text:
VIENNA, VA — Sport & Health Co.'s Watergate Sport & Health Club in Washington, DC, recently was named Employer of the Year by the Marriott Foundation for People with Disabilities (MFPD). MFPD is a not-for-profit organization established in 1989 to enhance employment opportunities for youth with disabilities.
Watergate Sport & Health Club received the group's highest annual honor for outstanding achievement in the charity's "Bridges…from school to work®" program, which helps guide young people with disabilities toward community integration and vocational independence.
The foundation's Employer of the Year award recipient is chosen from regional or national organizations with more than 100 employees company-wide. The company must employ at least five Bridges participants during the preceding year, have promoted recognition of Bridges, and have a positive and receptive environment for Bridges participants within the company.
Watergate Sport & Health, which currently employs two students, has worked with the program since 2003 and has had up to five students working at one time. Sport & Health Co. as a whole has worked with the Bridges program since 2000 and has hired 19 young people from the program in five of its area facilities.


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by John Jackson Miller
|The 4th issue had ad rates on Page 1.
One response received yesterday came directly from Bud Plant, one of the longtime advertisers in CBG and its precursor, TBG — and I thought I would include it here:
I really enjoyed reading your overview--amazing what I'd forgotten about the many changes in CBG over the years. You brought back some happy times, with the columns and news that I very much looked forward to each week.
I was one of the every-issue advertisers from one of the first issues, moving over from ads in the Rocket's Blast ComiCollector. TBG was absolutely essential in helping me to reach new customers and to build my mail order/catalog business through the 1970s, so that I could first produce flyers, then full catalogs, and have a list to mail them to.
The typeset issues were quite handsome, but the cost of advertising did become very expensive. That letter-writer was right, you could judge a dealer's aptitude when you saw exactly what their ad looked like. My early ads were always worked on quite hard and it helped me to learn proper layout and marketing to design them.
I kept doing ads there as I moved into distribution in the 1980s, but I remember having to think long and hard about how to maintain my presence. Like Chuck Rozanski, I found ads in Marvel Comics (in my case, on the back cover of Savage Sword of Conan) became a better way to reach new collectors. That was the bargain basement of Marvel, $250 for a back-cover ad on their magazines!
Towards the end, it was Michelle Nolan's column that was my first and favorite place to turn to in CBG. Chuck Rozanski's was also frequently fun. But sadly I found it wasn't that hard to let my subscription lapse, as it has been for the last couple of years.
Thanks for your part in all of that, and for your fine work on Comics Retailer — this also managed to hang on a lot longer than I would have expected it to. Both publications were integral in growing novice fans into dedicated collectors, and in educating retailers.
|TBG #22's cover led with an auction.
My wife was an ad rep there for less than a year in the late 1990s, and I got to see some of the pressures of the work from her — as well as what I saw in the office over the years. It wasn't just the cold calls that presented the challenge — ad staffers also helped to corral a vast amount of materials, funneling it from the advertisers to the designers in the production room. Materials were coming in from hundreds of vendors each week; just managing the traffic was a monumental chore. But for years, many in the business knew to expect their weekly call from staffers including John Diser, Jim Felhofer, Jim Owens, John Hammond, Cheryl Clementi, Norma Jean Fochs, Tom Polzer, Amanda Wild, Steve Madson, and many, many more. I would also single out for note Shannon Piotrowski, who handled the calls solo for much of the 2000s, and Lori Hauser, who handled traffic for the ad office for more than 20 years.
|One of the last ad rate cards, 2009-10.
But several of the ad staffers, including John, were comics fans themselves — and in the end, we all had the same interest, which was putting out the most successful magazine we could, despite the challenges facing the business model. The magazine that started out almost entirely as advertising may have ended life almost entirely as editorial content, but there's no understating the role that advertisers and ad staffers alike had in between.
A quick note for TBG fans: Russ Maheras has this week picked up where his TBG index on the CBG site left off on his Facebook page.
Be sure to follow Comichron on Twitter and Facebook!

subset: commoncrawl


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By Erin Post
Fog hung low over General Stark Mountain as a helicopter swooped in to pluck the Single Chair's lift towers off the ski slope early Wednesday morning, June 6.
One by one, the massive structures - some weighing as much as 3,500 pounds -- were unhinged from their concrete bases and flown, dangling from a cable, to the parking lot at the base of Mad River Glen.
A crew on the ground battled wind and sand kicked up by the helicopter to unhook the cable from each tower. Progress was swift: It took less than five minutes to fly a tower off its base, lower it to the parking lot and release it from the chopper. The goal was to have all 22 towers off the mountain on Wednesday.
Eric Friedman, marketing director for Mad River Glen, said once the towers are removed they will be trucked to Maine for sandblasting and painting. Toward the end of this month a helicopter will return to pour new concrete bases in preparation for reinstallation of the towers - again by helicopter - in August.
In September, once the new Single Chair has been installed, a final load test is scheduled as per requirements from the Vermont Tramway Code, Friedman said, adding that the hope is to have the lift up and running for Green and Gold Weekend in October.
Carson Helicopters had been slated to remove the lift towers earlier this spring, but forest fires in Georgia and Florida prevented them from getting to the job before now.
"Their first priority is forest fire work," Friedman said.
However, the hold-up didn't delay work on the Single Chair; Friedman said construction in other areas plowed ahead.
Plans call for the installation of new single chairs-designed specifically for Mad River Glen-as well as replacement of the lift's diesel motor with an electric motor and other improvements.
As the new Single Chair comes together, fund raising continues to gain momentum.
Friedman said the cooperatively owned ski area's capital campaign is "rapidly approaching" the $1.2 million mark.
"We're getting close to the $1.54 million goal," he said.
Sales of the old single chairs have raised an additional $270,000, above and beyond donations to the capital campaign. Naming rights to two lift towers are still available, and donors can still snatch up plaques to be attached to chairs.
In addition, Friedman said a "couple of potential six-digit donors" have expressed an interest in the project.
"We're feeling quite confident," he said. "The community really stepped up."


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Netflix has put out roughly 750,000 stand-up specials over the past few years. I sifted through them and found the best ones just for you. This objectively correct list is guaranteed to make you laugh or your money back. Call Netflix customer service and tell them what I said and they'll refund your account. Just don't come to me like, "Ooooh, how come Joe Rogan's Triggered isn't on here?" Because it's not, that's why. Here's what is on the list.
1. Ali Wong: Baby Cobra
Ali Wong has put out two stand-up specials for Netflix, Baby Cobra and Hard Knock Wife. She looks like she's about to go into labor in both of them, which makes her throat-punchingly filthy comedy even funnier. We've heard women talk frankly about sex before, but never from Wong's feminist, Asian-American, hip-hop loving perspective. Both of her specials are excellent, but start with her debut, 2016's Baby Cobra, because it still feels like lightning striking (and Hard Knock Wife kinda feels like a sequel). No one else could tell the joke she tells in Baby Cobra about wanting to crush a white man's head between her thighs. Watching the special is watching her invent her own subgenre of Ali Wong comedy.
2. John Mulaney: Kid Gorgeous
John Mulaney is old-school in his presentation: a reasonably handsome white man in a suit whose primary goal is to entertain through observations and stories. He's a throwback compared to some other people on this list. But the thing is, he's so damn good at stand-up comedy it's preposterous. Like, how is he able to do so many distinct voices that still all sound like him? How does someone get so good at measuring out the rhythm of a sentence? He's a master of the form in a way that most comics of his generation are not. And his old-school craft belies how weird and personal his material can get. All of his specials are excellent, but his newest, Kid Gorgeous, is the most fully realized, even down to the way the camera follows Mulaney's Ichabod Crane-like movements.
3. Hannah Gadsby: Nanette
The most talked-about stand-up special of the year almost isn't stand-up. It starts as stand-up, and then at the 17-minute mark Hannah Gadsby says, "I do think I have to quit comedy, though." After that, the show turns into an art history lecture and an unburdening of the pain and trauma Gadsby has suffered as a lesbian woman, from growing up in a place where homosexuality was illegal to violence to constant social reminders that she doesn't belong, until it builds to furious climax where Gadsby lets her anger come through with no comedy filter whatsoever. Early in the special, Gadsby explains that a joke has two parts: a setup that creates tension and a punchline that relieves the tension. By the end of the show, she is no longer willing to relieve the tension. She needs us to think long and hard about the stories she's telling. But this is not to say there aren't laughs along the way. One of the secrets to Nanette's success is that Gadsby is hilarious, with a dry, whip-smart wit.
4. Hasan Minhaj: Homecoming King
Former Daily Show correspondent (and future Netflix talk show host) Hasan Minhaj deftly weaves humor and pathos in this Peabody-winning, deeply personal one-man show about growing up with immigrant parents. He has a really magnetic presence, like he knows something very important that he has to share with you. While you're watching it you'll forget that Minhaj isn't already a big star. That's going to change.
5. Patton Oswalt: Annihilation
Patton Oswalt's wife Michelle McNamara died in 2016, about a year before he taped this special, and his stories about how he and his daughter got through that year is the core of this powerful work. Annihilation is one of the most extraordinary examples of finding humor in the face of tragedy in recent memory. It's a virtuosic thread of the needle between making you cry and then making you laugh even harder than you would have otherwise because you were just crying. To be fair, the less vulnerable stuff that makes up the bulk of this special is not as strong, but the last third more than makes up for it. The bit about "the Polish woman of doom" will stick with you.
6. Neal Brennan: 3 Mics
Before this one-man show, Neal Brennan was best known as the co-creator of Chappelle's Show. After this show, he's best known as the co-creator of Chappelle's Show who also did that special where he talked about his dysfunctional relationship with his dad. The show is built around a unique conceit: three microphones on stage, one for one-liners, one for traditional stand-up and one for soul-baring stories about his life. Brennan is honest in a really interesting way that most comics -- scratch that, most people -- are not. He doesn't stylize his honesty. He just tells you exactly who he is.
7. Tom Segura: Disgraceful
Tom Segura can help fill the Louis C.K.-shaped hole in your heart. Segura has a cheerfully misanthropic middle-aged guy worldview that's secretly warm and generous. He's a gifted raconteur, sharp social observer and delightful vulgarian who remains likable even while he's joking about building a wall around Louisiana to keep Cajun people away from the rest of us. And his point about how "change my diaper" should be the most insulting thing you can say to someone is just accurate.
8. Chris Rock: Tambourine
Chris Rock's first stand-up special in a decade came out earlier this year, and it shows a side of the legendary comedian we've never seen before. He gets really real about the infidelity that ended his marriage, letting us inside his personal life in a way he never has before and showing that comedy's most confident man can do vulnerable, too. And Rock remains one of the foremost commentators on race in America, the talent that made him one of the greats in the first place. No one makes better analogies.
9. Chelsea Peretti: One of the Greats
Chelsea Peretti (best known for playing Gina on Brooklyn Nine-Nine) has one of the most unique voices in comedy today, literally and figuratively. She has this incredible tone that's parked right at the intersection of silliness and dryness that just hits some undefinable sweet spot. I've thought about her joke about texting her dog about once a month for the past four years. This special is from 2014, but maybe if enough people are still watching it in 2018, she'll finally do another one.
10. The Comedy Lineup
This recently-released anthology compiles 15-minute sets from eight up-and-coming comics: Michelle Buteau, Phil Wang, Taylor Tomlinson, Ian Karmel, Jak Knight, Sam Jay, Sabrina Jalees and my personal favorite Tim Dillon. You probably don't know any of their names yet, but if you watch these you'll be able to say "I saw them back then" after they blow up. They all have to do that thing not-famous comedians have to do where they acknowledge what they look like at the start of their set, but pretty soon they won't have to do that anymore. You'll know what they look like. Watching these sets back-to-back is the closest you can get to a comedy club experience while parked on your couch.
Other Links From TVGuide.com John MulaneyPatton OswaltChris RockAli WongAli Wong: Baby CobraHasan MinhajTom SeguraHannah GadsbyNeal BrennanChelsea Peretti


