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"The Bisons had a great weekend to build their confidence," men's assistant coach Mike Sherman said. "The coaching staff is proud of the way they fought and hope this momentum carries into their conference matches."
The Bisons swept Western Kentucky in doubles to take a 1-0 lead before heading into singles play.
Senior Joe McArdle and freshman Oliver Strecker defeated Arul Selvan and Bobby Whitmen 8-4 at No. 1 doubles, while sophomore Colby Shaw and junior Chad Pierron recorded a win at No. 2, beating Craig Kirchgessner and Caleb Ball 8-3.
At No. 3, sophomore Tanner Brown and freshman David Salazar defeated Currie Martin and Lance Freeman 8-5.
The Bisons only loss of the match came at the No. 2 spot. Pierron fell in a hard fought three set match, losing to Selvan 3-6, 6-1, 10-7.
Strecker posted a win at No. 1, defeating Kirchgessner 7-6(3), 6-1. At No. 3, Salazar easily defeated Martin 6-1, 6-1.
At No. 4, Brown secured a 6-3, 6-0 victory over Freeman, and Shaw defeated Whitmen 7-5, 6-0 at No. 5.
Freshman Miguel Cortez recorded a win at No. 6, beating Ball 6-4, 6-2.
The Bisons will be back in action Friday, February 25th when they host Xavier University at Richland Country Club. Matches will begin at 7 p.m.
Joe McArdle/ Oliver Strecker (LU) def. Arul Selvan/ Bobby Whitmen (WKU) 8-4
Colby Shaw/ Chad Pierron (LU) def. Craig Kirchgessner/ Caleb Ball (WKU) 8-3
Tanner Brown/ David Salazar (LU) def. Currie Martin/ Lance Freeman (WKU) 8-5
Oliver Strecker (LU) def. Craig Kirchgessner (WKU) 7-6(3), 6-1
Arul Selvan (WKU) def. Chad Pierron (LU) 3-6, 6-1, 10-7
David Salazar (LU) def. Currie Martin (WKU) 6-1, 6-1
Tanner Brown (LU) def. Lance Freeman (WKU) 6-3, 6-0
Colby Shaw (LU) def. Bobby Whitmen (WKU) 7-5, 6-0
Miguel Cortez (LU) def. Caleb Ball (WKU) 6-4, 6-2
Written by Ashlan Williams, student assistant in athletics media relations.


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Pop culture aficionados may know Wendy McClure from her column in Bust magazine, which delves into contemporary concerns such as the public's obsession with the behavior of young celebrities and how 2013 was Hollywood's "The Year of the Boobs." Others may remember her Pound blog and the resulting 2005 book, I'm Not the New Me, which chronicled her efforts to lose weight. In a second memoir, 2011's The Wilder Life: My Adventures in the Lost World of Little House on the Prairie, she explored her obsession with Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House Books. She also maintains a day job as an editor at Albert Whitman and Company, where she is in charge of The Boxcar Children series. Now McClure has donned yet another hat – children's novelist – with the publication of Wanderville (Razorbill, Jan.), first in a historical fiction series set in 1904. She spoke with PW from her Chicago home about the pleasures of immersing herself in earlier eras, the importance of building authentic historical voices, and the challenges of navigating among different genres.
The concept of children fending for themselves plays a large part in Wanderville, as it does in The Boxcar Children. How influenced is Wanderville by your work on Gertrude Chandler Warner's series?
Oh, definitely very influenced. I know that kids are always looking for adventure stories and I know kids like reading about independence. When you're a kid, the idea of being on your own is almost subversive. As an editor, I often have to guide authors to avoid the tendency to include adults watching over the kids.
Really? Do you find authors are reluctant to leave kids alone in scenes?
Yes. That's not where the kids' heads are! A lot has to do with perspective. If you haven't fully inhabited the right perspective for writing for kids, you might keep the adults in too much. Of course, there are times when you need to have the reassuring presence of an adult, but I generally try to get adults out of the way as much as possible.
Whenever I'm reading children's fiction as an editor, I always pay attention to how parents are portrayed in the story, because often those are the spots where the adult author tries to insert him or herself. If, two pages into the first chapter, the eight-year-old protagonist is suddenly going on about her dad's decision to get his real-estate-agent certification, then clearly there's a problem with perspective.
At the same time, though, when writing Wanderville, I had to be careful not to be too "classic" when it came to writing about these independent kids. In a lot of the older books, orphan protagonists never seemed to dwell on the loss of their families; their attitudes reflected a harder social era. But modern readers – and especially kids – are more emotionally attuned. The idea of the stock "tough orphan kid" who is free to go wherever just doesn't ring true to them. My editor, Gillian Levinson, really pushed me to make this side of my characters more visible, to have each of them think about their memories and to have them carry their experiences with them through their adventures.
The children in Wanderville are taken out of New York City to the Midwest on an orphan train. How did your interest in the orphan trains come about?
I knew about the orphan trains years ago – in one of the Boxcar Children books one of the character's background includes the orphan trains, and then I saw a wonderful PBS documentary about them. Once I started reading about them, I saw how large-scale an operation it was, and how much uncertainty there was. The phenomenon of the orphan trains was so multilayered: it began with such good intentions, but at the same time, kids were sometimes exploited for labor. I found myself experiencing a wide range of emotions when reading about the orphan trains.
In the world of children, it was unprecedented, which is what inspired me to explore it from the kids' point of view. And then, so many children's stories start with children being sent away, so it was a good concept to start from.
Can you describe your research process for this book?
First, I read all I could about orphan trains. There is some really good kids' nonfiction out there. For example, Andrea Warren's books We Rode the Orphan Trains and Orphan Train Rider: One Boy's Story. I read adult books, too, and then I found some actual recordings of orphan train riders talking about their experiences. I'm also doing some family history right now, and I came across a big cache of photos of my family from around the turn of the 20th century and became immersed in those while working on Wanderville.
For the New York part of the story, I visited the Tenement Museum in New York, and I watched the wonderful Ric Burns film on PBS, New York: A Documentary Film. Then I looked at a lot of Jacob Riis photos from the 1800s, from the book How the Other Half Lives, and also found work by Lewis Hine, who is known for photos of kids working – in mills and tenements and on farms, picking berries and things like that. The National Archives has lots of archived material posted on Flickr, and I spent a lot of time looking at that material, too.
Your previous book, The Wilder Life, also involved extensive research. How did that one come about?
That book was the result of rereading the Little House books for the first time in 30 years. I was afraid to go back to them; I was afraid they wouldn't be as good as I remembered – but they were! They blew my mind. Then I found out I could visit all the home sites from the book, and that there are museums at each site, so I did.
I was obsessed with the books as a child, but I never thought to ask my parents to take me to the sites, to the museums, etc. As an adult I realized I could visit them, so I said, "Let's go!"
How long did it take to do all that travel?
I made a one-week trip to the Midwest, and then several weekend trips. But besides the travel, I also immersed myself in replicating all the activities the family engaged in. For example, I bought myself a butter churn and made butter. I would say that, all in all, it was a solid six months of immersion in that world. I kept saying one day I would write a book about all this and a friend finally said: "Write it!"
And then was it easy to sell?
Yes, I have a great relationship with Megan Lynch at Riverhead [who edited I'm Not the New Me] and she was excited about it. A lot of people got it right away, in fact – people who grew up in the 1970s watching the television show.
Did your research process for Wanderville differ from that of The Wilder Life?
With Wanderville, the immersive experience continued. A great moment was when I was working on the first draft of Wanderville while at a writing festival in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, promoting The Wilder Life. I could hear the trains going by at night, and I would go look at the photos at the Old Courthouse Museum on Main Street, where I also found some orphan train stories. In fact, there's an orphan train museum in Concordia, Kansas – the National Orphan Train Complex – that I still want to get to.
How about the writing process: how does it differ for the different genres you work in?
For fiction, I plot and work from that – that's the editor in me. The first time doing a draft is the hardest, but then the editor in me can take over. For nonfiction – especially memoir, there is a lot more flailing around. Actually that's true for both genres! With nonfiction, life is the outline. The short nonfiction pieces are the hardest for me. Often there's something I want to write about, but I don't know why. I don't find out why until I begin writing. When I'm working on something every day and get stuck, I take a notebook and just scrawl.
The voice in Wanderville is very different from the voice of your essay and memoir work. How do you handle going back and forth between the different voices?
It helps to be working on things at different times. I have to compartmentalize a lot. I try to set aside time for just one project. It's the hardest, as I said, when doing the first draft. I haven't been doing much nonfiction since working on Wanderville, except for the Bust columns. Those columns give me a little break from living at the turn of the century.
Also, some of my research includes reading prose of the Wanderville era – 1901-1904 – and that really helps to build the voice. I read old newspaper clippings and articles and I immersed myself in the McGuffey Reader that Frances [in Wanderville] reads. I make word lists from the older writing, and note old phrases, such as "go saw your timber."
What first drew you to writing?
I've been writing forever – since I was a kid. First I drew pictures, then I had the feeling, when I was about eight or nine, that I was going to become a writer. I felt there was an inevitability to it that I dreaded. One of my friends had a sign on her bedroom door that noted "her name, writer." I thought it was dumb, but I also saw it was me.
At first I wrote stories, but from junior high on I wrote poetry, and that continued into graduate school. I earned my MFA in poetry at the Iowa Writers Workshop. At Iowa you had to decide what you were, so I decided I was a poetry writer. But the poetry stopped a few years after I left Iowa; it didn't feel like me anymore. When I started blogging, I moved into nonfiction – something I never dreamed I would do.
How do you balance your work as a writer and as an editor?
Sometimes I have to cut my editing hours a little to write, but again, it's compartmentalizing. I can't work on my novel on my lunch hour, like some people can do. I work at work and I write at home. I write on weekends, and right after I get home from work. If I leave the writing to the last thing at night, it doesn't get done.
That's a very full life.
People say that, but it doesn't seem remarkable to me. Most of my authors have day jobs. And my writing routine comes from years of coaching people on how to make time to work on revisions.
Are you pretty disciplined as a writer, then?
Not enough! But it gets done. I like to think I'm pretty good on deadlines. Having a schedule where you have to fit things in helps a lot. And I find that airports are great places to work, especially when you can't get wifi!
More books are coming in the Wanderville series; are you also working on more memoir-style books?
There are a couple of projects I'm trying to develop between Wanderville books. The family history I mentioned earlier might be the topic of some adult nonfiction for me.
Can you give a hint of what future books in the Wanderville series will hold?
I'm revising the second book right now, and there are lots of hobos in it. I had a blast doing the hobo research. I found a great book from 1892 called Tramping with Tramps by Josiah Flynt – – a personal memoir of traveling with hobos that is very colorful. It's a great source for pre-Depression-era hobo life! And I hope to get the kids to the St. Louis World's Fair in one of the books.
What do you find fulfilling about these two very different genres: pop culture and vintage literature?
That's such an interesting question. I would say that both are about time; pop culture is about what's happening right now but you can also get incredibly nostalgic looking, say, at Lindsay Lohan just a decade ago. I think it's about seeing history happen in two different ways. For both pop culture and historical fiction, you can take it very seriously but it can also be very irreverent. For example, if Laura Ingalls Wilder were on Twitter, what would she be tweeting about that would be the equivalent of tweeting about Beyoncé's latest album? I guess it's the idea of – not exactly time travel – but watching time happen.
Wanderville by Wendy McClure. Razorbill, $16.99 (Jan.) ISBN 978-1-59514-700-4

subset: commoncrawl


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Alexander Constantine Walbridge, 29, beloved son of Hoyt Walbridge of Cape Elizabeth and East Boothbay, Maine and Iolie Kriezi Walbridge of Athens, Greece, died suddenly on Tuesday, July 26, 2011 while visiting his mother.
He spent his childhood in Philadelphia and attended Miquon School and Germantown Friends School. He graduated from Kenyon College, Gambier, Ohio in 2006. Most recently, he lived and worked in Delray Beach, Florida.
Alexander was a bright and creative young man who was an aspiring writer, videographer, and comedian. He made several music videos with his brother Nicholas, and other friends. In 2001, while with City Year Philadelphia, he
performed improvisational theater focusing on conflict resolution in inner city schools.
Alexander was proud of his Greek heritage, and while at Kenyon, he became fluent in modern Greek. He was a member of a Kenyon College comedy group and was a DJ at the Kenyon radio station. He majored in Psychology and recently planned to pursue Neuroscience in graduate school.
Along with his parents, he is survived by his brother, Nicholas Hoyt
Walbridge, and his nephew, Jackson Andonis Walbridge of Philadelphia; his grandparents, Kenneth and Jean Walbridge of Boothbay, Maine and The
Villages, Florida; Stephanie Bacon of Cape Elizabeth and East Boothbay; his aunts, Palmer Davies of Florida and Sara Walbridge of Maine; his stepsister Anna Bacon (Adam Foster-Webster) and stepbrother Nic Bacon; his cousins, Spencer Bailey (Kathleen), Julie Davies-Gaete (Andres), Theodore Moore, and Alexis Moore O'Connolly (Alex). A loving and loyal friend to many, Alexander will be remembered for his smile, his humor, and his warmth. He will be greatly missed by all who knew and loved him.
Internment was in the First Cemetery, Athens, Greece on July 30, 2011. A memorial service in Philadelphia will be held later. For those wishing to do so, contributions in Alexander's memory may be made to the Miquon School, 2025 Harts Lane, Conshohocken, PA 19428, or Germantown Friends School, 31 West Coulter St., Phila, PA 19144.


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Trevecca Alumni Share the Stories of How they Met
Wes and Roberta Eby: Roberta and I met as freshman in 1954. But our first date was not until our sophomore year during TWIRP week. Roberta asked me for the first date, and we had an up-and-down romance for several months. As juniors we became serious, and engaged as seniors. We married the summer after we were graduated in 1958. Shall I say "hurrah" for TWIRP week?
Don and Brenda Hastings: We met in chapel, when I sporatically showed up. Her last name was Hancock and mine was Hastings so we sat together in chapel. Our vocal instructor, Ramon Unruh, also saw to it that we sang a duet together in one of the spring concerts. But there were doubters, in the words of many of our friends, B.K. is fine china and you Hastings, are a styrofoam cup. This past December 21st the Fine China and The Syrofoam cup have been married for 41 years. Thanks Trevecca.
John and Rebecca Merrick: It was one of Dr. Pepper's first years at Trevecca. I heard he was a good professor for World Civilization, so I decided to finally take that class as a sophomore. I sat next to a guy I'd met before since most people in the class were a year ahead of me... I didn't seem to know anyone except him. Well, let's just say, sitting next to John made a dreaded history class easier. (Sorry Dr. Pepper, history is not for everyone.) John and I started dating the next semester. We spent most of the following summer apart because I was gone to Croatia for Youth IN Mission. I guess we missed each other--that's an understatement of course. We were engaged the following semester--John proposed at Percy Priest Lake at sunset one Sunday night just before I had lobby duty as a night RA in Johnson Dorm for the rest of the evening. I remember all the basketball girls screaming when I flashed the engagement ring John had given to me. John was the 1st radio voice of the Lady Trojans, so he spent time interviewing them and riding buses to and from games. I specifically remember Charity Williams coming in; she seemed more excited than I had been. We didn't tie the knot until almost two years later, once we both graduated. We had lots of good times dating while at Trevecca. Our double-dating buddies, fellow Trevecca students Ken and Rachel (Elms) Barnes, are to thank for helping us get to know each other better. Thanks to my Trevecca experience, I met the guy of my dreams and have enjoyed him ever since!
Loren and Teresa Murray: Teresa and I met at in high school and came to Trevecca at the encouragement of my parents. We were not Christ followers before coming to TNU. Not only did we find Christ while at TNU, we began a God-honoring dating relationship and finally married my senior year. We just celebrated 27 years of marriage and remember our days at Trevecca with fondness. The foundation we recieved has helped us build a Godly marriage and we currently enjoy teaching the newly married class at our church.


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Strange as it sounds, one of the best antivirus apps on any given Windows PC is...Internet Explorer.
That's right: Internet Explorer.
I've worked as a field tech over the last few years. I learned early on what a time killer it can be updating someone's AV client. Or replacing it. Brand name AV apps can be a big headache. Sometimes you need a special file just to remove them. You can lose some real time there. So I just by-pass them now and go straight to IE.
The much-maligned (deservedly so) ActiveX technology, embedded in Windows and Internet Explorer, has one redeeming feature. It enables a user to scan their computer for viruses from a number of commercial AV sites. Some popular ones are Trendmicro and Panda. There's dozens out there, including spyware scanners. Most are reputable, though I'm leary of some spyware scanners. But our focus here is viruses and, by and large, these sites are great. In fact, the good online AV scans will find spyware too.
My personal favorite is Panda's online scan. For others, it's Trendmicro. Norton, McAfee, I believe they have online scans available, too. RAV had an absolutely great scanner until Microsoft bought them out and shut it down. These scanners, in fact, rival any of the AV clients for finding viruses. But don't count on them to remove much of anything. That's OK though.
Finding viruses is one step, removing them is another. Don't worry, there's a slew of great removal tools. Norton's tools rank among the best. I've got a thumbdrive (usb drive) full of them. F-Secure and other outfits offer them too. These small exe's are only designed to remove a specific virus. They aren't going to find or remove anything else. You'll find readme's with these AV tools, so RTFM! Pay attention.
The one requirement for running these online AV scans is that ActiveX must be enabled in Internet Explorer. Being the default setting from Microsoft, this is seldom a problem. Any user advanced enough to disable ActiveX and tweak Windows' security settings probably isn't going to need a technician anyway. With XP's service pack 2, you are going to be prompted to install an ActiveX applet. No applet, no scan.
Also note these online scans aren't going to typically work using Firefox, even with their ActiveX plug-in. All of the ones I ever tried required IE. Once in a while, the online scans will generate false positives, so you want to do your homework and google file names if need be.
Happy Hunting (again)!
p.s. -- let me add, IE as an AV app is no substitute for an updated AV client on your PC. It's a great supplemental tool and very useful in the field.


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ReleasesBack to
Donald Byrd
Donald Byrd, a talented hard bop trumpeter during his prime (although rarely reaching the technical heights of Lee Morgan and Freddie Hubbard), performs a varied repertoire on Mustang!. "Dixie Lee" has dated rhythms, and "Mustang" was an attempt to achieve a hit on the level of Morgan's "The Sidewinder." However, Byrd sounds fine on those numbers; he digs into the complex chord changes of "Fly Little Bird Fly," is sensitive on "I Got It Bad," swings on his "I'm So Excited by You," and performs his memorable countermelody to "On the Trail," which had been recorded earlier by several other musicians. Teamed with a typically impressive Blue Note crew (altoist Sonny Red, tenor saxophonist Hank Mobley, pianist McCoy Tyner, bassist Walter Booker, and drummer Freddie Waits), Byrd performs high-quality straight-ahead jazz that fits the modern mainstream of the era. Also on the CD reissue are a pair of selections ("Gingerbread Boy" and "I'm So Excited by You") from an earlier quintet date (with tenorman Jimmy Heath, Tyner, bassist Walter Booker, and drummer Joe Chambers) that, despite being excellent, went unissued until 1997. ~ Scott Yanow


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LONDON — Kobe Bryant normally lives for these moments.
The big moment, on the big stage, with the whole world watching.
But save for a vintage few minutes in a win over Nigeria during pool play, his time here for the Olympics had been more about his presence away from the court than it had been on his in-game exploits with the U.S. Men's Senior National Team.
He popped in at Wimbledon to see some tennis, strode over to the beach volleyball venue to see friends get after it and he even made it to the velodrome Tuesday night to cheer on fellow athletes chasing gold in their respective disciplines.
It wasn't until the second half Wednesday night, with Australia making a run against the U.S. in a quarterfinal matchup at North Greenwich Arena, that the Bryant Los Angeles Lakers and NBA fans have known for the better part of the past decade made his debut in this competition.
His six straight 3-pointers, a staggering four in 75 seconds during a backbreaking fourth-quarter run, proved to be the sparked needed to push the U.S. past Australia 119-86 and into a Friday night semifinal rematch with rival Argentina, an 82-77 winner over Brazil in the first game of the evening session.
"We we were right there with them," said Australian forward David Andersen. "And then Kobe starts shooting and making those [3-pointers] and it's raining down on us. No team really has answers for that. "
That's been the case throughout this competition for the U.S., which has relied on the explosiveness of its biggest stars — LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Carmelo Anthony and others — to pull away from the competition in every game.
James had what USA Basketball officials believed to be the first triple-double in U.S. Olympic history, finishing his night with 11 points, 14 rebounds and 12 assists. Durant had 14 points and made four of his nine shots from distance, while playing most of his 25 minutes in foul trouble. And Anthony scored his 17 points in just 20 minutes off the bench. Deron Williams added 18 points and Kevin Love 10 points and 11 rebounds.
|Record-Setting Night for LeBron James
|• 1st Triple-Double in U.S. Olympic History
|• Passed Scottie Pippen for 1st on USAB All-Time Assists List (76)
|• Passed Charles Barkley for 3rd on USAB All-Time Scoring List
Bryant, on the other hand, had been scoreless in the first half and was struggling through yet another uneven performance before sinking two free throws with 6:39 to play in the third quarter. He knocked down two 3-pointers before the end of the third to get revved up and then unearthed some vintage stuff in the fourth.
This from a future Hall of Famer who was averaging 9.8 points on 38 percent shooting coming into the knockout stage of the tournament.
"I was just kind of searching for something to get me going," Bryant said after scoring all 20 of his points in about nine minutes and change. "I was searching for something to kind of activate the 'Black Mamba' as Coach [Mike Krzyzewski] calls it. I don't know, I just needed something to get me going, something to give me that edge so I could ride it the rest of the game."
Bryant needed a little push, one Anthony said he was more than happy to provide after watching the team's elder statesman labor through yet another uncharacteristic effort. While he wouldn't say exactly what he said, he was proud of the results.
"I was on him the whole game," Anthony said. " 'Wake up, you look sleepy out there.' I guess I woke the Mamba up. I kinda knew what buttons to push with him. I was talking to him at halftime and the third quarter and he woke up. I've been on the other side of the ball when he's had situations like that before. He came back and you see the third quarter [and fourth quarter] he had. So he took it extremely well."
When informed by one reporter that there were concerns back in the States about his play and if he believed this one performance would calm his critics, Bryant just laughed.
"Gosh, I hope not," he said. "I hope not. Then where's the fun?"
The real fun cranks up Friday night when the U.S. tussles with Argentina for the third time in less than three weeks. The winner of that game will face either Russia or Spain in the gold medal game Sunday, with the loser battling for a bronze medal the same day.
The U.S. beat Argentina 86-80 in Barcelona July 22 in an exhibition tune-up for this tournament, a game they led by as many as 20 points before a late Argentina rally closed the gap.
They stroked Argentina 126-97 Monday night in the final game of pool play for both teams, knowing full well that they could see them again in the semifinals if both teams prevailed Wednesday night.
"We're ready for them and we're excited about that matchup," Anthony said. "To play them twice in less than a week, we're ready for that matchup."
Things got heated Monday night, with both Chris Paul and Argentina's Facundo Campazzo throwing blows (or being accused of throwing blows) below the belt. Anthony was the recipient of Campazzo's shot, as he drained a 3-pointer at the of a third-quarter blitz that blew the game open.
So he knows there will be some added intensity and physical play from both sides.
"You can't prepare physically for a game like that," he said. "You just have to go out there and be ready to take them punches … well, not literally. But we just said it in the huddle, we have to be prepared mentally. And we will be."
This latest showdown will serve as the rubber match after the 2004 Olympic semifinal (won by Argentina on their way to gold) and the 2008 Olympic semifinal (won by the U.S. on their way to gold).
It's a game that seemingly everyone has been looking forward to for a while now, but one you weren't sure the Bryant NBA fans around the globe are used to seeing would be in attendance.
If his second-half work against Australia is any indication, he'll be ready to go.
"I think any person who's achieved the excellence he has, and there are only a few, they take responsibility for it" Krzyzewski said. "There are no excuses. He's one of the top 10 players of all time, maybe one of the top five players of all time. He just keeps working … and you just have to stick with him. It's produced five NBA championships and an Olympic gold medal for us."


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VRINDAVAN, INDIA — Lalita Goswami was married only a few years when her husband, a Hindu priest who beat her and abused drugs, died of an apparent overdose. She was left with three young children.
Still, she said, being married was better than being a widow.
That ordeal has lasted for decades. After her husband died, the brother-in-law who took her in kicked her out, forcing her back to her parents' home in Kolkata. Her brother saw her as a financial burden and neighbors ostracized her. In a bid to keep peace, her mother exiled her and her two youngest children to Vrindavan in central India, a sacred town known as the City of Widows.
Today, nearly 15,000 widows live in Vrindavan, where the Hindu god Krishna is said to have grown up. Although it is believed they were first drawn for religious reasons centuries ago, many widows now come to this city of 4,000 temples to escape abuse in their home villages -- or are banished by their husbands' families so they won't inherit property.
Goswami spends her time at Mahila Ashray Sadan, one of several widow ashrams supported by charities here.
"What else could I do?" said Goswami, a solicitous woman who strokes visitors' faces and touches their feet in a traditional sign of respect. She lives in a 30-bed dormitory laced with the widows' meager possessions.


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The federal government should increase the ethanol blend level up to 15 percent, which will promote environmental protection, help create jobs and reduce dependence on foreign oil, according to the American Farm Bureau Federation.
In a letter sent to Lisa Jackson, administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, AFBF said increasing the ethanol blend level up to 15 percent from the current level of 10 percent is critical to the sustained health and expansion of corn and cellulosic ethanol production in the United States.
AFBF sent the letter to Jackson in response to a request for public comments by EPA on a proposed waiver of the Clean Air Act to raise the ethanol blend level.
"Increasing our use of domestically produced biofuels is key to helping improve our nation's energy security," said AFBF President Bob Stallman.
"If recent events have taught us anything it is that our nation should develop energy resources right here at home. Increasing the blend ethanol level shows our nation's commitment to renewable fuels as we work to reduce our dependence on foreign oil."


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1. What's a Confirmation name all about?
Confirmation candidates may decide to choose a Confirmation name. This may be a saint's name or biblical hero, or a person whom they admire, living or deceased. This is not a necessity. Today, in some dioceses, candidates are encouraged instead to use their baptismal names, while in others, the custom of choosing another name is the norm.
2. What are Confirmation sponsors for?
The Church sees three roles for Confirmation sponsors: First, as a role-model in the faith. Because of this, the Church asks that a sponsor be at least sixteen years of age, be fully initiated in the Church (has celebrated the sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist), and be a practicing member of the Church. He or she does not have to be the same gender as the Confirmation candidate.
Second, a sponsor is a companion on the candidate's faith journey. Ideally, this should/could be one of the candidate's baptismal godparents. Again, this is encouraged by the Church today -- to show the close connection of the two sacraments.
And finally, the Confirmation sponsor witnesses for the candidate before the Church. By their presence at the Confirmation celebration, the sponsor publicly proclaims the candidate's readiness.
3. Why are retreats and service projects required for Confirmation?
These are part and parcel of what it means to be a baptized Catholic Christian. These aren't things you "have to do to get confirmed"; this is the way of the Catholic Christian because you are baptized, and because you will soon be fully initiated into a Church that expects participation in these activities.
4. What if my child decides not to be confirmed at this time?
Sacraments are not "things" that happen on someone's else's timetable. Fortunately, or unfortunately (and it is debated continually), we have placed many of our sacraments into "grade levels." But that isn't what our faith journey is about or how God works in our life.
There is no penalty for waiting to be confirmed. The crucial reality is to surround our young people with a supportive, vibrant, faith-filled community in their homes and in their parishes. Sacraments are celebrations that God has first loved us, celebrations of God's action in our lives, and then our response to that action. How could we not respond?!
Copyright © 2012 Our Sunday Visitor Publishing Division, Our Sunday Visitor, Inc.
Excerpted from Catholic Parent Know-How: Preparing your Child for Confirmation
Copyright © 1996-2019 Our Sunday Visitor, Inc.


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Chair Taylor will call the meeting to order.
Chair Taylor will address the Board and present the Chair's Report.
President Delaney will address the Board and present the President's Report.
The State Legislature passed an 8 percent tuition increase for in-state undergraduate students. In addition, the Legislature granted all universities the authority to charge undergraduate students up to 7 percent differential tuition. Universities also have the authority to increase in-state graduate tuition and out-of-state fees charged undergraduate and graduate students by 15 percent.
To support faculty lines needed to maintain a course schedule that will meet student needs the university recommends increasing in-state undergraduate and graduate tuition by 15 percent and increasing out-of-state fees by the same 15 percent.
Vice President Serwatka will address the Board and present the schedule of tuition and fees.
Proposed Action: Approval. Motion and second required.
Chair Taylor will adjourn the meeting.
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Going with, not against, the grain
I am a bit confused about the differences between couscous, Israeli couscous and quinoa - are they interchangeable in recipes? I've seen salads in shops using a big fat bulgur wheat too, is that the same as these other grains? And why is polenta in a restaurant sometimes creamy, almost soupy, but at other times firm and fried into chips? How are they cooked differently?
Think of grains as you would vegetables, fruit, pulses or salad ingredients. They all have their own individual characteristics - it's not as though they're all the same just because they are a grain.
Although it's worth pointing out that couscous and Israeli couscous are not grains as such. The former is made by removing the bran and germ from durum wheat, in itself a cereal grain, leaving the endosperm or starch and then crushing this into semolina. If it's ground super fine, it becomes flour. Israeli couscous is in fact a type of pasta produced by mixing flour and water into a paste and forming the little balls you're familiar with, often pre-toasted before being packaged.
And while quinoa is a seed, it's actually termed a pseudocereal as it's neither a cereal nor a grain, as these must (technically) come from members of the grass family.
Quinoa is in fact closely related to spinach and tumbleweeds - who knew? Buckwheat is another seed, another pseudocereal that we think of as a grain, and it's closely related to rhubarb. But enough of the science of plants. For argument's sake let's think of all these delicious and nutritious seeds, byproducts and whatevers as "grains". Because that's what we find them under in the aisles of shops and supermarkets.
As to how you use them and are they interchangeable - that's really, entirely, up to you. If you were to think of quinoa and barley for example, they have absolutely nothing in common. One is small and slightly nutty in taste, with little starch. The other is large, chewy, quite gloopy at times if overcooked. Could you replace one with the other? Yes. Would they give the same result? No. But then that's neither here nor there when you're creating a dish, because you can mix things up (replace basil for thyme, apples for pears) and yet still end up with a nutritious dish. Bulgur wheat is simply cracked whole hulled wheat that has been parboiled before being packaged and is a terrific grain to cook with as it always retains a lovely crunchy texture with a good amount of chew as well.
The problem I often have with grains is that people often overcook them to the point where their texture disappears and they become almost pasty. The key is to cook them until they won't crack your teeth but not to the point of paste. If you've cooked them to the right degree, it helps to drain them in a sieve or colander and lay on a tray to cool rather than rinse in cold water, which will wash away some of their nutrients and minerals.
Polenta was historically made from barley until maize was introduced into Italy (and other European countries) from the New World in the 16th century. It's hard to believe it was ever made without the cornmeal we now think of. As to whether it's served runny like porridge or set like chips, that's easy. Next time you make a pot of soft polenta and you have some left over, tip it into a baking dish or on to a plate and as it cools it will set and become firm. This can then be refrigerated and cut into whichever shape you like before being deep-fried, pan-fried or baked in the oven.
In our Ask Peter series, executive chef Peter Gordon answers your curly culinary questions. If you're stumped over something food-related, send your question to email@example.com and keep checking in for answers. You can read more on Peter on his website, have a read of his Ask Peter articles or check out his recipes on our site.


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Albert Einstein's famous definition for insanity — "doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results" — is well adapted to the field of technical analysis and market timing. The continued application of good indicators to flawed data sets, while expecting different results, is as pointless in technical analysis as it is in physics.
Although there is an element of "art" in technical analysis and market timing commensurate with the skills and experience of the practitioner, the analytical ideal always should be to create objective results based on information derived from reliable data and good indicators.
With 20 Most Actives and New York Stock Exchange advance-decline (A-D) data inserted into comparative lines, we will show that the Most Actives series (MAAD) has reflected the "real" stock market more accurately, as expressed by big money, than the more widely used NYSE A-D series (NYAD) that employs inherently defective data. We will reveal how NYSE A-D data are statistically less reliable, despite modifications made in an attempt to eliminate deficiencies.
By applying this Most Actives methodology, market practitioners should find better opportunities in the stock market by identifying when and where informed money is focused, while using that information to realize greater profitability.
Advancing analysis
The A-D line has been a staple of stock market analysis since the 1930s (see "MAAD and NYAD," below). The A-D line is created by subtracting declining issues from advancing issues and then by adding the net difference to a cumulative A-D line. When the majority of stocks is advancing, the line will rise. When the majority is declining, the line will fall. It is a popular indicator. Whether it is computed daily or weekly, A-D line data are reported by the major stock exchanges and then are published by the financial media.
One of the primary uses of the A-D line is as a divergence indicator. A negative divergence occurs when the market is approaching what turns out to be a major top and the A-D line consistently fails to confirm prices by moving higher also. If the market makes a series of lower lows and the A-D line refuses to make new lows also, A-D line action would indicate a positive divergence and a major market bottom.
Ideally, the A-D line should lead, or at least coincide with, key reversal points in the market. But theory and application have not always lived up to expectations. While the underlying premise is that analysis of A-D line trending is useful information, the problem with implementation has been that conventional A-D data are seriously flawed. Norm Fosback wrote in "Stock Market Logic" that the "A-D line is a theoretical nightmare."
First, A-D data have been criticized because they include bond funds, preferred stocks, closed-end shares and other issues that are not pure equities. But if a scalpel is used to excise a particular issue, where should those cuts end? After all, the volume of all issues may better represent investor preferences. To expunge an issue and its volume is a lot like saying this vote or that vote in an election is not worth counting. At that point, data exclusion becomes increasingly problematic as new asset classes, such as exchange-traded funds, are added.
Second, exchange data, such as NYSE A-D data, are used to create an unweighted A-D line, like NYAD, which is then compared to a weighted price index like the S&P 500. On a particular trading day, IBM advances one point on 10 million shares, while a small-cap, low-volume stock, XYZ, declines one point on 500,000 shares. Using NYSE A-D data, the decline in XYZ cancels the advance in IBM.


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U.S. Equal Employment
Opportunity Commission
Digest of EEO Law, Volume XI, No. 6
Vigil v. Department of the Army, EEOC Request No. 05960521 (June 22, 1998).
The agency filed a Request to Reconsider (RTR) from the Commission's decision on appeal finding that appellant had been retaliated against. In the RTR the agency argued for the first time that the appellant, in a separate, unrelated lawsuit, had signed a settlement agreement which by its terms explicitly released the agency from all pending and future claims by appellant. Because the EEO complaint underlying the Commission's finding of retaliation was pending when the parties entered into the agreement, the Commission decided that the complaint would be resolved by the terms of the settlement agreement, and vacated its earlier decision. However, the Commission expressed concern about language in the agreement releasing the agency from future claims. The language covered claims which the appellant "might have or might claim to have . . . in the future." The Commission stated that it has long held that a complainant may validly waive only those claims arising from acts or practices which predate a settlement agreement. The Commission stated that a waiver of prospective Title VII rights is invalid as violative of public policy, and informed the agency that the language in the agreement covering future claims is null and void. The Commission also cautioned the agency that its use of a prospective waiver may be considered a separate act of retaliation, citing to April 10, 1997 EEOC Enforcement Guidance on non-waivable employee rights.
Trusty v. Department of Veterans Affairs, EEOC Appeal No. 01956653 (June 5, 1998).
Appellant was working as an Encephalograph (EEG) Technician at an agency medical center when he filed an EEO complaint alleging age and disability (major depression) discrimination. His allegations included claims that the agency discriminatorily failed to return him to full duty and attempted to terminate him. Following an incident at work in February 1993, appellant left work, and by letter informed the director of the medical center that he was very depressed. In early April 1993, appellant returned to work. His attending psychiatrist wrote the agency that appellant was not a threat to patients and that he could return to his EEG Technician position, but the agency did not return him to full duty. Instead, he was assigned to assist a secretary with clerical duties. The agency thereafter referred appellant to a psychologist for a fitness for duty examination, which resulted in an evaluation that appellant's memory ability was moderately impaired. An agency physician thereafter determined that appellant should not have contact with patients because of possible impaired judgment. In neither of the letters sent to the agency did appellant's psychiatrist mention memory impairment, brain dysfunction, or dementia. Appellant was not permitted to return to full duty as an EEG Technician until November 1994. The agency also denied his step increase in February 1994 based on its perception that appellant could not perform the duties of his position, and repeatedly asked appellant to consider early retirement for medical reasons.
The agency issued a final decision finding no discrimination, which appellant appealed to the Commission. The Commission found that the agency failed to show that appellant posed a significant risk of substantial harm to patients, a showing that is necessary before an individual can be excluded from an employment opportunity. The Commission reasoned that the agency's initial finding regarding the safety of patients was not explained in any detail, nor did the agency include an individual assessment of appellant's ability to perform his duties, as required by 29 C.F.R. §1630.2(r). In addition, the Commission noted that the agency psychologist's report was unaccompanied by objective, factual evidence of the nature and effect of the suspected disability. This report was contrasted with the contradicting opinion of appellant's attending psychiatrist. The Commission reversed the agency's finding of no discrimination on the basis of disability. As stated above, appellant had been returned to full duty in November 1994, so the agency was not ordered to do so as part of the ordered remedy. The Commission ordered the agency to grant appellant a retroactive step increase, to expunge specified information from appellant's personnel records, to award him back pay, and to conduct training for management staff at the facility where the discrimination took place. The agency was also ordered to determine appellant's entitlement to any compensatory damages.
Millea v. Department of Veterans Affairs, EEOC Request No. 05980235 (May 21, 1998).
Appellant filed a complaint of reprisal. He alleged that the agency retaliated against him by offering him a settlement agreement for another of his complaints. The agency dismissed his complaint for failure to state a claim, on the grounds that a claim of discrimination could not be grounded in a claim regarding a settlement agreement. The Commission affirmed the agency's dismissal on appeal. In its decision on the appellant's request to reconsider, the Commission agreed with the agency's determination that appellant failed to state a claim. The Commission in support cited to its decision in Montague v. Veterans Administration, EEOC Request No. 05920321 (May 7, 1992), which ruled that an allegation pertaining to a settlement offer does not state a cognizable claim. [Ed. Note: See also Green v. United States Postal Service, EEOC Request No. 05980207 (June 25, 1998) (agency's withdrawal of an offer made in settlement not actionable).]
Barlow v. Department of the Navy, EEOC Appeal No. 01971585 (June 11, 1998).
A coworker sent appellant three letters proposing a sexual relationship and pressing her for a response. Because the two had a long-standing work relationship, appellant told the coworker only that the letters upset her. Upon subsequently receiving two e-mail messages from the coworker, appellant informed her supervisor of the contacts. He immediately granted her request that she not work with the coworker. Appellant, along with an EEO Specialist and an EEO Counselor, then met with the Director of appellant's employing office. The Director immediately notified an EEO official and the Executive Director, and met the following day with the coworker. He told the coworker that his contacts were unwelcome and should cease immediately. He also admonished him and warned the coworker that he would be subject to severe action if he did not comply. The coworker stated that he would comply. The Director thereafter made a point of inquiring about whether the unwelcome conduct resumed. There were no further incidents. The coworker later retired.
Appellant filed a complaint alleging sexual harassment, including an allegation that the agency failed to take sufficiently severe action against the coworker. The agency ultimately issued a final decision finding no discrimination, and appellant filed this appeal. Her arguments included contentions that the coworker should have been removed from employment instead of receiving only a verbal admonishment, and that the agency's failure to take severe enough action demonstrated its insensitivity to sexual harassment. The Commission decided that the agency took immediate, appropriate action as required by EEOC regulations. The Commission reaffirmed its definition of the agency's obligation as being "prompt remedial action reasonably calculated to end the harassment." In this case, stated the Commission, the agency promptly took action which in fact did stop the harassment. The agency was not obligated to take the specific actions demanded by appellant, stated the Commission. The Commission affirmed the final agency decision.
Lam v. Department of Agriculture, EEOC Appeal No. 01961589 (June 11, 1998).
The agency and appellant settled appellant's complaint of race (Asian) discrimination and reprisal. One term of the settlement agreement provided that appellant should submit her claim for lump sum compensatory damages and provided further that "should complainant not reach a settlement regarding such compensatory damages, the case will be reopened to its current procedural posture." Appellant submitted a claim for $65,000. The agency did not negotiate in response, but rather issued a final decision finding that appellant was not entitled to any compensatory damages because she showed no causal relationship between her claimed damages and the alleged discrimination. Appellant appealed.
The Commission found that the agency failed to comply with the agreement, as it did not attempt to reach a settlement regarding compensatory damages, and also failed to reinstate the complaint. The Commission reasoned that the agency's actions placed the question of compensatory damages before it, and decided to exercise its jurisdiction to rule on the matter and to order compliance with the term of the settlement agreement. An amount of $18,000 was awarded for nonpecuniary compensatory damages. In addition, the Commission ordered the agency to comply with other terms of the settlement agreement.


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BAGHDAD — Ten years after the U.S.-led invasion to oust Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, the geopolitical winner of the war appears to be their common enemy: Iran.
American military forces are long gone, and Iraqi officials say Washington's political influence in Baghdad is now virtually nonexistent. Hussein is dead. But Iran has become an indispensable broker among Baghdad's new Shiite elite, and its influence continues to grow.
The signs are evident in the prominence of pro-Iran militias on the streets, at public celebrations and in the faces of some of those now in the halls of power, men such as Abu Mehdi Mohandis, an Iraqi with a long history of anti-American activity and deep ties to Iran.
During the occupation, U.S. officials accused Mohandis of arranging a supply of Iranian-made bombs to be used against U.S. troops. But now Iraqi officials say Mohandis speaks for Iran here, and Prime Minister Nouri Maliki recently entrusted him with a sensitive domestic political mission.


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Susan Enfield offered position as Highline Schools Superintendent
The Highline School Board on Monday afternoon announced that they have offered the superintendent position to Dr. Susan Enfield, pending successful contract negotiations and a background check.
The board is expected to vote at its meeting this Wednesday evening (Feb. 29) to formally approve Enfield for the job. She would start on July 1.
"The school board feels that Dr. Enfield's skill, passion, and educational leadership will match the expectations we and our communities hold for the children of Highline Public Schools," says School Board President Angelica Alvarez. "We made our decision after much consideration, and an extensive process involving staff, community members, business leaders and especially parents."
Dr. Enfield is currently the Interim Superintendent for Seattle Public Schools. She came to Seattle as Chief Academic Officer from Evergreen Public Schools in Vancouver, WA where she served as the Deputy Superintendent from 2006 to 2009.
Before moving to Washington, she was the Director of Teaching and Learning for Portland Public Schools where she oversaw curriculum, instruction, federal programs and professional development district-wide.
Prior to coming to Portland, Dr. Enfield served as the Bureau Director for Teaching and Learning Support for the Pennsylvania Department of Education. In this role she worked with legislators, state department and district leaders to develop education policy and implement
standards-based curriculum and professional development for over 500 school districts.
She began her career in education as a high school English, ESL and journalism teacher in the San Francisco Bay Area. After seven years in the classroom she joined the UC Berkeley Teaching and Learning Alliance as a high school support provider coaching principals and assisting middle and high school teachers engaged in whole-school, standards-based reform aimed at closing the achievement gap.
Dr. Enfield is a graduate of the University of California at Berkeley and earned master's degrees in education from Stanford University and Harvard University. She also earned a doctorate in Administration, Planning and Social Policy from Harvard University with a concentration in the Urban Superintendents Program.
In making its selection, the school board weighed input from teachers, staff, parents, and community members. Starting last fall, staff and community helped identify the characteristics the new superintendent should possess. –The resulting candidate profile was used to recruit and screen applicants. When the candidates were narrowed to three, staff and community had the opportunity to meet and provide feedback on all three finalists. Each candidate answered questions at a staff/community forum, which was televised and streamed on the internet to provide people with multiple opportunities to participate in the process.
Read our coverage of Enfield's public forum here.


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I think It's safe to say that most of us realize that riding a horse can be a risky sport. They are large animals and can pack a powerful blow. Plus, we are all familiar with what happened to Christopher Reeves (Superman).
I've been horseback riding several times in my life and I have my own terrifying experience to tell. Fortunately, I kept my head about me. Looking back, it all seemed like reflex reaction because I didn't have time to think.
I was on a date with some of my date's friends. We decided to go horseback riding at a public park. I don't recall what park but this was when I was living in New York.
My horse kept lagging behind. The guide kept telling me to kick my horse. I was doing the best I could with those instructions but my horse didn't seem to care. He was unresponsive. He seemed tired or sick. He wanted to go back to the stalls. The group had to wait periodically for my horse and me to catch up.
Apparently, one of the "friends" in our little group was getting tired of my horse lagging behind.This friend positioned his horse behind mine and I just assumed he thought that would help my horse move along. I had no idea he was going to crack my horse on the rear, scaring it half to death not to mention me, leading to the following events.
My horse reared,
you know, like in the movie Zorro where the horse stands up on its hind legs clawing the air with its front hooves? I was still sitting upright but now my horse's neck was up against my chest! Call it reflex or call it instinct but it caused me to grab on to his mane. Then, off we were like a shot!
We galloped like the wind as the saying goes and now I was facing down on the horse's neck, just like a jockey in the Kentucky Derby! I worried that the horse would think I was egging him on in this position but I didn't know what else to do. I was holding on to this horse for dear life! It could have been an exhilarating experience if the horse stayed on the trail. However, he decided to go down a slope heading for the trees. In my mind, I can still feel the tree leaves and branches whistling past the top of my head, sometimes hitting their mark. Eventually, he slowly came to a stop. I had been saying, "whoa, whoa," the whole time. I never pulled on the reins to stop him. Maybe in my subconscious I was remembering what my mother told me about my grandfather's horse.
They say if you fall off a horse, you should get back on right away. (Probably because if you don't, you never will again out of fear.) Well, I wasn't thrown and I didn't fall off. The trail guide didn't ask me if I was ok. Clearly, I wasn't. I was shaking. So, I was still on this horse and we continued lagging behind everyone else until the guide took us back to the stalls when the ride was completed! Truthfully, I don't remember any more than that. I was probably angry but I was too exhausted for an argument. I didn't get on another horse until 25 years later, and that experience was much better, with a mare that I really liked.
I have always had a love of horses. When my parents would ask me what I wanted for Christmas when I was a kid, I'd always say, "A pony!" My mother would say, "Where would we put it?" I had a ready answer, "In a stable." I had no idea about stable costs, or the upkeep of a horse, or even the illnesses that afflicted horses. I didn't learn those things until I was in my 40's when I subscribed to a horse magazine. That subscription really opened my eyes.
So, thereafter I was happy to admire them from afar. I watched horse races on TV. I visited The Kentucky Horse Park. It's a lovely place with a beautiful statue of Secretariat, my favorite race horse. I'm also a fan of dressage and horse jumping.
I went to the Kentucky Derby twice.
I went to the Belmont Race Track many years ago when I lived in New York.
And I've been to other smaller horse tracks to watch the races.
I went to a rodeo in Indiana. I think the event was held at Market Square Arena which has been imploded since then.
I had planned to go to a dude ranch where you could work and vacation but my job interfered with those plans and I missed that opportunity.
So, it was a natural step for me to introduce my son to horses. In this photo, you can see that he had no fear. He looks like a natural if you ask me but unfortunately my love for horses didn't transfer over to him, at least not that I know of. However, he is into many other sports and at one time had been a personal trainer at the local YMCA. Those of you who follow my blog shouldn't be too surprised at that! My adventure with horses isn't over yet. I can feel it in my bones! (Which are still intact and I intend for them to stay that way.)


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Roper shows off their casual side with this desert sticker tan suede leather lace-up shoe for men. Featuring a 3/4" ankle height, fabric lining, removable comfort footbed with EVA cushion, and crepe sole, this shoe is perfect for casual wear around the house or to keep you casual and comfortable while out and about! (see style 2060320W for wider width)


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Blackout Blinds & Shades for Room Darkening
- Best choice for complete darkness
- Blocks 99% of incoming light
- Great for bedrooms and home theaters
- Tight-fitting inside mounts block the most light
- Many styles to darken your space
- Watch our video on blackout shades
Blackout shades and blinds block nearly all incoming light with cellular shade, roman shade, roller shade, woven wood, pleated shade, panel track and skylight choices. Although sometimes called Blackout Blinds, a light blocking blackout effect is best achieved with shades, as they block the most light with a tight-fitting inside-mounted opaque shade. Blackout Shades eliminate maximum light seepage with specially woven material or with the addition of a liner to create a darker space than the subtler Room Darkening Shades. Custom blackout blinds provide the darkest blackout experience available.
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|Micro Systemation
|Template:Mobile forensics
XRY, pronounced "ex-arr-why", is a forensic system specifically designed for analyzing mobile digital devices written by Micro Systemation. The software is designed to run on a Windows computer and will retrieve information from mobile phones for immediate display of the results or files can be saved for later analysis. At the time of writing support levels including smartphones, gps units and mobile tablets such as the iPad.
XRY comes complete with software that reads information and then creates reports on the data, and also the hardware: the "XRY Communications Unit". The hardware is connected to a computer using a USB cable. The standard package of phone cables contains 40 different cables. USB, Bluetooth and IR are available in order to connect as many different telephone models as possible to the unit.
Specifically it can grab phone book information, SMS and other text messages, call lists, calendar entries, task items, pictures, media files, and SIM card information. XRY also retrieves a lot of information about the phone itself, such as IMEI/ESN, IMSI, model no., matching between the clock in the telephone and the computer, etc. An encrypted file is created, containing a copy of the information retrieved from the phone. XRY has got full support for Unicode.
Supported devices
The tool supports more than 4,000 different mobile device profiles including GSM, UMTS and CDMA phones. SIM cards are supported as well. Smartphones such as Android, BlackBerry, iPhone, Symbian and Windows Mobile are supported.
Support for new phones is added in each release, which in 2008 was quarterly.
XRY Reader
XRY creates a report containing the user's own logotype, address, etc. and the basic required information. The generated report can either be printed out, exported in whole or in part, or forwarded electronically with .XRY Reader which is distributed for free. A search function simplifies the task of searching for a particular name/number or some other type of text.


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In my experience this is (perhaps crassly) what's most important on a falling scale:
1. Your success and how "big" you are. You have to understand that it's not just show business in front of the camera, it's behind the camera as well. Ad agencies/clients/financiers want to be able to say on Monday over coffee with their partners that they were working with Roger Deakins or an Oscar winning DP. Coolness by association. I know for a fact, because I had it from his agent himself, that commercial clients will wait or work around Emmanuel Lubezki's schedule. When he's off a feature film all he needs to do is call up his agent and say "I have 2 months off, can you book some commercials?" and they book as many or as few as he wants. But understand that this only happens at the very top level. No client or ad agency will wait for us lesser DP's.
2. Recommendations and reputation. Directors will base hiring on sometimes unresearched recommendations from other directors or producers. Sometimes they might ask around about you, or someone else mentions you to them, or your name has a buzz at that moment. This is very common and once you have been vetted by their peers, they'll hire you based on that and not the particulars on your reel. It is very, very common that if you do a successful or good ad at a certain production company (and you and the director get along), you will pick up other work from other directors at that production company. They talk about DP's all the time.
3. Reel/CV. And here we have different tiers. Obviously a bigger reel (notice I didn't say better), with more things they recognise or have seen, with known actors/stars, stand a better chance than the ever so nicely shot thing they don't know about or haven't heard of. They need the stamp of approval of familiarity, or success, to be able feel confident in your skills. It's the sad truth that a beautiful reel on its own will not get necessarily get you more work. However, it will get you those first jobs that then can help build your reel.
Being a DP is great. But it's a long hard way to make it in to a successful career. It's just like life - it's not going to be fair, it's not going to be equal. I've had focus pullers that used to work for me and assistants that used to load my camera truck (at 4am in the morning) who today are shooting big Hollywood features and are much more successful than I am. Some of them got an easy ride and found success very quick by being at the right spot at the right time. That's OK, you just have to stop comparing yourself to others and not feel intimidated by the fact that it's not always fair. It doesn't mean you're a worse DP or have lesser skills. That's very important to remember.
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Our busy agendas keep us from doing a lot. Laundry, calling our parents, even that cooking class we've been eyeing. But one thing your schedule should never stand in the way of is your beauty routine. Anyone with a jam-packed calendar should face it looking flawless, regardless of how much (or little) time she's freed up for getting gorgeous.
Starting now, we're taking minutes off your get-ready routine, with time-saving products that pull double-duty. These multitasking, fast-acting essentials are perfect for any busy bee trying to look amazing in a flash and then get on with her day. Stock up on busy-girl beauty (get it delivered, obviously), and be done with it. You've got things to do, right?