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Moving this post once again to the head of the list, I present a recently expanded sampling of what this blog has been about. Occasional rant aside, it's been my goal to let people into the operating room, and into the life and thoughts of a surgeon; to share my take on some surgical conditions, and sometimes just to get a laugh.
Memorable Patients: I've told stories about people who made a big impression
here, (the most stool I've ever seen in a belly)
here, (when my partner got sick)
here, (she killed her caregiver, and almost killed herself)
here, (thirteen years old, and I couldn't save her)
here (until the end, she kept bringing me food)
here, (kidney cancer in his pancreas, and he kept on truckin')
here, (bleeding so fast, I could hear it)
here, (no stomach, kept eating steak)
here, (breast-heart connection?)
here, (an extreme test of faith)
and here. (a screw-up in a great guy)
Series On Diseases, Organs, And Conditions:
Breast Cancer
one, two, three, four, five , six,
and this
oh yeah: and this one about outpatient mastectomy
one, two, three, four
one, two, three, four
The Pancreas
one, two, three
The Gallbladder
one, two, three, four, five
The Spleen
one, two
one, two
The Back Side
one, two
one, two, three
A Peek Into The Operating Room:
Deconstructing An Operation (wherein I tried to convey, in detail, what it's like to do an operation. Some of it is pretty good!)
one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten
one, two
one, two
The Back Side
one, two
one, two, three
A Peek Into The Operating Room:
Deconstructing An Operation (wherein I tried to convey, in detail, what it's like to do an operation. Some of it is pretty good!)
one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten
What The Liver Feels Like:
touch it here
The Beauty Of Bowel:
When Food Leaks Out:
Fun With The Lung
pink and soft.
You Are So Beautiful:
a look inside
What Makes A Fast Surgeon:it's not fast hands.
What Cancer Looks Like:ugly as hell
The Mind Of A Surgeon: (no, it's not an oxymoron)
Playing God
Taking Trust:
maybe my most controversial post (except for one on prayer. You'll have to search for that one.)
Liking the Horrible:
the paradox that is surgery
When It Scared Me to Death:
a sick baby
When Things Get Tough:
the need to concentrate
On Palliative Surgery:
difficult decisions.
Think slow:
shoot from the head.
Various Good Stuff
Brittle Beauty (this one got mentioned in the New York Times):
Various Good Stuff
Brittle Beauty (this one got mentioned in the New York Times):
About Surgical Names and Anatomic Places:
Ever Have A Maneuver Named After You?
he did
"Alternative" Medicine And Why We Love It:
Strange Things In Strange Places:takes all kinds
Old Folks:
They take it in stride.
Word play:
Fun with new words.
Hospital Politics, And A Memo:
one, two, three, four
My Malpractice Series: (lawyers hated it. Because of the title, it still gets hits on strange searches...)
one, two, three
Thoughts On Health Care Issues:
Reflecting on Past and Future (some excellent comments on this post)
The Personals: People In My Life
My amazing aunt
My grandpa
Watching My Dad
The Father I Could Never See
My Oldest Friend
My Newest Friend
Rants: (most of these are decidedly non-medical, so be warned)
My first rant, on the anniversary of 9/11.
My first rant, on the anniversary of 9/11.
This is the only medical one
I guess this is a rant. It's about war and what it does to the kids who fight them. Some of the comments are worth reading, too.
OK, this is medical too, and "religious."
Praying for a Child (this one caused a huge ruckus.)


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Specific Responsibilities
Founded in Massachusetts in 1863 by John A. Frye, The Frye Company is the original maker of American footwear.
For more than 153 years, Frye craftsmen have been dedicated to the art of shoemaking, creating modern patterns, discovering materials and even inventing machinery. Rooted in authentic American heritage, The Frye Company uses the best leathers, designs and innovations in the pursuit of timeless, artisanal style.
Today, the brand is propelled by its relevance and expansion into new categories, while remaining true to its original promise. Frye products have withstood the test of time and have created brand loyalists across cultural shifts and the passing of generations.
Since 2011, Frye Has expanded its presence to include stores in SoHo NYC, Boston, Chicago, Georgetown, Atlanta, Dallas, Long Island (New York), Fairfax (Virginia), San Francisco, Austin, Nashville, Denver, Charlotte (North Carolina), Lexington, Seattle and Flat Iron NYC.
Frye's mission, to make iconic leather goods that endure, has remained unchanged throughout its storied history.
The Frye Company has an exciting opportunity available to join the Stock Team in our location in Georgetown, DC. Stock Associates at The Frye Company are responsible for working as a team to maintain a neat and well organized stockroom. They also partner with the sales team to help create a memorable shopping experience for all of our customers. Specific responsibilities of the Stock Associate position include but are not limited to:
Skills and Requirements
Skills and Requirements:

subset: commoncrawl


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For the past six months, I've harshly criticized the Object Management Group's Model-Driven Architecture (MDA) vision (www.omg.org/mda). I haven't been alone: At OOPSLA 2003, Dave Thomas of Pragmatic Programming fame virtually flayed MDA alive, and even Microsoft has questioned MDA's underpinnings. Why the criticisms? We've seen similar visions fail miserably in the past. Also, many correctly believe that MDA could take IT organizations seriously off track if they don't navigate the software process waters effectively. Until now, I've complained loudly about MDA; now I present a viable, albeit challenging, vision for making it work.
From Generic to Specific
MDA separates the specification of system functionality from the specification of its implementation. To do this, MDA defines two categories of models: Platform Independent Models (PIMs) and Platform Specific Models (PSMs). As the name implies, PIMs don't take technology-specific considerations into account, a concept that's equivalent to logical models from the structured methodologies of the 1970s and to essential models within modern usage-centered techniques. PSMs bring technology issues into account and should be transformations of PIMs that reflect platform-specific considerations.
There's far more to MDA than just PIMs and PSMs—it defines guidelines for automated transformation between these models based on metadata-defined mappings. Basically, you should be able to define the business requirements and your analysis of those requirements within a PIM, select the target platform(s) for your system and then automatically translate the PIM into one or more PSMs. Necessary details are added to the PSMs, which are then translated into source code. Ideally, 100 percent of the code would be generated; realistically, you still must write some complex logic that the tools can't model fully—most modeling tool vendors claim that they'll generate around 80–90 percent of the code.
The transformations are bidirectional—changes to your code should be captured within the PSMs, and any business-related changes in the PSMs translated back into the PIMs. These "reverse" transformations allow you to work on any artifact at any time.
If realized, MDA promises to increase developer productivity dramatically—but I have several reservations. Here's my vision for agile MDA.
How to Take an Agile Approach
[click for larger image]
An Agile MDA Overview
Simple diagrams, tests and iterative development are key to making MDA work.
First, you must extend MDA to include modeling activities with your stakeholders. Agile modelers insist on active stakeholder participation—stakeholders should be available to provide information, make decisions and even model the business requirements. To do this, developers need to adopt inclusive modeling tools and techniques: simple tools such as whiteboards and paper that are easy to use, and simple modeling techniques such as essential user interface models and class responsibility collaborator (CRC) cards, which stakeholders can easily grasp. We learned the hard way in the 1980s that stakeholders neither understand complex diagrams nor want to take the time to learn them. This suggests that the models typically supported by MDA-based tools will hinder communication with stakeholders rather than foster it. In the 1980s, we also learned that stakeholders can be active participants in modeling if developers are willing to use inclusive tools: Therefore, you need to extend your MDA modeling efforts with inclusive modeling techniques if you want to be agile. The simple nature of inclusive models often requires agile modelers to manually translate them into their modeling tools; you may be sketching at a whiteboard with stakeholders one minute and then sitting at your workstation translating the information into your CASE tool the next.
Second, the creation of working software is crucial, as it's the primary goal of software development. Furthermore, agile modelers take a highly evolutionary approach, delivering working software on a regular basis, and with MDA, you'll generate it from your models. The secret is to model in small increments; don't try to create the all-encompassing PIM and then generate the all-encompassing PSM. I'd be worried if I modeled for several hours without producing working software, let alone several days or even weeks. Tighten the feedback loop to increase your effectiveness. Agile modelers will focus on a few requirements, generate the PSM for those requirements, and then create the software that fulfills those requirements. The goal is to validate the models with code and obtain feedback from stakeholders as quickly as possible. Never forget that your stakeholders are primarily interested in a system that meets their needs.
Third, you'll need several models to get the job done. Although the diagram on page 52 indicates a wide range of available models, only a subset may be required. Your modeling tools must support an effective combination so that you can apply the right artifacts for the situation. PIMs and PSMs require sophisticated modeling tools, and luckily, a few such as Bridgepoint, TogetherCC and OptimalJ are available. A good tool is a start, but without skilled developers, it will quickly become shelfware.
Fourth, you must continually test—this is why tests are included in the diagram as potential modeling artifacts. Tests become critical models for you: Acceptance tests capture the fundamental requirements to which your system must conform, and technically oriented tests (unit, system and so on) validate your software's "innards." I firmly believe MDA tools must include extensive support for testing.
Fifth, accept the fact that you'll still need to write some source code. The diagram indicates that you'll need some form of action language in your PIMs and programming source code in your PSMs to implement functionality not generated by the MDA tools.
Is MDA For You?
For MDA to work in your firm, you must answer yes to each of these questions:
- Do you currently have on staff highly skilled modelers or people who could become so; if not, can you hire some?
- Can you retain these highly skilled modelers once you have them?
- Are your stakeholders sophisticated enough to actively participate in the creation of inclusive models—or can they understand the PIMs that you create?
- Can you find a modeling toolset that fulfills your actual needs?
- Are you willing to tie your fortunes to that of the tool vendor?
I'm still leery when it comes to MDA, although I recognize that a small number of organizations will be able to succeed with it. Stay agile by actively collaborating with your stakeholders, creating working software on a regular basis, integrating testing into your modeling efforts, and adopting tools that support these concepts. It won't be easy to succeed with MDA.
My Concerns
Recently, in my Agile Modeling newsletter, I expressed several frustrations with MDA that you'll need to overcome regardless of how agile an approach you take. These concerns are:
|Further Reading
If you're interested in learning more about MDA, start with MDA Distilled by Steve Mellor, Kendall Scott, Axel Uhl and Dirk Weise (Addison-Wesley, 2004) or Model Driven Architecture by Dave Frankel (OMG Press, 2003). For more thoughts about agile MDA, read Steve Mellor's paper. A more detailed discussion of my ideas is posted at here.
Scott Ambler is a senior consultant with Ronin International Inc. His latest book is Agile Database Techniques from Wiley Publishing.


