars [sic], it revived his career after a couple of mishaps, and he says, "Harvey would always say to me, 'I want the director's cut put out.'" So he says in the DVD commentary, "You think I'm that fucking stupid that I'm gonna put out the director's cut at three hours and 36 minutes? That would prove Harvey's a genius!" So, that's how final cut works.
That cocktail-party-perfect happy ending was contrasted by news of an editorial tug-of-war still ongoing between Weinstein and the director of one of the Weinstein Company's key awards season horses, August: Osage County. After the adaptation of Tracy Letts's play, starring Meryl Streep, premiered in Toronto, director John Wells acknowledged that its ending — which differs from the conclusion of the play and was inserted under the watchful eye of Weinstein after test audiences reacted badly to a more faithful version — continued to be a subject of debate. "I'm not sure I'm OK with doing it that way," Wells admitted to the L.A. Times. When the film opens theatrically, Wells added, "it's possible you'll see something different."
The differences in the positioning of Weinstein's editorial interference in the two stories reminded me of a quote from Ken Auletta's massive 2002 New Yorker profile of Harvey, who felt he was then at a moment of personal transition. After promising that 2002 was the year he planned "to go out of my way" to change his abusive behavior, Weinstein watched a cut of would-be awards contender The Hours and mused, "Do I be the good Harvey or the bad Harvey?" As documented by Auletta, Harvey went on to wage full-on war with producer Scott Rudin over the film's music, its premiere date, and its final cut. After Weinstein kept his promise to hold The Hours back from premiering at the Venice Film Festival, Rudin conceded to making some of the requested changes to the music and editorial tempo. Still, Rudin fumed, not over the changes themselves, but over the manner in which Harvey demanded his way, without even trying to collaborate or compromise: "[Harvey] has never been willing to discuss anything with me related to the finishing of this film."
2002 was not the first time Weinstein promised to turn over a new leaf and then didn't — in 1994, when asked about how he might change his style in the wake of Miramax's acquisition by Disney, Weinstein told Variety, "I'm hanging up my scissors" — nor was it the only time a producer or director publicly complained of suffering Weinstein's abuse and then came back for more later. Rudin famously worked with — and again bitterly fought — Weinstein in 2008 on The Reader. Why would someone like Rudin subject himself to this repeatedly? Because for all the tsuris involved in working with Harvey, the power games and his infuriating, sometimes seemingly arbitrary need to exercise creative control, he gets results. Both The Hours and The Reader won Best Actress Oscars for their stars, and those two statuettes are but an infinitesimal fraction of the dozens of Academy accolades that Harvey has helped procure for stars and filmmakers through his savvy marketing and relentless seduction of voters. Last season alone, Harvey was thanked in acceptance speeches more often than God.
If there's one trope that comes up again and again in the field of Weinstein studies, it's that even people who hate Harvey admit that he has great taste and is generally the world's greatest at finding ways to get mass audiences and Oscar voters to swallow films that, to one degree or another, defy traditional notions of commerciality. You don't have to be the worst breed of Hollywood asshole to want to communicate to a lot of people and be recognized for your work, and in many cases, for everything he's done that's self-serving or misguided or totally despicable, Harvey Weinstein has given great filmmakers those opportunities on a scale that they probably wouldn't have had otherwise.
The tall tale of Harvey Scissorhands continues to spread through the land because there's a lot of truth to it. This year, much chatter has surrounded Weinstein's role in the restructuring of two Asian films with crossover potential, Wong Kar Wai's historical romance/martial arts epic The Grandmaster and the upcoming Snowpiercer, directed by Bong Joon-ho and starring Chris Evans and Tilda Swinton. For his part, Wong has insisted that he was a willing participant in creating a second version of his film for non-Chinese audiences, who "don't have much information or knowledge about the background and history, [so] you have to give enough information for them to get into the story." Bong, too, has suggested that reports that Weinstein has demanded he cut 20 minutes out of his English-language sci-fi extravaganza have been overblown. "Weinstein is actually being pretty soft toward editing, probably because it's noticed how critics have praised the film and know how angry movie fans get over new edits," Bong said in August. "They even asked me which parts I want to include in the film."
Is a filmmaker expressing gratitude that a distributor would consult with him before recutting his movie so that it "will be understood by audiences in Iowa … and Oklahoma" sort of like an abuse victim rationalizing scars as marks of love? Is "artistic integrity" necessarily a fixed thing? Does asking an artist to change his vision — even if it means that an exponentially larger audience will see a work than would be the case if it were left in its original form — violate that vision, selling it out to the extent that it might as well never have existed?
Even if the truth is that every filmmaker who works in commercial film (and a lot of quasi-commercial/independent film) makes compromises, often based on the promise of saving money or making money for someone or some entity who will give the artist the wherewithal to connect to an audience, to most cinephiles the notion of the "director's cut" is sacrosanct. Consider the argument made by Mr. Beaks at Ain't It Cool News, who bashed Weinstein's "laughably arrogant" assumption that he knows better than Bong and other internationally renowned filmmakers whose movies Weinstein has drastically altered. "[If] you really love movies, how can you in good conscience shave a Zhang Yimou film down to its most salable elements?"
Of course, "shorter" doesn't necessarily equal "better" or even "more lucrative," but then again the Zhang Yimou film in question is the Jet Li–starring Hero, which Weinstein delayed and then released as a 20-minutes-lighter cut that opened at no. 1 at the U.S. box office in 2004 and is the third-highest grossing foreign-language film ever released in North America. And while I think the recut of The Grandmaster is pretty much a travesty, the fact that it has so far earned more than $6.5 million in the U.S. — more than twice the tally of Wong's previous biggest hit here, In the Mood for Love — maybe means that what I think doesn't matter.
Plenty of filmmakers have lambasted Weinstein for his savage butchery — Luc Besson, Mike Leigh, James Ivory — while others have praised Harvey for helping them find their film in the editing room. Scorsese himself told Roger Ebert that the 168-minute version of Gangs — which was Scorsese's most successful film in the decade since Cape Fear — is his director's cut, which might be true. But it's definitely true that any discussion of the editing of Gangs of New York always calls to mind, as critic Peter Bradshaw put it, "a butcher — an unprincipled villain who cuts and slashes, mangles and chomps: Harvey Weinstein."
Harvey "The Butcher" Weinstein regularly upstages the stars and makers of the movies he distributes, and that is apparently intentional. "Using a baseball analogy, we're player-managers," Harvey's partner and brother, Bob Weinstein, told the L.A. Times way back in 1989. "We don't want to be managers. There's no fun in it for us if we're not involved in the day-to-day activities." In other words, according to the Weinstein way it's not enough to exercise strategy behind the scenes. They also have to be out there on the field, publicly saving the game.