text:
Export 3 results:Author Title [ Type] Year
Filters: Author is Florence Bonnet [Clear All Filters]
Introduction to the Buildings Sector Module of SEDS. Berkeley: Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, 2010. LBNL-4281E..
Conference Proceedings
"Simulation of the GHG Abatement Potentials in the U.S. Building Sector by 2050." 29th USAEE/IAEE Annual North American Conference, October 14-16, 2010 2010. LBNL-4013E..
"Behavioral Aspects in Simulating the Future US Building Energy Demand." 2010 Behavior, Energy and Climate Change Conference 2010. LBNL-4079E..


text:
Hmmm, Friday was a day to remember in a lot of ways. Celebrations, appointments, oh... and getting stopped by the police.
Er, no, it wasn't because I'd done anything bad... but because the driver of the taxi I was in was a bit naughty and didn't get away with it. He also left the meter running while he was being booked and I had no time to complain as, by then, I was running mega-late for a hospital appointment - dammit!
The weekend was good - dragged ourselves out of bed on Saturday for a frosty walk in the park while it was still dark, and decided against a greasy spoon bacon sarnie to celebrate!
I also got myself out of breath because I decided to see how far I could push things on the rower. The answer was, quite a way, although maybe not quite as far as I'd hoped. I more than doubled my usual time and pushed it as hard and fast as I could (oooh, I felt that later), just to see what I could do. Unfortunately, after about fifteen minutes of hell for leather rowing, I found my breathing just couldn't keep up. I almost fell off the thing when I finally decided enough was enough.
Time to test my peak flow again (after I'd recovered) and, guess what? It has indeed dropped down towards crappy levels again. OK, one step forwards, one backwards. Keep at the inhaler and see how things go.
No further weight loss to report but I'm OK about that.
18 October 2011
Out of breath
Hmmm, Friday was a day to remember in a lot of ways. Celebrations, appointments, oh... and getting stopped by the police.


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I've whipped up a short survey aimed at answer a few questions which might help people plan larps, as well as ask what you want to see next year. Its anonymous, and doesn't ask for personal information - though if you click one of the "please contact me" responses we do ask for an email address, its not compulsory.
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1RsVZn3 ... Q/viewform


text: Make a colorful impression with our signature ink in the Pretty Peacock Classic Stampin' Ink Refill. Our stamp ink refills come in exclusive Stampin' Up! colors, grouped in collections to take the guesswork out of product coordination. * Fast drying, dye-based ink* Pretty Peacock* Acid free* Use to re-ink Classic Stampin' Pads or use for spritzing or watercoloring* Coordinates with exclusive Stampin' Up! cardstock and Stampin' Write markers* 0.5 fl. oz (14.8 ml)


text:
Sadly, there's no Basil Valdez video available on YouTube, but I must say, while riding with Carlos, Judd, Erika, and Ms. Beng from our weekend excursion in Nagsasa, and we spent a good chunk of our road trip just singing classic OPM hits, including this one.
Isn't it a bit fitting that Basil Valdez has the most powerful anthem about finding love (Ngayon at Kailanman) and losing it (Let The Pain Remain)? I think it's rather poignant, and a testament to the legendary crooner's immense talent.
I tend to look to this song with a kind of knowing recognition because "Let The Pain Remain" is sage, albeit masochistic advice to remind one's self of the only thing that remains to be true about a love lost. When all the good memories have faded away as she finds comfort in the arms of another while you have nothing of the sort, the song reminds you in a heart-wrenching manner that every throb of pain is one more moment you could steal away from what you once had, the very textbook definition of a bittersweet memory.
I chose this song mainly because I ended up reminiscing about the song when we sang it last night en route to Manila. It's quite an interesting song to listen to, and something I recall very fondly every now and then.
But then again, maybe having a sad song hit too closely to home doesn't do too well for one's well-being.


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Access to Commercial Registers Worldwide
kompany® provides real-time access to official and audit-proof commercial register information, including company filings covering more than 110 million companies in 200+ jurisdictions.
Today more than 100 million companies trade worldwide. Due to the overall growth of international business relations, the rise of online market places, and the higher level of outsourcing, risks have increased for both large enterprises and small and medium-sized businesses.
kompany helps businesses of all size to verify and check their international business partners, suppliers and customers via a webtool or automated via an API. By doing so, businesses can reduce fraud risks, collection costs, third party risks and comply with international regulations, such as anti-money laundering rules.
kompany was founded in 2012, is headquartered in Vienna, Austria, and currently serves customers from over 100 countries.
An experienced team of multi-national industry professionals develop and grow the platform and business. The founders and the start-up team have worked together in several companies in Europe, South Africa and the US during the past 15+ years and have a successful track record in the mobile and digital media industry.
Sign up to our newsletter to stay in the loop with the latest kompany news.
Management Team
kompany is a company established by passionate people. We are passionate about providing you with the company intelligence you need to run your business better. And we are passionate about growing our platform and business to become the global clearing-house for authoritative and trusted information, covering the 100 million companies now trading worldwide by 2017. Together we speak 10 languages and have lived and worked in various parts of the world. We combine a rich set of industry expertise and entrepreneurial spirit with dedication and a strong focus on customer experience. Our headquarter in the center of Vienna is a truly international environment and an exciting place to work.
Russell Perry
Founder & CEO
Russell co-founded kompany together with his long-time friends and business partners. He drives the direction of the business and loves finding business opportunities others might have overlooked.
Prior to a short exec stint where he returned to the telco world in South Africa, Russell was the start-up CEO of the largest people-search engine with more than 50 million monthly uniques, operating in 13 countries in 11 languages. He expanded the company from a garage operation to a profitable business within six months and oversaw the sale to a publishing company for EUR 15 million, generating up to a 5x return for private and the Austrian venture fund gamma capital partners within 18 months. For nearly six years Russell was a member of the senior management team at the online gaming company bwin. He led product management betting with more than EUR 2.5 billion in wagers, established strategic and media partnerships in 25 countries and was instrumental in establishing bwin as the dominant player in mobile gaming.
Russell's mobile and telecommunications roots go back to 1998 when he joined Austria's third mobile operator ONE (which first became Orange Austria and then Hutchison 3 Austria) as head of product management data. There he oversaw several European firsts, such as mobile banking, SMS content services, SMS payment for vending machines and the first real-time multi-user gaming platform. Russell then joined Telefonica Movile's 3G Mobile AG in Zurich as Director of Products & Services where he defined and led the launch portfolio of the 3G green field mobile operator.
Russell was born in New York City but lived in Austria for half of his childhood. He holds a BA in International Studies from Maryville College, a Master's in European Integration, and a dual MSc/MAS graduate degree in Telematics Management. Russell has enjoyed teaching several post-graduate courses on telecommunication and business modeling at his Alma Mater, Danube University Krems and other universities.
Johanna Konrad
Chief Operating Officer
Johanna's international background uniquely enables her to drive the global growth and development of kompany's operations. She brings with her more than 15 years of corporate experience, having lent her talents to companies such as Ericsson, Telekom Austria and Vodafone Group. An entrepreneur at heart, she's excited to be executing strategies that are shaping kompany into a household name.
She spent 15 years in the corporate and mobile world, working for Ericsson, Telekom Austria and the Vodafone group in senior executive roles focusing on marketing, commercial strategy and planning. Since she is an entrepreneur at heart, she eventually felt that smaller ventures would enable her to create even more value. Before joining the kompany / BREX team, she helped to start-up and grow three companies.
Johanna holds an MSc from the Vienna University of Economics and an MBA from SAID Oxford. She originally stems from Sweden, but has lived in the UK, Germany and Turkey and is settled in Austria for now.
Peter Bainbridge-Clayton
Co-Founder & CTO
Since co-founding the organization back in 2012, Peter has overseen the implementation of our proprietary global live network, which offers users real-time access to official and audit-proof information for regulated and unregulated industries. He's a true blockchain and AI enthusiast with a varied background in throughput telecoms and government systems, including leading the redesign and implementation of the UK Government Business Register, Companies House.
More productive pursuits followed during and after his BSc. in Astronomy, Astrophysics and Physics from St. Andrews University, in a career which has spanned designing and developing embedded control systems for bakeries, the world's first ever implementation of a distributed java application in a manufacturing environment, the first ever implementation of SMS based content services and vending machine payment in telecommunications, the conversion of one of the first software based Telecommunications Switches to European standards, including the world's first transatlantic SIP based telephone call, the complete re-design and implementation of the core system for Companies House, the UK's official company registry, and several in between.
email firstname.lastname@example.com
Andrew Bunce
Chief Product Officer
Andrew is kompany's in-house expert in user interface and experience, nurturing our product from conception to implementation. He brings with him over 15 years of product design experience, with a successful track record in serving as a consultant for numerous large corporations spanning government, legal, telecommunications and private sectors.
Since graduating with a B.A. in product design, Andrew has consulted for numerous large corporations covering government, legal, telecommunications and the private sector. Whilst his main responsibilites have been towards user experience Andrew has also managed large delivery teams and was a project manager for the complete re-design and implementation of the core system for Companies House, the UK's official company registry.
email firstname.lastname@example.com
Stefan Schneider
Chairman of the Supervisory Board
Stefan is a serial entrepreneur and angel investor. After over 10 years as CEO of a leading company in the field of compressed air and vehicle lifting technology, Stefan started to support and fund the development of start-ups in various fields. His investment focus lies on internet, life science, mechanical engineering and properties. So far, he has been an active angel investor in over 20 ventures and has steered 6 successful exits. Stefan supports kompany with valuable scaling and fundraising advice since its early days and chairs the supervisory board.
Tariq Khan
Member of the Supervisory Board
Tariq is a financial services regulatory and transactional lawyer turned entrepreneur and angel investor. After several years as Chief Legal & Compliance Officer of a financial services company he helped build through to a successful exit, he turned to advising and supporting start-ups. Since the beginning of 2017 he has been Entrepreneur in Residence at the Barclays Techstars fintech accelerator - part of one of the most successful global start-up accelerator networks. His focus lies on FinTech, PropTech and RegTech and on companies looking to properly use blockchain technology. Tariq supports kompany with great industry insight and a vast network of potential cooperation partners and customers.
Vito Giannella
Member of the Supervisory Board
Vito was the first and founding president of the European Business Register (EBR), where he later also served as a Member of the Board. As 'father' of the EBR, he established and significantly drove the growth of the business register network at a European level and worked on related international policy development. For many years, he also served as the International Affairs Manager and Director of the Brussels office of the Italian InfoCamere. Amongst a multitude of appointments, Vito now supports kompany with his vast knowledge and network in the field of commercial registers and his insights into regulatory developments in this field.
We are always on the look-out for talented and passionate additions to our team. For information please visit our Careers section.


text:
For more than 70 years, thousands of brides have traveled to Kleinfeld Bridal in New York City to find their wedding day looks. From the moment you walk through the doors, you'll feel the magic of Kleinfeld. Not only does Kleinfeld have 30,000 square feet filled with the largest selection of wedding dresses in the world, it also has the greatest professional staff of over 200 employees who are dedicated to finding and perfecting your bridal look.
LazaroStyle #GARDENIA
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Please call or email to confirm availability for your appointment.Book an Appointment
About the Designer
Bridal Designer
Cuban-born Lazaro always took pleasure in drawing, painting, and realizing the ideas that once only existed in his imagination. His natural talent, cultivated while helping his mother make the family's clothing, was recognized in 1981 when he was awarded "Best New Bridal Designer" in a national competition, while still a student at the Ray College […]Read the Full Bio
Size & Availability
Lazaro wedding dresses can be ordered from the designer in size 2-28.
The A-line dress silhouette is narrow at the top and extends among the body into the shape of an 'A.' The gradual flare can be used to disguise hips, buttocks and legs if you're not looking to show those off on your wedding day. This silhouette is universally flattering and works for any body type or height.
Kleinfeld sample dresses are typically available in-store in bridal sample size 10/12; Some designers require an extra fee for dresses ordered in size 18 and up.
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text:
Amber Rose is no stranger to paparazzi cameras, but she's receiving a little extra unwanted attention this week after announcing her rather sudden divorce from Wiz Khalifa. Here she is ducking out the back entrance of Bossa Nova in LA after dinner with some friends, carrying a gorgeous, polished leather Tom Ford Charlotte Zip Pocket Tote, complete with Tom's trademark yellow gold hardware. Amber's exact bag is available for $2,990 at Neiman Marcus.
We haven't given Amber Rose a lot of love here on PB, though she has made appearances in a few of our recent celeb handbag round-ups such as "50+ Celebrities and the Bags They Carried to Fly out of LAX This Summer" and "100 Celebs and Their Favorite Chanel Bags." Pap photos of Amber Rose will probably continue to be plentiful as this divorce (and ugly rumors re: this divorce) continue to play out in the public eye.


text:
On paper, the premise of the new HBO anthology series "True Detective" — two mismatched cops investigating the murder of a prostitute — hardly sounds like the most inventive idea; even the title borders on generic.
Minutes into the pilot episode, which premieres Jan. 12, Woody Harrelson's character, Martin Hart, complains that his misanthropic partner, Rustin Cohle, played by Matthew McConaughey, would "pick a fight with the sky [if he] didn't like its shade of blue."
It's the first inkling of tension between the men who, as is all but required of TV detectives, are temperamental opposites.
But though it is a murder mystery that embraces some of the genre's conventions, "True Detective," which jumps among three time frames to follow the case over the course of 17 years, is as much moody two-hander as crime procedural.
The tale begins in 1995, when newly paired partners Hart and Cohle are assigned to investigate the ritualistic murder of a young woman whose body is found in a sugar cane field in southern Louisiana. Cohle is a brooding loner and recovering alcoholic, prone to dark philosophical ruminations about human consciousness that are a source of constant irritation for Hart, a self-described "regular-type dude" and married father of two who'd prefer to shoot the breeze over a few cold ones.
"We get along real well in real life," says McConaughey via Skype from Los Angeles, where, as if to prove his point, he's cozied up on a hotel couch next to Harrelson. The laid-back Texans, who first bonded 15 years ago on "EDtv," share an obvious rapport that's palpable even through cyberspace. The last time they worked together, on the 2008 comedy "Surfer, Dude," they spent their days enjoying smoothies beachside in Malibu, where Harrelson's sustainable bus sat parked next to McConaughey's Airstream trailer.
Needless to say, things were different this time around. The tense dynamic between Hart and Cohle is an essential part of the series and, for McConaughey at least, it meant keeping his distance on set. "One of the challenges that I noted for myself early on is that 'Boy, Woody and I are going to have to keep from getting on each other's frequency.'"
Adds Harrelson, "He's the opposite of an island. He's the most accessible, gregarious, sociable guy. For me, it was weird because he's in character all the … time. In a way I suppose it's kind of Method." Pausing momentarily, he directs a knowing glance at his costar. "It may be rhythm method — I don't know."
"True Detective" arrives on the small screen at an opportune moment for McConaughey. After a string of roles in mediocre romantic comedies that traded on his Southern charm and toned pecs, the actor has been on a professional hot streak the last two years with well-received turns in "The Lincoln Lawyer," "Killer Joe," "Magic Mike" and "Mud." He's now enjoying a Golden Globe nomination for his transformational performance as an AIDS-afflicted good ol' boy in "Dallas Buyers Club."
The actor, whose previous television work was limited to a handful of guest spots on shows like "Eastbound & Down" and "King of the Hill," signed on to the project early in its development, before his career renaissance was in full swing. "I knew he was definitely on a new path to do work that was more gratifying to him," says series director Cary Fukunaga. "And that meant to me a certain amount of dedication. I knew we were going to get him at a really good time."
For Harrelson, that rare star to make the transition from a beloved sitcom to a successful film career, "True Detective" represents his first regular series role since "Cheers" ended in 1993.
But the project is notable for reasons other than the caliber of its leads. "True Detective" represents a bold creative risk even on a network known for its ambition. All eight episodes were scripted by Nic Pizzolatto, a largely unproven screenwriter with one previous series credit to his name. In an unusual feat for a cable series, the entire first season was directed by a single filmmaker, Fukunaga, from the feature-film world.
That's not all: Should it be renewed, "True Detective" will focus on an entirely different mystery each season and will feature an all-new cast, characters and setting, meaning that even if the network has a hit, it won't have a franchise.
The series is the brainchild of Pizzolatto, a novelist and literature professor at DePauw University in Indiana who decided in summer 2010 to try his hand at script writing. One day, as the series' creator and sole writer was scribbling away in his Moleskine, Pizzolatto began to hear Cohle's voice in his head.
"It's one of those things that happens to writers if you work diligently, a character who's been living inside you for a long time, you just suddenly find a vehicle for them to live," he remembers.
The story evolved into the pilot script for "True Detective," which he used as a sample to earn a spot in the writers' room for "The Killing," AMC's somber remake of the wildly popular Danish crime drama. Pizzolatto wrote two episodes of the show, including the infamous first-season finale "Orpheus Descending" — a.k.a. The One Where We Didn't Find Out Who Killed Rosie Larsen — but left shortly into the second season to focus on "True Detective."
"Seeing what ended up airing, I was a little unsatisfied with what we'd done," he says. "If I'm going to have my name on something and it fails, I want it to fail because I failed, not because I was serving something I didn't really believe in."
Once Pizzolatto had completed writing a second episode, his management company Anonymous Content paired him with a fellow client, Fukunaga, who'd earned rave notices for his vivid 2011 adaptation of "Jane Eyre." The audacious decision to use a single director for the entire season was, says Fukunaga, a way to lure feature film talent to television.
It worked: McConaughey was attached within six months. "I couldn't wait to read what came out of Rustin Cohle's mouth," he recalls. "The whole piece had such a clear identity. This writer has created such a world in two episodes. I thought, 'You can't screw this up.'"
He was instrumental in enlisting Harrelson, who says he "wouldn't have done it otherwise."
As realized by Pizzolatto and Fukunaga, "True Detective" is a talky and unsettling exploration of existential themes that rises above the standard gratuitous crime procedural — and, despite its premium cable provenance, does so without an excess of blood and viscera.
"It was never my ambition to make 'CSI: Louisiana,'" says Pizzolatto. "I have no interest to enter some kind of contest of who can make the most disgusting serial killer."
The crime, says Fukunaga, is a MacGuffin, a hook that lures viewers into the real story: the relationship between Hart and Cohle.
"Even though it's called 'True Detective' and structurally has two cops and a crime, it defies any categorization of a genre show," says Michael Lombardo, the network's programming president. "It is a rich, tightly constructed character piece, and that's what attracted us to it."
It was only once the series got the go-ahead that Fukunaga realized the difficulty of the task ahead. "That's when reality hit: Eight hours of television, 500 pages of script and 300-plus locations was going to be a challenge," he recalls wearily from the editing room for "True Detective," where he continues to tinker with all but one episode of the show.
However it is received critically, "True Detective" will almost certainly spark numerous heated discussions about its authorship, given the unusual division of labor between Fukunaga and Pizzolatto.
The question of who's in charge is tricky in any collaborative medium but is especially so in television, where episodes are churned out by a staff of up to a dozen writers and a rotating cast of directors. Having just two men steer all eight hours of "True Detective" presented a number of challenges, both logistical and creative.
"It's not easy, I'll tell you that. It's certainly easier when there's just one person in charge," acknowledges Fukunaga, who is equally forthcoming about the toll the workload has taken. "I cannot wait to be done. It's been a long, very difficult shoot."
Says Pizzolatto, "I'm executive producer, creator and writer, so at the end of the day I sort of have final arbitration, but what we did was collaborate. I don't think he would have been attracted to the material if his vision was very different than mine."
It helped that Pizzolatto was by all accounts not lacking in self-assurance.
"Talk about a guy who has a very healthy ego," says McConaughey, prompting a knowing laugh from Harrelson. "He is straight up, there's no qualms. If he thinks he's right, he lets you know that he thinks he's right and that it should be written as the Constitution worldwide."
In what may be the true test of authorship, Pizzolatto says he is to blame should "True Detective" prove a failure.
But even — perhaps especially — if the series is a smashing success, he will not have it easy: The anthology format means that Pizzolatto will be "essentially inventing a new show" at the beginning of each season. (It also makes it more difficult for him to hire a writing staff because "there's nothing for them to latch onto.")
In theory, the format will help HBO attract big-name movie stars who might otherwise be wary of a long-term series commitment. But that tactical advantage does not necessarily outweigh the other challenges presented by an anthology series, says Lombardo.
"One of the great things about series is that, when they work, you're not reinventing the wheel every year. You know the audience is going to come back because they've connected emotionally to the characters. But this is literally like a new series every year. You spent all of this time crafting this unbelievable show, and then you start over from scratch. That's hard stuff."
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There's also a certain irony to "True Detective's" once-and-done setup, given that McConaughey and Harrelson would apparently love nothing more than to work together again (and again and again).
"Woody's as pure a guy as I know," gushes McConaughey. "When I say he's one of the last original wild men, I don't mean crazy, I mean naturally wild. And I mean that as a huge compliment. Every time I'm around him I come away feeling younger."
Harrelson is equally complimentary, calling his friend "a genius," and predicting that "we'll probably do about 22 projects together."
"Surfer, Dude 2," anyone?
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43 Things Every Local Must Do
(page 1 of 6)
What place other than Hawaii could come up with both the shaka sign and surfing? We definitely have our own unique ways of doings things, of seeing the world. Our lives are a mixed plate of cultures, traditions, habits and languages, and are better for it. "Local" has as many definitions as there are people in Hawaii. Local isn't just how we think. It's what we do. In that spirit, here are 43 things you gotta do if you're gonna call yourself local.
Have a Sunday Long's routine.
Say hi to your neighbors, catch up on gossip, score deals with your coupon book and scoop the faster check-out at the cosmetic or photo departments.
Own Pidgin to Da Max.
Since 1981, this book and its sequels have been touchstones of local culture, so much so that we couldn't think of a better way to illustrate this article than to hire Douglas Simonson, the creator and illustrator of the series, for this article. Publisher Bess Press is releasing new e-book editions and has offered HONOLULU Magazine readers a special deal—order from besspress.com and get 40 percent off any book from the Pidgin series, in addition to any other Bess Press and Editions Limited titles, during the month of April by entering "HonMag" at checkout. Eh, tanks, brah!
Jam on your ukulele.
You do have an ukulele, right? If you're an old-time kamaaina, chances are this was the first instrument you learned to play. Ukulele virtuoso Jake Shimabukuro started playing when he was 4 years old.
We're not asking you to be another Jake. But, as a local, you should at least be able to play a couple of well-known Hawaiian compositions. Lessons are available in many forms, including classes taught by renowned ukulele teacher Roy Sakuma. Learning to play is fun and easy, although mastering the instrument takes years of practice.
If you're interested in taking a class from Sakuma, call 732-3739. Better yet, go to roysakuma.net/lessons/onlineukulelelessons, and see if you can strum along to "Surf" by the Kaau Crater Boys. The song uses just a few basic chords. Get jammin'!
Never travel, even interisland, without bringing back omiyage!
Coming back from Maui, manju from Sam Sato's is a guaranteed pleaser. From Big Island, it's mochi from Two Ladies Kitchen. From Kauai, Hamura Saimin offers lilikoi chiffon pies, frozen to survive the trip back to Oahu. From Molokai—deer jerky.
Kick off your shoes.
Everyone knows you take off your shoes before entering the house. But you can do better than the old pile of shoes and slippahs on the doormat. A popular solution is a getabako, also known as "shoe tansu," placed at the entryway of the home. Sliding panels open to reveal shelves for easy storage. You don't need to get too fancy. Small bookshelves will work just fine. But if you want the high-end stuff, search your favorite antique furniture store or contact Jtansu, a Japanese furniture company based in Summerland, Calif. Jtansu specializes in high-quality period pieces from Asia. These getabako aren't cheap—the ones we saw ranged from $950 and up—but they do make a statement. Go to jtansu.com and see for yourself.
Update your Pidgin.
Da ting fo remembah about Pidgin? Stay always changing. Evoluting. No believe us? Jus ask Lee Tonouchi, da main Pidgin expert in da state. Known as "Da Pidgin Guerrilla," Tonouchi even came out wit da book, Da Kine Dictionary, dat you can buy at any bookstore or whatevah.
"In da olden days, used to have mo Hawaiian words in da Pidgin," Tonouchi wen tell us. "Nowadays, I tink get more hip-hop jargon in Pidgin. Some peepo ask, 'Wat happens if it get to da point weah it's no longah Pidgin becuz get too much hip-hop?' But to me, Pidgin always wen incorporate all dese other languages into it, and we still call it Pidgin, right? So why would hip-hop be any different?"
Hea is tree examples of wat da bruddah wen mean:
• Chillaxin'. "Chill" and "relax" put toggedah.
• Da bomb. It means "da best."
• Irkatated. To be "irked" and "irritated" at da same time.
Brunch at Waioli Tea Room & Bakery.
Since 1922, eating here has been one of those experiences that makes Manoa Manoa. Take an umbrella. 2950 Manoa Road, (888) 340-8917.


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Aaron Burr
Aaron Joseph Burr, Jr. (February 6, 1756 - September 14, 1836) was the third Vice President of the United States of America. His first name is also often spelled Aron due to the fact that he was a noble gas without the G.
Unknown to most, he was also the second Emperor of America.
Burr was born in Newark, New Jersey, to the Rev. Aaron Joseph Burr, Sr., who was a Presbyterian minister and the second President of Princeton University; his mother, Esther Edwards, was the daughter of Jonathan Edwards, the famous Calvinist theologian. Originally, she was going to abort him, but she couldn't find a coat hanger at the proper time and had him anyway.
Early Childhood[edit]
When Aaron was a boy, the Reverend taught him how to shoot quail.
At his first time, little Aaron lined up his shot perfectly. Letting his breath half-way out and pretending he was Philip Sidney fighting the Spanish Armada at the Battle of Zutphen, Burr squeezed the trigger.
The quail went foof, vaporizing instantly under Aaron's withering fusillade. The Reverend thanked God, Jesus, and the Holy Ghost for his son's success, and prepared him for a vision quest, during which he would eat French food and become a man.
Vision Quest[edit]
As Aaron walked through the forest, he happened upon a traveling soldier. After exchanging greetings and names, the soldier asked if he had any mushy bread, for his teeth were rotten.
"No, sir," Aaron replied, "but I can give you some walnuts."
The soldier took the proferred walnuts and attempted to take a bite, but screamed out in pain as one of his teeth broke.
"You faggy kid!" he cried. "When I--"
But no sooner had he screamed out in rage than Aaron had leapt away, leaving the soldier to presumably starve. Unfortunately for Burr, the man didn't starve, found his way out of the woods, and never forgot the incident.
The soldier's name was George Washington.
Adult Life[edit]
After Burr served in the Revolutionary War and shit, he was admitted to the bar at Albany in 1782. He began to practice in New York City after its evacuation by the British in the following year. Later on, he met a fey young secretary, Alexander Hamilton, and bedded him, before finding out he had syphilis.
When he took this up with the President, Washington recognized the lad and had him ejected from the building. Enraged, Burr quickly ran for and was elected to the New York state legislature, serving from 1798 through 1801.
Emperor of America[edit]
In December of 1799, at home in New York, Burr was contacted by a dying former president Washington. After telling the courier of the message that he would rather suck Washington's wooden balls than answer, he was told it concerned the Presidency. At that, Burr packed up and travelled five days' worth to Mount Vernon, Washington's palatial home.
Once Burr was at his bedside, Washington confessed to Burr that no real power had ever been invested in the Presidency, and that the office was a sham; a show put on for not just the American public but for the entire world as well. Not even the whole of Congress knew of the façade, and the select Congressmen who did know would probably take the secret to their graves.
At first, Washington had made an honest attempt to freely use the Presidency at whim, but it was seven years in when he realized it just wasn't working; the President had to be ceremonial. Gathering together a select number of Congressmen from the 4th Congress who agreed with him, they set about creating a new office: Emperor.
The President would do all of the dignitary business and put on quite the show, while the real ruler of the nation, the Emperor, would focus on the actual affairs of foreign policy and state. Thus, the President and the entire Executive Branch's purpose was not to wield power, but to draw attention away from it. Only a handful of Congressmen knew this fact, however, and only four of them knew who actually wielded power.
These men were:
- John Adams, Vice President
- Henry Tazewell, President pro tempore of the Senate
- Jonathan Dayton, Speaker of the House
- Rufus King, Senior Senator from New York
As part of the plot, they appointed Associate Justice William Cushing to the position of Chief Justice of the Supreme Court for ten days, during which time the conspiracy was legally finalized by a covert amendment made to the Constitution, rendering all decisions made by the President null and void and giving an expanded version of the Executive Branch's powers to the office of Emperor.
Cushing then, in an Anglican ceremony, anointed George Washington to be America's first Emperor, to serve for life in a role many desired but few would dream of. Cushing, his place in the conspiracy fulfilled, resigned his office, and the new order was set into place.
Washington then revealed that, ever since he and Burr had first met, he had always been secretly intrigued by the younger man's pragmatism and abiding love of country. Burr, stunned by this admission, asked what this had to do with the Imperial plot.
Washington told him:
|All that I have, all that I've learned, everything I feel... all this, and more I... I bequeath you. You will make my strength your own, and see my life through your own eyes, as your life will be seen through mine. I have always had faith in my countrymen. They can be a great people, Aaron, if they wish to be. They only lack the light to show the way. For this reason above all, their capacity for good, I will send them you... my only heir.
Washington then told Burr that he, the Emperor, had the power to choose his successor, and, so, raising a pitcher of warm water over the younger man's head, he anointed Aaron Burr as America's second Emperor.
After the ceremony, Washington's friend Tobias Lear came into the room. After excusing Burr, Lear was informed of the anointing. Enraged, Lear took a pillow and smothered Washington to death.
Beginning of Reign[edit]
Burr, now Emperor, informed the other conspirators of the coronation. Then-president John Adams, realizing what this meant to the country, met with Burr where he reassured him that the Presidency would continue to be a useless office, and that Burr would be America's true leader. Unfortunately, that information was not given to incoming president Thomas Jefferson before his inauguration little more than a year later, and so Burr, having run for the marginally-useful office of Vice President, was forced to relinquish most of his duties, as Jefferson began to take his new office seriously.
Some historians conjecture that the reason for this was Burr's casual regard for politics, and that he didn't act aggressively enough. Jefferson was tight-lipped in private about Burr, so his reasons are still not entirely clear. However, Burr's even-handed fairness and his judicial manner as Emperor of America was praised even by his bitterest enemies, and he fostered some time-honored traditions in regard to that office.
Duel with Hamilton[edit]
When it became clear that Jefferson would drop Burr from his ticket in the 1804 election, the Vice President ran for the governorship of New York instead. Burr lost the election, and blamed his loss on a personal smear campaign believed to have been orchestrated by his own party rivals, including New York governor George Clinton.
One said rival, the previously mentioned Alexander Hamilton, said something inappropriate about Aaron Burr at a dinner party; a comment which we will not reprint here. Needless to say, when a friend told Burr of what had been said, he was enraged beyond belief, and responded by challenging Hamilton to personal combat under the Pirate's Code, the formalized but largely antiquated rules of dueling. Both men had been involved in duels in the past (for Hamilton 21, for Burr 1), and Hamilton's eldest son, Phillipe, had died in a duel in 1801.
At the shores of Hoboken, New Jersey, the two adversaries met to duel. It was July 11, 1804. Around seven o'clock, the pistols were carefully prepared for use. The duelists were given a final moment to renege on the duel, and, then, the guns fired.
All first-hand accounts of the duel agree that two shots were fired; however, Hamilton and Burr's seconds disagreed on the intervening time between the shots. Hamilton fired first without hitting Burr, instead having the shot go above Burr's head. Burr's shot, however, did not miss, hitting Hamilton in the lower abdomen above the right hip. This has been video edited several times at the behest of George Lucas based on his desire for Hamilton to look like the interstellar space smuggler he was designed to be.
Hamilton collapsed immediately, dropping the pistol almost involuntarily, and Burr moved toward Hamilton in a speechless manner before being hustled away behind an umbrella because bystanders were already approaching. Burr returned to New York on his barge and had breakfast in the city. Apparently, he ate eggs benedict.
Burr, charged with treason (for Hamilton was immensely popular), fled to Louisiana, where he became embroiled in a Spanish plot against America and was framed for a further count of treason. Although he was later acquited of all charges by the Supreme Court, his career was over. Fleeing to England, he later amassed a fortune in war bonds when no less than three separate wars broke out between Britain and other foreign nations.
Finally, in late 1836, Aaron Burr was near death. Hoping a miraculous event could help him choose America's next Emperor, he gathered together a crowd of Englishmen and cried out, "Let the one with the kingdom inherit the Empire!"
At that, Isambard Kingdom Brunel pushed his way out of the crowd. Shouting, "As you will, sir!", he lowered his head on bended knee toward Burr's makeshift bedside. Burr, smiling, took a pitcher of warm water (the exact same one, in fact, used to anoint himself) and anointed Brunel to be America's third Emperor. And, with that, so died Burr I, Emperor of America.
Requiescat in pace!
See Also[edit]
|Preceded by:
George Washington
|Second Emperor of the United States
December 14, 1799 – September 14, 1836
|Succeeded by:
Isambard Kingdom Brunel
|Preceded by:
Thomas Jefferson
|Vice President of the United States
March 4, 1801 – March 4, 1805
|Succeeded by:
George Clinton


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...Kentucky Needs You!...
Kudos to Kentucky... over 500 observers have signed up!
Click here for the
latest CoCoRaHS Newsletter!
Training sessions and NWS Storm Spotter Training are scheduled as follows:
CocoRaHS-Kentucky observers provide a great volunteer service to the community, the county and the state by providing information on precipitation, snowfall, and snow depths. The information is used by government and university scientists, community officials, farmers, county emergency managers, watershed managers, drought monitors, and by your friends and neighbors.
Each observer will need:
Training Sessions
Training is required for all observers. You may attend a "live" training session and/or use the online training slideshow found on the CoCoRaHS home page. Live training sessions are open to the public. RSVPs are requested, but not required in most cases.
Tom Priddy, UK Ag Weather Center


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Oprah Winfrey, Mary J Blige, Kanye West & Forest Whitaker Speak On Obama's Historic Speec! "It Changed My Life"
Entertainment Tonight"'s Kevin Frazier is at the Democratic National Convention, and he got an exclusive, emotionally charged interview with Oprah Winfrey, who said she shed tears of joy over Barack Obama's historic nomination acceptance speech. Plus, don't miss more reactions from Forest Whitaker, Kanye West and Mary J. Blige!
Please click the "Report" button below if the video on this page is not working properly.
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You can provide the names and phone numbers of two emergency contacts, a primary and a secondary contact. A photo can be included with their information. You also have the option to include one of the photos, with name and phone number, as a banner on your homescreen.
Medical Conditions [+/-]
In an emergency medical responders will need as much information about you as possible, especially if you are unable to communicate. By clicking the "Edit" button you can add a list of your current medical conditions.
Medications [+/-]
A list of current medications, including what you are currently taking and what you are allergic to, is vital for medical responders. By clicking "Please choose a medication" you can add your medications from a list supplied by the ICE PLUS app.
Hospital and Physician Location Information [+/-]
By accessing a "List View" or "Map View," you can choose a nearby hospital or physician's office. Once you click on that facility name you can find out the following information: facility address, phone number, Google map driving directions and list of medical services. You will also access the names of the physicians located at that particular office.
Personal Information [+/-]
By going to this section of the app, medical responders can learn your full name, address, blood type and registered donor information. The ICE PLUS app will automatically pull in your information from the "Medical Conditions" and "Medications" sections.