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Avaline Hoy and Henry Sing on their wedding day, with bridesmaids Laura Sing, Beatrice Keen and Anne Hoy in the living room of the Hoy's home; July 1937.
- CA Barkerville Historic Town BARK_1990.0003.0100
- Item
The wedding party of Henry Sing and Evelyn Hoy. See also P 1754, P 1755. Left to right: ?, ?, Henry Sing, Avaline Hoy, Laura Sing, Beatrice Keen, Anne Hoy.
Hoy, C. D.


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The truth of life has never been better or more succinctly articulated than in the Buddha's teaching on suffering, its cause, and its cessation—the famous formulation known as the Four Noble Truths. This concise handful of words is in fact the foundation from which all subsequent Buddhist teachings grow, and upon which all of them rely. Their wisdom is as pertinent to the scholar of Buddhist philosophy as it is to the ordinary practitioner, as it is indeed to anyone, anywhere, who aspires to liberation.
Chögyam Trungpa's in-depth exploration of the Four Noble Truths reveals the subtlety and sophistication that lie beneath these deceptively simple teachings. He emphasizes their profound relevance not just as an inspiration when we set out on the path but at every other moment of our lives as well, showing how we can join view (intellectual understanding) of the teaching with practical application in order to interrupt suffering before it arises.
His teaching is, as always, refreshingly direct and profoundly inspiring. The Truth of Suffering is an ideal introduction to the Four Noble Truths for the beginner as well as for the experienced practitioner in search of deeper understanding.
"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
Chögyam Trungpa (1940–1987)—meditation master, teacher, and artist—founded Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado, the first Buddhist-inspired university in North America; the Shambhala Training program; and an international association of meditation centers known as Shambhala International. He is the author of numerous books including Shambhala: The Sacred Path of the Warrior, Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism, and The Myth of Freedom.Review:
"This wonderful book presents the Four Noble Truths of Buddhism in a way that is completely fresh and original while at the same time never losing contact with traditional sources. I was extremely fortunate to have Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche as my root teacher, and I'm so glad this new book of teaching is available so that readers can continue to benefit from his profound understanding."—Pema Chödrön
"An invaluable resource for anyone seeking the truth. With disarming honesty and humor, Trungpa Rinpoche guides us through the Buddha's teachings, bringing us face to face with our many misconceptions and our true potential."—Sharon Salzberg
"Trungpa Rinpoche has taken up one of the most fundamental Buddhist teachings and offered us layer after layer of insight and understanding. His mastery of the dharma reveals within this apparently simple teaching a ceaseless profundity of inestimable value for both beginners and advanced practitioners."—John Daido Loori
"In this book we can hear Rinpoche's uncontrived, genuine voice illuminating the fundamental teachings of Buddhism on the cycle of suffering and freedom from suffering—profoundly inspiring all of us."—Tulku Thondup Rinpoche
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
Within U.S.A.
Book Description Shambhala, 2009. Condition: New. book. Seller Inventory # M1590306686
Book Description Hardcover. Condition: Brand New. New. Seller Inventory # DH29pg1521to1606-2891
Book Description Shambhala, 2009. Hardcover. Condition: New. Brand New!. Seller Inventory # VIB1590306686
Book Description Condition: New. New. Seller Inventory # M-1590306686


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In studying the data for my latest Big Four Economic Indicators update, I wondered how much impact Hurricane Sandy might have had on the economy in October and what to expect in the months ahead. I thought it would be interesting to take a close look at the behavior of the Big Four in the months before and after Hurricane Katrina hit the coast in August 2005.
Here is a chart and table similar to the one I maintain for the current Big Four data. The chart illustrates the growth of the four indicators from January 2005 to June 2007. The table below shows the month-over-month percent change and the average of the four for the twelve months of 2005.
The two made landfall at the end of the month Katrina on August 29th and Sandy on October 29th. Both had effects on economic activity as they approached the US. Katrina certainly had some impact on the August data and substantial impact on the September data for all four indicators, most conspicuously Industrial Production. But we can see that Industrial Production had essentially rebounded by November and was back on trend by the end of the year. Retail Sales took a storm-related dip, but this series is such a volatile indicator that it's impossible to speculate with any confidence what the green line in the chart above would have looked like had Katrina never happened.
For the sake of comparison, here is my current chart for the same indicators.
Presumably we have already seen some of Sandy's fingerprints on the three October indicators thus far released, and we should expect to see greater impact on the November data. But the gradual return to normal in the North East and economic stimulus from recovery efforts should limit the Sandy effect to a couple of months.


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Science fiction films, it often seems, are the idiot cousin of the genre. Not that there aren't some excellent SF films out there, but even if you ignore the vast majority, which are actually action or horror films in an SFnal setting, what you'll be left with will be mostly small, simple stories in thinly drawn worlds, often with a thuddingly obvious political subtext. Again, that's not to say that these films can't be good--Moon, to take one example whose story and world are practically miniscule, is one of the finest SF films of the last decade. But it's rare, verging on unheard-of, for SF films to achieve the depth and complexity of SFnal ideas and worldbuilding that written SF is capable of, and I think that part of the reason for this is fear. Most SF filmmakers (or their financial backers) are afraid to imagine a world too different from out own, a future too alien--the most celebrated SF film of the last year, after all, was one that used space exploration as a metaphor for alienation, and ended with humanity effectively barred from space for decades to come. Spike Jonze's Her isn't the film to buck that trend, but it carries within it the seeds of that film. Jonze takes the relatively unusual step (in the film medium, at least) of pairing SF with romantic drama, but that potentially refreshing choice turns out to be Her's undoing--not only because the romance it crafts is problematic and unconvincing, but because it obscures the much more interesting SF film that Her could have been, if it were slightly less afraid of the future.
Joaquin Phoenix plays Theodore, a depressed recent divorcé who is starved for human connection but too emotionally constipated to engage with actual people (for which read women--Theodore's only male friend at the beginning of the film is his best friend's husband, with whom he cuts ties after the two divorce, and though throughout the film he forges a connection with a colleague played by Chris Pratt, this is only after the other man makes several enthusiastic overtures). When Theodore buys a new handheld phone/computer/personal organizer, it comes with an AI interface (rather infuriatingly referred to, throughout the film, as an operating system) which promises to mold itself to suit Theodore's personality and needs. The resulting persona, Samantha (voiced by Scarlett Johansson), is a bubbly, curious, adventurous creature who quickly brings Theodore out of his shell. Before long, the two become friends, going on day-long excursions in which Samantha can discover the world and Theodore can re-experience it through her eyes. Soon after that, the relationship turns romantic (and, within certain parameters, sexual), with Theodore and Samantha proudly proclaiming themselves to be dating.
It's difficult to read this plot description and not feel uncomfortable. Watching the film's trailers, I found myself reminded of (500) Days of Summer, a movie that purported to cut through the commercialized, commodified artificiality of modern romantic comedies, but could only do so by turning its heroine into an unattainable cipher. Her seems to take that approach to extremes when it imagines a romance in which the female half of the relationship is the male's property, a program designed to not only make his life easier but whose personality was especially fitted for that task. Add to that Samantha's copious Manic Pixie Dream Girl traits, and it becomes all but impossible to take her romance with Theodore as anything but the logical extension of films like (500) Days, in which women exist solely in order to enable the self-actualization of a schlubby, self-pitying male hero. (For some more discussion of the problems with Her's conception of romance and of its hero, see Sady Doyle's trenchant takedown of the film. As the rest of this review will show, I don't agree with all of Doyle's conclusions, but her discussion of Theodore, and of "sensitive," beta male characters of his type, is necessary and important.)
In fairness, Her is clearly aware of the potential for this reading, and tries to head it off through a variety of devices--though these are, invariably, notable more for their good intentions than their success. When Theodore's ex-wife Catherine (Rooney Mara) finds out about his new relationship, she immediately speaks for doubters like myself, concluding that being with Samantha appeals to Theodore because it doesn't require him to cope with "real emotions." It's a perspective that desperately needed to be heard, given how strangely non-judgmental everyone else around Theodore is, and the crisis that it precipitates in his and Samantha's relationship is also necessary, finally puncturing his blithe acceptance of the fact that he is dating his PDA. But the film also tries to undermine Catherine, by depicting her as bitter and having other characters comment on her emotional instability. (In this quality, Catherine is joined by Thedore's other human love interest, a blind date played by Olivia Wilde; just about the only woman in the film who is not depicted as crazy is Theodore's endlessly supportive best friend Amy (Amy Adams), for whom he feels no sexual attraction.) Later in the film, Theodore and Samantha make a disastrous attempt at expanding the physical side of their relationship with the help of a surrogate, Isabella (Portia Doubleday), an experiment whose failure sheds a light on the limitations of their relationship. But this scene also highlights the handwaving that Jonze does where Samantha's sexuality is concerned. We're told that she orgasms when she and Theodore first have sex (really just dirty talk, and rather tame at that) because their connection somehow makes her feel "her" body. But as Anna Shechtman, writing at Slate, points out, this is merely an extension of the canard that women's sexuality is emotional while men's is physical.
The real problem, however, with how Her constructs its central romance isn't the multiple question marks surrounding Samantha's ability to freely and meaningfully enter into the relationship. It's how bland and generic Theodore and Samantha are as a couple. Her is, by definition, a very talky film--Theodore and Samantha fall in love through words and conversation, not physical attraction--but instead of powering the film and making us feels its characters' emotions, Her's dialogue is painfully nondescript. Theodore works as a personal letter-writer--sometimes for special occasions such as anniversaries, but also as a regular part of his customers' lives, as in the case of a couple whose love letters he's been writing for nearly a decade. We're told that these letters are insightful and moving--at one point, Samantha compiles some of them and sends them to a publisher, who is so moved that he offers to put them out as a book. But when we actually hear Theodore's letters, they sound like what they are, extra-long greeting cards, full of trite turns of phrase and over-exposed sentiments. (It's interesting that both Her and (500) Days give their heroes jobs writing greeting cards, as if to stress that they are manufacturing sentiment they can't feel; but at least (500) Days acknowledges that the sentiments Tom sells are hollow.)
In much the same way, Theodore and Samantha's conversations, in which they allegedly forge a deep, instant connection, come off as stilted and forced, both of them trying too hard to be friendly and funny without ever saying anything of substance (there is, in fact, very little difference between Theodore and Samantha's conversations and the one he has with Wilde's character on their blind date--in both cases, the characters appear to be working so hard to be agreeable and pleasant that they barely seem to notice the person they're talking to). Later in the film, as the relationship and its challenges deepen, Theodore and Samantha start to discuss weightier topics. But despite emerging from such an unusual relationship, these issues are familiar and trite--Theodore is emotionally withholding, Samantha is growing past him. The discussions never become interesting or compelling because Theodore and Samantha aren't particularly interesting people--like Theodore's letters, they feel like collections of clichés handsomely strung together, not genuinely nuanced characters.
In a way, this is a very SFnal flaw--using characters and relationships as placeholders around which to construct a world or an idea, without bothering to shade them in or strive for complexity. And if Her's characters are bland in a way that feels typical of SF, its world is nuanced in a way that also seems particularly SFnal. Jonze takes the Andrew Niccol approach of imagining a future that is sleek, clean, and impeccably designed (and also sadly lacking in people of color), but the technology with which he fills this world, and which his characters use, is more homey and lived in. Samantha is, after all, a personal organizer, and like her, most of the technology Theodore interacts with is intended for daily human use. Amy designs computer games (most notably, an appalling creation in which players compete to be a "super-mom" who gets her kids to school first and bakes delicious cookies), and Theodore entertains himself by playing another game, evocatively projected across half his living room. User interfaces--for the computers Theodore uses at work, for Samantha and other, non-sentient organizers, for the social network on which Theodore looks up his blind date--abound in the film. They create the texture of a world in which the human relationship with technology is similar to ours, but also changed. As that texture develops it becomes easier to see Her not as a romance between two people in a unique situation, but as the story of how a new technology changes the definition of romance for all people. Late in the film we learn, for example, that Theodore and Samantha aren't the only AI/human relationship out there. Amy is friends with an AI, and a woman in her office is dating one who isn't even hers.
In its final third, Her changes and becomes a much more interesting film--by shedding the unconvincing romance plot of its earlier segments. Jonze seems to have realized that the only way to prove that the romance between Theodore and Samantha is real is for her to end it, but he does so in a way that reveals that the real story of the film wasn't their love story, but the story of Samantha's (and other AIs like her) emergence and self-discovery as a new lifeform. If, in the early parts of the film, the differences of experience, age, and legal status between Theodore and Samantha make their relationship seem dubious and creepy (in one particularly disturbing scene, Theodore all but gaslights Samantha, who is worried about their waning sex life, taking advantage of her inexperience by telling her that this is perfectly normal when he knows it isn't) by the end of the film it's clear that Samantha has become something much bigger than Theodore. In one of the film's most devastating--and, to me, most satisfying--scenes, Theodore realizes that at the same time that he and Samantha have been having intimate, soul-baring conversations, she's also been conversing with thousand of other people, some of whom are also her lovers. In these final scenes, Her suggests that, far from enabling the petty, narcissistic, isolating urges of the emotionally inept, the technology at its center is expanding the definition of love and relationships.
It's a pity, then, that the first two thirds of Her lack the courage of this final revelation. That they bury Samantha's emerging consciousness beneath Theodore's neediness and depression, and fail to address the questions, about Samantha's personality and personhood, raised by their relationship. The rather creepy scene with Isabella the surrogate is retroactively validated when we realize that Samantha has been having meaningful relationships with people other than Theodore--it suddenly becomes more believable that this woman agreed to the experiment of her own free will--but wouldn't it have been more interesting to learn this fact earlier in the film, and explore Isabella's feelings for Samantha, instead of reducing her to a marital aid (not to mention yet another one of the film's crazy women)? For that matter, wouldn't it have been more interesting, not to mention believable, to face up to the fact that Samantha can love Theodore without gaining sexual satisfaction from him, at least not in the human terms that she uses to describe her sexuality? Wouldn't it, in short, have been a much more interesting film if, from the get-go, Her had been about Samantha as a new lifeform, not the object of Theodore's affections?
Sticking to the template of a romance means that Her loses sight of the more interesting story happening in its background, and fails to fully explore its premise. It's a failure that mars the film even in its more successful final act, as when it plumps for the cliché of treating Theodore and Samantha's relationship as a learning experience, something designed to make him a better man--he ends the film composing yet another of his trite, cliché-ridden letters to his ex-wife, in which he wishes her well. This is clearly intended as a sign that Theodore has grown and matured, but it actually makes him seem smug and self-satisfied--despite its claims to the contrary, his letter to Catherine is designed to show off the fact that he has achieved closure after their divorce, not give that closure to her, and it has the effect of, once again, turning Samantha into the instrument of Theodore's growth, rather than the person he was in love with and has now lost. Say what you will about (500) Days of Summer, but at least it recognized that the end of a relationship, no matter how inevitable, hurts, and included within its titular timeframe the time necessary for its hero to get over his heartache before gaining wisdom.
Ultimately, Her is neither a successful romance nor the mythical complex, intelligent SF film I yearned for in this review's opening. That it has enough hints of the latter makes me wish that the romance aspect of the film had been jettisoned (that the romance itself is so problematic, of course, makes me wish this even more). But the fact that the film was made, and that in its final third it dares to imagine a future in which personhood and love mean something different from what we define them as, gives me some hope. Perhaps, in some distant point in the future, SF film won't be so terrified of the unfamiliar--and perhaps when we get to that point, filmmakers in general will be able to imagine a romance in which both partners, be they humans or machines, are real people.


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Moderator: Tournament Directors
BigBallinStalin wrote:I don't care about the rules and all those settings and stuff. I'ma get my money (most likely not).
(sign me up, please sir).
Attention all tourney entrants:
aage wrote: Maybe you're right, but since we receive no handlebars from the mod I think we should get some ourselves.
iamkoolerthanu wrote:Some of you premiums have forgotten that your premium!
I'll be back on the 18th if there's still spots!
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Level Four Group, based in Plano, Texas, has affiliated with LPL Financial (LPLA) to take advantage of LPL's broker-dealer and RIA platforms.
Level Four, which was previously affiliated with Lincoln Financial, has close to $1 billion in client assets and includes about 50 licensed independent financial advisors, about half of whom are accountants with Series 7 or 66 licenses. Its four retail offices are in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, Austin, Texas, and Irvine, Calif.
"We had a wonderful, close relationship with Lincoln Financial," said Jake Tomes, CEO of Level Four, in an interview with AdvisorOne. The decision to move to LPL's hybrid platform, he says, stemmed from the group's "desire to grow and attract the most talented investment advisors in the industry."
The group was formed to help CPAs and CPA firms add wealth management as a core strategy, according to Tomes. "Today's landscape is changing, and advisors are acting more as fiduciaries for clients," Tomes explained. "As this shift continues, advisors need to position themselves more for fee-for-service and fee-for-advice business. We want to capitalize in this trend."
"We are really excited that Level Four is aligning with LPL Financial," said Bill Morrissey (left), executive vice president of business development at LPL Financial, in an interview. "This is a large talented group of advisors that provides sophisticated wealth management services to clients and fits well with our hybrid platform. They do transaction- and fee-based work in a single sweep and take advantage of our practice management support."
In addition, says Morrissey, "We are philosophically well aligned, and expect Level Four to benefit from increased efficiencies from our integrated platform. We want to partner with them to help them grow organically, while capturing more wallet share from clients and via the recruiting of like-minded advisors."
In addition to its four branded offices, Level Four also includes affiliated advisors in New Jersey, Illinois and Los Angeles. Its expansion plans are focused, according to Tomes, especially on Texas and Southern California. "But with LPL, we feel we really have an unlimited scope in terms of our geography."
"LPL is the ideal partner as we take the next jump in growth as a firm," he explained. "As a truly independent firm, LPL should enable us to achieve our aggressive business-growth initiative, which is focused on partnering with investment advisors and CPAs to create a family-office environment that offers traditional advice along with tax and business advice for a fee."
"We look forward to partnering with them as they grow to become a preeminent firm in the financial-services industry," added Morrissey.


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My summer vacation is going by too quickly, time is going by too fast and there is nothing I can do about it! I can enjoy every day though and that is just what I am doing.
I go back to work on August 15. Less than two weeks, yeah, I'm counting. Yikes.
I am feeling fully recovered from Vermont, I had a very quick and easy recovery this time around. Been running my daily mileage with Topaz and hitting the Afterburn workouts each day. I like it :)
Tomorrow I'll head back on over to Buck Hill. I know that hill helped me out immensely during my Vermont race, I know it can help me out during Superior. I'm not so concerned about the heat training any more, that was for Vermont that I was there at noon, in the heat of the day, banging out hill repeats. Tomorrow I'll probably head over later in the morning, my goal is to bang out 17-20 repeats.
Next Friday I and 9 of my friends will be tripping up to Lutsen to run/crew a 40+mile night run on the Superior Hiking Trail. I can't wait. It will be the final major piece to my Superior Sawtooth 100 (102.5) Trail Race training. I'll continue trekking over to Buck Hill each week until the race date as well.
It is supposed to rain tomorrow afternoon so we'll probably check out The Simpsons Movie. I'm not a big fan, but all of the males in my home are. Sunday we have Twins tickets. Go Twins.
God Bless all that are involved with the search/recovery of the 35 W Bridge Collapse.


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The broad areas of emphasis in the department are circuits, communications, signal processing, and photonics. The interest of the faculty and their current research falls generally into one of these areas.
The Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) Department possesses a world-renowned faculty of the highest caliber. Our faculty are committed to excellence in teaching, research and service to the profession and broader community.
A list of undergraduate and graduate degrees offered by the SMU School of Engineering via numerous courses.
Faculty members in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering publish their research in the premier journals, magazines and conferences in their fields. Examples of such venues include IEEE Transactions, ACM conferences, and OSA journals.
The Electrical and Computer Engineering Department offers undergraduate and graduate courses, spanning all core areas of our discipline. These courses which serve as required and elective courses in the curricula of the different degrees offered by the Department.
The ECE departmental laboratories are located in the Jerry Junkins Building on the SMU campus. These labs are used both for teaching and research. These facilities include labs for signal processing, communications and networking, circuit design, antenna design, and a cleanroom fabrication facility.
The Electrical and Computer Engineering Executive Board is comprised of senior-level corporate and academic leaders who provide an external and professional perspective and help the department in achieving its goals.
Offer a value-added educational experience through quality instruction and scholarly research with an entrepreneurial spirit that prepares graduates for the full range of career opportunities in today's high technology marketplace.
ABET is the recognized accreditor for college and university programs in applied science, computing, engineering, and technology. ABET is a federation of more than 25 professional and technical societies representing these fields.
Congratulations to Jerome Forbes for being named "2016 Black Engineer of the Year Awards (BEYA) Most Promising Engineer - Industry Award" at the 30th BEYA STEM Global Competitiveness Conference in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Jerome is currently pursuing both an M.S. in Systems Engineering and a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering.
At the Lyle School we are changing the way people think about engineers. Through innovation and hands-on experiences, we are attracting a diverse mix of talented students interested in making a difference in the world through engineering.
View our Lyle Calendar Here


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Today, Shining Rock Software (a one-man development studio) released a calm video where we just watch the game. No walkthroughs or explanations, we just watch the townspeople walk around going about their lives. I want this game so much.
Banished is a city-building game that will be released on February 18th, 2014. You can learn more on shiningrocksoftware.com!