Here's a theory: Maybe Harvey is able to hold that spotlight because he always puts on a show that's unlike any other in town. He's a full-on emotional animal, one who seemingly — for better or, usually, for worse — makes no effort to contain his organic responses in a field in which most people with power cultivate a façade based on falsehoods and totally fake camaraderie. "Let me translate brutality in the movie industry: honesty," Harvey told Auletta. "They say it's brutal. Yeah, it's brutal to tell the truth in an industry where everyone lies." Through all the bad behavior, the flashes of genius and the horrible errors in judgment and spending, Harvey's motives are always transparent: Even when it's being couched as commerce, everything he does seems to stem from how he feels and his anxiety over how he thinks he's being perceived. His insatiable Oscar hunger is maybe just a means to an end, a quest to surround himself with physical objects to attest to his dominance — over Hollywood, and over his own inferiority complex.
My favorite example of this is probably what happened with Sling Blade. According to Biskind's book, Billy Bob Thornton's directorial debut came along when Harvey was feeling particularly angry and impotent after having lost a bidding war for Shine, for which Geoffrey Rush would win an Oscar. Thirty minutes into watching Sling Blade, Harvey was convinced he was looking at "an American classic." He got on the phone with sales agent Cassian Elwes and allowed himself to be conned into bidding $10 million — then considered an absurd overpay for an indie — in order to take every other potential bid off the table.
This was January 1996, two months before an Oscar ceremony in which the only Miramax films to really contend would be Mighty Aphrodite (two nominations, one win) and Il Postino (five nominations, four losses). This must have felt like a step backward after the 1995 ceremony, in which Miramax had five films competing in the major categories at an event that was defined by the dichotomy between the bloated, square Hollywood status quo and the cool, Euro-inflected alternative represented by Team Miramax. Pulp Fiction vs. Forrest Gump was just the tip of the iceberg: There's getting a Best Picture nomination for the first indie film to gross more than $100 million, and then there are real baller moves like getting two nominations for Krzysztof Kieślowski and helping to invent Kate Winslet and Peter Jackson by forcing Heavenly Creatures into the conversation. Less than a year later, Harvey must have felt like he was falling behind in the dick-measuring contest that was mid-1990s indie-to-mainstream crossover film; he smelled Oscars on Sling Blade and pounced.
He also had gotten out his checkbook — and had agreed to give Thornton final cut — before he finished watching the movie. The very next day, feeling a wave of overspender's panic if not flat-out buyer's remorse, Harvey tried to rescind this untested director's final cut and asked Thornton to cut 20 minutes. Thornton refused, so Weinstein refused to accept delivery of the film — and thus refused to pay for it — until the running time was truncated. According to Elwes, at one point Weinstein called Thornton at home in the middle of the night, and the following exchange ensued:
HARVEY: I'm a big, fat, hairy Jew worth $180 million and I can do whatever I want! I'm gonna sell the picture to HBO. You're not gonna get a Best Picture.
BILLY BOB: Ah don't give a sheet. Ah made the movie fo' me, not fo' anyone else, ah've seen it and I've enjoyed it, so fuck yuh. Ah'm going to stick a fork in yo' neck, motherfucka. Yuh not so tough, ah'm Billy Bob, ah'm gonna kick yuh ass, take yuh out to the wagon and whup your butt!
HARVEY: You're a redneck, an ignorant piece of shit!
BILLY BOB: Ah'm gonna cut off a horse's head and put it in yuh bed.
HARVEY: This is because I'm Jewish, right? Tell the truth, Billy.
This is about as convivial as threatening banter between two self-loathing narcissists gets, no? In the end, Thornton wouldn't budge.
Back then, Harvey Scissorhands wasn't flaunting his shears. In April 1997, Harvey told Rolling Stone, "We have never, ever cut a movie behind a director's back." By 2002, speaking to Auletta, Weinstein massaged that stance, now claiming that he had never screened one of his cuts without getting the director's permission. One can imagine those permission-seeking conversations went a lot like his late-night exchange with Thornton, or maybe more like the time Julie Taymor dismissed Harvey's request to re-edit Frida and the mogul in turn threatened to "beat the shit out of" Taymor's partner. Though no one could argue in favor of his methods, Sling Blade may have been one case where Harvey Scissorhands' instincts proved spot-on: Thornton would win the Oscar for Best Screenplay in March 1997 and later, in a documentary on the Weinsteins, Sling Blade producer Larry Meistrich would admit that Weinstein's edit was better than Thornton's.
The success of Sling Blade changed the indie-film acquisitions market, sparking a boom atmosphere that would sustain well into the next decade. Thornton won a rejuvenated career in front of the camera and a $50 million budget from Columbia Pictures to adapt and direct Cormac McCarthy's All the Pretty Horses. Because the Sling Blade deal had included a Miramax option on Thornton's next three films, the Weinsteins were roped into Thornton's Western as equity partners. When Thornton and Columbia's Amy Pascal butted heads over his original, three-hour-and-40-minute cut, Miramax stepped in to take over domestic distribution, with Harvey promising Thornton he'd work his usual Oscar-positioning magic to "get you all these Academy nominations." It was an empty promise: Still smarting from their feuds over Sling Blade, Weinstein got revenge by enforcing the contractual stipulation that Thornton had final cut only if he was able to deliver a version that clocked in at or under two hours. All the Pretty Horses — or at least, the 116 minutes of it that Miramax released — bombed at the box office and earned zero Academy nominations, and those close to the project cast the blame on Harvey Scissorhands. The unlikely prophet in this case was Ben Affleck, who, according to Biskind's book, had defended Thornton's prerogative against overcutting with a warning of what would happen should he give in: "The critics aren't gonna respect the artistry, the genius of it, because you'll have truncated the movie, and audiences are not gonna pile in, because there aren't gonna be any Wookies or Hobbits."
Affleck's succinct summing-up of the paradox of drastic recutting would seem to apply to both of Weinstein's recent reported editorial scandals — ending August: Osage County with a potentially redemptive shot of Julia Roberts isn't exactly going to suddenly allow an adult drama to do Avengers business — but particularly to Snowpiercer. The report that Bong was asked to cut precisely 20 minutes seems particularly suspect: It's the exact same number of minutes Harvey reportedly insisted be shorn off of a number of other films, including Sling Blade, Hero, and Shaolin Soccer. "Twenty minutes" might be something of a magic number for Harvey, like an obsessive-compulsive tic. It's one thing to insist that a three-plus-hour film be shaved down to around two — that's at least financially logical in that it allows for more daily screenings — but it's another to ask multiple filmmakers to cut 20 minutes from very different films, as though a single reel (in old-school celluloid terms) has the power of panacea. In a world in which the top-grossing films of the past three years have all been over two hours, maybe it does nothing to make the movie more commercial — but it does make Harvey feel like he's the one who really has the power by undercutting the filmmaker's signature, and that's what he needs emotionally in order to work his magic in a film's favor. And maybe, just maybe, part of that magic is creating this spectacle in which Harvey Scissorhands is the villain in conflict with the innocent auteur. Weinstein gets his publicity and the filmmaker gets his own reputation bolstered by the sympathy of fans and journalists who continue to be shocked — shocked! — that a director's prerogative could be anything other than inviolable. Maybe Good Harvey and Bad Harvey are working to the same end after all.
The former film editor of the L.A. Weekly, Karina Longworth (@karinalongworth) has contributed to The Guardian, NPR, Vulture, and other publications. Her book Al Pacino: Anatomy of an Actor is out now.


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I had never heard of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series until I began my student teaching in an elementary school. Students clamored for this book every period. The library had a waiting list of at least 15 students per book. I even had to prevent numerous heated arguments from escalating and had to quickly use my reading advisory skills to provide readalikes. The series has taken the children's literature by storm. There are currently five books in the series and a movie based on the first book. All throughout my student teaching, I kept asking myself: What is the Wimpy phenomenon? In order to search for the answer, I tried to check it out from the library, but I failed since it was constantly checked out. So when I saw it on sale at a used library book sale for $1, I decided to buy it and give it a shot.
Description: Greg Heffley records his sixth grade experiences in a middle school and accompanies the entries by hand drawn illustrations. These experiences include performing in a school play, dealing with bullies, and getting in trouble at home.
Review: Let me preface this review by saying that I'm clearly not the targeted audience for this series. I do, however, see and understand its appeal to children. Greg's episodic adventures are universally well known and humorous. The book is not written condescendingly by an adult for kids. The drawing and the written entries make the reading experience intimate and allow readers to read a book while 'not reading'. The book's purpose is to entertain a reader and nothing more. I believe it accomplishes that and even allows reluctant readers to become readers.
Rating: 2.5 stars
Word of caution: None. I'd recommend it to ages 8 to 12.
If you like this book, try: Al Capone Does My Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko, The Big Splash by Jack D. Ferraiolo, Bone by Jeff Smith, Dork Diaries by Rachel Renee Russell, Happyface by Stephen Emond,
Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key by Jack Gantos, Lily B. on the Brink of Cool by Elizabeth Cody Kimmel,
Middle School is Worse Than Meatloaf by Jennifer Holm, Punished by David Lubar, Schooled by Gordon Korman, The Schwa Was Here by Neal Shusterman, or The True Meaning of Smekday by Adam Rex


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Not content with making Blue Crush, director John Stockwell proceeded to make Into the Blue, another surf-and-turf platter featuring tanned, toned bodies in wanton competition with one another (before working "blue," Stockwell made Crazy/Beautiful). Generations X and Y can ogle barely-dressed Jessica Alba and Paul Walker, but beyond the swimsuit eye candy, which can be found more cheaply on newsstands and television, what does Into the Blue have to offer? A stupified version of the John Huston classic The Treasure of the Sierra Madre.
Walker and Alba play Jared and Sam, young lovers in the Bahamas. Jared's a boat bum who has daily to bail out his leaky tub, but Sam loves him anyway. Their relationship is tested when the expert divers discover twin treasures: a crashed plane loaded with cocaine and a shipwreck crammed with pirate plunder. Jared and Sam cling to their morals, but buddies Bryce (Scott Caan) and Amanda (Ashley Scott) insist they can have it both ways, claiming the treasure and only then reporting the downed plane.
Screenwriter Matt Johnson (Torque) knows what coke does to men's souls: it tempts them. Numerous complications ensue, including the interests of a rival treasure hunter (Josh Brolin, playing a character found nowhere in nature, but only in movies and airport paperbacks) and a number of other lowlifes (including male-model Tyson Beckford). Other than the shots of healthy bodies in underwater motion, very little happens for a very long time in Into the Blue: a burst of climactic action offers too little, too late and too obviously.
Caan's character notes that "Winners make the rules, and losers live by them," a message that proves true despite the story's ostensible moralism. Jared and Sam both go from pure-hearted to weak-willed, but Johnson and Stockwell prove forgiving—with their have-it-both-ways feel-good ending—and forgetting—suppressing thoughts of the significant body count. Primarily, Into the Blue displays plenty of priceless booty (and the treasure is impressive, too...).


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According to the Michael Collier's Politics Blog on SFGate.com:
Robert Sawyer, appointed by the governor in 2005, was one of three ''no'' votes last week when the board adopted three new policy changes to curb carbon dioxide and other emissions statewide. Sawyer, like several environmental groups, thought the board should have made more changes than the three that the governor sought.Plug -in and electric car advocates felt they were getting a generally fairer shake from Sawyer than his much criticized predecessor Alan Lloyd, but recent ZEV mandate staff and board actions suggested no major changes in its implementation. Enviros and industry has been all over the map in their opinions about Sawyer's stewardship of the nation's most powerful clean air agency. The governor's appointment of a new Chair will help us understand whether it was Arnold's much ballyhooed concern for the environment or deep connections to industry that led him to fire Sawyer.


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Thank you for hosting "Murder and Mayhem"!
It's an urban fantasy with a dose of romance and a zest of humor. If you liked Buffy the Vampire slayer, you'll enjoy May, the vampire killer!
Meet May, the vampire killer. She's quick, clever, and deadly, and she takes life very seriously having been killed once before by a mob of rogue vamps. Her father, a powerful necromancer, brought her back to life. She's M.U.C.I.'s (Mutant and Undead Criminal Investigation) best man, er, woman, well, zombie actually, for catching and killing rogue vampires, so when two kids show up with all the signs of having been killed by a rogue, May gets the case.
Clues lead straight to a certain Bartholomew Aelfrith, a vampire, whose sense of humor and tall blond good looks are enough to convince May he needs killing, even if he's not the killer. If he makes one more joke about her chop-sticks, she's going to stab him through the heart with one. The problem is, Bartholomew is probably the only person who can catch the real killer, so May has to put up with his insouciance and his wise-cracks, and his penchant for picking up strays of all kinds.
But if he says, "I've got a plan" one more time, she's going to scream.
May stepped outside and opened her umbrella. The burst of hail had changed to sporadic, slushy rain. It was a glowering, bitterly cold evening. Clouds moved sullenly across the dark sky.
From her street on the hill, she could see the river curving in its gentle S, the two bridges, Christmas Junction where the sky scrapers glittered, and downtown, where she could hopefully find a taxi. The clouds were so low that they hid the top half of the skyscrapers in Christmas Junction. A train, far in the distance, looked like a brightly lit caterpillar crossing the busy downtown area below.
The street she lived on was in a quiet residential neighborhood with old trees and a large park behind a tall, wrought-iron fence. The buildings, trees, and fence all leaned together, conspiring to keep the riffraff out. The sidewalk was clean and the cars lining the road gleamed. No riffraff here tonight … unless that shadow was up to no good.
May tilted her head to get a better look. In between two cars, on the opposite side of the street, huddled a shadow. The hair on the back of her neck prickled. Something was not quite right. The shadow was too small to be a human, but too large for a dog. It slid around to the far side of the car to hide as May drew even.
What was it hiding from? And what was it? May was curious. She closed her umbrella and hooked it over the fence on her left, and then she darted across the street and peered behind the car. Crouching near the rear bumper was a small, skinny boy.
"Hi there. Are you all right?" May started toward him.
He bared his fangs and hissed as she drew near.
May's step faltered. A vampire child. An abomination! Who the hell had made him? The prickle of fear turned into a full blown shiver. Poor creature. Too young to fend for itself, but dangerous nonetheless. As soon as it realized its powers it would go on a killing spree, and nothing living could resist it. Slowly, she eased her hand into her purse to get her cellphone to call for backup.
"Don't hurt me," he whimpered, cowering against the car. His eyes were huge with panic. Blood on his neck and a wet, brown stain on his T-shirt showed he hadn't changed his clothes since it had happened, and that it had been recent. That was a blessing, at least. The more recently he had been killed, the weaker he would be. She might be able to handle this on her own.
Staying well back, she examined him. He wore no jacket and one of his shoes, May noted, was missing. "I won't hurt you. Where's your other shoe?" It was best to stick to unimportant things. Or at least, things that seemed unimportant. At times like this, anything could be crucial. Anything could set him off. She had to be careful. A rogue vampire had made this creature, and its saliva was deadly for anything other than a full-blooded vampire.
"My shoe?" He glanced down at his foot and flinched. "I don't know." He looked back up at her, his eyes pleading now. "I don't know. I woke up nearby, I think, in a park. I woke up when the hail hit my face. I don't know where I am. I don't know who I am. Can you help me? I should be cold …" His voice trailed off. "I'm dreaming. Is that it? Is this a dream?"
May nodded, forcing her lips into a smile. "Yes. It's a dream."
Poor creature. He'd been badly made, hastily made, and made against all the laws and rules that governed the vampire clan. Not that they had many rules, and not that they really cared. They followed the rules only because they feared the consequences of breaking them and not from any moral obligation. May moved very slowly, so as not to startle him into attacking her.
"I can help you," she said, crouching in front of him. "It's a strange dream, isn't it? I can help you."
"I just want to wake up." His voice was hoarse and his fangs, sharp as needles, glittered with bloody saliva.
"All right." May eased her hand into her purse. "I want you to stand up straight. That's right. Now, close your eyes and say, 'There's no place like home.' Say it three times, and you'll wake up."
"All right." He nodded, pathetically glad to obey. He screwed his eyes shut. "There's no place like home. There's no place like home."
May took careful aim and drove the stake through his heart.
"There's no place like … home." The creature opened its eyes, but they were empty and saw nothing now. He was so slight he fell like a ribbon to the sidewalk, landing without a sound. His bare foot pointed at the sky. It started to rain again, harder.
About the Author
Jennifer Macaire lives in France with her husband, three children, & various dogs & horses. She loves cooking, eating French chocolate, growing herbs and flowering plants on her balcony, and playing golf. She grew up in upstate New York, Samoa, and the Virgin Islands. She graduated from St. Peter and Paul high school in St. Thomas and moved to NYC where she modeled for five years for Elite. She went to France and met her husband at the polo club. All that is true. But she mostly likes to make up stories.
Find Jennifer on the Web
blog – Website – email
Buy the book at Evernight Publishing (available June 11!)
Amazon US Amazon UK Amazon Canada Amazon France Amazon Australiablog – Website – email
Buy the book at Evernight Publishing (available June 11!)
May's traditional zombie stir fry recipe:
Honey Lemon Chicken and Asparagus
Serves 4
1 tablespoon oil
1 pound chicken, cut into bite sized pieces
1 pound asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces
2 tablespoons honey
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon lemon zest
2 tablespoons soy sauce (reduced sodium)
1/4 cup chicken both – (May uses chicken bullion cubes to make the broth)
1 teaspoon chili sauce or a pinch of cayenne pepper
1 clove garlic, grated
1 teaspoon ginger, grated
1 tablespoon water
2 teaspoons cornstarch
- Mix honey, lemon juice, soy sauce, broth, chili sauce, lemon zest, garlic, ginger and set aside in a bowl.
- Heat the oil in a pan over medium-high heat, add the chicken and stir fry until cooked through and browned a bit.
- Add the asparagus and stir fry until it turns a brighter green, about 2 minutes.
- Add the honey, lemon juice mixture, stir
- Whisk the water with the corn starch, stir in to coat and cook until the sauce thickens, about a minute.
Serve over rice. (May likes to drink ginger beer with this, and finish up with lychees and her father's smoky moon-shadow tea.)


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Criticism, constructive and otherwise — or talk radio can serve us better
During the past week, whenever I found myself alone in the car during good drive-time talk radio (i.e., Rush), I did something unusual: I didn't listen. Instead, I turned to mindless pop music. I was thinking about this peculiar behavior on my part, because I truly love Rush. I think he's a radio genius, someone who understands perfectly the lines between entertainment, news, and analysis. He's also one of the sharpest political thinkers out there. No wonder the Left hates him.
But still…. I didn't want to listen.
Analyzing my bizarre retreat from Rush, I realized that my problem is that the things that used to energize me during Obama's first term — conservatives reporting on the faults and foibles of the administration, even as the MSM ignored them — no longer stir me up. I've had four years to learn that Obama is not the "hope" promised, unless your hope was for a jobless stock market recovery, endless welfare rolls, increased racial tension, a simmering Middle East that constantly threatens to explode, negative pressure on core Constitutional rights, and all the other practical and ideological changes Obama's presidency has brought to America. The problem is that, while you and I were riled by these stories, none of this data penetrated the minds of less engaged American voters, all of whom who listened to the media's siren song and reelected Obama.
Having accomplished its job, the media is suddenly discovering that there are some problems with Obama's first term, everything from violently antisemitic and anti-American "friends" in Egypt, to the coming economic and medical disaster that is ObamaCare, to the corruption that's always swirled around his administration. As I told my mother when she pointed to such stories, this isn't just a case of too little, too late. It's nastier than that. The media is doing these stories as cover: when the second Obama term brings badness to America (although Obama may still escape unscathed), the media has provided itself with some plausible deniability. It can point to these articles and say "We told you so" — the big con being that they only told the American people so after they'd ensured that Obama locked up a second term in office.
The fact is that four years of conservative media pointing out what Obama and the Dem Progressives are doing made no difference to the ultimate outcome in 2012. To be sure, there was a ton of criticism from the Right, but it wasn't constructive, because those who needed it (Obama and the Dem Progs) weren't listening and wouldn't have changed anyway. It was criticism in a vacuum. It made the minority party feel better, but ultimately had no effect.
I want marching orders, not whining mourners. I want to hear ideas about how to change the body politic, not another story about what weasels Obama and his buddies are. I already know that stuff — and the media, for reasons of its own, is finally doing a little heavy lifting and is starting to report on a few foibles in the Obama administration. The fact is that Obama will not run again. He's already old news. What conservatives need know is to disengage from the war with Obama and begin, instead to plot a strategy for 2014 and beyond, one that ignores this little man and, instead, focuses on shaping ideological issues in ways that excite the man on the street. Talk radio, with its vast reach, should be a source of inspiration, rather than relentless, mis-focused anger.


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Tupelo casts a long shadow!
-- Post From The Road
Author and host of the hit OUTDOOR CHANNEL show SHOOTING GALLERY spouts off...
I always joke on flights in and out of SFO that they need to ask some of the passengers to stow their poultry in the overhead bins!
Even the shadow has bad-arse sideburns!
At least on Southwest you GET there. And without $98.24 in "other" charges. Do they still give you peanuts for free?
And they are much more free with sodas and snacks.
Any chance that when I wake up in the morning I'll be able to burn a new podcast on a CD-R for the drive in and out of work?
Just asking....not picking. Don't want to stress you too much after riding the Winged Greyhound. I've put in my share of time in those cattle cars myself.
I waited for 4 hours at BWI for a coworker who was flying Useless Air. US Air dinked the plane during refueling and didn't have a spare.
Ratcatcher 55
I think SW is introducing a $75 charge for keeping a pet in a carrier on your lap ... so you may see goats and crates of roosters on the plane soon.
Enter your name and email address to sign up for.....


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September 5, 2012 - Nellysford, VA. The Well Project, the preeminent resource for information about women and HIV, today announced the release of its first mobile application, optimized for both Apple's iOS and Google's Android platforms. The Well Project mobile app makes its award-winning content more globally accessible, regardless of reliable internet access. The Well Project mobile app includes features ranging from treatment information to social issues, as well as posts from A Girl Like Me, The Well Project's blog, which highlights the first-hand experiences of women living with HIV from around the world. The Well Project is launching this mobile app in an effort to better serve their growing global audience, many of whom increasingly rely on their mobile phones or tablets for information gathering. This is the first step in a multi-tiered global initiative aiming to provide an online space where women in even the hardest-to-reach areas will be able to find the treatment information and support they seek in their own languages, coupled with the ability to share their experiences with other women living with HIV.
"In developing our mobile application, we are working to dramatically increase our reach, especially to women who may not have access to traditional computers but instead rely on mobile technology to access the Internet," said Dawn Averitt Bridge, founder and chair of the board of The Well Project. "We have utilized novel technologies to increase the availability of current, accurate and relevant information about HIV for women around the world. Our ultimate goal is to be able to offer every woman looking for information about HIV/AIDS on the Internet, the culturally relevant information she needs to survive and thrive in her own native language."
Since 2002, The Well Project has developed programs to increase awareness about HIV/AIDS, expand treatment research, promote better standards of care, educate women on how to manage living with HIV, provide a support community to HIV-positive women, and increase the participation of women in clinical trials. The Well Project has directly served more than 9 million people who have in turn used the information to serve an estimated 30 million men and women with AIDS globally. More than 70 percent of The Well Project's 1.3 million annual visitors are from outside of the United States.
"As an activist, as a social health worker, as a peer educator and as a training counselor, it is vital that I have access to quality information resources," said Abosede Oladayo, an HIV-positive woman and community health worker in Nigeria. "My mission is to provide the women I serve with the tools they need to make the many decisions they face every day. I can only do that if I feel secure that the information I have is the most current, most up-to-date and most relevant."
The Well Project has long been recognized as one of the most innovative organizations providing access to HIV/AIDS information for women, receiving a number of awards, including: Stevie Award for Best New Website of the Year, InfoWorld 100 Award for Most Innovative Technology Project, Information Nation Award and two ComputerWorld Honors awards. To develop the mobile app, The Well Project worked hand in hand with long-time technology partner, Armedia, a leading provider of technology solutions.
"We are thrilled to launch the mobile application for The Well Project and to make our educational resources and A Girl Like Me blog for women and HIV more broadly available," said Krista Martel, director of online services for The Well Project. "As we've seen The Well Project shift from a primarily U.S.-based resource to a global one, we needed to reevaluate how to better tailor our information and its delivery. The mobile app is only the first in a number of steps that we are taking to ensure that we better serve the global community of women living with HIV. We look forward to collaborating with global partners to make our online resources more culturally appropriate and available in multiple languages."
To access The Well Project mobile app:
For iOS (iPhone, iPad): Go to App Store or iTunes on device or computer and search "thewellproject," download it directly to device or computer or go to: http://itunes.apple.com/app/the-well-project/id539222324?mt=8
For Android: Go to Google Play or Android Market online or on your device and search "thewellproject."
About The Well Project
The Well Project is a nonprofit organization that bridges research, resources and relationships in an effort to change the course of the HIV/AIDS pandemic through a unique and comprehensive focus on women. The Well Project addresses three critical gaps in the HIV/AIDS arena: information access, treatment research and community support. The Well Project's offerings include web portals (available in English and Spanish) that offer information on approximately 130 topics relevant to women's lives; the Women's Research Initiative on HIV/AIDS, an expert, transdisciplinary think tank focusing on "more, better and faster" research in women; and the A Girl Like Me blog, providing women living with HIV globally with the platform to share experiences and connect in a safe environment. The Well Project is continually working to develop new resources to educate, nurture and support the community of women living with HIV, their caregivers and their health care providers. Together, we can change the tide of the HIV epidemic…one woman at a time.
For more information, please visit www.thewellproject.org.


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I've been reading a lot on how DTMF (Dual Tone Multi Frequency) tones work over the last couple of weeks. I'm sure you've noticed that when you press the keys on a standard telephone keypad, an audible 'beep' is generated. These beeps are actually the combination of two distinct frequencies. For example, the tone you hear when you press the number '9' on a telephone, is actually a combination of a 1447 Hz and 852 Hz signal. In a telephone exchange, these signals are decoded by a computer which finally connects the dialer to the designated phone line. For example, the tone of 1447 Hz and 852 Hz will be decoded as binary '1001'. In this project, I have designed a simple DTMF decoder circuit which allows me to control appliances in my house from any place on Earth using a telephone.
I always wanted to be able to control things such as air-conditioners, lights, etc, remotely…but I never thought about putting the front door of my house under remote control until I saw this "knock to open" door hack on Hackaday. It's a door that will unlock when the correct knock pattern is performed. After being inspired by the mechanical door opening system in that hack, I decided to do something similar to allow me to open my door with a cell phone! I mean c'mon, door locks with keys are obsolete..everyone uses them..they're so old fashioned! They've been around for over 4,000 years. Yikes! It's time for a little change.
This project would have been much simpler if I had an electronic door lock…but I didn't! They're expensive, so I didn't want to buy a new electronic door lock. I wanted to open the front door of my house without "seriously" modifying/replacing any door components. I thought about using a servo/stepper motor to twist the door knob on the door, but their control circuitry is slightly complicated if you're not using a microcontroller. So, I decided to use a simple, 24VDC, "pull solenoid". They don't have any complicated control circuitry and you just have to supply the required voltage to make them work. I simply fastened the solenoid to the door knob with a metal wire. When the solenoid is switched on, its linear motion twists the door knob and opens the door. Positioning the solenoid properly was probably the only mechanical challenge in building this door opener because the force applied by a solenoid, is theoretically inversely proportional the square of the length of the air gap. Thus, strongest force is generated when the air gap is smallest.
The second part of this project was to build a DTMF decoder circuit. I used a CM8870PI tone decoder IC for doing this. The circuit I have built is fairly simple, and can be used for controlling up to four devices. If you want to control more than four devices, check out this circuit. I had a Nokia 1100 cell phone lying around with a hands-free accessory which was rarely used. So, I hacked its hands-free accessory and connected it to the circuit (I just cut the wires which went into the earpiece). That's about it! To control things in the house, you just dial into the base station and the Nokia 1100 auto-answers the phone call. Each function is just a matter of pressing the appropriate number on the phone and the DTMF chip decodes it and sends output to a transistor which controls a relay. To open my door, I just dial the phone, enter the magic code and voila - Alohomora! Watch the video above. :)
Now I'm thinking about building a password protected door by placing a keypad outside my house which will generate DTMF tones. A circuit on the other side of the door will check the numbers entered, and if the password is correct, it will open the door. However, there's one little snag. Any nasty programmer would just love to use a computer to generate DTMF tones and crack the password using brute force…I would. :)


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EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. (AP) - Jerome Felton was on the free-agent market last March, a fullback who had been with three teams in two years and was looking for a good fit.
With Minnesota in the mix, figuring out the best place to go became a simpler decision for Felton. Who wouldn't want to block for Adrian Peterson, after all?
While playing with Detroit from 2008-2010, Felton would watch Peterson run from the opposing sideline and ponder the possibility.
I was like, `Man, if I could ever team up with him, I think it would be something special,''' Felton said.
That was a big thing, just to have the opportunity to come here and be able to block for him. He's obviously a future Hall of Famer.''
Peterson's push for 2,000 yards rushing wouldn't happen without solid blocking in front of him, of course, and the offensive linemen, tight ends, fullbacks and wide receivers responsible for paving his paths are well aware of his standing. With an NFL-leading 1,600 yards, Peterson needs to average 134 yards over the last three games to become the seventh player to reach that mark in one season.
``I think it means a lot to the team. You kind of hear guys in the locker room talking about it. You hear the media talk about it a little bit. It's within reach, and I feel like it's something that he's capable of doing and I think he wants it so we want it for him,'' Felton said.
Felton might be the most unheralded of an already-under-the-radar group. Left tackle Matt Kalil was the fourth overall draft pick, sure. Center John Sullivan has been around for five seasons. Tight end Kyle Rudolph is relatively well-known, as a pass-catcher and occasional touchdown-scorer. But without any official statistics for blocking, these guys are often only known when they're called for holding or a false start.
They brought me in here to make life a little easier on him, and I like to say I'm doing that,'' said Felton, a fifth-round pick out of Furman who spent last year with Carolina and Indianapolis.
He gives me an opportunity to show what I can do to the league and hopefully, vice versa, I make life a little easier on him. Definitely a lot of pride in that.''
Peterson has long preferred a one-back set to better see the space in front of him, but with Felton in the game the results have clearly been favorable this year.
``He can run in any system. He's going to be a great back regardless, but all I'm trying to do is make life a little bit easier on him,'' Felton said.
Without any sustained success from the passing game, defenses have naturally stacked a safety in the box around the line of scrimmage to try to stop Peterson. This makes clearing the first level more difficult but if he gets past the linebackers in time, there's a greater chance of breaking a long gain. Three of the 10 longest carries of his six-year career have come in the last six games.
``We've been prepared offensively, and we've still been able to run the ball,'' Peterson said.
He ran 31 times for 154 yards in last Sunday's win over Chicago. That started with a 51-yard scamper on the first play from scrimmage, a simple dive play the team calls ``Doctor'' that involves a double team on each side of the field. Guard Brandon Fusco and tackle Phil Loadholt handled one on the right. Tight end Rhett Ellison, in as a fullback, sealed his man. Tight end John Carlson took his took the turf. And Peterson, who picked up a little extra at the end after a hustle block by wide receiver Jarius Wright, was off.
``That's our bread and butter,'' Fusco said.
Notes: Peterson was limited in practice Wednesday because of an abdominal injury. CB Antoine Winfield was held out to rest a knee that's been causing some discomfort. CB A.J. Jefferson didn't participate, either, because he hasn't passed his post-concussion tests after a hit to the head in Sunday's game. LG Charlie Johnson, who sprained his left ankle but remained in Sunday's game, also was limited. ... Peterson was honored as the NFC Offensive Player of the Week for the second time this season and the seventh occasion of his career, the most among active RBs. ... If Jefferson can't play this week, rookie Josh Robinson would start next to Winfield at CB in the base defense and Marcus Sherels would play CB in the nickel package.
Follow Dave Campbell on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/DaveCampbellAP
Online: http://pro32.ap.org/poll and http://twitter.com/AP-NFL


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Robin Roberts, Who Got 'Chills' from Obama, Pushes Ann Romney: 'Why Not Release' Taxes?
Good Morning America co-host Robin Roberts, who has conducted a number of fawning interviews with Barack and Michelle Obama, pushed Ann Romney in an exclusive interview on Thursday to release more tax documents.
She needled, "Your husband has been adamant about only the two years that will be released. Why will he not follow the example of others on both sides of the aisle?"
After Mrs. Romney reiterated that her husband wouldn't release more than two years and that they had nothing to hide, Roberts hectored, "Why not show that then? Why not release the- because then it's a moot point and people move on." [MP3 audio here.]
Regarding a Democratic ad making fun of Ann Romney's horse riding, the
host expressed no outrage for the liberal attack. She neutrally
wondered, " How do you respond to something like that?"
In contrast, on May 19, 2008,
Roberts interviewed Mr. And Mrs. Obama about nasty GOP claims. She
sympathized, "Should you get through this process and you have the
general election ahead of you, that this is what you can expect more and
more of. Are you prepared for that?"
On September 9, 2009, she cooed to the President, "How difficult is it to stay on message?"
On May 10, 2012,
Roberts scored an exclusive interview with the President as he reversed
his opinion on gay marriage. The co-host asked Obama no tough
questions. She thrilled,"I'm getting chills again" just thinking about
the segment.
It's true that Roberts lauded Mrs. Romney for being "incredibly
gracious." She also included a follow-up segment about Multiple Sclerosis and how the
political spouse has dealt with the diseaase. But the journalist still
managed to grill the wife of the presumptive Republican presidential
nominee. That's something Roberts rarely does when interviewing the
A transcript of the July 19 segment can be found below.
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: And boy, you had a fascinating interview yesterday with Ann Romney.
ROBIN ROBERTS: Nothing was out of bounds. I could ask her anything and she was so incredibly gracious. And her husband, Republican challenger, of course, Mitt Romney, has a slight edge this morning over President Obama. According to the latest New York Times poll/CBS poll It's all- it's being driven by fears about the country's economy. I spoke exclusively with Ann Romney about what her husband's planning. It's your voice, your vote and I started by asking her how close her husband is to picking a running mate.
ANN ROMNEY: We're not quite there yet. And we're going to be there soon. There's so many good choices. That's making it especially difficult.
ROBERTS: You have said you want it to be somebody that your husband- they match in personality. No one knows your husband better than you. So, who is that type of person?
ANN ROMNEY: I think in saying that, I was thinking of passion for this country, being able to serve, being able to- having experience, having real experience. Being able to be ready, day one.
ROBERTS: Everyone wants to stay on message. You do. The Obama administration. The American people. And there seem to be so many different distractions. One being your husband and the tax returns. Both Bushes gave multiple years, ten And 12 years. President Obama gave seven years of tax returns. Your husband has been adamant about only the two years that will be released. Why will he not follow the example of others on both sides of the aisle?
ANN ROMNEY: You know, I think there are reasons for these things. You know, I think you should look at where Mitt led his life. And where he's been financially. He's been a very generous person. We give ten percent of our income to our church every year. Do you think that is the kind of person that is trying to hide things? Or do you think- No, he's so good about it. Governor of Massachusetts, didn't take a salary in four years. You know, he is a person-
ROBERTS: Why not show that then? Why not release the- because then it's a moot point and people move on.
ANN ROMNEY: Because so many things that will be open, again, to attack. You don't want to give more material for more attack. That's just the answer. And we have given all people need to know and understand about our financial situation and how we live our life. And, so-That election, again, will not be decide on that. It will be decided on who will turn the economy around and how are jobs coming back to America.
ROBERTS: Then there's the controversy on whether Mitt Romney outsourced jobs while running Bain Capital.
OBAMA AD: As a corporate raider, he shipped jobs to China and Mexico.
ROBERTS: Independent fact-checkers criticize this Obama ad, saying Romney had already left the company. But an Obama campaign aide suggested Romney may have lied about when he left and committed a felony, prompting this response from Romney.
MITT ROMNEY: He sure as heck ought to say he's sorry for the kinds of attacks coming from his team.
ROBIN ROBERTS: And this from the President.
BARACK OBAMA: No. We won't be apologizing.
ANN ROMNEY: I'm not disappointed. I'm not surprised. I believe it was beneath the dignity of the office of the president to do something as egregious as that. To attack someone on that level is, I believe, beneath his dignity.
ROBERTS: Away from the campaign trail, Ann Romney has been waging another battle, against Multiple Sclerosis since her diagnosis 14 years ago. Have you had a discussion with your husband, if he is elected, how that could effect, if it does flair up, his presidency?
ANN ROMNEY: You know, that was part of the discussion when we decided whether to go forward again, because we certainly would not have gone forward if I had been in an active part of my disease. Because it would have been something I would have needed my husband to be there with me. But the thing that you can't ever know about life is what tomorrow will bring. So you just step forward and just go on. And, so, for us right now, I really believe that he's the right person at the right time. He has a clear understanding of how to create jobs. So many Americans are suffering right now that are out of work. I really, really believe in my heart that he's the right person at the right time to bring hope and recovery.
ROBERTS: Part of Romney's MS therapy is to ride horses. It's a high-end sport that made her and her husband a target for critics, like in this new ad by Democrats. How do you respond to something like that?
ANN ROMNEY: You know, honestly, do you know how I really feel? I want to laugh. It makes me laugh. It's like, really? You know, there's so many people out of work right now, and there's this guy right here that has the answer for fixing the economy. And all these attacks, they're going to try everything. And that is what people have to ask themselves when they go in the voting booth in November. Are you better off? Do you thing we need a change? Basically, my philosophy is, they're going to fire the coach. I already, sort of, know the answer. At the end of the day, they're going to fire the coach, 'cause things are not going well.
ROBERTS: And the coach being President Obama?
ANN ROMNEY: Right.
ROBERTS: I know Mrs. Romney said she laughed off the ad with the Dressage horse. Well, the DNC has pulled that ad, said they didn't mean to offend her. But they're not going to use that anymore.
STEPHANOPOULOS: Yeah, they pulled it overnight. But, boy, that first answer she gave you, so interesting. We haven't made a decision yet in vice president.
ROBERTS: They're a team. They are a team.


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I'm getting a bit sick of reading about how not having a mobile presence is a big fail. Once again the marketing people take a one-size-fits-all approach and assume that if you are on the net, then people must want to use your services from mobile devices. This is utter nonsense. In reality, the need for a mobile presence depends very much on what services you are offering and who you are offering them to.
For example, look at the OS breakdown for my website over the last month.
So 98.6% of visitors are using non-mobile devices. This is not a surprise since my website focuses on Oracle DBAs and developers, who are unlikely to be working from mobile devices. Would you suggest a real company with this focus and these sort of web stats should invest in a mobile presence?
Just out of interest I checked the browser stats.
Since I last checked in November, Chrome has bitten even more market share from IE and Firefox. We're fast approaching a 3-way tie. Looks like Microsoft really do need all those IE adverts after all. 🙂


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Notice Number: NOT-CA-09-006
Key Dates
Release Date: November 21, 2008
Issued by
National Cancer Institute (NCI) (http://www.nci.nih.gov)
The National Cancer Institute (NCI) is requesting project proposals for access to NCI-sponsored resources provided by the Rapid Access to Intervention Development (RAID) Program (http://dtp.nci.nih.gov/). The RAID Program makes available to academic investigators the preclinical development resources managed by the NCI's Developmental Therapeutics Program (DTP). Access to these resources is granted on a competitive basis following the evaluation of submitted project proposals by an external review committee. However, RAID is not a grant program.
Approved projects will gain access to the drug development contract resources that are managed by DTP staff members. The goal of the RAID Program is the rapid transition of novel molecules and concepts from the laboratory level to the clinic for proof-of-principle clinical trials. The scientific priority of the RAID Program is on areas with disproportionate unmet needs such as:
The RAID Program will assist investigators who submit successful project proposals by providing any (or all) of the preclinical development steps that may be obstacles to clinical translation. Possible tasks may include: drug candidate production; bulk supply; good manufacturing process (GMP) certification; formulation; and toxicology. Suitable agents for RAID include small molecules and biological therapeutic agents (including vaccines).
There are two windows of opportunity per year to file requests for RAID support. The first window of opportunity will open on January 1 and end on February 1, 2009, at 5:00 p.m. EST. All RAID proposals must be filed electronically using a dedicated secure web site managed by the NCI DTP (for details and instructions please see http://dtp.nci.nih.gov/docs/raid/raid-es.html). Paper copies of RAID proposals will not be accepted via any means of delivery. Since RAID proposals ARE NOT grant applications, they ARE NOT processed by the Center for Scientific Review (CSR).
For general information on the procedures for requesting RAID resources visit the DTP website at http://dtp.nci.nih.gov/nquiries are encouraged and DTP staff members welcome opportunities to clarify issues or to answer questions about the RAID Program. Academic investigators may have collaborations with small-business partners and still qualify for RAID access. Non-profit organizations other than universities may also submit project proposals to RAID. Please note that a maximum of two distinct requests for support per investigator can be submitted for each receipt date.
Inquiries regarding this Notice may be directed to:
Office of Associate Director
Developmental Therapeutics Program
Division of Cancer Treatment and Diagnosis
National Cancer Institute
6130 Executive Boulevard, EPN Suite 8022, MSC 7458
Bethesda, MD 20892-7458
Telephone: 301-496-8720
Fax: 301-402-0831
Email: email@example.com
Weekly TOC for this Announcement
NIH Funding Opportunities and Notices
Office of Extramural Research (OER) |
National Institutes of Health (NIH) 9000 Rockville Pike Bethesda, Maryland 20892 |
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) |
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text:
We remember several years back, when text messaging was first becoming popular, we went to a bar which had a huge television that would display text messages sent to a particular number. This sounds like a novelty, but in a large group of folks who know one another it's the sandbox of social games. Wanting to tap in on that fun for his New Year's Eve party, [James] built this countdown timer that includes an element of SMS interactivity (link dead, try the Internet Archive version).
The rig is projector based. A computer using Processing does the majority of the work but [James] needed a way to accepts text messages (the locale of the party had no Internet connection so this was the best bet). He grabbed a GSM shield and his Arduino Leonardo. The bulk of the evening the display showed the last few messages received, with a small countdown timer in the lower corner. As the countdown approached zero the time was given prominence as in the image above. We guess he was lucky to find a prepaid SIM card that allowed free incoming text messages. Our cell provider charges us 20¢ for each.
You might give this one a whirl next year. If it's not quite your thing take a look around. We've seen a lot of fun setups like this mini ball drop.


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By Ellen Finkelstein
Here's a common scenario. You have a table of Excel data and you need to discuss it in detail at a meeting. But there's no way it will fit on one slide. What are your options?
- You could print out the data so people can see it up close. I recommend doing this when necessary.
- You could split the data onto 2 slides and use a dynamic transition between them. Dynamic transitions are new for PowerPoint 2010.
What's a Dynamic Transition?
A dynamic transition has two special features:
- The transition applies to your slide content, but not the background. This makes your content seem to move independently from the background.
- The transition works backward when you move to the previous slide.
You don't need to add the transition to the first slide of a set.
I recommend using transitions very sparingly. When a presentation has a transition applied to all slides, I find it distracting. Don't you? You want your audience to focus on the content, not the special effects!
But occasionally, a transition can actually help your audience understand what you are saying. When you need to span data over two or more slides, the Pan dynamic transition can help.
Here are two slides that provide historical data on health expenditures in the United States. In many cases, a chart (graph) would work better, but let's say that your audience wants to analyze the specific numbers, so you need to use a table. You can see that this data wouldn't fit on one slide, because it covers a span of 20 years.
Two points:
- You want to be able to go back and forth between the slides during your discussion
- The image of the wheelchair is on the slide master, so it's part of the background. It isn't on the slides themselves.
Here are the steps to apply the Pan transition in PowerPoint 2010 between 2 slides:
- Select the second slide.
- On the Transitions tab, click the down arrow at the right side of the gallery to expand it.
- In the Dynamic Content section, choose Pan.
- Click the Effect Options button (to the right of the gallery) and choose From Right. (If your data is long, rather than wide, choose From Bottom.)
Display your first slide and go into Slide Show view. Click and you'll see the 2nd slide move in from the right. There will be a little bounce, which I dislike, but you can't get rid of it. Notice that your background doesn't move! (You won't notice this unless you have something on your background.)
Now, press the left arrow or Backspace key on your keyboard. The first slide moves in from the left, giving the impression that the 2 slides are connected. This helps your audience understand the connection between the 2 halves of the data.
About the Author:
Ellen Finkelstein can train you or the presenters in your organization to create high-impact, engaging, professional presentations for training, sales, business, or education. For more information about her services, click here.