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Silver High Times Huggie Earrings
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Store your jewelry when dry only. To clean jewelry, gently use a soft cloth to wipe off any residue.
Please treat your jewelry with care.
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Big Data for a Small World: SMEIoT
The world is a great big database and algorithmic wizards and mad data scientists are burning the midnight oil to mine the perplexing infinities of ubiquitous data points. Their goal is to put data to use to facilitate better governance, initiate pinpoint marketing campaigns, pursue revelatory academic research and improve the quality of service public agencies deliver to protect and serve communities. The convergence of Big Data, Cloud Computing and the Internet of Things (IoT) make this possible.
The earth is the mother of all relational databases. It's six billion inhabitants track many billions of real time digital footprints across the face of the globe each and every day. Some footprints are readily apparent and easy to see. Facebook likes, credit card transactions, name and address lists, urgent Tweets and public records sparkle like alluvial diamonds; all easily plucked by data aggregators and sold to product marketers at astonishing profit margins. Other data points are less apparent, hidden or derived in the incessant hum of the ever listening, ever recording global cybersphere. These are the digital touch points we knowingly and unknowingly create with our interactions with the world wide web and the machines that live there.
It is estimated that there is over 20 billion smart machines that are fully integrated into our lives. These machines stay busy creating digital footprints; adding quantitative context to the quality of the human condition. EZ Passes, RFID tags, cell phone records, location tracking, energy meters, odometers, auto dashboard idiot lights, self diagnostic fault tolerant machines, industrial process controls, seismographic, air and water quality apparatuses and the streaming CBOT digital blips flash the milliseconds of a day in the life of John Q. Public. Most sentient beings pay little notice, failing to consider that someone somewhere is planting the imprints of our daily lives in mammoth disk farms. The webmasters, data engineers and information scientists are collecting, collating, aggregating, scoring and analyzing these rich gardens of data to harvest an accurate psychographic portrait of modernity.
The IoT is the term coined to describe the new digital landscape we inhabit. The ubiquitous nature of the internet, the continued rationalization of the digital economy into the fabric of society and the absolute dependency of daily life upon it, require deep consideration how it impacts civil liberties, governance, cultural vibrancy and economic well being.
The IoT is the next step in the development of the digital economy. By 2025 it is estimated that IoT will drive $6 Trillion in global economic activity. This anoints data and information as the loam of the modern global economy; no less significant than the arrival of discrete manufacturing at the dawn of industrial capitalism.
The time may come when a case may be made that user generated data is a commodity and should be considered a public domain natural resource; but today it is the province of digirati shamans entrusted to interpret the Rosetta Stones, gleaning deep understanding of the current reality while deriving high probability predictive futures. IoT is one of the prevailing drivers of global social development.
There is another critical economic and socio-political driver of the global economy. Small Mid-Sized Enterprises (SME) are the cornerstone of job creation in developed economies. They form the bedrock of subsistence and economic activity in lesser developed countries (LDC). They are the dynamic element of capitalism. SME led by courageous risk takers are the spearhead of capital formation initiatives. Politicians, bureaucrats and business pundits extol their entrepreneurial zeal and hope to channel their youthful energy in service to local and national political aspirations. The establishment of SME is a critical macroeconomic indicator of a country's economic health and the wellspring of social wealth creation.
The World Bank/ IFC estimates that over 130 million registered SME inhabit the global economy. The definition of an SME varies by country. Generally an SME and MSME (Micro Small Mid Sized Enterprises) are defined by two measures, number of employees or annual sales. Micro enterprises are defined as employing less than 9 employees, small up to 100 employees and medium sized enterprises anywhere from 200 to 500 employees. Defining SMEs by sales scale in a similar fashion.
Every year millions of startup businesses replace the millions that have closed. The world's largest economy United States boasts over 30 million SME and every year over one million small businesses close. The EU and OECD countries report similar statistics of the preponderance of SME and numbers of business closures.
The SME is a dynamic non homogeneous business segment. It is highly diverse in character, culture and business model heavily colored by local influence and custom. SME is overly sensitive to macroeconomic risk factors and market cyclicality. Risk is magnified in the SME franchise due to high concentration of risk factors. Over reliance on a limited set of key clients or suppliers, product obsolescence, competitive pressures, force majeure events, key employee risk, change management and credit channel dependencies are glaring risk factors magnified by business scale and market geographics.
In the United States, during the banking crisis the Federal Reserve was criticized for pursuing policies that favored large banking and capital market participants while largely ignoring SME. To mitigate contagion risk, The Federal Reserve quickly acted to pump liquidity into the banking sector to buttress the capital structure of SIFI (Systemically Important Financial Institutions). It was thought that a collateral benefit would be the stimulation of SME lending. This never occurred as SBA backed loans nosedived. Former Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner implemented the TARP and TALF programs to further strengthen the capital base of distressed banks as former Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke pursued Quantitative Easing to transfer troubled mortgage backed securities onto Uncle Sams balance sheet to relieve financial institutions of these troubled assets. Some may argue that President Obama's The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) helped the SME sector. The $800 billion stimulus was one third tax cuts, one third cash infusion to local governments and one third capital expenditures aimed at shovel ready infrastructure improvement projects. The scale of the ARRA was miniscule as compared to support rendered to banks and did little to halt the deteriorating macroeconomic conditions of the collapsing housing market, ballooning unemployment and rising energy prices severely stressing SME.
The EU offered no better. As the PIGS (Portugal, Ireland, Greece, Spain) economies collapsed the European Central Bank forced draconian austerity measures on national government expenditures undermining key SME market sensitivities. On both sides of the Atlantic, the perception of a bifurcated central banking policy that favored TBTF Wall Street over the needs of an atomized SME segment flourished. The wedge between the speculative economy of Wall Street and the real economy on Main Street remains a festering wound.
In contrast to the approach of western central bankers, Asian Tigers, particularly Singapore have created a highly supportive environment for the incubation and development of SME. Banks offer comprehensive portfolios of financial products and SME advisory services. Government legislative programs highlight incubation initiatives linked to specific industry sectors. Developed economies have much to learn from these SME friendly market leaders.
The pressing issues concerning net neutrality, ecommerce tax policies, climate change and the recognition of Bitcoin as a valid commercial specie are critical developments that goes to the heart of a healthy global SME community. These emerging market events are benevolent business drivers for SME and concern grows that legislative initiatives are being drafted to codify advantages for politically connected larger enterprises.
Many view this as a manifestation of a broken political system, rife with protections of large well financed politically connected institutions. Undermining these entrenched corporate interests is the ascending digital paradigm promising to dramatically alter business as usual politics. Witness the role of social media in the Arab Spring, Barack Obama's 2008 election or the decapitalization of the print media industry as clear signals of the the passing away of the old order of things. Social networking technologies and the democratization of information breaks down the ossified monopolies of knowledge access. These archaic ramparts are being gleefully overthrown by open collaborative initiatives levelling the playing field for all market participants.
This is where SMEIoT neatly converges. To effectively serve an efficient market, transparency and a contextual understanding of its innate dynamics are critical preconditions to market participation. The incubation of SME and the underwriting of capital formation initiatives from a myriad of providers will occur as information standards provide a level of transparency that optimally aligns risk and investment capital. SMEIoT will provide the insights to the sector for SME to grow and prosper while industry service providers engage SME within the context of a cooperative economic non-exploitative relationship.
This series will examine SME and how IoT will serve to transform and incubate the sector. We'll examine the typology of the SME ecosystem, its risk characteristics and features. We'll propose a metadata framework to model SME descriptors, attributes, risk factors and a scoring methodology. We'll propose an SME portal, review the mission of Big Data and its indispensable role to create cooperative economic frameworks within the SME ecosystem. Lastly we'll review groundbreaking work social scientists, legal scholars and digital frontier activists are proposing to address best governance practices and ethical considerations of Big Data collection, the protection of privacy rights, informed consent, proprietary content and standards of accountability.
SMEIoT coalesces at the intersection of social science, commerce and technology. History has aligned SMEIot building blocks to create the conditions for this exciting convergence. Wide participation of government agencies, academicians, business leaders, scientists and ethicists will be required to make pursuit of this science serve the greatest good.
This is the first in a series of articles on Big Data and SMEIoT . It originally appeared in Daftblogger eJournal. Next piece in series is scheduled to appear on Daftblogger eJournal within the next two weeks.
#smeiot #metasme #sum2llc #sme #office365 #mobileoffice #TARP #capitalformation #IoT #internetofthings #OECD #TBTF #Bitcoin #psychographics #smeportals #bigdata #informedconsent
July 9, 2014 Posted by riskrapper | banking, Bernanke, capitalism, commerce, credit, credit crisis, culture, economics, information technology, internet of things, legal, legislative, metasme, OECD, politics, private equity, psychology, regulatory, risk management, small business, SME, smeiot, TALF, TARP, Treasury, Uncategorized | #bigdata, #Bitcoin, #capitalformation, #informedconsent, #internetofthings, #IoTX, #metasme, #mobileoffice, #office365, #psychographics, #smeiot, #smeportals, #TBTF, OECD, SME, sum2llc, TARP | Leave a comment
Nike Resigns US Chamber of Commerce Board Seat
Nike has resigned from the board of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce for its opposition to the cap-and-trade bill now being considered by the Senate. Nike moves comes on the heals of Exelon announcement to quit the Chamber altogether over its concern that the nations largest business lobby body was hindering legislative action to deal with the pressing problems of climate change.
As the December Copenhagen Summit on climate change nears pressure is growing on the United States to pass the cap-and-trade bill stalled in the senate. Companies with a strong commitment to corporate social responsibility agenda are becoming more vocal in support of legislative and corporate initiatives that address climate change.
Nike's high profile action places associations and business advocacy groups on notice that it expects such groups to seek ways they can make positive contibutions to addressing pressing issue of climate change.
Nike insists that it expects the representative bodies of businesses to have a little less conversation and demands much more action to address the pressing problem.
You Tube Video: Elvis Presley, Little Less Conversation
Risk: climate change, legislative, corporate responsibility
October 4, 2009 Posted by riskrapper | associations, environment, legislative, reputational risk, sustainability | associations, cap-and-trade bill, climate change, Copenhagen Climate Change Summit, corporate social responsibility, CSR, Exelon, legislative, Nike, sustainability, U.S. Chamber of Commerce | Leave a comment
Sum2llc is a company sponsored blog of Sum2. The purpose of sum2llc is to assist SME's and the industries that serve them implement sound business practices to build profitability and maintain sustainable growth.
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Incoming first-year students are escorted to individual advising sessions during Bobcat Student Orientation (BSO) 2013. This year's BSO kicks off June 4.
Photographer: Elizabeth Held
Apr 28, 2014
By Angela Woodward
The newest members of the Ohio University family will be converging on the Athens Campus in June as OHIO kicks off Bobcat Student Orientation (BSO) – an event that will bring almost 10,000 individuals to the city of Athens.
Orientation sessions begin June 4 and end June 26 for incoming first-year and transfer students.
In their first official visit to campus as OHIO Bobcats, more than 4,000 students are expected to attend the orientation sessions, including nearly 3,700 first-year students and more than 300 transfer students. And they won't be coming alone. More than 5,600 parents or guests of those incoming OHIO Bobcats have registered for BSO, according to Jenny Klein, assistant dean of student persistence and success who oversees OHIO's orientation program.
Parking information
When those students and their parents and guests arrive on campus, one of the first things they will notice is the number of construction projects underway at OHIO as the University builds for the future. Construction on Phase I of the University's Housing Development Plan on the University's south end and work on West Mulberry Street, Park Place and University Terrace near College Green will result in detours and parking lot closures throughout the Athens Campus.
In addition, several project on and around the University's College Green have been planned for the summer. Information on those projects and how they may affect traffic and parking can be found here.
Bobcat Student Orientation will affect parking on the University's West and South Greens. All students and parents attending BSO have been issued parking permits allowing them to park in the purple lots around the Convocation Center (Lots 127 and 128) and at Peden Stadium (Lot 132). They may also park in lots 50-55 on South Green. The dark green faculty/staff parking lots underneath the Convocation Center (Lot 129) and behind Walter Hall (Lot 134) will not be open to those attending Bobcat Student Orientation. For more information, visit Parking Services' website at http://www.facilities.ohiou.edu/parking/. Parking Services also posts all of its latest parking information on Twitter at @OhioUParking.
Program information
The goal of Bobcat Student Orientation is to allow new OHIO students and their parents to meet with faculty, staff and students and to prepare for fall semester through academic integration and socialization.
"It is our goal that every student leaves BSO with a complete and appropriate schedule and a new friend," Klein said.
During orientation, students will take placement tests, meet with an academic adviser and learn about the University's curriculum, register for fall semester classes, explore opportunities for campus involvement, and obtain their OHIO IDs – all while getting acquainted with some of their classmates.
In the meantime, their parents will meet with their student's academic dean, tour the Athens Campus and meet and talk with representatives from various campus offices – all while getting to know other OHIO parents. Students and their parents will also have the opportunity to stay overnight in a residence hall and eat in an Ohio University dining hall.
"We want students and parents to feel as though they've made a great choice, that Ohio University will provide these students with an exceptional experience, and that they've put their trust and faith in higher education in a superb institution," Klein said.
Campus information
Bobcat Student Orientation includes activities held throughout the Athens Campus, but some areas of campus will see more activity than others. For instance, students and parents opting for an overnight experience in a residence hall will be housed in Read and Johnson Halls on East Green. On-campus meals will be provided in Nelson Dining Hall on South Green. And several activities are planned for Baker University Center, Templeton-Blackburn Alumni Memorial Auditorium and Gordy Hall.
All activities are designed to help students and their parents learn about Ohio University's outstanding academic programs, policies, people, facilities and services.
"We want our incoming students to leave Bobcat Student Orientation saying, 'Yes, I fit here. I belong here and I see myself succeeding here,'" said Jenny Hall-Jones, associate vice president for student affairs and dean of students. "We want their parents to know that we are going to do everything possible to ensure that their child is successful and that we are partnering with them in their child's education."
One-day BSO sessions for transfer and first-year students who are unable to attend the earlier sessions will be held Aug. 21 and 22. Fall semester starts Aug. 25.
For more information on Bobcat Student Orientation, visit http://www.ohio.edu/orientation/.


