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We kind of knew it was coming, but still the news arrives as something of a shock: American Suzuki has filed for bankruptcy and will cease selling vehicles in the U.S. as part of its restructuring plan. When current inventories are gone, new Suzukis will vanish from U.S. shores.
That means no more Grand Vitara, no more SX4, no hope for the cool little crossover that would have replaced the SX4 and no more Kizashi.
If you've been eyeing a Suzuki, act now for a new one or watch the CarGurus used listings for older models. American Suzuki will still exist in the U.S., but selling new cars won't be part of its business plan.
Suzuki cites,
Low sales volumes, a limited number of models in its lineup, unfavorable foreign exchange rates, the high costs associated with growing and maintaining an automotive distribution system in the continental US and the disproportionally high and increasing costs associated with stringent state and federal regulatory requirements unique to the US market.
These are all problems that have been mentioned as we've discussed the very real potential of Suzuki going under. Seeing it actually happen is a bit of a shame, because the vehicles are darned good.
American Suzuki said it has enough cash to operate during the restructuring and intends to honor all car warranties and buyback agreements. It will work with some U.S. car dealerships to help them transition into parts-and-service operations. Others will be closed.
Suzuki motorcycles, ATVs and watercraft will not be affected, and Suzuki will continue to sell automobiles in other countries, including its home market of Japan.
As a former owner of a 2007 Suzuki SX4, I can say with complete conviction that the brand's affordable quality will be missed here.
Will you miss new Suzuki vehicles in the United States?
Find Used Cars in Your Area at CarGurus
Used Suzuki Grand Vitara
Used Suzuki SX4
Used Suzuki Kizashi


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Today Miss E is wearing her Valentines Sweetheart Dress... It represent Miss E's love for Minnie Mouse, the passionate and sweet side of love.
It's all part of my sewing along project for Project Run & Play.
There are many more details and photos on my sewing blog if you would like to check it out at Let's Do sew.

subset: commoncrawl


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Although Micke is recording a "new" DETEST album, it is basically songs written back in the day but never properly recorded. I'm not sure if they have any plans beyond that. Their current band is called Nocturnal Alliance, of which we will release two albums in early 2017. It is a lot more melodic than DETEST and may not be everyone's cup of tea though.
The DETEST album will be called "The End of all Ends" to bring a closure and wrap-up the DETEST legacy.
Here's what Micke had to say about it:
"The tracks were written for a demo that never happened with the band Detest - we had split at the time - but in the same manor. Somewhere '91 - '92. Some of the tracks lacked lyrics, a solo-part or a chorus, that have been polished up to be able to make a full album. Two of the tracks were written for the band Twilight (Beyond Twilight) in the early days of that band, but never got past the rehearsal room, we're talking mid 90's. One of the tracks were actually recorded with Detest (me and Jörgen), but that track was not finished, but is finished now.
Here is the tracklist of Detest forthcoming album "The End of All Ends":
01 The Solemn Avenger
A re-write for Twilight of the Detest-track "The Avenger". Detest fans can see it as a continuing saga of "The Avenger".
02 Final Hour
A couple of the riffs were written during the Detest-period, but never used. Was arranged and fully written with the aid of Andreas Lagerin in Twilight mid 90's. Andreas was good enough to put his solo down again for this recording.
03 Divide and Conquer
Track written in '91 and demo-recorded by myself between bands (Detest - Twilight).
04 Rebellion
Same story as 03.
05 Away
Detest-track first recorded '89 by myself and Jörgen Svahn. Polished up for this occasion.
06 The Savior
Same story as 03 & 04.
07 Aim Higher
Written for Twilight mid 90's. Been polished to match Detest-sound better. Never got past rehearsal-room.
08 Thoughts of Love
Written for Hellrats - my band that preceded Coma and Detest. Has much of what Detest became, written '87.
09 Renegade
Same story as 03, 04 & 06.
10 Light In the Sky
Same story as 03, 04, 06 & 09.
11 The Creatures
Same story as 03, 04, 05, 09 & 10.
12 The End of All Ends
Same story as 03, 04, 05, 09, 10 & 11. A good way to seal the Detest legacy.
An hour of never heard Detest-material is about to come your way soon."


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Choosing a smart password
As part of National Cyber Security Awareness Month, we'd like to take this opportunity to remind you about smart password practices. Help ensure you're protecting your computer, website, and personal information by checking out our security series on the Google blog or visiting http://www.staysafeonline.org.
Phishing, a topic that's been in the news, is unfortunately a common way for hackers to trick you into sharing personal information like your account password. If you suspect you've been a victim of a phishing attack, we recommend you immediately change your password, update the security question and secondary address on your account, and make sure you're using a modern browser with anti-phishing protection turned on. Keep an eye out for the phishing warning Gmail adds to suspicious messages, and be sure to review these tips on how to avoid getting hooked.
Creating a new password is often one of the first recommendations you hear when trouble occurs. Even a great password can't keep you from being scammed, but setting one that's memorable for you and that's hard for others to guess is a smart security practice since weak passwords can be easily guessed. Below are a few common problems we've seen in the past and suggestions for making your passwords stronger.
Problem 1: Re-using passwords across websites
With a constantly growing list of services that require a password (email, online banking, social networking, and shopping websites — just to name a few), it's no wonder that many people simply use the same password across a variety of accounts. This is risky: if someone figures out your password for one service, that person could potentially gain access to your private email, address information, and even your money.
Solution 1: Use unique passwords
It's a good idea to use unique passwords for your accounts, expecially important accounts like email and online banking. When you create a password for a site, you might think of a phrase you associate with the site and use an abbreviation or variation of that phrase as your password — just don't use the actual words of the site. If it's a long phrase, you can take the first letter of each word. To make this word or phrase more secure, try making some letters uppercase, and swap out some letters with numbers or symbols. As an example, the phrase for your banking website could be "How much money do I have?" and the password could be "#m$d1H4ve?" (Note: since we're using them here, please don't adopt any of the example passwords in this post for yourself.)
Problem 2: Using common passwords or words found in the dictionary
Common passwords include simple words or phrases like "password" or "letmein," keyboard patterns such as "qwerty" or "qazwsx," or sequential patterns such as "abcd1234." Using a simple password or any word you can find in the dictionary makes it easier for a would-be hijacker to gain access to your personal information.
Solution 2: Use a password with a mix of letters, numbers, and symbols
There are only 26^8 possible permutations for an 8-character password that uses just lowercase letters, while there are 94^8 possible permutations for an 8-character password that uses a combination of mixed-case letters, numbers, and symbols. That's over 6 quadrillion more possible variations for a mixed password, which makes it that much harder for anyone to guess or crack.
Problem 3: Using passwords based on personal data
We all share information about ourselves with our friends and coworkers. The names of your spouse, children, or pets aren't usually all that secret, so it doesn't make sense to use them as your passwords. You should also stay away from birth dates, phone numbers, or addresses.
Solution 3: Create a password that's hard for others to guess
Choose a combination of letters, numbers, or symbols to create a unique password that's unrelated to your personal information. Or, select a random word or phrase, and insert letters and numbers into the beginning, middle, and end to make it extra difficult to guess (such as "sPo0kyh@ll0w3En").
Problem 4: Writing down your password and storing it in an unsecured place
Some of us have enough online accounts that we may need to write our passwords down somewhere, at least until we've learned them well.
Solution 4: Keep your password reminders in a secret place that isn't easily visible
Don't leave notes with your passwords to various sites on your computer or desk. People who walk by can easily steal this information and use it to compromise your account. Also, if you decide to save your passwords in a file on your computer, create a unique name for the file so people don't know what's inside. Avoid naming the file "my passwords" or something else obvious.
Problem 5: Recalling your password
When choosing smart passwords like these, it can often be more difficult to remember your password when you try to sign in to a site you haven't visited in a while. To get around this problem, many websites will offer you the option to either send a password-reset link to your email address or answer a security question.
Solution 5: Make sure your password recovery options are up-to-date and secure
You should always make sure you have an up-to-date email address on file for each account you have, so that if you need to send a password reset email it goes to the right place.
Many websites will ask you to choose a question to verify your identity if you ever forget your password. If you're able to create your own question, try to come up with a question that has an answer only you would know. The answer shouldn't be something that someone can guess by scanning information you've posted online in social networking profiles, blogs, and other places.
If you're asked to choose a question from a list of options, such as the city where you were born, you should be aware that these questions are likely to be less secure. Try to find a way to make your answer unique — you can do this by using some of the tips above, or by creating a convention where you always add a symbol after the 2nd character in the answer (e.g. in@dianapolis) — so that even if someone guesses the answer, they won't know how to enter it properly.


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Dallas News Homes / SEARCH: 501 Sagebrush Ln Waxahachie, TX 75165
- 4 beds
- 2 baths
- $313,990 price
- 1389512 mls id
- Square Feet: 3,026 sqft
- Neighborhood: Garden Valley
Listing Description
Waxahachie is one of three cities to receive The First Lady's Texas Treasure award.. This historic and culturally rich city will bring you back to simpler times but with an assortment of entertainment and shopping choices. This gem of a city is home to year round attractions and festivals including the Crepe Myrtle, and Victorian Christmas Festival, and the very popular - Scarborough Fair. Just a short drive south from the Dallas Metroplex on I-35E, and located off of Hwys 287 and 77, you'll find yourself in the wonderful family-friendly community of Garden Valley, and just a stone's throw away from schools and shopping.
- Builder Website
- NewHomeSource Listing
- NewHomeSource Subdivision Website
- New Construction Yes
Subdivision: Garden Valley
501 Sagebrush Ln Waxahachie, TX
Dallas News Real Estate Powered by Placester


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Dubai Has Eye on Building World's Biggest Ferris Wheel
Buoyed by an economic rebound, Dubai's appetite for big, brash and bold real estate projects has hit overdrive again.
Already home to the planet's tallest skyscraper as well as a man-made peninsula, the desert-city now has its eyes on laying claim to the world's biggest, wait for it, Ferris wheel.
The tourist attraction is part of a $1.6 billion retail, entertainment and residential project announced here late Wednesday. It is to be developed by Meraas Holding.
The Bluewaters development will be located off the coast of Jumeirah Beach Residence, a residential area of skyscrapers in Dubai Marina, and the 210-metre high Ferris wheel will be named rather originally–the Dubai Eye.
Dubai's latest grand project comes just months after the emirate's ruler, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, ordered the construction of a new city development named after himself, a project consisting of 100 hotels, the world's largest shopping mall, parks, art galleries and exhibition centers that could cost $10 billion, according to some estimates.
[More over the jump]


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Unang Balita - 29 July 2013
Unang balita is a Philippine morning news and talk show aired every weekday mornings by GMA Network.Unang Hirit was first aired on GMA in December 6, 1999, replacing Mornings @ GMA. Mornings' hosts Lyn Ching, Suzi Entrata, Ryan Agoncillo with new faces of Mickey Ferriols, Arnold Clavio, and Miriam Quiambao started the show as the original hosts pitting up against ABS-CBN's least powerful Alas Singko Y Medya.In 2009, Unang Hirit celebrated their tenth year, marking them as the longest-running morning show in the Philippines.
Unang Balita


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The Ravens look to bounce back this week after their bitter loss to the Patriots, with the division co-leader (?!) Bengals coming to M&T Bank Stadium. Cincy came out of the gates this season appearing to be much less Bungle-riffic than last year (much to the surprise of anybody who watched them on HBO's Hard Knocks this summer). Were it not for a freak last-play touchdown by Brandon Stokely of Denver in Week 1, the Bengals would be 4-0. Incredible, I know. They've since knocked off Green Bay (at Lambeau), Pittsburgh, and Cleveland (although they nearly lost to, and then tied, the Browns). These aren't last year's Bengals, folks, and the Ravens will have a game on their hands come Sunday.
Of course, the main distraction/storyline coming into this one revolves around #85 for Cincy, Chad Ochocinco. Eight-five, so far this week, has:
- Challenged T-Sizzle to a boxing match;
- Promised that Fabian Washington and Dominique Foxworth would "Kiss da Baby" (85 slang for "its over");
- Asked his twitter followers if he should start a fight with Ray Lewis in pre-game warm ups;
- Threatened to interrupt Lewis' pre-game dance; and
- Said that his celebration, should he score a TD, would be an impression of "Ricky Bobby," from the movie "Talladega Nights."
Think what you want of Chad, but that guy knows how to stir the pot. The most curious of the above threats/promises is the "Ricky Bobby" celebration. In case you haven't seen the movie, Ricky Bobby is a NASCAR driver. Bobby crashes his car, and jumps out mistakenly believing he is on fire. In his panic, he rips off all his clothes except for his tighty-whitey underwear and his racing helmet, and runs around the track like an idiot. So, Chad…are you going to run around with nothing on but your helmet and jock strap? Please, spare us.
The only thing you'll have in common with Ricky Bobby come Sunday is broken bones! (again, I apologize if you haven't seen the movie)
Moving on.
Part of the reason for the Bengals' resurgence is the fact that Carson Palmer is back, and Ryan Fitzpatrick is no longer under center. Palmer has not quite played like his old self, but he is slowly getting there. His 75.2 rating through 4 games this season is well below his career average of 88.1, and he is completing only 57.7 percent of his throws. Palmer, though, is a career Raven killer, having compiled a 6-3 record against B'More as a starter.
Another weapon emerging for the Bengals' offense is RB Cedric Benson, who is running like nobody has since Rudi Johnson's heydey (who dey?) in Cincy. Benson is averaging 4.4 yards per carry, easily the best of his 5-year career.
Whatever. Nobody runs the ball on the Ravens' #1 ranked run D, and Benson will be no different. This game, as all Ravens games seem to, will come down to the ability of Greg Mattison's defense to put pressure on Palmer, and of his much maligned secondary to cover the Bengals talented group of receivers, which also includes Chris Henry, Laverneus Coles, and Andre Caldwell.
The Ravens' #3 offense will also have their work cut out for them, against an improved Cincinnati defense. Bengals' DE Antwan Odom is tied for the league lead with 8 sacks, and as a team the Bengals are tied for 4th in the NFL. Not the best news considering the Ravens may be without starting LT Jared Gaither. Gaither, who was carted off the field in New England, said on Wednesday that he expected to be ready by gametime, but did not practice Wednesday or Thursday. If he cannot go, rookie Michael Oher will again protect Joe Flacco's blind side, and Marshal Yanda will start at RT. Although I personally think Oher can handle any pass rusher in the league 1-on-1, the Ravens will likely give him some help against Odom. Don't be surprised if Cam Cameron uses less 4-receiver formations this week, instead keeping a tight end in to help block, a la 2008.
All the more reason to…say it with me Ravens fans…RUN THE BALL! Cameron was spouting off some nonsense this week about how football has changed, and running the ball doesn't mean championships any more and blah, blah, blah. Sorry Cam, but we're not buying it. That lopsided offense we saw against the Patriots was frustrating to watch, especially with Ray Rice and Willis McGahee both producing like they are. Hopefully the Ravens will show a more balanced attack moving forward. The Bengals are allowing 4.2 yards per rush this season, and heavy doses of Rice and McGahee (and maybe even a dash of Le'Ron McClain?) should be on the menu Sunday, if for no other reason than to keep the Bengals' pass rush honest.
The Ravens' special teams are going to see a shake-up this week. After his struggles (which included the costly "krumble") against the Patriots, Chris Carr will be replaced by Ledarius Webb on kick offs. Webb is an exciting player, a rookie 3rd-round draft choice, who can hopefully inject some life into the team's return game. He had some issues with ball security in the preseason, so we'll assume the coaching staff has corrected those problems if they are trusting him on Sundays now – it's something to keep an eye on though. Carr will still handle punt return duties.
Special teams will also have to cope with the loss of their leader, Brendon Ayanbadejo, who underwent season ending quadriceps surgery this week. The Ravens resigned LB Prescott Burgess, who was a key special teams contributor for them last year and early this season before being traded to make room for TE Tony Curtis.
The Bengals may be a team on the rise, but the Ravens are a team already near the top. They will be playing with an extra edge after feeling like they had a win stolen from them last week. The Ravens will hold serve at M&T Bank Stadium, and take over sole possession of first place in the AFC North through 5 weeks.
Ravens 30 Bengals 20


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Infants are more susceptible to chemical irritants in clothing. So clothing them in undyed organic cotton reduces the chances of irritation and exposure to chemicals which are used to manufacture conventional baby clothing.
These retailers have selections of organic clothing for babies: NutureMama, The Nuture Center, Ecobaby, BlueCanoe, Pangaya
Nordic Natural Woollens specializes in baby clothing made from organic wool.


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In Search of the Novel
A series of eight free professional development workshops designed for middle and high school teachers illustrating innovative tools and strategies employed in the study of the novel.
Ten NovelistsTeacher-TalkNovel is the email discussion list for In Search of the Novel.
Channel-Talk NovelTeacher-TalkNovel is the email discussion list for In Search of the Novel.
Join in on the Discussion!
Join in on the Discussion!
Ten Novels
- A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest Gaines
- Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson
- Ceremony by Leslie Marmon Silko
- Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes
- Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
- Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
- Harry Potter & the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling
- Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison
- Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe
- To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Eight Workshops


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Vandi E.
Lesson Details
Speaking Voice
- Levels Taught:
- Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced
I have extensive training and experience speaking, acting, performing, and teaching. I will work with you to develop a healthy vocal production with endurance, stamina, and volume.
Vandi teaches
- Teaches students:
- Ages 5+
- Teaching since:
- May 2011
Vandi has extensive performance experience in multiple genres: professionally with opera, orchestra, chamber music, musical theater, straight theater, film, sacred works, church music, jazz, and contemporary music.
Meisner Training-Phoenix Theater with Bill Simmons 2017-2018
Destruction in Decatur 2017-Broadsword and Rapier and Dagger SAFD Certifications
Crittenden Opera Workshop 2017-Washington D.C.
CISCO 2017-Stage Combat Certifications
Vianden Summer Program 2016-Luxembourg
CISCO 2016-Stage Combat Certifications
MM in Vocal Performance, the University of Akron, May 2015
BFA in Musical Theater, Shorter University, May 2011
(Theatre minor and Equivalent of a piano minor)
Cosmetology Instructor's Certification and License, Gadsden State Community College, May 2007
Cosmetology Certification and License, May 2006
Voice & Piano TeacherNov 2015 - Present
Teaching Private Voice and Piano Lessons
Performing in Recitals and Concerts
Actress/SingerDec 2017 - Dec 2017
A Christmas Carol
Jazz VocalistJan 2017 - Dec 2017
Jazz Vocalist
Actress/SingerNov 2017 - Nov 2017
The Old Man and the Sea
Opera SingerJun 2017 - Jun 2017
Performer in Opera Scenes from Sacred Marriage, Bartered Bride, and The Old Maid and the Thief
Artistic Director, Stunt Choreographer, Hair and Makeup Designer, Vocal and Acting Coach, CostumingJun 2017 - Jun 2017
The Wizard of Oz Kids Production Ages 5-14
Stage CombatantMay 2017 - Jun 2017
SAFD Certified in Sword and Shield, Small Sword, and Theatrical Firearms Safety
DAI Certified in Unarmed and Broadsword
SAFD Renewal of Rapier and Dagger and Unarmed Combat
Vianden Music Festival Summer Program and Festival PerformerAug 2016 - Aug 2016
Attended Summer Training Program and Performed in the Vianden Music Festival
Artistic DirectorJun 2016 - Jun 2016
Aladdin Kids Production Ages 5-14
CISCO 2016May 2016 - May 2016
Eureka College and Western Illinois University:
SAFD Certified in Theatrical Firearms Safety
SAFD Basic Pass in Knife
SAFD Recommended Pass in Quarterstaff
DAI Certified in Rapier & Dagger
DAI Certified in Single Rapier
Lighted Path Worship Leader and CoordinatorJan 2013 - May 2015
Organized Contemporary Worship Services, Coordinated Praise Band and Tech Team Schedules, Planned Music for Worship Services, Ran Band Rehearsals, Attended Meetings with the Pastor, Discipleship Coordinator, and Worship Committee to Coordinate Weekly Service Themes and Creatively Brainstorm about New Ministries, Special Sermon Series, and Seasonal Bible Studies and Events, Screened and Selected New Volunteers and Hired Musicians, Recruited Volunteers for Music and Tech Team Positions, Arranged Musical Selections for Youth Band and Coordinated all Youth Band Activities, Prepared Special Music Selections and Held Extra Rehearsals with Special Music Performers, Sang with Lighted Path Worship Band and the Traditional Service ChoirShow More
Graduate Teaching AssistantJan 2013 - May 2015
Performed all Commencement Ceremonies, leads in operas, and sang for fundraising events, Instructed university courses and substitute taught for faculty, taught private studio lessons, organized educational events for students, promoted the music program to visiting potential students, publicly represented the school at events on and off campus, assisted professors with office duties and organizing materials for their classesShow More
Music InternAug 2009 - May 2011
Shop AssistantAug 2009 - May 2011
Building Sets, Scene Painting, Lighting, Sound
Hair and Makeup DesignerAug 2007 - May 2011
Opera, Theater, Musical Theater
VBS Teacher and Music LeaderJun 2005 - Aug 2007
AWANA Preschool DirectorJan 2005 - Aug 2007
Worship Band Vocalist and PianistJan 2005 - Aug 2007
Lifeguard, Volunteer Swim Coach, and Swimming Lesson TeacherMay 2004 - Aug 2007
Master of Music in Vocal PerformanceJan 2013 - May 2015
BFA in Musical Theater PerformanceAug 2007 - May 2011
Cosmetology & Cosmetology InstructorJan 2004 - May 2007
Unarmed CombatJun 2017
Sword and ShieldJun 2017
SmallswordJun 2017
Unarmed CombatJun 2017
BroadswordJun 2017
Theatrical Firearms SafetyJun 2017
Rapier and DaggerJun 2017
QuarterstaffJun 2016
Recommended Pass
KnifeJun 2016
Rapier & DaggerJun 2016
Single RapierJun 2016
Theatrical Firearms SafetyJun 2016
Unarmed combat and Rapier & DaggerAug 2011
Stage combat certification. Expired August of 2014
Cosmetology Licensure & Cosmetology Instructor LicenseMay 2007
Graduate Student of the Year in VoiceApr 2015
2nd Place Tannenbaum Mozart CompetitionMar 2015
University of Akron Student NATS Vice PresidentAug 2014
National NATS Semi-finalistJul 2014
3rd Place Regional NATS competitionMar 2014
Tuesday Musical FinalistMar 2014
Concerto Competition FinalistFeb 2014
MemberJan 2014
Graduate Teaching AssistantshipAug 2013
3rd Place Tannenbaum Mozart CompetitionMar 2013
2nd Place Ohio State NATSMar 2013
Miss PUSH AmericaMar 2011
MemberJan 2010
New Member EducatorJan 2008
Miss Gadsden State Community CollegeNov 2006
CompetitorJan 2006
MemberJan 2006
MemberJan 2006
Golden Key International Honor SocietyJan 2014
Golden Key is the world's largest collegiate honor society. Membership into the Society is by invitation only and applies to the top 15% of college and university sophomores, juniors and seniors, as well as top-performing graduate students in all fields of study, based solely on their academic achievements. As an international honor society with more than 400 chapters at colleges and universities around the world, Golden Key is committed to a high standard of scholastic achievement, and an ethos of integrity, innovation, respect, collaboration and diversityShow More
New York Singing Teachers AssociationJan 2013
NYSTA strives to provide voice professionals, both locally and globally, with the tools and inspiration needed for an increasingly informed and creative pedagogy. Immense advances in voice science, neurology, psychology, education theory, medicine, and mind/body healing offer new information and techniques from which voice teachers can draw. By making these resources accessible to our members, we foster twenty-first-century pedagogy, rooted in the great traditions of the past, incorporating the new knowledge of our time.Show More
Society of American Fight DirectorsAug 2011
The Society of American Fight Directors is an internationally recognized non-profit organization dedicated to promoting safety and fostering excellence in the art of stage combat. Whether you are a producer, director, actor or teacher, we can help accelerate your stage combat skills.Show More
National Association of Teachers of SingingJan 2011
Founded in 1944, National Association of Teachers of Singing, Inc. (NATS) is the largest professional association of teachers of singing in the world with more than 7,000 members worldwide.
Phi Theta KappaJan 2006
The purpose of Phi Theta Kappa shall be to recognize and encourage scholarship among two-year college students. To achieve this purpose, Phi Theta Kappa shall provide opportunity for the development of leadership and service, for an intellectual climate for exchange of ideas and ideals, for lively fellowship for scholars, and for stimulation of interest in continuing academic excellence.Show More
Mu Phi EpsilonJan 2006
Mu Phi Epsilon (ΜΦΕ) is a co-ed international professional music fraternity. Today, Mu Phi Epsilon has chapters both nationally and internationally. The fraternity supports achievement in music through the awarding of grants and scholarships, as well as music competitions, concerts, and summer music programs. Much of this work has been supported by the Mu Phi Epsilon Foundation, an organization that has been in existence since 1963, as well as fundraising and donations.Show More
Photos & Videos
58 ReviewsWrite a Review
She's helping me prepare for an audition and giving me valuable tips to sound as good as possible in a short time.
Practicing with Vandi improves my skills more quickly than practicing alone and she is very good at not only answering questions via the internet tutoring but through phone as well. She is very prompt and consistent and provides easy to read materials for my skill level. I'm very happy with my purchase through Take Lessons so far. This is my first time using this website and it is my third lesson as I am new to piano. I have already recommended this site to other people.Show More
Vandi has been awesome. In just a few hours I hear a difference!
great lesson!
Hey i hope you get it .😀
Vandi was very sweet and nice. She made the lesson fun. I'm glad I began to take lessons with her.
Awsome and very professional singer .
Vandi was amazing! So patient with my nine year old budding actress!
Vandi is incredible! Her approach resonated greatly with me by first teaching the mechanics behind speech and then walking me through exercises that enhance speech.
She is friendly, affable, and listens. I absolutely recommend her!
Vandi made Mia feel very comfortable from the get go and Mia had a great experience. I would highly recommend her! She is super sweet and encouraging. Mia cannot wait until her next lesson!
Vandi was super nice, patient (way more patient than I was watching my 6 yr old's first lesson!) and kind. She taught my daughter her first simple song, which she was so excited about. She also gave her the homework to write her own song which she IMMEDIATELY did after the lesson. I'm still not completely sure that online lessons will be right for us long term, but if we continue then Vandi is certainly a wonderful fit for my young child.Show More
Vandi was very generous getting me off to a good start!
My daughter loves her singing lessons and looks forward to them every week. Thank you Vandi !
I thought as a theatre teacher that I didn't have much more to learn. I was wrong. Vandi has given me the confidence to sing. I hid in the altos for years and she helped me find the wider range I was seeking. She includes great visualizations in her lessons which helps a visual learner like me. I have the confidence to trust my breath and sing in ways I never thought possible. She is a wonderful teacher. Take lessons from her!Show More
Vandi is awesome!! My 13 year old has been working with Vandi for several months now and her voice has improved significantly. Vandi is upbeat, happy and encouraging with her, while at the same time teaching her vocal control and technique. Also, we've had no issues with an on-line lesson - in fact, I love on-line lessons. It's very convenient. I highly recommend Vandi!Show More
Thank you
Works so well with all three of my kids and taylors each lesson to their progress and needs. My kids really love taking lessons with Vandi!
My daughter was a bit nervous, but Vandi's sweet personality and natural people skills relaxed my daughter, so they were able to have a very productive lesson!
Catered to each of my children's needs and levels. Great experience!
Vandi was simply excellent. She has patience, poise, enthusiasm, and clear talent and knowledge that was a perfect match for a beginning 10-year old voice student!
That is the wonderful experience with Vandi! My daughter learned to play her voice today and she has so much fun!
I've already learned so much! Including proper breathing and some tips for college! I can't wait for the next lesson!
My daughter is very shy and does not have a lot of confidence in her singing. She's had three lessons with Vandi and is already coming out of her shell. Vandi is very updbeat, comforting and motivating which has been a perfect fit.
Vandi is an awesome instructor! I was hesitant about online lessons, but it's been great. Vandi structures my lessons to meet my needs and goals. Thanks, Vandi!
Terrific first lesson. Vandi caught her interest and showed that she knew her business. Vocal improvement was immediately apparent. There were no complaints about the 'homework.' We look forward to continuing singing lessons with Vandi.
My 16-year old daughter just had her first online lesson with Vandi (to prepare for a vocal audition and a monologue audition as part of a modeling opportunity). Vandi was amazing in so many ways! She asked all the right questions to figure out and understand what my daughter was preparing for and what my daughter needed to accomplish from lessons. She immediately impressed me with her insight of "the industry" and of the process my daughter is undergoing to try to break into that industry. After talking with Vandi, it was so very apparent to me that she has the personal experience and expertise to help my daughter. Vandi was very adept at figuring out my daughter's personality, likes, strengths and weaknesses. From the plethora of songs and monologues Vandi had at her fingertips, after talking/singing with my daughter, together they arrived at suitable options and narrowed it down to a few songs and monologues, which my daughter now gets to select her audition pieces from. My daughter has only had one year of choir in school and was nervous about taking private vocal lessons; however, she enjoyed her first lesson with Vandi so much, she is no longer nervous and looks forward to more lessons...a true testament to Vandi's kindness and teaching abilities! I'm totally impressed by Vandi, can't imagine any other teacher could be better, and so glad we chose her to help our daughter prepare for auditions.Show More
Vandi was very sweet and informative. My son has attention issues and even through all his questions both about the piano and about other randomness, she exhibited patience, redirected him and kept to the schedule so we were getting the most out of our appointment! I was very impressed and my son is very excited!Show More
Vandi is a very professional and energetic teacher. My daughter loves her teaching style and really enjoyed her first lesson.
With only one lesson my daughter has already shown improvement! Really put her at ease and was very kind and patient. Knows how to bring out best in her student. Very impressive
We are extremely happy with Vandi; our 10 year old daughter has done her Audition Prep with success for Middle school and further presentations.
Vandi is very kind, professional person to work with, she has guide us from the beginning. we as parents have had a wonderful experience classes online.
Was a great experience! Vandi is very sweet and very good.. Would highly recommend her!!
Vandi was excellent! Very patient and reassuring with my 12 yr old. Online lesson worked great.
Vandi was patient with our teenaged daughter who needed help for a school play audition. Our daughter got the female lead and we don't think she would have without the confidence and skills provided by Vandi. We are signing up for more lessons now that has the part!Show More
I've rehearsed and performed with Vandi Enzor in a chamber setting per the requirements of her graduate voice degree. I accompanied her on guitar as she sang; the specific piece was the Seven Popular Spanish songs by the great Spanish composer Manuel de Falla. Vandi is professional, patient, hard working, receptive, and musical. Her great command of her instrument is evident, and more than that she has genuine joy in what she does. Collaborating with her was a pleasure, and I can't recommend her enough for musical instruction. A true professional.Show More
Vandi is an amazing Voice teacher. My daughter has no only improved her vocal abilities, but her confidence, self-esteem, and posture are all also improved. She has also now tried out for community theatre and show choir at school, something she would have never done a couple of years ago. Through Vandi's musical instruction talent, my daughter has blossomed into a talented young lady. Thank You Vandi for bringing out the BEST in her.Show More
Vandi is the best instructor I have ever encountered. She can hear exactly where your voice is resonating, and she knows exactly what exercise you need to open into your head voice and resonating spaces. She knows how to free your voice from tension. She is a sound musician, but is clearly a gifted artist and performer as well.Show More
I played in the Advent Band with Vandi as our worship leader for several years. Her energy and enthusiasm was contagious and she always provided positive, constructive criticism. Vandi's knowledge of music theory was demonstrated in her ability to arrange our songs to suit the various skill levels of the band members and the congregation! This is not an easy task and she handled it with ease and grace. I would highly recommend her as an instructor.Show More
I played in the Advent Band with Vandi as our worship leader for several years. Her energy and enthusiasm was contagious and she always provided positive, constructive criticism. Vandi's knowledge of music theory was demonstrated in her ability to arrange our songs to suit the various skill levels of the band members and the congregation! This is not an easy task and she handled it with ease and grace. I would highly recommend her as an instructor.Show More
Vandi is kind, talented and very well educated. I have worked with her in the past and she is fun to work with and always wants what is best for her students. She helped me pass my promotional test in college. I could not have done it without her help and more importantly, friendship!Show More
I loved working with Vandi!!! She is so much fun! I absolutely loved my lessons with her! Hated to see her go when she graduated! She is an amazing teacher! If you study with her, you will definitely not be sorry! She will challenge you and push you, but you will become so much better, and you will have a ton of fun in the process!Show More
Vandi is a beautiful person inside and out. She is an incredible musician and teacher. She is a fantastic singer and pianist. Highly recommend!
A fellow musician and a family member, I have observed Vandi as she teaches lessons. I am amazed by her teaching. She approaches teaching her students to sing with patience and creativity. She helps her students to grow and encourages them toward success. She is a great teacher!Show More
Vandi is an amazing singer. She is a soprano and has a beautiful voice. Vandi always did a wonderful job in Opera Lyric Theater productions.
Vandi is a very gifted vocalist. She has mastered several styles of vocal music including classical, jazz, theater and pop. Vandi is also a wonderful and patient person who gives all she can to help others. She is a great teacher (and was an excellent student as well).Show More
Vandi was my first voice teacher as a beginning adult and she has a knack for making you feel comfortable. She also has a really great reservoir of tips and tricks for specific problems you may be having when singing. She is extremely warm and personable and I definitely recommend her.Show More
Vandi is excellent! Not only is she an amazing singer, but I think she has a great knowledge of the rep she teaches, what's best for her students, but she really knows how to teach it and relate it to her students. Highly recommended! You'll have one of the best instructors in Vandi!Show More
Vandi was the leader of the praise band at our church. She was a tremendous leader - challenging the band instrumentally and vocally. Her voice, both in the praise band and in the traditional choir were a great addition to the worship experience. Vandi was here for only a year or two but she made a great impression on everyone she met. Everyone was sad to see her go.Show More
Vandi has great technical skills and a wonderful ability to communicate clear goals and help the student achieve their aims. She was a great help in my daughters development as a singer.
Vandi has enormous vocal talent -- a very wide range with a very beautiful quality. She has a wonderful personality and a very positive approach to her tasks. Vandi demonstrated great leadership skills while serving as the band leader for worship.
Vandi was extremely enthusiastic, is easygoing and fun to work with.
She is comfortable working in many different styles and genres
You will have fun and learn a great deal.
Gerry, New Franklin, Ohio
imagine a gray hair that decided to learn how to play the piano. Needless to say my fingers and mind are slow - but Vandi was encouraging and found music that was easy to learn and was my genre! Made sure my fingers were on the proper keys and was quite patient with me. I am enjoying the music and making progress! Vandi has a great personality and is very encouraging!Show More
Incredibly talented! Great human being! Can't imagine anyone better from whom to take lessons!
Vandi is a talented, artistic musician/singer. She displays a lovely, lyrical sound and is a compassionate and knowledgeable teacher. I give her my highest recommendation.
Vandi was always so willing to work with me on my weaknesses. She is very patient and always pushes you to do better. We spent so much time on certain things that I was having trouble with, and she really solidified certain techniques in me that I was previously struggling with. I cannot thank her enough!Show More
I had never taken voice lessons or sung in my life. I just wanted to try singing. Vandi is so easy to work with. I had so much fun taking voice lessons with her that I joined my school choir the next semester.
Vandi was kind, funny and greatly encouraging. I actually hand fun at my lessons! I highly recommend Vandi as a voice tutor.
I had taken some casual voice lessons from my sister, but I hadn't done a lot of singing before I took lessons with Vandi. I really enjoyed studying with her. It turns out I have a really great voice! I never would have found out how much I truly enjoy singing without Vandi.Show More
I had a lot of anxiety about singing solos. I had sung a lot in choir, but not by myself. I always got really nervous. Vandi helped me to relax and just enjoy singing and not think so hard about it. I believe that I have a really beautiful voice. I didn't before. Vandi is a really awesome teacher. I loved taking lessons with her.Show More


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Day 5 Shirt of Choice:Â Bears, Beets, Battelstar
The San Diego Zoo is one big zoo and it houses an extraordinary amount of animals! But I'm getting ahead of myself. We first had breakfast at Hash House A Go Go, a place were big food is the norm. The portions at Hash House A Go Go are, in the words of the New York Times, gastronomic! And from firsthand experience, I know that they aren't kidding. The portions here were huge and definitely a little daunting. It's a great place to go on a hungry stomach or to share a plate with a friend. I ordered the Andy's Special, which consisted of Ham Steak and a biscuit on a bed of mashed potatoes topped with spinach, tomato, ham, scrambled eggs, cheddar and covered in chili cream. The dish was good (and a little on the spicy end) but for some reason I probably did not enjoy it as much as I should have simply because of the enormity of the serving.Â
That monstrosity is the Andy's Special at Hash House A Â Go Go!
After breakfast we headed over once again to Balboa Park en route to the San Diego Zoo. Again, I cannot stress enough the size of Balboa Park, at just about 1,174 acres big, you would definitely need at least two days minimum to see (or try to see) everything it has to offer. We snapped a few pictures and then made our way to the zoo entrance and eagerly jumped onto the first of many zoo trails, the monkey trail. Our favorite part of the zoo had to be the new Elephant Odyssey, which had opened just a few days prior. It's a massive area of the zoo that was created just for the elephants. By the end of the day we had done all of the trails, rode on the Skyfari Aerial Tram twice, did the guided bus tour and saw a whole lot of animals!
Me posing next to an ancestor.
And finally, for our last night in San Diego, we walked to the Little Italy district, which was just 9 blocks or so away from The Sophia Hotel. I've been to a couple of Little Italy's in different cities and this one was a little subdued compared to the others. We had dinner at Filippi's Pizza Grotto. What's interesting about Filippi's is that you must walk through their "cash and carry" Italian grocery store and deli, stocked with cheeses, pasta and a lot of various imports from Italy before ending up at the restaurant. The line was out the door, so we knew it had to be good! The servings at Filippi's were huge. I ordered the Spaghetti with Sausage and Meatball and Michelle had the Chicken Parmigiana with Spaghetti. This Filippi's is actually the first of this California chain and has been serving excellent pasta and pizza for over 50 years now. By the time we left Filippi's, it was dark out and the Little Italy district had picked up steam, was lively and filled with people, drinking, eating and having a merry time.Â
Until I make it to the real Italy, these Little Italy's will have to do for now.
Tomorrow: Las Vegas, NV
Day 6 Shirt of Choice:Â No shirt, just a standard polo
This was our last day in San Diego and our first day in Las Vegas! The morning consisted of some last minute packing, returning of the rental car and shipping some stuff back home via the United States Postal Service. After those errands we had a quick breakfast at The Cheese Shop were I had the breakfast sandwich and Michelle the eggs & sausage.Â
The flight to Las Vegas was short, just about an hour, but was worth it considering that a drive to Sin City would take a considerably longer.Â
It only take a few seconds after leaving the flight deck to be enamored by the Las Vegas lifestyle of cha-chings! Even in the airport you can hear people gambling their money away. We swiftly picked up our luggage, found our shuttle bus and headed to the Bellagio. After a mishap with the rooms, we found our way to our guest room in the Spa Tower of the Bellagio with a view of the famous Bellagio fountains, Bally's and the Eiffel Tower at the Paris Hotel. The view from our room was superb!
This is a peak at the Conservatory within the Bellagio. It's always packed with people.Â
We spent little time in the room, though. After quickly unpacking we headed out to Las Vegas Boulevard and went straight to Caesar's Palace for dinner at Bobby Flay's Mesa Grill. Unfortunately, the place was packed and they didn't serve tables of two until after 9pm. So instead, we walked to the Fashion Show Mall and afterwards checked out the Forum Shoppes at Caesar's. By the time we finished shopping we were just in time for our 10:00pm reservations at Mesa Grill. I have to admit that the wait was definitely worth it! We both ordered steaks – I guess we were both craving some red meat! I had the Black Angus New York Strip Steak with Homemade MESA Steak Sauce. Michelle had the Coffee Rubbed Filet Mignon with Mushroom-Ancho Chile Sauce. My medium cooked steak came out so tender and juicy, it was an absolute delight! The bread was also a welcomed surprise. The bread basket consisted of a three types of breads with my favorite being the jalapeno parmesan.Â
And my steak at MESA Grill. So delicious!
After dinner, we checked out Serendipity 3 in Caesar's Palace for desert. Serendipity 3Â is a New York based restaurant known for their deserts, especially their frozen hot chocolate. And I can honestly say that the frozen hot chocolate was a massively decadent mouthgasm! It was so good that we came back for more (but more on that later).Â
Tomorrow: The Phantom and Mario Batali's B&B Ristorante


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"Fifty Shades of Grey" movie gets Aug. 1, 2014 release date
Although the illusive Christian Grey (or anyone for that matter) has yet to be cast for the movie adaptation of "50 Shades of Grey," the film has a release date, which will be Friday, Aug. 1, 2014 for North America.
Focus Features is releasing the film domestically, while Universal Pictures will handle the international release, with dates still to be determined. Universal and Focus acquired the rights to the "Fifty Shades" trilogy in March 2012.
Sam Taylor-Johnson (who directed "Nowhere Boy" about John Lennon's childhood in Liverpool, England) is directing the film adaptation of E L James' steamy No. 1 bestselling book. James will produce the film alongside Michael De Luca and Dana Brunetti, and Kelly Marcel is writing the screenplay.
In a recent statement, Taylor-Johnson said: "I'm so excited to be charged with the evolution of 'Fifty Shades of Grey' from page to screen. For the legions of fans, I want to say that I will honor the power of Erika's book and the characters of Christian and Anastasia. They are under my skin, too."
"Fifty Shades" and the trilogy has been translated in over 50 languages worldwide since its release and has sold more than 70 million copies worldwide in e-book and print, making it one of the fastest-selling book series ever.
While no official casting has been announced for the film, many actors have been speculated to play the mysterious and mischievous Christian Grey (though most are mere rumors created by fans who are wishing and hoping and dreaming). Among the top contenders being discussed on fan pages, polls and blogs are Ian Somerhalder, Matthew Bomer, Matt Davis, Robert Pattinson, Alex Pettyfer and Henry Cavill (and every other semi-handsome actor between the ages of 20 and 45).
Tell us: Who do you hope plays Christian Grey in the movie?


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A guy walks into a bar, sits down and has a drink. Suddenly, a man hollers at him, ''I screwed your mom last night!'' Disturbed, the man tries to ignore him.
Again, he hears, ''Your mom was good in bed last night!'' Again, he tries to ignore it.
The man is just about to speak again but the guy stops him and says, ''Dad, go home, you're drunk!''


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Debate: are emigrants abandoning Ireland, or has it abandoned them?
A Facebook page, now removed, accused Irish emigrants of abandoning their country in its time of need, and has met with a volatile reaction online. Photograph: Cyril Byrne
GENERATION EMIGRATION:A Facebook page has accused emigrants of being 'Ireland Abandoners'. Here, two Irish people, homeand abroad, weigh up the debate
A Facebook page called "Ireland Abandoners" appeared online last month, taking aim at emigrants who were "jumping ship" when Ireland needed them most.
"Basically you have all left now," it said. "Many of you hope to return one day when things pick up, when the economic climate changes to suit you, well, guess who is changing it? The people that stayed behind. We will not allow you to reap the benefit of the crops that we are sowing now!"
The page attracted more than a thousand "Likes" and numerous comments from people who agreed with the anonymous account holder, and thousands of replies from emigrants who were offended by the remarks.
A counter page set up by a group of emigrants in Australia lobbied for the original page to be removed from Facebook, which it subsequently was.
Here, two people give their reaction to the debate.
KATIE HARRINGTON (24), now lives in Dubai
I was surprised about how strongly I felt on reading the recent Facebook Ireland Abandoners page, which attacked young people who have emigrated from Ireland. The page derided those of us who have left the country recently, arguing that we had abandoned Ireland and would not be welcome back when the recession ended.
To abandon something is to walk away from it and to never look back. None of my Irish friends who left Ireland in search of work has done that. The page also criticised those of us who fly the tricolour abroad ("Take down your tricolours, you are not worthy of flying them and are not welcome back"). Who is anyone to tell us we don't have that right? Should we stop listening to Irish music, too? I'm going to a GAA tournament outside Dubai next week; should I tell the organisers to cancel it, that Irish people can celebrate their cultural heritage only in Ireland?
Irish people are known for our gregarious nature, it's a trait we like to promote. But the debate on the Ireland Abandoners page displayed another attribute we're famous for – begrudgery.
I'm 24, and August will mark my fourth year living outside Ireland. In the past 12 months, I have left a teaching job in Abu Dhabi to pursue a media career in Bristol, a move that was ultimately unsuccessful and led to me taking a post in recruitment to pay the bills. Six months later, I was offered a journalism job in Dubai, so I returned to the Middle East.
Dubai is the fifth city I've lived in since graduating from the University of Limerick in 2009. I've worked long hours and for free, and I've worked in countries I would rather not have worked in. I'm not complaining, because after all that, I feel things are going my way now. I'm on the career path I want to be on, I'm saving money, and I shouldn't have to apologise for that.
What the person behind this page – and others who posted comments supporting them – seem to ignore is that many of us did our utmost to stay. We still watch when the Budget is announced, to see if it contains anything that might allow us to come home in the next few years. We have brothers, sisters, parents and friends who are struggling with cutbacks.
We are not immune to this recession. We may not be struggling as badly financially, but we are making sacrifices.
I miss seeing the younger members of my family grow up. I'm at the age where friends are getting married and having children, and I'm missing all of that, too. It feels lonely sometimes, but I know I have made my choice.
One thing is for sure: Dubai might be where I live now but it will never be home. I will fly the tricolour anywhere I please because being Irish is who I am and I'm fiercely proud of it. Just like generations before me who flocked to Liverpool, Boston, Sydney and elsewhere in search of better opportunities during tough times in Ireland, I will hold dear the culture I love.
CLARE HERBERT (25), now lives in Dublin
Forced emigration is always a tragedy. The thousands of Irish mothers and fathers who've waved off their offspring at our airports can attest to that. I frequently joke that I'd love one night out in Sydney, since I have more friends there than here.
The narrow-minded perspective of the recent Ireland Abandoners Facebook page proved surprisingly popular before it was taken down last week. It is wrong to criticise our emigrants, many of whom were forced to leave due to economic necessity. I would certainly never consider an emigrant as an Ireland abandoner. Indeed, I've spent about a year working on various short-term contracts overseas.
There is a group of young people who are choosing to stay in Ireland and embrace the challenge and responsibility of building a better future for the country. In many cases, it would be wiser for us to go. If I emigrated, I would earn more, have better opportunities for career development, better health, education and social systems for my future children, and nicer weather.
But, as it has been through the generations, the emotional pull to Ireland remains profound. I want to be at home, to live in the country that educated me, and to be a very small part of the solution to our national problems.
There's little value in re-hashing the argument that older generations have lived at our expense. Although I think many objective commentator will agree that the under-30s will work harder and longer for less money than our parents.
Despite or perhaps because of this, social innovation, young engagement and entrepreneurship is flourishing among the under-30s.
Generation Y live in a world that our grandparents couldn't have imagined. Consequently, we have a sense of personal and societal confidence, unlike our predecessors. The vibrant entrepreneurial community is testament to the number of young people willing to take a punt on their own idea.
Not everyone has the opportunity to stay. Writing this, I'm conscious that I may have to emigrate some day. No one is immune from emigration. I want to build my life here and am committed to working hard to make it happen. But, I might fail.
Each individual must try to strike a balance between one's patriotic duty and one's personal desires to live a full and happy life.
Indeed, it could be argued that under-employed Irish young people could become a better asset to Ireland's recovery if they emigrated with the intention of up-skilling and returning home. As globalisation continues, Ireland's diaspora is becoming increasingly relevant.
Criticising emigrants is both small-minded and unfair, but emigration is not the only story. Many Irish young people choose to stay in Ireland and form part of a new generation of Irish entrepreneurs and innovators who have already begun to change the kind of Ireland we live in.
What you said on our Generation Emigration blog
As an emigrant, you encounter people who accuse you of being a traitor for leaving, and others who want to send you back where you came from.
This kind of ignorance is so commonplace it's not even worth a shrug. Fortunately, there are plenty of people all over who don't think that way.
Their anger should be directed at the society that encourages our youth to go, painting a "gold is there for digging in the streets" mentality, or that we have some piece of DNA that makes us more inclined to emigrate.
We don't. What we do have is an economic model that has exported labour to English-speaking countries in nearly every decade since the Famine.
Offer the bitter little (wo)man who put up the page a visa to the US, Canada or Australia and (s)he'll change his or her tune pretty quickly. I suspect (s)he is just a frustrated person to be pitied and who envies us for surviving the sinking ship and making it.
Loyalty to a country whose rulers haven't been so loyal to its citizens doesn't pay the bills, especially not if you're on the dole.
What about free speech? I didn't agree with the page, I'm living in Australia, but what I find more troubling is the demand that the page be removed. Demanding that people who have a different point of view be shut down is not very tolerant.
If I stayed in Ireland I would just be another person on the dole, taking money from the shrinking tax take. Those in Ireland should be delighted we struck out to make a living in far -away places, where we get a good pay cheque to support our children.
Now that we are gone we do not take children's allowance or dole. The working taxpayers left behind have enough to support in old-age pensioners, single mothers, children's allowance, politicians' fat pensions, and so on.
As a nurse I was worn out from working to pay all these people.
Adrian Lawler
I didn't abandon Ireland, Ireland abandoned me, and I took control of my destiny and put my life back on track.


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Book a flight
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Book a flight
WestJet is hard at work improving our website to give you a great guest experience.
WestJet eases restrictions on pets in the cabin.
Airline looks to attract more guests who want to travel with the family pet.
WestJet today announced the easing of restrictions on pets in the cabin. All WestJet flights will now allow for any type of animal to travel in the cabin provided it fits safely on board the aircraft.
"We recognize that a growing number of families want to travel with their 'extended' family and we are proud to be the first airline to offer this type of service," said Richard Bartrem, WestJet's Vice-President, Communications and Community Relations.


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Gerstner Sloan-Kettering Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
The mission of the Gerstner Sloan-Kettering Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences is to advance the frontiers of knowledge by providing to gifted and creative students in an interactive innovative and collegial environment the education and training they need to make new discoveries in the biological sciences. Much of the recent explosion in new knowledge about normal biological functions and disease is rooted in fundamental laboratory discoveries. Contributions to our understanding of human disease including cancer have come from many disciplines -- genetics cell biology structural biology immunology and developmental biology among others. The prospects for designing new interventions utilizing the modern tools of cell and molecular biology are enormous. And the rules -- whether one is talking about infectious metabolic neurological diseases or cancer -- are the same: understand the disease process at the cellular level; identify the genes involved and their protein products; and focus on these molecules to prevent or reverse the disease with new drugs vaccines or other approaches. e are at the beginning of this journey harnessing our burgeoning new knowledge and bringing it from the laboratory into clinical practice. But we are only at the beginning. We need to train the next generation of scientists who are passionate about attacking problems in human disease through basic research. With an outstanding scientific faculty an acclaimed clinical faculty and ongoing basic science research linked to disease-relevant models the Gerstner Sloan-Kettering Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences is ideally positioned to offer this training. The scientific enterprise is wonderful and ennobling. It embodies a great adventure. We invite you to join us.
School Information415 E 68th St
New York, New York 10021
Locale: City: Large
Open Admissions: Yes
Sector: Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above
Carnegie Basic: Not applicable, not in Carnegie universe (not accredited or nondegree-granting)
Religious Affiliation: Not applicable
Common name(s): Gerstner Sloan-Kettering
Students & Faculty
Degrees & Programs
|Biomedical Sciences, General


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Jump to a section
Who the heck puts this all together?
When is the next Bout of Books?
What is CATPCHA? How do I know if I have it on?
Can I participate if I don't have a blog or Twitter account?
Can I participate in the read-a-thon if I don't want to participate in the giveaways, challenges, or Twitter chats?
Do audiobooks count?
Can I change my goals?
Can my sign up post and goal post be the same?
How do the daily link ups work?
Should I have one post that I update daily or have a new post every day?
What does "actively participating" in the read-a-thon mean?
How do I follow the #boutofbooks hashtag?
Where is the #boutofbooks TweetChat room?
What's the difference between @boutofbooks and #boutofbooks?
(more coming soon)
Check the about page, the getting started page, this page, as well as the current sign up post. If they do not answer your questions, then please contact the team by using the contact options in the sidebar.
2. Who the heck puts all this together?
While Amanda is the Dark Overlord (and ultimately makes the final decisions on all things), the Bout of Books team also consists of Kelly Rubidoux Apple, Amanda's brain-sharing, shenanigan-causing partner in crime! We are also helped out by a slew of dedicated Bout of Books experts (scroll down, they're at the bottom-ish!) who would love to answer your questions!
3. When is the next Bout of Books?
Bout of Books runs on a schedule of three per year:
- January: first full week
- May: second full week
- August: third full week
Dates for the next Bout of Books, as well as the three after that, are located on the about page.
4. Why aren't there more international/CA giveaways?
All giveaway and challenge hosts are volunteers, and they are almost always paying out of their own pocket. We try to make sure the majority of giveaways are open to our international participants, but sometimes it's just not possible.
5. What is CAPTCHA? How do I know if I have it on?
CAPTCHA (according to Wikipedia) is a "challenge-response test used in computing as an attempt to ensure that the response is generated by a human being." This usually translates into a string of random letters/words that a commenter has to correctly interpret before their comment is accepted. How does CAPTCHA affect you? Because of the difficulty in deciphering the words used, if you have CAPTCHA turned on, many people who would otherwise leave comments, don't. If you're on Blogger and you're not getting a lot of comments on your update posts, consider turning it off for the duration of the read-a-thon. Blogger turns it on automatically, and as the blog author, you will not see it. To check if you have it on go to: Dashboard > Settings > Posts and Comments > Show Word Verification > NO = Captcha is not on
Sign Up and Goals
1. I don't have a blog (or Twitter account or Facebook or Goodreads), can I still participate?
Yes! We only require that you update somewhere publicly. (Meaning anyone--like your challenge hosts--can see that you're participating without logging in to anything.) Even if you have none of these, you can leave your updates in the comment section of this blog.
2. I don't want to participate in the giveaways/challenges/Twitter chats, can I still participate in the read-a-thon?
YES! All giveaways and challenges are optional. This is a read-a-thon. The only thing you actually need to do is read. As for Twitter, we understand that not everyone is a fan, and so it can be used however best works for YOU.
3. Ms. X and I run a blog together, but we both want to sign up. Do we sign up individually or together?
If the only updates are on the blog, sign up together. If you intend to update from your personal Twitter and/or Goodreads account, sign up individually.
4. Do audiobooks count for the read-a-thon? How do I track my progress with them?
Absolutely! Reading can be a whole body experience. You can track audiobooks multiple ways: by discs, by chapters, or by how many hours you've listened to.
5. The goals I originally picked aren't working for me. Can I change them?
Please do! As a reminder, goals are completely optional. If having goals helps keep you motivated, set some. Ultimately, this read-a-thon is here to help motivate you. The goals you choose can be amended, altered, tailored, and otherwise changed to suit you. If you don't like the books you originally picked out, change them! If you were overly ambitious in the number of books you thought you'd be able to read, change it! Some people choose not to have a list of books to choose from. That's fine! Some people add to their original list as the read-a-thon progresses. That's fine, too! This is your read-a-thon, make it work for you!
6. Can my sign up post and goal post be the same?
Yes, absolutely! If you prefer a more low-pressure approach, feel free to try our read-a-thon goal-less. Seriously, it's whatever works best for you.
Linky/Progress Updates
How do the daily link ups work?
Each day is for the previous day's progress. So, it works like this:
- Monday: sign-up post (a re-post of the sign-up linky)
- Tuesday: progress for Monday
- Wednesday: progress for Tuesday
- Thursday: progress for Wednesday
- Friday: progress for Thursday
- Saturday: progress for Friday
- Sunday: progress for Saturday
- Monday: wrap up for the entire read-a-thon (can include 7 days worth of progress or just a general update on how you did overall)
This is entirely up to you. There is no right or wrong way to track your reading throughout the readathon. We have provided a basic template in the Goals Post Template section that you can tweak to your heart's content.
One of the links on the update linky is broken. What should I do?
If it's your link, please fix it. The inlinkz linky is set up so that you can delete your own link (and re-add it). If it's someone else's, do let them know so they can fix it.
Can my sign up post and goal post be the same?
Yes, absolutely! It's whatever works best for you. While you are required to sign up by declaring your intention to join, we no longer require a goals post to be considered actively participating. Again, however you want to swing this works for us!
How do I link up Goodreads status updates?
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Goals Post Template
Time Devoted to Reading
I will be reading a day/on the weekend/all week.
My Goals
- [this can be as detailed or as vague as you'd like]
Books to Read
- [add the books you hope to read here] [or don't add any. your call.]
Number of books I've read today:
Total number of books I've read:
[repeat for remainder of week]
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Read-a-thon Tips
Of course! Read whatever you want.
I'd like to win the Grand Prize. What does "actively participating" in the read-a-thon mean?
To qualify as actively participating, you need:
- A "Yes, I'm participating!" post that is DIRECTLY linked in our sign up post
- At least two updates that show reading progress that are DIRECTLY linked in one of our daily link ups.
Twitter Tips
How do I link to a specific tweet on Twitter?
Where can I get important updates on Twitter?
Follow our official Twitter account, @boutofbooks, or follow the hashtag #boutofbooks.
How do I follow the #boutofbooks hashtag?
Use TweetChat or a Twitter client like TweetDeck. TweetChat will automatically add #boutofbooks to your tweets so you don't forget. There are also TweetChat alternatives such as Twubs, which you can find at http://twubs.com/boutofbooks
Where is the #boutofbooks TweetChat room?
You can find it at tweetchat.com/room/boutofbooks.
What's the difference between @boutofbooks and #boutofbooks?
@boutofbooks is the Twitter account Amanda and Kelly use to share important updates and interact with readers. #boutofbooks is our official hashtag, and it's what all the participants use to connect with each other and share their reading updates. If you need to talk to Amanda or Kelly, use @boutofbooks. If you want to connect with other participants or keep people updated about your progress, use #boutofbooks.
You'll often see us reminding everyone to use #boutofbooks instead of @boutofbooks. This is so actual questions don't get lost in the shuffle of general updates.
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Past Challenges
Please note: We are no longer accepting "Guess the cover" style challenges for the read-a-thons.
- Book Spine Poetry
- create a poem using the titles (spines) of books
- Pick It Up, Then Pile It Up
- take a picture of your current TBR pile.
- Babble Challenge:
- create a haiku for a book you're reading now
- Dream Cast:
- pick one of your favorite books/series and cast the characters using pictures of whomever you think best fits the character.
- Retitle It:
- choose a book and give it a new name.
- Book Confessions:
- share an embarrassing/shocking/funny story or answer this/that questions.
- A Bookish Question:
- answer a question related to books
- Books and Shoes:
- match a book or character with a pair of shoes


text:
This isn't my last piece at The American Prospect, but it is my last post—if you follow me on Twitter, you probably know, by now, that I'm leaving The Prospect to join The Daily Beast as a staff writer. I'm not the best at goodbyes, so I'll say this: Not only am I grateful that The Prospect hired me three years ago—despite not having any journalism or professional writing experience—but working for the magazine since has been a great pleasure and privilege. And the same goes for working with everyone who makes The Prospect what it is: I honestly can't imagine a better team of people, or a better group of friends.
Starting next month, you can find my stuff at The Daily Beast (and I'm always mouthing off on Twitter. But I will still be reading The Prospect, every day, and you should too.


text:
The California State Senate has once again passed the Identity Information Protection Act (SB 30), a widely-supported law that mandates privacy and security safeguards for government-issued identification cards that incorporate remotely readable radio frequency identity (RFID) tags. Authored in response to public concern regarding the considerable security implications of RFID technologies, SB 30 passed 33-2 with extensive bipartisan support.
The California State Senate passed the previous version of SB 30 last year, but it was vetoed by Governor Schwarzenegger on the grounds that it would impede adoption of cost-saving RFID technologies for government applications and could potentially conflict with emerging federal standards on RFID security.
The security requirements in SB 30 are largely modeled after the technology acquisition standards established by the US Department of Commerce for government agencies that purchase technologies for protecting unclassified personal data. Since many RFID vendors already voluntarily conform to the standards set by the US Department of Commerce so that they can sell to government agencies, the requirements imposed by SB 30 are not excessively cumbersome to vendors. The law also grandfathers in existing systems so that non-compliant technologies will not have to be replaced.
In addition to imposing security and privacy safeguard standards, the act also criminalizes unauthorized scanning and requires the California Research Bureau to perform studies and provide legislative guidance so that future RFID security laws can better protect citizens.
The governor has yet to publicly state his position on SB 30, but the bill has support from a broad assortment of left, right, and nonpartisan political action groups including the Electronic Frontier Foundation, American Civil Liberties Union, Republican Liberty Caucus, Gun Owners of America, and Citizens Against Government Waste. In light of the serious privacy and security risks posed by RFID tags, it seems prudent to establish mandatory standards, but if SB 30 meets the same fate as its predecessor and fails to pass the governor's desk, there are still some decidedly low-tech solutions that concerned citizens can use to protect their privacy.


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Join 203299 others who are connecting with their cousins and common researchers!
FamilyTreeCircles is easy and free.
I am looking for Trout Family, Hinkle, Taylor for now.
Most are from Ohio But James Taylor was born in Va. So was his daughter Sarah. She married Gabriel Hinkle also from Va..I don't know when, but sometime in 1800 moved to Ohio and Had my Great Grandmother named Artie,in 1875 and son named Clyde in 1878. Artie married my great grandfather... more...


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Fat City
Fat City
The global cultural obsession with losing weight is spreading rapidly, as attested by the hundreds of "miracle" diets, the thousands of weight-loss products, and the near-universal excitement over the claimed discovery of the "fat gene." Hardly a day goes by without some headline story about obesity. And in fact, although fat is not all bad-it performs important functions, such as cushioning, insulation, and energy storage-in excess, fat rightly causes much concern. Particularly when bodies become obese, fat is associated with a worrisome list of health problems. The World Health Organization (WHO) reports a "greatly increased risk" of diabetes, gall bladder disease, hypertension, dyslipidemia, insulin resistance, breathlessness, and sleep apnea; "moderately increased risk" of coronary heart diseases, osteoarthritis, hyperuricemia, and gout; and "slightly increased risk" of cancers, reproductive hormone abnormalities, polycystic ovary syndrome, impaired fertility, low back pain, increased anesthetic risk, and fetal defects (arising from maternal obesity). And worldwide obesity levels are on the rise. WHO reports that while there were an estimated 200 million obese adults worldwide in 1995, there are now over 300 million. Such is the concern internationally that WHO launched the International Obesity Task Force in 1996.
Despite the alarm, there has been little discussion about the wider context of fat or its mobilities: the ways fat moves around. We want to turn attention away from obesity to look at obecity, that is, the processes through which fat travels through bodies, infrastructures, and cities, and the growing problems that encounters with fat generate. The social geographer David Harvey argues that "cities are constituted out of the flows of energy, water, food, commodities, money, people, and all the other necessities that sustain life." What role does fat play in this context? Can fat literally block up the city? Has the balance between fat as a resource and fat as a waste product become disrupted? And if so, what strategies are in place to tackle obecity? We argue that to understand the mobilities of fat in a city context metaphors of urban metabolism become important. This article discusses the wider crisis of fat that is blocking up the city and the close interconnections between strategies for slimming down bodies, infrastructures, and the city as a whole.
The United States leads the world in the incidence of obesity. Official figures suggest that one in five children is overweight, 60 percent of the general population is overweight, and 21 percent is obese. Obesity has more than doubled in the last two decades and is now rising by 5 percent per year. However, obesity is not evenly distributed; more than half of black women in low socio-economic groups are obese, for instance. Obesity is estimated to account for 12 percent ($100 billion) of U.S. health care costs. The United States provides a dubious benchmark for the rest of the western world, suggesting where other countries might be heading.
In response to these trends, the health magazine Men's Fitness set out to measure, city by city, "the relative environmental factors that either support an active, fit lifestyle, or nudge people towards a pudgier sedentary existence." Using existing surveys and data, the magazine's analysis ranked the 50 largest U.S. cities according to per-capita numbers or rates of several factors, including gyms and sporting-goods stores, health club memberships, exercise, fruit and vegetable consumption, alcohol consumption, smoking, television watching, junk food outlets, and recreation facilities. Obesity levels were scored by drawing on data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion.
One result is that, ever since the survey was launched, U.S. cities have been jostling to escape top honors as fattest city. New Orleans was ranked as the fattest city in the first year of the survey in 1999; in 2000 it was Philadelphia, and then Houston took the lead for the next two years. These rankings were not ignored. When Philadelphia was on top, a headline in USA Today ran, "Blame the Cheese Steak: Unfit Philly Wins Flab Crown." The article reported a spokesperson for the city initially saying, "This just proves what we've been saying all along, because Philadelphia has the best restaurants of any city in America, and apparently we've got the evidence to prove it."
A more considered response followed from the mayor, John Street, who appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show to discuss Philadelphia's new status as fat capital. The mayor enrolled the city in a strategy of collective weight loss. He appointed a Health and Fitness Czar (or Fat Czar, as the media reported it) and launched a program called "76 Tons in 76 Days" with the support of the professional basketball team the Philadelphia 76ers. The city was challenged to lose a collective 76 tons of weight (69 metric tons) in 11 weeks. When the official tally was taken on July 3, 2001, 26,000 people were reported to have lost an average of 5.3 pounds (2.2 kilograms) each. Strategies for collective weight loss included support groups for dieting and ritual weighing-in, line-dancing programs for city employees, urging restaurants to provide healthier food, and free fitness programs. The mayor's Office of Health and Fitness now reports that since the initial strategy was adopted in January 2000 a range of actors has signed on to a coalition for improving the health of Philadelphia: "citizens, the Department of Health, private corporate and community organizations, institutions of higher learning, public and private schools, communities of faith, hospitals, health systems, health clubs and gyms, pharmaceuticals, media outlets, local, state, and federal government agencies, nonprofit health agencies and sports teams." Philadelphia dropped to seventh position in the rankings in 2004.
Houston, meanwhile, was moving the other way. An ABC News headline summed it up: "Houston, You Have a Problem: A Big, Fat Problem." Houston took the lead from Philadelphia and for 2002 and 2003 was ranked first. This provocative identity was not something Mayor Lee Brown wanted "as a distinction of our city." Houston's response-to seek advice from Philadelphia-led to the appointment of a former Mr. Universe as Fitness Czar, who began a "Get Lean Houston" campaign. This included a "fat drive," in which participants pledged to lose weight; the result was a collective loss of 17,000 pounds (7,700 kilograms) by 2,000 participants. Again, a range of different organizations took part. Perhaps most notable was McDonald's, an "official restaurant sponsor," which rolled out a "Salad and More" menu across all of its 253 Houston-area restaurants. By 2004, Houston could boast that it had dropped to second place, behind Detroit-the result, according to Men's Fitness, of better scores for sports participation, alcohol consumption, and nutrition.
Some of this may appear common sense. But this conversation about fat, and the metaphor of the Fat City, have also provoked renewed interest in the relationship between bodies and cities. For example, papers published in American Journal of Health Promotion and American Journal of Public Health in 2003 reported a series of studies that were among the first to "link shopping centers, lack of sidewalks and bike trails, and other features of urban sprawl to deadly health problems." One paper reported that "people who live in sprawling neighborhoods walked less and had less chance to stay fit...[and] weighed 6 pounds more on average than the folks living in compact neighborhoods where sidewalks are plentiful and stores and shops are close to residential areas." In such areas, obesity is reported as more prevalent. The geographer David Sui also wrote in 2003 that "Fat City depends on the fatness of the body...And the fatness of the body depends on the fatness of the city, since it develops as a result of the automobile-dependent, privatized spaces of the fat city."
As Men's Fitness notes, the rapid rise in obesity in the last 100 years cannot be explained simply by genetics but must be a consequence of changing environmental circumstances. People living in city environments-where healthy food and places to exercise are hard to find, the weather discourages exercise, smoking rates are high, long commutes steal exercise time, health care is poor, and junk food is easy to hand-are more likely to be fat. This analysis has the effect of shifting the focus from the state of obesity in a city (the current prevalence in the population) to the structures and processes that lead to obesity.
The obsession with fat in the body and the prevalence of obesity in city populations misses the significance of fat within the city metabolism. The rise of the fast-food industry and the growing numbers of people dining out have had consequences for human and urban fat-processing systems alike, and there are ironic parallels between the metabolism of fat in human bodies and the capacity (or incapacity) of city waste systems to handle the increasing volumes of fat wastes. Sewer blockages and overflows in cities across the United States are becoming more frequent because restaurants often pour cooking residue into drains and because local governments lack the resources to monitor grease disposal and enforce the relevant regulations. The solidification of fat, oils, and grease, as writer Randy Southerland put it in American City & County, "chokes pipelines, eventually clogging them and causing them to cough up rivers of raw sewage." (The volume of restaurant grease alone has reached 3 billion pounds, or 1.4 billion kilograms, a year in the United States.) Southerland notes that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in 2001 sued Los Angeles for 2,000 sewer spills over five years; 40 percent of them were caused by fat. Wall Street Journal reporter Barry Newman has noted that in New York there are about 5,000 fat-based back-ups a year. For reasons that range from the decline in global markets for waste fat and the increased costs of fat disposal following Mayor Rudolph Giuliani's crackdown on the garbage mafia, more grease is illegally dumped into sewers, and trouble ensues.
Newman: "Fat won't pollute; it won't corrode or explode. It accretes. Sewer rats love sewer fat; high protein builds their sex drive. Solids stick in fat. Slowly, pipes occlude. Sewage backs up into basements-or worse, the fat hardens, a chunk breaks off and rides down the pipe until it jams in the machinery of an underground floodgate. That, to use a more digestible metaphor, causes a municipal heart attack."
One such infarction, a wayward grease blob in Cobb County, Georgia, diverted 600,000 gallons of sewage into the Chattahoochee River.
While there are fat hotspots in and around city restaurant areas, there are also sewer fat problems in residential neighborhoods, particularly where large numbers of multi-family units are located and where residents discharge their grease into drains. And in some cases attention is turning to schools and prisons. Just as with obesity, then, there are different distributions of sewer fat problems across different publics.
As when doctors attempt to locate coronary occlusions, actually finding the hotspots in sewers remains a challenge for local authorities. A variety of techniques has been developed, including closed-circuit television, smoke infrared thermography, and even radar and sonic (sound) technology. Having made fat visible, cities then face the problem of breaking it up. High-pressure hoses can remove blockages but dislodged blocks of fat may then cause new problems downstream. Large vacuum trucks are also used to either suck or blow fat out of congested sewers. New York routinely uses an enzyme product that reduces grease build-up, and a liquid emulsifier can now tackle larger build-ups. At least one other locale has experimented with a bacteria developed by a biotechnology company to metabolise the grease, breaking it apart into water, carbon dioxide, and free fatty acids, which can be washed away from metal, concrete, and brick.
When a crisis hits, the problem becomes all too visible in sewer overflows. Just like with bodies, prevention is more problematic. Ultimately cities want to keep fats out of the sewers, but making visible the practices of restaurants and households scattered throughout cities raises different challenges. New "lean sewer" ordinances have been introduced, but the cost of monitoring and enforcement is high. Not surprisingly, then, we see also the emergence of appeals to the city collective once more to reshape the deposition of fat. In New York, for example, the Environmental Protection Department makes the following plea: "Sewer back-ups are a major sewer system problem that damages property and affects public health.... The City needs businesses and individuals to do their part to maintain the system because repeated repairs are disruptive to residences and businesses alike." Cities across the United States distribute brochures promoting "fat free sewers" that show homeowners what they can do to keep grease out of the sewers.
Strategic Responses
This is just the barest account of the wider problems fat poses for cities. Missing, for example, is the global system of oil and fat production, the international movement and distribution of fats and oils, the production and distribution of foods that incorporate fats and oils, and the social organization of waste oil and fat systems. All of these have interconnected social, economic, spatial, biochemical, and cultural dimensions. However, by touching upon some of these issues it becomes possible to bring into focus how different strategies for dealing with fat-at the level of the body, sewer, or city as a whole-view fat in quite different ways.
The apparently straightforward response to fat-especially if one's outlook is expressed in the disdainful images of unhealthy cities, corpulent bodies, and blocked sewers, which are taken to represent excess and greed-is simple. Be it bodies, sewers, or the whole city population: slim them down, make them lean. And a range of technological devices is at hand to help, from suction machines to the use of drugs, chemicals, and/or biotechnologies. But this could be an endless battle, as sewer managers and public health specialists alike know all too well.
The obvious alternative is prevention. It is not just the overweight who ought to be anxious about fat, but also-as with any other worsening health problem-the general public, which must be made aware of and enticed into fitness and diet regimes, into life-long healthy lifestyles. Likewise with cities where there may be a window of opportunity to maintain infrastructure health, fitness, and leanness and thereby avert crisis. The Men's Fitness campaign has stimulated a renewed interesting in the "re-tooling of the urban environment" to activate bodies in order to ensure that fat remains mobile and that the opportunities for its deposition are limited. As for the sewers, there has emerged a range of promotional strategies, guidelines, and ordinances designed to reduce the deposition of fat and use other waste infrastructures for fat disposal. There is an ironic twist here: the habits of people in houses and restaurants are now being reshaped to protect the health of the sewers!
A less obvious, but hardly ignored, alternative is simply tolerance. The assumption is that the crisis itself needs to be redefined through a strategy of adaptation to the new conditions of fat deposition. Ways of defending fat bodies vary. Some stress acceptance (though not celebration) by learning to live with fat rather than dealing with the constant anxiety of the failure to remove fat. Others actually celebrate fatness; see, for example, the Fatcities website (www.fatcities.com), with its references to "big, beautiful people"and its slogan, "Forget fat acceptance. Fat reality is here." In this context the strategy for intervention is to reframe the way in which fat bodies, sewers, and cities may be understood.
The acceptance of obese bodies has implications for the re-tooling of other urban infrastructures. Journalist Rick Hampson reported several years ago, in a USA Today article titled "In the End, People Just Need More Room," that "Americans' expanding backsides" are driving a trend toward wider public seating. Hampson reported how subways, theaters, airlines, sport stadiums, and opera houses have responded to demands for wider seats, reducing seating capacity to increase individual sitting room. Although seating width had become standardized in the United States (and recognized in building codes) at 18 inches, this standard is coming under question. Indeed, sponsored by the U.S. Air Force and major manufacturers of vehicles and clothing, a project called CAESAR (Civilian American and European Surface Anthropometric Resource) is using scanning technology to measure the contours of 4,000 volunteers and develop new standards. Bodies themselves are also being re-categorized; U.S. standards for overweight and obesity are being revised upwards to normalize larger body sizes. And at the level of the sewage infrastructure, the acceptance of fat deposition as a strategy entails enlarging sewers to accommodate fat deposition or routinely using biotechnologies that eat the fat.
Each strategy for addressing obecity involves different visions of the problem and the ideal solution. A strategy of removal implies that the fat is attacked to ensure that bodies, sewers, and the city can be slimmed down. The strategy of prevention of fat deposition implies a defensive approach in which bodies, sewers, and the city are socio-technically re-engineered to ensure that fat is kept on the move. And a strategy of fat acceptance implies a sense of defeat, tolerance, or perhaps celebration, as society learns to live with fat bodies, sewers, and cities. Each strategy brings fat into focus in quite different but not necessarily mutually exclusive ways-which is why strategies for dealing with fat across these different processes will remain so contentious.
Simon Marvin is Director of the Centre for Sustainable Urban and Regional Futures at the University of Salford, Manchester, and Will Medd is a researcher in the Department of Sociology at the University of Lancaster, both in England.