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Nitrogen oxides (NOx) emissions
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Key messages
- EEA-32 emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOX) have decreased by 34% between 1990 and 2008. In 2008, the most significant sources of NOX emissions were the road transport sector (39%), combustion processes from within the energy industries sector (21%), the commercial, institutional and households sector (15%) and from industrial energy use (14%).
- The largest reduction of emissions since 1990 has occurred in the road transport sector. These reductions have been achieved despite the general increase in activity within this sector since the early 1990s and have primarily been achieved as a result of fitting three-way catalysts to petrol fuelled vehicles. In the electricity/energy production sector reductions have also occurred, in these instances as a result of measures such as the introduction of combustion modification technologies (such as use of low NOX burners), implementation of flue-gas abatement techniques (e.g. NOX scrubbers and selective (SCR) and non-selective (SNCR) catalytic reduction techniques) and fuel-switching from coal to gas.
- The National Emission Ceilings Directive (NECD) specifies NOX emission ceilings for Member States that must be met by 2010. In general, the newer EU Member States have made substantially better progress towards meeting their respective NOX ceilings than the older Member States of the EU-15. Ten of the twelve post-2004 Member States have already reduced emissions beyond what is required under the NECD, and one (Slovenia) reported NOX emissions just 5% above the NECD target in 2008. In contrast, only one EU-15 Member State (Finland) had 2008 emissions within its respective national ceiling. Many Member States though require a significant reduction of NOX emissions to have been made in 2009 and 2010 if they are to meet their obligations under the NECD. Of the three non-EU countries having emission ceilings set under the UNECE/CLRTAP Gothenburg protocol (Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland) only for Switzerland were emissions in 2008 below the level of the respective 2010 ceilings
- Environmental context: NOX contributes to acid deposition and eutrophication. The subsequent impacts of acid deposition can be significant, including adverse effects on aquatic ecosystems in rivers and lakes and damage to forests, crops and other vegetation. Eutrophication can lead to severe reductions in water quality with subsequent impacts including decreased biodiversity, changes in species composition and dominance, and toxicity effects. It is NO2 that is associated with adverse affects on human health, as at high concentrations it can cause inflammation of the airways. NO2 also contributes to the formation of secondary particulate aerosols and tropospheric ozone in the atmosphere - both are important air pollutants due to their adverse impacts on human health.
What progress is being made in reducing emissions of NOx?
Change in emissions of nitrogen oxides compared with the 2010 NECD and Gothenburg protocol targets (EEA member countries)
Note: The reported change in nitrogen oxide emissions (NOx) for each country, 1990-2008, in comparison with the 2010 NECD and Gothenburg protocol targets.
- National emissions reported to the Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution (LRTAP Convention) provided by United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE)
Nitrogen oxide (NOx) distance-to-target for EEA member countries
Note: The distance-to-target indicator shows how current emissions compare to a linear emission reduction 'target-path' between 1990 emission levels and the 2010 emission ceiling for each country. Negative percentage values indicate the current emissions in a country are below the linear target path; positive values show that current emission lie above a linear target path to 2010.
- National emissions reported to the Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution (LRTAP Convention) provided by United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE)
Emission trends of nitrogen oxides (EEA member countries, EU-27 Member States)
Note: This chart shows past emission trends of nitrogen oxides in the EEA-32 and EU-27 group of countries. In addition - for the EU-27 - the 2010 emission ceiling and aggregated projections reported by Member States are shown.
- National emissions reported to the Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution (LRTAP Convention) provided by United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE)
EEA-32 NOX emissions have decreased by 34% between 1990 and 2008. The majority of EEA-32 countries have reported lower emissions of NOX in 2008 compared to 1990. The exceptions to this are Austria (+6% increase between 1990 and 2008), Cyprus (+27%), Greece (+19%), Malta (+50%), Portugal (+7%) and Turkey (+100%). The global recession that commenced mid-2008 played a key role in the emission reduction of NOx emissions between 2007 and 2008. Total emissions reduced by 8% between these two years, compared to a 4 % reduction between 2006 and 2007.
In general, the newer Member States of the European Union have made substantially better progress towards meeting their respective NOX ceilings than the older EU-15 Member States. Ten of the twelve post-2004 Member States have already reduced emissions beyond what is required under the NECD, and one (Slovenia) is very close to doing so. In contrast, only one EU-15 Member State (Finland) has emissions within its respective national ceiling.
Emissions reported in 2008 indicate that many Member States are not considered to be on track towards meeting their obligations under the NECD. In particular Austria, Malta, Ireland, Luxembourg, Spain and France require significant reductions in NOX emissions to have been made in 2009 and 2010 if they are to meet their obligations under the NECD. As noted above, emissions have actually increased in six countries during the period 1990 to 2008, despite all countries having obligations to reduce emissions under the NECD and Gothenburg Protocol. Since 2005 however emissions have fallen in all these countries, indicating that by 2008 some progress had been made towards moving towards their NECD ceiling directive limits.
Iceland, Lichtenstein, Norway, Switzerland and Turkey are not members of the European Union and hence have no emission ceilings set under the NECD. However, Norway and Switzerland have ratified the UNECE LRTAP Convention's Gothenburg Protocol, requiring them to reduce their emissions to the agreed ceiling specified in the protocol by 2010. Liechtenstein has also signed, but not ratified the protocol. Switzerland has reported emissions in 2008 that were lower than its respective ceiling, but both Liechtenstein and Norway, both of whom have not yet met their national ceilings, still must make significant reductions in order to ensure compliance.
The NECD and Gothenburg protocol are currently being reviewed. The revision of the NECD is part of the implementation of the Thematic Strategy on Air Pollution, but a proposal for a revised directive is presently on hold until 2013. A proposal to amend the Gothenburg protocol is presently under preparation and is expected to propose emission ceilings to be met by 2020 for the four already regulated substances (NOx, NMVOCs, SO2 and NH3) and in addition for primary emissions of PM2.5.
How do different sectors and processes contribute to emissions of NOx?
Contribution to total change in nitrogen oxides emissions for each sector (EEA member countries)
Note: The contribution made by each sector to the total change in nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions between 1990 and 2008.
- National emissions reported to the Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution (LRTAP Convention) provided by United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE)
Change in nitrogen oxides emissions for each sector between 1990 and 2008 (EEA member countries)
Note: Percentage change in nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions for each sector between 1990 and 2008.
- National emissions reported to the Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution (LRTAP Convention) provided by United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE)
Reductions of NOX have occurred in all economic sectors apart from the 'Non-road transport' and 'Commercial, institutional and households' sectors, where emissions have increased by 1.1% and 0.8% respectively during this period. Emissions have also increased in the 'Solvent and product use' sector (by 269%), but in absolute terms this sector makes an insignificant contribution to the total NOX emissions. The three sectors responsible for the vast majority of the decline in NOX emissions are 'Road transport' (contributing 43% of the total reduction in NOX emissions reported by countries), 'Energy production and distribution' (contributing 26%), and 'Energy use in industry' (contributing 21%).
Significant reductions have occurred in the 'road transport' sector since the early 1990s, with an overall 36 % decline in emissions between 1990 and 2008. This has been achieved despite the general increase in activity within this sector over the period. The emission reductions have primarily been achieved as a result of fitting catalysts to vehicles (driven by the legislative 'Euro' standards). However, across Europe there is also an increasing awareness of the contribution made to NOX pollutant emissions by national and international ship traffic (a more detailed discussion of this issue is contained in the TERM indicator fact sheet TERM03 - Transport emissions of air pollutants).
Emissions of NOX have also declined in the 'Energy production and distribution' sector (39% reduction between 1990 and 2008). In the electricity/energy production sector this has been achieved through the implementation of measures such as combustion modification, introduction of flue-gas abatement techniques and a fuel-switching from coal to gas. One of the most common forms of combustion modification is to use low NOX burners, which typically can reduce NOX emissions by up to 40%. Flue gas treatment techniques (e.g. NOX scrubbers and selective (SCR) and non-selective (SNCR) catalytic reduction techniques) can also be used to remove NOX from the flue gases. Emissions of NOX are higher from coal-fired power plants than from gas-fired plants as a result of coal containing significant amounts of nitrogen (unlike gas) and their less efficient combustion processes.
The newer Member States of the European Union have in a number of cases also undergone significant economic structural changes since the early 1990s which has led to a general decline in certain activities which previously contributed to high levels of NOX emissions e.g. heavy industry and the closure of older inefficient power plants.
Indicator specification and metadata
Indicator definition
- This indicator tracks trends since 1990 in anthropogenic emissions of nitrogen oxides.
- The indicator also provides information on emissions by sectors: energy production and distribution; energy use in industry; industrial processes; road transport; non-road transport; commercial, institutional and households; solvent and product use; agriculture; waste; other.
- Geographical coverage: EEA-32. The EEA-32 country grouping includes countries of the EU-27 (Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom) EFTA-4 (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Switzerland and Norway) and Turkey.
- Temporal coverage: 1990-2010
kilotonnes (1000 tonnes)
Policy context and targets
Context description
- A number of policies have been implemented that directly or indirectly reduce the emissions of nitrogen oxides. These include: The National Emission Ceilings Directive 2001/81/EC (NECD), which entered into force in the European Community in 2001. The NECD sets emission ceilings for four important air pollutants (NOx, sulphur dioxide (SO2), ammonia (NH3) and non-methane volatile organic compounds (NMVOCs)) to be achieved from 2010 onwards for each Member State. The ceilings are designed to improve the protection in the Community of the environment and human health against risks of adverse effects arising from acidification, eutrophication and ground level ozone. The NECD is presently under review, the European Commission may adopt a proposal for a revised Directive during 2010.
- The Gothenburg Protocol (1999) to the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe's (UNECE) Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution (LRTAP Convention) to abate acidification, eutrophication and ground-level ozone. A key objective of the protocol is to regulate emissions on a regional basis within Europe and to protect ecosystems from transboundary pollution by setting emission reduction ceilings to be reached by 2010 for the same four pollutants as addressed in the NECD (i.e. SO2, NOx, NH3 and NMVOCs). Overall, for the EU Member States, the ceilings set within the Gothenburg protocol are generally either slightly less strict or the same as the emission ceilings specified in the NECD.
- The Large Combustion Plant Directive (2001/80/EC) is important in reducing emissions of NOx, SO2 and dust from combustion plants having a thermal capacity equal to or greater than 50 MW. Installations within the scope of this Directive include power stations, petroleum refineries, steelworks and other industrial processes running on solid, liquid and gaseous fuels. "New" plant must meet the emission limit values (ELVs) given in the LCPD. However, Member States can choose to meet obligations for existing plant (i.e. those in operation pre-1987) by either complying with the ELVs or operating within a national emission reduction plan (NERP) that sets a ceiling for each pollutant. The interaction of the LCPD and the IPPC Directive (see below) is currently being examined as part of a review of the IPPC Directive.
- The Directive on Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control (96/61/EC) entered into force in 1999. It aims to prevent or minimise pollution to air, water or land from various industrial sources throughout the European Union. Those installations covered by Annex I of the IPPC Directive are required to obtain authorisation from the authorities to operate. New and existing installations, which are subject to 'substantial changes', have been required to meet the requirements of the IPPC Directive since 30 October 1999. Other existing installations must have been brought into compliance by 30 October 2007. The emission limit values outlined in the permit conditions must be based on the best available techniques (BAT). The Commission has been undertaking a review of the IPPC Directive and related legislation on industrial emissions, and on 21 December 2007 adopted a proposal for a Directive on industrial emissions. The proposal recasts seven existing Directives relating to industrial emissions (including IPCC and the LCPD) into a single legislative instrument.
- The aim of the Directive 96/62/EC on ambient air quality assessment and management (the 'Air Quality Framework Directive') is to maintain and improve air quality within the European Community by establishing objectives for ambient air, drawing up common methods and criteria for assessing air quality and obtaining and disseminating information. The first "Daughter" Directive 99/30/EC entered into force in 1999 and set limit values for hourly and annual average nitrogen dioxide concentrations to be achieved throughout the community by 1 January 2010.
- Since the early 1990s, standards on NOx emissions from new cars sold in Europe have been in place. This first came about with EU Directive 91/441/EC, which effectively mandated the fitting of three-way catalysts to all new petrol cars to significantly reduce emissions of CO, hydrocarbons and NOx. Standards for this Directive, frequently referred to as Euro 1, were followed by Euro 2 standards implemented by Directive 94/12/EC during the mid 1990s. Yet more stringent EU Directives have been put in place to reduce NOx emissions further, the most recent being (98/69/EC) setting emission limits for petrol cars sold after 2000 and then after 2005 (Euro 3 and 4 standards respectively).
- NOx emissions from diesel vehicles have also been regulated since the early 1990s (since 1988 for heavy duty vehicles) with a succession of more stringent EU Directives. The legislation currently in force for heavy duty vehicles is 2005/55/EC and 2005/78/EC (implementing provisions), which define the emission standards currently in force, Euro IV, as well as the next stage (Euro V) which entered into force in October 2008.
- In parallel with vehicle technology developments, improvements in the quality of petrol and diesel fuels have been made as a result of the EU Directive on fuel quality (98/70/EC as amended by 2003/17/EC). Fuel quality has little effect on NOx emissions directly, but improvements in fuel quality have allowed the fitting of exhaust after-treatment technologies and provided better catalyst performance, hence helping to reduce NOx emissions further.
- Directive 97/68/EC on the emissions of pollutants from internal combustion engines installed in non-road mobile machinery sets emission standards and type approval procedures for engines fitted to non-road mobile machinery.
Emissions of NOX are covered by the EU National Emission Ceilings Directive (NECD) (2001/81/EC) and the Gothenburg protocol under the United Nations Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution (LRTAP Convention) (UNECE 1999). The NECD generally involves slightly stricter emission reduction targets than the Gothenburg Protocol for EU-15 countries for the period 1990-2010. The Gothenburg Protocol entered into force on 17 May 2005, after ratification by 16 countries early in 2005. The 2012 revision to the Gothenburg protocol proposed emission reduction targets for 2020 relative to 2005 reported emissions for all EU-27 Member States and some EEA-32 non-EU member states.
Table: 2010 NOX ceilings under the NEC Directive and the Gothenburg Protocol (kt)
2010 CLRTAP Gothenburg Protocol ceilings
2020 CLRTAP Gothenburg Protocol ceilings
|Czech Republic
|United Kingdom
* Iceland and Turkey do not have a ceiling under the NEC Directive or the Gothenburg protocol.
Related policy documents
1999 Protocol to Abate Acidification, Eutrophication and Ground-level Ozone
Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution 1999 Protocol to Abate Acidification, Eutrophication and Ground-level Ozone, amended on 4 May 2012.
Council Directive 96/61/EC (IPPC)
Council Directive 96/61/EC of 24 September 1996 concerning Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control (IPPC). Official Journal L 257.
Council Directive 96/62/EC of 27 September 1996
Council Directive 96/62/EC of 27 September 1996 on ambient air quality assessment and management.
Directive 97/68/EC of 16 December 1997
Directive 97/68/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 December 1997 on the approximation of the laws of the Member States relating to measures against the emission of gaseous and particulate pollutants from internal combustion engines to be installed in non-road mobile machinery
Directive 98/70/EC relating to the quality of petrol and diesel fuels
Directive 98/70/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 13 October 1998 relating to the quality of petrol and diesel fuels, amended by Directive 2003/17/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 3 March 2003 [Official Journal L 76 of 22.03.2003]
Directive 2001/80/EC, large combustion plants
Directive 2001/80/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 October 2001 on the limitation of emissions of certain pollutants into the air from large combustion plants
Directive 2001/81/EC, national emission ceilings
Directive 2001/81/EC, on nation al emissions ceilings (NECD) for certain atmospheric pollutants. Emission reduction targets for the new EU10 Member States have been specified in the Treaty of Accession to the European Union 2003 [The Treaty of Accession 2003 of the Czech Republic, Estonia, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Malta, Poland, Slovenia and Slovakia. AA2003/ACT/Annex II/en 2072] in order that they can comply with the NECD.
It amends the Directive 98/70/EC relating to the quality of petrol and diesel fuels
UNECE Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution
UNECE Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution.
Methodology for indicator calculation
This indicator is based on officially reported national total and sectoral emissions to the EEA and the UNECE/EMEP (United Nations Economic Commission for Europe/Co-operative programme for monitoring and evaluation of the long-range transmission of air pollutants in Europe) Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution (LRTAP Convention), submission 2011. For the EU-27 Member States, the data used is consistent with the emissions data reported by the EU in its annual submission to the LRTAP Convention.
Recommended methodologies for emission inventory estimation are compiled in the EMEP/EEA Air Pollutant Emission Inventory Guidebook, (EMEP/EEA, 2009). Base data are available from the EEA Data Service (http://dataservice.eea.europa.eu/dataservice/metadetails.asp?id=1096) and the EMEP web site (http://www.ceip.at/). Where necessary, gaps in reported data are filled by European Topic Centre/EEA using simple interpolation techniques (see below). The final gap-filled data used in this indicator are available from the EEA Data Service (http://dataservice.eea.europa.eu/PivotApp/pivot.aspx?pivotid=478)
Base data, reported in the UNECE/EMEP Nomenclature for Reporting (NFR) sector format are aggregated into the following EEA sector codes to obtain a consistent reporting format across all countries and pollutants:
- Energy production and distribution: emissions from public heat and electricity generation, oil refining, production of solid fuels, extraction and distribution of solid fossil fuels and geothermal energy;
- Energy use in industry: emissions from combustion processes used in the manufacturing industry including boilers, gas turbines and stationary engines;
- Industrial processes: emissions derived from non-combustion related processes such as the production of minerals, chemicals and metals;
- Road transport: light and heavy duty vehicles, passenger cars and motorcycles;
- Non-road transport: railways, domestic shipping, certain aircraft movements, and non-road mobile machinery used in agriculture and forestry;
- Commercial, institutional and households: emissions principally occurring from fuel combustion in the services and household sectors;
- Solvent and product use: non-combustion related emissions mainly in the services and households sectors including activities such as paint application, dry-cleaning and other use of solvents;
- Agriculture: manure management, fertiliser application, field-burning of agricultural wastes
- Waste: incineration, waste-water management;
- Other: emissions included in national total for entire territory not allocated to any other sector.
The following table shows the conversion of Nomenclature for Reporting (NFR) sector codes used for reporting by countries into EEA sector codes:
EEA classification
Non-GHGs (NFR)
National totals
National total
Energy production and distribution
1A1, 1A3e, 1B
Energy use in industry
Road Transport
Non-road transport (non-road mobile machinery)
1A3 (excl. 1A3b)
Industrial processes
Solvent and product use
Commercial, institutional and households
1A4ai, 1A4aii, 1A4bi, 1A4bii, 1A4ci, 1A4cii, 1A5a, 1A5b
Methodology for gap filling
An improved gap-filling methodology was implemented in 2010 that enables a complete time series trend for the main air pollutants (eg NOX, SOX, NMVOC, NH3 and CO) to be compiled. In cases where countries did not report emissions for any year, it meant that gap-filling could not be applied. For these pollutants, therefore, the aggregated data is not yet complete and is likely to underestimate true emissions. Further methodological details of the gap-filling procedure are provided in section 1.4.2 'Data gaps and gap-filling' of the European Union emission inventory report 1990–2009 under the UNECE Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution (LRTAP).
Methodology references
No methodology references available.
Methodology uncertainty
The use of gap-filling when countries have not reported emissions for one of more years can potentially lead to artificial trends, but it is considered unavoidable if a comprehensive and comparable set of emissions data for European countries is required for policy analysis purposes.
Data sets uncertainty
NOX emissions estimates in Europe are thought to have an uncertainty of about ±20% (EMEP, 2010), as the NOX emitted comes from both the fuel burnt and the combustion air and so cannot be estimated accurately from fuel nitrogen alone. However, because of the need for interpolation to account for missing data, the complete dataset used will have higher uncertainty. The trend is likely to be more accurate than the individual absolute annual values - the annual values are not independent of each other.
Overall scoring: (1-3, 1 = no major problems, 3 = major reservations)
- Relevancy: 1
- Accuracy: 2
- Comparability over time: 2
- Comparability over space: 2
Rationale uncertainty
This indicator is regularly updated by the EEA and is used in state of the environment assessments. The uncertainties related to methodology and datasets are therefore of importance. Any uncertainties involved in the calculation and in the datasets need to be accurately communicated in the assessment to prevent erroneous messages influencing policy actions or processes.
Data sources
National emissions reported to the Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution (LRTAP Convention)
provided by United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE)
National Emission Ceilings (NEC) Directive Inventory
provided by Directorate-General for Environment (DG ENV)
Typology: Performance indicator (Type B - Does it matter?)
CountriesAustria , Belgium , Bulgaria , Cyprus , Czechia , Denmark , Estonia , Finland , France , Germany , Greece , Hungary , Iceland , Ireland , Italy , Latvia , Liechtenstein , Lithuania , Luxembourg , Malta , Netherlands , Norway , Poland , Portugal , Romania , Slovakia , Slovenia , Spain , Sweden , Switzerland , Turkey , United Kingdom
Frequency of updates
EEA Contact InfoMartin Adams
- Permalink to this version
- 26eed0502065c0931ef8e2516ee88712
- Permalink to latest version
- IND-166-en
For references, please go to https://www.eea.europa.eu/data-and-maps/indicators/eea-32-nitrogen-oxides-nox-emissions-1/assessment.2010-08-19.0140149032 or scan the QR code.
PDF generated on 08 Jul 2020, 03:35 AM


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Steve Reinhardt is Vice President of Joint Research at Interactive Supercomputing. Contact him at [email protected]
Organizations that depend heavily on high-performance computing (HPC) are salivating at the prospect of the performance potential of GPUs (general-purpose graphics processing units), which is often 10 or even 100X faster performance per chip, usually with less power consumption than mass-market x86 sockets. However, the path to widespread realization of this performance contains considerable obstacles. Advanced software can overcome these obstacles, though establishing a language environment that is both stable and highly productive in the GPU context will require investments that few HPC-dependent organizations may be expecting.
The primary obstacle is a change to the "virtual machine" model of the underlying hardware. Successful HPC languages like Fortran, C/C++, and MATLAB's M are based on a straightforward virtual machine, which has survived drastic hardware changes -- pipelining in serial processors in the '60s, vector processing in the '70s and '80s, and caches in the '80s and '90s -- enabling hundreds of millions of lines of code representing many billions of dollars of investment to be reused (albeit sometimes obscenely inefficiently) on new systems, and fueling the diffusion of HPC use into new domains. The pioneers of the stream processing technology behind GPUs understood the inefficiencies in the use of memory bandwidth caused by mapping typical HPC programs to general-purpose microprocessors, so they designed better memory interfaces and execution structures that often provide 10X and sometimes 100X higher performance for well-suited code. Unfortunately, the current state-of-the-art of GPU languages and compilers means that this new memory hierarchy is exposed to the programmer, who must explicitly arrange data appropriately to reap the potential higher speed.
For example, in most GPUs there is a level of memory that is closest to the processor and provides the highest performance for memory-intensive operations; programmers are highly motivated to use this memory for best performance. To achieve this in OpenCL, the emerging standard for GPU programming, a programmer would add the __private keyword to the declaration of a variable, and would need to ensure that the total space used by all private-memory variables does not exceed the capacity of the private memory. Recently the Portland Group released Version 9.0 of its compilers, implementing a new Accelerator Model, which seems a signifcant step in the right direction, apparently going beyond less-intrusive declaration (modest value) to automatic identification (high value). If innovations such as the Accelerator Model do not take hold and the identification of closest-memory variables continues to be manual, coping with this will cost an adopting organization both money (programmer labor) and time (for code conversion). Market-wide, the manual approach will not be practical because it will be too expensive and there aren't enough programmers proficient to make this type of change to all the codes needing higher performance.
At Interactive Supercomputing, we believe that the current GPU programming methods are not high-level enough for widespread use, which is necessary before large organizations can make the investments necessary to exploit the power of GPUs broadly. GPU advocates may counter that the astonishing GPU performance potential will be so attractive that developers in droves will rewrite their codes. This is possible, but history should make us pause before concluding this is certain.
As a prominent example, the Cray-1 vector processor offered nearly as much performance benefit over its competitors as today's GPUs; that is, often a factor of 10 and rarely a factor of 100. (The Cray-1's factor-of-two performance advantage for pure scalar code didn't hurt, either.) Like the GPUs, the Cray-1 achieved its advantage by innovations in the memory hierarchy that matched the streaming and data re-use character of HPC algorithms, but Cray blended this hardware change with a smart compiler that transparently (or nearly so, via directives) exploited this new hierarchy for high performance. Fortran, and later C, programmers were typically unaware of memory ports, vector registers, and chaining, which were critical elements of achieving high performance. Many contemporary observers believed that without such a compiler Cray Research would not have achieved the commercial success that it did. GPU advocates will fairly point out that the GPUs' much greater affordability (on the order of $500 compared to the order of $10M for early Cray systems) will support much more experimentation, but our point here is about the step beyond experimentation, to widespread adoption, for which usable established standards are essential. Looking more broadly, since the invention of Fortran 50 years ago (and C 40 years ago), there have been no hardware innovations that have successfully disrupted the memory model of these languages as the current GPU programming methods do, and that fact should make us consider other outcomes. (Careful readers may object that the move to distributed-memory parallelism via MPI has disrupted the memory model in exactly this way. While MPI forces the programmer to deal with distributed memory explicitly, it does so without changing the language in a way that prevents the resulting code from compiling efficiently by a compiler unaware of distributed memory.)

subset: commoncrawl


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Justin Timberlake is not wasting any time!
After bringing sexy back at the Grammys tonight, the "Suit and Tie" singer kept to his Twitter promise from earlier in the night and gave fans something else to get excited about--a new track!
"Big news coming out after Justin's #Grammys performance. Stay tuned or you'll miss it! #moreJT -teamJT."
U.S. & World
What did you think of J.T.'s performance at the Grammys?
J.T. released yet another song off of The 20/20 Experience (which hits stores March 19) called "Mirrors."
The tune marks the fourth from his upcoming album that Timberlake's shared with fans. He first made his comeback to music with "Suit and Tie" featuring Jay-Z, then revealed "That Girl," which he debuted at a pre-Super Bowl party and sang "Pusher Lover Girl" during his Grammys performance tonight.
What do you think of Justin's latest single? Sound off in the comments!


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Penn State to offer free Wi-Fi to campus visitors
Penn State to offer free Wi-Fi to campus visitors
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Penn State will offer free AT&T broadband wireless access beginning June 26 to guests and visitors to the University Park campus thanks to a renegotiated contract between the University and AT&T. The service will be extended to other campus locations by the end of July.
"Because the Penn State community needed a convenient, affordable and policy compliant method to provide free network access for visitors and guests, we were able to renegotiate our contract with AT&T and centralize our funding model to enable campus visitors to have a free-of-charge wireless experience when visiting Penn State campus locations," said Chuck Enfield, IT manager and chair of the Penn State Visitor Wireless Committee.
Visitors searching for a wireless network on their devices will see "attwifi," which, once selected, can open any Web browser on their laptop or other wireless enabled device. They will see the AT&T Wi-Fi connection page to agree to the terms of service before being connected to the Internet. Until the free service is activated, visitors to campus will have to pay AT&T via credit card or use free coupon codes available through Software at Penn State to access the visitor wireless network.
The free visitor network, which the University anticipates will be accessed by such visitors as alumni, potential students and their families, faculty and researchers, and others, will offer a more limited bandwidth than the main wireless network used by Penn State students, faculty and staff members.
The free network is not intended for use by anyone other than visitors to Penn State and can accommodate visitors' general tasks such as checking email and Web browsing. However, like most open Wi-Fi hotspots, the visitor network is an unsecured connection and caution should be used when sending or receiving sensitive information. To alleviate congestion on the attwifi network, the AT&T Wi-Fi connection page will direct current Penn State students, faculty and staff members who have an active Penn State Access Account to connect to the more robust and secure Penn State Wireless network "psu."
The free visitor wireless service will be offered wherever wireless is available at most Penn State campus locations. Areas that are not covered under this agreement include campus residence halls, the Pennsylvania College of Technology, and facilities and venues serviced through other AT&T Wi-Fi arrangements such as the Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, the Nittany Lion Inn, The Penn Stater Conference Center Hotel, Beaver Stadium, Pegula Ice Arena, Bryce Jordan Center and University Park Airport.
Instructions for connecting to the AT&T Visitor Wireless service at Penn State are available at http://wireless.psu.edu/visitorwireless.html. More information about Penn State's Wireless service is available at http://wireless.psu.edu/.
Visitors having trouble connecting to or using the AT&T Wi-Fi service should contact the AT&T Wi-Fi Technical Operations Center toll-free at 888-888-7520 or email email@example.com.
For more stories about IT at Penn State, visit Current at http://current.it.psu.edu.


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Gregory Hemingway, known as Mr. Gig or Gigi to his family, was Ernest Hemingway's youngest of three sons; his mother was Pauline, Papa's second wife. This is his memoir of his father, and it begins and ends with Papa's suicide, and the ways in which that trauma shaped Gigi's life. It is a short but monumentally touching and surprisingly well-written book; I think it is the most moving biography of Papa (who, presumably, you know I adore) that I have read. While Gigi does relate several of his father's uglier moments, including crimes against his son, he emphasizes Papa's humanity and good qualities. The story told here seems to be of a fundamentally good man who got sicker and sicker at the end – though I think he always struggled with mental illness, from being cross-dressed as a toddler through pursuit of success, fame, and the fading of his talent – and fell apart. There are other perspectives out there; many biographers and commentators see Hemingway as a monster, and I accept that that is one perspective, and has evidence to back it up. But I'm always drawn to the outlook that he deserves our pity for the illness he struggled with that finally killed him; and that is more what we get here.
Gigi tells heartwarming stories, and some bad ones (like Papa blaming Gigi for Pauline's death). He shows what good advice Papa gave; he was a good teacher. He addresses some of the myths surrounding his larger-than-life father, even though he is often unable to refute or confirm them because he was so small (or living with his mother). And it's all so beautifully done! Who knew Gigi was a bit of a writer, himself? (Make note of the tale of his plagiarized short story, back when he still hoped to follow in his father's footsteps.)
To me, one of the most poignant things about this slim memoir is our present knowledge of where Gigi went from here. At the time the book was written, he was a practicing physician and still married to Valerie (whose own memoir of Papa I have on my shelf waiting for me). He would later divorce Valerie (after some 20 years of marriage) and go on to two more marriages; become a cross-dresser and take steps toward a sex change; lose his medical license; battle alcoholism; and finally die in a women's jail in Miami. In his book, there is a general tone of "look at me, I've come this far" – not bragging so much as in relief to have resisted the darkness for this long. He seems to have a positive attitude. But there is also quiet acknowledgement, here and there, of the sinister element within himself that he has worked to resist. This same subtle awareness of the darkness inside is present in Papa's work beginning at a young age, and the youngest son Andrew in Islands in the Stream, clearly modeled on Gregory, has a "badness" in him as well. The descriptive passage about Andrew, in fact, is quoted at the beginning of this book, before Norman Mailer's (excellent) introduction, implying that Andrew's darkness as well as Papa's and Gigi's is acknowledged by all the parties.
This book was like a gift to me from yet another tragic Hemingway man. It gave me lovely, appealing moments with Papa, as well as those ugly moments in which he could be so vicious. It was beautifully written. I loved getting to know Gigi better; he struck me as a very likeable, sympathetic man. But it was also sad, as reading about the Hemingways always is.
Filed under: book reviews | Tagged: biography, Hemingway, memoir, nonfiction |


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The owner of an abandoned dog that was found with the words "Free" and "I Need a Home" written on it in permanent marker last week has come forward to claim her pet.
According to police in Benicia, California, a woman provided photos, veterinarian records and witness testimony to prove that she was the dog's owner, NBC reports. Her name was not released.
The woman, from Yolo County, told authorities the dog escaped from her yard and she has no idea how the hound made it to Benicia, roughly 60 miles south.
The dog was found by Shannon Bettencourt, a local bartender, on July 3. It was tied to a tree.
"She was scared, shaking and kind of whimpering," Bettencourt said. "I was heartbroken. It was really sad. Nobody wants to see an animal like that ever."
She told KTVU she thought about calling police but was afraid they would call animal control.
Bettencourt took the dog home and cared for it while she tried to locate the owner.
"The first night I let her sleep in the bed with me because I knew she needed something, and she just slept on my stomach the whole night," Bettencourt said.
Bettencourt had planned to adopt the dog if the owner couldn't be located. (She even gave the dog a nickname — Libby, short for Liberty, in the spirit of the Fourth of July.)
"She's super well-trained, and it just doesn't make sense why somebody would dump her," Bettencourt said. "She was obviously well taken care of. You could have easily found a home for a dog like this if you really gave it half an effort."
Police initially said the owner could face animal cruelty charges, but they now believe she had nothing to do with the dog's abandonment.
"We don't believe the owner had any involvement in abandoning the dog in our city," Benicia Police Lt. Michael Greene told Yahoo News.
The Yolo County Sheriff's Office Animal Control Unit is working with the owner to determine how the dog went missing, Greene said.


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Give a struggling family groceries, they eat for a week. Teach a struggling family to garden, they eat for life.
That's the message spread by Laurie Selpien, of Lake in the Hills, who last year headed up an effort by the Algonquin-Lake in the Hills Food Pantry to grow produce for their customers.
The effort yielded nearly 4,000 pounds of fresh fruits and vegetables, and Selpien thinks they can double that effort this year.
But her aim goes beyond feeding the hungry. She wants to teach low-income families how to cheaply feed themselves.
"There's no excuse for hunger in the United States," Selpien said. "We can take land that's sitting idle and convert it into food – all it takes is a little bit of training. ... Anybody can do this."
A lifelong gardener, Selpien eagerly agreed to take on the project last year. When she noticed that people were unsure about how to prepare some of the vegetables, Selpien printed out recipes to go with each variety.
This year, she wants to take the education a step further, having customers come in when she's gardening so they can learn the trade.
"A lot of people are intimidated by it. They're afraid to put the money into the gardens because they don't know if they can do it," Selpien said. "There's a lot of tips and tricks we can do that make it easier."
A couple of donations helped get the project off its feet last year. The local Rotary Club donated wood, and Greco Exterior Improvements built raised beds at the pantry, 1113 Pyott Road, Lake in the Hills.
But with 300 families to feed, the pantry decided to start an additional garden in a small space at an Algonquin wastewater treatment plant, where Selpien used a fence to grow plants vertically.
Workers at the plant maintained the garden and called Selpien when they needed help.
"We were seeing her at least once a week, many times twice or three times," said Andy Warmus, Algonquin utilities superintendent. "It inspired me and some of the folks at the wastewater plant. ... It kind of renewed some interest to get into gardening."
Between the garden at the wastewater treatment plant and the more labor intensive garden at the pantry, Selpien worked nearly full time on a volunteer basis.
And she did it while dealing with reactive airway disease – an ailment that forced her into an early retirement. About 20 years ago, Selpien was injured when she inadvertently breathed in harsh chemicals at work.
She now has to avoid situations that could trigger the disease, such as being around certain types of chemicals or being out in the heat of the day. She was at the garden each morning before 7 a.m.
"You can either have your handicap dictate your life, or you find ways of working around it," she said. "I'd rather find ways of working around it."
Selpien was assisted along the way by her daughter, Heather Selpien, who said her mother always has had a heart for the hungry.
"She's always wanted to feed people," Heather Selpien said. "Gardening is the easiest way to go about it."
The Selpien lowdown
Hometown: Carpentersville
Family: Daughter Heather Selpien - 25; Husband Kinney Selpien
Favorite movie: "Transformers"
Favorite vegetable: tomato ("I know there's a controversy.")
Favorite fruit: cherry


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NetBSD support
The most important source of support is the NetBSD community itself. The community section lists various resources on where to get help in case you encounter any problems.
There are also a number of consultants for hire in case you need commercial support.
In case you need to know if a certain piece of hardware is supported by NetBSD, check the list of supported hardware devices.
Found a bug? Please let us know.
Before submitting a report, please search the PR database to check if a report already exists for the issue.
NetBSD's security details and advisories can be found via the Security and NetBSD page.
pkgsrc.se is an easily navigated frontend to pkgsrc. It tracks changes and updates to pkgsrc and pkgsrc-wip. The site also provides a "package tracker" (for email notification about package-specific changes), statistics about pkgsrc, and RSS feeds. It is the "all about pkgsrc" service!


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Check out the latest RPG news | Podcasts | Twitch Streams
Quote from: Klyde Chroma on March 30, 2014, 09:54:02 PMAnd for the record, I do certainly feel that if Ar Tonelico were dubbed "Atelier Tonelico" no one would have questioned it.I would.They're very different games as far as I'm concerned.
And for the record, I do certainly feel that if Ar Tonelico were dubbed "Atelier Tonelico" no one would have questioned it.
Iris, Iris, Iris. You guys can't shut up about Iris I enjoyed Iris well enough for what it was but I felt like it had a bit of an identity crisis. I actually liked the game more when it was about Klein trying to save Lita's life. Then towards the end of the game there was this convoluted twist and it just so happened that the thing they had to do to save Lita's life would also save the world or something. I mean, what? I'm not inherently against save-the-world plots but in this case it felt completely tacked-on. Like they couldn't decided if the game was supposed to be an epic adventure or something more character focused. Saving your girl's life seemed like enough of a goal to me...I'd like to see more games with a premise like that. It seems like it's either got to be epic world-saving adventurers or just puttering around doing very little...Going back to gameplay changes, my favorite of the PS3 Atelier games is probably Meruru. Not for its characters or story which are honestly pretty forgettable but for the gameplay. City development was a third tier added to the usual adventuring and alchemy mix and it complemented them perfectly. It made the alchemy goals feel more meaningful to me since you would make things they needed for development, which in turn unlocked new areas, which let you gather new materials and explore new recipes, etc. etc. It felt perfectly balanced to me and was addictive as heck. I kind of wish Gust had continued exploring that direction more because it felt like one of the most significant additions to the franchise to me.
Atelier makes me feel like I get weak anime drones talking about their daily problems in a no more interesting way than it's been done before in slice of life shows. The drama isn't particularly involving and stays light-hearted or tame with respect to how events seem to pan out.tl;dr: I think what I'm saying is I just wish the games had stronger scenarios.
I felt it appropriate to come back to this thread and express that after ample time now with Atelier E&L my opinion has dropped substantially.I was sort of really singing its praise upon initial impressions but unfortunately the game is proving a let down for me.I still stand behind most of what I noted that I liked about the game, however the problem is NOTHING seems to really improve or draw me in further. That is, the best development in the game thus far (up to year 3) for me has been the ceasing of tutorials.It it was not for the stellar gameplay in terms of the crafting and the fact that Logy is a home-run of an MC in my book, I would really be hard pressed to find enjoyment in this title at present.What I've come to really dislike so far is the dialogue. It all seems like useless and meaningless banter. I actually cringe when I see a "!" indicating a character event because I know it means more time wasted on dialogue that neither proves humorous, interesting or relevant.And on that note, the lazy fast travel with noted event indicators seemed cool at first but has proven to totally suck the joy out of said events. At least when you need to "search" for character events there is a sense of "discovery". To just check a list and go to a marked local via fast travel is pretty unrewarding at this point...
It was my biggest complaint with Ayesha as well. For the "quality" of writing, it just goes on and on and on. The events aren't particularly earth-breaking, just shit I'd hear (for example) from talking to my neighbour everyday. Shame, the characters look cool, the world environment is interesting...the situations, less so.
Yes! Can we be glad that Logy isn't some sad moody character? Or is it in turn sad that I'm surprised how cool he turned out?
This works as a perfect foil to Escha's downright idiocy and inherent naivety.


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Imagine that a physician hands you a prescription recommending "1000 healings a day."
You might think, "ahh, alriiiight," but what if she is on to something!
The Center for Disease Control (CDC) reports that stress accounts for 80% of visits to a primary care physician. If stress hurts our health, is it safe to speculate that love, joy, happiness, and connection may be the antidote to improve our health, immunity, and life, in general?
What do you think?
We are all capable of feeling grateful but we do not hold the benefits. If this is true, what makes it hard for some people to feel grateful or appreciation when someone does something kind or thoughtful for us. As we explore the value of gratitude, its benefits, and why it can be difficult, you can discover how to make the experiences that bring you joy truly memorable and cellular.
What makes the practice of gratefulness something I should do?
A healthy relationship requires the space to be yourself, to maintain your personal integrity. Most people will respect your boundaries when you explain what they are and will expect that you will do the same for them; it's a two-way street. Not so with people who don't understand where you end and they begin.
Nutritional psychiatry: Eat these foods to reduce depression
Results of a recent study show that changing your diet can significantly change your mood. This link between mood and diet falls under an emerging field of study referred to as nutritional psychiatry.
The study, which was published in BMC Medicine, included 67 participants who all suffered moderate to severe depression. Each participant was given seven nutritional counseling sessions over a period of 12 weeks to encourage them to change their diets. These sessions included methods like motivational interviews, goal setting, and mindful eating.
The participants were also given dietary guidelines, which advised them to include the following food groups in their diet (along with their recommended serving sizes):
- Whole grains (five to eight servings per day)
- Vegetables (six servings per day)
- Fruit (three servings per day)
- Legumes (three to four servings per week)
- Low-fat, unsweetened dairy (two to three servings per day)
- Raw and unsalted nuts (one serving per day)
- Fish (at least two servings per week)
- Lean red meats (three to four per week)
- Chicken (two to three per week)
- Eggs (up to six per week)
- Olive Oil (three tablespoons per day)
They were also asked to avoid the following foods:
- sweet refined cereal
- fried food
- fast food
- processed meats
- sugary and alcoholic drinks
Participants who followed the dietary guidelines showed significant improvements in their depression.
"These results indicate that dietary improvement may provide an efficacious and accessible treatment strategy for the management of this highly prevalent mental disorder, the benefits of which could extend to the management of common co-morbidities." the researchers concluded.
100% organic essential oil sets now available for your home and personal care, including Rosemary, Oregano, Eucalyptus, Tea Tree, Clary Sage and more, all 100% organic and laboratory tested for safety. A multitude of uses, from stress reduction to topical first aid.
This study focused on people who did not eat healthily in the beginning, but the results remain relevant to those who already have fairly healthy diets, although the changes in mood would not be as significant.
Existing studies also show that the typical Western diet is linked to a higher risk of depression compared to "traditional" diets, like the Japanese and Mediterranean diets. The Western diet is composed of a lot of processed foods and refined sugars. On the contrary, traditional diets are void of these and mostly contain vegetables, fruits, unprocessed grains, and fish. This distinction is linked to lowered risk of depression by 25 to 35 percent in people who follow traditional diets. (Related: The Mediterranean diet healthy eating plan.)
A simple change in diet could go a long way for someone with depression. Aside from helping to improve mental health, it will also greatly improve a person's physical health.
Other treatments for depression
Aside from following a healthier diet, doing the following will help improve a person's mood:
- Exercise – Regular exercise is not easy to do, especially when the person doesn't even feel like leaving their bed. However, studies show that people who exercise improve their mood and feel less anxious since endorphins ("feel good" hormones) are released when one engages in a physical activity.
- Socialize – For a lot of depression cases, people start isolating themselves from others, often making the situation worse. Going out and socializingwill actually give them a much-needed boost to their mood since this engages parts of the brain that help improve its condition.
- Meditate – When meditating, the brain achieves sustained focus, which distances the person from all negative thoughts and emotions. Meditation exercises could be as simple as focusing on breathing or repeating phrases.
Have you ever wondered why you slip back into the sulky, sassy nine-year-old when you go home to visit with the family? You can't prevent this younger self from emerging no matter how much thinking and planning you do.
As the holidays approach you vow that this year you will return home as your funny and sensitive adult self, and not get sucked into the family drama and tensions. And then...
An hour after walking through the front door, your clear intentions to be 'yourself' are overcome by powerful, eerily familiar emotions, and suddenly, you find yourself being sucked into a spinning vortex. No one is interested in your kettlebell work out, the rare art exhibit you attended, your 'green' politics, or any strides you made in your work — and you suddenly feel small. You are not yourself — or are you?
Click here for the entire article.


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Rethinking the minivan.
Editor: John Rettie
$24,590 Base Price MSRP
$37,430 As Tested MSRP
Model Lineup: 3.5 S ($24,590); 3.5 SL ($27,090); 3.5 SE ($32,990)
Standard Engine: 3.5-liter dohc 24-valve V6
Engine Options: 240-hp 3.5-liter dohc 24-valve V6
Standard Transmission: five-speed automatic
Transmission Options: four-speed automatic; five-speed automatic
Basic Warranty: 3 years/36,000 miles
Assembled In: Canton, Mississippi
Model Tested MSRP: Nissan Quest 3.5 SE ($32,990)
Standard Equipment: five-speed automatic, leather seats, electrically adjustable front seats, leather-wrapped tilt steering wheel, automatic climate control, glass moonroof and rear SkyView Roof, electrically adjustable foot pedals, AM/FM/CD system, power door locks, mirrors, windows, intermittent wipers, remote keyless entry, power liftgate and side doors, supplemental front seat side-impact airbags, heated front seats, rear sonar system
Options As Tested: Dual screen DVD Entertainment system ($1,900) includes DVD drive mounted under the front passenger seat, dual 7-inch color displays, remote control, auxiliary inputs on DVD drive faceplate, two wireless headphones, quick reference card; Navigation System ($2,000) includes GPS system with DVD-based data storage, 7-inch color display, DVD drive
Standard Safety Equipment: dual front advanced airbags, side curtain airbags, anti-lock brake system (ABS), brake assist, traction control, tire pressure monitor system
Optional Safety Equipment: front-seat side-impact airbags, vehicle dynamic control, rear sonar systemDestination Charge: $540
Fans like to point out that minivans are much more comfortable and far more practical than SUVs. But minivans have suffered from the soccer mom" image, an image many, including soccer moms, prefer to avoid. Despite this they are still a popular category and several recently introduced models on the market are causing naysayers to rethink their views on minivans.
Of all the new minivans, the Nissan Quest is arguably the most radical and therefore the one that deserves a serious look for those who want a vehicle they can be proud to own and enjoy for its various attributes. It's now the largest minivan on the market, it has the most versatility and it's one of the most fun ones to drive.
We found the new Quest enjoyable to drive. It's fitted with a powerful V6 engine, taken from the 350Z sports car, and is available with a smooth five-speed automatic that would be perfectly at home in an expensive luxury car. Quest has crisp steering and feels more stable in corners than an SUV. Its radical styling carries through inside with jetliner seats, Skyview roof panels and a centrally located instrument panel. It also comes with the latest curtain-style airbags and active safety features."
Nissan Quest is offered in three different models: S, SL, and SE. All are the same length and all are powered by Nissan's superb 3.5-liter V6 engine, which is found in the Maxima, 350Z, and a variety of Infiniti models.
All Quest models get side curtain airbags, which cover all three rows of seats, along with the required front airbags. Traction control is standard on all three models along with anti-lock brakes (ABS).
The base 3.5 S ($24,590) includes air conditioning, dual sliding doors, power mirrors, remote keyless entry, and a 150-watt AM/FM/CD stereo system with eight speakers. It comes with a four-speed automatic transmission and 16-inch steel wheels. An upgrade package adds 16-inch alloy wheels and the rear sonar system ($700).
SL ($27,090) comes with 16-inch alloy wheels, an eight-way power adjustable driver seat, and adjustable foot pedals. The SL also comes with a power sliding door on the right, a power rear lift gate, and power rear vent windows. An upgrade package adds side-impact air bags, heated front seats and the rear sonar system ($750). The SL Leather Package ($1,500) adds leather-trimmed interior and a four-way power front-passenger seat.
SE ($32,990) comes with a five-speed automatic transmission, 17-inch alloy wheels, and a Vehicle Dynamic Control anti-skid system. Inside, it gets leather-appointed seats, a four-way power passenger seat, 265-watt Bose audio system with 10 speakers, front supplemental side airbag system, full-length rear overhead console, power sunroof, Skyview rear roof panels, power left side door, a rear sonar system for parking, and dual-zone climate control.
Standard on all models is a Seat Package that includes the folding rear bench seat with grocery bag hooks and the folding center captain chairs with cupholders and easy entry system.
The DVD Entertainment Package ($1,500) includes a DVD drive mounted under the front passenger seat, a seven-inch color screen, remote control, auxiliary inputs and two wireless headphones. A dual-screen version of the system ($1,900) is available for the SE. A GPS navigation system ($2,000) with DVD storage is available for the SE and features a seven-inch display mounted in the center meter cluster. The navigation system and a six-disc CD changer are available as a bundle ($2,300) for the SL.
Walk Around
Viewed head-on, it's not immediately apparent that the Quest is any different than other minivans on the market. It has a big grill that bears a family resemblance to the sporty Maxima.
Move slightly to the right or left, however, and it becomes apparent that the designers have tried hard to make the Quest look different from a traditional minivan. Gone are the slab sides and flat roof. Instead, the Quest gets bold fender flares that run along the sides with shoulders and curve up as the lines blend to the rear. The result is a vehicle with curvaceous character lines that does not look nearly as big as it is in reality. Part of this illusion is due to the long wheelbase with relatively short overhangs at front and rear that give it a sleek look.
Quest has dual sliding side doors, as expected, but they are four inches longer than in any other minivan. This provides better access, especially to the third row of seats. Due to the hip design of the Quest, the slot for the door runners is in the middle of the bodywork rather than being disguised along the lower edge of the side windows as has become the norm. It's a design flaw in some people's eyes while others barely notice it.
Anyone who has ever owned a minivan will tell you that the most important aspect of the vehicle is the interior. Unlike SUVs, which are more often than not just used as a passenger car for carrying one or maybe two passengers, minivans get used for carrying kids and stuff. Flexibility is the key. Gradually, minivan designers have improved the versatility and ease in which the interior can be arranged.
Nissan has taken versatility to new levels with the Quest. The third row of seats can be lowered into a large carpeted well in the floor to provide loads of storage space with a flat floor. But in a new twist the two center-mounted captain's seats can also be lowered down almost flat with the floor to provide a space more than big enough for the proverbial sheet of plywood. There's no need to remove the seats, and one person can easily fold the seats down, useful for an impulsive stop at the home-improvement center.
The seats feature an unusual design. Far less bulky than normal, they take on the appearance of airline seats when viewed from the side. These folding seats are part of the standard Seat Package.
One of the most controversial design aspects of the Quest is the cockpit. The instrument cluster is centered on top of the dashboard instead of its usual location ahead of the steering wheel. This move has allowed the designers to make the top of the dashboard much lower for improved forward visibility and a feeling of spaciousness. A minor touch but one that can be appreciated is a small slot located ahead of the steering wheel for holding a photograph or map or notes. It's an ideal location for glancing at something important while driving, which is why the instruments are normally located there.
The climate and audio controls are located on top of an angled flat oval-shaped area that looks like the top of a barrel. It's a distinctive part of the design, but it is not quite as easy to operate the big knobs and buttons as in a normal location, at least for the driver. The screen for the optional navigation system is located in front of this in a pod alongside the gauges.
One of the neatest features, available only on the SE, is the Skyview glass roof, first seen in the 2004 Maxima. There are four glass panels over the rear seats that cannot be removed but can be covered by a sliding blind. They help make the rear seating much less claustrophobic by opening up the sky and letting the kids (and adults) see trees, airplanes and mountain tops.
Outfitted with the central roof console and optional DVD entertainment system with two monitors, sitting in the back of the Quest feels just like being seated in a jet liner, in first class to boot. This is one minivan where kids may fight to see who sits in the back seats.
Driving Impressions
Minivans have rarely been regarded as being fun vehicles to drive. (On the other hand, neither have SUVs, at least not on the highway.) However, Nissan has injected characteristics into the Quest to make it more of a driver's vehicle.
For starters, Nissan's V6 is one of the nicest engines from any manufacturer. Quest gets essentially the same V6 used in the 350Z and Infiniti G35. Retuned slightly, it produces 240 horsepower with a decent torque curve. It provides enough power to let the Quest accelerate onto on-ramps and pass slower vehicles on two-lane highways at a respectable rate. The available five-speed automatic transmission provides good smooth shifts, more in line with luxury cars.
Another aspect of a driver's car is good crisp steering. Quest delivers here as well with just the right amount of feedback to let the driver feel connected to the road, but not too tight for round town use.
The suspension provides good handling for what is a big vehicle. No, it doesn't handle as well as the Maxima, but the Quest certainly feels much more stable in corners than a sport-utility.
Can the Quest actually fulfill Nissan's quest to re-invent the minivan market? If you like the looks of this minivan and appreciate the versatility and design features of the interior take a long look at the 2004 Quest before opting for an SUV. If you enjoy driving you'll draw pleasure from owning this minivan as it delivers performance and handling to match its snazzy looks. The Quest is a Maxima in minivan clothing.
In fact, sitting in the very back seats with the middle seats folded down there's tons of leg room and with a DVD entertainment system and leather seats it's much more comfy than being stuffed into the back seat of a Lincoln Town Car. In this set up the Quest could easily be described as the limousine of minivans.
Top Cars


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Top: Borrowed, Skirt: Dillards, Shoes: Steve Madden, Earrings: F21, Watch and Bracelet: c/o Mimi's
I know that this poor, dear blog has basically been reduced to a single, weekly outfit. And for that I am sad. Mostly because the one weekly outfit I post is pretty much the only time I get dressed, like really dressed, each week. Sad. My accessories miss me. I hear their sad little selves weeping at night from there unorganized and too-small box on the dresser. And I weep a little bit too. And every morning, I tell them that it is for their own good that I am leaving them at home so that they will not be lost. And then I realize how odd it is that I am talking to my accessories. Weeks without the daily jingle of bangles and the perfect shade of red lipstick will do that to a girl. And let's not even talk about the condition of my nails right now. But here is my best effort at pulled together for the week. It was Saturday, after I got off of work and changed out of my campaign tee in the mall parking lot. I'm pretty sure "classy" would be the proper adjective for that. In hindsight, I think it could have used a belt. Ok, now I need to pick myself up and take myself to the shower, where I was supposed to be fifteen minutes ago. So I can put myself to bed and be up entirely too early in the morning. Cheerio!


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So shall I live, supposing thou art true,
Like a deceived husband; so love's face
May still seem love to me, though altered new;
Thy looks with me, thy heart in other place:
For there can live no hatred in thine eye,
Therefore in that I cannot know thy change.
In many's looks, the false heart's history
Is writ in moods, and frowns, and wrinkles strange.
But heaven in thy creation did decree
That in thy face sweet love should ever dwell;
Whate'er thy thoughts, or thy heart's workings be,
Thy looks should nothing thence, but sweetness tell.
How like Eve's apple doth thy beauty grow,
If thy sweet virtue answer not thy show.
Sonnet 93: Translation to modern English
So I'll just go on like that, assuming, like a deceived husband, that you're faithful. If I do that your face may still seem to show me that you love me, even though you don't. Your looks will reassure me even though your heart is somewhere else. I would never be able to tell the difference because your eyes could never show hatred. With many people a false heart is shown by a moody expression – frowns and strange wrinkles but when heaven created you it decreed that your face would always express sweet love – that whatever your thoughts or the workings of your heart may be your looks would never show anything but sweetness. Your beauty is much the same as Eve's apple when your level of sweet virtue doesn't match your looks.


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JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A line-by-line review of the Jacksonville's nearly $1 billion budget by Jacksonville City Council members began Thursday. The tedious and likely contentious process will likely take more than a month and could result in layoffs, cuts in city services and a property tax increase.
As the Finance Committee's process began, the mayor's office came under fire for not addressing possible cuts until late in the process. Under Mayor Alvin Brown's proposed budget, 77 city employees would lose there jobs, mostly in the parks department and libraries. The plan also called for an 18-percent cut to Jacksonville Fire-Rescue, which could be forced to close fire stations, and a 13-percent cut for the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office.
Councilman John Crescimbeni said someone is not doing their job.
"A lack of management skill requiring all the folks that work for them comply to their request," he said. "I cannot fathom the chief financial officer making that request and not everyone complying with it. I don't get that. I would not tolerate that for one second that the sense I am getting from lots of letters, emails and calls, etc. Because what do you want to be as a community?"
"Well, this is not a reward and punishment situation that we are in, councilman (John) Crescimbeni," Ronnie Belton, the city's chief financial officer, said minutes into the budget hearing. "What we are trying to do at the end of the day is balance this budget."
"I understand that, Mr. Belton, but that is not the question," Crescimbeni said.
Last month, City Council voted to raise the cap on property taxes 15 percent and reject a negotiated settlement with the Jacksonville Police and Fire Pension Fund -- both defeats for the Brown administration.
The council faces a budget shortfall of $61 million for next year, which some say could grow over the coming months. City auditors say if the full 15 percent rate hike is implemented, it would generate around $65 million in revenue an cost the owner of a home with taxable value of $100,000 about $75.
When the budget is finalized prior to Oct. 1 -- the beginning of the 2013-2014 fiscal year -- the actual tax rate may be lower.
"I think where this is going is framing a debate in our community," council President Bill Gulliford said. "You can be cheap, but cheap is not the same as being frugal, and how do you end up being a first-rate city with second-rate service or no service?"


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Ayvani Perez Update: Mother of rescued Ga. girl and kidnapping suspect linked
Updated 9:30 p.m. EST
(CBS) - The mother of Ayvani Perez, a 14-year-old Georgia girl who was found safe Wednesday after being abducted from her home early Tuesday, was arrested in February 2012 on drug charges with one of the men suspected in her daughter's abduction, a spokesperson for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement confirmed to CBS News' Crimesider.
The Henry Daily Herald reported on Feb. 23, 2012 that Maria Magdalena Corral, who has been identified by multiple sources as the mother of Ayvani Perez, was arrested with Juan Alberto Contreras-Ramirez and three others following a drug raid in Stockbridge, Ga. The five people were arrested on charges of trafficking marijuana, according to the paper.
During the raid, agents with the Flint Circuit Drug Task Force recovered about 550 pounds of marijuana and $3,000 in cash, police reportedly told the paper.
The Atlanta Journal Constitution reports Corral was never indicted in the drug-trafficking case and Contreras-Ramirez had the charges dropped against him after a judge ruled the search of the home was unconstitutional because the agents lacked a warrant.
Police confirmed Wednesday afternoon that Ayvani was found safe after being abducted from her Ellenwood home early Tuesday. Chief Gregory Porter with the Clayton County police says Ayvani was found "at a location in Conyers, Georgia" and that two suspects were in custody.
The FBI identified the kidnapping suspects in custody as Juan Alberto Contreras-Rodriguez, described as a 40-year-old Mexican national, and Wildrego Jackson, 29, of Atlanta. ICE confirmed to Crimesider that Contreras-Rodriguez also goes by Contreras-Ramirez.
"It is the same guy," Vincent Picard, spokesperson for ICE, said.
The FBI said in a news conference Wednesday that Rodriguez is being held on immigration-related charges and Jackson is being held on conspiracy to kidnap.
Authorities say they are looking at several other suspects in the kidnapping.
They also said during the news conference that officials have not determined the relationship between Ayvani's family and the suspects. They said the motive has not been determined.
The kidnapping happened on a cul-de-sac in Ellenwood, a small community about 10 miles southeast of Atlanta, police said. Stockbridge, where the 2012 drug trafficking arrests occurred, is about 10 miles from Ellenwood.
A spokesman for the Clayton County police told CBS News' Crimesider that police were not aware of any connection between the mother of Ayvani Perez and the kidnapping suspects, and had been focused on rescuing the teen. Crimesider has left messages with two other law enforcement agencies involved in the 2012 drug case, which have not been returned.


text:
Guitar Hero is no longer just guitars with support for velocity sensitive drums and vocals and an all knew recording studio which lets you create and upload your own music.
This page contains co-op info for Guitar Hero World Tour on the Xbox 360. All information about Guitar Hero World Tour was correct at the time of posting. Information is subject to change. If you see any errors please email us.


text:
Even Natalie Portman gained her Freshman 15.
In a wide-ranging interview for Vogue's January issue, Portman said in real life she's nothing like Nina, the troubled, bone-thin ballerina she plays in "Black Swan."
"I consume my own weight in hummus every day," the Israeli-American actress told the fashion mag. "I cook a lot, and I even do vegan baking."
U.S. & World
The day's top national and international news.
But Portman, 29, revealed she did experience mental health issues while a Harvard college student.
"I gained my freshman fifteen or 20 and had superdepressed moments," Portman told Vogue. "That Cambridge winter is tough. It was important to know how to go through that and how to get myself out of it."
That involved learning how to ask her friends, professionals or mentors for help, Portman said.
Portman, who scored a best actress Golden Globe nomination Tuesday for "Black Swan," told Vogue she's also interested in tapping into her vulgar side.
The actress has teamed up with a partner to start a production company, Handsomecharliefilms, that plans to develop raunchy "girl comedies" in the vein of a Judd Apatow film or "The Hangover," she told Vogue.
"There's a difference between being in a bra and underpants as an object on a men's-magazine cover and playing yourself—a woman with desires and needs who loves and laughs with her friends—in a bra and underpants," Portman explains. "You become an object if you simply put it out there. Most movies are made by men, it's totally natural that they're going to present their worldview, so we're trying to find more women who are writers and directors who are expressing their worldview."


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Say f: X → Y is a morphism of schemes. The sheaf direct image functor f★ always has a left adjoint, namely the sheaf inverse image functor f★ (with tensoring).
Under what (sufficient) conditions do we know that f★ has a right adjoint? What is it?
Answer to a related question (edit): If f★ preserves quasicoherence, then its restriction to quasicoherents f★: QCoh(X) → QCoh(Y) has a right adjoint when f is affine (in particular, any closed immersion or finite morphism will do). The basic idea is to globalize the affine case (see Eric Wofsey's answer below); thanks to Pablo Solis for pointing me to page 6 of Ravi Vakil's notes explaining this.
In this question, I'm not restricting to the quasi-coherent categories. One reason for working with non-quasicoherents is that j! , the "extension by zero" right adjoint to j★ for an open immersion j, doesn't take qcoh to qcoh.


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Web Applications and Special Projects Server
|About the Projects Server
ITS offers server space and a variety of hosted web
applications such as weblogs (blogs) and wikis for Swarthmore College-related
faculty and staff projects.
We recommend and support WordPress for use as a blog or basic content management system. PmWiki is ideal for collaborative documentation and research. We are also happy to discuss other options to suit individual projects.
In most cases, ITS will install and manage the requested software on this web server. The faculty or staff members leading the project will take responsibility for day to day administration of their site(s), including managing account access, supervising content, monitoring software functions, and notifying ITS of any problems.
For more information and complete discussion of the resources and applications available on this server, please contact a member of the Swarthmore College Academic Computing or Web Projects teams.


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Tommen Baratheon
|Biographical Information
|300 AC - Current ruler
|Full Name
|Tommen Baratheon the First of His Name
|The Boy King[1]
King of the Andals, the Rhoynar, and the First Men
Lord of the Seven Kingdoms
Lord of Storm's End (claimant)
|In 291 AC[2]
|Joffrey I Baratheon
|Myrcella Baratheon
|Margaery Tyrell
Robert I Baratheon (legally)
Jaime Lannister (biologically)
|Cersei Lannister
The World of Ice & Fire (mentioned)
A Game of Thrones (appears)
A Clash of Kings (appears)
A Storm of Swords (appears)
A Feast for Crows (appears)
A Dance with Dragons (appears)
The Winds of Winter (mentioned)
|Played by
Callum Wharry ~ Seasons 1-2
Dean-Charles Chapman ~ 4-6
|TV series
|Season 1 | Season 2 | Season 4 | Season 5 | Season 6
Prince Tommen Baratheon is known to the Seven Kingdoms as the youngest child of King Robert I Baratheon and Queen Cersei Lannister. A member of House Baratheon of King's Landing, his siblings are Prince Joffrey and Princess Myrcella. In the television adaptation Game of Thrones, he is played by Callum Wharry in seasons 1 and 2 and by Dean-Charles Chapman in seasons 4, 5 and 6.
Appearance and Character
- See also: Images of Tommen Baratheon
Tommen is plump, with long white-blond hair.[3] He has golden curls and emerald green eyes.[4][5] At the beginning of A Song of Ice and Fire, he is seven years old.
Tommen, unlike Joffrey, is regarded as a good-hearted lad who always tries his best.[6] Tommen is tenderhearted[7] and not as strong-willed as his brother. Many other characters (except his mother)[5] believe that he would be a much better king than Joffrey.[8] Tommen is fond of applecakes,[9] and enjoys reading.[4] He is a clumsy but earnest dancer.[10] He is afraid of Sandor Clegane.[10]
Tommen once adopted a fawn as a pet, but his elder brother, Prince Joffrey, later killed and skinned the animal.[7] It is also implied Joffrey bullies and abuses Tommen physically or emotionally.[11]
Following the tourney on Prince Joffrey's name day, Tommen and his siblings traveled with Cersei to Casterly Rock with their grandfather, Lord Tywin Lannister.[12]
Recent Events
A Game of Thrones
Tommen is part of the entourage of his father, King Robert I Baratheon, which journeys to Winterfell following the death of Lord Jon Arryn. At Winterfell, Tommen spars with Bran Stark using wooden swords.[13]
Tommen and Myrcella do not recognize a dirty Arya Stark when she chases cats in King's Landing. Arya bowls over Tommen when she escapes from House Lannister guards.[14]
Lord Eddard Stark, the new Hand of the King, discovers that Tommen and his siblings are not the biological children of Robert, but actually fathered by Cersei's twin brother, Ser Jaime Lannister.[15] With Robert dying from being gored by a boar, Lord Renly Baratheon suggests that Tommen and Myrcella be seized and that Arya wed Tommen. Eddard refuses, however.[16]
Tommen's older brother, Prince Joffrey, becomes king after Robert dies. Tommen is present when Eddard is arrested in the throne room.[17]
A Clash of Kings
Tommen attends the tourney on King Joffrey's name day. Joffrey laughs at Tommen when the youth is struck by a quintain.[18]
Announcing his claim to the Iron Throne, Stannis Baratheon declares that his nephew Joffrey and his siblings are abominations born of incest.[19]
Tommen cries when Myrcella sails from King's Landing for Dorne. The riot of King's Landing breaks out after Myrcella leaves the harbor.[20]
With rioting and the War of the Five Kings making King's Landing increasingly unsafe, Queen Cersei Lannister plots to sneak Tommen out of the city to Rosby under the protection of Lord Gyles Rosby, disguised as a page. However, Tommen's uncle, Tyrion Lannister, the acting Hand of the King, learns of the plot, and sends Ser Jacelyn Bywater to intercept the party on the Rosby road and take Tommen to Rosby himself, thereby under Tyrion's control and not Cersei's.[7] Tommen adopts a fawn at Rosby, and Jacelyn tasks his men with evacuating the boy to an unknown location if King's Landing falls during the war.[21]
Tyrion threatens Cersei that any harm inflicted on Alayaya, a prostitute believed to be Tyrion's lover and arrested under the queen's orders, will be visited upon Tommen as well.[22] The Kingsguard knight who allowed Jacelyn to take Tommen, Ser Boros Blount, is stripped of his white cloak by Cersei.[21]
A Storm of Swords
After Jacelyn Bywater is killed in the Battle of the Blackwater, Cersei has Tommen brought back to King's Landing by the Kettleblack brothers.[23]
Acting of his own accord while the Hand of Stannis, Lord Alester Florent attempts to settle a peace agreement with Lord Tywin Lannister, Tommen's grandfather, that involves a promise of marriage between Tommen and Stannis's daughter, Princess Shireen, but his plans do not come to pass.[24]
During the wedding feast of Tyrion and Sansa Stark, Tommen, who is now taller than his uncle, dances with Megga Tyrell and Sansa.[25]
Tommen participates in the wedding of Joffrey to Margaery Tyrell, handing the bride's cloak to his brother. The boy scatters rose petals before the king and queen after the ceremony. Tommen screams and cries when Joffrey chokes to death at his wedding feast.[26]
Tommen is crowned king in the aftermath of Joffrey's death, and plans are made for him to wed Margaery Tyrell in Joffrey's stead.[27] Not wanting Cersei to raise Tommen, Tywin wants Jaime to abdicate as Lord Commander of the Kingsguard and educate the boy as his ward and squire at Casterly Rock. However, Jaime refuses.[27] Jaime orders Boros Blount to serve as the boy king's food taster.[9]
Prince Oberyn Martell reminds Tyrion, who is imprisoned for Joffrey's death, that according to Dornish law Myrcella should succeed to the Iron Throne rather than her younger brother, Tommen.[28] During Tyrion's trial, Shae alleges that Tyrion killed Joffrey and planned to eventually kill Tommen.[29]
Tommen's great-uncle, Ser Kevan Lannister, provides the boy king with documents to sign, including pardons, grants, and bills of attainder.[4] Tyrion kills his father Tywin, Tommen's Hand, after Jaime helps him escape from imprisonment.[30]
A Feast for Crows
Tommen continues usage of the split black stag and golden lion royal banner introduced by Joffrey.[31]
Jon Snow, the new Lord Commander of the Night's Watch, and Samwell Tarly discuss a letter prepared by Maester Aemon, which asks for assistance from King Tommen. Jon recalls how Tommen had sparred with his half-brother Bran Stark at Winterfell, but that Bran is dead now while Tommen is king. Jon reluctantly agrees to have the message sent by raven.[32]
Cersei is Queen Regent after the death of her father, Tywin. Tommen acts as king, his primary and favorite activity being to place the royal stamp on any document put in front of him.[33] Cersei frowns upon his meek and tractable nature, frequently comparing him with disfavor to his willful, headstrong brother, Joffrey. Tommen is frightened of the dying Ser Gregor Clegane's screams,[5] and he flees in disgust from Tywin's corpse.[11] Kevan refuses to serve as Hand to Tommen and leaves for Casterly Rock since his niece will not yield Tommen's regency.[5] Ser Harys Swyft instead becomes the King's Hand.[33]
Lord Mace Tyrell insists that Tommen wed his daughter, Margaery, before agreeing to march on Storm's End. Cersei does not trust House Tyrell, however. When they wed, Tommen covers Margaery with the black Baratheon cloak which King Robert I Baratheon had used when he married Cersei. Tommen dances with Margaery and her cousins, Alla, Elinor, and Megga, during the feast. Tommen is fascinated and frightened when Cersei burns the Tower of the Hand with wildfire after the wedding.[10]
In Dorne, Princess Arianne Martell plots to crown Tommen's sister, Myrcella Baratheon, in opposition to the boy king.[8] The plan is foiled by her father, Prince Doran Martell, however.[34]
Wanting Tommen to have younger advisors, Cersei appoints Aurane Waters as master of ships on the small council.[35] When the small council receives Lord Commander Jon Snow's request for aid for the Night's Watch, Cersei agrees to send reinforcements in Tommen's name, but some are to be tasked with assassinating Jon.[33]
Margaery begins to influence Tommen to resist his mother's commands. Margaery gives Tommen three black kittens, Ser Pounce, Lady Whiskers, and Boots.[36] Tommen also takes an interest in knighthood and jousting, and reacts with anger when Cersei refuses to honor his command that Ser Loras Tyrell, now of the Kingsguard, be named as the Red Keep's master-at-arms.[36] Cersei assigns Ser Osney Kettleblack as Tommen's sworn shield,[36] but the queen regent also tasks him with seducing Margaery.[33]
In return for Cersei allowing the Faith Militant to reform, the new High Septon — the High Sparrow — forgives the crown's debts to the Faith of the Seven and blesses King Tommen.[37] The king gives Loras a jeweled sword when the knight departs for the siege of Dragonstone.[38] When Tommen stands up to his mother and shows assertiveness when Cersei threatens Margaery, Cersei's response is to have Boros force Tommen to beat his whipping boy, Pate, until he bleeds.[38]
In order to claim the inheritance of Gyles Rosby, Cersei claims the late lord had wanted his land and wealth to go to Tommen.[38]
Cersei engineers Margaery's arrest by the Faith for allegedly sleeping with a number of men.[39][40] Following Cersei's own arrest for treason and adultery, Tommen continues to do the bidding of the small council, now controlled by Ser Harys Swyft and Grand Maester Pycelle. A lonely Tommen asks for his wife and his mother, and he signs any decree placed before him.[40]
Jaime informs the Freys at the siege of Riverrun that King Tommen requires all captives from the Red Wedding.[41]
A Dance with Dragons
Prince Doran Martell's seneschal Ricasso toasts Tommen's name during the feast welcoming Ser Balon Swann to Sunspear, but many Dornishmen refuse to drink in the boy king's honor. Balon brings word that Cersei would like Myrcella to briefly return to King's Landing, and that Tommen could befriend Prince Trystane Martell. Later, Ellaria Sand objects to the Sand Snakes' desire for vengeance against Tywin Lannister's descendants, which includes a wish to murder Tommen.[42]
Since Cersei refused to pay back the crown's debts to the Iron Bank of Braavos, Tycho Nestoris agrees to support Stannis Baratheon against Tommen.[43]
Tommen is kept hidden away in the Red Keep when his mother completes her walk of atonement, as his great-uncle Kevan Lannister, now Lord Regent and Protector of the Realm, feels no son should see his mother like that.[44]
Tommen has dinner with the newly-released Cersei and Kevan. He entertains his great-uncle with the exploits of his kittens, and Kevan thinks Tommen a sweet lad. Cersei wants Russell Merryweather to come to the capital and befriend Tommen. Following the meal, Varys has Kevan and Pycelle murdered in support of Aegon Targaryen's attempt to take the Iron Throne from Tommen.[45]
Quotes by Tommen
Margaery: Look, the flames are dancing. Just as we did, my love.
Tommen: They are. Mother, look, they're dancing.[10]—Margaery Tyrell and Tommen
When I'm king in my own right, I'm going to outlaw beets.[36]—Tommen to Cersei Lannister
Cersei: Tommen, when you say your prayers before bed, tell the Mother and the Father that you are thankful you are still a child. Being king is hard work. I promise you, you will not like it. They peck at you like a murder of crows. Every one wants a piece of your flesh.
Tommen: Yes, Mother. I wouldn't mind them pecking, though. I should go to court with you every day, to listen. Margaery says—Tommen: Don't you say that. You leave her tongue alone. Don't you touch her. I'm the king, not you.[38]
Cersei: —a deal too much. For half a groat I'd gladly have her tongue torn out.
—Cersei Lannister and Tommen
Tommen: Ser Pounce caught a mouse, but Lady Whiskers stole it from him.
Cersei: Ser Pounce must learn to defend his rights. In this world the weak are always the victims of the strong.[39]—Tommen and Cersei Lannister
Quotes about Tommen
He was a sweet boy, not like his brother.[46]—thoughts of Tyrion Lannister
—thoughts of Sansa Stark
You mew like a suckling babe. Princes aren't supposed to cry.[20]—Joffrey Baratheon to Tommen
Ever think how easy life would be if the other one had been born first? The weepy one, Tommen. Seems like he'd do whatever he was told, as a good king should.[20]
Cersei: I shall rule until my son comes of age.
Jaime: I don't know who I pity more. Tommen, or the Seven Kingdoms.[47]
The world is full of horrors, Tommen. You can fight them, or laugh at them, or look without seeing ... go away inside.[11]—Jaime Lannister to Tommen
He will never have a wife you don't hate.[40]
Tommen has been taught that kingship is his right. Aegon knows that kingship is his duty, that a king must put his people first, and live and rule for them.[45]—Varys to Kevan Lannister
House Baratheon
|Robert I
|Renly I
|Stannis I
|Joffrey I
|Tommen I
|9 Others
House Lannister
- ↑ A Dance with Dragons, Appendix.
- ↑ See the Tommen Baratheon calculation.
- ↑ A Game of Thrones, Chapter 5, Jon I.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 A Storm of Swords, Chapter 72, Jaime IX.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 A Feast for Crows, Chapter 7, Cersei II.
- ↑ A Game of Thrones, Chapter 9, Tyrion I.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 A Clash of Kings, Chapter 44, Tyrion X.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 A Feast for Crows, Chapter 13, The Soiled Knight.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 A Storm of Swords, Chapter 67, Jaime VIII.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 A Feast for Crows, Chapter 12, Cersei III.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 A Feast for Crows, Chapter 8, Jaime I.
- ↑ A Game of Thrones, Chapter 25, Eddard V.
- ↑ A Game of Thrones, Chapter 7, Arya I.
- ↑ A Game of Thrones, Chapter 32, Arya III.
- ↑ A Game of Thrones, Chapter 45, Eddard XII.
- ↑ A Game of Thrones, Chapter 47, Eddard XIII.
- ↑ A Game of Thrones, Chapter 49, Eddard XIV.
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 A Clash of Kings, Chapter 2, Sansa I.
- ↑ A Clash of Kings, Chapter 10, Davos I.
- ↑ 20.0 20.1 20.2 A Clash of Kings, Chapter 41, Tyrion IX.
- ↑ 21.0 21.1 A Clash of Kings, Chapter 49, Tyrion XI.
- ↑ A Clash of Kings, Chapter 54, Tyrion XII.
- ↑ A Storm of Swords, Chapter 4, Tyrion I.
- ↑ A Storm of Swords, Chapter 25, Davos III.
- ↑ A Storm of Swords, Chapter 28, Sansa III.
- ↑ A Storm of Swords, Chapter 60, Tyrion VIII.
- ↑ 27.0 27.1 A Storm of Swords, Chapter 62, Jaime VII.
- ↑ A Storm of Swords, Chapter 66, Tyrion IX.
- ↑ A Storm of Swords, Chapter 70, Tyrion X.
- ↑ A Storm of Swords, Chapter 77, Tyrion XI.
- ↑ A Feast for Crows, Chapter 14, Brienne III.
- ↑ A Feast for Crows, Chapter 5, Samwell I.
- ↑ 33.0 33.1 33.2 33.3 A Feast for Crows, Chapter 17, Cersei IV.
- ↑ A Feast for Crows, Chapter 21, The Queenmaker.
- ↑ A Feast for Crows, Chapter 16, Jaime II.
- ↑ 36.0 36.1 36.2 36.3 A Feast for Crows, Chapter 24, Cersei V.
- ↑ A Feast for Crows, Chapter 28, Cersei VI.
- ↑ 38.0 38.1 38.2 38.3 A Feast for Crows, Chapter 36, Cersei VIII.
- ↑ 39.0 39.1 A Feast for Crows, Chapter 39, Cersei IX.
- ↑ 40.0 40.1 40.2 A Feast for Crows, Chapter 43, Cersei X.
- ↑ A Feast for Crows, Chapter 44, Jaime VII.
- ↑ 42.0 42.1 A Dance with Dragons, Chapter 38, The Watcher.
- ↑ A Dance with Dragons, Chapter 44, Jon IX.
- ↑ A Dance with Dragons, Chapter 65, Cersei II.
- ↑ 45.0 45.1 A Dance with Dragons, Epilogue.
- ↑ A Game of Thrones, Chapter 38, Tyrion V.
- ↑ A Feast for Crows, Chapter 3, Cersei I.
- ↑ 48.0 48.1 Margaery Tyrell married 1st Renly, 2nd Joffrey, 3rd Tommen


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This is a really good question. It came to me from reader Bailee?
Dear Kate,
There is a subject I am really hoping you could cover for me on your blog, since I'm sure you would do a better job than I would. The topic is singular collective nouns. I am driven to the point of madness every morning when I listen to my local rock station, because the DJ insists on referring to bands whose names would be a singular collective noun in a plural sense. For example, she recently said, "Radiohead are releasing a new album." Radiohead is a group, and "group" is a singular collective noun. Thus, it should be, "Radiohead is releasing a new album." She does this all the time, and I am always thinking about writing a letter to her, but I'm sure I wouldn't explain it very well. However, I think you would probably do great.
Forgive me for any grammar errors in my email, as I'm only a novice grammar Nazi. I hope to hear from you soon.
This is tough.
Let's start with an example. The word band can be used as a singular collective noun. Let's say, for example, that you had plans to see your favorite band in concert.
- Singular: My favorite band is in town, so I'm going to see it.
- Plural: My favorite band are in town, so I'm going to see them.
Neither of those sound right to me, even though they seem to be grammatically correct.
I'm going to turn to the fabulous and useful Language Log. Here is what the writers had to say on the subject:
Like most Americans, I prefer singular verb agreement for collective nouns like family and committee, unless the meaning of the phrase emphasizes semantic multiplicity, as in "My family all live in North America". When the meaning is neutral or emphasizes unity, I strongly prefer the singular: "My family is gathering in Philadelphia for Thanksgiving". However, I can't imagine writing or saying "#My family is gathering in Philadelphia for Thanksgiving, and I'm preparing a traditional Thanksgiving meal for it." The problem is not that the sentence is ungrammatical, but rather that it doesn't say what I mean. I prepare the meal for them, not for it.
So, would I say that Pink Floyd is appearing in concert? Or that Pink Floyd are appearing in concert?
Dear lord. I think I would say either. WHAT does that MEAN?!?!
Click here to read the rest of the Language Log's analysis. Seeing all those research notes makes me shudder. It brings back traumatic memories of the 30-page research paper I had to write for my "Understanding the Sacred in Literature" class at Fairfield.
I'll let them handle the heavy research.
In conclusion, I think that being able to say that your favorite band is in town and you're going to see them has become so accepted in our language that it has become reality.
As for bands, Bailee, I wish I could answer your question better. I don't see anything wrong with saying Radiohead are any more than Radiohead is.
For now, you might want to hold off on that letter to the station.
And, just because:
YES!!!!! GO, COOKIE!!!!! This is the first time that my favorite contestant has won American Idol, so I'm very excited!! (I haven't had luck in the past with Clay, Constantine, Elliott and Sanjaya…shut up!!)
Thanks, Bailee.