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First Test: 2011 Subaru Tribeca Limited
Change Can't Come Soon Enough for This Mid-Pack Crossover
A lot happened in the four years since we last drove the second-generation Subaru Tribeca. Two new countries declared sovereignty, more than 40,000 species were discovered, and an exuberant Antoine Dodson rose to YouTube fame in mere days. But unlike the ever-evolving globe it traverses, the 2011 Subaru Tribeca remains roughly the same mid-pack contender it was when it debuted as a 2006 model. And after a week behind its three-spoke wheel, we have a better understanding why.
But before all the juicy details are revealed, some important data must be considered. If an ever-changing lineup of contenders incuding the Toyota Highlander, Chevrolet Traverse, Ford Explorer, and Dodge Durango wasn't enough reason for a major mid-cycle revitalization, consider the Tribeca's sales figures.
Dealers moved 16,790 Tribecas in 2007, when a revamped model was introduced with a more efficient 3.6-liter flat-six, updated five-speed automatic, and a less offensive snout. A year later, that mark fell to 10,975 units. In 2009, sales dwindled to 5930 units. Last year, Subaru sold just 2472 Tribecas in the U.S. By comparison, industry giant Toyota sold 92,121 Highlanders. The good news for Subaru is the rest of its lineup is selling relatively well.
Subaru's product planners implemented a few packaging readjustments for the 2009 and 2010 model year Tribecas, which included dropping certain trim designations and establishing a standard seven-passenger seating configuration. The changes obviously have had little effect on sales.
Back to the juicy details. Looking at the mid-range 4219-pound Tribeca Limited, it's easy to mistake it for an overgrown Outback. Most staffers did. Since seeing a Tribeca "in the wild" is as rare as spotting a Yeti at the mall, a brief moment of surprise when encountering one is normal. This brings us to a major sticking point: its confusingly plain styling. It isn't unattractive, but it garners no second looks and even a few stern stares. No showiness, dynamic character lines, or bold wheel arches here.
Inside, the exterior's plain, generic theme carries through, although the front dash's modern layout provoked plenty of pokes and prods. The futuristic bird-inspired console feels space age-y, and not necessarily in a good way. The tan/beige/grey/silver color scheme, the extra-large pixilated climate control temperature readouts, and the navigation screen flanked by enlarged car status icons had some staffers wondering if they had just strapped into the Starship Enterprise. On the plus side, the dash's buttons are clearly and easily placed for quick access by the driver; its heated/cooled front seats are very cushy; and the overall interior space is plenty roomy.
My three weekend cohorts fielded no complaints when it came to backseat entertainment. Our Limited trim arrived with Option Package 17, otherwise known as the Power Moonroof/Navigation Package, the one with the huge 9-inch rear DVD display attached to its ceiling. Other amenities include black roof rails, rearview camera, and wireless headphones. That's in addition to the standard rear air conditioning, Bluetooth phone connectivity (which doesn't link to the center display and takes a while to pair), leather upholstery, and an impressive harmon/kardon 10-speaker sound system.
Loading two riders in the hilariously diminutive third seat can be difficult. The act of sliding the rear seat forward then folding it to allow for ingress isn't hard. But the subsequent process of reclining the seat halfway upright, then pushing it in line with the rest of the bench, then searching for a bright orange lever (it repositions the seat to its original place) located under the thigh padding takes time. You practically need an instructional class to master the whole series of events, and some nicely developed biceps.
On real-world streets, the Tribeca rides comfortably and quietly. (Turn up the very loud and clear stereo system if all that silence gets boring.) Front seats provide a commanding view of the road ahead, while the steering is somewhat light, but direct. During an unexpected light snow storm in the mountains east of San Diego, the all-season Goodyears stuck sufficiently and inspired nothing but confidence, albeit at a tortoise pace.
The 3.6-liter's lack of low-end power and torque merits substantial spurring and downshifting to get the all-wheel drive Tribeca moving. (The five-speed automatic shifted so smoothly that a few of us mistook it for the brand's Lineartronic continuously variable transmission.) Mashing the Tribeca's throttle from a stop means 60 mph comes in 7.7 seconds. All 256 horsepower and 247 pound-feet of torque pull the Subie to a quarter-mile in 16.0 seconds at 86.8 mph. Braking from 60 mph takes 126 feet, an exact match to four years ago. What's significant is the 0.81 g average attained on the skidpad. During our last test, the CUV pulled just 0.76 g.
Drive just a half day and you'll notice another sticking point: The tiny 16.9-gallon fuel tank gets really old really fast. The Tribeca's EPA-rated 16 mpg city, 21 mpg highway fuel economy is on par with segment competitors, but its 274-mile single tank range isn't. In contrast, the 2011 Honda Pilot and Chevy Traverse have EPA-estimated one-tank ranges of 340 and 376 miles, respectively. Of course, ultimate range depends on a driver's inputs, but even so, you'll be a constant sight at local filling stations in a Tribeca.
For the handful of drivers wanting a relatively rare CUV that ruffles few feathers, has room for seven, and proudly touts 74.4 cubic-feet of cargo capacity (with the rear seats down), the current Tribeca should stay on their Potential Buy radars.
But a handful of buyers only goes so far.
Stylish, modern physiques surrounding well-appointed, dapper cabins sell cars and crossovers. Usually, droves of them. Two years from now, when a new Tribeca is built in collaboration with Toyota, significant changes will come to the eclipsed model. Will they be worth the wait?
|2011 Subaru Tribeca 3.6R Limited
|Front engine, AWD, 7-pass, 4-door SUV
|3.6L/256-hp/247-lb-ft DOHC 24-valve F-6
|5-speed automatic
|4219 lb (55/45%)
|108.2 in
|LENGTH x WIDTH x HEIGHT
|191.5 x 73.9 x 66.4 in
|7.7 sec
|16.0 sec @ 86.8 mph
|126 ft
|0.81 g (avg)
|27.8 sec @ 0.61 g (avg)
|16/21 mpg
|211/160 kW-hrs/100 miles
|1.08 lb/mile


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Posted by Lotg (OZ) on July 06, 2004
In Reply to: Thanks guys & where you bin James? posted by Lotg (OZ) on July 06, 2004
: : : : : : When was it decided, why and by whom, that 'square' meant conservative? ie. Years ago if someone was square, they were maintstream, conservative, etc. And of course, then there's the saying, 'think outside the square', suggesting that if you want to do something different, break the mould, etc. you have to think outside a square.
: : : : : My 'The American Thesaurus of Slang', circa 1956, certainly gives the conservative version and likens it to 'trite' or 'corny'.
: : : : Welcome back, James. You were missed.
: : : Ditto. Welcome back!
: : : From the archives:
: : : SQUARE - "Colonists were calling city blocks laid out on the grid plan 'squares' by the 1790s ( the term is often associated with Philadelphia but did not originate there). By 1832 men used 'square' approvingly to refer to the natural, even gait of a good horse in such expressions as a 'square-gaited' horse or a 'square trotter.' By 1836 'square' meant full or complete, as a 'square meal,' though people didn't talk about 'three squares a day' until 1882. By the 1850s 'to square' meant to put a matter straight and later to pay a debt.
: : : As early as 1804, however, square had come to mean fair, honest, as in 'square fight,' with 'square talk' coming in 1860, 'square deal' appearing as a card player's term in the 1880s, and square shooter in 1920. However, it was Theodore Roosevelt who popularized the term 'square deal' in its generally sense. The term (square) was spread by bop and cool musicians in the late 1940s and early 50s, and then by beatniks and hippies, who used it pejoratively to refer to old-fashioned people and conformists." From "Listening to America" by Stuart Berg Flexner (Simon and Schuster, New York, 1982).
: : Nice to see you again...welcome back, missed ya!
: Thanks everyone, particularly ESC for that detailed explanation. And James, should I ask where ya bin, or is that top secret???


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Scandinavian Cottage Kitchen Inspiration
Images via My Scandinavian Retreat and Design is Mine
I'm looking forward to the weekend, although I am feeling a bit blue today. Two of our close friends were in a horrible accident while on a road trip to California (they were hit by a Semi on an icy bridge in Arkansas). They are very lucky to be alive, but I'm still wearing my worried face. I have a great distraction though - I'm lucky to work with a group of characters who keep me laughing even on my dark days.
8 comments:
- Beth said...
I love both these kitchens. Just got a book about cottage-style decorating and have been having fun visualizing a wonderful kitchen filled with vintage items.
So sorry to hear about your friends' accident. That's very troubling indeed. I will say a prayer for them. ♥
- January 21, 2011 at 2:27 PM
- drollgirl said...
oh these are LOVELY examples! i love the skandinavian stuff too!
so sorry to hear about your friends. ack! so scary! i sure hope they are going to be ok. sometimes life feels so carefree and fun, and sometimes it all seems so precarious! ack! you and your friends are in my thoughts. hugs to you all.
- January 21, 2011 at 8:13 PM
- TERI REES WANG said...
Okay, so here is my new chant.
And it works, and it carries over too.
So I am sharing it with you....
"I am Safe"...
"I am Sane"....
"I am Satisfied" !!!
It has all the simplicity of a Scandinavian kitchen.
- January 21, 2011 at 9:13 PM
- Lily Riani said...
i does remind me of my trip to sweden, my friend's kitchen does look abit like this. hahah
- January 21, 2011 at 10:45 PM
I'm very sorry to hear about your friends, but glad they are doing ok.
- January 22, 2011 at 8:44 PM
sorry about your friends.. i just dropped in to say your blog is beautiful, it's one of the few i keep checking...
- January 25, 2011 at 8:03 AM
- Christina said...
oh no, i hope your friends recover quickly.
on a different note- i love the color of the kitchen in that last shot. so pretty.
- January 25, 2011 at 11:56 AM
- Kitty Stampede said...
you said it. this look is quite ideal.
i would love to see your place..i betcha it's so cool.
- January 27, 2011 at 9:34 PM


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Librarians heroes in war to save freedom
I have expanded my pantheon of personal heroes. To a list that includes beat cops, Shriners and firefighters, add librarians. As we bring freedom to Iraqis, there's also a battle to preserve Americans' freedoms. Librarians are the unlikely front line soldiers in that war.
Not that all tome tenders I've known have been defenders of liberty. I was editor of the Polk County Itemizer-Observer during a particularly contentious library levy campaign in Dallas, Ore., about 20 years ago. A certain woman was among the more outspoken in opposition to renovating the 1920s-era Carnegie building. The librarian at the time pulled me aside to ask in a conspiratorial whisper, "Do you know what kind of books she reads?" referring to the levy opponent. "Young adult fiction," he snickered, as if that were all one need know about her credibility.
He showed no compunction about snooping in this patron's files, or sharing it with a reporter.
I doubt that he (or Laura Bush) is among today's "resistance" movement among librarians fighting a sort of guerrilla war against the outrages embodied in the USA Patriot Act.
Congress passed the law in the heat of the paranoid moment not long after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Among many other troubling things, the act dramatically lowers the standards for the FBI to obtain a court order to search library records. Agents no longer need meet the substantial legal standard of "probable cause" or do it in open court. They need only convince a judge, in a secret court, that they have reason to suspect a person is involved with a terrorist or terrorist plot. The bureau need not even show it's likely to find evidence of wrongdoing or that the suspect is actually involved in terrorism or spying. The court must issue the search order if it is properly filed. The order must not disclose that it has been issued by the secret court and those ordered to produce documents are barred from telling anyone about it. The act gives the FBI the power to look at library records and computer hard drives to see what books patrons have checked out, what Web pages they've visited and where they've sent e-mails. Librarians face criminal charges if they reveal details of or the extent of their contact with federal officials or so much as reveal that they've turned over records on a library patron's activities, not even to the patron.
Secret courts, secret files, gag orders.
Is this still America? Just as we're getting to see the full extent of the McCarthy hearing atrocities, should we put up with this?
The librarians don't think so.
As the director of Santa Cruz, Calif., library, Anne Turner, told The New York Times last month: "I'm more terrified of having my First Amendment rights to information and free speech infringed than I am by the kind of terrorist acts that have come down so far. I came of age in the 1960s, when the FBI was keeping records on all kinds of people. It has made me suspicious."
"The only way to overcome this is to act illegally. It's awful," says Judith Krug, director of the American Library Association's office for intellectual freedom.
Libraries are distributing handouts and posting signs that warn: "The USA Patriot Act makes it illegal for libraries to tell you if computers are monitored. Be aware!"
And consider the March 2002 column by Karen G. Schneider, who writes for the American Libraries Association.
" ... the USA Patriot Act is treason, pure and simple."
"The Patriot Act is not antiterrorism legislation; it's antispeech legislation ... a bloated hodgepodge of speech-chilling law that lurked in congressional corridors not only before Sept. 11 but in large part before the Bush administration," Schneider's column continued.
Schneider gave her librarian colleagues advice on how to monkeywrench the new law and warn library patrons. She also admonished them, "Don't just sit there reading this article: Go out onto the floor and look at the faces of the people using your computers. Do you really think it helps democracy to put everyone in America under the lens of unbridled government surveillance? We as librarians can be true patriots -- by doing what we can to protect the Constitution and the people we serve."
My heroine.
On the Net:
The American Library Association at:
The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, "Homefront Confidential," at: