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Wednesday December 9, 2009 9:20 pm
Barnes & Noble nook review
We've been anticipating the nook for about a month-and-a-half now, even since Barnes & Noble announced the nook back in October. Seeing a potential, real competitor to the Amazon Kindle sporting both an e-ink screen alongside a capacitive color LCD touchscreen just about made us drool. Oh, and it runs Google Android too, so, there's that whole thing. Well, we've finally got the Barnes & Noble nook into our hands, and we've done some testing, some reading, and some playing, all in the spirit of letting you know how the nook stands on its own, and how it compares to the Amazon Kindle. We think we've done that, and we invite you to continue reading for the full Gear Live nook review.
Okay, before we actually get into the nook review itself, we think it's appropriate to set the stage at this point. Yes, we realize that there are a lot of ebook readers out there. You have the Amazon Kindle, the Sony Readers, the Barnes & Noble nook, and a host of others. It's time to be up front right now. With the ebook readers available today, we have to say that 99% of you should focus only on the Kindle and the nook. If you'd rather find your ebooks on torrent sites, or only want old out-of-copyright works, then sure, take a look at the others. However, if you want a device that'll pull books down quickly from an embedded store on the fly, with 3G access built-in, you have two choices - Kindle and nook. Luckily, both are decent choices.
Of course, here we are focusing on the B&N nook. What you've got here is Barnes & Noble's attempt to take on the Amazon Kindle. What sets it apart is the fact that it rocks two displays: one is the standard e-ink display that you read your books on, and the other is a capacitive touchscreen LCD, used for navigating the menus, shopping, and playing around with settings on the device. The goal here is to eliminate the physical keyboard, while also not breaking the bank with an all-out touchscreen e-ink display. Compare this to the Sony Reader, which has a shiny film over the e-ink display, which can be annoying, but gives it a pseudo-touchscreen feel. The Kindle has a screen, keyboard, and jog dial that is used to navigating around - but many find that to be a bit too slow. The thing is, the nook isn't exactly a speed demon itself. It's still early, though, and we bet a software update or two will be able to optimize the experience of that second screen. That said, we do like the second screen, and we do find that typing on the keyboard, for exampling, is definitely faster than doing the same task on the Kindle.
We are filing the secondary nook LCD screen under the "has potential" category for now. It definitely helps, and can do some things that just can't be done on the Kindle (like browsing full-color book covers,) and we bet that B&N may have a few more tricks up their sleeve for the device. We do know that they are hard at work on the first over-the-air nook update, which shouldn't be more than a few weeks away from deployment.
So, does the nook LCD screen and its "has potential" status mean that you shouldn't get a nook just yet? No, not so fast. Let's not be hasty, no need to jump to conclusions and all that. If you are one of the early pre-orders, you should be receiving your nook by today or tomorrow, if you haven't already received it, and you'll see that there's nothing wrong with it at all. The fact is just that there is more that can be done, Barnes & Noble knows that, and therefore there is more to come. As it stands today, however, it still matches up very nicely with the Kindle, and Amazon should be a little concerned.
Another thing we should get our of the way is that the nook e-ink display is pretty much the same display that you find on the Kindle. One is not better than the other. At the end of the day, when you think about that, you realize that the primary use of the device, that being reading books, is the same on each. So it really becomes more about the user interface and the book catalogue, as well as any differentiating special features.
Okay, so the nook primarily uses the secondary LCD touchscreen for moving around through the interface. The thing about this is that it requires a bit more learning before you can easily navigate through the device, especially since the screen changes depending on what it is you are trying to accomplish. The way the Kindle does it, all the keys are there on the device, so they are all there for you to get to, even if you have to dig into a menu. With the nook, you kind of have to figure out where it is you want to go. It's not like it's truly a difficult task, and after a day or two it should feel a lot more natural - but when it comes to picking up the device and just "knowing" what to do with it, the Kindle wins that battle.
So, what then, are the benefits of having the LCD if it has a steeper learning curve? Well, it can do more stuff. You can browse books in a Cover Flow-esque fashion in full color, and you don't have to wait for screen refreshes when typing like you do on the Kindle, for starters. So it lets you move around a bit faster. It's also easier on the fingers, in my opinion, since it's a capacitive touchscreen that doesn't require more than a light touch to input commands.
There is a bit of sluggishness as it pertains to the swipe gesture that can be used for turning pages, rather than using the actual hardware buttons on the device. There is a bit os a slight waiting period that just doesn't feel as natural as when you press the physical buttons on the sides of the screen on the nook. B&N says they are well aware, and that speeding up the LCD input is at the top of the list for the soon-to-come software update. In fact, if you didn't pre-order a nook, we'd be willing to bet that by the time they are available in stores, this will no longer be an issue.
Also, remember that the nook runs Android, and Barnes & Noble says that this means that developers will be able to write applications for this thing. Obviously, there aren't any yet…but if we think about it, we can imagine a streaming radio app, or something to get Facebook or Twitter status messages on the LCD. Really, there can be some pretty interesting apps here that we haven't even thought of. First, though, let's get this thing to a point where the LCD is nice and fluid.
Let's talk about some of the cool features that this thing offers. First, you get native PDF support. We don't generally load PDFs onto our eBook readers, but I chose a random PDF and it looked just fine. I know many wonder about that, so there you go. You also have a built-in music player, which is completely controlled by the touchscreen, and is at the bottom of the main menu areas.
The nook sports built-in Wi-Fi, something the Kindle can't boast. This allows you to use your network connection rather than relying on AT&T 3G service. So if you are out of the country, or just have no AT&T signal, you can still access the bookstore, download books, etc.
More interestingly, the nook features the LendMe feature, which literally allows you to lend one of your ebooks to another B&N ebook user. The shared book can be viewed on another nook device, in the B&N iPhone app, or one of the Mac or PC desktop reader applications. The person then has up to two weeks to read the book, and while it is lent out, you can't read it yourself. After the loan period, that's it. You can read it again, and you cannot ever lend it again. We don't like that last part, and we are guessing competition from Amazon is going to do away with it. The point of LendMe is to make eBook seem more like real books, so putting a one-time limit on them, when I can lend a real book however many times I'd like to, seem silly. One note, we weren't yet able to test this feature, as it's still in process of being rolled out.
Another cool and unique service offered by the nook that no other competing ebook reader can offer is the in-store Barnes & Noble experience. If you walk into a B&N store with your nook and connect to the Wi-Fi, you are instantly able to pull up any book on your nook and start reading it. You get two hours of access to each book, per day. That is pretty liberal if you ask us. It also lets you compare the real version of a book to the digital version, side-by-side, with no cost. That puts the nook in a very unique position. Oh, and you'll also get free downloads, coupons and freebies from the cafe, etc. We like this feature.
Lastly, in addition to the B&N Bookstore offerings, the nook also integrates Google Books. This gives you access to download over 500,000 books from Google's collection of public domain book reprints. These are completely free, despite not being anything near timely. We did find some great classics in there though.
I know it looks like we spent a lot of time picking apart the nook, but really, that's what's expected in a review. However, admittedly, the gripes listed are all fairly small, and will soon be gone with the first software update (or so we're told.) Quite honestly, we like the outlook of the nook. We think that, with Android as the foundation, we will see new features and customization options that other ebook readers simply can't offer right now. We also love the whole B&N in-store experience and the lending feature, even if it is kind of crippled right out of the gate.
Barnes & Noble is definitely in this game to compete, rather than to be an also-ran, and the nook makes that very apparent. Is it better than the Kindle? We'd say no, but with an asterisk. That asterisk would say that the Kindle isn't better than the nook either. What we have here are two devices that are optimized for reading and purchasing ebooks, and each does this very well. They are different enough to be alternatives to each other in terms of the hardware experience.
All that said, we think Amazon is going to need to react fairly quickly. What you have in the nook is a device that, like the iPhone, is built on an operating system that gives it a bit of future-proofing. What you get with the nook today is less than what you will be able to do with it over the next few months, as B&N releases more features, and eventually, downloadable applications. They've also got the advantage of the Google Books catalog and the whole in-store experience. The Kindle simply doesn't have all that.
So you need to ask yourself if you'll ever use those features that the nook has to offer. If the answer is no, then really, it's a toss up. The devices cost the same, and it goes to personal preference - but even there, the nook wins because you'll be able to walk into any Barnes & Noble store and pick one up to use it. If you want to do that with a Kindle, you'll need to find a friend that happens to own one for you to get your hands on it.
Now, stepping outside of the nook vs. Kindle debate, is the nook a worthy eBook reader?
If the Kindle didn't exist, we'd recommend this one, hands down. Even while the Kindle does exist, it holds its own, and if I were to have to choose one to buy for myself or as a gift, at this point, I'd choose the nook. Sure, there are frustrating points about it, but it's mostly all interface. At the end of the day, the thing you'll spend most of your time doing on the device is reading books, and for that, it's superb.
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Before "American Idol," Lee DeWyze worked as a paint store clerk in Mt. Prospect, Ill. Kris Allen was a college student from Conway, Ark. David Cook tended bar in Blue Springs, Miss. Chris Daughtry was a service advisor at a car dealership in Greensboro, N.C. Carrie Underwood lived on a farm in Checotah, Okla. Jennifer Hudson was a cruise ship performer from Chicago. Kelly Clarkson was a waitress from Dallas. One audition changed the rest of their lives.
Once again, aspiring singers will have the opportunity to audition in cities across the country to become the next "American Idol," as the No. 1 show on television begins auditions for its milestone 10th season on Saturday, July 17 in Nashville, Tenn. The search for the next singing superstar will continue in Milwaukee on Wednesday, July 21; New Orleans, on Monday, July 26; East Rutherford, N.J., on Tuesday, Aug. 3; Austin, Texas, on Wednesday, Aug. 11; and San Francisco, on Thursday, Aug. 19.
In celebration of the momentous 10th anniversary and in an effort to continue to find the best undiscovered talent in the nation, "American Idol" is expanding the eligibility age range for the first time ever to include hopefuls from 15 to 28 years old. (The previous minimum age requirement was 16.)
"A lot of young, talented people are now seeking careers and representation before they turn 16," said Cecile Frot-Coutaz, executive producer of "American Idol." "Lowering the age limit allows us to tap into this talent pool."
AMERICAN IDOL auditions will be held as follows:
Nashville/Saturday, July 17/Bridgestone Arena
Milwaukee/Wednesday, July 21/Bradley Center
New Orleans/Monday, July 26/TBA
East Rutherford/Tuesday, Aug. 3/IZOD Center
Austin Wednesday, Aug. 11/Frank Erwin Center
San Francisco/Thursday, Aug. 19/AT&T Park
Audition information, including forms and requirements, will be available online at americanidol.com. Visit americanidol.com for exclusive videos, interviews and photos from auditions, as well as special behind-the-scenes information and all of your "American Idol" news.
"American Idol" is created and executive-produced by Simon Fuller, founder of 19 Entertainment; and executive-produced by Cecile Frot-Coutaz, CEO, FremantleMedia North America; and Ken Warwick, executive producer, FremantleMedia North America.

subset: commoncrawl


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Meet the Theremin
The theremin was invented in 1920 by a Russian physicist named Lev Termen (in the United States his name was Leon Theremin). Today, this marvelous instrument is once again in the musical spotlight.
Besides looking like no other instrument, the theremin is unique in that it is played without being touched.
Two antennas protrude from the theremin - one controlling pitch, and the other controlling volume. As a hand approaches the vertical antenna, the pitch gets higher. Approaching the horizontal antenna makes the volume softer. Because there is no physical contact with the instrument, playing the theremin in a precise melodic way requires practiced skill and keen attention to pitch.
In the early 1920's, Leon Theremin came to the United States to promote his invention. He was given a studio to work in, and he trained several musicians to help bring the theremin into the public eye. Then, in 1938, Leon Theremin was taken back to the Soviet Union by force, leaving behind his studio, friends, business, and his wife. After a stay in a prison camp, Leon Theremin reportedly worked for the KGB designing among other things, the "bug" and methods for cleaning up noisy audio recordings.
The Theremin in Music & Film
Originally, the theremin was intended to play classical music and even replace entire orchestras with its "music from the aether." While that never quite happened, it has been used in many recordings over the years. Several big band conductors featured the theremin in numerous specialty ablums. During the 60's and 70's, bands such as Lothar and the Hand People, the Bonzo Doo Dah Dog Band, and Led Zeppelin brought the theremin into the public eye for a short time. (However a theremin did not play in the song "Good Vibrations", but the instrument used was based on it.) Then, the theremin slipped back into obscurity until the recent revival of the 1990s. Today, lots of bands use theremins, though many unfortunately limit themselves to using the theremin as a novelty.
The spooky sound of the theremin was used in several movie soundtracks during the 1950's and 1960's. It provided background mood music for such sci-fi classics as The Day the Earth Stood Still, where it played a serious musical role, and It Came From Outer Space, as well in classic, well composed, thriller soundtracks such as Spellbound and The Lost Weekend.
In 1993, Steven M. Martin produced a documentary entitled Theremin - An Electronic Odyssey. This incredible film provides an in-depth look into the history of the instrument and its inventor. The film features rare footage and interviews with music industry legends such as Robert Moog, Todd Rundgren, and Brian Wilson as well as Prof. Leon Theremin himself!
A Star Is Born
One of Prof. Theremin's original students was a Russian-born musical prodigy named Clara Rockmore. By age 5, Clara was already an accomplished violinist. But then a problem with her hands forced her to give up the violin in favor of the theremin. Clara went on to become the world's best thereminist, developing a unique method of "aereal fingering" to play the theremin with unparalleled precision. You can hear Clara perform on the album, The Art of the Theremin, accompanied on piano by her sister, Nadia Reisenberg.
A Family Tree of Theremins
In the late 1920's, RCA produced approximately 500 theremins, manufactured by General Electric and Westinghouse. Today, it is estimated that only half of these still exist. An effort is underway to track down the remaining models. You can read more about these theremins in our RCA Theremin Registry.
Electronic music pioneer Robert Moog built theremins long before he built synthesizers. In the 1960's, he produced such models as the wedge-shaped Vanguard theremin and the shoebox shaped Moog Melodia theremin. Today, Moog Music Inc. produces the popular Etherwave and Etherwave Plus theremins and kits as well as the new MIDI-enabled Theremini theremin. Other popular models today include PAiA's Theremax and Burns' line of B3 theremins. Theremin kits continue to surge in popularity today like guitar kits due to the growing DIY market in music.
Just the beginning...
We hope you enjoy our community as you learn more about theremins. If you have any questions or new material to submit to the website, please don't hesitate to contact us.


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I am Tryong To make My Travel Photography For My Blog
Please Help me
First you need to just have a DSLR camera and a strong lens. I recommend a 24-70 f2.8 lens. You get some good coverage that way. Then just book your flights and take pictures as you travel. It is simple then. Just upload your photos with explanations for each on your blog as you get internet access. (Preferably at the end of the trip.)
Thanks For Your Suggestion
You dont need to have a fancy camera and all the expensive accessories to get started. You can start with a beginner-friendly camera, such as compact digital cameras or even point and shoot. However, if you want to shoot better photos, then you need to learn the basics of photography. It's not rocket science, and there will always be a lot of room to learn and improve as you go. Above all, be creative in your shots, and enjoy!
Here's one good camera to get started, especially when you're traveling with your kids - Canon EOS Rebel T1. hope this helps.
i am edward…
Abbyjc is right if you are not a proffesional cemaramen as i know that you dont need the high lence cemera…their is no any magic in cemera …but dippend on you …first search on goolge that where you are going …how many turrist place are there…and how many special things are there…and just go …happy jurney…
I don't think a man can be good photographer with DSLR camera and a strong lens but he or she must have to be knowledge or sense about arts.
hii frnd my name prakash
First you need to just have a cfm camera and a normal lens. I recommend a 24-50 f2.8 lens. You get some good coverage that way.
To start with travel photography, you need to understand your needs and interest. If you are just looking for photographs to place on your blog, no need to go for even photography. You can find those photographs online and can buy as per your requirements.
But if it is your hobby and want to take this seriously, i recommend start with basic DSLR from Canon (checkout Canon 550D) with basic 18-55 lens. If budget is high, you can consider some wide angle lens. (for lenses, i recommend reviewing various rage of Sigma lenses - low cost solutions with best quality result).
I have been using nikon DSLR D5000 with Sigma APO DG 70-300 lens since last 6 month and very happy with result.
all the best
I am not a traveler nor writer .
But what I do know that you may not need DSLR ( if you don't have one )
Concern with camera it's depend on your style of your article.
If you want just to snap short you may consider Mirrorless camera as it can give you
1 image quality same as DSL
2 light weight
3 exchange able lens
4 in some place may restriction to Non DSLR camera but not for mirrorless
You dont have a fancy camera'
Sri Chitra Art Gallery – This art gallery is very much famous among the art lovers. It displays the paintings of Raja Ravi Varma, who was an Indian painter. Moreover, art lovers may also see the paintings of other famous Indian painters such as Jamimi Roy, Rabindranath Tagore, K. K. Hebar etc.
Padmanabhapuram Palace – This palace situated near Trivandrum and it is a well-preserved structure. This palace has very beautiful and rich heritage that displays the exquisite craftsmanship of the bygone era. The black granite floors and floral carving over the walls enhance the beauty of this palace.
I think this thread has seen it's useful life expectancy…THREAD CLOSED


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Forgetful. That's what we are sometimes.
We forget how intricate and extremely complex we are. How uniquely exquisite. How different our neural networks are from the person next to us. Why our patterns of thinking just seem to be so peculiar to only ourselves and nobody else, and why we sometimes make different choices based on how we think.
Laughter easily fills a room, flowing past brightly lit candles and sifting through like the aroma of the good food on the table because we dare to stick to our own stories.
Not even mothers can dictate the paths of their children's destinies.
What about our bodies? Each of us have something drastically different on our skins. Physical or less obvious and sometimes downright laughable birth marks. Even identical twins have distinguishing identifiable genetic markers (DNA). The wavy lines on their fingers protrude into separate paths of uncontrollable wildness and adventure. If you peek a little bit closer you will see.
Forgetful. That's what we are sometimes.
We don't always remember how skillful and absolutely creative our God must be. It's days like this when I read Psalms 139 that I am reminded yet again of how awesome He is and how forgetful I can be of my own DNA. Today, I ask you to joyfully embrace that very thing that sets you apart from everyone else as you read this. You were made to be your own self on purpose, to bring glory to His name.
Read this:
For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother's womb. I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well. My frame was not hidden from You, When I was made in secret, And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, The days fashioned for me, When as yet there were none of them. How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How great is the sum of them! If I should count them, they would be more in number than the sand...
2. Today, I am thankful for my DNA. Aren't you? :)


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Amid a reckoning in the NHL and mounting allegations of abuse and harassment in university sports, athletes are renewing a call for an independent body to probe complaints and oversee a universal code of conduct.
Former Olympic skier Allison Forsyth says if such an organization had existed in the late 1990s, it likely could have prevented her alleged abuse by coach Bertrand Charest.
"I didn't have a safe place where I felt like I could report," she says. "I was never even trained on sexual abuse or harassment in sport. I didn't even know what signs to look for."
Athletes and experts say the current model of self-regulation, in which sports organizations have designated third-party officers who handle complaints, isn't working. Many athletes fear retribution or inaction from organizations that may have an interest in protecting coaches or their own reputations, they say.
The call for an independent national authority to oversee a code of conduct and to investigate allegations is not new. But advocates say progress has slowed due to pushback from sports organizations and questions of cost and jurisdiction from governments.
The current climate is ripe for change to finally happen, they add.
Calgary Flames coach Bill Peters resigned Friday after apologizing for using "offensive language" 10 years ago and former Toronto Maple Leafs coach Mike Babcock has been accused of questionable motivational tactics. At the same time, athletes at the University of Victoria, University of Lethbridge and University of Windsor have come forward with allegations of abuse and harassment against coaches.
Charges against Charest related to Forsyth were dismissed because the alleged incidents occurred outside Canada. A lawyer who previously represented Charest did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The push for safer sports, which began heating up two years ago with the #MeToo movement and Charest trial in which he was convicted of abusing other female skiers, has spurred fear among sports organizations of the "pendulum overswinging," says Dasha Peregoudova, president of AthletesCan, which represents national team athletes.
Peregoudova says organizations worry about receiving a flood of historical complaints that they don't have the means or capability to deal with. But she says any culture shift requires massive changes to practices and understanding.
"If that's going to be defined as the pendulum overswinging, then so be it, because that's what it takes to have real, true and meaningful long-lasting change."
The previous sports minister, Kirsty Duncan, made addressing abuse and harassment her signature issue and tasked the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport with leading a process to develop a national code of conduct. A final draft that clearly defines types of mistreatment and lays out sanctions for violators was submitted to the government this week.
Sports organizations had pushed for sport-specific language in order to prevent, for example, normal physical contact in martial arts from becoming prohibited, says Gretchen Kerr, a professor specializing in athlete maltreatment at the University of Toronto.
However, she says experts warned against including a clause that would have exempted contact, behaviour or coaching methods that are "objectively acceptable" in a sport, because a major risk factor for abuse is that certain practices have become normalized.
She stresses normal physical contact would not be policed under the draft code of conduct.
"Any logical person in the receipt of a concern or the investigation would incorporate contextual considerations as they pursued the complaint," Kerr says.
Some sports have embraced the idea of an independent body but there's also been "huge pushback" from leading sports organizations, governments and the Coaching Association of Canada, says Bruce Kidd, a University of Toronto sport and public policy professor.
He says common concerns are that the body would "target" coaches or dampen the focus on high performance and result in fewer medals, he says.
"Instead of saying that these kinds of practices are part of producing tough athletes, we should say no, you don't have to wreck people to turn them into champions," says Kidd. "Most of the evidence is that people perform best when they are valued and affirmed."
READ MORE: Bill Peters apologizes to Calgary Flames in letter to GM after racism allegations
AthletesCan, the heads of some sports organizations and experts including Kidd and Kerr sent letters to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau this month urging him to mandate his next sports minister to end self-regulation and establish an independent process to address all forms of maltreatment.
In his latest cabinet, Trudeau axed the sports minister position and gave the responsibility to Heritage Minister Steven Guilbeault. The minister says in a statement that every athlete in Canada deserves to perform in a safe environment.
Laura Kane, The Canadian Press


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Yes, the City of Danville burning regulations allow the burning of leaves, branches, yard and garden trimmings without a permit. However, the burning must take place on private property and must not be less than 300 feet from any occupied building unless the occupants have given written permission. The fire must be attended at all times and there must be immediate access to some form of fire extinguishments/control. A minimum distance of 50 feet from any structure is to be maintained at all times. Between the period of February 15th and April 30th the City of Danville Open Burning Regulations prohibit burning before 4 pm if the fire is in or within 300 feet of woodland, brushland or fields containing dry grass or other flammable material. Burning for the disposal of land clearing material requires a permit that can be obtained from the Fire Marshal's office by calling (434) 799-5226, Monday through Friday, 8 am to 5 pm. Note: The individual or business that is burning is responsible for any damage and/or cleanup that may result from the fire. Complaints of smoke or ash may result in immediate extinguishment of the fire. Please use our online Permit Portal to apply for a permit.
Yes, the "Get Alarmed, Danville" program is designed to install smoke alarms free of charge to any City resident that is physically or financially unable to do so for themselves. You can sign up for this life-saving program by calling (434) 799-5226, and leave your name, address, and telephone number. You can also send a request via email to firstname.lastname@example.com with your name, address, and a telephone number where you can be reached. A Fire Department member will contact you to make an appointment to install the alarm.


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Their View: Fire season in New Mexico … same story or a new course?
Their View: Fire season in New Mexico … same story or a new course?
22 April 2013
published by www.lcsun-news.com
USA — Each summer, New Mexicans expect "fire season." Signs warn us about fire danger, and the news keeps us posted on blazes across the state. We all know that fires are natural in forests part of nature's cycle. But New Mexicans also know that the fires we've seen in recent years are not natural. In 2011 and 2012, the Wallow Fire, Whitewater-Baldy, Las Conchas, and the Little Bear Fire have all set records for their size and destruction. We've seen hundreds of homes destroyed, hundreds of millions of dollars in fire-related costs, and hundreds of thousands of acres left charred.
The natural question to ask is, "why?" None of us want this summer to look like previous summers with our homes in danger and our favorite spots obliterated. We want to know what's going wrong why fire prevention efforts are not working, and what needs to change.
Last summer, I asked those questions. The questions were never about firefighters. Time and again, as I've worked with the men and women fighting the fires on the ground, I've been impressed and amazed by their consistent courage, dedication, professionalism, and hard work. But even some of these brave firefighters had some questions about the forest management decisions made before their teams were called in. And as their representative, I considered it my job to ask.
The more I asked, the more I heard from New Mexicans, from people throughout the West, and from retired Forest Service personnel. People said
I was asking the same questions they wanted answers to. And they told me to keep asking.
One of these people was Bill Derr, who retired as a special agent investigating wildfires for the California Region of the U.S. Forest Service. Mr. Derr agreed to thoroughly research the fires last summer, and provided an independent report to answer some of the questions we were asking.
His report found that a major reason for recent fires' severity is "a virtual cessation of harvesting of valuable forest products." In other words, we're importing lumber from other countries, while the trees in our own forests dry out and become kindling for devastating fires. Decades ago, a deluge of hasty regulations designed to protect the spotted owl put timber mills across the West out of business. The argument went that logging destroyed the owls' habitat. Those who argued that responsible thinning actually protected owls' habitat were ignored. But now, decades later, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service reversed course, releasing an official document that says fire is a primary threat to the owl, and that thinning is an important measure to protect its habitat.
The report also highlights how radical environmentalists abuse our legal system to line their pockets and stop commonsense forest management policies. The John Muir Project of the Earth Island Institute, a group that actually believes there is no such thing as a catastrophic wildfire, has filed a petition to list the black backed woodpecker, a bird found in California, as an endangered species. This bird hunts for insects in burned-out trees. The extremists filed the petition to force the Forest Service to let the forests burn, so that the woodpecker can hunt. The result is a destroyed landscape, the killing of other species, habitat devastation, and pollution of the air. This is not conservation it's ridiculousness.
The Forest Service once set a goal of containing any fire by 10 am the next day. Since then, however, the Forest Service adopted a "Let it Burn" policy of letting fires run their course, hoping they would burn themselves out. That might work in a healthy forest. But it's a recipe for disaster in the dry, overcrowded forests we now have in New Mexico.
The Derr Report criticizes the "Let It Burn" policy, and calls for a return to the 10 a.m. policy.
The Administration, by contrast, has indicated that it will stick with the "Let It Burn" policy. And New Mexicans, therefore, face another dangerous fire season. We are only left with charred trees and more questions about the future of our homes, communities and livelihoods.
Recently, I cosponsored H.R. 818, the Healthy Forest Management and Wildfire Prevention Act. The language in this bill was developed as I received the results of the report, and seeks to address many of the forest management problems that lead to catastrophic wildfires. It gives state governments an active role in forest management to protect against these infernos. But this bill is only one step. More action is needed if we are to end the dangerous policies that have allowed fires to ravage the West.
That action must come from you. It is up to you. Hold these agencies accountable, and make your voice heard. Together, we can make "fire season" a less terrifying thing in New Mexico.


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Salt Lake City (UT) Public Library
Do you really enjoy law? Medicine? Music? Working with college students? Working with people of all ages? Working with children? Below are general descriptions of the major types of libraries as well as other opportunities to consider:
- Academic libraries serve colleges and universities, their students, staff and faculty. Larger institutions may have several libraries on their campuses dedicated to serving particular schools such as law and science libraries. Many academic librarians become specialists in an area of knowledge and can have faculty status.
For more information, visit the Association of College and Research Libraries' website.
- Public libraries serve communities of all sizes and types. Wherever you live, there's bound to be a local public library nearby! As the name implies, public libraries serve the general public, "from cradle to grave" as more than one public librarian has been heard to say. Public libraries often have departments that focus on areas of service, such as youth, teens and adults.
For more information, visit the Public Library Association's website.
- School libraries are usually part of a school system, and serve students between Kindergarten and grade 12. Many are called media centers, and librarians are often required to have a second degree in education or a certificate in school media.
For more information, visit the following websites: -
Consider a Career as a School Librarian
Developed by the University of South Carolina School of Library and Information Science - Special libraries offer unique opportunities to work in a specialized environment of interest, such as corporations, hospitals, the military, museums, private businesses, and the government. Special libraries can serve particular populations, such as the blind and physically handicapped, while others are dedicated to special collections, such as the Library of Congress or a presidential library.
For more information, visit the following websites:
- There are also other options to consider in pursuing a library career. These include library and information science instruction and research; a huge range of vendors, publishers and consultants who provide goods and services to libraries; as well as international opportunities.
Can't decide? No problem, skip to Types of library jobs >>
TIP: If you are especially interested in the preservation and conservation of information resources, you may consider a career as an archivist, or looking for a library job that has archival duties, such as a local history librarian.


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Well, we're wrong again. This time, we figured the winner would be Final Fantasy VI , as many old-school fans say they actually prefer it to FFVII (weirdos, but whatever), and as it was on the now-archaic SNES, it might most benefit from a next-gen remake.
However, we definitely underestimated the number of Final Fantasy VIII fans around here, as that's the remake you want most besides FFVII. Even more surprisingly, FFVI didn't even manage to come in second, as Final Fantasy X landed the second-most votes; guess a lot of you wanna see the curvaceous Lulu in HD, huh? Well, clearly not as many who want to see the unbelievable intro and ending of FFVIII recreated in high-definition, which admittedly would be amazing. Is it possible that one game has the single best intro and ending in video game history…? Eh, probably not, but when it first arrived on the market over ten years ago, that was very likely a fact. Some didn't like the departure from a more standard setup and couldn't wrap their heads around the Junction system, but the fantastic storyline and awesome overall gameplay made FFVIII another instant classic in the legendary franchise. At first, I hated the idea of having no equipment to equip on my characters – I distinctly recall saying, "well, that sucks" – but I quickly got past that complaint after only a few hours of play.
Now, we shift gears to a new topic, driven by current events: it seems the PS3 Slim has popped up in a leaked video , and we're all wondering what might happen…will this become the default PS3 available on the market? And if so, will it be cheaper than the current model? Or is the whole thing just a hoax? Tell us what you think.


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Tuscan Tea
All of our powders are custom made. Achieve bright and vivid nails with our highly pigmented, ultra fine powders. If that's not enough, these powders can actually strengthen your nails too! You can dip your natural nails or use nail tips.
- May be used up to 30+ sets
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- Remove in 15 or so minutes
- No UV/LED lamp needed
Product size: 0.8oz


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Raj Samani, Head of Strategic Intelligence at McAfee talks about how machine learning adds critical capability to security strategies and manifests itself in helping save security teams' time and energy.
Machine learning is all around us, enriching our online lives every day. We see it with our own eyes when search engines accurately predict what we're looking for after we type only a few letters. We feel it protecting our bank accounts evaluating credit card transactions for signs of fraud. We notice it in selections of articles and ads in online newspapers. We no longer think twice about these conveniences; in fact, it's hard to imagine online life without machine learning.
In relation to cybersecurity, machine learning has been changing the game as a means of managing the massive amounts of data within corporate environments. However, machine learning lacks the innately human ability to creatively solve problems and intellectually analyse events. It has been said time and again that people are a company's greatest asset. Machine learning makes security teams better, and vice versa. Human-machine teams deliver the best of both worlds.
Machine learning allows endpoint security to continually evolve to stop new attack tactics
The dark web is driven by intelligent bad actors who are often financially motivated to create new threats with new attack techniques. Security becomes personal when considering the people behind the attacks, making the human-machine team the best sustaining defence. CSOs empower security operations to blend the best elements of art and science, where security team employees provide creative responses and leverage machine learning to provide high-performance scientific responses. While machine learning can detect patterns hidden in the data at rapid speeds, the less obvious value of machine learning is providing enough automation to allow humans the time and focus to initiate creative responses when responses are less obvious. By using a filter for optimization across the best advantages of human and machine elements, it's easier to evaluate the relationship between them.
Machine learning adds critical capability to security strategies
The process of security researchers analysing malware to develop signatures is still important, but only as a capability to address the large volume of known malware because it cannot be expected to evolve quickly enough to meet the rapid pace of malware being introduced to the wild. Machine learning becomes the fastest way to identify new attacks and to push that information out to endpoint security platforms. The key differentiator in incorporating machine learning into endpoint security is the amount of relevant data consumed by the algorithms.
Machine learning manifests itself in multiple ways in helping save security teams' time and energy:
- User experience is optimized – Machine-learning algorithms feed information to the endpoint about file attributes that indicate the presence of malware. These attributes may be related to type, size and source, as well as header anomalies and detected sequences of operating system calls. A quick scan before execution allows security to perform its preliminary triage without souring the user experience.
- Suspicious behaviour flagged automatically – Once the program is running, machine learning on the endpoint monitors behaviour for signs of an attack. This runtime detection is keyed by information on attack tactics again uncovered by machine-learning analysis of malware samples in the datacentre. While pre-execution checks file attributes to make a malware decision, runtime execution requires knowledge of specific actions attackers are likely to use. For example, ransomware can render your files useless in less than a minute. Machine-learning analysis of ransomware attacks may uncover timing and access patterns of file shares that would indicate an attack is underway – allowing endpoint security to stop the threat before all files are encrypted.
- Highly valuable investigation and response data available automatically – Helping security teams respond to an incident, machine learning can identify suspicious connects and create alerts based on equations. In this case, security analysts need precise information on the threat such as files touched, registry changes, server connections, etc. Because machine learning looks across multiple dimensions, much of the data that incident response teams require is already available, but has traditionally required extensive manual correlation. Ideally, highly valuable investigation and response data would be available through the already-present endpoint management console. The presence of machine-learning technology results in significant time savings – by a factor of 10 is not uncommon – that can help security teams keep the business running
Elevate security teams with machine learning
People matter the most, but combining human intelligence with machine-learning technology creates strong security teams. The visibility into tactics throughout the entire attack chain that machine learning affords is critical to enhancing the relationship between security teams and technology. Machine learning enables security teams to devise new defences quickly to adapt to attackers' automated processes and make it more difficult for them to be effective. Remember, machine learning places the time sequence of activity observed between security products. With machine-learning assistance, security teams have greater insight into who the attacker is, the methods being used, where the attacks are coming from and how they are spreading, as well as which security measures are working and which are being defeated.
Most importantly, the presentation of machine-learning results enables people in security teams to do what they do best – create intelligent, innovative and effective solutions to new threats before significant damage is done to the business. If people are the company's greatest assets, then machine learning helps make them even greater.
To close, machine learning should be a critical component of an enterprise's endpoint security strategy. Given the volume and evolution of attacks hammering away at endpoints, security must be able to adapt without human intervention, and must provide the visibility and focus to enable humans to make more informed decisions. Machine learning has come of age with big data driving accuracy up and false positives down. The proof of successful human and technology teaming will be seen in the ability to rapidly dismiss alerts and accelerate solutions to thwart new threats. Your users deserve the best that cybersecurity has to offer, and today the best endpoint security products leverage machine learning.


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Revisiting the 'Pillars of Creation'
Feature • January 18, 2012
In 1995, NASA's Hubble Space Telescope took an iconic image of the Eagle nebula, dubbed the "Pillars of Creation," highlighting its finger-like pillars where new stars are thought to be forming. Now, the Herschel Space Observatory has a new, expansive view of the region captured in longer-wavelength infrared light.
The Herschel mission is led by the European Space Agency, with important NASA contributions.
The Eagle nebula is 6,500 light-years away in the constellation of Serpens. It contains a young, hot star cluster, NGC6611, visible with modest backyard telescopes, which is sculpting and illuminating the surrounding gas and dust. The result is a huge, hollowed-out cavity and pillars, each several light-years long.
The new Herschel image shows the pillars and the wide field of gas and dust around them. Captured in far-infrared wavelengths, the image allows astronomers to see inside the pillars and structures in the region. Herschel's image also makes it possible to search for young stars over a much wider region, and come to a much fuller understanding of the creative and destructive forces inside the Eagle nebula.
Read the European Space Agency story at http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/Herschel/SEMG4NMXDXG_0.html#subhead5.
Herschel is a European Space Agency cornerstone mission, with science instruments provided by consortia of European institutes and with important participation by NASA. NASA's Herschel Project Office is based at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. JPL contributed mission-enabling technology for two of Herschel's three science instruments. The NASA Herschel Science Center, part of the Infrared Processing and Analysis Center at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, supports the United States astronomical community. Caltech manages JPL for NASA.


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This week kicked off Spring 2013's Mercedez Benz Fashion Week in NYC, and nearly every name under the sun has brought out the big guns of their fashion wardrobe to attend the elite designer shows.
PHOTOS: Fashionable Fun: Everything You Missed At FNO 2012!
Fashion houses such as Michael Kors, ELLE, BCBG, Marc Jacobs and dozens more are all showing their latest collections this week, so what fashionista wouldn't want to be in the big apple for the festivities?
To no surprise, our girl Angela Simmons was spotted making her rounds, sitting front row at the Arise Spring 2013 show with the likes of A-list stylist June Ambrose.
Even Olympic bachelor Ryan Lochte, pulled out his fab finest, sitting next to Lauren Conrad at the Rebecca Minkoff show.
And Jennifer Hudson joined Heidi Klum, designer Michael Kors and fashion director of Elle and Marie Claire, Nina Garcia for their big Project Runway finale.
PHOTOS: 2012 MTV VMAs: The Best Dressed Ladies Of The Night
Check out these stars, Tika Sumpter, Selita Ebanks and more strut their stuff for NYFW in the accompanying gallery.


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Friday, August 20, 2010
FGS conference, Knoxville, and Sheila Kay Adams - keeping the tradition alive
I have been a fan of Sheila Kay Adams for many, many years (we met at a Summer Solstice Folk Music, Dance, and Storytelling Festival sponsored by the California Traditional Music Society back in the 1990s). What a pleasant surprise to find that she was the entertainment for last night's program, "Come and Sit a Spell," at the Federation of Genealogical Societies conference in Knoxville, Tennessee. Not only have the years been good to her (she looks as if time has not touched her since we last saw each other), her delivery is as spot-on as it ever was. This woman has a way with words that is amazing: she can tell a story with a straight face, acting as if it is just as common as anything for her son to also be her (distant) cousin. Sheila shares her stories of her hometown of Sodom in such a way that her listeners feel her experiences and get to know her many relatives (and it does seem that all residents of her village are related). Of course, we can dwell on the stereotypes of the hill people, but Sheila reminds us that these are people of strong stock and solid beliefs (many, many of them, in fact). We got to visit, with her songs and stories, the pioneers of this country that have helped to preserve the oral traditions and tales that bind us together in this generation. You may not have a family from the south, but the elements that connect Sheila's family (value systems, traditions, music, stories, shared history, etc.) are the same ones that tie our family circles together. Check out Sheila Kay Adams at her website, view her YouTube interview with David Holt, or hear her sing "Little Margaret" on YouTube. Get a sense of the mountain people and their traditions that remain alive even today, and hopefully tomorrow, too.
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The following obituaries were received Friday –
John Lee Brown – Mitchell
John Lee Brown, 63, of Mitchell, passed away Wednesday, October 12, 2011 at 3:35 p.m. at his parents' home.
John was born October 21, 1947, in Lawrence County. He is the son of Carl T. and Thema (Edwards) Brown.
John graduated from Mitchell High School and attended Northwood Institute in French Lick. He retired from CAAA Crane. He was a member of St. Vincent De Paul Catholic Church, 4th Degree Member of Knights of Columbus, Attended Fairview Community Church; U.S. Air Force Veteran; He was a book author published magazine articles and was a long-time artist.
He is survived by his parents, Rev. Carl and Thelma Brown, of Mitchell; a son, Justin Lee Brown, of Mitchell; a sister, Sharon and her husband Darryl Bowden, of Greenwood, Ind.; 4 brothers, Larry T. and his wife Christy Brown, of Mitchell, Denzil and his wife Rita Brown, of Mitchell, Daniel Brown, of Mitchell, Mike and his wife Sherry Brown, of Mitchell and several nieces and nephews.
Funeral services will be Saturday, October 14, 2011 at 10 a.m. at St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church with Father Rick Eldred, Deacon David Relsing and Rev.:Lindy Hopkins officiating. Military graveside rites will be accorded by the Mitchell American Legion. Burial will be in the Spice Valley Baptist Cemetery.
Friends may call Friday, October 13, 2011 from 3p.m. to 8 p.m. at Ferguson-Lee Funeral Home with scripture reading at 7:30 p.m.
Memorial contributions may be made to the John Brown Memorial Trust or the American Cancer Society.
Carroll Dean "Deno" Roberts – Bedford
Carroll Dean "Deno" Roberts, 84, of Bedford, passed away Thursday, October 13, 2011, at IU Health Bloomington Hospital.
Carroll was Born June 28, 1927, in Bedford, Ind., he was the son of Tom and Laura Roberts. He married Patricia A. Nickless on October 7, 1960 and she survives.
He retired from General Motors after 30 years of service and was a veteran of the U.S. Army serving in Japan. He drove his tractor in the Bedford 4th of July parade for 13 years. He was a good husband, dad and grandpa who will be greatly missed by his family and friends.
Survivors include his wife of 51 years, Patricia, of Bedford; two daughters, Sheila Davis and husband Jim, of Bedford, Sandy Waterford, of Bloomington; three sons, John Roberts, of Bloomington, Randy Hatfield and Brian Roberts, both of Bedford; 13 grandchildren; Carl, Jeremy and Brandon (Sudty) Vincent, Jimmy and Joey (Tammy) Davis, Jeana (Stephen) Godsey, Courtney, Zackery and Tyler Roberts, Tasha Baxter, Audie Caudill, Emily; 23 great grandchildren; one brother Joe Roberts and his wife patty.
He was preceded in death by his parents, a son, Mike Roberts; three brothers, carl, Glen and harrell Roberts, two sisters, Mary and Frances.
Funeral services will be conducted at 10 a.m. on Monday, October 17th in the Elmwood Chapel of Day & Carter Mortuary with Rev. Jim McDowell officiating. Burial will follow in Green Hill Cemetary. Military rites will be accorded at the graveside by members of Gillen Post 33 American Legion.
Visitation will be from noon to 8 p.m. on Sunday, October 17th at Day & Carter Mortuary. Family and Friends are invited to sign the guest book and light a candle in memory of Deno at www.daycarter.com.
Marjorie I. Edwards – Mitchell
Marjorie I. Edwards, 89, passed away at 12:45 p.m. Wednesday, October 12, 2011, at IU Health Bedford.
Marjorie was born September 21, 1922, in Salem, she was the daughter of Harvey and Savola
Marie (Chastain) Pennington. She married William Kenneth Edwards in 1941, and he
preceded her in death January 24, 1998.
She was a homemaker and a member of the Campbellsburg Christian Church.
Surviving: children, Kenneth Wayne Edwards, of Mitchell, John William Edwards, of Edwardsville, Illinois, Roger Fred Edwards, of Mitchell, Stanley Eugene Edwards, of Bedford
Vicky Sue Jones, of Mitchell, Rita Jo Jones, of Mitchell, Richard Keith Edwards, of Mitchell, Debra Jean Carter, of Mitchell, Larry Dean Edwards, of Sellersburg, Michael Lee Edwards, of Bloomington, James Alan Edwards, of Bedford, Gary Dale Edwards, of Mitchell and Sherri Gayle Kern, of Mitchell; 38 grandchildren; 59 great grandchildren; 2 great great grandchildren; sister, Helen Merry, Salem
She was preceded in death by her parents; husband; and daughter, Barbara Jean Edwards.
Funeral service will be at 11:00 a.m. Saturday, October 15, in the Memorial Chapel of
Chastain Funeral Home with Rev. Steve Jones officiating. Burial will be in Liberty Baptist Cemetery.
Friends may call from 5:00-8:00 p.m. Friday and from 10:00 a.m. until the service on Saturday at the funeral home.
Casketbearers: Joel Carter, Justin Edwards, Jordan Edwards, Jedd Edwards, Bomber Terrell, Rick Edwards and John Edwards.
Condolences may be sent to the family at www.chastainfuneralhome.com.


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Need Home Improvement Motivation? Tax Break May Help
(NewsUSA) – The face of mechanical engineering is changing — dramatically. Engineers aged 55 to 60 are retiring, taking vital knowledge with them. The young engineers who will replace them are focused on specialization, branching off into sub-disciplines and job-hopping.
These and other insights were revealed by ASME, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, a 130,000-member-strong worldwide professional society.
"In the next 5 to 10 years, the challenge will be: how do you transition knowledge at companies like Boeing? People are coming out of school with a different perspective, and the information is changing so quickly," said Karen Ohland, Senior Vice President, Knowledge and Community Sector, ASME.
Additionally, there's a rising trend among companies to try out "20-somethings" in work-study positions. Companies test these younger engineers part-time to see how well they perform — re-establishing de facto apprenticeship programs as an important avenue into the profession.
MEs also note that younger engineers job-hop more than their predecessors did. It is no longer the norm to work for a single employer for one's whole career. While major companies like GE will continue to retain engineers with extraordinary skill-building opportunities, career mobility is becoming the norm.
Today's senior engineers are concerned about the hands-on aptitude of new engineers. In the words of ME John Blanton, Principal Engineer, Heat Transfer at GE Power and Water, "Engineers are people who enjoyed ripping apart their lawn mower and putting it back together! Young engineers today need to know about the manufacturing process and how parts work in a machine."
Furthermore, seasoned engineers believe their younger colleagues are so focused on getting ahead at work that they don't understand how membership in a professional society like ASME can help them. Blanton joined ASME as a student member, realizing it was filled with people who had done what he wanted to do. "Getting involved in the local ASME section allowed me to meet local academics and people working in the business," he said.
Jen Jewers, a 31-year-old refrigeration engineer at Henderson Engineers, Inc. in Texas, had another perspective on what's happening in the field. "It's encouraging that there's a lot of focus on trying to recruit women and minorities into the field, but we're not there yet. Colleges are doing a lot, however."
Worldwide, there are four million job openings for engineers, according to Monster.com, which also predicts an 11 percent growth in the field through 2018.


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Create a Website Account - Manage notification subscriptions, save form progress and more.
The City of Hopkins, in partnership with the Hopkins Business and Civic Association (HBCA) and the Friends of the Hopkins Center for the Arts, is pleased to present Hopkins Artstreet.
Hopkins Artstreet is an ongoing program established in 2010 to showcase original art works in an accessible setting. A collaboration among the City of Hopkins, the Hopkins Business & Civic Association and the Friends of the Hopkins Center for the Arts, this project is part of a long term vision for incorporating public art into Hopkins and enriching the lives of its residents and visitors.
To view the sculptures, visit the Hopkins Center for the Arts Website. These six new pieces will be in place for one year.
Fokken of Minneapolis reveals his love of antique toys in his mixed media work, but always with an idiosyncratic and modern take; his sculptures combine nostalgia with futuristic fantasy.
The sculpture in Hopkins is from a series based on locomotive forms and also includes a wooden shoe, a recurring image in Fokken's work that speaks to humble origins but to the idea of a mundane object that also possesses the power to sabotage.
Poey, a resident of Eden Prairie, is known for both bronze and stone sculptures. This bronze sculpture depicts the "Tree Pose," a balancing pose in yoga which focuses on concentration, clarity of thought, awareness and balance of mind and body.
The sculpture portrays a human figure as growing upward like a tree from the planet earth, its arms like branches reaching for the sun.


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Somali Al Qaeda Ally Sends 'Friend Request' to Would-Be Jihadists in US
Video by al-Shabab militants urges Americans catch "next flight to Mogadishu."
May 14, 2014— -- WASHINGTON - Al Qaeda's Somali franchise is sending a "friend request" and offering a one-way ticket to martyrdom to young Americans this week with a new video urging potential recruits in rhyme to catch "the next flight to Mogadishu."
The short tape by al-Shabab extremists displayed an airline "boarding pass" originating from Minneapolis, where more than 24 Somali-Americans since 2008 have been recruited to join the group in East Africa, according to federal prosecutors.
Squatting amidst a gaggle of fighters in woodland camouflage brandishing Kalashnikov rifles and with their faces swathed in kaffiyeh scarves, an unidentified militant speaking what appeared to be American English read a short poem appealing to his countrymen.
"This is a message to the youth in the West; A caring brother sends you a friend request," the speaker begins, advising that tossing a few clothes in a backpack and joining their jihad "is the smart call, just like the brothers in the Westgate Mall."
Last September, a small band of al-Shabab terrorists entered the upscale Westgate Mall frequented by westerners in Nairobi, Kenya, and began killing shoppers.
"You'd make a fine troop," the American al-Shabab fighter concluded. "So, next flight to Mogadishu, what's missing is you."
Al-Shabab leader Mukhtar Ali Zubeyr, known as "Godane," has eliminated rivals within the group and, after finally being designated as an official franchise of al Qaeda in 2012 by al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri, wants his foreign fighters "to stay relevant," said one Africa expert.
"All of his threats are out of the way. His foreign fighters are trying to stay afloat now that they're part of al Qaeda," Rudy Atallah, an Atlantic Council expert retired from U.S. special operations, told ABC News today.
On top of those from the twin cities' large Somali community, more than three dozen other Americans -- not all of Somali descent -- in places such as Daphne, Alabama; Seattle, Washington; Portland, Maine and elsewhere also have joined Shabab, were nabbed while recruiting for the group or attempted to travel to Somalia to fight with their "mujahideen."
No other al Qaeda franchise -- much less the Pakistan-based "core" of the organization -- has accumulated so many radicalized Americans and other westerners, including Britons. Al-Shabab has leveraged this success to appeal to others.
The video released Tuesday was part of a series by Shabab called "Mujahideen Moments." The first "episode," released in February 2013, starred a disguised American jihadi calling himself "Abu Ahmed al-Amriki," who implored westerners to fight in Somalia, Mali, Afghanistan and Iraq or to "fight the enemies of Allah where you find them."
"America is going down," the man said.
CLICK HERE to return to the ABC News Investigative Unit homepage.


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SEO Isn't Dead
Black Hat SEO Forum - White Hat SEO Forum - Your SEO Forum!
One of the best SEO forums we discuss white hat, black hat, web design and more. We have the right forum for you, whether you want to learn SEO or just sharpen your knife!
We will continue to grow, and we will be one of the most popular SEO forums. The site is frequently updated and we have some of the best SEO masterminds from around the world contribute case studies, backlink strategies, and so much more! Sick of being distracted by questions and FaceBook using their group features? We won't distract! We have no ads! As well as we release case studies, strategies, and information without trying to ever sell you a thing!
It's one of the fastest growing SEO forums. Check it out!
Los Angeles (US: (listen) lawss AN-jəl-əs; Tongva: Tovaangar; Spanish: Los Ángeles, pronounced [los ˈaŋxeles], lit. 'The Angels'), referred to by the initialism L.A., is the largest city in California. With a 2020 population of 3,898,747, it is the second-largest city in the United States, following New York City. Los Angeles is known for its Mediterranean climate, ethnic and cultural diversity, Hollywood entertainment industry and sprawling metropolitan area. Los Angeles lies in a basin in Southern California, adjacent to the Pacific Ocean. The city, which covers about 469 square miles (1,210 km2), is the seat of Los Angeles County.
Angelino Heights, Arlington Heights, Baldwin Village, Baldwin Vista, Boyle Heights, Brentwood, Brentwood Glen, Brookside, Bunker Hill, Castle Heights


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The Works of William Shakespeare: King John ; King Richard II ; King Henry IV ; Henry VWhittaker & Company, 1842 |
طبعات أخرى - عرض جميع المقتطفات
عبارات ومصطلحات مألوفة
arms art thou Aumerle Bard Bardolph Bast blood Boling Bolingbroke brother cousin crown dead death dost doth duke earl England Enter King Exeunt Exit eyes fair faith Falstaff father Faulconbridge fear France French friends Gaunt give grace grief hand Harfleur Harry hath head hear heart heaven Henry Henry IV honour horse Host King John King Richard Lady liege look lord Love's Labour's Lost majesty Malone master misprint never night noble Northumberland old copies old King John peace Percy Pist Pistol play Poins pray prince prince of Wales printed quarto editions Rich Richard II SCENE Shakespeare Shal sir John Sir John Falstaff Sir John Oldcastle soldiers soul speak stand Steevens sweet sword tell thee thine thou art thou hast tongue true uncle unto Westmoreland word York Zounds
مقاطع مشهورة
الصفحة 394 - With deaf ning clamours in the slippery clouds, That, with the hurly, death itself awakes ? — Canst thou, O partial Sleep, give thy repose To the wet sea-boy in an hour so rude ; And, in the calmest and most stillest night, With all appliances and means to boot, Deny it to a king?
الصفحة 58 - Grief fills the room up of my absent child, Lies in his bed, walks up and down with me; Puts on his pretty looks, repeats his words, Remembers me of all his gracious parts, Stuffs out his vacant garments with his form; Then, have I reason to- be fond of grief.
الصفحة 167 - All murder'd: for within the hollow crown That rounds the mortal temples of a king Keeps Death his court, and there the antic sits, Scoffing his state and grinning at his pomp, Allowing him a breath, a little scene, To monarchize, be fear'd, and kill with looks, Infusing him with self and vain conceit, As if this flesh which walls about our life Were brass impregnable; and humour'd thus Comes at the last, and with a little pin Bores through his castle wall, and — farewell king!
الصفحة 101 - This England never did, (nor never shall,) Lie at the proud foot of a conqueror, But when it first did help to wound itself. Now these her princes are come home again, Come the three corners of the world in arms, And we shall shock them : Nought shall make us rue, If England to itself do rest but true.
الصفحة 236 - I'll sup. Farewell. Poins. Farewell, my lord. {Exit POINS. P. Hen. I know you all, and will a while uphold The unyok'd humour of your idleness : Yet herein will I imitate the sun, Who doth permit the base contagious clouds To smother up his beauty from the world, That when he please again to be himself, Being wanted, he may be more wonder'd at, By breaking through the foul and ugly mists Of vapours, that did seem to strangle him.
الصفحة 502 - That those, whom you call'd fathers, did beget you ! Be copy now to men of grosser blood, And teach them how to war! — And you, good yeomen, Whose limbs were made in England, show us here The mettle of your pasture; let us swear That you are worth your breeding : which I doubt not; For there is none of you so mean and base. That hath not noble lustre in your eyes. I see you stand like greyhounds in the slips, Straining upon the start. The game's afoot; Follow your spirit : and, upon this charge,...
الصفحة 321 - Wednesday. Doth he feel it ? No. Doth he hear it ? No. Is it insensible then ? Yea, to the dead. But will it not live with the living ? No. Why? Detraction will, not suffer it: — therefore I'll none of it: Honour is a mere scutcheon, and so ends my catechism.
الصفحة 331 - Ill-weav'd ambition, how much art thou shrunk! When that this body did contain a spirit, A kingdom for it was too small a bound; But now two paces of the vilest earth Is room enough.
الصفحة 560 - Like to the senators of th' antique Rome, With the plebeians swarming at their heels, Go forth, and fetch their conquering Caesar in : As, by a lower but by loving likelihood, Were now the general of our gracious empress (As in good time he may) from Ireland coming, Bringing rebellion broached on his sword, How many would the peaceful city quit, To welcome him ! much more, and much more cause, Did they this Harry.
الصفحة 540 - Be in their flowing cups freshly remember'd. This story shall the good man teach his son ; And Crispin Crispian shall ne'er go by, From this day to the ending of the world, But we in it shall be remembered...


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Joyland by Stephen King
The cover of the paperback features a woman in a tight green dress, décolletage bursting, shapely legs on display, hair a flaming red, mouth wide open with alarm. "Who dares enter the FUNHOUSE OF FEAR?" asks the tagline, written in the nostalgic font of carnival posters and pulp novels of yore. On the back, in the same garish lettering: "Life is not always a butcher's game. Sometimes the prizes are real. Sometimes they're precious." Stephen King, the author of this cliché-bedecked book, is considered by many to be the master of the American horror genre, having brought us The Shining, Cujo, Carrie, The Dead Zone, and countless chilling short stories. He is also the author of the classic writing memoir On Writing, The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon, and, most recently, the time machine/historical novel 11/22/63, all of which have a speculative quality to them that alters what one might think of as King's "brand" considerably.
King belongs to an expansive tribe of writers who produce both "serious literature," the kind you might encounter in a college classroom, and also what some might call "light reading," "genre work," or even, less euphemistically, "trash." This group includes writers as different as F. Scott Fitzgerald and Graham Greene. In addition to The Great Gatsby and Tender is the Night, Fitzgerald wrote magazine stories and screenplays for financial survival. Greene produced wonderful "entertainments" such as Our Man in Havana and This Gun for Hire alongside more archetypally meaty works such as The End of the Affair or The Power and The Glory. Still another set of these double agents might include John Le Carre, whose spy novels are often recognized for their literary quality, or Henning Mankell, who has published numerous "serious" novels alongside his Wallander series of mysteries, garnering acclaim for both. And then, in still another set of unclassifiables, there are those writers who work steadily in one genre but acquire wide respect because their writing has qualities which transcend preconceived notions about the genre they work in: Dashiell Hammett, Georges Simenon, Raymond Chandler, Jim Thompson, Charles Portis. What do we do with these writers? Some readers sit uncomfortably with them because the word "genre" hangs over their heads, shadowing them like a gray cloud.
Stephen King may be one of horror's most long-respected practitioners, but he himself doesn't sit with the genre label quietly. When he received the Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters Award from the National Book Foundation in 2003, King expressed resentment at the lack of recognition his fellow genre authors receive:
Honoring me is a step in a different direction, a fruitful one, I think. I'm asking you, almost begging you, not to go back to the old way of doing things. There's a great deal of good stuff out there and not all of it is being done by writers whose work is regularly reviewed in the Sunday New York Times Book Review. I believe the time comes when you must be inclusive rather than exclusive.
King's point is a valid one: literary skill should be recognized regardless of one's opinion of its genre, as difficult as it might sometimes be to transcend that opinion.
Joyland is as genre-foiling as its author. Devin Jones has just finished his junior year in college, and he takes a job at a North Carolina seaside amusement park called Joyland. Shortly before he starts the job, his girlfriend leaves him, throwing him into a pitch of crisis, both romantic and existential: Will he find new love? Will he ever love again? What will he do with the rest of his life? Devin asks himself all of these questions, fairly explicitly. As Devin hangs on at the park, he discovers it has a dark history. Years ago, a girl was murdered inside the funhouse, and since then, it's said, her ghost haunts the spot. Additionally, one of Devin's fellow boarders at a local rooming house, with whom he's become friendly, does some detective work and finds that the murder of long ago was one of several similar murders, and the killer may still be on the loose. So we have a ghost, a fun house, and a serial killer: Is this a horror story? A crime novel? A mystery? Or some combination of all three?
If Joyland were just a dry (dare I say joyless) mishmash of clichés (a haunted funhouse? Surely you jest, Mr. King), one would be justified in dismissing it as a quirky side note in a writer's lengthy career. But, fortunately, King packs other dimensions into the book's short length, and these dimensions make all the difference. The largest of these extras is the language. King's characters speak a tongue that is part carnie patois, part King-invention, for which mixture he offers the following defense in his afterword: "Folks, that's why they call it fiction." (A strong argument, when you think about it.) King uses the lingo of Joyland liberally: a "fump" is a perpetual complainer, a "conie" is a rubicund, naïve visitor, a "point" is a pretty young woman, a "dommiker" is a bathroom, and so on. And then there are the rides themselves: the Carolina Spin, the Moon Rocket. You can almost sense, as you read, King's pleasure in naming these things –– and why shouldn't he enjoy it? There is an almost delirious pleasure in reading the words, savoring them, and, after a certain point, getting used to them. As you read the dialogue, the book becomes less a story about a summer's mystery than a tale of entry into another, coexisting world, one with its own rules, codes, and language.
King strengthens his storyline with a rich cast of supporting characters. There's Erin, an ambitious, smart young woman with whom Devin walks a subtle line between friendship and attraction, and Tom, an all-American boy rattled and disturbed by what he ends up witnessing in the funhouse. In a mansion owned by a famous televangelist lives a divorced beachgoer (with whom Devin has a near-romance) and her dying son; the son is psychic but unpredictable enough, and genuinely suffering enough, that you forgive him his mildly corny insights. Many of King's supporting characters could've walked out of a Chandler novel: consider Rozzie Gold from Brooklyn, who plays the fair's perceptive fortuneteller. Or Mrs. Shoplaw, Devin's landlady, who, in her somewhat dissipated form, is the doubleness of the fair personified, with its constant wavering between good cheer and darkness. In addition to the vibrant cast, King sprinkles his narrative with entertaining episodes. There are the odd rituals that Devin has to do, such as "Wearing the Fur," which has a somewhat primordial significance to the Joyland employees, despite the fact that it amounts to little more than dancing around in a huge dog suit.
Joyland is quick reading, and its pleasures are simple ones. And yet it's just complicated enough to force us to question the distinction between high and low literature. The reason we continue reading Joyland, as with all mysteries, suspense novels, thrillers, or horror novels, is to find out what happens next: who murdered the girl in the funhouse? Is there another murder on the horizon? Just because these questions appeal to a broad spate of readers, are we to judge these books differently? The book has been released in paperback, and will eventually come out in a limited hardcover edition — a move meant to hearken back to the days of dime store novels. This move is also designed to make readers more conscious of what it means to buy a paperback rather than a hardcover, and especially this brand of paperback: what they want out of it, what level of satisfaction they think it can give them, and, ultimately, what the experience is worth. In this case, the splashy and aggressively sexy packaging is the tip of the iceberg. Almost.
Max Winter's second book of poems, Walking Among Them, was published by Subpress in 2013.
LARB Contributor
Max Winter has published reviews in The Boston Globe, The San Francisco Chronicle, Time Out New York, Bookforum, and other publications. His second book of poems, Walking Among Them, was published by Subpress in 2013. He co-edits the press Solid Objects, is the Editor-in Chief of Press Play, and is a Poetry Editor of Fence.
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SALT LAKE CITY - More than 500 stroke patients were treated at University Health Care's Stroke Center last year, and the expert care they received has been recognized with the center's reaccreditation as a Primary Stroke Center by The Joint Commission.
The Joint Commission is an independent, not-for-profit organization that certifies 15,000 health-care organizations and programs in the United States. Joint Commission accreditation and certification is recognized nationwide as a symbol of quality that reflects an organization's commitment to meeting performance standards. "Certification is the best signal to the community that the quality a hospital provides is effectively managed to meet the unique and specialized needs of stroke patients," according to the commission,
"University Hospital cared for 518 stroke patients in 2008, and we are committed to offering the highest standard of care for stroke patients," said Elaine J. Skalabrin, M.D., Stroke Center director, a neurologist at the U's Clinical Neurosciences Center, and associate professor of neurology at the U medical school.
"With a stroke, time lost is brain lost," Skalabrin said. "University Hospital has developed a comprehensive system for rapid diagnosis and treatment of stroke patients admitted to the emergency department. This includes always being equipped to provide brain-imaging scans, having neurologists available to conduct patient evaluations, and using clot-busting medications when appropriate."
According to Stefan M. Pulst, M.D., professor and chair of the University's Department of Neurology, specialized stroke patient care begins in the emergency department and continues through multiple stages of care. "Certification as a Stroke Center acknowledges that we are a national leader in the implementation of national standards of treatment, not only during the initial diagnosis and acute treatment, but including inpatient care, rehabilitation, and patient education and support," Pulst said.
The U's Stroke Team consists of seven board-certified neurologists and three interventional radiologists who are on call 24/7. Combined with the region's strongest array of imaging and diagnostic tools, the U's "Brain Attack" team is able to respond to stroke cases with unparalleled speed and precision.
The American Hospital Association urges patients to know how well prepared their local hospital is for treatment of stroke patients. Prompt treatment at the onset of symptoms can minimize brain damage and resulting disability from stroke. However, many physicians are not properly trained in stroke treatment and many hospitals do not have neurologists to deal with emergencies around the clock.
According to the American Stroke Association, each year approximately 700,000 people suffer a stroke-500,000 are first attacks and 200,000 are recurrent. On average, someone suffers a stroke every 45 seconds and someone dies of a stroke every 3.1 minutes. Stroke is a leading cause of serious, long-term disability in the United States, with 4.7 million stroke survivors alive today. Of stroke survivors, 21 percent of men and 24 percent of women die within a year, and for those aged 65 and older, the percentage is even higher.
As the U.S. population ages, the need for expert stroke care will only increase, according to Skalabrin. This means the University's and other Primary Stroke Centers will have an even more critical role in taking care of those patients.
"The number of acute ischemic stroke patients eligible for treatment is expected to grow in the next decade," she said. "The University Stroke Center's goal is to provide the best care available in the shortest timeline possible."


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Jewish Music - An OverviewBy Moshe DenburgTable of Contents
PrefaceThe following brief overview of Jewish Music forms part of a World Music curriculum unit which was created by the author in tandem with the Learning Resource Center of the Britannia Secondary School in Vancouver, Canada. The author welcomes comments and queries from all interested readers, in the hopes of expanding upon the ideas put forward here (please mail to our Tzimmes address.). These materials also serve as a springboard for a Tzimmes workshop entitled The Many Faces of Jewish Music. Moshe Denburg,
IntroductionThe Jewish people and their music have their roots in the Middle East, specifically in the land of Israel, and their branches everywhere. They have lived, for over 2000 years, amongst many cultures, both Eastern and Western - from Iran to Israel, to the Western Mediterranean and North Africa, to Europe, and most recently, the Americas. Thus, there is a unique property of Jewish music that defies geographical location. This property can be called inter-cultural synthesis. For millenia, Jews have been global wanderers; from the beginning of the common era, about 2000 years ago, until quite recently, they have lived amidst many cultures not their own. To preserve their identity, in a sea of foreign culture, Jewish people have always deemed it wiser to incorporate foreign cultural elements into the Jewish mainstream than to resist all outer influence absolutely. Thus, to a large degree, Jewish Music is a cross-cultural phenomenon, the music of the wanderer. Undoubtedly, certain Jewish ritual musical forms have their sources in antiquity, but the idea of creative adaptation has been a hallmark of Jewish musical life for a very long time; thus, Jewish Music has many faces.
The Middle Eastern ContextTo place Jewish Music in its root context, a brief outline of Middle Eastern Music follows. Music of the Middle East generally belongs to the modal, or melodic traditions of music. Here harmony, as it has been practiced in the Western World, is not emphasized. Rather, melodic intricacy and ornamentation, including 1/4 tones, and rigorous rhythmic development - these are the salient features. It should be noted that today, in popular forms, Western style harmony can also be heard; but the source traditions of music have rarely borrowed Western harmony. The functions of music in the Middle East can be described as follows:
The Three Streams of Jewish MusicWe can describe Jewish Music as having three distinct streams. One is the Ashkenazi, or Western stream. This includes Klezmer, and is music originating in Eastern Europe and extending to the rest of Europe and the Americas. The second stream is the Sephardi, which refers to Mediterranean cultural sources, including Spain, Portugal, North Africa, Greece, and Turkey. The third stream is the Mizrahi, literally Eastern, and refers to the music of Jewish people who resided over the centuries amidst Arabic cultures. Of course these three streams are not completely separate, but do in fact intersect in many places (see diagram 1 below). Diagram 1. The Three Streams of Jewish Music View
AshkenaziThe music that originated in Eastern Europe (the Balkans, Romania, Bulgaria, among others) and moved westward and northward throughout Europe and later into North America, belongs to the Ashkenazi tradition. It includes Klezmer music. 'Klezmer' means 'instruments of song', from the Hebrew words 'klei zemer'. It has come to denote the musician himself, thus incorporating a point of view that regards the musician as the vehicle or instrument of a higher source. 'Ashkenazi' refers to Jews who in the 9th century began to settle along the banks of the Rhine. Since these Jews are the forebears of much of European and Western Jewry, 'Ashkenazi' today refers to Jewish people of the Western World, or even more to the point, Jews of a Western cultural orientation. Other than Hebrew - the tongue of the Bible - the language of speech and song is mainly Yiddish (Judeo-German); nowadays, English and other local languages have come to play a large role in Jewish Music of the Ashkenazi stream. Yiddish - Beginning as an offshoot of Medieval German in the 10th century, Yiddish developed as a unique hybrid of German, Hebrew, and whatever other languages Jewish people spoke in the various countries where they dwelled. Thus, there are Slavic, Polish, and many other words in Yiddish.
SephardiThis stream refers to music that originated around the Mediterranean, from Spain and North Africa to Turkey and Greece. 'Sephardi' literally means Spanish, and alludes to the fact that until the Spanish expulsion of all non-Christians in 1492, a very fruitful Jewish culture existed in Spain; when these Jewish communities were expelled they migrated to places all around the Mediterranean basin - Morocco, Egypt, Turkey, Greece, etc. They took with them a 15th century version of Spanish called Ladino (Judeo-Spanish). Much musical repertoire is in this language. The interaction between these peoples and the communities in the countries where they lived, gave rise to a cultural expression that incorporates many melodic and rhythmic elements of the Mediterranean. Ladino - Ladino is a form of Spanish, ca. 15th century, which emigrated with the Jewish people upon their expulsion from Spain in 1492. Over the centuries it has integrated many Hebrew words as well as words from the various tongues spoken where these Jews made their homes.
MizrahiThe music of Eastern Jews, from the Eastern Mediterranean and eastward into Asia can be designated as the Mizrahi stream of Jewish Music. 'Mizrahi' literally means 'Eastern'; this music is the child of the interaction between Jewish people and the cultures of Arabia, Turkey, and Persia. Generally, this encompasses the following countries: Israel, Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, Iran, and as far east as India. In song, the main language used is Hebrew; local languages have also been used, most notably, Arabic.
Sephardi and Mizrahi DifferentiatedIn current parlance the terms Sephardi and Mizrahi are often used interchangeably. The reasons for this are as follows: firstly, so many Jews who lived around the Mediterranean (Sephardim) over the centuries share many cultural traits with their more easterly counterparts (Mizrahi-yim), including the Arabo-Turko-Persian musical tradition. Secondly, and significantly, in Israel today there are two major religious delineations, each represented by a distinct Rabbinate and liturgy - the Sephardi and the Ashkenazi. The membership of the Sephardi religious community includes most, if not all, non-Ashkenazim. This makes sense, since over the centuries the Sephardi and Mizrahi Rabbinates were connected much more intimately with each other than either was connected with the Ashkenazi. This has especially been true in more modern times as the Ashkenazi communities moved more and more northward and westward. Thus, Mizrahi and Sephardi have been taken up as terms that are meant to imply one another. However, in order to learn something about the sources of Jewish musical culture, placing Sephardi and Mizrahi together in one basket leaves much to be desired. The Mizrahi element is much more involved with non-Western modes, instruments, and forms of expression; it also has no inherent connection with Ladino. The Sephardi tradition is somewhat of a bridge between the Mizrahi and the Ashkenazi - it has some connection both with Eastern and Western forms of musical expression, as one might expect from a culture sprung up on the shores of the Mediterranean. Jewish Music - Devotional and SecularAs mapped out in diagram 2 below, Jewish Music can be classified as either devotional or secular, depending on its content and function. Devotional
One of the main features of Devotional Music, especially when utilized in Synagogue ritual on the Sabbath and other holy days, is that it is almost entirely Vocal. Though today, in certain Jewish denominations, accompanying instruments such as the Organ are utilized in worship, the emphasis on congregational song and the art of the Hazan has always been, and still is, paramount. The one salient exception to this is an instrument called the Shofar, a ram's horn which is sounded on the High Holidays (the Jewish New Year and Day of Atonement - Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur, respectively), as a special call to prayer and repentance. SecularThis is music played at life passage events: Weddings, Bar-Mitzvas, Bat-Mitzvas, and other communal celebrations. Both instruments and voice are utilized in this music. It can be very rhythmic and have popular, even romantic texts. One may include in this category all Jewish Folk and Popular Music whose context lies outside the religious domain. Devotional and Secular - InterchangeBetween the two categories there may be some exchange. For example, devotional texts are often utilized for songs sung and played in a more secular setting. On the other hand, tunes from a secular source, sometimes from the music of the surrounding non-Jewish culture, find their way into the Synagogue. Many secular tunes have been set to traditional texts and used in the act of worship. The interface, as it were, between these two spheres, is the Congregational Song (see diagram 2 below). These are the songs and melodies that perform a dual function - they can be heard both at worship services and at general celebratory events. These two categories of Jewish musical expression apply, with variations, to Jewish communities everywhere, be they Ashkenazi, Sephardi, or Mizrahi. Diagram 2. Jewish Music - Devotional and Secular View
SummaryTo summarize, Jewish Music is typified by cultural diversity, and draws upon the resources of the many cultures in which Jewish people have lived. The uniqueness of Jewish Music is to be found in the way Jewish musicians have integrated outer influences and new ideas into their traditional framework. Thus Jewish Music is innovative, vibrant, adaptive, and many sided, and yet rests upon a firm foundation of shared religious and communal experience.
ResourcesBooks and Recordings
Copyright and Fair Use NotificationThe author does not object to the use of these materials for personal educational purposes or for any fair use, such as quoting or citing these materials, as long as his authorship is credited by the user. Making copies of these materials as part of any commercial venture, or for any monetary reward, requires the written consent of the author. All reasonable requests will be honoured. Jewish Music - An Overview, by Moshe Denburg, copyright ©1995. |
Copyright 2000 The American-Israeli Cooperative Enterprise


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By Tim Elliott
They are not a "she" or a "he" or even a "she/he", not a "him" or a "her", and certainly not an "it". They are not "herself" and "himself", and what is theirs is no longer "hers" or "his". Exactly what they are, language-wise, remains unclear. But one thing's for sure: when it comes to the lexicon of a new, gender-neutral reality, it pays to watch your language.
Wednesday's High Court decision in the case of 52-year-old Sydney resident Norrie upholds the rights of gender non-specific people to be something other than "male" or "female" on their birth certificate.
But, as Norrie's lawyer, Emily Christie, points out, "the judgement concerns only what Births, Deaths and Marriages is obliged to put on their forms, not general day-to-day use."
So what is the rule here? What pronoun should you attach to a person of no gender?
"I'm sorry, but it's complicated," says the president of Organisation Intersex International Australia, Morgan Carpenter.
Norrie has expressed a preference for the Germanic "hir" (for her/his), and "zie" for "he/she".
A range of other gender-blind pronouns have come in and out of circulation over the years, from old Spivak, named after the American mathematician Michael Spivak ("E smiled", "Eir voice boomed", "E loves eirself"), and new Spivak ("Ey smiled", Ey loves emself"), to the Humanist lexicon ("Hu laughed", "I called hum", "Hu loves humself"), and Jayce's system (""Jee smiled", "Jee loves jemself").
But history shows invented pronouns to have a low survival rate in mainstream language. Carpenter says he doesn't "worry too much" about Spivaks or any other of the systems. "My suggestion is to just ask people how they want to be referred to. And if you can't ask them, just use their name."
Carpenter says that the issue is complicated by the fact Norrie is not, in fact, Australia's first genderless person.
"Alex MacFarlane, an intersex person born in Victoria, was the first person to receive a passport with an X sex marker, in 2003, on the basis of a Victorian 'indeterminate' birth certificate. Last year the Commonwealth government enabled any adult to choose an 'X' gender marker."
"To be honest," Carpenter says, "if someone has a non-binary gender identity I use their name or 'they'. The third person singular was good enough for Shakespeare. In Much Ado About Nothing, he writes: 'God send everyone their heart's desire.'"


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This easy art for kids is an exploration of one part art and one part trying a new food. My daughter was never a picky eater as a toddler but lately she has been exerting her control. I am fine with that, kids don't get to control much and I know the harder you push the deeper they dig in their heels. What I do try to do is find novel ways of introducing new foods. We plant veggies every year, visit the farmer's market and take our time at the grocery store but we also play with food. It's not for every family but it works for us.
Gather your materials. You will need a container , some walnuts in the shell, paint, and paper.
Start by exploring the walnuts. We explored the outside noting how they felt and then cracked one open and explored the inside. It didn't take long before she asked if she could eat it. She did and hated it but the desire to try something new is what I was going for.
Next add the paper into the container and choose some paint colors.
Pop them into the container with the paper and roll it back and forth. While my daughter did this she started off frantically shaking it but then soon became much more controlled. Add more colors as you go.
We made 3 different paintings before the paint ended up on feet instead. Painting inside once the weather turns cold and wet might get interesting with my wee girl who so loves to "hand paint" as she calls it.