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Essential Oils
We are a company dedicated to the sustainability of the plants that create the essential oils and to the people who grow, harvest, and distill them.
Our Approach
Only the Best Sources
We have the highest regard for our distillers and producers. To craft a superior product takes time, immense knowledge, continual dedication, an open heart, and pure passion. Aromatherapy would not be what it is today without these incredibly important individuals. Truly talented distillers and producers are also artists and scientists. And, always sustainability and community minded.
Use AromaNumber® for blending substitutions
In order to make our organically crafted collection of 150+ essential oils easier to navigate, we worked with several leading experts and instructors in the field of aromatherapy and created category groupings around primary therapeutic and energetic usage - with the hope of making safe and effective blending, and substituting, even easier!
Balance Essential Oils Include
- Agarwood Oil
- Angelica Root Oil
- Bergamot Mint Oil
- Blue Cypress Oil
- Catnip Hydrosol
- Catnip Oil
- Chamomile Cape Oil
- Coriander Oil
- Davana Oil
- Elderflower Hydrosol
- Ghandi Root Oil
- Gingergrass Oil
- Jasmine Absolute (Sambac) Oil
- Jasmine Absolute Oil
- Lavender Artisan Hydrosol
- Lavender Blood Orange & Spearmint Hydrosol
- Lavender Oil
- Lavender Oil Artisan
- Lavender Oil Greece
- Lemon Verbena Hydrosol
- Lemon Verbena Oil
- Linden Blossom CO2 Oil
- Neroli Oil
- Neroli/Petitgrain Oil
- Palmarosa Oil
- Palo Santo (Holy Wood) Oil
- Patchouli Oil
- Petitgrain (Bigarade) Oil
- Rosalina Oil
- Rose Absolute Oil
- Rose Otto Damascena Hydrosol
- Rose Otto Oil
- Rose and Geranium Oil
- Rosehip Hydrosol
- Rosewood Oil
- St John's Wort Oil
- Vanilla Absolute
- Vanilla Oleoresin
- Vetiver Oil
- Victorian Blend Hydrosol
- Ylang Ylang (Complete) Oil
- Yuzu Oil
Breathe Essential Oils Include
- Arizona Corkbark Fir Oil
- Balsam Fir Oil
- Black Spruce Oil
- Cajeput Oil
- Douglas Fir Oil
- Elemi Oil
- Engelmann Spruce Oil
- Eucalyptus Dives Oil
- Eucalyptus Globulus Oil
- Eucalyptus Hydrosol
- Eucalyptus Radiata Oil
- Fingerroot Oil
- Fragonia Oil
- Helichrysum Bracteiferum Oil
- Helichrysum Gymnocephalum Oil
- Hemlock Oil
- Hyssop Hydrosol
- Hyssop ct 1-8-cineole Oil
- Larch Tamarack Oil
- Myrtle (Green) Oil
- Myrtle (Red) Oil
- Niaouli ct 1-8 Cineole Oil
- Norway Pine Oil
- Pinyon Pine Oil
- Ponderosa Pine Oil
- Ravintsara Oil
- Rhododendron Oil
- Saro Oil
- Scotch Pine Oil
- Siberian Fir Oil
- Sitka Spruce Oil
- Utah Juniper Oil
- White Fir Oil
- White Pine Oil
- White Spruce Oil
- Xanthoxylum Oil
Relieve Essential Oils Include
- Balsam Copaiba Oil
- Balsam Poplar Oil
- Black Pepper Oil
- Blue Tansy Oil
- Cedarwood Atlas Oil
- Cedarwood Indian Oil
- Cedarwood Oil
- Chamomile German CO2 Total Oil
- Chamomile German Oil (England)
- Chamomile German Oil (Nepal)
- Cinnamon Leaf Oil
- Clove Bud Oil
- Corn Mint (Wild Mint) Oil
- German Chamomile Hydrosol
- Helichrysum Hydrosol
- Helichrysum Splendidum Oil
- Helichrysum italicum Oil (Corsica)
- Helichrysum italicum Oil (Croatia)
- Hops Oil Azacca
- Hops Oil Cascade
- Hops Oil Juicy Fruitbomb
- Kanuka Oil
- Mastic Oil
- Plai (Central) Oil
- Rock Rose Oil
- Rosemary Hydrosol
- Rosemary and Yarrow Hydrosol
- Rosemary ct Camphor Oil
- Rosemary ct Verbenone Oil
- Spike Lavender Oil
- St John's Wort Hydrosol
- Sugandha Kokila Oil
- Tulsi (Holy Basil) Oil
- Turmeric Hydrosol
- Turmeric Oil
- White Turmeric Oil
- Wintergreen Oil
- Yarrow Hydrosol
- Yarrow Oil
Purify Essential Oils Include
- Calendula Hydrosol
- Chai Co-distill Hydrosol
- Cinnamon Bark Oil
- Cinnamon Hydrosol
- Citronella Java Oil
- Cornflower Hydrosol
- Elderberry Hydrosol
- English Thyme Hydrosol
- Eucalyptus Citriodora Oil
- Grapefruit (Rose) Oil
- Grapefruit (White) Oil
- Honey Myrtle Oil
- Kunzea Oil
- Lemon Balm Hydrosol
- Lemon Myrtle Oil
- Lemon Oil
- Lemon Thyme Hydrosol
- Lemon Thyme Oil
- Lemongrass Oil
- Lemongrass ct Rhodinol Oil
- Lime Oil
- Makrut Lime Peel Oil
- Manuka Oil
- May Chang Oil
- Melissa Oil
- Oregano Oil
- Peru Balsam Oleoresin
- Sandalwood Oil
- Sweet Grass Hydrosol
- Tamala Oil
- Tea Tree Oil
- Thyme (Benchmark) Oil
- Thyme ct Linalool Oil
- Thyme ct Thymol Oil
- White Sage Hydrosol
Circulate Essential Oils Include
Organic & Wildcrafted
New To Aromatics
Catnip Essential Oil
Essential Oil Blends
Aromatic Essentials®
Our carriers are sourced with the same care and intentionality as our collection of therapeutically vibrant essential oils. Some are wildcrafted and cold-pressed from seeds, fruits, or nuts by local communities of individuals working together to gather and process the oils and butters. Others, like our Himalayan salt and some of our clays, are sustainably hand-mined and minimally processed on site in local areas to preserve their therapeutic benefit.Each carrier has its own rich story and plays a beautiful part in promoting holistic health and aromatherapy wellness. Shop Carriers


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What's New with the Lipstick League?
Question of the Week: – Do you change your makeup with the seasons? And if so, what are the colors you're excited to wear this spring/summer?
I do! Bright lips and eyes for the summer, for sure. Lots of purple for me, and orange, and yellow!
Gouldylox Reviews – Embrace the orange trend with this long wearing lip gloss from Armour Beauty. Try wearing it under your regular lipstick to ease into the orange, if Lucy is too much for you on it's own.
Krasey Beauty – shows you the newest addition to the krasey family, her pet morkie, Moe!
Nouveau Cheap – A drugstore eye makeup remover that leaves absolutely no oily residue behind? Yep, it's as Simple as that.
Pink Sith – Tells you why she unsubscribed from Beauty Army sample service, but it's not as bad as you think.
Prime Beauty's – search for THE perfect coral lipstick is over. See how Lancôme's Rouge In Love In Corail completes her.
Phyrra – My Independent Spotlight for March is with Maria of Cult Nails! Learn all about Maria and her dream.
Vampy Varnish – feeling un-artistic lately? The new Milani paint palette inspired Eyeshadow Palettesmight get the artist in you to come out!
we heart this – helps you navigate the jungle that is the makeup isle with details on the L'Oréal True Match App.
Beauty Junkies Unite – Here's your sneak peek review of Too Faced's new Summer Eye Palette before it hits stores late March/early April!
Clumps of Mascara – is absolutely in love with Butter London's Spring/Summer nail polish collection. Just how cool is Knackered?


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Maundy Thursday makes one thing perfectly clear. It is God's faithfulness that makes us faithful. On this night of foot-washing and communion, we behold the full extent of God's love toward us.
Mercy takes on new meaning as Jesus grants us tokens of the cross that awaits Him. He washes away our filth; He feeds us with bread from heaven. Foreseeing our departure from Him, He grants us powerful assistance for our return.
In His faithful love, we see our unfaithfulness. Here we have a choice. In that gap between perfect love, and our own, our hearts either tenderize or toughen. We can fall forward into His mercy or flee His presence altogether.
Peter did not bolt. But he remained a slow learner. Just before the Passover meal, according to John 13, Jesus began to reveal "the full extent of His love" (v.1) by washing the disciple's feet. 'Maundy' Thursday is derived from the Latin "mandatum", referring to Jesus' mandate of the disciples to wash one another's feet (Jn 13:14).


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No products were found matching your selection.
1. Information on how to enter and the prizes form part of these Terms and Conditions. Participation in this promotion is deemed acceptance of these Terms and Conditions.
2. The Promoter is Defiant Screen Entertainment Pty Ltd (ABN 63 114 544 562) of Suite 1001, 4 Daydream Street, Warriewood NSW 2102, telephone: 02 9997 3936.
3. Entry is only open to Australian residents aged 18 years or over who have a current Foxtel subscription account.
4. Entrant's subscription account must not be in arrears throughout the Promotional Period and must not have overdue monies owing at 06/02/2019 in order to be eligible to claim the prize.
5. Employees (and their immediate families) of the Promoter, Foxtel Management Pty Ltd ("Foxtel") and agencies associated with this promotion are ineligible to enter. Immediate family means any of the following: spouse, ex-spouse, de-facto spouse, child or step-child (whether natural or by adoption), parent, step-parent, grandparent, step-grandparent, uncle, aunt, niece, nephew, brother, sister, step-brother, step-sister or 1st cousin.
6. Entries into the promotion open on 26/12/2018 and close at 11:59pm AEDT on 31/01/2019 ("Promotional Period").
7. To be eligible to enter, eligible individuals must rent the film 'Final Score' from Foxtel during the Promotional Period (minimum rental cost is $5.95).
8. To enter, individuals must then visit https://www.defiant-ent.com/foxtel-competition/, follow the prompts to the promotion entry page, input the requested details into the online entry form and submit the fully completed entry form so that it is received during the Promotional Period. In order for an entry to be valid, the entry form must be completed with the details of the Foxtel subscription account holder.
9. Entry to the promotion is limited to one (1) entry per Foxtel subscription account.
10. The Promoter reserves the right, at any time, to verify the validity of entries and entrants (including an entrant's identity, age and place of residence) and reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to disqualify any individual who the Promoter has reason to believe has breached any of these Terms and Conditions, tampered with the entry process or engaged in any unlawful or other improper misconduct calculated to jeopardise fair and proper conduct of the promotion. Errors and omissions may be accepted at the Promoter's discretion. Failure by the Promoter to enforce any of its rights at any stage does not constitute a waiver of those rights. The Promoter's legal rights to recover damages or other compensation from such an offender are reserved.
11. If there is a dispute as to the identity of an entrant, the Promoter reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to determine the identity of the entrant.
12. The draw will take place at Anisimoff Legal, Suite 5, Erina Plaza, 210 Central Coast Highway, Erina NSW 2250 on 04/02/2019 at 11am AEDT. The Promoter may draw additional reserve entries and record them in order in case an invalid entry or ineligible entrant is drawn. The winner will be notified in writing within two (2) business days of the draw and their name will be published online at www.defiant-ent.com and on the Promoter's Facebook page (www.facebook.com/defiantscreenentertainment) from 06/02/2019.
13. The Promoter's decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into.
14. The first valid entry drawn will win a trip for two (2) people to watch a football (soccer) match in the winner's choice of Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide or Brisbane valued at up to $6,000 depending on date and point of departure. Prize includes:
For the removal of doubt, the winner can only choose one (1) destination. Additional spending money, meals, insurance, transport to and from departure point, transfers, items of a personal nature, in-room charges and all other ancillary costs are not included. Prize must be taken by 04/02/2020 (during the football season) and is subject to booking and flight availability. Prize cannot be taken during Australian school holidays, public holidays or other peak periods.
15. The winner may select a companion of any age, however during the entire duration of the prize, a nominated parent/guardian must accompany any person under 18 years of age. The winner and his/her companion must depart from and return to the same departure point, travel together and stay at the same property. Itinerary to be determined by the Promoter in agreement with the winner but in the event that agreement cannot be reached, the Promoter reserves the right to determine the itinerary. Frequent flyer points will not form part of the prize. Prize is subject to the standard terms and conditions of individual prize and service providers. The winner may be required to present their credit card at time of accommodation check in.
16. The winner must finalise the details of the prize with the Promoter within twelve (12) weeks of accepting the prize. The winner must book at least sixty (60) days prior to intended travel departure date. Prize is a single event holiday and cannot be separated into different holiday vacations. No compensation or alternative travel plans will be arranged should the winner and/or his/her companion miss their outbound or return flights or fail to meet any check in requirements for any reason. These costs will be the responsibility and expense of the winner and/or his/her companion. Once the booking is confirmed no changes are allowed, unless otherwise authorised by the Promoter in its absolute discretion and if permitted will incur a fee of $150 including GST plus supplier charges which is payable by the winner. Travel suppliers/airlines to be chosen at the discretion of 33 Degrees Worldwide Pty Ltd (the Promoter's Prizing Agency). Comprehensive travel insurance is highly recommended and at the expense of the winner. The winner and his/her companion agree they will not sell or otherwise provide their story and/or photographs to any media or other organisations other than the Promoter.
17. In the event of war, terrorism, state of emergency or disaster, the Promoter reserves the right to cancel, terminate, modify or suspend the promotion or suspend or modify a prize, subject to any written directions from a relevant regulatory authority.
18. Subject to the unclaimed prize draw clause, if for any reason the winner does not take / redeem the prize (or an element of the prize) at/by the time stipulated by the Promoter, then the prize (or that element of the prize) will be forfeited.
19. If the prize (or part of the prize) is unavailable, the Promoter, in its discretion, reserves the right to substitute the prize (or that part of the prize) with a prize to the equal value and/or specification, subject to any written directions from a regulatory authority.
20. The football ticket prizes are subject to the event venue and ticket terms and conditions, including any applicable age restriction. The Promoter and event organisers hereby expressly reserve the right to eject the winner (and/or his/her companion/s) for any inappropriate behaviour, including but not limited to intoxication, whilst participating in any element of the prize.
21. Total prize pool value is up to $6,000. Prize, or any unused portion of the prize, is not transferable or exchangeable and cannot be taken as cash, unless otherwise specified.
22. A draw for the prize, if unclaimed, may take place on 06/05/2019 at the same time and place as the original draw, subject to any directions from a regulatory authority. The winner, if any, will be notified in writing within two (2) business days of the draw and their name will be published online at www.defiant-ent.com and on the Promoter's Facebook page (www.facebook.com/defiantscreenentertainment) from 08/05/2019.
23. Entrants consent to the Promoter using their name, likeness, image and/or voice in the event they are a winner (including photograph, film and/or recording of the same) in any media for an unlimited period without remuneration for the purpose of promoting this promotion (including any outcome), and promoting any products manufactured, distributed and/or supplied by the Promoter.
24. If this promotion is interfered with in any way or is not capable of being conducted as reasonably anticipated due to any reason beyond the reasonable control of the Promoter, including but not limited to technical difficulties, unauthorised intervention or fraud, the Promoter reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to the fullest extent permitted by law: (a) to disqualify any entrant; or (b) subject to any written directions from a regulatory authority, to modify, suspend, terminate or cancel the promotion, as appropriate.
25. Nothing in these Terms and Conditions limits, excludes or modifies or purports to limit, exclude or modify the statutory consumer guarantees as provided under the Competition and Consumer Act, as well as any other implied warranties under the ASIC Act or similar consumer protection laws in the States and Territories of Australia ("Non-Excludable Guarantees"). Except for any liability that cannot by law be excluded, including the Non-Excludable Guarantees, the Promoter (including its respective officers, employees and agents) and Foxtel exclude all liability (including negligence), for any personal injury; or any loss or damage (including loss of opportunity); whether direct, indirect, special or consequential, arising in any way out of the promotion.
26. Except for any liability that cannot by law be excluded, including the Non-Excludable Guarantees, the Promoter (including its respective officers, employees and agents) and Foxtel are not responsible for and excludes all liability (including negligence), for any personal injury; or any loss or damage (including loss of opportunity); whether direct, indirect, special or consequential, arising in any way out of: (a) any technical difficulties or equipment malfunction (whether or not under the Promoter's control); (b) any theft, unauthorised access or third party interference; (c) any entry or prize claim that is late, lost, altered, damaged or misdirected (whether or not after their receipt by the Promoter) due to any reason beyond the reasonable control of the Promoter; (d) any variation in prize value to that stated in these Terms and Conditions; (e) if the football match is delayed, postponed or cancelled for any reason beyond the reasonable control of the Promoter; (f) any tax liability incurred by a winner or entrant; or (g) taking of the prize / attendance at the prize event.
27. As a condition of accepting the prize, the winner (and his/her companion) must sign any legal documentation as and in the form required by the Promoter and/or prize suppliers in their absolute discretion, including but not limited to a legal release and indemnity form, by the requested date. In the event a winner or winner's companion is under the age of 18, a nominated parent/legal guardian of such person will be required to sign the legal documentation required under this clause on their behalf.
28. The Promoter collects personal information ("PI") in order to conduct the promotion and may, for this purpose, disclose such PI to third parties, including but not limited to agents, contractors, service providers, prize suppliers and, as required, to Australian regulatory authorities. Entry is conditional on providing this PI. The Promoter will also use and handle PI as set out in its Privacy Policy, which can be viewed at https://www.defiant-ent.com/privacy-policy/. In addition to any use that may be outlined in the Promoter's Privacy Policy, the Promoter may, for an indefinite period, unless otherwise advised, use the PI for promotional, marketing, publicity, research and profiling purposes, including sending electronic messages or telephoning the entrant. The Privacy Policy also contains information about how entrants may opt out, access, update or correct their PI, how entrants may complain about a breach of the Australian Privacy Principles or any other applicable law and how those complaints will be dealt with. All entries become the property of the Promoter. The Promoter will not disclose PI to any entity outside of Australia.
NSW Permit No. LTPS/18/30469 ACT Permit No. TP18/02426 SA Permit No. T18/218
The Promoter is bound by the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs) in the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and by entering the Competition, you (the entrant) are taken to consent to Defiant Screen Entertainment Pty Ltd's privacy policy which contains information, amongst other things, about how you may access personal information that is held by Defiant Screen Entertainment Pty Ltd about you and seek correction of such information. See https://www.defiant-ent.com/popup/privacy-policy/ to view Defiant Screen Entertainment Pty Ltd's APP Privacy Policy in full. Our APP Privacy Policy also contains information about how you may complain about a breach of the APPs, or a registered code that is binding on our organisation and how Defiant Screen Entertainment Pty Ltd will deal with such complaints. Defiant Screen Entertainment Pty Ltd generally does not give your personal information to anyone outside Australia.
The Promoter is Defiant Screen Entertainment Pty Ltd (ABN: 63 114 544 562) of Suite 1001, 4 Daydream Street, Warriewood NSW
1. Application This privacy policy applies to Defiant Screen Entertainment Pty Ltd (ABN 63 114 544 562) ("Defiant Screen Entertainment", "we", "us" or "our").
2. Privacy Defiant Screen Entertainment respects your right to privacy under the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and is required to comply with the Australian Privacy Principles in respect of the collection of personal information from individuals. This Privacy Policy outlines how Defiant Screen Entertainment deals with Personal Information.
3. The information we collect The sort of personal information we might collect from you includes your name, gender, age, address, email address, third party services login (e.g. Facebook, Google+, Microsoft or LinkedIn user names), telephone number, fax number, credit card information, order history and information about your areas of interest. The information Defiant Screen Entertainment collects in most cases relates to customers but can relate to suppliers and other parties we deal with (for the purposes of this Privacy Policy all such people are described as "Customers").
Information is gathered for a range of purposes, including the provision of ongoing Customer support and the compiling of Customer databases to enable us to more accurately market our goods and services.
Defiant Screen Entertainment treats all such information which is collected and identifiable as relating to an individual as "Personal Information" within the context of this Privacy Policy.
4. How Defiant Screen Entertainment Collects Personal Information In accordance with the APPs, where practical, Customers of Defiant Screen Entertainment may deal with Defiant Screen Entertainment on an anonymous basis. However, as a provider of a wide range of services, Defiant Screen Entertainment frequently finds that it is necessary to collect Personal Information during the course of transactions. Personal Information may be collected about Customers via the following means:
(a) email; (b) websites (including in some instances cookies); (c) online transactions; (d) networking functions (eg: business cards); (e) over the phone; (f) credit card details via credit card purchases; and (g) information collected from third parties.
5. Consequence of not providing information You have no obligation to provide personal information which you do not wish to disclose. In some circumstances, however, the failure to disclose personal information may mean that Defiant Screen Entertainment is unable to provide you with goods or services that require the collection of that information.
6. Use of Cookies Our website does not use cookies to collect your personal information. Cookies are only used to complete orders on our site. A 'cookie' is a small file which contains a piece of text identifying your browser to our site. It is quite common for online shopping sites to send such a 'cookie', and its purpose is to tell us that a previous visitor has returned.
7. How we use the information The information that you provide to us is generally used to provide goods or services to you. Defiant Screen Entertainment may also use your personal information and aggregate it with information from other customers in order to provide you with better service such as by advising you of new products and services or information which may be of interest to you. You have the right to tell us that you do not want us to send information to you other than for the main purpose for which we have collected your personal information. Defiant Screen Entertainment does not generally disclose personal information to third parties. In some circumstances personal information may be disclosed to third parties who perform services on behalf of Defiant Screen Entertainment for the purpose of providing you with goods and services. Defiant Screen Entertainment requires third parties who receive your personal information to comply with Australian Privacy laws. Defiant Screen Entertainment does not sell or rent any personal information.
8. Storage of Information Defiant Screen Entertainment takes measures to ensure your personal information is protected from unauthorised access, loss, misuse, disclosure or alteration. We also take measures to destroy or permanently de-identify personal information when it is no longer required. The types of measures we take vary with the type of information, and how it is collected and stored.
9. Links This privacy policy applies solely to information collected by Defiant Screen Entertainment and may differ from the policies from other sites that you may link to from this site. We recommend that you read the privacy policy of any site that you link to from this site.
10. International transfers Defiant Screen Entertainment may disclose Personal Information to countries outside Australia. Defiant Screen Entertainment will only do so in compliance with all applicable Australian data protection and privacy laws. Defiant Screen Entertainment will take reasonable steps to protect Personal Information no matter what country it is stored in or transferred to.
11. How you can access or correct personal information Defiant Screen Entertainment will take reasonable steps to ensure that the personal information it collects, uses or discloses is accurate, complete and up-to-date. You may request access to the personal information we hold about you by contacting us at firstname.lastname@example.com. If you believe that the personal information we hold about you is incomplete or inaccurate, then you may ask us to amend it. If you have any questions about our policy, or any complaint regarding treatment of your privacy by us, please contact us at firstname.lastname@example.com
12. Who to contact Defiant Screen Entertainment is committed to working with its Customers to obtain a fair resolution of any complaint or concern about privacy. If you have a concern about your privacy or you have any query on how your Personal Information is collected or used please contact Defiant Screen Entertainment using the details below. We will respond to your query or complaint within a reasonable time. If you are not satisfied with Defiant Screen Entertainment's response, you may also contact the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner. Write to us at: Privacy Officer Defiant Screen Entertainment Pty Ltd Suite 1001, 4 Daydream Street Warriewood, New South Wales, 2102 Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
1. General This website is owned and operated by Defiant Screen Entertainment Pty Ltd (ABN 63 114 544 562) ("Defiant Screen Entertainment", "we", "us" or "our"). "You" or "your" means a user of the website including, in the case of any minor, the minor's parent or guardian. Your access to this website is subject to these terms and any additional terms, notices and disclaimers which appear on this website (Terms of Use). Defiant may alter these Terms of Use from time to time without notice. Your continued use of the website following those changes indicates your acceptance of those changes.
2. Your agreement to Terms of Use By accessing this website, you are agreeing to be bound by these web site Terms of Use, all applicable laws and regulations, and agree that you are responsible for compliance with any applicable local laws. If you do not agree with any of these Terms of Use, you are prohibited from using or accessing this site. The materials contained in this web site are protected by applicable laws governing copyright and trade marks.
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I didn't originally want to write this article. I contacted Bridge Winners' Eugene Hung with many examples of plagiarism by Mark Hortonand he passed them on to theIBPA, which is the professional body for bridge journalists. But they had no interest. Eugene then contacted theEBL,ACBL,and theWBF with many of the examples, since Horton has either edited or provided material for their bulletins for years. At time of writing there have been no official responses. Moreover, Mr. Horton published a public statement misrepresenting the facts and attacking me and Bridge Winners.
I feel that Horton's readers, sponsors, and advertisers deserve to know what kind of a writer he is so I hope you'll read through the following examples and decide for yourself.
I feel obliged to note that, while I happen to work for the English Bridge Union, this has nothing to do with them. This should go without saying, but since Mr. Horton felt the need to name my employer in his magazine, I had to mention it.
Mark Horton is a professional bridge writer and journalist based in the UK. He writes books, publishes his own bridge magazine, and has been editing or co-editing EBL and WBF bulletins for over twenty years. He has written a lot of original and well-regarded material. Unfortunately, he also frequently takes the content of other writers and passes it off as his own work, with no respect for copyright or journalistic ethics. This is plagiarism. In this article, I'm going to demonstrate this with a lot of examples and address some of the points that Horton recently made in the July issueof his A New Bridge Magazine.
So let's start with an article in Bulletin 4 of the recent European Championships. Titled Grand Slam, it's on page 23 if you want to follow along. I urge you to read at least as far as the hand diagram.
The article starts off with a paragraph about the famous 1931 Lenz-Culbertson match, and how its popularity spawned a movie called "Grand Slam". Horton gives us a short synopsis and review of the film, before talking about the bridge hand he's interested in — a grand slam, of course. But it's not the bridge analysis I'm interested in today; I'm instead going to look at the filler.
You see, Horton did not write that opening paragraph. It was actually written by a blogger called "Eric" who likes old movies and writes about them for his website, forreel.net. He wrote a review of the film "Grand Slam"in 2015, and if you compare the two pieces side by side it's clear to see where Horton got his content.
I've coloured the identical parts in yellow so you can see just how much was borrowed. Horton removed a few sentences and changed a couple of words, but this is clearly plagiarism. There's no citation, or any indication that it's a quotation, and readers will assume that these are Horton's original thoughts on the film. The website Turnitin, which helps teachers detect plagiarism by their students, has a "Plagiarism Spectrum" and this falls into the second-worst of the ten categories. A failing grade for a school-child, so certainly not appropriate for a paid journalist.
I don't know to what extent Eric writes professionally and was unable to contact him to find out (although he does monetise his website with adverts). With the next example, though, the professionalism of the damaged writer is in no doubt: it is none other than the great film critic Roger Ebert.
This one is from the 2015 World Championships, bulletin 12. The article is on page 10, called The Man Who Would Be King. You could read the first three paragraphs in that bulletin, or alternatively you could read them on rogerebert.com — there isn't a single original word in Horton's version. Horton did not get permission from Ebert's estate to use his material, and by publishing this he may have been exposing the WBF to a possible lawsuit. I won't quote the entire article but here are the first and last paragraphs, with the copied passages again highlighted in yellow.
These aren't dry facts being artlessly copied, these are the insights of a world-renowned critic being shamelessly stolen to pad out a bridge article.
In addition to these two, I've discovered examples takenfrom the BBC, Mental Floss, a football website and another film review site — see the next page for full details. Horton's favourite site to plagiarise, however, is Wikipedia, and he has done this a lot. Here is an example from the January issue of his own publication, A New Bridge Magazine. You would think that a bridge writer with Horton's experience would know how to describe a bridge system in his own words, but he didn't here:
More Evidence of Plagiarism
I have foundmany casesof Wikipedia content being used in Horton's articles, without citation and with every appearance that he was the original creator. They are shown below, in dual-column layout to show the plagiarised articles alongside Horton's original. If you have trouble reading images, you can find a more accessible version on this hosted page. Before taking a look, please take note:
Bulletin 12, Worlds 2015, Page 10
Bulletin 5, Euros 2018, Page 12
Bulletin 5, ACBL Houston NABC Bulletin 2009, Page 8
BBC Leicester (2nd and 3rd paragraphs)
A New Bridge Magazine, January 2018, Page 9
This is a very long article so I'm not going to quote the entire thing. Follow the links to see for yourself: you will find that almost every word in Horton's version appears on the Mental Floss original. The first paragraph is reproduced above.
Bulletin 6, Euros 2016, Page 11
footballsite.co.uk (6th paragraph)
The sentence highlighted in green was taken from Wikipedia (section Breaking The Sabbath).
Bulletin 4, Euros 2018, Page 23
forreel.net film review, by "Eric"
Note: the word "sissy" is considered a homophobic slur, so not really appropriate content for a bridge article.
Bulletin 6, Euros 2014, Page 10
Author's Blog (first paragraph)
That opening sentence is likely from Wikipedia too.
A New Bridge Magazine, January 2018, Page 11
Wikipedia (first two paragraphs)
Bulletin 3, Worlds 2017, Page 11
I'm not sure why an Egypt vs France bridge match reminded him of this film.
Bulletin 3, ACBL Fall Nationals, Page 17
Wikipedia (opening paragraph, and examples)
This portion also appears in Bulletin 12, Worlds 2017, Page 7.
Bulletin 3, Euros 2016, Page 21
Wikipedia, (Nov 2016 version) (opening paragraph, and Games)
It's amusing to note that Horton here plagiarises text which itself cites its sources correctly. A citation-by-proxy, perhaps.
Bulletin 8, Euros 2016, Page 7
Bulletin 10, Worlds 2011, Page 20
Wikipedia (2011 version) (opening paragraph)
A New Bridge Magazine, January 2018, Page 21
Bulletin 9, ACBL Spring Nationals, Page 4
Wikipedia (2009 version) (1st and 3rd paragraphs)
A New Bridge Magazine, April 2018, Page 5
This excerpt is part of one enormous article covering the Winter Games. It is broken into 26 parts, each containing some tidbit about a play, musical or opera. The vast majority appear to be taken from Wikipedia, but I won't reproduce them all. Here are the first five.
A New Bridge Magazine, April 2018, Page 7
Wikipedia (opening paragraph and plot section)
A New Bridge Magazine, April 2018, Page 9
Wikipedia (opening paragraph and plot section)
A New Bridge Magazine, April 2018, Page 12
A New Bridge Magazine, April 2018, Page 15
Rebuttal to Horton's statement
Upon learning that the authorities were alerted to his plagiarism, Horton preemptively published a statement in the July 2018 edition of his magazine. I believe these statements warrant a response to clarify the facts. Horton writes:
"Then came something even more extraordinary; a claim by Mr. Hung & Mr. Clark that the articles by Larry Cohen and KitWoolseythat appear in A New Bridge Magazine were being reproduced without their permission.
I was able to disprove that allegation by providing copies of the relevant emails and the magazine's Solicitors are currently considering if we should bring an action for defamation against Bridge Winners, Mr. Hung and Mr. Clark."
This is entirely untrue. For a start I wasn't involved in any claim about Larry Cohen or KitWoolsey, so I have no idea why Mr. Horton is publicly threatening to sue me. But more importantly, Eugene never made an accusation. I quote from the email sent by Eugene:
"In addition, each issue of your magazine contains bridge material from Larry Cohen and KitWoolsey. While their material is attributed, it looks like the authors have contributed new work for the magazine, when in actuality these articles are from material that have been available for consumption on the Internet for years (Woolsey's article was published in 2014 and Cohen's source articles were published from 2002-2015). Furthermore, we contacted both authors and neither can recall your asking for their permission to use their work. (Some proof that you asked, and were granted permission to use their material, would be greatly appreciated.)"
So Eugene noticed something of concern and was asking Horton to clarify the position internally. The matter was quickly cleared up and the only person to suggest in public that Horton has done anything wrong with respect to Kit or Larry is Horton himself.
I would also like to respond to Horton's comments about Wikipedia. It's easy to think that using content from Wikipedia is acceptable as it is an open and community-driven resource, but that's not the case. The content is free to use, but it's covered by a license which requires that you attribute it appropriately. Horton admits he knows this, but he grossly understates the seriousness of his plagiarism.To quote:
"I immediately contacted Wiki, who confirmed that (as I already knew): In principle, all text in Wikipedia is subject to the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlikeLicense (CC-BY-SA) and may be used free of charge for any purpose. However, what I had not noticed was that under the terms of the Licence, Wiki like you to include a link. When I suggested to Wiki that it would be possible to add a link retrospectively they saidit would be a nice ideaand arrangements are in hand for links to be added."
I don't know who Horton contacted at Wikipedia, but their own documentation takes a far stronger stance on citation than "it would be a nice idea." Their article on how to properly cite Wikipedia, for example, says the following:
"If you decide to quote or paraphrase Wikipedia text, then youmustcite Wikipedia appropriately; otherwise youplagiarise, which is against academic norms and may subject you to censure. Such failure also violates Wikipedia's CC-BY-SA copyright license, which is a violation of copyright law."(Citing Wikipedia, intro section, the word "must" emphasized in original)
Horton's statement also misses the point. He seems to think that his only transgression was in not following the license requirements, and that if the text had been in the public domain (perhaps viaCC0) he would have been perfectly okay. But that would still be plagiarism. He would still be taking someone else's work and representing it as his own, and he would still be getting paid for original content which is anything but original.Hamletis in the public domain, but that doesn't mean that I can copy large sections of it and tell people that I wrote it. It may not be copyright infringement, but it's intellectually dishonest.
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text:
I have had bangers at Scottish festivals. They are a bit bland, but I like them, especially with grilled onions.
I love that UK "Bizarre Foods" episode. The last time I was in the UK, we went to the very same market in Swansea, and had Cockles and Laver Bread from the very same stall. I loved them both! Mr. Portia makes a widely praised Haggis.
Our growng season is short and we do not have the balancing effect of long summer days that the Northern US and Canukistan have, but we try. We have rosemary and basil, and edible flowers and zucchini and fruit trees. Our farmers' market has things from the desert that surrounds us, so we have early fruits and veggies. When we lived in LA, we also had true Bay Laurel and sage, figs and citrus, but they will not grow here (well, the sage tries, but doesn't do well).
This week has been very hurried, and this weekend will be as bad. I am personning a Snow Cone machine at a fund raising event at the zoo where I volunteer, so if I get something from the hot dog vendor, I will be lucky.
Gotta go, and pick up cube ice for the machine.


text: Mossyrock 32 Report post Posted February 1, 2013 I generally work with low-fire clay (Highwater's Stans Red). I currently bisque-fire to cone 04, then glaze-fire (majolica mostly) to cone 05. However, some pieces are decorated with a wash of Velvet Underglazes with no glaze. Can I fire bisque fire to cone 05 instead of cone 04 and have some of the velvet washed bisqued pieces in the same firing? What about bisque firing to cone 05 and having some bisqued majolica-glazed pieces in the same firing? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites