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Non-Fiction Reviews
Nuclear Power Is Not the Answer
[Editor's note: The following is the Introduction to Dr. Helen Caldicott's new book Nuclear Power Is Not the Answer.]
"[Nuclear power] is a very important part of our energy policy today in the U.S. . . . America's electricity is already being provided through the nuclear industry efficiently, safely, and with no discharge of greenhouse gases or emissions."
—Vice President Cheney in a speech to the Nuclear Energy Institute, May 22, 2001
"The 103 nuclear power plants in America produce 20% of the nation's electricity without producing a single pound of air pollution or greenhouse gases."
—President Bush in a speech to a group of nuclear power plant workers at the Calvert Cliffs nuclear reactor, June 22, 2005
The current administration clearly believes that if it lies frequently and with conviction, the general public will be lulled into believing their oft-repeated dictums. As this book will show, no part of "efficiently, safely, and with no discharge of greenhouse gases or emissions" is true. Nuclear energy creates significant greenhouse gases and pollution today, and is on a trajectory to produce as much as conventional sources of energy within the next one or two decades. It requires massive infusions of government (read taxpayer) subsidies, relying on universities and the weapons industry for its research and development, and being considered far too risky for private investors. It is also doubtful that the 8,358 individuals diagnosed between 1986 and 2001 with thyroid cancer in Belarus, downwind of Chernobyl, would choose the adjective "safe" to describe nuclear power.
Nuclear power is not "clean and green," as the industry claims, because large amounts of traditional fossil fuels are required to mine and refine the uranium needed to run nuclear power reactors, to construct the massive concrete reactor buildings, and to transport and store the toxic radioactive waste created by the nuclear process. Burning of this fossil fuel emits significant quantities of carbon dioxide (CO2)—the primary "greenhouse gas"—into the atmosphere. In addition, large amounts of the now-banned chlorofluorocarbon gas (CFC) are emitted during the enrichment of uranium. CFC gas is not only 10,000 to 20,000 times more efficient as an atmospheric heat trapper ("greenhouse gas") than CO2, but it is a classic "pollutant" and a potent destroyer of the ozone layer.
While currently the creation of nuclear electricity produces only one-third the amount of CO2 emitted from a similar-sized, conventional gas generator, this is a transitory statistic. Over several decades, as the concentration of available uranium ore declines, more fossil fuels will be required to extract the ore from less concentrated ore veins. Within ten to twenty years, nuclear reactors will produce no net energy because of the massive amounts of fossil fuel that will be necessary to mine and to enrich the remaining poor grades of uranium. (The nuclear power industry contends that large quantities of uranium can be obtained by reprocessing radioactive spent fuel. However, this process is extremely expensive, medically dangerous for nuclear workers, and releases large amounts of radioactive material into the air and water; it is therefore not a pragmatic consideration.) By extension, the operation of nuclear power plants will then produce exactly the same amounts of greenhouse gases and air pollution as standard power plants.
Contrary to the nuclear industry claims, smoothly running nuclear power plants are also not emission free. Government regulations allow nuclear plants "routinely" to emit hundreds of thousands of curies of radioactive gases and other radioactive elements into the environment every year. Thousands of tons of solid radioactive waste are presently accumulating in the cooling pools beside the 103 operating nuclear plants in the United States and hundreds of others throughout the world. This waste contains extremely toxic elements that will inevitably pollute the environment and human food chains, a legacy that will lead to epidemics of cancer, leukemia, and genetic disease in populations living near nuclear power plants or radioactive waste facilities for many generations to come.
Nuclear power is exorbitantly expensive, and notoriously unreliable. Wall Street is deeply reluctant to re-involve itself in any nuclear investment, despite the fact that in the 2005 Energy Bill the U.S. Congress allocated $13 billion in subsidies to revive a moribund nuclear power industry. To compound this problem, the global supplies of usable uranium fuel are finite. If the entire world's electricity production were replaced today by nuclear energy, there would be less than nine more years of accessible uranium. But even if certain corporate interests are convinced that nuclear power at the moment might be a beneficial investment, one major accident at a nuclear reactor that induces a meltdown would destroy all such investments and signal the end of nuclear power forever.
In this day and age, nuclear power plants are also obvious targets for terrorists, inviting assault by plane, truck bombs, armed attack, or covert intrusion into the reactor's control room. The subsequent meltdown could induce the death of hundreds of thousands of people in heavily populated areas, and they would expire slowly and painfully, some over days and others over years from acute radiation illness, cancer, leukemia, congenital deformities, or genetic disease. Such an attack at the Indian Point reactors, thirty-five miles from Manhattan, for instance, would effectively incapacitate the world's main financial center for the rest of time. An attack on one of the thirteen reactors surrounding Chicago would wreak similar catastrophic medical consequences. Amazingly, security at U.S. nuclear power plants remains at virtually the same lax levels as prior to the 9/11 attacks.
Adding to the danger, nuclear power plants are essentially atomic bomb factories. A 1,000 megawatt nuclear reactor manufactures 500 pounds of plutonium a year; normally ten pounds of plutonium is fuel for an atomic bomb. A crude atomic bomb sufficient to devastate a city could certainly be crafted from reactor grade plutonium. Therefore any non-nuclear weapons country that acquires a nuclear power plant will be provided with the ability to make atomic bombs (precisely the issue the world confronts with Iran today). As the global nuclear industry pushes its nefarious wares upon developing countries with the patent lie about "preventing global warming," collateral consequences will include the proliferation of nuclear weapons, a situation that will further destabilize an already unstable world.
Meanwhile, every billion dollars spent on the supremely misguided attempt to revivify the nuclear industry is a theft from the production of cheap renewable electricity. Think what these billions could do if invested in the development of wind power, solar power, cogeneration, geothermal energy, biomass, and tidal and wave power, let alone basic energy conservation, which itself could save the United States 20% of the electricity it currently consumes.
A Greenpeace report issued in October 2005 predicted that solar power could supply clean electricity to 100 million people living in sunny parts of the world by the year 2025. Such an enterprise could create 54,000 jobs and be worth $19.9 billion. In just two decades, the amount of solar electricity could be equivalent to the power generated by seventy-two coal-fired stations—for example, enough to supply the needs of Israel, Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia combined. (Egypt is currently one of the few countries in the world that hosts a government department solely devoted to the development of renewable energy sources)
The Carbon Trust, an independent company established by the British government, estimates that, with the correct amount of investment, marine energy—tidal and wave power—could provide up to 20% of the United Kingdom's current electricity needs. As Marcus Rand, chief executive of the British Wind Energy Association, said, "The report provides impetus behind the vision that Britain can rule the waves and the tides making a significant dent in our carbon emissions alongside creating new world-class industries for the UK."
According to Amory Lovins, CEO of the Rocky Mountain Institute, in 2004 the amount of electricity supplied by renewable energy sources—wind, co-generation, biomass, geothermal, solar, hydro (excluding electricity generated from large hydro dams)—added 509 times the total capacity worldwide that nuclear power contributed, and raised the global electricity production 2.9 times more than nuclear power contributed. These "minor" electricity sources already dwarf the annual growth of nuclear power generation, and experts predict that by 2010, they will add 177 times more capacity than nuclear power provides.
When nuclear proponents say that nuclear power can be used to reduce the United States' insatiable reliance on foreign oil, they are simply wrong. Oil and its by-product gasoline are used to fuel the internal combustion engines in automobiles and trucks. Oil is also used to heat buildings. But oil does not power the electric grid. The grid, which is used to power electric lights, computers, VCRs, fans, hair dryers, stoves, refrigerators, air conditioners, and for industrial needs, is powered primarily through the burning of coal, other fossil fuels, and, currently, through nuclear power. (Oil does generate an infinitesimal amount of electricity—2% in the United States.)
How exactly is electricity generated? In the case of hydropower (which accounts for 7% of the electricity generated in the United States) the momentum of falling water is converted into electricity. For most of the remaining 93%, coal (50%), natural gas (18%), nuclear power (20%), and oil (2%) are used to produce immense amounts of heat. The heat boils water, converting it to steam, which then turns a turbine, generating electricity. So, in essence, a nuclear reactor is just a very sophisticated and dangerous way to boil water—analogous to cutting a pound of butter with a chain saw. At the moment, hydro provides 7%,and unfortunately wind is only 2% of the total U.S. mix, while solar is less than 1%. Globally, coal supplies about 64% of the world's electricity, hydro and nuclear each provide 17%,and renewable sources again make up 2%.
Tragically, more and more people are believing the myths propagated by the nuclear industry about nuclear power—that it is emission free, produces no greenhouse gases, and is therefore the answer to global warming. Before the British election in May 2005, the nuclear industry slowly and surely fashioned a classy public relations campaign targeting politicians, media, and the British public. (That campaign, coordinated by the Nuclear Industry Association, cleverly did not address the dubious benefits of nuclear power but focused instead upon the current shortcomings of wind-generated electricity and other alternative power sources.)
The British Department of Trade and Industry (DIT) also viewed the 2005 election as an opportunity to promote nuclear power. Adrian Gault, director of DIT's strategy group, made a wild and uninformed prediction that nuclear power would be supplying half of Britain's electricity by 2050 while cutting greenhouse emissions. (Meanwhile, in 2001, DIT' s Nuclear Industries Directorate had already agreed to participate in an international consortium to build the next generation of nuclear reactors—to be constructed by a British or American company. So their real agenda had been established four years earlier, and the propaganda campaign in May 2005 was merely an attempt to bring the British public around to seeing the wisdom of preordained policy.)
The British nuclear industry is working hard to persuade members of parliament and other influential public figures of the benefits of nuclear power. Dr. James Lovelock, the UK-based scientist who developed the Gaia theory, now wrongly advocates the use of nuclear power as one solution to the global warming crisis. Sir David King, chief UK government science advisor, says that nuclear power plants are the only realistic way to satisfy growing energy demands while meeting global warming targets. And former UK Greenpeace leader Peter Melchett, who now works for the giant public relations company Burson-Marsteller, has also publicly endorsed this concept. The British nuclear industry has sacrificed full disclosure and jettisoned truth in order to ensure a new round of government subsidies for nuclear power. The government subsidy program for the nuclear industry—which might be dubbed the "Security of Supply Obligation"—amounts in essence to the socialization of nuclear power, ensconced within a "free market" economy.
In England in 2006, nuclear power has risen to the top of the political agenda, as government ministers and public officials rush to address an impending energy crisis, driven by Russia's January 2006 decision to cut off its natural gas supplies to the Ukraine and hence to much of Europe. This scare helped to convince an already compliant Prime Minister Blair and senior people at the UK Department of Trade and Industry that new nuclear power stations are needed.
In the United States and Canada, leading environmentalists similarly seem to have been swayed by the Bush/Cheney/nuclear industry rhetoric. Stewart Brand, founder of the Whole Earth Catalogue; Gus Speth, the dean of Yale's School of Forestry and Environmental Studies; and former Greenpeace Canada leader Patrick Moore, who now consults for the mining, fishing, and timber industries—all seem to have accepted the nuclear industry's propaganda as fact. Meanwhile, it is increasingly critical to set the record on nuclear power straight, as international battles for oil threaten to morph into world wars, and leading NASA scientists are taken to task by the Bush administration for daring to tell the truth about global warming.
It is interesting to speculate why President Bush and Vice President Cheney are so beholden to and enamored of the nuclear power industry, an industry that has never actually been exposed to the chill winds of the market economy they unfailingly espouse elsewhere. As neither the president nor the vice-president can boast a scientific education, they would be hard pressed to understand the scientific and medical problems associated with this arcane industry. Both are oilmen who have made a great deal of money directly or indirectly through that industry; they are deeply indebted to big business for political contributions; and they overtly seem not to be interested in the health and well being of the American people, let alone the dire situation facing the planet in the form of global warming, and the threat of nuclear meltdowns and nuclear pollution.
Ironically, while the Bush administration is reluctant to admit that global warming is really happening and that it could be caused by deleterious human activities, it is using the issue of global warming to justify the increased production of nuclear power, which, it claims, is the answer to (the non-existent problem of) global warming. Claiming, as Cheney does, that atomic electricity produces no carbon dioxide, the culprit responsible for 50% of atmospheric heating, the U.S. nuclear propaganda apparatus has been shifted into high gear to convince politicians and public alike that there can be and will be no other reasonable solution apart from nuclear power to answer this catastrophic global problem now threatening many life forms with extinction. Global warming has been a great gift to the nuclear industry.
Fewer than ten days after taking office, Cheney promised to "restore decency and integrity to the oval office," while he simultaneously took charge of the administration's energy task force, called the National Energy Policy Development Group. On April 17,2001, Cheney met with Kenneth Lay, the CEO of the now disgraced Enron Corporation, to discuss "energy policy matters" and the "energy crisis in California." Following that meeting, Lay gave Cheney a three-page wish list of corporate recommendations. A subsequent comparison of that memo against the final report of the National Energy Policy Development Group showed that the task force had adopted all or significant portions of the Lay memo in seven of eight policy areas. In total, seventeen policies sought by Enron were adopted.
Cheney and his aides met at least six times with Lay and other Enron officials while preparing the task force report, which is now the basis of the administration's energy proposals. Cheney's staff also met with an Enron sponsored lobbying organization, the "Clean Power Group." Cheney, his aides, and cabinet departments have repeatedly refused requests for the records of these meetings, despite the fact that the Federal Advisory Committee Act of 1972 says that task forces like Cheney's must conduct public meetings and must keep publicly available records. While we do not know, as a result, what Enron may have advocated in that meeting with respect to nuclear energy, we do know that Enron made significant contributions to the Bush/Cheney campaign, the Florida recount fight fund, and to the Bush/Cheney inauguration—a situation that calls into question whether legal and ethical guidelines were crossed.
The American Nuclear Society recently held a meeting in San Diego that drew scientists and industry professional from all around the world. The prevailing mantra was simple—surprise the opponent, plan ahead, coordinate, be pro-active not reactive, and engage and communicate with antinuclear groups. This extensive propaganda campaign is global. A formally chartered organization composed of the governments of Argentina, Brazil, Canada, the European Union, France, Japan, the Republic of Korea, the Republic of South Africa, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States, called the Generation IV International Forum (GIF), is collaborating with the U.S. Nuclear Energy research Advisory Committee to elucidate the benefits, technical and institutional barriers, and research needs for the most promising nuclear energy system concepts.
Other countries engaged in the possible construction of nuclear power plants include China, which already has nine nuclear reactors and plans to build another thirty nuclear power plants. (Even if it builds its thirty plants, however, nuclear power will still provide only 5% of its energy mix, while the percentage of China's electrical generation capacity by natural gas is expected to increase from 1% today to over 6% by 2030 according to the International Energy Agency.) New nuclear power capacity is under consideration or construction in India, Japan, Taiwan, Turkey, Belarus, Vietnam, Poland, and South Korea. Russia as well as Finland have several plants under construction.
Nuclear power is often referred to behind closed doors in the U.S. Department of Energy as "hard" energy whereas wind power, solar power, hydropower, and geothermal energy are referred to as "soft" energy pathways. Clearly the same psychosexual language used by the Pentagon generals to describe various aspects of nuclear weapons and nuclear war has been translocated into the nuclear power vocabulary of some very powerful and influential men in the electricity generating field. As a physician, I contend that unless the root cause of a problem can be ascertained there can be no cure. So too the pathology intrinsic in the nuclear power gang needs to be dissected and revealed to the cold light of day.
The potential for growth in the renewable non-CO2 producing sectors is enormous. All that is required is a commitment by government leaders to urgently enact serious laws mandating energy conservation, and to shift the subsidies currently provided to the nuclear power industry to alternative and renewable electricity generation. Corporations as well should be incentivized to invest in exciting and diverse non-polluting energy technologies. In truth, the earth is in the intensive care unit, and the prognosis is poor indeed unless we all take courageous measures.
© 2006 by Helen Caldicott. This piece originally appears in Dr. Helen Caldicott's Nuclear Power Is Not the Answer (The New Press, September 20, 2006). Published with the permission of The New Press and available at good book stores everywhere.
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Helen Caldicott is the world's leading spokesperson for the antinuclear movement and Nobel Peace Prize nominee. A bestselling author, she divides her time between Australia and Washington D.C., where she is the president of the Nuclear Policy Research Institute. Scheduled Post Shift


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World Metrology Day celebrates the signing of the Treaty of the Meter on May 20, 1875.* By signing the treaty, representatives from 17 nations, including the United States, recognized the importance of worldwide uniformity of measurements and established a collaborative global framework for the advancement of measurement science. Each year, World Metrology Day is organized and celebrated jointly by the International Bureau of Weights and Measures (BIPM), which serves as the hub of national metrology institutes such as the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), and the International Organization of Legal Metrology (OIML), an intergovernmental treaty organization that promotes harmony in legal metrology.
The theme of this year's celebration is "Metrology for Safety." Measurement plays a key role in ensuring that products—e.g. cars, paints, food and medicines—and processes such as medical procedures, are safe. As the U.S. national metrology institute, NIST creates standard reference materials, improves measurement tools, develops performance metrics and advances metrology so that the nation has the best safety measures and measures of safety.
The range of NIST's measurement work devoted to safety is vast. As manufactured nanoparticles become increasingly prevalent, NIST is developing the measurement technology to evaluate their impact on the environment and human health.
At the same time, NIST is also developing the measurement tools needed to unlock the therapeutic potential of nanostructured materials.
At the level of things we can see, NIST concrete, sensing and engineering research is helping to improve the safety of our roads, bridges and buildings.
NIST standards are used to calibrate millions of medical machines such as MRIs, PETs, CATs and X-rays to make sure patients are getting the proper exposure, no more and no less. NIST scientists are also looking at ways of increasing the sensitivity and accuracy of these machines.
In the area of public safety and security, NIST provides law enforcement, first responders and the military with standards, research and testing protocols to support a host of technologies that will make their jobs easier and safer and enable them to protect others more effectively. NIST research into robotics, radio communications, electronic translation, radar, explosive and chemical detection, and body armor will help to make everyone safer.
Fire research at NIST is comprehensive, including fire retardants, firefighting equipment and strategies, fire behavior, fire detection and fire investigation.
NIST's tests of crash avoidance systems and metallurgical and metal forming studies will help to make cars—and their drivers—safer on the road.
NIST cybersecurity and cryptography efforts are vital to protecting data and securing communications in the United States and around the world. NIST administers the Secure Hash Algorithm competition; maintains the National Vulnerability Database; regulates computer security and information processing standards for the civilian federal government through a number of programs, including FISMA and FIPS; and works with industry to establish a National Strategy for Trusted Identities in Cyberspace (NSTIC). Along with these conventional approaches, NIST is also a world leader in the development of adapting the strangeness of the quantum world to computer and communications security.
This is just a small sample of the kind of work that NIST and national metrology institutes around the world perform to make measureable improvements in safety and security.
NIST will be celebrating World Metrology Day on May 21, 2012, with a colloquium highlighting these and other NIST programs dedicated to creating a safer world. This World Metrology Day, we ask that you take a moment to reflect on how important accurate measurement is to your life and our civilized, industrial society. After all, without accurate measurement, we wouldn't be able to say how far we've come.
We hope you have a safe and happy World Metrology Day.

subset: commoncrawl


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AUBURN, Ala. – Georgia was almost as methodical and businesslike in its postgame celebration as in its dominant, balanced win over Auburn.
The Bulldogs are saving a bigger celebration for a bigger game.
Aaron Murray passed for 208 yards and three touchdowns, freshman tailbacks Todd Gurley and Keith Marshall each ran for more than 100 yards and No. 5 Georgia overwhelmed Auburn 38-0 on Saturday night, sending the Bulldogs back to the SEC championship game.
Georgia (9-1, 7-1 Southeastern Conference) got the first shutout for either team in the series since its 28-0 win in 1976. The Bulldogs, who have won four straight, appear to be peaking at the end of the regular season.
"I think we've been improving as we go and hopefully we can keep it going," said coach Mark Richt.
Auburn (2-8, 0-7 SEC) was held to 238 yards, including 57 yards rushing, as its disappointing season with embattled coach Gene Chizik suffered another embarrassing low.
"It's what you see," Chizik said. "It's been frustrating. Again, it's just been one of those years where it has kind of snowballed in momentum and we haven't been able to catch any."
Georgia, the Eastern Division champion, earned its second straight trip to the Dec. 1 SEC championship game in Atlanta. Top-ranked Alabama, beaten by No. 15 Texas A&M 29-24 on Saturday, can win the Western Division title by defeating Auburn on Nov. 24.
Georgia lost to Louisiana State in last year's SEC championship game. This year, the Bulldogs want more.
"I think there's a different feeling in everybody's spirit that Atlanta is not the end of the road," Richt said.
Richt said "I don't want to belittle" winning the Eastern Division.
"It's a big deal and there are six other teams in the East that would have loved to have done it," Richt said. "I just think we really feel like since we were there last year and didn't do well, we want to play better. We want to have a better performance when we get there."
By the start of the fourth quarter, Bulldogs fans were the majority in Jordan-Hare Stadium.
"It was awesome," Murray said. "We looked up midway through the third quarter and I was like, 'Man, we've got more fans here than they do right now.'"
After the game, Georgia players rushed to corner of the end zone to celebrate with their faithful, who chanted "SEC! SEC!"
Gurley had 11 carries for 116 yards and a touchdown. Marshall had eight carries for 105 yards, including a 62-yard touchdown run in the third quarter.
Georgia's most important win in its search for an SEC championship was a 17-9 defeat of then-No. 3 Florida on Oct. 27, but the Bulldogs struggled on offense in that game. The win over Auburn was the team's most well-rounded win of the season.
The defense, led by Jarvis Jones' two sacks and Bacarri Rambo's interception and forced fumble, posted its first shutout in a SEC game since a 43-0 win over Vanderbilt in 2010.
The offense boasted impressive balance with 289 yards rushing and 208 yards passing. The Bulldogs had no turnovers and only three penalties for 15 yards.
"We're playing pretty good right now," Richt said.
Murray completed 18 of 24 passes with no interceptions and touchdown passes to Chris Conley, Malcolm Mitchell and Tavarres King. Murray, who completed his first 10 passes, was rested in the fourth quarter as backups Parker Welch and Christian LeMay finished the game.
Freshman Jonathan Wallace, making his second start for Auburn, completed 15 of 22 passes for 181 yards with one interception. Emory Blake had six catches for 104 yards.
"We just didn't finish," Wallace said. "We didn't finish our drives. We made mistakes. We didn't capitalize when we had opportunities. That's not going to win the game, but we just have to keep going. You have to keep going, and you have to keep pushing. That's the biggest thing right now, not giving up. The guys aren't giving up, and we just have to keep pushing."
Tre Mason was Auburn's leading rusher with 11 carries for only 33 yards.
For the Tigers, the lopsided defeat was similar to a 63-21 home loss to Texas A&M on Oct. 27. In each game, many Auburn fans left in the third quarter.
When asked after the game about his future at Auburn, Chizik said "I don't entertain those thoughts."
Asked if he has lost his team, Chizik said "I don't. Absolutely not."
He said his "one quest" is one more home win for his seniors. Auburn plays Alabama A&M in its final home game next week before closing its season at Alabama.
The biggest cheer from Auburn fans came early in the game during a break after Georgia's first touchdown when the score of rival Alabama's loss to Texas A&M was posted on the video board.
Georgia's only punt of the first half came with only 45 seconds remaining.
Murray devastated the Auburn defense with his efficiency in Georgia's no-huddle offense, directing quick-strike touchdown drives on his first four possessions.
Each of the four first-half touchdown drives lasted less than 4 minutes. A 49-yard run by Gurley set up Murray's 6-yard touchdown pass to Conley.
Following a 5-yard touchdown pass to Mitchell, Georgia had a scare on its third drive when a hit from linebacker Cassanova McKinzy knocked Murray out of the game. Murray's helmet hit the ground hard following McKinzy's helmet-to-chest hit, but Murray missed only one play and returned to complete an 18-yard touchdown pass to King.
A 56-yard pass from Murray to King set up Gurley's 6-yard touchdown run.
King, who usually wears No. 12, switched to Marlon Brown's No. 15. Brown, a senior, suffered a left knee injury last week to end his college career.
Auburn's first turnover spoiled a scoring opportunity late in the third quarter. Emory Blake gained 13 yards on a reception before he fumbled when hit by Bacarri Rambo. Georgia linebacker Michael Gilliard recovered at the Bulldogs' 11.
Rambo intercepted a pass from Wallace on the first play of the fourth quarter.
Georgia's win in the game called the South's oldest rivalry tied the series at 54-54-8. Georgia has won six of the last seven meetings.


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New Car/Review
1998 Cadillac Eldorado Touring Coupe
by Carey Russ
SEE ALSO: Cadillac Buyer's Guide
"Eldorado" is a venerable name in Cadillac history. It has graced a wide variety of Cadillacs since 1953. The cars bearing the name have always been very American in flavor, and definitely machines for their time.
The current Eldorado lineup continues that tradition, with American-style luxury and performance, and state-of-the-art technology. There are two models. The basic Eldorado is tuned for American luxury tastes. The Eldorado Touring Coupe - also known as the ETC - has a more international flavor, with a firmer, more sporting suspension calibration, faster steering ratio, and more power. Both utilize the world-class Northstar V8 engine system and leading-edge technology for improved safety and performance.
Like the other premium Northstar Cadillacs, the ETC has a degree of electronic control of and communications between its various chassis and engine systems that puts it in a league with the most advanced aircraft. Unusually, chassis systems, including the suspension and speed-sensitive power steering, are electronically- controlled and "talk" with each other and the engine, transmission, and antilock braking and traction control systems for improved control. The "Stabilitrak" stability enhancement system ties all other systems together, and uses data from a yaw rate sensor and lateral accelerometer (both commonly used in aerospace applications) to improve control during high-performance driving or emergency maneuvers in a manner similar to electronic control assistance in modern fighter jets. Furthering the aerospace analogy, the optional "OnStar" cellular phone-based communication system can give the Eldorado driver directional and valet assistance even beyond the level of air traffic control.
I experienced the workings of the Stabilitrak system at Cadillac's 1998 model introduction at the Road Atlanta race track. It works, and it works very well. During a recent, lower-performance week at home with an ETC, I found it to be a very All-American sort of car. It's a high-tech boulevard cruiser for the mature but not quite reformed hot-rodder with a penchant for comfort and technology.
APPEARANCE: The Eldorado's lines are classic Cadillac, from the egg-crate grille right back to the vestigial tail fins and vertical taillights. It's a bit more angular than the norm these days, showing some influence from the late Cadillac Allante, styled by the Italian coachbuilder Pininfarina. In no way does the Eldo look dated, though. In fact, angularity seems to be coming back into fashion in automotive styling. The Eldorado is a small car only by Cadillac standards, but its design makes it look quite compact. Despite being a front-wheel drive machine, it has the classic long-hood, short deck sports coupe style. No "cab-forward" here. The Eldorado Touring Coupe may be distinguished from the regular Eldorado by its body-colored grille.
COMFORT: The international influence is most apparent inside of the ETC. The interior is a contemporary two-tone, dark-over-light design with Zebrano wood trim. Even with the thick C-pillars, it is light and airy inside. Seating areas front and rear are of perforated leather for extra comfort on hot days. The front buckets are heated, power- adjustable, and wonderfully comfortable. Rear passengers have a surprising amount of room, and map pockets, ashtrays and lighter, adjustable vents and fan controls, and a fold-down console. Back up front, the instrument panel presents all important information in a well- shaded binnacle, with large analog gauges and an informative, readable information display. The new Bose AM/FM/cassette/CD audio system and climate controls sit in an extension of the center console, and are conveniently-placed with large, well-marked controls. Long-distance comfort is the name of the game, and Cadillac knows the ETC's clientele: the trunk will easily swallow two sets of golf clubs and a week's worth of luggage for their owners.
SAFETY: The 1998 Cadillac Eldorado Touring Coupe has passive safety features including safety cage chassis construction with front and rear crush zones and side-impact protection. The dual airbags are lower-powered this year. Standard Stabilitrak and optional OnStar enhance active safety.
ROADABILITY: Although more firmly-sprung than the Eldorado, the ETC is still more of a luxury car than sports car. But it's a luxury car with an attitude, thanks to modern electronics. The fully-independent Continuously Variable Road Sensing Suspension (CVRSS) adjusts shock damping to driving and road conditions as the car moves down the road for maximum comfort and control in all situations. When enthusiastic or emergency maneuvers are taken, Stabilitrak keeps the ETC in line very well.
PERFORMANCE: The not-quite-reformed hot rodder will thoroughly enjoy the 300-horsepower Northstar V8. It is an aluminum alloy, 32- valve, dual overhead cam design that is very appropriate for a contemporary, civilized, powerful luxury car. In normal operation, a muffled hint of power can be heard. Put the pedal to the metal, and the Northstar growls with a most satisfying roar. It moves the ETC very quickly, too. The 4-speed electronically-controlled automatic transmission is smooth, quick, and unobtrusive.
CONCLUSIONS: The Cadillac Eldorado Touring Coupe is a very contemporary luxury car that takes maximum advantage of state-of- the-art technology.
SPECIFICATIONS Base Price $ 42,695 Price As Tested $ 44,587 Engine Type dual overhead cam, 32-valve, aluminum alloy V8 Engine Size 4.6 liters / 279 cu. in. Horsepower 300 @ 6000 Torque (lb-ft) 295 @ 4400 Transmission 4-speed electronically-controlled automatic Wheelbase / Length 108.0 in. / 200.6 in. Curb Weight 3876 lbs. Pounds Per Horsepower 12.9 Fuel Capacity 20.0 gal. Fuel Requirement unleaded premium, 92 octane Tires P225/60 ZR 16 Goodyear Eagle GA Brakes, front/rear vented disc / solid disc, antilock standard Suspension, front/rear independent MacPherson strut / independent short and long arm electronic shock adjustment standard Drivetrain front engine, front-wheel drive PERFORMANCE EPA Fuel Economy - miles per gallon city / highway / observed 17 / 26 / 17 0 to 60 mph 7.1 sec 1/4 mile (E.T.) 15.4 sec Coefficient of Drag (cd) 0.33 OPTIONS AND CHARGES Safety and Security Package: electronic compass mirror, garage door opener $ 207 White diamond exterior color $ 500 Performance tires $ 250 CA/ NY/MA/CT emissions $ 170 Bose AM/FM/Cassette/CD sound system $ 100 Destination charge $ 665


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Not every commodity rose or rose by as much. But the general trend has many of those concerned about peak oil, biofuels, and the effects of climate change saying, "I told you so." There is certainly a lot to be worried about. And, there is a good case to be made that long-term policy choices concerning energy, biofuels and climate change are now colliding with the physical facts on Earth and leading to a vicious cycle of interlocking problems that can't be solve by doing more of the same.
Still, it is the peculiar mission of markets to make fools ultimately of all who predict them and all who interpret them. The soothsayers on Wall Street and the vast majority of commodity forecasters were caught by surprise by the moves mentioned above. Markets are social phenomena and as such, they represent the constantly changing opinions and activities of thousands and sometimes millions of participants--activities and opinions which can never be fully observed or assessed. That is why it is in the nature of markets to surprise. If everyone could have known early last year that the oil market would reach $100 by the first trading day of this year, they would immediately have bid it up to that price. But, price movements in markets are about things which are not known or which lie in the future and therefore cannot be known.
This is why it is dangerous to affix any particular meaning to any particular price, whether high or low. The reasons for the price of any commodity are as multifarious as the people whose activities influence them. Too often we think that news makes markets. But, in reality, most of the time it is markets that make news. Those who get paid to write about markets are expected to come up with some reason each day for the latest price movements of Citigroup, Hewlett Packard, junk bonds, gold or wheat. But how can these writers possibly know the reasons?
In addition, there is the cardinal rule of neoclassical economics: High prices bring on more supply or substitutes or both. The watchword among right-minded economists (that is, cornucopian ones) is that this too shall pass. And, that's where the argument starts. Those who've been preaching that there would come a day when high prices wouldn't pass--a day when resources really would be running out because adequate new supply can't be found or grown at any price and because ready substitutes are not available--those people are now saying that that day is here.
The problem is that these two sides are talking about different things. The economists are talking about markets and the professional worriers are talking about resources. It is possible for something to be relatively cheap, but still not be accessible to everyone who wants it. Ask those who lived through the Great Depression. But the coming difficulties, "the long emergency," as James Howard Kunstler styles it, will be one of shortage not glut. For the market fundamentalist, however, there is no such thing as a shortage; there is only price. Price is what balances supply and demand even if some poor souls will simply have to go without. (There is a shortage of yachts for all who would like them, the market fundamentalist might say, but not for all who can afford them.)
It is all too likely then that the skyrocketing prices predicted for oil, for example, of $300, $500 or even $1,000 a barrel will never materialize. Yes, many people will do without oil, or a least without as much oil as they would like. And, that means that the price of oil will not go up forever. That's because many oil consumers will simply drop out of the bidding with each successive price hike. And, ultimately the dropouts will halt the upward pressure on oil prices perhaps at levels far lower than $300. The economists have a polite term for this. They call it "demand destruction." What they don't want you to think about is that sometimes, perhaps this time, a lot of people will be demolished in the process.
The same process, unfortunately, may be unfolding for cereal grains and perhaps other critical commodities about which we currently do not worry. But no commodity will be a one-way street. There will be swings enough for the market players to stay engaged. And, when prices do come down, these players and their affiliated economists will point to the drop as proof positive that the market is working just fine--which if one is concerned only with markets and not with people will turn out to be true.
There is another consideration for both sides of the debate. In truth, most commodity prices appear to be below their inflation-adjusted highs even if you use the U. S. government's admittedly stingy methods for calculating inflation. The government's current method calculates wheat's all-time inflation-adjusted high as $28.25 a bushel in February 1974 ($6.35 in 1974 dollars). And, if you use the price of $3 a bushel in 1974 dollars--a level which wheat maintained almost all the time from the beginning of 1973 through 1975--the inflation-adjusted price today would still be $13.52. But the government intentionally underestimates the inflation rate to keep pension and social security cost-of-living adjustments down. To get around this John Williams of Shadow Government Statistics (subscription required) designed a calculator based on the old, pre-adjustment government methods for calculating inflation. That calculator puts the wheat price spike at $75.94 in today's dollars and the $3 a bushel floor at $36.34.
Calculations for all four commodities mentioned above are summarized in the table below:
Commodity | Date or Range | Price Type | Price | BLS1 Inflation Adj | SGS2 Inflation Adj | Current Price (2/1/08) |
Gold (oz.) | Jan. 1980 | Spike | $850 | $2,295 | $6,165 | $908.70 |
Gold (oz.) | 1979-1981 | Average | $450 | $1,380 | $3,720 | $908.70 |
Oil (bbl.) | Dec. 1979 | Spike | $38 | $104 | $280 | $88.96 |
Oil (bbl.) | 1979-1981 | Arbitrary Floor | $24 | $66 | $177 | $88.96 |
Soybeans (bu.) | Jun. 1973 | Spike | $12.90 | $61.29 | $164.75 | $12.87 |
Soybeans (bu.) | 1973-1975 | Approx. Floor | $5.00 | $24.65 | $66.26 | $12.87 |
Wheat (bu.) | Feb. 1974 | Spike | $6.35 | $28.25 | $75.94 | $9.43 |
Wheat (bu.) | 1973-1975 | Approx. Floor | $3.00 | $13.52 | $36.34 | $9.43 |
1U. S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
2Shadow Government Statistics
What all of this suggests is that the catastrophists may, in fact, be a little bit early and that the cornucopian economists may be too optimistic, at least about the near term. While history doesn't ever exactly repeat itself--Mark Twain liked to say that it rhymes--commodity prices look like they have considerable room to run. And, that's even if they never make it to the practically airless heights suggested by figures emitted from the inflation calculator at Shadow Government Statistics.
But perhaps the most important indicator is not how high these commodities will get, but how low they will go once they fall back from whatever new highs they achieve. The real price of commodities has been going down for more than a century. This is because the race between technology and resource exhaustion has been been won decisively by technology. Whether that will continue is now in question.
One indicator will be to see not what new highs are achieved in various commodities in the coming years, but whether a new floor is established that is significantly above previous historical real prices. In other words, higher lows will be more indicative of our situation than higher highs which are usually a very temporary phenomenon.
Exceedingly high prices for commodities, especially for oil, could conceivably tip our fragile economy into a recession or even a depression. That would temporarily lower demand for commodities and thus lower prices. Many commodities would then appear to be in surplus as fewer and fewer companies or people would have the means to buy them. We could again experience what some of our parents and grandparents experienced in the last depression: great want amid seeming plenty.
But if the high prices that cause this (as yet hypothetical) depression are due to the fact that resource depletion is stealing the march on technology, we may not know this for some time. Higher real lows in commodity prices, however, may give us one clue.
The impetus under such extreme circumstances will be to try to boost consumption. And, with so much slack in the economy, it may work. But if we have come to the crossover point where depletion is outrunning technology, we may find any recovery short-lived.
All of this amounts to speculation, a sort of thought experiment in an attempt to answer the question which is the title of this piece. My answer to that question is as follows: Commodity prices do not speak for themselves. Their meaning is not self-evident, and therefore many voices take on the task of speaking for them. Of course, I may suffer the fate of so many others who have tried to forecast or explain the markets. But, if my thought experiment proves broadly correct in its outlines, we may be on the front edge of an economic and social storm that will destroy the conceits of market economics and cast us into a dark and difficult struggle to find a new way of thinking about our economic and social lives.


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Menu Plan Monday – March 30, 2009
I have been working like a crazy girl this past week and can see it continuing for a while (ya know, more than the usual craziness!)… I will be here on Friday for Gluten Freezer Friday with a post for a freezer marinade, so see you then!
Head over to Laura's for Menu Plan Monday, then check out the Gluten Free Menu Swap hosted this week by Asparagus Thin.
Monday: Orchestra day/Dance/Boy Scout Court of Honor Night
Pork in a Thai inspired peanut sauce (recipe will be posted Friday) over rice and asparagus
Tuesday: Spring picture day for elementary school/Make chicken stock/start bread presoak step/start muffins presoaking/make kimchee
Chicken with roasted carrots, potatoes, sweet potatoes and onions and steamed mixed veggies
Wednesday: Mom volunteers at school library/Bake bread and muffins
Meatloaf "cake" with mashed and sweet potato "frosting" (Hey, it's April Fool's Day and I'm a nut, so go figure! This may be shaped as individual cupcakes. Hmmm…) and steamed veggies or salad
Thursday: Mom volunteers in kindergarten class
French Dip Sandwiches with ABC salad (apple, bok choy and carrot)
Friday: No school for kindergarten/half day for elementary school
Sticky Coconut chicken and coconut rice with salad
I'm walking 60 miles in the Breast Cancer 3-day! Will you help me reach my goal?
Countdown to the 3 Day Walk: 21 WeeksYour Training Schedule for This Week:


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Press release
SACRAMENTO — November 1, 2012— Effective today, the Alliance of Western Milk Producers, a coalition of California dairy processing cooperatives representing 60% of California's milk, will cease to function. The Alliance members, California Dairies, Inc. (CDI) and Dairy Farmers of America Western Area (DFA), have determined that a formal organization is no longer necessary to accomplish a concerted effort of California cooperatives.
"Our commitment to working together for the mutual benefit of our respective members remains strong. However, the landscape of the dairy industry has changed dramatically over the last 21 years," said Tony Mendes, chairman of the board. "As successful as the Alliance has been, the leadership of CDI and DFA has concluded that the ability to collaborate and communicate is most efficiently and effectively achieved through a less formal and more flexible structure. I look forward to effectuating this new approach to meet the mutual challenges facing the members of CDI and DFA."
Formed in 1991, the Alliance has represented cooperative interests and its producer members to the California legislature, at California Department of Food and Agriculture regulatory hearings and through participation in organizations (i.e., Dairy Cares and the California Environmental Justice Fund) that seek to improve the business environment for California dairy producers. Since its inception, the Alliance has found success in many areas including, but not limited to, its use of Capper-Volstead Act protections to form joint marketing agreements to lessen the competition among California cooperatives and its vigorous efforts to protect California milk standards from out-of-state attacks. CDI and DFA will carry on the work of the Alliance using less formal methods to consult and coordinate on issues that affect California cooperatives and its members. CDI and DFA will each continue their active participation in Dairy Cares and the California Dairy Environmental Justice Fund.
About California Dairies, Inc.
California Dairies, Inc. is the largest member-owned milk marketing and processing cooperative in California producing 43% of California's milk. Co-owned by more than 420 dairy producers who ship more than 17 billion pounds of Real California Milk annually, California Dairies Inc. is a manufacturer of quality butter, fluid milk products and milk powders. In addition, California Dairies Inc. is the home of two leading and well-respected brands of butter – Challenge and Danish Creamery. California Dairies' quality dairy products are available in all 50 United States and in more than 50 foreign countries. For additional information on California Dairies, Inc., visit www.californiadairies.com.
About Dairy Farmers of America
Together, Dairy Farmers of America is 15,000 dairy farmers working to bring milk from our farms to family tables around the world. As owners of DFA, we enjoy a secure home for our milk, resources to help us on the farm and returns on the products we produce, from fluid milk and ice cream to cheese, butter and ingredients. We are committed to moving the industry forward and sustaining our way of life for the next generation. All of this makes our cooperative More Cooperative. www.dfamilk.com


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B.C.'s auditor general is warning that the Northern Health Authority region is short 121 registered nurses, leading to unfilled shifts and longer patient wait times.
In a report released Thursday, Carol Bellringer said the health authority was unable to fill 15 per cent of its full-time registered nurse positions as of April 2017, as well as six full-time nurse practitioner positions.
Nurse practitioners can prescribe medication and order tests, and are often the main health professional for many remote B.C. communities.
READ: B.C. Nurses say enough violence in the workplace
"It's a pretty big number, even though it doesn't sound like a lot," Bellringer told reporters. "It shouldn't be left without attention from the [health] ministry and the health authority. It isn't a new problem."
Some areas, like Upper Skeena, Nechako, Smithers, Prince Rupert, Fort Nelson, Peace River North and Terrace, were short more than 20 per cent of their workforce.
Northern Health could only fill half its vacant shifts with its own part-time nurses, the report says. The other half of the shifts remained vacant or were filled by contracted nurses, usually at a higher wage.
She warned nurse shortages could lead to burnout, which increases the risks of mistakes, longer wait times and lower patient safety, as over-worked nurses do not always have time to check up on patients.
Quesnel Mayor Bob Simpson said his constituents haven't complained to him specifically about waiting longer for medical treatment, but he has heard about a related problem.
"We have nursing graduates who want to remain here, but aren't able to find positions," Simpson said.
Quesnel is one of three northern B.C. communities where the College of New Caledonia, Northwest Community College and the University of Northern British Columbia collaborate to offer a nursing degree program. The other two communities are Terrace and Prince George.
David Williams, Northern Health vice-president of human resources, said this shortage is not unique to the north, and that the authority tries to highlight the benefits of working in the region.
He also said Bellringer's information came a time when Northern Health had introduced a model in which nurses worked together with other staff like social workers and physio therapists.
The report said nurses felt unqualified to work on those teams because they might have to perform a general primary care nurse, and not in their specialized area.
All registered nurses are qualified to work as primary care nurses, Williams said, but the health authority was working with their staff to make sure they felt comfortable with their news roles.
A request for comment from the health ministry has not yet been returned.
Bellringer's report will go to a non-partisan legislative committee for review.
She said the health authority has brought in better recruitment and retention practices, the report adds, it has failed to track the effects.
Some factors, like weather and isolation, were out of the agency's control, the report says, but it could improve poor management practices as well as work with existing nurses to shift them into jobs they'd find more satisfying.
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Friday 27 January 2012
Heading Off
Hope you have a great weekend. Next week I'll be hitting the pavement in freezing cold New York city looking for some fabulous things to bring home for Black & Spiro and for a couple of exciting projects I am working on. I must say I am very excited!!
So until then my friends, smile, laugh and have fun!!
Thursday 26 January 2012
Late last year I posted the entry foyer of this lovely house which was featured in the Dec/Jan 2012 issue of House Beautiful magazine. It was such a wonderful surprise when I visited Heather at Habitually Chic this morning to discover that she recently visited this divine home which belongs to L.A. Designer Mark Sikes.
Heather has prepared 2 fabulous posts which are chocker-block full of AMAZING images of Mark's Hollywood Hills home. I think these 2 pictures above of his little sitting nook are my absolute favourite.
I must say that this home is an example of white walls done extremely well. It's so important to layer lots of fabulous bits and pieces, books, artwork, rugs, collections, fabrics and furniture on top of a blank canvas of white walls and floors. And in my opinion, Mark has achieved the perfect balance here in his beautiful home.
Make sure you head over to Habitually Chic for the full scoop!
Happy Australia Day my Australian friends. Hope you have a fabulous day!
I Love File,
I Love Files,
Wednesday 25 January 2012
Fabulous Clashing Pattern
I've always been an ambassador for clashing pattern and colour. It's just so interesting and layered and scrumptious! I loved this recent photo of Tory which I found on her inspiring blog. It's clashing pattern heaven!
PS - Thanks for all the wonderful purchases in our Tag Sale! It's been lots of fun!! There's still a couple of things left...
Tuesday 24 January 2012
Exciting Black & Spiro Pink Tag Sale
I'm very excited to present a very special online pink tag sale today here on the blog. When we've held our big annual Black & Spiro sales in the past at our store in Brisbane our blog readers and interstate customers have all missed out and we've had lots of requests for an online sale. So, here it is...
- Each product in the flyers above has a number on it. Please quote the product number when you call to purchase
- To purchase an item all you have to do is dial our store number - O7 3254 3000 - and tell us which item you would like to purchase and then pay for it with a credit card over the phone. Or you can drop into the store and pay for the item with cash, eftpos or credit card
- There will be no holds. It will be a first in best dressed situation
- There will be no returns
- We can arrange for delivery. Delivery will be an extra charge
- If you are in Brisbane you can drop into the store to view an item prior to purchasing but please remember we cannot hold an item for you whilst you travel into the store to view it
- Item Numbers 6 & 7 are cushion covers
- For further information on any item listed above including dimensions or for a better photo of a particular item please email Claire at email@example.com or call us on the above phone number
Thanks so much for your interest!! I hope you find a bargain.
Monday 23 January 2012
Fresh Orchids
It's so nice having some fresh flowers back in the shop. We potted up one of our blue and white planters late last week with some fresh white orchids which we placed in the centre of our round entrance table as you walk into the store. The best thing about orchids is that they last for such a long time!!
If you pop into the store you might also notice the fabulous large lantern light we have just installed above this table...sorry it didn't make it into the photo! We have these lanterns custom made in any size and I must say I absolutely adore them.
By the way, I'll be posting our Pink Tag Sale here on the blog sometime tomorrow so make sure you keep an eye out for it!!
By the way, I'll be posting our Pink Tag Sale here on the blog sometime tomorrow so make sure you keep an eye out for it!!
Black + Spiro
Saturday 21 January 2012
Thursday 19 January 2012
Books & An Upcoming Online Pink Tag Sale
When I spotted this fabulous image over at My Notting Hill blog the other day it really struck a chord with me. Sometimes when I am searching for something in an old book or magazine from my library at home, our bedroom can turn into something which pretty much looks like the room above. I have books all over my bed, floor and bedside table and let me tell you it's not much fun when it's time to put them all away again!!
In other news I have decided to clear the decks at Black & Spiro so I'm having an exciting online Pink Tag Sale here on the blog early next week which should be lots of fun. I am such a hoarder so it's time to move some things on and make some space for the new things I will be purchasing on an upcoming overseas buying trip.
So make sure you click back early next week as there will be some wonderful bargains to be had. If you have ever been to one of our annual Black & Spiro sales at the store you will know that I'm pretty ruthless when it comes to my markdowns!!
So make sure you click back early next week as there will be some wonderful bargains to be had. If you have ever been to one of our annual Black & Spiro sales at the store you will know that I'm pretty ruthless when it comes to my markdowns!!
image 1 - via my notting hill blog - room by mimi weddell from casa vogue 2005 - photo by tim walker
Black + Spiro Sale,
Tuesday 17 January 2012
Back to Work
I will admit it's been a little hard getting back into work this week after such a beautiful holiday. I always think it's so much easier once the kids go back to school and the normal routine resumes. Maybe next week once Harry is back at school I will be able to concentrate and come out from under the lampshade so-to-speak!
Talking about lamps I had to show you this amazing lamp which is actually one of a pair of vintage lamps we received into the store just before Christmas. You can't really tell from the picture but they are quite large and so beautiful. I haven't decided what lampshade I am going to put on them yet but they will feature in a window display in the coming weeks...that's if they don't sell before-hand. I envy the lucky person who will end up with this lovely unique pair of lamps!!
Black + Spiro,
Sunday 15 January 2012
Happy Summer Days
"Time slows at the Summer House. The pile of books you have set aside for Summer reading awaits leisure time in the hammock. The days begin and end in long shadows and quiet anticipation." - Terry John Woods
Our Summer holiday was perfect in every single way. We spent most days here at this beautiful beach swimming and playing in the sand.
We found lots of fabulous shells. Harry's friend B found the big creamy coloured shell in the photo above.
Harry was obsessed with snorkeling in the big rock pools and looking for treasure.
And treasure he found. He stumbled across this fabulous big old shell in one of the rock pools which he and his father snorkeled over the top of at high tide. It now sits proudly on our sideboard at the beach house amongst all the other shells they have found over the years.
Ned our Golden Retriever spent every minute he possible could on the beach and if he wasn't swimming or running he could be found resting in the shade under the umbrella.
You couldn't wipe the smile from his face. I am unsure who was the most depressed today coming home...Ned or Harry or Max or Brad...actually I think I was the most sad about leaving the beach.
Although most of our holiday was spent at Straddie we did manage to spend a few days down at my cousin's beach house at South Golden Beach just north of Byron. Whilst there we visited the Easton Pearson pop-up shop and my cousin reminded me of the pop-up shop I opened about 12 years ago over at Straddie for the Summer. It was called Holiday Things and I had totally forgotten about it until he reminded me of it. Pop-up shops seem to be all the rage these days but 12 years ago nobody had really ever done it before....well around our part of the world anyway!! Did anyone go to Easton Pearson's pop-up store in Byron or Noosa? I absolutely loved the beach umbrella they had and if they were for sale I definitely would have bought one!!
Happy times were had. There were lots of laughs and lots of cuddles and I cherished every single moment I had with them. As Harry said when we drove off the barge this afternoon - "it's now back to the real world mum..."
Beach Style,
My Life,
Thursday 12 January 2012
Hi & Happy New Year! How are you? How was your Christmas? I feel like I haven't been here in such a long time. I actually switched myself completely off the Internet and computer for the entire holidays and I must admit I feel like a new person!!
I'm not officially back from holidays until early next week but I thought I should pop in to say hello. Did anyone see our special New Year window displays at Black & Spiro over the holidays? If you haven't already seen them, make sure you take a drive passed as the talented Pip Boydell painted us the fabulous and vibrant fabric drop {as above} and the beautiful pair of big vintage pineapple lamps are a must see!!
Anyway, I'll be back with beautiful things to share next week. Until then I'll be making the most of the last few days I have left with my boys at the beach...
Black + Spiro,
Pip Boydell,
Shop Display
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I've been doing a lot of glitter layering lately, so I thought I'd share some of my recent combinations. All of them were pretty random and unplanned (the result of getting bored with a color and grabbing the first glitter that caught my eye) but they turned out well for the most part!
Epoch was definitely not boring, but I couldn't resist trying out Debris on top of it. Loved how it turned out, wore it the entire weekend (and not a hint of tipwear or chipping, I might add).
My Every Month Is Oktoberfest was starting to show some tipwear and I wanted to try out the new Barielle glitter I bought at TJ Maxx, so this happened. Turned out awesome!
I'm still wearing this one as I write this. Again, Fascination Street wasn't boring but I couldn't resist the temptation of putting a new glitter on top of it. I actually liked it better without the glitter, but I think Potosi would look pretty sweet over a dark-colored creme or shimmer.
Sally Hansen Multi-Faceted over NARS Storm Bird.
Multi-Faceted is such an awesome glitter but it was crazy thick, as I'm sure you can tell by my disgusting, globular-looking nails. Will definitely thin it next time I use it.
Sally Hansen White Veil over OPI Don't Pretzel My Buttons.
White Veil was not thick like Multi-Faceted. This combination somehow reminds me of antique lace, dried flower arrangements with sprigs of baby's breath or an old wedding dress.


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Rachel Maddow is the boss.
Ohio really did go to President Obama last night. And he really did win. And he really was born in Hawaii. And he really is legitimately President of the United States. Again. And the Bureau of Labor Statistics did not make up a fake unemployment rate last month. And the Congressional Research Service really can find no evidence that cutting taxes on rich people grows the economy. And the polls were not skewed to oversample Democrats. And Nate Silver was not making up fake projections about the election to make conservatives feel bad. Nate Silver was doing math. And climate change is real. And rape really does cause pregnancy sometimes. And evolution is a thing! And Benghazi was an attack ON us, it was not a scandal BY us. And nobody is taking away anyone's guns. And taxes have not gone up. And the deficit is dropping, actually. And Saddam Hussein did not have weapons of mass destruction. And the moon landing was real. And FEMA is not building concentration camps. And UN election observers are not taking over Texas. And moderate reforms of the regulations on the insurance industry and the financial services industry in this country are not the same thing as Communism.
Listen. Last night was a good night for liberals and for Democrats for very obvious reasons. But it was also, possibly, a good night for this country as a whole. Because in this country we have a two party system, in government. And the idea is supposed to be that the two sides both come up with ways to confront and fix the real problems facing our country. They both propose possible solutions to our real problems. And we debate between those possible solutions. And by the process of debate, we pick the best idea. That competition between good ideas, from both sides, about real problems in the real country should result in our country having better choices, better options, than if only one side is really working on the hard stuff. And if the Republican party, and the conservative movement, and the conservative media is stuck in a vacuum sealed, door locked, spin cycle of telling each other what makes them feel good, and denying the factual, lived truth of the world, then we are all deprived, as a nation, of the constructive debate between competing, feasible ideas about real problems.
Last night the Republicans got shellacked. And they had no idea it was coming. And we saw them, in real time, in real humiliating time, not believe it even as it was happening to them. And unless they're going to secede, they're going to have to pop the factual bubble they have been so happy living inside, if they do not want to get shellacked again. And that will be a painful process for them, I'm sure, but it will be good for the whole country – left, right, and center. You guys, we're counting on you. Wake up.
There's real problems in the world. There are real knowable facts in the world. Let's accept those and talk about how we might approach our problems differently. Let's move on from there. If the Republican party, and the conservative movement, and conservative media are forced to do that by the humiliation they were dealt last night, we will all be better off as a nation. And in that spirit, congratulations everybody. Big night.


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You're going to need your best negotiating skills if you want to convince your significant other to let you add your own Nyan Cat to the kids' room. This goes a bit deeper than just mounting something on the wall. The LEDs which light up this Nyan Cat installation are actually in the wallboard itself.
Luckily, this is actually a 'playground for grown-up kids'. [Schinken] and his fellow hackerspace members built it at their location in Bamberg, Germany. It started as a Nyan Cat scarf, which was easy enough to hang on the wall. To make it sparkle they added sixteen LEDs. But you won't see the wires from either side. A hole was drilled at the location of each diode, with a trench chiseled between them. This makes room for the wires, and was covered with spackle before painting. It turned out to be a pretty simple way to add a focal point to the room, and it certainly has the appropriate level of geekiness for a hackerspace.


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[Robovergne] prides himself on the beautiful reef aquarium that he has set up in his home. These sorts of water displays require constant maintenance due to the mineral requirements of living coral. Rather than add mineral solutions manually, he decided to build a nano-doser using espresso machine pumps (Google Translation).
These vibration pumps run on mains voltage, so he had several options as far as how to control them. Using relays would likely make things pretty noisy, so he chose to use a zero crossing detection circuit to precisely control the pumps' duty cycles and output.
His setup uses a PIC to control everything from the zero crossing circuit to the display LCD. An amount of product and the distribution time frame are entered using a handful of buttons mounted on the front of his control box, leaving the PIC to do the heavy lifting. It will calculate the proper length of time to run the pump based on several factors, including fluid viscosity and height of release.
It really is an impressive system, and while his needs are very precise, we imagine this sort of setup would be quite useful in building less complicated dispensers, such as those found in an automated bar.
Continue reading to see a few videos of his Nano-doser in action.


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Ticketing information will be announced at a later date.
Appearing on Broadway for the first time in 30 years, Tony and Grammy Award-winning superstar Bette Midler will play the legendary Hollywood agent Sue Mengers (1932-2011) in the new, one-character play.
Sue Mengers was an American original. She was the first female "superagent" at a time when women talent agents of any kind were almost unheard of. She came from near poverty, a refugee from Hitler's Germany, and worked her way up through pluck, charm, and a legendary wit. In that uniquely American way, she invented herself; and when the career she wanted didn't exist, she invented that as well: "Superagent." It was a term Hollywood all but coined for her. By the 1970's, she represented almost every major star in Hollywood and went on to become the town's most renowned hostess.
Playwright John Logan, who won a Tony Award for Red and wrote the screenplay for the last James Bond movie, Skyfall, said, "I met Sue Mengers only once, at a dinner party. The kaftan, constant cigarettes, tinted glasses, and perfect blond hair were much in evidence; so too the deliciously wicked wit and stevedore language. But something else fascinated me just as much: a sense of sadness, a deep resignation; a woman whose time had passed her by. At one point I asked her what had changed most about Hollywood since she had arrived. She didn't hesitate for a second: 'Honey, we used to have fun…' Later in the evening she settled back and lit up a joint. There she was: a joint in one hand and a cigarette in the other. At that moment I knew I had to write the play."
Producer Graydon Carter said, "I adored Sue, and no trip to Los Angeles was complete without a dinner at her place. To work with Bette, John, Joe, and my fellow producers Ari, Jimmy, Phil, and Bob to bring her to the Broadway stage is something that I believe would have pleased Sue greatly."
Producer Arielle Tepper Madover said, "The last show I worked on with John was his Broadway debut, Red, which won six Tony Awards and is now being presented all over the world. It is a joy to be continuing our collaboration with this new play."
BETTE MIDLER (Sue Mengers) has earned three Grammys, four Golden Globes, three Emmys, a Tony Award, and sold 30 million records worldwide in a career that spans more than four decades. She has played memorable film roles in The Rose, Down and Out in Beverly Hills, Ruthless People, Beaches, and The First Wives Club, among many others. Miss Midler made her Broadway debut in the chorus of Fiddler on the Roof. Other stage performances include Tony Award-winning Clams on the Half Shell, Experience the Divine, for which she holds the all-time record for a six week engagement at Radio City Music Hall, The Divine Miss Millennium Tour, Kiss My Brass,and The Showgirl Must Go On at The Colosseum in Caesars Palace. Outside the spotlight, she is the proud founder of the New York Restoration Project (www.nyrp.org), a non-profit organization that revitalizes abandoned and neglected public spaces across New York City. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram: @BetteMidler.
JOHN LOGAN (Playwright) received the Tony, Drama Desk, Outer Critic Circle, and Drama League awards for his play Red. This play premiered at the Donmar Warehouse in London and at the Golden Theatre on Broadway. Red has subsequently been seen in more than 80 productions across the United States and in over 30 foreign countries. He is the author of over a dozen other plays including Never the Sinner and Hauptmann. His newest play Peter and Alice will premiere in March in London. As a screenwriter, Logan has been three times nominated for the Oscar. His film work includes Skyfall, Hugo, The Aviator, Gladiator, Rango, Coriolanus, Sweeney Todd, The Last Samurai, Any Given Sunday, and RKO 281.
JOE MANTELLO (Director). Directing credits include: The Other Place, Dogfight, Other Desert Cities, The Pride, Pal Joey, 9 to 5, November, The Receptionist, The Ritz, Blackbird, Three Days of Rain, The Odd Couple, Glengarry Glen Ross (Tony nomination), Laugh Whore, Assassins (Tony Award), Wicked, Take Me Out (Tony Award), Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune, A Man of No Importance, Design for Living, Terrence McNally and Jake Heggie's Dead Man Walking for San Francisco Opera, The Vagina Monologues, Bash, Another American: Asking and Telling, Love! Valour! Compassion! (Tony nomination), Proposals, The Mineola Twins, Corpus Christi, Mizlansky/Zilinsky…, Blue Window, God's Heart, The Santaland Diaries, Snakebit, Three Hotels, and Imagining Brad. As an actor: The Normal Heart (Tony nomination), Angels in America (Tony nomination), and The Baltimore Waltz. He is recipient of Outer Critics Circle, Drama Desk, Lucille Lortel, Helen Hayes, Clarence Derwent, Obie, and Joe A. Callaway awards. He is a member of Naked Angels and an associate artist at Roundabout Theatre Company.
GRAYDON CARTER (Producer) has been the award-winning editor of Vanity Fair for more than two decades. He was also the co-founder and editor of Spy magazine. In non-magazine-related work, he has produced a number of iconic documentaries including The Kid Stays in the Picture, Public Speaking, and 911, for which he won both a Peabody and an Emmy Award. This is his first professional experience in the theater.
ARIELLE TEPPER MADOVER (Producer) is a Tony Award-winning producer. Broadway: Lucky Guy, Annie, Red, Hamlet, Hair, Mary Stuart, Equus, Monty Python's Spamalot, Frost/Nixon, The Pillowman, A Raisin in the Sun, James Joyce's The Dead, John Leguizamo's Freak. West End: Piaf, Spamalot, Frost/Nixon, Guys and Dolls, Mary Stuart, A Voyage Round My Father. Off-Broadway: De La Guarda, The Last Five Years. Madover founded the Summer Play Festival and the Tepper Center for Careers in Theatre, is on the board of the Public Theater, the Broadway League is an emeritus member of the Syracuse University board. Crain's "40 under 40" and Cosmopolitan's Fun Fearless Females.
JAMES L. NEDERLANDER (Producer). President of Nederlander Organization, son of James M. Nederlander (Chairman). Various producing credits include: Spider-Man Turn Off the Dark, Evita, Lewis Black: Running on Empty, Mike Tyson: Undisputed Truth, Priscilla Queen of the Desert, West Side Story, Next to Normal, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Million Dollar Quartet, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? with Kathleen Turner and Bill Irwin, Movin' Out. Concerts: Robin Williams, Harry Connick Jr., Pink Floyd, U2, the Rolling Stones, and Billy Joel at Yankee Stadium.
THE SHUBERT ORGANIZATION (Producer) owns and operates 21 theatres in New York, Boston, and Philadelphia. Under the leadership of Philip J. Smith, Chairman, and Robert E. Wankel, President, the firm continues its tradition of producing distinguished theatrical attractions. These include Sister Act, That Championship Season, Passing Strange, Equus (with Daniel Radcliffe), A Steady Rain, God of Carnage, Amour, Dirty Blonde, Dance of Death (with Ian McKellen and Helen Mirren), Cats, Dreamgirls, Jerome Robbins' Broadway, Lettice & Lovage, Passion, Sunday in the Park with George, the original production of Amadeus and Hugh Jackman: Back on Broadway. The Shubert Organization is dedicated to the revitalization of the American theatre. Its activities include the restoration and modernization of its theatres and participation in civic and community affairs. Shubert Ticketing provides superior box office, call center and marketing services, as well as online products for live entertainment venues across the country.
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MARIETTA — The Atlanta Braves are a step closer to moving out of downtown Atlanta, the Major League Baseball team's home for the past 47 years.
The Cobb County Commission in suburban Atlanta voted 4-1 Tuesday night to approve a new $672 million stadium, which officials hope to open for the 2017 season at a site 10 miles northwest of the Georgia capital city's downtown.
The vote followed public comment for and against the deal, which will require millions of dollars in public funds. The project is set to take the team out of downtown Atlanta for the first time since it moved to Georgia from Milwaukee in 1966.
Commissioners have been holding town hall meetings to gather feedback on the proposal and held an extended public comment period at their meeting Tuesday night. They voted in favor of the deal despite calls by a diverse coalition of citizen groups for more time.
Four of the five commissioners, including commission Chair Tim Lee, said they'd had extensive talks with the Braves and felt they had enough information to believe this would be a positive development.
Commissioner Lisa Cupid was the lone dissenting vote. Cupid said she supports the Braves moving to Cobb County, but thinks the process moved forward too quickly and that she still has some lingering concerns.
"I cannot in good conscience vote for the MOU, but I do support the Braves being in Cobb County," she said just before the vote.
"This is a most significant and historic day for our franchise," said Braves President John Schuerholz after the vote, saying he was "thrilled" how the vote turned out.
Mike Plant, the Braves executive vice president of business operations, said the deal couldn't wait if the stadium and entertainment complex are to be completed for the 2017 season.
"We got to one finish line tonight. We have a new starting line tomorrow," he said.
The Braves stunned local leaders and fans just over two weeks ago when they announced their planned move. But Braves executives and Cobb commissioners said planning had been underway for months and wasn't rushed or hasty.
The 30-year agreement calls for a mix of reallocating existing property tax revenue and implementing new taxes on business and tourism to pay for the new stadium at the intersection of Interstates 75 and 285. The team's current lease at downtown Turner Field, which is jointly owned by Fulton County and the city of Atlanta, runs through the 2016 season.
Those addressing commissioners during a public comment period had mixed opinions.
Many supporters of the stadium talked about an expected positive economic benefit, saying the stadium would bring in revenue and attract business to the county. Several held up signs or waved foam tomahawks that have long been a staple at Braves games and wore T-shirts that said "Cobb Home of the Braves."
"A foundation has been laid for our future success," said Ben Mathis, incoming chair of the Cobb Chamber of Commerce. He called the project a perfect public-private partnership that would draw new energy to the county.
Yet some speakers spoke out against the proposal under any circumstance, while others said they wanted a delay because they thought the process seemed rushed and lacked transparency.
A diverse coalition of citizen groups argued for more time.
Leaders of the Atlanta Tea Party, Common Cause of Georgia and the Sierra Club, among others, had asked for a 60-day delay, saying voters in the suburban county haven't had enough time to consider details of the project.
"I've been very disappointed in the veil of secrecy and the rush" to vote on the deal, Cobb resident Kevin Daniels said.
The memorandum of understanding between the county, the Cobb-Marietta Coliseum Exhibit Hall Authority and the Braves that was voted on by the commission calls for $300 million in upfront taxpayer support for the stadium. The payment would come from existing property taxes that now pay off debt for park projects and from lodging taxes, a rental car tax and levies on business in a special commercial district around the stadium site.
The Braves' initial contribution to the project would be $280 million. The remaining $92 million would come from debt the county assigns to the team, bringing the Braves' share to $372 million, or 55 percent of the total.
The Braves have promised to cover construction cost overruns. But the team also reserves the right to reduce the total cost of the project by $50 million, absorbing all the savings without reducing the public contribution.
The total $672 million construction estimate does not include stadium maintenance and capital improvements, which the team and the county would share over the 30-year agreement.
Plan approved for new Braves stadium


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TechRadar Verdict
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Responsive touchscreen
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Wi-Fi system
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Remote control
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Social integration isn't great
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No focus peaking
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No image rating button
Why you can trust TechRadar
Panasonic's Michiharu Uematsu tells us that the company consulted around 100 Panasonic GH2 users, including professional filmmakers, post-production workers and broadcasters, to hear what they would like to see in its replacement - the Panasonic GH3.
Between them they managed to produce a fairly long list, and while Uematsu says the company hasn't been able to give them everything they asked for, he says that they will find 75-80% of their requirements have been met by the new compact system camera (CSC).
Panasonic's main aim for the GH3 was to give it greater appeal to serious photographers and videographers. It has attempted to do this with improved handling, better build quality, more direct controls, an upgraded touchscreen, bolstered video recording technology and Wi-Fi connectivity.
Let's take a closer look.
Inside the Panasonic GH3 is a 16.05MP Micro Four Thirds sensor, which at 17.3 x 13mm is a little smaller than an APS-C format device.
This is coupled with a new Venus Engine FHD processor that enables better noise performance at high sensitivity values, especially in the shadows, thanks to its multi-stage noise reduction system.
Being a Micro Four Thirds (MFT) camera means that the Panasonic GH3 is compatible with a wide range of optics from the two main players in the MFT market, Panasonic and Olympus, as well as a handful from Sigma, Tokina and Voigtlander.
Because the sensor is smaller than full-frame, the lenses are subject to a 2x focal length multiplication factor. This means that the Panasonic Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm f/2.8 Asph lens, which is available with the Panasonic GH3, gives a focal length range equivalent to a 24-70mm optic on a 35mm camera with a fixed maximum aperture of f/2.8.
Although it is aimed at experienced photographers and has the expected program, aperture priority, shutter priority and manual exposure modes, the Panasonic GH3 also has a collection of automatic scene modes as well as Panasonic's Intelligent Auto (iA) mode that does most of the thinking for you.
So it can be used by less experienced photographers who want plenty of head-room.
Panasonic has extended the GH3's video capability in comparison with the Panasonic GH2, so Full HD footage can be recorded in AVCHD, MP4 or MOV formats, at a range of frame rates including 50p, 50i, 25p and 24p. In addition, MOV and VCHD movies can be recorded with timecode to help with locating scenes or frames and synchronising with other devices.
Movies can be recorded in any of the available exposure modes, and a still image can be captured simultaneously, if required. Full exposure control is also available during recording when shooting movies in Creative Video mode. Slow and fast motion recording is also possible.
In response to feedback, Panasonic has also changed the microphone input port on the GH3 to the popular 3.5mm socket. A headphone port is provided to help with audio monitoring.
The Panasonic GH3 is currently priced at £1549/US$1298 (around AU$1230) online, for the body only.


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March 2024
Find more Great Reads
Comic books don't have a great reputation when it comes to depicting women and girls, though the same could probably be said for any medium born in the 1930s. Luckily, with the rise of underground comics and the dogged determination of women creating comics, there's a healthy (and growing!) number of comics and graphic novels that do a great job of depicting strong, well-rounded women and girls. These eight titles in particular—including realistic stories, fantasies, adventures, and one truly great superhero comic—feature heroines perfectly capable of rescuing themselves.
Anya's Ghost, by Vera Brosgol
Brosgol's spooky, polished debut offers something that's still too rare in comics: a realistic, contemporary teenage girl's story. Growing up with her single Russian mother and younger brother, Anya works hard to fit in, and she distances herself from nerdy, heavily accented Dima, another Russian immigrant at her school. On a shortcut to school, Anya tumbles into a well, where a pile of bones swirls into the visible ghost of a young girl, Emily. Working in a clean-lined cartoon style with an appropriately moody, bruiselike palette of purples and blacks, Brosgol uses clever panel arrangements and shifting close-up and aerial perspectives to amplify the action and emotion, from Anya's initial elation to her primal terror.
Batwoman: Elegy, by Greg Rucka and illustrated by J. H. Williams III
There are a number of reasons why this story arc is a departure from more traditional caped-crusader fare. For starters, Batwoman (aka Kate Kane) is the most prominent gay character in DC's universe, and she kicks ass with combat boots, not stilettos (though her suit is still painted on). In flashbacks, Kane gets drummed out of the military for standing tall at the conflicting crossroads of "Don't ask, don't tell" and the code that says, "A cadet will not lie, cheat, steal, or tolerate those who do." In the present thread, she locks horns with the gothy villain Alice, who speaks entirely in quotations from Lewis Carroll. Rucka and Williams have crafted a superhero comic that is ambitious and unique in its approach, and it deserves to be read and then read again to appreciate the fullness of its smart storytelling and even more impressive artistry.
Bone, by Jeff Smith
It would be a serious oversight not to include Bone in this list. As many comics fans know, the series chronicles the adventures of the Bone cousins—plucky Fone Bone, scheming Phony Bone, and easygoing Smiley Bone—who leave their home of Boneville and are swept up in a Tolkienesque epic of royalty, dragons, and unspeakable evil forces out to conquer humankind. And while she's not the initial focus of Smith's sweeping fantasy, young, courageous Thorn becomes its true hero, rescuing the Bone cousins and coming into her own as the heir to powerful magical talents, not to mention a throne. But she's not the only strong woman—her fearless grandma, Rose, races cows for fun, fiercely defends her loved ones, and has arm muscles to rival a certain spinach-swigging sailor.
The Cute Girl Network, by Greg Means and M. K. Reed, and illustrated by Joe Flood
In an offbeat meet-cute for the ages, independent, strong-willed Jane is skateboarding on her way to work when she falls on her coccyx in front of dopey soup-seller Jack. Are they a match made in slacker heaven? Not if the cute-girl network has anything to say about it. The network, a coalition of twentysomething women in Jane's new city, have taken it upon themselves to protect unsuspecting cute girls from falling victim to dating disasters. But Jane is no stranger to making mistakes herself, and she's confident in her ability to stand by her own choices. This refreshing look at modern dating manages to be romantic without a shred of sentimentality.
Delilah Dirk and the Turkish Lieutenant, by Tony Cliff
Selim is used to being an overlooked and underpaid member of the Turkish Janissary Corps, but when the Agha's men capture a prisoner—the scandalous woman who calls herself Delilah Dirk—Selim finds out the hard way that maybe he needs a little excitement in his life. Delilah is a swashbuckling, horse-riding, treasure-reclaiming heroine who will have readers constantly wondering what will happen next. Selim is more reserved—he longs mostly for tea and quiet—but once he gets sucked into Delilah's orbit, he's unable to resist the taste of adrenaline. This terrific action story, anchored by Cliff's lush full-color artwork, is all the more compelling thanks to its irrepressible, sometimes hot-headed heroine.
Friends with Boys, by Faith Erin Hicks
Maggie, the youngest girl in an otherwise all-male household, is attending public high school for the first time after being home-schooled. In addition to facing changes at home (her mother abandoned the family), she has to get over the same hurdles as any freshman—finding her classes, navigating the make-out hallway, and figuring out the school's social hierarchy. Oh, and she is haunted by a nineteenth-century ghost. As Maggie makes her own way among her new friends at her new school, the ghost appears more frequently, standing in as a literal, haunting reminder of what she is leaving behind and the memory of her absent mother. A charming, quiet story of growing up and letting go of the past while still acknowledging the inevitable pain that comes with it.
Mercury, by Hope Larson
Mercury tells two tales: one of Josey, who lives in a small Canadian town in 1859; and the other of her descendant, Tara, who has returned to the same town in 2009, a year after her house burned to the ground. Tenth-grader Tara's burgeoning relationships and her difficulty reacclimating to her old school will be more identifiable than Josey's forbidden courtship with itinerant prospector Asa, but the use of two time lines delineates the different eras' outlooks on family and romance, bringingsome immutable human truths into high relief. Larson continues to perfect her own unique style and offers something the graphic format is sadly short on: a coming-of-age story for girls.
Spera, by Josh Tierney and illustrated by Kyla Vanderklugt
The first volume of Tierney's series would be a fairly typical "princess-in-distress" fantasy if not for the fact that the hero who rescues Princess Lono is a princess rather than a prince. Watching delicate, spoiled Lono and her bold, cocky friend Pira—accompanied by the fire spirit Yonder—trade their court life for one of adventure, danger, and even death is nothing short of joyous.